#This was a fun one!

[whiskey-tango-matcha]

Then & Now (M, cold)

Hiii, hope you like A LOT of hurt followed by 2-3 sentences of comfort lmao. This is Greyson fic - Grey is sick on a day he and Reed are supposed to have a date, and he's sure Reed is going to be angry with him because Trauma(TM). It's told in a flashback sort of format which I really enjoyed because I love writing blurbs of colds at different times in life lol. I hope you guys like it, please let me know what ya think, good, bad, or otherwise :)

CW: Male snz, cold, pneumonia mention, coughing, contagion mention, lots and lots of whump lmao. A little over 4K words under the cut.

Then & Now

Now

“Morning, Chef.”

“Huh-! HhITSZHH-ue!”

Elijah turned towards Greyson, who was doubled over into his hoodie sleeve, and gave him a sympathetic grimace. “Cooks finally pulled you under, hmm?”

“Ugh, like way fuckin’ under,” Greyson muttered, rubbing his eye and sucking in through his nose. “I feel like ass.”

“Sorry, dude,” Elijah said, tossing his counterpart a box of tissues. “Sucks.”

Greyson caught the box and pulled out a few just in time. “HITSZHZH-uhh!” This one, he managed to catch in the handful of tissues. He wiped his nose and shrugged. “Yeah,” he said, tossing the used tissues. “Mbostly because I was supposed to have a date tonight.”

Elijah smirked at his friend, who was pushing past the GM into their shared office. The two of them sat in unison. “Do you guys still call them dates? You’ve been official for, like, six months.”

“It’s our six-month anniversary,” Greyson said, his voice flattened by congestion. “We were going to do EMP.”

“Awww, now I’m depressed,” Elijah said. “Also, why didn’t you tell me earlier you were going to Eleven Madison? I still know people there.”

“So does Reed,” Greyson said, massaging his temple. “That’s why we were goigg. Fuck, mby fuckin’ head is pounding. Do we have any -?”

Elijah placed the ibuprofen in front of the chef before he could ask, along with a bottle of cough syrup and a decongestant. “You know we have it all,” he said, pushing an old cup of water across the desk for Greyson to swallow his arsenal of pills. “And fair enough. Well that fuckin’ sucks, dude, I’m sorry. Hey, at least you can leave early, right? Matt’s closing?”

“Yeah,” Greyson said, unwrapping a cough drop and popping it in his mouth. “I’ll head out once the rush is over. I still have to text Reee – hh...hhNTSHH-ue! HGTSHH-uhh!” Greyson doubled over, sneezed into his arm, and groaned. “I’mb gonna kill the guys when they get in,” he said, mostly to himself.

“Don’t do that,” Elijah said, placing a hand on Greyson’s shoulder on his way out of the office. “Then you’ll have to stay all night.”

Greyson huffed out a laugh and pulled out his phone. He clicked on his conversation with Reed, sighing. He did not want to have this conversation.

Greyson

9:31AM

hey babe. gonna have to cancel tonight, the cooks infected me w their plague :( im rly sorry.

The chef set his phone on the desk, prepared to either be ghosted or gaslit – two of Collin’s favorite pastimes whenever Greyson had had to cancel their plans during their relationship – and was shocked when the phone buzzed with a text almost immediately. He was almost afraid to look at his boyfriend’s response.

Reed

9:32AM

Oh, baby don’t be sorry!! what time are you off? I’ll pick you up and take you home :) we can do a sick day little date night instead!

Greyson stared at the phone, stunned. He couldn’t help it; he read the message again, then out loud said, “What the fuck?”

Then – Ten Years Ago

“Chef?”

The Executive Chef looked up from his paperwork at Greyson and sighed. “What is it, Abbott?”

“I, um – hh! HTSHH-uh! HGXTSH-ue! Snf. Umb, I just wanted to see if it was okay if I… left a little early today?” Greyson asked, his voice barely above a whisper. His chef raised his eyebrows and put his clipboard down. Oh, no, Greyson thought.

“Leave...early? And leave your clean up and prep to whom, exactly? Me?” The Executive Chef huffed out a laugh. “That’s rich, Abbott. Why the fuck would you need to leave early?”

“I…” Greyson started, but his voice gave out on the single syllable. He attempted to clear his throat. “I just… I really feel like shit? I was hoping I could, like… sleep it off, I guess. I mbean, I wouldn’t want to get anyone else sigck.” Greyson felt a cough bubbling to the surface; he tried to quell it, to no avail. The younger man collapsed into a coughing fit that felt like it lasted a lifetime.

The Chef remained unmoved. “My guys,” he said, placing a hand on his chest as Greyson attempted to compose himself, “don’t get sick, Abbott. And if they do, I don’t fucking hear about it. Understand? Because I really don’t give a shit. If you’re here, you’re here. If you decide to leave early,” he shrugged, uncaring, “then you leave for good. And Abbott, if you try to get a job after walking out of my kitchen, I promise you I will make it impossible. I know you’ve only been here a couple months, but here’s what you need to learn: put your head down and do your fucking job, and you can work anywhere in the world after this. Be a whiny piece of shit who tries to walk out on his shift, and you’ll be working at McDonald’s for the rest of you life. Got it?”

Greyson, too shocked to rebut, just bobbed his head up and down.

“Let me hear you say it,” the Chef said. Greyson cleared his throat.

“Yes, Chef,” he said. The Chef nodded.

“Now get the fuck out of my office.”

Now

“Elijah. Look at this text.”

The GM looked up slowly from the iPad where he was going over reservations for the evening. “...Why?” he asked, taking the phone from Greyson’s hand.

“Just look. Tell mbe that’s ndot weird,” Greyson said, crossing his arms over his chest. Elijah looked down, confused, and read the text. He pinched his eyebrows together just a little, and read it again. “See? Isn’t that weird?”

“Greyson…” Elijah said, handing the phone back. “That’s not weird.”

“Seriously?” Greyson asked, reading the text yet again. “It’s bizarre. He’s ndot even a little mad? C’mon. That’s weird.”

