#OH OH we're talking about Rowan? SURPRISE!

[elderwisp]

◁ || ▷ now playing

?: Go with the whiskey, it’s your favorite.

Atlas: I see your memory is still sharp as ever.

?: Always.

Atlas: What are you doing here, Rowan?

?: That’s no way to greet an old friend. 

Atlas: I’d prefer it if you stayed away.

Rowan: What’s the fun in that?

Atlas: I’d be happier. I dunno, some kind of repose for my soul.

Rowan: Ah, see, you must be mistaken if you think I’m what’s holding you back. People like us, well, we run towards trouble if given the opportunity.

Atlas: You’re a dirty liar.

Rowan: It’s the truth. You can pretend all you want in that pretty little head of yours but eventually it’ll all come out.

Atlas: Shut up. Shut. Up. As a matter of fact, get out. Go.

Rowan: Whatever you say, bunny. Looks like you’re about to have your hands full anyway. When you’re ready to stop pretending, you know where to find me.

Atlas: [ huffs ] 

Kai: Aren’t you mature? 

Atlas: Kai, we’re not doing this here.

Kai: Honestly, the nerve you have to show your face around here is appalling. 

Atlas: I’m only here for Dan.

Kai: Really now? Does she know that?

Atlas: What are you hoping to gain from this conversation? The passive aggression is getting old. 

Kai: Oh that’s rich! Maybe I shouldn’t have to throw hints at you to be a better friend!

Atlas: Christ, it’s not like I expected you to do that! Besides, I tried to make things right.

Kai: No you didn’t. I wanted you to be there, Atlas. I wanted you to actually put in some effort for once. 

Atlas: Really? Because you made it seem like it was a lot more than that the other day. 

Kai: You’re wrong-

Atlas: [ interjects ] Actually, I’m not done. You wanna know what your problem is? You expect every single person to figure out your petty feelings. Some advice? Be honest.

Kai: About what?! God you’re such an asshole I don’t understand how I liked you for that long!

Atlas: Huh. 

Kai: I, uhm.

Atlas: Is that why you treated Taryn like that?

Kai: What? No, I wouldn’t. 

Atlas: But you did. Wow. I can't believe you.

Kai: Wait. 

Atlas: So much for your concern over her, as if you actually cared or was that all a front too?

Kai: It wasn’t! I do care!

Atlas: You don’t know the first thing about sympathy!

Kai: I-I’m sorry.

Atlas: It’s too late for that now. Tell Dan I said bye, I can’t stand being here knowing you’re around.

[leclerc-s]

struggling to survive netflix

series masterlist

rhys jones word of advice: DO NOT watch season 6 of drive to survive.

max jones-verstappen you watch that crap?

rhys jones i couldn't sleep, it dropped, so i watched it. worst mistake of my life.

rhys jones i can't believe i was at several races and ryan made it onto the show before me.

esteban ocon oh yes, i forgot about that.

isabella perez someone tell charles they made him out to be the villain.

natalia ruiz just like max in season 1.

charles leclerc i did nothing wrong all season but have shitty luck.

dulce perez monza. charles leclerc i may have done one thing wrong.

rhys jones max went from being the formula 1 villain to being comedic relief.

max jones-verstappen i bet there was no mention of my win streak

isabella perez in the last fifteen minutes but only because christian mentioned it.

charles leclerc can i enter my villain era now?

pierre gasly do you even know what that is? charles leclerc je t'emmerde connard

rowan todd WHITE HORSE?? CONEY ISLAND?? WITH MAE?? ARE YOU TWO TRYING TO KILL US??

daphne jones-ricciardo 😁😁 mae jones-verstappen 😁😁

isabella perez CONEY ISLAND?? YOU SANG CONEY ISLAND?

isabella perez THIS IS FUCKING WORSE THAN LOSING MIRRORBALL!!

max jones-verstappen to be fair i lost seven to fucking pittsburg of all places.

rhys jones jokes on you guys, my song still safe.

daphne jones-ricciardo and what song is that rhys?

rhys jones thug song

daphne jones-ricciardo of fucking course it is.

alex albon crossing my fingers for monologue song next!

george russell charles cried when daphne sang this is me trying as a surprise song. i have a picture of it.

bailey winters one could say you "have it printed out" george russell hilarious bailey. bailey winter this is why lewis decided to leave mercedes, because you're dry as fuck george russell TOO SOON BAILEY!! TOO SOON!!

isabella perez sylvia just got me in trouble. apparently it's not good to speak out against netflix.

dulce perez i think it's more so because you spoke out in favor of a driver from a rival team and not that you spoke put again netflix. natalia ruiz i didn't get in trouble? charles leclerc it was probably the oscar part and not the netflix part isabella perez i got told by fred that it was okay??? just no spilling company secrets.

carlos sainz she probably just doesn't like you.

isabella perez wow.

lando norris to be fair, you are quite annoying. i get it.

dulce perez only i get to call her annoying kermit the frog

lance stroll we should wait until the next season for more drama. that's when it'll be good because of a certain someone breaking f1 twitter.

lewis hamilton talking about me? mick schumacher don't forget the secret contract lengths! esteban ocon and silly season!!

freya vettel i was fully expecting them to make oscar and lando to look like enemies. they've done it before.

isabella perez we should make a drinking game out of dts!! anytime d*nica shows up on screen we take a shot.

zoya torres we'd end up blackout drunk. george russell alternative, take a shot everytime will buxton says something funny. max jones-verstappen or anytime they make teammates who get along look like enemies. mae jones-verstappen you seriously still bitter about the daniel thing? max jones-verstappen YES! WE WERE NEVER ENEMIES!!

esteban ocon netflix doesn't know that friendships and rivalries can exist on the same scale.

rowan todd doesn't help that pierre said, "we'll never be best friends."

rhys jones i'm surprised they haven't brought in the nepotism card yet.

mick schumacher they did.

rhys jones i avoid that episode to not cry and charles' episode in season 1

isabella perez oh, same! we're very emotional people. i also avoid daniel's episode in season 5. and i can't stand otmar.

oscar piastri mood. esteban ocon same. pierre gasly you're lucky you didn't have to work with the guy. lance stroll welcome to the club

sebastian vettel any mention of my bee corner?

isabella perez no, and the people are upset. they wanted more of seb's buzzin' corner

logan sargeant he got the logan treatment, completely forgotten.

oscar piastri that's not funny mate.

alex albon lily and i are working on getting rid of his tendencies to degrade himself.

max jones-verstappen how's that working for you two so far? alex albon not well as you can see

daphne jones-ricciardo we have a new set of grid parents!

daniel jones-ricciardo GO TO SLEEP!

daphne jones-ricciardo shh! i just got to episode 3.

fernando alonso my favorite episode is episode 1.

max jones-verstappen ARE ALL OF YOU WATCHING IT?

lewis hamilton i wanted to see how they foreshadowed my move to ferrari. mae jones-verstappen daphne dragged me into this. daphne jones-ricciardo LIAR! IT WAS YOUR IDEA! george russell i wanted to see how i evolved through the season

max jones-verstappen i guess i should watch it.

daniel jones-ricciardo i promise you won't regret it.

12 hours later

max jones-verstappen you're a fucking liar daniel jones-ricciardo. i regret it so much.

taglist: @burningcupcakefire @arkhammaid @sunflower-golden-vol6 @applopie @lorarri @mypage-myfandoms @bb-swift @thewannabewriter @you-bleed-just-toknowyouarealive @stopeatread @hobiismyhopeu @lilsiz @alessioayla @niniluvsainz @au-ghosttype @cowboylikemets1989 @justtprachisblog @rmeddar123 @nichmeddar @landonorizzz @unluckyyoshi @Mimolovescookies @brekkers-whore @natcha888 @camdensreg @mycenterfold @dear-fifi @prongsvault @kaa212 @anxxiousaries @julesbabey1 @julesbabey @georgeparisole @Smnthnclj @dan3avocado @melissayalene @nothanqks @nikfigueiredo @bella-1 @namgification @jensonsonlybutton @chezmardybum @d3kstar @weekendlusting@anytimeanywherebitchblog @ragioniera @burberryfilms @trouble-sistar @lesliiieeeee @leclercsluv @33-81

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¡leclerc-s speaks! pushing my disliking for danica and otmar with this one. i still don’t understand why she was in season 6 of dts when she’s never driven an f1 car. i was thinking of doing a written part for the parts i made up but would anyone be interested in that?

¡disclaimer! this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!

[cc-cobalt-1043]

Barbecue:

One summer evening on Pabu The bad batch were heading to Shep's house, he was hosting a barbecue and had invited everyone.

The kids were practically pulling the adults along in their excitement.

"Cmon dad, we've been walking forever." Joey whined giving Cobalt an almighty tug forward.

"We've been walking for two minutes bud." Cobalt said as he was almost pulled off his feet.

"Yeah, forever, we're gonna be late at this rate." Joey said.

"Relax Joey, we won't." Cobalt said.

Just minutes later they arrived at Shep's where the man greeted them with one of his signature smiles.

"Hello friends, glad you could make it." He said.

Shep looked to the kids.

"Lyana is in the backyard if you want to see here." He added.

Shep quickly stood aside as the kids and Batcher charged through the door.

Laughing heartily the adults followed through the door and went into the garden where the kids and Lyana were already engrossed in conversation.

Soon Wrecker and Shep had gotten the barbecue started and a smoky smell had now enveloped the garden.

Daniel and James were chasing batcher around the garden, Boba, Zander and Rowan were talking with Mox, Stak and Deke about different ships they had seen and flown and Omega, Kordi, Cynthia and Lyana were sitting together having a whispered the silence interrupted by their frequent giggles.

Other guests soon arrived including Rex and several clones from the rebellion, Riyo Chuchi, Emerie, Phee and to everyone's surprise Rampart along with Jax, Sami and Eva.

"Hello Edmon, glad to see you." Shep said.

"It's a pleasure Shep." Rampart nodded before going and sitting next to Emerie while Jax, Sami and Eva went to the other kids.

Soon Shep, Wrecker and Gregor announced that dinner was ready and the kids eagerly ran over, even batcher and Lucky got a plate of food each. After the kids had been served the adults got their share of food and everyone dug in.

"Good as ever Gregor, you continue to impress." Rex said after a mouthful of fried porg.

"Oh Rex you honey dripper Gregor giggled pretending to blush.

Rampart took a bite of a pirg wing and he suddenly started gasping for breath.

"...To hot.." He gasped out.

Crosshair handed him a bottle from the cooler which Rampart took a large drink from.

"Can't handle your spices Edmon." Crosshair teased.

"Usually I can, but that was spicy even by my standards." Rampart said.

"Sorry about that, that must have been one of my fireball wings." Fireball piped up.

"What's the difference?" Rampart asked.

"They're much spicier than normal porg wings, that's how I got my name, cause I love spicy food." Fireball said.

"I see." Rampart nodded taking another drink of water.

Daniel was typing away on his tablet while chewing away at a pork chop with a healthy amount of apple suacce on it.

Nemec sat down next to him.

"Whatcha working on Danny?" He asked.

Daniel swallowed his food and wiped some sauce off his chin before awnsering.

"My own starfighter, I'm hoping to build it one day, once I'm old enough to do so anyways." Daniel said.

"Can I see?" Nemec asked curiously.

Dan nodded and passed Nemec the tablet.

Nemec whistled impressed.

"That's a nice looking fighter, I'd hate to be on the wrong end of that." Nemec said.

Daniel nodded his thanks blushing slightly with pride.

Sunset was approaching and by now the younger kids were getting tuckered out.

Sami, James, Lyana and Omega were passed out against Batcher who was curled up on the grass.

Eva had crawled onto Rampart's lap half an hour ago and was out cold, head resting against her adoptive father's chest.

Rampart was chatting with Martha along with Daniel who was fast asleep on his mother's lap similar to Eva.

Cynthia and Katie were chatting, about something funny, the two giggling on occasion.

Boba, Jax, Zander and the triplets were huddled together talking in low voices while nearby Kordi read a book with Rowan lying across her lap fast asleep.

Meanwhile Tech and Phee reatreted too the roof where the two watched the setting sun.

"It really is beautiful isn't it?" Phee asked.

"It most certainly is." Tech nodded in agreement.

The two shared a kiss together as the sun set and the others had fun.

[rorywritesjunk]

Life is just a Ferris wheel

The kids decide to see if they can call Sunny and Buggy 'mom and dad' without incident.

Rating: G, the kids are adorable. They think they're being sneaky. The parents know they are not being sneaky but it's just domestic stuff. Oak gets upset tho and cries but it's okay!! And another lil surprise at the end.

Title comes from "Lullabye" by Fall Out Boy

~

It took the kids a while after Cedar calls Buggy "dad" on accident to start calling Sunny "mom" on purpose. The three talked about it in secret while they washed dishes, but really, with both adults sitting nearby, it wasn't really a secret because Buggy and Sunny heard their conversations but didn't butt in.

Rowan decided to go first, testing the waters when she and Sunny are working on the mending pile that has grown into a mountain. She pointed at the piece of beeswax on the table next to Sunny's elbow and asked, "Mom, can I use the beeswax?"

And Sunny didn't react much except with a smile as she handed it over to her. It was a successful mission for Rowan and she was excited to report back to the boys that it went just fine.

Cedar was next. He was the youngest, cutest (his words), and he knew Miss Sunny wouldn't have a problem if he called her mom. He had planned to do it when they were working on breakfast together - it was his turn to help her in the kitchen that morning - and he wanted to be slick and unsuspecting, but when his fingers accidentally grazed the hot skillet, burning and startling him, he shrieked, "Mommy!" in surprise. Sunny ran her dish cloth under the faucet, getting it nice and cool before wrapping it around his hand carefully as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"You'll be okay, sweetie, just keep this wrapped around your hand." She said, kissing him on the forehead before leading him over to a chair to sit down. His fingers hurt but he felt better since she didn't seem to react to him calling her mom.

Oak was the oldest, wisest, and well, he was just going to say it he decided. Sunny was standing with Buggy, discussing something that sounded important, when Oak marched over to her and stood by them with his arms crossed. Buggy frowned when he saw the boy but said nothing, continuing his discussion with his wife. It didn't sound like a good discussion, something about Sunny leaving and Oak didn't like the sound of that.

Sunny looked over at the boy when she heard him sniffle loudly, alarmed to see him in tears. She knelt down in front of him, checking his hands and arms for any injury as he cried, wiping at his eyes as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Y-You're leaving?!" He cried as Sunny pulled him into her arms. "Wh-What did I do?"

"Oh, sweetheart, no, I'm not leaving you!" She insisted as she held him as his entire body shook with sobs. "No, no, you didn't do anything, but I'm not leaving, I promise!"

"Should've had the discussion in private." Buggy mumbled, looking uncomfortable as the kid continued to cry. "Ugh, it's not what you think, kid! Calm down!"

"Wh-hic-why did you say mommy was leaving?" Oak sniffled, looking up at Buggy. The Captain looked confused for a moment before remembering the conversation from seconds ago.

