#I may never need to dress for an event or a holiday or a ceremony again.

[graviconscientia]

I will be thinking about that dress for ages. But could you imagine one with pretty amber coloured birds and orange roses and blue ribbons and blooms in teal and violet and indigo and fuchsia... I would never want to take it off. The dress is so stunning as it is, though. I don't think I'd have the heart to change it.

[lured-into-wonderland]

There is certainly a slight awkwardness in the way that he suddenly speaks up, Luzio staring down at his coffee for a moment before quickly finding his pride once again. "I was wondering... there is a Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in the next city over in a few days, do you want to see it?" There's a small lull in his sentence before he then tacks on. "- I get the feeling you would like it."

She notices that slight awkwardness in Luzio’s behavior. Nunnally wonders if it was her again, who said something awkward. She might have, although she’s trying to be accommodative for his needs. But then…

...she's incorrect...!

Is he actually asking her out for a date? She gets excited, perhaps too excited, but she tries not to show her emotions. To tone down her expectations. Although Nunnally is sure she isn’t fully succeeding. She knows Luzio likes (or at least tolerates) her around him. But it is the first time he asks her to do something together. It may not be the actual (romantic) date, but perhaps it is, and both Luzio and her are simply not aware of that. It doesn’t matter; Nunnally surely wants to go, especially with him. And hopefully he gets that reply from her – though the way she moves and smiles – before she actually speaks: --

“I love Christmas lights, Luzio! How did you know that?” – perhaps lights are the only thing Nunnally truly likes about Christmas. Maybe also the ornaments. But otherwise, it is this time of a year, when she simply needs to work harder. When the expectations are risen so high that she always thinks she cannot deliver what she is requested to. Event after event. Party after party. Meeting after meeting. Giving a false picture of a perfect holiday. Perfect family. Something that is not there. Nunnally doesn’t know the magic of this season. It has never been there for her. But perhaps a night out with Luzio (a date or not) will give her the so-needed-rest; even fun maybe? She takes a sip of her coffee. Going out with Luzio will also give her a chance to give him a small present. Nothing much so that he doesn’t feel embarrassed, but it did give her a lot of fun to have it prepared.

Nunnally smiles; she wonders if she should ask if they’ll go for dinner later, but perhaps she should not that take initiative from him.  And even if she’d like something more, she exceptionally happy about what she was given. And grateful for this unexpected Christmas gift: --

“Is there any dress code you suggest for the evening?” – she tilts her head; she likes him. She is aware of that. More and more.

@suizokukans

[magicmanias]

The Wanderer

Episode 2 of Polaris

[per - uh - jee] (n). Astronomy. the point in the orbit of a heavenly body at which it is nearest to the earth

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Summary: A fugitive out of time + interdimensional space travel + a love story. Always on the run, and while Loki might be able to escape the TVA, he always gravitates towards you. Not even bending the fabric of space and time itself can cut his heartstrings.

Occurs after the events of Endgame. Replaces Loki mini-series timeline.

Warnings: You know it’s gonna be angst. You just know. Come on now.

Word Count: 3.0k

A/N: Sorry this took so long! I have exams coming up, so I’ve been having to study for those a lot. Once exams are over at the end of May, you know I’ll be writing like a maniac. Also, the word count will definitely increase as the chapters go along. It's been a bit short, but right now, we're just building traction! And yes… You will come across a part that is vague and opens up more questions about the reader who I have named Goddess Divine.

<- Previous | Next -> (Coming soon)

“Thank you.” Loki rubs his wrists as the chains fall to the ground. “Where did you learn to do that?”

“You—My husband taught me,” you said. Loki nodded but offered nothing in response. “We need to leave here. I know a way.”

“Hey, hold on.” Loki reached out to grab her wrist, but lowered his hand once he got her attention instead. “We don’t have the Tesseract.”

“There are other ways to leave this planet.”

Loki scoffed. “I don’t think you understand how powerful that thing is.”

You turned fully to face him, craning your neck to meet his eyes. “I know more than you. Trust me. It’s better if you forget about it.”

The children are constantly at the forefront of your thoughts even as you searched for an escape in the caverns under Asgard. Memories of posies in hand and your old, favorite pink dress drew all your attention from the damp halls illuminated by enchanted flame. This place… this time that you’re in was all-too-well ingrained in the core of everything you remembered of your home.

Your calves started to strain and it took you some time until you realized that you’ve been trying to sync your steps with Loki’s, an unconscious effort you would always put in walking alongside your husband. The difference was that his doppleganger didn’t take care to shorten his strides to allow for you to keep up.

“We’ve fallen into a past timeline of yours.” Loki glanced at you over his shoulder. “Those children were you and… your husband.”

“Yes.” You give up on trying to keep up and let him take the lead. “I remember why we were up there. Today was the Perigee.”

Loki was curious. He’d never heard of such a thing. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”

You made a confused look on your face, but then immediately understood. “I suppose you don’t observe that in your world.”

“No, I can’t say that we do. Is it a celestial celebration? We only commemorate the coming of the seasons.”

At the end of the hall, you finally arrived at the center of the caverns, a chamber of nine interconnected murals telling the story of creation. You and Loki used to play under these paintings, waiting until Thor would find you at last.

“The Perigee is not of Asgard. It exists on Midgard, the mortal planet, when the moon is at its closest point in orbit to the earth. It happens so often there, but we hold the festival when Asgard, too, is at its closest point with Midgard.”

“That seems a bit arbitrary,” he commented, now gazing at the murals of his father above him. Odin was painted in a beautiful light as he constructed the world. Ymir simply seemed to disappear from the artwork, but the muralist failed to convey that Odin slew the giant and used his body to form the cosmos.

“There is a story behind it, like all great Norse holidays have. It tells the story of Gaea and Máni. A tale of forbidden love. Lofn loves to tell the story for all the children at each festival. She claims that without her, they would never have ended up together,” you laughed, “I remember pulling Loki from his books so we could make it on time.” You giggled at the memory.

“Máni? I haven’t ever heard of him retiring from pulling the moon. And Gaea has been sleeping for eons.”

“Our history is different, perhaps. I do not exist in your Asgard, yes?” You continued to walk, choosing the fourth passage from the left that led to the waterfall beneath the palace.

“No. No, I’m afraid not.” Loki paused in thought as he contemplated your assumption. Surely you must have existed somewhere in his world. “So what was so forbidden of their love?”

“Where I come from, Gaea was truly the first realm to exist, made of the blood and dust from a time even beyond her. In an empty universe, she was lonely, though she was a goddess of life itself. So she collected more dust in the reaches of space and breathed life into Máni. He was born, bright like the stars and light in his heart. He was grateful for life, and in return, he gave her his love… and her children. The mortals. But when they came close to embrace one another, he came too close and scorched the earth, burning her children. Gaea mourned, crying until Midgard flooded with her tears. From the water, the plants regrew and the animals emerged, but still, she missed her children. Máni couldn’t bear to see his love so saddened, so he sacrificed almost all of his power to breathe new life in the mortals. He grew dim and small, no longer so mighty without Gaea’s magic. Now in a realm of eternal darkness, Sol had finally caught up to Máni. She was born with the duty to bring light to the mortals, but Odin also tasked her with the job to separate Gaea and Máni when they became too close. Every day, she shines her light on the earth, but when she goes to rest, Máni returns to see Gaea before Sol wakes up once again to warn Máni. Yet sometimes, Máni can’t help but to come a little bit closer to Gaea—the rising tides his only warning. We call it the Perigee.”

“And what of Lofn? How did she contribute her skills in this forbidden love?”

“Oh yes. Lofn told us that she was the only being to give her consent to their love. The rest of Aesir vehemently rejected the bond. She used to try and match all the children up in the village and she would host all the play weddings. We must have been married by her hundreds of times. She could never resist the idea of the God of Mischief with a maiden Vanir.”

The sound of water crashing down into the abyss grew louder and louder as natural light started to creep into the passage.

“What is your role?”

“My role?”

“Yes, what do you do? What do you reign over?”

“Oh, I’m really no one. I don’t even think the Midgardians are aware of me. My role is quite insignificant compared to the likes of your brother or even the infamous trickster.”

“What is your role, Goddess?” he pushed once more.

“Seidr,” you shrugged, racing your finger along the stone wall.

“I would hardly call that insignificant. The power of prophecy is a force to be reckoned with.”

“I was born with a divine title, but I can’t even perform a healing spell,” you admitted.

“Your husband never taught you?” Loki smirked, the tease hanging loose from his lips.

You frowned. “No, he couldn’t.”

A rumble of footsteps approached and neither you nor Loki hesitated to make a final run towards the end of the tunnel. As you started to gain some speed, you suddenly froze, completely still as a hazy orange light encased you. Loki’s hand glowed green, battling against the force that trapped you, but just as quickly as he tried to free you, he was captured.

The TVA launched you through the exact same process as the first time. Long lines, an infinite number of signatures on documents you didn’t understand, and a maze of doorways. You didn’t see Loki again for a long time. It felt like days, but in a place as distorted as this, you couldn’t keep track of the hours.

Another agent guided you into a holding cell. It looked strange—more like an inn room more than a jail. There was a bed, a tiny washroom, and a square box that showed what looked like a play for children. The characters chattered silently while their simple dialogue was scrawled in the glass. The door opened.

“It appears we’re roommates this time.” Loki strolled into the room and the agent closed the door behind him, the lock clicking in place.

The box flashed and the program changed to the man you had just become acquainted with before your escape. “Well that was fun, wasn’t it? Unfortunately, we will have to keep you here since you didn’t seem to enjoy the more open kind of hospitality we offered you last time. Just until everything is processed. You know how bureaucracy is. I’ll see you in a few.” Mobius winks and the moving picture contraption clicks off with a warm hum.

“Tell me about myself.” You looked up from the book provided by your captors. Loki leaned back in the desk chair with his legs on the table. He fiddled with a glass cup, tossing it in the air and catching it.

You dropped the book in your lap, still open. “I’m sorry?”

“Well you were married to an alternate version of me. He’s lived more life than me. Surely you must have something to tell me that would be of use.” He shrugged, not bothering to drag any more of his attention away from the glass.

You were sure you looked surprised as he followed his answer with, “Am I so different from him? Come on now, he must have been at least half as charming.”

“Oh… He was charming.” You closed the book and placed it on the table next to the bed. The edge of the sheet rubbed between your fingers while you considered what to tell him. “He was my best friend in childhood.”

“Tell me about the children. The younger versions of yourselves on that day. What were you doing?” Loki placed the cup on the desk and crossed one leg over the other.

It was so easy to answer. In all the years, you never forgot that particular celebration. “It was my idea to climb the hill. To pick flowers before we watched the Perigee. Lofn had paired us up for her little wedding ceremony to host in front of the children and I wanted a bouquet… for the morning gift. I didn’t know what they were at the time, but I figured it could be anything.”

“Aren’t morning gifts usually given to the bride? And… in the morning?”

You tossed your head back in calm, tired laughter. “Yes, but that wouldn’t have stopped me anyway. I think I gave them to you after we said ‘I do.’ We were… eight at the time.”

“Goddess Divine…” He kissed her hands. The red skyline fades into purple as the water at the dock darkens below. “Never doubt my love for you. Will you miss me?” said he.

“As much as there are stars in the sky.”

“Always the poet’s tongue,” said he.

“Well, I had some inspiration,” said she.

He looks wearily past the Goddess, but smiles warmly once more. “I’m afraid our time has come to an end, Goddess. I love you.”

“No resurrections this time...” No. It was supposed to happen like this. Thanos. He wasn’t supposed to be here. It’s happening all over again.

“LOKI—”

Warm water tickled your cheeks and then you were enveloped in a pool of water. Your husband’s arms wrapped around your waist as the water climbed the walls of the tub. No, this wasn’t him… It wasn’t him. It wouldn’t ever be him. “Goddess…”

“Let me go! Let me go… I want to go.” You grasp desperately at the edge of the tub, wringing yourself from Loki’s grasp. You fell onto the tile floor of the washroom, your wet clothes heavy on your back.

“Wait, just—” Loki cuts himself short when you stumble into the bathroom doorway and pull the knob to the bedroom.

“Shit—Loki…”

“You need—”

“Don’t tell me what I need! You don’t kn—know.” Your body felt weak. The walls felt like they were closing in on you. No matter how hard you tried, it seemed like you could never get enough air.

“I know being alive is certainly better than suffocating in space.”

“Is it!? I can’t even grieve for him! Be-Be… Be—cause I… Becau—se I ke-keep…” You choked, breaking out into a violent sob. Your legs buckle underneath you, but you managed to catch the ground under your hand. Tears stained the fabric covering your lap as you struggled to breathe in between your bawling, forcing you to hiccup only further fueling your frustration. “Why am I here?”

Loki knelt down and watched as you pulled your knees up to your chest and buried your head in the space between. “Heartbreak is… a sorrow that I am all too familiar with. The feeling of your chest burning and freezing and being crushed all at once. But I didn’t give you a moment to simply… catch your breath after I, admittedly, forced you to escape with me. And I will never understand what it’s like to have to look at the face of your husband every minute of every day, but I do know this…” Loki let out a steady breath. “I will never leave you behind. Ever. Until I am able to fix this mess that I have brought upon you.” Loki lowered himself onto his knees. “That is my vow to you, goddess.”

He placed a hand over yours. It was a small gesture, leaving you wanting more. You tugged on his hand, manually tucking his arm underneath yours. He leaned into your motion, sitting on the floor behind you and pulling you close between his legs. Your eyes pierced him like venom, toxic but more addictive than the sweetest wine. A Goddess Divine.

Loki grew older in recent years, but his eyes had never changed. A sea of chaos and calm. He was there, your husband. Right in front of you, holding you.

“I always liked your eyes,” you murmured. You dragged your finger across the top of his cheek, tracing a line under his eye.

And I, yours.

You slid your finger up and cupped his face in your palm. Your husband. “I love you.”

Your lips swept gently along his; hesitant, yet your hand dragged through his hair, pulling him closer. Loki held still, but made no move to stop you. Your breaths grew harder as you grew more persistent. Even though you knew you would never be able to utter a word about this after, the need for him overcame you. In the sickest of ways, he was your only chance at truly saying goodbye to your husband.

Never doubt my love for you.

Your lips were soft. As irrational as the better part of him knew it was, he couldn’t help but think this felt almost habitual. He knew he should have pushed you away or reminded you of who he was. But when your fingers glided through his hair, Loki lost all sense of what was proper. He leaned into your touch, letting you relax in his lap as you continued to kiss him… eyes clenched shut. Loki wished he could look at your eyes and pretend he was the man you were pretending he was.

“Thank you.”

The agents dragged Loki to a door labeled “INTERROGATION ROOM #603521.”

An agent walked into the room, reviewing several documents attached to a clipboard.. “Do you know why you’re here, Mr. Laufeyson?” She didn’t bother to look up from the papers as she sat down in the seat on the other side of the table.

“Where is she?”

“I’m afraid your questions will have to be saved for the end of this, Mr. Laufeyson. Please comply.”

Loki lifted his head lazily, shifting his legs wide in the metal chair. A grin curled at his lips. He didn’t know how they were going to escape this hell. Running from an infinitely powerful force existing beyond time. It would never end… Was he ready to drag you through eternal hell with him?

Yes.

He would rot in hell for all he cared, but the TVA was no more than a joke—a circus of clowns playing their parts… and he would find you.

“I’m going to burn this place to the ground.”

“Never teleport me again. This is worse than the Bifrost.” You placed a clenched hand to your forehead and winced. The pounding in your head was ceaseless, though you were too cold to be completely tortured by it. The TVA was left in shambles, subjected to Loki’s wrath after he found you freezing in the depths of space. He hadn’t said a word to you since he discovered you, nearly lifeless. The ice burned your skin and your vision was useless for the time being. You could hear the crackles of flame and stone beneath your feet. “Where are we?”

“I don’t know, but we need to heal these burns before they scar.” Loki carefully lifted your hand, examining your wounds. “Are you in pain?”

“I can’t feel anything. Just cold.” You inched your feet closer to the heat of the fire. It wasn’t as painful as you had expected it to be. Dying in space wasn’t such a bad way to go… You only wished Loki had anything else less painful.

He hummed in response. The burns begin to warm. A peculiar feeling tickles your skin and makes its way down your torso.

“Seidr?”

“My mother taught me. I can teach you.”

“What?” Loki placed more wood on the fire. Perhaps Thor’s boyish interests were good for something…

“You need to learn how to use your powers. A seidr goddess is no goddess without seidr.”

“I told you. I don’t have it. I’ve tried. You’ve tried.” Loki didn’t answer, but footsteps fell away from you.

Loki watched the asteroids floating in the foggy atmosphere. Odin once told him stories of how he acquired all his wisdom. Life itself is knowledge, he would say. War, politics, distant planets. They all have something to offer, but there is a place where wisdom flows like water in the roots of the Tree of Life. “The Allfather once traveled to the roots of Yggdrasil to attain knowledge and guide his reign. Perhaps we can go there.”

[arknights-imagines]

For the Christmas thing can you do SilverAsh. hope you have a nice day! merry early Christmas

From, SilverAsh

Christmas Letter and Gift event

It's Christmas Day where I am, so Merry Christmas avshvsvs! ☃️🥺 SilverAsh's letter seems to be the most anticipated one considering I got so many requests for him shsjbss so I hope you all like it 🥺👉👈 Tysm to all of you for everything so far! 🥺😭 I'll make a more formal thank you post later on 🍡 for now, please enjoy the letter 🌸

- A very jolly Exe ☃️

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You wake up just as the sun rises; rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you move to separate yourself from your covers in order to dress yourself for the day when your eyes are drawn to the snow-blanketed view of the RIIC main deck from outside your window.

Surprise paints your face for a moment when you notice Operators and staff alike frolicking outside in the snow, filling the air with mirth - and then you remember, ‘it’s Christmas Day.’

The realisation causes a smile to come to your face as a wave of cheeriness invigorates you. But then you reach toward your nightstand to grab something, you instead discover a lustrous silver envelope, propped up against the various items occupying the top of the nightstand. Pausing, your brow quirks up and you slowly take the envelope into your hands.

The envelope is devoid of any words or stamps, so the only way to figure out who it’s from is by opening it - and you do just that. The stark white paper you find inside of the envelope feels cold to the touch, but even so; when your eyes come to the familiar thin penmanship all over the page, your heart swells with warmth.

--------------------

Ever dearest [name],

Sleep well, my dear? I sincerely hope so, as today is a rare occurrence that should be cherished while it’s here. In order to participate in Christmas festivities, you of course need to be well rested.

Christmas morning...what every child seems to anticipate from the first sight of snow. In Kjerag, Holiday celebrations are quite ostentatious; as expected, considering we bear the title ‘the Snow Realm’. But what’s more curious is that Christmas and its heartening traditions have persevered even in a world as wartorn as ours. Seldom is Rhodes Island a jubilant place, but that seems to have changed for Christmas.

To me, Holidays have always held little to no meaning. After my parents died, my sisters and I didn't gather together to celebrate the Holidays in the slightest; I have attended formal Christmas balls and traditional ceremonies out of obligation, but the last time I received or sent a gift feels like centuries ago. I believed my Christmas evenings were best spent dealing with business affairs for Karlan Trade Co., and so if you ever wished to find me on Christmas Day, a wise decision would be to go straight to my office.

However, outside the windows of my office and on the bright illuminated streets, revelers would dance and carolers would sing; though I never wished I was there celebrating alongside them, it was still quite the heartening sight. The Holiday experience in Kjerag truly is the epitome of Christmas and its spirit. Someday I’d like to take you there; I’ve never quite cared for the Holidays much, but I’m convinced that with you by my side, I’ll find myself enjoying Christmas and its celebrations more than I originally anticipated.

My apologies, my dear. I’ve long since strayed from my original topic. I suppose my thoughts are not as organized as I thought.

All beginning with my contract with Rhodes Island, or more well expressed - all beginning with the day you and I crossed paths, many things have changed. The day we met….my dear, has it really been that long? The calendar tells me so, but my heart does not. I suppose it is as they say; when you’re with your beloved, time flies.

To call you my beloved is in truth an understatement; [name], you may be that, but you are so much more. You encapsulate warmth so effortlessly, and you somehow imbue that warmth into someone as shrewd as myself. Through you, I have learned to understand compassion, and I have gained something to fight for. I never thought I would ever find someone to love in the way that I love you...but alas, here we are, my dear.

I’m well aware many hours of my day are spent with you, with working hours and leisure time melded together, and occasionally I am blessed with being able to spend the night with you. But quite simply...it’s never enough. I understand how that may sound, but it's how I feel in my heart.

Every moment you are gone, you occupy my thoughts, especially during this season of Christmas; My dear...the time we have together is not as long as it may seem. This world, with its catastrophes and its ruined society, can take either of our lives whenever it may like. As such, I wish to spend as much time as I can with you during the holidays.

As per Christmas tradition, I’ve purchased a gift for you. I have gifted you many things, though I feel this one is special. I choose it with only you and I in mind; no thoughts about outside things distracting me.

[Name], my dear; I love you, more than you can fathom. My affections toward you come without any conditions; toward you, I never have, and will never have ill intentions or ulterior motive. Some may persuade you to believe otherwise, but should that ever happen, remember this letter and what I’ve expressed through it.

I have more to tell you, but perhaps I should save that for when we see each other, which I hope will be very soon. Well then, my dear, I only have one last thing to ask of you; linger in the moments we spend together. Visit me to wish me goodnight before you go to bed, stay with me a few seconds longer when it’s time for us to part, forget your jacket in my room and return for it later.

Come meet me when you can today; I’ll wait for you, my dear. Perhaps this may come as unceremonious, but - from today and onward, my heart is yours, [name]; do what you will with it.

Yours eternally,

Enciodas

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A effusive, unrestrained smile paints your lips as you read the last line of the letter. SilverAsh’s every word is enough to cause warmth to explode in your chest; such sincerity and tenderness from him is reserved solely for you.

Your eyes are once again drawn toward your nightstand, where you this time notice the rectangular box on its top; its colour identical to the envelope, white decorative ribbon ties the box closed. You reach over and retrieve it quickly, eager to see what SilverAsh has gotten you. The box feels weighted in your hands, and upon ridding the box of the ribbon and lid, your gaze falls on a delicate, beautifully-carved sculpture of marble.

It’s so detailed that almost immediately, you recognize the two figures embracing as SilverAsh and yourself; it's a sculpture of you and him. Your features and his are captured with impressive perfection, and the marble feels smooth and cool against your fingers once you remove it from the box.

A sculpture of such degree almost screams wealth, but because of its rather petite size and simple pale colour, it executes a bold yet warm message while not being unsightly to the eye. You smile down softly at the small sculpture of SilverAsh and yourself, then you glance back at the giftbox.

The last thing left in the box is a slip of paper with SilverAsh’s thin penmanship creating lines of words on its surface. ‘Merry Christmas, my dear. I had this sculpture commissioned by a very well known artist in Kjerag; quite captivating, isn't it? Even so, even the most beautiful art pieces cannot compete with you.’ You pause for a moment - attention drawn to your window once more. Your eyes widen slightly when you notice that a familiar, fluffy-eared figure has joined the ever growing crowd outside.

SilverAsh. He stands with his sisters, watching as his fellow Operators launch snowballs at each other and stumble in the snow; then his eyes meet yours. Even from your room so far away, you catch his expression as his lips fall agape, then a charming smile comes to his face. You're unable to stop yourself from grinning back - you quickly read the last sentences of the note, ‘[Name], even if you must work today, at least spare a moment to smile at me, won't you?’ Then, like a child rushing to their Christmas tree to open gifts, you waste no time grabbing your coat and hurrying out the door, knowing SilverAsh awaits you with a warm smile, ‘Even that smile alone would be a suitable enough Christmas present for me.’

[fundielicious-simblr]

(This is going to act as an update post on Zoe and her family, I'm trying to be more proactive about talking about the other kids in the 'heir' families that aren't the main characters. This also makes it so that I can do smaller updates when I do the big holiday family updates, so that the post itself doesn't become a dissertation 😂)

(Zoe's POV)

How fast time flies! Life in Oasis Springs with little JJ has and is fun, over time he’s made leaps and bounds with all of his learning and potty training. Whilst I helped teach my siblings, it definitely feels different with your own child. Every spill and accident means we’re just that much closer to having him be fully potty trained, which will be a big win for the both of us! We’re working on fluency with colours and letters, and after those are down we can start with bible memory!

(rest is under the cut! - got too long 😂)

With Francisco going off to work during the day, it took awhile for me to get used to being alone when we first got married. After having JJ it made it easier because I could just dedicate all my time to him during the day, my sister Priscilla moved closeby, so we’d see each other whenever we had the time. Now she’s got a baby of her own, we’ve been having to coordinate schedules to see each other. Annette comes down to see Priscilla for some twin time, and while she’s in town she’ll drop in to see JJ and I. It’s great getting to hang out with my younger sisters and being able to invest in their lives and keep our sister bond strong. Annette isn’t married yet and has no one she’s interested in, so she keeps herself busy with babysitting for the mothers in our church as well as investing in the lives of others and volunteering at various church camps. When she isn’t doing that, she’s visiting the siblings that are spread out everywhere, soon she’s planning a trip to see Beckett and Mandy out in Selvadorada on a short missions trip.

It’s great getting to sit down with Francisco when he comes home and getting to hear all about his work day. Obviously there are loads of things I don’t understand about his work with the military, but he’ll tell me what he can whilst explaining the complicated jargon. Sometimes he’ll get sent on short training expeditions out into the desert which have me worried sometimes, as you never know what can happen out there, but he always reassures me that he’ll be back safe and sound.

I’m still working on my music, I play at our church on the weekends so I’m always looking for ways to arrange the hymnals. In the new year I’ll be teaching at a music camp hosted by my parents church, so I’m working on different pieces for that. I’m almost done arranging a piece for a new recording that I’m doing for a small hymnal EP, so when JJ is doing his extended play time, I’m practicing on the keyboard that is in his room. Sometimes he’ll come and watch me play and is captivated by the music, it’s such a blessing to see his little eyes light up at the sound of music, I can’t wait until he’s old enough to begin learning.

Francisco and I had talked about expanding our little family and were excited to see what the Lord had in store for us, there were 2 or 3 times that I hoped I was pregnant but received a negative pregnancy test. To be really honest, it was very hard to want something and get a negative test result. I’ve spent time calling my mother and having her comforting voice was such a blessing to me during my quite teary phonecalls where I’m sure she could barely understand a word. After seeing my mother have baby after baby every year, and now seeing my sister and sister-in-law have children quite easily, admittedly it was hard to be content in my struggle whilst also being happy for everyone else. There were many times I ran to the Lord in prayer for contentment, and for patience as I wait for what he has in store for me, and it helped calm my heart.

It’s been great seeing Francisco as a father, he’s in love with parenting JJ and being a good example for him. He takes initiative with both correcting JJ and having a good teaching moment, as well as being the fun dad who loves to play outside. He tries his hardest to make sure he can come home and read JJ a bedtime story, but if he can’t make it then I gladly read to JJ at bedtime. 

My sister Annette was over visiting when I felt like I should take a pregnancy test, and praise the Lord it was positive! I’ve prayed and prayed over again for this moment, and now that it’s here I feel overjoyed! Telling Francisco was the best part, he was so excited for us to grow our family. We took these pictures to announce to our friends and family about our new addition that will be joining us this winter.

With the joys of pregnancy come the trials, and by that I mean morning sickness. I’ve got it much worse this time round than I did with JJ’s pregnancy, meaning that on bad days Francisco has had to step up and do things that I would usually do. Good thing his mother made sure that both her boys knew how to cook and do their own laundry when they were teenagers or else this would be another trial for us to endure 😂

Another new thing I’ve had to get used to with this pregnancy is the size of my belly, with JJ I only really started showing in the 2nd trimester which is standard with your first baby. With this baby it seems that I started showing as soon as the pregnancy test came out positive, and since we know there’s only one baby in here, their positioning is more frontal that JJ was. 

This pregnancy came right on the tail end of our time here in Oasis Springs, Francisco got his new orders and he’s being stationed out at a base near Windenburg! He got promoted right before his time here was done, so we all got to dress up and head to the ceremony, I must say, I love seeing him in his uniform! Living by Windenburg means I’ll be close to my sister Amira who lives there with her husband, I love that being able to move around every 2 years means that I get a chance to see different friends and family more regularly as the years change. When we’re on our way to Windenburg we’ll be stopping by newcrest for Harvestfest with my family, it’ll be so good to see everyone again before we head out to our new home for the next 2 years!

                                                            💛

(AN) The accidental irony in this post being military themed wasn’t planned but is unfortunate considering the recent events. This post would’ve gone up on Saturday the 28th, but unfortunately time and circumstances meant I couldn't bring myself to do much for a bit as well as not having access to my laptop. Early on saturday morning I found out that a girl that I knew was one of the marines killed in the Kabul attacks. I’m not in the military, I’m not even American, but she was stationed at the base in the country where I live and were deployed to Afghanistan from here not too long ago. Being a civilian I wasn’t as close to her as some of her fellow soldiers but we saw each other when my friends and I would hang out with our military friends on the weekends, she was truly a kind soul and her death as well as the others have shattered everyone’s hearts. It’s so jarring having to deal with the fact that a person that you used to see almost weekly is now gone, I jumped back into tumblr as a form of distraction and am hoping this helps keep my mind busy. My condolences go out to all the families and friends of those who lost their lives this weekend, and to everyone affected by these losses, please reach out to get help if you need it. May they all rest in peace. 

[lilyhandmaiden]

The Things That Have Gotten Me Through 2020

In the last few minutes of 2020, I thought I would share some of the little things that have brought me joy and comfort and, when both of those were in short supply, have dragged me forward through this year.

12 Monkeys (TV series)

I started watching the 2015-2018 SyFy series 12 Monkeys, which revolves around time travel being invented to stop a humanity-ending pandemic, in February or so, right before it became clear that the current pandemic was going to have a big impact on all our lives. It was... weird timing. Nevertheless, in the early days of lockdown, etc., all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and escape by watching this ragtag group of idiots save the world and, eventually, Time Itself. They were, overall, very bad at it, always getting in their own way, but they won anyway, and that felt strangely encouraging. The show is not unproblematic at times, but its overall message is that, while endings are inevitable, the relationships we form and the choices we make matter. That was something I needed to hear and take to heart. Plus, the series introduced me to Jennifer Goines, one of my all-time favorite fictional characters. As played by Emily Hampshire (Stevie from Schitt’s Creek in a role as unlike Stevie as it is possible to be, at least in terms of self-expression), Jennifer is “brave, impulsive, irrationally rational,” and a force of radical love and compassion for her friends and, ultimately, for herself—even if her brain never works the way she wants it to. May we all try to live in the happily ever now.

