#PT era

[atzfolder]

GOTTA MAKE THAT MONEY, MAKE PURSE [🪙]

[ellecdc]

Off the Clock

PT!Remus x team medic!reader who lets Remus help her out off the clock [2.2k words]

CW: flirting, fluff, suggestive content, brief nonsexual nudity [?], socks and sandals, based off of stupid sexy pt!remus who wasn't supposed to be so sexy

“You doin’ alright there, doc?” Remus asked casually as he leaned against the door to the team gym sans the team as you tried and failed to stretch out an angry muscle in your back. 

“Yeah.” You let out - half groan half appeasement as you unfurled yourself from your quasi-yoga pose attempt at trying to unkink some knot in your back that was starting to make it painful to breathe. “Yeah, I’m alright.���

Remus nodded as he narrowed his eyes at you before heading towards the medic’s office. “Could’ve fooled me.” 

“Then why’d you ask?” You laughed breathlessly as you laid face down on your gym mat, wincing at the twinge radiating from your middle back down to nearly your tailbone. 

“Maybe I just like hearing the sound of your voice; ever think about that?” Remus called back, still in your office as you heard him shuffling about. 

“You like listening to women lie to you, Lupin?”

You heard him snicker at that and couldn’t help the smile that took over your face, knowing that eliciting any type of reaction from your usually inhibited physical therapist didn’t come easily.

Well…not your physical therapist…the team's physical therapist. But he was on your team…the medical team, so, well, you sort of liked to claim him anyways. 

“I don’t know if I like listening to women lie to me,” he started as he crouched beside you, “but I’m quite good at it.”

You opened your eyes to see he had changed out of his more formal work wear into a pair of loose fitting joggers and a team long sleeved shirt that fit him like skin. You couldn’t believe he hid that body under all of those team hoodies and dress shirts. 

“What hurts?” He asked as you felt a gentle yet warm and assured hand land on your back and begin brushing soft strokes along your spine. 

“M’back.” You mumbled into your arm as your face pinched in discomfort. 

“Well yeah.” Remus agreed, but it wasn’t chiding, rather his hand seemed to still on a part of your back that emanated heat as he stared unseeingly into the gym as if he were mapping out the muscles of your back in his head. “Jeez that’s sore, hm?”

You hummed in agreement and tried to breathe around it. “Think I’m gonna have to call a chiropractor or something.” 

Remus’ pinched brows seemed to pinch further as he moved his gaze to yours. “Well now I’m offended.” 

“What? Why?” You tried to laugh, though quickly groaned as it left your ribs feeling like they might crack under the pressure. Remus made a tsking sound as he resumed gentle circles on the sore part of your back that you both pretended not to hear. 

“You have a perfectly good PT here and you’re going to call a chiropractor?” He deadpanned. 

“You’re not my PT, Remus.” You murmured quietly. 

“And you’re not my doctor, but did you not stitch my hand up after that incident with the skates?” 

“Well, yeah, but-”

“Yeah.” 

“-but you’re part of the team, and it was an incident that happened with the team…” You argued, though it sounded feeble even to your own ears.

“You’re as much a part of the team as I am, doc.” He murmured softly. 

“I’m fine, Lupin; honest. I probably slept on it weird or something.”

“Or you insisted on unloading the bus back in New York in the freezing cold without stretching properly first and pulled something.” That was chiding. 

“It’s my job to help the equipment crew.”

“Within reason, doc. Any more arguments?”

“You’re off the clock, though; you’re not going to even be paid for this.” You whined.

“That’s actually better for me; means you can’t sue if I make it worse.” He paused as he allowed you to huff a small laugh. “Any other questions or are you going to let me help you?”

“How do you know I didn’t stretch?” You grumbled, lifting your head from your crossed arms when Remus didn’t answer you.

His hand continued its ministrations as he stared at you with an unreadable expression on his face. “Did you stretch?”

You held his gaze for as long as you could muster before letting out a petulant huff and hiding your face in your arms again. 

“Up you get.” He ordered as he stood up slightly, taking your elbows in his hands and helping you straighten as you spent the majority of your effort not groaning like the decrepit old women you felt like. 

Remus - with his skin tight shirt and his grey sweats and his gentle yet assured hands and his dulcet tones and sweet encouragements - led you to one of the private examination rooms that had a massage table set up in it.