“He’s being sweet,” Elijah explained, slowly, as though he were talking to a toddler. “Did you want him to be mad? Because that’s bizarre.”

“Ndo I don’t want him to be mad. I jus – HTSZHH-ue! HRRSHH!” Greyson wrenched to the side to sneeze, which sent him into a fit of hacking coughs. “I just figured he’d want to, like, yell at mbe or something. For canceling,” Greyson finished, his voice strained against another cough. Elijah didn’t respond, not at first, and instead pressed a hand onto the chef’s forehead.

“I think you’re sicker than we thought, because you’re acting fucking delusional,” he said as Greyson slapped his hand away. “Greyson, normal people don’t yell at each other for getting sick, or having to cancel a plan. That’s, like, really twisted.”

Greyson rolled his eyes. “It’s ndot twisted, Lij you fuckin’ drama queen,” he said, then held up a finger. “Onesec – hh! Hh...hnn.” Greyson sniffled, a let out a little irritated cough. “Lost it.”

“Go back to the kitchen,” Elijah said, pointing towards the swinging doors. “Sit down. Rest. Let your medicine kick in. I don’t want people seeing this -” he gestured to Greyson, as if to allude to his entire being – “when they walk past the restaurant. Alright? Text your boyfriend something nice. Not something unhinged.”

“Oh, fuck you,” Greyson muttered, turning toward the kitchen, his phone still open to the conversation with Reed. He turned towards Elijah again before pushing through the kitchen doors. “I still say that this is the unhinged thing.”

“Go to therapy, Greyson,” Elijah said, not looking up from the iPad. Greyson rolled his eyes, pushed into the kitchen, and regarded his phone once again.

Greyson

10:07AM

thanks, babe. it’s ok, I can take care of myself. it wont be a long day, ill just grab some nyquil omw home and sleep it off. ill reschedule our rezo too, don’t worry about that. im really sorry again for canceling. if I could taste the food id still go lol.

Figuring that sounded at least relatively normal, Greyson hit send. He sat down at his desk once again and placed his head in his hands. No way he’s not pissed, Greyson thought, and he really believed it. In all his years of dating, he’d never met anyone who would respond that way; they’d at least have a snippy remark about the last-minute nature of the cancellation.

Greyson’s phone pinged once again, and he couldn’t help but grab it right away to assess the damage.

Reed

10:08AM

honey, please don’t apologize, seriously. youre sick, it happens, its no biggie :) I already moved the reservation to next week but if we need to ill move it again. james at emp said to tell you feel better btw.

Greyson blinked, dumbstruck. He started typing without thinking.

Greyson

10:10AM

you REALLY arent mad? seriously?

Reed

10:10AM

im really not mad. who gets mad at someone for being sick…? is someone at work mad at you? am I supposed to be mad..? lol

Greyson

10:11AM

I mean its a last minute cancellation. id understand if u were mad.

Reed

10:11AM

welllll….im not. is that ok? haha

Reed

10:15AM

grey…? you believe me, right?

Reed

10:21AM

greyson..?

Then – Seven Years Ago

He was moving through molasses.

Greyson placed a sluggish hand to his own forehead – you can’t check yourself for a fever, dumbass – and blinked painfully. He’d made it to work, he’d made it through the day, and he’d made it back home, against all odds. Now, he was stuck on his couch, unable to even crawl to the bathroom for a thermometer.

It had all compounded on him, was his guess. The endless fourteen hour days for the better part of two years at his thankless sous chef job. The shitty Chicago-suburbs apartment with no heat, where he froze for the few hours a week he slept. The near-constant drinking. Sure, he was only twenty-five, but what was it they said about this industry? It ages you in dog years. Yeah, that was it.

“Hh-! Hh...ITSZHH-ue! HTSHHH-ue!” Greyson sneezed helplessly into the blanket he’d wrapped around himself, and groaned. This was not what he’d imagined when he moved here from Minnesota. He’d thought it would be glamorous, working as a sous chef at a high-end hotel in a big city. He thought he’d have friends, or a girlfriend, or something. Instead, he was trapped on his couch, benched by a sinus infection and seasonal depression that seemed to last the whole year round. Fuck this, Greyson thought. He couldn’t get off the couch, but he could reach his phone; Greyson pulled up Indeed and changed his search parameters.

Actively searching for work. Location: Any.

Now

“Um… Chef? What’s, uh… what’s going on?”

Greyson paused for a moment, a crate of spoiled food held on his shoulder. He turned towards Matt, keen to answer, but instead held the crate tighter and wrenched to the side. “HRTTSHH-uh!”

“Bless you,” Matt said, an automatic reaction. Greyson nodded, turned towards the dumpster, and dumped the food in before beginning the cycle anew: pick up crate. Turn to sneeze. Dump old food. Matt wasn’t sure if he should help his boss, or go inside for backup.

He chose the former, picking a crate filled to the brim with rotten tomatoes off the ground and hoisting it into the trash. “You gonna tell me what’s up?” he asked as the two of them continued gathering and tossing.

Greyson sighed, pulled a hand down his face, and shook his head. “I thingk Reed and I are over,” he said, voice soft and throaty. Matt’s eyebrows shot up.

“What? Seriously? What did you do?” Matt asked, prompting a stuffy laugh from his boss.

“I just don’t thingk it’s going to work,” Greyson said, shrugging. “I… I don’t want to, like, play gambes. I can’t do that again, ndot after Collin.”

“Chef,” Matt said as he gathered and tossed the last milk crate, “what are you talking about? Reed is, like, the most straight-shooting guy I’ve ever met. How is he playing games?”

Greyson, left without anything to occupy his hands, just shrugged and pulled out his phone. He handed it to Matt without explanation, and the sous quickly read through the text conversation Greyson and Reed had going. Matt furrowed his brow.

“I don’t get it,” he said, handing the phone back. “He wants to take care of you, what’s the problem with that?”

“He doesn’t want to take care of me, he wants to have the upper hand,” Greyson explained, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and sitting on the step just outside the back door. “Want one?”

