#I also have five fan children for them who are my everything and will happily ramble about them

[transselkie]

Ok, I'll bite: Hilda/Claude/Lorenz, what's their deal? (I enjoyed FE3H a lot! Played all the routes, though it's been a while, and the only pairings I still have any attachment to are Felix/Annette and Annette/Mercedes...)

Thank you so much for asking, I’m sorry for the wait. My first two attempt at this ended up being five/six page essays. I have been. Trying to whittle it down.

The core fundamental is that I genuinely believe the three of them bring out the best in each other, are capable of challenging each other in ways that are necessary, and ultimately balance each other out. Explanation under the cut.

Politics is incredibly important to both Claude and Lorenz, and the three of them are good for each other politically. And not just because of crests or titles.

Lorenz and Claude challenge each other politically in necessary ways for their own growth and success.

Lorenz holds Claude accountable for the decisions he tries to make behind closed doors.

Claude shows Lorenz that the belief system he’s been raised in is fundamentally flawed and broke.

Hilda’s interpersonal skills make her a good diplomat to balance the boys out.

She shares Claude’s ability to manipulate others through charisma but is less willing to go to nefarious places with it. When Claude gets lost in the gambit she can reel him back in.

She’s genuinely liked and trusted by her peers in all the areas that Lorenz fails struggles with.

They’re basically fluent in different languages. Claude can talk strategy, Lorenz can talk nobility, Hilda can talk people.

Interpersonally, they understand and benefit one another.

Claude hides behind a mask of charisma to feign the illusion of openness yet despite his best attempts Hilda and Lorenz see him holistically.

Hilda/Claude A support - Hilda: “If you understand me so well, maybe it's because you're no different. When you smile or laugh, it's not sincere. I can tell. I've only seen you genuinely smile a handful of times.” 

Lorenz sees him for all his worst qualities first (lying, scheming, deceitful) and yet still ultimately concludes that he’s a good and moral man worthy of his position.

Claude doesn’t want anyone to see behind the mask because the mask is an armour protecting him from a world that wants him dead. But both of them look him directly in the eyes and tell him I see you, I see all of you, even the things that you don’t want seen, and I’m standing by your side anyway.

And again, they keep him grounded.

Hilda hides behind her charisma and lazy persona to keep other peoples expectations of her at bay. Claude and Lorenz both help her thrive past her fear of disappointment.

Claude sees right through her act (see A support)

She’s his second in command. If she dies he says every strategy he had was planned around her survival. He understands where her strengths and interests intersect and utilizes them. And she seems to take genuine pride in that work.

Lorenz doesn’t see through her but he values her and encourages her anyway. She’s literally playing him but his response is just so genuine she starts matching his effort anyway without even intending to. She is used to being treated like a liability, but he never treats her that way.

Left to their own devices the boys will work themselves to an early grave and forget to have a life without politics. Hilda will not let that happen.

Lorenz was raised to be a nationalist and taught to believe that he alone had the skills to, basically, make the Alliance great again. Literally, his father had the only known heir murdered to help him advance to the Dukedom. He has some shit to unlearn and they were here to help him unlearn it.

Canonically, Claude’s mere existence and proximity to him helps Lorenz unlearn and re-evaluate his fathers teachings. And while its not his responsibility to educate there’s no way Mr. I-Want-To-Tear-Down-The-Walls-That-Divide-Us isn’t readily doing so on purpose.

Hilda, on paper, should not make a good noble and yet everyone loves her and hates him. He will question why, and he will realize   that his restrictive worldview caused him to miss both of their best qualities.

Seeing them succeed interpersonally will show him he’s been wrong and encourage him to grow and change. And when he does, they will be there to celebrate him. 

That pathway accomplishes all the things I’ve already spoken about - Lorenz realizes his belief system is flawed, and Claude and Hilda have love and support offered to them through the parts of them they see as most unlovable.

He is the only member of this trio that is actually being open and honest with others. He might be lying to himself but he will tell you exactly what he’s thinking. And he’s going to hold the others to his standards of honesty too.

I genuinely believe they’d all be best friends. 

It’s honestly harder to argue that Claude and Hilda aren’t canonically really good friends. Do I even need to defend their friendship.

Claude and Lorenz love a good debate/game of strategy. They might drive each other insane while at the academy but they’re intentionally meeting up for chess weekly minimum.

Hilda and Lorenz absolutely do tea dates and gossip. She’d find him so funny, and he wouldn’t know what to make of her but she’s fucking Hilda Valentine Goneril. 

❤️💛💜 BONUS! ❤️💛💜 

There’s also just so much humor and fun to be found with this dynamic. To display this, my peak academy dynamic for them is as follows:

Lorenz is convinced he’s living in a spy thriller. Claude is an Almyran spy and he is going to prove it.

Claude is a little intimidated by how close to the truth he is but Lorenz is just so pathetic he basically discredits himself. He’s Threat Lite. He needs to be watched but is mostly just a funny little guy to him. It’s a spy thriller to Lorenz but Loony Toons for Claude.

Claude and Hilda are just besties who are casually sleeping together. They gossip. It’s fun.

She’s also besties with Lorenz. They have tea and gossip and she thinks that whatever is wrong with him is so so fun.

I can not stress enough that this is just high school for her.

Lorenz however is ALSO living in an Austenian drama. He believes Claude and Hilda to be courting, a heart breaking reality as he has found himself falling for Hilda.

Hilda watches the boys play weirdly homoerotically charged games of chess like “omg you want to fuck each other so bad it makes you both look pathetic”

She WILL say as much to both of them who are equally horrified by the accusation. “I think if you fucked you’d fix each other actually.” They staunchly disagree.

They are 100% blaming those embarrassing dreams they keep having on her and absolutely nothing else.

Anyway, I could literally continue talking forever. Their ship song is In the Middle by Dodie. hilclaurenz is everything to me. Thank you for listening  ❤️💛💜

[voxofthevoid]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by my one and only Jesus @eusuntgratie

I recently cleared out all the ask/tag games in my drafts because I realized I'd reached the pile-up stage of putting things in there and not doing shit. Thanks to everyone who's tagged me in those the last couple of months and sorry I didn't get to any!

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

148

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

2,005,606 (crossed the 2 million milestone recently and am still buzzing about it)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I'm only writing for Jujutsu Kaisen, but I'm posting for Jujutsu Kaisen, Bleach, and MCU.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

I was so sure it was going to be all MCU, but nope, it's a mix of MCU and Hannibal. God, that was my first Ao3 fandom, and my Hannibal fics are from 2014. It's surreal people are still reading/enjoying them.

if you're looking for jesus (then get on your knees)—MCU

i'm a ghost, you're an angel (one and the same)—MCU

A darkness seen and shared—Hannibal

Ways and Means—Hannibal

the hand you want to hold is a weapon (and you're nothing but skin)—MCU

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do! I enjoy the interactions and discussions. Plus, since I'm not a Discord (or group spaces) person, it's how I find fellow fans to chat with, especially during my initial foray into a particular fandom. I do have a huge backlog of some 1.1k comments from 2020 to mid-2021 because I didn't have much time for fandom in that period. I'm chipping away at it slowly, but I'm pretty prompt about replying to everything on my post-2021 fics.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmm, this Hannibal fic, I'd say: Till the bitter end

Let's just say I predicted the series finale in some weird way.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of mine end happily—a few are ambiguous, while others are dark.

8. Do you get hate on fic?

Oh yeah. It's only happened with MCU and Jujutsu Kaisen, and they're mostly cases of overgrown children unhappy that I didn't write the ships or dynamics they want.

9. Do you write smut?

It's my specialty now 😎

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nah. I've done fusion-style AUs, but full-on crossovers aren't something I'd like to write. I'll read them, but I'm picky.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Multiple times (MCU and YoI, iirc), both within Ao3 and offsite.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Multiple times, for multiple fandoms! It's always a delight.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I did write one(1) fic that way, but it got yeeted into the void when my co-author deleted her entire Ao3 account. I have a copy, I think.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I'm the kind of person who's most devoted to whatever is eating my brain at the time, so right now, it's Yuuji/Gojou from Jujutsu Kaisen.

15. What’s a wip you want to finish but probably won’t?

My writing superpower is that if I lose interest in a WIP, I also lose all desire to finish it and any guilt about it. And these days, I tend to start a fic and work on just that till it's done. So the answer is—none.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I write some smokin' hot porn, and I'm pretty good at threading character study through it. The porn is the plot, in most cases. I also enjoy doing background worldbuilding that serves to give the narrative a sense of depth despite the focus being on characters and relationships.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Fight scenes, ensemble casts, and sustained plotty plots.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Ah, I can feel my Hannibal-era Google-translate Lithuanian judging me.

In general, I avoid it, but when I write for anime set in Japan, I tend to work in honorifics. My mother tongue has those too, so I know from experience that there are no English equivalents that capture the same vibe.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Hunter x Hunter, I think. That account no longer exists. On Ao3, it's Hannibal.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I tend to be biased toward my newer works, so this keeps changing. At the moment, it's (let me be clear) every version of the story ends with you being slaughtered (JJK, goyuu).

Tagging (no pressure) 20 people because why the hell not: @possibleplatypus, @actualalligator, @joeys-piano, @cursedvibes, @backwardshirt, @m34gs, @naamah-beherit, @dragongirlg-fics, @crossroadswrite, @spacebuck, @jenroses, @calamitouskings, @knivash, @lo-55, @bookwyrmling, @sorrythatwasamistake, @ddelline, @lilyfarseer, @roughkiss and @deunan306

[foster-the-world]

Finished

Spent a few hours shopping today. Needed to get the kids and myself winter things. I think the kids are set. The girls winter coats from last year still fit. Still need to press order on a new winter coat for myself. I've lost about 25 pounds recently enough so all of my old pants didn't fit. I'd like to lose another five or so - so that I can gain it back at Christmas :) Although, generally happy to maintain. Feels good to be more health conscious.

I've been searching for a great pair of comfortable winter shoes. Probably an Ankle boot type that I can dress up or down. Any suggestions of super comfortable shoes are welcome. I'm happy to pay more for something that will last. In the past I've ended up buying things that aren't comfortable and wearing sneakers instead. I already have a food/fashionable pair of Nikes, a pair of snow boots and a pair of rain boots. The snow boots/rain boots will last at least a decade and I get good use of them in NYC. I did order a returnable pair today. Will see if they are comfortable.

The Jewish Community Center offered a mini photo session. I think I have outfits everyone can wear but need to double check. I think I have everything ordered for Halloween.

Sometimes the third kid stuff feels overwhelming. One of baby boys classmates asked us to carve pumpkins with them this weekend. I missed the message so we didn't go. It reminded me that soon enough I'll now have a third kid that wants to have friends over, etc. Now that he's in school I'll need to plan Halloween treats for his class, also. That means 45 bags total and that's only because of our small class size. With most NYC schools I'd be looking at 3 classes times 30 kids in each. Our school doesn't have a room parent situation. I'm not sure why? I generally offer to send in a Halloween craft, cupcakes, juice, etc to help out the teacher. I also make it clear there is no obligation. I figure if I don't do it the teacher will pay themselves. My Aunt always sends the Micheals craft kids - so those are covered. So far, all of the teachers have happily taken it. The PTA also plans a Fall Fest I'm helping organize. The Police Athletic League is offering jumbo games and a blow up football field (not sure what that is??). They are asking for candy donations - so I got a huge bag on sale this weekend. Its a simple event but the kids love it.

I'm thinking of doing a party in baby boys class the day he is adopted. The adoption should be online so it won't have much fan fair. I thought it might be nice to bring cupcakes and read a book about adoption and/or how there are many types of families. The girls will join. I thought about seeing if we could do it in the gym with all three kids class. The party/event will mean more to the girls then baby boy. Previously I had thought about not celebrating at all but have since revisited the idea. I'm hoping its appropriate to celebrate as long as we also acknowledge the loss in the long run. He's three now so none of it means much to him. He does tell us he's adopted. He does understand he has two dads, two mom's, etc. Beyond that who knows what he gets? We will keep talking so he keeps learning more.

Our first foster daughter is 7.5 and lives with her Grandma. Her mom has had three more children. This past weekend the youngest kid (9ish months old) was removed and given to Grandma. I don't really understand how its safe for the other two to stay but not him?? Grandma said "she has them for now"?? Grandma never seems particularly stable to me but I hope it all works out. Poor babies. Poor Grandma. Poor Mom.

[tagedeszorns]

You've already very correctly noted that, unlike you, I have an absolute Fabius-Atheist-attitude to the old GW lore. I don't believe in an intelligent design, but in a bunch of guys who just turned completely whacky ideas that came up in their drunken heads late at night into a game. Who then later, surprised by their success, just bullshitted explanations all over the place. So that it would fit together somewhere. So that the machine doesn't squeak too much.

I base this on the fact that I used to stand around the tables at cons in the nineties and watch the big boys play tabletop games. And Warhammer was always the wacky, colourful, fun game (Orks with trucks!!!!). If you wanted a serious background, you played Battletech. Warhammer was fun and madness. In the best sense!

In my perception, it only really got serious when they tried to sort the Heresy together.

And this is the moment when I want to come around the corner with a Star Wars analogy! Because Star Wars also has the idolised (not by me) origin trilogy. The founding myth. But it only holds up if you keep making the craziest twists and turns to explain away every piece of bullshit. The most prominent example here is surely the Kessel Run. The amount of mental gymnastics fans made to explain why parsecs are a unit of time not space is phantastic! If you read through what George Lucas had actually planned, you will feel horrible.

I definitely only became a fan when what is now the Extended Universe came along. Cool books, great comics, tabletop RPGs. That had consistency, that was thought out. I can live with retcons (even though I really, really miss the old Boba Fett!), but when it fits, it fits!

And it's the same with Warhammer: I don't want all that Oldhammer stuff at all. Give me the Heresy books as a solid foundation and as a point at which I can start taking even newer 40k lore seriously.

Give me carefully inserted "unreliable narrators" that still tell a complete story! Of course, an Imperial scribe might describe Fabius as a child-eating monster with five heads and twenty arms - but then that's obvious from the start. That everything is coloured. That the madness has a propagandistic background. That doesn't have to be patched in afterwards as a lame explanation for a sudden change of direction. Madness comes straight out of the box, so to speak, with method!

We will always disagree on this - and that's fantastic! Because it can't get much more in the spirit of the guys who created a completely crazy universe just for fun! Everyone can find something that excites them. Even completely contrary things. And that's what we're doing.

And another volte-face in the direction of Fabius: whether he was just a name at the beginning and the whole Frankenstein-Mengele superstructure only came gradually doesn't matter for that. What he always retained was the noble lineage. For that is precisely the literal translation of his name: The Noble. Perhaps only intended as irony at the beginning, this can be found in many of the Emperor's Children - even if Lucius (the radiant/luminous) is not exactly the brightest candle on the cake. Eidolon was possibly the first to really go in the Slaaneshi direction with his name. If, indeed, they had anything in mind at all! And there we have come full circle and we are once again happily running around past and future!

Let's have fun with the current version of our terrible guys!

Also, Fabio is an icon! Not only the reference-guy for roughly 99% of all "shirtless guy holds woman in period dress"-romance novel-covers, but also playing the part of the pope in Sharknado 5 and that's some damn impressive achievement-list!

I can't sleep because I found out that Fabius Bile is like one of the oldest named characters both in lore and in real life, he is in Slaves to Darkness from 1988.

He is from an age when Leman Russ was a space marine. He is older than Abaddon.

He is from an age when Horus wasn't the emperor's son, but only his most trusted general.

I don't have enough free RAM in my brain to process this. Reading this book was a mistake. I feel like a poor neophyte librarian stumbling over forbidden lore, and now chaos has taken a hold in me.

[absolutepokemontrash]

ayo!! congrats on 666 <33 I'm not sure if its much of a request but I love how you wrote the demon kids personalities! I was wondering what kids of personalities you would see the other brothers kids having? Hypothetically of course (unless 👀)

BRO- I’ve actually been thinking about this for a while! Fan kids are fun to think about, what can I say? Now, these kids aren’t canon to the Awfully Familiar series, the HOL is crowded enough as is… but I hope you enjoy anyways!

(I’m giving all the kids names just so no one gets confused with which kid is whose)

Levi’s Kid

Uh let’s use probability to figure out how rare children of our snek boy are. The Otaku left the house (unlikely), spoke to a human being (very unlikely), did the devil’s tango with them (impossible)

I’m kidding, but seriously what the fuck why did this human exchange student look so much like Levi? Was that a tail? Hehehe… what a weird practical joke…

(I’m calling this MC Percy. Three guesses as to why)

Okay, onto the kiddo’s personality. I’m picturing them being REALLY hyped and REALLY enthusiastic about their hobbies and isn’t afraid to yammer about them. They’re good at what they do and they’re damn proud of it! They turn their envy into *~inspiration~* and get better at the things they enjoy doing!

In all fairness to Levi, it’s a bit easier for his kid because Percy isn’t literally being eaten alive and consumed by this sin every waking moment of his life… perks of being half human! :D

Percy loves swimming, and the ocean, and fish, and they brought a shark back from the beach- wait hang on a second-

It’s not uncommon for Levi to be hardcore gaming while Percy swims around in the fish tank.

The pair of them have a very good relationship, Percy is kind of Levi’s hero with how eager they are to get better at the things they love doing and how they almost never self pity spiral. The one issue is… ugh… Percy is a 🤢…. Sorry. Percy’s a 🤢 🤢-

They’re A FUCKING NORMIE. THEY DON’T LIKE ANIME!

Other than that, the two get along swimmingly. (Ba dum tisssss)

Percy’s reaction to Levi’s cool military titles is basically “WOAH! YOU HAVE BOATS?! CAN I GO ON ONE?!” And Levi would be a monster to decline.

Percy wore a pirate hat despite Levi telling them numerous times that they were a part of the navy, they CATCH pirates. Which are apparently still a big problem in the Devildom…

Also, Percy and Lotan absolutely adore each other. It makes Levi very happy

Satan’s Kid

Satan’s a pretty charming guy, and it’s canon that he’s amazing at seductive speech craft so it’s no surprise that he was able to seduce a human.

You know what is a surprise? The fact that Satan, the smart one, didn’t think to use protection! Like- DUDE I EXPECTED BETTER FROM YOU.

Whatever, anyway, when this kid slammed onto the floor of the assembly hall no one had time to react when the kid suddenly grew horns… and fangs… and a tail… OH FUCK THE KID WAS GOING THROUGH THEIR FIRST TRANSFORMATION WHAT THE FUCK-

(For simplicity’s sake, I’m going to call this kid Lyssa, mainly because of the meaning of the name)

The first thing Lyssa did was launch themselves straight at the first person they saw, and I ask you to guess exactly who sits in the middle seat of the assembly hall. That’s right… Satan… yay…

This kid nearly clawed his face off in the span of two seconds and it took Lucifer and Beel working together to drag them off of him and then Asmo had to step in to use his powers to calm them down. Well. That was eventful.

So Lyssa has a volcanic temper and they’re honestly really bitter and upset at everything, which is something that’s supposed to come in adult life, not so early. So what’s up with this kid? Well, when you’re born with a burning rage deep inside you that can be set off at even the slightest inconvenience and because of that everyone around you immediately assumes you’re dangerous or crazy can really do some damage to a kid.

So who oh who is Lyssa going to blame for this…? Hmmm… who is responsible for the anger? *Side eyes Satan*

“Wow, this kid is blaming me for passing down my wrath even though I couldn’t control giving it to them and if I had the choice I would have made sure they wouldn’t have to live with it and they’re mad at me for subjecting them to existence itself… wow this feels so bad :( who would treat someone like this..?” “*Dad sigh*”

The two of them do eventually get along. It’s actually Satan who extends the olive branch and offers to help them control their anger. As the two spend time together, Lyssa’s intense hatred slowly subsides.

So… what’s Lyssa going to do now? They’ve spent so much of their life being defined by their anger… who the fuck are they????? U-uh… cats! Cats! Lyssa likes cats! Is liking cats a personality? No? Okay… um… Music! Music is relaxing! Lyssa likes music! Um… um… ooo- look at that! They like space! And stars!

You knew what they don’t like? School. Lyssa doesn’t like learning in a controlled environment where they’re being told what to learn. Leave them alone so they can go read about space.

Beelzebub’s kid(s)

*munch* *munch* *chew* *chomp* huh, *chomp* why does the takeout- I mean the human look so much like him…? They’re his kid..? *choke* *cough* *cough* …Huh. Want some chips?

Surprisingly chill first meeting. Well, Beel and the kid were chill, everyone else was freaking the fuck out.

I’m calling this kid Pepper. Why? Fucking guess.

Pepper themselves is just… chill. They’re sort of like a capybara, their vibes are just so immaculate that everyone wants to hang out around them.

Unlike Beel, Pepper’s penchant for food mainly comes from “food is good.” instead of “my body is literally eating itself alive every second of the day and I need to be eating something at almost all times in order to stave off a rampage.” Beel is very happy that his kid doesn’t have to live with food constantly on the brain.

All was well until three days into the exchange program when Pepper asked at the dinner table “so when are we bringing my twin down here?”

…twin genes man… twin genes…

Second kid, I’m calling them Cane. (CANE PEPPER, GET IT?! GET IT?!) this kid is less like a capybara and more like a honey badger. They don’t give a shit.

Here’s the thing though… they’re identical twins.

Cane is basically Beel but smaller. They follow Beel to the gym and usually get stopped at the door. “Kids aren’t allowed in the gym.” Ha, the rules don’t apply to Cane, they just cross their arms and raise their eyebrows and whoever is stopping them just steps aside. Don’t fuck with the honey badger kid.

Pepper and Cane are super close though, but don’t ask if they have a telepathic link or something, Cane will fuck you up and Pepper won’t be able to stop them. (I know a pair of identical twins, and the amount of times they’ve been asked if they can read each other’s minds is enough to make anyone homicidal)

Belphegor’s kid

*squints* how’d this happen..?

Whatever. When Belphie’s kid woke up on the floor of the assembly hall everyone took one look at this kid and collectively went “shitballs”

Belphie was in the attic and his kid was wandering around the house like they ran the place! What the fuuuuuuuuck was Lucifer supposed to do with this????

Anyway, meet Arien.

Arien, how does one describe this little hellspawn? Well, one would call them the brood of Lucifer or the spawn of Satan but that would be false because this manipulative evil devil-child that crawled straight out of a teacher’s nightmares is BELPHIE’S kid. And it fucking SHOWS.

