#alos the story?? crazy but in a really good way

[princekirijo]

Damn the New Moon and Full Moon drama CDs are honestly some of the most interesting P3 related stories/titles out there, the information we get on the Kirijo Group and Mitsuru's mother (along with the story) is so juicy.

[luuuucas]

Comments on the Canadian GP 🇨🇦

1— I enjoyed the practices pretty much ngl. It was nice to see Jack and AM doing some work

2— “Keep it fresh Canada. Cheers” and Nano’s face😭

3— CRAZY STARTING GRID. Not my personal favourite being a Tifosi but very interesting

4— “@lancestroll you already know what I’m about to ask”

5— George being an ICON and giving us the pose ily

6— Ollie’s reaction to 11-12 😂

7—Logan talking to George during the parade 🥺🥺

8— Mary McGee supporting Mr Hamilton

9—Both Haas going crazy during the 5 ten laps and then dying immediately after

10—“Its predicted to stop raining in 15” and then starts raining five minutes later

11—“No, I don’t like that answer” and Brian’s “we are shit anyways”

12—The moments before Lando passed Max it was an absolute “there’s a Man in the woods” situation

13—Ham-Alo fight enjoyable as per usual

14—Alex’s overtake in lap 31 was absolutely amazing and not talked about enough

15—“Focus, George, Focus”

16—George went crazy when Lewis was about to pass him

17—"You are far too good to people out on track, Max"

18—Everyone hitting against the sing and then Yuki completely crushing it during the race.

19—Max saying Charles next world champion and the passing him before the dnf

20— DANNY RIC POINTSSSSS

21—Double AM points

22—Look I’m not even an Ocon fan but they messed his race awfully and still acted mad with him.

23—MAX VERSTAPPEN 60th WIN

24—The camera on Max’s bottle was hilarious as usual. Do it again.

25—

26—Post race interviews where Mia is showing Charles what he has to say and he goes like “I’ll say whatever I want” and then go like “I’m really pissed off”

27—He went back to his depression settings and started addressing Max by his last name- give this man a break

28—George getting all flustered with Danny’s smack

29— Kika’s story was very sweet

30—Diana of Wales, you lost first place but will never be forgotten ✊😔

31—J V 🤮🤮🤮🤮

32—

33— Oscar is way to polite. We need Seb to be his mentor now SASSY OSCAR ON TRACK ASAP

34—Lastly, I don’t get how F1 fans can be so disrespectful. People were cheering for Lando during National Anthem like brother in Christ.

+ Also, want to talk about Crofty’s comment on needing lighter drivers like Liam or Yuki- absolutely disgusting, we can do so much better guys.

[sibillascribbles08]

Soo very much no pressure but what does Karai from artificial phoenix look like? Seeing as she obvi changed out from previous attire. Nnxndjdn I’m sorry I’m just so glad she’s alive in this version of your au 😭😭 Alos if it’s not too much trouble I’m curious what would her individual dynamics with the boys be like? Also also what was Carol’s reaction to her daughter literally having super powers/Ninpo once the threat of shredder passed. Cuz I can imagine much hilarious shit happening XD

Sorry for the late response ! A lot going on and I wanted to give you SOME kind of visual so I hope this doodle is enough for the time being

I don't necessarily have like a set outfit for her, but I imagine a lot of the stuff she wears is easy to move around in, she'd also be fine with dresses and the like too as long as they are restricting. She MAY cut her hair more down the line but for now she keeps it long.

As for dynamics waaah this might get long let's see

First and foremost she adores them all, obvs, and as things level out and the boys get a bit less clingy after just losing their father their dynamics start differing a bit.

Leo's actually cautious at times, since he sees Karai as an authority figure he often tries to toe the line of what frustrates her and what doesn't by trying different pranks or different jokes. He's a bit surprised to see how easily she goes along with his nonsense (she's very used to it from a lot of the teens that joined the clan). She has her limits, of course, especially when tired, but she eventually finds a good way to tell Leo when she's not in the mood. She lets him explain a lot of comic books to her, and he eventually tries to introduce her to some manga (she doesn't like a ton of it but she gets into some shonen)

Donnie overwhelms her a bit at first, mainly because a lot of the stuff he talks about is a bit out of her scope of understanding. But after seeing her rub her temples for the 18th time he tries to find simpler ways to explain his tech, and ends up becoming the person she goes to first when she finds something new that Cassandra can't explain fully. She watches him build from time to time too, and Karai becomes the person Donnie really confides in when he's getting insecure or frustrated with his mystic abilities.

Mikey and Karai gel together really well between their kind natures, though like Leo Karai sometimes has to communicate when she's getting too worn out because Mikey has SO much energy. Their alone time is often spent going over family stories or even working on a massive family tree that Mikey started to make. Sometimes he tries to illustrate stuff she talks about. Mikey also goes to her a lot for mystic training (along with Draxum) so in a matter of months this boy is gonna be summoning ghosts to go on the attack probably. Oh! She also loves to show Mikey recipes too, based on meals she often ate.

Karai and Raph spar a lot (along with Casey often) and she's glad he's so insistent cause it keeps her in shape. She has a lot of catching up to do after being sealed for 500 years. They honestly get a lost closer after the events of the movie though, as she ends up being the person Raph leans on the most due to all the Big Brother stress and the whole being possessed thing. Sometimes the fam will find him laying on the floor with his head in Karai's lap.

As for Carol she's... rolling with things pretty easily by this point. She already got hit with the instant whammy of "Splinter died. His kids are all mutant turtles. And also I've been fighting crime with them for months." And when things got wilder she's just like "Well that's freaking crazy. Moving on." The stress of watching her daughter fly around with magic powers and weapons can sometimes start getting to her, but at least she can scream about it with Karai and Draxum from time to time.

Also a fun tidbit about Karai being alive and in the modern era, eventually Cassandra finds out Karai is bi and asks if she wants to try dating again and Karai is like I guess??? Anyway girl's trip to the club. (I lowkey want Karai to find a gf but ? I have no ideas for designs atm so I'll leave it there)

[hopetorun]

brady/quinn kidfic!

one hundred years later because i needed to let this cook in my brain for a while. i think this is only supposed to be 5 things that happen in the story but yolo. i do what i want.

the thing is, brady’s always been a natural with kids. he loves kids, and kids love him, and quinn knows he wants so bad, and maybe it's a sore spot that quinn has a kid and brady doesn't but brady's too nice to ever sulk in front of quinn about it. but brady's tried so many times, a couple of serious girlfriends and, most recently, a boyfriend quinn knows he talked about wanting kids with.

the kids weren't even the sticking point -- the boyfriend wanted kids too -- it was the everything else. he didn't want to be a secret and he didn't want the publicity of being brady tkachuk's boyfriend, either, and those were pretty much the only options. so they broke up.

brady's not handling it great. he doesn't say it in so many words, but quinn's known him for more than decade at this point. it's in the way brady calls more often, hitting in those hours where it's a little too late on the east coast but quinn's just winding down for the night. they're facetiming when brady asks him -- quinn's in the middle of brushing his teeth, so it's mostly just brady rambling -- and brady says, "you know, chris and i had this vacation planned for bye week. i guess i could get the money back but if you and mila want to come instead ..."

the first thing quinn thinks about isn't how much he'd like to see brady, it's how when the senators were in vancouver a couple weeks after the breakup, brady wanted to eat dinner at quinn's and watch a movie with quinn and mila. mila fell asleep in his lap and he helped quinn put her to bed and afterward he wouldn't look quinn in the eye for a full twenty minutes.

mila doesn't usually stay with quinn during the season. her mom lives in vancouver and it's easier to just not be shuttling her back and forth and subjecting her to quinn's crazy hours and crazy schedule. he's over there all the time anyway, for lunches and dinners and weekend breakfasts when he can and as many bedtimes as he can wheedle his way into.

it was an amicable breakup. (it wasn't really a breakup, because they were never really together, and quinn was about seventh-eighths of the way to being done sleeping with women entirely, but he was drunk and lonely and sophie was there and her mouth was warm when quinn kissed her and, well, you get the gist.) anyway: they're friends for real now. sometimes sophie looks at him and he can see that she's a little sad he didn't end up wanting to marry her. but this more or less works.

(when mila was three they had a bout of temporary insanity and tried having sex again and had barely made it to being naked when it became clear that it wasn't going to work, which made sophie laugh so hard she got the hiccups. which wasn't good for quinn's ego, but it was probably for the best. it turns out neither of them had a condom anyway, and it did finally diffuse the lingering okay but maybe you're not actually totally gay that was simmering under the surface)

anyway: quinn and mila go on vacation with brady. it's a nice long break, neither of them tapped for all-star weekend for once, and sophie seemed delighted about the prospect of a kid-free week in the middle of the season. (quinn normally takes mila for most of the summer, when he doesn't have to travel and he's back in michigan surrounded by eager babysitters of varying levels of responsibility.)

it's a lovely vacation! brady gets so sunburned he looks like a tomato and whines while quinn rubs aloe on his back and laughs at him. mila likes to poke the sunburn and see how the red skin turns white under her fingers, which absolutely hurts and brady does not complain about at all. it's not something they've ever done before, just the two of them and quinn's kid, but they settle into the routines pretty easily. upgraded the place at the resort to a suite so they aren't all crammed into one room, and after two nights it goes from being brady's room and quinn-and-mila's room to being mila's room and quinn-and-brady's room, because mila goes to sleep at 8 and they can watch like a whole movie after that.

brady doesn't realize until he's back in ottawa that it was fucking him up. it was so nice while it was happening and now he's back home and he can see like he's looking at his own life from the outside how he was putting way too much of his own longing on quinn and just substituting quinn (and mila) in for what he really wants, which is a family of his own. quinn has his own life, his own family (even if it's not a traditional one), and brady can't just steal that for himself!

it takes him another month to realize that it isn't just the abstract. he doesn't just want a family with someone. he wants the specifics: quinn's wrinkled nose when brady's snoring wakes him up. quinn's stupid bedhead. quinn's resigned sigh when mila gets tired and wants to be carried even though she's getting so big that it's honestly pretty exhausting. the fond look in quinn's eyes when he watches brady and the way he laughs at brady's stupid jokes and the mischievous curl of his mouth when he's gonna start winding brady up about something.

so. that's a problem.

[hyuckmov]

HI IM NIKI ANON im indonesian like she is too and i listen to her partly for pride n representation! but also bcs she is j so brilliant honestly!!!!!. MILK TEETH FOR HAECH URE CRAZY (in a good way) i will mayhaps d word if u write that ........ i will kiss n frame it n read it everyday even if it will rip my heart out smth smth i wait for your arms but you give me your jacket instead smth smth AAAH

i listened to the wiltern live album right before i went out today and i swear i was trying to hold my tears in bc i didnt wnna ruin my makeup AUGH shes so good.....

i knew her from before jaem played la la lost you and DUDE it is so crazy suddenly this parasocial relationship no longer feels so one sided. ure telling me there is a chance jaem plays niki's saddest songs on some nights? bops to indigo and move! when hes getting ready too? YEAH

jaehyun's my lowkey lover... screams bcs nicole & jay & i are all aquariuses . all of niki's songs are so air sign coded (which is why it's so fitting for haech fics . he is a gemini stellium and shouldn't couldn't wouldn't literally has the "figures, you gemini" line LIKE CMON)

AHHHH HI NIKI ANON i hope u come back a lot bc i. am currenly getting re-obsessed w her and i love to talk about it!!! alos about pride and representation. im east asian who immigrated to a southeast asian country and now im about to go to england for uni ive been thinking of ways to materialise my asian identity and really keep it a part of me <3 NOT... that i have to try very hard (i am very east asian..) but like now when i listen to niki i think about what she means for diaspora and like the asian community GLOBALLY and it always makes me feel so touched

MILK TEETH FOR HAECHIE just because you said that... i'm going to write it. I PROMISE. i also think anaheim for haechan (i can't live with myself 'cause i know you'd die for me...him being loving and physical-touch-y and very confused when u push him away...) i just want to write the saddest stories for him and idk why😭😭😭 but he's so perfect for her songs tooo </3 high school haech for her album

"this parasocial relationship no longer feels so one sided" YOURE SO RIGHT????? i also knew her before the video hehe and when the intro to la la lost you played i remember feeling CHILLS. i'm also a huge ariana fan so when he played positions & 34+35... also the idea of him listening to niki on the car...in his room at night... i could actually cry jaemin is THEREFORE very la la lost you coded to me. when he posted his instagram psot about grocery shopping in LA i was a wreck!!!!

omg jaehyun with lowkey? YOUR MIND!!! I CAN SEE ITTTT (especially the you ain't even gotta lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-love me line...heartbreaking in the best way) ALSO YOURE SO RIGHT (i am a gemini w a libra moon) she is so air-sign coded.

not u mentionoing jaemin haechan and jaehyun my fav 3!!!! i will definitely write more niki inspired pieces in the future both self indulgently and for u out there <3

[azols]

My first one, so please be gentle. I'm actually posting this drunk, can there be any mistakes? Yes, so let me know if you find any, okay?

She is not angst, but ????? But maybe you who are reading it will find it a little boring, it's not very descriptive and gets to the point. There is nothing explicit.

1,048 words

And the gif is not mine, I found it on Pinterest.

You don’t know exactly when you met Wanda, maybe she was always in your life, or maybe she just appeared like magic.

But everything about the Sokovian girl was interesting to you, from stories about her country to childhood dreams she had, Wanda was always a great mystery.

Her twin brother Pietro liked to call her the Red Queen, implying that the girl was too spoiled, which of course made the girl very angry.

You also liked Pietro, the fast and playful boy who teased you whenever you won at the video game, but of course, you didn’t like Pietro as much as you liked Wanda.

You became inseparable in your childhood and every day you discovered more and more new things about the girl.

Until the beginning of high school, when you and Wanda had your first kiss and then a light went on in your head, making you finally realize why you liked the girl so much.

A few weeks later you declared yourself to Wanda, and lucky for you, she felt the same way.

Wanda was your first kiss, your first time, your first love, and your first broken heart.

At the end of freshman year, Wanda joined the cheerleading squad, and then everything changed.

The girl of your dreams had changed, or maybe she was still the same Wanda, only you were no longer so interesting.

Well, you had changed too, you had become a troublemaker, detentions and running away from class were your specialty.

At the beginning of the vacations you split up, and the news was that she had given you the boot, which was true but very bad for your reputation.

Soon after that she got into a relationship with Jarvis Stark, or Vision for short.

The golden boy, younger brother of Tony Stark, high school basketball star and number one in his class, rich and destined to run the family business with iron hand alongside his brother.

The two were named after a royal couple, but you knew the truth.

When you heard the news you rushed to the Maximoff house and snuck into Wanda’s room, something that was already almost natural for you.

“ What are you doing here?” she didn’t even have to look back to know you were there.

“ Is it true?” The question came out quickly almost desperately, and you didn’t want to sound desperate.

Wanda gave a smile that you knew well, she knew you well enough to know that you would come to her as soon as the news got to you.

“ What is true?” Her voice still gave you chills.

“You’re dating that guy”

“Vision is a nice guy, he treats me well” You didn’t need to hear any more, walking out of there right away.

You knew it.

The second week of school she called you.

She said she couldn’t stop thinking about you and that she missed you a lot.

You went to see her late at night.

You never really talked.

Her skin was too soft, your fingers glided across her milky skin.

Her smell was intoxicating and made you dizzy.

Her lips... They were intoxicating, they made you lose your mind.

You jumped through her window early in the morning and swore to yourself that it would never happen again.

By the third week of school, the hallways were a mess, everyone wanted to see the golden boy with his broken heart.

Wanda had dumped him in front of everyone, leaving the boy inconsolable.

He was crying while all his friends were around him.

You felt a little sorry for him, you had been through the same situation.

Of course, not the public humiliation, but the feeling of being left, kicked and cheated.

You went to your class without looking back.

After that Wanda got a new title, The Heartbreaking Queen.

She broke a good part of the hearts of the boys and girls of the college.

Driving several people crazy along the way, everyone speculated who would make the cold queen’s heart melt.

You meet countless times after this.

You liked to fool yourself that this was the time she would finally choose you.

But Wanda would call you just to spend the night, just to play.

You couldn’t understand how the girl who called you the love of her life could have turned out to be such a cold-hearted bitch.

You were in the cafeteria when Steve Rogers, captain of the football team, came screaming for Wanda.

He was red and seemed to foam with rage, frightening anyone in the room.

Wanda however was unfazed.

Pietro stood up to protect his sister in case something happened, but Steve was pulled away screaming by his teammates.

Later that day you found out that Wanda had broken up with a boy.

Wait finished? Were they a thing?

A day later Wanda called you, you tried to resist, but....

Who are you kidding?

You went, determined to end that relationship.

Well, you never got to talk about it.

Wanda continued to destroy hearts, the third important person or the athletic team was Natasha Romanoff, the fight club leader punched away at the cabinet’s wondering how she could have been so stupid to fall into the spider’s web.

You wondered the same thing sometimes.

You went on your way out of the school, feeling sick and not wanting to attend any more classes, you went home.

Unable to think, unable to reason, and feeling used, you skipped that whole week.

Ignoring all of Wanda’s messages and calls, you spent the week inside your room reflecting.

You knew it, so did she.

Two weeks later, you showed up in Wanda’s room.

“Are you finally going to stop acting like a child?” She asked.

“You know, you used to call me the love of your life, used to ask me to stay. “

“When was all that declined Wanda?” The question made her uncomfortable, you could tell.

“I guess we weren’t made to fit in, we grow and change” She shrugged.

