#and by new i mean i added to a thingie i wrote 5 years ago because i have free will and a whimsical nature

[cinnonym]

Will wonders ever cease??? Am I being incredibly silly?? Did I just update a one-shot I wrote in 2019 because I got a cutesie comment and promptly descended into madness?

I don't know about the first two, but the third is a resounding "yes" - read chapter 2 of Arts & Crafts now on ao3, and see for yourself how carpenter!Emma charms the queen of her land by being buff, pun-equipped, and stupidly horny🤌🏻

[randomfandomnerd]

Sunshine and Shadows- Chapter 5

The infirmary was suddenly busy with demigods wanting to see the piano. Will shooed them away, telling them that they would be more useful looking around the camp, in order to see if there were any more unwanted additions to the scenery.

Although everything had by then calmed down considerably, Nico pulled the blue curtain around to cordon off his little area. Sitting on the bed, he tried to block out all the hubbub of outside by taking a pen he always kept with him, and clicking the clip at the top, focusing on the steady clicking noise. He wasn’t sure why, but the combined sound and action of clicking a pen clip always allowed him to get his thoughts back in line.

He stayed like that until Will gently pulled the curtain back a little, and came through with a tray of food, letting the curtain close behind him. Nico blinked and turned to the clock on the bedside table. Lunchtime already, he realised with surprise. He must have zoned out again.

Will took two folding chairs, and sat opposite him on one of them, using the other as a table for the tray. He inclined his head towards the tray, indicating for Nico to eat something. Nico picked up a packet of crisps, trying to hide his disappointment when he realised that they were just dried vegetables. Upon trying one, he found that they actually weren’t that bad.

Will took a bite out of his sandwich, before fixing his gaze on Nico.

“So I’ve realised that I don’t actually know you that well. So I’ve got some questions here”

he paused to take an actual notebook with writing scrawled all over the first page out of his pocket.

“And I thought maybe we could take it in turns to ask each other questions.”

Nico nodded.

“It was your idea so you can go first”

Will looked down at his list and read off the first question

“We’ll start simple. What’s your favourite colour?”

Nico furrowed his brow as he thought.

“There’s a time of day when everyone is still asleep. I used to find the tallest hill in the area wherever I was. Just before sunrise, the sky sort of is this purply, bluey colour, paler than the night sky, but not quite light. I think that’s my favourite colour.”

Will smiled at Nico’s answer. He often smiled, Nico thought Will had probably smiled more in these few days that Nico had done for the past year. Nico had a very strong urge to protect his new friend, he didn’t deserve anyone hurting him. Of course, he said none of this, and instead asked

“What’s your favourite animal?”

Will wrinkled his nose as he thought.

“I like most animals, but I’d say that dogs are my favourite. There’s a farm near my grandparents’ house and their golden retriever had puppies two years ago and they gave one to me for my birthday. I can’t keep him at camp, sadly, although I did try. He’s called Cooper and he’s a big softie.”

Nico had a sudden mental image of Will playing with tiny puppies and suppressed a little smile. Will moved on to the next question on his list.

“What’s on your bucket list?”

Nico tilted his head. He had no clue what a bucket list was. Thankfully, Will seemed to notice this.

“A bucket list is a list of things you’d like to do at some point in your life. For example, I want to travel in Europe, because I’ve never been outside the States. You know what, scrap this list of questions, let’s make a bucket list.”

He carefully folded over the top page of his notebook and wrote NICO’s BUCKET LIST at the top, double underlining it. Nico glanced up at Will.

“ It would be weird if we just made one for me. Let’s make a joint one. It’d be lonely if I did it all by myself.”

Will’s grin widened as he added his name into the title.

“Alrighty. What should go first? What have you always wanted to do?”

Nico replied after some consideration

“I want to learn to play an instrument. You said you didn’t have any musical skills so we could learn together.”

Will wrote it down on the list, chuckling.

“My grandparents once hired a guitar teacher for me. I was awful. I think that they were surprised that someone from such a musical family could be so musically incompetant.”

Nico laughed. Will looked at him for a few seconds, before quickly turning his head to finish writing it down. Once he was done, he suggested

“We could go to Iceland. Or France.”

“We could go to both of them.”

Nico responded.

“If we time it right, we could see the Northern Lights.”

Will nodded, and wrote France and Iceland on the list.

“Also, I’ve always wanted to go to a concert. Like a proper one, not one of my mom’s. Or maybe a music festival.”

“That sounds fun”

replied Nico.

“What kind of music would we want to see? I don’t know many specific musicians, I kind of just listen to whatever happens to be playing.”

Will looked up from where he was doodling pictures in the margin. From where he was sitting, Nico could see stars, moons, and squiggles that were possibly clouds.

“I was actually talking to Percy and Jason about that. They wanted to share some of their favourite music and films with you. They said they’d set up a sleepover type thingy in Percy’s cabin. Jason didn’t want to host it in his. Something about a hippie Zeus, whatever that means. I’ve told Chiron that it’s not healthy for you to spend so much time alone, Doctor’s Orders.”

At this, he winked at Nico and Nico found himself laughing again. Something about Will made him feel safe without any risks of being judged. Will spoke again.

“You’ve actually only got until tomorrow in here, so I thought you could maybe come to the pavilion for dinner today? I could maybe sit at your table, but only if you want.”

Nico was surprisingly excited by this, yet there were also some nerves about eating lunch with so many people around after so long travelling. He also worried about if people would accuse him of not telling them about the Romans. Sure, everything was friendly now, but the war between the two camps had distracted from the main problem of giants destroying the world. Nevertheless, he said, in what was either an act of bravery or stupidity,

“Alright then.”,

and so the rest of his day was spent wondering what would happen.

Taglist:

@rainbow-sheepofthefamily

@emava04

@percabethfangirl

@nightmareghosts

@luna0713hunter

@seven-halfbloods

@my-apollo-gies

All chapters are linked in my masterlist

(my pinned post)

Also posted on Ao3

[marvels-writings]

Hi, I'd like to request a Carol x R for prompts: 29, 34, 70 please?

29: “That was the least romantic proposal in the entire history of proposals.”

34: “You will never do something more embarrassing than that love poem you wrote when we were 13 and read out in front of the whole school.”

70: “You should break up with him/her/them”

A/N: I’m dodging around requests cause some are gonna take longer to answer than others and tbh I was a bit tired of writing series so I’m only gonna be working on one shots for a bit.

Today was supposed to be perfect. Carol came back from her mission and got the ring she had left to get made and it was just as she wanted. She put in in a small black box as she let Tony and the rest of the Avengers prepare for your arrival.

Today was going to be the day Carol was going to propose to you. You’d been together for about 4 years now, I mean after Carol came back that is. Before, you’d known her since you two were kids, you’d grown up with her and Maria and eventually you and Carol had started dating.

That stopped when she died, well you thought she did. You’d gone on the mission with Lawson that day, for some reason, the Kree didn’t take you even though you’d gotten powers, they only took Carol.

“Shit!” Tony shouted from outside her room, Carol signed, snapped out of her thoughts now.

“Language!” Steve shouted at him.

“What the hell happened?” Carol asked, walking outside her room after she had put a bouquet in the center of the bed in your shared bedroom.

“It was Tony’s fault.” Clint pointed out, stepping away from the currently massacred cake.

“No shit Sherlock.” Natasha commented, trying to hastily fix the cake. Steve glared ya her but she just rolled her eyes at him.

“I can fix this!” Tony shouted, running into the lab probably to get something.

Carol groaned, walking towards the mess of a cake. It was your fav/flavor cake with fav/color icing and she got it from a nearby cake shop which she went every year to get a cake for your anniversary.

Tony came running back with a bot and maybe 5 more attachments for it. Carol groaned again, but Natasha told her to go change, the rest of the avengers were in sweatpants and casual clothing, but it wasn’t their proposal.

