#I cannot drink from mugs apparently

[caterpillarinacave]

I want one day without spilling water all over myself

[ssahotchnerr]

Aaron making hot chocolate for his little girl 😭😭😭😭 she only wants his and can tell if someone else has made it, and flat out REFUSES to drink it. Reader calls Aaron on the phone during a case and all he can hear is his daughter crying in the background and reader is like “wtf do you put in this hot chocolate??? Coke???????” because reader just cannot get it right despite Aaron walking them through the process of his hot chocolate before 😭 maybe Aaron talks on the phone with daughter for a bit to calm her down and the promise of unlimited hot chocolate once he comes home AHHHHHHH

dad's way

please 😭 and the way i literally had a hot cocoa candle burning as i worked on this cw; fem!reader, food descriptions, brief picky eater talk, girl dad!aaron <333333

"hi sweetheart-"

the shriek on the other end immediately caused him to hold his phone an inch or two away. it was piercing and loud, even for his bad ear.

concern had already swarmed his chest before the cry had ceased, and the room suddenly felt a bit hotter. "honey? is everything alright?"

there was a brief rustling sound, a small clattering of what he assumed was dishes, the close of a cabinet following after. "how do you make your hot chocolate?"

"why-"

"how, do you make your hot chocolate." you interrupted him, your voice distancing a bit for a moment, "dada's on the phone, it's okay."

"oh." aaron chuckled softly as realization hit, his voice filled with a tinge of pity. "someone's upset."

"tell me about it." you sighed in defeat, exasperation clear. "apparently, whatever i make isn't good enough. i've given her three different cups already. three. well, given the third was a reattempt of number one. but with whipped cream and sprinkles. jack too tried to persuade her, but nope. it's daddy's hot chocolate and daddy's hot chocolate only."

"is it in the right mug?"

"the one with all the little ladybugs? yup."

"okay," aaron quickly excused himself - he was still sat amongst the rest of the team, who were silently digging through records - jj shot him a sympathetic glance as he got up. he trailed down the short hallway outside the conference room, in search of a more secluded area to give instructions. "well, i usually-"

aaron walked you through it - steaming the milk, at just the right temperature. adding the cocoa mix, a little extra than the standard serving size. mini marshmallows, and the secret ingredient you had missed - adding a touch of vanilla extract. it was simple, really, but your daughter was a stickler.

she wasn't a picky eater, but was very adamant on how things were made or presented. for example, if two foods next to each other on a plate happened to merge - it was the end of the world. and when it came to aaron's hot chocolate, she couldn't get enough of it. she asked for it nightly, promptly right after dinner. she always insisted on sitting on the counter as aaron made it, watching intently and asking questions on what he was doing. it was their thing together. and more than likely, his absence was aiding to the current meltdown.

"here," aaron hears you say, your daughter's cries lessening for a moment. "this is dada's."

there was a moment's pause, and aaron could easily visualize your daughter analyzing the drink, her eyebrows furrowing in that hotchner way that was just genetic at this point - jack had it too. but as you both already anticipated, another wail produced in response.

"nooooo it's not!"

aaron heard you tiredly sigh, and he was quick to offer more assistance. "want me to talk to her?"

"please."

another shuffle came from your end of the phone, handing it to your daughter. there was a slightly louder sniffle, indicating she was close and listening.

"hi sweetheart," aaron softened his voice, his heartstrings tugging as he silently wished he was home, with you all, rather than a few states away. "what's the matter?"

another sharp sniffle. "i want your hot chocolate."

"i know bug," he consoled softly. again, his heart breaking at her small, upset voice. "but since i'm at work, mom's gonna have to make it for you."

she hesitated, bottom lip quivering. another small wail was quick to follow. "but i want yours."

"i know, but i told momma how i make it, so it'll taste exactly the same, i promise. she put all her love in it too, just like i do. which, do you wanna know a secret?"

that grabbed her attention, her cries stilling so fast it was almost humorous. "uh huh."

"that's the secret ingredient that makes it taste so good, whether mom or i make it. but you can't tell your brother that, okay? it'll be our secret."

"okay."

"so tonight, can you drink mom's hot chocolate? she worked really hard to make it special, just for you." she quieted, still unsure, so aaron switched tactics. "and when i get home, i'll make you two cups. with extra, extra marshmallows. how does that sound?"

[alotofpockets]

Meeting again | Part 2 | Leah Williamson x Reader

Where Leah saves the day and sets up Liam's class with a visit to the Emirates.

Thank you @totaly-obsessed for letting me bounch ideas off of you for this one!

Meeting again universe | Woso masterlist | Words: 2.7k

-----

When you check your phone after waking up, you see a text from Leah. Her name amongst your notifications instantly brings a smile to your face.

Leah: Hey, good morning! Can I pick you up at 11 for that coffee?

You text her back instantly, no longer being scared of messaging her, after you’ve spent the evening together last night. After doing some stuff around the house, you get ready, and wait for Leah to pick you up.

At the coffee shop Leah went to order for the both of you, while you found a spot to sit. You were admiring your surroundings, when Leah headed your way with two cups in hand. “No coffee for you?” Her placing a mug with hot chocolate down in front of her peaks your interest. “Oh, yeah, I don’t drink coffee.” She says with a shy smile. “Why didn’t you say so when I asked you out for coffee? We could’ve gone somewhere else!” Leah shakes her head instantly, “Don’t worry about it, I was happy with the invite to see you sooner, and this place has the best hot chocolate in town.”

You fall into conversation with Leah just as easily as you had done yesterday. With years to catch up on, there were enough topics to keep you talking. Though, even if you had fully caught up with Leah, you think you’d still find topics of conversation to get to stay talking to her.

The first time you got quiet for a moment was when Leah said, “I’ve been trying to piece together how we stopped being friends all those years ago.” Your eyes fall to your lap, it had been your fault that the two of you stopped being friends. You wish things would have been different, but then again, you would not have Liam. Liam meant the world to you. “I remember us being really close, and then some rumours spread.” Your eyes meet her nervously. You noticed a slightly hopeful look behind her eyes, as if she was never fully able to understand what happened back when you were kids. So, you took a deep breath and started talking.

“Okay, the rumour, the one where it spread around the school that I liked you, was never actually a rumour.” Leah’s blue eyes pierced into yours. “Oh?” A part of Leah felt relieved that those almost moments between the two of you growing up weren’t just in her head. “Yeah, basically I confided in Maria, one of my best friends, about my feelings for you, because they were confusing me. You know as a teenager finding out that the feelings you’re meant to be having for a boy, you are feeling for a girl.” Leah nodded in understanding. “Well, she was apparently very homophobic, and decided to tell the whole school. I stopped being friends with her instantly, and you know the rest. I got together with Ryan to get people off my back, and put distance between the two of us. I think I even convinced myself for a moment that I could be straight, but yeah that’s not me.” 

You let your eyes meet Leah’s again, there was no anger or hurt behind her eyes, just softness and understanding. “I am truly sorry about how everything played out, and if I hurt you in any way, that was never my intention.” Leah reaches for your hand on the table and gives it a soft squeeze, “You have nothing to apologise for. What Maria did is truly terrible, and I wish I could’ve been there for you at that time. All of that is in the past now though, and we cannot change it.” Her hand stays on yours. “You’re right, we can only focus on the future.” The blonde smiles and nods. “Well, that was a lot deeper than coffee would have gone, but I’m glad we were able to talk about this.” You both laugh. “I should really head back though, I have to pick up Liam from school in a bit.” 

Leah drives you back to your place, and the two of you share a hug when you arrive. “Thank you for today. We should do this again sometime.” Leah says, and you agree instantly, “Yeah, I’ll text you later?” And you did. After Liam went to bed that night, you were texting back and forth with Leah all night, until you fell asleep with the conversation still open. 

The next time you saw Leah, you and Liam watched her play on Sunday. You were rather far from the railings, but Leah found you amongst the crowd and set the both of you a wave when the match was over. 

Since Liam missed Leah for dinner the first time when he had invited her without your knowing, and it got you to reconnect with Leah, you decided to invite her over for dinner that night with the both of you. You decided to make pizza together, since you found out that alike your son, Leah’s favourite food was pizza. Leah was amazing with Liam, you admired the two of them as they were busy chatting, while decorating their pizza’s. 

While you sat down for dinner, you talked about your plans for the week like you always did with Liam, but now including Leah. You had always found it important to know what was ahead, especially since Liam was at his dad’s for half of the week. You had given Leah the honours of talking about her week first as the guest, she told you about her work schedule, and some other things she had planned for the week. Then Liam wanted you to go next, so you shared your work schedule, and your plan to spend your days off with. Liam wanted to finish off the round, he told you about his plans with Ryan, and what he knew about school. “Oh, and mom, what are you doing for the class tomorrow?” Your brows furrowed in surprise, “What do you mean, bud?” 

“It’s your turn to do the class trip tomorrow, do you not have anything planned?” Liam asks in a worried tone. “Buddy, I’m so sorry, but I don’t know anything about it being my turn.” He stood up from the table and you were instantly worried, luckily he came right back with his backpack. “Here, Miss Owens sent this out.” He hands you a letter, informing the parents of the switch in schedules, and it did indeed show you for tomorrow. “Buddy, if this is still in your backpack, I have not seen it yet.” Realisation hits him, “Oh mom, I totally forgot to give it to you. What are we going to do?” Leah, who had been quiet during the interaction spoke up, “I think I might have an idea. I know it’s not my place, but I think I can help, may I?” She looked at you for permission. “Yes, please, I do not have the right connections to take a class out for the day this last minute.” 

Leah got up, “Alright, I am going to make some calls and I will make sure you will have a great day tomorrow, I promise.” She told Liam. She headed into the other room, and started planning away. About thirty minutes later she got back into the kitchen, “Alright, everything is set for tomorrow. I will keep it a surprise though, are you both okay with me coming to class tomorrow?” Liam instantly said yes without giving it a second thought, his friends would finally believe him when he said that he knew Leah Williamson. You nod as well, “Thank you so much Lee.” Leah’s heart started beating faster at the nickname she hadn’t heard from you in such a long time. She smiled and sat back down for dessert. 

The next morning Leah was at your door bright and early. You were busy packing Liam’s lunch when she knocked on the door. “Liam, can you get the door bud?” He came walking into the kitchen pulling Leah behind him, “Mom, Leah still won’t tell me what we’re going to do.” You smiled at the scene in front of you, a frowny kid, and a smirking Leah. “Don’t look at me, Leah went out of her way to arrange this for you, so let’s allow her the one rule she set in place for this.” He let go of her arm. “Fine.” He turned to Leah, “I am grateful that you did whatever it is that you did for me, I just would really like to know what it is.” She put her hand on his shoulder, “I know kiddo, just a little longer, I promise it will be worth the wait.”

You and Leah wait outside of the classroom, while the teacher starts out the day. “Thank you again for doing this, I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.” Leah shrugs, “You would’ve figured it out, you’re a great mom. I am glad I could help though, I hope the kids like it.” Leah zipped down her jacket to reveal her Arsenal jersey. “By the looks of that, I think the kids are going to love what you have in store.” Leah is about to say something back, but Miss Owens tells you the class is ready for you. 

The two of you step in, and you see the jaws of many kids in Liam’s class drop. “Hi kids, as many of you know, I am Liam’s mom. Today, I have brought someone special with me. I would like you all to meet Leah Williamson.” You introduced her to the crowd, “Hi, I’m Leah, and Liam told me you were looking forward to doing something fun with the whole class. What would you say if the Arsenal players bus was waiting just outside of the school?” The class erupted with excitement. “Would you all like to go and see?” Miss Owens calms down the class again before heading out, “Jackets please, and wait in a line outside of the classroom.”

Leah takes the lead and takes the kids to the players bus. At first they admire it from the outside, where the whole class takes a picture with Leah. Then Leah invites them to sit inside, once all the children are settled, Leah gets on the microphone and starts talking to the kids, and interacting with them. “So, who wants to go to The Emirates Stadium with me?” You couldn’t believe that Leah pulled all of this off in thirty minutes. She sat and talked with the kids, while you talked with Miss Owens. 

After a short tour, Leah guided the kids to the family and friends area of the stadium. “What do you all think of one more surprise?” The class starts cheering again, and right on queue, a group of Arsenal girls walk out. Katie McCabe, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema, and Kim Little, greet the kids with waves. They all have a little meet and greet with the kids, before it is time for them to head back to school. Leah thanked the teacher, and waved bye to the teacher and the kids. Since it was already the end of the school day, and she wanted to show Liam some more behind the scenes things, she asked the teacher if it would be alright if she took the kids back on her own, with a promise of getting her some signed copies of her books for her own kids she agreed.

Liam was living his best life hanging out with his favourite players, like they were friends he had known all his life. Lotte walked up to you as you were watching him talk with the girls. “So, you and Leah go way back I hear?” You smile at her, “Yeah we do.” You and Lotte talk for a bit before she gets pulled aside. “It was nice meeting you y/n, I’ve heard a lot about you the past couple of years.” Lotte’s eyes widened when she realised what she had just said, Leah had just walked up to you, and her cheeks turned red instantly. “Sorry.” Lotte said before quickly walking back to the rest of the girls, and whispering something into Katie’s ear. The latter turns to you, “Mind if we show Liam around some more?” You shake your head and return your attention back to Leah.

“So, you’ve been talking about me for years, have you?” You didn’t think it was possible, but her cheeks turned even redder. While Leah was nervous, she felt like it was now or never. “I mean can you blame me? You are pretty hard to forget.” You’re the one with blushing cheeks now. Leah’s words hang in the air, and you feel a warmth spread in your chest. The way she spoke those words, makes you feel like maybe, she has felt the same way all along. 

“The feeling is mutual,” You reply after taking a moment. A small smile tugs at the corners of your lips. “I mean how could I forget the girl that was always able to bring a smile to my face, even on my worst days? I think I already proved that though, by coming to most of your matches.” You both laugh at the last comment. “I’ve missed this.” Leah reaches for your hand out of instinct, “You laugh, your smile, and just having you around.” 

Your heart is beating a million miles an hour, by the way she was looking at you right now. In that moment, when her ocean blue eyes stare lovingly into yours, you realise that perhaps the rumours, the misunderstandings, and the years apart were merely obstacles on the path to this moment right here. “I’ve missed you too, Lee. Remember when the other day we said that we can only focus on the future?” Leah nods, and rubs her thumb gently over the back of your hand. “I hope you’re a part of that future.” You nervously look up at her again. 

Leah gave your hand a soft squeeze, “I hope so too.” Her smile grows bigger as she continues, “I’ve thought about what could have been with us so many times, but right now, all I want is to be here with you, and see where time leads us.” Your smile grows just as big as hers is, Leah had felt the same way about you all of this time. “Would it be inappropriate to kiss you at your place of work?” Leah pulled you closer by the hand she was holding, and moved her other hand to your cheek, gently moving her finger over the soft skin there. “I am not working currently, so I think that should be alright.” She leans in the rest of the way, and after all these years of will they won’t they, and what could’ve been, you finally felt her soft lips on yours. 

A loud “Ahem” pulls you away from the blonde. You turn around and find Liam, Katie, and Lotte looking back at the two of you. Before you can say anything Liam turns to Katie and Lotte with a proud smile on his face, “I told you they would get together sometime soon!” Katie high fived him while you laughed, of course Liam had talked about your love life with the two people that were probably sharing Leah’s right back. Leah put her arm around your shoulder, and walked towards the group. “Who’s ready for some dinner?” Liam hugs you from your other side. “Mom, this has been the best day ever, can we please make it even better with McDonald’s for dinner?” You look around the group of girls left over to see if they’d be down too, when you get three nods, you look back to Liam. “Let’s do it.”

As you walk out of the stadium with Liam’s hand in your left, and Leah’s hand in your right, you couldn’t be more happy. 

-----

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[shadowtriovibes]

as our lives change, come whatever

Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x f!MC

Word Count: 2.4k

Rating: E

Warnings: 18+, aged-up characters, teen drinking (though probably legal in the UK idk), explicit sexual content, unprotected PIV sex

Summary: The night you graduate from Hogwarts, you indulge in a bit too much Firewhiskey and have to sleep it off upstairs at the Three Broomsticks.