“ I don’t want to be one of your games anymore, I’m tired of being the Queen’s pawn” You turned around about to leave.

“You know... Could you stay for the day?” she let the question slip in a whisper.

You’ve made your decision.

[boldlyvoid]

Amoreena | chapter thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

main summary: Heaven is a real place and it's located exactly 14.6 miles away from the FBI, Quantico Headquarters. Off behind a small park, under a fantastical willow tree surrounded by wildflowers, in every colour young minds can imagine.

Don't forget, heaven also comes with angels.

Chapter Warnings: fluff like unbelievably fluffy!

word count: 6.1

here's the playlist for the fic, the last song in the playlist if looped will lead right into Amoreena at the beginning and it works pretty well timing-wise if you like to listen while you read !!

from the beginning <3

All their bags were packed by Friday morning, Y/N and Amoreena waking up extra early with excitement for the weekend ahead of them, and they didn’t even know what was going to happen yet.

Y/N made sure everything was packed and ready for a 3rd time on Saturday morning, right before they left on the trip; making sure they had sunscreen and aloe vera, all her medicine and ginger ale by the pack for her random bouts of morning sickness that lasted all, day, long... And their dresses and his suit hanging behind the driver's seat, beside Amoreena, they all piled into Y/N’s car and took off down the road on their adventure.

Amoreena was awake for the first half of the 9-hour trip, singing like crazy as they drove through Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York, it was so amazing she couldn’t stop cheering the whole time. It was more than she’s ever seen before, even though they lived so close to New York, she’s never been through it before.

Once they arrived in Rhode Island, Spencer pulled over at the closest gas station to make sure the girls were all prepared and ready for the big surprise he had for them. They filled the car, used the restroom and bought some lemonade before getting back into the car, he turned in the driver's seat to see Amoreena and Y/N better, looking at their wide eyes memorizing the calmness in their faces before he told them.

He didn’t want them to freak out too much, he was worried about Y/N’s blood pressure and how loud she might scream and any stress that a situation like this could put on her body. He’s seen how people react to Taylor Swift, he just didn’t know how they would.

“Now, I'm only telling you so you don't freak out," he repeated the same worry she had when she broke the news of the baby, "I didn’t have to rent a place on the water because my friend lives up here, so we’re going to stay in her guest house,” he explained it simply.

“Rossi's wife?” Y/N asked, confused about who it could be and if she knew this woman yet.

“No, actually I think you might know her, her name is Taylor?”

“No,” she shakes her head furiously, “no, nope, there's no way you did this, Spencer Walter Reid I am not kidding I’m going to pass away if I see her.” She's holding both her hands in fists as she tries to stay calm, closing her eyes quickly before letting out a deep sigh.

“Taylor who?” Amoreena yells, undoing her seatbelt and standing between their seats, she almost jumps into his lap as she leans over and grabs a fistful of his shirt, “Taylor WHO?”

“Go get in your seat and I’ll show you,” he teases, watching her follow orders and get back in the seat as quickly as possible, shouting at him to drive the second he hears the seatbelt click again.

Y/N is completely speechless for the next 20 minutes of the drive, eyes wide and a hand on her stomach as she stares out the front window. She’s like a statue, not able to hear anything Amoreena is saying but that doesn't stop her from going on and on with her stories.

“Mom!” She’s finally able to break her out of the haze, “pass me your phone!”

“Yeah,” she doesn’t even question it, handing her the phone back to the antsy 7-year-old so she could continue her internal panic.

They see her house on the hill as they approach, “holy shit,” Y/N whispers as Amoreena turns on the last great American dynasty, knowing exactly where they were going.

Taylor asked for his licence plate number and car model when they were emailing, letting her gate guy know to let Spencer right in so he could keep it a secret. But they knew the house, there was no point in not telling them. Y/N looked a little relieved that he gave her the time to freak out alone and not as soon as they crested the hill.

Her driveway felt never-ending as they got closer and closer, Amoreena was still in disbelief as she squealed in the back seat, hands flailing as she tried to calm the excitement inside her body with her favourite stim.

Then Taylor walked out into the front yard and Y/N was a mess. Crying as she waved her hand in front of her face, not wanting to be a mess in front of Taylor fucking Swift, “I told you nothing crazy! How did you do this?”

“Yes, but I said 'define crazy’ and you didn’t,” he reminds her with a cheeky smile.

She shoves him, “I didn’t think you could do this?!”

Once they’re parked the door automatically unlocked, and as much as spencer hated that non-safety feature, he's glad Amoreena can get out quickly before she's screaming bloody murder. Amoreena is out the door and in Taylor’s arms faster than they’ve ever seen her move, she should be a track star. It almost knocks Taylor to the ground as she takes her in, holding the sweet little girl against her chest with the biggest smile on her face. Amoreena snuggles right into her, with a hand on her cheek and her other arm wrapped behind her neck. She couldn't be any closer to her, it was like she was her favourite relative who she hasn't seen in a while.

Amoreena is talking her ear off already by the time Spencer’s helping Y/N out of the car and walking her to Taylor, she’s holding his hand like she’s going to pass out or something, “and this is my mom Y/N and my dad Spencer but somehow you know him already,” Amoreena introduces her.

“Hi, Y/N, it's a pleasure to meet you, Spencer's told me a lot about you.” Taylor’s sweet voice saying her name alone makes her stutter out a bunch of nonsense, not to mention the fact Spencer's been talking to Taylor fucking Swift about her.

Amoreena moves out of the way for Taylor to wrap her up in a hug, and Y/N cries harder than he’s ever seen on her shoulder, “thank you,” is all she can say, it’s frightening to Amoreena at first to see her mom cry like that but she knows her mom just loves Taylor like family.

What she doesn’t know is just how much Taylor saved her life. If she didn’t have someone to listen to, someone to take the pain and replace it with hope, she wouldn’t be here and by default neither would Amoreena. Spencer owed everything to Taylor swift at this point, she was a blessing in his life that he took for granted. Not realizing until that moment just how much she meant to him as well now.

“Sorry,” Y/N finally says as she pulls off her, “I’m pregnant, I can’t help it.”

Taylor’s hands fly right to her stomach, “holy crap, you never told me that she’s pregnant in your emails, oh my god!” She’s genuinely so happy for them, “how far along are you?”

“6 weeks on Sunday,” she smiles, feeling like herself again even though it’s incredibly strange to be telling Taylor before her parents even knew. “No one really knows, it’s all very new but when you know, you know… y’know?”

For a woman with an English language degree, she sure knew how to make a sentence, all of them laughing at the words she chose, but they understood.

“We should have used paper rings!” Amoreena yells, holding her hand over her eyes in disbelief as she shares her head with a sigh, she couldn’t believe she forgot that song existed.

It made Taylor laugh, scooping the little one up in her arms and starting the walk inside.

“Well come on in, I’ve got a big lunch spread ready for us and then we can go to the beach for the ceremony whenever you want this weekend, does that sound good?” Taylor is beyond excited to make new friends, much like Amoreena, they got along famously.

“Where are the cats? Do they live here or in LA or Nashville?” Amoreena changed the topic in the form of a yes and proving just how much she knew about Taylor.

“They’re here, Olivia and Benjamin will probably find us soon, Meredith isn’t very open to new friends now that she’s an old lady,” Taylor explained as she set Amoreena down in the entryway, bending down to be at her level and pointing off into the living room, “oh, see, there one is!”

Amoreena saw one of them laying on the floor under a sunny spot, running to it and petting it gently, “hi Benjamin, I loved you in the ME video,” she whispers as she pets him, making Taylor swoon.

“She’s amazing,” Taylor swooned, “I can’t wait to have one.”

“You should!” Y/N agreed, reaching to take Taylor's hand on impulse, and Taylor held it back with a smile, “oh that would be so wonderful, I can just imagine the beautiful stories you’ll create when you discover what it’s like to love someone how your mom loves you.”

Taylor’s smile was priceless, "that's the best way to think about it," she beamed at Y/N the way Spencer did, she had that effect on people. They followed her into the dining room, taking a seat near each other and digging into all the food Taylor made for them.

“Ah,” Amoreena said as she finally joined them, sitting on her knees on Taylors nice antique chairs. “Shark coochie,” she whispers the words to herself, not able to stop her mind from repeating it, but still not wanting Taylor to hear it in case it was inappropriate. She was incredibly well-mannered for someone who had a hard time reading social queues.

“It’s a hard word to say,” Taylor agreed, making her feel less awkward. Spencer may have told her about her autism in advance, wanting his little girl to be respected by everyone she met, for who she truly was, “my mom called it a coochie spread once, actually, she's going to be over tomorrow for father's day.”

"Yes! Oh, I love Andrea," Amoreena laughed at how cool this day was, smiling at Taylor the way she smiled at him that first morning at breakfast like she just found yet another person to love. “You’re so wonderful, Taylor.”

“Oh, thank you, you're pretty enchanting yourself,” she smiles, “I take it you’ve known about me for your whole life?”

“Yep,” she smiled, reaching for a chocolate-covered strawberry and taking a huge bite, covering her mouth before she continued, “I was born a month after Red came out, November thirteenth, it really is a lucky number now, mom says so at least.”

“It is!” Taylor agreed with a smile, “I have some markers, do you want to wear matching 13’s today?”

“Mom, can I colour on my hand?” She turns so fast Spencer thinks she’ll get whiplash.

“Yeah, go for it!” She agrees, spreading cream cheese on a croissant and layering tomatoes on top, definitely pregnant.

So Taylor gets a marker and both their left hands now have matching numbers. Amoreena asks to take a million photos, eventually just taking Y/N’s phone from her, permanently, to take photos of all her favourite things around the house.

She runs off with the cats at a certain point, giving Y/N a chance to thank Taylor without tiny ears listening in. “Can I get really emotional and tell you how much you mean to me or is that too weird for our first chat?”

“Not weird at all, knowing you’ve used my music to raise that beautiful child makes me love you just as much, I’d love to hear why you picked me, of all musicians, to show her how to love,” Taylor replies, as regal and kindly as humanly possible.

“My first fiancé, Stephen, he was actually like an angel and our first kiss was quite literally in the rain, but he passed away in 2010,” she explained it with a smile so Taylor knew it wasn’t a touchy subject anymore, “I bonded with Fearless in a way I can’t even describe to you, it’s my life, he was my superstar, and white horse, I mean come on, I can’t tell you how many times I cried to that after he died but it helped me not feel alone. I wouldn’t be who I am without Fearless, and then Speak Now was there for me when I needed a good cry, Last Kiss really broke me but it wasn’t until Lover came out that I realized I could find someone again, and it’s always just like you released things as I needed them like you were helping me through all the bad things,” she’s never even told Spencer all this, it was special to him that he got to give her this moment.

“When you re-released it with the vault songs, I met Spencer literally a month later. I cried my eyes out to you all over me, but That’s When makes me think of Spencer and now the whole album has a new memory in my heart that’s better. It's just like why you re-released it, to replace the bad things that happened that took all the happiness out of something you cared so much about." Y/N took a second to breathe, shaky as she got to the end of her rant that she seemed to have prepared in the 20 minutes before she had to talk to her.

"I love you, honestly. You’re my best friend and you didn’t even know me then, but you’ve held my hand through it all, so thank you,” she cried a little, holding her belly with one hand as she tried to hold the tears in.

Taylor was out of her chair and in Y/N’s arms within seconds, crying into her arms as she held her. She rubbed Y/N’s back as she cried too, “I’m so sorry that happened, but I’m glad I could be there.”

“Do you want to be this baby's godmother?” She asks on impulse without even asking Spencer if he’s okay with it, he was, it made him laugh.

“Eleonora Taylor Reid,” Spencer says from across the table, making them both turn to him with wide eyes.

“Yes,” Y/N agrees fast, “that's the name if it’s a girl, if it’s a boy he can be Taylor as well?”

“Holy shit,” Taylor smiled wide, “yes, I want to come to visit the farm and buy them baby gifts and throw you a baby shower! I inadvertently helped make them so it’s only fair.”

“Hopefully she gets your voice too, Y/N,” Spencer adds and Y/N shoots him a panicked glance, “it’s the Taylor legacy to be a good singer.”

“You can sing?” The question Y/N feared coming past Taylor's lovely vocal cords, almost on queue.

Y/N can't help but glare at spencer, he had too many tricks up his sleeve and she was at her limit.

“Yes,” Y/N finally answers, “I was going to go to theatre school, but I switched to become a Librarian, I’m not good with crowds or competition and that's basically what the industry depends on. I like the quiet, telling stories on paper is just as easy as singing it to a crowd.”

“That's fair,” Taylor agreed, “would you and Amoreena like to sing some song with me? I have my guitar or the piano? I’m not used to having new friends over without sharing at least 1 song with them. I’m sure you’ve seen my listening parties?” She was really trying to convince her to sing, Spencer knew why and what she had planned.

Amoreena came running in then, “I can play piano too, can we do the long live new year's day from the tour movie?” She rests her hands on Taylor's arm, looking up at her with the biggest puppy dog eyes.

“Of course, come on,” she says taking Amoreena’s hand and rushing into the piano room. “Here, we’ll record it too,” she offered, setting her phone up on the music stand to capture the moment forever.

They sat side by side on the bench, Amoreena showing her how she could play the opening perfectly and surprising Spencer. He knew they had a piano at home, he’s just never seen her play it before.

“She has perfect pitch,” Y/N bragged, “she can play a song after hearing it once.”

“Really?” Spencer had no idea, unbelievably proud of her as he listened to her play.

She’s quietly playing the intro to Long Live as Taylor watches, joining in with the harmony of New Year's Day, “this one reminds me of my mom and dad.”

“Does it?” Taylor coo’s, smiling at her softly as Y/N tries not to cry beside Spencer.

“They’re the knight and the princess of our kingdom,” she explained before the two of them started singing the words together, like they always have, only Taylor was beside her and not just on the TV.

“I said remember this moment, in the back of my mind, the time we stood with our shaking hands, the crowds in the stands went wild,” Amoreena’s tiny voice lead-in, fearlessly as she played away.

“We were the Kings and the Queens, and they read off our names, the night you danced like you knew our lives would never be the same... You held your head like a hero, on a history book page... It was the end of a decade, but the start of an age,” Spencer couldn’t help but cry as she sang with Taylor.

This was on the concert movie, he showed her after school, this song came on and she was silent, listening to the words as she stared at him and then back at the TV. Her mind was connecting little dots, making a story about her mom and dad being the king and the queen, it all made sense now.

“Long live the walls we crashed through, how the kingdom lights shined just for me and you, I was screaming long live, all the magic we made and bring on all the pretenders, I’m not afraid,

Long live all the mountains we moved, I had the time of my life, fighting dragons with you, I was screaming long live, that look on your face, and bring on all the pretenders, one day, we will be remembered,”

Their fingers moved in sync on the keys as they harmonized almost perfectly, she wasn’t kidding about Amoreena having perfect pitch. She knew all the words and sang them almost louder than Taylor.

“And hold on to spinning around, confetti, falls to the ground. May these memories break our fall…”

The piano changes, the cords softer as they move into a new song, smiling at her mom and dad like she knew something. She had no idea what happened the night of the fake wedding, just that they had a party without her.

“And hold on… To spinning around… Confetti… Falls to the ground…”

Spencer wraps his arms around Y/N then, resting his chin on her shoulder as they sway to the tune, she’s barely whispering the words beside him as she smiles as her baby.

“There's glitter on the floor after the party, girls carrying their shoes down in the lobby, candle wax and Polaroids on the hardwood floor, you and me from the night before, but… Don’t read the last page, but I stay when you're lost, and I'm scared and you're turning away. I want, your midnights, I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day,”

Y/N’s hands rest on top of Spencer’s, she squeezes them three times, right before the next lyric.

“You squeeze my hand three times in the back of the taxi, I can tell that it's gonna be a long road. I’ll be there if you're the toast of the town, babe, or if you strike out and you're crawling home,

Don't read the last page, but I stay, when it’s hard or it’s wrong or we’re making mistakes. I want, your midnights, but I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day,”

“Hold on, to the memories, they will hold on to you,” the two of them chanting along with Taylor in beautiful harmony, Spencer felt like he was in heaven among the angels, but for real this time. “And I will hold on to you…”

The piano is so soft, it’s just Amoreena’s fingers hitting them as Taylor goes silent, letting her take the lead with a soft smile, “Please don't ever become a stranger whose laugh, I, could recognize anywhere. Please don't ever become a stranger whose laugh, I, could recognize anywhere.”

They stop for just a moment for Amoreena to smile up at Taylor, just like the break in the concert, “I really do love you,” she reminds them all before playing again.

“We love you, too, sweet girl,” Taylor replies for them using the same nickname for her because it was the truth. She was the sweetest girl, that Amoreena.

“There's glitter on the floor after the party, girls carrying their shoes down in the lobby, candle wax and Polaroids on the hardwood floor. You and me forevermore, don't read the last page, but I stay when it’s hard or it’s wrong or we’re making mistakes and I want, your midnights, but I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day,”

“Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you,” the girls all chant together, swaying back and forth to the rhythm before taking different parts in the song like they’ve planned it before.

“And Long live,” Taylor takes the one song, while Amoreena takes the other.

Please don't ever become a stranger…

The walls we crashed through..

Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere…

I had the time of my life

Please don't ever become a stranger…

With you…

Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere…"

Amoreena plays the rest, smiling wide at the best day of her life. Meaning every single word she’s saying. “And Long live, the walls we crashed through. I had the time of my life… With you…” Amoreena ends with a few extra notes, making Taylor smile as she held her in a side hug.

She turns back to the piano then, starting to play Amoreena by Elton John. “No way..” Y/N gasps, before getting ready to sing along with all the confidence in the world, alongside Taylor Swift of all people.