"We're visiting her parents, okay? It's not a big deal!" Buggy insisted.

Sunny rolled her eyes. "Yes, we are all visiting my mom and dad, but what we were talking about was how to tell you kids, that's all, because I didn't want to surprise you with this." She sighed and sat down on the deck, pulling the boy into her lap before looking up at Buggy. "I would have rather told them all at once, y'know."

Oak leaned into her, sniffing and rubbing his nose before looking up at her. She started stroking his hair gently, letting him relax in her arms.

"What I wanted to tell you kids was my parents are very excited to meet you, and if you guys want, they said you could call them Grandma and Grandpa, okay? But if you don't feel comfortable, that's okay too. I want you three to feel safe." Sunny told him as she held him tightly in her lap. "They think you three sound amazing and are impressed to meet our kids."

"We're your kids?" Oak asked, eyes wide, tears slowing down as he looked up at her.

"Yes! Of course you three are!" Sunny chuckled as she kissed him on the top of his head. "You three have been calling me mom all week, y'know, it's very sweet and I'm touched by that. And if you want, just start calling Buggy dad, he's fine with it."

"Hey! I'm still their Captain!" Buggy reminded her but Sunny grinned.

"And their dad. It's official." Sunny told him. "I'm making it official. Our kids can call us mom and dad if they want and it's fine."

Buggy huffed and crossed his arms. "Fine, on deck I'm Captain but everywhere else I'm dad!"

Sunny chuckled softly and looked down at Oak. "You can call him dad whenever, okay? Just like you can call me mom."

"Really?" The boy asked, looking between the two. "Promise?"

"Of course!" Sunny smiled. "I promise. You're all of our kids and we love you very much."

Oak believed her and nodded, wiping his nose on the back of his hand before hugging her. Buggy sighed and looked over at the piles of ropes, crates, and other supplies. He could see the top of the heads of the other two, no doubt listening in on the conversation. He would have left them alone but when Cedar popped his head up, locking eyes with Buggy for a moment, the pirate waved them over. The two scampered over and wrapped themselves around Sunny, chattering excitedly about calling her mom, about a new adventure, and well, it was sweet for a moment but Buggy needed the monsters to get back to their chores.

After they hugged Sunny and even him, they scampered off to finish their chores for the day. Buggy shook his head and huffed, looking over at his wife.

"Why didn't you tell them the other thing?"

"Because that's the next surprise." Sunny smiled as he held his hand out to her, pulling her to her feet. Once she was steady, he put his hand against her stomach with a frown. "It's way too early to feel anything, honey."

"I was just checking, geez!" Buggy grumbled. "Can't I touch my wife?"

"Considering that's how I ended up this way." She teased him before kissing his cheek. "I'm going to get things ready for dinner. Be good to them, honey."

Buggy sighed and let her walk away. He could barely manage these dependent kids, how was he going to manage a newborn as well?

[carabas]

Dragon Age Veilguard liveblogging -

Why did they make the ghostly Fen'harel ritual wolves so cute, and yet make them disappear as soon as we get close enough to see them. Deeply unfair.

Just a little guy!

Elgar'nan talking about potential traps in the Crossroads: "Fen'harel's spite is endless and his trickery not easily overcome." I'm paying close attention any time our spirit companion's name comes up in lowercase form, since compassion and justice were pretty much the defining themes of their respective games - I'm kind of surprised that our companion this time is Spite and not Regret, actually. They've been hammering home the regret theme pretty hard! But I guess spite's not exactly unrelated.

And then at the Halls of Valor, both Isabela and Seer Rowan referring to Spite not as a demon but as a Spirit of Determination - I love this, I want to chew on this.

INQUISITOR!!

Harding going through a crisis about the Chant being a lie! Everybody gets to have a religious crisis! It's equality!

I already had collected all five wolf statues before Lavellan's visit so we're going through the restored images of Solas's regrets one right after the other, all these big theories being confirmed all at once, and it feels like the moment at the end of a mystery story where the detective gathers everyone together - the kind of story where the ending isn't an attempt to catch the audience off guard with a surprise twist, it's the satisfying payoff of spotting the clues and putting them together. The way these games are written feels so rewarding.

And then I go confront the Formless One, the last of the four Forbidden Ones, we've met them all now across the four games, and it's hitting me that this has to be the final Dragon Age game, right? I mean, you could tell endless stories in this setting if you wanted, but the story they have been building for four games is coming to a conclusion here. Everything from the big foundational lore mysteries right down to this one reoccurring side quest is wrapping up. I wonder if this game will have a cliffhanger the way every previous Dragon Age has, or if there will finally be a proper ending. (Don't tell me.)

Also, while visiting the Necropolis:

Harding: This doesn't look like wine. Emmrich: Oh, grave-mist isn't a wine. It's magically infused vapors captured near tombs where spirits dwell. I don't partake myself, but it's supposedly quite invigorating.

...Making a note of that one for fanfic purposes.

[madamecerberusfanfics]

Can You Love Yet

Ch. 4 Getting Started

Tom Riddle x Reader/OC

summery: Trying to find a cure for the effects caused to those conceived from a love potion, to help her mother finally feel love for her family. A boy caches her eye & believes he could be of great use to her research. He how ever wants nothing to do with her until he hears the rumors about her & her family believing she could help with his goal. Agreeing to help one another out for their own personal gain they did not realize just how this partnership was going to play out.

As Tom stood staring out the window of his new room, thoughts & questions filling his mind. Was Rowan right, was he incapable of love, now that he thinks of it has he ever felt love towards anything.

The sound of knocking interrupted his thoughts, the voice of Holly coming from the other side of the door. "Dinner will be done shortly & Rowan's father is here ready to meet you when ever your ready dear." Her voice just as solemn as before. "I'll be right out" Tom replied as he looked around the room for a mirror to fix himself, he noticed there was non in the room, not thinking much of it he left. Seeing Holly a few feet away he spoke "Miss Holly do you have a moment" with that charming smirk on his face. Stopping & turning around for Tom, giving him an obviously empty smile, both pretending putting up a front. "Is there something you need dear"

"Yes, in fact. I've noticed that Rowan is good when it comes to reading people" before he could even finish a light airy laugh excepted from Holly. "Oh yes, she always has been, you know as babies we're pretty good at reading the emotions of those around us but as we grow the need for that lessens & so if it fades... however with my children it has seemed to last," Now looking at him with a knowing look, leaning closer to him. "I wonder why"

Before he had time to respond they had made it to the stairs with Rowan & a man at the bottom. The man was thin & short with white hair, once slicked back now a mess , beaming at them with such happiness it had surprised Tom. The contrast of Rowans parents were drastic, one melancholic & calm while the other seemed to be filled with happiness & excitement.

"This is the new friend Rowan told us about, Tom Riddle" Holly gestured towards him as they made their way down the stairs. "Oh what a pleasure to meet you young man, I can't tell you how happy I am to see that Row made a friend & so quickly to, nice to meet you, please call me Killian." Taking Tom's hand & shacking it even before his feet had left the stairs. This is not how Tom was expecting someone who sees death everywhere to act. "Its a pleasure to meet you to sir & thank you for allowing me to stay."

"Well I couldn't say no after Rowan informed us of your situation, I just hope that you'll come to find this place as a suitable enough home when your not at Hogwarts." With that he turned towards the dinning room ruffling Rowans hair in the process. " Come on now wouldn't want the food to get cold now"

Sitting down at a small table with just enough chairs for all of them, with a lovely but small variety of food covering the table, it almost reminded Tom of how the feast at Hogwarts were setup just on a smaller scale. They all talked mainly asking about how their first year was, all the laughter & smiles never stopped even Holly looked to be genuinely enjoying herself. Is this what its like to to have a family, is this what Tom was missing out on. The thought came back to his mind, could he love, what does love even look or feel like, would he ever know if it slapped him in the face.

As Tom finished the last bite of his food he excused himself from the table in order to wash up a bit & to fix up his appearance. He made it to the powder room, opening the door he was met with a small room, an ornate sink one side & a matching toilet on the other. Oddly enough right above the sink where you would expect a mirror to be a painting was is its place. It was of a forest littered with little hidden details, animals & plants of all kinds. Realizing that he has not come across a single mirror in this house, not in the hallways, nor the room & not even in the bathroom. Thinking about it as he cleaned himself up at the sink,  finally coming to the conclusion that finding out someone's death by looking at their face also applies to their own face as well.

Stepping out of the bathroom Tom was met by Rowan. "Took you long enough" saying playfully as a smile crossed her lips, "come follow me so we can discuss our arrangement." As they started to walk together Tom speaks before Rowan could. "I've noticed that lack of mirrors, I assume that has to do with the trait your family possess" both set of eyes keep forward as she lead him to a set of big doors not to far. "You've assumed correctly, being able to know someone's death is not just restricted to others but ourselves as well as our family to" opening the doors & stepping in to what appears to be a library/potion room. "But that's not what we're here for now"

It was large room with a ceiling so high up that there was a second level that you needed stairs to get to, walls filled top to bottom with books. A large fireplace surrounded by couches, chairs & side tables, the rest of the room was littered haphazardly with the same furniture with some tables here & there. At the other side was a large window reaching top to bottom of the room. A large table meant for brewing sat in front of it a long side dozens of plant meant for the same.

"Our first step is research & information gathering, mainly on love potions & any other potion or ingredients relating." Rowan explained as she walked further in the room. Walking in & examining the room Tom wondered if this was worth it, having someone be in control of him, telling him what to do, merlin how he hated it. Soon enough he realized that being in the that orphanage, surrounded by those who looked down on him while knowing now that he was better then them, that was even worst.

As they made it to the potion table, it was littered with books & note books a like. "This is all the information I managed to gather, mainly on potion brewing its self, herbology, & a few other things." Looking over the pile taking note of some of the books, Tom understood the first goal in this endeavor.

"We are making a potion that has never been made before best we understand what we're dealing with." His voice was empty, his dark eyes moved from the pile of books to Rowan's, his face void of any emotion.

"Come now this pile wont research its self." 

[utterlyrandomperson]

Lister's Demise (Or Victory, Depending On Who You Ask)

Fandom: I Was Born For This / The Ark

Summary: Lister is up to his usual shenanigans, Rowan retaliates, and Jimmy observes.

Content Warning: tickling, swearing

A/N: I heavily based this fic on the only piece of tickle-related content I could find about The Ark / IWBFT, which were these The Ark headcanons by @secretleeblogging (I hope that's okay for you, if not please let me know). In case this fandom isn't entirely dead and there are some people out there who were waiting for a The Ark tickle fic: here you go! Enjoy :D

"What are you doing?"

The way Rowan squints his eyes would've put Jimmy to flight long ago, yet all Lister does is tilt his head.

"Tickling you", he answers as casually as if he's been asked what the weather's like. Rowan bites his lip and just stares at the other for some seconds. Then his pokerface suddenly disappears as he flinches and chuckles when Lister starts poking his side. He slightly curls into the touch, but to Jimmy's surprise makes no attempt to stop the other.

"I figured. And why exactly are you doing that?", Rowan asks in an exaggeratedly patient tone. The corners of Jimmy's mouth twitch upwards when he sees irritation flash in Lister's eyes and realizes that Rowan isn't fighting him off because he knows that that's what Lister wants him to do. And he knows that not giving the other the big, loud reaction he expects will piss him off. He's not wrong about that, Lister's expression does turn sulky for a second. But the drummer isn't disheartened that easily - much to Rowan's discontent- and responds to the latter's antics by tickling him with a lot more intensity.

Rowan gasps when his hips are squeezed and can't stop the reflex of grabbing onto the offending hands. He lets out a small noise that sounds suspiciously like a giggle. Lister smirks at the reaction and nimbly draws his hands back, then latches onto the other's ribcage a second later.

Rowan pushes him off as soon as he manages to coax some real laughter out of him (which doesn't take too long) and simply says, "Okay okay, alright, enough now", as if that would settle the matter.

But this is Lister Bird we're talking about. And the moment Rowan turns his back and starts to walk away, he's back at it. Jimmy can't help but grin at the way Rowan jerks and yelps when Lister buries his fingers in the back of his ribcage.

"Lister-", Rowan starts in a warning tone but is cut off by his own gasp and a narrowly suppressed fit of giggles. Lister cackles. "Oh? Not that unaffected by it after all, are you?"

Rowan raises his hands to push the older away, but Lister is quicker. He wraps his arms around his bandmate and pulls him very close. What looks like a tight hug at first turns out to be a restraint for Rowan and an opportune position for Lister to wiggle all of his fingers into the younger's sides.

Rowan flinches and tries to break free - without effect. And now that he is forced to endure more than a few seconds, it doesn't take long until the ticklish sensations tear down his self-control. Lister cheers when Rowan finally breaks into laughter.

"Ha! I knew you were more ticklish than you let on", the drummer says triumphantly. Rowan let's out a noise that Lister later insists was definitely a shriek when he feels fingers worming their way under his shirt and tickling his lower back. He squirms and struggles until he manages to block most of the area with his pinned down arms.

"Lister believe me, you don't want to do this", he warns and Jimmy is impressed that despite sounding strained, his voice doesn't waver. The threatening tone in it is unmistakable. Yet again, Lister decides to ignore all red flags. He sighs and moves his hands so one is skittering all over the younger's back, the other over his stomach.

"I'd love to believe you Ro, but how can I when tickling you results in this?" He squeezes Rowan's hip as he says 'this', which forces a laugh and several swear words out of the younger. "How could I not want to do this?"

Rowan opens his mouth to answer, but not a single word makes it out. Instead, he immediately bursts out laughing because Lister starts tickling him everywhere he can reach. The older's nimble fingers dart from sides to shoulders and neck to ribs, moving too fast to give Rowan the chance to fight them off. Jimmy is intrigued as he realizes that Lister has been going easy beforehand. But now he isn't anymore, which Rowan's slightly panicked fits of laughter are proof of.

Jimmy isn't sure if Rowan still has a chance to get the upper hand back because at this point he is laughing really hard. It's an endearing sight since Rowan typically doesn't let this side of himself show too much. Well. It's not like he chose to show it this time but rather Lister who is forcing him to by pinching his upper ribs over and over and over again.

Rowan seems on the verge of begging for mercy. He has bent his body as much as Lister's hold on him allows and his knees keep buckling, like they can't support his own weight much longer. His eyes are shut and he gasps for breath in between fits of laughter. And Lister doesn't relent. He keeps on tickling him, keeps on squeezing his sides, wiggling his fingers into his armpits, until-

When Jimmy hears the helpless "Lister plehease" tumble from Rowan's lips, he is convinced this is the official declaration of Lister's victory. The latter seems to share that conviction because he lets out a triumphant laugh and eases up on his attack.

But what do they say? You may have won the fight, but you haven't won the war. Because the moment Lister's hold on him weakens, Rowan frees his arms with a powerful tug and pushes the older away. As Lister stumbles backwards, Rowan pounces.

