#(( ten years later ))

[occudo]

It's not even pumpkin season...

@jonmartinweek Day 8:

Ten Years Later // Martin’s Poetry

So I got this idea today, and didn't really had time to polish or finish it the way I usually do, so sorry if it doesn't make any sense.

After ten years they have a garden, at least one cat, and each other- It's a preatty sweet deal.

[sayinlaknight-yeah]

"You wouldn't last an hour in the asylum where they raised me"

The asylum:

As far as I'm concerned the original bullet club ended when Jay left Japan.

[psychic-waffles]

Happy 817 💕

[mewnia]

Late-night doodle of my Vesperia 10-years-later designs for Estelle and Rita :3

[alex-van-gore]

…it has been ten years so it was time for a redraw! I was sooo obsessed with Rise of the Guardians back in the day….ofc the lil tooth fairy was the best 💕 the drawing from ten years ago (on the right..) took me about ten hours. I was so set on drawing in every individual feather by hand. Older me knows how to use brushes x)

[verfound]

FIC: "The Rain had Other Ideas" (MLB; Lukanette; LBSC Lukanette Month 2024; Lemony Fresh)

@lovebugs-and-snakecharmers is doing a Lukanette Month for September 2024, and we all just kinda tossed some prompts in the disco to compile a list?  We ended up with 71 prompts, so I decided I’d roll some dice to pick a prompt, do a twenty minute (ish, bc we all know sometimes they run away from me) sprint, and try to get some short fics out this month?

Mind the rating - this one's a bit explicit 🖤

Read on Ao3

Prompt 13: City Walks

Neither of them had been ready to call it a night yet.  Dinner was long past done, the bill had been paid, and the staff was starting to give them not-so-subtle little Looks that suggested they needed to vacate their table.  It was Friday night in Paris, after all, and they were far from the only customers waiting for service that night.  He had suggested taking a walk, because more than anything he had just wanted a little more time with her.  It was a nice night out: a little cloudy, a little cool, but not so bad that they wouldn’t enjoy some time strolling around the city catching up.

It had been too long, after all.  Since they’d seen each other for longer than a handful of minutes.  Since they’d both been in the same city for more than a handful of days.  Since she’d been able to remember what calm felt like, with his hand in hers and his presence grounding her.  Since he’d been able to get lost in the melody that always seemed to pour out of her, his favorite song for as long as he could remember.

He hadn’t wanted the night to end.  Not yet.

He hadn’t wanted them to be over.  Not so soon.

Not again.

Neither had she.

…the weather had had other ideas.

Her flat was closer than his, and added the luxury of no nosy sisters or sister-in-laws interrupting them with gentle ribbing or excited squeals.  And they’d both been soaked by the time they slipped through her door, so what happened next…

Well.

Could anyone really blame them?

Especially when she fell back against the door as soon as it was closed, looking up at him from under her lashes as her teeth pressed down on her lip, biting back a breathless laugh.  It was too easy to step closer, to rest his arms on either side of her, to crowd into her space just enough…

He waited.  Because of course he did – of course he was leaving the choice up to her, just like he always did – but she didn’t want to wait.  Not anymore.  Neither was really sure who moved first – whether he leaned in to close that last bit of distance, or if she tugged him down from the hands already fisted in his wet shirt – but the next thing either knew their mouths were pressed together in a hot, hungry kiss.

It was their first kiss.

It…didn’t feel like a first kiss.

It felt like a long time coming.

Like coming home.

Like neither was ready to be satisfied with just a kiss, and maybe that’s why.  Why his hoodie ended up on the floor by their feet, why her dress was already hanging open with the fingers steadily picking at the buttons moving lower and lower – and God damn it all, what masochist ever decided a dress needed that many buttons and how pissed would she be if he just…ripped the last few?  Why his mouth was already trailing along her jaw and down her neck and to the expanse of Marinette now open to him.  Why her head was already falling back against the door as she pushed herself closer, desperate for more and that and him.