“Come on, Sirona, please,” Sebastian whines, leaning on the worn edge of the bar as he tries to charm Sirona into giving him the key to the private room upstairs. “Just so we can rest for a while.” “Sebastian,” the weary proprietor sighs. “Unlike you, I may not have graduated today, but I wasn’t born yesterday." “What are you implying, Miss Ryan?” the now former Hogwarts student asks with a teasing grin. “I would never try to get up to anything untoward in your pub, I swear.”

“Come on, Sirona, please,” Sebastian whines, leaning on the worn edge of the bar as he tries to charm Sirona into giving him the key to the private room upstairs. “Just so we can rest for a while.”

“Sebastian,” the weary proprietor sighs. “Unlike you, I may not have graduated today, but I wasn’t born yesterday.”

“What are you implying, Miss Ryan?” the now former Hogwarts student asks with a teasing grin. “I would never try to get up to anything untoward in your pub, I swear.”

She scoffs, rolling her eyes at the young man while she dries an empty Butterbeer mug.

“Just look at the state of her,” Sebastian offers, glancing sidelong at his group of friends crowded around a far table. “I just need somewhere she can rest, I promise it’s all above board.”

Currently, you’re slumped haphazardly between Ominis and Natty, your head resting on the drowsy Slytherin man’s shoulder as you slur something about your formal robes cutting off the circulation in your wrists. Natty laces her fingers with yours and tugs your hand into her lap, clumsily ripping open the cuffs while you laugh, delighted.

“Seems she can take on a fully-grown mountain troll on her own, but she can’t handle her Firewhiskey,” Sirona deduces.

“I can’t Apparate her home like this, Merlin knows where she’d end up if we tried to Floo, and she’d fall right off her broom somewhere over Irondale if we even got that far,” he says, trying to reason with her. “Just until sunrise, and then I’ll take her home.”

Just then you hiccup and startle Natty and yourself into another round of giggles, and Sirona shakes her head good-naturedly.

“Merlin’s beard,” she sighs. “Fine, Sallow, you can have the key for one night. But when I come back to open up in the morning, I want to see no trace I ever caved to you.”

Sebastian quickly takes the key offered to him before she can change her mind. “This is why you’re one of the good ones, Sirona.”

Just a few hours ago, you and your friends had officially graduated and become mature witches and wizards in the eyes of the Ministry. While it isn’t the first time you’ve ever tried the spicy sweetness of Firewhiskey, it is the first time you’ve been able to purchase a bottle at the Three Broomsticks.

(It’s a lot more convenient than having sweet Poppy distract the disgruntled barman at the Hog’s Head in order to pilfer a bottle in exchange for a handful of galleons left behind the bar).

So, perhaps you’d all had a bit too much while celebrating your newfound freedom, and now that the end of the night drew near, only Sebastian had retained enough of his sense to see everyone off.

“Natty,” he asks, sliding back into the booth. “You’re off to Hogwarts for the night, then?”

“It seems I cannot escape,” she laughs. “I will stay with my mother in her quarters until I find a flat in London.”

“Our newest Auror!” you exclaim, tugging Natty’s arm to your chest.

“And you, Ominis?” Sebastian continues.

“Not with my mother, that’s for sure,” he demurs. “Off to Feldcroft for the night, I think.”

“With Aaaaaaann,” you coo, and Sebastian politely – generously, in fact – ignores how Ominis’ cheeks go red.

“Right then,” he grumbles. “Obviously this one is in no state to travel, so Sirona’s agreed to let us stay upstairs for the night.”

“Upstairs?” you breathe, reaching across Natty to take Sebastian’s hand. “The private room?”

“Be good,” he says firmly. “You’re just going to sleep.”

“Fat chance,” Ominis mumbles into his mug.

“Shouldn’t you be going?” Sebastian asks pointedly, throwing some extra galleons onto the table for the young wizard who’d been bringing them rounds of drinks. “It’s quite late, and I believe Ann was expecting you at ten.”

“...What time is it?” Ominis asks, sounding slightly panicked – the Sallow siblings aren’t exactly known for their patience.

“After ten,” Natty laughs.

Just like that, Ominis curses under his breath and Disapparates right from his seat.

“Need a hand getting her upstairs?” Natty offers, but Sebastian quickly waves her off, insisting she Floo home and get some rest herself. As soon as she disappears in a quick burst of green flames from the fireplace at the end of the pub, Sebastian hauls you out of the booth and starts to walk you upstairs.

“S’not even that late,” you whine. “We graduated today Seb, s’a big deal!”

“I know, love,” he replies fondly. “But I think it’s time for you to call it a night.”

You’re quite the handful to get upstairs, occasionally tripping on the pub’s ancient wooden stairs – not to mention protesting the entire time.

Once Sebastian manages to get you into the private room, he quickly locks the door and enchants the small loveseat along the far wall into a modest-sized bed for the night.

“Sit,” he insists, wrangling you toward the bed and kneeling in front of you. “Boots off.”

He barely gets one of your shoes free before you drape your leg over his shoulder with a sly grin, trying to pull him in closer.

“Not a chance, dearest,” he drawls. “You’ve had so much Firewhiskey tonight I could light a match off of your breath.”

“But it’s graduation night,” you protest. “S’the most important night of our lives!”

“I’m not sure I agree,” he counters as he tugs off your other boot, thinking of a much more special night he’d like to have with you a few more years down the line, when you’re both ready. Once you’ve established yourselves, he thinks.

(Once he’s earned it, his inner voice tells him.)

“But I want you,” you whine, trying one last time to coax him into trouble.

And Sebastian will admit, he’s far from a perfect man. It’s certainly tempting.

But he manages to make himself focus on helping you out of your cloak and robes, and thank Merlin that wrestling you free of your corset takes long enough that your eyelids start to droop. He nudges you onto your side while he strips off his own cloak and dress shirt, eventually joining you to wrap his arm around your waist and tug you back against his chest like he’s done nearly every night for the past year.

“Sleep, you little minx,” he groans tiredly, his nose buried in your hair.

—

In the morning, Sebastian wakes up to your hand down the front of his trousers.

It might not even be morning yet, he thinks blearily. It’s still somewhat dark in the small private room, its sparse furnishings barely visible in the weak light from the two windows high above him.

“Good morning, Seb,” you whisper, nosing along his neck before pressing a lingering kiss to the hinge of his jaw.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” he asks, his voice hoarse from sleep.

“It’s early, Sirona won’t come to kick us out for another hour or so,” you offer.

Sebastian realizes you’ve got your hand wrapped around his cock only when you start to stroke him, and any argument he’d had against letting you have your way with him starts to go murky in the back of his mind.

“Are you still drunk?” he asks, his head tipping back against the pillow.

“No,” you insist, mouthing at his jawline. “Promise.”

You’ve already thrown one of your legs across his lap and you’re wearing nothing but your undergarments. Sebastian doesn’t stand a chance, and he knows it.

He groans softly as you kiss your way from his jaw up to his plush lips, distracting him while you clumsily tug your underwear off with your free hand and wiggle your way fully onto his lap.

“How long have you been up?” he asks.

“Oh, just a little longer than you’ve been up,” you answer, pointedly stroking him again.

“I had no idea you could be so crude,” Sebastian laughs. “What happened to my good little witch, hm?”

“She’s not a student anymore,” you answer, extracting your hand so you can finish undoing the front of Sebastian’s trousers.

Leaning back onto his thighs, you pull his trousers down as far as you can and then his underwear as well, until his bare cock rests against the lowest part of his stomach, glistening wet at the tip.

“Like this?” he asks hopefully, sliding a hand up your bare thigh to your hip to coax you forward again.

“Yes,” you whisper, leaning down to kiss him gently at first, and then rougher when his grip on your hip tightens to encourage you to grind your wet core against him.

When you can’t take the teasing anymore, you quickly sit up and lift your hips so you can reach between your thighs and take Sebastian in your hand. Holding his cock steady, you meet Sebastian’s gaze as you line him up against your entrance and start to sink down.

He’s stunned silent – a rare occasion.

Truthfully, you’ve been ready for him since you awoke, but a bit of teasing from your own fingers while he slept helped make sure you could take him straight away. You didn’t want to waste any of your precious time in the pub’s private room on anything other than having him inside you.

You gasp softly once he’s fully inside, your ass pressed to the tops of his thighs as his hands roam hungrily over your hips, your legs, and even your chest.

“You really needed it, didn’t you?” Sebastian asks, his voice still a bit hoarse. “You woke up this wet for me, love, that’s… fuck.”

“Yes,” you whimper, starting to rock up and down to let yourself feel the fullness of him inside before you start to ride him in earnest. “It’s all I wanted, all night.”

“Take it, then,” he says smugly, removing his hands from your body to fold his arms behind his head. “I want to see you take what you want.”

You both know your relationship thrives on a bit of healthy competition, it always has. So when he issues a challenge like that, you have to meet it. Narrowing your eyes at his knowing gaze, you trail your own hands up your body – he likes a bit of a show, of course – and start to ride him properly.

Despite the usual hustle and bustle of Hogsmeade, it’s silent in the early morning hours. All you can hear are the sounds coming from the bed: your panting breaths, Sebastian’s low groans, the addictive sound of bare skin on skin, and the dubious creaking of the conjured bed’s wooden frame.

“How’s that, love?” Sebastian asks lazily, watching you throw your head back in pleasure as you grind down on him over and over. “Is that enough for you, or do you need more?”

“More,” you slur without even thinking. Whatever he wants to give you, you’ll take it, no questions asked.

He laughs softly before reaching out to press one of his large hands to the crease of your hip, rubbing his thumb gently against your clit. When you moan encouragingly, he presses a little harder.

“Like that?” he asks. “You want to come on my cock like this?”

“Please,” you beg, and you’re not even sure what it is you’re begging for. You’re full of him, you’ve got his hands on your body, you’ve got his fiery gaze all over you… it’s nearly too much, but not quite enough.

But Sebastian knows. He always knows just what you need.

He sinks the fingers of his free hand into your hair at the base of your neck and pulls you down to him, messily kissing you and nipping at your bottom lip until you open up and let him devour your desperate moans. This angle, bent over his body like this, it’s exactly what you need.

Sebastian grins victoriously as you come apart on top of him, biting gently along your neck when you throw your head back and cry out helplessly.

“That’s it, good girl,” he moans, wrapping an arm around your waist so he can keep you pressed close to him.

He shifts you forward so that he can plant his feet on the bed, fucking up into you the second your leverage is gone. You figure he’s probably close, he’s usually desperate to follow you once he’s gotten you off.

“Sebastian,” you whine against his cheek. “Please.”

“Please what?” he grits out, the arm around your waist drifting lower to roughly grab at your ass. “You need more, you greedy thing?”

“Please, come in me,” you keen, and Sebastian nearly chokes.

He manages a few more precise thrusts before his rhythm is gone and he simply buries himself in you, his core taught while he finishes with a low groan. You press sweet, aimless kisses across his cheeks, his forehead, his jaw until he goes boneless.

“That’s a hell of a good morning,” he breathes, and you blush a little, tucking your face against his neck. “Maybe I should let the barman overserve you more often.”

“Overserve me?” you protest. “And just who was pouring all those shots, hm?”

“Couldn’t possibly have been me, I’m quite responsible,” he drawls, and you playfully elbow him in the side. “Speaking of which, you need to eat some breakfast soon or you’ll be useless the entire day, and last night you offered to help Natty look at flats this afternoon.”

“I did?” you groan.

“Well, I figured while we’re with her, maybe we could see if there’s any we like for us,” Sebastian says hesitantly. “I mean, if – if you still want to.”

When you delightedly throw your arms around him and roll him toward the clean side of the bed, he assumes that it’s still a yes.

—

Sirona cautiously steps into her pub an hour later, listening intently for any sounds of passion lest she become further scarred by Hogwarts’ hormonal teens than she already has been over the years.

Thankfully, the Three Broomsticks is quiet, and there’s a note on the bar next to a fresh bottle of ink from Scrivenshaft’s.

Sirona,

Thank you so much for letting Sebastian and me sleep upstairs last night. We’re taking off for now, but I wanted to gift you some new ink so that you’ll write to us in London – any exciting gossip is of course appreciated, but if there’s ever anything we can do to help out in Hogsmeade, please don’t hesitate to write.

P.S. Apologies about the loveseat. I promise we used Scourgify.

[cl-01-kestis]

Come Back, I Always Do - Fred Weasley x Female Ex!Reader | Part 2

Summary: Ron and Hermione’s wedding is finally here, things seem to be going well but you’re quickly reminded that your old flame is present after the minister of magic introduces you to none other than Fred Weasley.

Warnings: angst angst angst, they bicker their feelings out, so much pining

The weeks leading up to the wedding were excruciatingly drawn out, the minutes felt like hours and the hours felt like days. You continuously tried to convince yourself not to go, that it would bring nothing but grief into your life. But those thoughts weren’t convincing enough, now you found yourself smoothing out your outfit just before you had to leave.

You wore a navy slip gown with a tie at the back to accentuate your waist, a knitted shawl made by your mother cloaking your shoulders. You decided to wear heels, since the dress was a tad too long and trainers weren’t the most appropriate wedding attire. Your mother let you borrow her pearl jewellery for the occasion, but you felt odd standing in front of your mirror wearing them. You looked great, maybe even sexy, but you felt as rigid as your wand. You couldn’t look at yourself without wanting to take everything off.

But it was too late to opt out, you checked the time and knew you had to leave at once. The reception started at 7, it was now 7:15 and you didn’t want to be any later than necessary. You grabbed the small gift bag which contained a new set of coffee mugs and some luxury chocolates, grabbing your wand and apparating as quickly as possible to The Burrow.

The first thing you noticed was the large tent right outside the familiar Weasley house, hundreds of guests were walking in and out, some leaving and others just arriving like you. You smiled, sucking in an assuring breath of air before walking towards the tent. You had to hike up your skirt a bit to avoid tripping over the silk, eventually walking on the wooden floor underneath the canapé.

You could see Hermione and Ron on the dance floor over a few heads, swaying side to side and enjoying their first dance as husband and wife. You decided to walk in another direction to get a drink, your heels clacking against the wood. You recognised some people from Hogwarts, waving hello to them as you made your way to the bar and took a free glass of champagne.

You watched a few people walk by, even Hermione’s parents who were once friends to your own. Your eyes drifted back to the dance floor, heart warming at the newly married Weasley’s who shared an adoring kiss as they continued to sway back and forth.

You realised you were still holding the small gift bag and quickly rushed to the gift table to drop it off without distracting Ron or Hermione.

As you turned around, you came face to face with a very familiar face, a short woman with red hair and grey roots. You completely froze in your tracks, face flushed and eyes wide as Molly Weasley gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, completely shell shocked.

“By Merlin’s beard!” Molly spread her arms open and invited you in for the warmest hug you’ve ever received. She held you like you were her own child, patting your back and giving your head a kiss before she leaned away.

“Words cannot describe how happy I am to see you again, my dear!” Molly cupped your face with both hands, her eyes kind but filled with memories of the past.

“Likewise, Mrs Weasley. It’s so nice to see your face” You chuckle, but you notice her grimace when you call her by her formal name.

“How many times have I said to you in the past, call me Molly!” She scolded you, pointing her finger at your face which made you smile. She was just like you remembered. Only with grey roots and deeper wrinkles.

“It just feels odd calling you Molly when I haven’t seen you in 6 years” You sigh, taking a sip of champagne as the older woman waved your comment off.

“Trust me, dear, nothing has changed since you left” She spoke to you warmly, giving off the same motherly tone you always remembered and loved.

You looked around the crowd for any sign of red hair, turning back to molly and noticing a small smile on her face.

“Is… he here?” You couldn’t stop yourself from asking, knowing you were making a complete fool of yourself by asking.

“He is, just around that corner,” She gestured to the left behind you as a shrill of nausea hit you like a train.

