#NINE DOWN ONE MORE TO GOOOOO

[earthmoonz]

WIFEY. | EPISODE NINE (9.11)

[end of episode]

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(transcript below)

(ROY): This isn’t the time for remorse, kid. I told you when this started that you’d have to do some difficult shit. Instead of sulking, focus on your goal. The end will justify the means.

[ROY’S PHONE RINGS]

(ROY): I need to take this. Afterwards I’ll drop you home.

(AISH): …Okay.

*

(ROY): [Hushed tones] D…How’d it go?

(LENA): I don’t know S…You tell me. 

*

(MAX): Hi.

[eluxcastar]

The little sisterfication of Arlecchino

── ୨୧：arlecchino & reader

୨୧﹑synopsis :: little siblingfication final stretch lets gooooo

୨୧﹑genre :: fluff

୨୧﹑content :: gn reader, child arlecchino, it is fluff and angst at the same time, like hurt/comfort ig? idk, implied child abuse, not proofread

୨୧﹑words :: 1.9k

there are only two more after this oh god. Pierro and Columbina. I also realised like five seconds ago that Pulcinella is not on the list but tbh Idk if I'll add him in because I kinda don't know what to do for him at all. I could try to make it cute? maybe, I'll see

this started way nicer, but then I remembered the previous Knave was an asshole and quickly replace the vibes that bled over from watching Grease with something darker. The Knave is used to refer to the previous Knave, while Arlecchino refers to our Arle, because I needed some way to distinguish them. I also thought the previous Knave was a dude for some reason?? I fixed it though

all little siblingification posts

Biologically speaking, the two of you are not related in the slightest, but it's not uncommon for children in the House of the Hearth to choose their siblings and stick by them until the inevitable moment they either remain together or are parted by responsibility. You have been there and guided Arlecchino through the orphanage since she first arrived from Fontaine. Arlecchino might've been lost and confused for much longer if not for you.

Instead, she had you, a little older and wiser, to walk her around and teach her how things worked.

The moment she arrived, your guardian, the Knave—now her guardian as well—pulled you over to meet her and asked you to show her around and make her comfortable in her new life. Your new little sister, she called her, and she stared at the woman dumbly before you stole her opportunity to ask him what she was talking about, whisking her away.

You took her to see everything, showing her off to as many people as you ran into and introduced her as you went. She felt like a shiny new toy in an overcrowded playground, and you let her revel in it until it tired her out. 

Once the fanfare died down a little bit, you took her to find an unoccupied bed to put her things on. There weren't many, but you offered to help her find a place for them nonetheless. You got a sheet and blanket from the linen closer to make the bed for her and helped her stand a few things up on the headrest to make it her own. Despite her apprehension, you almost managed to make living here seem just a little less bleak; looking over her bed, made and decorated with her stuffed toy and a few personal belongings she'd brought, it felt a little more like home. 

You assure her all will be fine, the only thing even close to soothing in the whirlwind that was coming here, and point her in the direction of your bed not too far away. The one with the overcoat laid on the end of it. You always put it there when you're not wearing it, apparently.

She refrains from asking why you're not wearing it and why you own one of the grey and red coats she recognises from the fatui footsoldiers she saw wearing them.

Most importantly, you teach her the rules: behave yourself, clean up after yourself, bedtime is nine pm, and not a minute later, finish your dinner— 

"Even if you're full?"

"Even if you're full."

and the most crucial rule: never make the Knave mad.

"Why?"

"Just don't, ok?" 

Arlecchino doesn't dare question why again. You know best, and something in your eyes tells her she should trust that.

Through tense, dreary halls, you lead her with a skilled hand and the favour of the Knave. She runs to you in the middle of the night when the far-off screams scare her awake, yet despite your promises, you are nowhere to be found, and neither is your coat. It's a suspicious absence you explain away with housework and chores. The children jump at the chance to see you, and you greet them much more warmly than the stoic Knave. Everyone tells her you have something the others don't, and she should stay in your good graces for as long as possible. The Knave likes you, and you can get anyone out of anything as a result. It's why she calls you to do everything for her, including taking Arlecchino off her hands and showing her around. You are her best. 

It's as if you have a sense for every time she breaks the rules. She stays up late one night and sneaks out of bed to keep playing. She is not tired in the slightest and restless beyond belief; she is a child filled with energy and naive to the consequences of her choices. She is caught, of course, the Knave looming over her to ask what exactly she believes she's doing. She stumbles for an answer. It is just as she thinks the worst has come to pass when you appear in the doorway with a broom in hand. You asked Arlecchino to help you clean up. She's picking up the toys for you to sweep the floor.

The Knave hardly believes it, but what the others say is true—she favours you. She relinquishes Arlecchino to your care, and you walk her back to bed with the tightest grip on her arm she's ever felt. Through gritted teeth, you scold her harshly, "Don't ever do that again!"

She almost fears disappointing you more than the Knave.

You make the House feel safe. With you, it becomes a place where one day she may thrive and return to the world a well-raised woman with much promise. You teach her to play the games the others made for themselves and perfect the chores the Knave demands of her. Arlecchino could wish for no greater sibling than you, and you walk her through it with the patience of a saint as if you have done it a million times before.

She runs to you for everything from hurt knees to finding her lost stuffy, where it has run off to. You respond in kind by cleaning and bandaging the scuffs in her skin. You even show up well into the night past bedtime to return her dearest stuffed toy so she can sleep easily. You were happy to stay when she asked you to sit with her until she could fall asleep and stroke her hair to settle her. It is one of the few tastes of home she savours, even though home did not have you there to take care of her.

You are the closest she will ever have to a parent. You are happy to have her wake you up in the middle of the night when she's scared and needs help, assuming you're there at all. Most nights, you're busy cleaning up the messes other children made that would get them in trouble, and you take her back to bed whenever she finds you.

However, it does not take long for Arlecchino to realise why you warned her against angering the Knave. She decides that Arlecchino, at her tender age, is well and truly ready to complete a mission on her own. A terribly simple one, but it scares her nonetheless.

What scares her more is that you bargain your way into going with her under the guise of showing her the ropes.

You are the best guide she can ask for and nothing less as she comes to understand what that coat is for. You're not just a child of the House; you're a fatuu. You put it on before you leave and lead her off wearing it, making sure she's warm and advising her to wear gloves before the Knave practically tosses the two of you into the harsh winter of Snezhnaya to complete the task thrust upon Arlecchino as her first test.

Before anything else, you make that much abundantly clear to her: what Arlecchino does determines her future within the House, and you don't want to see her fail. You shed your coat to give to her when she gets too cold and hold her hand to force her to continue even when she feels like giving up would be much easier. More than anything, you are loose-lipped and cynical in a way she's never seen before. Over hours, you drill everything into her head that has been kept from her, the source of the screams she's heard that everyone seems to ignore, the reason for the abundance of fear permeating the House.

Every part of the carefully crafted wonderland you had been trying to make her falls to pieces before her very eyes as you walk through the snow with a backpack so heavy she begged you to take it from her shoulders. The Knave is a tyrant reigning over the only thing she can control with an iron fist. Whether she likes it or not, there is no escape, and the Knave will hold anything she can over her head.

You dodge the question when she asks what the Knave uses against you.

Arlecchino quickly realises you have seen many children walk the path she is now on, and she dares not ask how many of those you still waste your breath on. You're sorry. You tried to protect her, but there are some things you can't do.

The journey is bleak, and the trip home is even bleaker as you're late; it's well past bedtime. You enter quietly and run a bath to warm her up, slipping your coat from her shoulders and leaving it by the fireplace. Her only comfort is in you crouching by the edge of the bath with a rag in your hands to scrub her clean with the help of the meagre few inches of water you could afford to spare her.

Your apologies have subsided, as has your tough love attitude, spoiling her with affections and gentle reassurance she didn't expect after seeing how you acted only hours earlier. You pull Arlecchino close and stroke her hair. The wall of the tub becomes little more than a nuisance as it blocks her from fully hiding away in your arms, where she hopes to disappear. She is afraid, but you manage to settle her fears to a nagging whisper tucked away in the deepest corner of her brain.

Apologies give way to promises, grand promises you know you cannot keep, promises of protecting Arlecchino for as long as you can.

You wrap her in a towel, help her dress herself in the night clothes you retrieved from her bed, and send her off to sleep with the reassurance that you'll handle reporting all of what the two of you were doing to the Knave.

Content and soothed by your words and promises, Arlecchino wanders back to bed, where she makes herself comfortable, staring across the room at your empty bed. Perhaps you have said those things to many children before her, but it doesn't occur to her as you quickly fall back into the role of being her only comfort in this house of horrors. You'll protect her from anything in your power, keep her safe, and watch over her.

Sleep coaxes Arlecchino to relax, give in, and rest, and she almost does. She is seconds from being out like a light when she hears those screams again—those that used to send her bolting to look for you in your bed. You were never there when she tried to find you, and now, as she stares across the room at your vacant bed, she suddenly realises why.

The screams that had woken her all those nights had been yours.

Until you could no longer stay by her side, you would protect her from anything.

CROSSPOSTED ON AO3

[starlightsuffered]

Number 29 of this list with timothee plz

https://www.tumblr.com/sickficgirl025/755398508413124608

I’m Not Going Anywhere

Info - sick fic, fever, fast romance

Timothée and I had, had a whirlwind romance. The first day of college we locked eyes. We sat together for all the meals and talked. After a week of hanging out nearly constantly, he asked me out.

We’d only been together two months but it felt like a fairytale. We were already talking marriage and babies. The whole nine yards. We were practically obsessed with one another.

He’d come down with a sickness recently and I couldn’t be more worried. I had been babying him nonstop. I got him everything he needed. I fed him soup. I cuddled him while I played movies. I petted his sweat laced hair while he thanked me.

“You need to gooooo,” he whined.

“No baby, now have some more soup, I think you’ve got the flu,” I said softly.

“You have class,” he sniffed.

“You have a fever, sweetheart. Of course I'm not going anywhere,” I murmured as I petted his hair.

“You have to-“

“No, I’m not going anywhere,” I promised. I laid my head down on his chest and felt the beat of his heart.

“I love you,” he admitted.

“I love you too.”

@pmak2002 @softhecreator @plutoispurplw @sp1deyyf4ngz @seungcheol17daddy @jesschalamet @vvsdreaming

[wordy-little-witch]

Also sliding in and out to ask if you have any other op characters you could see as regressors other than Buggy? Personal fav for me is Robin, partly I can’t find anything for her as the regressor, partly cuz she deserves it, partly because imagining Franky as her primary SUUUUUUPER caretaker is healing to the heart. (One of Little Robins favorite games is to climb on his back while he pretends to be flabbergasted and goes „Oh noooo where did Robin gooooo? Has anyone seen Robin?“ while she just giggles as he pretends to shield his eyes to look towards the horizon)

YES ACTUALLY!!!! I focus mostly on Buggy because he's my absolute favorite but I do in fact hc others as regressors

I'll divide them out under the cut with some headcanons as well bc this may.... get long honestly.

Robin

• starting here because she is the one in the ask and you're RIGHT AND SHOULD SAY IT LOUDLY!!!!!!!!!

• she's a playful person and that only gets x100 when she feels safe to regress

• she spent so long hypervigilant that it was honestly only with the Strawhats that she finally relaxed a little and wound up feeling that fuzzy blurry aspect in her head which took away some inhibitions. Nobody made a big deal out of it the first few times it happened. they were just happy she was happy. It's only after she reads a book on psychology on a whim that she begins piecing some things together.

• everyone is really excited when she finally feels comfortable to talk to them about it. And, in doing so, a few others on the crew also realize they may either benefit from it or already do it themselves.

• Robin really loves games and playing when she's regressed, and she laughs more openly when she's little.

• Franky is her primary caregiver, but everyone else on the crew also chips in constantly. (Zoro specifically always keeps an extra close eye when she's running around anywhere near the railing or somewhere potentially dangerous. He's the king of gentle redirection)

• Sanji will make her extra fun little snacks, cut fruit or little finger foods. He melts every time she beams at him or giggles or thanks him. He just wants to squish her cheeks~

• not an Aeathetic Regressor, honestly. She does what makes her happy, and her clothes aren't necessary for that, she's not obsessed with pastels or anything, she still finds morbid things amusing. She will, however, become the BIGGEST clothes thief ever and toddle after Franky in one of his button ups, spouting random facts about decomposition and the science of decay.

• spooky baby!!!!!!! Not on purpose, but she IS!!!!!!

• Luffy and her get on like a house on fire. He's one of her favorite people when regressed because he's just that perfect mix of On Her Level and Protective. He also has Mega Siblihg Energy. While Luffy himself is a complicated topic I'll get into later, he does take being her playmate and protector VERY seriously. He's also a polyglot bc I love the idea of him not being dumb at all, just operating on a different wavelength. They bond over Weird Facts and Special Interests, and they speak different languages a lot together, accidentally even making their own on occasion. ((Luffy also calls her mi pequeña luna even before the whole Gear 5 Thing, which becomes a bit of an inside joke))

• chewy stims chewy stims chewy stims if it can go in her mouth while she's distracted, it WILL.

• no particular age range, but she has determined she's likely an older kid - perhaps around the ballpark of nine? Maybe. Maybe not. Doesn't matter.

• can, will, and has justbwordless gone to Usopp, plopped down on her tummy, kicking her feet and Stared. He pauses slightly. "Story?" She nods. "Okay..... yeah, I got one-!!"

Moving on~

Luffy

• I will die on this hill bc I have so many thoughts on it and nobody does it??? Justice?????????????

• he is SO resistant to it, honestly. This may come as a huge shock to many, but this boy is a Captain and had to grow and survive FAST. He may be a little weird or perceived as 'dumb', but he is most certainly NOT. I love Dadan, Makino and even Shanks, but his most stable adult relationships were a barmaid, a flighty pirate, and a largely hands-off bandit woman. He canonically faced potentially lethal ordeals as "training" from a man he loved, yes, but also FEARED. It's overlooked so often bc of how optimistic and bright and semi-competent he is, but that boy has So Much Trauma.

• he's the captain and so he puts a LOT of pressure on himself, though it's rarely seen point blank.

• I think he involuntarily regresses pretty often and hides it exceptionally well by either Faking It or hiding away as quickly as possible.

• personal hc here that Robin was the first to address regression with the crew, everyone gave it a try bc Nobody There Had A Good Childhood, and nobody noticed that Luffy.... didn't. Or rather, nobody brought it up. At first.

• it's baby steps. They let him be. They never push, but they do encourage the times when his lock on his Haki gets a little fuzzier, bubbly, and his laughter is bright and clear and innocent.

• Luffy has a lot to unpack, and it only really comes to ahead when he's teetering just a little during dinner one night, wriggling happily, someone reaches past a little too quickly, a little too close to his head, and he flinches. Everyone freezes. The mood drops like an anchor. Luffy apologizes. He's subsequently smothered.

• getting Luffy to really regress is difficult. One would think it would be easy with his normal demeanor. One would be very very wrong. The Luffy he is now is the one cobbled together by his experiences, under layers and layers of protective shielding and self applied armor of love. Luffy acts most like a child when he's big. Luffy acts far different when he's little.

• he also looks different when he's little. Current theory is the weirdness of his Devil Fruit, the way his body shifts and morphs according to whims and wants and stimuli. He used to shrink down after Gear 3, so sometimes just.... physically being tiny isn't TOO unusual. And having the little white curls peppered into raven hair is odd, but it is Luffy, they've seen, done and experienced weirder....

• Lil Lu, as dubbed by the Great and Powerful Big Bro Usopp, is quiet. He's firm stares beneath messy curls, red-brown eyes peeling layers of a person back and studying them bc that is how he can tell who is Safe and who is Not. He is not diluted by the cloak of sunshine, though stars still glow in his veins. He's quiet, he's slightly calmer, but he's also... more open than they're used to. Luffy doesn't cry easy. Lil Lu seems to make up for that in excess. He happy cries, angry cries, sad cries - they all learn to navigate the different tones of tears.

