#HAI MISS SPY.

[sinisternoodles101]

AUDHHRJFIEIEJFJFKWNRFJJEKWM

Well, off to visit your mother

[re-colligere]

Oh! Gene, do they all have nicknames for one another? I assume the villains more so? (Also, I'm working on smtg, should be done tonight hopefully! ^^💜)

Some of them use nicknames yeah! It actually depends on the person SKDJFH I don't have specifics right now but the people most likely to use nicknames are:

Bughaw - she uses nicknames derived from her coworkers' real names, but only when they're off the clock and when she's speaking to that agent privately (Dani, Emmy, Ernie). She's the only one that does this out of the agents. Otherwise she defaults to codenames/first names when in public.

Verte - she often avoids calling anyone by their names unless she's being really serious/she's comfortable with the person. Her nicknames tend to be insults...unless she respects the person immensely, then they're more affectionate (calling Indigo smartass vs. calling Bughaw babe).

April - extensive nickname user and enjoyer. Very much a sign of affection.

Hellforge - also kinda like Verte where he uses nicknames as an insult (though with close friends he does it playfully/lightheartedly), otherwise he'll just call them by the name he knows them by.

Details may change in the future, but personally I think Axyon and Emile in particular use petnames a lot, but those are for close relations only - otherwise they don't use a lot of nicknames. Roz is too new to nicknames to use them himself, and Terror's fine with using people's names SDFSDKJH

[seeingivy]

sweet nothing

actor!eren x f!reader

**part of my method acting fic

previous part linked here

songs mentioned: minor mentions of slut by taylor swift, new year's day by taylor swift, end of beginning by djo, turning page by sleeping at last, sweet nothing by taylor swift, and must be love by laufey

--

It feels like every new piece of information that comes your way is overwhelming as the weeks fly by. And really, that sinking feeling that things are coming to an end only feels deeper, more final as the days dwindle down to the end. 

Jean and Mikasa are getting married in two days. Your last day of filming together as a cast is in three. Lana and Sukuna are having another kid and you’re almost positive that Eren is in love with you. 

You have two weeks together before you part ways. 

Every second that the group of you spent together felt like the moments were only slipping out of your fingers, like you were hopelessly trying to hold onto a needle in a stack of hay. It was almost impulsive the way you were trying to linger around everyone – to memorize every last detail of the memories so that you can’t forget them when they leave. 

Falco and Gabi eat cereal in the morning before they go to set, Levi has a mole near his left eye, Eren loses all of his guitar picks. 

You shuffle through the stack of polaroids in your hand – an endless stack of pictures of Miaksa and Jean – and get more frustrated looking down at the empty page on your notebook. Eren’s handwriting is perfectly lined up at the top, light scribbles of lyrics and words he’s changed for the song you were gifting Jean. 

I spy with my little tired eye Tiny as a firefly A pebble that we picked up last July Down deep inside your pocket We almost forgot it Does it ever miss Wicklow sometimes?

Eren explained that Jean and Mikasa, after getting engaged (for the second time), took a two month trip where they just traveled together. Most of the pictures are from that time period actually – of Jean and Mikasa drunk in random bars, cheesing in front of billowing green hills, or napping on picnic blankets. 

You look up at the two of them, clearly relieving some wedding stress by getting tipsy, and dancing with Falco and Gabi a few feet away. You can’t help but smile as Mikasa teaches Falco how to dance – and how he profusely apologizes every time he steps on her feet. It’s almost as sweet as Gabi and Jean who are trying to do the most aggressive slow dance known to man and that neither of them seem to be taking seriously in the slightest. 

“Who’s getting injured first?” 

You look to your right to find Eren hovering over your shoulder, his hair damp from the shower and the sweet smell of his soap still emanating off of his skin. He gives you a boyish grin before taking the seat next to you on the couch, leaning his chin on your shoulder as you watch the group of them. 

“I’m sure Mikasa needs a bandaid already. Falco has stepped on her feet ten times already.” 

“Poor guy. I’ve never seen him stress out over something so bad.” Eren states. 

“What do you mean?” 

Eren laughs. 

“He’s freaking out about the wedding. He’s really worried that Gabi won’t enjoy it with him as her date – because he can’t dance and that sometimes he can’t think of things to talk about when he gets nervous.” 

You frown. 

“Baby.” 

“Tell me about it. Last night he was in my room asking my opinions on pick up lines and how you even initiate dancing with someone.” Eren states. 

“What did you tell him?” 

“I told him that he should suggest getting matching tattoos. I know girls love that type of thing.” 

You turn your head to glare at him. 

“I know you didn’t encourage my sixteen year old brother to get a tattoo.” 

Eren shrugs. 

“What’s the difference between sixteen and eighteen? He’s a big kid.” 

“He would get a tattoo of a cat jumping on a trampoline if he could. And that’s horrible advice.” 

Eren grins. 

“Worked on you, didn’t it?” 

You shove him in the side, earning you a laugh from him, as he takes the opportunity to peek down at the page – mainly at the fact that you haven't been able to write anything. You sink back into the couch as he offers you a smile, before flipping through the rest of the pages. 

“I have a question.” 

“What is it?”

“Are you ever going to release any of these songs? I really think some of them are great.” 

You lean over his shoulder to follow his line of vision, to all of the songs that you had produced out of the requests that you had been given. You eye the song he’s fixated on – called Slut, that you wrote for Sasha – as you shrug. 

“I do really like some of them.” you offer. 

“I really love this one. I think it’s perfect. And a lot of them are.” Eren adds. 

You lean back on the couch. 

“I know that…things are ending. And I have to think seriously about what I want to do after I leave here but sometimes it gets complicated when I think about it. But I am sure that...that I'll do something. In some capacity.” you state. 

Eren leans back to join you, leaning his damp locks against your shoulder. You mimic his motions, leaning your cheek against his hair and welcoming the cold touch.

“I like being here and…and being here makes the songs and the acting really easy. I feel like I have that support system, of people who care about me, who can kind of help me push through it. The thought of having to figure out things without people helping me when I leave here and…and not having that makes it seem impossible.” you state. 

“You don’t need other people to –” 

“I know I don’t need other people to do this, that I can write songs and act if I need to. But, I need them for me. I’ve spent a lot of time alone and I realized I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to be here forever, I’ve…I feel like I barely appreciated the time I had here and now it’s almost over and I can’t do anything about it.” 

It’s horrible timing. That the song in Connie’s playlist switches. 

There's glitter on the floor after the party Girls carrying their shoes down in the lobby Candle wax and Polaroids on the hardwood floor You and me from the night before, but 

You both sink deeper into the couch, cheeks pink as the song stops the conversation in full. You can feel that the group of them are all averting their eyes to where you and Eren are sitting, though none of them seem to comment on the fact that your love ballad is booming from the speakers. You turn to Eren and offer him a smile, one that he returns before nervously fiddling with his hair. 

“You still have time left here. You can make the most of it. And even after we leave here, we’re all still backing you up. It might not be all of us all in the same place but…but we’re here when you need us.” Eren states. 

“Yeah. I know that. But it’s just different.”

You pause, unable to put the garbled mess of feelings that’s rumbling in your chest into words. 

Three days ago Levi told you that they were going to put the house up for sale when you were leaving – and the thought of never being able to come back here, that someone else would be sleeping in your room and you’d never be able to return to it made you sick to your stomach. 

You had read the last bits of the script and it was perfect – except for the blank portions that Levi left in one of the sections. He had mentioned that he wanted you and Eren to do something similar to what you were going to do for the “what am I to you scene?” where he was going to ask you to improv whatever he had planned. 

There was a sense of urgency when he mentioned it, because that was actually going to end up being the last scene that you ever filmed. Because Mikasa and Jean were going to get married on Friday, the last day of filming with the entire ensemble was Saturday, and they were all out of there by Sunday night. 

And for the entire week that followed, you, Levi, Hange, and Eren were going to be in the house alone. Hange mentioned it as a sort of gift that Levi wanted to give you – that he wanted to grant the two of you time alone before you parted your separate ways. 

(Apparently he was just sentimental. Or projecting, according to Hange. And part of it was just that he understood because when he had his last weekend of filming La La Land with Hange, he just wanted them all to himself before he had to let them go. That he wanted that for you and Eren or just for himself instead.) 

The thought of being alone with Eren in the house, the way you were when you started filming all those years ago, made your stomach churn with anticipation. Only because you knew – that if something was going to blossom between you and Eren, if you were able to let go of whatever it was that was holding either of you back – it was going to be then. 

Or at the wedding. 

You had visited the venue with Eren a few days prior and the outdoor, woodsy venue that Jean and Mikasa had picked out was eerily similar to where Levi and Hange had their vow renewal. They were leaning into the same energy – of a backyard wedding, with all of their closest friends – and you were half convinced that the setting alone would have you word vomiting everything to Eren. 

Don't read the last page But I stay when it's hard, or it's wrong, or we're making mistakes I want your midnights But I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day 

Eren reaches forward, placing his hand on top of your head, before he slightly rattles your head. 

“Okay, that’s enough being emo for today. Quit being sad and focus on writing the song. Jean is expecting something really great, you know?” 

You groan. 

“Don’t tell me that. I hyped it up so much to him just because he was being annoying but I’m really scared that he won’t like it. Every lyric I write is so ridiculously idiotic that I end up wanting to throw my entire book away.” 

“You’re trying too hard. Just do what feels natural.” 

You’re not sure why the thought crosses your mind, but right after it does it fills you with a bout of embarrassment. Because if you did what was natural, you’d lean forward and close the space between the two of you, only because you couldn’t help but feel like you were getting intoxicated by how much you wanted him every time you were alone like this. 

But that was just the thing. You weren’t alone. There were at least seven different people in the room. And the fact that it felt so intimate, so bare every time you talked to him like you were the only two people in the room made it impossible to be around him. 

Levi walks into the room with Hange, the two of them juggling cardboard boxes in their hands. Levi nearly drops all of them when Gabi and Jean almost salsa dance straight into him, but luckily enough, Niccolo is able to steer them in a different direction before they can. 

Hange and Levi set the boxes down at the center table, before gesturing for all of you to join them around the table. Eren holds a hand out to you – and it makes your stomach churn when he doesn’t let go as you both walk all the way to the table. 

You can’t help but focus on it. That you’re all circled around the table, that Niccolo is handing Sasha his water bottle, that Falco and Gabi are out of breath, and that Eren has his hand tucked into yours as he intently waits for Levi and Hange to explain. 

“As you guys all know, we’re going to be giving up the house in around a week. I know it feels a little early, but we need to start making preparations since things are going to start wrapping up really fast.” Levi states. 

“And this part is only logical. You guys were the ones who put the polaroids up. It’s only fair that you’re the ones who are going to take them down.” Hange adds. 

You feel your throat dry. 

“What?” Armin asks.  

“We can’t exactly leave them all up. Imagine how horrifying that would be for whoever moved in here after – just thousands of pictures of strangers that they didn’t know.” Levi states. 

“They would be so lucky. We’re literally famous.” Connie huffs. 

“Okay, Connie. Relax. Even then, I figured that you guys would want to keep some as you guys got ready to leave here. We can toss whatever it is you don’t want to keep.” Hange resopnds. 

It just keeps getting worse. You can’t even stomach the fact that they would even consider throwing any of the pictures away, let alone being so ready to pull them all off of their respective spots on the wall. 

“Are you insane? You can’t just throw our childhood away.” Reiner states. 

“Well, you can keep all of the stragglers. Drown in the polaroids in your penthouse apartment, Reiner.” Levi deadpans. 

“Oh, I plan on it.” Reiner responds, glaring at the two of them. 

You can tell that Levi and Hange were well prepared for the pushback. And you understand the frustrations, or at least the panic, everyone seems to be expressing. Armin’s trying to delay whatever this is to the best of his abilities – saying that the wedding pictures would be perfect with all of the polaroids in the background. Reiner said that taking everything down was only fair when Eren got to be a part of the death wall, and Sasha and Mikasa are already fighting over how they’re supposed to divvy up polaroids that we’re all in. 

And you get it, but all it does is fill you with the sinking pit of despair. 

This was the start. Taking all of the pictures down, wrapping your childhood into a little cardboard box and never returning to it again – at least not in the same way. 

The song from the playlist switches, finally mellowing out the ends of your voice, before changing to a different song. 

Levi’s ears immediately perk up at the sound of his own voice, booming through the speakers. 

Just one more tear to cry One teardrop from my eye You better save it for The middle of the night

When things aren't black and white Enter, Troubadour Remember twenty-four?

And when I'm back in Chicago, I feel it Another version of me, I was in it I wave goodbye to the end of beginning

“Who is playing this?” Levi asks. 

“Connie.” Eren offers. 

Levi shakes his head, almost like it’s thrown him a distraction, before he hands each of you the boxes and a marker. You all start begrudgingly inking your name into the cardboard, before halfheartedly clutching it to your chests. A few of them make the first move, until it’s just you and Armin left lingering in the kitchen, unable to move. 

“Jesus fuck, Hange. Why would he play this song?” Levi whispers, stuck in a conversation under his breath with Hange. 

“The timing is uncanny. Don’t go crying on them now.” Hange states. 

The two of them shuffle out of the room as you turn to Armin, noting the warm tears that are filling his eyes, as you offer him one of your hands. He opts to link his hand through yours, as you both task yourself with walking over to the fridge first, as you stare at all six of the polaroids stuck under the magnet. 

“I really don’t want to do this.” Armin whispers. 

“Me neither.” 

He snags the first polaroid off of the fridge, of Erwin wearing a sparkly pink apron with Kiss the Chef embroidered into the front pocket. You distinctly remember when Eren had gifted it to Erwin for his birthday – and how he refused to stand in the kitchen without wearing it, even if he wasn’t cooking anything. 

“This picture doesn’t belong anywhere but here.” Armin states. 

You snort. You can see that Armin hesitates, but he settles for putting it in the box. 

“We’ll make a pile on the main table, of who is in each picture. Then…then people can fight it out for who gets to keep which one.” 

“Good idea.” 

It’s quiet, leave for Levi’s voice booming through the speakers, as you and Armin start yanking the pictures off of the wall. The wallpaper has been fading for years, but it’s only more obvious when you start ripping the pictures out to see the brighter color that was covered underneath. 

Armin stops you every few seconds, only to pull on your arm to show you a picture. It’s quiet smiles that you give each other, when you find one of him and Annie, or he gives you one of Hange, and it makes it the slightest bit easier. 

But some of the memories hit you like a bullet train, only because you can’t fathom how much of them you’ve actually forgotten. You only remembered that Falco and Colt had actually been to set before, years before they were even on the show, when Eren flew them out to surprise you for your birthday. Or that on that same day, Mikasa and Armin were the ones to gift you the first notebook that you had ever scribbled your lyrics in. 

They were so deeply intertwined in the memories – every single one. You suppose that’s probably why it was the hardest to let go, to walk away from all of them and limit them to just being pictures in a box. 

And when I'm back in Chicago, I feel it Another version of me, I was in it I wave goodbye to the end of beginning (Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye)

“Armin.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Do you ever think about that night? In Seattle?” you ask. 

He pauses, abandoning the polaroid fixed in his fingers – of you and Historia cheek to cheek – as he sinks against the wall and sits on the floor. You join him on the ground, looping in your arm through his, as you lean your head against his shoulder. 

“Sometimes.” 

“Me too.” 

“I try to pinpoint moments where it feels like things changed. And there are lots of them, but I do find myself always going back to that one. Things felt so weird and out of line in the months before that, I felt like we were all moving in different directions, and that really solidified it.” Armin states. 

You pause. 

“Yeah, yeah I agree. Sometimes I wish I could go back and change things. But I also don’t.” 

“What do you mean?” Armin asks. 

“My first instinct when Eren and I started fighting was to ask him to tell the truth, to come with us and that we’d fix everything. Knowing what I know now, I wish that I had fought harder – that I trusted my gut more because I could clearly feel that something was wrong. But I also don’t, because sometimes I think the way things played out is how it needed to be, for me to feel how I am right now.” you state. 

“How do you feel now?” 

You pause. 

“I remember when we took Connie home with us and…and he started screaming at us. I felt really hopeless. I feel like watching him act like that, to be struggling so much, really sank me into that pit I was in. But I guess, I don’t know. Maybe I needed to see that and how he is now, to see how Sukuna was and how he is now, and Lana too to know that maybe there’s some way out of it for me too after I leave here.” you state. 

Armin smiles. 

“I’m really happy for Lana and Sukuna.” 

You grin. 

“I’m really happy for Connie too. And Eren and…and us too. So much has happened that I really can't even wrap my mind around everything that has happened, but sometimes all I’m left with is that I feel really grateful that we’re all here right now. Especially you and me. Sometimes I forget that you and I faced the worst of it together and…and that we’re here right now, the way that we are, just kind of…fixes it all in my mind.” 

“I agree. I feel like we saw the worst of it together, maybe acted at our worst together too, but it makes me feel better that we both came out of it the way that we did. I feel like we never learn and even though we burn bridges, we still ended up doing what was right at the end of the day.” Armin adds. 

Armin smiles, as he pushes up off the ground and holds out his hand to you. He pulls you up, averting his eyes to behind you, before you turn to find Annie and Eren standing behind. He gives you a knowing look before he switches places with Eren – and the two of them stalk off together. 

