#also am I going insane or is the shadow on the curtain also kinda the shape of his hat/head

[descalled]

descole puzzle

if you even care

[stewardofningishzida]

Chapter 3: The Calvary

More of the fic with multiple special guests! Say hi to the rest of the cast!

Rating: T for strong language

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*Trix and I send each member of our group the same message to make things easier and more efficient, only changing the name for each send.  The text is accompanied by Trix’s video of Stephen.*

The message:  Hey, _____.  Something came up and we have a serious problem.  We need your help.  I know this sounds completely insane or like a joke, but it’s not.  However, you HAVE to keep it secret.  Nobody outside of the group can know about this.  Doctor Strange is real and he got trapped in our universe during a fight.  He has to get back home.  Here’s a video from Trix as proof:  *The video is there.*  Please get back in contact.  We need help via research, resources, and possibly alternative places for him to stay in case more trouble happens.

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Laer: *Within a couple of minutes, Trix and Steward get a text message.* What the _fuck_ did I just see? What the fuck? _What the fuck?_ How the hell am I supposed to get back to work now? I'm booking a hotel near you because I've gotta see this in person. And I dunno—I guess I'm gonna learn how to use the Tor browser cuz if the multiverse is real (what the _fuck_) there's no way that info's gonna be on the normal web.

Steward:  Okay.  Be safe coming over.  Tor is fairly straightforward.  Should be fine.  If needed, ask me.  Thanks for the response.  Seriously…This is a lot and we’ll need all of the help we can get.

Trix: Honestly, it’s absolutely worth it to come over just to see Cloak.

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Fox: *My answer is also pretty fast, in a series of messages as I re-read the first text.* asldkjalkdja WHAT?? I mean, sounds about right for Stephen, losing the sling ring and all, but what the actual fuck

Was that what I saw through the window? The Cloak of Levitation??

Draw your curtains btw I only saw some shadow but. y’know. 

AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN “IN CASE MORE TROUBLE HAPPENS”????

Is this a “the cops are coming, act natural” or a “house might be leveled by an eldritch monster” kinda trouble. House is open either way but some warning would be nice

I’m coming over now

Steward:  Crap!  On it!  As for trouble, either one is possible.  For now, we’re keeping things contained, but neither of us knows how this could escalate.  We’ll all need to be careful.  Knock 4 times so I know it’s you.

Trix: I would not be surprised to see the government roll up if more weird stuff happens. We could always buy some crystals and pass him off as being super into astrology

Fox: [answering Steward] Well that is not comforting at all! To be fair, if an eldritch monster does come here the whole neighborhood is fucked, so. Not much we can do about that

Fox: [answering Trix] ugh, I hope not. Though I'm sure Stephen is going to love playing the part of the passionate astrologist lmao

Trix: He can be grumbly all he wants.  Our primary goal is keeping him away from the weirdos who would study him.

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Hana: *Replies in an hour or so cuz I am a really shitty texter.* What the fuCk. This is not real. I… am coming over.

*A few minutes later*

Does he really like Crème Brûlée? I can bring some.

Steward:  Okay…Knock 4 times so I know it’s you.  By the way, I’ll have to ask him…Apparently, it’s a yes.  Heh.  Okay.

Trix: Absolutely bring creme brûlée if only for us to laugh and cry

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Tear: *A few minutes after receiving the text, I record and send a voice message in reply.* Heeeey Steward, apologies for the noise, I gotta keep an eye on the croissants in the oven. I watched the video you sent, and it looks like you and Trix are having a fun time, I guess? Are we sure the dude’s not just one hell of a cosplayer? I’ve seen the puppet Cloaks before.  They’re cool.  Anyway, I gotta do inventory here at the bakery after closing time if you guys wanna come over to work on that research you mentioned. Tell your new friend that he can have a free drink if he brings his Cloak, and if he’s really Stephen then he doesn’t even have to worry about the money. He cannot go around saving the multiverse on an empty stomach now, can he? Just let me know so that I leave the door unlocked for you. Toodles!

Steward:  Ooh!  Croissants!  Anyway, we’ll see if we can take you up on the offer, but it depends on how the situation develops.  As for cosplay…no.  It really isn’t.  He says “Thank you”, by the way.  Hope to see you soon.

Trix: -doesn’t have anything to add here-

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Alexis: *Sends a message in a few minutes.* What the fuck. I NEED to come over to your house right now to see if it’s really real. I’m also gonna cook some delicious soup and porridge to bring over. They’re not bland, I promise.

*Sends a second message a few minutes later.* I’m also bringing my precious weighted blanket. If Stephen really is in our universe, he can have it.

Steward:  Aww, thanks!  Sounds good!  Yeah…In the chaos, I forgot to do anything.  The food is appreciated.  Knock 4 times so I know it’s you.  Need to fix the guest room due to an accident.  Also, how sweet!  Stephen says it’s a kind offer, but he wants you to keep it.  Your own mental health is important too.  

Trix: We will absolutely not turn down snacks. 

Alexis: Oh. I have snacks. I will also bring da snacks.

Trix: Hell yeah.

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Tua (watching the video): Oh, that’s a really cool cosplay. I wonder how they made the Cloak float so realistically?

*The words catch up to them.*

Oh, what the hell. This can’t be real. This must be a pyramid scheme of some kind… but I really hope it’s real? I mean, it’s worth checking out. Maybe if I ask some questions…

*Sends a message after a few minutes.*: Sorry, I can’t do anything in-person, but I do have some questions. Why does he look so close to his MCU version - same coloured beard and all - but slightly different in facial structure? Do you know what's happened to him before and exactly how he got here? If he knows America this would be a lot simpler, but if he doesn't then we could have a variant. Good luck, and I'll try to help with research as much as I can!

Steward:  It’s real.  As crazy as it looks and sounds, it’s real.  As for that…I assume it’s because it’s really Stephen and not an actor?  Otherwise, since the multiverse seems to be a real thing, maybe it’s because he’s a variant.  Apparently, he was fighting Shuma-Gorath and he shoved Stephen through the portal and took his Sling Ring.  Not sure if he knows America yet.  Laer has a list of questions for him so we can ask without messing with his timeline too much.  It’s okay that you can’t be here in-person. We didn’t expect any of this to happen anyway.  Thanks for the research aid!  We need all of the help we can get!

Trix: We’ll send you everything we find out!

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Weevil: Oh my god you guys I was standing in line for rush tickets to Rogers the musical with a friend and i didn’t see this until just now and I should probably put a . in here somewhere because I’m doing speech to text and

Weevil: Ok… going to actually type. We didn’t get tickets, but I have to ditch my friend because I can’t think straight and WHAT THE HELL!!!! I mean, wtf am I even seeing in this video and is this for real??!

Weevil: Ok. Yeah. Going to, um, go home, and… clean. Like, everything. And maybe borrow some pillows. And bake. Because… I’m guessing you’re coming here? Like… soon? Um. Right. Totally not freaking out right now.