Lister's back hits the floor before Jimmy has the time to finish wondering where Rowan suddenly got that much strength from. The latter just then grabs Lister's wrists and pins them to the older's chest using only one of his own hands. When he speaks, his tone is ominous - but he has a wide grin on his face and his eyes sparkle playfully.

"Your should have listened."

Lister's eyes widen and he shakes his head back and forth.

"Nonononono-"

He lets out an actual scream the second Rowan's fingers make contact with the bare skin of his stomach, causing Jimmy to flinch and cover his ears.

"Jesus!", he exclaims, both in shock and amusement.

Rowan laughs and starts tracing little shapes with his nails which causes Lister to panic even more.

"Don't, Ro don't- RO! ROWAN!"

But Rowan doesn't seem to be in a listening mood because he picks up the pace and skitters and spiders his nails all over the older's tummy and sides. Lister immediately becomes frantic. He bursts into a fit of giggles and kicks his legs in all directions.

He gasps and tries to splutter some words, but Rowan hinders him when he swirls a single finger over Lister's lower side, then starts scratching and prodding it. Jimmy isn't surprised when Lister screams with laughter and desperately tugs at his pinned arms. He knows from experience that that is a spot one can kill Lister with.

And currently it seems as if that's what Rowan is aiming for because he is being merciless. Lister has definitely seen that coming from ten miles away and provoked him anyway. Typical Lister.

"Are you seriously this ticklish?", Rowan asks with a smirk because the older doesn't seem capable of doing anything other than laugh and shriek. Lister just shakes his head and continues giggling like crazy. Rowan continues for some seconds, then begins switching between firm pokes and feather-light spidering. Lister screeches, which makes Rowan flinch. The latter chuckles incredulously.

"Oh you’ve got to be kidding me-"

He moves his fingers towards the older's waistline and Lister immediately kicks out and starts laughing so hard that his whole body trembles.

"Here too?", Rowan teases with a wicked smirk.

Lister looks like he's out of his mind at this point and Jimmy can't blame him. While it is fun watching Rowan tickling their drummer to pieces, it's also low-key scary how skilled and tactical he is. Jimmy makes a mental note to never provoke Rowan into tickling him that ruthlessly.

Although Rowan probably never would. He always recognises when the fits of laughter start sounding too breathless or even distressed and he never keeps going from there. The thing with Lister is that while he starts screaming the moment someone tickles him, he does have an incredibly high tolerance for it. Sometimes Jimmy thinks that it's more than just tolerance... judging from the amount of times he has provoked people (mainly Rowan) into tickling him, it should be fair to assume that he... likes it.

The thought that Lister doesn't just look happy because Rowan is making him laugh but that he actually is happy because Rowan is tickling him makes Jimmy smile fondly. It would definitely fit, though. Lister has always been the type to bond through physical touch.

Just as Jimmy is thinking all this, Lister finally manages to gather enough air to form words again.

"Please! Plehease, Jimmy hehelp me!!"

Jimmy sees the tears sparkling in the corners of his eyes, but he also notices Rowan slowing down and giving the older the chance to catch his breath.

"You did kind of do this to yourself", Jimmy responds with a raised eyebrow and an impish smile. He can't help teasing him now that he has the chance to because normally it is Lister teasing him about all sorts of things.

"How right he is about that", Rowan says nonchalantly and starts tickling Lister's thighs as if that wasn't another spot that has the drummer in hysterics after only seconds.

For the first time, Rowan seems to have trouble holding the other down because he is writhing and kicking his legs like his life depended on it. Yet Rowan manages to keep his hand wrapped around the older's upper thigh and squeezes it over and over again. After unsuccessfully trying to shake Rowan's hand off, Lister just shuts his eyes and tilts his head back.

"Plehease! Rowan please, this is torture!"

Rowan clicks his tongue.

"Oh shush. Tickling here would be torture." He wiggles a finger into the other's armpit and Lister flinches heavily.

"You're lucky I can only manage to pin your arms to your chest and not above your head."

"You're lucky I have sore muscles from working out, otherwise you wouldn't manage to pin my little finger with your twig arms."

Jimmy cracks up when he sees the look of utter disbelief on Rowan's face. There are few things that can render Rowan speechless, but Lister's out-of-nowhere clap-backs are definitely one of them. It takes Rowan a couple of seconds to remember that he's the one who's supposed to be in control. But once he does, the vengeful sparkle in his eyes makes Lister's smug smile wobble.

"Are you sure it's because of your sore muscles? Or is it because you are just too bloody ticklish to be able to defend yourself once you start laughing?"

Lister doesn't respond and Jimmy notices the faint blush on his cheeks. Rowan's just too good at this. Seeing their playful interactions suddenly makes Jimmy's mischievous side emerge and he props himself up.

"Will you let him go after that if I help you?"

It takes a moment for the meaning of his words to sink in.

Once it does, Lister chokes on his spit and Rowan cackles.

"Deal", the latter says.

Lister panics.

"No. NO! Jimmy don't, don't you dare- noho! Plehease, you can't betray me like that!"

He breaks into anticipatory giggles as soon as Jimmy gets up from the sofa and approaches them.

"You asked for my help, but I don't see a reason why I should help only you. So I decided to help Rowan and you."

The drummer shakes his head. "Yohou're not helping me!"

Jimmy crouches down next to his bandmate and gives him a crooked smile. "I am! I bargained for Rowan to let you go afterwards."

"You're such a hypocrite!"

Jimmy pokes his side and Lister gasps.

"I'd watch my tongue if I were you."

Lister stops protesting and instead lets out a giggly whine. Jimmy's heart does a somersault because of how cute he is. He throws a glance at Rowan and the fond look on the other's face tells him that he shares that feeling.

Jimmy leans forwards and grabs Lister's wrists, then tentatively pulls them upwards.

The older starts squirming and shakes his head and it does take some effort to pin his wrists above his head... but Jimmy knows that Lister ultimately lets it happen. The older is stronger than him and if he really wanted to, he could most probably free his wrists. Jimmy smiles to himself but doesn't say anything. Lister would probably die if Rowan knew.

"Ro you can't- NO! Waitwaitwait plehease-"

Rowan smirks at the gasp Lister lets out when he starts tracing extremly light circles onto his exposed underarms. It doesn't take five seconds until Lister is shaking with laughter and starts begging.

"Nonono plehease! I cahan't stand this! Roho!"

Jimmy giggles at the sight of Lister almost losing his mind because it really doesn't look like Rowan is torturing him. He's still just drawing slow, lazy circles with his nails.

"I'm barely doing anything!", Rowan comments on exactly that.

"You knohow that makes it wohorse!", Lister splutters, desperately trying to dislocate Rowan's hands by squrming left and right. Rowan raises an eyebrow and exchanges a look with Jimmy, whose wide grin is virtually spelling 'Lister is the cutest being in the entire fucking universe'. Rowan chuckles incredulously.

"I did, in fact, not know that. But thanks for the tip. So does this mean that it will tickle really badly if I-"

And he sneaks his fingers into the sleeves of the older's shirt and curls and uncurls his nails on his bare armpits in the most gentle way possible. Lister screams before he bursts into a fit of high-pitched giggles, which quickly transforms into low and loud belly laughs.

"Rowahan!"

The mentioned grins.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Lister gasps and frantically shakes his head. The tickling has weakened him so much that he's barely squirming anymore. He just keeps trembling with laughter.

"Oh my Gohod! Ro stop torturing mehe!"

Rowan suddenly picks up the pace which makes the older shriek and throw his head back.

"Oh come on Lister, you know what I want to hear. And as long as you are too stubborn to apologize, you suffer."

Jimmy expects Lister to start rambling instantly, but the latter does no such thing. He just keeps on laughing. And somehow his laughter begins to sound like he is laughing at Rowan. As if he finds the idea of apologizing to Rowan absolutely ridiculous. The latter makes a frustrated noise and Jimmy is very amused by the fact that despite the circumstances, Lister still manages to piss him off. But retribution comes quickly.

"Okay. For the record: you did this to yourself."

After that comment, Rowan starts tickling Lister all over. And boy is he merciless.

He tickles everywhere he can reach and changes spots so fast that Lister is constantly flinching. He scribbles over his neck, then squeezes his thigh and hip, then slides his hands under his shirt and traces shapes over his stomach and the part of his lower back he can reach. Some seconds later, he pinches up and down the drummer's ribcage in a torturously precise manner.

Lister endures maybe ten seconds before he breaks. Tears are sparkling in the corners of his eyes when he finally splutters an apology.

"Alrihight I'm sohorry! I'm sohorry for annoying you, Rowan plehease."

Rowan teases him for some more seconds, then he finally relents.

"That took you long enough", he comments dryly, but the look on his face is extremely fond as he watches Lister curl up once Jimmy lets go of his wrists.

Lister doesn't respond and Jimmy can't blame him. His chest is rising and falling as he gasps for air and some residual giggles are still tumbling from his lips. Jimmy reaches out to soothingly stroke his back and the older flinches when he registers the touch but soon after relaxes into it.

"Your image would be ruined if people saw how damn cute you actually are", Rowan teases with a chuckle. Lister groans.

"Shut uhup you asshole."

"Wow, you apologize to me and then manage to insult me within the next thirty seconds. Must be a new record."

Lister sits up and glares at Rowan.

"I tickled you for maybe twenty seconds. Your retribution was absolutely disproportionate."

Rowan snorts and returns the look.

"Oh stop it with the hypocrisy. You knew exactly what the consequences were gonna be when you decided to be an annoying prick. In fact, I'm starting to think the consequences are why you choose to be an annoying prick in the first place."

Oh. Rowan's not that oblivious, then.

Lister blushes and doesn't respond, but the look he gives Rowan very clearly says 'if you say one more word I will murder you in your sleep'. Rowan's smirk is nothing short of wicked. He holds eye-contact for some seconds, then he turns away.

"I'll go make some tea."

And he leaves the room as if nothing has happened.

Lister side-glances at Jimmy but doesn't meet his eyes, as if he's afraid of what he will find there. Jimmy gently touches his knee.

"He's not judging you, you know. Neither am I. But..."

He waits for Lister to meet his eyes and while the look he gives him is fond, his smile is mischievous.

"But we will tease the shit out of you for it. We have years of you being a pain in our asses to catch up on."

Lister's blush intensifies and he averts his gaze on reflex. After some seconds of staring at the floor, he bites his lip and throws Jimmy a sideglance.

"Prick", he murmurs and breaks into a grin. Jimmy can see the relief in his eyes. The younger shakes his head and laughs. He tries to squeeze Lister's side, but the latter is expecting it and fends him off.

He squeezes his knee instead, which makes him squeak.

"Come on. Let's channel our inner 'old man energy' and join Rowan for tea."

A/N Wow, didn't think anyone would make it this far ^^'. Thanks a lot for reading and in case you just read the fic without knowing who the hell these people are, go read I Was Born For This, it's amazing <3

Masterpost

[usernoneexistent]

Penny drags Juniper to the Ravenclaw quidditch tryouts as a distraction from Ben's disapperance when Penny and someone else makes a suggestion for Juniper to try for the quidditch team.

Warnings: description of injury, mild panic attack from phobia

The northern weather didn't want to hold up in this continuous downpour. A fog lingered over the castle grounds refusing to leave and causing minor delays.

Penny dragged Juniper out one weekend to the quidditch pitch. She knew that Penny had something planned but didn't expect this. It temporarily helped distract them from their focus on Ben, who had been missing for over two weeks at this point.

"What's going on, Penny?"

"We're going to watch the quidditch tryouts. Today is Ravenclaw's turn." Penny responded eagerly.

Juniper furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Um...but why Ravenclaw? Why no Hufflepuff? That's your house."

"I know but Skye Parkin from the legendary Parkin family is trying out today!" Penny grabbed Juniper's out of excitement and squealed.

"Who's she?" Juniper looked at her with more puzzlement.

Penny's jaw dropped like Juniper had said something as audacious as Rita Skeeter's articles.

"You don't know...who Skye Parkin is?" Still looking bewildered.

"Should I?"

"Yes, Juniper! You share the same dorm with her for Merlin's sake!" The Hufflepuff passionately exclaimed. Juniper recalled her dorm mates, Tulip Karasu and Badeea Ali. Her mind was drawing a blank at the other girl.

"Oh."

"Oh, what?" Penny turned to Juniper, confused. "Don't you talk to the other girls in your dorm."

It clicked in her head that Skye must be the other girl she doesn't remember, and she does recall that she seemed to be somewhat standoffish.

"A wee bit to Tulip and Badeea, but no really. I mostly talk to Rowan whenever we're in the dorms." Juniper shrugged, not that she minded. "So how'd you ken about Skye Parkin? You don't strike me as a massive quidditch fan."

"I was surprised you weren't a Scot, but my family lived in Wigtown for a while. I heard about the Parkins, who are legends there. Their family has been playing for the Wigtown Wanderers. Mum took me and my sister to our first quidditch match, where we watched them play, and so I started following them." The Hufflepuff explained.

It surprised Juniper that Penny had lived in Scotland for a while, and she would have never guessed based on her English accent.

As they drew closer to the pitch, Andre Egwu caught up with them.

"Hey, Juniper! Penny." Andre acknowledged the Hufflepuff before turning his attention to Juniper. "Are you here for the tryouts?"

"Yeah."

"Great! What position are you playing for?"

"Position?"

"Are you not here to try out for the Ravenclaw quidditch team?" Andre looked at his fellow Ravenclaw, confused.

Juniper shook her head profusely. "No, I'm here to watch it with Penny. She invited me to come along."

"Yes, I did. I'm here to watch Skye Parkin." She said excitedly. "Are you doing the tryouts, Andre?"

"Anything really. I enjoy quidditch, all of it. Though secretly, I'm hoping I get either keeper or seeker position." Andre walked with them to the desk outside the changing rooms. "You're good at flying, Juniper. Why aren't you trying out for the team?"

"I don't ken. I would nae call myself amazing. I enjoy flying, but I only ken the basics of quidditch." She fiddled with her fingers.

"Why don't you just it a try, Juniper?" Penny suggested, her smile beaming brightly. "What's the worst that can happen?"

Ending up in the hospital wing, Juniper grimly thought. While the idea of a high-speed chase might seem exciting, it's important to consider the potential risks. The thought of ending up in the hospital makes her stomach churn.

"I don't know guys..."

"Penny's right, just try it and if it isn't your thing then it's not."

"Besides, it could help you hunt for the cursed vaults." The Hufflepuff pointed out. Juniper could build stamina, and Merlin knows that her arms are made of noodles.

Juniper sighed. "I'll try it out but yous are going to have to give me an intense five-minute crash course."

An intense crash course she received indeed. Juniper found she was more confused with the new knowledge gained than ever before, but there was little more she could do. She signed up with Andre for the seeker position as it was the most appealing. Juniper was slightly nervous that she would make an absolute fool of herself; she could feel her breakfast from earlier threatening to unleash itself.

She followed Andre, changed into the gear provided, and grabbed the school's cleansweep broom they supply if a student didn't have or couldn't afford it.

The group mixed with old and new members was enough to split into two separate teams. They were to play a few rounds depending on how long the games go.