• Lil Lu also picks his people. It's usually not the exact same, but he'll choose a person and be their duckling for the day or evening. Sometimes it's Sanji, and Lu wants to help and hold his pants leg and just Be There. Sometimes it's Nami, and he helps count out the berri or draws her pictures while she works on a map, beaming under ink smudges and parchment smells. Sometimes it's Zoro, with the naps and occasional playtime, or Usopp and Chopper with games and stories. Sometimes it's Robin and Franky, the former big or little, the latter delighting in the trust given to him. Sometimes it's Brook or Jinbei, the oldest on the crew who understand better than most when the weight of the world crushes a too-small chest and grief stains his every cell. Sometimes it's one, sometimes it's many, and sometimes he wants to be alone. It's all progress.

Shanks

• ironically, not a whole lot on him. His regression is blurry at best, and it's diluted in part due to his alcoholism. It mostly manifests in going semi or nonverbal, wanting more hugs and cuddles, being a little more emotional than usual - something often times attributed to drinking as opposed to smth psychological.

• his crew eventually puts it together that Drunk Shanks and Needy Shanks are very different, and they simply adjust accordingly. Nobody ever really.... brings it up?? But they know. And Shanks knows. And they know that Shanks knows. That's enough for them.

• honestly Shanks' regression is on the older end, but it's from around the time he was selectively mute.

• traumatized teenage captain hours.

• really likes texture stims btw. Lucky Roux made him slime once and he was mesmerized for hours.

Law

• not a regressor but I wanted to include him anyway bc he went the full opposite of everyone else. He vibes as a caregiver no I do not make the rules but I do enforce them.

• Law, upon meeting little Robin and Lil Lu: you activated my Loving Side, now SUFFER- ((He spoils them but has safety rules and they thrive with the structure honestly, 100/10, he and Franky become The Best At Wrangling The Tinies))

Uta

• I don't know quite yet how she vibes but the vibe is THERE okay, it simply IS and I will die on that hill. She either regresses or she's a caregiver, but regardless she is very Big Sister Coded, especially to Luffy.

Perona

• pastel goth baby. On the younger end, and Mihawk and Zoro were the ones who clocked her habits at Kuraigana. She herself never really clocked it but they both started.... slowly accommodating it, and she was blindsided by it.

• eventually came to terms with it, and while they never put a name to the behaviors, Zoro knew damn well what was going on after sailing with Robin. Big Brother Energy honestly.

• it's only after the time skip, after some time away, and when she reunites with Mihawk that the greatest swordsman knows now what it was, thanks in part to Buggy.

• on that note, she and Buggy get on like a house on fire and it's adorable and mildly terrifying bc smth may, in fact, literally catch fire.

Okay that's all I have rn ily thanks for the ask, y'all have no idea how happy it makes me to see stuff in my inbox ♡♡♡♡♡♡

[dragonandtiger]

Dreaming To Reality: Oneiromancy Chapter Twenty Nine - 17

Ryo jerked out of his daze and made as if to hurry over to Daisuke and Ken’s side. “No!”

Neemon raised his arms menacingly as he cackled, then crouched in anticipation to strike. “Here we gooooo~!”

He didn’t move.

Neemon yelped in confusion, once more the same bumbling fool he pretended to be for years. He tried to spring forward, but his legs were locked in place. Even his arms refused to move from their awkward positions at his side.

It wasn’t as though he was being held in place - Neemon was familiar enough with Digimon with the power to force someone to a halt with gravity, magic, or even good old-fashioned binding, but this wasn’t it. There was nothing holding him back, but his body wouldn’t move. It refused to move.

His face was the only thing he could move, and even that was the barest twitch of his eyes - his mouth was still frozen in that gleeful twisted smile he wore when readying to strike. He darted his eyes around as much as he could, seeking answers. He saw Ryo reach the distraught Daisuke and Ken just as XV-mon’s egg appeared in front of the Chosen of Tenacity. He watched Daisuke grab the egg, with the stupid boy genius in hysterics over the death of someone that wasn’t even his own damn partner. It was when Ryo turned to face him and gave a start, gawking at Neemon - no, gawking beyond Neemon - that the assassin realized that someone was behind him.

It was then that Neemon could feel the chill of death glaring down at him from behind with absolute fury.

Someone was here. Neemon couldn’t see them, but their presence was suffocating. They could see him. This couldn’t be happening. It shouldn’t be happening. He had been very careful to throw up his obfuscation aura around Ken, and Ryo the moment he arrived. He had even allowed the dumbass goggle boy to enter his aura for the so-called “surprise attack,” otherwise Daisuke and XV-mon would’ve never been able to see what was happening either.

There were countless times when the new Digimon Kaiser came sniffing around to where Ken had been after the fact, always playing catch up as Neemon’s tricks and schemes prevented him from detecting a trace of Ken’s presence until well after Ken was already gone. It was all thanks to the aura that should have been protecting Neemon now. Only Zhuqiaomon, his master and sponsor, was immune to his aura. No one else, least of all some random ass Digimon, should have been able to see what was happening.

Just what the hell was going on!?

[omnybus]

There once was a shipping vessel then And the name of the ship was the Ever Given She turned too far, got stuck on shore Can someone call a backhoe? Still is the Evergreen stuck To make international commerce fucked One day, when we dig her back up We’ll right her way and go She was not even halfway through When down on her, a sandstorm blew Despite the courage of the fearless crew They had nowhere to go Still is the Evergreen stuck To make international commerce fucked One day, when we dig her back up We’ll right her way and go The others ships went 'long the shore A detour 'round the African Horn It cost nine billion bucks or more That's quite a lot of dough Still is the Evergreen stuck To make international commerce fucked One day, when we dig her back up We’ll right her way and go For six long days, we watched this scene We made dumb jokes and posted memes Though they did free the Ever Given We encourage them to get stuck again! Still is the Evergreen stuck To make international commerce fucked One day, when we dig her back up We’ll right her way and go Still is the Evergreen stuck To make international commerce fucked One day, when we dig her back up We’ll right her way and gooooo...

[camillemontespan]

hii! little ask because i love reading about the li’s pov: what would drake’s reactions/ thoughts be if he saw your mc’s face light up/ brighten immediately as she saw him enter the room? you can choose whatever timeline you like 💘

Aaaah bless you for sending through this spontaneous ask! I’m currently in bed unwell so this is a welcome distraction, thank you so much my saviour and angel haha!

Hell yeah. Drake and Camille, let’s gooooo!

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

Drake could hear the sounds of people downstairs as he was getting ready. The sound of glasses clinking together and the music of the string quartet flowed through the air. As always, he felt a sense of dread. 

He hated social events. If it was up to him, he would stay in his room with a glass of whisky. It was a nice night, the air was warm; he could sit on his balcony and look out over the view of Cordonia Harbour.  But no. He had to go downstairs and be social, make small talk with people he didn’t like and, god forbid, dance. 

If there was one thing Drake hated more than small talk, it was dancing. 

The sound of a champagne bottle being popped and arrogant laughter brought Drake out of his bitching. He stood in front of the mirror and surveyed his reflection. He was wearing a suit. His tie was restricting his throat; he reached up to loosen it. His hair, as always, was slightly dishevelled. Wearing a suit and tie was the bare minimum Drake was willing to do for this bullshit. 

He checked his watch and saw that he was twenty minutes late. Well, better late than never. Taking a deep breath, Drake turned from the mirror and picked up his hip flask that was filled with whisky. 

Courage. He needed it.

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

Drake made his way down the winding staircase, every downward step making his heart beat faster within his chest. Could he just turn back now? Nobody would miss him. 

The servants waiting at the ballroom doors saw him coming and gave him a polite nod. Drake nodded back, knowing that the servants were judging him. Why wouldn’t they? Everyone else did. 

As soon as the doors opened, golden light flooded Drake’s vision. As his eyes adjusted, he could see the ballroom was full of courtiers dressed to the nines, dancing, drinking, laughing. A servant carrying a tray of champagne flutes offered him one; he declined. He hated fucking champagne. 

‘Drake!’ 

Drake turned to see Liam striding towards him. His eyes were alight with warmth and the smile on his face was genuine. Liam was always genuine. He was Drake’s best friend. He was also the Prince of Cordonia. 

‘Hey Li,’ Drake greeted him. ‘Sorry I’m late.’

Liam gave him his shoulder a squeeze. ‘You’re here, that’s what matters. Come on, Maxwell is just telling us about the next Beaumont Bash.’

He gestured for Drake to follow him. Drake let his feet carry him across the ballroom floor. They felt heavy, like they were being dragged through mud. The two friends reached a group of nobles standing near the dance floor; Maxwell Beaumont was in the centre of them, commanding attention. 

‘So I’m thinking peacocks!-’

But Drake wasn’t listening to Maxwell. 

He was distracted by Camille Montespan. 

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

She was standing beside Hana Lee and was listening to Maxwell with intense concentration on her face. Wearing a gold silk dress with her hair pulled up into her signature chignon, she looked beautiful. Camille always looked beautiful. 

Her eyes met his. 

Camille’s face broke out into a warm smile that made her eyes crinkle. She looked pleased and, dare he say it, relieved to see him. But that was just wishful thinking. Why would Camille be relieved to see him?

As Liam helped himself to the bottle of champagne, Camille stood up and walked to where Drake stood slightly away from the group. 

No, no, no… Drake thought to himself. Please don’t. 

‘Hey,’ Camille whispered, giving his hip a nudge with hers. ‘Good to see you.’

Drake felt his throat tighten. Could he just take the fucking tie off?

‘You too, Montespan,’ he croaked. 

Camille looked down at the floor then back up at him. ‘I haven’t seen you since Lythikos.’ 

Fuck, Lythikos. That whole weekend was one that Drake wanted to forget but also remember forever. 

‘I’ve been busy,’ he muttered. ‘Lots to do, you know..’

Camille bit her lip. ‘Sure, I get that. Same. I’ve been learning how to dance the Cordonian Waltz. Maxwell is a.. Well, he’s an entertaining partner!’

Drake swallowed. ‘That’s Maxwell. Always entertaining.’

‘Thank you for the kind words, Drake!’ Maxwell crowed, overhearing their conversation, before launching back into his master plan for the Beaumont Bash. 

Camille sipped her champagne and grimaced. ‘Fuck, I hate this stuff.’ 

Drake let out a surprised chuckle. ‘You do? I had you down as a champagne girl, Montespan.’

Camille laughed. ‘I’m offended, Drake. No, give me wine or whisky any day.’

Drake felt his heart quicken. Stop it, stop it, fucking stop it.

‘Well, I can help you out there…’ he murmured before he could stop himself. 

Camille raised a questioning eyebrow. She watched as Drake reached into his suit jacket and pulled out his hip flask. He gave it a gentle shake. ‘Fancy some of the good stuff?’

Camille looked around before smiling mischeviously. ‘Let’s do it.’

Drake chuckled and opened the hip flask. Looking around quickly, Camille grabbed the flask and took a quick sip. Drake laughed and then helped himself. Camille giggled and gently clapped her hand on Drake’s chest. Drake resisted the urge to take her hand. 

‘Camille, you got Drake to laugh!’ Liam said, coming over to them. ‘You have magic powers!’

Drake rolled his eyes. ‘She does not.’

‘I totally do,’ Camille said, giving him a wink. ‘I make you laugh, Drake. Admit it.’

Drake groaned as Liam and Camille laughed together. Yes, she made him laugh. She made him do a lot of things that weren’t like him. 

Liam looked down at Camille and bowed. ‘Lady Camille,’ he said grandly, ‘would you please do me the honour of this dance?’

Camille’s eyes quickly flickered to Drake. It was such a quick movement, nobody would have noticed. Except Drake did. It was as if she was asking permission. No, as if she didn’t want to. 

But she was one of the suitors in the competion to marry Liam. Of course she would want to. 

Drake’s eyes bore into hers. He wished she could say no. He wished she would dance with him instead.

Drake hated dancing, yes. But he would dance every dance with Camille if she asked him. 

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

‘Of course,’ Camille responded, giving Liam a smile. ‘I’m still learning though.’

Liam pressed a kiss on her hand. ‘I’ll take care of you.’

Drake’s throat was now officially tight. 

Camille hooked her hand through Liam’s arm as he led her onto the dancefloor. She looked at Drake as they passed him and he gave her a quick nod. He watched as Liam turned her towards him on the floor and she raised her head to look up at him. She threw her shoulders back, a Camille gesture that meant she was summoning confidence. 

As Liam took her hands, he twirled her and they began to dance across the floor. 

Liam’s back was turned to Drake. Camille looked up over Liam’s shoulder and her eyes met Drake’s. In that moment, their eyes locked and never let go. In a blistering realisation, Drake could see the sadness in Camille’s eyes and it was then that he knew. 

She wasn’t happy. She didn’t want to dance with Liam. 

Drake thought back to all the moments he had shared with Camille. Drinking wine in Olivia’s cellar. Watching the stars in Lythikos. Eye contact that lasted longer than it should. Fingertips brushing against each other. 

Did she.. Did she like him? 

Camille’s eyes broke away from Drake’s when Liam whispered something in her ear. She let out a throaty laugh, a laugh that was so distinctly hers. It was warm and deep; a laugh that made you smile when you heard it. 

Of course she didn’t like Drake. She was dancing with Liam, the prince of Cordonia. The one who kissed her hand and promised to take care of her. Every girl in this palace wanted to marry Liam. And it was very clear that Liam was going to pick Camille; she was his favourite. He always talked about her. He always danced with her. He was going to ask Camille to marry him and she would say yes, because of course she would, and that was that. She did not like Drake Walker. 

Drake was just making himself feel better with a fantasy. That’s all it was. 

Unable to breathe now, Drake turned from the dancefloor and pushed his way through the nobles. He needed to leave. He needed to sit on his balcony and look out over Cordonia with a glass of whiskey. He needed peace. 

He needed to take the fucking tie off.

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

One year later

Drake could hear the sounds of people downstairs as he was getting ready. The sound of glasses clinking together and the music of the string quartet flowed through the air. As always, he felt a sense of dread. 

He stood in front of the mirror and surveyed his reflection. He was wearing a suit. His tie was restricting his throat; he reached up to loosen it. His hair, as always, was slightly dishevelled.  

Drake turned to the console table by the mirror and picked up the velvet box. Inside was a set of silver cufflinks and he concentrated as he adjusted them to his sleeves. Once finished, he found his hipflask that was filled with whisky and popped it into the inside of his jacket.

‘Here we fucking go..’ he muttered. 

He made his way down the winding staircase. He had been doing this for years now and it never got any easier. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, the servants at the ballroom doors bowed down to him. 

Drake nodded and they opened the doors. Golden light flooded his vision. As his eyes adjusted, Drake looked across the room and, of course, the first person he saw was Camille. 

Her face broke out into a wide smile as soon as she saw him. ‘Baby!’ she cried. ‘Finally!’

The courtiers around her laughed as she abandoned them and rushed across the room to where Drake stood. Drake chuckled and opened his arms so she could wrap herself in them.

‘Sorry I’m late,’ he murmured into her hair. ‘You know I hate these things.’ 

Camille looked up at him and smiled softly. ‘I know. But you’re here and that’s what matters.’

Drake pressed a kiss onto her forehead. She smiled and grasped his arms. ‘Yay!’ she exclaimed. ‘You’re wearing the cufflinks I got you!’ 

Drake’s chest expanded with pride. The cufflinks had been a gift from Camille for his Christmas; they were engraved with the letters C + L.

C for Camille. L for Lily, their baby daughter.

