#Sometimes two birds have a better love life than most people

[silverwhittlingknife]

So you're a go to source for all things Dick&Tim bros and you tend to write primarily from Dick's POV. So, odd question, but if you were to summarize their relationship from his POV in FIVE panels which panels would you pick? Keeping in mind that one specific aspect of their relationship that you love needs to be clearly represented by each panel (loyalty, trust etc). I hope this is a fun challenge and not an annoying question so if you don't want to answer that's cool! Have a wonderful day!

No more talk. The same thoughts run through two minds... (SotB 29) / You're my equal. My closest ally. (RR 1) / I can't stop thinking how much I rely on him. (GoG 3)

25 Feelings Dick Has About Tim

This was such a kind ask & a cool challenge which I totally failed; here are TWENTY-five panels of Dick's POV on Tim sdfdsfds Look, I got carried away! Marcia and Cindy! The boys!!

OKAY SO BEFORE I GET TO THE PANELS A FEW NOTES:

WARNING THAT THERE ARE SOME NEGATIVE EMOTIONS IN HERE because I love conflict but but but you gotta remember those are not the final word!! They are complicated people and sometimes they get mad at each other BUT ultimately their relationship is so hugely important in both their lives & they love each other and rely on each other so much -!!! <3

Also I have CONCLUDING THOUGHTS at the end about what Dick's POV leaves out (mostly: a lot of Dick defending & protecting & supporting Tim, which Dick does instinctively but isn't very self-aware about most of the time)

I have loosely organized my list into 5^5 format (5 categories with 5 examples each!), so if you want to skip to a relevant one, here are the categories!!

Below the cut:

I hate him and find him infuriating (#1-5)

On second thought, he's endearing & fun (#6-10)

Grief is complicated & he's all tangled up in mine (#11-15)

I love him & think highly of him (#16-20)

I rely on him & though it's hard for me, I trust him (#21-25)

I hate him and find him infuriating (#1 - 5)

1) He thinks he’s so smart and can psychoanalyze me and Bruce, but he doesn’t know me at all, he should get lost (New Titans 61)

2) He thinks he’s so smart and can psychoanalyze Bruce but he doesn’t know Bruce at all, he should get lost (Gotham Knights 26)

3) He is so nosy about stuff that is MY business (Robin 0)

4) He sounds like an insincere suck-up half the time... but okay, fine, if you push him he's got a sense of humor about it (New Titans 65)

5) I'm sure he's a better vigilante than me. It's my fault for being a failure, but I resent him anyway. (Nightwing 9 - Dick's having a nightmare)

On second thought, he's kinda endearing (#6-10)

6) He worries too much and gets anxious so easily, but it makes him fun to tease (Robin 67)

7) I'm not that competitive - okay, so maybe I'm a little competitive, I gotta make sure he doesn't get a swelled head (Prodigal)

8) I'm supposed to be his favorite! It is not cool for him to be fanboying over my not-girlfriend's not-boyfriend!! (Birds of Prey 19)

9) We have fun together. I can kick back and relax when it's just the two of us. Plus I get to boss him around a bit. (Prodigal)

10) He’s always trying to reassure me, and I guess it's a little comforting, but also he doesn’t really get it. Or me. He makes excuses that he shouldn't, because he doesn't understand that I suck. (Nightwing 64)

Grief is complicated and he's all tangled up in mine (#11 - 15)

11) He reminds me of everything I try not to think about. Sometimes the memories are so strong it hurts to look at him. (Batman 441)

12) WHY IS HE BEING IMPOSSIBLE ALL OF A SUDDEN??? THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING (Nightwing 139)

13) We're the same. He says all the things I don't let myself think about. It's like arguing with myself. (Nightwing 139)

14) He thinks he gets to tell me what to do but he doesn’t, fuck him (Battle for the Cowl)

15) Life sucks, so what. I sucked it up so he should too (RR 1)

I love him and think highly of him (#16 - 20)

16) He’s the closest thing to a brother I’ll ever have.  If someone hurts him I will hurt them harder. (Nightwing 6)

17) I can't handle the idea of losing him. (Nightwing 97)

17) He’s so good and I’m not. I'm afraid I’m bad for him. (Nightwing 110)

18) He’s better than me, and it’s kind of a relief because I know no matter what he’ll be okay. (Gates of Gotham 3)

19) In my head he’s the responsible one.  (Gotham Knights 10)

I rely on him, and though it's hard for me, I trust him (#20-25)

20) I know I have to trust him but I'm afraid he'll make the wrong choices and get hurt (Nightwing 139)

21) I'm sure I know what he should do because I see myself in him - not that I can take my own advice, but he should (Blackest Night 3)

22) I trust him.  When I’m losing my grip on things, he pulls me back. (Gotham Knights 10)

23) I want him to trust me (Red Robin 12)

24) He can tell when I'm lying. Sometimes he sees my weaknesses better than I wish he did. (Detective Comics 874)

25) He’s always there when I need him. (Teen Titans / Outsiders Secret Files)

Final rambling thoughts:

TIM: Uhh, okay, so I'm just skimming this list - do you really trust me? you're not just saying that? - but anyway, I'm confused because you left some stuff out? Like some stuff that's kinda important? DICK: No? I think I got everything? TIM (starts counting on his fingers): The time I was having a bad day but then I called you. The time I got captured by Two-Face but then you saved me. The time I fell off a train but then you saved me. The time I fell off a building but then you saved me. The time I fell off a different building - DICK: I feel like you're trying to make some kind of point but I'm not sure what it could be.

SO THE THING IS, I put 25 panels in here and not a single one has Dick catching Tim when he’s falling!!! But I think that's a central motif of their relationship from Tim’s POV, not Dick’s. I love Dick, but in some ways I think he is spectacularly un-self-aware.

And I think he especially has a lot of blind spots about Tim. He kinda intermittently gets that Tim admires him, and he enjoys it in a playful I-get-to-boss-you-around way. But Dick tends to consistently underestimate all of his own good qualities & skills, and he meets Tim at a point in his life when he's especially down on himself & his abilities. And so he's unable to see his own influence on Tim, & therefore unable to fully understand a lot of Tim's priorities and loyalties and motivations, because you can't actually understand Tim without understanding Dick's impact on him. There's a fascinating moment in Bruce Wayne: Murderer when Dick's completely blindsided & upset to discover that Tim doesn't entirely trust Bruce, even though this has been a definitive fact of Tim's whole thing ever since he showed up with his Batman needs Robin theory, and Barbara has to actively remind Dick of the obvious-to-everyone-except-Dick fact that a lot of Tim's loyalty is to Dick, and Tim loves Bruce but feels free to be more wary of him. (And to give Bruce credit: this is not something he ever begrudges.) But anyway Babs points this out, and Dick manages to sorta process it for about five seconds, but he cannot actually accept it into his worldview so instead he discards it at the speed of light and goes off and has an argument with Tim instead sdfsfdsf

All of Dick's virtues - Dick's kindness at the circus and Dick's determination to fight through grief and Dick's rigid sense of morals and Dick's vigilante skills and every time Dick has ever backed Tim up or listened to him or protected him or saved him from something or just been casually kind to a stranger in Tim's presence etc etc etc - all these things loom really large in Tim's mental story of Who Dick Is, and What Dick And Tim's Relationship Is. Tim meets Dick before he meets Bruce, trusts Dick more than Bruce, aspires to be Robin instead of Batman. And so in Tim's default version of the story, Dick is the super-special and admirable hero and Tim is... nobody in particular, a tagalong outsider who's barely managing to be a hero, not part of Dick and Bruce's family and not part of their story, who, if he's VERY LUCKY and tries REALLY HARD, might be able to fight his way to proving himself and offering something to Dick that Dick will value, if Dick doesn't get fed up with him first.

But that's not Dick's version of the story!!!

Dick's version of the story is almost the exact opposite, a story where Dick's an outcast failure black sheep who's screwing up everything he tries, and meanwhile Tim is The Sudden New Perfect Robin Who's Better Than Me And Probably Bruce Loves Him More And Probably They Gossip About What A Loser I Am, mixed with a complicated edge of Tim Thinks He's So Smart But He Doesn't Know Me/Us At All. Dick gets much more attached to Tim over time, and Tim gets unnervingly better at the know-it-all psychoanalysis so then Dick gets to have complicated feelings about him being right instead of just annoyance at him for being wrong, plus Dick's relationship with Bruce improves a lot, so Tim stops feeling so threatening. But Dick never fundamentally changes his basic theory of their relationship in which Tim is highly impressive and capable, and Dick is not so much.

And so asking Dick about Tim is kinda like if you asked George Bailey to tell you about Harry Bailey in It's A Wonderful Life; like, you'll be there for five hours while he tells you how great Harry is, and how accomplished Harry is, and how he doesn't really get how or why Harry does the things he does, and maybe George does feel a little resentful or jealous sometimes, but that pales in comparison to all his admiration and trust for Harry who he loves so much, who's better than him in so many ways, and he's not gonna openly gripe but secretly he can't help but feel sometimes like he's such a failure in comparison to Harry, a perfect person who emerged fully formed from Zeus's head with all the virtues and also all the accomplishments, etc. etc. etc. --

-- and he will not actually remember the part where he changed and saved Harry's whole entire life unless you literally send him to an alternate timeline in order to force him to remember it. <3

[tigressaofkanjis]

My biggest pet peeve in Transformers media and fanfiction sometimes is that Transformers aren't treated as aliens. They are referred to as aliens, they obviously are aliens, but they never feel like they are aliens because they are always written or seen as having all human mannerisms or features usually. Human posture, human noses, human mannerisms, humanoids...

What about TFA's cat noses or TFP's helm noses? One of the reasons I think those two shows have peak designs is because they have this lack of uncanniness to humans design wise. I'm not looking at a human being as a robot, I'm looking at an alien robot, ones that have claws, ones that have different body types that blend with their vehicle modes, ones with horrific mutilations and designs impossible by human standards. I love seeing that type of stuff in Transformers because to me, it makes them feel alien without completely changing the premises of similarities to where we can't compare their culture or likeness to humans. The films (mostly 1 and 2) showed off this as well.

Another thing I really would like to see in Transformers media is non-human interactive qualities. What do I mean by that? One thing I've noticed is aside from techno-organic species, regular Cybertronians do have a few qualities found in animals. Engine humming I believe was once used as a form of purring in the films and in some of the cartoons. Humans can't purr; cats can, and that small detail is always interesting to come across because it's like "wow, they have this feature that shows off a trait found in Cybertronians. That is so cool." You have them with multiple voice boxes for mechanical, natural, and human-like tones which is also an animal trait. Bumblebee is self-explanatory in most universes being able to still make sounds yet not talk. They have sensors across their body that don't act like the basic human receptors. Most animals can do more than just feel through certain points of their bodies. They can taste, smell, or even hear a hundred times better than a human being throughout various body parts, and Transformers have been hinted to have this ability too, especially through their servos. It's stuff like this that expands upon their existence as aliens.

They have extreme durability, their body morphs to extremes and can also double as a moving weapon (most obvious of course), some of them can make ungodly roars and creature-like noises to warn or show their threatening demeanor (Megatron's dinosaur-like growling), some can have two rows of teeth (a flat base in front and fangs hidden behind), and some of them have mimicking animal-like features (Starscream's bird-shaped feet with visible expansion the same as organic foot padding with similar distributive weight physics in a few universes) despite having no beast mode. There's probably more I can't think of on the top of my head in canon, but all those things are not heavily used as they should be to make them feel alien. They can still hold some relation to the humans they interact with, but I think a lot of Transformers are more than just metal "humans", you know?

Depending on the universe in fanfiction and who you encounter who writes it or not, you have several things that are always cool to see. They have to sparkbond (merging of hearts) above everything else to create a sparkling's life force with interface as just the extra for physical coding features. I've seen people use the non-canon heat cycles which are, of course, our fandom way of making a type of breeding euphemism akin to an animal's cycle. You have the common phrasing of nuzzling, heightened senses, armor and certain parts of the helm acting like fur or ears where it raises and flattens per their mood, and some Transformers have limb dissonance where if necessary, they can convert between bipedal and quadrupedal stances (best example is Bulkhead and Lugnut from TFA who have long arms but short legs and they have the bulky structure where they could possibly run like an animal briefly and the physics of it would work).

So, you have all these different things a common Cybertron most likely would be able to do or have but a human couldn't, and it's never utilized to their full potential. I would like to see people address the nature of Cybertronians as alien and not be afraid to make them alien. I think that's the biggest flaw in our franchise is that everyone is scared of making the Transformers not the humanoid "norm" and getting ridiculed for it. Like, they're aliens, you can make them act however animal-like or completely batshit insane as you want them. You can give them powers, animal-based senses, and behaviors hidden among a human thought process. And technically, you wouldn't be wrong to what they could be as a living creature in the universe by doing so. They aren't humans; they look humanoid, but they aren't us. Why should they have to be in every regard?

Thank you for reading my TED Talk.

[libraryraccoon]

I was wondering how a Dazai!Reader from BSD (preferably 15 year old Dazai) would interact with the HH crew

Btw, I love your stuff sm, have a lovely day if you see this!

Gender : GN

Pronouns : None

Info : I haven't watched BSD for a long time, so it's probably wrong/inaccurate, sorry. Reader have 15 years old.

Message fom Raccoon : What ? Dad!Lucifer ? Dad!Alastor ? Okay, take that Dad!Husk !

TW : Suicide (mentionned); SH (mentionned)

General Headcanon

Finally.

After all this years of trying, after all this attempts, you were finally dead !

And what do we do when we have achieved such a feat ? We drink until the morning !

As you drank, you recounted your feat of finally dying to the bartender, some sort of cat-bird demon.

He gave you a judgmental look when you told him you were 15 and died of suicide.

But you were used to it, people often judge you while you were alive and was trying every second to die.

After a few hours, you were drunk and followed the bartender back to his place, a small apartment in a quiet corner of Hell.

You shouldn't follow someone to their home, you know that, but for your defense, you were drunk and he was a cat. And you have a weakness for cats.

Two things making it impossible to refuse his invitation.

And, if anything ever went wrong, you always had your gun with you, which had appeared at the same time as you in Hell.

The bartender's name was Husk and he kind of adopted you ? You weren't even sure if one sinner could adopt another sinner.

Life was calm with Husk, and you somehow helped him with his work.

By that I mean you were stopping the powers of other demons with your power, so you used it to kick out all the assholes who attacked him from the bar.

You and Husk had this dynamic of "Father who will kill for his child & Child who will sacrifice themselves for their father."

And then, one day you had to move to the Hazbin Hotel because Husk find a work there.

Alastor was surprised to see that Husk now had a kid–he didn't think it was possible for an alcoholic like him to have a child.

And he learned that Husk had cut down on his drinking, so he could be a better father.

*very kindly and not at all suspiciously notes this fact in the back of his mind.*

The hotel was quite shocked to know that you were a child from a fucking mafia and that you had died of suicide at 15 years old. If Husk hadn't informed them about that, they never would have suspected it.

Your humor worries them more than anything else.