Steward:  Sorry!  Also, yes.  As crazy as this looks and sounds, it’s real.  As for coming there, we’ll have to see how the situation develops.  Right now, making sure the chaos is contained, this stays a secret within our group, and determining whether or not any other complications might emerge.  Hope to see you soon!  Seriously, though.  Nobody outside the group can know about this.

Trix: -no comments to add-

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*After the messages are sent and subsequently replied to, I quickly close the curtains so the Cloak can’t be seen from the street anymore.  Then, I go to fix the guest room so Stephen has a place to stay.  Stephen, meanwhile, is with Trix.  The three of us listen for anyone arriving at the house.*  

**To be continued**

[bonesandthebees]

On a positive note!!! I just got home from seeing Andrew Bird live!!!!!! That was such an amazing concert omg

He's a violinist (well multi-instrumentalist, buttt I love him for his violin), and god it was such a beautiful show, and the lights were super coooool

I have now gone to three concerts this year and it's kinda surreal to me, but I am very much enjoying being an adult and getting to choose what I spend my money on lmaooo

I went to a half alive concert a few months ago and HOLYSHIT IT WAS THE COOLEST SHOW EVERRRR they performed the first two songs (Tip Toe and the Fall) behind a sheet, and used the lights so we could see their shadows and holyyyyy shitttt it was so cool and then during the Fall, the curtains dropped before they went full blast into the last chorus and--

Yeah shfkfk i like concerts

They can get very overestimulating for me, but MAN THEYRE WORTH IT IDEC

Ik you've gone to Lovejoy but have you gone to anyone else?? /nf

Also what's your personal fav part of concerts :0

For me I'm not really sure... since like all the concerts I've gone to have been so different. For Andrew Bird, I'd probably say just how beautiful and relaxing it was. For half-alive, I'd say the energy of dancing (i was on the floor) and singing along and seeing how happy the band and the audience was. The Crywank concert was dope bc of how personable it was. There was like only 50 of us in the room? Maybe? And we got to talk to them and shout out song suggestions n stuff. My mom took me to a Twenty One Pilots concert when I was younger (despite me literally only knowing their most popular songs and never listening to them lol) and that concert was super cool bc of like the show. They lit a whole ass car on fire it was very intense ahahaha

But yeahhh!! Concerts man . /pos

I cant wait to go see Lovejoy live man rahhhhs, one dayyy! One day sooon. I just need to renew my passport lol

I'm actually really surprised i've never heard of andrew bird considering I love violin music and used to listen to a lot of string instrumentalists. that sounds so fun though I'm glad you had a good time!!

literally the best part of being an adult is getting to decide what to spend your money on. like I can go get mcdonalds if I want I can buy concert tickets if I want I can take a trip to visit friends if I want it's fantastic

half alive is so good!! the curtain thing sounds so cool holy shit. I love tip toes seeing it performed like that would be so sick to me

while I have been to a few other concerts I didn't start going to them regularly until I got into lovejoy. my first ever concert was a katy perry concert I went to when I was 12 which was fun. although I've never actively sought out lindsey stirling concerts I've just ended up going to two of them?? her concerts are very fun the lighting and all that is very cool. one of those lindsey stirling concerts was also an evanescence concert bc they were touring together at the time and the person i went with was a huge evanescence fan while I'd literally never listened to them except for bring me to life, but it was really fun!! amy lee has a gorgeous voice. she also sang for lindsey stirling's shatter me and it was really cool. oh also I went to a billie eilish concert once her voice is soooooo pretty oh my god. hearing 'i love you' live hit so hard

when I was in college my uni used to host a big concert in the spring and so I went my freshman year and they had hayley kiyoko performing which was awesome. so many girls threw their bras at her it was great. also joji performed there too and he was really drunk. also he kept being super hype in between songs like "LET'S FUCKING GOOOOO" and then would immediately jump into singing the most depressing ballad you've ever heard in your life. the juxtaposition was insane.

i think the concerts (besides lovejoy) i've had the most fun at were really small ones? at my college there was this super tiny music venue right next to campus. it was student run and they'd host very small shows there. the first time I ever moshed was at one of the shows they had for an indie rock band called sitting on stacy. I'd never heard of them before the show but the energy was fantastic and I found out I loved moshing bc of that. a few years later the venue was having a whole afternoon + evening event with just different small bands rotating in and out. a guy I knew invited me to it as a date and it was so much fun. I moshed so much and got to hear some really good music though there were so many bands I don't remember the names of any of them. my date and I ended up hanging out with these two girls we met and when we were all talking later I found out one of them was an mcyt fan which was pretty funny. bc this was only a few months after I'd finished clinic and sirentwt had happened. my date did not know I was into mcyt. it was a time.

I guess my favorite part of concerts is usually having that kind of intimacy you mentioned you had at the crywank concert (btw, so fucking jealous you got to see crywank. they were on tour with lovejoy for one of the shows I went to and they were so good I desperately want to see them at one of their own shows). like the small concerts I went to at that venue at my college were so much fun bc it was just like house party size stuff. and then while lovejoy shows are getting bigger and bigger with every venue, it's still so much smaller than most other concerts I've been to in the past (like compared to giant stadium gigs). the bowery ballroom gig was like 500 people I think? and it's definitely my favorite lovejoy gig I've been to so far (out of 2 tho so not saying much. will update you after next week I have 2 lovejoy shows lined up). bowery was so cool, I was pressed right against the stage to the point where I had to move my phone off the stage so wilbur didn't step on it (and also had to move so he didn't hit me in the head with his guitar). the music was amazing, it was lovejoy's first ever show in the US so that was great, the queue throughout the day had great vibes, me and firesnap asked mark and joe lovejoy if they wanted to take tequila shots with us, it was so fucking fun

SD was definitely fun but didn't hit the same. I have a really good feeling about pioneertown though :)

[maridotnet-art-process]

Day 26: Chat Blanc

Welcome!  Enjoy the nighttime photograph and auto-generated collages ;) Because I am a perfectionist and also sometimes insane, I drew like 12 different thumbnails of this piece before I had one I liked. I really reallyyy wanted a horror movie-esque vibe to this, where Marinette knows she’s being stalked, but isn’t looking in the right place yet, but WE can see Chat Blanc. (I’ve been irrevocably affected by @shameboree​‘s bad vibes AU, if it didn’t show.) It was hard to succinctly invoke that though, with such limited space and detail.

I was talking to my sister about it, and she suggested the use of a compact mirror or something to reveal Blanc to Mari, which wasn’t quite what I went with, but once the idea of a mirror as a reveal device was in my head I could NOT let it go. Unfortunately mirrors make things everything 10x more complicated, and I couldn’t figure out a good setup. I finally brute-forced my way through the problem of composition by setting up my phone in the shower caddy and taking some reference pictures. This was also the stage where the idea of smearing the lipstick came in; since there needed to be a reason behind her using the mirror, I decided she was applying makeup, and I thought lipstick would be a striking and symbolic option. It would also show how quickly she had startled and turned!

