#The End!

[madokaholic]

PMMM - The Illustrated Book (43 - 48)

[rakiah]

Queentober - Day 31: Wedding

[totaltraumacomic]

Epilogue IV

[breannasfluff]

Pup?

Cub?

Link vibrates in place, still crouched, and yips at the two wolves. Alpha? Packmate? Pack home?

It’s Dusk who moves first, bounding over to bowl Link over. Pup! Pup! He licks Link’s face, tail wagging a league a minute. Pup okay!

Cub safe! Dawn joins them, winding around Link’s back and pushing his great head under his arm. Safe, okay! No-hurt. 

Miss you! Link’s responses border on a wail. Miss you-miss you! Pack gone, pack left! Alone!

Dusk whines and crams himself closer, trying to fit in Link’s lap when he’s too big. No, love packmate! Never leave! Miss you!

Want cub! Dawn adds.

Link’s whining dissolves into tears and he flattens himself to the ground. Sorry, don’t leave!

Never, always stay! 

Love you, love you.

The two wolves clamber half on top of him, pressing him to the grass with their weight. It’s familiar; they used to do this to calm him down. It’s been a long, long time since he’s been in the position. Fur slides against bare skin and he gives a purring trill.

Happiness is too much to hold in his chest, spilling out and running rampant. Dawn and Dusk, Dawn and Dusk! After so long!

Pack! Family! Home! He wiggles beneath them, unable to stay still.

“So, anyone know what’s going on?” Wind’s voice has Link looking up, remembering their audience.

The Chain is clumped together, staring. To be fair, not only did the resident coyote turn into a hylian, but two of the members of the group are now wolves acting like pups.

Warriors nudges Wind. “I was hoping you had answers. You’ve been with them the longest.”

“I met a hylian and a—a dog! Not whatever is going on here!”

Read the rest here

[jerzwriter]

Mostly Pleasant Surprises 4 / 4 And that's what happened...

This is the final installment of "how they finally got together." 😊 🎊🎈🍾🎊🎈🥳🥳🍾🎊🎈🍾🎊 You have no idea how happy I am that this is finally on 'paper'!

Book: Open Heart (Book 2 Timeline) Pairing: Tobias Carrick & Casey MacTavish (F!MC) Rating: Teen Words: 5,000

Series Summary: It's been months since the chemical attack, and "kind of" exes-turned-friends Tobias & Casey have been stubbornly denying their growing feelings for each other. But when a series of events threatens to come between them, will they find their way back together?

Part 4 Summary: Their friends have given up. Misunderstandings, misassumptions, and good old-fashioned fear lead to turbulence and turmoil for Tobias and Casey, but after a week of no contact, only one of them seems to be hurting, at least on the surface. Tobias is determined to move on, but will his haste put a nail in their coffin or help bring them back together?

A/N: It's finally done!!!!! Did I mention how excited I am? 🥳🥳🥳 I don't care if no one else cares, I CARE, and it's done! My babies deserve this! :) Participating in @choicesmaychallenge24 We've got wine, passion and "Good night, my love."

Series Masterlist || Tobias x Casey Masterlist Full Masterlist

Showing up early to work wasn’t out of character for Dr. Carrick, but showing up at 7:00 AM when his shift began at noon could only mean one thing...  he couldn’t sleep. When his good friend, Sasha, realized he was already there at this early hour, she headed to Caffe Bene and purchased two cups of matcha latte. It was her hope that frothy green beverages would be part of a celebration and not something to lift his spirits, but to play it safe, she added his favorite honey bread to her order, just in case comfort food was required. She smiled when she stepped into his office, assuming her worry was for naught when she found him in such good spirits.

“Hey,” she smiled. “I got our favorite!”

“Awesome!” Tobias grinned. “That’s a big improvement over the Lipton tea bag I was about to brew.”

“You’re in a good mood so early in the day,” Sasha noted. “Is there a reason?”

“Sure is! I’ve got a big date on Saturday.”

“Really!” She squealed. “YES! You and Casey finally got your shit together! Now, give me the details! Where are you taking her? It better be someplace nice!”

Tobias took a long sip of his tea and slouched back in his Italian leather chair.

“Who said anything about Casey?”

“You said date... so I assumed... if not Casey... who?”  

“Sophia,” he smiled to his friend’s consternation.

“Sophia? Who the fuck is Sophia?”

“I guess I hadn’t mentioned her. I treated her sister in the ER a couple months back...remember the gymnast from BU?”

“I don’t recall.”

“Her sister broke her leg during practice, and Sophia made it abundantly clear that she wanted to show her appreciation. I never called her because... well... I just didn’t. But last night, I figured, what the hell. Now... Saturday night, it is.”

“Jesus,” Sasha groaned, grabbing a slice of honey bread for herself. “You’ve spent the past eight months talking my ear off about Casey. Why the change up?”

“Because eight months is a long time, and Casey’s made it clear that she doesn’t want me that way. So, I’m done acting like some pathetic, lovesick schoolgirl. I don’t know what came over me to begin with.”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Sasha insisted. “Love, you idiot. Love came over you.”  

“Exactly!” He snapped his fingers. “Something I’ve always done my best to avoid, and it’s time I get back to that.”  

“Tobias...” Sasha groaned.

“Tobias, nothing. This isn’t fun, Sash. All this time hoping for something that will never be, just to get my heart ripped out? Nuh-uh. I want to have fun again, and Sophia... she’s a sight to see. She’s up for partner at WilmerHale, and she’s sexy as hell. Old Tobias would have jumped on that months ago, and new Tobias is lucky dragging his ass didn’t ruin his chances.”

“So you’d rather be with Sophia than Casey?”

“Look... I don’t love Sophia, and I don’t want to. I want to kick back and have fun. Eight months pining over Casey – longest goddamn dry spell of my adult life – nope. I’m done.”

“T,”  Sasha cringed. “I don’t need to know every detail of your life.”

“Trust me, I wish I didn’t know that little stat either! It’s time to get back in the game.”

“Did you even give Casey a chance to explain what you saw?”

“I know what I saw.”

“But it doesn’t sound like Casey at all. And... even if she was on a date... you two weren’t a couple. Tell her how you feel, and I guarantee she’ll forget about this other dude in a nanosecond.”  

He pushed back from his desk, the bravado he was trying so hard to portray beginning to crack.

“Sorry, but after all the time we spent together, all the kisses and her ‘I’m just not ready yet’ professions....”

“Wait! The what?”

“Irrelevant!” He snapped. “If she’d rather be with some mid-white-bread radiologist from Edenbrook, she can have him.”

“Tobias, would you listen to yourself!”

A knock on the door distracted them, and Aurora entered the room, to Sasha’s delight. Feeling the tension, Aurora looked nervously between the two friends and colleagues.

“What’s going on here?”

“Nothing work-related,” Tobias grumbled. “Sasha was just leaving.”

“Tobias, you’re such an idiot!” Sasha turned to Aurora. “Perhaps you can reinforce that after I leave?”

“Uh...he is my boss.”

“And I’m in hospital administration. I can have you transferred to another attending tomorrow.”  

“Really?” Aurora grinned. “We may have to talk.”

“Hey!” Tobias yelled. “She’s my best resident! Emery, sit down! You’re not going anywhere. Goodbye, Sasha.”

After reviewing their morning cases, Aurora silently looked over her notes as Tobias grew increasingly restless. He tapped his pen against his desk incessantly before blurting, “What?”

Aurora looked around in confusion. “What, what?”

“Why don’t you just say what you’re thinking and get it over with.”

“Because I have nothing to say. But if you plan on asking me about Casey, don’t. I’m jumping off the Tobias & Casey train.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I’m not discussing her with you, nor talking about you with her. You two could drive the sanest person crazy, and I’m done.”

“Fine!”

“Fine.”

But Tobias was anything but fine. No matter how hard he tried to focus he turned to Aurora again after a few minutes of typing jibberish.

“Was Casey all right last night?” he asked out of nowhere. Aurora didn’t even look up from her laptop.

“If you’re so curious, I suggest you call her and ask.”

“I don’t want to talk to her. I just want to know if she’s OK.”

“Then it seems you have a problem. Because, as I said, I got off that train. Especially since you’ve got a date with someone else this Saturday.”

Tobias looked up, stunned. “How... how did you know....”

“Your voice carries Dr. Carrick,” Aurora said, shutting her laptop with a thud. “I could hear you and Sasha talking halfway down the hall.”

“All right, so I have a date. I’m single; what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing,” Aurora agreed.

“Then, why the attitude?”  

“Because I don’t get you. You’re one of the most intelligent people I know, a brilliant doctor, but when it comes to Casey, you act like a twelve-year-old. I understand this is probably predicated on fear and past issues, but if you don’t talk soon, you’ll both live to regret it.”

“There’s nothing to say; we’re just friends.”

“Fine,” Aurora rose to her feet. “Then don’t ask me about her. I like and respect you, Tobias, but mention Casey again and I’ll be talking to Sasha about that transfer.”

“You wouldn’t,” he challenged as Aurora reached the door.

