#(( also dear god i hope all these pings work

[leiawritesstories]

I posted 2,406 times in 2022

That's 2,113 more posts than 2021!

659 posts created (27%)

1,747 posts reblogged (73%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@leiawritesstories

@morganofthewildfire

@rowanaelinn

@tomtenadia

@heirofflowers

I tagged 1,969 of my posts in 2022

Only 18% of my posts had no tags

#leia rambles - 638 posts

#rowaelin - 349 posts

#my writing - 266 posts

#aelin galathynius - 171 posts

#rowan whitethorn - 160 posts

#ask game - 109 posts

#fly the black flag - 87 posts

#as i am - 80 posts

#ask - 64 posts

#fluff - 57 posts

Longest Tag: 99 characters

#i cannot watch any show/movie/anything with live musicians and not analyze said musicians technique

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Fly The Black Flag Masterlist

A Rowaelin pirate AU

Also known as Horny Pirates™

General warnings: language, depictions of violence, blood, guns, piracy and other immoral things, probable smut

NSFW marked with **

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MOODBOARD by the amazing @elentiyawhitethorn

PLAYLIST by my dear @rowanaelinn

FIC PLAYLIST (Spotify)

~

TEASER 1: The Plan

ONE: The Stowaways

TWO: Where The Hell Is Lorcan?

THREE: Oh, That’s Just Fenrys Falling!

FOUR: And You’re Going To Lead Us There

FIVE: Take It All

SIX: WHY IS THE RUM GONE?

SEVEN: Rolfe Calls For A Meeting

Chapter 8 Teaser

EIGHT: You’re Late, Galathynius!

NINE: Aggravating

TEN: What the FUCK, Ashryver?

ELEVEN: A Visit From The Royal Navy

TWELVE: So She Cloned Herself?

THIRTEEN: The Perranth Truce**

FOURTEEN: Within Sight Of Fenharrow**

DELETED SCENE: CH. 14**

FIFTEEN: The Traitor’s Tale

SIXTEEN: A Queen In Her Castle

SEVENTEEN: Burn In Hell

See the full post

123 notes - Posted March 27, 2022

#4

I had an idea for a Rowaelin prompt: Aelin gathers the courage to give her number to a very handsome stranger -who then messages her telling he's gay, but it was super cool that Aelin had the guts to give her number. He also has a super hot brother, who just happens to be single and he could give the brother's number to Aelin.

She then messages the brother, they start chatting and do end up on a date - and he does not disappoint, for the pine green eyes, silver hair and a body to die for are even better than what she could've hoped for

hi anon!! I love this so much hehehehe

word count: 1,946

warnings: none 

Enda’s Single Brother

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maybe it was the liquid courage. 

Maybe it was that she hadn’t gotten laid in seven months. 

Or maybe it was just sheer Aelin Galathynius Confidence™ that made her strut across the crowded pub and approach the tall, handsome guy leaning against the bar, purposely tripping a little to bump into him. 

“God, I’m so sorry,” she apologized, righting herself against the bar top. 

“It’s not a problem,” the guy replied, grinning at her. Yeah, he was cute. “My name’s Endymion, but everyone calls me Enda.” 

“Nice to meet you, Enda.” She shook his hand warmly. “I’m Aelin.” 

She chatted casually with Enda for a few minutes, breaking off when Elide waved at her from the table. “Shoot, my friend’s waving frantically at me, I should go see what she wants.” 

“Nice meeting you, Aelin,” Enda grinned. 

“You too.” Aelin loosed a short huff. Then she scribbled her number down on a napkin and slid the flimsy paper over to him. “I don’t want to seem pushy, but here’s my number, I’d love to keep talking.” She left before her face could erupt into flames. 

“You did it!” Elide whisper-screeched when she got back to the table, blushing a little. 

“Yeah,” Aelin agreed. “Yeah, I did.” 

“You go, girl!” Lys slapped her a high five. “Look at you, all grown up and getting hot guys to notice you.” 

“Bitch,” Aelin laughed. But she was proud of herself. 

~

Enda texted her after she got home, the message pinging on her phone. She glanced at the screen. 

>Hey, it’s Enda! 

<Hey Enda! This is Aelin

>Oh good, it worked :) 

<Glad it did 

>Okay 

>I have to admit something...

<Yeah? Go ahead!

>I...um...

See the full post

132 notes - Posted July 28, 2022

#3

A Rowaelin prompt if I may; Rowan and Aelin are engaged, but every time someone asks them to tell how the proposal went/how they ended up engaged, they make up new stories - each one more random and dirty than the one before. No matter who asks, whether family, friends or random old ladies at the grocery store.

Thank you SO MUCH for the prompt!! <3

word count: 912

warnings: language, naughty naughty jokes, mentions of sex, lots of innuendo

enjoy!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aelin could hardly open the garage door, she was laughing so hard. Rowan wasn't any better, he was bent halfway over, clutching his stomach, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes as he tried and failed to catch his breath.

"Shit, Aelin," he wheezed, fumbling for the door to hold it open for her, "In public?!"

"And here I thought you were the one who was into that," she smirked, cackling even harder. She managed to place the bags of groceries both she and Rowan were carrying onto the counter before another wave of laughter crashed over her, leaving her to sink to the floor, wheezing helplessly. "I can't believe I said that."

"I can," Rowan grinned, handing her a tissue.

At the grocery store, they'd been going through the checkout line when the cashier, a very sweet lady about Rowan's mom's age, had noticed Aelin's engagement ring and offered her congratulations. And then she'd asked them for the story, of course, like so many of their friends and relatives and even random people on the street had done in the two months since Rowan had popped the question.

Wicked sparks gleamed in Aelin's eyes.

"Well," she began, leaning in like she was sharing a secret, "I think it was the fourth orgasm that did it."

The poor cashier's eyes had nearly fallen out of her face as she goggled.

Innocently, Aelin continued. "Y'see, he'd never gone more than three rounds back to back, something I'm certainly not complaining about, no ma'am, but something about that resort must have given him extra stamina or something, because the man is insatiable." She winked broadly. "Insatiable, I tell you. In the pool, in the shower, all over the suite--hell, the poor staff's probably still finding scuff marks on the walls from the bedframe banging into it. Three times my fine fiancé had filled me up, and just as I thought he was going to drop down next to me and fall asleep, he and his best friend suddenly became re-energized, and I found myself in a position I'd never tried before. Doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, no indeed." Her grin was positively evil. "So after that round, in the throes of bliss and all of that, he rolled over onto his side and just panted, 'Marry me, baby.' I thought for sure it was the orgasms talking, but he was serious." She blew Rowan a kiss, admiring her ring.

The cashier's jaw hung open. She took a big deep breath and shook herself back into business mode. "I...I'm sure the two of you will be very happy together," she managed as she rang up the total.

Aelin and Rowan had barely made it out the doors before they exploded with laughter, great pealing guffaws that lasted the whole drive back to their house. She wasn't quite sure how she'd managed to see well enough to drive given the film of laughter-tears that clouded her eyes, but they'd made it.

"I think that was the best one yet," Rowan remarked as he helped her stand.

She snorted. "Better than the one we told Lorcan?"

He coughed, the memory of that account rising. "Shit, maybe not."

Elide and Lorcan had been some of the first people to find out about their engagement. They'd been over at Rowan and Aelin's house, and the loudest shriek Rowan had ever heard in his life emitted from Elide when she caught sight of Aelin's new ring. Of course, she and Lorcan had demanded the proposal story right away. Aelin shot Rowan a wicked wink, her intent to spin something absolutely wild showing in the gesture.

Then she'd launched into a gushy retelling of the place where Rowan had proposed--the Galathynius family's cabin in the Oakwald Forest--complete with a hell of a lot of embellishment, mostly involving celebration sex.

Rowan couldn't help himself when Lorcan raised an eyebrow and inquired how well he thought it had gone.

"Judging by the way she squirted all over my face, I'd say it went very well indeed," he'd hummed, smirking like the cat who ate the canary.

Or the fiancée, as it were.

Lorcan's face went a rather gratifying shade of uncomfortable. "Fuck, Whitethorn," he grumbled, crimson staining his cheeks. "Why the fuck d'you have to be so crude?"

"Pot, kettle," Rowan snorted, snickering at his oldest friend.

Ah yes, the start of their wild proposal stories.

Aedion and Lys had been told that Rowan proposed on a ziplining date, one of the wilder adventures he and Aelin had taken together, an adventure that had almost given him several heart attacks when Aelin decided to go down the route that included leaping off a tree into a steep plunge as part of the course. Aelin's parents had heard that their future son-in-law proposed on the way home from the club. While singing a boisterous, off-key rendition of "Let's Get It On" and stumbling over his own two feet. Rowan's parents had heard that he proposed in an airplane bathroom--what the two of them were doing together in an airplane bathroom, they had not wanted to know.

They invented proposal stories on the fly, whenever someone new asked. The one Aelin had told at the grocery store was definitely the dirtiest, though.

See the full post

135 notes - Posted July 13, 2022

#2

Chef’s Special

word count: 3,347

warnings: NSFW, language, minors proceed with caution. 

ENJOY! had way too much fun writing this haha

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aelin was running on pure instinct and adrenaline as she leaned into Rowan’s kiss, the hungry way he devoured her lips sending waves of heat pulsing through her body, setting her core throbbing. She could feel her thong starting to soak through just from the rush of this fiery kiss, from the way Rowan’s big, rough chef’s hands kneaded her breasts, working the flesh through her shirt and the flimsy little bra she was wearing. 

A hoarse, garbled moan escaped her as Rowan tangled his fingers into her hair, tilting her head back against the door so he could slide his lips down the column of her throat, having enough foresight not to leave any marks. Though a part of her really fucking wanted him to leave marks. 

Gods, she had it so bad. 

“Rowan!” she gasped as his tattooed hand--fuck, she hadn’t noticed how extensive that tattoo of his was--slipped brazenly into her leggings, cupping her center through her panties. 

He smirked darkly against her neck, two fingers stroking lazily up her core, his breath shaking as he discovered just how wet she was. “All for me, baby?” he murmured into her ear, the low roughness of his voice only making her wetter. And damn the man, he noticed, his smirk growing. “Use your words,” he commanded, his fingers brushing oh so close to her clit but never actually touching where she wanted him the most. 

“Yes,” she whispered, her hips involuntarily bucking into his touch. “Gods, fuck, yes, Chef.” She didn’t fucking know why she called him Chef, but as she felt his arousal pressing against her, she sure as hell wasn’t complaining. 

“Keep calling me that, baby,” Rowan all but growled, crashing his lips back against hers. “And you’ll have to keep quiet.” 

She hardly had the time to process what he’d just implied when he shoved her soaked thong aside and plunged one thick finger into her, his thumb finally brushing against her clit, drawing a pattern of circles into the throbbing bud. She moaned into his rough kiss as he pumped his finger, withdrawing it only to replace it with two, crooking them just right. “Fuck, Chef!” she groaned, trembling with the effort of keeping still under the perfect, perfect sensation of this man, whom she barely knew, touching her just the way she craved. 

He kissed her throat, teeth nipping at her skin just softly enough not to leave marks. “You like that, baby?” 

“Yes,” she moaned, her vocabulary very quickly regressing to “yes,” “Chef,” various expletives, and “Rowan.” 

Rowan’s fingers moved faster when she breathed his name, his rough pace and the lovely, absolutely filthy things he whispered against her neck sending her hurtling into sudden climax, her walls clenching around his fingers. 

He swore he almost came in his pants right there as she softly moaned his name, muffling her cries like the good girl he knew she was. Fuck, what he wouldn’t give to take her home and hear all of her noises unhindered. 

“Good girl,” he murmured into her ear, relishing in the way her whole body shuddered at the praise. He withdrew his fingers, groaning at the way her arousal coated his hand, lifted his fingers to his mouth, and licked them clean. His eyes, already blown out with desire, went nearly black as he tasted her, sucking his own fingers clean. Knitting his free hand back into her hair, he kissed her fiercely, making her taste herself on his tongue. 

Aelin started to slide down the door to return the favor, but he stopped her, his hands surprisingly gentle as he placed her back on her feet, shaking his head. “I want to,” she breathed. “Please, Rowan. Chef.” 

“Not now,” he murmured. “If I’m not inside you in the next thirty seconds, I think I’m actually going to die.” 

She couldn’t contain her grin at that. 

He, of course, noticed. “Sass, baby?” His lips brushed the corner of her jaw and she shivered as she felt him sliding his pants down enough for his hard cock to spring out and press against her, his breath fanning hot on her skin. “I’ll have to fuck that out of you, won’t I?” 

A whimpering moan was her only answer as fresh arousal rushed through her, definitely ruining her panties. He just chuckled, the dark sound rumbling around the bathroom. Then he looked into her eyes, confirming that she was ready, lined himself up, and slid into her. And in. And in. She was shuddering, walls fluttering around him, as he bottomed out, giving her a moment to adjust before rolling his hips into hers. She met his motions, her hands gripping his shoulders with a surprising amount of strength as he thrust into her, their moans and gasps mingling. 

“Close,” she whimpered. “Please, chef. Please.” 

“Since you asked so nicely,” he purred, one hand sliding between them to play with her clit, just what she needed to tumble headlong into another orgasm, her tight heat clenching around him and sending him spilling into her. “Good girl,” he panted as their bodies stilled, pulling out and tucking himself back into his pants before getting some wet towels to clean her up. 

“You did so well for me,” he praised, tossing the dirty towels in the trash. 

“This...” Aelin trailed off, flushing a little as she righted her clothes. “This won’t affect the class in any way?” 

“Besides me not being able to keep my eyes off you, baby?” He shook his head, sincerity on his face. “No. I promise it won’t.” 

“Thank you,” she said softly. “Really, Rowan. Thank you.” 

He kissed her cheek, the gesture shockingly tender. “See you...um, around?” He scratched the back of his neck a little awkwardly. 

See the full post

138 notes - Posted June 29, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Prompt!

Aelin's horrible at cooking so when Aedion makes a bet that she can't learn how to cook in a month. So she starts going to cooking classes and the chef is Rowan

let me tell you, Rowan with a chef's knife took my mind in a whole new direction *facepalm* why am I like this?? thank you for the prompt!!! <3   

word count: 1,738

warnings: language, suggestive content

enjoy 😏😏

Chaos In The Kitchen

“Fucking hell, Ae!” Aedion cried, waving his hands in front of his face in a futile effort to dissipate the cloud of smoke filling the kitchen. “Are you trying to burn down the fucking house?” 

“No!” Aelin shrieked, stabbing at the smoke detector until it stopped beeping and running to open the kitchen window. “I’m trying to make fucking breakfast!” 

Aedion raised one blonde brow at the blackened remains of bacon in the frying pan atop the stove. “You forget about the bacon or something?” 

“Shut the fuck up,” she groaned, swatting him with a dish towel. “I did not forget, I was watching it closely while I mixed up the pancake batter.” 

“And you turned away for one second and the bacon was smoking?” 

“Asshole,” she grumbled. “No. I watched it, and then the piece of shit started sending up smoke.” 

Her cousin doubled over, wheezing with laughter. “Only you, Ae,” he managed to gasp between guffaws. “Only you.” 

“Asshole,” she repeated, laughing a little, wryly, herself. “I’m trying my best, Aeds. It doesn’t look like it, but I am.” 

“You’re chaos in the kitchen, Ae,” Aedion grinned, slinging his arm around her shoulders. “I would pay to see the day where you manage to cook something without setting off the smoke detector.” 

“Would you?” Sly challenge sparked in her eyes. 

“Oh, for damn sure.” Aedion met her challenging gaze, wicked glee in his eyes. “In fact, let’s make a bet on it.” 

Internally, Aelin groaned. The last bet she’d taken with her cousin had ended in her hair being dyed bright green for a month, and she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to accept another of his lopsided wagers. “And just what kind of sure-win bullshit are you thinking of, Aeds?” 

“I bet that you could take cooking classes for a month and still not know how to cook,” he smirked. “You win, I’ll pay for the lessons and shut up about you in the kitchen. I win, you have to go out with my friend.” His smirk grew. “So, do we have a bet?” 

She raised her brows. “Define ‘knowing how to cook,’ oh wiseass cousin of mine.” 

“You don’t set off the smoke detector and the food is edible.” 

“And the friend?” 

He clicked his tongue. “Mmm-mmm, Ae. Blind date.” 

Aelin tilted her head, considering. Aedion paying for her to take cooking lessons...and shutting the hell up about her ineptitude in the kitchen...or a blind date with a friend of his? How could she possibly lose? “Fine. We have a bet.” She clasped his hand and shook, sealing it. “Same rules as always, Aeds?” 

“Yep.” He winked. “No sabotage and no finding out about the other person’s consequences.” 

“Right.” Aelin smirked at her smug cousin. “It’s a bet.” 

~

Three hundred fucking dollars, Aelin grumbled to herself as she locked up her car and headed across the parking lot, and they couldn’t be bothered to give us basic cooking stuff? She checked her bag once more to make doubly sure she had all the things they’d told her to bring when she registered for these classes. A couple of wooden spoons, a whisk, a couple of spatulas, a set of measuring cups, and her own apron. Bloody cheap, it was. At least she was hopeful that she’s get her money’s worth, because she’d spent a ridiculously long time looking up all the available cooking classes in Orynth and reading the reviews to be sure she’d actually learn something. 

No way in hell was Aedion winning this damn bet. 

See the full post

153 notes - Posted June 28, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[starlightaxolotl]

End of Year Writing Highlights compilation

All of these are by far some of my favorite lines and word combos of the year. In No Particular Order. Under a cut bc this got L O N G. Some are actual scenes, some are lines, some are outline notes!

Enjoy!

The kingdom of Fuckoffname

Conversation between Flare and Eleanor about names. (side note, I have no idea who tf Flare is. But this was a document in my folder. This was the entire document.)

He peels back the layers of thorny brambles choking out (name) and tries to help. He sees (name) the way he sees his cat Mitzy, a golden hearted angel behind all the feral attitude and hissing and spitting they started with. (I personally redacted this because it's funnier without context. I love the dynamic of sunshine character and their feral bestie)

"I’m sure between these bozos and the clown I can find work for them.” (I need to write more for this. I enjoyed the way that I wrote Kennedy. What a snarky supervisor. A shame what I planned for him.)

The document titled "Yee Haw, Stardew Valley"

Foxes, for example, you know there are five separate species of fox in North America. They have incredible hearing, and like you, they grin when they’re scared.

The following exchange from a Fatherless Support Group Text fic I joked about.

Skywalker: probably like the third worst betrayal in my life actually. DAD HELP: ??? DAD HELP: THIS is in top 3??? I can think of at least 4 worse betrayals??

(the betrayal in question here was the reveal that Skywalker used to have a bedtime)

The kid–a little girl–looked so much like she did. Dark hair, hopeful smile, boundless energy. Like a mirror of what she once was, before she was a weapon. (I need to work on this one again)

Would there even be an investigation if he vanished too?

He was syrup-sweet. He is still syrup-sweet, but there is a sour note too. Dark berries and something tangy in his attitude. Is it the recognition of the blood on his hands? (Can you tell I wrote this while hungry and wanted to focus on the idea of flavors in not food contexts?)

Josephine looked relaxed, laying on the couch. Yes, it was merciful. A true monster would have simply let her fall to the floor in a heap. They had made sure to make quite the show of laying her down as he stood there in terror. (I NEED TO CONTINUE THIS. I peaked with this whole warm up. Dear god this bit really was something. The sense of horror from the perspective of a man dying a slow death)

(From yet another RWBY au crackfic idea, you get a few notes)He has to be in this universe as a treat. As a human. Some kind of aura wrecking semblance. Asshole. Aura leech?// Maybe his semblance should be fire based. Maybe he’s got some fire immunity idk if that’s possible but like again, would be funny.

She can sing and she can dance and she is everything your father wishes you were, and you hate her. (this is still one of my favorite sentences of the year, and it's literally from the first day I was writing in 2nd person.)

The image on the monitor was static-y and glitchy, but she could see it was another kid, one who was excited to hear another voice, just like her. “Oh good, I was worried that it was just Chica tripping the motion sensor again.” They moved and a horrible crackling sound came over the speakers. “I’m trapped under Roxy Raceway, there’s an elevator going down and it won’t turn back on. Maybe you can find a way to get it some power? I wanna get out of this place!”

“Top drawer has your security pass for the job. Level ten clearance. I think that should get you wherever you want—also works on the vending machines, not sure how but it does.” (the Pizzaplex is my playground and I will make it as nonsensical as I want for comedy reasons.)

Long scene but I forgot how much I liked the Ballpit Multiverse crackfic and how I wrote my faves.

Alert severity: NONE. Unidentified Watch User pinging FRDY-1. He scoffed and rolled his eyes. If there was an unidentified user then there was either an error or an intruder present in the building. He would need to cut this game short. He turned on the spot and walked quickly, calmly—if he ran Lloyd would know immediately that something was wrong, and it would not do for the children to be afraid, no it would not do. He lifted the shutter up with ease and smiled at the boy inside. Lloyd groaned. “How did you find me?” He tucked Lloyd under his arm and carried him like he weighed nothing. “Consider it one of my many skills.”

Unknown guest profile. But the scanner identified him as a potential guest, he had to be real, yes?

Fazbear Entertainment had a bad habit of making headlines. Everyone knew that. It was widely joked about online, the same way that people talked about headlines that started with “Florida Man”. If Fazbear was in the news it was typically worth reading about.

When things did hurt, it was phantom feelings of wounds he couldn’t remember. It felt wrong. His body was wrong. He was broken, and he had no idea how or why or if he could fix it. Gregory wanted to fix it. (I've been meaning to revisit I, You, Me, We for a few weeks now, and rereading what I had for chapter 2 does make it more enticing...)