"Greetings, everyone. Welcome to the Ravenclaw tryouts. I am Orion Amari, your new captain for the quidditch team." An older student in blue and bronze quidditch robes with his shoulder-length curly hair tied back with loose strands hanging in his face where a few stubbles followed his jawline. "It's time to create a new team as another year has gone by. The goal is to create harmony within the new team by balancing the perspectives of both new and experienced members."

The captain went on; Juniper noticed he looked much older than most students. Orion went on and introduced the first test; broom balancing.

The newcomers were slightly bewildered, but the returning players were not surprised. Based on what Penny and Andre had explained, Orion Amari was made captain for this year and was known to be a combination of odd and intriguing. The test was more challenging than it looked. Some were wobbling while others were hopping. Someone even fell off and failed to move to the next round. Juniper struggled, watching the others until she started focusing on herself. The remaining students passed and could go on to round two, the actual practice.

They were split into two teams. Juniper found herself on the same team as the girl with the blue-dyed hair from her dorm room. She must be Skye Parkin, the one Penny has been raving about. The two teams got ready as Madam Hooch prepared to release the balls. Juniper prepared herself, ready to catch the golden glint to follow. She was up against Andre, so she didn't like her odds.

"Welcome to the Ravenclaw tryouts, where promising novices and returning players take their shot at being part of the Ravenclaw team." Juniper glanced up at the commentator tower. She squinted and saw a blonde boy with a microphone. "Chances are that only 42.8% of them will actually make the team."

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed another blonde person. Penny was in the Ravenclaw stands with the other spectators. Juniper glanced around and saw that that was the only stand filled.

"Good luck, everyone, and may the best team win." Madam Hooch blew her whistle as the box opened. She noticed a flash of gold before it quickly flew away.

Juniper felt the blood rush to her head as she instinctively dived down. The snitch was down near the Gryffindor stands like it was blending with the gold colours.

A broom handle approached next to her; Andre was catching up close, observing her movements. She seemed unable to hear anything except the loud sound of wind rushing past her ears. The Ravenclaw figured it was best to ignore Andre and keep her focus on the goal.

The snitch weaved through the wooden stand structure in a zig-zag, like it was teasing them. Andre followed the movements precisely, but Juniper chose to remain outside, avoiding their brooms from clashing, and suddenly went snitch and went up.

She heard a clack before almost flying off her broom. An audible gasp as they quickly gripped their brooms for dear life. She and Andre had the same idea of flying upwards and didn't notice the other nearby.

"Great, now the snitch is gone." Andre muttered.

"It'll come up." Juniper optimistically reasoned.

"Watch out!"

A bludger came spinning their way. The two novice seekers scattered in opposing directions. She flew high but not high enough to lose the game in the fog. Juniper wished that the sun was out to use its beam to spotlight the snitch. It would make it much easier and bring a win to her team. The others were in the lead by twenty points already.

Penny cheered loudly as Skye Parkin scored a goal. Her team was a little closer to beating, but not how Juniper liked it. While staring, Juniper had to do a double take at the hoops.

The snitch! And she wasn't the only one to notice.

Juniper gripped her broom tightly and headed quickly as the cleansweep could. As she drew closer, the keeper attempted to block her efforts to allow Andre to capture the snitch. It seemed that Skye had noticed the situation and attempted to divert the keeper's attention by scoring another goal with the quaffle.

Juniper was determined that she wouldn't allow that, and to her luck, the snitch moved closer, barely behind the keeper. The keeper continued to block her while simultaneously trying to focus on Skye. Still, just as the snitch was about to fly away, Juniper swung her arm narrowly, avoiding the keeper's ear and grabbing the snitch.

The keeper looked shocked while Juniper apologetically smiled. Her heart pumped so loudly she thought it was going to burst.

"Sorry, I hope I did nae hurt you."

"Yeah, no you didn't." He said.

Her team cheered for their first victory. Andre flew next to her.

"Well played for a complete novice." Andre reached out his hand as Juniper firmly shook back.

"It's probably just beginner's luck." Juniper shrugged. The other teammates patted her back in congratulations before Orion shuffled the teams about. She was out this round, sitting on the sidelines. The older seeker played hard, twisting his broom in ways that Juniper could never, inevitably causing Andre to lose.

Several rounds later, Juniper's first win was really just beginner's luck. She slowly began to lose to Andre and the other more experienced seekers, particularly to an arrogant sixth-year named Roan Smith. Too many close calls, and she had to rely on the chasers to score enough to make for the loss. It didn't help to see their visible frustration and dagger-like stares.

In the last round, Juniper was utterly disheartened. Just hours ago, she thought she would be okay with a loss. Instead, a fiery competitive side came out. She hated being this useless to her team.

The novice seeker was onto the snitch the moment it was released. Fury controlled her flying; she weaved narrowly, avoiding bumping into the other players. Andre even backed off slightly due to her unpredictable and reckless flight.

Juniper reached out, she could feel her fingertips touch, but the cleansweep wasn't fast enough. It was risky, but Juniper, at this point, didn't care. She wanted another win. She wanted the thrill. The adrenaline rush.

She pulled herself forward on her broom in one motion before thrusting her torso out off the broom. Her fingers wrapped around the flittering snitch, but she lost her balance.

In a blur, she found herself on the ground. Pain shoots up through her legs first. Then came falling flat on her face. She quickly confirmed that the snitch was in her hand and laughed. The Ravenclaw witch held it up.

"In a reckless manoeuvre, Moss caught the snitch in a comeback from her first victory, getting a final win for her team." The commentator's voice echoed throughout the pitch. Juniper could hear Penny's cheer being the oldest of them all.

Juniper tried to stand up but was forced down by the searing pain in her right ankle. Madam Hooch and the Ravenclaw Captain rushed to her.

"You need to go to the hospital wing." Madam Hooch examined her leg. "You likely sprained your ankle."

"I'll help Madam Hooch!" Penny came in rushing, following behind Andre with a concerned look.

"It's fine, guys," Juniper assured, her voice not as convincing as she had hoped. Just earlier, she was worried about ending up in the hospital wing. "I'll go with Penny."

Penny helped her up and took her to the hospital wing. The colour drained from her face once they were outside. That antiseptic smell was strong near her making her feel queasy.

"I'm fine, Penny. You can leave me here."

"No, Juniper." Penny insisted. "You hurt your ankle badly; my heart almost stopped when I saw you fall. Madam Pomfrey can heal you quickly."

"Can't you brew a wiggenweld potion?" Juniper winced as she accidentally put too much weight on her injured ankle.

"I can only do so much for you, Juniper," Penny argued back, remaining calm. "Besides, Madam Pomfrey is a trained healer and can heal it much faster."

"It's not Madam Pomfrey that is the problem." The Ravenclaw whimpered at the throbbing pain. On top of that, she felt sick to her stomach. "I don't like hospitals."

Before Penny could say anything else, the matron approached the girls.

"Whatever is the matter?"

"Juniper hurt her ankle at the quidditch tryouts, and she needs healing," Penny answered, trying to get Juniper inside, but the girl wouldn't budge.

Juniper shook her head in absolute refusal, her face grey. "I'm not going inside."

The matron studied her expression. Many years of working with different students showed her that some tend to be more stubborn than others.

"Okay, Miss Moss, I can have a look. I'll be right back." Madam Pomfrey left the girls alone before coming back with a drink. "I suggest you hydrate first before I check out your ankle. You will find that this will calm your nerves."

The Ravenclaw girl reluctantly took the glass of orange juice and chugged it down. She hadn't realised how parched she was. A strange wave of calmness flooded her system. Even in pain, all her worries and anxieties were melted away. The hospital wing didn't look so threatening anymore.

"Will you come inside to get your ankle properly looked at?"

Juniper found herself following the healer inside and lay on an empty bed. Penny was by her side, anxiously watching Madam Pomfrey's every move.

"Ow!" Juniper flinched at the matron's touch as she pulled off her boot. Her ankle was swollen and had already turned to a purplish-blue colour.

Madam Pomfrey assessed her ankle some more. It felt weird not being afraid inside the hospital wing. Juniper didn't know the cause, but somehow she knew it wasn't normal. What did the matron do to make her this eerily calm?

"You have sprained your ankle but not to worry. This can be fixed with a simple spell." Madam Pomfrey drew out her wand and pointed it at her ankle. "Episkey!"

All the pain seemed to dissolve as the swelling and colour slowly returned to normal; the matron then conjured a bandage to support the ankle. Juniper took a mental note that she should learn this spell.

"Juniper!" Rowan came rushing in. Her hair looked puffy as the blue and bronze scarf haphazardly draped over her shoulder. "I heard you got injured! Are you okay? Are you okay you know being here?!"

"Please be quiet, Miss Khanna. You're disturbing the patients."

Juniper blinked at her friend before cracking a wide smile. "Everything is fine, I've never been better than ever before, Rowan."

Her friend squinted at her, confused, before she looked over at Penny for details. The Hufflepuff shrugged.

"Now, Miss Moss, I recommend you stay for the night just to give your ankle a chance to heal properly." Madam Pomfrey recommended it. Rowan gave an increasingly concerned look at the matron.

"Are you sure? I feel wonderful, Madam Pomfrey." Juniper nonchalantly shrugged. Her face grew serious.

The young student had to stay overnight at the matron's stern insistence. Penny felt bad that Juniper's first quidditch game landed her in the hospital wing, but she had to leave shortly. Rowan stayed with her for a while, constantly asking if Juniper was okay in the hospital wing. Some nagging thoughts have been creeping back, but Juniper was able to brush them to the side for now.

"Juniper! Juniper!" Andre came rushing, his face filled with excitement. He was out of the quidditch gear and back into his casual clothes and purple Pride of Portree scarf. "We made it on the team! Okay, only as reserves, but we made it!"

Juniper laughed at first. She couldn't believe the words coming out of Andre's mouth. The quidditch novice made it to the reserve. "Bloody hell, that's amazing, and tae think that I would nae make it."

"Mr Egwu, I kindly ask that you leave right now. You are disturbing the patients here." Madam Pomfrey interrupted them.

"It's fine, Madam Pomfrey, Andre can stay." Juniper insisted, but the matron wouldn't waver.

"You need to rest after the ordeal you had. Mr Egwu can visit tomorrow." She was already shooing him outside the door.

"Sorry Andre." She mouthed as Andre tried to say goodbye.

Shortly after, Rowan left Juniper, still concerned but less so. Though once it was night, those anxious thoughts returned with full force. She panicked; her lungs felt constricted as she struggled to breathe. She tried to get up but struggled; the green curtains around her closed in.

Madam Pomfrey hovered over her, calmly shushing her, "Calm down, Miss Moss."

"I can't...I need to...get out of here." Juniper managed to say between breaths. Everything about the hospital wing made her skin crawl.

"It's okay, here. Take a sip." Madam Pomfrey helped her up, but Juniper fought her. The Ravenclaw knew that the matron was only trying to help but needed to get out.

"Miss Moss, please calm down or else I'll have to restrain you."

That's when it hit Juniper. The drink, yes. Madam Pomfrey must have mixed a calming draught with it and wasn't sure how to feel about it. Betrayed a bit, certainly, but was it the right thing? The matron continued to ask for Juniper to calm down until she relented.

The matron offered another drink, and Juniper eventually accepted it. She didn't like it, but what much choice did she have. Even if she flees, she will still be hunted down by Madam Pomfrey, who will be determined to put her into bed to recover.

Juniper managed to sleep through the night. She focused on the other students breathing; it didn't do much, but it helped to keep the fears and mistrust of hospitals at bay.

She woke to dull light from the persistent grey fog. Her heart started racing as she looked around. The clean, antiseptic smell hit her like a tsunami wave making her nauseous. Soon she would be out, she told herself. That mantra kept her going until she got the all-clear from Madam Pomfrey.

Juniper sprinted out like never before. She never wanted to go through that again, and it scared her that she needed to depend on calming draughts to get through. Just the thought of ending like her mother made her shudder.

How pathetic.

Another girl suddenly bumped into her. She recognised that dyed cobalt blue hair.

"Oh, sorry!"

"Watch where yer going," Skye Parkin squinted at her. "Hold up, you're that Moss girl aren't you? That was quite a stunt you pulled."

"Thanks, I guess. I was trying to do whatever to get that snitch."

"Aye, we all could see that. Shows you got some fight in you." Skye cracked a grin before a slight frown formed. "Though I would seriously work on your technique, it's probably why you only got reserve."

"Was I really that bad?" Juniper quietly asked. She thought she did decent for a novice, but Skye seemed to have other ideas.

"Aye, it was bad," Skye bluntly put it. "But as long as you put in the training you'll be fine."

Skye gave a smack on her back, "Whelp, see you at practice next week."

Penny would probably freak out that she and Juniper would be on the same team. Juniper went back to her dorm and met up with Rowan. Her friend immediately asked if she was okay and how reckless she was being with joining the quidditch team.

The remnants of Summer had faded entirely by October. Juniper kept up with her lessons, paying particular attention to her charms lessons. Mainly it was to distract herself that Ben wasn't here. She missed having him in with charms where they could chat during group work. To tell him about the quidditch team. She also missed teasing him and his reactions to anything new. Professor Flitwick expressed more clearly that using magic outside the classroom was strictly forbidden. Juniper speculated that she had something to do with it.

They hung about at their usual spots, secretly hoping Ben would appear there. Rowan and Juniper sat by the Black Lake; at the very least, it was more private.

"Okay, I managed to finally decipher the note." Rowan rummaged through her robes and skirt pockets to pull a crumpled piece of paper with her notes.

"Right and what does it say?"

"At first it thought I translated it wrong so I quadruple-checked but it says; 'Your next instruction have been transfigured into a black quill, and hidden in the Gryffindor common room. Failure to follow your instruction will result in severe punishment - R.'"

"Totally not threatening at all." Juniper sarcastically remarked. "Who's R anyway?"

Rowan fixed her glasses. "I've been wondering the same thing. Felix Rosier? Rubeus Hagrid? Argus Filch?" She was grasping at straws.

"It does nae matter who they are now. We need to find that quill for Ben's sake, and we can use Reparifarge to undo the Transfiguration."

"But how will we get inside? It's forbidden for students to visit another's House common room." Rowan grew a little worried. Understandably so, since last year, Juniper had risked expulsion several times.

"We need a plan then."

The silence encapsulated them, both Ravenclaws racking through their brains for ideas. A thought came to Juniper, and she looked at Rowan; both had the same excited glint in their dark eyes.

"We could use the shrinking and engorgement charm!"

"And there's the Gryffindor vs Slytherin match! I don't have quidditch practise then." A perfect day since all the students are gone. Also, there wouldn't be any quidditch practice, which is even better for Juniper.

"Wait? How are we using those charms?" Juniper asked, her eyebrows knitting.

Rowan had a look of wild brilliance. "Well, I thought we could use it on ourselves, and I know you would love a crazy idea like this."

A grin grew on Juniper's face. "It is crazy and dangerous but I trust you. When have they ever failed?"