“It’s just that; Lately, I've been thinking, how much I miss my lady, Amoreena's in the hayfield, brightening the daybreak,” Taylor changes some of the words, much to Y/N surprise.

“Livin’ like a lusty flower, runnin’ through the grass for hours, rollin’ through the hay, oooh, like a puppy child! And when it rains, the rain falls down… washing out the cattle town… and she's far away somewhere… in her eiderdown… And she dreams of crystal streams, of days gone by when we would lean… Laughing, fit to burst, upon each other…”

Y/N turns to Spencer then, singing to him softly as she wraps her arms around him and sways her hips to the song, pressing against him like they were in the movie Dirty Dancing, something she’s always wanted to do, clearly, with the smile on her face as she sings.

“I can see you sittin’, eatin’, apples in the evenin’. Fruit juice, flowing slowly, slowly, slowly down the bronze of your body. Livin’, like a lusty flower, runnin’ through the grass for hours, rollin’ through the hay, oooh, like a puppy child.”

Amoreena’s voice was the loudest in the chorus, this was her song after all. She belted it out like it was made for her.

“And when it rains, the rain falls down! Washing out the cattle town! And she's far away somewhere… in her eiderdown! And she dreams of crystal streams, of days gone by! When we would lean, laughing, fit to burst upon each other…”

Spencer knew the words as well, who didn’t? It was Elton John's best song. He hugged Y/N, snuggling into the crook of her neck as they twirled in Taylor Swift's living room, swaying with her, forgetting they weren’t alone for a moment.

“Oh, if only I could nestle, in the cradle of your cabin. My arm's around your shoulder, oh… The window wide and open, while the swallow and the sycamore, whoa! Are playing in the valley. Oh, I miss you, Amoreena, like the king bee misses honey!”

“And when it rains, the rain falls down! Washing out the cattle town! and she's far away somewhere… in her eiderdown! And she dreams of crystal streams, of days gone by when we would lean! Laughing, fit to burst upon each other, oooh!”

Amoreena and Taylor playing the iconic piano solo together, Y/N can’t help but move in closer to watch over her little girls shoulders.

“Lately, I've been thinking… How much I miss my lady… Amoreena's in a cornfield, brightening the daybreak. Livin’, like a lusty flower! Runnin; through the grass for hours! Rollin’ through the hay, woah! Like a puppy, like a puppy, child…” Y/N’s voice loud enough to be on the recording Taylor was making as the song ended.

Taylor stopped it then, just as Y/N swore, “holy shit, that was the coolest thing that’s ever happened in my whole life.”

“Mom,” Amoreena looked at her like she broke the law or something, “you don’t swear in front of her…” she mumbled.

Taylor laughed, wrapping her up in another hug, “have you heard champagne problems? It’s okay for big kids to swear here,” she teased her.

They laughed like they were family like they’ve been there before and were always meant to return. Something just clicked with them, and without a doubt, they’d be returning. Taylor Swift of all people slipped right into their little life, filling the shoes of big sister, best friend and coolest aunt in the world all in one day.

It was the most perfect afternoon.

—

Just before the sunset, they all changed into their wedding attire. Meeting out on the beach for their small, extremely intimate wedding ceremony with miss Taylor Swift. Getting it out of the way so they could have the whole weekend for whatever Taylor had planned for them. She said she had a few surprises up her sleeve still.

They filled out all the paperwork required on Taylor's kitchen table beforehand, she had all the right documents from when she registered to ordain online. All they had to do was submit it at town hall and they’d be legally married.

But it didn’t matter to them, this was enough.

Taylor and Amoreena stood side by side at a homemade arch on the beachfront that Taylor owned, waiting patiently for Spencer and Y/N to walk down the fake aisle, hand in hand. They couldn’t stop smiling as they saw Amoreena at the end, a big smile on her face as she bounced with excitement.

They reached the end, turning to each other, Amoreena took Y/N’s bouquet, it was her duty as maid of honour and best man.

“Spencer and I have been emailing for 2 weeks about today, he’s been filling me in little by little about you both as he got to know you, I’ve really gotten to see his love for you in the form of letters,” Taylor described with a large smile on her face.

Y/N looks at him with an open mouth, shocked as she shakes her head in disbelief at him. “You’re kidding, is she who emailed you when we had lunch 2 weeks ago?”

Spencer nodded with another cheeky smile, “she emailed me as you told me not to plan anything too crazy.”

Y/N just laughed at the insanity, “sorry Taylor, please continue.”

“It’s okay,” she laughed along, “it’s actually kind of interesting how Amoreena picked long live and New Year’s Day to sing because from what I’ve learned about you both, the intermission poem from that tour really was written for you, somehow. Almost like by design or some violent, exquisite happenstance…”

Y/n’s eyed do that thing they always do when she’s remembering something she’s heard before, finding the exact filing cabinet in her mind and opening it. She finds the words.

“When she fell, she fell apart. Cracked her bones on the pavement she once decorated as a child with sidewalk chalk,” she starts the poem with a small nod, letting Taylor continue the monologue in the form of vows.

“When’s she crashed, her clothes disintegrated. And blew away with the winds that took all of her fair-weather friends, family and lovers. When she looked around her skin was spattered with ink. Forming the words of a thousand voices, echoes she heard even in her sleep: whatever you say, it is not right. Whatever you do, it is not enough. Your kindness is fake. Your pain is manipulative.”

Y/N hasn’t watched the concert recently, unlike Spencer. She didn’t realize how much it sounded like them. Spencer, however, spotted the coincidences the second he heard it that night with Amoreena. Telling Taylor, explaining in detail how Maeve and Stephen were their personal last kiss storylines, but they’ve found a lover in each other. Cheesy, but it was the best way he could describe it.

“When she lay there on the ground she dreamed of time machines and revenge. And a love that was really something. Not just the idea of something.”

She turned her attention to Spencer, replacing the pronouns to fit him for the next part, Y/N looked at him already knowing why, smiling as she made the connection in her mind.

“When he finally rose, he rose slowly. Avoiding old haunts and sidestepping shiny pennies. Wary of phone calls and promises, charmers, dandies and get-love-quick-schemes.

When he stood, he stood with a desolate knowingness, waded out into the dark wild oceans up to his neck. Bathed in his brokenness. Said a prayer of gratitude, for each chink in the armour he never knew he needed.

Standing broad-shouldered next to him, was a love that was really something. Not just the idea of something.

When they turned to go home, they heard echoes of new words: may your heart remain breakable but never by the same hand twice. And even louder: without your past, you could never have arrived so wondrously and brutally, by design or some violent, exquisite happenstance… here.”

“What she said,” Y/N says with a quick giggle, leaning in as she laughs, taking him down in a giggle fit with her.

Amoreena’s lightly tugging on Taylor’s dress then, “you have to say it, please you can’t not say it, I had this planned out before I even knew you’d beee here…” she whispers like Taylor has any clue what she’s talking about.

Y/N just starts to shake her head with a smile, “I think she means the speak now bridge,” she reminds her.

“Ahh,” she smiles, picking Amoreena up to be at eye level with them all, she sings. “I hear the preacher say speak now or forever hold, your, pee-E-eeace,” she sings it exactly like it is on the album, almost as if she’s been practicing to release it again…

“There’s the silence there’s my last chance, I stand up with shaking hands all eyes, on me,” Amoreena lightly signs right back. “Horrified looks from everyone in the room but I’m only looking at you!”

Spencer laughs then too, smiling at his little girl living out the fantasy of a lifetime, seeing her mom dressed like a princess and marrying the broken knight with rusty armour, while Taylor Swift of all people holds her. Nothing about the life they had together felt real, but he wouldn’t change it for the world.

“I think it’s only fair if I get a say in who marries my mom because I’ve known her the longest,” she adds, “and I’m not the kind of girl who should be rudely barging in on this white veil occasion, but you happen to be the best dad in the whole world, so I think it’s cool that you love my mom.”

Y/N lets out a choked sob, she clearly had no idea that Amoreena was planning to say all that, but of course, she was. She knew all about every single Disney princess wedding, every fairytale ending and happily ever after, Taylor has helped her learn about love and vows and true feelings that cannot be stopped.

She knew what to say and she meant every word.

Spencer reaches out to take Amoreena from Taylor, holding her in his arms instead as Y/N snuggled in close to them, both his girls in his arms.

“I think it’s only fair I give some vows to you as well, I’m committing my whole life to this family, you should know how much that means I love you, too, Amoreena.” She snuggles in closer to his neck as she holds him back, Y/N’s head resting on his other shoulder.

“Till the day I die, I am going to be here for you: with unconditional love, with the best stories and the best morning cuddles. I don’t care if you pull me out of bed at 5 in the morning to feed the goats, or the chickens or just because you think the sun looks pretty and want me to see it too. I love you Amoreena, you’ve completed my life."

"Do you remember that day you asked me to be your dad?” his voice is so soft as he bumps her cheek with his nose.

She wipes her tears as she pulls away from his shoulder, overly emotional at the events of the day and extremely tired from the excitement she let out earlier. She nods softly, “I meant it.”

“I know honey,” he can’t help but start to cry a little as well, dropping his manly facade and being real with her. She deserved to see exactly what she meant to him, “I watched you pouring glitter glue all over that table, making the biggest mess ever, but it made me think… I had a hole in my heart for so many years, there was a part of me missing for so, so, so long, and then I found a little Eden by beautiful little kingdom, and the fairest lady in all the land took me in, and she patched up my broken heart with glitter glue.”

Amoreena tried to smile the tears away, sniffling as she tried to nod, “that's how I felt when you told me I could pick you to be my dad.”

Y/N was a sobbing mess, having to crouch down to her knees as she let it all out, steadying herself by holding onto Spencer’s leg like a child would at that height, “is she okay?” Amoreena worried.

“Your mom loves us so much, and the baby does too, so it’s making her a bit more emotional than normal,” he explains, wishing he could scoop Y/N up and hold her as well.

She wipes the tears from her face as she calms herself down and stands back up with help from Taylor, “thank you,” she manages to whisper to her with a smile.

She’s also been crying, watching the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen. A family built on true love coming together, using her songs to form a bond that she’d never understand.

And she didn’t want to, some stories were best kept in families, to be sent down the line, generation after generation, to fall into the lap of someone like her one day and create a whole world with it.

“With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband, wife and daughter, the royal Reid family,” Taylor’s voice is soft as she plays along with Amoreena’s fantasy land, hushed to match the moment as Spencer leaned in to kiss Y/N.

Amoreena doesn’t cry out in disgust this time, instead, resting her head on her dad's shoulder as she watched them peck each other's lips gently. Watching a fairytale happy ending unfold in front of her very eyes, blessed to be the result of this happy union.

...

A/N: my anon is on now if anyone wants to come talk about the fic with me!! i love to share little hc's and things with you over here (also this was the original planned ending I wasn't going to continue past here but I'm probably going to write this for the next 10 years its too fun not to)

tag list: @shemarmooresfedora @spencers-dria @spookyspence @reidsfish @manuosorioh @mochionly @samuel-de-champagne-problems @jswessie187

[getthebutters]

HOW GAY SEX CREATED THE BUTTERS

Many companies have inspirational or motivational origin stories. The Butters, is not one of those companies. Our origin story is solely based on my desire for more homosexual anal sex. Frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way!

The Butters spawned from collision of necessity, curiosity, and a lack of funds in the winter of 2015. I’d just got in a new relationship as a 20-something Libra and honestly lube was becoming a line item on the budget. I needed an affordable lube that wouldn’t dry out, get sticky, or irritate my guy’s bottom.

I was just tryna stroke away unencumbered but the options available didn’t want me to be great. I did want me to be great. So, I figured I’d see if I could make something myself.

I ended up making The Butters Lube Aloe X Shea. It was fucking fantastic, 100% vegan and made my skin hella soft. I wondered if it would be a good body moisturizer. It was an incredible moisturizer but a little too slippery. With a few tweaks, voila, The Butters Original Body Moisturizer was born. Both were instant hits with friends. So, I made more and more; I also made a lot of people really, really happy, to my surprise.

I love my destiny’s children, but the positive reception still shocked me. It also convinced to me keep working. Within a year The Butters Hygienics Co. became a thing. 6 years, 60,000 jars of lube, and 40,000 units of everything else later, it’s clear I’m on to something.

The Butters exists because you’re not crazy. Store products suck. With The Butters, it’s my goal to provide high quality, personal solutions that truly don’t for the queerest among us, starting with myself.  

Despite what national brands tell you, it’s really their size and complexity that limit the quality and value of their products. On the other hand, The Butters is a brand based on simplicity, honesty, ingenuity, and horniness. Our products rock cause we’re our own discerning-yet-excluded customers first. We know what anal lovers, fisting fans, strap-wielding-scissor sisters, bators and other queer, kinky, colored fuckers need. We are you.

This ethos and intuition bleeds into everything we make. Lube, PMS* Rescue, Bruise Soother, Happy N’ Nappy, Face Oil made to care for folks on hormones; like come on. What other brand is out here caring for your mind, body, and holes? No one. And we’re gonna keep at it for another 6-600 years.

On a personal note, thanks for being here for this queer and his band of merry Butter Maids. As a 34-year-old mentally ill & disabled fat black gay boy from metro Detroit, the statistics say I’m supposed to be in jail, dead or dead inside. While I was never gonna let that happen, it took a lot of hard work and support from others to make it this far. Support from people like you! Thank you.

I’m literally living gay pride, black history, queer liberation day by day. With my highly gay staff and support of local queer youth orgs, I’m geeked to be helping lift other queers as well. We still have a long way to go but you can rest assured that at least 5 young queers are living better and safer because I was horny, and so are you. I think that’s pretty fuggin’ gay and by gay, I mean amazing, astounding, outstanding, and groundbreakingly gay.

In peace, moisture, & punk faggotry

Jerome

[randomfandomnerd]

Sunshine and Shadows- Chapter 1

Watching Nico talking to Annabeth and Percy, Will mentally slapped himself in the face. That conversation had gone about as smoothly as the surface of the moon. There was no chance of Nico ever willingly talking to him if he behaved like an overprotective mother hen, although part of him still wanted to wrap the son of Hades up in a blanket, burrito-style, and hand-feed him nutritious snacks.

“Solace!”

The harsh tone of Clarisse’s voice snapped him back to reality.

“Quit admiring Di Angelo! I know you’d be more than happy to do that all day, so I’m reminding you now! You have an appointment after lunch to give Chuck a check-up DO NOT BE LATE OR YOU’LL BE GETTING AN APPOINTMENT WITH MY SPEAR!”

On that friendly note, the newly-elected godmother stormed over to the Athena Cabin to harass the campers who had offered to weave clothes for the new-born satyr. Gods help whoever stood in the way of her warpath. She adored Chuck and was determined to make his life as perfect as possible. 

Will nodded vaguely, before turning back to watch the son of Hades. He couldn’t help it. It wasn’t his fault that Nico was so gods damned attractive. Nico laughed at something Percy said, the action lighting up his face, making him truly look like the angel his name said he was. He gave Annabeth a high-five before heading back towards where Will was standing in front of the Apollo Cabin. 

Will noticed a blush creeping into his cheeks and quickly turned away, mortified. A moment later he felt a prod at his shoulder and looked up to see the son of Hades regarding him questioningly. 

“Will? We’d better get these 3 days over and done with then, right?”

Startled, Will let out a weird laugh that sounded like a piece of machinery made by Cabin 9, before nodding, turning round, and promptly walking into the doorframe, much to the amusement of Kayla, who was sitting inside, waxing her bowstring. Embarrassed, he quickly changed from his flip-flops into something more suitable for the infirmary before emerging again onto the porch. 

✧✧✧

Nico was waiting for him on the porch, leaning against a post, drumming his fingers against the railing. When Will approached him, he stood up and gestured for the son of Apollo to lead the way. The walk to the infirmary was short, thank the gods, and Will spent the time determinedly staring forwards. A few campers were hurrying around, carrying supplies. Will nodded a hello towards Jake Mason, who  was with a few other Hephaestus kids. The older boy didn’t have crutches any more, but preferred to use a cane when he had to walk around. Typical Cabin 9-style it had several cool additions, such as being able to extend into a fighting staff and, if Harley had anything to do with it, probably a flamethrower somewhere. The scarily muscular 8-year-old was chatting animatedly to his older brother, but he wasn’t at his usual bouncy self. Harley had worshipped Leo, and had been devastated by his loss. It didn’t help that now, closer to the start of school, all of his siblings, save for Nyssa, would be heading home or to college for a while. Will made a mental note to hang out with him more. 

The two boys reached the doors of the infirmary and Will opened one, stepping aside to let Nico in first. Once they were inside, Will made a beeline for an empty bed at the back of the infirmary.

“We save the front beds for anyone that comes in with a really severe injury”,

he explained. He gestured for Nico to sit on the bed while he fussed around, clearing some of Austin’s sheet music away from a chair before plonking himself down on it. He’d have a word later with his brother about working on his compositions in the infirmary. Glancing up, he noticed that Nico was looking rather awkward (and adorable). He kept moving his hands around, as if he weren’t quite sure what he was doing, whilst desperately avoiding eye contact with anyone. Right. Nico wasn’t a people person, and it was currently quite busy in the surrounding area. Will stood up to draw the blue curtain around their area, before turning to address the son of Hades. 

“I know this is primarily for you to get some rest, but I think I should give you a general check just to make sure nothing other than your irresponsible use of underworldy powers is a problem.”

