#and pax is just trying to find herself and do what’s right

[the-one-and-only-taffie]

Back with more White Diamond x Sentinel Prime crackship nonsense baby!!!

Ever since I first thought about these goobers, I haven't known a single day of peace (mostly cause the ideas are just racking around in my brain)

So here's a list of headcanons I came up with for Prime Diamond! If you have any questions regarding this ship, my ask box is open. Double if you have any thoughts or anything to add, go on ahead! I hope y'all enjoy!

I may make a part 2 when I come up with more lol

For this relationship to even be possible (as possible as a crackship between two characters from completely different franchises can be), it will have to take place Post-Steven Universe Finale/Future when White Diamond is in her therapy, self-help guru era. And when Sentinel Prime is... alive.

Also, I have been trying to do research regarding this but since the results are so inconsistent, I'm gonna assume White Diamond is around 80 to 90 ft tall and Sentinel is around 60 (based on how he's double Orion Pax's height and apparently TF One Orion is around 33 ft tall). If you know their actual canonical heights or anything close to that, please lemme know!

As mentioned in a reblog, White Diamond would take an interest in Sentinel Prime as a sort of little DIY project. Though he tries to hide it, White with her supernatural intuitiveness can tell there's more to him than meets the eye (he's an asshole). Having been inspired by Steven to see the worth and beauty in imperfections, she wants to give someone like Sentinel a chance like Steven did for her. Though she is making genuine strides to improve upon her previous controlling and obsessive behavior regarding perfection, this aspect of her will resurface in her attempts "fix" Sentinel while in a relationship with him. She adores and finds much interest in his "positive imperfections," but helping him improve on his more negative ones wouldn't hurt, right?

Other reasons she developed an attraction to him is for the same reason all the Sentinel fangirls did: he's just so... pathetic. When he tries to impress her with stories of battles he's never fought in and gives her a tour of his treasure room full of artifacts he didn't discover, she can tell he's trying way too hard to impress her. She finds this cute and charming rather than douchey and desperate.

Sentinel Prime pursued her because, as stated in a previous reblog, "his diva ass was always going to try and seek out a gem fit for a king." He laid his eyes on an 80-90 ft giant alien rock woman and thought,"I need her." As any sane person would. She was supposed to be nothing more than another symbol of wealth for him to show off to the other elites and officials of Iacon City to further cement the royal image he works so hard to maintain. He definitely underestimated how overwhelming White Diamond can be, and I am not just referring to her height.

Sentinel would rather have his spark be extinguished than admit to this, but his stabilizing servos get wobbly at the idea of his alien girlfriend being so much taller than he is. His pride would never admit to this, nor would it accept someone taller than him accompanying him. He believes that as a "Prime," he is supposed to be much taller, bigger, and more imposing than those around him.

Whenever they make a public appearance, Sentinel insists that White shrink herself to a height more tolerable for his fragile ego. He bullshits an excuse about their buildings not being designed for a being as tall as she is. White obliges, but given how Iacon was built when the previous actual Primes were all gigantic and alive, she quickly figures his lie and confronts him about it. He'd just lie again and say he didn't want the other Cybertronians to be intimidated... by her beauty. Clearly, it's not because of some Napolean complex or something. Still, White is in her patience era, so she takes the compliment for what it is.

The "guy who doesn't like speeches" vs. "professional yapper" isn't a joke. Sentinel can't stand how much White Diamond loves to yap. She's the kind of person to have thoughts and opinions about anything and everything. Given that she doesn't breathe, she doesn't even need to catch her breath in the middle of speaking, so she can go on and on and on, much to Sentinel's annoyance.

He tries to get her to quiet down at times, but as White tends to do, she either doesn't hear him or straight up ignores him. Her monologuing, along with her height and just how shiny she is, is very overwhelming for Sentinel at times. The only good thing he finds about this aspect of his sweetspark is when she dotes on him and showers him with compliments and attention. As if an attention hungry fame whore needed any more of it.

Sentinel even allows White to indulge in her psychoanalysis, playing up the whole "tragic hero whose brothers and sisters perished in battle and now has to face the pain and weight of protecting his people alone" angle that she eats up. White does sometimes hit dangerously close to home, so Sentinel shuts her down before she could dig straight to bedrock and uncover the more unfavorable parts of himself he wants to stay hidden.

Speaking of staying hidden, the way White carries herself in public makes Sentinel was to keep her locked away in a jewelry box. White is excellent when it comes to using her words to inflict psychic damage or to build someone up. When it comes to social situations where charisma, relatability, and poise are needed, this is when White is at her most alien. She is not the most socially adjusted given that prior to the finale, she spent thousands of years hidden away in a world of her own delusions. She doesn't have much of a filter, something she has been working on to avoid upsetting others.

She has the habit of pointing out any interesting thing that catches her eye, especially about people, whether or not it's positive or negative. This has led to her unsettling the bots at best or offending them at worst. Sentinel then has to come in and use his charisma to difuse the situation and paint her behavior in a more positive light. Only for White to turn around and ask everyone if they ever noticed how Sentinel's wings move in accordance to his mood and how adorable it is. Everyone laughs. Sentinel is thoroughly pissed.

Sentinel definitely has more relationship experience than White Diamond. All of her knowledge comes from what she's heard from the gems that come to her for advice or from that human show the little green Crystal Gem recommended (she can't remember her name). In her attempts to emulate the behavior she's heard of and observed, she ends up coming off as cringe or detached from reality. At certain points of the relationship, she even imposes certain "deadlines" on courtship behaviors she expects from Sentinel. All his previous relationships were private, casual flings. He only made this one public because bagging a bad bitch like White Diamond is an accomplishment he felt he had to show off.

This may come to bite him in the aft when her radiance catches the attention of other bots. On these occasions, he acts possessive and showers her with attention, gifts, and affection. He tells himself and Airachnid it's because he doesn't want her to outshine him in the eyes of the public. In reality, he gets jealous and doesn't want to lose her interest and, most importantly, her attention. As overwhelming and embarrassing as she can be, a twisted part of him really craves her attention.

In private, Sentinel can flip flop greatly in how he treats White. On some days he leans on her for support and wants her to pet his wings while he vents about all the dumb, annoying bots he has to fraternize with and all the boring meetings he has to attend. White occasionally interrupts him with advice or her own views on the situation, which frustrates Sentinel. On other days, he's completely detached, not even bothering to give her the time of day. He is at his most consistently sweet and romantic when they're both in the public eye, performing grand gestures of love. This intensifies when they're on camera.

They present themselves as THE Iacon couple, but Sentinel and White argue a lot about pretty much anything. More often than not, White is trying to advise him on how to improve himself and his city, and Sentinel kindly tells her to shut up and mind her own business.

They are both very prideful people who can't accept when they are wrong. White is more willing than Sentinel to admit to it and compromise. If she believes she is 100% in the right, she won't go down without a verbal fight. She has yet to figure out how to properly counter Sentinel's "NUH UH!" though. She believes this is normal and healthy as she hears time and time again how arguments are a sign of a functional relationship. White knows how in the past she never allowed anyone to express their grievances or criticize her. If they did, she'd twist their words to further force her own viewpoint or take control over their mind and body. Seeing Sentinel passionately argue back while White practices her listening skills and only sometimes speaks over him gives her hope that she isn't regressing back to her previous toxicity. No one has told her that disagreements are healthy and normal, but frequent fights and arguments are not. And the kind of hellish circles these two go in just ain't it

[sarcasticsciencefictionwriter]

Hi! Rarepair alphabet Helen/ranna A, H, Q and R please : )

Hiiii! Thank you! :)

From this ask game.

A - What made you ship it and why?

This sounds so bad, but I don't really remember the what. 😅 I started shipping them at the end of December/early January, which was a little hectic for me with the holidays and all the fics I was churning out in a race for the end of the year and the ones I was reading too. I *think* it was that I rewatched Pax Romana trying to dig up some lore on Kali and then I was like.... Ranna? 😍

As for the why... Helen and Ranna fit very neatly into the category of characters I always obsess over (middle-aged women for the win!!!!) and putting them together, after I latched on to Ranna's character, was a no brainer.

They're wonderful separate and the real why is because I thought they would be awesome together. And Helen being canonically bisexual was something I wanted to explore and it seemed natural to ship her with a woman she had chemistry with and Ranna is such an untapped character.

Long story short: I saw two characters I was obsessed over and decided to smash them together like dolls.

H - If you were introducing this ship to someone else, what reasons would you give to convince them to consider it?

Hmmm.

I think I would start with saying that they're both awesome, capable women that don't need a partner, but they would find a very good one in each other.

They're in similar positions to one another and would understand the pressure and struggles very well, without having to speak about it.

They also have natural chemistry, in my opinion.

Honestly, I might just try to convince someone by saying two badass women with natural chemistry make for a very interesting pairing.

Q - What do you think were their first impressions of each other? Did their opinions of each other stay the same or change over time? Why do you think that is?

Well, canonically, Ranna kind of hated Helen on sight and Helen wasn't exactly feeling friendly towards Ranna herself. 😆

Though I think both of them probably had thoughts along the lines of 'well, she's hot' in there too.

Their opinions of each other 100% changed over time, going from that initial dislike and grudging respect to admiration and understanding.

The why would be their whole little arc in saving Kanaan and Hollow Earth. They saw each other for more than what they assumed each other to be and admired that instead of being annoyed or jealous. The realization that they understand the positions of power and being pulled at all sides came later (and was probably nudged along by Gregory on both side) and they were able to share that without even speaking.

R - Are there any songs you associate with this ship?

Buzzcut Season by Lorde

So much so that it's my theme for my AU where they're together. Right now, I think it's the only song that I associate with them together and not separately.

This bit is what really did it for me:

The men up on the news They try to tell us that we will lose But it's so easy in this blue Where everything is good

And I'll never go home again (Place the call, feel it start) Favorite friend (And nothing's wrong when nothing's true) I live in a hologram with you We're all the things that we do for fun (And I'll breathe, and it goes) Play along (Make-believe it's hyper-real) But I live in a hologram with you _ Basically, I heard one song, latched on to it and was like "Good enough!"

[ladykailolu]

You wanna experience sadness?

Imagine how hurt Gyro would feel if after finally finding his daughters again,

But they say that they want nothing to do him anymore

Like, bro

Imagine how heartbroken that would make them feel

Even after finding them again, things between them are still broken, and it doesn’t seem like they can be fixed

And he’s spent so much time wanting them back and actually caring about them, so for them to reject him and turn him away would hurt way more that it would’ve if this whole kidnapping thing didn’t happen

(Note, I’m sure this probably wouldn’t happen in the story, I’m just saying hypothetically, if they or maybe just Sadie, we’re too bitter to give him a second chance)

I don't think that everything would be all peachy keen when the girls are reunited with Gyro and Johnny. There's a lot of unresolved tension between Gyro and his daughters that they can't ignore. By the end of the story, Gyro had realized the error of his ways and wanted to turn over a new leaf and apologize to the girls, but they don't just forgive him outright. He hurt each of them quite badly. He abandoned Paxe, he was rude to Maggie, and he brushed off Sadie-Mae! He neglected each of his children because he couldn't admit that he did something wrong.

Remember when I described to you a scene of Paxe being adamant of finding her father again while Sadie-Mae was trying to talk sense into her, warning that Gyro would only hurt her again? Well, Sadie-Mae's words finally sunk into Paxe's thick skull, and she realized all the hurt that she's been through. Her father was alive all this time in America and never bothered to send her a single letter home--he never intended to, anyway. Even when he was still in Naples, he visited her less and less frequently. Now she understands why her mother regarded her father with cold words. It all made sense! He was cruel from day 1 when he refused to do the right thing and marry her mother when Paxe came to be.

And that's not even touching on Maggie's and Sadie-Mae's stories. Maggie's is particularly cruel. It was like he was coerced to take in his own child--he didn't take her in out of love for her but out of shame. Hell, Johnny was more of a father to Maggie, as all of Maggie's best memories of her childhood featured Johnny, and not Gyro. And as Maggie got older, she learned of the truth behind her upbringing--the truth that even Johnny was hesitant to share with her. Unwanted by both her mother and father, she was deeply hurt and fed up with Gyro's irresponsibility and malice towards her.

Sadie-Mae was in a similar boat. Gyro has been rude to her from day 1 and only took her in out of pity. She knew that he didn't give two shits about her back then, and now he comes crawling back for forgiveness? She sees right through it and realizes that she's better off by herself.

It's reasonable for the girls to want to live by themselves in an apartment somewhere for a while and stay away from Gyro until they figure things out. Of course, the girls have no money to support themselves, so they find jobs and do whatever they can to stay afloat and support each other. I like to think that eventually they calm down and can stand to visit both of their fathers, and eventually from there, they learn to forgive Gyro for everything that he's done to them. It's a rocky road, to be sure, and one that requires a lot of work to overcome.

What do you think? I want to include this in the story a little bit--have the girls live together and away from Gyro and Johnny for a little while before they reconcile fully. Before they go their separate ways.

[mrs-pattie-thinks-things]

PAX story time - Furries are doing just what we did as children, plus wholesome stories

Something that caught me off guard was the furry panel. My brain was trying to process really hard how being a furry was a game. Don’t get me wrong, they fit right in, as lots of people were dressed up and at PAX, we welcome all, but I had questions. How do they play games with their hands in those giant gloves? Would they not simply sweat alive playing Just Dance? My conclusion that being a furry in and of itself, at least for many of them, was the game. Someone explained that it was like they create their own characters and act out different scenarios in an ongoing format, and they play exclusively as that one character?

Me: Oh, like D&D?

Apparently not like D&D. Their storyline’s are much more about domestic life and family relationship dynamics.

Me: Oh, like how little girls play House?

If you don’t know what playing house is like a child, each child would choose a role in a family household, be it the mum, the dad, the baby, the dog, the weird uncle, and you’d just act out their roles in the playground. There often be one boy who was roped in and he’d have no idea how he got there.

Apparently not, because, unlike house, there was elaborate relationship dynamics, complex themes and scenarios, scandals, significantly more dramatic than just acting out roles in a household.

Me: Oh! They’re playing Horsies!

Now, I don’t know if horsies is a universal game little girls play, but after school, we’d play with these little plastic horses. We were all horses in a field. We’d each choose a horse character, or a number of horses, and act out various melodramatic scenarios. For example, one afternoon I was playing the two “grownup” horses who had both lost their spouses and decided to fall in love and get married so their family could be one happy Brady bunch. Lo and behold, one of each of our children also fell in love. They were so upset with us for wanting to get married because they were pretty sure it’s illegal, or at the very least, really weird, to marry your step sibling. There was a back and forth, - “no, we’re older, so we should be the ones to get married!” ‘You’ve already had your chances at love, give us a go!” It ended up being a literal race to the alter because we couldn’t choose who was in the right.

For some reason, in our little eight-year-old brains, play acting these melodramas as horsies ways WAY less weird than acting them out with human dolls. I think, when you make them out as humans, there might be something in the back of your head that might remind you of people in your real life. That’s possibly why House, in comparison, had very tame. Horsies? That’s a massive free-for-all.