This kid won the demon/human genetic lottery and they’re going to make it everyone’s problem. Basically, they’re sin is sloth, but unlike Belphie, Arien’s is more voluntary, if that makes sense. They sleep and slack off because they like not doing work, not because they’re always tired. They have this sort of lazy relaxed facade that vanishes the second it’s not needed, it’s honestly kind of terrifying.

They quickly learn that if they just pretend to be having troubles with being constantly tired, the rest of the house will go easy on them if they miss their chores and schoolwork.

Jeez Louise when this kid met Belphie…

They both just stared at each other for a solid five minutes before anyone said anything. Belphie somewhat nervously started up his “oh woe is me get me out of here :(“ charade, and the kid played along for a few weeks, until of course, they got suspicious.

You remember how Belphie guilt spiralled with L!MC? Yeah imagine that but 40 times worse, and he hadn’t even done anything yet.

But yeah, blah blah blah Arien breaks Belphie out, they don’t die, family’s back together, happily ever after. But not quite. Arien’s “oh no I’m sorry I’m sleepy…” charade was found out and boy howdy was everyone pissed.

Surprisingly, it was Belphie who gave Arien the wake up thwack, but Arien called Belphie out on his laziness so Belphie was forced to become a better example.

The way they fixed Ari’s behaviour? Extra chores, extra schoolwork, extra everything, and the boys did nothing to help. Basically, “this is how we felt! Deal with it!”

It worked… thankfully.

[mysticalrambling]

Hi this is mine request, y/n and chris (evans) are married and the have 2 kids, Emma and Jason, and y/n takes Emma to get there nails and hair done they have a girls day , while the boys a a boys day at home, and when y/n and Emma comes home, the boys have cooked dinner for the girls and later that night the have a family movie night, in matching pyjama's

A/N: I loved the plot line and I was happy to write about it. This is what I came up with and I might have added a few more things to the plot line. I love dad Chris Evans and I would love to write more about him. Hope you guys like it and please tell me what you think about it.

._._._._._.

Family Time (C.E)

Chris Evans Fanfiction (Fanfiction Master list)

Warnings: None. Fluff all the way.

Summary: dad! Chris Evans x reader. Chris and the reader spends the whole day with their family. They enjoy the free day with their children and enjoy every moment of it.

._._._._._.

Having two kids was a bittersweet experience for the two of you as they were close in age so they fought a lot. It could be over the simplest of things such as who will eat in which bowl or who will cuddle with daddy at night. Emma and Jason loved each other to death but Jason being the elder was sometimes a little too stubborn. The one thing that always came as a shock to Chris’s family was that your son was a total daddy’s boy and vice versa for your daughter. Your family was always a little different from the others and you loved it.

“Mommy, Jacey pulled on my hair and threw my dollies to the ground.” Fat tears poured down her baby blue eyes as she jumped on your shared bed, effectively waking you both up. Chris just groaned and buried his head in the soft pillows and hands placed on his ears. You didn’t blame him, you both were up pretty late last night because Jason had a severe stomach ache. But he was okay now, considering he was busy annoying his younger sister.

“I will scold him but can you lie down with daddy now so I could freshen up and make you guys breakfast.”

“But I want to stay with you-,” she began to protest and you quickly silenced her by promising a girls only day.

“Besides, you don’t want to cuddle with daddy?” Chris growled playfully and started tickling your three and a half year old daughter. Taking this as your cue to leave, you went to the washroom. Meanwhile, Jason also joined the two of them in bed and lazed around for the whole morning, You prepared pancakes and scrambled eggs that was your family’s favorite breakfast and put out some dog food for Dodger.

“I want dad to feed me today.” Your five year old son declared when Emma sat on Chris’s lap to be pampered by him.

You sensed a fight heading towards the dining room and you quickly tried to diffuse the situation. “You are going to spend the whole day with your father today so let him feed Emma, please.” He huffed out a fine and you cut his pancakes in to little pieces.

“I am thinking of taking James to do some grocery shopping and then spend the whole day at home.” Chris was free today because his shooting does not start until Monday and he wanted to spend as much time possible with his family before he gets busy. He always hated being apart from you guys and would feel bad if he missed out an important step in his children’s life because of his career. You guys were truly blessed to have him in your life.

“Yeah, that’s fine. I will get them both ready for the day and then we can all get on with our day.” Pecking him on the lips, you took the kids to your room and Chris went to clean the dishes.

“Mommy, I don’t want to sit in the booster seat. I want to sit with you.”

“No, baby, it is not safe.” She was hell bent on her request today and you just ran out of patience. Snapping at her, you were instantly filled with guilt because tears pooled in her eyes.

“Darling, I am sorry. Babe, can you drop Emma and I at the parlor before going to the supermarket?”

“Sure. Just let me get my keys.” Sitting in the middle of two booster seats was highly uncomfortable but you would do it for your children. The whole car ride was filled with both the kids babbling about their school and day care respectively. Your husband silently made eye contact with you from the rearview mirror and you knew he was thanking you. “When should I pick you both up?”

“I’ll text you half an hour earlier.” Getting Emma out of her seat, you walked towards your favorite salon. You already knew that Emma wanted a mixture of blue and pink nail polish because colors are gender neutral. Chris always made sure that your kids never follow the obscene rules set by the society.

“We are going to have so much fun, mommy.” The little girl skipped towards the reception and stood on her tip toes to see you make the reservation.

“Baby, do you want to get a haircut as well?”

“Are you getting one?”

“Yes.”

“Then I want one as well.” The receptionist smiled at your daughter’s excitement and complimented her saying that she looked just like Chris. Emma puffed out her cheeks and mumbled, “I look like my mommy.”

“Sorry. You are a carbon copy of your mother. Now, I have you two stationed right next to each other and you have manicure first.”

On the other side, Chris sat his little boy in the trolley and marveled at how big he was slowly getting. He had decided to properly pamper his family today and an Italian dinner was just a start. One of the things that you always craved in both your pregnancies was his pasta pomodoro and he sometimes had to make it at three in the morning to satisfy your cravings.

“Daddy, can I get some cookies?”

“Yes, but only one because we don’t want you to have stomach ache.” Chris quickly finished the grocery shopping and then went in to Cartier. Pampering his girls was his top most priority today so he had already ordered a bracelet for you with all of the family’s birth stones engraved in it, He also ordered the same exact bracelet for his baby girl just in a smaller size. Emma always wanted the same exact things as her mother and Chris always tried to fulfill her wish.

“Can we get them some pretty flowers, as well?” Quickly, he wiped all the cookie crumbles from Jason’s face and agreed with him. They decided on getting them some pink roses because you both loved them.

The moment they arrived at the house, they quickly got to cooking but Chris made sure that he went no way near the stove. He was given the task to open up the spaghetti packet and picking out the red carrots.

Meanwhile, you both got your nails done with you opting for a bright yellow colour. Chris’s favorite colour. You got your hair cut in square layers while Emma just got a nice trim for her dirty blonde hair. Both the kids had inherited Chris’s hair and eyes but the nose and the smile was all you. During the whole time, you and your daughter talked about anything and everything. She talked about the cute boy in her daycare and how she wanted to be his friend but she got a whole circus running around in her tummy.You just chuckled and thought to not tell Chris because he will freak out and bully that poor boy.

After about two hours, Chris and James came to pick you both up and the whole way back, both the kids kept bickering with each other. The moment you opened the front door to your house, your favorite aroma hit you and a blissful sigh escaped your lips. “Have I told you this new look suits you a lot?” Your husband took you in a backside hug while both your munchkins ran towards the dining room.

“Just like a thousand times from the moment you picked us up. Is this dinner a hint?”

“Well, it’s true and maybe it is.” You kissed him slowly on the lips because the prospect of another kid was exciting to say the least.

“Daddy, I want the pasta!” Emma screamed from across the hallway and you both made your way towards them. The dining was all set and the kids were already sitting at their assigned places with their plastic forks in hand. Chris quickly served the food and you all got to eating. Dodger was sitting by your chair and happily munching on his food. Making silent eye contact with your husband, you guys silently agreed on having another kid. You were thrilled.

They all went to their rooms and came out in their matching Captain America pjs that Chris bought from Los Angeles the last time he was there for shooting. He always loved the idea of twinning with his famiily.

“We have a little surprise for you, don’t we, Jason?” The boy ran towards the living room and you all followed suit. Chris gave you a bouquet with a red long box and Jason did the same but with a smaller size to his baby sister.

The moment you saw the content in the jewelry box, tears welled up in your eyes. This was such a thoughtful gift and there was an empty place in the bracelet for a new gemstone. “You thought of everything, didn’t you?”

“I am giving you a lot of hints, here.”

“You don’t have to convince me, baby. I was thinking about this as well.”

“Then, it’s done. Baby number three of our family.”

“Thank you, daddy,” Emma jumped on Chris from the back and he immediately caught her in his arms.

“No problem, baby. Which movie do you guys want to watch?” He asked but he already knew the answer.

“Lion King!” There were a lot of things that your kids didn’t agree with but this was an exception. They were both die hard fans of Lion King.

“Aw, I thought we will watch Captain America today. But that’s okay, I guess.” He pretended to be hurt by their answer but the kids took it seriously.

“No, daddy. We love Captain America and we can watch it today.” Little hands cupped his light stubbled cheeks and Chris just smiled at his two babies. He was so lucky to have them and he could not wait for a third one.

“It’s okay, bubs. I was just kidding, We can watch it tomorrow. Today is Lion King’s day.” They all got together under the blanket and kept all the snacks on their laps. This was what Chris wanted the whole day; his whole family under his arms, happy.

“I love you.” He whispered to you while you cleaned off Emma’s sticky fingers and the drool on Jason’s chin.

“I love you, too.” You spent the whole night on that couch and somewhere in between the movie, Dodger came up and cuddled to your side. Your life was blissful and it was all because of Chris, the love of your life.

Hope you guys liked it!!

._._._._._.

A/N: This is just some family dribble that I wrote related to Chris Evans. I just love the idea of dad Chris. Send me some ideas related to Chris as a family man and I will be happy to write about it. Tell me if you wanted to be in the taglist.

Tag list: @maximeevansblog, @justile 

Like, comment and reblog.

._._._._._.

[vickyvicarious]

do u have any atla fic recs? all time faves? can be shippy or not

Fun fact, I am incapable of holding back on reclists. In other words: brace yourself, anon. There’s a reason I put most of this behind a cut.

First off, these are almost all Zuko-centric, because I shamelessly play favorites. I’ll sort them by author rec, gen, shippy, and then by other characters because honestly the numbers break down well that way. Within those categories it’ll be more just as I think of it, so no special meaning to the order. I’m not always good about bookmarking even my faves, so some excellent stuff will no doubt be missing, especially since I haven’t read a lot of the more recent stuff yet/forgot some really old stuff, but this will definitely still give you plenty of fic to enjoy.

There’s a good number of FFN links on here so apologies to people who dislike it, but a lot of great stuff is still on there so give it a chance.

Author recs

Everything by @awesomeavocadolove​​  Such hits as Another Brother (Zuko adopted by Hakoda pre-S1), and currently has a Zukka soulmate fic I’ve been meaning to start reading, as well as Unchained Melody, one of my favorite Zukka fics ever. Always quality, you can’t go wrong.

Everything by KimberlyT.  I do not kid. She’s written a variety of ATLA fic ranging from Zutara/other romance to gen, seriously emotional to cracky cabbagebending. I think my favorite is probably Mismatched (S1 Zuko adopts a baby) but honestly just go read it all.

Everything by @emletish-fish​​. She has a very fun writing style and honestly her end-of-chapter notes on why she’s made the choices she has are fun minimetas worthwhile in their own right. Some of her top fics are the Stalking Zuko series (S3 suspicious Katara to Zutara) and The Worst Prisoner (the Gaang kidnaps Zuko in S1 and can’t get rid of him). I think there’s still a good amount of her fic that can only be found on FFN so check there too.

Everything by @botherkupo​​. Especially her Undying Fire series (healer!Zuko) but also just literally everything she writes, it is all so great. Tends toward Zutara but strong gen fics as well sometimes and a lot of fun. Check it all out!

Everything by @muffinlance​​. Loves to toy with her readers’ emotions in the best of ways. Tons of fantastic gen Zuko-centric AUs, I have adored every single fic I’ve ever read by her, can’t praise them enough. Very productive as well, her tumblr is a hub for the ATLA renaissance and her fics inspire lots of others. Has also organized a fanmade ATLA coloring book for charity so get that once it’s out. In the meantime read everything she’s written.

Everything by Haicrescendo. My favorite is What We’re Given (the series where Zuko finds more air bisons and raises them), but there’s a lot of good Zukka fic too. I tend to steer away from explicit works in this fandom unless it’s a smaller part of a much longer plot-centric fic, so there are a number I haven’t read, but I really like the Pokemon!AU Zukka.

Everything by @gaycinema. I really love the EK fight club series (Zuko fights in Rumbles/etc.) but all of it is a good read. Some Jetko, mostly a lot of introspective or emotional oneshots. Which isn’t really a great depiction of how good they tend to be, you’ll just have to read them and find out. You won’t regret it, trust me.

Everything by @captainkirkk. So far eight stellar fics, starting with kind Fire Lord Zuko and ranging to Floating Tea Shop!Zuko who doesn’t want to hunt the Avatar. I love her style and have laughed out loud at multiple of these. 

Gen Zuko fic

Bringing Out the Blue by maguena1. [unfinished, long] Definitely worth the read. The first ATLA fic I ever got really sucked into. The Blue Spirit never gets knocked out so Aang doesn’t know his true identity; he joins the Gaang on a recurring basis, while Zuko attempts to tell himself this is only for information on how to catch them, they definitely aren’t his friends.

It’s Impossible by Sandra Phillips. [abandoned, long] One of the earliest Avatar!Zuko fics (sort of) and a really interesting take on some spirit stuff.

Embers by Vathara. [complete, long] A landmark fic in the fandom, and for good reason. I didn’t love everything about this fic, but it is very well-written and an absorbing read certainly worth the praise. 

the art of description by incandescens. [oneshot, short] Five descriptions of Zuko and Toph’s field trip from various perspectives. Short, sweet, and funny.

Breaking Point by Kryal. [oneshot, short] Zuko isn’t banished but instead sent to serve in the Home Guard. I love Zuko loving his people, and alternate canon explorations, and this is exactly that.

The Alternative by Lunatique. [oneshot, short] The reason Zuko is so determined is because he fears what will happen if he isn’t the next Fire Lord. An idea I support in canon, to a degree, written well.

Hands and Knees by gigerisgod. [oneshot, short] Zuko reflects on the choices he’s made, and experiences he’s had, when joining the Gaang. A nice introspective fic.

Relative Misery by peroxidepest17. [oneshot, short] Toph complains about her family and Zuko takes her on a field trip. Not a fic I take too seriously, but funny in a sad way.

Second Nature by lazyartisan. [possibly abandoned, long] An AU stemming from Zuko’s capture at the North Pole. Well-written and characterized, an old favorite that I actually find needing to reread to give you more detail, but I can promise it’s good.

Year One by peroxidepest17. [oneshot, short] Lessons Zuko learns in his first year being Fire Lord. I really like explorations of Zuko’s journey as Fire Lord and this is a lovely little window into that.

Soft by PenPistola. [oneshot, short] Zuko and Toph bonding after the Ember Island Players. Short and sweet.

The New Phoenix King by JoeMerl. [oneshot, short] Fire Lord Zuko is overthrown, and no one but him is bothered at all. In fact they help. Hilarious crack.

First Name Basis by JoeMerl. [oneshot, short] There’s some popular posts going around Tumblr lately about Zuko not knowing the Gaang’s names, but this fic did it first back in 2008. As amusing as you’d expect.

Male Bonding by glamaphonic. [oneshot, short] The original ‘Zuko and Sokka bond and are also dumb idiot boys’ fic. Katara is permanently rolling her eyes.

it’s not the waking, it’s the rising by isamagicdragon, thegracious [ongoing, series, medium] Azulon tells Ozai to kill Azula instead of Zuko, which leads to heartwrenching fire sibs adventure. I haven’t caught up on the last chapter yet but god is it fantastic and also just a really interesting and new perspective on what could have happened.

Doe-Eyed by Anonymous. [complete, medium] Zuko is a baby, Azula is a loving big sister. More fire sibs and a great exploration on Azula’s POV of turning against Ozai.

kintsugi by discordiansamba. [ongoing, series, long] Zuko doesn’t have Iroh after being banished, and winds up hired as a guard to protect the frail Beifong daughter. Fantastic preseries Zuko+Toph found family fic.

Legacies by WildInkling. [ongoing, medium] Far in the future, a historian studies the journal of Fire Lord Zuko. Also, he was secretly a famous author but no one knows. A funny and poignant outsider POV.

#UndercoverZuko series by naggeluide. [complete, series, short] A completely cracky concept written straight enough to be actually quite touching in parts, but also just really funny. Zuko goes Undercover Boss on his ship pre-series.

Avatar Ficlets by JaggedCliffs. [series, oneshots, short] An ongoing series of disconnected oneshots, mostly post-canon and mostly Zuko-centric. Some a pretty fun, one is a great view on Zuko and lightningbending, all worth the read (and follow for when more come out).

The Blind Leading the Blue by BrusselsSprout. [ongoing, medium] An epic Zuko and Toph field trip set in S2. I love them and this.

half in the shadows, half burned in flames by r_astra. [oneshot, short] Iroh dies, Zuko gets caught on the Day of Black Sun, everything ends up all right but damn does it hurt getting there.

A Tale of Earth and Fire by chiiyo86. [complete, medium] Zuko and Toph are married for Politics in a FN Wins AU, and follows them slowly bonding as friends to beginning a revolution. They’re married but it’s not romantic, just some good friendship.

Eight Principles of Yong by psocoptera. [oneshot, short] An exploration of immediate post-show FN politics (sort of), calligraphy, and Zuko. Also has some lovely non-fighting firebending; I always love when people explore other uses of bending.

Healing Properties of Cinder Sage by Dawen. [oneshot, short] Zuko gets very sick in the Western Air Temple. Some good interaction when he’s new to the Gaang, and Toph+Zuko friendship.

We Ourselves Must Walk The Path by WinterSky101. [complete, medium] The Gaang agrees to make Zuko their prisoner in the WAT. Speaking of new-to-the-Gaang, tension, this fic has plenty of it, and also features some good Toph and Zuko.

Frozen by Aris Merquoni. [oneshot, medium] Zuko is captured in the NWT. Some politics, lots of angst, and eventually, healing. Also actually makes me somewhat like Hahn? Incredibly enough.

Reluctant Hero by PAW_07. [ongoing, long] Avatar!Zuko fic. I got to beta it way back when for a little while before I got too busy, and have always been a huge fan of this fic. Great concept, one of the best executions of it I’ve seen, and also one of the first. Definitely read this.

Morality Chain by Pureauthor. [abandoned, long] Azula and Zuko were always on each other’s side; how this changes canon. I love this concept and would happily read a lot more fics with it (please guys, I need more fire sibs).

A viper-lizard’s tales series by Yumi_Take. [ongoing, long] The world needs more of Zuko adopting pets and small children, and those are just facts. This only has one of the two, but it’s a EK baby! Jet plays a big role in this fic as well, a weird kind of uncle-ish to the baby/friend/murderer Zuko needs to watch closely and hold back kind of thing.

(life happens) wherever you are by howlikeagod. [ongoing, long] Katara doesn’t find Zuko and Iroh in the teashop, and canon takes a sharp left turn. Excellent Gaang fic.

The Best Path series by EudociaCovert. [series, ongoing, long] Zuko meets Jet in ‘Zuko Alone’ and winds up getting claimed as theirs by the remaining Freedom Fighters. Really really well-written, I got quite emotional over some scenes.

Shippy Zuko fic

Balm by Thyme In Her Eyes. [Maiko, oneshot, short] A sweet little fic about Mai’s thoughts on Zuko’s lightning scar.

The Black Games by Mrs. Pettyfer. [Zutara, complete, long] Hunger Games-esque AU. It’s the first in a series, and I lost interest after this one but I remember enjoying the fic and it was more personal preference rather than a drop in quality that had me leaving.

Lie To Me by Inkcharm. [Toko, oneshot, short] I’m not actually a fan of this pairing romatically (at least until years down the line), but this little fic of Toph and Zuko bonding through lying to one another is sweet. I choose to ignore the more shippy parts and enjoyed it.

Zutara? What the heck is that? by Ryxl. [Zutara, oneshot, short] Complete crack, have a good sense of humor and I think you will enjoy. Just the mental image of the Gaang finding a Zutara propaganda flyer had me chuckling.

The Three Chores series (1, 2, 3) by Fandomme. [Zutara, threeshot, short] Zuko and Katara slowly bond as he helps with chores. I will admit it’s been years and I barely remember this, but what I do recall is lovely and I always appreciate people lightening Katara’s load.

read the inscription by suzukiblu. [Zuko/Song, complete, series, medium] When Zuko is banished, he is left alone in the Earth Kingdom to fend for himself. Very touching, and I love Song in this.

Hooked by TGP. [Jetko, complete, long] A classic ‘Jet didn’t see Iroh warming his tea’ fic. They’re almost all this premise but so many well-written and very long ones. 

Something To Hold Onto by Wildgoosery. [Jetko, complete, long] The EK fell and Li stayed to fight with the Freedom Fighters to protect the city during its foreign rule. Jet didn’t see the tea fic that goes very AU from canon.

Foxfire by Rahar_Moonfire. [Jetko, ongoing, long] Zuko loses his memories Jetko fic, but with heavy spirit influence and lovable EK OCs, both of which I adore and should be in far more fics.

Once Upon A Teashop by anaer. [Zukka, Jetko, ongoing, long] Cracky Ba Sing Se AU that gets gradually more and more serious. Jet hits on Zuko a lot and Sokka gets a job in the teashop to keep an eye on both of them. Endgame Zukka but heavy Jetko, and both pairings are handled pretty well, not a love triangle that makes me too mad, although as always bear in mind Jet’s messed up. 

Names by TGP. [Jetko, complete, long] I feel like I’m forgetting some more excellent Amnesia!Zuko fics, but this is one I do know of. To be honest I don’t remember it super well because it may be mixed up with other Jetko/amnesia fics in my mind, but I think it was really good. I’ll have to reread myself.

Epistles by Lady_of_the_Flowers. [Zukka, ongoing, long] I love epistolary fic and I love Zuko and Sokka bonding earlier in canon. I will be honest I haven’t read this in a long time and been updating all the while, but the premise alone (Zuko and Sokka become messenger-hawk-pals in S1 and then fall in love) is fantastic. 