He slid a little as his knees hit the wet floor – but that was only a reminder of how wet their clothes were, and wasn’t there some sage old wisdom about getting out of wet clothes before you caught cold?  He was still fumbling with the last few buttons – he wasn’t sure if the dress was a gift or a torture device anymore – when he noticed her shivering, her skin icy cold beneath his lips.  He did rip the last few when her fingers twisted in his hair and tugged, and she supposed she would have to forgive him for that – it wasn’t her favorite dress anyway, too many damn buttons – as he rose back up to press her against the door, covering her body with his own.

…even if his clothes were still wet, and they still needed gone, somehow it was still warmer.  With him against her like that.  It shouldn’t have been, she thought absently, but with his lips and hands on her like that…

But they had no idea what they were doing, beyond some carnal, primal instinct to get closer, so it was too easy for her to do a little hop-skip-jump, with the idea that she was going to be sexy and bold and lock her legs around his waist – just like all the romcoms said she was supposed to at this point – and…accidentally knee him in the groin.  And he dropped her as he stumbled back, his arms suddenly bracing against the door for an entirely different reason, but he was laughing – breathless, strained laughing – as he shook his head.  A thousand apologies tumbled from her lips, but the look in his eyes when he raised his head…his mouth was back on hers in a flash, and then she was squeaking when his hands cupped her ass and hauled her against him, lifting her just enough that she could scramble herself into position.

…neither really noticed, when her heels – because she wore heels now, and if that hadn’t royally fucked with his head when he’d met her at the restaurant earlier – dropped to the floor behind them, but he definitely noticed when her feet pushed just so against his ass.

And then he was moving, carrying her deeper into the flat – until his thighs banged into her coffee table.  They were both laughing as he stumbled towards the couch, dropping onto it less than gracefully as she asked if he was all right.  He kept her settled on top of him, and he was nuzzling her neck as he made some quip about how she was literally going to kill him.

He would still be hard-pressed to say what he’d meant, if what ultimately ended up killing him was her minefield of a flat or the sight (feel) of her half-dressed and sprawled out on his lap like…

…it was easier to carry on from here, though, so she just reached for his shirt and tugged it over his head.  There was a whispered promise about how that was the plan before she started kissing along his neck, and for a long moment he just…sat there, soaking up the moment.  Taking it all in: the feel of her against him, of her lips trailing fire along his skin, of fingers dancing down his chest.  To let his own hands wander, slipping into her open dress and sliding along smooth, smooth skin, until he was moving her arms back and watching her sleeves drop lower and lower, until the dress was barely a memory on the floor behind them.  To creep his hands higher, to find the hooks of her bra and, after a moment of curious fiddling, slip them open.  It was harder to be a passive participate once the straps slid down her shoulders and the cups dropped, revealing her perfect, creamy breasts to him.

They were lost in each other, ignorant to the world beyond the little space that was them and here and now.  Hawkmoth could come crashing through her balcony doors – not that he would, now that he’s been rotting in prison two, going on three years now – and it wouldn’t be enough to pull her away from him.  From the way his breath caught when she started fiddling with his belt – or how his hips rose to meet her when she started sliding his jeans off him.  How other things had already risen to meet her, and oh if that wasn’t something she wanted to spend the rest of the night – the rest of every night – exploring.  She had put him – them – on hold for too long, and now that she had him – now that he had her – neither were willing to give the other up.

Why had they waited so long?

Why had they spent so many years on wasted not yets and next times and somedays?

She remembered having a passing thought that first dates – first times – weren’t supposed to be like this, that maybe they were moving too fast, that maybe she should stop before they went too far…but too far was accepting his dinner invitation in the first place, and by the time he was hovering over her, desperate blue eyes searching her own as a whispered you’re sure? left his lips…there was nowhere else she’d rather be.  No one else she’d ever wanted to be with.

She’d made her choice, a long time ago.  She was just sorry it had taken her so long to finally act on it.

(…there had never been a choice, for him.  It had always been her.  It always would be.)

If kissing him had felt like coming home, she didn’t know how to describe the moment he was finally inside her.  He had no sooner pushed in than he’d stilled, and she was grateful for that – for the chance to adjust, to breathe, to just…be.  And maybe he needed that moment, too, so overwhelmed by the feelings – both physical and emotional, so much more than he had ever anticipated – suddenly crashing over him like the tide.  No, not…not suddenly, because there was never any suddenly with Marinette, but it was suddenly all too real, too much.

They were doing this.

They were finally doing this.

