#ANYWAYS HERE YOUR FIRST TASTE AND MY FIRST TASTE AT NADIA

[izzysarchivedblogs]

❝ Isn't this neat?! One could make the joke that even the universe has questions !! ⸺⸻ Those bound to Earth would not see scientific phenomena without the aid of the James Webb Space Telescope, it's a super cool invention! ❞

[ FUN SCIENCE FACTS WITH NADIA -> The James Webb Space Telescope works through using infrared light, which cannot be perceived by the human eye. The telescope has four scientific instruments scientifically designed to capture infrared light. The range of wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum range from visible red to mid-infrared. The wavelength coverage is from 600 to 28,500 nanometers, or 0.6 to 28.5 microns. 1 micron is one millionth of one meter. ] [ MORE FROM NADIA -> The four instruments that the JWST uses is collaborative of the the Canadian-made NIRISS, NIRCam from NASA, NIRSpec contributed by the European Space Agency or ESA for short, and the MIRI from NASA and ESA! Isn't it so exciting to know the scientists around the world are friends and make cool things like the JWST together! ]

[centrally-unplanned]

While I was looking for that original art of the "Guide to Taking Care of Your VHS Tapes" a bit ago, I noticed that the issue of Animage (May 1993) also surprisingly had a roundtable between Hideaki Anno, Junichi Sato, and Kunihiko Ikuhara!

I hadn't ever read it, and googling around did not reveal any discussion of it, so I was curious if it had anything interesting. And while I just skimmed it, it doesn't really lol, probably why it isn't covered. But still, this roundtable was right after the release of Season 1 of Sailor Moon for Sato & Ikuhara; and after Nadia was done but before Eva was entering production for Ano - a nice "middle period", which is always interesting to me. Random little notes:

A bunch of back and forth on the "anime is becoming involuted, we should be aiming for Cannes not otaku" stuff. At one point Anno says something like: "Nowadays, anime is becoming increasingly niche, especially in the OVA space, with more and more works catering to fans' tastes. It feels like the industry is closing in on itself." Which, yeah this is the Eva theme right here, it is fully realized in industry-critique form in 1993. Take note you true believers in the Eva "mid-production pivot" ^_^

At one point look at the magazine's Waifu Rankings and Ikuhara & Anno both lament that Rei/Sailor Mars - Ikuhara's fav - is placed so low. Sato judges them both, and laments "adults" calling an anime character their "ideal woman" - wrong crowd buddy!

Related, Anno thinks Rei is the hottest but Makoto would make the best wife. Pretty based take tbh.

Anno repeatedly tells them to never try to cater to the audience, which leads to this exchange (to paraphrase): Ikuhara - "So, the concept for Anno's next project would be 'Don't let the masses watch it,' right?" Anno - "That's right. At least, my next work won't be for fools." I think he nailed that one!

Lots of discussion of short skirted girls, and they are drinking during this whole roundtable. Ah, the 90's!

Anyway, there is this little note in the corner of one page:

And I won't lie, the scan quality is pretty rough so I am banking hard on the OCR tech for some of that kanji, but I think it says that Anno actually animated the special effects for this shot? It is from the first episode of the finale arc:

We knew he worked on Sailor Moon S - specifically the Uranus & Neptune transformation sequences & a few other moments here and there. But I had never seen this credit before for Season 1 (maybe it is somewhere ofc). Throw his name on the staff list MyAnimeList, give his 2 seconds its due! Unless I am misreading, which is fair.

So there you go, some cute sakuga trivia for y'all - Anno was an 'effects' shot specialist after all, you don't bring him in for character motion, so this makes sense as a role for him.

[malka-lisitsa]

"Mamaaaa? You m u s t have had a favorite bedtime story, as a girl."

"Won't you tell it to me? I cannot sleep..."

"I did have a favourite bed time story. It's an old Bulgarian story called 'the most precious fruit." She smiled and patted the couch next to her, waiting for the eager baby Petrova to settle in and finish shifting this way and that, in an attempt to be as physically close to her mother as absolutely possible short of OSMOSES.

Katerina started to idly run her fingers through Lizzy's hair as she continued to speak.

"So essentially, this old man has three sons, and hes decided he wants to leave his entire fortune to just one of them. He cant decide which one deserves it the most so naturally- he makes it a competition. He calls all three sons into his study and says 'I will give you each a bag of gold. Go walk the world and bring me the most precious fruit. The one who brings me the most precious fruit of all, will get my whole fortune.' I gotta tell you I am with this man fruit is the best." She chuckled, taking a moment to look down at Lizzy before she continued. Fingers still idly playing with her daughters soft curls.

"Three years pass and all of his sons return. He addresses the first son, asking if he'd brought him the most precious fruit. The son replies 'I believe the most precious fruit must be the one that tastes the sweetest! I have walked the earth to find you white grapes, I believe them to be the sweetest of all!' and of course as all stoic fathers with no emotions he simply replies with 'good job son.' and then addresses his second son." She paused pt press a quick kiss to the top of her daughter's head. Honestly it surprised her, it was so instinctual she hadn't even thought about it. Katerina cleared her throat and continued her story.

"The second son talks about how he believes the most precious fruit must be the rarest. So he traveled south to find his father fruit that did not grow in their country, and brough him back several. The hands off father thanks his son and says he will take one of the offered rare fruits. Finally he addresses his youngest son. 'what have you brought?' but he sees his son's hands are empty. 'Why have you returned with nothing?' he questions." This is Katerinas favourite part, and honestly a huge contributing factor to why she is the way she is... in certain regards.

"The youngest son confesses that he indeed has nothing in his hands, for he did not spend his money on anything he could eat. Instead, he spent it going to school, studying for three years. He states that the fruit he has come to offer his father is not one he could physically see, for it is in his heart and in his head, and he believes that to be the most precious fruit." She leaned her head against Lizzys and smirked.

"When daddy dearest heard these words, he said happily, 'You succeeded in bringing me the most precious fruit. You deserve the inheritance the most because there is no fruit more precious than those which give a man knowledge." You could tell in her voice that she was smiling as she said the last line you didn't need to see it.

"Your grandfather told me that story. When I was really little. It's actually one of the very very few happy memories I have with him. He used to sit me on his knee in front of the fire and tell me that story before bed sometimes." She paused, the smile fading from her voice.

"Anyway that story taught me that the most valuable thing in the world is knowledge, and it hasn't failed me since. Now I pass that on to you, like I did Nadia when I carried her." Oh yes, Katerina had spent many a night telling her unborn child stories. Now she finally got to tell one to Lizzy. Speaking of, she looked down at the seemingly dead weight daughter of hers. "You're not even awake still are you?" She teased softly.

Truth be told she didn't mind if she wasn't. This right here? This might be the first time in her life she's ever second guessed what the most precious fruit truly is...

[paperstarwriters]

I just checked the blog and they pretty much just skipped out on Muriel which; unfair tbh so for the sake of both my birthday and Anon's birthday I'm gonna fill in that gap lol

(of course with way more extra 'cause I love Muri way too much for my own good lmao)

I will admit, being out in the forest and keeping to yourself most days, i'd imagine it's pretty hard to keep track of time, but maybe Asra stopped by recently to tell him, or maybe MC keeps track of the days somehow, or maybe you're able to approximate the day based on the flowers and herbs that you collect those days. Who knows?

Either way, Muriel finds out eventually, and knowing that elsewhere, with others you could've gotten cool expensive gifts, he puts a lot of time and effort into preparing something nice for you, as if he needs to pay you with gifts and presents for sticking around him, as if you're sacrificing a lot to be here with him, as if you couldn't just go into town if you really really wanted to...

Anyways, he starts with baking you a cake. his fireplace isn't really suited to making baked goods, and though he asks Asra for some help, they don't exactly have an oven themself. They eventually find Portia though who eagerly helps Muriel with the process. She offers to make it for them entirely, but Muriel is insistent on doing it for you. The cake is a little wonky, especially for his first time, and since he doesn't want Portia to basically make it for him, they skip out on any possibility of fancy piping on the cake. Instead Portia fetches some edible flowers and fruit from her garden and offers them as decoration, it's still wonky, it's still sloppy and simple but hey at least it's got some pretty flowers and fruit on it.

I can't help but imagine the others catch wind of it too and everyone ends up adding to the little cake in some way hoping to "help" Muriel and all that, still unhappy with the kind of sorry state of his cake, he accepts their help and ends up with something.... almost worse. He kept asra from adding something really weird onto the cake, but Nadia added sugar pearls or sugary glitter, Julian added some of those plastic-like-cherries that he probably got from some drink at the rowdy raven, and Asra added something that Muriel's never seen of or heard of before, but it's sweet and seems to taste good, so he lets it slide.

The cake looks like a mess by the end of it all.

He puts more effort into making a beautiful little carving for you, one of your favorite animal perhaps. I can't help but imagine he carved two little statues, one of your favorite animal and another of a bear, curled up around it, like him and you. He doesn't give you the second half of the gift right away though, feeling like it was a little bit selfish and self-indulgent.

So at the end of the day, he finds himself with a messy, messy cake, and half of a carving. It feels like it really shouldn't be enough for you.

But you do end up liking it.

The cake tastes amazing (of course, without any of the extra additives that you maybe didn't like, Muriel is willing to eat that in your stead.) but the cake is delicious, even if it looks a little sloppy, and you love the carving that he had given you.

It's only as you're rubbing your hand over the texture he's carved into the wood, that you find little flat planes where Muriel cut away his own part of the carving. You ask about it, and bashfully he reveals the carving of you and him represented as animals, curled up together. You love the gift, as simple as it is, and though it's possible for the two figurines to sit apart, you never dare separate them, making sure the little wooden paws are in their little wooden place snug and cozy against each other <3

Im not sure if requests are open, so if they’re closed just ignore this lol

Today’s my birthday! How would the M6 help MC celebrate?

(I love you sm big brother <3)

-🌙

I checked back through the old ask arcana posts - and it turns out there's an official answer for this one! ^.^

[theintrovertbean]

Well, babes, this one is for me and purely because I wanted it. I'm honestly surprised that no one has asked this before, but anyway, here you go. My mind has been constantly occupied by the thought of marrying Nadia, so here we are, marrying Nadia. Because Nadia is wife.

I've only been to like two weddings in my entire life, and they were both traditional Hungarian weddings, which are way naughtier than most (they're full of sexual jokes and games that would make Nadia cry and run away from the event), so forgive me if my general wedding knowledge is not the way it should be.

Enjoy!

I might come back with a part 2.

Nadia wedding headcanons

Nadia wouldn't shy away from having two or even three weddings. She loves MC with all her heart and firmly believes that they deserve all good things in the entire world. And she does too, so why not?

A Vesuvian is a must for very obvious reasons. As the Countess, it is her duty to turn the wedding into a public event for all of Vesuvia. This one would be completely organized by Nadia and MC, which means that the wedding is literally just like them. Purple flowers, their favorite foods, the decoration, everything is fitted to Nadia and MC's taste. The wedding ceremony is sweet, loving, and very romantic, with cheesy vows and Namar crying in the background.

But our Countess Goddess is also a Prakran princess, and I believe that Namar would come up with the wonderful idea of holding a traditional Prakran royal wedding as well. People don't witness royal weddings every day, so it would be the most luxurious and beautiful event in the entire world. Nadia and MC would both wear gorgeous traditional clothes, and MC would almost faint on the spot when they saw Nadia in her saree. I would too. This wedding would be mainly organized by Nadia's family and would only happen if they offered it first.

If MC is from another country, then Nadia would love to embrace the traditions of MC's culture, which could potentially mean a third wedding. Especially if they had a Prakran wedding as well because if they had one, they needed the other as well. No cultures are left out in this house. I leave this one to your imagination.

If Nadi and MC choose to have only one wedding, it would happen in Vesuvia, and it would be a mixture of Vesuvia, Prakran, and MC's traditions (if they are not from Vesuvia).

In every case, all the Satrinavas are invited. And I don't just mean Nadia's parents and her siblings, no. The Satrinava aunties, uncles, and cousins missed the first wedding of their favorite baby niece/cousin, so there's no way on earth they're going to miss the second one too. And if you thought that Nadia's family is big, then wait until the whole family tree shows up at the wedding(s).

And when an army of Satrinavas arrive, Nadia stands no chance against them. They all attack MC at once and ask a bunch of questions about the person who captured the youngest princess' heart. MC probably gets a little overwhelmed, and Nadia feels embarrassed, but everyone is just so happy that she has finally found the love of her life. Grand gifts are expected.

Nadia is crazy nervous before the wedding because she wants everything to be perfect. Of course, everything would go smoothly, but Nadia can't help it. And yet, joy and excitement fill her heart whenever she thinks about marrying her love, her MC.

After they're officially married, MC calls Nadia their wife at every chance, and it makes her smile. She's also screaming inside with joy, but she tries her best to hide it.

The first dance? Elegant, breathtaking, and gorgeous, and they practiced it beforehand.

Nasrin and Namar give the most amazing marriage advice to the newlyweds.

Nadia's siblings take turns dancing with Nadia and MC. At some point, they're all dancing together. (Kinda like in that one Bridgerton scene in season 2.)

The wedding(s) take place during Spring. And why? Because, my darlings, Spring is the season of love, and our Countess and her magician are very much in love.

And yeah, I want to marry Nadia three times, but can you blame me?

[vampiresuns]

The Main 6 as Poetry + Other Bits of Literature That Reminds Me Of Them

[link meme voice] This is my post and I get to choose the poems

Asra

“Will you come travel with me? Shall we stick by each other for as long as we live?” — Walt Whitman, Song Of The Open Road

“I love you. I love you. I love you. I’ll write in waves. In skies. In my heart. You’ll never see, but you will know. I’ll be all the poets, I’ll kill them all and take each one’s place in turn, and every time love’s written in all the strands it will be to you.