Eren gives you a smile, before aggressively sticking a polaroid in your face. You’re caught off guard by the suddenness, before you focus on the picture. It’s of you and Eren on the last day of filming Season Three – your arms wrapped around his neck as you both smile in the camera. 

“Yours or mine?” he asks. 

“Mine.” 

“Well, you should get a move on. I’ve already stolen whatever pictures there were on the wall near the bay window.” 

“No debate? No negotiating?” you ask. 

“Absolutely not. You snooze, you lose.” 

You and Eren fall into a quiet pace, the same way you were with Armin. It seems like it’s something everyone was adapting, because the house felt quieter as usual as you all pulled the memories off of the walls. 

He’d stop here and there and place a polaroid into the palm of your hand. It was getting almost overwhelmingly nostalgic, making that melancholy that seemed to reside in your chest almost impossible to breathe through. 

It was like watching yourself fall in love with Eren all over again.

Because all you can think about is the fact that you had really liked Eren at that award’s show, that you went on a date before that press event, that filming that scene was really fun because you had spent the entire day together. 

That you used to sleep in the same bed every night, that you made breakfast together every morning, that the safe confines of this little wooden house was the place that you and Eren got to be yourselves, where your love was saved from being touched and garbled by other people. 

“Eren.” 

“Yeah?” 

“What are you going to do with the pictures?” you ask. 

Eren pauses, eyeing the messy mess of pictures in his box, before he looks back up at you. 

“I’m staying at this place by the sea, in Ireland, for a few months after the show ends. It’s my parent’s cabin, but I just want to go there and take a break before I jump into anything again. I’ll put some of the pictures up there.” he states. 

You nod. 

You’re not sure why you ask the question, and it’s almost instant embarrassment when it comes out, but you have to stick with it after you do. 

“Will you tell other girls about who I am?” 

“What?” 

You bite your tongue. 

“I just mean. If people point to the pictures and stuff, you’ll tell them about us, right? All the pretty girls you’re going to take to your fancy cabin?” you joke. 

Eren seems to visibly relax when he figures that this has to be some weird idea of a joke that you’re making. 

“Oh. Yeah, of course. Trust me, when I take my children to that cabin, I’ll make sure they know the entire story before they leave.” 

You smile. 

“And what’s that?” 

“Oh, you know. That it was a moment in time, what you and I had. That people went crazy for it, that…that you and I did too.” Eren states. 

“Who said I went crazy for it?” 

Eren rolls his eyes. 

“You have not one, but two matching tattoos with me. We’ve written so many songs about each other, that people still listen to.” 

“I was just teasing. Relax.” 

Eren hands you a polaroid – a solo picture that he had taken of you at Hange and Levi’s vow renewal – that you tuck into your box. The walls are bare and empty as you peek your head through the other rooms. And you all group back together in the main room, boxes filled on the ground as you find too many of them locking their limbs together and swaying together in the air. 

You and Eren smile at each other as Reiner catches sight of you and makes a dramatic display of wrapping both of his arms around you. Jean and Mikasa follow next – somehow producing shots for everyone out of thin air. 

The only notable thing that stands out is that Connie’s standing by the far wall, stuck staring at the wallpaper. Normally, you’d expect him to be at the center of this, making some extreme, dramatic speech on top of the table about how we were all going down in history. 

You tangle out of Mikasa’s embrace to walk up next to him, only to feel your stomach churn when you find exactly what it is that Connie’s staring at. Because it’s not a blank patch of wallpaper – but instead, his shitty spelling marked into the wall, accompanied by the one polaroid you had seemingly forgotten all about. 

Of Marco, his tub of ice cream, and his bright smile when you had all inducted him as the start of the death wall. You look to your left to find Connie crying, as you lean your head against his shoulder, unable to stop your own. 

“I can’t take it down. He…he’s going to miss the wedding.” he whispers. 

It makes your stomach ache. That Marco won’t be there to see Jean and Mikasa get married, that he won't be at the wrap party, and that someone will have to come over here and rip him off of the wall for good. 

“I can’t do it either.” 

Eren’s the next to join the two of you, his arms warm around your shoulders, before you feel him physically tense at your side when he realizes. The crowd only seems to get bigger, until the entire group of you are standing there, limbs tangled in together as you all stare at the picture of him.

Levi and Hange, who are the last to join, are the first to break the silence. 

“No one can do it, can they?” Hange asks. 

You all shake your heads. Levi makes his way to the front – and you can’t help but study him as you watch him observe the picture. 

It was no secret to you that Levi had a soft spot for Marco, that it only intensified after he died, and that it was something that Levi was going to beat himself over forever.

You think about it often – that one time that Levi insinuated that what happened could be traced back to him, because Marco’s fame could be traced back to when Levi had cast him in the show. That if Levi didn't make Marco famous, the paparazzi would have called the ambulance instead of prioritizing the photo.

When he reaches for the picture, you realize that you can’t let him do it alone. 

You walk up to his side and pull on his arm. 

“Together.” you state. 

Levi gives you wide eyes, heaving a deep sign out, before he nods. You turn back to the crowd of them standing, as you gesture for them to join. 

You all place your hands on each other, making it literally impossible for you to all stand there as you try to jump and duck under each other to secure your hands on the picture. It’s all giggles because Connie asks Reiner not to touch his butt and they start bickering before you all pull. 

But on the count of three, you all pull it off of the wallpaper, before letting go. It’s left in Levi’s hands at the end of it. 

You all let him keep it. He shoots you a grateful smile for the assistance.

--

The air is palpable the morning of the wedding. You can feel it thrumming under your skin – the anticipation – the second you spring your eyes open. It reminded you of how you used to sleep the night before a field trip, unable to contain your excitement to the point where you were unable to quiet your mind before sleeping. 

You nearly shoot up because of it, unable to stop staring at Mikasa at your side. Her hair is tousled around the pillow, the sleep mask that she put on last night sticking to the side of her face, and she’s snoring horrendously loud. 

In your excitement, you lean forward and press a kiss to her forehead. 

“Jean?” 

You snort. 

“No. Don’t insult me in the early hours of the morning.” you state. 

Your voice is enough to wake Mikasa up, and similarly enough to you, she shoots up the second she’s regained consciousness. The green mask is falling off the right side of her face and her eyes are so horrendously wide that she almost looks like an alien. 

“Holy shit. “

“What?” 

“I’m getting married today.” 

You can’t help but smile from ear to ear as you wrap your arms around her neck and squeeze hard. It’s a mix of giggles, of the two of you squealing like you were fifteen again, and of you and Mikasa tickling each other in your hug.

The morning goes by relatively slowly. 

Whatever that feeling is, the warm, sweetness in the air – it’s hanging in the air. The group of you are all holed up in Mikasa’s room – Gabi, Falco, Connie, Historia, Armin, and Sasha. The rest of them were all stuck with Jean. You can already anticipate that there’s more panic and high energy in that room just from the sheer fact of Ymir being stuck with Reiner, Eren, and Jean in there alone. 

You were all in charge of getting Mikasa ready, of getting dressed yourselves, and getting her to the venue. They had to do the same with Jean – but you and Eren had to be there before to pass out the corsages and pin the boutonnieres. 

There was a slight panic in the background, but the calmness was making it taper into almost nothing. And really, the entire ordeal felt so homey, so ordinary that you couldn’t help but find yourself smiling as you all went about it, because you had been thinking – planning for it – for so long. 

Connie and Sasha tasked themselves with making iced coffee, Falco and Gabi had spent twenty minutes tracking down the Doordash order with the breakfast, and you were left alone to do Mikasa’s hair. 

It was just the two of you, humming in the bathroom to the quiet little playlist Jean had sent Mikasa as a gift this morning, as you quietly tasked yourself with doing her hair. It was relatively simple, just two braids at the front to tuck behind her ears, with little flowers intertwined in between. The veil was going to take up most of the space in the back, so you were just curling the ends for her. 

It’s quiet until you can hear her sniffling, only to look up in the mirror to her trying to blot her tears away from her eyes. You try to focus on the song that’s playing – only to find that Jean had put invisible string in the playlist – and you can’t help but smile. You pause, placing your hands on her shoulders as you squeeze hard. 

“Oh god. Are you getting cold feet because he’s ugly?” you joke. 

She glares at you. 

“Fuck off.” 

You laugh before tucking wrapping your arms around her waist and leaning your chin on her shoulder. She gives you a smile in the mirror – one that you return – as she finishes wiping her tears away. 

“Now really. What is it? You can’t be sad on your wedding day or else I’ve failed as a maid of honor.” 

She shakes her head. 

“Not sad. Just…I don’t know. I was reflecting. Feeling really introspective about a lot of things and I realized that there was a point that I thought this would never happen for me. And god, I’m so fucking happy it is.” Mikasa states. 

“This meaning…?” 

“You. Braiding my hair for my wedding. Jean. Actually marrying me after everything that happened. Getting to leave here with him.” 

You swallow hard. She turns around, placing her hands on your shoulder. You distract yourself by messing with how the ends of her bangs were falling, brushing them into place before you give her a smile. 

“Thanks for coming back. I would never want to do this without you.” she states. 

“Thanks for letting me. It would be agonizing to watch this from the sidelines.” 

She leans forward and hugs you, so hard that she’s leaning her entire weight on you. And every inclination that you made of letting go gets ignored, because Mikasa holds on to you for a long time. 

“You’re my best friend.” she mumbles. 

You can feel the tears accumulating in your own eyes, the sniffling coming from your nose this time, as you hear Mikasa spare a quiet laugh. 

“Seriously?” 

“I just started getting all fucking…introspective like you were. I’ve spent my entire life here, my entire childhood sleeping next to you and when I wasn’t, it was because Jean was in here. And now you’re getting married to him and I’m going to be right next to you when it happens, and I just…” 

You pause. 

“I don’t remember when we grew up. I’m glad I got to do it with the both of you.” you finish.

You try to etch it into your memory – this moment – so you can remember it forever. The two of you in your pajamas, barefoot on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor, breathing in tandem as you held each other while crying. 

She was hours away from being a wife. You were about to watch Jean and Mikasa get the perfect ending, that the nights that they spent together in your room all led to the two of them standing on that altar, exchanging vows. You would be two feet away from Eren, who was going to smile at you with his perfect green eyes and make your stomach do a somersault. 

You were going to hold hands, he was going to dance with you, and that might be the end of it. Or the start, if you’re both able to muster and get over that block that was always stuck in your throats. 

Connie and Sasha return with the coffee soon enough and Falco and Gabi with the food. You all sit in a circle, sharing bites and switching drinks, until Sasha locks herself and Mikasa in the bathroom to do her makeup and fit her into her dress. 

You take the free second to sit at the vanity, using the sweet free time to style Falco’s hair for him before you do your own makeup. You can see Connie brushing Gabi’s hair through the mirror, intently focused as he holds the bobbi pins in between his lips, and gathers her hair together at the back of her neck. You can’t help but smile as you focus back on Falco, trying to tame the unruliness of his hair with the mousse. 

“Be careful with Eren’s cufflinks today, Falco. He’s expecting those back.” you state. 

“No, he isn’t. He gave them to me earlier and he actually said that he wants me to keep them.” 

It makes your heart sink a little – only because you don’t know what it means. If he was giving it up to Falco out of good will because he was your little brother and he loved him or because he wanted to get them straight off of his hands since you two were going to be leaving and parting ways soon. 

“Well, be careful. They’re very nice. And they’re special too, so just. Take care.” you state. 

Falco frowns at you through the mirror, before turning back to look at you. 

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” 

“You seem sad.” 

“No. I just feel really sentimental. My best friend is getting married and we…we’re all going to be leaving soon. I’m watching two people who have been in love forever seal the deal before I won’t ever live with them ever again.” 

Falco frowns, before he reaches forward and wraps his arms around you. You can’t help but smile as you bury your nose into his shirt, breathing in the scent of his shampoo and laundry detergent mixed together. 

“You’ll have a lot of fun today. You’ll have Eren with you. And you’re performing your song, which will be amazing. Levi also told me that you have to save a dance from him and Connie said he’s going to mix drinks after the reception, so you have a lot to look forward to.” 

You glare at him. 

“The only thing you’re mixing is soda, Falco.” 

He gives you a grin. 

“Right!” 

“I’m going to tell mom.” 

He glares. 

“Don’t be a narc. I was trying to be nice to you.” 

“You’re going to get liver disease, Falco.” 

“Gabi and I have never tried it. We just wanted to do it together.” 

You pinch your lips together, before shaking your head. 

“I’ll just pretend like I didn’t hear that.” 

You watch as Falco’s eyes light up, before he presses a wet kiss to your cheek. You push him off, as you finish the last touches on his hair, and lean down to press a kiss to the top of his head. 

Falco runs off, mainly to Gabi’s side as he starts admiring her hair and she does the same to him. And as you quietly start smearing the makeup on your face, Connie takes the seat at your side at the vanity. 

It’s quiet. Mainly because he’s messing with the ends of his own hair and you’re focused on smearing the glitter on your eyelids that you don’t really acknowledge each other. You only break the concentration – and start the conversation – as Connie watches you struggle with your necklace. 

“Yikes. Want help?” 

You smile. 

“Yeah. Yeah, thanks.” you state. 

You hand the necklace over to him – and watch the smile spread across his face as he eyes the little Saturn charm – before he signals for you to turn around. The necklace falls perfectly into place before you turn back to him and silently thank him. 

“Eren’s wearing his pin too.” Connie states. 

“He is?” 

“Well, planning on it. I saw him walking around with it downstairs when we were making the coffee.” 

You hum in response, as you place the blush on your cheeks. 

“How did he seem? Is he stressed out?”

“No. He’s pretty zen, considering how batshit he was acting last night when you were running through the checklist.” 

You smile. 

“I just think he’s excited for the wedding. You know how much he loves Jean and Mikasa.” you state. 

Connie smiles at you through the mirror, before leaning his cheek in the palm of his hand. It’s a weirdly antagonistic look that he gives you, that you ignore as you rummage through the colors of your lip glosses and lipsticks to find the perfect one. 

“I know how much he loves you.” 

You give him a weary look. 

“You kissed three times. He smiled into the kiss. You used your tongue. We’re not about to play this shitty game.” Connie states. 

“I didn’t say anything.” you state. 

Connie smiles and really, the fact that he was rooting for the two of you so hard, that he approved, only made your excitement to see him later grow tenfold. 

“So you know that he loves you?” Connie asks. 

You swallow hard, before shaking the thought away. 

“Well, of course he does. We’re good friends.” 

Connie gives you a glare and it makes you fold. 

“Just…don’t tell him, okay?” 

“I won’t. But you…you do know, right?” 

You sigh. 

“Yeah. I’m just stuck on how to tell him, when the right time is, if…if he really wants to. I know that he loves me but that…that doesn’t necessarily mean that he wants to give our relationship another try.” 

Connie frowns. 

“He doesn’t know that’s on the table.” Connie states. 

“What do you mean?”

“You know he loves you. He has no idea that you love him too.” 

“There’s no way. It’s…it’s obvious. I’ve given him so many signs.” 

Connie shrugs. 

“Yeah. But he’s insecure. His mind plays tricks on him…and he won’t believe it unless you tell him, explicitly. Some days he says that he thinks you reciprocate and in the next hour, he’s moping in my room about how he’s lost you forever.” 

You deflate and give him a nod, as you secure your hands around one of your tubes of lipstick. Connie shakes his head, before taking it from you and digging through the little pouch himself. 

“No, you can’t wear that.” Connie states. 

“I didn’t realize you were so opinionated about the makeup I wore.” 

“No. Well, yes. But no, no Eren likes it when you wear glossy stuff on your lips.” 

“Why do you know that?”

“He’s down horrendous.” Connie affirms. 

“I’m not picking my makeup look based off of Eren.” 

Connie pauses and gives you a look. You sigh. 

“Okay, fine. Give it.” 

He gives you a bright smile, before handing it over to you. And you smear it over your lips, before taking the open room on the left so slip in your dress and meet Eren downstairs. 

--

You slip into your dress before you meet Eren downstairs, to make sure that everyone gets tucked into the correct cars, with flowers pinned to their jackets and secured around their wrists. You carry the pair of shoes you had chosen – black kitten heels to save your feet from the walking – as you make your way down the stairs. 

You can already see Eren standing in the kitchen, placing the boxes in a line, as you feel the nervousness prickle all over your skin. His hair is pushed back, tucked behind his ears. He’s not wearing his jacket yet, the sleeves of his white collared shirt pulled up to his forearms, and he looks perfect. 

You nervously knock on the frame of the door, as you drop your heels to the ground and join him at his side. 

“Hey. Want my help?” you mumble, feeling the shake in your voice. 

Eren’s fumbling with the plastic box in his hands, his throat bobbing, as he doesn’t respond, until it’s awkwardly been too long. And it’s almost like he’s realized it – that he was staring full on, that he had ignored what you had said – as he shakes his head before looking up at you. 

“Did-did you say something to me?” 

You can’t help but laugh, as you nervously rub at the sides of your biceps. 

“Yeah. I was asking if you wanted help.” 