"Well, I wouldn't call my plans foolproof as there is always a a chance that many things could go wrong but I appreciate the vote of confidence." Rowan blushed a little. "I will look into the spells a little more to triple check that they are safe to use. However, I was thinking that we use the shrinking spell to sneak in to the common room and then re-enlarge yourself. That way you can grab the quill. I had thought about brewing a polyjuice potion but it would take too long and Ben might not have that time."

"Agreed, we have no much time to waste then. We only have 'bout two, three weeks before the match."

Rowan nodded before that frown came again. "We have one other problem."

"Like we don't have enough already." Juniper sighed.

"We need to be careful of the Gryffindor prefect, Angelica. She's smart, so she might come back in case Slytherins try to sabotage the common room during the match." Rowan explained. Juniper recalled hearing a bit about Angelica from Ben, that she was tough.

"I'm guessing I'll work on the distraction then." The Ravenclaw quickly picked up on Rowan's meaning.

"We have a plan then."

Previous chapter: chapter 12

Next chapter: chapter 14

[itlivesproject]

Just finished chapter chapter 17, and oh my god so many emotions.

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD:

I decided to come clean to Amalia about Rowan being a Power freak and stuff. I just figured that, if I didn't tell her then someone worse is gonna come along and tell her and that would have made her trust us even less. At least telling her ourselves will give us the chance to straighten things out, even if she doesn't want to talk to us right now.

Also I'm torn about Mattias. He has given us no reason not to trust him, but the fact that he seems so trustworthy and perfect is just odd. I'm not sure. Maybe the whole idea is we're supposed to not trust him, but maybe the twist is we can actually trust him. That'd be a surprise.

Great job on another tear jerking chapter you guys, can't wait till next week!

chapter 17 isn't an easy chapter, that's for sure 😭 and glad that you told Amalia, she deserves to know <3 as for matty... who knows 👁

[julemmaes]

Honey - part three

Elide Lochan x Lorcan Salvaterre roommates au

A/N: famous last words: I can finish this is in two hours. six hours laters and I feel like I’ve been beaten up by a gang of bigass old faes if you know what I mean.

IT CONTAINS SMUT, not suited for readers under 18

Please be kind I fucking hate my smut, if it’s disgusting just don’t comment on it cause I could hit my head on the wall several times

masterlist

Word count: 7,519

Aelin's scream was like a stab to the brain, "Get up you nasty little bitch!"

"Ace! Why don't you try with sweet Ellie?" retorted Lysandra.

Elide didn't even have the strength to open her eyes or move from the fetal position she was in, curled up with a pillow pushed so hard against her belly that she wouldn't have been surprised if it had somehow damaged her internal organs, "Please leave."

The two didn't seem to hear her.

"Sweet?" Aelin huffed, "But you did see her last night, right?"

Elide opened one eye, seeing that they had both sat down at the end of the bed. She felt the cracks tugging at her eyelid and grunted, pressing her face into the pillow. She wanted to die. And she wanted Manon to come and free her from those two supposed friends who she knew were about to remind her of her misadventures.

"Except for what happened before we left," Aelin winked, placing a hand on her foot. Elide withdrew it, not wanting to feel physical touch of any kind at that moment. "I would have been willing to break up with Rowan so I could get between Kyllian and you, honestly."

Elide grunted again, her voice muffled by the pillow. "I'm begging you girls, you need to get out before I throw up again."

And it was true, she would throw up if they didn't stop talking. Plus, Elide didn't care in the slightest what the drunk her had done. She hated her so much.

Lysandra giggled and she felt it as she climbed between the covers until she was settled next to her on the pillows, "Between her and Lorcan though, no?"

The cry of disgust that erupted from Aelin and the all too loud laugh from the other didn't make Elide register the words right away, but as soon as she realised what they had said, her stomach began to twist and turn, and not like when Lorcan accidentally brushed her hand or when he put his hand on her thigh during movie nights. Oh no.

With a movement she didn't know she had the physical skills to make, she shifted the covers off her body and launched herself into the hallway, slamming her hand against the bathroom door and throwing herself to the floor in front of the toilet before the highly concentrated alcoholic contents in her stomach spilled onto the floor.

As she vomited and Lysandra tied up her hair, massaging her back, Elide felt her heart break slowly. She wanted to turn around, to ask Aelin what had happened, or maybe not. She groaned as another gag shook her body and her eyes filled with tears once more as she puked what could only be alcohol.

"How do you still have stuff in your stomach?" muttered Aelin from outside the bathroom door.

Elide didn't blame her, vomit was disgusting and she was particularly sensitive to the sound of gagging. The only reason Lysandra wasn't the least bit uncomfortable was her younger sister Evangeline, who she had practically raised without anyone's help. Whatever came out of a person's body, their friend had already seen it in all shapes and colours.

Elide cursed herself for thinking such a thing while she was bent over the toilet throwing up, because it pushed her over the edge one more time and a sob wracked her body, "Fuck-" she managed to mutter between spits.

"I thought you weren't going to barf any more after last night," Lys said, continuing to rub her back.

"True," Aelin mumbled a little louder, "did you keep drinking after?"

Elide managed to turn her head towards the door, seeing that her friend was sitting on the floor just outside the bathroom. She grimaced as a gust of air that smelled like vomit reached her nose, "After what?"

"You and Lorcan left after you threw up," Lys explained to her. Elide didn't bother turning towards her, she didn't have the energy, "And you threw up so much Ellie, everywhere. It's weird that you have anything else to reject."

It wasn't weird at all considering the only thing Elide remembered was the amounts of alcohol she had ingested. She'd started just before seven with straight tequila, desperate to see how indifferent people were to the biggest catastrophic problems in human history, and everyone knew she couldn't handle alcohol even in small amounts. But Elide was also known to be the type who could drink for hours without ever feeling sick, if she now found herself bent over the toilet the next morning, it meant she had gone too far.

"I don't remember anything."

"It's okay, don't worry about it," Aelin said and Elide felt a shiver run through her body at the hint of mischief in her voice. She braced herself mentally to hear how much she'd actually whored out the night before, "We're here to fix the memory loss."

Lysandra made a disgusted noise as Elide flushed the toilet and the water stirred underneath them, but she patted her shoulders and pulled herself up, "You need to take a shower first though. Because you smell like death."

"Geez, thanks," Elide murmured as she began to undress.

The grin that appeared on Aelin's face made her hands freeze around the hem of her shirt. The other arched an eyebrow, looking into her eyes, "What? Lorcan is the only one you can flash?"

Elide closed her eyes, bringing her hands to her face and then let go a scream of frustration.

"Exactly."

Oh, god.

"I remember..." Elide scoffed, running her hands through her hair. When her fingers reached the tips, she was horrified to find they were encrusted with what was surely vomit from the night before. "Fuck."

Lysandra snickered beside her, "Why were you so drunk that you didn't realise what you were doing so damn early?"

Elide looked at her, and although she knew the question was only asked to tease her more, there was a note of concern in her tone. Her shoulders sagged a little and she shook her head, starting to undress undisturbed, "I set out to research a few things and the world is a shitty place and there was nothing I could do in the immediate future to save us all so I got drunk."

"Sounds like alcoholism," Aelin joked.

Both Lysandra and Elide laughed, "If you knew what I found out you'd get drunk too," the latter added.

"Send everything my way." the blonde winked at her, and then they went out, leaving her alone to wash away the sins of the night before and letting her mind travel. And Elide's mind travelled far too much as she racked her brains to remember Lorcan's reactions to a naked her.

After her friends had told her everything that had happened the night before. From her taking her clothes off in front of her best friend, to him getting stuck in their bathroom and calling Aelin for help, to her dancing with Kyllian specifically to make her roommate jealous - or so the drunk her seemed to have justified her actions - to Fenrys saving her from what was sure to end up being just casual sex that would only widen the gap between her and Lorcan.

Gap that apparently wasn't as pronounced as she thought.

Aelin and Lysandra had told her about the way he had pushed his way through the crowd and joined Elide on the dance floor. The way they had danced to one of their favourite songs until they had been on the verge of kissing.

Elide had never been so relieved to know that she'd thrown up on someone. And that her plan to attract Lorcan had worked.

She was cooking now, thinking about how bad it would have been for her to find out they'd kissed without having even the slightest recollection of it happening, when the front door opened and the boy who was the object of her dreams walked into the kitchen.

He stopped in the doorway, looking at her with the most emotionless face Elide had ever seen him wear.

"Hello, handsome." she murmured, continuing to cook.

Lorcan stood still in the threshold for a while without saying anything, as if to sort the situation out. Then, without taking his eyes off what she was doing, he took off his jacket and shoes and walked into the kitchen, "How are you feeling?"

Elide had her back to him as she washed some tomatoes, "Just a bit of a headache. I threw up again when I woke up, but other than that I'm fine."

"Did you drink some water? Had breakfast?" he asked her.

Elide shook her head looking at him, "I woke up after noon, Aelin and Lysandra came over." then frowned, "I think it's their fault I threw up."

Lorcan chuckled, "Sure, absolutely." then he gathered his hair into a messy bun and Elide focused on the way the muscles of his biceps tensed every time he pulled on the elastic, "It's not the alcoholic coma from last night at all."

Elide gathered some courage and taking a deep breath, said, "About last night-"

"We don't have to talk about it," Lorcan immediately interrupted her.

She looked up at him, trying not to show any emotion, trying to read his on that sculptural face that remained impassive. Then, seeing the way he was looking at her, she came to a conclusion.

She arched an eyebrow, plastering a grin on her face, "Does this mean you didn't like my tits?"

Lorcan turned red in the face before stuttering, "No. I mean, yes! No, fuck. Shit... I don't know."

Elide chuckled and began to dress their salad, "You've never seen a pair of tits before?" she asked knowing full well how untrue that was.

When she had moved into the flat, both she and he had had their own wild nights out where they brought home a different partner every weekend. On one occasion, Elide had been stunned when she came out of her room and bumped into a girl she had spent the night with a few weeks earlier. The girl had only bid her good morning, winking, before returning to Lorcan's room.

"No, it's not that," he muttered, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"So surely you'll have other samples to compare my boobs to and you'll be able to tell me if they're above average," she continued, prolonging this gentle torture.

He sat down, both elbows resting on the table, and rested his chin on his clasped hands. He looked into her eyes for a few seconds, then whispered, "What are you doing?"

"I'm making our lunch," she replied innocently.

She heard him breathe through his nose, "Why are we talking about your tits, I meant?"

"Uh," she smiled, casting him another quick glance, "I didn't think you were so grossed out that you can't even handle a conversation about them."

The frown on his face went deeper and deeper. He remained silent for so long that Elide thought he would never say anything again, that she would never get his thoughts on her breasts, but when she served the salad, sitting down in front of him, he finally spoke.

"It's not that," he repeated, looking away, "they're very nice. Balanced." he began to eat undisturbed and Elide grimaced in amusement, finding a way to keep the conversation going.

"Balanced? What are they? An economic system?"

Lorcan clenched his jaw, setting his fork down on his plate and looking into her face again. She knew she was playing a dangerous game, that she was risking losing her sanity, but she had to know, had to-

"They're perfect and, maybe they are because they're attached to you, but they're probably the most beautiful tits I've ever seen."

Elide's brain shut down. And he seemed to realise it too because the shadow of a smile began to form on his lips.

Lorcan leaned forward on the table and her eyes snapped to his arms. Fingers flexing, interlocking, caught her attention completely. She returned her gaze to his, feeling her body heat up as he resumed speaking. "If I'm going to be completely honest... If you want the details, Elide," the way he said her name made her most intimate part clench around nothing, "I've never seen such nice, small nipples and that pink?" he shut his eyes, moaning as he brought one of the tomatoes to his mouth and wrapped his lips around the fork.

Elide swallowed the mouthful that had been in her mouth for over a minute and nearly choked when he opened his eyes again and they were darker than normal if that was possible.

She looked away, too many feelings building up inside her, but crossed her legs, trying to relieve some of the tension there.

"Wasn't that enough, Ellie?" he asked in a rough voice, biting into an olive, making sure she saw the way his lips closed around it.

She swallowed again, "No, it was fine..." she cleared her throat when it came out too weak, "Thanks for the feedback."

Lorcan let go a throaty chuckle, "The pleasure is all mine."

***

Like every Sunday evening, the whole group had gathered at the twins' house. And that night everyone was there, although Vaughan and Vesta, along with Aedion and Sorrel, had gone out into the back yard a few hours ago and had not yet returned. Elide suspected they'd taken to smoking.

Those left in the house were playing one of the most popular games, "I feel like."

The game had no real objective, other than to embarrass people or get them to confess to extreme or obscene sexual acts. It was simply a matter of drawing a card, reading what it said and giving it to the person you thought had done the closest thing to what was described on the card. The only real rule was that you had to tell the whole story of what happened if the card you were handed told the truth.

Quite often the game would be interrupted because one of the two sides of the various couples would cheat, change the rules and instead of passing it on to the appropriate person, they would pass it on to their partner as an invitation to lock themselves in the first spare room they could find to experiment with what was asked by the game.

The cards could range from as basic things as "I feel like your first time was in a public restroom." to as a bit more hardcore as "I feel like you got fisted in the woods."

And in that moment, Elide had a strong feeling that Rowan and Aelin would soon be going home.

"Oh my fucking god," Rowan muttered as he read the words on the card, turning red from head to toe. He looked up at Aelin, swallowing and making his adam's apple bob, "Where do you even find these games?"

Elide giggled beside him, "There's a girl on the internet who updates the cards every month and puts them up for sale, we take turns to see who has to buy them each time."

"Oh god," he said shaking his head. When he slid the card in Aelin's direction, the girl leaned towards him to leave a soft kiss on his lips and when they broke away they were both smiling. Aelin read what was written on the card and for a second it seemed like the colour drained from her face, but then she blinked and cleared her throat, looking at Rowan with wide eyes.

"Maybe we should go away. To try it out." she murmured, so quietly that only those on the couch with them heard her.

Elide looked up at the boy next to her, or rather, behind her, to see if he was listening, but he seemed lost in thought. He had been absentmindedly stroking her arm since they had settled there, and Elide didn't think she had ever been so relaxed in her life.

She and Lorcan were sitting at one end of the sofa, opposite to Rowan and Aelin, her between his legs and with her back against his chest. Every time one of them laughed, their bodies moved closer together and now she had her head resting on the part of his chest between his neck and shoulder.

She was home.

Fenrys and Connall, across the living room, sitting on the floor, booed.

"You can't pass them all on to her!" complained Lysandra.

Aelin didn't even look at her as she spoke, her eyes always fixed on Rowan's, as if they were having a telepathic conversation, "Lys, shut up."

Her friend gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth.

"I say we vote to kick them out of the room," Asterin said, in exactly the same position she was in, but between her boyfriend's legs. Half the people in the room raised their hands to the sky, making Aelin roll her eyes.

Fenrys nodded, always ready to back Asterin up in whatever situation they were in, "It's starting to smell like Rowaelin in here."