But never again like this” — Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, This Is How You Lose The Time War

“Friendship is more tragic than love. It lasts longer” — Oscar Wilde

“The centre of every poem is this: I have loved you. I have had to deal with that” — Salma Deera, Letters to Medea

“If someday the moon calls you by your name don’t be surprised, Because every night I tell her about you” — Shahrazad al-Khalij

Nadia

“All palaces are temporary palaces” — Robert Montgomery

“You know, they straightened out the Mississippi river in places, to make room for houses and livable acreage. Occasionally the river floods these places. “Floods” is the word they use, but in fact it is not flooding: it is remembering. Remembering where it used to be. All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was.” — Toni Morrison.

“We’re each of us alone, to be sure. What can you do but hold your hand out in the dark?” — Ursula K. Le Guin, “Nine Lives”

“The first desire is to feel that one is Desired, not just wanted but preferred” — J. D. McClatchy, The Dialogue of Desire and Guilt

“If I can’t have love, if I can’t find peace, give me bitter glory” — Anna Akhmatova, Rosary

“I send my soul through time and space to greet you. You will understand” —  James Elroy Flecker, To A Poet A Thousand Years Hence

Julian

"Time for you and time for me, and time yet for hundred indecisions” — T. S. Eliot, The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock

“I over came myself, the sufferer; I carried my own ashes to the mountains; I invented a brighter flame for myself” — F. Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

“To have been on earth just once — that’s irrevocable. And so we keep on going and try to realise it, try to hold it in our simple hands, in our overcrowded eyes, and in our speechless heart” — Rainer Maria Rilke, Duino Elegies; The Ninth Elegy (tr. A. Poulin, Jr.)

(have I been walking in circles again?) — Margaret Atwood, Journey To The Interior

“Last night, as I was sleeping, I dreamt–marvellous error!– that I had a beehive here inside my heart. And the golden bees were making white combs and sweet honey from my old failures” — Antonio Machado, Last night as I was sleeping

Muriel

“I am a very boring and unpleasant man, drowned in literature... but I do love you” — Vladmir Nabokov in a letter to his wife Vera, written in 1924

“Rejoice! Our times are intolerable” — Jenny Holzer

“We disappear as stars do, soundless, without a trace” — Charles Wright, Drone And Ostinato

“You don’t want to hear the story of my life, and anyway I don’t want to tell it, I want to listen” — dogfish, mary oliver

“—the way somebody comes back, but only in a dream.” — Mary Oliver, We Should Be Well Prepared

“History is a man in a brown suit trying to define a room he is outside of. I know history. There are many names in history but none of them are ours” — Richard Siken, Little Beast

“The consistency of hurt is what makes it so comforting” — William Nu’utupu Giles, “what do you want? it’s not that simple”

Portia

“I exist as I am, that is enough“ — Walt Whitman, Song Of Myself

“I will plant myself in the garden / I will grow I know I know I know” — Forough Farrokhzad, Another Birth

“When does a war end? When can I say your name and have it mean only your name and not what you left behind?” — Ocean Vuong, On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous

“I am doing my best to not become a museum of myself. I am doing my best to breathe in and out.I am begging: Let me be lonely but not invisible“ — Natalie Diaz, American Arithmetic

  Here, we worship      the hot pot; stuff our bellies             with blessings. My auntie says—

If we’re gonna suffer,      we gotta do it over good food.

— ode to enclaves by Chrysanthemum tran (she/they)

Lucio

“Abuse of power comes as no surprise” — Jenny Holzer, Truisms

“You spit on them because the taste left of on your teeth excites. You showed hope all over your face for years and then killed them” — Jenny Holzer

“And on a pedestal, these words appear: ‘I am Ozymandias, King of Kings; look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remain” — Percy Shelley, Ozymandias

“Lucifer: It may be thou shalt be as we.

Cain: And ye?

Lucifer: Are everlasting.

Cain: Are ye happy?

Lucifer: We are mighty.

Cain: Are thou happy?

Lucifer: No. Art thou?” — Lord Byron, Cain

“Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens” — Robert Montgomery

[portias-husband]

That damned magician - Valerius x Fem! Reader

CW // Swearing (a lot of swearing I kinda let out all the curse words in this one)

Contains : Valerius dealing with a crush on Nadia’s court magician

Damn it. Why did she have to bring in that stupid magician. That magician who have captured his thoughts since the moment he laid eyes of her. He couldn’t have a crush. He was a public official for fucks sake, he was supposed to be professional and smart, not weak at the knees for a woman who he couldn’t utter two words to without going completely red in the face.

But she was perfect. Her hair flowed perfectly and framed her face in such a way that made her seem radiant. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with curiosity and joy every time they were opened, and she just had the most exquisite face he had ever seen with his own two eyes.

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

“And this is how you make water come from the sands of even the most barren desert, quite a useful spell if you ask me, especially for on long journeys”

“Ah yes, what a delightful little trick, but it seems rather complicated to perform”

“Well yeh but its worth it for emergencies”

Your conversation with the countess had stretched on for a while and he had listened to every single word, still infuriated at how your hands moved in such delicate ways, casting some complicated and intricate patterns in the air with your beautiful arms and hands.

He had watched you for the past hour, secretly enamoured by how you moved, not noticing the amused glances that Nadia had thrown at him, her perceptiveness already clueing her in that he had become entranced by you.

“Valerius? Are you all right? You seem rather red, maybe you have come down with a sickness?”

The countesses voice was sharp and made him snap to attention and see both your concerned face, and the Nadia’s amusement

“Y-yes I’m perfectly fine. Just warm thats all”

“But consul, the window is open and there is a breeze”

Damn it. His excuse hadn’t worked. You had seen right through him.

“Anyway I have some work to do, I have to... um... make sure that my cat is fed. Yes. My cat needs feeding.”

“But you don’t have a cat-”

“I do now. Goodbye!”

He rushed out of the room after gathering his books up, leaving both of you a little confused at his antics.

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

*Thump* *Thump*

God why was he such a mess around you. He needed to be more professional! He had responsibilities to the city, and he had to be formal and proper, not a flustered mess, red in the face whenever you walked by!

He kept knocking his head against the table until he heard another knocking interrupting his thoughts.

“Consul? Are you in there? I was kind of worried about you so I brought some things.”

Oh. It was you.

Could he ignore you? No that’s rude.

“Oh, of course, come on in.”

You pushed the door open and walked in holding a basket that was clearly full of items.

As soon as you entered, his face went red but he was able to hide it due to the darkness of his room and so you did not notice anything, not even when you strode over to him and plopped down onto the bed near where he sat on his desk.

“I’ll show you whats in here then I’ll go since you seem pretty ill”

You giggled softly after that, making his face go even redder but he coughed, and tried to act like his red face was just a fever.

“First i brought some medicine, it supposed to help with fevers and it does taste pretty nice. Plus the flowers in it make it glow so i often drink it even when I don’t have a fever. Also there’s some other flowers that have a nice smell which I’ve heard can help with making someone feel better.”

He listened to you ramble for a few minutes about all the things in the basket, able to show the adoration in his heart while you were distracted, just about able to look away when you glanced at him. He held the basket and smiled at your kindness, giving a small thanks and you two stood there smiling at each other for a few seconds. It was almost as if you-

No. He shouldn’t dare hope. Of course you don’t feel the same.

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

A/N : Thanks for reading! This might not be my best work since I feel quite ill at the moment but I hope you like it. I love Valerius and i really hope we get his route soon but this is also pretty self indulgent before we get anymore courtier food from the devs.

[thefrostedfeather52]

incorrect bapo quotes (part 2)

i definitely have homework to do but yk what it's friday night saturday morning i'm not doing homework at midnight so here's this instead

Lucas: I'm glad we only had the Salem Witch Trials and not the full version. Matt: I knew we should have had that concussion looked at…

Lucas: Sweatpants are just boneless jeans. Nadia: Shut the fuck up.

Matt: Okay Lucas, truth or dare? Lucas: Truth Matt: Alright, when was the last time you slept? Lucas: Matt: Lucas: Dare Matt: I dare you to sleep Lucas: I hate this game

Lucas: Every time I go to a hotel, I take a bite of the soap. Just to fuck with people. Matt: You do realise that by eating soap, you’re the one who’s losing, right? Lucas: You’re just jealous I was brave enough to taste the Forbidden White Chocolate. Nadia: White chocolate’s disgusting! Matt: aND SOAP ISN’T?!

Peter: If cats knew what sin was, they wouldn’t even care. Lucas: I don’t care either, fuck trigonometry.

Peter: I’ve got a headache, google says I’m going to die. Lucas: Why is google sending you death threats???

Lucas: Hey, so, if you paint your fingertips with clear nail polish you won't leave fingerprints. Nadia: Shoot, this is actually really useful information. Thank you, Lucas. Ivy: Helpful for what exactly??? Nadia: Murder??? It's kind of a given here. Matt: Wow. You're dark. Lucas was obviously referring to handling devices with screens. This is a great way not to leave prints all over the screen. Lucas: I was 100% referring to murder. Peter: I thought this was wholesome content?! Nadia: Why the fuck would you think that??

Jason: Do you think animals try to fit in and be relatable with their friends? Jason: Like, do you think a cow is like, “Haha! Yeah, grass is rad!” but cries at night? Peter: …Jason, are you okay?

Nadia: Matt will never agree to this plan. Ivy: Sure he will. Nadia: I tried 3 times already. Ivy: Cool. Now watch a master work. Ivy: *turning to Matt with wide eyes* Ivy: Matt, can we- Matt: Yes. Nadia:

Peter, to Sister Chantelle: I was cooking with Lucas and I told him, “You have to put the stove on low heat first.” Peter: He goes, “But heat is heat.” Peter, shrugging: And heat is heat…so what could I say? Peter: So anyway that’s how we caused the fire. Sister Chantelle: Peter, I think you should think very carefully about who you take advice from…

Lucas: I have a plan. Matt: I have the hospital on speed dial.

Nadia: When I first met you, I did not like you. Ivy: I’m aware of that. Nadia: But then you and I had some time together. Ivy: Uh-huh. Nadia: It did not get better.

Nadia, smiling: Gotta love knitting needles. Nadia: I can make a scarf, I can make a hat… Nadia: I can stab your eyes out, I can make mittens… Ivy: Wait- what what that middle part? Nadia: I can make a hat.

Lucas: Have you ever had a cereal bar? Matt: Yeah a couple of times when I was 12. Lucas, pointing at a cereal bar floating in a bowl of milk: How the fuck do they work?

Ivy: Nadia gave me a get better soon card. Peter: That's sweet. Ivy: I wasn't sick, she just thought I could do better.

Lucas: FOUR MONTHS. Peter: What's he talking about? Matt: It's really not that big of a deal- Lucas: THAT'S HOW LONG YOU STOOD BY AND WATCHED ME WATER A FAKE PLANT.

Matt: How would you describe my leadership skills Nadia: Non-existent, otherwise excellent

Peter: Oh, I was bringing cookies anyway. Nadia: Why were you bringing cookies? Peter: To be...nice…?

Peter: 9/10 dentists recommend this Jason: What about the tenth one? Peter (dead serious): Sharon’s going through a tough time right now, her husband cheated on her, cut her some slack

[justice4harwin]

Light's Corruption- Chapter IV

Pairing: The DarklingxAlina

Summary:With few friends at the Little Palace, Alina must work to win the favour of her fellow grisha and their commander, who makes her feel light headed every time she sees him.

After training in Os Alta for two years, the king grows tired of waiting and demands the Sun Summoner joins a western post near the Fjerdan border along with the rest of The Second Army to test her abilities.

Something happens. Suddenly, Alina wants blood to run down the rivers and those who stand in her and The Darkling’s way will be blinded by her light and swallowed by his shadows.

It won’t be pretty

Rating: 18+

Click here for chapter 3

Tags are in the comment section. If you dont wanna be there or wanna be added please let me know 😊

Anyways, I hope you like this one. I'm really excited over a particular scene 😏😏

Chapter 4: golden butterfly, black rose

Alina woke up with a new purpose: to observe and listen.

She hastily threw the blankets and sheets off of her and put on her kefta as she realized she might be late for breakfast.

Running down the stairs, hair a mess, the Sun Summoner smiled and greeted everyone on her path.

Some replied. Others just stared oddly.

She entered the hall to find that, as usual, Marie and Nadia had left a seat empty between them. Alina gingerly took it.

"Good morning!"

They gave her smiles as they reciprocated the greeting.

"You're in a good mood today." Nadia noticed, taking her spoon.

"I slept like a baby." she lied. She hadn't gotten that much sleep -Genya must've gotten even less- but she felt good that day.

Just the day before, she had been able to summon on her own for the first time, and she had to stay positive if she wanted to accomplish her new mission.

She engaged more in the chatter with the grisha women that day, venturing so far as to reply with questions of her own to get to know them better.

"I didn't know you had a brother, Nadia." she said, genuinely surprised as they made their way to Botkin's stables.

The woman nodded with a half-annoyed, half-endearing smile.

"He's grisha too. A few years younger, so he's still at school. His name's Adrik."

"Is he a Squaller too?" 

Nadia confirmed that he was, because of course, the little rat had to copy everything about his older sister.

Alina laughed at that.

"The little girl seems very happy for someone who's about to get into a fight?" were the words with which Botkin received her.

Alina fought back the need to recoil. The only time she had won so far had been against Zoya, …if one could consider that a win given what happened right after.

"Maybe I'll be lucky today." she beamed at him.

Botkin seemed almost surprised.

"Positivity is fine, little girl, but you need to focus during a fight. But first." he clapped his hands twice, immediately getting all the attention. "Run around the lake. Twice. The last one to get back here will help the stable hands for the rest of the day."

