#and quiche has missed them! how sweet!

[innerbeast]

"your turn to reconsider, is it?" comes a question carried on heated breath, voice a lowered octave. he straightens, somewhat, enough so to comfortably follow his partners slow, but progressive, lead. against the attorney's waist rests one of dar's hands, fingers curled against fabric, claw caught against the crease of a waistband. the other, meanwhile, visits along yuri's abdomen -- claws gliding carefully along until fingertips take their place. firmly pressed, ascending upward.

lost in these moments, as he was won't to do, he's not entirely blind to the refreshing relief of it all. how easily these actions came into play, how quickly closeness was gained; the words they shared, looks they delivered. this is as it should be, what he wants to continue to have.

a sense of ease, of welcoming. of a love unburdened ( but never perfect ).

a hum sits low in the back of dar's throat once they reach the door. "if that's what it will take, then..." having yuri's venture cut, temporarily, short delivered him an advantage. a means for dar to press closer, wandering hand against the other man's chest falling to the side, against the door. lips find purchase upon an untouched jaw, peppered down to a heated neck.

"may i please be rewarded, good sir? my services -- " a break in his words, gently nipping at skin, "-- can always improve."

pulling back, his focus is quick to shift from yuri's slanted smile to the lock he was being directed towards. golden hues linger in place for a second, or two, until he's drawing close again. head offering a nuzzle against a vacant shoulder, a means of keeping close while a hand retracts to delve into his pockets.

"don't mind at all."

keys are retrieved, jingling quietly on their ring before lead towards an awaiting lock. in it goes, given a turn -- click! -- and back into a pocket they go as the front door is left to swing open. "now," lifting from yuri's shoulder, dar continues them forward with a leading step of his own, freed arm snaking around his lovers back. "where were we?"

it was rather cute, really. how reminiscent this was to their first night. lead through his door with such impatience, pressed against one another as they navigate through the foyer and further in. not as messy, or as desperate... but similar, in a way. enough to have him chuckling against a set of lips he'd come to steal again, guiding them through similar steps.

oh, he should have recalled not as occupied, too.

"mngh..." laughter is cut short by a grunt, a sound almost barely audible over a sudden, needy series of chirps. dar was tempted to pretend he couldn't hear them, to continue with what he's currently involved in... but that's rather difficult when the sound is shrill enough to have his ears flattening in protest.

regrettably, he's pulling away with a hissed, "god dammit," a pout quickly settling as his head turns to face the sounds direction. "not now, quiche! let me have him first!"

dar lets go, but yuri keeps his arm right where it is (in part to keep his wobbly legs stable now that it's back on solid ground). he also ignores a burning cheek as he regards the miqo'te's words with a faux-contemplative 'hm'...

"that was the plan, yeah. figured i was gonna be real thorough about it, too. let you call the shots, even. i mean, what kind of reward would it be if my savior wasn't enjoying it to the fullest?" his other arm coming around to loosely hang around broad shoulders, a smug smile tugging at his lips, "at least, that was before the questionable service. smooth ride, terrible attitude."

the self-restraint here is fucking award-worthy, by the way. of course he's still weak to dar's dorky, puppy-dog mannerisms-- a monstrous makeover isn't going to change that. the additions are enticing, too, he'll admit, even if he still misses the bright, shining blue of his right eye; the sky, nice as it is, kinda pales in comparison.

"the inflight entertainment wasn't too bad, though..." he pivots, tiptoeing around the hope he no doubt holds, himself. blame it on the thrill (he sure will), but he's having fun stringing him along like this. "tell you what, i might reconsider if you ask nicely."

he can't help but acknowledge that this is the least... guilty he's felt alluding to such things in a while. the tension following broken promises finally starting to dissipate, flirty banter cropping up naturally as it once had. he hopes he isn't just imagining it. he hopes he'll never be without it again.

who knew it'd take a demon transformation and a shitty case to break the ice? not him!

bump! slowly, he'd been backing toward the front door-- leading, rather. he eyes the lock, drawing attention toward it with a casual tilt of his head, leaving the suggestive smile lopsided when redirected toward the warrior.

"mind getting that? my hands are tied." tied up in the strands of dar's hair, that is. combing and twirling to keep impulsive fingers from traveling to the fur atop windswept hair.

[captain-writes]

Demi-Gods and Step-Parents

I think I’m going to end up expanding this one into a full fic. Or just make a fic about the adventures of this godly family. I feel like it would be very cute, but also full of funny hijinks.

Let me know if that would be interesting to y’all!

Joel had dropped Hermes off in Tumble Town just after lunch, citing that the child had wanted to spend more time with their new sibling. Jimmy certainly didn’t mind having Hermes over on his day off, as spending more time with the small child had shown that Hermes was a polite, inquisitive boy who was a sweetheart.

After helping Jimmy put Tom down for a nap, though it was really just handing his baby brother a stuffed toy after Jimmy had gotten him situated, Hermes turned to Jimmy with a question: “Mr. Sheriff, if you’re Tom’s Pa, are you my Pa too?”

“What makes you ask that, Hermes?”

“I heard some of the kids in Sanctuary talking about how they had a new Papa who was the same one as their baby sister. So does that make you my Pa, since Tom is my baby brother?”

“I think that’s a conversation we need to have with your Daddy and Papi, Hermes.”

Hermes’ head tilted for a moment, “Oh, okay. When can we do that?”