“Right. Yeah, yeah. I was just making sure that the boxes had everyone’s names on it.” Eren adds. 

You hum in response, as you join him at his side, and eye the little list that he had set in the middle of the counter. You start to eye the little labels, leaving little star marks next to each one you found on the paper, as you try to distract yourself and the burning in the pit of your stomach. 

“You look beautiful.” 

You feel your eyes widen. 

“Huh?”

“I mean, you’re beautiful. You’re always beautiful, but you…” 

Eren lifts his gaze from the plastic boxes, as he looks over at you, eyes striking and piercing. It sends a shiver down your spine. He places both of his hands on your elbows and you mimic the motion by resting yours against your forearms as you look up at him. 

You watch as his eyes waver – first to your lips, before they drop down to your necklace. He reaches up, twisting the little Saturn charm in between his fingers, before he smiles up at you. 

“Mine is on my jacket.” 

You smile. 

“He has to be there some way, right?” 

He sighs. 

“Yeah.” 

“Speaking of…” 

He looks around the little plastic boxes, before he reaches for one that has your name scribbled over the top. You reach for it, before he pulls back, giving you an offended look. 

“Are you insane?” he asks. 

“What? That’s literally mine.” 

“What kind of guy do you think I am? You’re my date, I obviously have to put it on for you.” Eren states. 

“Oh.” 

Eren smiles.

“Yeah. Oh.” 

Eren opens up the little plastic box, pulling out the little corsage, before fidgeting with the little flowers until they fall perfectly. You hold out your left hand to him and he slides the little ribbon across your wrist, until it’s set in place. 

He lifts your hand and presses your knuckles against his lips, leaving a quiet kiss on your ring finger. It makes your chest burn. 

“Perfect.” he whispers. 

You swallow hard, trying to swallow the dryness in your throat, as you look up at him. 

“Can I do yours?” 

“I don’t have a corsage, sweetheart. Such a shame.” 

You shove him. 

“You know what I meant.” 

He smiles, as he reaches for his coat hanging from the chair. You find the box with his name on it as he pulls his jacket on, adjusting it. You take the little silver pins and the boutonniere as you press it to the lapel. And it’s going well until you poke a little too hard, in the wrong direction. 

“Ow.” 

“Fuck. I’m so sorry, Eren.” 

You can feel your hands shaking as you try to pin it properly this time, which only gets worse when you can feel that Eren’s watching you – and that he’s amused by how hard you’re trying not to stab him with the pins. 

“That didn’t actually hurt, Y/N.” 

You place the last pin before you unclench and look back up at him. You take the second to admire the little purple flowers on his coat, before smiling up at him. 

“Perfect!” 

Eren smirks, before he leans forward. He’s so close that you can feel the breath tickling your nose when he talks and the mint in his breath. 

“No kiss for me?” 

“Huh? Did…did you want one?” 

“It’s hardly satisfying when you have to ask for it. You have to offer it to me.” Eren states. 

And you were about to, but that’s right when Jean and Niccolo come tumbling down the stairs, readjusting their collars. You can hear the cars pulling up against the gravel outdoors, as Eren hands both of them their boutonnieres, and they run out the door. 

Everyone tumbles through like a stampede – as you get stuck handing all of them the boxes and get too distracted to hand them all out. You feel your heart burst when Historia realizes that she gets two corsages – since Reiner and Connie are both her dates – and the dramatic display that they both make of kissing her hand and her cheeks when they put them on her has you giggling. 

Levi and Hange are the last ones to leave, until it’s just you and Eren standing in the kitchen, facing each other. 

“Ready?” 

“Yeah. Just have to put my shoes on.” 

Eren gives you a nod, before grabbing them from the side and getting on his knees. His arms move around your leg, exposed from the slit in the side of your dress as he secures the buckles around your ankles. 

“Too tight?” 

You clear your throat. 

He has to know what he’s doing to you. That he can’t just place his head in between your legs like that. 

“No. That’s good.” 

He mimics the motion with the other shoe, fingers featherlike around your ankle, before he looks back up at you. And he holds his hand out to you, circling it around yours as the two of you walk out onto the gravel towards the car. 

--

The four of you are lined up inside, peeking out the window, at Jean standing alone at the altar. You can see groups of people running around the little makeshift aisles – Hange and Levi sharing a drink, Lana with a little baby bump and Teddy tangled around her knees, and Sofia and Ymir admiring the flowers around the aisle. 

“Lana and Sukuna are here. I can’t believe she’s showing already.” you whisper to Eren. 

You watch as Eren’s eyes scan the room, before he catches the sight of the three of them on the left and smiles. 

“Look at Teddy’s suit. He’s fucking adorable.” 

“Sofia and Ymir look fucking amazing.” Connie adds. 

“And Niccolo!” Sasha adds. 

The three of you turn your gaze to her, giving her a side eye, before you all burst out laughing. In the time that you have to wait for Mikasa, Connie somehow produces two popsicles from the little truck outside, one that he hands to you and Eren and the other that he shares with Sasha. 

You consider yourself lucky that Connie chose the blue one for himself and gave you and Eren the lemon, which had a translucent color. Connie later realizes his mistake when his tongue turns blue. 

You look up at Eren, whose eyes are still transfixed at the people lingering around outside. 

“You don’t want any, Eren?” 

He looks over at you, and down at the popsicle, before he wraps his arm around your wrists and uses it to lift the popsicle to his mouth. He takes one bite and gives you a smile, before dropping his featherlike touch from your hand and looking back outside. 

You can’t help but use your other hand to rub the inside of your forearm, where his fingers had just touched yours. 

And you watch everyone with him, the two of you silently standing at the window. Levi keeps getting Hange refills and Reiner and Historia go in the photo booth. Sukuna basically guards Lana like a dog – refusing to leave her side, leaning down every few minutes to whisper in her ear, with what you know is constant questioning of if she’s comfortable or not. 

Connie and Sasha yank on your elbows. The two of you turn your heads only to fall silent at the sight of Mikasa, excitedly smiling at you in her pristine and perfect white dress. 

“Ready to get me married, guys?” she whispers. 

You feel your heart squelch in your chest as you reach forward at the same time as Sasha, the two of you stuck in each of her arms and the fresh scent of her bouquet filling your nose. You can’t help but admire her – the shimmering glitter on her skin, the sparkling accents on her dress, and the veil flowing behind her. 

It’s perfect. 

She lets the two of you go before she gives Connie and Eren a shy smile, and they both rise to the occasion. They make a dramatic display of clutching their chests and it makes your heart sing as you watch Mikasa smile at the praise, at the two of them making it evidently clear that she’s one of the most beautiful things she’s ever seen. Connie and Eren both lean down to press a kiss to Mikasa’s cheeks, before you all line up, standing side by side. 

Connie and Sasha stand in front, followed by you and Eren, and then Mikasa alone. You turn to Eren and he offers you a wink, as you feel your nerves bubble as the entrance song stars. 

You can see it from the window – Levi seated at the piano with the microphone in front of him. And on his cue, Sasha and Connie walk out first together. 

I've waited a hundred years But I'd wait a million more for you Nothing prepared me for What the privilege of being yours would do

Eren extends his hand out to you and you wrap yours in with his, as you both walk out into the courtyard. The air is fresh, the sun is dipping into the sunset and making a perfect mix of purple and pink hues, as the little lights hanging from the trees start twinkling. 

You can’t help but squeeze hard on the bouquet as you walk down, nerves tingling. It’s warm in the little courtyard, but only because of how the blood rushes to your cheeks – it nearly hurts to smile this hard. 

You offer Sukuna a wink as you walk past, before you and Eren let each other go at the end of the aisle. You and Eren stop before Jean, before leaning forward to give him a hug. You press a kiss to his cheek, which he smiles brightly at, before you and Eren take your spots opposite to each other at his side. 

If I had only felt the warmth within your touch If I had only seen how you smile when you blush Or how you curl your lip when you concentrate enough

I would have known what I was living for all along What I've been living for

Levi’s voice is piercing, so warm and full that it makes the tears spark to your eyes. And when everyone rises out of their chairs and Mikasa steps out into the light, you instantly turn your head to the left to look at Jean. 

And surely enough, Jean’s hands are shaking at his sides as the tears start to sprout out of his eyes – as he looks at her glide down and doesn’t break his eye contact once. It’s full blown tears, from both of them, and Mikasa’s basically rushing down the aisle just to get there faster. 

You look past Jean to find Eren watching the two of them, with the brightest smile on his face. 

Your love is my turning page Where only the sweetest words remain Every kiss is a cursive line Every touch is a redefining phrase

When Mikasa makes it to the end, Jean reaches for her hand and pulls her up. You take the little bouquet from her hands, and she gives you a wink in response, before turning back to Jean and locking her hands in with his. 

I surrender who I've been for who you are For nothing makes me stronger than your fragile heart If I had only felt how it feels to be yours Well, I would have known what I've been living for all along What I've been living for

Levi finishes the end of his song with a dancing melody on the piano, before everyone takes a seat and they start the ceremony. 

You and Eren stare at each other the entire time. 

--

The reception afterwards is cast in silver moonlight. There’s a live jazz band, a little dance floor, and obviously an open bar. It’s a rush to make sure that Mikasa and Jean aren’t entirely shit faced by the time you’re able to perform your song and keeping them away from the bar before that happens turns out to be a horrendous task. 

But surely enough, you and Eren are standing by the piano as you wait for Levi to announce the first dance. You turn to Eren, looking up at him, as you watch Levi make his way over to the microphone. 

“Nervous?” 

Eren shakes his head. 

“Have you with me. We’ll be fine.” 

You give him a nod as you absentmindedly tangle your hand in with his at your sides, that he welcomes. And when Levi announces that it’s time for the first dance, Mikasa and Jean make their way to the center of the dance floor, the two of them blowing you a kiss as you take your seat at the piano. 

The second they look away, too entranced with looking at each other, Eren slides into the bench at your side and the two of you start playing the piano together. It’s only when Eren starts singing the first verse that they look back, at the two of you sitting there together. 

Eren:  I spy with my little tired eye Tiny as a firefly A pebble that we picked up last July Down deep inside your pocket We almost forgot it Does it ever miss Wicklow sometimes?

You look up from the piano keys to find Jean looking at you – smiling so brightly as the tears stream from his eyes – with Mikasa in his hands. You give him a wink, as you watch him turn his head away, his tears only increasing when he looks down at Mikasa. 

Eren and Y/N:  They said the end is coming Everyone's up to something I find myself running home to your sweet nothings Outside, they're push and shoving You're in the kitchen humming All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing

Y/N:  On the way home I wrote a poem You say, "What a mind" This happens all the time

You can’t help but turn to your left to look at Eren, only to find that he’s already looking at you first. He tangles his foot in with yours under the piano as your fingers brush against each other and you can feel it – the softness enveloping you and Eren, that the feeling of being around him makes your skin tickle whenever he looks at you. 

Y/N:  Industry disruptors and soul deconstructors And smooth-talking hucksters out glad-handing each other And the voices that implore, "You should be doing more" To you, I can admit that I'm just too soft for all of it

You and Eren turn your heads back to the dance floor to watch as everyone joins Jean and Mikasa on the dance floor, hands locked together as they all smile at each other. Connie, Reiner, and Historia are trying some weird three way version of slow dance that has all of them laughing, and Hange and Levi are stuck in some deep conversation that they are whispering in each other’s ears. 

Falco and Gabi are so tense that it almost looks painful, but the smiles on their faces don’t indicate that they’re aware of how rigid they’re both being. And Ymir presses a kiss to Sofia’s cheek, which makes her laugh. 

Eren and Y/N:  They said the end is coming (they said the end is coming) Everyone's up to something (everyone's up to something) I find myself running home to your sweet nothings Outside, they're push and shoving (outside, they're push and shoving) You're in the kitchen humming (you're in the kitchen humming) All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing

You and Eren turn to your left to give the jazz band a thumbs up, as they take over on the music and start playing soft violin music so everyone can keep going. And you turn back to your right towards Eren and lean forward to wrap your arms around his neck. 

And when you pull back, you secure one of his hands around his cheek and absentmindedly rub your thumb against his bottom lip. 

“Think it went well?” Eren whispers. 

You shrug. Eren smiles back, before mimicking your shrug in response. 

You can feel the breath leave your lungs as you feel a pair of two arms around you, only to find Jean and Mikasa strangling you and Eren from behind the piano. The two of you stand up, to hug the two of them openly, as they smile down at you. Mikasa seems to break off to talk to Eren, because Jean pulls you to the side. 

“Y/N.” 

“Just to be clear, that was your gift. And if you hate it, that’s too bad because I –” 

You’re cut off by Jean pressing a kiss to your cheek, before he envelopes you in a hug so hard that you can barely breathe. Jean lets go after a few minutes, his hand warm on your face as he smiles down at you. 

“I loved it. That was the song of my dreams.” 

You can’t help but grin at him. 

“You deserve nothing less, Jean. I…I’m really happy for you. Just take care of my girl, okay?” 

“That’s a promise.” he affirms. 

You’re joined by Eren and Mikasa at your sides and you can tell from the pink mark on Eren’s cheek that Mikasa was feeling just as sappy as Jean was. You reach forward and wipe the mark away from his cheek, as you look at the two of them. 

“I owe Mika a dance and then Gabi. I’m all yours after that, Y/N.” Eren says. 

You smile, before you wave him off. 

“Go ahead.” 

You take your seat back at the piano bench, as you collect the sheet music and the lyrics and tuck them into the little cabinet of the piano. You sit there for some time – watching Eren and Mikasa giggle on the dance floor before he switches with Gabi who can’t stop blushing. 

That’s until you’re joined by Levi at your side, who offers you a flute of champagne. You take it from him, as you tuck your arm into his, leaning your head against his shoulder. 

“Your song was beautiful, Levi.” you murmur. 

“Yours was too.” he responds. 

You both watch the room in silence for some time, at how animated and lively it all was. Teddy was falling asleep against Sukuna’s shoulder, but him and Lana were caught in a deep conversation – soft smiles on both of their faces as they talked under their breaths at their table. 

“I want to talk to you about something.” Levi states. 

“Go ahead.” 

Levi clears his throat. 

“I…I hear that my vow renewal all those years ago meant a lot to you. Eren and I were talking about it.” 

“Oh. Yeah, what about it?” 

“I want to know what it meant.” Levi clarifies. 

You lean back as you think about it – about the love in the room – and turn back to him. 

“That night was the first time that Eren and I said we loved each other. That…that was the last time before things went so horribly wrong. Because we sat on the bench and talked about the love in the room, about how it was between us.” 

You can feel your throat drying. 

“After that, I got so busy. I started working too hard. He got stuck on Satellite Port, he…he was around people we hated and there were just so many things that came between us. I let go but then he did too. I had him for a second and then he was gone for good.” 

You look back out at him, posing for a picture with Gabi encased in his arms. 

“I saw you and Hange that day and all I could think about was how in love you guys were. About how I knew love was real, because you guys had it. That…that was what I was going to strive for, what I still do strive for at the end of the day. You guys are perfect, you’re THE love story for me and…you always have been.” 

Levi sighs. 

“Can I say one thing to you?” Levi asks. 

“Yeah.” 

“You have a tendency to not see things as they are sometimes. Like Danny and Sareen taking advantage, like Eren saying it was okay when you let him go, and believing him when he said what he did.” 

You tilt your head to the side, in confusion. 

“Hange and I are far from perfect. I’ll tell you now, very clearly. Hange and I did a vow renewal because we needed one. Not because it was romantic and we wanted to do it again.” 

“What?” 

“We wouldn’t be together if we didn’t do it. And our relationship reached that point, where…where we needed to affirm it again. That we loved each other, that we were committed, that we were what was most important.” 

You sit back, dumbfounded. 

Levi and Hange were in love. They had always been in love. 

“I don’t get it.” 

Levi smiles. 

“What I mean by this is that…these things are normal in love. The initial attraction doesn’t keep you going. You have to pick each other, you have to be on the same side. It’s far more intentional, less cosmic as you think.” Levi states. 

You follow his gaze to Jean and Mikasa, clearly obscenely drunk out of their minds, eating their wedding cake. 

“They’re just as perfect as me and Hange are. It’s a fucking testament to them that they’re sitting here married after what happened with them. And it should be proof to you that what happened with you and Eren won’t hold you back, that…that it’ll really benefit you when it comes to it.  You’ve already gotten past the hard part, you just need to leap now.” 

You swallow hard. 

“Are you shattering my entire worldview by telling me the truth about your vow renewal so I’ll date Eren?”

“Yeah.” 

“Figures.” 

Levi looks over at you, hands warm on your shoulders. 

“Your mistake wasn’t picking him. His was not picking you when it came to it later, not in the way that mattered anyway. Now, fix it. Pick him now.” 

Levi abruptly stops when Eren’s standing at your side, tie loosened around his neck as he gives you a cheesy smile. 

“Ready for me?” Eren asks. 

Levi gives you a narrowed look, which you ignore as you nod and stand up at his side. Eren leads you to the center of the dance floor, securing his hands around your waist as you tangle your own around his neck. 

You and Eren sway to the violin in the background, the two of you quietly observing each other as you walk in step. 

“I’m sorry I took so long. I danced with Mikasa and then Gabi. Lana and Sukuna stopped to talk to me and I just got side tracked.” 