Charlie is worry every time you make jokes about suicide while your dad rolls his eyes at it.

Husk was used to your jokes after a few months of living together.

The hotel wasn't.

Charlie is like your older sister, optimistic and a little naive at times.

She always tries to make you see the bright side of things and to make you forget this idea of double death.

Spoiler : it doesn't work.

Lucifer sees you like one of his children.

He spoils you like he spoiled Charlie when she was just a child.

Husk often makes side eyes at him, accusing him of trying to steal his child.

And that was true.

Lucifer, Charlie, Husk and Angel Dust are the ones who are the most concerned about your mental health.

Alastor wanted to make you sign a contract "I become powerful and Alastor releases my father from his contract in exchange of stopping trying to kill myself."

You didn't sign it.

Alastor tried to use you to spy on Vox and the Vees because he was bored and wanted some entertainment.

It worked.

Alastor do radio shows with you sometimes, you two are called "The RadioDuo".

His audience LOVES you.

You gained Alastor some listeners btw.

You help Niffty with her work at the Hotel.

Even if Charlie said you didn't have to do it, you do it anyway.

Vaggie take all your guns because you apparently “didn’t need” them.

You managed to recover them with a little manipulation.

Angel Dust could see himself in you.

You reminded him of his little human self, Anthony, broken by the world and wanting to end it. A family running the Mafia and forcing him to join it.

You're a bit like him, but compared to him, who fought to survive, had a reason to survive, you had nothing, no reason to fight, and you gave up.

When Angel Dust isn't working, he usually stays with you and Husk.

He doesn't want to abandon you, leave you alone in such a rotten world. He wants you to be protected and to be the child you never could be.

He will never let anyone touch you, never.

Husk and Angel Dust are usually the ones who bandage you after SH, Angel Dust doesn't say anything as he does it, because he understands. Husk doesn't speak as well, but you can see that by doing so he's blaming himself, making you instantly regret it.

Don't try to kill yourself in front of them, please. They're already worried enough, don't add more.

Hotel Hazbin was, in a way, your family.

And you would kill everyone in this room before killing yourself before anything happened to them.

[so-long-soldier-writes]

One of Those Days

poly!mikaelsons x reader | request

summary: between the constant fighting and city clamor, you're overstimulated from the minute you wake up. you try to isolate until you feel better, but sometimes, that only makes things worse. luckily, your loving vampire partners are always there for you.

tags: sensory issues, mental health, overstimulation, arguing, mild emotional hurt / comfort

word count: ~2.6k

a/n: requested by @asexualaromosafezone - i am SO SORRY this took me literal months to complete. a couple days ago, i suddenly remembered i never filled it and finished it asap. i hope you like it, and again, so many apologies!

Sometimes, you wake up, and can immediately tell it’ll be a hard day. The sun has barely risen, yet there’s already a million noises coming through your window. Chatters of people having their morning walks, car horns from those too impatient to let them cross, the distant clang of a dropped pot, and-

“REBEKAHHH!”

-Klaus, yelling for his sister. At seven in the morning. 

“What the bloody hell are you shouting for?! I’m right here!”

You sigh, glad that mystery solved quickly.

There’s probably a few more minutes until your alarm rings, so instead of getting up a little earlier, you opt to enjoy your last minutes of peace. Though you soon realize that’s impossible, given your circumstances. On top of the city sounds, there’s a bird right outside your window, and when you try to turn away from it, the tag on your blanket itches the inside of your thigh. 

“Ugh!” You toss the blanket off. 

Your alarm sounds not a second later. 

With a slap to your phone and then another to your forehead, you decide to just get ready for the day. Luckily, not much is planned. Marcel still has control over the city, and with you being human, your Mikaelson hosts don’t want you outside at all. 

See, you live with the family of original vampires. You used to be a Mystic Falls’ resident, but then after developing a close connection with the siblings, decided to move to New Orleans with them and get a fresh start. You were tired of the small town life, and while the big city can be overwhelming at times, you’ll never get sick of the culture it has to offer. Besides, living with the most powerful family makes you happier than you ever believed you could be. 

As much as you love them, though, they can be a pain. Like when Klaus can’t find his sister, but forgets a whisper would summon her just as effectively. Instead, he has to wake up the whole quarter, and inconvenience you with a headache. When you reach the dining room that day, you slump your head on the table. 

“Everything alright, darling?” Kol’s voice floats over your head, making you aware of his presence. 

“Tired.”

“Is your bed comfortable enough? Do you need more blankets?”

You haven’t been in the city long, and his consideration warms your heart. 

“Oh, I’m okay. I’m very comfy. Just haven’t gotten used to the city yet.”

“Ah, I understand.”

His attention drifts to his sister. You busy yourself with a plate of food and ignore how tired you feel. When Elijah sits beside you, you offer a smile, but don’t say anything. The man, polite as ever, does the same. Though while two of the siblings are quiet, the other two aren’t. Klaus and Rebekah are still on the same topic from earlier. They bounce off each other quickly, childish banter turning into an argument.

You try to eat in peace and ignore them, but it’s difficult. And it doesn’t help that you’ve been feeling down lately, anyway. It’s rather unexplainable, the way you feel. Some days you’d rather stay in bed all day than face the world. Your whole body could be begging for you to get up and get things done, but you just can’t. No matter how hard you fight your own mind, sometimes there’s no winning the raging war. 

To make matters worse, you’re always hypersensitive when you find yourself in these low moods. Every little thing is overstimulating and there’s no pause button. This morning, you didn’t even get a chance to wake up before the sounds started. (Thanks, Klaus.) You roll your eyes in your head, annoyed. 

“Hey.” A poke to your shoulder startles you, making you jump. “You okay?” 

“Ooh, you caught me off guard.”

“Sorry,” Kol smiles, “you in deep thought, or rolling your eyes at Klaus’ statement?”

“Uh…” You bite your lip. You were rolling your eyes about Klaus, but missed whatever statement it was that he just made. “What did he say?”

“That he was on his way to have a little chat with Marcel. That will go swimmingly.”

“Oh.” You snort and decide to joke. “Both.”

Kol grins at you, but then, thankfully, leaves you alone again. 

After breakfast, you retreat back into your room, not in the mood to face the day. If Klaus is really going to start shit with Marcel, it’ll be an intense day. You’ve never met the current king of the French Quarter, but Elijah’s told stories. Marcel and the family used to be close, but then, like all their other relationships, ties ended drastically. 

“But not with you, of course,” he had promised. “You’re our girl.”

You were skeptical for a moment. Who wouldn’t be, knowing the Mikaelsons? But then Klaus approached you from behind with a kiss to your hair and confirmed his brother’s words,

“As long as we have your loyalty, you’ll always have ours.”

You could see the truth in his statement. Everyone who ended up on their bad side had betrayed them in some way. So, as long as you didn’t repeat others’ mistakes; as long as you kept your trust in the family, you would be considered family. And ever since the day you first grew close, you have been their family. 

You’re close with all of the siblings. Elijah, first, when you couldn’t take your eyes off him at Damon’s dinner party. Then Rebekah, and then Kol, when he undaggered. Even Finn, before his untimely death - thanks to Matt, your good friend now worst enemy. Klaus took the longest to trust you, and you can’t blame him for having trust issues, but once he realized how much his siblings adored you, he was quick to accept your place with them. 

Now, the five of you live together, nine hundred miles from your hometown. It’s certainly a change, but every day with them is an adventure.

Like today, you suddenly think, overhearing Elijah’s footsteps in the hallway. Today has definitely been one of those days. 

“Y/N?” He stops outside your door.

“Mhm?”

“Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

Elijah opens the door, but doesn’t fully enter your room. He looks you up and down before smiling. “I just thought you seemed sad earlier and wanted to check on you. Is everything okay?”

“Oh!” You put on a brave face to mask the tiredness you feel internally. “Yeah, I’m just out of sorts today. It’s nothing.”

“Are you sure? Because if someone’s bothering you, that’s something we can take care of.”

“No, no, I promise. It’s all just me. Just having a day.”

“You’re positive?” He asks for confirmation again.

“Have I ever lied to you, ‘Lijah?”

He looks down at his shoes, embarrassed. “No, you haven’t. I apologize for doubting you.”

“It’s okay,” you step closer to him, resting against the door frame. “No need to apologize. But I swear, I just… woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something. New Orleans is a loud city. I’m still adjusting.”

“Okay. Well, call if you need anything. Even the smallest thing.”

“I will.”

“Oh, and be careful in the off-chance that Marcel storms in here. There’s a fight brewing in the quarter.”

“I’ll keep an eye out.”

“Better yet, stay inside for the day. So you’re not in harm’s way at all.”

“Okay, ‘Lijah.”

He smiles at you, then kisses your hand. “Now, I need to neutralize my brother. But I needed to make sure our girl was okay first.”

“She’s okay. Go deal with him.”

Elijah straightens his collar before speeding off to no doubt defend his brother in a fight. You love Klaus, but man, does he get angry. And then from anger, comes pure rage, then absolute chaos. Once situations escalate that far, the whole block better hide if they want to keep their hearts in their chest. 

You sigh, thinking of the carnage that may come. You’re not sure you can deal with his anger issues today, especially not coupled with those of Marcel. Of all the days they have to fight, it’s the one that you might snap, too, if he raises his voice one more time. 

Suddenly, your bed looks like the perfect oasis away from the mess behind your door. A good pillow over the ears might prevent an impending meltdown. You crawl into it at once and let your body melt into the mattress. 

You hadn’t lied to Elijah, though you hadn’t given him the full truth, either. Yes, you are, in general, okay. Not necessarily today, but at that moment, you were. Also yes, you’re not feeling great today, partly because of all the city noise. And, finally, yes, most of it is just you and your body not in the mood to be awake. Though Klaus is contributing, just a little bit, to your mental distress today. Elijah would understand, of course, but then he’d have a talk with his brother about it, and you really didn’t want to burden either of them in that way, so you put on a smile and didn’t mention it. You’d bet Elijah knows the full truth, and knows why you won’t admit it, but he respects you if you don’t want to talk about it. That’s one of the reasons you love him so much. 

You get a couple hours of rest until your slumber is interrupted by a new knock on your door. It’s not soft, like Elijah’s, so it must be one of the younger two. 

“Oh no,” you mutter, wondering what it must be now.

“Y/N?” Rebekah’s voice comes from the other side. “Are you awake?”

“I am now.” 

She opens the door as you reply. “Oh what the bloody hell are you still doing in bed?”

“Sleeping.”

“Obviously! Come watch a movie with Kol and I! We’d love your company.”

“An actual movie, or the public display of violence happening outside in the quarter?”

“We haven’t decided yet!” She grabs your hand. “Come on!”

You yawn. “I’m gonna pass today, I’m not up for it.”

“Awh, Y/N! It won’t be as fun without you!”

“I have a headache, Bex,” you fib. 

“Do you want some blood for that?”

“Does that even work like that?”

She shrugs, “not sure.”

You cuddle into your pillow. “Another time, okay?”

The girl smiles, then leans forward to kiss your head. “Okay. If you change your mind, come find us.”

“I will. Thank you.”

“Dinner’s at seven. Will you be there?”

“Yeah,” you promise, “I should be better by then.”

You are not, in fact, better by then. If anything, your foul mood progressed into an actual headache within thirty minutes of Rebekah leaving. Shouts throughout the city managed to penetrate the thin glass of your windows, and you could hear almost everything as Klaus heckled the current king. For hours, it went on, until the sun went down and they assumedly put it off for another day. By seven o’clock, you were able to sneak in another nap, but you still felt way overstimulated from the day’s events. 

Not to mention the fact that you spent all day in bed. Sometimes, you’re overstimulated by too much going on, but today you partly did it to yourself by hiding away all day. The guilt of avoiding everyone weighs on your chest. Rebekah had invited you to a movie; Elijah went out of his way to check up on you, and you had more or less dismissed them both. A bitter taste sits in your mouth when you think about it. Water doesn’t wash it out.

Hopefully dinner will. 

For the first ten minutes, the night passes peacefully. Most of the conversation is focused between the meal and the movie the two had watched. The events of the day, seemingly, are left in the past.

But then, of course, Kol has to make a comment on something he overheard that he thought was funny. And that set Klaus off into a spewing of anger. He’s pissed at Marcel, but now, also, at Kol for bringing it up. Elijah puts his face in his hands, and Rebekah sends both a huge eye roll. 

What was a moment of much-appreciated silence is now a yelling match. After five minutes, you reach your breaking point. 

“Why do you feel the need to comment on that, Kol? It was so insignificant, but you’ve felt the need to bring it up, and now I’m reminded of how much Marcel has done to piss me off!”

“I didn’t mean to make you upset, bloody hell! I thought it was funny!”

“It wasn’t funny to me when he was spitting in my face! I-”

“Oh my god! Are you ever not arguing?!” You suddenly shout. 

The table goes silent and all eyes are on you. A needle could be dropped and it would be heard across the quarter. 

“I’m sorry,” you apologize quickly, embarrassed.

“Love,” Elijah puts a hand on your shoulder, “are you alright?”

At his touch, you flinch. He retracts his hand quickly, but doesn’t move his body away from its proximity to yours. 

Klaus, although upset at the interruption, notices this and calms a little. “Everything okay, Y/N?”

“I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

“That little outburst didn’t sound like nothing.”

“I’m just stressed.”

“Darling, what’s got you all upset? Tell us and we’ll sort it out now.”

“It’s no one, Kol, I’m just not feeling well.”

“Still have a headache, sweetheart?” Rebekah asks. 

“You have a headache?” Klaus butts in. 

The assortment of questions makes you drop your head. It nearly hits the table, but Elijah grabs your frame before you can fall. Tears form in your eyes, visibly. 

“I’m just really overstimulated today. I woke up weird and this city is loud, and then there was all the fighting all day long, and then I hid in my room all day, but then I felt bad about hiding, and now I’m making you all worried because I can’t get my shit under control!”

“And that’s your fault, how?” Elijah asks, “you cannot blame yourself for the way you feel.”

“But I need to handle my emotions better. I’m sorry.”

“No apologies necessary, love,” Klaus adds, “I certainly haven’t helped, fighting with children all day.”

“Niklaus,” Elijah warns, but Klaus doesn’t argue with him this time. 

“I should’ve stayed with you when you said you had a headache.”

“Don’t blame yourself either, Bex. It’s not your fault.”

“But we could’ve cuddled,” she frowns.

“It’s okay. I got a nap, and it helped a little. I just need to get used to my life being different now. None of you are at fault.”

“Nor are you,” the eldest reminds, “it’s been quite a day for us all.”

Kol clears his throat, “say, after dinner, if you feel up to it, we could all watch a movie and cuddle around you? I think some comfort is much needed.”

“Sure,” you agree, “but I might fall asleep during it.”

“That’s quite alright,” he smiles. He then stands up to hug you, but when his arms wrap around your neck, you freeze.

“Not yet, please. I’m still a bit stressed.”

He gives you a wink. “Of course, darling. Let me know when you’re ready.”

Klaus flicks his napkin across the table. He’s folded it into the shape of a heart. “We love you. You know that, right?”