And then sketching! I used a light blue for the sketch because I wanted the whole image to be very chilling and unfriendly from the outset. I was having a really tricky time nailing down marinette’s expression in the sketch, so I drew a couple references on the facing page to refer to as I was inking it.

Next was inking. I started with the main figures, added the surroundings outside the mirror, filled in the second figure, and finished with other background details. Once again, I left the mouth and eyes for later, in case I needed to adjust the expressions to a changed mood in the piece.

I colored Marinette first, because she’s the key figure. I chose red for her shirt because in the show, red seems to be symbolic of Marinette’s deeper self, past the secrets and lies she tells. I also wanted her to be vivid and colorful, the only living thing in the room. Everything else needed to be cool, threatening, and unfriendly; any warmer colors, or colors that weren’t blue-based, I chose to be organic - ie, a color that could come from a human body. (Because it’s just a little gross and creepy that way imo!) Almost immediately, I decided it was TOO Ladybug-red, so I dimmed it a little with some blue and brown. I wanted the truest reds to be her mouth and the rose. The window curtain was white as a decoy Chat Blanc to catch her attention, and also because my bedroom curtain is sheer and white, so I had an easy reference on hand haha. I made the shower curtain blue to keep the overall color scheme cold.

Then, I just kept adding layers of shadows and color until I liked it! I don’t usually use such blue shadows, because it tends to layer with warm skin tones in a green way, which I don’t love, but I combined it with a dark violet for Marinette’s skin, and blue everywhere else. I kept adding more and more ink shadows, because I wanted them to be kinda dense and threatening.

Final piece

If you read all of this, thank you! :))) xoxoxo

[arthurflecksgirl]

Mysterious stranger /Arthur being stalked by you

This was a request by someone on Twitter :)

Arthur is being stalked by a pretty girl /YOU

I decited to write from Arthurs view and the girls view.

So it switches.

Arthur and reader

Romance

Warnings: Nothing really, mentions of mental illness,

ENJOY :) <3

ARTHUR I just woke up all sweaty in in the middle of the night one more time. My insomnia was getting bad again. I felt like it has been getting worse since mum was at the hospital. I was worried about her condition. I even forgot to take my meds yesterday, which was bad. The pills helped me to find some rest at night. Without them my mind was racing, keeping me awake. Driving me INSANE. I usually started to write in my journal when I couldnt sleep but without my medication there were just black scribbles all over the diary when I looked at the pages. The last time I was off my meds I wrote the whole night through and when I looked in my journal the next morning,there was nothing but blank pages. Nothing. So, there is a reason I shouldnt forget to take them. But too many thoughts ran through my head yesterday, I just didnt thought of anything else. First of all I thought about Penny and if I was the reason she ended up at the hospital. I felt like I am a burden to her. She always told me I was brought into the world to spread joy and laughter. But she doesnt even think i`m funny. Imagin what a disappointment I must be to her.I was born for a reason and I couldnt even fullfill my destiny. This shit really kept me awake. And some other thing... A week ago I just came home from my therapist. And when I was waiting on the tram station, there was this girl in the middle of the crowd. She just kept on staring at me like... I don`t know. She just did. And it kinda scared me.I wasnt  used to peope staring at me like that. Usually I was the one observing things around me. Watching people. I always tried to observe. I need it for my jokes. The best jokes are inspired by real life actions. Stuff you see happening on the streets. I also watched people closely to understand what they are laughing about and how they react to jokes. Sometimes I sat on a table at Pogos and made little notes about what I think is important. I really wanted people to like me. I wanted be a light for them. Gotham needs some light. I wanted to be listened to and I wanted to be seen. I`ve got a lot to say but I`ve never talked to others cuz I didn`t knew how to start a conversation.  So I watched and learned how others managed to do that. I realized that my timing is a bit off when I laughed at others jokes. I`m wasn`t sure why. I needed to find out. Anyway, I wasn`t used to someone staring at me. I always wished someone did and when I saw that girl I should have been happy that she saw me but I didnt knew what to do about it. I wasnt sure WHY she was looking at me the way she did. If it was for good or for bad reasons. And I guess thats what made me insecure about  the whole situation. As soon as I got in the tram I kinda forgot about it but two days later I saw her again. I was standing in the pharmacy and was just about to pay, when I saw her standing outside the window. She was beautiful. There is no doubt it was the same girl. She was looking at me again.  I payed and when I turned around she was gone. For a moment there I was scared it might be another episode of hallucinations. That would be really bad. But it could be. I mean... why should a pretty face like her standing there, staring at me TWICE? I`m afraid this isnt really happening. Dr Kane said I should watch out for more hallucinations, especially about girls. So I will.

YOU This city made me sick. It`s beent two weeks since I moved here and already hated it here. It was grey, it smelled and people were rude. I didnt wanted to become one of the peole here. It seemed like it was a bad desicion to move here in the first place, but I couldnt afford to pay rent anymore, so I ended up here, in this really bad neighborhood.  I felt like I screwed up my life. Sleep was something I barely remembered. Every night I was lying awake, afraid of someone might brak into my apartment. Like I said... bad neighborhood.You couldnt trust anyone here. A week ago I got so nerveous while trying to sleep that I got up, made some tea and watched out the window. Even at night people walked down the streets, mostly homeless guys. It was one ugly, rainy, cold night. I sipped on my tea and watched the raindrops falling on the dark pavement. Like the whole city was crying out loud. I burned my tongue on the hot cup . I swear I saw someone standing in the window across the street. But it was no one there. Oh great, I thought. Two weeks here in Anderson avenue and you already start to see shadowns at night. But then I saw it again. It wasnt a shadow. It was a man standing in his kitchen, smoking a cigarette. Oh, just a neighbor, no shadows. Good. I realized that I could see most of the kitchen, his curtains were kinda see though. He turned around so I could see his profile. He had almost shoulder long, bown hair, slightly curly, a beautiful jawline and high cheekbones. I could tell from the distance that he was indeed very beautiful. I turnedmy light off to make sure he couldnt see me standing at the window, looking into his. But he didnt looked out the window anyway. It looked like he was talking to someone, but as far as I could tell he was the only one in the room. I watched him puttig down his cigarette as he took off his dark red sweater. I didnt expected him to be this thin. It seemed like he stopped talking and suddenly he started to raise his hands above his head, moving gracefully. He was dancing all alone by himself. In his kitchen. I couldnt help but staring at him and started to feel kinda bad for watching this behind my curtain. But something about him was just so insanly attractive. i stared at his fragile chest, his bony ribs, his messy bed hair. I guess he couldn`t find sleep, just like me. I wondered if he was sleepwalking. The way he moved was extraordinary. Suddenly he stopped. I almost got scared because I was so drawn to his dance moves, it seemed so unnatural to just stop. I took a step back from my window because he came a step closer to his. But he just leaned over the sink now. It looked like he was crying.  Something about this hurted my heart. I didnt even knew him but I couldnt help but feeling empathy for this beautiful, fragile man across the street, He was crying harder now. I felt my eyes watering as he slapped his own face. Why would he do that? Then he watched out the window. I was hiding in the corner of my room so fast I guess my curtains moved. I hope he didnt caught me staring. My heart was racing. Was he still there? I waited two minutes till I watched out the window again. He was gone.