You shake your head. 

“No, no. I…it’s okay. I was with Levi.” 

Eren smiles. 

“I…I’m glad you’re here with me now.” he whispers. 

“Me too.” you whisper back. 

The live singer, a small gift that Levi and Hange had planned for Mikasa and Jean, arrives right at the start of your little dance, and her voice so soft and melodic that you can’t help but pull yourself closer to Eren as she sings, until your ear is muffled against his coat, barely catching the ends of his heartbeat. 

Time's moving so much slower lately It's like the world's playin' a joke Laughing at me for falling foolishly again But something's different with you

Traffic on Sunset doesn't phase me I'm just unusually composed That is until I touch you and I can't pretend I lose myself again, I do

I'm all in, I'm fallin' Can't get back up Can't think right, too tongue-tied It must be love

“Eren?” 

“Yeah?” 

“What are you thinking about?” 

He pulls you apart a little, until you’re standing properly and looking up at him. The violin’s are sending goosebumps down your arms as he looks down at you, pointer finger hooked under your chin as he guides you to look up at him. 

“That someone heard my prayers.” 

You smile. 

“Really?” 

He nods. 

“Armin and I used a whoopie cushion on Connie earlier. Gabi gave me a sweet kiss on the cheek and Teddy fell asleep in my lap earlier. Jean and Mikasa are getting married and I’m here with you. There was a point where thinking I’d ever end up here seemed unfathomable to me.” 

“You and Armin are so immature.” you state. 

Eren shrugs. 

“It keeps me young,” he jokes. 

Friends asking me where I've been hiding I'm losin' hours in your eyes Lost in your wonderland, I hope I'm never found There's no one else around, tonight

I'm not so used to being happy Now I just float down every street You made a sappy, stupid something out of me The kind I swore I'd never be I'm awake inside a dream

“I have…I have a lot I want to talk to you about, Eren. So…so much I want to say.” 

Eren’s eyes widen. 

“My time is always yours. What did you want to say?” 

“It’s so many things. And I want to say it right. There’s…there’s so much going on and I don’t want you to take it the wrong way and I don’t want to scare you off because you and I are just doing good again and I don’t think that –” 

Eren narrows his eyes. 

“Why are you so tense? There’s nothing you could say that would hurt my feelings. It’s just me.” 

You frown. 

“That’s the problem. It’s just you.” 

You feel a tapping on your shoulder, only to find Jean and Mikasa standing by your side, with two glasses in their hands. 

“Are we interrupting something?” Jean asks. 

You groan. 

“No. What’s up?” 

“We have one last request.” Mikasa states. 

“What is it?” Eren asks. 

The two of them give each other an excited smile – cheeks glazed pink – before they turn back to you. 

“You have to let loose and drink.” they state, pushing the glasses into your hands. 

You both give each other a pinched look, before turning back to them. 

“We don’t drink. It makes me sleepy. And he doesn’t like the taste.” you state. 

“We’re not going to force you. But really, you put so much time into the wedding. We just want you guys to have fun…loosen up a little bit.” Mikasa states. 

The two of them giggle as they walk away, leaving the two of you in the center of the dance floor, nursing the glasses in your hands. You look up at him, entirely lost from your train of thought, as he eyes the liquid. 

“Do you want to?” Eren asks. 

“I don’t know. Do you want to?” 

“It’s been a while since I’ve drank. And really, I only choose not to drink because I always seem to be around people that I’d feel uncomfortable losing my inhibitions around. But it’s just you and me and you’re basically one of the only people I could drink around. I don’t think a little wouldn’t hurt, I guess.” 

You nod, following his lead. Your moment to say your piece had passed already. 

“Okay. Okay, yeah.” 

You both lift the glasses to your lips and sip. 

--

Eren has to carry you back into the house. Because true to your previous statement, wine did make you really sleepy – and two bottles of it has you curled up into his lap in the back of the car. 

Eren can feel his heart beating fast, the sensation blooming in his chest as he tries to steady his breaths. He absentmindedly runs his hands through your hair, running his finger over the sole braid tucked behind your ear. 

He doesn’t think about it very well, but he leans forward and presses a kiss to the tip of your nose. Eren figures that he must have leaned too close because it has you rousing from your sleep, only nuzzling into his chest even more. 

“Are we home yet, Eren?” 

He can feel his chest tightening. 

“No, sweetheart. Almost, okay?” 

“Okay. Okay, just take me in with you, alright?” you mumble. 

Eren saves his retort about how he’d never leave you behind for when you’re awake, just so he could make sure that you’d actually remember it. And five minutes later, he’s left standing on the gravel with you, as you lean almost all of your weight into his side. 

Every move he makes has you losing your balance, almost toppling to the ground. 

“Hey. Can you lock your arms around my neck?” 

You give him a halfhearted mumble before following his instructions, only to feel him hook his arms underneath your legs and shakily walk you towards the door. You can tell that he’s stumbling a little bit – not walking straight as he almost backs up into the wall as he walks in. 

The two of you must have had too much to drink. Because as Eren walks straight up the stairs, he aims so horribly that he smacks your head straight into the wall and curses after the fact. 

“Eren.” you hiss. 

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t see the wall.” 

You groan in response. 

“Look out for it next time.” 

Eren scathes his way to the hallway to his room, which he kicks open before leading you in. You all but collapse on his bed face first as he leans against the wall – groaning from how dizzy he was getting. Luckily for him, he had thought ahead to lay out clothes for himself – and that he overthought so much that there was a second pair too. 

Eren walks over to the bed, placing one of his hands on your shoulder as he shakes. 

“Y/N.” 

No response. 

“Y/N. You can’t sleep in your pretty dress.” he whispers. 

“Tired.” you respond, voice mumbled. 

“Here. I’ll help you change, just work with me.” 

Eren holds one of his hands out to you, which you take. He uses it to pull you up until you’re leaning against him, head lolled against his shoulder and his hands on your waist stabilizing you. Eren secures his hand around your face and you lean into the touch as he looks down at you, eyes side. 

“Work with me here.” Eren whispers. 

“Okay.” 

“I’m going to help you with the zipper on your dress. Just slide the shirt that I left on the side, I-I’ll close my eyes.” 

You shrug. 

“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to close your eyes.” 

“What?” 

“I don’t know. Is that weird? It…it’s nothing you haven’t seen before. And…and I’m not…I don’t know what I’m saying.” 

Eren gives you a nod before he guides you to turn around, fixing his shaking hands on the zipper as he starts pulling it down. Eren can feel his breath hitch in his throat as he turns his head away, trying to banish the thought of the fabric pooling at your legs on the floor, at the small dip in your back that he always seemed to think about. 

He can feel you tugging at his arm and he turns back to find you drowning in one of his old t-shirts, as you look up at him. 

“Are you cold? I have pants you can wear or…or an extra blanket and I –” 

“No. No, it’s okay.” 

Eren didn’t really ask for the help, maybe because he was a little bit more awake than you, but he doesn’t stop you when you reach forward and start unbuttoning his shirt. Eren can tell that it’s more difficult for you than it would have been for him, but he doesn’t have it in his heart to stop you. 

Eren pulls the shirt off and discards it to the side, before turning around to unbutton his pants and switch into his boxers. 

“You…you don’t have to wear a shirt. If you still don’t.” you state. 

Eren can feel his cheeks burning. 

“You sure?”

“I actually don't want you to. That’s why I mentioned that.” 

You’re definitely drunk, Eren thinks. 

“And why’s that?” 

“I like feeling close to you. There’s nothing between my ear and your heart when I lean against you.” you mumble. 

Eren can feel his heart constrict – even more than it was before – when you look up at him now, the glitter smeared around your eyes. And he’s not sure what it is, but there’s tears accumulating in your eyes, replacing the sweetness in his chest with concern. 

“Eren.” you whimper. 

“What? What is it?” 

You swallow hard. You lean your hands against his chest, before pressing your cheek to his chest. 

“I love you so much.” 

Eren frowns, before leaning his chin against the top of your head. 

“That’s nothing to cry about, princess. I love you too.” 

You shake your head, bringing your hands up to your cheeks as you squeeze hard on the skin. 

“No. No, I love you, Eren.” you whisper. 

“Y/N. You…you’re drunk.” 

You frown. 

“You don’t believe me?” 

“I do. But I…I don’t know if it’s because you’re drunk. You might change your mind in the morning.” Eren states. 

You shake your head.

“Eren. Eren, you’re everything to me.” 

You look up at him, reaching to tuck the ends of his hair behind his ear, as you feel your voice shake. 

“I saw Mikasa and Jean and I just…I just knew more than I already did before that I want it to be me and you. I want us to write songs together, I want to wake up next to you, I want to give you haircuts in our bathtub.” 

Eren smiles. 

“Haircuts?” 

“I love your hair short. Just a little bit shorter than it is now, because…because it looks like your hair when I fell in love with you. I’ve been falling since then and I just need you to crawl down into this hole and be here with me, Eren.” you mumble. 

Eren sighs. 

“I’d do anything you asked me to. But, but I need you to say it to me tomorrow, when…when you’re being serious.” 

“I am serious. Eren, there’s no love in the room if you aren’t in it with me.” 

Eren has no words. He has to stumble something out – something because you’re looking at him so expectantly with your doe eyes like you’re waiting for him to give in. 

“Still.” 

You nod, as you stand on the tips of your toes to tuck yourself into the neck. 

“Can you give me one thing, Eren?” 

“What?” 

“Will you kiss me? Just once?” you ask. 

Eren pulls back, eyes weary as he looks down at you. 

“I don’t want to take advantage of you. You, you’re…” 

“I want to kiss you. I messed up our second kiss while we were filming because I wanted to kiss you so bad I forgot we were working. I think about it all the time. I want it so bad and I just –” 

Eren leans forward, pressing his lips to yours. You can still taste the remnants of the wine on his lips and he’s breathing shakily into your mouth as he cradles your face in his hands. 

You can feel your heart somersault when he smiles into the kiss, when he presses two, three, and four more to the side of your face. You drop your hands from his neck to his back, the raised skin of the scars on his back underneath your fingers as he presses kisses down your neck. 

“Eren.” 

“Sorry. Fuck, I’m sorry. Too much. We have to go to bed because you’re drunk and I…I can’t do this if you’re drunk and I am too and it…” 

You nod. 

“You’re right. Just…just let me sleep here with you?” you ask. 

“Come on.” 

Eren walks around to the other side of the bed, not without walking straight into the wall first, before he climbs under the sheets with you. And it’s the last thing he remembers before he goes to sleep – you wrapping your leg around him and pressing a kiss right on top of his heart before he goes to bed. 

--

When you wake up in the morning, Eren’s spot in the bed is empty. And you only see him an hour later, when you’re able to reel from what happened last night and see him in the kitchen. 

There’s ten different people milling around the kitchen. Erwin and Historia, Connie and Falco throwing a football, and Sasha taste testing Niccolo’s coffee. But all you see when you walk in is Eren, who just gives you a small wave. 

You feel the rejection sting as you offer it back and take the spot next to him. 

“Hey.” 

“Hi.” 

“Happy last day of filming. Well, not for us, but…you..you know what I meant.” he states. 

You feel your heart drop. He doesn’t remember last night. 

“You too, Eren.”

--

next part linked here

an: oh ladies and gentleman are we ready. ARE WE READY BC CONFESSION NEXT CHAPTER AND IM SO FRRRR. not proofread maybe ill do it tomorrow if I feel strongly enough about it.

also taylor as gojo, bsfs older brother sukuna, and method acting in three days. aka. I CRY A LOT BUT I AM SO PRODUCTIVEEEE ITS AN ART (no I don't I just though this joke was funny)

alsOOOO as I wrap things up I remember someone mentioned wanting some MA chapters from eren's perspective but I can't for the life of me think about which one's would be good for that. the main one that comes to mind is when y/n gets stranded and eren comes to her rescue with ricky LOL. anyways im open to ideas.

taglist: @k0z3me @kayleegomez @yihona-san06 @bsenpai @sweetenertea @mykyoon @violetmatcha @rebeccawinters @cutiejg @bokutosthings @bookwrmm @mblrrr @wheredidmycrowngo @somethinginyoureyes7 @chilichopsticks @okaystopwhore @you-always-made-me-blush @itzmeme @firelordazulaaa @whoami-72 @g-ghostly @intimacywithceline @erensmoodygf @cocomellxn @princess-ackerman @jaegerfiles @cacapeepee @rui-0836 @moonmalice @invisible-mori @sofiasber @bbybeeb @timetobegone @tee4str @ttokki2 @leave-rae-alone @ec3lipsy @officialsimpp @gojojang @yookayyo @lordbugs @multiplefandomthings @iobeyfandoms @camilo-uwu @justanotherkpopstanlol l @mel-star636 @fvckingeetar @ttalgi @najaemism @ilovekimchi123 @youraggedybitch @xoyumiqls @leafguitar @spiidergirlsworld @luvs4kim @levin4nami i @florichun @hoonmyluv

[thesleepyfable]

~ SWTD: Still Here AU Part 26: ~

The Throne That Never Was:

And here we are. There is only one more chapter to go. It's been a wild ride, hasn't it? I also want to thank @sukipershipper for knowing about this chapter since the Operation Spy arc.

The Finale:

The air was filled with the smell of Roy's cooking. It always brought comfort to the crew when they came inside from heavy lifting or battling the elements. For Suze, Cait and Maidie, it was always a special treat to experience his cooking, especially at Christmas, and even if Suze labeled him as a cook and not a chef, she had to admit, he was a far better cook than she'll ever be.

As Roy, Trots, and Simon made the final touches and began to get the plates warmed up, Addair, Raffs, and Brodie returned with their hands and tendrils full.

'Did you lot teardown half the woods?' Innes joked.

'It's better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it,' Addair answered, as if he was expecting the question.

Caz and Gibbo came appeared from the garage with the crates of beer and wine, ready to be dug into the snow as a makeshift fridge. 'Right, let's-' Caz stopped himself and did a quick head count. Someone was missing. 'Where's Rennick?'

Everyone frowned and turned their heads to check themselves. Cait, Maidie, and the other children were inside watching television with Irene, who was reading her book. Jennifer, Suze, Mary, O'Connor, Innes and Muir sat in and around the porch. Caz turned to Addair's group. 'He wasn't with you?'

'No,' Brodie answered with a confused look on his face. 'We thought he was with you.'

'Last I saw him, he was right here.' Literally. Caz was standing in the exact spot he last saw Rennick. 'He tried calling his son again.'

'Well, he couldn't have gone far without anyone noticing.'

'Right...' Caz paused, setting down the alcohol. He tapped his thigh and thought, but it didn't take long for him to figure out where Rennick could be. His eyes glanced to the barn. 'I'll go get him.'

'No,' Suze stood from her spot on the porch steps. 'I'll go. You lot just get everything ready.' She and Caz shared a look, and of course, Suze was right. If something was troubling Rennick, then maybe it was best for someone he had no previous grudges with to talk to him. A clean slate. 'Just save some food for us.'

As she wandered off, the crew shared a guilty look.

Suze approached the back of the barn with great caution. The swollen and bubbled flesh of Rennick could be seen above the stacks of hay, but what made her jump was one of the cats appearing from seemingly nowhere. Seems they didn't mind a giant head making their home his. If only she knew they gravitated towards Rennick like a magnet.

'Davey?' Suze didn't know what she was thinking. How can she help Rennick? She never met him until this afternoon. Caz never mentioned him in their calls that eventually turned to letters. Or, would that help? Carefully, she approached, making sure not to step on him.

Rennick tucked himself into the corner, facing the wall. Still, Suze could see he was making a motion of having his head in his hands. His upper body twitched. He knew she was there, but he had no energy to tell her to leave or scare her off. With one final hop over a tendril, Suze sat on a hay bale.

'Everyone's waiting for you.'

Rennick scoffed. 'Tell them not to bother.' Suze was quick to notice how fragile his voice was. It was literally broken.

'Why should I do that?'

'Because I'm a monster.'

'And, who told you that?'

Slowly, to avoid getting himself stuck, Rennick turned to face her. Suze instantly noticed his eyes. They reflected raw pain and guilt. She shared a look of sympathy and went to hold out a hand for comfort, but Rennick slowly pushed back. 'No one. Just me.'

'Well, from what I gather, you still look like Davey Rennick.'

'Heh,' he sniffled. 'What a fuckin' shame.' He couldn't bring himself to look at her. Rennick stared at the wall, because he knew that if he looked at Suze, then the floodgates will open. When a barn cat approached, the man had to look away, as much as he wanted to hold it close. 'Just go away.'

'I'm not gonna leave you here, Davey, but you have to tell me what's wrong.' The usual loud and boisterous voice Suze carried with pride became soft and quiet. 'Is it to do with your son?' Rennick's body quivered. He forced himself to look at her, but that didn't last long, and he quickly looked away. His eyes focused on the hay, then the floor. If he caught a glimpse of himself, such as a tendril keeping him balanced, he moved it from his sight. A part of him wondered if he stayed quiet, then Suze would leave, but he forgot two things. One, Suze was a mother and had plenty of patience, and two, she's married to Caz.