“They’re both coming over for dinner, so we can ask them then.”

~~~

Sausage and Joel arrived just as Jimmy was pulling dinner out of the furnace, having allowed Hermes to help him put together the veggie quiche before sliding it in the oven. Hermes was especially proud of adding cheese over the top part way through the baking, even if he had to take a break from playing with Tom to do so.

“Hermes, your fathers are here and dinner is ready! Go wash your hands and then come say hello,” Jimmy instructed, smiling as the child shouted an affirmative in response. “Welcome back to Tumble Town, you two.”

“Hi Jimmy, how was Hermes?” Sausage asked, pulling Jimmy into a hug for a quick squeeze before stepping back again. “Very sweet, as always,” the sheriff replied, tilting his head to accept the kiss Joel pressed to his cheek before dipping out of the room quickly to retrieve Tom, returning just before Hermes came barrelling into the kitchen.

“Papi, Daddy! I missed you!”

“We missed you too, Hermes. Did you have a good afternoon with Jimmy?”

Hermes nodded furiously, “Mhm! Can Mr. Sheriff be my Pa like he’s Tom’s?”

“What?”

“Mr. Sheriff said we could ask you. Jemma in Sanctuary has a new Papa because she has a new baby sister now, so if Mr. Sheriff is Tom’s Pa, can he be mine too?”

The child’s two fathers shared a glance with Jimmy, who simply smiled at them and shrugged.

Sausage leant down, “Would you like that?”

“Yeah! Then I get a Papi, Daddy, AND a Pa. And so does Tom!”

“If that’s what you want, then that’s okay with us.”

[pinkbowsandprettyprose]

Konichiwa, Riz-chan :) The following question for you has been floating in my head for a while: Which voice actor cast do you prefer, the one from the original Tokyo Mew Mew anime or the one from the reboot?

I really like different things about both casts! I think it’s so great that TMMN casted all novice VAs for the Mews and is helping them build their careers. It was really sweet seeing them talk in the SuperParty booklet about how much they’re able to learn from the other, more experienced VAs around them. All of the more experienced VAs in the cast — like the ones for Masaya and Quiche — have been SO excellent in their roles.

The cast for the old anime was also fantastic, so it’s really hard to compare! IMO the only VAs I think I miss a bit from the old anime are Zakuro’s old VA, and Megumi Ogata as Deep Blue.

As an aside, it’s so cute how the producers of TMMN have been bringing back the old anime’s VAs to voice the parents of the Mews 🥺 Such a thoughtful touch in TMMN — I love it.

[izzy-b-hands]

Keep trying and failing yet another new OFMD fic idea of the Revenge being crewed by all of six ppl after Ed maroons everyone else (i know in theory some of his old crew might be around to help, but it being just him, Ivan, Fang, Izzy, Jim, and Frenchie is much funnier.)

The whole thing being Ed only volleying between angry and violent during raids to sad and locked in his quarters otherwise, not eating or sleeping well

Leading to Izzy pissing Jim off because he's pacing constantly and here Jim I made cookies see if he'll take these, no it has to be you because he chucked the bowl of soup at me I tried to give him earlier and i think it's because I was the one to give it to him-

so Jim breaks into the locked quarters with cookies and is like. pls. Ed. Kraken. Edward. Blackbeard, I'll use whatever name you want just fucking eat something before i kill your first mate

Frenchie meanwhile is enjoying the rest of the leftovers from Izzy's million previous attempts to get Ed to eat with Fang and Ivan (they all agree he isn't a bad cook really. He needs to season things more and he's no Roach, but then again no one is so they gotta have reasonable expectations of this frustrated fearful man who keeps crying while trying to make Ed a quiche)

But then, Jim doesn't return.

Izzy is out immediately to Ed's room, yet another dish in his hand (its snake, and Ed likes snake and he made it using Ed's own recipe, so maybe, maybe he'll eat this)

only to find Jim and Ed sitting on the floor together, sobbing because they miss their boyfriends.

But, they're both eating, and the cookies are nearly gone

Izzy sits and doesn't intend to stay but they get talking and fuck he's so tired and he bursts out a confession of caring and love to Ed

Who's started in on the snake and stares for a minute before being like. oh fuck fr? Jack said you had a thing for me years ago but I figured he was fucking with me

Cut to all three of them crying now over the many Emotions filling the room, snacking away because sometimes food just Helps. It can be a warm hug when u feel utter shit.

Fang wanders in shortly after with bread and marmalade to check on them, only to wind up sobbing in Ed's arms while Ed apologizes for what he made Fang do to his dog

Frenchie doesn't intend to do more than check in on them too, lute on his back and a plate of pastries in one hand and holy fuck Iz these are actually really go- oh god why is everyone crying

(edit to add that for Frenchie it's because he misses Wee John. So much it kind of hurts. He didn't think he could miss someone like that and unrelated he has this song he wrote abt how a room can feel so empty with one even if before it only held two ppl-)

cut again to poor Ivan as the final participant of the group cry and nibble session, bearing a few more plates of food (including the quiche, which isn't perfect but like. Izzy tried lmao)

He's not even crying over anything in particular, he's just been really fucking overwhelmed since Ed got back and needed the release of emotions

It's v sweet cuz they end up full and snuggly and emotionally exhausted, napping on the floor surrounded by plates

Which is why they run aground, but it's fine because it's the same one Stede managed to get the dinghy stuck in with the rest of the marooned crew, so happy coincidence!

[mcheang]

Lila’s eating disorder

A draft inspired by Kitchen Princess

Lila is not model material and everyone from the models to the photographers to the critics to the Adrien fan club can see that and have no issues pointing it out.

Nathalie tells Lila she needs to be thinner

Lila hates exercising and chooses to go on a diet. Or rather fasting.

On the bright side, she isn’t scamming the class for free food anymore and she avoids the cafeteria to resist the temptation of food.

Pleased with her progress, Gabriel manages to get Lila a job of an eating advertisement where she is the gelato model.

https://youtu.be/7KJeXa2QqYM

It is a very weird video style but the ending scene needs Lila to eat gelato.

Except Lila can’t!

Lila is diagnosed with an eating disorder. She can’t model until she is cured.

It sucks and Lila is akumatized into Chameleon once more.

Of course she is defeated but her plight leads Chat to explaining the situation to Ladybug.

True, while Marinette has been enjoying Lila’s absence, she is not so cold hearted that she can enjoy her enemy being ailed by an eating disorder.

She even sucks in her jealously and asks Adrien to deliver healthy salmon and spinach quiche to eat with Lila. It took her three hours to commit to this plan.

It failed. Lila was flattered Adrien cared but she saw the logo and refused to eat the food.

Later, when Marinette visits with their friends, she offers Lila easy-to-digest yoghurt. Lila spills it.

Tikki: she won’t eat anything you offer her.

Marinette: she can’t eat anything offered to her.

Marinette decides to ask Mrs Rossi if there is a food that Lila would love to eat. Something that speaks to her heart.

Mrs Rossi frowns, thinking. There was her mother’s homemade potato stew. That was when Lila had been living in Italy instead of moving around a lot. When her grandmother died, Lila had to travel the world with her mother.

Marinette: can you remake the stew for Lila to eat.

Mrs Rossi sweatdropped. “I can’t cook. At all. I can only do simple things like sandwiches, apple slices or microwaveable meals.”

Marinette: then please teach me the recipe

Marinette could cook and she did make a delicious stew but Mrs Rossi points out that it doesn’t taste the same.

After various alterations to the quantity of ingredients added, Tikki suggests that it is not the quantity but the quality. Perhaps the ingredients need to be fresh from Italy.

A little help from Kaalki, and then...Success!

Mrs Rossi asks Lila to come down and try the stew Marinette made for her. Lila claims to be too tired.

Fed up, Marinette goes up and drags Lila down.

Lila: hey!

Marinette: do you hate me so much that you would rather die than eat my food? That is the stupidest logic I have ever heard. Get healthy then you can plot against me all you want. Right now, you aren’t even fit to be called my school rival. So use what brain cells you have and EAT!

Mrs Rossi conveniently ignored the rant and held out the spoon for Lila to hold. “It tastes just like your grandmother’s potato stew.”

Lila scoffed. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

But it was. And at the familiar taste, Lila couldn’t stop tears from flowing down. She had loved her grandmother and missed her dearly, missed their sweet cottage and flowery garden.

Mrs Rossi added, “Marinette made several attempts before she decided to just import the produce straight from home.”

Lila stayed silent at the revelation of how much Marinette went through to get her to eat.

None of the others had bothered this much. And Alya was a chef’s daughter.

Ok, Lila pretty much told them not to visit her because she didn’t want her underlings inside her bedroom, claiming she had a world class health expert helping her. But still...

Lila got better.

When she came back to school, Marinette did not greet her and Lila did not either. But Lila henceforth refused to do anything with Marinette anymore. No more bullying or framing, but no friendship either because Lila still continued to lie.

That was her life debt paid. (Some payment...😓）

[iwavibes]

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 ;; thirty five

----haikyuu social media au

iwaizumi y/n, nekoma's second year manager, has always been in love with kozume kenma. in an attempt to get her to move on, her two best friends introduce her to the prettiest boys they know.

besides, the only way to move on is to actually move on, right?

prev • masterlist • next

word count: 1k+

You took a deep breath as you came face to face with the gate, the only thing separating you from the boy on the other side. You took a quick glance at the opened messages on your phone. Seen. It hurt you to know that your best friend was purposefully ignoring you. You were fine two days ago. You wondered what changed or what you might've done to make him act this way.

Your eyes sparked up at the sound of a message notification, your eyes zeroing in on the message Shirabu sent.

'it will ♥️'

And you felt the weight on your shoulders lighten at that. Even though he didn't know what it was about, his words comforted you like no other. Especially at this exact moment.

Mustering up every bit of courage you have in you, you pushed the gate open. The moment you lock eyes with the tired but nervous ones he held, you could feel your earlier bravery dwindle away almost instantly.

"Kenma…" you breathed out. Your voice sounded like you've run a marathon when in fact, it was your nerves eating you away.

"Y/n…" he replied, almost as nervous as you were.

"L-look…" you started. "About what happened last week…" you couldn't seem to look him in the eyes, instead fixating your gaze on the ground. You sneaked a glance his way, only to see a pair of expectant eyes staring back.

You didn't know what he wanted you to say nor what he was thinking. But you've rehearsed this a hundred times, a thousand if you counted the ones you did in your head, and so the words tumbled out of your lips before you could stop it. You looked away.

"It was a mistake." You say with every bit of faux conviction you could conjure up. "It was all just a rush of emotions, you know? I didn't know what came over me when I did it. A spur in the moment. Like one of those time limited missions in story games and you have to pick a choice fast? I'm sorry. That was a very dick move and the fact that I'm telling you it was a mistake is even worse. I just… don't know what I was thinking." You were rambling now, you know you were but you can't seem to stop. "We've been friends for years now and you're one of the rare people that stuck to my side even after that incident. I cherish that. The fact that you didn't care and that you were happy to be friends with me. It sucks that I have to move away so abruptly. I really want to leave everything on a good note and not awkward… but I can't help but think that I just ruined everything."

"I-is that what you want?" His voice was soft. Like a newly fluffed pillow and gentle like a sweet lullaby.. But there was also a twinge of hesitancy imbued in the way he spoke. You can sense it.

You closed your eyes before nodding your head. "Yes."

You hear him sigh. What was it? Relief? Defeat? You didn't know. A flurry of emotions raged through your body and you stiffen at the silence.

If you could only look his way. Look at the expression he was wearing. See the disappointed eyes that bore on your turned skull. Maybe you would've thought twice about what you've said. But it was all out there now and you felt too ashamed to even steal a glance as you felt his arms wrapped around you.

You felt your cheeks burn at the contact, not really expecting him to hold you this close nor initiate something so intimate.

He rested his chin on your shoulder, holding you firmly by your waist as you hesitantly wrapped your arms around him.

"You didn't ruin anything y/n." He whispered. "I don't think you could, even if you tried. You're my friend. And I would pick you over anything."

You didn't understand what he meant by that last statement, too relieved to even process anything right now as you pulled him closer.

"I'll miss you, Kenma. I'll miss you so much." You whispered, voice shaky as tears began to form in your eyes.

At this, you feel his hand on your head, stroking the strands of your hair in comfort. "I'll miss you too, y/n. More than you'll ever know."

If you could just pull away to look at him, maybe you would've seen the few tears that streamed down his cheeks. You would've seen the desperation, and the longing those glossy eyes of his held.

He wiped them off once he was ready to pull away. A small smile on his lips as you tried to give him one back.

He patted your head one last time. You watched as he took a step back before reaching down to one of his pockets. He held a small trinket towards you, a small blank cat with a wide smirk.

"To remember us by." He said, placing it on your awaiting hands.

You looked up at him in appreciation. "Thank you."

"I'll see you soon, y/n." He knew how much hated goodbyes. He's observed it with the way you always tell him and the others that you'll see them soon. Because soon holds a promise and you didn't want to say goodbye just yet.

"See you soon, Kenma." You say with finality.

And that was it. You probably needed to fix your stuff again and Kenma didn't want to hold you out for too long. So with one final wave, he begins walking away.

You watched him for a moment, staring at his retreating form as you hoped to see him turn around. To give you one final glance, a smile, anything. The moment felt too short that you almost felt like it was all a dream.