“Oh no? Try me!”

~~~~~

Saturday night at eight o’clock, Casey was home from work and was eager for her own big plans: sweatpants, the couch, a pint of Haagen Dazs ice cream, and a spoon. Her friends would be there, too, she reminded herself, so it wasn’t that pathetic.

How the past week had dragged at a snail's pace yet also went by in a flash remained a mystery to her. But not communicating with Tobias since Sunday likely inspired the former. This was the longest they had gone without contact since the attack, and while she put on a brave face, it was eating her alive. Seeing his jovial posts on Instagram didn’t help. She took them as reinforcement of what she believed to be true. He didn’t want her. At least not the way she wanted him, and he probably never did. If heartbreak wasn't enough to cope with, feeling like a fool just added insult to injury.

“I really think he’s merely protecting himself,” Sienna stated as the friends tried to agree on a movie. “He’s probably as scared as you are. We all know he cared about you.”

“Cared,” Casey repeated, bringing another spoon of ice cream to her mouth. “Past tense.”

“But that’s not true,” Bryce jumped in. “I ran into him just before he went to Donahue’s. He was heading there to tell you how he felt. I didn’t say anything sooner because you were so upset, but you should know.”

“Really? Then why the 180? He wanted to tell me how much he cared but saw me sitting across the table from Jake and did an about-face? Then he didn’t care as much as he believed.”

“In fairness, you were holding the guy’s hand,” Sienna noted.

“Barely!” Casey snapped. “Besides! He should have known better.”

“Oh, for fucks sake!” Aurora groaned as all turned her way. “Casey, stop it. I swore I wouldn’t reenter the Tobias/Casey drama, but I can’t take this anymore. You’re not exactly innocent either.”

“Excuse me?”

“Maybe Tobias jumped to conclusions because you had been giving him the cold shoulder for a week before he saw you with Jake. He probably surmised that was the reason why!”

“But she only did that because of Audrey’s post,” Sienna defended.

“Yes!” Aurora acknowledged. “Because Casey thought he was on a date with Audrey, but guess what? He wasn’t. But you were quick to believe the worst and wouldn’t give him a chance to explain. Does that sound familiar?”

“I was going to ask him about Audrey's post when we had lunch the next day... but he canceled.”

“You were going to ask him a week later? Casey, I know you’re both scared, but you’re so afraid of getting hurt that you are hurt when you don’t have to be!”

“But he didn’t even let me finish a sentence. Every time I tried to explain, he shut me down!”

“And how many of his texts did you ignore after Audrey’s post?” Bryce asked. “You need to talk to him, Case, before you guys blow this for good.”

“Exactly!” Aurora agreed. “All these games, and now he’s on a real date, and who knows...” she froze mid-sentence, her eyes wide when she realized what she just said.

“A what?” Casey stammered. “A real date? With... with who?”

“OK,” Aurora lamented, rubbing her temples. “I don’t know with whom, but if you refuse to talk to him, you have no reason to be upset if he moves on. If you don’t want him to... talk to him!”  

The pain in Casey’s eyes was visible as she jumped from the couch and retreated to her room... insisting no one follow her. She wasn’t sure why she ran there, though collapsing into bed for a good cry sounded appropriate. She got into position to do just that, but the tears never came. Her emotions were a roller coaster ride she hadn’t been prepared to take. Regret, sadness, anger, and despair shifted inside her by the second, leaving her lost and out of control. The only certainty was another sleepless night ahead, and she couldn’t afford that. Reaching for a Tylenol PM on her nightstand, anger took control once again. She looked at the clock, 11:00. It was early enough. She jumped out of bed and threw on the first clothes she could find, rushing out the door to stealthily evade her friends. Tobias Carrick might be on a date, but when he came home? He was going to have to answer to her.

~~~~~

Tobias looked himself over in his bedroom mirror before heading out for the night. He had to admit... in his black silk long-sleeved Brunello Cucinelli t-shirt and matching chalk stripe trousers, he looked damn good. He slipped on his Burberry overcoat and sprayed one more pump of Oud Wood cologne for good measure, a grin spreading across his face. He still had it, and as he headed out the door for his first date in longer than he cared to admit, that old Carrick confidence was falling into place again.

Sophia insisted on meeting him at Contessa, strongly suggesting that their separate arrivals didn’t dictate how they’d depart if dinner went well. When she arrived, Tobias was already seated at their table, and he had to give her credit; the woman knew how to make an entrance. Her smile lit up the room as she sauntered his way in a spaghetti-strapped burgundy cowl-necked dress that hugged every curve and directed the eye to her most impressive assets. Her dark brown curls framed her face and spilled down over her bare shoulders, and as she got closer, Tobias felt his apprehensions melting away. Perhaps this night wouldn't be so hard after all.

“Tobias,” Sophia smiled as he rose to greet her. Taking his hands in hers, she leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek. “You look wonderful tonight.”

“Me,” he simpered. “I lost any chance of being the hottest person in this room the second you walked in.”

“That’s OK. I’m fine being on a date with a man who comes in a very close second in that category,” she winked. “Can you handle that, Dr. Carrick?”

“Oh,” he grinned, motioning for the waiter to begin pouring the Volpaia Chianti Classico. “I can handle that and a lot more.”

“Good,” she smirked. “Then let the evening commence.”

Sophia was beautiful and captivating in every way. Her enthusiasm when discussing her quest to make partner at her firm or her little sister’s gymnastic career was endearing. And when Tobias spoke, she listened so intently he felt like the only person in the world. Things were going great... so why couldn’t he shake the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach? At any other time, he would have thought this date was off to a perfect start, but there was one big difference between this date and all the others in his storied career: this one took place after he had met Casey MacTavish.

Sophia looked over her shoulder when Tobias’s eyes lit up, and he waved at someone seated at the bar.

“I’m so sorry,” he apologized. “That’s a board member from Kenmore. He and I have been playing phone tag for over a week, and I need to touch base with him regarding a grant we’ve been working on. Would you mind if I stepped over to speak with him? I promise I won’t be more than a couple of minutes.”

“Of course not!” Sophia replied. “Trust me, if I see one of the partners that will decide if I’m joining their ranks soon, I’ll ask you to return the favor.”

“Thank you,” he smiled. “I’ll be right back.”

Sophia took a sip of wine and decided to check emails on her phone while she waited. When she reached for her phone, a text came in on Tobias’s, which he left face up on the table. While she wasn’t proud, Sophia did manage to sneak a peek. A local politician’s robotext asking for campaign donations. Benign enough! But her thoughts on the date took a turn when something else she saw piqued her interest.

Tobias returned quickly as promised, apologizing profusely for the interruption. But, ever the attorney, Sophia wasn’t wasting time getting to the point.

“Tobias, I have to ask... are you married?”

“What?” He choked, placing his wine glass back on the table with a shudder. “God, no!”

“Then do you have a girlfriend? Because if you do, I don’t play those games.”

“Sophia, I’m single as can be...trust me. Where is this coming from?”

Knowing honesty was her only option, she tapped a well-manicured nail on his phone.

“A text came in when you were gone, and I saw the beautiful blonde on your screensaver. Who is she? And please, don’t tell me she’s your sister. I won’t believe you, and that would be creepy as hell.”

A line appeared between his brows as he clicked on his phone, and there it was.  

It had been his screensaver for some time, and he never thought to change it. But staring at it now, he was transported to another time as he recalled that day.

It wasn’t long after the chemical attack, and Casey had been having an especially tough day. Even a ride with a promise of ice cream from Honeycomb Creamery in Cambridge couldn't pull her from the darkness she found herself buried in. As they sat in his front seat licking their cones, he told her she could select his new screensaver. Her face lit up in an instant as she grabbed the phone from his hands, playfully sticking her tongue out as she posed. She was delighted with the blurry, off-centered, silly-faced photo and immediately set it as his screensaver.

Tobias loved that picture. Not only did he think she was stunning, but she was happy. For a moment in time, when gloom surrounded her, she found a moment of joy. She was happy... and that’s all he ever wanted for her. In the months that followed, Casey often told him he could change the screensaver, but he had no intention of doing so. Unbeknownst to her, he had made himself a promise. That screensaver would stay in place until it could be replaced by a picture of the two of them... once she was finally his. He didn’t care if it took a year or a decade; he would see it through.

“I guess I should have changed this,” he muttered. “I’m really sorry... I honestly forgot it was still there.”

But it was Sophia’s job to pay attention, and there was no way she could misinterpret his reaction.

“Is she your girlfriend? Or... an ex?”  

“No,” he said sadly. “But I wanted her to be with all my heart.”

He looked up at Sophia, sincerity in his eyes. “We were just friends, close friends... I guess I always hoped we’d become more, but it wasn’t to be.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Even so... I just realized I'm not even close to being over her. I’m really sorry I dragged you into this, but... I need to get over Casey before I can move on with anyone else. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

“At least you’re honest,” Sophia shrugged. “It’s not like you screwed me and ghosted me when regret set in the next morning. So, I have to give you some credit.”  

“I’d never do that,” he said emphatically. But Sophia responded with a smirk.

“Seriously?”

“All right, I would never have wanted to do that,” he grinned. “Well, now that I’ve ruined our date, do you want to call it a night? I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”

“Oh, hell no! You’re still treating me to dinner, Carrick! That’s the very least you can do!”

Tobias handed her a menu with a smile. “That’s more than fair, and please, feel free to order the most expensive items on the menu.”

“I assumed that was a given!” she smiled, reaching over the table to take his hand. “Why don’t we go the friend's route, Tobias. But... if time goes on, and this woman is too foolish to come to her senses and seal the deal with you, let me know when you’re ready. If I’m still on the market, I may give you a second chance.”

“Being friends sounds good,” he replied. “Though you’re quite a catch, I’m sure someone will snap you up before I come around.”

“Well, it will still be nice to have another friend,” she said with a squeeze of his hand.