'So we will always be with you at these events,' Camille had told him when he opened the velvet box. 'We know you get nervous but you'll be okay with your girls on your arm.'

'The Duke of Valtoria is here!' Maxwell crowed from the other side of the ballroom. 'The party has officially started!'

Drake groaned and let Camille drag Jim towards their friends. Liam was standing with Hana who was holding baby Lily. 

'Hey Li,' Drake greeted his best friend.

Liam called his hand on Drake's back.  'Good to see you, friend.'

Lily reached out for Drake. 'Hey baby girl!' he cooed, taking her from Hana's arms. She started to speak her Lily language to him. 

He felt Camille wrap her arm around his back. He could smell the coconut of her hair.

'Wanna dance?' Camille asked him.

Drake sighed good-naturedly. 'Fine..'

He moved to pass Lily back to Hana but Camille stopped him. 'No, we dance together!'

She guided Drake to the floor as he carried Lily. Giving a low chuckle, Drake adjusted Lily in his arms so he could let Camille wrap her arms around his neck.

Together, as a three, they danced.

[sukifans]

Can I request a small Zuko x Fem!Reader, where the reader can't fall asleep and Zuko offers to cuddle with her, and she falls asleep very quickly?

SLEEP // zuko

WC: 1.2k

WARNINGS: none, pure fluff

A/N: my first request!! let’s gooooo!! hope u like this anon, i am so soft for warm zuko. perhaps i wrote this instead of studying for my lab practical... don’t look at me. also i didn’t proofread so don’t come for my ass okay

⇦ 𝘔𝘈𝘚𝘛𝘌𝘙𝘓𝘐𝘚𝘛

The flimsy silks of your night robes whipped around your calves in the frigid evening wind. Being from a village not too far outside the Si Wong Desert, even the Fire Nation’s winter was enough to chill your bones. As much as you disliked being cold, you still preferred the tropical seasons to the constant abusive desert heat you grew up with. Lucky you that a group of insane kids came through your town talking about finding Wan Shi Tong’s Library all those years ago.

The memories made you smile fondly to yourself and you made a mental note to write Katara in the morning and ask her to send some warm furs. Sure, you could probably get something much quicker from a local vendor, but Sokka always boasted about how his people make the best blankets. You folded your arms across your chest and shuddered in the biting wind, leaning forward against the balcony railing as you looked out over the sleepy city.

The sound of footsteps behind you made you glance over your shoulder and you smiled at the sight of a rumpled-looking Zuko. “Evening, Fire Lord,” you hummed.

“It’s far too late at night for you to address me by my title, Advisor.” He ran a hand through his already mussed hair and came up to stand beside you, leaving a respectable distance between you. Even so, you could feel the warmth radiating from his body and you subconsciously shifted closer.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

“Not really,” he sighed. “You neither?”

“Nope.” You shook your head. “Too cold.”

He looked at you out of the corner of his eye with a wry grin. “So you decided to come stand outside, in the cold?”

“The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma, Zuko. Don’t try to keep up.” You laughed at his eye roll. A particularly harsh burst of wind blustered across the balcony and you pulled your arms in tighter around yourself, shivering.

“C’mere, idiot,” he chuckled, reaching out to pull you closer. Your mouth dropped open in faux-outrage.

“That’s an awfully rude way to speak to your top advisor on Earth Kingdom relations,” you huffed. You still let him move behind you and hug you to his chest, wrapping his arms around your middle.

“Yeah, yeah,” he murmured, leaning down to rest his chin on your shoulder. “You’re shaking like a leaf, (Y/N). You need to go back inside.” Despite his words, neither of you made to move away from the railing. You started to feel warm and sleepy, closing your eyes and leaning your head back against his shoulder as you melted into his embrace. He clasped your hands in his own, clicking his tongue when he felt your freezing fingers. You could still feel goosebumps along your skin, but now it was from the way his hot breath danced across your exposed collar bones. He flinched a little when you turned your head to press your cold nose against his neck. You could swear you felt his pulse racing just as hard as yours under his skin.

You opened your eyes again and moved so your lips almost grazed his ear as you whispered, “are you having those nightmares again?” You knew your friend went through sleepless spells plagued by terrible dreams of his father and the war and losing his loved ones. When he’d joined you and the Avatar and your friends, you were the first to notice how he’d sometimes jump awake at night, panting and sweating. One night, not unlike this night, during his first year as Fire Lord, he’d bared his soul to you and described the horrors he faced in his sleep. Ever since, you’d often sought out each other out when rest was evasive.

He simply nodded and buried his face into your hair, declining to elaborate. He didn’t know how to tell you that recently he’d been dreaming about losing you; that sometimes he’d wake up with your name caught in his throat and his cheeks wet with tears. You hummed in understanding and removed one of your hands from his to card your fingers through his hair soothingly. The gentle motion of your nails scratching against his scalp was almost starting to lull him into a trance state. You giggled when he let out a little contented sound.

“Don’t laugh,” he grumbled, “it feels nice. You know what you’re doing to me.”

“You’re like a happy, cute little turtleduck getting a head scratch.”

“I’m one of the most powerful men in the world, (Y/N); please don’t call me a ‘cute little turtleduck.’” He lifted his head from your shoulder with a groan and you turned in his arms to face him, not missing the way the moonlight illuminated the blush on his cheeks.

“Don’t act like a cute little turtleduck and I won’t call you one.” You raised your arms to drape around his neck and pressed closer to his warmth.

In moments like these, when Zuko looked at you like that, you wished he would just throw caution to the wind and kiss you already. You two had been toeing the line of “more than friends” for years at this point. It all drove you crazy—the lingering glances, the brushing fingers, the comforting touches, the tender embraces, the sweet smiles. You loved him and you knew that he loved you but any time there looked to be some progress he’d shrink away. With Zuko, your relationship felt like a complicated waltz of one step forward, three steps back, nine steps forward, twenty steps back. All you could do was follow his lead and wait.

His hands skimming up and down your sides made your heart do somersaults in your chest, knocking around your breath. “You’re lucky I have a soft spot for you.”

“You and I both know you’re all bark and no bite,” you laughed, poking his muscular chest. “All warm and squishy under that big, tough Fire Lord exterior.”

“Just don’t let the bad guys hear you say that.”

“Your secret’s safe with me, my lord.” He felt a pull in his stomach at your use of that title and you again noticed the pink tinge of his face that usually accompanied the nickname.

“Alright, Advisor (Y/N),” he slid his hand down your arm to lace your fingers together, “let’s get you back to bed.”

“You gonna keep me warm, Lord Zuko?” you asked as you walked beside him back inside and through the torchlit palace halls.

“Of course. Can’t have you getting sick, now can I?” Neither of you mentioned that you both slept better with the other in bed.

He led you into his chambers, where the bed was bigger and the sheets were softer and a fire always roared in the hearth. You laid your thin robe over a chair in the room, leaving you in just your nightdress as you followed him under the covers, snuggling up against his chest with his arm around you. As soon as you laid your head down on his shoulder you started to nod off. You smiled to yourself, happy that you were awake enough at least to feel the kiss Zuko pressed to the top of your head and hear the whisper into your hair that sounded suspiciously along the lines of, “I love you.”

ATLA TAGS: @hotgirlazula @octophopi @simpinforsukka

ZUKO/SOKKA TAGS: @fiantomartell @buckywiththagoodhair @hypercakeiii

[lubdubsworld]

Change of Heart

Pairing : Taehyung x OC

[ Summary :

Times are changing.

After years of being oppressed, werewolves are taking a stand against humans , demanding equal rights and fair treatment. Heading the movement is Kim Taehyung, the breathtaking heir to the Kim fortune and one of the few remaining Alpha werewolves in the country. His disdain for the human race is well known and well warranted. They killed his family after all…..

He wants to change the world , to put humans in their place but when his five year old daughter takes a shine to their very human neighbor , maybe he has to start with a change of heart , first.  ]

Pairing : Taehyung x OC

Genre : Romance, Explicit Content.

Warnings : None. ( Some mild violence but mostly off screen )

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3

Chapter 4

The Preserve had originally been an isolated island about 50 miles off the coast of the mainland.  Over the decades, the land had been expanded with man made floats serving to support the extra buildings and complexes that cropped up to cater to the small human population that stuck around to help out. 

The wolves still kept to the interiors, most of them having built huge cottage-villas which could house the entire pack, territories marked out clearly to avoid disputes. A few of the very traditional ones lived on the huge mountains that lined the northern end, opting to stay in their wolf-forms most of the time. 

The island itself was beautiful, rich vegetation , a thriving fauna and a landscape that was lined with beautifully stark cliffs up high and private little coves and beaches scattered below. 

Taehyung and his daughter lived on a beautiful beach side villa, which had its own vegetable garden , a staff of over 8 to take care of everything, a private jetty for trips to the mainland and a helipad/ airstrip. 

True to his word, Taehyung did not stay around most days. He was busy with his campaign and I spent the first week recovering. The doctor visited everyday and by the end of the week, most of the internal injuries were healing well, the pain well managed with meds.

Luna had moved into my room, pretty much and I spent the days with her curled into my side, reading from her favorite books, stopping when she encountered a particularly difficult word, ebony eyes turning to mine for help. We read countless books, and she introduced me to all her best friends : Mr. Ted the bear, Kihyun the bunny and Momo the panda. The stuffed animals had a small baby carrier of their own and she liked carting them all around the house. 

“She was really pretty. Mama....” Luna whispered one night, as we lay curled on the window seat in my room, a fur throw covering us up as we stared out into the rocky beach far below. 

I felt my heart lurch in shared grief. 

“Was she? What else do you remember about her....?” I asked softly.

“Her scent. “ Luna said quickly. “ She smelled just like you. Like home and fresh cookies with sugar sprinkles. And rainy puddles you can jump in.” 

I bit my lips, mindful that Luna was just listing her favorite things. I didn’t know much about how weres scented other weres or humans. But i supposed it made sense that her mother’s scent should remind her of things that offered her comfort and joy. 

But her next words threw me for a loop. 

“Daddy didn’t like her much....” She said suddenly and I felt my throat close up . 

“Oh-Oh?” I was genuinely shocked. Taehyung had looked devastated when he had told me about his wife’s passing.... 

Luna shook her head. 

“My friend from school, Mina? Her mommy’s still alive and her daddy likes her. They kiss and stay in the same room. Mommy and Daddy never kissed. Mommy lived on the east wing.... That’s on the other side. Near the rose gardens.”

I bit my lips, feeling incredibly guilty for some reason. This information felt somehow private and not for stranger’s ears. I didn’t want Luna to get into trouble for saying this to me . 

“I miss her sometimes. I’m glad you’re here.” She sniffled and i felt my heart crack in two. The girl was replacing her mom with me, I thought miserably. I couldn’t in good conscience let this happen. 

But as the days stretched into weeks, with Taehyung out and busy most of the time, i couldn’t bring myself to leave. Luna did appear to be calmer, more grounded and happier with me around. She liked staying close to me, at touching distance and she often buried her nose into my neck, sniffing till I had to gently pry her off. 

Although, absent physically, Taehyung called every day. He facetimed his daughter twice at least and I got a call every night at exactly nine. It was usually curt and formal but he did tell me what he was upto.

“The elections are coming up soon.... I need to work a bit more on the immediate reforms we’re planning to launch...I won’t be available this week, Luna’s keeping well?” 

“Yes, she is. We made a modern recreation of red riding hood and the wolf today with play dough.” 

Silence.

“Interesting choice of fairy tale, Mi Rae ssi...” He drawled. 

I flushed at how my name sounded in that voice.

“It’s a bit different plot wise. In this case, the granny is just a meanie who likes to order Red about and the wolf is the one who rescues her.” I grinned.

He chuckled amicably.

“Bit of a stretch , that. But I’m glad you’re happy. I didn’t want to pressure you too much and i know its asking way too much of you . But Ms. Lee says that Luna is happier than she’s ever been and I do believe you’re the one I have to thank for that. “

I bit my lips. I wanted to tell him that Luna was getting way too attached. That I was afraid of what would happen when it was time for me to leave, but already i could hear voices in the background, people calling for his attention and I remembered that he was doing something important.

 He was trying to build a better world for his little girl. 

In the long run, all of this would be for Luna’s benefit only. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

it had been nearly a month since I’d last seen Taehyung . A whole three months since I’d moved into his villa. My paycheck as a nanny was three times what I was paid as a lab tech. But I hadn’t stopped working at the research facility either. I spent the days there, when Luna was busy with her school work . The vaccine had been successful but somehow, my father’s company had pulled some sort of nonsense with the patenting and not everyone had got the shorts. 

I stared out into the murky blue waters as they crashed into the jagged black rocks that lined the private beach. The huge bay windows in the living space offered an unfettered view of the rocky beach. 

Next to me, Luna was pretty much bouncing around, trying to find all her beach day toys. I watched her fondly, feeling something squeeze my heart when I thought about not seeing her again. The elections were done, the results were due any day now and Taehyung had already told me that he was looking to end this arrangement soon. 

Luna had a mind like no other. A vibrantly curious child with the most incredible questions, it was clear that she adored her father more than anything else in the world. In the evenings, she liked to play near the small water inlet that fed into the Ocean. The water was shallow, barely an inch or so deep, the terrain covered in small smooth pebbles in every shade of brown of grey.  

Luna and I  spent most of the weekends exploring the small beach around the villa, foraging around in the coves while her caregiver watched me covertly from a distance. She clearly didn’t trust me much, but I tried not to let it get to me.

I wasn’t here to stay. Taehyung had sent me a mail the previous week, letting me know that I was no longer had to babysit, because he was planning to move to Seoul himself. He would be renting out a condominium there and hiring a full time nanny. 

And that was fine. it wasn’t like i hadn’t seen that coming. I had a life of my own and i had to get back to it. My cottage near the research facility was fixed now and I was looking forward to getting back to my life, no matter how much it hurt to leave Luna behind. 

 I was a little upset that he had sent an impersonal mail to me instead of talking to me in person. Or maybe spoken about it over the phone at least. But I knew that he was just trying to make it easier for me to cut all ties. 

Okay, fine, maybe I was a little bit bitter that Taehyung hadn’t even offered to hire me to take care of Luna .  I wasn’t qualified , yes, but so far Luna had been a dream to stay with. She was so inquisitive and bright, so full of sunshine and happiness. 

After three months of her unconditional love for me,  the idea of not coming home to her vibrant laugh and endless giggles, it just felt so painful. 

“Rae Rae, let’s gooooo....” Her voice broke me out of my thoughts . Despite endless protests from Ms. Lee, Luna insisted on calling me Rae Rae and I found it adorable. 

I jumped a little, hastily moving to grab the sunscreen, the hat and gloves. While Luna did heal quickly courtesy her wolf-y genes, she was also incredibly prone to sunburn. The first few times, she had promptly shifted into her wolf form when i tried to put it on her, snipping my fingers angrily. The chemical was supposed to be unscented but her sensitive nose had clearly picked it up anyway. 

It took a lot of bribing with delicious meat patties and steak bites, for the girl to shift back and let me apply it on her.

But now she was comfortable with letting me apply it on her when we went to the beach. 

She picked up her backpack, a baby blue fur lined affair with twin bunny ears near the handle , and the small tote bag full of her collection of seashells and skipped out of the room happily. I finished packing the rest of her beach stuff : towels, napkins, hair pins and a change of clothes just in case. 

We were just climbing down the huge stairwell, when Taehyung’s voice rang through the foyer, startling me badly. i hadn’t seen him in a long time and against my better judgement I almost half ran back to put some make up on at least. I probably looked like an ogre with smeared sunscreen and my hair uncombed and in a bun. 

“Lu - Lu? Baby???” He called out, his deep voice pretty much reverberating off the walls .

“DAAAADAAAAAA” 

I watched her almost tumble headlong the stairs in her rush to get into her father’s arms and I hung back, letting them have their reunion. 