'I finally got through to him. My son, Callum. At first, I wasn't surprised he didn't answer me, but when he did, I tried to tell him everything. And, do you know what he told me?' Suze didn't answer. 'To stop calling him, and to stay away.' A small whimper escaped Rennick's lips, and he forced a small smile to try and be strong. He made a small yet empty laugh. 'Said I never cared before, so why should I now?' It must be a McLeary curse because Rennick found himself opening up to Suze like he did back on the helipad. 'But, I did care. I made sure he got his private education, put a roof over our heads, and I refused to let him starve. Where did I go wrong?' Another small yet empty laugh. 'He didn't believe me. Can't say I blame him. And, it took me to become a giant fuckin' head to realise that's been the case for years. I haven't seen my son in nearly a decade. I've only seen my grandson once, and now I'll never see him again.'

Rennick knew all along this would be the outcome, but deep down, he thought everything was fine. But, at the same time, he knew his ex-wife played a part. A bitter and messy divorce, and having more custody than him, Rennick knew she fed Callum poison. But, he never tried to correct it. He just hoped he could give his son a wealthy lifestyle, and then all would be fine. How wrong he was. 'I thought if I controlled the men, the entire Beria, then I wouldn't lose anyone. And look how that turned out. I don't...' He sighed. 'I don't know when I became such a prick.' He was never a king. Just a sad man who wanted to be seen.

Trying again, Suze reached forward, and this time, Rennick allowed her to rest a hand on his cheek. That gave him the courage to look at her. Her soft smile calmed Rennick, but he still felt the same.

'Do you know what Caz told me? That, if it wasn't for you, then no one would have made it past Bernard. Tell me, Rennick. What do you want?'

'To not be alone.'

'Then why are you in here?'

It clicked. It finally clicked in Rennick's head. And now, tears began to flow down his face. A tendril wrapped around Suze, pulling her up and into a hug whilst he leaned his head into her chest. Rennick didn't cry quietly. He sniffled, wept openly, and had to catch his breath numerous times. It was a little awkward for Suze, who could feel her coat getting wet from his tears that were as big as her fist. Still, she let him cry and stroke his forehead for comfort. As the years of guilt, anger, and stress washed away, so did the King of The Beria.

All that was left was David 'Davey' Rennick.

[shijiujun]

WHY YOU CAN TRY WATCHING YUAN ZUI 原罪 Original Sin (2024)

Okay I've watched up to 20 episodes (out of 25 I think) and can say that this is a mild, low-level rec — just for people who MIGHT be interested in it, and don't have too much expectations on script etc. Off the cuff, it's very SCI-esque production but with slightly worse lines and acting (I'll explain later) BUT the filming visuals aren't bad, main characters are cute, and the cases objectively are pretty okay. My two cents is - if you're bored and looking to just pass the time, you could watch this, but if not, you won't be losing out on much either, but it's worth a try.

IN GENERAL

It passes as a detective drama - to be very fair, they've really tried their best to do a detective drama properly with the hints, the process, the autopsies, the high management police relations, some spy work, some vulnerabilities, some teamwork, some misunderstandings and arguments, some backstory and some PTSD < they've got all the makings of a good show, plus Wang Haoxuan and Chen Huan the two main leads are nice to look at, and their acting is passable.

Clunky script, lines and acting - Personally I think a lot of the lines were not necessary, and because you stuff like a scene out of place, there's like a lot of unnecessary emotion at strange places you wouldn't expect logically LOL. Some of the clues are also a bit ??? I mean I watch with a lot of suspension of disbelief trust me, but I found myself LOL-ing with a cringe at some places. A little overboard in acting also for the PTSD or like the cases that really affect the two male leads, like you can feel it's a tad over the top in terms of trying to get a feel for the scene, but I mean, like I said, low expectations.

If they had a better production and more episodes, I think this might have turned out to be 100% better. It's a hardcore detective drama, so much so that technically some character development scenes would have done it well but they're like almost overly focused on the detective parts of it and like relationships are all for show, but we'll make do.

SUMMARY

Dai Yu (played by Wang Haoxuan), a medical examiner, works closely with Zheng Ming (played by Chen Huan), a police squad captain to solve five cases (5 episodes per case) — they've known each other for a long time, as Zheng Ming's mentor is Dai Yu's dad, and their relationship goes way back. Between them is the death of Dai Yu's father, who was shot right in front of Dai Yu, and the death of Zheng Ming's best friend Hai Shan, who was exposed for his undercover role and shot to death by Zheng Ming by accident during a hostage situation. This results in Zheng Ming being unable to shoot a person after, afraid that he would miss his shot like he did. As they work through several cases, they unravel secrets of what happened in the years after these two deaths.

Total 25 episodes

Playing on iQIYI, but don't know if there are subs since it's so obscure as a production there's barely any promo of it online

BROTHERHOOD (AHEM)

Truly a brotherhood like as if they're allergic to bromance BUT there are really like split seconds where you have to do a double take OKAY! They're kind of close because Dai Yu's dad was Zheng Ming's mentor, but Dai Yu himself took a while to warm up to Zheng Ming and Zheng Ming is kinda hot-headed, and misunderstands people really quickly. The both of them switch between being real familiar with each other to super professional like SUPER professional.

EP. 1: Zheng Ming sends Dai Yu back but Dai Yu has fallen asleep in the car so he literally removes the seatbelt for Dai Yu and then they just fall asleep in the car like that.

EP. 6+7: Dai Yu has his own house but when he sleeps over at the police housing he rooms with Zheng Ming, and Zheng Ming always nags at him for sleeping with his shoes on. And always buys him breakfast. And when Dai Yu once again falls asleep while talking to Zheng Ming without taking his shoes off, Zheng Ming takes it off for him and is all like "There you go again, sleeping with your shoes on."

EP. 15: After having a cold war with each other for like 3 episodes, Dai Yu tags along on a bust without permission and nearly gets knifed and Zheng Ming is pissed off as fuck going like: "What if that blade really hit the mark?! If it was a gun, you'd also step right in front of it?!" and then he walks off and then Dai Yu says, "If it was you (in danger), I definitely would stand right in front of the gun."

There are a lot of other moments, but it's always just RIGHT when you think it could be a bromance moment NOPE they make it so professional I'm like BRUH!!!

But otherwise for me personally, who's a low-maintenance viewer, this hits the spot and I'd keep watching!! Edit: Just finished watching the whole thing and ARGH wow talk about the most abrupt cold-feeling ending ever LMAO?!!?!

[who-knew-a-sheep-can-write]

Everlong: Vampire!Elliott x Reader

You only noticed it recently.

Standing in the middle of the fence bordering the barns and coops, your eyes gazed over the animals lazily lounging around in the summer sun. Numbers rattled off in your head as you tried to count them the best that you could, stopping when you were sure you’d counted them all only to scoff and start over. Maybe you were double counting? Maybe you were messing up since they were all padding around the packed dirt and grassy fields you tended to? You instead counted heads instead of groups of feet and hooves. Your count kept showing that your barn animals were all present, but your coop animals were missing a few tails. A few cottontails, to be exact.

Entering the two coops, you dug through the nesting hay and searched in all of the nooks and crannies you could find, only to come up without the two rabbits you were missing.

Worry bubbled in your gut, suddenly afraid that maybe something had gotten into coop at night. A fox? A wolf maybe? You’ve heard howling every now and again in the woods, but you’ve never seen them before. If it had been a predator, you were sure that the coops would’ve been trashed, both birds and rabbits completely missing rather than just two of your older rabbits.

Maybe they had gotten out? It seemed odd, but you couldn’t push past the idea. Scanning the fences for any sign of the bunnies digging, you worried your bottom lip. You’ve seen the wild rabbits around plenty of times, so you knew they would at least have some company in the shrubbery around town. You just hoped they would come hopping back soon, especially before winter came. In your search, you had accidentally brushed your fingers against a sharp piece of wood jutting out from the fence, knicking at your fingertip and drew a bit of blood.

You decided to finally settle this, lay it to rest as the sun started to beat down on you. You wafted the loose collar of your shirt to fan the sweat beading at your face. It was too hot for you to be out here worrying. You waved your hand a bit, the pain quickly throbbed before dulling as you pat the little bit of blood on your spare rag.

You trekked back to your farmhouse, hoping to spy your husband standing on the porch like he has done multiple times. He always stood there with a glass of something cold for you to drink and a beaming smile waiting to tell you about all of the progress he’s made with his writing. But as you walked up the cobbled path you laid down by hand, you slowed your pace when you realized Elliott wasn’t there.

Come to think of it, Elliott hadn’t really been around much.

Your stomach churned even more with worry as you stepped up onto the porch and entered your home. Sighing as the air-conditioned living room greeted you with open arms, you shucked off your boots and padded towards the bedroom in search of your husband. You fell asleep before he had gotten into bed and woke with him still fast asleep beside you. You weren’t sure if it was because of the drawn curtains, but you remember having to look at him a little longer as he seemed to be paler. You hoped he wasn’t getting sick.

You peered into the bedroom, expecting to see your husband in bed still if he really was sick only to see the sheets had been neatly made, the blankets had been cold for hours.

You next peered into his study, the cutout room that connected to your bedroom you both had converted so Elliott could have a little space all to his own. The cabin on the beach was still his, you just felt bad that he would have to trek there if he wanted some alone time or to write in peace, so you fixed up the room just for him. But the wallpaper and wood both seemed dim when you opened the door. The books stacked on the desk were all opened, scribbles written all over in dark ink, the papers he had been writing on for his next novel had been left nearly bare long enough for dust to start to form on the parchment. How long had he not been writing?

Something had to be wrong.

Something had to be wrong and you felt horrible for not noticing it sooner. You had been busy all spring helping Gunther with the museum and collecting all of this wood and stone to help Robin with some projects for the town that you had failed to notice your husband was going through a depressive slump.

You jumped a bit in your skin when you heard lithe footsteps start to come down the stairs. You hurried into the living room just as Elliott had finished his descent. He was suddenly startled out of his thoughts, almost as though he wasn’t expecting you to be home. He looked sickly, like he was developing a pretty bad flu, and he looked as though he had lost a bit of weight.

But just the way he looked at you made your heart ache like someone had stabbed you with a burning hot knife.

It was some terrible concoction of dread and annoyance and maybe even disgust. It felt as though he was looking at you like you were all of a sudden the bane of his existence. It was like you were a stranger in his house. Like you were prey that stupidly walked into the lair of the predator.

You would be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up in attention. You instead swallowed the lump that was slowly forming in your throat and made eye contact with your husband.

“Are you feeling okay, El?” you questioned firmly, afraid of your voice wobbling.

He took his time to answer you, almost as though he was debating on what to say, whether to tell you the truth or lie to not hurt your feelings. Either way, it was going to sting.

“Why do you ask?”

His voice was a little hoarse and scratchy, like he hadn’t drank water in a few days or he had been hacking up a lung just seconds ago. You narrowed your eyes a bit. It was still your Elliott, that’s for sure; Answering a question he didn’t exactly want to answer right away with a question of his own. At least you now knew he wasn’t an alien replacement. He started to make his way past you, probably to lock himself in his study to be alone for awhile.

“You don’t look so good. I can call Harvey, see if he can make a house call-”

“No,” he cut you off with a pointed glare.

He started to walk past you. You swore you heard him mutter something under his breath along the lines of ‘He can’t do anything.’ He suddenly stopped in his tracks, shoulders squaring as he stood up straight like he had been shocked to life. He barely moved his head just enough to glance over his shoulder at you, a look of what seemed to be… fear was painted on his face.

“Are you- Are you bleeding, (Y/n)?” his voice was soft.

You turned your hand over, glancing down at the finger you had just cut by accident not even ten minutes ago. It had already clotted with a dark crust, but you could still feel a little bit of pain radiating from it, throbbing down the length of your finger until it buzzed numbly in your palm.

“Yeah- I caught it on sharp splinter when I was checking the animals.” You suddenly perked up. “Speaking of, you wouldn’t happen to know where two of the rabbits are, do you? They’re missing from the coop.”

The look of dread worsened on his face when you asked him that one little question. You saw him eyeing the small cut on your finger like you had the plague. He rubbed at his jaw and mouth and avoided your gaze.

“No- No I-,” Elliott’s words died in his throat.

He suddenly started walking away from you. It was a shock, annoyance bubbling in your veins at his avoidance of your questions. You followed him back into your bedroom before he quickly entered the bathroom. The bathroom door slammed shut, echoing through the house. It startled your cat who was lazily following behind you, the poor thing scurrying off into another room.

“Elliott,” you called, not ready for this to be over. He didn’t answer, but you heard the door lock shut. You didn’t know if you were more pissed off or worried by his behavior. You stepped up to the door, fist ready to knock only for your blood to suddenly cool. You pressed your hand flat against the hardwood door and sighed. “Elliott, tell me what’s wrong. Please?”

Little did you know that on the other side of the bathroom door, Elliott was standing there with his hands pressed against the wall on either side of the doot. His forehead pressed into the wood as he nosed the crack of the door.

He could smell you.

He could smell every bit of you and it made his shoulders and hands quake.

He can smell the salt of your sweat drenching the collar of your shirt, the fresh dirt that clung to the cuffs of your pants.

Your blood coursing through your veins.

He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly drier than the Calico Desert as he ground his teeth. He felt soft pricks against his bottom lip, eyes wincing as his fangs ghosted against the door.

He can’t lose control.

His hands clenched into tight fists, veins bulging in his forearms as fought tooth and nail to keep his sanity from slipping. His body washed over in a gleam of cold sweat. His heart was barely beating, his body felt frigid and boiling at the same time. He’s never been so hungry before, one bite couldn’t hurt-

No.

Elliott yanked himself away from the door, turning away and catching himself on the vanity sink. He gripped the marble edges so hard he almost cracked the stone. He caught a glance of himself in the mirror; He could never get used to seeing himself like that in any reflection. His pallid skin replaced his hearty tan, the veins seemingly painted on his skin, the deep ruby eyes that overtook his emerald hues. Just the way his clothes seemed to droop from his lithe form weakening and the strands of auburn that slipped from its tie, he looked like a disheveled monster, the fangs glistening in his mouth were just the cake topper.

‘When were you going to tell your lover what you really are?’ his subconscious cooed in his ear.

He should’ve told you years ago when you both were still flirting with each other- No. He should have never gotten with you in the first place. He’s heard all of the horror stories that came when a vampire tried to romance a human, they all never ended well. Why did he think this would be different? And now, here he was, trapped in the bathroom that seemed to slowly close in on him as the regrets started piling up left and right.

It was getting to be too much.

His mind was racing and he was just so hungry.

You knocked softly, but in his head, it felt like you were smacking the door with a frying pan. His temples throbbed, his eyes burned, his mouth ached. He could practically taste how sweet your blood would be on his tongue, and that cut on your finger wasn’t doing him any justice.

“Elliott? Can you let me in?” Your voice was so pained. It hurt him listening to you be so worried about him when you should be terrified. You should be terrified of what he’s hidden from you for years. You should be terrified of what he did to those poor rabbits. You should be terrified about what’s in your bathroom right now. “Please?”

He could feel his sanity pull taut and thin like a piece of fragile thread.

And it snapped.

[technicolorfamiliar]

Contraband (Blackout) Dir. Michael Powell 1940

This one has been on my rewatch list since I first saw it last year. It was one of the few films in the epic Connie watch-a-thon that felt like it had some kind of curative powers, in the surprising way some movies do. I never expected it to lift my spirits and lighten my heart the way it did.

10/10 no notes. I absolutely love everything about this movie. Except the randomly shoehorned "White Negro" scene. It's so out of place in an otherwise pretty progressive film. That cabaret act literally could have been anything, why choose that?? (I couldn't find a lot of info about the choreographer, but it sounds like he was into romanticizing and exoticizing African and Caribbean people in his work… which is not great, but pretty typical of that time I guess. Ugh.)

But otherwise delightful, a romp from start to finish. Apparently someone on IMDB slammed Contraband for being "camp expressionism", but honestly? Hell yeah. I'm 100% here for it. In fact, "camp expressionism" my new favorite genre if it means cute, quirky, risqué, well-directed, well-shot, romantic spy comedy with a tight script and excellent performances.

I've also seen people comparing it to American screwball comedies of the era, but that doesn't seem quite right or even fair. Contraband, thanks to Powell, Pressburger, the editor, and the cast, has a very light touch compared to the comedies coming out of Hollywood in the '30s and '40s. It's not as heavy-handed, it doesn't beat its message to death with over-done gags or affected performances. Michael Powell even said the movie was "all pure corn, but corn served up by professionals." And that's the Powell and Pressburger difference, baby.

The comedy in the script is executed with relative subtlety. The movie isn't telling you HERE’S THE FUNNY BIT, LAUGH NOW the way screwball, slapstick Hollywood would. You almost have to be looking for the humor here to catch it, and it pays off. It's a cheekier type of comedy, not really driven by jokes and punchlines. And as someone who never really liked American comedies of that era, I really appreciate this kind of film. It's silly, even outright stupid in some scenes, but it's not playing down to it's audience. I mean, the whole brawl in the night club is almost like the big fight at the end of Blazing Saddles where more and more people keep joining in, but the action stops for half a second while someone delivers a line. It's stupid. And I love it.