Alina really ran like never before that day.

Her side hurt, and she almost felt like she wasn't getting enough air; but after the first half, her legs didn't burn so much anymore, and she felt almost as good as she did when walking.

"Damn, Starkov." she turned her head to see that Michail, a heartrender with a hard-shaped face and kind, green eyes, was easily keeping up with her. "When did you get this fast?"

"Practice." she said, a little breathless but feeling nice with the cold air slapping against her face. "Besides, I really don't wanna end up in the stables."

He laughed at that.

"That makes two of us. I hate those animals."

Alina frowned. She just didn't wanna clean up their shit, but other than that, she could find nothing wrong with horses.

"Why?"

"Those long faces," he said, gesturing over his own. "they're scary."

"You're scared of horses?!" she asked, disbelieving. 

"Why don't you yell it a little louder?" he asked, looking around at the disperse group, but he was smirking. They weren't at the front, but they weren't slagging at the back either.

"Sorry." she leaned in. "I'll keep your secret if you help me not to be the last."

"I don't think you need my help," he laughed. "but sure."

She got knocked down on her ass by a short Inferni woman with dark blonde hair, but Alina laughed it off, hiding her embarrassment, and stretched out a hand. The Inferni rose an eyebrow and then helped her up.

"Thanks." she told her, dusting off the back of her kefta.

"For kicking your ass?"

"Hey, I think I did learn a thing or two." she winked. "Next time I'll be ready."

"Oh, so you want a rematch?" the woman asked, amused, as she crossed her arms over her chest. 

"If you're up for it." Alina shrugged.

"Deal." they shook hands. "But it'll have to wait until we're done with him." she said, nodding towards Botkin, who was busy making rounds, watching the others. "I'm Natasha, by the way."

"Alina."

"Oh, I know. Everyone knows." she smiled once more before retreating to a small group of Inferni that had reunited by a corner.

As she passed by the lake in her usual route to Baghra's hut, Alina got startled by the damage she had done to the perfectly green grass. Gardeners were still at work getting rid of the black mass she had left in her path, going so far as to dig into the earth. They saw her passing and glanced up, some frightened, others definitely not amused.

"I am so sorry." she whispered frantically, before hurrying her steps.

"Don't let the heat out!" was all the greeting she got from the ancient woman.

Alina closed the door and hurried to the chair that awaited her. She was smiling.

"I don't think that will be a problem." she said, proud of herself.

She scoffed. "So I have heard. Show me." she said, hitting her in the arm with her cane.

"Ouch!"

With a nasty frown, Alina placed her palms in front of the others and called the light that she had rejected for so long. So eager to answer, her power rushed through and out of her, and she was almost puzzled by its intensity. She focused on keeping the orb small.

"Uh. Well, it took you long enough."

"A 'Congratulations' would be nice."

She got hit again. Her light wavered and then solidified again.

"Congratulations? What? Do you want a parade thrown in your honour as well? For what? Doing what you were supposed to do your entire life? Shut up and expand the orb. Make it encompass the entire place."

With deep breaths, both to concentrate and control her anger, Alina steadily expanded her light, making it fill the hut.

"Bend it to its shape."

Carefully, she tried to do as she was told.

"You were right, about being held back." she uttered as she tried to shape her light to blend in with the walls.

"I know." the woman said, petulant. "Now call it back and repeat until there is no effort to it."

Alina tried, and tried again, but as eager as her power was to explode, her body was eager for a long, long nap. There had been so much repression, so much denial for so many years, that it was as if the light wanted to just explode out of her body and consume it all.

It scared her a little, but she focused.

The Darkling had told her she was magnificent, Alina remembered, and he had made it sound like she was capable of anything.

The way his grey eyes shone with such intensity, like he wanted to engulf her into his arms and have her all to his own, the way in which his hand felt against hers, or how just even being next to him made her want to lean into and over him like a lazy, overly clingy cat. 

She'd lay on top of him all day if she could.

Alina wondered what would've happened if Genya hadn't arrived at the moment she did. Would The Darkling had kissed her? What would his lips taste like? How would his beard feel against her skin? Just exactly how good was he with his tongue?

Alina blushed. The light flickered, as if excited at the mere idea of the man.

She had kissed a few people before, but him, there was something about him that told her that if he should kiss her only once, she'd spend the rest of her life running after the very same sensation and more.

"Dreaming about your dark prince again?"

She looked at Baghra.

"What?" looking around, she noticed that her light had expanded farther than the hut and she was glowing.

Alina snapped her hands, and everything was dark again. Her fingers tingled with power, her eyelids closed with exhaustion.

"I-I wasn't-" she blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the new environment.

"Stupid, stupid girl. You need to focus on your task."

"I'd concentrate better if I wasn't being hit every five min-OUCH!"

"Do not make excuses with me. You are lazy, easily distracted, you do not know what you are getting yourse-"

"You know, for someone who's supposed to be such a great teacher, I've still got to see some actual teaching." Alina snapped. "All you do is yell at me, hit me and belittle me; yet one conversation with The General I can finally summon." the brunette spat, each word more angrier than the previous one. "So don't try to blame me for your shortcomings."

Baghra was silent, nostrils flaring. When it looked like she might raise her cane and hit Alina right in the head with it, she opened her thin lips instead:

"Out." she uttered, almost inaudible. "Out! And do not come back!"

"Gladly!"

Alina stood up and marched for the door, her steps almost as loud as the insults the old woman was throwing after her.

"Stupid girl! Unconscious! Just another pawn of his! You never learn! Lazy! Stupid! Blind!"

 It was a good thing the old crone couldn't see the tears of frustration and shame in her eyes.

She was on her way back to the Little Palace, trying to decide if she should bathe or go to the library first.

Baghra’s words still rang in her head.

Maybe, if she was quick, really quick with her bath,...but then again, she was getting too used to such a luxury, that once in there it was quite difficult to leave unless the water turned cold.

But if she went to the library, she’d be there until the words blurred and her eyes burned.

On the other hand, there were other grisha in the library, and she couldn’t afford to walk in there smelling like-

"Alina?"

General Kirigan's smooth voice had her turning on her heels, hand still massaging the spot on her arm Baghra's cane had so harshly landed. She had managed to hold back the tears, but the woman's word still stung.

"Moi Soverennyi." She greeted but forgot to bow.

He looked at her arm.

"How was your lesson?"

"I spent months with her and nothing; five minutes with you and I can summon." She basically spat, still bitter at Baghra's harsh words. "I think that speaks for itself."

He smiled, almost.

"Give the old woman some credit. She is good at what she does."

"Terrorizing isn't teaching." she replied, and then, with her head high, added: "She didn't get me to summon."

"No." The Darkling agreed, taking a step towards her. All engulfed in his black cloak, he almost seemed to float. "You did it. It was all you." He said it with such reverence that her breath became shallow.

She didn't look away from his eyes. The storms swirling in there were magnetic. There was so much going on in there at the moment, yet it all sped up through those grey orbs so fast she couldn't make sense of it.

"Why don't you teach me?" The words slipped from her tongue before she could think better of it.

He rose an eyebrow, taking another predatory step towards her.

"I serve the King. I run an entire army. I do not have the time to train everyone personally, nor would I want anyone to think they are favoured above others." 

He was so close to her now, she had to crane her neck to look up.

"You once said there was no one else like us; who could be a better teacher?"

In truth, she also wanted to see him more often. Glimpses as he passed through the Little Palace or left Os Alta, and the occasional conversation weren't enough for her.

"You flatter me, Miss Starkov."

"I only state my opinion." she took a step, shortening the distance, like he was a magnet calling for her.

Mirth shone in his eyes. It made her smile. 

"I will be going away for a few weeks." At this, her smile fell, and his formed as he tilted her chin up with his gloved fingers.

Alina stared up into his eyes, dark with something.

"I'll miss you." She whispered, foolishly, without thought. 

"Will you?" He asked, almost perplexed for a moment.

She found herself nodding.

"I know we don't get much chance to talk, but I like talking to you." She confessed, a knot in her throat. "You understand all,...this." she flickered her fingers and a tiny orb of light formed above her hand.

His eyes followed suit, almost fascinated, like he still couldn't quite believe her power was real. And when he looked at her, it was like he couldn't believe she was real.

His hand rose and shadows swallowed her light. Alina watched them dance, entranced by his power, and noticed it taking shape.

"For you." The Darkling said, handing her a black rose, from the base of its steam to the very last petal. "To remember me by while I am gone."

Disbelieving, she reached out and gasped as she touched the shadow. There was a little bit of gold in there, her own power hidden within, shimmering weakly here and there.

"I don't have anything to give you." She said, lamenting.

He leaned down, his beard rough against her soft cheek.

"Trust me, Alina," he whispered, her name on his lips against her ear making her tremble. "I could not forget you if I tried."

There was the whisper of a kiss against her cheek that seemed to linger for the longest moment, …and then he was leaving, cloak flipping behind him as he left the sun Summoner holding onto a small piece of shadow and a piece of her heart gone with him.

Click here for chapter Five

[the-melting-world]

Strength | Side B: “Chasing Dials”

Art by @ligiawrites

~ In which a secretive barhand brings in the new year…

The Trio Appearances: Kipling | Khleo | Ozy

Arcana LI appearances: Asra | Nadia | Lucio | Valdemar

Track Origins: “Chasing Dials” by Blanco White

Not sure if this is the right track? The full album can be found here: Strength

Khleo is Non-binary and uses she/they pronouns interchangeably

cw: alcohol, implications of vampirism, mentions of blood

~  2.3k words

***

Fireworks broke and rained hot glitter over the southern border of Center City and Goldgrave. A handful of bartenders were off duty and on the move.  

Khlee von Heine walked among them. She was the only one who hadn’t taken the time to change out of her work clothes. Her coworkers were loud, merry, and prone to recklessness as they stumbled from one pop-up bar crawl to the next. 

“Another year,” Gabe managed to roar over the next round of fireworks. “Can you believe we fucking did it?” He took a deep swig from the communal growler. The night was far from young and the barhands had lost track over how many times they refilled it. Gabe reluctantly handed it off to the next coworker so they could say their piece.

Khlee hung back in order to stand under a wooden arch whose sign was eclipsed in dead vines. But Khleo had committed its message to memory years ago.

Der Biergarten.

The plot of land overgrown in weeds and other invasive species was still up for sale, to Khleo’s relief. Though it was out of the way on most of her delivery routes, Khleo did her best to stop by every now and then. Just to make sure no one had bought up the property.

The barhand checked to see that her coworkers were distracted as she stepped up and snatched a flyer with the lot info off the gate. She folded it up and quickly tucked it in her pocket before the arm of a good friend looped around her neck. 

Basil leaned on Khleo as he pressed the convex surface of the growler against her sternum.

“Your turn.”

Khleo playfully shoved him off of her, but kept the growler. She took a sip. Basil and the other barhands chided her — she was supposed to make a toast.

“Fine. Fine.” Khleo held up the bottle. “To progress.”

They made a show of peering into the depths of the amber glass. “Maybe this year we’ll get lucky and actually make some, yeah?”

Someone snatched the growler out of their hand. Gwendolyn? Max? The streets were too dark to tell.

Khleo’s friends were off. They blended in with the city’s bar crawlers as they chased down the next booze cart. People wanted refills that night, not whatever Khleo was about to say next.

Later when Khleo had returned to her apartment, she traded her work clothes for something softer and more comfortable. Then she dug through the pocket of her discarded jacket and retrieved the folded up flyer.

It was a short walk from her kitchen to the bedroom. There was no bed frame or vanity, just three lumpy mattresses stacked on top of each other that she rescued from the alley when she first moved in.

The room was already small, but it felt even more congested thanks to the uneven piles of text, of which there two types — loose leaf recipes or pages ripped out of cookbooks and cheap serial novels with depictions of bejeweled dragons on the covers.

The only piece of real furniture around was an antique dresser, the drawers of which were broken and jutting out like crooked teeth.

All except one.

Khleo took a deep breath before crouching and using both hands to work the bottom drawer open. Like always, it did not come quietly, but with a little patience and a lot of swearing, Khleo managed to pull it out.

Most of the drawer’s contents belonged to her late adoptive father, Hans von Heine. However, it was an unmarked jar that Khleo reached for. She screwed it open and tucked the flyer for the piece of real estate between old flyers and newspaper clippings back when the garden used to host events. The jar had cash in it too. Whatever Khleo could spare went into the jar. Most of it came from what was left of her tips after paying rent, bills, and whoever she needed in order to keep certain people off her back and out of her business.

Khleo sealed the jar and did her best to ignore the tightness in her chest as she struggled to get the drawer to shut all the way. Once she had, she found that her breathing had become more than a little unsteady. It only got worse when she heard the fireworks going off outside.

Khleo shut their eyes and leaned their forehead against one of the crooked drawers, trying not to dwell too much on where they were this time last here. As it turned out, they were right here, drunk and crying at the foot of this very dresser.

Khleo curled up on their side. Yes, tonight their head was buzzing from the alcohol, somehow both heavy and light. Yes, the tears had found their way to the surface again. Khleo was never one to hold them in as long as they could find the space to spill them. 

Things would be different this year, Khleo told themself. They would make sure of it this time.

***

(Lucio’s POV)

Lucio hated the smell of this place. Rotting and damp. It was hard to believe that they were still in Vesuvia.

“You always have such a sour expression on your face whenever I come to feed. Why so, my Count?”

The silky, sardonic voice belonged to Lucio’s host, Quaestor Valdemar. 

“Don’t call me that,” Lucio snapped. He wanted to fold his arms and stifle some of the shivers running up his back, but he couldn’t as long as he was hooked up to Valdemar’s device.

“My apologies, Lucio,” Valdemar corrected themself coolly.

Another shiver climbed up Lucio’s neck as he bit back the urge to say, I don’t want to be called that either.