I waited till Taehyung called out for me, before moving to greet him as well. 

The first thing that stuck me was how incredibly handsome he looked, hair now fully black, swept straight back from his forehead. He was dressed in skinny jeans and a loose black shirt, buttons undone to show the lines of his pecs and a pair of dangly earrings caught the light as he turned to stare at me. 

“Mi Rae ssi....i see you’re all ready for Beach day?” He grinned softly.

There was something radiant about him, a definite lack of anxiety. He looked relaxed almost.

“You won?” i blurted out. “ You won didn’t you?”

Taehyung’s eyes glinted .

“Its not officially announced yet, but yes, the Commission called me today . They think I’ve won by a landslide.

Before I could rethink my impulse, I flung myself into his arms, genuinely thrilled beyond belief.

“RThat’s so incredible, Taehyung ssi...i’m so happy for you and-”

“Tae? Should I get the other suitcase?” 

The female voice made me jolt, and I pulled away, arm still arapped around his neck, intensely aware of his hands on my waist.

Three feet away from us , stood an incredibly beautiful young woman. She was almost as tall as Tae, probably the same age as him and her eyes flashed red when she looked at me. 

I flinched, stepping back like i’d been scalded.

“Just leave it sweetheart, one of my men will get it. Come meet my little girl.” Taehyung said casually, shooting me one brief intense look of.....anger? annoyance? I couldn’t figure it out.

 Sweetheart? did he just call her-

Luna had shuffled to hide behind my legs now, her fingers gripping my waist as she refused to greet the newcomer.

“Luna, this is Ms Jihyun. She’s a very good friend of mine.”

Jihyun dropped to her knees, eyes flashing red again as she smiled a tight lipped smile.

“Hello, Luna. How are you doing?” She said seriously. Luna’s grip on me tightened.

“She’s a little shy.” I choked out, trying to tamp down the rising sense of heartbreak. No. i had actively fought against feeling this way. Every night here, I had told myself that I would not think about Kim Taehyung. Admiring him for what he did , for how hard he worked for his kind....that was one thing ....but this. This was madness. 

Taehyung reached out around me to lift Luna up into her arms. 

“How about we go to the beach with Jihyun and Ms Lee today?” He said casually, holding his hand out to me.

I almost did something stupid, like press my hand into his before realizing that he was asking for the bag i had over my shoulders. Wordlessly, I handed it over. 

“I want to go with Rae Rae....” Luna said sharply, lips jutting out in a petulant little pout.  

“Well, Appa and Ms. Rae need to talk about something and once we’re done, I’ll join you there okay?” He ruffled her hair softly and then gently placed her back down. 

Luna gave me an imploring look.

“Are you leaving me?” Her lips wobbled.

I shook my head instinctively.

“Of course not baby, I’ll be right there. Just a few minutes, okay? Don't forget your sunscreen.” I smiled and Luna pouted again but moved to Ms. Lee’s side hesitantly. 

Taehyung waited till the three of them began leaving before turning to me. 

“Thank you.” He said quietly , gaze moving to me with the same intensity, and this time I knew what he was doing. He was trying to gauge what I was thinking and I remembered, weakly that Alpha wolves could sometimes sense moods, changes in a person’s body temperatures and things like that. It wasn’t like mind reading or anything but a perceptive enough werewolf could definitely guess what kind of mood someone was in.

I fought to keep my face neutral. There wasn’t much I could do about how clammy and cold my entire body had gone after meeting Jihyun. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to guess why I didn’t l;ike Jihyun there.

“It’s not you.” He said gently.

I swallowed.

“Sorry?”

“You’re beautiful. If we were.... the same kind of people.....I wouldn’t be saying this. But because of who we are.... I’m going to say it. It’s not a good idea.” He whispered.

I flushed, feeling like my entire body had been dipped in ice cold water.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I said evenly.

He hummed.

“If you leave today, there’s a job waiting for you in the Research Center. It’s a level up from what you’re doing right now. I’ve asked them to put up extra security around your cabin and I’ve talked with the wolves here. No one will come anywhere near you. “ 

I nodded bleakly.

“Thank you.” I said quietly. 

“You’re going to forget me and Luna in a few weeks. And I would rather that things end now, before Luna becomes more attached.”

I nodded.

“Can i talk to her before I leave?” I asked softly.

He hesitated. 

“I don’t.... I mean, I would rather not have Jihyun be present for that. She’s.... well she’s someone I’m getting to know and she may feel -”

I wanted to kick myself in the face for ever having agreed to this whole thing.

“I understand. I’ll be back tomorrow morning to get the rest of my stuff and to say goodbye to Luna.” I said shortly. 

Before he could reply, I brushed past him and ran up to my room. I had to get out of here as soon as I could.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luna cried inconsolably and I was eternally grateful that no one else was there when I carefully unpacked the huge carton of snacks and toys , I’d packed for her. Taehyung had made things a little easier, by telling Luna that it wasn’t me who was leaving but it would be them. They were going to a new place so they would be leaving me behind because I had stuff to do here. 

“I’m not going to be gone completely. I’m going to come visit you as often as I can alright and look....” I pulled out the small phone I’d brought her.

She stopped sniffling and held her hand out. I placed the flip phone in her hands.

“Theres just two numbers there. See the picture of the wolf? Thats daddy..... And see the one with the flower.....that’s me. If you want to talk to either of us, all you need to do is press this button.”

Luna hesitated.

“Daddy said, I can’t have any phones.” She said hesitantly. What a wonderful child, i thought fondly.

“Yes, but this isn’t the kind of phone that could hurt your eyes. It’s just a talking phone. Besides, your daddy already knows and he’s okay with it.” I smiled. 

She nodded, turning the little device over and over in her hands.

“Daddy say’s we’re going to the city. Why don’t you want to come?” She said angrily and i sighed.

“Its not that I don’t want to come, baby. It’s just that my home is here. I help take care of the little pups here remember? Some of them get sick and I help make them better....” I smiled, ruffling her hair. 

She nodded.

“Good girl...Now how about we go see the sandcastle you built yesterday...? See if it’s still there?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Life went on and I found myself busy enough to not dwell on Taehyung too much. The vaccines were rolling out much faster now and most of the cases were milder . i spent the days in the research center and went home to my cozy cabin. Taehyung had been true to his word an an electric fence ran around the perimeter , twelve feet tall . A security guard stayed near the gate at all times, a beta werewolf named Minjun. 

Two weeks after Taehyung had moved out of the island, a distraction arrived in the form of one Jeon Jungkook . He was a year younger than me and finishing his internship before becoming a radiologist. He was smart , handsome and an alpha wolf with a deceptively cute bunny like smile.

Jungkook liked following me around when we had free time and I found his incessant noona , noona...endearing. But I was also not an idiot. 

Jungkook was looking for a fuck buddy and I was convenient. The only female in the research center. Werewolves didn’t do one night stands with each other, because being intimate always left a scent and it would make things messy. So weres  generally went to humans for no strings attached sex. 

It wasn’t that I minded , but a part of me was terrified i would do something stupid. Like call him Taehyung in the middle of us fucking. 

But of course, stupid decisions were my forte. 

So I did end up sleeping with him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Well, you look miserable.” Jimin commented mildly, as I stumbled forward to the counter. I hadn’t slept much the previous night and had nearly missed the ferry to the mainland in the morning.

“I’m fine oppa. Just frazzled. Give me something strong but sweet...” I begged, riffling through my bag for my wallet. Outside, the rain poured in torrents. I was still dripping water from my hair and my jacket, although I’d been out of the rain for a whole five minutes. 

“Taehyung’s been asking about you....Why don’t you pick his calls?” Jimin said casually and I flinched. 

“I did pick his calls. a couple of times....” I muttered . 

That had been a whole experience. Taehyung had called me two weeks back, frothing at the mouth about something. 

Apparently, Ji Hyun the lovely girlfriend that Kim Taehyung like flaunting all over town, was also the older sister on one Jeon Jungkook. And because we had had sex the previous night, Jungkook had smelled like me when he visited Taehyung and Ji hyun. Even Luna had picked up on the scent.

How on earth was i supposed to know? 

Taehyung had been so furious that I’d hung up the phone midway through. 

“And, what happened?”

I shrugged.

“And then I got busy. Why? I’ve been talking to Luna... I even met her a couple of times. It’s not like I have any other reason to talk to him.... “ I protested.

Jimin hummed.

“He’s still seeing that model. Jeon Ji hyun? I heard her brother works in the Research center?” Jimin raised an eyebrow, sliding my drink across the counter. I stepped out of the line but stayed near the counter, staring at him. Damn it. Had Taehyung actually told Jimin about it? 

“Jungkook? Yeah. He’s a doctor... He’s doing his MD , radiology and he’s here for exposure , apparently...”

“Alpha?” Jimin continued flitting about, making orders but his tone held a note of sympathy. 

I shrugged.

“Yeah, he is. But we don’t talk much. We went out one night but then he’s been aloof ever since.” I shrugged again hoping that Jimin was buying my nonchalant act. i still didn’t know how much he knew. 

Jungkook was a nice guy and I was a little peeved that he didn’t seem to want anything more than a friends with benefits thing. But that had less to do with him and more to do with the fact that men, in general, never seemed to consider me as a potential girlfriend. 

But then, the poor guy was in probably the most crucial part of his education. Relationships were probably the farthest thing from his mind. 

Jimin stopped when the last customer in the line left. He stared at me. 

“Taehyung told me Luna called you one morning and Jungkook picked the phone.” 

I froze.

“What?!” I hissed, completely thrown. This, I hadn’t known. 

“You went out? With Jungkook?  And he stayed over , I’m guessing....I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you guys did not play Jenga all night?” He glared at me. I flushed.

“Fine. We slept together. We are sleeping together....its just consensual sex between two willing parties,  . It’s no big deal.” I said flippantly.

“You don’t think that’s why Taehyung has been calling you? That’s his potential brother in law right there. It’s too messy. I think you should stop. ” He frowned. 

I rolled my eyes.

“Listen it has nothing to do with me. I’m not going to marry Jungkook okay? I’m not going to be calling Taehyung my brother in law either. Its not going to happen. i just had this...stupid king of crush on him and he knew about it. He turned me down too, did he tell you that. He told me him and I were too different.... meaning I wasn’t a were so he wouldn’t consider being with someone like me. ”

Jimin groaned. 

“you know why he feels that way. Don’t make this about you. It’s not personal.”

“Then why is it spilling into my personal life? I have no obligation to him. I can sleep with who I want.....”

Jimin rolled his eyes.

“Taehyung’s a were. He’s not going to see it that way.” 

“Well, I don’t give a damn how he sees it, I’m having sex with a handsome young man who is attracted to me. That’s a good time, right there and I’m not going to stop having a good time just because it offends Taehyung’s delicate sensibilities.” I snapped. 

Jimin shrugged.

“Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I went back to my cabin that evening, I found Minjun missing from his usual place near the gate. The gate was still locked so I didn’t think too much about it, merely slotting the rusty old key into the huge lock and prying it open. 

I made my way to the door, opening it carefully. 

i nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw who was there. 

“what the- Seo Joon?” I said in disbelief, stumbling back when the tall alpha stumbled to his feet from where he was lounging on the couch. 

“Well, look who’s here....if it isn’t the slutty little bitch who wants to sleep her way through every were on the island....First Taehyung and now Jungkook.....you sure know who to pick, huh.....? All powerful, influential wolves..... “ He slurred.

I stared at him. This wasn’t good. I turned on my heel, ready to run back out but he was faster than me. I groaned when he slammed into my back pinning me to the door with so much force that the wood splintered,. 

While my bruised ribs had healed, they still hurt a bit. And the force of his actions left my mind reeling from the pain. 

“Get off me!! “ I screamed, “ MINJUN!!!!! MINJUN HELP!!!” 

“SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU WHORING BITCH!!!”

He slapped me right across the face, the strength of it sending me crashing into the side table. I whimpered as I tried to get on my feet, fingers fumbling for my phone .

“it was you wasn’t it? I was supposed to be the deputy minister.... Taehyung’s supposed to be my fucking friend. instead i got fired like some lowly runt ...... It was you wasn’t it? you convinced him that humans are our fucking friends....” 

I shook my head, frantic.

“No...i swear I’ve not spoken to Taehyung...i didn’t say anything... Seo Joon please don’t...” I screamed when he reached down and grabbed my hair, yanking me to my feet till my scalp felt like it was on fire.

“Maybe I should fuck you too....since that's the thing people seem to be doing these days....Its because of your father isn’t it? That bastard has been all over the news,  talking these past few weeks about how his precious daughter is doing a lot of work for the welfare of wolves....Maybe I should fuck his daughter too....  ” He began, reaching for my blouse. 

I barely registered the nonsense about my father before a loud sound broke through the din. 

The door swung open and the sound of gunfire made me scream.

 I stared at the door only to see the security guard staring at us with wide eyes. 

Minjun , panicked and completely overwhelmed , had blindly opened fire on both of us. 

I felt the touch of the bullet to my shoulder, before the blinding explosion of pain.

 But he seemed to have hit Seo Joon as well, enough times for the were to let go of me and I crashed to floor, clutching my shoulder in agony. 

The sound of gunfire had attracted more people and through the throng I heard Jungkook’s voice.

“Noona.... Mirae noona is that you----???”

“Kookie!!” I croaked out desperately. Jungkook’s eyes went wide when he saw, me, pushing his way past the other wolves before letting out a snarl. The sound seemed to make the others cower and I remembered that he was an alpha too. 

I gripped his arms when he reached me. 

“Don’t tell Taehyung...” I gasped out, still clutching  my shoulder. 

“God, what the fuck.... We need to get you out of here...” He was already dialing for the ambulance. I waited for him to finish, gasping from the pain. Fuck, it hurt like hell. 

“We’re going to get you to the research center first.” Jungkook said frantically.  

I nodded, stumbling to my feet when he tried to lift me up. 

“It’s okay...just...get me something to …” But he was already peeling off his shirt, wadding up to press against the bleeding bullet hole .

“Hyung is going to kill Seo Joon.” He said grimly. 

For once, I didn’t particularly care. 

My mind raced because I hadn’t thought about my father in years. 

What did that tyrant want with me now??

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author’s Note : Me trying to finish all my fics and not lose my mind in the process :’( 

[theshotsheardacrossworlds]

One last pumpkin request, Imagine Sylvaine trying to crawl away from Estinien ,but he manage to catch them half way because their cute little costume got them stuck . I hope you have a wonderful Halloween

(aww thank you <3 I hope you did too)

"You want to go down for a bit, Sylv?" Estinien asked the nine-moon-old Sylvaine, who, like his siblings before him, was dressed as a pumpkin for his first All Saints' Wake.

The wiggling baby whined, causing his father to laugh heartily.

"Alright, son! Alright!" He put the infant down on the floor and watched him take off. Well, as fast as a baby goes... "There you go, Sylv! Just like your big brothers and sisters!" Estinien slapped his knee and laughed more. "What a good lad!" He's got a lot of fire in him. So much energy!

Then Estinien heard another little whine and looked to see that Syvlaine's costume got stuck on a chair. It's the same pumpkin costume Esme, Marcelin, Laurent, and Celestine wore---mayhap Luci can mend it a bit.

"It's okay, son. I've got you." He knelt and carefully freed the costume from the chair. "There you go, Sylv. Good boy."

To Estinien's shock, Sylvaine crawled back to his father and pouted LIKE AGI. "Heh, you want to come back up? Up you gooooo!" Sylvaine laughed as his father lifted him over his head and kissed his nose. "Up! Up! Up! The highest pumpkin on the star!"

He's such a blessing. They all are. My beloved children.