Carol went into her room and put on the outfit she’d spent hours preparing a few days ago. It was a tied cropped white and red shirt with navy blue ripped jeans, the outfit she’d worn to the first date. She styled her short hair to look a bit more formal and walked out of the room.

“Thoughts?” She asked, the attention of everyone in the room turned to her.

“Nice.” Clint said, all of the other Avengers in the room gave her a thumbs up and returned to fixing the cake.

That was until the machine caught on fire, causing the cake and all the flowers next to it to catch fire as well as Tony’s shirt.

“You have got to be kidding me right now.” Carol growled, storming towards the fire and putting a large blanket over it in hopes to stop it.

The blanket caught on fire, ensue Carol swearing angrily and trying to find the fire extinguisher.

“Where’s the anti fire thingy?!” Wanda screamed, also trying to find it as she used her magic to prevent the fire from spreading.

“You mean the fire extinguisher?” Clint asked, also running around.

“Present.” You shouted, all of the heads in the room turned to you as you put the fire out, everyone around the table including Carol covered in it.

“I leave for what, 2 days and you almost light the entire place on fire?” You joked, putting the fire extinguisher in the right place.

You were met with a series of umm as all of them looked nervously at each other, Carol wiped all of the fire extinguisher off her by using the kitchen towel then tossing it to Natasha.

“Well this is probably the most embarrassing thing I’ve done.” Carol commented, you laughed and sat down in a barstool which wasn’t burnt.

“You will never do something more embarrassing than that love poem you wrote when we were 13 and read out in front of the whole school.” You joked, watching everyone around you wipe foam off of their faces.

“She actually did that?” Sam asked, getting a new towel from the kitchen.

“Yup, it was hilarious honesty.” You joked, about to tell the entire story when Carol stopped you.

“Y/n, I need to ask you something.” Carol said softly, almost sternly. All the avengers sat excitedly, waiting for the proposal.

“It really wasn’t supposed to start with an explosion but,” Carol began, rubbing her neck nervously before taking a deep breath and getting down on one knee.

“Y/n y/l/n, I love you with all my heart, I knew I loved you when I realized I enjoyed your company more than anyone else. The way you were able to make me happy effortlessly, your infectious laugh, everything about you makes me want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Carol got down on one knee as everyone else awed, you started grinning when you understood what was happening.

“Y/n y/m/n y/l/n, will you be my wife?” Carol popped open the box, all of her emotions getting to her as a small spark accidentally left her hand, causing the table to light up again.

“Honestly how is there even table left to burn?” Clint exclaimed, getting the fire extinguisher and spraying everything, including you and carol, somehow not hitting the ring.

You started laughing hysterically while wiping fire extinguisher off of your face. Carol was terrified as she wiped it off her face.

“That was the least romantic proposal in the entire history of proposals.” You commented, your entire team, your family laughing behind you.  

“You should break up with her.” Natasha joked, taking a bite of an a cookie that was saved from the disaster. You saw panic flash across Carol’s face and giggled.

“Yes.” You stated, Carol’s face broke into a large grin, she put the unstained ring on your finger, pushing back some foam while doing so.

You got off your chair and hugged her as tightly as you could, the grin never leaving both of your faces as everyone cheered behind you.

“I love you.” Carol whispered, pulling away and looking into your eyes, anxiety leaving her body ever since you said yes.

“I love you too,” you whispered back, then added “despite the hazards it might have.”

“Shut up.” Carol laughed, pulling you in by your waist for a kiss which you happily returned.

A first kiss as an engaged couple was supposed to be the most romantic thing there was, for you it was a coughing attack because you accidentally swapped fire extinguisher from Carol’s lips.

But you were engaged to the woman you loved more than anything in the world, which was more than enough to make you happy. On top of it, the rest of the day was more than perfect, the rest of her plan worked out better than she had expected, it was amazing, you are amazing.

@capcarolsdanver, @versdan, @lesbian-girls-wayhaught, @lovebotlarson, @dhengkt, @5aftermidnight, @hstoria, @natasha-danvers, @veryfunnyal, @xxxtwilightaxelxxx, @ophelias-heart, let me know if you want to be added to any of my tag lists!! A/N: ngl I really wasn’t sure how to end this, feedback is amazing, thanks!!

[benkouji726]

So I wrote my 5+1 Forlex fic, as I was saying earlier. I really lack impulse control when it comes to rnm, sigh.

Jealous Guerin may have some appearances in this fic too, but it’s eventually Forlex. 

This is the first part of it. I will try to update it daily, before I lose my nerves.

Five times Alex surprised Forrest and one time he didn’t

1.

It was supposed to be some harmless fun, at first.

Forrest was intuitive, to put it mildly. You didn’t grow up in a Long household and become this well-liked and popular family member by being dense, especially when you were gay. Besides, his gut feeling had saved him more times than he could count in battles, it was one of the reasons his buddies trusted him with their lives.

He was very good at reading people and situations around or between them. He didn’t always care what people thought of him, of others or of themselves, but he noticed all the same and would efficiently use that information to his advantage. Call it his people skills, but it was how he managed to live through his rebellious youth period, his military years, and now his adult life in a backwards town like Roswell, while never stopped being his colorful-haired, emo-poetry-writing, 20 pounds of personality in a 5 pound pocket-sized body self.

So he had known there was something between Alex and Alien Guy even when they first met at the Long farm. As they talked, it was like there were only them in the whole world. The air seemed thicker and more tangible, the atmosphere charged. Then at the diner, Forrest noticed the meaningful glance Alien Guy shot his way. When Alex sang that song, Guerin walked in and they seemed to have some soul searching conversations through their eyes only, well, it was really not that hard a guess who the song was for. And frankly, Alex needed to work on his poker face a LOT if he was ever gonna sell that obvious “it was a long time ago” lie.

But at the time, it hadn’t really mattered. Whatever it was between them, it seemed neither of them was going to make a move. And Alex was so hot sometimes he wondered how the hell he remained single in the first place, but he WAS single, and a smart guy like Forrest was never gonna miss out a perfectly good opportunity to make out with a hot guy and have some fun time with him.

It was supposed to be just like that, some fun, some company, some glorious make out sessions. Nothing heavy or potential heartbreak or anything.

Which was probably why he didn’t even realize he was falling for Alex until it was a bit of too late.

They were dating for two months at that point. Forrest had met almost all of Alex’s friends and family members (the ones who counted as friends and family in Alex’s book anyway), minus Michael Guerin. And Forrest had won them over one by one. He once overheard Liz call him “charming, funny, honest and loyal to a fault”, to a reluctant Isobel Evans, who had been giving him stink eyes ever since he and Alex had gone out, but in their last get-together thingy (Forrest honestly didn’t know how to call these, because they were irregular as fuck, both in schedule and in attending member counts), Isobel joined him at the bar when he was getting them the last round, considered him for a second, patted him on his shoulder without looking at him and said in a small but genuine voice: “You are not half bad”. So Forrest would call it a win.

In hindsight, it should have been his first warning sign that he cared so much of what Alex’s friends think of him. But in his defense, Alex was most at ease when he was with his friends, which meant he would always be sweet, adorable, sometimes sassy, sometimes soft, and had the unique sense of humor in a deadpan way, and Forrest was too busy being charmed to notice it.

So when his platoon buddies, Tony and Chris, came into town to visit him and he brought Alex to have a beer together, he was so caught off guard when Alex went to bathroom and Tony said:

“Man, you’re so gone on him, aren’t you.”

It wasn’t even a question.

Forrest spluttered, red faced, and said, eloquently: “uh, what?”

Tony and Chris changed a look, both amused. “You’ve been staring at him all night, Long. You look at him as if he hung the moon. You can’t seem to keep your hands to yourself, not to be PDA or something, but little touches, I think you didn’t even notice. He made a joke earlier, granted, it WAS hilarious, but the way you laughed, like you think he is the most funny guy in the whole world, which, no offense, is really not the case.”

Tony drank some water after his long ass bullshit, and Chris went in for a final blow. “So in conclusion, you’ve had it bad, dude, like, we’ve-never-seen-you-like-this level bad.”