 Schitt’s Creek winning all the Emmys

Schitt’s Creek was my big discovery of last year, and its amazing character development in a story about finding oneself and forming connections in the process of starting all over was hugely important to me upon entering into post-academic life. This year, I’ve loved seeing this show’s snowballing popularity, which culminated in its sweep of the Emmy comedy category. Watching the ceremony at home with my cat, I screamed as those wins piled on (not as loudly as Sarah Levy up in Canada, but still). Legends Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy with their first acting Emmys! Dan Levy for writing and directing and acting on his first series doing any of those in a major capacity! Annie Murphy, for her hilarious and heartbreaking and inspiring and masterful portrayal of Alexis Rose, after she was told she couldn’t do comedy without comedy lessons and almost quit acting! The COSTUMES. No cast and crew have ever been more deserving. Love that journey for them! And the fan celebrations afterward were such an expression of communal joy at a time when joy and community were not so easy to come by.

 Folklore and Evermore and Taylor Swift

           It took me about a month to get around to listening to Taylor Swift’s first surprise pandemic album, folklore. Once I did, though, I couldn’t seem to stop. There were stretches of weeks when I only listened to folklore. It was for working and driving and writing and cleaning and thinking. It’s sonically soothing and lyrically gorgeous, pulling from literature, history, memory, isolation. I’ve never listened to an album where I can pick out so many favorite individual lines before. I’ve always admired Swift most for her storytelling, so it’s no huge surprise that I love this album, where she embraces the storyteller role. Still, I’d only really paid attention 1989 and her singles before—and not really even to her singles over the past few years. After about a month of only listening to folklore, all the time, like it had me hypnotized, I decided it might be worth listening through the entire Taylor Swift discography.

           I fell in love with folklore as an album for its bittersweet, nostalgic feel that spoke so perfectly to this moment in time, but the exact moment I fell for Taylor Swift as an artist might have been when my jaw dropped at the cutting specificity of, “Don’t you think nineteen’s too young to be played by your dark, twisted game?” in “Dear John.” And then when I cackled as she wrapped up the song with, “The girl in the dress wrote you a song. You should’ve known.” That was when I started to appreciate Taylor Swift for the way she has, from a very young age, understood her power as a storyteller, and specifically as the teller of her own story. “I was there. I remember it,” she emphasizes over and over in song after song, seizing the authority she might otherwise be denied as a young woman (“when you are young, they assume you know nothing”). Plus, her use of imagery is unparalleled. folklore spoke to this moment in time, but there is a Taylor Swift song for every possible moment and mood, and that became a comfort and escape of its own.

           So, by the time evermore came out, I was able to appreciate it as an event. And that, in these times, is no small thing. evermore is the wilder and sadder of the twin albums, and its songs revolve around endings and, on the other side, improbable hope. Here’s to this pain not being for evermore. Take a nap, Taylor. You’ve earned it.

 Writing

At the end of grad school, I felt like I might never write creatively again. I was afraid that creative part of me had withered up and died. But last year, slowly, it started to come back, and this year it’s been one of my main sources of joy. I’ve written thousands of words, and I’m actually enjoying the process of doing it and proud of the outcome. I know and understand why a lot of people have struggled to be creative this year, but for me, writing my way into another world where I am actually in control of what happens has been my favorite way of escaping this one. It’s all I want to do all day while I’m sitting at work, doing official correspondence. I’m even writing original fiction for the first time in ages, and you know what? It’s not nearly as scary or difficult as I was afraid it would be. Plus, I love talking about writing, sharing enthusiasm and working through problems, with friends. I’m not a fast writer, but I hope to do more of it, and find a way to do it more consistently, in 2021.

 Texting with friends

I haven’t been perfect at it, but I made the decision at the beginning of 2020, before All This even really got started, to do a better job at keeping in touch with my friends. In a year when we’ve had to reconfigure so many things we care about, I can wholeheartedly recommend a weekly text with friends as a way of keeping those relationships and those people prominent in your life. Throughout the year, reaching out on a regular basis to the people I love—when I need them, when they need me, just to say hi—has deepened relationships I care about and has been a constant source of comfort, stability, and fun. So much emotional and physical good has come out of it for me and, I hope, for others as well. This is a part of the year I’m really proud of, and I intend to continue, expand, and refine this program in 2021.

 Learning to cook things

At the beginning of the year, I set the modest goal of learning to cook one simple thing each month of the year. When so many other goals and aspirations got blown up, this is one I was able to keep to for the most part. The holidays got in the way at the very end, but I did learn to cook 10 new things this year. For a person who could cook almost nothing before, this is big progress. It worked so well that this is another program I intend to carry on into 2021.

 My nephew

Last year, I was looking forward to the day when this kid would be able to recognize me. Last weekend, he came running to be picked up with a big smile when I came through the door and hugged me when I left. It’s possible that he thinks Aunt Erin With a Mask and Aunt Erin Without a Mask (the latter of whom appears only rarely) are two different people, but he loves both of us, and we love him. I can’t wait to see what he’s learned by this time next year. I hope the world is a friendlier place for him by then.

Happy New Year!

[avengerscompound]

The Tower: The Queen of Asgard - 27

The Tower: The Queen of Asgard An Avengers Fanfic

Series Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Pairing:  Avengers x OFC, Bruce Banner x Bucky Barnes x Clint Barton x Wanda Maximoff x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Tony Stark x Thor x Sam Wilson x OFC (Elly Cooper)

Word Count: 2990

Warnings: Being naked, sex talk

Synopsis: The twins are now three and while the Avengers know that Clint and Thor are the biological father’s none of them know or care which blond, blue-eyed baby is related to which man.  When Riley gets the power to control wind and it becomes evident that she is the heir to the Asgardian throne, Elly, Steve, Thor, and Tony take the twins to Asgard to train her.

Not every Asgardian is happy with their king’s choice of consort, nor the impurity of the heir’s blood.  While others expect Thor to make things more official.  What’s clear is, the role of Queen of Asgard is not easily filled.

Author’s Note:  Written with my very sleepy daughter @fanficwriter013​

Chapter 27: Friends and Loved Ones

The following week and a half passed with little incident.  Since the Fenestare things had settled a lot.  The threat of some sibling taking the crown seemed to pass by forgotten completely and everyone had just fallen in line with Thor’s leadership.  For most of us, it had become like the vacation none of us had ever taken.  We were relaxed and enjoying the planet and each other.  Tony had made his little bots that followed us around but aside from the fact I would need mine to tell me where I was, no one ever used it.

It was only really Thor that was kept busy and he was kept very busy.  Between the Bonding and training Riley and running Asgard he was out from early in the morning until late at night when he would come back exhausted.  We had started talking about one or two of us staying with him on Asgard at a time but we didn’t know how to organize that system.  There was already so much time that got taken from us as a family, to add weeks on Asgard to that too meant that we’d always be in a state of flux.  Not to mention deciding who would stay.

Being in a long-distance relationship with a king wasn’t easy.

The day we had set to have our joint bachelor party I woke up engulfed in Bucky and Steve’s arms.  I stretched like a cat and they didn’t stir at all.  It had only taken a week for them to completely enter a relaxed holiday mode.  It was probably a little concerning, but I was still impressed.  It was nice seeing them like that.

When I opened my eyes that wasn’t the only thing I saw though.  Phil Coulson was standing near the bed looking at us.

“Phil!”  I yelped covering myself with a sheet.

Bucky and Steve both sat bolt upright and looked around startled and on alert.  “Phil?”  Steve said confused.

“What the hell?”  Bucky added a little angrier sounding.

“Sorry!”  Phil said raising his hands in surrender.  “I was told you were in here, so I came to see and you were sleep and… I’m sorry.”

“Does that mean everyone is here?”  I asked.

“Yeah, we arrived this morning,” Phil answered.  “You’re getting married?”

“Bonding,” Steve said.  “But essentially.  Now if you don’t mind…”

“Right.  I’ll go back to the others.”  Phil said apologetically, retreating from the room.

When the door closed I leaned my forehead on Bucky’s shoulder.  “I think I just aged 5 years.”

Steve chuckled softly and kissed my neck.  “Well, in good news, you’re about to get 4,900 extra years.  So you can afford them.”

I turned and kissed him gently.  “Two days.”

He made a soft sound and his hand flexed on my hip.

“Okay,”  I said pulling back.  “I’m gonna get dressed and go say hello.”

“That’s a good idea,” Bucky said stretching.

I dressed and headed out into the living room.  It was at capacity, with almost everyone else up and eating as well as our friends, some of the Dora Milaje and even Carol Danvers who we saw once in a blue moon.

“Gurl!”  Clark said, jumping to her feet, her violet eyes twinking.  “We gonna hafta talk. This is fucking Asgard!”

“Right?”  I said coming over and hugging her.

“Everyone is so pretty.  How are they all so pretty?”  She asked as she pulled back from me.

“They’re gods?”  I said.  “But it’s much more open here if you and Jax want to get busy.”

“Mmm… we’ve already decided on a competition.  I’ve got my eyes on a few people.”  She teased.  “So come on, explain to me what’s going on.”

I came and sat next to her and Jax and ran through the whole series of events from the day Riley’s powers come in, coming here, being attacked and the bonding ceremony.  Around me, a similar conversation was had by small groups of the others in the room.

“You sure you want this?”  Jax said.  “We always spoke about what your parents wanted for you…”

“Yes, what they wanted for me was marry rich have kids.  Which I guess I am doing, but I don’t think they envisioned this.  There are things that scare me, and I’m sure you’re going to have your work cut out for you when I get back.  Living for 5000 years is scary.  But...”  I said.  “I’m so happy.”

“Well, then I’m happy for you.”  He said.

“Sweetie, you’re not at work now,” Clarke said in a playfully patronizing tone, letting Jax know to stop analyzing things.  He held up his hands in surrender and she turned back to me.  “So bachelorette?”

“It’s a group thing because we don’t really have a lot of people otherwise,” I said.

“Alcohol?  Strippers?”  She asked.

“Yes to both.  But go easy on the mead.”  I said.  “I had to take Sam to the healers.”

“Yikes.  Okay.  I’ll try and remember that.”  She said.  “I’m excited to try the food.”

“Well, it should be here soon.  I’m sure there will be enough for everyone.”  I said.

“Oh, nice.  I bet it’s super weird and decadent.”  She sat up straight all of a sudden and looked around the room.  “Wait, where are my kiddos?”

“Asleep I guess.  They sleep like the dead here.  I think it’s the air.”  I said.  “Do you want to go get them.”

She raised an eyebrow at me.  “Of course.”

“Before you do,”  Loki said, appearing behind me and making me jump.

“Jesus, Loki!”  I gasped holding my chest.  “How many times can you do that and find it funny?”

“Every time, Elise,”  She snarked.  “There is a tight schedule today.  You have about an hour and a half for breakfast and to … socialize.  Then final fittings for your garments.  Then there will be initial preparations for Henhalda.  That’s the body painting.  You will be bathed and then your artists will do the outlines on your arms and legs.  You will have lunch during that time because it will take you until dinner and then this party of yours tonight.”

“Thank you, sister.”  I teased.

“Do not make me break the truce and stab you, Elise.”  She snarked.

“Fine.  No, that’s all good.  I’ll go and get the kids then?”  I said.  “Will you be taking care of them?”

“Myself and the Lady Sif shall take turns.  I assure you they will be fine.”  She said.

I nodded and got up and headed into the kids’ rooms with Clarke trailing behind me.  As we came into the room we found Riley already climbing out of the bed.  She squealed and ran over to Clarke.  “Aunnie Cwarke!”

“Hi, baby!”  Clarke said scooping her up.  “Tell me all about Asgard.”

I went over to Pietro and start to rub his back to wake him.

“Umm… dey calls me a pwincess.”  Riley said, thinking hard.  “And uhh… daddy’s been teaching me to do da wind.”

“And are you getting good at controlling the wind?”  Clarke asked.

She nodded vigorously as Pietro groaned and sat up.  “Aunnie Cwarke?”  He said in a sleepy voice.

“Hey, baby,” Clarke said gently.

“You came to Asgawd?”  He asked.

“Yeah, buddy.  Lots of people are here.  Uncle Phil and Auntie Maria.  Uncle Scott.  Uncle Rhodey.  Uncle Jax.”  I said and he started bouncing on his bed.

“Come on, kiddo,”  Clarke said.  “Come out and see everyone.”

Pietro ran out and stopped dead looking at the room full of all the people he loved best.  The food had arrived and Riley pointed at Magnus.  Meanwhile, Pietro had started dancing on the spot like he didn’t know where to go first.  Wanda looked around at him and smiled.  “Hey, little one.  How are you doing?”

“Good, daj,” he said, happily.  “Deys all here.”

“Are you happier now that family is all here?”  Wanda asked.

“Dis Cwistmas?”  Pietro asked.

Wanda squeaked and her hand went to her mouth.  “El.  El!  That was adorable!”

“Not quite Christmas, kiddo,” I said ruffling his hair.  “How about you go say hello to everyone though.”

He ran over to Rhodey first and gave him a huge hug.  I went and got a plate of breakfast for me and the kids and sat.  The room was completely alive with talk and excitement.  It was good.  Everything felt like it was falling into place.  There were just a few more pieces to go.

My final fitting was done under the supervision of Loki, who was very particular about where things still needed to be taken in or up.  She’d hiss things in Asgardian to the tailors and then swept out of the room to do the same with the next person.  It looked beautiful though.  Everything I never imagined a wedding dress could be.  Not that it was a wedding really, but there was no way that whatever dress I chose to wear when I married Tony would be able to match the way this shimmered in the light and looked like it contained magic itself in it.  I decided then and there, whatever Tony and I did would be small, and more casual.  A little celebration just to make what we were doing here as a group, as legally recognized as we’d be able to back on Earth.

When I was done and back into my regular clothes I came out to the living room.  A moment later a group of people of varying ages came in and they were directed by Loki to each of our bedrooms.  She turned back to face us.

“Now is Henhalda.  You will need to follow the directions of your artists.  They may ask you to stand, lie down, sit.  Or they might be happy for you to decide.  Each artist has been chosen to deal with you specifically.  Whether you need a firm hand, someone to work in silence, a reassuring presence, a gentle touch, or someone who is less attached to rank and tradition.”  Loki said looking from Clint, Natasha, Wanda, Bruce and I in turn.  “They have briefed about who you each are and who they are working with specifically so they understand what reservations you might each have.  Particularly when it comes to the nudity required for Henhalda.  Those fine with nudity will most likely be asked to strip off right away so that the artwork can be carried out from the inside out.  Those that need time to become comfortable will have their arms and legs worked on first.

“Voice your reservations so they can put them at ease.  But this must be done apart from each other.  You may take a friend with you but it can not be one you are to bond with.”

Steve looked a little uncomfortable but gave a small nod, while Bruce looked from Loki to me with panic in his eyes.  “I don’t think I can do this, El.”

I moved over to him and caressed his jaw.  “Yes, you can,” I said firmly.  “The big guy knows how important this is.  You just have to get out of your own head.”

“I can come with you if you like,” Jax offered.  “Go through your relaxation techniques.”

Bruce nodded a little.  “If you’re sure.”

“I’d be honored,” Jax assured him.

“Bruce, if you really can’t handle it, let Hulk out.  Just… let him out before he takes over on his own.   You know that he’s always calmer when you do that, and I think he’d quite enjoy being painted on.  Besides, it will let him be a real part of this.”

Bruce winced and gave a nod.  “El,” he whispered.  “I might need a buffer for the party.  I mean, after this.”

I leaned in and kissed his cheek gently.  “Of course, honey.  You’ve got me.”

We separated into pairs.  Coulson went with Clint.  Hill with Natasha.  Jax went with Bruce, Wanda with Vision.  Scott got super lucky when Steve agreed to let him go with him.  Bucky had the honor of T’Challa agreeing to go with him.  Sam took Rhodey with him after Tony agreed to share his best friend and took Happy with him instead, and Thor took Sif.  Clarke was coming with me and everyone else was going to either see the sights of Asgard or take turns looking after the twins.

I went into my bedroom to find a young woman, who looked around 18 in Earth years but could have been any age really, set up with a table, brushes, and inks.

“Where would you like me?”  I asked.

“Where ever you feel comfortable.”  The girl replied.  “We’ll be here for a while so I’d suggest lying but I can work however you like.”

“Do you want me naked right away?”  I asked her.

She nodded.  “If you’re comfortable doing that.  You can go face down first too if that helps.”

“Alright,” I said taking off my clothes.  “It’s okay to tell me what to do, you know?  I don’t want to make this difficult for you.”

“So, it is true what they say.”  She said as I lay down on the bed face down and Clarke went to my wardrobe and began looking through it.

“What’s that?”  I asked.

“That you are like us,” she said.  “You don’t see yourself as Royalty.  Or better than us.”

I chuckled.  “Yeah, well I don’t think I’m better than you, that’s for sure.”

“Some of the elders don’t understand.”  She said.  “I like it though.  It’s nice.”

She began to wash my back down with a warm cloth that smelled like roses and Clarke came back and sat down beside me, leaning on the bedhead.  “I’m gonna steal some of your clothes.”

“Go for it,” I said as the girl began to trace a pattern out on my back with her finger.

“Awesome.  Gonna look like a princess at your party.”  Clarke said.  “What’re you doing there?”

“Oh, I uh - I’ve never done a Henhalda before.  I just want to get a picture of it in my head before I start.”  She said.  She kneeled on the bed beside me and pulled her little table over closer and began to paint.

The ink was cool on my skin and she was painting such fine intricate lines that it put me into an almost trance-like state of relaxation, my skin tingling.

“You should see this, blue,” Clarke said.  “This girl is crazy talented.”

“Thank you,” she said.

“Will the others be the same?  Or is this unique per person?”  I asked.

“Some of it will be identical.  It’s supposed to represent your lives together.  And some of that is shared.  Some is individual.”  She explained.

I hummed.  “I can’t wait to see everyone’s.”

“And of course the private paintings meant only for each other.”  She said.

“What will they be?”  I asked.

“You will have symbolic images, representing your lovers, painted in your most intimate places.”  She said.

“Oh wow.  That’s going to be so fun to explore with each other.”  I said.  “What will the one that represents me look like?  Do you know?”

“It is a flower made of blue flame, that’s roots run out and join with the other’s symbols and one to the heart of each person it is painted on.  Worked into the flower is the rune Gebo.”

“What does Gebo mean?” I asked.

“It means, gifts and relationships.  Sacrifice and exchange.”  She said.

I liked that and wondered if the others had runes in their symbols too and if they did what they stood for.  “Who designed them.”

“We did as a team using psychics who mapped out your futures.”  She answered.   She moved down to my legs and then seemed to change her mind and came back up to my shoulders.  “Sorry, the way I paint is more unconventional.  This is why they assigned me to you.  The others are more stuffy.”

I chuckled.  “Oh no.  I’m the difficult one.”

“Just untraditional.  But I am the youngest.  So I don’t care for tradition.”  She said.  “I like working with you.  I think we could be friends.”

“That would be nice.  I could always use more friends.”  I said.  “What’s your name?”

She almost squeaked in excitement.  “Katveil.  Can I call you Elise?”

“Or Elly.  My friends call me Elly.”  I said.

“I don’t.  I call her blue.”  Clarke said.

“Why do you call her that?”  Katveil asked.

“I don’t know.  She’s just … blue.”  Clarke said.

“What is your name?”  Katveil asked.

“Clarke,”  Clarke said giving Katveil a nod.  “Here to share in naked time.”

Katveil started laughing.  “It is a little odd, even for here.”

“Feels nice though.  Soothing.  I could probably fall to sleep.”  I said.

“You are welcome to if the urge comes.  Go with your feelings.”  Katveil said.

We stayed talking until lunch where I ate lying on my stomach while the ink dried on my back.  When Katveil was satisfied with the ink being dry enough she had me roll over and started painting my front.  I watched her for a while as the design got smaller and more intricate and eventually I did doze off and was awoken abruptly by Katveil shaking me.

“You’re finished.”  She said when my eyes snapped open.  “I have not painted the special symbols yet.  They are to wait until tomorrow.”

I looked down at myself.  I looked like I’d become one giant mandala.  “Holy shit.”  I gasped.

Katveil smiled.  “Just wait until it’s colored.  You won’t believe your eyes.”

“I’m really excited,” I said.

Katveil gave a little bow.  “I shall see you tomorrow.  Enjoy your party, Elly.”

“Thank you, Katveil.  I’ll see you tomorrow.” I said.

“Please, call me Kat.”  She said.

“Kat is is.”  I agreed.

Katveil left the room and Clarke shoved me.  “Come on, lady.”  She said.  “We gotsta get ready.  It’s time to party.”

 // NEXT

[faceted-tourmaline]

Miraculous Secret Santa~!

@sorcerymuses​, Merry Christmas! I’m your Secret Santa, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Here is your drabble, I hope you like it! (I may add an extra chapter or two, as well)

@mlsecretsanta​

Garden Reunion

Word count: 2850

ao3

'I can't believe it's been ten years since we all graduated together,' Rose said, gesturing to the busy room elegantly with a glass of champange. She was wearing a pink slip dress in the warm summer heat of the garden party that surrounded her, and a smile that matched to make her look radiant.

'What I can't believe is how many people made it,' Alix pointed out in return. She had come in a finely tailored suit, but had removed the jacket to show that her white shirt was sleeveless and tasteful. Gone was the pink hair of yesteryear, now a deep purple that had been cropped short simliar to Rose's. 'After we all graduated we pretty much scattered to the wind in our little pairs. I've hardly heard from anyone since we left, even though we said we'd catch up.'

'I thought it was so cute how many of us all paired up after we graduated. I heard that Ivan and Mylene have had number two: a little girl.' Rose smiled. 'You missed out on a lot since you went away to America for university, I'm sorry to say, but your Aunty Rose is here to catch you up!'

'I'm sure I can guess, even from just looking around right now. And I didn't miss everything, I went to the five year reunion!' Alix teased. 'I'm sure there's enough kids having been popped out for you to be "Aunty Rose" for as much as you like.'

Juleka came up from behind Rose and slipped an arm around her waist. 'Oh? Care to make some guesses?' She wore a chic purple number with a short black jacket despite the heat, and pecked Rose on the cheek.

'Well obviously you two are still together,' Alix started. 'Not that that's a surprise. Especially by the way Rose has been waving around that ring since you both got here,' she smiled. Juleka glanced down at her wife, who only shrugged innocently. 'I don't know what she's talking about.' Rose turned her eyes back to Alix. 'Did you see the photos on Instagram of where we renewed our vows in Marseille? Wasn't it romantic?'

'Sure looked it,' Alix returned with a laugh. 'Though it's hard to sift through the sheer volume of photos that you put up.'

'Ok, who's next for guessing?' Juleka gestured to the rest of the garden around them from where they stood at the canapé table.

'Well,' Alix's eyes fell on Kim, who was staring up at the statue placed in the corner of the garden while a few others were clearly trying to talk him down. 'Kim's probably doing his sports thing. Wasn't he dating that swimmer?' Alix hesitated. 'Wait, I remember some super over-the-top proposal video I saw somewhere online, so what's the deal?'

Rose laughed out loud. 'Yes, he married Ondine. He put on this huge proposal with flowers and choreographed dancers and fountains and everything, and after she finished laughing she said yes. Honestly, it was like something out of a romantic comedy.'

'You can't lie Rose, you love those romantic comedies,' Juleka pointed out with a smile. 'Or was that all-day marathon for your birthday wasted?'

'No way! It was the perfect birthday! I loved every minute, but I'm not a teenager anymore. That kind of excess in real life would be expensive.'

'Ok, so who else is here,' Alix hummed to herself. 'Did Nathanial ever put a ring on Mark?' She questioned, spotting the couple by the punch table.

'Yes, they eloped.' Rose pouted slightly.

'You're not still mad that you haven't seen the photos, are you?' Juleka questioned jokingly.

'It's important!' Rose replied. 'I can't believe they didn't even tell us friends about it until the next event! I need to know the details!'

'They said they wanted a quiet ceremony.' Juleka pointed out.

'Here, I got you Rose,' Alix started. 'It probably went something like this: "Hey Mark will you marry me?", "Yep", "cool, hey look there's a minister over there because Italy, let's get hitched", "done", "dearly beloved, will you two grooms take each other to be your lawfully wedded grooms?", "yep", "yep" "done and done".'

'Alix, you don't have a romantic bone in your body.' Rose said dryly.

'I take pride in that fact.'

There was a commotion by the entrance to the party, as a new figure swept in, trailed by a few unfamiliar plus ones that looked up to their leader in avid admiration.

'What about Lila?' Alix asked, her eyes following the girl's grand entrance. She had long forgone the bangs and tinted red hair for her natural brunette, which was surprisingly tastefully piled up into a braided bun. Her champagne coloured, strapless dress trailed behind her into a short train, and a sheer wrap was draped around her elbows to which her gloves reached. 'It seems she's doing alright for herself, surprisingly.'

'Oh, be nice. She's mellowed, ever since she got that amazing acting job through her contacts.'

Alix glanced sideways at Juleka, who gave her a hint of a warning look.

'Oh, I see. Are those her assistants?' Alix looked back at her entourage, who were now scattering to prep the room, find her a glass of champagne and a chair.

'Yes, I think so. She keeps a couple of interns to assist her with her ongoing medical issues while she works.'

'Does she have a lot of issues then?' Alix barely stifled a grin.

'Not so many, but there's always new things popping up,' Juleka replied, pokerfaced.

'I'm going to say hello, you two should come with me!' Rose said, moving in Lila's direction and taking Juleka by the hand.

'Is she still doing work with the Agreste brand?' Alix asked Juleka in an undertone as they were towed in the girl's direction.

'Yes, more than ever. Ever since Adrien left she's had her eyes on the prize.'

'Lila, how are you?' Rose exclaimed as soon as they were in earshot.

An assistant leant over to whisper quickly into Lila's ear and Lila smiled in recognition. 'Rose! It's been so long, I can't believe it,' she replied, easing herself down into a ciar. 'And Juleka, and Alex, how are you three?'

'Oh, amazing! Alix's just got back from America, I can't believe how good the timing came out for this party. We haven't seen her in forever!' Rose replied. 'And we're doing great, I'm back working at College Françoise Dupont! I'm so happy to be helping people whenever I can.'

'That's great,' Lila said with a smile that hardly reached her eyes. 'You'll be teaching the next generation about the world. Could you get me a glass of water?' Alix glanced at the jug next to Lila as Rose happily agreed, before moving off.

'So, Lila, we were just talking about how everyone has paired off after school. Do you have anyone in your life?' Alix questioned, not half as cheerfully as she had been to Rose. She and Lila had never seen eye to eye completely, mostly due to the clear deceptions of Lila in Alix's opinion.

'Of course, can't you see my ring?' Lila proffed a delicate hand. Despite wearing gloves, she had taken her sizeable diamond ring and was wearing it on the outside of the glove. 'I got engaged at the beginning of the year in secret. I can't tell you to whom though, I don't want the press to get a hold of it just yet!' She said with a hint of conspiracy.

'I see, well, congratulations.' Alix eyed her up. 'Have you heard from Adrien lately?'

'Oh, him?' Lila rolled her eyes. 'He quit his father's business completely, and the modelling industry altogether. What does it matter after that?' Lila sat forward in a stage whisper. 'I heard that it was because he'd gotten a girl pregnant, and she threatened to go to the press. It was such a scandal, because she was so young, you know,'

'Oh? How do you know about this apparant girl?' Alix questioned, an eyebrow raising slowly.

'You hear a lot of things in the acting world, especially when you're as high-flying as I am. There are no secrets from me.' Lila said with a smirk.

'I heard that he quit everything because he was sick of it,' Juleka pointed out. 'Doesn't he work in a shop downtown now or something?'

Lila waved it away with a snort. 'That's just what the press want you to think.'

Rose returned, a glass of water in hand. 'What does the press want you to think?'

'About Adrien,-' Lila started, but was cut off.

'Oh, Adrien! He works with Marinet-'

'Marinette!!' Lila's eyes flashed. 'He's working with Marinette? He's been barred from the fashion industry!' She caught the way Rose was looking at her. 'It's just awful!' She added with a delicate sniff and dabbing of her eyes.

'Oh, speaking of, Marinette's coming tonight,' Juleka said. 'So you can ask her yourself.'

'She is!?' Lila snapped around. 'She's not here though,'

'She said she's running late.' Juleka shrugged. 'I think she's coming with Alya and Nino.'

Lila looked like she was about to sneer, but covered it quickly. 'It would be good to see Alya again, hope she doesn't press me about,' she lifted her hand and waved the ring at them, 'you know,'

'The fact you're engaged?' Alix pointed out point-blank, and Lila's jaw tightened.

'Yes, thank you Alex. That.'

'Well why don't you ask them? Here come Alya and Nino now!' Rose pointed to the entrance, where the two had clearly just been dropped off.

'Where's Marinette?' Alix asked, as she was clearly not with the pair.

She didn't wait for Lila's answer, and moved towards Alya and Nino instead.

When she approached they greeted her warmly, and Alya immediately complimented her on her tailor and hair stylist.

Alix returned the compliment to them both, before asking, 'So how are you both? I heard that Marinette was coming with you?'

'Oh, no,' Alya laughed. 'She's coming with everyone's favourite blonde. She should be right behind us though.'

Nino shook her hand warmly. 'It's good to see you, I'm really glad to see you're doing so well.'

'Still making music, music man?' Alix grinned.

'You know it,' Nino returned. 'But I produce now, managing some of the best bands in the city. Including yours truly,' he winked.

Alya nudged him. 'Look, here they come now,' she said, looking back over her shoulder.

Two glamourously dressed people were walking towards them, talking animatedly.

'See? We didn't need the driver in the end, you know I don't like bothering him unless there's an event,' Marinette was saying. She tucked a loose strand of long, flowing black hair behind her ear, her sapphire jewelry flashing in the half-light spilling from the hedged entrance to the garden. 'The Uber was fine.'

'The Uber was not fine!' Snapped back none other than Chloé, who tossed her hair animatedly. 'I'm going to give him one star, and he's lucky I can't go lower. Dropping us off at the end of the street like that. Ridiculous.'

'You're the one that wanted to be dropped there so that you wouldn't be embarrased by an Uber,' Marinette lightly chastised. 'Now you're letting the whole party know by complaining about it.'

Chloé puffed out her cheeks for a moment. 'I hate it when you're right.' She turned her attention to the small gathering by the door. 'Oh, look who it is,'

'Hey girls!' Alya exclaimed, giving Marinette a hug as she passed. 'It's been so long! Is Adrien not coming tonight?'

'Adrikins was busy,' Chloé looked put out. 'You know how he is with crowds these days. Plus,' her eyes flashed in Lila's direction. 'Certain people here aren't worth his time of day.'

'We're mostly here to see you guys,' Marinette added. 'Isn't that right?' she elbowed Chloé playfully.

'That's right,' Chloé said, without effort. 'There's a few loose things to do here before we head back to Milan.'

