#and now dahlia is joining in

[lanternlightss]

can i just say your reblog(s) on my artwork made my entire day and ive never felt so incredibly giddy over a reblog before. like i dont think anyone has ever pointed out this much on my artwork and now i want to frame your words on my wall 😭

AWWH

your work was done just so so beautifully !!!!!!!! I could not NOT comment on everything i could point out, and once again the decision to make it so that we do not see venti’s face in his “mortal disguise” is such a MASTERFUL one, your art is absolutely stunning and i am fawning over it so much. your use of everything in general actually for this piece was such a hit out of the park. MAGNIFICENT !!

[banished-away]

artemis and dahlia are so good. the contrast between the supposed hero drizzt always keeping her at an arm's lenght, preferring the "soft look" she puts on to please him where she acts and looks softer and covers her tattoos and scars, knowing she had a painful past but not bothering to ask or look into it because it would shake his morals and he would rather pretend to not know than to actually confront it or even help dahlia through it. meanwhile the supposedly cold killer artemis with just a few looks saw the pain in her, let her have the kill against herzgo because he realized it was important to her even if he had just as good reasons and he didnt know dahlia's yet, and when they were alone he let dahlia be vulnerable to him, asked her about her pain, and when she was not comfortable to speak about it he just stayed near her and comforted her

[whorefordarlin]

iwfilwyoaoa thoughts but it's David and Darlin' this time

[frost-queen]

Effecting herbs (Reader!Bridgerton & Bridgerton siblings)

Requested by: anon Forever tag:@missmelodramatic  , @merlin-dahlia, @alex--awesome--22 , @elllie-does-the-posts, @floatlosers   , @merlieve   , @queen-of-books  , @glimmering-darling-dolly   ,@denkisclown  , @wildieflower   ,@meyocoko    , @justanothercoco, @subjecta13-thefangirl  , @m-rae23 , @harleyquinnswifeyfrfr , @swampthing07   , @melsunshine   @panhoeofmanyfandoms  , @venomsvl , @the-uncoordinated-house-cat ,@rosecentury   ,  @imagines-by-her   ,  @evilcr0ne   , @vviolynn    , @niktwazny303   ,@avada-kedavra-bitch-187  , @markive-m  , @lovesanimals0000

Loud stomps on the stairs alarmed your coming. Gregory and Hyacinth standing still on the upper floor. They were making their way downstairs, but paused near the stairs, having heard your loud footsteps. With each foot you stomped louder to make it clear. Dress pulled up slightly to not trip over the hem. With bloated cheeks, you were mumbling under your breath. Hyacinth and Gregory made way for you to let you brush past them.

Once out of reach, Hyacinth turned curious to her brother. – “You think she’s in a mood?” – she asked receiving a glance of her brother that stated the obvious. The two younglings rushed down the stairs to the drawing room, eager to know any gossip that would sure be attached to the appearance of your mood. You knew exactly what door to pick, knowing it would allow you to ramble.

You swung the door open, startling two of your brothers. Benedict and Colin. Stationed across each other, a small round table in between. Porcelain cups for each. Colin looked over his shoulder with a curious frown. You had pressed your back against the door, exhaling loud, slouching a bit through your knees.

“Calling hours already over?” – Colin questioned. – “Has it been productive?” – Benedict asked. Removing yourself from against the door, you paced around them. – “I’m sensing some negativities.” – Benedict spoke with a waving gesture at your aura. It made you groan loud with a hard stare at him. Colin was about to gesture to spill your heart when you already begun spewing your frustrations. – “What is with men?” – you called out. Benedict responding with his body language at your question.

Cup in his hand as he pulled his shoulders up. – “Have… have none been of your liking?” – Colin asked. – “Liking?” – you repeated loud, followed by a puff. – “Is it something about me that makes me attract the most uninteresting of men? Am I that dull-looking?” – you wondered about yourself starting your irritations. – “Were there no interesting topics to discuss?” – Colin wondered, having no clue which men had called upon the house for you.

He had no interest in joining, leaving it all to Anthony and mama to do so. Perhaps they had required his assistance, surely now with two daughters debuting. – “If you call being compared to a bird a topic.” – you answered sarcastically, taking a hold of one of the chairs, to both their side.

Benedict snorted loud, unable to stop himself. Colin sighed disappointed in his brother’s silly response. – “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” – Benedict said waving his hand around. – “Y/n has Anthony not assisted you in the matter?” – Colin wanted to know as your eyes fell upon the tea on the table. – “What are you two tea-gathering about?” – curious what made them decide to share a tea together around four. Colin chuckled nervously, moving his hand over the table to let a little sack disappear.

“Nothing.” – Colin said moving his hand under the table. Benedict leaned a bit more back in his seat, looking with one squinted eye at you. – “Perhaps you need to loosen up? Get that rage out of you.” – he suggested with half a smirk. – “No!” – Colin made clear with a point at Benedict to not suggest what he was thinking. Benedict sighed soft with a roll of his eyes.

“I was merely teasing. I would never let her…” – he began hinting subtly at the tea he was still holding untouched up in his hand. – “A long-wattled umbrellabird he compared me with. What even in heaven’s name is that?” – you outed with frustration plucking the cup of tea from Benedict’s hand. – “Y/n no!” – Colin called out as Benedict lunged forwards, wanting to grab the tea from you.

You took a sip from the tea, tasting it funnily in your mouth. – “I’m not sure whether it was an insult or not!” – you said lowering the cup a bit. Colin cupped his hands underneath it wanting to take it from you as you moved the cup to your lips once more. Benedict wincing in discomfort as he watched you drink the entire content in one breath. Colin took the cup of tea out of your hands, staring inside.

With a soft gulp, he turned the empty cup to his brother to look upon. – “Dear God.” – Benedict breathed out, wiping his hand down his face. – “What?” – you called out confused to your brother’s absurd reactions. Benedict shoved his chair back, coming to stand by you. – “How… how are you feeling sister?” – he asked touching your arm. Colin gave him a slap against his arm.

“It does not take effect so quickly.” – he said between clenched teeth, outraged by the outcome. – “How am I supposed to know?” – Benedict countered throwing his hands up. – “Why did you drop the entire content in the tea?” – Colin shout-whispered trying to keep his composure. – “Why didn’t you stop me?” – Benedict responded in sheer panic. – “I tried!” – Colin made clear with a loud voice.

Your sudden giggling made your brothers look upon you. – “God she is giggling.” – Benedict said, letting his head fall back, scrunching his nose. You started giggling more, shuddering with your shoulders. Colin noticed the blush appearing on your cheeks. He pointed it out with a gesture, looking annoyed at his brother. – “Mend her!” – Benedict let out pushing you a bit in his direction. Colin caught you, looking with wide eyes at Ben.

“What? I can’t mend this?” – he answered as you interrupted him with more giggles. – “It was your tea, you mend her!” – Colin pushed you back to Benedict as you spun into the arms of your brother. – “Benny…” – you said rubbing your cheek against his, arms tight around his neck. – “I wuv you Benny…” – you said dozily as Benedict tried to get you off him. He managed to push you off as you spun dizzily against Colin, making him catch you by your arms.

“It were your herbs!” – Benedict breathed out, pulling his shirt more down. Colin gasped loud at his accusations. – “For you! Not for her!” – he shouted pushing you a bit to the side, so he could see his brother clearer. The hem of your dress caught underneath your shoe as it send you flat down. Falling with a loud thump to the ground.

Your brothers turning their heads worriedly at you. You got back up, flapping your hands against your side, bits of your skirt fluffing up. – “I am quite alright.” – you told them, standing a bit wobbly on your heels. It made them both almost jump at you to restrain your balance. Giggling again. Colin pinched his nose-bridge. – “Anthony cannot see her like this.” – Benedict spoke as a wave of fear washed over him.

If Anthony knew, he’d punish them so gravely they would not see daylight for numerous years. – “Mama!” – Colin gasped out fearing her reaction too. – “Perhaps… perhaps it wouldn’t be as terrible as we think?” – Benedict responded calmly yet at the brink of fearing his poor nerves. A soft ‘whee’ sound came from you. Patting your hands in the air as you twirled around. Dartling around like a butterfly. Benedict’s first response was to slap his palm against his forehead. Colin gaping at the effects of the herbs visible.

They turned back to each other, to continue their bickering. – “How are you going to keep this quiet from mama?” – Colin stated keeping his voice down. – “Me? You mean us!” – Benedict made clear, as Colin had as much blame for it as him. – “You poured it in the tea!” – Colin argued keeping his voice low. – “You brought the lavender herbs!” – Benedict finished.

Colin sighed loud, turning his posture to you. – “Y/n come.” – he said… apparently at a blank wall. Blinking confused and rapidly. Benedict’s eyes widened. – “Where is she?” – he called out in a panic, ducking down a bit to look lower to the ground. – “She has not shrunken!” – Colin shouted annoyed. Benedict straightened his posture. – “Oh really!” – he let out sarcastically ready to throw hands at Colin for being so humouring in such a dire time. Both froze hearing something in the hallway. – “You don’t think?” – Colin started as Benedict feared the same idea.

Pushing each other out of the way, they ran out of the room into the hallway. Benedict gasped loud seeing you on the floor. Clearly having tripped. Colin hastened himself over, pulling you up by your arm. – “For goodness sake Y/n, sober up.” – he whispered in your ear. You let out a hiccup in response. Chuckling amusingly afterwards. The opening of a door made the three of you stare and freeze like deer. Francesca left her room, holding music sheets in her hand.

Eyes glued on the notes scribbled on the papers. – “Francesca!” – you called out, throwing your arms up. It made Colin loose his grip on you. Before he could hold you back, you ran up to your sister. Startling her as you cupped her cheeks, pressing a thick and deep kiss on her forehead.

Benedict made haste, pulling you off Francesca. – “She… she is very excited to see you.” – he said nervously, keeping you behind him. Francesca blinked slowly trying to process the sudden kiss attack. – “Y/n no!” – Colin called out as you had freed yourself from Benedict, running down the stairs. He hastily went after you, groaning at the annoyance of this cat and mouse game. – “Sister! Come back!” – Colin shouted in pursuit. Benedict had smiled sheepishly at Francesca before hurrying after Colin.