“Sure,” Matt said, sitting beside his boss. “I mean, you shouldn’t be smoking if you’re -”

“HTSHH! Hh-! ITZSHH-ue!” Greyson turned into his elbow, taking a long moment to gather himself before handing Matt his cigarette.

“-sick,” Matt finished. The older man shrugged, and Matt plucked the lighter out of Greyson’s hand to light both of them up, not daring to push his boss any closer to the edge. For a moment, they smoked in silence, only Greyson’s sniffles and coughs interrupting the quiet.

“Boss,” Matt said, finally, “I think you need to talk to Reed.”

“I did,” Greyson said, stubbing out his cigarette. “You saw.”

“No, I mean actually talk to him,” Matt said. The two of them stood, looking at each other – a face-off without the malice. Matt continued. “Not ignore his texts and clean out the walk-in.”

Greyson scoffed. “Matt, just because you have sombe fairy-tale love story doesn’t mbean everyone else does, too. Okay? If it’s over between me and Reed, it’s fine. I’mb better off alone, anywaa – hh! Hh… Hhhii-!” Greyson stood with his elbow poised at his face, stuck in pre-sneeze agony for what seemed like an eternity. While he was incapacitated, Matt took his phone and typed out a message that his boss couldn’t see. Finally, Greyson lowered his arm and sucked in, fruitlessly, through his nose. “The fugck are you doigg?” he asked, snatching his phone back from his sous.

“If you’re not going to talk to Reed,” Matt shrugged, unapologetic, “I will.”

Greyson looked down at his phone, which buzzed twice in his hand. Reed’s face popped up on the screen. Call from: reed <3

Then – Three Years Ago

“HTSHH! Huh! ETZSHH-ue! HRTTSHH-ue!”

“Bless, bless, bless you. Allergies?” Collin asked, not looking up from his phone. Greyson sniffled in vain, and coughed painfully.

“Ndot exactly,” he croaked from the doorway to Collin’s living room. “Baby, do you thingk you could drive mbe to urdent care, actually?”

Collin looked up and slowly raised an eyebrow. “For what?” he asked, obviously annoyed. Greyson swallowed as best he could and placed a hand on his throat.

“I thingk… I mbight have strep. Or bronchitis, or sombething. I, uh… I’ve had a fever for like. A week.” Greyson had to stop to close his eyes and grab onto the door frame, a sordid attempt to keep from hitting the floor like a rotten sack of potatoes. Collin rolled his eyes.

“You’re such a drama queen. You seemed fine when you came over last night.”

“You were asleep whend I came over,” Greyson said, his eyes still closed. “Did you ndot notice that I haven’t been over in like five days?”

Collin shrugged. “I mean, yeah, but I figured you were busy with work. You’re always busy with work,” he said, the venom in his voice making clear that he wanted to fight.

Greyson, physically incapable of fighting at that moment, just slid slowly to the ground and nodded. “Yeah. You’re right,” he said. “Ndow I’m paying the price. Please, baby. Can you please just take me? I… I really don’t feel well.”

It was pathetic. He knew it, but he couldn’t stop himself; he was fairly sure he was moments from passing out. Collin turned and made himself comfier on the couch.

“I’ll call you an uber,” he said, pressing some buttons on his phone. “You barely make time for me, and now you’re asking me to be your chauffeur? Please, Greyson.” He showed his ailing boyfriend the phone. “He’ll be out front in five minutes. Better make your way down.”

“Okay,” Greyson said, pulling himself slowly to his feet. “Thangk you.”

Collin didn’t say a word as Greyson let himself out of the apartment. He made it downstairs, and into the uber, and into the waiting room at urgent care. He made it out by himself, too, with a laundry list of prognoses – strep, sinus infection, walking pneumonia – and a handful of prescriptions. When he texted Collin later to fill him in, his boyfriend didn’t text back.

Greyson fell asleep on his shower floor and awoke to freezing water pounding on him, and a courier pounding on his door. When he toweled off and answered it, chicken soup from the local bodega and a note that read feel better -c sat at his feet. Greyson breathed a sigh of relief; at least he had been forgiven.

Now

Reed had dated plenty of men is his thirty-five years of life, and had found that there were two general categories when it came to sick men: there was the Baby, and there was the Don’t Look at Me.

Greyson though, an enigma since the moment they met, seemed to fall into a third category, a category that was, to Reed, yet undiscovered: the You Hate Me.

Reed was good with the first two categories; the Don’t Look at Me, you left medicine outside their room and texted them funny memes. The Baby, you laid in bed with them and spoon-fed them soup. Easy. Understandable. Truthfully, this was one of his favorite things about men: they were easy to crack. He figured Greyson would likely fall into the Baby category, which was fine by him – there was nothing he’d like more than to look after an ailing Greyson, to be honest. This third category he seemed to embody, though, was not something Reed knew what to do with.

“He didn’t answer when I called him,” Reed said into the phone receiver. “I just want to know what’s going on, I mean, did I say something wrong?”

On the other end of the line, Elijah sighed. “No, you didn’t do anything wrong. This is just… it’s just Greyson being Greyson.”

Reed wasn’t about to take this lying down. “Hey, are you guys super busy tonight? I mean, I don’t want to be that boyfriend, but, like, can I come get him? We really need to talk, and if what Matt said is true he probably shouldn’t be, like, working anyway, right?”

While Elijah paused, Reed pulled the phone away from his ear and once again re-read the text Matt had sent from Greyson’s phone: hey reed, it’s matt. grey is sick as hell, so DO NOT take any of the crazy weird shit he says seriously, k? his temperature needs to lower by like 5 degrees before you do this, but u guys need to actually talk. he’s being stupid.

“Please,” Reed heard Elijah’s tinny voice on the other end and put the phone back to his ear. “Please, come and collect him. I’m begging.”

Reed stood from the couch and grabbed his keys. “Give me twenty minutes. I’m on my way.”

Then – Two Years Ago

“Heyyy, baby, cand I buy you a dringk?”