You take the heart, kiss it, and put it in your pocket. “I do. I love you all, too. Thanks for understanding.”

[nicksbestie]

can you do a fic of little! matt where in one of their vids he gets hella anxious and as soon as it ends he just needs you and needs to be in little space

Recording - M. Sturniolo

Summary : Sometimes being in front of camera is just too much to handle.

Warnings : mentions of anxiety, crying,

Word Count : 1438

Pairing : Matt Sturniolo/Reader (romantic)

A/N : This is an age regression fic, which is purely safe for work and innocent. Any hate/disrespect towards me, my work, or readers, will not be tolerated.

As someone who already struggles with severe anxiety, the automatic pressure that came with sitting in front of a camera and having the knowledge that it was going to go out for millions of people to see was amplified by ten. There is a lot of expectation on Matt’s shoulders every time they get ready to film, and while the majority of the fanbase don’t mind when he’s more quiet in the content that they post, there is always a nagging feeling in the back of his own mind that it’s bothersome, not entertaining enough, that his personality needs to change a bit, and those strings of thoughts do get to him. Not often, but sometimes it is enough to cause some issues during, before, or after filming. 

His brothers often cracked small jokes about him never talking, and while he was generally a quieter person, there was a part of him that was silent because of the fact that he was sitting in front of a camera, and anything he said would be on the internet forever, and he would have to live with that for the rest of his life. Sure, they had a lot of stupid content out there, but that didn’t mean that the anxiety didn’t grab him by the throat every time the camera started rolling. He was doing better recently, it was not as bad, but he still had his moments. 

Today was one of those days, where he felt like he couldn’t breathe as soon as the light on the camera let them know that it was recording. He had tried to fight through the massive lump in his throat, hoping that they would get enough good footage that Nick could cut out all the bad clips of Matt looking like he was about to cry, which would serve as taking out two birds with one stone, because then he wouldn’t be seeing any extra sad edits of himself in the driver’s seat all over his recommended pages. As much as he loved all of their fans, sometimes seeing how depressed or anxious or sad he looked made it worse because it reminded him that people really were watching his every move in those videos. 

Matt really did love his job. He found it incredibly rewarding that he got to not only entertain but also bring comfort to people through just hanging out with the people that he had been around his entire life, and he wouldn’t want to change anything for the world. But he definitely wished that he could drop the crippling anxiety part of it, especially after such a bad recording day. Both Chris and Nick had noticed that he was off, more quiet than his normal persona on camera, and had tried to question him about it after they had stopped recording, but he had just brushed them off and told them that he was tired. He could tell that they didn’t believe him, but they didn’t push him any further. 

While he normally let his brothers help him where they could, there were a couple times every now and then when he just wanted to keep to himself. This always had the potential to be self destructive, and in the past, it had been, but at this point in his life he had gotten to the point that he was asking someone to come over and spend time with him if he had turned his brothers away. It was the same person every time. It was always you. Sometimes you were there with his brothers, if they had called for him, or if he had opened up enough to let them in too after you were already helping him. He wasn’t always wanting his brothers to see exactly what goes on in his most personal moments, because he held a lot of fear over their potential reaction if they saw what he really used to calm down.

You were more than just Matt’s partner. You were also his caregiver, the person he trusted with the most vulnerable parts of him. You absolutely adored him, and had never once taken that trust for granted. You had no intentions to ever do so. Neither of you could deny the fact that Matt’s way of coping was unconventional, not as heard of as some others, but also infinitely more helpful to his mind than other things he could have chosen. He had already known he was a little before he met you, and while it was a terrifying thing for him to talk to you about, he didn’t think he could be in a relationship with someone who wasn’t open to being his carer, especially knowing he would probably be regressed much more often in a comfortable relationship. 

Luckily, you had already known what he was talking about, and had been a carer in the past. You were more than open to loving that side of your boyfriend, and the relief that washed over his face when you told him that both made you smile and hurt our heart, knowing exactly how difficult it probably had been for him to tell you. Matt’s persona as a little was not very far off from his persona outside of his headspace. As you grew to learn his mannerisms and behavior, you recognized that he seemed to be basically the same person, just younger, smaller. He hovered around a toddler age, but he wasn’t chaotic. He was quiet, reserved, and didn’t talk much, but he was incredibly affectionate. When he was interested in something, you never heard the end of it, but he was content to just sit in your arms silently for a long period of time. 

However, the already small amount of talking completely disappears when Matt is pushed into his headspace from a negative force, like his anxiety. When it gets too bad, he cries a lot, doesn’t speak much, and stays absolutely glued to your side. You normally come over to find him staring in silence, not little, but as soon as you’re hugging or talking to him, he’s crying and it pushes him right in. If it gets terribly bad, it can push him into a younger state, but that is normally when the entire day has been absolutely brutal. Today hadn’t been brutal, but it hadn’t been great either, so you could tell you’d have an upset little when you received the text asking you to come over, and quickly. 

He never really wanted to talk when you got there, so you never pushed him. If he wanted to open up he would, and you knew that if he felt comfortable enough to slip into his headspace around you, when he wanted to talk, he would feel comfortable enough to do so. It didn’t take you long to get there, potentially speeding by more than you should have, but you easily entered after pulling into the driveway, using the key Matt had given you a couple of months ago. You greeted Nick and Chris quickly, moving up the stairs to Matt’s room. You could find him in this house if you were blind, but you still knocked on the door to let him know that it was you outside of it before entering. 

Opening the door, your eyes were met with a scene that was unfortunately fairly normal, but it still broke your heart every time. You immediately sat down next to him, positioning yourself at the base of the headboard, pulling him into you, a gentle pout forming on your lips when you felt his shoulders shake against you. You whispered comforting words for a long time, softly rubbing his back and running your hands through his hair, two things that often proved to be very effective in relaxing and calming him down. You could tell by his body language when he slipped, as his shoulders relaxed, and his arms held you a lot tighter, as if you were going to fly away. 

Comforting an upset little could sometimes be chaotic depending on the level of upset, but Matt normally just cried. It was often just sad to see how much pain he was in, but his littlespace really did help him. He didn’t hide his feelings and was much more open and willing to tell you what was going on, wholly trusting you with his entire being. But despite everything he had deal with so far that day, he knew that once he was wrapped up in your arms with his comfort items and a show playing, he was going to be just fine.

~ taglist : @blahbel668 @mattsgirlfrieeend @69isabella69 @mayhem-72 @iculdstealurgf @iluvm4ttsturni0l0 @sturnioloslife @heartsforkarina @nervousrebelglitter @sturniclo @elliegrace-7 @mattsturnioloisbae @strnilo

~ if you'd like to be added to my taglist, click here!

~ my inbox is open, come chat!!

[ihrthoney]

love isn’t enough

pairing: club owner ran haitani x f!reader

warnings: angst, hurt/no comfort

word count: 1.5k

an: first post being back on tumblr! this is a remake of my old work from my old blog!

Ignorance truly is bliss…

but only if you’re stupid.

It was obvious, the signs were as clear as day. Although, love was always so blinding. While you were watching the clouds and enjoying the summer breeze, his eyes followed the birds flying in the other direction. 

There weren’t any lipstick stains on his clothes nor did he stay out later than normal. If there was a faint scent of perfume following him as he walked towards the shower, you brushed it off. Clubs are always full of people, some scents are just stronger than most. 

That’s what you would've continued telling yourself had it not been a smell you learned to get used to. Every night that he came home from work, he smelled vaguely of that same perfume. It could be a regular or a worker who walks past him throughout the night.

You weren’t stupid. As much as you wished you were, you weren’t. 

The perfume wasn’t the only thing you caught on to. Unfortunately, it took weeks for the smell to become something you’ve recognized or rather, something you chose to accept.

Just last week, Ran was off and you guys decided to spend the day in bed and binging shows. That night, you surprised Ran by renting a movie he wanted to see for a while but missed because of work. During the most interesting part, he got a call and usually, he ignored the noise but this time he didn’t hesitate to grab his phone and leave the room. 

You couldn’t remember the last time a work call lasted two hours. While the contact name on the screen said Rindou, you knew better than to believe it. 

He clearly knew how to cover his tracks, his behavior didn’t change, not drastically anyway. His phone didn’t suddenly have a password nor did he try to hide who he was texting. Just like you, he wasn’t an idiot. But as time went on, he must’ve mistook you for one.

You and Ran had been dating since you guys were 18. There’s nothing you don’t know about him, you know him better than yourself sometimes. Any changes in his behavior you notice immediately, he wasn’t as slick as he thought he was. 

Despite everything pointing to the tragic truth that Ran was having an affair, you were waiting for him to admit it. It felt unfair to break it off and be left uneven while he was already filling the void.

Years of your life had been devoted to him, you supported him with everything you could give. From cleaning his wounds after gang fights to watching his (and his brothers’) club succeed.

Would there have been a hole in his heart if you left? When did he stop loving you? Why couldn’t he have just broken it off? 

Endless questions were filling your head. It’s been about 3 months since you noticed the perfume. The denial gets harder to run from, reality starts to slowly consume you. 

You wouldn’t allow yourself to get caught up in it now, so instead of wallowing away in the empty house you got dressed and ventured into town. 

Of course, it didn’t help in the slightest; everything reminded you of Ran, and the realization that your relationship was coming to an end hurt so much. You walk the streets alone and are reminded of the night of your first date. Hands intertwined, leaning on his shoulder and laughing about something you could no longer remember, you stared at him like he just offered you the world.

“You’re nothing like they say Ran Haitani.” You laughed, you guys are hand in hand, your apartment just a few blocks down.

“What? Am I even more handsome in person?” He says smugly, only half joking.

At that comment, you drop his hand, “Never mind, you’re exactly as they said.” you jokingly say.

“Nah, I’m even better.” Ran remarks. Using your linked hands, he pulls you both to a stop. 

He looks at you for a little bit, the sound of cars faint in the background, and the moonlight softly reflects on his face, “You are so beautiful.”

His voice was so soft, so gentle. As flustered as you were at the compliment, you couldn’t pull your eyes from his.

“I had a really good time with you tonight, yn.” His hand parts from yours and softly cradles your face.

“May I?” At that moment, you would’ve given him anything he could’ve possibly wanted.

You nod in response and he wastes no time in connecting your lips. 

You were so caught up in the memory that you didn’t see the person in front of you. The woman slightly stumbles at your shoulders making contact. You open your mouth, apology at the tip of your tongue when you notice a man next to her.

Suddenly, the world went quiet. The coffee shop you had entered was nothing but a blur as your vision zones onto the man holding the woman’s waist. 

His eyes widen at the sight of you. He was supposed to be at work.

Before an excuse could even form, you turned around and walked straight back home, not daring to look back. 

He was having an affair. There wasn’t enough time to analyze the woman he was with, your mind was too busy swallowing the confirmed suspicions. 

You knew he was cheating, but a small part of you had foolishly clung to the hope that it was just a misunderstanding. Several emotions coursed through your body at once, millions of thoughts raced through your head. Yet, you couldn’t feel a thing. 

So many scenarios played out in your head that you thought you would feel angrier, burn his clothes, and trash the house. But, you couldn’t move a single limb. Instead, you sat quietly on the couch, the apartment dark and even emptier than you left it despite nothing being touched.

There’s a soft click that brings you out of your daze. You hear him take off his shoes and walk towards the living room. With every step, your heartbeat starts to quicken. 

The dread makes your stomach sink, suddenly you feel nauseous. You’re scared, you’re so fucking scared, this wasn’t supposed to be the end. Years of your life will be nothing but a memory and he’ll be someone you have to remember longer than you’ve known.

From the corner of your eye, you can see Ran sitting on a chair at the dining table. 

Without looking at him, you speak. “You’re a coward.” 

There was so much you wanted to say, even more to ask, but the only emotion you could feel was anger. 

“I know.” He said it so quietly, as if speaking any louder would shatter the tension in the air.

You waited to see if he would say more, but he didn’t. The silence was deafening as if the apartment was absent of any soul. 

Swallowing your pride, you spoke up again, “Why didn’t you just break up with me.” 

Ran answered honestly, “I don’t know.”

“I deserve better than an “I don’t know”, Ran.” You argued, gaze moving from the tv screen.

For the first time in months, you see him. This wasn’t the man you fell in love with, but rather the shell of him.

Cruelly, he says, “You deserve everything.” 

The tears were starting to burn your eyes, he didn’t deserve your tears, “Don’t, Ran.”

“There’s nothing that I could say that’ll make any of this better. I cheated on you.”

The tension in the air snapped, and your tears started to spill over despite fighting to hold them back. You knew; you saw it with your own eyes, but to hear him actually admit it hurt that much more. There’s no coming back from this, the man you love no longer loves you. 

“How long?” The eye contact between you two never falters. 

“Four months.”

He had been out with another woman for four months. It makes you sick to know he still came back home. You can’t help that sob that chokes out, “Why Ran?”

Ran stands up at the sound of you crying, but you move from the couch and step deeper into the living room. 

“I didn’t want to live without you.” He admits.

At this point you’re sobbing, “That’s so fucking stupid!”

“I don’t love you anymore, yn. But I didn’t know how to let you go. You’ve been in my life since we were 18. I doubt we could’ve been friends-” You interrupt him.

“That’s so unfair! You don’t get to make that choice for me! Maybe you’re right, we probably wouldn’t have been able to be friends after everything but cheating was your next option?” He’s silent at that.

The silence doesn’t last long though, “Get out, Ran.”

There’s so much you want to know, though, your heart wouldn’t be able to handle any more pain. 

Without another word, he turns and walks to the door, taking half of your heart with him.

© ihrthoney. reblogs & feedback are greatly appreciated𑁤

[tokoyamisstuff]

In your opinion who is the worst yandere to be stuck with and why Alucard, Captain, Enrico, Alexander and Walter, jan.

A/N: Keep asking, my child is sick and I'm nap-trapped for hours a day. 😂 Written on my phone so pls bear with me. Also, I don't feel comfortable writing about Jan. Sorry. 🫶

Sorted from best to worst.

⚠️ Dead Dove - Do Not Eat. ⚠️

5. Alexander Anderson

"Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." (Genesis 3:16)

As long as you play along, you have nothing to fear.

Just like with the orphans, Anderson is very gentle to those he is fond of. So he'll provide you with a domestic life, even though prisoned and heavily supervised.

Either himself or his trusted members of Iscariot always have an eye on you, making it basically impossible to even think of getting away.

The priest has some very strict demands about how you as his partner should act. Would never touch you against his will, though. He'd be fine with keeping his celibate as long as you're with him.

While controlling his bloodlust exceptionally well, he'll definetly let it out on others shall you misbehave. Preferably people close to you, claiming they're bad influence.

Better never mention you miss anyone from your old life, since he gets jealous very easily and with his kind of power he can make them disappear at a whim.

Other than that, Anderson really just wants you to be at his side and, in his wicked perception, protect you from this dangerous world.

4. Enrico Maxwell

"Don't be so fucking ungrateful. You were a nobody, and yet I treated you like a goddess!"