“Rem…” You tried, but he simply encouraged you forward by the small of your back. 

“Take this…” Remus murmured as he pulled at your shirt, pausing as he moved a finger below the strap of your sports bra through your athletic top gently before his hand disappeared altogether. “-and this off for me, okay?” 

And before you could protest, he was gone. 

You got your shirt and bra off with some difficulty; a pained breath with your shirt and a slight whimper at your bra that had you contemplating just cutting the damn thing off when you finally slid it over your head.

That would definitely not be going back on tonight. 

You tucked yourself between the warm bedding and lied face down on the table. You’d hardly had a moment to realise the blankets were still warm from the dryer when there was a gentle rap on the door and Remus opened it a crack.

“You good?”

You hummed in agreement as he came in and closed the door behind him. 

“Are you wearing socks in your birkenstocks?” You murmured as you saw his feet appear below the face rest of the massage table. 

“Okay, your eyes are supposed to be closed.” He muttered, but you could hear the smile in his voice as he tucked the edge of the blanket into your waistband and pulled your pants slightly lower on your hips.

“Are they? I didn’t realise that was a requirement.”

“If you keep it up I’m going to go get Black and Potter’s lotion from the fridge for you.” Remus threatened as he grabbed a bottle of lotion from a bowl of water before smoothing the warm contents over your back.

“You put lotion in the fridge?”

“Only for Potter and Black.”

“Why?” You asked through a moan you would have been embarrassed about had Remus’ hands not felt like being touched by a sexy bloody angel. 

“We’ll see how funny they think it is to cling wrap our entire office, won’t we?”

You let out a surprised laugh that turned into a groan that Remus quickly rectified by applying light pressure to the sore section of your back. 

“Pranking them back, why didn’t I think of that!?” 

“You just stay away from those hooligans, hm? I’ll take care of them.” 

“Doctors orders?”

Remus took a steadying breath as he worked out a stubborn knot in your back. “I think it’s the erector spinae muscle.” He grunted under the pressure he was using. 

“I love when you talk anatomy to me.” You hummed, relishing in the snort of a laugh from Remus as he moved his hands back down to the bottom of your spine to work over the muscle again.

“You’re impossible.” 

“In a good way or a bad way?”

Remus was quiet for a moment as he considered your question. “In the best way.”

You hardly had a moment to reply before his sock-birkenstock combo was visible beneath the table again and he was working the muscles from the opposite direction. 

The room felt heavy and warm; between Remus’ presence, his skilled and knowledgeable hands, the soft blankets below you and the fact that you were consciously working to not notice the way his hands felt on the delicate skin on your sides below your shoulders before your ribs, or the way his fingers seemed to inch slightly further below your waistband with each pass every time you made him laugh. 

“I’m going to fall asleep if you don’t stop.” You murmured drowsily into your arms, and you could feel the puffs of air along your back when he breathed out a laugh before smoothing his hands over your back once, twice, three times more before releasing the blankets from your waistband. 

“Do you feel any better?” He murmured as you sat up, awkwardly holding one of the fuzzy throws over your torso causing him to turn quickly and grab your shirt and bra.

You took both from him but tossed the bra back towards the chair it’d been sitting on before dropping the blanket and pulling the shirt over your head.

Your muscles felt hot and sore, but no longer tight; rather like you had worked out and needed to rest now.

You pulled your shirt down over your torso to see Remus with his hands in his pockets as he looked down at his feet with what looked to be a raging blush even in the low lighting of the room. 

“Way better, Rem.” You sighed gratefully.

“Good,” his voice cracked before he cleared it, “yeah, good, good.” 

“Good.” You whispered with a smile, and he finally looked up to meet your eye.

He offered you a half smile and scuffed the toe of his birkenstock on the ground. “Don’t be going shy on me now, Lupin; not now that I know what you can do with those hands.” 

He let out a loud laugh as he threw his head back and dragged his hands across his face. “You’re impossible.” 

“The good kind.”

He let his hands fall only to rest them on his hips as he smiled at you. “The best kind.” 

You beamed at him, and he beamed right back.

“You weren’t getting paid for this, right?” You whispered; if Remus was confused by your question, he didn’t show it.

“No.”

“What does that make us, then?”

He sucked in a breath and answered on the exhale. “Friends.”