And she was clinging to him like she never wanted to let go – never wanted him to let go – and that was everything he had ever wanted.  And yeah, he needed a minute, to just lay there against her and soak it all in, to breathe and gather himself – as much as he wanted to gather her.  She moved first, her hand squeezing his shoulder as her face turned towards him, her nose brushing along his neck as she pushed out a steadying breath.  He felt like he was shaking, overwhelmed with it all, but maybe that was her – maybe it was both of them.  But then she was pushing up, lifting her hips just enough to press against his own, and a strangled little moan that sounded like move left her – and that was all the encouragement he needed.

And oh, once he started moving again…she surrendered herself to the moment, for once letting her brain shut off and letting herself just…be.  Every aching dream, every longing fantasy, the reality was so much better.  The feel of his lips on her skin, his cock buried inside her, the hand tangled in her hair and gently pulling with every thrust…it was so much better than she had ever dared to hope.  And when he shifted and sunk even deeper, hitting her just there…

If he had thought just being inside her was good, it had nothing on when she came.  She had already been gripping him so tight, but the way she clenched as her entire body tensed, trembling beneath him…he slowed, barely dragging out of her before sinking back in, over and over – anything to make the moment last longer.  Her head fell back, a quiet cry slipping past her lips, and oh.

He wanted more of that.

He wanted to hear that again, and louder, and for the rest of his life, if she’d let him.

He found himself redoubling his efforts, moving harder and faster against her until she was clinging to him again, barely hanging on as he drove her back to that point – back over that point, until it wasn’t just a cry but an outright scream she was gifting him with, and the groan that left him when she clamped down on his cock…

Her kisses were feather-light, little touches peppered along his neck and across his chest as she melted back into the couch.  Her lips lingered over his heart, searing his skin before her head fell back and hazy, satisfied eyes gleamed up at him.  He moved in for another kiss, his hand finding hers and holding it tightly as he pushed in and stilled, and God he was close…her other arm tightened around his shoulders, and her toes tickled along the back of his thigh, and he grunted as he pulled back and sank back in.

He wanted this to last.  He wanted to stay right where he was, safe inside her, forever.  He wanted to exhaust her, to make her come again and again until she was exhausted from the pleasure.  There was a part of him, a terrifyingly large part, that feared if he gave in, if he let this end…he didn’t want it to end.  He didn’t want them to end.  He…

“Let go,” she whispered in his ear, nipping by the stud before nuzzling her cheek against his.  “Come for me, Luka.”

And that was all he needed.  He snapped into her again, one, two, three more unsteady jerks of his hips, and then he was stilling against her as he emptied himself into her heat.  Her walls spasmed, fluttering around him, and he wasn’t sure if she was coming again – coming with him – or just still that sensitive from the last time, but the mewling little noise she made in his ear was one of his new favorite songs.

She was his favorite song, now more than ever, and he didn’t know how he could ever let her go.  Not again.  He wanted to spend the rest of his life…the rest of their lives learning how to play each other, familiarizing himself with their harmony until it was the only song he knew.  And maybe he was crazy, maybe it was moving way too fast, but when they had both finally started to come down and he was curled up behind her, nuzzling her neck as he fought the need to sleep he could feel drifting on the edges…maybe it was stupid, but it was too easy to voice that desire.

“…stay with me,” he whispered, begged, into her skin, and maybe it wasn’t so crazy, after all.  She was twisting suddenly, nearly knocking them off the couch – and God, she was going to hate herself for that later, because it was so much harder to clean a couch than a bed and they’d have so much more room besides – as she reached for his face, pulling it back to hers and kissing him as feverishly as she had before.

“Luka Couffaine, you silly, stupid, impossible man…” she breathed against his lips, her eyes burning into his, “…where else would I go?”

Outside, over the city, it rained on.  Inside, neither noticed as they drifted off, content to stay exactly where they were for the foreseeable future.

(…well.  Almost exactly where they were – Luka was willing to concede that the bed was a better option when Marinette moved in her sleep, rolling off the side of the couch and accidentally tugging him after her.  More room for lanky rock stars, she said.

Warmer, too.

And dryer.)

[fatmagic]

[cielo-rinato]

"...and the world shall burn at your feet, just say the word, I'll do it for you."