Ozymandias, King of Kings by Think_of_a_Wonderful_Thought. [Zukka, ongoing, long] Zuko rebels earlier and actually is sent to the mines, until he is ‘rescued’ by the Water Tribe. Dark but getting lighter over time, and more reluctant-to-rule Zuko which always wrenches my heartstrings. I prefer super loyal and dutiful to his people Zuko but this trope always makes me feel things.

Crossovers

Fallen Drops of Fire by Chasmfiend. [Fullmetal Alchemist, ongoing] Young Azula and Zuko somehow appear in Amestris, and encounter Roy Mustang. I adore the fire sibs, and their relationship in this strange situation is the star of this fic for me, but it’s also fun seeing the FMA perspective of these two.

The Dragon-King’s Temple by Kryal. [Stargate SG-1, long, complete] The best crossover fic out there. Zuko and Toph get stranded on the other side of a Stargate. I don’t know anything about SG-1 but it didn’t matter, the fic was fantastic, they were badasses, it explored language and culture from an outside perspective, and it was just a ton of fun. Must-read.

Other character fic

Loyalty by Julia451. [oneshot, short] The ship captain didn’t misspeak when he called Iroh and Zuko “prisoners” in the start of S2. A lovely look at a nameless character, giving depth to a small moment and humanity to a FN soldier which I always love.

The Only One by HarlowR. [oneshot, short] An excellent exploration of Azula’s mindset regarding Zuko, her desperate need to be loved and jealousy of him matching his own. I think Azula was one of the greatest tragedies of the show, and this fic makes me feel it.

Blood by theAsh0. [oneshot, short] Katara-centric thinkpiece on bloodbending and healing. Dark but really interesting.

Touch and Go by Cadence. [oneshot, short] After Iroh’s struck by lightning, Toph doesn’t let Zuko drive them all away. A momentary alliance and the seeds of friendship. More Toph-focused but still heavy on the whole Gaang.

Shortcomings by Menamebephil. [oneshot, short] Iroh thoughts during his imprisonment, on the theme of mistakes. I love this man and don’t understand why I am so drawn to fic about him that makes me sad.

Watch And Review, Please by Becca Stareyes. [oneshot, short] The Ember Island Players receive some constructive criticism... sort of. Funny and quick.

Azula Redemption Trilogy (1, 2, 3) by Mistress of Sarcasm. [threeshot, short] Second person and deeply introspective, three short little fics delving into Azula’s head and bringing her closer to redemption.

Echoing Refrains by catie_writes_things. [oneshot, short] I really like nuanced explorations of the whole FN royal family. It’s perfectly fine to write Ozai as pure evil bastard, but exploring  what might have been or how he got there, or even as in this fic his talent for music being inherited by Zuko is really interesting too. Iroh-centric.

our curse by ohmygodwhy, and the last dragon by thesometimeswarrior. [twoshot, complete, short] Stay away if you don’t like to cry. In the first Zuko learns Ozai is executing Iroh, and isn’t able to stop it; the second is even worse because it’s Iroh’s POV. I put this in the other characters section because honestly I adore the second fic even more than the first, but they are both fantastically written and will hurt you a very great deal.

Finally, I’m not quite bold enough to put my own fic on a reclist, but just shameless enough to mention I’ve written a few Avatar fics I quite like if anyone feels the desire to check them out on my AO3. ;) But seriously give love to all the rest of these, they deserve it. (And as I said, there’s lots more excellent stuff, this fandom is so prolific and well-written!)

[everythingsinred]

Let's Talk About NatsuMikan: Natsume (pt. 13)

Oh no... 13 is an unlucky number! Oh, well.

Up to this point we've seen Natsume fall in love with Mikan. This next arc is all about discovering Natsume, however, and we've pretty much already talked about that so maybe my analysis for his perspective will leave some things to be desired, which is fine, because Mikan's will come in due time! That being said, there's plenty of stuff in this arc, especially at the start of it, to analyze for Natsume as well.

Chapter Fifty-Three

Takahashi-san has dressed all the Elementary children in their New Year’s kimonos and they are now ready to celebrate the holiday together. They eat a New Year’s feast in the dorms lounge, a rare day where the children don’t have to eat according to their star rank.

It just so happens that New Year’s Day is also Mikan’s birthday. Everyone pretends like they don’t know, because Hotaru told them to leave it a surprise. Mikan is trying to let everyone know about the special day, but the New Year’s cards come in and everyone gets immediately and understandably distracted.

Of particular interest to everyone is Ruka’s card from his mother, who references Natsume and Aoi in her letter. Now everyone is in Ruka’s business and teasing him, so Natsume steps in to help, taking the card from Mikan, returning it to Ruka, and making a very good point that she shouldn’t go looking at other people’s cards without their permission. Mikan is uncomfortable, so she decides to change the subject by asking Natsume how many cards he got this year.

With that, Natsume goes cold and leaves the room, slamming the door behind him.

He didn't want to sit around watching them all gush about their dumb cards anyway!

The truth is Natsume has never gotten any letters or cards, no matter what time of year or holiday it is, and he never will. We can think back to when he told Mikan that the academy would never send her letters to her grandpa. He’d said that the school would never, under any circumstances, allow them to contact the outside. Turns out, the only person who can 100% count on that is Natsume. Sure, he and Mikan are similarly targeted in strange and unfair ways, but he will always be just a little more targeted, because he’s strictly not allowed to have fun or be happy. It would make him happy to hear from his father, to know that he’s safe. The school can’t have anything like that, so they have Natsume sit in the same room as all the other kids, watching them excitedly gush about how many cards they get, while he knows very well he will receive zero each year without fail.

Natsume wants some time to himself, understandably upset about his situation. He’s thinking about Aoi and probably beating himself up because he tends to do that when it comes to his sister and his past. He genuinely has no idea where Aoi is, or if she’s safe, and the school likes to keep it that way, so they can hold it over his head. Aoi is always one of the people they threaten, somebody he works tirelessly to protect despite the fact that he hasn’t seen her in years, doesn’t know where she is, and probably won’t ever see her again.

Natsume looks out the window, sitting on his own, and sees Mikan crying to Narumi because of her guilt and because nobody remembered her birthday. We can see pretty immediately that he isn’t actually upset with Mikan, just with his own situation. He watches her, always lovelorn. Then we see him put his hand on a little bag with a holly decoration. Because of the holly, there’s an instant relation to Christmas. We can’t know what’s in the bag yet, but eventually we will discover that it’s an alice stone.

He's just been carrying this around since Christmas at the latest. How embarrassing.

Natsume made this stone at some point. I would assume it was after his birthday party, before Christmas. Because of the bag, my guess is that he had wrapped it to be a Christmas present but had never given it. That’s understandable. He’s not supposed to woo her, after all, and giving a girl an alice stone would be pretty romantic, even if she has no idea what it means. We will see this stone time and time again, because he likes carrying it around in his pocket. Perhaps he likes imagining that he could give it to her, but never actually goes through with it. Just like today, on her birthday, he will not give the stone, but he’s still carrying it because he’d like to.

The alice stone is proof of at least one thing: Natsume is very much in love with Mikan and he knows it.

Chapter Fifty-Four

Mikan is happily celebrating her birthday. Natsume has returned to the lounge, but he hasn’t said anything, so she’s still feeling awkward about what happened.

The class decides to make mochi once Tsubasa and Misaki arrive. Tsubasa tries to greet Natsume but Natsume responds coldly, with a thumbs down. Now properly irritated, Tsubasa has decided to pull a prank.

Natsume does not make mochi. He sits on his own, napping with manga over his face like always. Once the class is finished, Permy quickly offers her mochi to him, but his attention is immediately on Mikan, who is giving her mochi for him to eat. She tries to apologize, but can’t get the words out, so she leaves the bowl on the table. Natsume can tell that she’s still feeling guilty, even though he isn’t really mad at her. She was thinking of him, so it’s no surprise that he ends up eating the soup, even if it is disgusting.

It doesn't matter if it's disgusting. He's gonna eat it anyway. Because she made it. Zoe and I joke that Natsume would eat all her food (out of his unending love, of course) and eventually get used to the bizarre combinations she puts together. He might even start liking them, who can say.

Hotaru has been invited to the Hana Hime den to be a flower princess, a girl hand-picked by the middle school principal and who carries a heavy amount of prestige and status. Misaki mentions some rumors about the MSP, namely that she locks up her favorite girls in a dungeon, and that immediately gets Natsume’s attention. He’s struck, and to a first-time reader, this might seem odd. He’s strangely intrigued by a girly flower party where guys aren’t even allowed. But he’s not interested for himself. Natsume can guess based on this new information that if Aoi is anywhere on the Alice Academy campus, it’s in the Hana Hime den dungeon.

There’s always an extra invitation ball that is given to a random girl each year, so she can also attend the prestigious party, but the chances that it would land in the hands of an Elementary student are very low.

The Class B girls look for one anyway, but their search doesn’t get too far because suddenly the kids are flying across the room, sticking to each other, like Hotaru and Youichi to Ruka, Anna to Nonoko, Koko to Kitsu, and even Natsume to Mikan.

Turns out Tsubasa’s payback scheme for Natsume giving him the cold shoulder was to put sticky mochi flour into their mochi as a prank, which will keep all the children stuck to the people who ate the same mochi for a full hour.

He was counting on her never finding out he ate it, but alas.

Mikan then realizes that since she’s stuck to Natsume, that he must have eaten her mochi. He can’t argue that he didn’t, but he turns quickly to insults to distract from how sweet of a moment that could potentially be. He says he choked it down, which might very well be true, but it leaves the question of why he’d put himself through the trouble of choking it down if it didn’t mean anything to him. Hmm. Check mate, Natsume.

Then, Mikan finds out that she’s the recipient of the prize jewel, and has thus been invited to the Hana Hime party. There’s something quite fishy about Mikan being the recipient. It’s too much of a coincidence, and it isn’t one. This is all an elaborate trick to trap Natsume in the dungeon forever, and it’s not by the MSP.

Most of the groups have become unstuck, except for Hotaru, Youichi, and Ruka. Tsubasa reads the packet and discovers that some people may be stuck for two or three days as a possible side effect. Mikan and Natsume can become unstuck, but Natsume grabs her hand and keeps her still.

He's not going to miss this opportunity, even if it puts him on the spot and is kind of embarrassing. To be honest, this could possibly unravel all the work he's been doing to downplay how much he likes Mikan. What if she starts thinking he has feelings for her? It's all so risky, but he's willing to do anything for Aoi.

He’s going to do everything he can to go to that party and possibly find his sister. Getting stuck to Mikan and then her being invited to the Hana Hime den is all just too good of a chance to miss. If she can somehow still go while attached to him, it gives him an in to check out the palace and try to find the dungeon.

Chapter Fifty-Five

Natsume is adamant about keeping up the charade that he and Mikan are still stuck. It’s important to him and he’s desperate. He would do anything to save his sister, so if it means threatening Mikan a little, he’s willing to do it. It doesn’t matter that Mikan has no idea what’s going on, what matters is even the chance of going.

Narumi returns to say there’s not a good probability that Hotaru and Mikan would still be allowed to attend the party, because boys aren’t allowed and they are firmly attached to three of them. Mikan has more and more reason to not want to be stuck when she realizes that going to the bathroom and sleeping will be tricky business. Natsume is obviously not a huge fan of it either. He’s usually cold and snippy, even when bickering with Mikan, but this time he’s yelling just like she is. He’s uncomfortable too, but it’s something he’s willing to sacrifice for Aoi.

Mikan only gets more and more upset, screaming about how much she hates Natsume. He doesn’t seem to take it very seriously until Koko, who is reading her mind, asks Mikan if she likes Ruka better than Natsume, and she responds that she does.

Natsume is hurt, but sadly it’s not anything he can’t eventually come to terms with, like every other disappointment in his ceaselessly disappointing life. For now, he’s bitter, but this is great news for Ruka, isn’t it?

It’s time for sleep, and they’re standing in Natsume’s fancy special star room. At her discomfort, he offers that they can sleep in her tiny room if she’d prefer it, but the venue isn’t exactly her problem. He proceeds to be unpleasant, saying that he’s not interested in sleeping with her either, since she probably kicks a lot and talks in her sleep. But then he’s serious, still bitter when he tells her “Sorry for not being Ruka,” and promises that the whole charade would be over tomorrow.

It's on rare occasions like this that Natsume can express even the tiniest fraction of what he's really feeling, in this case jealousy and hurt.

He really never would have done this to himself if Aoi’s safety wasn’t potentially at stake. Having Mikan be so angry at him, hearing her say she much prefers Ruka to him, having to share his bed with her--it’s all stuff he doesn’t want to do! Further, he’ll probably be in serious trouble tomorrow if he does manage to find and rescue Aoi. There’s nothing fun going on in Natsume’s brain, just worry and the skeleton of a desperately laid-out plan to save his sister.

Sleeping with Mikan is something he doesn’t want to do, no doubt, but not because she probably talks and kicks in her sleep. That wouldn’t actually bother him so much. Natsume usually waits until he’s alone in his room at night to let himself be sick. According to the chapter where Tsubasa found out about his condition, Natsume sometimes wakes up in a coughing fit until he coughs up blood. He suffers and struggles and is in pain when he sleeps, and Mikan will be there this time, up close to possibly see it.

How soft his eyes get, just looking at her. It's interesting whenever he drops his facade, like now in a state of half-awakeness, and we can see just how affectionate he'd be if he wasn't always sacrificing his happiness.

But Natsume falls asleep first anyway, and pretty quickly starts having a nightmare. He’s breathing heavily and struggling, having a PTSD flashback nightmare about Aoi. But Mikan wakes him up, sitting up, concerned for him. Natsume is barely awake, but his eyes turn soft. She saves him from his nightmares in more ways than one, like walking-talking serotonin. He reaches for her, in a state of half-consciousness, because his nights are usually awful but the time he spends with Mikan usually isn’t. Maybe combining them is the way to sleep peacefully for a change. So he snuggles her. She starts freaking out, embarrassed, but Natsume tries to reason with her, and maybe with himself too, half-asleep as he is. No, no, it’s just for tonight, just for now. It’ll be like it never happened tomorrow, it’s fine. She can go right back to Ruka tomorrow, since she prefers him anyway, and it won’t be a big deal. He just wants this for now, just for a little bit. Just while he can.

It’s sad that Natsume always thinks of these moments with Mikan as aberrations. They’re little moments that he borrows or steals just to have them for now, thinking they’re meaningless to her, but carrying them like they’re precious to him. He doesn’t think they belong to him, or that he has the right to want anything from her. He holds her during the SA class’s RPG as a joke. He tells her he likes her hair down after fighting with her. He dances with her, knowing that she’s danced with lots of other people and it won’t matter as much to add him to the list. He kisses her after he assumes Ruka already has, just so he can have keep it in his memories. And he cuddles with her now, even though she’s freaking out, because he needs some comfort, even though it isn’t his place to be hugging her. He always has to reason himself into these situations, like he’s convincing himself that he’s allowed to do this one selfish thing, just as long as she doesn’t understand how much it means to him, just as long as it won’t mean anything to her, just as long as he can get away with it.

And because he’s borrowing, the next morning he acts as though her holding him is some kind of bother. He acts all irritated and pretends like nothing happened, because he was borrowing the moment to begin with. It wasn’t his right to take it, and she can’t know it meant something. It also could be that he genuinely can’t remember the last night that clearly. People do all sorts of crazy things in between sleep that they can’t remember. Maybe his lack of sense and restraint helped him get the courage to hug her in the first place, and now that he’s fully awake he can hardly remember. If this is the case, then he's probably scolding his sleepy self for being so ridiculous.

It's up to you to decide if he really can't remember or if he's pretending. Both are possible and neither would really surprise me tbh.

It’s possible, but knowing Natsume, it’s also possible he’s pretending like he doesn’t remember. Either way, he has to do damage control, because she absolutely cannot get the wrong right idea and think that he has affection for her.

The morning brings good news as well, because Natsume, Ruka, and Youichi are allowed to accompany Mikan and Hotaru, as long as they’re dressed as girls.

It’s all working out a bit too conveniently. This is Persona’s scheme to trap Natsume, so of course it would all work out in order that he could make his way to the dungeon. Natsume might be relieved that his plan is working, but it won’t go so smoothly once they’re actually in the Hana Hime den.

Conclusion

The most interesting scenes to analyze from Natsume's perspective are the ones where he chooses to be selfish just once in a while. They're such silly things to call selfish, but they are to him. Being sweet or affectionate to the girl you love should be second-nature, not something to deny yourself, but it's what he's trying to accustom himself to. We also see just how desperate he can be in trying to protect people important to him, like Aoi. The lengths he goes to in order to find her are impressive and show just how determined he is. Going forward, we'll only see more of this kind of determination.

My sister (Zoe) and I made three playlists for NatsuMikan, just like I'm making three essays. One playlist for Natsume's POV, one for Mikan's, and one general playlist for their relationship. I've been listening to the Natsume one while writing these and it's been a lot of fun! This is my long-winded way of plugging Love Song Requiem. Good bye.

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[hetalia-has-a-secretary]

Allies + Canada and Axis + Prussia walking in on their toddler singing Disney songs while wearing a costume that matches that certain Disney movie (like for example Germany walks in on them singing I’ll make a man out of you and the toddler is dressed like Mulan, you decide the song the toddler sings that fits which country and who they’re dressed up as)

QwQ omg my favorite Disney princess is 100% The girl from brave! (I'm kicking myself for forgetting her name...) And you know this prompt is gonna be super cheesy lmao and I'm stretching it across general kid movies!

Dad!Allies and Dad!Axis catching their child dressed up as their favorite Character!

Allies-

America:

He could hear Monster's Inc. playing for about, the fourth time today

The only difference this time was he could hear his kid going "Rawr!" Every five seconds.

The man got curious and just about busted a gut from restraining his laughter.

His kid had Purple colored paper taped all over them. It was hard to tell but they were dressed up as Boo!

This gave him an idea!

Running up to this spare attic he found a purple blanket and an unused mop and some googly eyes.

Walking back to his kid he helped them get on his make shift Boo outfit, and the kid was ELATED about it. No more paper cuts for them!

The best part was when he asked them why they dressed up as Boo, they told him it was because Boo was brave, and wasn't scared of monsters, just like their dad!

Cue their kid getting America a box of tissues while he cried on the floor.

England:

He wasn't a fan of American movies, but his kid was, so what his kid wanted, was what they got.

It... It was Shrek.

At first England kind of disliked the movie, but the more he watched it with his kid, the more he liked art the interpretations of the fairy tale characters.

And this was an extremely special moment for england.

Around the fifth time watching it he saw his kid point to one of the characters and say "That's not what tinker bell looks like!"

England had immediately spit out his tea, and started questioning his kid about it.

This was how he learned that his child had the same ability to see fairytale creatures as he does!

Soon enough he had his kid running around grabbing different blankets and scarfs to try and recreate what she really looked like!

Now he has a child sized Tinkerbell running around, Tinkerbell herself chasing after them playfully.

France:

He has the whole Disney collection from start to finish, and it's terrifying.

His kid is also badly addicted. But especially to Little Mermaid.

The thing is, France has his child completely spoiled, and has a bunch of maids around the place. One of which loves nothing more than sewing together cute outfits for the kid.

It's not that France doesn't have the time, oh no, this was the kids idea, and their idea only.

One day, after a grueling work day, he's in his room, trying to rest. His kid comes in wearing a trench coat.

France is courious as to why, and his mood is immediately lifted as the small child acts out a shortened play of The Little Mermaid, all costumes included.

It was amazing how well they moved with all the clothes they were wearing, and taking them on and off again as quickly as possible.

By the end France had given them a standing ovation, and they both happily napped on his bed due to the amount of physical exhaustion.

You can 100% catch France bragging about his little star to the other countries when he gets the chance!

China:

China's rubbed off on his child with several things.

One of those things is his love for old culture and reminiscing memories.

so surprise! Mulan is 100% a movie in the house... Except his kid has become brutality obsessed with the dragon.

One day China's fancy res shirts goes missing, and he finds it on his child while they were watching Mulan.

Mimicking everything Mushu does.

China has to hold his hand over his mouth as his kid eventually trips over the long shirt and starts saying things like "This is disrespectful to dragons!" And "If this shirt has a cow, it is now dishonored!"

Eventually china, very shyly, dresses up as Mulan while his kid isn't watching.

The kid proceeds to act like they're meeting a princess at Disney, not recognizing their own father.

Russia:

Unlike him, his kid really, REALLY loves the snow.

It's something that he hopes his child grows out of because he's heard them sing 'let it go' about 50 times.

It was very cute at first. Now he wants to beat the CD with his pipe (and then America for gifting them the movie).

But then the SECOND on came out.

Now his child parades around as Elsa, hitting high sqeaky notes, and following around the cat.

Cat is having more fun then the kid to be honest.

Russia was about to try and distract his kid until they asks him to play dress up with them

The sparkle in their eyes made him immediately say yes.

They wanted him to be Christoph, and when he asked them why he just about cried.

"Your cool, funny, nice, and you have the same nose!"

That's it. That broke him, he's trying not to cry

Has never knitted a dress so fast in his life, and has a very similar outfit to Christoph as well, so the two of them are parading around the house with their cat trailing behind them. His own little knitted Olaf costume on!

Canada:

Canada's kid can be rebellious at best, but seeing them dressed up as maleficent almost made him choke.

Is his kid turning into a villain!?

Nope. Turns out they just thought she was really cool, and felt bad that she wasn't invited to the child's birthday, or whatever.

And to be honest, yeah, that's kind of cruel.

Canada had bought the Sleeping Beauty film via America's suggestion, and wasn't dissapointed.

And now it was totally worth it since his kid was going through their "I have one outfit and no matter how many times my horns won't fit through the car door, I refuse to take them off" phase.

He enjoyed watching his kid act out a happier ending dressed as the Disney villain. And even snuck a few pictures of them prancing around and singing.

It brought tears to his eyes knowing that no matter what, his kid can see the good in anyone, and maybe one day that will come in handy!

Axis-

Germany:

I need to make it immediately clear, that Germany and China now officially plan playdates for their Mulan obsessed children.

Except Germany's kid is obsessed with Li Shang, and the "let's get down to business" song.

He's so proud of his kid not being afraid to show their little clumsy moves in order to show people they mean business.

Even if he can't take them seriously when they are this small and cute.

It starts out when they wanted to be a character from Mulan on Halloween, not yet seen the movie, but all that was left was a mock up Li Shang costume.

It was game over.

The kid would sing to his German shepherds as if they were their shoulders and bark dog commands.

Germany is a proud father now.

And the playdates I mentioned earlier? Oh yeah it's twice as cute when you have a tiny red dragon going "I HAVE TINY ARMS I CAN NIT BE MAN!"