ATTENTION EMPLOYEES: Be safe on your shifts! Interfering with “Superstar Gregory” is not advised. If he seems to be somewhere he shouldn’t, contact MANAGER ON SHIFT or FREDDY directly. Do not attempt to stop or manhandle “Superstar Gregory” unless absolutely necessary. Let’s avoid further hospitalizations and paperwork as a team! (lmao I loved this little note, I think it was funny to write it. Freddy as a very overprotective parent is one of my faves and I think I can do this better now after reading....like 200 fics in a similar flavor. all of my faves are perfect for forced/surprise adoption fics.)

He was the fire, and he had been burning on empty for a long time.

“It’s a lot prettier as stars instead of exploded green goop all over the city.” (wheezing, the context is star gazing in Ninjago)

"Are we there yet?" “You know,” You started with a smirk. “Every time you ask that I’m going to walk slightly off course for two minutes just to make it take longer to get there.”

"Hi there, it's me, the local idiot."

[royalreef]

      “ 𝐻𝓊𝓏𝓏𝒶𝒽! ” There’s officially 400 of you following my dear fish princess! When I started this blog, I never thought I would’ve gotten this far, but this community has been so welcoming and supportive. It’s truly been a joy to write with everyone, and I never would’ve gotten here if it weren’t for all of you encouraging me and my writing. Writing an underappreciated character, and especially with the amount of my canon divergence, brought me to always assume that I’d have a much smaller audience for it - and I’m glad to say that I’ve been proven wrong! 

But really, I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near where I am today without the sheer amount of creativity and talent already present in the rpc. Every day I am blown away by the sheer amount of work that is being put into blogs and muses both, and every day I am awestruck at the replies that I read! And you’ve been there through thick and thin, so I think it’s about time I give a little back and show my appreciation.

          👑 The Low Royals

For those of you who have been with me the longest, who have seen the growth and fine-tuning, and even potentially helped me shape this blog into what it is now - I raise a glass to you! You’re all my good friends, and I can thank none of you enough. I truly do appreciate and care for all of you, though I might be bad at saying it. You’ve all made me laugh, and cry, and feel ten thousand other emotions, and I can only hope to support all of you the same as you’ve supported me.

Tam / @necrodanger / @ruiincd / @rebeljest : You have been here from the beginning, and for that, you are the first upon this list. Where would I be without your help? When my Miranda first started interacting with your Val, much like the princess not knowing how deeply she’d fall in love with the pauper, I did not know how such a wonderful friendship would grow between us. You have been through Hell together with me, and though I may stumble, I trust you. Your companionship has been crucial to so much here, and I can only hope that I have helped you grow as much as you have helped me. You are irreplaceable in your talent and creativity, and you know I look forward to everything you write, all that you draw, and every day that I get to chat with you over Discord. I can never thank you enough, and I am truly in your debt!

Jeremy / @grave-risen / @lioncovrte / @covenwtch / @amalgaemate : Jerm!!! Gosh, what praises can’t I sing of you and your excellent muses? Your characterization is spot on - there’s just such a warmth that you breathe into all of the characters you handle. They truly take on a life of their own in such a special way, with all the unique pitfalls and challenges that come with them! You have such fine little details that I love to see in each individual personality and your devotion to detail is to be admired. Likewise, you’re someone who I know I can trust, as that warmth truly spreads over into you yourself, and you’re just such a welcoming and genuine friend that I know I can just vibe with without any pressure. I really do love the plots we’ve done so far, and really look forward to seeing how Brian and Miranda handle becoming friends again. I may tease about him being a snack, but you know I’m here for all of the emotional curveballs you can throw at me!

Shorp / @pasttorn : I might be bad at chatting you up recently - but as always, you know I adore your Damien and all of the drama that he can cause! He’s a shit-stirrer of a muse, and you know I love the way you write, which together is just a perfect combination for a great time! You’ve also been around a bit longer in the rpc so you’ve seen some shit, and you’ve seen me reboot this blog and remake my lore. And for that, for sticking through as I went completely off the rails, I think that’s a pretty good summary of you! Chill, supportive, and sweet, a good pal all around to just vibe with and have some fun creative blends with!

Lola / @monstersmashed : AH... Oh, how Miranda loves her Marcus, and how I adore all the OCs you make! What kind of talent is it to be able to make so many unique OCs and have them all be so individual in such a way that really shows the quirks that makes each and every one special, and where can I get some of that? I remember Junie when she was much, much newer in the rpc, and I swear my adoration for what you can do with an interesting concept has only grown!! I sincerely love plotting with you and working out how your darlings can interact with my three disasters, and just absolutely a good friend all around.

Oli / @mindsmelded : OLI! I know you’re inactive right now (and honestly, I don’t blame you) but I GOTTA give you my love too! Every single reply from you just gets me EXCITED to read, with how you handle your muses! There’s just a passion and a flow to your prose that I love, and I truly admire how you can detail out exactly how each muse thinks in such a unique style that, even if you didn’t give a name or pronouns, you know EXACTLY which muse is responding! I admire you for that, and really that’s such a valuable skill that I want to master in my own writing too! You’re overall just such a supportive sweetheart who I can trust to talk to, and expect plenty of wholesome memes in return as a pick-me-up!

        👑 The Middle Royals

Here is to all who I roleplay regularly with, but maybe don’t chat up as often as I’d like on Discord or through messages, or maybe just haven’t known as long as others. You have such excellent characters that I love to see interact with my fish princess, and I can’t wait to talk to you more! Some have budding relationships with your muse and Miranda that I can’t wait to see blossom into something complex and special all on their own, but all have just wonderful muses who I highly recommend you give a follow if you haven’t already! There’s a truly special amount of care being put into their writing, and I cannot recommend them enough.

Raz / @superbeaucoupdevisages : Honestly I didn’t expect to start to ship Oz and Miranda, but, WHELP, it happened!!! And I’m glad it did, honestly, because these two? Cute. Very cute!! With a whole lot of potential for angst and lore-exploring too! And really, I’m looking forward to it, because the way you write is simple and concise, which leaves it wonderfully IMPACTFUL. It’s short, sweet, and hits right where it hurts!! Which could honestly be said the same as you, as you know how to make your ideas known in as few words as possible. You know how to be there without the need for pretense, and sometimes you really do need someone to be there to get to the heart of issues, and for that, I thank you!

Hannah / @ciiclops / @bingemuscs : Probably the odd one out here as we have known about each other for quite a while, predating my reboot, but we’ve only recently really gotten around to chatting, which is a SHAME. I love just being able to infodump with you about my lovely, lovely arachnids, and Iris has always been such a charm to interact with!! I can’t wait to see how she might interact more with Miranda and how they might get along, as I’m really just a sucker for nerd and prep friendships (or maybe even something more) !!!

Zac / @collectathon : Can I just say that I’m super excited for your Zoe muse already? There’s so much to get into still, and she’s pretty new in terms of Miranda’s interactions, but I can’t WAIT to see what happens! Especially with all the ties Miranda has to the eldritch... Plus, I know to go to you for a good time, and I don’t think I’ll get over Miranda trying to frame Scooby Doo for arson anytime soon! You’re a wonderful friend with such a passion that I look forward to talking to more!

June / @preparetodie​ / @fullofschmidt​ : Is it bad to say I genuinely didn’t think much of Aaravi until I found your blog? Because I kinda did! But you have taught me to appreciate and love this fiesty AND VERY SAD slayer in a way I never have before, with such introspections on her character that I haven’t even thought about before recently! Similarly, your Vicky? STUNNING. She’s special in her own way, and honestly I can’t wait to discover more about her. Likewise, I’m looking forward to both of them learning more of Miranda’s specific secrets, and all of the fun turmoil that comes with that! (Plus, your art? So lovely!!! I might just have to commission you sometime!)

Hari / @warraigoe : I love! Your Damien! He’s honestly really funny, and sometimes even I can forget how lighthearted the actual tone of Monster Prom can be - so I think having something a little lighter is really good! Certainly, Miranda appreciates it, pfft! Your passion for writing really comes through, and I gotta say I really admire you going the extra mile to really get people similarly excited for something too! You’re someone who I really would like to chat and write with more often, if only my energy could pan out, because you’re honestly just that interesting! Good vibes, great times all around!

Josie / @galaxietm : We haven’t gotten the chance to write much together yet, but the amount of excitement I get from being able to write with you in the future is telling as to the quality that I’ve observed so far! You really do have just a smooth, chill demeanor to you that I can’t help but get really excited to be able to plot with you, and from what we’ve been able to do so far, it’s been looking really promising for things-to-come with Vera and Miranda! And from what I’ve seen of your prose? Similarly silky-smooth, flows as easy as a river, and just really something that I can’t wait to see more of, along with getting to know you more!

Nigel / @1-0-1-9 : YOU!!! Us meeting on Twitter was such a lovely chance meeting, and your friendship truly was a great birthday gift! I don’t show near as much love to your muse as I wish I did, because gosh you really do care about him and it shows! You’re someone who I could chat with all night though, and you bring up so many things I haven’t quite thought of yet! I really do appreciate having someone there who I can bounce ideas off of regularly, and you’re just excellent for that. You say you’re a dog in a human’s body, and tbh? I absolutely believe that with just how friendly you are!

Mori / @roskaarotta : Molly is one of those OCs who I can just immediately pick out as one of my favorites, with the amount of care you’ve gone into in making her! Your writing with her is a lot like how I see your art with her - absolutely soaked in a killer atmosphere that you can’t get anywhere else. I love how you took demons/angels and put a bit of yourself into them, and the character drama you write is to die for! I love hearing all of Molly’s backstory and really get a grasp of her personality, and you KNOW Miranda loves her Raccoon Wife!!

Rilli / @empatheticxangel / @marquisxofxlove : Speaking of which - YOU ARE ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF SOME OF MY FAVORITE OCs! Liam is such a darling, and you’re another big inspiration in me furthering my own lore! The amount of detail you work with for Liam is awe-inspiring, and I truly love hearing about how his world works and the history it has, alongside his own unique biology! The way you handle his powers is legitimately something I haven’t seen done before, and I think that really just goes to show exactly how much consideration and love is really going into developing him. Not to mention - you DRAW all your icons!! Like, DAMN. 

Dani / @candyredmuses / @pxppinmolly / @bluemoonmuses : DANI. NERD. DORK. FELLOW MUN OF A PINK PRINCESS. I cannot say how much I appreciate you! And though we might not chat it up as regularly as some others (basically until I find a meme or song that reminds me of you) - you are on my mind!! Your work on character development CANNOT BE OVERSTATED. I think about Molly and your work on her so often, and she truly inspires me to further work on Miranda and put all the more thought into detailing her out! I might be a cryptid, but you can sight me anyday! (And bonus points for ALSO BEING A FELLOW HORROR-LOVER.)

        👑 The High Royals

And here’s to all who I don’t know as well! Who I see on my dash or maybe have a thread or interaction or two with, but don’t chat OOC with that often or that Miranda isn’t totally established with yet! I see you, and I appreciate all that you’re doing and all of the effort that goes into your art and writing, and I look forward to the friendships and further interactions that can come of this!

If you’ve gotten this far and you haven’t been mentioned, then I’m sorry! You’re totally free to leave a comment or somesuch, shaming me for being as forgetful as I am, because you’re really all so wonderful, and I would love to shout everyone out if it weren’t for my bad memory! I love all of you so much, and I’d sincerely like to thank everyone reading this, for getting to this milestone together!

@vibinjustice / @rotaidevxr / @eoleolhan / @prsonatm / @stripedstrigoi / @lovsiik / @anxechoxinxhell / @vnemis / @bigveee / @multiipl / @moonmiissed / @woerended / @chainsxwsmile / @grandtales / @stcries / @yourfuturebcyfriend / @hoopsheartthrob / @xj-nine / @hellishmoth / @soupervillainpotage / @fatedcfied / @muse--menagerie / @hazbinvesta / @pinafcl / @dreamsugargirl / @hollowxport / @canisfuria   

[sleuthomatic]

(After University Point)

“!!”

Nick starts as a figure steps out of the darkness without warning. Harper’s shoulders sag, and she holds up empty hands.

“You can relax,” she says, flatly, “I’d never shoot you.”

Nick unwillingly recalls the first Gen 2 dropping at his feet, staring through dead eyes exactly like his own. “I appreciate it, but you snuck up on me. Proximity sensors ain’t what they used to be.”

“Sorry.”

“No harm done.”

He’s been waiting in the empty brahmin pen, where he’s managed to get a camp stove working, and dragged over some chairs. Harper sinks into the chair at his side, slumping as if boneless, and stares into the small fire. He catches the scent of soap, knows Harper’s been washing away dirt and blood — just her blood — from her rampage in Sedgwick Hall. Nick is quiet. The water on the stove, in the bucket, reaches a rolling boil, and he starts counting down a minute.

“I bet the whole Institute knows now,” she says at last.

“Not unless one of them got away.” And he knows they didn’t. He saw it.

“Maybe a ping back, some kind of distress signal…”

“Not the Gen 2s. Even I don’t have anything like that.” Nick turns the bucket once. “You’ve done exactly what the Railroad asked you to do, Mrs. Harper. Mission accomplished.”

“Mm.” Harper leans over her knees, resting her chin on steepled hands.

“That’s not what’s got you down, though.”

“It’s not,” she admits, and her voice catches, fresh tears scrolling down her cheeks. “…It’s Jacq.”

Nick moves the bucket off the fire, drops it in the larger tub of shallow cold water, and steps back from the resulting steam cloud. Once the water in the bucket cools, Harper can fill her canteen up.

“It was almost two years ago,” he says, slowly. “Don’t know if you caught the date, but I did. There was nothing either you or I could have done.”

She nods, swallowing hard. A harsh exhale, and she sits back, fists balled up in her lap for a moment before they relax.

“I’m sorry,” she says, hoarsely. “It’s just — I don’t know what came over me. I don’t know why they took me there today, but it…”

Nick holds a hand up to stop her.

“Can’t tell you how many times I’ve been there.”

“You?” Harper’s eyes catch the firelight as they finally turn to him — clear russet brown, even though swollen and shadowed.

In a flash, Nick is dragged back twenty years by his recall subroutine.

Standing over a little girl, one with the same eyes and features of the woman he’d just found in the raiders’ hideout — in a horrific state. Her death was neither quick nor painless nor dignified.

The girl’s hands were bound, her face was bruised, and her eyes were teary and wide with fear.

“You must be Miss Perkins.”

The little girl flinched back, trembling, as Nick cut her bonds. “H-how did you…?”

“I came here to find you and your mother.”

Ellie’s face crumpled, and she sobbed, “Mama, th-they hurt her, they hurt Mama. I s-saw them do it…”

If he had any blood, it would have gone cold. Something hard and dark comes over him.

She saw it.

“I know, dear. I’m so, so sorry. Can you stand?”

Before she could reply, Nick heard a step behind him.

“What the fuck?!”

“Cover your eyes,” Nick said, sharply.

Ellie Perkins covered her eyes. She did not see the death of the man that had violated and murdered her mother. That death also was not quick, painless, or dignified.

She’d seen enough.

Nick gives Mrs. Harper a tired, sad smile.

“I’ve told you the Commonwealth can take a toll on you. Haven’t I?”

She nods, her eyes blank and still teary.

“Maybe it’ll make a monster out of me after all.”

Nick reaches out and pats her back. “Not you,” he says, gently. “Not while you’re still crying for folks like Jacq.”

Ava Harper pushes her hair out of her eyes, looking up at the stars.

“God, I hope you’re right.”

[arclundarchivist]

Home, Again.

(Spoilers from Campaign 2 Episode 141, it has been a lovely ride, and I will admit, this mostly going to be me getting a bit into my own personal fantasy, but I hope it is enjoyed.)

Caleb, a little grayer in his hair, stands on the beach staring out into the ocean, a wide smile on his face as he turns and sees several small forms racing about, clashing fake swords, delving into the water cautiously, or just doing what children are want to do. Veth's little "camp" had picked up steam, numerous children from across the breadth of Nicodranus coming to learn how to be, well, how to play at being adventurers. He'd managed to take a bit of time off from the academy, nervous still about the prospect but...he'd been drawn away for an excellent reason.

His family.

Nine years had passed since their battle in Cognouza. Nine years since they had become the unsung, though oft whispered. heroes of all of Exandria.

He'd seen them all from time to time across the years, coming together for birthdays and moments of joy and surprise, but now, was a time for true celebration.

He turns and spots Veth and Yeza, standing shoulder to shoulder nearby, watching the waves roll in, hunting perhaps like he was, for the behemoth that was the Nine Heroez to pull into port. On Veth's hip is a little girl, with a mane of curled, wild hair much like her father with a deeper skin tone like her mother: Molly.

Veth turns and looks up at him, "Do you seem anything?"

"Not yet, but they'll be here. I can't imagine they'd miss this for the world." Caleb responds, squeezing her shoulder before reaching down, letting the gently cooing Molly take his finger and squeeze.

He turns and looks back, spotting several other figures arrayed across the beach that he had reached out to in the planning of this event.

Shakaste is perched on a rock, telling a soothing story to an enraptured crowd of kids, which included Luc, and to his amusement Twiggy, who had arrived at the party seemingly out of the blue.

Running towards him, chased by her youngest adoptive siblings is Kiri. Veth invited her family to partake of Nicodranus and allow the kids a bit of fun during the summer months.

Kiri skids to a halt kicking up sand, standing almost to his chest now, several makeshift bandoleers and her collection of tinkered baubles resting on her chest and along her belt. She smiles up at him widely, chirping excitedly.

"Come on! Beau, Yasha! She's probably a good egg!" Kiri warbles, mimicking several voices she'd heard, tugging on his and Veth's hands.

Laughing, Veth passes Molly to her husband, and the pair allow Kiri to drag them all the way to the edge of the beach, where Beau and Yasha are approaching. They both look a bit older but more at peace, Yasha dressed in dark but less severe clothing, hints of Dynasty garb on the both of them. He also notices two figures walking a step behind them, looking a bit shy.

"I missed you!" Kiri crows, darting for the pair and hugging tight to their legs.

"Hey, Kiri," Beau says with a soft smile.

"Hello, Little Bird," Yasha says, giving Kiri a head scritch.

She coos cheerfully before darting back up onto her perch and scanning for signs of the others.

Beau looks at Caleb and wraps him in a tight hug, "Hey, Professor."

"Expositor," Caleb mutters, wrapping his arms around her and then doing the same to Yasha, who practically picks him up off his feet.

Beau kneels and hugs Veth, whispering, "Chaos Crew!"

"Almost." Veth states, "Hopefully, she'll be here soon."

Caleb looks past his dear friends and blinks in surprise as he spots Beauregard's Mother and younger brother TJ.

"Oh, uh, hello, thank you for coming." Caleb mutters, rubbing the back of his head, "I don't know if you remember me. I'm Caleb Widoghast."

Veth narrows her eyes slightly at Beau's mother: "Veth Brenatto."

"Clara, I do remember you," she remarks, nodding to them both briefly.

"Good, because I-" Veth begins only for Beau to place a hand on her shoulder.

"Down, Veth," Beau remarks, earning a chuckle from Yasha.

"Fine," she remarks, still giving Beau's mother a bit of a stink eye.

"Please, make yourself comfortable. There is some food and drink nearby, and blankets to spread out as you wish," Caleb states.

"Thank you," Clara says, turning to leave the four of them while TJ hangs back next to his sister, looking up at her uncertainly.

"Go have fun." Beau says, pointing to Luc and Kiri, "Those are the other kids I was telling you about, just don't get into too much trouble, okay?"

TJ gives her a shy grin, "No promises."

And then runs off, Caleb noticing the small sticks that he wears across his back.

"A chip off the old block, eh?" Caleb asks as Beau throws an arm around him.

"Not exactly, way more shy!" Beau states, looping her arm around Yasha's as Veth grabs his hand, "Four of the Nine, any words on the others?"

"Not yet, but they'll come," Caleb says.

"Good, I brought you all flowers from our garden." Yasha states, holding up a new book, filled to the brim with dried flowers, "You both look very good."

Veth smiles: "I'm with my family, and even more are on the way; I'm wonderful."

Caleb nods: "It will be good to see everyone again."

"Speaking of everyone," Beau states, unlooping her arms from her partner and friend, "Yo, Shakaste! I think it's past time you and I compared notes on some things."

Shakaste turns from his story to Luc and the other kids, the former getting dragged away by Kiri for a conversation with TJ, while Twiggy looks around him and her face widens in a deep grin.

"I mean, I agree, but I thought this was gonna be a day of fun, not work?" Shakaste remarks with a knowing smirk.

"I can do both," Beau says with a shrug of her shoulders as she walks towards them.

"I have notes too!" Twiggy cries, darting towards Beau and beginning to ramble, while Yasha turns and walks towards Yeza, the pair beginning a softer conversation as Yasha, ever so gently gives her hand out for Molly to play with.

Caleb and Veth end up sitting shoulder to shoulder on the beach, waiting and watching as their friends and number of children mill about them and are deep in conversation, when the sound of a firework going off draws all of their attention.

There is a collective jump amongst the party, the more martial figures immediately going on the defensive, with Yasha pushing Yeza behind her only for it to be quickly revealed to be Kiri once more, tearing away from Luc and TJ, now shouting.

"Jester! Jester! I missed you!"

Not a moment later, Twiggy is peeling off as well, with Veth, Caleb, Beau, and Yasha at a more sedentary step behind as approaching them arm in arm is Fjord and Jester, wide smiles on their face, Nugget loping ahead of them and teleport tackling Luc, who falls with a laugh as the dog begins licking his face.

Behind them, walking arm and arm is The Gentleman and Marion, followed by Orly and Vandren, and next to them, to Caleb's surprise, is Caliana.

"Kiri!" Jester cries out, sliding to her knees and wrapping the young Kenku in the tightest hug and spinning her about, revealing the swaddled bundle on her back which giggles in surprise at the momentum.

"And Twiggy!" Jester cries, drawing the gnome into a tight hug as well before ping-ponging to her friend with deep, tearful hugs and cheek kisses, going from Veth to Yasha, to Beau, and then to Caleb.

"Veth, so, about the Detective Agency...I'm sorry that I've been so busy...but." Jester began as she hugs her.

"Don't worry, Jessie, I'm glad you're here," Veth says, hugging her tightly.