Lorcan chuckled behind her, knocking her forward. And as the others lost themselves in the chatter, Elide shifted her gaze to Manon, who sat in the armchair next to the couch, one hand in Dorian's hair, who sat with his head resting on the armrest.

Her friend's bright eyes sparkled with malice as she arched an eyebrow and gestured to the boy she was practically sitting on. Elide felt her cheeks blush, but smiled naively at her, pretending not to know what she was alluding to. Manon smiled back.

Elide had never spoken openly to her about Lorcan, not in that way at least, but she knew Manon knew - in fact, now that she thought about it, she had never had to do that with anyone. Everyone had been rather quick to catch on that. Everyone except Lorcan.

The hand on her arm stopped, clinging completely against her skin and Elide had to force herself not to look at him, but then he lowered himself onto her and whispered in her ear, "Ellie."

She turned her head just enough to look at him and his lips brushed her cheek, so briefly that she thought she had imagined it. Lorcan had pulled back and was now looking into her eyes, "Your turn."

She blinked and turned towards the others, only realising at that moment that all eyes were on them. She felt her face burn, but she nodded, putting a hand on Lorcan's knee and pushing herself forward, rubbing her ass on the crotch of his trousers. She'd been doing this all night, all night teasing him, just as he was teasing her, brushing the side of the breasts from time to time.

And each time, Lorcan would burst into a coughing fit and move further back, which only gave Elide a chance to grind even harder against him in an attempt to regain the comfortable position they were in before.

As she settled back into her seat, she met Fenrys' gaze, who had a shit-eating grin on his face. She lowered her eyes to the maroon card in her hands quickly, shimming her hips between his legs. Lorcan's hands ended on her shoulders and she looked up at him, batting her eyelids like a fawn.

"Stop moving around so much," he grumbled.

She smiled gently and then took up reading. She hadn't touched alcohol that night, for obvious reasons, but she still found it hard to understand what was written there when Lorcan's fingers began to draw imaginary lines across her bare skin.

"I feel like..." she whispered, her eyes going wide. She looked across the sofa at Rowan.

The friend gave her a chuckle, "I told you they seemed a bit extreme."

I feel like you performed a titjob on someone while being eaten out.

Before she could realise what she was doing, she said, "Can I give myself the card or...?"

Dorian turned a quizzical look on her, "You know you have to-"

Fenrys shrieked something unintelligible, but that stopped Dorian. Manon above them clenched her hands into fists, her eyes half-closed at the sudden commotion, "I haven't killed you yet just because-"

"Yeah yeah, just because of Asterin, I get it," Fenrys replied moving a hand midair, his gaze never leaving Elide's, who in a moment of clarity realised what Dorian was about to say. What the blond said only served to confirm her fear, "But Elide just confessed to doing whatever is written on it and I want to know every detail."

She felt Lorcan stiffen behind her and then Elide realised something else entirely. He must have read what was written on the card.

"So?" pressed Aelin, leaning over Rowan and snatching the card from Elide's hands. She opened her mouth wide with an amused expression, then put on a pout, looking at her boyfriend, "These are the things I sometimes wish you'd be a little more open about."

Rowan arched an eyebrow, reading the card in turn, "We can do those two things at the same time and without anyone else having to see you naked."

Lysandra, next to them, picked up the card, "Oh, Aedion and I did that too. Although it was a normal blowjob, no titty job." she exclaimed happily.

One thing that pleased Elide greatly was the fact that no one in that room would judge her for what she did in the bedroom and who she did it with. Also because there was a high probability that they had done it too.

And slowly the card was passed among all the members of their group and when it reached Fenrys and Asterin, the girl winked at Elide, murmuring a sensual, "I've never done it, but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt." Fenrys winked behind her, intertwining their hands. Asterin's smile only grew wider, before she added, "You have our numbers."

Elide blushed, but smiled anyway, nodding.

Everyone began to talk about the various possibilities, as they did during every turn, and the card finally passed from Dorian and Manon and the two exchanged only a glance before giving the card to Lorcan.

Lorcan who was taking deep breaths one after the other and had his eyes closed. Elide had never seen him so focused in her life. She noticed the way he contracted and relaxed his jaw repeatedly and frowned.

Was he alright?

She ran a finger over his thigh to get his attention, tracing a line from his knee to where his leg touched her hip and Lorcan let go a shuddering breath, opening his eyes slightly and tightening his grip on her shoulders, "I don't think you should do that." his voice so hoarse and deep that Elide felt her stomach knot. She didn't understand what he was referring to.

And then she felt it.

Hard and... thick against her ass.

She opened her eyes wide, pointing them at him, and held her breath. She had to stop herself from opening her mouth in surprise, but she couldn't stop herself when her hips pushed against Lorcan's now obvious erection.

Elide had never been so happy to hear Fenrys' laughter as she was at that moment, because if it hadn't been for the sudden noise, the moans that escaped them both would have been heard all too well and neither of them would have been able to look at anyone else in the room for the rest of their lives.

Lorcan swallowed, breathing through his nostrils, and his gaze fell to her lips. Her eyes did the same and she didn't care that they were among everyone and would have everyone's eyes on them if they did exactly what Elide was thinking, because his lips parted slightly and he whispered her name and she was lost.

Without thinking about it for another second, Elide turned just enough to have her face directly in front of his and closed her eyes, feeling his lips brush hers. She released a breath she didn't know she was holding, "Lorcan,"

And then she kissed him, and it was exactly as she had always dreamed it would be, as his lips moved with hers and they tasted and breathed from each other. A sound that Elide had never made in her life rose up her throat as Lorcan shifted and with a sharp movement of his hips turned her fully towards him and now she was on her knees in front of him, both of them breathing heavily as they looked into each other's eyes.

Someone coughed in the room and she heard Aelin whisper a weak "fucking finally", but Elide didn't give a shit.

She placed her hands on Lorcan's face, tilting his head back so she could reach him better. The second his hands landed on her hips, their lips collided again in a fierce kiss and his tongue found its way into her mouth.

The first touch of their tongues was like having a thousand fireworks explode in her mouth.

"Okay, it's time to join the others," Manon murmured.

Elide heard Fenrys mutter, "Please not on the couch, there are guest rooms upstairs."

Lorcan pulled away from her just enough to see what was going on around them and her hands slid around his neck, ending in his hair as she admired the line of his cheekbones and the way his lashes caressed his skin every time he closed his eyes.

God, he was beautiful.

"Which one can we use?" asked Lorcan as he looked at Fenrys.

Elide's eyes went wide, causing him to turn towards her. She ran a thumb over his lower lip, smirking, "So sure of yourself."

Without missing a beat, Lorcan mimicked her grin and squeezed her hips, "You don't want to?"

Elide smiled, turning towards her friends, stopping to look at Fenrys, "The second on the left right?"

When the owner of the house winked at her, nodding, she stood up, pulling Lorcan with her, who had a confused look on his face, "Why do you know that?"

She had the decency to blush, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the stairs, "You don't want to know."

Lysandra burst out laughing as everyone resumed their seats on the floor or the couch, "You really don't."

Elide tugged at him more insistently, not looking at Lorcan's reaction to those words. She just wanted to get to the room and lock herself in with him.

When she felt his hand settle on her hip and slide down to her ass cheek, where he paused to give it a squeeze, she almost turned and slammed him against the wall just so she could continue kissing him how she needed to.

They arrived in front of the door and she stopped with her fingers on the handle, once inside there would be no stopping. There would be no point of return.

His fingers brushed her cheek and she turned to face him, who now wore a ravenous, excited look, but Elide could see the concern and hesitation in taking the next step, "We don't have to do anything, Ellie."

She nodded, because she knew that was the case, but squeezed his hand to emphasize what he said, "But I want to."

"Good thing, cause the thought of you fucking those two gave me some ideas."

She grinned, placing a hand on his chest, "I wasn't the one doing the titty work, but we can always try."

Lorcan groaned softly at the knowledge of Elide licking another girl and then pushed the door open, backing in and taking his-

Whatever Elide was at that moment to him, it wasn't important.

The only thing that was important was his lips on hers.

The difference in height wasn't making it easy for him, and when he leaned down even further, never breaking the kiss, to run his hands under her knees and pull her up, Elide seemed to understand that right away and, pulling away just enough to jump into his arms, they found themselves on each other in seconds.

Lorcan bit her lower lip, making her moan, and when he moved to her jaw, nipping lightly at her skin, Elide threw her head back, pushing her hips against his and drawing a groan from both of them.

He immediately took the opportunity to latch his lips onto the smooth, quivering skin of her neck, feeling the bed behind his knees and sitting up, letting her straddle him. His hands moved up her legs, caressing her inner thighs, but never really getting close to where she needed him most.

Elide began to grope his chest, grazing the skin of his arms, but never staying in one spot, until Lorcan began to suck at the bare skin between her neck and shoulder and she nudged him slightly.

He quickly pulled away, panting, "What?"

There were too many layers. Keeping her eyes fixed on his, Elide lowered her hands to the hem of her shirt and slipped it off in one swift movement. She smiled smugly when she could finally see Lorcan's reaction to her bare tits.

His eyes were slightly wider than usual and his pupils so dilated that Elide realised that she had never noticed that Lorcan's eye colour was not black, but just a very dark brown. When he looked at her, the words died in her throat.

"I love it when you don't wear a bra," he murmured, reaching up to her and brushing her lips with his, "But I love even more the way you shiver every time I do this."

Elide didn't have a chance to dwell on the way he'd said love, because without her noticing, his hands had found their place on her waist and she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out in pleasure when he brushed the sides of her breasts with his thumbs.

He pushed himself further against her, brushing his lips over her ear, "When we're alone and you don't have to hold back, I want you to scream my name." and then he moved quickly, leaving only a light kiss on her shoulder before his lips closed around a sensitive nipple.

With the first sweep of his tongue around the hard bead, Elide whimpered, pushing her hips down against his and making him moan into her chest. She brought her hands into his hair, clenching and pulling each time his teeth bit or scraped the sensitive skin around the nipple.

When he seemed to want to move on to the other breast, Elide shook her head, pulling his hair back to its roots and forcing her mouth against his, making him grunt. She had to feel him.

"Lorcan," she breathed, between kisses, "I need to touch you."

One of her hands slipped between the two of them, palming him through the sweatpants that did little to hide Lorcan's huge boner. He moaned against her chin, "Fuck."

They pulled apart again and when he had stripped off his shirt, Elide didn't waste a moment and pressed her bare chest against his, causing him to fall back onto the mattress.

Lorcan had other ideas though, because in one smooth motion she found herself lying on her back, his gentle weight pressing her against the covers and his bright smile lighting up his face. He left a kiss on her nose, on her lips and then down to the split in the middle of her breasts and her eyes rolled back in her head as a flashback from two nights before appeared in her head, of Lorcan doing the same thing with his eyes as they danced.

"Can I take these off?" he asked her, once he reached her hips where he was leaving kisses light as feathers.

Elide was breathing raggedly, but nodded when she understood he was talking about her leggings. Still keeping her eyes closed, she lifted her hips off the mattress, closing her fists around the covers as her bottoms disappeared along with her socks and the cold air hit her bare skin.

Now only the thin fabric of her black panties separated her from achieving what she wanted.

That and Lorcan's slacks.

"Ellie." she heard him as he came back on top of her, one knee between her legs to keep his balance. She licked her lip, opening her eyes and keeping her gaze fixed on him, on that perfect face.

"Do you have a condom?" she asked in a whisper, as if afraid the answer would be no. She had them, but they were downstairs, in her purse, and she had no desire to leave the room right then.

Lorcan arched an eyebrow, "I'm not having sex with you tonight, Elide."

She frowned, folding her arms under her and propping herself up on her elbows, "What does that mean?"

"That I'm not completely sober," he said, leaning his head towards her chest, keeping his eyes fixed in hers, "And the first time it'll be inside you," he murmured in a rougher voice, placing a light kiss on the nipple he hadn't licked before, "I want it to be at a time when I'm lucid and can remember all the noises and moans you make." and then he gave the same attention to her other breast, pushing her against the mattress one more time, until Elide was a squirming mess under him and deemed his treatment sufficient.

"Now I'm going to slip these off," Lorcan murmured, grazing a finger along the hem of her panties, and Elide shuddered, "and touch you. Here." the same finger slid across her covered folds, starting at her clit and following her slit to her entrance. "Already so wet for me."

Elide thrashed on the bed, moaning softly as he applied a little more pressure, "Stop teasing, we'll have time for that when we get home." she managed to toss out between shaky breaths.

"Understood ma'am." he taunted, grabbing the edges of the thing and pulling it down. The sound that burst from him was completely animalistic and threatened to make Elide come before he even really touched her. "So beautiful." he said, kneeling in front of her.

Lorcan's hands wrapped around her ankles and he pushed her legs up, placing her feet on the edge of the bed, until she was left with her knees bent and her pussy at his full disposal. Elide risked looking down between her legs and her eyes locked into his as he lowered himself onto her and smiled.

The way her chest rose and fell made her tits bounce and Lorcan seemed to appreciate it, but he didn't seem to be planning to do anything. Elide tipped her head back, whispering in a weak voice, "Do something, please."

He laughed and her muscles flexed, clenching around nothing. It was at that moment that she felt him, his breath on the most sensitive part of her body. "I'm going to make you cum so fast you won't have time to count to a hundred."

Lorcan's fingers came off her ankles and went to part her lips, making her feel the warm air of his breathe even more. He parted them until he was satisfied and Elide lowered her gaze just as his tongue made contact with her throbbing core. A rush of pleasure coursed through her body, making her legs tremble, "Lor," she moaned.

"Mh, El," he closed his lips around her clit, pressing his tongue against the pearl over and over, until Elide repeated his name like a prayer, "So good. You taste so good."

Her hands ended up in his hair again, pushing his face against her sex, seeking more. She began to move her hips, following the strokes of his mouth on her, but one of Lorcan's arms slithered around her pelvis and pinned her to the bed, lapping her juices as with his thumb he reached to massage her clit with such precision that Elide knew that whatever she would do on her own in the future, she would never be able to match how he was making her feel.

Elide cried out in pleasure, bringing a hand to her mouth as she felt his tongue thrust into her and an all too familiar warmth build up in the pit of her stomach.

She brought one hand up to massage the nipple he had only kissed and made a choked sound, her hips jerking upwards.

Lorcan moaned against her, a new sound, different from any he'd made so far, and Elide couldn't help herself. She pulled herself up onto her elbows, continuing to touch herself as he kept sending jolts of pleasure with every thrust of his tongue and every caress of his thumb, and the sight of him eating her out would have been enough to push her over the edge, but the hand wrapped around his thick, throbbing cock pumping relentlessly was the thing that made her eyes roll back and explode as the rope inside her snapped. Her legs gave out, falling over the edge of the bed and finding their place on Lorcan's shoulders.

Her mouth gaped open in a silent scream as her whole body trembled in pleasure as wave after wave surged through her and her back arched so wide she broke away from the bed.