Nico scowled at him but didn’t argue, instead opting for a curt nod. Will continued,

“I’ll start by looking under that bandage on your arm”

He reached out to Nico’s arm 

“Is this ok?”,

he asked. Nico paused slightly, before nodding again. As gently as he could, Will raised Nico’s arm and began to slowly unwind the bandage, revealing several nasty-looking red claw-marks gouged into his skin.

“Werewolf claws”,

mumbled Nico. Will frowned.

“These are definitely infected. I’ll check for a fever and get some ambrosia for you. I reckon these will leave scars.”

He hesitated, then leaned in and brushed Nico’s raven-black hair from his forehead. It felt soft and, to his dismay, Will found his cheeks turning pink again. Holding the back of his hand against Nico’s pale forehead, he noticed how warm the son of Hades was.

“Nico, you’re burning up!”,

he announced before rummaging around in a nearby cupboard for some ambrosia and anything else he could use to treat the wound. He noticed a rather sad-looking Aloe Vera plant. Didn’t his siblings know that Aloe Vera should be placed in direct sunlight and not at the back of supply cupboards? He placed the poor plant in the windowsill, before taking a washcloth and some antibacterial ointment from the cupboard, along with the promised ambrosia. After thoroughly washing his hands, he handed the ambrosia to Nico, who began to delicately take small bites out of it, while he wet the cloth under the tap and started to carefully clean the wound. Nico winced slightly when the cloth made contact with the infected area, but had a slightly dopey faraway expression whilst he ate the ambrosia. Will wondered what Nico tasted when he consumed ambrosia. When Will ate it he tasted the sweet lemonade his grandma made whenever he returned home to visit. He tended to remain at camp most of the time, due to his mum always travelling for work and his insistence not to attend any sort of boarding school, but every now and again, he would fly over with a satyr protector to stay at his grandparent’s house with her. When he left, he would spend most of his time wondering when, or if, he’d ever get to go back. Especially after having 2 big wars in the space of a few years. Of course, his problems were all miniscule compared to what Nico had had to go through. He’d had to face the death of his sister, being alone with only a ghost for company, knowing about Camp Jupiter and not being able to tell anyone, being kidnapped and locked in a jar by crazy giants, and then on top of all of that had to deal with everyone at camp avoiding him, because they thought that he wasn’t normal. It all made Will so angry at the world, for allowing some people so many good things, when Nico could probably count the number of times he’d been happy since coming to camp on one hand, and still have fingers left over to spare.

Nico cleared his throat, and Will realised to his embarrassment, that he was staring again. He sheepishly placed the cloth in the sink, before lightly spreading a thin layer of the antibacterial ointment over the claw marks and murmuring a prayer to his father, while wondering if it would even work, seeing as Apollo was probably at that moment in time in the middle of a long lecture from his father, Zeus, concerning Octavian, the evil stuffed-toy destroyer (Percy had treated the whole camp to a story at the campfire of how his panda pillow pet had been brutally slaughtered). 

He then covered the wound with a gauze pad, finishing by gently wrapping a length of bandage around, to prevent further infection. 

He turned round to clean up while giving Nico strict instructions,

“I’ll talk to Chiron and explain that you are under no circumstances to partake in any sort of training exercises. You should spend most of your time here, getting some much needed sleep, however I think it’s a good idea for you to attend 1 meal a day at the pavilion, which will also allow you to have some healthy time outdoors. The rest of the time I will provide food for you.”

Even though he was facing away, he could imagine the son of Hades glaring daggers at him. 

“I can get food myself. There’s a McDonalds near enough that the shadow travel shouldn’t hurt me.”

Will sighed in exasperation, running a hand through his hair and turning around to face his stubborn patient.

“Really? What part of ‘you can’t even summon a wishbone without melting into a puddle of darkness’ do you not get? I’m not even going to start on the ridiculous lack of proper nutrients in a McDonalds meal. What can they offer you that camp doesn’t?”

Nico raised his chin in a show of defiance

“Does Camp Half-Blood offer snazzy boxes? No I thought not. It also has an over-bearing mamma bear watching my every move. When I agreed to this, I expected gentle rest, not a prison sentence.”

He dramatically flopped back on the bed, his head on the pillow. 

“I’m not even tired! Not one bit!”

Fixing his glare at the ceiling he mumbled

“This is a nice pillow. Soft and squishy.”

On that note, he fell asleep, still muttering about how fully awake he was. Amused, Will shook his head and stepped out of the curtained area into the main area of the infirmary to see Cecil and Austin chuckling in his direction. Austin was in the process of checking Cecil’s strained calf muscle and met Will’s eyes with an amused look.

“Why William my dear brother, I do believe that you have met your match. He’s just as headstrong as you are!”

Disgruntled, the senior counsellor of the Apollo cabin went to the storage closet to reorganise the medical supplies.

[kayr0ss]

So... Is It Her First Day? (Diakko)

[LWA, Fluff, a lot of Fluff, Established Relationship, Pls Help Diana,  slight Hamanda]

Summary: Diana found herself sneaking out of Luna Nova past curfew to visit a convenience store. Why was she even here?

Oh right. Her girlfriend was cranky, on her period, and driving her absolutely insane.

-

Diana stood at the hallway, unsure of how to process the fact that Akko had just very gently ushered her out of the Red Team's dormitory, shoving her textbooks into her arms while she told her, quote, “not to come anywhere near me with homework within the next twenty-four hours, Diana, I swear to Beatrix—”

Then silence. Because Akko closed the door.

At her face.

Diana blinked towards the heavy slab of wood that stood between herself and Akko. What could she have possibly done wrong?

“Cavendish.”

She whipped her head towards her left. To her surprise, enlightenment on the situation was about to come from Sucy of all people.

“You do not want to go in there right now,” she grabbed Diana by the sleeve.

“Surely there’s no need to drag me across the hallway—”

“Yes, there is.” The purple-haired witch spoke with the authority of experience. “It’s Akko’s first day and that is a shitstorm if I ever saw one.”

“First… day?” Diana had an idea what the other witch meant, but it paid to be thorough.

“Of her period.” Sucy glared back. “Don’t you have those? Also, you live with two other women in the dorm.”

“I just wanted to be sure.” Diana said in a clipped voice before pulling her sleeve free of Sucy’s grip and matching her pace down the hallway. “And what might you suggest I do?”

“Why would you have to do anything? Just leave her alo—” Then Sucy paused, smirking. “Right. I almost forgot. You’re her girlfriend now.”       

It still made her blush whenever she explicitly remembered it, although she would have preferred not to look so flustered in front of Sucy.

Akko was her girlfriend for all of fourteen days by now.

The newest development in their relationship was something of a serendipitous moment. A pleasant surprise, so to speak—even if it seemed the two of them were the only ones surprised at the news. Were we that dense? Diana frowned, recalling how Hannah and Barbara sighed in relief rather than shock when she told them.

“Food.” Sucy had blurted out.

Diana looked at her inquisitively, and then she realized the pair of them were on the way to the… kitchens?

“Food is our go-to.” The other woman supplied. “Lotte will already be at the kitchens. Doesn’t fix her shitty mood completely, but it helps.”

“That’s… quite thoughtful of you, Sucy.”

The purple-haired witch shot her a massive eyeroll. “Don’t give me that look. Do you have any idea how much of a pain in the ass Akko is when she’s like that? It’s exasperating.”

---

All it took was one crate labeled ‘exotic ingredients’ for Sucy to lose track of the purpose of their kitchen visit.

“Diana’s her girlfriend.” Sucy had told Lotte, already trailing the goblins due to deliver the ingredients to the potions lab, “I’m out—this is her job now as far as I’m concerned.”

Lotte smiled apologetically, scratching at the back of her head while she opened the door into the kitchens and inviting Diana to come inside.

“This is really sweet of you,” the bespectacled woman said.

Suddenly she felt self-conscious, growing hot under the collar. Beatrix. How long was it going to take before the mere thought that she and Akko were dating would stop making her blush?

But at the same time—it made her smile. Lotte had always been observant, so the way she knowingly smiled back could only mean she knew what she was smiling oh-so-softly about. She briefly wondered if the butterflies in her stomach were glaringly obvious as well.

Diana’s eyes widened in surprise when she stepped through the door.

The kitchens were much bigger than she imagined. The walls were thick, aged stone, with pillars that shot up into the high ceiling, connected by arches for support. It looked a bit like a smithy with all the stone, smoke, and fire—but she realized that it wasn’t sweltering at all. There were metal air vents that ran above the kitchen, looking out-of-place but keeping the area well-ventilated with modern technology. And the aromas! She was hit by a delectable sensory over-load that made her (already fluttering) stomach grumble.

“Heya, Lotte!”

A friendly-looking goblin with a lopsided smile trudged towards them, landing a heavy slap on Lotte’s shoulder (“Ouch!”).

“Barry!” Lotte whined, rubbing at where he had greeted her.

“Sorry!” Barry scratched his head. He had bushy brows and fangs that stuck out of his lower lip, and yet despite it all he managed to look so… friendly. Perhaps the apron had something to do with it? “We just get excited when you guys visit.” Large eyes flitted towards Diana and then widened in recognition.

“Hello.” She cleared her throat, unused to being scrutinized. “I’m Diana Caven—”

“Hey guys!” Barry had called over his shoulder, grinning. “It’s Comrade Akko’s girlfriend!”

Comrade?

She looked back towards the staff who were busy with work, several of them turning towards her and waving. There were even some cheers. But they quickly fell back to cooking, which made sense—dinner time was coming soon. Oh. Perhaps now was not the best time to be bothering them with the concerns of a teenager who hadn’t the slightest inkling how to woo a cranky significant other.

“So we finally get to meet’cha!” Two burly troll hands settled heavily on her shoulder. “Why didn’t you guys bring her in sooner, Lotte?”

“You know how it goes,” Lotte chuckled mirthfully, still rubbing the sore spot on her shoulder. “School gets busy!”

“Good thing you’ve got us to keep those rumblin’ bellies full, amirite Jean?”

Coming up from behind him was another troll (Jean, she supposed?). He was a bit taller and leaner, with an expression that reminded her of snobbish pastry chefs she’s met when vacationing abroad. Except, troll-like.

“I can’t believe Comrade Akko had chosen a member of the oppressive bourgeoise for a fling!”

Diana blanched along with Lotte. Bourgeoise? That she could forgive. But—a fling?

“We’re very much in a serious relationship.” Diana found herself seizing up the taller troll, cheeks flushing in indignation at the thought that they were just a fling.

“C’mon, buddy. If she’s okay in Lotte and Comrade Akko’s book, then she’s good with the kitchen trolls!” Barry smiled brightly.

“Speaking of Akko,” Lotte interjected. “It’s that time of the month.”

Barry and Jean were struck with urgency and realization.

“First day?” Jean said quickly, brushing his manicured moustache.

“Yup.”

“Alright. Follow me, ladies.”

---

“I’m quite sure this is against regulation.” Diana set her hand on Lotte’s shoulder, allowing magic to soothe the inevitable bruising that would have come from Barry’s slap.

“Don’t let the trolls hear you say that!” Lotte said quietly. “They love her. Oh, but thanks for healing that—it’s… not like any of the magic they do at the infirmary.”

“It’s a Cavendish skill.”

Her mother had taught it to her at a very young age—to soothe a toothache here, or a pulled muscle there.

They were in a small separated room connected to the kitchens which might have been used to house treasure back when Luna Nova was a proper medieval castle. These days it was used more or less similarly, except the ‘treasure’ was a collection of candied applies, tarts, an impressive meat selection, and various types of bread.

“So this is where she goes whenever she sneaks out for snacks past curfew. I can’t believe the trolls condone this.”

“It’s Akko.” Lotte deadpanned.

She was right. This was entirely unsurprising—something to do with having fought for fair labor practices, she supposed.

“You know,” the other woman started, looking over a selection of sweets which Akko might like. “I’m really glad you two are finally together!”

Diana smiled in appreciation, looking down towards several baguettes while a light dusting of pink fell on her cheeks. “Thank you.”

“It’s really cute! And took no small amount of Akko going crazy about her feelings for you for months on end.”

“She did?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” Lotte seemed to shudder at the memory. “It drove us crazy too.”

Diana blinked, feeling the odd need to apologize. “Well she does have the tendency to vent her frustrations in a more… outward manner.”

“Yeah,” Lotte giggled. “Screaming into pillows, banging her head into the wall while wailing about your “perfect freaking hair”, and don’t even get me started about that whole week she dedicated to practicing her grand monologue of professing her feelings to you!”

“Oh, she told me about that.”

“It was a disaster wasn’t it?”

“She tripped on her words.” Diana fondly recalled. “And then—”

“—said ‘I fucking like you!’.” Lotte completed, apparently having heard the story from the source itself. She groaned at her usage of such an expletive.

Then they sputtered into quiet, friendly laughter.

Diana never got to spend much time with Lotte, much less alone, but she was one of Akko’s closest friends and she had no plans of denying how enjoyable their conversation had been thus far.

“I feel like I should get to you know more, both you and Sucy.” The blonde said with a little bit of shyness.

“You sure about Sucy?” Lotte grinned.

Diana laughed mirthfully, “Akko said the Red Team was inseparable—take it or leave it.”

“Glad to see our friend is in good hands, then!”

“I…” she began slowly, “Plan to do this—being together, that is—as best as I possibly can.” Diana admitted, sighing wistfully. “I’ll take all the good and the bad that comes with her.”

She blinked up at the other woman, conscious of the lack of response to her sudden admission. Lotte was… swooning with what looked like hearts in her eyes?

“Oh my god!” She squealed. “That’s so romantic!”

---

Half an hour later, Diana was once again in front of the Red Team’s dormitory. Her hand flexed nervously around the handle of a food basket and she rolled her eyes at herself. Why was she nervous? All she was doing was giving Akko food!

She raised her hand confidently to rap at the door—

—and then pulled it back, running her fingers through her hair in frustration.

“By Jennifer,” she muttered to herself in annoyance. “How hard should it be to knock on someone’s door?”

But then said door opened, and red eyes were blinking at her.

“Diana?” Akko murmured. “I heard shuffling from the outside, I wanted to check it out but didn’t expect it was you.”

She looked disheveled, with her hair all over the place and her pajamas askew. She was holding a bag of warm compress and Diana felt worry shoot up at the thought that something was ailing her enough to skip dinner.

“Akko,” she started, stepping forward to lay her hand on her arm. “Is everything alright?”

“Nope,” the brunette wailed, stepping forward and dropping her head on Diana’s shoulder. “My uterus wants to kill me and this weather is making it worse! But I’m sorry about earlier.” She mumbled into her sleeve. “I didn’t mean to be so pushy. I got super stressed thinking about taking that Runes exam tomorrow while feeling this way—just seeing your books wanted to make me cry!” She rambled on. “Oh—what’s that?”

She pulled away, staring at the basket in Diana’s hand.

“I’ve brought you dinner.” Diana said softly, pleased that Akko was feeling better and even more so at how she sparkled at the thought of ‘food.’ This girl could be so simple, it made the blonde smile.

“Mou—I don’t deserve you!” She wailed, eagerly opening the cloth wrap in the basket right there at the doorway.

And then Akko groaned. She looked like she was going to cry. Why did she look like she was going to cry? Beatrix, help me. Diana swallowed.

“I’m so tired of potatoes!” Akko threw her hands upwards, lip trembling. “Does this school not order anything else?”

She stomped back to her bed, grumbling about starch and rice and ‘Okaa-san’s stew!’ before face-planting into the pillows.

Diana stood cluelessly at the doorway. Should she come on in or… just give her space?

But then Akko suddenly sprang back upward, running towards Diana before taking a fistful of her collar, pulling her in and—

Kissing her.

Very deeply.

She had never been so pleasantly confused in her life.

“I’m so sorry!” Akko pouted. “That was so ungrateful of me. Thank you! I’m starving!” She grabbed the basket. “I hate it when I’m like this—Kami-sama—I’ll be better tomorrow, I promise. You don’t have to deal with this and I’ll make it up to you okay? And-I-love-you!”

“I—I love you t—”

And then the door was back.

At her face.

For the second time today.

Was it acceptable to scream in the hallways at dinner time?

---

Feeling desperate and increasingly frustrated after dinner, she walked towards the Green Team’s dormitory, seeking the advice of someone she never wanted to ask: the only other witch in their group who had a girlfriend and experience with this matter.

Amanda.

Hannah wasn’t nearly as temperamental as Akko during that time of the month, but she wasn’t easy to get along with either. To her credit, it seemed the American witch was actually managing it quite well.

“Diana Cavendish.” Amanda smirked once she opened the door. “In the flesh. How can we help you?”

She flushed despite herself and gave a soft nod towards Jasminka and Constanze who waived at her from inside.

“I would like to seek your opinion on a matter.”

Amanda actually looked surprised. “Never thought I’d hear that from you.”

“Akko is…” Diana gestured aimlessly, trying to find the right words. “On her period.”

“Oh.”

Why was O’Neill looking at her that way? “Well?”

“So you’re having trouble dealing with the… ya know?”

“I don’t.” Diana pursed her lips. She was so tired at this point.  “I don’t know.”

“No fucking way.” Amanda gawked. “I can’t believe you’re asking me about this.”

“What is it that’s so hard to believe about me wanting to be a good partner?” Diana fumed, her patience wearing thing. Wasn’t that what she was supposed to do? Make Akko feel better when in a foul mood?

Amanda whistled. “I mean… can’t you deal with it on your own?”

“On my own?”

“Yeah!” Amanda nodded enthusiastically. “The urge, I meant. Even I don’t push Hannah when it’s her red season. We just wait it out. Being intimate can get really messy when there’s bloo—”

She slammed the door shut so hard it might have hit Amanda’s nose.