“But I’m sure you’re not ready to see him quite yet, so let’s move you to the other side of the tent” Molly urged you to the nearby buffet at the opposite end of the canapé. You internally thanked her, hands trembling and causing the surface of your champagne to shake. You couldn’t help but look behind you, spotting a couple of the Weasley siblings, but not the one you were looking for.

Molly held your hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, leading you through the bustling crowds and apologising if she ever bumped into someone. As the mother of the groom, she was expected to hover around Ron and Hermione by many people, but her main priority at the moment was keeping you safe and comfortable. Some of the siblings expected her to be angry at you, if you ever reunited, but Molly always knew you took it just as hard as Fred during the breakup. Which is why she was helping you now, embracing you like she was your own mother, because deep down she still held so much love for you. Seeing you now made her over joyous, the fact you were back in the UK was incredible.

As Molly sat you down at one of the empty seats at the back, you soon noticed you were sitting right beside none other than the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt. He turned to you with a smile on his face, waving to Molly who bowed her head and gave his hand a shake.

“It’s quite busy in here, isn’t it?” He chuckled, offering his hand for you to take. You smiled, feeling the tension in your stomach flush out when you shook his hand.

“Kingsley Shacklebolt, and who might you be?” He asked with a charming smile on his aging face.

“(Y/N) (S/N), Magizoology professor at Hogwarts” You nodded your head, placing your champagne glass on the table before waving farewell to Molly who had been summoned to the dance floor.

“Ah! So you’re the woman everyone’s been talking about? Well, it’s wonderful to finally meet you Professor, I hope the term has been well so far?” Kingsley asked curiously, fixing his tunic before he leaned an elbow on the table.

“It’s been brilliant, I couldn’t ask for a better job” You grin, taking a casual sip of your bubbling champagne. The minister was delighted by your response, but something or someone in the distance caught his eye.

“Professor (S/N), would you care to join me? I must introduce you to my colleagues at the Ministry” Kingsley insisted, standing up and offering you his hand with a toothy smile. You nodded your head and stood, linking your arm in his and making sure you didn’t trip as you synced your foot steps with his.

You remember the day he took over as the Minister of Magic after the war, you spoke with Arthur about it at the time but you never thought you’d be lucky enough to meet him. You even remembered when he participated in the war at Hogwarts, he battled alongside the late Remus Lupin and Arthur as well.

Kingsley scooted past the cramped dance floor, approaching the other end of the tent. You grew nervous, clutching his arm tighter as you remembered who was nearby. You briefly passed Ginny, who was leading Harry onto the dance floor. You avoided eye contact but you heard the scuffing of shoes and a gasp as you passed by, bringing your shawl closer to your body.

“I was invited to the wedding by Arthur Weasley, wonderful man he is” The minister smiled fondly, but his words sent your brain into a deep spiral.

“Speaking of which, his son is sitting at this table!” The minister let go of your arm, clapping his hands together as he approached one of the tables. You looked around and noticed Molly, standing staring right at you with a panicked look on her face. You froze on the spot, your gut churning with something dreadfully nauseating as you realised what was happening.

“Gentleman, I’d like you to meet Miss (Y/N) (S/N), she’s the brand new Magizoology professor at Hogwarts” Kingsley pressed a comforting hand to your shoulder, but your skin was covered with goosebumps as your eyes drifted to the table full of sharply dressed men. You smiled, bowing your head and trying not to crumble into pieces as you swallowed your pride.

“Nice to meet you all” You masked up any angst you might’ve bottled up, a graceful smile planted on your face as you drifted over the table.

Eventually, your eyes landed on him. Your felt your mouth dry up completely when you realised his eyes were already on you, wide and full of surprise, yet his expression didn’t match. Fred Weasley. A man you once adored much more than anyone else in the entire world, was sitting just a few meters away from you with a heart which was breaking all over again. Your eyes stayed on each other for what felt like a lifetime until the Minister pressed a hand on his shoulder.

“I was just saying to Miss (S/N) here that your father invited me to the wedding, Fred,” Kingsley gestured to you as he spoke, but Fred never took his eyes off you all the time that the minister spoke. It was like he was frozen in time.

“Say, didn’t you go to Hogwarts as well, Professor?” Kingsley inquired with a smile.

“Yes sir, I graduated in 1996” You smiled, your hands shakily fiddling with the hem of your mothers knitted shawl.

“So did Fred over here! You two ought to know each other then” Poor Kingsley wasn’t aware of how dense the situation was for you and Fred, so you decided to clear your throat and make a move, unable to stand the silence that followed.

“I remember him, Mr Shacklebolt… we’ve met” You smile at the minister, struggling to keep up your confident facade as Kingsley awed with surprise.

“How wonderful! Then you should need no introduction, Fred, why don’t you get Miss (S/N) another drink?” The minister gestured his friend to get up, but all you wanted to do was run away and hide after he finished his excruciating sentence. You looked down at your feet, unsure where eyes should go as Fred stood to his feet and dusted himself off.

“Excuse me” You breathe out, turning on your heel and aiming to get to the other side of the tent. But a hand grabbed your wrist, one you could never mistake. The warmth of Fred’s hand entirely encased your much smaller wrist, holding onto it as if he was scared to watch you leave.

A wordless interaction flourished between the two of you, the gentleman surrounding the table returned to whatever conversation they had before you arrived, which was ideal since none of them were paying any attention to you or Fred.

He eventually let go of your wrist, eyes swarming with an unfamiliar feeling as he gazed down at you. He felt it in his chest, the sticky feeling of heartache inching its way to his core. He wondered if you felt the same, if you were as star struck as he was in this current moment.

Fred didn’t seem to picture the same (Y/N) as he did when he last saw you, you changed so much. Your hair was shorter, you looked so mature and wise, even your new style blew him away. Your voice held a much more composed manner than it did 6 years ago, but it still sounded just as angelic.

Your eyes welled with tears shortly after he let go of your wrist, a flurry of emotions suddenly coming over you. Fred noticed the glassy gleam in your eyes and his heart felt like it had cracked, but he was frozen in place when you turned and bolted out of the tent. His mother, who was nearby, walked up to him and grabbed his hand.

“Go after her” She stated gently, giving him a small shove of encourage. Her son nodded, giving his mum a pat on the shoulder before jogging out of the canapé to find you. By the time he left the tent, you were nowhere in sight. Fred’s first instinct was to panic, to shout your name desperately until you hopefully appeared. But he knew it wouldn’t work that way, not like it used to. He took a minute to completely scan the area, a few guests were scattered about for a smoke or fresh air which made it harder to locate you. But just when he was about to lose all hope, he caught a glimpse of navy silk in the distance. You were sitting on the Burrow’s doorstep with your legs pressed against your chest.

Fred looked at you for a short moment, feeling a sob bubble up in his chest as he remembered all the memories from before. They came crashing in so suddenly, he felt woozy and overstimulated as his mind swirled with nothing but you.

He snapped out of his painful haze and started walking towards the burrow, his heart in his hands. He noticed you were crying, running your fingers through your hair as you tried to catch your breath on the cold doorstep of his childhood home. Fred didn’t live at the burrow anymore since you left, he couldn’t bear the sight of his own bedroom because so many things reminded him of you.

Fred wordlessly sat down beside you on the porch, keeping a small distance between you in case you still needed space. You continued to look at your feet as the cold breeze rushed through you, your knitted shawl failing to keep you warm. Fred noticed you shiver, but he had a clue as to how you might react if he gave you his coat.

“I never thought I’d see your face again” Fred sighed, plucking blades of grass from the ground. You wiped a tear from the corner of your eye, holding your shoulders as you turned your head to look at him.

“Likewise,” You sigh shakily.

“Why didn’t you say you were coming back?” He asked, sounding almost hurt as he turned his gaze to meet your own. At first you didn’t answer, studying his face for the first time in years and trailing the shape of his nose, lips and jaw with your eyes.

“It’s not as easy as that, not after everything” Your reason was valid, but Fred still found it hard to process you were right here, right in front of him. He used to imagine this moment over and over in his head, if the day would ever come, sometimes he would dream of if, but he would wake up in a flurry of panic once it was over, realising you were just a vision.

A silence dispersed between you, keeping to your own personal bubbles as you both looked up at the sky littered with bright stars. A tear fell from the corner of your eye, skimming your cheek and dripping off the edge of your jaw. You sniffled quietly, trying to swallow the lump in your throat. You promised yourself you wouldn’t cry if you saw him, but they were just empty words to yourself. How could you not cry?

“I’m sorry, I can’t just sit in silence and pretend everything’s okay” Fred sighed, looking down and changing his position on the doorstep so he was facing you. You dipped your head into your knees, running your hands through your hair before sucking in a sharp breath and turning to face him as well.

“I thought of not coming tonight, just so I didn’t see you” You bit the tip of your tongue, wiping your eyes once more with your knuckles as Fred frowned at your words.

“Why did you come then?” He inquired with a hint of distaste in his mouth.

“Why do you think, dimwit? I’m here for Ron and Hermione” You glared, scoffing silently to yourself as you picked daisies from the ground.

“They didn’t even tell me you were coming” Fred said it more to himself rather than you, feeling betrayed as he thought of his brother and his wife missing out that tiny little detail.

“They didn’t need to tell you, it’s their wedding” You reasoned softly, still bitter as you brought one of the daisies up to your face, examining the pink tip petals as you felt Fred’s eyes on you once again.

“I know, but- fuck, forget it” Fred grumbled, standing up suddenly which made you look away from the daisy, letting your arms fall to your lap.

“I just don’t see why it’s that important-“

“Oh don’t give me that shit, (Y/N)! You know exactly why it’s important!” Fred yelled, startling you into silence as you ripped your eyes away from him and looked down at your lap, your lip quivering at the scolding tone Fred adorned. There’d only been a couple of times he had raised his voice like that in the past, but it shouldn’t have effected you as much as it did.

“I’ve waited so long for this moment, I dreamed of seeing you again, over and over until my nights became restless,” His voice stumbled over, a tremor bubbling up in his throat as he tried swallowing it down.

“Until this moment I still thought of you, before the wedding, before you came back, I still saw your face in my mind. If someone told me you were coming, I would’ve been prepared to see you again and I wouldn’t be telling you all of this” Fred cried, tears spilling down his cheeks as he wiped them off with the cuff of his DJ. His words tore your heart into pieces, at first you weren’t sure how you’d even reply to what he said.

Fred’s words stung deep but you empathised with him, you knew what the feeling was like. You spent many a night lying awake wishing he was there, holding your hand and peppering kisses over your face like he usually did. You cried to your friends in New York, expressing your sadness until all of it left your system. But even that wasn’t enough and you’d go home every night to the loneliness of your bedroom, your body lacking any spark.

“You don’t think I’ve stayed up wishing you were there? Thousands of days and nights, I’ve yearned for you,” You spluttered, standing up as well so you were closer to eye level with him. You stumbled back slightly, realising how much taller he was than you. Merlin, had he grown since you last saw him?

“I wish I could’ve told you I was back, but- it’s just not that simple” You sniffled, dragging your knitted shawl closer to your shivering body as Fred stared down at you with teary eyes.

“Why isn’t it simple?” Fred asked gently, still a hint of hurt through his rugged voice. You looked up at him, taking a moment to reply as you gazed deep into his soft brown eyes and resisted the urge to cup his jaw.

“I always thought we left on bad terms, we didn’t leave on the worst, but I knew this moment would hurt. That’s why I wanted to avoid it, to save both of us the pain” Your reasoning made Fred scoff, turning his back on you as he put his hands on his hips and stared blankly at the meadow surrounding the Burrow.

“Well you’ve failed,” The red head tried to stay stubborn but his voice gave away his true feelings, wobbling as each syllable passed his chapped lips.

“Merlin’s beard, I can’t think straight” Fred sobbed, hiding his face in his hands. A large tear left your eye as you watched his shoulders tremble, hearing his pained cries as he tried desperately to keep himself together.

You couldn’t take anymore of this torment, took a step forward, and wrapped your arms around him.

Fred’s back was facing you as you slipped your arms around his waist and held him close, your cheek pressing against one of his shoulder blades. He let out a shaky sigh and held onto your hands which were linked against his stomach, leaning into your touch.

“I don’t want to fight” You whimpered, pressing your forehead against his jacket as Fred took one of your hands and kissed the back of it, intertwining your fingers with his. Your head spun at the gesture of familiar yet distant affection, your skin igniting where he kissed you.

“Can we stay like this for a while?” Fred asked, his voice still broken but calmer than before. You smiled and noticed your tears stained his DJ, but you didn’t have the energy to care.

“Of course” You whispered, leaning back as he turned around and wrapped his arms around you. You still held onto his torso, head cradled against his chest as he held you, as if you were going to leave again.

Silence dawned over you both, but it was comfortable, cosy. He leaned his chin on your head, closing his eyes and appreciating the weight of your body in his arms once more.

A voice called in the distance, the both of you looking back to the tent and noticing Molly and George who appeared to be searching for you both.

“So much for peace and quiet” Fred groaned, his voice still jagged from crying. You smiled, pulling away from him carefully as you ran your hands down his arms until you held onto his hands. Fred sniffed, his lips quivering as he pulled himself together and turned towards his mother and brother.

“What do you think they’ll say?” Fred whispered. You laughed.

“I think they might react well, you know your mum always fancied us together” You didn’t really think before you spoke, just as you were about to feel bad about it, Fred smiled fondly.

“Maybe you’re right” He waved to his mum, offering you his arm after letting go of your hands.

Molly pressed her hand against her mouth as she witnessed you and Fred cosied up together, your arms linked and your head leaning on his shoulder. George seemed just as choked, looking at his mum with awe as the two of them watched you and Fred walk over with red and puffy eyes, but smiles on your faces.

“I’m guessing you two have finally talked things out” Molly put her hands on her hips, a teasing smile on her kind features. Fred spoke first.

“I’d say so” He smiled down at you warmly, noticing the tired look in your swollen eyes. The twins gave each other a knowing look, George raised his brows and gestured to you silently with a question in his face. Fred didn’t answer back, and simply walked you inside the tent to save you both from any further questioning.

“Want to dance?” Fred asked, looking at the dance floor where many other couples, fathers and daughters, and children danced. Ron and Hermione were nowhere to be seen, but you thought it was maybe for the best for now.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to” Fred second guessed himself, a typical habit you weren’t surprised he still had.

“I’d like that” You nodded, taking his hand and squeezing it tightly as you lead him to the dance floor. He grinned like a fool, not hiding his happy glow as you got into position on the dance floor. You didn’t really know how to dance, you never did. You two used to sway from side to side in his kitchen as teenagers, your hands behind his neck and his on your waist. So you decided to go with that for easiness, not caring about the sudden intimacy.

Fred noticed the familiarity of the position as your hands slid up his shoulders and around his neck. His hands shook as they slid around your hips, immediately feeling like he was 20 years old again, dancing with you at Fleur and Bill’s wedding.

The fact that was 6 years ago made him wince, but he masked up the void of lost time with the moment he was having with you now. Every memory came into view to the both of you, visions of your past in Hogwarts as Fred started swaying you from side to side. You remember running through the endless halls with him after being caught out by Umbridge, you remember dancing with him like this at the Yule Ball, you even remembered the first time you realised you loved him. Fred noticed the look in your eyes and smiled, his eyes tracing the shape of your face.

“Would it be rude to tell you you look absolutely beautiful?” Fred whispered, aware that many eyes were on you. You let out a lighthearted chuckle and shook your head, your fingers running through the red hair at the back of his neck. Fred shivered at the feeling and instinctively pulled you closer.

The music was slow and other couples joined on the dance floor, including Molly and Arthur who smiled hopefully at you and their son. Hermione and Ron danced beside you, both giving you a certain look of amusement as you rolled your eyes.

“This music’s really boring” Fred mumbled close to your ear, causing you to snicker as you looked back at him.

“Want to do something more fun?” He raised a brow curiously.

“Anything more fun than this? I’m in” You giggle, letting him lead you off the dance floor and across the canapé.

In your mind you were certain this would eventually lead to something more complex, at this point it was inevitable. But for now, you allowed yourself this peace, like the calm before the storm.