The girl leaned back, her face marked by disgust. “No, thanks. Save your money and get yourself some NyQuil,” she said, disappearing into the crowd. Greyson huffed out a sigh and coughed into his hand – a long, crackling sound that made the other bar patrons inch their chairs away.

“She’s right, you know,” the bartender – Skip, Greyson had learned his name was a few weeks back when he had started coming in every night – said, filling Greyson’s shot glass yet again. “You need to go home.”

“And yet you pour mbe another drink,” Greyson said, knocking back the shot. “The duality of mban. NGTXSH! HTSHH! Huh-! HRRSHH-ue!” Greyson covered his mouth lazily with one hand, wiped it on his pants, hand held the glass up to indicate ‘another’.

“Bless you,” Skip said, not pouring the shot. “Greyson, seriously: go home. You sound fucking awful.”

“Are you cutting mbe off?” Greyson asked, his rheumy eyes meeting Skip’s over the bartop. “Because unless you are, I’mb staying.” He coughed again, into his elbow; the cough was quickly becoming a problem. He’d had a cold two weeks ago; the symptoms had been mild, but the cough had hung around. When he caught whatever-the-fuck this was two days ago, the cough had turned from an annoyance to a pressing issue; he should go home. He should go to the doctor, he should take a day off, he should, he should, he should.

But he wouldn’t. He would stay, and he would drink until he was kicked out, then he’d pass out on the train and not make it home to sleep. He’d go to work at seven AM and stay until midnight and do it all again.

“I’m not kicking you out,” Skip sighed. “I’m just saying… you should take care of yourself.”

Greyson blinked slowly. He could feel his lungs, heavy with fluid, gearing up to cough again; his head, pounding in spite or because of the alcohol; his heart crushed into a million, Collin-sized pieces. Take care of yourself. It felt impossible, when you’d never been shown how.

“This is mbe taking care of myself,” he said, clearing his throat. “I’ll have another.”

Now

Greyson rested his head on a case of lettuce in the corner of the walk-in. He knew he should be continuing his madness of cleaning, but he’d accidentally sat down on his fifth trip into the refrigerator, and now he wasn’t sure he’d be able to get up again.

Fucking Reed, Greyson thought as he allowed the cold salad box to sate the fever he had burning in his brain. Why can’t he just be up front with me? If you’re mad just say it, don’t fucking torture me.

Perhaps deep down, he knew he was being ridiculous; Matt and Elijah were most likely correct. The simplest answer – that Reed truly was just a good guy – was probably the right one. But he just couldn’t get out of his mind all the times he’d reached out, needed help and asked for it, and been shot down. He certainly couldn’t allow himself to believe that the person he was dating was truly good; he knew he’d never deserve that.

“Greyson?”

Speaking of Reed, that sounded a lot like him – was Greyson hearing things? Had he, in his fever-addled state, conjured a hallucination of his boyfriend to have a fight with? Bizarre, Grey, he thought to himself. That’s really fucking bizarre.

“Grey? Elijah said you were in here but I don’t – oh!”

Either this was a really crazy hallucination, or that really was Reed standing over him, in the walk-in. Greyson blinked hard, then blinked again, and suddenly Reed was on the ground next to him.

“Babe...it’s really cold in here. Do you think we can, um, leave?”

Greyson furrowed his eyebrows together. “Leave… and go where?” he asked, his voice cracking. “I have to… work. What are you doigg heeee...HRTSHH-ue! Huh -! HTSHH! NTSHH! IGXTSH!” Greyson attempted to stifle over and over, until Reed gently took his hand and pulled it away from his face.

“That has to hurt,” Reed said, his voice quiet and calm. “You can just… sneeze, you know. Like, regular.”

“Tryigg ndot to get you,” Greyson croaked, his eyes glazing over once again. “Youbettermov – HRRETSZCHH-ue! ITSZZHH-ue! Fuck – NGTSHHZ-ue!” Greyson sneezed into his lap, then coughed until his lungs felt sore. Reed didn’t move; he came closer and rubbed Greyson’s back.

“Bless you, baby,” Reed said, eventually.

“Thangks. Sorry,” Greyson murmured, pushing his hair out of his face and turning to look at Reed. “Why are you here?” he asked, levity out the window.

Reed let out a little laugh. “Umm, why do you think?” he asked. “You’ve been ignoring me since this morning. I got worried, since Matt said you were super sick – no lie detected, by the way, you sound truly awful –”

“Sorry,” Greyson said again, wiping under his nose. “I kndow, it’s gross.”

“Please, Grey,” Reed said, taking both sides of his boyfriend’s face in his hands and looking him in the eye. “Please. Stop apologizing. It’s okay to be sick. I don’t understand why you think I’m angry at you. I’m not.”

Greyson swallowed, painfully, and gave a little nod. “Okay,” he said, finally.

“Okay,” Reed repeated. “Anyway. I called Elijah. He said to come and collect you.”

At this, Greyson couldn’t help but cough out a laugh. “Collect mbe?” he asked. Reed smiled a little.

“Yeah,” he said. “His words, not mine.”

They both laughed, softly at first, then ramping up to near-hysteria. They only stopped when Greyson started coughing again and couldn’t seem to stop.

“Let’s go get you some water,” Reed said, helping his boyfriend to his shaky feet. Greyson allowed himself to be pulled out of the walk-in, and given a bottle of water that was sitting on his prep station. Greyson drank until the fit subsided, then regarded Reed once again.

“So… you really aren’t mbad?” he asked, rubbing his goosebumped arms up and down. Reed shook his head and shrugged off his windbreaker. He draped it over Greyson’s shoulders.

“I’m really not mad,” he insisted. Greyson nodded, seemingly satiated. Reed sighed through his nose and slipped his arms around the chef.

“Life’s done a number on you, huh?” he asked, quietly enough that it could’ve just been to himself. Greyson huffed out a sad little laugh.

“Like you wouldn’t believe, baby,” he murmured, pressing his hot head into Reed’s hair. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”

[shithowdy]

finished commission for @tevruden !