“Tell me, what plagues you?” They added with a chuckle. “Don’t you like your living arrangement?”

Ever since cutting a deal with the scientist turned demon, Lucio had been living out his days in the lowest cellar of the Lazaret. When he was first brought back from the Devil’s realm, he had been too weak to demand anything else. At the time, all he cared about was that he was alive and wouldn’t be devoured by the courtiers.

Lucio glanced at the tube looping around his forearm, its transparent pathways already inflated with his blood.

But at what cost?

Lucio grinded his teeth. It was too late to consider that now. 

This was how it always went anyway. Lucio would be presented with an opportunity — a way to improve what he could not on his own. He would leap at it, no questions asked.

Why, after all this time, after all those treacherous dealings could he not bring himself to stop and think things through?

As the last of Valdemar’s toll left his body, Lucio started to wonder what his mother might say about all of this. But he’d rather eat another shitty bargain than go down that road right now.

“Your contribution to our arrangement hasn’t been as satisfying compared to when we first began.”

“What are you trying to say?” Despite his nasty tone, Lucio was grateful for the distraction. “My blood’s not tasty enough for you?”

“It used to be,” Valdemar said. “I’ll be honest with you, Lucio, I agreed to keep you around as an energy reserve primarily for that reason. The notion of devouring you in one sitting and having to share with my dear contemporaries was not nearly as attractive as the possibility of having your flesh to dine on whenever I needed to during this indefinite campaign in your current reality.”

Lucio hissed as Valdemar unceremoniously removed the needle from his vein. He wasn’t sure how to react to what he had just heard. Thanks to Valdemar’s mask, all Lucio could read from their expression was the growing crow’s feet at the corners of their blood red eyes.

“So?”

Valdemar applied a cotton wad to the puncture wound and dug it in with their thumb.

“Ow! Hey – Owie!” Lucio yelped.

“So, my Count,” they sweetly clarified as they kept up the pressure, “I need you to find a way to restore that vitality you once possessed. Technically, you’re in peak physical health. I don’t know if you’ve looked in the mirror lately, but the evidence of your tussle with the plague has all but disappeared from your eyes. Your hair has been growing…” they took a moment to scan their critical gaze over the pale blond patches clinging to Lucio’s jaw. “You could easily blend in with the citizens.”

Lucio swallowed. “B-blend in? Why the devil would I want to blend in?”

Valdemar made a less than human sound as they peeled back their mask and bared their needle-sharp teeth at the former Count. 

“Right now you taste like a boneless, gutless, gill-infected inferior breed of mackerel. And I prefer to have rare, mercury-rich, vinegar-glazed bluefin tuna. Captivity is poisoning your blood. So I’m giving you permission to get out there in your beloved city and find a way to sweeten it.”

The Quaestor gave Lucio a not-so-gentle shove in his chair. They replaced their mask as they straightened up. The former Count’s eyes widened as he covered his hand over his arm. The last thing he wanted was to piss off Valdemar. But he didn’t know the first thing when it came to what they were asking him to do. 

“What happens if I can’t, erm… make my blood taste better? What if spending time in the city doesn’t work?”

The Quaestor sighed, their emotions back in check. They were already half occupied with cleaning their instruments and storing the sacks of Lucio’s blood in a portable cooler for later.

“Then I will have no choice but to invite my courtier companions over for a nice potluck dinner.” They glanced up. The crow’s feet were back. “And you’ll be the forgettable appetizer that no one asked for.”

Later, when Valdemar was kind enough to row Lucio across the stretch of water to the mainland, they suggested, “You should find some people who are very healthy. Outside of captivity, fish are the most robust when they’re in competition with other capable anatomies.”

Lucio hugged what was left of his royal uniform – a tattered speckled cape – around his shoulders. He grumbled, “Would you, for fuck’s sake, stop comparing me to a fish, Quaestor?”

Unperturbed, Valdemar said, “We’ve arrived.”

Lucio lowered his hood and blinked out at the morning overcast sky. His top lip curled into a distinctive snarl as he recognized where they were.

“Not here. Anywhere but here.”

Valdemar gestured to the nearest dock. “Get out, Lucio.”

The former Count wanted to blot out the images of the slumped architecture and purge his nostrils of the stale watery stench. 

“Not the Flooded District. I can’t stand this place. Can’t you see that it’s a failure that I don’t need reminding of?”

“Lucio, don’t be so foolish,” Valdemar said almost tenderly as they nudged him out of the boat. “The entire city is your failure. Much of which is hard to see. Oh, but it’s there. Now go on,” they said as if encouraging a child at the fairgrounds, “go find someone healthy. I’ll come to retrieve you in a fortnight’s time.”

Lucio couldn’t believe he was watching Valdemar row off into the mist. He tried to take a deep breath, but the air was so bad that he just ended up coughing. 

Even though Valdemar had been correct about Lucio’s appearance, looking nothing like he did in the days when he was the Count, he still found himself trying to crowd off his features with his hood any time a resident passed him by on the floating, rickety streets. But to his relief, no one seemed to know or even care about who he was or might be. 

As soon as Lucio relaxed his shoulders and began walking with more confidence, the inner walls of his stomach suddenly contracted. Then he remembered. He had just given blood. Lots of it. Usually, the Quaestor supplied him with something to eat, but this time they hadn’t.

“Damn them,” Lucio hissed. He cradled his abdomen like it was made of glass as he tried to make his way towards some kind of common plaza. He had no money, but perhaps he would be able to find a dumpster to rummage through.

He was passing by a narrow alley when he caught a glimpse of the impossible out of the corner of his eye.

A lion.

Its coat was creamy and short all over. Its size was nothing short of mythical. 

Lucio was tempted to shout at the two idiots occupying the alley with this beast on the loose, but they seemed both aware of its presence and entirely calm about it.

One of them was slumped against the wall of the grimy building. Despite their threadbare attire and weary expression, they were smiling at the other. 

“No, Khlee. Please don’t. You’ll be late for work.”

The person squatting before the first seemed to be focused on the task of sewing up what appeared to be rips in a heavy cloak. Even with their short jacket, Lucio could detect the shape of their arms. Their brown curls had enough volume to hide most of the details in their profile.

“Nah. I’m already late. This’ll only take a minute.”

There wasn’t much time to take in the rest of their features before the big cat stepped up, blocking Lucio’s view of them.

< Can I help you? >

Lucio ran. He nearly tripped over himself getting out of there so fast. But he didn’t go far. He gripped the edge of a building and poked his head out, waiting for the lioness and her human to emerge. When they finally did, Quaestor Valdemar’s words from earlier echoed in Lucio’s mind.

Go find someone healthy.

Well, the individual strolling confidently down the street with a full grown lion at their side was definitely looking like the healthy sort.

At the moment, Lucio wasn’t really thinking about what would happen to him if he failed Valdemar’s taste requirements.

Right now, his stomach was hurting. 

If the body of this lion tamer was any indication, they knew where Lucio could find himself a meal.

[cygnetofthesea]

Part 2 of Welcome Home.

He’s staring at her with a goofy smile on. He can’t help himself as his eyes rove over her and he knows she’s aware of his eyes, the corners of her lips curled in amusement. She’s all too used to his burning gaze on her but it never ceases to have an affect on her whether it’s turning her into mush or filling her will suppressed mirth. 

In this particular case, it seemed to be a combination of both even as she tries to ask him about everyone back home. 

“How’s Samuel doing? I spoke with him over the weekend and he seems good but I feel like he tries to spare me from the heavy stuff.”

He smiles softly at her. He knew exactly what she was talking about and it was true he had refrained from telling Nadia about some of his troubles lest he worry her but this time he was pleased he could honestly reassure her.

“He’s really fine actually. That trip we took to parliament was really good for him, I think. It was the first time he made moves toward his future instead of worrying so much about his family. It was nice to see actually.”

Nadia looks content with that response. “That’s good.  I understand familial obligations and it's why I never said anything, but I think they were too much of a distraction for him. He was the kid and the youngest one too, yet somehow with the most responsibilities.”

Guzman is intrigued by that and tilts his head to the side. “And it’s unfair, isn’t it? That burden shouldn’t fall on the child, should it?”

“No, not like that.”

He narrows his eyes at her, waiting for her to make the connection. “Sounds a bit familiar, doesn’t it?”

She looks at him confused for a moment before realization settles in. “What? No, it’s not the same.”

“Oh, it’s not?” Guzman smirks.

“No, because Samuel’s mom didn’t care that he was working more than he was studying…”

Guzman lifts a brow. He was sure Nadia’s mother wasn’t apathetic about how much Nadia spent at the shop per se, but she at least didn’t do much about it either. 

Nadia continues on anyway, pivoting. “Ok well, Samuel has an older brother that could help.”

Guzman remains silent.

“At least my brother didn’t deal drugs…” She trails off as the realization finally settles in. She and Samuel dealt with a lot of the same issues. “Huh, wow...I guess it makes sense how we ended up friends.”

“Mm-hmm,” Guzman nods. “It’s easy for you to see Samuel’s hardship and judge his family for it, but you don’t realize that your own family has done the same to you. And that’s not fair either.”

Nadia looks stunned for a moment and he can see her tell-tale pondering face as she considers his words. 

“I...But-I…” Nadia stammers looking genuinely befuddled and it endears Guzman. He knew her relationship with her parents had gotten better but he couldn't help feeling protective over her and ensuring that she was always treated with the respect she deserved. It was only an afterthought that she and Samuel shared similar experiences and perhaps that was how he came to be friends with Samuel after getting over his biases.

But Guzman wasn’t particularly interested in a teachable moment just then. He missed Nadia too much to spend the first few hours talking about Samuel. No offense to his best friend.

“You know, I actually don’t really want to talk about Samuel right now.”

Her eyes are full of mirth as her body shakes with quiet laughter. She was so happy and it thrilled him that it was largely because of him.

“No?” she asks.

“No.”

And before she can get another word in, he’s pushing her against the wall, his lips gentle but urgent against hers. It starts off slow as they savor the moment, reveling in each other’s touch. The familiar warmth, her soft lip soothing against his own slightly chapped ones. Somehow he’s already breathless, the sheer nearness to her knocking the breath out of him, but he can’t stop tasting her. His hands slide firmly from her hips up to her ribs and lifts her up against the wall so her feet are barely touching the ground but her mouth is more aligned with his. Nadia wraps her arms around his shoulders tighter and lets out a muffled sigh.

Just like that, the languid pace of their kiss turns into desperate gasps, wet lips pressing and sliding against each other firmly. Guzman forgets himself for a moment and hikes one of her legs around his hip, pressing their pelvises closer—but still not close enough for his liking—while his other hand untucks her blouse from her pants. His fingers immediately seek out her smooth, warm skin and he feels so deprived from the glorious sensation that he can’t help the groan that escapes him.

God, how he had missed her.

His hot hand against her heated skin set him ablaze and he needed more, needed to feel her skin, taste more of her flavor, smell more of her essence...he just needed more. He keeps their body melded together as he drags his lips across her neck and sucks the skin at the base of her throat. 

She lets out a breathless whimper, arching her neck against the pressure of his mouth and tongue. “Guzman…”

He’d have to be wrenched away from her at this point, her heavy breaths, her familiar sounds when he would touch her, spurred him on. His fingers made quick work on the buttons of her blouse, his mouth following behind with every new patch of skin that was revealed. He traces the edges of her bra with his tongue before she yanks his head back up to hers, pulling him into a desperate kiss. Her hands drag through his hair, pulling slightly, not enough to draw pain but enough to make him thrust his hips instinctively against hers.

“Nadia, Nadia, Nadia…” he chants in between kisses. “I need you.”

The elevator comes to an abrupt stop, jostling them enough to break apart with a wet smack. Guzman keeps his grip firmly on Nadia as he looks toward the door, his chest heaving. He has to blink several times to ease back to reality and realize they had apparently stopped on their floor. 

Nadia comes back to reality sooner, scrambling to button her shirt again while keeping the door open. 

“Oh my god, I can’t believe we just did that. What if someone caught us, or worse, my super? So stupid of us.” 

Nadia presses a hand to her flushed cheek while the other reaches for his suitcase. That gets him moving and he steps away from her, taking the handle from her. 

“It’s ok, we weren’t doing anything bad.” 

Guzman wasn’t bothered by the circumstances but he knows public displays of amorous affections were a sore spot for Nadia because of the locker room incident. A part of him will always feel resentful toward Valerio and Lu for their part but he knows that Nadia frets about it enough for the both of them so he tries to ease her worries. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, following behind her at a respectable distance so that if anyone were to glance over, they’d be none the wiser of their elevator activities. “I didn’t mean to get carried away—”

“You don’t have to be sorry,” Nadia says with a slight smile. She seems a lot more composed. She takes his hand and he feels relieved. “I got carried away too. Can’t blame either of us for doing so, but let’s stick to the safety of our home next time.”

Home. Once again, the word causes a flutter in his chest and elation to fill his body. It was enough to cool down his heated and excited body momentarily. 

He beams at her. “Home sounds perfect. In more ways than one.”

They stop in front of an apartment door with the number 207 on it and Nadia begins to fuss with her clothes once more. 

“I don’t look like a mess, do I? It’s not obvious what we were up to?”

Before he can get a word in, Nadia reaches over and fixes the collar of his shirt and straightens his hair a little.

Guzman shakes his head. “You look great. Besides, we’re heading inside anyway.”

Nadia nods, unlocking the door and swinging it open. “Here we are.”

Before Guzman can process the sight before him, he blinks against the flash of Nadia’s polaroid camera. She pulled it from her eyes with a shy smile. “I wanted to get a picture of your reaction. I knew it would be too good to pass up.”