“Keep her away from the drawing room!” – Benedict spoke in a panic. – “Keep who away?” – To their dismay turned Anthony up. Appearing as if he sensed something was off. Colin took a hold of your elbow, pulling you closer to him. – “No one… who?” – Benedict answered nervously to his brother. – “You. You said keep her away from the drawing room. Who?” – Anthony wanted to know, already moving his hands to his hip. – “Who?” – Benedict repeated to confuse Anthony.

“You!” – you called out loud with a point at your brother. Colin gave your arm a pull, scowling you for drawing attention. Anthony’s stare was tentative. Observant to say the least. – “What is with her?” – he questioned seeing you get distracted by your own skirt, watching it twirl at your ankles.

Benedict came standing in front of his view, hands up. – “Nothing, why?” – He asked moving his hands under his armpit. Anthony sensed something off, pushing him out of the way. – “She is testing the swiftness of her skirt.” – Colin interfered to say something. Benedict looked questionable over to him.

Colin pulling his shoulders up as it was the best he could think off. Benedict hurried over to the two of you, grabbing you by your arms to push you away. – “Come sister, your dress is most perfect for a sketch of mine.” – Benedict grinned sheepishly over his shoulder to Anthony, hoping he would not find it suspicious. It took Anthony a few thoughtful seconds before shouting Benedict’s name.

“Hurry!” – Colin called out, pushing you harder as they started running to get away from Anthony. There was clearly no fooling Anthony. – “She needs to sober up and very soon!” – Benedict warned Colin. – “I know something.” – Colin huffed out, running through the house with you.

Colin opened the door to the cleaning room. He hastened himself to pick up a bucket and hurry back outside to fetch water. You hugged the doorframe hazily as Benedict moved you away from it. – “I don’t feel so good.” – you mumbled out, feeling lightheaded. Benedict held you by your arm, moving a small stool closer. Pushing you down to sit on it. You sat more to the side, as the stool tipped over, making you fall down.

Benedict pressed his hands worriedly against his cheeks. You did nothing but laugh hysterically. – “Y/n.” – Benedict groaned out, helping you back up. He sat you down as you booped his nose. Smiling high as the sky at him. You then smacked your hands against his cheeks, moving it around, squashing and stretching the skin on his cheeks out of pure amusement. – “Y/n stop that!” – Benedict let out, pulling your hands down. The first reaction from you while feeling this strangely was to cry. – “Oh… no, no, no.” – Benedict called out, not intending for you to cry.

He looked anxiously over his shoulder, begging Colin to hurry up. He began shushing you, wiping your tears away.  – “I’m sorry, sorry sister. Here.” – he took your hands bringing it back to his cheeks. – “You are allowed.” – he rubbed your hands against his cheeks in an attempt that you would continue, yet you just kept crying, not engaging.

“Please Y/n stop crying. I am begging you.” – he responded not wanting to alarm anyone else to this room. You cried even louder, ugly crying as if you were doing it on purpose. Benedict was at the brink of shutting your mouth by covering it up with his hand just to deafen your cries when Colin stumbled inside. A bit of water splashing over the edge of the heavy bucket he was carrying.

“Out of the way!” – he called out, moving the bucket up. Benedict’s eyes widened jumping aside as Colin splashed the water on you. A shower of cold water over you. The sudden shock making you jump up, drenched, sputtering out some water. Colin lowered the bucket out of breath. – “Are you insane?” – Benedict called out to Colin. Clatter teething, you rubbed your arms.

“Co-o-old.” – you stuttered out. Benedict shot Colin a warning glare before fetching you a towel. – “How are you feeling sister?” – Colin asked curious, trying to come closer as you slapped his hand annoyingly away. Benedict wrapped the towel around you. Still feeling a bit out of yourself, it was improving. – “Please don’t tell mama.” – Colin said as you shot him a dead glare.

-----------------------------------------------

Read more of my fics on my Masterlists!  

[sassatoru]

Hey sis, can I request a Dahlia with burlap and maybe some lace 🤭

Jason Todd X reader where reader is Selina Kyles protege and a vigilante, her superhero name is Kitten.

They had a rivalry going back to Jason's Robin days, flirted like crazy on patrol, started dating in secret and reunite after his death.

You can choose how this goes, your writing is addictive to read, never stop doing what your doing.

Have a good day, and congratulations for 2000 followers! 💓

DON’T YOU LOVE ME STILL?

pairing. jason todd x fem!reader

warnings. smut

a/n. thank you

“tsk tsk, kitty.”

he circled you like an animal would their prey, the red hood had been chasing you for months. he’d get meaner every time you slipped from his grip but somehow he knew you.

your name, your thieving patterns, the way you flirted, everything.

“what now? i haven’t done anything wrong have i?”

you retorted, eyeing his figure. he was a big guy, you’d give him that much, big and clearly very strong. if you weren’t so annoyed at him you’d probably try to sleep with him.

“no?”

“mhm, i’ve been a good girl, Hood.”

jason loved the way you spoke to him, the teasing flirt in you voice. he knew he should’ve told you by now, that it’s him. your jason was home, but he wasn’t your jason now was he? no.

he was different, twisted, dirtied, he had blood on his hands. blood your jason would’ve never spilled in the first place.

“i don’t think stealing is classed as being a good girl, doll.”

you hated how much you liked hearing him call you that, you’re not sure when he had gotten closer but now he was towering over you. you liked that too though, how big he was in comparison to you.

he could dwarf you twice over. snap you in half without a thought, fuck imagine how he’d be in bed— no. back on track. you refused to go down that road.

“stealing to survive isn’t bad, is it?”

“you wouldn’t have to do any of that if you just took my offer.”

his offer. join him, not fighting on the streets but jason knew how well you could take down an organisation. how good you were at infiltrating. he needed that sort of skill if he was going to burn black mask to the ground.

“come on, baby doll. i’ll take care of you.”

you scoffed, turned your head away from him and he couldn’t help it then.

“don’t you love me still?” he asked, head tilting to the side as he watched you, stepping closer to tilt your head back up at him. “i know i was gone for six years—”

“jason.”

he had to give it you. you were so much smarter than anyone would give you credit for.

“that’s me, pretty.”

he loved the tremble of your lips as he pulled his helmet off, tossing it to the side as he revealed his face to you. even behind all those scars you’d know him anywhere.

your hands moved to cup his face immediately, eyes darting across his features. when had his eyes turned that shade of blue, it was bordering green now but they were just as beautiful as you remembered.

“you’re here… how?”

his eyes close as he leans into your touch, leaning his head down so you can hold him without the stretch.

“i’ll tell you another time, baby. i promise, right now i need you.”

his eyes open again and your stomach flutters at the way he looks at you, hungry and wanting. as if he’d waited those six years for this exact moment.

“can i have you?”

“you never have to ask that.”

he doesn’t waste a second, pressing you against a wall. and you’re reminded about the size difference between the two of you again. how’d he get so big?

he seems to have sensed your thoughts because he grins smugly, “like what you see, baby?”

“hm? you like being so much smaller than me that i have to lift you up so you can be face to face with me?” as if to emphasise his point he does just that, lifting you up and pressing your back against the wall.

you wrap your legs around his hips when his hands move to hold your ass, keeping you up by holding under.

“you changed.” you note aloud, eyes running down his upper body, your finger trailing down his chest.

“good or bad?”

“i like it.”

he smiles genuinely, playfully squeezing your ass as he rests his fore head against yours. “i missed you, baby. all those years gone, you were the only thing i remembered clearly.”

he kissed at your neck, whispering into your ear. his teeth scraped your neck. his kisses got more eager, needy and then his lips were on yours.

one of his hands had moved to your front to undo the zipper that ran over your chest. he knew how naked you’d be under the suit, your suit left no room for under garments.

he pawed at your breasts the second they were free before walking you through the set of emergency fire doors, he’d chosen this rooftop on purpose. he lived in this building.

he broke the kiss to walk the two of you down the stairs and onto his floor, you occupied yourself with leaving a series of pretty pink and purple marks on his neck. twisting your head so you could leave one on his adam’s apple too.

he dumped you on his bed, watching the way you bounced on the mattress before pulling off your suit. he did the same, tearing off his uniform, tossing it around the room before meeting you on the bed right after you tossed your domino mask aside.

your hands moved to pull the pair of cat ears atop of your head off but he stopped you. “keep ‘em on f’me.”

you nodded obediently and he couldn’t help but tease. “so snarky earlier, doll. what happened?”

“shut up and fuck me.” you scoffed, spreading you legs open for him.

his eyes dropped to your pussy, glistening in the moonlit room. he eyed you with no shame and you did the same. you mouth watering at the sight of his cock, you weren’t sure it would fit in you, something of that size

his hand moved to prepare you but you shook your head, “please jay. i don’t wanna wait.”

how could he say no when you asked so prettily. lining himself up with your entrance he pushed his tip through with a groan, head falling forward as yours fell back.

his hands kept your thighs spread open for him, “nearly half way, baby. you can do it, good girl.”

you whined at the stretch, he was so big. so big everywhere, his arms, his thighs, his hands, broad shoulder and chest, his cock.

finally he stopped pushing in, filling you all the way up. he waited, giving you time to adjust to his monstrous size. he laid on top of you, calmly breathing, giving you a sense of peace in the middle of all this before you tapped his bicep. “you can move.” you murmur to him.

he nods, pulling out most of the ways until the head of his cock is the only thing inside you before pushing back in, slowly to ease you around him.

his pace quickens over time, he fucks you faster with each thrust. soon he’s plowing into you, your knees hooked over his shoulders so he can angle himself deeper in you.

every time he fucks himself back into you, your body jolts as if you’re trying to get away from him, your thighs quiver. and he’d be concerned about your crying if you weren’t moaning his name like a prayer and asking for more.

“yeah? you like that, baby?” he coos, though his voice isn’t as smooth as intended, its rough and more like a growl. “you’re mine again, aren’t you?”