The espionage stuff in is a little convoluted and kind of treated as a throw-away. But really, if you're not paying super close attention to that part of the story, you're not missing much. The spy plot between the British and the Nazis is really just there to give the lead characters something fun to do, and you know what… that's ok with me.

The cinematography also helps elevate Contraband above just being a regular old comedy. Featuring the London blackout is actually really clever. It forces a number of scenes into almost total darkness, which was a risky move and could have been a huge mistake, but it adds yet another interesting layer to the film, visually and in terms of story. There's an unusual POV (possibly handheld?) tracking shot, when Andersen and Mrs. Sorensen are walking up to her house in town, that's just lit by their flashlight. We don't see either of them, except for her hand briefly putting the key in the lock, until after they enter and the camera pans around the hall. And there's a moment a while later when they're in the basement after being tied up where Connie's face is entirely in shadow -- we know he's looking at her, but his expression is completely hidden in darkness. On paper, it sounds like a bad shot, a mistake, but this "expressionistic" lighting and camera work adds a little extra special sauce that I for one greatly appreciate.

The supporting cast is all generally pretty good. Hay Petrie is fun in a double roll. There's the scene in the rowboat where he looks like he's going to get sea sick… despite being the first mate who practically lives on a ship. Little character touches like that throughout the movie make it delightful: The girl in short shorts doing exercises in her room when Connie bursts in on her, the line delivery of the woman who works in the kitchen with Uncle Erik, the guy outside lighting his pipe during the blackout letting those two cops HAVE it. I love a character actor driven movie, all these people in bit parts adding so much color to the story. Brilliant.

Valerie Hobson is so good in this. First of all, she's a boss bitch with an incredible wardrobe. Every look she's serving is iconic. The tweed jacket and headscarf that matches her blouse? The dress with the crazy angular shoulder pads? The big, wide-brimmed hat? Slay. She's authoritative without being shrill, she's got a confident swagger you don't see a lot of actresses getting to showcase at that time. Still, she's not really a femme fatale either. Mrs. Sorensen is independent, intelligent, stunning, and into dangerous spy shit because she enjoys it. She's someone I'd want to hang out with, but would be too scared to talk to because she's so cool. I mean, she almost missed the train at the end because she went back to get Andersen's watch! I have two words for you: Wife Goals.

Sadly, it sounds like Val didn't really get to do a lot of other fun roles outside of the two films she made with Connie. Which is a real shame. Someone on Letterboxd said they're better together than Tracy and Hepburn, and I fully agree. Val and Connie have a natural chemistry that neither feels feel too personal or too studied. Their on screen work together feels easy, without all the baggage and volatility of IRL romance.

The first time I saw Contraband, I think I was simply charmed by Connie as Andersen. Getting to see him as a fun, heroic, romantic lead is incredibly satisfying. But this time around I realized how funny he actually is. He's is so cranky, he starts the movie already at like an 8.5, he's so fucking over it. It's one thing after another -- Mrs. Sorensen won't wear her life jacket, British contraband control wants to hold up them up, someone stole the landing papers, and of course it was Mrs. Sorensen AND Mr. Pigeon. He's so grumpy from the get. (My theory is that he's hangry. He's temperamental and irritable up until he gets a decent meal at The Three Vikings. So relatable.)

It was fun to rewatch this one to catch all the comedic beats Connie is doing with his gestures and facial expressions. They're choreographed, but not affected or over done. His timing and delivery is subtle and finely tuned, which is always funnier than an actor who deliberately plays up the laughs. For example, the long pause after Mrs. Sorensen corrects his pronunciation of the name of the restaurant, he furrows his brow and looks around and finally mutters, "…VI-kings." His comedy is so understated, which keeps the rapid-fire pacing of the bits from being obnoxious.

Andersen is an interesting guy, too. I feel like his macho vibe is just a mask he wears as captain of his ship. He's so used to being That Guy, but, based on Connie's performance, I get the impression that deep down Andersen doesn’t really subscribe to all that traditional masculinity. Later in the film it's easy-ish for him to eventually drop the façade, adjust his expectations, becoming more flexible, malleable in his ideas about sex and gender. This of course is because Conrad Veidt was in reality a proto-feminist wife guy. Andersen isn't played like your standard manly man movie heroes of the time, because that's not who Connie was, that's not an image he wanted to project or support (and I feel one reason why Hollywood couldn't figure out what to do with him in the '40s, but that rant is for another post).

Andersen and Mrs. Sorensen are pretty evenly matched. In fact she has the upper hand and more progressive, dominant role especially once they arrive in London. On his ship, he's the boss, but on shore he's met with one disadvantage after another. Mrs. Sorensen has to be the one to pay for his bus and cab fare, confidently navigating her way through the blackout like a pro. Meanwhile, Andersen is pretty much a bumbling fool, a sidekick to Sorensen's spy adventure. But he's not totally incompetent either (I MEAN IT LOOKS LIKE HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING WITH THOSE ROPES, HE IS A SAILOR AFTER ALL *eyes emoji* *sweating emoji*), he's the one who comes up with the plan to rescue Sorensen from her Nazi captors (although I get the impression she probably would have found her own way out without his help). But what's great is that he doesn't do it alone, he goes back to The Three Vikings to round up a small army of Danish essential workers to back him up. And I love how Connie plays the whole last act of the film like he's actually on an adventure; you can see Connie the actor having the most fun ever getting to be the big movie star hero, tussling with cops and Nazis, solving puzzles with glee, getting the girl -- who is just as much of a badass as he is -- in the end. It's so good. And it's so much fun to watch.

There are so, so many wonderful little touches in this movie, many of which I only caught during this second watch. I have a page of scribbled notes I wrote while I was watching that ends with, "The cutest shit I have ever seen!" From the performances to the writing to the technical details, it's hard not to fall in love with this one. Contraband is easily one of those films I could rewatch over and over again and never get sick of it.

OH I can't believe forgot about The Boys:

The goodest boys.

[kahlanmars]

PAPER RINGS part. 8

MASTERLIST

HIIII.

Fist of all, THANKS!! And this part contains SMUT. Please, if you are minor don't read. It starts with *ear* and it ends with *love* in bold.

This chapter is just a cuddle from me to me. And you, if you ship Daymitch.

this is the gif just because Woody looks hot here.

8. Drew a map on my bedroom ceiling

It’s not a surprise when he starts kissing you with heat and he pushes you onto the mattress, and your body is craving for his touch. It’s like he burns you with his hands when he touches your skin, and there is no better feeling in the whole world. Well, maybe there is a better feeling, but you don’t want to be crude.

«Hay, before we start…» You try to say, which is hard if he wants you. And he definitely wants you. You are proud of the way he looks at you, and you are up to whatever he wants to do to show you he missed you and he is sorry, but you are also determined to clear the situation before.

«Didn’t we start already? I missed you. I was miserable without you. When I thought I lost you…» He is attacking your neck and he is so talented with those kisses, he knows every spot to make you ache with desire, that you almost give up. But no, you are the strongest soldier.

«The thing you said about the house, did you mean it? That it’s just your house and not mine?» You have to know it. You moved into his house without really meaning to, you were in a coma and then you needed him twenty four seven, but now you don’t have to. You could find a small house in the village or take one of the empty houses in the victor’s village, even if you are technically not a victor. There is no need for you to stay in a home you can’t call yours.

He wouldn’t be completely wrong either. Who is crazy enough to move together after six months of a relationship? Courtship in Twelve is much longer.

«It was just me not being able to live with someone else. I’ve been completely alone for twenty four years, Sweetheart, I took all the decisions by myself. I want to stay with you.» He takes your hand and kisses your palm. «And what is yours is mine, don’t doubt it. Sometimes I just slip into old habits.»

«So I don’t have to move out.» You want to be sure. His eyes darken in worry.

«Don’t even think of it. I want you by my side. Always.» He even kisses you on the cheek and you melt completely. «Why? Do you want to go? I understand I'm not the easiest roommate. And it's been rushed… I rushed it. If you want-»

«No!» You reassure him. You always forget it’s mutual, in your mind he is very sure of how you feel about him but in reality he isn’t much. «I want to stay. I like our life. I like waking up with you and dinner with you, I like our routine… I want to live like this forever.» You blurt it out. You are not one for great words. I mean you are, you always say to your friends and to him that you love them, but he does not, and in your everyday life you express your affection in other ways. 

«Same for me, Sweetheart. I asked you to marry me for this very reason.»

«And just for the records, you don’t think I’m a gold digger.» You bite your upper lip. You are aware you give off this vibe. You stay with an older man, a good looking and wonderful older man but still, you like money, and you are kinda spoiled. But you are not with Haymitch for his status. You are with him because you love him. 

«I’m not exactly a catch. You stayed with me in a hole under the ground with no guarantee of a life after that, you put up with my shit too many times. No, I don’t think you are a gold digger.»

This time it’s you who attacks him with kisses. «I didn’t put up with anything, and you are a catch. You are smart, and funny, and handsome and so good in bed I think I’m addicted to you…»

«I would hope so.» He strokes your cheek. «I’ll never let you go again. Doctor Payne says-»

«Who’s Doctor Payne?» You interrupt him.

«I… I went to therapy. I figured out something was wrong and now I don’t think Thirteen is spying on us so much anymore, so I called Dr. Aurelius and she called Dr. Payne.»

You pepper his face with kisses and giggles. «I’m so happy for you!»

Going to a therapist it’s a big thing for someone as paranoid as Haymitch. And he wasn’t wrong, there were spies everywhere before the revolution and sometimes you are still afraid of it too. 

«Me too, but now please… I can’t stay over a bed and not have a bite of my lady…»

«Bite me then.» You climb into his lap and whisper in his ear. «Kiss me, taste me. I think it’s time for you to fuck me properly, my love.»

«I didn’t give proper attention to this body lately, right Sweetheart? I neglected this poor stunning body of yours.» 

He approaches you like a hunter, tossing you on the mattress like a ragdoll, and you feel like a prey, you feel his eyes on your body like he wants to eat you out in a whole bite. 

You missed it so much, he has this magical power to make you feel like you are the most beautiful woman on earth.

«I feel very neglected.» You pout. It shouldn’t be true, but living in two different cities has been so difficult for this aspect. When you are at home, you two make love at least once a day. It’s not planned, but he brushes his hand against yours, or he reads to you with that deep voice that tickles your belly, and you aren’t without fault, you wear skimpy pyjamas and you giggle in a flirty way like you didn’t conquer him yet. You are the epitome of a coquette girl, when it comes to him.  

«I should always cherish you… your legs, your lips, your neck…» 

He is over you and he starts going south, until he reaches your tights. He smirks, he likes to undress you like he is unwrapping a present. He is careful not to break the tights and he tosses them away when your legs are free.

«So beautiful, Gorgeous.» He starts peppering kisses along your ankle, up and up on the leg until he meets your thighs. He avoids your panties to place wet kisses on your belly and he smirks against your skin when the bra is on the way. You are a painting mess, because while he is busy doing this you are shivering from his mouth and wondering hands.

«Let me taste you, my love.» You ask and you suddenly realise he is completely dressed, while you are in your panties and bra. Unfair, unfair! You want to see your man in all his glory. You love his body, he is firm and muscular in a manly way, he is so virile and strong. You almost sigh at the thoughts. 

«No protests from me.»

You quickly remove his shirt and start to trace a line with kisses along his taurine neck, his chest, his black boxers you bought him when you found out he was sleeping naked and you two were on a sex strike.

«I’m so happy you are mine, Haymitch, all mine.» 

«All yours.» He closes his eyes and you have to admit that this is one of your favourite feelings in the world, Haymitch completely broke, in your power, a shivering man who begs for more and more of you. «Babe, you are a view. Stunning.»

You blush, and doubt you are a view with your lips wrapped on his cock, but you love how powerful that makes you feel, and Haymitch is so handsome you almost whine in anticipation for what he will do to you.

«If you keep doing this I won't be able to resist for long.» He warns you, but he is guiding you with his hands on your scalp - and it’s hot, you don’t know why but it’s so hot when he does this - and you take the opportunity to look at him in a seductive smirk.

«And what’s the problem with that, darling?» You purr. 

«I want you to… to enjoy… Daisy, please.»

«Shh, just let me do this.» You suggest.

He gives up his protests almost immediately when you start to bob your head and you enjoy his moans very much, he cries in please and he claims your name on his lip like he is praying to a personal goddess.

You are his personal goddess, right now. 

When you finish you are satisfied and he looks so lost he is almost cute, his face open in a dumb smile.

«Shit, Sweetheart.» He pants, and his hands go to massage your neck. He loves your neck, you know that, he always bites it or kisses or, well, he does like to choke sometimes. Just as much as you like his wide hands wrapped around your skin. And you are not that innocent either, you clearly remember bites that needed medical attention after. 

«I think what you mean is “Yes, I’m going to marry the right woman”.» You climb into his lap again and you hide in the crook of his neck.

«Damn right.» He whispers, still a bit puzzled, «Give me a minute and then-»

«I didn’t do it to have anything in return. I did it because I like it. I quite like you.»

«Sweetheart, if I’m not in you in ten minutes I’m going to die from abstinence. Again.»

You laugh, and you violently blush because he is very blunt when he wants to. «So you are addicted to me now?»

He takes your lips in a fiery kiss. «Good thing you are with me.»

«Always, my love.»

Haymitch Abernathy does not disappoint, and you end up seeing little stars on the ceiling. It takes almost five minutes for you to remember how to talk again. You honestly regret him being your first time, because you have no idea if it’s normal or if he is particularly good at what he does. Is it normal to forget what your name is, is it normal to just want to whisper his when you are ecstatic?

«Did you see the article?» You ask, giving his shoulder a sleepy sloppy kiss. You don’t have the stamina to do something else and he is completely broke, but… his body is there and what are you supposed to do, not enjoying what is yours?

«Yeah. Didn’t believe it.» He reassures you. Then he begins to stroke your raven hair with his callous, big hands and you close your eyes feeling in paradise.

Yes, this is paradise. A post sex cuddle with the most handsome man in the entire galaxy.

«Good. I was just crying, he was consoling me.» You justify yourself. You don’t need to, he is the one who kissed someone else, not you. And yet.

«I’m sorry you cried, and I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner.» He strokes his hand on your cheek. You see regret in his eyes.

«Don’t worry. You are here now.»  You let out a content sigh, but then you remember something. «Haymitch, where is your kitten?»

Stew is too little to be alone for more than three hours, let alone a day. But it’s Haymitch you are talking about. The guy who made a fence so strong that wolves couldn’t pass through it to get a geese. The guy who never once thought a cat could survive in the wild and was willing to take him in. The guy that, when you laughed he got the kitty a cat’s bed, replied “Where do you think it could sleep, on the floor?” in an annoyed adorable voice.

«With Peeta. And, babe… our kitten.» Peeta makes sense. Katniss wouldn’t, she is not a big fan of animals, but Peeta has always been tender and kind. 

«She hates me, for now it’s your kitten.» You smile. You’ll win the kitty over, but you can understand she is totally in love with your almost husband. 

«She doesn’t hate you. She is jealous, possessive and spoiled. I see a resemblance.»

You pretend to gasp. You are not possessive… not really. You just like to joke, and when you play jealous you get kisses and reassurances. And he is not either, but he is insecure. Of his age, of his status, scared that somehow someday you will leave him.

«I’m prettier.» You smirk, your nails digging on his neck. «And my claws are sharper.»

«Let me see your claws, pretty kitten.» He laughs and you pull him in a kiss. 

«Try to kiss another woman and you’ll see them.» You warn him. You didn’t forget it just because you love him and you want to be with him. He dismissed your concerns and that was the result.

«She kissed me.» He reminds you, guilty flashing on his face.

«You let her.»

«Hey, never again. I promise you. Plus, I think Finnick will want my head.»

«So you are not just a bit jealous of the magnificent Finnick Odair? With his shining blonde hair and his charming smile and his chiselled abs and a pretty fine a- ehi, come here!» He tries to get out of the bed, but you put him down with a long kiss and you start peppering other pecks on his chest.

«You wanted Finnick so bad, I was going to get him for you.» He jokes. «I know I don’t have… chiselled abs or a charming smile. But I intend to make you happy.» And you believe him and his strangled voice.

«I don’t want Finnick. I never wanted him. I want you. And you don’t believe me, but you are a good looking, attractive man and I’m lucky to be your lady.»    

He can’t answer that, but his eyes are now a little flashy and watering and his lips are on yours.

«Don’t you have to go make dinner for Effie?» He asks because this is the routine. You do that even on the weekends when he is in her house. Effie has been magnificent and patient with you, and even after her delusion and your blackmailing little problem, she is worried about you. She is worried if you sleep enough, and she checks if you are in bed at a reasonable hour, and she controls if you eat enough. This is huge, Effie Trinket, who grew up in a strict house when it comes to food. She confessed to you her mother used to be severe, she went to model school when she was just a teenager because of her mom, and the situation was pretty abusive.

«She forced me to rest on bed.» You confess. 

«Great idea…» His hands go on your breasts and you giggle when he squeezes them. Sometimes he is not forty one, sometimes he is thirteen. And you love the childish side of his nature.