-

Taglist: @earthangels-things @begaytotallygay @fruittiest-of-loops @bellawhore7920

[thelampisaflashlight]

Everything Goes On Pt. 5

[Time skip. Not suitable for younger audiences. Previous part here.] Below the cut.

As is the way of things, Copia doesn't find out about the absolute shitstorm that went down in the den until long after the dust has, more or less, settled.

A month has past since Aether's departure, and Sunny has only just taken her leave, but the silence that fills the usually lively space is... jarring to say the least.

Copia doesn't doubt that his precious ghouls are missing their friends, but it's not as if they are gone forever.

The surface isn't like the pit, they have phones and emails, and a multitude of ways to keep in contact, to see each other, and he knows they know this, given the long vacations, travel time, all of that which comes with the touring lifestyle brings...

No.

No, this silence is heavy.

Oppressive.

It makes Copia feel as if he's walking through the gates of Heaven instead of descending into Hell as promised.

Normally, he'd seek out Aether for an explanation, but unable to do so for obvious reasons, he looks for Mountain instead.

He doesn't find the ghoul in his room, rather, he finds him in the attached courtyard outside of the den, tending to his rose bushes.

Looking at the giant, Copia can tell something is troubling him, it's apparent in how he slouches, eyes distant, far away with thought, as his hands work automatically to care for the flowers before him.

"Mountain." he calls out once, and then a second time when the ghoul's ears perk up at the sound, "Mountain, may I speak with you?"

"Ah. Oh, hello, Papa." he smiles after a moment to process who's standing there, and raises to his full height, brushing the mud from his hands on the long apron tied round his waist, "Of course."

Copia makes them both tea, he insists on doing it, even though Mountain makes the offer first, and watches as the ghoul relaxes into the warmth of it.

The mornings are getting cooler, though the afternoons are still dead hot, and horribly humid, so a hot drink before the sun is fully overhead actually does some good.

"It's quiet this morning." Copia comments finally, and Mountain nods, setting his mug down, "Usually it's rather noisy down here."

"Things have been... tense." Mountain admits, running his finger over the rim over his cup, "We all miss Sunny."

"And Aether?"

Mountain sighs.

"I do miss him, he's one of my oldest and dearest friends, but I cannot help but feel a little... cross with him after everything."

Copia raises an eyebrow.

"...Did you two fight about him leaving?" he asks, and the ghoul gives him a look that says...

"You don't know?"

It takes a while to fully process the information he is given, and by the time he does, the water for their tea has gone cold in both cup and kettle.

Copia leaves the den with much to unpack.

Indeed, he needs to take all of this into consideration before the start of the next tour, but first...

First, he needs to summon some new ghouls.

.

.

.

Swiss paces outside of Dew's door like a little kid about to tell his mother he somehow managed to miss the school bus, which he may have done a time or ten as a kit.

Back and forth, back and forth, until he thinks he might wear through the faux wood flooring if he doesn't just stop and knock already.

He doesn't expect Dew to answer, Hell, he might not even be in his room right now.

That's happened twice now.

Dew not being in his room when Swiss has finally worked up the nerve to apologize.

Although the second time, he may have run off before getting any confirmation on whether he was or was not inside.

Regardless, this time, Swiss is determined to face his friend -Lord, he hopes they're still friends- head on and say he's-

"Thwith?" A voice lisps from down the hallway.

Swiss looks over to see Dew standing at the end of it with a box of crackers in hand, as he he shoves another one into his mouth.

"Yes," Swiss teases, "It is I, Thwith."

Dew flips him off as he swallows.

"Why're you outside of my room?" he asks.

"Why're you eating crackers without cheese?" Swiss counters, dodging the question.

Dew nibbles on his snack, "...Cause I already ate all of the cheese."

"All of the... There was a whole 1lbs. block of cheddar in the fridge. You're telling me, you ate all of that? Are you some kind of rat?"

"Are you cheese shaming me?" Dew places a hand on his chest in mock offense, "And, no, Rainy used most of the block so he could prep a batch of mac and cheese, I just finished off the last little crumbly bits honestly... sooo... why're you outside of my room?"

"I..." Swiss shifts on his feet and crosses his arms, "I... wanted to talk."

Dew gestures at him with the box, "Well? Go ahead."

"I thought maybe we... we could talk in your room?"

They both glance at Dew's door.

"Just talk... right?"

Swiss bites the inside of his cheek.

"Yeah..." he says, "...Just talk."

.

.

.

It's early afternoon when Cirrus glides across the hall to Cumulus' room, hoping for a little dessert after the nice "picnic" the two had had in the gardens that morning, but the sounds of an absolutely sinful moan makes her pause and press her ear to the door.

No, it's not coming from inside her mate's bedroom -not that they were exclusive like that, all of the ghouls fuck around, and she'd be perfectly fine with Cumulus having a little fun- so where...

She stares at the little door squished between Cumulus' bedroom and Mountain's.

Dew's new room.

Huh.

Her mind immediately flashes to a scene she'd walked in on ages ago when she forgot the golden rule of "fucking knocking" and saw Aether getting absolutely railed by the smaller ghoul, but she shakes her head.

Aether's not around anymore, and even if he was, he wouldn't be hooking up with Dew, not after their break-up so, who...

She goes down the list of possibilities.

Rain is busy in the kitchen prepping things for dinner tonight so he can just pop everything in the oven or microwave respectively and make it less of a hassle for his future self, so it can't be him.

She's almost certain she saw Swiss... somewhere, but he and Dew aren't talking much.

Mountain is outside, he'd caught her and Cumulus hooking up earlier and doused them with the hose, very rude.

So who...

"Lus' room is right next to his now." her brain offers, "And she's not in hers at the moment."

Cirrus flings the door open, growling-

"What the Hell?!"

"Cir, what the fuck?!"

-only to get an eyeful of Swiss straddling Dew's legs... giving him a massage?

"...Oh."

"GET OUT!"

[ggomos-maribat]

The Consequences of Her Visit

Part 3 of Heirs Apparent | AO3

Masterlist

Danny dragged his feet to the kitchen to fetch himself a glass of water. This time, he wasn't deprived of any sleep; he'd snored his way through the entire afternoon after a particularly long morning of attending to kingly duties.

He threaded his fingers through his hair. The day marked four months since he had last heard from his mother. Her last letter had informed him about the situation of the League: the members had split into two main factions, one in support of a new leader and one in support of Talia and Nyssa's current rule. Talia never made her letters lengthy or personal, but Danny found comfort in receiving them. It told him that his mother was at least alive. 

The hairs on the back of his head abruptly stood on end when he sensed a presence by the kitchen table. 

"Dani, I told you to tell me first before you suddenly drop by," he sighed. 

But when he was met with no snark, no reply, he whipped around to see an unexpected guest. "Amira? What are you doing here?" 

Marinette gave him a gentle smile. "Sorry, I just . . . I needed to see you. It's been four months." 

"Since the letters." Danny moved around the kitchen to prepare hot drinks for the both of them. 

"Yeah." Marinette cast her gaze down. "I can't really visit Damian without compromising our identities so I thought I should come to you." 

Danny shared her sentiments. He already had half the mind to fly to Paris or Gotham out of paranoia but held back, thinking of it as a reckless move. But he was more than relieved to have his sister visit. 

He repeated the words from the last letter. "The League is split into two factions. She's probably occupied with that, right?" 

"I imagine she's taking precautions so the other faction cannot trace us." 

Excuses to reassure themselves. Danny had already known the fact that death was inevitable for any of them—they were a family of assassins after all. But he didn't know if he'd be able to accept it when it did happen. He swallowed down the bitter lump in his throat. Cross the bridge when you get there. Don't think about that right now. 

He took the steaming mugs of coffee, handing Marinette one much to her delight. He wasn't unfamiliar with her addiction to caffeine but he had the same tendencies so he was happy to indulge her. 

"Are you sure it's okay for me to stay here?" Marinette shot a wary look at the stairs leading up to the bedrooms. 

"Don't worry, Mom and Dad can't be woken up even if there's a ghost and Jazz just pulled an all nighter so she's knocked out," Danny explained and Marinette hummed in reply. 

He often wondered if she felt any different shifting into a new family. In his first days with the Fentons, there was a strange feeling accompanied by being the youngest as a transition from being one of a set of triplets. 

"Is there anything bothering you?" asked Marinette, sipping on her drink. Translation: has anyone targeted you? 

"Nothing really. The usual," he shrugged. "Ember, Technus, Fright Knight. They're minor inconveniences at this point. What about you?"  

"Hawkmoth's still Hawkmoth," said Marinette. "But, um, my partner and I are handling things better. We're together now." 

Danny made a mental note to arrange a shovel talk later on when he saw a pink blush dusting her cheeks.  

"I'm worried about you," he confessed, "I was thinking . . . Rogues will always be in Gotham and ghosts won't cease to exist here but you—you can defeat the villain in your city. There's an end to his reign. If we can help out in uncovering his identity, Paris will be at peace again." 

"It's too dangerous. I'm sorry, akhi." 

Danny took a sip from his cup. Just like that, his help was turned down. 

With his luck, footsteps sounded from the staircase. He scrambled to get Marinette into a hiding place but she was faster, effortlessly slipping inside a cabinet. Danny had just enough time to push back her chair and bring her mug next to his when Jack entered the kitchen. 

"Whatcha you doing up, son?" Jack asked. Danny pretended not to notice that his adoptive father was all geared up. 

"Can't sleep." Danny forced out a faux smile. "It's nothing bad." 

"Why do you have two cups of coffee?" 

"Uhmmm, I like to have an extra just in case." He pulled the other mug closer to his. 

Thankfully, Jack didn't seem to think twice about it. "Well, your mom and I are driving over to Springfield. One of our ghost sensors went off there and we're gonna test our newest invention!" 

"You're going right now? At this hour?" Another ghost-hunting trip. What did he expect? 

"Yup!" As if on cue, more footsteps padded down the stairs. Most likely it was Maddie, who was loading their equipment into the truck. "Who knows, we might be able to catch that sneaky Phantom!" 

A chill passed over Danny's spine. The fact that Marinette was hearing how obsessed the two were about hunting down Phantom wasn't good. He drummed his fingers nervously on the table. "Doesn't he stay in Amity Park though?" 

"You never know." Jack dug into his pocket and handed him a few bills. "Here's a lil' something for you. Get yourself something nice while we're out." 

Danny looked down at the allowance left for them. It was barely enough to buy them groceries to last a whole weekend. Jack, as usual, didn't seem to realize this and only ruffled his hair before heading out the front door. In less than a minute, the RV was speeding down the street. 

And Marinette was out from her hiding spot. 

"Danny, what was that?" He couldn't meet her eyes as she asked the dreaded question. 

"What was what?" 

"Are your parents always like that?" Her tone was firmer, voice louder. 

He didn't answer. Marinette moved closer to him and he knew—he knew—she was analyzing him, watching his every move to read the answer from him. "Danny. Danyal." She clutched the edge of the table. "What was that?" 

He had told his siblings about how he came to be a Halfa, but he only mentioned in passing that his parents were hunters. He chose to omit their neglect, and preferred to just live with it. "Jack and Maddie care about catching ghosts more than us," he told his sister quietly, "But they're good people, amira." 

"But what he said about Phantom." Venom laced her words. "How can they be so reckless? What about you? You're a good person, don't they see that?" 

Danny opened his mouth and clamped it shut. Ancients, what am I supposed to say? 'We're used to it'? He braved a look at her eyes and found them flowing with emotion, perhaps even more than what she could show back in Paris. 

"They don't know you're . . ." 

"No, they don't." 

"But Jazz knows, right?" She took a seat, accepting her cup again. 

"Yes, and she's been taking care of me ever since." He reached across to squeeze her hand. "It's okay, we're okay right now. As soon as Jazz finishes college and saves up enough money, we'll be out of this house." 

"Why didn't you tell us you've been living like this?" Her face was red, her irises were watery and her fingers shook. Marinette was good at concealing her emotions, but she was better at expressing them at the right times.  

"The same reason why we lie about our past," Danny answered solemnly. "You understand that, don't you?" 

A harsh glare was directed at him. "Yes, we lie to other people but that doesn't mean you lie to us. No matter what you think of the situation, it's dangerous for you. And don't say you didn't want to worry me and akhi, because we're always worried." 

His shoulders sagged. He did want to tell them but only when he had settled on a new life. "I'm sorry." 

Marinette heaved out a sigh, and it that second Danny felt like he was the youngest, fresh out of a scolding. She sipped on her coffee to calm herself down, rubbing away the tears from her eyes. "You know akhi will skin you alive, right?" 

His lips quirked up into a smile. "It's not like I'm not already half-dead." 

"Danyal." 

"I know, I know." His smile stretched wider. "Are you going to tell him?" 

Marinette huffed. "I should." 

"I'll tell him myself. Later today." He downed the last of his coffee, savoring the sweet taste. 

"What?" 

"You said it's difficult to visit Damian, but it's less risky if it's me. I'll drop by Gotham, check on him, and ask if he's heard anything from the League or Mother," he vowed. "Then I'll come clean." 

Marinette's lips curled. ". . . Are you sure?" 

"Yeah, I'll make it quick and give you an update after." Plus, I can always overshadow akhi if it doesn't go well. Or disappear right away. 

----

Danny didn't find his brother in manor, so he opted to track his location to the Botanical Gardens where he saw Damian with Titus. He swiftly checked if he was truly alone before jotting down a coded message on a broad leaf. He dropped the leaf on the page Damian was sketching on, and the latter quickly deemed the coast clear. 

"Hey, akhi." Danny carefully sat down beside his brother. The setup and timing were too perfect. 

It was almost as if Damian was expecting him. 

"Amira told you, didn't she?" Danny said with a wince. 

"She concisely summarized what transpired during her visit." Damian paused his sketching, patting Titus' head who seemed to be interested in Danny's presence. "Now explain." 

Of course she'd snitch on me, Danny grumbled to himself. But then again, I promised to tell Damian. "It's exactly how it is. My adoptive parents . . . aren't the best parents. Ghost hunting has always been the topmost priority for them and Jazz has been the one taking care of me for as long as I remember." 

"Why were you keeping this from us?" 

Danny's leg bounced up and down. From their childhood, it was always Damian who asserted his elder position among the three, despite being born only three minutes before Danny. Danny always thought his brother was subconsciously pressured to be the one in charge, along with the obligation of being the League's heir. 

"Because . . . it's too messy to deal with it. I don't want court cases linked to us or CPS knocking at our door," Danny replied. "And it's better this way. They don't care too much if I'm out late or missing for a few days. At least Jazz and I have the freedom to deal with our lives, especially ghost-fighting." 

Danny looked at his brother. He hadn't torn his gaze away from the page, continuing to draw the pink hydrangeas in front of them. Danny leaned back. "There's also the Guys In White." 

"Guys in White?" 

"A secret government organization dedicated to eliminating ghosts." The awful memories filled his head one by one. "If Jack and Maddie are out of the picture, they might come for me and Jazz or confiscate their hunting equipment. I don't need more ghosts falling into their hands." 

Danny laughed humorlessly. "So I guess our parents' neglect is a double-edged sword in that way." 

He felt his eyes shifting in color as he imagined what the GIW could do to them and his subjects. Damian clearly sensed his anxiety as he didn't pry any further about the organization (though Danny knew his akhi would be doing a lot of incognito research later on). 

". . . I see," Damian finally uttered after moments in silence. 

Danny cocked an eyebrow. "That's it? 'I see'? You're not going to skin me?" 

"Tt. I trust that you and Jasmine know what you're doing and I see no need to interfere . . . yet." A scowl flashed on his face. "Also, I refuse to be a victim of your possession again." 

Danny blinked. He anticipated blood. A bruise or two at least. But a calm Damian was more terrifying; he took it as a promise that his brother will retaliate if ever anything happens to him under the care of his adoptive parents. 

Nonetheless, he was glad he could finally confide in his siblings about his situation and give them more clarity on his double life as a Halfa. 

"Overshadowing," Danny corrected, snorting. "That was one time! I didn't know where to hide." 