Forrest was dumbstruck at that. He must’ve seemed like a dumbass too, because they decided to take pity on him, and changed the subject.

“Anyway, you know we’ve been relocated to the nearby base, Tobias and Leo are near enough too. The others all cashed in some long-overdue vacation days so we can have a little get together for our platoon in Santa Fe next month. You should come too.”

OK, that was exciting news. He missed his buddies and would be very happy to spend some time with them.

But Tony hesitated a little before continued: “There is a catch though. We thought it would be nice that we all bring our significant others, or even our children. So it would be a more family style setting. It may not be your thing.”

The thing was, it would totally be Forrest’s thing. He just didn’t know how to say it. With his platoon buddies, he always seemed like the free spirited lone wolf, easygoing, open and honest, but never the one to talk about family issues or kids problems with. But he would enjoy being surrounded by family love and loud but innocent kids, so he opened his mouth to just say that when he was interrupted by a light laugh.

“What are you guys talking about, family and kids and platoon buddies all under the same roof? It’s totally his thing.”

Forrest was startled, both by Alex’s sudden reappearance and his seemingly psychic ability to read his mind. When he remained silent a second too long, Alex apologized.

“Sorry, did I overstep? You actually don’t want to go or...?”

“No! I mean, yes, I wanna go. I just, something they said earlier, it was a lot to unpack. But you are right, I would love to go.” Well, it wasn’t exactly a lie.

Alex didn’t seem to buy it, but he was kind enough to drop it at the time.

On their drive home though, Alex picked it up again, as Alex would do, because he was a stubborn son of bitch like that.

“You wanna talk about what happened earlier?”

Forrest sighed. Best to just cut to the chase.

“Why did you say it was totally my thing? We didn’t often talk about family and kids, if any.”

Alex frowned, “No, we didn’t normally talk about that stuff. But it’s obvious you like family energy and friendly gatherings, isn’t it? Am I not supposed to know that?”

“But how? I served with my buddies for a long time, we trust each other with our lives. But almost none of them know it.”

“Forrest”, Alex smiled, “you like almost all of your family members, stay friends with a lot of them, despite some of them are real assholes. You even like hanging out with my friends and family too, not just because we are dating, but because you love being around people who give you warm family-like feelings. You organize every open mic night at the pony, and are genuinely interested in the acts and the people behind them, you like to talk to them about their lives and their relationships. You volunteer at the youth shelter. You are, simply put, a people person. You like people, you see good in them, you want to be around them and be a positive influence for them. You don’t necessarily tolerate stupid bigots, and you would be the first to call out their cowardice, but if they are willing to change and be better, you would want to believe in them too.”

He exhaled, oblivious of Forrest’s stunned expression, and continued.

“For a man who has that big a heart, I’d imagine spending some time with his buddies and their families would totally be his thing, don’t you agree?”

“Yeah, but...”

“And there’s also your poetry.”

Forrest was getting whiplash tonight, he could hardly keep up.

“My poetry?”

“Yeah, you gave me your emo poetry journal the other day and asked for my opinion?”

“I remember that. In fact, I remember it was a week ago and I still haven’t got any feedback yet.” If he was being honest, he would say he had been a little hurt by that too.

Alex’s face turned a shade pink. “I know I was being a little slow. But I just want to do them justice, you know? I’ve been reading each of them multiple times, so I can get the gist right.”

OK, hurt instantly healed. He really should be concerned how Alex’s words could so easily affect his mood.

“Anyway, the poems you wrote, they are all very pro-humanity, at least in my opinion. Like, the themes vary, some about personal journeys, some about lost love, some about struggling life, some about anger and pain. But the words have something like warmth attached to them, like despite all, there’s hope, and there’s good, in people, in humanity, in the whole world.”

He looked down at his hands then, voice quiet.

“And that’s the thing I like most about you.”

Shit.

“Shit”, It was definitely too soon, but Forrest just can’t not say it. “I think I might be falling for you.”

Alex looked at him right then, hesitated then determined: “I don’t think I’m there yet. But I think I could see myself heading down that road someday.”

He added in a more unsure voice: “Is that OK?”

Forrest reached out, squeezed his hand, and reassured him: “It’s OK”.

And it really was.

[sunbellylou]

ask for writers !!

thank you @tomlinvelvetfics​ for tagging me! and thank you @soldouthaz for making this tag!

1. describe how you first started writing and when you first posted: i’ve been writing for years now, i started with het (ew!) 1d fics in portuguese back in 2011, it was actually those little imagines we used to write, don’t know if anyone remembers hehe. i posted them on a facebook page i was part of and i remember the first thingy i wrote was something with niall, but i really don’t remember any details (but was probably bad as heck since i was 11).

my first larry fic i probably wrote around 2012 when i found out the gay fanfics world haha, i don’t remember what it was or anything tbh, in my head i always wrote and posted gay fanfic.

my first fanfic in english was a little one shot (like 400 words honestly), it was a translation of a previous work i wrote portuguese. i posted it a year and a half ago and it’s called playground love (please don’t look).

2. which of your characters do you typically resonate most closely with? do you base any characters off of yourself?:  i usually write from harry’s pov because i love love l o v e describing louis and how angelic he is, so usually i tend to see louis as this ethereal ish character, cause it’s usually about harry falling in love with him. so whether i like it or no, i tend to be closer to harry’s characters in my fics, i always like to put a bit of myself on him and make the character real, you know?

3. where do you often find inspiration?: honestly? anything! i’ve written fics inspired by tumblr posts, tweets, pictures, songs, movies, things that happened in my real life, books. i literally wrote a pwp because i couldn’t stop thinking about leather pants (go read my robin hood au).

4. has quarantine helped or hindered your writing process?: in the beginning it was really helping me, i’d stay up till 4am everyday just writing like crazy, but then i got into the worst writer’s block and didn’t write shit for months. (and of course right when i started getting new ideas, i started working so i have no free time).

5. do you listen to music/noise while you write or do you prefer silence? always listen to music, all the time. i can’t do anything without music. mostly because my brain is a mess and music helps me concentrate. i usually go for some chill songs, some indie pop and stuff.

6. what is your biggest writing pet peeve in your writing or in general?: oh my god, when i’m writing and two or more paragraphs start with the same word, one after the other. it drives me crazy!!!! and sometimes i spend hours looking for ways to word differently the sentences, just so i don’t have two paragraphs starting with “the”.

also when my paragraphs are two (or one) lines long, i can’t! it has to have three or more lines.

7. describe your ideal writing setup: at the dining table, in the middle of the night, with some soft music playing in the background and some popcorn with me!

8. favorite time of day to write?: well, just said it hehe i like writing at night.

9. favorite genre to write + one you’d like to try writing in the future?: woah, that’s tough because i literally write any genres! i really love writing fantasy and horror stuff, but i feel like it’s not really well accepted in the fandom? (spec horror). and when people like it, they only read from bigger authors so i usually keep myself from writing those. aaand tbh i probably already wrote most of fic genres out there, so there isn’t much left to try.

10. do you struggle with writer’s block? how do you typically overcome it?  i’m writer’s block bitch and i do not know how to overcome her

11. what is the easiest part of your writing process and the most difficult? outlining tbh, i usually don’t (and it comes back to kick me in the ass). i always have too many ideas at the same time and can’t stick to one, so outlining and finding the right plot is really hard.

12. how do you come up with original characters? (if applicable): lately i haven’t really had the chance to come up with ocs, but when i wrote original books (not fanfics and stuff), i usually started with the gender and one outstanding personality trait and went from there.

13. what is your favorite and least favorite word?  i love the words ethereal and breeze, omg you’ll find them A LOT on my fics. and my least favorite word is growl.

14. what is one thing about your writing that you’re really proud of and one thing you hope to continue working at?: i think i describe the vibez in the scene really well, it’s my favorite thing to do. and i need to work more on building my sentences, because theyre always supermessy.