'Oh, I didn't know you two were working together,' Alix said, 'I thought you two couldn't stand each other.'

'You've been away too long, my friend,' Alya smiled. 'These two are running one of the biggest fashion brands in Paris as well as Milan and Rome right now.'

'And only improving, obviously,' Chloé pointed out with a grin. 'Lucky there isn't that much competition here in Paris.'

'What do you mean, not much competition?' Came the voice of Lila, who joined them as they moved towards the drinks table. 'Your little brand can hardly get off the ground here in Paris!'

All five stiffened slightly, but Marinette rolled onto one hip, planting a hand there. 'Aren't you wearing one of our dresses right now, Lila?' She looked her up and down with a grin.

'W-what are you talking about?' Lila pushed back. 'This was handmade in Milan by the finest-'

'It was made by Emile, I'd recognize that stitching anywhere,' Chloé said dryly. 'Emile's one of our best, clearly. Shame it had to be wasted on you.'

Lila flushed red, before turning and stomping away.

'Be careful of those delicate ankles!' Alya called after her, and took the returning murderous glance with glee.

'Nicely done,' Marinette said, leaning over and kissing Chloé's cheek.

Chloé grinned. 'She makes it so easy.'

'She really does,' Marinette replied with a smile.

'Oh!' Alix said suddenly. 'But Marinette, you're not wearing-'

Marinette lightly smacked Chloé shoulder. 'You can blame her for me not wearing my ring everywhere.'

'It's not my fault it outshines everything else,' Chloé returned. 'If you would be a little more glamourous it would fit in better!'

'I think I'd need to be on the Met Gala in order to be able to wear that ring, Chloé.' Marinette teased.

Chloé smiled. 'Well you can hardly blame me when only the best is worthy.' She flushed slightly.

'Aw, is she still turning red after all this time?' Alya teased.

'Noone asked you,' Chloé turned and hid her face by taking up a glass from a nearby table. 'Different topic, why is Kim on top of that statue over there?'

'Because it's Kim, why else?' Alix shrugged. 'But hang on, I thought Juleka said that Adrien was the one who was working with Marinette?'

'Oh, she said that?' Marinette questioned. 'No, he's working with my parents, actually. Turns out his passion is pastries, though I think everyone saw that from how quickly they

disappeared during our school days together.'

Alix grinned, but slowly her eyes dropped. 'I'm sorry to hear about what happened,'

'He doesn't care about any of that,' she waved her away. 'He just wants the quiet life, you know? And with his wife Kagami about to have their first, my parents are going completely insane for their adoptive grandkid. It's all the attention he wants.'

'You know Lila's saying he got a girl pregnant?' Alix pointed out. 'It's why he left.'

'He left because of his father. Simple as that.'

'Well, if it helps you were dating him at the time,' Alya elbowed her playfully. 'Got anything to tell us?'

Marinette glanced down at her perfect figure. 'Yes, actually, I do.' She turned to Chloé. 'I wanted to tell you in private, dearest, but I've actually been pregnant for the last eight years.'

'I can't believe I never knew,' Chloé replied flatly, before grinning. 'What sort of ridiculous nonsense is that? She's clearly after the company.'

'She's also "secretly engaged",' Alix pointed out, with appropriate quote gestures. 'Take that as you will.'

'Can you believe it?' Marinette said with a laugh, but composed herself. 'Nope, I'm here for a good time with my friends. I'm not going to spend it gossiping about Lila.'

'Suit yourself,' Chloé shrugged. 'So who's she engaged to?'

'Chloé,' Marinette said in a warning tone. 'Why don't we do some rounds?'

Chloé pulled a face, but when Marinette looped an arm through hers she couldn't help but smile.

'I know it's been three years, but I can't believe what a couple they make,' Alya said as the group watched them go. 'I remember when they hated each other's guts back in middle school.'

'Well, you know how it is when little boys pull little girls pigtails,' Nino shrugged.

'What, that little boys need to be taught how to deal with their emotions properly so they don't end up on wanted posters?' Alix pointed out.

'Uh, yes,' Nino agreed, 'but my point is that when Chloé got over herself, more or less, they worked things out really well. Adrien really helped with that, I think.'

'So what did Adrien have to say about his best friend and his ex dating?'

'He was pretty over the moon when everything happened, and for the record it's his two best friends dating, but he has a lot of best friends these days. We're proud of him.' Alya said.

'I can tell,' Alix smiled. 'I'll have to drop by the bakery and say hello while I'm in town.'

'He'd like that, I'm sure.' Alya smiled back.

[petri808]

A Forgotten Email

Finale. I don’t think it’s as long as the first two parts, but has a New Years Eve twist 😊.   Happy New Year Everyone!

Part 1 Part 2  modern InuKag AU.  it’s a little rushed, but I really wanted to get this posted tonight.  

The rocky beginnings of their introduction were all but a distant memory for Inuyasha and Kagome.  It hadn’t gone from weeds to roses over night, but at least they got along now, and the relationship was a slow bloom in progress much to the delight of certain individuals.  Toga was pleased with Kagome as both an employee and possible love interest for his son.  The girl was smart, sweet, but feisty.  Now that they were on a good track, Toga backed off to watch from a distance.

“Everything’s been set up Toga,” Kagome began reading off her clipboard.  “Caterer, bartender, servers, decorating company, music, and invitations have gone out this morning.”

“Well done Kagome!” He sits back in his chair with a smile. “Our annual New Year’s Eve Gala has always been popular with our clients and employees, but with your skills, I believe this will be the best one yet!”

Kagome blushes. “You flatter me too much. I’m just doing my best.”

He chuckles, “I speak no lies. Over the years, I’ve had many secretaries, but you are in the top three.”

Her eyebrow raises, amused. “And it has nothing to do with me dating your son?”

Toga feigns shock, “of course not!”

She laughs, knowing that a tiny bit of it lays with that fact.  “Okay boss.  If that will be all, I’ll see you in the morning.”

“That would be all.”

In the two weeks leading up to the party, there were a lot of things to take care of for the business.  It was customary for the company to close from January 1st and reopen on the 4th to allow employees to celebrate according to tradition.  The party was to usher in good luck and prosperity for the upcoming year, but also kick start the short vacation.  Being closed for so many days, all orders needed to be filled, pending contracts taken care of, and end-of-year financial balancing completed.  Everyone was running around and working hard to get it all done.  

The one downside was the fact Kagome couldn’t see Inuyasha as often as she’d have liked.  Working through lunches, one would work late, but not the other, didn’t allow for much personal time.  Most days she was tired and just wanted to sleep so she’d be fine the next day.  But it couldn’t be helped because of their positions.  This was her first time having such heavy responsibilities, though it was nice to know her boss appreciated what she did.  

‘Did you get your dress yet?’  Inuyasha messages Kagome a week before the party through the intra-office system.

‘Not yet.  I was going shopping this weekend to find one.  Why?’

‘It’s not me.  My… mom did.’

‘Your mom??’

‘She wants to take you shopping, something about making it a girl’s day.’

‘…..’

‘I know.  Want me to have her call you?’

‘Um.  Okay.’

‘Cool.  BTW how is the report coming?’

‘Bringing it down by lunchtime.’

‘Perfect…’

Within 15 minutes of logging off with Inuyasha, Kagome’s cellphone rings.  It was his mother, Izayoi.  A sweet and sprightly woman that Kagome adored from the moment she met her, and it was obvious the feeling was mutual.  Izayoi insisted on taking her out on Saturday to do her nails and find a dress for the gala, saying something about the whole family matching.  Of course, Kagome tried to respectfully decline. She didn’t want to appear as though she were taking advantage of them, but Izayoi swiftly dismissed the girls worry.  A mom always wants the best for her son, the woman had put it, and as far as she was concerned, Kagome was already a part of their family.  Kagome spent the rest of the afternoon wondering just what did Izayoi have planned.

Asking Inuyasha was of no help.  That evening during a late dinner, the man simply shrugged his shoulders and said his mom knew his clothing size and would have his outfit prepared and ready before the dinner.  He had no idea what it would look like.  Oh well, it wasn’t such a bad thing, Kagome guessed.  Based on everything Inuyasha had told her, and from her own knowledge of the woman, Izayoi had good tastes, so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.

The rest of the week blows by soon enough.  Things at the company were moving right on schedule.  All the orders that needed to be filled would be finished with time to spare, and the accounting department was finishing up the reports.  The business had done well that year, finishing with a net profit that exceeded their annual projections.  In fact, aside from just having a lot to juggle, the only real issue that came up was the caterer unable to find a specific new year’s ingredient.  Luckily for Kagome, and with Toga’s approval, they were able to find and fly it in from another country.  Crisis averted.  

On Saturday morning, Izayoi picks Kagome up around 10am.  First, they had any early lunch to fuel their plans for the day.  Next stop was nails, pedicures, and facials.  Kagome had to admit that it was a nice, relaxing break.  It had been awhile since she’s ever had the works done like this.  In fact, the last time was probably back when she and Sango were still in college as a way to de-stress after finals.  She wasn’t very fond of wearing fake nails, preferring to keep hers short to make typing easier, but for the holiday, it would look nicer.  So, when it came time to choose the style or color, Kagome allowed Izayoi take the reins.  A white base with reddish and gold accents, perfect for the New Year’s good luck tradition.

It was at that point, as the chauffer drove them to their final destination, that Izayoi told Kagome of the type of dress she was hoping to find.  

“Back in the old days,” the older female muses, “we would wear fancy kimono and elegant head pieces to such events.  But times are different now.”

“Really?”  Kagome tips her head in confusion.  It was becoming rare in these modern times for women to dress up in such a way except for very special events.  She knew they may don kimono or yukata to attend New Year’s church ceremonies, but headpieces too?  

Izayoi chuckles, “well, I was a Princess during those times, so it was expected of us.”

“Princess?!”  

“Oh,” the woman laughs, her eyes crinkling in amusement, “Toga didn’t tell you anything about me?”

Kagome shakes her head.

Izayoi sits back, looking up as if in contemplation.  “My memory sometimes fails me, but that was about 300 years ago.  Life was very different back then, so much simpler.  It took some getting used to all the change’s but having my family around makes it easier.”  

Kagome’s jaw drops.  She knew the yokai world was very different from the human one, but Izayoi was also human.  How could she be over 300 years old?!  The surprised expression spread across her face made Inuyasha’s mother laugh.  

“My dear, you really had no idea, did you?”  

Again, Kagome shakes her head enthusiastically.  

“Yokai age very, very slowly.  On the rare occasion that they fall in love with a human, certain things must be done so that the human can be with them.”  She places a hand on Kagome’s knee.  “I will let Inuyasha explain more in due time, but just know that yes,” Izayoi chuckles again, “I am much older than I look.”

“Wow….  I sometimes wondered what would happen.  I mean, I knew Inuyasha ages differently from me, but I never really thought about the future and how it would affect us.”

Izayoi’s eyes crinkle, happy with Kagome’s words and tone.  She could tell this girl was falling in love with her son but didn’t want to be too nosy.  If it was meant to last, it will.  When her husband Toga had first told her about Kagome, she hadn’t wanted to hold out too much hope.  Her son rarely ever showed any interests in a female, nor did many stick-around because of his personality.  Toga spoke very highly of the young woman their son was seeing, but it was only after 6 months of dating, did she decide to see who this Kagome was for herself.  Needless to say, she had been pleasantly surprised.

“Does it feel better to know, things will be fine?”

“Yes,” Kagome exhales.

“I’m happy to hear that.”

The two women search through a couple of high-end stores before finding just the right dresses, not only for Kagome, but Izayoi as well.  After that, they stop at a tailor and pick up the custom suits Izayoi had ordered for Toga and Inuyasha.  She explained, that because of the men’s physiques, it was easier to have the suits made for them.  Kagome could understand that.  Inuyasha and Toga both had large, broad chests and shoulders, that if the shirt and jacket were not cut well, it would be extremely tight and uncomfortable to wear.

As Izayoi drops Kagome off at her apartment, she leaves with one final, and uncompromising message.  “Our driver will pick you up at 2pm next Tuesday.”

“But the dinner isn’t until 6pm.”

Izayoi grins, “hair and makeup, my dear, takes time to perfect.”  She winks, “see you then!  And tell my son nothing, I want you to be a surprise.”

Kagome stands on the sidewalk, watching the car drive away.  Oh boy, she chuckles and shakes her head with a small smile.  A surprise for Inuyasha?  It was true, this’ll be the first time he’ll see her dressed up in a gown.  A beautiful gown, and one that would have taken her a month’s salary to afford on her own.  She found it amusing and endearing how much effort his mother was putting into this party attire, but she guessed it was to be expected to want the best for one’s child.

For the next two days, it wasn’t easy keeping her word to Izayoi, when a certain Hanyo son was constantly bugging her to know what his mother had said or done during their Saturday shopping trip.  Kagome did her best, simply saying they’d had a great time doing girly things.  Inuyasha whined that his mom was meddling, but Kagome shrugged it off.  That’s what mothers do sometimes.  At least in this case, it wasn’t personally intrusive, but rather quite sweet.  

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Kagome wakes up by 8am and readies herself for the day because it was going to be a long one.  She gathers everything she’ll need, expecting to not get home until the wee hours of New Year’s Day.  And sure enough, Izayoi’s driver is parked outside of her building at 2pm on the dot.

Kagome gets into the car, where Izayoi greets her and explains they’ll be going to a private salon to prepare for the evening.  There, they’ll be dressed, have their hair and makeup done, and any other last-minute touch-ups made.  The place was nothing like any salon Kagome had ever seen before!  The most she’s ever spent on her hair was a few dollars to trim it, and well makeup was something she barely wore.  It was all new experiences for the young woman who’s never had someone dress her before.

Three hours fly by quickly, and before Kagome knew it, they were ready to make the drive to the hotel where the company party was being held at.  When they arrive, Izayoi ushers her into a side room.

“Wait, but I’m in charge of making sure things are set up for the party.”  Kagome insists on not staying in the room.  

“It’s fine, I asked Miroku to step in for now.  I don’t want you to appear in the ballroom until Inuyasha arrives.”

Oh geez, this woman really was hell-bent on surprising her son.  

“Shouldn’t be much longer, I promise.  Toga texted me that they are on their way now.”  

A few minutes later, Izayoi’s phone ping’s and she leaves the room.  Meanwhile Kagome waits, pacing the floor.  She knew that Miroku was capable, but if anything goes wrong, it was her responsibility to take care of it.  Everything wrong that could happen funnels through her mind causing her anxiety to rise, so after 10 minutes, Kagome is tired of waiting.  She stomps over to the door and swings it open, running right smack into Inuyasha.

“Kagome?!”

“Inuyasha?!”

Seconds tick by when a staring contest ensues, neither able to tear their eyes away.  It was like seeing each other for the first time.  Turns out, Izayoi’s surprise swung both ways.

“Wow… you look so beautiful Kagome.”  Inuyasha was stunned.  The red dress seemed made for her.  Its smooth fabric hugging her hourglass frame like it was molded to her body, while the skirt flowed free right at the thigh to allow movement.  The strapless, boned corset top snuggly held her bosoms and showed… a little too much of her milky skin.  Not too much for him, oh no, too much for other males prying eyes.  Kagome’s hair was pinned up on one side with a decorative hair pin and miniature kanzashi pick, while the other side was twisted and wind-swept to fall in light curls draping over her shoulder.              

Her face heats up into a blush.  “You look pretty handsome yourself Inuyasha.”  His white, double-breasted suit with red handkerchief in the pocket cut was cut in immaculate fashion.  That tailor had really outdone themselves.  A matching tie, and his hair polished and pulled into a high ponytail completed the masterpiece.    

Inuyasha reaches out to cradle her cheek, gently running his fingers over her skin.  He holds her gaze, and Kagome her breath as he leans in…

“Ah hem.”  The pair stop and turn to the voice of Toga Inutaisho.  “As much as I’d like to leave you two alone, that belongs for midnight.”  He snickers, “we have guests arriving.”

“Oh hun,” Izayoi chuckles quietly, “there’s nothing wrong with one kiss.”  She was thrilled to see that her work brought the results she’d been hoping for.

Toga laughs and sweeps in his own wife around the waist, placing a quick kiss on her lips.  “Tis true my love.  Alright kids, just make it quick.”

As soon as Inuyasha’s parents leave them alone again, Kagome looks back to see Inuyasha with the most pissed off look, and one she hasn’t seen since the day they’d met.  She giggles, for yes, she couldn’t agree more.

“Hey,” she turns Inuyasha’s face to hers.  “The moment hasn’t left… yet.”

“But that prick just had to interrupt….”

“Inuyasha…”

He stops whining, “yes?”

Kagome giggles again.  “Will you just shut up and kiss me.”        

The hanyo’s ears perk up and a wide grin reappears.  “Screw the party and lock the doors cause imma kiss you till the clock strikes midnight…” 

[mercurysnitch]

You Make My Dreams Come True (One Magnificent Year)

Summary: The year Joe and Reader got married turned out to be a very big one for their family.

A/N: It’s finally here! The “bonus chapter” is finally done, and it only took three and a half months 😆 (life got in the way for a while there, it wasn’t supposed to take quite this long). I am so so pleased to finally be sharing it with you (I hope it lives up to all the anticipation). Now that you can see how long this is you’ll understand why I thought including these events would have dragged out the main story too much 🤣. For reference, this starts soon after the climax of part 6 (Reader and Joe getting engaged) and goes on from there.

Some disclaimers: I should have mentioned in Part 6 that I’ve never been to the USA so all parts in New York are based on what I’ve picked up from watching many many movies and TV shows set there. Sorry if anything’s horribly inaccurate, I tried to be at least somewhat realistic. This story features an overseas wedding being planned in only three months, which seemed feasible to me, but I’ve never planned a wedding so I might have been a bit optimistic there. I’ve never been pregnant or had children so all of that stuff is based on research. I think it’s mostly realistic, but some of it might not be completely accurate for twins/preemies, so sorry in advance. Also I think I might have outed myself as an old school music fan with some of the songs mentioned in here.

Because this is the story of a single year, it’s broken into months with little timeskips between sections. The months are all different lengths, so hopefully it’s not too choppy. I feel like it rambles a bit towards the end, but I think overall it works.

As always, please forgive any typos I may have missed.

Italics indicate reader’s inner thoughts.

Warnings: pregnancy, vomiting, children, babies, non-graphic birth, premature birth, some angst, allusions to sex, mild illness

Word count: 20.6k (grab a cup of tea and settle in, it’s a long one)

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New Year's Eve in New York City. Just like last year, and yet at the same time, so very different. This year, Joe’s traditional New Year’s Eve party was going to be a celebration of so much more. Lucy and Rami insisted on coming to celebrate your engagement as much as the new year. Joe had of course sent an announcement to the ‘band’ group chat almost the moment you got home, and you’d spent the next three days in a whirlwind of calls, texts and video chats. Joe wanted to post something on Instagram almost immediately, but you persuaded him to hold off until you could tell his extended family in person at Christmas. He was annoyed until he saw their reactions to your announcement. Needless to say, it went down very well.

And then he finally made his Instagram post on Boxing Day, which lifted his mood enormously. He chose a sweet selfie he’d taken of the two of you hugging Tallulah, whose face was hidden, with the hand bearing your ring held close to the camera. He captioned it ‘Well we had a great Christmas celebrating this… Two weeks ago she said yes. Still can’t believe I get these two for the rest of my life now.’ The reaction was practically immediate and overwhelmingly positive. Even Brian left a comment: ‘Congratulations to a lovely couple! Wishing you endless happiness. Bri.’ You couldn’t help smiling at all the positivity. “They’re all so happy for us, Joe” you commented. He was confused. “Well, yeah, it’s happy news, right?” “It is,” you agreed, “but I thought people might be put off by the whole stepkid thing.” “Most people actually think it’s really sweet” Joe assured you.

All in all, you were a very happy family when New Year’s Eve rolled around. Joe’s various friends were keen to celebrate with you, Tallulah was eagerly counting down the last few days before Roger’s arrival, and you felt a general sense that all was right with the world. Ben’s unexpected arrival at the party was a nice treat too. Even Tallulah was pleased to see one of her favourite people in the world. Sitting with Joe after your midnight kiss, you felt incredibly content. “This year’s going to be a good one, isn’t it?” You mused. “Definitely” Joe agreed, kissing you gently. “It’s going to be great.”

January

You weren’t expecting to get into wedding planning after being engaged for less than three weeks, but Joe was keen to set a date as soon as possible. “I’m an actor, I need to know when I’m not going to be available” he explained one night, when you questioned his urgency to make plans. There was just one decision you needed to make before making any firm plans: would you have the wedding in New York or back home in the UK? You fretted for nearly a week after Joe first raised the question, not wanting to inconvenience any of your potential guests. "Babe, wherever we have the wedding someone's going to have to travel to get to it" Joe reminded you, after you told him about your severe indecision on the matter. "We might as well just pick the location we want, and leave it to the guests to decide if it’s too far for them." You considered this for a moment. "I suppose you're right" you agreed finally. "I usually am" Joe quipped. "Seriously though, where do you actually want to do it?" "I think… I'd rather get married in Britain" you replied, hesitantly. Joe smiled. "Britain it is then."

He paused. "Actually I was kinda hoping you'd say that, I'd love for Roger and Brian to be there." "Why?" you asked, surprised. "Well, we wouldn't be here without them. Especially Roger" Joe explained. "Don't you think it'd be a little strange for Roger to be there?" you questioned. "He is sort of my ex, you know." "He's also the one who introduced us" Joe pointed out. "Still a bit weird, but I suppose you're right" you conceded. Why is my life so bloody weird? It'd be nice for Roger to be there, spend some time with Loolah, see my family… oh God. You must have groaned out loud, because Joe suddenly looked concerned. "You ok babe?" he asked. "Yeah, I just realised that if Roger comes to our wedding he'll have to meet my parents" you explained. "Is… is that a problem?" Joe was confused. "Well, considering my father is under the impression he got me pregnant and then basically abandoned me to raise the child alone for five years, let's just say Roger's not exactly my dad's favourite person" you clarified. "I'm sure they'll be fine" Joe reassured you, "Roger's, like, ridiculously charming and friendly when he wants to be." "I know" you replied gently. "So, you still want to get married in England?" Joe asked jokingly. You smiled. "Yes." "Well then," he replied, smiling contentedly, "looks like we've got a location, so let's set a date."

Setting a date, however, proved to be easier said than done. You quickly realised that getting married in England would be an excellent excuse for a holiday, so you decided to make it a two-week trip, with the wedding in the middle followed by a week's honeymoon, during which Tallulah could spend some time with her dad. This meant you needed to find a convenient time of year for you and Joe to have a holiday, that would also be ok for Roger. And then you'd need a venue that was available at the right time.

Finding a venue in England, while more or less stuck in New York was something of a challenge. Google was of course immensely helpful, but it soon became clear you would need someone on the ground there too. You were wondering who to ask when you realised most of your bridal party still lived in the UK. Destiny was your maid of honour, and she was more than happy to help. "Anything you need, lovie, just give me a call" she assured you. You soon found yourself asking her to look at a venue for you, an old stately home in a country village barely an hour outside London.

The house looked beautiful on the website, and best of all, you, Joe, Tallulah and some of your guests would be able to stay there ahead of the ceremony. Destiny went to look at it as soon as she could find the time, and her report was very positive. “It’s gorgeous” she gushed to you down the phone. “You’d love it. The grounds are lovely too, I think Loolah’d have fun exploring them.” When Joe saw the photos Destiny sent you he agreed it looked practically perfect for your wedding. All that was left was to find a date the venue would be available.

You had a stroke of luck on the date front a few days after you and Joe put yourselves on the waiting list for a booking. A sudden cancellation had left the stately home with a week free in April, just after Easter. The timing couldn’t be better. “Work’ll be quiet, it’ll be a good time for me to have off” you explained to Joe. “And it’d overlap with Loolah’s school holidays too.” Joe was thoughtful for a moment. “I think I’m pretty free in April, actually” he said eventually. “So you wanna take the booking?” “Yeah, let’s do it” he enthused. A couple of days and several emails later the venue. “We’re getting married in April” you marvelled to Joe, after receiving the final confirmation. “Yeah” he replied contentedly. “Three months to plan a whole wedding. Are we nuts?” You really hoped not.

February

February brought cold season to your little family. First Tallulah came home with a sore throat and a fever which kept her away from school for three days, during which time Joe was luckily free to stay home with her. Then you caught her cold, though you managed to escape the worst of it, developing nothing worse than a sniffle. Finally, a week later you woke to find Joe pale and feverish beside you. He didn't wake until you were getting dressed for work. "Darling, are you alright?" you asked him, concerned. "No," he groaned. "My head hurts, my throat is killing me and I've got chills, I think." "Sounds like you've caught our cold then" you commented. "Can you stay home with me babe? Please?" Joe begged. You smiled sadly. "You know I can't, dear. Besides, you have a cold, you're not dying. You’re a grownup, you can survive eight hours on your own." "But baaabe!" he protested. "You sound like Loolah, you know” you grumbled, smiling fondly at Joe despite your exasperation. "But I'll come home as early as I can." "Thanks babe" he mumbled, peering blearily up at you from his spot under the covers. You returned to your morning routine, and Joe was asleep again within minutes.

Joe stayed home for a week. He never got any worse than Tallulah had, but sometimes it seemed that way because he was such a drama queen when he was sick. After two nights of listening to him sniff and cough miserably next to you, you banished yourself to the couch in the hope of finally getting some sleep. It barely worked, and you made sure to tell Joe the next day. "That couch is terrible! If only we had an extra bedroom…" "What, don't you like my apartment?" he grumped. "No, I do, Joe," you reassured him, "it's just… it feels so small sometimes. Like we're all on top of each other all the time, you know?" Joe looked thoughtful. "I actually saw a really nice house for sale the other day. Not too big, little bit of yard at the back… don't know if we can afford it though" he told you. "Well, it can't hurt to take a look" you grinned. Joe smiled back. "Let's go then."

The house turned out to be a nice little townhouse, with four bedrooms, but surprisingly right in your price range. Best of all, it was still on the market, but not for long. One very tense week later it was yours. There was just one small catch. "So, we close on the house in a month" Joe told you, following a phonecall from the real estate agent. "Which means we can't move in until April." "We're getting married in April though, we're going to be super busy and then away for a fortnight" you pointed out. "Yeah, the timing's not the best, is it?" Joe laughed. "I suppose we could move the week before we go…" you suggested. "Yeah, we- oh no, wait, we can't, I'm going to Vegas for my bachelor party that week" Joe told you. "And that means we can't move because…?" you asked. "I'm not leaving you to deal with moving by yourself" Joe replied stoutly. You looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. "As much as I want to go all 'independent woman' on you, I actually think you're right. I'll have enough to do that week as it is." "So we'll move after the wedding?" Joe suggested. "Yeah. As soon as we can." Gee, we’re doing a lot this year.

March

Most of your free time in March was taken up with planning of one sort or another. When you weren’t sorting out last minute wedding details, you were busy attempting to organise the move into your new house. On top of finding a removal company you were planning to have some of your stored furniture shipped from England to fill the extra space. But you weren’t convinced it would be enough. “Why did we buy a four-bedroom house?” you questioned Joe, after yet another attempt to work out what you would still need once your things arrived. “We only needed two, and now we’ve got so many rooms and not enough furniture…” “Well I thought we might want to fill those extra bedrooms soon…” Joe said suggestively. “What do you mean, Joe?” you asked, confused. “I mean,” Joe sighed, exasperated at your obliviousness, “I hoped we could try to grow our family?” You thought you knew what he was getting at now, but you wanted to check. “D’you mean… try to have a baby?” “Yes” Joe replied, smiling. His face fell slightly at the sight of your expression. “Do you not want to? Cause we don’t have to, I just thought…hoped-” “Of course I want to have a baby with you Joe,” you reassured him, “just… can we maybe wait til after the wedding? We’ve got enough going on right now as it is.” Joe nodded in agreement. “You know, the honeymoon is after the wedding…” he pointed out suggestively. “It is.” “So, extra fun honeymoon then?” Joe suggested. “Sounds like a plan” you agreed. At that Joe kissed you much more lustily than you were expecting. Should be a very enjoyable honeymoon if he’s going to be like that.  

As the weeks rolled by your focus increasingly shifted to the various parts of the wedding you and Joe still needed to plan. Of course, one of the most important components, at least to you and Joe, turned out to be the first dance. The first challenge was agreeing on the music. You both thought a Queen song seemed appropriate, but which one? "Love Of My Life?" Joe suggested. You looked at him incredulously. "What, it's a classic!" he insisted. "You do realise it's not actually a love song, right?" you asked. He was confused. "What?" "'Love of my life, don't leave me'?" you quoted. "It's a break-up song, Joe. I'm not doing the first dance to a break-up song!" Joe threw his hands up in surrender. "Ok, fine. Do you have any ideas?" You thought about it for a moment. "Um… Queen love songs. They didn't actually write all that many, did they?" Joe looked thoughtful. "Not straightforward happy ones, no" he agreed.

Suddenly his face was alight with inspiration. "We could do it to '39!" he suggested. "I know we both like that song." You were hesitant. "Um, I do like that song, but…" "But what?" He asked indignantly. "That song… it's kind of about me and Roger. Partly at least." you told him. "I just think it would be weird to have that for our first dance." Joe was very confused. "I thought Brian wrote '39?" "He did" you confirmed. "Roger told him about… us… once when they were both drunk, and Brian thinks that might have inspired the chorus. And the whole 'year of 39' bit." Your fiance looked at you blankly. "Roger and I were living 39 years apart at that point" you explained. "Oh." Joe sighed. "I guess that song would be kind of weird then" he conceded. “Actually, maybe a Queen song for the first dance was a bad idea” he pondered.  “Yeah” you agreed. “Maybe we should just stick with one of the classics.” “The classics?” Joe questioned. “Yeah, you know, Frank Sinatra or At Last or something.” “Or ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’?” Joe suggested. “Slow dance and fast bits, we could have some fun with it.” “That’s perfect!” You agreed. So much for Queen for the first dance.

April

The arrival of April Fool’s Day signalled your wedding day was almost upon you. Everything important was booked or ordered, which meant you were now faced with sorting out all the little things you’d put off organising initially, knowing they could be dealt with at the last minute. Number one on the list was sorting out who would be looking after Tallulah when she wasn’t fulfilling her flower girl duties. “Isn’t Roger looking after her after the ceremony’s over?” Joe asked, when you tried to explain your dilemma. “He’s going to be at the reception, Joe” you pointed out. “Along with basically my whole family. And I can’t ask Destiny because she’s maid of honour, and Carla’s her date, so she’ll be there too.” Suddenly Joe understood. “Well I guess she could just come to the reception. Roger could keep an eye on her there. And your parents.” “I suppose…” you sighed. “Actually, Lucy and the other bridesmaids could probably look after her during the day, until Roger can take over at the reception. But then we’re going away at the end, and what if she wants to leave early?” “So what if she does? Roger can take her to his room, right?” Joe reassured you. “You’re right,” you agreed, “he’s her dad, he can deal with it.”