[gallawitchxx]

weekly tag wednesday 🤘🏼

i was tagged by @mybrainismelted @energievie @deedala @crossmydna @blue-disco-lights

@gardenerian @sgtmickeyslaughter @heymrspatel @wehangout to play! look at all of these chickens!!! i have the most gorgeous pals 🖤🖤 thank you pals 🥺

name: bee 🐝

location: cali ☀️

did you collect anything as a child? movie tickets! i kept every movie ticket from childhood until college (or whenever it all became digital). i kept them in a little orange tupperware thing on my bookshelf & i'm sure that's now in a box in my parent's garage. there were hundreds, i was such a big movie-goer 🎫

do you collect anything now? after i moved to new york, i started saving every playbill of show i would see. i kept them in a box that i moved around from apartment to apartment. the last place before we moved had building construction that led to a mouse infestation & i literally opened the box to find mice had made a home of it. over a decade of deeply important memories, performances & shows, just gone. anyway, i also have a lot of tarot decks, crystals & books. what is a library, if not a collection? 🙃

what random piece of office equipment do you have a weird attachment to? i really don't know... my computer? i should get more office equipment! 🗑

stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm. right arm - dog 🐾 left arm - pillow, phone, book 🛋

do you drive? if so, have you ever crashed? i do & sort of. when i was 17 or 18 i ran my dad's car into a gate in a college parking lot lmaoooo. he was so pissed 😤

you’ve been given $1000 but you can only spend it at one store. which store do you choose? bookshop.org 📚

what is your secret weapon to get someone to like you? i make the first move & then act like it's already been decided. we're friends 💫

whats your go-to flavor for cough drops? original ricola! gimme! 🏔

what does your latest text message from someone else say? "same - one day of fasting won't clear me, but it shows genuine effort" - my wife to our friends about yom kippur hahahAHAHAHA 🥯

what are your preferred pizza toppings? pepperoni & black olives 🍕

tagging @catgrassplantdad @whatthebodygraspsnot @whatwouldmickeydo @howlinchickhowl @iansfreckles

@jrooc @badassfetish @thisdivorce @geonbaeeee & @creepkinginc if you wanna play! if not, this is me lighting a fall candle & putting on the kettle for us 🍁 ☕️ 🕯

[thesymphonytrue]

Hi hello!!!

“Oh honey, I’d never be jealous of you.”

This line has SUCH Elle energy!! Whatever ship u want but it would be so cool if she said it

I immediately thought of El with this line, too!!! So yes....she says it!

Peter/Elizabeth

Pre-canon

"Oh honey, I'd never be jealous of you."

Elizabeth turned over in bed, surprised to find a cold, empty spot where Peter usually slept. Sighing, she propped herself up and checked the time: 3:00 am. Furrowing her dark brows, she pulled back the covers and tiptoed down the hallway to the top of the stairs. Peering into the living room, she saw Peter.

He was sitting on the couch, hair still messy from their evening romp hours ago, clad in a white t-shirt and boxers. One hand loosely held his phone to his ear, while the other rubbed his eyebrows wearily. But on his lips, on those wonderful lips that devoured Elizabeth almost daily, was a tiny smile, a sparkle of amusement and infatuation.

Neal Caffrey, Elizabeth thought.

This was the third night in a row that Neal Caffrey had called Peter and while Elizabeth didn’t so much mind Peter being all-consumed by his job, post-midnight phone calls were…

Intriguing.

In Elizabeth’s mind, Neal was a brilliant mind who had fallen into the wrong crowd (criminals) and latched onto Peter’s stability, whilst also out-smarting him on almost every turn.

And Peter fucking loved it.

When Peter Burke was challenged, Peter Burke thrived. Elizabeth smiled to herself; she knew this on an emotional, intellectual, and sexual level about her partner. Peter was meticulous about learning everything about his pursuit, making him an excellent FBI Agent, but even better in bed.

She smiled coily to herself and decided tonight would be the night she intervened. She couldn’t have a criminal stealing her husband away, could she? Well aware that she was still in lingerie from earlier (a lovely lacy black thing that left absolutely nothing up to the imagination), Elizabeth fluffed her hair, squared her shoulders, and pranced down the stairs like a runway model.

Peter was mid-chuckle when he spotted her, cheeks flushing and eyes widening at the sight of her soft curves. She walked over to him like a lioness stalking her prey and plucked the phone from his hands.

“Hello, Neal Caffrey,” she said cooly into the phone.

She could practically feel him grinning on the other end.

“Is this the famous Mrs. Burke? I was convinced Peter was lying about having a wife. How do you put up with him, he’s insufferably stubborn,” Neal rattled off as if he and Elizabeth were the best of friends.

Elizabeth couldn’t help but feel a smile tickle her lips as she stole a glance at Peter, whose mouth was propped open in despair and eyes wild with panic.

“Well, you’re right about that,” she said, proceeding to straddle Peter and play with his hair while keeping Neal on the line.

“So why are you up at this hour?” Neal chirped, “Are you jealous?”

Elizabeth chuckled, low and sultry, leaning in and kissing Peter’s neck, to which Peter suppressed a groan and motioned for her to hang up the phone immediately.

“Oh honey, I could never be jealous of you,” she said, speaking to Neal, but looking directly into Peter’s honey-brown eyes, whose pupils were now fully dilated.

“Have Peter shown you my picture?” Neal asked, audibly smirking.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, realizing she didn’t know anything about this man other than his name and criminal habits.

“No, he hasn’t,” her gaze flicked to Peter, who was still clueless as to the nature of their conversation. She caressed Peter’s cheek, “But looks don’t matter to Peter,” her eyes twinkled as she widened her legs on Peter and pressed herself closer to him, “Peter loves smart—”

“Well isn’t he lucky that he’s got both in you, Elizabeth,” Neal cut her off, as if he knew exactly what she was trying to do.

“Hang up the phone!” Peter mouthed desperately.

Elizabeth’s eyebrow arched in pleasure at hearing this as she surveyed Peter, practically panting after her.