I’d also like to add that nothing can re-create the exhilarating shock of finding out your potential future horse-step-children have fallen in love. Not in any way that’s still fun and entertaining, anyway.

I also wonder if these kinds of games are the reason why girls are less likely to be diagnosed with Autism than boys.

So, if, by some unlikely chance this story happens upon an actual Furry - is being a Furry like playing Horsies? Are we all wrong and have no idea what we’re talking about?

And now for wholesome PAX Furry stories:

Proud Furry dad

There were a couple of dads talking about their (I’m assuming adult) children. One had a daughter who was non-verbal almost for her entire childhood. Somewhere around twelve, she expressed wanting to spend her time dressed up as (if memory serves) a puppy. She started with really simple outfits that she made for herself - just paper masks and a simple tail, but she became very focused in her sewing skills that by the time she was in her late teens, her skills were to a professional standard. He was saying how thankful he was that there was a community where she could feel safe to express herself and interact with other people. He was so worried that when he and her mother died, that she might not be able to look after herself or find a community to interact with. There was another furry dad who agreed, saying his son is autistic, but feels comfortable communicating with others when they’re all in a fur suit. There’s no pressure to be verbal, and the mask helps him feel safe.

Cult of the Lamb Furry wedding

I wasn’t there, but after the main events, there were two weddings that took place at The Cult of the Lamb booth. One was between two Furries. I have heard people say it was really sweet, and one attendee say they cried tears of happiness for the new couple.

There’s a short of it on games hub YouTube channel. I’ve seen plenary of more footage than just this video, but this one is at least googlable.

[quetzalpapalotl]

Sorry, I wanted to respond to these tags because they seemed misinformed (?). When Arcee becomes an Autobot, Optimus Prime is not around. Technically the Autobot leader is Bumblebee, whom Arcee already had expressed some admiration for. Even when Orion Pax returns and becomes Optimus again, Arcee is not obligated to listen to anyone. No one has anything over Arcee that can be use to make her comply. Everything Arcee does is because ahe chooses to, and she has no problem going on her own when she feels like it. It's precisely the lack of regard for him that makes Optimus like Arcee and treat her as his right hand. When Arcee chooses to work with Optimus is simultaneously because he is also trying to maintain peace and he wants to help and to keep an eye on him. But it's all of her own will.

The Autobots are in much disarray when she joins and the hierarchy really doesn't hold up. They just got thrown out of Iacon and Arcee follows despite her lack of allegiance because she fits better with the fighters than the neutrals and she hates Decepticons. (She was an Autobot in phase 1, tho it seems Barber retcons it to just be vaguely allied with them). More than a signal that she's a good guy know, her joining the Autobots it's a sign of her wanting to be part of something, like you said.

Her lack of a badge is pointed out in that same chapter by the constructicons as even the Autobots not wanting her. Issue 18 is all about Arcee and how she doesn't fit, how she doesn't belong anywhere. Despite her claims that things like friendship are not for her, she is very lonely. Her becoming an Autobot is her signaling her devotion to the Autobot dream but also part of her development as she's trying to connect with people now. To not do everything alone. This is also one-sided because the Autobots in the chapter are put off by her and she just decides to become and Autobot, brands herself, and Bee goes along with it because like what's he gonna do? Tell her no.

I do think it's used to signal that Arcee is becoming better morally speaking, but I don't think it's divorced from her as a character. Arcee is still struggling with finding a way to do good with her limited skills and this is a way to reflect that she's putting herself to higher standars. But not in a cheap way like this is a cartoon with good guys and bad guys. Barber doesn't equate being an Autobot with absolute moral goodness, even this early in the series the actions of many of them (including ultimate goodie Bee) have been questioned and even Blurr stops being an Autobot and this is portrayed as a valid judgment on his part.

Tell me about Arcee and Prowl. Do they put up with each other for any reason beyond pure pragmatism?

@hangryshawn

Omg thanks guys. But also, Ruin, this will spoil parts of exRID that you just started, I know you don't really care but be warned.

I'd said that when it comes down to it, their relationship is mostly pragmatism, but I don't want to simplify or dimish it by calling it that.

Arcee at that start of exRID, that is, when she starts to work for Prowl, is someone who has decided she wants to work for a better world, problem is that she's never had any real friends and the only thing she knows how to do is kill. This doesn't seem like a profile fit to bring about Bee's idea of peace between the 3 factions that, to be clear, Arcee claims to support and admire. So because she's not too proud to admit when she's out of her depth, she gets someone who can at least direct her skills to further the cause of peace.

Now, I don't want to make it sound like Arcee is just mindlessly following Prowl because she can't think for herself. It's just that, again, this is all new to her and furthermore, Prowl is someone that makes sense to her. While Prowl is ruthless, Arcee is straightforward. Prowl shows something that's a clear hindrance for their plans, Arcee deals with it. While Prowl understands that killing Ratbat in secret with no trial is morally dubious and his fellow Autobots wouldn't approve of it, Arcee genuinely doesn't understand what the big deal is when the guys was such a problem. Nevertheless she reminds Prowl that she's not just his assassin, and when Prowl get's mind controlled by Bombshell not only is she the only person to figure it out, she's completely capable of rolling with it to give the Autobots and edge when they'll need it.

The other thing is that, despite what she says and even what she thinks, Arcee is deeply lonely and craves connection. This is most obvious in her relationship with Sideswipe, but I think she believed she and Prowl had an understanding. Again, he makes sense to her when most people don't, she's choosing to work for him when she has no reason to, after revealing Prowl has her kill Ratbat she apologizes to him and confesses how cofusing this all is for her, looking more vulnerable than what she usually allows.

Problem is that this is kind one-sided. Arcee does understand Prowl to some degree, sees right through him and Prowl doesn't like that. Prowl doesn't like being told his truths and because Arcee has nothing to hide, doesn't need Prowl to make herself better, she's not easy to diminish. Arcee is an amazing asset, she's sneaky, she's efficient, she can beat virtually anyone and Prowl at the start of exRID is short on assets. But he also has no way of controling her, he has nothing over her, Arcee is not even a proper Autobot at the beginning and Prowl doesn't like lacking control.

Prowl would find the idea that Arcee and himself are similar. As mentioned, Prowl has a better understanding of what is wrong with his methods, but he does it anyway. He sees it as a sacrifice on his part, he wants to think that despite everything he's above it. Arcee's apparent lack of remorse if pretty useful, but Prowl doesn't want to be compared to that. He never told Arcee to kill Ratbat, he just pointed her on his direction, the death is on Arcee. Even if he also seems to get Arcee to some degree, this need to detach himself for her prevents him from fully granting her interiority. I never get the impression that he really sees her as much more than a weapon, not different from how everyone else sees Arcee.

He does have some manner of respect for her, like when Arcee says that she doesn't feel anything seeing Windblade and co. despite all the time he longed to meet someone like her, Prowl tells her to not let it get to her. The newcomers aren't really like Arcee and don't belong on Cybertron. Although I think this is more than anything the same kind of disregard Prowl has for neutrals, for people didn't had to fight, he's at least putting Arcee in the camp he likes.

As their partnership was kind of informal, their falling out is quiet. Arcee keeps on flexing her moral muscles and gets better at thinking by herself what she should do. She joins the Autobots proper because their goal of peace is what she strives for. When they go to Earth after Dark Cybertron Prowl's actions give him a bad look in her eyes. It becomes more aparent that Prowl is far more petty and less rational than he claims to. The way he regards humans and how he puts them in danger doesn't sit well with Arcee, who, despite everything, does have some morals.

In general, we never really see Arcee using violence in people outside the Cybertronian conflict. She's not someone that enjoys hurting the weak. We will later hear her tell Kup directly that she's not comfortable using lethal force against humans, even when they're attacking her. And even later we will find out that she was there when the Cybertronians first invaded an alien planet and overwhelmed the population with the vast difference in power, which she hadn't forgiven herself for. She doesn't like Decepticons. Prowl endagering humans does not sit well with her.

At this point she has her own idea of how things should go. Optimus and Prowl leave for Cybertron and she's lef in charge of the Autobots on Earth. This would be the end of it, except we get Sins of the Wreckers, where Arcee is far more vocal on her displeasure with Prowl. I see this attitude as an extension of how Roche writer Prowl in contrast to Barber, but how I choose to interpret it is a consequence of having time and distance to think of everything.

A think to note about SOTW is that Arcee is hurt and jealous when Prowl says Springer is the one Autobot good enough to come rescue him, especially when Springer's personality is not one that meshes well with Prowl's, unlike hers. She doesn't know about Prowl's especial disposition towards Spinger. But this server to her as final proof that Prowl never regarded her or trusted her the same way Arcee did him.

Point is, I definitively think Arcee put more stock on this relationship than Prowl did. All it takes to undo is Arcee deciding is not worth it.

[sondepoch]

One Night (Marius x Reader)

Teaching a Billionaire to Touch Grass (And a Minimum Wage Worker to Treat Herself)

Marius clicks his tongue in annoyance, both at you and the cars around him. Why are there so many people on the road at 2:38 in the morning? Why did the GPS's projected time to get to your home just double? Why is the universe out to get him today, on the one night Marius thought he could catch a break?

“Okay,” he seethes, drumming his fingers on the wheel as the traffic around him grows impossible slower. He doesn’t look at you as he speaks. “We’re going to talk about how inappropriate this was.”

“I—I’m really sorry, Sir, I—”

“I’m not asking for an apology.” Maybe he is, actually. Marius is too pissed to be sure. “What I want to know is why you thought it was okay to call me, of all people.”

MASTERLIST

The car is silent. 

As Marius gets inside, he thinks that this might be the first time he’s not opening the passenger door seat for a lady partner, the first time he’s allowed himself to stalk straight into the driver's seat and angrily wait for his passenger to enter on their own.

Actually, he thinks, this is also the first time in years that he's actually driving. The first time someone managed to call for him so late that even his chauffeur was off-duty.

“I’m really sorry about this, Sir,” you mumble as you climb into the seat next to him, apologies never halting as you ramble on and on and on like an idiot who can't read a room. “I, ah, didn’t think this would happen, I'm so…”

Marius ignores you.

He glances out the passenger window and catches Darius Morgan’s equally-annoyed gaze. Seriously? the man seems to be asking, an unimpressed look crossed over his face as he eyes you through the car window. I don’t fucking know, Marius’s gaze says back, and he shakes his head the slightest as he starts the car.

“What’s your address?” he asks, interrupting your apologies. Propriety should make him feel somewhat embarrassed over the way he's acting,  but he can’t bring himself to be even a little polite right now.

“It’s by the Harbor. Um, if you go straight on Main Street and turn right at the—”

“Forget it,” Marius interrupts you. He taps the small car screen on his right, opening up the GPS interface. “Just type it in. I’ll drop you off.”

Your face falls at his irate voice, but you wisely don't comment on it, instead typing in your address as he asked. He watches you cautiously the whole time, for once not caring about the performance anxiety his gaze naturally brings to everyone he looks at. To your merit, you don't mess up anymore than you already have, deft fingers moving with the preciseness he’s used to seeing from you, but the skill can hardly impress him after you called him to pick you up from here, of all places. As the GPS routing sequence activates, Marius lets out an annoyed huff. This is not where he wanted to be right now.

Then, the car hums to life as he presses down on the accelerator, and he’s speeding in the direction of your home, trying to abandon his anger with the jailhouse the two of you are leaving.

I should be at home right now, he thinks as he moves onto the highway. He thinks about how long it had taken for him to coordinate this night off from Vyn’s tutoring sessions, Pax’s board meetings, his schoolwork, and the NXX’s meetings. I should be sleeping, or painting, or calling Rosa, or—

“Fuck,” he mutters when traffic begins to slow down. 

He’s in a traffic jam.

So much for sleeping. And painting. And calling Rosa. 

He clicks his tongue in annoyance, both at you and the cars around him. Why are there so many people on the road at—Marius glances at the car’s dashboard—2:38 in the morning? Why did the GPS's projected time to get to your home just double? Why is the universe out to get him today, on the one night Marius thought he could catch a break?

“Okay,” he seethes, drumming his fingers on the wheel as the traffic around him grows impossible slower. He doesn’t look at you as he speaks. “We’re going to talk about how inappropriate this was.”

“I—I’m really sorry, Sir, I—”

“I’m not asking for an apology.” Maybe he is, actually. Marius is too pissed to be sure. “What I want to know is why you thought it was okay to call me, of all people.”

He keeps his glare fixated on the road, knowing that if he shoots you with the same thunderous look he uses to fire people, you’ll probably be too terrified to speak. Still, when you finally start talking, he can sense the fear in your voice.

His grip on the steering wheel softens the slightest.

“I, ah, initially was planning on calling Mr. Vincent. But he—”

“Really?” Marius snaps. “You’re his assistant, right?” Marius thinks back to all the times he stalked into Pax Headquarters only to see Vincent there with his morning coffee in hand and you, always three feet behind, holding Vincent’s work files. The Board of Directors criticized Marius for allowing his assistant to have an assistant, but never did he imagine you to be so…

Incompetent, he wants to say. Foolish might be a better word for it, though.

“Ah, yes. His administrative assistant.”

“And you want me to believe,” Marius huffs, “That the first person you wanted to call to bail you out of jail was the man you’re an administrative assistant to?”

Traffic gets ever slower, and Marius’s car rolls to a complete stop.

“Yes,” you whisper, and you start wringing your fingers in a manner so sheepish that Marius almost wants to believe you. Almost. “I, ah, was going to call him first. But then I remembered that his vacation started last night and that he’s already left Stellis. So I figured that if I called him, he’d just call you, so I…”

He wouldn’t call me, Marius thinks. Vincent is smart enough to find someone else to pick you up from jail. Regular people don’t ask these kinds of favors from their boss. Especially not from their boss's boss.

“Do you know that people usually ask their friends for these things?” Marius asks. Some of his anger seeps away when he realizes how apologetic you actually are, and he moves forward in traffic the slightest. “Or family, perhaps. What you did was…” Marius tries to find a kinder word than completely inappropriate. “Was highly unusual.” He sighs. “Why didn’t you ask someone else?”

He stares at you through the corner of his eye. You’re pursing your lips, holding back tears. Again, his gaze softens.

“I don't have anyone else,” you whisper.

Marius thinks it’s strange for you to imply that you even have him, especially when he’s nothing more to you than a high-level corporate executive, one that you’ve never spoken directly to in your entire life, but he doesn’t press you any further.

Releasing the final remnants of his anger in a soft sigh, he switches lanes and decides to pull into the nearest exit.

“Darius said you were in that cell since yesterday afternoon. You haven’t had dinner yet, right?”

“No, but…”

“This traffic isn’t going anywhere. We may as well get you something to eat.”

He exits easily, pulling into a district of Stellis that he’s never been in before, and ignores your quiet sniffle. 

“Thank you,” you whisper.

Earlier, he was ignoring you out of spite. Now, he doesn’t respond because he wants to preserve your dignity.