Italy:

Beauty and the beast.

Italy's kid adores Bell, and has memorized every line, and dance.

One point gave him a heart attack catching them climbing a latter.

The best part is, Italy kept his chibi outfit from when he lived under Austria's rules. Which was at some point died blue, but now he has a tiny Bell running around more than gleefully.

Italy even joins in with him, and honestly it's the cutest thing.

Surprisingly his kid is really good with singing, and this is their new favorite hobby now.

Italy is also really emotional over the fact his kid wasn't scared of Beast either. His little tike is going to be a brave one, Italy is going to make sure of it!

Japan:

Yeah, Disney movies don't exist in his house, but Studio Ghibli 1000% does.

His kid is obsessed with Ponyo!

One day Japan was really concerned over how quiet his kid was being until he found them in the koi pond, trying to talk to the fishes, and heard him name them Ponyo 1-5.

His heart dank because he wanted to tell them the fish had no clue what they were saying, but at the same time.

Kawaii overload.

Small child talking to the koi, and enjoying the water, and muddy rain puddles? Oh yeah. That's adorable.

Eventually he makes them a fish outfit and it's a good thing it was mostly foam because the first thing his kid did was splash around in the puddles.

Japan filmed it.

He's planning on embarrassing his kid when they turn 16.

It's payback for not letting him watch the movie with them earlier.

Prussia:

Oh no. His kid has become obsessed with Rapunzel.

"how is that an issue?"

Well when your kid developed some of your impulse control issues, you will find them trying to crawl out of a window to escape their unlawful step mother/Prussia.

He was extremely confused about it at first as well. Untill his kid said, something something RAPUNZEL!

Then it clicked, and he was able to laugh about it.

Prussia hasn't seen the movie himself, and when he watches it he thinks Rapunzel is so quirky and super AWESOME! Especially because his kid now has a bunch of yarn on their head.

Not gonna lie, they both dress up as Rapunzel and try and fight each other with the long wigs.

Which is a sight to see first thing in the morning. Just ask Germany.

I know I didn't answer the prompt exactly, but I couldn't resist making some wholesome content! Also-

HER NAME IS MERIDA I JUST REMEMBERED IT LIKE, 3 DAYS AFTER THE FIRST DRAFT! THE CHICK FROM BRAVE IS MERIDA!!!

[fanficimagery]

Take on the World; pt. 2

@browneyes528​ said: Hi I loved your Walking Dead fic "take on the world". May I please request a part 2 for "take on the world". I think it will be great to see them get together. I'm a huge Walking Dead fan.

Words: 8K Warnings:  Typical TWD violence, just not as detailed. Also in this AU, I will not be mentioning Negan and his bunch, but the Wolves are a threat.  On a personal note, I was writing this during my "break". Bits and pieces of it were flowing easily, but then I had to force myself to finish it when something terrible happened in my personal life so I'm sorry for the abrupt ending and the blah-ness of it. Tags: @kingtwhiddleston​

Settling in at Alexandria was more work than you anticipated.

You had kept your word to Maggie, going on to have a conversation with Deanna and her husband about your strengths and what you could bring to the table. She wasn't too keen on the idea of you teaching anyone how to fight, but her husband was quick to have her sleep on it before totally turning the idea down. After all, if an unsavory bunch found Alexandria and decided to take it by force, it would be a great deal of help to have any able-bodied person help defend their home besides just Rick and Michonne who had been appointed Constables of the town.

You were eventually given the go ahead to teach whoever wanted to learn to defend themselves from the living and the dead, so long as Deanna or her husband could oversee for the first few weeks. You didn't mind, especially when it was her husband because all he did was write in a notebook of his while occasionally shouting out words of encouragement.

Everyone seemed to settle in fine, with the exception of Daryl who didn't like being confined. You understood his point of view perfectly well, but even he couldn't be a grump for too long. Not when he saw how happy it made Rick to have his children safe for once and when one of the locals had a motorcycle just sitting in their garage that they let Daryl work on so he had something to ride.

The Alexandrians slowly came to terms that the authority inside the town was being spread to more than just Deanna and her husband, and only a few had problems with that- namely Deanna's sons who got away with mostly everything. But then her eldest son died when out on a mission with Glenn and some others, and another local thought Rick was trying to make a move on his wife Jesse. However, the turning event was the unfortunate death of Deanna's husband at the hand of Jesse's own husband when in a scuffle with Rick, and Deanna had no problem letting Rick take charge. Deanna went on to take Maggie in as her second and gave Rick free reign of how he wanted to run things so long as he told her before any big changes.

Everything seemed to be going good for a while, conflicts being worked out when the tension was on the verge of exploding into a brawl and the locals finally putting their trust in the way the Constables and Deanna were running Alexandria. There were still a few conflicts that lingered, mostly between the teenagers, but everyone seemed to brush it off as teen angst that would eventually resolve itself.

It was easy to fall into a routine once you were comfortable, it being easier that you weren't totally trapped inside the walls and were allowed to keep the woods clear around the town. But it was inevitable that something would come up, making those in charge wonder if their little haven was actually safe, and that something came in the form of the walking dead with 'W's carved into their foreheads.

          - - - - - - - - - -

A sound startles you awake and it takes you a moment to realize what it actually is when it happens again. Someone's knocking on your bedroom door. So rapidly kicking your legs to disentangle the sheet from them, you slide out of bed and stumble towards the door. Opening it, you're surprised to find a sleepy Carl standing there with a fussy Judith.

"Hey, Y/N," he yawns. "Sorry to wake you up, but Judith isn't going back down like she normally does. Do you mind taking her for a bit?"

"Not at all." Taking Judith from his arms, you yawn around a smile that's directed at Carl who tiredly rubs at his eyes before turning to go back to the room he shared with his baby sister. Then feeling the baby shift in your arms, you turn your attention to her before shutting your door once more and gently bouncing her in your arms as you walk to bed. "What's wrong, huh? You feel like playing instead of sleeping like a normal human being?" Judith coos and you can't help but melt no matter what time it is. And speaking of time, you glance at the clock on your bedside table and quietly groan when you notice it's only after three in the morning.

Sitting on your bed, you pull one of your pillows forward and set it down in the middle of your mattress before laying Judith down. She coos some more, giggling when you tug on her little toes. "Yeah, yeah, kid. Get it all out while you can."

You play with Judith for a while, tickling her around her thighs and waist. As she laughs, you make faces at her and grin when she finds amusement in it. But when you grab the edge of your sheet and run it gently over her face, you're surprised to see her eyes close and then take longer and longer to reopen. Sensing victory, you scoop her back up and place the pillow she'd been laying on a little closer to your own pillow. The pillow supports her back while you curl around her, continuing to run the edge of the sheet against her face until she finally drifts off. You even hum Somewhere Over the Rainbow, drifting off to sleep yourself when Judith doesn't reawaken.

Since the whole world went topsy-turvy, you've become a light sleeper since you had to keep a lookout for the dead. So even though you're in a dead sleep, you can still feel when there's a presence hovering over you. Reaching out with speed you didn't even know you possessed, you latch onto someone's wrist as they're reaching for Judith.

"Hey. Shh. It's fine." The familiar timbre of Rick's voice makes you exhale quietly, your grip on him relaxing until you let him go.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing. Got up to check on Judith and she was gone. She cry and wake you up?"

"Hmm. No. She was keeping Carl up so he brought her in."

He huffs. "M'sorry about that. Here, let me take her."

Again you reach out, this time shoving his arm away. "Don't you dare, Grimes." From the corner of your eye, you catch sight of your glowing clock and bite back a whine. It was now only after five in the morning. "She hasn't been asleep long. She's fine here." With the faint light coming in from your window, you tiredly grin. "If you want the comfort of your daughter being nearby, climb in on the other side. But do not wake her or I will never forgive you."

Rick quietly chuckles. "You sure?"

"Mhm. Get in bed, Rick. I don't care what anyone thinks. At least I'm not in your lap this time."

He sighs longingly. "And what a damn shame that is."

You snort, Judith jerks in her sleep, and you immediately curl around her once more. There was just something babies loved about being cuddled and you had no problem sparing a few for the little girl if it meant she fell back to sleep. As Rick settles in on the other side, carefully removing the pillow under Judith's back so he could get as close as possible, you glare at him while mumbling, "I hate you."

"Sure, sweetheart. Now get some sleep. We're patrolling tomorrow. Daryl's got something to show us."

Falling asleep, curled around Judith and legs nearly tangled with Rick's, comes far too easy for you. But rather than thinking about it and wondering what Rick could possibly be thinking as well, you exhale softly and let Rick's breathing lull you to sleep.

The next time you're woken up is because you're punched in the chest. It doesn't hurt, it's a faint little hit, but it does startle you into consciousness. When your eyes fly open it's to see Judith wiggling around and happily punching out randomly.

"She got you too, huh?" Rick sleepily mumbles. "I got hit on the mouth."

You giggle softly and reach out to tickle Judith beneath her chin before turning onto your back with a sigh. Groaning softly, you stretch and ask, "What time is it?"

"Time to get up. You go ahead and take the first shower."

"Yes, sir."

In the early morning daylight hours, as you sit up and turn so your feet touch the floor you're more aware of what you're wearing. Or rather what you're not wearing. Shorts. You're not wearing any shorts and you can't believe you actually slept in the same bed as Rick with only a t-shirt and underwear on.

You try not to let on how flustered you suddenly are when you stand and then immediately tug your shirt down as if that'll help you feel less flustered. Thankfully Rick doesn't mention anything and you try not to make it seem like you're rushing as you go to the closet and put together an outfit from everything you've stuffed in there.

With your outfit in hand, you head towards your bedroom door and open it. You nearly yelp, gasping instead as you curse beneath your breath. Daryl stands there, hand poised to knock. He stares at you before his gaze drifts over your shoulder and his eyebrows raise in surprise as he grins. "Well I was gonna ask if you'd seen Rick, but nevermind. Found him."

"Don't be a smug prick. All we did was sleep."

He shrugs. "Not my business, but if this continues does that mean I can move into Rick's room since he'll be sleeping in here?"

"Ugh." You push passed him, fighting off a smile as the hunter chuckles.

Heading towards the bathroom, you're relieved to see it's unoccupied and lock yourself away inside. You know it's pointless to shower since you're going outside the walls today, but the luxury of hot water still amazes you and you haven't passed up a hot shower since you've settled in Alexandria. But still you keep the shower short, skipping the shampoo and conditioner, and just sudsing up your body and face before rinsing off.

Then once you're dressed appropriately for the day's trip, you exit the bathroom and head back towards your room. Rick's the only one there, his own clothes in hand as he sits on the edge of your bed. When he notices you, he smiles.

"Daryl took Judith downstairs. Eat and we'll be heading out soon. It's going to be an all day trip."

"Yippee," you deadpan. Rick chuckles as he stands and, as you toss your dirty clothes into a hamper, he heads out of your room in order to get to the bathroom himself.

Taking a moment, you can't help smile at his retreat. Then turning towards your bed, you're pleasantly surprised to see that Rick fixed your bed for you so you didn't have to. With nothing more to do other than pulling on a pair of boots, you do so and then head downstairs.

There's a small group gathered in the kitchen as Carol and Maggie whip something up for breakfast, and you avoid Daryl's gaze from where he sits at the table feeding Judith some applesauce. Though the second you lean over the kitchen island and steal a slice of tomato from the two working women, you can't help but freeze when Maggie says, "Sleep well? Because we heard something really interesting right before you came down."

You gape as the group around you snickers, and then you whirl around to glare at Daryl. "You're a goddamn gossip, Dixon!" The occupants in the room finally lose their composure, everyone laughing at your expense. Tossing the piece of tomato in your mouth for a moment, you then go on to defend yourself after it's gone. "Nothing happened. We slept on opposite sides of Judith and that's it!"

Rosita snorts. "Wasted opportunity if you ask me."

Several others hum in agreement and you groan. "Yeah? Well no one did. Now can we please drop it?" You reach in for another piece of tomato, but Carol whacks the back of your hand with her spoon. As you pout at her for the reprimand, you take the plate of breakfast from Carl who hands it to you with an adoring smile. "You are my favorite Grimes, kid. Never change."

You're able to eat your breakfast in peace, letting the conversation wash over you as if this were a normal day and the dead weren't roaming outside the town walls. Rick soon comes down to join everyone and Maggie passes him a plate before he can take his seat. He sits next to you, squeezing your knee under the table, and you grin in response while also praying to the Gods above you don't blush.

When all is said and done, and people start to head on out, you linger back while waving on Daryl and Rick with promises you'll only be a minute. As a majority of the room clears out, with the exception of Carol and Maggie who are cleaning up, you grab Rosita's arm to hold her back as well. She raises her eyebrows at you in surprise and you grin reassuringly.

"You're taking over my classes today, right?"

"Uh, yeah. Is that a problem?"

"Not at all," you're quick to say. "I just- can you keep an eye on Carl and Ron, please? Something is going on between them and I have a bad feeling it's going to come to blows pretty soon."

Rosita frowns. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure. It's either teen angst like everyone believes because I've seen the way things get tense when that girl Enid is around, or Ron still blames Rick for everything gone wrong with his family and is taking it out on Carl. Either way, I don't trust Ron."

"Yeah, of course. I'll keep an eye on things."

"Thanks."

Quickly thanking the women for breakfast, you then make your way outside where the two men are waiting for you. You give them a nod before walking ahead of them, each of you having to check out weapons from the armory before you can go on your trip.

"So what exactly is on the agenda for today?" You wonder as you strap a couple of knives to your thighs, a glock in a holster at your waist, and take the offered rifle from Daryl as he makes sure you're well enough prepared.

Daryl and Rick share a brief look, a look you know all too well. They're calculating exactly what to say in front of Denise- the woman currently on shift and in charge of marking down who takes what weapons.

"Supply run," Daryl's gruff voice answers.

"After we clear out a bit of the woods around the place, Abraham wants to expand outward, so we need to give him the all clear."

You nod. "Sounds good." A handful of minutes later and you're dropping into the backseat of a car. Scooting towards the middle so you can lean forward in between Rick and Daryl, you ask, "So what else are we doing? Don't think I didn't notice that little look between you guys when Denise perked up after I asked what we were doing."

"More an' more of the dead with W's carved into their foreheads are showin' up," Daryl says.

"Of course they are." You sigh. "Just when I get comfortable things gotta go to shit." Both men snort in amusement and you groan as you fall back into your seat.

Daryl drives around to the back of Alexandria and parks, and then he takes the lead into the woods surrounding the town. There's not many dead lingering, so you and Rick resort to using knives while Daryl watches your back.

Dispatching of the dead is gross, but quick, and then Daryl's double checking all the bodies. He drags a few aside, turning their heads with his booted foot. "See? Someone's doin' this on purpose and I don't like that they're so close to home."

"So what are we gonna do? Recon?" You ask. "We can't raise the alarm in Alexandria unless we know for sure. We don't want everyone panicking."

"We tell Aaron," Rick says. "He's good at remaining unseen and no one will question him being gone for a few days."

"Sounds good to me." You glance around, sighing when you notice more dead wandering closer. "I wish I were still in bed."

"Yeah I bet you do," Daryl mumbles.

You immediately turn around to glare at him, but seeing Rick with his head down as he tries to fight off a smile softens you. Instead, your shoulders droop and you roll your eyes before turning around to dispatch the newcomers.

It takes a few hours to clear the woods and pile the bodies for burning, but it eventually gets done. There's an hour break where you rest and eat what little rations Daryl had stashed in the car, and then it's on to drive an hour or so out to hopefully find some supplies that the town could use.

"I can't wait to get home," you say while loading up a box of dusty canned goods. Daryl grunts, adding in a find of his own that he had recovered from a nearby house. "Do you think I can get an invite to spaghetti night now that you finally found Eric his traditional pasta maker?"

The hunter snorts. "We'll see."

Once the trunk is loaded up with what little supplies and goods the three of you have managed to find, you crawl back into the backseat and prepare to take a nap on the drive back to Alexandria. The drive is quiet, with the exception of the beginning where Rick and Daryl bicker about what CD to listen to.

The music and the bumpy drive lulls you into a light sleep, so you don't know how much time has passed when the car slows.

"What the hell?" Daryl's gruff voice makes your eyes flutter open before you sit up, scooting towards the middle so you can see out the windshield.

Rick leans forward. "That wasn't there before."

The that in question is a downed tree and it's blocking the only road back home. Daryl parks and cuts the engine, and all three of you exit. You grab your rifle, but hook the strap over your head so the rifle hangs diagonally across your back. And not wanting your hands empty, you grab two daggers by their hilts- one in each hand- and keep an eye on your surroundings as you follow after the men.

Rick walks up to the portion of the tree that's in the road, testing its weight with his foot as he tries to rock it back and forth. Daryl, however, walks over to where the base is.

"Shit." You and Rick immediately glance at him. "This tree didn't fall on its own."

"No?"

"No."

You follow behind Rick as Daryl waits to explain his findings, but just seeing what Daryl's found makes your stomach churn. "It's a clean cut." Both men look at you and you gesture to where the tree's obviously been cut. "If it'd have fallen on it's own, it'd be a jagged cut all around. It's clean around the front where someone took an ax or chainsaw to it, but then it's jagged at the end from where they pushed it over."

Daryl nods. "That's right."

All three of you glance at each other, dread filling you, before your gazes all dart to your surroundings to see if there's anything else out of the ordinary. Everything is eerily quiet around you that it's easy to hear a distant rumble and possible crash before a horn is left to constantly blare.

"What the hell is that?" Jogging back towards the road, you look towards the sky off in the distance of where the noise is most likely coming from. Not even a minute has passed before you see the faint smoke reaching a height that's visible to you so far out. "That's Alexandria." You realize with horror.

"We're about half a mile out," Rick says.

"We're not pushin' this tree out of the way with just us three." Daryl tells him.

"Then we run." Without waiting for their opinion, you jump over the downed tree and take off towards your home.

Rick and Daryl mustn't have had any doubt because they're right there with you, and had this been a lighter situation you would have poked fun at the hunter for being just a tad slower than you. Fear and adrenaline for what you could possibly find has your legs pumping continuously and you don't pay attention to the sweat beading down your back as you run.

Alexandria finally comes into view and immediately you grip your knives tighter. The dead are everywhere, attracted to what appears to be an 18-wheeler that's been driven into the watch tower, the tower having fallen and creating a hole for the dead to enter the once secured town.

Daryl looses arrow after arrow as Rick shoots round after round at the dead. The noise attracts some of the dead towards you and you readily use your daggers to plunge into their brains, grunting through the exhaustion that's threatening to slow you down. You and Rick clear a path for Daryl, and he climbs up into the truck to disable the horn.

Once disabled, it's easy to hear the screams and shouts of Alexandrians. Daryl hops down in between you and Rick, and three of you stare at one another before nodding.

"Be careful," he grunts.

Daryl disappears inside and, just as you attempt to follow, a hand grabs you by the bicep. You turn to ask Rick what the problem is, but before you can utter a word his lips are crashing down on yours. You inhale sharply in surprise, but quickly return the sentiment before he can pull back to lean his forehead against yours. You try to meet his gaze, but his eyes are cast downward as he pants heavily.

"Not that I was against that, but-" a walker groans and snaps his teeth as it comes between you and Rick, causing you to separate, and you quickly stab it in the head. You grunt as you retake your weapon, and sigh when you look at Rick. "What was that about?"

"We don't know what we're about to walk into," Rick says. "I don't want anymore what if's between us."

"O-Okay."

"And if we make it out of this, I'm moving into your room so Daryl can have mine."

You grin, shaking your head in brief amusement. "If that's what you want, then okay." Yours and his attention is stolen by a small group of approaching dead, and you quickly dispatch them with tired grunts.

Everything happens so fast that you barely have time to nod before Rick's running off. You give yourself a moment to gather your wits and then you're running off as well, striking down the dead that is in your way.

Inside the walls of Alexandria is complete and utter chaos. There are small fires here and there, but the main concern is that the dead greatly outnumber the living- especially the living that chose to fight back rather than hide in their houses.

As you jog towards the house you share with Rick, Daryl, and the kids, your arms get tired very quickly with all the various dead you have to stab. Your focus is on getting to the house that you don't notice one of the supposed dead is moving a little quickly until the being is swinging a machete at you. You yelp and try to dodge, but the blade manages to slice your bicep.

"What the hell?!" Thinking the person is an Alexandrian who's so caught up in the fight that they attacked you by accident, you don't outright attack back. Not until you notice the raggedy clothing and the wild look in the other person's eyes as they lunge at you again.

Your daggers don't have the same reach as the machete, so you're ducking and dodging as you try to slip the blades back in their holsters before reaching for your rifle. Fortunately, someone else sees you struggling and takes the shot you can't.

Another being rushes you, but as you finally get a hold of your rifle the other being pulls down the bandanna from covering the bottom half of their face. "Carol?" You utter in shock. "What the hell happened here?"

Dressed in worn clothing and with a bit of mud smeared around her eyes, Carol shrugs. "I don't know. One second I'm watching your neighbor having a smoke and the next someone is running up on her and slits her throat. They're everywhere, Y/N! They even ransacked the armory."

"Where are the kids?"

"I told Carl to watch Judith. They're still at the house."

"Then that's where I'm going. Be careful."

"I will."

Carol recovers her face and sprints off, and you grip your rifle in hand as you rush towards your house now.

You're grateful there aren't too many dead stumbling around the street your house is at, so it's a straight shot home. But the closer you get, you realize there's an individual on your porch that's trying to kick down the front door.

Blood boiling, you slow your run so you don't alert the person to your presence. Then standing at the bottom of the porch steps, you raise your rifle and take aim. "Hey!" The man whirls around. "Get the hell away from my kids." One shot drops the man where he stands and you quickly run up the steps, pulling a dagger from your thigh holster and stabbing him in the brain.

The door opens, startling you, and you sigh in relief when you see Carl there with a rifle of his own. "Y/N?"

"Yeah, it's me. Where's your sister?"

"Enid's hiding with her in an upstairs closet."

"Good." You tiredly stand tall once more, smiling softly at him. "You watch the back door, I'll keep watch up here."

He says nothing, instead his gaze then lands on your arm. More specifically the blood that's dripping from the tips of your fingers. "You're bleeding."

"Huh? Oh yeah." You pull apart the tear in your jacket, hissing when the cut on your arm pulses with pain. "It's not too bad. The bleed is slowing down. See? I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

You meet Carl's concerned gaze, nodding. "Yeah. If I start feeling dizzy or anything, I'll let you know." Offering him a smile, you don't turn your back on him until he nods and makes his way towards the back door.