He looks at her in awe, stepping further into the apartment with his suitcase. He vaguely registers the door slamming shut behind his but he’s too transfixed and filled with emotions bubbling inside him. 

Hung up across the living room was a huge banner that said “Welcome Home” and underneath it, in glittering capital letters, his name was spelled out. On either side of the banner were streamers and balloons and sitting on the dining table to his right sat a huge chocolate cake, his favorite. He continues to take in the apartment, his new home, and sees there are fairy lights lining the top edges of the wall, more streamers and balloons in the kitchen and off to the side, making the place look festive and cozy. 

“I know it’s probably overboard but we were just too excited and couldn’t help ourselves,” Nadia says. 

He looks at her and her face softens. It’s only then he realizes his eyes have started watering again. She rushes to him and pulls him into a tight hug, pulling back just enough to look at his face. 

“We wanted you to feel at home here. It’s going to be an adjustment but we stocked up the place with all your favorite things from back home.”

He pulls her into a soft kiss, holding her in place just to savor her taste. There’s a lump in his throat and he feels so overwhelmed but he holds onto Nadia to tether him, holding onto her as his safe haven. 

“Thank you,” he says hoarsely when he pulls away and presses his forehead to hers. 

“Of course. Plus, it was a group effort.”

Guzman looks over at the cake before turning back to Nadia with a quirked brow. 

“Ok, well that was me,” Nadia amends. “You know Lu wouldn’t ever be caught dead with a whisk.”

He lets out a burst of laughter and Nadia strokes the corner of his eyes where he’s sure they are red-rimmed with unshed tears. 

“Well, since that’s the case, what do you say we dive in?”

Nadia helps him shed his and places it next to hers on the coat rack by the door. She leads him over to the table in front of the cake where it too says “Welcome Home, Guzman!” There’s also even a heart drawn on there and he knows it was Nadia’s. 

“You made my favorite,” he murmurs to her, his mouth already salivating at the thought of digging into what he knew were three layers of moist chocolate cake with layers of dark chocolate ganache and coffee mousse in between. This was just one of the things he had missed about her while she had been gone. 

“Of course.” She pecks him against his temple and hands him a knife. 

As they settle in with a large piece of cake to share, Guzman realizes this is just one of the many quiet moments they’ll get to have. This was the start of their lives together and he was so at peace, finally home. 

Home with Nadia.

[sandwichfox]

AHH LISTEN! You write such beautiful headcannons, I feel like I'm literally there. 6x the joy of getting married and having gorgeous competent spouses to help with our gorgeous grumpy children! Thank you so much for this gift! Would you be down to write for the main 6 a lil oblivious, mutual pining and what causes them/the MC to finally snap? (And if you wanna get racy, what happens next? ;) )

Listen, listen, you came for my entire heart with this ask, the compliments definitely punched me in the face but the mutual pining was what KO’d me, my forking jam. (Also, we are always happy to get racy here in la mía casa)

Asra

★ He already really, really loves you, so it just kind of evolves naturally for him. There’s no internal conflict on his part, because of course he would fall for you, it’s only right. 

★ However, he does want to be absolutely sure you’re ready before taking any next steps, he doesn’t want to set you back in your recovery.

★ Except for Asra, that translates into never initiating anything, ever.

★ He hugs you and touches your shoulder and all, but that’s just Asra with anybody he trusts. He does stare at you an awful lot though. If he catches you staring, this fluffy idiot will think nothing of it.

★ Physical contact is already so natural between the two of you. That one day you just.. kiss him? Oops.

☆(NSFW)☆

★ “wait was that-?” “…oh! Sorry I-“ “No it’s- can I kiss you again?” The answer is yes, he kisses you with purpose this time, soft and warm. Then immediately dissolves into giggles. He kisses you again, still giggling. “I love you” he says, voice stuck between a laugh and a sigh (and a kiss).

★ It was meant to be a brief kiss, but now he can’t seem to stop. (He’s lost count of how many times he’s kissed you now), but his hands -they’re shaking- skim tentatively up your arm, into your hair, hold you by the nape of your neck. And when you sigh he can’t help but brush a finger against your collarbone, then kiss that same spot. 

★ He feels drunk (he probably knocks against the shop’s counter, almost drops a jar of some herb or another), but now he’s got you pressed against it and he’s not laughing anymore, his brow is furrowed with want. He pants your name and you’re both gone.

Nadia

♠ Doesn’t want to come on too strong but she is starting to suspect she fell for an entire dumbass.

♠︎ Maybe you just don’t want her? It’s entirely possible, but then what about all the times you seem to be flirting with her? 

♠︎ She’s tried everything, lavishing you with gifts, turning on the charm, even showing you off at parties and to dinner guests. 

♠ Problem is, she’s the countess, and why would she be interested in you? That’s ridiculous. All this must be because she has all this money, and you’re a special guest, and she’s just amazing like that.

♠︎ But one day you can’t take it anymore, and ask her outright what her intentions are. (Literally “are you flirting with me?” “I have been for a year now, thank you for noticing”)

♤(NSFW)♤

♠︎ Oh boy, she has to make up for lost time, now doesn’t she? She asks you (up front this time) if you’d like to come up to her room at the palace. “Don’t worry, nothing nefarious” her gaze says otherwise. Goodness, she’ll eat you alive. 

♠︎ You get to her chambers and, unexpectedly, she asks you to try something on for her. A necklace, she says, that has been sent to her. She’s not sure about it yet, and would like to see it on you before deciding if she likes it. You’re a bit taken aback, but agree.

♠︎ She’s wicked, dragging the cold metal chain slowly across the skin of your shoulders, breathing against your neck as she fastens the clasp, she takes you (legs shaking) to stand in front of the mirror. She places a kiss against a soft spot on your neck and then presses her teeth against it, her hand travels up to your throat. “Darling, you look ravishing” but you barely hear her, your ears are ringing. 

Julian

♦︎ Oh boy.

♦︎ This dude right here invented pining. He thinks you’re absolutely gorgeous the moment he sees you, but then you two get to talk and it’s over, my man is gone.

♦︎ Alternates between the smoothest man alive and a literal mess. Also, he wants to date you so bad, but he thinks he’ll be bad for you. Can’t decide between being selfish and a self-sacrificing idiot.

♦︎ You like him so much, but he keeps sending these mixed messages, you wonder if it’s better to just maybe just steal longing glances at him for the rest of your life.

♦︎ One day, when he’s feeling particularly angsty, you ask him what’s wrong and he tells you in many, many scrambled words that he likes you. You had thought you had mistaken his usual Julian-ness for flirting, but this new revelation changes everything.

♢(NSFW)♢

♦︎ “You like me” you breathe. He looks up miserably from his pint and nods. You already had a hand on his shoulder from where you were comforting him, but the surprise makes you tighten your hold, dig your nails in. And he- did he-? You snap your gaze to his and yep, he’s red to the very tips of his ears, lip caught between his teeth. “Oh?” You smirk. He lets out another tiny, miserable whine. 

♦︎ You can’t remember ever feeling this giddy, your heart is pounding and your hands feel clumsy, it’s nearly impossible to get the buttons of his coat to come undone. And you’re hiding in an alley, goodness. Julian’s lips still taste of salty bitters, and he’s clutching at you like he wants to climb inside you.

♦︎ “You’re drunk” you say “on you” he retorts, though muffled, he didn’t even miss a beat. You bite his lip playfully in response and he, mmmelts (seriously, you have to catch him a little). “Okay” you say, hot all over, “okay” and you kiss him some more. 

Muriel 

♣︎ Hates it. Hates that he’s pining for you so hard. He tries the whole avoiding you thing and everything but it doesn’t work.

♣︎ It never even crosses his mind that you might want him back. Sometimes he catches you looking at him and his immediate reaction is to be absolutely mortified (has he had something on his face this whole time?!)

♣︎ Doesn’t know what to do with himself, basically. He wants to talk to you but he only goes so far as to following you around at a distance. He wants to touch you but doesn’t want to ask for contact. He brushes against you once in passing and immediately goes beet red. 

♣︎ Thing is, you’re so good. So good, soft, like he doesn’t deserve. You treat him like he’s… Sometimes you bring by some of your cooking, or a shiny rock that you thought was pretty, or you take him out for some smoked eel (and keep him company while he eats it, sat in the shadows). You constantly check that he’s alright “is it okay if I put my hand on your shoulder?” “Are you alright?” “Can I touch you?” “Can I help you?” “Can I hug you?”…

♣︎ “Can I kiss you?” You whisper, he can only nod.

♧(NSFW)♧

♣ Muriel is so sensitive to touch, starved for it, though he’d never admit it. So when you start kissing him there’s an immediate churning heat in his belly. He’s lightheaded, feels like he’s about to boil over, he doesn’t know where to put his hands. 

♣︎ Somehow you’ve ended up in his lap, though he can’t say exactly when that happened (time is strange, when he’s kissing you), his hands have traveled to your sides and something about having you there, holding you to him, he’s going to go mad.

♣︎ He doesn’t want to ask for more than you’re willing to give him. But you give so easily, each tentative press of his lips is met with wet, purposeful pressure from yours. When his hands first brush your skin you shiver and come closer. He kind of never wants to stop. 

Portia

♥︎ Is a whole mess.

♥︎ Listen, she gets lost in your eyes sometimes, alright? That doesn’t mean she’s in love with you. Or maybe it does, but you don’t have to know that.

♥︎ Maybe you’re an oblivious fool (u are) because that’s the only way that you wouldn’t have noticed her pining. Literally goes ‘eep!’ every time you catch her staring.

♥︎ Portia is the kind of person that talks about their crush all the time, (‘the other day I was with MC and-‘ ‘and then MC said- insert mildly funny thing- and haha- wait- hahaha- they said- hahsghdgsh’) so literally everyone knows she’s crushing but you. 

♥︎ She’s naturally flirty with everyone, but one day she says something that you read as actually flirty, so then you’re like wait, really? And Portia’s all ‘oh! Sdgdhhdj I was just, I didn’t mean- I was just, uhm- KIDDING! Just kidd- unless..’ (anyway spoilers you both like each other and then make out lol)

♡(NSFW)♡

♥︎ She spent so long having a crush on you and daydreaming about being with you and now she can actually have you. She has to hide away with you for a little while ASAP. You notice her acting giddy one day in the gardens and ask her what’s wrong “nothing!” She says immediately, then a pause “actually, do you want to stop by the cottage?” A perfectly innocent question, but she’s gone all red. Oh. 

♥︎ You stop by her cottage. As soon as you’re in through the door she turns up the flirty-ness tenfold (you’re gonna pass out), until she finally takes your hand and walks you backward against a wall. “Wanna make out?” She whispers. You do, actually. She’s surprisingly bitey, and very responsive. 

♥︎ After a few moments her hands start wandering, “you’re so cute” she sighs “beautiful, wow”. She’s letting out these breathy little sighs, pressing closer until there’s no space between you. She has one leg slotted between your own, her back arched to press the length of her against your body, one hand on your back at your waist, the other clutching at her shoulder, and she’s moving in a slow, waving motion, kissing your jaw and lips and ear and scraping teeth against your neck (you’re going to die).

Lucio

▲ Oh he hATES it. (Feelings?! No thanks, yuck). It’s probably the whole ‘feelings make you weak’ mentality he grew up around, because he’s not above indulging in company, if ya know what I mean.

▲ But he doesn’t just want that from you, and it throws him on a loop. He keeps bouncing back and forth between sending for you about the most ridiculous things just to see you, and sending you away in a huff when he realizes that no, bad Lucio.

▲ It can’t be helped though, and soon he’s head over heels. He gets ridiculous, honestly. ‘Subtly’ asking about you and giving you increasingly odd, expensive gifts and trying to get your attention. 

▲ As soon as he gives in and admits to himself that he actually likes you his first thought is to go out and demand that you be with him. But he’s actually nervous, and not exactly sure that you would like that at all. So he starts testing the waters. 

▲You think it’s just Lucio being Lucio but you’ve liked him for some time and it kinda? hurts? when he suddenly starts complimenting you and making jokes about being with you for real, saying it so casually like there’s no way in hell and it hurts. So one day you tell him to stop.

△(NSFW)△

▲ “Wha- huh?” He says, and you’re embarrassed, maybe you shouldn’t have said anything, but Lucio’s already seen your face, and now he knows what’s going on. “Oh, sweetheart” he says in a drawl “I’m being perfectly sincere, I love your pretty face” he takes a step closer “that amazing body” his voice is softer, you blush, he takes another step “your powerful magic” another still “your sharp mind” he’s right in front of you know, reaching out with a clawed finger to tilt your chin up “I’d like to be with you, if you’d let me.”

▲ “I’d like to do so many things to you, magician.” His golden hand trails from your chin to your bottom lip, tugging down before letting go and traveling up your cheek to the side of your head. He’s holding himself up against the wall with his other hand, bracketing you in against him, all in your space. “Perhaps I’ll call you to my room, feed you whine and fruit and sweets, drape you in fine silk” he leans in close to your ear “I’ll keep you to myself all day, kiss every inch of you, maybe keep you all night as well.”

▲ “Lucio” you gasp, he grins devilishly and surges in to kiss you. He kisses you long and hard right there in the hallway, pulling back a few inches just to hover near your lips, you lean into him and he pulls back a little more, teasing. “Please” you pout. “Oh no, beautiful, you’re much too pretty to be begging a man like me for kisses. I should be the one doing the begging, getting on my knees and showering you in gold.” He’s grinning, but he’s glowing red with enthusiasm at the thought. “Kiss me then” you say, pulling him to you, he shivers like he’s weak at the knees and does just that. 

[seeds-of-the-garden]

PLANCE SOULMATE AU PLEASEEEE

@ziawushere did you order angst with a side of bi Pidge? Cause uh, that’s what came out of the kitchen.

Happy New Year! Kicking off 2021 with an extra long seed to make things bright.