[mhathots]

mini hawks hc for the hawks simps

the weekend is the only time hawks gets to sleep in, he’d sleep till the next day if you let him so the sheer audacity you have waking up at 8 am on sunday does not fly with him

you decided that you’d get up at a normal time and make keigo breakfast because he had been busy all week and hadn’t had any hot breakfast in a while

of course this is harder than it seems considering keigo is cuddling you hardcore arms and wings wrapped around you legs tangled the whole nine yards

somehow you manage to slip from his grasp and make it too the kitchen

however, it doesn’t last long

you bend down to look into all the fridge compartments trying to see what you can cook when you feel a tiny tug on your lower back

you don’t pay much mind thinking it’s just keigo behind you then the tugging gets stronger

all of the sudden you’re being pulled back to the bedroom, you try to to shoo away the feathers but he was smart and put them where you couldn’t reach them, you’re not gonna give up without a fight though you put all your weight into the opposite direction to no avail

since when did his feathers get so strong!?

you’re finally dragged back to the bed to see a sleepy keigo with one eye slightly open and stupid tired grin on his face to match it

this man did not just sent feathers into your pants to drag you back to bed

“comn baby bird cuddle with me” he says reaching his arm out

“we’ve been cuddling all night keigo”

“yeah and? let me have more” he answers you in a duh tone “pleaseeeee?” he whines

you look into his pleading eyes and give in

“fineeeee, i was gonna make you breakfast you know”

he reaches out his arms and does a little grabby motion with his hands a small “yay” coming out of his mouth when you settle into his arms

he then gives you a little peck on your nose moving his hand behind your head burying in his chest so he can rest his head on top of yours his wings following what his arms did moments ago and of course legs tangled

“hope you don’t have to pee or anything because your gonna be here for a while baby bird”

and somehow you both manage to drift off

bonus: you guys wake up HOURS later like almost dinner time later

keigo sits up still hugging you like a teddy bear and says “damn i’m hungry”

you turn your head around a little and flick him in the forehead and say “imagine if we could of had food earlier almost like someone was about to make it”

he scrunches his face up which quickly develops into a lustful grin and without missing a beat says “well i do have a snack right here that looks dying to be eaten”

your face reddens 10 fold and you try to wiggle out of his grasp “let me gooooo” you can’t help but giggle

of course his cocky self just hugs you tighter and baby’s you cooing and giving you small peppery kisses

this man

[pagingevilspawn]

stick it

What even is this fic? Idk, but i was missing gymnastics, so this is what y’all get. Its super bad, super weird, and not a whole lotta jolex, but whatever. 

Also, nobody cares, but the way I'm giving the scores is (most likely) different than what is averaged for Washington. I’ve never competed in Washington so i don’t know how hard their scoring is, but I did compete in one of the hardest regions in the US for gymnasts, so scoring was always a LOT more harsh than it was in other states and areas of states. Even though nobody is gonna pay attention to that I just thought I'd say something lol. 

And fun fact- our girl is a (much) better gymnast than i ever was, so… tea 🍵🍵  

~*~

Jo watched her husband do their daughter’s hair from the doorway, some kind of a braided bun she didn’t know the name of. She smiled at the sight. It never failed to bring a smile to her face, even though it had become pretty common these past few years. She cradled the bottom of her six month baby bump in the palm of her left hand, her right holding her piping hot tea in a thermos. Once Alex was done putting in all of the excess pins, she watches as he puts a hand over their daughter’s eyes, pulling out the can of hairspray and spraying it into her hair. 

The almost nine year old girl lets out a giggle, commenting on how the hairspray smelt funny. Alex pulls out an Amped Up brush, combing back any flyaway hairs that might have escaped the spray. She snaps out of her trance when she hears her phone alarm go off, alerting the other two in the room of her presence. 

“Mommy!” her daughter exclaims, running over to her to give her a quick hug, much to the dismay of Alex. He was just thankful that he was already done with her hair. Even after three years of doing hair it still took a long ass time to do buns, especially when his daughter was the perfectionist she was. 

“Hey Dyl,” Jo reaches down, returning her daughter’s hug, giving her a tight squeeze before she watches Dylan retreat back to her dad, sitting in front of the mirror once again. 

Jo looks at Alex, who’s attention was focused on adding the shiny black scrunchie into the little girl’s hair. “I’m gonna get Aub up.” she whispers to him, watching him nod before she turns and makes her way down the hall, where their three year old daughter was sleeping. It was only five-thirty, so she knew what a hassle it would be. Aubryella was exactly like her parents in that way, a complete night owl. It was always a hassle to get the girl down at night, but even tougher to wake her up in the morning. She flicks on the small night on the girl’s bedside table, the lamp shade casting a soft pink glow around the all pink room. 

Much like her name, Aubryella was the definition of a girly-girl. She was all about pink, barbies, fashion, makeup… anything that would be described as girly, the three year old liked. Alex always gave props to Jo for that, since while she was pregnant with their youngest daughter she claimed that the tiny life growing inside of her was going to be an ‘all that and a bag of chips little diva’, so she thought it was only appropriate to give her a name to suit that title. (Good thing her mommy instincts were correct. She knew that if she gave Dylan that name and not Aubryella she would hate it more than life itself.) 

She shakes the girl lightly, hoping that it was enough to wake her up, which it ultimately wasn’t. She begins to run a hand through her hair, which ends up failing too. Jo lets out a sigh. 

“Aub. Aubrey. Elle. Ella. Ree. Aubryella. Get up sweetie.” she shakes the girl harder, finally stopping when the tiny blonde lets out a loud groan of protest. Yep, definitely a Karev.

“No mommy,” the girl says, her word muffled since her face was buried in her soft pink pillow case, using one hand to sleepily push her moms face away. It was too close to her ear, and she just wanted to sleep.

Jo chuckles, rolling her eyes at her daughter's antics. “It’s state’s day.” she whispers, knowing that that would get Aub’s attention.

As expected, the little girl gets up immediately, rubbing her tired as, not looking as asleep as she probably should, the talk of the upcoming meet more than enough to get her blood rushing. Though Aubryella wasn't a gymnast herself (she had started dance class a year ago and had found her calling then), watching gymnastics was something she loved to do, especially when it was her own sister competing. Not to mention, it was the topic of nearly every dinner for the past month and a half.  

The mom watches as the girl hassles out of the bed quickly, picking up her blanket and rushing to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Jo stays behind, making the bed. Normally, Aub would need to do it herself, but since they were on a time limit, she decided it would be best if she did it instead. When the girl gets back in the room Jo picks out her clothes, a dusty rose sweater and black jeans, both wasting no time in putting them on. She runs a comb through her daughter’s long dirty blonde hair, a trait she inherited from her Aunt Amber and Grandma. Aub actually looked more like the two than her own parents to most people, with her dirty blonde hair and blue-green eyes. But anyone who actually looked at the girl could see that she had Jo's nose and Alex’s chin. Not to mention, that crooked grin was all Alex Karev.

Jo picks up her daughter from her spot on the bed, grabbing a jacket that was hung on a hook before heading out of the door and down the hall, stopping when she went down the stairs and entered the living room. She sets the girl down by a chair in the kitchen, going to the cabinets and pulling out the doughnuts and cereal. “Which one?” she asks, holding up each dessert in a different hand. 

The girl grins mischievously, making the mom let out a small chuckle before pulling a powdered sugar doughnut out of the box. She didn’t know why she expected anything else. 

Aubryella accepts the doughnut gratefully, giving out an absent minded thank you before shoveling the treat in her mouth, getting the white sugar all over her face. Jo doesn’t need to wait long before she hears two sets of footsteps come down the stairs, Dylan dressed with her white and light blue leotard on, black warm ups on over it, Alex in a simple pair of jeans, back t-shirt, and the damn black jacket that he never got rid of, no matter how many protests he got from his wife. 

“Ready?” Jo asks, all three of them nodding in response. “Okay, you got your bag, shoes, extra hair ties, water bottle, lucky bear, extra bobby pins, thera band, notebook, phone, mascara, lip gloss, hair brush, wallet, tiger paws, ankle brace, knee brace, and wrist brace?” she questions again, going over the list she had memorized from years of training. 

Dylan rolls her eyes impatiently. She didn’t want to be late. She couldn’t be late. It was States for god’s sake! Everyone in the state of Washington (who qualified) would be there. The judges would be scoring harder, and some of the competition was going to be new. She was going to go up against girl’s she hadn’t before. Her goal was to win everything. Maybe it was extreme, but it was true. This season she had done well, really well actually. Her first season as a level seven had started off in the best way. She swept the first competition clean, getting first on vault, floor, and all around, second on bars, and third on beam. As the season went on she just got better, scores getting higher and snatching more golds with each meet. She knew she wasn’t going to be in the Olympics one day, but getting a college scholarship was looking more promising with every first place medal she had stacked around her neck. 

“Yeah, now let’s gooooo,” Dylan drags out, grabbing her dad’s hand and pulling him to the door, not even waiting for her mom and sister to follow. The four Karev’s shuffle into the car and drive an hour and fifteen minutes to the convention center where the meet was being held. They pile out of the car and check in, Alex taking a few minutes to add an extra layer of hairspray to Dylan’s hair while Jo puts a light coat of mascara on the girl’s eyelashes and dabs the lip rosy gloss on her lips. 

Before the eight year old can run off her coach, her parents kneel down in front of her, her eyes letting them know how scared she was behind her calm facade. “Hey,” Jo grabs a hold of her little girl’s shoulders, making her hazel eyes that were identical to her own stare deeply into hers. “You got this. Go out there and have fun, alright? You know your routines, you won’t mess up. Okay?” she reassures her. Jo pulls her daughter into a hug, “I love you baby.” she whispers into her ear, passing her off to Alex. 

Instead of staying on the ground, he picks her up and puts her on his side, much like you would do a small child. Dylan had always been on the smaller side, since neither one of her parents were very tall, but gymnastics had definitely stunted her growth a fair amount. For most people it would be a curse, but as all gymnasts know, it was a blessing. 

“We’re right here if you need us. Go kick some ass Dyl, and win that state title. You want that banner right?” he teases. Dylan did want a banner though. At her gym, whoever won a state, regionals, sectionals, or nationals title got a banner hung up from the ceiling. She had one from last year, when she won floor, vault, and the all around as a level six, and even more from the years before that in levels three, four, and five. 

But a banner as a level seven? Now that would be a dream come true. Why break the streak now? And not to mention, her group would be the last level seven group to go for the weekend, so if she got a high enough all around score, it could be factored in for the team’s total, which could mean another banner (this one provided by the competition) and trophy, if their total score was in the top three. And believe me, she was determined to win that banner, not for her, but for her team. 

Another thing she inherited from her parent’s, their competitiveness. 

Dylan gives her parents and sister one last hug and ‘I love you’ before ducking under the chain and meeting her coach and teammates on the floor.  

...             

“Camera, camera, camera.” Alex mumbles, fishing through Jo’s bag until he pulls out the phone. Dylan was about to go up on bars, and he was designated photographer, since his wife couldn’t film for the life of her. The one time she tried, she ended up shooting the ceiling instead of Dylan’s floor routine. Their daughter was not very happy about that. 

He presses the start button just as the girl salutes, flashing the judges a smile before she begins. She rolls her neck and then adjusts her grips, stepping onto the mounting block and taking a deep breath before swinging her arms and launching into a kip, drowning out all of the excess noise in the background. 

“Legs, legs, legs.” Jo mumbles to herself. It was Dylan’s biggest deduction, having her legs separated. 

Straight legs, pointed feet. Kip cast handstand, hit the 180 degree mark, hold it, clear hip, hit 180 again, hollow body, her feet don't hit the ground, cast up to a squat on, she catches sight of the high bar before jumping to it, keeping her legs together as she goes into another kip, casting up into handstand, holding it at 180 for a second without an arch before hollowing back and beginning her giants, hollow body, tap, feet up, over, and again, see the toes in front, release, layout flyaway. Stick. 

Dylan beams as she salutes the judge again, going over to her coach and giving her a large hug, finally hearing the cheering coming from her family. A series of whoops and whistles come from her mom and dad, while her little sister claps her hands and gives her a wide smile. 

She waits a minute and a half for her score to flash up on the screen, a 9.725. The cheering from her section gets louder, and her teammates engulf her in hugs. It was a hell of a way to start off the meet. 

…

Alex pulls out the camera again when Dylan salutes the beam judge, trying to mask her nervousness behind a smile. Alex and Jo both knew how she felt about the beam. She hated it with every fiber of her being, no matter how good she was at it. She glances over at her family, who all give her encouraging smiles. It was just enough to give her the confidence she needed. 

He watches as she places her hands on the beam, going from a support to a press handstand for her mount. She stands, doing a few different moves and poses before swinging her arms up by her ears. 

“C’mon Dyl.” he whispers to himself. His daughter didn't mind cheering on any other events, but beam was a different story. She was always worried whenever she was on the apparatus, so whenever a sudden noise came through, she struggled. It was something she was working on, but it was going to take time. 

She lifts up her left leg, beginning her connection, a back walkover to a back handspring step-out. The girl circles her arms behind her immediately to prevent any balance checks. Jo and Alex both let out audible sighs of relief, knowing that if there was one thing that could go wrong in the routine, it would be that. From the looks of it, Dylan seemed relieved too. Her movements were less tense, she completed her jumps with perfect form, a split jump to a sissone. Her leap hit 180, and her full turn was controlled. All that was left now was her dismount. All three Karev’s sat on the edge of their seats, the baby in Jo’s belly kicking non stop, letting her know that it was in on the action as well. 

Dylan kicks her leg into the air, toes pointed, knees locked. Cartwheel step-in, back tuck. Stick. She lets out a breath, turning to the judges and saluting, flashing them a smile, giving her coaches a hug before darting to her family, who had moved closer for the event.  

“You did so good.” Jo says, pulling her into a hug over the plastics chains that separated them, Alex doing the same after. 

“What score do you think I got Bree?” Dylan asks her little sister, who lets out an adorable giggle before holding out her hands. 

“Ten!” she says, making her family laugh. One could dream. 

The score flashed up on the screen then, 9.775. 

Well, this was going to be a damn good meet. 

…

The camera was locked on Dylan as she made her way to her spot on the floor, striking her beginning pose before her music blared through the speakers. She dances around the floor, gliding with an ease neither of her parents had ever experienced themselves. It was a wonder really, how both of their daughter’s were good dancers while they couldn't move for shit. 

Her first pass was her hardest, a roundoff back handspring back layout. The family holds their breath as the girl sets high, finishing the rotation with ease, dancing around more before her leap pass, a switch leap to a straddle jump. She dances more, making eye contact with the judges as she moves. Floor was where she had the most confidence, being able to express herself through her music and choreography, that’s why it was always her favorite. 

“C’mon Dyl!” 

“You got this Dylan,” 

“Yay Tissy!” 

The family cheered before her second pass, a front handspring front pike, which she had a small step on, but nothing that would make a large difference in her score. She did some floor work, showing off her flexibility in her back with a series of rolls, standing up and doing a full turn. She makes her way to the corner, Jo and Alex watching the scene intently, Alex having Aubryella perched on his knee. This last pass sealed the deal. She runs, hurdles into a front pike, and connects to a front tuck. Stick. 

A smile breaks out on the little girl’s face. She moves her limbs in unison to her ending pose, hitting it just as the beat dropped. A series of cheers come from everyone around her. Her family, teammates, coaches. She doesn’t need to wait long for her score to flash up on the screen. A 9.675. 

…

Dylan’s last event was vault, her personal best. She had already done her warmups, and now she was just waiting for the judge to hold up the green flag. She adjusts her tiger paws after she salutes, just as Alex starts the recording. She sprints down the runway, hurdling into a roundoff, and pushing back into a back handspring. Her vault was a yurchenko drill. She keeps her form, legs together, knees locked, toes pointed. She finishes, salutes, then goes again. The three in the stands cheer. It was the last event. Her all around score depended on these vaults. 