15. what work of yours has your favorite ‘verse/world building? how did you come up with it?:  definitely the fic i’m working on right now! i’m putting so much work on the world building since it’s a fantasy fic, so i’m planning every little detail about it. i hope other people like it too when they read it !!

16. what font and size do you write in? single spaced or double?: comic sans, 12pt, single spaced. don’t come at me.

17. what is a typo(s) you find yourself making consistently?: because english isn’t my first language, i always change like ‘th’ for ‘d’ (because it has a similar sound in portuguese), so catch me typing ‘de’ instead of ‘the’ or ‘dey’ instead of ‘they’.

18. (if applicable) do you separate fic writing from fandom?: i didn’t understand the question so i’m pretending i never read it hehe

19. what emotion is your favorite to write? which is the most difficult?: my favorite to write is probably,,, love/adoration, like harry looking at louis like he’s the whole world and thinking about how amazing he is? i love it.

and the most difficult is probably anger, i find it really hard to write like fights and stuff like that because usually i make the characters sound more sad than angry.

20. what is one thing you hope readers always take away from your works?: i never thought about that but,,, i hope they start finding joy in small things that happen in their day. that’s something i use a lot in my fics and i think it’s very important to bring it to real life. like enjoy that late night tea, showering in the morning, spending a summer day in the house, cleaning, etc.

21. what is the best and worst writing advice you’ve ever received?: i think the best advice is one i got from someone i no longer talk to, they told me this when i first started writing in english and it is to stop trying to write fancy or like native english speakers, because it’s much better to write simple sentences that i’m confident about than write sentences with words i barely know how to use.

and the worst advice is TO OUTLINE! i know i should maybe i dont know but leave me alone, i hate outlining bye

22. which one of your works would you most want to see turned into a film/television show?:  ok so,,, it’s a book i wrote like three years ago with original characters. it’s called great evil and i wrote it in portuguese. it’s full of violence and acid humor, about a very evil and sarcastic demon and an angry hunter. (one day i’ll translate that book and turn it into a larry fic)

23. do you write scenes chronologically or out of order?: chronologically. always

24. how do you handle criticism?: really bad. please be careful with what words you use. i’m already really hard on myself when it comes to my writing, so sometimes someone says something and (it might be dramatic but) i feel my world crumbling and i want to stop writing right away.

25. what is the advice you would give to someone who is looking to start writing?:  just,,, do it. there’s no right or wrong way to do it. there’s no such thing as too much or too little, bad or good plots. every idea is a good idea. write it for yourself, write something you like. go ahead and just do it. there’s always someone out there who will enjoy your work, no matter what.

26. what kind of feedback on your work always makes your day?: any comments make my day tbh, if you comment on my fic i’ll be forever grateful and will be smiling like a fool the whole day. honestly, even a “omg i loved it” comment can make my day.

27. which fic ‘verse of your own would you most like to exist in? which fic’s characters would you most like to befriend?: the one i’m writing 100%, please i want to live in a fantasy world. i wanna live in the water kingdom and have faerie louis as my king please.

and i’d like to befriend louis from my fic kiss me in your chevrolet, he’s a sweetheart and i must protecc.

28. what do you always enjoy getting asks about/wish people would ask about more?: anything! i rarely get asks so anything is good hehe

29. what has writing added to your life? how has it changed you?: it’s such a big part of my life, i spent all my teenage years writing and it really is what built my personality. it helped me being more creative with all aspects of my life and take life lightly, enjoy little things and moments. 

30. why do you write?: i just love having ideas and putting out there, playing with words and finding new ways to describe daily things.

boost yourself + tags!

1a. share the last sentence you wrote:

The path through the dense forest, covered in slippery rocks and burning trees is already difficult enough, but it becomes ten times worse when you’re being pestered by small, demonic creatures. 

2a. describe the wip you’re most excited about:

i’m honestly only working on one fic right now and i’m super duper excited about it

3a. share the piece of dialogue from one of your works you’re most proud of:

"I mean, I still don't plan on watching Star Wars, so…" 

The boy groans playfully, throwing his head back and Louis' eyes are suddenly really interested in the column of the guy's throat. 

"Americans really have no culture." He shoulders Louis slightly, warmth spreading through Louis' dainty shoulder and making him trip to the side lightly. With a faux outraged scoff, Louis waves a dismissing hand. 

“What do British people know about culture? All you do is drink tea and talk about the weather all day,” Louis teases with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “Also, Star Wars is American, just so you know.” He rolled his eyes playfully, feeling surprisingly comfortable in his presence.

Skater Boy sighs comically, shaking his head, his wavy locks falling gracefully on the sides of his face and Louis can’t stop thinking about how soft his hair must be. 

“You got me there.”

not posted but i kinda like it (i’m not really good with dialogues, so it was really hard to find one lmao)

4a. share the best first and last lines from your work(s): I will do only those that are already published:

best first lines are from a halloween fic i never finished: 

Louis’ blue eyes snap open. His heart pounds fast inside his rib cage, making something as easy as breathing almost impossible. Sweat drenches his body and he feels like drowning. He feels too awake and wary as his breathing calms down, as well as his grips on the sheets under him loosen.

best last lines are from my 2019 BLFF there’s more than one place to call home: 

Their life was utter chaos, and they were definitely complete opposites, and sometimes Harry wished Louis would just shut the hell up, but at the same time, Harry wouldn’t change a single thing about his life, because he had Louis, and that was all that mattered to him. 

5a. link the last fic you read: it was the devil's in the details by @raspberryoatss​

6a. link the last work you published: you could take a lick (but it’s too cold to bite me)

7a. link to your ao3 (if applicable): cinnamons

8a. someone that inspires you: louis hehe 

9a. a comfort fic/work that you’ve been grateful for this year: tbh i don’t read a lot of fics, but there’s this work a friend of mine wrote. it was in portuguese and she ended up deleting it but it’s amazing.

10a. other writers that you’d like to tag! @bottomlwt @raspberryoatss 

[cg29]

40 Questions — Meme for Fic Writers.

Thank you to @soniabigcheese @gumnut-logic @onereyofstarlight and Anon for the ASKS you sent my way. Since I wanted to answer in detail, I’ve had more than 1 question, and I’ve not had a lot of spare time today I thought I’d answer all in this one post…

So first up @soniabigcheese sent me: ‘How about ... 9 ... 15 and 19? Please.’

9: Which fic has been the hardest to write?

All have been challenging in their own individual ways. Yet, really thinking about it I’d have to say GONE. For various reasons – It was my first Thunderbirds Fanfic, the longest story I had ever written, at this point the one I’ve had to do the most planning and research, and finally because of the emotions that needed portraying. However, the elation at finally finishing the story was amazing and has certainly inspired me to continue.

15: If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?

Oh my God, that would be amazing! I would definitely have to go for Bad Day (Virgil’s day keeps repeating. What will it take for it to end and a new one to begin?) I had so much fun writing this, it’s one that I’ve reread a few times since competing, and it still makes me giggle. I’m sure I’d be in stitches if I got to watch it on the big screen. Although due to some of the contents towards the final chapters it would definitely need a UK PG or 12A rating.

19:  Stephen King once said that his muse is a man who lives in the basement. Do you have a muse?

For Thunderbirds fanfiction my muse is definitely Virgil, The-Virg, It’s definitely his creativity and those eyes, plus that mouth, also those eyebrows, and his muscles… Sorry getting distracted – Actually, thinking about it, Virgil’s more of a distraction than a muse. Especially with my new mobile screensaver which I keep staring at.

Okay, back to the question. I don’t think I’ve got a muse – just a little voice in my head that won’t shut up when I have a story idea until I’ve written it down.

…

Next we have @gumnut-logic who asked: ‘Writer meme question thingy - 1 & 12.’

1: Describe your comfort zone—a typical you-fic.