"You made a fool out of me in front of Kent." 

"Come on, he totally bought it!"  

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[iguessitsjustme]

Hi Rae! For the 30 yo ask meme, could I ask: 4, 12, 39, 46, and 67 if you feel comfortable with those? - ☆

Hellooooooo! How are you?????

4. Favorite chore?

I already said laundry. Uhhh....I don't like chores. Cooking? Does that count? I enjoy cooking except that I have to wash dishes afterwards.

12. How many cups can you see from where you're sitting?

Keep in mind, I am currently drinking out of 3 of them because that's how many beverages I need at once. Don't ask questions this is just the way I am. I also can see my sink, and my mug rack....I can see 8. I know there are more hidden behind things though but I cannot see them therefore they don't exist.

39. What little treat do you always get when you run errands?

Either strawberry cake or a Thai Milk Tea. Depends on where I'm at when I'm running my errand.

46. What kind of stuff do you keep on the door of your refrigerator?

Meal planner (i use it sometimes i swear), "all out of" pad (i also use this sometimes i swear), a little stuffed frog magnet that i think says "I <3 MD" on it but I'm not wearing my glasses and I'm not getting up to look so I'm not entirely sure, a (currently blank) tiny dry erase board, a photo of a landscape??? (might be a post card), and a save the date for a wedding that past and I could not make it to but i love them so they stay on my fridge. Those last two things are held up by magnets that say "fuck" and "shit"

67. Do you keep any stuffed animals on your bed?

I keep a potato pillow. I don't have many stuffed animals but the ones I do have live on my couch. Except apparently my totoro that I am currently staring at that has found itself buried under some jackets, a hat, and an empty ritz cracker box on a chair (I never claimed to be a neat person)

Ask Game

[blackjackkent]

All right. Time to wrap the party up, and with it, Hector's story.

"I think I've caught up with everyone. What comes next?"

"What indeed," the skeleton intones gravely. "Prick up thy ears."

What this means, it turns out, is that Withers wants to give a speech. He gathers them all at the table, raises a mug that he cannot possibly intend to drink from, and discourses at unexpected length.

"The balance of the world restored. The balance of these lives, mortal and otherwise, brought to account."

"Hear me, thou heroes, wastrals, friends. I have waited long to tell you these words."

"It is over. For now. Thou played thy part in weaving the fabric of fate itself. But for every thread you sewed, so did the gods unravel another. Sleep, rest, revel. But be ready. For thou mayest yet be needed. Until we meet again, I wish thee every possible fortune. Health, wealth, love, and above all, problems worth solving."

No shortage of those, Hector reflects ruefully. The Hells are full of them, and he doesn't see that changing any time soon.

Withers looks towards him expectantly, apparently asking he give a toast. Hector considers for a moment. There are many things he could toast to. Future victory, past success. The prosperity of the city they saved, the power of the Moonmaiden, the death of the evil forces that sought to destroy all.

But in the end, there is only one thing he is here to celebrate, the thing that bolstered him through dark times he did not think he was built to survive, that strengthened him when he was at his weakest, that have driven his actions to a depth he did not realize until it was almost too late.

"To the greatest friends I could dream of," he says, his voice thick with sudden emotion.

Withers' eyes narrow in what might be a smile.

He raises his glass in answer. "To you," he murmurs.

They all rise to their feet, glasses in hand, cheers on their lips. Friends -- family -- in a moment of much-needed celebration that none of them will ever forget.

--------

Much, much later, Hector and Karlach lie cuddled in their tent on the far edge of the campsite, Hector's head nestled into the curve of her neck, her arms tightly wrapped around him. He nuzzles kisses absently along her throat, enjoying the quiet after the hubbub of the party.

"I have to say," he mumbles drowsily. "I know your engine's hotter here... but everything else is cooler. Rather nice not feeling like I'm cuddling in a blast furnace for once."

She snorts softly, running her fingers through his hair. "I could get used to it, myself..." she murmurs. A pause. "I think we might really have something, y'know. With those blueprints. A chance at fixing me, proper. At really coming home."

He gives a slow roll over so his weight is stretched out on top of her, catches both her hands in his and pushes them gently above her head. "Home," he says. "Chk. Do you know what I told Jaheira, when she asked me if I had found home?"

She grins up at him. "You said me, because you're a sap, Hector Carlisle."

"I am a sap. But I'm also right," he says gravely, his eyes narrowing teasingly. "We will fix your heart one day. And we will come back here. And I will follow you as gladly as I ever have."

"Mm." She tips her head up so she can brush her lips against his. "You know something?"

He grunts questioningly, kisses her back, pressing her head down against the pillow.

"I'm glad you didn't let me die..." she murmurs against his mouth. "I didn't imagine there was hope left, until you helped me find it."

He draws his head back and smiles down at her with an expression of deep love and deep gratitude. "There is much about this world that I didn't imagine for a long time," he says softly. "Before I traveled it at your side and saw it through your eyes, everything you loved about it, everything you were ready to die rather than leave. You taught me so much."

She listens quietly, and then grins slowly and pulls him down into another kiss. "Guess we were made for each other, huh, soldier?"

[theladyofmanyfandomsfanfiction]

Imagine going present shopping for the Avengers…

A/n: Happy Holidays you beautiful humans!! I wish you so much love and safe festivities x

Tinsel shone in its glory as workers climbed their tall ladders to fix decorations to a large tree on the street. Snow fall had started early this year and the city was alive once again. Despite the turbulence of heroes and villains, people flocked to their closest stores and exited with wrapped boxes and bags - it really was starting to feel like Christmas.

Clint had called you an hour ago requesting some assistance for an undisclosed emergency. Thankful that you were at the tower at the time, the journey to the shopping square was easy on foot but when there was no Hawkeye present, you guessed that he was stuck in traffic.

Buzz! You lifted your phone and saw a text message.

Running late. Start without me. Will keep you updated. - H

As you read the text, you made a note to ask him why he kept signing off as Hawkeye instead of his real name. 

With him out of the picture for a while, a head start with gift buying for the team was a good idea. Everyone was off on their own adventures this year, some on missions, some off-world. You didn’t know their exact locations but you figured that you could get some help from a certain Sorcerer Supreme on Bleeker Street.

Forty minutes or so had passed with Clint sending regular updates of his location while also offering gift advice and you shopped around.

Found an amazing green scarf. Banner or Hulk? You typed out.

Definitely the big guy. Apparently he told Bruce that he liked how soft they were. Clint replied.

Funnily enough, you could imagine the Hulk making the argument about scarves. Easily, you proceeded to make the purchase. As you stepped outside, the wind was far colder than before so you decided to walk towards a coffee shop for a warm drink and to rest your arms. 

Adjusting the bags around your wrists as they become uncomfortable, you tried to put the receipt into your pocket. You glanced up every so often to make sure that you didn’t bump into people when a voice approached from the side.

“I’m so sorry.” Clint apologised as he caught up. You paused your steps with a smile, happy that he had finally made it. “I was on my way when I saw a mugging take place. After I dealt with that I thought a cab would be quicker.”

Classic hero move. You lifted your arms to display the marvellous holiday themed bags. “My spirit cannot be crushed, Barton. I’m invincible.”

“I actually forgot how much you love this time of year.” Clint chuckled as took a few bags away to help lighten the load which you greatly appreciated.

“So what’s the emergency?” You wondered.

The man huffed as his shoulders slackened. “Christmas gifts for Laura and the kids - I’ve been so caught up in spending time with them that I didn’t get a chance to buy anything.” He looked at your blank expression and rolled his eyes. “Go ahead and judge.”

You sent him a small shrug. “I would but I was going to bribe Stephen with my homemade eggnog to use his magic portals as a personal present delivery system so…”

Clint raised his free hand, “No judgement here.” He gave a small laugh that finished on a sigh when he looked around at the people. “Navigating the busy crowds is going to be a challenge.”

“You’ve got me, what could go wrong?”

Clint smirked. “I can think of at least ten things.”

You took his arm and merrily pulled your friend onto the snowy streets. “Alright, Grinch. Let’s get some hot cocoa to warm that heart.”

While walking to the coffee house, Clint took a sneak peek through the bags and you were glad that his gift was safely hidden in your cupboard. You had created a new bow after he complained that his current one wasn’t the best for stealth.

“What’s this?” Clint pulled out a black box that looked very expensive. “An extra special something for a special someone?” He teased.

You lunged forward to take it from his palm, forgetting to hide it. You knew who he was referring to but you chose not to confirm the suspicions and tucked the item away into your pocket.

“That’s meant to be a secret. You only found out accidentally.” You reminded. “Besides I’m not sure if I’ll even it give to…”

“Y/n, if you don’t give it to the one person who actually makes you happy, I will. Got it? Christmas is the time for confessions of love or pining or whatever it is that you both have going.”

As much fun as Clint could be, you knew that his words were serious after all, even he was tired of seeing people dance around feelings. So you promised to deliver the special present as well. 

The quest for gifts for his kids wasn’t a large task because Clint knew the perfect items. In under an hour, you both had everything wrapped or boxed or bagged and then loaded into your car for a quick trip to the Sanctum Sanctorum. 

Upon arriving at Bleeker Street, you parked in a concealed area that was reserved for the Avengers. You and Clint pulled out the presents for the team before stepping onto the porch and knocking thrice. On the third knock, you both were transported inside the Sanctum suddenly. 

Clint exhaled. “I remember why I don’t like coming here.” 

You heard him but was more preoccupied with finding the wizard donning the red cloak. “Happy Holidays, Stephen!” You called out holding up the neatly bowed bottle. “I brought you some of my special eggnog.” 

Clint looked around at the empty space when silence began to fill the room. “This isn’t going to work. He’s too busy with the universe to-”

There was the sound of footsteps before Stephen appeared from a hidden doorway. He approached and saw the drink in your hands. 

“I am not the postal system, Y/n.” He told you slightly annoyed. 

You nodded and handed him the bottle nonethless. “Be that as it may, you do still owe me from the time you accidentally turned the whole team into hermit crabs and then you erased their memory because it was so traumatic.”

Clint’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, what?”

Stephen’s jaw clenched when he remembered how that ordeal only ended with your help and discretion (that is, up until this very moment). He sighed and raised his hands, summoning several portals. “Where are the presents?”

Masterlist here

[rotomblr-item-bank]

Item list post + Templates!

for random withdrawals, ask: "🎲 [blog @ if youre on anon]" and add more dice emojis for the more random items! u can also request not to get certain things, like pokemon or eggs!

with withdrawing, ask: "withdraw [x amount] [y item] [z blog @ if youre on anon]" u can also add a comment if u want

when depositing, ask: "deposit [x amount] [y item]" with the option to add ur name, blog url, and/or a lil message at the end

also important note: for withdrawing u need a blog @ to send it to if youre on anon. we cant send things to anons. if you arent on anon, its fine. also u can still deposit stuffs when anon its just sending thats an issue..

🍒 - - Food, Berries + Medicine - - 💊

Cheri, Chesto, Pecha, Rawst, Aspear berries, X22 each from Barry F. Arem - “Someone sent these to me as a prank please take them off my hands.”

Herba Mystica, X2 of each type from Director Clavell (minus sour!)  - “We still have a surplus of these after the Naranja-Uva Summer Sandwich Scramble, and I would like to avoid any more Maushold getting their hands on them! Please, take them if you wish!”

Oran Berry X16 from Anonymous - “you hunger”

Pecha and Mago Berries X2, Nanab Berries X5 from Ryu Anthizo - (no message provided)

Instant Coffee Palette X3 from koffing-time - “please lock this away. I trust your vault can hold this?”

Pecha-Pinap Berry Jam X8 from Anonymous - “Good harvest outta the greenhouse. One pint at a time.”

DX Gummy X8 from ifbench - “A sweet treat, and guaranteed to give you a rare quality!”

Chorizo X85 from Anonymous - “Keep stored cold. I overestimated how many i’d need for shiny hunting.”

Packing Peanut X49 from Anonymous - (no message provided)

Purple mug of mint tea, (hopefully) steaming, 3 sugars! X3 from theo! - “i need to share tea with the world!!! also i have some mugs i never use!!! i don’t know how the item bank works but i’m pretty sure there’s some magic involved and maaaaybe that magic will keep this tea warm!”

Three days worth of rations X46 from Anonymous - “Do the rations taste good? Not really. But it’s three days you don’t have to worry about, if you’re in a pinch.”

PP up from Anonymous - “( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)”

Potions with Encouraging Messages wrapped around them X2 from theo!!! - “the messages don’t make the potions heal any more damage, but they’re nice, at least!”

Half Empty Booster Energy Capsule from Trace Sawyer - “don’t drink it it’s Bad”

Nomel Berries from Fuuka Yamagishi x7 - “Lemons!?”

5 of each nature mint (unsure if this is meant to be given out individually?) from Kohaku - “feels like i’ve been taking a lot, so figured i’d give some stuff in exchange :)”

A box full of 11 fruit juice boxes x1 from Anonymous - “no war, only peace.”

Perfect Apple X8 from ifbench - “They really are delicious.”

Basket of lemons x 15 “hands you a basket of”

2 (two) pokepuffs from bandidodododo

x5 baskets of Poképuffs (A dozen in each basket) from Auberi Bellerose - “I’ve been… stress baking and ended up with way more of these than I know what to do with. Two are all strawberry, two are all chocolate, and one is all matcha.“

Box of Great Value Blueberries X100 from @alamos-garden-lover - “I have no idea where these came from, all I know is that I cannot possibly eat all of them before they go bad.”

Ojama Berry X50 from Anonymous - “a berry from my region that slows pokémon down. Apparently they aren’t found outside here so thought I’d share!”

5 foot long lemons from anonymous -when life gives you... lemons? make lemonade!

Drums full of honey 5X from a beekeeper of the flowroma combee and bug type association (not the apiary robot) - "Recently the honey storage here in flowroma's apiaries gotten a bit too full so we are donating some for free."

Jar of honey x20 from Apiary - "enjoy everyone!"

1x box of candy from blackthorn-legion-irl - "this is common for me but maybe it's rare for you?"

30 random pokéblocks, stored improperly, causing them to stick together into one big pokécasserole x1 from caprassecrethideout

A basket of assorted berries (Figy, Wiki, Iapapa, Aguav, and Mago) from Anonymous - “Hopefully still fresh by the time it's claimed~“

one spice jar with "DRUGZ" painted on it from Anonymous - “I thought it was funny but my mom didnt :(“

One pound ziptop bags of hot peppers x10 from Ellisa @adventures-on-foster-island -"I grew way too many. A healthy assortment of Jalapeños, Serranos, Cayenne, and Poblanos. Use at your own risk."

25 and a half assorted poke puffs because I really need to stop snacking on them.

can of Irn-Bru (Scottish version) 10x from blackthorn-legion-irl - Message: hey anyone in galar do you got an equivalent to this? crown tundra especially. i'll do you a trade

9x bowls of mushroom soup with bowtie noodles and meatballs from painfully-average-landa - My mushroom soup giveaway never happened. Now I have too much soup - They won't go bad for a while thanks to an invention of my dad's that he's attached.

Petlil leaves x2 from anonymous - "My Petlil shed them and I heard somewhere they have medicinal properties, so have these, if you’d like."

Casteliacones 408x From thisusernameisridiculous - my life savings:)

Gem Apple x25 from Magolor (@magolor-pkmnirl) - I would appreciate it if you only distribute the Gem Apples in bundles of 5! Additionally, each bundle should include a note with the current location of my shop - that'd be on Melemele Island's Route 2.

a really fucking long lemon. like we're talking 20 feet long. x1 from anonymous - go ahead. make lemonade.

Carton of Chansey eggs. x20 from @prettyskitty973 - for an extra bit of tlc.

💡 - - Items + Tools - - 🛠️

Slightly used pair of kids tennis shoes x 1 “Kids and their growth spurts, right? They’re used ofc but now they’re free. The “thrift” store got sniffy with me about the scuffs.“

11 Leaf Stones

7 Fire Stones

Various graphic T-shirts, all women’s size medium. (x13)

Hairbrush x 19 “She bought more. I know it’s spite, but I think I’m just gonna sic our mom on her about “What were you even hoping to achieve with that? How did you win something out of this?“bc I sure as hell don’t know!”