When she does her finishing salute a second time, she knows that it was even better than the last. She looks over to her family and gives them a smile, wanting nothing more than to run over to them, but she knows she can’t, they were too far away. 

Her score takes a while to come up on the screen, which could either be a bad or good thing. The Karev’s hold their breath in anticipation, Jo stroking her baby bump with one hand, while holding Alex’s with the other. Even Aubryella was on the edge of her seat, well, more like the edge of her dad’s lap. Her hair was no longer down, but in a braided bun similar to her sisters, since she insisted that she wanted to look just like her. Alex was thankful Jo had packed extra hair ties in not just Dylan’s bag, but also her purse.

A series of loud cheers come from this section as they see their daughter’s score. A 9.800, a personal best. 

…

“And now, your vault state champion in the eight to nine year old category with a score of 9.800 is… Dylan Karev!” The announcer cheers as the little brunette makes her way up to the first place podium, an abundance of applause coming from the crowd. A gold medal is placed around her neck by an assistant, who she thanks with a megawatt smile. 

“These are your 2029 vault state champions, gymnasts salute.” the announcer says, causing all the girls to raise their arms to the position, all the families in the crowd taking photos of their daughters. Jo, Alex, and Aubryella cheer the loudest, more than proud of Dylan. 

As awards went on, more categories were called. 

“Your bar's state champion in the eight to nine year old category with a score of 9.725 is... Dylan Karev!” 

“Your beam state champion in the eight to nine year old category with a score of 9.775 is… Dylan Karev!” 

“On the floor, in second place with a score of 9.675 is… Dylan Karev!” 

“And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Your 2029, eight to nine year old all around state champion, with a combined score of 38.975 is… Dylan Karev!” The audience erupted into applause, her parents, her teammates, coaches, and even her teammates parent’s cheering for her. She accepts her fifth medal with a wide smile, hopping down from the podium and back into the crowd. She had just won her ultimate goal, an all around title. 

After a few of the older groups were called, it was time for the team awards.  

“In first place, with a combined total of 115.575 is… Seattle Gymnastics Academy!” Another first place team award. The team accepts the banner and trophy and poses for photos alongside the second and third place team, proudly showing off their trophy by raising it above their heads.  

When she gets down and the awards finish, she runs to her parents, crashing into Alex with a gigantic hug. When she finally lets go, she hugs her mom and sister. 

“I’m so proud of you Dyl.” her mom says, touching her cheek affectionately. Gymnastics was her daughter's passion, something she lived and breathed for. Seeing that light in her eyes and that grin was something she would never get tired of. 

Aubryella hugs her big sister’s legs, “good job Tissy.” The name came from when the tiny blonde was younger and couldn’t say ‘Sissy’, and had stuck to it ever since. 

The family of four makes their way out of the convention center, the drive back to their house was peaceful, the limited hours of sleep they got the night before catching up to them. They all crash onto their respective beds, the girls in their rooms and Jo and Alex in their’s. 

Alex runs a hand through his wife’s hair, his other tracing circles on her baby bump, feeling the little life inside of her kick like a crazy person. 

They stay like that for a while, savoring the quiet. With two kids in the house, it was a major rarity these days. Jo hums, nuzzling into his embrace. “I love you.” she murmurs into his shirt, on the verge of sleep. He reaches down and places a small kiss on the top of her head. 

“I love you too.”

[underthemoon-and-stars]

Don’t Go... ( Bucky Barnes X Reader )

How was I inspired to write again idk but pwease🥺Take it🥺-Selenophile

Tuesdays. Tuesdays are the worst day of the work. Sure, you could argue it’s actual Mondays. The only two days of freedom are over with the arrival of Monday. But Mondays, the thing is, they’re expected. With the passing of Sunday you know it’s going to be the dreaded Monday. With Tuesdays though? Waking up on a Tuesday is so much more painful because you realize it IS a Tuesday. The week is no where close to done and from what Monday has done to you, you’re already mentally exhausted.

That was Y/N’s logic, at least.

It was a sunny Tuesday morning, though. The yellow ball of light crept into the room, warming Y/N’s semi-bare back. Cars ran through the Manhattan street and if you lived here long enough, you’d think it was a morning stroll. Business women and men dashed across the crosswalks even if the red hand was screaming at their impatience. Tourists crowded into muesums and iconic sights to get the best view they could. It was spring, but it wasn’t chilly. It was warm, very warm. 50°F levels of warm. If you’re not native to New York, it’s harder to understand. In a city that constantly ranges from 16-36°F, this was just a perfect day.

And Y/N would be stuck inside. She loved her job! She really did! But it was a Tuesday. Maybe she didn’t like Tuesdays because every Tuesday has been nice and she had been glaring at an artificial box of light, rather than the beautiful gift from space: the sunshine. Maybe paperwork from Monday caused her Tuesday exhaustion. She felt really bad for that one girl who came on a Tuesday. She explained everything that happened that week to her trusted therapist and god did Y/N start to doze. Not on purpose!

She just couldn’t work properly on Tuesday.

The Alarm buzzed. It was her favorite song signifying that it was 7:30. She rolled over with a heavy groan. Her finger aggressively tapped “stop” on her phone. Softly, she tried to slip out of the arms of her lover: Bucky Barnes.

Bucky had been an interesting case. Sam Wilson was a past patient. He had  severe PTSD from loosing his best friend in a “training accident”- his own words. Sam liked Y/N, he really trusted her! Once he finsihed his sessions, he asked Y/N to start hanging out with him. She approved, she always liked Sam. As they hung out more and more, Sam invited her to the best party in New York City- the Avengers Gala. She went as his “date”. The long red sparky dress caught everyone’s eye. It seemed like everyone invited went up to Sam and asked SO MANY questions.

“Who is she, Sammy?”

“When did you meet her?”

“Wait That Cant be your old therapist? Shes pretty!”

No questions were directed at Y/N though. She kinda felt a little bored. No one was really taking to her. Sam was talking to everyone and she was just hanging out there. She decided to look around and then. Oh boy and then. Her eyes caught the most attractive blue eyes in her life. They pierced into her soul, stole the air into her lungs, completely stopped her heart. There was a lump in her throat, a knot in her stomach, her head completely full of thoughts.

He smirked and strolled over. Y/N felt her knees buckly, so she grab onto Sam’s arm tighter.

“Y/N, what’s wro- oh I see. Buckys on his way”

“Bucky?” She mumbled, and looked right back at him. His long brown hair was slicked back and rested in a low bun at the bottom of his neck. God-his neck was so kissable. The semi-short king was dressed to the nines: blue suit, black turtleneck, a chain dangling from his neck. He had no clue what that look was doing to her. Her eyes then darted down towards his gloved hands. Maybe he just had some dry skin or...something. He stopped within a foot of you. Sam was talking to someone to his right, so you just started into his beautiful oceanic orbs. You could feel your body shake slightly. He was so...so handsome. And oh god, this “Bucky” knew you were interested. Y/N already knew she was crushing real hard.

Finally, Sam caught on. “Oh! James, this is my good friend, Y/N. Y/N, meet James”

“Hey” He spoke with such a deep,  sensual voice. Y/N would’ve collapsed to the floor if the man didn’t catch her before then.

“N-nice to meet you James...” She barely could shove the words out of her mouth. He pulled her close and leaned down.

“Bucky is just fine, doll” He purred into her ear. She crushed her legs together and completely fell into his well-defined chest. Y/N wanted to whimper, she was so weak. He knew it too.

“Can I borrow her, Sam?”

The fore mention man turned towards him “Be good to her”

With this new found freedom, she left one man who hasn’t really payed attention to her all night to the man who couldnt keep his eyes of her.

They danced. They drank. They talked and talked and talked. They even shared a small intimate moment with each other before Y/N had to confess her departure time approaching.

“You can’t have work tomorrow, it’s Tuesday. It’s Christmas Eve...” He mumbled into her neck, causing her whole body to spasm.

Maybe that’s why she hates Tuesdays. She had to leave Bucky for the first time on a Tuesday. And she had never been the same.

Anyway, long story short, they exchanged numbers and began dating in February. Valentines Day specifically. He showed up at her apartment with flowers and a blushy red face. They have been dating for 4 years since that day.

Since then, Bucky revieled his metal arm, got a new hair cut, and allowed his emotions to escape around Y/N. And Y/N has confided in him, got into shape due to Bucky’s hard core training, and finally felt what true love was.

Back to present day, she was so close to escaping Bucky’s large protective arms. As she gently slide out and away, she was immediatly brought back into his bare chest.

“Bucky, my love, I have to go!” Y/N pleaded as the soldier’s warm flesh and cool metal wrapped around her stomach.

“No you don’t you can stay here with me...” His lips danced on the back of her neck, causing a squirm and giggles to be realeased from his captive.

“Yes I do how am I gonna pay for this apartment hm?”

“I can pay for it... just stay home and cuddle with me”

Y/N turned around, rather reluctantly, and held her partners lightly scuffed, heavily sculpted jawline. Her soft pink lips pressed against his, taking in the chapped and ripped glory of his lips. Bucky planted his hands right on her hips, hoping to keep her in place. She was a fighter though, unhinging their lips once she had enough.

“Bucky let me goooo I have to gooooo”

“No!”

Y/N tazed her boyfriend, slipping away from his arms. She could hear his whines from the bathroom. This is every morning, she was used to it. Begging to come back to bed. Sometimes even picking her up and placing her back in the bad. Today she wasn’t prepared.

She finsihed up her makeup and looked out to check on her boy. He was sitting up on the bed, but there were tears in his eyes. Y/N took a gasp of shock. He turned to her, trying his best to smile through his tears

“D-Dont go doll...please” Her poor Bucky boy stuttered out. She couldn’t go now. He’s never responded this way.

Y/N slid into his lap, taking his hands. “My Love...talk to me...”

“I just...feel like we’re so busy I never see you anymore...You work Monday-Friday and I work Saturday Sunday. I just want a day to be with you...just one. That’s all I ask”

Y/N leaned forward and cuddled into his warm, muscular chest. Her soft hands reached up and wiped away the tears off his face. “Oh Bucky...I’m sorry”

He tucked his head into his girl’s neck. “I know how much we need he money...but I think at this point I can’t stand only seeing you for like 2 hours a week...”

“I’m sorry it’s so hard on you baby...”

He sniffled and nodded weakly. The way his head drooped was simple heartbreaking.

Y/N lifted up his perfect little chin. “I’ll stay home today. And then I promise you Bucky, I’m going to get a day off to be with you”

“Oh...oh thank you Y/N”

His body crashed on top of hers and they landed with a thud on their old, creaky, twin sized bed. Y/N’s hands found her way towards his hair. Even though it’s short, it’s still as soft as the day they started dating.

“Mmm you know how much I love that, Y/N”

“Of course angel, I’m here for you today”

Bucky looked up at her with those amazing blue orbs and smiled. His face perfectly slipped into the crook of her neck. That was his home for the rest of the day.

Maybe Y/N didn’t have to hate Tuesdays anymore. Maybe Tuesdays will be the best day of the week.

The day she gets to see her best friend, her lover,her angel, her Bucky Barnes.

Send all requests to the inbox!! 💌

[allicekitty13]

Trick Or Treat

Read On Ao3

Read On FFN

Alice has to take her little sister trick or treating, Jasper has a surprise in store.

Friday, October thirtieth

It was Friday afternoon, and Alice Brandon was impatiently waiting for her final period math class to end. She chewed absentmindedly on her bottom lip in anticipation while tapping the eraser end of a pencil against her desk, eyeing the clock hanging above the classroom door with frequent glances. She wordlessly willed the arms to move faster when she was finally granted reprieve as the bell rang, indicating the end of the school day.

Alice swiftly gathered up her books, shoving them messily into her messenger bag before she fled from the classroom, making a break for her locker. Today wasn't just any Friday; it was October thirtieth. The day before her favorite holiday, Halloween. She'd felt a surge of energy from the excitement all day, causing her to be distracted and restless. All she wanted was to go home, put the finishing touches on her costume, and sit back for her yearly marathon of vintage monster movies after Cynthia went to bed. 

She fumbled through her locker, taking little consideration into what items she placed into her backpack, totally enraptured within her own world. She was so preoccupied with her own excitement that she didn't notice when Jasper leaned against the locker next to her own.

"Hey, Alice." He greeted, causing her to jump in shock.

"Whitlock." She responded, hand over her heart as she steadied her breathing after the slight scare.

"You know... you sure scare easy." 

"Don't sneak up on me, then jerk." Alice playfully shoved him in the chest with a giggle. "What's up anyway?" 

"Perhaps I just wanted to talk to my favorite accomplice?" 

She smiled slightly at the moniker, excited about the idea of pulling off an elaborate prank with Jasper and Emmett. "You've got a hells night prank planned then?" 

"Maybe," He tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Maybe I just wanted to hang out with you."

Alice was mildly disappointed by the revelation that there would be no pranking tonight as well as annoyed by the continuing game of flirting they played.

It had started out as a fun joke between the pair back in middle school, but Alice had begun to develop actual feelings for Jasper over time. The flirting, always just a game, never anything more, was starting to make her heart ache.

She slammed her locker shut in annoyance before leaning her head against the cool metal as she looked up at Jasper. "What do you actually want, Jazz." 

Jasper looked away from her and took a deep breath before answering, "Are you going to Rosalie's party tomorrow night?" He seemed nervous, but Alice assumed it was her imagination. There was no reason for the popular Jasper Whitlock to be anxious about a party. 

"Oh, I'm actually taking my little sister trick or treating tomorrow. We're going to watch some movies after; it should be a good time... Have fun, though; maybe I'll see you at the next one."

"But you love parties?"

"If I don't take Cynthia, no one else will." 

"Oh..." 

"It's okay," She cut him off. "I'll make the next party." With that, she walked away. Yes, she loved parties, but she loved her sister more. She wondered why Jasper was making a big deal out of the whole thing.

"Do you want a ride home?" Jasper asked, having followed her outside into the school parking lot.

"Isn't my place a bit out of the way?"

"Normally, yeah, but I need Emmett's help with something, and since your place is along the way." He gestured west in the general direction of both the Brandon and McCarty households as they approached the spot where he'd parked his truck. "It's not a big deal. Do you want the ride or not?"

Alice shrugged as she opened the vehicle's passenger's side door; she threw in her bag and attempted to climb in. After a few short seconds of struggling, Jasper came around, picked her up, helping her inside. 

"You know, I could have done it myself." She glowered at him in a huff when he got in the car himself.

"Of course, but I don't have all night if I'm gonna make this work." His words were distant, as though he had something urgent he needed to get done. 

"Make what work?"

"That my darling is proprietary information that cannot be released to the general public at this time." He flashed her that charming smile of his that made her melt.

"You can tell me I won't spill. Pinky promise."

"Nope, this one is between me and Emmett." 

"Fine, I'll just ask him what trouble you're getting yourself into this time."

"Not a prank." He smirked in her direction with a side-eye. 

"What could the two of you possibly be up to that doesn't involve chaos and ending up grounded for at least a week?"

"I can't tell you." He grinned at her as he pulled up in front of her house.

"I hate you."

"You know you love me."

Her heart skipped a beat at the comment as they locked eyes, the air feeling suddenly thick with tension. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. That is proprietary information." She finally joked with a mischievous smile as she threw his own words back at him before grabbing her bag and jumping out of the vehicle, gently closing the door behind her. 

Jasper rolled down the passenger's side window shouting out in amusement. "That hurts, Brandon." 

Alice rolled her eyes with a smile before blowing him a kiss as she ran inside.

"ALICE!" Cynthia shouted upon her entrance, tackling her in excitement. 

"Hey, kiddo." 