Lorcan didn't stop touching her, but he pulled his mouth away from her, still massaging her clit until Elide was too sensitive and with a groan she tightened a hand around his wrist to push him away. She heard him grunt and then moan, but she didn't have the strength to lower her gaze to what she knew very well was a cumming Lorcan.

She was breathing hard, one hand on her stomach to rest and the other still clasped around his.

Every now and then her body was shaken by a spasm, but she managed to calm down after a few minutes and close her aching legs. She rolled onto her side, letting go of his wrist.

Lorcan was also breathless and kept his forehead pressed against the edge of the bed.

Elide felt a tinge of pain tingle through her heart. She pulled herself up just enough to look into his face, "Lor?"

She reached out a hand towards him, placing it on his shoulder, at which he raised his head and looked at her with bright eyes and an open mouth, "Are you alright?"

She nodded, smiling at him and falling back into the now unmade blankets, "Never been better."

He chuckled deeply, moving from his position on the floor and causing at least two joints in his legs to crack.

The moment Elide saw he'd managed to get at least halfway out of his trousers, her throat went dry. And her brain forgot how to talk when she noticed he wasn't wearing boxers. Elide knew Lorcan often went commando, but seeing it with her own eyes was a different story. Seeing him, was a completely different thing from feeling him against her.

She swallowed. She'd intended to scold him for taking all the fun out of both of them by touching himself, but maybe Elide had overestimated her abilities, because the idea of having to give Lorcan a blowjob when his dick was like this-

"If you keep looking at me like that I'm not sure I can keep the promise I made to myself," he murmured in a serious voice.

Elide looked up at his face and sighed as she saw his eyes as dark as before, just moments before he pulled off his clothes completely and lay down beside her on the other side of the bed.

It didn't take her even half a second to wrap herself around him and press her body against Lorcan's side as he draped an arm around her shoulders.

His fingertips began to trace idle lines on her shoulder as he had done only half an hour before on the couch in front of everyone.

A satisfied and surprised laugh came out of her. Lorcan put his hand under her chin and when she looked up at him he had an equally satisfied smile on his lips. He pushed her head towards his, causing their mouths to collide in a brief kiss that was chaste in comparison to what they had just done and when they broke away, Elide frowned, "I didn't like you touching yourself without giving me a chance to enjoy this in turn."

The corner of Lorcan's mouth turned up, "Sorry honey, but seeing you naked like that on the bed for me has been my dream for a little too long and I was sure I would have come in zero time if I had let you touch me. It would have been embarrassing." he whispered, caressing her cheek.

Elide tried to suppress a smile, failing miserably. She decided to tease him a little, "I thought I heard you say you lasted long in bed, didn't you?"

He chuckled, "You know it's hard to rely on stamina when the girl in question is you."

At those words she felt a particularly strong surge of affection for the boy who had given her one of the most intense orgasms she had ever received and she pushed herself closer against him, making her bare breasts feel against his skin.

Lorcan turned slightly towards her, looking into her face.

He looked so relaxed.

She knew he was.

But there was something that didn't allow her to be one hundred percent.

She fixed her eyes on his, placing a hand on his chest, over his heart. The hand Lorcan had held behind his head until now came to rest on hers, squeezing her fingers tight.

Elide took a shuddering breath, "Now what?"

Lorcan suppressed a yawn, "I guess it's not a problem if we stay here and sleep-"

"No, I'm saying," she interrupted him, looking away, "what do we do now? You and I." then, realizing that question couldn't have been more vague, she closed her eyes, mustering courage, "What are we now?"

"Whatever you want us to be, Ellie," he said softly, starting to stroke her hand, "But I want one thing to be clear. And I'd like you to look at me while I say it."

Elide opened her eyes, lifting her chin slightly so she could see him better, and gave him a small smile, which he immediately returned.

"What is it?"

Lorcan's gaze moved to her lips, before returning to her eyes, "I like you, Elide."

She stopped breathing.

"I really like you and whatever you decide to do with me, I'll respect that, but I also want to say that if you don't want anything exclusive, then this will have been a one night stand and won't happen again."

Although she also wanted exactly the same things, hearing him say them made her chest hurt, because the prospect of not being able to have him again so soon after just finally finding him hurt.

She cleared her throat, nodding, "I like you too." she whispered, noticing his eyes widen a little, "And I don't want you going with any other girls besides me if we decide to continue with this." Lorcan nodded, agreeing with her, then continued, "If you don't want a relationship right away, I can understand that, but know that I do." she felt herself blush as she finally admitted the truth out loud, looking away, "And I know our situation isn't the best with being roommates and all-"

"Our situation is perfect," Lorcan corrected her, moving a strand of hair out of her face.

She looked at him again, seeing him smile.

"Ellie, you're my best friend. The person who knows me the most out of all the people I consider important. We already live together, we won't have to fight over who to stay at every night. We won't have to go on any awkward first dates and the sex seems phenomenal to me," a lump formed in her throat as she tried to keep her breathing regular, but found it difficult when he smiled at her more broadly, "I waited months for you to see that the playlists were all declarations and hoped that after Friday night something would change. For once I won."

Elide figured he was talking about what had happened at the club, but if she was going to be completely honest... "I was the one who showed you my tits twice, letting you know I wanted something more. Don't take all the credit."

Lorcan burst out laughing and it sounded more scratchy than usual, "I'm sorry, you're right."

He kissed her again and again, and held her close as he ran his fingers through her hair and murmured the words to a love song, and before long she fell asleep in his arms, making Lorcan the happiest man in the world.

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[olivish]

What a bleak, dreary episode. Don't get me wrong, I loved it. But damned if I couldn't find a single frame in the entire 42 minutes that was at all visually pleasing... Oh. Wait. There was Alex's train-ray vision. Let's use that for the picture!

More thoughts below the fold...

First things first. Ghost!Melanie flirting at Ben while Alex gags in disgust was a nice touch on Valentine's day. I’m an unapologetic Melanie/Ben shipper so this will sustain me through whatever cursed madness is to come next week. Thank you, writers, for the crumb.

Now about the track obstruction. I'll admit, I was expecting something worse than "just" 100 dead bodies. Like, I thought we would learn that Wilford made Alex choose who would die, or maybe that he made her help him disconnect the cars, or maybe we’d see some botched human science experiments. But in fact, it was "just" 100 dead bodies, and moreover Alex explained that it was necessary. Apparently, Wilford did it so the rest of the crew could survive. Huh. Okay. As Alex would say, "I am distinctly underwhelmed."

Okay, I was underwhelmed at first. But in retrospect, I like that this episode was less about what a monster Wilford is, and more about Alex losing her best friend and never getting the chance to say goodbye. When Alex told Ghost!Melanie that she'd lost so many people but never saw a single body, that carried weight. Rowan Blanchard did a great job of showing us that Alex is still angry with her mother, not so much for dying, but for disappearing rather than leaving a body.

But let's change gears and talk about Wilford for a moment. Is it just me, or his he fuzzier this season? First, his lovesick longing for Audrey, and now… was that regret? For Alex's pain? Like, did I hallucinate, or did Wilford apologize to Ghost!Melanie for what Alex was going through? Honestly, I didn't think he had it in him. I'm intrigued, and I'd like to see what other surprises Wilford might have in store when he comes out of his suspension coma. (Does he also bake cookies?)

While we're on the subject of the suspension coma - what a great twist that Roche almost killed Wilford! I didn't see it coming, and yet it feels spot-on for what I would expect Roche to do under these circumstances. And Wilford begging Ghost!Melanie for help was lovely.

Another thing I loved: Mrs. Headwood defending herself with Mr. Headwood's shoes as Layton berated her for experimenting on his unborn child. This was one of those quintessential "Snowpiercer" moments. I can't explain what made it so “Snowpiercer”, but it was.

But on that note, I am puzzled why Wilford would give cold-resistance gene therapy to Layton's baby. Mrs. Headwood called it a "gift". Wilford referred to the baby as "our child". This is another example of Wilford's creepy obsession with other people's kids, further cementing my head-canon that the Great Engineer can't sire a biological heir, a condition that distresses him more every day as all the successors he tries to 'adopt' reject him.

More stuff that made me uncomfortable: I didn’t like that Pelton felt free to dig through Zarah’s medical records and show Layton the file without Zarah’s consent. And I didn’t like that Layton went on a rampage in the lab without talking to Zarah first. Mrs. Headwood had it exactly right, TALK TO THE MOTHER OF YOUR CHILD, LAYTON. Geez. It’s like Layton doesn’t consider Zarah to be a person at all, but just an incubator for his baby. (Remind me WHY they're a couple again???)

Now let’s talk about the bananas in a box. Was anyone else reminded of the dicks in a box from Season 1, or is that just me? Just me, right? Well, even putting that aside, I do not like Pike. As cute as Pike can be when he's flirting with Ruth, I think he's too cynical and self-interested to be a compatible partner for her. Seems about right that Ruth chose the teals and departed with a "I'll see you around, Mr. Pike."

Okay, now I'm circling back to Alex. I loved the ending of this episode, especially Ghost!Melanie's speech to Alex about facing her feelings for Wilford. "I ran from him, I became him. Face him. Face everything that haunts you; it will set you free." It was nice to see that Alex has the insight to realize that burying her anger/ grief/ pain will only get her stuck. (Maybe this is something she gleaned from reading Melanie's journals?) In the end, Alex gave herself permission to feel everything she needed to feel, so she could then use her past to her advantage rather than letting it cripple her.

So that's it! I guess it says something that I wrote 900 words about this episode and didn't mention Asha once. It's not that I don't like the character, but she's not… doing anything? I keep waiting to learn more about her. So far, I've learned she has PTSD and survivor's guilt… but, as Till points out, who on this train doesn't have those problems? Maybe Audrey can help Asha? She is a gifted therapist…

[gwyns]

I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone draw parallels between Feyre leaving Tamlin for her Mate to Elain leaving Azriel for her Mate. (Ignoring the fact I hate Rhysand, the books obviously want me to think he's the best person ever so I'll just pretend). Because that's what I see happening.

Elain and Azriel are so clearly rebounds for one another. Elain's still grieving her human love and life, and Azriel is still hung up on Mor. They're both quiet and available, so they jump to each other. That's it. The Azriel POV was purely about what he wants. How he wants to fuck her and taste her. He's just sex to her.

Even if E/riels had a more convincing case, it's not like SJM hasn't pulled a SIKE on us before. If she goes anywhere with E/riel, she'll undoubtedly pull it back. SJM doesn't take Mating bonds lightly, and she's stated that she loves Lucien. And if anyone deserves the happiness of a bond, it's him.

Feyre and Rhys, and Cassian and Nesta, all had relationships/lovers before Mating. Elain "liking" Az now, (which we're not even clear on), doesn't really mean much.

I'd like to hear your thoughts! You're so good at this, and you always explain my thoughts so perfectly. Love and light 💕💕💕

honestly there are quite a few feysand/elucien parallels that people either don't see or choose to ignore.

rhysand was first presented as a villain to feyre, the same could be applied to lucien just bc of his envolvement with tamlin (that he wrongfully gets blamed for btw idk why e/riels love blaming tamlin's mistakes on lucien). feyre was engaged before she went to rhys, elain was engaged before she met lucien. both were/are? still hung up on their former fiances. feysand as a couple represents the night, elucien would represent (at least in part) day. it's literally night and day with them. they're similar but also wholly their own pairing, it's fascinating to me.

anyway i think i will use this ask to spill some of my e/riel opinions sorry about that! alright let's start off with this controversial statement: i don't think e/riel was ever meant to be endgame.

i've seen it said a few times over the years that sarah changed her mind about elucien and while that's possible bc she also previously changed her mind on lucien and nesta one has to ask themselves..... if she wanted to write a mate bond rejection why didn't she stick with her original plan of lucien and nesta being mates? she's said herself that they wouldn't work but she chose to change lucien's mate to someone who compliments him better, and it's to feyre's other sister no less. that tells me lucien is important and powerful, he's mated to one of the sisters, one of the key players of the entire series.

another point is we can assume (and we could be wrong, let me put this here before someone yells at me or vague blogs about it) that sjm had an elucien endgame in mind when writing acowar, right? and when she was touring for that book hadn't she already started work on acofas? and we know that she's never on social media, so if she had an elucien endgame in mind when she wrote all of the supposed e/riel "evidence" where does that leave us?

drama. tension. conflict. angst.

i think that's what it all comes down to. people will say that elucien was a front while e/riel is the true endgame but... it all seems a bit easy, doesn't it? e/riel is right in your face while elucien is silently brewing in the background. what if the bait and switch isn't elucien, but e/riel?

sarah has shown us before that she likes to use her characters as ways for her other characters to end up with their endgame matches. for example, without tamlin, feyre wouldn't have met rhys. and moving over to throne of glass for a second, if not for chaol, aelin wouldn't have met rowan. and in turn, if aelin hadn't given yrene the money she needed in tab, chaol wouldn't have met her.

are the e/riel scenes romantically coded? yes, probably. i'm not saying they aren't, some people picked up on it but i personally didn't get that vibe myself, especially in acowar, but acofas kinda blurred the lines a bit. but even then, i didn't think they'd work out and i still don't understand the arguments that are supposed to be in their favor from that book. elain says she doesn't want a male so that excludes lucien but not azriel somehow? that line means she doesn't want any fae, she wants a human man, she wants graysen. then we have lucien saying he can't even stand to be in the same room as elain which i never read as a "oh i hate this person" kinda way. no, it's bc the whole situation between them is awkward and it obviously makes both of them uncomfortable. it doesn't help when literally all of the inner circle is constantly around them, and being in the night court in general doesn't give them the privacy to get to know each other.

some people like to ask why build e/riel up at all if they're not going to be together? one thing i've always loved about sjm's books is how she can write relationships. now, let's say you meet someone irl and you like them, eventually maybe fall in love with them, and fail to notice how they're not good for you. maybe everyone around you can see it, but you don't. you want a relationship and you're in a decent one, it should work out. like they're not a bad person, this relationship just isn't right for you in the long run. why waste your time? it's life. sometimes things are good for you at a certain point in time but not later on. sometimes you just end up in a relationship that was never good for you. sometimes you fall out of love with someone. you're constantly learning and adapting to things and that's my stance on e/riel. i think they're both looking for companionship and they're the "safest" and most available option.

taking it back to acofas, azriel was relived to not have to get elain a gift and was still gazing longingly at mor. now in acosf he's avoiding talking about her while wanting to fuck elain and getting defensive when helion mentions mor. he's not over her. he's not going to just completely forget 500 years of pining bc elain showed up, especially when they haven't even helped one another to move on. if they had, we would have seen the proof of that. not just "oh she's hot we both want sex", that doesn't make a healthy relationship.

as for elain, she's been taught she has to act a certain way her entire life. she has to downplay her trauma and emotions to appease others so they don't worry about her. maybe she's even had visions involving lucien that upset/scare her somehow and she's reaching out for something else. i think they're both lonely and desperate (at least on az's end) for someone that they ultimately are drawn to the wrong people.

as for the lack of elucien development... this is how i see it. if they're endgame, why would sarah have all of their big moments happen off screen or as a throwaway line in acosf? elain is getting a book, we know this, and with how much of the story is tied to lucien and how much is left unresolved with him, we can also assume he'd get a pov at some point. so imo it makes sense for the fact we got little to no development for them in acosf. no, she wants a huge wedge between them so we can watch them come together. the payoff will be that much sweeter. kinda similar to how she put a wedge between nessian before acosf, sure they had more development in acowar than elucien but i think that's bc sarah knew they'd get the first spinoff. she had to give them that development whereas elucien can wait, a bit longer. it's frustrating yes but i do think we'll get something in acotar 5.

maybe i'm an optimistic fool, maybe sarah did at one point have an endgame in mind for them, but i find it hard to believe she wouldn't see how wrong they are for each other in the long run. she's very good at showing us how well characters fit together with just a few lines.