You sighed, looking down on the small keychain on your palms. You turned it around to see a small note of sorts written on the back.

'Connect. No matter what. We'll see each other soon.'

Meanwhile, as Kenma walked blocks away from your house, he couldn't help but sigh once more in defeat. The hot air of the day pinching at his cheeks as he looked up to keep the small tears threatening to spill at bay.

"Ahh I lost."

NOTE: when i said this was gonna be long i meant it. that's the end of act one!! thank you all so much for the support you have given this smau so far. pretty setters will be back on DECEMBER 1 6AM ph standard time and will be updated every tuesday, thursday, saturday and sunday!!

TAGLIST: @jesquisser @peteunderoos @rye-li @sophie-duck @elianetsantana @angrylittleriri @kpop-kk @winunk @mint-mai @applekenm @hoe4hq @atria-avior @kimkai-is-my-man @dabisdominion @yumeneji @courtneypaigemartin @misssugarless @sempiternal-amour @cleopatera @stickystrawberrysyrup @heavenini @that-chick212 @the-amaranthine @vanillakylee @atetiffdoesart @starryleafy @franko-pop @miyaosamusgf @peachiikichu @ughxghoul @bombardia @micheleinumaki @angelsbarebody @marissaraeblr @quiche-inoya @haengbokpixie @normalisthenewnorm @yeet-dude @luhvsnoir ((can't tag)) @what-dose-nani-mean @respectfullysimping123 @pandauniverse

send an ask/message to be added!

[star-spangledstud]

TAKE CARE OF ME

Request: “Can I request a smutty goodness with daddy Steve and a soft reader? Maybe she wants to take care of daddy for once but he won't let her. Thank you❤❤” @donutloverxo​

Pairing: Steve Rogers x (female!)reader

Word count: 2500-ish

Warning(s): SMUUUT 18+

A/N: I’m not the best smut writer, that’s for sure, but I enjoyed writing this while I should have been preparing for my exams. Thank you for sending in this lovely request :) I hope you like it! PS: I didn’t check this, so please forgive any mistakes. 

Steve always wants to take care of you. 

He draws you a bubble bath with slow burning candles lining the edge of the tub and soft jazz music playing in the background after particularly long or especially dangerous missions that often force the two of you to spend time away from each other. 

He cooks you dinner when you’re too tired to stand on your feet on sparring days with Natasha who makes you fight her in little mini skirts, long tight dresses and strappy heels without weapons to make the job easier. He’s not a great cook, but he tries his best for you. Hell, he’s even learned how to work YouTube just so he can watch videos on how to properly prepare steaks, quiches and risottos.

He treats and surprises you with lavish gifts every chance he gets. In his eyes, he doesn’t need an excuse or special occasion to surprise his best girl with diamonds, pearls and designer handbags. The man has more money than he knows how to spend on himself, so he does his best by giving it to you. You never ask for anything, and you cherish every gift he’s ever given you. More often than not, the fact he’s able to pick out items that are just your taste makes your head spin in amazement. 

There’s an enormous bouquet of fresh pink roses and white lilies on your dining room table every Thursday, and as long as either of you aren’t away on missions, Friday nights are reserved for dates. Those are typically spent at expensive restaurants that put his own food to shame and they always end in an entire night of passionate, sweet sex in various locations. 

You wear the dresses he buys you while dining at those restaurants, low cut and in soft colors that accentuate your glowing skin and that compliment the fiery look in your eyes that you give him when you eye-fuck him from across the table. He started buying his slacks in a larger size just so his throbbing dick doesn’t strain against the luxurious material. Even then, he sometimes doesn’t make it through the night, and more often then not, the two of you end up in the bathroom, your hands pressed against the mirror while he fucks you over the sink. One time, you didn’t quite make it home; you ended up pulled up on the side of the highway with your panties around your ankles while he fucked you against the hood of his car. 

He bought you a house so you don’t have to live in the tower anymore, because according to the man whose super hero name seems to be permanently attached to his being, separating work and private life is extremely important. You suspect he bought it so he can fuck you in every room without having to be quiet and afraid of being walked in on, because he loves the way you sound when you loudly moan his name when he makes you cum. 

He bought you a car so you can get around easier when he’s not there. He knows you prefer being in the passenger’s seat and prefers to drive, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer when he handed you the key. The two of you fucked on the backseat the first night you got it, windows fogged and air thick with sex. The drive afterwards was the best he’s ever had, right hand rubbing soft circles on your bruised thigh while the breeze coming in through the open window blew the scent of himself on your skin back to him. 

He takes you on vacations three times a year to resorts with private beaches so he doesn’t have to share his view of your ass with anyone. He loves seeing you strutting around in mini dresses and skimpy bikinis all day long, and fingering your sweet pussy inside swimming pools with bright blue ripples has become a new favorite past time of his.

You love it when he takes care of you, although for you, it goes far beyond expensive gifts and lavish holidays to exotic places. Sure, you enjoy being spoiled by your boyfriend, but its the idea that you’re constantly on his mind that really makes your heart beat faster. The only problem you face is that he spoils you so much, you hardly find the time and place to do the same for him. 

It’s been three weeks since you last saw him. The house out in the countryside that the two of you share feels too empty without his presence, and you can’t wait to see him again. Your heart has been skipping beats since the moment you woke up, and it hasn’t stopped thumping ever since. 

Standing in front of the full body mirror in your bedroom, you take a moment to check yourself out. Clad in a new pink satin lingerie set your heart surges, and you have to bite your lip to stop yourself from smiling. The dress you put on over it is one of Steve’s favorites, a figure-hugging number in a light shade of lilac. Something about seeing you in varying shades of pastel always seems to drive Steve over the edge. 

Today is the day you intend to take care of him. 

You prepare his favorite food well in advance and play his favorite music while you wait for him to come home. You know you could’ve bought him a welcoming gift, but you know he doesn’t care for materialistic things and that he already owns everything he needs right there with you. 

You feel nervous and excited at the same time all throughout the day. Butterflies seemed to have blossomed inside your stomach, and they don’t stop fluttering around for even a second. When the front door finally opens, the feeling only intensifies, and you quickly scramble to get the dessert into the fridge to chill before he sees it. 

“Y/N?” he shouts, voice straining in order to make himself heard through the entire house at once, “you here?” 

“In the kitchen!” you shout back as you straighten out your dress. 

Your back is turned to him when he enters, and his pupils dilate when he catches a glimpse of your ass straining against the lilac satin. The familiar scent of his cologne invades your nose, and you can tell he showered in the tower after the debriefing when the smell of his body wash enters your nostrils next. 

“Smells good,” he mumbles against the bare skin of your shoulder, “I missed you.” 

“I missed you too,” you reply with shut eyes while relishing the feeling of his body pressed up against you, “I made dinner.” 

The two of you eat by candle light. Steve tells you everything that happened on the mission in great detail, and in turn you explain to him what you’d been up to while he was away. His eyes never once leave you, and the intense feeling of his gaze burns every inch of your skin.

Before you have time to bring out the pavlova you made, you find yourself pushed against your bedroom door. Steve’s hands are all over you, working their way up the length of your right leg while the other has you by the waist. His mouth, hot and wet, tastes like Asgardian mead on your tongue, and the kisses he trails along your jawline light your skin on fire. 

“Tell daddy how much you missed him,” he mumbles in your ear, “sweet girl.” 

“So much,” you manage, “I missed you so much, daddy.” 

You vividly remember the first time it accidentally slipped out. You were on your knees with him behind you when the word spilled from your panting lips, and you’ll never forget the instant effect it had on him. Steve had never been called daddy before, but the way it sounded coming from you while his dick was inside of you to the hilt nearly sent his senses into overdrive and it stuck with you ever since. 

“I missed you too baby,” he says while leading you to the freshly made bed with satin sheets, “let me show you how much I missed you.” 

His favorite dress is on the floor not even a minute later, and the sight of what you’re wearing underneath makes Steve’s mouth water more than any food could ever do. The soft shade of pastel compliments your skin so perfectly it’s painful, and he doesn’t waste time getting out of his clothes after seeing you sprawled out on the bed for him.

The kisses he trails from your shin to your thigh make you shiver. Your panties are already wet by the time he plants a kiss on top of them, leaving the color to darken to a deep shade of pink that marks your arousal.

“So wet already,” he muses, “that all for me?” 

“Yes daddy,” you moan when he presses another kiss to your clothed pussy, “all for you.” 

He hooks his fingers underneath the soft fabric of your new panties and takes agonizingly long to pull them down, inching them down your burning flesh while he peppers more kisses on your stomach.

You take the liberty of unhooking your bra, and it lands on top of the panties he’s already thrown on the floor. Your hands caress his bare chest, fingertips relishing in the feeling of hard muscles protected by smooth, milky skin. Every time you see him without clothes you marvel at how perfectly sculpted his body is, every thing from the broadness of his shoulders to the clean cut v-lines that lead your eyes straight down to his large, beautifully straining cock. 

“Oh god,” you mewl when his tongue connects to your already soaking pussy, “Steve!” 

He savors the heavenly flavor on his tongue when his tongue dances across your pussy. You’re a moaning mess by the time his thick fingers plunge inside of you and he laps at your clit like a starved man while he slowly pumps them in and out of you. You’re writhing beneath him in an attempt to gain more friction when he doesn’t speed up, and he smiles cheekily against your bud when your muscles contract around his fingers.

“Please,” you can feel your cheeks burning, “Steve.”  

“What do you want, baby?” he asks, pausing for a moment. 

“Want you,” you pant, “inside of me.” 

You whine when he pushes his dripping fingers into your mouth, allowing you to taste yourself on him while he kisses your cheek and the lobe of your ear. His chest covers your own, and you don’t realize how much you’ve been craving the feeling of his body weight pressing down on top of you until his body is flush with your own.

“I love you so much baby,” he whispers when he lines himself up with your aching entrance, “my sweet girl.”

“I love you-” a sinful moan interrupts your profession of love when you feel his cock sliding slowly between your folds, “I love you too, daddy.” 

“I’m gonna show you how much I missed you,” he groans. 

You cry out when he finally enters you. The sensation of his thick cock filling you causes your eyes to involuntarily roll back. You grab a tight hold of the sheets for support when he grips your hips to get a better angle. The sight of you beneath him, lips parted and strands of hair already sticking to your face is damn near enough for Steve to cum then and there, but he pushes the urge back down while he takes a moment to get used to the feeling of your walls stretching beautifully around his aching cock. 

Your moans echo through the room when he finally thrusts into you, a thin layer of glistening sweat quickly forming on the toned biceps he uses to push and pull himself in and out of your tight cunt. The scent of sex quickly pervades the air, and the sweet slick drips out of your pussy and onto the sheets you washed just this morning. 

“Feels so good daddy,” you whine, “please don’t stop.” 

Every inch of your skin burns under Steve’s touch and you find yourself getting closer to the edge with each roll of Steve’s hips. The knot buried deep inside your stomach tightens, the coil almost ready to snap. The way Steve seems to know exactly which spot makes your toes curl makes you for a moment believe he possesses some sort of telekinetic powers. The rhythm created by his hips is far more intoxicating than any bottle of Asgardian mead, and the edge you’re threatening to fall down is the most dangerous of all.

“I won’t stop until you cum baby,” he tells you, “I want to see your face when you cum all over my dick.” 

Your mind draws blank when his thrusts quicken, the movements of his hips becoming sloppier with each passing moment. You can tell by the throbbing of his cock inside of you and the frown etched in his forehead that he’s just as close as you are.

His voice is muffled between the crook of your neck and the mattress, but you can hear him muttering filthy words under ragged breaths. 

“You feel so good baby,” he pants, “gonna make me cum.” 

Before you can respond, warmth engulfs your entire body from head to toe. You arch your back, pressing your breasts flush against Steve’s glistening chest. His name leaves your lips repeatedly when you come undone beneath him, and he follows right behind you when the sensation of your clenching walls becomes too much for him to bear.

Steve slowly eases his way out of you and the both of you take a moment to regain your breaths. Your mind begins to wander, and a sudden wave of sadness overtakes you. 

“What’s wrong?” Steve asks when he notices the slight pout of your lips and frown on your forehead, “did I hurt you?” 

“No,” you say quickly, “it’s just that... well... I wanted to take care of you for once.” 

Steve’s heart clenches when he hears the sad sound of your voice and he turns on his side to face you. With his free hand, he wipes a strand of sticky hair out of your face. Then, he takes yours and holds it gently. 

“You do take care of me,” he says earnestly, “you take care of me every day.” 

“How?” you raise a brow, “you’re always the one paying for everything and stuff.” 

“Baby,” he kisses your knuckles, “you know how I feel about money. It doesn’t mean anything to me, and it sure as hell doesn’t define the amount of love I have for you and vice versa. Making sure I take time away from my job is how you take care of me. I’d be a mess without you, Y/N. I’d be miserable drowning in work if i didn’t have you.” 

“You make me a happy man every day,” he continues, “you made me realize that I’m right where I should be. I don’t dwell on the past anymore because I have you. I’m happy, because of you.”