"Come, look what I made!" The ever excited eight-year-old tugged on her older sister's hands, pulling her over to the kitchen table where construction paper and crayons were strewn about the surface. "Esme helped me make a map of town so we can move faster and get ALL the candy." 

"Yes, she did," The woman in question entered the dining room with a bowl of steaming macaroni and cheese. "But, it's time to put your art supplies away and eat your dinner."

"Hey, Esme." Alice greeted her sister's nanny as she helped Cynthia gather up her crayons. "Did mom get called into the hospital?"

The older woman nodded in affirmation as she gathered her belongings. "Yes, and don't you dare say you'd have come home sooner if you knew. Cynthia is your sister, not your daughter; I don't mind watching after her while you spend time with your friends." 

"Thanks, Esme, tell Eddy I said hi, and I can't wait to see his Romeo costume in action." 

"Of course, sweetie." Esme paused at the door. "Are you sure you don't want me to take Cynthia tomorrow so you can go to Rosalie's party?"

"Yeah, there's plenty of parties. Cynthia only gets so many Halloweens to trick or treat. We'll have fun."

"Okay, goodnight Alice. You've got my number if you change your mind." With that, Esme took her leave.

Alice remained in the hall momentarily to reflect on life; her parents had split up four years ago. While it had been the best thing for the family, Esme had a point. Alice stepped up immediately without being asked to help care for her sibling, with her mother spending much of her time at the hospital working as a nurse. She loved her sister more than anyone, but maybe she should put herself first more. Deciding those were thoughts for another time, Alice ventured back into the dining room, where Cynthia was finishing her dinner. After cleaning up, she helped the younger girl finish up her homework as she finalized the last details on their costumes. 

Around nine, Alice noticed Cynthia, who had long since finished her word search on the solar system, was starting to drift off to 'The Wolf Man' DVD Alice had put on the TV. "I think it's time for bed, little miss."

"I'm not sleepy." Cynthia yawned.

"I beg to differ, come one." She scooped up the tired girl carrying her to her room and setting her on the bed.

"Are we gonna watch movies tomorrow?"

"Of course, silly." Alice reached out to ruffle the younger girls' hair. "It wouldn't be Halloween without 'The Great Pumpkin' now would it."

"And will you make those sugar cookies with the ghosts on them?"

"We're going to have cookies with ghosts and pumpkins. But," Alice reached over to switch off the lamp sitting on the table next to Cynthia's bed. "You have to go to sleep so it can be tomorrow." she grabbed her sister's favorite cat plush off the floor. Cynthia took the stuffed toy squeezing it tightly to her chest with a sleepy smile.

"Night Alice."

"Goodnight, little sister." Alice pecked the top of the girl's head before pulling the blankets over her sister. 

Saturday, October thirty-first

"Alice, hurry up! We're going to miss all the candy if you keep taking forever!" Cynthia stood in the doorway of Alice's room, hands on her hips. She donned the Ariel costume she'd impatiently put on three hours ago to her sister's protest. Rather than purchasing off looking costumes from Target, Alice had opted to make both of their costumes herself that year and consequently was protective of her work.

"I'm finished, you hyper little mermaid," Alice responded, capping her lipstick and giving her hair one final check in the mirror; satisfied with her work, she donned the tiara, completing her look as Rapunzel at the end of Tangled. 

"What do you think?" She asked, doing a little twirl for Cynthia.

"You look JUST like Rapunzel! Now let's GOOOOO." 

"Okay, okay." Alice straightened out her sister's red wig that had been knocked off-kilter during a round of hide and seek with Bella, who'd been kind enough to look after the girl before heading to Rosalie's party while Alice got dressed. 

"But first." She pulled out her phone from one of the hidden pockets she'd sewn into the skirt of her dress and crouched down to Cynthia's level. "Pictures for mom." They snapped a few poses before an impatient Cynthia had enough, grabbed her bag, then dragged her sister out the door. 

They went to a few houses before ending up three doors down at The Cullen's, where Carlisle and Esme had a king-size Kit-Kat waiting for Cynthia, who took the candy excitedly; happy to pose for yet another photo in exchange. They made their goodbyes, making their way back to the streets.

The siblings had been out for an hour, hitting up every house with a light on collecting candy when they reached the impeccably decorated Hale residence. Alice beamed with pride, noting a few projects she'd worked on for Rosalie in art class as they made the trek up the path to the door. 

Cynthia had hardly just rung the bell when the door opened to reveal Emmett dressed as Gomez Addams. "Alice! Cynthia! My favorite Disney princesses." He pulled a candy bowl from a table sitting by the door. "Rosalie said only two pieces, but I think you deserve a handful." 

Cynthia excitedly reached out to grab as much candy as her small hand could hold but was shushed by Emmett. "No, not a Cynthia handful." He reached into the bowl filling up his own much larger hand to overflowing proportions, and dropped the exuberant amount of candy into her bag. 

"Did I hear you say, Alice and Cynthia?" Rosalie exclaimed, appearing seemingly out of thin air beside Emmett. Alice had no idea how she'd done it but appreciated Rosalie's commitment to her part as Morticia. "You guys should come in for a second." Rosalie beckoned the pair inside by dramatically reaching out a hand palm up and curling her fingers inward. 

"I don't know..." Alice looked down at her eight-year-old sibling. "Cynthia probably wants to hit up some more houses and increase her candy stash." 

"Nope," Cynthia gaze up at her sister with a devilish grin. "I wanna go inside. Emmett will give me lots of candy. Please, Alice, let me show your friends my costume." 

"Yeah, Alice, please?" Emmett chuckled as he leaned against the doorframe holding a full unopened bag of candy. 

"Fine, but just for a second." She relented, pulling Cynthia behind her as she walked past Rosalie into the crowded entry hall as Emmett slipped the full bag of candy into Cynthia's bag.

Bella, now fully decked out in a Juliet costume, spotted the pair as they entered into the crowded home, immediately ending her conversation with Leah, who was dressed as Pikachu to come over and greet the pair. "Hey guys, you made it! Have you gotten lots of candy?" 

"Emmett gave me a big bag of candy, and Esme gave me a whole entire big Kit-Kat bar." 

"How nice of Emmett." Rosalie glared at her boyfriend, who wore a sheepish expression.

"Rosalie, mon amour. Please forgive me." He dramatically threw an arm over his eyes. 

"I suppose I can let this one slide. For dear Cynthia's sake."

"Cara Mia!" Emmett exclaimed, grabbing Rosalie's arm pecking kisses from wrist to shoulder. Alice had to admit, The Addams Family costume idea suited the couple perfectly. 

"Alice darling, you should go mingle while you can. Let me take care of our lovely little mermaid for a moment."

"You don't have to, Rose."

"I insist, my dear." She waved her hand dismissively in Alice's direction. "Now go."

Confident that her sister was safe being doted on by her friends, Alice relaxed, allowing herself to enjoy the party as much as possible in the short amount of time she would be there. She made her way through the large house. Stopping to chat occasionally with friends, receiving compliments on her outfit. She laughed at some dad jokes from a zombie Eric as witch Angela rolled her eyes from his side. Complimented Jake, who donned an extremely impressive hulk costume.

Eventually, she found herself at the back of the room where a snacks and drinks table was set up. Mike and Jessica, dressed as Woody and Bo-Peep respectively, stood talking to Jasper, who, to Alice's shock, was not dressed as a cowboy despite wearing the same costume every year since childhood. In fact, he seemed to be dressed as... Flynn Rider.

Unable to believe her eyes, she tapped him on the shoulder with a raised eyebrow. "No cowboy costume?" 

Jasper stiffened at the comment, slowly turning around with blushing cheeks. "Yeah... I wanted to do something different this year."

"Okay, but Flynn Rider? You definitely fit the part, but I didn't take you as a Tangled fan." 

"ohmygosh." Jessica piped in before Jasper could defend his costume choice. "Flynn and Rapunzel, you guys like... match. It's too cute." 

"Isn't it crazy!" Jasper responded a bit too excitedly. "How Alice and I randomly got matching costumes. What a coincidence!"

"Yeah, definitely a coincidence." Alice crossed her arms. "What's going on here, Jasper?" 

Unfortunately, once again, the pair were interrupted, this time by Bella and Cynthia. "I'm ready to leave, Alice." The youngest of the pair bounced up to her sister. 

"Wait a second! Is Japer dressed like Flynn!" Cynthia's eyes widened in joy at the realization turning her attention to the tall man who appeared extremely uncomfortable with all the attention. "Jasper! You've gotta come trick or treating with me and Alice."

"I don't think Jasper wants to go trick or treating Cynthia." Bella giggled at the child's outburst.

"But he has too!" Cynthia crossed her arms and stamped a foot on the ground. "He matches Alice!" 

"I'll go." The man in question cast a nervous side grin at the sisters. "Who am I to deny the request of princess Ariel. Besides, I haven't been trick or treating in years. It'll be fun."

"You really don't have to." Alice turned to look at him with apologetic eyes. "She'll get over it as seen as she gets more candy."

"Nope, I'm going. Come on, Alice." 

The now trio made their goodbyes to the party guests and made their way back to the streets. 

To his credit, Jasper did a great job keeping up with Cynthia's high energy as she dashed from house to house. Alice smiled happily, watching her crush happily interact with the most important person to her. The scene caused her heart to flutter as he fell for him just a bit more. 

"So," She'd asked as Cynthia made her way through the first floor of an apartment complex. "Are you going to explain yourself?"

"Explain what?"

"Why you're dressed like Flynn Rider?"

"Do I have to?"

"I would like to know the answer, yeah."

"Okay, um." He abashedly placed a hand behind his head. "So, I know this is your favorite holiday and all. Because of the pranks and scares and wanted to..."

"Alice! Jasper! I got all the apartments we can go now!" Cynthia appeared, cutting him off. The small mermaid grabbed both of their hands and pulled them out the door back to the streets to continue the candy hunt. 

Alice tried at every opening to find out what Jasper was going to say. Unfortunately, Cynthia cut the moment short every time. Turns out, it's tough to figure out why your best friend is acting weird when you're trick or treating with an eight-year-old.

After another two hours of candy collecting, they were nearing the end of their journey. They'd run out of houses, consequently resulting in Cynthia's excited energy wavering as they made the way back to the Brandon residence. When the group was a few blocks from their destination, the two teenagers noticed Cynthia started getting tired. Alice was getting ready to assure her they were almost home when Jasper surprised her by asking the younger girl if she wanted a piggyback ride. The smaller girl was elated by the idea and readily agreed. 

The action made Alice happy; she loved that he was willing to be so kind and placate her little sister. He really was a great guy, even if he rarely let others see; she felt lucky to witness the sweet moment. After everything she'd witnessed that night, her heart fluttered at the idea that maybe... just maybe it was all for her.

Once they'd reached the girl's home, Jasper swung Cynthia off his back and set her back down gently. "That was fun!" She'd exclaimed.

"Okay, little one. Run along inside so I can talk to Jasper for a second." Alice nervously instructed her sibling. 

"Alice and Jasper sitting in a tree." The girl had begun to sing the popular children's rhyme between giggles.

Alice swiftly but gently clapped a hand over Cynthia's mouth in a panic, finishing the classic rhyme with her own edit. "B E D T I M E." She chuckled awkwardly as she picked up her offended sibling. "I'll be right back, just gotta take Ariel inside." 

"But The Great Pumpkin and cookies!" Cynthia protested as Alice sat her back down inside the house. "It can't be bedtime yet!" 

"We'll do those things, Cynth, I promise. I've just gotta tell Jasper goodbye first. Go put on pajamas." Shooting her sister a warning look, she jogged back outside where Jasper was still waiting under the tree. 

"Okay, Mr., there's no more little kid to interrupt you. Please tell me what this is all about." She crossed her arms over her chest, determined to get answers this time. 

He took a deep breath and stared at his feet. "I was going to ask if you'd go with me to Rose's party... like as my date. But you had to take your sister trick or treating, and I know how important she is to you. So... god, I feel so stupid."

"So what, Jas?"

"Emmett said I should do a couples costume with you as a surprise and when you guys stopped by to trick or treat at Rosalie's comment on what a funny coincidence it was and leave with you. But then everyone was watching us, and I got nervous because I really like you. I know we play that stupid flirting game all the time but I kind of really want to go out with you..."

"Why didn't you just... ask if you could come with?" 

"Emmett said I needed a big romantic gesture."

"Why would you listen to Emmett?"

"I'm an idiot?" She shot her an embarrassed smile. 

"You're lucky; I like idiots."

"You do?" He looked hopeful.

"Yepp, at least I like the kind of idiot who does something as sweet as dressing up as a character from one of my favorite movies and goes trick or treating with my sister just because he wants to spend my favorite holiday with me." As ridiculous as his actions were, she really did find the gesture sweet. 

"That's the kind of idiot I am!"

 "So here's what you're going to do. You're going to call me tomorrow, and you're going to ask me if I want to go get a coffee with you. I'm going to say yes, and you're going to take me to that shop on main street that I like."

"Did you just plan a date I haven't asked you on yet? How do you know I'll even call you?" He was teasing her now. 

Alice stood on her tippy toes to peck jasper on the cheek... or rather the lower jaw as even at the highest she could stretch, she still couldn't actually reach his cheek. "Goodnight, Jasper; I'll see you tomorrow." With that, she skipped back into the house.

[qm-vox]

Sigilverse Fanfic - Death by Misadventure

Author’s Note: After ten thousand years I am ONCE AGAIN PROCRASTINATING ON OTHER OBLIGATIONS to bring you the unasked-for fourth chapter in this Sigilverse fanfic. Previous chapters, in order, include What You Think of Death, In It To The Death, and Death Warmed Over. Sigilverse continues to be provided by @periakman whose latest book Legacy of the Sigil just dropped. Like queer YA that grapples absolutely fucking directly with trauma, recovery, and injustice? Give her a glance and your money.

Content Warnings: Child abuse, violence, mentions of suicide, extrajudicial murder, drug use

Vellkill Island, Grevelt. Late Autumn

Monika was intently working her way through her linguistics assignments when Deirdre punched her directly in the back of the head, not hard enough to see stars but definitely hard enough that the young apprentice’s hunched-over seating posture became her best imitation of a human-skin rug.

“The Void was that for?” Monika asked with her mouth against the stone floor of her room.

“Don’t die of shock, but science,” Deirdre commented. “Notice how you actually got hit?”

“I was there, I remember.”

“How often have you actually been hit in the last two months you ass?” came the acidic rebuttal.

Monika considered this. It certainly hadn’t been for lack of trying on Deirdre’s part or, she had to admit, the various soldiers the two of them had cajoled into helping explore Monika’s affinity. The apprentice’s telekinesis seemed to rely on existing movement, but it could nudge and exaggerate motion with incredible efficiency. Fists, feet, blades, sandbags, hurled bricks (while wearing a helmet, obviously), all had simply nyoomed right past Monika without so much as disturbing her dreadlocks. Deirdre had vetoed attempting to shoot Monika with a crossbow bolt; when Monika had tried it anyway using a rope and pulley system, the bolt had went right past her too.

“Yeah, well - I’d like to see you try it again,” Monika muttered bitterly.

“I’m going to,” Deirdre admitted.

“Why?”

“Science,” Deirdre answered, and then she aimed a savage kick at the girl.

Monika’s previous training paid off; she rolled away from her master’s boot and up into a fighting stance. Deirdre wasn’t in her typical armor, which meant among other things that if Monika hit her it’d actually hurt, except -

- hold on -

“Are you wearing padding?” Monika asked in outrage.

“We’re in a stone room and I expect you’re gonna toss my corpse around like old laundry, of course I’m in padding,” Deirdre answered. “You gonna hit me back or what?”

“What’re we testing?” Monika answered; the two circled each other warily, automatically edging away from Monika’s bed and kicking books out of the space where a fight might happen without taking their eyes off of each other.