[alter-l-ego]

Batman: A Loss in the Family - Part I

⏪ 🦇 ⏩

This storyline takes place ten years after Batman: Year One. So far the Ten Years Later Saga is formed by the stories Oracle: Zero Year, A Loss in the Family and Whatever Happened to Jason Todd?

There's more to come.

Follow my IG to support my work: @alter.l.ego

[slxshrfvcker]

♡︎~Ten Years Of Hannibal~♡︎

Today, April 4th, 2023 marks 10 years since Hannibal was released by NBC! So... HAPPY HANNIVERSARY, MY DEAR FANNIBALS!

It’s absolutely outrageous that Hannibal was released TEN YEARS AGO!

I don’t have the words to describe how grateful I am to Bryan Fuller and the cast of Hannibal for coming together and creating such an amazing and memorable masterpiece that I have loved and appreciated for so many years, and that had been embedded into my skull for the beautiful artistic mastery of not only the art, colors, displays, music, and culinary arts, but beauty of acting, and the way it made me feel throughout the time I had experienced while watching the show, I am forever thankful for the work they had done for us and will continue to be for the years to come, these people are truly awe inspiring and incredible people. So with that being said…

Thank you, Bryan Fuller, Mads Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy, Hettienne Park, Caroline Dhavernas, Gillian Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Kacey Rohl, Scott Thomson, Aaron Abrams, Lara Jean Chorostecki, and everyone else who helped make this show come to life, as well as the casting crew, the costume designers, producers, other designers and the visual/sound designers, all of you are amazing and we, as the fandom, the Fannibals, appreciate you all and your dedication, your hard work to come together and make this show such an incredible experience for us all and a legacy that will live on for years and an eternity to come. Again, THANK YOU! We love you, us Fannibals, WE LOVE YOU ALL!

Now, without further ado, here are ten things that you and your half of the murder husband duo do to celebrate your tenth anniversary of being in a long lasting and loving relationship~🎉❤️

*Reader is gender neutral~❤️ enjoy!

Dr. Hannibal Lecter~

♡Unconditional~

❥Hannibal is very proud to have you as his significant other, his love and his forever partner, so for the first show of appreciation and love for you on your 10th year anniversary, Hannibal would be awake very, very early, much earlier than his usual, to prepare you the most beautiful, thought out and special breakfast that he will bring to you and let you eat in bed, making sure that you don’t have to lift a finger in the morning so that you can be relaxed and ready for the long day he had planned ahead for the two of you.

❥Once breakfast has been devoured and your stomach full and satisfied, Hannibal would make sure to tell you had had canceled all of todays plans and proceed to help you to the bathroom where he had previously prepared a warm bath with soaks and all the things that you possibly could ever want for a bath, the ultimate relaxation time that Hannibal would let you have alone or join you in with whatever you would prefer and need of him. He would help wash your body and your hair, pour you some of that expensive bubbly stuff you always adored and just spend time with you for as long as you both possibly could before the water was to get cold and force you two out.

❥From then on Hannibal would have given you your first actual gift of the day, as if the breakfast and bath surprises weren’t enough. He had went out a few weeks prior to buy you that dress/tux you’ve been eyeing, and gift it to you wrapped in the most beautiful and luxurious gift wrap her ever could get, watching your eyes light up and sparkle with absolute joy was all he could ever want and need in his life. But he had to make sure you realized that this wasn’t all that was planned and that you should put on the dress/tux he had bought you, because he had more surprises up his sleeve~!

❥Hannibal had driven the two of you to the next location he had planned for, the whole restaurant and surrounding park had been rented out for just the two of them to enjoy, and he couldn’t help but smile and feel all the flutters of love and affection for you when he saw those tears of disbelief and happiness, and threw your arms around him in absolute appreciation and thankfulness. He held you tightly before he pulled away to bring you to the tables, letting you pick whatever you wanted from the rather expensive menu and treating you with the best possible alcohol or nonalcoholic beverages you wanted.

❥After the two of you finished eating, Hannibal brought you over to your next surprise, that of which being your [favorite activity], though he didn’t really enjoy it himself he knew you adored it, and let you have all the fun you wanted, he participated with you and helped you reach the end goal of the activity, smiling at your face as it lit up with happiness.