“Thank you for the compliment, Neal,” Elizabeth purred simultaneously into Peter’s ear and the phone, “Now say goodnight to Peter and let him come back to bed with his wife.”

Neal let out a bright laugh at this, one that even Peter could hear through the phone. Peter turned beet red and promptly snatched the phone back from Elizabeth and gripped her waist, gently pushing her off of him and setting her down next to him as he stood.

“Peter! I didn’t know that you had such an active—-“

“Shut it, Caffrey! Goodnight!” Peter barked, clicking the phone off, Neal’s laughter still echoing in Elizabeth and Peter’s mind.

Elizabeth stood and snaked a hand around Peter’s chest from behind, pressing her breasts into his back. She felt him tighten in response and she rested a hand over his fast beating heart.

She glanced down at the coffee table, Neal Caffrey’s file open. A photograph was pinned to the edge of the file.

Slightly blurry due to Neal being in motion, it was a picture of a dark haired man with brilliant blue eyes, chiseled jawline, and wild smile. He was handsome enough to make any woman–or man–swoon.

“Now that you’re all hot and bothered,” she whispered in Peter’s ear, “should we go to bed or take the couch? Or has Neal put a damper on things?”

Peter turned to face her, his hands tracing the curves of her waist, cupping her supple—and practically bare—ass and kissed her passionately on the lips.

“Couch will do,” he said gruffly, lowering her to the sofa.

Elizabeth sighed and smiled as wrapped her legs around him and pulled him on top of her, satisfied with how Peter's 3 am call had ended. She wondered how long this Neal Caffrey would invade their lives. No, Elizabeth was not jealous, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t take advantage of the perks this handsome criminal’s pursuit of Peter provided.

[lalizah]

Liz sounds lovely! What ending for book 2 did she end up getting, if you don’t mind me asking? 👀

Hi lovely! Thanks for loving my messy telepath child lol.

I love all the possible endings, and for a while, I simply stuck to Liz revealing to Ortega that she's the villain bcs I love Ortega's sad acceptance. Like knowing someone and what their potential is and refusing to believe they'd be anything less. But I tried (and love) the ending where Ortega takes Sidestep to their mom's ranch. I loved Tia Elena's little pov on both of them, struck me right in the feels. I can't wait to see the other variations play out in the third book though, especially when the MC is trapped in the puppet and their own body has a mind of its own!

I'd love for you to tell me about your preferred ending(s) too!

[glitchy-npc]

OC Speech Mannerisms

Thanks for the tag @darkfire1177

No pressure tagging @honor-among-thieves, @camillathe6th, @punkranger and anyone else who would like to!

Tegan Wells

NO. OF SPOKEN LANGUAGES: 1 / 2 / 3+

TONE OF VOICE: high / average / deep

ACCENT: Yes / No

DEMEANOUR: confident / shy / approachable / hostile / other

POSTURE: slumped / straight / stiff / relaxed

HABITS: head tilting / swaying / fidgeting / stuttering / gesturing / arm crossing / strokes chin / er, um, or other interjections / plays with hair or clothing / hands at hips / inconsistent eye contact / maintains eye contact / frequent pausing / stands close / stands at a distance

COMPLEXITY

VOCABULARY: ⬤⬤⬤⬤〇

EMOTION: ⬤⬤⬤⬤〇

SENTENCE STRUCTURE: ⬤⬤〇〇〇

PROFANITY

FREQUENCY: ⬤⬤⬤⬤⬤+

CREATIVITY (in regards to profanity): ⬤⬤⬤⬤⬤+

BOLD ALL THAT APPLY: arse. ass. asshole. bastard. bitch. bloody. bugger. bollocks. chicken shit. crap. cunt. dick. frick. fuck. horseshit. motherfucker. piss. prick. screw. shit. shitass. son of a bitch. twat. wanker. pussy. several colorful combinations thereof.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

DO PEOPLE HAVE A HARD TIME HEARING OR UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHARACTER? - almost always / frequently / rarely / never

DOES YOUR CHARACTER'S INTENDED POINT COME ACROSS EASILY WHEN THEY SPEAK? - almost always / frequently / sometimes / rarely / never.

WOULD YOUR CHARACTER INITIATE CONVERSATIONS? - almost always / frequently / sometimes / never.

WOULD YOUR CHARACTER BE THE ONE TO END CONVERSATIONS? - almost always / frequently / sometimes / rarely / never.

WOULD YOUR CHARACTER USE 'WHOM' IN A SENTENCE? - yes / no / only ironically

YOUR CHARACTER WANTS TO MAKE A COUNTERPOINT. WHAT WORD DO THEY USE? - but / though / although / however / perhaps / mayhaps.

HOW DOES YOUR CHARACTER END CONVERSATIONS? - walk away / ask if that's everything / say that's everything / give a proper goodbye / tell their company they're done here / remain quiet / they don't.

WHAT SOCIAL CLASS WOULD OTHERS ASSUME YOUR CHARACTER BELONGS TO, HEARING THEM SPEAK? - upper / middle / lower.

IN WHAT WAYS DOES THE WAY YOUR CHARACTER SPEAK STAND OUT TO OTHERS? - accent / vocabulary / tone / level / politeness / brusqueness / it doesn't.

[tuometarr]

tagged by @marvel-and-moor 🥰

20 Questions for Writers

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 10

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 65,063

3. What fandoms do you write for? Only for spn I have written for other fandoms but not published

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? To Be Found Without Searching, There are no bargains between lion and men, to build a home, under your skin, my word to keep

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes, all, though not as quickly as I used to

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I don't have angst endings lol happy endings all the way

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? They are all happy but gotta say I love To Be Found Without Searching the most since I had the ending in mind a long time and I really tried with ✨themes✨

8. Do you get hate on fics? Lucklily no!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I have written it once or twice but that is for my eyes only

10. Do you write crossovers? Nope, at least not yet

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not as as far as I know

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? No

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, it does sound fun!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? Midam girlie now and always lol

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? the seagull au will always be foundly remembered and the jane austen au too... also I do have a fic in another fandom that I will mayhaps try to finish

16. What are your writing strengths? (I had to think about this for too long and had a crisis) Dialogue I guess??

17. What are your writing weaknesses? describing environments cannot do it I am kinda bad at grounding the characters in their bodies if that makes sense (trying to get better now since I am also a ttrpg GM)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I think it can be a nice touch, though as a reader I wish the translations were right next to the words so I don't have to break the flow of my reading by checking it elsewere

19. First fandom you wrote for? spn funnily enough but that was in 2015 and never saw the light of day for which I am forever grateful

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? To Be Found Without Searching is my favourite child still

tagging: @michaelseagal @midamrevenant @mercurialkitty @michaelmilligan @freetobeafcknriot

No pressure!!!!

