#I did fall back asleep until 6 and then slept again until 8 so that’s a win lol

[angesaurus]

I woke up at like 2am and was awake until almost 4, probably because I didn’t walk 6 miles yesterday 😭

[aquaquadrant]

grbbrgrr. scurries toward you. I offer thee pathbubs fluff, fresh from my mind fortress.

Patho. falling asleep with dbubs’s clock to his ear.

gives you a cupcake skitters away

(offering received, considered, and accepted. however, i have substituted your fluff for angst. i hope this is satisfactory.)

~*~

"watch this!" dbubs shouts, before leaping off the cliff into the water below.

<player>dat -7063fdce-39ac-4a12-d836-a990c45b2bb0

patho leans back just enough to avoid being splashed. the water in this jungle lagoon is clear and blue, brighter than most bodies of water he comes across. tall, thick trees surround them on all sides, creating a natural barrier from the mobs of the jungle. it’s a beautiful place, and one of his favorites to visit when he’s here.

155 fps t: inf fancy-clouds b: 15x15 3 tx 3 rx c: 695/41672 (s) d: 16, pc: 000, pu: 00, ab: 42 e: 17/109, b: 0, sd: 9 p: 28 t: 109 error fc:0 xyz: -12,683.952 / 39.11563 / 253,589.263 block: -12,683 39 253,589 chunk: -791 15 7,849 facing: south (towards positive z)(1.5/5) client light: 6 (0 sky, 6 block) biome: error:crimson jungle local difficulty: 6.75//0.00 (day error404 not found) sounds: 16/247 + 0/8

dbubs surfaces with a gasp, his wet bangs plastered to his forehead. “did you see that?” he crows. “that was- i must’ve done a- a complete 360 spin about five- no, ten times! world record, first try!”

“oh, yeah,” patho agrees with a smile he doesn’t feel. “yeah, that was very impressive.”

they’re almost out of time.

patho has known this since he woke to find a little weeping vine attempting to burrow into his arm, right at the seam where flesh meets metal. this is an event that only happens when he’s overstayed his welcome, and the jungle can no longer tolerate his presence without trying to claim him. that vine was easily removed, putting off the inevitable for a few more days. but he can’t ignore the sudden restlessness that overtakes him now, a buzzing in his very core that fills his mind with static and his limbs- organic and mechanical alike- with the powerful urge to move.

it’s hard to explain, his need to wander. it’s like every moment he’s not traveling, he can almost feel the infinite borders of hels expanding, spreading into new horizons, and the thought of staying put is unbearable. it doesn’t matter if he actually goes beyond the loaded chunks or not- a feat that’d take years, to be sure. just getting on the move again is enough to quiet the itch.

(it didn’t use to be this way. it didn’t start until after he built his communicator into his new arm, fusing himself with it- but he’ll never admit this, never confront the possibility that it might’ve been a mistake. it’s easier just to leave.)

besides, he still enjoys the various business he gets up to with the other denizens of hels. his services as a redstoner and a data analyst are in high demand, and he has a reputation to uphold. he can’t throw all that away to stay here. that just wouldn’t make sense. it wouldn’t be logical.

patho reaches for the clock at his hip. it was the first gift dbubs gave him. early into patho’s first stay, dbubs decided he needed a clock of his own, so he’d always know when it was time for them to sleep. based on its position, nightfall is only a couple hours away.

“well, c’mon!” dbubs pesters him, his haughty voice echoing off the smooth walls of the cliffside. “what’re you- what, are ya scared of a lil water? huh? just- you just try and beat my record, you- i bet you can’t!”

“alright, alright,” patho chuckles, shrugging his jacket off. “you asked for it…”

won’t be long, now.

~*~

that night, patho leaves his eye on.

dbubs, curled beside him, notices this immediately, and deep down, he knows what it means. it took a while- how long, he isn’t sure- for patho to grow comfortable enough to turn his cybernetic eye off while they slept. but ever since then, he does it every night… up until the last night. every last night, like clockwork.

already, dbubs can feel the familiar weight of sleep trying to take him. caught in the jungle’s day-night cycle, he has little choice in the matter; he sleeps every night without fail. but he fights it anyway, biting back a yawn.

“tomorrow,” dbubs starts quietly, “uh, do you wanna- i- i had this idea for a new build, a perfect build, of course, and i’m gonna need a- a super smelter, for- uh, for all the terracotta-“

“dbubs.” that solitary red eye gazes out from the dark. “you know i’m not made for staying.”

dbubs shies away from the words like an insect from sudden light. “and- and so i was thinking,” he continues, as if patho hadn’t spoken, “we could do a uh, you know, maybe a bamboo farm? for the- for the fuel? i- my perfect redstone prowess could make this easy- easily, of course, but um… i uh- euugh, you- you know they always say, sure enough, that two brains- uh, two geniuses, genii, are better’n one.”

“yeah?” patho breathes a soft, empty laugh. “is that what they say?”

“and- well, yes! yes, of course!” darkness creeps in from the edges of dbubs’s vision; he clings tighter to patho. “and… and uh… n’you can learn all ‘bout my new… new dbubs redstone clock… pat- patented design, a‘course…”

“of course.” patho’s lips brush across his forehead. “better get some rest, then.”

dbubs struggles to keep his eyes open, but it’s as if his lashes are lined with iron. he presses his face in the crook of patho’s neck, breathing him in, that redstone-and-gunpowder scent; bitter and metallic.

“don’t,” he murmurs, consciousness escaping him quickly. “please…?”

“night, dbubs.”

the jungle sleeps.

~*~

far from the jungle, patho lays down in a shallow cave carved from netherrack.

168 fps t: inf fancy-clouds b: 15x15 3 tx 3 rx c: 695/41672 (s) d: 16, pc: 000, pu: 00, ab: 42 e: 15/109, b: 0, sd: 9 p: 27 t: 109 error fc:0 xyz: -11, 987.629 / 30.91778 / 252,896.204 block: -11,987 30 252,896 chunk: -780 15 7,835 facing: east (towards positive x)(1.5/5) client light: 2 (0 sky, 2 block) biome: error:nether waste local difficulty: 6.75//0.00 (day error404 not found) sounds: 5/247 + 0/8

he’s put enough distance between himself and the jungle that he’s confident he can sleep for a few hours before setting off again. the surrounding biome is one he’s well familiar with; barren and empty. with a wall put up to shelter him from mobs, he’s finally safe enough to turn his eye off.

that won’t be the case anymore, once he gets closer to the more populated chunks. the risk of being caught with one eye nonfunctional is too high. it’s just something he has to deal with.

(of course, he could’ve built a cybernetic replacement that simply functioned like the eye he lost, but he thought himself clever and built in a data processor to provide him with valuable information, giving him an advantage over anyone else in his field. so this is the price he pays for it.)

he reaches for his clock. there’s only a couple hours left before the sun will rise, unseen beyond the bedrock ceiling, and dbubs will wake to an empty bed.

but for now, patho tucks the clock to his ear and closes his eyes, letting the steadfast ticking finally lull him to sleep.

~*~

[autumnshighlady]

I've Always Liked to Play With Fire (part 24)

NESTA ARCHERON X ERIS VANSERRA X FEMALE!READER

summary: Eris is now High Lord, but the three of you have a serious talk

warnings: Feysand slander, tooth-rotting fluff and adorableness to make up for the emotional last few chapters

word count: 5.5k

DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE

a/n: to those of you who thought the last chapter was the end, do not fear! There's still 5-10 more chapters to go. But the poor reader finally gets a break. This is a chill chapter with lots of fluff as a little treat, enjoy

part 1 // part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 / part 6 / part 7 / part 8 / part 9 / part 10 / part 11 / part 12 / part 13 / part 14 / part 15 / part 16 / part 17 / part 18 / part 19 / part 20 / part 21 / part 22 / part 23

read on ao3

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It had been three days since Eris killed Beron in the dungeons. After it was done, the new High Lord ordered Azriel to take you to your room, where you would be guarded and seen by servants for your injuries. You had protested, wanting to join your mates in dealing with the aftermath of the days’ events, but were quickly shot down.

“Absolutely not.” Eris had said sternly. “You have been beaten senseless and need time to heal. There are going to be lots of angry individuals and people attempting to challenge me, and I will not have you anywhere near that. We will find you when things settle down, I promise.”

Additionally, he had mentioned that he would be blaming his father and brother’s death on Hybern assassins – they had snuck into the castle in an attempt to wipe out the Vanserra bloodline while they slept. The story was that Beron had been slain during his late night walk around the dungeons, the assassins had attempted to kill you as well, but Malgorm died defending you. Hence an explanation for your injuries and a way to keep you sheltered from the chaos of Eris’s transition to High Lord.

The idea that Malgorm would be perceived as a noble hero in the narrative made you roll your eyes, but Eris assured you that there wasn’t a single individual in this court who didn’t know how vile Malgorm truly was. It made you feel slightly better.

You had been bored out of your mind for the past three days. Your injuries were almost fully healed, thanks to the work of the healers. Nesta had come to visit you a few times, brushing your hair or holding you in her arms until you fell asleep again. You yearned for the additional comfort of Eris’s presence, but he was understandably busy. Nesta insisted he was remorseful for his lack of time to see you, but you could feel it through the bond already.

Part of you was still angry with Eris for hiding his knowledge of the bond. Deep down, you knew he did it out of concern for your safety, but even though you had come to terms with the idea of Eris being your mate, the betrayal still stung. You tried to ignore it – Eris had worked so hard and sacrificed so much to help you and Nesta, the least you could do was give him the benefit of the doubt. But with everything that had happened, there hadn’t been a good time to talk about it with him yet.

Lirilla had also paid you one or two visits over the past three days. She had thanked you over a dozen times, tearfully expressing how she owed you an eternal debt for bringing her back at the cost of never seeing your own mother again if you were to die. You had teared up in response, a hundred different emotions running through you. At first, you had expected to feel some faint resentment, knowing your mother’s soul had brought back the Lady of Autumn.

But there was none. In fact, you had an opportunity few others had – to say a proper goodbye to a departed loved one, and have one final moment wrapped in their embrace. You’d be lying if you said you hadn’t cried into your pillow several times over the memory, clinging onto it as if it would fade away into the breeze. But somehow, having Lirilla alive and present helped you.

Night began to fall on the third day since Beron’s death, and it took you great effort to pry yourself out of the warm bubble bath a servant had drawn from you. Lavender and mint clung to your scent from the healing soaps you had used to scrub yourself raw, still feeling the sticky sensation of Malgorm’s blood being painted over you. No matter how many times you bathed, it wouldn’t go away.

After putting on a pale grey nightgown, you settled into bed to read when a soft knock sounded at your door. The inside of your chest warmed and fluttered like a cat purring, and you felt the bond glow with happiness. You knew who it was before the door even opened. “Come in, Nesta.” You called out, propping yourself up on the lush green pillows.

Nesta entered your room, still wearing her dark red dress from dinner. Half her hair was pulled back into a braid, the other half cascading down her back in elegant waves. In her hand was a plate of fresh strawberries, the unmistakable rich smell of chocolate coming from the small bowl beside the fruit. 

Your mouth watered. “Please tell me those are for me.” 

“No, I brought them all this way just to make you watch me eat them in front of you.” Nesta said dryly, closing the door behind her. “Of course they’re for you. I snagged them from dessert. Figured you’d want some.”

“Obviously.” You said, shifting more to the centre of the bed and patting the space next to you. The bed was absolutely massive, leaving tons of room for the female to come sit beside you. After kicking off her shoes and sliding under the thick covers, she settled the plate carefully on her lap. Wordlessly, you curled into Nesta’s side, resting your head on her chest and sighing contently. Slender fingers came up to tangle themselves in your hair, gently caressing the locks. Nesta’s free hand reached down and grabbed a strawberry, dipping it in the chocolate before bringing it to your lips. Eagerly, you lifted your head slightly and moaned as warm dark chocolate hit your tongue, along with the sweet taste of the freshest strawberry you’d ever had. 

“Mmm…” You mumbled, swallowing the delicacy. “I could die happy right now.”

With the hand that was stroking your hair, Nesta smacked you lightly. “Don’t you dare even joke about that,” She scolded. “You’ve had too many close calls for that to be even remotely funny.”

“Whatever. Feed me another chocolate covered strawberry and I’ll shut up about it.”

Nesta rolled her eyes but obliged, and you rested your head back on her chest after swallowing. You couldn’t help but notice how different she was now from when you first met her in the House of Wind. Her body had filled out, soft flesh hiding the brittle bones that used to stick out from underneath her pale skin. For Nesta to be relaxed enough to be this close to you as a huge change. She was not on edge, body tense and flinching with every shift in movement. Even when you had tentatively held her hand or brushed your knee against hers while in the Night Court, she seemed afraid of the contact, always tensing before relaxing into you.

Now, she showed no signs of anxiety. You knew that physical touch was not something that Nesta was used to, but you could tell through the bond that she was comfortable doing it with you. 

“What are you thinking about right now?” Nesta asked, noting your silence.

“You.” You said truthfully.

She snorted. “Care to elaborate?”

“You’re different now.” You admitted, choosing your words carefully. 

But her voice was curious, not defensive as she spoke. “How so?”

“I feel like you’re more… you. You’re not putting up a wall anymore. You seem more comfortable in your own skin, that’s all.”

You felt Nesta rest her cheek on the top of your head. “I do. You’ve helped me with that.”

You shook your head. “No, Nesta. That was all you.”

“Perhaps. But you being there by my side throughout all of this has helped.”

You hesitated before asking the question that had been lingering in the back of your mind for a while now. “Do you have any regrets about doing this?”

A moment of silence filled the room. Part of you had constantly asked yourself if you were dragging Nesta into your plan too much. As much as you knew she wanted out of the Night Court, to switch courts so quickly after having her entire life uprooted by the Cauldron was a drastic change. 

“No.” Nesta said confidently. “Not for a second. I have no desire to return to the Night Court. While I will always love my sisters, it is clear that they care about their image more than what is truly best for me. I have no place there in their little found family, and that does not bring me any sadness. Now, I am free to make my own decisions free of their scrutiny, and that brings me comfort. So no, I don’t regret taking this journey with you.”

You closed your eyes, the rhythmic stroking of Nesta’s fingers through your hair making you tired. “We have to talk about Cassian at some point. About all of us, about what comes next.”

You felt Nesta sigh. You knew she didn’t want to talk about Cassian, and neither did you. But he was convinced that he is Nesta’s mate, something that could potentially bring a threat. If he invoked a blood duel, Eris would certainly win with his new power as High Lord. But you? You stood no chance against the Lord of Bloodshed.

“You’re right.” Nesta said slowly. “But I think we need to wait for Eris before we have this conversation. It involves him, too.”

“You’re right. When will I get to see him?”

“He said he’d come here after his last meeting. He should be here soon.”

You sat up, reaching for the plate and grabbing another chocolate covered strawberry. You felt a bit of the chocolate smear on the side of your lip as you ungracefully popped the strawberry into your mouth, attempting to keep the expensive duvet free of mess. 

“You’ve got something on your face.” Nesta snorted.

You rolled your eyes at her. “Wow, I didn’t notice. Thank you so much for pointing–”

Your sentence trailed off as Nesta reached down and slowly wiped the chocolate off your lip with her finger. You watched with wide eyes as she then took that chocolate covered finger and closed her lips around it, sucking the chocolate off. Her blue-grey eyes never left yours as she did so, making your body tingle.

“That was one of the top five hottest things you've done.” You said, causing Nesta to raise an eyebrow.

“Oh, you have a list now, do you?” She murmured, amusement across her sharp face.

You shrugged nonchalantly, but heat flooded your cheeks. Truthfully, everything Nesta did was absolutely mesmerising to you. It was almost impossible to actually think of five moments that stood out. “Maybe.” Was all you mumbled in response.