---

Her attempt to learn more from the Green Team was a spectacularly embarrassing failure, and so Diana resigned herself to leaving Akko with space and shutting herself in her dorm.

“Trouble in paradise?” Hannah piped in, noticing the forlorn expression on her usually impassive face. “And why are you looking at me like that?”

Forget about what Amanda said, forget about what Amanda said.

“You could say that.” Diana admitted, not in the mood to hide anything. They were her best friends anyway.

Barbara watched with interested as Diana walked over to her desk and seated herself, catching her head in her hands with a sigh.

“So what happened?” The raven-haired witch leaned forward.

“Akko’s in a mood.” The blonde replied in a muffled voice. “I can’t make heads-or-tails of what to do about it.”

“Is she jealous?” Hannah guessed.

Diana shook her head.

“Injured?”

She shook her head again.

“On her period?”

“First day.” Diana confirmed.

It was met with a synchronized “Ooooh.”

“She hexed Amanda one time she bugged her on her period right?”

“Yeah.” Hannah tried not to snicker. “Burned her skirt. Never knew Akko could pull that spell off.”

Diana rubbed at her temples. “Why is that everyone else seems to know about her apparently infamous temperament and I don’t?”

“Because,” Barbara started, “she made it a point to steer clear of you so she doesn’t snap up or, and I quote “burden you”. And some people really do have it worse than others. My cousin had cramps so bad she would have to miss classes sometimes. I think Akko’s got something similar.”

Diana vaguely recalled days when Akko seemed more reserved than usual. She also had her fair share of spending the day at the infirmary every few months.

“She told you this?”

“Lotte did.” She said off-handedly. “Night-fall convention.”

“You talk about Akko and me during a—”

“We’re romantics!” She said defensively. “And we were right about you two. But anyway, what are you going to do about it?”

“I’ve been trying to do something about it. I brought her food.”

“And?”

“She’s tired of potatoes.”

Hannah sighed. “We all are. Even you—don’t deny it! I see the face you make whenever it’s potatoes for dinner again.”

She made a face?

“She’s probably craving for comfort food.” Hannah hummed to herself. “Tough luck, Japan is half-way across the world.

“Oh.” Barbara perked up, glancing over to Hannah. “What about that place Amanda sneaks out to get you snacks from?”

Hannah glanced warily over to Diana, who was raising her eyebrow in question. “Oh, fine. Don’t tell on her okay? She’s just trying to be sweet.”

“I won’t.” Diana sighed. “But I’m not Amanda. I’m not going to sneak out into the town past curfew just to buy Akko snacks.”

---

She was sneaking out into the town past curfew just to buy Akko snacks.

Beatrix, she mulled over to herself, pulling up the collar of the her capelet coat. What has become of me?

It was a warm night, unsurprising given the sizzling afternoon sun they suffered through earlier that day. She’d have to thank Professor Ursula for giving her a pass. Glastonbury, while still a bit of an ‘old town’, was beginning to modernize with the advent of the new magical age. More students enrolling at Luna Nova meant more business for the nearby towns, and the influx of children from non-magical families brought with it a union of old tradition and contemporary establishments.

One of which was the ‘Convenience Store.’ As per Hannah’s explanation, this type of establishment was open all hours through the day and night, and typically sold snacks and refreshments to address one’s cravings.

Unfortunately, said Convenience Store was a fifteen-minute broom ride away from school, and she hated having to sneak about. Not very convenient, if she could say so herself. She found it shorty after her arrival to town—it was hard to miss with its bright, off-white lights that glowed through Glastonbury’s dark and dreary streets. She tentatively pushed the glass door open. There was a young man snoozing behind the cash register.

She rolled her eyes, feeling painfully out of place in a store that screamed ‘twenty-first century.’ Why was she here again?

Right. Her girlfriend had cramps and was likely craving.

“Excuse me.”

He didn’t stir.

She cleared her throat, deliberately louder. “Excuse me.”

When he finally awoke, he regarded her with a groggy stare. “Yeah?”

“Do you have any snacks?”

“Help yourself,” he drawled lazily, gesturing towards the rows upon rows of brightly-colored chocolates, candies, and chips. There were coolers at back end of the store with a multitude of energy drinks and juices. Towards the left of the counter was freezer. “That one has ice cream.”

Where was she even going to start? By the nine, there so many choices! Feeling the need to vent, she had blurted out: “I have a cranky girlfriend on her period and I’m so very near my wits end.”

“Oh.” His eyes widened in sympathy. “I got you. Friend of O’Neill’s?”

“So to speak.”

“First time?”

She nodded.

“Alright kid, my name is Marty and I think you and I are gonna be good friends.”

Five minutes into their conversation, Diana realized that Marty was… quite interesting and not at all unpleasant.

“So we’ve narrowed it down to chocolates, and ice cream.”

“She’s quite fond of chocolates. You said these were imported from Asia?”

“Japan!” He grinned proudly.

Perfect.

“I’ll… get one in every flavor.”

“Go hard or go home, amirite?” Marty laughed.

“And…” she glanced over the ice cream cooler. “One pint of each flavor you have.”

Marty blinked.

Costs didn’t matter. Might as well make the most of being part of the ‘oppressive’ bourgeois.

---

“I had a feeling you’d still be up.” Diana whispered softly through the opening of Akko’s dorm. “Please don’t shut the door at my face again.”

“I’m sorry about that!” Akko cried out, but Diana held up her finger in a gesture to keep her quiet.

“Sucy and Lotte might wake up.”

“What’s going on?” Akko inquired. “It’s really late now, Dia.”

“M—May I come in?”

They slipped into the Red Team’s dormitory with hushed voices and the sound of shuffling feet. Diana should have asked Akko’s roommates before inviting herself to stay the night, but she’d rather not wake them and she could leave first thing in the morning.

Akko’s bright red eyes glistened in wonder at the plastic bag Diana was carrying. “W—Where did you get these?”

“In town,” she supplied cryptically.

“You snuck out.” Akko gawked.

“The method is unimportant.” Diana replied. And then her voice and gaze softened. “What matters is… do you like them?”

“I would have screamed in joy if you haven’t been trying to keep me quiet!” Akko  said under her breath, pulling on Diana’s arm to sit beside her at her bed. “L—Let me take your coat.”

“That’s not necessary,” Diana whispered back, slipping out of her coat herself and hanging it at the edge of Akko’s bedpost. “I’d rather you just lean back and not exert yourself.”

She had changed into something more casual before leaving, and was glad she wouldn’t have to spend all night in their stuffy uniform. Akko was fiddling with her thumbs and biting her lip.

“Is something wrong?”

“No—no!” Akko reassured. “Well… I’m still sorry for how I’ve been today. I guess I should have told you, but I get really bad cramps on my period and it makes me want to like… break things.”

Diana softly reached over to hold Akko’s hand. “Barbara tells me you didn’t tell me about this?”

“Yeah.” Akko scratched at her cheek, looking away.

Diana scooted over to lean against the headboard of Akko’s bed, quietly inviting the brunette to rest against her. If instinct told her right, Akko would appreciate being held. Sure enough, the smaller witch followed the invitation, situating herself to lean against Diana’s chest. While she wrapped her arms around Akko’s torso, the only thing the blonde could think about was how much she missed holding her today.

She held onto Akko a little tighter, pulling her just a bit nearer. But then Akko began to tense, curling up into herself with a sharp breath.

“Cramps?” Diana spoke gently, laced with worry.

“Yeah. Jennifer’ tits this sucks.”

“What do they give for you at the infirmary?”

“The potion they give me knocks me out cold and I hate how I feel when I wake up in the morning.” She sulked. “Today wasn’t so bad though, so I just wanted to sleep.”

Diana frowned. The way she was gripping on her forearm told her the cramps probably haven’t gone away, so on a whim she wondered if…

“May I try something?”

Akko blinked up at her, a strained expression on her face. “It’s good, this is the worst of it. I really will be fine tomorrow.”

“But may I?” She insisted.

“O—Okay.”

Slowly, she breathed in, setting her hand above Akko’s stomach while she remembered the feeling of magic and… love.

“It’s warm.” Akko whispered, noticeably relaxing.

“It’s a spell from my family. Is this better?”

“So much better.” Akko laced her hands with Diana’s, gratitude evident in the breathlessness of her voice. “Thank you, Dia.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“It would have been troublesome for you, so I just wait it out.” Akko admitted sheepishly.

Troublesome. Diana smiled, watching Akko relax once the pain had been soothed away. She chuckled when Akko opened the first bar of chocolate her hand had found from the nearby pile. Her surprised gasp was a wonderful thing to hear. “This is—from—”

“Home?”

“Yeah!”

“I went to the convenience store in Glastonbury.” Diana admitted.

“I really don’t deserve you!” Akko pouted, head falling back into Diana’s shoulder. “You get me chocolates, have magic healing hands, and now you’re out of your dorm past curfew and—Ugh! I told you—troublesome.”

Diana pressed her nose against Akko’s shoulder, tightening the arms around her waist. The darkness of the room was relaxing, accentuated by a moonlit glow. She breathed in deeply, enjoying their closeness and how nice Akko smelled.

“I think you’re underestimating how much trouble I’m willing to go through for you.”

That earned her a kiss on the cheek. “When did you get so cheesy?”

“Are you complaining?”

“Definitely not.”

“And this is nothing.” Diana teased. “I believe I remember a certain witch chasing me all the way into Wedinburgh just to get me back to school. She didn’t even fly.”

“Mou!” Akko huffed, snuggling into Diana’s warmth even further. “You loved it.”

Diana paused in contentment.

"I love you.”

Akko turned to face her. Her eyes were moving carefully over Diana’s features, as if to memorize how she looked. She grinned. “I can’t believe you’re real and that you feel the same way.”

Diana felt her ears flush. This time, Akko kissed her softly on the lips.

“I love you.” She kissed her again. “Thank you for these, Diana. It—It means so much.”

“So,” Diana started with a teasing lilt in her voice. “What was that about—kissing me right at your doorway earlier?”

“Mood swings are caused by hormones, you know.” Akko pouted, flushing red in the cheeks.

“So picky with food, too.” She continued to tease, earning another quiet laugh from her girlfriend. Akko looked like herself again.

They fell into a familiar banter, curled up together in bed, and she realized that she’d do it again.

From raiding the kitchen, to running around the castle, to flying out in the middle of the night.

She’d do it again, and again, and again if she had to because Akko was smiling once more and everything—everything—was worth it.

-

fin

-

A/N: Hey guys! Here's another one-shot that absolutely no one asked for but I may burst into tears because of how much I loved the idea. I was beginning to get self-conscious about how many one-shots I've made for Diakko but like IDK I LOVE THEM OKAY IDC ANYMORE I hope you enjoy, and stay safe! I also appreciate all the comments people have left in the other works, and am sorry if I don't always get to respond but will try to find the opportunity to! <3

Additionally: Haahaaha yeah I know it's not an Appt update I'm soRRY

[markrosewater]

Answers to “In Other Words”

Song #1

 __________________________________________________ (Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree)

 Christmas tree roller

Leave the Merry Christmas

Then we have pumpkins

We do some songs

 Rockin' around the Christmas tree

Let the Christmas spirit ring

Later we'll have some pumpkin pie

And we'll do some caroling

 Song #2

 __________________________________________________ (Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer)

 Kuia caught deer in a big city

We will be back home in a day

There is nothing wrong with Saints

However, I really think,

 Grandma got run over by a reindeer

Walking home from our house Christmas Eve

You can say there's no such thing as Santa

But as for me and grandpa we believe

 Song #3

 __________________________________________________ (Silent Night)

 Good night!

Everything is quiet and everything is clear.

Girls and mothers and babies.

Newborns are soft and gentle,

Rest in peace

Rest in peace in heaven

 Silent night, holy night!

All is calm, all is bright.

Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child.

Holy infant so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace,

Sleep in heavenly peace

 Song #4

 __________________________________________________ (Jingle Bells)

 Heart Heart

Categories in every direction

How good a reason?

Equestrian

 Jingle bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh, what fun it is to ride

In a one horse open sleigh

 Song #5

 __________________________________________________ (Walking in a Winter Wonderland)

 My God, you ask me

Ice is built on the fence

Hello, we are happy today

In winter, go to natural places

 Sleigh bells ring, are you listening

In the lane, snow is glistening

A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight

Walking in a winter wonderland

 Song #6

 __________________________________________________ (All I Want for Christmas Is You)

 No disinfection is required

It is something that is important

There is nothing wrong with that

Under the tree

That is all there is to it

It’s the best thing you can get!

Share your power

Well, at least I didn't go down without explaining myself first.

 I don't want a lot for Christmas

There is just one thing I need

I don't care about the presents

Underneath the Christmas tree

I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

All I want for Christmas is you

 Song #7

 __________________________________________________ (I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus)

 There I saw Santa's mother

The snow under his chin turned to snow

Oh that video

If my father had seen his mother, he would have received Santa Claus last night

 Then I saw mommy tickle Santa Claus

Underneath his beard so snowy white

Oh, what a laugh it would have been

If Daddy had only seen mommy kissing Santa Claus last night

 Song #8

 __________________________________________________ (Last Christmas)

 Had a heart attack last year

But I left the next day.

This year, I will stop crying.

Give it to someone

 Last Christmas, I gave you my heart

But the very next day you gave it away

This year, to save me from tears

I'll give it to someone special

 Song #9

 __________________________________________________ (Santa Baby)

 Push Santa under a tree for me

She was a very, very good girl

Dear Santa, go down to the toilet early in the morning tonight

 Santa baby, just slip a sable under the tree for me

Been an awful good girl

Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

 Song #10

 __________________________________________________ (Step Into Christmas)

 Go to Christmas

Let's meet

We can see snow and ice forever

Eat, drink and enjoy

Come with me

Go to Christmas

Free admission

 Step into Christmas

Let's join together

We can watch the snow fall forever and ever

Eat, drink and be merry

Come along with me

Step into Christmas

The admission's free

 Song #11

 __________________________________________________ (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer)

 Red Eagle R.

My nose is clear

If you see?

It can be hard to say

 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Had a very shiny nose

And if you ever saw it

You would even say it glows

 Song #12

 __________________________________________________ (I’m Getting’ Nuttin’ for Christmas)

 I'm going to be Christmas soon

Obsession with parents

I'm going to be Christmas soon

I'm not crazy so I'm not angry

 I'm gettin' nuttin' for Christmas

Mommy and daddy are mad

I'm getting nuttin' for Christmas

'Cause I ain't been nuttin' but bad

 Song #13

 __________________________________________________ (Baby, It’s Cold Outside)

 I can't wait (but the man is cold).

I have to go (but the baby isn't there)

I am lost

Something like this (I hold it in my hand like snow)

 I really can't stay (But, baby, it's cold outside)

I've got to go away (But, baby, it's cold outside)

This evening has been (Been hoping that you'd drop in)

So very nice (I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice)

 Song #14

 __________________________________________________ (Deck the Halls)

 Bar on board with sacred branches

 Deck the halls with boughs of holly

 Song #15

 __________________________________________________ (I Had a Little Dreidel)

 I have an elastic band

They made land

Dry when done

Then I play the string.

 I have a little dreidel

I made it out of clay

And when it's dry and ready

Then, dreidel I shall play.

 Song #16

 __________________________________________________ (Oh Christmas Tree)

 And Christmas, oh Christmas

The beauty of your articles

 O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree

How lovely are thy branches

 Song #17

 __________________________________________________ (Hark! The Herald Angels Sing)

 Boring birthday!  Angelic Messenger:

"Birthday of the king's child!”

 Hark! the herald angels sing:

"Glory to the newborn King!

 Song #18

 __________________________________________________ (Little Saint Nick)

 This is especially true in the north,

Christmas story

It happens

The most popular cat is completely red

Skiing throughout the year

 Well way up North where the air gets cold

There's a tale about Christmas

That you've all been told

And a real famous cat all dressed up in red

And he spends the whole year workin' out on his sled

 Song #19

 __________________________________________________ (Santa Claus Is Coming to Town)

 This would be nice

Crying is bad

She couldn't swallow it

I will give a reason

Christmas is coming home

 You better watch out

You better not cry

You better not pout

I'm telling you why

Santa Claus is coming to town

 Song #20

 __________________________________________________ (The Christmas Song)

 Apparently he was killed

His coat was full of his nose

He left the day before Christmas

The Eskimo is a popular destination

 Chestnuts roasting on an open fire

Jack Frost nipping at your nose

Yuletide carols being sung by a choir

And folks dressed up like Eskimos

 Song #21

 __________________________________________________ (The Chipmunk Song)

 But not yet

Time for dolls, time for fun

We were fine, but we could not continue

Quick Christmas dinner fast

 Christmas, Christmas time is near

Time for toys and time for cheer

We've been good, but we can't last

Hurry Christmas, hurry fast

 Song #22

 __________________________________________________ (It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas)

 It looks like Christmas

Where are you going?

Fifth and tenth, and correct

With reeds and light silverware

 It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Everywhere you go

Take a look at the five and ten, it's glistening once again

With candy canes and silver lanes that glow

 Song #23

 __________________________________________________ (Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!)

 Unfortunately, the weather is not good.

But fire is important

I have no choice

Free the stone

 Oh, the weather outside is frightful

But the fire is so delightful

And since we've no place to go

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

 Song #24

 __________________________________________________ (Sleigh Ride)

 It's snowing outside.

Come on, this is a good time for you to ride a horse

 Outside, the snow is falling, and friends are calling, "yoo-hoo!"

Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you

 Song #25

 __________________________________________________ (You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch)

 You are a tough guy

You are overweight

You are proud of Aloe Vera

They also use stereo systems.