[twistedroseytoesy]

Octatrio with a vampire squid reader

Just pulled through for 3rd place on the poll! Nicely done guys! Picture of the squid at the end! Waning y’all in case it might upset someone cause they are kinda weird. I like having fairly realistic pictures to spread what they look like! They are really cool! Fun fact! to blind and disorient other deep sea predators the tips of their tentacles emit a little cloud of glowing mucus. another fun fact is that they aren't a squid or octopus, but it has features similar to both species, so it kinda sits between the two.

Octavinelle

Azul: Was a bit amused at your shyness and how amazed you were about the world and all of its colors. Knew you were a deep sea mer pretty quickly from those observations. Wasn't sure what kind of creature due to how little you showed of yourself due to being shy. You always wore a strangely red cloak with a black underside. Tries to warm up to you and get you interested in making a contract with some things from home, since he too was a somewhat deep sea dweller.

When he sees your mer form, whether from the potion wearing off or you were swimming to take a break from being human, he was surprised that you were an octo like him. He assumed you were an octopus mer due to the many arms and webbing since most cephalopods have that. When he approached you immediately hid by wrapping the webbing and tentacles over your head, small and sharp-looking spines on display as a warning. He was a bit unsure how to calm you and just quietly talked to you as you slowly unraveled.

If you say anything about him running away because you're an ugly red monster with spikes, He will shut you up so fast with compliments. He thinks your cape is lovely and he understands why you are so shy now. He'll keep your secret for a small favor. You both become close friends cause cephalopods, or close to ones, need to stick together.

Jade: thought your shyness and strange cape were rather funny mimic of a land vampire. You did prefer darkness over the light of the day. would just stand behind you and chuckle as you flip the cape over your back to try and look bigger while moving away from him. He just LOVED your reactions. Sometimes if he scared you enough you would start wiggling and waving your hands in odd ways. Were you trying to cast some sort of spell~? asks you some uncomfortable questions since he finds your reactions just too much fun to no mess with.

Probably was coming back late after a hike to find you in one of the octavinelle pools. Was interested in your more red and peach toned skin coloration and realized you were a cephalopod mer of some sort since he saw the multiple arms. He smirks as he carefully slips into the water in his eel form and dashed toward you. You notice him and immediately curl your tentacles and cape above your head, spikes out and defensive. He circles around you a few times and laughs at your interesting defense mechanism. He mentions how he’s heard of a vampire squid but never met one.

He’s asking more questions and scaring or making your uncomfortable more often now that he knows. He finds it cute how you curl up under your cloak when on land to mimic your mer counterpart. When he is feeling nice he’ll show off his more colorful mushrooms, he loves your awed expression at the colors in the world above the sea.

Floyd: honestly found you to be SO much fun. Poor you, cause' now this menace eel is on your tail all the time. Squeezed you and is surprised and very happy at how you handle the pressure of his squeezes well. Called you “little snail” at first since you always hid inside of your cloak when he scared you.

The day he finds out you’re a mer, is one of his favorites and one of your worst days. You were just relaxing at 3 am in the dark swimming pool, just being your true self for a bit. Happy to stretch your tentacles a bit. You hear a loud and excited gasp before you hear fast-approaching footsteps. You don’t even get to fully turn around before you’re tackled deeper into the water by a large and excited mer-eel. You quickly hide within your cape and he giggles at that asking if you really think that would stop him. He would poke and swipe at the glowing tips of your tentacles since that’s another way you try to distract from your main body. He wraps around you and squeezes you close now happily calling you “vampire squid” or “little vamp” for short. Your spines/spikes don’t actually do that much damage, they’re more for intimidation than actual damaging defense. Floyd just laughs at the little poking he gets from them.

teases and plays with you a lot. When ever he flusters you in some way he just coos at you and says you now look just like your usual mer self! Will defend you from others if they try and bully you though. Only he’s allowed to do that! Also is glad you don’t mind hanging around him, and that you sometimes like his crushing hugs!

[baddybaddyadardaddy]

4 and 18 for fic writer asks

4. a story idea you haven't written yet

Hm let's see. i think i want to do something more with Adar and Arondir. Love the idea of them getting karmically sentenced to go plant seeds in the Southlands together, and along the way they meet Winterbloom the Entwife. I just think there's so much between their characters that was left unexplored in the show (TO MY ETERNAL CONSTERNATION), and it could be so emotional and cathartic for both of them to get to plant things.

18 . if you keep them, share a deleted sentence or paragraph from a published fic

HA OKAY so i actually had to dig deep to see if anything remained in my notes document that didn't get used, and i found one that I'm pretty sure did not make the final cut.

I believe this was from the part in Awake, Arise when Sauron is speaking with Adar in Forodwaith, trying to build trust with him:

"I heard Melkor’s song even at the beginning, when the great music began. His songs were… strange. Seductive. He saw things that even Eru himself did not know were possible," Sauron says. "At least, that's what he led us to believe, we who became his followers. Such was his…" he searches for the word, and his face contorts into an unbreakable expression of remorse. "...deception."

Also sharing this one, which i wrote when Adar is trying to decide what to do about Lenneth (in chapter 23). In the end, I just couldn't land this idea in the context of the chapter... but I was trying to convey that though Adar did have genuine feelings for and desire for Lenneth, his steadfast devotion to Erenyë, in the end, would have prevented him from acting on them, even if they were both free to make the choice. (which, in the given circumstances of the story, they weren't.)