Your other major concern was the potential for the combination of your very ordinary family and several famous people to end very badly. “They were fine meeting me, they’ll be fine at the wedding too” Joe tried to reassure you. “You’re just one person though,” you pointed out, “they’re going to have several people to embarrass themselves in front of this time.” Joe was still unconcerned. “I’m sure they won’t be that bad, babe” “You don’t know my Auntie Marie… ah shit” you trailed off, hit with a sudden realisation. “What about her?” “She’s a mad Eastenders fan, has been for years. Got my cousins into it too, and Steph… Peter Beale was always her favourite” you explained. “I think she might still have a bit of a celebrity crush on Ben.” Joe nearly laughed. “You know he won’t be that bothered” he reassured you. “Even if she spends the whole day practically hanging off him?” “Not if she’s cute” Joe quipped. He rapidly backpedalled at the sight of your expression. “She won’t be able to stick to him all day, he’ll be busy being best man for some of it.” “Thank god for that” you quipped. In the end Joe managed to reassure you Ben was perfectly capable of handling himself around overexcited fans. Even so, you still resolved to ask your mum to remind a few of your relatives to behave themselves before the wedding.

You felt as though you’d hardly blinked before Tallulah’s Easter holidays had arrived, and the three of you were on a plane to London. The plan was to spend a few days there catching up with friends and sorting out the final last-minute details before heading to the wedding venue on Thursday. You had a big dinner party for all your wedding guests planned for Friday night, ahead of the main event on Saturday. On Sunday you were off to Italy with Joe to unwind for a few days before you had to go home. Tallulah was going to spend that time with Roger, and she was very excited.

You tried to get some sleep on the plane, but it was difficult to relax with so many last-minute worries buzzing through your mind. You kept dozing off only to wake up in a panic about something. “The bridesmaids! What if their dresses look bad with mine?” “Babe, it’ll be fine. Lucy picked them, and she’s an expert” Joe soothed drowsily. Lucy had become one of your closest friends since you’d started seeing Joe. She’d adopted you more or less instantly, along with the rest of the Bo Rhap crew, and been your guide in the strange new world in which you’d found yourself as an actor’s girlfriend. But she was also an extremely supportive friend while you wrestled with the realities of a long-distance relationship. She empathised deeply with your struggles, being in a very similar situation with Rami, and had all sorts of advice on how to deal with them. She continued to sympathise as you adjusted to life in a new city, having had similar experiences when moving around for different projects. 

Including Lucy in your bridal party was therefore a no-brainer in your view. Her experience with fashion had proved very useful when you’d enlisted her to help you select bridesmaids’ dresses. The only small issue was that you had never seen the dresses in person, as your entire bridal party lived in the UK. As well as Lucy, and of course Destiny, there was your sister Eliza and Annabelle, an old uni friend who was one of the few people who’d actually stuck around after Tallulah was born. Quite a lot of your friends had made all the right noises while you were pregnant, only to disappear when confronted with the reality of your new situation. In any case, you were now very much looking forward to seeing all your bridesmaids again.

Despite your restlessness the flight passed quickly enough, and before you knew it you were settling into your temporary holiday flat in central London. Your parents insisted on coming to meet you as soon as possible, having not seen you in months, so most of the afternoon was spent lounging around the flat and catching up with them. Your sister had been keeping your mum in the loop about the wedding preparations, so she was full of useful last-minute advice and reassurance. “I’ve seen your sister’s dress, I’m sure all the bridesmaids will look wonderful” she told you, after you’d voiced to her your concerns about the dresses you hadn’t seen in person. “They’ll work beautifully with your dress too, I’m sure.” You weren’t entirely soothed, but you didn’t have the energy to argue by then.

Your worries were proved unfounded at the final fitting the next day. Lucy’s taste was clearly excellent, and everyone looked absolutely beautiful in their light aquamarine gowns. You spent a very enjoyable day getting fitted and hanging out with your bridesmaids, who got on well despite barely knowing each other. Well, they do all get on with me, they must have something in common. Tallulah had fun too, sitting in the fancy bridal shop with some of her favourite adults, and then getting to wear a very pretty dress. “You look so pretty, lovie!” Lucy gushed, when she finally got to see Tallulah in her flowergirl outfit. “Of course she looks pretty Luce,” you smiled, “you chose the dress.” All in all it was a productive day, and you felt much calmer about your imminent wedding at the end of it. 

The days passed in a whirlwind of lunches, coffee dates, and frantic final preparations. You even squeezed in a surprise hen night with your bridal party. But then, quick as a flash, Thursday had arrived and you found yourself on the road to the stately home where the wedding was being held. Joe had insisted on driving, but he wasn’t coping very well with having to drive on the opposite side of the road. “God, this feels so wrong even though I know it’s not.” “Just concentrate” you urged him. “And I’m driving next time, it’ll be a lot less stressful.” Fortunately you made it to the wedding venue without incident, despite a couple of near-misses.

Thursday night was spent having dinner with the entire bridal party, who had never been together before. They would all be staying in the actual stately home with you and Joe for the duration. Joe had picked Ben as his best man, after much agonising. Rami and Gwilym were of course groomsmen too, alongside Joe’s brother. To your immense relief everyone got on well without much effort, and the evening passed surprisingly quickly. You went to bed with the feeling that the countdown was now on, and you were very excited. 

Most of Friday was spent preparing the venue for the events of the next day, setting up a location in the grpunds for the ceremony and arranging flowers and decorations. The evening, though, was set aside for a relaxed pre-wedding party, to give the guests an opportunity to meet each other and see you and Joe before you were swept up in the wedding tomorrow. The guests themselves arrived in dribs and drabs as the day went on. The bridal party were already there, of course, and their various partners had all arrived by lunchtime. Your parents appeared in the early afternoon, and Joe’s mum followed soon after. The day was full of enjoyable reunions, and the night promised even more. 

The party started in the early evening with light finger food and cocktails. There was no formal sit-down meal, because people were coming from all over and would be arriving at various times throughout the night. You and Joe tried to remain in a central position so you could easily greet people as they arrived. Later in the night there were a couple of quick speeches from Joe and Ben, welcoming everyone to your wedding. After the speeches you and Joe took the opportunity to mingle with some of the late arrivals. Among them was Brian, who swept over to introduce you to Anita, who was just as warm and lovely as he was. "I told her the truth about you. And Tallulah. Hope you don't mind" he told you in an undertone. You smiled reassuringly. "Of course not.” Not long after he trotted off to catch up with the rest of the Bo Rhap contingent, currently hanging out in a quiet corner, your parents came up to you, bringing Tallulah with them. "She was asking for you" your mother explained. At almost the same moment Roger came over with Sarina to say hello. Oh lord, here we go.

"Hello, love! Good to see you back on home soil" Roger greeted you, cheerful as ever. "Hi Roger. Sarina, lovely to see you again." Your mother leaned over while Joe greeted them both. "Wait, how do you know him?" she asked. Before you could reply Roger was looking at you curiously. "Roger, these are my parents" you explained, in response to his unspoken question. "Roger Taylor. How do you do?" He smiled cheerfully as he reached over to shake their hands. Something about his expression seemed to catch your mother’s interest, and you could almost hear the wheels turning in her head. "Hold on, are you-?" "Daddy!" Tallulah cried, rushing over to embrace him. "Hello darling" Roger murmured, bobbing down to hug her back. "'Daddy?'" your father repeated incredulously. "Yes," you confirmed, "this is Tallulah's dad. And his wife Sarina" "Wife?" your father echoed. "Yes" Roger replied, straightening up. "You never said he was married" your father muttered darkly. You tensed up at your father’s tone. “He never told me.” "He was- you were married then?" your father spluttered at Roger, clearly angry. He didn't even need to explain what 'then' meant. "Dear, please, don't make a scene" your mother urged quietly. Roger, surprisingly, was unfazed. I suppose it's easy to ignore accusations when you know they're not actually true. "Yes, I was. And yes, I did some things I'm not proud of back then, but becoming Tallulah's father sure as hell isn't one of them" he declared stoutly. Your father seemed to accept this, but was still unwilling to back down. "Still can't believe you had the nerve to show your face here" he said unpleasantly. Joe had been hanging back, unwilling to get involved, but at this he felt he had to intervene. "If you must know," he explained tensely, "I insisted we invite Roger. Your daughter and I wouldn't be here without him, and besides, he's a friend." Your parents gawped at him but said nothing. "I know it's an unusual situation" Joe pressed on, "but we've all managed to get along despite the circumstances, so the least you can do is respect that. And respect Roger too, he's a good man." Your father was evidently flabbergasted at Joe's outburst, to the point that he was apparently unable to form a response. Your mother seized the opportunity to steer him away from you towards some nearby relatives, having apparently decided the conversation had gone far enough. 

"Was that too much?" Joe whispered when they were safely out of earshot. "No," you reassured him, "he just needs some time to cool off. He'll be okay." You were suddenly acutely aware of Roger looking at you with concern, while chatting with Tallulah. "You alright?" you asked casually. He grinned. "Yeah. 'S not the first time I've had to deal with an angry dad. Been a few years though…" There was a thoughtful pause. "What exactly is his problem, by the way?" Roger asked lightly. "He thought I ruined my life when I got pregnant by someone who didn't stick around" you explained. Roger looked downcast. "Oh. I see" he muttered. "You know, it kills me a bit that you had to raise her alone for so long" he said suddenly, quietly enough that no-one would overhear. "I wasn't alone, Rog" you reassured him. He still looked downcast. “I know, but still…” “It wasn’t your fault you weren’t there, I don’t blame you for it, so stop beating yourself up about it” you told him. “I made my choice expecting I’d never see you again, I knew what I was signing up for.” Roger stared at you curiously. “Well, I thought I did, anyway” you clarified. Roger grinned at that, but it disappeared quickly. “D’you ever wish-” he started to ask, but you cut him off. “Things had been different? Of course. I’m pretty happy with how they’ve turned out, though. Thanks to you.” Roger was confused. “Thanks to me?” “Technically, you introduced me to Joe” you pointed out. He grinned broadly at that.

Suddenly you realised Joe had disappeared. Before you could do anything, though, Ben appeared at your shoulder. "Y/N" he said quietly, making you jump. “Ben! What’s up?” The blond looked uncharacteristically serious. “It’s Joe,” he told you, “he’s… he needs you, I think.” “Well where is he?” You asked, suddenly concerned. “Come with me” Ben murmured, leading you away from the party. He took you down a corridor to a quiet storeroom, away from the noise and movement. “What’s he doing in here?” You asked, whispering urgently. “He’s… upset, I guess” Ben replied. “But he’ll be able to explain it better. Just go in, please.” A worrying thought struck you. “We’re the guests of honour, won’t people notice we’ve both gone?” Ben shrugged. “Even if they do they’ll just think you’re shagging or something.” “Ben!” you chided him, scandalised. “Relax, I’ll cover for you if anyone does notice” he reassured you. “Thanks” you muttered, turning away to face the storeroom properly.

You cautiously pushed the door open. “Joe? Are you alright?” Your soon-to-be husband looked up, startled. His eyes were red-rimmed and full of tears. “How did you-?” “Ben told me” you explained, cutting off his question. “But darling, what’s wrong?” You asked him tenderly, sitting down next to him. “After I saw you with your dad, before, it just… it suddenly hit me, really hard.” “What hit you?” You prompted, wrapping your arms around him. “My dad’s not here. I’m getting married and he won’t be there. He should be here, meeting your parents, defending you to your own father like I did, but he’s not” Joe explained sadly. “And I feel like I should be super happy right now, and I am, but I’m really sad too.” “Oh, darling, you’re allowed to feel however you want” you comforted him. You held him quietly for a moment. “Why didn’t you tell me you were upset?” You asked quietly. “It came on really suddenly, like out of nowhere… and you looked so happy back there, I didn’t want to bring you down” Joe admitted. “Joe, darling, I don’t mind. We’re nearly married, that means it’s my job to help you when you feel like this” you reassured him. “Thanks wifey” he said, looking slightly happier. You kissed him lightly on the cheek. “Any time, babe.” You paused, sitting in silence for a while. “Are you ok now, or do you still need a minute?” You eventually asked, sensing your husband-to-be was starting to feel better. Joe looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’ll need a little bit longer, I think.” You sat together in silence for a moment. Suddenly Joe turned his head and kissed you. “I love you so much” he murmured as you broke apart. “Love you too” you replied automatically. “You can go now, if you want” Joe announced. “I’ll be out soon.” But as you reached the door he stopped you. “Actually, can you get Ben to come in here?” He asked calmly. “Ben?” You questioned, surprised. “Just…please?” Joe’s expression spoke such volumes you suddenly didn’t need to know any more. “Of course, dear.” You paused just before you left the room. “I’m sending Ben into a private space with you, should I be worried?” you quipped. Joe laughed at that, and you finally relaxed, knowing for sure he would be ok now. 

The rest of the party rolled on without incident, and you went to bed that night with an odd mixture of contentment and nerves bubbling in your head. The next morning you woke relaxed and refreshed, and most unusually, alone. Joe was rather fond of certain wedding traditions, and had insisted on sharing Ben’s room for the night. You thought it was probably for the best, you’d have to get ready separately anyway. Lucy had suggested Tallulah have a sleepover with her and Rami as well, so you could have a break and she could look after your daughter in the morning while you had a bit of a lie in. 

As you got out of bed and started on your morning routine you were hit with a sudden wave of pre-wedding jitters. What if it rained? What if something went wrong? Were you doing this too soon? You’d only been living together for nine months, after all. Your stressful thoughts were interrupted by a knock on your door. “Y/N? You up?” It was Destiny, fulfilling her first job of the day. “Yeah, come in” you called. She took one look at you and rushed over, enveloping you in her arms. “What’s up love?” “I just… I don’t know” you gulped. “I’m having all these doubts all of a sudden. What if this is too soon?” Destiny smiled reassuringly. “You’ve been together for years, this is hardly a whirlwind romance.” “I know, but-” She turned to look you straight in the face. “You love him, don’t you?” You were bewildered at the question. “Of course I do, but-” “And Joe loves you, right?” Destiny pressed on. “Well, yeah, I think s-” You were interrupted by Lucy entering your room, Tallulah in tow. She immediately sent Tallulah off to the bathroom so she could talk to you alone. “What’s going on?” Lucy asked. “Pre-wedding jitters” Destiny explained. “Anyway, you love Joe and he loves you, doesn’t he?” You were oddly uncertain. “I think s-” “He does” Lucy chimed in. “He adores you, Y/N, everyone can see it.” “You see?” Destiny went on. “You love each other, you want to be with each other, and at the end of the day that’s what really matters here.” You sighed. “I know Dess, I just… this’s all happened so quickly, how do I know we’re not moving too fast?” Lucy stepped forward, and Destiny wordlessly let you go so the younger woman could take over. Lucy put her hands on your shoulders and looked into your eyes. “Y/N,” she began firmly, “Joe loves you, he really does. Everyone can see how you make each other happy.” “I know that, but-” “So what if you’ve moved quickly?” She cut you off. “When you know, you know. Joe knows, even if you don’t.” You were confused. “How do you know that?” “Rami” Lucy said simply. “He’s never seen Joe look at anyone the way he looks at you, and you know as well as I do how long they’ve known each other.” You were taken aback. How could you have doubted what you and Joe had? “I suppose when I think about it this does feel right, even if it is a bit quick” you declared. Lucy smiled. “Of course it is lovie. Now come on, let’s get you married.”

In the end, the ceremony went off without a hitch. You looked beautiful, Joe only got slightly teary when he saw you at the end of the aisle, and all the guests agreed it was lovely. Even the previous night’s tension with your father was forgotten as soon as he saw you in your full regalia for the first time. The expression on Joe’s face when he first caught sight of you was so adoring, and so happy, all your doubts vanished instantly when you saw it. By the end of the ceremony you were fairly sure you were both wearing identical joyful smiles. You really were glad to be marrying him. 

The reception went well too. The first dance, which you and Joe had positively slaved over, was performed flawlessly, and earned rapturous applause from your guests. The speeches were all excellent as well. Ben's was probably the most polished, but then, he was an actor. You wanted to thank him during the dancing afterwards, but he seemed to have vanished. Joe was strangely unconcerned by this. "He's probably just gone for a smoke, wifey.” He seemed to have been gone a long time, but before you could consider this further you were distracted by Rami and Lucy coming to congratulate you, accompanied by Tallulah. Somehow, in the midst of all the hugs Joe disappeared off somewhere. You couldn't work out where until Lucy led you to a chair near the front table, closest to the little stage area where the sound system was, and urged you to sit there with Tallulah. You were surprised to see there were microphones and amps and even a drum set up, even though you hadn't booked a band.

Your confusion lasted only until Joe and Ben stepped up to two of the mikes. "What are they doing?" you muttered to Lucy. "Just watch" she told you, grinning. Suddenly you noticed a familiar lanky figure wandering over to the third mike. Joe, in the middle, cleared his throat. "Uh, hi everyone, if I could have your attention for a minute? Relax, I'm not doing another speech. So you might know we three have a bit of a side interest in music, even though we don’t get to play together very much. So I just wanted to take the opportunity tonight to do something special for the two very special ladies in my life. To the extremely talented musicians in the audience, please bear with us. Everyone else, enjoy." With that, he picked up a bass, Ben picked up a tambourine, and Gwilym, down the other end, sat on a bar stool at his mike, acoustic guitar in hand. Ben counted them in, and suddenly Gwilym started picking out the very familiar chords of '39, with Joe on bass and Ben on bass drum and tambourine. Then Joe began to sing directly to you and Tallulah, and you thought you might cry, though Tallulah immediately started to sing along. Gwilym and Ben harmonised nicely on backing vocals too. When the end of the song brought rapturous applause, your new husband and his friend beamed, while Gwilym just smiled modestly. When things died down, Joe spoke up again. "Ladies and gentlemen, Gwilym Lee!" he introduced. "And on drums, Ben Hardy!" After a brief round of applause he grinned cheekily. "You liked that?" he asked the crowd. "Lucky for you, we have one more. It's a bit of an oldie, but a goodie" he explained. Another count in from Ben led to the intro to "Hello Mary Lou." Joe looked distinctly nervous as he started to sing again, but you beamed at him as he sang straight to you. The song finished, your guests applauded, and with a wink and a "That's all folks!" the musicians left the stage, taking their instruments with them.

Moments later the three of them appeared in front of you. You promptly threw your arms around them all. "That was amazing! You're so talented, all of you." Ben blushed. "Oh, well, I'm no Roger…" he faltered. "We had excellent teachers” Gwilym added, looking slightly uncomfortable at the praise. "You what?" you asked, surprised. "Brian and Roger taught us Hello Mary Lou" Joe explained. “We already knew ’39 from the movie, just had to refresh our memories a bit.” "Well you all did wonderfully" you mused. "Anyway, 'Hello Mary Lou'?" "I know how much you like it, and it seemed… appropriate for us" Joe shrugged. "I suppose. You really love ’39 though, don't you?" you commented. "Well it always reminds me of us a bit, you know, lovers separated, longing to be together again, it's kind of the story of our relationship, y'know?" Joe explained. "It kind of is" you agreed.

Suddenly Brian and Roger descended on the trio of groomsmen to congratulate them on the performance. You took advantage of their celebration’s rapid turn into an in-depth conversation about drumming between Ben and Roger and embraced Brian. "Thank you for teaching them" you murmured. "That was wonderful." He smiled. "You're very welcome" he said warmly. "You know, it was a bit strange watching them all up there. Joe looks so much like Deaky when he plays, it’s almost alarming." “You should tell Joe that” you commented. “Oh, he knows” Brian replied airily. You were glad, but you thought Joe was extremely talented in his own right too. 

The laughter and dancing seemed to go on forever, but soon enough, the festivities were over and you and Joe were retreating to the bridal bedroom. Even though it was your wedding night both of you were too tired to do much more than undress each other and cuddle. “I love you, wifey” Joe murmured, as you dozed off wrapped in each other’s arms. “I love you, hubs” you murmured back. You weren’t sure you’d ever been happier in your life.

You spent the following week in something of a post-wedding haze. You spent several happy days honeymooning in Rome, enjoying spring sunshine and Italian food. You revelled in the feeling of being married, and in being responsible only for yourselves for a change. It was an odd sensation after so many years of single parenthood. But all too soon the honeymoon was over, and you had to go home to New York. Back to work, school and responsibilities. But also to your new future, which was looking brighter than ever.

May

You returned home still floating in a blissful honeymoon fog. Joe could only stay home for a week before he would be needed in LA again, but you made the most of it by moving house two days after you got back from England. Your wedding gifts had been shipped to the new house ahead of you, bringing with them a few pleasant surprises. In addition to the gifts left by your guests there were a number of cards sent by people who hadn't been able to attend the wedding. You and Joe made sure to read them all together, occasionally asking each other who the senders were. However, there was one card that mystified you both.

One afternoon you wandered into the kitchen to find Joe at the table bent over a stack of cards. "Babe, do you know a John and Veronica?" he asked as you passed him on your way to the pantry. "No, why?" you replied casually. "There's a card here from 'John and Veronica' and I don't know who they are so I figured they must be people you know…" "Maybe I do" you mused. “Show me.” Joe passed the card over, and you started to read. “Joe and Y/N”, it said, ‘Congratulations on your wedding. May your marriage bring you a lifetime of happiness.’ It was signed ‘John and Veronica,’ but you didn’t recognise the handwriting. “Weird,” you murmured, "'John and Veronica' sounds sort of familiar somehow…" Joe looked at you thoughtfully. "It sounds kinda familiar to me too" he said wonderingly. Suddenly he gasped. "John Deacon… John Deacon's wife's called Veronica… you don't think?" Joe babbled frantically. "Could be" you replied evenly. "But how would he have known we were getting married?" "Luke" Joe responded instantly. "Luke Deacon DM'ed me after I did the engagement post on Instagram, just to say congrats, y'know." "Nice bloke" you commented. "Very nice" Joe agreed. "He must've told his dad, I guess. But then how did he-" "Know where to send the card?" you completed. "Sent it to Roger and Brian, probably."

A quick phonecall to Roger confirmed your suspicions, and lead to some interesting revelations. "He knows the real story about you and Loolah now" Roger confessed. "He recognised you in the engagement photo. And her. At least, he knew immediately she was mine" he explained. "I suppose he would" you mused. "And he wanted… he wishes Joe well, he really does. He just wants to stay as far away from the business as possible, you know" Roger added. "I get that now, so much" you laughed. Joe, listening in, looked as though he might cry. He understood exactly what Roger meant, and it made him so very glad to hear it.

All too soon, Joe had to go back to work in LA, again. He was gone for three weeks, until mid-May. By the time he came home a hint of summer was starting to creep into the city air. Annoyingly, though, you were unable to make the most of Joe's eventual return. Lately, you had been so tired all you wanted to do was sleep, even on your days off. You'd been feeling like this for a week by the time Joe came home. The next morning you woke up feeling extremely nauseous. You tried to get up without waking Joe, but the movement made things so much worse you had to jump up and sprint for the toilet. Thank god we have an en-suite now. "Babe?" Joe groaned from the bed. "What's up?" You didn't want to open your mouth to respond. While you were curled over the bowl you heard footsteps. You were suddenly aware of Joe standing behind you. "Oh, honey" he murmured sympathetically, leaning down to rub your back in soothing circles. 

When you finally stopped heaving you looked up to see Joe studying you with a mixture of concern and curiosity. "Are you sick, babe? You seemed fine last night…" "I was" you told him crossly. "Or at least, I wasn't feeling like this. I have been really tired though" you explained, thoughtfully. "Maybe you've caught something from Loolah?" Joe suggested. She was always passing things on from school. "Maybe" you echoed, unsure. "She hasn't been sick lately though." You hauled yourself upright and went to brush your teeth. "I've probably just eaten something dodgy" you assured your husband. "If you say so" he replied, sounding unconvinced. "You don't believe me?" you asked him. Joe stood behind you at the sink while you brushed, looking uncertain. "I do, it's just… well… we were, ah, trying all honeymoon, maybe it worked?" he said, rather suggestively. "I doubt it" you told him, "It’s only the first month. Besides, I'm about to get m-" Wait, what's the date? You were abruptly silenced by a sudden realisation. "What?" he asked frantically. "My period. It's two weeks late. How did I not notice that?" He smiled. "So you think-?" You nodded. "I really could be. I think I'd better go to the pharmacy today..."

Joe had to go to work that day, but by some weird stroke of luck, you had a day off. You ran out to the pharmacy that very morning and bought two tests, rushing home to do them as soon as you could. The results were clear as day. Positive. Both of them. Oh my god, it actually worked. I’m really pregnant. I have to do something cute to tell Joe. You immediately started to develop a plan for your very special announcement. I’m so happy. God, he’s going to be so excited. He’s going to be the best dad too.

Joe arrived home that afternoon to the usual enthusiastic welcome from Tallulah. When you finally managed to persuade Tallulah to let him go, you sent her off to watch cartoons while you took Joe upstairs to freshen up. "So did you get to the drugstore today?" he asked quietly. "I did" you replied, trying to sound casual. "And?" he questioned, as you reached your shared bedroom.  “I, um, I also got you a present today” you told him, pointing at a white box sitting on your shared bed. “Ookay?” Joe looked at you, confused, as he sat down and opened the box. He pulled out the tiniest Yankees shirt you’d been able to find. “This is so cute!” Joe exclaimed. “But why'd y-? Wait." He stared at the shirt intently. Suddenly he looked at you, thunderstruck. "No. Way" he breathed. "Holy shit. The honeymoon worked?" he asked excitedly, breaking into a huge grin. You nodded, wordlessly showing him the tests you'd hidden in the bedside drawer. Joe’s face lit up, as he broke into happy tears. "Oh my god. You’re actually pregnant?” he asked wonderingly. "Yes, Joe, I’m really pregnant” you echoed, tearing up yourself despite your joyful smile. “We're going to have a baby, darling.” “Oh my god. Oh my god. I’m gonna be a dad!” he exclaimed, pulling you in for a bear hug and kissing you deeply through the tears.

“I’m so excited babe, I want to tell everyone” he gushed as he held you. You pulled back to look at him. “Joe, darling, I literally just peed on the sticks this morning, I haven’t even been to the doctor yet. We can’t tell anyone for now, ok?” Joe looked at your serious face and nodded, disappointed. “Ok” he agreed. You paused. “Actually, we’ll need to be careful when we go back down, even Loolah doesn’t know.” “Crap” Joe cursed. “I even have to keep this from your child who lives with us? I know I’m not the expert, but that seems like a bad idea even to me” he said. “It’s only for a few weeks” you reassured him. He sighed. “I know babe, it’s just, I’m so excited, I don’t know if I can keep it in for that long.” “Well you’ll just have to try” you replied quietly. You held each other wordlessly for a moment. “I love you, did I tell you that?” Joe murmured, finally breaking the silence. “Both of you” he added, smiling broadly. “We love you too” you replied dreamily. You didn’t think you’d ever been happier than you were at that moment.

June

By the time you managed to find a doctor and get an appointment a few weeks had passed, and you were already 9 weeks along. In the meantime you had at least managed to get your pregnancy officially confirmed by a blood test at a walk-in clinic. You were still holding off on telling people about it, but it was getting difficult to hide the fact that something was happening to you. You were constantly nauseous, and it was a battle to get through a whole day of work without a spontaneous nap. I swear it wasn’t this bad last time. I suppose I was a lot younger then. This time seems so different though. Joe had managed to keep his promise so far, even with Tallulah, but you weren’t convinced he could go much longer without exploding. In any case, he was very excited about your first appointment. He made sure he was free to go with you on your afternoon off, while Tallulah was at school.

Doctor Baker was a slightly older woman with a calm, pleasant manner and a sterling reputation. You sat quietly in front of her as she checked over your paperwork. “Ok, well, that all looks good. So, just to confirm, is this your first child?” She asked pleasantly. You and Joe looked at each other. “Uh…” he muttered.“It’s my second, but it’s his first” you explained, pointing to him. “Ok, and how old’s your first?” The doctor inquired. “She’s seven” you and Joe replied simultaneously. Doctor Baker smiled kindly. “Well, as it’s been a few years you might find things are a bit different this time around, but that’s totally normal” she told you. “Now, let’s have a look at what’s going on in there.”

You moved over to the bed in her office while she bustled around preparing the ultrasound machine. Joe sat next to you, nervously holding your hand while the doctor put the gel on your stomach and turned the machine on. “Ok, let’s see” the doctor murmured, moving the ultrasound wand around experimentally. “Ah! Here we go” she said suddenly, as the room was filled with the familiar sound of a tiny heart beating. But that doesn’t sound like I remember. “You hear that?” You nodded quietly. “That’s two heartbeats. Two strong heartbeats” the doctor informed you. What?! "There's… what?! Joe cried, his mouth opening in shock. “Two? There’s two of them?” You asked Doctor Baker, equally stunned. “Yes,” she smiled, “two healthy babies. Congratulations.” You and Joe turned to look at each other simultaneously. “Twins!” You both exclaimed. “Oh my god, twins!” Joe gushed, overjoyed. You were both tearing up at the news. “Here, have a look” Doctor Baker said quietly, moving the wand so you could see both babies. “Wow” Joe breathed. “Yeah” you agreed. You made sure to get printouts of a few images from the ultrasound. You wanted to remember this moment forever.

Joe was bursting with excitement when you left the doctor’s office. “Oh my god, babe, we’re having twins!” “I know Joe, I was there” you quipped, exasperated. “I know babe, it’s just, I can’t believe this is actually happening” he explained. “Oh, it’s really happening” you quipped, smiling. Getting home brought another challenge. “Look, I know we’re not telling people yet, but I swear to God if I don’t tell someone soon I’m going to explode” Joe told you later that day. You were still reluctant to tell anybody until you were further along, but you decided to compromise. “We could tell my parents later if you want” you suggested. Joe enthusiastically agreed, so later that afternoon you FaceTimed them while holding one of your ultrasound photos. Your mum gasped when she saw what it was, and you were pretty sure she squealed when you told her you were actually having twins. Your dad was pretty happy too, the semi-argument before your wedding now long forgotten. Joe was very pleased it wasn’t a complete secret any more, and to your immense relief he managed to keep calm once Tallulah got home. You were very excited too, but you knew it was best to wait just a bit longer before telling her. Just a few weeks, and then we can tell everybody.              