“So…” You started as you reached your hand out to fiddle with the hem of Remus’ sinfully tight shirt between your fingers. He stepped closer to you, now standing between your legs where you sat perched on the edge of the table. 

“So?” He murmured back, two hands settling tentatively on the sides of your thighs. 

“So.” You repeated, squeezing your eyes shut as you lost your nerve.

“Don’t be getting shy on me now, dove.” He teased as one of his hands moved to cup your jaw; horrified to think he might feel the heat beneath your cheeks or the hummingbird speed at which your heart was beating. “Not now that I know what you look like without a shirt.”

Your breath caught in your throat as you watched his eyes flit between yours as well as your lips.

“What did you call me?” You whispered instead of giggling like a fucking school girl. 

His cheeks pinked again, but his smirk grew as his gaze stayed glued to your lips.

“I went to call you doc and…switched it to love halfway through,” he let out with a slightly nervous chuckle, “I guess…I guess it sort of turned into dove.” 

He’d barely finished his sentence before you were grabbing a fistfull of his shirt and pulling him into you as you pressed a searing kiss to his lips. He let out a surprised yet pleased hum as his hand cupping your jaw moved to the back of your neck where he grabbed a fistfull of hair, and his hand that had been on your thigh moved to squeeze your hip. 

You kept his shirt within your fist but allowed your other hand to rove along his chest up to his shoulder before moving it to trace the muscles in his back, forcing him that much closer so that your hips were flush with one another. 

You made a nearly embarrassing keening sound as you brought both of your hands up to the back of his neck and pulled him impossibly closer to you; swallowing the hum of approval leaving his lips as he granted you access to his mouth. 

The two of you broke apart though neither of you deigned to give the other space as Remus simply rested his forehead against yours as he caught his breath.

“Still okay?” He breathed out as he loosened his hold on your hair and trailed his thumb along the expanse of skin behind your ear, the hand on your hip brushing along the waistband of your pants. 

You hummed in agreement as you let your hands explore the hard lines of his body appreciatively.

“So, ‘dove’, eh?” You asked as you moved your gaze back to his face only to see his eyes already steady on you. 

A small chuckle. “I guess so.”

“I like it.” You admitted.

“The name?”

You nodded your head back and forth in a so-so manner as you fiddled with the tawny curls behind his ears. “Among other things.” 

Remus hummed in understanding, leaning forward to kiss you again that was mostly soft giggles and teeth as the two of you smiled stupidly at each other. 

“I like it, too.”

[tinystern]

ATEEZ(에이티즈) log_logbook#159

[fourmoony]

𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝟐

f!reader x PT!Jamie (modern au) 1.5k words

summary: reader has a bad gym experience and jamie gets protective

cw: working out, mention of potential injury, mentions of sexual harrassment (ass grabbing)

sidenote, that I've seen a lot of this behaviour in the gym before and it makes me sick. writing about it and imagining how jamie would handle it makes me less sick. imagining big strong pt!james making the world better, one set of keys at a time. please, always be aware of your surroundings if you are working out at the gym, especially alone <3

James pulls you out from under the bar of the smith machine by the hips seconds before it clatters to the ground with a sickening thud and clang of metal. You stumble under his harsh hands, land on the ground at his feet and let out a pained whoosh of breath. Luckily, the gym is empty save for the two of you, sparing you the embarrassment of having people watch the commotion.

He's on you in an instant, gentle hands that cradle your neck as he crouches in front of you and pushes your head from side to side with a little pressure from his thumbs. All you can do is blink, try to process what, exactly, just happened. "You're not sore here?" James asks you, brows furrowed and almost touching in the middle, his fingers pressing into the base of your neck.

Your first thought is that James doesn't suit frowning. A silly thought, considering you almost decapitated yourself with a one hundred kilogram squat rack. "No. Just my ass from crash landing." You don't fail to notice the way your voice sounds distant, detached.

James' hands are warm on your neck, a burning touch that you want to lean into. You don't, and it's gone as James collapses down across from you, his elbows resting against his knees. His face turns stern, "What's going on?"

You feel like you're being scolded, and maybe you should be. It's a well known fact that form is everything, that being distracted in the gym can lead to serious injuries. You'd known you wouldn't be able to focus today, you'd known you should've stopped that set and corrected yourself when you could feel the weight more in your back than your legs. But, you hadn't. You're distracted, you're angry. You'd walked into the gym full of frustration and it'd almost ended terribly.