“yes yes yes.” you chant, nails scratching down his chest. “yours, all yours. jay, ‘m gonna—”

“i know, baby. you gonna cum f’me?”

you nod, “yes, please jay. can i?”

“can you what, doll? use your words, tell me what you want.”

“can i cum? please jay, i wanna—”

“cum for me, doll. show me how good you can be for me, show me and i’ll give you more.”

and you do, you come on his cock and he groans before he comes too, fucking you through it. slowing down when you ask him to because the overstimulation burns.

he kisses your cheek, nuzzling against it. “i missed you.” he hears you mumble, your arms wrap around his neck as he turns you over to lay on top of him, his softening cock still inside you.

“i missed you too, baby.”

he can feel your heart thumping in your chest as you eyes close. “you’ll stay?” you ask, despite this being his apartment.

“i’m never leaving you again.”

© e-nonsense. do no copy/steal/translate. do it and I’ll bite your toes off

[cup1dl0a]

Manifestation Success Story ! !

Hey! Basically, I’m here to talk about how I manifested my dream through a really simple method. Let’s get straight into it.

My story:

I was an “outsider” in my class. I rarely talked and nobody really interacted with me. And basically there was this really popular group of friends, let’s call the 7 members: ‘Sarah’, ‘Sam’, ‘Heather’, ‘Yuki’, ‘Len’, ‘Dennis’, and ‘Dahlia’ (all fake names ofc<3). I really wanted to join this friend group, but I really didn’t want to befriend ‘Sam’. However, I really wanted to befriend ‘Len’, ‘Dennis’, and ‘Dahlia’.

The method:

Listening to sublimiminals. That’s it. I simply created a subliminal playlist that was about 10 mins long consisting of 5ish subs and one booster and listened to it once every night.

How long did it take me?:

One day. That’s it. Listening to my playlist while doing other things (hw, games, drawing etc) for a single day, and guess what? I saw results. Ofc, I now have full results which took me about a week or so.

Results?:

Well, I’m in my desired friend group. It consists of ‘Dennis’, ‘Len’, ‘Dahlia’, and me. Mind you, I didn’t talk to any of them before manifesting. And now, guess what? We’re going to an amusement park together this week!!

Basically, no, you do not have to affirm a thousand times. You don’t have to enter the void state. You don’t have to visualize or trick your mind. All you need is consistency and persistence.

Good luck on your journey, I hope this helped!

[angstywaifu]

Black Dahlia - 36. The Only Mare In His Stable

Summary: With War Games and her first year over, Dahlia finally has the time to seek out Garrick. But maybe he just beats her to it.

Garrick Tavis x OC (Dahlia Aetos)

Black Dahlia Masterlist | Masterlist | Links

Of course Xaden had to pick the one spot to defend that had the longest flight there and back. My body was screaming at me to rest. We’d barely gotten time to sleep and fully rest. But it had been worth it. We’d successfully defended our outpost and taken over others in the area. I swear to gods we better have won this. Otherwise Xaden might need to hide for the next few days.

”It will get easier little flower.” Proth drawls in my head. But I can tell he’s just as exhausted as me through the bond.

”I know. And please don’t call me that anymore.” I tell him, my mind going back to when Garrick had used the name as he’d pulled a the first of many orgasms from me that night.

Proth chuckles in my head. “I have always called you that. The large one can find another name, or you can learn to separate the two.”

I can’t help but laugh at his nickname for Garrick. “You say that like it’s going to happen again.”

”I have spent the last five days listening to you think about him like a lovesick puppy even when you think you aren’t thinking about him.” He snaps at me. “So please do us both a favour and sort out whatever this is when we get back.”

Noted. And I’m sure my friends would be bugging me for updates as soon as I’d had time to shower and get back to normal. Damn Bodhi and his inability to keep his mouth shut. I sag with relief as the flight field comes into sight, only a few squads ahead of us as they make their way down to the Rotunda. I can’t see it from here, but I know it will be filled with the rest of the Quadrant waiting for the last of us to return so they can reveal the winner of War Games.

My feet barely touch the ground before Proth takes off, clearly wanting to rest after the long flight. We all fall into a comfortable silence as we follow Xaden through the field and down the stairs. All of us too exhausted to talk amongst each other. As we walk into the Rotunda I can’t help but scan the squads to find him. And due to his height he’s easy to spy down the back of tail section, his body sagging in relief as he sees me alive. I’d like to say unharmed, but I now sport a new scar on my right jaw that extends onto my neck from a well thrown dagger from second wing. And from what I can see he’s unharmed, just exhausted like the rest of us. His squad had been on the opposite end of our area, meaning we hadn’t crossed paths at all in the five days.

As soon as we take our spot Panchek steps forward. We must have been the last squad back. “Congratulations on surviving War Games. Just a small taste of what you will all do one day when you graduate. Tomorrow once all Squads have been accounted for, we will conduct the death roll and graduation. But for now, we must declare a winner.”

The quadrant buzzes with excitement, everyone mustering whatever energy they can. But as I scan the other squads I note a good number of them clearly showered and rested. Lucky bastards.

Markham walks forward, handing a scroll to Panchek who unrolls it, keeping his face void of any emotion as he reads it. His eyes raise to us, scanning the wings in front of him. Everyone going silent as they anxiously await the results.

”The winner of this years War Games after a very impressive battle this year, is Fourth Wing!” He calls out before the Quadrant is deafened by the cheers of our wing.

I’m immediately pulled into the arms of my Squad, Xaden begrudgingly joining us as Bodhi pulls him in. All of a sudden relaxing and a shower is the last thing on my mind, on any of our minds. We’d fucking won War Games. Guess I wouldn’t need to murder Xaden for picking the outpost that he did. Slowly we break apart, my other squad members moving away to congratulate the rest of our wing.

I can’t help but look over at Dain who looks thoroughly annoyed his wing hadn’t won. I’m sure Panchek had read out the placements of the other Wings, but I’d been too lost in the cheers of my Wing to hear it. Dain furrows his brow at me. No, not me. Something behind me. His eyes looking at something above me. I turn to see Garrick pushing his way over to me. My heart starts beating loudly in my chest as he gets closer.

I open my mouth to say something, but he rushes forward, grasping my face in his hands as he crushes his lips to mine. All I can register is the warmth of his hands, the firm pressure of his lips, and the way my pulse thrums like a drum in my ears. My hands instinctively rise, clutching at his flight jacket, half for balance, half in disbelief.

The cheers of my Wing morph into hoots and hollers, but they feel distant, like they belong to a world I’m no longer part of. When he finally pulls back, his forehead rests against mine, and his breath comes in shallow bursts. His eyes, bright and intense, search mine, as though he’s trying to find words but can’t quite manage them. The silence between us feels louder than the noise around us.

“You—” I start, but my voice catches, barely above a whisper. “What was that?”

Garrick smirks down at me. “Making what I want clear. This,” He says as he gestures between us, “Is not just sex. Not anymore. You made it clear what you wanted from me to even consider this being a thing. And I did it.” I swear I note a slight shake in his hand, but it’s hard to tell with how hard we’re both breathing.

”You barely know me.” I say as I look down at where my hands still grip his jacket.

”You know that isn’t true. We might have spent most of the year despising each other, but we both know more about each other than we care to admit.” Garrick puts a finger under my chin, guiding my eyes back to him. “So, what do you say to being the only mare in my stable?”

My heart pounds in my chest, drowning out everyone around us as I look up at Garrick. And after a few seconds where I swear Garrick looks scared, I nod up at him. And for the first time since I was a kid, I beam up at Garrick, unable to hold back the smile at the way he’s asked me. But with the amount of times I’d thrown that analogy at him, it was fitting.

”Imogen! I want my ten gold pieces!” Bodhi yells out, startling us both as he pushes past Austin and Liz, walking towards Imogen who shakes her head and tries to walk away from him.

”Did they-”

”Yeah, they placed a bet on us.” Garrick confirms with a shake of his head.

@imtoanonymousforyou @simplyme-fornow @omalmal @lalaluch @wolfbc97 @leptitlu @fullmoon-94 @the-fandom-ness @fan-of-many-bands @awkardnerd @heeseungthel0ml @acourtofsmutandstarlight @fairchild06 @freyagallileaevans @pit-and-the-pen @hannraumari @elliot-rain @thestarseternaal @stupid-and-contagious01 @hyperfixation-train-station @lxnvmvrzx @thebreadisthetruevillian @red0202 @fangirling-galore @craftytrashprincess @taliyahvermillion @xadenswhore @fenixyrie @lagrandeourse @hellodarling1357 @iambored24601  @thegiftofacreativemind @fanfictionjunkie1112 @mysticalfuncollectorus

[hellodaekko]

DARLIN I LOVE YEWWW!! Headcanons to go with the sketches below! (also this was made bc I needed a ref of their wolf form for a different piece and I got carried away LMFAO)

Pretty strong when they were younger (sketch 1) but they were more focused on strength training than aesthetic so they've got a sleeper build

Loses an alarming amount of weight in their relationship with Quinn. They develop some more muscle definition from it but they're much weaker than they were prior meeting him because of it.

Had a breakdown and went at their hair after their initial confrontation with Quinn-- which is why its so choppy (sketch 2). He liked their hair long and shaggy and it made them feel sick to see their reflection when it was

The stress of being with Quinn and his type of people made them develop gray hairs early. Their wolf form also reflects this with the beginnings of a gray muzzle and significant loss of hair compared to when they first met him.

Alongside that, they quickly become littered in a myriad of different scars. Their ear is torn to shreds, and a good portion of their tail is so badly damaged in a fight that it becomes necrotic and falls off.

The Shaw Pack wears dog tags with the Shaw name on it along with another tag that has their own full names on them. They stop wearing the tag while they're with Quinn, opting for a vial of his blood (a gift from him) but they go back to the old dog tags after their fight/return to Dahlia. It's chipped and the engravings are worn but they refuse to swap it out for a newer one when David offers them one. Their current one is the same one they had when Gabe was still alpha.