I always seem to revert to the family dynamics rather than a full-on rescue story (which is probably why I’m struggling with two of my fics which need to  have rescue bits written in) Basically, I love to go deeper into the descriptions of the physical/emotional whump, and how the family deal with the situation (hidden feelings, tempers, how they bond) during and afterwards.

12: Is there an episode above all others that inspires you just a little bit more?

Yes, for both TOS and TAG.

The original series: There’s a few – Terror In New York City (Yep, the beginning in particular) The Perils of Penelope, Sun Probe, The Uninvited, Edge Of Impact. After thinking long and hard to narrow it down I’d have to say that while Terror In New York’s my favourite. The Perils of Penelope inspired my naughty fic The Night of Anderbad (Penelope & Virgil pairing) plus the idea of Virgil having a secret crush on her in later chapters of The Tracy Family and a few other one of fics.

TAG: There are a few earlier ones which have inspired fics – Grandma Tourismo, Flame Out, Hyperspeed, SOS pt. 2, Signals pt. 1, Upside Down. There are probably others and these last few episodes have been really inspiring. However, I think I would definitely have to go for the more recent SOS Pt 1 & 2 and Signals Pt 1 & 2. (I’m sure the finale of Season 3 may change this answer)

…

Third we have @onereyofstarlight who asked: ‘2 and 37 for the ask meme.’

2: Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

Yes, I would like to have a go at Were Virgil at some point. Also, would like to try doing the boys ages differently to see how the dynamics changed – Alan as the eldest, next in line is Gordon, then Scott in the middle with John then Virgil as the youngest.

37: Talk about your current wips.

Lol, I have a few so this could take a while :D

I will start with ones that I’ve posted on FF.Net & A03 (Probably also shared them here at some point.

1. Avalanche: TAG.

This story began as a prompt that suggested a story that begins and ends with the same line but the meaning/feeling of the line changes. I started it with the intention of writing just 1 chapter …hahaha… of course I ended the story on a cliff-hanger and couldn’t leave it there, so it’s been continued and I’m so glad I did because I personally feel it is nearing the top of my best written list. The story itself is set when the boys are just children and focuses on the tragedy of the Avalanche and the emotional repercussions. I’ve just reached chapter 14, and probably have another 2-4 chapters left.

2. Lucille: TAG

Synopsis - A story about the unseen woman who watches over International Rescue."I am a wife, I am a mother, and I am the one who watches over International Rescue, making sure I am there to catch them whenever they fall. My name is Lucille Tracy and this, well this is my story!"

A story told through the eyes of the boy’s mother. This is one that I keep stopping and starting, most likely because I hadn’t planned it out. It’s currently on-hold until I finish some others, but I will complete it.

3. The Games: AU - Thunderbirds Are Go mixed with the concept of the Hunger Games. (Although, only Thunderbirds characters will make an appearance)

Here’s my synopsis - Climate change, famine, war. In the end another major war lead to the richest creating the Global Defence Force and 'order' was restored. To celebrate and keep control the Hunger Games were created. This was the 100th games.

The fic started from the Whumptober Prompts and I decided to continue it, wrote half of the 2nd chapter then promptly forgot about it. I’ve recently been looking at this again and have started to reread The Hunger Games for inspiration. However, like Lucille this fic is currently on hold.

4. Virgil Drabbles: TAG.

Started out as a challenge to see how much I could get across in just 100 words. All chapters are based around the lovely Virgil - TAG (but with him being the middle child – started before the Grandma Tourismo episode and apart from a few fics where I write it the other way around I prefer it this way)

The story starts from Virgil’s birth and I’ve now got him attending Denver. I still have a fair few chapters to write but the rest is now all planned out.

5. Reflections: TOS.

Set after Virgil's crash during the Season 1 episode 4 of 'Terror in New York City.' Short reflections from each of the family on nearly losing a brother and son. (Previously Titled, Fallen Brother)

I had always wanted to write something based on my favourite TOS episode. Then Shane Rimmer passed away and this was inspired. Slow updates on this one but I’ve finished telling myself the story just need to edit/rewrite that into something coherent.

And now we’re onto the ones that I may have posted snippets for or just 1 section for on here, but nothing officially posted as yet.

1. Two Untitled Prompts: TAG.

Both prompts were given to me at the end of November and I actually wrote out both (Plotting, thoughts, and telling myself bits of the story) Then December knocked me sideways and my writing suffered. Back to working on these 2 again now and really enjoying them. Without giving to much away, the one features a heart-broken Alan and the other (which with Avalanche is at the top of my pile) features Virgil having a day from hell with added whump.

2. Two Whumptober Fics: TAG.

Posted 1 or 2 chapters for each of these back in October and decided that they could possibly be extended/completed before posting. (All short fics)

The first one is titled Coffee Shot: Virgil gets shot in a café and emotions will run high. Fully planned out but decided to finish some others before I continue working on this.

The second is currently titled Ransom and is set when the guys are children. Scott and Virgil get kidnapped – Only done some basic plotting for this and it’s currently towards the bottom of my WIP pile.

The third is untitled and at the moment my word file is saved under the imaginative title of ‘Virgil Whump’ (Posted 1 snippet that I wrote in 15 mins at the beginning of October then left it because of other projects) In this one the guys are all extremely busy with call-outs and Virgil needs to go to a rescue on his own that involves Fischler. Unfortunately he ends up getting trapped, injured, and because its Fischler left on his own. Fully planned out.

3. Working Title – Shattered Hope. TAG

A story idea that came to me over a year ago, written some short bits, planned out most of the story but because of one small element I need to wait until TAG Season 3 finishes.

Here’s a bit from it that did get shared to Tumblr…

‘How had it come to this?’

Just a short time ago they’d been happy, enjoying some rare downtime in the sun, five brothers together. It shouldn’t be like this… With him cradling one brother who was bleeding from a bullet wound after saving the youngest from certain death. The other two close-by. One with a dislocated shoulder, the other with a broken leg, he himself had a stab wound to his arm... All of them with numerous other injuries… Beaten, bloodied, bruised… And praying that someone would rescue them!

…

Fourth we have anonymous who asked for ’35, 38 and 39.’

35: Would you ever kill off a canon character?

I’ve killed poor Scott off a few times HERE ... HERE and another time as an old man where Virgil also got killed off. (The fic scarred me – But, at the same time I think it’s the best short I’ve written - It’s called White Light if you want to give it a read)

I’ve not killed any of the others yet, and I keep telling myself that I won’t do it again, but it will probably happen again at some point…

39: Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them? 

I’ve had a couple, but they are usually anonymous ones. I normally just delete them and move on because people like that have nothing better to do and are not worth any upset. But if it does affect my confidence then I’ll reread a couple of nicer comments, then when I’m ready I’ll continue writing. I think there was only one that really knocked me for six and that was an anonymous rant on my Bad Day fic because I’d dared to pair up Virgil and Brains. (I’m sure you can imagine the content)

38: Talk about a review that made your day.

Even though 38 comes before 39 I wanted to save this one for last.

Every single comment I’ve ever got. No matter how short or detailed has brought a smile to my face and helped inspire me to continue writing – If I had to single out one then it would actually be a private message that was sent to my Fanfiction.Net inbox. It was over 2 years ago and unfortunately I can’t find the message now but whoever sent it to me said that they’d loved my Fics, in particular Gone which they had read several times and that I was their favourite writer. I was beaming for weeks afterwards.

So, whoever you were thank you - and to all who comment, re-blog, like or kudos my stories. Thank you from the bottom of my heart… Seriously you all make this fandom such a lovely place to be!

All my current posted fics and their status can be found via my: Thunderbirds Fanfiction Masterlist 

[trueloveseyeroll]

When The Tide Turns (9/16)

Summary:  The plan was to go to England, finish the case and head back home in a matter of days. Of course, nothing in Emma’s life ever goes according to plan. Not only does she end up travelling across Europe, looking for a Liam Jones in order to finish her case, she ends up travelling with Liam’s brother - an annoyingly handsome Killian Jones. And she doesn’t trust him one bit.