As he focuses his attention on the district he's pulled to, ignoring the GPS which vehemently opposes everything he's doing, Marius realizes that he's pulled into a rather poor sector of Stellis. It’s filled with unhealthy fast food joints, late-night drunkards, and a bunch of loiterers who are eyeing his high-end car suspiciously.

After driving around and surveying the options, Marius sighs. 

“The only places open are these fast-food restaurants,” he says, cleanly leaving out the option of getting food from a club or anywhere else a tabloid might be able to snap a picture. “Are you okay with that?”

“Yeah!” you chirp, and Marius finds that your smile is oddly sweet. “Ah, would you be okay with that one over there? I go there a lot, and their food is...better than other fast food places.” 

Marius squints at you for a moment. He tries to recall your salary, and when he fails, he thinks of Vincent’s. Surely, you make a similar wage? You shouldn’t need to frequent fast-food restaurants like this, right?

Shaking his head, he decides not to ask about it. Things like where you eat are your business, not his, and it’s not his place to question you on your personal decisions.

He pulls up to the drive-through, somewhat relieved to find that the dine-in option isn’t even available at this hour, and lets you order whatever you want. You end up taking a meager meal, one that Marius doubts will actually fill your stomach when he can hear it growling so loudly, so when you turn to him and ask what he’ll get, he orders some fries in hopes that he can hand them off to you in case you’re still hungry. 

Minutes later, the two of you are parked on the side of the road with your respective meals in your laps. Only once you’ve finished (and after Marius is starting to pawn his fries off to you, finding that they’re rather unappealing to his pallette) does he think it’s appropriate to actually breach the subject of why you were tossed in jail.

“So,” he drawls, listening to the cool hum of the air conditioner. “Drugs, huh?”

He hears you choke on a fry.

“Th-they weren’t mine!” you blurt. “Honest, Sir, they—”

“Relax,” he says, eyes flitting down. “I’m not going to have you fired over this. Vincent wouldn’t want that. If anything, the court will decide.”

You relax a little at that, but Marius can sense that you’re still on edge.

“I...appreciate that a lot, Sir. But, really, the drugs weren’t mine. I—I’m sure there’s video evidence to prove that. I was just coming home from work when a kid told me to hold onto this bag, and—”

Marius lifts an eyebrow. He may be out of touch with the realities of the common class, but even he knows how ridiculous your story is.

“I didn’t take it, though! He handed it to me and I put it on the ground! But...but an officer saw me put it on the ground and assumed it was mine...and then...you know what happened.”

Marius sighs. You've always been a good, low-profile worker. He has no reason to believe that you'd get involved with anything bad: but he can't help but doubt you. When he next speaks, his voice is laced with hesitance. “Is there anything to prove your innocence? Pax can help get you a good lawyer, but without evidence, it’ll—”

“There is!” Your eyes are too determined to be anything other than sincere. “Or, ah, there should be. It happened right outside my apartment. I’m sure someone there has surveillance footage of what happened.”

Marius ignores the quiet “hopefully” you add to the end of that. 

“Alright,” he says, deciding that it’s not his place to decide whether or not he believes your story. “Tell me how you got my private number, then. Pax employees shouldn’t have access to that information.”

“Oh, ah…”

Your gaze turns sheepish. Marius grows even more interested in your response.

“Mr. Vincent had it written down a couple months ago. I accidentally saw it. I tried to forget, but…”

You seem to be kicking yourself over the blunder, but Marius is impressed. A mind that can remember something months after having seen it only once is a valuable thing, he thinks. It’s a waste for someone with your brain to be working as a mere assistant’s assistant.

“I’m really—”

“It’s okay,” Marius says. “You don’t need to apologize. I’m...not mad at you.”

And somehow, he really isn’t angry anymore.

The two of you finish your meal soon enough, Marius having successfully pressed his fries into your hands. It seems that you really are hungry because you down those in a manner of minutes, and the man almost regrets not having ordered more when he hears your stomach still grumbling beneath the hum of the car as he returns to the highway.

As Marius lets the GPS guide him back onto Stellis’s most frequented roads, he’s pleasantly surprised to find that all traffic is gone. He speeds down the road with a renewed vigor, somehow sidestepping the usual sleepiness that overcomes him during these kinds of drives with your idle commentary of the road, little mentions of “I once saw a turtle here” and “there used to be four lanes here, but they changed it to five” and “this mile-post had the wrong number on it for years before I reported it and highway patrol got it changed.”

If anything, there’s a faint smile on his face when he finally pulls off the freeway, almost amused by your quiet chit-chat. 

“Is this the right neighborhood?” Marius asks as he pulls into one of Stellis’s residential districts. 

“Yeah, it’s just a little further down.” You gather your purse in your lap and thank Marius for the umpteenth time.

“It's okay,” he says, slowing down. The apartments are looking poorer, now, dingier, but he tries not to let that show on his face. “Is it here?”

“Right at the end of the street,” you say, and with only a mildly concerned look on his face, Marius drives you further down the road.

His eyebrows furrow as he realizes what kind of neighborhood you live in, and he wonders if your wage truly is so poor that you have to live here, of all places. The apartment complexes here are unrenovated, a disappointing amount of them sporting broken glass or graffiti on them. Litter covers the grounds, and even in the thick, 3-AM darkness, Marius can make out hundreds of beer cans scattered across the lawns. Bushes are either dying or overgrown, and there are cigarette butts everywhere. 

Marius realizes that between his suit, his car, and his three earrings, he might have more money on him than everyone who lives here combined.

“Which...which of these apartments is yours?”

He looks around warily, quietly hoping that you’ll say it’s none of them.

“Ah, it’s the first window on the second floor of that…” you trail off as your pointer finger lands on an apartment where all lights are lit—and three masked figures stand illuminated, clearly ransacking your house.

“Oh my god,” Marius blurts, already getting his phone out. “You’re getting robbed, what the—”

“No, no!” You’re quick to place a hand on Marius’s arm before he can dial Emergency Services. “Those are, ah, just the neighborhood boys. They...they do bad things, but they’re good kids. Don’t worry. I’ll chase them out in no time, you don’t have to—”

“Are you serious?” Marius asks, dumbfounded. “This—how can you go back to a home like that? You could die, or—or—”

“Sir,” you say, looking him in the eyes with more seriousness than he’s seen from you this entire night. “With all due respect, this is the best I can afford.”

Marius falls silent at that.

You open the door silently, casting your eyes down. “Thank you again for everything,” you murmur. “I...I really appreciate it. I’ll do my best to make sure it never happens again.”

But then, Marius thinks about the weak story you gave to him earlier, where you claimed that someone handed you drugs and then left you with them, and he wonders whether it might have actually been true. Whether this neighborhood, with its burglars and alcoholism and litter, could actually present you with that reality. Whether something like that may happen again to you, or, worse, Marius thinks as he glances back into your apartment at the three masked robbers, if you could actually get hurt.

Against all better judgment, his arm snaps out. He grips your wrist instantly, not thinking about propriety or class divisions or economic status or anything other than you, one of his company’s employees, and your safety.

“Don’t go there,” he blurts. When he realizes that you’re not tearing your arm free of him, he speaks again. “At least, not while they’re there. I’ll come back here with you tomorrow to make sure you can return in a safe environment, and—”

“Sir, I can’t just get a hotel or—”

“I have two guest bedrooms. You can take your pick. Just—ah—” Marius glances out the window at the poor neighborhood you live in, and he winces. “I can’t let you go home to this. Not...not while there are robbers in your house. Please understand.”

“This...this kind of problem doesn’t just go away,” you mumble, but Marius relaxes when he sees your grip on the door loosen. “And besides, it really wouldn’t be appropriate for me to stay in your apartment.”

“Most people wouldn’t call it appropriate to call your company’s CEO to bail you out of jail,” Marius jokes, but the humor of it is lost on you.

“I…”

Your face falls.

“A—that was a joke,” Marius stutters. “I was joking.”

“Right.”

The atmosphere of the car goes awkward, made even worse by the GPS’s automated reminder that your destination is on the left, but the more Marius looks out his window, the more he decides that he can’t possibly let you return to this apartment. He’ll give you a raise if he has to, but this is something no one should be subject to.

“Alright,” you finally relent after Marius makes it clear that he won’t speak unless it’s to plead with you more. “Just for one night.”

“Just for one night,” Marius agrees, already planning how he can make sure that you have a better home to return to than this one for all future nights to come.

[doveprose]

Pax gives her a look of bewilderment at the suggestion, mainly because he is incredibly aware of how risky such a task is for a short ass like her to undertake on her own, without help. But it is without doubt that he will at the very least grasp the ladder very firmly in order for her to avoid breaking her neck.

The idea is for her to go up onto the roof to drape some lights, given the festive season and the merry mood that’s in the air. Even as he opens his mouth to deter her from doing so, she reminds him of the times she watched her father do the same during those many wonderful childhood years spent just with him.

' You do know this is perfectly insane, right? ' he quizzes as his brows seem to rise steadily as she grabs the box of lights just across the room. ' And by insane I mean what the hell do you think you’re even doing, ' he goes on, following behind her.

' Oh, psh.. I could do this blindfolded if I was so inclined, ' she brushes off his concern almost immediately, but in the pit of her stomach there is a small swelling of concern for herself as well as her well being should she accidentally slip.

Keeping up with her as she makes her way out of the door and over to the ladder already waiting securely against the side of the house, he winces. The thought of anyone, even people who were professionally trained to do so, climbing onto a roof blindfolded and attempting to hang lights, made him feel all kinds of sickly. He had watched videos of people doing these sorts of things as a challenge, to see whether or not they would fail, and almost everytime, they did and were injured.

His worry over her and his determination toward preventing her from breaking a bone made him step inbetween her and the terrifying ladder situation she had set up ready to go. His hands found his hips and he gave a quick pop to one side and stared openly at her, almost expecting her to read his mind. It seemed to work, but not in his favour, as she spoke up.

' The only thing you’re doing right now is slowing me down, cowboy, ' she reprimands, though a chuckle lingers behind her words and soon flies out as she shoves him out of the way and places her foot onto the first step, feeling the ladder wobble. ' On second thought, why don’t you hold it for me. '

' I mean, duh.. what did you think I was gonna do, just stand here and watch you fall to your death? That ain’t me, honey, ' his sass almost smacks her in the face with how quick he was and how sarcastic.

Helene continued taking each step with care, the lights now in a loop and over one shoulder to prevent her having to carry up the entire box, which surely would see him correct because it would certainly cause a tumble.

Pax was holding on to those ladders with a death grip, she noticed, as it wasn’t moving at all now and any fears she did have were now dissipating. Each breath that left her was more a sigh of relief until she reached the roof and had to work out how to actually get on it.

' I didn’t think this through, ' she calls down to him, scrambling to get onto the roof and trying to wedge her shoes between the tiles to avoid slipping and breaking her spine.

' Damn right you didn’t, how are you planning on getting those lights to stay up there, Hel? ' he raises his voice just enough so she can hear him well and shakes his head as he laughs. ' You should wait for your old man to come around and do it for you cause you’re cruisin’ for a bruisin’ right now, ' he adds.

Helene lets out a huff of frustration as a pout rests on her face and she grunts, trying to watch her footing so she can find her way back onto the top step of the ladder without sliding. Right as she does this, however, her foot slips two steps lower until she goes flying down the rest of it with a yelp. Pax is there to catch her as soon as she is within reach, though, reaching his arms out to pull her safely against him as they land.

There is a thump as he hits the ground first, softened only a little by the lush grass she had yet to cut, for which he couldn’t be more thankful in that moment. A groan of pain leaves his mouth but he soon follows it up with laughter at her situation, squeezing her in his arms as she had landed on him when she fell. She is scowling and tangled in the lights she brought down with her at the audacity he has in finding it so funny.

' I could just get you to do it, ' she pipes up suddenly, a look of wonder filling her expression as she looks up at him, climbing off and offering her hand to help him up. ' My daddy is too old for this sort of thing now, Pax. '

' Yea.. not happening, princess, ' be chuckles, rubbing a spot on his back which had hit the ground first and no doubt had bruised on impact. ' I’ll see if my dad knows anyone at the hotel who wouldn’t mind a quick half hour job for a few quid, ' he offers, smiling brightly at the fact neither had to do it.

' That works, too, ' she returns his warmth and genuine want to help with a squeeze and a peck on the cheek. ' I’m sorry, by the way.. we should get you a bag of frozen peas for your back before you swell up, ' she winces as he follows her back into the house and toward the kitchen.

Paxton watches as she takes a bag from the freezer and then he wanders through to the living room, plonking himself down stomach first onto the sofa as though he belonged there. He did spend quite a lot of time at Hel’s place these days, but for him to laze about on her furniture like this, you would think the property was his own.

Coming in seconds later, she scolds him for just plopping himself wherever he deemed fit, but did walk over to place the bag of peas wrapped in a towel on the tender area of his lower back to help ease up the ache that was there.

' So, you decide you wanna hang lights from the roof and I’m the one who ends up minutes from an urgent trip to A&E.. ' he laughs as he says this, but there is so much truth in that.

' Just because I make a habit of doing these things does not mean you get to turn it into dramatics, ' she shares in that amusement for a moment, then laughs much louder at the thoughts floating through her head. ' Do you know.. this is a thing we seem to be very familiar with in our friendship. '

' Hey, just cause I knocked you out cold when we met doesn’t mean you should assume out friendship is a death trap, ' his serious tone causes her to glance his way, but she soon finds him holding off on bursting into fits of giggles.

[ireadyabooks]

Books to Read in 2021

It’s a NEW YEAR, everyone! 

We made it through 2020, and whether or not you hit your reading goal this past year, don’t worry! 2021 is a new year for your TBR, and we have an AMAZING line-up of books you should add to your reading list ASAP.

THE LIFE I’M IN 

This story of the power of forgiveness and second chances presents the unflinching story of a young woman trapped in the underworld of human trafficking. In Sharon G. Flake's latest and unflinching novel, we follow Charlese Jones, who, with her raw, blistering voice speaks the truths many girls face, offering insight to some of the causes and conditions that make a bully. Turned out of the only home she has known, Char boards a bus to nowhere where she is lured into the dangerous web of human trafficking.

HOLD BACK THE TIDE

A darkly seductive story of murder, betrayal, love, and family secrets in a small town in the Scottish Highlands. Alva knows that her father killed her mother, but she can’t prove it. The more she investigates though, the more she realizes that the truth can be more monstrous than lies/ And while you might be able to outrun anything that emerges from the dark water, you can never escape your past . . .

MUTED 

Denver is more than ready on the day she and her best friends Dali and Shak sing their way into the orbit of the biggest R&B star in the world, Sean "Mercury" Ellis. Merc gives them everything: parties, perks, wild nights -- plus hours and hours in the recording studio. Even the painful sacrifices and the lies the girls have to tell are all worth it. Until they're not. Denver begins to realize that she's trapped in Merc's world, struggling to hold on to her own voice. As the dream turns into a nightmare, she must make a choice: lose her big break, or get broken.