Nesta simply chuckled, then leaned down and sensually pressed her lips to yours. You moaned into her mouth, melting into the touch. It was different from the tender two kisses you shared previously – ones that were gentle and soft, as if you were both afraid that the other would disappear from in front of you at any moment. No, this kiss was more passionate, sending goosebumps up your arms despite the warmth of the room. She tasted like chocolate and wine, and it took all your self control not to simply melt right there and then.

When Nesta eventually pulled away, she cradled your head back into her chest. You were so comfortable, encased in the expensive fabric of the lush bedsheets and cuddled up against Nesta’s side. A distinct knock on the door snapped you back to consciousness. “Three guesses who that is.” You muttered groggily.

Nesta snorted, but called out, “Come in, Eris.” 

Surely enough, the door swung open to reveal Eris. His red hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and he was dressed in his sleepwear of a white tunic with long, billowy sleeves tucked into loose brown pants. Despite the casual look, the soft hum of power coming from the male made it hard to mistake him as anything other than a High Lord.

“How’d you know it was me?” Eris asked, closing the door behind him as he sauntered into your room.

“Oh please, you knock like a pampered princess.” You said playfully, popping another strawberry in your mouth.

Eris narrowed his eyes at the delicately placed bowl of melted chocolate on Nesta’s thigh. “Please tell me you’re not getting chocolate on my expensive bed sheets.” 

“You’re High Lord, can’t you just use your fancy new power to remove any spills?” 

“Ugh, please don’t remind him he’s High Lord.” Nesta insisted, rolling her eyes. “It’ll get to that pretty head of his and he’ll become even more insufferable than he already is. Besides, he hardly needs reminding with how much he throws his new title in everyone’s faces every two seconds.”

You laughed, causing Eris to look down at you from where he was standing at the end of the bed, pressing a pale hand to his chest with mock hurt. “Your cruelty wounds me,” He sighed. “I do not know what I did to deserve such treatment.”

“You make it too easy.” You patted the space next to you on your other side. Eris scoffed, but peeled back the covers and crawled under them anyway, sliding right next to you and resting his back against one of the many pillows behind you. You leaned forward and grabbed another chocolate covered strawberry, bringing it up in front of his face. “Here you go, oh mighty High Lord.” You said dramatically.

The male raised an eyebrow, but kept his amber eyes on yours as he leaned forward and gently took the fruit from your hand with his mouth, lips brushing your fingers ever so slightly. You suppressed a shiver at the sensation, trying to ignore Eris’s moan as he savoured the rich chocolate. You straightened up, no longer leaning against Nesta’s chest but instead still keeping your shoulder pressed against hers.

“Delicious.” Eris muttered after swallowing. “And exactly what I needed after today.”

“What did you get up to today?” You asked. “Or any of the past three days, since I haven’t been allowed outside of this room to see for myself.”

Eris shot you a light glare. “As both of us have explained to you several times, you are in here because we need to wait until things settle for a few days. Right now, you are vulnerable. Both physically and in terms of your position as an unwed and unengaged female. While I intend to eliminate anyone with the same mindset as my father regarding females of your status who refuse to change, they might not yet be revealing themselves. Many have tried to challenge me these past few days, and every one of them has been turned to ash. I need to ensure nobody will come after you.”

You sighed, knowing Eris was right. A female like you without ties to a male would be an easy target for those looking to cling to Beron’s ways. You briefly wondered exactly how many people Eris had slain in his first few days of being High Lord, but dared not ask. “Did everyone believe the story about Hybern assassins being responsible?” You chose to ask instead.

“Mostly.” Eris said. “Those who seemed suspicious have been dealt with. But it matters not. I am High Lord now, and the court knows that if they dare question how I came to be in this position, they will not live to see the next sunrise.”

“So what happens now?” Nesta spoke up. “With the three of us, I mean. And we still have the Night Court to deal with, not to mention Cassian.”

“Given your sister’s situation with her pregnancy, I believe the Night Court will be occupied by that for the next while.” Eris said. “She is due soon, is she not?”

Nesta nodded, but said nothing. 

“Can we help Feyre?” You asked hesitantly, feeling Nesta’s turmoil through the bond. While she did not part on good terms with her sister, you could tell she felt anguish at the idea of Feyre dying because of this pregnancy. And as much as you disliked the High Lady, you did not wish such a fate upon her either.

Eris spoke with caution. “I have spoken with our best healers. And to be truthful, yes, we have the means of removing the baby surgically rather than having little Archeron try to deliver the child naturally. But I do not think it’s a question of whether or not we can, but whether or not we should.”

You blinked in surprise, feeling Nesta tense beside you. “What do you mean?” You asked. “If we have a way to save her life, why not use it?”

Eris shifted slightly, turning on his side to face you. “Because it is leverage we can use against them. A bargaining tool. We could promise to save the High Lady’s life on the condition that they leave us alone, permanently. That they are never to enter our court without permission, including the brute.”

You bit your tongue. Nesta was silent beside you, her expression unreadable. “Nesta?” You asked quietly, pressing your arm into her. “What do you think we should do?”

There was a minute of silence before she straightened her spine, grey eyes finally landing on you and Eris as she spoke. “The Feyre I knew who went under the mountain is gone.” She said, her voice like steel. “Once she accepted the mating bond, she changed. Rhys changed her. The Feyre I knew would never just sit by and let her mate make the decisions for her. The Feyre I knew would never have sent me to be locked up if Rhys hadn’t planted the idea in her head first. She used Elain as a bargaining chip to strong arm me into doing her bidding. If she has no qualms about using our lives for her own gain, then I have no issue doing the same with hers. But under one condition. Feyre has to agree to it. Hers is the only opinion that matters. Rhys cannot accept the terms, only she can. It will be her choice, and her choice alone.”

Eris nodded respectfully. “Very well then. Once everything settles further over the next week or so, I will set up a meeting with the Night Court and we can propose our bargain.”

“Cassian can’t be there.” Nesta said suddenly. “I can’t see him. Please.”

“We won’t let him try and take you,” You grabbed her hand, holding it reassuringly. “I promise.”

Nesta bit her lip, worry lining her features. “He thinks we’re mates. I don’t trust him not to try something.”

“Cassian does not stand a chance against us.” Eris said calmly, fiddling with the emerald ring on his finger. “Although I am curious as to why he is acting like a mated male when Estelle said he is not mated to you, Nesta. There’s something else at work here, maybe having him at the meeting will allow us to figure out what it is.”

Nesta hesitated, but exhaled softly. “Fine. Cassian can be there. But the dragons will come to the meeting.”

“They will be delighted.” Eris chuckled. “I am sure they will happily eat anyone who dares protest against our lovely mating bonds.”

You went still, the soft sheets of the bed suddenly stifling. Aside from your brief moment after saving Lirilla, you hadn’t yet acknowledged or discussed your mating bond with Eris yet. With Nesta it was easier, as you had plenty more time together to mull things over. But with Eris, it all happened so fast. The High Lord duties swept him away from you before you could even propose the discussion.

“Eris…” You said carefully after a few moments. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew we were mates?”

At first, the male did not reply. Eris Vanserra usually had a witty reply for everything, a silver tongue that came up with a response within a half second no matter how unprepared he was for the question. So you turned to face him. Eris’s expression was one of regret, tender sadness in his usually stone cold eyes. But the mask was off. He had no need for it anymore.

“There were so many things happening at once.” Eris said slowly. “I did not know how you would react, truthfully. We all needed to be focused, just until we were safe from my father. I did not want to risk compromising what I’ve been working towards for years. It is selfish, I am well aware. But it is the truth. If you knew about the bond, who knows how different things could have been? And if anyone found out, it would be used against us. I could not let that happen.”

The High Lord swallowed thickly, his slender hand gently coming to cover your fingers as he continued. “I know what a breach of trust this was, little fox, especially after you put your faith in me. And I will spend the rest of my life trying to make up for it, because I selfishly cannot stand the idea of you hating me for it.” 

You inhaled a shaky breath, wetness lining your eyes. You felt Nesta rubbing your back comfortingly, as if she, too, felt your pain through the bond. “I don’t hate you for it.” You said quietly. “I understand your reasoning, I just wish none of this had to be this way.”

Eris smiled sadly. “I wish that very much, too. Although this path has led me to you, to Nesta. So despite everything, I have no other regrets about how things played out.”

“Me too.” Nesta said from behind you, squeezing your shoulder. “It was all worth it to get out of that situation, to end up with both of you.”

Your heart fluttered as you smiled. Even though the past months have been hell, they lead you to Nesta and Eris. Everything you had been through, it was all worth it to get here. Because you knew that even though the horrors you had endured would keep you up at night, you’d have your mates to ease the pain.

But your smile faded as reality sunk back in. “What about the wedding?” You asked. “If you two are getting married, where does that leave me? I know marriage is a sham at the end of the day, and the mating bond is what truly connects us. But I admit that I will not feel like an equal if you two are wed.”

You felt the bed shift as Eris straightened beside you. A hint of a blush came over his cheeks as he coughed before speaking. “Well, I thought of a solution for that. It’s a bit outlandish, and something that would definitely make the majority of this court lose their minds over it. And don’t be afraid to tell me I am a fool for this, Mother knows everyone else will be–”

“Eris.” Nesta said sharply, cutting off the male’s rambling. “Spit it out already.”

You could feel Eris’s nerves in your chest as if they were your own. You had never seen him so flustered before, so unsure of what to say. 

“Well,” He continued, taking a deep breath. “It is not unheard of in Pythian’s history for a High Lord to take two wives…”

“You’d want to marry both of us?” Nesta said incredulously.

Eris blushed further, his eyes narrowing angrily at the heat of his cheeks. “Well, it would be a good way to ensure you are both protected–”

“Stop.” You cut him off firmly, squeezing his hand. Eris was silenced immediately, doubt flickering in his eyes as if he were afraid this would happen. “Fuck the political scheming and doing everything for the sake of a plan. We’ve made it this far, guys. It’s time to think about what we want, not what we should do. So, Eris, what do you want?”

“Well, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to have you both as my wives…”

Nesta snorted. “A heartfelt proposal, Eris. Well done.”

Eris shot a playful glare at the female. “Smartass. Watch it, or I’ll leave your finger without a ring and keep (Y/N) all to myself.”

“Oh, please. You’re too obsessed with me to do that.”

“I am afraid you are right, Nesta Archeron.”

The three of you laughed, the harmony of it echoing throughout the spacious room like a song. But Nesta’s serious tone returned, cutting the laughter off. “But seriously, Eris, are you proposing this because this is what you want, or because of the mating bond?”

Eris shifted as he reached forward, taking each of you and Nesta’s hands in his own. The authority of the High Lord rang in his voice as he spoke, his amber eyes meeting Nesta’s blue-grey ones. “Make no mistake, I am happy about the mating bond. But it does not create this desire from nothing. It merely amplifies what is already there. The desire to marry you, Nesta, began the day we danced together in the Hewn City. I knew then that I wanted you as my equal at my side. I wanted you because you were you, sharp tongue and all, not because a mating bond made it be so.” 

Eris then turned to face you. “The desire to marry you, (Y/N), began the day you came to me with your plan. I saw your resilience, your brilliant mind, and I wanted you. Not for your magic, or your connection to the Mother. I didn’t even know you were my mate then, or that you possessed a unique power, and I wanted you. My desire for both of you did not come from wanting something from you, or because of a mating bond. You asked me what I wanted, (Y/N), and this is it. I want you and Nesta as my equals, my wives, my High Ladies by my side. If that is what you wish, of course.”

You teared up, seeing Nesta do the same. Eris spoke so fiercely, so passionately it pulled at your heart strings. All this time, you had prepared yourself to see Eris and Nesta marry for political convenience, leaving you on the side with your secret ancient vows to Nesta that could never be shared with the outside world. You had prepared yourself to put aside your feelings for Eris, and your feelings for Nesta, to once again make a sacrifice for the ones you loved.

But you didn’t have to do that. Somehow, along the way Nesta and Eris had fallen for each other. And you had fallen for Eris, and he for you. The bond the three of you shared was deeper than any mating bond – it was a bond of survival, of fighting for a better life. A life you now couldn’t imagine sharing with anyone else.

“I would like that very much.” You said through tears, squeezing Eris’s hand.

“And I as well.” Nesta said softly. “Although I never thought of being High Lady.”

“You are both free to pass on that,” Eris said. “It would simply be an added bonus. But you both have enough power to be my equal as High Ladies, and you would be free to be as involved or removed from court politics as you wish.”

You glanced at Nesta, meeting her eyes. You knew Nesta had never possessed any ambitions to become a leader. She was content to simply exist in her own life, as long as she had control over it.

But this opportunity Eris was presenting could be used to help people. All you wanted was to make Autumn safe for females in a way Rhysand failed to do with his own court. Perhaps instead of relying on Eris to make it happen, you could do it yourself. “I wouldn’t be opposed to that.” You said.

“Me neither.” Nesta replied, nodding. “If my sister can be High Lady, so can I.”

“Feyre Archeron does not know how to run a court,” Eris snorted. “You’re the sister much better suited to the job.”

“One more thing.” You interjected, turning to Nesta. “Technically, we are already married due to the spell we used to create the daemati bond. But I would like to redo it, with a proper wedding. That way, the world will know that we aren’t just married to Eris, but to each other as well. I want everyone to know you’re just as much mine as Eris’s. If you’ll have me.”

It was not how you could have ever imagined proposing to Nesta, fumbling over your words so casually as if you were suggesting trying a new food for lunch. But it felt right. You wanted to be married to Nesta properly, in the eyes of the world. True, you had known her for less than a year. But you knew in your heart you would want to marry her eventually – why not now while she was already marrying Eris?

Nesta’s lips twitched for a second, as if she were instinctively fighting off her smile. But then her face loosened, and she allowed her smile to stretch across her cheeks fully. “Of course I’ll have you, you fool.” She said softly. “Without a shadow of a doubt.”

“In that case, I shall inform the priestess so she can modify the ceremony.” Eris said, grinning in a way that made your heart sing. “If my father could see this, he would lose his mind. As will many members of the court, probably. Having two High Ladies married to each other and me will be a lot for them to comprehend.”

“It’s actually possible, right?” Nesta asked him. “For all three of us to be married?”

“There is no law or religious text that prevents it, my dear.” Eris reassured her. “It will be legitimate, I swear.”

You smiled, another tear of happiness slipping down your cheek. “So this is really happening, we’re all getting married?”

Eris nodded. “Yes, love. We are. And we can take as much time as we want to plan the wedding so it’s exactly how we want it, not how my father wanted it to be. It will be a day about all three of us.”

It was like a heavy boulder had been lifted off your chest. All of the anxiety of the past few weeks was gone, replaced by pure happiness at the idea of marrying Nesta and Eris. Before, the talk of a wedding filled you with dread, a reminder that you were engaged to a cruel male who would delight in torturing you however he could. The idea of a wedding made you feel sick, and sad at the same time knowing you’d have no say in any of the planning.

But with Eris as High Lord and your soon to be new position as High Lady, everything would be different. You would be able to pick out your dress, the flowers, the cake, everything. After months and months of having no control over your life, you were finally taking the reins back.

You wrapped your arms around Eris, pulling him in for a tight embrace. “Thank you.” You muttered.

When Eris pulled away, his amber eyes burned into yours. It ignited something in you, making your blood sing as his voice dropped as he spoke. “I know by tradition I am supposed to wait until the wedding to kiss my brides. But I would really like to kiss you now. Both of you.”

“Fine by me.” You said, your heart racing and drowning out the sound of your own voice.

Eris smirked, his hands coming up to either side of your face to cup your jaw. Towering over you, he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to your own. Instantly, it was like a tidal wave of lust surged through the bond, as you melted into his mouth. It wasn’t the seductive, claiming kiss you had expected an Autumn court male like Eris to give. It was just as sensual, but softer, like a warm hearth rather than blazing wildfire. It was a kiss of love, of promise for a better world.