They bulk up a bit after they're settled back into the pack. They're still big on mostly strength training but they like the aesthetic of more defined muscles now. Their wolf form reflects this change as well-- becoming noticeably more muscular even through the mountains of fur that grew back now that they're in a better spot nutritionally.

Not embarrassed to shift if they want to be pet. It'll be the middle of a pack meeting and they'll shift and rest their head on Sam's lap for it. The younger members of the pack will join them, much to their parent's chagrin and David actively has to keep himself from getting distracted while he's trying to talk. Thankfully, they don't do it so often that it's an issue, and the pack will just share a hushed laughter and move on.

ERM... das it! OH and the inspo for their wolf design :] for cartoony purposes I'll draw them like shown above but in my minds eye their wolf form looks like this

just a puppy

[crow-aeris]

Imagine if Kryptonians got hanahaki...

Now imagine it with kon whenever he thinks abt Robin/Tim. When he sees Greta chasing after Tim's approval. When he sees Stephanie and Tim interact.

Imagine Kon holding back chest-shaking coughs as red orchids threaten to choke his lungs, the vibrant crimson petals catching in his throat as he watches Tim work from afar. One day, he just couldn't hold it back, and his entire body shakes with the force. Tim rushing to Kon's side, trying to help him breathe, but the both of them freezing as gentle scarlet petals land onto the ground one after another.

And now imagine it getting worse when Tim starts dating Bernard. The red orchids fall in dense curtains, joined by golden dahlias and salty tears as Kon wheezes and chokes on the floor of his room. Gagging as the petals refuse to cease. He doesn't need to breathe, but it still hurts.

And now, imagine Tim and Bernard noticing that they were the cause of the flowers pouring from Kon's lips, and so Tim asks around, only to find out that the reason is because of unrequited love.

So, imagine Tim and Bernard working together to try and ease Kon's suffering, and the two slowly falling in love with Kon in turn. Now, think of them learning to love each other before one day, there were no petals at all. The entire day goes by with no petals, and they celebrate because without petals, that means Kon finally feels loved.

I might write this, tbh. this idea has been bouncing around in the ol' noggin for like, five months at this point, so

[bankabb]

Vance Wolfram

Rogue

Age: 39

===

Before Vance joined the Venatori, at age 29 he was once married to Dahlia Ingellvar “Rook”. Unfortunately an accident occurred and separated the two. He was told his wife had died in the blast, and he decided to join the Venatori to get her back. Unfortunately Dahlia and Vance did not know the other had survived the blast. Dahlia took the right path, became known as Rook and defeated Elgar’nan. Vance had taken the opposite path and joined the cult and rose to be part of the higher ranks.

During a mission 10 years later, the past lovers reunite unexpectedly. But his wife had changed, she had moved on, and was now in a exclusive relationship with the senior necromancer, Professor Emmrich Volkarin.

Vance still wore his wedding band, he never stopped loving Dahlia, and knowing she had moved on did not stir him lightly.

===

[idiopathicsmile]

so, my sci-fi mystery novel, Stars, Hide Your Fires tells the story of a cynical thief who gets backed into investigating the emperor's murder, along with a mysterious, beautiful stranger—in space.

it has humor and intrigue and queer disaster characters and fun worldbuilding and sing-alongs and social commentary and—i have been told—the correct amount of spiders. it is a young adult novel with some cussing, suitable for anyone 13 and up.

it came out July 2023, but Quirk Books has decided go out on a limb for me and issue a paperback. the paperback comes out tomorrow (July 2)! you can preorder it right now!

why you might want to buy a copy of Stars, Hide Your Fires

it got great reviews, including a starred review from Publishers Weekly, as well as a nomination for a Foreword INDIES Young Adult award, and it got selected for the 2024 Hal Clement Notable Young Adult Books List!

Author Dahlia Adler says, “A delightfully mischievous adventure full of intrigue, betrayal, and a touch of romance. Get ready to join your new favorite rebel crew.”

you'd be supporting a struggling queer creative making queer content, if that interests you

experience laughter! thrills! sapphic romance! mystery! a running joke about how weird the octopus is, as a creature!

the gorgeous cover, illustrated by @christinaillos, is just as dazzling in paperback

now it can all be yours for under $11.

order or preorder here, or wherever books are sold!

[doctorsiren]

So I said this in the tags of my last post, but then I went wacky and doodled up some pages of this other AU idea that stemmed from the idea of that comic I did

In this AU, Miles goes to Diego Armando’s office a few weeks after the Fawles trial. There is no cocky, arrogant, or smug air about him like there was during the trial and instead he seems really shaken and nervous. Diego’s like “hey what’s wrong?” And Miles is quiet but then says that he needs help. He tells Diego that he can’t get the image of Fawles’s suicide out of his head and that he has no one he can talk to about this. Diego asks about Miles’s mentor, but Miles says that there’s absolutely no way he could ever go to his mentor for help with emotional stuff because it would show “weakness” and he also isn’t comfortable with von Karma. To make a long story short (because I’ve thought so much about this), Miles ends up pleading with Diego to protect him from von Karma just in case he goes after him for switching sides to be a defense attorney. He knows that von Karma will see him as weak and a traitor for switching teams after a single case, but Miles can’t be someone he’s not. Diego points out that Miles seems to be trying to be who von Karma wanted him to be. So he asks Miles what he wants to be, and Miles responds by saying he wants to be his dad (just like in my 1985 animatic 😭).

So Miles decides to renounce prosecution. He rips off his cravat and throws it in the garbage in Diego’s office and declares that he’ll become a defense attorney. He also asks Diego is he could be his mentor to help him in both being better at defense law and also just being better with interacting with people.

He joins the Grossberg Law Offices and works alongside Mia and Diego to gather evidence on Dahlia Hawthorne, as he now too believes that she has done terrible things.

After Diego is poisoned, Miles freaks out because people just keep dying or getting hurt around him and it scares him. (Oh…baby boy just wait until Mia dies too-)

He takes the case to defend Phoenix, gets TERRIFIED when Phoenix eats the poison necklace, and then at the end, Phoenix was like “oh wow! You’re a defense attorney now?? Lmao when did that happen??” Bc he had been too busy simping over Dahlia. But Miles tells him that he should still pursue law so that they could work together and also so that Phoenix’s law classes and studying wouldn’t have gone to waste. So Phoenix becomes a lawyer and works with Miles and Mia at the Fey & Co Law Offices until she dies and then it becomes Edgeworth & Co Law Offices because he had been a lawyer for longer.

I like the idea that in this AU, Phoenix and Miles obviously have huge crushes on each other, but these idiots still refuse to acknowledge or admit it <3

Also :((( when Diego wakes up, he still goes on his whole antagonist arc as Godot, and Miles refuses to tell Phoenix the truth about who he is. See, I also like the idea that in this AU, Nick and Miles are still as cagey with their past and truths as they are in normal AA

As you can see, I am perfectly normal !! I think about ace attorney a very normal amount!! 🤭

[witchofhimring]

Disloyalty Masterlist (Book 2)

Aemond Targaryen x Tyrell Reader

Part One (Loyalty Masterlist): Here

Synopsis: After being killed in your first life, you are determined to avenge yourself. Blood runs on the tiles of the Red Keep as what seems to be a vengeful spirit tears its way through lives. Now with a second chance a path is taken, one that will take you very near to the throne.

Excerpt:

Your heart beat painfully. This pain inside might as well kill you. For a moment you remained paralyzed with pain. Then you realized it was not just pain, but rage. A rage that threatened to overtake you. It acted as a balm for your physical weakness. Banishing any thoughts of exhaustion you strided forward. The Red Keep had many passages. The nearest one was just behind a statue of Queen Alysanne. For the first time in two years you stepped into the Red Keep and flood of warmth filled you. So overpowering that you froze, completely forgetting you purpose. You were back where it all began. In these halls lay many memories, both good and ill. You only moved when your mind warned you someone might come. You gave the Weirwood one last glance before disappearing.

Warnings: Angst, heartbreak, childbirth, emotional turmoil, death, graphic depictions of violence, self harm, unrequited love, marital abuse, marital consummation, misogamy (internalized as well as external), explicate sexual content

Chapter One (coming out on December 25)

Chapter Two (tba)

Chapter Three (tba)

Chapter Four (chapter in progress)

More to come......

Taglist: (tell me if you want to join!)

@daenerysqueenofhearts

@le-petit-lulu

@aemondswifeisme

@mandiiblanche

@gknj9495

@minakay

@strangersunghoon

@iilsenewman

@moonlightfoxx

@gknj9495

@heartb8k2

@dahlias-and-marigolds

@dumbhxeredrose

@m-riaa

@sweetsnow88

[frost-queen]

Bodyguarded (Reader!Grimes x Daryl Dixon)

Requested by: Anon Forever tag:@missmelodramatic, @merlin-dahlia, @alex--awesome--22, @elllie-does-the-posts, @floatlosers, @merlieve, @queen-of-books, @glimmering-darling-dolly@denkisclown, @wildieflower, @meyocoko, @bubblybrianna, @justanothercoco@subjecta13-thefangirl, @m-rae23, @harleyquinnswifeyfrfr, @swampthing07, @melsunshine, @panhoeofmanyfandoms, @venomsvl, @the-uncoordinated-house-cat, @rosecentury,  @imagines-by-her,  @evilcr0ne, @vviolynn

Summary: Reader is Rick's younger sister. You're very sweet with a sharp tongue which Shane doesn't seem to like. Shane keeps bothering you as he finds you cocky. To your surprise is Daryl always around to keep Shane away from you eventhough he doesn't like you, right? [series]

A basket got dropped beside you. It made you look up from your crouched position. – “Seriously?” – you called out at Shane. – “You couldn’t have dropped this ten minutes ago? We are almost finished.” – you went on. Shane exhaled loud wiping his hand down his mouth. – “Why do you always have to open your big mouth.” – he replied with a soft glare. You slapped the shirt in your hand down in the water as some water splashed up. Getting all worked up by how he threated you.

Shane watched as you got up but before you could do anything had Carol jumped up with you. Moving her hands in front of you to hold you back. One look of her was enough to make you settle down. – “Just do as you are told!” – he ordered finding himself amusing. You clenched your jaw, pushing with your body against Carol’s arms as they kept you in place. Shane scoffed funnily before walking off. Sighing loud lowered Carol her arms from around her.