Cat, bad girl

And a black skirt

 You're a mean one

You really are a heel

You're as cuddly as a cactus

You're as charming as an eel

Mr. Grinch, you're a bad banana

with the greasy black peel

 Bonus Song (worth 5 points)

 __________________________________________________ (Frosty the Snowman)

 Listen to me

This is a purse

All eyes are on the egg

 Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul

With a corncob pipe and a button nose

And two eyes made out of coal

[beecherdrysdale]

Hiii my bbs, I hope you are well. Get ready for a longgg post.

Some opening thoughts:

Brigid and I will be buying new chains for our boys. Esp for Quinner because he doesn’t have one and I want to start seeing this 🥵 look. Kesh care to join us?

- a baby that looks like Jamie and has his cute freckles. Brigid knows what I’m taking about.

Also brigid would like like Jamie’s beanie vv much so now we both are in that club because I have quinners and Brigid has Jamie’s.

- Mykonos is gorgeous. That is that.

- I am loving Brigid tracing Jamie’s freckles while he sleeps🥺 and I find it adorable that Brigid can only sleep with Jamie :)this would so be insta worthy photos.

- hehe yes to getting beeped by machines!! Okkk I’m glad, so Lexi is busy with Quinner means that we are just getting coffeeee. We aren’t like you and Jamie who make out in arenas.

- hehe Jamie would just be glaring at cozzy when he sits down, and cozzy becomes slightly terrified so he gives up the seat but still wants $50 because he wants to buy himself something on the flight. He goes to sit w his sleeping buddy devon. Kesh and Kirby are just to cool to deal with our crazy shit in the morning.

-no sore neck for Dylan. Thank you brigid. Yes to all of these soft moments. Playing with each other’s hair, the freckle tracing and the slightly heated make out that you would be having while Dylan is sleeping because I don’t think he could handle that lol. Another thought jamie just helping you fidget less because you keep hitting the back of Bowen’s seat and he’s sleeping.

- Kesh and Kirby are like the star couple, they are just perfect with each other. I understand why you wouldn’t want to know us esp when quinton Braden and Peyton start to throw snacks over the seats.

-honestly if I had that much coffee I would probably throw up, but kudos to Quinner for passing out after consuming all of that. I want freckles kisses but also I would play with jacks rope bracelets and w his hair 🥺. You would probably get really annoyed because of my leg tapping so Quinner also needs to calm that down as well.

- me slapping Ryan to wake up is just vv funny to me. Yess to them admiring our hair . Whenever I travel to warm places my skin always clears uppp so it’s nice.

-yay we are all sharing rooms w our bbs. hey hey

hey I’m not that dirty minded but like how can you resist? I don’t wanna hear to much from the two of you I mean it 😏. Omg I just had an idea imagine everybody just running into each other’s rooms and chasing each other. I hope we don’t walk in on you two lol. And we all settle in one room and have a slumber party lol. Face masks w the boys ‘I’m sorry why is it green’ ‘calm down, it’s a cucumber face mask it’ll hydrate your skin’ and then when they take them off the boys are glowing heheh.

- ok so I’ve bought an entire new wardrobe for this trip lol l. Ooo shopping would be vv fun. In this reality we have money hehe. Jamie carrying you into the water is 🤌 and I love it. Me and Quinner still need to be chaotic so we push each other into waves and then Brigid and jamie join. Meanwhile Kesh and Kirby are just chilling. Yesss with the hair slicked back and just wrapping your legs around their waists and maybeeeee kissing.

-finally me and Brigid are on the same team. Like Ryan you hit me in the face brigid will hit you 2x harder. Yess to all of us having moments on the beach at night.

- apparently we had some eventful nights😏 ehich I love even some of the boys because they want to have summer flings so no early morning for us. I love hotel breakfast as well esp if they have a buffet because you can eat as much as you want.

- cliff diving: ofc Brigid and Dylan go first because they are literally not scared of anything. aww you grabbing Jamie’s hand while he’s terrified. While that’s happening me and Ryan are hyping each other up, we slap each other on the backs etc. And we start to run and I get Quinner to come even if he’s terrified. I’d probably yell ‘let’s fucking goooo’ Brigid I’m making you the person that yells Marco the entire time lol cuz you are the swimmer of the group. Hehe us blaming Kesh and Kirby because they couldn’t figure out how to get out of the water. just a thought, wouldn’t it be better if you stay with the boys just in case they have trouble swimming and you can help them. And maybe I can go with Dylan and bond with him a bit. Any way works tho :). Hehe once everybody gets to the beach we are just crawling because we are tired from swimming and we just sleep on the beach lol.

- I’m good with dong half and half- snorkelling and scuba. Awww you holding Jamie’s hand and pulling him along. Same with me and Quinner and kesh and Kirby. I was terrified lol . Oo that’s so cool that you got to swim with turtles. That’s great for 8 year old Brigid:)).

Ooo a catamaran is so fun as well. Anyways dylan is just talented at everything. So he plays guitar and maybe he can help me reawaken my guitar skills. So I just watch him lol. Finally somebody who doesn’t make fun of me listening to the mamma Mia sound track. I love it sm and it just gives off the biggest Greece vibes. Aww and all of us just singing softly. And then just cuddling with the boys in the sun and me taking a bunch of photos! Aloe Vera it is😏😏.

Side story: so brigid you are playing music on the speakers while we are on the boat and Jamie goes to change the song and sees that there is an adorable photo of you and him as your wallpaper and he asks ‘you have me as your lock screen’ and you blush and say yes and he gives you the biggest kiss and then the rest of the boys are like awwww and all compare lock screens. And then Quinner looks at mine and smiles same w Kirby.

Yayyy us dressing cute all of hair is in natural waves/curls and getting dinner at a cute restaurant. and then exploring the nightlife in Mykonos. Ooo the drinks are a plus to us being chaotic at night. Like we would laugh so much at night. Awww kisses under the moon and then backkkk to the hotel for spicy evening pt 2

Side note: so imagine we already had dinner and we just start exploring Mykonos and we come across a live band playing outside and Jamie sees people dancing and then asks you to dance:) and you ofc agree and you just have the most intimate slow dance 🥺 and you just stare into his eyes and then tuck your face into his neck. Kirby also sees and asks kesh to dance and they are just admiring each other. And then Quinner sees me pouting and crying over you two and asks me to dance as well and we also slow dance. The rest of boys also find some ladies to dance with.

Next day: we decide to explore Mykonos like going to see the ruins and historical sights. So we all set off in the morning. Since Greece has a lot of alleys and stairs everyone some of us ( me and Ryan I fall down the stairs sm ) accidentally fall down the stairs ‘oh for fucks sake why do I always have to fall’ ‘what about me Lexi?’ ‘ you’re a hockey player you fall all the time anyway’ so we just bicker and you guys laugh and Quinner helps me up. ‘Hey Brigid we heard you and Jamie last night’ ‘shut up Cole we saw that girl sneak out of your room lol’ so everyone is just chirping each other the entire time. We get to the historic sights and we are all in awe and take a bunch of photos. Then we go get lunch and just chill. After that we all return to the hotel in the evening and we all get dinner. All in all I am loving this trip. It’s just so great.

Also I realized that pro tennis players go there during off season and so if I see one of them I will totally ask for a photo and go play tennis with them one afternoon. ‘Omg guys Serena William is hereeee’ and I just run off lol.

- another part might be happening but I might start with our Europe tripppppppp.

Ly thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy 🥺.

omgggg all of this is fucking amazing!! i love all of it, and ofc you guys lexi and kesh💕 anyways longggg post ahead

ok so first some random thoughts

ok so first of all new chains for the boyssss. quinner needs to start wearing one for lexi asap, and kesh and i are getting new ones for kirby and jamie. tbh they’re just as much gifts for us as for them lol

omg yessss i want a bb jamie. and his freckles 🥺🥺 i’m sorry this child is going to be so pale tho

hehe all of us out here stealing beanies. jamie’s beanie just looks so soft and i want to wear and then i can play with his hair better when he’s not wearing it too lol. and ofc lexi gets credit for starting this trend with quinner 

ok moving on to the flight lol

pleaseee i just want to trace jamie’s freckles and play with his hair while he sleeps. and us only being able to sleep with each other 🥰🥺 hehe please someone take pics for us

lmaooo yes lexi is busy GETTING COFFEE with quinner. and no need to bring jamie and i into this lexi, please and thank you

hehe cozzy making jamie give him $50 to switch seats so he can buy food on the flight. it’s ok cozzy isn’t really mad bc he can sleep better by devon anyways, he doesn’t have to deal with dyl and i’s crazy shit. lmaooo love kesh and kirby ignoring us

lol you’re welcome dyl for keeping you comfy, you better be getting me food to pay me back later. and then me and jamie just being soft 🥺🥺 tracing freckles and playing with each others hair. awww just peppering each others faces with kisses and then it somehow turns into a makeout. good thing dyl is asleep so he doesn’t slap one of us lmao. omg yessss jamie holding my hand or putting a hand on my leg so i’ll stop fidgeting the whole time so bo can sleep lol

awww yes kesh and kirby are adorable together, we love that for them. haha honestly same, i can see why they don’t wanna sit by us

 hehe quinner just has insanely high coffee tolerance, so he’s passed out on the plane lmao. but that gives lexi the perfect opportunity to play with his hair and rope bracelet. hehe he might pretend to still be asleep for a while after he wakes up bc it feels good. and then once he wakes up he kisses your freckles and he just puts a hand on your leg so you’ll stop kicking my chair (ty quinner)

lmaoooo i want to see you slapping ryan awake. and then us looking cute with our curly/wavy hair and our clear skin

ok so first day in greece

all of us get to share rooms with our bbs:) also i said we would try to keep quiet, i don’t know what more you want from jamie and i. i don’t think you and quinner are exactly silent either at night lmao. omg yesss running into each other’s rooms playing hotel tag! hehe i advise if you see a singular piece of clothing on our floor then you leave, bc i keep my room freakishly neat. but anywayssss i would dominate hotel tag, i love that game and i have a lot of practice lol

omg yes slumber party!! we can watch movies and stuff together and make the guys do face masks lmao. ‘why is it green’ ‘wait mine’s grey’ ‘i don’t want this shit on my skin’ ‘guys just put them on, it’ll be good for you’ omg yessss when we take them off they’re just glowing, love that for them

hehe all of us girls going shopping together to get cute new clothes bc guess what? we have moneyyyyy. and all the guys are just like where did they go

hehe yes jamie carrying me and then quinner and lexi pushing each other in behind us lol. but then ofc jamie and i join bc we’re (read: i’m) overly competitive. and kesh and kirby just chilling on the beach lol. and then i loveeee moments in the water, just like the slicked back hair and wrapping legs around waists and definitely maybe kissing

hehe yes lexi and i are the dream team. ryan i will beat you tf up if i have to lol. awww and cute moments on the beach at night 🥰

next dayyyy

hehe late breakfast bc we had eventful nights and don’t wanna get up early. and then i’m eating sm at the buffet lol and the guys are just like how? bc i’m just a very hungry person in general lol

hehe ok cliff diving: obvi me and dyl first bc we’re the daredevils, but i also pull jamie with us bc i don’t want to leave my bb behind. and then you and ryan hype each other up and you guys come next but then you pull quinner with you too, bc you don’t want to leave him behind. hehe i’m not being marco the whole time sorry, whoever gets tagged becomes marco. hehe and then once we’re ready to get out we blame kesh and kirby that we don’t know how lol ‘wow thanks mom and dad, how helpful’ jk we still love you kesh!! honestly i’m down to either, stay with the guys in the water or climb up, i did do rock climbing for a couple years tho so idk if that makes a difference. but then also they probably need help swimming and you want to bond with dyl, so honestly up to you:) 

snorkeling and scuba diving - all of us holding hands with our bfs and swimming with them🥺 hehe yes little brigid was really just living a wild life lol. anywaysss then we’re back on the catamaran and dyl’s just playing music and then we give lexi a turn and she’s surprisingly good for having not played in so long. and then singing mama mia is so fun! and just hanging out on the boat in general and having fun and cuddling with our boys. and then ofc we have to use aloe vera lol

hehe yess i have aux on the boat, but at some point i just ask jamie to go change the song and he knows my password, but i forgot he doesn’t know i changed my wallpaper. so then he’s sees the pic of us cuddling together in the airport and he’s just like ‘i’m your wallpaper’ and i just blush and go ‘well, yeah’ and he just comes over and hugs me and gives me a kiss. so then everyone’s comparing wallpapers lol, and so quinner and kirby are vv happy when they see lexi and kesh’s

yesss all of us looking cute and exploring mykonos nightlife. haha everyone’s at least a little tipsy bc it’s super easy to get drinks there. hehe all of us super loud and laughing and stuff, love that. and then moonlight kisses🥰 

awww yes, we’re exploring and we see a live band so jamie asks me to dance. and i blush but ofc i say yes, so we’re just having the softest most intimate slow dance🥺 staring into each other’s eyes at first, but then i tuck my face into his chest bc i get nervous with eye contact. and then ofc kirby has to ask kesh bc they’re #couplegoals and they’re just admiring each other while they dance. and quinner isn’t the best with social cues so he doesn’t pick up on it right away, but then he sees you’re sad and asks you to dance with him and then you two are adorable together. and the other guys ask some girls to dance, and guess who ends up coming back to the hotel with us that night lmao

next dayyyyy

oooh yes going to see the greek ruins, and there are a tonnn of alleys and stairs and stuff. so ofc you and ryan fall down them (and i by some miracle don’t). hehe you: ‘why tf am i always falling?’ him: ‘what about me tho lexi?’ you: ‘you’re a hockey player, it’s kind of in your job description’ and you guys keep fighting lmao, but ofc quinner helps you up 😍

and the chirpssss that would be going on all day lmaoooo ‘hey brigid, we heard you and jamie last night’ ‘oh fuck off, i saw a different girl come out of your room this morning cole. what are you doing, trying to go through every girl in mykonos by the time we leave?’

and then ofc sightseeing and taking lots of insta photos, and then we all go to get lunch together. imagine the people who have to serve our table, i feel sorry for them lol. and then we could just go back to the beach or smtg before dinner and then back to the hotel 😏

final thoughts

at some point lexi sees a really good tennis player and goes to get her picture taken and see if she can practice with them, and kesh and i being the good friends that we are chase after her to take the pictures lol. hehe and then lexi abandons us to go play tennis with them for the afternoon

ugggh this was amazing and i love it, i’m excited for another part of europe, i’m down with either bc both would be amazing

ly too 🥰 it was amazing, i was so happy to read it

[harris-coopers]

Inside Lili Reinhart's Launch Party for Covergirl's Clean Beauty Collection

The actress speaks to The Hollywood Reporter about doing her own makeup on 'Riverdale,' as well as her experience as EP and star of 'Chemical Hearts': "It was time for people to see me in a different light."

Lili Reinhart is getting behind clean beauty. A Covergirl ambassador since October, Reinhart celebrated her first campaign on Thursday with a launch party of Covergirl's Clean Fresh line at Rolling Greens nursery in downtown Los Angeles.

The brand tapped her as the face of the collection, which includes vegan highlighters, blushes, foundations and lip oils formulated without parabens, sulfates, formaldehyde, talc, fragrances and phthalates.

"It's just walking art, living art," says the Riverdale and Hustlers actress of the power of makeup. "You can do whatever the hell you want to your face."

Covergirl — which is under Kylie Cosmetics majority owner Coty — joins other beauty labels in the clean beauty realm. Several stars-turned-entrepreneurs have put their weight behind the movement, including Jessica Alba, Victoria Beckham and Miranda Kerr, who promote more natural or safer ingredients in their respective beauty empires.

At the outdoor event on Thursday, Reinhart chatted with Euphoria actress Sydney Sweeney, both in pink ensembles. The Instagram-ready guests enjoyed fresh coconuts branded with "Covergirl"; butternut squash and coconut garlic creme pizza; and an edible garden featuring puffed wild rice "soil" with black olive and breadcrumbs, seasonal baby vegetables, mini jewel lettuce heads and housemade ranch dressing. On the drink menu was a watermelon fresh cooler, fresh pressed juices and the "Easy Breezy Rosé," of course.

Also on hand was a plant-decorating bar, where attendees received a potted aloe plant and filled the pot with quartz stones, pink sand and colorful moss to fit the au naturale theme of the makeup collection.

Ahead of party, Reinhart (who has previously repped Dermalogica) sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss her work onscreen, in the makeup chair, as an executive producer and as a brand ambassador.

Why did you want to partner with Covergirl?

When the opportunity presented itself, I of course was thrilled. More people congratulated me on Covergirl than anything else. They were like, 'Oh my God, you're a Covergirl? That's incredible.' It was always a strange experience when people congratulated me because it was humbling, like, 'Wow this is a big deal.' I love Covergirl having their first male spokesperson, James Charles. It felt like Covergirl is such an inclusive brand when it comes to that and that's incredibly important.

Why is clean beauty important to you and what's your journey been like learning about the benefits?

I wasn't aware that clean beauty was even a category. It's so crazy to think that that exists, and then the opposite exists. There's obviously products out there that have a lot of stuff going on in them. Consumers are smart and they're paying attention to what they're putting on their faces, as they should be.

It's a lot harder to get away with producing low-quality products. A lot of people think of a vegan line as being very top dollar, and so the fact that Covergirl has found a way to make it extremely affordable is really admirable and cool. It's important that people have access to that. I wasn't too familiar with it until this line.

Patrick Ta (the makeup artist to Gigi Hadid and Olivia Munn) worked with you for the shoot. What was that experience like?