Tobias looked at their entwined fingers just as they parted. The vision of Casey holding Jake’s hand popped into his mind... and he realized he had been a total fool.

~~~~~

Tobias had walked Sophia home hours before, but the thought of returning to his empty townhome wasn’t remotely appealing. He decided a long walk was in order; it might help with all the thinking he had to do. His mind was in a fog as he meandered down Boston’s gaslit streets, too overwhelmed to notice the dropping temperatures.

Every so often, something pulled him out of his fugue: a honking horn, music from a passing car, or a police siren whooshing by. Those he could handle, but it was the laughter of a couple passing by that sent him reeling. Their arms were wrapped around each other as they whispered sweet nothings into each other’s ears, leaving Tobias frozen in place.

How did things go so wrong? The past few months with Casey had him believing he had grown up, but when it came to matters of the heart, he still had plenty to learn. He didn’t know what the future held for him and Casey, but he knew the time of hiding had come to end. He needed to talk to her, to tell her the truth. No more treading water... it was time to move on, one way or another. He took his phone out of his pocket; it was already 11:30. Too late to start that conversation tonight, but he vowed to call her as soon as he woke up tomorrow. It was time.

He pulled his coat closer as he turned onto his street, his clarity of thought finally making him aware of the cold; he was grateful he only had a half block to go. But as he neared his home, he squinted, trying to make out the blurry figure on his steps. His heart skipped a beat when she came into focus... wearing no more than a sweater and a pair of tights, Casey sat shivering on his front steps. Head buried in her hands, she didn’t see him approach, and she was startled at his words.

“Casey?” He blurted. “What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here?” she said, jumping to her feet in a visibly emotional state. “I was about to ask you the same thing!”

“Uh... I live here,” he said with confusion.

“I know that!” she snapped. “But you’re not supposed to be here! Or at least, you’re not supposed to be here alone!”

“Casey,” he huffed. “What are you talking about?”

She marched up to him, pounding her hand against his chest. “You had a date!” she fumed. “A freaking date!” Tears welled in her eyes as she continued. “How the hell could you have been on a real date tonight?”

“How did you even know... Aurora...” he grumbled.

“How I know is unimportant! What’s important is that you were on a date!” She struggled to hold back a sob as she continued. “So, how was it? I’m your good friend Casey, right? So you can tell me! Was it fun? Where’d you go? Did you take her anyplace we’ve ever gone together?”

“Casey, stop!” he exclaimed, reaching for her arm. But Casey jolted away as if his touch would sear her.

“No!” She hollered. “Answer me! Who was she? Is she pretty? Did you sleep with her?” She turned on her heel and began to pace, her hands flailing about. “Well, that’s a stupid question!” She spat. “Of course you slept with her! You’re Tobias Carrick!”

“What? What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he chided, with a flash of anger in his eyes.

“You have a reputation, T! Everyone knows you’ve banged anyone you’ve ever dated – and god knows how many you didn’t even bother to date! Oh, everyone except for me, that is! I guess that makes me special, huh? You hear that, Boston?” She declared. “It’s me! I’m the one person Tobias Carrick dated and didn’t fuck! I’m more rare than a goddamn unicorn!”

“Casey, stop it!” He exclaimed. “Yes, I had a date tonight. But it ended before it began and, no... I didn’t sleep with her!”

“You... you didn’t,” she whimpered.

“No! I didn’t!” He said, frustration mounting. But frustration or not, all he wanted to do was scoop Casey up in his arms and never let her go, and it took everything in him not to see that through. He may have been able to ignore his desires, but he couldn’t ignore how her body trembled in the cold. He began to remove his coat, “Casey, you’re shivering; please take....”

“I don’t want your coat!”  

“Then... then come inside and warm up a bit. It’s freezing out here.”

“No! I don’t want to!”

Exasperated, he threw his head back with a groan. “Then what do you want? Why did you come here? To scream at me? Insult me? Because if that’s all you want, I’ll call an Uber to get you home."

“I came here tonight because you were on a date!” She cried. “I was sure you’d bring her home, and I needed to see it with my own eyes.”

“What? Why? Why would you want to do that?”

“Because I love you!” She yelled, the shocked look on her face making it clear she was as surprised by her words as he was.

“You... you... what?”

She wanted to run, but there was no place to go now that the cat was out of the bag. She wiped her nose with her sleeve and summoned the courage to continue.

“I love you, Tobias. I love you.” She said through tears. “And if you don’t love me, then I need to know so I can move on. Because... I love you. I’m sorry I told you like this,” she rambled. “I never wanted to tell you like this, and maybe I shouldn’t have told you at all, but it’s too late now. I... I love you. I’ve loved you for....”

Maybe it was the shock, or perhaps because he moved with the speed of a gazelle, but Casey never saw him coming. Before she knew it, his arms encircled her, their lips came crashing together, and they gave in to the burning passion that had been ignited in them for so long. Neither wanted to let. Letting go might prove that this was just another dream. But this time, the bright smiles on their faces confirmed... they were very much awake. Tobias let out a grunt as their lips came together again, lifting Casey off her feet, she giggled t as he spun her around, placing her back down again against his gate.

“You... you love me?” he gushed, joy radiating from his face.

“I do!” Casey beamed. “I love you so very much.”

“Thank God,” he gasped, pressing his forehead against hers. “Because I love you Casey... I love you so much I swear, it hurts!”

She reached up and caressed his cheek, then his jawbone, gazing into his crystal blue eyes as if she were seeing them for the very first time.

“Love’s not supposed to hurt,” she smiled.

“Then let’s make a deal, from this moment on, you and me... we’re all about love without the hurt. Can we do that?”

“I’m in... I’m in if you are,” she grinned.

“I am SO in! Casey, my date earlier today ended practically before it began because the truth is, I want you and only you.  Today, tomorrow, for the rest of my days.  I want you, Casey Mactavish. I love you... and you have no idea how great it feels to finally say those words out loud.”

“I love you, too,” she cried, pulling him into a fiery kiss that melted the winter’s cold.

Tobias began to chuckle as his hands dropped to Casey's waist. Mid-kiss, Casey pulled back with a smirk.

“Why are you laughing about?”

“If I tell you... you have to promise to not get mad.”

Casey raised a brow and gave him a teasing look. “Oh, you’ve got my attention... you have to tell me now.”

“Having you in my arms... it feels like a dream... but....”

“But?”

“Can I grab your ass, Casey? Because God knows, I’ve been dying to grab your ass. I’ve dreamt about it, and if you’re OK with it....”

“Fine! Fine, fine, fine,” she laughed. “You can grab my ass, Tobias!.”

Without hesitation, he lowered a hand to her left butt cheek and gave a generous squeeze. Casey couldn't help but giggle as a grin spread across his face.

“There! Was that everything you imagined it would be?"

“Everything and more,” he growled.

“So,” she said, after another kiss. “Is that all you/ve been imagining doing with me... or is there more?”

“Oh, hell no,” he laughed. “I have a very active imagination, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Well, then,” she cooed, running her fingers down his lapel. “If the offer still stands... can we go inside? Maybe you could show me some of those... other things?”

Casey was right earlier that night—sleep was not to be had—but this time, neither she nor Tobias minded one bit.

Just before the crack of dawn, they lay together in his bed, Casey blissfully sleeping under his protective arm. Careful not to disturb her, Tobias reached for his phone to check the time, and there it was staring back at him... Casey’s goofy screensaver.

He held his sleeping girlfriend closer. No, they hadn’t had that conversation yet, but it was the first thing he planned to do when they woke. But he was confident—Casey was his girlfriend. He pulled her closer and snapped a quick selfie of them, immediately making it his new screensaver—a promise had been kept.

Placing the phone at his side, he rolled over and spooned behind his love, kissing the top of her head, he whispered.

“Good night, my love."

His love. At long last, Casey was his. He was hers. And he fell asleep soundly at her side, knowing that their new life had just begun.

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Tagging others separately.

[euphreana]

The Shape of Truth - Chapter 10: Fog

Masterpost

-

Ambrosius couldn’t move. He wanted to rub the itch in his eye, but something was holding him still. He cracked his eyes open slowly. An unfamiliar ceiling greeted him, followed by unfamiliar walls, and when he looked around, an unfamiliar bedroom - like his dorm, but devoid of personal belongings and even smaller.

He tried to move again, but in vain. The bed he was laying on had him strapped down.

“What… why…” he mumbled. His thoughts were slow and sluggish. He couldn’t remember why he was here.

Just then, the bedroom door opened and a man wearing scrubs stepped inside. He gave a friendly smile.

“Oh good, you’re awake. How are you feeling?”

Ambrosius heard himself mumble something about being unable to move.

“Let’s fix that.” The man walked over and started undoing the restraints holding him in place.

“Why… was I…”

“Just a precaution.” The man said, then helped him sit up.

Ambrosius finally got to rub the itch from his eye. It was then he noticed he was wearing a loose gray shirt and pants. That was odd - he didn't remember owning anything grey.

“What happened?” Ambrosius asked groggily.

“You don’t remember?”

“No…”

“Well it should come back to you once you get moving. Come on.”

The man walked Ambrosius out of the room and into a hallway, then down several other halls to what seemed to be an office. There was a friendly-looking woman behind the desk who offered him a comfortable chair across from her.

“What is this?” Ambrosius asked as he sat down. The man in scrubs remained standing behind him.

The woman smiled.

“You’re in the psychiatric ward. Just until we can be sure you aren’t a danger to yourself or others.”

Ambrosius blinked. His thoughts took a moment to register.

“But… I’m not crazy.”

“No Ambrosius, you’re not. But you’ve had a psychotic episode and we need to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

Ambrosius stared in confusion. The woman moved a holographic screen into her field of view.

“It says here that you tried to attack The Director, then continued to fight despite orders to stand down. Do you remember that?”

Ambrosius’s memory returned slowly, like a train crashing in slow motion.

“… The Director killed the queen.” He mumbled. “I was going to arrest her.” He felt like that should be a big deal, but at the moment he felt nothing.

The woman behind the desk typed something on a screen off to the side.

“What made you think The Director killed the queen?”

“She had Bal’s sword in her office. And a paper with the email on it.”

“Email?”

“The email she used to order the blaster sword. It was all there in the cabinet.” Cabinet? Or drawer? Why couldn’t he think clearly?

“It says here that you brought the sword with you into the office.”

“No… it was there the whole time. In a drawer. There was a secret button.”

The woman said nothing in reply. She just kept typing.

“I have other evidence she did it. Right…” He reached for his pocket, where the invoice would have been, only to remember he no longer had his clothes from before. The invoice was gone. His phone was gone. The packet of Bal’s ashes was gone. Ambrosius felt a burst of anxiety at the realization.

The woman spoke.

“You’ll get your things back when you leave.”

“But… that was my evidence.”

“What evidence?”