You smile and nod, “I love you Steve.” 

“I love you too, Y/N.” 

You’re silent for a moment, enjoying the sound of Steve’s heartbeat against your ear when you lay your head on his bare chest. Just before you’re about to doze off, a single thought enters your brain. 

“Steve?” you ask.

“Hmm?” he replies, also on the verge of falling asleep. 

“We forgot about dessert.” 

[nevermindirah]

I'm having a crappy day....can I get Random 19 and Kisses 7 from your prompt list??

You sure can! Here, have a fusion of the two! I hope your day gets much, much better. <3

---

"She's hiding behind the sofa."

Nile doesn't know what she expected, when she asked her dear husband where their precious daughter is. She's had a long-ass day, and from the look of him, so has Booker. Their "date night" is about to be the most sexually charged 5-minute cuddle turned several-hour nap in history.

"And I see you're hiding on the sofa," she says with an eyebrow quirk that he meets with his very most charming sleepy smile.

He's practically been single-parenting while she and Nicky have been planning this next op. She can take this one for the team.

"Hey, baby girl," Nile calls as she walks around the couch to start what she very much hopes is not going to be a prolonged fight to get her daughter ready to go to Andy and Quynh's for the night.

"I'm a witch and this is my bog! Visitors have to pay the fee!" comes a small voice from a small girl standing up amid a pile of blankets and stuffed animals.

There she is. The bestest four-year-old of all time. Her perfect, sweet, silly, curious, determined Kiara.

Emphasis on the determined. Booker's lucky he's pretty, because he saves up his "she got it from her mama" teasing for when their daughter is being the absolute soul of stubbornness.

"Oh yeah?" Nile says. "What's the fee for visitors to your bog?"

"A hug!" Kiara grins, and then she gets that look. "And pizza!"

Nile play-gasps. "I am but a humble farmer, I have no pizza! May I pay the bog witch in hugs alone?"

Kiara is running up to her, so Nile scoops her up in her arms for the kind of big spinning bear hug she learned from her big brother Joe.

"Hi, baby girl. I missed you," Nile says into her daughter's hair.

"I missed you too, mama! Do you want to play magic with me?"

She sets Kiara down and catches Booker giving her a significant look over their daughter's head.

"I would love to hear all about your magic," she says. Here's hoping this works. "Remember, sweetheart, you're staying with Auntie Andy and Auntie Quynh tonight! Come tell me all about your spells while we get you ready!"

It works. Kiara gushes about all the frogs and wolves and unicorns and yetis who live in her bog, and the spells they cast when they all hold hands, and the yucky smelly ingredients that make pretty colors in her cauldron, and how Auntie Andy said—

Auntie Andy says a lot of things about magic to her daughter. Nile has made peace with never knowing for sure whether Andy is just fucking with her or if she's teaching her daughter actual ancient magic.

The distraction from playing magic to listening to an extended description of it works, and Kiara is still happily chattering away when it's time to say goodbye to papa and walk through the neighborhood to Andy and Quynh's. Booker scoops up their baby girl for hugs and kisses as she babbles about how the bear has awoken from his hibernation and this will make her spells even more powerful! He blows Nile a kiss over Kiara's shoulder.

By the time Nile is back from reuniting the bog witch with her ancestors — it's possible Nile should be worried about what Andy and Quynh are teaching her, but that's not a right-now problem — the house smells amazing. She takes a moment to smooth out her clothes and slap on a little lipstick before making her way into the kitchen.

Booker has changed into a clean shirt, sleeves rolled up his forearms under the apron, and he's set out candles on the kitchen table.

"Hey, babe," she says, to warn him she's coming before she wraps her arms around him. He keeps chopping the strawberries for the salad while she leans her head into his shoulder, careful not to smear her lipstick all over his crisp white shirt, the only efforts either of them made at getting dressed up for their date night.

"Bonsoir, mon désir" he says. "I made quiche, should be ready in about 15 more minutes. When I'm done with the salad would you like to sit down and tell me about your day?"

She hums. "I would like for us both to be well-rested enough to spend all night working on making another baby. But that sounds nice too."

"Did Quynh tell you she wants to take Kiara to a pick-your-own farm tomorrow?" he asks.

Damn, she really is tired. She hadn't even confirmed the pickup plan. "She didn't," Nile says. "Too busy discussing bog witch business."

His shoulders shake a little with a gentle laugh. "When are you due to meet Nicky in the morning?"

"Not until 11," she says. And then she realizes what this means.

Booker sets down the knife and wipes his hands on a nearby kitchen towel. "In that case," he says, voice thick, "I know what I'd like to have for breakfast."

Nile hums again. She lifts her head so she can spin him around to face her, and instead of the smirk she was expecting, she finds he looks a little shy.

"I would love that," she says. She tilts her chin up and lets him do the rest to close the distance between them. His warm, chaste kiss fades into a brush of their noses fades into resting his forehead gently against hers. They rest there, eyes closed, arms around each other, practically asleep on their feet until the oven timer alerts them that dinner's ready.

---

I love the idea of Nile and Booker raising kids in a house they share with Andy and Quynh and Joe and Nicky and I feel a little weird reproducing the heterosexual nuclear family shit that was toxic as hell how my parents did it. But fuck it, this is an easy way to have this baby be adorable and then get her out of the house so Nile and Booker can be the grown-up kind of adorable.

Napping with someone you love is such a valid date night activity. I hope everyone reading this gets good rest tonight.

[lauwrite1225]

Somebody to die for.

Finan x OC; The Old Guard inspired Alternative Universe

Summary : Victoria's life is rather simple until she has a car accident from which she ends up miraculously unscathed. A series of weird events animates her daily life, everything seemingly bringing her to a strange man. Until this very man knocks at her door.

Spotify Playlist • Masterlist

A/N : It's Finan Friday again!!! I have nothing to say beside, enjoy ;)

Warnings : fluff ;) and mention of death (you missed it don't you?)

Chapter 9 : And all the chaos crystallised, when you and I, supercollide

Vicky can’t stop thinking about what happened that night before they parted to sleep. The way she felt attracted by him, her heart fluttering when he cupped her cheek delicately with his calloused hand. At first, she feels a rise of blush on her cheek each time she crosses his eyes but Finan keeps acting as usual with her. He smirks, jokes and makes her no gifts during training. Though, at the end of the day, when he sits next to her to remove his shoes like last night, she wonders if he’s going to try something again.

“Tomorrow I’ll teach you how to use a gun.” He says, tossing his shoes away in the room and straightening to look her in the eyes. “Is that alright for ya?”

It takes her a moment to answer yes, waiting to see if he’d come closer but he doesn’t and simply smiles before laying on the mattress, wishing her a goodnight. And as she crawls in her bed, she can’t help the disappointment to rise. When she closes her eyes, it’s last night's event that plays over and over again in her mind, and each time she realizes how much she really did want to kiss him. The thought lets her sleepless, wondering how and why she feels so attracted to him. Finan is so different from every man she has ever dated before, standing tall with broad shoulders. But he has this childish expression when he smiles so unmatching the dark beard covering his jaw and cheeks making him endearing. His body is covered by old scars of the battles he fought before he died but during the past days, she has discovered that the wounds in his heart were far from healed. And maybe it’s what she likes about him, the way he opened himself to her and how she understood he could truly understand all the pain she’s going through. 

Her heart swoons as she thinks about the promise he made her last night. As foolish and impossible to hold as it was, it’s terribly tempting to believe he could prevent her from suffering. And she finally falls asleep, a tired smile gracing her lips. 

The next morning, when she walks outside for her training, Finan has settled cans on an old stoned wall falling into ruins. She joins him as he puts a small bullet in the opened rifle.

“It looks like those they have in carnivals.” She notices when he locks the rifle in a swift movement.

He grins, giving her the weapon. “It’s because it is.” The arm feels so heavy in her hands, she wonders how she’ll succeed to shoot with it. “It’s better to start.”

He steps behind her and starts to explain to her how to correctly aim by aligning the front and rear sight. She does as he asks and tries to shoot one of the cans. Obviously it’s a failure and soon after she pulls the trigger she hears the bullet ricochet on a stone as she stumbles at the force reflection of the rifle in her shoulder that she didn’t expect. Not discouraged, she accepts the new bullet Finan hands her and tries again. But after a few other failed attempts, she lets out a long frustrated sigh. 

“It’s just concentration.” Osferth tells her as he watches from a bench in front of the house. 

“If I have to concentrate for ten minutes to not miss a target it’s not going to be really useful.” She replies annoyed, putting another bullet in the barrel.

She positions herself again but before she starts to concentrate, she feels Finan close behind her. “Let me help ya.” He says softly as he puts his large hands over hers that she never realized being so small in comparison. 

She tries to stay focused on the can in front but she can’t help but be too much aware of his chest against her back and his breath brushing her cheek as he levels his head to hers. She slows her breathing as Finan adjusts her position until her eyes, the two sights and the can are perfectly aligned.

“Now pull.” He whispers and she immediately obeys.

She lets out a small huff of joy when the metallic sound of the beer can being perforated resound in the forest. “I succeeded.” She exhales the air she didn’t realise she was holding back.

She turns her head to smile proudly at him and their noses briefly touch. She bites the inside of her bottom lip when she notices how his eyes stare down at her mouth almost eagerly. But when Osferth claps his hands to congratulate he moves away, leaving her a second time with red cheeks.

The rest of her training she succeeds to shoot other cans but she doesn’t feel like rejoicing as a deep frustration grows in her chest. When Sophie comes later, she tries to distract herself by questioning her about Osferth and her while she helps her prepare a quiche for the dinner.

“He was coming regularly to the supermarket and somehow he was always coming to my register. One day I wrote my number on the receipt but this idiot doesn’t have a phone, so he waited outside with flowers until I was finished to tell me he couldn’t text me.” She explains with a fond smile.

“That’s so sweet.” Vicky smiles, cutting the cheese in small cubes. 

Sophie nods, breaking an egg in a bowl. “And you? Did you have anyone before leaving?”

“Oh no, I was as free as the wind, and still am in fact.” She chuckles as she gathers the cheese and places it on the dough.

Sophie is weirdly silent and when she looks up, she’s in fact staring at her with narrowed eyes with a small smirk dancing on her lips. “Finan and you seem close.” She says, focusing on her eggs again.

Vicky pauses for a brief instant, pinching her lips. “It’s just that we’ve been through a lot together those days. It builds friendships.” She replies to try to prevent the conversation from taking a direction she isn’t feeling comfortable with.

“Did he tell you why he left the others?” Sophie asks, not ready to give up, which reminds Victoria of Rebecca. 

“He did.” 

“So he told you of his wife?” Vicky nods slowly, her heart squeezing at the memory of his despair when he talked about her. “Osferth asked him about her, how their life was together, but he just avoided the subject. She’s obviously long gone now, but Osferth is sure it ended more badly than Finan pretends.” The english woman averts her eyes, knowing the truth. “He told you, didn’t he?” 

“Yes.” Victoria admits while Sophie now pours milk in the bowl. 

“See? He trusts you.” She half smirks at her. 

During the dinner, between laughter, she catches Finan staring at her but each time, when she tries to stare back, he looks away. The game is as entertaining as annoying but mostly, she doesn’t understand why he keeps playing with her. That night in the darkness, she was at his complete mercy, this morning during her training too, and yet, each time he didn’t go further. So, when she sees him going outside after dinner, she decides to follow him.

“What are you nervous about now?” She interrogates him as he searches for something in the car, knowing perfectly well it’s in fact his pack of cigarettes.

He turns around, raising a surprised eyebrow at her. “What are ya doin’ outside in the night? I thought wild animals were scarin’ ya.” He teases her to change the subject.

But, thinking back to her earlier conversation with Sophie, Victoria is determined to know what she is for him. She walks toward him until only a step separates them, Finan having to bow his head to look her in the eyes. “Sophie told me you refused to talk about your wife to Osferth.” She starts and ignores his eye roll. “Why did you talk about her to me? You could just have avoided this part.”

His fingers drum nervously against his thigh as he sighs. “I don’t know, I just felt comfortable telling you.” He shrugs and she can hear the uneasiness of his voice and his desire to change the topic quickly. 

But Vicky isn’t about to let go. “But Osferth is your friend.” She replies, tilting her head.

“I thought we were friends too.” 

She wonders if he meant his tone to be so dry but it undeniably settled a tension between them, the air seeming suddenly thicker between them. She makes a step and stretches a hand towards Finan’s cheek to prevent him from looking away. She holds his gaze no matter how heavy on her it is, a warmth growing in his brown pupils provoking the one in her belly. He slowly leans forward as her thumb brushes his beard, making him close his eyelids when his nose lightly touches hers. The way their heavy breaths start to mix is bewitching, her heart beating at an uncontrollable pace, but Finan keeps resisting. 

“You want to kiss me, don’t you?” He opens his eyes. Now she can see the flicker of fear in them, the one that is holding him back and she finally understands. “I’m not going to disappear, Finan.” She whispers, her hand sliding in his unruled hair.

“I know.” He breathes and his palm settles hesitantly on her waist. “But you’re forever Vicky and I don’t want to mess it up.”