July

The arrival of July heralded the beginning of Tallulah's summer holidays. This also meant a visit from Roger, who was taking her to his house in LA for a few weeks, although he was going to enjoy a couple of days with her in New York first. The final day before their departure, which Roger spent showing Tallulah around some of the New York sights, very conveniently coincided with your next visit to Doctor Baker. It was a glorious summer’s day, and you took a minute to enjoy the weather with Joe after your appointment. Both babies had received a clean bill of health, so you were in a buoyant mood as you lounged on a park bench together, basking in the sunshine. “Please tell me we can tell Tallulah now,” Joe pleaded, “keeping this secret is absolutely killing me.” “We’ll tell her tonight” you reassured him. “Oh, wait, Roger’s coming for dinner” you realised, thinking out loud. “So?” Joe responded. “We’re gonna have to tell him at some point, might as well get it over with.” “True” you murmured. “So, we’ll tell them tonight?” he asked. “Yeah.” “And then we can tell the world” Joe added. “And then the world” you echoed, smiling contentedly. It was going to be a good summer.

That night, before dinner, you presented Tallulah with a t-shirt that said ‘World’s Best Big Sister’ on the front. Roger saw it and immediately glanced at you with a knowing smile, but said nothing. Tallulah stared at the shirt in confusion, until suddenly her face lit up when she realised what it meant. “I’m gonna be a big sister?!” She cried, beaming with excitement. You smiled at her obvious joy. “Yes, darling.” “So does that mean… there’s a baby in your tummy, Mummy?” She asked, a little uncertainly. “Actually, Loolah,” Joe cut in, sitting down beside her at the dining table, “there’s two babies in Mommy’s tummy.” “Twins?” Tallulah squealed happily. “Yeah, twins” Joe confirmed, pulling some ultrasound pictures out of his pocket. “Have a look, sweetie.”

Tallulah chattered excitedly all through dinner, clearly delighted at the prospect of two younger siblings. It sounded like she’d had a nice day out with Roger too. Finally dinner was finished, Joe was cleaning up and Roger was putting Tallulah to bed, giving you a rare moment to sink onto the couch and enjoy some peace and quiet. Joe soon returned from the kitchen to sit next to you, holding you close. "You feeling ok?" he asked softly. "Just tired" you reassured him. You cuddled quietly together, chatting lazily about nothing in particular, until Roger reappeared. "Loolah's finally asleep" he told you, settling himself into an armchair next to the couch. "She seems happy, she had lots of questions." "Which you'll have to answer for the next three weeks" you quipped, grinning evilly. "True" Roger commented thoughtfully. "Now, as I haven't said it yet, congratulations, both of you" he added, smiling warmly. "Thanks, man" Joe replied, looking pleased at Roger's obvious joy. "Twins!" Roger mused. "That's… really great, actually. I'm so pleased things have worked out for you two." You and Joe both smiled at that.

“So when are you due?” Roger asked pleasantly. “January” you replied. “Which I guess means I’ll be too pregnant to take Loolah home for Christmas like I was planning.” Joe looked surprised. “You’re already planning Christmas in July?” he asked incredulously. “Not really,” you explained, “I just remembered I’d said to Mum that we’d go back to them this year.” “Well maybe your parents’ll just have to come over here instead” Roger suggested. “Perhaps” you mused. “I could come for New Year’s, have a late Christmas with Loolah” he added, thinking out loud. “That could be fun” Joe commented. You suddenly realised your next New Year’s Eve would be very different to previous celebrations. I’m definitely looking forward to it though.

You and Joe waved Tallulah and Roger off the next morning in an extremely good mood. You were determined to make the most of Tallulah’s holiday in LA, given it was likely to be the last time you were kid-free for quite a while. First on the agenda was a long-awaited band reunion. Unusually, Ben and Gwilym were both going to be working in New York at the same time, so it had been decided that a band dinner simply had to be arranged. You and Joe had decided to make an announcement at this dinner, but your plans went slightly awry when Ben dropped in that afternoon. You didn’t want to tell him early, but he saw you dashing for the bathroom at one point and was immediately concerned. “Are you ok Y/N?” he asked you when you came back. “You look a little pale…” “I’m fine, Ben” you assured him. “What’s up?” Joe asked, wandering over to his friend. “I had to run for the loo again” you explained. “Aw, you’re still sick? I thought it was getting better” Joe sympathised. “You’re sick?” Ben asked. “Um, kind of…” you muttered sheepishly. “Kind of? Guys, what’s going on?” Ben demanded, clearly confused. Joe glanced at you, and you nodded slightly, giving him wordless permission. “It's fine, Ben, it’s just morning sickness” he explained. "Oh. Right" Ben replied automatically. Then he processed Joe's comment properly. “Wait, morning sickness? Does that mean you're-?" He looked expectantly at Joe, who nodded silently. Ben beamed in response "Oh my god, that’s so great! Congratulations!” he gushed, pulling you both into a warm bear hug.

Telling the rest of the band was easy. They knew something was up as soon as you turned down the wine they were sharing. You noticed Ben smirking slightly at their confusion as to why before Joe spoke up. “Yeah, Y/N can’t drink for the next six months… cause I knocked her up.” There were a few giggles, which were followed by a shocked silence as everyone realised Joe was serious. “Yeah, and he did a great job” you added. “I’m having twins.” This revelation triggered an explosion of happy noise around the table. “You sneaky buggers, you didn’t tell me it was twins!” Ben cried, grinning at you regardless. Lucy just squealed with happiness. Dinner was interrupted while everyone stood to embrace you and Joe and murmur their congratulations. Rami looked positively overjoyed for his old friend. "Twins. Wow" he muttered to you. "Yeah, we might need your expert advice some time" you commented. "Oh, of course. Anything you need, just let us know" he assured you.

Later on Gwilym wandered over, beaming at you. “Congratulations love, it’s wonderful news.” “Aw, thank you” you replied, smiling. “They’re not going to play baseball are they?” he asked, half-seriously. “I don’t think they’ll get much choice” you sighed, grinning. “But I’m definitely teaching them cricket too, they’re British after all. I suppose we’ll just have to let them choose when they get older.” Gwilym smiled. “How modern of you.” You grinned wolfishly. “They’re both going to be cricket fans though. No children of mine are allowed to leave me to suffer through a whole Test series alone.” Gwilym laughed at that, and you could feel his happiness for you and Joe. You really were amazed at just how happy everyone was for you.

August

August should have been blissful. Tallulah was back from LA and Joe had arranged his schedule so he'd be working in New York until she went back to school. Even then, he didn't have much on, just a bit of press for his new movie and a few meetings. You were planning to enjoy some time as a family of three, a relaxed interlude before school returned and your family grew. But you spent only a week back together before getting a sharp reminder of some of the less-welcome aspects of life as an actor's wife.

It was Sunday morning, which meant Tallulah was watching cartoons while you and Joe unwound in the kitchen with cups of tea. The peace was suddenly shattered by the jangle of Joe’s phone. Joe glanced at the screen and then at you. “Text from Lucy” he told you. “Apparently we’re on TMZ again.” You’d been attracting a bit of paparazzi attention since appearing at the premiere of Joe’s new movie a few weeks ago, and you were starting to wonder whether they suspected something. “What are they saying?” you asked casually. “I don’t know, I haven’t found it yet” Joe grumbled, scrolling rapidly on the ipad resting on the kitchen bench. “Here we go.” He turned the screen around so you could read it.

At the top was the headline ‘Bo Rhap baby on board?’ over a picture of you and Joe walking down the street, in which your bump was clearly visible under your sundress. “Bloody hell, I knew that dress wasn’t covering anything” you cursed. “Does it matter? Everybody knows anyway” Joe pointed out. “Instagram doesn’t.” “I forgot about that” Joe commented. “Maybe it’s time they did?” he suggested. You had been hoping to hold off on a public announcement a little bit longer, but now it seemed like you didn’t have much choice. “I think it is” you agreed. You spent a lot of that Sunday planning out the perfect announcement, and you found yourself surprisingly excited at the prospect of sharing your news with the world.

The next day you had a doctor’s appointment, and you made a point of getting printouts of your latest ultrasound. You all got a clean bill of health too. When you got home Joe took some very nice pictures of you holding the printouts against your now very obvious bump, as well as some of you just cradling the bump. In the end he picked one of the latter shots to post, along with a close-up of the ultrasound photos against your stomach. Underneath them he wrote: ‘Just when I thought this year couldn’t get any bigger, this happened. Our little trio will be a family of five in January. Yep, double trouble is coming for the Mazzello-Y/L/N household next year (swipe for visual evidence). I almost can’t believe how much I love our little aliens already.’ You couldn’t help smiling when you saw the post. “Good?” Joe asked. “Very” you confirmed. “You’re so cute sometimes, you’re such a softie.”

Joe’s post was instantly deluged with happy comments from all and sundry. Even Brian left a nice message: ‘So pleased for you both. These kids will have wonderful parents, and be loved by so many others too. All the best for January! Bri’. “He’s so lovely” Joe commented. “He is” you agreed. “He’s right though.” “What, that everyone’s going to love our kids?” Joe joked. You smiled. “No, silly, the other thing.” This statement seemed to surprise your husband. “You really think I’m going to be a good dad?” “Joe, you already are” you said softly. Joe was confused. “Huh?” “You’re absolutely Tallulah’s parent at this point” you explained. “Not biologically of course, but that’s not what makes a good parent anyway.” “You think I’m a good parent?” Joe questioned, blown away by your statement. “Of course darling, do you think I would have moved across the pond for you if I didn’t?” You were joking, but only partly. Joe smiled anyway.

Joe ended up needing to fly to LA in the last week of Tallulah’s summer holidays. He was extremely put out that all his careful planning had still lead to him being away over the summer, but you assured him you could survive the last few days before school on your own. Tallulah spent two of them on a sleepover, and you took the last Friday off so you could have a long weekend with her as an end-of-summer treat. You spent most of the day doing back-to-school shopping, even though you wanted nothing more than to lounge on the couch all day. You were able to do that on Saturday, while Joe was helping Tallulah pick out her first day of school outfit via FaceTime. Joe insisted on taking on that particular parent duty, even while he was on the other side of the country. “You wouldn’t understand the importance of this,” he told you. “You always wore a uniform.” You just shrugged; you didn’t have the energy to argue. You weren’t that bothered, truth be told. You were glad to see Joe making the effort to spend some one-on-one time with Tallulah while he still could, even if it was over FaceTime. Oddly, watching them made you miss Joe more, but you knew he’d be home soon enough.

September

Joe had to stay in LA until mid-September. He was quite disappointed about missing Tallulah’s first day back at school, though she didn’t seem to mind much. She was too busy reuniting with all her friends and getting to know her new class. You were glad she was happy to be back at school, and there were a few parents you were pleased to see again too. Many of them had already heard about your impending new arrivals, and those that hadn’t were made aware by your now very obvious bump. In any case they all seemed quite happy for you, which made for a very positive first day of school on all fronts.

You went to a doctor’s appointment by yourself while Joe was away. You didn’t mind particularly, but it felt a bit odd given he’d been so involved up to that point. Doctor Baker seemed surprised to see you alone. “No Joe?” she asked casually. “He’s away” you explained. “Working in LA.” The doctor nodded in understanding. “Of course.” There was a pause while you prepared yourself for the examination. “When you’re ready we’re going to do an ultrasound” Doctor Baker explained. “We should be able to find out the genders today, if you want.” I totally forgot I was getting to that point. Do I want to know though? You hesitated to respond. Wait, does Joe want to know? He should be here when we find out. If we find out. “I think I’d prefer not to know for now” you finally told her. “We can always find out later if we decide we want to know, right?” The doctor nodded. “Absolutely. You’ll have plenty more ultrasounds after this one.” Something to look forward to, then.

Joe was pleased when you told him you hadn’t found out yet. “I definitely want to be there when we find out what we’re having” he told you, when you were FaceTiming that night. “So you want to know, then?” “Yeah” he confirmed. “Don’t you?” You shrugged. “I’m not fussed. I never found out with Loolah, and-” “You weren’t desperate to know?” Joe was shocked. “I didn’t really care what I had, it made no difference to me” you explained. “Plus I didn’t want to freak Roger out, finding out before the birth wasn’t an option in his day.” Joe grinned. “Well it is now, and I don’t want to wait four more months to find out.” You smiled contentedly. “We’ll find out when you get back then.”

Finally the day of Joe’s temporary homecoming arrived. He would have to leave again in only a fortnight, but you were very glad to be getting him back in the meantime. Joe's eyes bugged out when he saw how much you'd grown since he'd been away. "Has it really only been three weeks?!" "Growth spurt" you shrugged. "Or maybe you just didn’t notice how big I was when you left. Anyway, welcome home." You smiled, leaning in for a quick, chaste kiss before Tallulah came barrelling down the hallway to greet Joe. You decided to leave them to it, and shuffled off back to the couch. You could hear Joe clumping around for a while, chatting with Tallulah and putting his things away. Suddenly it went quiet, and then you saw your husband flop down next to you. "Hi honey. I missed you" he told you, leaning over and giving you a deep, hungry kiss. "I missed you too" you murmured, as you broke apart. Joe put his hands on your bump, leaning down to kiss it. "And I missed- what was that?" he asked frantically, eyes wide with shock at what he'd just felt. "I think that was a kick" you told him, smiling. "Keep talking." "What?" Joe asked, confused. "They seem to like your voice" you explained. "Oh. Ok. Well, um, this job kinda sucks and I don't like the director at all. I mean-" Joe stopped abruptly, staring at you with a mixture of joy and shock. "They both kicked" he murmured, looking slightly teary. "Suddenly this all feels a lot more real." "Oh it's plenty real, darling" you told him, smiling broadly. “Yeah but… they’re really real. I have actual living kids in there” Joe marvelled. “I’m actually going to be a dad.” He was practically crying at that. “It’s going to be great Joe. You’re going to be great” you assured him.

Joe’s hands barely left your bump for days. He was determined not to miss anything while he was home, no matter how small. He was particularly excited about attending your next appointment now that you were going to find out the genders of your babies. Your twins weren’t identical, so both babies would need to be checked. You and Joe were both rather antsy as the ultrasound got underway. “Ok, we’re almost there” Doctor Baker told you, smiling at your obvious excitement. She peered at the screen for a minute. “So this one is Baby A, and it’s a boy.” You turned to Joe. “A boy!” he beamed, slightly glossy eyed. Your moment was broken by Doctor Baker clearing her throat. You turned your attention back to her. “I’ve found Baby B now, and it looks like…” You felt a flutter in your belly as you saw the baby turn away from you on the screen. “Well they’re not cooperating now,” the doctor went on, “but from what I saw before it looked like a boy too.” You and Joe were quiet as you digested the news. Two boys. Bloody hell. Your reverie was broken by Doctor Baker’s voice. “I feel I should warn you, with the ultrasound we can’t guarantee what we tell you is right, but I’m pretty confident about Baby A being a boy.” “You’re not confident about Baby B?” Joe asked her. “Not entirely, I didn’t get a very good look before they decided to hide.” “It’s fine” you assured her, wanting to get on with the appointment before Joe got worked up. Whatever happened, you’d deal with it when the time came.    

October

Joe spent quite a lot of October flying back and forth between work in LA and your home in New York. His shooting schedule turned out to involve a lot of three day breaks, just long enough for a quick visit home. You would have quite liked to spend most of them relaxing together, but Joe was determined to do as much baby preparation as possible while he was home, to save you the effort. He was thrilled to be having twin boys, and had dived into nursery set-up with gusto. He was determined to get the big things like the cribs sorted out nice and early, just in case. “You’re having twins, they’re likely to come early” he reminded you after you told him for the umpteenth time to relax. “They’re not due for months, Joe. Besides, the doctor said everything’s on track for January.” Your husband wouldn’t be persuaded. “Things can change very quickly. You never know when something might happen.” You stopped arguing the point when you realised he was never going to change his mind, and eventually Joe admitted he was doing it because he felt guilty about leaving you alone at home so much.

You weren’t actually alone very often though. There was Tallulah, of course, and plenty of your friends and family were dropping in regularly to check up on you (you suspected Joe might have told them how he worried about you). Joe’s mother was a frequent visitor, spurred by the desire to both help you and reassure her son. One afternoon you were sat with her drinking tea, not long after Joe had FaceTimed you. “So how was the daddy-to-be?” she asked. You smiled. “Same as usual. Annoyed he’s not here, missing us desperately.” Joe’s mother smiled affectionately. “Didn’t want to talk about work then.” “He never does” you told her. Suddenly Tallulah trotted up to the couch. “Did you say Daddy?” she asked eagerly. “We were talking about Joe, darling” you explained. Tallulah was confused. “But he’s not Daddy.” “He’s not” you agreed. “But he’s their daddy.” You patted your swollen belly, indicated Tallulah’s unborn siblings. “Oh.” Tallulah looked thoughtful; you wondered whether she understood. “Does that mean I have to call Joe Daddy when the babies come?” she finally asked. You smiled reassuringly. “Not if you don’t want to. But other people might” you explained. “Oh. Ok.” Tallulah looked unhappy at this development. “Could I make a suggestion?” Joe’s mum asked gently. “Loolah, do you remember how I told you Joe’s half-Italian?” Tallulah nodded. “Well the Italian word for daddy is ‘papa’. Maybe you could call him that instead?” “Papa…” Tallulah pronounced the word experimentally, testing how it sounded. Suddenly she smiled. “I like it!” She wasn’t the only one. Joe beamed when he heard her greet him with a happy “Hi Papa!” on FaceTime. We’re really a family now, aren’t we.

November

Joe had hoped his work schedule would continue to allow him frequent trips to see you, but it was not to be. He had one break before Thanksgiving, for a single day, which he spent alone in LA, desperately wishing he was home. As the weeks rolled on he was increasingly worried about how you were managing on your own. “I’m not on my own, Joe” you assured him down the phone. “Your mum visits twice a week, and Lucy texts me five times a day to check on me.” Lucy was coming to New York to spend Thanksgiving with Rami, and you were already making extensive plans to get together while she was in town. “I know she is, Rami told me” Joe grumbled. “I’m just worried that you’ll be alone with Tallulah and something’ll happen and I won’t be there to help.” His concern for you was evident in the tone of his voice. “Tallulah’s seven, babe, she’s perfectly capable of calling someone if we need help” you pointed out. “I suppose…” Joe sighed. “But what if they come early and I’m not there?” “You’re going to be back a month before they’re due, and even the doctor thinks they’re unlikely to come before Christmas.” Or so you thought.

Joe finally came home for Thanksgiving weekend, and the day after the holiday you had yet another appointment with Doctor Baker. Carrying twins meant you needed frequent checkups to make sure things continued to progress smoothly. This time you got some unexpected, and not entirely welcome, news. “So are you all ready for these guys to arrive?” the doctor asked pleasantly, while you were tidying yourself up after your examination. “Uh, kind of” you and Joe both stuttered. Doctor Baker looked slightly worried. “Well, I don’t want to alarm you, but I think you should be aware that realistically you could go into labour really any time from now on.” You were both shocked. “But isn’t it still too early?” you asked, suddenly scared. “I mean. I’m not due for another seven weeks.” Doctor Baker hurried to reassure you. “That’s true, and at this point it’s early enough that our first move would be to try and stop the labour, but that doesn’t always work.” You and Joe looked at each other with concern, not particularly reassured. “Look, I don’t think you’re going to go into labour tomorrow, and even if you did I would expect your babies to be absolutely fine” the doctor told you calmly. “But I would be prepared for them to arrive some time before Christmas.” “But that’s still three weeks early at least!” you spluttered. “Three weeks early is nearly full term” Doctor Baker said calmly. “And twins are very often born early. Not always, but it’s very common. In any case, I’m only telling you this because I think it would be a good idea if you started to make a plan now for what you want to happen when your babies do come. Just in case, you know. It never hurts to be prepared.” “Of course Doctor. Thanks for the advice” Joe replied, sounding calmer than he looked as you left the doctor’s office.

On your drive home Joe let the façade drop. “They can’t come yet, I’m about to be away for two weeks” he said, seemingly on the verge of panic. “And it’s still so early, what if one of them’s sick?” “They won’t be, Joe, we’re in good hands” you told him, not entirely believing it yourself. “Anyway, we definitely need to make a plan. I don’t want them to come while you’re not here either, but I’d much rather be at least somewhat prepared if they do.” “You’re right” Joe sighed. “When we get home we’ll work something out.”

In the end the plan you came up with mostly involved going to the hospital and ringing Joe as soon as possible so he could get on the next plane home. “What if I don’t get there in time though?” He fretted. “I’ll make sure to record it for you” you reassured him. “But they’re my first kids, I want to be there. I’m supposed to go through it with you!” You wrapped your arms around him in an attempt to comfort him. “I know, darling, I want you with me too. But sometimes life doesn’t give you what you want, and that’s ok.” Joe shook his head. “No it’s not. I don’t want to be that dad who wasn’t even there when his kids were born.” “You could never be that dad, Joe” you reassured him, pulling him close. “If you do end up missing it, it won’t be your fault at all.” Your husband suddenly peered intently at you. “How are you so calm about this?” “Last time I had a baby I had absolutely no way of knowing if the father would be there, and neither did he” you pointed out. “As much as he wanted to be there, neither of us had any control over it. This time we do, and I know you’ll move heaven and earth to get here in time if it comes down to it.” Joe still wasn’t entirely soothed, but he at least had faith you would be alright, whatever happened.

The knowledge that the babies could come at any time made Joe more worried than ever about leaving you alone while he was on the other side of the country. Fortunately, your wonderful friends were more than happy to step in when they were informed of the situation. Lucy was staying in New York until New Year’s, so she organised to visit you every day she could while Joe was away, and she promised to send Rami on the days she couldn’t. She even volunteered to be your hospital buddy if necessary. Ben also happily offered support, though of a slightly different kind.

“Uh, babe, would you be okay with a houseguest while I’m away?” Joe asked you at dinner, the night before he was due to fly back to LA. “Depends who it is” you said casually. “Why?” “Ben’s in town for press next week, and we thought maybe he could stay here, help you with Loolah til I get back.” That would be helpful. “How long’s he here for?” you inquired. “Two weeks, we’re gonna hang out for a couple days when he’s done working” Joe explained. “When’s he get here?” “Monday week” Joe told you. I’d only have to spend a week alone while Joe’s not here. You smiled. “Okay then.” Relief swept over Joe’s face. “Oh good. I feel a lot better about leaving you now I know you won’t be alone” he told you. “In the meantime I’m telling them they’re to stay put until you’re home again” you said firmly.        

December

True to her word, Lucy had visited you nearly every day after Joe returned to LA. The first day after Joe left turned out to be the one day she wasn’t free, so Rami dropped in to check on you instead. He insisted it was no trouble, despite his busy schedule. “I had a day off today, I wasn’t busy” he told you, after you thanked him for making time to see you. “Anyway, I’m always here for you and Joe. Me and Lucy. If you need anything, honestly, just call us, anytime. Even the middle of the night, we won’t mind. Seriously, we’re here to help however we can.” “Thanks, Rami” you murmured, hearing the sincerity in his words.

The first week without Joe passed surprisingly quickly, and before you knew it the day of Ben’s arrival was upon you. You were looking forward to having some adult company, but you were slightly nervous too. You’d never spent any substantial time alone with Ben, and now he was going to be sharing your house for a fortnight. Tallulah, on the other hand, was extremely excited about one of her favourite people coming to stay. So excited, in fact, that she tried to stay home from school to be there when he arrived. You eventually won the battle, but the whole process of getting her to school tired you out so much that you spent a lot of the morning napping on your couch. You awoke to the telltale sound of a car in the driveway, and waddled as fast as you could to the front door, opening it just in time to see a cab disgorge Ben, a large suitcase and two other bags.

Ben smiled when he saw you in the doorway. “Y/N!” he called out happily. “Don’t come out, I can sort myself. Go and sit down, I won’t be long.” You made agreeing noises, realising you wouldn’t be much help with anything in your present state. Besides, you were officially banned from heavy lifting, you wouldn’t even be able to help carry something. Several minutes of shuffling and yelling directions up and down your stairs later, Ben was settled into your guest room. When he came downstairs again he was smiling warmly. “It really is good to see you again, love.” “You too” you agreed. Ben’s eyes went wide when he finally got a good look at you, and your enormous bump. “God, you’re…” He trailed off, looking apologetic. “Go on, say it. It’s fine” you assured him. “Well then, you’re kind of huge. Joe’s told me about the bump, hell he’s even shown me pictures, but seeing the real thing… how do you even get that big and not, like, break?” “With great difficulty” you quipped. You weren’t offended by Ben’s honest reaction, you knew he was just a bit shocked.

Five minutes later you were sat on the couch nursing a cup of tea while Ben made himself a coffee. You were quite grateful to be sitting down as the monsters were suddenly restless. “I’m done here, do you want anything else?” Ben called from the kitchen. “I’m good” you called back. Ben returned to the couch to see you holding your tea rather gingerly while looking uncomfortable. “Are you alr- … what is that?” His eyes widened when he glanced at your bump and realised it was moving. You smiled reassuringly. “They’re just kicking. D’you wanna feel?” Ben grinned eagerly. “Yeah! If that’s ok with you?” “Of course it is. C’mere.” He’s so lovely. Half the planet doesn’t even bother asking before touching the bump. You placed his hand over the spot the babies were kicking at. His jaw dropped at the feeling. “That’s so weird! It must be weirder for you though, feeling that from inside.” You grinned. “It is a bit, but it’s sort of reassuring too, getting to feel that they’re still there, still ok.” Ben smiled. “Well it seems pretty cool to me.” You grinned back. “Oh, it’s very cool.” 

Tallulah was very excited to come home and find Ben waiting for her. “Benny!” She yelled, running over to embrace him. “Loolah!” He cried back. “You’ve grown so much since I saw you, you’re getting so big!” He gushed. “I heard you’re going to be a big sister soon too.” She nodded seriously. “Mommy’s having two babies. That’s why she’s so big.” Ben smiled. “I heard. Now come into the lounge room, I’ve got a present for you.” He smiled at you on the way past. “I’ve got a present for Mummy too.”

Ben had brought your daughter a kid’s cricket set, complete with plastic wickets. “She’s English, she shouldn’t be playing bloody softball” he quipped. “Also Gwilym may have told me I have to save her before she goes native.” You just laughed. For you, Ben had brought over a big jar of marmite and two large packs of Jaffa Cakes. “Joe told me you’d been craving them” he explained. You were surprised. “Joe talks to you guys about pregnancy stuff?” Ben smiled exasperatedly. “Mate, he hardly shuts up about it.” You smiled affectionately. “Not that it’s not cute how excited he is,” Ben said hurriedly, “but he’s barely talked about anything else for months.” Okay, I can see how that could get annoying. Still adorable though. 

Ben slotted surprisingly easily into the routines of your household. He was out working or socialising at various times of the day or night, but when he was home he was an excellent guest. He took Tallulah to and from school as often as possible, knowing leaving the house was fast becoming a big effort for you. He also insisted on doing as much housework as he could, helping you with washing, cooking and cleaning whenever he had time. “Joe’d have my head if he thought I’d left you to do everything in your condition” Ben joked one day, after you’d told him for the umpteenth time you were fine to do light chores. You didn’t particularly mind, if you were really honest, you actually quite liked having an extra adult around.

Joe finally came home in the second week of December. You shared a very long hug in the doorway when he finally made it home. He nearly cried with relief when he saw you. Of course he’d already known that you were ok before he left LA, but he’d spent two weeks worrying about what ifs, not to mention the several interminable hours he spent unable to talk to you on the plane. “If we ever have another I’m staying home the whole time, I never want to deal with that much worry again” he declared later. That night Ben had dinner at home with the three of you. Joe had wanted to go out, but he took one look at your expression when he suggested it and immediately changed his mind. During the meal he took a picture with Ben, which he posted to Instagram with the caption ‘Finally reunited.’ Naturally, his comments exploded in minutes, but he was too focused on catching up with both of you to care. 

You were so looking forward to spending a few days just relaxing with Joe now that he was finally home. But apparently your children had other plans. The very next morning you lurched awake at 5am with a sharp pain in your belly. You didn't think much of it initially, you'd been having all sorts of pains on and off for weeks. Then you realised you were lying in a wet patch. Well shit. "Joe." You tried to shake your husband awake gently. "Joe, wake up." "What?" he groaned, still mostly asleep. "I think my waters broke" you said urgently. He lurched upright. "It's go time? Even though it’s still five weeks early?" he asked, suddenly awake. "Looks like it" you said dryly. Joe leapt out of bed, looking frantic. "Shit. Ok. We need to get the bag, and get dressed, and-" "Joe, calm down. There's no need to rush, we've got plenty of time" you reassured your frantic husband. He immediately stopped babbling. "Well, you're the expert." You smiled. "Help me get dressed?" you requested. "Of course babe." Joe's eyes were soft and loving as he spoke. It took only a few minutes for you both to be ready to leave the house. But you had a couple more things to attend to before you could head to the hospital.

First Joe helped you across the landing to the guest bedroom currently occupied by Ben. He entered quietly with you waddling behind him. "Ben" he whispered urgently, nudging his friend, "Ben, come on." It didn't work, so Joe reached across to hit him gently with a spare pillow. "Ben!" Ben rolled over, groaning, only to snap awake at the sight of the two of you leaning over his bed. "What, what's going on?" he asked, concerned. "The babies are coming" Joe explained. "We have to go to the hospital." "Perfect timing" Ben quipped. "Yeah, if this had happened this time yesterday you’d have been driving me" you joked. "Look, I’m pretty glad this guys held off until now" Joe cut in. "But anyway, I know you're here for work but can you do us a huge favour and watch Tallulah today?" he added, pleading a little with his eyes. Ben smiled. "Of course I can. I think I'm actually free today anyway" the blond man told you both. "Great!" you smiled. "Now brace yourself, she's probably going to come and jump on you after we wake her." "So make sure you're decent under there" Joe added, as he helped you out of the room. Ben just groaned. It was too early in the day for humour. 

You had one more stop before leaving. Tallulah's room. "Loolie?" you said quietly, reaching over from the chair next to her bed. "Mommy?" she replied in surprise, peering at you sleepily. "It's ok darling, I just wanted to tell you the babies are coming today" you reassured her. "Today?" Tallulah echoed. "Yes, darling. Joe's taking me to the hospital in a minute" you told her gently. "Ben's going to stay and look after you, so be good for him, okay?" you instructed. "Yes Mommy" she murmured back. "Ok, big sister, I'll see you later" you said happily, leaning over to hug your daughter. "I love you" you whispered into her wavy blonde hair. "Love you Mommy" she whispered back. You felt oddly emotional as you kissed her goodbye and left the room. Next time I see her she'll be a big sister.  

You managed to stay calm while Joe helped you into the car. But almost as soon as you started moving you burst into tears. "You ok?" Joe asked casually. Your weird moods were nothing exceptional any more. "Mostly" you told him. "It's just hit me as we were leaving that Tallulah's not going to be my only child after today" you explained. "That's a good thing, though, isn't it?" he replied, concerned. "Of course it is" you assured him. "It's just that, it was just me and her for so long, and even after you came along we were so close, and now it's not going to be like that any more" you explained, rather sadly. "Babe, you're not going to lose your bond with Loolah just because you've got other kids to raise" Joe reassured you. "I mean, it's going to be different now, but a good different, right?" "Yeah, good different" you agreed. "Plus, she's so pumped to be a big sister, it's gonna be so cute" he told you, smiling. 