Your hands brushed the fabric of Eris’s tunic as he kissed you, and you felt the male shiver beneath your touch. When his lips finally abandoned yours, you let out an involuntary whine at the loss of contact. 

“Don’t worry, darling,” Eris purred, his thumb stroking your cheek. “There will be plenty of time for more later.”

 The High Lord then turned towards Nesta, taking her hands in his own. You watched as he leaned forward, kissing her with the same tenderness he had with you. Nesta’s eyes fluttered closed at the contact, her body relaxing. They were like a scene from a painting. Nesta’s wavy locks contrasting with the fiery straight hair of Eris, their heads angled so perfectly as their lips moulded together with longing. 

As you watched your mates kiss, you felt no jealousy. No anger. No feeling of exclusion. You only felt love – happiness that the two people you cared for most loved each other just as much as you loved them.

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[thenextdawn-temporarilyclosed]

One of Your Kind (Ch. 5)

Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10

Word count: 5.2K

Summary: Jenna is getting very flirty with you and you notice that on several occasions, only you try to ignore everything until your friends decided to set something up…

Warnings: maybe a little bit of angst? Otherwise nothing really

Pairing: Jenna Ortega X Fem!Reader

———

November 2021

A couple weeks passed since your fight with Tim, but you didn’t want to see it like that. You wanted to see it as two weeks passed since you opened up with Jenna, since she slept in your bed as you both cuddled, that’s how you wanted to see it. Jenna had made it her personal goal to make you feel better, to make you trust people again and to just… be happy. She wanted to see you happy, she wanted to spend time with you. It started off small: at the start she would come in your trailer or you would go in hers, you’d play games or talk about anything or even watch movies together, actively avoiding horror movies as she knew you didn’t like them, you were more into fantasy and sci-fi and she took a liking to those genres too, and it often happened that you’d fall asleep in her bed, snuggled up to her. Even if she was the one in your trailer, you both snuggled up to each other and you’d always fall asleep first.

You never knew that Jenna purposely stayed awake longer to just watch you sleep and play with your hair, sometimes even tracing your skin with her fingers - she was glad you always slept soundly. You looked so relaxed whenever she was around and she noticed that, your face muscles were always tense at work, unlike how they are when you’re around her. You looked peaceful around her and she loved that. She loved how you felt safe whenever you were in her proximity. But you were too innocent, too innocent to realize that she was looking at you differently, too innocent to realized that maybe - just maybe - Jenna had feelings for you. However, you were still, just best friends.

You were indeed happier thanks to her but you had no doubts about that. You had been trying to reach out to her for a year and now that you spent the majority of your time with her, you were happy. You were slowly feeling better and starting to open up to people again, though only Jenna knew your actual experiences, only she knew how you truly felt and she was glad she did, because she was there whenever you had those small break downs, she was there when you were scared to lose your job. Slowly but surely you started hanging out with everyone else again. They had questions but you dodged them thanks to Jenna’s help, she always wanted to protect you and you couldn’t be more grateful to have met her and even though you were quiet at first, soon enough you were really good friends with them: you were back at laughing, back at joking. You were the girl you used to be when you first met Jenna and you barely knew any english.

Once again, it was thanks to Jenna’s help that you went back at work. You talked with Tim and you both apologized to each other and as a director under his teachings you were becoming as precise and as meticulous as he was, which is why most of the times he gave you the job of combing Jenna’s bangs. He was so obsessed with it, he needed each strand of hair to be in a particular place and he trusted you to just know what was gonna work for the episode and this morning that’s exactly what you were doing. As Jenna was sitting in a chair after getting her hair braided you were trying to find the right position to comb her bangs. If you knelt down she was too up high, if you stood up she was too low, if you bent down your back hurt… however you were trying to do your best.

“Wouldn’t it be best if you sat on my legs? I can see you’re having a hard time” Jenna said, and you gulped nervously as you tried to hide it with a giggle. “Nah don’t worry I can still work with this” you said and she scoffed. “Oh come on! We’ve known each other long enough. Plus you’ll get a better view and a more comfortable angle to work from” you eventually gave in and sat on her legs straddling her, you were nervous and she sensed that, but why were you nervous? You were doing your job, and she was your friend. Right?. Jenna’s hands found their place on your thigh which only incremented your nervousness, a pink shade appeared on your cheeks but she ignored it. Ha! She made you nervous. she could basically hear your fast heartbeat and As much as she enjoyed that, she also needed to calm you down and she did so by moving her head repeatedly and messing up your work, causing you to laugh at the faces she made as you definitely did calm down “stop it! Come in I need to get this done” you laughed and she did too, but she continued on moving her head from side to side, making it impossible for you to get the job done but you didn’t care, you were having fun.

That was until you noticed it was getting late and Jenna soon needed to be on set. Without thinking of it you very gently grabbed her chin, making her stop her movements as she looked at you and you did the same, her eyes moving from your eyes to your lip and for a brief second you did the same. Silence filled the room for a while, your hand stil having a hold of her chin as you looked at each other, slowly leaning closer to her until the door was opened and Emma stormed in. You quickly stood up and off of her as Jenna removed her hands from your thighs only to place them in her own lap. “Hey Jen you need to-“ Emma stopped talking when she saw you get off of Jenna, having briefly seen that you were sitting in her lap. “Did I interrupt something?” Your reply came quicker than expected “no not at all” you said laughing nervously. “Hmmm. Okay. Jen you’re needed on set” Emma said before leaving the room and you sighed of relief before turning back to Jenna, none of you saying anything for a while as you went back to work on her bangs, this time standing up. Only after a couple minutes you noticed Jenna smiling slightly at you.

“Why are you smiling?” You asked her and she slightly shook her head as to not ruin your work. “Nothing, you just look cute, all focused on me” you blushed brighter than earlier, this time trying to hide the smile. Oh god, was she flirting? Yes, she was flirting and you were falling straight into her trap. “Come on let’s get you on set” you said, avoiding her attempt at flirting but Jenna smiled anyway, she was the reason you were nervous, - a happy kind of nervous indeed - and she was going to take advantage of it. Of course Tim was more than happy with the way you combed her bangs, if only he knew how long it took you to make it this right.

You and Jenna never talked about what would have happened if Emma hadn’t come in the room and you were still acting the same way with each other, she was as flirty as ever, but you’d often take it as a joke. You didn’t think she liked you, maybe she didn’t and you were there deluding yourself of what could be if she did like you, would you a be a happy couple? Would she want to make it public? And would she hurt you? This is what you were mostly scared of. You were scared of betrayal, you were scared of being abandoned again. Maybe this is also why you never replied to her attempts at flirting. However, Thanksgiving was soon, very soon. In Italy there’s no such thing and you had never celebrated it in America either so this would be very, very new for you. Everyone was making such a big deal out of it and you didn’t know why, it was just a lunch with a turkey in the middle of the table… right?

They were going to celebrate it on set too, and of course you were invited too. In some ways it reminded you of the huge Christmas dinner with the whole family everyone has in Italy. You missed your home country in some ways, but not because of your family. No, you hated them. However, when the day came you were all having lunch on set, you had a restaurant prepare you all the food and take it on set so you didn’t have to move to go to a restaurant and of course, you were late. The night before you had gone to bed late because you were watching a movie and you forgot to set your alarm so you had to prepare in less than five minutes and head to the lunch. When you arrived, everyone had already arrived “I’m sorry for being late” you said and caught your breath, you had ran there. “Over here!” You turned to where Jenna was calling you from. “I saved you a seat next to me”

It was a pretty normal lunch, you were sitting next to Jenna and you were both amongst the rest of the cast. You were the youngest amongst the recording crew so most of the free time you had you spent it with the cast. As much time as it took you, you enjoyed their presence and they enjoyed yours. Once again, or maybe we should say like always, Jenna was flirting with you. “Girls you would make a really cute couple, you know that right?” Emma said. You were really good friends with her too, so she could afford the confidence she had with you, but her comment made you blush. “W-What? No we’re just really good friends.” You said as you drank a sip of your water, trying not to choke at Emma’s next comment. “Yeah mhm. You’re always in each other’s trailers and you know what I always say about couples? “And they were roommates” which you are basically and I’m never wrong” you sunk in your chair after having almost chocked, and you failed to notice the blush that had settled on Jenna’s cheeks too.

It was a really nice lunch and you ate A LOT. But after the lunch, like all the time Jenna invited you to her trailer. Recently you’d help her revise her lines, so you thought that this is what you two were going to do today as well. “God my back hurts a lot” Jenna said, grunting slightly as she bent to put her purse down. “Is it because of the stunts?” You asked her, and she nodded, sitting on her bed “we told you to get a stunt double… you’re not used to all this, you should have expected to get back pains” you said, still standing awkwardly in her trailer as you heard her chuckle “you sound like my mom” that made you laugh and shake your head. “Do you need a back massage? I’m pretty good at that” Jenna looked at you with pleading eyes and you smiled, taking your jacket off having understood what she wanted “take off your shirt and lay down on hour stomach” you turned around as she did so, and when she said she was ready you walked over to her, climbing on the bed and straddling her lower back.

As soon as you started massaging her you felt how tense her muscles were, and you heard her grunt of pain first, which turned to relief. You started from her lower back where her ditches of venus were. “This feels amazing…” she nearly whispered, she had her eyes closed and a small smile on her face, her head resting on her arms. The more you went up the more she relaxed and you had to move her long hair out of the way. At some point though she reached her hand back to unhook her bra, and you could say you panicked. “W-what are you doing?” Jenna could feel you had gotten tense. “Relax… I just unhooked my bra. I’m just giving you some more space” she said, “I’m not stripping off, we’re not there… yet.” As she giggled after her own comment, you gulped nervously and resumed with your massages. To say you wanted to bend down and kiss her bare skin was an understatement, and you really refrained from doing so.

The rest of the massage you were both quiet, and only when you were finished did you notice that Jenna had fallen asleep. You smiled and gently climbed off of her, hooking her bra again very gently, as you looked at her. She had been filming a lot recently and she looked exhausted. The freckles on her nose and cheeks even more visible when she wasn’t wearing make up, and you moved a strand of hair behind her eat to give her a better look, god was she stunning. You hesitantly leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, only to see her smile slightly, making you smile as well. “Sleep well Jen” you whispered and pulled the covers on top of her before going back to your own trailer.

December 2021

Christmas was near and you couldn’t wait to spend it with your friends. These past years you didn’t like Christmas but this year you were really excited, you knew it was hugely celebrated in America and even if now you were in Romania and they didn’t celebrate it like you guys do, you had ordered a Christmas tree from Amazon as well as some Christmas decorations to put up in your trailer and around set. In Italy it’s a tradition to put up Christmas decorations on the 8th of December and you were going to do the same thing here and you couldn’t be happier. You woke up earlier than everyone else, so that when they woke up they would see what you did. Useless to say that the cast was very happy with what they saw, you could see all their jaws drop. However, the “grownups” weren’t as happy.

“You need to get this stuff off of everything” director of the cameras said, and you pouted “oh come on! It’s Christmas” you said and he only scoffed “make everything disappear within ten minutes” he insisted “but-“ “now, (Y/N). We need to start filming” you sighed “gee, the grinch has a better Christmas spirit than you” you said, and without looking at the cast you climbed on the ladder to start with the higher up things, only… the ladder wasn’t as stable as you thought and you lost your balance, taking a really bad fall as your head hit the ground, though luckily you didn’t pass out “(Y/N)!” You heard someone yell, and by the time you sat up you saw everyone around you look worried. Well at least you thought so. Your vision was blurred, you saw double and even your hearing was confused: everyone was speaking and asking you questions but you couldn’t make out what they were saying. “Guys I don’t- I don’t understand what you’re asking me” you said and rubbed your head where you hit it, you were loosing some blood but it wasn’t much.

“What happened?” You asked as you tried to stand up. “No no no don’t stand up” Jenna said but you couldn’t understand any of it. However she was late, because you had already stood up but you lost your balance again. Luckily people were around you and made you sit back down. “Guys I’m fine” you kept saying, their voices sounded all mixed together and you couldn’t make out their faces, but you were sure Jenna was there. “How many fingers do you see?” Jenna said, holding out two fingers. hers was the only voice you understood. “Uh five? I don’t know” you said as you held your head and grunted. The next thing you knew you were in an ambulance, being taken to the hospital with Jenna coming with you. The whole situation was all a distant memory and you barely remembered it had happened when you got back from your trance state. “Ouch that hurts-“ you said as you felt the pain in the back of your head, it was bandaged and you had a couple stitches.

Only a few seconds later you realized you were at the hospital, and Jenna was there. Wait, wasn’t Jenna supposed to be filming? “What happened?” You asked as you sat up, looking at Jenna. She looked extremely worried, leg moving up and down at a speed as she fiddled with her own fingers. She was still in her Wednesday clothes for set. “You fell and hit your head,” Jenna started. “You scared us, (Y/N). You couldn’t stand up straight, you didn’t understand what we were saying, your vision was confused, I was scared” well, you had no recognition of all of this, you blinked twice and Jenna looked at you with glossy eyes as if you were seriously injured “it’s alright Jen, I’m okay now” you tried to reassure her and she nodded “I know… you just scared me big time” you looked at her again “want a hug?” You said with a smile, opening your arms for her. She seemed hesitant at first, but before any tears could leave her eyes she moved in your arms and a shaky breath escaped her lips as you held her tight. “I’m okay”

You left the hospital that same afternoon as you were better, and as you got back to the trailers you remembered why you had took that fall. You were asked to take the Christmas decorations off, and because of that all your happiness for Christmas vanished. “Are you gonna come to Percy’s trailer to play some Uno?” Jenna asked you with a smile, which you gave in return, only a smaller one. “I think I’ll go back to my trailer. In italy we put up the Christmas tree today and I want to do it. Those idiots already ruined the Christmas atmosphere, I at least want to have a Christmas tree in my trailer, you know?” Jenna looked at you with a small smile and a look of admiration, maybe even love- no definitely not love but it was different than any other time. “Why are you looking at me like that?” You giggled “I know it’s childish but it’s important to me” you said and waited for an answer “no it’s not childish at all, I admire that,” there it was, admiration. “Tell you what, I’ll come help you later tonight, okay?” She said. The thought of that made you happy, and you smiled brightly “see you later then!”

You definitely had your hopes up because she did not show up. You had left a few Christmas decoration for her to put on the tree including the star that goes on top, but she didn’t come and she didn’t even send you a text warning you, and to say you were a little bit sad was enough, though you didn’t blame her, she was probably really tired… but at least you expected a text. You had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for her only for her to not show up. That day you didn’t talk to her the whole day even if she had tried multiple times to apologize. “(Y/N) I’m sorry okay?” She said for the thousand time, following you back to your trailer “will you listen to me!?” She said and you finally turned to look at her, leaving her speechless for a short moment. “I’m sorry. It was late, I was tired. I didn’t even know what time it was and when I noticed, I had to go to sleep because my alarm would have rang two hours later. You get that right?” You sighed and nodded, looking down “I do get that, I don’t blame you for that. It’s just that I was waiting for you, I had left you a few decorations to put up and you didn’t show up, you didn’t even send a text… I’m just sad, that’s it” you said and shrugged

She apologized again and you replied with “it’s okay, I put them up this morning so the it’s fully decorated now” You saw her nod after that, and then move her eyes to the ground. Now she felt guilty. It was only a week later when you found yourself in a very, very awkward situation with Jenna. Emma and the others had been confabulating something and you knew it, they were looking at you and you would give them confused glares, and you didn’t know that but they were looking at Jenna, too. Were they maybe trying to set you up on a date with her? “Hey (Y/N), can you come here real quick?” Emma called for you, and you were anxious of what was waiting for you. “STOP!” You stopped dead in your tracks. “Stay there, don’t move” she said and then proceeded to call Jenna too. “What’s the meaning of this?” You said, only for your voice to be cut off by Emma’s voice calling for Jenna, and she walked over to where you were and stopped next to you. “Perfect!” Emma said, almost jumping of excitement. “Now look up” you gave her a glare before looking up.