ARTHUR I decited to go through the pages again I had written a week ago. I have to figure out why I remembered writing something that wasnt there in the morning. I skipped though the paged and stopped at a page that didnt even looked familir to me. Little drawings of catladies smoking cigs. i don`t remenber drawing this and start to read. "Insomnia is choking me again. It wrappes its strong arms around my neck, smothering me to death. At least thats how it feels while lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. So last night I wandered around the apartment for at least two hours straight. I smoked two packs of cigs as the music started playing in my head again. There is always music in my head, well, most of the time. Sometimes it gets so loud I can`t ignore it anymore. Its just floathing althrough my body, like energy. It holds me in its warm arms and I have to obey. It wanted me to dance again last night, so I moved around the kitchen to the music and it was so tragically beautiful in between the movements it made me do, that it almost started to hurt my body. So I stopped and wished for the sound to stop but it didnt and I just stood there and started to cry. Watching my tears falling into the kitchen sink, like the rain outside. The music still playing in my head. I slapped my face. Hard. Still noisy. I watched out the window. Gotham was crying, too. The city was just as depressed as I was. I swear I could see a shadow in the window across the street. But thats impossible. The neighbors there moved out some weeks ago. Must be my visions again."

YOU I couldnt stop thinking about the man across the street since I saw him. I watched out the window for so many times but I didnt got to see him for about thee days. But then I saw him crossing the street as I was just about to go buy some food. I know it wasnt the right thing to do but I followed him. I just needed to see him closer. I kept my distance so he won`t notice me. He was walking like someone that just got beaten up, his thin body hidden behind a brown sweater , and a jacket that looked way too huge on his small shoulders. He kept looking to the ground, his brown curls hanging sweaty upon his forehead. Even though his body language looked sad, he still managed to be extremly attractive to me. He was walking to the tram station and waited on his tram to arrive as I tried to be just a face in the crowsd, so I could take a closer look at him. I passed some people standing in the way until I found the right spot. There he was. Just about some foots away from me.And suddenly, as I was staring, he was looking right at me. God, I felt like my heart just sopped. Never ever have I seen more beautiful eyes in my life. So intense, piercing right though me, green but so very sad. I dont know if it was just my mind playing tricks on me but i felt like he caught me staring. I wanted to  turn around and leave imediately but his tram arrived and he got in there before I could even react. At night his pretty face appeared in my mind. Againa nd again. I just couldnt get him out of my head.I was closing my eyes, and caught myself dreaming about kissing him.  I laughed at myself. Silly girl ! Dreaming about the mysterious new neighbor was such a clishe. But it wouldnt help. I still wanted to get to know him. there was something so mysterious about him. His little dance in the kitchen. The crying at the sink.... his eyes!   I thought about ways to just talk to him, I mean we were neigbors, right? I could find a reason to just go to him and say something. But nothing came to my mind. So I decited to follow him one more time. Maybe he would just ran into me and we would talk. Two days later I saw him leaving the house again, so I threw a jacket over my shoulder and got downstairs in a hurry. This time there weren`t much people around so it was even harder for me to follow him without getting caught. Something about watching him started to turn me on.It was fun to fantasize about someone who didnt even knew you existed. But at the same time I wanted him to know that I exist. Maybe not yet but... He went to the pharmacy. I stopped outside. I thought about going in and pretend I wanted to buy something. But I forgot my purse so this would have been embarrassing. I saw him from behind, his blue pants looked baggy on him. Everything did. And just when I thought this was a good situation to stalk him, he turned around again and I knew he saw me. He looked me right into my eyes! I captured the moment he looked at me in my mind and tought about it in the afternoon, when I was lying in my bed, dreaming about touching his beautiful face. Soon he became my fave fantasie. I couldnt even find pleasure in any other daydream anymore. He was my sexy secret and I liked it that way. But I just knew that soon this wouldnt be enough. I had to get closer. I wanted him to see me. Not just from across the street. I wanted to get to know him as a person. I needed to know his story, I needed to know why he was so sad.

ARTHUR I just couldnt figure out my very own diary anymore. Something definitaly went wrong at the moment. I guess all the lonelyness got too much. I mean, I must have been used to this  but i wasnt. It got harder every day of my life. I wished for someone to love me so much that I had visions about girls. I tend to get them a lot but then it stopped for a while and now it seemed to start again. I was kinda worried about my condition and took two more pills today. I knew I shouldnt but I thought it would be better than forgetting to take them again. The slight overdose made me sweat a lot so I was in underwear only for the whole day, just lying on the coouch, watching all my fave episodes of teh Murray Franklin show. The only thing that made me stay up was going to the kitchen to make some coffe. I watched out the window while waiting for the water to bowl. There she was again. the girls I saw at the tram stationa nd at the pharmacy. She was crossing the street. I checked my forehead for fever.  I was burning up. Must be the overdose. "She`s not really there" I whispered to myself "Arthur, she`s not real, don`t even look". But I looked. And I could swear she was looking up my window before she headed to my house. I blushed. But I guess that was also caused by the fever. God, she looked like an angel. Such a sweet girl. She would never even  give me a look in real life. I knew that. And if she did... I wouldn´t even know what to do. I`ve never been with a woman before in my whole life. I never even kissed someone before. I`m just a loner. All I have are my fantasies. And Dr Kane wants to take them away from me,too. Maybe I should just give in and accept them. What if it wasnt a hallucination this time? What if this girl really saw me? What if?

You I did it. I wrote him a postcard. I held the card in my hands for like an hour and stared at it. I thought I wasnt brave enough to actually throw it in his letter box. But I did.I sneaked into the house and when I was standing in front of the letter boxes I wondered which one could be his. Thank god  some lady just got out of the elevator and I asked her which letter box belongs to the window with the thin curtain. And she told me that they belong to apartment 8J. It just took me about some seconds to find the right box. P. FLECK. There it was. FLECK. I threw my postcard in without giving it a second thought, otherwise I would have changed my mind. I was heading back home, blushing.