“Come on Y/n.” – she said softly with a gentle nod. You took another deep breath squatting down again. – “I just don’t understand why he brought this now. He knew he had laundry ten minutes ago, didn’t he.” – you spoke trying to understand why he would taunt you like this. Carol took out a shirt, splashing it into the water. – “Let’s finish this up together.”

Carol and you washed the rest of Shane’s clothing. Obeying to what you have been told. When you were done you went back with Carol to the camp. You went over to Glenn handing him his clothes back. – “Aw sweet Y/n!” – he said bowing to you as a thank you. It made you smile back. You then went over to the campfire where Daryl sat munching on some meat. You gestured in silence to his clothing, moving them up in your hands.

Daryl gave you a brief glance before continue to ignore you. You wanted to place it down as Daryl suddenly pointed at his tent. You nodded back making your way over to his tent to lay it down in the front. You barely got up when you felt two arms wrap tightly around you. It startled you making you squeak loudly. Recognizing the arms around you, you eased up.

“Do that again sweetheart I like the way you sound.” – you heard Carol’s husband comment at you. Daryl spitted on the ground turning his gaze towards him in a tight clench. You turned around glaring at him for even saying such a thing in front of Carl. Carl was still hugging you as you held your hands against his back.

Carol gave you a look of sympathy wishing she could do something against her husband’s behaviour. You turned your attention down to your nephew. You led him away from everyone. – “Stay close with him!” – you heard Shane call out to you. You looked briefly over your shoulder seeing him stand by the car, elbow leaning against the open door. You simply turned back to the front as Shane scoffed. Finding you very cocky and thinking you were full of attitude when you honestly weren’t.

You just never understood why Shane was like this towards you. Carl and you made your way towards the woods a bit drifting away from the others. – “Auntie Y/n.” – Carl said as you hummed loud as a reply. Carl jumped on top of a log balancing his way across. You remained by his side in case he lost his balance. Carl hopped off joining your side. He picked up a stick, swaying it around. – “Do you still think about dad?” – he asked as it made you stop shocked. Then you turned around to him with a sweet smile.

“Everyday little one.” – you answered stroking his cheek. Your motion slowed down feeling a sudden wave of sadness. Thinking back about your brother Rick made you emotional. Carl noticed how glossy your eyes had become. – “Sorry auntie Y/n… I didn’t mean to make you sad.” – he said feeling guilty of ever asking it. You sniffed loud, blinking your tears away. – “Don’t worry about it Carl.” – you told him with a laugh.

You straightened your posture pulling him close to your body for a hug. – “If you ever want to talk about your dad and feel like you have no one to turn to, you come to me.” – you said hugging him tightly. Some twigs snapped as it didn’t make you respond quickly enough. Before you knew it had someone grabbed your elbow, pulling you away from Carl. – “I told you to stay close!” – it was Shane who yelled at you. Holding you roughly by the elbow.

“Do you want to put Carl in danger?” – he continued shaking at your elbow. – “Do you think you can save Carl from any walkers?” – he laughed once mockingly. – “Let her go!” – Carl called out running up to Shane to pound his fists against his chest. – “Go to your mother Carl!” – Shane made clear pushing Carl off him. – “Don’t talk to him like that!” – you answered loudly.

Shane’s face contracted with anger. He grabbed you by your neck, pushing your head down. – “I am so done with your attitude Y/n!” – he responded pulling you with him. – “No! leave her alone!” – Carl shouted at him. – “Go to your mother Carl!” – Shane roared out. Carl turned around taking a run for it while wiping his tears away.

“Shane let me go!” – you screamed trying to get his grip from on your neck. He puffed loud pushing you down onto the ground. Body hitting the ground and rolling a bit over. – “I’ve had it with you Y/n!” – he made clear pacing around. Wiping his chin. Breezing around like a hungry wolf. – “I don’t want you near him anymore. You are a bad influence.” – he spoke rubbing his hand over his head. You scoffed shockingly with an amusing undertone. – “I’m sorry. Boss!” – you snapped at him sarcastically.

Shane puffed his chest up slightly raising his hand till he stopped. Eyes widening at the feeling at the back of his head. – “You raise that hand of yours and I’ll shoot.” – you heard come from behind him. Leaning a bit to the side, you saw Daryl stand behind Shane with his crossbow against the back of his head. Shane lowered his hand again with a grunt.

Daryl moved his crossbow slightly to the side, right over his shoulder. An arrow fired. With a zap it found it’s target. Seconds later the sound of a corpse dropping. You had gasped looking over your shoulder to see the last of a walker drop down. – “Next one will be through your head.” – Daryl whispered to Shane. Shane moved storming off.

Daryl lowered his crossbow stepping over to you. He lowered his hand to you, looking away. Hesitantly you took it allowing him to pull you back up to your feet. – “Tha-“ – you started cut off by Daryl walking off. Taking a few deep breaths, you returned afterwards back to camp. Lori looked at you concerned holding Carl against her side. You simply smiled faintly at her to show her it was all right. You didn’t want her to worry. You took refuge in your tent needing time alone.

At nightfall some were sitting around the campfire. You sat near Glenn laughing silently at some funny things he said. You stopped laughing seeing Shane seemingly make his way over to you. He neared and before he could take another step had Daryl gotten up from his seat near you. His gaze stern, posture grand. Carol watched Daryl pressing her lips amusingly together.

Shane puffed with a shake of his head, turning back around. You were looking at Daryl, questionable when your eyes locked as he looked back at you. The contact was brief as Daryl seated himself back down as if nothing had occurred. Shyly smiling at yourself you couldn’t help but feel special that Daryl seemingly did seem to care for you. Otherwise he wouldn’t step in and just let Shane do whatever he likes around you.

Daryl noticed you were staring all smiley at him, making him shift his posture more away from you. You smiled looking down making briefly eye contact with Carol across the fire. Instantly you snorted knowing she was probably thinking the same. Glenn went on to talk to you as if nothing had happened.

After a few days you started to notice Daryl was more around you. Always near to keep a close eye on Shane. Whenever he even made the slightest movement towards you, he made one little movement to let Shane know if he even tried he’d be face to face with him. One day you decided to tease him about it. You were in the woods with Carol, Lori and Carl further down as you made your way over to Daryl who was keeping a watchful eye on you all.

Daryl looked uncomfortable away when you neared. – “Daryl.” – you said to greet him. – “Y/n.” – he mumbled back, looking around as if searching for walkers. You weren’t getting much out of him further so you decided to prank him. Suddenly you gasped loud as if startled. It made Daryl turn his head concerned to you. – “Is that Shane?” – you called out making Daryl turn his head again to look in the direction you were looking.

He immediately took a defensive pose before you, almost grabbing for his crossbow. When he noticed he was looking at nothing, he sighed loud. – “Damn it Y/n!” – he grunted out. – “Do you think this is funny?” – he asked looking your way. – “I do when you get so protective over me.” – you responded with a smile. Daryl rolled with his eyes. – “Like hell I care.” – he outed sounding annoyed.

You kept looking all smiley at him making it almost impossible for him to keep himself from looking back at you. – “I think you do care. Otherwise you wouldn’t keep Shane away from me.” – you told him. Daryl puffed loud. – “Maybe I just don’t like him.” – he responded with half a shrug. – “Or you just very much like me?” – you teased grabbing him by his shirt.

Daryl swallowed nervously when your noses almost touched. Daryl’s expression softened around you. His breathing tickling your lips. His expression made you blink surprised seeing the lovey dovey’s in his eyes. He moved his hand to your cheek letting it brush against it. Before he knew it he closed the gap between your lips, kissing you hard. You hummed loud, pulling away. - "So not caring are you?" - you chuckled out. - "Shut up." - Daryl answered before shutting you up with another kiss.

--------------------------------

Read more of my fics on my Masterlists!  

[annymation]

The Kingdom of Wishes- A “Wish” Rewrite

Chapter 17- To Give You Even More Than... This.

Chapter 16

"... I gotta go now" Aster's voice cracks, though his smile remains, as his eyes try to hold back some heavy tears.

"... Now?" Asha's voice vacillated.

She watched as Aster's dust floated up to the sky, slowly making them disappear, as if bit by bit the star is returning to the sky...  Asha understands what this means, but she doesn't understand why. Why now? After everything, why can't they have one moment of peace?

"You can't leave now" She pleaded "W-we just WON! We got to celebrate, we can finally relax and..." Asha's nervous smile melted into a frown, it takes one look for her to see how he's just as heartbroken as she is. "... You don't have a choice, do you? Now that my wish is granted..."

Aster just nods slowly.

"... Hey! But that's okay!" Asha's smile returns, her eyes lit up with an idea "I can just wish upon you again! Then you'll come back-"

"I won't be allowed to come back." Aster blurts out the bad news as fast as he could, like ripping off a bandaid, thinking maybe if he says quickly it will hurt less... That didn't work.

Asha's hopeful smile disappears "Wh- What!? Why not?" 

"I broke too many rules..." Aster murmured, watching himself slowly disappear "I let myself be seen by other people, I helped you WAY more than any star is supposed to... I fell in love." a bittersweet smile grows on his now almost transparent face "Heh heh pretty sure that last one wasn't a rule before, but now it sure is." He joked playfully, as a single tear ran down his cheek.

Asha didn't think that was funny at all though, she felt anger bubbling up inside her "You helped me grant my wish, and now you get punished for it? How's that even fair?!" She vociferated in frustration.

She's not angry at Aster, but rather at the world itself for keeping them apart.

A few people from the crowd finally notice what's going on with Aster, including Asha's friends. The 7 teens approach the pair. They already knew this was coming since Aster told them back in the forest, but they too weren't ready to see him go.

"It's not..." Aster lamented, but even then, he still tries to comfort her, with that same everlasting gleam of optimism in his smile "But hey, at least we got to enjoy our time together the best we could, right?" The star took a few steps forward, so he could be closer to her, or at least what was still left of him.  