Tears fight their way to your eyes and they burn. You feel a lump forming in your throat that forces you to look away from James. Kind, patient James, who allows you the moment to collect yourself as you pull your legs to your chest. "Shitty week." It comes out mumbled, your voice defeated.

James nods understandingly. "A shitty week doesn't make you lose focus like that, though. There's something more to it."

It's not like James to push. He's friendly and he's kind, he can be a menace when he wants to be, and sometimes you even think he's flirting with you - but he never pushes. You want to open up, you want to step out of that weird area of professionalism you can never seem to get past with him. But unloading your shitty week on him doesn't feel like the way to do that. So you shrug, pulling your knees to your chest until your chin rests atop them, "I'm just stressed. I'm sorry I didn't say anything, I knew my form was wrong but I was too distracted to stop and fix it."

"I don't care that your form was wrong," James shakes his head as though offended you'd think such a thing, "I mean," He pauses, searching for the words, "Obviously, I care that it was wrong because you almost got hurt. But what I mean is that you should've told me you were stressed, that you were feeling a bit distracted."

You find yourself nodding, eyes downcast at your crossed ankles.

"I was waiting for you to correct the form yourself. If I knew you were distracted, I'd have told you to stop. I'm sorry, too." James' voice has turned soft, less stern. He nudges his foot until it's in your line of vision, tapping it against yours until you're looking up.

He's waiting with a smile, his eyes gentle and patient. It feels odd. New, foreign. You can't really describe the feeling. "A guy grabbed my ass in the gym, yesterday." You breathe out, unsure really of what it is that's made you tell him.

It could be that you trust him. It's hard not to build trust with someone in James' position, it's literally his job to stop things like one hundred kilogram bar bells falling on top of you. Or, it could be that not telling anyone, reliving how powerless you'd felt, going over everything you could've done differently, it's eating you alive. Sharing this with James, who sees every day what gyms are like, how people in some gyms behave, you have a feeling that he'll get it. That he'll help you process.

But, he doesn't say anything. Just stares with a look that you can't read. The muscles in his arms shift, his hands clenching around each other tightly, and his jaw clenches. You think he might not say anything, though, you know James is better than that. The silence stretches until the tears in your eyes abate, then James finally croaks, "He what?"

Your veins crackle with the anger in his voice, the darkness that clouds his eyes. You'd never have imagined James in such a light if he wasn't sitting right in front of you, the very picture of livid. You shrug, as though feigning nonchalance might abate the white hot anger you know very well the feeling of. "I was doing those stupid kick back thingies you're always on about. Just messing about as a cool down, trying to correct my own form. He came over and started giving me advice, which I thought was just him being nice."

James shakes his head, remorse like a white sheet of dread across his beautiful face. You swallow, picking at a hangnail on your thumb, "He kind of just," You shift your hands as though grabbing your own hips, "Grabbed me like that and my throat went dry. When he was leaving he grabbed my ass and said 'you're welcome'."

"You didn't report him to the gym staff?"

You shake your head, lip trapped between your teeth. "I wasn't even planning on telling you until I nearly killed myself with the smith machine."

James sighs, one of his hands coming up to rub at his face. He looks nauseous, almost. "I'll get you a set of keys for this gym. You can work out here, from now on. No one will bother you."

It's a nice offer. It makes your heart swell and your cheeks heat. James has always gone above and beyond. He fits you into his schedule despite your crazy work hours and never charges you for the session if you have to cancel day of. But the reason you don't have a membership at his gym is because it's not in your price range. So you smile, kind, if a little tight lipped, "James, you know I can't."

"I'm not saying get a membership. I'm saying I'll get you a set of keys. You can come and go as you please, even after work, whatever time you want." His voice is thick, his eyes earnest and almost pleading.

"I can't ask you to do that."

James scoots closer, fingers flexing as though he might reach out for you, but is stopping himself. He chases your gaze, waits until he has it, until your lips part under the weight of it and your heart hammers against your chest, to speak. "You're not asking. I'm offering. I can't believe that happened to you and it makes me so angry. I'm not going to sit by and do nothing about it."

You sigh, unwilling to argue when James sounds so passionate, so sure of himself. A smile makes its way to your lips, timid, unsure, "Thanks, Jamie."