Several unused embroidery kits (x5)

Gun X29 + Safety manual X29 from Hatsune Miku and Anonymous - “people don’t seem to buy gun held items so I’m giving them out!” “I support mikus efforts. git gud.”

Beginner’s Gardening Kit X1 from Lavender - “Seeds, plants, fertilizer and other gardening supplies available at @pokegarden-center-owner! Inquire about our selection”

Mega Stones (1X of each, minus Altaria, Banette, Garchomp, Gallade and Sableye) and a Key Stone for each from Millen - “I had some extras! Please give 1 mega stone and 1 key stone at a time :)”

Self-Care Kits X27 [consisting of Pokémon coloring books with colored pencils, some Tapu Cocoa mix, journals with daily writing prompts, some shelf-stable Poképuff mix, and a few Poké Toys] from Vanilla Cress - “I make some of these for clients, but I’ve come across an excess of them, so hopefully some people can make use of these!”

Feather X61 from Steve - (no message provided)

Sturdy Outdoor Camping Set (includes small tent, sleeping bag, pot, cord, water bottle and filter, and firestarter) X13 from Anonymous - “For whoever needs it”

Ribbons/Bows (Amaranth red, Apricot colored, Auburn red, Blood red, Candy Apple red, Cinbar colored, Coral colored, Crimson red, Fuschia, Salmon colored, Mahogony colored, Rose red, Ruby colored, Scarlett red, Sunset colored, Safety cone colored, Marigold yellow, Mint green, Chartruse, Neon green, Cyan, Sea green, Aqua, Azure, Navy blue, Cobalt blue, Cornflower blue, Turquoise, Ice blue, Periwinkle, Sky blue, Ultramarine, Lavender, Plum, Violet, Royal purple, Hot pink) X6, (Holographic foil, Copper, Silver, Rose gold) X60, (Gold) X6000 from Anonymous - “More bows than anyone could possibly need (to be given in bundles of 6 (except the gold. all at once. I wanna see someone get it))”

Ten inch cast iron skilets and Twelve inch cast iron skillets, X1 of each from Anonymous - “One of each in a set.”

Type-Themed Crystal Necklace X10 (X1 per type, minus Dragon, Ground, Normal, ghost, fairy, water, dark, fire and steel) from Anonymous - “Put it on, and you’ll transform into a Pokémon of the associated type. I no longer need all of them.”

 Another full set of type-transformation crystals. x 15 (every type except normal, electric, ghost and dragon) “ I don’t even- just take them. They’re not needed”

Tera Shards (Ghost X98, Rock X99) from grace - “please take them”

25x Pokémon TCG Booster Packs - TCG Island Anon

Stardust X4989, Star Shard X38, from ifsobblewereafairytype - (no message provided)

Poison Barb X94 from Kenneth - “I’m running out of room to put these and Marty said I can’t keep leaving them at their lab U⁠^⁠ｪ⁠^⁠U feel free to keep one if you want!”

Blank Wonder Orb Template X50 from ifbench - “For all your orb-crafting needs!”

Emera Powder Canister X48 from ifbench - “This rainbow powder is brimming with energy.”

Wands (Switcher, Slow, Guiding, Surround, Health-Swap, Confuse, Two-Edged, Petrify, Stayaway, Slumber, Pounce, Tunnel, and Warp) X5 of each from ifbench - (no message provided)

Connection Orb X5 from ifbench - “Talk to the people you know without being together in person!”

Rescue Team badges (Rookie, Standard, Gold, X1 of each), Exploration Team badges (Standard, Gold, Guildmaster, X1 of each), HAPPI Team badge X3, Expedition Team badge X3 from ifbench - (no message provided)

Delta Pokemon Creator (Bug X6, Fairy X11, Fire X12) from Professor Sequoia Tree - “Apply to egg and it will be the desired type when it hatches. If a Pokemon is multi-typed it will replace the secondary typing. If Mono-typed it will replace the primary typing.”

Scatterbang X9 from trace - “never ended up using these lol”

White, Unisex T-shirts with a sparkly pink Barbie logo in a variety of sizes X48 from championbarbie-swimmerken - (no message provided)

Winter Coat X6 from Anonymous - “warm.”

particularly Stealthy Rocks X7 from intern - “doing arceus’s work”

Safety Pin X995 from Anonymous - “This is like, a thing people never realize they need until they need one, right?”

Hairbrush X3 from Anonymous - “I don’t even know why my sister bought so many… It’s not like she’s constantly breaking them (Note: They’ve been in the back of the closet for a month and this isn’t all of them. She will not notice. And if she does, I’m declaring that she has a problem)”

Small Pikachu Plushies, each wearing a blue jacket and shades X42 from Anonymous - “uhhh don’t tell my boss I rescued them lol. some promotion?? thing?? happened locally?? semi locally at least. and they didn’t sell for shit, so it was this or to the bins with them.”

 Ragon / [Unidentifiable pokemon plush] (shows up in system as teru-sama) / “Trading an item back, it’s a Kōnya shaped one!” x 1

Time Gears X4 from ifbench - “They can only be taken out one at a time. They only stabilize time, not destabilize it, so it should be ok!”

Piles of Stealth Rocks x9 from Intern - “get fucked lmao”

Cake Lure Base. Each contain: 5x of each: Cake Lure, Springy Mushroom, Dazzling Honey, Plump Bean, Hearty Grain 5x from Anonymous - “go ham. only give out one at a time”

Heavy-duty boots x7 from Anonymous - “Prepare for trouble! And make it double! to protect the world from hazard-setting!”

Ball capsule each with a coresponding set of seals (make sure to give a seal set and a ball capsule together!) x23 from Anonymous - “I’ve heard that ball capsules and seals are hardly used at all outside of Sinnoh, which I think is an absolute shame! As such, I decided it would be a great idea to share some! I hope everyone has fun with them! <3”

Dynamax band X16 from Anonymous - “go raise hell:)”

Ex-Champion Blake’s Rare League Card X23 from Klara! 💖☠️ - “Teehee~! It’s been a minute since I’ve messed with my “favorite” little rival <3 I know just how embarrassed they get over this dorky old photo! Sorry (not really) in advance Blake-y! Enjoy, league card collectors! P.S I still pull off the pink hair better”

Pikachu Face Guitar Pick X0 from Guitarist Helena - “Rock on”

A Stack of Wood Planks X3 from Anonymous - “The site had gotten more than what was ordered”

3 (three) magician sets! (basically just your typical magician stuff like a deck of cards, one of ose tophats. you can hide stuff in, fake handcuffs, usual magician stuff. can only be obtained randomly because ✨magic✨) from bandidodododo

3 photos of Intern's eevee, Ruth, laying on his back. to be distributed one at a time.

Not Very Stealth Rocks (pointed rocks painted in neon green): 5 sets from Anonymous - “colon three”

Piece of paper, reminiscent of a permit X2 from Anonymous. it says: "please do not sword"

Bow X1 from Anonymous

Arrow X30 from Anonymous

Lopunny suit (NOT AN ACTUAL LOPUNNY) X1 from Anonymous - “heheh ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°”

Scale models of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Alola, Galar, Paldea, and Orre. Fully modeled, down to the tiniest details. X1 from anonymous -(no message provided)

Everstones X1 from anonymous -(no message provided

Golden dabloons X99 from swordsman -Im trying to reduce my hoard

Books about corviknight x4 from Ben(@me-and-my-6-corviknights) - Nearly everyone I know bought me the same book for my birthday and I already had a copy so here you go! Hope I can ignite someone else's interest in corviknight!

Pool noodles ×35 from anonymous - Wife said to pick up noodles from the store... didn't say which kind.

Blog revival token ×1 from anonymous -simply eat it to revive your blog.

3ft rubber ducks X1 from anonymous -"Never let me binge buy ever again !!"

Antidote (Weezing, Gengar, Revavroom),Antidote (Bug Types [Beedrill, Venomoth, Scolipede and the likes]),Antidote (Grass Types[Vileplume, Victreebel, Amoongus, Roesrade]), X10 Antidote (Toxicroak, Toxtricity),Antidote (Tentacruel, Quilfish, Toxapex),Antidote (Dragalge, Clodsire),Antidote (Arbok, Seviper),Antidote (Garbodor, Muk) X20 of each type of anodite (except for the bug type anodites) from Tix- "Be careful around poison types :)"

A set of type transformation bracelets except for ghost from anonymous

9 boxes of nevermelt ice (each box has 50 Nevermelt ice) from Safrina Shards

Lesbian-flag, Gay-flag, Bi-flag, Pan-flag Trans-flag, (Ace-flag X9) Aro-flag, and (Genderfluid-flag X9) patterned bandannas X10 each from Local Queer Kobold - “Bandannas are cute, queer and LGBT+ folks all deserve to be cute, here you go!”

x49 bags of sand and x49 bricks from @skrub-dubs - "I'm sorry but Justy keeps throwing these at me. I can't keep ALL of this sand logically."

Bugium Z X10 from Anonymous - "I, uh, "borrowed" some from Guzma and now I have to hide what I "borrowed"

6 sided dice x9 from Anonymous

Squirtle keychain x2 from Anonymous

37 packs of double a batterys from @iheartnimbassacity - “i dont really need these anymore, and they are taking up space. they are all brand new, 50 batterys to a pack.”

Box of Dice x0 from Anonymous - "Hello! Gotta give these away accordin' to me mum so I won't play Dungeons and Druddigons with my friends an'more :(. Please take care of them." NOTE : "Rayquaza set was drenched in Max Ooze last time it was played with. Please wash before use."

Totally not stolen bracelet X1 from Shadow-but-pokemon

Crumpled piece of paper X1 from Shadow-but-pokemon

Various Horse Pokémon tack and food (x3 bridles, x3 saddles, x3 saddle pads, x3 breastplates, x3 sets of leg wraps, x5 bags of nutritional hay pellets, x5 boxes of green heart-shaped cookies) from Paisley (@pokehorsegirl) -"For any other riders out there cause I know equestrian stuff can be expensive! 💚 Sorry I only have Galarian tack :( The cookies are for horse ‘mons by the way, not people! I mean, you can eat them if you want, but they probably don’t taste very good! 😅"

Drake stone x35 from @axisiaprofessorgum - "They don't seem to have these in other regions. I wonder if any pokemon outside of Axisia evolve with these?"

19x copies of Honedge-Line Care Guide with poorly drawn Aegislash on it. From: Riv ( @aegislash-logs ) -" I trust like half of this site with these sword pokemon."

Gay flag x4; trans flag X0; nonbinary flag X4; genderfluid flag X5; genderqueer flag X5; agender flag X5; intersex flag X5 from anonymous -"woe, gender be upon ye!"

148 life-size Steelix plushies. From anonymous

L XL Jigglypuff plush! 0X from anonymous "They accidentally delivered one too many. It's very huggable!"

3 coupons for 3 free Gem Apples each*, to be distributed separately.(Each coupon is handwritten and drawn, with the following extra message on them: "Come visit my market stand! Route 1, Melemele Island, Alola -"I also sell my wares online! magolor-pkmnirl on Rotomblr *approximate value of 300 pokedollars - 100 per apple")"

1x keychain of kirby with a life ring from blackthorn-legion-irl - "got this boi twice before getting waddle dee, sharing the love"

198x USB drives, each containing 1x .mp3 file of Banana Man by Tally Hall and 1x .mp4 file of the Banana Man official video by Tally Hall from adventerousclownery - "figured since this world doesn't call 'em bananas y'all wouldn't have this song, so I wanted to share it around :3"

Porygon Halloween skins X3 from @i-can-haz-catmons -"Note: just install them on your Porygon and bam instant Halloween costume"

Pack Of Socks (7 pairs) 2x from galactic-grubbin - no (applicable) message

pair of heelies (size S) 1x from anonymous - "have a wheely good time!"

pair of heelies size L. 9x from anonymous - "don't worry i needed to ah. offload some of these anyway :) the item bank can't be traced by the IRS, right?"

Luigi Body Pillow 1x from anonymous

HF Blade Replica 1x from anonymous - "it's definitely not real, I promise"

347 life sized Wailord plushies. from that steelix plush anon

5 life-size shiny Wailord plushies from The same person who submitted the life size Steelix and normal Wailord plushies. - “I made all these myself :3”

A single box of steel wool from Store Manager - “It seems we over-stocked on these”

x16 rotom motors from Anonymous - Hope y'all like making a few RCs with these!

Five Dimensional Tickets. To use, think of the person you most wish to see, and you will be transported to their location. Dimensional Tickets are only intended to be utilized to teleport to beings that are alive in your dimension at your point in the timeline.

9998x life size joltik plushs from Anonymous

Pictures of Articuno 34× from anonymous "why do I have these"

galarian fire badge x28 from badge thief (aka gym-badge-collector) - "uwu"

400x Reshiram feathers from Blake - "he sheds like crazy 😭😭😭"

Rose Incense 420x from anonymous "blaze it"

Flaffy Wool Coats x5 from @prettyskitty973 - great for thunderstorms.

5000 Glimmet Crystals from Anonymous

🔴 - - Pokéballs - - ⚪️

Friend, Lure, Dusk, Heal, Heavy Balls, X10 each from friendball-irl - (no message provided)

Heal Ball X97 from plasmaapologist - “just… dont ask.”

Love Ball X17 from Anonymous - “Love is in the air? WRONG. Get in the ball.”

Poké, Great, Ultra balls, X1987 each from Anonymous - “catchin time”

Premier balls X20 from witheld - (no message provided)

Luxury balls X9 from Kohaku - “feels like i’ve been taking a lot, so figured i’d give some stuff in exchange :)”

Hisuian* Pokéballs X970 from Anonymous - “Oops. Give them out in batches of 10.”

Plasma Ball X1 from Anonymous

Pokéball X10 from Witness - <[Bzzt! I believe these will now be better suited to someone else. Thank you in advance!]>

🐶 - - Pokémon - - 🐱

Growlithe (Shiny, Newly Hatched) x0 from Anonymous - “i dont know if i can deposit pokemon here, but i cant take care of this guy.

Frakenstuffel X20 from Laplace’s Demon - “:)”

Spinarak (Premier Ball) X137 from Gorge Henry - “I finally got my shiny you can have the extras”

Heracross (Friend Ball) X1 from Toby - “For my fellow bug type trainers out there!”

Nacli from a guy who had a few of these Lil dudes - "Depositing a nacil in the bank hopefully someone will take the little salty guy out here."

Delta/δ Psychic Treecko from Anonymous - "how did this happen"

Pidove (Normal X3, Shiny X2) from @shadow-but-pokemon - “My Litten keeps bringing these home and then frees them in my room”

Scatterbug X3 from Anonymous

shiny starly (normal pokeball) x10 from @skittyentropy - "Please for love of arceus just take them"

Joltik x1 from @roguerunawaytrainer - Had the little guy snacking on my electricity for a bit, thought maybe someone else may want him more than I

roaring moon x1 from Anonymous - going in area zero was the worst decision of my life

🥚 - - Eggs - - 🐣

Skarmory Egg X14 from Fulgora - “give these to those trustworthy or good with steel types”

Phione Egg X2 from A - “I AM RUNNING FOR MY LIFE TAKE THESE OFF OF ME PLEASE.”

Goomy Egg X13 from Amy Goop and Anonymous - “since ur making that surprise item withdrawl, I just thought it’d be fun to send some of the goomy eggs I have :D” “I’m depositing the goomy egg because I’m stuck in a hailstorm and I don’t want the egg to crack from the hail”

Zorua (Hisui* Breed) Egg X6 from Devi - “I am trying to get rid of the 27 zorua eggs and this is a good start, probably”

Jirachi, and Diancie eggs (1X each, All identical) from cc - “uh… could you have it so people cant purposefully withdraw them? it has to be by chance. also only give them out one at a time or something..?”