Rating: T, for language and a bit of violence later on

Beta-reader: thank you Aina ( @forget-me-not-s )  for all your wonderful help!!

Artists: these artists are seriously such talented and amazing people, and they deserve so much praise!!! @theblacksiren - check out her beautiful artwork for chapter 1 here and chapter 7 here! @optomisticgirl created the awesome banner - and soon you’ll get to see the amazing masterpiece created by @fairytalesandtimetravel 

Word count: ~5020 (68k+ in total)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 |  Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 |  Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 |

AO3

Something was wrong. Emma sensed it the moment she came back from the restroom and saw Killian looking all sullen.

“What’s up with you?”

Killian’s shoulders tensed - he hadn’t even noticed her presence before she spoke.

Something was definitely wrong.

“I, uh, received a rather unexpected phone call.”

So he’s finally the one on the phone and I don’t get a chance to eavesdrop? Emma thought a little bitterly. She wasn’t as annoyed with his eavesdropping as she had been earlier, but she still wished to get even with him.

“Good unexpected?” She tried, sitting down in the booth.

“Depends on how you look at it,” Killian answered, rather vaguely. Emma waited for him to elaborate. “It was a woman named Elsa. From Norway. It seems she knows a thing or two about my dear brother.”

“Seriously?” Emma exclaimed, wondering how that could be considered bad news. “That’s great! What does she know?”

“A lot,” was Killian’s reply. “She invited us to her home in Norway, thinking it was best to talk face to face.”

“That doesn’t sound suspicious at all.”

“It’s peculiar,” Killian agreed. “But it faces us with a decision to make, Swan; journey to Denmark to find the spyglass or further north to visit Elsa?”

Emma thought of it for a moment. Mary Margaret’s text from before popped into mind; she had written that the latest record of Liam was a ticket for a ferry from Denmark to Norway... well, at least they had the right countries in mind.

“Elsa,” Emma decided. “I want to know what this is about, and anyways, it’s easier with an actual address instead of just ‘Denmark’ and ‘mermaid statue’.”

“Point taken,” Killian nodded. But Emma could still sense something bothering him.

“Did she say anything else than just ‘come to Norway, we need to talk’? Like, say how she knows about Liam? And knows your phone number for that matter?”

“She was quite brisk. I have no clue how she got a hold of my phone number, though now I won’t be able to stop wondering, so thank you for that, Swan,” Killian paused. “But she did say she’d known him for the past six years. As in he’s been in Norway for the past six years.”

“That fits!” At Killian’s questioning stare, Emma explained her sudden epiphany. “Mary Margaret wrote that the latest record they had of Liam is from six years ago - when he took the ferry from Denmark to Norway. If he’s been in Norway since then, that’s why there aren’t any more traces of him! Also,” Emma remembered as she spoke, “aren’t the latest letters you have from Liam from Norway? I mean, it all fits!”

“Aye, I suppose you’re right.”

Emma almost felt like getting another drink - to celebrate of course. It all pointed to Liam being in Norway. Maybe that’s why Elsa asked them to come without further explanation. Perhaps Liam was too shy to come forth himself?

Emma grinned, thinking that by this time tomorrow, she might finally have the signature she needed to go back home.

And Killian would have his brother back.

“I should probably call Regina and give her an update on the next travel plans.”

Across from her, Killian still seemed to be contemplating something. “But what about the spyglass? And the pegasus sail,” he added belatedly, confirming Emma’s suspicion that the pegasus sail was a load of bullshit.

“What about them?” Emma asked.

“Was our plan not to find them?”

“I thought our plan was to find Liam,” Emma countered.

“Aye, but weren’t we going to do that through the objects?”

Emma just stared at him for a moment, unable to understand his fixation with those objects. “Don’t you think talking to a living person who’s known about Liam’s whereabouts for the past six years will be a bit more helpful than a couple of thingies?”

Killian had no good answer for that.

“If Elsa turns out to be a dead-end, Denmark will be our back-up plan and we can continue this treasure-hunt-thing,” Emma offered.

He nodded, slowly raising his eyes from the table to meet hers. The spark she had grown so used to seeing was back. “So, Norway...?”

Emma groaned. “That definitely sounds cold.”

Killian tried bullying Emma into buying a proper winter coat. And warmer boots as well.

(“It’s not bullying when it’s for your own good, Swan.”

“Oh yes, every tyrant’s favourite motto.”

“Then I must be a terrible tyrant for wanting to keep you from freezing to death.”)

She gave into buying a grey beanie and a warm sweater. But a new coat and a pair of boots sounded like an overkill. They weren’t going to be in Norway for long after all, and heating did exist up north, right? It wasn’t like they were going to live in an igloo.

Her head hurt ever so slightly the morning after their trip to the bar, but she didn’t let it show. She was a bit more snappy than usual when Ingrid called, though that could have had a lot more to do with Ingrid persisting that Walsh was the right guy for her. No matter how many times Emma said she just wasn’t feeling it anymore.

They spent most of the day just walking through the city, taking things slow. At one point Emma thought she saw two people she’d seen earlier as well - a woman with wavy red hair and a guy with a red-woollen hat - but then they were gone. She blamed the headache.

At some time around six in the evening, their plane took off, giving Emma the chance to lean back and relax for a few hours. And tease Killian for his dislike of flying. He was quieter than usual, not rising to tease Emma back as much as she would’ve liked. Odd as it was, Emma found herself missing it. The casual back-and-forth, the easy conversation they had had last night... even the occasional flirting.

But Killian didn’t seem in the mood for it, and Emma was rather terrified of how much that affected her.

“You know, if you stare any harder at that chair you’re gonna drill a hole through it.” Her voice was soft and teasing, breaking Killian from his spell. Liam would probably have called it brooding, and it amazed Killian that after nine years, he could still hear his brother’s reprimanding in his head.

Killian shifted in his seat, trying to look more relaxed. Swan had let him get the aisle seat this time, leaving her to sit in the middle. He knew she knew he wasn’t acting entirely like himself, but he hoped she chalked it up to his dislike of flying.

“Is everything alright?” Emma asked, and he was forced to meet her gaze, giving her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Aye, everything’s fine, love.”

The look she gave him clearly stated that she didn’t believe him, but that he could tell her once they’d landed and were alone. He had no doubts she’d pester him until she was satisfied with his answer. A trait he admired in her... but he truly wished she weren’t so good at spotting his lies.

For now, she let the matter rest and he returned to staring at the back of the chair in front of him.

What the bloody hell had he gotten himself into?

Killian had been in many dire situations for the past decade. Had reached the bottom and somehow managed to dig his way even deeper. But he’d also had a few breaths of good air and good times - of actual hope. Now it just seemed that all his life had been a race, leading up to this very point and he’d been too wrapped up in his own head to notice that everything was closing in on him.

From the moment he had learned who Swan was, he knew she brought risks with her. Risks he had been willing to take. Up until now at least.

He looked to the side without turning his head, sensing that Emma was deep in her own thoughts. How had this woman managed to turn everything upside down in only a few days? First keeping him afraid that she already knew the truth - or some of it at least - to fearing that she’d somehow figure it out. And now his greatest worry was what she’d do when he finally told her. Told her everything.

He just had to find the right timing. With both of them a bit tipsy, it hadn’t seemed right to tell her last night. He should’ve told her that morning or during the afternoon, but things had seemed so easy between them for once, he didn’t want to ruin it. The plane was hardly the right place, and once they’d made it to Arendal where Elsa lived, they’d both be too tired...

He was the captain of making excuses, he knew that.

But he would have to tell her soon. Soon as in before they met with Elsa, or he would lose his chance to tell Emma on his own.

They landed in Kristiansand around nine in the evening. Dinner had been served during the flight, so Emma and Killian could focus on finding their way out to Arendal. Fortunately, it wasn’t far away. There were buses, and they could walk from the end terminal to the inn. It wasn’t the shortest of distances, but if they took a taxi at the office’s expense Regina was surely going to have Emma’s head once she returned to New York.