He nods. "Any time."

"Are you sure the owner won't mind?" You ask.

James grins, some of the mischievous twinkle returning to his eyes, "He's my best mate, it'll be fine."

He offers you a hand as he stands, the storm clouds passing and the weight already lifting from your chest. It feels brighter, in the gym. You take James' hand, let him pull you up. He does his signature move of tugging you until you're stumbling towards him, his laugh echoing off of the concrete walls when you curse him out for it.

"Start from the beginning?" James asks, moving to return the smith machine to where you need it to be.

You take a breath, watch the way his shoulder muscles strain against his top as he bends and lifts. It brings a smile to your lips, the feeling of familiarity you hadn't felt upon entering the gym earlier. "I believe I was at five reps when I dropped the bar."

James tsks, "Dropping it doesn't count as a rep. Call it four."

"Cruel."

James only winks, offers you his award winning smile as you settle yourself under the bar. This time, with the correct form. He nods, and you twist to unlock, eyes on his in the mirror.

"That's one." He grins, crossing his arms over his chest.

You consider dropping the bar on his head, next.

[smilesrobotlover]

Playing with an idea where the strangers go to Alfonzo’s time and find a friend :)

[interludedreams]

people pt. 2 aesthetics 💛💙

[leonardoeatscarrots]

Gentle Hands

Issue 1. Pages 6-10

Pt1 - Pt 2 - Pt 3

Check it out on Webtoons or Tapas!

The best way to support me is to like and reblog!!

[amj2277]

don’t know why but my ideal Buddie love confession is always them accidentally blurting it out while yelling at eachother

like i just need them to be mad at each other (because they care) and either of them (more likely Eddie) yelling “because i love you, asshole!!” or something like that

i feel it’s very chaotic and just in character for them

can’t think of a better scenario for the love confession to happen

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

would just like to drop in and say that I'm still pissed that Fourteen didn't get to run around in 13's clothes for an episode. Clothing is such a fundamentally huge part of symbology for the Doctor (not just an indication of the current incarnation, but often an indication of the current incarnation's big tonal shifts/grief/connection to companions, especially in NuWho) and the fact that Jodie took so much effort to establish a costume that was gender-neutral and could be worn by all fans and Doctors and her doctor was so much less about her being a woman and more about the gender-gremlin nature of the Time Lords and more specifically the Doctor themself and the fact that Fourteen was immediately back in clothing similar to what he wore the first time, no passing of the torch, no literal cloaking of the new Doctor in the last Doctor's clothing until Fourteen could establish themself as a Doctor in their own right just leaves SUCH a nasty taste in my mouth, especially combining with the way that the specials tend to frame the Doctor previously being a woman as if that was the one thing that made Thirteen different/special in ironically such a binary way for what is supposed to be the most trans-inclusive episode of Doctor Who.

[nicktoons-unite-incorrect-quotes]

Jimmy: Why do you like being in the rain?

SpongeBob: I like splashing in the puddles!

Danny: I'm trying to get struck by lightening

Timmy: No one can see me crying

Jimmy: ...Are you guys okay?

[atzfolder]

ATEEZ — Deja Vu (2021)

[ellecdc]

pt remus and medic reader becoming the mum and dad of the hockey team

YES

PT!Remus Lupin x team medic!reader who don't have favourites [681 words]

CW: hockey, NHL players being large sulky babies, PT + medic being tired af of them all (affectionately)

“Whoa whoa whoa, where the fuck do you think you’re going, Fenzy?” You demanded as you stepped into Benjy Fenwick’s way, causing a near domino-esque collision as the guys behind him were forced to come to a stop in their trek down the shoot towards the ice.

“Uhm…practice?” Fenwick answered in the form of a question, and Sirius craned his neck to see what the hold up was to see your brows pinch in disbelief.

“Fat fuckin’ chance; go sit down.”

“But doc-” 

“Fenwick, you have a concussion, I said you were benched.” You pressed as you stepped aside, dragging Fenwick with you by the fabric of his practice jersey to let some of the guys carry on even though he completely towered over you in his skates.

“I thought that meant for games!” Fenwick whined. 

“It’ll mean indefinitely if you don’t go get your kit off.” You threatened severely, and Fenwick let out a theatrical groan before he turned and muttered profanities under his breath as he stormed back towards the locker room. 