With Maxwell you'll feel like a bird in a golden cage.

He has a constant need to prove his worth, and overcompensates his lack at understanding true human connection with what he mistakes for care. So he'll shower you in gifts and other pleasantries, and takes it very personally when you don't properly appreciate his efforts in his eyes.

Also gets easily offended when you don't reciprocate his advances, especially when you deny him physically. But even smaller, more insignificant gestures he will over-analyze in his fear of rejection.

On the other hand I can see him being very subsceptible for flattery and the likes, so you can use his insecurities against him. Inflate his ego with sweettalk or whatever's necessary to keep him pleased.

The worst part is that he literally thinks you owe him affection.

3. Alucard

"Shh...it's over now. You endured so well, my love. As always."

Alucard is very confident to keep you at his side due to the sheer amount of might he possesses. So with him you get a lot of freedom, at least metaphorically. You can roam around a lot, talk to other people, almost act like you have a normal life.

He would never force himself on you due to his own experience with SA, but he won't be able to keep himself from taking your blood on the regulary. It's simply addicting to the vampire, and sometimes he goes overboard and leaves you anemic. A few times he almost killed you while indulging in the taste of your essence.

Being the abomination he is, he craves being accepted nonetheless, no matter what side of himself he presents you. He'll entertain himself by unleashing undescribable horrors just to cradle you in his arms shortly after, never actually physically but rather emotionally scarring you. After a while, sleep seems like an impossible task.

He is very well aware of the absurdity of his actions, but cannot seem to stop himself.

2. The Captain

This man is clouded in mystery, so I can see this go two very different ways: Either you're his sole sweet sanctuary from this cruel existence, or a moral support for the last remnant of his humanity.

While he is calm on the outside, still waters run deep. His love is a two-edged sword that will eventually end in your demise. The curse of immortality made him insane and nihilistic, and most of the time it's a walk on eggshells with him really.

In general the Captain is rather soft, but he doesn't see you as a person. You're like a doll, a toy to do however he pleases with, until he gets bored and throws you away...or you break. Whatever happens first.

Also, the man is part of Millenium. Most probably wouldn't dare messing with you, but the possibility of getting abused by the organization isn't completely off limits, for example if it's an order from the higher-ups.

Especially full moons are terrifying, making him even more violent and unpredictable.

1. Walter C Dornez

"If I can't have you, I'll make sure no one ever will."

The weakest yet most violent and unhinged of them all.

Stops at nothing to make you obedient, can rob you of your free will with little to no effort. It will start harmless with ruining your reputation, but ends up at extreme kinds of torture, like withdrawal of food or mutiliation to make you less appealing to others.

His paranoia is dangerous for you even when you did nothing wrong, there is no way you won't be punished one way or another. Being with him is merely a mixture of dread and immeasurable pain.

Nothing you ever do is good enough for him, because it's not genuine. That contradiction is driving him crazy, and will hopefully end your misery at some point.

[renren-006]

Photo Worthy | Clark Kent (Superman) x fem reader

plot: one photograph leads to more than you bargined for.

a/n: More Henry Cavil the people!! ahhhhhhh he's just so good looking omg!!

One photo was all it took for not only your career to sky rocket but also your love life. 

You had been a freelance photographer for a few years, most of the time you took pictures for the Daily Planet. The pay rates for your photos were better than other companies and you didn't have a huge problem selling your photos to them over the other companies. 

This story however was the first you wrote and shot for. The story of Superman. You were one of the first to get a shot of him flying through the sky toward a burning building to save lives. Your story wrote itself and the photo was one of the best out there. When the Daily Planet ran your story and got tons of traction they took you off the market and plopped you into their newsroom as their person to go on scene for Superman-related things. Clark Kent seemed to think you had one of the best eyes for photography.  

“You have a good eye,” Clark said. He leaned over the little cubicle wall in the newsroom. You glanced up from your computer. A new picture of Superman on the screen. 

“You think so?” You asked. 

“Absolutely. You definitely take the best photos of Superman out of everyone in the city” Clark told you. 

“Wow. Thanks Clark” you said as you smiled up at him.

This started Clark's more frequent interactions with you and Superman's surprising knowledge of when and where you were when he was out and about. More frequently he started making sure only you got his good side. Clark visited your cubicle more and more at the same time, even inviting you to step out of the office for a bit and grab food. 

“You've been dropping in more and more into my cubicle,” you told him, “I only started here a few months ago and I feel like I've seen more of you in the last few weeks. Why's that?” Your question caused a bit of a choke from Clark who had to contain himself. The two of you sat on a bench in the park around the corner from the office, burritos in hand. 

“I…I like your work and as a fellow photographer I wanted to get to know you” he said, slightly unsure of himself and his answer.

“Your a bad lier Clark Kent”

“Ha…you don't know the half of it” he mumbled. 

“You say something Clark?” you asked. He shook his head smiling. 

Slowly but surely, you began to fall for the bashful man before you over the months. Clark never stopped visiting, or smiling at you and he certainly never stopped buying you burritos. Soon it turned to more than that. “Hey y/n,” Clark said as he rounded to your cubicle. You smiled up at him, you were busy gathering the last photos onto your computer.

“Hey Clark” “Can I take you on a proper date?” Clarck said, planting a rose onto your desk.

“Oh my god…yes absolutely,” You said. You both were smiling so big now. “Love birds! Get back to work!” you heard from the office, Clarck winced before smiling you and sneaking off. 

The next few months were full of getting to know Clark more. Spending nights at his place, and sometimes waking up with him gone. You never put two and two together that he was Superman< even though there were countless moments when he almost let it slip.

The day you figured it all out, the day Superman and Clark Kent became one was when you were almost in harm's way. Sure you knew following Superman to every site he was at was bound to get a bit dangerous but never did you think an explosion would be what almost killed you. 

The building that Superman entered was collapsing from an explosion, almost killing 15 people. Thankfully he got them out, but not before a secondary explosive erupted. There you were, shimmying under the police tape and by one of the police cars trying to get a better angle. You knew it was stupid getting this close but you couldn't help it, it was enticing watching him save people. You felt the floor shake before a secondary explosion rocked the ground sending you flying. A scream left your mouth as you felt yourself fly back, but not before someone caught you and flew you away from the scene. You were placed on a roof miles away from the explosion. 

You stepped back looking up at your saviour. His eyes were fearful; he actually looked scared. He walked over to you. You could smell the burned and explosive smell coming off yourself. 

“I smell horrible..” you started. “Are you okay?” He asked. That voice. You looked back up at him. He was scanning your body. 

“Clark?” You asked surprise etched on your face as you looked up at him. “What?” “How did I not put it together? I mean it makes sense but…I must be really stupid that I didn't see it” “Y/n you're not stupid,” he said defeated. 

“It really is you” you were shocked, you felt like punching the man in front of you. “I want to smack you so bad right now”

“You shouldn't,” He said, giggling a little. He quickly stopped when he saw you were mad at him. “No shit Clark,” You said. “Why the hell didn't you tell me? I mean we're dating…” “I should have, I was just scared to let you in that much. What I was scared of happening happened anyways and your…singed” “I was going to get hurt by my own fault, not yours,” you told him. It was the truth, the way you were reckless with some of the photos you had taken of him told you that getting injured was kinda on you. 

“You are reckless with your photos,” Clarck told you. You looked at him and he had such a look of ‘I know you’ that you couldn't help feeling a little annoyed. 

“Someone makes me that way,” you said annoyed.  

“Superman does?”

“Yes, and you, Clark. Your…exhilarating, I should have known the guy I'm dating and love was the guy I was obsessed with taking photos of”

“You love me?” he asked. 

“Of course I do” you said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“I love you too y/n” Clarck said, that signature smile overtaking his. 

“Good. Can we get off this roof please?” you asked him laughing. He smiled, picked you up, and flew you back to his apartment. A shower was in order.

[stars-tonight]

WATCHING THE SUNRISE (FT. KAGEYAMA TOBIO, BOKUTO KŌTARŌ, SUNA RINTARŌ)

kageyama tobio

word count: 683

kageyama wakes up early every day, but he never notices the sun. the sun is something that is always there, so much so that it's faded into the background of his morning runs. when kageyama is focused in, as he often is on these runs, he is aware of nothing but his task at hand. he doesn't have the time or the energy to notice the sun. he has some big matches coming up, and he is dedicating most of his waking hours to volleyball, falling behind on schoolwork in the process. as of right now, everything in his life revolves around volleyball. so when you suggest taking the time to watch the sunrise together one day, he initially is confused.

"the sun rises every day. what makes it such a big deal?" he asks, when you first bring up the idea.

you shrug. "it's pretty," you respond vaguely. "and it can help you look at things from a different perspective."

kageyama tilts his head, pondering. perspective? he doesn't quite understand what you mean. but your eyes are bright and hopeful, and he's used to getting up early, so he agrees.

on this day, you let him lead you to the park he always goes to for his morning run. it's mostly dark out, with only the faintest rays of light lighting up the world. you find a bench and settle down together, listening to the birds chirp peacefully. in kageyama's busy life, you doubt he's ever had the time to slow down and be one with nature before.

when the sun starts to rise, lighting the world in pink, red, orange, and yellow, you sit up straight in awe. beside you, you feel kageyama stiffen slightly, before relaxing as you take his hand in yours and squeeze. the park starts to fill with more people--dog walkers, early morning joggers, people who stopped to watch the sunrise like the two of you. but you and kageyama are only aware of each other. of each other, and the sun.

you turn to look at him. his eyes are fixed on the sunrise, an unreadable emotion evident on his face. "what did you mean by 'different perspective'?" he asks suddenly.

you blink in surprise at his question, before smiling gently. "look at that," you whisper, pointing to the sun. "isn't it beautiful?"

he nods. "this spectacle is put on every day for us," you continue quietly. "but very few people pay attention to it. everyone is too busy with their own changing lives to care about something as everlasting as the sun. the world is so big, tobio. all of us, everyone in the world, we're insignificant when compared to the massiveness of the universe."

he looks up at the sky, sunlight shining on his face and the morning breeze gently wafting through his hair. he nods in agreement.

you look up at the sky too. "remember that when you play volleyball, okay?" you say softly. when he frowns, looking at you in confusion, you carry on. "i know you love volleyball. you work harder than anyone i know. you're already so good, but you're always striving to be better."

you lean your head against his shoulder. "but remember there's more to life than volleyball, tobio. take a step back sometimes. breathe. watch a sunrise. don't put so much pressure on yourself."

you look back up at him. he nods again. "breathe," he repeats, before looking at you.

he leans down and presses a kiss to your forehead. "thank you, [y/n]."

you smile up at him, hugging his arm. "i love you, tobio."

kageyama shows his love through actions. he thinks words are fleeting and meaningless. they change so fast, are so inconsistent, that they become almost as invisible as the sun.

anyone can say anything, but very rarely will they mean it. so when kageyama chooses to speak, it's nothing but the honest truth.

he looks at you now, the light shining on his hair and his face. his eyes soften, his lips quirking up into a rare smile. "i love you too."

bokuto kōtarō

word count: 667

bokuto kōtarō is not a morning person.

oftentimes you have to wake him up so he won't be late for morning practice. he's heavy, so you can't physically drag him out of bed, so you end up promising that you'll reward him with a kiss if he gets up. (he always gets up very quickly after that.)

you never thought bokuto would willingly get up early, especially because you had made sure to tell him that he didn't have to today. "i just want to see the sunrise, is all," you had told him. "you can stay in bed and sleep in. it's the weekend and you don't have practice."

but when you slip out of bed this morning and bokuto realizes you're no longer next to him, he's tripping over himself and falling out of the bed to eventually catch up to you as you walk down the stairs. now he is clinging to you, hugging you from the back as you drag him out of your house. "[y/n]," he groans, burying his face in your neck. "why are we up so early?"

"to see the sunrise, ko," you respond. "i told you yesterday, remember? but you didn't have to get up with me."

"you weren't next to me," he says, as if it's the most natural thing in the world. you chuckle at his sleepy, glazed eyes and set the two of you down on the patio bench. bokuto yawns, his head dropping onto your shoulder.

"go back to sleep, ko," you say softly. "you're tired."

he shakes his head. "wanna watch with you," he mumbles, although he can barely keep his eyes open. you hide a chuckle, gently ruffling his hair.

you're entranced by the sunrise, eyes wide in awe as the golden light washes over you. you're rendered speechless by nature's beauty, so much so that you almost forget about bokuto. that is, at least, until he lets out a tired groan and snuggles farther into your shoulder. you let out a small giggle--it tickles--and look down at him. he's staring back at you; lovestruck eyes shower you with so much affection you blush and look away shyly.

"why are you looking at me like that?" you mumble, gently pushing his head away.

bokuto hugs your arm tightly and leans into you. "you're pretty," he answers.

you blush harder at this. "have you been awake this whole time?" you ask suddenly.

"mmhm," he answers. (what you don't know is that he hadn't been watching the sunrise at all. instead, he was watching you, entranced by your beauty.)

"why?" you ask curiously. "i thought you didn't like getting up early."

"i don't," he says bluntly. "but i like seeing you happy."

you duck your head to hide your smile and shake your head. "come on, you big baby," you say, standing up. "let's go back in."

bokuto holds out his hands and makes you pull him up--you dig your heels into the ground and lean back so far you almost fall over, he's so heavy. he leans on you as you walk back into the house and collapses immediately on the couch. you smile fondly at him and pull a blanket over him. "get some sleep while i make breakfast," you say. "what are we feeling today?"

he doesn't answer--he's fast asleep. you shake your head at his childlike behavior and head to the kitchen to make breakfast.

bokuto proclaims his love for you almost every other day. he's extremely clingy and can be very needy. some may compare him to a puppy, others a six year old in a professional athlete's body. but to you, he's your biggest supporter, your lighthouse amidst stormy waves, your one and only.

bokuto kōtarō does not like early mornings. but for you, he would get up before the sun rises. to see you happy, he would do crazy things. for this, some call him a lovestruck fool.

but you? you are happy to call him yours.

suna rintarō

word count: 751

suna doesn't like the sun. it makes him sweat and blinds his eyes. but you had asked him to see the sunrise with you, and he wasn't about to say no to you, so now he's sitting next to you on the grassy hill, scrolling on his phone and trying not to yawn. "did we really have to go to the park to see the sunrise?" he asks.

"it's for the nicer atmosphere," you respond. "besides, you can barely see the sunrise from our yards. there are other houses in the way." a dull pain shoots through your head, and you grimace.

he grumbles in acknowledgment. "are you tired?" he asks, as you yawn.

"yeah," you admit. "stayed up late studying for today's english exam."

he sighs, shrugging off his jacket and draping it over your legs. "take a nap if you're tired."

you shake your head. "i woke up early just for this."

"you'll be regretting it during test time today," he warns. "i'm serious, [y/n]. i'll take a picture of it and everything. a time-lapse video, if you want."

seeing your hesitation, he continues. "you can't retake this test if you don't do well. you can see the sunrise any day."