The ‘Might Be’s and the ‘Hasn’t Been’s

Tequila wasn’t her poison of choice — and drinking alone at the Garrison bar definitely wasn’t her thing — but today, maybe it was needed.

Isabella Anderson. The pale grey letters curled around her wrist, spelling out the name in a beautiful cursive Pidge could never hope to achieve herself. She’d traced the curve of each letter over and over every day for decades, wondering about the woman who wrote it, but they’d never met. Pidge had been in space, fighting a war, and Isabella had been on Earth...dying in it.

She should feel something, right? Heartbroken? Sad? As a paladin, Pidge was one of the few people who could stop the war, so technically it could be classed as her fault. Where was the sting of failure?

Another sip, and the burn made her wince.

Maybe she should feel relieved. She’d never been one for the whole soulmate thing, and it hadn’t stopped her dating in the past. Now she could throw herself into relationships judgement-free. That was a good thing, right?

Instead she just had this weird lump in her chest, and she didn’t know what it was.

“Pidge?” She glanced up in surprise to see Lance slipping on the stool next to her, surprise evident on his own face. “What are you doing here alone?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

He shrugged and signalled the bartender for a beer, settling in with a shrug. “I was meant to be meeting a date outside but got stood up. Was about to head home when I saw you.”

“Oh,” she said, furrowing her brow. She didn’t know who his date had been, but it must have been fairly important — he was dressed pretty nicely in slacks and a button-down, and Lance cleaned up good. Miss Flake didn’t know what she was missing. “Are you okay?”

“It was a blind date.” He took a sip of his beer, then grinned and nudged her elbow. “Besides, now I get to hang out with you.”

Pidge just rolled her eyes and took another sip, trying to hide the wince. “Awesome.”

Something in her voice must have given her away, because Lance’s expression immediately shifted into one of concern. “Hey, are you okay?”

Damn him and his perceptiveness. She shrugged, considering. It wasn’t like he’d understand — not when his own soulmate had walked away in front of them — and maybe it would just bring up old wounds? It wasn't exactly something talking about could fix, either.

"Pidge?" 

He touched her hand, gently, his sleeve cuff grazing her mark, and suddenly she needed to say it.

"I checked the database earlier," she blurted out, fingers tightening around her glass. "The soulmate one they set up after the war."

Understanding flashed in his eyes and he squeezed the back of her hand with a chuckle. "Finally," he said. "It only took you what? Five years?"

Pidge snorted. "Four."

"Still." He took a sip, then looked at her expectantly. "And?"

And? Good question.

Lance was quiet, watching her patiently as she lifted her glass to her lips and forced the liquid down. He wouldn't push her — he never did. In the years since his return he'd been there for every heartbreak, every setback at work, every passing crush on whichever guy or girl took her fancy. And he'd never pushed.

The lump in her chest was still there, heavy and choking, but having Lance with her made it feel more manageable. Stronger. Less alone.

Thank quiznak for his missing date.

When the glass was empty, she grimaced and put it back down on the bar with a soft thunk. “Dead. Died in the first wave.”

Lance made a sympathetic noise beside her.

“I’m not sure how I feel,” she admitted, her eyes trained on the bar-top but one foot absently knocking against his shin. His tap in response was immediate, and she sighed as some of the tension drained away at the contact.  “Am I supposed to contact her family? I should be sad, right?”

What would she even say to her family? 

A glass of water appeared in front of her and she glanced up, offering him a small smile. “Thanks.”

“No worries.” A moment passed and then he shrugged and lifted his own glass, draining the whole thing before slamming it back down on the bar. “Alicia Thornbottom.”

“What?”

“Alicia Thornbottom,” he repeated, avoiding her gaze and signalling the bartender for another. “She died in a camp not too far from here, about a week before we made it back. She was my soulmate.”

Pidge stared at him. “I thought Allura was your soulmate?”

“Nope.”

“But you always said Allura was your soulmate. All those years on the castle, you said it was Allura.”

It had been one of the reasons why she'd never asked him out back then. You don't ask your crush out when their soulmate's right there.

“I lied,” he said simply, apparently happy to ignore her internal blue-screening in favour of watching her over the top of his new beer with a glint in his eye. “You can check if you want.”

“I—” Pidge paused, suddenly realising that she’d never actually seen his soulmark. “Where is your soulmark, anyway?” 

A devilish smirk took over Lance's expression and he waggled his eyebrows at her. “I’ll let you see it if you really want.”

She lifted an eyebrow dubiously. She knew that look.

He winked, making sure he had her attention, then oh-so-slowly tapped high up on his inner thigh. “You only have to ask.”

“Lance!” Heat rushed to her face and he burst out laughing. “What the quiznak!”

He only laughed harder in response, a deep, warm sound, and Pidge found herself laughing along despite herself.  Nine years on and he was still as big of a pain in the ass as when she’d first met him. At least he was better at picking his audience.

“I like to think,” Lance said when he’d calmed down, straightening up in his seat again, “that a girl with a name like Alicia Thornbottom would find me much too crass for her tastes.”

The idea was irritating. “She’d have poor taste, then.” 

If anything, Lance would have been too good for her.

He tipped his glass in thanks. “Nah, she’d just be way above my station.”

“You dated a princess.”

“I did,” he said, nodding sagely, “but Allura would have thrown me across the room for cracking a joke like that. Lady Thornbottom would have had people to do that for her.”

Pidge snorted, her eyes falling on her own mark again. “I never thought that much about mine. Just that I like her handwriting.”

Speculating too much had always felt like a recipe for disappointment, and Pidge worked on facts anyway. The data points she had were few — Spanish forename, English surname, local to the area according to the database, and likely a master calligrapher. Extrapolation pointed to a mixed-race artist, but beyond that it was anyone’s guess. 

And now she’d never know. “I never liked the idea of soulmates, anyway,” she mumbled, eyes still on her mark. “It felt so…”

“Superficial?”

She raised her eyes to meet his, surprised to see understanding there. Though perhaps she shouldn’t be, given what she’d just found out. “Yeah, superficial. Love is supposed to grow naturally, not because some higher power decreed it.”

“Exactly," he said decisively. "My parents aren’t soulmates, either. Maybe I would have loved Alicia. Maybe not. I don’t get to find out, but that doesn’t mean I’ll never fall in love. It just means I’ll have to figure it out for myself.”

Pidge took a sip of water and considered his words. Figuring it out herself hadn’t been going well. “I don’t think you’ll get very far if your dates keep standing you up.”

“Eh..” He shrugged, flashing her a cryptic smile. “I told you, it was just a blind date. Nadia set it up. I’ve actually had my eye on someone else for a couple of months.”

She frowned. Since when? He’d taken up a good chunk of her free time in the last few months, and he’d certainly never bothered to mention anyone over 2am tacos. “Oh? Someone from work?”

“Yeah,” he said carefully, watching her over his glass. “I’ve been thinking about asking her out, though. Gave myself a deadline of next week.”

Pidge’s heart sank. She should be happy for him — she really should — but next week was her birthday, and that would mean he’d be too busy being lovey-dovey to spend it with her if his mystery girl said yes. 

Maybe she should get another drink.

“Why next week?”

Lance drained the rest of his glass and stood up, throwing a few notes on the bar. “Cause it’s her birthday next week. Come on.”

Pidge froze.

She had a mental file of most of the people they worked with, and she couldn’t think of anybody else with a birthday next week. Was there a new girl? No, he would have mentioned a new girl.

That meant he could only be talking about her.

“Come on.” He nudged her elbow, prodding her to stand up too. She lifted her eyes to his, heat blooming across her cheeks, and was surprised to see a blush darkening his own cheeks. “I’m all dressed up to take a pretty lady out to dinner, and there’s a pretty lady right here. Plus you probably really need someone to take you to dinner right now.”

“I, uh…” She was flustered, why was she flustered? This was Lance. “I’m...I’m not really dressed for a date.”

He held out a hand, then hesitated — nervous, she realised. Anybody else might have missed it, but she knew Lance well enough to know when the bravado was a front — and then dropped it with a sigh. “You just found out your soulmate’s dead, Pidge. I’m not going to ask you out on a date tonight. You need some comfort and a distraction.”

That made sense, but she couldn’t help but point out: “Dates are a distraction.”

Lance snorted as she slid from her stool and packed up her handbag. “And maybe I’d want our date to be more than a distraction?”

She looked at him, wondering. Maybe she wasn’t that far off figuring it out after all. 

“I guess I’ll find out next week, huh?” she asked coyly, a smile playing on her lips as they walked towards the door.

He beamed back at her.

“Yeah. You’ll find out next week.”

[arcanadotcom]

𝕄𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝟞 𝕒𝕤 𝔻𝕣𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤

⊱ ────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────── ⊰

(Hi everyone! I came up with these when me and my sister went out for a quick little drive after feeling sick of staying home 😘✌🏻 my driving skills got rusty. smh!)

(This is my first time writing so i’m sorry if they’re all over the place!)

⊱ ────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────── ⊰

☆ Asra

owns an old used car from the 90’s that makes you feel nostalgic

it kinda reeks of weed sometimes...

has random shit laying around the back including a blanket because he totally takes naps in the car between his classes

he’s a pretty slow driver (goes 23mph slower than the rest of traffic)

but as soon as he sees a yellow light he FLOORS IT

this lil shit never uses his blinkers...smh!

giggles when people cuss him out. he don’t give a fuck!

will always give you the aux cord because he vibes with whatever. any tunes you like, he likes too 🥰

often misses freeway exits because he’s too busy chatting with you (“wha..? oh haha...anyways!”)

he easily gets distracted with anything really, so you have to remind him to keep his eyes on the road all the time (it’s cute at first...but after a while it’s just annoying)

always offers to pick you up but never asks for gas money (pretends to forget but he just doesn’t care because it’s you and he care you <3)

overall he’s a cautious driver, he just has very erratic speed patterns and takes really shitty turns

★ Julian

has had the same old black car for about 8 years (hates that it’s a stick shift, but he got over it already)

he’s actually quite a responsible driver. doesn’t break transit rules

never got his license though, but it doesn’t really matter (u gotta do what u gotta do)

he never arrives on time, always late (super apologetic about it)

loses parking tickets and misplaces his keys all. the damn. time. so you usually end up carrying them instead

makes a HUGE fuss over your safety. please wear your seatbelt or else he will go bonkers

but at the same time will not hesitate to be your designated getaway driver (if you need to gtfo of somewhere, he will get you the fuck out of there)

he actually has to use glasses because his vision sucks and can’t read road signs. he looks so cute

his car doesn’t have an aux cord outlet, so he has a bunch of cassettes of different kinds of music ( 70’s rock, jazz, some obscure russian band, etc ) lying around. he can’t drive without music!

has a bit of road rage; if he’s with you he’ll mutter curses under his breath trying to keep composure

but when alone he will absolutely yell at people, but his way of doing it is somewhat.....endearing?

will occasionally bump into things, but has never caused any serious damage

has never been pulled over and only gets tickets due to expired parking meters in downtown (somehow manages to talk his way out of them all the time)

he’s had enough experience around the city so he talks to you about places no one really knows about

he will literally take you a random phone booth that is actually the entrance to a secret undergroung café that looks like a place where academics would hang out and conspire new literary movements

☆ Nadia

doesn’t drive, she has a chauffeur

but if she did, she would own one of those beautiful, modern, pearly off-white cars.

it’s perfectly clean, well kept and smells great

no food or drinks allowed inside. periodt

you’d probably be afraid of ruining the seat when you first get in. she assures you everything is okay

totally drives around wearing a pair of gloves, headscarf, and gorgeous sunglasses to protect herself from the sun. also because she’s so classy <3

she excels at everything in driving

flawless breaking and parking, but thinks that going around looking for a spot is a waste of time so she’d rather just pay extra for valet parking

her only flaw is that she gets super impatient with how long it takes for a red light to turn green

and she almost never stops for pedestrians

would usually call you to see if you’d like to go shopping with her or just accompany her for some errands (pls go with her she adores having you around 🥺)

doesn’t have a problem with giving you rides, but she’s always busy with a tight schedule, so rides from her are very rare

probably feels bad about it so she’ll send you an uber black instead

★ Muriel

hates going out because it means he has to drive ://

he just wants to get from point A to point B without any issues really

you’ll notice that his car always has a layer of dirt on it since he never really uses it (he doesn’t bother to give it a little wipe before hoping in)

would probably own a normal, practical car that gets the job done and doesn’t need much maintenance. nothing too fancy

.......but i really want to see him with a jeep so i’ll make him own a jeep ☺️

highkey anxious and hyperaware of his surrounding drivers

he looks too tense and grips the wheel hard....tell him to relax pls

if someone tries to pass him, he will absolutely give them a Look through the rear mirror

not one to listen to music (will sometimes turn on the radio but slams it off eventually because it’s annoying)

used to be terribly afraid of highways

mumbles and grumbles about how dangerous and stupid it is to carelessly swerve lanes just to go fast and look cool

☆ Portia

drives all the time so she’s definitely the most experienced on the road

owns a cute convertible beetle that she takes care of and loves very much ❤️ (has so many cute ass bumper stickers)

will not hesitate to change the tires on her own if needed

music is always loud and top is down most of the time

she’s got anything you might need in her glove box (hand cream? tissues? sanitizer? pocket knife? she has it yes ma’am)

when she’s by herself, laws simply do not exist

lowkey a threat to society. get her off

she goes so fucking fast like she zooms💨 down the road (mainly because she’s always on a hurry)

basically breaks whatever law she wants but once she spots a cop, citizen of the year

ohh but if you and/or anyone else is with her, it’s a whole different story

she drives carefully and slows down, would hate to put your safety at risk (same as julian)

road trips with her are THE BEST. going on drives with her always feel like a scene from a coming of age film 💕✨🧚‍♀️