"Yasha, my god, you look so beautiful! I missed you so much!" Jester cries, running her fingers through flower-filled hair.

"Thank you, Jester, I missed you too." Yasha states with a soft smile as she looks down over Jester's shoulder into the teal face of a small Tiefling toddler, the hint of a tusk coming in on the left-hand side, "And this little joy."

She tickles the bottom of his chin, eliciting a laugh, a smile widening on her face: "Hi, Charlie."

"Beau!" Jester cries, pulling her into a bone-cracking hug.

"Hey, Cutie." Beau returns, hugging her back and patting her cheek.

Jester giggles and then turns to hug Caleb, a soft but deep embrace, "You look very happy, Caleb."

Caleb whispers back, "I am happy. So very, very happy."

Fjord walks up next, looking down at Veth: "Veth."

Veth looks up at him with narrowed eyes, "Fjord."

They stare at each other for a moment before wrapping each other in a hug, "You look good, Fjord."

"I feel it." he returns, "And so do you."

Yasha and Fjord clap hands together with a smile while Beau comes in on the other side and punches him playfully on the shoulder.

"You know neither of those hurt as much as they used to." Fjord states with a grin.

"Good, where's Kingsley?" Yasha asks.

"Well wouldn't you know it...the tricky bastard went off and made himself into a pirate." Fjord said with a laugh, "I...I don't know if he'll be here."

Yasha looks down a bit crestfallen, "Oh."

"This does mean, though, that I need my old first mate back if she has an inkling to come to sea, just for a bit." Fjord said with a slight smile, looking to Beau.

Beau smiles and shares a look at Yasha, who shrugs but smiles softly. "Maybe, maybe."

"Nice to see you again, Caleb," Fjord says, pulling him into a hug.

"Nice to see you too, Fjord," Caleb says.

"Gangs almost all here; it's been quite a while, hasn't it," Fjord says.

"It has." Caleb agrees as he watches Jester place her son into the arms of her mother and then scoops up Kiri and twirls around with a laugh.

"Mighty fine to see all of you again, ain't that right, Miss," Orly says, nodding to each of them and nudging Caliana.

"OH! Yes, of course. Hello, again, Mr. Caleb, Beau, Yasha," Caliana states, with a nervous bow before looking at Veth and opening her mouth a bit awkwardly.

"It's Veth; good to see you again, Miss." Veth says with a smile, "How have you been?"

"Well, I..." Caliana begins, blushing slightly, only for Jester to spin by interrupting.

"We found her when we stopped her in Port Demali! Kingsley did actually, and then we caught up, and Fjord managed to convince her to join our crew, and she has been very helpful with the magic things at times like you were Caleb, and sometimes she scares the living daylights out of people that try and steal from us!"

Calianna blushes deeper, "I don't mean to."

"She's a good crewmate, and a good friend, speaking of which." Fjord says, turning to the older man beside him, "Vandren, this is my family, not everyone, but most."

Vandren gives them all a once over, "Eclectic group. Makes sense. Nice to meet you. Any drink to be found?"

"Yes, right over there," Caleb says, pointing towards a large picnic table.

"Right, Orly, let's get to it," Vandren says, clapping Fjord on the shoulder and heading over, followed by The Gentleman, who gives each of them a respectful nod, kissing his daughter on the cheek as he passes.

Marion smiles at them all, "I'm glad to see you all healthy and hale. You've all had quite the journey."

The assembled Nein shared a look, "That we have."

Jester smirks and then speaks up, "Speaking of which..."

She enters into a tirade of her and Fjord's most recent adventurer's interrupted at times by Fjord and a more tentative Caliana, while the others listen, sitting down as the sun hangs lower and lower in the sky, Veth's students heading for home, leaving the children adjoined to the party alone to chase each other, play fight, and ride about on Nugget. Charlie spends much of the time in his Mother or Father's lap, occasionally being passed to Yasha, who at one point ends up holding him and Molly in a moment of what Caleb could only describe as awed bliss, as their respective parents got drawn away by something.

A while later, Luc turns to trying to entertain them, showing off the few cantrips he'd learned to the other kids, including the assembled Shusters, and TJ. Kiri makes a game of picking at him after a bit.

As he begins talking about how strong he will be, Kiri walks up and pokes her beak directly into his ear.

"Kiri! Don't embarrass me in front of my apprentices!" he cries with a bit of a blush as Kiri made a joking kissing sound, gesturing to Molly and Charlie who stared at the pair in the muddled, joyful confusion that is Toddlerhood as they rest on their respective parent's laps.

"I don't think a little peck is all that embarrassing." a low voice states, drawing the assembled Nein's attention to a tall figure, his staff glowing a low pink, a wide smile on his face as Caduceus Clay approaches with several others in tow.

"Sorry, I'm late," Cad says, not even pausing as an elated Luc races for him and jumps into his arms, "I had a few friends to pick up."

Calliope waves, "I'm just his tagalong."

Behind her stands Nila and her son, Keg, quickly dashing out a cigarette and looking more than a little awkward, with Reani at her shoulder.

"Hello again," Nila states with a soft smile as the other curious youngsters readily approach her son.

"Long time no see, heard y'all did some really good work." Keg states with a smirk, sharing a look with Beau, walking over, and hugging Veth.

Reani darts over to Jester, wrapping her in a hug, then several of the others, cooing over the babies for a second before tackle-hugging Beau and then Caleb.

"Hey, Reani," Beau says, looking a little awkward but still happy to see her.

"Hey guys, also thank you, Caleb, for sending him my way."

"Him?" Caleb queries, a bit confused.

Clay walks up, hugging Fjord deeply, and then Jester and Yasha: "God, it's good to see you all again, but as I said, I had some friends to pick up."

And out of the shadows, melting into view with a soft yet nervous smile on his face, comes Essek Theylas.

"Hello everyone." he states, eliciting a few gasps and a tackle hug from Jester, "And let's just say Reani, and I have been working on...seeing all the colors and shades as it were."

He gives Beau a pointed nod.

Reani smiles, "He's a sweetheart."

Caleb gets to his feet, walking over to Essek with a cautious smile, "Welcome back to the Mighty Nein."

"Glad to be back...if just for a little while, it will be good, to..." he pauses, looking deeply into Caleb's eyes, "Take a bit more time with you."

As Jester lets him go, Essek slowly glides towards Caleb, and he feels their fingers intertwine, a soft smile growing on both their faces.

He turns and notices a few smirking faces amongst his friends, while the adjoining members are beginning to shuffle about and begin conversing, Reani and Twiggy hitting it off like an unending wildfire, while Keg mills about before choosing to sidle up to Caliana and begin asking her questions, Shakaste sits down next to Caduceus and begins to query him on how everything is going in his neck of the woods.

Fjord looks around at his family as several fires roar up around them. TJ, Kiri, Luc, the Schusters, and Asar are sitting around their own cooking marshmallows, watched by Clara, who has found herself the subject of affection for Nugget, his large head now splaying across her lap. Jester is sitting between Fjord and her Mother, Charlie asleep on her lap, head on her mother's shoulder, with her and Fjord holding hands. Beau is leaning against Yasha, next to Yeza, holding Molly while Veth sat between him and Caleb, with Esseek on his other side, their fingers just the faintest bit intertwined. A bit back from the fire, behind Fjord and Jester, Nila, Cad, and his sister are leaning forward, Cad's hand resting on Fjord's shoulder. Calianna sits next to Fjord, while Reani and Twiggy sit across the fire from Yasha and Beau. Vandren, The Gentleman, and Keg are deep in conversation at the nearby picnic table while Shakaste and Orly are seated between the Nein's fire and the kids, the former humming along as the latter plays some softer music.

"Gangs all here finally." Fjord remarks, "And on a beautiful night too."

"Well...almost all of them are here," Yasha states, somewhat sadly.

"No, everyone." a familiar voice states, as coming across the sands is Kingsley Tealeaf, with Marius in tow.

"Hi there, Angel, there was no way I was missing this party, especially since Joybuzzer reminded me every day about it," Kingsley states, kissing the top of Yasha's head as he walks by, doing the same to Jester and then clapping Fjord on the back and gently hugging Caliana as she scoots over.

"You too?" Essek asks with a knowing smile.

"So it would seem." Kingsley returns as Marius walks by, headed for Orly.

"Kill anyone yet?" Fjord calls out after him.

"No, Captain." Marius returns with a sheepish grin.

"Pity, good to see you still breathing, Lepual." Fjord states with a smirk.

"Likewise, Captain," Marius states, falling into a seat beside Orly.

Keg turns at the arrival of the newest figure and does a triple take before walking over and clunking to the ground next to Reani and staring at him.

"You...are making me extremely uncomfortable," Kingsley states with a smirk.

"Yeah...sorry, this is a little weird, honestly." as she turns to Beau, Veth, and Caleb, and mouthed, "Why didn't you warn me?!"

Beau blinks, "Sorry."

Kingsley chuckles, "Right, this is awkward, but I've got time to catch up with whatever that is and the rest of y'alls stories in a moment. Cause I need a fucking drink!"

He crows that with a laugh and a second later, he is mimicked by a surprised Kiri which is then picked up by Luc, who instead starts yelling: "Well, get a fucking drink then!"

He and Kiri begin to chant that back and forth turning it into a bit of a song, which Orly chuckles at and begins to play a bit of a jig, eliciting a few smirking laughs from the others, while Kingsley blanches a little bit.

"I feel like I'm a bad influence," Kingsley states as he stands up.

"Oh, we all are." Fjord agrees.

"Most of us." Cad amends with a smile.

Caleb chuckles, gripping Essek's hand a bit tighter as he smiles as well, listening to the chaos begin to pick up around him, as Kiri and Luc begin to dance around them, drawing others to join them as Orly begins to play in earnest, joined by Marius, as he draws a lute from his back. First Beau and Yasha, then Yeza and Veth holding Molly, then Fjord and Jester with their son between them, Marion and the Gentleman, Keg shrugs and begins tapping her foot while Twiggy begins dancing by herself, twirling in a flurry of spinning skirts, leaving Caliana, who is quickly offered a hand by Reani, taking it with a vibrant blush' Kingsley looks about before offering Cad a hand with a smirk, who shakes his head just looking about contently. Kingsley shrugs only for Calliope to vice grip his hand and twirls him away while Nila and her son are the last to stand up and dance, with TJ joining his older sister and her partner. Caleb shoots Essek a questioning look, who smiles and stands, resting his forehead against his silently, before in the moon and fire-light, missed by all but a cloaked green figure at the edge of the revelry their chins tip up towards each other into a soft, gentle kiss.

Caleb is glad to be home.

[memes-in-a-half-shell]

Business AU - Working Late, Part 7

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 || Part 6

sdfsfdgdfgf

^^^^^ my actual thoughts after writing this.

There was no denying that he was still thinking about that Saturday night. The feeling had been extraordinary. It’s been some time ever since he felt like this, but there was also something more. And he couldn’t quite place his finger on it.

First thing he did on Monday when getting to work was to lock himself in his office, his thoughts empty as he repeatedly drummed a pen against his desk, his gaze hardly focusing on anything. He did call for someone though at some point, taking this waiting time as an opportunity to collect his thoughts into something comprehensible.

Some knocks were heard at the door, a single “yes” escaping Donnie, an approval for the newcomer to come in. Next came into view another turtle adorning a red do-rag, this one much more massive when compared to the bespectacled mutant. It was none other than Raphael, the muscular terrapin a rare sight in the building as he was often more out to meet clients than stuck behind a desk.

“What’s up?” he started, closing the door behind him. “I’m on a tight schedule, so it better be important.”

Raph did frown a little as he noticed his brother’s composure, the purple clad mutant’s eyes speaking volumes.

“I, uhm... I need some advice,” finally said Donnie.

“What kind? A client’s giving you troubles?” added the other, taking a seat.

Donatello tsked, quickly waving that query away: “No, I know how to deal with those. ... It’s more of a personal matter. A... relationship one.”

Raph’s eyes widened a little, then relaxing his stance with an amused smirk.

“Well, well, well... back in business, I see? I thought that receptionist situation would keep you out of the market for quite some time.”

“Oh please, that girl was crazy. I’m just glad she moved out of the city. ... It’s been more than a year, I’ve moved on.”

“What’s the matter then?” added the red clad terrapin. “You forgot how to socialize or somethin’?”

Donnie quietly chuckled, leaning back in his chair, then thoughtful.

“Oh no, I’ve been socializing, alright... I just don’t want to fuck it up, you know? Things have been going so well now and on this last Saturday we took it a lil’ further-”

“How much further?”

“We kissed.”

“Bro, that’s nothin’.”

Tension was broken for a moment, both brothers snickering. That did help Donnie and calmed his thoughts a little.

“Who is it though?” next asked Raphael. “Someone working here or... ?”

“She’s a project manager for our creative team. She got here from Montréal a couple months back and we met one night by pure coincidence as we were both working late. Her name’s Véronique, but I call her Vee.”

“Oohh, already on a nickname basis, now that’s a feat,” teased the other.

“Please, she asked me to call her like that on the first night we met.”

“Ay, you know I’m just pokin’ some fun at you. ... What’s the matter, then? Why aren’t you talking about that to Leo or Mikey?”

“Because,” started Donnie. “Leo would try to dissuade me into pursuing this relationship, and Mikey well ... you know him. He’d say: ‘Invite her to my place and have her swim in the pool. Girls love pools!’,” mimicked the purple clad mutant. “... You know he’d only want that so he can have a look at her as well. I ain’t having none of that shit.”

Raph laughed once again, acknowledging those statements.

“And, to be frank,” added the bespectacled one. “I value your judgement. You get straight to the point and that’s what I need right now.” He leaned foward a little on his desk, hands joined. “So my concern is; what should I do next? We have interest for one another - we openly expressed as much. We obviously have a good chemistry together... but how do I know she’s the one? ... She feels different from anything, anyone, I’ve ever been with before, may it be in terms of relationships or not.”

“Easy,” shrugged Raph. “Have sex with her.”

“Raph!”

“I’m serious! ... You wanna know if she’s the one? Show yourself vulnerable before her. If there’s something more between you two, it’ll click.”

Donnie sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing them in slight annoyance.

“Okay so what, I just have to sleep with her, no strings attached? I hope you’re not suggesting for me to force myself upon her.”

“Hell no, stupid. I said be vulnerable, not a psycho,” frowned the red clad mutant. “Look ... you wanted my opinion, there it is. I believe in deep connections, and if right now you’re already feeling something special between you two, I don’t see what’s bad about wanting to explore that and see if there’s truly something more. ... Also, people can fuck for the fun of it, I hope you know that?”

Donnie exhaled sharply, half of a smile next on his lips: “I suddenly regret asking for your opinion, but I do see your point.”

“I’m sure you can be a gentleman about all of that.”

“My brain turns to goo whenever I’m with her. I try not to show it, but damn... I don’t think she’d get to that point though, I don’t know...”

“As long as it naturally gets there, that’s what matters. ... Those things are felt, Donnie. I’m not saying to rush it, but rather to not be scared.”

The purple clad one conceeded, lowkey admiring his brother’s wisdom about the matter. He finally rose from his seat, inviting Raph to do the same.

“Alright, I won’t take more of your time. You’ve given me enough food for thought.”

“‘Bout time, I have to go Uptown, I’ll be late ‘cause of you,” Raph teased, playfully nudging his brother’s shoulder along the way.

“Har, har, very funny,” added the other, opening the door so both could exit the room.

As they were about to say their goodbyes, a voice rose, followed by the light clicking sound of hurried heels against the floor.

“Donnie, good timing!”

Both turtles turned their attention to a woman coming their way; Vee. She was holding a pile of documents, already taking some apart and then handing them to the tall terrapin when she was next to him.

“I’ll need you to sign some of these before Wednesday. Some designs for an upcoming project need an approval and I thought you’d be the best for that task. And I- ...” She stopped, finally noticing the other mutant. “Oh, I’m sorry, am I interrupting something?”

“Absolutely not,” smiled Donnie, properly holding the documents now. “We had just finished our small meeting, actually.” He gestured the woman to his brother: “Raph, this is Vee, our newest project manager addition.”

The red clad turtle grinned, extending his hand to the human in a proper greeting.

“Ah yes, Donnie mentionned you a couple of times.”

“Oh dear, I hope it wasn’t in a bad way,” lightly laughed Vee, shaking Raph’s hand.

“I would never,” reassured Donnie gently, his free hand instinctively resting at the small of her back.

A faint blush appeared on the woman’s cheeks, next adjusting her hold on the documents as her handshake with Raph ended.

“Not to be a party pooper, but I’ve gotta run,” she said with a smile. “I have a lot of stuff to hand out. Have a good day you two!”

She made sure to cross Donnie’s gaze before walking away, wanting to express her small longing to him. As she was back on her way, Raph did not hesitate to follow her frame, judging her for a moment. He finally looked back at Donnie with a look of approval.

“... Brother, you got taste.”

Donnie only replied by hiding his face with the documents he was holding.

***

Raph had said to not be scared, but Donnie couldn’t help still feeling that way. A part of him wanted to spend every moments with Vee, but on the other hand he didn’t want to appear too clingy or demanding. Gotta savor it like a fine wine, he’d try to reason. ... But frankly he just wanted to chug the damn bottle.

It was a Thursday afternoon, and so far he had only exchanged some words with her on Monday, then Wedneseday when he handed her back the approved documents he reviewed. Then he’d retreat to his office and think. And think. And think.

A ping from his computer got him out of his reverie, noticing a direct message notification.

His heart skipped a beat, his lips forming a thin line as he thought about what to answer.

Hey, wanna bang? Gosh, he felt dirty thinking about that... Keep it natural, Donnie, you don’t have to think about that for now. See where things go from there, naturally.

ABORT MISSION. ABORT MISSION. ABORT!!!! He felt so goddamn cheesy after sending that.

If it were up to him 100%, he’d get on his feet right this instant and sweep her off to anywhere she’d want to go. But he tried to keep it cool:

You’re the best one so far...

More like I’ll be lying down on the floor, a blushing mess. He couldn’t erase his smile, rereading again and again this conversation. He’d definitely have to think of something!

***

Later in the afternoon, as people were finishing their day, Donnie had reclused himself back into his drawing room, continuing some work on the Lowline plans. He was so focused that he did not hear Vee come in, the woman calmly making her way to his position.

“Hey...” she started softly, leaving a hand on his shoulder.

Donnie gasped, his hand holding a pencil jerking and leaving a long mark on the paper. Both froze, eyes wide as they witnessed the horror.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you that much!” apologized Vee, already on the look out for an eraser. “Here, let me help you with that.”

“No it’s alright. I, uh...”

Donnie’s sentence died as the woman was now hunched close to him, already removing traces of that nasty mistake.

“I could’ve done it. I...”

His voice was hushed, having a hard time to keep focus on Vee’s movement, prefering to look at her features instead.

“I ... I could do it,” he added.

Vee slowed her movement, finally looking at Donnie.

“Do what?”

He paused, his heart drumming in his chest.

“This...”

He delicately placed a finger under Vee’s chin, not even needing to move much in order to bring them both closer for a soft kiss. The woman was surprised at first, but she quickly melted, not even denying that she had been craving the feeling as well since that Saturday night... She dropped the eraser, her hands prefering to trail along the mutant’s scales. As they broke the kiss to breathe, Donnie brought her closer to his sitting position, Vee now standing inbetween his legs. No words needed to be said, this sudden electrifying feeling passing through them. The terrapin’s hands couldn’t get off of her, either lost in her hair or tracing her back. The more they joined in a kiss, the more they wanted to be closer. At some point the turtle acted on instinct as he rose up, his hold on the woman’s hips as he laid her against the inclined drafting board. The paper crinkled underneath, but he gave no care in the world about that. Their kiss was heating up, a low pleasured churr rumbling in Donnie’s chest as he stood close to Vee’s core, feeling her desire as strong as his.

The distant sound of people talking and laughing, still around and about to exit the building, brought them both to a stop - looking at the room’s entrance, as if afraid someone would pop in at any second.

Both were lightly panting, their smiles shy after what happened. Donnie took that moment of grace to study Vee’s features, gently brushing away some wild strands of hair off her face. He straightened his stance back up afterward, helping the woman back on her feet.

“Welp, and here I came only to wish you a good evening,” chuckled Vee, adjusting her clothes.

“I’m sorry,” added the mutant in a similar tone.

“Don’t be ... I liked that.”

She rested her hands on his chest, slowly rubbing the fabric of his shirt over his plastron.

“I can’t stay late tonight, but I won’t prevent you from doing so. ... Just don’t stay here too late though.”

“No promises.”

“Please, don’t overwork yourself,” softly pleaded Vee.

“Don’t worry...” he reassured with a smile, a hand cupping the other’s cheek.

They added one good evening kiss. Nothing more, nothing less. A pleasant omen for feelings to come...

((Part 8))

[alwaysachorusgirl]

Playing Matchmaker

Pairing: Rafael Barba x Female Reader

Word Count: 2,028

Square: Blind Date

TW: none

Tagging: @thatesqcrush

A/N: Well, it took a massive re-write, but it’s done. This isn’t the story I originally started writing, but I’m okay with that. I like this version better. I like that it became more of an ensemble piece. And then there’s Janice. She’s named after Janice from the Muppets, and her personality is a combination of a few people that I know. She’s that friend who really cares and means well, but doesn’t always understand boundaries. And once I started writing her, it was hard to stop.

           “Janice, can you please just knock it off already?”

           You swallowed two ibuprofen tablets with a swig of your white chocolate mocha and rubbed your temples. As an SVU detective it was rare for you to have a Saturday off. You had agreed to meet your friend and neighbor Janice for coffee and breakfast. Everything had been fine until she had started sticking her nose into your love life, or lack thereof, and now you had a headache.

           “But Y/N, Valentine’s Day is a few days away, and once again, you don’t have any plans. Come on, just let me set you up with someone. One more blind date isn’t going to kill you.”

           “No, but I might kill you, “you shot back, glaring at your friend. “Look, I’m sorry, I know you mean well, it never works.”