ARTHUR I woke up with a bad headache. Another appointment with Dr. Kane. I wanted to take a bath but I was too lazy and decited to let it be. I just brushed my hair back, lighted a cig and went out the house. I checked the letter box and hoped for a letter from Thomas Wayne, I mean, I knew there wouldnt be one but it would make my mother happy so I still hoped for it. Somehow she was obsessed with Wayne and I didnt even knew why. My heart just skipped a beat as I saw an hand written postcard. Wayne? I started reading it. "Dear mysetrious stranger, You don`t know who I am but I saw you out on the streets some days ago and I think I fell in love with you. I even dreamed about you at night. I really hope you`re doing fine. Kisses The girl who loves you"

I just kept staring at the letters. I rubbed my eyes. the letters were still there. The girl who loves you. I must have blushed. Was this real? I let my fingers slide over the paper. It felt real. I turned the card around. A plain red heart on white background. I touched it so many times and hoped for a proof that this was eighter real or a dream. Sometimes I am not sure anymore. Who would ever send me a card? I searched for a stamp. None. Someone must have threw it in the letter boy by themself. The girl ! The girl I saw on the street. Now it all made sense to me. Was she following me? I smiled. The thought of this pretty girl having a crush on me was wonderful. But I got scared at the same time. I could never get up and talk to her. How could I? I bet she thinks I am some sexy guy who knows how to get it on. She was dreaming about me? What dreams? I imagined her touching herself while thinking about me and I giggled to myself. "Nahh she wouldnt do that" I said to myself. Reading the postcard again "Or would you, sweet strange girl?" I put the postcard close to my heart. Her fingers must have touched the paper all over when she was writing me these lines. Does she want to touchme with those fingers? Oh I would love to touch her fingers. But what if she ever comes up to me personally and I would just stand there, frozen. Not a word coming out of my mouth? The thought of this scared me a lot. My biggest fear was to laugh in her presence.The laugh that wasnt really one. My condition. That would scare her away for sure. I felt my eyes watering and a tear fell on the postcard, right on the word "kisses". It smeared, which made me even sadder. I needed this card to be perfect. I felt the urge to laugh coming up my throath. But then something else came to my mind. What if I showed the card to Dr. Kane? She could proof to me that this card truly exists. The urge to laugh was gone. I put the card into my paper bag and hurried up to see Dr. Kane.

"Hello, Arthur. How have you been thoughthe last week? Any negative thoughts?" Dr Kane was repeating her same old questions again as I smoked my cig. Next thing would be asking me about my journal. BUT I would have something much more interesting with me this time. "I brought something with me today" I said as I grabbed the card. "I wondered if you could take a look and tell me what you think about this?" Dr Kane took the card out of my hands. She read it. "Who gave it to you, Arthur?" "The girl who loves me" Dr Kane gave me that look "Arhur..." "Well... it says `The girl who loves you `  there at the end, right? "Right" "So, you see it too?" "Sure, Arthur" She gives me the card back. I smiled. It was real. The card was real. Which meant the girl was real,too. No hallucinations. No visions. "Good" "So someone send it to you?" "I found it in my letter box, it has no stamp" "No stamp? Are you sure you didnt wrote it yourself?" she looked confused. I bet she couldnt imagin someone falling in love me me eighter. "Dr Kane, you know how my handwriting looks like." "Right. Can I see it again?" I gave her the card back. Her eyes are focused on it. "No typos" she whispered to herself. "Looks like someone really likes you, Arthur. Be careful" "W-what do you mean?" "You know that you sometimes... well... you tend to lose sense of reality sometimes. It could be difficult to meet up with a girl for you". I put the card back in my bag. "You think I couldnt handle it to have a girlfriend?" "Thats not what I said..." "It is exactly what you said" I got up and left the room. "See you next week, Dr Kane. I cant do this today" I got back home and placed the card under my pillow. I wanted to sleep on it. It was the first love note I ever got and felt so special. I grabbed my Pjs out of my wardrobe and looked at the red suit hanging in there. I never put it on by now. I always felt like it is waiting for a special event in my life. But nothing special ever happens. Until now. The card. the love note. The girl. I grab the suit and walk to the mirror. Holding it in front of my body to see how it would look like on me. I felt so insecure when thinking about dating a girl. I didnt knew how to react in front of her. Maybe the suit would help? I shook my head. Nahh. Just a stupid thought. Back in bed I imagined how it would be to have a girlfriend. To go out on dates with her, walking hand in hand across the streets. I bet Gotham wouldnt be half as bad as if its now. Sharing my life with someone. My bed. Having someone to cuddle with at night. Someone to calm down my bouncing leg. Someone to have sex with, It would be sweet. I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

YOU Its been a day since I threw the card in the letter box. No answer. Of course not. He didnt even knew who I was. I watched out the window and hoped to see him in his apartment again. I got lucky this time. I saw him lying on the couch watching tv. He wora a cosy PJ and looked so cute in it. Still sexy though. I could eat him up. I wish I could just go over, knock on his door and tell him that i am the girl who send him the card. I wonder if he even got it yet. maybe he didnt open the letter box since then.  I saw him smoking, writing down some notes.   I tried to see more details of the living room. There was a clown mask and a costume hanging beside a mirror. It seemed like he had a thing for clowns, which made me think. maybe I`ll have a lil surprise for him... I searched through my stuff and  found the big, red flower that used to be part of a Clown outfit I was wearing years ago when I dressed up with my best friends. It looked brand new. Maybe he would like it. I put a little note on it and decited to put it in front of his door. Tomorrow. I couldn`t wait. The next morning I got out of bed early, to wait till he got out of the house.  When he did I sneaked into the house and waited till someone came out again, which lastet at least 50 minutes but it was worth it. I got in the elevator and walked to the door which said 8J. I hold my breath for a second. That was were he lived. He walked through that door every day. I wish I could just walk through it and go into his apartment.Looking though his stuff. I was a bit shamed of myself for having those kinda feelings. I felt like a stalker. But I couldnt stop my own thoughts from wanting him.  I put the big plush Flower down on the doormat and touched the door knob. Just to touch it. To touch what he touched  some about an hour ago. It felt sexy.

ARTHUR I just came home from work at Haha`s and felt drained. It was a long day. I got out of the elevator and saw something lying on my doormat. A big, red plush flower. Like one for clowns! My heart jumped when I picked it up. There was a little note saying "Dear stranger, if you want to meet me , I`ll be at the little fountain in the park today  at 7 O`Clock . The one with the litlle bird stature. It would be a pleasure to get to know you better. Kisses, The girl who loves you"

I bit my lips. Another note. She wanted to meet me. My hands were shaking while reading the note one more time. I actually was shaking so much I had troubles to get my keys into the lock. I threw my jacket on the couch, sat down and pressed the plushy flower to my chest. It felt so soft to the touch. A present. I never got presents. Not even when I was a kid or on my birthdays. Everything about this felt so special. I wanted to meet her so bad but at the same time I was so scared about meeting her, I stood in front of the mirror and looked at my reflection. I looked tired. Drained. Like someone sucked the life out of my. Heavy bags under my yes, from not getting enough sleep. I brushed my hair back. Better. At least a lil bit. I checked the time and realized it was already after 5 O`clock. I got no time to waste. Should I really go there? Or was Dr Kane right?