THE POETRY OF SECRETS

A lyrical portrait of hidden identities and forbidden love set against the harrowing backdrop of the Spanish Inquisition. Isabel’s dreams to pursue poetry and a partner of her own choosing are thrown into jeopardy when the Spanish Inquisition reaches her small town. 

SHURI #2: THE VANISHED 

Shuri, the Princess of Wakanda (and sister to the Black Panther), sets out to save a group of kidnapped girls in this all-new, original novel by New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone!

BRIDGE OF SOULS

Where there are ghosts, Cassidy Blake follows . . .unless it's the other way around? Cass thinks she might have this ghost-hunting thing down. But nothing can prepare Cass for New Orleans, which wears all of its hauntings on its sleeve. And the city's biggest surprise is a foe Cass never expected to face: a servant of Death itself.

FOLLOW YOUR ARROW

When bisexual influencer CeCe breaks up with her girlfriend, Silvie, she’s devastated. But then she starts falling for a new guy who has no idea she’s internet famous...and CeCe wants to keep it that way. But as her secrets catch up to her, she finds herself in the middle of an online storm, where she'll have to confront the blurriness of public vs. private life, and figure out what it really means to speak her truth.   

MIRROR’S EDGE

The danger rises and the deception grows in the heart-stopping third book in the New York Times bestselling Impostors series! Are twins Frey and Rafi on the same side . . . or are they playing to their own agendas? If their father is deposed from Shreve, who will take control? And what other forces may be waiting in the wings?

ZARA HOSSAIN IS HERE

Zara's family has waited years for their visa process to be finalized so that they can officially become US citizens. While dealing with the Islamophobia that she faces at school, Zara has to lay low. But when her tormentor vandalizes her house with racist graffiti, a violent crime puts Zara’s entire future at risk. Now she must pay the ultimate price and choose between fighting to stay in the only place she's ever called home or losing the life she loves and everyone in it.

REMEDY

It's a mystery - why is Cara so sick? It feels like she's been sick all her life . . . but she and her mom have never stayed in one place long enough for doctors to really understand what's happening to her. Now, at fourteen, Cara is tired of being tired, and sick of being sick. Unable to afford the care she needs, Cara's mom starts a Caring for Cara campaign online. The money starts pouring in. But something's not right to Cara. And the harder she looks, the less she understands.

HEARTSTOPPER VOLUME 3

The third volume in the poignant and sweet Heartstopper series, featuring beautiful two-color artwork! Charlie didn't think Nick could ever like him back, but now they're officially boyfriends. Nick has even found the courage to come out to his mom. But coming out isn't something that happens just once, and Nick and Charlie try to figure out when to tell their friends that they're dating. Not being out to their classmates gets even harder during a school trip to Paris. As Nick and Charlie's feelings get more serious, they'll need each other more than ever.

THE BLOCK

In the second book of The Loop trilogy, Luka is trapped in a fate worse than death. But now that he knows the truth about what he and his fellow inmates are being used for, it's more important than ever that he not only escapes, but that he builds an army.

ON THE HOOK

Hector has always minded his own business while he works towards a better life. Until Joey, whose older brother, Chavo, is head of the Discípulos gang, tells Hector that he's going to kill him: maybe not today, or tomorrow, but someday. And Hector, frozen with fear, does nothing. From that day forward, Hector's death is hanging over his head every time he leaves the house. But when a fight between Chavo and Hector's brother escalates, Hector is left with no choice but to take a stand. It's up to Hector to choose whether he's going to lose himself to revenge or get back to the hard work of living.

MISTER IMPOSSIBLE

Do the dreamers need the ley lines to save the world . . . or will their actions end up dooming the world? As Ronan, Hennessy, and Bryde try to make dreamers more powerful, the Moderators are closing in, sure that this power will bring about disaster. In the remarkable second book of The Dreamer Trilogy, Maggie Stiefvater pushes her characters to their limits – and shows what happens to them and others when they start to break.

THE GHOSTS WE KEEP 

Everything happens for a reason.At least that's what everyone keeps telling Liam Cooper after his older brother Ethan is killed suddenly in a hit-and-run. Feeling more alone and isolated than ever, Liam has to not only learn to face the world without one of the people he loved the most, but also face the fading relationships of his two best friends in the process. Soon, Liam finds themself spending time with Ethan's best friend, Marcus, who might just be the only person that seems to know exactly what they're going through - for better and for worse.

SIMONE BREAKS ALL THE RULES

Simone is shaking things up by making a bucket list of everything she hasn’t been able to do thanks to her strict Haitian immigrant parents. But as the list takes on a life of its own, things get much more complicated than Simone expected. She'll have to discover which rules are worth breaking, and which might save her from heartbreak.

SPEAK FOR YOURSELF

Skylar is ready to show everyone that her latest app is brilliant by winning an academic competition. To do that, she's going to use it to win State at the Scholastic Exposition, the nerdiest academic competition around. But when she falls for one of her team members and things get complicated, is her path to greatness over before it begins?

THE GIRL FROM THE SEA

A graphic novel about family, romance, and first love! Morgan's biggest secret is that she has a lot of secrets, including the one about wanting to kiss another girl. Then one night, Morgan is saved from drowning by a mysterious girl named Keltie. The two become friends and suddenly life on the island doesn't seem so stifling anymore. But Keltie has some secrets of her own. And as the girls start to fall in love, everything they're each trying to hide will find its way to the surface...whether Morgan is ready or not.

RISE TO THE SUN

Three days. Two girls. One life-changing music festival. Toni is reeling in the wake of the loss of her roadie father and desperate to figure out where her life will go from here. Olivia is a hopeless romantic whose heart has just taken a beating (again). When the two collide at the Farmland Music and Arts Festival, it feels like kismet. But when something goes wrong and the festival is sent into a panic, Toni and Olivia find that they need each other, and the music, more than they ever imagined.

YOU & ME AT THE END OF THE WORLD

Hannah Ashton wakes up to silence. The entire city around her is empty, except for one other person: Leo Sterling. Leo might be the hottest boy ever (and not just because he's the only one left), but he's also too charming, too selfish, and too devastating for his own good, let alone Hannah's. Together, they search for answers amid crushing isolation. But while their empty world may appear harmless . . . it's not. Because nothing is quite as it seems, and if Hannah and Leo don't figure out what's going on, they might just be torn apart forever.

IN THE SAME BOAT 

Sadie is ready for the race of a lifetime: The Texas River Odyssey. But then her brother ditches her and she has to pair up with her former best friend, Cully. It's irritating enough that he grew up to be so attractive, but once they're on the river it turns out he's ill-prepared for such a dangerous race. But as the miles pass, the pain of the race builds, they uncover the truth about their feuding families, and Sadie's feelings for Cully begin to shift. Could this race change her life more than she ever could have imagined?

THE GREAT DESTROYERS 

In this alternate-history novel, Jo joins the Pax Games: an Olympics-style competition that pits pilots of mechas against each other. But when fighters start dying in the arena, Jo is drawn into a deadly political plot. In a global arms race between superpowers, playing out in violent games that only humanity could create, comes a chilling story of clashing titans, ruthless competition, freedom, and the girl caught in the middle of it all.

[dancingdanvers]

“True, but they play on this YouTube show I put on for him sometimes and I’ve seen him doing the booty wiggle to it, it’s cause for concern.” The blonde laughed, sure that once he held the power to communicate his wants with more nuance he’d let his appreciation for the song be shown. “We haven’t started on Cocomelon yet but he’s a very big fan of Miss Rachel, sometimes her videos are the only thing that can calm him down from a tantrum.” 

Carrie just hummed under her breath at Liza’s mention of how she knew most people and most people knew her, Carrie could never. The idea of not being able to become invisible at will was a pretty horrific one in her eyes. Then again it was a small town so lineage ignored it wasn’t hard to know who most people around were at least on a basic level unless they like herself made a conscious effort to remain anonymous to many. She swallowed at the mention of being ditched but couldn’t’ argue, she had ditched Eliza, just like she’d ditched Tom, and Pax, and many others she loved with all her heart. Scratching her eyebrow she winced, trying to find the words to best communicate her reasoning but knowing whatever she came up with wouldn’t be correct, it never seemed to be ever since she got back. “I didn’t know what to say, how to explain, I was humiliated with my own actions so I thought I didn’t deserve anything other than to remove myself from the lives of the people I loved so the consequences of my actions didn’t become their burden to bare.” It had felt like the right option at the time, the only option, but now it just felt idiotic. “If I’d said goodbye you’d have asked me where I was going, and why, and I didn’t have an answer.” 

"At least he's young enough to have missed that baby shark phase a few years ago. My niece was obsessed. That and Cocomelon was on nonstop for ages." Liza laughed at the memory, shaking her head fondly. At least now Sunny was into Disney movies, which Liza was all too happy to watch with her.

"I mean, I do know most people--and likewise, most people know me..." It didn't help that one of the main streets in town literally had her family's name. "But I guess I'll have to seek out this Gavin guy." Liza shrugged as she said it, but as Carrie continued to speak, Liza's little smile faded. "At least I wasn't the only one who ditched then." The words came out of her before she could stop them, a kneejerk response that she admittedly immediately regretted (while simultaneously a small part of her didn't care at all that she let it slip) and she let out a breath, looking down and shaking her head. She figured if she didn't ask it now...she maybe never would. "Why did you leave? Why didn't you even say goodbye?"

[garciaasfluffypen]

all my current writing- updated august 5, 2021

**this post includes WIPs and estimated releases!  

-- criminal minds --

AURORA - wattpad / a03 

After joining the BAU and becoming close friends with JJ, Y/N finds herself falling for her closest and best friend, all while trying to deal with a personal issue that's causing more trouble than she wanted it to cause.

WARNINGS: SMUT, DESCRIPTIONS OF CRIME SCENES, MURDER, SEXUAL ASSAULT, ABUSE.

BOREALIS - wattpad / a03

SEQUEL TO AURORA. 

"I'm scared." I admitted, my voice turning quiet. "I don't know how to be a mom." "I'll be here every step of the way. I promise." JJ tilted my chin so I was looking at her. "You are nothing like your mother. You are strong, independent, smart and witty. You have everything in you to be a better mother than yours was." "You think so?" "I know so."or, the one where y/n finds herself with a child.

WARNINGS: SMUT, DESCRIPTIONS OF CRIME SCENES, MURDER.

THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL - wattpad / a03

There was no way this was happening. This couldn't be happening. I was just having a bad dream, right? I was going to wake up in my bed with my alarm going off, and this would all just be the first day of the semester jitters. That had to be what was happening. I pinched myself, making sure that I was dreaming.

I wasn't dreaming.

METANOIA (CM X HP AU) - WIP. ESTIMATED RELEASE: SPRING/SUMMER 2022

"a slytherin shouldn't be with someone like you"

jennifer never thought she would hear those words come out of anyone’s mouth. she stood there, shocked.

“you should be ashamed of yourself.”

or, the one in which the gryffindor falls in love with the slytherin.

-- marvel --

CUPIDS CHOKEHOLD - WIP. ESTIMATED RELEASE 2022

when wanda joined the avengers, she had no clue that she would ever find any happiness. she just lost her brother, her home and had nobody left.

until she met kassidy

kassidy stark is full of spunk and sass, and does most things out of spite. taking after her father, she knows how to press people’s buttons and get her way. but the one person she can’t do it with is wanda.

what happens when the two avengers realize they’ve got more in common than they think?

-- youtuber --

BACKFLIP BOY (crankgamesplays) - wattpad

y/n fishbach moved in with mark in an effort to save money after moving to LA. after becoming known on mark’s channel as the more loved fishbach, she decided to stay and learn the ropes of youtube, creating her own channel and gaining her own followers. at pax, she meets a young man by the name of ethan nestor. what happens when the back flip boy becomes more than just that?

[thanksjro]

Robots in Disguise (2012), #1-22- A Recap, For Reference Purposes

Before we begin with “Dark Cybertron”, a lightning round style recap on the 22 issues that took place in the sister series to MTMTE, Robots in Disguise; just so we know what’s up with all the folks who didn’t hitch a ride on the Lost Light.

Here’s the Story So Far, since it’s been a minute.

Now for the nitty gritty.

Cybertron is a literal hellscape, as established in The Death of Optimus Prime, the very flora of the planet trying to murder anything that comes within a few miles of the surface. This has caused a massive economic slump in the tourist trap towns, who surely will not survive without the summertime revenue. Truly, life is cruel and not worth living.

Bumblebee narrates, as we show off all the weirdoes who live on Cybertron now. Bumblebee tries to greet a new batch of arrivals, as Metalhawk actively attempts to make him look like Satan incarnate, because all the NAILs have gone full ACAB at this point.

A robot who looks like he’s wearing a beanie commits vandalism and is then subjected to violence via Decepti-cop.

This is more or less the flavor for RID as a whole. You have been warned.

Prowl breaks someone’s hand just because he can. Blurr is made to arrest someone for disturbing the peace, even though he’s, like, basically the only guy on the Autobots who isn’t a cop. Bumblebee doesn’t believe in democracy.

Ratbat is the leader of the Decepticons, even though Soundwave is right friggin’ there. We establish that the military state is in full swing. Prowl commits a microaggression against a Senator. Ratbat gets pissy about his guys going out to beat people up, not because it violates his moral sensibilities, but because it benefits the Autobots.

Probably that you’re killing people by remote control, in as horrified a tone as he could manage, because that’s FUCKING EVIL. Seems pretty straightforward to me.

Prowl says to cancel the memorial for the Lost Light, because he thinks the Decepticons are up to something. Which they are.

Everyone hates the Autobots. Like, everyone.

Ironhide runs away from a murderous hedge and smashes into a wall. Prowl has a talk with a mysterious individual about his feelings during a romantic sunset.

Metalhawk releases hat guy from prison. He and Bumblebee have a little chat, during which he tries to gaslight the little guy. Bumblebee explodes Horri-Bull’s head in front of at least 30 people.

Except he actually didn’t, because the chips don’t actually work. T’was a ruse! Starscream enters the narrative. Ratbat used to be an actual person and not just a bat. Sideswipe wants to shoot someone. Bumblebee tasers a man unprovoked; guess he’s picked up a little paranoia from that time he got shot.

Starscream calls Prowl ugly, then spills the beans on Ratbat’s plan to kill Bumblebee at the memorial, solely because he thinks Ratbat is an idiot. Needlenose and Skywarp beat up a NAIL to work through their emotions.

Bumblebee shows a snuff film to hundreds of people at the memorial. Skywarp tries to frame a NAIL for murder, but Prowl says nuts to that idea, through the power of dramatic irony.

Long Haul tells a fib. Bumblebee and Metalhawk agree to work together. Ratbat gets turned into chunky salsa by Arcee, who will use the excuse of self-defense if questioned. Starscream pulls some fucking bullshit and third-wheels the agreement between Bumblebee and Metalhawk.

Ratbat’s death is played off as a suicide. Blurr is still a cop. Starscream is helpful. There’s a guy who looks like a frog, and I don’t care for what his eyes are doing.

Frog guy explodes, because nature is a cruel mistress.