It was fairly quick, in the end. You had wondered whether Doctor Baker would attempt to stop the labour, but she told you the best option at this point was to let it happen. “You’re far enough along that your babies are more or less fully developed, even though they’re not quite full term” she assured you. “They’re very healthy, they’ll be perfectly fine.” She also gave you an injection soon after you arrived at the hospital to help the babies’ lungs develop. I don’t think it’ll have much time to work, but I suppose even a little bit helps.

Joe stayed at your side for almost the entire labour, holding your hand, rubbing your back and doing anything and everything you needed him to. Finally, just before noon, the first baby arrived. "Here he is!" Doctor Baker called out, as his piercing cries filled the room. You were flooded with relief when you heard it. His lungs must be ok then. Joe sniffled as he cut the cord, and then there was a sudden flurry of activity on the other side of the room as various people descended to check the baby over, concerned about the potential consequences of his early birth. The doctor had told you earlier that a team from the NICU would be present to check both babies immediately after delivery, but you couldn’t help worrying at the sight of the crowd around your tiny son. He was only five weeks early, but what if something was wrong? Fortunately, nobody in the room seemed overly concerned so far.

Moments later, calm descended, and a nurse came over to you, carrying your son in a loose blanket. "He’s a bit small, but he’s totally healthy” she told you, smiling. “You want to help keep him warm while we wait for the other baby?" she asked. You shook your head. "Dad gets first go" you told her, smiling. Joe was wide-eyed with wonder as she placed his baby on his exposed chest for skin-to-skin bonding, showing him how to support his son's body correctly. "Hey buddy" he murmured, in a sing-song voice. His overjoyed face when he looked over to you, barely holding back happy tears, was a memory you would treasure forever. "We have a son babe" he marvelled. "I have a son."

You smiled, then suddenly groaned. "I think we're about to have another o-aaargghhh!" "Alright Y/N, time to push again" Doctor Baker said brightly. Well duh. You could have slapped her if she'd been in reach. But then you looked back at Joe, happily cradling your son on his chest, while trying to hold your hand at the same time and looking desperately conflicted, and you suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of calm wash over you. It was strangely grounding as you gathered your remaining strength. Doctor Baker started gently talking you through the process, but your energy was rapidly running out. "Almost there Y/N, one more push now" she instructed you. "I can't do it any more," you cried, "I'm too tired." "You're so close now, just one more push" the doctor encouraged. "I can't" you cried again, shaking your head. Suddenly Joe squeezed your hand. "Babe, look at me" he said, voice low and soft. You turned to see him wearing an expression that was somehow adoring and determined at the same time. "I know you're tired, but you're so so close to the finish line. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met, I know you can do this" he told you encouragingly. "Ok" you replied in a small voice. Joe smiled at you adoringly. "Now let's go. I'm right here with you." You gripped his hand tightly as you summoned one final effort. Moments later crying rang out through the room once again.

"Well done Y/N, you did it… oh, and it's a girl!" Doctor Baker announced. "What?!" you and Joe yelled simultaneously. "You said they were boys!" he spluttered, utterly shocked as he leant over to cut the cord again. You were rapidly becoming too exhausted to care much. The doctor was unfazed. "Well, I was wrong" she responded calmly. "Ultrasounds can be tricky to read sometimes, especially with twins. But I made a mistake, and I'm sorry about that." "It's ok" you replied. Joe still looked indignant, but at that moment a nurse came and placed your tiny daughter on your chest. His expression softened immediately, and he quickly broke into happy tears. "One of each" he sniffled, gazing between his newborn children. "We've got one of each now." You just smiled contentedly. "Yeah we do." Joe leaned over to kiss you gently. “You’re amazing honey, you really are. I love you so much.” You smiled contentedly at him “I love you too dear.”

You could have stayed there forever, you thought, just gazing at the two little beings you’d created. They would need to go to NICU soon, but they were breathing well and doing everything they were supposed to, so you were given some time to bond first. You spent the first half hour enjoying first cuddles and skin-to-skin time. You were actually encouraged to go skin-to-skin as much as possible to help the babies regulate their body temperatures. You were hardly complaining though. Joe eventually got out his phone to take some photos of you and the twins. You were very pleased you managed to capture some of him too, especially the heartwarming expression on his face when he did skin-to-skin with both babies at once for the first time. Soon after he took a similar picture of you, which he promptly sent to Ben to announce the birth. “Couldn’t resist, sorry. You just look so happy.” “So do you” you told Joe, grinning. He smiled. “I feel ridiculously happy right now.” Thirty seconds later Joe’s phone buzzed. “Ben says congratulations” he told you. “Oh, and he’s told Tallulah. He wants to know if he can bring her in to meet them yet.” Joe looked at you with concern. “Should we let him? Will they be ok?” he asked nervously. “Joe, they’re basically fine” you reassured him. “I’m sure the doctor would have told us if visitors weren’t allowed.” You smiled. “Tell him to head in. It’ll be nicer for Loolie to see them now anyway, before they go in the incubators.” Three minutes later Ben texted again saying they were on their way, and you and Joe spent a few minutes making yourselves presentable before settling in to wait.

Suddenly a pair of blond heads poked through the door. "Are you ready for a visitor?" Ben asked, smiling gently. "Definitely" Joe smiled. Ben stepped aside to reveal Tallulah, who rushed into the room with a happy cry. Joe stopped her just inside the door. "We need to be quiet and gentle, okay? The babies are delicate, we don't want to hurt them by accident" he explained. "Ok" Tallulah nodded gravely. Joe led her to your bed, where the babies were resting against your chest. "Hello Mommy" she said quietly. "Hi Loolie" you replied. "You're a big sister darling!" you told her happily. "Come and sit next to me so you can see them." "Ok" Tallulah beamed. There was a bit of awkward shuffling while Joe arranged a chair for her. During this interlude you glanced up to see Ben lurking at the door to your room. "You're allowed to come in, you know" you commented. "Oh, I don't want to intrude…" he muttered, slightly embarrassed. "You could never" Joe reassured his friend. Ben smiled at that. "Well, if you're sure…" "Yes" you and Joe insisted simultaneously. "Come on, I'll grab you a seat" Joe added, trotting off immediately.

You turned your attention back to Tallulah, now sat near your head. "Darling, this is your brother Joey" you told her, pointing to the baby on the right. "And this" you added, indicating the other baby, "is your sister. She doesn't have a name yet." Tallulah's face lit up at this news. "I have a brother and a sister? Cool!" You had to smile at how pleased she was. "Wait, she's a girl? I thought they were both boys" Ben chimed in, from his spot facing Tallulah's chair. "Yeah, so did we" Joe quipped. "It was a nice surprise though" he added, voice softening enormously. You smiled quietly to yourself for a brief moment, before Tallulah's voice broke through your reverie. "Can I hold them Mommy?" "Of course" you smiled. "Who do you want to hold first?" 

You had expected Tallulah might be extra pleased to have a sister, but she was equally entranced by both babies, evidently thrilled just to have siblings of her own. She seemed very comfortable holding them too, despite Joe’s nervous hovering and many reminders to “be gentle, they’re delicate.” Clearly she was a natural big sister. Ben, too, looked like a natural with a newborn in his arms, even if he was a little freaked out by just how small your babies were. "He's so little" he cooed, after being handed Joey by Tallulah, who was now gently cuddling her new sister. "Seriously, I don't think I've seen a baby this tiny before, and I've definitely never held one." "You're not nervous are you?" you asked half-seriously. "Little bit" Ben admitted. "I'm worried I'll accidentally hurt him cos he seems so fragile." Joe smiled reassuringly. "You're doing great, man" he told his friend. "They actually are kinda small though, even for newborns. But you’ll be fine, don’t worry about it." You thought both babies did look particularly tiny against Ben's muscly frame, but you said nothing. Joe, though, snapped a very sweet picture of Ben holding your daughter on his phone. “I have to preserve this image for posterity” he told you. Ben took some pictures too, after he handed the babies back to you and Joe. Your favourite was the shot he got of your whole family, gazing adoringly at its newest members. "You look so happy, guys" he commented, showing you the picture afterwards. You and Joe smiled contentedly at him. "We are" you replied. And you were.

You were well enough to be released after three nights in hospital. The twins, however, were required to stay in NICU for a few more days. “It’s mainly for observation” their doctor told you. “They’re doing very well, we just want to be sure there’s no issues before we let them go home.” You were reassured there were no concerns about your babies’ health, but it didn’t make it any easier to be forcibly separated from them, even if it was only when you went home at night.

The many hours spent watching over the twins in NICU proved somewhat useful, as you and Joe were now faced with the unexpected dilemma of choosing a name for your newborn daughter. You’d agreed long ago that your first son would be officially named after Joe, though you’d decided to nickname him Joey to avoid confusion. But discussions about girls’ names hadn’t gone very far before you’d been given the impression you were having twin boys. Since that impression had turned out to be incorrect, you were now facing an uphill battle to agree on a name for your little girl.

"Madison?" Joe suggested. "No. Too American" you responded instantly. “You do realise she is American?” Joe pointed out. You didn’t particularly care. “Only half. Anyway I don’t like the name. Any other ideas?” "Fine” Joe huffed. “Uh, Amy?” You considered it for a moment. “Amy Mazzello. Mhmm, maybe.” “Maybe?” Joe spluttered. “Well what’ve you got then?” “Matilda?” You offered. “I don’t like it” Joe replied. “Way too English. And, Matilda Mazzello?” “Yeah, that doesn’t sound great” you conceded. “Ooh I know! Poet” Joe suggested. You didn’t like it. “God no. We’re not Hollywood hippies, Joe” “You totally are a hippy” he snorted. You quirked your eyebrows. “What makes you say that?” “Uh, you called your first kid Tallulah Rainbow?” he pointed out. “Tallulah is a perfectly respectable name!” You protested. “Besides, the Rainbow part came from her father, not me.” “That… kind of makes sense” Joe conceded. “Still a bit hippy though.” “It’s really not” you grumbled, explaining the significance of the Rainbow Theatre in Tallulah’s life story. “Actually, that’s quite sweet” Joe admitted. Nevertheless, you and Joe were still struggling to find any names you both liked.

In the end, the solution arrived from a rather unexpected source: miss Tallulah Rainbow herself. “Amber” she suggested, when you asked if she had any name ideas to offer her sister. “Amber…” you and Joe considered. “Amber Mazzello…” “I like that” Joe told you. “So do I” you agreed. Joe feigned shock. “We both like it? I don’t believe it!” “Oh shut up” you grumped. “Anyway, do we want to try and find a middle name we can agree on, or just give her one name and be done with it?” “Actually, I was hoping we could slot in a Queen reference somewhere” Joe admitted. “I was thinking maybe her middle name could be Mercury?” “That’s such a cool name” Ben interjected. “It is” you agreed. “So, Amber Mercury Mazzello?” Joe suggested, carefully sounding out the full name for the first time. “Amber Mercury Mazzello” you repeated. “I love it.” 

You felt bad for messing up Ben's plans, but you could also see that having him around was an utter godsend while the twins were still in hospital. Despite supposedly being in town for work, he spent a lot of that week looking after Tallulah and generally being helpful around the house. This had the dual benefit of freeing you and Joe to spend most of your time with the twins, and ensuring Tallulah didn’t feel too left out in all the chaos. Ben did end up having to cancel a couple of interviews, but he didn’t mind too much. “They were group interviews, the rest of the cast still went, it’s fine” he assured you over dinner one night. "Besides, one of them was with Screenstuff, so I’m quite happy to have missed that." “With Marcie?” Joe asked, in a very sympathetic tone. “Yep” Ben replied. “Uhh, Screenstuff?” You asked. “Entertainment website. Marcie’s their main movie reporter and she’s… not the brightest” Joe explained. “Has a really obvious thing for Ben too.” You were confused. “Is… is that a bad thing?” “It is when I’m trying to promote a project and my body is all they ask about” Ben clarified. “Apparently she got all miffed when I didn’t turn up today, said half her questions were for me” he told Joe. Joe whistled. “Bet that went down well.” A sudden thought occurred to you. “You didn’t tell them where you were, did you?” you asked frantically. “Only the other cast members, and they didn’t tell anyone” he assured you. “They just told the reporters I was sick, no one’s going to work it out, don’t worry.” You were very relieved, seeing as no-one outside your immediate circle knew the babies had arrived yet, and you wanted to keep it that way at least until they were out of hospital. 

Finally, the big day arrived. The twins were finally released from hospital after six days in NICU. Joe was a bundle of nervous excitement as he very carefully placed them in their carseats and drove you all home. The excitement seemed to win out for most of the day, until you put both babies down for an afternoon nap. As you sank gratefully onto the couch, you noticed Joe staring into space with a rather stricken expression. “What’s up, love?” “It just hit me a minute ago…” he mumbled. “What just hit you?” You had a hunch about what was bothering him, but you wanted to hear him say it. “I just realised I’m now responsible for two whole human beings for the rest of my life, and I’m freaked out” he told you. “Like, I’m super happy that they’re here and they’re healthy and they’re ours, but…” You smiled gently. “I know you are, dear, I am too.” Joe suddenly looked at you with confusion. “Wait, why aren’t you freaking out right now?” “Been here before,” you said airily, “I’m still a little freaked out, I just knew it was coming.” You paused. “Plus, it’s less scary this time” you added. “It’s not so new and different, and I’ve got you.” Joe smiled at that. “Indeed you do. You’re not slightly terrified by having two though?” You waved a hand. “We’ll manage. There’s two of them, but there’s two of us too.”

Joe was slightly startled the following afternoon when he picked up his phone and realised he hadn’t even looked at Instagram in nearly a week. “It’s so weird” he muttered, scrolling through everything he’d missed. You wondered what he’d seen. “What’s weird?” “It feels like my whole world’s… shifted since I got home, but on Instagram everything seems exactly the same” he explained. “Even my Insta looks like I’ve just been hanging out with Ben all week, but I’ve barely seen him.” “Everyone knows Insta’s mostly not real life” you reassured him. “Yeah,” Joe agreed, “but this is such a huge thing in my life and it’s not there at all.” “Well, if you wanna announce it, feel free. We’ve told all our friends and families now anyway” you pointed out. Joe grinned excitedly. “You’re ready to tell the world about them?” “Absolutely.”

Joe agonised over his baby announcement post. In the end he picked a picture you’d taken of him with the twins dozing on his chest. He posted it with a lengthy caption: ‘So this week I was supposed to be relaxing with Ben… Instead I spent most of it at the hospital since these guys decided to make their entrance last Saturday, five weeks early. Everyone’s healthy, they just needed a bit of time to adjust to life earthside. Anyway, meet my new favourite people: Joseph Francis IV (but we’re calling him Joey) and Amber Mercury (she’s in the dino onesie) Mazzello. Also my wife is amazing and I love her so much more than I can ever express.’ Gwilym very quickly commented ‘So incredibly happy for all of you. Can’t wait to get over and meet these cuties!’ Lucy just posted a line of heart eyes emojis. Later on Brian left a lengthy note. ‘Delighted to hear these two arrived safe and healthy, if a bit ahead of schedule. Hopefully everyone’s adjusting well to their new roles. Huge congratulations and warmest wishes to you all. Bri’. Even Ben eventually chimed in: ‘They’ve stolen my man but they’re so cute I’m not even mad.’    

The next day you got a rude shock, when you realised that despite the lavishly decorated tree in your lounge room you and Joe had entirely forgotten Christmas was nearly upon you. By the time you remembered it was only a week away. “There’s so much to do” you fretted to Joe. “We’ve got to wrap everything and do cards and… shit, two of our kids don’t even have any presents yet.” “They’re a week old, I don’t think they’re gonna care” your husband tried to reassure you. It didn’t help. “But it’s their first Christmas, they’ve got to have something” you insisted. Joe smiled reassuringly. “Well in that case, I’d better go shopping tomorrow” he declared, kissing you gently.

Joe went out alone the next day. But he had a surprise for you. “You were worried about getting everything sorted in time, so I’ve called in reinforcements” he told you as he was leaving. You quirked an eyebrow. “Reinforcements?” “Lucy’s coming over later to help you out” he explained. It wasn’t the solution you’d been expecting, but it turned out to be a good one. With Lucy’s help you made surprisingly quick work of your to-do list, and by the time Joe got home the house was tastefully decorated and there was a small pile neatly wrapped presents under the tree. She even helped Tallulah bake and ice some Christmas biscuits for you all. Her reward was some time spent cooing over your sleepy newborns. “They’re beautiful, lovie!” All in all, everyone ended the day satisfied. 

Christmas Day was fairly peaceful in the end. You enjoyed a relaxing morning opening gifts at home ahead of Christmas dinner with Joe’s family. You and Joe had agreed not to go overboard on presents this year, knowing you’d have a lot of other things going on at Christmastime. But Joe did manage to sneak in a small surprise for you. “From Joey and Amber” he said, handing over one last parcel with a soft smile. You delicately undid the wrapping to uncover a framed copy of the picture Ben had taken of the five of you in hospital the day the twins were born. “Oh, it’s lovely!” you gushed, leaning over to hug Joe. “Thank you.” “Don’t thank me, they got it for you” he replied, grinning. You smiled. “You must have helped though.” “That I did” Joe agreed. “Well thank you for helping them” you told him, leaning in for a chaste kiss. “You’re the best.”

Joe’s family were very excited about meeting the twins, of course, but Tallulah had a lot of fun too, playing with her cousins and generally enjoying all the little treats of the day. You were glad to see her having fun; you’d been worried she might end up feeling a bit left out in all the fuss over her new siblings. She was very disappointed when you had to leave soon after the meal to get the babies home before their bedtime but she seemed happy enough to spend the rest of the evening watching movies and enjoying her presents.

Your family spent Boxing Day largely doing as little as possible. As always everyone was a bit flat after the excitement of Christmas Day. Except for Tallulah, who was very much looking forward to seeing Roger the next day. He arrived in the afternoon, and came to your house almost immediately to take Tallulah out for afternoon tea. You could tell by the way she was beaming when they returned that she had enjoyed the individual attention. Her expression seemed to highlight her resemblance to her father. Roger was slightly startled when he noticed. “Gosh, I’d never realised how much she takes after me.” “She looks more like you every day lately” you told him. “She’s grown up so much since I saw her last” Roger mused. “Well she is a big sister now” you pointed out. He smiled. “Ah yes. How’s she going with that, by the way?” “Very well, actually” you replied. “I was expecting her to be a bit jealous, but so far she just adores the twins. She loves holding them. Even got them Christmas presents.” Roger smiled with pride. “Well that’s good to hear. Hopefully the adoration continues.” You weren’t convinced it would but you still smiled. “Yeah, hopefully.” 

Roger had booked into a hotel, but he still stayed at your house until well past dinnertime every day of his visit. Tallulah was clearly very appreciative of the time with her father, even if she didn’t say it out loud. The days of Roger’s trip sped by, and suddenly it was New Year’s Eve, again. The day held many happy memories for you, but this year was going to be very different. Joe had called off his traditional party, knowing none of you had the energy for a late night. Instead, you were having a sort of open house afternoon to give all your friends an opportunity to meet Joey and Amber at a time that was easy for your family. Adjusting to looking after twin newborns was exhausting enough without trying to find the energy to organise visits every other day. Of course a few of your close friends had dropped in already, but they were a select group amongst your wider acquaintance.

You were amazed at just how many people showed up to meet the twins and have some lunch with you. Even Gwilym made an appearance. “Surprise!” he declared, grinning widely. “I had some time off, and I’ve been dying to see you all, so here I am.” He was amazed when he got his first glimpse of the twins. “Christ, I thought Ben was exaggerating when he told me how tiny they were.” “Would you believe they’ve already grown since Ben saw them?” Joe asked, beaming with pride. To be fair, they did still look ridiculously small in Gwilym’s arms. “They’re not that tiny now, are they?” Joe asked you in an undertone, as you both watched Gwilym enjoying his first cuddles. You smiled reassuringly. “They’re still a bit on the small side. But Gwil is also a bloody tree of a man, he’s making them look even smaller.” Joe laughed at that. 

Gwilym stayed all afternoon, helping here and there and generally enjoying some rare time with Joe. His relaxed mood seemed to have spread throughout your house that day, though the energy lifted considerably when Rami and Lucy finally arrived. Naturally Gwilym was thrilled to see them both, and they spent a long time lounging on your couches catching up. People gradually started to leave as the afternoon wore on, and eventually they were the only guests left other than Roger. Lucy smiled when she noticed this.

“Now that we’re alone, lovies, we’ve got something for you” she declared. Rami gently handed over a bulging gift bag. “Christmas presents. From all of us” he said softly. You started to protest but he waved it away. “Just open them. There’s something for all of you in there.” Indeed there was. The bag held a number of packages, each containing part of a matching set of red baseball shirts, made to look like the D-backs uniform from Undrafted. Yours and Tallulah’s had your surname on the back; the others were labelled Mazzello. Two of these were very small, although closer to toddler than newborn size. Rami looked apologetic. “That was the smallest we could get.” “Rami, they’re perfect” you reassured him. “They really are” Joe chimed in, sounding rather emotional. “Thanks man.” Lucy smiled. “I told him the important thing was that they matched.” You glanced at Joe, wondering why he was so incredibly touched by the gift. “You’re all on my team” he explained, before you could even open your mouth to speak. “You’re my family, even if you don’t all have my name, you’re all mine.” You smiled. “Honey, of course we’re yours. We’re your team.”    

You were still cuddling Joe when Roger suddenly appeared next to you carrying a couple of parcels. “I brought you a little something too” he said sheepishly. “The top one’s from Brian, by the way.” Joe looked surprised. “Brian sent us a baby gift?” Roger smiled. “Of course. That’s what friends do, you know.” Brian had given the twins a stuffed badger and a fluffy hedgehog. “Just a little reminder of their roots” the card said. You and Joe both laughed. “Brian and his hedgehogs. Typical.” Roger’s parcel contained a pair of onesies. One had a photo of John Deacon printed on the front, while the other featured Freddie Mercury. “I heard her middle name and I just couldn’t resist” he said, grinning mischievously. Joe grinned back. “Thanks Roger, they’re perfect.”

Midnight on New Year’s Eve. In years past you’d enjoyed the ritual of sitting up to watch the fireworks, or going out somewhere in search of a New Year’s kiss. This year, though, all you really wanted was to get some sleep. But of course the twins had other ideas. In the end, midnight found you and Joe sat together on the rocking chair, each soothing a baby back to sleep. Joe’s loving gaze suddenly shifted from his children to you. "Thank you" he said softly. "For what?" you asked. "I always wanted a wife, and kids, but before I met you I was starting to wonder if it would ever happen for me" he explained. "And now you've given me both in a single year." "I suppose I have" you mused. "So, thank you. For giving me everything I've dreamed of" Joe said, kissing you gently. "I love you so, so much." You smiled back. "I love you too, babe." You were both quiet as you tenderly set the twins back in their cribs. “It’s been a good year, hasn’t it?” you mused, as you and Joe returned to your bedroom. “It’s gonna be a hard one to top” Joe agreed. “It’s been magnificent.” And the best part was, it was only the beginning.

*******************************************************************************************

A/N 2: This is really the end for these guys now, and I’m a little bit sad about that. I’ve got one Tallulah oneshot I want to finish (there’s lots of Freddie in it, it’s a lot of fun) and then I’m going to take a break from this universe (for now anyway) and work on my ‘possible Freddie Mercury descendant’ story. At this point I’m planning on keeping it as a oneshot, but I’ll see how I go. Hopefully it doesn’t take as long as this one did!

Taglist: (send me an ask or dm if you want to be taken off) 

@wandering-at-midnight @fruityfreddie @trumanjo @ohmygoditsanthonyedwardstark @itsametaphorbriansblog @theedwardscollection @bookish-oreo @simplyvictoria-93 @kotoamor @j1224 @closertothesunwhenimwithyou @florenceivy @jennyggggrrr 

(line through means the tag didn’t work)

[catgluue]

What Happens in Xing

I recently hit 100 followers which was super exciting for me! I really appreciate everyone who follows me and/or takes the time to like, reblog, or comment on my writing. It’s a huge motivator and seriously boosts my writerly self-esteem, such as it is.

Anyway this work takes place in my Price of Life/Portrait of a Family AU and so while that context will add to the fic (particularly the last time) it can also be read on its own. 

Read on A03

The royal palace in Xing’s capital city was nothing like Riza had ever seen. It was massive - at least the size of a city block, she thought upon first seeing it, but after walking the perimeter one humid afternoon she figured it would be big enough for the entirety of the small eastern town she grew up in to fit comfortably within its walls. Sections of the palace were clearly older, and at least one wing was walled off altogether, in need of repairs. When she’d asked their guide one day he told her that the palace had stood for at least a thousand years, although maybe not in its current form.

It didn’t escape her notice that she and General Mustang were given rooms several floors higher than the bulk of the Amestrian party; one floor higher even than Major General Kent, who was the other officer overseeing the diplomatic treatises and trade agreements they’d come here to discuss. Ling never came out and said as much, but she was certain that their rooms were some of the nicer ones in the gigantic palace: her room boasted a bed that could have fit three of her, a huge claw-footed tub, and a floor-to-ceiling window that gave her an impressive view of the city. She’d made a point, several times, to get up early and watch the sun rise over the sloping buildings so different from those at home.  

To her immense surprise the official business had been wrapped up around four days into the weeklong trip, at which point General Kent and his men promptly packed up and took the next train out.

���I suppose we’ll be leaving tomorrow as well?” Riza asked General Mustang as they stood on one of the massive balconies that overlooked the city. Nights brought some relief from the wet heat of the day; a gentle breeze blew over the wide river and across the city, making the heavy woolen uniform seem less oppressive.

“Of course not, Captain,” he said mildly. “Our train doesn’t leave for days; it’s far too late to change it now. You might actually have to take some time for yourself and relax a little. I hope that won’t prove too much of an inconvenience.”

Riza didn’t think she’d had a moment to herself to sit and read a book for close to a year and a half now what with the business with the Homunculi, Ishval, and now the Xing excursion.

“Not at all, Sir,” she said crisply, but she was smiling as she met his gaze.

The next few days they drifted around as civilians, generally together as holiday or not she was still his bodyguard, but the amount of Xingese bodyguards lent to them by the Emperor meant that Riza felt comfortable occasionally acting as ships in the night. After all, the museum of alkahestry didn’t particularly appeal to her and the General was none too interested in seeing the wing devoted to the development of gunpowder. At one point Riza looked up from her book across the  sunroom - a space with a glass roof to let light in, and a large fountain bubbling away in the middle that had quickly become one of her favorite haunts - to see Mustang in his shirtsleeves, heavily engrossed in something he’d borrowed from the Imperial library, a cup of tea in his hand. Occupying the same space as him and seeing him rested, at ease, living again was a gift she didn’t deserve but would value anyway. As though he felt her staring he’d looked up and offered a small smile. She blushed and ducked her head to go back to reading her book.

It was the morning of their last full day in the country: tomorrow they would be on the noon train heading back to Amestris. They were originally scheduled to go back yesterday- in fact the bulk of their accompanying military personnel had left - but she and the General, with a handful of soldiers, had stayed. She was standing straight-backed at Mustang’s right shoulder, thinking that if she’d been any worse a soldier she would have snuck a peek at her pocket watch already, when the reason for their delay finally entered the imperial throne room.

It was still strange seeing Alphonse Elric as a human and not as a suit of armor, but it was refreshing to see him looking robust and healthy, not like the frail wisp of a thing he’d been when they put him on the train, barely strong enough to walk on his own after The Promised Day. He and May Chang, now a young woman, made their way up the long carpeted entryway and bowed to the young emperor. Ling rose from his seat, inclined his head, and the ceremony seemed to be over.

“They certainly like processions,” the General murmured, soft enough that only she would be able to hear, while Ling and May said their informal hellos, which seemed to involve quite a lot of teasing, she noted with a smile. There was going to be a parade in a few hours, ostensibly as a homecoming for May, who had been traveling for the better part of a year, but realistically as an excuse for Ling to throw another lavish feast.

“I don’t see the harm,” she whispered back.

“Six feasts since we’ve been here, and this is the third parade,” he muttered. “It’s a little much.”

“Colonel - Oh sorry, it’s General now right? Brother mentioned in one of his letters,” Al said as he approached, offering a hand shyly but not looking at all upset when the older man pulled him into a hug instead. Not something he would have tried in-uniform but technically they were using vacation days for this last leg of the trip. With the exception of the parade later on they were dressing and acting like civilians.

“Hi Captain Hawkeye,” May said a little shyly, and Riza turned to smile at the younger woman.

“Hello May. You’ve gotten so tall,” she said. It was true; though still on the shorter side, May had grown half a foot since Riza had seen her last.

“And pretty,” Mustang added, ever the charmer. Al came over to wrap Riza in a hug and she was struck again by how much things had changed. He was taller than her, broad-shouldered and with a striking similarity to his brother, although even nearing twenty Alphonse’s face remained cherubic. She’d changed too, of course: there were lines by her eyes that hadn’t been there five years ago, and she’d cut her hair off and grown it out again, so that it now sat a little below her shoulders. Recently the heat had her thinking about cutting it as short as she’d had it when they first moved to East City all those years ago. The General was pulling something out of his pocket; a book wrapped in ribbon, and handing it to May. “I brought you something,” he said.

“Oh that wasn’t necessar- OH, General Mustang! Where did you get this?”

“You can call me Roy, and there’s certainly more where that came from, my connection is very reliable.”

“He’s talking like he got that book off the black market,” Riza said to Al, who just grinned.

“He might have; it was banned thirty years ago for the author’s, ah, unconventional ideas.” He wilted immediately under the look she gave him and put his hands up. “Nothing all that bad, promise, he was just before his time where some aspects of medical alchemy were concerned. His ideas are really interesting, if you-” Riza held a hand up.

“I’m afraid anything else is going to go over my head,” she admitted, still eyeing the book. The cover was roughened leather that still bore traces of gold leaf, and everything about this, from May’s reaction to Al’s explanation spoke to the book being very hard to get ahold of and also very expensive.

“How did you know?” May was squealing, arms clamped tightly around the General’s waist, her precious new book in her hands. Alphone grinned broadly as he pried her off of Mustang, standing with an arm casually slung over her shoulders as she turned the book over in her hands.

“I have my sources,” the alchemist revealed, with a wink at Al. “I do try to stay in touch, even though your brother and I have this game where he hangs up on me the first time and I have to wait for Winry to answer the phone and make him take the call.”

“But this must have been so… I mean, thank you very much,” May said. Riza knew enough about nonverbal communication to know that something in the look Al gave her told her to drop the subject. Her own sharp look at the General was met with careful avoidance. There was of course nothing wrong with bringing a gift to an eager young scholar, she reasoned, and let the matter go.