Mistletoe.

Oh no you thought, this is bad. This is way worst than what you had anticipated, this was worst than a set up date, you had expected anything but some mistletoe, now you had to straight up kiss her. “You can’t be serious right now” you brought a hand up to your face, perhaps to hide the blush that had made its way in your cheeks and neck, you didn’t dare to look at Jenna, but she was looking down shyly too, bangs covering her eyes as she tried to suppress her smile, until you had what you thought was a brilliant idea. You stepped away from under the mistletoe, just one step. “Well I’m not under the mistletoe now so we can’t…-“ you were quickly interrupted when Jenna grabbed your arm, to prevent you from moving any further away from her as she pulled you in close, arms linked around your waist as yours automatically found place on her shoulders “… kiss…” you whispered, now that both your faces were inches away from each other.

You could feel her hesitant hot breath against your own lips that were parted ever so slightly, her eyes moving very quickly from your right eye, your left one and then your lips, creating some sort of triangle shape. Now that you were this close you felt your breath falter, heart hammering against your chest and you were so scared that it was going to come out of it if you didn’t calm down, however how could you? How could you calm down when Jenna was looking at you with nothing but love in her eyes? Her arms tightened their grip around your waist to bring you closer to her and only then you thought, oh how ethereal she looks. She looks like an angel, a goddess and any kind of positive affirmation you could come up with. “J-Jen…” you whispered nervously, you were really tense in her arms but she wasted no time in taking care of that when she leaned in to place her soft lips on yours. The beating of your heart only increases as you finally relaxed and gave in to the almost foreign feeling, everything else became background noises, eyes closing and your hand hesitantly moved from Jenna’s shoulder to her neck and then cheek reciprocating the kiss that felt so intense, yet so soft, and both foreign and familiar at the same time. You have no idea how long she has been wanting to do this for, and she hummed against your lips at the realization that this was finally happening. You could feel her smile against your lips and at some point you even moved forward for more.

Though when you pulled back from each other, as you saw her smile you felt… you felt scared. Scared that whatever happened with your ex could happen again. Scared she was going to hurt you, abandon you, talk bullshit about you and you didn’t want that, you couldn’t have that. If it happened again you would fall back into that depression Jenna found you in when you met again here in Romania, and in that case she would be the one that got you both out and back in it. You wanted her, you really wanted her. That’s what your heart kept telling you but your head wanted otherwise. This time you decided to follow your head, even if you knew that this would probably be the worst decision of your life. “I’m sorry I- I have to go” you said and pulled away from her embrace as you used the back of your sleeve to wipe the single tear that had rolled down your cheek “(Y/N) wait-“ Jenna called but you completely ignored her and ran to your trailer.

You considered yourself lucky, because the next day everyone would be flying back home to spend Christmas with their families and you really, really didn’t want to talk with Jenna, you were too scared. However that day she sent you lots of texts and called you multiple times, but you never replied to any of them. You even closed your trailer windows so she couldn’t come look inside and you had locked your door, but that didn’t prevent Jenna to come try and talk to you, and that’s exactly what she did. “(Y/N) why are you ignoring my calls?” She called softly, she sounded worried, but you were too scared to face her right now. “Look I don’t know what happened after that kiss that made you want to run away but really, I’m sorry and I want to help, please let me help” she begged and for a short moment you felt a soft noise, Jenna had laid her head against the door “I don’t want it to ruin anything. If you want we can forget it ever happened, what do you think?” No, you didn’t want to forget it, you wanted to do it again but you couldn’t. Oh how you wanted to just hold her and kiss her… however you said nothing. “Please…” it sounded more like a cry coming from her and once again you didn’t reply, and soon enough you heard her sigh and then walk away.

That same night, Jenna came again at your door, and you recognized that it was her just from the knocks, three like usual. “I bought you some food, it’ll be out here in a bag if you want it… there are also some plane tickets inside… if you ever want to come spend it with me and my family, I don’t want you to be alone here for Christmas so if you’re coming just text me okay? I lo-“ she stopped mid sentence. Please don’t say it, please don’t say it… “I’ll miss you for these two weeks” you sighed of relief. You did want to hear those words coming from her but on the other hand you knew that if you heard them, you would fall at her knees.

You didn’t have to hear those words.

On December 30 at midnight you took your first flight that would take you to Los Angeles. You had calculated how much it would take you to get there and if the flights were on time you would arrive at her house at 7.30 pm of December 31. You didn’t text her, deciding to make this a surprise… you had given up, you ended up following your heart as always. This time it felt different, Jenna was different. You knew she was the one and you couldn’t lose her.

Your second flight was late and you were freaking out. You needed to get to LA, get a bouquet of roses and get to her house in less than two hours or you wouldn’t make it to her house before midnight stroke, so for the first time in your life you decided to use your “famous person” privilege and get a private Jet, which was faster and comfier and at 11.50 pm you were in front of her door, the beautiful bouquet in your arms. There was music in the house, you knew she wouldn’t hear the bell ring, so you called her on the phone. “(Y/N)? How are you?” She asked, and you avoided her question “I’m here, open the door” Jenna went quiet, confusion all over your her face and her relatives questioned what it was about. “What do you mean?” “The door, dumbass” you giggled “I’m in front of your house and it’s freezing, just let me in” within seconds Jenna hung up the call and rushed to the door to open it.

As soon as she saw you, she gave you a bright smile and a confused look, then she saw the flowers, which you handed to her. “What’s the meaning of… this?” She said, gesturing to the flowers. “I didn’t like how our last talk ended… but it was my fault” you were definitely nervous but for now Jenna decided not to question that. “I wanted to end the year on a good note… and start the new year in an even better one” you said and took a step closer to her, she didn’t know what to say, she was just glad you were here.. and she definitely wasn’t expecting what was going to come next, because you pulled her in from her waist, (roles reversed from the first time you kissed) and a couple seconds before midnight stroke, you pulled her in for another kiss. This time it felt even better than the first one you had shared. In some ways it felt desperate, it even felt relaxed and soft. As one hand of yours stayed on her waist, the other one went to cup her cheek, caressing it with your thumb as fireworks started exploding around you, both literally and figuratively. The new year had just started and people were celebrating it with their loved ones and for the first time, you were doing the same.

You smiled in the kiss and when you both pulled back - still being only inches away from each other - you continued cupping her cheek, looking at her with love and lust in your eyes as you saw the colors of the fireworks reflect on her skin, and she looked at you the same way you looked at her.

“Happy new year, (Y/N)”

“Happy new year Jen”

A/N: WOAH this was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions, this was definitely my longest chapter posted and It’s probably the best chapter I’ve written so far 😭😭

Tags: @idkjustliving2 @tundra1029 @engenelxver @rainbow-love4ever @gimaximoff @smromanoff @wol-fica @lum13 @eviekensington @i984

[lizzyliz3]

I'm so pissed at my mom atm so I'm going to rant here

So this week has been so fucking busy not even funny like for 1 I never have class on Monday and last week my teacher told me to come in on Monday to meet someone and then I show up and the guy was not even there so now I need to come over next Monday on my besties birthday...

And the yesterday I had this thing and it was all morning long so I needed to wake up at 7am and I'm NOT a morning person

i need to wake up at 8:30 for school so 7am was pretty early for me

But it started at 9am until 1pm so I was tired after that and then my mom told me that a holiday that is on dec5 we are going to celebrate on dec3 bc it was just better for everyone coming so I had the thing from 9-1 and then we celebrating a holiday from 6/7pm - midnight (I did get to smoke weed and a cig without my mom making it a big deal so that was chill)

And then today a had class again starting at 12 so I got to sleep until 10am so that was chill but I was raining on my way to class and back and tomorrow I still have school like normal (Thankfully)

But after class I was freezing and wet bc of the rain (don't be gross) and still so fucking tired from yesterday so I was like fuck it I going tk lay in bed today idc if I fall asleep

I normally sit/ lay on thv couch I have I my room so I don't or less likely to fall asleep

But I ended up falling asleep for 3 hours and a few min after I woke up I heard my dad say "but it's dark in there room I don't want to wake them up if they are sleeping" and my mom then said "I don't fucking care if they are asleep she needs to sleep at night not now" and after my dad checked on my to wake me up I went to the bathroom and walked past my parents room and my mom started yelling at me for sleeping during the day

She was laying in bed her self I know for a 1000000% she has slept as well but it's okey if she does it bc is an adult and she has real stress 🙄

And now it's 9pm and I'm forced to eat dinner soooo FML

(btw I did not look over this after writing sooo sorry for spelling mistakes)

[kanmom51]

Good night interview Jimin

Ok then.

We saw JK's habits and preferences, now we have JM's too.

I can tell you there are many parallels going on there. Many similar or compatible habits and preferences.

So, let's get it.

JM sleeps shirtless, something we indeed witnessed, and prefers comfy pants with pockets to have his phone on him at all times.

Didn't JK tell us he too likes to sleep in comfy clothes, no pajamas?

JM - usually craves ramyeon before sleep.

Ah, that's why JK asked him if he wants some... now I get it. 😜 

JM sleeps with a super loud alarm (a song he sang with NJ)... unpleasant but effective. Unlike JK's I guess, lol.

JM scrolls his phone until he's tired enough to fall asleep.

Sounds familiar...

Do we mention yet again that was JK's most memorable moment from their trip to Japan???? I'd say there is more to it, but then, there is just so much you can say in a group interview...

Anyways, both seem to fall asleep right after using screens, one way or another. Did no one tell them that is exactly what might be keeping them up at night? Guys, screens off at least 30 min. before bed!!

If only I practiced what I preach...

JM tells us it takes him between 1-2 hours to 5-6 hours to fall asleep (JK told us that too...).

Well, heck, no wonder he can't fall asleep with JK's snoring right next to him.

Believe me when I tell you, trying to fall asleep with a heavy snoring person in bed with you is not an easy feat, lol.

Laughs aside, JK told us he also has issues falling asleep at times, thoughts running around in his head, including the day he had, if he was unhappy with something he did etc.. It's kind of funny how different those two can be all while being so similar to each other.

It's no coincidence this has become their moto...

More similarities:

Trying to sleep on their backs, but mostly failing to do so at the end, lol.

Hugging a pillow to sleep.

Do you see that big grin? We know exactly what pillow he hugs. A life size pig muscle pillow...

As for JK, I think we already established what he hugs at night...

Both have pretty dynamic dreams and seem to remember them too.

Both tend not to nap during the day.

In the sleep balance game we have them giving the same answer to the majority of the questions asked. 8 questions out of 10 to be exact.

Preferring sounds of nature before sleep.

Cozy and warm blanket.

JK was contemplating saying his body wants cool but he likes warm texture, so he then went with the cozy and warm.

Both prefer a plain and neat blanket design.

I guess that's why they do their bedding shopping together...

Although JM did say he will at times do an intense workout before sleep, just before bed he does basic stretching, same as JK.

JK is definitley not a reader, and his first instinct was to say neither, lol, but at the end out of the two he chose the novel, same as JM did (JM did say he would fall asleep reading both but if he had to read one it would be the novel) - so also both not book readers before sleep (well, JK not any other time of the day either, lol).

Both sleep with a blanket in summer, with the a/c on.

Both prefer heated mattress pad during winter over cozy fleece pants and socks.

Both prefer sound of waves over crickets, JK bothered by the sounds of crickets while JM likes both but the waves a bit more, telling us how when he went on a trip with friends or on a shoot he would listen to the sound of waves. The familiar sounds of home perhaps?

No doubt they are compatible. And the neoneun na naneun neo is no joke, not really. Like I said, two very different people but also so much alike.

As for the sleeping habits/preferences, must I remind that the two have been literally sleeping together since pretty much forever?

Hey, get out of your dirty minds.

They told us how when they all still slept together on one room, they used to take their blankets out to the lounge and sleep there on the floor together so they could wake up earlier than the others without bothering them to go practice. All very innocent.

We also have JM, back in May 2015 Sinchon fansign, telling us how JK hugs him to sleep, JK telling him he's weird, but not denying one bit.

Cr./In-Orbit.

So I guess they've had lots of practice.

[charitytitter]

Relapse, back to normal

Alright, so, this is going to be the last post of a personal nature. Recap: I am an adult with BiPolar. I am considered high-functioning enough that I have gone for long stretches without treatment (eg. no medication... but I still see a psychiatrist regularly). A number of weeks ago, I accepted a job, doing something completely outside of my wheelhouse. After two weeks of training, it became clear to me, that I did not have the mental nor emotional fortitude to handle this new role, and also maintain my mental health... at least not without treatment. So I spoke with my Psych about medication, and got started on it. Within 24 hours of starting the medication I had a Manic Episode, the likes of which I had never experienced. On top of the Manic episode, I also began experiencing aggressive heart palpitations (it was not an anxiety/panic attack, I have had enough panic/anxiety attacks in my life to know the differences... and when I eventually landed in the hospital, the EKG/ECG proved the heart anomalies were very real). Amidst the Physical and Mental breakdown, I had to resign from the job. Between the stress of the job, and the bad reaction to the meds... I had not slept for 7 days, and physically I could not even drive myself to the Doctor. It was during the stress and mental uncertainty of this scenario that I made a decision to de-porn my life. (I also made a decision to reconnect with my estranged father, a decision which, while impulsive, turned out very well, and I am very happy that I reached out to him). In hindsight. I view a lot of the decisions that I made, to be impulsive, and not from a place of mental clarity. I was essentially operating under a medication induced mental duress. Once I was taken off the medication, everything began to improve and go back to normal. I can sleep 6-8 hours a night again, the heart palpitations have stopped, I can drive, I can think straight, and my sex-drive has returned. I realize that the judgments I was casting upon myself were, not only coming from the fog of bad medication + lack of sleep, but they were judgments that were not my own, judgments projected onto me from past partners, and from an unaccepting society. Pornstars are people. Sex work is real work. Erotic art, is real art too. Some people end their day by cuddling and having sex with a partner. Some people read a book. Some people play videogames until they fall asleep at their desk. Some people drink a 6-pack of beer every night, or an entire bottle of wine. Some people binge watch TV until they fall asleep. I used to invite my girlfriend over for (mutual); cuddles, backrubs, scalp massages, sex, and TV watching... and that was enough to put me to sleep. Then I got dumped... Now I wind-down by watching paid porn actors, act-out some of the intimate things I used to do with my partner while I vape weed and reminisce about how nice it was to be in a relationship. No matter how shitty a day I've had. It's the one thing I can do at the end of the day, that consistently relaxes me and puts me in a position to get a good night's sleep. Is it ideal? Of course not. Ideal, for me, would be falling asleep next to a partner. But I don't have a partner. And until I do. Who am I, or anyone else, to pass judgement upon the coping mechanism that I am employing to get me through the night? I am thankful that my sex-drive came back. I am thankful that my coping mechanism hurts no one. I am hopeful that someday I will find a partner that accepts me for who I am, perceived flaws & all. Loves me when I'm at my best, and when I'm at my worst. Until I do, I will cope.

[girasollake]

GIRASOLLAKE’s WRITING EVENT ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

the event is over now!

❁ hi yall!! i’m doing this event to get creative and write some stuff since i haven’t written in like… forever

❁ basically i’m gonna be opening my requests until the 1st of september and you pick a character from this list (please also read these rules), a trope and a prompt from the lists below:)

❁ feel free to add smth from yourself that you’d like me to include in the one-shot and i’ll try my best to take it into consideration while writing!!