           “It might, if you ever gave one of them a chance,” She countered. “You’re the one who always bails after one drink.”

           “I’m a detective, Janice, and a good judge of character. I can tell pretty quickly if a guy isn’t going to meet my standards. And besides, I hate Valentine’s Day. It’s not a real holiday, and it’s not worth me wasting my time and energy.”

           “Damn, Y/N,” remarked Janice, “You’re too young to be that jaded and cynical.”

           “I’m merely stating a fact, “you said with an exasperated sigh.  “It’s not my fault if you can’t handle it.”

           “What about your partner, that Italian guy? He’s cute.”

           “Sonny?” You nearly spat out your drink. “He’s like my big brother. I think I’m technically an adopted Carisi sister, at this point.”

           “Okay, so that’s a “no”. You mind if I ask him out?”

           “Janice, no; he’s a good Catholic boy and I will not have you corrupting him.”

           “Okay, okay, chill,” said Janice, sitting back and putting her hands up in defeat. “Oh! Wait! I know! What about that ADA you always hang out with? What’s his name…Raymond?”

           “His name is Rafael, and he’s also a “no”. I don’t think he feels the same way about me, as I do him.”

           “Aha! So, you do have your eye on someone!”

           “Janice, please, just drop it already. I have a headache and I don’t want to talk about this right now. Can we please order food? I’m starving.”

 ******************

After breakfast, you bundled up and headed out into the February air. You knew that Janice was just trying to help, but sometimes she just didn’t understand the concept of boundaries. Your love life had been non-existent since you had caught your last boyfriend cheating red-handed. That had been two years ago. Rafael Barba had offered you his shoulder to cry on, knowing all too well the kind of pain and humiliation that you had been feeling. He’d gone from work colleague to one of your best friends after that, and at some point, you had developed romantic feelings for the handsome, Cuban ADA. But for the sake of your friendship and working relationship, you intended to keep that to yourself. It wasn’t worth taking the risk of losing him or making things weird between the two of you.

Your feelings for Rafael were also why all the blind dates never went anywhere. Some of your dates had been nice, others total douchebags, but they weren’t Rafael, and therefore, there was no point in the stringing them along. As long as you were comparing them up against the standard that was Rafael Barba, they could never measure up. You were fine with that.

 **************************

           Janice walked into the SVU squad room on Monday and breathed a sigh of relief when she didn’t see you. She wasn’t there to see you anyway. Instead she looked around and tried to find someone who looked like they worked with you.

           “Excuse me, miss? You look a little lost. I’m Detective Amanda Rollins, Can I help you with something?”

           Janice turned and smile at the blond woman with the Southern accent. She recognized the name right away.

           “I think you can. I’m Janice Wilson. I’m a friend of Detective Y/F/N Y/L/N?”

           “Oh, Y/N’s not here right now. I think she’ll back in about a half an hour?” Amanda paused. “What a minute…did you say Janice? Janice the Matchmaker?!”

           “She’s mentioned me?” Janice’s eyes went wide.

           “Oh honey,” said Amanda, “we know all about you. You’re kind of famous around here. Hey! Carisi! Finn! Get off your butts and get over here!”

           “What?” Sonny called back from his desk, his mouth full of food. “It’s lunchtime, Rollins, I’m eating over here!”

           “Yeah, Rollins, what’s the fuss?” Asked Finn, rising from his chair.

           Amanda walked Janice a little further into the squad room.

           “Guys, this is Janice, the Janice! You know, Y/N’s friend?”

           “Wait, seriously? Janice the Matchmaker? Nice to finally put a face to the name,” said Finn, coming over and shaking Janice’s hand.

           “Hey, we’ve met before. It was that one time at Y/N’s apartment, “said Sonny, finally putting down his sandwich and standing up. “You live down the hall. So, what brings you to SVU?”

           Janice quickly filled them in the conversation from the coffee shop.

           “So, the thing is, I’ve been getting it all wrong. If I had had known sooner about the ADA, I would have tried setting her up with him. I feel bad and I need to make this right with her. The problem is, I think she’s a little pissed at me, and she’s not going to listen to me. That’s where you guys come in. I have an idea, but I need your help.”

           “Count me in, “said Amanda. “If anyone needs to get together, it’s Y/N and Barba.”

           “I don’t know, Rollins, “said Sonny. “Isn’t this kind of going behind her back?”

           “Carisi, have you seen the way they look at each other? Have you ever noticed how he’s less cranky when she’s around?”

           “Yes, Rollins, I know, we all know! But she’s still my partner, and I gotta look out for her.” He looked at Janice. “If I agree to this, what exactly would I have to do?”

           Janice motioned for everyone to come closer.

           “Bring it in, folks, here’s the plan.”

*********************

           When you came back from picking up warrants and getting lunch, everything appeared to be normal. Amanda and Finn were working at their desks. Sonny was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn’t exactly unusual. Any one of you could be called out on a case at any time. You took off your coat and sat down at your desk. You were just starting to dig into your lunch when Amanda got up and came over.

           “Hey, you, just the person I wanted to see.” She flashed her best smile, and you immediately suspicious.

           “Hi Amanda, what’s up?”

           “Oh, I was just wondering if you had any plans for Valentine’s Day…”

           “Amanda, you know that I don’t. What’s really going on?”

           “Okay, so I know this guy. He also doesn’t have any plans for Valentine’s Day, and I think he might be a good fit for you.”

           “Oh, dear God, are you seriously trying to set me up on a blind date?”

           “Yes, I am. Look, I vouch for this guy. I wouldn’t try to set you up with someone that

I couldn’t vouch for, and he’s a nice guy. I think you’ll like him.”

           “Fine,” you sighed, hanging your head in defeat. “But if this guy sets off even one red flag, I’m bailing.”

           “That is totally fair,” agreed Amanda. “You would be disappointed, I promise.”

********************

Sonny walked into Rafael Barba’s office at 1 Hogan Place and hoped that he wouldn’t screw this up. He still couldn’t believe that he’s agreed to this, but Janice and Amanda had been so sure that this would work. He heard his phone ping in his coat pocket. He checked it and saw it was a text from Amanda. She had succeeded in getting you to agree to the blind date. Now he had to do his part. Rafael’s assistant, Carmen, was sitting at her desk.

“Hey, Carmen, he in?”

“Yes, but he’s prepping for court, so he’s in a mood. Don’t take up too much of his time, okay?”

“No problem, hopefully this won’t take long.” Sonny knocked the door and waited until he heard “Enter!”, before going in.

Rafael looked up and wasn’t thrilled to see the detective striding into his office.

“What do you want Carisi? I’m busy, and Y/N already came by earlier to pick up those warrants for Liv.”

“I’m actually here to ask you a question. What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?”

“The same thing I do every year, working,” replied Rafael, rolling his eyes. “Why do you ask?”

“I ask because I have this friend, and she is into you. I really think you’d like her, and she doesn’t have any plans for Valentine’s Day. So, I’m just trying to be a good friend and help her out…”

“You’re trying to set me up on a blind date with your friend? Are you kidding me right now?”

“No, no I most certainly am not. Come on, Barba, it’s one date. Trust me, you’re going to like her. She’s worth it.”

“Does this friend have a name?” asked Rafael, suddenly realizing that the detective wasn’t backing down without a fight.

“I can’t tell you that because it will ruin the surprise, but come on, what have you got to lose?”

**********************

And so, on Valentine’s Day, Rafael Barba found himself walking into a little French Bistro a few blocks away from Hogan Place. He still didn’t know his date’s name. All he had been told by Sonny was what she’d be wearing, that she was beautiful, and that he’d know her when he saw her. It was all a bit too vague for his tastes, but Sonny had insisted. So, the ADA had chosen the restaurant and made a reservation. He looked around, hoping to see someone that fit the description he’d been given. Instead, he saw you, sitting at the bar and nursing a glass of red wine. He made his way over to the bar, secretly wishing that he was meeting you instead of his date.

“Y/N? What are you doing here?”

“Rafael!” You said, looking up in surprise. You got up and hugged your friend. He was warm and it felt so good to be wrapped up in his arms. He smelled of coffee and his cologne and it was nothing short of intoxicating. You probably held onto to him for a bit too long, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“Believe it or not, Amanda set me up on a blind date,” you told him, finally pulling away and sitting back down.

“Really? This is going to sound weird, but Carisi set me up on a blind date.”

“He did what? He didn’t tell me about that. Is it just me, or does it feel like something’s up?”

“Yes,” Rafael nodded, “Something is definitely up. Y/N, what color would you say your dress is?”

You looked down at your dress, and then back up at Rafael, thoroughly confused.

“I like to think of it as a cranberry wine,” you replied. “Why do you ask?”

“Carisi said my date would be wearing a cranberry wine-colored wrap dress, is beautiful, and that I’d know her when I saw her.”

Your eyes went wide as your thought back to what Amanda had told you about your date.

“Amanda told me that my date has green eyes, dark hair, is well-dressed, and that I’d know him when I saw him…” You trailed off, gazing into Rafael’s eyes, realization dawning on you. “It’s you. I’m so glad it’s you.”

“I’m glad it’s you, too,” said Rafael, taking your hand in his. “So, want to you say to having dinner with me?”

“I say ‘Yes’, nothing would make me happier. Just let me text Amanda real quick.”

Y/N: I’m going to kill you!

A. Rollins: Lol, that’s fine. Just make sure you say ‘thank you’ to Janice. She’s the brains of the operation. We couldn’t have done it without her.

[genshin-obsessed]

Hello pocket. You might see my demeanor change a bit; I hope you don’t mind. How was your day? My week has been better lately. On my mind is Kazuha. Specifically- playful kazuha. A pretty similar energy to Kaeya when he’s like that; so it’s not surprising I really like the concept.

“Oh my, dearest. Is that the finest scent of a silk flowers nectar, or is it just you?” He says, kissing your hand.

“Miss me?” He says as you jolt, him wrapping by his arms around you from behind.

“Oh my sweetheart, you seem to be in quite the struggle,” he notes, as he watches you from above, the humor of your predicament to his enjoyment.

“How’s youd get up there?! I’ve been trying to hop over the edge of this roof for god knows how many times!”

“I got up via a spot on the other side of the building, love, but there’s no reason I can’t simply just help you now,”

I’m not confident that I didn’t just write Kaeya and call him Kazuha, but there you have it. Perhaps I need to read about Kazuha character a little more. On another note; I love the concept of Kazuha on rooftops, as you can see. I think something about it is very fitting for him.

Glaze lilies are also on my mind…. Such a lovely concept, don’t you think? Flowers that bloom from peoples laughter and joy? I may very well write something about that.

I wish there were lines for when characters were invited to join your teapot, since, presumably, you have to give them the key to realm.

“Oh my. You really want me to join your teapot? I’ll just drink in there you know. Hmm, that doesn’t bother you? (Chuckle) Well… who knows, quiet place to be could do me more mind than I might realize.” Perhaps asking Kaeya while he was at the Angels Share wasn’t the best way to go; alcohol was on his mind.

“Oh my, dear, that’s… quite an intimate request. That is the same as inviting me to live with you, isn’t it? While I can’t promise an extended stay… being able to visit a place of repose to you would be an honor. Perhaps I could cook you dinner?” Diluc said, gently looping his pinky finger with yours, a subtle act of appreciation. “I don’t know a wide variety of dishes, but I’m sure I could find something to your taste.”

“Ah.. this is.. an invitation, to your home. How could I decline? Even if I wasn’t invested in you, the details of how this teapot works is fascinating… tell me, will you give me a tour wile you’re there? I want to know the details of why your home is the way it is. Ah, and that’s not limited to the science of your teapot; I want to everything that makes the teapot yours, in which ways you bring life to the miniature realm you call home.” Albedo tells you.

“Hmm? You live in a teapot? Is that figurative or…?”

“Baby, I know it’s a little hard to describe, but you know about the adepti, don’t you? They have their own adeptal realms. It’s pretty similar to that,”

“Oh! My babe, you really confused me for a minute. I was wondering if that had some sort of sensual implication I wasn’t getting,” he gives you a cat-like smirk and you slap him on the wrist.

“Get your head out of the gutter. I meant it literally,”

“Ah, but if it’s not something like that…” his facial expression softens. “This is you showing me to your home.” You nodded.

“One day I’ll take you to Szehnaya, comrade. Tuecer was just a taste. I can’t wait till I can introduce you to them..” he closes his eyes, his voice quiet as he speaks. He warmly embraces the idea of home, of you, being family, one of the few things he fully treasured. “So, am I the first one you’ve invited here, hmm?”

“Childe!” He laughs at your reaction. But the thought of letting you get even closer to him lingers.

“How did you get your hands on a miniature realm, traveler? Isn’t that out of your power?” Xiao comments.

“Madam Ping gifted it to me,” you explain.

“Ah… I see. You seem to be good at that.”

“Good at what?”

“Good at… I don’t know. Getting people to like you. You even have your own teapot now because of it,”

“I guess so. But that’s besides the point; wouldn’t you like to come?” You say, placing it in his hands. He blushes at your sudden contact.

“Mmm… well… I suppose… seeing you hat a human does with their realm might be interesting..” he mumbles, still pink.

“I see… and you got this in Liyue?” Thoma says, staring at the detailed teapot you had placed in front of him. This thing held a whole realm inside?

“Yeah. I finally got around to decorating it… would you be willing to come and see? It can be your home too,” you say.

“Of course, I would never miss the chance!”

I’m not confident I wrote all these characters in character, but I hope you enjoy them regardless.

-🐗boar anon

O: you’re ok, right anon? I’m not entirely sure what that means but it makes me worry a little-

Also this was lovely! Now that you bring it up, I do wish they had these. That sounds so cute. And I just adored all of these. They made me smile so wide, especially Diluc & Xiao like ;w; they’re so cute. And Thoma being all curious about the teapot and then you take them inside and they see how cutely you decorated it like-

Omg I really love this. I can’t stop reading it lol so you best believe I’m gonna save this to read later- again for like the 5th time

[yourdaddychan]

the man with stars in his eyes

warnings : I think this has fluff, harassment, blood, terrible writing, blowjob, fingering, all that pizzaz, my girl here is such a lovesick dramatic person SMH THIS KID also she's so trusting 

a/n : this is lowkey a soulmate au but like only lowkey- for my favorite- and the only ones I know- minho stans uwu accept this gift @nightshade-minho​, @mini-meanhoe​, @mikoto-ica-fics

word count : 3.5K [ dayum ]

___________

You hugged the dirty pole with all your might, trying to control your breathing. The train was lurching forward, as usual, courtesy of the drunk driver. Why was that even allowed? You rolled your eyes and let out a yelp as one hand flew from the pole. Hugging the pole again, you shut your eyes, hoping that the man behind you would leave at the next stop. The man had been harassing you for some time. It started with catcalling and whistling, then turned into him talking to you. It shouldn’t even be called talking. He was word-raping you. His mother should wipe his mouth out with soap. You dreaded using the train, but no matter how much you begged, your parents wouldn’t give you money for a car. 

And so there you were, hugging the pole for dear life as the man holding on to the pole behind you stared at your ass openly.The train finally came to a stop, and you almost fell on the seat next to the old lady with gratefulness. Maybe you could finally sleep now. The old lady could protect you, right? Yeah, she had that umbrella next to her she was holding threateningly. In fear of the man, you were going with a wonderful hour of sleep. You knew it was stupid, but what could you do? He followed you everywhere, only to stop outside your apartment. Maybe if you close your eyes for just a second…

ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹▫◃ ۪۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ 

You woke up with a jolt as you heard shouting. Looking around wildly, you try to decipher what was happening. Your bracelet was gone, now on the wrist of one of the men fighting. You suddenly became dizzy. Is that… blood? Drops of red liquid were on the floor of the vehicle, almost aesthetically placed. You stare where most of the shouting was taking place and make your way there. You clutch the pole again, trying not to throw up, making the stench worse. Finally lifting your head, you saw the fight going on. There he was.

A man with tattoos up his arms, throwing punches at the creepy old man. No way. The crowd’s reaction was the opposite of yours. Some didn’t even care, they probably saw this every day. Some were recording it, probably to show their friends later. You, on the other hand, were in awe. Where everyone else saw a tattooed criminal, you saw an angel who held the stars in his eyes. The tattooed man wipes his brow and smirks at you. Oh god. You blush and look away.

The creepy man runs off the bus at the next stop, along with your favorite bracelet, which he stole while you were sleeping. You sigh. What have I done to deserve this? You were a good kid, with good grades, and you always helped whenever you could. Somehow, you ended up with the worst luck. The tattooed man was a stroke of luck that you knew would leave.

The said man walks up to you, combing through his hair with one hand. He extends a hand to you, coyly looking at you up and down. “Hey, princess. I’m Minho.” He smirks down at you, as his extended hand shows off his muscles from his sleeveless tee. How did he look so effortlessly hot?

You blush harder than you did before. “Minho… such a pretty name! I’m Y/N!”

He hums. “How about I treat you to some lunch, princess?” He asks, examining your face for every detail of discomfort.

Your smile widens, and you nod enthusiastically. When the other man had called you darling, you had been filled with shivers of disgust. But this, this was different. When that name had left his lips, you had immediately been filled with warm pulses. Not only did it envelop your body, making you want more, but it also left heat that pooled in your lower half.

ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹▫◃ ۪۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ

You awkwardly held your menu in front of your tomato-red face as Minho continued to shamelessly smirk at you. So far, you had learned absolutely nothing about him, except he really liked cats, and that he ran a flower shop. All he would talk about were his cats, Sooni, Doongi, and Dori. Knowing absolutely nothing about cats, you just nodded along to whatever he said, admiring the shine in his eyes that brightened whenever he talked about his cats. You loved the way his muscles rippled, showing off the tattoos when he held the door open for you. You adored the way his veiny hands looked when they handed you a menu. Face it, you were whipped. The date hadn’t even finished, and the man had you in the palm of his hand.

“Y/N?” Minho’s soft voice immediately snaps you back to reality. Your eyes widen. All the man was doing was drinking water, and you were drooling over it. There was no way he was even real. Minho tilts his head, staring at you carefully. “You okay there, princess?”

Another nickname.  Your subconscious noted as your brain flooded with thoughts, both pg13 and not.

“You don’t look so hot…” Minho commented, getting out of his chair and next to you, laying a soft hand on your heated face. 

Did Minho just say I’m not hot? Then you realized. His side was now pressed to yours, meaning that his muscled arm was touching your arm. The back of his cool hand was held up to your forehead, making you warmer than ever. His plush lips were pouted in concern, and he was staring directly into your eyes. The eyes are supposed to be the window to the soul, and all you could do is hope that he wouldn’t immediately figure out what you were thinking about him.

"I should take you home or something." Minho continued to speak, but you weren't listening. All you could focus on was his hand on your forehead, and his torso pressed up against yours. Your forehead was burning up by the second. There was no way it was the flu since you had not got colds before. There was only one explanation, which sat in the form of the man in front of you. Lee Minho. "Y/N?" Oh god. Oh fuck. He had moved even closer, and you literally could not breathe. One more inch, just one tilt of his head, and... well, you would have kissed. Those pretty looking, luxurious lips would be on yours.

Finally, after what feels like a century, he moves away. You feel like a part of you was missing. He wasn't even touching you for that long, and yet you craved the warmth he providing. Ugh. Time to do something about it. You whined softly, slowly sliding back into Minho's warmth, unable to bear without it. 

This time, Minho widened his eyes. You looked adorable in your warm hoodie, head leaning on his shoulder. He wasn't one for public affection, or affection at all (besides his cats), but he wanted to cuddle you and never let go. He lets a soft smile show, and then immediately stood up.

"Wh-what?" Startled, you raised both eyebrows questioningly.

"You have to go home. You're burning." Minho stubbornly crosses his arms, refusing to give in. 

You sigh and take his offered hand. "Fine."

ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹▫◃ ۪۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ

You sit next to Minho in the car as he casually drives with one hand. There was something so unusual about him. He made you feel safe, unlike all the other boys you had dated. You didn't even properly know this man, but you were willing to get in the car with him, not once, but twice. You were even contemplating to keep on pretending to be sick so he would stay with you. It was a perfect plan.

Out of nowhere, he grinned, and produced a perfect rose and held it in front of you. “For my flower~” He smirked, and tucked it in your hair. 

“Wh-what?” You blushed, wanting to turn into a turtle and vanish inside your hoodie. 

He gave you another smirk, and turned his eyes to the road. “You look beautiful, darling. I thought I told you I worked in a flower shop?” He purred. You slouch down in your chair.

Once the two of you arrived at your house, you slumped in the seat and opened the door slowly. "Minho... I do think I'm sick..." 

He worriedly looks at you, looking at you up and down. "Do you have any roommates? Or friends who are not busy?" You shake your head. "Then maybe I should stay... if that's alright with you?" His gorgeous eyes meet yours, and you dip your head down shyly in a nod. Your plan had worked.

You both enter the house, and he immediately lays you down on a couch, grabbing the nearest blanket and pillows to prop you up. Minho gives you a half-smile and gets to work. Filling up a bottle with warm water, he hands it to you. He takes more of your blankets and drapes it over you, lips twisting in seriousness. 

You snuggle comfortably in the blankets, knowing that Minho would take care of you properly. He finally finishes what he was doing, and sits down next to you. 

"Minho?" You ask in a sleepy voice, moving your head so it was resting on his lap. "Can you stay here?" You weren't even pretending at this point. You were so tired from everything you had to deal with, and Minho's thigh was so reassuring.

He looks down at you, soft hair somehow shining in the false light. "Of course, princess." He soothed, giving you a light pat on your hair. 

You snuggle your face into his lap, closing your eyes and giving a small yawn. As you gradually start to drift off into the world of slumber, Minho moves his hand to your hair and starts stroking it absentmindedly as he stares at his phone, probably looking at the latest cat video. 

ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹▫◃ ۪۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ

You wake up to Minho jolting in fear from a couple of pings from your phone. Giggling, you reach over to grab your phone. "Minho, chill."