YOU I got ready for my potential date. I  didnt even knew if he would show up but i hoped so. I dressed up in my usual clothes. I wanted to be my authentic self around him. I was already waiting on the spot 30 minutes too early. I just couldnt wait any longer. I needed to know if he would come. I wanted to get to know him so bad.

ARTHUR Alright, I could never forgive myself if i wouldnt take the chance, so I decited to show up. I took a bath to feel fresh, washed my hair and put on some nice clothes. Not the red suit though. I picked dark red pants, a matching vest and a white shirt under it. I hope I looked decent in it and bought some roses before I made my way to the park. I bought them from the last dollars I had but I didnt cared. I wanted to give her some nice flowers. Gotham looked different today while watching out of the trams window. Less dark and depressing. But I guess it was just me feeling better as usual. I just wanted it to be a nice date. I just wanted her to like me for who I am. I got out of the tram, walking into the park. I saw her from a distance already. There was just one person standing at the fountain, so it must have been her. She was so beautiful, I couldnt belive she was waiting FOR ME. My hands holding the roses started to get all sweaty and I wiped them off on my pants. I stumbled right in front of her as I arrived and the flowers fell out of my hands.  "Ooooppps...I`m...I`m so sorry.. I...." my nervousness killed me. She similed at me as I picked up the flowers and handed them to her "I....um....brought you...som..something...um..." I stuttered. She gave me the sweetest hug "Thats so sweet of you...? Um... I don`t even know your name" she was blushing. "Arthur. My name is Arthur." "Hey Arthur. I`m Y/N. Nice to meet you. Thank ou so much for the roses. They`re beautiful". "Yeah... thank you for the notes...I don`t know what to say...you`re beautiful". Y/N smiled from cheek to cheek. "Thank you, Arthur. Would you like to take a walk though the park and get some coffee later? It would be a nice way to get to know each other. What do you think?" "I think this sounds just wonderful". She gently wrapped her arm around my waist as we were walking though the park. It was a late summer evening and for the first time ever I noticed the birds singing. The music in my head stopped. Maybe Gotham wasn`t as bad after all.

[hockeylvr59]

Life Changes Part 6 || Paul Bissonnette

Summary: It’s crazy how quickly your life can change...one minute you’re a struggling personal injury lawyer and the next you’re working for one of the hottest sports podcasts to supplement your income. A new job and the end of a long-term relationship was just the beginning for Leigh Thompson when it comes to life changes. Thankfully she has the one and only Paul Bissonnette at her side to help her handle them all. 

Authors Note: Splitting this next segment up into at least two parts because otherwise, it will be insanely long (this part contains 2 of at least 6 events that I have in mind for this short span of time). I’d love to know what you think of this chapter, especially considering that Paul is very much present. Also please feel free to send me any songs that you think I should add to the series playlist. 

Requested: [ ] yes [x] no    Warnings: cursing.   Word Count: 2,865+ text convos

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“True life is lived when tiny changes occur.” 

From the moment I’d been hired by the podcast, I’d been working on putting together all of the details for a Vegas trip for the NHL awards. Now, after months of hard work, everything was set for the guys to spend a week in Vegas. Our title sponsor for the trip was one of the many hotel-casinos who had reserved a 4 bedroom suite for the podcast hosts as well as a few standard rooms for the camera and production guys. Additionally, all of the media passes for the event were ready to go and I knew the boys had lined up quite a few guests. With everything set and the awards only a week away I was hoping to maybe be able to take a mini-vacation myself at home while they partied it up and got tons of content to last through the summer. 

It had been maybe an hour from when I sent the boys an email with all of the important details for the trip when my phone buzzed with an incoming text from Paul. 

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So, because I lacked all capability to tell Paul Bissonnette ‘no’ when he asked me to do something, I was currently pulling my suitcase through the Vegas airport at almost midnight the night before the awards. Checking my phone I saw that Paul had texted me one message with the room number and which room in the suite was ours as well as another saying that the rest of the boys had gone out but that he’d be there when I got in. I had previously told him not to wait up for me and had even fought with him when he wanted to come to pick me up. It was completely ridiculous for him to even think about taking an Uber to the airport just to uber back to the hotel. 

Grabbing a cab, it wasn’t long before I had arrived at the hotel and after stopping at the front desk for a key to the room and to make sure the boys hadn’t had any problems with the reservations, I took the elevator upstairs and let myself into a dark and silent suite. Part of me had expected Paul to be up watching tv or something but it was too quiet for that. He’d said that we were staying in the first room on the right and so I quietly headed over, pausing in the doorway when my eyes caught sight of him. 

The only light in the room was coming from the open blinds letting in the city lights and Paul was sprawled out on the bed on his stomach fast asleep. The way the light and shadows highlighted the muscles of his naked back made my body react involuntarily and I took a deep breath trying not to gasp. Reminding myself that this was definitely just the pregnancy hormones getting the best of me, I slipped into the room and closed the door to the living room behind me. 

As quietly as I could, I hung my dress up in the wardrobe and got my pajamas and things for bed out of my suitcase before sneaking into the bathroom to get ready to go to sleep. It was beyond late and with the time change, I was exhausted. Paul was still taking up most of the bed when I stepped out of the bathroom and flipped off the light, using the flashlight on my phone to guide me across the room to close the curtains and then to the edge of the bed. Perched on what little bed was not occupied by a large man, I gently reached out and rubbed my hand over his back trying to stir him just enough that he’d roll over and make room. Getting no reaction I sighed. 

“Paul...are you actually gonna share the bed like you promised or am I stuck sleeping on the couch tonight?” I whispered. Rubbing his back once more I felt his muscles twitch and suddenly his body was moving, arm reaching out to take my hand and pull me into him. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes as I settled into his embrace, his solid chest pressed into my back. As his body shifted to surround me further, the hand that had grabbed mine moved to drape over my waist. 

We’d snuggled like this before, but back then I didn’t have a 21-week baby bump protruding from my front. It was clear that in his sleepy state he expected what he was used to before because the moment his arm didn’t drape the way he expected he froze against me. A change in his breathing signaled that he was now actually awake and his hand gently caressed my stomach for a moment. 

“Holy shit Leigh…” His sleep laden voice murmured from behind me. “You...that’s...I didn’t...wow.” Shaking my head at him a little I rolled onto my back so that I could look over at him. As I shifted, Paul reached over to tap the bedside light on, allowing us to actually see each other. 

“It’s called a baby bump Paul...this is kinda what happens when you’re pregnant and the baby starts to get bigger. There’s only so much space in there for the baby to grow otherwise.” His gaze was dark and lazy as our eyes met before he swept a look up and down my body taking in the changes that he’d missed due to living on separate sides of the country. 

“I knew that…” He declared, glaring at me softly. “I just...I don’t know. I haven’t seen you in a few months and I don’t know why but I wasn’t expecting you to be showing. Not like this.” I knew he wasn’t implying that I was fat or anything, just that his brain hadn’t actually processed the changes that my body would undergo during pregnancy. 