They both know that no time in the world would ever be enough for them.

"I... I wanted this to last forever..." Her big brown eyes already had tears threatening to fall "There's so much I wanted to show you, so much I wanted to tell you..."

Aster is just sketch lines now. He tries to dry her tears with one hand, but now he's translucent, he can't physically interact with anything. Aster frowns as her tears go right through him, he cannot comfort her anymore. The star's body is more in the sky than on land now, so he gives her his last words before leaving completely 

"Up there, I'll still see you, and hear you... It won't be the same, but I'll always be there for you-"

"Even if I can't see you." Asha finished his sentence, that notion does comfort her. 

"Heh... That's right-"

Asha leans forward to kiss him.

Aster gasps, but before he can react...

He's gone. His sketch lines erased, as he returns to the sky against his will.

... Asha's wide eyes stare up to the sky.

With her head looking upward, those heavy tears begin to flow down freely. A pained sob that was stuck in her throat finally comes out.

Asha feel's Dahlia's soft and warm hand on shoulder, and Asha immediately turns around to give her a hug, the other teens join in to comfort her.

"... How can we help?" Dahlia asked sympathetically, determined to comfort her friend in any way she could.

Asha lets go of the hug with her head low, glancing at the wand in her hand, it still has Aster's magic, and now, she can use it to draw anything out of thin air. She takes a few deep breaths and dries her tears. Looking around, she sees so many people staring at her, they stopped celebrating just to know how she feels, all concerned and sad for her.

She turns her attention to the buildings around them, some are entangled in giant thorny vines that the king and queen created to destroy the kingdom. The kingdom's gorgeous architecture is now practically ruins. Asha thinks of all the families that now have no homes to rest in after all this... And she concludes this is no time to cry, for her wish is not granted yet.

"Well... We can start by getting hid of those vines," Asha began, surprising her friends with her half smile "Only then we can start rebuilding."

The 7 teens are taken aback by how quick she dried her tears... But that's just who Asha is, ready to step forward to help those around, and they all happily follow suit.

"I can get some gardening tools to help with that hihihi" Bazeema is the first one to chime in, which is quite rare, but it seems she just can't contain her own excitement

"Yeah!" Asha agreed, now with a beaming smile despite her teary eyes "And I can use my wand to draw temporary houses for everyone." 

"Woah woah woah EVERYONE?" Gabo cut in, motioning with his arms that she should calm down, though his smile is encouraging "Asha, you might get a broken wrist from drawing so much, chill." He warns cheekily but with a genuine worry she might overwork herself.

"You don't have to do so much" Simon reassured, his tone a lot more cheerful than ever before, and the bags under his eyes are gone "I mean, you already did A LOT for us heh heh" 

"He's correct" Comes in a voice from the crowd.

Asha turns to see who it is, and it's the same street performing jester that sang to her (chapter 2). The jester gives her a formal bow, while holding something she feared she'd never see again

"And I believe you've dropped this, young lady." He says as he hands to her-

"My Saba's mandolin!" Asha exclaimed in relief.

Asha gently holds it. Last time she saw the instrument was when she threw it on Magnifico's head to save Aster, from that moment on, the girl worried he might have destroyed it, but thankfully it was in one piece... Well, sort of, she quickly notices parts of the mandolin have bandages to mend it, and some of the strings are new.

"You fixed it... Thank you." Asha gives the jester a grateful smile.

"Consider it an apology for disrespecting your point of view that day..." The man says feeling quite ashamed, but then he bows his head respectfully "And thank YOU for everything, miss."

The people from the crowd nod in agreement. Some gratefully curtsey and bow their heads slightly to her, almost as if she was a princess.

Asha gives them a gentle curtsy in response.

"Sooo how about some music to lighten the mood while we fix this whole mess?" Hal asked her, encouraging Asha to play the mandolin.

Asha was about to, but she remembers Aster's magic that made her able to play at all would only last a day

"Oh... I don't actually know how to play it anymore" Asha laments, her smile wavers when she reminisces of the time her and Aster played together.

Dario nudges her so she looks at him signing "That's alright" The blonde has a huge smile as he reassures her "You'll learn in time, just gotta practice it."  

Safi adds on, or at least tries to "Just like we all- A- we AAAA- AAAAACH-"

Dahlia places a finger under his nose to stop him from sneezing, then finishes what he was about to say, probably.

"Just like we're all going to learn how to grant our own wishes." Dahlia says with a smile, giving Asha a wink.

Asha's smile is as bright as the sun rising, as she holds the mandolin ready to play it, regardless if she knows how to or not. We turn our attention closer to the cords as she begins to play them, which transitions to a song sequence with no lyrics.

In this sequence, we see the people of Rosas all work together to rebuild their kingdom. They cut down the rose vines, make bricks for reconstruction, carry the equipment and so on. Basically we get a sequence like the "All of You" song from Encanto, but without lyrics because we already had TWO LYRIC FILLED SONGS one after the other a few minutes ago and I think we had enough. Also I don't have the will power to write lyrics for this.

Anyway, Asha uses her wand to help everyone, drawing things such as a dragon to get all the giant vines out of the kingdom. She also draws houses for people to live in temporarily. Although the people are very grateful, they reassure her they can do a lot even without her help, which makes her really happy, both because it shows how the people are learning to not rely on someone else's magic to make their wishes come true, and also, not everything should fall on her shoulders, she has done more than enough.

We see the people painting over the illustrations of Magnifico and Amable that were everywhere. On top of it, they paint colorful and creative works of art that reflect who they are. The kingdom that was once all painted in tones of white and blues, so shallow and lifeless, now is filled with color, bursting with personality and life all around.

They destroy all the statues of king Magnifico and queen Amable, well, at least all the ones that were made by hand. They use the remaining pieces to make new building material.

Days and nights go by, imagine like a timelapse shot, and the kingdom is rapidly rebuilt to it's former glory, perhaps even better than before.

The song sequence ends with us seeing everyone celebrating that their home is restored, Asha and her friends front and center as they cheer together.

We fade into a scene of the kingdom now at night time.

The stars are shinning brightly and there's no clouds in the sky. Everyone in Rosas seems to be asleep... Except for one person.

Asha walks with Valentino through the kingdom's alleys. It's worth noting the baby goat has bigger horns now.

As she wanders, Asha admires the new paintings on the walls of the buildings, lighted by the gentle glow of the full moon.

She's not awake just for sight seeing though, she actually has two very important tasks. The young girl and and her goat make their way to... The statue of King Magnifico and Queen Amable. The only statues of them left in the whole kingdom.

The statue is on display, yes, but not to be admired or to show respect, but rather as a reminder of what they did, and so the fallen king and queen can see how the kingdom is prospering, now that they're gone.

But Asha is not going there for them neither, she's going to the lynx laying down on the statue's feet.

"...Hi Bravo, it's me again." She chimes in, getting the attention of the big grumpy feline, she has two bowls on her hands "I got more food and water for you." she says, as she cautiously places them next to him.

The lynx growled and hissed at her angrily, and yet he didn't get up, just kept staring at her with eyes full of resentment. She understands the message and backs away slowly. Valentino is surprisingly calm, as he knows the wild cat won't attack them, he hasn't done so in the past few days they've done this.

"... I'm going to the forest" Asha sighs, pointing to where they're going "Would you like to come with us this time?" She asks the feline, hoping today will be a different answer... But all he does is lower his head, curling up closer to the statues. Asha looks down disappointingly, but also understanding "I get it. You're not ready yet." She goes on her way, giving him a small wave goodbye "You can take all the time you need, okay? I'll come back tomorrow with more food... Good night."

As she and Valentino walk away, the feline's green eyes follow them. His grumpy face morphed into a sad one, and he turns to the bowls of food and water in front of him. The big wild cat seemed conflicted, as he gazed upon the water inside the bowl, he could see himself and also his petrified owners behind him... Bravo then rubs on the queen's dress and the king's legs one final time, as if to say goodbye, before he begins to walk away from them, following Asha to the woods where he belongs.

The statues are now left all alone.

So now... We cut to Asha on the tree. That same tree she climbed to make her wish.

She lays down on the large branch, holding her sketchbook full of notes. Valentino sleeps soundly on her lap. She gazed upon the stars, or rather, one specific star, as she talks about all that has been going on lately, and from the looks of it, she has already been talking for a while.

"- It's better than I could've ever dreamed of! I thought everyone was happy before, but- now they truly FEEL happy! Like, not just smiling ya know?" She rambled to Aster, her eyes sparkling with excitement "And- OH OH yeah! Dahlia's parents have been making the BEST meals we've ever tasted! In fact, everything in the kingdom just tastes better, and looks better too... I'm sure you'd love it." Her eyes become downcast for a moment, as she looks to a sketch of Aster on her new sketchbook. It has a star on the cover, different from her previous sketchbook that had a rose. "Then again, I guess you can't taste the food, right? Heh heh... And you're already seeing how much things changed from up there... But still." She stared at the drawing longingly for a moment, before snapping out of it and smiling to the small star above her once again "Oops! I'm rambling again heheh I should wrap this up, wouldn't want to stay here until sunrise... Again hahaha" She laughs it off, recalling a previous night she went to talk with him and stayed up the whole night long. She flips her sketchbook to a page with a small list of thing she wanted to share with him "Let's see what else, what els- Oh yeah! This morning a little girl called me "princess", that was pretty cute. I tried explaining to her we don't have a monarchy anymore, and she just looked at me like "huuh???" hahah... So I kinda just rolled with it." the girl shrugged, as she nudged Valentino to wake him up, so they could go home. The goat slowly opened his eyes as she continued "I'm no princess, never wanted to be one, but... I guess that's what people see me as now... And I don't know, I'm happy with that... At the end of the day, who they're seeing is just... Me. Just some girl who didn't give up on them... Maybe that's what being a princess is all about, right? Hehe" She chuckled as she got up from the tree branch, and carefully climbed down the tree. "Anyway, see you same time tomorrow!"