She acknowledges that it is scaring her as well, that in their situation acting foolishly could hardly be forgotten. But somehow, Vicky feels confident. Maybe it wasn't a coincidence that she's been dreaming of him first and that he was the one to come to knock at her door. Maybe it was already written. 

Her fingers curl in his hair and she draws him closer. “We won't.”

And then his lips collide with hers, making her whine as a shiver runs down her spine. She closes her eyes, relishing at the feeling of his beard scratching her skin softly and the way their lips seem to dance in perfect coordination. Finan grips her hips to switch their positions, pushing her against the car while groaning. His mouth is hot and eager as he keeps kissing her until they are both out of breath.

She rests the back of her head against the car's window, Finan's body pressed against her as he buries his face in her neck, her fingers lightly grazing over the back of his neck. This instant seems out of time and out of space, nothing able to break it, as the only thing that matters is his breath caressing her skin, his thumb drawing a circle on her hip and the weight and warmth of him against her. Finan moves slowly, kissing her neck and jaw with a softness utterly different from the kiss they shared until he meets her eyes. He puts a strand of her blonde hair back behind her ear before letting his thumb draw the line of her red and now swollen lips. She grabs his wrist and pushes it away to reach for his mouth, already addicted to the feel of it against hers. When they parted for the second time, Finan dares this time to speak.

“Let's go back inside, it's freezing.” He whispers. 

She wants to reply that she has never felt warmer than right now, stuck between him and a car, but the words fade in her throat and she simply follows him inside. Osferth and Sophie have already left to their own bedroom when they walk inside, though, it's not completely dark, a fire creaking in the old fireplace with the wood the two warriors have been cutting during the afternoon. She sits on the floor just in front, appreciating the heat of the flames, stretching her hands to warm them.

“Have you been holding back for long?” She asks when he sits beside her. 

He chuckles lightly, staring at the flames while she can't look away from the orange light dancing on his face, making his pupils turn into amber. “I could have kissed ya in my dreams if it was possible.” He turns his head, smiling fondly. “But it feels better than a dream.”

She giggles, shaking her head. “You're such a flirt.” She teases him but it only makes him grin even more. 

“I had a few years to train.”

“Old man.” She calls him, satisfied by his raised eyebrows and opened mouth as he pretends to be offended. 

She laughs at him before leaning forward to kiss his expression away, her hand curving on his shoulder. She likes the way his growl vibrates on her lips as she settles on his lap, his arm wrapping around her waist to hold her closer. 

It's late when they finally crawl to bed, Finan laying by her side. They have been sleeping in the same room or car for a few days now and she was already finding his presence near her reassuring. But there's something utterly more intimate and comfortable as his arms embrace her while she rests her head against his shoulder. 

When she wakes up abruptly, the flames have faded and Finan isn't by her side anymore. Her breath is erratic and her body shaking. Her mind is still confused but she knows what it means, she dreamt of another death. It takes her a moment to remember what happened. It's the same forest and protagonists, but this time she was staring at Sihtric until an arrow hit him in the middle of his chest, the pain sharp and overwhelming. 

Once she's calmed, she hears the noise from the kitchen and decides to see who's there. She feels relieved to see Finan, leaning over the sink while he washes some dishes. He doesn't notice her until she hugs him from behind, her ear pressed against his back to listen to the sound of his heartbeats. He turns around to face her, keeping his wet hands away from her.

“Good mornin' to ya too.” He greets her, grabbing a rag to dry his hands. 

She simply hums against his chest, holding his waist tighter. “I dreamt of Sihtric.” She says after a moment, moving away from him. 

Finan frowns, his hands gripping the counter. “His death?” She nods slowly and he can't prevent the smile from stretching his lips. “Then, we will be able to find him soon.” 

Since they have found Osferth again, he is less reluctant at the idea of finding his last old friend, even if he told her he doubts the Dane to be as welcoming as the monk. But he hopes that water will flow under bridges and that they'll forget past resentment. 

“We need to warn him too.” She says, stepping closer again. 

“Warn who?” 

Osferth's sleepy voice makes Victoria immediately step back to let a decent distance between Finan and her. But he doesn't seem to notice their sudden uncomfort as he sits at the table and pours coffee in a cup resting on it. When none of them have yet answered, he raises an eyebrow.

Finan clears his throat, walking away from Vicky. “She dreamt of Sihtric this night. We will be able to find him soon.” 

The blonde looks at them with wide eyes. “You're going to leave?” 

The Irishman hesitates, his hands clenching around the back of a chair. “Not now.” He stares at Vicky who he knows probably has the same idea in mind. “She needs a few nights to gather enough information, and we'll have to do research.”

Osferth nods, looking quite sad as he puts a sugar in his coffee. Vicky sits in front of him, lowering her head to catch his eyes. “Will you come with us?” 

He shakes his head. “No, I have Sophie here.” He answers, staring at Finan, knowing he would be able to understand his choice. 

“We'll come back, anyway.” Finan promises, patting his shoulder amicably. “I'm starting to like the place.” 

“It's safe here.” Vicky adds with a small smile and Osferth can only nod at it. 

“Good, because I would miss you two otherwise.” 

Tag :​ @for-bebbanburg @osferth @maggiescarborough ​ @finansarms ​ @dumbledoreisnotmyhubby @solinarimoon

[greenheartart]

Monster Food Theories (part 2)

(A multi-part essay because I love world-building.) 

In part 1 I discussed the theory that monster food is actually made from physical food that’s been infused with magic, and therefore monster food is limited to what can be farmed in the Underground.

In this next part, I’m going to springboard off that idea and talk about what foods exist in the Underground (and therefore what crops and livestock monsters likely have.)

The very first thing I want to look at is what food canonically exists in the game. I’m going to break this up into two sections...

1) Food We Interact With Directly (Healing items we can pick up and get information on.)

* Monster Candy - Has a distinct, non-licorice flavor.  Heals 10 HP. * Spider Donut - A donut made with Spider Cider in the batter.  Heals 12 HP. * Spider Cider - Made with whole spiders, not just the juice.  Heals 24 HP. * Butterscotch Pie - Butterscotch-cinnamon pie, one slice.  Heals ALL HP. * Snail Pie - Heals some HP.  An acquired taste. Heals one less than max HP. * Nice Cream - Instead of a joke, the wrapper says something nice.  Heals 15 HP. * Bisicle - It’s a two-pronged popsicle, so you can eat it twice.  Heals 11 HP. * Unicicle - It’s a SINGLE-pronged popsicle.  Wait that���s just normal... Heals 11 HP. * Cinnamon Bunny - A cinnamon roll in the shape of a bunny.  Heals 22 HP. * Astronaut Food - For feeding a pet astronaut.  Heals 21 HP. * Crab Apple - An aquatic fruit that resembles a crustacean.  Heals 18 HP. * Sea Tea - Made from glowing marsh water.  Increases SPEED for one battle.  Heals 10 HP. * Abandoned Quiche - A psychologically damaged spinach egg pie.  Heals 34 HP. * Temmie Flakes - It’s just torn up pieces of construction paper.  Heals 2 HP. * Dog Salad - Recovers HP (Hit Poodles.)  Heals 2/10/30/ALL HP. * Instant Noodles - Comes with everything you need for a quick meal!  Heals 4/15/90 HP. * Hot Dog...? - The “meat” is made out of something called a “water sausage.”  Heals 20 HP. * Hot Cat - Like a hot dog, but with little cat ears on the end.  Heals 21 HP. * Junk Food - Food that was probably once thrown away.  Heals 17 HP. * Starfait - A sweet treat made of sparkling stars.  Heals 14 HP. * Glamburger - A hamburger made of edible glitter and sequins.  Heals 27 HP. * Legendary Hero - Sandwich shaped like a sword.  Increases ATTACK when eaten.  Heals 40 HP. * Steak in the Shape of Mettaton’s Face - Huge steak in the shape of Mettaton’s face.  You don’t feel like it’s made of real meat... Heals 60 HP. * Popato Chisps - Regular old popato chisps.  Heals 13 HP. (Note:  I’ve chosen to leave the Hush Puppy off of this list, as its description refers to it as a spell.  I’m also excluding the foods that can only be found by digging around in the game files - Puppydough Ice Cream, Pumpkin Rings, Rock Candy, Croquet Roll, Ghost Fruit, and Stoic Onion.)

 2) Food We Only See, or Hear About Through Character Dialogue (I did my best to be thorough here, but please let me know if I missed any and I’ll add them in!)

* Hamburger  (For sale at Grillby’s) * Fries  (For sale at Grillby’s) * Cheese Fries  (Undyne likes them, for sale at Grillby’s) * Ketchup  (Found at Grillby’s / Sans’ Hot Dog Stand) * Mustard  (Found at Sans’ Hot Dog Stand) * Relish  (Found at Sans’s Hot Dog Stand) * Spaghetti  (Made by Papyrus and Undyne) * Lasagna/Ravioli/various other pastas   (Mentioned by Papyrus) * Brewskis (aka Beer)  (Mentioned in a prank call) * Sugar  (In Undyne’s kitchen) * Soda  (In Undyne’s kitchen / Alphys’ Lab) * Hot Chocolate  (Mentioned by Undyne) * Marshmallows  (Mentioned by Undyne) * Golden Flower Tea  (In Undyne’s kitchen / Offered by Asgore) * Grapes  (Undyne talks about Mettaton eating them) * Pizza  (Undyne and Alphys both talk about ordering some) * Limes  (Undyne mentions eating them whole) * Cucumbers  (Come up when Undyne and Papyrus talk about spa treatments) * Carrots  (Mentioned by Asgore on the tapes in the true lab) * Lollipops  (Papyrus mentions getting them from the lady who runs the inn) * Ice cream  (Mentioned multiple times by multiple characters) * Espresso (Mentioned by Red Bird at Grillby’s) * Cake  (Mettaton specifically breaks the ingredients down into SUGAR, MILK, EGGS during his cooking segment) * Artificial Ingredients and Chemicals  (Also mentioned by Mettaton)

(Note: I’m leaving edamame off the list because while Toriel mentions it, she does it as a joke because she’s after the pun.  It’s possible that monsters have edamame, or it could just be something she’s aware exists in the world in general.)

So! Looking at this list, and cross referencing with recipes to find the most basic necessary ingredients to make everything, I can break things down more neatly into categories of available food:

STARCHES * Wheat  * Potatoes * Barley

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES  * Apples * Grapes * Limes * Tomatoes * Cucumbers * Spinach PROTEIN AND DAIRY * Snails * Water sausages * Eggs * Milk 

HERBS AND SPICES * Cinnamon * Mustard Seed

MISC * Salt * Sugar * Oil  * Coffee * Chocolate * Assorted artificial ingredients and chemicals  * Golden flowers (unique to the Underground?) * Hops (only because of the mention of “brewskis”)

(Note: I’m excluding a few healing items from contributing to this list.  The Astronaut Food’s origin is nebulous - it sounds like it could possibly be human food that fell from the surface and landed in the dump.  Temmie Flakes are construction paper and not actually food, even if they are technically consumable.  Dog Salad is clearly an outlier and should not be counted.)

When broken down to its base components, it’s a pretty small list.  Monsters don’t seem to have a lot to work with.

A lot of their foods revolve around the same few staple ingredients: Flour, eggs, sugar, and milk products.  From that we can take a guess that there are wheat fields somewhere in the Underground.  Likewise, they likely keep chickens as well for eggs (though other birds like ducks might be a possibility too.)  Sugar and milk have more options.  Sugar might come from sugar cane or sugar beets, while milk could come from a variety of animals, but I think goats or sheep are more likely than cows for a variety of reasons (mainly that cows might be too much of a resource drain to support long term.)

Interestingly, we never get any indication that monsters eat animals besides snails.  The information we get on the hot dogs and steak make it clear that they’re not made out of meat (and if the steaks aren’t meat, it feels reasonable that the hamburgers aren’t either.)  This makes sense, since the Underground has limited space and resources and might not be able to support farms dedicated to raising animals for meat, and/or might not be able to meet the demands of a populace that wants to eat meat regularly.  If it’s eaten at all, meat might be a rare treat.  Otherwise, it looks like the monster population could be largely vegetarian.  

With a basic list of crops, we can also make a guess at what sort of alcohols might be available in Grillby’s bar. Monsters have apples, grapes, potatoes, and sugar, so we can guess that in addition to beer (since it gets mentioned specifically), monsters could also have hard cider, wine, brandy, whisky, rum, vodka, and moonshine. 

If we want to be a bit more generous and include possible foods and foods that didn’t quite make it officially into the game, we can add back in edamame, pumpkins, and onions.

And, just for fun and going off of nothing except the environment of the game, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think monsters might be able to round out their pantries with a few other foods that occur naturally in the caverns.  Mushrooms show up in the damper areas of the game, so it’s not far fetched to think that there might be a few edible varieties available. Likewise, we see streams and marshes in Waterfall that support life.  It’s possible that there are fish, crayfish, or shellfish living in there, or possibly other edible plants besides the water sausage.  

This went a bit longer than I originally planned, so in the next part I’ll talk about what might make monster food inherently different from human food (even without monsters intentionally doing anything to it), and possibly theories about how and why monsters ended up with this specific, limited variety of foods they seem to be working off of.

[demigoddessqueens]

Arcana MC: Persephone

Credit goes to the lovely @nezb1tty for such a pretty drawing of my MC. Looking pretty and fierce 🔥

Meaning of the name - “Bringer of Destruction”, “Pure”

Family - Adriane (mother), Zafer (father), Callista, Phillipa, and Massimo (younger twin sisters brother), Safiya and Franciscus (maternal grandparents), Valentina and Vincenzo (paternal grandparents)

Nicknames - Sunshine (her family), Angel (Julian), Love (Asra), Sweet (Lucio), Sunflower (Muriel), Minx/Goddess (Valerius), Perse (Portia, Nadia, the Courtiers minus Valerius)

Favorite dish/cuisine - dolmathes, quiches, and tons of desserts (major sweet tooth) 

Favorite drink - equivalent of a margarita or pina colada in the Arcana universe. Also loves red wine

Favorite flower - Ocean Lavendar

Birthday - mid July

Age - 25

Gender - Female

Zodiac - Cancer Sun, Leo Moon, Gemini Venus, Taurus Rising

Personality - ESFP (”The Entertainer”) 

Patron Arcana - Queen of Cups