Ambrosius found himself reciting his day to the woman behind the desk. He told her about Meredith. He told her about Nimona. He told her about how he’d tried to save Ballister’s life the day before and failed. It all just tumbled out of him.

“I was so close to saving him…” Ambrosius mumbled, “But I wasn’t fast enough. And now he’s dead. And it’s all my fault.”

The woman stopped typing for the first time since he’d started talking.

“His death wasn’t your fault, Ambrosius. Ballister alone was responsible for his actions. The consequences were simply carried out.”

“… But he was innocent. I could have saved him.”

“He confessed to the murder himself.”

“That wasn’t him!” Ambrosius blurted out, lurching forward in frustration. He heard the man in scrubs shift his feet, as if ready to pounce.

The woman sighed.

“I know you want to believe he was innocent. I do too. But everyone saw him shoot the queen, and the confession was vetted. He was mentally ill. If we’d only caught it before all this happened, things would have been different.”

Ambrosius leaned back in his chair, jaw clenched, willing the tears in his eyes to go away. That couldn’t be right… Ballister had seemed fine before… hadn't he?

The woman continued.

“As for your pink friend - is she in the room with us now?”

Ambrosius blinked.

“No… she isn’t made-up. She was real. Someone else saw her too - a guy from the archives.” he held a hand up. “He was real too, I swear!”

The woman went back to typing. Ambrosius leaned forward desperately.

“Find Meredith Blitzmeyer - she saw Nimona!”

“This Meredith Blitzmeyer?” The woman pushed a screen between them with a scan of a document on it. It was a death certificate. With Meredith’s name. Cause of death: fire.

Ambrosius stared at the screen.

“That isn’t right… I saw her earlier today.”

“Ambrosius, she died the day before the knighting. You probably saw her name listed on the news.”

Ambrosius shook his head. “No… they got the wrong person. They had to have.”

There was a long silence while the woman continued to type at her computer. Finally, she sat back and looked at him.

“Hallucinated events aren’t an unheard-of occurrence. You’ve been under a lot of stress lately, and Ballister’s treason and execution were no doubt traumatic experiences for you. Sometimes when the mind can’t cope with its load, it creates its own reality. Nimona and Blitzmeyer were just that - a mentally easier explanation for why things went the way they did.”

Ambrosius wanted to protest that Nimona and Blitzmeyer hadn’t made things any easier, but the woman continued.

“I’m prescribing an antipsychotic and scheduling some talk therapy sessions. Let someone know if you see Nimona or Blitzmeyer again. Hopefully with time, you’ll be fit enough to return to duty.” When Ambrosius didn’t respond, she added, “We want to help you, Ambrosius.”

Ambrosius only stared at her in shocked silence. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t have imagined the entire day’s events. He wasn’t crazy… he wasn’t…

The man in scrubs placed a gentle yet firm hand on Ambrosius’s shoulder.

“Come on. I’ll show you back to your room.”

~ ~ ~

That evening passed in a blur. Ambrosius didn’t know what to think, once his head cleared and he could think. Nimona had to have been real - he’d reached out and touched her multiple times. And Meredith had jolted him with her electrified umbrella… unless he really was sick in the head like everyone was saying.

Dinner came, and along with it, the medication the woman behind the desk had ordered. Ambrosius didn’t want the pills, but the staff told him to take them if he wanted to be given any food. Reluctantly, he took them.

Everything seemed to slow down. His thoughts slowed again, along with his control of his hands and feet. Walking was slow. Eating was slow. Everything about him was slow, worse than how he’d felt when he’d woken up here. It seemed to have worn off when he woke up the next morning, but with breakfast came a new round of medication and the slowness that followed it.

Ambrosius asked for the invoice that he’d had in his pocket when he’d arrived. That would prove he hadn’t imagined the day with Nimona. The therapist he’d seen the day before told him there hadn’t been an invoice with him, just his phone and the ash packet. He could have them both back when he left, if he behaved. Ambrosius didn’t want to behave. He wanted to find proof that he was right.

He asked for someone to check the secret drawer in The Director’s office. He was sure it would be empty by now, but the fact that it existed would show he was onto something. The therapist didn’t humor him. She only wanted to talk about what subconscious triggers might have made him come up with the previous day’s events. Ambrosius didn’t want to talk about that, but after several sessions, her logic began to make sense. He shouldn’t have been allowed to go through the Arms & Hammer office without a warrant. He could have seen some other person try to bribe the Knightly Storage worker. The Director killing the queen was absurd. And a pink shape-shifter that had never been heard of before? None of it made sense.

Ambrosius didn’t want to believe he’d imagined his day with Nimona. He wanted her to be real. He wanted Ballister to be innocent. Scratch that - he wanted Ballister to be alive. Just wanting it wasn’t making it real though - at least, not in a way that the ward staff would acknowledge.

With nothing else he could do, Ambrosius buried himself in some old novels he found in the communal activity room. He didn’t have the mental energy to do anything else. The other psych ward residents got the cue that he wanted to be left alone, and so they did exactly that.

Ambrosius wished he had the packet of Bal’s ashes with him. That alone would have been some source of comfort amid all that turmoil he felt. Right now it was probably stashed in a plastic box somewhere, alone. Like he was.

The medication continued to be awful. Ambrosius tried skipping meals so he wouldn't have to face the orderly who handed out the pills, but she always caught up with him sooner or later, accompanied by a worker who looked like a bouncer.

Nimona didn’t appear again. The therapist said that was a good thing - it meant he was getting better. Ambrosius said it was because he'd been abandoned - it wasn't like she'd be coming to visit him, if she even knew where he was.

He did get a visitor though; Captain Ironwill, the superior officer who’d told him to take the day off after Bal had died. He was in uniform, but without armor. Somehow that put Ambrosius more at ease. They sat in the activity room, their meeting fully visible to the ward staff.

“How long are they going to keep me here?” Ambrosius asked, not caring who heard him.

“I don’t know.” Ironwill answered, “It depends on how well you’re recovering.”

“I feel fine.” Ambrosius lied.

“I hear you've been trying to get out of taking the medication.”

“Maybe I want to start seeing things again.” He said without thinking.

Ironwill didn’t laugh.

“Ambrosius, more than just your job is on the line. If we can’t prove you were mentally unstable when you attacked The Director, you could be imprisoned.”

Ambrosius stared. The news was like a bucket of ice water in his face. Imprisonment? Him? But… even if he got out, that would disqualify him from knighthood for his entire life! Being a knight was his lifelong goal - before he was born, he’d been destined to be a knight. Everyone in his family line had been. He didn’t know anything else he was good for.

Ambrosius looked down.

“What do you need me to do?”

“Cooperate with the staff. Take the medication. Get grief counseling so you don’t snap again.”

Ambrosius nodded slowly. Ironwill stood up to leave.

“I’ll tell them you’re working toward recovery. You do your part, and maybe they won’t decide you’re permanently unfit for duty. You’re important to the Kingdom, Ambrosius.”

“Captain?”

Ironwill glanced back at him. Ambrosius took a deep breath, working up the courage to ask the question that had been nagging at him.

“The day of the execution… when you told me to take the next day off… did you see a pink cat in my room?”

Ironwill paused.

“There was a cat, but it wasn’t pink.”

Ambrosius grew quiet. Ironwill continued.

“Did you leave it locked in your room?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’ll have someone check. Anything else?”

Ambrosius shook his head.

Ironwill turned to go.

“May Gloreth make your recovery swift.”

A few seconds later, he was gone. Ambrosius sat at the table, lost in thought.

The cat wasn’t pink, he thought.

Nimona hadn’t been real.

Next chapter

[askwilliamwisp]

Wha… How am I back here..?

Last I remember, I was back at the base.. I took this rat that was attacking Dakota while Tide, Mark and Ashe were on the couch, for some reason, and I set it up with a ghost rat cage and ghost rat supplies in my room while helping Dakota bandage his wounds from the fight..

and now I’m here.

And a bit ago, this splitting noise started ringing from somewhere, but I can’t find the source. It seems to be coming from somewhere above? But it’s so loud that it seems to be coming from everywhere.

I just keep wandering these creepy fucking trees and the barely carved out footpaths hoping to find anything to help me leave, but there’s nothing. My hands are freezing… I’m really glad Tide got me those hand warmers.

I’ve been burning through them to try and keep myself warm. But I guess I’ve lost more feeling in my hands than I thought, because the skin has started to blister in some places from the heat.

I don’t want to think about that right now. I just want to go home.

(William does not wake up to Tide’s alarm. William does not wake up. William passed out in the bathroom mid sentence once he finished bandaging Dakota, and has been dead asleep since.

If one were to check, he wouldn’t have a pulse at the moment.)

also ooc other rp blogs ‘can’t see’ the posts w capital letters aka the posts from the wispering woods. these are meant to represent wiwis internal dialogue and document his encounters w the wisps. jsyk ^^

[ladybugsimblr]

sunset orange 🌆 sage

-

Beach Babes 2023 by @samssims

[blushweddinggowns]

But then she woke up the next day and nothing was better. She had slept till noon and by the time she came downstairs her mom let her know that she had two messages from Steve already. 

Those were definitely getting ignored. At least for today. 

She didn’t even know what to say to him. If her feelings for him weren't obvious to him before then they probably were now. Or he thought that she was a total homophobe which made her want to cry for a whole new reason. 

You’re the first person I’ve ever actually told this too, because it just feels like I can trust you. 

Nancy groaned at the memory. God, she had blocked that part out. He probably thought she hated him by now, but she didn’t. She couldn’t even be mad at him, not really.  He didn’t do anything wrong. She was the one who didn’t want to see what was right in front of her. She didn’t know what to do. And when she didn’t know what to do she called Barb, but that wasn’t an option for this.

…was it?

No. It wasn’t. She shouldn’t tell her. She wouldn’t tell her. But then again…if she guessed on her own what had happened that didn’t really count right? And if there was anyone Nancy could trust it was her. She’d never say anything. She just wasn’t the type of person who would endanger someone’s life for petty gossip.

Plus Nancy needed to apologize anyway and it was time she took the verbal tongue whipping that she deserved for leaving her there last night. She called her, sighing when it went to voicemail. She knew she was awake by now and she was definitely home. God, she was even more pissed at her then she thought. 

She spent the weekend sulking, while successfully avoiding Steve and leaving multiple I’m Sorry messages on Barb’s machine. But she wouldn’t be able to avoid her on Monday, she’d find her then.

But then her mom called her, crying. Barb had been missing since Friday. Which didn’t make any sense. Nancy was at their door within the hour, but they had nothing to tell her except that her car was gone and the police had been called. She even went back to Steve’s to look for her, her intense embarrassment suddenly felt like nothing in comparison to not knowing where he best fucking friend was. 

But lucky enough for her he wasn’t there. And Barb’s car wasn’t there either. And Nancy could have sworn it had been when she started walking home. Hadn’t it? What had happened to her after she left? 