Emma’s boss had already made it pretty clear that if Elsa had no useful information that was worth the trip to Norway, Emma’s journey was over. She wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that. Of course she’d be disappointed if she didn’t get to finish the job. They seemed so close to finding Liam now, it would suck big time if they never actually found him. And deep down, Emma could let herself admit that she’d actually enjoyed working this case, frustrating as it was. She enjoyed being ‘out in the field’ or whatever. Not just behind some desk, working cases for various upscale or downscale businesses. To be honest, her job as it was wasn’t really what she’d planned for when she studied law. But working for Regina gave a sense of security. For a time it felt like she’d had it all together - a well-paid job, an apartment, a boyfriend…

Maybe it was time for her to figure out what she actually wanted.

At least this mysterious Elsa seemed promising for the case. Emma didn’t want to get her hopes up, but she was definitely impatient to meet the woman. She wouldn’t have minded doing so at ten o’clock when they reached the inn, but Killian had insisted they get some sleep first and meet her in the morning. Other than that, he hadn’t said much during their travel from Barcelona to Arendal.

Emma had let him dodge her questions on the plane. They were surrounded by strangers; maybe he didn’t want to talk with so many ears around. She’d given him the same excuse on the bus. But sooner or later he would have to pull himself together and tell her whatever it was he was keeping from her, or she’d have to force it out of him.

In the end, it worried Emma to see him so silent. So... broody. She found herself wanting to know what was going on his head for reasons other than curiosity and distrust. The thought made Emma shake her head at herself; Killian had been untrustworthy from the start. He’d always been keeping things from her and for some reason she had let him. But now she was actually worried about him?

It’s probably for the best that this case ends soon and I can go back home and never have to think about him again.

By the time they reached their inn and each had keys to their respective rooms, Emma had had enough.

“What’s going on with you?”

Killian looked up from placing the key in the door lock to his room. Emma’s room was two doors further down on the other side of the hall, but she stopped next to Killian, intent on answers.

“What do you mean, love?”

From the tired tone in his voice and the lack of conviction, Emma could tell he knew exactly what she meant.

“You’ve been brooding all day and barely said a word.”

A cocky grin spread on his lips, hiding his weariness. “I knew you cared for our verbal sparring as much as I, love. Worry not; I can make it up to you in any way you please.”

“There’s something you’re not telling me,” Emma said, ignoring his comment.

“Is it just me, or have we had this conversation before?”

“We wouldn’t ever have to have it if you just told the truth for once.”

The humorous spark in Killian's face faded away, the initial exhaustion returning. "It's been a long day, Swan. Could we continue this discussion in the morning after I've had a chance to sleep?"

"What, so you have the time to make up some new lie?" Emma glared at him. Truthfully, she was pretty tired herself, the grogginess clearly showing.

Killian didn't answer straight away. Normally, that would have been answer enough for Emma, but there was something else going on here. Something in the way Killian's shoulders had dropped and the usual teasing spark had disappeared gave her pause.

"I need but a few hours of rest, Swan. And I reckon you do as well." He turned to unlock and open his door. He gave Emma a nod before going in, bidding her goodnight.

Emma didn't return the sentiment. She glared at the closing door, thinking about pushing her way in to his room, demanding real answers. But the door clicked shut and Emma hadn't moved an inch.

She couldn't explain why it unsettled her so much that he'd just evade the question and walk away. It just felt wrong. Killian didn't strike her as the guy to walk away from any kind of fight or confrontation. He wasn't the type who turned away and shut the door behind him.

Who are you kidding, Emma? Everyone's gonna turn away and shut the door behind them at some point.

After all, Killian was the same guy who had snuck out in the middle of the night to explore a cave in search of something he'd never bothered to tell Emma about had she not caught him red-handed.

She stood in the hall for a few seconds, glaring at the closed door before she turned around and found her own room.

He'd better have answers for her in the morning.

Emma sighed, placing her suitcase by the bed before pulling off her beanie and jacket and falling onto said bed. As much as she wanted to be angry with Killian, she understood him. He was definitely right about her needing some rest. And she knew the need to avoid certain questions, thoughts and feelings all too well, having shut some doors behind herself too.

Emma sat up to pull off her boots, wondering what would happen in the morning. What would Killian have to say for himself, what would this Elsa have to tell them?

And then it finally dawned on Emma; they were meeting Elsa tomorrow; a woman who knew about Liam - had known about him for the past six years. Who knew what she had to say about him? Hell, Killian's brooding all day had probably been focused on that very question.

If Emma knew that in less than a day she might find out what had happened to her parents, she probably wouldn't have been in the most conversing mood either.

Before Emma got the chance to think more about this newfound understanding of Killian, her phone rang from her jacket. She was grateful for Mary Margaret being the one on the other end, rather her than her mother. Or Regina.

Mary Margaret's reason for calling was less pleasant than she could have hoped for though.

"So, Ruby and I are out for a late bite of lunch at that cute café near her work, you know? The one with the amazing red velvet cake."

"Yeah?" Emma answered, wondering why her friend was calling to update her on a late lunch.

"Well..." Mary Margaret hesitated. "We kind of ran into Wash."

"And?”

"Well, we saw him at least, but I don't think he saw us. He was kinda busy... kissing some other woman."

"Oh." In that moment, 'oh' was the only word Emma could think of saying. Her brain took a while to understand the meaning of Mary Margaret's words. But even when it sunk in -Walsh was kissing another woman - Emma still had no other words than 'oh'. It didn't really hurt. It didn't really feel like anything at all.

"I'm so sorry, Emma, I really hate having to tell you this over the phone, but I just thought you needed to know as soon as possible, and like, I don't really know what's going on with you two lately, maybe you've broken up or something, but I just really thought you needed to know. Also because Ruby's offering to punch him for you and she'll only not do it if you tell her not to do it-" Mary Margaret's rambling was cut off by Ruby taking the phone.

"I'm serious, Ems. You want me to punch him, just say the word. I can give him a kick to the nuts if you want, too."

A slight smile ticked on Emma's lips at Ruby's words. "No, it's fine, Ruby. I'm not sure he's worth the hassle."

"So you're fine with it?" Mary Margaret asked, confused. Emma could just imagine her two best friends fighting to get the best hold on the phone.

"Yeah, I mean, I sort of broke up with him a few days ago. Or well, not explicitly. It was on the phone, and I said I just needed a break until I come back to New York."

"And that makes it okay for him to kiss someone else? Who is he, Ross Geller?" Ruby sneered, referring to Friends.

"Well, my plan was actually to break up with him once I get back, unlike Rachel. I guess he just decided to make things easier for the both of us." The truth of her own words surprised Emma. Walsh kissing someone else didn't really hurt - it just made things easier.

"Still makes him douchebag of the year if you ask me," Ruby said.

"I won't argue with you there.”

"Oh Emma, I really wish you weren't alone in Europe - is it Norway now?" Mary Margaret asked.

"She's not alone, she has that Killian-dude," Ruby butted in.

"Yeah, it's Norway, and yeah, I'm not entirely alone. And I'll be back soon, guys."

“Hopefully not before you and Killian have a chance to create a bit of friction up there in the cold,” Ruby said, the salacious smirk clear through the phone.

“Ruby, for all you know, Killian could be a fifty-year old man with a beer belly and a terrible smell,” Emma said, trying to shut down her friend’s depraved thoughts.

“I bet you still wouldn’t mind creating some friction with him,” Ruby said. “Come on, Ems, what kind of friend would we be if we hadn’t made an extensive background check on your travel-buddy? And if he’s as hot as he was three years ago in the picture we found of him, I’m telling you: climb him like a tree.”

Emma was glad Ruby couldn’t see the faint blush in her cheeks. She would never have heard the end of it. “Aren’t you and Mulan still going out?” She tried diverting Ruby.

“Yeah, and that’s why I’m telling you to climb him,” Ruby said.

“Isn’t it funny that he used to work at Mr. Gold’s company, though?” Mary Margaret asked.