It was my first time working with him. It was great. I've never seen my brows look so good. I was like, 'Damn.' He used these makeup sponges from Japan or Korea. They were the softest makeup sponges I've ever used in my life. Of course you can only get them in Asia so I'm like, 'Guess I'm going to have to go to Asia and get some sponges!'

Your Riverdale co-star Madelaine Petsch said she does some of her own makeup on the show. You do as well?

I started to do my own makeup just out of comfort, when I would go to set in the morning. I love makeup sponges and I love the way they feel on my face and I was like, 'I wanna do it!' So I started doing my own foundation and I started doing everything. I've always enjoyed doing makeup. It was a very meditative thing to do in the morning. Because I'm not a morning person, it became a very easy way for me to just zone out and do my own thing.

I've experienced, over the last few years, makeup artists who really don't know my face and they try to make me look like something that I'm not. It gives me less anxiety to it myself and know that I'm going to look the way that I want to look.

How is Betty's makeup different than your own, besides being heavier for the camera?

It is heavier. Betty is natural, but because you're on a camera [there's] definitely more makeup involved. I do more eyeshadow for Betty than I do. I really don't wear eyeshadow unless I'm going out or it's a particular event that I'm doing. In my day-to-day, I wear very minimal makeup, but for Betty it's a process. You got the whole bronzer and highlighter and liner. I'm much more basic.

So how long does it take you to do Betty's makeup?

Like 30 minutes. I used to be 45, but I don't have the patience anymore. I'm just like do it, do it, do it, fast. In my real life, I only take like five minutes to do makeup. I use Clean Fresh Skin Milk Foundation, I put on the back of my hand, I put a sponge in it. I put it all over, do my brows and then my Covergirl Exhibitionist mascara and my lip balm.

What beauty tips have you learned from various makeup artists you've worked with?

I've learned a lot about what products to use — what works for me and what doesn't. I've enjoyed using more colorful eyeshadows over the last year. People in general are being more playful with the colors that they're using on their face, especially their eyes. It's been a very experimental time in makeup right now.

What trends are you loving on the red carpet this awards season?

The makeup on the runway has become such a thing now. Like Valentino did a collection where girls had [feathers] on their eyes [by Pat McGrath]. I was like, 'Oh my God.' It's just so beautiful and so dreamy. It's just walking art, living art. Makeup really is a way to just — it's like a blank canvas everyday. You can do whatever the hell you want to your face. I think that's awesome.

Sounds like you have an admiration for Fashion Week?

I do, I definitely do. I don't have time [to go] because I'm usually filming, but I do enjoy Fashion Week and I like fashion. I'm wearing Valentino today.

Well speaking of filming, your Amazon film Chemical Hearts wrapped. What's a big takeaway there for you?

One of the best filming experiences I've ever had to be honest, because I was an executive producer on it as well. I worked so closely with the director [Richard Tanne] for months beforehand and got to help with the casting process and I just think it was a script and a story that meant a lot to me.

It was based off of a book, so I read the book first and fell in love with the book. It's a bit of a melancholy movie. It's not like your average teen love story movie. It's not funny. It's almost like a teenage Blue Valentine in a way, if I want to toot my own horn. I loved working on it. It's very different from Riverdale and it was time for people to see me in a different light.

What was the appeal of stepping into that executive producer role?

That came into effect with the post-production and pre-production. I was very involved in the script and the casting, and then also for post-production, I have been involved in seeing different cuts of the film and giving my opinions on 'Does this work? Does this not work?'

Having my opinion actually matter and having Amazon executives listen to me and the director really take what I'm saying seriously, it definitely makes me want to be a producer on more things in the future. I really loved wearing that hat as an executive producer, so [I] definitely would do it again. It's a lot of work, I didn't realize, but I like having control. I like being in charge of things and having my opinion count for something.  

source: Hollywoodreporter

[scarlettrin]

NaLu Week - Hiding In The Barn

@nalu-week Day 7: Smile

Warning: Smut!

Also published on FF.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13637333/1/Hiding-in-the-barn

Hiding In The Barn.

Natsu snorted. He couldn’t believe that Lucy wasn’t tired of dancing yet.

They’d been at that country festival for the whole evening and a good part of the night. After eating and drinking plenty, everyone started dancing in the middle of the square. Everyone was wearing medieval dresses and Lucy was dressed with a lovely pink one, her hair prettily braided: it was hard not to look at her, dancing and smiling in the middle of square. Natsu looked at her pretty smile and grinned: seeing her so happy made him happy too. In that moment, a pretty drunken lad came by his side, lying against the wall: he was definitely wasted.

“Yo man!” he greeted Natsu, leaning against his shoulder.

“Hey” he replied a bit confused – the Dragon Slayer never liked to drink, so he never really understood people who got plastered that way.

“Ya know… I always thought… my dream was to become… you know… a great rich something… like an actor… or a politician… but now my friend!” he raised his voice suddenly, embracing Natsu with one arm and pointing with the full cup in hand towards the centre of the square “Now… my dream… is to marry… HER!”

“Her who?” asked Natsu, raising a brow confusingly.

“The beautiful blondie dancing over there… man… I do love her!” he exhaled, enthusiastically.

“I don’t really think so” Natsu replied, shooting a bad glare at him.

“But I love her!”

“No, you don’t.”

“Look at her, she’s gorgeoooous!”

“She’s not only that. She’s also funny and very intelligent” Natsu replied, naturally.

“See? I… *hic*… really have to marry her… I’m gonna take her to the barn… later…” he said, before falling asleep against the wall behind them.

“To the barn?” Natsu asked to himself, confusingly.

She had been dancing for hours and was literally exhausted. Lucy ran towards the edge of the square, where Natsu had been waiting all the time – but he was no longer there. Lucy really wanted to dance with him, but he just kept on refusing her invitation, pouting in embarrassment. So, she just kept on dancing with lots of nice citizens, both old and young, children and middle-aged men, and she had an incredible time. That medieval festival of magic was super exciting and she was so happy to be there, she couldn’t stop smiling.

Lucy started to wander along a small road near to where she left Natsu and, after a few steps, she managed to find him walking towards the square.

“Hey Natsu” she trilled excitedly, running towards him. His face was red and he seemed dumbfounded. “Where have you been?!”

“Oh, Lucy…” he replied surprised, as she swooped happily against him. He immediately felt his temperature rise and the heat he had been feeling seemed to worsen.

“What’s wrong? Where’ve you been?” Lucy asked, looking at him curiously.

“Ah… er… I’ve been… to the barn”.

“To the barn?!” Lucy winced, surprised. She heard the village girls talking as they lent her dress and as they helped her with her hair, and she knew very well what happened in the barn. “Who did you go there with?!” Lucy raised her voice, her smile fading and feeling a strange pulse wrapping her chest.

“N-nobody… I went there alo—” but Natsu couldn’t finish his sentence that a strong thunder rumbled in the night sky, followed by a few raindrops. “Oh, no…”

“Oh! What a pity! All the festival stands and the decorations!” Lucy sighed, but soon she realised that that rain was too painful: in fact, it was hail.

“Let’s run for cover, Lucy!” Natsu said, taking her hand and running away along the road. Soon enough, they found cover from the violent hailstorm that had suddenly started to rage.

“Woah, that’s crazy! Where did this storm come from?!” Natsu started laughing, as he closed the heavy, wooden door behind his back, feeling the suddenly freezing air coming from outside.

Lucy stood in the weak, dim light of the place, her back towards Natsu.

“Natsu.”

“Yeah?”

“Why… are we… in the barn?” she asked, looking at him with lucid eyes and trembling shoulders.

“Ah… eh… I didn’t know anywhere else to go!”

“She could’ve gone back to our inn!”

“It’s far from the square and in the rush of the moment… I only thought… about this place” Natsu pouted, his voice trailing off with embarrassment.

“Oh. So…what have you seen in the barn?” Lucy asked, her voice slightly malicious.

The only light illuminating that place, which strongly smelt of straw, was the storm light coming from the dirty windows.

Natsu gulped. “W-well… I-I… I didn’t see anything!”

“Really? People told me stories about this place…” Lucy chirped, ironically.

“A-and what did they tell you?!”

“I don’t know… things… but then again, why were you here? What did you want to see?” she continued with amusement.

“Nothing at all! There was a lad that told that he wanted to bring you here, so I wanted to check what he meant! And you should really thank me for checking up on this place! People do strange things here and…” Natsu’s voice trailed off again. He felt his cheeks on fire as soon as he remembered what he saw there a few moments before. The boy and the girl who were there making out – they were definitely younger than him! – and they seemed to be having a lot of fun, but… the things they were doing… really made him feel strange. Dirty. Even though he felt something catching fire deep within his chest as soon as he saw – and heard – them.

“You know…. I didn’t really understand what was going on there, but… I’m happy that you weren’t there with that drunken lad, Lucy.” Natsu said, almost admitting that truth to himself rather than to her.

“Of course I wouldn’t be here with someone who’s not you” Lucy sighed, lying down on a soft pile of straw. Her blond hair opened wide, mixing up with the golden straw. With a couple of fingers, she started to loosen the strings of the bustier of her medieval dress, letting her breast expand a little.

Natsu gulped. “What are you doing?!”

“Uff… it’s hard to breathe with this thing squeezing my chest…” Lucy complained.

Natsu scratched his neck: why was he feeling so nervous? He had seen Lucy naked more times than he’d seen himself probably, but this time he felt terribly aware of every inch of her skin, every breath that she drew… it was that damn place, it smelt like something strange and intense: it wasn’t the straw, it was something deeply human, a mix of sweat and human breaths.

A thunder roared in the sky once more and the hail turned into violent and deep rain.

“Seems it’s gonna take a while” Lucy murmured as she patted the place by her side on the straw.

With slow steps, Natsu approached Lucy and lied down by her side, taking a big breath.

“What’s wrong?” Lucy asked, turning on her side to face Natsu.

“I dunno know. I feel strange.” Natsu admitted, turning towards Lucy and closing the distance between their faces.

Lucy joggled back, surprised by the sudden motion of the boy, but Natsu gently grabbed her by her wrist, stopping her.

“H-Hey Natsu… don’t get strange ideas…”

“What strange ideas?”

“I mean… we’re in the barn, so…”

“So?”

Lucy lost it “So I thought you wanted to do… things… that people do… in the barn… with me.” Lucy’s words almost disappeared in an embarrassed mumble.

“Oh.” Natsu replied, widening his eyes. “But we can’t do that stuff. Can we?”

“Of course we can…” Lucy sighed, desperately. He was so dense when it came to love stuff.

Natsu furrowed his brows, a serious look on his face.

“Then… maybe… we should try.”

“WH—” Lucy was totally taken aback, but she couldn’t reply anything because Natsu was already over her, his hands on the sides of her head, a serious but flustered look on his face.

He remained there for a few minutes, looking at her in the eye, uncertain what to do. He could feel a strong stab in the stomach, his heartbeat accelerated, his breath heavy and his throat parched. Lucy’s breast went up and down quickly, following her quick, shuddering breaths.

Mesmerized by the vision of Lucy lying there, beautiful and excited, Natsu let his fingers slide slowly from her damp hair, along her neck, reaching the heat of her breast. There, he let his hand rest on her heart, right between her soft breasts – so hot. His breath quickened even more and he could feel a strange fire he never felt before burning deep inside of him.

“Lu—” he tried to call her name, but he was caught off guard when Lucy’s arms wrapped around his neck, leading him down onto her.

“Natsu…” she breathed softly, rubbing her nose lightly against Natsu’s.

Letting his senses take control, Natsu bent forward, letting his lips brush against Lucy’s. He stayed there a few seconds, but then the image of the young couple making out a few hours before came back to his mind – their kisses were different. He then bit Lucy’s lower lip, making her moan lightly. As her swollen lips opened, Natsu let his tongue slide in slowly, just to find Lucy’s tongue ready to welcome him: the contact had been so thrilling, that his kiss became immediately deeper, more intense, almost violent. Lucy strengthen her grip around Natsu’s shoulder, pushing him against her body, opening her legs to let him rest against her body: he was boiling. It felt like kissing a feverish flame, ready to burn everything around itself.

Natsu traced Lucy’s lips with his tongue, causing her to moan and her nails to dig deep down his back. That mixture of pleasure and pain sent a jolt down the boy’s spine, making him throb between his legs: their bodies attached to each other, Lucy could feel Natsu’s manhood hard and big, pressing strongly against her lower belly – this could end baaaad.

Lucy started to protest, but she was soon hushed by Natsu’s lips, which came back ravenously on hers. She felt his hands sliding up along her bare legs, pulling up her dress.

“Natsu, wait… ah!”

Natsu broke her intense kiss just to slide down her neck, reaching her soft and almost naked breasts to bite them lightly and to suck on them sweetly.

“Oh… my…” Lucy sighed, in ecstasy.

She didn’t want her first time to be in a barn, but damn, she had been waiting for that moment all of her life. And Natsu was so damned good and hot in that moment, she would’ve never thought she would see him in that way. Lucy let her hand slide down against his chest, untying his belt just to let her tiny hand slid inside his pants, under his boxers, to meet something hot and decidedly big. Natsu let out a deep groan, followed by a “Lucy” which was more similar to a growl than to a human sound. She began to pump quickly with her hand, enjoying the intense expressions Natsu’s face was making, hearing his sexy, hoarse moans, feeling his hot breath on her skin.

In that moment, the voices of some people started to speak loudly outside the door of the barn and Natsu and Lucy froze in place – the rain had stopped and people were coming out of the houses to continue with the party. They heard them say they needed straw to feed the animals.

Natsu quickly got up from the straw bed, taking Lucy’s hand and helping her up. They started straightening their clothes and tidying their hair, just before the heavy door opened right in front of them.

“Oh!” the villager exclaimed “Have you tried out our barn, you two?” he smiled mischievously.

“Oh yeah! Thank you for the hospitality” Natsu smiled, as he took Lucy’s hand and both ran outside the barn, smiling and laughing.

“I didn’t know barns could be so interesting!” Natsu smiled, turning towards Lucy.

Lucy replied with one, bright and naughty smile. “But I think the inn’s gonna be better. Just wait and see.”

[deadparrish]

richie tozier stand-up routine

hey! thanks for showing up everyone! so as you all know i took a little bit of a break. well, by break i mean i had a breakdown, forgot my whole scripted routine on stage, and then disappeared off the face of the earth for a month. what can i say! shit happens!

well, actually what happened is that i got a call from one of my childhood best friends which brought up a whole bunch of repressed childhood trauma and was forced- and i’m really not exaggerating here, forced to return to my hometown that i’ve been avoiding for 27 years. now, i’m not gonna say the name of this town, but i will say that it’s the worst fucking town in the world. like, it’s a place that people go to to die. and not even in, like, a relaxing way, like florida. no, you go there and you get, like, your fucking arm ripped off by a weird fucking clown and you die from blood loss. no, i’m serious! that happened to my friends little brother!

anyway, i go back home to, like, fulfill a promise that i made via blood oath when i was 12, during like, the height of the aids epidemic, so it’s a big fucking deal, right. and i’m there in this fucking sushi place, and i’m suddenly face to face with my friend who i’ve been, like, in love with my whole life. so i get as drunk as fucking possible, because i’m an adult, right, and that’s how adults deal with their problems. they get roaring drunk and then they, like, manufacture some stupid reason to arm wrestle so they can hold hands with the object of their 27-year-long crush. NOT saying that i did that. but i will say that this fucker has super soft hands. like, imagine you’ve never done a days work in your life, and also you’re, like, really weird about germs and taking care of yourself, so you use a lot of germ ex and AFTER that you use a lot of lotion. probably lavender scented with, like, aloe vera. 

whatever, not the point. so i’m face to face with the dude that i’ve been in love with since i was 12 and in denial that i was gay- oh yeah, by the way everyone, i’m gay- woah, okay, that’s a lot of cheering, okay. calm down gays- haha, anyway. i’m face to face with this dude, and trying to not like. lose my gay mind. and i’m VERY determined at this point to just, like, get through this visit back home without like. totally revealing all of my gay feelings, so i can come back to chicago and be gay and sad in the comfort of my own gay home. did i mention i was gay? sorry, it just feels fucking good to say. 

anyway, i’m trying to get through this visit without totally losing my mind, and some of you might be wondering, why are you even back in your hometown meeting with your best friends from childhood? good question! it’s a long story, but it basically boils down to the six of us- there used to be seven, but stan, he- he couldn’t make it, so the six of us have to defeat this demon clown entity that came down from space and has been terrorizing and eating people for, like, a billion years. like, imagine every negative human emotion in existence, put all of those emotions into a demon with a huge forehead, and you have this clown. no, guys, i’m serious! this clown is fucking crazy, and also, like, super homophobic.

so the six of us are there, and my friend mike is like oh, we all have to go into the sewers to It’s lair- and that’s capital I, It’s, folks- so we can kill It. and like, we did the same shit when we were 12, but it’s a little bit crazier now that we’re all 40. i have a receding hairline, bill is fucking bald, and ben- well, bens hot as fuck. point is though, that we’re all like, mike, what the fuck? but we go down there and we do this fucking native american ritual to try to trap the clown, which of course doesn’t work because none of us are fucking native american, and then there’s this huge fucking, like, battle, and then eddie gets fucking impaled by this thing, and i just- sorry, it was just so fucking scary. 