He blushes, slightly embarrassed. "Oh... right... I knew that!" He scratches the back of his neck to play off what just happened. 

"Ay, Y/N, I'm finally having that sleepover you guys have been pushing for, feel free to invite a plus one!" You read. It was from Chan, one of your best friends since the third grade. You had been friends ever since he hugged you when you broke his crayon. A plus one, he says? Well, you had the perfect plus one in mind. You look over to Minho, seeing him fluff up a pillow for no apparent reason besides distracting himself. Perfect.

"Hey, Minho? How would you like to go to a sleepover or something with me?" Minho looks over to you and grins. 

"Sure! Details, please." 

You spend the next few hours giving Minho a summary of all of your friends. 

"And so that's why Jeongin screams like a dolphin!" You finish, excitedly looking at Minho for his reaction. 

He bites back a grin and raises his eyebrow. "This explains a lot about you."

ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹▫◃ ۪۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ [ time skip to the sleepover ]

You step out of the car, armed with Minho in one hand and your stuffed animal, Bob, in the other. You ring the doorbell and bite your lip nervously. Will they even like Minho? What if he doesn't like them? 

The door opens with Felix draped across the door frame. "Draw me like one of your French girls." He purrs seductively at you, making you giggle. 

"Felix, what the actual fuck?" You push him away and enter the house, saluting Jisung before flopping on the couch next to him. 

Jisung promptly puts an arm around you, taking your plushie. "This will make a nice addition to my stuffed animal HEADS." He screams the last part, holding his hands up maliciously. You snatch the animal back, sticking your tongue out at Jisung. 

"I'm going to rip your squirrel's head off if you do that! And please, calm down, we have a newbie!" You gesture towards Minho, who's awkwardly standing there. 

"Um..." He blinks, and steps in. "Hey, I'm Minho, Y/N's friend!" He smiles at everyone, but you don't return his smile. His friend? Yikes. Of course, you had to be the one to fall for the man who only thought of you as a friend.

Jisung hops off the couch and walks to Minho. Looking at him up and down, eyes narrowed, he finally breaks into one of his heart smiles. "Somehow, I feel like I'm going to like you." 

Chan nods. "Yeah, welcome to the club."

Felix grins evilly, thinking of yet another Tik-Tok reference. "Welcome to the bread bank, we sell bread, we sell loaves. We got bread on the deck, bread on the floor." He ends with finger gunning a clueless Minho.

Seungmin cracks his knuckles and points to Minho. "But if you hurt her, you're doomed. We have a black belt in taekwondo, and a boxer."

Minho widens his eyes at the threat. "I wasn't planning to hurt her anytime." He rolls his eyes and walks over to you, hiding half of his body behind your frame. 

Changbin rubs his hands together and stands up, planning to ease the tension. "Guys, you know how it is! A newcomer means we play truth or dare~" He smirks. "Alright, Minho. Let me get my truth or dare app out while we all sit in a circle, okay?" The boys obediently sit in a circle, motioning for you to sit next to Minho as Changbin gets his app out. "Okay..." He clicks the dare button and looks delighted at the dare. Turning it, he shows it to the circle. "Minho has to do 7 minutes of heaven with the person to the right of him!! And that means... Y/N?" 

Changbin looks at you, silently asking if you were okay with it. Nodding, you stand up. "A dare is a dare, right?"

"Right." Minho stands up as well, clearing his throat, and takes your hand. "To the closet, I guess... ” 

He brings you to the closet while the boys snicker behind you and continue their game.

You sigh. Of course, I had to be the one. They probably even planned this, the little shits. They had always been able to read your mind.

You enter the closet and shut the door behind you. You nervously look at Minho, who smirks at you. “These walls are pretty thick, so we can be as loud as needed.” He purrs, eyes hooded with lust. 

You choke on air at his boldness. “Wh-what..” You don’t even finish before Minho makes his way towards you, moving his arm around your hip to provide support.

“Kitten, don’t make me tell you twice. Don’t you want to play with me?” 

You whimper softly at his degrading word, already feeling your heat starting to pool. You move your lips to Minho’s plush ones. He runs his tongue over your lip and sucks your lower lip softly. Your teeth click together with Minho’s as you open your mouth for him. 

“God, if you keep whimpering like that, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself,” Minho growls, biting his lip. 

“Then don’t.” You whisper, not even comprehending how this is happening to you right now.

His face darkens with want, and he pushes you against the closet door, pinning your wrists above you. He removes your shirt and bra, pausing for a moment to admire your body. “What a good little doll, all for me. How about you suck on my fingers, hm? Get them nice and wet for me?” 

You shut your eyes and nod, opening your mouth obediently. He pushes two fingers in, and you immediately suck on them, circling your tongue around his fingers. He groans softly. 

“I want those pretty lips around my cock.” He removes his spit-coated fingers from your mouth and drags them along your now naked torso. “Kneel, now.”

You drop to your knees immediately, innocently looking up at Minho as he unbuckles his belt. You couldn’t believe this was happening. In the morning, you were terrified of going home, but here you were, about to suck someone’s dick. Well, he wasn’t exactly just a someone. He was an angel. A cat-loving angel. But right now, he looked like a demon, with his lust-filled eyes, and his pretty lips that were permanently in a smirk.

You blinked in shock as he removed his boxers. He was... big. You promptly wrapped your swollen lips around him, making eye contact with him. Minho swore as you flicked your tongue at his slit, and moved his hands to grab your hair. You moan softly as he continues to pull at your hair to make more vibrations envelop his length. 

“You’re so tight, baby...” Giving up on self-control entirely, he thrusts into your throat, legs shaking as he finally cums in your mouth. 

You lap all of it up, refusing to let a single drop spill, and look up at him again. 

“Hey, guys? It’s been way more than 7 minutes!”

ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹▫◃ ۪۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ [ time skip ]

It’s been 1 month since Minho last contacted you. After the 7 minutes of heaven at Chan’s sleepover, he had awkwardly avoided you. On the way out, he had whispered something in Chan’s ear and left without a word to you. According to Chan, the two of them had been old high school classmates, and they didn’t even realize it until they talked. You assumed they had been keeping in touch with each other, as Chan kept on asking you random questions about Minho from time to time. 

Yes, of course, you had liked Minho. Yes, of course, you thought he was boyfriend material. And no, the creepy old dude had never bothered you again once Minho had confronted him. 

Without Minho, the days of the month seemed blurry. You felt as if you turned into a zombie, and your brain was all woozy. Even poor Jisung, who tried to cheer you up over and over again couldn’t do the job. Even though you had spent only three days together, you felt that the two of you had connected in some way. Your eyes light up by a noise coming from your phone. Could it be Minho? He had left his number in your sleeping bag, but never texted to you.

It was your lucky day. Minho’s DMS with you (that were currently nonexistent) were blowing up. ‘Okay, Chan.’ Wait, he thought you were Chan? Your eyebrows furrowed. Of course, he hadn’t meant to text you. As your thumbs hovered over the keyboard, another phrase caught your eye. ‘So, there’s this girl...’ Your face dropped. A girl, of course. The man was charismatic as fuck, there was no doubt that all the girls were falling for him. Including you.

Unable to hold yourself back, you quickly typed out the word, ‘Yeah?’ and sent it, biting your lip with anxiety. Curiosity killed the cat, Y/N. 

‘She’s way out of my league, though.’ You rolled your eyes at that. Please. Way out his league? He was perfect. He was out of everyone’s league. ‘How do I ask her out?’ You sigh. You probably needed to give him proper advice, but the dark part of your heart wanted to see him fail, just so he would still be single. 

‘Maybe just ask? I’m sure she’s dying to go with you.’ You toss yourself on the bed, shutting your eyes. You did the right thing, of course. But did I do the right thing for myself? You try to go to sleep, convinced that that’s the only way your brain will forget what just happened, but you’re interrupted by another pinging sound from your phone.

You sigh and sit up, grabbing your phone and opening it. What did Minho need now? 

‘Wait...Y/N?’ You read out loud, heat spreading throughout your body as you read your name in his text. 

‘That’s me.’ You admit. 

‘Darling...” You exhaled slowly. Here it came. By now, Chan would have already told Minho that you liked him. No wonder he didn’t text you. Now that he realized that he was texting you, he would have to reject you. You inhaled again and prepared for the crushing defeat that was getting rejected. 

‘You’re the person I was trying to ask out...’ You read slowly. Wait. What? You reread it three times, confused. There’s no way. You clear your throat, trying to sound normal while texting him. 

‘Really?’ What a stupid thing to ask. 

‘Really. Y/N, would you like to go out with me? I was planning for an entire month, and-’ You couldn’t read the rest. Your eyes started to blur with tears of happiness. The last time you were dizzy, it was because of blood on the floor. And now, the very man that put that blood on the floor had asked you out. The man that made you feel safe. Your angel. You were lost, but the man with stars in his eyes became your compass.

ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹▫◃ ۪۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ

[vaguely-concerned]

R-r-r-rewatch thoughts for The Mandalorian S2 Ep2

(or Chapter 10 as they seem resolved to call it)

- can I just express my joy for a moment that in one episode we get peli, the answer to my pleas for female representation in the ‘sketchy middle aged car mechanic’ niche, and a female alien designed with no consideration towards sexiness. (I mean I’m sure there’s someone. There is always someone somewhere on the Internet, is the bitter truth history has shown to us. but it’s not the intention behind the design haha)  

- they do take great pains to deliberately show you boba’s armour several times both in the recap and in the episode itself, so never despair he is very likely still on his way onto our screens once more

- this dude holding the baby hostage wanting specifically the jetpack in exchange is the one (1) break this whole episode gave din lol 

also the Patented Mando Finger Curl of Stress while he talked softly and calmly to not promp this asshole to make a sudden move... the most endearing character tic, I love my space cowboy dad so much 

- fun continuity detail: din is all out of whistling birds now, and you can see it here!

I wonder if he could still use the same mechanism with different ‘ammo’, it’s just not as effective? from the way the armorer spoke whistling birds seem quite rare and it would be an inefficient use of beskar if that’s the only thing it can be loaded with

 - I love how after the last episode, a 50 min epic with a bunch of original trilogy significance and impressive technical achievements and exciting character reveals, I was like ‘yeah okay I suppose that is quite interesting’, and this mess/comedy of inconveniences is the thing that fully makes my brain tip into the obsessive ‘BABY AND DAD SHOW!! BABY AND DAD SHOW!!!!!’ mind state lol

- ah the traditional ‘mando trudging slowly but steadily through the desert’ montage we all love to see (I hope this is going to be a Thing for the second episode of every season from now on) 

Also I assume his suit has some sort of temperature regulation built in and that’s how he didn’t, y’know. die under the blazing desert sun

-

CAT FIGHT CAT FIGHT man I love the jawa. also mando doesn’t even glance over at them, really emphasizing how he’s like. done with this entire day (and it’s all barely even getting started din! i’m sorry)

 yodito’s look in this scene tho... he’s like ‘we’ve Seen some shit lady’ (actually I think he’s staring at ‘dr mandible’ like O___o. it’s been a long day for a lil boy) 

you get to see dr mandible’s cards a few times, so I assume anyone who knows the rules of... sabacc? probably? could figure out beforehand that he was in a bad spot. (the star wars fanbase is one of those where I KNOW the rules exist somewhere, and I know people who know those rules exist too)  

- that sound the baby keeps making -- the ‘boo-a’, sometimes with a p-sound at the end -- if that’s the precursor to him saying any variation whatsoever of ‘dad’ or ‘papa’ or ‘baba’ or even ‘buir’ or anything, I will die. I will sink to the ground in a heap and never get up (the way he keeps seeking out gaze contact with the helmet and seems perfectly satisfied with it too... fasdhfaskdjhl my FEELINGS)

- it seems confirmed in this ep that the mandos who died on nevarro did so while holding off the enemy so the rest(probably especially the children) could get away; some of them appear to have escaped. which I guess is a small relief

- 

frog lady stepping out of the shadows and into our hearts

I like that her firm nod after Peli translates ‘her husband has seen them’ lets us know she understands... basic? is that the common tongue thing in star wars there’s just so many to remember across fandoms lol? perfectly well, even if she can’t speak it. 

- mando might be running low on ammo for the pulse rifle, if the fact that he hasn’t replaced the missing cartridge on his... bandolier belt thingy is any indication

ETA: actually ignore me this has been a thing since the literal first episode of the show my brain just had a hiccup lol

- so baby seems to use a little bit of the force to pull the eggs towards him -- I wonder how often he ‘taps into it’ or if it’s always ‘on’ in the background for him. if so I guess there’s no wonder he’s so hungry (but also... kid you can’t end this lady’s entire family line like that one cat who singlehandedly made extinct a whole species of bird! D:)

- din so rarely gets openly angry, he just gets passive aggressive and grumpy. and that’s probably not the healthiest way to deal with things but I love him

- frog lady reacts so strongly to when din sends the ping when nothing else woke her up, I wonder if she can hear more frequencies than a human

- 

hello darkness my old frieeennnddd

- 

proof nr 1508 that din does not starve this baby you guys, he even has his own little tray just the right size for him! as it happens the baby simply seems to prefer eating things that are... still alive in some capacity. which, uh. maybe they can invest in some form of non-sentient crickets or something for him to hunt down and.... oh dear

- 

Look how they massacred my boy

By the way I finally managed to put into words why the Razor Crest -- and particularly the way it keeps getting beaten to hell and back and patched up again --  is so symbolically important and meaningful to me in this show in this post over here! it’s always a great relief to me when I can finally understand what the hell I’ve been going on about all this time and this was one of those lol

-  honestly if it weren’t for frog lady and (more importantly) the baby I think there’s a slight chance din would’ve gone ‘well I had a good-ish run of it for a while there’ and just let the ice claim him haha   

- “Why don’t you come over here and give me a hand. Make yourself useful” This is the one time in the episode I think he crosses the line into just being a dick for a moment (but noticeably the baby isn’t just a little hurt at this reaction, he’s clearly surprised and confused, which means this really does not happen often. after the time mando’s been having recently I guess a moment’s snappishness is understandable haha. he does follow up right after with being much more responsive and attentive when the baby toddles away from him, so it feels like it’s going to be okay)

also the ‘boo-ap’ sound is there again when he’s trying to get din’s attention. just sayin’ 

when din comes over to see the footprints baby makes a declarative little meep like ‘see??? I did tell you!’ haha

- it is very funny that mando is using all his technology meant to track down dangerous bounties in the grungy depths of the criminal underworld... to find a naked lady just chillin’ in a hot spring 

- 

cue the ‘father is evil?’ memes fsadfda. actually the funniest thing about this moment (apart from the fabulous finger acting) is that din actually snatches a few eggs out of the baby’s reach more subtly right before, and that baby only whines for ALL OF ONE SECOND before he goes to sniff around for other food possibilities fkadfhjkds. from my experience with human children he’s a lot less prone to tantrums. yodito doesn’t get mad, he gets even 

- baby running towards din through the hatching spiderlings like ‘DAD I FUCKED UUUUUUP’, din’s little strangled ‘ngh’ sound as he picks the baby up and watches all the creepy crawlies come out... *chef kiss* impeccable 

(that little ‘ngh’ and the soft shocked ‘ah ah AH!’s from when he goes flying at the beginning of the episode... pedro pascal and his voice work for this character gives me so much life. in some ways din has this sort of dignity and grace and in other ways he uh extremely doesn’t. he gets to be cool but also vulnerable in ways a lot of male main characters don’t and it’s probably why I love him so much) 

btw here is that moment when din moves to hold the baby tightly against him with both hands as the big spider appears, because it gets me right in the heart... it such an instinctive thing of holding on to the dearest thing you’ve got before something bad is about to happen

fdsafhsdakjlfhsdkjlhfsdajhf oh my god the baby is clutching din’s finger with his little hand during the chase!!!! 😭😭😭

this FUCKING SHOW has just WEAPONIZED putting in small details everywhere to convey the love and tenderness and attachment felt by a little muppet doll even where only weirdos like me will frame by frame their way through the video to see it I am so MAD

- frog lady going ‘fuck this’ and bounding along is  e v e r y t h i n g 

- din is an amazing shot, though, he doesn’t seem to miss a single one in this whole scene (then again there’s something to shoot at basically everywhere one can take aim so lol)

-

baby hiding behind/half hugging din’s boot as he tries to get the doors closed hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I can’t breathhhhheeeee 

honestly every single one of the baby’s proximity seeking behaviours in this ep has me on my knees 

- it’s very unfair to play the heroic happy mando music like everything is going to be fine and then have a huge fuck-off spider drop down from the ceiling and break it off mid-tune, the mandalorian, you have trained me in certain ways and now do you betray me??? how can I trust again

- the camera work in the scene with the new republic guys gives such a good sense of the discomfort of being judged from on high by someone or something you can’t really see -- the glare of the lights blocking out everything in the shots from din’s pov makes it feel like a tense interrogation (the new republic dude who is actually dave filoni has such a look of fondness as he watches din tho it’s kind of sweet)

- ...oh no I think baby was actually considering munching on that dismembered spider leg YODITO NO JUST EAT YOUR KRAYT DRAGON BABY

- hngh this is a weird filler episode and it has my entire heart. I suspect we might get some episodes of a more stationary baby between active ones like this -- you can tell a little bit in this episode that especially having him running around fast is quite difficult to have look natural, they likely save that effort up for when it best serves the narrative  

[reading-hub]

Could I request some headcanons for Shigaraki, Dabi, and Todoroki having a wet dream about their crush and then running into them the next day?

- 𝗪𝗘𝗧 𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗠𝗦

𝗳𝘁. 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗼, 𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗶, & 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘂𝗿𝗮

SHOUTO TODOROKI

It was a moment of weakness for him to say the least. In all honesty, he’s got it bad for you.

While everyone else has been sleeping, half-&-half was tossing and turning in his bed all throughout the night.

All this late night thoughts got him thinking, about you....and the things he wants to do that include you..

It always started off with inviting you to his dorm to study:

After what feels like hours off sexual tension between you two, he finds you on the floor, bending over on all fours to look for something in your backpack. You seem really diligent on finding whatever it is you’re looking for in there...

Your body suddenly has a mind of its own that your plump bottom was slowly inching upwards as your hand reached all the way to the bottom of your bag.

Shouto couldn’t help but look the view he was getting. Your cute ass moving around without a care and those cute fusturating noises that came from you also didn’t help.

He tried to respectfully look away at your vulnerable position, but his perverted eyes kept shifting back.

He then found himself grinding your ass. A cute little squeak came from your mouth. Looking back at him with those cute little doe eyes for reassurance to see Shouto’s lustful gaze at you.

Shouto’s breath hitches to see you comply by lifting the back of your skirt up to your waist, showing off your panties to him. Lowering your head onto the floor, to show your submission to him.

Before it could even get to main event, his mind cut him off and the next thing he knew, he was awake again..

Shouto muttered a curse before realizing it was already morning and the sun was about to rise.

Already dressed in his uniform, he stepped out of his dorm room, before he could walk towards the hallway, he spots you.

Cute, already in your uniform, holding your books to your chest, and talking to Sero..? This early before class even started?

A ping of jealousy swelled below his stomach. Just seeing you talk so openly to Sero, with the cutest smile crept onto your lips as you listened and spoke with him.

He wanted to walk past you as casually as possible, the last thing he wanted was have you see him after what he was dreaming about last night—

“Good morning, Shouto.” You spoke, turning your attention to the stoic boy, who seemed to be in a rush...

Shouto’s shoulders tensed up, but relaxed. “Good morning..” before you could reply back he was already walking away.

“Man, looks like Shouto’s got a lot on his mind today..” Sero quipped, leaning back against the wall. “I guess so...” Your face dropped a little. I hope he didn’t think I was annoying you thought.

DABI

That cute ass smile will be the death of him someday. more like the death of his dick

He sometimes wonder how a cute piece of work like you could even associate yourself with the likes of them. Not that he was complaining. He’d sit back and watch as you and Toga were at sitting by the bar, sipping down Shirley Temples together, seeing that cute smile of yours as you nodded while Toga was gushing about all the cute boys and girls she saw at UA.

And by the end of the night, he found himself semi-hard, which was his cue to leave the base and deal with his “problem”.

After finding a much needed secluded spot away from the league, he laid down on something that seemed comfortable enough by his standards.

Taking it slow by feeling up himself through his pants, cursing under his breath knowing that this was your doing.

All cute n’ sexy. Sitting on a bar stool like the good girl you are. Why sit on a lousy stool when you could be sitting on something better. Like on his lap, where you rightfully belong.

He can picture it now: Your cute ass plop onto his thigh, his hands wandering where they please as you let him, hands holding onto your hips as you grind on him, and your cute face contorting into mixes of need and pleasure to top it all off.

You’d be so needy of him at that point. Laying your head on the nape of his neck, whispering pleas to him. Telling him you wish to go somewhere privately to fill your needs, promising him that you’ll make him feel oh so good...

The flame bastard smirks and takes you up on that offer.

There you were, beneath him. His hands beside your head, as he cages you using his body. Lowing his head to your neck as he gives you some love bites and kisses. As you softly withed under him, one of his hands makes their way towards the belt line of your lower stomach.

Feeling this, your body naturally jolted up a little in surprise. His finger tips pushed aside your underwear to make room for his fingers. Rubbing the outside to feel how wet you were. His finger slowly circling your wet gummy walls, slowly adding his thumb into the mix.

KNOCK KNOCK

Dabi tensed up, back from reality. Muttering a curse after hearing a knock on the door. And just when it was getting to the good part!!!

There better be a good reason to interrupt his time.

Opening the door, revealing it to be Twice. God dammit.

“What is it, Twice?” His voice was that of annoyance and pissy undertones. He hoped that Twice would get the message across that it was a bad time to knock right now.

“Whoa, chill Dabi!” He said with urgency and worry. “It’s about (y/n). Shigaraki wants you to escort her back home. It seems like she drank a little too much.” He informed him. “Girl was tripping like crazy!!! She can’t even move one foot without falling flat on her face!!” He cried out dramatically after.