★ Lucio

not necessarily an irresponsible driver, he’s just reckless and obnoxious

owns a restored, fancy vintage car that’s either red or white (his license plate is personalized, bedazzled and borderline opulent). genuinely proud of it

revs the engine just to piss people off

is always willing and able to be there for you if you need him

when he’s there to pick you up, he will absolutely make a scene for you to notice him. simply giving you a call is out of the equation!

the backseats are full of white hair...you know he brings his adored babies everywhere he goes

blasts music at an ASTRONOMICAL VOLUME and he just sits there like 🤪✌🏻🎶🕺🏼

but believe it or not, his music taste is actually really good....it slaps. so it’s okay

likes to drive fast (“oh you want to see some speed? i’ll show you some real speed”)

cannot stand traffic and slow drivers make him go batshit crazy

honks at everyone for everything but gets offended if they honk back >:(

you’ll still see him at the red light despite him doing 84 lane changes

tells you he LOVES the attention he gets because of the car, but then feels super self conscious if people stare too much or too long......although he will never admit it

this guy loves to gossip with you and likes to make fun of random pedestrians... you gotta admit he makes you snicker quite a bit. who am i kidding he’s funny as fuck of course you’re gonna laugh

doesn’t slow down for speed bumps, will blow quick kisses at the little fake cameras on top of the traffic lights, and has definitely scratched the lower sides of his car on curves more than once (*frantic wheel stirring* “not my fault not my fault!!”)

this man’s biggest struggle is parking. he cannot park for shit (secretly embarrassed about it)

it takes FOREVER for him to parallel park. might as well snooze while he’s at it

genuinely tries his best, going as far as to do the “arm behind the seat to look back” move (he wants to impress you dammit!!), but gets frustrated and gives up

so most of the time he ends up taking two spots despite trying so hard not to

gets tickets all the time (“now they’re ganging up against me! and for what?? what the fuck did i do!!”)

cannot comprehend street signs (“lucio you will get a $650 fine” “darling wdym?? it costs $650 to park here”)

going on a drive with him can be stressful and a bit crazy, but it’s always entertaining and you get the best stories to tell

[mengyan]

Omg hey! I’m so exited to read the Valentine’s Day collab!! I love love loooove your writing so much!! So anyway I wrote my first Carulia fanfic and I just wanted to ask you what you think of this small bit? If it’s bad please tell me-I wanna improve🥺

If you don’t wanna critique it I totally get it, it is kind of long.

..

Julia POV

Warm rays of sunshine brushed Julia’s freckled cheeks, making up for the bite of frost in the air. The sky was a cheerful blue today, reflecting her mood. She was sitting at a street corner, admiring the view of quaint little shops that resembled the cutesy designs of dollhouses.

Saturday morning chatter rung in her ears in soft, eloquent words of French that were so different from the English required for her job. A frenzy of Bonjour’s (hello/good morning) and Comment allez vous? (How are you doing?) could be heard from across the street.

It was good to be home, to have a day off to enjoy the beauty she had forgotten Poiters possessed. As an avid traveller, there was nowhere quite like the city. Nothing could match it’s charming, Romanesque buildings or tranquil solitude.

Julia smiled at nothing in particular, a flaky, warm croissant in one hand and a timeless romance novel in the other.

How long had it been since she had gotten to relax like this? To enjoy the nature of her city and not have to chase a certain red rogue across the globe? The very same red rogue she struggled to protect from her coworkers?

A sigh escaped her lips. Suddenly her mind wandered to someone she hadn’t wanted to think about: Carmen Sandiego. The thief never ceased to plague her thoughts lately. A warm blush tinted her cheeks as she recalled the kiss they had shared in Cairo, Egypt. There was a sort of thrill in knowing it was so, so wrong, and Julia hated the adrenaline rush it gave her.

Their last interaction had been a week ago, and it had been on an ACME mission rather than the late night visits the thief had begun to pay her. The absence of the red rogue pained her terribly. She missed Carmen. She missed everything about her from her cunning gray eyes to her knowing smile, the light rasp to her voice, and the feel of her lips. She had barely gotten to see the lady in red recently.

Would this be what a relationship with the woman would entail? Random visits sprinkled through the weeks while Carmen gallivanted around the globe and Julia had to pretend she wanted her behind bars? Would she be doomed to live with this uncertainty, this emptiness?

At her inner turmoil, the thief seemed to appear before her with her signature smirk, the curl of her lips forever ingrained in Julia’s memory. Hallucination-Carmen spoke, reciting the promise she had made her not too long ago. “We can have a normal relationship, Jules. We’ll be able to see each other everyday, go on dates, do all of that couple-y stuff. I promise.”

Julia had scoffed at that, of course. Maybe in another world where she wasn’t dating a thief, for goodness sakes. But still she wished there was some way the red rogue could fulfill her promise. Julia knew that what Carmen was doing was absolutely important but....she couldn’t help but be selfish and wish she had her to herself.

On top of that, though, there was the fear that whatever was happening between the two was nothing but physical on Carmen’s end, that this...fling...would be over in a heartbeat and the red rogue would once again disappear with Julia’s heart, only this time she wouldn’t return.

She didn’t want fo think about that.

Trying to take her mind off her worries, Julia reopened her book. The petite woman frowned, nibbling on the last of her pastry and lazily scanning the page for anything interesting. It was one of her favorites, yet she couldn’t bring herself to relax, to forget.

Sighing, she closed the book with a sense of finality, tucking it safely in her messenger bag. It was no use. Nothing could keep Julia’s attention from Carmen for long.

“Partir déjà?” Said Nadia, Julia’s friend and the cashier. The woman adjusted the side of her hijab before opening the cash register. “Habituellement, vous passez toute la matinée ici lorsque vous êtes absent.”

TRANSLATION: “Leaving Already?.....Usually you spend the entire morning here when you’re off.”

Julia smiled sadly. “Quelque chose me vient à l'esprit ces derniers temps, Je ne peux pas me détendre.”

TRANSLATION: “Something has been on my mind lately. I can’t relax.”

Nadia smirked knowingly. “Querelle d'amant?“

TRANSLATION: “Lover’s Quarrel?“

Julia felt her cheeks heat up. Nadia was one of the few people who even knew she was seeing someone, let alone the fact that that someone was a thief. “Entre autres, oui. Il s’agit plus de mon travail.“

TRANSLATION: “Among other things, yes. It’s more about my job.“

Nadia shook her head, making a tut sound. “Tu travailles trop dur.“ She inserted her credit card into the register, swiping twice before the transaction was complete. “Vous savez, les filles et moi allons au Buckingham Club ce soir. Tu devrais venir. Je parie que cela vous fera oublier ... quel est son nom? Carolyn?“

TRANSLATION: You work too hard....You know, the girls and I are hitting the Buckingham Club tonight. You should come. I bet that’ll take your mind off of...what’s her name? Carolyn?“

“Carmen.“ Julia corrected with a smile. “Et Je ne sais pas, pas ce soir. je n'en ai pas vraiment envie.”

TRANSLATION: “Carmen....I don’t know, not tonight. I don’t really feel like it.”

“ S'il vous plaît? Ce sera amusant!?” Nadia replied, making an exaggerated pouty face.

TRANSLATION: “Please? It’ll be fun!”

“Je ne devrais vraiment pas.....”

TRANSLATION: “I really shouldn’t...”

The cashier shook her head, pressing her lips into a thin line. “Oh, Julia, tu es toujours aussi ennuyeuse.”

TRANSLATION: “Oh, Julia, you’re always such a bore.”

Jules simply smiled in response, pushing the rim of her glasses up her nose. “Peut-être la prochaine fois, Nadia.”

TRANSLATION: “Maybe next time, Nadia.”

She said her goodbyes and left the small cafe, the little bell at the door signaling her departure. The cool, crisp air met Julia immediately, the frost already kissing her skin. She turned the corner, making a beeline for her apartment complex when suddenly, a certain beeping sound caught her attention.

A very familiar beeping sound.

She threw a discreet glance over her shoulder before darting into the nearest alleyway, ducking behind the nearest dumpster before removing her pen from her pocket.

Julia clicked the cap, tossing it to the ground as she wrinkled her nose at the stench.

“Agent Argent.“ Chief’s no-nonsense voice came as her hologram blossomed. “I have a new mi-“ She paused, taking in Julia’s location.

“Are you behind a dumpster, Agent?“

Julia felt her cheeks heat slightly “I was in public and had to be...creative...“ She replied curtly, breathing through her mouth.

“Right....anyhoo,“ Chief began again, adjusting her blazer. “I’ve got on assignment for you. I’m sorry to interupt your time off, but you’re the closest agent in proximity.“

Julia smiled sadly, scratching her wrist. “It’s alright, chief. I was feeling restless anyway.“

Chief cocked her head in mild concern. “I’m sorry to hear that, Argent. It’s nothing too serious, but we have reports of some meddling with the security systems at the Louvre. I need you to investigate.“

“Of course. Will Agent Zari or Devineaux be accompanying me?“ She asked, already picturing the splendor at the Louvre. Maybe a trip to the museum was just what she needed today.

“No. Zari and Devineaux are on a case in Santo Domingo.“ Chief said, beginning to pace the length of the alleyway.

“Khadija or Jonas, then?“ Julia replied, referencing two agents she’d been paired with in the past, albeit less frequently than Chase or Zari.

“You’ll be going it alone today. Intel indicates that Carmen Sandiego won’t be present. I trust you can handle a routine check up.”

“I’ll take care of it, chief.“ She answered, giving a small salute to her superior. Internally, Julia released a sigh of relief that she wouldn’t have to tail Carmen.

“Good. Transportation has already been arranged and the details should be on your phone.“ Chief said, crossing her arms. Almost simultaneously, her phone pinged with an encrypted email from ACME.

“Don’t disapoint me, Agent.“ With a terse nod, the hologram disappeared from before her.

Quickly, she darted home and changed into her ACME-issued suit before making her way to the train station. Paris was waiting, after all.

...

No matter how many times she frequented the city, Paris never ceased to amaze Julia with a million new places she hadn’t visited yet. The Louvre, however, was an outlier to the fact. It was Julia’s favorite spot to hit whenever she was in the area.

It had been One-Thirty when her train had pulled into the Paris Saint Lazare, a station settled on the right bank of the Seine and the one closest in proximity to her destination.

The Louvre lay before her in all its grandiose splendor, afternoon sunlight glinting off of the crystal pyramid and casting a rainbow into the burbling fountain before it. The Famed palace of the same name was set on either sides of it, the tasteful renaissance era architecture transporting her into another time.

Julia smiled. She knew every corner of the museum. Every nook and crany was immortalized in her mind from it’s renowned Petite Galerie to it’s extended Egyptian exhibit.

She removed her ACME card from her messenger bag, thumbing it’s side to allow her interpol credentials before going to speak with the security

As promised, a staff member was waiting for her once she got inside.

“Bonjour. Julia Argent, Interpol Britain?“ A tall, skinny man with hooded blue eyes and unkempt blonde hair stepped forward.

“Oui.“ She replied, flashing her badge. “Marcel Cardone?“

“Oui, correct.“ He answered in a thick French accent. “Thank you for coming.“ He said, gesturing for her to walk with him.

Julia smiled. “Bien sûr. J'ai été informé mes supérieurs de la mission. Pouvez-vous me dire quel semble être exactement le problème?“

TRANSLATION: “Of course. I was briefed by my superiors on the mission. Can you tell me what exactly seems to be the problem?“

Marcel spoke as he led her through the halls of the grand building. “Do not worry, I am fluent in English. I do not know the details but the head of security will inform you on the matter.“

“Sounds good,“ Julia said reverting back to English. Her guide stopped at a door with la sécurité (security) written in bold script.

“This is it, mademoiselle.“ Marcel said, opening the door and leading her to the back. Standing before her was another door. Probably to an office, Julia guessed. “Monsieur Toussaint? L'agent d'Interpol est arrivé.“

TRANSLATION: “Mr.Toussaint? The interpol agent has arrived.“

A tall, stocky man with brown skin glanced up, adjusting his glasses. “L'agent? Miss, le problème s'est corrigé juste avant votre arrivée.”

TRANSLATION: “The Agent? Miss, the issue corrected itself just before you arrived.”

“Il n'y a donc rien de mal avec la sécurité?” Julia asked, confused.

TRANSLATION: “So is there nothing wrong with the security?“

“Plus maintenant, non...” Mr.Toussaint answered, scrutinizing her.

TRANSLATION. “Not anymore, no.”

“Mais je suis venu tout ce chemin...” She answered, slightly disappointed.

TRANSLATION: “But I came all this way....”

The man scratched the side of his head in mild concern. “Nous sommes désolés, mademoiselle. Perhaps you would like a tour of the Louvre in compensation?”

TRANSLATION: “We are sorry, Miss. Perhaps you would like a tour of the Louvre in compensation?”

“No, it’s quite alright, thank you.” Julia murmured, tugging at the hem of sleeve.

“Please accept. Nous allons même le rendre gratuit!”

TRANSLATION: Please accept. We will even make it free!”

“If you insist.” Julia smiled awkwardly.

“Good.” Mr.Toussaint lifted the phone on his desk, dialing as he spoke. “Cheryl? Préparez-vous à faire une visite. Oui. Rencontrez-la près des statues.”

TRANSLATION. “Cheryl? Prepare to give a tour. Yes. Meet her by the statues.”

The balding man put the phone down, swiping through the many papers scattered on his desk. “Our tour guide, Cheryl, will meet you out by our Sculpture Department. Please enjoy your day.”

They exchanged goodbyes and thank-yous before Mr. Toussaint returned to the millions of files on his desk and Julia to the swarming museum crowds.