❥The night was slowly approaching and Hannibal had made sure the two of you had the best time of your life so far, and he was so very far from being done with the night for you. He brought you back to the house and sat with you on the couch, handing you a few more gifts that he watched you open happily, smiling at each gasp and smile of appreciation for what he had gotten you, happily returning your affection when you opened each one.

❥Hannibal smiled happily at you as he watched you while he sent out messages to everyone to inform them about the dinner party he was hosting that night, one where he would finish the night off with the grand surprise for you…

❥Dinner time was rolling around and the guests were filling the house, congratulating you two on surviving ten years of being in the relationship that many envied of you two. You ate happily beside Hannibal while conversing with the guests, happily accepting the few gifts some brought for you two to open later on. The dinner was incredible and delicious as always and you absolutely adored Hannibal with your entire heart.

❥The time was growing later and it was nearing the end of the dinner party, and it was time for Hannibal to elicit his final gift of the night, standing her tapped a knife to his wine glass and cleared his throat, he looked at you and smiled, announcing his love and passion for you, expressing his gratitude for you being by his side for this long and telling you that you mean the world to him, you saved him from himself many time than you can count and he couldn’t be more happy to spend his life with you, and with the final words, he smiled, promising you that he will stay with you forever and love you for the remainder of his life and until his dying breath, and even though after death it was uncertain what would be, he promised to love you even then.

❥Dinner had finally ended and everyone had went home after saying their final congratulations, before the two of you were alone yet again. The look Hannibal gave you was unconditional love, and you returned it with the same look that meant it all. The rest of the night, you two laid in bed entangled in each others arms making the most soft love you two had ever made, holding each other and whispering sweet nothings to one another before the two of you fell asleep in each other’s embrace, knowing full well of your mutual unconditional love and affection for the both of you…

Special Agent Will Graham~

♡︎Eternal~

❥Waking up, Will had no idea it was a special day in all honesty. He had a small feeling that it was different than the rest but he didn’t know what exactly what it was, so he had done his usual morning routine, giving you a soft loving kiss on your head and making his way to the bathroom for a shower and his morning ritual. He did remember to make a small breakfast for you and leave it sealed in the fridge so that you didn’t have to worry about cooking anything and just taking what he made for you and heating it up before you went to work too. He left a cute little note on the top of the container that expressed his happiness and love for you, before he grabbed all his things and left for work, making sure his dogs were quiet and fed as he left.

❥When you woke up you found the breakfast rather quickly and smiled softly at the note, always enjoying these little displays of affection he showed you, knowing it was hard for him to do so anyways. You checked your phone as you ate and you noticed an event on your calendar… ten years… ten years! Oh my gosh! Today was your ten year anniversary with Will! How could you forget?? You mentally scolded yourself and hoped that he had forgotten as well to spare yourself the embarrassment of such a thing, and as you finished breakfast you washed the dishes and filled the dogs’ water bowls before taking the trash out and making the house much more tidy and smell much better (let’s be real here, it would definitely have a bit of an unpleasant smell with all those dogs running around the place) before you got ready for work yourself. Running out of the house you got in your car and went to work, remembering to stop by a little gift shop to buy a little something small for Will, to make up for the forgetfulness of your memory on todays special event.

❥Will got home to see the rather very clean house and it surprised him a bit, but he didn’t mind it. He was glad to have a sparkling clean house for once in what felt like forever. As he sat down at his desk to work on a few new lures for his fishing stuff, he suddenly remembered the day and importance! The tenth anniversary of your relationship was today and he had forgotten, oh how bad he felt for just now realizing this. He hadn’t even bought you a gift or done anything to plan for today, and he felt terrible about it. He quickly pulled his phone out and scrolled a bit through it to figure out what he would do for you today, as you would be home soon and he was absolutely in shambles on how he forgot about today. Concluding that he would take you out for dinner and let you pick something out at the mall no matter the expense he set his phone down and stood up, searching through his closet to find something nice to wear for dinner tonight. He called Hannibal and asked him advice on tonight, and with newfound confidence, Will picked a more fancier outfit out and then he heard the front door open.