What? Emma’s blood ran cold. “He used to work for Gold?”

There was an awkward pause before Mary Margaret answered. “He didn’t tell you?”

“No. He didn’t. Must have slipped his mind,” Emma said, wryly.

“Oh. That’s odd.” And suspicious, Emma added to Mary Margaret’s comment. She berated herself for not having done a background check on Killian herself. And her previous anger towards the truth-withholding bastard resurfaced.

“Sounds like a heated discussion’s coming your way,” Ruby remarked. “Angry sex is always great, you know.”

“Ruby!” Mary Margaret chided. Emma could faintly hear her one friend slapping the other’s arm.

“You guys, thanks for calling me, seriously. But my head’s kinda hurting, and I’m really exhausted.”

“Of course, Emma,” Mary Margaret said, fully understanding. “If you need us, we’re only a phone call away. And we can still punch Walsh for you if you want.”

“Yeah, just say the word, Ems. And please take a video of it if you punch Killian too - or whatever you end up doing.”

“I’m going to spare you for more of Ruby’s terrible humour now. Sleep well, Emma!”

“I’ll see you soon.”

Emma ended the call, slumping against the headboard of the bed. Somehow, she felt more exhausted than before, even with her blood boiling beneath her skin.

It might not hurt, knowing Walsh had moved on before they’d even properly ended the relationship, but it still stung. How could he propose to her, beg for her to come back to New York and then kiss someone else in less than two weeks? What the hell was he thinking? What had she been thinking, dating the guy for eight months? She could only be happy she hadn’t said yes to his proposal without seeing his true colours first.

And then there was Killian. Why hadn’t he told her that he had once worked for the guy currently trying to buy his family’s business? Didn’t that seem like a relevant fact to him?

She pulled her boots back on, grabbed her room key and stormed out of the door to ask Killian that very question.

Her fist raised to knock on his door, Emma found herself hesitating though. She was angry as hell - at Killian and at Walsh - but she couldn’t bring herself to knock.

She went back to her room and grabbed her jacket.

Emma wasn’t in the mood to yell at Jones. She wasn’t in the mood to talk.

She was in the mood for a drink, and that was exactly what she was going to get.

Killian hit his forehead against the door after closing it. He had squandered a perfectly good chance to explain everything to Swan and taken the coward's way out instead. 'Just need a bit of rest'. Killian all but scoffed at himself. He knew very well he wouldn't get much rest this night.

Pushing away from the door, Killian pulled the strap of his satchel over his head and left it on the nightstand. He took his leather coat off on his way to the bathroom, hanging it on a hook by the door. Turning on the cold faucet, Killian washed his hands and splashed some water in his face. The reflection in the mirror was a poorer sight than usual. Sure, he was a handsome fellow but that wrinkle in his brow, etched like a permanent scowl wouldn't do his looks much good in the long run.

He should just talk to Emma. Pull himself together, straighten his back, march over to her room and tell her what he should have told her days ago.

No. He said he would tell her tomorrow when the both of them had enjoyed some rest and could see things in a clearer light. No need to disturb her now.

His reflection wasn't convinced.

Killian grabbed a towel, drying off his hands and face. He went to grab a toothbrush and some toothpaste from his satchel, intent on going to bed; even if he knew he wouldn't fall asleep any time soon. He ended up pacing the room instead, his hands ruffling through his hair and trying to massage some of the kinks out of his shoulders. His mind was a constant back and forth, much like his steps through the room. Go over to Swan's room and tell her now, or wait until morning.

More than once he made it to his door, ready to open it and march down the hall, but then Emma's face flashed through his head. Would she be angry? Would she want to stay after he told her everything or would she leave? Would she even believe him?

It could have been minutes or hours for all Killian knew. He never made it to brushing his teeth or changing his clothes. He could have checked the time, but he didn't want to give himself another excuse. No, he was going to tell Emma everything, and he was going to do it now. Whatever the consequences, whatever she ended up thinking of him, Killian could be happy knowing he had done the right thing.

Determined at last, Killian left his room, made it to Emma's in quick strides and knocked on her door.

She didn't answer.

"Swan?"

Killian knocked again. "Swan, are you in there? I, uh, I've had a change of heart about the ‘sleep first, talk later’."

Still, Emma didn't answer. He listened for any signs of her even being there, but he heard nothing.

Realization dawned on Killian, his raised fist slowly falling to his side.

Emma was gone.

Her glass was empty after a few seconds, and then slammed on the bar top. It felt good, but not entirely as satisfying as Emma had hoped. At least it took off the edge.

“Rough day?” the blond bartender asked. From the smile in his eyes, Emma guessed she was far from the first woman he had seen down a drink in one go. Even if she was the first American he had ever seen in his bar - which he gladly told her about when she ordered her drink.

“Rough week,” Emma answered. She asked for another glass, planning on drinking this one a bit slower. The bartender supplied and didn’t comment on Emma’s answer or ask further questions. Just the way Emma wanted it.

A minute later, a sparky redhead joined the bartender behind the counter, saying something to him in Norwegian. She kissed his cheek and he left through a back door, a huge smile on his lips. Emma grabbed her glass and drank a few more mouthfuls.

The redhead turned to Emma after dealing with another customer, her smile brighter than any Emma had seen in a long while.

“Er alt ok?”

Emma contemplated pretending she hadn’t heard and continue to stare at her glass, but she looked up anyways. “Sorry, I don’t speak Norwegian.”

Somehow, the redhead’s smile turned even brighter.

“Oh, you’re American! That’s so exciting - we don’t often get tourists here, especially not from America. What brings you here?”

Emma wished she had chosen not to look up.

“Work.” Curt and simple, that was all she could muster at the moment.

The bartender seemed to take the hint (fortunately) and simply nodded. “Well, I hope you have a pleasant stay!” She began turning to the next customer and Emma drank a sip in relief.

She was too quick to celebrate though.

“Wait, you’re not one of them here about Liam, are you?”

Emma’s eyes shot up to meet the bartender’s. “You know him? Liam Jones?”

The redhead smiled, bright and exciting as ever. “Yeah, he’s been living in my sister’s spare room for the past six years.”

“Your sister’s Elsa?”

“Yes! Oh right, I’m Anna, hi! You must be Emma then, right? Elsa said Killian mentioned an Emma - Emma Swan!”

Emma tried to smile. She wouldn’t have been surprised if it looked more like a grimace. “Yeah, that’s me. So, uh, do you know Liam well?”

“Yeah, he’s a great guy!” But then Anna’s face fell, her hands wringing the towel she held. “I really, really hope he’s okay. It’s terrible what happened.”

Emma’s brows stitched together. “What happened? He’s not here in Norway anymore?”

Anna looked at Emma with a hint of confusion in her eyes. “No, he sailed away in that storm a month ago. Didn’t Elsa say that? I thought she called Killian when it happened...” Anna picked up on Emma’s expression that clearly said this was news to her. Especially the part about Elsa having called Killian a month ago.

“I guess he never told me,” Emma said. It seems there are a lot of things he never told me.

“Oh.” Anna paused, looking about as awkward as Emma was beginning to feel frustrated with a certain Jones. “Well, I really hope we get some news on Liam soon, even if it’s probably too late now. But well, there’s always hope, right?” Anna tried for a smile again, but Emma could see the worry in her eyes. The redhead looked at Emma’s newly empty glass. “Would you like a refill?”

Emma shook her head. She slid off the stool, slipped her wallet out of her jacket and pulled out her credit card. “No, I’m fine, thanks. I’d better head back to my hotel before it gets too late.”

And murder Jones the second I see him.

How could Elsa have called him a month ago to say Liam had sailed off in a storm and clearly never come back? How could Killian have known that Liam was last seen in Norway for an entire month - if not more?

Why the hell had he never thought to tell her?

Emma’s blood was boiling once again, and this time she wasn’t going to hesitate for one second before knocking on his door. She’d kick it open if she had to.