Asha begins to make her way away from the tree, back to the kingdom she goes... But then her eyes lit up, for she just remembered something really important

"I ALMOST FORGOT!" She once again turns her gaze to the star "Hahah wow I really am tired- Well, I don't know if stars even celebrate it but anyway... Happy birthday, Aster." 

She knows it's his birthday, because it's the date her parents passed away, the date her grandfather wished upon a star, and Aster gained his purpose. That was 18 years ago.

However, when she turned to look up at him again... The small star is not where it was before.

Asha was smiling a second ago, but now she looks puzzled, she squints her eyes trying to find him, but it's like the star simply vanished. The girl was about to ask herself where they were, but her answer comes sooner than she thinks...

"Yeah, stars don't celebrate it actually" Aster's voice chimed in, with the usual cheerfulness she missed so much.

...

Asha felt her heart jump out of her chest, not believing her own ears. Her face is astounded as turns to the source of the voice...

Lo and behold, Aster is sitting on the tree branch, happily dangling his legs with his trademark cheeky smile. 

"Buuut they decided to make an exception for me today, I even got a pretty neat birthday gift heh heh" The star added, trying to hold in their own giddiness, almost as if he's "playing it cool" 

Asha stared at him, her jaw dropped and her eyes were so wide it's like they'll pop out of her face... She blinks, squinting her whole face a few times, like she's making sure this is not a dream.

"Maaa!" Valentino snaps her out of her daze, as he happily hops back to the tree to greet Aster.

Asha realizes this truly is not a dream. She feels her heart pounding as she sprinted back to the tree, almost tripping on the grass as she does so.

Aster let their emotions overtake him as he eagerly flew to her embrace, giggling with childlike joy.

The two lovers hug like they haven't seen each other in years, even though it's been only a few weeks.

"You're back! Did they finally agree on letting you stay here?!" Asha was overjoyed, as her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, and she felt that same warmth and safety she missed so much.

"Hheeheh Agree is a strong word" Aster chuckled, with his eyes pointed upward while he embraced her warmly "There's so many of them, I'm pretty sure they can't unanimously agree on something" He concluded with a smile as the two parted from the hug to look at each other, Aster admired the gleam in her eyes as he added "But I did make a deal with them."

"... A deal?" Asha still smiled broadly, but she raised one eyebrow at that comment "What kind of deal?" 

"Heh it's a long story" The star admitted looking to the side. He hates to say it, but pretty much what he did was wish upon all the stars above to help him be with her, and after a lot, as in, A LOT, of convincing, they finally had a compromise. Luckily, Aster knows just how to summarize that story "... I think I can explain it to you... In my own way." Aster quotes the same phrase he always tells her before he begins to sing a song.

And sure enough, he leans forward, his forehead gently touching her.

As begins to sing.

And we get the song:

This Wish (Star Reprise)

So I looked up all the stars, just like me And I told them just how bright is your light "Her heart is bigger than any galaxy Her bravery outshines us all in the night"

(Asha blushes, as Aster describes what exactly he told all the stars about her, she hugs him tighter and so does he, he begins to fly with her in his arms, as he sings the second verse)

So I made this wish Asking for our everlasting bliss So I made this wish To give you even more than...

(Aster moves his head to look at her in the eyes as he caresses her face gently, Asha smiles at him expectingly to know what he's gonna say... Aster takes a deep breath)

*breathes in* *breathes out* ... This.

(They kiss.)

(Asha is stunned for a second, but quickly melts into the kiss, shutting her eyes as they slowly go round and round on the air. Valentino is jumping excitedly on the ground bellow them. With her eyes closed, Asha doesn't see that Aster and her are being enveloped in golden magic flowing around them. The music swells, with orchestral instruments being played triumphantly. The stars are shinning brighter.

Aster's magic is leaving his body, and we see that as they kiss Aster slowly turns from a 2D animated drawing to a 3D model like Asha. But not only that, his clothes also begin to change, as his long flowing cape is dissipating into star dust, floating around them like a gentle tornado.

Once they slowly and gently land their feet back on the ground, Aster's magic shoots up like a firework (That also happens in beauty and the beast but I couldn't find any gif with that part))

(Asha and Aster softly separate from the kiss. Asha still has her eyes blissfully closed, so she's yet to see how Aster has changed...)

So I made this wish To stay forever with you like... This

(Asha still has her eyes closed while Aster sings the first line. She opens her eyes during the second line, and her face grows into astonishment and wonder, as she sees Aster's new form... The focus turns to Aster when he says "This")

(Drawing by @uva124 I cannot stress this enough: GO. FOLLOW. HER! Aled is so talented!!! AAAAAAH!!!)

Aster is now a 3D character, but that's nothing new, we've seen him like that before in his human disguise... What actually changed was his clothes, because now, Aster is wearing a white shirt similar to the ones worn by any citizen in Rosas, with yellow embroidery on the sleeves. However, the most noticeable change by far is their hair...

It's brown.

With subtle curls forming on some hair strands.

Asha blinked in amazement. Her hand slides down to his chest and she realizes... He has a heart beat now, she can feel it beating fast. Asha smiled at him warmly as she notes 

"You're human..."

Aster is just awestruck, as he looks to his own hands and new clothes with eyes wide and mouth agape. He feels so many sensations:

The cold air getting in his new lungs

The smell of the woods at night

The feeling Asha's hand on his chest, in a way that feels completely foreign to him, because now, he can finally feel her warmth too.

"How do you feel?" She asked curious, as the boy seems a bit overwhelmed with everything all at once, he takes a moment before he actually manages to speak

"I- I never felt better!" Aster blurts out, thrilled beyond words as he tries to describe all these new sensations "I can feel the wind, the ground under my feet, the air filling chest I-... I can feel you." Aster looks at her lovingly, and hugs her tenderly "You're warm." He sighs, like he's about to melt into her arms.

Aster's legs shake slightly like he's getting used to standing up, so Asha helps him while also hugging him back, feeling how the now young human's embrace is just as comforting as it always has been, somehow even warmer than he was as a star.

"You too." Asha says softly "So this is your birthday gift from the stars, huh? That's quite a gift heh heh" Asha giggles, now looking into Aster's brown eyes.

"Yup, and it was NOT easy to convince most of them, let me tell ya ahaha" Aster laughs cheerfully, till he looks up and notices something new in the sky, he smiles once he sees it "But they decided that if I managed to give you a true love's kiss, they'd make me human... Not only that, but they'd also use my magic to create something really, REALLY, special."

Asha looked puzzled, and turns her head up to look at whatever Aster is staring at... And she gasps, perplexed by what she sees...

Up in the sky, there's the brightest, biggest and most beautiful star Asha has ever seen... The North Star.

Asha and Aster are holding each other closely, as they look up to the brand new wishing star in the sky, both admiring the awe-inspiring sight.

"It's so beautiful..." She breathed softly, leaning on Aster as she looked up "I bet a lot of people will wish upon them." 

"Yeah... Wanna make a wish?" Aster asks.

"Hmm... No need." She says, as she turned to Aster and placed a hand on their cheek "I got everything I could wish for, right here."

She kisses him on the lips once again.

The music swells as we pan out away from them.

We can see Aster lift Asha up and spin her around in the air, while Valentino hops happily around them, and we can hear their laughter as the perspective goes away from them and into the night sky.

We focus now on the night sky, the north star shinning brightly on the corner as we see the stars writing something, like a constellation forming the words:

The End!

End credits roll, with the song When You Wish Upon a Star sang by Sara Bareilles playing

(Thank you so much to @frogcoven88 for recommending the song and following this story from the start, you were right, it really fits the end credits!)

The credits end, and we get a post credit scene.

It's Asha playing "When you wish upon a star" with Sabino's mandolin, she's playing it perfectly. Aster is sitting next to her. They're both gazing upon the North Star.

"You're getting really good at this." Aster compliments softly once she's done playing.

"Thanks!" She replies happily, leaning her head on his shoulder, and he leans on her head, as they look up to the sky.

The screen fades to black and the last thing we see is the wishing star blinking.

The End.

Final Thoughts

... So... That was something, wasn't it?

Before I gush over how writing this whole story was an unforgettable experience for me and all that emotional stuff, let me list off my thoughts about everything in this chapter.

First, why did I make Aster leave and then come back a few weeks later? Well initially I was just gonna have him and Asha kiss and he turns human cause the stars were like "Fiiiiiiine you two are cute, we're convinced" but then I realized that would mean having their whole kiss and emotional goodbye IN PUBLIC, and I just felt very uncomfy with that idea, so I thought "TIME SKIP!" and so we get them ALONE kissing and confessing their love in the same place where it al began, sweet.

Also I wanted Asha to have a moment with the people of Rosas, having the jester represent all of them, with the gesture of fixing her grandpa's mandolin as an apology, but also as thanks for everything she did to save them. Initially I was gonna have a child give her the mandolin, but I think the jester from the first song returning is a nice touch.

We see how most of Asha's friends, or at least the ones that needed personal growth changed, Bazeema is less shy, Gabo is more caring, and Simon of course isn't sleep deprived, yay!

The Bravo scene broke me ya'll, I have a soft spot for animals, and truly I don't think Bravo was even evil, like, sure he wanted to eat Valentino... What predator wouldn't? He just wanted to please his mama and papa, and now they're gone and he kept waiting for them to come back like one of those dogs waiting for their owners at a train station and WAAAAA- WHY DO I MAKE MYSELF FEEL BAD FOR THE VILLAINS?! Anyway, Bravo went on to live in the forest and he's fine.

Asha was called a princess a lot in this story. Sabino said she was a princess because her dad was a "Prince" and her mother was "A fairy", she was called birthday princess by her friends, the villains wanted to make her a princess so they could control her, Aster said she was pretty like a princess, and finally, the people of Rosas see her as a princess because she saved them. In conclusion, there are many ways to be a princess, but at the end of the day, Asha is just herself.