❥Will immediately ran to greet you, enveloping you in a hug and kissing you before the two of you said your happy anniversaries at the same time, causing the two of you to break out into laughter and smiles. He was shocked but grateful as you handed him the small gift, admitting to him you had forgotten all sheepishly, yet he didn’t seem upset, he laughed and looked at you, admitting that he too had forgotten. He set the gift to the side and told you about the dinner plans and how he was going to take you to the mall to make up for forgetting and you happily agreed, kissing him gently before urging him to open his gift. He smiled excitedly as he saw it was some new equipment for his fishing lures, he thanked you with a loving kiss and a hug before he told you that the two of you should get ready and go to dinner before it was too late.

❥The two of you got dressed rather quickly and left, going to have a small candle lit dinner at your favorite restaurant, having loving conversation while drinking your favorite drinks and eating your favorite fancy foods. He smiled at you and you smiled at him as you both talked and laughed, having the best time of your lives.

❥After dinner, Will brought you to the mall and let you pick out whatever you wanted, insisting that he didn’t mind the price and he showed that by happily buying the things for you, spoiling you with all the love and money he could.

❥The two of you soon got home and just spent some time lazing around on the bed, watching movies on the tv and petting the dogs as they laid in your laps. You two occasionally shared a kiss or a small make out session, before the dogs interrupted and whined for kisses and affection of their own, which you two of course obliged to and happily gave.

❥Will and you just held each other all night and whispered soft affirmations to each other, reminding you how much you two meant to each other and how important you two were to one another.

❥Will eventually was the first one to fall asleep, holding you close and running his hands through your hair as he was at first trying to hum you to sleep, but he ultimately hummed himself to sleep. But you couldn’t be more happier, you held him and cling onto him until you fell asleep yourself.

❥You two just ultimately have such a deep connection and love for one another that you didn’t need anything big and extraordinary to profess your love, you two had each other and that was enough. You both were meant for each other and you two were eternal for one another. He loves you and you love him, and that’s enough, he is so thankful to have you for these ten years and for many more to come. As you too, were with him. ❤️

Happy Ten Years, Hannibal~ ❤️🥀🍷🥩

[nyamadermont]

Ten Years Later. FFF213

@flashfictionfridayofficial

Avatar: Legend of Korra

23x words

A tiny gift for @slowdissolve on the rough approximation of her birthday. 💚💙

Ten years later, the grocery receipt would be tucked between page two and three in an album marked, Our First Year.

Ten years later, Five Flavor Soup night would include Asami and Korra, and their children.

Ten years later, the basket of slippers would be full to overflowing.

Ten years later, their coats would hang side by side.

Ten years later, the chopping would take half as long.

Ten years later, the soup would simmer twice as long.

Ten years later, a pot of royal black rice would cook beside the seaweed noodles.

Ten years later, two kalenutscos would be poured.

Ten years later, the sun would set in a clear sky.

Ten years later, the dishes would be cleaned and put away quickly.

Ten years later, Tahno’s Evening Melody Hour would keep them on their feet just a little longer.

Ten years later, the door would lock with both of them inside.

Ten years later, the bath would fill as both of them waited.

Ten years later, the sheets would be rumpled.

Ten years later, the night’s last sounds would be wordless.

Ten years later, they would fall asleep in each other’s arms.

Ten years later, Kya would open the door, knowing Lin was smiling at the same memory she was.

But as she opened the door to Lin’s gentle knock for the first time, Kya had only a hint of the love that was yet to come.

[buthearmeouttho]

If I was part of the mcu (Pt. 14)

Bucky: I don’t know if I’m worth all this Steve.

Steve: It wasn’t your fault Buck, they made you do those things

Bucky: But I did them

*Gun loads behind them*

Me: try again.

Bucky: *turns to see me holding a gun to his head*

Bucky: How the hell did you get-

Me: *steps closer with gun still pointed*

Me: not important.

Me: now take that back.

Me: leST ILLÚVATAR HIMSELF STRIKE ME DOWN

Bucky and Steve at the same time: what the fuck.

(Illúvatar is the first, and all powerful god from the lord of the rings universe. I have read the silmerillion. A challenge only few have attempted)

[sam-glade]

No longer home

For @flashfictionfridayofficial’s prompt: #FFF213 Ten Years Later

Characters: Lissan Setting: Sunblessed Realm (original setting) WC: 660 CW: -

Context: in Prodigal Children, Lissan travels through the area where he grew up, and I couldn't resist making him drop by his childhood home. Note: shadowstep - flashstep-like technique.