"for someone who doesn't have good grades, you sure care about mine a lot," you grumble.

he gently flicks your forehead. "i care about your grades because you care about your grades," he says. "and i care about you. although i care about you more than i care about your grades, so i want you to rest because you're tired. besides, i know you get headaches when you don't get enough sleep. you'll be grumpy all day if your head hurts."

you sigh, leaning your head on his shoulder. he strokes your hair, hand gentle. "go to sleep, [y/n]," he whispers.

you try to stay awake, but fatigue eventually takes over. with the feeling of suna's hand on your head, you slip into unconsciousness.

the next thing you know, someone's gently shaking your shoulder. you frown, feeling the sunlight on your face. "[y/n]," suna whispers. "wake up."

you open your eyes slowly, blinking at the bright light. suna uses his hand to help shield your eyes from the sun. "you were sleeping so soundly i didn't want to wake you," he says, "but we have to head to class now. do you feel better?"

you do, actually. your headache has almost completely disappeared. instead, everything feels light and clear. you're definitely in a better mood than you were before, even though you missed the sunrise. oh well. suna was right--you would have countless chances to see the sunrise in the future.

"did you fall asleep too?" you ask, remembering that he was also pretty sleepy.

he snorts, shaking his head. "of course not." he takes his camera out of his backpack. "i took some pictures. see if you like them."

he had brought his favorite camera, you realize with a start. his special vintage one, the one he only uses to store his favorite memories.

suna hands you the camera. "i remember you said you liked the pictures that i take with it," he says. "so i thought i'd bring it today." a pink blush tinges his cheeks.

a warm feeling fills your chest as you click through the photos. suna's great at photography, and he always captures the moment perfectly. "these are beautiful, rin," you say, admiring a photo that was perfectly timed to capture a hawk flying next to the sun. you press a kiss to his cheek, giggling at the way his face flames red. "we should do this more often."

"no way," he says. "i almost went blind. if i can't see well at practice today, atsumu will kick my ass."

you laugh at this, hugging him. "what time is it?" you ask suddenly.

"it was six thirty by the time the sun was up," he says.

you frown. "six . . . are you sure? there are usually students walking to school at this time, right?" the park is strangely empty.

he frowns too. "i did scroll a bit on my phone before waking you up," he admits. "shouldn't have been for very long though." he digs his phone out of his pant pocket and checks the time.

"shit!"

"rin! didn't you say it was six thirty? how long were you scrolling for?"

"i don't know! time flies like the wind when you're having fun, you know!"

"rin!"

"shut up and let's go!"

A/N: an idea i had because i love sunrises. unedited because i'm lazy. also i suck at endings so they kinda just die at the end 🥹

[julieverne]

Okay so

Maura Isles would never have gotten rid of Bass.

In season 1 we see him in the first and last episodes. She's so worried about him that she takes his heavy ass to work instead of leaving him with his usual sitter. She shields his body with hers (from memory) and he saves her life (she'd have been found if she wasn't crouching to check on her tortoise).

She calls him buddy. She calls him sweetie.

He's her only friend prior to season 1, where Jane and Maura start tentatively friending. He's a misunderstood stand in for her own psyche, for her own maladjusted attempts to fit into society.

She's had him since he was a baby. They grew up together; they both appear to be in their thirties. She's had him for life.

An aside here; I have a bird nearly my own age that I've had for fifteen years. I am disabled and considering giving her up for her sake but finding her a home is difficult because she hates other birds, and fostering her out is hard because people keep carnivores and she also hates men. Recently she started self-canabalising due to my heath condition reducing the amount of time I could spend with her. But I know how much work she is, and how hard it is to find someone who gives parrots the amount of attention they crave. I love her, and if I could give her to a good home I would consider it for her sake. But for mine? Her sweet fluffy face floofing out in scratch anticipation, her little chicken chuckles and honks and sneezes, her little beak taps on my arm before she clambours up it - these fill my days and I would be bereft without her. I suffer, when I travel, because I keep my heart in that bird.

So the insinuation in Jan Nash's season 5 of Rizzoli and Isles that Maura has sufficient human contact and no longer needs her lifetime companion is just rude, on behalf of both Maura and fans of the show.

The assumption that Bass, a house tortoise, with one/two caretakers (the sitter and Angela would also be familiar to him) would adjust to being in a zoo - okay, fine, Maura's working hours are terrible and she's never home, and she's not the most affectionate person with anyone but Jane and sometimes Jo, but to insinuate that simply because he's not a mammal that he has no feelings or routine - that shoving a tortoise into a muddy puddle and not talking to him - is an appropriate way to treat an animal that has been a family member for three decades - is disingenuous.

As for Maura allowing it to happen? She's settled in Boston, she has a permanent house guest that is familiar with him, and she's not the kind of cruel person to abandon something she loves on a whim. The only reason she'd have given him up - and this should have been mentioned in canon - was that he was having behavioural issues, from hormonal to boredom, that he was too large for Maura to safely handle - he's a hecking chonk even at the start - or that something about her home was found to be damaging to tortoise habitation (backed by several sources and cited in professional scientific articles).

Maura loves fiercely and often. She feels abandoned - by her birth and adoptive parents, and Bass was there to see her through, on the nights Jane wasn't there.

Considering Bass was only seen in three episodes of the show (Pilot, When the Gun Goes Bang Bang Bang, Killer in High Heels), the production cost would have been nil if they'd never had him onscreen again. Jo was also only in a handful of episodes, and dog actors are expensive, but dogs don't live as long, so they could have written her out any way other than 'we found her owners after Jane spent five long years bachelor bonding with her dog', but Jane's the kind to give up on people and things, so it's not as hurtful.

Maura has internalised her octracisation by society and harboured it in a tortoise. People don't understand tortoises. She too is misunderstood, so she vibes with Bass on a surface level, but after so many years, he deserved better than 'the zoo'.

Anyway that's my mini Bass thesis I'm tired.

And I added some pictures because he's actually very cute.

There's a thing about people who aren't neurotypical; we bond with things the average person considers ugly, emotionless or cumbersome, because we're often considered those things. Maura sees herself, the outcast Queen of the Dead, in Bass. And being abandoned herself, she would never abandon him.

[pigeonpeach]

Love behind the Spotlight

Aka Robin x fmab reader

SPOILERS BTW made before the most recent update!

Warnings: death, spoilers, suicidal thoughts, lil smut, reader is called girlfriend sometimes, not proofread

“Sorry I’m late! The paparazzi out there are ruthless!” You quickly pushed your back to the door and locked it just incase. You visibly relaxed upon hearing the familiar click.

“Its okay love, you’re one time actually, they have to fix the set so we have some time.” Robin said, getting up from her chair to give you a quick peck. This woman was a goddess in your eyes, how else could you explain how easily you relaxed in her company, how all the troubles of the world faded into nothing when her wings cupped your face while you kissed. A bottle of soulglad could never compare to a kiss from Robin to you. Dreamscape or not, Robin is what truly made your life magical. You could tell she was a little tense, she seemed worried.

“Is something the matter? Was someone rude?” You rolled up your sleeves but she placed her hand on your arm.

“No…its just those articles.. they say I’ve gained weight..” Robin’s smile faded.

“Gained? If anything you should! You’re quite literally light as a feather! Those journalists have their heads up their ass and gossip on the brain 24/7. You could get a actual trashcan to write a better article than most of them. They only want more attention, and you just happened to be the prettiest and most perfect punching bag for them to take it out on.” You gently petted her wings, not wanting to mess up her hair. She reminded you of your pet bird in the way her eyes would close a little whenever you tended to her like this.

“I know its just exhausting to constantly be a target. At least I have you… I hope that we can go public someday..” she looked at you with smile, that radiant curve that rewired your brain like a addiction.

“Someday, I’m going to kiss you right infront of those annoying fans who try to ask you out. And I’ll flip them off. I’ll give those journalists something to write about.” You smiled. She did as well..

“This.. this is your choice in partner?” Sunday didn’t seemed pleased. Robin seemed agitated at that.

“What do you mean by that? They’re nothing but loyal and honest to me!” She was on edge and he could sense that.

“I just simply thought you could do better. Even if you are into… well.. girls, there’s far better options for a celebrity like yourself. Not that I doubt you love them, if you’re relationship with them ever got out then it would be nothing but controversy. People would accuse you of taking advantage of them, lying to your fans, all sorts of things.” He sighed. “It’s just a disaster waiting to happen.”

“Well.. I’d rather have them by my side for that then. They make me feel more confident and assured. I feel safe in their presence. I already get unnecessarily criticized and wrapped into controversies regardless of what I do, At least this way I do so happily.” She huffed.

“I can see they’ve been a influence on you, although I can’t say its that bad.. just be careful. We’ll try to ease the public into it. Probably starting with the notion, then more public appearances, song’s mentioning the situation and then finally the announcement. How long have you two been dating?”

“A year actually.”

“YOU didn’t TELL ME!”

“I should leave soon, otherwise the media will be wondering why I’m sleeping over.” You sighed, starting to lace up your attire, your back turned to her, you knew if you just saw the top of her collarbone right now you would never be able to leave this room, but then the media would speculate. There was already rumors, you had seen it online of people joking Robin was into you even from your friendly interactions. If you didn’t leave soon then it would only add fuel to the fire. But you didn’t want to. Her bed was comfy, the sheets were silken and soft and the mattress cupped your body so lovingly, that’s not even mentioning the cuddle expert Robin is. How her gentle voice is better than the sleeping pills you have to take if you wish to get any sleep, how her soft hands hold you like otters drifting in the sea, and when you watch her wings twitch in her sleep. Her hand traced your back, like a hypnosis you had ceased movement, but Robin would never need to use the harmony on you, if she wanted something she could ask and you would comply easily.

“Please?” That’s all it took for your resolve to crumble. You could never say no to that face or that voice. You discarded your pants that hadn’t even been zipped yet, kicking them off to some corner in the dark.

“Who am I to refuse?” You smiled playfully as you rejoined her under the sheets. Her hands quickly yanked you into her embrace. She pecked your face with kisses, like a bird preening its lover, her hands smoothed the messy bedhair you now had.

“I love you.. I love you so much..” she whispered inbetween kisses. You could tell from her voice and demeanor then that you wouldn’t sleep that night.

Your hand found its way to her back, tracing the shoulder blades while she dotted your face with whatever was left of her lipstick. You would go through a whole packet of makeup wipes tomorrow but it’d be worth it. You wouldn’t leave this bed if your life depended on it. It would be nice to die in her arms afterall, you would die happy if you went out while she was eating you out. Her kisses trailed down and down until she was at your chest, without hesitation she swirled her tongue on your breasts like she knew you liked it. You gasped as you held your hand to your mouth.

“Robin? Robin?” A voice sounded from the door as you both froze. By instinct you dove under the sheets as she hurriedly put her night gown back on, meanwhile you covered yourself in her pillows and plushies to further hide your form.

“Sorry sorry.” She said as she placed one final pillow over you then opened the door. “What is it?”

“Your performance was cancelled due to a technical issue at the venue. Apparently some of the tech there broke overnight and they don’t have hopes itll be repaired in time. So you can sleep in tonight.” Sunday said.

“Oh that’s great!”

“Also has your assistant gone home? I didn’t see them take one of the guest rooms.” He asked. She paused before smiling a bit.

“Actually.. they’re spending the night..” she said quietly to him. He looked at her skeptically, but ultimately he just sighed.

“Just be quiet.” He left afterwards. You heard the door close and lock as Robin quickly pounced onto the bed, digging you out of your makeshift burial with a eager expression. “You won’t mind being quiet tonight right?”

“You’ll have to gag me.”

“Where’s Robin?” You approached Sunday confused, you had a week off work so you had been having some time to yourself, enjoying the festivities and atmosphere of the dreamscape. Sunday seemed different, usually he was more relaxed in a situation like this, where he’s simply standing around at the balcony, overlooking Peacony’s scenery like he is its god.

“She’s… a little busy at the moment. Your vacation has been extended. Enjoy your time off.” He said. You immediately didn’t buy it.

“Bull shit where the fuck is she?” You said, your heart starting to race. For once Sunday looked uncertain, panicked even. It was not pleasing or assuring to see, you felt dread building in your stomach. “What happened… why aren’t you saying anything…”

“Robin… is fine.. just enjoy your vacation. Its paid as well so you’ll have no worries.” He repeated like a broken record.

“She has a performance coming up, I’m supposed to go with her.” You said. “Are you firing me? What is going on?!”

“You are not being fired. You l.. lets take this inside..” he looked at you with a look you could only describe as guilt and sympathy. You felt only worse as you followed him into his office.

“There you are~” you felt relieved to hear her voice coming from behind. Robin smiled as always as she quickly engulfed you in a hug.

“Don’t be so silly brother~ I could always use a extra hand!” Robins arm wrapped around you confidently, something she only did in complete utter privacy. Your heart sank, this isn’t her usual demeanor. She’s playful in scenarios sure, where its just you and her, or sunday too sometimes, but she has some composure to her.

“Robin I’m so goad you’re okay.” You hugged her awkwardly, wondering if something was wrong. You could hear Sunday growing apprehensive.

“That’s enough you fool.. its one thing to play an act for appearances but to try and fool her lover?!” Sunday hissed, you immediately backed off looking at him then ‘Robin’ who now had a uncharacteristic smile on her face. Within a instant its like she was gone, now replaced by a twin tailed, scantily dressed, clothed in red lady with the most devilish smirk.

“You’re no fun, i thought we really had to sell this illusion.” She teased.

“What the fuck”. You backed up as you felt your world crumble. Sunday got s stand in… but why? What happened to Robin. He turned to you with a look of sympathy.

“Look I understand you’re confused but you can’t speak about this. The Family is trying to avoid a panic so we must keep this under wraps.. Robin is.. well..” you had always known Sunday to be the perfect guy, spokesperson, model, negotiator, whatever. His composure was pristine and his fake smile never faltered even with you. Now it did. And that devilish lady wasn’t helping.

“You’re little girlfriend is dead~” she said tauntingly. With that you felt a sense of numbness come over.

“Bu-but… people can’t die in the dreamscapes.. how..”

“That’s what we’re trying to find out. Now I ask you don’t react irrationally, I could use some help on the case and-“

“Robin is dead… she’s dead.. like.. I’ll never see her again?” You asked baffled.

“She got murdered by some weird black eyed creature~” The lady added, Sunday shot her another glare.

“Sparkle if you’re going to be so insensitive then I ask you leave, you are not helping this meeting!” He said.

“Hey, I’m not the one who can’t tell her the truth. She was your sister’s girlfriend the least you can do is tell her what happened!” She didn’t stand down one bit.

But you weren’t focused on them. They were to busy arguing to notice you were now crying. You thought about your last text to her. ‘It doesn’t feel like a vacation when you’re not here with me :(‘ she had responded with a heart, and a message assuring you that you would be reunited soon. Maybe even a joke about how she’d work you even harder since you liked your job so much. Such things that warmed your heart now froze it instead, tearing at the veins and flesh like a blender. You sunk to the floor as you failed to comprehend the world around you.