❁ if the request will be very similar to smth i have already written then i’ll probably won’t write it

❁ have fun!!<333

TROPES:

1. one bed

2. friends to lovers

3. enemies to lovers

4. lovers to strangers

5. forbidden romance

6. secret relationship

7. fake dating

8. jealousy

9. sibling’s best friend

10. best friend’s sibling

11. academic rivalry

12. unrequited love

13. childhood besties to lovers

14. mutual pining

15. exes to lovers

16. neighbours to lovers

PROMPTS:

1. "is this okay?" "it's more than okay."

2. their breath hitching whenever the other gets a little closer

3. playing with their hair until they fall asleep

4. holding them close and noticing the smell of their shampoo in their hair

5. annoying any other surrounding friends/teammates with their consistent arguing

6. "you left me! don't you realize i could have died?!" "that was the plan!"

7. not being able to say anything when watching the other get flirted with

8. "if we get caught, i'm blaming you."

9. "i'm sorry did you just say that this is fun?" "yeah, kinda."

10. returning each other's belongings, not wanting to be reminded of the other's existence

11. "why do you seem upset?" "why the hell do you think..."

12. leaving love bites on them

13. confessing their love when the other falls asleep

14. small gestures that mean a lot (ex. buying a fav candy)

15. (them buying a present) „it reminded me of you.”

16. “when was the last time you slept?”

17. you lay a hand on them one more time and i’ll take it clean off of you.”

18. waking up to them cooking breakfast for you

19. eye contact w/ sexual tension

20. subtle touches w/ sexual tension

21. just lots of *ekhm* sexual tension

22. stuck together in a room while being enemies

23. “please, for the love of god, shut up for once.” “why don’t you come over here and make me?”

24. kissing to shut them up

25. “you make me smile ... and also super horny, but that’s not the point. “

26. "come here, say it again"

27. back hugs.

28. when they wipe the corner of your mouth with their thumb

29. getting pinned against a wall

30. “oh, them? i don’t like them.” (they do). 

31. "what.. are we now?"

32. “wait- what if someone sees?!”

33. "I'm right here; I won't leave your side. Go back to sleep, darling."

34. praying that they don't notice their heart racing as they give them a hug

35. grabbing onto their partner's hand to establish their relationship

36. tracing over their scars

37. hugging and absentmindedly kissing their neck, resulting in mortification for one of them

38. telling them they deserve better (and silently wanting to be the one who gives it to them)

39. “this is the part where you’re meant to kiss me.”

40. "yeah no, 'sorry' isn't going to cut it this time."

41. being their server and getting flustered over how attractive they are

42. they forget something important

43. "how can something beautiful as love make one so unhappy?"

44. first kiss

45. first i love you’s…

46. first time

47. sharing an umbrella!!

48. "you. are. mine."

49. "what? no visicous insult about my clothes or hair? nothing?"

50. "my love language is bullying people." "you bully me. a lot." "..."

51. "are you okay?" "i'm convincing myself that I'm not in love with X."

52. "how come your so quiet?" "i don't really feel the need to talk. i like just... being around you."

53. "why can't we stay like this forever?" "who says we can't?"

54. "you drive me fucking crazy."

55. "please stay."

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

prompts are mostly by @novelbear and @parker-fics

probably a few others but i forgot the @ cuz i forgot to write them down, pls forgive me:’)

[ironychan]

A Little Human (as a Treat)

Part 1/? - Un Voluntario

Part 2/? - Un Escursione

Part 3/? - Una Complicazione

Part 4/? - Una Famiglia

Part 5/? - Una Aiutante

Part 6/? - Una Ricerca

Part 7/? - Un Confronto

Part 8/? - Un'Emergenza

Part 9/? - Una Speranza

Part 10/? - Una Sera

Part 11/? - Un'Interruzione

Part 12/? - Una Fuga (Prima Parte)

Part 13/? - Una Fuga (Seconda Parte)

@dysphoria-sweatshirt @writer652 The squid is a Dana Octopus Squid, chosen because they're large, their range includes the Mediterranean, and they're really freaky.

Much like Flavia, Luca was already falling asleep as he walked back into the ocean. He could see that Alberto and Giulia were also yawning, and he expected they would return to his house, curl up among the seaweed, and drop off right away. Tomorrow would hopefully be less exciting.

As they crossed the moonlit seagrass fields, however, he started to realize that there were an awful lot of people out and about at this time of night. He could see sea monsters with glowing jellyfish lanterns beating at the seaweed and looking under corals as if to flush out a shark. That thought gave him a momentary rush of adrenaline, but it wasn't enough to really wake him up again. A rogue shark was bad, but it was something the adults could deal with while he slept.

At least, that was the way it seemed until Atinnia Trota swam frantically up to them.

“Oh, thank goodness you're all right!” she exclaimed. “I stopped in at your house and when I saw nobody was there I feared the worst.” Signora Trota turned to Arturo, who was following behind her – he looked almost as tired as Luca felt. “Go tell the Aragostas I've found the Paguros and they're all right.”

“Yes, Mom,” said Arturo, rubbing one eye. He headed off to do so.

“What's going on?” asked Lorenzo.

“You haven't heard?” Signora Trota asked. “There's a squid!”

Daniela grabbed Luca and pulled him close. “Another one?”

Now Luca's heart beat a little faster. He'd only been three or four years old when the community had their encounter with a giant squid, and he didn't remember anything from the time, but he'd heard the stories. It had helped itself to everybody's livestock, culminating it tearing the roof off Old Man Cormorano's barn to get at his groupers. Terzo Cormorano himself had been nearly killed, and was supposed to have had nightmares for the rest of his life.

“Not a giant squid proper,” said Atinnia. “It's half the size of that one, but that's plenty big enough. We were afraid it had eaten you all, and you know they eat things alive!”

Daniela's eyes went wide. “You said there was nobody home?” she asked.

Signora Trota nodded, and without a word Daniela let go of her son and darted off.

Still tired, it took Luca a moment to realize what had upset his mother. Then suddenly he was wide awake. “Grandma!” he exclaimed, and followed his mother. Lorenzo, Alberto, and Giulia were close behind.

They arrived at the house to find all the jellyfish glowing, and Daniela was at the table with Nonna Libera, who was thankfully just fine. She was merely a sound sleeper, and hadn't even heard the neighbours calling out to her.

“Honestly, Mom,” Daniela said. “What did you used to do when I was a baby and cried at night?”

“Your father handled it, dear,” Nonna Libera replied, looking up as the three children entered the house. “I think tonight would be a good night for you three to go sleep up top.”

“Oh, yes, definitely!” Daniela agreed. “Luca, you and your friends go right back to town, now. Your father and I will help hunt down the squid, and you can come back when it's safe. Mom, you go with them.”

“Wait,” Luca protested. He was starting to wake up a little more now, although his eyes still itched. “What about Ciccio? His Dad said he didn't know where he was staying.” If Ciccio had gotten hurt because they'd talked him into doing this today, Luca would never forgive himself.

“I'm sure he's fine,” said Daniela, “but that's not our problem right now.”

“But...”

“No, Luca. Go to the surface.” Daniela patted him on the head. “Now, look me in the eye...”

“I know you love me, Mom,” sighed Luca.

“That's my boy!”

“Come on, Luca,” said Giulia. She was worried, too, but the odds that Ciccio would be attacked by the squid were slim, surely. “We can camp out in the treehouse. That's always fun.”

“I'll go with them,” Lorenzo said.

Heading back to shore was a very different journey than going out to the house had been. Luca was still tired, but he was now far too terrified to nod off. Every shadow, every glint of moonlight flickering across the bottom, and every fish flitting through the weeds made him jump. He, Alberto, and Giulia stayed close as his father led the way and Grandma brought up the year.

“Do squid really eat things alive?” Alberto asked.

“They sure do,” said Giulia, and Luca nodded. Squid wrapped their catches up in their tentacles and then ripped chunks out of them with a sharp beak. Luca himself had never been bitten by one, but Cosimo Pianuzza had. The older boy had a wedge missing out of the fin on the back of his right arm, and that had been only a tiny squid. A giant one, or even one that was merely big, didn't bear thinking about.

“How do you catch a giant squid?” Giulia asked Lorenzo. “When Papà wants to catch the little ones he's got special lures with lots of hooks.”

“I wasn't there, but I think they got its arms all tangled in a net,” Lorenzo replied. “If even one tentacle is free, it can still attack you, and...”

“Hello! Lorenzo!” a voice called out. “I'm so glad you're all right!”

“Oh! Hello, Vittoria,” said Lorenzo, waving to Signora Aragosta. “Yes, we're fine. I'm just taking the kids and my mother-in-law up to the town. No squid up there.”

Signora Aragosta must not have thought of that. She was startled by the idea, but it was an illustration of how much the community's attitudes towards humans had changed that, after a moment's thought, she said, “would you take my twins too? I think the older girls can hold their own, but Gianna and Giola are so small.”

“Of course,” said Lorenzo.

“I'll be right back,” the neighbour promised.

“No, we'll go with you,” Lorenzo decided. “We don't want to just float around out here waiting for the squid to find us.” He began to follow.

“I'll only take a moment,” Signora Aragosta promised. “The last time anyone saw the quid it was over and the old Cor... I mean, at the Donzella's place.”

That got the children's attention. “That's where Ciccio said he was going!” Alberto remembered.

“Are their guests okay, Signora Aragosta?” Luca asked.

“I don't know anything about them having guests,” Signora Aragosta replied, “but I'll bet Silvestro and Giorgia are re-thinking their plan to move there if the place attracts giant squid.”

“Come on!” Luca said to his friends, and took off towards the Donzella home. Alberto and Giulia were right behind him, while Luca's father shouted for them to stop.

“Get your tail back here, young man!” he called out. “Your mother told me to take you somewhere safe... you can't go towards the squid! Come back!” He swam after them.

Signora Aragosta didn't know what to do about this. She looked at Nonna Libera, who smiled gently and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Let's go get your girls,” she said. “I'll take them up to your aunts' place.”

“Thank you, Signora Gambero,” Vittoria replied.

Luca shot across the fields like a sailfish on the hunt. He would be in trouble when his mother found out, but that didn't matter. They had to make sure Ciccio was okay. They'd gotten him into this – if he got hurt, it would be their fault. More important yet, the book of magic said that both parties had to be present in order to switch back. If they couldn't find Ciccio, Flavia would be stuck out of the water instead of stuck in it.

He was gasping for oxygen as he arrived at the Donzella's house, and felt a little sick as he surveyed a scene of considerable chaos. The row of kelp behind the house was shredded and partially uprooted. The barn, which had been recently repaired, had lost its roof a second time and one wall had partially collapsed. There was no sign of a squid, but there was also no sign of Ciccio.

Signora Donzella was swimming back and forth between the barn and the house in an indecisive panic, while her husband sat quietly on the rubble of the barn, staring into the distance. A half-dozen neighbours were gathered around, trying to comfort or clean up, while others swam the perimeter looking for the marauding cephalopod.

“Signor Donzella!” Luca approached the community blacksmith. “What happened?”

It seemed to take Signor Donzella a moment to realize Luca was there. “I'm sorry,” he said, “what did you say?”

“What happened here?” Luca repeated. “Where's Ciccio?”

“We woke up when we heard the boys shouting,” said Donzella. “We saw the roof cave in and the squid swim out of the mess, and then it was gone.”

“The boys?” asked Giulia. “More than one?”

“Yeah. Silvio, Ciccio, and Ciccio's friend.”

“Which friend?” Alberto asked. They only friend they'd known that Ciccio would have had with him was Giordana, but she was definitely not a boy and nobody was likely to mistake her for one.

“I don't remember his name. The babysitter. The boy with the whiskers,” said Donzella.

Luca looked to see if either of his friends had any idea who that might be. Neither of them did. The only boy with whiskers who they associated with Ciccio was Ercole, but they didn't hang out any more. Even if they had, it wouldn't have been possible for Ercole to be down here... and he wouldn't have been babysitting young sea monsters under any circumstances.

Giorgia Donzella came darting over. “Your friends came to us looking for a place to stay the night,” she explained. “The one with the prickles said he'd had a fight with his father. Silvio was going to keep them company sleeping in the barn. He volunteered.” She was lacing and unlacing her fingers and playing with her fins, distracted and helpless.

“When we got outside, we found this,” her husband added. He gestured to the wreckage of the barn. People had been taking it apart, looking for anyone trapped in the ruins, but they had found nothing.

“They must have escaped,” Luca said hopefully. “We can help look for them.” As tired as he might be, this was clearly something that needed doing.

“Oh, no, you don't, young man!” said Lorenzo, panting as he finally made it to the group. “You three are getting out of the water, remember?”

From the row of damaged kelp, a teenage boy called out. “Signor Donzella! We're done checking the sponge beds, they're not there, and they're not at the Haunted Fish Graveyard! Mom and Dad are still going through the Kelp Forest.”

Giorgia nodded. “Thank you, Basilio!” she replied. “Oh... I hate just waiting here. We should be doing something... our son is out there somewhere.”

“No. We need to stay in case they come back,” Donzella told her. “If Silvio arrives and finds us gone it'll be him panicking.”

Giorgia nodded, and then perked up. “Wait! I bet they went to the forge!” she said. “Silvio knows that we stayed in the forge with his egg before, because giant squid don't like hot water!” Her face then turned from hope to horror. “This is a different type of squid, though! That's what people are saying. What if it doesn't mind the heat? I'm going!” She turned and swam off.

“Giorgia!” Signor Donzella rose from his seat to go after her. “Wait! What did I just tell you?” He sped after her.

Lorenzo tried to herd the young people back towards the shore. “Come on,” he said, “we're doing what your mother said, remember? We're going to dry land where the squid can't find you.”

“Yes,” said Alberto, “we are!”

“We are?” asked Giulia, startled. She'd expected Alberto and particularly Luca to insist on staying and helping to search for Ciccio and Silvio.

“Yeah, I have an idea,” Alberto told her. “I've seen your squid lures. We're going to the Island.”

“Daniela said to take you to the town!” Lorenzo protested.

“The Island will have to do,” Alberto told him.

-

Twenty minutes earlier, Silvio had told his guests that they needed to get to the forge, but there wasn't going to be time. The squid was remarkably fast for such a large creature, and by the time Silvio finished speaking, it was almost on top of them. Ciccio swam up again, while Silvio dived through the bar door past Ercole and slammed it shut. The squid collided with the doors, but the door was one Signor Donzella had made out of a section cut from a ship hull, choosing the solid metal specifically to keep such dangerous creatures out. Silvio had just barely had time to slide the bolt into place, and while the door shook, it held.

The door was not the only way into the barn, though. There were also a couple of windows. These were quite small, and for a moment Ciccio was reassured that the squid would not possibly fit – but its boneless body was almost infinitely malleable. The only hard part of it was its beak, which was easily small enough to get through. The water temperature seemed to drop almost to freezing as the rest of the animal squished and squeezed to get through.

Ciccio knew he had to do something. He could see where the fresh stones had been added to the roof just that day. How fast did barnacle glue set? Could he get one free to let Silvio and Ercole escape? He went to the base of the repaired area, grabbed the edge of a particular stone, and with his feet braced against the older wall below, pulled with all his might.

The stone shifted, but did not come free. Ciccio looked around for a tool and found the broken shaft of Silvio's pitchfork. He stuck that into the gap he'd made, and pried. This time, he managed to lever the piece to the side. The big stone didn't come out, but a dozen smaller ones that had been sitting on top of it were jostled enough to drop into the interior of the barn.

There was a startled shout, and for a moment Ciccio worried he'd buried Silvio and Ercole. Then they wriggled out the hole, panting and covered in scrapes, but alive and whole. For a moment, all three boys hovered there in the water, staring at the hole in the roof as a few more stones dropped out of the edges of the hole and vanished into the darkness. Had the squid been buried? Was it dead?