“Not so easy to hide anymore huh?” I questioned and he nodded but his eyes hadn’t left my stomach, nor had his hand. 

“Fuck...I...are you okay with me touching?” He asked at least being conscious enough to know that women frequently complained about people touching their bellies. It was clear that he wanted to touch and explore. To make the connection between the baby that we so frequently talked about and how said baby currently existed inside me. Smiling over at him I nodded, though he wasn’t looking and therefore didn’t see it. 

“Go for it,” I assured him. “You are one of the few people I think I can put on my approved bump touch list.” I teased. Part of me had at least expected him to crack a smile at that but I don’t think he was paying attention to my words since the second I gave him permission to touch. 

The way his strong fingers grazed over my belly so gently caused a shiver to run up my spine and I just watched him for a moment before closing my eyes and relaxing. For a few minutes, he just caressed and pressed his palm to my stomach before his fingers dipped down to the edge of my shirt. Peeking up at him I could see the adoration in his eyes as he looked at the way my body had adapted to growing the little boy or girl inside of me. I felt blessed to know that he already loved this baby so much even though he had no real reason to and it made me want to give him as much as I could so far as letting him bond with the baby went. 

“Here…” I breathed, rolling just slightly to adjust my shirt so that it rested just under my breasts, exposing the skin of my stomach to him, stretch marks and all. I knew that touching through clothes was one thing but letting him see the way that my skin had stretched, and letting him touch without that barrier in the way was something else entirely. 

Paul’s hand quickly found its way back to the bump and when he looked up at me again his eyes were moist with tears. Meeting his gaze with concern, I reached over to brush my thumb against his cheek. 

“Sorry.” He mumbled, his body leaning into my touch as much as I had his earlier. “I just...this is incredible. I...I didn’t expect that this would affect me so much.” It was totally understandable for him to have that reaction and I did my best to communicate that to him without words. My own voice was stuck in my throat seeing him get emotional over something that I’d personally gotten used to because it was my new normal. “You...I hope you know that you were beautiful before...but you’re absolutely gorgeous like this. Pregnancy suits you.” The intent behind his words confused me but he was so sure of them that I couldn’t help the flush that came over my entire body. Catching my breath after a moment I glanced over at the alarm clock beside the bed. 

“So...can we go to sleep now...because it’s the middle of the night back home and being pregnant is exhausting.” My words seemed to snap Paul out of his trance. 

“Fuck...of course. I...goodnight Leigh.” His words were spoken with a soft kiss to my temple, but before I could attempt to roll over, Paul had shifted, leaning over me. “Goodnight dustbunny.” He added and for a split second his lips were pressed against my stomach before he was laying back down beside me, a sheepish look on his face. “Didn’t want baby to feel left out.” He mumbled before switching the light back off so that we could all get some sleep. 

Tucked back against his chest, I was nearly off to dreamland when I heard him whisper softly into the room. “I’m here for whatever you and your mama need dustbunny...that’s a promise.” 

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When I woke the next morning, Paul was still passed out beside me. Gingerly, I slid out of his arms needing first to use the bathroom and then to get some food before the baby decided to protest. After taking care of my bladder needs and slipping on a pair of shorts, I quietly opened the door to the living room wondering if the boys had any food in the kitchen or if they’d eaten out for every single meal since arriving in Vegas. 

Padding softly through the living room around to the little kitchen in the suite, I could hear RA and Grinnell talking softly from over by the patio doors. When I arrived in the kitchen I found a couple of small boxes of cereal as well as a small bottle of milk in the minifridge. Pouring myself a bowl of cereal, I rubbed the remaining sleep from my eyes before moving back to lean against the counter dividing the kitchen and living space while I ate. It was only then that I addressed the crew’s oldest host and our production manager by saying good morning. 

Both quickly returned my greeting but didn’t look over at me right away. However, upon finishing their conversation, they turned to me and it was comical to see the double-take that Mikey did when his eyes saw me. 

“What the fuck is that?” He asked only to be scolded by RA murmuring a ‘dude…’ in his direction. Swallowing the bite of cereal I’d put into my mouth I started laughing at how thrown these two grown men seemed at the sight of a pregnant woman. 

“Um...surprise?” I stated, trying to downplay things in order to not generate a large reaction. 

“Why didn’t Biz fucking tell us he’s gonna be a dad?” Mikey exclaimed, visibly getting worked up and speaking without really thinking about his words. Again RA tried to get him to shut up for a minute but he continued to rant for a moment about how ‘this was a big deal’ and ‘since when did Biz keep secrets like this….’ 

“Michael Grinnell...will you shut up for a minute?” I declared, setting my now empty bowl down on the counter. “Biz didn’t tell you that he’s gonna be a dad because he’s not…” I immediately motioned for him to let me continue but before I could, a voice sounded from my left.

“How far along do you think she is dumbass?” Ryan Whitney chirped as he made his way into the kitchen for his own breakfast. His lack of reaction to what he’d just walked into caught me off guard for a moment before I turned to look at him. 

“How long have you known?” I asked accusatorily.  He at least had the courtesy to look guilty as he mumbled that I probably already knew the answer to that. Carding my fingers through my hair, I sighed and shook my head. “You’ve known as long as Paul has…” I was slightly annoyed by that and it clearly showed on my face causing Whit to backpedal. 

“I didn’t know know…” He explained. “Yes...Biz texted me asking if you being sick the way you were was normal and the suspicion was kind of unspoken. He never actually told me that you were though...it was just pretty obvious when the two of you posted scenic pictures when I knew he was taking you to the doctors’. If it was a bug you would have been in bed resting, long drive implies a distraction and it wasn’t hard to figure out from that, that his suspicions had been right.” I couldn’t really be angry about the fact that he’d deduced it based on information obtained before anyone knew for certain that I was pregnant. “Plus...Biz has been different the past few months and it’s pretty obvious why…” He added, gesturing toward my stomach. 

“So….if Biz isn’t the dad…” Mikey jumped back into the conversation, his expression suggesting that he’d been thinking a little too hard about all of this. Suddenly his eyes went wide. “Oh...shit.” He murmured like it had all hit him at once. Needing to take control of the situation back I placed a hand on my stomach, taking a deep breath. 

“Yes. I’m pregnant. No, we’re not talking about the whole paternity situation. Yes, Paul and evidently Whit have known for a few months. I didn’t tell my parents until last month and I’m not ready to go fully public with an announcement yet which is why I hadn’t said anything. Now, if we can just move on...that would be wonderful.” 

Thankfully Whit was able to distract RA and Grinnell with a discussion of setting up for the interviews they were recording before the awards tonight and I was able to slip back to the bedroom, suddenly feeling like I needed a nap even though I’d just woke up. 

I’d been staring out the window, trying to clear my mind and decide what I wanted to do until I had to start getting ready when a pair of arms wrapped around my waist and I was pulled back into a firm chest. 