Regular Egg X100 from Anonymous - “regular eggs to give to people :D (each one is actually a separate ditto)”

Vulpix Egg X110 from Anonymous - “So, apparently getting startled and thusly falling off the fucking cliff, away from your very active picnic, leaving you to crawl your way back over several days…. I am not greatly impressed with 2/6 of my pokemon right now. I’d say mad, but… this is not the first time I’ve fallen off a cliff. Wasn’t even the first this week. Rights to be worried over were revoked well before this.”

Tatsugiri Eggs X10 from Anonymous - “tatsugiri be upon ye” “woe, even more Tatsugiri for the world”

Buizel, and Pawmi egg x3 (each) from Florence - “Still have some eggs left over that I need to find good homes for. Please make sure these end up in safe hands.”

Greavard Egg x2 from Florence - “Still have some eggs left over that I need to find good homes for. Please make sure these end up in safe hands.”

Smeargle Egg X3 from Kohaku - “feels like i’ve been taking a lot, so figured i’d give some stuff in exchange :)”

Void Shadow egg X5 from ifbench - “Like a Ditto, but much, much more terrifying!”

Dreepy egg X5 from historianofgalar - "because I keep finding them"

Eevee Egg X1 - (parents are a female Leafeon and either a male Jolteon, a male off colored Cyndaquil, or a male Sprigatito) from alex-and-pokemams “I don't know what to do with this... someone can have it and give it a good home!”

Hatenna eggs X1 from based-trainer-ace "my hatterene turned out to be a HARLOT /lh"

Growlithe eggs X7 from @dragoneyejewellery -you know that arcanine and Inteleon share an egg group? because I sure fucking didn’t

Scatterbug Egg X12 from Anonymous - “those damm Vivillon got at my berry trees again”

Sinistea egg, x1 from Truce - It's a long story, but I don't need this.

💿 - - TMs + HMs - - 📀

A stack of unlabeled TMs (x50)

TM92 Trick Room x39 from pastmyprimeape - “Stocked up because they were on sale, and now I have stacks of discs, thank you for your help.”

X12 of various bug type tms from Item Maker Alpha - “too many resources and now we got too many bug TMs to hold or make use of”

- - Other - -

treasure chests x 48. “A surprise in a surprise!”

N/A from Anonymous x-1 - “there is an item here i swear! the item is n/a :3 no idea what effects it has but hey! maybe someone wants an item that doesn’t technically exist!”

Exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! X525495 from Rosie!!! @oh-shinx - “I have plenty more!!!!!!!!!!! So here are some of my spares!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

A very detailed painting of a Mankey and Incredible muscle pain 1x from Anonymous - “Because my life is hell.”

Odd Keystone + one (1) malevolent spirit + master ball from Anonymous - “to be given out together”

A 2 bedroom 1 bathroom house from N/A - “does anyone want a house. lol”

Sadnesses and worries (x96) from anonymous -"I'm finally free!"

Closet filled of Pokemon costumes (costume amount is not specified)

george X1 from george

Pokèdollar X5,000,000 from N/A - “haiii :3 I’m laundering this can you hold it for me for a few months ^^”

x49 Sand attacks. Just sprays the withdrawer with sand as soon as they withdraw it from Anonymous - "FUCK YOU FOR NO REASON IN PARTICULAR"

x49 moves recover. It'll heal the person as soon as they withdraw it from Anonymous - "i love you for no reason in particular! :3"

Glunch X01 from anonymous -"It's the glunch man it's pretty self explanatory."

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ x1

200 stealth rock piles from _Intern from @poke-irs-real - note: Been working on this for a while.

ERROR, ITEM NOT FOUND. X1

(*another name for Ancient Sinnoh)

[sabineelectricheart]

Unwitting Revelations on his Way Back from the Tavern

Summary: Diamant gets drunk at a tavern one night and Alear has to pick him up. He lets some future plans escape.

Rating: K+ - Suitable for more mature childen, 9 years and older, with minor action violence without serious injury. May contain mild coarse language. Should not contain any adult themes.

Words: 2100

Notes: Heheh... Love me some muscle mountain getting drunk on nerves...

Diamant rarely drinks. Scratch that, he does not drink at all if he could help it. He is very conscientious about his image and role in Brodia, and he also is just a bit paranoid. As such, he does not like the idea of being vulnerable or have his senses dulled if he can help it.

So, whatever encouraged him to drink tonight of all nights was beyond Alear.

They were travelling together on a visit to Lythos, a reasonably rare occurrence, due to their individual responsibilities to their own peoples. It was to be expected that they would stick together, yet he insisted she should not wait for him as he might come home late from the tavern. Apparently, he would be meeting up with Fogado, Hortensia, and a few other members of their retinues.

She is hardly complaining, of course! It's not every day that her overworking lover decides to take a break and meet up with their old friends, much less in a purely social and ludic atmosphere such as a tavern. She practically pushed him on his way to socialize and have fun.

Perhaps the Divine Dragon was much too eager in her pushing, seeing as he had clearly had too much fun.

It was past midnight when she stopped by the tavern. Diamant sat amongst a small crowd. What surprised her was that the redhead had a glass of his own, emptied, and that Fogado was pouring him another round.

"Ah, it seems like sher ticket home has arrived, D.” Fogado muses upon spotting her.

The foreign monarch only huffs in reply.

"What a joshes occasion! Come join us, Divine Dragon!" Hortensia cheers, swinging around her large mug.

It is only when Alear approached the group did she notice her lover's unfocused eyes, glazed over as he blinks away at nothing.

"What did you do?" She raises an eyebrow, eyes narrowing suspiciously at Fogado.

The Sentinel Captain raises his hands in defence. "You're accusing me? I'm hurt. You and I both know he isn't so easy to trick into drinking."

She glances over at Hortensia, who gives her a sympathetic laugh. "It's true. Surprisingly, sir decided to drink tonight. It wasn't that much, I assure you."

"Wasn't that much, you say, yet he looks just about ready to pass out.” The Divine Dragon mutters, hardly amused by the scene.

Hortensia is probably right, in any case. Diamant, due to the fact he does not drink, cannot have too much of a resistance to it, certainly not enough to keep up with both her and Fogado. Nevertheless, coming over to pick up her lover from the tavern was not an indignity she ever expected being subjected to.

Alear let out a sigh, seems like she will be responsible for taking him home tonight, and alone at that, since she insisted in leaving the guards behind at their encampment.

Though, she convinces herself, it is better to look at this in a more positive, optimistic light. She is a little bothered, yes, but she is also a little glad he decided to let loose and have fun, no matter how unusual it seems.  If anything, it is a little funny to see him look gruff and cold, he does not even seem drunk until she notices the flush on his face and the spin in his eyes.

Grabbing an empty glass and filling it with water from a pitcher, she gestures for the redhead to drink. "Come on, Diamant, drink some water and let us get you home."

He turns his head away to the side. She raise an eyebrow.

"Diamant, drink some water."

"No."

"You need to sober up…"

"No."

His head arcs further away from her, arms crossed. She glances at his face. Is he... Is he seriously pouting right now? Fogado chuckles next to her. She is not sure what kind of drunk shenanigan is going through his mind, but she decided to let it slide, opting to bring him home instead.

"Alright then, let us get out of here instead." With a hand on his shoulder, she gestures for him to stand but he whacks it away.

Diamant? Her Diamant? Whacked her hand away?

She blinks surprisedly at him before recovering to grab onto his arm, trying to pull him up. "Come on, Diamant! We got to get you home!"

"No! Hands off!" He sluggishly pushes her off him, failing but he plops back onto his seat.

"What?"

"Hands off me! I'm taken!"

Alear freezes. The little group around them pauses as well. There is a loud snort in the air, presumably from Hortensia.

"Diamant, what?" She bites back her laugh.

Laughing at the drunk is bad etiquette, she really should not. She really, really should not.

"I'm…" He slurs, facing her, his lover, with a pointed look and a loopy glare. "Taken. Go find someone else to mooch."

Opting to giggle behind closed lips, Alear squats next to his chair, reaching out to cup his cheek but Diamant scoots away from her touch.

"Diamant...” She laughs, barely containing herself. "It is me."

"Not… Not interested."

"I am literally your lover."

He blinks at her. She is not sure if she finally got through to him but he immediately stands upright, wobbling from the action. She catches him by the waist for support.

"Steady there! Are you ready to go?"

"I'm going… Going home to my darling." With shaky hands, he pushes her aside, as he tries to find balance on unsteady feet. "I told you I have a lover, woman!"

A loud laugh starts from behind them. Fogado hunches over the table, gripping his stomach as Hortensia try to hide her chuckles behind her hands.

"Oh dear, my dear friend.” The foreign prince user stands, wiping a tear from his eye. "Seems like you truly had too much tonight. This person here is assigned to take you to the Divine Dragon."

The sly smile on the man’s face tells Alear to play along. She is willing to give him a shot.

Diamant rubs at his eyes, everything seems to swirl. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Alright then."

Was he really that easy to trick? Her jaw could have dropped open. As expected of Fogado, who naturally dealt with quite a lot of drunk shenanigans. Some of them likely of his own making.

"Let's go then..." The king mumbles, glancing at her. "But no touching!"

At his first step, though, Diamant nearly trips over his feet. If it was not for his not-lover grabbing onto his arm, he would have an up-close meeting with the tavern floor. She wraps it over her shoulder, pulling him upright.

"Surely, it is alright if I hold onto your arm?" She tries to reason.

"Fine."

With a side glance at Fogado and Hortensia, Alear nods them goodbye as they wave their pleasantries. Slowly and steadily, they make their way to the encampment they are staying at just outside the hamlet.

"Honestly, whatever made you drink so much tonight. . ." She huffs, grabbing onto him and trying to get him to walk normally.

"My lover, you see..." He trails off, whistfully.

"What about your lover?" She cannot help but prod.

Surely, she has not done something wrong, right? It is just some innocent curiosity, after all.

"Everything... Everything about them." The tall and muscled man mumbles, a sigh escaping him. "Just amazing."

She cannot help the way her lips sort into a smile. "Really?"

"Yes."

"That must be nice. Is that why you do not want to go home with me?" She asks, not being able to help but to tease him.

Diamant glowers, turning his face to get a better look at her. She notices the way his eyes look clearer now.

"As mentioned, I…” He groans. “I am devoted to my lover, no matter how charming you look."

"Sure, yeah." She laughs, taking in his compliment; "You are devoted, alright."

"It is but the truth!" He pushes away from her to fumble with his coat in an enthusiasm that is only seen when he is drunk. "Would you like to see the ring?"

Ring? What ring?

Alear freezes in her steps as he digs into his pockets, pulling out an enclosed little box with intricate carvings. He opens it to reveal a ring, one she has only ever dreamt of having and receiving from him. It was encrusted with Brodian jewels, and had the colours of red and blue, feeling traditional but also very much like it was made for her.

Her heart skips a beat. "Diamant…"

"I am nervous.” He groans into his hand, carefully closing the box despite his drunken mannerisms. "I can't even… I cannot even sleep at night thinking about it."

She is still in shock as she gazes up at him. Sure, they have talked about a future together, but it always felt so far away. It was during the war, with the threat of violence and death always looming too close for comfort. Then it ended and it was much, much worse. Infrastructure had to be rebuilt, orphans and widows had to be taken care of, the kingdoms had to be stabilized…

Diamant was too busy, always with something else to prioritize and it did not seem like the right time for him no matter how right it was for her.

"Is... Is that why you drank so much?"

He looks at her with a raised brow. "Nervousness is one thing. I needed everyone's advice as well. I want everything to be perfect."

Her heart flutters, was he ever this thoughtful? The answer is yes. She reaches out to him again, hands as shaky as his own, but hers shook in happiness.

"Diamant, I…"

The man lurches, a heaving sound down his throat as if threatening to puke.

She reaches out, holding onto him again with a small laugh. "Alright, alright, let us get you home first, Diamant."

He groans in reply, voice wobbly and weak, "I'm taken..."

"I know, my love."

Sunshine filters into the tent and Diamant shuffles under the covers. His head was throbbing, his throat felt dry and there is a sense that he did something humiliating. Once again, he is reminded again why he never drinks.

Grape juice is definitely better. Grape juice tastes good and does not produce such terrible results. Maybe he should insist in making every gathering at his castle to be completely dry, he is the king after all, and he is the one who decides what gets served.

Before he could even begin to think about the logistics and what he ought to tell the mayordomo, the flap of the tent moved and in emerged the reason why he insisted in overindulging.

"Did you sleep well?" She asks, a teasing smile gracing her expression.

He brushes his hair back, sitting up groggily. "I have had better nights before."

"Here, have some water." She gestures to the cup in her hands.

He drinks from it obediently. "Thank you."

"I am just glad that you are allowing me to offer you water this morning." She says, biting back a chuckle.

"What?"

Standing up with a hum and a shrug, she turns away from him. "I could not say, my dear Diamant. Last night, you would not even let me touch you."

His eyebrows furrow together. "That is ridiculous. Why would I do that?"

"Apparently, you have a lover to whom you were very devoted to, and I was trying to tempt you away into my home."

Diamant freezes like a deer in the headlights, heat rushing up his face, turning it a shade as red as his hair.

Did he really accuse Alear, the Divine Dragon, his lover, to be a temptress?

"I said that?"

The woman laughs, turning towards him as she begins to explain everything that happened in the tavern and how their friends reacted. This only helped to worsen his embarrassment.

"I am going to kill Fogado..." He mutters under his breath, hiding away his face before peeking at her. "And then I suppose she walked me home? Did I say anything after?"

Alear spotted the way his eyes glance to his coat, hanging on a chair next to the bed. Her lips twitch into a smile, she could tell him that she knew all about it and put an end to this sham at once.

What would be the fun in that, though? Let him squirm a little longer.

"Nope. You were eerily quiet the whole way home."

Alear can barely wait to embarrass Diamant even more after his proposal.

*_*_*_*_*

Fire Emblem Masterlist

Engage Masterlist

[cruzmerida]

fic: with friends like these

Revs Appreciation Week, December 28th; "Friendship" / Courage / Hope

//(SKIDS IN AT 11:30PM) HELLO YES this is part of @fl-revs-appreciation 's revolutionaries appreciation event! and god i just want to preface this with the fact that i am INSANELY PRO-REVOLUTIONARY i just couldnt resist the opportunity to put "friendship" in big fat scare quotes.

maude is an import from @caseybanning's personal timeline of events, and i hope i've done her justice working her into cruz's story as well. she is just one stinker among the revolutionary movement.//

Cruz hears a knock at the door. It is a knuckles on metal, reverberant, cold, unforgiving. They think of a wooden door that doesnt stick right, the muffled sound of fortune below them, and feel so powerfully homesick they get queasy all over again. Cruz draws the scratchy covers over their head, and they don't answer. 

The knock comes again. 

They again don't answer, but Maude has the keys, and before long light is spilling into their cramped cabin, onto the bunk that only fits to the ankles if they don't curl up, into the mildewed odd-angled corners and the room bucks and spins around them just from having light enough to see by. It doesn't help that their new captain goes around lighting up the gas-lamps, throwing every detail into stark relief. It's horrible. Cruz glares out from beneath the covers at Maude, who has set a tray of tea on the table. It clatters about with the rocking of the tramp steamer, never still.

"Honestly, Merida, one would think you were laid up with fever, and not bloody zeesickness," Maude says in an exasperated huff, tossing the blanket off of her nauseous comrade and foisting a mug of tea into their hands. Cruz continues glaring, now with tea. It is served sugarless and milkless, and as Cruz nurses it, it is powerfully bitter and tinged with catmint. The effect is altogether unpleasant, and it shows on their face, apparently, to which Maude sighs again. "Go on, drink up. It'll settle your stomach, you enormous fussbudget."

Cruz stares down at it. Takes another, bitter sip. They still haven't spoken. Maude helps herself to the bolted-down chair by the berth and starts on her own tea. It's across the room, but in the cramped quarters that hardly means much. She is so close if Cruz were to rise from the bunk there was barely enough room to stand nose-to-nose.

"Fussbudget," Cruz repeats. "I just had to leave my entire life behind with no notice, and you are calling me a fussbudget." 