[nikyiscreepy]

when are niky and merulas respective oh moments ? the moment they realize they have fallen for the other like the clowns they are ?

— adellovesrowan

Ooooh that's an interesting question my dear emo✨

But I believe that, to make you appreciate more the answer to the question, I should give you a bit of a background of what it was their relationship before the so-called "Oh moment", so buckle up!

See, the start of their relationship in general wasn't exactly the best and it was pretty hard for them to start talking to each other more, for one reason or another. One knew exactly what the other was going through emotionally wise but didn't know exactly what those feelings were caused by, as for the other was just too defensive about her feelings in general and didn't trust nobody except herself. So any conversation between them it would have had a moment of discomfort at some point, due to probably Niky accidentally reading Merula's feelings. Oh yeah, along with Merula's little problem of attitude in general, which wasn't exactly the most open to start friendships, especially if the person in question was in your way to the success you've worked so hard to get it.

This situation was like this from year 1 to 2, then a big fight happened between them (I'll make a post about it in the future because there's a pretty complex dynamic going on, all I'm saying is that there are also some Slow Dancing Through the Flames of Hell "side effects" that will play a big part in it) so bad, that for the entirety of year 3, Niky and Merula will barely talk to each other for the entirety of the year! They'll finally get to talk literally during the last week of the school year, where they'll finally have a nice conversation where basically Niky will properly apologize for what happened the past year, as for Merula, well, she'll take her apology and might also hint to an apology herself, 'cause you know, apologizing isn't exactly easy for her, but hey she tried her best! Even if Merula's apology wasn't as clear as hers, to Niky it was enough, 'cause she could feel some light regret coming from her, so she was sure that little she has told her was true.

After all of this fiasco though, they started to hang out??? 'Cause they both realized that the other is not so bad of a person after all. Like, they still feel the need to justify themselves with a lame ass excuse like "we're just making sure neither of us sabotages the other lol we're not really friends", but in reality, they're just enjoying their time together as friends. They. Get. Close. Very close. Not as close as Niky and Rowan are, but almost. Yet they still decide to keep it low key. They wanna keep it so low key that they have some secret code to communicate to each other, like for example "Maybe this time your potion won't explode in your lame face" as a way of saying "Do you wanna have lunch together later?". Totally random sentences to say something lol.

Anyway, all of this premise to give you an idea on how their relationship evolved lol I'm so sorry, now I'll try to answer to the actual question nsbqbwj.

I'd say that both of them started crushing on the other around the same time, aka from the Celestial Ball and on circa, but as for the actual oh moment it happened at two different times.

Niky definitely fell for her dandelion at the first Valentine's day sq. Seeing how thoughtful and sweet this confusing girl can be, how she is willing to put down all of her defenses and show her vulnerable side to her, how she trusts her: it simply made Niky's heart melt on the spot. Sure, it might not have been the most sophisticated and planned out surprise date in all of history, but to her, it was more than enough. Just them in their privacy together, allowing themselves to be together as they are without pretending to be anything else, whispering sweet things to one another, some occasional kisses on the cheek, it was the definition of heaven for her. Let me be clear, she didn't fall just because of the gesture itself, but it was more for what type of person was behind such gesture and how far it's willing to expose her feelings to her to be read, voluntarily.

As for Merula, it happened in the least romantic context possible, but hey, you can't control your feelings in these situations. It happened after the fight with Rakepick at the end of year 5, (if you know, you know) when she was recovering at the Hospital Wing from the Cruciatus session she went through, so she was in a lot of pain. A considerable lot. She hated being there, as it reminded her of how fragile her body really was, completely ignoring the fact that it was the mf Cruciatus curse she was submitted to, along with also Rakepick's words echoing in her head all of the time that there was silence in the room. "Have you ever been someone's favorite?" was that one quote she couldn't help to get it out. Thankfully, Niky understood what she was going through maybe a bit too well and said that she would have stayed there with her all the night, holding her hand as she slept so that if anything happened, she was ready to help and comfort her. At first, Merula thought that she was saying those comforting words just to make her feel better, and once she would have started to fall asleep, she would have gone back to her dorm leaving her to rest. You can tell that she was pretty surprised to find her still there the next morning, holding her hand as she was sleeping with her head on Merula's bed. She could feel her heartbeat start to speed up a bit because omg... she kept her word. She stayed, no matter how much she scolded her the day before to leave her in her pain alone. She cared for her? Genuinely? She was willing to test Madame Pomfrey's rigid visiting hours, just to reassure her in a moment of extreme fragility? But why? She couldn't understand fully, but she was sure that whatever it was for, she was... glad and relieved and happy to see her still there. "She looks so beautiful when she's caressed by the rays of the sun" she thought, before denying herself.

OK WOW THIS WAS ✨LONG✨

Thank you again for the ask and I hope I've answered your question well enough. I'm sorry if I lost myself with the explanation of their relationship nsbbwjwkwkw

[fakeloveaskblog]

I'm going ghost trick or treating.

To all the characters,

TRICK OR TREAT! 🍫🍬🍭🍫🍬🍭

~Ghost

"!! trick or treating!" Patty reached out to shake Logan around as her smile brightened "Great way to start the night!! I'm choosing trick since all of the snacks at this goshdarn bar are way too prizey! Do I look like a money tree or something!?"

Logan was just letting himself be shaken around for as long as she wanted to. He thought she was very adorable when she was like that. Even though she was nearly making him fall off his chair since the only free chairs they'd been able to find at the halloween party where two of those annoyingly tall bar stools.

"No honey, you look like a ghost. A very pretty ghost" He looked at you "-A uhm fake pretty ghost. I hmm I choose treat so that my good lady wife gets even more snacks! Tactics!"

"YEaH!! Tactics!!" She pressed a kiss to his hand "Don't worry dear, I'll let you have Some snacks"

--

"T R I C K!" Remus exclaimed as soon as he heard you.

He was working hard on braiding Rowan's hair while they got bumped around in a taxi.

"Well since I am spending halloween with my monstrosity of a brother you might understand that I am already very Very tired of tricks. So I choose treat" Rowan replied.

"You should be glad I'm not putting boogers and frog livers in your hair right now" The monstrosity of a brother said with a grin.

She smacked her arms around to try and hit him, in the sister way "You're a nightmare!!!"

"Yeah! An epic one!!"

--

Remy was sitting in the passenger seat of Virgil's car with their feet leant against the dashboard. The whole car was slowly but surely filling up with smoke because of them.

"Eyy the ghost. My bestieeee" They let up into a relaxed smile as they saw you "Gal I think I gotta choose some tr-"

The car suddenly swerved to the right, just enough so it didn't go off the road. Remy nearly slammed their head into the car window.

"Fucking hell Virge!" They groaned.

"I didn't expect a fucking ghost to get into the car!! I thought it only was in the apartment! I am not talking to one of those while driving!"

"I didn't think you were afraid of ghosts. Don't you like love ghosts and all that shit"

"I'm not- Afraid isn't the word for it! I don't trust them! They don't trust me! We're not on usual speaking terms unlike how you're suddenly so buddy buddy with them!" He rolled his eyes "...not that you can't be...uhm..friends with them.....i guess....it just...surprised me.....sorry"

He'd gotten just a bit scared that the ghosts were back to berate him about being a supposedly bad person. He'd thought he had been doing a pretty good on job on being a better partner lately. He'd done his best.

"It's okay babe. My lil Vivsy. So terrified of the like scary ghosties. Poor Viv" Remy pouted and everything just to be annoying.

"I'm not lil!"

"Yeah Yeah. Sure" They glanced to you "No trick or treat for us. Sorry"

--

Janus was in anxious mega disaster hell. He had been walking back and forth across the pavement right outside of the halloween party. When he saw you he nearly jumped.

"Normally I would have said trick to see what the hell you would have come up with but" A nervous laugh left their lips "Right now I think if another even slightly bad thing happens right now it will actually break me and make me transform into a hideous beast that eats buildings"

They fiddled with their black gloves and checked themself in the reflection of the bar's window again.

"So treat please. If that wasn't clear" He snapped his fingers to try and stim some anxiety away "Oh this is just- this is absolutely ridiculous of me- It's a door! I have walked through a lot of doors in my life time. Why am I unable to go into a party. Oh gosh what if Logan isn't there yet. What if I'm way too early and everyone thinks I'm pathetic and ugly and everyone will hate me and I will probably break the light equipment by accident somehow"

They grimaced as they stared at the door. They could hear the bass from the music through the walls.

"I have decided that doors are extremely frightening actually and all doors should be torn apart"

[the-laridian]

OTP questions, 8 for Rowan and Max please

I remembered the name of an old TV show and thus our good buddy M. Callahan is in here too. Name of the fic is as close as I could make it match with coffee. Also this is the first time I have written a coffee shop AU that was longer than 75 words. Rowan & Martin's Latte-In "I don't think this is going to work," Martin droned. "It... probably will," Rowan said. "If we don't get some sales, we don't get tips, we're out of a job - " "I hate your pep talks," Martin said. He adjusted his mascot head. "How do I look?" "Like the walking embodiment of our corporate mascot," Rowan said, and it was true. He didn't know why Martin was assigned to mascot duty; Martin's delivery tended to scare people off. "Good luck."

Whether Martin was bringing in customers, Rowan didn't know; people bought Moonbrew coffees no matter what, because it was everywhere and standardized. Like McDonalds, Rowan thought, with the coffee as mass produced as anything else, given the meaningless label "gourmet" and - damn, he'd better pay more attention. At least he wasn't the only one behind the counter. The morning rush slowed, Martin was still out there, and Rowan, Ellie and Parvati got a chance to clean and catch their breath. "I'm goin' out for a smoke break," Ellie announced. "See, if you guys smoked, you could get extra breaks too." "That's not how it works," Parvati said, wiping down the counter. "Why d'you think Martin likes that mascot job? It's so he doesn't have to work in here. Even if the suit smells like someone peed in it." Ellie went out the back door. "Rowan, can you handle register for a while? That one Karen - " "Yeah, sure. Go take a break if you want. It's quiet, I can handle things, or I'll scream if I need one of you," Rowan said, and tried to smile. "Thanks," she smiled back. "Oh, hey, it's your regular!" she chirped, in a way that sounded very staged. "I'll be back in two shakes of a cat's tail!" "That's not - forget it," Rowan muttered as Parvati also went out the back door. His regular? The only person coming in the shop was that administrator guy from the college. "Welcome to Moonbrew," Rowan began, "where every flavor - " "Yes, yes, you don't have to repeat it," the customer said. "Cafe Americano, two shots." That's right, Max. Maximum caffeine, zero sugar. "Anything else, sir?" "What do you recommend from those?" Max pointed at the display of pastries and other baked goods. "Uh... well, they're all trucked in, none of them are made on site." Why was he even saying this? "But - " Max didn't have sweet coffee drinks, might not want a sweet pastry? "If you want something that's actually good for eating, like to save for lunch? I'd go with the eggs and cheese box lunch. The hot ham and swiss is good, but if you have to wait, the box lunch is better." "The box lunch, please." "Yessir." Rowan wrote "MAX" on the drink even though nobody else was here. (What were Ellie and Parvati doing, anyway? Girl talk?) Rang up the customer's total, "Here you go." "Thank you, Rowan." No surprise that Max knew his name, everyone had name tags, but it was nice to hear someone refer to him by name. "When is your lunch break?" "Me? Uh..." Do not say anything negative about employment here. "It's... whenever. You know." Rowan waved a hand vaguely. "Then eat this whenever you have that time." Max handed back the box lunch, picked up his coffee, and left. Rowan looked at the box in his hands, confused. Max had just bought him lunch? Did Rowan look that bad off? Well... he couldn't put it back in the fridge now, if he didn't eat it, he'd have to throw it out. "Hey, dingus, how'd it go?" Ellie was back, smelling of smoke. "How'd what go?" She rolled her eyes. "The guy who's so into you. Did you talk to him this time?" Rowan had no idea what she was talking about. But - Max had bought him lunch. Was that supposed to mean something? Other than being nice? "Whatcha got there?" Ellie pointed at the box, like she couldn't tell what it was. "Lunch. For me, I mean." "Livin' the high life now, huh? Go eat before the next crowd comes in."

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

I'm goinn to be honest, I Think You're very cool. Thanks for Let me talk about My Kids and tell me about yours as well!

so as I Was thinking about how lucky I am to talk to You, I have The idea Of Lilianne giving Luca wooded ststues She makes herself

In Year two

Lilianne: Hey, Luca!

Luca, who has been having Insomnia: Oh, Lilianne. Something happened?

Lilianne: You're very cool, that's What Is happening!

Luca, who Is doesn't Used to compliments: Thanks... I Think You're also very cool and-

Lilianne: *She pulls out a wooden statue and shows it to Them. The statue is of Luca sitting cross legged with Mitten on their lap* Sh, Yeah, But we're not Talking about me, we're Talking about You. You're honestly The most Kind and caring person I've Ever met and I Know You're going Through a lot, with your Brother Dissapeared and The insomnia. I just wanted You to have One Of This.

Luca, surprised: I Can't Never get started with how Good This, Rowan told me You were doing this Kind Of Thing and though I Expected This to be Good I don't expected that could be This awesome and thinking about This Is All Is for me...

Lilianne: I'm glad You Like it, my friend! I Think You really Deserved something really great as You

Luca: I Can't Wait to write a Letter to Jacob about This, I bet he Will be so jealous...

Wait just an energy-tapping moment, my good friend. Because I for one think it is you who is exceptionally cool and a wonderful person to talk to! I am the lucky one and you cannot convince me otherwise! I mean, I don’t know how you’re going to have Lilianne giving Luca a statue of themself with Mitten and somehow come out of this thinking that you are anything but the best? For the record, Luca would sob until they have no tears left, and my feelz meter is off the charts as well. Y’know speaking of Rowan that gets me thinking, I feel like Lilanne and Rowan would totally bond over wood work and things of the like? I feel like that would be a hobby and/or skill they would have in common? Oh and there’s Luca going off to write a letter to Jacob because of course they are, while Rowan and Lilianne dork out. This entire post has added at least eleven years to my lifespan, so thank you so much.