Dabi sighed, but he also couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Guess you found yourself drinking more than just non-alcoholic drinks tonight.

Waking towards your limping self, trying to balance yourself by holding onto the bar for dear life. Yep, you were tipsy alright.

“Alright, let’s get you home.” He pulled you towards him, his hands holding onto yours hips. “M’kay, Dabi....” dammit, even when you were drunk off your ass, you still somehow managed to be cute!

TOMURA SHIGARAKI

You just HAD to enter the headquarters with the tightest pants ever.

Jet black, labeled as skinny jeans but managed to hug all your curves in the right places. God he loved when you wore those.

But only when it was during those slow days around the meet-up, and when it was just you and him in one room together. NOT for when so many people were around and the headquarters, packed with villains with hungry eyes most likely on you.

Not to mention you were so casual about it too. Not bothered by what you wore and how it affected him! Well, that’s kinda on Tomura’s part since he doesn’t say anything to you about it and just sulks in the corner silently instead.

All these people at the bar were overwhelming him. Grumbling under his breath, he dragged his feet to his private space and thought “fuck it, I’m playing some games instead” maybe jerk off a little before calling it a night altogether

Hours past since he left the meet up to go to his room instead. But even after playing video games in the dark room was getting a bit tedious for him at that point. Perhaps this was his cue to sleep it off, mentally shrugging as he finally relaxed on his creaking noise filled bed.

His vision getting hazy but then clearing up as he sees you in his subconscious. You smile, but this was no happy go lucky smile. No, that smile of yours had lustful intentions to it, and it was all for him to see. He felt his lower stomach churn that of anticipation for what was to come.

There you were, your knees straddling his hips as he sat on his bed. He saw as you teased him by slowly and painstakingly grinded on his pants. Stopping abruptly, you gasped, making Tomura jump a little in surprise. Nervous young adult hormones were surrounding his mindset. Did he do something wrong?

You lifted your hips by an inch. It appears Tomura got a little excited from your clothed grinding. You couldn’t help as a small giggle escaped your lips. Your villainous boss was such a cute little virgin. Time to reward him for his patience. Licking your lips in the process.

Tomura saw your lustful gaze after seeing his stiff...excitement poking through his pants. You spoke. “Boss, can I offer you a little favor?” Your voice was strung with heated implications, as your hands wandered to the front of his pants, verbally telling him what kind of favor you had in mind. He nodded vigorously, while trying to hide his lust filled grin.

You took no time unbuttoning his pants,(cuz let’s be real, that man doesn’t wear a belt) impatiently pulling down his pants halfway enough for his member to pop up, feeling up his shaft through his boxers as his breath hitched in surprise. Your fingers dipped inside his boxers, pulling them down, slowly, until the prize you’ve been looking for flicked upwards from the underwear confinement.

There it was. Tomura’s dick, right in front of your very eyes. Tomura saw with wonder as he saw you work the shaft, swirling your tongue around the tip as if it were a lollipop. God, your mouth was so warm and wet, he felt like all his pent up horniness for you over the years was washing away as you sucked him off.

Your head bobbing up and down, as one your hands made their way towards his balls, cupping them in your hands. Tomura saw as your eyes made contact with his. They were filled with need and want. You decided to take it one step further by pushing your mouth deeper and deeper into his dick, choking up naturally. Immediately releasing your mouth from his dick to catch your breath.

He breathed heavily as he saw your lip and chin coated with your own saliva and a little bit of his cum on your tongue. “Ready for more, boss?” You perked up.

Before he could reply, a harsh knock came barreling down. His eyes shot up, it’s daytime already? He winced at the sight of the sunlight peaking through his curtains. Hissing at the thought of getting up from his dream. A deep voice rang through the door after the knocking stopped. “Tomura, are you awake?” Yep, that was Kurogiri.

“I just came to tell you that Miss (Y/N) came to the headquarters early today.” Kurogiri soon left, hearing his footsteps fade away. Early? Like, early-early?? What time was it?

He grumbled under his breath as he made his way out of the hallway, were he saw you sitting on the ripped couch, scrolling through your phone. God, you were hot when you didn’t even try or not realize that someone was staring at you.

“Hey, boss. Had a good sleep last night?” You asked, genuine and curious. He grinned deviously through ‘father’ hiding his face. Oh if only you knew....

[monsoonblooms12]

Detectives By Chance: Ch-6 Unforeseen

A/N: Hi, how is everyone doing? I took a nice break to get a grip on myself and it really worked wonders. So sorry for taking such a long time to get this out. I hope this will be worth the wait!💛

Series Summary: It was supposed to be a usual weekend for the four. Coffee, fun, friends and love. But an unexpected case changed their lives in a way they had never imagined. A mystery - a murder - many secrets… Will Ethan, Pooja, Alexandra and Mark, be able to survive? Or will the circumstances twist and break their lives forever?

Pairing: Ethan × f!MC (Dr. Pooja Sharma)

Disclaimer: PB owns most of the characters. I only own the OCs and my MC.

Word count: 1890

Triggers: Mentions of murder

Rating: General

I am participating in this week’s @wackydrabbles​. The prompt for this week is “I meant every word.” and it will appear in bold.

CATCH UP HERE!

Sometimes Destiny, has a strange sense of humour,

When we think it is the end, it is usually just the beginning.

The four had just fallen asleep when sudden banging of the door woke them up. 

Ethan woke up abruptly. He saw how peacefully Pooja was sleeping. 

Ethan didn't want to wake her up. 

He got out of the bed and took a look at the clock. 

7 in the morning. 

It was pretty late as compared to his usual waking time. But after everything they did last night, they were tired as hell and hence it felt like they had slept not 4 hrs but 40 minutes. 

Yawning, he got to the door and was very, very, taken aback.

Standing by the door, was the Police.

"Officers, How may I help you?" Ethan inquired in a very professional tone.

"Dr Ramsey. Sorry to disturb you at such an early hour. We wanted some information." The police officer standing at the front informed.

Ethan let out a heavy sigh but knew better than to argue with them. So he acknowledged, "Please come in. People around will be concerned if they see the Police standing at my doorstep." He stepped aside to let them in. 

By the time, Mark, Alex and Pooja had also waken up due to the sounds and came out of their rooms. All three were surprised to see the Police.

The officers too, stopped short on seeing them. Their gazes stopped on Mark and Alex.

"Look who we have here." One of the officers implied to the other, pointing at Mark and Alex.

"Seems like our work here has become a lot easier."

"Excuse me, Officer, what exactly are you talking about? You stated you wanted information." Ethan said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, we wanted information about the whereabouts of Dr Danvers and Dr Walton." The way the Officer emphasized whereabouts was enough for them to know that something was wrong.

"Officers, we are here. Tell us what you wanna know." Mark spoke before Ethan could say anything.

"Sure, Dr. Danvers. You have an awful amount of confidence for a criminal." The Officer scoffed.

This time it was Pooja who spoke. "Wait! What? No, No what? CRIMINALS?"

"Of course, Dr Sharma. Not just mere criminals, these two are Cold Blooded Murderers." The police officer grumbled.

"Officer, I am sure there has been some misunderstanding. They both were with us all the time. Lex, er, Dr Walton and me, we discovered the body together." Pooja tried to intervene.

"Oh yes, Dr. Sharma? Then how on Earth did the original key of the patient's room get into the office of MARK DANVERS?" The man shouted the last words.

"WHAT! How is that even possible? I didn't even know the real key of the room was missing until the body was discovered!" Mark replied in his defence.

"Save it, Dr. Danvers, Save it. Tell all you want to tell in the court. Besides, that is not the only proof we have. We have asked your neighbours about your whereabouts on the night of the murder. Some of them say you two returning late at night, and as per their description, that is just after the time of the murder.” 

“Also, while scanning Mr Davis's room, your fingerprints and a piece of paper with both of your names was found. When we questioned his colleagues, it was revealed to be his handwriting. He wrote in that way in a hurry. So, I guess that enough proof for us to arrest you two." The Police laid all the information in front of them.

"All this is BULLSHIT. We did not do anything like that. All this is a lie." Alex was on the verge of a breakdown. 

She made a motion to grab one of the officers' collar when Pooja grabbed her and stopped her from doing anything that would make matters worse.

"No Lex, you won't. Don't make matters worse, I beg you." Hearing Pooja's plea, Alex calmed down.

"Dr Mark Danvers, Dr Alexandra Walton, you both are under arrest. Kindly follow us." The police officer said in an almost ruthless voice. 

Alex was about to intervene, but Mark grabbed her hand. 

Ethan laid a hand on Mark's shoulder and assured, "We promise we will get you both out before they can present you before the court. We promise." 

Mark turned around, gave him and Pooja a one-armed hug. Alex too, hugged the both of them, and then the two went away, holding hands all the time.

After the Police had left, Ethan and Pooja sat down on the couch. Never had they imagined that this would be the beginning of their morning.

"How the freaking hell did this happen? They are innocent, we know they didn't do anything." Pooja was breaking down again.

"Yes, we know. And now we have to prove it. We need to find evidence that can free Mark and Alex up. Something which can prove their innocence. We need to check Miles Danvers's private clinic. That is our only hope." Ethan answered.

 The two of them hurriedly got dressed and set off to the second address. 

The address they had never checked.

It took a good 35 minutes took 3147, Rainy Day Drive. The day was cloudy and grey, and the street looked gloomy but less terrifying as compared to last night.

 Ethan let out a dry laugh and said, "One rainy day brings us to Rainy day drive." They looked around to locate the clinic. But where they arrived appeared so broken and messy that it was obvious that it had been through a lot.

Taking a look at the status of the place, and thought of Pooja's condition.

"Rookie," Ethan said.

"Hmm?"

"I am going in there."

"Of course. I am going in too. Wasn't that why we came here?" Pooja questioned, surprised why Ethan was stating the obvious.

"No, I said I am going in, not we, Poo."

"What the hell do you mean by that? You are trying to say that you are going to that place alone? Is this really the time to play jokes, E?" Pooja charged, angry and worried.

"I am not kidding, Poo. I meant every word."

He cupped her cheeks. 

"Rookie, please try to understand, okay? My priority is and will always be you. I can't let you get hurt in any way. I will go there first and check if everything is alright. If all is clear, I will send you a text. Then you can come in." Ethan tried to explain.

"And if everything is not clear?"

"Then I will search alone and keep you updated if I find anything."

"You mean that I should leave you alone in the fire?"

"Poo, I am just going to check. This place is so old, I don't think there will be any trouble in there. But I promised that I would protect you at any cost. See it just as me keeping my promise."

"But what if-"

"No, what-ifs. I am going. I will check and update you soon. Promise me you won't go in until I tell you too."

"But Et-"

"Promise?"

"Ethan, List-"

"Promise?"

"Fine, Promise. But in case you see any trouble, text me at that moment. I will come running."

"Promise, Rookie, Promise."

Before Pooja could say anything else, Ethan had already walked into the dilapidated building. So she had nothing else to do other than wait.

While waiting, Pooja tried to arrange all the information they had in her mind. She started surfing the web to know more about Mr Davis and the 2011 scam he had supposedly conducted. About 100 people had lost tons of money in that scam, and it was pointed out that since 2011, Mr Davis started living a rich life. He said it was from his inheritance of his dead uncle and a promotion, but now, it was obvious that it was all the money from the scam.

What a criminal! Only if he had got caught, maybe then all the hassle, worries and pain that entered their life without as much as a precaution, could have been avoided, Pooja grunted. Her heart grieved on remembering Mark and Alex. "They don't deserve this.", she thought.

She checked her phone and, Oh dear! Thirty minutes had passed by, but there was neither any text nor any sign of Ethan. She was worried sick. But she had promised, and Pooja had been known for keeping her promises. When she promised something, she always fulfilled it, no matter what. 

Suddenly her phone lighted up with a 'Ping!' making her aware of a new notification. She saw Ethan's name light up on her screen, and without even glancing at the text he had sent, she rushed into the ruptured clinic.

Once inside, she looked around. The place was dark, had a look of a horror house and smelt sickening. Pooja turned on the flashlight of her phone and began to look around. She sensed something was eerie. She presumed that the moment she would walk in, she would see Ethan.

But the place was soundless. Her heart thumped with panic.

"Ethan! Ethan! Ethan, can you hear me? Ethan, please reply I-I am scared. ETHAN!" Pooja screeched but met with silence. Dismay and agony made her feel weak. She sat down on her knees and began weeping.

"Now is not the time to breakdown." Pooja thought to herself and urged her body to stand up. 

"Keep calm, Keep calm for Ethan." She reiterated the words in her mind like a prayer holding her up.

Suddenly, she recollected that she never checked the text Ethan sent. She opened Ethan's text, but it did not read "All clear".

It read, "MiD To."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? MiD, MiD, MiD..." Pooja thought harder and harder, overlooking everything, only focusing on the letters M.i.D.

"MiD, MiD... Oh, hell!" It struck her like lightning. "MiD is M-Miles Danvers. Oh my god!"

Suddenly, the sound of her phone ringing jolted her out of her thought process and spread an alarm through her body. She hoped, desperately for it to be Ethan.

But she saw that it was an unknown number. Her first thought was to ignore it, but then she wondered, "What if, what if it is Ethan? Trying to reach her and tell her where he was?"

She acknowledged the call. "Hello?"

"Ahh!!" A hoarse voice uttered from the other end. "Dr Sharma, is it?"

"Who the hell are you? I don't have time for any of your shit." Pooja fumed.

"But you surely have time for Dr Ramsey, don't you?" The man implied with cruel amusement in his voice.

"What the-? How the hell-? Wait, are- are you Miles Danvers?"

The man let out a menacing chortle, more like a crackle of a witch. "Oh, yes! I am. And don't worry! Your dearest boyfriend is here, in my utmost care, and under my most watchful eye."

The humour in his voice went away, and a nerve chilling sinister voice revealed, "If you want to save him and your dearest best friends, come to the address I am sending you as soon as possible. Don't you dare ignore this call. Well, unless you want them to rot and die. Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha."

PS: If you enjoyed the story, please like, leave a comment or reblog. Your feedback keeps me going💕. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a great day ahead!

Tags (Please let me know if you like to be added or removed) :@bbrandy2002 @whimsicallywayward15 @ohramsey  @nervoussaladsludgeopera @trrfanaddict @hopelessromanticmonie @imonlybibecauseofethanramsey @lovablegranny @bellcat2010 @gkittylove99 @starrystarrytrouble @3riche @chetachisblog @zoehanji @withbeautyandrage  @drariellevalentine @mvalentine ​ @aestheticartsx ​@angela8754​ @schnitzelbutterfingers ​ @ao719 ​ @choicesstan1 @arnikki-2406 ​ @neotericthemis ​ @anotherbeingsworld @maurine07 @sophxwithers @twinkleallnight

[gizkasparadise]

cdrama rec/review: go ahead

KDRAMA AND CDRAMA MASTER LIST OF REVIEWS

Series: go ahead Episodes: 40 Genres: family, healing/melodrama, slice of life, romance Spoilers in the Rec: for the first 20% ish/set-up If You Like, You’ll Like: reply 1988, le coup de foudre, find yourself (same production company/main male actor), rain or shine/just between lovers, found family stories, meet again stories

Rank: 10/10** (see Drawbacks section)

PREMISE

widower hai chao and his 6 year old daughter jian jian live happily above his noodle restaurant despite the recent, tragic death of his wife. one day, dysfunction junction a married couple (he ping, a police officer, and chen ting, a real piece of work) move into the same building with their 7 year old son, ling xiao. immediately, jian jian attaches herself to ling xiao, who is unexpectedly grim for a small child. 

because ling xiao’s family is less-than-healthily grieving the loss of their youngest child, ling xiao’s sister who died in a terrible accident. The Apartment of Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms eventually implodes, ending with chen ting abandoning her husband and son. he ping, suddenly a single father, and hai chao come to a friendly partnership that is clearly alluding to gay marriage where they co-raise both of their kids--hai chao as the primary caregiver, and he ping supporting them financially through his job as a policeman.

meanwhile, the neighborhood busybody is dead-set on getting hia chao remarried. eventually she introduces him to a divorced single mother, he mei, and her son zi qiu, who is ling xiao’s age. they sort of start to date, but it culminates in he mei skipping town and leaving zi qiu behind. hai chao, man with a heart of gold, informally adopts him and zi qiu becomes jianjian’s foster brother.

from there, the trio grow up happily and become inseparable. but once zi qiu and ling xiao graduate high school, the bullshit parade their respective childhood skeletons reappear in their lives. circumstances lead to the boys moving overseas, leaving jianjian and their fathers behind. 

they reunite after 9 years, when the boys return to a home where they hope to pick things back up from where they left off. things are more complicated than that, as jianjian finds herself in a new life and surrounded by new people. 

MAIN CHARACTERS

li jian jian

hai chao’s daughter and the only girl in the family. she attended the required short-hair-low-grades training program required of all cdrama youth female leads. super positive and outgoing, as well as the youngest of the three pseudo-siblings, jian jian grows up spoiled and over protected by her father and brothers, and as a result is completely devastated once her family falls apart. it’s so sad.

after the time skip, she’s an on-the-verge successful artist who makes woodcarvings, and exudes big art bro energy. inhales sugar like it’s nobody’s business. she inherited her father’s disease called caring too much, and it’s incurable!! 

ling xiao

the eldest brother and resident fun police. ling xiao comes from a seriously toxic home that finally seems to improve once his mother leaves. but then she comes back. fucking great. introverted to the point of being withdrawn to anyone but his chosen family, ling xiao’s had to carry a lot of emotional weight that takes a larger and larger toll on him as the series progresses. please get this boy some therapy. 

becomes a dentist because jian jian needs one. wears a lot of monochromatic outfits with low necklines because heavy angst but make it fashion. has been in love with jian jian since high school and is still carrying that torch 9 years later.

he zi qiu  

the middle child who grows up in hai chao and jian jian’s home, and is her foster brother in all but paperwork. hotheaded, zi qiu and jian jian basically share two brain cells that ling xiao routinely takes from them for safekeeping. he spoils jian jian, sneaking her snacks and junk food and wants to become a pastry chef so he can open a sweet shop for her!!

my favorite character. just wants to be wanted 8( him and hai chao’s relationship is my favorite dynamic in the series. will sob while driving a pink moped. is too proud to beg

li hai chao (left) and ling he ping (right)

the greatest (hai chao) and okayest (he ping) dads in the world! noodle dad/hai chao has never done anything wrong in his life, ever, and we know this and we love him. he ping isn’t a bad person, but demonstrates pretty classic absentee parenting/isn’t as emotionally present in his son’s life as hai chao. hai chao is the heart of the family, and would do anything for his kids 8( 

SOME SUPPORT CHARACTERS 

tang can (left) and qiu ming yue (right)

jian jian’s #GirlGang and roommates. they, like literally everyone in this drama, have some severe mom issue hang-ups. tang can (left) is a former child actress who is struggling with her lack of success as an adult and gives well-meaning but absolutely terrible advice on the regular. 

ming yue (right) is jian jian’s best friend since childhood and as an adult is trying to break free from her mother’s controlling nature--she’s also had a thing for ling xiao for the last 9 years. raises fish for symbolism purposes.

chen ting

ling xiao’s mom and certified garbage human. unable to cope with the death of her daughter that was her fault lbr, she abandons her family and disappears for ten years. she forces her way back into ling xiao’s life when he turns 18, where it’s revealed that she’s remarried and ling xiao has a younger half-sister chengzi (”little orange”). shit goes down, and soon ling xiao is forced to move back to singapore to serve as primary caregiver to both his mother who abandoned him and the half sister he barely knows. 

emotionally abusive and basically hits every single square on the toxic parent bingo card. i just. i just hate her. even typing this out is making me mad.

he mei

zi qiu’s mother. after a few dates with hai chao, she ends up ditching her kid and disappearing for unknown reasons. is a slightly better parent than chen ting but that’s like saying some poison kills you slower. the show tries to bring us around on her but it didnt work for me. 

SOME OTHERS

zhuang bei, zi qiu’s best friend growing up who i would like a lot less if he wasn’t played by the same actor who played my beloved dachuan

zheng shuran, jian jian’s first boyfriend and fellow artist who’s got a weird thing for women’s waists and pretentious artists’ statements

du juan, jian jian’s friend who co-owns their woodworking studio. has absolute trash taste in men

chengzi, ling xiao’s half-sister who can be a brat but dear god does she need to be protected/saved 

**DRAWBACKS

so this is a weird one for me. what i didn’t like i really didn’t like, but what i loved i really loved. ultimately, the factors/uniqueness of this show and the loveability of the main characters outweighed the negatives and it’s one of my favorite dramas.

THAT SAID. i got some #thoughts on this one. 

first, there are literally no positive mother figures in this show. not a damn one. they are all negligent or controlling at best or down right abusive at worst. no woman over 30 is portrayed positively and that’s a big No from me. 

the last 10 eps have some pacing issues and focus on the wrong people. spending the remaining episodes focused on one of the most universally hated characters vs. the main family was a bad move 

the show tried to redeem or make us sympathize with characters that were, to me, completely irredeemable. one case is worse than the other, but both of them were terrible people that deserved to be cut out of the main family’s lives.  

REASONS TO WATCH

the main family. the characters are so wonderful and nuanced, and their dynamics with one another were amazing. you’ll fall in love with hai chao aka noodle dad and the trio. they go through so many trials but they still stick together and it’s ultimately a healing drama and i loved it very much.

the central romance was less in focus, but the pining is enough to make jane austen emerge from the grave. i loved the leads together, and while LOL ling xiao’s attachment to jian jian was not always healthy, they supported each other and it made me smile. i love me a tortured pining dude.

#Acting. everyone played their parts to perfection. the child actors in particular were so well-cast (esp baby zi qiu)

the soundtrack lmao. you watch the opening credits and know you’ll need to buckle up

idk it’s a very unique show, and i haven’t seen one like it. reply 1988 comes close, but it doesn’t tackle the same issues and it was all just very real and earnest. 

Final Thoughts.