Taking a moment to gather yourself, you turn back around and leave the door open a crack while focusing on the threats ambling around the street. One by one you pick them off, grateful that you don't spot another living being trying to slaughter those you spent a couple months getting to know.

It seems like hours have passed when you see familiar faces start to appear, you waving them over into the safety of your house. The sun is setting when the one face you'd been anxious to see finally pops up and it's like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.

"Hey." Rick comes to a slow, carefully walking up the porch steps and shouldering the strap to his rifle. "You good?"

"Small hiccup," you say while lifting your injured arm a little, "but nothing life threatening."

When he reaches you, he gently grabs your arm to check the wound himself. Satisfied that you told him the truth, Rick lets go of your arm in favor of gently cradling your face in his hands so he can kiss you. You grin against his mouth, one hand grabbing onto his wrist to steady yourself as you return the brief moment of affection.

Rick ends the kiss, laying his forehead against yours. "Who else is here?"

"Carl and Judith are fine," you say. "Enid was here, but she ran not too long ago and then Jesse, Ron, and Sam ran in behind Michonne, Deanna, and Father Gabriel."

Rick steps back and glances up and down the street one last time before gesturing you inside. "We got the gate locked up and Daryl set the pond on fire to lure in the rest of the dead around here. Unfortunately there's still a hole in the wall so we'll have to stay indoors until morning. With the sun gone, we can't risk working in the dark."

"Agreed."

You and Rick enter the house, he quietly shutting the door and locking it behind him. Jesse is on the sofa, splattered with blood as she hugs her children on either side of her. Father Gabriel is in the arm chair, already looking to Rick for answers on what they're to do next. Carl is sitting on the top of the stairs, bouncing Judith on his knee and looking quite grim.

Rick notices and starts up the stairs towards his children. "What happened?"

Carl doesn't answer, but he does say, "Michonne and Deanna are waiting for you. They're in your room."

Rick glances at you over his shoulder and you readily follow after him. Passing Carl and Judith on the stairs, you can't help but ruffle their hair and grin when Carl huffs and tries to duck out of the way. But the second you enter Rick's room, the mood quickly sobers. Michonne is standing by the window, arms crossed over her chest, and Deanna lays in bed- sweating profusely and looking paler than normal.

Rick's hands plant themselves on his hips, his shoulders dropping as he sighs. "I was foolish." Deanna smiles tiredly, coughing not even a moment later. "I let my guard down for a moment and one of the dead surprised me around the corner."

"She fought as long as she could," Michonne says, "and I happened upon her too late. She had a chunk taken out of her side."

Even though you and Deanna didn't necessarily get along, your heart breaks for the woman. You step forward and offer her a feeble smile, one which she returns. "Don't cry for me, Y/N. I tried my best, just like you taught me. It just wasn't enough. I wasn't enough."

You nod, not having any words to say that would offer her any form of comfort. Rick reaches out, sliding his arm around your shoulders and tugging you into his side when he sees your crestfallen expression.

Michonne asks what the next plan of action is and Rick informs her of what's going on. Since it's nearly dark out, the only thing they can do is to wait it out until morning. Her gaze then falls on Deanna who admits she wants to go out on her own terms right before she succumbs to the infection and Rick sadly hands her a gun he had on his hip that had a few bullets left in the clip.

Rick gestures for Michonne to leave the room with you and him, and the three of you gather just outside in the hallway. "Do either of you know where Spencer is at?" She quietly asks.

"He's holed up with a few others down the street," Rick says.

"Is there any way we can let him know about his mother?"

"We can try the walkies," you admit, "but there's no telling if anyone with him has one."

She sighs. "I don't like that he doesn't know his mother is dying."

"I don't either, but if no one in his house has a walkie then it's no use."

Rick clears his throat, unclipping the walkie on his own belt while he gestures towards your room. "I'm gonna do check-ins. See how everyone is holding up and let them know to keep quiet until morning."

You and Michonne look at one another, and the moment Rick is out of earshot she looks back towards you and smiles. "You know, I'm pretty sure everyone saw that moment between you and Rick out on the porch."

"Can we not," you groan. Michonne only smiles in response. She continues to stare, quite smugly, and you can't help but huff a small laugh. "Tell you what, when all this is said and done and we're still alive, I'll give you all the juicy details."

"Deal."

The two of you then head downstairs and your brief amusement vanishes when the sounds of the dead just outside the house reaches your ears. The sounds of their rasping, hunger fueled moans make you uneasy, but it's the sound of breaking glass and what sounds like one of the metal shelving units in the garage falling over that makes your heart pump furiously with fear.

"Ron!" Jesse immediately jumps up from the couch, rushing towards the garage door.

Shouting resonates from within the closed off room and your gaze darts around the room in a panic. "Where's Carl?!"

Father Gabriel stands from his seat, Judith in his arms, and your stomach sinks when his gaze darts to the garage door. He shrugs, ready to apologize, but you turn on your heel and rush after Jesse.

The two teens spill into the house the second Jesse yanks the garage door open, looking a little roughed up, but everyone's attention is on the fact that the boys throw themselves against the door just as arms reach through and attempt to grasp onto any living being. You and Jesse waste no time in helping them keep the door closed as Michonne uses her katana to kill the dead closest to the door so you all can shut it.

Rick rushes down the stairs just as the windows along the porch are shattered. "Everyone upstairs. Now!"

You and Michonne hold the door so Jesse and the boys can run. When they're clear, as well as Father Gabriel and Judith, you and Michonne push off the door and take the stairs two at a time while Rick tries to barricade the bottom of the stairs.

The first floor of the house quickly floods with the dead and you rush back downstairs to grab Rick by the back of his shirt. "Come on! We gotta barricade the top."

Rick reluctantly gives up and, as soon as you make it to the second story, Carl and Michonne are tossing bedside tables and a mattress onto the stairs. Rick rushes into the nearest room, sliding a long dresser out to barricade the top of the stairs in order to prevent any dead from making it any further.

Locked in the room with a sickly Deanna, everyone does their best to remain calm. Thankfully Judith has managed to fall asleep through all the ruckus and the only sound is Rick pacing back and forth as he tries to come up with a plan for a way out.

After what seems like an hour or so, Rick looks up in surprise. "I know how to get out of here."

"Yeah? How?" You ask.

"We've done it before. To walk with the dead, you have-"

"To smell like the dead," you mutter, nose wrinkling. "We have to cover ourselves in blood and guts again."

"Exactly." Rick looks around, nodding and looking a little lighter to show just how much hope he has in his plan. "Gather sheets and cut a hole in each one to drape over our heads. I'll start dragging bodies into Y/N's room so we can gut them in there."

It's absolutely disgusting work to watch Rick cut open the dead and yank out their intestines. Jesse quietly sobs the entire time she's being coated in guts and blood, but her sons remain stoic throughout the entire process. You had managed to get through to a few of the others on the walkie, giving them the plan in case they were in the same tight spot your house had ended up in.

When it's finally time to move out, you're doing your best to breathe through your mouth. Father Gabriel volunteered to take Judith beneath his sheet and promised to get her safely to the church where a few others had checked in from with hardly any dead walking around the place. And when everyone looked to Deanna, she assured everyone she could pull the trigger when she felt like it was time.

As you're walking down the stairs, Rick takes the lead to test whether or not his plan actually worked. It does. The dead stumble up to him, sniffing, before realizing he doesn't smell like food and continue on. Some head upstairs now that the path has been cleared, but most remain stumbling around the first floor. Then linking hands, or grabbing onto the back of someone's sheet, everyone keeps in a line as to not get separated. And as everyone starts to feel overwhelmed by all the pressing bodies, Deanna shouts in a rage before multiple gunshots ring out.

It's almost like a weight's been lifted off your shoulders when everyone makes it out, but that relief is shortly lived when you hear Jesse's youngest son Sam shout. Sam is shouting as the dead converge on him, Jesse is screaming for her son who she won't let go of and she too is quickly overwhelmed by the dead. But in the process of being eaten alive, she's yet to let go of Father Gabriel's sheet and with all the noise it's only a matter of time before Judith wakes. So not seeing any other option, Michonne uses her katana to cut Jesse's arm off so Father Gabriel can hurry to safety.

Everyone seems rather frazzled when they finally make it clear of the feeding frenzy. But just when it seems like you can breathe, Ron stumbles to the side. The teen is clearly in shock over witnessing the rest of his family dying so cruelly, so it's no wonder he whips out a gun from beneath his sheet. What is a shock, however, is that he points it directly at Rick.

You and Carl freeze, and you grab onto Carl's arm when he tries to run around you to be at Rick's other side. Ron's hand shakes from fear and anger, and no matter what Rick tells him he won't put the gun down. He obviously blames Rick for his father's death, even though it was Deanna who gave the kill order, and now blames Rick for his mother and brother's death as well.

You can't seem to make your mouth work in order to talk Ron down, and no matter what Rick or Carl say he doesn't seem to be hearing them. It's only when you see Michonne sneaking up on Ron do you feel a little bit of hope, but that hope quickly dies when she runs her katana straight through the teen's back. His aim wavers and his finger squeezes the trigger.

A gunshot rings out.

Everyone involved flinches, but it's you who stumbles back. You blink in surprise and then glance down, your hand trembling as you raise it to hold your stomach.

"Y/N?" Carl says.

You don't say a word, instead you start to gather the bloodied sheet in your hands to lift it out the way. Beneath it, the gunshot wound on your stomach bleeds out.

"No." You glance up at Rick's whimper and watch as his expression crumbles. "No, no, no."

Your knees give out suddenly, but Carl is quick to catch you by the elbow. He hooks your arm around his neck and Rick rushes to your free side to do the same with your other arm. Michonne readily takes the lead, using her katana to cut down any dead in the path towards the infirmary where Denise and a few others had hid.

Rick and Carl carry you between them, and you're still in shock that the pain hasn't really registered with you yet. You see a few friends standing guard outside the infirmary and they quickly help Michonne clear the way for Rick and Carl to get you inside.

Rick immediately starts making demands of Denise- the poor woman stammering that she doesn't know how to perform any form of surgery. Rick and Carl finally put you on a gurney, and only then does the pain hit. You groan out and the two Grimes' slow their movements, carefully adjusting you. And finally seeing just how serious the situation is, Denise steps forward and starts to recall some information she'd been reading from the books the last doctor left behind.

With Denise frazzled under Rick's looming stance, Tara steps in and eases the man back. You pant heavily, doing your best to keep your sobs quiet as Denise and Tara turn you this way and that way to determine whether or not there was an exit wound. There isn't which means the bullet will have to be dug out.

"She's losing a lot of blood," Tara quietly mumbles. "Are you sure you can do this?" She asks Denise.

Denise glances at Rick, then down at you. You offer her a feeble smile. "J-Just dig it out. I w-won't blame you i-if-"

"Hey. Shh," Tara says. "It's okay. I didn't mean-"

"It's okay," you say. Teary eyes dart between the two girls as you gulp. "Just do your best."

As the two women start prepping and wiping around the wound, you make too much noise that Michonne ends up suggesting they dose you with morphine. Tara does and just as you feel yourself sinking into the comfort of the gurney beneath you, the edges of your vision darken and the last thing you see is Rick helplessly staring at you

The second Y/N is out, Tara and Denise start furiously working. The longer Y/N is out and the more blood Rick sees gushing out, the more anxious he feels. But the moment Denise mentions finding a universal donor within Alexandria for a blood transfusion, Rick can't take it anymore and marches outside. Michonne follows him, as well as several others who'd been waiting on the porch, and they let Rick take the lead as he angrily strikes down dead after dead.

It takes hours, but eventually the hole in the wall is patched just enough so no more dead can stumble in. Those left alive split into groups- one to clear out the houses that had been broken into and the other to start piling bodies for burning later on. Then when there is nothing left to do, Carl urges his father back to the infirmary to check on Y/N.

On the way back to the infirmary, Rick stops by a water spigot and cleans himself off as best as he can. He takes a moment to gather himself and when he feels like he has himself under control, he makes the short walk to the infirmary and walks right on in. Tara and Denise look extremely tired, but they're doing their best to strip bloody sheets from a gurney.

Rick's breath stutters, the girls look up, and Tara is quick to make the connection between Rick's heartbroken expression and his stare on the empty bed. "No, no, no! She's alive. Y/N is still hanging on," she says. "We got the bullet out and she's resting now, but until she wakes up we can't determine just how okay she is. You can go back and see her."

He quickly nods, exhaling harshly before running a hand down the length of his face to rid his eyes of the tears that had quickly gathered. Once he's positive he's not about to have a breakdown, he heads towards the room Tara points out to him.

Y/N looks like a completely different person, but that's to be expected from someone who lost so much blood. Rick pulls up a chair to the side of the bed and he cautiously reaches for her hand as he takes a seat. "The family is safe; we all made it, but there were several Alexandrians that didn't," he says, voice low and gravelly. Rick then sighs, looking Y/N over and hoping that her eyes would open. He hunches over the side of the bed, holding onto Y/N's hand while brushing his lips against her knuckles. "We got the walls temporarily patched up and have already started cleanup. You really are lucky to be stuck in this bed." He chuckles drily. When there's still no movement, his expression falters. "I can't do this without you, Y/N. Please don't make me do this without you."

Rick lays his head on the bed, eyes closing as he prays to whoever is listening that they don't take Y/N away from him. Not now when things are finally moving forward between them. And since his eyes are closed, he completely misses when Y/N's brow furrows.

You feel utterly exhausted and a little nauseated when your eyes flutter open. You attempt to swallow, but your throat is absolutely dry and you whimper. A grip on your hand tightens and your gaze immediately darts to an exhausted looking Rick. "W-water," you rasp.

"Y/N?" His shocked expression quickly turns to one of relief, he then letting your hand go to pour you a cup of water from the pitcher on the bedside table. You manage to pull yourself up just enough so you can drink without choking, you then falling back against your pillow with a sigh. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." You blink sleepily at him. "How are the kids?"

"They're fine. Carl's worried about you."

Weakly smiling, you say, "Of course he is."

Rick leans on the side of your bed, elbows pressed into the mattress as he holds himself up. "You know, Carl heard what you said." You frown in confusion. "He heard you through the door when you told one of the attackers to get away from your kids."

"Oh god." Your eyes widen. "Rick, I'm so so-"

"Don't. Those kids are yours as much as they are mine." His words give you pause, but then you can feel your face heating up as your bashfulness kicks in as it always does when it comes to Rick and any talk of a relationship between the two of you. "You've been there for Judith her entire life and you helped Carl into becoming the young man he is today by not letting the harsh world completely remake him into someone terrible. Those are our kids, Y/N. If you want that, of course."

You hadn't realized your eyes filled with tears until you feel the hot trail they leave behind after slipping from the corners of your eyes. You sniffle and reach up to wipe the tears away. "I do. I want that."

Rick beams at you, his own eyes a little misty. You can't help but chuckle as he leans up, pressing a kiss to your forehead. "Good, because Daryl is already talking about renovating my room to his liking. It appears I'm moving in with you."

"Well if that's the case, you better go air out our house after all those dead were in there."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll get right on that." He leans up and kisses your cheek this time, he finally feeling like it's okay to leave your side.

As he stands up, you smile as he stretches and then groans when his back pops. Then as he's walking away, you can't help but say, "Just so you know, if you hog the covers I'm kicking you out and you can share with Daryl."

Rick snorts, only looking over his shoulder at you to smile.

Not even ten seconds later and Tara's entering the room, eyes sparkling with mirth. You narrow your eyes suspiciously at her, but she merely rolls her eyes in return. "What? Let me have this. We've been waiting for this thing between you and Rick to blossom for forever."

"So I've been told. Now tell me, Doc Jr, when can I get out of here? I've got a household to maintain."

[feralnumberfive]

The Rewatch Academy: Episode 1 of Season 1

"We Only See Each Other At Weddings and Funerals”

I am in no way a good analyst so my little analysis and speculations probably sound a bit goofy or pretty wild and probably mean nothing at all. Everything I put into this post about each episode is purely what I noticed or thought, whether it's funny or serious. I will be making jokes, so please just leave it at that (in no way am I trying to make fun of an actor and or character!) I am also in no way saying I noticed this stuff first. This is just what I noticed while rewatching these episodes

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1x01 | 1x02 | 1x03 | 1x04 |

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☂️ In the Pilot script, it has a woman giving birth to a baby boy in Poland in 1984 (potentially Five or maybe even Luther??) 

☂️ “Picture Book” is an absolute bop and no one can tell me otherwise

☂️ What if someone saw this parade of carriages and noticed that there were seven? Later Reginald announces that he adopted 6 kids, so I wonder if anyone saw the carriages earlier and heard Reginald's announcement and became confused

☂️ The concert hall in the Pilot script is in New York, which I assume is safe to assume in NYC. The script also mentions later that Diego drops the monocle in the Hudson River

☂️ The Pilot script originally had Allison in LA, and Klaus in Amsterdam (which he was supposed to be levitating in that scene)

☂️ Diego was originally supposed to be pretty brutal and violent

☂️ I am a huge POTO fan so having a medley of the songs from the musical is so awesome to hear. The first time I watched this episode and heard the violin starting to play, I was like “Huh, this really sounds like POTO” and then I realized it was! It gave me chills and still does to this day overtime I watch this scene

☂️ The dark and mysterious tones of POTO really matches the vibes of TUA well. It’s just so good, especially as a way to introduce Vanya. The first song Vanya plays is “Phantom of the Opera” which is a nice symbolism when introducing the Hargreeves Siblings. The song itself is Christine discovering who her true Angel of Music is, a strange masked man that everyone knows well but they truly don’t know who he really is, like with the Umbrellas and their separate personalities and struggles as actual human beings and not just as the superheroes the public knows them as. It also plays while showing Diego, who is a mysterious masked figure at that point. 

☂️ “Angel of Music” is basically Christine asking her angel to guide her, which is ironic that it plays while Klaus is getting out of a place that guides him down the right path, knowing that he’s immediately going to go do drugs again and to go down the “wrong” path

☂️ I wonder if the voice in Luther’s spacesuit as he receives his message is an automated voice or his robot named “Ben” like in the comics. I doubt it’s the latter, but who knows

☂️ Okay, here’s another POTO thing. Diego picks up his knife and wipes the blood off of it and tells the family “Your family is safe now” right as the start of “Think of Me” plays. The first lyrics of the song are “Think of me, think of me fondly” which can be seen as Diego wants the family to truly view him as a hero that saved them

☂️ Aaaand here’s another! Again, while “Think of Me” is playing, one of the parts in the song where Raoul sings “Long ago, it seems so long ago, how young and innocent we were” plays while the paparazzi begins questioning Allison about her father and siblings

☂️ Okay okay, last POTO thing. I especially love that "Music of the Night" plays when Klaus wakes up in the ambulance at night. It's so awesome! Especially since the song is basically about giving into your darkest desires, which Klaus clearly did

 ☂️ Goddamn is the music in the show amazing, and I’m not just talking about all of the fun lyrical songs! Jeff Russo you get a thumbs up from me

☂️ Ta-da! Here’s some portraits that are shown of the siblings with Reginald when they were young that are shown in the show

☂️ Even the first person Vanya sees when she arrives home doesn’t greet her/welcome her back 

☂️ Emmy and Elliot really played that awkward hug and greeting between Allison and Vanya well. You can feel the awkward tension (hey sisters)

☂️ According to the pilot script, Diego wears his mask practically all the time like in the comics

☂️ Luther was literally supposed to have a gorilla body in the pilot script

☂️ “Oh, YoU gOt BiG, lUtHeR”

☂️ Godddd the song playing while Vanya looks at the books on the shelf in including her own is 👌

☂️ Ah, there’s a book called “Lunar Living”

☂️ It might just be me, but it seems like the light shining onto Five’s portrait is ever so slightly askew

☂️ Vanya leaving the lights on and sandwiches for Five reminds me of someone leaving food outside for a stray cat

☂️ Five was originally supposed to be gone for over 22 years in the pilot script

☂️ I wonder at what point in each of the siblings’ lives did they realize, or at least they thought, their brother wouldn’t be coming home 

☂️ Babies 

☂️ There’s so many ape and monkey pictures and diagrams around Reginald’s office. Foreshadowing for Luther?

☂️ I love Klaus’s theme. It’s heard in almost every episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJa9H8SY4wQ&list=OLAK5uy_k2NJivpu0PIwxrOmPVrqN4umBZaahOGWI&index=6

☂️ Why does Reginald have two pictures of himself featuring aircraft? In one of them he’s outside a private jet and the other is him inside a cockpit

☂️ I must say that the dialogue in the pilot script definitely closely mirrors the dialogue of the comics 

☂️ “Told me I should be careful who to trust” 👀

☂️ Something behind Elliot is moving

☂️ I was hoping for this to be a gazelle of some sort above Five’s portrait, but It’s an Gemsbok. However, the Gemsbok is an antelope and all gazelles are antelopes

☂️ “The Walker” playing during the bank robbery scene is 👌👌

☂️ Luther is ready to throw hands

☂️ These robbers really decided to rob a bank at 10:05 am?

☂️ I just love Five popping out of nowhere criss-cross applesauce 

☂️ Something that hasn’t been explained/fully shown is Five’s ability to teleport objects. He teleported the gun out of the guy’s hand and replaced it with a stapler

☂️ Five’s teleportation noise reminds me of something going really fast, like an aircraft breaking the sound barrier. It’s almost like a mini sonic boom, but not as loud

☂️ Okay so I’ve noticed this in most of the episodes, but I don’t think when Five teleports he makes an actual noise. I’ll point this out more as we continue through the episodes. At the bank scene when Five is on the counter, it appears that the first time he teleports the bank robber whips around when Five speaks. The second time the robber turns to Five simply because he doesn’t know where he went and he’s searching for the threat

☂️ “That’s one badass stApler”

☂️ When Ben asks if he has to go into the Vault, he looks at Klaus for reassurance even though Luther is the one speaking to him

☂️ Five was still pretty cocky back in his youth. They, or more like Ben, have more bad guys to take care of and he’s just chilling with his hands in his pockets and leaning back/slouching like he’s bored. His tone with the robber also proves that and the way he just happily bounds out of the bank

☂️ Sir, why are you looking at the camera

☂️ Luther’s little wave to the reporters when the Umbrellas come out of the bank is cute

☂️ The pilot script didn’t include a flashback of a bank robbery, but instead to the Umbrellas training when they were younger. There’s too much to screenshot to I’ll summarize it.