Deftly, Julia navigated the throngs of people, making her way to the modern sculpture exhibit. As promised a woman was waiting before the exhibit checking her watch.

Her dark red-brunette hair was pulled into a pony-tail, and a pair of green khakis and a blue blouse contrasting against her flawless brown skin. From the back of her head, Julia could see a thick pair of glasses settling at the rim of her nose.

She seemed familiar, so very familiar....

And then she spoke. “Enjoying the view, Jules?”

The light rasp, the sultry tone of voice...

The petite woman gasped. “Carmen?”

“Surprise.” The thief said with a smirk.

“What’re you doing here?!” Julia asked, confused. Was Carmen behind the security issue already being solved before she arrived?

“You must have mistaken me for someone else,” The Red Rogue grinned coyly, reaching over gracefully and slipping her fingers between Julia’s. “I’m just Cheryl Vasquez, foreign exchange student and Louvre Tour guide.”

“Of course.” Julia scoffed but played along. “And what would Cheryl Vasquez be doing touring the Louvre?”

“If you’re asking whether I’m here to stop VILE, then no. They aren’t trying to steal anything. I’m here of my own accord.” Carmen replied, her thumb tracing circles along Julia’s palm.

“So I suppose it’s just a coincidence that I was sent here on a mission?”

Carmen winked at her, her rouged lips relaxing into their signature grin. “Yep. A coincidence. Absolutely nothing more.”

A twitch of annoyance flared within Julia. Sometimes Carmen’s games could get tiring. “Well then, since you aren’t stealing anything, I’ll be on my way then.”

“What?” The thief said, for once taken aback.

“You heard me.” Julia began with a smirk, turning in the other direction. “Have a nice day, Miss Sandiego. The Louvre is quite the sight to see.”

“Not so fast, Jules.” Carmen grasped her wrists gently, pulling her in close. Julia blushed, her mouth mere inches from the thief’s. She parted her lips gently, her eyelids sinking lower. Her tongue flecked across the expanse of her bottom lips as she waited to meet the thief’s lips for the first time in more than a week.

“Huh?” Julia said in confusion as she felt the other woman’s heat move away from her own.

Carmen was no longer before her, lips moving closer. Instead she darted away from the smaller woman, a smug grin scrawled on her beautiful face. She waved Julia’s ACME gas gun in the air teasingly, throwing her a wink. “A theft in progress is occurring, agent. You’re lawfully required to follow.”

“Carmen!” Julia shouted in shock, not at all caring about the attention they were gaining from their fellow museum-go-ers. “Give it back!”

“Come and get me!” She called with a trickle of laughter, disappearing into the hordes of people.

Julia smiled despite her frustration and ran after her, for once not at all caring that her behavior was extremely unprofessional.

That was what Carmen did to her. She...freed her. Allowed Julia to relax, to sit still, to live in the moment.

Julia felt all the tension that had built up over the course of the week melt away as she pursued the chase and danced across the Louvre court yard.

She chased Carmen out of the museum, nearing the edge of the complex. “Aha!” Julia shouted, finally catching up to her lover and realizing a smile had formed on her lips.

“You’ve got me, alright,” Carmen smiled, lowering her lashes flirtatiously as her voice lowered teasingly. She slipped her arms around Julia’s waist being just tall enough that the shorter woman had to slightly look up to meet her eyes. “Now what’re you gonna do with me?”

Julia answered her with a kiss, feeling the thief’s bright red lipstick smear onto her mouth. The lady in red captured Julia’s lower lip with her teeth, chuckling at the ACME agent’s Yelp of surprise as she tugged. Every gasp that managed to escape her lips was swallowed by Carmen’s mouth as she pulled her closer with passion.

“Mhm, I’ve missed that.” Julia smiled. “I’ve missed you.”

“You aren’t the only one.” Carmen purred against her lips. “You have no idea how badly I wanted to come and see you...but...”

“It’s alright, Carmen. I understand.” Julia whispered, touching her forehead to the Latina’s and lacing her fingers through the thief’s. “Do you plan on telling me why you’re here, though?”

“Can’t I just pay a visit to my favorite ACME agent?” She teased, beginning to lead Julia out of the museum complex.

“At my apartment, yes. But here?”

“Okay fine....” The thief relented, turning away. Julia spotted a tiny tinge of a blush dusting her cheeks. Carmen? Blushing? “I....may or may not have had my team hack the museum security and leave a trace to VILE to get you sent here.”

“Carmen!” Julia hissed. “You could get caught! And for what? Just to see me? You can meet me at my apartment!”

“Hey, hey, what’s done is done, alright?” She said, her arms flying in front of her in attempt to calm her down. Then, she smiled. “Aww you were worried about me. That’s adorable.“

“Thats-Thats not!....Thats not the point!“ Julia tried to fight a blush but it was no use.

Carmen laughed, caressing Julia’s face and tilting her chin up to meet her eyes. “Hey. I know you mean well. I’ll be more careful from now on. Promise.“

“O...Okay.“ Julia murmured, the woman in red’s slate gray eyes catching her off guard.

“But...since you’re already here....we should make the most of it, no?“ Carmen smiled sweetly, for once with no tinge of smugness to it.

“Alright.“ Julia relented with a small grin. “So is this a....date?“

The latina winked, her teeth sliding over her bottom lip. “Do you want it to be?“

“No! I mean...I just thought...“

“Relax, I’m messing with you.“ Carmen said, taking Julia’s hands in hers. “The truth is...Jules...I wanted to prove that I’m serious about this. About us. You...mean a lot to me, and I want us to be about more than just random hookups.“

The petite woman felt herself smiling at the other’s words, and gave the red rogue’s hands a squeeze. “You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that.“

Carmen returned her grin, running her thumb over Julia’s knuckles. “Explanations aside, are you ready for the greatest date in the world?“

Julia’s brow tugged upwards along with her lips. “The greatest, huh?“

Carmen threw her a flirty glance. “Hey, I don’t settle for second best.“

“I can see that. Alright then, Miss Sandiego.“ The shorter woman said coyly, “Show me what you got.“

....

ANON!! THIS IS SO AMAZING OH MY GOD?? for your first fic this is incredible and i absolutely love how you write them!! everything is so in character and carmen absolutely would create an entire heist just to meet up with jules 😭

i don’t have much to critique: just a few minor spelling errors here and there and some misplaced punctuation but that’s it, everything else is so good?? i’m serious this gave me so much serotonin omg,,, if you post it on ao3 let me know and i’ll be sure to leave kudos and a comment!! <3

and thank you so much for enjoying my writing, i can say the same for you :D

[santipietroepaolo]

Hello there, may I ask prompt 25 for Angelica/Nadia and/or 80 for Aureliano/Spadino? ❤️

(Angst, post-finale) Sorry I made this so sad 😭 I hope you don’t mind!

[Read on Ao3]

25. "Come cuddle" + 80. "I didn't drive all this way just to say hey."

Flavio’s sweet brown eyes were so dug out and hollow, Angelica felt like she could see age settle in real time over his boyish features. “Stay at my place,” he had said – or rather, rasped out, his voice as quiet as the waves– and Angelica had dragged her shaking hand on his shoulder in wordless thanks. The hotel, the silence there, the bed Nadia had shared with Aureliano: no way they could go back there – not that day– maybe not ever.

Nadia had offered no resistance. She’d let herself be pulled away from that beach, vacant and unsteady, like a helmless ship, her sails empty of breath. With her arms tied around her Angelica would not have been able to tell if she was really helping her along, or just getting dragged limply in her wake. She had no place to go herself. Home wasn’t home and her Queendom was ash.

Flavio drove off as silently as he’d driven in, leaving half of their men behind as protection. Off to keep fighting a war, their war, one Angelica had no strength left in her body to stand for.

As far as she was concerned, they had already lost everything.

The request had come wordless, in the form of a pull, a beggar tug of Nadia’s hand dragging Angelica into the small unmade bed with her. Hold me. Angelica had no comfort left to give but she wrapped herself around the other woman nonetheless. She didn’t flinch at the nails sinking into her back, nor at the screams Nadia drowned against her chest for most of that scorching summer day. Maybe if she squeezed her tight enough, they could melt together, just like that. Idols of wax just begging to disappear.

Nadia wailed into her, and Angelica thought of the statues of the Virgin, of their glass tears shining in the dim-lit nooks of secret arches, of tall church halls and the walls of her People’s houses. She had cried so much herself that her tears burned trenches down her face, acid melting down her mask, her flimsy facade of strength. Tears for herself, for her father, for Nadia, for Alberto, for Aureliano, for her daughter, for her daughter, for her daughter.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, is this how hollow you felt?

“I lied to him,” Nadia whispered, hours later when she became too tired to cry, “I told him I loved him.”

“You did love him,” Angelica whispered back.

She was brushing back Nadia’s hair, soothing down her feverish forehead, damp from pain and the effort of grief. Aureliano’s ring was still between them, lodged on Nadia’sindex finger, warmed up by her boiling skin and trembling lips– much warmer than its owner. Angelica felt just like that chunk of silver: livened only by that woman’s touch.

Nadia shook her head.

“I do. But not the way he thought – not the way I should have.”

She looked up at Angelica as if she had answers, as if she could, in any way, help.

“Angè, he just looked so sad.”

Her poor eyes. Angelica did not need to imagine how much they burned – she felt it on herself.

“You did your best,” Angelica swore to her, “Na’, we all did. We all did.”

That much was true – except it hadn’t been enough. That, Angelica did not say. She just welcomed Nadia back against her and tried not to linger on the part of herself that weakly wondered how Alberto was doing, in that moment – where he was – how hollow he felt. She and Nadia had that bed, that ring, each other. Alberto had spat on all of that. What did that leave him with?

She spared a prayer for him too.

***

Everything on that shore was different, but the sea was always the same.

“Ciao, Aurelià. It’s been a minute.”

Spadino stood facing the waves, at the same spot he always did – the same spot he had stood on that distant dawn, too. One hand in his pocket, the other ferrying the cigarette to and from his mouth. There used to be sand under his feet there, but nowadays, it was all concrete.

“I’m not here long. Came by to help out the girls – same as usual. You know how it is.”

He blew out the smoke, slow. Making it last. The time for one cigarette – that was what Spadino always allowed himself, in that place. Only one, because he knew that if he stayed there any longer, there was a good chance he’d never be able to leave.

“It’s Cinaglia’s turn, today,” he started up again, dusting off his ash to the wind, “I know, ‘already’? What can I say, I haven't been standing around. I may be biting off more than I can chew, with this one, though. I’ll grant you that. But the more I wait, the harder he gets to reach – and his time has been way past due for a while, now. Don’t you think?”

Spadino took in another drag, wincing at the bitter taste. Christ, that cigarette was bad. Luckily it was the last of the pack he had left from Poland – the one that had come offered with the very handy, long-distance rifle he had bought there. A real bargain, but judging by the state of the seller’s teeth, Spadino was lucky the bonus gift hadn’t been more generous.

“Anyway. I didn’t drive all this way just to say ‘hey’ and talk shop. I’ve got something for you.”

He had long traded his old flashy hoodies for much more anonymous suits, these days, but those weren’t nearly as roomy as far as pocket space went. Spadino shoved the cigarette in his mouth to free his hands and fished the gift from his inner lapel.

Well, it wasn’t really a gift, so much as a return. Spadino unfolded the beanie, carefully, dragging his hand across the well-worn surface with a fond smile.

“I got it from Angè on my first homecoming – Zaccardelli’s turn, if you recall. Though I should give it back. Don’t worry, I’ve gotten plenty of use out of it – threadbare, this thing is.”

Spadino pulled in a deep drag from the cigarette and pressed the beanie to his lips, for old time’s sake. There was no trace left of Aureliano’s smell – not even the ghost of it. The smoke had nothing to do with that fact: the smell had been light to begin with, and it had faded from the fabric long ago, even before Spadino shoved the beanie to the back of the drawer where it had remained buried. He’d been way too greedy with it way back then – breathed it all in and kissed it all off, because he was young and foolish and thought of it as an infinite resource, just like Aureliano’s presence in his life.

There was a handrail, now, approximately where the shoreline used to be. Spadino knelt in front of it and draped the beanie over the top of a short metal pole. A gust of wind would surely blow it off in no time – send it flying to the sea below. That was sort of the point.

“Badali turned this place into ground zero,” Spadino murmured, “but it’s still yours. It should have something of you.”

On his knees, quietly, he let himself lean forward, and pressed his forehead against the surface of the beanie. He closed his eyes. The waves were quiet, and the metal cold underneath the fabric. That didn’t fully break the immersion: Aureliano’s forehead had been freezing the last time Spadino had kissed it, too.

“His turn will come,” Alberto whispered, “I promise. All in due time.”

Opening his eyes again, he straightened himself back up. He meant to pull in another drag, but when he did, the incandescent tip burned the skin between his fingers, tearing an annoyed hiss from him. There was no cigarette left on the filter. Spadino flicked the whole stubby thing away.

“Looks like time’s up,” he sighed.

He looked at the beanie again, then at the sea. The waves were lazy, just like they had been that day, when the dusk was grey and the sand still there – sated, from having just swallowed him.

The tattoo at the back of Spadino’s head had healed over for a while, now, but whenever he was about to leave that place, it always itched. He scratched absent-mindedly at one of the wings that framed the eight-ball design, half-hidden under a fuzz of hair. When Nadia had told him about Aureliano’s liking for that sketch, all that time ago, the decision to get it on himself had felt as natural as breathing.

As soon as Cinaglia was dead, if Angelica could stomach to look Spadino's way for more than two seconds, maybe she could help him clean up his haircut, like she used to do. Uncover the signature lines of ink – let everyone know who was back in town.

“I’ll bring our friend Amedeo your regards,” Numero Otto promised, before turning his back on the sea, “Ciao, Aurelià. Until next time.”