Nancy was aware that breaking into Steve’s house to investigate was probably a bad idea. But it was his own fault for showing her where the hide-a-key was. It’s not that she thought that Eddie or Steve would do anything to Barb, but if she was crashing at his house she needed to know about it. But she didn’t find anything. She checked every room, she checked out back, but nothing. There weren’t even signs of a struggle. No blood, nothing that could indicate anything happened here.

But still…if Steve and Eddie were the last people to see her, she couldn’t just pretend that it didn’t matter. Against her better judgment she kept digging around, looking for anything that could help her figure out where she was. She was a little frazzled to say the least. Her best friend was missing and she was trespassing in her ex-crush’s house looking for. 

She was lucky she even heard the front door open while she was rifling through Steve’s desk, immediately followed by his and Eddie’s voices. 

Shit, shit, shit. 

She could hear them coming up the stairs. Of course they were coming up the stairs, his room was upstairs and Nancy….really didn’t want to get caught doing whatever the fuck this was. Could she be blamed for hiding in the closet? God, what kind of hellish weekend was this?

Nancy held her breath as the two of them walked in. She couldn’t see much through the slants in the closet, but she could hear everything. 

“Are you sure you left it here?” Eddie asked, “It might just still be at school.”

“I’m sure,” Steve answered while he shuffled around the room, “I had just finished it and put it back in the book before you came. Give me five minutes and I’ll find it. Just need to retrace my steps. Okay, Friday, I was studying before they came over. And then you happened and…”

She could hear him shuffle around the room before exclaiming, “Ha! Told you it was in here!”

“Why is it under the bed?”

Steve snorted, “Babe, ask yourself that question.”

“Okay whatever. You got me there. Nancy would be proud to know you were this dedicated to turning in homework.”

Steve sighed, “Please don’t say her name right now. I’m sad enough as it is. God, what if she already told Barb and they both hate us? I didn’t even get to say goodbye before they both left.”

“Oh Stevie…” Nancy could hear Eddie move to him, and then an unmistakable, wet kissing sound before he said, “I know this sucks, but it will be okay. You said it yourself right? Nancy’s not that kind of person to hate you over this. And if she is then we do what we always do, lie and move on.”

Steve sighed, “You make it sound so easy.”

“Because it is that easy. Besides, you still got me don’t you?”

Another wet sound before Steve giggled, “Yeah. I do. Now let’s go home, this room is making me depressed.”

Nancy could almost cry from how relieved she was when she heard the door close, even if all of that was hard to hear. Though having to hear them kiss wasn’t exactly pleasant. And she…she didn’t want Steve to think she hated him. But she also couldn’t focus on that for right now. Because now she had proof that whatever happened to Barb had nothing to do with Steve and Eddie, thank god. She would still have to ask them about her, get all her bases covered, but she felt pretty damn confident that they had nothing to do with her going missing. Which meant if she told anyone about this stupid party the cops would waste all of their time questioning them while Barb was still gone. Hawkins police had been functionally useless for finding Will Beyers, what were they going to do with Barb? Less than nothing?

Well Nancy wasn’t going to let that stand. She was going to find her herself. 

She just didn’t think she’d end up doing it with Johnathan Beyers of all people. Or that monsters turned out to be fucking real. Or that her little brother was involved. Or any of the insane shit that happened to her in the span of one week. 

Honestly, in comparison to all of that Steve coming out to her really wasn’t that big a deal. 

But him and Eddie showing up to the Beyer’s place to deliver condolence cookies sure fucking was. Though she had to admit, watching Eddie stab the monster in the back with the knife he kept in his shoe kinda made her more understanding on why Steve was so into him. 

She hadn’t even thanked him, either of them for their help. She was too busy rushing to the hospital with Johnathan. Because if they found Will, then that meant that they found Barb, right?

And they had. Just not all of her. Joyce was the one who ended up telling her. And the one who held her while she sobbed. 

Suffice to say, it was a pretty bad fucking week. It had been a few days since then and Nancy had spent most of it crying about Barb. She couldn’t even tell her parents because of the stupid NDA. Mike and Johnathan were too busy celebrating the fact that Will was alive to deal with her.  She had never felt more alone in her life. She couldn’t tell anyone. She couldn’t talk to anyone- 

Well…actually…she couldn’t talk to anyone who hadn’t been there. And even though they didn’t really know what was going on, Eddie and Steve had been there. If they haven't been forced to sign a shady NDA yet then they would be, and it had said nothing about discussing it with the people who already knew. 

But Jesus, now she had to think about Steve. Steve, who didn’t care that she had been ignoring him. Steve and Eddie who still jumped into help save their asses, despite being completely in the dark. How was she even going to face them? 

After everything that had happened, the whole gay thing felt so small. She could get over it, couldn’t she? And maybe her feelings for Steve hadn’t died completely yet, but they would if she tried right? Plus…as sad as it was, Steve was probably the closest living person to her at this point, even if they had only started getting close the past few months. She…missed him. Hell, she even missed Eddie.  

She hadn’t talked to either of them since that day. But she wanted to. She just wasn’t sure if they would want to talk to her. It’s not like she had anything to give them to make up for getting them almost killed. Or for running away. And she did want to make it up to them. She just didn’t know how. 

Unless…maybe there was something she could do after all. 

I’m not some kind of casanova. I haven’t even had sex with a girl before. All of those dates never got past first, if that. But we needed a way to not be obvious so that’s how that happened.

Steve’s words rang in her head. Maybe it wasn’t a good call to offer up being a fake girlfriend to the guy she still technically liked, but it was something. And it would benefit Eddie too. Plus, she could probably save a few girls from some heartbreak while she was at it. 

Okay, that was something. A plan was forming and plans always helped Nancy to feel like she was back in control. Now she just needed to go over there and apologize, explain everything that happened without crying, and offer up being a fake girlfriend as penance. That wasn’t so hard right? Plus it had the added benefit of getting her to move for the first time in two days. 

She rode her bike over to the Harrington’s place, completely unsurprised when there were no cars. Steve had said it himself, this wasn’t where home was. Luckily she knew where the trailer park was. She didn’t know which one was Eddie’s but she did recognize Steve’s car parked out in front of it. 

It took more than a few knocks for someone to answer the door, but she didn’t bike all around town for nothing. Though…it became pretty obvious pretty quickly that she had um, interrupted something when she came over. If the insane amount of hickies on both of their necks was anything to go by. But the conversation went well enough, of course it did. Both of them were understanding, maybe even understanding to a fault. And they had managed to make her laugh for the first time since she’d known Barb was missing. And both of them jumped right onto the fake dating idea. Eddie seemed especially relieved, he even promised to make her muffins for every other fake date they went on.

And just like that she had them back in her life. Thank fucking god. Nancy wasn’t the type of person who always needed to be surrounded by others to be okay. She liked being alone, honestly preferred it more than half the time, but she couldn't get through all of the shit they’d been through alone. She just couldn’t. And she didn’t have to, because Eddie and Steve were there for her every step of the way. Especially Steve. 

It’s not that he took Barb’s place, no one could. But he quickly became the person she’d go to for…well. Everything. Talking about Barb, on the days she could without crying about it, complaining about her Dad and brother, or even dumb things like who she went to first when she heard a song she really liked. She didn’t think that everything would feel so easy with him after what had happened. But it did.

And while she was a lot closer to Steve, having Eddie around wasn’t too bad of a feeling either. He had a gift for lighting up any room he was in. Steve and Nancy actually shared a lot of the same interests and didn’t have many differing opinions, which just made it so much more fun when Eddie went against almost everything they said. He always kept things interesting, that was for sure. 

But Steve just…understood her in a different way. A way that she needed. And if she could just forget about the whole My best friend fucking died for no reason thing for a second then she’d be doing pretty good right now. And also the small issue of I might still be in love with Steve thing.

That one was harder to ignore when she saw him nearly every day. And it made her feel sick. She didn’t want to feel like this. She didn’t want her heart to speed up every time he hugged her. She didn’t want to imagine a world where him holding her hand actually meant something. She didn’t want any of it, and she didn’t know what to do about it. There was nothing she could do. It was a lose-lose scenario. 

For one thing, it was never going to happen. That became painfully clear after Eddie and Steve got the go-ahead that she was a safe person to be themselves around. They were…ugh. Disgustingly in love. And the more she learned about the truth in their relationship the more nails  were hammered into the closed door of Steve and Nancy ever being together. Plus, she didn’t even want to be with him. Even if Steve magically fell in love with her tomorrow it would ruin Eddie. She couldn’t even fantasize about it because it just made her too damn sad. She wasn’t even sure Steve could be Steve without Eddie at his side. 

Besides, if anything she likes seeing them in love, as weird as that was. But the two of them beat her parents out of the park as an example for what love could be. And she wanted that with someone who wanted her. And Steve was never going to be that person. So why hadn’t the feelings gone away?

They were worse when she was having a bad day. And today was an especially bad day. It had been a few months since Barb died.  It was a Friday night and Nancy’s parents were gone for the weekend, Mike was at Will’s, and Steve and Eddie always did their own thing on Fridays. 

No one had remembered what day it was. Or if they did, they didn’t care. March 26th. Barb’s birthday. Nancy didn’t tell anyone and she didn’t do anything besides sending flowers to her parents..  No one else in school knew. She didn’t even go, she allowed herself the small liencay of skipping, even if she was regretting it now. 

Because she had had a strategy for dealing with Barb being gone. And that was keeping herself busy to the maximum extent possible. If she wasn’t studying her ass off she was doing an extracurricular, and if she wasn’t doing that then she was hanging out with Steve. And if she wasn’t doing that then she was busy trying to read everything Tolstov ever wrote. The busier she was, the less time she had to think. And the less time she had to think meant that her mind wouldn’t wonder to Barb, or how she died, or how alone she probably felt or how scared-

And her strategy was not working. At least not for today. Now she was back to where she was last year, crying alone in her room. Steve had called after school to check up on her and he seemed to believe the lie she put out about her period being particularly bad. It was good for no follow up questions at least. She would have the next 60 or so hours to be alone and miserable.