i’ve been in love with this dude for over 27 years, and i’m holding him in my arms and he’s bleeding everywhere and i’m like fuck, fuck, i never fucking told him, and he’s like, richie, and he says it in the softest voice ever and he’s looking at me and i’m like oh my god, this is the worst time to have a fucking gay freak out, but what if he says he loves me? so i’m there like, trying to stop his fucking gut from bleeding, and he’s looking at me and i’m looking at him and, quite frankly, i’ve never felt gayer in my life- must have been the atmosphere, dark ass sewers really bring out the pride in me- and you know what he says? i fucked your mother. i swear to god- stop laughing! i couldn’t believe it! i’m the famous comedian and this dude just said that when he’s fucking bleeding out. i love him so much.

anyway, we managed to defeat the clown by bullying it to death, which is how all clowns are killed, i guess, and i got ben to help carry eddie up to the surface- ben is so strong, guys, he’s like, fit. and we got eddie to the hospital and he lived. and then it was like, oh my god, i can’t let him get better and then go back to new york without like, telling him that i love him, right? and honestly, i would have rather faced the demon clown again. 

so i’m in his hospital room, and he’s awake and pissed, because he’s been there, like, a week, and he’s bitching about the cleanliness of hospitals, and he’s like, do you know how many fucking germs there are on a doorknob, and then he’s talking about how much his cheek hurts- oh yeah, i guess i forgot to mention, this dude who bullied us when we were kids broke out of a mental institution and stabbed him in the face. don’t worry though, i axed him. it’s not important. anyway, he’s like, my cheek hurts and i don’t want to fucking be here anymore, and i’m just staring at him like an idiot, and he’s like what the fuck, richie, don’t just stare at me, you dick, and i cut him off and tell him i love him. no build up, no framing it as a joke so i can play it off. just a wide-eyed lovesick confession. 

and i freeze, and he freezes, and we just stare at each other for a few minutes like idiots. and he just asks, all quiet and perfect, really? and i’m like dude, i’ve BEEN in love with you, and i start spilling my guts, and then next thing i know he’s trying to get OUT of the hospital bed, and i’m like eddie, what the fuck, and i move to push him down, and he grabs my shirt and pulls me into bed on top of him, and let me tell you all, i exerted more energy trying to make sure i didn’t collapse on his stomach wound than i ever have at the gym, ever. and at this point i’m truly freaking out, but it’s like, a good freak out, you know? i’m like, okay, he probably wouldn’t have pulled me on top of him if he didn’t like me. he probably likes me. but what if he doesn’t? so i’m like, eds- and he. he kisses me. yeah, i know, i could cheer, too.

so we kiss, and then he pushes me so i’m laying next to him, and then he starts bitching me out for confessing while he’s in the hospital, and couldn’t i wait until he got released, and i’m just- i know i was staring at him like an idiot, like an absolute fool, and he grabs my hand and he’s like i love you too, moron, and i just say, oh.

anyway, he had to stay in the hospital for another week, and i have so many stories about how he terrorized the nurses, i could write so many fucking sketches, and then when he was released we went to new york and he divorced his wife- hell yeah!- and now he lives with me here in chicago. he’s in the audience, actually! hi, eds! anyway, that’s why i’ve been on a break. being gay is crazy.

[fanfoolishness]

Growing Things

The road to recovery is a long one, but the journey is easier with good company. Steven and Connie work in the garden and discuss the past and future.  Connverse, 2797 words, a little angst, a lot of fluff.  

(A sequel to my Steven-gets-therapy stories Full Disclosure and ice cream sundaes that asks, what if Prickly Pair had occurred in a healthy way?)

***

A throb of power, a humming in his ears, a light, a song.  Rage boiled in his chest; he sobbed into his hands, gasping with the weight of it.  Pink light shimmered around him.  It built itself into a cage of lies and fears, and he flung his hands out, fingers sliding down its smooth surface.  As it closed in around him it changed into a mirror that glinted and rippled.  He tried to hide his face, but he could see how much he looked like her --

Steven woke up suddenly, breathing hard, sweaty and trembling.  I’m here, I’m here, he remembered.  He ran a shaky hand through his unruly hair, wiping the sweat away.  

A knock at the sliding door startled him, and he looked up, fighting momentary panic.  The fear dissolved when he saw Connie waving at him through the glass.  He nodded to her and she let herself in with the key he’d given her ages ago.

“Hey!” she said happily, but the smile on her face quickly faded.  “Are you okay?”  

Steven took a few breaths.  Focus, then let it go.  No feeling lasts forever.   “No,” he said, simply, honestly.  Another breath.  “Give me a minute.  I think I will be.”  

She sat down beside him, kicking off her shoes and curling up on the bed.  She leaned against him and settled her head on his shoulder. It was one of her newest favorite spots to lean on him, and he relaxed into her, his breathing slowing.  

“Another nightmare?” Connie asked, hugging him.  He dug his hands into his thighs, gripping hard at first, then gradually relaxing until his knuckles were no longer white.

“Yeah.  Not a flashback or anything. Just me, stuck in my own head.”  He paid attention to how he felt, the way Connie felt against him, the sound of his breathing, his feet flat on the floor.  

Get out of your head.  It was starting to help.

“Well, I’m here too,” Connie reassured him.  She pressed a gentle kiss to his temple, then his cheek.  He grinned despite the nightmare’s memory, fighting the sudden urge to float up to the ceiling and take her with him. He turned his face to hers and kissed her, her mouth parting open beneath his, and the nightmare quickly slipped back into distant recollection.  How could he think of that when the way Connie held him was so right?

They drew apart a moment later, both slightly breathless, Connie as pink-cheeked as Steven felt.  “Thanks for coming over,” Steven said, suddenly shy.  “Even if I overslept.”

“Nah, I’m early.  I might have missed you a little bit since yesterday,” said Connie, pretending to look innocent.  Then she giggled and nudged him with her shoulder.  “Besides, I’m starting to get into this whole gardening thing with you.  These plants won’t take care of themselves… unless you’ve added any --”

Steven laughed a little, climbing out of bed.  Connie stood up beside him, slipping on her shoes.  “No, no, these ones up here are still just normal Earth plants.  No cheating.  I’ll get dressed.  Um, maybe you should --”

“Suddenly shy, Steven Universe?”  She turned around so that she couldn’t see him change, but she was blushing as she did so.  

“Um, maybe,” Steven said, his voice threatening to crack for a second.  He gulped through it, disguising it with a swallow.  Oh jeez.  “Uh, maybe I just don’t want you to be overwhelmed by my extremely handsome physique,” he blustered. Better.  

They’d only officially been dating for six and a half weeks, and he was still figuring out how to be both a friend and a boyfriend.  He wasn’t sure how exactly to do it, but it felt like he was doing okay.  Except what was this flirting thing, again?  He hoped she didn’t think he was too ridiculous.

He pulled off the light tank top he’d slept in.  Part of him half-hoped Connie would watch him get changed after all -- but that was both too exciting and too terrifying to handle just yet, so he quickly changed with his back to her, sweating again.  Where had he put that deodorant?  Ah, there it was. Phew.

“Well, it’s true,” Connie mused from across the room.  “I do think you’re handsome.”

“Come on, Connie, don’t tease me,” he said, rummaging for fresh underwear and jeans.  He put them on at lightning speed.

“I wasn’t teasing, but I can start.  Isn’t calling you handsome one of the perks of being your girlfriend?”  The way she said girlfriend was light and airy, tinged with pride and the excitement of newness.  The sound of it made him feel all floaty again.

“Can I just say that us actually dating is… it’s kinda weird, and more than a little scary, and also I really love it?  Because it’s awesome.  You’re awesome. And beautiful, and smart, and funny, and badass, and -- well, you know,” Steven said in a rush, pulling on a fresh shirt.  It got stuck temporarily on his head, and he pulled it down, his hair going every which way as he did so.  “Okay, I’m decent.”

“Decently goofy, that is,” said Connie, turning back around.  They headed out onto the deck, and she laughed brightly, one of his favorite sounds.  “I feel the same way.  It’s weird, and I get all these crazy butterflies every time I look at you, but you’re still Steven.  It’s like… being best friends plus this whole new thing where I get to hold your hand and kiss you and tease you until you blush.  I’m a big fan.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”  He bent down to examine some of the plants in their pots and planters.  He had considered growing them magically, but there was something comforting about these ones, their shades of green and blue and goldenrod a cheery sight against the Gem-constructed dome.  Maybe it was that they were content to stay here and grow where he’d asked them to; but maybe it was that there was no way they would cause problems any more severe than allergies.

“It isn’t really cheating,” Connie said, watering a row of blue and pink-blooming hydrangeas in their beds.  

“Huh?” Steven asked, nonplussed over by the burgeoning azaleas.  Their first blossoms were just starting to unfurl in shocking fuschia. 

“Using magic to grow these.  It would be okay if you did, I think.”  She paused, trailing a hand over a bundle of pink blossoms.  “Magic’s part of you just as much as being human, if that’s what you’re worried about.  It’s not wrong to use it, and it’s not wrong to not use it, you know?”

How did she always see through him?  He was glad she knew him so well, but sometimes, it made it difficult to hide.  He thought back to the sessions he’d started going to, human therapy with someone who didn’t know him, didn’t know Dad and the Gems, didn’t know any of this stuff… but someone who let Steven talk.  And one of the things he’d suggested was reconnecting to his human side.

“I know.  But I fought so hard to be a good Gem, to get control of my powers, to save the galaxy… I forgot about who I was as a human.  I guess this is me trying to figure it out, one plant at a time.  Plus my counselor thinks the whole gardening thing is a good idea.” He brushed his fingertips over the spiny leaves of a variegated aloe plant. “Thanks for helping me look into it.  Peridot’s advice was super technical, but just hanging out and taking care of plants is a little more my speed.”

She left the watering can, closing the distance between them and taking his hand.  “It’s okay if it takes time.”

“I know,” he said, and he did know it, and the thought made him glad.  There was a time, not that long ago, that he wouldn’t have believed her.  That he would have thought she wasn’t telling the truth.  “That’s why I’ve been working so hard on letting myself not work.  I really needed help.  And it feels good to be getting it.”

Connie looked down at his hand, held in her slender one.  “I’m so sorry you were struggling so much.  I knew something was wrong, I just… I didn’t know what exactly.”

He gripped her hand tighter.  “Well, my counselor says I can be really stubborn,” he laughed.  “And he says I’m really good at hiding things.  The Gems didn’t know, Dad didn’t know…”  He sighed, the laughter in his voice fading.  

Oh.  There it was, that feeling.  Steven tried to sit with it, instead of trying to shove it aside.  It was still a difficult thing for him.  “I just can’t believe I lost a whole year, feeling like that.  Empty and angry and numb….  I wish it had been different. That I’d been better at dealing with everything.  I mean, I could have been going off to college with you in fall, and we could have been dating so much sooner because I wouldn’t have been so messed up.  I wouldn’t have worried everyone so much, or scared you so much that night -- I’m really sorry -- ”

“Hey, hey hey hey,” said Connie softly.  

He looked up.  She searched his face, her brown eyes wide and earnest.  She smiled gently at him, and he realized what she meant.

“Oh man, I’m doing it again,” Steven said, shaking his head and smiling faintly.  “That thing where I assume I have to apologize if I try to talk about my feelings.  And that other thing where I assume I have to take care of everyone else’s problems instead of mine.  Ahhh, it’s really hard to unlearn!” He let go of her hand, throwing his up in the air.  “What’s that saying?  Two steps forward, one step back?  It’s annoying.”

“I think it’s really normal,” said Connie, reaching out and booping him on the nose.  He giggled.  Sure enough, the painful feeling from earlier was already starting to fade, all the less powerful for having been shared but not ruminated on.  It was a balance he worked at with every counseling visit.  More and more often, he was getting better at it.

“And I think it’s amazing you’ve worked so hard.  I can tell you have, Steven.  You just seem… like you again.  Maybe it’s a you that’s still figuring things out, but I am too,” said Connie.  “It’s not like I know everything about what I want to do.  There’s my classes now, which college to pick, my driving exam… and how much time I want to spend in space in the future versus if I want a career that’s more Earth-based… there’s a lot to think about!”

Steven kissed her on the cheek, then wiped off a bit of dirt that had gotten on her nose.  “I know it’s hard to choose -- oh man, do I know -- but I hope you know you can do anything you want, Connie. You’re so smart, and you work so hard.  Whatever you pick, you’ll be incredible.”  She flushed, but didn’t contradict him.  “And if you ever want to practice driving the Dondai, I’ll go with you any time.  I know you’ll pass it.  Stevonnie was a great driver even when we were kids, so I’m sure you’ll do great.”

She poked him in the side.  “Yeah, but it’s a little different when someone’s grading you on it.  And I think the racing moves Stevonnie’s so good at are a little frowned upon in the driving test.”

“The test wasn’t bad at all,” said Steven.  “I got dinged on a couple things, but they still passed me.  Turns out parallel parking is crazy hard when you’re used to parking on an entire beach…”

“Dork,” said Connie, smirking.

“Guilty.”

“You know, we’re not doing a very good job with the plants, Steven,” she said, glancing around them.  

“Someone’s very distracting,” said Steven, halfheartedly picking up his watering can.  “You’re just really good to talk to, and super cute, and you smell really nice --”

“Such a dork!” She went to pick up a trowel, but sighed.  “Dang it, you’re really distracting too.  Your hair’s doing this extra curly thing where it’s sticking up in the back and it’s adorable, and I keep just wanting to touch you and hold your hand --”

“Hey, I have an idea,” said Steven shyly, an idea occurring to him.  “I know a way we could be a little more productive.”

“You better not tell me to go home already, Universe,” Connie said, raising an eyebrow.  “I thought I was supposed to go to lunch with you and your dad and the Gems later.”

“What do you take me for, Maheswaren?” he scoffed.  “No.  I was thinking --” He stepped backward, leaving a little space between them, and held out his hand.  “I bet Stevonnie could focus more.”

She grinned, blinking rapidly, her eyes a little too bright.  He knew how she felt -- hopeful, eager, excited -- and a little nervous.  “Are you sure?” she asked.  “I mean -- we haven’t since….”

He took a deep breath.  “Since before I broke down?  I know.  But I think… I think I feel enough like me now that I want to try, if you do.”

Her grin deepened into a fierce, blazing expression, the type of expression that said she would take on the world.  He loved that look. “Then let’s dance.”

Their dance was slow at first, the steps a little fumbling, out of practice.  For a moment, Steven’s eagerness shifted into worry.  Maybe he wasn’t ready after all.  Maybe he still wasn’t enough of himself to fuse.  Maybe --

But Connie’s dancing was so joyful, so familiar, that his worry slipped away.  It’s okay.  I’m me.  We’re us.   A lightness filled him, a happiness so intense his eyes pricked.  He took her hand in his, and together they whirled, they spun, they fused  --

Stevonnie laughed, the sound ringing throughout the dome. It felt so good to be themselves again.  “Yes!” they crowed.  They felt so much different than they had the last time they had formed.  That day, months ago, Stevonnie had felt unsettled and strange throughout.  They had struggled to stay themselves in a way that hadn’t made sense, and they had only remained a few moments before Steven and Connie unfused.  Now they understood why, and it was a relief to once more feel like Stevonnie, confident, relaxed, at ease.

They realized things felt a little different.  “Ooh!” they said, reaching up to feel stubble on their cheeks. “Huh, might be a good look for me.”  Stevonnie reached down to touch their toes, then stood up and stretched as tall as they could.  Ahhh, that was nice.  

Stevonnie glanced around the garden, noting how little work had been done this morning.  Steven and Connie really were too much sometimes (only in the best way, of course).  “Yeah, I think it’ll be a little easier not to be distracted this way.”  They collected the watering can and the pruning shears.  

Stevonnie hummed to themselves as they made their way through the rows of Steven’s garden, watering here, pruning the occasional dead branch there.  A few plants needed some fertilizer, and Stevonnie sank their hands into the soil of each pot, relishing the feel of cool dirt against their fingertips.  A breeze played through the open door of the conservatory, its touch blowing lightly through their hair.  The morning sunlight streamed through the glass, brilliant, coruscating, lining the edges of the plants with golden light. Below them, Stevonnie could hear the surf breaking against the sand, wave after wave, the sound mingling with their humming.

Stevonnie finished with the gardening in an hour, much quicker than it would have taken Steven and Connie with all of their flirting.  They wondered what the future held for them both: Connie’s schooling and future career, Steven’s Gem and human struggles and his improvements, this new layer to their friendship that had developed recently.  So many changes, but good ones, they thought.

They looked around at the garden, feeling a warm sense of pride at how well it was doing.   Steven and Connie had worked so hard to help this place become lush and beautiful.  It had changed, too.  No longer a sterile Gem structure, it was a true garden, vibrant and alive and growing.

Stevonnie sat down cross-legged in the middle of the conservatory, surrounded by greens and pinks and yellows, scents of jasmine and rose.  The surf was steady in the background.  Stevonnie closed their eyes, considering the future, and took a moment to breathe deeply.

They smiled, calm and serene.  Maybe they didn’t have future vision, but the future seemed bright after all.

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(Author’s note:

I had this rattling around in my drafts but was waiting until Prickly Pair aired to figure out what direction I wanted to go with it. WOW that episode was a gut punch, wasn’t it? So I felt I had to reimagine it in a much healthier setting since in these stories, Steven’s breakdown occurred earlier and he was willing to go to therapy. You can see he’s not 100% better — old fears and patterns slip through — but he’s social now and overall has a much better outlook.

I also thought it was important to spell out that dating wasn’t really possible until Steven had made significant improvements in his mental health, and that dating/relationships alone can’t save you from mental illness. They can help if there’s a solid foundation there, but you can’t jump into a relationship at your lowest point because your self is too wounded to be a good partner. So, this is set some months after Steven had been in therapy. They were very close before then but not officially dating yet, at least in these stories.)