«That’s not resting.» You point out. Not that you mind, really. But he is forty two, how can he be so eager already? You don’t dare to ask if it’s normal but maybe you could drop the topic with Perla when she feels better.

«That’s relaxing.» He deadpans, and he starts to put little seductive kisses on your neck. «I missed you… your scent, babe, there is nothing like it.»

You blush, because you can’t help moaning a little. It’s like electricity. «I love you.»

«What about you two girls have a nice dinner together and I cook for you? You are both exhausted.» 

You close your eyes, enjoying the sensation of protection he always gives you when you are near to him. His cooking is something you love about him. You don’t mind the cooking part of your maid job, it’s better than scrubbing the floor or cleaning the clothes, but he loves it. He really enjoys it.

«That sounds like a wonderful idea. And then you eat with us?» 

«Nope. I eat here with peace and quiet.»

He needs his space. You are aware, he told you, and yet you feel like it’s wrong, as if you were doing a bad thing to him. For you it would be terrible not to be included, for him it’s the opposite.

«I don’t want you to tire yourself without a reward…»

You thought he was going to ask something sexy, but he surprises you. «Then give me a reward, cutie. Afterwards we can watch a movie or read a book together.»

You laugh and kiss him again. «A reward for a nice dinner. How domestic.»

«I’m going to spend all my life with you, Sweetheart. We will have plenty of domestic moments.»

This sounds so good you might cry. He doesn’t understand it, but it’s so good to be around him. You feel cuddled and protected and sure, he is your little piece of peace in this world. Your home.

«I can’t wait.» Your kiss is lingering on his lips. «We will be old together.»

«Impossible. I’m already old.» 

You burst into another laugh, and then you flirt, because he is your man and what’s more fun than flirting with your man? Nothing. You let a finger slide through his chest. «So you will be this sexy forever? I have to keep up.»

«Something tells me it won’t be that hard for you.» 

His hands are already on your butt but then you remember you have to eat with Effie, and you laugh against his lips. «Later. We have all night.»

«We have all our life, Sweetheart.»

The next morning, regenerated from your night with Haymitch - who wants to talk to Finnick - and relieved about Effie, you are ready to talk to Lora.

You are hosted just like me. Your whole world is collapsing and you don’t even help me for me! You are doing it to distract yourself!

You have to admit you didn’t like her words. She was cruel two nights ago, at the party. She aimed to hurt and she succeeded. You could have expected it from Perla or maybe Effie, because you bicker with the Four girl all the time and you know Effie’s comments are sharp, even if they are not directed to you. Lora has always been sweet, though. The kind girl from district Eleven you learned to know better. She thinks you have been helping her to distract yourself. She still thinks that. She didn’t call and you didn’t see her when you went to Perla, so she must still be mad.

This time you don’t bring pastries, because the comment stings. 

It’s Cinna who opens the door, again. You forget he has his office at home, partly because it’s cheaper to pay one place instead of two, partly because he wants to keep an eye on Perla. 

You are a little shocked by Perla, and you feel stupid you didn’t catch the signals before. And you feel powerless, impotent. What can you do for her? How can you say it without being disrespectful? Perla is always so eager to make everybody think she is the strong one, she would be offended.

«Daisy! Come, come. Do you want a coffee? Tea?»

Cinna is in a good mood today, and that makes you feel a little better towards Perla. He loves her so much that he is miserable when she is not okay.

«No thanks.»

You follow him to his office, and you are stunned. Portia’s office is linear and everything is in its place, but Cinna’s office is an explosion of colours. He has sketches up on the wall and on the desk, crayons and pencils and watercolours. It’s so pretty, like a studio for a child. This is how you want to have an office.

«Sorry about the mess, you know it. You missed Perla, she is better today so she decided to go to work. Silly decision if you want my opinion. Oh, you are here, you can take these to Portia… these are the drawings for District One.»

You always forget Cinna comes from District One and not from the Capitol. He was one of the few that climbed from a district to the Capitol thanks to his skills. It was almost impossible, but he is a legend, very good in what he does, and he played his game when he decided to offer himself for district Twelve, the only district that needed a stylist so badly because no one wanted to be associated.

Meanwhile, when no one knew it, he was a part of the revolution. And he met Perla through Finnick.

«I was actually looking for Lora.» You confess. «But these are beautiful. Mine are not… are not like that.» You are a little scared now. You were proud Portia decided to include you, but you are not her or Cinna.

«I would hope so, you are Daisy and I can’t wait for a Daisy original.» He tries to reassure you. «Lora? She doesn’t live here anymore.»

That shocks you. In two days?! Or she didn’t tell you? You try to relive the last conversations with her. You were aware she was guilty about living with them, but she doesn’t have a job.

«Excuse me, she what?» 

«She moved out last night, she said she was moving in with her model friend.»

Oh no. And… she moved in a night? That doesn’t make sense. Then again, she doesn’t have that much, she could probably just fill a suitcase, and if you know her better she also always kept everything in the suitcase just in case. 

«Lavinia?» You easily guess. Lavinia Crane is the only friend Lora has apart from you. But, for what you know, Lavinia is also a wealthy model from Capitol and that doesn’t add up. How is Lora paying? Chaff is not that rich. 

«Yeah. Perla was not happy about it, she doesn’t trust her.» Perla is right. Perla is right most of the time, you shouldn’t have questioned it.

«I can understand why. Do you have an address?»

«On the fridge.»

Maybe it’s just a stupid doubt, but you want to check. You don’t trust the blonde Capitol girl and you don’t want to abandon your friend again, so you guess you are going house-hunting this morning.

[doobnnoob-tf2]

hai hai! It’s keys! Been a while!! But keys has been reading and ruminating in silence for a long time and keys have missed asking you things! So here’s one, if it hasn’t been done before, key’s brain is a little fuzzy, but what kinda jewelry would the mercs wear (if they could and would?)

thank u!!

-keys

Scout: he likes to say he'd wear it all, but in the end he starts complaining about how he doesn't like how it feels. he doesn't like the necklace on his neck, doesn't like how the ring makes his fingers sit, doesn't like how he constantly would have to readjust a bracelet. he just likes the attention it gives him having it on

Soldier: he loves simply necklaces but very large and gaudy rings and would be more than happy to deck himself out in both. the problem is, by the end of the day they'd be missing and he'd have no memory on where they went

Pyro: they're allergic to any metal other than gold, but they don't like the look of gold. so they just wouldn't choose to wear anything in the end. they love metals that oxidize into a vividly different color, like copper, and would happily wear stuff like that if it wouldn't cause them to break out

Demoman: he would wear as much as he can, everywhere he can if he was able to. but he also thinks it would be too much. but he doesn't care. he flips back and forth between whether he'd wear jewelry or not. at the very least, he would wear one necklace.. and maybe that'll turn into two, and then a ring as well, and then..

Heavy: he doesn't think anything would fit him is the issue. but that doesn't stop him from writing down very detailed notes on a ring he would love to have for himself. something with stones to represent each of his sisters and their mother. but it also has a thick, blunt part underneath so he can put in some extra damage when punching someone by spinning the ring around while not damaging the stones

Engineer: he will never admit it to anyone, but he thinks bracelets are cute. he also would never wear one because he works with machinery and that is a disaster waiting to happen. he doesn't want anything dangling off it, just a very simple chain would be good enough for him

Medic: he doesn't only because he has a hard enough time keeping his birds from playing with his glasses. he can't imagine how much worse it'd be if he were wearing a ring or forbid a necklace. if he could though, he would have a ring on every finger

Sniper: he's simply not a jewelry guy. anything he would wear - if he absolutely HAD to - would be very simple and plain and not flashy in the slightest. he wouldn't count it as jewelry, but he likes to wear bracelets or necklaces made from / containing animal teeth

Spy: he has a lot of jewelry set aside for certain disguises of his, so he wears it somewhat frequently. but in his off time, he chooses not to wear it. it's more of an association thing for him, that if it's on he needs to be playing a character

[creativitysparks4everxoxo]

**TFE Spoilers if you haven't watched S1A & S1B yet**

Been meaning to post this...

Things I want to see in Transformers: EarthSpark S1C

1. A thorough explanation for why the hell Bee has been in hiding for sooooo long, why he went rogue, why Optimus kept his existence a secret from G.H.O.S.T., and why Bee didn't just join G.H.O.S.T. like Elita-1 and Arcee!!!! Please! I need to know!!! WHY WAS BEE ALONE AND IN HIDING FOR SO LONG???! 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

2. Similar to my last point, what's going on with Wheeljack? Is he also rogue, and why hasn't he joined G.H.O.S.T.?? I would also like more info on him and more screentime with him and Twitch! 🥺🥺

Look at them! It's so adorable that Twitch calls him Dad 2! 🥰

3. Random, but I would really like to see Nightshade speak in their alt mode more. I don't know why, I just really want this! Lol we only saw them speak whilst in their alt mode twice, and that was in "Missed Connection" and "Home" I believe. Please give us more talking badass hawk owl protector moments! Actually, just give us more Nightshade moments PERIOD! 🥺

4. More Elita-1 and Arcee scenes with them being absolute badasses!!!!

I love them! ❤️

5. I want to see a Decepticon actually allowed on the Malto family's property without getting tackled to the ground by Bee, or them resorting to following someone home and then secretly spying on their family. Maybe it could be Breakdown that pays Bee a friendly visit and meets his family members (I am hopeful that he is still alive. Oh pleaseeeee let him still be alive! 🙏🏾). Or maybe it could be Tarantulas that pays Nightshade a visit and interacts with their family members. I just really want to see a Decepticon visit the Malto family without malicious intent! 🥺🥺🥺

6. A scene where Arcee uses her gun! I know this is a promo pic, but I actually really want to see her use her gun. It looks so cool! So cool and pink! I really like the design.

7. Agent Schloder standing up to his sister again and becoming more and more aware of how truly evil she and the whole G.H.O.S.T. operation is. Maybe even have him side with the Malto family again like he did in "Security Protocols" to protect them.

8. More Terran fluff and more Terran/Malto Kids fluff! I love fluff! Give me all the sweet, sweet fluff created by drama, angst, comfort, and love! 🥰🤩🤩

9. A wholesome af scene where the Malto Kids and Terrans express their concern for Bee after he regains his strength after the events of "Home". Honestly, I would really love it if the first episode of S1C starts off with Bee sleeping peacefully in a pile of hay with a bunch of pillows, with the Malto Kids and Terrans watching him. And then he slowly wakes up and realizes that he's safe. I REALLY hope the writers don't just do a time jump and skip over Bee being injured from the events of "Home", or the fact that the Malto Kids and Terrans snuck out and went to Philly. I want some Malto Kids/Terrans/Bee fluff, dammit! 🥺🥺🥺🥺

10. I would love to hear Skullcruncher speak. The poor guy has been through A LOT!!! He was working for Mandroid earlier in the series and then later on G.H.O.S.T. was doing experiments on him. 🥺🥺 I want to hear him talk about it! I want to hear him talk about all the fuckery going on with G.H.O.S.T. and what their plans are.

11. Can we please have a Swindle and Hardtop reunion? Pleaseeee?!! I really want him to be reunited with his brother! Swindle did the most trying to find him and we need to see them reunited!!!! 🥺🥺🥺

12. We need to revist those creepy worm/grub looking things that appeared in "Bear Necessities", 'cause that is not something you just skip over. Wtf were those things??! What is their purpose?? Are they infused with Energon?

~That's all for now. I might make more posts if I come up with anything else.

Part 2:

[folkling]

PUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRR welcome home and YAAAAASSSSS JAMES BOND in the 90s is definitely my cup of tea wasn’t a fan of the newer James Bond he just didn’t hit it for me the movies looked GOODT but idk Chile ANYWHO the way I would watch tomorrow never dies before bed every night but hbo max and Amazon be playing with my emotions taking my favorites off and shit like you DUMB SLUTS LMAO! I always wanted to do something spy themed in sims because of James Bond most definitely will give it a go BABY THAT BUILD I WILL BE SHAKING IN MY COWGIRL BOOTS ALWAYS EATING AND NEVER DISAPPOINTS PUUURRRR BESTIE!!! 🤭✨💅🏾💋😌💕👉🏾👈🏾

Hay fren' hayy! Missed you down. I have to take extra precautions to watch the shows I want because they really play with people time. But yeah, I'm trying to make this little casino a grown n' sexy location for your sims to have a good time! Thanks boo. Xoxo

[raichuu-agere]

WOWIE!! you do theatre too!! i also do theatre AND sports, so if its not exam week, im barely at home 😖 im happy to have a theatre fren! thats definitely something i wanna pursue:3 as of right now, ive been trying to spy and investigate an account that mysteriously disappeared after i was just stalking it last night…

also, dunno if youre still wondering about miss pumpkinz, i posted a same question on my little space account, and i found out that miss pumpkin wanna start a new chapter in their life and is thinking about having kids! thats what a comment told me, anyways !

-r🍑

Hai!! Sorry for not responding for like forever, you know how theater is >_<

I see! I’m so happy for them. Thank you for letting me know!

What have you been up to?! Tell me about theater!!

[weeb-polls-with-pip]

Anime Horse Tournament Round 1 Matchups!

Let's get this pony show on the road~! Giddy-up!

Epona (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess) VS Hay Merchant's Horse(s) (Howl's Moving Castle)

Midoro and Chibi (Dororo) VS Umagon/Ponygon (Zatch Bell!)

Fuunsaiki (Mobile Fighter G Gundam) VS Mini Horses (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run)

Mudsdale (Pokémon) VS Vinland Saga Horse (Vinland Saga)

Stronger (One Piece) VS Valkyrie (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run)

Ansley’s Horse (Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion) VS Ah-Duo’s Horse (The Apothecary Diaries)

Otomen Horse (Otomen) VS SAO Horse (Sword Art Online)

Chill Horse (Attack on Titan) VS Bubble Horse (Hunter x Hunter)

Poland’s Pony (Hetalia) VS Erwin’s Horse (Attack on Titan)

Mach (Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal) VS Biryong (Yongbi the Invincible)

Lelouch's OP Horse (Code Geass) VS Farul (One Piece)

Equus (Pandora Hearts) VS OHSHC Horse (Ouran High School Host Club)

Horse from Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) VS England's Unicorn Friend (Hetalia)

Horse from Moriarty (Moriarty the Patriot) VS The Bicorn (Dungeon Meshi)

Unico’s Mother (The Fantastic Adventures of Unico) VS Andy’s Horse (Undead Unluck)

Horse King Heracles (Toriko) VS Pegasi (Mahou Tsukai Precure)

Runaway Horse from Utena (Revolutionary Girl Utena) VS Book of Murder Horse(s) (Black Butler)

Glastrier (Pokémon) VS Benio’s Horse (Haikara-San: Here Comes Miss Modern)

Isaac's Demon Horse (Castlevania) VS Perceval's Horse (Fire Emblem: The Champion's Sword)

Charlie (Yes! Precure 5) VS Tokiyuki's Black Horse (The Elusive Samurai)

Makalov's Horse (Fire Emblem) VS Dragon Maid Horse (Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid)

Red Hare (Record of Ragnarok) VS Shikimori's White Horse (Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie)

Horse from Osomatsu-san (Osomatsu-san) VS Keldeo (Pokémon)

Onyx/Jiroumaru (Cowboy Bebop) VS Pegasus Prototype (Heaven’s Design Team)

Hippo/Hippocampus (Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch) VS Ohma (Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun)

Asmodeus Family Horse(s) (Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun) VS Chestnut (Silver Spoon)

Bucephalus (Fate/Grand Order) VS Todoroki’s ED Horse (My Hero Academia)

Unico (The Fantastic Adventures of Unico) VS Buchwald (Attack on Titan)

Zebstrika (Pokémon) VS Pegasus (My Monster Secret)

Phantom Thief Jeanne Horse (Phantom Thief Jeanne) VS Spy x Family Horse (Spy x Family)

Fakir’s Horse (Princess Tutu) VS Sakaki’s Horse (Azumanga Daioh)

Tsukikage (Ranma 1/2) VS Sullivan's demon unicorn(s) (Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun)

[darklydeliciousdesires]

Runaway - Chapter Twenty.

Good morning, my beautiful audience! A fresh chapter has landed, and I’m looking forward to your thoughts, as ever! You’re all always so kind in your replies, it thrills me to see you enjoying reading this as much as I did writing it, even if this pair are being so annoyingly frustrating right now!

Previous chapters - Prologue  One  Two  Three  Four  Five  Six  Seven  Eight  Nine  Ten  Eleven  Twelve  Thirteen  Fourteen  Fifteen  Sixteen  Seventeen  Eighteen  Nineteen

Taglist - In the comments, please DM to be added/removed

Words - 2,256 

Warnings - 18+ content throughout, minors DNI!

“Oh my god,” she exclaimed softly at the view upon the horizon, Manny smiling at her reaction.

“Beautiful, ain’t it?” It certainly was, the vast, unspoiled, arid landscape that was La Paz County, Arizona. “I sometimes think I was insane to trade it all for a girl, and then eventually the outlaw life. Then I remember the 4am starts, sometimes earlier. It’s a hard life, being a rancher.”