And I'm sure ya'll are gonna ask me how Aster managed to convince the stars to let him be human, right? Well, like he said

"So I looked to all the stars, just like me And I told them just how bright is your light "Her heart is bigger than any galaxy Her bravery outshines us all in the night""

Which is a fancy way of saying he fangirled about how amazing Asha is to all the stars like

"YALL DONT GET IT! She's deeper than the universe itself! If happiness was a tangible thing, it would be her! I love her so much guys! I need to go back, please! Her eyes shine brighter that all of you combined! People search for a wonder like her all of their lives! Her smile is warmer than the sun! Her laugh is like-"

And the stars are just staring at Aster like "Sir, this is a wendy's" "We've talked about this child, it was decided you're to be in time out remain in your corner of the galaxy for the next 1 million earth cycles, so you may reflect on why you should've listened to us."

But eventually some stars that were already sympathetic to Aster and other ones that weren't before but slowly start to feel bad for him realize even though Aster didn't do what they thought was best... His way of doing things worked, and if it wasn't for his love for Asha they wouldn't have ever won.

So the stars discussed it, and they agreed that they could bend the rules for Aster this time, to do something that was never done before.

I think of it like that scene in The Little Mermaid when Triton turns Ariel human and he's like "Then there's just one problem left... How much we're going to miss him." because like, although they gave Aster a hard time, they really were just his family, his family with more than a billion people but still family.

Soooo Aster got Rapunzeled lmao.

Brown hair Aster my beloved, I've waited so long for this, the plot point of Magnifico saying all wishing stars have blonde hair was just for THIS.

And we get a proper origin story to THE wishing star, aka the portal to Neverland, aka Evangeline, aka The Blue Fairy.

It was kinda what Disney promised us, wasn't it? To tell us where that star came from... Well now you know.

And now... I honestly don't know how to express how grateful I am for everyone who has been following along on this journey, I never thought this would become something so special, I never shared a story before, and seeing the art, the comments, the creativity and inspiration that sprouted out of this makes me feel so happy that I did step out of my comfort zone to put this out there.

The story is over but the journey has just begun, as I still plan on expanding the lore by sharing backstories from the villains and short stories of what happens to the protagonists in the future. Fell free to send your asks to get more ideas flowing out of me hehehe.

And, for the last time... At least in this chapter of the journey...

Thank You So Much For Reading!!!

[sizzlingcloudmentality]

heart-shaped weirdness

Lou Bloom x reader | wc: 1.4k | explicit, mdni | ao3

summary: it's valentine's day and your boss asks you to work with him that night. but it's a valentine's day shift after all, so maybe he has planned something.

warnings: fluff-ish, no y/n, mentions of canon typical violence, explicit language, mentions of masturbation, mentions of the black dahlia murder, mentions of food, Lou cosplaying as a normal person, kinda romantic!Lou, not beta'd

summary: wrote in a haze at 3am for the Jake valentine's shenanigans (my prompt was surprise picnic at a secret place). who would have guessed that Lou would ignite my fire (lol) to write and post my first Jake character fic? not me, but thanks, you fucking freak. and happy heart shaped day to everyone 💘

You suspect that he likes you. He’s not as harsh with you as he is with his other employees. He also picks you for shifts when he’s out on the hunt. He picks you specifically to join him. He gives you gooseflesh all over—not in the sexy kind of way, though.

"If you could work tonight?" Lou had asked earlier, his voice so sweet it almost clogged your phone speakers.

"But it’s Valentine's Day?" You didn't exactly have a plan for tonight—maybe stuffing your face, maybe rubbing one out. Probably both, because goddamn, spending Valentine's Day single was no fun, and you had to treat yourself to the simple pleasures life had to offer.

And spending the night in a car with Lou, always chasing the next gruesome accident or crime? Definitely not a simple pleasure.

"If I recall correctly, you are single. So please, be ready at 8. I'll pick you up," he chirped, and you knew exactly how his mouth twisted into one of those practiced smiles as he spoke.

"Fine," you surrendered, ending the call before he could. A Valentine's Day shift. Maybe there’d be heart-shaped murders. Heart-shaped accidents. Heart-shaped shootings in bars. Ah yes, love was in the air tonight—you already knew it.

At 8 p.m. sharp, you leave your apartment building, looking for one of the vans you usually use for work. But there’s none. You scan the street and then spot him.

Leaning against the hood of his flashy sports car stands Lou. Kinda dolled up, like he just came from a business meeting. Or a date? He lifts a hand and waves, one of those sugar-crusted smiles on his face.

"You look nice," he says, and you almost laugh. You’re in your work attire—faded jeans and a hoodie.

"The only thing nice about me is that I took a shower. But thanks."

You catch a flash of a scowl from him, a little bit of that sugar-crust smile already crumbling. "Cut the attitude. And work on your ability to accept compliments." He holds the passenger door open for you.

"I’m not driving?" You always drive. It was your job. Your brows pinch together, and his lips thin into a line. More sugar crumbling.

"Not tonight. And for sure not my car. Get in."

He watches you climb inside, his eyes rolling in their sockets, but he quickly wipes the annoyance off his face when you finally sit down and look at him expectantly. God, it was not easy with you. You were so... mouthy. It was as exciting as it was exhausting.

This was supposed to be a nice night. He was really trying to woo you. He googled it. He even had the checklist jotted down in his notebook. ‘Pick them up, preferably with a nice car’—check. ‘Compliment their appearance’—check. He was doing it correctly. The wooing. So why did you have to be so defiant?

"Lou?" You raise your brows, looking at your boss, waiting for him to finally get into the car. You just want to get it over with. There are leftovers from your favorite Indian place in your fridge. You could be masturbating right now. If it weren’t for Lou fucking Bloom.

"Attitude," he warns, scowling once more before getting in. You don’t know when, but at some point in your working relationship, you learned that he hated it when you were bratty. And you’d had a field day with it ever since. It came easy—you were a natural.

Sometimes he lashes out when you push too far. But nothing the well-calculated use of wet, wide eyes and a stuttered sorry couldn’t fix. He always caves. That’s why you suspect he likes you. Because he sometimes lets you pull one of his many strings.

When the engine starts purring and Lou pulls away from the curb, you glance at the backseat. Nothing. No camera, no battery packs, no lighting.

You look at Lou. One hand on the steering wheel, his eyes glued to the road, one finger resting against the corner of his mouth. He’s weird, but tonight he’s extra weird. Maybe Valentine's Day got to him. Heart-shaped weirdness.

"Where’s the equipment?"

"In the trunk."

"Why?"

He turns toward you and forces a sugary smile. "Because I put it there."

A smartass attempt at being funny. You can appreciate that. It adds to his… odd charm.

"You’re getting better with the jokes, boss," you say, and when he shoots you a look because of your sarcastic tone, he catches you smiling. Genuinely smiling.

‘Make them laugh’—check.

There’s nothing to do. No cameras to prep, no radio chatter to decipher. No small talk, because small talk with Lou is painful. You already exhausted all small talk-worthy topics, and it left you feeling bare. Like he knew everything about you, while all you knew about him was his name and his goal of being influential.

Sometimes he tries again—asks about your true crime fascination, your favorite murders and mysteries. But there’s only so much to tell. So much to talk about. One night, you both wordlessly agreed to only speak when necessary after he bombarded you with endless questions about food allergies, immediately followed by "How exactly was the Black Dahlia dismembered?" Only to be topped off with a question about your menstrual cycle, because you seem to have PMS that night.

You snapped. He snapped back. Trouble in paradise. Lou didn’t get what your problem was. He googled it afterward. Turns out, he was acting inappropriate? Bullshit. He was being attentive.

Tonight, though, the silence is somewhat comfortable. But something is in the air. Lou reeks of it. You can almost taste it on your tongue—this sticky something he’s trying to hide behind his sugar-crust grin.

His smile stretches with every mile until he pulls into a quieter street. Then another. Then one last turn. The engine dies, and Lou turns toward you with a proud grin. The car is parked in a quiet neighborhood, countless single-story houses strung together like grayish-yellow teeth in the jaw of a skull.

He says nothing. Just smiles, proud and boyish.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he says. Somewhere down the empty street, a dog barks.

You blink several times, your eyes narrowing, confusion written all over your face.

‘Surprise them’—check. Oh, he could check all the boxes tonight. Lou just knew it.

"Wait here," he says, scrambling out of the car—less graceful than you ever saw him, but more excited. And you’ve seen this man mighty excited. About blood and guts in places they don’t belong. Maybe this was a good moment to start worrying.

But then he slides back into the driver's seat, a basket on his lap. The scent of butter chicken hits your nose.

‘Get their favorite foods for a picnic’—check.

"You got me food?" That was... actually really nice of him.

"Obviously." He rummages through the basket, producing cutlery, takeout boxes, even napkins and a can of your favorite seltzer. You’re stunned. His sugary smile widens. "Do you know where we are?"

Balancing the food on your knees, you look outside. The only remarkable thing is a No Parking sign in front of the house across the street. You shake your head, still stunned by Lou’s surprise picnic.

"They found her here."

"Found… who, exactly?" Oh. Oh, he didn’t. Or did he?

He nods when he sees the slow realization in your eyes. "The Black Dahlia. Right over there." He gestures to the front lawn.

Your eyes widen. Your mouth opens, then closes.

"Oh, fuck off!" You shove the food container back into his hands and step out of the car.

In the orange glow of the streetlamp, you cross the narrow street. The dog barks again.

Lou watches you for a moment before stepping out of the car, joining you as you kneel on the ground, almost sniffing and digging like an animal.

God, you are so weird, he thinks.

"Best Valentine's Day ever," you murmur.

Lou grins.

‘Take them to a secret place for an extra big surprise’—check. The wooing is complete.

You look over your shoulder, up at him as he's towering over you with his weird big bug eyes. He looks cuter now, somehow. “Thank you!”

“You're welcome,” he replies nonchalantly but his proud smile gives him away. There is another checklist in his notebook. 5 steps to get them to jerk you off.

“Happy Valentine's Day, Lou,” he mutters under his breath, continuing to watch you. Like he always does.

My first Lou fic. He's a little cute fucker, probably not in character, but that's what love does to a person, even if the person is 14 red flags in a trenchcoat.

Please!!!! let me know your thoughts! Every comment and reblog is appreciated.

general masterlist here

Jake Gyllenhaal masterlist here

dividers: @/saradika-graphics