Wheeljack has a hell of a time trying to answer the phone in the middle of an economic debate. Prowl is paranoid. Starscream handles the housing crisis. Wheeljack visits the hospital and causes a scene. Another explosion happens, killing dozens, including this guy:

You will be missed, Tiddytron.

Wheeljack realizes that the moon is trying to kill everyone, so he shoots missiles at the problem. The Aerialbots fuck off into the wilderness.

The Decepticons get some perks now that Starscream’s a government employee. Starscream destroys the military state through the power of talking over people. Prowl and his cronies investigate a murder at the trash factory.

Bombshell is arrested for thought crime, and spills the beans on the I/D chips not working. Prowl has Dirge on a chain for some reason, and it ends up causing nothing but trouble. Blurr runs every red light in the city to make a citizen’s arrest, and gets his ass kicked by a bunch of construction workers. Prowl has a complex about Spike Witwicky.

Prowl fixes the I/D chip issue and things go poorly for the construction workers. Blurr gets upset about having his ass kicked by construction workers. Prowl is very paranoid, even as he has a borderline pinup panel devoted to his weird robot bellybutton and positively ridiculous cinched waist. I begin to worry about how much I’m learning about Andrew Griffith’s tastes.

The poetry shark shows up.

Arcee reveals a little bit about herself, and I shed a tear as I shake my fist in the general direction of England, cursing Simon Furman’s name.

Metalhawk brings Sky-Byte to a literal trashcan fire to meet his buddies, and they all rag on the Autobots for a while.

Ironhide goes joyriding and finds Sky-Byte Oh Yorick-ing a Sweep’s head. Turns out they have a history. Blurr reveals his dream to own a bar. Metalhawk brings up the fact that setting up a group of folks to have their heads explode if they step out of line is some dystopian bullshit.

Sky-Byte meets up with his old buddy Swindle, and gets the skinny on the bullshit that’s being pulled on this brand-new Cybertron. Everything goes to shit very quickly. Streetwise gets set on fire. Prowl needs to stop. Ironhide commits violence against the general populace, then advocates for the removal of the I/D chips.

Blurr opens a bar, and it’s dinosaur-friendly. Prowl commits property damage on a table, because he’s tablephobic. Ironhide reveals the future.

Shockwave sends an entire race of Big Birds to their frozen demise. Orion Friggin’ Pax comes back into the narrative, in the middle of his giant fuck-off-from-responsibility space adventure. Wheelie and Garnak are here, which is cool, I guess. Jhiaxus yells a bunch, and Orion decides to go to Big Bird planet.

It’s farkin’ cold in here.

Orion and Hardhead talk about Rodimus’ tumultuous relationship with death. Shockwave is the only person in the universe who understands quantum mechanics. Monstructor wakes up from his cryo-sleep. Wheelie and Garnak are grievously wounded, and the patch job seems less than medically sound, since we’ve just put a screw into Garnak’s orbital socket to hold his eye-patch in place. Orion walks into a trap, knowingly and willingly.

Wheeljack does some espionage, even though Mirage is right friggin’ there. Turmoil swings by Cybertron to say hello- the Decepticon, not the emotional state. Drift is outed as a war criminal- well, more so than originally thought. Turmoil has a time machine.

Sky-Byte and Jazz team up for slam poetry night. Blurr tells Metalhawk a story. Wheeljack’s espionage adventure goes poorly. Turmoil gets trapped in a hamster ball. Wheeljack and Metalhawk get trapped in a hamster ball.

The Dinobots and Ironhide go on a camping trip. Starscream craves democracy. Skylynx is a glorified taxi. Slag hasn’t changed his name yet, despite half of the people working for IDW being from the UK. Swoop breaks down IDW Phase Two to its bare essentials.

Prowl sits on someone’s desk, because he doesn’t respect tables. Slag’s face is on fire all the time, and it’s sort of distracting. Swindle bothers Shockwave. Ironhide is attacked by the Dinobots.

Bumblebee sits outside and has some Night Thoughts. Cybertron wants everyone to stick together, and God help you if you don’t. Bumblebee is beginning to develop a complex. Blurr is upset with himself. Ravage and the Reflectors go on an adventure. The time machine isn’t actually a time machine. The time machine disappears.

Ironhide finds the Aerialbots, who have been combinered by the horrors of new Cybertron. Everyone yells at Bumblebee.

We get a taste of Old World Cybertronian propaganda, where everyone talks in the third person, as is tradition. Starscream gets curvier every issue. Again, I begin to worry about how much I’m learning about Andrew Griffith’s tastes.

Blurr causes an explosion in the wilderness looking for Ironhide, much to Starscream’s delight. There is a Titan under the ground, and its very existence is making reality shit the bed. Tailgate’s lies in MTMTE are so extensive, red herrings have leaked into the sister series.

Nova Prime commissioned Monstructor, and Omega Supreme hated it so much he punched it in the face.

Starscream invites a bunch of friends over to see the Titan. Brainstorm is used as a scale for end-of-the-world scenarios. Starscream is revealed to be chosen by the gods.

The Reflectors visit a planet and shit gets weird very quickly. Wheelie is about to have a goddamned stress-induced aneurysm, not that Orion particularly cares. Time nonsense is established. Wheelie-speak becomes plot-relevant. Livio Ramondelli subjects me to his nightmares’ nightmares.

Starscream gets interviewed on national television. Starscream owns a hat that makes him look like a Gundam. Omega Supreme explodes. Metalhawk flip-flops between who he’s defending like a fish on the dock. Starscream yells at Shockwave for being an instigator. Prowl and Starscream make a deal.

Arcee stabs a cat in the throat. IDW settles the debate- at least for their own continuity- and says RIRFIB. Prowl takes a fireball to the face to convince people he’s on the up-and-up. Arcee is smarter than Starscream. This asshole shows back up.

Bumblebee really, really wants to kill Megatron, but politics demand he be taken in as a POW. The fellas construct a conspiracy theory. Starscream tries to lead his peers, but it goes poorly. Not a single medical professional of Cybertronian descent actually keeps track of their patients. Maccadam’s gets several light fixtures ruined by Arcee. Wheeljack gets called a tool. Prowl shows up in his hot new body, decked out with enough weaponry to annihilate a small country and a gun that’s as big as he is.

Starscream gives Megatron a piece of his mind. The Decepticons are rioting in the streets. Prowl shows Wheeljack his toys. Arcee plays her trump card. Bumblebee tries his hand at negotiation.

Bumblebee learns a valuable lesson about leadership. Politics are hell. Megatron is released from prison. Democracy finally gets its day. Megatron enters the Black Room with his whole ass hanging out. Pretty much every Decepticon you thought was dead isn’t actually dead.

Metalhawk gets a taste of how 24/7 news has ruined everything. Prowl is revealed to be the mastermind behind all the bullshit that’s been going on the last few months, and he’s been working with Megatron. Swindle gets run over by a train. Wheeljack’s head is turned into a memory by Prowl. The crazy-making signal out in the wilderness was made by Megatron. Megatron walks in in his hot new bod, carrying his old one like his new bride. And what a pretty bride it is.

We get a literal talking heads sequence explaining just how exactly Megatron survived the events of “Chaos” and why Combiners are the bees’ knees. Prowl isn’t Prowl, but actually being controlled by Bombshell.

Dang, wonder who could have caused that, CHROMEDOME.

Prowl is released from his mind-control, and immediately plays the blame game with Bumblebee. The Constructicons and Prowl have a thing going, and show it off, much to Bumblebee’s horror.

Circuit gets given Fixit’s dialogue for some reason, and I can’t tell if this was an issue on the art side or the script side. Devastator wrecks shop. Megatron laughs at Starscream for being a loser, then crushes Bumblebee’s head like a grape. Ironhide finally shows up to the party, and he brought a veggie platter.

Jazz tries to warn the medical staff about the Combiner coming their way, but no one ever listens to Jazz. Prowl has a crisis of self. Jazz breaks up the two-man act. Megatron let Bumblebee keep his cane, proving that even heartless monsters can respect the Disabilities Act.

Ironhide and the Dinobots save the day. Superion and Devestator get into a fistfight. Prowl reaffirms his complex over Spike Witwicky. Bumblebee says some halfway transphobic shit, and I shed a tear as I shake my fist in the general direction of England, cursing Simon Furman’s name. Arcee switches sides again and stabs Bombshell in the face. Prowl takes a nap. The tides turn.

Ironhide resists Frenzy’s sonic attack through the sheer power of gumption. Skywarp says fuck this and gets out of dodge. Devastator becomes a real boy. 

Bumblebee WILL kill Megatron. Arcee makes it weird. Ironhide helps Prowl figure out his life. Bumblebee never learns. Metalhawk saves his BFF, and gets his arm shot off for his troubles. Starscream uses Metalhawk’s fuck-you-level long arm to kill a man.

Swindle carries a dude twice his size to safety with one of his arms off. Needlenose gets his just desserts. Devastator rips off his head to escape his crippling self-doubt. The Constructicons are having a hell of a day.

You said it, Hook.

Wheeljack saves the day from beyond the grave, that clever man. Metalhawk is killed by politics. Hat Guy tries to fight Bumblebee, and gets mad that he doesn’t remember his name. They’ve spoken to each other maybe once.

Metalhawk is made into a playing chip by Starscream, and also a speech writer from beyond the pale. Starscream tells everyone to get naked or fuck off, then takes off his top. All the Autobots and Decepticons who don’t want to get naked fuck off into the wilderness.

The Dark Cybertron “Prelude" issues kick in.

Shockwave and Dreadwing fly through the photorealistic sky to get to where the Titan is.

Listen here you little shit-

Shockwave shoots Dreadwing to test a theory, because ethics are for nerds.

Back when Shockwave was a hot guy with feelings, Jhiaxus was dealing with the Monstructor thing, then fucked off into space. Shockwave took the opportunity to be better than his teacher in every way, as is tradition. Proteus threw a whole-ass person across the room, because classism. Shockwave revealed himself to be a budding ecoterrorist. Shockwave joined a terrorist organization to further his own goals. Orion Pax tried to appeal to Shockwave’s softer side. Megatron killed the Senate. Shockwave replaced his shitty claws with a gun. Shockwave shot Dai Atlas in the legs and can’t explain why.

Dreadwing comes back to life, thanks to the power of Shockwave’s 14th ore.

Bumblebee has the Big Sad about Starscream being King of Iacon. Arcee doesn’t know what emotional turmoil feels like. Metalhawk’s lifeless body lays in the sun for several hours. Prowl is propositioned by the Constructicons. Arcee tells Prowl’s darkest secret, and it kills Bumblebee. Swoop is having a great time.

Arcee knows about Bumblebee being Hasbro’s golden boy. Prowl uses his manners, but only when no one can hear him. Arcee and the Constructicons get into a fight, with more flaming swords getting involved than you might expect. Slag offers to buy Arcee a drink.

Bumblebee gets a hot new body. Arcee gives herself a stick-and-poke tattoo. In a few hours, the sun will rise.

Pal, you are way ahead of schedule.

Shockwave makes a dramatic entrance.

Waspinator tells a story about the time he killed a servant of God and met death. Orion and pals visit Gorlam Prime. The Dead Universe comes into the narrative again. Wheelie has his arm blown off to keep from getting disintegrated, but he shrugs it off, because life is always awful for Wheelie.

Waspinator gets chased through the desert by Monstructor. Orion Pax acts like a dumbass. A Titan is revealed. Monstructor rides on the time-travel ship like it’s a horsey. Waspinator controls a Titan and makes it teleport. Orion plays fourth-dimensional chess, and reveals that his personal ship is named after his best friend.

Starscream talks to a corpse. Blurr tells Starscream to fuck off. A very good boy enters the narrative. The paparazzi ruin Starscream’s attempt to get underlings to do what he wants. A literal rat enters the narrative.

Starscream talks to Megatron, and I genuinely don’t have the words to explain what exactly is going on with that guy. Starscream takes a gander into the very good boy’s toolbox. The very good boy lays it on thick. Starscream destroys a man’s reputation.

Starscream breaks into Rattrap’s apartment. Rattrap becomes a government employee. Starscream talks to Wheeljack, who isn’t dead.

Soundwave has a flashback to when the Decepticons surrendered after the Chaos event, confirming that Ratbat was universally hated. Soundwave has robo-synesthesia. Shockwave is the perfect Cybertronian- Soudwave hates him for it.

Shockwave calls his teacher. Ravage judges Soundwave. The Decepticons reminisce on the time they resorted to cannibalism. Soundwave thinks mourning is for dumb babies and tells everyone to shut up because he’s big man on campus now.

Nobody deserves it more than you, babe.

The infighting begins, because no Decepticon has the ability to be halfway decent to each other, and they won’t learn that skill for a good while. Needlenose throws Blitzwing across a field and admits to having feelings. Soundwave is abandoned by the Decepticon forces.

Soundwave talks to himself in the Crystal City, then gets his ass kicked by Dreadwing.

In the past, Shockwave calls Bombshell a loser and outdoes him.

Soundwave kills Dreadwing. Shockwave hides in the shadows like a weirdo. Soundwave is done trusting Shockwave. Soundwave grabs Shockwave by the boob and yells at him. Soundwave is a hopeful guy.

In the past, Soundwave stole Ratbat’s brain and put it in a cassette, proving that space-Communism only works on paper.

Soundwave punches Shockwave in the head. Shockwave assumes Soundwave is alone, despite knowing he can contain many small men inside him.

Shockwave explodes a cat. Soundwave fires missiles at Shockwave and hits him in the tit. Shockwave would fuck Microsoft Excel if he could. Frenzy is just happy to be here- no, I didn’t mix them up, the colorist did.

Ravage is a grown-ass man. Soundwave’s synesthesia used to be a lot worse. Shockwave sends Soundwave and pals home. The Titan and Waspinator show up.

Soundwave has a face. Ravage and all the other cassettes are emotional support animals, who are also fully sapient.

Shockwave’s gonna fuck everything up.

And THAT, dear children, is the entirety of Robots in Disguise, up to issue #22. We’re all caught up and ready.

[mythrilhusk]

Despite Everything - Chapter 4

NOT RPF (Ao3 Link) Words: 2,091 Last Chapter CW: violence

Feat. Relationship (only SFW): Niki/Puffy (Rainbow Arson)

Spirit Reference Key:  Niki Nihachu - Death  Captain Puffy - Fire  Jack - Light  Eret - Ice  Awesamdude - Dark  Foolish - Life 

On the eve of Puffy's birthday, Niki finds herself cuddled with her girlfriend on a beanbag sofa as Jack and Puffy's three other friends laugh and banter around her. She reaches for the cookies to dip in her chocolate milk. Puffy gulps down her own favorite drink, her ears already flushed red with tipsiness. 

Jack and Sam play a card game, taking shots every time they lose a round. The two other teammates Niki just met today, Foolish and Eret, dance around in the kitchen as they cook up dinner. 

Niki grabs a handful of popcorn and chews it thoughtfully. The others haven't pressured her to fight with them yet, but she's ready for the inevitable disappointment. She watches the card game, trying to keep her mind off of darker musings. 