GOODNIGHT, GOOODBYYYYYE MY CHILDREEEEEEEN

[thejollyroger-writer]

One for the Books (1/1)

SUMMARY:  Killian Jones is a grad student who works for the Storybrooke University Library. He's searching for some lost books, last checked out by the elusive Teaching Assistant Emma Swan -- and when he goes to find them, he finds a lot more than he bargained for.

Rated G // 5.6k // on AO3

Thanks to @shireness-says​ for always cheering me on

Some interested folks: @kmomof4​ @let-it-raines​ @thisonesatellite​ @scientificapricot​ @ohmightydevviepuu​ @pepperspotts​ @resident-of-storybrooke​ @teamhook​ @ultraluckycatnd​

-- -- --

to: eswan@storybrookeu.edu

from: kjones@storybrookeu.edu

August 20 10:14am

Dear Miss Swan, 

I hope this email finds you well. My name is Killian Jones, and I am the new records and collections graduate assistant for the Storybrooke University Library. I am writing to you today because, according to our records, there are quite a few volumes from our library that you have borrowed and never returned. You will, of course, not be fined for these items; I am simply reaching out to make sure that they are still in your possession, and to ask that you kindly bring them to the library to return or renew as necessary. The list of items is as follows: 

 Freud, Sigmund. The Standard Edition of Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, 1953, Volume I. 

Freud, Sigmund. The Standard Edition of Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, 1953, Volume IV.

Freud, Sigmund. The Standard Edition of Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, 1953, Volume VII. 

Freud, Sigmund. The Standard Edition of Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, 1953, Volume X.

Freud, Sigmund. The Standard Edition of Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, 1953, Volume XXI. 

Freud, Sigmund. The Standard Edition of Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, 1953, Volume XXIII. 

Leuven University Press, Sexuality and Psychoanalysis: Philosophical Criticisms, 2010. 

Moore, Burness E. Psychoanalysis: The Major Concepts, 1995. 

 If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me in any of the ways listed below. 

Thank you, 

Killian Jones, 

Records and Collections, Storybrooke University 

Gold Library, rm. 120A // 545-1212

to: eswan@storybrookeu.edu

from: kjones@storybrookeu.edu

September 23 2:46 pm

 Dear Miss Swan, 

I hope the first few weeks of the semester have gone well for you. I am following up with my previous email, where I sent a list of volumes from our university library that have been checked out under your name. We now have a graduate student writing on psychoanalysis and he is hoping to utilize a few of the volumes you have checked out over the next few weeks. If you would be able to return these items to the library at your earliest convenience, we would greatly appreciate it; even if they have been misplaced, we would still like for you to come and fill out the paperwork so this student can request them from another library. I am in my office every day from 8-3 for you to do this, or I could send you the form for you to print and return. Again, if you have any questions, please reach out. 

 Thank you, 

Killian Jones

Records and Collections, Storybrooke University 

Gold Library, rm. 120A // 545-1212

to: eswan@storybrookeu.edu

from: kjones@storybrookeu.edu

September 29 8:36 am

 Miss Swan, 

I am writing once again to inquire about the Freud volumes checked out of the library under your name. Since there is a graduate student waiting for them, and since we are unable to request copies from another library until they are officially marked as missing, I would appreciate your response in regards to these items. If it would be easiest for you, I will gladly come to your office to retrieve them. 

 Killian Jones

Records and Collections, Storybrooke University 

Gold Library, rm. 120A // 545-1212

Killian slams his laptop shut with a huff, then runs his fingers through his hair. “This damned psychology professor,” he mumbles, though he realizes when he hears Dr. French’s laugh coming from her office that the door between them is wide open.

Oops. 

“She’s not a professor, you know."

"Pardon?" he asks, mostly because the humming of his mind was much louder than his advisor's comment.

"Emma Swan," Belle says, and Killian leans back in his chair so he can see her. "She's not a professor. She's a TA for Dr. Hopper."

"A TA should still know to respond to emails and return books to the library."

Belle laughs again. "Well, you're not wrong."

"So what do you suggest our next move is?"

Belle pushes her chair away from her desk and steps out into the open area where Killian's desk resides, then leans against the doorframe. "If we didn't have a grad student looking for them, I’d say just let it go. But for the sake of Mr. Mills, might I suggest visiting her office during her posted office hours?” 

This is just about the very last thing Killian wants to do, despite offering to pick the books up in his last email. If she wasn't watching him, if she was still sitting in her office, he would have held his head in his hands, wishing for any other option. Six years in the naval reserve he can handle, but trying to get books from enthusiastic academics? He does a much better job with his head buried behind the computer screen, politely (or, if the case requires, slightly passive-aggressively) asking them to return books or to come talk to Belle.

But he knows he can't get out of this one, not when there's a bright lad like Henry Mills relying on him. “When? It’s been a month since the first email, and almost a week since the second.” 

Belle squints her eyes to look at the calendar hanging behind him. “Today is what, Tuesday? If she doesn’t get back to you by Monday, I would go to her first office hours of the week. Those usually have fewer students.” 

He just nods, but when she returns to her office, he does hide his face in his hands. 

The days pass like calendar pages flying off, cartoonishly, all with no response from the elusive Emma Swan. Every time he hears the ping of his email notification, he hopes it is a response from her, stopping him from the embarrassment he knows will ensue on Monday morning, at her 10:00 office hour. 

But alas, Monday comes with no response from her, and he tries to hold his head high and he knocks on the door to her office. 

He doesn’t know what he expects to find on the other side of her door, but the bright green eyes and high golden ponytail is certainly not it. He had a whole speech in his head, practiced while driving and in the shower, demanding the Freud volumes back for the sake of Mr. Mills — but the face that greets him erases all of his carefully-practiced words in one fell swoop. 

Absolutely speechless. 

A few moments pass without him uttering a word, after which she raises a single, perfect eyebrow at him. “Can I help you?” 

He clears his throat, trying to put some of the confidence back in his posture — and trying to slow the quickening pace of his heart, even as he feels it in his throat. “Yes. Uh, hi. You don't know me, but I’m Killian Jones, from the—” 

She cuts him off with a breath of a laugh and a hand held up between them. “You’re from the library.” It's not a question, but he nods anyway. “You’re here for Freud.” 

His confidence deflates. “Uh, yeah,” he mutters. 

She cocks her head to the side. "You're older than I expected." 

Now he is dumbstruck once again. Absolutely speechless, save the weak "Pardon?" that comes out as barely more than an exhale. 

But she ignores him, turning away from him, though she leaves the door to her office wide open behind her, so he steps through it and into her small space. The entire room is lined with bookshelves save the space that her small desk takes up and the two filing cabinets beside it. 

He realizes in this moment, watching her scan her shelves for the missing items, why he is suddenly so tongue-tied, why his practiced speech flew out the metaphoric window the moment she opened her office door: she's beautiful, without a doubt the most gorgeous woman he's ever seen, from her shining emerald eyes to the confidence that seems to exude from her very being, attractive in ways beyond the physical, ways that he can not even begin to explain. 

"I really appreciate your coming all the way across campus to find these," she says, starting to pull books off one of the higher shelves. "I've been out the past two weeks at a couple conferences, and I forwarded the list of items to a friend of mine in hopes that he could come and pick them up, but it appears he's as bad at doing favors as he is in bed." 

Killian feels the tips of his ears turning red even as she immediately spins on her heel, covering her face with her free hand. 

"Oh my god," she mutters. "I'm — I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to say that out loud." 

Killian does the only thing his body allows him to and laughs, though every neuron in his brain screams at him to stop. 

Thankfully, she joins in, and for a moment, he can swear that her smile actually brightens her dark office, that her laugh brightens his dark life. 

"Neal Cassidy, ladies and gentlemen," she says between laughs, which only causes them to laugh harder. "Altogether grossly incompetent." 

Killian is glad he's never heard of this man before; he's not sure how he would have handled it if he had. 

"Anyway," she says after taking a few deep breaths to try to calm herself. She turns back to the bookshelf to add a few more items to the pile in her arm, but one of them almost falls to the ground. It happens in a flash, really: Killian rushes to try to catch it, though the pile in her arms also begins to topple, and his ankle catches hers as she tries to stop the books from falling — and just like that, they're both on the floor, surrounded by volumes of Freud's Complete Works, Standard Edition. 

"Sorry," he mumbles, reaching towards the book that is closest to him only to find that it's one titled Sexuality and Psychoanalysis. 

The irony of it doesn't stop his embarrassment from reddening his cheeks once more. 

"What the hell is happening in here?" another voice asks, and they both realize there's someone standing in the doorway to her office. "Ems, who is this guy?" 

"Oh my god," Emma mutters, moving onto her knees, and he uses the bookshelf to quickly pull himself up so he can help her to her feet. "What do you want, Neal?" she asks, avoiding his question entirely. 

Neal? Killian wonders if it's the same Neal she mentioned before, but he pushes the thought away when he finds himself wondering just how good in bed this man can be by the looks of him. 

(A bit Freudian? He would say so.)

"I just wanted to bring you some coffee," he says, a hint of anger in his voice as he holds up one of the to-go cups he is holding. "Only to find you on the floor of your office with some guy." 

Killian is suddenly overcome with an unexplainable anger, something he knows he has been trained to repress — but here, he feels incapable. 

Thankfully, Emma speaks first, crossing her arms over her chest, and he takes the time she uses to speak to calm himself, seeing that she is fully capable of handling her own battles. "I've told you so many times, Neal, I don't even drink coffee. And not that I have to explain myself to you, but it was an accident. I dropped some books and…” She falters, realizing she never learned his name, but continues past it:  “... he was just helping me pick them up, which wouldn't have been necessary had you come to my office last week and taken them to the library like I asked." 

(That answers that question, he thinks; then, My God, I have to get out of here.)

"I really should go," Killian mutters, his anger replaced with embarrassment, and he focuses his energy on picking up the books from the floor, trying to wish the obvious signs of embarrassment off of his face. 

"Yeah, you should," Neal spits. 

Killian would swear, looking back on this moment, that he could feel Emma's anger in this moment, swelling like a balloon and filling her small office, almost radiating off of her. 

"No, Neal," she says, crossing the space between herself and the door before pushing her hands against his chest and expelling him into the hallway. "You should leave." 

And then she slams the door in his face. 

A beat passes, Killian focused on the rise and fall of Emma's shoulders, though she is still facing the door. When she turns around, there is a smile plastered across her face, but he also notices the shine of held-back tears in her eyes.  

"Sorry," she mumbles, and Killian struggles to find a way to change the subject to anything except what he just witnessed, but finds himself unable to speak once more. "It's just — he's…" She takes a breath, sitting down on the extra chair opposite the one behind her desk, and she hangs her head. "This whole thing was a mistake, really." For a moment, Killian thinks she's talking about him, his stomach turning violently with the thought that something he did caused this goddess this much pain — but then she continues. "I never should have… when I met him at the bar, I didn't even think that he could work at the university, even if he works for maintenance. I'm usually much smarter than that, I swear, but it was the beginning of summer and most of the students were gone and I finally had some free time to myself, so I just wanted to—" 

She turns her eyes up at him, the moisture that's filled them threatening to run down her cheeks, but he's in the seat across from her in an instant, his own hand reaching out to cover hers. He's terrified, afraid that he's made the wrong move — that he's no different than the asshole she just had to kick out of her office. 

But then she smiles. 

"You don't have to tell me this if you don't want to," he says, the words as soft and honest as he is able to make them. 

He only hopes it's enough. 

She nods, pulling her hand away from his to wipe the bottom of her eyelids, and the last thing he expects is for her to return her hand to his — but that's exactly what she does, and he can swear his heart does a little happy dance against his ribs. "Oh my god, this is so embarrassing," she says softy, smiling down at where their hands are touching on the desk. Killian shakes his head in disagreement, but she doesn't see it, shaking away another soft, embarrassed smile. "And Freud thought the women he saw were crazy." 

For what feels like the millionth time since he knocked on the door to her office mere minutes ago, he has absolutely no clue how to read her. 

"Are you sure you don't want me to go?" he asks, though he immediately regrets it, watching her face fall. 

"If that's what you want…" she says, letting her words fade before finishing the thought. 

No, he realizes, and the thought rejuvenates him; he sits up straighter, he can feel his blood flow faster, can feel his heart pound with a little more confidence. 

(Christ, Jones, heartbeats don't have confidence.) 

"That's not what I want." 

"Good," she whispers, the smile returning to her face. “Because he might — knowing him, he’ll probably come back, and I don’t really want to deal with that quite yet.” 

“Well, I’ll just stay here until you feel comfortable again.” 

“Thanks.” 

A beat passes, and Killian realizes for the first time just how awkward this whole situation is. Thankfully, Emma seems to be much better at small talk than he is: 

“So, tell me something about yourself…” She trails off again, and this time, Killian offers her his name. 

“Killian. Jones.” She nods, a soft smile spreading across her face, and he continues. “But I’m, uh, just starting the lib sci grad program, and I came here since my brother knows Belle pretty well.” 

“If you don’t mind my asking,” she mumbles, looking up from the desk that sits between them. “You look a little old for a first-year grad student.” 

“That’s not technically a question, love,” he jokes. “But yeah, you’re right. I’m not technically what they call a traditional student. I got my bachelor’s all over the world in the naval reserves, but decided to settle down for my masters.” 

She huffs out a laugh. “In Storybrooke?” 

“There’s a base not too far from here where my brother works. I was done with traveling, done with the hustle and bustle of cities, and this just seemed like the perfect place for me to be.” She hums. “What about you, Swan?” 

She shrugs, and for a moment, Killian thinks this is going to be her only response. The silence of the room becomes deafening for one — two — three beats of his heart, but then she opens her mouth to speak. “I never had any roots, and I just wound up in Storybrooke. College was the first time I was able to make decisions for myself, and I just… Stuck around, I guess. I changed my major three times, got two master’s degrees, and I think Archie — I mean, Dr. Hopper’s going to keep me here once I get my PhD.” She sighs. “Sorry, that was a lot.” 

“Well, I mean, we are stuck here.” 

She laughs, but another silence fills the small office. This one lasts longer than the last, Emma even going so far as to chew on the cuticle of her thumb, her gaze traveling around the room instead of looking at him. 

Killian, for some reason, can only think of the man that they’re in this situation because of — Neal. He knows that different people are attracted to different things, and he… Well, with no better way to think of it, he could think of nothing about the man they saw that was even slightly attractive. Sandy brown hair, average build, average… Average everything, really. 

“Can I ask you something?” he says, not even meaning to break the silence around them. 

She hums, though her attention still seems to be outside the small window behind him. 

“Why him?” 

“What?” She sounds angry, but also something else. Killian kind of believes it’s humored. He hopes it’s humored. 

“That guy. Neal? He’s — well, not to be crass, love, but he seems like he’s kind of a bastard.” 

She laughs. Not just a huff, not just a breath, but a real, straight-from-the-belly laugh. And it lasts for a while, longer than Killian feels like it should have, though he’s certainly not complaining. It’s a beautiful sound, a lovely sound, a sound that (almost literally) brings light to his life. Nothing bad can happen when that sound is around him. 

(Christ, Killian, pull yourself together.) 

“Damned if I know.” 

“Well, what do you look for in a guy?” he asks, not even meaning for it to sound as… well, as desperate as he realizes it does. 

“Why?” she laughs. “Are you interested?” 

Shit. He already feels the tips of his ears reddening, his cheeks growing warm with embarrassment that he has no defense against. "Uh, I mean—" he tries, and he could swear that his chest is radiating heat. "That's not — I didn't—" he stammers, and she laughs again. Sure, he's an absolute idiot, no way to hide his embarrassment from the beautiful woman sitting across the desk from him, but just hearing the sound of her laugh again makes him feel better, even if it is at his own expense. 

"Relax," she says, reaching out to touch his hand again, and she offers him a soft smile. "Besides, there really isn't any rhyme or reason to it anyway." He has just started to relax, his heart pounding a little lighter and his body temperature returning to a normal number, when she asks, "Why, what about you, Jones? What do you look for in a woman?"

Beautiful, brilliant blonde goddesses like yourself, he thinks. 

For what he could swear is the longest moment of his life, he's unsure of whether he only thought it or not. 

And then, she's leaning across the desk, her hand wrapping around the back of his neck to pull his lips to meet hers. 

It's far from his first kiss; he's been in the company of enough women to know his way around one. But for some reason, this moment, this woman in particular, catches him off-guard, and he is only able to focus on the soft warmth of her, the feel of her lips against his and her hand on the back of his neck, her fingers sliding up into the longer hair at the base of his neck. He's frozen, unable to respond in any way beyond simply opening his lips slightly to her — 

Until he pulls away, cursing himself even as he does it, especially once he sees the terror in her shining green eyes, so obviously wondering if she has done something wrong. 

"I, uh… thanks," he stutters, running his fingers through his hair as he jumps up from her desk chair. "I, uh, I really have to go." 

As quickly as he is able, he removes himself from her office, though he shows enough self-restraint to not take off down the hallway at a full sprint even though it is what every bone in his body wants him to do. 

It’s not until he’s out of the building that he takes a moment to slow down and really realize what he has just done, ifsting his hair with both of his hands. 

“Oh, Killian, you absolute idiot!” 

He wants to scream, and if he weren’t surrounded by undergrads who he knows are already judging him, he just might. 

An idiot. An absolute dunce. Why did it have to be this week that Liam is training in Rhode Island? Why now, when the thing Killian needs the most is advice from his older brother? 

Okay, not most; the thing he needs most is to go back a mere minute and not run away from the girl who kissed him. 

But he can’t do that. And even just walking back up to her office would be too embarrassing, too much for him. So he does the only thing he can do, and continues down the sidewalk and back to the library. 

(It’s not until he’s back in his office, with Belle eyeing him questionably, that he realizes he came back empty-handed.)

 She spends most of the afternoon wondering what to do. She knows she acted out of turn, knows she made a mistake, but there was just something about him, not an innocence, per se, but something… different. Something that sets him apart from most, if not all, of the men she finds herself in the company of. 

For one, he didn’t seem like a total idiot, unlike the majority of men whose beds she tended to find herself in. Even in the little time she spent with him, she could tell that he was different, and she liked it. She liked that he saw her as a person, with a brain and a personality, and not just as body parts, not just as a vessel that could provide pleasure. Even the men she meets at conferences have all been assholes, men like Walsh ___ who feignd interest in her presentation just to come waltzing up to her afterward and ask her to dinner — which he just talked through, barely giving her a chance to speak. 

But Killian, from what she could tell, is nothing like Walsh. Or like Neal, who keeps ignoring her refusals and turning up at her office. (She’s glad she went back to his apartment and not the other way around, because she fears what he may have done had he known where she lived.) 

Killian, who came all the way across campus to retrieve books from her office, agreed to stay to keep her company, and then she kissed. Like an idiot. She saw the way he got flustered when she started to flirt with him and it got to her. Was it an overreaction? Maybe. But there were definitely alternatives to taking that sort of action against someone whose shyness was apparent all morning. 

She gets nothing done for the rest of the day. The piles of ungraded papers that cover her desk taunt her, but every time she picks up her pen and starts to read, her mind begins to wander immediately — to Killian, to his response to her. Wondering if she made a mistake that she can never fix. Wondering if he is sitting in his office, unable to work, only able to think about her. (Maybe even hoping for this one?) 

The screensaver on her desktop tells  her it’s 2:23. Literal hours have passed since Killian left, and she has accomplished nothing. 

Tapping her password out on the keyboard, she pulls up her university email and types his name in the search box, hoping that one of his previous emails answers her question. She vaguely remembers seeing the hours he’s in his office in one of them, she just needs to figure out which one. 

Bingo. 

“8-3,” she says to her empty office. She should stay, should at least try to accomplish something after being gone for almost two weeks, but she knows it is useless. So she grabs her red leather jacket off the back of her chair, locks her office door behind her, and makes her way out of the building. 

(When she gets to the steps, she realizes she has left the library books behind, just as Killian had when he left earlier that day. With a huff, she turns around, stuffs them in one of her tote bags, and leaves her office once more.) 

Pushing through the library doors, she realizes that she’s been at this university for upwards of ten years, and never learned where the Records and Collections Office is. She knows Killian included his office number in his signature, but finding that would take more time than she wants to spend, so she approaches the desk. 

“Can I help you?” The student who sits behind the desk catches her attention for a moment, a tall male, probably in his mid-20’s, with blond hair with a pink tinge to it, wearing a dark purple satin shirt and matching purple eyeliner in perfect, identical wings. His name tag reads Tyler. 

“Uh, yeah,” she says, hoisting the canvas bag higher on her shoulder. “I’m looking for the Records and Collections Office?” 

He offers her a smile. “Sure! Room 120. Up the stairs, to the left, all the way down.” 

She returns his smile, doing her best not to just run off to find what she came here for. “Thanks.” 

The room that houses the main collection seems much larger than the open area that fills the same space the floor below it, and with every shelf she passes, she feels like three more come into view. But, finally, a row of doors come into view, with the words “RECORDS AND COLLECTIONS” hanging on the wall above them. 

119. 121. 

Didn’t Tyler say 120? 

She tries 121, knocking softly though the door is wide open. She is greeted by a younger girl, most likely an undergrad, with one side of her head shaved and the rest of it pulled into a braid that hangs over her shoulder. “What can I do for you?” 

“Uh, I’m looking for Killian Jones? I thought they said it wa room 120, but—” 

“Yeah, they can’t seem to number rooms in a way that makes sense around here. You have to go through room 119 to find Killian and Dr. French. I don't think Zoe's in her office, so room 119 should be empty." 

"Thanks." 

Room 119 is, in fact, empty, but the door inside, the one with Killian's name on it, is closed. 

She takes a deep breath, hoisting the bag of books up again, and knocks on the door. She wonders if this is how Killian felt knocking on her door that morning, with her heart pounding in her throat. Probably not, she tells herself, breathing out a laugh to try to calm her nerves. 

"Come in!" his voice calls, and she can feel her heartbeat in every cell of her body. 

What the hell, Emma. 