Days of dusk taglist (please message me to +/-): @acertainmoshke @another-white-hole @poetinprose

Lissan wasn’t sure why he’d stopped and descended to the ground with a hasty shadowstep. He could use a breather, that was true. As he looked around, he noticed a turn of the river among the gentle hills, a smattering of boulders on the meadows, the curves and the gentle slopes, and it all looked eerily still. And familiar. 

The houses looked like a small herd of sheep coming down to the river. Above them stretched endless orchards, lush green against the overcast sky. The little wooden manor was hidden out of sight, only the road branching off West of the village pointed in its direction.

Lissan traced the horizon with his eyes, until he found a hill half-covered with a patch of woodland. He couldn’t look away from it, as one shadowstep then another took him in that direction.

He stopped in front of a modest cottage, erected on a rocky plot of land. There was a well in the middle of a yard, surrounded by a weathered fence. The utility buildings stood stiff against the embrace of the woods – a chicken coop, a shed, and a workshop… No, it had a wide door now, like a barn. And there was a stump to the side of the door. There should have been a tree there. A dogwood tree.

Lissan’s breath caught.

He’d never expected to come back here, to stand on this very hill. He didn’t plan on excavating the memories.

They weren’t painful, not exactly. It had been ten years since his family moved out. Thirteen since he'd stopped living here. The Sixth Tree manor was now his home, little by the nobility’s standards, but many times larger than the cottage. It was filled with life and laughter, surrounded by hollyhocks and sunflowers, by dark green lilac bushes, and lighter green jasmine ones, and the Dragon Tree radiant to the side of the entrance, where the dogwood tree used to be.

Its absence was a gaping hole.

He took a breath and forced himself to look around. It wasn't as tidy and well maintained as he remembered – the paint was flaking off the shutters, that bit of the fence was broken, and the roof of the coop was in need of repairs. Or maybe his memory glamorised his childhood home; it was hard to tell.

The front door opened with a creak, and a stout woman stood in it, hugging herself against the chilly breeze – just like Marta did when he came home with Ianim, after his Sword materialised. He swallowed.

He knew her; she was the weaver, wasn't she? He recognised those bushy eyebrows, though they were more grey than he remembered. She used to live down in the village, in the second house from the edge. Her name escaped him.

"Good morning," he called across the little yard.

I used to live here, he wanted to say. Why did you cut down the tree? The question tasted bitter on his tongue, and he shut his mouth firmly.

Where's everyone? That was a neutral question to ask, right? And it was a good one; the orchards were empty, and he didn't see anyone on the fields or the village green.

"What do you want?" she snapped before he could say anything. She was looking at his Sword, at the pistol at his belt, at his uniform. Not his face. There was no recognition in her eyes either.

"I'm on my way to Lady Inayela's manor," he said on instinct. His voice sounded grating to his ears. He at least should have easier time talking to the lord whom he'd met only in passing, in a place he didn't know as intimately.

"Then go down the hill, turn towards the village, and turn left at the next fork. Away with you!"

Yes, he knew. He knew every road and path here like the back of his hand.

"Thank you," he said, and turned on his heel.

[thepotentialof2007]

My relationship with Fernando was toxic and it intoxicated the whole team. So yes it was personal.

Lewis Hamilton, looking back in 2017 on his first year in F1, as quoted by Sky Sports

[resetmypatientviolence]

Didn’t think I could make things darker than Autumn Blues. Well, the 3rd story in the saga of Jaela and Drake… makes it look like a fucking cakewalk. Why am I like this.

I need to rewrite Supposed To Be and Autumn Blues yet I’m in my notes having ChatGPT analyze drabbles of the 3rd story, taking place 10 years later.

This will all be posted on Ao3 under drakewalkerwhipped, in time. Just gotta wrestle shit from the depths of broken tumblr links. Fml.

[timeguardians]

I slept here all night. I couldn't leave you. (Bonnie x Michael) @avictimofthejazz

No matter how many times a man cheats death, eventually he runs out luck. Michael almost tapped the well dry when he decided to jump out of KITT, and chase a suspect over ground too rough for the Trans-Am to handle.