-Luther bench-presses over 500 lbs

-Diego has been holding his breath for about six hours and he flips Reginald off

-Klaus levitates stuff

-Allison is slacking off and when Reginald tells her to continue her training she simply rumors him that she doesn’t have to

-Ben is fighting guards and Reginald calls him “Number Six” to which Vanya, who isn’t supposed to be down there, corrects him that his name is Ben and reminds Reginald that they have names

- Five very quickly and quite brutally rips off the heads and limbs of training dummies, snaps their necks, and stabs them. He is referred to as “A ruthless little war machine.” Reginald calls him “Perfect”

☂️ The pilot script implies that Reginald had alien life mounted on the walls of his office

☂️ There wasn’t a dance scene in the pilot script

☂️ Not to get super into detail about this, but Luther’s room is filled with a lots of models and paintings of aircraft, mainly from WWII. Almost all of them are of Allied aircraft, and more specifially Commonwealth aircraft, like the RCAF. So this could be more of a clue to the Umbrellas living in Canada

☂️ Diego giving that Wildebeest head the stink eye aways makes me laugh

☂️ Klaus is dancing with Reggie’s urn in a Waltz fashion, so maybe he’s just doing that or it’s the ballroom dancing lessons they received as children peeing through

☂️ I love Diego’s dancing skills

☂️ Fuck you Five for ruining their dance party

☂️ Honestly Five’s portal is pretty powerful. Here’s a description of it from the pilot script

☂️ I like that when Luther tells everyone to get behind him and Diego copies him with “Yeah, get behind us” Luther lets his brother use himself as a shield instead be pulling the “I’m the leader, I’m the strongest” card

☂️ When Luther and Diego are shielding their siblings, Diego has his arm stretched out to guard Vanya

☂️ In the pilot script Five’s body is smoking when he comes out of the portal

☂️ What if when Five fell out of the portal he got knocked out so he just laid face down on the ground unconscious aksdhfjsafhd

☂️ “So are we gonna talk about what just happened?” No bitch, let him make his sammie first

☂️ Diego and Klaus had some sort of bet on Five’s time traveling in the pilot script

☂️ Here’s another example of Five’s teleportation possibly not making noise. When he teleports around while his siblings are questioning him, it looks like they only look at him when he appears and not when they hear a noise

☂️ Five in the pilot script is actually 62

☂️ “What part of the future do you not understand?”

☂️ I like that Five styled his hair to the exact style it was when he was actually young, but eventually gets looser throughout the season

☂️ Five is so oddly calm when talking to Vanya in front of his portrait

☂️ “Well, there are worse things that can happen.” “You mean like what happened to Ben?” Yeah there’s also an apocalypse on the way lol

☂️ Five actually got a hug in the pilot script! 

☂️ An ironic moment from the pilot script considering that Five is an assassin and has killed tons of people but this siblings don’t know that

☂️ When Diego is talking about their names and numbers in the courtyard, Five sighs, which I’m sure he’s just bored/has better places to be and is annoyed, but I’d like to view it as “Shit, I don’t even have a name”

☂️ Funny tidbit from the pilot script during the funeral scene “Whatever the hell you are”

☂️ Diego talks about how he assumed Reginald sent Luther to the moon because he couldn’t stand the sight of him, so he must be talking about Luther being like a “failed” leader or something? Like he couldn’t keep the team/his siblings together? Diego doesn’t know about his ape-like body so he’s not thinking about that.....

☂️ I love that Klaus reaches his arm out to guard Five, and that Five simply glares at him and bats his arm away

☂️ When Luther broke Ben’s statue, I can just imagine Ben yelling at Klaus “Seriously? Klaus, why didn’t you stop them?”

☂️ So I’m sure this is just a continuation error, but you can’t see Five walking away in the shot of Ben’s statue hitting the ground. Considering that he had just left, he should still be visible in the background. Again, probably a continuation error or maybe he even teleported inside

☂️ A detail I love about Luther is that his fingernails are dark due to the gorilla DNA

☂️ The bank robbery scene in the pilot script is after the funeral. Not much was changed for the actual first episode, just a few different scenes. Also the Umbrellas were described as gods

☂️ Vanya drawing the tattoo on her wrist hurts my heart

☂️ “Together, you will stand against the reign of evil” gives me chills 

☂️ “This is your home and always will be” is great foreshadowing to S3, and hurts my heart when I think about how it is in fact no longer their home

☂️ When I first watched this episode and saw Pogo watching Vanya I knew something was pretty sus

☂️ Just some gold dialogue from the pilot script during the scene of Five, Allison, and Klaus in the kid area and Five is complaining about coffee (but in the pilot script everyone but Vanya is there)

☂️ “An entire square block. Forty-two bedrooms, 19 bathrooms” goddamn the Academy is HUGE. Also 42 is just one away from being 43 👀

☂️ “I know how to do everything.” Yeah, like survive an apocalypse and professionally kill people :]

☂️ I’ve pointed this out before, but the license plate on the car that Five takes to Griddy’s says HERMES, which is the license plate of his car in the comics

☂️ The exit sign in the background is only half lit up to where it says EX and if my memory serves me correctly that’s the door Vanya and Leonard enter the Academy through in episode 6

☂️ Diego telling Klaus to lean back is like “Ugh I don’t want him with me, but safety first”

☂️ I love that they added his feral chimpanzee smile from the pilot script into he show

☂️ “You won’t be going home.” Cocky smartass strikes again. Not to mention he smiles when he says that. He also says this to the men before he kills them in the pilot script

☂️ Before I even knew about TUA, I had heard of the “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” scene and looked it up. I remember thinking “Wow, that kid is scary.” Now I think “Wow, that old man is scary.”

☂️ I love the little salute he does before he blinks away, and the way his basically just plays with these men like a cat playing with its prey. He knows he’s going to kill them, but he wants to have fun doing so

☂️ Five had some fancy moves in the pilot script

☂️ Five teleporting his tie around the man’s neck is another example of him teleporting an object. Can we see more of this actually happen in S3 please?? I also love the fact that he takes it off the man’s body and puts it back on

☂️ The way he calmly, or tiredly, snaps the man’s neck is chilling to see from a child’s body. This was also included in the pilot script *chanting* Feral Five, Feral Five, Feral Fi-

☂️ It’s honestly such a cool and iconic scene on the show. It truly shows that Five is fully capable of handling himself, and is/was great at his job

☂️ Having the city at night in the background of Diego dropping the monocle is really pretty

☂️ I really like the way they revealed Ben. Having watched both season and now watching this scene again is a bit awkward when Ben doesn’t talk. He’s probably just tired of Klaus 

☂️ “The world ends in eight days, and I have no idea how to stop it.” This line combined with the music and the previous scene of Five in the apocalypse is powerful and chilling and I love it

☂️ I love that they have The Umbrella Academy theme playing during the credits in both seasons

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Feel free to comment or reblog with things you have noticed too!

[captain-josslett]

Broken Melody - Part Two

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven,

Summary: Grammy Award winning Emma Danvers is the first to say she has a pretty good life. But what happens when it implodes around her and it looks like things will never be the same again?

Words: 3k+

Warnings: None... yet… Maybe need a filling for all the fluff I wrote in this part through...

Pairings: Emma Danvers x Lena Luthor (Eventual)

In This Part: Emma and Lena spend some time together. It’s not a date, even though they both wish it is.

The angst still hasn’t happened yet! Got probably two more parts to write before things get angsty! 

As always B!D is named.

Thank you for reading and let me know if you wanna be tagged or any general feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Taglist: @thewitchandtheassassin , @natasha-danvers , @life-is-hella-unfair , @finleyfray​, @supergirl-writingz​

Emma Danvers is happily playing on her Playstation, munching on popcorn and having some much needed rest time. The band are having a break from the farewell sold out world tour. With the holidays coming up they decided to split the tour up to allow them time with their families. The last part will be around America after the New Year. The last gig happening in National City, where their first major gig happened. Emma pushed this idea, finding it quite poetic to finish with the band in the place it all accelerated for them.

Emma didn’t mind the over a month long break. It meant she was home for Thanksgiving and spending more time hanging out with her sister’s, friends and Lena.

Speaking of Lena, the first thing Emma did when she was back in National City was to surprise the CEO on her birthday. She took her best friend to all their favourite hang outs that had a gift at each place until leading Lena back to her apartment where the Superfriend’s were waiting to celebrate with her. By the end of the day Lena was a tearful mess and thanked Emma as she held onto the blonde in a tight hug. 

Emma smiles at the memory and her eyes quickly look at the clock above the huge tv. They had planned to have dinner together tonight as recently Lena has been so busy planning Gala’s and Charity events as well as her CEO job, Lena hasn’t had much time to meet her friend individually.

Seeing it was time to get ready Emma smiles, saves the game and turns everything off. She gets up and bounces into her bedroom to change into some smart casual clothes.  

Quickly looking through her walk in wardrobe Emma picks out her favourite deep blue skinny jeans that make her legs and ass look incredible. A white lace shell top under a red blazer and black high heels. She finishes the outfit off with her layered necklace, a leather wrap around bracelet and natural looking makeup. She pulls her hair out of the high ponytail and lets her naturally wavy blonde hair fall around her shoulders.

Looking herself over in the mirror Emma nods and grabs her green clutch. Placing her keys, small journal and phone inside. Making her way down to the bug Emma hums a song she’s working on, but, as always, it’s not quite there yet.

Soon she pulls into L-Corp’s garage, the security guard waving her through. She parks in Lena’s space and gets out.

“Hi Miss Danvers!” The security guard calls and waves at her.

“Hi David!” Emma calls back as she locks the bug. She waves and smiles at him as she makes her way to the elevator.

When the elevator doors slide open Emma steps inside and presses the button for the top floor where Lena’s office is. Her phone pings inside her clutch and Emma gets it out. Smiling at the message Kara sent to the Danvers sisters group chat.

Kara: I hope you and Lena have a nice time tonight!

Emma goes to respond but a message from Alex appears below Kara’s.

Alex: Traitor.

Kara: What did I do?

Alex: Not you! Emma! It’s sister night!

Emma: Aww I’m sorry Alex, but this was the only evening Lena had free. I promise to make it up to you.

Alex: How?

Emma: Anything you want.

Kara: Yea I’m actually a bit annoyed too!

Emma snorts with laughter at Kara’s message. The doors slide open and Emma slowly exits the elevator as she composes her next text.

Emma: Same goes for you Kara. Also, here’s an idea… Why don’t you both meet up? *Le Gasp!*

Alex: Kara, I’ll be round in 30 mins!

Kara: Bring Potstickers please!

Alex: Already ordered!

Alex: Have a great evening Peanut!

Emma: Thanks! You too! Love you!

Kara: Love you too! (followed by hundreds of emoji’s that widens Emma’s smile.)

Alex: Love you too! (followed by a red heart emoji and means just as much to Emma.)

“Are you planning on coming in?” Lena’s bemused voice calls out.

Emma looks up and realises she stopped in the open doorway of Lena’s office.

“Meh, I’m okay here.” Emma cheekily says and hovers for a few seconds before approaching Lena’s desk.

The raven haired beauty smirks at her before looking down at the papers she was signing. Emma’s eyes wander over Lena’s torso, mainly her chest. How the off the shoulder black dress fits in all the right places. Emma can’t wait to see it fully when Lena stands. In the meantime, Emma goes right up to Lena and hugs her from behind.

“Hi.” Emma whispers and feels a sudden urge to kiss Lena’s neck and back, which is on show due to Lena’s high ponytail and the off the shoulder dress. It takes everything in her to not look down at Lena’s chest.

“Hi.” Lena responds in a breathy voice, almost like she senses what Emma is feeling. “I’m almost done.”

“Take your time.” Emma gives Lena a squeeze before pulling away and stepping out onto the balcony.

Lena’s hand moves swiftly across the pages as she signs the last of the papers for the Christmas Charity Concert L-Corp is organising for the Luthor Children’s Hospital next week.

When she’s finished Lena gathers them up in a neat pile and rises from her chair. She looks around her office to see where Emma is and pauses when she finds her on the balcony, looking out at the city. Lena can’t help but gaze up and down Emma’s toned body. When her eyes land on Emma’s shapely ass, she bites her lip slightly. But when Lena realises where her thoughts are going she quickly shakes her head and turns away, grabbing her handbag and clearing her throat.

“Ready to go?” Emma’s voice says behind her.

“Yes!” Lena says over her shoulder. “All done.”

“Great!” Emma walks up to Lena’s desk, her eyes going up and down as she takes in all of Lena. She goes to walk out of the office but is stopped by Lena’s hand on her shoulder.

“Can I have a proper hug now?” Lena smiles brightly at the blonde.

“Of course you can!” Emma wraps her arms around the CEO. Sighing happily when Lena’s arms do the same. “You seriously give the best hugs.”

“Don’t let your sister’s hear you say that!” Lena laughs into Emma’s neck, causing the blonde to shiver.

“Yea, they’d both have a fit!” Emma chuckles as she pulls away. She holds out her arm for Lena to take and they exit the office. “How’s your day been?” Emma asks while they walk to the elevator.

Lena sighs heavily as she presses the call button.

“That good huh?”

“Well, it's recently gotten a lot better.” Lena squeezes Emma’s arm. Her eyebrows almost shoot up when she feels the muscle underneath. She knows Emma is fit, but not that fit. The doors slide open stopping her train of thought and they both enter. Lena lets go and Emma leans against the side of the elevator, looking at her friend.

“Yea must be such a relief finishing for the day.”

“I meant seeing you, you dork.” Lena's smile widens when Emma throws back her head and laughs. Lena loves Emma’s voice but her laugh is pure magic. She could listen to it for days.

“I’m honoured. Seeing you has been the highlight of mine too.”

“But the night is still young.” Lena tilts her head.

“I can’t imagine anything that can top you.”

‘I wish you would.’ Lena thinks, almost biting her lip again. “What if the restaurant has Creme Brûlée?” She chooses to say instead.

Emma pouts her lips, as if deep in thought.

“Arse.” Lena shoves Emma’s shoulder lightly causing the blonde to laugh again.

“I think it would come a close second to you.”

Lena’s insides melt at that comment and she smiles shyly.

The doors slide open and Emma holds her arm out again, walking with Lena to the bug. She opens the passenger door for her friend.

“My how gentlewomanly!” Lena slides in and Emma closes the door beside her.

‘Cool it Em!’ The blonde berates herself. ‘This is not a date.’ Emma gets into the driver’s seat and starts the bug. ‘Rao I wish it was a date.’

“So, how was your day? Other than seeing me being the highlight?” Lena asks as Emma pulls out of the garage, waving at the security guard as they pass.

“It was… okay?”

“Is that a statement or a question?”

“Er… I mean, I went for a 10k run and did some weight lifting. Worked a bit on a song, played Mass Effect.” Emma shrugs. “It’s been a very general day for me.”

“How you run 10k and do weights everyday is beyond me.”

“It’s fun!”

“If you say so darling.” Lena laughs and rolls her eyes.

“I do say so!” Emma laughs too. “But I do have recovery days as well.”

A noticeable drum beat starts on the radio and Emma whoops, recognising it as one of her current favourite songs. She turns the volume up high and dances along. Smiling brightly when Lena joins in. Not caring that people can see them when they wait at a red light.

A few do a double take as they walk past the bug and wave when they realise it is Emma in the yellow VW and Emma waves back with a smile. Generally fans in National City are respectable to Emma’s privacy and space. When fans do approach her Emma is always polite and will always give them her time. One such time she sat with an kind, eldery lady who had approached her while Emma was sat on a bench at the park. She gushed at how Emma’s music had helped her during the loss of her husband. Tears fell down her old cheeks and Emma gave her a tissue. The blonde listened to the many stories the eldery woman had and gave her a hug when they had to part ways.

Soon Emma and Lena pull up outside the restaurant and valet jumps to open Lena’s door. Emma reluctantly gets out to let the valet drive the bug to the parking area.

“The bug will be fine darling.” Lena says taking a hold of Emma’s hand as the blonde watches the yellow VW be driven away.

Emma weaves her fingers through Lena’s and smiles at her crush. Nodding she walks to the entrance and takes the elevator up to the top floors where the restaurant is.

“Ah! Ms. Luthor and Ms. Danvers! Welcome back!” The host greets them warmly before showing them to their favourite table in a secluded corner by the window. Emma especially loves the view. They are given the menus and the specials for the day. Emma quickly scans through but she already knows what she is ordering.

While they wait for the food the two women catch up. Chatting about anything and everything. Smiles permanently on their faces.

“So how’s things for the events going?” Emma asks while sipping on her Pepsi Max. She’s never been a lover of alcohol, seeing the effects it has on Alex and her peers put her off for life.

“It’s-” Lena pauses for a moment.

“Lee?” Emma frowns.

“Well, we’ve hit a bit of a road block.” Lena sits up a bit straighter. “You know the concert happening next week?”

Emma nods and she tilts her head. She’d already got her ticket with the Superfriends and was planning on anomalously donating a large sum of money to the children’s hospital.

“Well, the act had to pull out and I’m not sure where to find a replacement so quickly. I would ask you but I know this is your rest time and I completely respect that-”

“Lee!” Emma reaches out and takes a hold of Lena’s hand on top of the table. Lena’s cheeks start to blush, but she is blaming the red wine she is drinking. “Take a breath!” Lena does.

“Sorry, it’s just been a bit stressful.”

“I bet.” Emma says sympathetically. “But, I would love to help.”

“Really?”

“Of course! I know of a great gospel choir that could sing with me. Would actually be nice doing something different to country, you know?”

And Lena did know. Emma’s singing voice didn’t naturally have the country tone so she did have to add it in. Lena had been blown away one time when she heard Emma’s natural tone. She had been waiting for Emma to finish in the shower and she heard her voice singing out. Doing runs and riffs that had Lena’s jaw hitting the floor. Lena even got closer and stood by the door to listen better. When Lena heard Emma approach the door she quickly and quietly scurried away.

“Yes, would do you good to try something different too? For your solo career? Let the fans hear more of what you can do.”

“That’s if they want to hear it.” Emma looks away at the city below them, her insecurities bubbling to the surface.

“They would be fools not to Em.” Lena squeezes Emma’s hand and the blonde looks back at her.

“Thanks.” Emma gives Lena a small smile. The anxiety of stepping out into her solo career still worries her. “So-” Emma lets go of Lena’s hand and takes out the journal from her clutch. Opening it and clicking her pen. Her mind switching into work mode as she thinks about the concert. “What songs would you want in the set? And for how long? Do you want the audience to sing along? Will you give a speech?”

Lena pauses as she sips her wine. “Well… I guess the classics and no I don’t think the audience need to participate. It’s not a carol service. You have free rein other than it needs to be wrapping up around 9pm. A speech will be given, probably from someone from the hospital rather than me. Maybe ten or twelve songs, allowing the speech to be near the end and have an upbeat song to finish.”

“Okay.” Emma makes some notes and song ideas. She grins as a surge of excitement hits her. “Can I be a bit rude and message the lead of the choir, Karen?”

“You may. I mean I have dumped this on you.” Lena laughs and takes a sip of her wine while Emma gets her phone out.

“Er… Will the choir be paid?” Emma looks up at her. “I mean I can pay them, that’s no issue. Forget I said anything.”

“Em! It’s okay. And yes the choir will be paid. Ask them what they, Karen? Charges.”

Emma nods and quickly sends Karen a message. Who responds instantly in all capital letters that they will definitely perform with her at the concert and, in Emma’s opinion, quite a low price. Emma sends a message back confirming a time to meet the next day to go over ideas and songs. Already planning a set list in her head.

Lena watches Emma with a smile on her face. How Emma starts to radiate even more with her excitement.

The food soon arrives and like a true Danvers Emma digs right in.

“Oh Lee!” Emma moans, causing Lena’s brain to short circuit. “You need to try this!” Emma puts a piece of her food on her fork and holds it out for Lena. She watches as the raven haired beauty leans forward and slowly wraps her mouth around her fork. Emma swallows thickly when Lena moans too.

“That is delicious.” Lena agrees. “Do you want to taste mine?”

“Sure.” Emma waits for Lena to cut into the food and hold the fork out to her. And like Lena, Emma tilts forward, keeping her eyes on the raven haired beauty as she wraps her mouth around the fork. Emma can’t help the sound of pleasure that escapes her lips as she tastes the food. Closing her eyes briefly and when she opens them she swears she sees Lena biting her lip. “Wow, you made a good choice there.”

“I’m not sharing!” Lena laughs and starts eating again.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Emma says before digging in.

However they do share a Créme Brûlée and Lena has to clench her legs together when Emma sounds like she’s having a mouth orgasm with every bite.

“Okay, no, maybe this is the highlight of my day.” Emma says while licking the spoon and winking at a blushing Lena.

“I don’t know whether I should be offended or not.” Lena raises an eyebrow at the blonde.

“Nah, nothing compares to you Lena. You know that.”

The two women smile softly at each other before continuing their conquest of devouring the dessert.

When it’s time to leave Lena is having an intense tug of war with herself. She wants to come clean. To reveal to Emma that her feelings have gone deeper than friendship. As Emma drives her back to her apartment Lena wants to ask Emma to come up with her. But her past stops her from talking.

“Lee?” Emma notices how quiet Lena has gotten. “You okay?”

“Yea.” Lena says softly.

“You sure?” Emma presses further, knowing Lena is not fine.

“Yes, just tired I guess.”

“I bet you are!” Emma knows this is only partly the truth. Instead she drops it and gives Lena a sympathetic smile. “I really appreciate you spending time with me. I really do mean it when I say it's the highlight of my day, well week, even month! And I know how busy you are around this time of year, so thank you.”

“You’re welcome love.” Lena can’t deny the warmth that fills her heart. “It’s been the highlight of my month too.”

All too soon Emma is parked outside of Lena’s apartment building. “Well, thanks again. Shall I let you know the order of songs etc?”

Lena nods. “You can also send it to Jess as well.”

“Will do.” Emma smiles brightly and leans forward, opening her arms up for a hug. Lena happily falls into them. “Love you Lee.”

“Love you too Em.” ‘More than you’ll ever know.’

They sit like this for a while, just enjoying being in each other’s arms. Lena finally pulls away, knowing if she doesn’t go she will never leave.

“Good night.” She says while opening the door.

“Night. Sleep well!”

Lena is about to step out of the bug when she thinks ‘Fuck it!’ Lena leans back over to Emma and places a kiss on the corner of Emma’s mouth.“You too.” She quickly gets out of the car and enters the building. If she’d looked back she would have seen the brightest smile on Emma’s face as she watches her go.