Eret strides out into the living room, their bi-pride-flag cape swooshing behind them. "Dinner is ready, Captain." 

Captain Puffy grins and wobbles to her feet. "To the kitchen!" She crows. 

Jack groans good-naturedly. "Man, I was just about to win!" 

"No, you weren't." Sam retorts, shoving Jack's shoulder playfully. 

Niki follows Puffy to the kitchen, where Foolish has set up the dinner table with paper plates and plastic cups. "Thanks, Effy, my son." Puffy slurs her consonants slightly. 

Foolish smiles and waves a bashful hand. "No problem, Papa." 

Sam sits down beside Niki. She slouches in her seat uncomfortably as he smiles at her. He's been waffling for weeks between either unsubtly avoiding her and being overtly friendly. If she didn't already know that he's very monogamously in love with some other dude, she'd think he's crushing on her. But that can't be it, so Niki is confused in regards to his possible motives.

Eret serves everyone heaping piles of the noodles and stirfry. "Truly, a queen among humanity." Puffy giggles as she stuffs food in her mouth. 

Foolish laughs at Jack, who's formed a mustache out of his noodles. The banter is so normal, the scene so mundane, it brings an ache to Niki's heart. 

The heavy knock on the door shatters the illusion. 

Niki rises to answer, but the door swings open before she can peek out the peephole. "Why, hello." A gruff voice intones, two glittering eyes pinning Niki in place. "Mind if I come in?" 

"Who are you?" Niki crosses her arms, blocking the way of the shadow. 

"You may know me as Technoblade." The massive form ducks through the door and into the light, shedding the boiling shadows. Niki gasps and flinches back from the menacing figure. 

Technoblade adjusts the glasses resting on his muzzle, scratches his bristly neck, and widens his amused grin. Behind Niki, her friends have all stood up, tensing for battle. "Relax." Technoblade admonishes lightly, raising his claws. "I'm not here to kill any of you this time." 

"This time??" 

Technoblade laughs awkwardly. "Aha, don't let this scare you or anything, but I'm under oath to not harm any of you tonight." 

"What do you want??" Puffy snarls, yanking Niki behind herself protectively. 

"We would like you to join our anti-emperor coup d'etat as allies." His tusks glint as he bends his head to stare at them through his glasses. "Sam, you smell terrible." 

"Ha- what??" Sam clenches his fists. "Wanna say that again, big guy??" 

"Yeah, actually. You stink of guilt and lies." Technoblade shrugs. "Hey, that's none of my business though if y'all wanna associate with a traitor." 

"Out." Puffy growls, glaring up at Techno. "Get out." 

"Wait, wait, haha, I kinda have to secure this alliance. C'mon, Captain, what do you say?" 

"Fuck you." Puffy flips him off. "Leave." 

Technoblade shrugs. "K. Don't say I didn't warn you." He ducks out of the door again, once more shrouded in shadow.  

Puffy slams the door after him. "What the hell was that about?? How dare he come in here to, to try to tear us apart!" 

Niki steps back as Foolish and Jack join in Puffy's rage. She turns and meets Sam's eyes. He stares at her with broken desperation apparent in the welling tears. Eret offers Sam their hand. "You good, man?" 

Sam flinches. "I- I'm so sorry." 

The room goes unnaturally silent. Puffy breaks the quiet tension with a furious shriek, throwing up her arms and storming to the beanbag. She throws herself into the poof and muffles an angry scream. 

"What do you mean, Sam??" Foolish cries. "What are you sorry for, you've done nothing!! Right??" 

Sam drops his eyes with a heavy sigh. "I have prior loyalties that- I thought I wouldn't encounter him again, okay? I thought- I thought he was gone for good. But he's back. And I can't betray him again, or- or he'll kill all of you, and I can't let that happen!" 

Jack pats Sam's shoulder. "Hey, look, at least you had good motives." 

Niki leaves Jack and Eret to comfort Sam, and approaches Puffy, who kicks her feet on the floor, still making noises like a pissed off tea kettle. "Are you okay?" 

"No, I'm not okay!" Puffy snaps, going miserably limp in the poofy beanbag. "I can't even protect my own team." Tears well in her eyes. "I can't even protect my own fucking team!! Why the fuck did that goddamn bastard Technoblade notice before I did??" 

"I, I think he's still out on the balcony, Puffy." Niki hisses upon glancing out the window. 

"Damn him, of course he is." Puffy grumbles. "Please deal with him for me?" 

"Of course, babe." Niki impishly plants a kiss on Puffy's wrist, then leaps up. 

Upon opening the door, she scowls at the lurking Technoblade. "Fifty thousand a day." 

"Heh? That's a rather high price, what about-"

"This is not a negotiation." Niki smiles sweetly. "It's an ultimatum. We will be your allies in this coup if you pay each of us fifty thousand bullion credits a day." 

Technoblade huffs heavily. "Don't punt anyone, they said. Just barter, it'll be easy, they said... Damn Wilbur, he should've been here instead." 

"Take it or leave it." 

"Fine, I suppose that deal is okay, I guess." Technoblade grumbles. "We'll contact you when we want your assistance." 

"Deal." Niki slams the door closed on him once more.

Puffy giggles hysterically as Niki sits down beside her. "Niki, I can't believe you just extorted the Pax Triumvirs!" 

"Wait, what??" Niki shrieks furiously, leaping to her feet. "The what?? Didn't they beat up Sam??" 

"Yes, but- Niki, you good, babe?" 

Niki glares venomously at the window. "I am going to extort so much more when those bastards try to contact us again." 

Puffy guffaws. Niki glances back at her with a fond smile. In the kitchen, Foolish, Eret, and Jack try to comfort Sam with ideas on how to free him from whatever entity that's been threatening him. 

Nothing about this is normal, anymore. But Niki finds she doesn't mind so much. 

++++

Cloaked in the night, Badboyhalo trails Technoblade back to his base. The foolish Angel walks confidently, unaware of his stalker. Bad waits as Technoblade turns a corner. He sneaks around after waiting a moment. 

But Techno has disappeared. Bad huffs, annoyed that he has to use his meager strength to track the Angel. This was supposed to be a quick, easy mission. He closes his eyes and lets the darkness seep through him. 

Technoblade's form is a mere whisper tickling Bad's senses. Right behind him. Bad ducks; the blade of an axe whistles over his head. His daggers leap into his hands and he slashes for the Angel's arms. Feathers rustle, Bad's only warning before a heavy wing bowls him over. 

"Rude." Technoblade places a foot on Bad's chest, slowly increasing the pressure as Bad struggles to gasp for air. "Why are you followin' me?" 

"I, I was just, just passing throu-gck-!" Iron gravity wraps around his limbs, choking him. "Please-" Bad whimpers. 

"I asked a simple question." 

The pressure eases slightly, allowing Bad to gather his breath for an answer. "I- I just want to make sure they stay safe!" He cries. 

"Who? Nemesis?? They'll be fine. I ain't gonna kill them unless they try to cross us." 

"I know." Bad pleads. "I know, but the Lucid Spider is out and looking for revenge." 

Technoblade's eyes light up. He lifts his foot and yanks Bad to his feet. "The Lucid Spider, you say...?" 

"Yes! He's going to kill me if he finds me, but there's not time, I have to warn the Spirits." Bad brushes himself off. He glances up just in time to see Technoblade hiding a smirk. 

"Well, then. I've got some good news, then." 

"Oh? Really?" Bad perks up hopefully. 

Technoblade caresses the blade of his axe thoughtfully. "Good for me, that is. I'm not entirely sure how great it will work out for you, to be honest." 

"Oh-" Bad shrinks away. "Please don't?" 

"Alright. What'll I get if I let you go?" 

Bad thinks for a moment. He doesn't have riches, or anything really. "Uh, the satisfaction of doing the right thing?" 

"Heh." Technoblade laughs darkly. "I'm afraid that doesn't pay the bills. I can't have Quackity getting pissy cause I let a hostage go for having the moral high ground, now, can I..." He raises his axe. "You're comin' with me." 

Desperately, Bad kicks Technoblade in the gut. The Angel grabs his foot and twists, knocking Bad off balance. Bad shrieks as the axe slams down. It stops, hovering barely a centimeter away from the heartbeat pounding in Bad's throat. Technoblade scowls at Bad for a moment, then turns away and sheathes his axe. "Come on." 

Bad shrinks back, trembling with terrified adrenaline. He wants to go home. He wants to return to Skeppy and Antfrost, his team, his friends.

He starts to draw the shadows to himself in the vain hopes of sneaking away, but he's yanked into the air by gravitational forces beyond his control, then slammed down again. Technoblade doesn't even glance back at him, doesn't say anything, merely waits as Bad regains his breath and struggles to his feet. 

Badboyhalo looks over his shoulder at the nearest escape. Then he looks back at the Angel, who stretches his arms with a lazy yawn. He meekly follows his captor. 

++++

Antfrost and Skeppy search the bridges and alleys frantically for Bad. Skeppy gets increasingly more and more panicked as no traces are found. "What if Dream got him??" Skeppy cries. "That fucking bastard-" He bursts into tears. "Now Bad will never yell at me again!!" 

Antfrost growls low in his throat. He's grown accustomed to teammates dying, but the loss still aches. "We will find Dream and make him pay." 

"Ye-yeah!" Skeppy sobs. "I don't understand, how could Bad let himself be defeated??" 

Antfrost shakes his head. "The goddamn muffinhead shoulda taken us with him." 

"He didn't even tell us where he was going!!" Skeppy cries. "He could be literally anywhere!" 

"I will try to look." Antfrost kneels on the cold bridge and clasps his hands together. His eyes snap open, blazing golden as his cyan phylactery floats up from the silver chain around his neck. Beams of light flare and dance around his body. 

"Badboyhalo." He hums and Io hums with him. "I am Antfrost, Speaker for the Dead. I summon you. Badboyhalo!" 

Skeppy stares at Antfrost, never failing to be amazed every time the former Spirit of Death taps into his lingering power. Antfrost's white and gold outfit glistens with diamond dew, setting off the cyan accents of the sharp holographic wings fluttering behind him. 

"We can't find him." Punz murmurs through the invisible portal to Hel's gates. 

"He's not here," Fundy confirms. 

"We will search for him." Purpled promises. 

Tears bead in Antfrost's eyes. He struggles to close the portal and cut off his power. His dead friends give him spectral hugs, then retreat once more to whatever afterlives they've chosen. His eyes flicker closed as he collapses weakly to the ironwood planks. 

Skeppy wails as he picks up Antfrost. "Don't die!!" 

"I'm not dead, you idiot." Antfrost snaps with his remaining strength. "Just, just let me rest." 

Antfrost lets Skeppy carry him back to their team headquarters. Skeppy, dear Skeppy. Formerly Spirit of Life, until it was ripped from him. Badboyhalo, dear muffin, former Spirit of Dark, until he gave it up for Skeppy's life. Punz, Fundy, and Purpled were not so lucky. Antfrost senses his remaining reserves of magic. He's running too low. Just one more spell, and his own body could be torn apart by the forces that only the gods will ever truly understand. 

[thecapturedafrique]

I’m an Eos stan and I’m not ashamed to admit it. He’s a smug, cocksure, compassionate, flirty, overprotective, charming, self-sacrificing thot and if you can’t tell how all his posturing hides some hardcore insecurities/fears then @ me and I’ll def drop the character analysis I’ve been writing/planning practically since day one. It’s called character development people.

More ranting in the tags so you have been warned lol.

[ladykailolu]

I do think Jake and Godot could positively influence the three misfits

Paxe loves cowboy/girl stuff so they’d be inclined to hang out with them

It would be great for Maggie to see people with a similar skin tone to her

It’s no secret Gyro treats her poorly cause she has the same skin and hair as her mom,

But to have a positive influence who her father likes but also has darker skin and hair would be great

It’s weird how similar Godot and Sadie Mae are since I made Sadie Mae before I played Ace Attorney

Whiteish hair, covers eyes, is misunderstood and tragic,

So I feel like they’d get along. Sadie Mae having caring adults who understand her is excellent for her fragile Mental health

Johnny is nice but the more the merrier

(Side note: If Gyro’s having an open relationship can M&M be in the poly thing or is it boys only)

I agree!!! I very much think that Godot and Jake could be positive role models for the bastard trio where Gyro falls short. For example, both Jake and Godot pick up on how Gyro is ruder more often to Maggie than to Paxe and Sadie-Mae, which they find weird. Very unusual. They want to investigate it more without setting off alarms in Maggie's head that something serious might be going on. In the meantime, they occupy Maggie's time, helping her with homework, lifting her down from the monkey bars when she's stuck and calling for help, accompanying her on walks in the park (and chasing after her if she ever gets too far or tries to run off by herself).

One detail I try to carefully navigate through is understanding Maggie's reaction when she's around her peers and family members who don't really look like her. Johnny and his children have fairer skin, much like her classmates, and up until now, only Gyro had darker skin like hers, but even his was significantly lighter. Maggie's got darker skin like her mom, and with Gyro's constant mistreatment, she felt like she didn't really fit in. She later questioned if her father didn't like her because she didn't look like him. She favored the mother (in terms of appearance). Then along came Godot and Jake who have skin color of a shade similar to hers, who pepper in a few foreign words her and there like her father, who have darker hair like hers (well, before Godot's turned white lol)...They were like cultural role models for Maggie and helped her feel more comfortable. Coupled with the fact that Gyro really liked these men, they made her feel safer.

But that still didn't answer the question of why Gyro was especially rude to her whenever she wore anything yellow.

And wouldn't it be cute if Jake and Godot taught Maggie and her sisters a bit of Spanish? I think it would be cute. Like, Gyro doesn't know Spanish, so anytime Jake or Godot catches him being standoffish with Maggie, they cheer Maggie up by saying a lighthearted joke about Gyro in Spanish. Maggie understands what they're saying and laughs at the joke, and Gyro is completely clueless lol.

Ok so there's this one scene in Back to the Future Part III where a sheriff is teaching his son how to be sheriff and tough with outlaws. The outlaw tries to get smart with him and tells him to smile because the sheriff is always frowning, and the sheriff replied, "The only party I'll be smiling at is one that sees you at the end of a rope." And when the outlaw walks away, the sheriff tells his son not to give any of these outlaws any ground, and the son replied with, "I will, Pa."

And so the point is, Paxe eventually opens up to the idea that Godot and Jake are coinhabiting HER house (that's right, her house and not Gyro's lol), and she gets curious as children are. She tails Jake around the most, asking him what he does, and he explains in his own way that he's a rogue sheriff, and she's just. Taken by the idea of being a cowboy! So long story short, I can see that scene happening between the two of them, where Jake teaches Paxe how to be tough with criminals, and Paxe eagerly takes in all of the information. And Jake is so proud of her!!!! He pats her shoulder and tells her what a good job she's doing (gruffly, of course) and takes her out to lunch to have spaghetti, which she's not gonna say no to.