So why was there someone pounding on her door? Nancy groaned as she forced herself out of bed, yelling down the stairs, “Jesus, I’m coming!”

It had to be Dustin looking for Mike. It’s not like anyone wanted to see her. She didn’t even bother opening the door, she just yelled through it, “Mike is at Will’s house!”

Steve laughed nervously on the other side, “Well that’s good, because I’m pretty sure that kid hates my guts.” 

Nancy’s eyes widened at the sound of his voice. She opened the door and there he was, sheepishly waving at her on her front stoop, "Hi? Can I um, come in?"

Nancy stepped aside to let him, quickly wiping at her face to hide any stray tears. She was pretty sure she looked like shit, but too little too late for that one. 

She shut the door and turned to face him, suddenly feeling very awkward, “I thought tonight was date night?”

Steve shrugged, “Every night is date night if you try hard enough. Do you want to sit down or…?”

Nancy shook her head. What she wanted to do was get back to sulking, but she needed to figure out why he was even here before she could do that, “Steve, what are you doing here?”

Steve fidgeted in place and Nancy hated how adorable she thought it was, “Well you sounded weird over the phone and I was just worried I guess. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Or at least she would be fine after she was left alone to rot, like she deserved, “You don’t need to worry about me.”

Steve ran a hand through his hair, “Nancy look, I know you can take care of yourself. But I just thought since it’s…well y’know.”

How would he…he couldn’t know. Could he? Nancy narrowed her eyes at him, “What are you talking about?”

Steve frowned, suddenly looking a bit more unsure of  himself, “It’s Barb’s Birthday today right?”

Nancy stared at him, eyes wide, “H-How do you know that?”

Steve shrugged, “We um, talked about it once.”

“And you remembered?”

Steve cocked his head at her, “Of course I remember. We were having this whole debate about cars and then I asked what she’d want when she turned sixteen and she mention- Nancy? Are you okay?”

Nancy was not okay. She could feel the tears already welling up in her eyes. She thought…she didn’t think anyone remembered. Or cared but…Steve did. He hadn’t even known her that well. Which was fucking horrible because Barb would have loved him. She did love him, begrudgingly back when they barely knew each other. And Steve would have loved her. Because Barb was smart and funny and sweet like Steve and…and Nancy was crying. Like crying, crying. She was sobbing so hard it felt like an out of body experience. 

She could feel herself sinking to the floor, hands covering her face as she wept. She hated crying in front of other people. She hated looking so weak and pathetic. She hated feeling like this. She was supposed to be better than this. Why did she even have to cry about? She wasn’t the one who was dead. 

God, was this what a mental breakdown felt like?

She could barely hear the sound of Steve kneeling next to her over her own sobs, but she did feel it when he wrapped his arms around her, “Hey, hey, you’re okay. Everything’s gonna be okay. You’re not alone.”

That just made her cry harder. Because she should have been alone. She deserved to be alone. 

“No, you don’t Nancy. Don’t say shit like that.”

She hadn’t even realized she’d been talking out loud. Yep, this was definitely what a mental breakdown felt like. But Steve holding her was helping. He was even rocking her a little, murmuring reassurances in her ear the whole time. 

It took awhile for her to calm down. She couldn’t even tell you how long it had been. But somehow Steve had gotten them off the floor and to the couch, an arm still around her shoulders as she sniffled.

She wiped at her face, a sea of emotions flowing through her. Grief, shame, longing, and all of it was fucking awful. 

She couldn’t even look at Steve, “I’m sorry. I…I don’t know what came over me.”

“Nance, don’t apologize. You think I’ve never had a good cry session on the floor before? It’s normal.”

But it wasn’t normal for her, “You shouldn’t have to see me like this.”

“Why not? Nancy, your best friend died. What else are you going to cry over if not this?”

Even months later, hearing someone else say she died felt like a knife to her heart. Her eyes were already welling up again. Fuck it, she had already embarrassed herself to hell and back in front of him, why not a little more?

“I miss her. So much. Every day. And I can’t stop thinking, why her? What did she ever do to deserve this? And I can’t stop thinking if I hadn’t taken her to your house that night, would she still be alive? Is it my fault she’s dead? O-or am I just making her dying about me? And it makes me feel like I’m going crazy,”  She was babbling, and she’d be shocked if Steve could even understand half of what she was saying through her shaking voice. 

But Steve was listening to every word, patiently waiting as she got everything out before speaking, “Nancy, it’s not your fault she’s gone. And you’re not bad for thinking about what happened. I…I know there’s nothing I can say to fix this. But you're not a bad person because of what happened to her. And there was no reason. It was just fucked up and wrong and no one’s fault but the people in that lab.”

Nancy knew that he was right, even if it didn’t feel right. It still felt like her fault. And even if it wasn’t it didn’t take away the fact that she was gone. But…at least she wasn’t alone. She hadn’t even told him to come, but here he was anyway, all because he remembered her best friend’s birthday.

Because that was the kind of person Steve was. And she loved him for it. And he was handsome and kind and Nancy’s sense of self-preservation was at an all time low. 

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, “I think I’m in love with you.”

She regretted saying it the second it was out there. She could feel Steve freeze up next to her. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.

Why had she said that? This. This right here was why she didn’t do vulnerable, because you say the dumbest shit imaginable. Shit that ruined friendships. What was Eddie going to think of her when he found out? He’d probably never talk to her again and now she put Steve in this horrible position and…God, why did she suck so much?

She looked up at him, near cringing at the shocked expression on his face, “Im so sorry Steve, that’s a terrible thing to say. Please don’t tell Eddie. I don't even know where that came from-”

Steve shook his head, shaking himself out of his surprised stupor. He smiled at her, aiming to comfort, “Hey, hey calm down, I’m not mad.”

But he should have been. Or at least Nancy thought he should, “Steve, I would never try to get in between you guys. You know that right? I’m just all fucked up and-”

“Stop apologizing. It’s okay. I get it Nancy. I do. But uh, I’m not sure you do.”

Nancy stopped, her third apology dying on the tip of her tongue, “What?” 

Steve sighed, “Nance, I love you but I think you’re looking at me through some rose-colored glasses here, alright? We work because you have the friend version of me. I think a week with romantic Steve would have you running up a wall.”

That’s what he was focusing on?

“Huh?”

Steve bit his lip, struggling for the words before saying, “It’s just-and stop me if I’m totally wrong here, but I think that it’s not everyday a boy and a girl get as close as we did without the romance part. So it’s easy to get confused. I know you love me. But…I don’t think you’re in love with me. I think you think it would be easier if you were, but Nancy, I swear to you it wouldn’t be.”

This conversation had taken a weird turn. And it didn’t make any sense to her, “What are you talking about? Anyone would be happy to be with you Steve. Look at you!”

“Exactly!” Steve groaned, circling a hand around his face, “Look at me! Do you know the shit I put Eddie through on a daily basis?”

“What do you mean?” Nancy asked.

“I mean I’m a nightmare! First of all, he’s not even allowed to sleep at night without me. And I’ll like, koala cling to him. All night long. And it doesn’t stop in bed. If we’re alone, his lap is my home away from home.”

Nancy stared at him, gnawing on her lower lip as he talked, "You're exaggerating."

Steve shrugged, "You're right. Half the time he’s on mine. But it gets worse. Do you remember when I was gone for that tournament a few weeks back? It was maybe two days?”

She nodded.

“I called him eight times. And he picked up every single one of them. Because if he hadn’t, I would have obsessively called him until he had.”

Jesus Christ, that could not be healthy, “Are…are you serious?”

Steve ran a hand through his hair, equal parts embarrassed and determined, “Dead. And that’s not even top five in the clingy shit I do. Did you know there was a weekend I literally didn’t let him out of bed for like twelve hours? Or the fact that I’m responsible for like every class we’ve ever skipped because I drag him into some dark room to makeout?”

Steve may have been right about the rose-colored glasses. If he ever tried any of that with her she’d strangle him, “You guys do that?”

“We do worse. But I’m not trying to add to your trauma here. But think about it. You’re…you. You’re independent, you love having alone time, you like the quiet, you want people to ask before they hug you. And I love all of that, I do! I love that you’re so straight-foward. I love that you're all no nonsense, but…well…I’m all nonsense. God I don’t know what other way to say this but I’m a brat and believe me, you’d dump me in a few months, a year tops.”

She hated how true that was. But Steve was right, she knew he was right. She would never be able to handle someone being that clingy. She stopped sleeping with her stuffed animals when she was ten because they made her too hot, but a whole person, attached to her side every night and day? She’d die. And maybe…maybe that explanation cleared up all the confusion. Because she still didn’t actually want him before she knew all of that, out of guilt. But now…it was a little more than just that. 

“But…” Steve trailed off for a second, before giving Nancy’s hand a light squeeze, “If I was straight, I’d love nothing more than to get my heart broken by you.”

Now Nancy was tearing up for a whole other reason. Maybe in love had been the wrong phrasing, but she really did love this guy. This strange, sweet, freak of a man. 

She squeezed his hand back, “Promise me this won’t change anything?”

Steve shrugged, “I can’t promise that. I think it will change things, but for the better alright? No more secrets between us, yeah?”

Nancy nodded, with one small caveat, “But you still won’t tell Eddie right?”

Steve grinned before pulling her into another hug, “That you thought you were in love with me for five seconds? Never.”

Nancy pulled away first, wiping at her eyes again. They were actually sore from all the crying she’d done in the last couple of hours, “I feel like I should send him flowers for dealing with you now or something.”

“Well…if you wanted you could tell him that yourself. How about you come back to the trailer with me? You can be alone with us.”

Nancy laughed at that, “That doesn’t make any sense.”

"It kind of does though."

It really didn’t but Nancy didn’t care. She smiled at him, relaxed in a way she hadn’t felt in months,“Yeah, that sounds good.”

While she was happy she’d get to spend more time with Steve, she was more than a little nervous to see Eddie, especially since she was interrupting their night. Even though Steve insisted over and over again that it was more than fine. Best case he’d be begrudgingly accepting, and worst he’d be obviously annoyed. Nancy wasn’t sure which she preferred. 

What she hadn’t expected was for Eddie to hug her right after she got in the door. Or better yet, ask before he did it. 

“You get full movie picking privileges,” he announced right after. He looked her up and down, frowning to himself a little, “"Have you had dinner yet?"

"Um no but I’m okay-"

“But nothing. I could throw you like a football. You’re eating something.”

Steve snorted behind her, “Did you just get possessed by an Italian grandmother? He makes spaghetti one time-”

“And you loved it!”

Nancy smiled to herself as she watched them bicker. But there was no longing to go with it this time, she just felt…happy to be around them. And she did eat, just to shut Eddie up, the nag. 