“If you’re playing bad doc today, does that mean Lupin’s playing good doc?” Sirius quipped as he made his way toward you, only to hear Remus - already out on the bench overlooking the players warming up - shouting at Viktor Krum.

“I can see you tensing from here, Krum! So I’m gonna ask again, and I want the fucking truth: is that hip still bothering you!?”

“Is only sore when go down, Loops!” Krum called back. 

“Well what good is a goalie going down if he can’t get back up again, Krum?” 

You let out a sigh as you walked out of the shoot with Sirius to find Remus leaning against the boards like he was about ready to hop them himself as he shouted across the rink, and James who was standing on the ice watching the exchange with a look of morbid fascination. 

“They’re gonna be the death of me, L/N, the death of me.” Remus muttered in disbelief as he kept his gaze locked on his problematic goalie.

“Well I just caught Fenz trying to sneak onto the ice.” You grumbled back as you stepped up onto the bench, Remus finally breaking his gaze to look at you incredulously.

“I thought you said he had a concussion?”

“He does have a concussion.”

“That son of a bitch!” Remus nearly shrilled, earning him an almost smile from you.

“Kids these days, am I right?” James offered from his place on the ice, leaning heavily against one skate as he rested both gloves on the top of his stick, and his chin on his gloves. 

“That’s why we’re mom and dad’s favourite, Potts.” Sirius added with a wink as he skated by and tapped his stick to James’ ass. 

“You do those stretches I asked of you, Black, then we’ll talk about favourites, yeah?” Remus called out to him, causing Sirius to let out a nervous squeak as he took off quickly down the ice. 

A couple of drills later, James came and sat heavily on the bench in front of you, taking a few deep breaths and squirting gatorade into his mouth before turning to look at you. “Who is your favourite, doc?”

“I don’t have favourites, Potter.” You offered simply as you continued watching the players on the ice. 

“Please.” Sirius argued as he climbed over the boards, nearly spilling onto the bench beside James. “Every mother has favourites.”

“Not when she’s parenting a bunch of sods.” You grumbled, causing everyone on the bench to let out varying sounds of protest.

“That’s rude, mom. You’re rude.” James lamented, earning him a swat up the back of the helmet from Remus.

“Don’t speak to your mother that way.” Remus scolded earnestly; his lips quirking only when he heard your snort of laughter from behind him. 

“I hate when they gang up on us like this.” Sirius murmured to James.

“You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Cling-wrapping their office later?”

James held out his fist as he nodded at his friend and teammate. “Cling-wrapping their office later.”

[tinystern]

T-TIME : Grrrgak Episode 01 ft. Hongjoong

[deimcs]

THE BATTLE OF OSTAGAR / dragon age: origins (2009)

[smilesrobotlover]

I wanted to play with sae with Zelda’s and a Zelda’s meet au. Here’s how they all met. The gate of time and Terrako’s bizzare magic forced everyone together. Biggest issue with this au is that it takes place after all my aus so this is after kotg but I don’t have the patience to play with it after so…. Yeah. But yeaaaah. I might continue this, I might not. But I enjoyed this. Very proud of how some panels turned out.

[delusionalbitchinthehouse]

Dew can't sleep, and he hasn't been talking to Ifrit. Doesn't mean Ifrit doesn't still care, though. I fucking love them what can I say.

It's too late for this shit, Dew thinks, as he lights another cigarette on the balcony, careful not to let the glowing tip brush up against any of Mountain's potted plants invading the already narrow space. Stems curl around the metal railing, leaves dripping down and swaying in the light breeze. It's somewhat of a hypnotizing sight, one that has Dew blinking sluggishly as he attempts to chainsmoke his thoughts away.

It's too late to be plagued by every thoughts and worries known to man, and yet here Dew is. He hasn't bothered to grab his jacket, hoping that the cold would give him something to focus on. So far, it's only making him shiver hard enough to make his back ache. He's unwilling to go back inside though, frozen in place like staying rooted to the spot might be the key to his peace of mind.

Smoke is exhaled toward the night sky, pinpricks of light blinking at Dew's sad little worries on their canva of deep blue. The burning in his lungs helps a bit, but there is no magical remedy to the whirlwind up in the fire ghoul's head, mercilessly keeping him from restful slumber.

Dew doesn't realize how tense his neck is until a warm hand presses against the back of it, thumb digging in stiff muscles. He barely jumps at the sudden presence.