Godot taking care of Sadie-Mae is like a ray of sunshine for the girl. She thought that she was all alone in her pain and that she stood out in all the wrong ways. Then she meets one of the guys her buffoon of a father is dating and...she feels seen. There's this invisible connection between Godot and Sadie-Mae that subconsciously draw them together. At first, Sadie-Mae tries to dismiss Godot like she would her father, but he doesn't go away like she wanted. Instead, he stays and plays with her a bit, using her own words against her to poke fun at her. Light fun, and no matter what she says to him to make him go away, her words never hit him. He sits across from her, sipping his coffee, savoring the bitterness of it, and calling her "kitten" and "princess". He's so charming that her frustration kinda burns out, and she finds herself chatting pleasantly with him. He asks her about that favorite porcelain doll she always carried around, and she opens up even more, eventually gushing all about how she loves her doll. And she doesn't even realize it! When she realizes that she's talking to much or just generally sounding silly, she gets all self-conscious and clams up again. He picks up on her sudden shyness and chuckles--it was cute!

The next day, Gyro nearly falls out of his chair when he sees that brat Sadie-Mae run up to Godot after school and immediately ask him for homework help.

Also like....Godot giving Sadie-Mae a piggy back ride, come on now!!! And whenever she says to make a turn or go here or go there, he replies with "As you wish, princess". You know, general dad-daughter cutesy stuff.

But due to their traumatic backgrounds, do you think that Godot would be especially physically protective of Sadie-Mae? Like, sometimes a serious thing happens or appears on TV, and Godot immediately shoo-es Sadie-Mae off, so that she doesn't see what's happening. Same goes for the other girls. When the girls are on the playground and one of them goes out of his line of sight, he's out of his chair looking for them.

And omg!!! Ever hear of a kids game where the kids are playing on a playground slide and tree and pretend that the playground construct is a ship and the ground around them is the ocean? Well, the girls pretend that they're sailors tryna survive on their stranded ship and not get caught by three "monsters" lurking in the water. So the girls run and jump from one end of their "ship" to the other while Gyro, Jake, and Godot slip underneath them and try to grab them from the steps or slide, etc. It's a little pretend game of survival.

And Johnny loves Gyro's children and thinks of them as his own, but he's also got Julia and Marco to worry about. M&M has Reese, so I imagine that all of the adults work together to wrangle the kids.

[writeblrfantasy]

a king and his knight 2 | part 2

the knight of the tower, as she told him she was, explained the problem with the tower. it had been cursed to make her fight it at every turn, though she and her family had owned it for generations. the man who’d laid the curse had free reign of the tower thanks to it, she couldn’t force him out. thankfully he left her alone most of the time, disappearing to a corner of the tower she couldn’t fit into.

the knight needed to help her get rid of the man and lift the curse in order to win his tournament. “i’ll give you a portion of my riches if you help me,” the knight of the tower promised, and the knight vowed not to leave until he’d helped her. she’d attacked him because she was now wary of strangers and angry at everything, and she didn’t have time to waste with travelers or those who needed her help. the knight, though, was happy to provide his.

however, he sensed that there was something more to this than just the tower. if his tower was stolen from him, he’d be annoyed and a bit more coherent, but his fellow knight seemed almost scared. she wouldn’t stop gnawing on her lip, closing her eyes and sucking breath in, ducking her head to pray. she removed her helmet to reveal greasy and knotted blonde hair and dirt streaked across her face, bags under her eyes. the knight tried unsubtly to guide her to the nearby river to wash. he asked her outright what was wrong, why this meant so much to her, to get her distracted as they both washed. at least they didn’t have to worry about a water source.

she told him that the man who’d cursed the tower had kidnapped the woman she loved most in the world, a queen whom the knight had heard of. no one had heard anything about it because the woman’s domain was significantly smaller than all those around, and this had just happened in the past month, when the queen and this knight had gone away for a bit. no one expected them back for another few weeks, and it was too far to travel to ask for help. besides, this knight didn’t want to leave her queen alone. the knight would’ve felt the same in her place.

he also suspected that she had a sense of responsibility for her queen, that it should be her and only her to rescue the queen should things come to that. not every knight was in love with a monarch, but those that were were strict to themselves about protection and earning the gift of their monarch’s love.

“if you are a knight, why the crown?” the knight asked.

“she gave it to me when she was taken,” the woman said sadly, staring blankly at the water. “i wasn’t fast enough to take her back, but she tossed that to me and made me promise to keep it safe. her safe. i failed, but she still believes in me.” her eyes went dull and sad again, and the knight forced himself to wonder how it would feel to fail his own king. the heaviness and panic in his chest were enough to guess.

“we’ll get her back,” the knight said, touching her wrist to get her to look at him. she blinked back shining tears and nodded.

“do you have someone back home?” the other knight asked, probably to take her mind off of her misery.

“the king, actually,” the knight chuckled. his thoughts wandered, as they did every day, to his beloved. what was he doing right now? how much was he missing the knight? was he thinking about him nearly as often as the knight was about him? just picturing his face, closing his eyes and imagining the weight of him in his arms, sleeping on his chest, felt like a soothing balm to every hurt in and out.

the other knight’s eyebrows lifted and a ghost of a smile graced her face. the knight wondered how this could be the same fierce woman he’d fought. perhaps fighting was her way of distracting herself from her troubles. “really? tell me about him.”

the king was the easiest thing to talk about in the world. the knight didn’t realize how long he’d been rambling until the sun flashed into his eyes and he saw that it was sunset. he smiled, embarrassed, and helped the other knight to her feet. they’d been sitting with their feet in the river this whole time. it’d given him time to rest his leg, at least. she didn’t have bandages, but he tore a piece off his trousers and tied it tightly around the cut as a makeshift bandage.

“thank you,” she said, wiping her clean hair off her face. the knight had shared his soap. “i didn’t realize that i needed someone to talk to. i’ve been going out of my mind here, alone, with this stress. i didn’t know what i was going to do.”

the knight smiled. “you’re welcome.” they pulled their washed clothes back on and the female knight led him to the tower. she could go in it and occupy it, but it didn’t trust her like it had before. it could do anything to her. that was why having control of it was so important.

she provided him a meager meal of old bread and jerky, saying that the tower usually provided its own meals but those had been lost to her as well. they sat on the hard cold stone floor and ate, and the knight was too ravenous to care about the quality. “tell me about your queen,” he said. the woman was more reserved with her stories, but she clearly loved her queen just as much. though the queen hadn’t returned her feelings yet.

she described the queen’s beauty, dark skin that supposedly glowed in the sunlight and a smile that reached her warm brown eyes and welcomed anyone. she wore the grandest of gowns, beautiful flowing yellow silks, and the handsomest trousers and tunics in greens and reds and browns.

she turned the queen’s crown over and over in her hands, a silver circlet of leaves. her queen was fair and just to all, and the knight remembered the exact moment she’d fallen in love with her.

she’d come to the queen’s court from the tower years ago without a penny, seeking pity, any help at all, and the queen had smiled and taken her hand and promised that she wouldn’t let anything happen to her. this knight had known she’d do anything to keep the queen and her fair legacy alive, and she’d been sworn in as a knight that same day, earning money with the skills she’d developed as a young girl.

the knight couldn’t remember ever meeting this queen himself, though he knew his king had for trade and diplomatic visits. “she sounds lovely,” he said. “and you are devoted to her?”

“yes,” the woman said without hesitation. “utterly.” 

the knight smiled at the familiar tone.

“you, however, sound more than devoted,” the woman said with a larger smile. “you sound utterly whipped.”

the knight laughed, happy to see the woman in a good mood. “so what if i am? for him, i’m happy to be.”

the woman gave him a spot on the floor to lay his bedroll, close to hers so that they could protect each other. the knight couldn’t sleep, expecting this mysterious curser to jump out at any moment, but with his sword clutched in his hand, he could eventually sleep. the woman appeared to have no problem falling asleep.

she probably stole any moment she could to sleep. this was her tower, and she would die defying the curse and defending it. she slept with that monster of a sword in her hand also. even though he’d beaten her, the knight would be scared of the woman sleeping with that in her hand and stay the hell away. not to mention her thick, chiseled arms and legs, her height, everything about her at first glance was scary.

they made it till morning with the only evidence of the man being some food stores missing, they began outlining an idea for getting the tower and the queen back. the woman had a fair idea where he was hiding out when not invading her tower, where he was keeping the queen. “there’s a series of underground tunnels a mile or so out,” she said. “you can easily get lost there, but if you can find your way around, you’ll be fine.”

“a ball of string,” the knight suggested instantly. the woman nodded and said they could buy some on the way.

the two knights packed their packs, trying to stow their nerves. the woman didn’t have a horse, so they shared the knight’s. the feel of her arms around his waist made him think of his king, and he forced back a pang of want. he asked the woman to talk about some of her favorite moments with the queen, funny stories, anything to distract him from his pining. god, he missed the king. he missed him so much.

think of those rewards. that loot. his smile when he sees them. his kiss.

and he did, of course, want to save the queen for her knight. would he be a chivalrous knight if he didn’t?

shorts taglist: @magic-is-something-we-create @missingpeace @lunarmoment

i am very tempted to draw some art of these two knights kicking ass they’re so cool

i am also DEFINITELY going to write a spinoff about these ladies

also shoutout to pax for giving me the idea to give this lovely lady a queen love interest

part 3 coming soon!! thanks everybody for reading!!

[rufousnmacska]

Secrets and Confessions - Part 6

A Crescent City Ruhn-Hypaxia story

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

*****

Heavy beats of music and peals of laughter escaped from the open windows of the townhouse, carried down the sidewalk on the warm night breeze. When she reached the door and raised her hand to knock, Hypaxia hesitated. Days ago, Bryce had given her the address, and the encouragement to come here. But now ... now she wasn’t sure if she could do this. As much as she wanted to see Ruhn, wanted to repair this break between them, she still had no idea how she was going to tell him about the prophecy.

Jesiba hadn’t cared if she told Ruhn everything, yet the witch had forbade her from telling Bryce. Hypaxia couldn’t see a scenario where Ruhn kept this from his sister.

Then again, the more she’d considered, the more she thought he would. He’d do anything to protect Bryce. And if that meant offering himself up as a sacrifice to ensure a safe future for her, for them all … Well. That was definitely his style.

A smile crossed her face. He tried so hard to make himself look imposing and uncaring, hoping no one would see the goodness concealed behind that dark and dangerous first impression. Hoping no one would hear the self-deprecation hidden beneath his snarky humor. Doing whatever it took to distance himself from his father.

Fuck it, she thought. Not one to swear often, she’d heard enough from Ruhn and taken up the habit when the moment called for it. And right now was a fuck it moment.

It took several knocks for the music to be turned down and for someone to come and open the door. The fae who’d mastered the vidscreen feeds at the summit stood in front of her. He stared for a second, clearly trying to place her face. His eyes widened comically when he did.

“Oh shit,” he muttered, half bowing, half beckoning her to come inside.

She bit back a laugh. “You don’t have to do that. Really.”

“You’re the witch queen,” he said, as if that was that. No more discussion. But then he added, “Uh, Ruhn’s upstairs. Was he expecting you?”

Hypaxia had been hurt to learn Bryce knew nothing of her relationship with Ruhn. It seemed his sister had been right in her assessment that it had more to do with them being siblings than anything else. His friends knew. And even though the three were practically joined at the hip, making it almost impossible for them not to know, the thought centered her, giving her a boost of confidence.

“No,” she admitted, glancing behind him into the living room. Several sets of eyes looked back, some drugged, some clear, none with any recognition of who she was. Except for the other fae male that made up the trio. He was on his phone, staring at her, a slow, crooked grin taking shape on his face. He was more conventionally handsome than the techie, but less so than Ruhn.

It was funny how quickly she’d taken to using Ruhn as some sort of baseline. The balanced lines of his face, the sound of his laugh, the polite way he always held the door for her. The fire in his blue eyes and passion in his voice when he spoke about a case he was working on for the Aux.

By Cthona, it had all snuck up on her. He had snuck up on her, in so many ways.

She pointed to the staircase and started towards it, asking the tech guy, “Which is his room?” But before she reached the first step, Ruhn appeared at the top, sliding into the banister from a full run.

It had been so long – too long – since they’d last been face to face. The sight of him, in loose hanging pants and a t-shirt that looked as if it had just been thrown on, his hair pulled back, his eyes fixed on her … Hypaxia froze. Froze and waited for his reaction. Examining his eyes, she found none of the hurt that had clouded them before.

Taking the steps a few at a time, he descended, took her hand and silently led her back up, ignoring his friends the entire time. She squeezed his hand, and hope sparked to life when she felt his grip tighten in return.

*****

Ruhn had been staring at his phone for half an hour, his finger hovering over her name, growing more and more pissed off that he was taking Ketos’s advice. He wanted to call Hypaxia. He just didn’t want it to be at the behest of the mer. Though, he had to admit that Tharion was a decent male, coming here and giving Ruhn the kick in the ass he needed… Even if he’d basically threatened to go after Pax if Ruhn didn’t. Then again, he couldn’t be sure that Tharion hadn’t implied him in the threat, and not Pax.

“Fuck it,” he mumbled, realizing he was stalling. But just as he was about to make the call, his phone buzzed.

Flynn’s smirk practically poured out of the earpiece. “Your witch queen just showed up.”

Ruhn was out the door and sprinting down the hallway before another word was said. He’d managed to grab a shirt – was it clean? He didn’t fucking know – and got it on just as he reached the top of the stairs, almost killing himself trying to stop.

Hypaxia had a foot on the lowest step but didn’t move when she saw him.

The sight of her was like opening your eyes to color after seeing nothing but gray for years. Like the first gasp of air after being pulled from drowning. Like … like … He couldn’t think of another dumb metaphor. She was happiness. Serenity. She was all he wanted.

And he’d spent the last few weeks being an asshole. Gods he hoped she could forgive him.

Skipping down the stairs, he reached for her hand and brought her back up. The strength with which she held on to him sent a jolt through his chest, as if he’d been struck by lightning. The starlight inside started to bubble to life but he put a lid on it. It was at that moment that he realized his magic had been dormant. The last time he’d called on it had been with her. Since he’d left her in that park, he hadn’t summoned it, hadn’t felt it. And now, in her presence, by her touch, it was aching to burst out of him.

*****

When they were alone in his room, Ruhn let go. Immediately, the lack of his touch, brief though it had been, left her cold. He paced around, not saying anything, not looking at her. The spark of hope from seconds ago flickered, threatening to go out.

As she watched him walk in circles, she took note of the space. Large enough for a huge bed, a couple of sofas arranged around a vidscreen and elaborate music system, a work table half filled with gadgets and weapons in the process of being fixed or cleaned, a desk holding files and papers, a wall of stuffed bookshelves.

Bryce’s description of the place as a pig sty came back, and without thinking, she said, “You cleaned.”

Ruhn stopped and spun around, staring at her suspiciously, trying to figure out how she could know he’d done anything since she’d never stepped foot inside his house before.

“Uhh,” she muttered, “I can smell the cleaner.” She sniffed the air, finding nothing but his scent there. The scent she’d missed when it had faded from her sheets and apartment.