But she got him back. She was never going to let him live down the fact that he cried during Harold and Maude. She had them sit through all of her favorite movies, and by the third act of Valley Girl, they were both fast asleep. 

Steve was leaning against her shoulder while Eddie was half draped over the armrest, snoring in what looked like one of the most uncomfortable positions possible. She leaned back into the couch with a sigh as the movie played, her eyes slipping closed on their own. And for the first time in a long time, Nancy knew that she was going to be okay. 

~

Part 1 Part 1.5 Part 2

The end! At least for the Nancy POV. Everything from this little series was from this fic, and I might post more snippets if it can be relatively short for tumblr styling. This honestly isn't that short but I didn't want to split it in two so here we are!

@northa @dustcommander @attic-cat-blog @dinosareawesome2137 @obsessivlyme @fuckign-uh-hi

@a-little-unsteddie @ghost--enthusiast @jestyzesty @missarte-beltane

[harushinkai-daily]

See you, space cowboy.

[trentonsimblr]

previous-beginning

@ardeney-sims

AN: this is the last post ya’ll 😭

[cosmichate]

<- PREVIOUS

*

FOLDER: “MY BEAUTIFUL GIRL”

[waytooinvested]

Small Problem… Chapter 5 (FINAL CHAPTER)

You can find the full story on AO3

…………………………………………..

‘I really am so sorry about this, it seemed such a nice idea when Trxy suggested it, I never even considered something like this could happen…’

Kelly nodded dazedly, still holding the slice of bread she had been spreading when Lena and the imp woman had found her to deliver their hurried explanation, but no longer attempting to turn it into a sandwich. She blinked between them for a moment, then apparently made a decision and turned a sympathetic smile on the harried looking blonde in front of her.

‘We understand, it must be a huge adjustment when you first come to Earth. But for future reference, non-magical gifts are generally safer for little children. Maybe consider a doll, or a packet of coloured markers next time?’

‘Absolutely, no more wishing presents, I promise. I do hope this won’t impact Esme’s friendship with Trxy though? She’d be devastated if they weren’t allowed to play together anymore.’

‘Of course we wouldn’t stop the girls being friends! Trxy will need to learn power control on Earth, but Esme’s in the same boat. Accidents happen.’

‘Thank you for being so understanding Mrs Olsen-Danvers.’

‘Please, call me Kelly.’

‘Pffskdrdlyn.’

The two women shook hands warmly while Lena leaned against the kitchen counter and tried not to glare. It wasn’t Pffskdrdlyn’s fault. Not really. Cultural misunderstandings, learning curve, adjustment to Earth, it was all perfectly reasonable. But Kara had been tiny for a week now, and she kind of wanted to glare at someone about it. It sure as hell wasn’t going to be Esme or the sweet little gappy-toothed blonde girl she was playing with, so this woman would have to do.

‘Can you turn her back?’

Lena managed to keep her question from sounding overtly hostile, but she knew it lacked the warmth Kelly had brought to the conversation so far. Thankfully however, Pffskdrdlyn either didn’t pick up on her coolness, or else was simply unoffended by it.

‘Oh yes of course, nothing easier! I can do it right-’

The woman raised her fingers as if about to snap, and much as she was loath to stop her, Lena threw her hands up.

‘Wait!’

‘Why?’

‘When she shrank there was a blast that threw all of us across the room, and Kara ended up naked and trapped in her boot... I just think in the middle of a group of little children might not be the best place for something like that to happen? Especially if she’s sitting on someone’s shoulder at the time.’

Pffskdrdlyn lowered her hand again, frowning slightly.

‘Trxy must have been sloppy, there shouldn’t have been a bang unless she made a mistake. I’ll have to have a word with her about that.’

‘We should probably talk to Esme first anyway. I still don’t understand why she would wish for this’ Kelly chipped in, and Lena had to admit she had been wondering the same thing.

Suprisingly, the answer turned out to be because Alex told her to.

Well, sort of.

Once Alex, Esme, and Kara had been extricated from their various party activities into the relative quiet of the kitchen the story had come out piece by piece, until finally they had it all. It seemed that Esme had been bemoaning the fact that her friends all had proper action figures while she just had a Barbie with a red and blue plasticine supersuit, and Alex had told her that maybe if she wished really hard, she would get to have her own little Supergirl in time for her birthday party. Of course, she had been hinting at the doll that was already wrapped and hidden in the bottom of their closet, having no idea that Esme had a real wish in her pocket at the time, but Esme had taken her at her word. Alex looked increasingly dismayed as the truth unfolded, running her fingers through her hair and glancing guiltily over at where Lena and Kara were hovering as unobtrusively as they could off to one side (metaphorically in Lena’s case, literally in Kara’s).

‘But why didn’t you tell anyone? At least after a couple of days when you saw we were all trying to turn her back.’

‘Auntie Kara likes being little! She likes playing with me and eating big snacks and being the lead singer in the supergirl band, she said.’

Esme looked to Kara for confirmation, forehead puckering as she started to realise that she might have made a big mistake. Her lip wobbled, and Kelly drew her in closer.

‘It’s okay baby. Now we know what happened, your friend Trxy’s mom can turn her back to normal, then we can have a proper talk about what to do next time there’s a power accident like this, okay?’

‘But- but we can’t turn her back now. It’s my party. Auntie Kara was going to be in all the games, they won’t work anymore if she’s big. We didn’t even do the concert yet.’

Alex sucked in an audible breath of the kind that usually preceded her temper, but her voice remained impressively gentle with Esme.

‘Es, you can’t make auntie Kara stay small just because you want a doll with real powers to play with. Think about what she wants!’

‘But we made an extra jello mold so she could have a boounce hoouse.’

Esme’s objection trailed off into a wail as big tears started rolling down her cheeks, and Kara flew over to dab at them with the hem of her cape before turning to meet Alex’s gaze, one hand stroking comfortingly at the tip of her niece’s nose.

‘Well hang on Alex, maybe we could wait, just until after the party. It’s only a couple more hours.’

‘Kara, we can’t reward bad behaviour. Esme knew better than to not tell any of us what happened, even if it was an accident. It’s been a week!’

‘I know, but it’s her birthday.’

Esme and Kara both look imploringly up at Alex, matching puppy dog expressions on their faces.

‘Pleeease?’

Alex folded her arms, frowning between her daughter and her sister.

‘You just want that jello, don’t you?’

Kara hesitated, looking somewhere between affronted at the suggestion and sheepish that it maybe wasn’t entirely wrong.

‘...Not JUST.’

Lena snorted, then quickly turned it into a little covering cough while Alex and Kelly shared a few moments of serious, silent mom-speak. Eventually Alex sighed, and nodded resignedly.

‘Fine, since you’re okay with it we’ll wait until after the party. But we’re going to have to have a proper talk about this at some point.’

‘Absolutely. Big, serious talk with our serious faces on. Tomorrow. But right now, Es, I believe our guests are waiting for us. Shall we?’

‘YAY!’

The tears were instantly forgotten as Esme and Kara dashed off to rejoin the party, already planning out the finer points of their big concert as they went. Once they were gone Alex met Lena’s eyes, and winced.

‘Sorry.’

Lena shrugged, caught somewhere between elation that they finally knew what had happened and that she absolutely, definitely hadn’t hurt Kara with her powers, amusement at the unlikely ridiculousness of it all, and disappointment that she had to wait a while longer to have Kara back to full size so she could finally, finally kiss her (not that her goddaughter’s birthday party was the ideal place to do that, but she would have taken what she could get, even if it was a just a stolen moment in the coat closet like teenagers playing seven minutes in heaven).

‘Oh well. It’s Kara’s choice, and it’s not for much longer.’

‘Yeah, but-’

They were interrupted by the sound of something shattering from the next room, and as one they sprang into action, everything else set aside as they rushed off to find the source of the noise and make sure no one cut themselves on shards of whatever had just met its demise.

From there the rest of the party passed in a chaotic, joyful blur of hero-themed games, including pin the cape on the Super; a dodge ball inspired heroes vs villains stand off with foam balls standing in as powers and a few willing parent volunteers as the villains; an epic battle with a monster pinata (in which after gamely battering away for a few minutes the children had called Kara down to finish it off, and she had put on an extremely satisfying show-fight, got ‘swallowed’, then blasted dramatically out from inside in a shower of miniature candy bars); and of course the eagerly anticipated Supergirl band concert.

Much as Lena was chomping at the bit to get Kara back to normal, she had to admit that she was glad not to have missed out on seeing this. The four little girls (five, counting Kara) were clearly taking it extremely seriously, and when everything was ready the rest of the guests and parents were ushered in to sit in cramped rows in the living room, curtains drawn so that the only light came from the handful of glow sticks each girl had wrapped herself in before artfully arranging themselves around their makeshift stage.

They waited in the dark for a few seconds, then from the back of the group Sammy switched on a Spongebob Squarepants flash light, spotlighting Kara’s dramatic pose in the centre of her doll-posse. As soon as the light came on, all four girls started waving their glow-stick adorned arms, and Kara launched into their opening number (as Lena had suspected it was the ‘Hero in my Hand’ jingle, and she felt Alex wince beside her even as she gamely kept the excited grin on her face for Esme’s benefit). The whole thing was surprisingly effective, and between the lighting efforts, Esme’s enthusiastic (if not entirely tuneful) kazoo accompaniment, and Trxy’s focused animation of the supergirl dolls to turn them into jerky backing dancers, the audience started getting into the performance in earnest. By the time the band had moved on to their main number (an unexpectedly heartfelt rendition of ‘I need a hero’), Lena couldn’t resist recording it on her phone for posterity, the same warm glow of fondness she always felt watching Kara do karaoke flooding through her.

After that they looped back to ‘Hero in my Hand’, getting the audience to join in at increasing speed with each repetition, until finally Alex couldn’t take it anymore and called out that it was time for the birthday feast to begin. Esme looked disappointed for half a second, then apparently decided the lure of party food was worth missing out on a fifth round of her new favourite song for and scurried after her friends.

They were about half way through the meal and had so far managed to avoid any major spills or sugar-overload sickness incidents, when Nia leaned over to murmur to Lena on her way past with a stack of extra napkins.

‘You know, if you two ever get married your wedding day is going to have to compete with this-’ she gestured to Kara, who had apparently finished jumping on her jello bounce house and was now making a snowman out of the stingingly artificial blue bubblegum flavour ice cream that Alex and Kelly hated feeding their daughter, but that Esme for some reason adored with such fervent passion that they had given in just this once ‘-for the happiest day of her life.’

‘Please, I’m a genius with connections and money, Kara can have a wedding cake so big she can be her own cake topper if that’s what she wants.’

‘Damn, okay. I guess you two really are made for each other huh?’

Lena shrugged, suddenly bashful as she realised exactly what she had just said, and the idea of some day marrying Kara settled into her chest as more than just a jokey aside about giant food.

‘I hope so.’