“Do you feel better now.” Sunday asked cautiously as you laid in the cushions in his office. Sparkle having been kicked out for her unhelpful comments. You had never known Sunday to be fond of you in any way. To be honest you didn’t think he was capable of of it. But you guessed he just wanted to share his pain with someone. You knew how the family was, you knew how secretive everything must be. You never took the job offer with the intention of falling for its shinning idol. In fact you initially thought of her as annoying. She was so perfect in the light with no flaws, but when you saw the person off stage and in the shadows you fell for her. You loved Robin, not the idol not the celebrity, the person. The person who’s wings would hide her face when she was shy, the person who was always so nice to you, who saw you as more than a hired help but a person. You had worked for many celebrities before, smaller and bigger and none were like her. Your love had been the slowest of burns, and you imagined it would be a eternal flame.

“I don’t… I feel like shit.” You replied. You would never feel her warmth, her presence, her love, her sudden boldness, anything Robin was now gone.

“I understand. Its why I wanted to give you more vacation time.” He explained.

“So you wouldn’t have told me?” You asked, you were too tired to yell or scream. You had always been a passionate person. You would curse out paparazzi and make rude remarks. You would play the villain so Robin didn’t have to ruin her image by standing up for herself, but now you could only be as you were. A corpse laying on the ground waiting to be engulfed by the earth.

“I wasn’t allowed to. No one is supposed to know of her death. The family.. is covering it up until more information comes out.”

“How did she die.. how can anyone die in the dreamscape?” You asked. He paused.

“She was.. murdered… as for death in the dreamscape, I’m just as puzzled as you are.” He said, but you felt he knew more. You had no more fight in you now though, he could shoot you right here and you wouldn’t budge or try to dodge.

“If death can happen in the dreamscape… could it happen to me too.” You didn’t mean to say that outloud but he heard it anyways.

“Are-are you saying that you wish to die!” He sounded shocked.

“I don’t have anything outside of work. All I have ever been is a employee for brighter stars, Robin was the only one who made life more enjoyable and lively. I haven’t. I promised to protect her till the end and I failed. The least I could do is join her in death.” You said. You didn’t bother to look at his face.

“I understand how you feel. I miss Robin too. I want nothing more than to find her murderer and drag them through the streets. I’d love nothing more than to just curse them out on live television. But i cannot.”

“I loved her Sunday. I loved her more than anything in this life, dreamscape, reality, nothing compared to her. I’d pluck the stars from the skies if she asked, I’d grovel at her feet and lay my jacket in muddy puddles if she asked. I’d do anything.. and now all I’m left with is this pain. I hate it… I hate it.” You sat up clutching your head.

“I understand. I never had any doubts that you loved her. Nor did I ever doubt your loyalty to her once. All my life I have been the protective brother, I felt like I had to be, the world was so cruel and she was so innocent. When you joined it made me worried, I did everything I could to find something against you, nothing weighed enough to prove my suspicions right. If anyone was a good fit for my sister, it was you.” He said. You sighed.

“How am I supposed to live like this then? What exactly should I live for. What use is life when no one gives you a reason to live.” You sighed.

“I don’t want to lose you too. Although we aren’t close, I don’t want to be the only one in this world who grieves for her. The loneliness I feel is so much worse without her.”

“Its hard to smile when you have nothing to smile for huh?” You added. “How do you plan on handling this, you always have a plan don’t you?”

“I do alright. I’ll make that.. creature pay…” his tone changed. You looked at him with a little surprise. You learned a lot more about your almost brother in law in this moment than you had the years you worked for his sister.

“Wouldn’t it be dangerous, if it can kill people in the dreamscape then how could you possibly.. handle it.”

“Rest assured I have my plans and theories. If you would like, I could use help enacting some.” He said. You sat uncertain. His tone was more unhinged, his hands were clutched at the table’s edge so tight you swore the wood creaked. The halo on his head shook as he attempted to steady himself. You were scared seeing him like this. He had been mad before but he never once let down that polite smile or mannered voice.

“Just get me a bottle of something and I’ll hear you out. I don’t want to feel this pain in my chest anymore.”

“That’s not an answer.” He said. You pondered for a minute. You weighed by grief, kept in the seat. But you knew you needed something to do if you wanted to live.

“I’ll help.“ you answered.

[f4nd0m-fun]

@puppetmaster13u

It was getting too long so...

Okay this was VERY long but I love it all. So much food, and very much alive when possible. And yeah they're very much venomous.

... oh gods you're making me hungry for food that isn't even safe even if it existed 😂

Also, I feel like Ivy's plants would, ah, sometimes move if they don't like where they're currently planted. If your neighbor is taking better care of your flowers then you might wake up and see them over there, you just learn to deal. 😅

Ooooo I love that. And I feel like, to Aquaman, it would be like speaking in Pig Latin + Esperanto mixed with the heaviest Scottish accent ever. He can tell it's words, but he can't really understand it.

Also, Bruce singing lullabies to the kids, just imagine. Jason or Dick or anyone shows up having a panic attack and Bruce starts calming them down. First in English, then aquatic, and slowly morphing into a lullaby.

Oh definitely, those other heroes will be struggling. Almost feel bad for them.

The medical professionals must be paid well, and Gotham University probably ends up with a very heavy metal degree that most people might assume is for vets not human doctors. 😂

Oh my gods Helena yes. Poor Supes, and I love the JL freaking out. Also, her bottle HAS to be a little pink, because of the blood that's probably in it. Also, I imagine they're born with weak venom, and drinking their parents' blood lets them process and produce stronger toxins.

I bet Dick and the other kids probably have the same weird food habits and their teammates aren't really sure what they're supposed to do. Sometimes Tim will fall asleep in the middle of lunch and whoever is in the same room will get to see his lunch run away. Probably a bit unnerving. 🤣

I like the idea they might do them for 'major holidays'. Not on the holiday, because Calendar Man (on the holidays is Gotham only, they fully expect him to show up, he's practically invited without saying anything outright), and that's the Outsider Galas. Not just one a year, but not like 20 of em either.

And yeah, aside from runaway food, Tim is pretty good with outsiders. He probably wouldn't eat 'normal' (normal for Gotham anyway) around his team if he didn't trust em or something either. This is probably another reason Bruce made him CEO. 😅

Yesss uncanny valley please. Everyone is freaking out internally, and yet at the same time they can tell they're safe... for now. Servers doing their job, and Gothamites not revealing anything, unless someone does something wrong.

Yesss the rogues. Honestly I just want an AU where the rogues are basically family.

||=====||=====||

"Oh yeah that's aunts Harley and Ivy, they can be fun but don't drink the wine."

Then (controversial I know but also heavily depends on the AU)

"That's Uncle J, we're on tense terms with him but he's got the best drinks if you don't mind letting a bit."

Maybe

"There's not-dad Harv-"

"he's Uncle T right now-"

"-that's Uncle T, don't gamble with him or ask about his coin collection unless you want to stay a while."

Or

"Don't mind Uncle Cobbles, he's a little competitive with B about their family histories, but other than that and birds he's pretty calm."

Even

"Yeah don't mind Uncle John, he's probably more nervous than you are, doing spook him and you'll be fine."

||=====||=====||

Yesss so many photos.

Also, there's two wedding photos. One he shows to outsiders, the other is up at the major as a painting and is the same wedding photo but underwater.

... Ras don't bother your son-in-law's friends please, they have enough on their plate. Seriously, stop. 😂😅

Bruce probably confuses everyone even more by knowing the assassins.

Oooo yes. Sharks, aquariums, oh my. I love all the animals you mentioned too.

... so I randomly looked up 'Victorian modern punk' because why not and...

This was the top result.

[jerzwriter]

Mono~poly Chapter 3: Propositions

A Tobias x Casey AU - Information and Notes

AU Premise: What happens when something that was supposed to be just fun turns into something real? When true love enters the equation between two people who view the very concept of love in different ways, can it work? In this alternate universe, we'll follow Casey and Tobias (and some others along the way) on their journey, where a happy ending is what both desire, but (as in life) nothing is guaranteed.

Fandom: Open Heart, Choices ** Pairing (This Chapter): Tobias Carrick x Casey MacTavish F!MC Other Characters: Ethan Ramsey, Jackie Varma, Bryce Lahela OC: Halle Williams (mentioned), OC: Addie Larkin, OC: Vivian Carrick. Rating: Teen Words: 5,300

Chapter Summary: Three years into their relationship, Tobias and Casey are still the couple to be. But as big changes take place around them, Casey faces internal struggles, while Tobias wonders if the two of them are still on the same page.

A/N: It took much longer to get this chapter up than expected; that was mostly because I forgot I was hosting Tobias Carrick Appreciation Week (you can check that out here!), and then work decided to explode! Hopefully, life will be kind, and I can get back on a normal schedule with this! I got it up just in time for the last day of Non-Monogamy Awareness Week - even though we haven't gotten to that NM part yet! lol Participating in @julychallenge Pink: Love, Optimistic, Vulnerable, Friendship Black: The Unknown

SERIES MASTERLIST SERIES INFORMATION MY MAIN MASTERLIST

Tobias loved few things more than mornings like this: mornings when he could wake up on his own accord without work or other obligations beckoning. Days that started with the sunshine beaming in the window or the birds chirping outside, or days like today when he was awakened by the best reason of all.

His heavy silk comforter shifted unexpectedly, leaving his legs exposed and pulling him from his groggy haze. A smile was on his lips before his eyes had a chance to open when Casey’s arm encircled him in a warm embrace. It didn’t matter that they’d been together three years now; he knew in his heart he’d always cherish starting his day like this.

“Good morning, gorgeous,” he said with a raspy voice. His smile growing exponentially when her naked body squirmed against his, relishing the warmth between them.

“Mmmm. Morning,” she whispered. “Can we stay asleep a little bit longer?”

“We could, but then I won’t get any alone time before you’re off to work.”

“Sure you can,” she yawned. “We can have alone time sleeping.”

“Fine,” he chuckled. He never could put up much of a fight when it came to her.

An hour later, a sleepy Casey shuffled into the kitchen with little recollection of their earlier exchange. Her eyes were half closed, and she would have still been in bed if the aroma of Tobias’s French toast hadn’t beckoned her from afar. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, wearing no more than his flannel pajama top. 

“You’re making me French toast!” she sang.

“Mmm hmm. Your favorite,” he smiled. “And you’re wearing my pajama top.”

“Mmm hmm,” she mimicked, well aware of the effect that had on him. “Your favorite.”

“You better believe it is,” he replied, knowing it would take all his strength to focus on breakfast.  

He told her to sit and made a grand display of serving her. After just one bite, Casey began to make those noises he adored. He'd heard them at this kitchen table before, sometimes with the two of them seated at it, sometimes with the two of them on top of it, and they were music to his ears either way. He barely touched his food, too enraptured watching her enjoy hers. Those closest to them wondered when they’d emerge from that blissful bubble most couples found themselves in at the start of a relationship, but three years in, the two of them showed no signs of the bubble bursting.

Casey was mid-bite and running her toe up his bare leg when she caught him staring her way.

“Yes?” she asked playfully.

“Yes...,” he affirmed. “That’s what I want you to say.”

“Oh, really?” She teased. “Who knows, I just might... depending on your question.”

He took her hand, his eyes warm and sincere. “Move in with me.”

It wasn’t the first time he had asked her. It wasn’t even the twentieth; by now, he had lost count. And each time, she answered the same way. “Eventually.” She’d remind him that she was with him most of the time, her landlord had forgotten what she looked like by now, but that didn’t matter to Tobias. He wouldn’t be content until her name was next to his on the mailbox, and now, the stakes were even higher.

“Tobias...” she sighed, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. “You know what I’m going to....”

“Eventually,” he huffed. Normally, he took it in stride, but he couldn't find it in himself to do that today. Pulling his hand back, he began to clear the table.   

“Baby,” she said, rising to his side. “Please don’t be upset.”  

“I’m not upset, Casey, I’m not.”

“Then what are you?”

“I’m... I don’t know. I guess I’m hurt... a little. I don’t understand why the woman I love, the woman I know loves me, seems to find the idea of living with me to be so abhorrent.”

“I don’t! If I believed that, do you think I’d be here all the time? I love you and love being with you. Why is it so important to you that it’s official?”

“Why is it so unimportant to you?”

“It’s not... it’s just....”

“Case,” he interrupted, running a hand down his face. “I’m buying a new place. I’m buying a home that I hope will be ours one day, and doing it by myself feels so lonely.”

“But you’re not!” She insisted. “We the neighborhood out together. I’m looking at places with you and giving you my input. I wouldn’t be doing that if I didn’t expect to live there with you, too.”

“Eventually,” he frowned.

Casey threw her arms around him and nuzzled her head in his shoulder. He loved and hated the way her touch alone could make him lose all reason and forget why he was upset just moments before.  

“It’s going to happen, hon. And until then,” she pulled him into a tender kiss. “I’m still going to be here with you so much you’ll be sick of me.”

“As if,” he smirked.

Confident she had smoothed things over, she gazed up with a playful smile. “So, when will we be doing more shopping for our new place?”

“I’ll be doing that today,” he replied. “But you’ll be at work.”

“Which you knew!” She playfully punched his arm. “Way to include me!”

“It’s only because a few properties just hit the market this morning, and I want to get a jump on them. If it’s anything worthwhile, I’ll take you back to see them.”

“If anything’s worthwhile, you’ll Facetime me,” she corrected. “Things are moving quickly these days!”

“Good idea! And the listings Halle sent me this morning are very impressive; they probably will go quick.”

“Halle?” Casey asked. “I thought she was just filling in for Ray while he was on vacation. Isn’t he back yet?”

“He is, but I decided to work with Halle going forward.”

“Oh,” Casey said as the mood in the room shifted. “Well, let me know if you like anything,” she took a hesitant step backward. “I should go get ready for work.”

She rushed out of the kitchen, but Tobias was quick at her heels.

“Babe, what’s wrong?” he asked, though it took a few more attempts before he persuaded her to answer.

“I just don’t care for Halle... that’s all, and of course, the first time you’re going to look at properties alone... she’s your new agent.”

Tobias raised an eyebrow. “Case... please don’t tell me you’re jealous.”

“I’m not jealous!” She insisted, all but assuring him she was jealous. “I... I just don’t like Halle. Why did you have to switch?”

“I switched because she's better. She gets listings to me the moment they hit the market, whereas Ray sat them. Plus, Halle just seems to have a better idea of what I’m looking for.”

Casey rolled her eyes, “Of course she does.”

Tobias was still amused, but that was morphing into concern as the conversation continued. He sat on the bed, pulling Casey onto his lap.

“This isn’t like you, babe... where is this coming from.”

Apparently, he missed a lot of things Casey saw during their two appointments with Halle. Like how friendly and flirtatious she was with him but was barely cordial to her. Or how the real estate agent's caramel curls bounced when she laughed hysterically at his mediocre jokes and the way her dark brown lit up when Tobias joked that he couldn’t convince Casey to move in with him.

“A gorgeous doctor who is buying a badass place in Boston, and you're not moving in? You better jump on that, girl, before someone else does.”