Hannah often wondered if he missed it, living and working in such a peaceful and serene environment. What she’d been told by him about his former vocation, though, well, the life of a rancher wasn’t quite as idyllic as the surroundings they executed such back breaking work within. The vast nothingness they drove through proved to be the perfect soother to her problem, even though all six feet of him was sitting right next to her, the talk she knew she needed to have with him still not materialising.  

She tried not to feel bad about that, reasoning with herself that he hadn’t been forthcoming either, which in all frankness likely meant from his perspective, it was what it was, clandestine sex, with nothing further behind it. If it had been more, surely, he would have said something by that point?

‘It’s more for you, and you haven’t said anything!’ she fumed internally, chewing the inside of her cheek. She felt herself pulled into wondering over the inner workings of his mind, crossing and uncrossing her legs, her eyes screwing shut tightly. ‘Oh, just enjoy the scenery, Hannah!’ Having those words with herself pushed it back down again, Manny indicating left, turning onto a road with a large property right at the end coming into view. Blackstone Ranch, she guessed, as it was the only place for miles around, Manny once revealing that the closest neighbours were two miles south of that location.

She could just about make out the vast herd of cattle upon the horizon, black dots littering the orange of the Arizonan landscape, sturdily built fences coming into view, horses grazing contently on piles of doled out hay as they swung into the long driveway, Manny suddenly breaking out into a happy smile, swinging the SUV over to park up.  

“Hold on, I spy my girl.” Jumping out, he vaulted the paddock fence, putting his fingers to his lips and letting out a loud whistle. In the distance, a head shot up, a piercing neigh sounding the air before the horse began to charge, Manny continuing walking as the steed galloped for him, stopping just in time to have his arms flung around her neck. “How you been, beauty? How’s my girl, huh?” he spoke softly, stroking the beautiful, dark bay mare’s face, turning back to Hannah.

“I take it that’s Midnight?”  

He nodded, the mare sniffing his head. “Yep, ain’t she gorgeous?” She truly was, almost black in colour, her mane streaked with lighter, copper-coloured strands, not a speck of white on her, hence why he’d named her Midnight. Grabbing a handful of her mane, he vaulted up onto her back cleanly, turning back to Hannah. “Drive the rest of the way up and I’ll meet you there.”

“Manny, she doesn’t even have a bridle on!” she cried, watching him grab two handfuls of her mane.

“You underestimate my skills if you think I need that. C’mon girl.” He dug his heels into her sides, Midnight surging forward, Hannah shaking her head as she watched them gallop off, sliding into the driver’s seat.  

“Your daddy? He’s crazy,” she spoke, turning to Lola, who grinned widely at her. “Lovely, but definitely crazy.” Shifting the car into drive, she continued up to the open gates, parking up next to a large, red pickup, a man with black hair that touched his waist approaching.  

“Well, you’re very pretty, and have a baby in the back of the car, so I take it you’re Hannah, and not the girl from the feed company?” Ed spoke on approach, offering his hand forth. Hannah shook it, receiving a kiss on the cheek too.  

“I am, yes. And you must be Ed. It’s so nice to meet you.” He nodded, his eyes crinkling as he smiled. Hannah saw it clearly then, where her daughter had gotten her grey eyes from. Right from her grandfather.

“I take it my hairbrained grandson got up here on four legs?”  

“Yeah,” she chuckled, looking over at the paddock rail and pointing, Manny and Midnight coming to a stop. “He’s such a show off.”

“Hmph!” Ed wheezed. “How well you know him.” He then looked to where Manny was climbing the fence, shaking his head. “Boy, you always have to make an entrance, don’t you?”  

“Maybe.” Ed laughed, opening his arms and hugging his grandson warmly, giving him a few hard slaps on the back.  

“It’s good to see you, now get that damned car open so I can meet my great grandbaby!” His request was obliged, Manny lifting Lola from her seat and passing her to her great grandpa. His face softened, holding her close to his chest, beaming. “Oh, I know I’ve said it before, but hell, she looks just like your mama did when she was her age, probably just as loud as my little Valeria was, too. She got any teeth coming in yet?”

“Yes, so apologies if she keeps you and your wife awake,” Hannah explained, Ed waving his hand dismissively.

“Ain’t no bother to me. Besides, I put you and Manny in the furthest bedrooms from ours, just in case. Now, shall we go meet great-grammy? Shall we? Let’s go, small person.” It warmed her heart, just how much of a natural Ed was with her, Lola fascinated with the turquoise beads around his neck, grasping and pulling them to her mouth to chew. The face she pulled had her parents in absolute hysterics.

“Cool Water don’t taste too good, does it?” Ed laughed, Lola’s face crumpling before she went back for another mouthful of the cologne-flavoured beads. “No, no, no more now.” Another pained face sent Hannah and Manny over the edge.  

“She stole a piece of lemon from Hannah’s drink a few days ago and shoved it in her mouth, and that’s the exact face she did. I couldn’t breathe!” Manny revealed, laughing hard, Lola beginning to giggle as she pointed at him. Whenever her parents laughed, the baby instantly joined in.  

“Like you when I gave you a piece of lime when you were about eight months old. Hated it, but damn, you wouldn’t let it go again, kept on munchin’, trying to beat it,” Ed remembered, laughing at the memory of a very small Manny insisting upon eating the sour fruit regardless. “And then there was the time you got into my cold coffee and hated it so much, you squealed for ten minutes straight.”

As Hannah entered the homestead, she just knew she’d likely be regaled with stories of Manny as a child, and after meeting Rosita and seeing the heart-warming sight of her bonding her great-granddaughter, she and Ed didn’t disappoint.  

“You gotta watch ‘em when they get to about two, that’s when they get their baby turbo and are suddenly capable of running at about thirty miles an hour. This one right here used to streak across the stable block and go throw himself straight into the water trough. We got pictures of it somewhere,” Ed revealed, Manny pinching the bridge of his nose as he shook his head.

“No, grandma, don’t start with the baby pictures.” Rosita was already on her feet and moving to the bookshelf before he’d even finished his sentence.  

“Look at this!” she cried, placing the album on Hannah’s lap and opening it up, revealing a picture of a giggling baby Manny, his mouth covered in banana puree. “Apart from Lola, obviously, did you ever see a baby so beautiful?”

“Awwww, look at you!” Hannah gushed, turning to Manny, who had shrunk way down in the armchair, hiding his face behind Lola. “You were so tiny and cute!”

“Yeah, what the hell happened?” Ed chuckled, Manny poking his head out to frown. After all mortifying picture viewing was done, Hannah fed Lola her bottle and put her down to sleep, Rosita telling her she’d keep an eye on her while she was taken for a tour of the ranch. The property was massive, Ed explaining that it had been ramshackle and in a state of disrepair for many years, the house not always as beautiful as it was, nor the outbuildings quite so pristine.  

She learned it had taken him decades to make a decent earning, through the disasters that had been illness wiping the herd out, mortgages up to his eyeballs, bank debt and credit card debt just to be able to feed the animals, while he and Rosie had lived meagrely on rice and beans, and plenty of pasta just to keep themselves fed inexpensively, the animals always put first.  

“Since I started the horse breeding too, it’s brought a damned good injection of cash, and meant that I’ve produced some real beauties,” he explained as they walked towards the long, indoor stable block. “Like this guy here that Ned’s leading out. This is Ace, I had to keep him, he was too beautiful to sell, so he’s one of my best breeding stallions. Absolute joy to ride, too, so well-mannered.”

“He’s lame,” Manny observed as Ned neared them with the beautiful palomino horse. “See? He’s sloping on his offside hind.”

“Turn him back, Ned. Let me see him walk away again,” Ed instructed, making a circling motion with his finger, the tall, greying man walking Ace in a circle before leading him away. “Well, whaddya know? Your eye is as sharp as ever. Ned, hitch him up outside his stall, I’ll deal with it.”  

“Ed? Woman from the feed company is here to see you,” a young guy called from the top of the block, poking his head around the sliding doors.  

“I’ll do it, you go,” Manny offered. Ed thanked him and walked away, Manny having a brief chat with Ned before checking Ace’s legs. “Oh, you got some nastiness in your hoof, boy?” he then spoke, holding his hand to the horse’s foot, comparing with the other.

“How do you know that?” Hannah asked, moving to stroke Ace’s soft muzzle.  

“His hoof is hot, that’s how you tell where the infection is.” He then checked his legs again. “Don’t feel like it’s spread. Hold on there a sec, I need some stuff.” He headed off, leaving Hannah to stand and pet the beautiful horse, tickling under his eyes, Ace beginning to lean into her. She’d almost forgotten, how lovely horses were.  

“So, what’s all that you have there?” she asked when Manny returned, taking the items he had wedged under his arm as he set a large bowl of water down.  

“Warm salt water to clean his hoof, kaolin to make a poultice and draw all the nasty shit out, a pad to absorb said nasty shit, bandage to keep it in place, and a boot to keep it all on so he doesn’t kick it off.” She found it all fascinating, watching how swiftly Manny had reverted back to his former self, undertaking the care he’d never forgotten a horse needed when sick.  

Picking his hoof out, he brushed it clean, moving the bowl of water and placing his hoof in it, swiftly moving to his front legs and lifting one up. “So he can’t move his foot out of the water. Can’t dance around when you’re only on three legs.” He explained to her, patting Ace’s shoulder, telling him he was a good boy. He let it soak for a few minutes before moving back, removing it and wrapping his hoof in a large towel, drying it off before applying a thick smear of the kaolin clay, Hannah assisting by holding the tub and then passing him the pad and bandage.

She marvelled at how efficient and gentle he was with the horse, talking to him softly when he tried to pull his hoof away, his manner effortless. It just showed how much of a nurturing person he was, yet another thing that drew her to him, his kindness. He was tough, he was hard, but there was a gentleness on the inside of Manuel Santiago that never failed to touch her heart.  

“There, all done. That’s gonna stink like death in the morning when it’s drawn it all out. It’s vile, smells even worse than when Lola does a massive shit,” he spoke, leading Ace back into his stall, stroking his neck as Hannah watched the horse give him a friendly shove, Manny coming back out again. “Come on, let’s take you round to see the babies.”

It was like seeing him illuminated, watching him there in the place he’d once called home, so comfortable in the surroundings, taking her hand and leading her back to the paddocks, mares and foals all ambling around contentedly. While they stood and watched, he let go, wrapping his arm around her shoulders casually instead, Hannah leaning against him on impulse as he pointed out who was who, his fingers trailing a circle at the top of her arm.  

She probably should have been taking in what he was telling her, but as they stood there under the bright Arizonan sun, she could only think four words, over and over. ‘God, I love him.’

[starres-stuff]

Day 17: Sally FFXIV Write 2024

Sally: a sudden charge out of a besieged place against the enemy; a sortie.

“How did you shatter your shoulder anyways, I don't think you ever told me that tale. Did you spin too hard and fall off a stage while practicing?” 

Vi closed her eyes and let out a soft huff. She had brought Dimitri to the Archer's Guild practice range to try and accomplish two things at once; the unfortunate part of her rigorous schedule. What she thought would happen was he would sit studiously nearby and watch arrows fly from the various booths that made up the range. When she extended the offer it was the perfect way to spend time with her twin and get a bit of practice in to try and strengthen her arm. 

“There are things that others, including my husbands, do not know about me, brother.” It was the simplest answer she could give without telling him anything more, the concept of keeping her past where it was, was always her preference unless she had a meeting with Father Ashax that day. 

“Were you some kind of Ishgardian Spy in the War?” Dimitri had read too many books. This was a very true thing, in his mind as he thought about it, he found himself marveling over all the things she could have been that she didn't want to talk about. 

“She was a mighty fine Bounty Hunter is what she was.” The voice came out of nowhere, and the scowl on Vi's face appeared instantly, she was about to regret this choice even more, it seemed. 

“Ellie,” she said in a near-cold tone, turning her head to stare at the woman as she approached with that natural shit-eating grin of hers locked on her face. “Meet my twin, Dimitri.” a hand waved to the man who looked like he was about to burst from excitement. 

“A Bounty Hunter? My Sister? Miss freeze it in ice and walk away? Surely you jest? I cannot picture hunting someone or something for that matter.” A fair bit of mirth was detectable in his voice by now and his eyes darted between the two to capture each detail he could. 

“Ellie, I would--” There was no chance to get a word in edgewise, now. Animated fed animated and soon the tale was being spun as if she wasn't even there. 

“Before her accident, your sister was a hells of a fighter. When we first met her she went by Myseri. Said it was her Pa’s nickname for her. Something to do with her name being Seriphinia. If I remember right.” 

“Middle name” The Sharlayan raised an eyebrow at his Sister, this was already a side of her he had not been expecting. “But do go on.” Vi just groaned and turned her attention to the hay bales with the targets pinned to them, accepting there was no way to stop this.” 

“We had gone to Corethas, tracking down this Voidsent that had been attacking the Beast Tribes and some of the denizens of the Deepwoods. It was cold as Halone's smile that day, damn Blizzard had rolled in while we were on rest, slowed us down more than I care to admit to, but eventually we came upon this Manor House that was under siege by this crazed Void Mage and his Voidsent army. We had hidden in the interior of one of the other Manor Houses that had been ripped apart during the Calamity and used it as a shield from the attacks. Fire and Void Magic were flying in each direction when yer Sister caught sight of our mark lumbering towards a cave at the back of the Manor’s property.” Ellie stopped to breathe then and also leaned over to poke her old friend in the side to break her concentration on the shot she had been aiming for a while now. Thankfully Vi had tuned them out so well that she hardly noticed the poke. 

“So she was a Superhero like the comic you see in the one gil books!” It was remarkable how excited Dimitri was over a simple story. This Vi noticed despite her aim and she inwardly groaned at the nonsense that she heard from behind her. 

“Next thing we know this feisty little thing you call Sister, darts out of our hiding spot and right into enemy territory she goes. I still don't know how they didn't see her or any of us for that matter, as we took off running after her, found ourselves in this ice cave a couple of clicks off from where the larger fight and here was your sister with a fire arrow trained right on the bastard's lone eye, right in the middle of his forehead. Right as the attack started, she let the shot go, nicked the ugly bastard's eye, and sent it right after her. Next thing we know he's got her off the ground, some kind of void telepathy and he threw her right into the cave wall like she was nothing more than a doll! We thought she was a goner for sure, especially after we heard the bones cracking and saw her slide down the wall when he let go of her we eventually killed it, was a hells of a fight that's for sure. Then we got her a healer to care for her wounds.” 

Dimitri stood up and clapped, the sound so loud that it echoed through the small area, thankfully no one else was in earshot. “Twelve be damned, my Sister once knew how to fight. Who would have believed that.” The snark in his voice was ever so noticeable, the fact she had never spoken of any of this resting heavy on him at the moment to the point it made him irritable to even think she would hide such a great definition of who she was. 

“Done now?” Vi asked nonchalantly as she pulled another arrow from the quiver and knocked it against the bowstring. She really did hate these stories, something she kept to herself because she wanted them forgotten.

“Well, there was that one time.” Ellie started to say, another story bubbling on her lips but she found herself staring down the shaft of an arrow and she let out a peal of laughter that rolled on in an echo; even after she had fallen silent. 

[runaterra]

Wish list! / deseos de personajes Runaterra.

¡Esta no es una reserva! Es una lista donde expresamos los personajes que nos gustaría ocupar cuando empezase el foro.

Para participar, te pedimos que nos hagas llegar los siguientes datos:

Nombre del personaje – procedencia – País dentro de Runaterra del cual sería o estaría afiliado.

*link países*  

Ej: Miss Fortune – League of legends – Aguasturbias.

¿Para qué sirve? Para saber qué personajes van a estar “hot” en la apertura, y por ende de querer ocuparlos, voy a tener que intentar estar con mi ficha en la apertura.

¿Es solo para personajes canon? No, claro que no. Todos los PBs que estés pensando, pueden participar. Ya que nos dirá que países serán los más poblados en el puntapié inicial.

Pedimos un máximo de 2 inscripciones a la “wish list”. Aunque recordamos, el tiempo entre fichas es de un mes.

Pueden hacernos llegar sus entradas mediante un Ask (anónimo o no) o MP por Tumblr, comentando en este post, por nuestra cuenta de twitter…. En fin, opciones hay.

Listado:

•Neeko - League of Legends - Ixtal - (1 interesado)

•Irelia - League of Legends - Jonia - (1 interesado)

•Ekko –League of Legends - Zaun - (1 interesado)

•Morgana – League of legends – Demacia - (1 interesado)

•Rakan - League of Legends - Jonia - (1 interesado)

•Sylas – League of Legends– Demacia - (2 interesado)

•Yasuo – League of legends – Jonia (1 interesado)

•Yone – League of legends – Jonia - (1 interesado)

•Miss Fortune – League of legends – Aguasturbias - (1 interesado)

•Caitlyn – League of legends – Piltover - (1 interesado)

•Ahri – League of Legends – Jonia - (2 interesados)

•Aphelios - League of Legends - Targón - (1 interesado)

•Yor Forger - Spy x Family - Noxus - (1 interesado)

•Lux - League of legends - Demacia - (2 interesados)

•Garen - League of legends - Demacia - (1 interesado)

•Syndra - League of legends - Jonia - (1 interesado)

•Lillia - League of legends - Jonia - (1 interesado)

• Jericho Swain - League of legends - Noxus - (1 interesado)