Nia patted her shoulder and flashed her one last grin before swooping in to catch a dangerously precarious cup of lemonade just in time to stop it from tipping all over a nearby plate of sandwiches, and Lena followed suit, getting stuck in to help. From that moment she was kept too busy to glance over at Kara again, until at last the cake had been sung over, cut, and wrapped in yet more paper napkins for the guests to take home, and there was nothing left on the table but the woefully untouched plates of carrot sticks, cucumber wedges and cherry tomatoes; a scattering of sandwich crusts; and the remains of Kara’s jello mold.

Even with her own lack of experience when it came to children’s birthday parties, Lena could tell that the distribution of the cake signalled home time, and her semi-repressed anticipation immediately ratcheted back up to 11 as she searched the room eagerly for Pffskdrdlyn.

… And didn’t find her.

Or her daughter either, for that matter.

Nonononono, where were they?

‘Esme? Where’s your friend Trxy?’

Esme smiled stickily up at her from behind a smeary layer of crumbs and melted ice cream, and pointed out to the hallway.

‘Her mom said they need to get home to take her brother to soccer practise.’

Lena dropped the stack of paper plates she had been clearing, ignoring Alex’s indignant protest as soggy corn chips and half chewed chipolata sausages scattered across the floor, and ran for the door. She should have insisted on turning Kara back right away, she should have known something like this would happen if they put it off. They were probably already gone by now, and she’d have to wait even longer to-

Pffskdrdlyn was kneeling by the front door, attempting to wrestle her daughters wriggling feet into her outdoor shoes while Trxy bounced up and down and chattered on about the party without apparent pause for breath. At the sight of them Lena was hit by a wave of relief so powerful that it made her knees shake, and her next words come out unexpectedly tentative, as if the two imps might vanish if she allowed herself to sound too eager.

‘Um, before you go-’

Pffskdrdlyn glanced up at her distractedly, two thirds of her attention still on her battle with Trxy’s shoelaces rather than Lena, then apparently gave up and gestured at them vaguely, nodding with satisfaction as they jumped to attention and tied themselves into neat bows.

‘I’m trying to get into the habit of doing things the human way, but it’s just so much easier to use magic, I don’t know how anyone ever gets anything done without it.’

‘Right, yes, speaking of magic though-’

‘Hmm? Did you need something dear?’

‘Yes. Kara. I need Kara- I mean, you were going to unshrink her? Please?’

‘Oh of course! Sorry, it slipped my mind for a minute there. I really need to get going now, but look, take this-’

Pffskdrdlyn held out her hand, a small, slim object not dissimilar from the glow sticks the children had been playing with earlier appearing in it as she did so.

‘Once the party’s over and Kara’s ready to resize, just snap that in half and the rest will take care of itself. No need to wish this time, the intention is already set – we don’t want any more accidents do we?’

Lena ignored the mildly patronising tone of the comment and took the wish-stick carefully, cupping it to her chest with a reverence she probably would have been embarrassed about if she could bring herself to care about anything except the promise it represented.

‘Thank you.’

...

It was just the two of them in the end.

The rest of the party guests were gone, everyone else was outside clearing up the unholy mess that could be created by fifteen excited children over the course of a few hours, and Lena and Kara were alone in Esme’s bedroom, Kara divested of her miniature Supersuit and swamped in the folds of a blanket to avoid a reverse incident of what had happened during her shrinking, Lena kneeling beside her with the wish between her fingers.

‘Are you ready?’

‘So ready. Please.’

Snap.

The stick broke with the small, dry sound of a cracking twig, and as promised this time there was no explosion. There was nothing dramatic at all, in fact.

There was just Kara.

One moment she had been almost buried under the heap of cloth, and the next she was standing over Lena, blanket draped around her shoulders, looking down with an expression of pure, wondering joy on her face. She reached down to help her to her feet, and all of a sudden they were standing in each other’s space, so close that Lena could have counted the freckles on Kara’s nose, had she not been too distracted by the gentle play of breath against her lips to do more than stare into her eyes and lean…

‘Did it work?’

Out of the corner of her eye Lena saw Alex’s head appear around the door, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away from Kara long enough to acknowledge her. The answer was clear enough anyway. Alex waited a beat, but apparently Kara was as unable to say anything as Lena was, and they simply stood there, drinking each other in and trying to believe that this was really happening.

‘Okaaaay. Kara, good to see you back to full size, I’m gonna find you some of my clothes to wear until you get home. You two… keep doing that I guess.’

The door closed, the sharp click breaking the spell just enough for Lena to remember where they were and regain a marginal amount of control over her motor functions. She made to step back, but before she could Kara tugged gently on the hand still holding hers, and then she was kissing her, soft and sweet and so meltingly perfect that a tiny whimper escaped from the back of her throat. Everything else faded away, and Lena reached out to pull Kara closer, hands fisting in the blanket as her tongue brushed lightly against Kara’s bottom lip and was welcomed eagerly in…

‘JEEZ this is my kid’s room, and you’re not wearing clothes Kara! Could you maybe save the rest of your make-out session until you get home?’

This time Kara let Lena put some space between them as Alex came properly into the room with a stack of clothes in her arms, but she was grinning far too broadly to look actually remorseful.

‘Sorry Alex, but I’ve been waiting way too long to do that. Do you uh… mind if we maybe skip out on helping with the clean up? I haven’t been able to go outside much for a week and I’d really like to… go flying. With Lena.’

Alex pulled a face halfway between a smirk and a grimace.

‘Is that what they’re calling it these days? Yes, please get out of here so I don’t have to watch any more of… that.’

They didn’t need to be told twice.

[you-remind-me-of-the-babe]

Friends. Friends. I’ve done it. Achieved the thing I’ve been working at for a year and a half. I’ve finished writing the end to Depth of Reason.

It still needs to go through a beta read and final edits but it should be published soon. I’m adding 16k between the last chapter and a surprise epilogue. I still can’t believe I’ve reached the end. It’ll be 70k when all is said and done. So, to celebrate my last WIP posting for this fic, you’re getting two snippets (much more than six sentences 😆)

“You’re the one trying to one up me, Snow.”

I run my hands through his hair. “You have to call me Simon when you’re talking about loving me.”

He kisses my neck and leaves his face there when he says, “It isn’t easy being vulnerable.”

“I know,” I say softly. “But I’m still going to ask.”

He sighs before pulling back to look at me properly. “I love you, Simon.”

I kiss him sweetly.

“Love you, too, Pitch!” I say, before pinching his sides relentlessly.

He squeals and squirms up the bed. “Treachery! Betrayal!” I laugh so hard my sides ache.

He hooks a leg around me and flips us, pining me to the bed so fast I’m almost dizzy with the change of position. He’s sitting astride me now, and he’s got my arms locked firmly in his fingers, my fists pressed against the headboard. It’s kind of hot, the way he has me at his mercy. He smirks down at me.

“Say it,” he purrs.

I swallow and I don’t miss the fact that his eyes flick to my throat when I do.

“I love you, Baz,” I say in a husky voice that seems to have come from nowhere. “I love you so—”

He captures my mouth before I can finish.

And one more:

When we get to the courtroom, all eyes turn to us when we enter. I’m heartened to see Baz’s parents and aunt sitting in the seats behind the defence, along with a few other familiar faces. Gran is sitting next to Daphne, she smiles at us as we walk up the middle aisle. Nico is next to Fiona, his tongue running along his teeth. I wonder if it bothers him, being in this room that I imagine is full of bad memories for him.

Trixie is there, too. She places a fist over her heart and nods to Baz, a twinkle in her eye. Baz’s cousin, Dev is there too, next to their friend Niall. Even Mr Minos, Miss Possibelf and Coach Mac, which is impressive considering it's a Monday in November. Headmistress Bunce couldn’t make it, but she sent Penny a very lovely email to pass on to Baz, wishing him the best of luck. I hope he feels bolstered, having all of these people here supporting him. I hope he knows that he’s not alone in this.

Y’all. I made it. Thank you to @fatalfangirl who will be marathoning through a beta read and who has been there with me since day 1. What a champ. Thank you to @toonysart who chose to do art for this fic way back when it was a mere concept for COBB. Your art still brings me so much joy. Thank you to everyone who has followed this fic. You made writing and sharing a wonderful experience.

Tags and love ands happy Sunday 💛 @fatalfangirl @toonysart @whatevertheweather @cutestkilla @artsyunderstudy @thewholelemon @raenestee @moodandmist @facewithoutheart @martsonmars @onepintobean @bookish-bogwitch @rimeswithpurple @prettygoododds @orange-peony @forabeatofadrum @nausikaaa @aristocratic-otter @ivelovedhimthroughworse @ileadacharmedlife @whogaveyoupermission @iamamythologicalcreature @run-for-chamo-miles @nightimedreamersworld @youarenevertooold @valeffelees @hushed-chorus

[linaharutaka]

i made a funny comic (read left to right)

[iamamythologicalcreature]

Six Sentence Sunday Climbs Out the Window

Hello all! Thank you for the tags today, @aroace-genderfluid-sheep and @youarenevertooold! And thank you to everyone who has tagged me in the past couple of weeks. I'm woefully behind on reading WIPs-Day posts, so I really appreciate the tagging. It's the only way I'll find them when I'm finally able to read. So please keep tagging me, even if I'm slow to respond. I may have taken on a bit much this month. >.> Anyhoo, on to some WIP sentences! This will be my last teaser before posting the actual Chapter 1 of the @carryon-reverse-bang fic at the end of the month (Oh God it still needs a title...). I've never tried to tease a single chapter for so long lol. Soooo I'm giving you a little slice of Chapter 2, today. Right at the beginning, though! So really no spoilers. Simon's POV continues:

After another quick inspection of the fire damage, I look back to the window. On impulse I check the latch on the window. At first it sticks, but I manage to persuade it open with my usual flare for diplomacy. I breathe in deeply as fresh, green-scented air wafts in, and push the window all the way open. I rest a hip against the sill and lean out a bit, looking around. There’s a wide overhang just under me, and above me… I can’t quite see. (Or maybe I just want the excuse.) I grin a little as I climb out the window onto the slate roof, being careful to test the shingles before each step. Everything’s solid, though. Whoever had this room before it was closed off was one lucky git. I can only imagine having something like this just outside my bedroom window. It nearly makes up for all the gargoyles. Nah, it completely makes up for them.

Simon knows how to make use of a good excuse. And how to sneak out of bedroom windows. (Did we really ever doubt that would be part of his skillset? Nah.) Tags and hello's under the cut!

No pressure and also HI! to @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @leithillustration, @prettygoododds, @rimeswithpurple, @artsyunderstudy, @ic3-que3n, @blackberrysummerblog, @shrekgogurt, @aristocratic-otter, @hushed-chorus, @nightimedreamersworld, @best--dress, @whatevertheweather, @ileadacharmedlife, @theearlgreymage, @thewholelemon, @alexalexinii, @scribble-tier, @imagineacoolusername, @cutestkilla, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @alleycat0306, @angelsfalling16, @fatalfangirl, @erzbethluna, @tender-ministrations, @ivelovedhimthroughworse, @katmiscellanious, @anxious-m3ss, @raenestee, @ebbpettier, @bubble-gumhead