But when she grabs the door knob, she realizes that at least part of her nervousness is valid, because for all the time she spent sitting in her office thinking about their earlier interaction, she has given zero thought to what she's going to say to the man on the other side of the door. 

Too late now. 

Deep breath. 

And she opens the door. 

He looks as flustered as she feels, with his hair standing in all directions, as if he's been tugging at it and running his fingers through it. The thin-framed glasses perched on his nose just add to the ensemble, his bright blue eyes already wide through them, and they only widen more when he sees her standing in the doorway. 

"Hey." 

He blinks. Then again, as if trying to convince himself that she's really there. That may be exactly what he's doing. "Swan," he breathes, one corner of his lips ticking up in a smile. "Hi."

She holds up the bag full of books, offering him a small smile. "I think you're looking for these." 

He returns the smile, but it disappears after just a moment. "Well, I thank you, love, but you didn't have to bring them all this way." 

"It was the least I could do after all the trouble someone went through to pick them up this morning." 

"You could have dropped them off downstairs." 

It's now that she realizes that just because she wanted to see him again, he doesn't necessarily feel the same way, and that could explain his cold responses to her. 

She lets her smile fall. "I could have."

"Why didn't you?" The question is simple enough, straight and to the point. 

"Christ, Killian," she huffs, letting her anger get the best of her. "I didn't come here to return the books."

"Then why did you come?" 

"I wanted to apologize," she says, dropping the bag of books on his desk — and when she opens her mouth to speak again, the words tumble out like a waterfall, unable to be stopped. "I could tell I made you uncomfortable and I've been sitting in my office all day, wishing I did something differently, but since I can't go back, I decided the least I could do to make up for it was to bring you these books and ask you if you wanted to go to dinner with me, but obviously you and I aren't on the same page, so—" She shrugs, throwing her arms in the air, and turns away from his desk. 

There's a shuffle from behind her, but it's not until he says, "Yes! Yes, okay," that she turns back around, realizing that he's stood up. 

"What?" 

"Dinner. With — with you," he stammers. "That's — I want that." 

Again, she just says, "What?" but this time it's paired with the beginnings of a smile. 

"I've been thinking about what happened all day. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, even with everything I was supposed to be doing." 

She takes another step towards him, her smile growing. Finally, he returns it with one of his own. "Yeah?" 

"Aye." 

Rocking back on her heels, she looks down at her watch. "It's only 3:00." 

He laughs, already seeming much more relaxed than he has been since she opened the door to his office. "I suppose it is.” 

Their gazes meet for a moment. She raises her eyebrow. He clicks his tongue. 

“I, uh, didn’t really eat lunch,” she says with a smile. 

“Ah,” he replies, returning her smile as he scratches the back of his ear. “You see, I was also a little distracted, but I am almost off the clock.” 

“Good,” she whispers, setting herself in the seat next to his door. “I’ll just wait.” 

He nods, sitting back down in his office chair. He is able to check her books in, then sends an email to Henry Mills to tell him he can come get the books whenever — but he is more distracted by having her in his office than he was all day when she was just on his mind. After every few words, his attention leaves the computer screen and travels to where she is sitting, scrolling on her cell phone. 

And every time he looks at her, he smiles. 

It’s only a few minutes before he logs off his computer, accidentally startling her when he pushes his chair away from the desk. 

“Sorry,” he mutters, pulling his jacket on over his sweater. “I’m ready now, though.” 

 Their first pizza date quickly becomes a regular occurence, sharing lunches in their offices on days they don’t go off campus. It’s two weeks before Killian is bothered they haven’t been on a “proper date,” and he picks her up from her apartment with flowers, which she keeps in a vase in her office. 

But, most importantly, she never forgets to return a library book again — especially the next year, when she and Killian move into a small house near the campus. 

Together. 

[unsaidmar]

WC: 2.5k (long winded girl, I know)

Plot: They share stuff and it changes how they see things. Connection ensues. 

CW: Mentions of death, illness, hospitals I guess, violence.

a/n: Hello y’all. This is part two of whatever the fuck is going on inside my pea brain. Hope you enjoy.

Part one, the meeting. 

Two; It’s better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.

She laughed at the awkwardness of the text and the perfect grammar Dr. Spencer Reid maintained while texting. Ollie made a mental note to care a little more about the phrasing of her own texts, especially considering the circumstances. To say she wanted to impress him was an understatement.

“Good, germs are yucky.” Sent at 7:45 am.

“Also, hi. Good morning” Sent at 7:45 am.

Good morning? Too much too soon? She fell victim to her overthinking for at least twenty minutes after sending her last text, realizing she had to slowly build up the courage to ask about the next time they would be seeing each other, which apparently would have to wait, since Spencer had an inconvenient schedule and could be out of the state in a matter of 20 minutes.  Ollie exhaled and stood up from her awful office chair to go and make herself some coffee, hoping to stop her mind from reeling and sending her into her usual never-ending pit of despair and anxiety that came with stepping out of her comfort zone.

A ping echoed in the room and her screen lit up, displaying a text from the one person she had been thinking about. Ollies mother would be crying laughing if she saw the state she was in, positively losing hair over the fact that a cute, smart, witty man was texting her back. A man she had spoken to for the first time not even 24 hours prior.

“I’m a nice person, I’m funny sometimes, I offered him coffee.” She whispered to herself, rationalizing every aspect of their interaction. “That’s how friendships start” She laughed bitterly. “I’m here… freaking… wishful thinking, and maybe he has a significant other… maybe he doesn’t even like women… maybe he just thought I was nice and he thought ‘yay, a new friend’… fuck” she plopped herself back on the chair and threw her head back.

Lia would have known what the right thing to do is, she would come up with a cool thing to text back on the spot, and she resented her absence like she had a million times before. Ollie had gotten used to writing her letters like her best friend was living somewhere else in the world and she would eventually read her friend’s attempt at keeping her updated, which she knew was not healthy and definitely not helping her move on.

The thing is, Lia’s death was not a surprise at all. It was a possibility to the point of actually being expected. She had been diagnosed as a terminal patient for a little over a year before she passed and almost everyone around her had made peace with the fact that she could go any day and that life would have to go on without her, but no amount of grief counseling and encouraging talks with Lia’s family could have prepared her for the unimaginable pain Ollie felt when it happened. She had heard about experiences that made the world turn upside down and how some life events made you go numb and make your legs give weight, but had never come face to face with a happenstance that painful.

She figured she was going to have to carry the burden of her loss till the day she died, and even then, the words “I missed you, till the very end.” would be carved in her grave.

Coming back from her spiral, she remembered how she fell down the rabbit hole in the first place. She took her phone with the intention of texting Spencer back and smiled at how stupid she had been to worry about seeing him again.

“Hey, arrest made successfully. Are you busy right now?” Sent at 7:57 am.

Sighing with relief, Ollie smiled and tried to sound casual with her reply as to not sound like seeing him again was the only thing she had been thinking about.

“I’m the boss, I can un-busy myself. Why? Were you charmed by my Keurig?” Sent at 8:00 am.

Spencer was not the kind to send sassy texts, or any text for that matter. This was completely new to him and he was determined to get it right, so he channeled the Derek Morgan that lived within him and prayed to whatever deity was looking out for him to make him sound cooler than he was feeling.

“I’m a sucker for coffee so, yes.” Sent at 8:05

 “I’m a sucker for you, apparently” Ollie nearly screamed at how quickly that came out of her mouth. “Fucking loser, dear God” She shook her head, scolding herself and whatever hamster was in charge of her brain and thought process.

“Mi oficina es tu oficina, then. I’ll be waiting.” Sent at 8:07

Twenty minutes later, he was there, coffee cup in his hands. After what felt like no time at all, they were four coffee cups deep into their conversation and had learned a lot more about each other. Turns out Spencer had a day off after they landed from an away case, he had a thing with germs, his favorite color was purple and his co-workers were more his family than just the people he happened to work with. He liked a bunch of sugar with his coffee and had an eidetic memory that was as much of a blessing as it was a curse.

He was impressed at how this girl was not what you would expect her to be, every aspect of her seemed to make no sense and at the same time, it made perfect sense. This purple haired girl had ADHD and a PhD in history, she was the oldest daughter of two of the most stubborn Mexican immigrants and had a sister that made even the most patient of humans go mad. She loved music, and was not ashamed to admit that her taste in music was far from sophisticated. “I am Taylor Swift’s bitch; I know the words to every single one of her songs! Same goes for One Direction too” She argued when Spencer said that it couldn’t be that bad.

A blaring ring halted their conversation to an unexpected stop. Ollie picked up the office phone with an annoyed grimace and exchanged a few words with whoever was calling.

“Hold that thought, I have to go sign a thingy at the front desk” She dashed out of her office and left Spencer there.

For the first time, he felt compelled to look around and fixate on the details. There were a few old looking pictures and some newer ones with people who looked a lot like her. There was one picture that caught his attention, isolated from the rest like it deserved a spot of its own. In it, there was a red-haired girl that looked around Ollie’s age, one of her arms around her waist and the other one cradling her head that was laying on her shoulder. Ollie’s eyes were closed and the red head looked like she was caught mid-sentence. Stuck to the frame was a little post it note that read “I love you, head ass. -Lia” It looked intimate, they were clearly comfortable with that kind of physical affection, and if Lia hadn’t called Ollie a head ass in the post it, he would have assumed they were together romantically.

Ollie came back in a hurry, apologizing for having to run out like that and sitting back down to resume their conversation.

“It’s okay, don’t worry” Spencer assured her. “I was looking at your pictures, I hope you don’t mind” He said, suddenly very aware of how invasive that could be.

“Not at all, those are there to be looked at” She shrugged, bracing herself for the question she knew was coming. Somehow, talking about Lia with him did not feel as dreadful as it had all those times she was asked about it before, perhaps it’s just him and his calming presence.

Sure enough, he pointed at the picture Lia had framed for valentine’s day and asked, “Who’s that?”.

“That’s Lia, she was my best friend. She is my best friend.” She smiled fondly, something that had never happened before when talking about this specific topic. Maybe sharing Lia’s memory with someone who didn’t know her was different. “She passed away almost a year and a half ago. 468 days ago, to be exact. She was really sick, it was inevitable” Ollie let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, reaching for the post it and tracing the words over with her finger.

“I’m so sorry, I can’t imagine how hard that must have been”

“It was… heartbreaking. Even with all that time we had to process the news, it still took me off guard.” She shook her head trying to ground herself. “Anyways, that’s a sad topic. I don’t want to bum you out with it.”

He knew the feeling all too well, he had apologized to several people when he rambled about Maeve, feeling like he had said too much and gotten too personal. He was not about to let this beautiful, vibrant soul feel the way he had for so long. Like he still did, truly.

“Don’t apologize, I get it. You’re not making me sad” He felt like he needed to elaborate to actually convey the message. “I went through the same thing with someone I loved too” he said, looking down at his hands, the very familiar feeling of oversharing creeping in. As he looked up, he noticed the sad look Ollie was giving him, but if the profiler in him was right, she was inviting him to share, not to stop.

“Her name was Maeve. She… she was a geneticist. She helped me through a rough time and she became my friend. It’s a long story…” he looked away.

“I want to hear it, long or not. But only if you want me to.” She gave him the warmest smile she could muster, which convinced him to keep going.

“Um, I started getting some headaches a while ago. I went to a few doctors but none of them gave me an answer. I reached out to Maeve for help and… We bonded, I guess.” He took a shaky breath.

“You don’t have to continue if you feel uncomfortable” she whispered in the most delicate tone.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just… I’ve never told this story before. Everyone in my life that I care about was there to see it.” He said, meeting her eyes so she could see how honest he was being. The man got a hold of himself for a minute, and continued.

“Maeve had to go into hiding. She was being stalked by some woman she met at work. Beyond talking on the phone, we hadn’t even met. I had no idea what she looked like and vice versa. This girl, the stalker… She wrote a paper, and Maeve dismissed it because it didn’t have a good enough foundation. When she started stalking her, she scared her into hiding and eventually started dating her ex-fiancé to try and get closer to Maeve, assuming he knew where she was. They ended up finding her and confronting her. She shot herself and the first person I ever loved. Right in front of me and my friends. The first five minutes I got with Maeve face to face, were the last.”

Baring his soul to a person he had known for a whooping 18 hours was the weirdest thing Spencer had ever done, so unlike himself it was almost funny. But at the same time, he felt like it had to happen. By no means did he believe in fate or destiny, but this one moment made him feel like maybe whoever does believe in that stuff, is not completely wrong.

She was not a therapist. She listened because she was going through a similar thing herself and her interest in Spencer’s loss was not rooted in psychoanalyzing him and helping him cope. She was just a mundane human that did not look at him with condescension and pity, she looked at him like she, too, had found a person who wouldn’t ask her “And, how does that make you feel?” in a monotonous voice. They both knew better than to assume they had all the answers.

“Spencer, that’s horrible. I am so sorry you had to see that. Jesus, fuck. I- “She thought about her next words very carefully. “That’s enough to crush anyone’s spirit” She looked at him like he was turning green. The reason being, he did not look like he was crushed. He had a beautiful smile that shook Ollie to her core, he was easygoing and conversation with him was carefree and it flowed easily. If he had not told her about Maeve, she would not have guessed the man sitting right in front of her was as affected as her.

“How did you manage to get through that?” Ollie questioned, fully intending to take notes.

“I don’t really think I have yet…” Well, time to come clean. Spencer thought. “The whole reason I was here yesterday, and a lot more times before that one, is because she and I talked about this museum. She told me about some conferences she had attended here and we made plans to visit together. Doesn’t quite sound like someone who’s over the whole thing.” He fiddled with his fingers, suddenly too aware of how cold it was. “How did you get through Lia’s death?”

“Yeah, well. I don’t really think I’m quite there either. Not like I’m trying, anyways. I can’t seem to get away from the Grey Roots either” Mental images of two little kids running around with dusty books in their hands came to her and she couldn’t help the small smile she broke into.

“I’m a hopeless romantic at heart, I have always thought that the way Lia and I found each other was pure magic. We met when we were in the second grade, right in this museum, we were on a field trip and we clicked. It was crazy to me that I actually met my best friend at such a young age, and the kind that lasts forever too. It sounds like when people meet the love of their lives on their first try. It sounds dorky, I know”

“It doesn’t. If anything, it sounds like you consider yourself lucky to have loved her like you did. We need more people like that, people that believe in magic.” Spencer reassured her with a shrug. He wished he could believe in cute stuff like that, but he was happy Ollie led a life that made her believe.

“Yeah, but us crazy people, we get our hopes up too easily. Sometimes it hurts.”

“Tell me about it.”

And just like that, in the not so well-lit office of the head Conservator of the Grey Roots Museum and Archive, something in the world had shifted.

[michellejackson]

Fandom: Druck

Pairing: Fatou Jallow/Kieu My Vu

Wordcount: 1559

PART ONE  PART TWO

Fatou’s POV

Fatou had known she was in love with Kieu My ever since they first met. At first, before she really got to know her, Kieu My’s smile would be so few, secretive and small, and she would always be closed off to whoever talked to her. Getting to know her was hard at first, but when she was finally let in, she knew it was all worth it. Her smiles had turned big and radiant, no sun could even compare. Most importantly though, she would give you all she had, all she was, unapologetically.

This is why Fatou meant it was a privilege to know Kieu My well, to see sides of her no one else would. It’s also why she knew she could never tell Kieu My that she was in love with her.

Kieu My had been acting strange lately. Fatou couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment it started, but in the last few weeks she’s been really closed off somehow, and it worried her. She had begun to recycle the same excuses, school, work and her parents. And while Fatou believed her at first, she started to doubt her after an afternoon spent accompanying Kieu My’s parents, because Kieu My wasn’t dressed yet. She quickly found out that none of these things were an active issue. She was way ahead on her schoolwork, work was quiet, and her parents were supportive of her as always. So, what was the problem?

“What are you daydreaming about now?”

Yara’s voice snapped her out of it. Fatou forgot she was there for a bit and now she felt guilty. They were laying on the ping pong table in the middle of the school yard, wasting away the free hour. She laughed and apologized for not giving Yara enough attention. Yara didn’t seem to mind though.

Fatou liked hanging with Yara and had grown close to her the last few weeks. She guessed their similar situations of unrequited love had made them close.

It all started on New Year’s Eve.

-

Fatou and Kieu My had been sitting on a sofa far away from the rest of the party. Kieu My had been laying in Fatou’s lap, rambling about space, and Fatou had fallen in love with her all over again. It was beginning to feel like a curse, really, her unrequited love. And then Kieu My had stopped talking and started to look around.

“Who do you think should have the honor of being my new year’s kiss?” She’d said it jokingly, but Fatou knew she was really looking. So, she made a big show of pretending to think. “What about…… Nora”

“She has a boyfriend, you know this, she’s your friend” she smiled her big smile, with teeth and everything. “Indeed, it was a test, my dear Kieu My.” She laughed, waiting for Fatou to find someone else.

“Ava?”

“Are you trying to set me up with your friend group? Who’s next? Mailin?” Fatou pretended to think about it before she answered, “no, I don’t think you would be a good match to be honest” she said innocently and Kieu My snorted.

“The guy from biology?”

“No”

“William,”

“no”

“Constanti-”

“hard pass.”

“oh, so the others aren’t a hard pass?”

“Shut up.”

“What about one of those folks who already graduated? Nora’s sisters’ friends? That dude in the grandpa sweater is kind of cute”

“too old”

Fatou lets out an exasperated sigh and throws her hands up in the air to symbolize that Kieu My is impossible. Kieu My just laughs. “God, I’m gonna end up alone” she throws herself onto Fatou’s lap again and Fatou’s hand automatically goes to play with her hair.

Hours later she loses Kieu My and ends up walking around looking for her. It was almost midnight and she wanted Kieu My’s face to be the first one she saw in the new year. Pathetic, she knew. She found Yara instead.

“Hi, Yara, have you seen Kieu My?”

She had to look down at her, seeing that she’s crouching, trying to set fire to a rocket. She looked up at her when she spoke and smiled, her eyes red. Before Yara gets to answer, Fatou opens her mouth again,

“are you okay?”

The girl had clearly been crying. She brushed her off though,

“I’m fine. You know how it goes, you fall for someone, they fall for someone else, they spend the rest of their existence talking about them to your face until you have to excuse yourself to cry and then in an effort to let out all of your frustration you want to fire up a rocket to go up and away with your sorrow, but your lighter doesn’t work-” she sniffs “you know, the usual”.

Fatou didn’t know what to say, so she just stood there like an idiot. She did know. So she had offered the only type of support she could think of, “want a hug?” She opened her arms and Yara accepted immediately.

“So who’s the lucky person?” Fatou asked softly into her hair. Yara buried her face into Fatou’s neck.

“Ava”

Ahh, “Marc, huh?”

She nodded.

“I don’t like him either, to be honest” she’d said then, in an effort to brighten the mood.

“He fucking sucks”, Yara had mumbled back.

“You’ve talked to him?”

“Nope”

Fatou laughed and let go of the hug then, cupping Yara’s face instead. She stared to brush away Yara’s tears, and she didn’t plan on saying these words to anyone, let alone someone she barely knew.

“I’m in love with Kieu My” She said, almost deflating as the words left her mouth. She’d finally admitted it out loud. She still hadn’t looked away from Yara, and she could see as her face twisted into something close to confusion. Frankly, she was not expecting the response she got.

“You’re not dating?”

Yara gave her a puzzled look, and Fatou gave her one in return, “what? no.”

“Oh, I’m sorry”

They both just looked at each other for a while, the silence dragging out, until they both just burst out laughing.

“You wanna dance?” Fatou asked, and Yara said yes.

As they danced, waiting for the clock to strike twelve, Fatou felt free somehow, with her truth out in the universe. And Yara looked happy too as they both danced closer to each other, until they were inches apart. She looked up at Yara, and Yara looked down at her, their noses were brushing and Yara looked to the side before opening her mouth to speak,

“She’s looking at us”

Fatou knew who she was talking about, and she knew it was ridiculous, but some part of her wished for Kieu My to be jealous, wished for her to want her, just a little. She didn’t know what compelled her to do it, maybe she wanted Kieu My to see her with someone, or maybe she just wanted to confirm to herself what she already suspected, that Kieu My would never want her like she wanted her. Well, for tonight, she could pretend.

She knew it was ridiculous, but she did it anyways, she closed the gap between their lips and focused of Yara, forcing Kieu My off her mind.

-

“Is it Kieu My again?” Yara asked, all knowing as always. Fatou just nodded. Yara sat up and gestured for Fatou to do the same. She looked at her with a serious look as they sat cross-legged across from each other.

“I think you should tell Kieu My how you feel.”

She said this with a straight face, and if Yara hadn’t looked so serious as she did, Fatou would’ve laughed.

“What makes you think that’s a good idea?”

“Because she’s totally in love with you, Fatou!” Fatou just looked at her with utter disbelief.

“No, okay, listen, she’s always looking for you, ALWAYS, and she’s always looking AT you, like,, like right now, she’s literally staring at you right now,”

Fatou turned and met with brown eyes. Well… she got one thing right. She smiled and waved before turning to Yara again.

“That proves nothing.”

“sure it doesn’t, well, she didn’t kiss anyone on new year’s eve so that must tell you something!” Yara looked at her with wide eyes.

“Because she got too drunk, I took her home after, she didn’t feel well”

Yara looked at her as if to say “aha!”, but Fatou just rolled her eyes, “that doesn’t prove anythi-”

“did she get drunk before or after we made out?”

That made her stop to think. Did she get drunk before or after they made out? Kieu My hadn’t been drinking much when they were together… but that didn’t prove anything, right? She really couldn’t afford to get her hopes up for this.

“let’s talk about something else…” she tried to dodge the subject, but Yara looked at her with a look that said that she got her.

Fatou tried to look back in time, she had noticed that Kieu My had been acting strange, but could it have started after NYE? After the kiss? Could she be jealous? No… and even if it did start after NYE, it didn’t guarantee that it was because of her and Yara. But… what if that was the case?

Maybe… maybe she should try to talk to Kieu My about this after all.