Upright: She is nurturing, caring, compassionate, and sensitive. She is the embodiment of the “nurturing mother” energy. 

Reversed: She will draw inwards and focus on her own emotional well-being before helping others. She will be set firm in her boundaries and not take on the emotional baggage of others. 

Appearance:

- She is about 5′7″ - 5′8″, with dark hair that has natural highlights when displayed under light. She has brown eyes with flecks of hazel that appear lighter in brightly lit areas. Her hair has to be brushed constantly wet as it can be naturally wavy. 

- Smells like lavendar, since she has the plants all around the shop, and has soft skin from using shea butter to moisturize. 

- She has a scar on her knee from an accident when she was two years old. She is also naturally athletic and flexible due to fencing, horseback riding, dancing, and hiking. Has some miraculous upper body strength as well. 

- Pink, plump lips; slim black eyebrows, and some angular features that are emphasized when she is mad or when she is happy or sad. 

- She has slender hands and fingers, which she sometimes likes to accessorize. 

Languages spoken - the common Vesuvian dialect, Latin, Italian, and Old World Greek dialect (think Sophocles’ Greek)

Hobbies - 

- Aside from her athleticism, she has been known to sing around the shop. Those who wandered by her shop would hear her and make requests. Occasionally, she has sung for the theater group that Julian is a part of, which is how he met her. 

- She is an avid reader, and always has the shelves in her shop stacked. 

- Given that she also has a sweet tooth, she’ll always be trying new recipes for desserts she’s curious about 

Powers and abilities - Elemental magic of Water 💦 and Earth 🌎 , Telekinesis, and Healing

- The magic in her family is matrilineal, as her mother had some abilities with fire. Her grandmother had used air to their advantage as well.  

- Her family are merchants, so she traveled a lot during childhood. In doing so, she was able to encounter others who had similar abilities to hers. Her family encouraged her talents, finding some of the best teachers and healers to help her sharpen her skills. She has used her Earth and Water abilities to grow herbs for concocting remedies. 

- Her telekinetic abilities are more in tuned with her emotions. For example, she was agitated and afraid in a scuffle with a stranger, as was looking for a weapon to defend herself. In her state of mind, she managed to trap him in the Earth by throwing a piece of metal at him with her mind. Another time, she saved her younger brother from drowning by drawing water away from him and forming a dry path for his escape. 

Given that she had been trained since childhood, the Devil sees Persephone as a powerful weapon for his potential use. 

Love Interests - I am thinking of possibly pairing her with either Asra, Julian, Lucio, Muriel, or Valerius. 

She’s best buds with Portia and Nadia, and some of the Courtiers, but is wary of Valdemar. 

Backstory

She was born near the Aegean Sea, along the chain of islands. Her family is a mix of the Mediterranean region. Given that her family traveled frequently as merchants, Persephone always saw the world as her oyster and wanted to seek more in life. On her 18th birthday, she was gifted the shop from a distant aunt that she saw very little of. Her family encouraged her to see more of the world, but not without writing often. 

When she came to Vesuvia, Asra quickly noticed her given her compassionate nature. She saw some orphans ransacking a fruit cart, and decided to pay for the stolen food to placate the angry owner. Given his abandonment as a child, Asra saw her as a type of kind soul. 

She met Julian when she decided to start singing for the community theater. He liked her singing voice and her friendly nature, since it always got them encores for performances. It was through Julian, Persephone met Portia and Portia would invite her to the palace at times. Nadia saw Persephone as a kind soul to lend a listening ear to every now and then. 

Of course Lucio and the Courtiers saw her as someone naive, but was taken aback given easily she never fell for their facades and such. Unfortunately, such a kind soul lost her life to the plague at the age of 24. She was coming back from the market, excited to try a new recipe, until she collapsed at the front of her door. The only think Asra found was her glove left behind, but by the time he figured things out, it was too late. 

When she was resurrected, she just remembered that she was coming back from the market and her family. The faces of Vesuvia had become a blur to her. She felt more anxious than normal because some recognized her, but she couldn’t do the same, and she didn’t know if she was being stalked or why something felt as if it was missing. For an extrovert like herself, she felt closed off and cut off inside her heart. 

The other picture down below is another style of her by the sweet @artbyfarouche-eclaire​ 

This would be the type of dress she would wear to the Vesuvia Ball scene. It may also be the same one for Asra, Julian, Muriel, and Valerius (or at least some variation of it). 

[blindbatalex]

Below is not my fic, but one raisin anon wrote for me and sent piecemeal in asks because they would rather not reveal their identity.  It also happens to be 1.5k of fluffy carraville perfection, featuring family, cats, and dogs! all for your enjoyment  💖

~*~

“Please, dad. Can we?” 

“Charlie”

“She was so sweet and perfect and they said probably no one will pick her and she'll stay there forever”

“Charlie” 

“You wouldn't want her to live her whole life without a family, would you?” 

“Charlie” 

“And it'll be a whole year since Dexter died next week, it'll be the perfect way to remember him.”

“With replacing him with a new dog ?” 

“The mourning period in Tonga for close family is a year” 

“If you look out the window, buddy, I think you'll find that we live in the north of England” 

“Daaad, please. You miss having a dog too.”

In fairness, his son wasn't wrong. Dexter had been with them for almost as long as the twins had, and Gary did miss the comforting warmth of their German Shepard curled up at his feet whenever he sat still for more than fifteen minutes. He looked up from where he was preparing a salad to go with their quiche for dinner to the youngest half of the set of twins he and Jamie had adopted almost thirteen years ago. 

Charlie was sat on the kitchen island swinging his legs back and forth, contently watching his father make dinner whilst advertising for a six year old Anatolian Shepard rescue, that had arrived at the shelter a few weeks back. Maybe fifteen was a bit too old to sit on the kitchen counter doing nothing, but it happened so rarely these days that the boys would sit still and just chat away like they used to do, that Gary didn't have it in him to scold him for it. 

“Pa said yes, by the way,” Charlie said, and Gary had to smile. 

“Did he now?”

“Mhm, he's all for it. He misses having a dog too.” 

“So if I go upstairs to the laundry room now I won’t find your brother trying to persuade him just like you're trying to do to me at the minute”

Charlie just made a face, but didn't answer, which gave Gary all the answer he needed really.

“We'll discuss it over dinner.”

He walked over to the cupboard and pulled out a stack of plates before holding it up in front of the lad. 

“Go on, then. Help set the table if you want to heighten your chances.” 

Charlie hopped off the counter and grabbed the plates with an eagerness Gary had never seen before. The table was set in a matter of minutes, and before Gary had even had the chance to pull the quiche and the garlic bread out of the oven Charlie had gone out into the hallway and shouted dinner was ready up the stairs. 

Jamie came walking into the kitchen soon after with Joey following close at his heels. Gary saw the look the brothers shot at each other which basically confirmed his suspicions. The plan had been to butter each dad up separately so that none of them would be the too critical voice of reason when the topic was brought up with all of them present. 

“Heard you agreed to go get the dog, love,” Jamie said as he sat down, left side of the table, chair closest to the window. Charlie settled just opposite him, Joey on his right, which left Gary next to Charlie. No one had explicitly ever stated that a specific spot was theirs, but Gary had a feeling the whole universe would be thrown of its balance if they sat anywhere else.

“Funny, I heard the same about you.” 

“Oh, really. I know your hearing is starting to get bad, but I would hope mine was still fairly intact.” 

“Well, that is the only explanation. It could not possibly be that our sons lied to us.”

“No, never!” 

Joey rolled his eyes at their theatrics. Charlie shoved a piece of garlic bread in his mouth.

“Can we, though? Get the dog ?” 

“Didn't your da's ever teach you not to talk with your mouth full?” Jamie asked him. 

“One of them is Scouse so it's wasn't a huge part of our childhood,” Charlie retorted. Gary huffed a laugh at that and piled some salad on Charlie plate with a pointed look. 

“But seriously – ” Joey piped up, taking over his brothers question. 

“We already know what it is like to have a dog, we know how much responsibility it is, and she's six years old already, so it's not like it'll be for a fifteen year commitment. And Dexter would be so happy looking down at us to see we got another one to use his food bowl.” 

All valid points. Gary had to give him that. Although – 

“Sarafina might not be too happy.” 

The undisputed princess of the house, a five year old Ragdoll known as Sarafina, had heard her family settling in for dinner and had thus paraded from her favourite spot in the windowsill to her food bowl in the corner. 

“‘Fina won’t care. She's the chillest cat there has ever been.” 

Gary met Jamie's eyes over the table. In fairness, had they not needed to play the role of responsible fathers who didn't jump to decisions without thinking them through first, they would've gotten a dog months ago. But as it happened the boys weren't quite ready to forget Dexter so soon, and now that they were gunning for a new one, Gary felt as though they needed to learn to think things through at least twice before making a decision.

“You promise to help walk her everyday ?” 

“Promise.” 

“No moaning when we can't go away for long holiday's without her?” 

“Never.” 

“And you can keep your rooms clean and tidy for more than ten minutes at the time?” that one came from Jamie.

“What's that got to do with getting a dog?” Charlie asked. 

“Responsibility, lad. And wishful thinking.” 

“We'll clean them every day,” Joey said seriously. 

Gary doubted it, but he hadn't been much better at fifteen to be fair so he really didn't have a leg to stand on. He shared a look with Jamie again, held a silent conversation and gave him a half smile. He did really want a dog as well, and he knew Jamie was no different. 

“We'll go to the shelter after we pick you up from school tomorrow.” 

Much later that night Gary was sat up in bed reading his book, glasses perched on his nose and listening to Jamie making the last round of the house before turning in for the night. Turning off all lights, double checking the coffee maker was off, looking in on the boys, giving a pat to Sarafina, that sort of thing. He hadn't been able to keep his mind of Dexter's old dog bed that used to be in their room ever since dinner time. Maybe he had missed having a dog more than he thought. 

“All good?” he asked Jamie when his husband entered the room and crawled under the covers.  

“Yeah. Boys sleeping, coffee machine off, all good,” he answered around a yawn and settled down under the duvet, snuggling his head close to Gary’s side. Automatically Gary's hand fell on top of his head and started to stroke his hair.

“Tired, love?” 

“Mhm.” 

“Insomnia acting up again?” 

“Just a little bit last night.” 

“Why didn't you wake me?” 

“You look cute when you're asleep.” 

“James.”

“Gareth.” 

Jamie opened his eyes and looked up at him with a teasing smile. Gary looked back, torn between scolding him for not waking him up (like they had agreed on dammit) and kissing the idiotic man. He settled on the last, in no mood to end the day on a half bad note.

“I'm really excited to get a dog” Jamie said as they parted, and instead of sitting back up and continue reading, Gary settled down on his pillow also, pulling Jamie to his chest in the process. 

“Hm, me too.” 

“Maybe the sleeping will get better.” 

“Yeah. Dexter helped didn't he?” 

“Yeah. Helped a lot.” 

Gary had no idea how a dog could help with insomnia, but Dexter had. Jamie's tendency for midnight wanderings had increased after the old dog passed away, which was sort of why Gary had demanded Jamie to wake him up, because he used to be woken by Dexter's licking his hand to say that his husband had gone downstairs, but the old dog wasn't there to do it now. 

He ran his fingers though Jamie's every greying hair and gave him a peck on the forehead. 

“Sleep now, love. I got you. And wake me up if you need to.” 

Jamie hummed in response, halfway off to dreamland apparently. Gary smiled to himself. Thought of the dog bed in the attic that would soon belong to someone again, his wonderful husband who would maybe get some more sleep soon, his perfect boys right down the hall excited for tomorrow, the fuzzball of a princess  downstairs who loved Gary the most because he was the one to brush her fur daily. 

This family had to be the best one in all of the world.

[pocket-void]

Привет, Mock! Хочу булочку с корицей, но в России это нечасто, так что довольствуюсь борщом. Вкусный!

- 🇷🇺

Oooh that’s a bummer. They’re actually a little too sweet for me but I enjoy them once in a while. >\\\<✨💕

Ive also never had borscht, wonder what that’s like. :O I find it really interesting how certain foods are more or less common in certain places. Like France!! Ever shop with baked goods in it had quiche!! Gosh I miss that. >\\\< No shop here has fresh quiche and I think that’s a shame. u///u💖✨

You know what I also miss??! TAKOYAKI!! It’s so good I’m weeping, I wish I could have ones that are as good as the ones in Japan. ;///;✨

[lilyvandersteen]

Out of the Blue: Epilogue

Author’s Note:

Many of you asked for an epilogue, so here it finally is. Not as long or as detailed as I might have wanted and you might have expected, but words aren't coming easily to me these days. I hope this brings a smile to your face, and makes you forget the world we live in for a minute. Sending you all hugs XOXOXO Take care and stay safe!

Read at AO3 or FF.net

Epilogue

Blaine looked up from the sauce he was stirring when he heard the front door open and close. “How was your day, love?”

Kurt sighed, passing a hand over his eyes, and took his shoes and coat off sluggishly. He joined Blaine in the kitchen and hugged him from behind, kissing his neck. “Better now that I’m with you.”

“That bad, huh?”

Kurt’s head drooped onto Blaine’s shoulder. “The worst. If these two keep fighting like this over every detail, they’re going to split up before the wedding even takes place, and stiff me with all the bills.”

“You’ve already paid for stuff?”

Kurt nodded. “Deposits. For the venue. And the cake. And the caterer. And the florist. And the DJ. Ugh.”