“Mom and Dad are gonna be...” Silvio began.

His voice was drowned out by the sound of the rest of the roof collapsing, and then the squid rose out of the billowing silt like a monster emerging from the crater of a smoking volcano. The light at the end of its tentacle was now blinking with regular, brilliant pulsations like a heartbeat, but with an odd quiver underneath them, giving the impression that the animal was shaking with rage. It only had one tentacle with a bulb at the end, Ciccio managed to notice. Was it injured? Had it come here into the shallows searching for easier prey?

Then Silvio grabbed his hand and shouted at him, and he managed to take in the fact that this creature was rising towards him, furious and hungry.

“This way!” Silvio shouted, and took off, leading the way into darker water.

“What about your parents?” Ciccio panted, as he and Ercole followed as fast as they could.

“They'll be fine!” said Silvio.

He might have been right, because the squid was determined to follow them. Ercole, not a good swimmer, was now having trouble keeping up. He could go forward, but he hadn't quite mastered steering at high speed and kept having to correct as he drifted to one side or the other. Ciccio grabbed him by the back of his shirt to drag him along.

Silvio led the way into a shallow trench that kept getting deeper and deeper – the ravine where the sea monsters set their eel traps. It would have been a creepy place on an ordinary night, with the glowing algae lighting it up just enough to make out the shapes of weird corals and many-legged crustaceans lurking in the cracks. With the flashing of the squid's single bright tentacle close behind them, it was terrifying. Dark shapes and black-edged shadows appeared and vanished out of nowhere, and Ercole kept yelping and whimpering every time.

“Shut up!” Ciccio told him. “Shut up!”

Ercole was not listening.

Ciccio had of course never been to the forge, and he had kind of wondered what such a place could look like underwater. He'd never been a decent mental picture of it from any of Arturo's mentions, and since Ciccio was usually wanting Arturo to go away so he and Giordana could spend time together uninterrupted, he'd never asked for one. It turned out to be very deep in the trench, where the walls were at least fifty metres high – looking very far away and ominous when silhouetted against the blue glow of the algae. The water was warmer here, and continued to heat up as Silvio led the way, until they found themselves outside a structure built of piled-up boulders.

Unlike the sea monster houses, where the stones were glued tightly together to keep out the currents, these had been chosen and piled in such a way as to leave wide gaps between them so that light and water could enter the forge – and the heat could leave. The centrepiece of the space was a chimney belching out dark, hot water from a point halfway up the wall of the gorge. This billowed up into a chimney of close-packed stones that directed it up and away.

“It won't come in there!” Silvio declared.

Silvio slipped easily through one of the openings. So did Ercole. Ciccio had more trouble. He was a lot wider than the other two, and some of the openings were not going to admit him. There had to be bigger ones somewhere, though, because Signor Donzella himself was much bigger, and he must be able to get in. Ciccio passed by several that were too narrow, and then found one that looked right. Silvio and Ercole took his hands and helped him through, then dragged him over to the far wall, the hottest place in the forge.

It was a deeply uncomfortable place to be. The water shimmered a little as it flowed up, and there was a smothering feeling that Ciccio didn't know the cause of. Had Luca been there, he could have given the answer, as it was another thing he'd learned in a book: hot water couldn't hold as much oxygen as cold. It made breathing hard work, and when Ciccio looked at his companions, he saw their gills flexing hard to get the water through them.

There was more light inside the forge than out. All around the chimney was a faintly bioluminescent slime that fed on the minerals in the outflow. Higher up, the softly glowing jellyfish sea monsters kept in their houses were also shedding a faint pink light. The boys were not able to make much use of this light, however, as it was entirely drowned by the angry strobe-like flashing of the squid's photophore outside. This flicked on and off with the regularity of a lighthouse, coming from a different place each time as the squid investigated the openings.

“What do we do if it comes in?” Ercole whispered.

“It won't,” said Silvio, but his confidence was a little shaky. “Anyway, we must've woke Mom and Dad up. They'll get help.”

“Will they? I've heard that some fish eat their young,” Ercole said.

“That's fish! Not people!” Silvio scolded him.

The squid flashed again, this time revealing several tentacles feeling around the rocks, testing the opening Ciccio had come through.

It was no good, Ciccio realized. Maybe this was a different kind of squid, or maybe it was just that desperate, because it wasn't going to let the hot water stop it. It found an opening it liked, and started squeezing through.

“Down the bottom!” Silvio ordered.

They swam down to the bottom of the forge chamber. The water was cooler here, which was a relief, but there was also an opening to a smaller cavern. This was lined with more glowing algae, and divided within into several rooms. Ciccio dimly remembered being told that the Donzella family had used to live here at the forge, but Giorgia hadn't liked how far it was from any neighbours. This must be their old house. It had several windows bigger than the ones back at the barn, but unlike those, they had thick metal shutters on them. Silvio darted inside, and began banging these shut.

Ercole went after him and dived under the overhanging shelf of stone the family had used as a kitchen counter, where he curled up with his hands over his head and his tail wrapped around himself. Ciccio came last and turned to shut the front door, which he assumed would also be made of salvaged metal.

There was no front door. The rocks showed rust staining where hinges had once been attached, but now there was only the yawning opening.

“Silvio!” he said. “There's no door!”

“What?” Silvio looked, and even in the wan greenish light of the luminescent algae, Ciccio could have sworn he saw the boy go pale. “Dad took it out to put on the new barn! I forgot!”

Flashes outside told them the squid was coming, and now they were cornered. Ciccio's stomach turned inside-out. For a moment he was frozen, unable to even think for fear.

Then, suddenly, he knew exactly what to do.

He had no idea where the urge came from, but he swam back into the opening, turned his back to the outside, and started sucking in water. It was like taking a deep breath, only instead of letting it back out again, he just inhaled more, and more, and more. His skin began to feel tight, and the waistband of his shorts cut into him until it became painful. Within a few seconds, he felt the button pop and the seams begin to stretch.

It belatedly occurred to him that maybe this hadn't been a good idea, but by then he couldn't stop. He swelled up until he filled the entire doorway, and then the fit got tighter and tighter. The stitches tore on his shorts. When he opened his eyes, he saw Ercole and Silvio staring at him and hanging on to each other in terror. A moment later, he was forced to close them again as his face, too, began to swell.

Ciccio had the poison spines of a pufferfish. Apparently he could also do this.

Finally, he reached a limit. He was well and truly wedged in the doorway now, incapable of moving even if he'd tried. With his eyes closed tight, he had to rely on hearing to tell what was going on around him.

There was plenty to hear and most of it was Ercole, wailing in terror. “I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Especially not as a sea monster!”

“Shut up!” hissed Silvio.

“It's going to eat us! There won't even be bones!”

“Shut up! It'll hear you!

“I wanna go home! I wanna... OW! Did you just bite me?”

“Yes! Now be quiet.”

It was too late, though. Moments later, Ciccio felt the questing tentacles. They wound around a couple of the sponges still on his spines and pulled them off, then retracted, not wanting to get pricked. Then the squid started feeling along the edges of the doorway, hoping to find a gap or perhaps a protruding limb so it could pull Ciccio out. He gritted his teeth, hoping it didn't find anything – and hoping it wouldn't actually prick itself on a spine, because he didn't want to know what that would do.

After what seemed like way too long, the tentacles retreated. Was the squid leaving, or was it only considering its next move.

“Ohhh, that's weird,” whispered Silvio.

“What's weird?” Ciccio asked through clenched teeth.

“We can see your bones when the light comes through.”

A few more moments crawled by in silence, and then Ciccio heard the rattle of metal on stone. Ercole let out another wail of despair as the squid moved along the row of windows, trying them one by one.

“Dad put the shutters in just in case we ever got another squid,” Silvio said quietly. “I hope they hold.”

“If won't matter if they hold if Ciccio can't,” Ercole said. “Ciccio – how long do you think you can stay... allora... inflated?”

“I don't know,” Ciccio replied. He was already finding it tiring and it was starting to be painful. He hoped it would be long enough.

Suddenly, the rattling stopped. Ciccio felt something brush against his over-stretched skin, and would have shuddered if he hadn't been wedged in far too tight to move. He started hearing what sounded like distant voices. Could this be a rescue?

-

Having gathered the stuff they'd need to carry out Alberto's idea, the kids plunged back into the water over the continued protests of Luca's father. They left Nonna Libera sitting on the beach with the two Aragosta girls, one under each arm. Luca at once set out for the forge, hoping Signora Donzella had been right about Silvio wanting to go there.

Signs were good. Halfway there, they ran into Signor Pianuzza, carrying his daughter.

“Don't go that way!” he called to them. “The squid is in the ravine! Vittoria told me she'd sent the girls up to Alberto's Island to keep them safe – I'm heading up there with Alessia.”

“It's okay!” Luca said, “we're going to catch it!”

By the time they arrived at the forge, there were at least a dozen people there ahead of them. Most of these were gathered around outside the big forge cavern, watching or throwing objects. It was uncomfortably reminiscent of the crowd that had been following the kids through San Giuseppe mere hours ago. That gave Luca a moment of pause, but he reminded himself that he and his friends hadn't gone to that town to hurt anybody. The squid had tried to hurt people already.

“Stay back!” one of the adults told them. “It's in there!”

Luca went and looked inside anyway.

It was difficult to see what was going on inside. The squid's single large photophore was flashing like a strobe, making things seem to move in jerks. There were three people Luca could see, and he managed to make out that one was Signor Donzella, the second was Niccolò Branzino, and the third Luca's own mother Daniela. The two men were holding sharpened spears, while Daniela had a harpoon Massimo must have given her. They were circling the squid, jabbing at it and then darting out of the way of the tentacles.

“Mom!” Luca shouted out.

“Luca?” she looked up in horror and surprise. “I told you to go to the town!”

“We've got something to catch it!” Luca replied. He moved aside, and let his friends bring up the item they'd hastily put together on the Island. Using Alberto's extensive collection of Human Stuff, they'd made a Christmas-tree-shaped cluster of ropes, cords, and nets with a fishhook on the end of each – a giant squid hook. Now, they just needed to get the squid to attack it.

Right now its attention was elsewhere. When it realized Daniela was distracted, it wrapped a tentacle around her ankle. She cried out, and the two men hurried to help her. Daniela jabbed the harpoon at the only part of the squid she could see for sure in the flashing – the bright bulb on the end of its tentacle. The sharp point pierced it, and glowing goo burst out into the water, coating everything and suddenly making the inside of the forge very visible.

Tools and half-finished objects had been scattered around, and part of the chimney that produced the hot water had collapsed so that the vent was now spewing out into the room rather than up towards the surface. Stones had fallen to land in a pile around the cave where the Donzella family had used to live. The windows there were shuttered, and the door was blocked up by something with long spines, like a giant urchin. Were Silvio and Ciccio hiding in there?

Alberto and Giulia helped Luca thread their giant squid lure through one of the openings and let it dangle, and then called out to the three adults still fighting the creature.

“Up here!” Alberto shouted. “Lead it up here!”

“This way! Careful of the hooks!” Giulia agreed.

By the glow in the water the three adults could see them waving, but did not understand the strange construction they were gathered around – except for Daniela, who had spent enough time in the Marcovaldo house to recognize it at once. She turned and swam for the opening, darting around the dangling hooks. The squid, furious and in pain from its burst photophore, gave chase. Signor Donzella and Niccolò followed it on either side to herd it towards the lure if it got distracted.

Daniela wiggled out, and the squid reached for her, only to get a tentacle caught on one of the many hooks. It reached with another to free the first, and the second arm caught, then a third. Daniela joined the kids in jiggling the ropes to get more hooks moving. Before long the squid's arms were hopelessly tangled, but it could still swim by squirting water out of its siphon. When it realized it would soon be helpless, it released a cloud of gooey ink and then took off into the bottom of the trench. Daniela and Luca had to let go of the ropes in a hurry so they wouldn't be dragged along with it.

It took a minute or two for the ink to disperse, but eventually the moonlight started coming through. Giulia and Daniela had gotten the worst of the blast, and both were covered with dark stains. Daniela's hands and arms were also splotched with phosphorescence. She tried to wipe some of it away on her clothes, but soon gave up and gathered all three kids in for a hug.

“You brave, amazing, brilliant... I am so proud of you, and if I had my way you'd all be grounded for a season! Why don't you do what you're told?”

“It was Alberto's idea,” said Luca.

“Wait'll I tell Uncle Massimo I helped catch a giant squid!” Alberto grinned.

Daniela shook his head. “Young man, I hope your uncle...”

“Get out of the way!” Giorgia Donzella interrupted. She pushed past the group, and she and her husband entered the forge and began calling out. “Silvio!”

“Junior! Where are you?”

“We're down here!” came Silvio's muffled voice. “We're okay!”

The Donzellas went down to get their son, while Luca wriggled out of his mother's grasp. “Is Ciccio with you?” he asked.

“Yeah, he's fine,” Silvio said. “At least... I think he's fine.”

That didn't sound good. Luca and his friends followed the Donzellas to see.

[mazegays]

could've followed my fears all the way down

Chapter 12

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

He’s kept away from the medical cabin—everyone is, except for Frypan and a few other cooks, who bring them food—until Anya says they’re awake.

Thomas hasn’t slept well in a week, at least. He keeps thinking about what he could have done to stop this from happening.

“Gally has two breaks in his femur and a moderate concussion. Minho’s got a cracked rib and a moderate concussion. They’ve both got deep bruising along their spines where the tree landed, but so far no nerve damage is showing.” Anya tells him, looking exhausted herself. “They’ll be fine with time and rest. You can see them, but not for too long.”

They’re hardly awake, but that’s okay. Just seeing them makes it easier to believe that they’ll be okay. 

He still thinks that he should have been able to do something.

Sonya comes to kick him out on Harriet’s behalf.

“Go and sleep. You can come back and maybe actually talk to them in the morning.”

It’s still not the same as sleeping with someone in the same room, in the same bed. Thomas didn’t realize how much he was depending on that to sleep until it was gone; until he didn’t even have the option of sharing with someone.

They’ll be better soon.

finish on ao3 or continue reading

For the next week, Thomas spends his mornings with Gally and Minho.

“Thomas, you didn’t get hurt, did you?” Minho sits up when he sees him, wincing.

“No, I’m fine.” A few cuts and bruises from branches, but nothing like what they had. “Lay back down, Minho, you’re not supposed to be moving much.”

“It’s weird being the one in the bed.” Gally mutters, maybe thinking Thomas wouldn’t hear him.

“What else are you doing today, Thomas?” Minho ignores him.

Thomas doesn’t have a good answer for that. He knows he won’t be allowed to stay here all day, but he hasn’t thought about what he’s going to do when he’s not here.

“No, you don’t need to sit with us all day. We’re probably going to sleep most of it anyway. Go work in the greenhouse, or with Frypan.”

“I will, I will.” Thomas says. “Anya will kick me out at some point anyway. But I’m visiting for as long as you’ll let me every morning.”

“Sounds good.” Thomas wants to mention what they said, but Gally’s halfway to sleeping again.

He also doesn’t know what to say. He’s been turning it over in his head for days, but it’s not something he’s thought about. Sure, Minho had said he loved him in Denver, but Thomas has never been sure how sincere that was.

Surviving had seemed more important than thinking about the butterflies it gave him, anyway.

Thomas tells them about the trees they’re planting, that Jorge’s group came back with the generator, and Frypan’s new… experiments in the kitchen.

He avoids the topic of the forest altogether because now that he has the chance to say something, he doesn’t know what to tell them. 

Sonya and Harriet make this look so easy. If he thought it’d do him any good, he’d go ask them how they do it.

(He thinks they know anyway; they’re constantly dropping ‘subtle’ hints and trying to help him.)