"I figured you'd be the one here."

Ifrit's voice is gentler than usual in the quiet of the night, face soft and hair mussed when he shifts into Dew's peripherical vision, looking very much like he just woke up. The sheet imprint on his cheeks only confirms it, as well as making him look unbearably adorable. Eyes big and searching despite the slight glaze of tiredness still clinging to them, Ifrit has the good sense not to push for an answer, just shrugs his jacket off to wrap it around Dew's shoulders. It's warm and smells like cedar, so achingly familiar. Dew can't help sinking into it. So what if there's unsaid things trapped between them, arguments never quite settled, longing for something maybe past, maybe broken, maybe fixable, that they're too cowardly to attempt saving ?

Right now, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter because Ifrit's arm is slung around Dew's shoulders, tugging him into the older fire ghoul's chest, until Ifrit's heartbeat echoes in Dew's ear and he can feel a kiss being pressed to the crown of his head.

Ifrit's throat glows orange when he accepts the half-finished cigarette Dew hands him, a fun quirk of his that Dew admittedly missed. It used to fascinate him, seeing Ifrit's body visibly react to the smoke curling inside his lungs. The longer the drag he takes, the further the glow spreads, sometimes reaching his broad chest in an abstract pattern of light splashed under his skin.

With the both of them sucking onto the filter, Dew quickly ends up stomping on the butt of the cigarette. He doesn't reach for another one. His thoughts are still racing, but tiredness is starting to take its toll, and it's hard to follow what goes on in his brain when his eyes start closing for longer period of times, leaning into Ifrit's warm body and the soft touch of his fingers drawing mindless forms on his shoulder.

Dew still doesn't want to go though.

That's when Ifrit starts to sing.

It's more of a soft hum at the begining, but then words start to flow out of his mouth, ableit softly to fit the late hour. Ifrit has always had a nice voice. Surprisingly versatile, a bit raspy on the edge but able to climb pretty high, just to fall to a low rumble in a steady whiplash of register. Dew has begged him to sing to him many times over the years they've known each other, and every instance where Ifrit complied with rosy cheeks and bashful smiles have a special place carved for them in Dew's mind.

Distantly, he notices Ifrit's not singing in english. Gaelic, his brain provides. To Dew's untrained ears, the pronounciation seems pretty good, which makes him wonder whether Chain taught him, or if it's part of Ifrit's hidden deck of random knowledges.

Either way, the tension in Dew's shoulders is slowly bleeding away. There's a tight ball of yearning in his lower stomach, but that he can withstand. Probably.

The sudden realization that if they don't breach the distance that settled between them ever since Ifrit retired, the older fire ghoul will become somebody Dew used to know, used to love, strikes him like a bolt of lightening, and his hand flies up to grip Ifrit's arm in a tight grasp. It cuts the singing short, which Dew takes half a second to mourn before he chokes out.

"Don't go."

It's not all he'd like to say, but the words stick in his throat, tongue heavy and useless in his mouth. Ifrit, sweet, darling Ifrit, tightens his hold on Dew, mouth moving in his hair as he shushes him gently.

"I'm right here, i'm right here."

You're not, Dew wants to say, I miss you, you're holding me and I miss you.

But of course, it's like Ifrit knows what goes on in Dew's overproductive brain, because he leans forward, really draping himself over the smaller ghoul, planting a kiss on his temple.

"I am here, Dew. I promise."

Dew let himself relax, takes a deep breath.

"Come to bed with me ?"

Ifrit hesitates. Doesn't pull away, barely stiffens, but he does hesitate.

"Isn't Aether-"

"Yeah, he's there already. Ifrit, he wouldn't mind. Actually, I think he would be thrilled. Unless, of course, if you were with Zeph, I wouldn't want to-"

Dew's rambling is cut short by Ifrit turning him in his hold, until they face each other, heart-wrenching fondness dancing in the older fire ghoul's eyes. Carefully, he cups Dew's face in his big hands, pressing a kiss square on his forehead.

"No, I was alone. Let's go then. Before you freeze to death."

For the first time in several hours, Dew smiles bright and wide.

(In the morning, Aether wakes up with Ifrit's arm slung over both his and Dew's waist, two pairs of legs tangled with his. A familiar sight he missed more than he realized.)