The fact that the suspect even picked this area should have been a red flag, warning Michael to just call the police on the guy instead of bringing the loser in himself. The creep climbed like a mountain goat, practically scaling up the side of a seemingly sheer wall in just a few moves. While Michael tried to find the hewn-out steps his opponent must have used the man dropped a load of rocks down on the persistent agent.

By all rights of the universe, Michael should have died in that ravine. The doctors attributed his near-miraculous survival with the fact that the ground under him was soft, and when he first heard the rocks falling, he threw himself into a bush. Both natural allies cushioned the blows enough that he received plenty of blunt-force injuries, but none serious enough to kill him.

All of these conversations with serious-looking medical professionals had been carried on over Michael’s bed without the agent’s knowledge. He had been unconscious for almost three days, stable but unwilling to wake up until his body sorted out how to deal with these new injuries.

That had been almost two weeks ago now, and this morning the doctors cleared him to return to the Foundation under strict supervision, and an order for plenty of bedrest. Not that Michael had been bored, of course. His charming personality, and mile-wide grin had earned him friends all over the Foundation, so he had a constant stream of people dropping in, or keeping him company for an hour or so. KITT, though down in the garage, also checked in regularly during the day, and even sympathetically provided Michael with the betting spreads for baseball that week.

Bonnie though, she did not come to visit until rather late in the evening. Part of Michael assumed she could not find a stopping place for her work until then, A smaller part of him wondered if she was trying to avoid the gossip that might come from her being seen stopping by his room earlier in the day. If that was her goal, though, she has just blown it out of the water in colossal fashion.

Bonnie starts uncurling herself from the chair she had settled into as he gingerly pulls himself upright in bed. He still manages to flash a charming grin at her when she justifies her presence. “You know Bonnie, if you wanted to spend the night all you had to do was ask. I would have scooted over for you.” Despite his teasing, he is touched that Bonnie decided to stay with him, and make sure he made it through the night safely. She could have easily said her good-byes and returned to her own apartment hours ago, instead of curling up in the armchair in his room, and trying to catch forty winks there.

________________________________________

Languid limbs stiffly sprawl outwards in the form of a stretch. Muscles that had been hopelessly scrunched into the chair SCREAMED their distaste. She recoils, only to stretch more gingerly the second time. A yawn, ill-surpressed, rumbles free of the mechanic who, found herself in the direst need of coffee. Operating things sans Knight had made her life all the more complicated. Charles Wallyburton was far less savory to both Bon and Kitt's pallets.

Bon blinks several times in momentary surprise; as one oft does waking in a newish place. Of course, she has spent enough time at the Foundation that this room was not entirely foreign.

Turquoise orbs shift further at the movement across the way, stemming from the hospital bed. "Michael?" She rasps, the rapture of sleep not entirely departing from the low chord of her voice. Then, she is rendered more awake. This time with a twinge of worry. "You -- okay?"

However, the expression painted upon his countenance is not one of exceeding pain. No, it's far too jovial for that. He's championing that almost INSUFFERABLE grin. A grin she DOES LOVE, despite being hellbent on denying her love for it. As much as she will not say it, seeing him awake and smiling FLOODS her with relief. A relief that must be quite evident upon her laxing features.

With a soft exhale, she rises further. Her hands furiously attempting to make right the tangles in her own brunette strands. Michael speaks, just as she's about to open her own mouth. "You must be feeling better, if you're concerned about my comfort." She teases him, though the thought of spending the night in his arms was not as disliked as it ought to have been. "Would you have slept more comfortably like that?" She prods. His limbs are far longer than her's, and far more bruised from his latest DAREDEVIL heroics.

"How's that head of your's anyways?" Bon softly presses. He'd taken a god number of lumps from the accident.

With the ache in her back, the brunette stretches again as she attempts to haggardly stand upright. It seems accordioning to fit on the cushion of the chair had done her no favors.

"Ca- can I bring you breakfast and some coffee before I had to the garage?" Wallyburrton was a notorious late riser. For that, today, she is grateful. It would allow her to delay just a bit longer with her favorite co-worker.