She said it with just enough humor that Casey would have looked like a fool if she said anything, and Tobias was oblivious to it all. He continued being his usual flirtatious self, and at some point, Casey quietly began to feel like she was the third-wheel. But things returned to normal the second Halle left, so there was no reason to address it until now.

“Tobias, she’s totally into you... it’s so obvious... I can’t believe you don’t see it. And she’s gorgeous. If she weren’t 5 foot 5 in heels, she’d be a model with no interest in the real estate market. And don’t tell me you didn't notice that.”

“Babe, of course, I noticed she’s attractive, but my only interest in her is having her find me a new place. Do you seriously think I’d cheat on you?”

No. Casey thought. But she could be the one that eventually sparked the conversation Casey had been waiting on for three years. The one that would revive her “we don’t have to be monogamous” offer from years before. To date, Tobias hadn't expressed any interest in doing so, but Casey knew it would only be a matter of time before someone as beautiful and as forward as Halle lit that spark, and the possibility would become a reality.

“No,” Casey gulped. “I don’t think you’d cheat on me," she replied, deciding to leave out all of the rest.

“Then you have no reason to worry. So, she’s into me. Do you have any idea how many people are into you, but you don’t see me worrying.”

“Right,” she said with a dismissive wave. “I have an entire fan club.”

“You do!” He grinned.

“Name one person!"

“One? I'll do better than that. There’s Meghan, the surgical nurse, who begins stuttering whenever you're within five feet of her."

“Tobias! She has a stutter! That has nothing to do with me!"

“She only stutters when you're around, babe! Then there’s the tall, ginger pharma rep, who always makes sure you'll be in before he visits Edenbrook. At least half of the interns in every class you’ve had are at least a little in love with you, and then there’s Ethan.”

“Ethan!” She exclaimed in disbelief. “Ethan Ramsey?”

“Do you know another Ethan?”

“Tobias, Ethan and I are close. He’s one of my best friends, but it’s not like that. He's not secretly in love with me!”

“Right,” Tobias smiled. “Good to know I’m not the only one in this relationship that can’t see the obvious. Ethan adores you.”

“All right,” she said, nervously jumping off his lap. “Maybe in a sweet, platonic, non-I want to fuck you kind of way, but... no... No! Not like that!”

“All right, do you want me to ask him?” Tobias teased, to Casey’s horror.

“NO! God, no!”

“Well,” Tobias winked, “Then I guess we’ll never know.”

He stood up and stood before Casey, his seductive grin already making her weak, and that was before he leaned for a slow sensual kiss. His hands moved up, delicately skimming her chest as he unbuttoned his pajama top and pushed it off her shoulders, leaving her standing bare before him.

“We’ve got to get ready to leave,” she murmured. "I have work... you have Halle."

"We do," he said, his warm lips now trailing kisses over her shoulder. “But before we go, I need to make sure you know who I'm thinking about very clear... and that's you."

~~~~~

Two Months Later

The difficult parts were now behind them. A place had been selected, the offer accepted, and the mortgage obtained. They picked out furniture together, and they decided to decorate the place themselves, but at the last moment, Tobias brought in a pro. He hoped to be there for a long time and intended to make his very best memories there; it needed to be perfect — a blend of modern and traditional, awash in earth tones with splashes of color throughout. Casey joked that her blood pressure dropped just stepping inside, but all she had to do was look at the expansive views the floor-to-ceiling windows provided to get her pulse quickening again. Tobias’s new place was spectacular! The hard parts were now behind them; now, it was time to enjoy it.

~~~~~

“This is delicious,” Ethan marveled, savoring another bite of tender filet mignon. “I’ve got to admit, Carrick, the party, the new condo — you knocked it out of the park.”

“Thank you,” Tobias gushed, with a nod toward Casey. “But I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without this beauty by my side.”

Casey rolled her eyes and took a sip of wine. “Seriously? Like I cooked!”

Their guests erupted into laughter, with one notable exception.

“Tobias,” his mother scolded. “You’re not about to let her downplay her contributions like that, are you?”

“Of course not, Ma!” He chuckled. “I just said I’d have none of this if it weren’t for her.”

“That’s not true...” Caey began, but he quickly interrupted.

“It certainly is! How many classy dinner parties have I hosted in the past?”

All turned to Ethan, who visibly choked on his wine.

“None!” he scoffed, raising a napkin to his face.

“Exactly! See,” he said, placing a kiss on Casey's hand. “I need you.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Vivian beamed, raising her glass. “To Casey, the woman who finally turned my little boy into a grown man... and they said it couldn’t be done!”

“To Casey,” everyone cheered as her cheeks turned redder than the Malbec in her hand.

Pleased with the reaction, Vivian felt encouraged to continue. “So, when do you plan to seal the deal and make things official? Someone like Casey isn’t going to be on the market forever, son! Don't you agree, Ethan?”

“And why am I being singled out for that question?” Ethan asked.

“I don’t know,” Jackie snickered. “Maybe the fact that you had a relationship with both parties in the past gives you deeper insight than most.”

Casey lowered her face into her hands. “And this is why we can’t have nice things!” Peeking through her fingers, she locked eyes with Jackie. “Really? Can we have one classy party? Just one that doesn’t have to go there?”

At the other end of the Table, Tobias’s friend Addie scoffed as she bit into a warm dinner roll.

“With you two hosting? Doubtful,” she laughed. “But this is new information to me! I love your dinner parties! They’re very informative.” She raised her wine for a second toast. “To Casey and Tobias’s dinner parties, may we share many more, and, while attending, may many more spill their tea.”

“Oh, says the woman whose personal life is a virtual secret!” Casey exclaimed.

“Hey, can’t fault me for being smart,” Addie shrugged. “You don’t need a medical degree to know that private life is best kept private.”

Ethan glanced over the candle and crystal-strewn table and nodded with approval. “Clearly, you are very smart.”

“Casey,” Vivian injected, wishing to steer the conversation. “Why aren’t your parents here today?”

“Oh, well... they’ll be visiting, but, uh, it’s not my new place; so....”

“You are Tobias’s significant other, are you not?”

“Of course,” Casey giggled nervously.

“Then they should have been invited.” Vivian looked at her son disapprovingly. “I raised you better than that.”

“You sure did! And I offered, Ma,” he grinned, “but it’s Casey’s parents, so I left the decision up to her.”

“It’s better this way, Vivian,” she jumped in. “The two of them have barely spoken since their divorce, and when they do, it’s normally not pretty. As delightful as that has made the past twenty-two years of my life, I figured we could all do without the drama today."

“Mmm, what a shame,” Vivian shook her head as she speared her fork into a piece of perfectly cooked asparagus in hollandaise. “And it’s unfair to you; they’ll really need to work on that before you and Tobias have children.”

Casey spit her drink out, and Tobias lovingly patted her back. “You OK there, babe?”

“Oh, I’m fine,” Casey replied, wiping up the mess. “Fortunately, I was drinking water and not wine.”

“Vivian,” Ethan stepped in, offering Casey a save. “Did you paint that stunning canvas in the foyer? It’s magnificent. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.”

Vivian’s face lit up. If there was one thing that could compete with her love of talking about – and eviscerating – her sons – it was art  - especially her art.

“Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for that one. It is exquisite, isn’t it!”

“Casey and I spotted that in a gallery when we visited New York last summer. I didn’t know where I’d end up, but I knew that painting had to come along with me. It’s been in storage since, and I’m glad it’s finally found its home.”

“But Vivian did make the watercolor in the living room and the piece in Tobias’s office just for him, and they’re beautiful!”

“Thank you, but I made them for both of you,” Vivian corrected. “My art means everything to me, but there is always something special about creating for the people I love. I offered to make a piece for the bedroom, but Tobias declined.”

“Yeah,” he barked out a laugh. “No offense, Ma, but the last thing I want to be thinking about in the bedroom is you.”

Bryce, seated next to Jackie, let out a laugh. “And just like that, the conversation is back there!”

“I’ve just come to accept it,” Casey smiled. “But thank you, Vivian, for everything.”

Vivian reached over the table and lovingly took Casey’s hand. “Of course, my dear, there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you. For both of you.”

Blushing, Casey stood up and dusted off her body-skimming, champagne silk dress. “I should clear the table and get dessert served,” she announced.

Ethan wiped his mouth as Tobias pushed his chair back. “I’ll help you,” they said in unison as Vivian looked between them.

“Wow, you must have magic fairy dust,” Addie grinned. “Getting two men to help?”  Addie rose to her feet and nudged Tobias back into his. “Sit down there, my friend. You’re the host; entertain your guests and we’ll help Casey.”

“But Casey’s hosting, too,” Tobias insisted.

“It’s fine, baby,” she replied, leaning to give him a peck on the cheek. “…and I need a little break,” she whispered into his ear, and only then did he let her go.

“I’d offer to help, too,” Jackie shouted. “But if I do, Tobias won’t have enough people to entertain.”

“Yeah, that’s the reason,” Bryce laughed, wincing when he was the recipient of Jackie’s playful smack.

In the kitchen, Casey pushed the remaining food off a china plate, then placed it into the sink where Addie was washing.

“I’ve never understood the point of china,” Ethan mused. “It’s only brought out for special occasions when people usually have many guests, but it’s not dishwasher safe, leaving a ton of dishes to do.”

“Some china is dishwasher safe,” Casey informed. “But Vivian insisted Tobias have his late grandmother’s set. It’s simple enough to compliment his décor, but it’s old, so... no dishwasher.”

“Oh, it has a dishwasher,” Addie joked. “The dishwasher is me.”

“And I appreciate it,” Casey beamed, giving Addie a side hug.

“I’m happy to help. Everything has been lovely today.”

“Thank you! Of course, Vivian was mortified that Tobias didn’t hire ‘help’ for the event. I’m sure she’s giving him an earful now.”

“Oh, I’m sure of it,” Addie chuckled. “Why do you think I made him stay behind?”

“I like her more and more every time I see her,” Ethan smirked.

“But you just wait; Tobias will have help when you throw your next party,” Adide insisted. “Mark my words. And not because his Mom is scolding him. I’m sure it's driving him crazy that his precious princess is out here cleaning up instead of being in there with him.”

“Yeah, well, he does tend to spoil me,” Casey admitted. “But sometimes it’s all a little much. I don’t come from his world, and the idea of hiring help for a get-together with friends and family sounds....” She twirled her hand around, unable to find the right word.

“Preposterous,” Ethan grinned. “I believe the word you’re looking for is preposterous.”

“That’ll do!” Casey laughed.

“And that’s why I like you,” Addie winked. “You’re one of us. Tobias always needed someone to ground him.”

“Although you wouldn’t know it looking at this place,” Ethan injected. “Do I even want to know what he paid for it?”

“No, you don’t,” Casey chuckled. “But remember, it’s Tobias’s place, not mine.”

“Like you’re not going to be here all the time,” Addie remarked.

“Why haven’t you just moved in?” Ethan asked. “Sometimes I forget that you're not living together."

Casey looked to the entrance of the kitchen when she heard footsteps, relieved that it was only Bryce heading to the restroom.

“Keep your voice down on that, please,” she insisted. “It’s a sore subject with Tobias. He’s been asking me to move in officially, and....” she trailed.

“Fine, but I need the story on that! Why haven’t you? You mono folks usually step onto that relationship escalator on day one. You’ve been together, what, three years now? Shouldn’t you be making me squeeze into an ugly bridesmaid dress and selecting names for your 2.3 kids by now?”

Casey grabbed the damp dish towel from Addie’s hands and playfully smacked her hip with it. “Stop mocking me, Queen Poly-anna.”

“Queen Poly-anna?” Ethan questioned.

“It’s her pet name for me,” Addie grinned. “Isn’t it cute? She has to show off that she has one poly friend!”

“That’s not true!” Casey defended. “I have more than one poly friend.”

“Oh, yeah?” Addie asked. “Name another.”

“Oh, all right,” Casey surrendered. “You’re my only poly friend, but I have other poly acquaintances!”

“You sure do!” Addie snorted. “Probably more than you even know. I’ve gotta go to the little girl's room. Do the two of you have this under control?”

“Absolutely,” Casey assured. “Join the rest when you’re done. We’ll bring dessert in momentarily.”

Casey caught Ethan watching Addie walk away and raised a brow when he caught her looking.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Casey joked. “You have had a crush on her since the day you met!”

“I have not!” He insisted. But Casey didn’t believe him for a second. “I just... I enjoy seeing her at your events.”

“I’ll bet you do!”

“Have you ever met her elusive boyfriend?”

“Believe it or not, I haven’t,” Casey replied. “Honestly, I don’t see Addie all that often. Besides, she has more than one partner. There’s the elusive long-term boyfriend and a girlfriend in Charlestown. She also has a long-distance thing with someone in New York. But I’ve only met her girlfriend, and briefly, at that.”

“God,” Ethan sighed, pouring a glass of water. “How does she keep track?”

“I don’t judge,” Casey shrugged. “Polyamory may not be for everyone, but she’s happy, and she’s not doing anything wrong, so...”

“Oh, I wasn’t judging. I apologize if I came across that way.”

“It’s fine,” Casey smiled. “You know me, I’m just protective of the people in my life.”

Ethan reached over and playfully bopped his finger against her nose. “I know. It’s one of the things I find so endearing about you.”

Casey looked almost abashed as she opened the cake boxes on the marble countertop, placing each one on a decorative plate for serving.

“But you never answered my question," he circled back. "Why haven’t you moved in with Tobias? While I don’t subscribe to that relationship elevator thing...”

“Escalator,” Casey corrected.

“Whatever!” He laughed. “But you are the most grotesquely happy couple I know. As much as I was skeptical of the match at first, I have to admit... you two are the perfect couple.”

“Well, there’s no such thing as perfection,” she insisted. “But, we’re pretty damn close.”

Ethan couldn’t help but notice the way Casey lit up whenever the subject turned to Tobias. “You can’t even talk about him without glowing. So what’s the holdup?”

“I practically live here,” she answered nervously. “I helped him pick the place, and we decorated it together.”  

“So then...”

“Ethan,” she huffed. It was rare for her to keep things from her closest friends, but this was something she didn’t want to touch. “I don’t want to talk about it, OK?”

“It’s your parent's divorce, isn’t it?” He asked, undeterred. “Casey, don’t let that hold you back. You, more than anyone, taught me that I can’t let the past hold my present or my future hostage. You were an absolute pain in the ass about it at the time. But I have to admit,  in the end... you were right. So I’m going to nag you as much as you nagged me if I think it’s needed, and I think it’s needed.”

“All right,” she smiled, with the defenses she briefly raised falling. “I appreciate that you care enough about me to mention it, and I’ll bring it up in therapy. I swear.”

“Good,” he grinned. “Your happiness matters to me. And, I’ll admit, I wouldn’t mind going to a good wedding. The past few I’ve gone to have been dreadful!”

“Ah, you’re just hoping Addie will go stag; that way, you could be her date.”

“That’s not it,” Ethan insisted. Casey laughed at his defensiveness, giving him a big hug just as Tobias stepped into the kitchen.

“Well, well, well,” he joked. “I’m gone fifteen minutes, and you’re already moving in on my wife.”