“Focus,” came the reply. “I need to know if you can fight and do that at the same time, and how long you can do both or either. What’s the rule?”

“Report any feelings of pain in my head or eyes, halt if you call a halt, magic can hurt me and I need to not be hurt for no reason,” Monika answered dutifully. “I’m no good to you if I have a stroke.”

“You’re no good to yourself if you have a stroke, little patriot. Now hit me.”

So Monika hit her.

Like a speeding carriage.

Deirdre took the shot in the solar plexis and hit the stone wall with a whump. Dust shook loose from the rafters while the teen stared in vague shock. Deirdre slid to the ground slowly, collapsing onto her ass and sucking in deep, steady breaths.

“Change of plans,” the Silencer managed in what Monika could only call ‘her voice’ for lack of a better word. “I’m just gonna try to hit you and if anyone asks what happened to me, your obstacle course got me.”

“...Yeah, okay.”

This plan went fantastically for Monika. Deirdre not so much.

The teen watched as her master attempted to hit her to absolutely no avail. Deirdre kept her movements small, precise, laying out a flurry of controlled jabs and strikes that all missed by the barest fraction of an inch. For bigger things Monika could usually feel a twinge, the sensation of her affinity being accessed, but here it was more like a background noise as her kinesis just chugged along.

Things got wild with the bigger hits. An attempted haymaker sent Deirdre sprawling into the wall in an ungainly heap. A stomp kick fit to break down a door hit the wall instead, folding the Silencer in on herself like a paper fan and blowing the air out of her lungs. Deirdre tried to wave off Monika’s sheepish attempts to offer her a canteen of water but her body won out over her pride.

The attempt to throw the canteen at Monika sent it sailing out the window and into the presence of the world’s least fortunate chicken and luckiest enlisted man, respectively.

After what felt like an eternity, but the shifting daylight insisted was about an hour, Deirdre collapsed onto the bed with sweat plastering her red hair to her neck.

“You’re not even tired,” the Silencer complained.

“Nope,” Monika agreed. “I’m only just now feeling any pressure in my head and even then it’s more like I’ve got a cat on me.”

“...This might complicate things.”

“Isn’t it a good sign?” Monika pressed, voice full of hope.

“Depends, how into dying on accident are you in the name of science?”

Monika didn’t answer that.

“You know what I’m about to ask.”

Monika didn’t answer. She just left the room.

*

Monika had long since given up on looking for Ysabelle anywhere but the infirmary; the healer slept there, on a narrow cot that she insisted was her own choice and preference, thank you very much you nosy brat. On the average day there weren’t actually all that many patients, and today there were none. Monika walked in on Ysabelle putting a kettle on for tea.

“That beast finally find a way to maul you again?” Ysabelle asked without looking up, her voice flat.

“I don’t like you talking about her like that,” Monika said in a low voice. “...But no. I wanted to ask you about magical injuries. Erm. Injuries from using your affinity, that is.”

Wordlessly, Ysabelle left the kettle, but when she came back with two cups and set them down Monika knew she was invited to stay. The apprentice sat down cross-legged on one of the medical beds and waited for the healer to speak.

“Understand that I say this in the most technical sense I can,” Ysabelle began after a moment. “The question you’ve just asked is completely useless. Some affinities are inherently dangerous. Some are dangerous because they’re in bodies that aren’t suited to use them, or only partially suited. The Reaper puts his bones straight through his own skin and muscle, and even though he’s adapted to handle that it still hurts. Is that the sort of affinity injury you’re asking about?”

Monika frowned, holding her empty teacup and staring down into it. The porcelain was thin and unusually fine; once again, the apprentice considered asking Ysabelle why she had such an expensive tea service, and once again Monika discarded the question as likely to open up realms of bullshit beyond her imagination. “No, not...well...maybe? What happens to telekinetics?”

“Ah. Hrm. You’re wondering about your limits?” When Monika nodded, Ysabelle started to hrm her way through preparing the tea; picking out the blend she wanted to use, getting out stale cookies (’Why are your cookies so shit when your tea is so expensive?’ was another one of those questions Monika forced herself not to ask on a nearly daily basis), and fetching her cream, butter, and sugar. With the service fully set, the healer once again settled down to look at Monika. “That is...also complicated. Esoteric applications of magic can cause brain injuries, but they don’t always do so. Over-use of magic in general causes damage to what I will, for lack of a better term, classify as the soul, the fallout of which can range from acute depression, catatonic or fugue states, dissociation, or even death. Part of the reason ritual magic is so tightly controlled is because of injuries of this kind.”

The teen nodded, and then frowned again. “Wait, for lack of a better term? Do you not believe in souls?��

Ysabelle gave Monika a wan grin. “I did most of my learning in Haldon, where we have other ideas. That beast training you could tell you more, if you care to ask.”

Monika bristled, and when she saw Ysaballe tensing up in turn the apprentice let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and willed herself to calm down. Lots of people had reasons to dislike Deirdre. Void, Monika disliked Deirdre! Just let it go. Leeeeet it gooooo.

“In your opinion -” Monika began, and then she stopped. Ysabelle said nothing, but when the kettle started whistling did move to make the tea at last, giving the teen a lot more time to think. Getting a warm cup how she liked it (to wit, with enough sugar to kill nine men) to hold in her hands was a comfort of its own. “My master is concerned that if I can’t find a way to regulate my power, I could cause myself brain injuries. Maybe even those soul ones you’re talking about,” Monika explained at last. “How would I be able to tell if I’m close to danger?”

Comprehension dawned over Ysabelle’s expression; the healer added butter and sugar to her tea and stirred it slowly, clearly looking for the words she wanted to say. Monika had seen this look before, when trying to diagnose a tricky problem or injury and explain it in a way her patient would understand. “You probably don’t,” Ysabelle admitted after a moment. “Pain in the head without a clear cause could be one sign, but it might not be; a lot of the brain has no pain receptors, and if you’re bleeding internally you may not know until you have a stroke or even die. Fatigue can also be a sign of excessive magical expenditure, but given your affinity...”

“...I’ll probably be exhausted for other reasons,” Monika finished with a nod. “Hell, even just doing training with Lee leaves me exhausted.”

“Mister Lee puts you through your paces,” Ysabelle agreed. “And if you end up in battle, as you inevitably will given your master’s profession, the emotional toll can make self-awareness even more difficult. Your master is correct - you are in fact in an unknown amount of danger from yourself, and this danger of necessity will need to be addressed.” She and Monika took sips of their tea at the same time, each with expressions of Intense Contemplation on their faces. “If you could be so kind, please explain to Deirdre that you had this conversation with me, and that I may be able to suggest resources to the both of you on this matter which would require her rather more comprehensive powers of requisition. I am willing to speak to her at her earliest convenience.”

“Civilly?” Monika pressed.

Ysabelle sighed.

“Civilly,” the healer agreed, at last.

*

Vellkill Island, Grevelt. Midwinter.

The teleporter arrived without much fanfare, to the immediate panic of those posted there. Monika’s first clue that something was wrong was the mad scramble to put everything up to code, as if some kind of inspection was coming. She had just been about to find Deirdre and ask what was happening when her master found her instead.

“Uniform up, we’re due downstairs,” Deirdre ordered briskly. “And your books have arrived.”

“These related?” Monika hazarded, even as she moved to obey.

“Very. Try to be on your best behavior, the Colonel’s going to have a stick up his ass.”

‘Downstairs’ turned out to be the fort’s parade ground, where the soldiery were assembled in crisp formation. The Colonel (Monika went into her breathing exercises; stay calm, staaaay calm) was conversing in low tones with a tall, bald woman with skin just as dark as Monika’s own, a first since arriving at this Void-curst island. As they got closer, the apprentice noticed the dagger tattoo on the woman’s hand, just like the one on Deirdre’s.

Another Crimson Dagger. Oh no.

“Silencer,” the tall woman greeted with a nod. “Monika of Westkill. My name is Serethen of Javier. I have brought your requested materials.”

Monika bowed. Deirdre just nodded, and then opened her mouth: “Didn’t expect those until spring opened the seas up. What do you want?”

Serethen laughed and favored Deirdre with a faint smile. “Your reputation precedes you, Silencer. There is an ulterior motive, but it will wait. My journey has been long, and I am exhausted. You and your apprentice will take lunch with me tomorrow, and then we can discuss things.”

“I will have my rooms -” the Colonel began.

“Not you,” Serethen interrupted.

“That is hardly your place, Agent,” the island’s lord and master hissed, only to be forced to fumble and curse as a sealed envelope was thrown at him. He glared at the tall teleporter, and then at the envelope.

Later, much later, Monika would treasure the exact look on his face during darker times in her life.

“Not you,” Serethen repeated, and then she set down the heavy pack on her back. She gestured between it and Deirdre and then swept away with a quiet dignity and no small amount of self-satisfaction.

“I think I might want to be her when I grow up,” Monika said after a moment.

“Same,” her master echoed.

[prettywordsyouleft]

Nap Time

Summary: being pregnant wasn’t being kind on you even with your husband Jongin working hard to ease some of your burdens.

Pairing: Kim Jongin x reader

Genre: fluffy family au / pregnancy au

A/N: requested by my writing wife @ongsung. As soon as this request came in, I knew I had to wreck you (and other Jongin fans) with Dad/Husband Jongin. So here we go! I hope you enjoy it!

Word count: 1449

You hadn’t been this sick last time. In fact, as you thought over your last pregnancy, it had been so perfect that you had become complacent. Everything about being pregnant with your daughter was too easy. You slept and ate well, you exercised, heck you didn’t get a sore back until two weeks before delivering her. Even the labour was short not as excruciating as you had prepared for it to be. You had been the envy of all your friends and family, and secretly, you had lapped that attention up. Of course, once out of the womb your daughter was rambunctious and kept both you and your husband Jongin on your toes. How you had been convinced to have another child already still didn’t seem fathomable when your daughter was just hitting her terrible twos. And she was definitely living up to the title. Jongin seemed to think you were both ready for the challenge, reminding you of all the things you had enjoyed about being pregnant last time. Not to mention how vocal he was about how gorgeous you had looked to him when you were carrying your daughter. You knew you were beautiful to him all the time, but he had been a special kind of affectionate towards you when pregnant and you kind of missed him rubbing at your baby bump and talking to your growing baby every day. You had fallen more in love with him during those nine months than within the year of marriage before falling pregnant. Besides, you had assumed since the first pregnancy had gone so stellar, the second would follow the same track, right?

Boy, you had been wrong.

You were so sick you had no idea that you had actually fallen pregnant initially. You had thought it was some terrible cold that was affecting you from head to toe. Instead, it was found at eight weeks that you weren’t throwing up because your body was rejecting everything, rather, it was trying to accommodate new life. You had been hopeful that this phase of morning sickness would leave soon when you hit your second trimester.

It was still in full force at seventeen weeks and you were bedridden from it.

“Again?” Jongin asked as he found you laying in bed, looking as pale as the sheets surrounding you. He tenderly reached to cup your face in his hand and sighed. “Is anything being kept down?”

You sighed. “I’m doing better today but I still have no energy. It seems our Little Miss took all of mine and has channelled it into very active playtime in her room for the last fifteen minutes. I honestly am scared to go take a look at the mess passed what I’ve been watching on the baby monitor screen.”

“I’ll go check on her, and then keep her quiet for the rest of the afternoon so you can rest up.”

You smiled gratefully at your husband. “You know as much as I curse about this nightmare of a pregnancy, I’m so glad I have you to go through it with.”

“Where else would I be?” Jongin replied, leaning down to kiss your forehead. “You didn’t marry just any man, but the best man for you.”

You rolled your eyes but chuckled all the same. “Alright well we’ll see how much you can be the best Daddy too in getting her to play quietly, nap and not destroy our home for another day, shall we?”

“Just you wait, you’ll be singing my praises over dinner!” he exclaimed leaving you to it.

At first, Jongin had placated her somewhat. Even though you had the baby monitor volume turned off, you had heard all the noise from the room down the hallway from your bed for those fifteen minutes. It had definitely quietened down some and you actually were able to nestle into your bedding and close your eyes to catch up on some much-needed sleep. Pregnancy insomnia had kicked in a week ago and you had cursed the addition to your already miserable experience. Normally you wouldn’t get to nap during the day unless your mother was watching over your daughter so this would be a special treat.

Yet right as you were certain your dreams were going to lull you into a peaceful slumber, there was a loud bang and a whine from your husband accompanied it. Just what on earth had happened? Reaching for the monitor, you frowned when you found the bedroom empty. They had obviously gone out to the living room and so you listened for signs, deciphering whether you would need to haul yourself up out of bed or not.

“How about we watch Frozen?” you heard your husband say and your daughter screeched with excitement.

Crisis averted. You settled back down and closed your eyes.

And then you heard the song that was the bane of every parent’s existence. “Let it gooooooo, let it gooooo!”

“Shh, we don’t want to wake Mummy!”

“But Daddy, sing, sing!”

You smiled when you heard Jongin quietly join in singing as well.

For the next two hours, every time you almost fell asleep again, you would become alert, sometimes to sounds, other times to the fact that it was eerily silent. You knew it would be impossible to actually rest like this and heaved yourself up, holding a hand over your stomach as you shuffled to the living room. You found the pair engaged in a colouring session, both sticking their tongues out the side of their mouths in concentration.

“What are you doing?” you asked and your daughter snapped her gaze up towards yours.

“Mummy!” she exclaimed, running over and hugging you tightly. You sat down slowly and the toddler immediately climbed onto your lap. “We colour!”

“You’re colouring in with Daddy?” you repeated and she nodded energetically. You then looked to Jongin and smirked before looking back at your daughter. “And have you had nap time yet?”

Immediately your lap was vacated and a crayon was back in her hand. “WE COLOUR!”

“Now, now, baby girl, we don’t talk to Mummy like that.” Jongin sighed as he stared at you helplessly. “Nap time just didn’t seem to eventuate. Even for you, it seems.”

“How about we all go to bed instead?” you suggested and both Jongin and your daughter eyed you. “Bring the crayons and your beautiful picture you’re working on and we can all go cuddle up in bed, how does that sound?”

“Okay!” she cried, her chubby hands gripping at all she could muster.

Jongin helped you back to your feet and the three of you all went down to your bedroom, climbing into bed. You snuggled into Jongin’s side and your daughter sprawled out on her belly next to you. As she coloured, you gently rubbed at her back in soothing circles and after ten minutes, her head had drooped down to rest against the bedding, the crayon in her hand barely staying there in her loosened grip.

Jongin smiled. “How did you know she would fall asleep?”

“I didn’t,” you admitted and grinned up at your husband. “But even if she didn’t, at least it’s finally peaceful in this house.”

“Are you saying I didn’t do enough to make it that way?”

You shook your head. “You did all you could and I appreciate your efforts. Some days she’s just like a little tornado until she crashes. She’s always on the go.”

“She reminds me of someone else I know,” he teased and you rolled your eyes. “Even though I hate seeing you this sick, your pregnancy this time is actually making you slow down for a change.”

“Careful, I might have to demote you from the best man in my life.”

“Who will fill that spot?” he wondered and you both looked at your stomach, knowing that you were carrying a little boy this time from your scan last week. Jongin chuckled softly. “He’s causing so much havoc right now; reckon he’ll be worse than she is on the outside?”

“I’m hoping he’ll be the calm one. After all, if she takes after me, we’ll need someone to be a little like you, won’t we?”

“I like the sound of that,” he agreed, snuggling into you and running his hand up and down your arm. “And the idea of napping right now sounds blissful too.”

“Are you thinking your hand will send me off to sleep like it did her?” you asked, stifling a yawn. You had to admit, it did make sleep sound inviting again with his hand gently caressing you like that.

Jongin chuckled softly. “I’ll give you ten minutes and we’ll see what happens.”

_________________

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