Gally and Minho don’t bring it up either, so he doesn’t know what they think about it.

He’ll wait. He’ll wait, until they bring it up again, say it again, or until he figures out what’s going on in his brain with this.

As soon as he’s cleared, Minho insists on running with Thomas. Gally’s still got a week before he’s going to be allowed out, with his leg broken, so they go before he wakes up in the mornings.

They still haven’t talked, but Thomas thinks it can wait until one of them isn’t falling asleep mid-conversation. 

He’s just glad they’re both going to be okay. He and Minho have rarely been separated for more than a few days before, and Gally’s bed still feels too big without him there.

After a few days, Minho drags him to the woods to run.

“Think about it, Thomas. The Maze was stone, we’ve been sticking to the safe ground here. It’ll be fun to run somewhere different.”

Minho tries to play it off as excitement, but he’s been avoiding the woods at all costs.

Thomas doesn’t blame him.

“Let’s go.”

They’ve both walked the woods plenty of times, but there are still roots and rocks to trip them up as they run.

They come back bruised and exhausted that first morning. When Gally sees them, he doesn’t let them near him until they’ve cleaned up.

“It’s not that bad, Gally.” Thomas says. And if sometimes he presses against the bruises to make them last longer, well, no one needs to know that.

One day, Thomas manages to trip in just the right spot to cut his cheek open and bruise his eye. 

Minho laughs at him the whole way back.

“Seriously, Thomas, how do you keep getting the worst ones?” He leans into Minho’s side as they walk back— he doesn’t really need to, but it’s nice.

Sonya rolls her eyes at them when she sees them. “You two, I swear. Worse than Harriet and I were.”

“We weren’t that bad, babe.”

“We really were. We used to partner up to run and then make out instead. We didn’t fool anyone.”

Anya rolls her eyes when she sees them.

“Why do you keep running in places you get hurt?”

“Well, it’s mostly Thomas getting hurt.” Minho jokes, nudging Thomas lightly.

“And your ribs have been perfectly fine with all this running?”

“Yeah, mostly. A few twinges here and there, but we’re not going full-speed and Thomas is good at knowing when to slow us down.”

He is?

He’s been paying attention to when Minho winces, but he hadn’t realized he’d been changing pace because of it.

“Go rest. No more than a slow jog for you for the rest of the week.” Anya herds Minho into the medical cabin. “And Thomas, you’ll be fine. Maybe watch your own step a little more, though.” Thomas nods.

“I’m going to see if Frypan needs anything. I’ll come back with lunch?”

“Wonderful idea.” She smiles. “Don’t come back before then, though, or I will put you in one of these beds.”

On his way to the kitchen, Rosa pulls him aside.

“Thomas, come on.” She presses a bag of ice into his hand.

As far as he knows the only ice they have is in the medical cabin for injuries.

He hadn’t seen her at all as he and Minho had come in, how’d she know his face is bruised?

“Lucky guess.” She brings him to an out-of-the-way corner. “Thomas, you know you don’t have to run with Minho, right?”

“I know.” What is this about? “I like to.”

“You keep getting hurt!”

“I’ve gotten hurt before and you don’t react like this.” He knows he’s squinting when his eye starts throbbing in time with his heart. “What’s this about, Rosa?”

“Just, Thomas, if you need help with anything, you can tell me.”

“Rosa, are you trying to hide Thomas away?” Frankie laughs. “I thought this was our spot!”

“It is, but Frankie, look at him.” Rosa gestures, and he looks down at himself, confused. What does Rosa think is going on?

His sleeve has fallen down as he’s been holding the ice to his eye. Some of the scratches on his arm from the trees, and the cuts from… earlier… are visible, others covered with a yellowing bruise.

“Thanks for the ice, Rosa. I told Minho and Gally I’d bring them lunch, I’m going to help Frypan now.”

“Thomas, you can tell us if something’s wrong.” Frankie’s looking at him weird now too, and Thomas doesn’t know what to make of it.

“Nothing’s wrong. Thanks for checking in, though.”

“Of course, Thomas.” They let him go, and he can’t shake the feeling that they’re watching him for the rest of the day.

Thomas isn’t as careful as he should be when they run the next day. Rosa was watching him again this morning, and glaring at Minho— she’s never had a problem with him before, so he doesn’t know what she’s thinking. Even going slow so Minho doesn’t reinjure himself, Thomas still ends up tripping in a ditch just off the little path they’re following.

“Woah, shank, it’s a good thing you weren’t this clumsy in the Maze. You would have had concussions constantly.” Minho’s grip is maybe a little too tight on his arm, but looking at the sharp drop-off of the ‘ditch’, Thomas understands why. Minho pulls him back to solid ground, not even grunting with the effort. Rude, honestly. Thomas knows he’s gained weight lately, even though he hasn’t been able to bring himself to say the words out loud quite yet.

For some reason, it feels like the minute he says anything, it’ll all disappear.

“How’s your ankle? Didn’t twist it or anything?”

“Just stepped wrong, I think. Wasn’t paying attention.” Thomas admits. Putting more than minimal pressure on his foot sends an odd fuzzy pain feeling through his ankle, so they call it for the day.

“Hey, Thomas, if it’s bad I can carry you.” Minho offers.

“You’ve still got a cracked rib, Minho, you’re not carrying me.” Thomas can’t help laughing a little. “It’s probably not even sprained, Harriet will wrap it and I’ll be good to go.” Still, he lets Minho take a little more of his weight than he really needs to. If yesterday was nice, this is better.

He doesn’t know why, and he can’t explain it, but he likes it.

Rosa’s not watching when they get back, but Frankie is.

If Thomas didn’t know better, he’d think one of them is jealous of him or Minho. But they’re dating each other, so that doesn’t make sense.

He’ll figure it out later, he doesn’t have the energy to bother right now.

“Harriet, we require your assistance.” They don’t go directly to the medical cabin, instead joining Harriet where she’s sitting by the firepit.

“I nearly fell off the path,” Thomas tells her, sheepish. It’s a little ridiculous. Running was all he did, and now he’s not even good at that! “Minho caught me, but my ankle might be twisted.”

She has him take off his shoe and sock, then rolls up his pants a little. “It’s not swelling up too much. Any pain when I touch it?” He shakes his head. She adds more pressure, slowly, and he stops her when it does hurt.

“Very mild twist, it’ll probably just hurt for the rest of the day. I’ll wrap it anyway since I don’t think Minho is going to let me get away with not wrapping it,” Harriet rolls her eyes at him pointedly, “And you’re good to go. Maybe no standing around in the kitchen, though.”

“I was going to help Sonya with harvesting the strawberries anyway. The earliest ones in the greenhouse are looking pretty good.”

“Just don’t eat them all before we get them to Frypan.” Minho hits him on the back of the head lightly.

“No promises.” Thomas grins at him. “If you’re lucky, I’ll bring you a few.”

“Oh, you better.” Minho looks like he’s going to say—or do—something else, but instead, he heads back to the medical cabin.

[case-study-of-parenting]

A long post about baby's sleeping habits

For starters, Almond was a "good sleeper" from the very beginning. She spent her first week in NICU and "learned" there to sleep in her own bed and to get fed at certain hours. So when she got home she slept through the nights with 2 feeds, then 1 and eventually dropped the last feeding independently around 6 months.

Compared to that, Cinnamon has been a terrible sleeper. Innthe very beginning she had a bit trouble with breastfeeding so she used to feed every 2 hours even at night. And I was worried that Almond would wake up for her crying (as if she hasn't slept through a smoke alarm before...) so I just gave her milk every time she would cry even a bit rather than trying to sooth her otherwise. And that's how you get a baby who only calms for breast and still wakes up to feed at least 3 times a night at 7 months. To make all this even slightly more tolerable, we've been co-sleeping, so I don't have to get up every time.

Falling asleep isn't problem. Cinnamon usually falls asleep independently in her own bed and only after one of the feeds I let her stay next to me. But now I'm working on keeping her in her own bed all night.

During days Cinnamon usually takes one longer (1,5 hours) nap and then 2 shorter (45mins) ones. I hope we're slowly moving towards 2 longer naps. One day she did sleep almost 3 hours and that was when she was sleeping in our bed. So I decided I'd try to create more similar sleeping conditions to her own bed. Our bed is much softer that her firm mattress so I added one softer blanket under her sheets. Then I took my own used bedding sheet and threaded it between her crib's edge so she has a soft wall that smells like me.

Another thing affecting her night feeds are obviously day time feedings. We have slowly been able to increase the amount of solids but I only recently realized that her feeding so much at night probably prevents her from being hungry enough during days so it's a vicious cycle. So cutting back night feeds is important for that, too.

Anyway, Last night I applied all those changes to her bed and she slept in there all night. She fell asleep feeding around 8:15 pm. She woke up once crying sometime before 10pm and i soothed her without milk. She was a bit restless after that but was able to soothe herself. Then I fed her once around 11pm before going to sleep myself. And she then slept until 4am without waking up once! And with her history that is a long stretch! She was again a bit restless so I decided to feed her around 5am and then she slept until alarm at 7:15. So I'd call that a successful first nigh with these adjustments.

Hopefully she'll eat better today bc she only had 2 night feeds and slowly we can work to dropping those, too. I am trying to do as much as I can without actually sleep training but if it doesn't work then we'll probably do a few nights where husband takes over to drop the night feeds. But i'm fine with 1-2 feeds for now.

Congratulations to everyone who read the full post 😄 I will update after more night have passed.

[pbandjesse]

I'm walking in the woods right now. I'm on my way back to my building from riding horses which was fun but now my allergies are going crazy. I've decided that even though it's 8:00 I'm going to go home. I would like to take a shower and sleep in my own bed. Because while I love sleeping in the hammock I think being home has become a little bit more important to me this year. But today was a pretty good day overall even if I'm still pretty sore and I was very nauseous for a lot of it.

I slept okay last night. I did not get enough sleep for some reason. I don't even remember not falling asleep early last night I just didn't sleep good. And when I woke up it was 6:30 and I didn't need to be awake yet but I was and for some reason when I get to lay in bed for a half an hour just being awake I tend to feel better when my alarm does finally go off. And beyond being nauseous this held true.

I left for work and was in a pretty good mood. I had a nice drive and got here before 8:00. There wasn't a lot for me to do today. Like set up-wise. I had done a really good job of getting everything ready already So I just made sure everything was clean and then I went for a little walk. I went to talk to Chris and make sure that buying adhesive at home Depot would be a reimbursed. And he said it was fine. So I will do that either tomorrow or Saturday. And then I just did a little walk around camp until I went back to the art building where I hung out in the hammock inside.

I was already really nauseous but I was also very anxious. Specifically about my hammock. Anton is a very great help but he loves laying in the inside hammock and I want to lay on the inside hammock so I put a wash on my stuffed animals in it and my book and hoped that if he came while I was walking to the nurse that he would not be inside of it but he ended up not coming today. So it was fine. But my anxiety was still very high.

I was going to work today working on my blanket. All 12 rows are completed and now they are sewed together in pairs. And tomorrow I hope to work on sewing the Paris together. And so far Louisa has been a huge help making sure that none of my pairs or rose were incorrect. We laid them all out and made sure and pinned and put notes on things so that things were being laid and sewn in the right direction and it was nice.

And the kids today made pretty good artwork. They were mostly on time which was surprising. And we didn't have any like great masterpieces today. Not to say they weren't wonderful but none like blew me out of the water. I think some of the problem is we have too many white socks. I think if I was to do this project again next year I will get way more colorful socks. Because we ran out of those like on Monday and those ones just look so much cleaner.

But the kids were good and they made good work and while I didn't feel very good everyone was really kind. And I had the counselors helping with the hot glue and while there was one or two small burns nobody was seriously injured which is always my concern.

I did not go to lunch because I had brought my Chipotle from yesterday with me. And I ate half of that and then I just turned off the lights and hung out in the inside hammock until my next class. I just really it did not feel good today and was happy to be alone.

I honestly wasn't sure it was going to participate in the counselor ride tonight because I was feeling so unwell. But I knew that if I didn't I would feel bad about that too so really there was no winning. My neck also just really hurts still and I would love for it to stop hurting so much but nothing seems to be helping. I'm hoping that going home tonight and taking a hot bath will help at least a little bit.

The afternoon groups were great. My day campers really seem to like the sock project even if they have to keep starting over over it over again. And when the stockade boys came a few of them even made some puppets including Jorge. Jorge always makes walruses and I thought it was very sweet when he made a walrus. I was not feeling great still though. And I was trying my best to not let everyone know how bad I was feeling but it was hard. I was talking to Louisa a lot about it today because she spent literally the entire day with me. And she worked on her embroidery and we just chit-chatted while the kids worked and during our breaks we both read Dear America books while laying in the hammocks. She's reading the Titanic one but I don't think she's going to finish it because she says it's already too sad. Which is true.

But she just wants to chit chat I had to be one point be like Louisa please let me read my book I only have 20 pages left. And I really didn't love this one there was a lot of parts where I felt like I missed something because she was skipping big sections but it was still enjoyable at the end and I'm excited to read my next one which is going to be taking place in 1919 which is a nice change of pace because I've been doing a lot of 17 and 1800s.

My last day group camp group left and I still had one more group which was my late pioneer group. I was not thrilled about having such a late group but they were very sweet boys and they did a good job. And they had lots of questions about my blanket which I was finally finishing sewing out the last pair row. And I was able to lay everything out and get it all rolled up and folded.

While we were folding it Elizabeth called me to ask if Louisa was with me and I was like yes she's been here all day do you want me to send her down and at first she said no but then Alexi let us know that her dad was there and wanted to say hello so I sent her to the office. And then the boys finished up and I got my stuff and went to dinner.

Dinner was not good. It wasn't that it tasted bad because I didn't eat any of it. What they had for people who do eat me it was jerked Jamaican chicken and some rice and vegetables. Which is fine. Except there was a very unclearness of about what was vegetarian what wasn't and then they finally brought the vegetarian option out which was like a vegetarian chicken and rice Jamaican inspired dish. Which I'm sure would have been fine not my thing but fine. Except I scooped up and it was still frozen. So I gave it back to the chef and then he said it would be a few minutes in the oven and I waited like 15 minutes but it didn't come out so I just had a couple pieces of broccoli and gave up and left.

Mostly because we were getting ready for the trail ride at 7:00 and I wanted to get going to ice first. So I went and waited by the office and read my book a little bit. And then the people that work up in horses. Braden, Laney, and CC from the pool were up there waiting for Kona ice as well. And they were running a little bit late so we were jokingly like yelling about Jimmy not being there when he was supposed to be. Jimmy is the man that runs the Kona ice truck. And once he was there we got our things and I walked up with them. And they walk so fast. I have little legs guys and I'm old. But I did my best to keep up with them and it was nice hanging out.

I got to watch them tack up the horses. And put all of the things together and then everybody else who was coming on the trail ride would slowly start coming through. Ty was coming as well as Antonio. Tony was there as well. Candella who I love. And I specifically loved that she kept yelling at the horses in very very fast Spanish. I got to ride on Denton. And he was a very well behaved horse.

Which was great because I don't know if you remember my ride last year when I was on Little bolt and he rode me into Elizabeth's car and then into a bush. Denton was a very good listener. And he let me pet his face and his ears and I even gave him some of my snowball. It was mango flavored.

When we did finally get to ride I was all the way in the back because Denton likes to kick. He did not kick anyone but he kept biting the horse in front of us. And I think I did a lot better with controlling the words this year. Specifically because the saddle fit me better and I was not in excruciating pain the entire time. My neck still definitely hurt but there wasn't a lot of looking all the way backwards so it didn't bother me too much and I was able to just kind of be chill about it.