Blaine hummed and stirred on until the sauce thickened, thinking hard. “Do you think it would be possible to use the deposits you made for another couple? That could solve the problem of them walking out on you.”

Kurt quirked his head to the side. “Well, in theory, yes, but who will I find that would be willing to marry just five weeks from now and will leave all the choices up to me?”

Blaine switched off the stove and smiled at Kurt, but before he could answer, the front door opened again.

“Hellooo lovebirds!” Cooper grinned. “I just knew I could count on one of you having made dinner. You don’t mind if I join you, do you? I’m starved!”

Blaine rolled his eyes at his brother, but took another plate from the cupboard and filled it, handing it to Cooper with cutlery.

Cooper dug in without even waiting for Kurt and Blaine to be served, and all was quiet until he finished his plate.

“Sooo what’s up with you, lovebirds? Haven’t heard much from either of you the past few weeks. Blaine’s working on the H&M deal, I know, but what’s new with you, Kurtsie?”

Kurt glared at Cooper. “Don’t call me that.”

“Ooh, I’m sensing a lot of stress. Blaine not taking care of you like he should?”

Kurt’s glare intensified. “It has nothing to do with Blaine, thank you very much. I’m stressing out over work stuff.”

“Anything I could help with?” Cooper offered.

That made Kurt thaw out slightly. “No, not really. Unless you’d be willing to marry five weeks from now?”

“Uhm, Kurt, I think you’re talking to the wrong brother. Blaine is over there.”

Cooper helpfully pointed to Blaine, who rolled his eyes again.

Kurt huffed. “I’m well aware… Oh!”

Kurt’s mouth fell open and he looked at Blaine. “Would you?”

Blaine smiled at Kurt. “I’d marry you anytime, anywhere, anyhow. I promise. I haven’t pushed you to start planning our wedding because I know how insanely busy you’ve been. But the truth is, I can’t wait to call you my husband. So if these two split up and leave you in the lurch, then yes, by all means use everything for our wedding. Absolutely.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that. You chose everything, so it’s sure to be fabulous.”

Kurt frowned. “Well, yes, it’s tasteful, but it’s not what I would have chosen for us.”

Blaine shrugged. “Let’s just get married and then we can plan a vow renewal ceremony exactly the way you envisioned it in a few years or so.”

Kurt’s brow smoothed out, and he laughed. “Mr. Problem Solver to the rescue! Thank you, sweetheart. I feel much better about this already. Only… What do we do about the invitations? If we wait until these two break up, it’s going to be short notice. If we send them out now and they don’t break up, we won’t be able to get married that day, ‘cause I’ll be overseeing their wedding.”

Just then, his phone rang. It was the bride-to-be, and her screeching was loud enough for Blaine and Cooper to hear her call her fiancé a couple of interesting swear words and call the wedding off. “I caught the bastard screwing my maid of honour behind my back! Cancel everything, you hear! And if there are bills to pay, send them to that good-for-nothing scumbag!”

There was silence for a moment after she’d rung off.

Then Cooper said chipperly, “Well, that solves the invitation problem! If I can help addressing invitations, just say the word!”

That cracked Blaine up, and before long, all three of them were laughing their heads off.

K&B

Five weeks later, Blaine held Kurt’s hands, looked deep into his eyes, and spoke from his heart as he promised to cherish Kurt forever. He choked up a little towards the end of his vows, but managed to get all the words out before he started crying.

Cooper handed him a handkerchief and whispered, “Here you go, cry-baby.”

Blaine let out a squeaky little laugh, dabbed at his eyes and turned his attention to Kurt, clasping hands with him again to listen to Kurt’s vows.

When they walked down the aisle towards their family and friends after the ceremony, Blaine couldn’t help sneaking glances at his wedding ring every few seconds and beaming. He felt the cold metal of Kurt’s rings against the palm of his hand, and his smile stretched even wider.

Burt Hummel was the first to hug the both of them, closely followed by Carole, and then Cooper clapped Kurt on the shoulder. “Welcome to the family, bro! Wait ‘till you find out what I’ve planned for your honeymoon, you’re going to LOVE it!”

Only inviting one family member to the wedding did not save Blaine from embarrassing stories. Cooper, fulfilling his duty as best man by speeching at dinner, dug up every anecdote he could think of that would make people laugh at his brother’s expense, and Blaine cringed the whole time.

Kurt loved it, though, giggling his head off, his eyes crinkling and all his teeth showing. That made Blaine smile, no matter how much he hated Cooper’s anecdotes.

The best part of the wedding, though, for Blaine, was all the guests telling them what a perfect couple they made. Every time that happened, Kurt beamed and pulled Blaine a bit closer still.

During their first dance, Kurt dipped Blaine to loud cheers, and then pulled him up again until their noses were touching. He whispered, “Happy, Mr. Hummel-Anderson?”

Blaine kissed him softly. “The happiest I’ve ever been.”

K&B

The honeymoon was everything Cooper had promised and more. They did a Jane Austen tour and a Harry Potter tour in the UK, they had a Willy Wonka themed high tea in London and visited Buckingham Palace and the Tower. On the European mainland, they went to Florence and Milan and Venice, they saw the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and the royal palace in Lisbon.

And then, when they went to Paris, they saw a familiar face sauntering up to them while they were having tea at Angelina’s.

“Cooper!”

Cooper pretended to be very surprised. “Fancy seeing you here! I needed a bit of a break, so where better than the City of Love, if you catch my drift?”

He waggled his eyebrows, and Blaine shook his head, chuckling. “Oh please, like we’d believe that! You’re here because we’re going to Disneyland tomorrow. Admit it. You want to come along with us, don’t you?”

Cooper grinned. “Now how nice of you to invite me! Yes, I’d love to go to Disneyland with you guys!”

Kurt burst out laughing.

“I told you so, didn’t I?” Blaine sighed. “I’m surprised it took this long for Coop to show up.”

“Aww, Blainey, don’t be like that! I’ve been SO good. I gave you more than two weeks to yourselves!”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “And you couldn’t have left us in peace for one more week?”

Cooper took a chair from another table and straddled it, whining, “But I missed you guys!”

An impeccably dressed waiter came to take Cooper’s order, and didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow when Coop told him to bring, “A bit of everything. Savoury and sweet. I’m really hungry. Oh, and that amazing hot chocolate you have here. Please.”

As soon as the waiter had left, Cooper smiled widely at Kurt. “So how’s the honeymoon been so far? Did it live up to your expectations?”

“Now, really, that is….” Blaine spluttered, but Kurt put a hand on his arm.

“Relax, honey, I don’t think your brother’s asking about the sex we’ve been having. He’s asking about all the entertainment and hotels and food he’s arranged for us.”

Blaine deflated. “Oh…”

Kurt’s eyes flitted from Blaine’s sheepish face to Cooper’s horrified expression and started laughing again, so infectiously that they both joined in.

“To answer your question, Cooper,” Kurt said, stealing a fry from the platter that had just arrived for Cooper, “we’ve loved everything you’ve booked for us so far. That Bond in Motion exhibition was especially wonderful. I loved seeing all those James Bond cars – made me wish Dad was with me to geek out over them. I bought him the book, though.”

“And I loved taking the Hogwarts Express and visiting Alnwick Castle,” Blaine chimed in, taking one of Cooper’s leek and cheese tartlets.

“Hey, stop eating my stuff!” Cooper complained.

Blaine looked at the giant platter with mini quiches, croques, small servings of soup and salad, filled croissants and even truffle ravioli, dwarfing the table they were sitting at. Then he looked at the three-tier stand waiting on a table next to them holding every possible type of dessert. “Where will you put all that? If we don’t help you eat it, you’ll still be here next week.”

“True, that. Well, then, dug in!”

K&B

Much as Blaine complained about Cooper ruining their honeymoon, it WAS fun going to Disneyland with his brother.

“Just like old times, isn’t it, squirt?” Cooper grinned while racing Blaine and Kurt to Peter Plan’s Flight, his Mickey Mouse ears wobbling like mad.

By noon, they’d hit pretty much all of the Fantasyland and Tomorrowland attractions, and now Kurt and Blaine sat on a bench eating a sandwich and giggling at Cooper, who was now flirting with the actress impersonating the Disney character of Aurora. Sleeping Beauty and Cooper ended up singing “Once Upon a Dream” together, and children crowded around them eagerly, clamouring for pictures with both of them.

Cooper happily obliged, and joined Kurt and Blaine with a skip in his step.

“I got her phone number!” he whispered. “And she encouraged me to apply for a job here as a Disney prince!”

Kurt laughed. “Of course she did. You are every inch a Disney prince. Must be something in the Anderson genes, ‘cause Blaine is just as much of a prince, aren’t you, sweetie?”

Blaine beamed and kissed Kurt, murmuring softly in Kurt’s ear that he was a prince to him too.

“Okay, okay, stop with the mushiness, please,” Cooper said. “We’re here to have FUN!”

They took turns trying to get the Excalibur sword out of the stone, making quite a performance of it again, to the delight of the children present, and then went and bought fake swords in one of the souvenir shops so that they could have a sword fight.

In no time, Kurt had disarmed both Blaine and Cooper.

“Years of combat training,” he shrugged when they complimented him, but a small smile playing on his lips belied his nonchalance.

The day ended with a spectacular fireworks display, which made Cooper whoop so loudly he startled some nearby ducks.

Blaine shook his head at his brother. “You’d think he was the younger one, not me.”

“Aww, I think it’s sweet he’s still so enthusiastic about anything and everything,” Kurt said. “That’s what I like most about Cooper. He’s rich as Croesus and could be on a yacht in Monte Carlo right now, waited on hand and foot and snobbish like anything. But that’s not his style, and I’m glad it’s not. He takes delight in the smallest things in life, and in doing so, he makes everyone around him happier.”

“True.”

Blaine nestled his head against Kurt’s shoulder with a soft sigh of contentment and focused on the fireworks again. He’d take a leaf out of his brother’s book and enjoy this perfect moment.

And with Kurt, a perfect life.

THE END

[miracul0us-multishipper]

Welcome to the back (Part 5)

First Chapter  Previous Chapter  Next Chapter

Thank you so much for all your sweet feedback!

This chapter deals a little more with Lila’s manipulations and their first effects, and both Chat Noir And Felix make a move. With varying degrees of success.

Also, Felix would literally die for Maman Cheng’s Quiche.

- - -

Lila was fuming when she arrived at home.

“Who does he think he is?!”, she spit out between clenched teeth. “He had zero proof!”

And not only had her attempt to win Felix over failed, Hawkmoth hadn’t even sent an Akuma for her! That, or this goddamn beetle had caught it before it had reached her.

“What a dutiful little bug, aren’t you, Ladybug?”, she seethed on. “Always looking out for butterflies. Well, newsflash: you aren’t perfect! And as soon as you let one of them slip through, Volpina is going to kick your ass!”

That brought her thoughts to another pain in her butt and she threw her phone away in frustration. If it weren’t for that pigtailed goody two shoes, Felix would be writing poems of admiration for Lila by now. All these beautiful words, lost because that stupid Marinette couldn’t leave Felix alone. He was unreachable for her now!

Taking a deep breath, Lila tried to calm down.

Don’t do anything rash. We’ve come so far.

She still had Adrien wrapped around her finger. That boy was so eager to believe her, he threw all reason away for some pretty fairy tale. And as long as his father was with her, she had Adrien handled.

Still. Loosing her chance with Felix had... hurt her. She hadn’t realized she’d looked forward to their relationship that much.

Sighing she fell on her bed and grabbed her phone, going through his poems. She’d pictured how everything would go from the moment she’d looked through his bag. He would’ve been smitten with her writing, her poetry resonating with his. Once they were on their date at the Eiffel Tower, he wouldn’t have been able to deny how pretty she looked with the sunset illuminating her face, the wind in her hair... He would’ve intertwined his soft, slender fingers with hers and confessed how connected he felt to her. She would’ve blushed and told him to stop, but he would’ve written her a poem about his feelings for her and kissed her hand. Then they would’ve kissed, just as the sun disappeared and the lights at the tower went on. The rest of the evening, they would have talked about their shared affinity for words and tales, how they both could spin their audiences in webs of emotion and wonder - even though they used different mediums to accomplish that. He would’ve realized that they were the only ones that understood each other, that they were made for each other, that they were soulmates. How they were better than these silly children in their class.

She groaned and turned her phone off, not bearing to see his pretty poems now.

It was all Marinette’s fault! She’d stolen that future from her and Felix!

Lila froze.

Wait a second.

Since when did she give up that easily?! This was Marinette she was talking about! That girl didn’t have enough brain cells to walk properly! She was no opponent for her, Lila Rossi, the cunning Volpina! She was the Queen of Lies, the Master of Manipulation, Gaslighting and Illusions! If she wanted Felix, she’d get Felix!

With renewed determination, she got in front of her computer. She had some research to do!

-

“There you are, Chaton!” Ladybug greeted her partner. She was still smiling from her encounter with Felix, and determined that this patrol would go smoothly. Chat Noir replied with his usual smirk.

“If you don’t look energized today, My Lady! Happy to see me?”

She chuckled and landed next to him, on the rooftops next to the Seine.

“Come on, Kitty! This city doesn’t patrol itself, you know?”

“Actually, can we wait a few more minutes?” her partner asked with surprising seriousness. “I wanted to talk to you.”

She wanted to refuse - she still had to catch up on her missed history lesson, time was precious - but the pleading look in his big green eyes made her weak.

“Alright” she sighed. “But only shortly! What is it, Kitty?”

He hummed.

“You always call me these pet names. It’s so cute!”

“Chat. Focus.”

“Right! Uh, my dad is... the owner of a business, you know? Famous and renowned across France. He always has to look super professional, or his investors run over to his rivals.”

“Okay?” Ladybug tried to follow, unsure where this was supposed to go.

“You kind of remind me of him, sometimes! You’re both smart, and very serious about your work, and usually too busy.”

She didn’t know if he wanted to compliment or insult her.