-x-

This was the third parade, but Riza was no less unsettled than she’d been at the first. Parades were liabilities, plain and simple; you might as well paint a target on the back of every person of interest who set foot within a hundred yards of the garish floats and ostentatious musical pavilions. She would have far preferred being a spectator; they milled around eating thornapples and skewered meats and waving miniature pinwheels. She realized suddenly that she hadn’t really been to an event in years that didn’t involve her acting as bodyguard.  

“Stop dancing around me, Hawkeye,” the General muttered after the fourth time she switched from his right side to his left.

“We aren’t properly staffed, Sir,” she replied. “I want to be sure I’m able to spot any possible threats.” He waved a hand dismissively.

“We’re in the center of a platoon of soldiers.”

“And the only ones in Amestrian uniforms in this section of the procession,” she pointed out. “We’re sitting ducks.” Mustang ignored this, tugging at his collar.

“I wish we’d get a move on, it’s sweltering .”

She had to admit it was; wool uniforms and humid summer air didn’t mix particularly well. They’d been in Ishval earlier this year overseeing reconstruction plans but it had been spring and they only had to contend with the dry heat that was more typical of the desert. Here there was no escaping the damp summer air. At long last the parade started moving, snaking its way through the city. They would loop around the outskirts of town and then end up back at the palace. The whole thing would last over an hour.

They were situated at the front of the same float they’d adorned for the previous two parades; a burnished gold monstrosity that Riza supposed was supposed to be a fish. Only this time instead of their military escort they were standing with a handful of Ling’s soldiers, with May seated on an ornately decorated chair reminiscent of a throne that was situated on the dais and Al just below. May had looked slightly uncomfortable at first, but soon adjusted, smiling and waving to the crowd as they trundled along.

With less people there was more surface area and therefore more blinding gold to contend with. Riza resisted the urge to shield her face with her hand as the sun danced across the multifaceted surface. The General looked to be concentrating deeply on something, but as she followed his gaze she didn’t see anything amiss.

“Cenz for your thoughts, Sir?” she asked and he seemed surprised.

“I’m thinking that the second we get back to the palace I’m getting a pitcher of iced wine and sitting next to one of those massive indoor fountains,” he said, and flashed her a grin. “You’re welcome to join me of course.”

She opened her mouth to say that actually they had some reports they could stand to go over and should probably pack as well when there was a sudden flash of movement overhead, and something hot and bright burst inside their float. Instinctively Riza flung her body sideways, into the General, forcing him to the floor and shielding his body with her own. For a few harsh moments she was far away, both in time and place, in a different desert, with a different threat, following the same man. Her breath caught in her throat as she willed herself back to the present, to Xing and the Parade. A few moments of relative silence passed, and she hesitantly looked up to see Alphonse and May also climbing to their feet, May’s ornate chair merrily burning under the ruins of a massive Xingese firework. There was a snort beneath her and she looked down to find that she was nose to nose with Mustang.

“A rogue firework,” he said, regarding the object. She couldn’t tell what exactly he did but a second later the flame was snuffed out, starved of oxygen.

She got to a sitting position, looking around at the crowd, but everyone seemed to be carrying on as usual, the spectacle over. With the sheer amount of explosives Xing boasted this can’t have been the first untimely detonation they’d ever seen. May was standing at the front of the float waving as though nothing had happened, Al at her side.

“You can probably let me up now,” he remarked dryly and Riza looked down to find she was still straddling his midsection. She got to her feet and offered a hand to help him up and he smoothed his uniform down. Was it the heat of the uniforms, or were his cheeks tinged pink? Hers felt hot too and she looked away towards the crowd. How many times had she pushed him aside, or covered his body with her own in times of danger, and yet she had never been as thrown off-kilter by the feeling of their bodies pressed against each other. Even through two sets of uniforms it was a sensation that made her breath catch somewhere behind her sternum.

Stoically she moved a half-step behind him, and the parade went on.  

-x-

After a very long and very convoluted feast, they walked back to their rooms in a comfortable silence.

“You know Captain, I’ve got a bottle of nice Xingese wine and a balcony, if you’d like to watch the fireworks,” he offered. She considered a moment; as the senior officer, his room was nicer. Hers was next door and had a nice large window, but no balcony to speak of.

“All right,” she said, surprising him as well as herself. “Let me change out of my uniform and I’ll be right over.”

She stopped in her room long enough to change into a soft knee-length skirt and hesitated before putting on a lightweight sleeveless shirt she would normally only wear to sleep in, because the top of her tattoo could be seen peeking out of the top. Her hair covered it, however, and the night was warm enough that she’d be glad to wear less fabric. She padded to the connecting door and knocked lightly.

He’d also changed, into a button down and slacks, and handed her a glass of deep purple-red wine as she walked in, which she sniffed at before sipping; they were fond of fortified wine here and so the vintage was peppery with a hint of berries and nutmeg that burned pleasantly on the way down.

“I think they’re about to start-” Mustang was saying, but was interrupted by a loud pop , and a bright display of color and crackling out over the city. Mesmerized, Riza drifted through the room and out the open glass doors to what was admittedly a very nice patio. It was large, with a iron-wrought table and chairs near the doors, a few potted plants, and an actual sofa towards the other end. Bypassing the furniture entirely, she walked to the rail and settled her elbows on it to wait for the next eruption.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” she breathed, as Roy came to stand next to her, elbow barely brushing hers.

“I have,” he replied. “Not for years - they used to set off fireworks in Central every year on New Year’s Eve. But they stopped around the time I went to learn under your father.”

“No wonder you weren’t impressed by the sparklers we got from the village,” she mused, lips quirking upward in a smile. He had the grace to look embarrassed.

“I really was quite the insufferable city boy, huh?”

Two more glasses of the heady Xingese wine and they sat on the couch, her leaning up against the pillows with her legs bent over his lap, him sitting upright, absently tracing a finger around the bruising on her knee that had appeared after the scuffle at the parade.

“That was close, earlier,” he said finally, and she looked up.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been attacked by a firework before,” she said dryly. “They’re very loud up close.” A warm feeling had settled somewhere in her stomach, courtesy of the wine, the fireworks, and the General’s proximity. The General’s proximity which was… entirely too near, now she stopped to think about it. She made to swing her legs off the couch so they wouldn’t be so entwined, but the weight of his arm across the bend in her legs stopped her.

“Don’t, please. Just… don’t. Let’s enjoy this.”

Normally she would protest out of some sense of country and duty but the wine and the warm summer air had affected her in equal measure, so she sat back against the pillows without another word. His hand that was tracing her bruises drifted up her thighs to trace the end of her skirt, however, and she cleared her throat.

“That was nice of you, to get that book for May. What made you think of it?” she asked, believing that to be an innocent, diffusing question. Diffusing of what, she didn’t quite know, she just had a vague sense of something needing to be doused. He chuckled, and the warm burning in her belly intensified.  

“You’ll think I’m being sentimental but I kind of feel like I owe her one.” At her puzzled look he shrugged. “On The Promised Day, if she hadn’t jumped in to heal you when she did… she saved your life.”

“So shouldn’t I be the one giving her presents?” Riza asked, amused. His eyes were oddly intense, and her smile quickly vanished.

“I almost lost you,” he said seriously, and he reached out, seemingly without meaning to, and caught a strand of her hair between his fingers, and it occurred to her how close they were sitting. “So no, it’s me who owes May Chang a debt I can never really repay.” a firework went up, and popped into the inky black night, illuminating them and for a moment time stood still.

“I’ve always been ready to die in pursuit of our goals,” she breathed, not knowing what else to say, unable to tear her eyes away from his.

“And if that’s what it takes to reach the top, I don’t want it,” he told her firmly. His hand was now resting gently on her chin, and she was surprised to find her own fingering his collar. She wasn’t sure if he was leaning in or if she was, but their noses lightly bumped together and he froze. “Tell me not to,” he said softly, like a prayer.

This was an order she couldn’t obey. She closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his, just as another firework crackled overhead.  This was dangerous, she thought as she slid down on the cushion, using her hands on his collar to pull him down with her, something he was all too eager to comply with, sliding a hand behind her knee to hitch it over his hip. His body was a comforting weight on hers, and made this moment seem weighty and real, a culmination of what she had come to accept as pointless longing for something that needed to remain forever out of reach.

She ran her hand up through the back of his hair, tugging lightly as she kissed him hungrily. He ground his hips against hers and she gasped at the contact, hand resting lightly on the side of his face as he pulled gently away. For a moment they just looked at each other, and she found she was able to read the question in his eyes as easily as ever. Her lip quirked and at her silent response, he bent to trail kisses down her throat.  

She wasn’t sure how they’d managed to make their way back into the room, stumbling into door frames, shucking off clothes as they went. How strange that she’d known him for so many years, through so many triumphs and failures, but yet there was apparently still so much to learn. There was a particular sound he made when she grazed his neck with her teeth that was new, and so enticing she half-laughed as she brought her lips once more to his. Her naked back hit the cool silk of the sheets on his bed and she sighed as he kissed his way down her body.

The light from the fireworks lit the room through the open patio doors, but they hardly noticed, engrossed in each other with the heady desperation of people who were seizing an opportunity that may never come again.

-x-

Riza’s first thought upon waking was that she’d had too many glasses of strong Xingese wine. Her second was that there was an arm securely wrapped around her waist. Her third was that she was completely naked. She made to sit upright but the arm was utterly unyielding, so she settled for covering her face with her hands.

“Oh no,” she said out loud, and the body behind her snorted slightly, shifting under the thin topsheet that covered them.

“Wh- Hawkeye?” for there could be no mistaking her for anyone else he might have taken to his bed; he was face to face with her scarred back. She winced, thinking about the rude awakening that must be.

“Good morning, Sir,” she said tightly. The most embarrassing thing was that they hadn’t had all that much wine. Yes they’d been tipsy and she now felt like she needed to drink a whole pitcher of water, but she remembered everything. Oh how she remembered. She felt heat rush to her face as she rolled over, his arm still around her waist, to look at him.

“Good morning,” he said, eyes meeting hers and then drifting lower. She cleared her throat, studiously avoiding looking anywhere but his face.

“So this was a colossal fuck-up,” she said. “Sir.” He sat up on one elbow, leaning over her as he swept her bangs out of her eyes and leaned in to brush his lips to her neck.

“Mmph,” he said, and she took that as assent. The arm that had been situated across her hips withdrew, and his fingers ghosted over her hips, around to her stomach, and dipped lower, brushing between her thighs. She caught his wrist delicately and pulled his hand upward.

“We can’t,”

“We most certainly can,” he told her, kissing her hotly below her ear, “and have.” She sighed. Well the damage was done, it seemed early enough, and the way he was nibbling her earlobe was causing a familiar warmth to pool behind her navel. Using her legs and the element of surprise she rolled him over onto his back. He ran his hands up her thighs to her hips, grinning up at her wolfishly.

“Once more couldn’t hurt, I suppose,” she acquiesced, and bent to hiss him.

After, as she lay in his arms, both of them covered in a fine sheen of sweat, the panic really began to set in. He cleared his throat, apparently, and as usual, thinking along the same lines she was.

“What now?” he asked, seeming to echo her thoughts. “Do - should we figure out how to continue this when we’re back in Central?” She sat up on one elbow and regarded him seriously, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Do you want to?” she asked. He turned pink and avoided her eyes.

“More than anything in the world, but -”

“Not more than anything,” she finished for him. “I’m glad we agree. We’ve come too far; we’ve lived through too much to risk it.”

“Riza,” he said, and her name on his lips was both foreign and so familiar it made her chest ache and for a moment she couldn’t meet his eyes. “You have to know that I-”  she leaned down and kissed him soundly, her hair falling in a curtain as though to hide this brief moment of weakness on both of their parts from the world.

“Please don’t say it,” she said softly. “It’s going to make it so much harder to forget this.”

“But you know,” he breathed, and she nodded, blinking hard.

“I do. And… me too.”

-x-

Six weeks later Riza stood up from the bathroom floor, wiping her mouth, feeling as though a cold bucket of water had been upended onto her as she thought hard, counting weeks and sinking further and further into a certainty tinged with wild panic. This wasn’t the first time she’d been sick lately, and she had a suspicion it wouldn’t be the last.

She washed her hands robotically, thinking hard.

They had been so concerned with bureaucracy following their… indiscretion, that she hadn’t even stopped to consider biology. That there could be ramifications beyond losing their jobs. Since returning to Amestris they’d been particularly careful not to spend time alone, and a touch formal, and sometimes he looked at her in a way that made her face heat up, but everything had gone back to more-or-less normal. She had thought - they had both thought - that they’d gotten away with it, and they could put it behind them with nothing but a pleasant memory to remember it by.

She pressed a hand to her still-flat lower stomach. What would people say?

Well of course they’d say the obvious. She hadn’t caught wind of rumors regarding her and her commanding officer in years, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t there, simmering gently despite no evidence. They had been very careful never to act improperly towards each other. She would have to come up with a plausible story, and furthermore she would need to make sure that the General reacted in a way that spoke of his innocence in the matter.

Riza eyed herself in the mirror; a hard-eyed soldier stared back at her. As much as it made her feel like a hand was clenching around her heart, this child wouldn’t be able to know its father. Riza would do this alone because she had no other choice. She needed to protect him. She needed to protect them both.

-x-

“Hawkeye you have to talk to me.”

It was four days after her in-office revelation, something she had done specifically not to arouse any suspicion, and yet here he was, on her doorstep in the middle of the night, and she had a strong hunch that he’d been at his aunt’s newly reestablished bar. Riza wasn’t sure what she had expected but he hadn’t been taking the news well, she could see it in the lines beneath his eyes in the office today, in the flat quality to his voice when he spoke to her. She opened the door further and waved him inside to avoid making a scene where people might see.

“You’ve been avoiding being alone with me for days, please,” he said, standing in the middle of her living room and looking utterly lost, dark eyes wide and hair mussed.

“I haven’t…” she trailed off - denial was no good, not with him. “I haven’t known what to say to you. It’s a setback, to be certain.”

“A setback , try a disaster! I can’t BELIEVE we didn’t- That I didn’t - ”

“There’s no use blaming yourself. We can’t exactly take it back now” she said quietly, and brushed past him to put the kettle on. When she turned back around he’d sunk down onto her couch and was running a hand through his hair.

“What do we do now? Do we run away to Xing? We could, you know,” he said, looking up but not at anything in particular. “Ling would find a place for us, you could be his bodyguard and I could be Royal Alchemist or Official Firework-Starter, or-”

“Don’t be ridiculous. We stay, and we work, and I… I’m going to raise the child of a random Xingese courtier who shall remain nameless.” A knot had settled somewhere deep in her chest and she doubted it would come undone anytime soon. “And if the rumors get to be too much and they threaten your career, I’ll disappear.”

“With my child? Like hell you will,” he said, voice rough. This gave her pause. The clock on her mantle had never sounded so impossibly loud in the stillness of her apartment Slowly, she walked to the couch and reached out, not quite touching, fingertips grazing the fabric at his shoulder.

“You realize it can never be your child,” she told him softly. He put his head in his hands.

“I’m aware.”

She sat next to him and hesitated, before wrapping her arms firmly around his shoulders. He leaned into her, and she let her head fall to gently rest against his. For a while all they did was breathe together, in and out, soothing each other by sheer virtue of being present. A heaviness settled over them and Riza doubted they would have another moment together like this again. She turned her face into his shoulder; she would not cry, not now, not in front of him. There would be time for that weakness later.  

“This is going to be a nightmare,” he said after a moment.

“We can make the most of it.”

“Can I just ask you for one thing?” he looked up at her. “It might be a bad idea under the circumstances but the baby… if it’s a boy, can we name him after Hughes?” This was a bad idea, she thought. It would be the obvious choice for a child of Roy’s. But she had known and loved the man as well, and it couldn’t be seen as that unusual that she would choose to honor a fallen comrade when naming her firstborn. She nodded, running a hand down his arm and lacing her fingers through his.  

“I think we can do that.”

It was a girl, but they named her after Maes anyway.  

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

"😓A misunderstood character is ostracized, perhaps even threatened, for their peculiar habits, interests, or studies" - this is gonna be v specific but like.... Drabble where vetinari and downey giggle about people gossiping about vetinari being a vampire? Perhaps? Pls?

Thank you so much for the ask! i’m not sure if this is quite what you were hoping for, but I hope you enjoy. 

--

Midnight and Downey hears clicking so he’s half-awake, then fully awake and thinking there’s someone in the room with him. He can’t see them but knows a presence when it is felt, only: he can’t move. The clicking increases, an insect-noise, as something prowls near his head and he does not wish to look over but does, because he can’t help it, and there sits a monstrous creature poised with stinger above his face and the weight on his chest holding him down reminds him of that one poor man accused of witchcraft, or was it being vampire?, all those hundreds of years ago who was pressed to death in the main square. The rocks they put on his chest were later used to build the base of the Brass Bridge. When you walk over them you walk over his ghost. 

And now Downey is awake. Awake and sitting upright, which means he can move, but he’s still seeing the insect so there remains whispers of the dream. It is a dream, he reminds himself, because he has had such before and, more importantly, he knows all the insects on the Disc and the one he imagined next to him is not one of them. If he is going to go and discover a new species it won’t be whilst half-asleep in the middle of the city. 

He rubs eyes, looks to pillow beside him and finds it empty.

Sinking back into bed he pulls the eiderdown up around his head and burrows in an attempt to reclaim even a shred of disturbed sleep. 

But it’s gone. His mind is already going fast-fast-fast there are so many things he must do as Term moves into exam season and holiday festivities must be planned and budgeted for and rooms prepped for new students joining them for Winter term after Hogswatch. Then there’s City Council matters and Guild matters and three jobs lined up, hasn’t he already decided he’s too busy, tired and old for this?, and then there’s the never ending social calendar. Which he enjoys. But, it can be a bit much. 

Bedroom silence is as maddening as his racing mind. He’s staring at the thin pool of moonlight on the floor. It’s autumn, so skies are a perpetual grey with only a weak sun to splash watery gold and pink across horizon at morning and evening. The grey continues into the night obscuring stars. So everything is a shadow of its summertime self. 

He is restless. His nerves are up. He has spooked himself and remains half-convinced there’s someone in the room with him. The presence, he repeats to himself, was the dream and the dream was made of stress.

He rolls around for a bit. Then, out of a sense of paranoia, he retrieves a blade from between mattress and headboard, and prowls about his room but finds nothing and neither do Alsace nor Harold. He ought to be content if not pleased.

Fear is an anathema to him. One of the first rules of performing assassin is knowing that you are the most dangerous thing that walks the streets. And if you don’t know it in yourself, for certain, then at least exude it to others. Smoke and mirrors &tc. 

One autumn, as a boy of seven, he developed a deep fear of vampires. They can turn into mist, slide into bedrooms through keyholes and hide under the bed or in the closet. They drink your blood and make you one of them whether you wish it or not. 

The fear left him as he grew up. At first, because he learned how to kill them. Then, later, he met a few, became friends or an approximation of friends, with a few. Olivia Hunter, one example, said, it’s being damned for a sin you’ve no part in. People look and say ‘We know your kind’ when they know nothing of anything. What is my kind? Genuan? Black? Woman? Secretary? Vampire? Omnian? 

And that’s a sentiment he understands, was raised to understand, for his grandmother would talk about the bad old days in Brindisi when she was a girl and they had to leave, which happens sometimes, because people decide they know your kind and whatever it is, it’s unwanted. 

He dresses. Alsace and Harold become very excited at this sudden change in events. As always, he takes a circuitous route through the city to the palace. He weaves through alleys, up and down stairs and closes, trots this way and that across streets. For a time, he loiters on the Brass Bridge and peers at different stones. The foundation stone’s date has worn away with time so when you trace fingers over it there is only the merest indentation. Was this the stone that finally killed that man all those years ago? He’s never seen a witch stoning and has no desire to. There are some violences and brutalities that go too far. 

The palace is shades of moth-wing grey. Downey slips in between shadows and up to the patrician’s bedroom where, as expected, Vetinari is up. The man is seated at his desk half-dressed with robe wrapped around him and a blanket over shoulders. 

‘Have you considered a brazier?’ Downey asks upon entrance. Vetinari flicks a look at him. ‘It would help with your consistent lack of heating.’ 

‘I am quite content, Downey. If the temperature was comfortable people might wish to stay.’ 

Downey feigns offence. He drapes himself across the bed and stares up at canopy. Alsace and Harold make themselves at home by the meager fire next to Mr. Fusspot who remains unphased by the sudden presence of dogs easily three times his size. He snores on in peaceful slumber. 

‘May I be of assistance?’ Vetinari’s voice drifts over coupled with the ruffle of paper. 

‘Oh no, you’re fine.’ 

‘Is there a reason you’re here?’ 

‘Must there always be a motive for my coming? I had a desire to be mildly chilled and to stare up at your canopy.’ 

Vetinari makes a noise, a scoff or snort. Downey smiles at the fabric above him. 

‘We didn’t have plans,’ Vetinari says, quietly, to himself and his desk. Downey does not respond. Vetinari’s penchant for exact order crops up time to time. They are both men with strong affinity for order, but applied in very different areas of their lives. 

Downey orders butterflies and beetles and natural and manmade poisons. He also orders accounts, aligns the debit-credit column of the guild, his wardrobe, his drinks cabinet. He does not order his personal life. He doesn’t need to, Vetinari orders it for him. 

‘You know,’ Downey drawls as a thought occurs. ‘Your desire to have cold rooms and no creature comforts is probably why people think you’re a vampire.’ 

A cough from the direction of the window. 

Downey props himself up and looks over. ‘Tolerant of extreme temperatures? Lack of expected, human reactions to circumstances? Patience of a rock? Never seen sleeping?’ 

‘You have seen me sleep.’ A lofty, disinterested expression, ‘and you can attest to my ability to react appropriately in certain, ah, circumstances.’ 

It’s a lascivious grin on Downey’s face. Vetinari tells him that he is being lewd. Downey replies that he is not being lewd at all. Vetinari says, ‘very well, your face is making lewd insinuations.’ Downey begs his pardon with great animation, delighting in the other man’s long suffering sigh. He delights in most things Vetinari does, including his more obsessive ticks. It’s a pleasure to know there’s someone who won’t judge you for talking to your plants and will understand the extreme stress of holding one’s tongue when someone is wrong about biology in public. Which happens with great regularity. 

A huff, Vetinari decants from his desk to the bed where Downey, who has pried boots off and deposited cloak, scarf, hat, gloves, frock, and so on, on the floor, happily scoots beneath covers. 

‘And you have very cold hands,’ Downey continues. 

Vetinari snorts, ‘the people of this great city really have nothing better to do than speculate upon my supposed inhumanity?’ 

‘I think it’s an improvement over their wildly inaccurate speculations about your manhood.’ 

Vetinari’s face is a portrait. Downey kisses it. 

He continues, ‘I would correct them, of course. But that would cause more grief than it’s worth. Now, you as a vampire on the other hand, I can see their reasoning.’ 

‘I’ve eaten food in public. I drink…wine.’ 

Downey snorts, ‘Mr. Warrender at the Cloak and Dagger believes it all to be an elaborate ruse.’ 

‘I see,’

‘He was going on about this the other night,’ Downey begins plucking at Vetinari’s robe which he considers an affront as it is another layer of clothing to take off. ‘I think he managed to make a few converts to his cause. He says that he’s never seen you handle coin before therefore you’re avoiding silver. You don’t attend religious ceremonies because of holy ground. Your robe is annoying me deeply. And you rarely go out, uncovered, in daylight due to discomfort in the sun.’ 

‘I’m not sure Mr. Warrender would have any opinion on my robe. Downey, I’m quite busy tonight.’ 

‘Yes, I’m here now. Your metaphorical dance card is full for the remainder of the evening.’ 

Vetinari stares. Downey stares back. Vetinari opens his mouth to reply, apparently reconsiders it, and sighs. Downey kisses him again as it seems the right course of action. 

Downey rolls Vetinari over to his back, snaking a hand beneath robe, down, pulling up nightshift beneath. Vetinari liftst hips to allow the clothes to be hitched up, ‘why are you here, Downey?’ 

Downey raises an eyebrow. Looks down at their bodies then back up.

‘That’s not why you’re here. This is a symptom, not the cause.’ 

‘I dislike that. Being associated with disease isn’t something I enjoy, but I’ll save my annoyance for tomorrow. I was awake and restless.’ 

‘Right.’ A beat. ‘My apologies.’ 

‘Thank you,’ Downey hums. He cannot think how to explain: I had a dream and spooked myself. So he chooses not to. He continues with vague answers and determined exploration of Vetinari’s body, a boney, you’re-a-bit-of-a-shut-in sort of experience. Being opposites in most regards, Vetinari has nothing spare, all strung together with skin and only the amount of muscle needed to operate a body compared to Downey’s more, as he puts it to himself, comfortable, frame.  

As teenagers, therefore posturing with great energy and determination, Vetinari once said: I’m an aesthete. Downey hadn’t been entirely sure what an aesthete was so made some general scag-dog-botherer related insult and went off to ask Ludo what it meant. Ludo explained asceticism with a wry expression. Downey then spent the remainder of the day mocking Vetinari for being a nerdy prat. 

Downey thinks that to be fair to sixteen-year-old Vetinari the young man hadn’t been wrong. He was, and is, very much an aesthete. But, Downey adds on, he was also a nerdy prat. 

Not that he, himself, was a joy and pleasure to be around at that age. Eleven to five-and-twenty, he thinks, those are terrible years where no one is at their best.  

Vetinari scoops an arm around Downey’s neck and leans up, pressing their mouths together. ‘Would you still be here if I was a vampire?’ 

‘Yes. Though, there’d be very strict boundaries.’ 

‘Naturally.’ 

‘’I’ve no desire for immortality. The one thing I wonder is,’ Downey settles on his side. ‘Would you still be you if you were one? It’s a rude question so I haven’t asked anyone I know.’ 

Vetinari shrugs. How does never dying change a person? How does not tasting, not needing sleep, not bodily changing, shape an individual? Would that change be any different from the normal changes all people go through as life forms them forever into something new? 

Neither choose to answer the questions. Downey figures they were rhetorical more than anything. But even if they weren’t, he has no answer. He likes his humanity. He’s content with being merely mortal. There is a thrill to life that he thinks wouldn’t be there if you knew you weren’t going to die. Pleasures would lose their meaning. He likes luscious fox fur, richly patterned cambric, heavy brocades because he knows they are his but for a limited time. When he dies they’ll be of no use save to cover the body until it’s cremated. But doesn’t that limitation of enjoyment make it all the sweeter? There will be a finite end to champagne and oysters and music and dancing and gold and silver. 

But as a vampire, at least with regards to the clothing and objects, you would have it forever. One fades, buy another. 

Perhaps they find meaning in other things less worldly than clothes and beautiful things. 

What a terrible concept. 

‘You had a mistress who was one, didn’t you?’ Downey asks. 

‘Mistress,’ Vetinari’s bemused by the word. ‘I wouldn’t go that far.’ 

‘What was her view?’ 

‘On how she was before? She didn’t speak of it much, but I think she takes the long view of things. So time is both fast and slow. She said that because relations with humans are so fleeting she found them more precious.’ 

Downey pulls a face. See, finding meaning in less worldly things. Vetinari flashes a smile, returns to his usual impassive self. 

‘I don’t think it’s life that would suit you, Downey.’ 

‘I’d have to become philosophical, which is a horror. I would be required to place value in things other than material wealth. Absolutely terrible.’ 

Vetinari props himself up on an elbow and takes to considering Downey’s face with great intent. Downey looks away. He frets that Vetinari is going to say something about him being more than what he intends himself to be. Which Vetinari tends to do because he enjoys telling Downey home-truths. 

Life delivers. Vetinari says, ‘I think you hold things beyond material wealth as important. A limited amount,’ he amends. ‘Perhaps a very limited amount. But nonetheless, they exist.’ 

This is too much, Downey can feel a flush crawling up his chest and neck so leans up, gives a messy kiss, then rolls over in search of his clothes. He says he should go back to the Guild. It’s late, he has much to do in the morning. Vetinari sits up and watches him dress. Downey swans about, makes it a bit of a theatrical moment, then the final flourish, he places his hat on. 

‘I will see you tomorrow,’ Downey says. 

‘You will. Or today, as the case may be. We are well into the small hours.’ 

At the door Downey pauses. Behind him is the sound of Vetinari dressing. The shift of linens, bare feet on soft, wooden floors. 

‘I don’t think it would be a life that suits you either,’ Downey says to the doorframe. His palm rests flat against it, a profile to Vetinari’s line of sight. 

‘Immortality, or vampirism in particular?’ 

‘Both.’ Or maybe, Downey doesn’t think, he wishes to believe that for his own sake. He doesn’t like to think of Vetinari going on, existing as some lonesome, grey rock in the midst of human life for any longer than he already has. 

‘Possibly. Quite possibly you’re very right.’ 

Downey sucks in a breath through teeth then, because he enjoys hurdling head first off cliffs from time to time, ‘I’m glad things are working out, you know. Between us. Despite the fact that you’re a nerdy prat, Dog-botherer.’ 

He’s gone before Vetinari can reply though he imagines he heard a soft exhale of a laugh. One of those dry ones Vetinari gives when amused but feeling many things at the same time. It’s a ghost of a sound and follows Downey through streets homeward. He wishes to remember it forever.

[akatdollie]

this has probably been asked but w/e: sasori/third in a happy au? or not, entirely up to you :^)

SasoThird - 

Verse: Through the Looking Glass, Darkly -

AKA the one where Sasori stays in Suna because he’s kind of a stalker and the Third doesn’t mind so much (because at least he’s not dead; also his stalker likes to spoil him and is lovely).

where they first met and how - At a parade celebrating Suna’s victory in the Second Shinobi War. The Council selected Sasori and many other veterans to be awarded for outstanding service to the state; the Third was the one that gave them their medal. Sasori was impressed by his warm manner and powerful speech… the Third wasn’t particularly stunned by Sasori. Ah well. Better luck next time!

who fell for who first ( if applicable ) - Hahahahaha. While Sasori developed a lot of respect (and eventually a crush, and eventually… this unhealthy sort of love), the Third is not interested in Sasori until way later in life.

how long their ‘flirting’ phase was before feelings got involved - Sasori has feelings way before he is even on the Third’s radar.

They get closer during the Third Shinobi War, when Sasori is more mature. Then, afterwards, Sasori uses his seat on the Council (passed down in the family; abandoned by Chiyo) to discreetly nominate himself to be the Kage’s personal assistant/advisor. He oversees the Third’s schedule; processes his mail and drafts replies; arranges lunch; makes sure the Third’s home is stocked with food; etc, etc. Good worker bee. Integrates himself into the Kazekage’s life.