There were like three times where I screamed. The first one was because I thought it was so funny when we were going downhill and he started to trot. I can't imagine what a cancer feels like because trotting seems so fast. And you don't really have anything to hold on to so at one point I started slipping off the front of the saddle because I was writing an English saddle that has no horn. And that was very scary. And then another time I almost fell off and my feet fell out of the stirrups and I started sliding and then I got a crane up in my leg and I thought it was going to die. It was very scary. But I was laughing the whole way through and honestly it was a really nice time. I like to talking to Laney who was riding behind me as our trail guide. And I'm really glad that they cut the trail rides from an hour to a half an hour though because by the time the half hour is done my thighs hurt so much. Thankfully they don't really hurt too much anymore as I'm driving home. But I still have a good time.

Once the trail ride itself was done we went into the ring and we were allowed to just kind of ride in circles and try things out. I got Denton to trot a few more times and I felt a little bit more in control and I got him to turn the way I wanted him to and I felt a lot more secure. I still don't know how you don't slide off the saddle but I was having a good time. Eventually though I did just want to get off of the horse. He kept trying to walk over the jumps and I did not enjoy that and I didn't know how to make him stop trying to do that. And I was very afraid he was going to jump for real. I was very much ready to be done.

Lady wouldn't let me use the stairs to get off of him and I was very afraid of sliding off the horse to get on the ground because my likes keep giving out but I was able to slowly slide down and get off and I did not die. I watched Denton back up to his little house and one of the other girls help me take his tack and saddle off. And then I gave him the rest of my snowball and said goodbye.

That is when I decided I was going to go. It's not as late as I thought it was going to be and I really still do not feel good. And I really think that me and showering and being clean and then being in my own bed will help. I really hope it does. At least emotionally.

I am writing this in the car while I drive home but I'm using talk to text so I feel like it's fine. I'm not looking at my phone at all so hopefully most of this is coming out and it's not nonsense.

I walked back up to the car after and enjoyed being in the woods. And now I am in the car and most of the way home. Tomorrow is going to be a long day but I still think it will be good. My plan is to work and then after my last program I got to get set up for next week and then make sure everything is put away from this week and then I'm going to help with pickup and the ceremony directions. And then I will get out of there. I'm going to go to home Depot and get the adhesive I need. And hopefully you'll be home around the same time and I'm getting home today. It's going to be a long day so I really hope this nausea goes away because it sucks.

I hope you all sleep great. I promise not to post this until I'm actually home. I love you all. Good night!

[gettothedancing]

My sleep schedule is whack. I was scheduled to work Sunday through Tuesday, 7am to 3pm. But on Saturday night, I’m awoken by a call asking if I can come in earlier. “Sure, when?” I automatically respond. “4 AM.”

Because I’d been woken up by the call, I didn’t have the presence of mind to say no. Out of anxiety, I woke up at 2:45 and couldn’t fall back asleep. I went in at 4 and helped with a single patient for three hours, moistening her mouth and reading Scriptures and talking to her as she slept. Then I did my regular 8 hour shift.

Sadly, during my regular shift, the woman I sat with passed on. (We’re grateful that it was in her sleep, and that her sister was in the room with her.) One patient saw the police cars parked outside and could not rest until he had learned why they were there. His behavior started to disturb the other patients, so I privately told him what had happened. But at that point, the death had become public knowledge. I work in a nursing facility and patients have passed on here. But we try to break the news to other patients who knew those people individually. I almost got in trouble for telling this guy about it. They thought I had spread the rumor, when it was him spreading the rumor before I got to him.

Anyway, I was able to stay awake until 6 PM Sunday night. Then I slept until 1 AM Monday morning, and couldn’t fall back asleep. I did my regular shift, but with less energy than usual. And then I got home, and instead of a short nap, I slept until 7 pm, when I woke up, and could not fall back asleep.

And now it’s 1 AM again.

[nathank77]

6/19/24

9:57 a.m

Guess what? I slept until 9 a.m I'm pissed. I got to take a 1MG tonight cause I got to fall sleep at the same time.

9 a.m. is fucking late to wake up. Why did it happen?

I took my normal meds at the same time but I woke up within a hour needing to pee and then my chest was itchy..... I had to remove the fucking chest Monitor AGAIN. And then I took another half and I fell back to sleep.

So whatever I'm so sick of this chest Monitor had it not been itchy I wouldn't have had to take it off and I might have been able to fall asleep without taking another half but it's hard to get the adhesive off without damaging your skin..... it takes time. And it still damages it anyways.

A transguys chest is sacred!!

I'm really rather annoyed by it. I better keep my schedule. I have a 9 a.m appt next week and I can't miss it. I got to wake up at 8 a.m..

I feel like this chest Monitor is the real reason I woke up. It was all itchy and shit. I have one more type to try. Cause I guess I'm not in pediatrics yet...... but now my skin needs a break again.

I'm not putting it on for a few days.

[clowncalvary]

The Top 10 Pokemon From Gen 1 Most Likely To Bite Your Feet At Night

Picture this: You are settling down for bed on a nice cool night, you've tucked in your pokemon, your window and door are shut, and you are ready to fall asleep. Dozing in your bed with the sheets tucked up to your chin.

But wait. What was that sound? Is that something in your room? Or rather, I guess you should be asking WHO is in your room. And are they here for your toes?

10.) Charizard

You know I'm right, I know I'm right. Really that is all there is to say. His big determining factor of not being further up on this list is that he is the opposite of stealth and it's a little hard for him to get through my window or door frame with how big he is.

Basically it's all about speed on this one; like how fast I can reach the spray water bottle to keep his little gaping maw from chomping.

9.) Jynx

Okay, here me out, it is not about the amount of teeth that she has. It is about her will and purpose in wanting to munch on my toes. She would absolutely want to bring me that much havoc and chaos by making my heart pound worrying about my little dogs.

Worst part is that she could absolutely sneak into my room so my toes wouldn't be safe. I would be none the wiser until it was too late.

8.) Mr. Mime

You can't reason with him. I mean, you can, but I think the fact that he can be reasoned with and will decide to bite your toes anyway is the worst part. That or the fact that he is missing teeth so it will be more like he is sucking your toes instead of biting them.

He's fast, he's cunning, and he has absolutely blocked all of my other exits. My toes are getting chomped whether I like it or not.

7.) Aerodactyl

Good god, those fucking teeth are a nightmare, a perfect 10/10 on the ouch scale along with his size. Plus! He Has Hands!! Why did they have to invent such a perfect toe biting machine like this? And there is no way that he will listen to any of my pleas for mercy.

The good thing is that he is so large and noisy that I have a chance to escape. In fact I am climbing out my window as we speak.

6.) Fearow

I know, I know, we are right back to the lack of teeth, but I don't think Fearow needs teeth with a beak like that. Fearows are absolutely evil also, I flat out do not trust them. They have no sense of mercy and they like to bite and devour for the sheer pleasure of it.

In the words of my lovely moirail, "God save the man that tries to reason with a Fearow."

5.) Haunter

You may be noticing a pattern where the ones on this list don't necessarily have big and frightening maws, but you don't need one when you're a Haunter. No window or door can stop them, they can slip through walls and they LOVE mischief. What is more sinister than biting at the toes of the unsuspecting?

My toes are not safe and they never were with a Haunter in the house.

4.) Gastly

Slightly worse teeth, just as mischievous and also has the ability to go through walls. Once again my toes are not safe and they never were. Quite frankly I might have been better off if I had just moved houses or slept outside.

They don't even need hands to get to my feet.

3.) Spearow

We know why he is this high on the list. Bottom line is that I do not trust him, he does not trust me, and we are back to the hyper aggression. Plus they are super stealthy because they are smaller, however their size and lack of power SHOULD keep me safe while I'm in bed with a locked door. But quite frankly there is no where that you can run or hide that a Spearow will not find you.

It may take a while, but they are patient and once they are in you can kiss your toes goodbye.

2.) Gengar

Those teeth. Those hands. The horrible creeping sense of dread that he is coming for you. Nay, he is not coming for the entirety of you. Just your poor helpless toes.

Those piggies are not coming back form the market.

1.) Ditto

We have found our crowning champion of feet munching. He does not do it out of malice, but for the thrill of knowing that there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop him. He is faster than you, stronger than any door, and practically invisible He will have your toes.

[shaelashaela]

Before You Were Born, ch. 8

[reading time] 6 mins.

Sunlight rudely spread across my face and woke me from a disturbed slumber. For hours the previous night, I did nothing but wake again and again from dreaming about my encounter with the dark elf. It was morning now, my eyes ached, and I was already exhausted. My stomach hurt—I was also hungry since I hadn’t eaten anything since early the day before. I still wore layers of blouse and jacket as well as a skirt and all of my necklaces, which added to my discomfort.

I shifted a bit, trying to turn away from the sun. Everything around me looked unfamiliar. Where was I? Oh, right… I was still in Rayna’s bed. I almost forgot that I stayed the night in her loft. I peeked over the edge of the mattress, and sure enough, she was lying on the floor again. She fell asleep in her jeans and sweater, so she must’ve been as exhausted as I was the night before. She looked more peaceful than I felt, though. I hoped that she got more restful sleep than I did.

I laid there for a few blissful seconds, one arm dangling off the side of the bed, watching Rayna snooze. The slow rise and fall of her body with each breath calmed me. My eyelids were heavy, and soon I was soothed back into my own unconscious respite…

Which was swiftly and rudely interrupted by my friend’s phone declaring to us that it was time to wake with an overly saccharine series of notes. Rayna woke instantly, rolled over, and slapped the cheerful little device next to her a few times until it stopped.

“Thank you,” I mumbled.

She sat upright and her eyes darted back and forth rapidly between me and the rest of the room. “Wait. You’re here again? I slept on the floor and”—she rubbed the lower part of her spine with one hand—“my back is killing me.”

“Did you forget already?”

She shook her head, tousling her wavy locks from side to side. “No, I remember. Maybe just hoped it was a dream. I’m not used to having someone else here. It’s a bit weird.”

I hid my face. “Sorry for intruding.”

“Oh no! That’s not what I meant at all.”

An awkward silence permeated the air, and I did my best to go unnoticed, so Rayna busied herself with standing and stretching. After a moment, I mustered enough courage to show my face again, just in time to see her pull her top over her head and discard it.

A moment of shock made my heart skip a beat. Despite our friendship, I did not expect this level of familiarity between us. She knelt down to paw through a basket of clothes (clean ones, I hoped). I admired the fine curving lines of her torso and shoulders, the imperfections of her skin, the simplicity of a black bra strap flanked with lace. She was elegant, and she was beautiful.

It lasted but mere seconds before she found a red tee shirt and pulled it on. She rose to her feet and turned back my way, and I saw the shirt was covered in black scrawls that looked not unlike some sort of sorcerous sigil. From previous conversations, though, I was fairly certain that it was actually the emblem of one of the metal bands she liked.

She noticed that I watched her, and one side of her mouth curled into a wry smirk. “What?”

My cheeks burned, and I buried my face in my arm.

It was a bright and unremarkable Sunday, the one day a week Rayna was under no obligation to open Ravenna’s Books. Instead, we headed out early for some breakfast. My clothes were disheveled and a bit sweaty from the day before, which bothered me greatly. I didn’t like the feel of soiled clothing on my skin, but I was also too embarrassed to borrow any from her. Catching the bus back to my own apartment would also be inconvenient, so instead I suffered in silence.

She took me to a cafe not far from her store, and when we walked up to the counter for our coffee and pastries, she quickly paid for it before I could react.

“You really don’t have to do that,” I protested. She oft complained about trouble making ends meet. According to Rayna, antique book sales weren’t the most profitable enterprise, which was a fact that both surprised and saddened me.

She gave me her usual flippant smile. “You’ve had a rough week. Let me treat you.”

I bit my lip and followed her outside to a table. Being out in the sun felt good to me, but I could tell from the way she shielded her eyes that the glare bothered her. So I motioned for us to take a seat where it was at least partially shaded.

Rayna dipped a biscotti into her coffee and continued our conversation. “Actually… I’ve never asked. What do you do for a living? Does it pay well?”

Her question abashed me. “Uh, well…”

“Oh! I’m sorry. That was rude. You don’t have to tell me.”

I busied myself with one of the little packets of cream, trying to find the right amount to counteract my coffee’s bitterness. “It’s okay. But, I don’t have a profession. I spend all my time studying and researching alchemy.”

Her big brown eyes narrowed, regarding me with suspicion. “So… you’re on a scholarship or something?”

Nervous laughter escaped my mouth unbidden. “Ah hahaha… no. My parents established a trust fund for me when I was young. One of the stipulations is that my only job is to improve my craft until my father is satisfied.”

“Wow,” she said through a mouthful of biscuit. “He sounds like a real hard-ass.”

Her insensitivity bothered me, but I tried my best not to show it. “No. I love my father. He’s just… very single-minded. Alchemy is everything to him, just as it was for my grandfather. He wants to make sure our family legacy is continued.”

“Oh? You’re an only child, right? I guess you’re expected to pass that on to your kids, too.”

That statement touched a raw nerve, and I pursed my lips tightly. My grip failed me, and I spilled some of my coffee on myself, then swore under my breath. They were words in the elven tongue that I was certain Rayna didn’t speak, but her surprised facial expression told me she understood the sentiment. Ever since I’d left home and set out on my own, the only thing my mother cared about was when I would marry and give her grandchildren. It led us to many a heated argument when I would try to evade the conversation. It reached the point where I didn’t like to visit my own parents anymore.

She gave me a moment to compose myself before continuing. “I guess that was the wrong thing to say.”

My mind swam with a dozen different emotions, most of them unpleasant. Just thinking about the subject made my chest feel tight and my breath short. “It’s complicated. Can we talk about something else?”

Rayna shifted in her chair and looked down into her coffee cup. Everything was awkward and uncomfortable, and it was my fault. If there was one thing that I resented my parents for, it was sheltering me as a child. I had no idea how to relate to people without it turning into an argument or an awkward silence.

She took a sip of her coffee and then set it down with a soft clink on the table. “Well… what do you want to do? You do seem excited by the arcane, just like me.”

Thankful to return to a more comforting subject, I gave her a small smile, just a slight curl at the corners of my mouth. “I do love it. I’m not just doing it for my father, if that’s what you mean. He sells his services to others. Alchemy has a lot of practical purposes. He deals with fey only, though. I would love to work with humans and show them that magic is not something to be feared. Maybe show them that elves don’t need to be feared, either.”

“That sounds lovely. I’m sorry people can be so closed-minded. I love magic and want to learn more myself, but… after this week, I’m starting to wonder if maybe a little bit of fear is warranted.”

I knew what she meant. As long as elves like Ixion existed and caused trouble for the humans, it would be difficult to convince people that we weren’t unknowable monsters. Part of me wanted to blame humans for being ignorant and projecting such a small sample of our kind onto the whole of fey, but then I quickly realized the irony of that thought.

“And you? I know you inherited the shop from your grandfather, but you’ve never really told me how you learned your talents.”

Her face lit up as her spirits lifted. I knew that talking about the occult was guaranteed to engage her. “Grandpa was the best. When I was little, I used to follow him around and ask him what he was doing while he poked around for weeds in the forest. He was always gathering ingredients for some new project, and he would show me little tricks where he could conjure puffs of coloured smoke or make water flow backwards. It didn’t come easily to him, but I ate it up. I think he liked that because the rest of my family thought he was weird for dabbling in that stuff.”

Her expression darkened just a little. “After he passed… I took over the store for him, and I kept reading. Everything I’ve learned, I’ve more or less self-taught myself.”

I nodded thoughtfully. That explained why she had some trouble with pronunciation yesterday, if she’d only ever read the words in a book. I was impressed that she’d come as far as she had with no teacher.

Filled with sudden motivation, I stood up. “I have an idea.”

“Oh?”

“Let’s go back to my place. I’m going to teach you some important skills that you’ll need if you’re going to help me deal with a dark elf.”