Maude blinks at them, looks incensed for a moment, but she takes a breath, measures herself, and her expression softens. At least, they think it does. Cruz's vision has adjusted to the dark, but even still, they cannot much judge the expression in the wan light. It turns her eyes into hollow pits, her hair a frizzed and amber halo around her head. A long moment passes between them, during which Maude takes another hearty, conspicuously loud drink of tea, as if trying to convince Cruz it tastes good.

"We all have to leave it all behind, one way or another," she says, eventually. She has the look of someone who's finally resolved to say something that had been hidden, and launches into it, eyes glinting in the dark. "We all do. But what could be done? The poets flirt with death but never look it in the eye. And your friends have such strong senses of justice -- I envy them. But they'd think you'd been lying about it this whole time."

The words hit like knives. Cruz's teacup clinks as their hands begin to shake. Maude carries on speaking.

"Your reputation would upend in an instant, Merida, and I respect you for wanting their last memories of you to be good ones. The man you were trying to be." 

The porcelain handle snaps between their fingers. The cup itself is spared, its contents continuing to sway and taunt Cruz, dark and bitter as the peligin depths that surround the boat. Never still. Always in motion. Always somewhere between equilibrium and the tilt required to allow the ship to capsize, to allow the liquid of the cup to spill over into the saucer. Maude reaches across the gap between them and claps a hand on their broad shoulder. "I'm glad you could give them that, Merida, I really am. But I know the man you are, beneath all that, and I haven't left you yet."

Cruz's gut twists. They take a heavy breath, which Maude seems to have taken as bracing, because she gives them an encouraging slap on the shoulder and stands. "You're needed on decks. We've coral on the hull, and we need every pair of strong hands to dislodge it before we go any farther."

"Thank you for the tea," Cruz mumbles, automatically. They think Maude smiles.

"Don't mention it. What are friends for?"

She leaves the tray with the tea on the table, heading up above decks. Boots on the metal stairs follow her out, and Cruz can hear as well the rhythmic tapping on the hull that they'd assumed was some manner of creature.

Cruz stares at cup in their hand, releasing their grip on the handle and allowing the pieces to clink into the porcelain saucer. Regrettably, it is working, but the pit in their guts hasn't faded with the nausea.

[pbandjesse]

We just got back from having some drinks and sn as cks at the Guinness brewery. It was a nice way to end the day!! I had a good day today. I am very tired but it was a nice day.

I am getting to the point where I miss work though. I like two or three days off. But even though I worked Wednesday I have been home a lot. And I know there is stuff to do but it's hard to have all this time and not enough direction.

I slept okay last night. I woke up a few times but it wasn't the worst sleep. I slept until 9. I missed James when I woke up for real. And I was sad because they sent me a text saying they were hurting and miss being able to sleep and I feel bad. I don't know how to help. I am encouraging them to be honest and frank with the doctor on Tuesday. I really hope they take them seriously.

I had to deal with some phone calls about the new medication I'm going to be taking. I am still going on Monday and getting the first injection so that's exciting. Also scary. The chemo pills have been upsetting my stomach I think. I have been keeping notes. But it's just one of those things that it's hard to tell what's doing what. Like I always don't feel great so it's hard to decide what is causing what. At least there is progress.

I spoke to my dad for a little. And then got up for real.

I got washed and dressed and was a little uncomfy. But that was okay. I ended up making myself a quesadilla while I made a batch of cookies. I was having a nice morning.

I cleaned the fish tank and the frog tank more. I did partial water changes on both. The frog tank's substrate could still use some more vacuuming I think but we made great progress. It was a lot of work honestly. Lugging buckets back and forth. But it needed to be done.

I decided I could go for a walk. I want to try to move more and I am going to challenge myself to walk around the block every other day at least. Like I don't know if this is an actual challenge I am giving myself. But it's a goal at least. I think it'll help me feel better in the long run.

I saw Mr Will when I got down there so I went back up and got the cookie box for him. And we chatted for a minute. He was replacing our front door lock because poor Nick got mugged. And they took his keys and so just in case he was replacing the lock. I would see Nick later snd he was all red eyed. I felt terrible. I'm glad he is safe, even if they took his things. It apparently happened at 745 last night. Like right after James went to put the recycling in the back. So it is just really scary.

I had brought a watermelon drink with me on my walk. I had a podcast to listen too. And it was a nice walk. I did get overheated pretty fast and regretted bringing my coat. But I had a nice walk. I walked for about 40 minutes.

And once I got home I laid on the couch because I was very tired.

Me and Sweetp laid together for a while. I was trapped. But once he got up I went and made a late lunch. I baked the fries I got at the store yesterday. And some veggie chicken nuggets. It was an excellent meal.

While I was eating Mr Will knocked on the door. And he had a new key for me. And I would end up holding onto the rest of the keys so that our neighbors could come get them from me. But it ended up not being needed as they were mostly around already. The new key is gold.

I caught up on my knitting and I cannot believe tomorrow is the last day. I am so excited to be done. Tomorrow I will have three lines. The last day and then the month lines. And then it comes off the loom!!! I'm so excited. I can't believe it.

James got home and asked if I wanted to go to the Guinness brewery to hang out with Conner and his wife before they left to go back to St Louis. And I said sure.

But it wasn't for a while. So I could just chill in bed for a bit. And James had a snack. And soon enough I was getting dressed again and fixing my makeup and we were off.

I had never been to the brewery but I'd like to go back and do a tour. It was interesting. I got a sprite. And it was Conner and his wife and siblings and their friends. It was a nice time. Eventually we got a table and we got big pretzels and cheese and some other bar foods. The table was a big large and it was hard to talk to the people on the other side but I enjoyed talking to Conner and I had a good time.

James knocked my water over and got their phone a little wet but it seems fine now. I was mostly just having fun looking around. I wanted to look more but I didn't want to wander.

I do love the Guinness tucan. I thought he was a submarine but I know realize he's balancing two pints. Adorable.

It was a really nice night. Conner and his wife had to go to the airport. So we walked out with them and said goodbye. There were some hugs. It was really nice.

We got home and James was very sore. We had some troubling finding a parking space but we got home and got up here. I took a shower and James started trying to get cozy.

I washed my hair and now I'm getting ready to go dry it. I hope I don't disturb James. They have fallen asleep. They look so sweet. I love them so very much.

Tomorrow is the last day of the year. I can't believe it!! I am planning on doing a no buy January. I wrote up rules and stuff for myself. So tomorrow I need to get the yarn I need for my next blanket. I'm excited. I am sad Jess isn't here to do it with me but it will be okay. I hope the last day of the year is beautiful. For you all as well.

Goodnight everyone. Take care of yourselves!! Sleep well!!

[lolly-dolli]

My boyfriend is genuinely one of the most interesting people I've ever met. Here is a short list of facts about them

- We met while I Did Suits For A Bit and our first interaction involved them making a cannibalism joke about one of our coworkers while angrily straightening the Tommy Hilfigers.

- A week later, upon me forgetting what shirt guts were and thinking (I had been trying to fix a broken blind hemmer for two hours) for a moment that said coworker wanted actual guts, they (a fifty-year-old man) responded, without hesitation, "oh. No, you want [Not Connor], they're a blood drinker"

- I thought this was a joke

- This was not a joke. A week later this man asked them why they don't drink animal blood (apparently it turns their stomach).

- They've never been diagnosed but when they were like five they had an accidental head injury. The back of their head was fine enough that after a few staples they were right as rain for picture day but their chart apparently had "CLINICAL VAMPIRISM?" written on it

- I don't want to doxx them but imagine a little baby with a bowl cut in a dress shirt and tie with the most absolute look of "I lived, bitch" on their face imaginable. That's how it looks

- They cannot feel pain. I thought this was also a joke until we were pinning shirts one day and I noticed their fingertips were all stabbed up.

- They've got some sort of acid sweat thing and I did not believe them on this until they left some kind of weird oxidation-y residue on a metal countertop and I noticed that all their silver-tone rings have the same thing.

- They wear a lot of different scents but they consistently smell Different than other humans. Like, you know how there's a baseline Human Skin Smell that generally goes unnoticed until someone is wearing perfume or whatever and it's Different from baseline? Literally they smell a little more acidic than baseline human skin. It's not a bad smell though, kinda like you squeezed a little more citric acid on them than the average Joe. And thankfully whatever kind of acid it is it is it doesn't affect cuddle time, but it DOES repel mosquitos

- They dress like a time traveller - nearly always three piece suits. Their goal in life is to become a cryptid known as "the dapper man" and also a mortician. They say Doing Suits has destroyed their ability to dress casually and I am not complaining

- Neither of us knew our first date was a date until 15 hours in when I was half-asleep and they finally bit the bullet and smooched me

- They once got stabbed during a botched mugging and proceeded to laugh, which scared their would-be mugger enough that they just kinda. Left and stitched themself up

- They walk most places Very Fast. Have you ever seen that clip of Oscar Proud walking very fast? It's like that. I'm kind of afraid to see them run

- They joke that Lestat is their dad and I often respond with "no offense but I'm gonna beat up your dad in a Popeye's Chicken."

- I could do this, but I really don't want to.

- I told them if they actually are a vampire and that they better not turn me until I'm safely out of my 20s

- We mutually pined for several months. I quit, we didn't talk for like five months.

-We talked again for like a week and then we were dating. It's been like three more months and it's been really nice

- We like to dress up like Victorians and walk in graveyards on dates. Sometimes we scare passing motorists on accident

- I Love You, [Not Connor]

[karenarella22]

Third.

This chapter contains Graphic Content, read at your own risk.

***

- The victim's name was Joshua Moore, we found the ID in the car parked on the side of the road- I turn up the collar of my jacket until it partially covers my cheeks, the starry night is beyond cold as the winter blizzards collided with full force in the town.

-Any clues as to how he got in there? - He pointed the flashlight at the mud puddle where the victim was buried.

-Apparently he was buried alive- intervenes Misael, who had not been seen behind the victim- his nails are broken, which would indicate signs of struggle- he walks around the body.

-He is an obese person, 125 kilograms at least, a single person definitely cannot do this, much less bury him after the physical wear and tear of moving him-

-Someone of the same size, or that they had drugged him in some way, of course with a lower dose since he has signs of struggle, if they drugged him and at some point on the way here he woke up, that would explain the broken nails- corresponds the doctor .

-Joshua! - A woman in her 30s bursts into the scene running directly towards the corpse, I quickly get in her way and hold her by the waist while she tries to reach the deceased.

-Miss please calm down- I hold he away.

-No, oh god no! - don't call god, I think to myself, apparently he took vacations in this town. I help her get to a patrol car by sitting her in the passenger seat, I put a blanket over her since she is not dressed for this weather and I hand her something warm to calm her down.

-What's your name? - I see her drink the liquid from the cup and I refill the mug one more time.

-I'm Catherine, Joshua's girlfriend- she says between sobs.

-Well Catherine, when was the last time you saw Joshua? - I bend on my knees right in front of her.

-Two nights ago, last Saturday leaving the house, I went to church like every Saturday afternoon- I give her a tissue.

-Could you give me the name of the church please?-

-Yes, it is the San Bernardino church; his mother was very Catholic and instilled religion in him since he was little-she cleans her nose.

-How long have you been going to that church? - far way I can see the news reporters trying to get to the scene.

-5 years ago more or less when I arrived to town-

-One last question, did you notice something off in Joshua's behavior the last days you saw him?-

-Not really, well maybe... as you must have realized he was morbidly obese, on Thursday he took out food without paying from a store; he felt bad with himself and waited until Saturday to go to confession with Father Mario-

-Thank you very much, miss- I leave her in the care of an officer who will take her home- Dylan- I draw the attention of my partner who checks that there is no evidence left without photographing and classifying while the forensic examiners lift the victim's body and upload it to the pathologist's van.

-Aeryne, look at this- he takes out his phone and shows me a picture- we find another line this one is written on his chest, they made it with something sharp, probably a razor or knife of some kind-

"...except for the eternity, I last eternally..."

I read out loud.

-We should talk to the father, he will know what these writings are about- we get into the patrol car and I drive back to the police station. The road passes in silence, after the kiss we don't talk about each other, we just get up from the sofa and leave in a hurry. I return to work, what cannot be denied are the furtive glances that we give each other from time to time and that kiss that we can stop thinking about.

-We're here- cut the silence formed in the environment once we got off the patrol car and entered the police station towards the cells.

-Good night detectives, apparently they are not going to let you rest, the boxes seized from the church have arrived- he points to piles of boxes on the table- I think you won't be able to go home just yet-

-Apparently not sir- Dylan answers sarcastically to which I giggle, he was annoyed that they cut off our inspiration in a kiss as delicious as the one we were sharing and I must say that I am too. I take a seat in front of the table and begin to open the boxes; we go through boxes of papers and official church books.

After at least three cups of coffee and a dozen reviewed books I managed to get some positive results.

-Look here-I hand him the book where he had written down some names- Here are the special mentions that the father gives at the end of the mass, look at these names and why they were named-

-Marta Winston, for making an important donation to the church, the following week, Christopher Graham and Elizabeth Morgan, for making contributions to the community-

- I don't understand, everything seems normal to me- I roll my eyes.

-Read the names again-I urge.

-Marta Winston, Diana's mother, our first victim, declared with our officers that the flower shop was not in the best economic moment- I placed in front of him the family's account statements that corroborate this idea- I was investigating the family last night to find out a little more about his customs, Aaron's boss, according to social media posts, is a parishioner of the Santa Marta church on the outskirts of the city and I did not find any connection with this church- check the files.

-If you put it that way, what about Elizabeth Morgan? - I look for the woman's file.

-She married her husband in the Santa Isabel church, which she attends every Sunday since her brother is the parish priest there, Dylan I think they are involved, we just have to find the connection at the crime scenes- I carefully observe him lying on the back of his chair, he places his hands behind his head, thinking carefully about what I just said.

-I will not argue that I would love to know what the sudden change was about, but we cannot accuse Marta of the murder of her own daughter without evidence-he adjusts the holster of the weapon on his waist in what fits in the chair.

-I know, but now we can further investigate the families and they won't realize why-

-Aeryne, the lack of sleep is affecting you, think about it, now that Father Mario is detained they will be more alert than ever-

-Let's investigate the whereabouts of the relatives on the day of the murder- I take the computer and start with the basics, social networks are the perfect GPS to know where people are during the day, very few refrain from posting a photo.

3:45 am It has been at least 2 hours since we started investigating the families of the murdered, my eyes are devastated from so much effort but even so I continue reclining in my chair in front of the computer checking the security tapes of Diana Winston's flower shop that very kindly, note the sarcasm, Marta sent us after sending the kidnapping order for them.

My colleague already asleep on the desk commented on some strange situations between mother and daughter that the victim's employees declared and that I would like to see with my own eyes. The days go by and you see the two women working without major problems, with little dialogue to tell the truth, but not every mother should have a very fluid relationship with her daughters, there is something in the videos that bothers me, the poor quality of the camera does not allow the background audio to be recorded, but Marta's reaction to some of her daughter's comments gives me the chills. I fast-forward two days before the murder until I see him walk in the front door.

- Dylan! Wake up, look at this- I move it without delicacy until he decides to open his eyes- Shit, move and look at this! - I turn the computer pointing to the male figure in the image.

-What's wrong? - he says yawning.

-Sometimes I don't know if you're stupid or your mom threw you to the ground when you were little- look who he is, Conte was there, take a good look at him- I point to the computer again.

-And that Aeryne could have been him just buying some flowers- he speaks trying to recover his composure.

-Look at the mother, her body language have changed, she is completely tense and even clumsy- I refute pointing out her inconvenience in holding a simple pair of scissors firmly.

-This is still ambiguous evidence, we can't get anything if we present this to the DA- I growl taking the phone and doing a quick search.

-There are 17 flower shops between the newspaper and Diana's flower shop- I comment looking at google maps.

-Aeryne, are you sure what you're thinking?-

-Very sure, please trust me- I practically beg.

-Okay, let's talk to the boss- he takes the video and we walk at a step to go to the sergeant's office.