I was reaching again for the whole Erenyë = stars, Lenneth = sun analogy. Just didn't quite fit right in this case.

He closes his eyes, dwelling on Erenyë’s face alone, and it affords him a shocking moment of clarity, like a deep plunge into a high mountain spring. In the cold quiet of his heart, he finds the truth—one he has always known: that no amount of sunlight—however sweet—could ever truly blind his devotion to the stars.

thanks for the ask!!! :D

[ilikecarsandlike4people]

Yuki with his Kangaroo doodle please! The instagram update immediately made me think of you

Friend!!🦘

[live-laugh-loverpool]

what r the lfc boy’s favorite flavor of popsicles ?

never thought of that! let me think now...

OH FORK IT HERE'S A SKIT FOR IT!

Robbo: there should really be irn bru popsicles, y'know! imagine it

Mo (exasperated but smiling): but there aren't, andy, and you have to choose a flavor

Robbo: fiiiiine i'll get a strawberry one

Ali: Flaco always got strawberry ones...

Mo: Great, and I'll get lemon

Ali: Bobby liked the lemon ones, and the coconut ones, and the chocolate ones...

Jarell (already halfway through his mango popsicle): i know you're a libra ali, but CHOOSE A FLAVOR!

Ali: I can't help it, all of them have memories that I'm trying to avoid

Virgil: we can just get cherry together

Ali: ...okay 😊

[d3ad-on-arriva1]

MOST DIVORCED GUY EVER ALERT

[palepinkgoat]

WEEKLY TAG WEDNESDAY

Thank you to my loves @deedala @darlingian @mybrainismelted! @juliakayyy

About you name: Karen

age: between Noel and Layla

starsign: Leo sun Sagittarius moon

your first language: english

second language: Spanish in the weakest way possible. I wish I would have continued it past high school or had the guts to practice with others. When I was in Mexico and in Spain I could get by, but that's it. I can understand more than I can speak. I guess there's always time to work on it.

favourite lip product: burts bees lip balm

the best food dish you can make without a recipe: any kind of soup or stew. I made a great bean and kielbasa soup that everyone loves. I'm also making cakes from memory these days after making them so often.

If you drink tea, what kind?: earl grey, sometimes chamomile If you drink coffee, what roast do you usually get? The kind I buy is a medium roast but I love any hot coffee, any time of day. favourite thing to watch on youtube right now: I like to watch what my kids call "mom tube" which is stuff like decluttering, house stuff, cooking and food related, money saving stuff... favourite item of clothing right now: I bought four of the same sweater in different colors from Target and I love them all. I typically do things like that - buy the same thing. I like a "uniform" and in my older age I'm getting more and more picky about the way fabric feels.

fandom three movies you recommend: Lady Bird, American Movie, Rushmore

your favourite concert: I saw Patti Smith in like 2004 and she was mesmerizing.

have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion?: call me petty, but yes.

have you ever left a fandom because of the fans?: I abandoned the shameless fandom for a while because it felt too overwhelming for me - that was back in 2016 maybe?

the best tv show you watched last year: The Bear

do you have a fancasting you just can't let go of?: I have no idea what this means!

a ship you've abandoned: Willow/Tara on a scale of 1-10 how willing are you to share your ao3 history?: Uh, 8? do you have a fandom tattoo?(do you want one?): I have "sorry I'm late" with an orange heart and a black heart on my forearm. I want another gallavich/shameless tattoo I just have to think about it a while. what fandom do you wish was bigger?: Can there please be a Mary Poppins fandom. I could talk about that movie all day long.

has a finale ever ruined a show for you?: I don't think so!

have you...

swam in an ocean?: yes, begrudgingly. I am terrified of the ocean but I swam in it really shallowly as a teenager. ever been vegan/vegetarian?: yes, also as a teenager. In my 20s I rarely ate meat but when I did I felt like I could lift a car. I would break my pseudo-veg ways for beef only. Steak. A burger. Anything. I love beef. Sorry cows. gone skinny dipping?: yes in my 20s at a campground when I was kind of drunk. Not ideal. I am terrified of the water outside of swimming pools, especially dark water. I think I was trying to be sexy or something?

gone skiing?: yes a lot when I was in middle school

been to a convention?: not yet! Crowds get me overstimulated so not sure if that's in my future. Tagging @heymacy @michellemisfit @francesrose3 @gallawitchxx @rereadanon @skylerwinchester @thisdivorce @howlinchickhowl

[cornflowershade]

BL WRAPPED 2023

template by @loveable-sea-lemon

for @celestial-sapphicss & distant-screaming ty for the tag! :D

you watched 13 bls this year. that's about 800+ hours! (which is a lot to me but feels like less when I see other people's answers lol)

you primarily watched bls from Thailand (gmmtv).

you spent way too much time thinking about these characters: Ray (ofts), Sand (ofts), and most of the MSP boys.

your favorite show was My School President / Never Let Me Go / Only Friends / Last Twilight (still airing). you kept thinking about it all year.

your overall bl mood was catching up on shows you've heard about.

you read the most fanfiction about TinnGun. (not that much though)

another of your favorites from this year was SoundWin. they captivated your gay little heart.

the soundtracks you listened to the most were Never Let Me Go and MSP and Only Friends. it made you feel really normal.

your favorite acting pair was FirstKhao. there was just something so mesmerizing about them...

here's to another year!!

invite friends to share theirs: @soundwin @distant-screaming @lamonnaie

[kowtownart]

OOH

OKOK I HAVE AN IDEA

Seeing the sizes differences between Birb, Hum and us (people), we can make a tower :D

Birb, then me a person in his hair and then Hum in their hair :))

double headlice :D /j

I bet the view up there is amazing! Be careful all the way up there! :D

He'd go all 'mother hen' on you if you fell!!

(Plus a little closeup! Hum is a bit puzzled)