“You okay?” Paul asked, his fingers once again rubbing gentle circles over the expanse of my stomach. Leaning into him I nodded and just focused on his touch and soothing presence. 

“The boys know.” I eventually whispered and I could feel him chuckle softly. 

“I mean...I kind of figured...it only takes one look at you like this.” Feeling his lips press against my hair I sighed. “Plus I could hear Grinnell freaking out. Are you okay with the cat being out of the bag so to speak?” Shrugging I sighed but didn’t say anything. I kind of had to be okay, though it did again bring the fear of the world finding out tonight on national tv to the front of my mind. I could only pray that the dress I’d found would do a sufficient job of hiding my growing stomach in the way that a pair of shorts and a clingy tank top couldn’t. 

Spinning me around Paul pulled me into a hug. We stood like that for a few minutes before there was a knock on the bedroom door with RA calling out that Paul needed to get his ass into gear so they could get started. When he pulled back reluctantly, he kissed the top of my head. 

“I’ll be fine...go,” I assured him. “Dustbunny and I are just gonna lay back down for a little while. I’ll set an alarm to wake me in a couple hours so I can start getting ready for tonight.” 

With one more caress of my bump, Paul retreated to the living room to work and I slipped back into bed, pulling his pillow from his side of the bed to cuddle. With sounds of laughter coming from the next room I quickly drifted off to sleep, hoping that I would wake up more excited for the awards than I currently felt. 

No Social Media for this Chapter. 

[gooddame]

Jenn! Things are kinda tough in your hometown right now so thought you might want or need a bit of a distraction. I'm actually trading that awesome prompt you gave me! Seeing as your Meghan is marrying my Harry (well, I wish he was mine) I've been in a royal drabble mood. So here goes. Prompt: You’re a royal guard and I’m always pestering you because you’re hella cute and getting you to smile makes my day.

This is for the awesome, the lovely, the ever friendly andwonderful and insanely kind and amazing writer @misssophiachase who is my friendand confidant in all things fluff and klaroline. We traded prompts and as usualshe came through for me but I am a slacker to the extreme. I just turned on mylaptop and this fell out of me. I hope this was something along the lines ofwhat you wanted because my whole purpose here was to please you and bring yousome kind of joy today!

Please enjoy!

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It started with a bit of red that matched the uniform hewore, the bright hue drawing his eyes from the boredom of the job that morning.It was London, foggy, polluted with people and their eager faces as he felt thechill of the morning air at his neck. But there was that long flowing patch ofred that surprised Klaus, a scarf he realized as the wind brushed his face andhis eyes locked on the figure whom wore the scarf that had him at attention.

Words escaped him, his breath an exhale when her green eyes collidedwith his own briefly, barely a second and the world all but shifted as shedisappeared from view. His brow furrowed as his mind lingered over the blonde green-eyedbeauty he had just witnessed. Klaus flexed his hand, his glove tight as he feltthe divine urge to recreate the moment and store it forever.

In a breath Klaus composed himself as he decided to simply stareblankly ahead the next hour or so until he was next relieved of his station. Thesmell of caffeine was overpowering on his right end, something told him an Americanhad brought over a coffee to see the Queen. His nose twitched in revulsion asKlaus’ eyes sought out the offending person with the best of his ability at themoment.

Without meaning to, his head turned and his mouth parted insurprise, something he would be hearing about later he was certain. Somethinghe would care about if he could do anything at all but stare at the woman withthe coffee in her hand and the red scarf draped over her lovely ivory neck. Hergreen eyes blazed as she let out a laugh, the sound like a melody in his ears.

“I thought you weren’t supposed to move,” she alleged as heplaced himself back into position, “Was that just some poppycock for the visitor’sguide?”

Klaus heard her footsteps, a soft strut in his direction, “Strongsilent type, huh,” she tried again in a soft southern accent that had his bonesaching as he inhaled her scent.

“Figures,” she sighed and stalked away leaving him withnothing more than the stench of her coffee, the light scent of pomegranate andthe throbbing need to know her.

He didn’t see her again that day, but that night he didn’tbother with rest, instead Klaus painted like he hadn’t been uninspired fornearly six months. He painted the soft shadows of her face, the soft circles ofher eyes, the delicate freckles and those pink lips. He mixed the reds to matchhis uniform, the soft navy of her coat and the deep cornfield yellow of herwispy hair atop the messy bun.

The lines blended and he wished for her in the early hoursof the morning when he dragged himself to sleep a mere two hours before workbegan once more. A single binary thought that he might see her again is whathelped him to dream before his sister stormed into his bedroom like a wellscheduled rotary clock. He groaned into his pillow as she pulled the curtainsback even when the sun was hidden by the glum gray sky that insisted he shouldgo back to bed.

Work was as mundane as the day before even with the addedanxiety that they might once more cross paths that day and Klaus wasn’t certainthat he wouldn’t chase her if she did show. The fourth hour of his shiftbarreled down on him as he waited, the rolled up note in his gloved hand washis only lifeline as another family took a demented photo in front of him.

“Lady Grey today, no sugar though,” her voice danced in hisears and caused a grin to form over his curved lips.

“Ah, caught you again,” Klaus pursed his lips rolling thepaper in his fingers.

He watched her out ofthe corner of his eye, noted the red scarf once more as she observed him, “Silence,again,” she sighed as she sipped her tea as she supposed about him out loud.

“Maybe you’re a good listener,” She said as she came tostand just in front of him in a space that was border-line inappropriate andsettled her eyes onto his.

“I think I can make you blush,” she uttered, her tone a dare,his eyes narrowed in reply as he felt his stiff collar grow warmer.

“I had a dream aboutyou last night,” she admitted in a soft breath as her teeth bit the plastic ofher throwaway cup.

His face heated in response, his eyes squeezed shut as heexhaled a breath and somehow felt her closer as he blinked, “That was inappropriate,”she back-peddled, “You probably have a girlfriend or a wife?”

Klaus could tell she was fishing for information but had noother way to reply other than to use his eyes, to direct her to the paper inhis hand. Her smile was bright as the sun when she realized what he had meantto imply making sure to look on both sides before she subtly reached for hisnote in his hand. He watched as she bit her lip, his throat going dry at theidea of tasting it.

Her fingers unrolled the slip of paper, “Klaus,” she spokehis name, “Phone number too, so you are single and interested,” she commentedwatching him pink.

“You got a little red paint on here,” she continued lookingfrom the paper to his blushing face as her finger nail scratched at the paint.

There’s a sudden glee in her eyes that makes Klaus worry asshe takes just a half a step closer than she should, “I’ll text you,” she murmuredas she leaned in to kiss his cheek.

“I’m Caroline, by the way,” were her parting words in agentle flirt that had Klaus’ eye twitching as he watched her saunter away fromhim.

“Caroline,” he whispered under his breath releasing her namefrom his mouth with a light lick of his upper lip.

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