He serves loyally for about five years (“the perfect puppet,” he likes to call himself), until the Third actually… flirts. Which Sasori never did. Because he didn’t know how to flirt. Um. Do they teach you to do this in training camp? No? Yikes. Well. He learns quickly.

who asks who out and how ( with a sign? spelled out on a cake? just a simple ‘will you go out with me’? ) - Sasori already assumes they’re dating so there’s no need to ask the Third out. The Third is too busy, you know, ruling, to worry about courting a man that’s clearly in love with him.

where their first date was and what it was like - Sasori would tell you that their first date was when the Third took him on an impromptu tour of his Father’s tomb. The Third would say that it was three years later, when he looked over at his assistant, bored, and asked Sasori to accompany him on a walk. They ended up getting in an argument about this or that scholar, and go to the Kazekage’s personal library, looking for a particular passage of a book to settle the affair.

who proposes first - I don’t think they ever marry. Neither of them see a point in the ceremony, they can’t have children, and the Third has a reputation to maintain along the clerics. That said, the Third is one that makes the first move that is blatantly “romantic,” requesting that Sasori draw him, knowing what art means to the puppeteer.

where the proposal happens and how ( kiss cam at a baseball game? on a hillside surrounded by ducks? at a disney park? ) - See above. Once the line has been breached, Sasori starts asking that the Third model for him; they also spend more non-work time just generally in each other’s company.

if they keep / kept their relationship secret or let everyone know right away - I headcanon that Suna doesn’t particularly care one way or another about same sex marriages … as long as the line is secured (which it is through cousin Rasa, thank god for him and Karura doing it like bunnies) no one cares who the Kazekage spends his days or nights with.

So, it’s not quite a secret, but Sasori would rather keep the Third to himself than let the “jealous little snakes” take what he’s earned.

The Third just prefers discretion. There’s really no need to tell the world what is his, but he may occasionally make sly digs about being romantically blessed to those who are less fortunate than he (i.e., the world).

if they adopt any pets together - No, Sasori has his human puppet collection which he tends to, not quite as numerous as canon as he has other things to focus on (micromanaging the village, tormenting Rasa, making sure the Third gets his tea on time), rather than carving up bodies… The Kazekage has quite a number of Sunan horses, however.

who’s more dominant - They both do this thing where they think they’re the one in charge… Even though they’re mostly equals. No...I’m in control, they tell themselves. (Idiots.)

where their first kiss was and what it was like - It was at the Kazekage’s estate. Sasori standing above the Third, reading some important documents over his shoulder, the Third looking up at him, admiring how the kohl sharpened his eyes and how his hair caught the candlelight… grabbing Sasori by the back of his neck and pulling down.

It stole Sasori’s breath away.

if they have any matching couples stuff ( mugs? sweaters? pillowcases? ) - Sasori goes into the Kazekage’s closet and makes sure to add accessories that allude to him--red scarves, arachnid patterns, etc. The Third doesn’t mind. Dressing himself is a bother. Actually he finds it a bit endearing.

how into pda they are - Sasori likes standing behind the Kazekage at a respectable distance, showing ownership. The Third knows full well that he does this. Occasionally he will drag Sasori behind a pillar for some alone time.

who holds the umbrella when it rains - It doesn’t rain in Suna. But occasionally they travel to other lands… And Sasori, being too short to hold it, gets a puppet instead.

where their usual ‘date spot’ is ( if applicable ) - in the Third’s bedroom with a small buffet of fancy foods personally selected by Sasori.

who’s more protective - Sasori is obsessive but it is the Third who will raze villages in the unlikely event that someone hurts him.

if they argue about anything - They bicker about philosophy but no serious arguments unless Sasori continues making human puppets against the Third’s direct orders.

who leaves more marks ( lipstick, hickeys, scratchmarks etc. ) - Neither, naturally, though the Third likes to play a game where he tries to make Sasori lose enough control to scratch trails down his back. If Sasori tells the Third to bite him, the Third would, just to make a point.

who steals whose clothes and how often - At this point I’m certain that Sasori steals clothes from all of his lovers, but for the Third it’s not often, less so when they get together, and even then only in the mornings before the sun heats up the sky. (The robes don’t fit him, which is annoying. They are not suitable for everyday life.)

how they cuddle ( spooning? facing each other? ) - Facing each other, Sasori’s head in the Third’s chest. The Kazekage likes admiring him.

what their favourite nonsexual activity is - Sasori likes serving the Third tea, which he finds funny, because in my Suna offering tea is an innuendo for offering sex haha. He usually does this while gossiping about other politicians, Councilmen, etc., which the Kazekage finds useful and entertaining.

The Third likes taking walks with Sasori, especially in the desert ruins, where the Kazekage chatters on and on about long dead civilizations.

how long they stay mad at each other - The Third dismisses Sasori for a full month when the man fails to obey an order to his expectations. Sasori avoids him for two. Then the Third refuses to acknowledge him for another three. They’re both way too prideful.

if they ever split up and / or get back together - See above. The Third eventually corners Sasori, deciding he’s had enough, and the two hash it out.

what their usual coffee / tea orders are - Sasori gets thick, imported coffee. The Third has red tea, usually, but enjoys sampling foreign, expensive drinks.

if they ever have any children together - Nope.

if they have any special pet names for each other - Sasori calls the Third, “My Lord,” because he’s his, and a Lord. Third calls Sasori simply “mine”. Like it’s a fact.

what their shared living space is like ( messy? clean? what kind of decor? ) - Clean and pristine, how the Third prefers it. No clutter except for a pile of books they are currently reading, and loose art paper here and there. A lot of marble, open floor plan, low tables with cushions on top of a lush carpet? It’s nice.

what their first christmas / hanukkah / etc as a couple was like - Suna doesn’t celebrate either holiday in my headcanons, but there are plenty of festivals devoted to various gods, where the city swells with merchants and food vendors from all across the Land of Wind and sometimes other countries.

Sasori usually spends them at the Third’s side, doing various official ceremonies, religious rites, visiting temples, etc. No kissing babies please. it’s actually very exhausting for them both, but the Third enjoys observing so many people in one place, particularly so devoted to him. Humans are so interesting.

if they have any ‘couple traditions’ ( buying a new mug for their collection every year? baking every friday evening? ) - Once their relationship is a bit more established, they eat dinner together often, and feed each other on forks.

who’s the big spoon / little spoon - Sasori is reluctantly the small spoon if only because it’s convenient on cold desert nights.

What is more likely is that the Third ends up sprawled on top of him like an octopus, hair and limbs loose and everywhere.

who falls asleep first and who wakes up first - They both fall asleep and wake up at roughly the same time, as they keep the same schedule, but the Third has to get up first because his morning routine is more high maintenance.

who hogs the bathroom - They both hog the bathroom for makeup purposes but the Third spends more time on his appearance, adorning himself with gold and carefully applying kohl. Sasori finishes first and helps him with his hair because otherwise they will be late, damn it.

(The Third enjoys being pampered.)

who kills the spiders / takes them outside - the Third lazily asks Sasori to take them out. They aren’t worth killing, in his opinion.

...Sasori privately considers them very cool, and maybe takes a couple minutes so sketch them.

...The Third notices and gets Sasori a particularly rare one for his birthday; black, striped with gold, and very, very deadly.

💘

[wandlores]

Newsworthy

Pairing: Harry Potter x Luna Lovegood Words: 2,136 You can also read this on AO3. This is for the @hprarepairnet Winter Challenge and the anon who requested Lunarry :) I also used the prompt #16 from this list! 

Harry wasn't the type to enjoy parties, especially his ex-girlfriend's party.

He didn't have hard feelings about him and Ginny not working out. They ultimately decided they were more like siblings than lovers. It was a mutual thing. It was just awkward for Harry answering all the questions that were thrown his way about the fact that she was now dating the notorious Blaise Zabini rather than him. The wizarding community didn't seem to understand it - not that he cared what any of them thought anyway. But now that Ginny was a famous Quidditch player and he was, well, the Chosen One, it was guaranteed that the press was going to show up at this party.

Harry played with the invitation in his hand and read the title explaining it was a holiday party at Blaise's manor to honor the holiday season. They were required to bring their holiday cheer. He didn't feel like reading the rest and threw the invitation down on his kitchen table.

Great. Just great. Knowing Ginny, that meant he had to wear an ugly Christmas sweater. He walked to his bedroom and over to his closet and pulled out his sweater Ginny got for him two years ago. He studied it closely and tried hard not to stare at it in disgust.

It was covered with fuzzy reindeer and sparkles. Harry remembered how excited Ginny was when she gave it to him. He didn't have the heart to tell her he hated it, until she exclaimed, "Isn't it hideous!? I love it!"

That's when Harry learned that ugly Christmas sweaters were apparently a thing.

He sighed as he put the sweater back in his closet.

It wasn't like he had to impress anyone other than the press. But even then, he wasn't going to be the only one in an ugly Christmas sweater at a party held by Ginny Weasley.

Or so he thought.

It was Christmas Eve, and Blaise Zabini's manor was as flawless as Harry had seen in pictures. He tugged at his Christmas sweater awkwardly as he walked down the front path.

It was then that he caught sight of Ron and Hermione. Hermione was dressed in a long purple gown, and Ron was in new dress robes. Why were they dressed up for a Christmas party that Ginny was throwing?

Anxiously, Harry pushed past some of the other guests and apologized as he went. Once he reached Ron and Hermione, Hermione looked at him with a shocked expression and Ron burst out laughing.

"Is this your idea of dress robes, mate?" Ron asked, "Or is this a way for you to humiliate Ginny? You know, she does appreciate a good joke."

"Wha-what do you mean?"

"Harry, you read the invitation, right?" Hermione questioned, "It said we are required to wear dress robes and gowns. Ginny is also receiving an award at this Christmas party."

Harry gulped, "I-I must have misread. I just assumed that a Christmas party held by Ginny would mean ugly Christmas sweaters."

Ron laughed loudly again, and people started turning to look at them in their direction by the foyer. Hermione smacked Ron in the arm and gave him a stern look.

"This is not funny, Ronald! Blaise will never let Harry live it down, and the press will be all over him! They are already down his neck about his break-up with Ginny that happened over a year ago!"

A shameful look spread across Ron's face and his cheeks turned pink. It was then he noticed he had drawn attention to the three of them. Draco Malfoy was now snickering with Pansy Parkinson over Harry's attire.

Or so they thought.

"Do you see Parkinson and Malfoy staring at Harry now?" Hermione hissed, "This is so embarrassing for him!"

"Gee, thanks Hermione," Harry replied sarcastically.

She gave him a sympathetic look, but Ron nudged her in the shoulder.

"I, I don't think they are looking at Harry, Hermione," he corrected. Then he motioned over to their left.

Luna Lovegood was standing in the main hall with a glass of champagne. Neville was looking around her nervously and tugging at his collar. She was also wearing an ugly Christmas sweater, but she didn't seem to care at all, or even notice that she was dressed out of place.

"Well, at least you aren't the only one, Harry," Hermione said gratefully, "But, this is Luna we are talking about. I love that girl, but she isn't the type to really, um, go along with social conventions."

"You think?" Ron asked jokingly.

Hermione smacked him in the arm again.

Harry swallowed the remaining saliva in this throat and ignored the couple's bickering. He looked around anxiously for Ginny to instantly apologize, or for the nearest exit. He couldn't ruin her big night or God forbid, the Zabini reputation. Harry rolled his eyes at the thought. But instead of finding Ginny, Harry made eye contact with Luna. Her eyes went wide with excitement as she made her way over to him. Neville left her to get more champagne.

"Harry! It is so good to see you. I love your sweater!"

"Er, thanks Luna," Harry replied, "But don't you feel, well, a little out of place?"

"Always," she answered, "And your point?"

Harry blinked a few times. He knew he shouldn't be surprised, but Luna always surprised him. She was completely unphased.

"You know, Harry," Luna started, "I have been meaning to floo over to your flat to ask you something."

"Oh?"

But before she could continue, they heard Blaise's voice over a loud speaker.

"Welcome everyone. If you do not have any refreshments, please help yourself to the right side of the hall. We are now going to get started with the ceremony."

Cameras flashed around them, and Harry tried to back further away from them into a decorative curtain. But naturally, Harry was a clutz, and since he was a clutz, he tripped backwards over the curtain instead.

As he fell, all the attention landed on him and away from Blaise Zabini. All he could see were cameras flashing and the press commenting on his attire.

"Is that the Chosen One!?"

"Is-is he wearing a Christmas sweater with reindeer all over it to a formal event?"

"Rita is going to love this!"

Another camera flashed.

As he tried to get up, he suddenly felt a body standing in front of him. It was then he realized it was Luna.

"Laugh all you want!" Luna called to the press, "But at least he is being true to himself and the holiday cheer!"

Everyone around them snickered, but Luna stood her ground.

"Yes, Miss Lovegood, we can see that," one of the reporters commented, "Are you here with Harry?"

Harry stood up now and was about to respond, but Luna beat him to it.

"Yes, actually," she lied, "We decided to make a statement that we do not need to live up to your societal expectations. We figured Ginny would be proud of two of her best friends for making this statement together as a couple."

It was then that Harry glanced up at the stage to see Ginny. She was holding Blaise's hand, but she was smiling down at them with a knowing smile. This confused Harry even more.

"Harry is dating Luna Lovegood?" Reporters mumbled.

All you could hear now were quills scratching vigorously against parchment, until Blaise cleared his throat and turned everyone's attention back to the stage.

"As we were saying-" he continued.

Harry took a deep breath as all the reporters looked back up at the stage and away from him and Luna.

He had many questions for Luna. He wanted to ask her why she lied, but he felt like he knew the answer. They were friends. Friends do that for each other. Yeah, friends always helped you with the press.

That's how he tried to rationalize it for himself, anyway.

A week had gone by since Ginny's Christmas gala. The press went wild with Harry Potter's new dating "news." He hadn't talked to Luna since that night either. She acted like nothing had happened for the rest of the gala, and she didn't even send him an owl afterwards. At least the good news was that he survived the party in his ugly sweater thanks to Luna.

Unlike usual, Harry couldn't stop thinking about Luna and what she had said to the press. Why would she lie and say they were dating when she easily could have said they were just there at friends? Would Harry actually be interested in pursuing a relationship with Luna in that way? The prospect seemed to come out of nowhere, but Harry didn't seem to mind it at all.

It was then that the door bell on his flat rang. He jumped at the sound, but he went to answer the door.

Standing there was Luna Lovegood. Her long blonde hair was tied up in a knot on the top of her head, and she was still wearing a holiday sweater even though Christmas had passed. It had many sparkles on it and puff balls that created a design that Harry could not make out.

"Hey Harry," she said, "May I come in?"

"U-uh, of course."

She smiled at him and walked inside. She made herself at home and sat on his couch and crossed her legs. She was wearing hot pink yoga pants, and Harry couldn't help but stare at them. That was the excuse he made for himself. Yeah, it was definitely because of the color.

"I'm sure you have many questions about the gala."

"Yes-" Harry started, but Luna interrupted him.

"I just want to say I lied to give you an easier time with the press. I wasn't trying to make them assume anything even though my words were chosen very specifically."

Harry was surprised when he felt disappointed by her honesty.

"Oh-yeah, I figured that's why."

"But I also do want to ask you something," she added.

Harry nodded.

"Have you ever thought about me in a way that is more than just friendship?"

Caught off guard by her bluntness, Harry blinked a few times and sat down on the couch next to her. He started nervously playing with hands.

"Honestly," he told her, "Not until that night."

He watched as Luna nodded sadly and didn't look him in the eye. It was the first time he had ever seen her look disappointed in anything.

Abruptly, she stood up.

"Very well, then," she told him, "I should be going."

As she tried to walk to the door, Harry followed her and blocked her hand from grabbing the handle.

"Wait," he said, "I should add that even though I hadn't thought about it until that night, I haven't been able to stop thinking about the idea now since."

Luna's eyes brightened, and she smiled softly. She grabbed his hand and looked down at it. Harry could feel his palms start to sweat with nervousness.

"Then would you be opposed to trying it out and at least fooling the press for a little while?"

Harry smirked and answered honestly, "I would love to try it out, especially if that means we can give the press a run for their money as well."

"Great," she replied, "I was hoping you would say that."

Snow was falling on the ground a month later. Harry was laying with Luna on his couch and they were watching a Muggle movie. Her feet were on his lap, and he was rubbing them affectionately.

"You know," Harry spoke up, "I have never asked. What made you think about trying this out?"

She licked her lips and sat up on the couch and crossed her legs. Harry turned to face her directly.

"I have honestly always thought about it," she told him, "But I never wanted to get in between you and Ginny. I figured I would wait awhile to see if you stayed together. When you didn't, I figured I would awhile until I said something to-"

"You waited for me for a year?"

"I have always been waiting for you, Harry. Ever since I met you."

Stunned, Harry studied her face. He had now memorized the color of her eyes and the beauty marks on her face. To him, they were absolutely original, just like her personality. He learned to love the uniqueness that only seemed to come with her.

He brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes; she blushed at his touch.

"I think I might be falling for you," he whispered.

Luna leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips. Harry closed his eyes at her touch. As she pulled away, she whispered under her breath, "That's what I've been waiting for."

[villabotanicau-blog]

Villa Botanica: 5 Tips in Planning for Destination Wedding

Your wedding day is amongst one of the most important and special day of your life - every bride and every groom wants to have the most wedding to tie the knot!  Even if you decide to keep it simple, a wedding is still time-consuming, costs a lot of money, and requires you to pay attention to the smallest details as a minor mistake can ruin the wedding (or at least cast a shade on your big day). Therefore planning your wedding has to be done diligently and every detail should be covered.

In spite of the difficulties that arise when planning a wedding, many people opt for a destination wedding, which even though sounds luxurious and exciting, can be even more complicated to organise. Though planning a destination wedding is no walk in the park, it is worth it when you are surrounded by friends and family, at a beautiful location saying ‘I Do’ to the love of your life. Your family and friends will enjoy both a special event and a trip at the same time instead of going to the same local venues they’ve seen a dozen times so far and feel bored. 

We have gathered the best 5 tips in Planning for a Destination Wedding so that you can have the wedding day of your dreams:

1. Choose a meaningful location for your destination wedding

 It can be the place where you’ve met your future spouse, where you have spent a wonderful holiday together, or it can be the place where your parents got married. The location should say something about your shared style and passions or about your couple history. Looking for a feel of sense in everything we do is part of the human nature and you will be in a great mood on the wedding day if you find yourself at a location that means something to you or your partner.

If that special place is far away and organising a destination wedding there is too complicated, there is a middle solution that can meet both your desire and be convenient for guests – a venue inspired by the original remote destination. For instance, Villa Botanica is inspired by Balinese style and architecture, with no detail left unconsidered and with detailing that makes you feel as if you were right there, on the island of a thousand temples.

2. Plan a preliminary trip if you have never been to the destination before 

A venue for a destination wedding can look great when you check their website, but things can be pretty different in reality. It’s vital that you make a preliminary trip at the destination and see if you really like the place and if it suits the kind of wedding you want to organise. 

Ensure that’s the place you want for certain to have your dream destination wedding consider it carefully, not just in terms of like/dislike. Ask yourself questions like will it fit all needs (guests, decorations, musicians, etc.) and check the venue yourself rather than having a phone conversation with the staff. What may seem like spacious and elegant in their opinion can be crowded and old-fashioned for you and your guests. Even online photos can be misleading, so make the effort of going there at least once before you tie the knot.

You should visit the venue three to four months before the wedding and arrive at least 5 days before the wedding to make the final decisions and also to have a hair and makeup trial.

3.Carefully consider guest list and notify guests well in advance

The biggest difficulty when it comes to destination weddings is having enough attendants to fill the venue. Many people will politely reject your invitation because they want to avoid the hassle of travelling or are afraid that transport is too expensive.

Destination weddings are usually for the nearest and dearest as they typically involve travelling. Deciding to organise a destination wedding means you are into the intimate type of ceremony and could even be satisfied with a two-for-one wedding and honeymoon (spending the honeymoon in the same place where you got married). In some cases, you can have plenty of guests at your destination wedding if you give them time to calculate. Some guests may need to save for the travelling to be able to attend your destination wedding. However, if you announce them well in advance, the most important people in your life will probably be pleased to prepare for this special event as long as their wedding won’t affect their holiday plans.

It’s also important to put everyone in one reasonably affordable hotel. At most you can accommodate your guests in a less expensive spot 10 minutes away. Set the wedding date after you make sure there are plenty of rooms available for everyone.

Having you wedding at a remote location will require quite a long journey and people will be wasting  lot of time on travel, jet lag, late arrivals and early departures, so you may feel you have barely spent any time with your guests. This is why many destination wedding planners recommend adding an extra day to the event, so you can enjoy more quality time with those attending the reception.

4. Hire a planner

A planner is essential for a destination wedding, and it is recommended to opt for a wedding planner that is either based in the location you want your wedding to be in, or specifically specialises in destination weddings. If a planner is not in your budget, you can opt for a resort with a strong on-site coordinator. It’s vital that you don’t find yourself in the situation of overcoming a language barrier days before the event as a lot of details can get lost in the translation if you don’t insist.

With this type of wedding you simply cannot be there to plan and solve every little problem that appears during the process, so you need a trusted and skilled person to do that for you. The last thing you want to do when your wedding approaches is spending hours on phone calls trying to make decisions for a ceremony site overseas.

A great way to ease the remote wedding planning is to use visuals as much as possible – for instance you can create a vision board on Pinterest and share it with vendors to give them the best idea of what you want for your event.

5.    Tailor wedding dress and décor to your destination

Consider your wedding dress/fabrics based on the place where your destination wedding will take place. If your destination is in a hot tropical island you will want to have a lightweight dress that isn’t heavy and overburdened with embroidery. A big tip when it comes to the dress is to avoid checking it in case you fly to your destination because the luggage can get lost. It’s safer to carry the dress on board the plane, even if you have to fold it – you can press and steam it before the wedding.

Consider bridesmaids and groomsmen too – if they don’t feel comfortable in their outfits, they won’t be having a good time and the party will be inanimate.

If you are having a destination wedding, it’s most likely that the destination itself is beautiful – let the surroundings speak for itself and don’t overdo it with décor. Exotic flowers and plants in the tropics along with serving local specialties will allow you to simplify the wedding planning and cut costs. People will be looking at the amazing scenery and stunning sunset more than at bouquets and themed place cards, so cut on the details and keep it simple!

In spite of the difficulties that come with organising a destination wedding, there is something special about getting married in that far-away destination that means something for you and your partner. The beauty of the place needs to be completed by the legwork that goes into planning a destination wedding. For a destination wedding to remember consider a good planning service that will be able to iron out the details so you and your guests enjoy a memorable getaway!

[the-colony-roleplay]

↬ Col22 Annual Appreciation Awards: The Reception ↫

The decorations in the Colony’s Catch 22 are purposely less lush than the exuberance that was found in the auditorium for the ceremonies. Oh, there’s still a ton of holiday themed paraphernalia: wreaths and garlands, colourful twinkly lights and, yup, there’s that mistletoe again...  but there are no ostentatious draperies, and only one Christmas tree in the corner. Much more digestible.

The evening is designed to be a real celebration. Alright, let’s say it: a party. But after a long year of hard work and difficult change, this is something that even Alex sees as good for morale. The awards are the first part of it—acknowledgement for their commitment, for their rigorous training and for the progress they’ve made. And this... well, this is the second part. The part where people might laugh and dance and forget about the reality of things, if even for a little while. 

Because the truth is, this is the new reality. This isn’t the apocalypse anymore—it’s post-apocalypse. As much fear and horror and strain and loss still fill their world on a day to day basis, and as much as the fight is a long ways from over—this, here and now, is the new world, and they have to live in it. Because as soon as they forget the simpler, human joys of life, the easier it will be to lose motivation entirely. “Those who fight together, thrive together”: the Colony 22 Games motto since the day of its rise. But there has to be something worth fighting for. Something to inspire a reason to survive. 

Alex, despite his reclusive nature, despite his tendency to put work first and friendship second, knows that the only thing keeping these citizens alive now, with all the fear and oppression and prejudice clouding over their heads, is love. Pure and simple. God knows he’ll never say it out loud, but he knows it to be true, nonetheless. The friendships and loyalties built within these walls over the past five years have become a reason for people to push forward. A foundation on which to nurture their passion, ambition and drive. 

And so, despite the fact that Alex is still intending to make himself scarce within the hour, once the general public are a couple drinks and some pour soul’s taking the first stab at the Karaoke machine—he is pleased by what he finds when he first walks in. Pleased to see colony company slowly filing in—some of them having dressed down for the reception, others still sporting their refurbished prom dresses and ties. 

Even some of the NWRF shuffle in awkwardly looking in desperate need of a drink. Which, as far as Alex is concerned, is perfectly fair. Perhaps even they are doomed to have a good time tonight, as the night presses on and their glasses are refilled. And perhaps, Alex will even stay a little longer than planned. Perhaps. 

CHECK OUT FULL EVENT DETAILS AND SUMMARY UNDER THE READ MORE!

Good Evening and Happy New Year, everyone! Welcome to the Second Portion of the Colony’s 6th, non-games Event!

THIS POST OFFICIALLY TRIGGERS PART TWO OF THE AWARDS EVENT: THE RECEPTION AT CATCH22!

                       ↬ EVENT DETAILS & SUMMARY ↫

General Geography

Much like so many other physical spaces in the Colony, we’ve always left it specific enough to work with, but vague enough to leave you free to work your imaginations. However, since so many of us will be threading here all at once, we figured it might be a good idea to give you a sense of the space. 

So, the front of the Catch has a small covered patio attached—no tables or anything, just a wooden awning with pillars, two steps up from the ground—some people will smoke out here. 

When you walk in through the front double doors, the bar is forward and to the left side of the room. Directly centre of the room is most of the tables and chairs for the seating area. These are old wooden chairs and tables, kind of rustic. The WCs are past the bar, on the left, down a little alcove. In the back of the room, beyond the tables, there is a small stage that used to be used for bands/performances etc. It is rarely used as such anymore, and is currently more or less grouped in with the dance floor, which is just in front of the stage. Tonight, however, the stage may have a use or two... more on that later :) 

Also for the purposes of the evening, there will be a couple of long tables set up on the right side of the room (opposite side of the seating area from the bar) where all the food will be dropped off. This will be a help-yourself sort of set up, with casual finger-food people can pick at over the course of the evening. More on this below! 

Food and Drink

So, like with the Brink Reopening, there is finger food available, all of which is being prepared up in the kitchens from the main building. There are volunteers cooking and bringing food down in through the back of the Catch, but it is not catered in the same way as the “classy” Brink Reopening was. The food is casual, pub-style appies, and is not brought around on platters, but rather set up on tables with napkins and small plates (plastic ones! because there’s no Party Central stores in the apocalypse and they can’t afford paper plates, ya’ll, so put ‘em in the dirty dish bin at the end of the table, okay? Just as the heartfelt handwritten sign on the wall so politely and firmly requests!)  

Food assortment includes the following: 

Chicken and Veggie Sliders

Chicken Wings (Hot, BBQ and Salt&Pepper) 

House Cut French Fries 

Fish Tacos

Veggies & Dip

Chips and Salsa

Drinks will be served at the bar, (Xavier Crane is one of the usual bartenders for the evening, along with some other regular Catch staff. Mitch Douglas will also be seen back there some of the time, because he’s very much a hands-on kind of volunteer). All the usual drinks one might find on a regular night will be available, so not the same restrictions as at the Brink Opening, but drink tickets have again been handed out to citizens over the age of 18. These were passed out in little envelopes before leaving the ceremony (so anyone who decided to skip the ceremonies wouldn’t have gotten theirs!!) and the number of tickets is determined by security class again, which are as follows: 

Elites & Class 1: Three free tickets

Class 2: Two free tickets

Class 3: One free ticket

If citizens would like to purchase more drinks with their credits, they can obviously do so as per usual, but standard drink limits still apply, and free drinks count towards those limits. 

Music, Dancing & Entertainment

Unlike the Bonfire, no one is particularly DJing this event, but Tate Rothchild has volunteered to run the music, and she’ll be taking requests. The dance floor will be open most of the evening, but there will be Karaoke between 9pm and 10pm which Crane will be running (quite enthusiastically, we might add) at which point the bar will be run by other staff. 

After Karaoke, dancing and music will continue until close, at 0130. Last call for drinks will be at 1am. 

Maisie Pace will also be wandering around taking official photos for the evening, so citizens should keep an eye out for her if they want some taken with their friends in front of the Christmas tree! And remember: there’s mistletoe surreptitiously hung about the bar—will anyone be caught under it, I wonder? Perhaps Miss Pace will be quick enough to snap a shot of that too... she is an excellent fly on the wall, after all. 

Photos taken at the event will be made available on Echo in the following weeks. 

                   ↬ EVENT ROLEPLAYING GUIDELINES↫

The same guidelines apply as with all our events, and with ceremonies. Here is a summary/reminder!

As of now, you may NOT post any NEW threads that are not affiliated with the RECEPTION portion of the event. The new timeline of the RP is currently AFTER the ceremonies. So you have free reign of anything between the ceremonies ending and people milling about, or going back to their dorms to change, or heading down to the Catch, or anything throughout the night of the party at the Catch, until it closes. However, If your character does not attend the reception, they could be elsewhere in the colony at this time. Basically, you are free to RP your character anytime between 8pm (when the awards ended) and 2am, which would be just after the Catch closes. 

You MAY continue old threads you have going, both pre event, or from the ceremony. All we ask is that you start tagging non-event threads with #preevent so we know they are earlier in the timeline.  On going, ceremony threads do not need to be tagged this way, as they are still part of the event overall. 

All new event threads being posted must be TITLED and tagged as such, indicating that they are Event threads.  (In this case, key words like “Awards” or “Event” or “Reception” or even “After Party” is encouraged. How you go about this is up to you though! 

You MAY post photos of your character’s clothing/outfits, etc, if you wish. You are by no means obligated to do so. 

Please TAG your event starters with the regular starter tag (#col22starter), AS WELL AS #col22awards. 

The event will continue until the mods post an official closing notice. It will likely last about week, maybe more, depending on member activity. We want to give enough time for people to get a good start on threads and plotting, before wrapping it up. Obviously people will be able to continue on going threads after the event closes, but still, we’ll be keeping an eye on the dash and who’s had a chance to participate! We don’t want to have it going too long, but always endeavour to make sure everyone gets a chance to get involved!

Alright, I think that’s all I got for now folks! As always, come to us with any questions you might have! And we’d appreciate if you bring them to the main blog Ask so that we can share event related questions with everyone! 

Also, just so everyone knows, the tag the mod blog is using for this event is col22awards2—so you can track it if you want! But this is a mod only tag, so please just use col22awards for your own stuff! It’s just simpler, and that way the tag remains uncluttered for admin stuff in case anyone wants to track it! Thanks!

Very much looking forward to this portion of the event! Can’t wait to see what you guys bring to it and all the fun chaos on the dash! 

Okay, have fun ya’ll and Happy New Year!!

xxMod!Ro