(Part Three)

[lcdrarry]

LCDrarry 2020 Master List

Dear lovely Participants, Creators, Alpha and Beta Readers, Commentors, Cheerleaders, Readers and Fans of our fest,

Our 2nd installment of LCDrarry is coming to an end, and we'd like to thank you all for taking part in our little fest, for creating so many amazing new Drarry works for us all to enjoy, for commenting on your favourite creations, for sharing and recommending the LCDrarry gems with your friends and blog followers, and for making this fest another amazing experience for us mods.

We hope we could bring you some joy and diversion in these trying times and send you lots of love, strength and perseverance wherever you are :*

Under the cut, you can find out who created what ;D The works are listed in the order they posted during the fest.

Happy reading & squeeing & don’t forget to follow your favourite creators!

~Your LCDrarry Mods Tami @celilasart​ and Suzi @erin-riwen​

PS: Reblogs are very much appreciated <3

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Love, Actually, is All Around

Prompt: #180 | "Love, Actually" - 2003 - Richard Curtis Author: punk_rock_yuppie Word Count: 9,975 words Rating: Teen and Up Warnings: Wizarding Politics, Discriminiation, Slight power imbalance

Summary: It's Christmastime, and Harry has just started as the new Minister of Magic. It just so happens that Draco happens to work in his office as well, a holdover from Kingsley's tenure. Naturally, love is in the air.

Read "Love, Actually, is All Around" now on AO3.

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Drarry on Ice

Prompt: #150 | '"Yuuri!!! On Ice" - 2016 - Series Artist: RunningOutsideTheLines Art Medium: Traditional Art Rating: General Warnings: none

Summary: Harry and Draco find love on the ice. I love Yuuri on Ice and Harry and Draco seem like such a perfect fit for Victor and Yuuri. I'll leave it up to your imagination as far as which is which. This image is from the final scene when the two of them do a exhibition skate together.

View "Drarry on Ice" now on AO3.

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Boats, but Not the Ocean

Prompt: #203 | "Groundhog Day" - 1993 - Harold Ramis Author: p1013 Word Count: 15,551 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: Very minor mention of suicide, some mild horror

Summary: If Draco ever gets his hands on this Bill Murray character, he's going to kill him.

Read "Boats, but Not the Ocean" now on AO3.

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When I Put My Eyes On You

Prompt: #193 | "The Way He Looks" - 2014 - Daniel Ribeiro Author: Zzzara Word Count: 31,155 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Summary: When a hero defeats a villain, there's supposed to be a happily-ever-after... but when did anything ever happen to Harry Potter the way it was supposed to? Having sacrificed himself to the greater good, Harry is left alone in the darkness, blindly groping for the shreds of the life he knew. When the enemies meet, how is the story supposed to go, once they learn there's more to it than the eye can see? A story of pain, hope and things we discover, once we stop looking for them with our eyes.

Read "When I Put My Eyes On You" now on AO3.

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Spellbound

Prompt: #113 | "Overboard" - 1987 - Garry Marshall Author: mortenavida Word Count: 15,878 words Rating: Teen and up Warnings: Amnesiac Draco Malfoy, Widowed Harry Potter, past Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Dub-Con due to Amnesia (Only Kissing)

Summary: It’s been years since Harry left with Ginny to get away from the bad memories of war. The small town of Elk Cove, Oregon, had been a perfect place to raise their children. Now widowed, Harry works hard to make sure his children never want for anything. When an old rival steps into his life, everything changes and Harry finds the perfect opportunity to get back at Malfoy for everything the Slytherin did to him -- if he doesn’t regret falling for him first.

Read "Spellbound" now on AO3.

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Of Labcoats and Animagi

Prompt: #97 | "Queer Eye" - 2017 - Series Author: meandminniemcg Word Count: 10,868 words Rating: Mature Warnings: mention of past abuse, panic attack (tw at beginning of chapter, can be skipped)

Summary: Fashion icon Draco? That's long past. After the war, he never bought any new clothes and lives in his labcoats. When he doesn't feel confident enough to meet his pen friend Prongs in real life, Luna decides to stage an intervention with a little help from the Fab Five.

Read "Of Labcoats and Animagi" now on AO3.

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Title of Their Sex Tape

Prompt: #112 | "Brooklyn Nine Nine" - 2013 - Series Author: Cibee Word Count: 12,428 words Rating: Teen and up Warnings: None

Summary: What are the Wizarding world's most elite law enforcers doing when they aren't catching criminals? It seems Auror Malfoy is often caught throwing food into Auror Potter's mouth when he's mid-yawn. This story isn't about Draco throwing food at Harry. What it does have is: Undercover! Heists! Draco pining for Harry! Harry being oblivious, but also can't help noticing how good Draco smells! Banters and jokes! That's about it.

Read "Title of Their Sex Tape" now on AO3.

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Harry Potter and the Beast

Prompt: #204 | "Beauty and the Beast" - 1991 - Gary Trousdale Author/Artist: Miakagrewup Word Count/Art Medium: 5,655 words/31 illustrated pages Rating: General Warnings: None

Summary: Arrogant prince Draco is cursed to live as a terrifying beast until he finds true love. This fairy tale consists of 31 fully illustrated pages.

Read "Harry Potter and the Beast" now on AO3.

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So Open Up My Eyes, Tell Me I'm Alive

Prompt: #191 | "Secret Garden" - 1993 - Agnieszka Holland Author: mycucumbereyes Word Count: 12,865 words Rating: Teen and up Warnings: trauma, canon typical violence, homophobia, use of f-g/f----t, mention of suicidal thoughts, character with a disability

Summary: When Draco Malfoy comes to live at Godric’s Hollow, he finds it full of secrets. One night he hears the sound of crying…

Read "So Open Up My Eyes, Tell Me I'm Alive" now on AO3.

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i demand to dig my own grave

Prompt: #10 | "Psych" - 2006 - Series Author: M0stlyVoid Word Count: 20,836 words Rating: Mature Warnings: None

Summary: Draco finds himself in hot water with the Aurors, and in a burst of panicked inspiration manages to wiggle out of it by claiming to be a Seer. There's just one little problem– Senior Auror Harry Potter, the Prat Who Lived, who's known him for a decade, knows full well Draco doesn't have a single psychic bone in his body and seems determined to pull him up for it. Now, the Department is demanding he help them solve cases, Potter's looming over his shoulder at every turn, and worst of all, he hasn't had a shag in weeks because of all this bother. What's a pseudo-Seer to do?

Read "i demand to dig my own grave" now on AO3.

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As You Wish

Prompt: #37 | "The Princess Bride" - 1987 - Rob Reiner Author: Pineau_noir Word Count: 21,917 words Rating: Teen and up Warnings: Canon-typical (Harry Potter and The Princess Bride) violence, mention of suicide, canon-typical character death

Summary: Draco was raised on a farm in the small country of Witshire; his favourite pastimes were flying on his broom and tormenting the hired farm boy. Though his name was Harry, Draco never called him that. On Harry's forehead there was a scar shaped like a lightning bolt, so Draco called him Scarhead. Nothing gave Draco as much pleasure as ordering Harry around.

Or a story about fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, True Love, and miracles.

Read "As You Wish" now on AO3.

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Queer Eye for the Drarry Guys

Prompt: #97 | "Queer Eye"- 2017 - Series Author: blowfish_diaries Word Count: 18,201 words Rating: Teen and up Warnings: none

Summary: Teddy's dads are great! Really! They just need a little push from five *fabulous* gays to get them to see what's right in front of them.

Read "Queer Eye for the Drarry Guys" now on AO3.

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Casecation

Prompt: #112 | "Brooklyn Nine Nine" - 2013 - Series Author: Mfingenius Word Count: 4,293 words Rating: Teen and up Warnings: AU, canon-typical discussion of heavy topics, discussion of mpreg

Summary: "Draco Malfoy, I swear to God-” Hermione snaps under her breath, causing Draco to laugh lowly as he ducks under a hanging plant pot. “Draco Potter, ‘Mione,” Harry murmurs with a helpless grin; they’re not really supposed to be speaking – they're walking through the halls of Antonin Dolohov’s beach house, on their way to arrest him – but Harry can’t help marking the difference, even a year after they got married. “Be quiet,” Ginny says, rolling her eyes. “If he hears us and escapes-” Draco signals at them, and they all steel themselves for when he throws the door of the bedroom open. “Shit!”

Read "Casecation" now on AO3.

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Don't Blink!

Prompt: #179 | "Dr Who" - 2007 - Series Author/Artist: Gnarf Art Medium: Digital art Rating: General Warnings: None

Summary: Harry had always had exceptionally bad timing. It's not different this time.

Read "Don't Blink!" now on AO3.

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A Demon and an Angel Visit the Ritz

Prompt: #167 | “Good Omens” - 2019 - Series Artist: ravenclawkward Art Medium: Digital Oil Painting Rating: General Warnings: None

Summary: Harry the demon and Draco the angel just finished saving the world. They've earned their celebration, wouldn't you say?

Read "A Demon and an Angel Visit the Ritz" now on AO3.

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Change on the Horizon

Prompt: #57 | "Shameless (US)" - 2011 - Series Author: static_abyss Word Count: 118,645 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: Character with depression, mentions of not wanting to exist and lethargy, though no actual suicide or mentions of suicide. Unhealthy coping mechanisms, specifically not taking prescribed medication for depression. Internalized homophobia, and general homophobia from parental figures, though there is a happy ending. Casual relationships.

Summary: A canon AU drarry fic based on the relationship between Mickey and Ian from Shameless. A story about the aftereffects of the Second Wizarding War and how Draco and Harry come together and break apart over and over. How maybe, somewhere along the way, they find a way to live with themselves.

Read "Change on the Horizon" now on AO3.

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The Thrill of the Chase Moves in Mysterious Ways

Prompt: #192 | "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" - 2012 - Series Author: VeelaWings Word Count: 32,569 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: Heavy Drinking, Smoking Cigars, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Minor Character Death, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Kidnapping, Non-Graphic Violence, Gun Violence, Poisoning

Summary:

“Do you have a personal interest in this case, Malfoy?” Harry asked, arms crossed and blocking the view of the body behind him.

“Not at all.” Draco smiled sweetly, cuddled into the side of tonight’s date. “Although I did briefly own that painting until it proved to be stolen.” He helpfully pointed to the Renaissance portrait a few metres to their left.

“Why is it always so complicated with you?”

+++++

Some people might argue that Draco didn’t have very good ideas. That was a lie. Draco had fantastic ideas, however, due to mankind having free will, the planning and execution of those ideas didn’t always pan out in his favor.

(Or — Draco solves crimes that don’t technically belong to him and Harry tries not to fall in love. Co-Starring: Hermione, High Heels, and Hiccups along the way. #dat 1920s lyfe)

Read "The Thrill of the Chase Moves in Mysterious Ways” now on AO3.

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Burn Your Life Down (but look back to me)

Prompt: #202 | Casablanca - 1942 - Michael Curtiz Author: Triggerlil Word Count: 35,910 words Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Warnings: Alternate Universe - World War II, Film Noir, Self-Medication, Alcohol, Infidelity (not between Harry and Draco), Smoking, Mention of Slavery and Human Trafficking

Summary:

It's been years since destiny walked into an apartment on Rue Azais, and Harry is over it. Really, he is. He has Blaise, he has his work, and if necessary, he still has his memories. But with the onset of WWII, the foundations of his life are crumbling, and suddenly a certain blond man is walking back into his life, asking Harry to make important, and dangerous, choices.

Read “Burn Your Life Down (but look back to me)” now on AO3.

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Super Rich Kids

Prompt: #24 | "The Bling Ring" - 2013 - Sofia Coppola Author: Thusspoketrish Word Count: 81,000 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: Thriller, Murder, Dark Humour, Angst, Depression, Nihilism, Existenialism, Jealousy, Hurt/Comfort, Gaslighting, Very Brief Instance of Suicidal Ideation, Immorality, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence (not between Harry and Draco), Abusive Drug Use, Manipulative Behaviour, Heterosexual Sex, Threesomes, Candaulism, Possible Infidelity Due to Unclear Relationship Status (please read the tags on AO3 carefully, this list is not exhaustive)

Summary:

Draco Malfoy has become disillusioned by the glitz and glamour of the scandalous lives of the Post-Second Wizarding War Pureblood Elite. Enter: one existential crisis, one group of cynical friends, and several terrible, terrible decisions.

Read “Super Rich Kids” now on AO3.

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We Built This Right

Prompt: #48 | "Yuri on ice" - 2016 - Series Author: remy_writes5 Word Count: 15,344 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: Homophobic Language, Anxiety, Strained Relationship with Parents

Summary:

At last year's Grand Prix Final, Harry had an accident that left him with a lightning scar on his forehead, a concussion and a twisted ankle. Now everyone is waiting to see if his career is over - including former rival, Draco Malfoy.

Read "We Built This Right” now on AO3.

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Please help promote the fest by sharing your favourite submissions, so more people can enjoy all the amazing new Drarry works of LCDrarry. Thank you!

[iknowthekoolaidflavor]

Tender Curiosity

As the new kindergarten teacher at Little Arbor Elementary, (Y/N) thought it would be easy adjusting to her new environment. Thomas Jefferson is more than willing to help, but there is a driving force dedicated to keep them from being together. 

Word Count: 4.8k

Chapter 1 //  Next

Tagging: @wreakhavoconmacroissantdiggs  @daveeddiggsit

A/N: It’s finally here! I’m so excited for this series. 

The first day of school for elementary schoolers will always be a day full of excitement and nerves. That proved true for you as your first day at Little Arbor grew closer.

It was quiet when you walked through the front doors. It was 7:15 am. Teachers were putting up last minute decorations and going over their lesson plans for the day one last time. You were glad that you met Angelica when you did. She spent most of the summer helping dissolve all your anxiety as she helped you finish decorating your classroom. 

You smiled and waved at a couple of familiar faces as you made your way to your classroom. As you set your bags down, your anxiety began to seep in. 

“Are you ready for the meeting?”, you heard from behind you

Angelica stepped into the neatly decorated classroom with a bright, welcoming smile. 

“Yeah. It’s in 10 minutes, right?”

Angelica nodded as she took you in. You were still nervously looking around the classroom, fidgeting with things that weren’t out of place. 

“You’re going to be amazing”, she started, “That’s why George knew you were perfect for the job. The children are going to love you”

In the three weeks that you became acquainted with Angelica, it wasn’t until last week that you learned she was the vice principal. During your interview, she was out of town. You were too ecstatic to be hired, you didn’t notice her name in the middle of the documents Washington had given you. 

“Thank you”

“It’s not like you haven’t done this before”, she said reassuringly as she placed her hand on your shoulder

You turned to see her bright smile again and your worries began to fade away. It was time to head to the meeting and meet the rest of the faculty. 

Before you could make it to the office, you could see two men standing in front of the door. The short one looked furious while the other man looked as if he couldn’t be bothered by him. 

“Remind me why Washington hired you again”

“I’m obviously here to replace you Alexander”, the taller man stated, unbothered as he scrolled through his phone, “If you stay out here yelling at me, you’ll miss the meeting”

“That’s Thomas and Alexander. They both teach third grade social studies. They don’t like each other much, but they’re great teachers”, Angelica informed you, “They’re also quite annoying”

You couldn’t help the laugh that escaped your lips, drawing attention to you from a few feet away. Alexander continued his one sided argument with Thomas, but it fell to deaf ears. Thomas had already caught your gaze and refused to look away. 

He was tall with a head full of curls that perfectly framed his face. Every curl remained in place. For a third grade teacher, his attire was far more fancier than most teachers you’ve seen around school. Thomas was in a well tailored suit, while Alexander opted for jeans and a polo. 

Thomas gave you an easy going smile and you felt your heart beating out of your chest. He was easy on the eyes. The more you stared, the more you realized that you were in trouble. Angelica caught you just as you squeezed your notepad to your chest, refusing to take another step. 

“Thomas”, Angelica called with a smirk, “Come meet our newest recruit”

Thomas’s eyes grew wide, knowing he had been caught ogling you in the halls by one of his bosses. He walked over to you and flashed that smile again the moment he was a few feet away from you. 

“This is (Y/N)”

“The new kindergarten teacher”, Thomas greeted as he reached for your hand, “It’s nice to finally meet the teacher we’ve heard so much about”

“You’ve heard of me?”

“George and Angie wouldn’t stop talking about you once you were hired. Everyone is excited to meet you. Been a while since someone new was hired”

“Well it’s nice to meet you too. I can’t wait to meet everyone”

Thomas kept his eyes on you until Alexander decided to join the group. You exchanged pleasantries and learned more about him than you expected. For starters, he was competitive beyond compare. He just knew this year he would be voted teacher of the year once again, much to Thomas’s dismay. 

“Don’t sound too cocky, Alexander”, you chimed in, “For all you know I could be teacher of year”

Alexander turned to face you, shocked by your statement, “You sound so confident for a newbie”

“How are you so sure you’ll win when you don’t even know your competitors”, you bantered, “This isn’t my first year teaching and I was also named teacher of year two times in a row”

“You’re correct”, he admitted, “I don’t know a thing about you”

“But it seems I already know everything I need to know about you”, you gave him a final glance before stepping away, “Which will make my win so much sweeter”

Alex’s jaw almost dropped as he watched you walk away. Thomas tried but failed to contain his laughter. 

“You’re right, Angie”, you heard him say, “I like her already”

Thomas caught up to you, speeding by Angelica just to get the door. You thanked him as you walked by and found a seat in the office. Everyone greeted you with warm smiles. Thomas sat across from you next to a shorter man that you hadn’t been introduced to yet. He looked at Thomas just as Thomas’s gaze found your’s again, then he looked at you. You saw a small smile spread across his face as he shook his head. He elbowed Thomas and finally broke his gaze as he whispered something to him. Thomas put his head down and mumbled something under his breath. 

As everyone else took their seats, George started the meeting. He started off with an encouraging speech about making this school year better than the last for the students, parents, and the faculty. There was a short conversation about making sure the parents were staying involved in the students’ academic success and how to reach out to parents. The last thing you remember was the discussion about the PTA meetings when you hear your name.

“...she is new to Little Arbor, but she’s not new to teaching. I know some of you have had the opportunity to be introduced her but let's give a warm welcome as always”

Everyone turned to you smiling.

“I know this is the first day of school for you too, so can you tell everyone a little about yourself?”

The room grew quiet as you thought of something to say. 

“My name is (Y/N). I moved here from Georgia and I was a kindergarten teacher at Shady Grove Elementary for four years before I decided to move here”, you stated timidly, “It’s nice to meet all of you”

Amongst the voices asking you about moving to a different state and your experience at Shady Grove, you could hear Alexander’s voice over everyone else’s. 

“She’s also been teacher of the year two years in a row. Ask her about and she’ll gladly tell you”, he spouted

“As much as you walk around here bragging about your two awards, it will be nice to hear a fresh voice talk about their successes”, Thomas quickly stated before you could say anything

Pretty soon the room started to unintentionally instigate the situation. There was talk of you dethroning Alexander’s reign as teacher of the year which he was not a fan of. Soon, they started to make bets over who would win, much to George’s amusement. Most of the teachers were voting in your favor. 

“Alright. Settle down”, George chimed in with a laugh, “The students will be here in half an hour. Go forth and be wonderful and all that jazz”

On your first day as a teacher, no one ever told you you would spend just as much time consoling the parents as you did the students. You went from reassuring students that their parents would be back to telling the parents that their children would be alright. 

Today was no different. 

There was a sign placed in front of the classroom door for students to choose how they wanted to be greeted. Most of them chose a high five or made up a handshake with you. It helped ease them into their new environment and it seemed to put the parents at ease to see their children happy. 

As the students entered the classroom, they were instructed to place their belongings in their cubbies and sit on their assigned color on the rug. So far, nine of your ten students were present. As you waited, you could hear them asking each other about their favorite colors and wanting to switch seats. 

Five minutes later, a little boy with a head full of curls and a Black Panther backpack was standing in front of you, greeting you with a giant smile. You happily returned it, but you couldn’t say the same for his mother. She regarded you with a cold stare. 

“Good morning”, you chirped, “You must be Ezra”

“Morning”, he said as he smiled back

“You have a choice in how I greet you. Which option sounds best to you?”

Both Ezra and his mother stared at the selections. He pointed to the circle that said hug. You squat to reach his height, ready to hug him, but his mother had other plans. You saw her yank her son back, eyeing with trepidation. 

“Don’t touch my son”, she nearly yelled

“Ma’am, I wasn’t trying to--”

“I don’t care. The nerve of you new age teachers thinking you can just put your hands on other people’s children. Keep your hands off my son”

She turned to Ezra, hand still gripping his shoulder.

“She’s not allowed to hug you. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, mommy”

Ezra looked down as he walked into the room. 

“Don’t you ever--”

“I heard you”, you griped, trying to go back to your calm demeanor, “You’ve made your point of view very clear. Pick up is at three o’clock”

You turned on your heel, taking a deep breath before you entered the classroom to get the day started. 

The first half of the morning went off without a hitch. It didn’t take long to learn their names because there were only ten of them. So far, you could tell the sing-a-longs were their favorite activity, even if they were still learning the words. 

Throughout the day, you noticed Ezra slowly coming out of the shell his mother forced him in. He volunteered to help pass out construction paper and crayons. He hugged Macy until she stopped crying when she was afraid her parents wouldn’t be back. Ezra was a completely different person without his mother present. 

Without a doubt, he ended up earning the coveted position of the line leader. As you made your way to the cafeteria, a familiar head of curls turned the corner. 

“Good morning, Ms. (Y/L/N)”, Thomas said with a soft smile

“Good morning again Mr. Jefferson”

Thomas’s attention soon turned to your line leader. His smile grew brighter as he greeted the students. 

“Ms. (Y/L/N) chose me to be line leader today”, Ezra chirped

“That’s so cool Ez”

Ezra smiled proudly at your colleague. 

“If you ask nicely, she’ll let you be line leader too”

“All I have to do is ask?”, Thomas implored now that is attention was on you, “I’ll keep that in mind next time”

“The role of a line leader is earned Mr. Jefferson. Don’t know if you’re deserving of that title yet”, you whispered only loud enough for him to hear

Thomas quirked an eyebrow and took a small step forward. He was dangerously close, but not enough to cause any trouble if someone like your bosses were to walk by. 

“Pray tell Ms. (Y/L/N). What would I have to do to earn such an honor bestowed by you?”

“Not distract me in the halls while I take my students to lunch”, you quipped, “They're hungry. Shame on you for making them wait”

To Thomas’s amusement, you gave him a fake glare as you led your students to the cafeteria. 

Lunch time will always be your least favorite time of the day. Every kindergarten to second grade class were assigned the same block to eat lunch. Hungry children who have yet to have recess, all in one room never sounds like a good idea to anyone and yet here you all are. The room exploded with exuberant children that you would have to endure for thirty minutes. 