“You’re wife?” Casey laughed as she walked to Tobias’s side, wrapping her arm around his waist.

“Well, that’s what my Mom’s calling you... practically,” Tobias laughed.

“Nothing like parental pressure,” Ethan sighed. “Even at our age. I’ll go keep Vivian occupied for a bit. You two haven’t had any alone time in the past few hours. I’m shocked one of you isn’t twitching.” He clapped his hand on Tobias’s back as he passed him. “Great party.”

“Thanks, Buddy,” Tobias said as their friend left the room. He turned to Casey, eagerly pulling her into a loving embrace. “Mmmm, I miss you.”

“Miss me? I’ve been with you all day,” she smiled.

“Yeah, but there are too many.... others. Make them leave!"

“Soon,” she chuckled. “Everything has turned out just great today!”

“Of course it has,” he beamed. “Anything we do together does.”

“You know what, you’re not wrong.”

Tobias looked at her, more confident than smug. “I rarely am.”

“You’re impossible,” she laughed, returning to preparing the deserts.

Tobias stuck his finger into the icing of the chocolate cake, scooping a dollop of the decadent treat into his mouth.

“Stop!” Casey scolded, and she swatted his hand away. “Don’t make me call your mother out here!”

“No! Please!” He begged. “Mmmh, that cake is delicious. Where’s it from.”

“It’s from Bova’s. Halle sent it along with the box of sfogliatelle over there.”

“She did?”

“Mmm. I thought I told you. The note she sent is next to the box. Basically, congratulating you on the home and apologizing for being unable to make it today.”

“That was nice of her,” Tobias stated, pulling Casey close again for a tender kiss. “She didn’t seem interested in attending after I told her my brother couldn’t make it. Besides, she thinks you hate her.”

“What!” Casey protested. “I’ve been nothing but nice to her. Besides, she is the one who doesn’t like me.”

“That’s not true! Everyone loves you.”

“Really? Look at the note again. Is there mention of me?”

Tobias reread the note, a little surprised that he hadn’t noticed the first time.

“And tell me,” Casey added. “Was I anything but nice to her when we were together?”

“You... you were,” he agreed. “Alright, maybe you were on to something.”

“Maybe?” she asked playfully.

Tobias held her close, his soft laughter rumbling against her chest.

“You can't blame her, babe; I’m irresistible. But if she doesn’t like my baby, I’m glad she didn’t show.”

"But we can still eat the desserts she sent, right?" Casey asked nervously.

“Absolutely! No way are they going to waste!"

~~~~~

After a lovely afternoon and evening, Tobias & Casey were grateful when the last of their guests had left. There was plenty to clean up, but that could wait. Right now they were watching darkness ascend over the city they loved from the comfort of the overstuffed couch.

Tobias had already removed his jacket and tie; now, he anxiously unbuttoned the first few buttons of his crisp white shirt before sinking into the soft cognac leather sofa. Casey was quickly at his side, her head resting on his chest as she snuggled closer. Her long legs extended down the length of the couch, and the slit on her rouched silk dress afforded Tobias a perfect view. One he appreciated every bit as much as the masterpiece outside the panoramic windows. The hues of dusty pink and purple morphed into grey, then a jet-black sky. The lights scattered throughout the city lit Boston up like a Christmas tree. He could feel Casey smile against his chest.

“I’m never going to get sick of this view.”

“Neither am I,” he replied. “And I'm glad you won't because I hope we’ll be looking at it together for a long, long time to come.”  

“For a long time to come?” she goaded. “Gee, thanks, Carrick! What happened to forever? Have I been downgraded?”

“No, wiseass,” he laughed. “I’m not sure if I’ll be in this condo forever. Hence, we’d lose the view. But you, you are absolutely forever, as long as you’ll have me, that is.”

“Much better,” she sighed contently, her body melting into his. Tobias intertwined his fingers with hers, his thumb gently caressing the back of her hand. A feeling of warmth and contentment he had only known since Casey entered his life overtook him.

“I hope you know how much I love you,” he breathed into her ear. “And I’m not just saying that because it’s something we’re supposed to say. I mean it with all my heart.”

“Tobias,” she smiled, but he held a finger gently against her lips. Sitting up, he took her hands in his, and she turned to face him.

“Please, let me finish,” he whispered. “I never expected you to enter my life and turn everything on its head. I didn't think anyone like you existed. Words like forever, they weren't in my vocabulary before you. People always told me someday I'd meet the "right" person who would change all that, but I thought they were out of their minds. So, imagine my surprise when you walked in and proved me wrong.”

Casey’s eyes filled with tears, and she raised a hand to caress his cheek.

“I know how blessed I am to have you by my side. I’ll never take that for granted, and I only hope I bring you one-hundredth of the happiness you brought to me. I want you with me, baby, not just today, but for the rest of my life.”                         

“Tobias,” she whispered again, her voice cracking with emotion. “I want you, too. I love you so much.”

“Good,”  he said with a smile that lit up the room. Casey’s breath hitched as he dropped down on one knee and removed a small velvet box that had lived in his pocket for the past few days as he waited for the perfect moment to arrive. As he knelt before her, he was confident that moment was here.

Casey gasped at the ornate antique diamond ring, a brilliant center stone surrounded by a cluster of smaller diamonds set in the most beautiful gold filigree she had ever seen. It was breathtaking! But it only managed to hold her attention for a moment, choosing to turn her gaze back to her beloved’s eyes. The ring may have been exquisite, but the look in his eyes right now was the most precious work of art she had ever seen.

“Casey, I love you with all that I am and all that I have. Will you please make me the happiest man in the world and accept this? Casey, will you marry me?”  

Her eyes darted nervously to the ring, then back to Tobias as her mouth went dry. Her expression turning to one of terror instead of awe. She instinctively scooted backward, heart racing and her face impossible to read.

“Oh! Oh, Tobias....” she stammered, as apprehension filled his eyes. “Tobias... I... I....”

“Yes?” he asked nervously, praying her answer would be yes.

“Tobias I....”

~~~~~

Sorry... you'll have to wait! :) If you've made it this far, thanks so much for reading!

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Tagging others separately.

[differenteagletragedy]

vampire Baxter lol

Baxter had lived for centuries -- though, of course, "living" was a term he used loosely. He'd traveled the world, dined with aristocrats, philosophized with beggars, seen a long string of new innovations and ideas promised to propel society forward while watching it crumble all the same.

But in all that time, he'd never found anything to truly cherish until he met you.

His life was fun by any definition of the word, but it was a cheap, empty sort of fun. He'd found ways to while away the decades, but nothing ever really meant anything. The people he met, the lovers he took, they were all just means to an end. When he felt lonely, when the weight of his own immortality weighed heavily on him, he found a friend for a season. He shared his bed for a night. It was never anything more than that.

When his endless travels found him renting a seaside home in Sunset Bird for a summer, Baxter never expected anything to change. Even when he saw you for the first time, standing beside Cove, the two of you looking so young and beautiful in the moonlight, he didn't have the slightest inkling that you might somehow be different. You could be a warm body to keep him company, and that would have been wonderful -- he did know that then. But what else could you be?

Everything. That's what you could be. That's what you became.

It happened slowly over the course of the summer, over night walks on the beach and afternoons spent in the safety of his home. Stolen kisses during which he was careful his fangs didn't nick your lips, and gentle embraces where the warmth of your body soothed him so deeply that he thought maybe things could stay like this. That for once, he could stay.

And he did -- eventually. His old self doubt and infernal restlessness kicked in when the summer came to an end, and he left you, crying and confused, at his door. You deserved better than him, he knew that much, but then five years later, fate brought you back together again. It was five years of growth for you and barely the blink of an eye for him, and it was the first time that fate had worked out in his favor. He was helpless to refuse, and you were all too willing to take advantage of that.

Years flew by, the decades falling around him as he did everything he could to imprint every last bit of you in his memory. He'd never change you, even if you begged -- which you did, sometimes, when your hair began turning grey and wrinkles began creeping up on your face. Baxter didn't want that for you, even if it meant having you by his side forever. He loved you just as you were, hot-blooded, human and, unfortunately, heartbreakingly mortal.

He knew the end was coming for a while before it happened. In the weeks leading up to it, he held you even more than he normally did, your body feeling weak and brittle against him. As you'd aged, you worried about how you looked to him and with him, a withered old person beside the eternally beautiful Baxter. But he never cared. Whether it was you at 18, bright and young with life having barely begun, or 80, breath rattling painfully in your chest as your heavily lined hands clutched his, you were still you. And you were always the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

It was morning when you left. He'd spent the night curled up with you in bed, and he watched your chest rise and fall as you slept, rise and fall ... then nothing. You went still, and slowly, you went cold. Even though it wasn't a surprise, the grief was still shocking. He thought he'd experienced everything that the world had to offer, but nothing had ever been as exquisitely painful as this. Not even close.

Regrets played in his mind. Maybe he should have turned you when you'd asked -- maybe instead of grasping onto some unfounded sense of nobility, he should have made it so that you could spend forever with him. Part of him knew that that wasn't right, that he could never put you through what he'd been through, even if you wouldn't have been alone like he was. A bigger part of him knew that none of this mattered. You were gone, and you weren't coming back.

The moon rose as he remained lost in thought, but by the time morning came again, his anguish was replaced with a sense of resolve. He couldn't stay here forever with you, that much was clear. But he couldn't imagine going on without you, either. Promises he'd made you rang hollow then -- he told you he'd carry on, that he wouldn't wallow after it happened, but you were the best part of him, and you weren't there to hold him to it.

As gently as he could, he stood from the bed you shared. He gave you one last long look -- he could recite every inch of your body like a favorite poem, every line, every curve, but even if you'd lived a thousand lifetimes together, it would never be enough.

And then, for the first time in over 200 years, Baxter walked into the sun.

[friendly-neighborhood-furry]

sometimes the state of the world makes me want to go outside and scream as loud as i can for help. sometimes it makes me want to crawl deep into a hole and never come back out again. sometimes it makes me want to fall to my knees and sob uncontrollably. sometimes it seems so hopeless that i cant see any better alternative other than just disappearing.

so much evil and destruction and suffering-- and for what?

what is it all for?

for the latest popular billionare to take a 13 minute flight? for the newest remake of a movie that changed my life to get turned into mindless sludge? for a never-before-seen species of animal to be discovered, then pronounced extinct the very next week? for millions of people to go broke for having cancer?

i tell my mother that i wont be able to afford a house. she says "no, you will." i tell my counselor that my government wants to kill me. she says "that's not true." i tell my teachers i don't see a point in doing well in school because i wont be able to get a job anyway, even if i have a college degree. they tell me "no, you'll get a job. school is still important." i email my senators begging them to stop funding the genocide in Palestine. i get a copy-pasted email back with a history lesson about why that wont happen. one million people died from COVID last Christmas and i'm the only one at my school still wearing a mask. my future as an artist was ripped from my hands in less than two years and pretty soon i wont be able to share anything about my art at all. i'm half mexican, but everybody says i'm "too white" to be a "real mexican". its been four years and i'm nowhere closer to understanding my gender identity than i was at the start. tumblr has been my only safe space for three years and now that KOSA might pass this week, where will i go?

and all the while, through all of this conflict-- people are still falling in love for the first time and rescuing kittens off the street and watching their children take their first steps and getting married and making fun little indie games and building elaborate cosplays of their favorite character and making the most heart-touchingly beautiful pieces of art you've ever seen and meeting lifelong friends and cooking amazingly delicious food and playing children's games and weaving baskets from pine needles and taking care of livestock and collecting little knick-knacks and having the best day of their lives and writing their first line of code and learning to play instruments and hatching baby birds and posting a 100K word thesis about a show they really like and uploading song covers for 19 people on Youtube to listen to and pushing the boundaries of what science can accomplish and discussing moral philosophies in the comment section of a Reddit post and feeling truly seen in the eyes of another human being for the first time in their lives and growing old surrounded by the people they love.

the future is uncertain, but the world will go on. the winds will still blow and the tides will still flow. people will continue to find joy in this hell and fight for it with everything they have.

so don't give up.

"don't give up," i tell myself.

"don't give up," i tell you.

"don't give up," i scream into the sky.

there is always something to keep going for. if you cannot find it in yourself, find it in others. find it in the people in your life and the people you see online. find it in the good of humanity you know to exist.

find it. keep fighting. don't give up.

[juniefruit]

*~artist bf hyunjin~*

I'm in love with artist hyunjin like is there anything more perfect. no

Word count: 560

Artist / art student boyfriend hyunjin who thinks you’re a masterpiece. You’re his muse in every aspect. His gold round-frame glasses glint in the afternoon sun as he sits in his studio, contemplating his current work-in-progress. His crisp white blouse and coffee-colored slacks suit him so well. He looks angelic in the golden light rays. The room is littered with paint tubes and brushes tucked away into cups of all shapes and sizes. 

On the wall hangs his favorite portrait- of you. It was a heat of the moment decision months ago- he couldn’t wait until christmas or your birthday in order to present it to you. The strokes of paint along the canvas are subtle but hold so much attention to detail. The way your eyes glimmer and body flows in the 2-dimensional space washes a calm over you every time. You watch Hyunjin from the doorway in silence for a minute or two before he senses your presence and looks behind him frim the stool he was sitting on. No words are exchanged, but a simple smile as you lock eyes conveys the right message. Life can be so tranquil in moments like these- Knowing you’ve found love, and there’s no better way to show it than through the eyes of an artist. It’s the small things he notices about you that matter the most- his recollection of your favorite colors, artists, and art styles. 

Sometimes, he lets you watch him paint. He doesn’t mind when you ask him questions or make comments. He would never tell you to repress your thoughts. But, you might get paint splattered all over you, which leads to you grabbing some paint and poking it on the tip of his nose. 

Carries his sketchbook with him everywhere!! He loves to draw random things in public like people sitting on the subway or ordering coffee. When you’re together, it’s usually you though. 

You two frequent the art museum in town. Hyunjin holds your hand as you meander through the galleries. He notices which paintings you admire the longest- whether it be renaissance, contemporary, mid-century, surrealist, you get the idea. Once you enter the gift shop, he gets you stuff with the paintings you liked on them (postcards, magnets etc).

It’s also a possibility you go to those paint-your-own pottery places, or a guided group painting class. He’s always over-qualified for those, but at least it’s quality time well spent together. 

On another note, your house always has at least one fresh flower bouquet, courtesy of your boyfriend. His justification is always that they reminded him of something about you. For example, if you’re not having the best day, he’ll come home with blue-purple flowers that are meant to represent that feeling, to convey that he’s aware of your state. Or if it’s a bright summer day and you’re in a good mood, he’ll bring white and yellow flowers that represent happiness and laughter. 

Third date idea- going to the forest for a walk, then setting up a picnic in the meadow. You packed some dried fruits and nuts and a few drinks. It’s a perfect sunny day, and everything seems to be glowing. Birds chirp around you as leaves shimmer in the brisk wind. Hyunjin is wrapped up in sketching the scene in his book, as you take a deep breath and enjoy the tranquility.