His eyebrow quirked upwards as he smiled at her, having figured out what had happened. “Bryce spoke to you.”

Hypaxia nodded, trying not to let herself be carried away by his smile. More than anything, she’d missed that. Making him laugh with a silly joke, making him smirk with desire, making him grin from the sound of her singing.

“Listen, Pax.” He ran his hand through his hair, only to get it caught up in the tie holding it back. With a harsh curse, he yanked it out, letting his black hair fall like a silk sheet.

Ogling him like a lovesick witchling, she was glad his eyes were downcast. At least until she could shake herself back to reality. And back to what she needed to do.

“Wait. I need to explain something first,” she said, regaining his full attention. His bright blue gaze was going to be distracting. After a deep breath, she went on. “Yes, I am a member of the rebellion. And yes, I wanted to recruit you. I think you understand why I couldn’t tell you about it. I may be a queen, but I’m young and newly crowned. My opinions aren’t given much weight among the leaders.”

Ruhn made a quiet huff of disapproval and crossed his arms. Hypaxia eased towards him, moving slowly as if he might disappear if she got too close.

“I did not pretend or exaggerate my feelings for you. This wasn’t a ploy to get you to help. In fact, I should never have become involved with you at all. I knew it could complicate things. But … you saw me. The real me. Before I was officially recognized as queen. Before the full weight of this new life started to pull me under. The way you looked at me made me feel ... real. Alive in a way that if I messed up or said the wrong thing, it would all be okay. I love you.”

Carefully, she brushed her fingertips across the back of his hand. At his intake of breath, at the pebbling of his skin, her hope from earlier returned. Perhaps he could see through the fog of self-doubt and insecurity that his father had poisoned him with. A poison that could not be removed by her magic. She could not fix him, and he was no cure for her troubles. The doubt that she’d never be the queen her mother was. The fear of leading her people in the war to come. These plagued her as much as Ruhn’s demons afflicted him.

Either he’d believe her or not. Believe in himself, or not. Fight his demons, or not.

She loved him. And she knew with certainty that though they could not cure each other, they could help each other. He’d already done that by being a safe haven from her daily responsibilities. A source of laughter and love, offering an ear to listen and a font of supportive words. He was what she needed. She wanted to be that for him.

Hypaxia realized that Ruhn was staring deep into her eyes, as if he knew what she’d been thinking. The smile that tugged at his lips at that moment reminded her of his magical abilities. Flames licked at her cheeks as she blushed, her eyes closing in mortification.

Shit.

“You heard all that?” She opened her eyes to find him grinning. He nodded. Scrunching her eyes up again, she said, “Please, say something.”

“Something.”

“Oh my god,” she said, shaking her head in annoyance and trying hard not to laugh. She failed.

But before she could say or do anything else, his hands were cradling her face and he was kissing her. She pressed herself into his body, relishing the feel of him, his warmth and solidity. One of his hands dropped to her lower back, eliciting a moan from both of them. The twin sounds were like fuel poured onto a fire, and with a single swift motion, Ruhn lifted her up. With her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, they deepened their kiss.

She was utterly lost in him. That scent of warm spices that called to her. The quick nip of his teeth on her lower lip that had her sighing his name. The way he groaned in reply, loving even the faintest sound of her voice. The pressure of his strong hands, holding her hips firmly against him.

And of course, his starlight.

Hypaxia opened her eyes as they kissed, intoxicated by the glow of his magic.

And just as he was about to lay her down on his bed, that starlight broke through the haze of desire, reminding her of the other reason why she was here.

*****

Ruhn had never experienced a natural high like this. No amount of alcohol, mirthroot, or any other drug could compare to it. To her.

Every sense was on overload and he was damn close to blowing a fuse. How had he lasted so long without her? How had he been so fucking stupid to stay away? Hypaxia had no reason to forgive him, and yet she had. She had no reason to be with him. And yet, here she was.

Somehow, she loved him.

Somehow. The disbelief threatened to undo him as much as the sensation of kissing her. He stood on a precipice that overlooked two possible outcomes. A leap off one side meant descending into hate and misery, an all too familiar landscape where his father would always be in control. A leap off the other meant love. Love and trust. In himself and Hypaxia.

Either he’d believe her or not. Believe in himself, or not.

She hadn’t intended for him to hear that. And he hadn’t lurked inside her mind to listen. It was as if she’d been yelling it into his brain. As if her magic sang to him. A song almost as sweet as her true voice.

“Gods, Pax,” he groaned into her neck as he laid her back onto his bed. “I’ve missed you.” He propped himself above her, watching her stare in awe as his light slowly faded. “I am so sorry for everything I said. For letting all my shit get in the way. I was an idiot and I’m sorry.”

“We all have shit that gets in the way of things,” she said, tucking his hair behind an ear.

“Even when you swear it’s like a symphony,” he said, getting her to laugh. And promptly melting at the sound.

“I meant what I said.” Red bloomed on her cheeks. “Or, didn’t say. We both have demons. I want to help you with yours.”

“And I’ll help you too. I’m sorry for being such an ass and overreacting.”

“Well, I need to apologize too.”

“No, you don’t,” he said.

She scooted out from under him to sit in the middle of the bed. “I handled it poorly. For that, I’m sorry.”

In the space of a few seconds, she’d grown serious, and Ruhn suddenly became worried. Had the rebel leaders punished her for being with him? Or for him finding out about them? Tharion hadn’t mentioned anything was wrong the night before when he’d stopped by.

“What is it?” he asked, sliding over to sit next to her. She crossed her legs and looked around the room, gathering her thoughts. “Does this have something to do with the prophecy?”

“What?” She practically jumped out of her skin.

He shrugged, trying to look unconcerned. In reality, he was starting to freak the fuck out.

“When I overheard you that night. With Tharion. He said something about a prophecy.”

Hypaxia’s throat bobbed and it seemed like she had to force herself to look him in the eyes.

“That bad, huh?” he said, trying for lightness. When she didn’t reply, he added, “It’s okay if you can’t tell me. I don’t want to get you in trouble for sharing secret intel or anything.”

For a moment, she looked like she might take the out he was offering. Might claim that it was top secret and that until he joined the rebels and was allowed to know, he’d have to stay in the dark. Ruhn had no idea what this prophecy might entail, but he had enough experience with them to know they were bullshit and ruined lives, even if they never came true. He was about to say as much when she finally spoke.

“It involves the endgame of this rebellion,” Pax said, taking one of his hands in hers. “You know about Theia and her daughters.” He nodded, trying not to get distracted by the warmth of her skin on his. “About how Pelias used the starsword to close the rift and seal off the demons from Hel to end the war?”

“I know the basics. Just what’s been passed down in bedtime stories. The books I’ve read don’t go into detail.”

“The legend is widespread, but it’s not accurate. The true history is murky. Even so, many prophecies sprang from that story, and that time. Some told by the fae, some by the witches, even the shifters, and sprites. The angels may even have some. But there’s one prophecy in particular that is shared by your kind and mine. We refer to it as the blade and the sword.”

Ruhn laughed, relief filling him. “Yeah. I’ve heard that one. Except it’s a knife and blade.” He waved off the different words, then, sitting up straight like a school boy, he recited, “When knife and blade are reunited, so shall our people be.”

Hypaxia didn’t smile. “Terminology aside, the fae version is only about your people. Mine applies to all the people of Midgard. All except the asteri.”

Ruhn thought about that for a moment. It was no wonder the rebels would fixate on that prophecy if they saw it as a means for liberation from the asteri. Glancing to where the starsword hung on the wall, he asked, “How long-”

“I’ve known about it for all my life,” she interrupted, guessing his question. “It was part of my schooling. But it was only yesterday that I was told specifics. About the greater implications.”

She was squeezing the hel out of his hand, and when he looked at it, she dropped it like it had burned her skin. He kept staring, trying to make sense of the fragmented thoughts running through his head. He believed her that she wasn’t using him to fulfill a prophecy. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t gambling away the hopes of the rebels on him.

The Chosen One. Chosen for nothing but the end of the Valbaran royal bloodline.

It was like the ocean. This darkness in his head. Endless and eternal. The doubts and loathing might go away for a short time. But like waves, they always came back. Sometimes big as swells during a storm.

“I’m not really sure what to tell you. If you think because I have that sword that I’m some kind of savior for the rebellion ... I may have pulled it out of the stone, but it’s powerless without the knife. And more importantly, it calls to my sister.” He looked up to meet her gaze. “Not me.”

He’d never said it out loud before. That the starsword, the fabled weapon of the Chosen One, didn’t really belong to him. He’d seen how it reacted to Bryce, the way it vibrated, the starlight glinting on its surface, inching towards her, wanting to be in her hand, not his. He’d seen how she tried to ignore it. At the time, he had no fucking idea that she possessed true starlight magic, let alone how much. But once she’d revealed it by going supernova, it had all made sense.

He stood and began to pace again. “I can’t do fuck all for your rebellion. But here’s something you can add to your list of prophecies,” he said, a bitterness in his voice that rarely played anywhere outside of his own head. “The Oracle told me that I’d be the end of the royal line. That’s what I’ve been chosen for. Not to be a good king. Not to save the fae. I’ve tried finding a silver lining. Some meaning that doesn’t involve death. But ending my father’s reign can’t be done peacefully. My only destiny is destruction.”

Hypaxia said nothing, just watched him with big brown eyes that seemed to see right through him. This was the part where she’d make some excuse. Realize how beneath her he really was. Realize no royal line would want to be tainted by his presence.

*****

She felt him fading. Falling into some dark place where all his fears resided. Closing the space between them she lifted his head so he was forced to look at her. She concentrated on how much she loved him, hoping his magic would hear and drive away the defeat in his eyes.

Caressing his cheek, she said, “I know about the starsword.” At his surprise, she hurried to explain. “Jesiba told me. Where she gets her information, I have no idea.” More somber, she went on. “As for the Oracle, I might have an explanation for that.”

Hypaxia continued, telling him about the intricacies of the blade and sword prophecy. That the two things must be joined in order to seal the rift. Pelias had wielded the starsword and possessed starlight magic, just as the stories told. But the blade that was not a blade, that had been Helena’s sister, an unnamed daughter of Theia who possessed barely a trickle of starlight. Just enough, that when combined with Pelias’s gift, it would ensure success. He killed her with the sword, allowing the power to transfer to him and ensure the door into Hel would never be opened.

She explained that with the horn a physical part of her, and as the true wielder of the starsword, Bryce would need to pull double duty if the prophecy were to come true. His sister would create a new rift through which the asteri would be banished. Then, she would need to close it.

At some point in her telling, Ruhn had turned away to sit on the sofa, staring into the middle distance at nothing. Each piece of knowledge seeming to hit him like a punch to the gut. “She wields the sword,” he said in a monotone. “And I am the knife.”

“Blade.” Hypaxia corrected, without thinking.

He faced her, his eyes shining. “You mean sacrifice,” he said. “By Bryce’s hand.”

Tears slipped free from her own eyes and ran down her cheeks. “Yes.” Furiously wiping her face, Hypaxia forced lightness into her voice and said, “But … but I don’t want you to worry. Jesiba wants me to find a loophole. She’s given me full access to her libraries, contacts, anything and everything. And I already have some ideas. Old magic that isn’t well known outside of the witches. And new technologies that might help.”

She began naming some of the possibilities, but he only looked at her, appearing to glaze over more and more with every word. Softly, she asked, “Ruhn? Are you okay?”

*****

Well fuck, he thought, sitting down hard on a couch as his legs finally gave out from under him.

No wonder he was a drama queen. Something in his subconscious must have been preparing him for the day he’d have to … what was it? Let his little sister kill him and steal his power to send a bunch of megalomaniacs into another dimension.

As Hypaxia rattled off potential solutions, Ruhn just stared at her, getting swept away by the notes and chords of her voice.

Gods, he loved her. Loved that she was already fighting to get him out of this. Loved that she was brilliant and brave and beautiful.

“Ruhn?” she asked, the change in tone drawing his attention. “Are you okay?”

“Does Bryce know anything about this?” Jesiba Roga was many things, her cruelty well known. But he knew in his gut that she cared for his sister. Even if she never showed it.

Pax shook her head, watching him carefully. “She and Hunt are under too much surveillance. Even so, Jesiba told me not to tell her. That order doesn’t extend to you. So if you want-”

“No!” he almost shouted. Then, more quietly, “No. She’s not to know. Not until it’s necessary.”

Eyes glossy, she tried to blink back the moisture that was building. “It won’t be. Not if I have any say about it.”

Ruhn leaned in and kissed her. Hard at first, turning more gentle as they drew it out and he brushed away the new tears that began to fall. “I love you. More than anything in this world. And I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. If that means dying to give Bryce my starlight, I’ll do it.”

As if she’d been waiting for him to say that, she opened her mouth to argue but he stopped her with another kiss.

“If there is a loophole, we’ll find it. You’re the smartest person I know. And I’m not half bad either.” Finally, she smiled. “If we combine our forces-”

“And Jesiba’s,” she added.

“And Jesiba’s, we’ll find a way around it.”

“How can you be so sure? How can you be so … happy?”

He kissed her again, pulling away to rest his forehead on hers. “Because you love me. And I love you. And right now, that’s all that matters.”

*****

The next morning, Hypaxia woke curled up along Ruhn’s side. She wasn’t sure if he was awake until he started playing with her hair.

“Mmmm, I like your bed,” she said, stretching her arms and legs as she rolled onto her back.

“I like any bed you’re in, majesty” he replied, rolling too so he came to rest against her. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her on top of him, tickling her until she was breathless with laughter.

When she could breathe again, she said, “There’s a prophecy I didn’t tell you about last night.”

Ruhn closed his eyes, gently running his fingers up and down her back. “No. No more prophecies. No more oracles. No more fate and destiny and all of that other shit.”

“It was more of a vision actually,” she said, laughing as he sighed in exaggerated surrender. Pushing herself up on an elbow to stare into his jewel like eyes, she said, “Shortly before she died, my mother had a vision that involved me. It was after she was gone, after the coming war. And it’s got me thinking. She said I would not be alone. She saw me with someone.”

“Who?”

She kissed the tip of his nose. “One who is chosen.”

Ruhn huffed a quiet laugh. Pulling her back down and returning to stroking her back, he said, “If you’re trying to get me to accept that ridiculous title by saying I’ve been chosen by the Queen of the Valbaran Witches…” He paused for effect and then sighed again. “That just might work.”

Resting her cheek on his warm, bare chest, right over his heart, Hypaxia began to hum. It was an ancient song that Ruhn loved, telling a tale of young love that is lost and then rekindled. Her voice was soft at first, building up slowly until the humming turned to singing. She felt more than heard his deep moan of appreciation. And as his delicate fingers tapped out the familiar rhythm on her back, she smiled.

.

The end.

*****

Thanks for reading! And sorry for the quickish ending. I’ve got a lot going on right now and couldn’t devote the time to extending this into a full blown, super long fic.I may pick this story up again in the future though, and I have other ruhnpax headcanons I’ll eventually post.

tagging - @itach-i (thanks for all the beta reading!), @queen-of-glass @julemmaes

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