Some of your students had lunches packed for them, but also had money to buy snacks. As the rest of the students started to eat their lunches, you took the others to the lunch line. While waiting for your students to get out of line, you saw Thomas at the end of the line with a grim expression on his face. He gave the lunch lady a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes as he greeted her and politely asked for a turkey sandwich. The lunch lady gave him a knowing look, but didn’t press any further. Thomas stared down at the lunch as he reached the front of the line. It wasn’t until he reached for his wallet that he had time to look up to catch you staring. 

“It’s not what it looks like”

“It’s exactly what it looks like”, you grinned, “It appears you have an affinity for school lunches”

“The complete opposite actually”, he responded as he tried to hand a five dollar bill to the cashier. He ended up thanking her when she gave him a stern look as she pushed his hand away. 

Thomas stepped aside as you guided everyone else back to their assigned table. As you got the rest of your students situated, you had enough time to see Thomas walk to the other side of the table and place the lunch in front of Ezra. Ezra turned to see Thomas squatting in front of him. Ezra’s frown started to change into a smile as he gave him a fist bump. 

“You know Ezra?”, you asked as he approached you

All Thomas could do was nod. 

“If I’m in the cafeteria and I see that a kid doesn’t have a lunch, I just make sure they eat”, Thomas shrugged, “I know being a parent while working is tough, but it doesn’t make me feel good when the kids aren’t eating”

“I thought I had everyone accounted for--”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it. It’s alright”, Thomas said as he placed a hand on your shoulder, “Speaking of lunch, are you eating?”

“Thank you Patron Saint of School Lunches”, you laughed, “but I like to eat during nap time, when it’s nice and quiet”

“Noted. I wish my students had a nap time”

There was an empty table next to your class that you decided to occupy. Thomas pulled your seat out for you and gently pushed you in. Thomas’s easy going smile returned as you changed the subject. He would lean in whenever you brought up a topic that enticed him and add to the conversation every once in a while. As you went on about the need for teachers to adapt their teaching styles for their students, you could tell he was lost in thought. He elbow rested on the table with his chin resting in his hand. His gaze never left you and there was that soft smile that never left his face. 

“Am I boring you?”, you asked 

Thomas’s eyes widened. 

“Not at all. I could listen to you for hours”

“Wait”, you gawked, “You teach third grade, right?”

“Yes, I do”, he stated proudly, “Best third grade class in the entire school”

“Hamilton would beg to differ”

Thomas smile deflated, “Hamilton’s students have nothing on my class”

“But aren’t all of the third grade students great?”, you asked, “Don’t pit them against each other for a petty rivalry. They deserve better”

“You’re right Ms. (Y/L/N). Where were you all those years before?”

Thomas stared at you as if you would have the answer, but there was something about the way he looked at you that implied another meaning. 

“I wanted to ask you where your students were”, you continued

“Oh”, Thomas said, finally breaking him away from his reverie, “They’re at their special. Music class with Maria”

“She seems nice”

“She is. Maria’s great with kids. I think you’ll like her too”, Thomas paused and looked at his watch, “Speaking of which, I’m a little late to pick them up”

“Late on the first day of school”, you gasped, “How can you live with yourself?”

“Well, there’s this new teacher here. She’s beautiful, but I know she’ll be a bad influence on me”, he grinned as he stood up, “I wonder if I can stay away”

Without giving you a chance to respond, Thomas left to pick up his students. You suddenly realized the cafeteria was quieter than before. Most of the classes had already cleaned up and left the cafeteria. Your class was quick to clean up when they realized recess was their next activity. 

The rest of the day went by faster than you thought. After recess they took a nap, then there was art with Mr. Laurens. You went to drop them off, but stayed for John’s antics. He was yet another teacher that was amazing with children. One moment they were drawing pictures of their favorite person, the next thing you knew you were assisting with getting markers cleaned off of their hands and arms. 

“It could have been worse”, John laughed as he ran his fingers through his hair, “I’ve seen some things”

You couldn’t help but laugh. 

“If the parents give you any trouble, they know where to find me”, John winked at you before waving to the children

With the last twenty minutes of the day approaching, you asked all of them what their favorite part of the day was. 

“I liked art”, Macy said quietly

“I like art too”, you replied giving her a smile

You watched as her face slowly lit up as other students agreed with her. You had a feeling this class was going to be your favorite. 

“I think I like story time”, Nathaniel cheered

“I liked music, but nap time is no fun”, Corey admitted 

There was an overwhelming chorus of distaste for nap time. What you would give to be able to take a nap during the day as an adult. They’ll regret neglecting nap time when they get older. 

“What was your favorite Ezra?”, Macy asked 

Ezra grew quiet, deep in thought, “I really liked lunch time”

“Lunch might have also been my favorite”

With the last ten minutes of the day, you walked them through dismissal. Most of the parents arrived at three o’clock on the dot. Every time you saw a student greet their parents, your heart exploded. The moment they saw their parents, they would break into a sprint and jump in their arms, talking a mile a minute about their day. 

There were a few that didn’t want to leave and they had to be reminded that they would in fact be back tomorrow morning. It felt like you were reminding yourself as well. You had a great day getting to know all of them and it pained you a little to watch them leave. 

As you walked to the cubbies you realized the Black Panther backpack was still there. Ezra sat on his assigned square with his legs crossed patiently waiting to go home. A small sigh escaped his lips as he looked at the clock that read 3:35. 

“It looks like we have some time on our hands”, you smiled as you sat in front of him, “What would you like to do?”

“I get to choose?”

“Of course you can”

“Mommy never lets me choose”, he said as he walked to the bookshelf

Your heart sank. His mother’s first impression had a lasting effect on you. Ezra brought you out of your thoughts when he held a book in your face. 

“Chicka Chicka Boom Boom? I love this book”

“Me too”, he chirped, “My daddy reads it to me when I go to his house. Daddy lets me choose stuff all the time”

“He does”, you asked, allowing him to continue

“Yeah. He lets me choose lots of stuff”

“Like what?”

“My shirts, my pants, my shoes”, he started as he ticked the items off with his fingers, “My snacks, my backpack, the books we read, and the songs in the car”

“Your dad sounds awesome”

“He is”, he beamed

You wanted to ask him more about his parents, but decided against it as you opened the book. By the time his mother arrived, Ezra was enthralled by your animated voice. He took his time reading the letters aloud when you encouraged him to keep going. When you gave him a high five, she made her presence known. 

“What do you think you’re doing?”, his mother chastised

“Reading a book”, you responded as you made a mental note for where you left off, “We can finish the rest next time”

“There won’t be a next time. I just got held up at work”

“That’s fine. No one’s holding it against you”, you reassured her

You weren’t going to hold it against her, but somehow your calm demeanor upset her more than you knew. She took a step towards you, invading your personal space. 

“I don’t want you getting close to my son. I don’t know you”

“Lucky for you. You have the entire school year to get to know me then. I’m sure it’ll be a great learning experience for the both of us”

She glared at you ready to say something else when you heard a cold voice from behind her. 

“Is there a problem here?”, Thomas asked from the door

“Of course not”, you responded as you took a step back, “Ezra, did you enjoy your day today?”

Ezra smiled at you, then at Thomas and his mother as he told them about his day. 

“Then she read me my favorite book. She even does voices”

“Sounds like you had an exciting day with Ms. (Y/L/N)”

“I did”

You noticed a change in his mother the moment she heard Thomas’s voice. Her frown turned into a smile and she contributed to the conversation as if she wasn’t at your throat a moment ago. She grew incredibly close to Thomas. 

“I’m glad you enjoyed your day baby”, she cooed as she wrapped her hand around Thomas’s bicep

Thomas froze, looking between the three of you. His discomfort seemed obvious to everyone, but her. 

“Martha”, he warned, “That’s inappropriate and you know it”

Before he could yank his arm away, Martha moved her hand away with a sigh. Ezra waved as he left the classroom in a better mood. You stood in the middle of the classroom, wondering if he would be safe going home with her. Was he eating? Does she yell at him? Does his father live with him? Why is she so sweet on Thomas?

“Earth to (Y/N)”, Thomas called, waving his hand in your face, “I was asking if you were alright. Martha is more than a handful”

Honestly, you’ve never been more frustrated in your life. Usually parents waited until the third or fourth month to show their asses, but this was a new record. 

“I take that as a no”, he continued, “Want to get a drink?”

This was the moment he decided to ask you out?

“I mean, some of the teachers and I are going out for a drink. You’re welcome to join us”, Thomas corrected, “First days are always a lot for everyone...even the teachers. Who would have thought teachers work hard too”

“Sure. I have to get my notes together first. You’re cutting into my planning for the night”

“I thought you turned in your lesson plans over the summer?”

“I did, but these are notes I took on the students. I want to adjust the lesson plans based on the things they like and their learning styles. This is just a rough draft because it’s only the first day. I’ll know more after a month or so”

As you looked up from your papers, Thomas was staring at you in awe. 

“You’re a wonderful addition to our team. I already like having you here”

“I like being here”

Thomas smiled as he went to collect his things. He wanted to spend as much time as he could to get to know you. After he walked you to your car, he made sure he gave you his number. 

“Just so I can send you the address or if you need anything else. Like a tour guide or something”

“A tour guide?”

“DC is an interesting area with a lot of history. I also know some great places if you ever want to get something to eat”

“I might take you up on that offer”

“I sure hope so”, Thomas grinned, finally finding the will to walk away, “I’ll see you in a few”

You sat in your car, trying to keep your feelings at bay, but your body failed you. The smile you’ve been fighting off broke out in the worst way possible. Being around Thomas felt like a breath of fresh air, but you didn’t date colleagues. For personal and professional reasons, since the county strongly discourages dating amongst faculty and staff. 

The thoughts about Thomas ran rampant while you pulled out of the parking lot. Amongst the rest of the cars still parked in the parking lot, neither of you noticed Martha’s parked a few spots away. Her eyes were fixated on your retreating car as a frown etched into her features. 

If you and Thomas were to continue on like this, then the both of you would be made aware of how far Martha Jefferson would go to make your lives a living hell. 

[silvanils]

Interview with your OC

Thanks to @noire-pandora​ and @morganlefaye79​ for the tags!

Introduction

Can you introduce yourself?

I’m Ashiran Talin Lavellan, but most of my friends call me Ash. I’m also known as the Inquisitor, Lord Lavellan in certain circles, but I’m still not particularly used to that. It gets stuck on my tongue.

What are your gender identity, orientation, and relationship status?

Haha, are you serious? That’s a bit nosy of you. But if you insist… I’m a man who has enjoyed the company of many different sorts of people, but I am very happily taken by a wonderful man from Tevinter.

Where and when were you born?

I was born in the Green Dales in 9:16 Dragon. I was fourteen when the Fifth Blight happened in Ferelden and twenty-five when I became the Inquisitor.

What is your weapon of choice and fighting style?

I use daggers or a bow, depending on the situation and terrain. I’ve always been pretty stealthy and good at hand-to-hand fighting, but I’ve really honed my close combat skills during my work with the Inquisition.

Lastly, are you happy?

Absolutely. Things could be better, of course, but that’s always true. I’m taking things one step at a time, and enjoying every day as it comes.

Family and friends

What’s your family like? What is your relationship with them?

I have three younger siblings: my sisters, Saeris and Tamaris, and my brother Isasha. They’re all much younger than I am, so I was a third caretaker for them when they were small, but we get along well despite the years between us.

Tamaris wants to be just like me, and Saeris is such a little tease. Isa’s a bit shy and skittish in general, but he came to me a lot when he got scared and wanted someone to be there with him.

My parents, Faron and Sena, are the clan’s head craftsman and Keeper’s First, respectively. They’re both always pushing the boundaries of their crafts. They always used to joke that I got the best of both of them - my mother’s wisdom and my father’s bravery.

My father also has siblings who still live with his original clan, and my mother has family in Wycome — but I don’t know any of my distant relatives very well.

Have you ever run away from home?

No, never.

Would you consider marriage or having children?

Yes, on both counts. I’d like to tie the knot whenever my lover is ready for it, and… maybe once things settle down, we could talk about raising a child together, too.

Do you secretly hate any of your friends?

No? If I hated someone, I wouldn’t call them my friend.

Which friend knows everything about you?

Well, I’ve told Varric and Dorian plenty of stories, and Leliana and Bull are good at gathering information even when I don’t tell them things… So, those four would probably know the most about me. But I doubt anyone knows everything about me.

Asked by fans

Are you literate? Have you been to school?

My mother taught me to read and write, and I studied a lot of different things with our clan’s teachers and hahren. Ultimately, I chose to apprentice as a hunter, but my parents still taught me about their trades as well.

The eeriest prediction you made that later came true?

I’m not sure if this counts, but not long after we came to Skyhold I told Cassandra that historians would probably try to forget I was an elf and she told me that was preposterous. Then, when we were investigating the Jaws of Hakkon I started to think “well, this feels familiar.” So I told Cassandra “I think Ameridan was like me.” And I was right.

What is something you were embarrassingly late to realise?

My father likes to embellish stories and make up silly stories just to entertain the little ones. This only dawned on me when he started telling stories to my little sisters, and I was already about fifteen then. I called him out on it when they were asleep and he just ruffled my hair, pinched my nose, and told me I was still a “silly little wean.”

Of course, he did grow up near Arlathan forest, and that place does have some weird shit going on. So, who knows. Maybe his stories are all true, and I’ll be embarrassed again later...

Do you have mental or physical problems?

As far as I know I’m mentally sound. Of course, I am under constant stress, worry about a lot of things, and have mild social anxiety, but it’s nothing I can’t cope with. Physically, the anchor is my worst problem — it does hurt sometimes.

What is your current main goal?

To keep the peace and mend any rifts that still remain. It’s… no easy task. I’ve had less trouble getting little children to behave.

Choices

Drink or food?

How is this a choice, exactly? A person needs both to live?

I will say my favorite drink is coffee and I love a good hearty stew with meat and tubers. Or sweet pastries. I probably enjoy those a bit too much...

Cats or dogs?

Cats, though I never had one of my own before coming to Skyhold.

Optimist or pessimist?

Optimist, usually. I think it’s better to look on the bright side and remain hopeful that things will turn out all right, even if you have to be prepared for the worst case scenario.

Sassy or sarcastic?

A bit of both — it depends on the situation.

Have You Ever

Been caught sneaking out?

Oh, yes. Several times. My family lived in a little aravel, it was nearly impossible to sneak out without waking someone up. It was a bit embarrassing, sometimes, all things considered. My father eventually told me I might as well stay over with my lover instead, if this was going to continue happening.

Broken a bone?

Yes. I snapped my left arm falling out of a tree, once. And I fractured my right femur when I slipped in a shallow river. My mother was able to heal my femur because she was there when that happened, but I broke my arm when I was out scouting. She was able to mend it once the clan caught up with me, but the other scouts had to set that one for me.

Received flowers?

A girl at an Arlathvhen once gave me a whole bundle of wildflowers to let me know she liked me. And a pinecone, for my hair, later. Ithelan used to bring me moss and mushrooms he grew himself, which was awfully sweet of him. And one night, Dorian brought me flowers, wine, and chocolate all at once because I’d been teasing him about wanting to be properly wooed.

That was nice, though. Very nice.

Ghosted someone?

Not intentionally. I wasn’t exactly able to reach out to my family for a long time after the Conclave, and a LOT happened in that short span of time...

Pretended to laugh at a joke you didn't get?

On occasion, but I’m not very good at it. Everyone always seems to know.

[cosmiclatte28]

Lie to Me (Jaemin x you)

Angst.. I am still learning to write angst that can really make you cry, but I can’t 

Warning : cheating is not a good thing.

Enjoy! 

When people say first love won't last long, you often question them. Why? Because apparently you see some people sticking to the end with their first love, and up to this day you believe your love story will end the same way or maybe even better. That was what you have in your mind living with two children under a comfortable roof with your first and last love, Na Jaemin. Today however, you start to question if there will be a happily ever after for you and Jaemin or at least for you. With what Jaemin have, there's no way he cannot get his happiness. Look at the amazing group of friends he worked with, look at the swooning number of fans! All of those fans out there are willing to die and kill for him. His income is flowing in regularly, he doesn't need to worry about heart breaks, it's either he broke heart, or he got broken and find another one. There are many fish in the sea and apparently this will work for Na Jaemin. It's been two years of hiding from public media and fans. Two years of holding on to the pain of not being able to tell anyone that you are dating the idol Na Jaemin. Eight seasons of sneaking Jaemin into your room or sneaking into the dorm. The members knew about you, but they are a good brother and they keep their mouth shut. Everything was worth the hustle the pain and the love, not until you got home from your tiring nine to five work and got greeted by a trending news. You take the bus ride home, wishing that Jaemin is now here beside you, holding your hand through the orange candied sky. You cannot lie that autumn looks good at some point and you actually want to be able to walk home with Jaemin while sipping on hot pumpkin spice latte. On your seat by the window, you open your phone and curiously click on the website that appears on the first Tweet you see. Right at that moment your eyes shake and your lips tremble. The loud voice of the busy road and bus engine were gone replaced by a long deafening silence. Your finger froze midway to the news and you lock your phone. There in the media, was a picture of Jaemin and a secret girl, along with screen shots of their chats and selfies. Luckily there was no bad news coming with it, the girl did not accuse Jaemin for anything bad, but the media was clearly stating "Na Jaemin, fan service king turns out to be dating a fan for three months."

Three months?! That's also how long Jaemin has been dumbly smiling to his phone at night, the time he woke up earlier than you did which confused you before, but now made sense. You try to remember all the odds he did in the past three months, you knew that style of chatting was Jaemin's and that is enough to convince you that your boyfriend might be cheating on you for three months without you realizing it. Stupid? Kind of. You got home after the long ride and with big stride you take the lift to your apartment, wishing with all your heart you have something to eat since you don't feel like going out. Right when you enter the house, the least expected man you want to see right now is already lounged over your sofa. There sprawled on your couch, is Na Jaemin in his sweet innocent sleeping face. You want to choke and strangle him with the pillow right now, but how can you when you see that fragile kid face. For a second you feel like you're the most evil person in the world, trusting rumors rather than asking your boyfriend about the truth. Looking at his sleeping baby face, you can't imagine Na Jaemin actually cheating behind you, but that's the point right? If he knew you won't slightly think or believe he is cheating, one might as well use the benefit right? Your mind is playing with "what ifs" and finally you choose to wake up the problematic person in your life right now. Jaemin squirms when you toss him a pillow to wake him up. "Hey my baby is home." He yawns and gives you that sweet smile while still having his eyes closed. He stretches and you cannot decipher if he is acting cute so you won't be mad as he explains the rumor or does this child did not know the news has spread. Your face was sour and he quickly catches on that you're not in a good mood and it's his goal to always bring back smile on your face. "What's with that evil with face?" You sigh, and sit down beside him. You hold his shoulder to face you and stare into his eyes deeply. "Please look at me," you whisper hopelessly Jaemin still has his confused face on. "Tell me what is going on Nana." Jaemin glances down to your phone, he clearly knows what you are talking about. Hell he already received a lecture from Taeil, Johnny, and Taeyong not to mention Jeno and Haechan. "You know I'm not like that right?" Jaemin swallows a lump on his throat, gosh the audacity he has to lie on your face. Your pupil trembles as they search the truth Jaemin nicely hide behind hid Idol eyes. You shake your head, "How can I trust you when I cannot read through you." "She's just a friend," Jaemin squeaks. "Is she really just a friend?" your voice cracks, Jaemin saw the news he saw the chat and oh it doesn't wonder if you think that snippet of chat is more than friendly. Jaemin cannot answer your question, he wants to fight back but he messed up. He cannot lie anymore to you, or can he? "I am sorry, I was not in my right mind." he reaches out to hold your hands, but you quickly hide them. "What do you mean by that?" your chest is raising up and down faster. Jaemin closed his eyes, "Some of them are true." Your heart shatters and you cannot think of anything else. Did he just shamelessly confess that he indeed was cheating? "You're lying!" you try to deny the fact, but Jaemin shakes his head. "I am not lying. I am sorry you had to discover it." Your eyes shot open, did he not expect you to know at all?! How belittling was that. He shifts closer to you, and you flinch "Stop Jaemin, give me some spa-" "Don't give me space, that's the least thing I want with you." His puppy eyes made a big impact here. "I know I shouldn't be here," you let out a huff Jaemin gets flustered, "What do you mean by that, I can explain we broke up already. I told her I was with you." "You deserve more," you whisper and tears finally fall down your face. "I'm scared." you stare in horror to Jaemin, this sweet angel has been lying on your face for god knows how long. Were you some kind of toy for him?! "I'm sorry. I swear I'll do things different this time, believe me..." He pleads to you. "I want to believe you, I do, but you're just going to hurt me again Jaemin," You shake your head when he pleads you with his eternal sweet angelic face. "Do you ever mean anything you say?" you ask him. Flashes of videos you see on the internet haunts you, Jaemin can easily say "I love you" to his fans and be called a fan service, but have you ever think if the one he gave to you were not a part of fan service too? Did he really mean it when he whispers "love" to your ears. Jaemin stays quiet, "I mean it," he whispers after a while. "You won't understand. Was I just another fan service thing to you? Did you see me also as one of those girls who will swoon over you when you do that?" you're hurt by the fact that this sentence was true. Look at you, not even realizing if he is cheating on you because you are blinded by his sweet nothings. "Can I hug you?" he asks slowly when you just stay quiet and out of your mind. You shake your head, "I need to go. See you Jaemin." You grab your bag and coat and rush to leave him. You need to clear your mind first, maybe a talk with the other members may help you keep your mind straight. The young boy crashes to the sofa, his eyes can no longer hold back his tears. In silence he sobs by himself, he knows he did something so wrong and it's his own fault this happens. "Am I too late?" Was all he asked when he think of the times he kept all of this a secret, it started as a harmless joke with a fan he find interesting in the fansign. Then the joke turns into small talks, to midnight calls, and to secret meetings. Jaemin did not mention he is dating you; it'll blow up your two years of hiding with him. But then one night he went over the border, teasing the fans and their chat was no longer on the side of friendship. It goes beyond and when Jaemin explains he needs to stop this thing, the girl blew up all of the secrets. Making distorted rumors here and there, You apparently was one of the victims of the media and Jaemin hates himself more with the fact that you did not even give him a chance to explain. Two hours later he got a voice message from Jeno. "Jaemin, she's here with us. (y/n) is alright, just meet her when you are ready and she is too. I think tomorrow she can see you." That was all Jeno left to him and that night Jaemin spends the night on your bed, realizing it was cold and lonely without you.

 want a next part? 

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