“Anyway, my mom and I are very similar, he always says. She used to work for him, as a model. And when they fell in love, my dad was a bit worried a relationship with one of his coworkers might look unprofessional. ‘What would everyone say?’, and so on.”

“And then?”

He shrugged.

“Nothing. They got married and it worked out fine. No problems whatsoever.”

“Huh.”

Chat looked at her, obviously expecting something, so she added: “That’s... a very sweet story. Your parents sound very lucky.”

He beamed.

“Yeah! And luck is just our thing, right?”

“Uh, yes” she agreed carefully. What did they have to do with his parents. “But why are you telling me this?”

“I just wanted to let you know... I understand how important it is for you to look professional. And that I support you, always. You don’t have to worry.”

“Thanks?” She was positively confused now. “I don’t think anybody doubts our professionalism, but... that’s reassuring.”

“You’re welcome.”

He probably meant well, even though she didn’t understand what he was playing at. So when he closed his eyes and leaned in, her mind had yet to catch up. Only when he was actually pressing his lips on hers, it clicked.

She slapped him. Hard.

“Ow! What the-“

“Oh no, that’s my line, Chat! What the fuck?!”, she hissed out, wiping her mouth with her wrist. Chat looked up, his face shifting from shock to betrayal.

“I-I thought-“

“You thought what?! You can just kiss me out of the blue after I repeatedly told you I’m not in love with you?! What don’t you get about that?”

If he looked hurt, she didn’t care. She was tired of this, tired of his advances. For once in her life, she wanted him to listen and understand her!

“I- someone told me you were worried that-“

“Why are you so quick to listen to some bystander, but refuse to hear my very! Clear! Answer!”

“Your answer isn’t clear at all!”, Chat Noir yelled back, getting to his feet. “You say you don’t love me, but you’re acting like you do! You call me pet names, you flirt with me, you kiss me all the time! So either you enjoy leading me on, or you’re lying to both of us about your true feelings!”

“Aaaargh!”, she groaned in frustration, clasping her hands above her head, “You’re impossible!”

“No, I’m simply making my feelings very clear for you! We are partners, and we’re supposed to be honest with each other!”

She tore her hair. He was so stubborn, so obstinate that that he could do no wrong. She wanted to scream.

“Chat, I honestly don’t want you to kiss me.” she tried to keep it simple, lowering her voice to prevent herself from lashing out. But Chat certainly didn’t help at that.

“That’s okay! We can just hold hands, if you want to. Or go for Ice cream.”

“No! I don’t want any of that! Kwamis above!”

“Then what do you want?!

If she didn’t get out of here, she’d do something stupid. Slap him again, probably.

“Leave me alone, Chat.”, she pressed out, her voice breaking.

“What? We’re partners! You- We need each other!”

“I’ll handle patrol from now on.”, she ordered, leaving no room for discussion. “Until you can accept that I don’t reciprocate your feelings, we should only work together when necessary.”

She swallowed, throwing her yo-yo.

“Please, Chat.”

Then she was off, disappearing behind the buildings of Paris. Leaving a stunned, upset Cat behind. It took him a while before he could move, and even longer before he reached his home. Detransforming had never felt so draining to him.

“What the everloving Fluff were you thinking?” Plagg raged as soon as the ring set him free. Adrien groaned.

“Not now, Plagg. I really don’t feel up to this now.”

“You don’t feel up to this?” Plagg snarled incredulously. “I don’t feel up to this! I don’t feel up to anything! Ever! And even I can’t let you do something like this!”

“How should I have known she’d react like this?” the boy defended himself. “Lila said-“

“Volpina-Girl! You know she doesn’t like Ladybug! But somehow you thought her love advice is more credible than the answer Ladybug has been giving you for months!”

“But she’s Ladybug! And I’m her Black Cat! We’re completing each other.”

Plagg shook his head.

“Right now, you overgrown airhead, you are about to loose even the most platonic part of her feelings for you. It’s simple: that or nothing, Kiddo.”

-

Where Ladybug was lonelier than ever, Marinette was soaring high. After Alya apologized for not believing in her innocence regarding the poems, the others soon followed - much to Lila’s dismay. And the compulsive liar got even angrier after seeing how much closer Marinette and Felix were becoming. Marinette found that she didn’t care.

Felix was... odd. He spoke clear and directly, not caring if he sounded rude. He didn’t like warm temperatures, preferring to hide on the shady yard. He listened to classical music, but had beaten Marinette more than once at Freestyle Clash 2.

(“Rap is poetry as well!”, he had defended himself when she teased him about it.)

He also didn’t like crowds, or people in general. But whenever Marinette was chatting with her classmates, she found him listening attentively, even if his eyes were glued to his book. While he didn’t want to be actively involved, he wasn’t antisocial either.

And to be honest, she appreciated his silent company more than ever when her other friends became... overwhelming. Being around Felix was easy. His mere presence was calming, as if everything was in control.

“Girl, are you there? ‘Cause if I’m not losing my senses you’re staring at Mister Icecold instead of Sunshine Boy.”

Marinette blinked, pulled back into the real world. Alya was looking at her expectantly, eyebrows raised so high they almost vanished beneath her hair.

“I didn’t!”, Marinette insisted, but Alya rolled her eyes.

“Come on, you’ve been hanging out with him and him alone for the past week! What’s up with that?”

“Nothing! I just really like Felix, that’s all. You know I have a crush on Adrien.”

Alya’s eyes were scrutinizing but playful.

“Hm... If you say so?” She chuckled. “I should be glad. Frosty is kind of scaring me, actually. He’s so rude!”

Marinette huffed with arms akimbo.

“He’s just... honest! And hasn’t been around people much. He doesn’t mean to be rude, he just doesn’t want to lie for politeness’ sake either.”

“I don’t mean that. At least, not only that. He’s been glaring at Lila whenever she tries to speak with him.”

Marinette sighed. They’d talked this over at least a dozen times already, and while Marinette didn’t call Lila a Liar openly anymore, she did like to give hints. Which Alya successfully ignored.

“Just... let’s get to class. I don’t want to be late again.”

While Felix hated nothing more than talking during the lessons (“It’s disrespectful!”) he did communicate from time to time. Over the course of the week, they had developed an intricate language of stolen glances and discreet expressions that was comprehensible to them alone.

When Marinette fell into her seat next to him and replied “present” upon hearing her name from Mme Bustier, he gave her a concerned look from her to Alya.

Everything okay with you two?

Marinette shrugged and rolled her eyes.

Just the usual disagreement.

He huffed, concentrating on the lesson, but not without nudging her leg with his knee. His gesture for showing support.

“Before we continue with Napoleon, let me make an announcement.”, Mme Bustier caught her class’s attention. “Since you’ve all been so eager and hardworking during Monsieur Agreste’s bowler hat contest, I’ve been looking for another opportunity to let your creativity run free.”

She smiled at the front row.

“Since Lila has so generously helped me out, You now have the chance to participate in a competition called “Journalism Junior”, hosted by Alec Cataldi and Nadja Chamack.”

The class cheered and Alya high fived Lila, who smiled as Adrien patted her on the shoulder. A sharp pang in Marinette’s chest made her look away.

“If you want to enter the competition, you’ll have to create a report on something that greatly impacted you, until next Friday,” Mme Bustier continued. “It can be about your greatest inspirations or fears, a problem you want to draw attention to or something you want to support. Copying is as always,” a sharp glance at Chloé and Sabrina, “strictly forbidden! This is about an honest and genuine insight into Paris’ youth, so be true to yourselves!”

As soon as Mme Bustier finished, the class was alive with the buzz of excited students.

“Journalism! Not really my specialty, but sounds interesting.”, Marinette beamed at her gloomy neighbor. “I think I’ll do something about fashion! Or baking? Or media design?”

Felix only huffed and Marinette stilled.

“Is... everything okay?”

He blinked and straightened himself.

“Yes, of course. Journalism just isn’t my cup of tea.”

He leaned his head sideways.

“You should do something about fashion. You’re talking about it constantly, and I’ve seen your room. If something has an impact on you, it’s designing.”

“You’re right!”, she agreed, already thinking about what sketches she should work with. “Oh, will you do the report on your poems? No, wait, they’re personal. Your music then? I’ve heard you play the violin in the art room, it’s magical!”

Felix’ cheeks appeared a bit more saturated for a moment, almost as if he were blushing, but it disappeared when he shook his head.

“I won’t participate at all.”, he clarified sternly. “I’ve had enough people trying to peak into my life. But I’ll help you with yours. You’re horrible with deadlines.”

“True”, she grimaced. “But I don’t get why the behavior of other journalists should keep you from trying something out yourself!”

His fingers twitched, betraying that this was about something entirely else. A bit gentler she added: “Are you sure you don’t want to do something of your own? It’s different if other people try to drag your personal life into the limelight, or if you willingly share something on your own terms.”

“Hm...”, he murmured, before giving her one of his rare smiles. “You are exceptionally smart, Marinette. I appreciate your advice.”

She rolled her eyes. He could’ve as well written her a thank you letter, as formal as he was.

“Thanks. But don’t think I haven’t noticed you’re deflecting!”

She backed down anyway. Felix obviously didn’t want to share his thought process with her, but hopefully, he just needed some time.

Or maybe she was just misinterpreting his behavior and blowing things out of proportion. Wouldn’t be the first time for her.

-

Felix might not look the part, but he did think about what Marinette had said. She was right, of course. There was a difference between someone stealing his secrets, and himself sharing them. But to him it had always been technical at best, a mere incongruence in terminology.

Insisting on being involved in Mum’s company from an early age on had put him in the spotlight far more than he’d anticipated, then. When he took up modeling – the only way to help he was given, his mother didn’t want him to “waste his childhood with adults work” – he’d become a minor celebrity basically overnight. It hadn’t gotten better when he grew up.

He’d always felt like some sort of public property, a puppet for others to project onto, or a fancy building people went sightseeing for on weekends. More than once his mother had to hire security people to ensure he had some semblance of peace outside, without being bothered by fans or paparazzi. His father’s position and... attitude certainly hadn’t helped to give him some personal space. So, at one point... he’d simply stopped going amongst people. And he didn’t mind that!

But the week he’d spent with Marinette, or even Aurore and Marc, had made him realize that while he could be on his own... he didn’t want to, anymore. Not always at least. They were so... generous with everything, sharing help or stories or simply their company with him. Especially Marinette, without ever expecting anything in return.

He wanted to return something, though. Anything to let her know he appreciated her. To make her smile the way she drew out his own.

So when school was over, he waited for her to pack up her things and get ready to go.

“You wouldn’t happen to be free this afternoon?”, he asked quietly. There where a few other students left in the room, Rossi and Agreste among them, and while he’d never concern himself enough with them to whisper, he wouldn’t push his luck either. This afternoon should go as smoothly as possible.

Marinette smiled and nodded.

“Sure! Want to come over for lunch again? Maman made Quiche.”

He saw Adrien perk up four rows further, and Felix himself found his determination waver. The Dupain-Cheng Quiche was a work of high culinary art, as he’d learned the last time he’d visited Marinette. But no! He had to stay strong! This was for Marinette!

“Actually, I’d hoped you came back home with me for lunch.”

He fidgeted a little, which was odd for him since it usually annoyed him on other people.

“It’s as you said, I should try to share things willingly, on my own terms, and you... make me feel like it can’t be that hard.”

Her smile was replaced by a look of surprise and he mentally kicked himself.

“You don’t have to! It was just an idea, but it doesn’t have to be today. Or ever.”

Why would she want to have lunch with him if her parents were already culinary deities? His mere invitation after tasting their creations was an affront to their craft.

To his relief, however, Marinette didn’t seem to mind his proposal.

“I’d love to come over! I’ll just have to call my parents before.”

She gave him one of her playful smirks that usually came before reading him.

“You actually listened to me? I’m impressed!”

His slight pang of disappointment that he wouldn’t get his beloved Quiche today was drowned out by his happiness to enjoy her company a bit longer. When she turned away to call her parents, he realized he should probably give his mother a heads up as well. He sighed. Mum would be over the moon once she heard he was bringing a friend over.

What had he done?

-

Lila was prepared. She was cool. She was completely fine with Felix asking the walking mess named Marinette out for lunch. And the pen she’d snapped would’ve broken anyway, she was sure.

Not that it mattered. Pigtails could revel in his attention all day, for all she cared. It wouldn’t last.

“Madame Bustier?”, she called the teacher as soon as the other students were gone.

“Lila! Is something the matter?”, the woman asked her new official favorite student. “I hope you didn’t mind that I thanked you in front of the class. I didn’t want to put you in the spotlights so unprompted, but you were a great help and that should be acknowledged.”

Lila smiled modestly.

“Oh, I don’t mind. I just like to help out.”

Herself, first and foremost. The contest was merely a puzzle piece in her scheme.

“Speaking of that,” she continued, “I wanted to ask for a small favor, if it’s no problem.”

“Of course, Lila. What is it?”

“It’s Marinette.” she began, putting on a sheepish face. “We didn’t have the best start, and her behavior last week when I proposed to change the seating again... I think she still holds some sort of grudge against me.”

She paused for a moment, to let the hint settle before she continued.

“I wanted to help her out a bit, so we can become friends! She’s always so busy as class rep, and I fear that the contest might add some weight to her load.”

“That’s so sweet of you! What were you thinking about?”

She had Bustier wrapped around her finger, now.

“Well, I obviously can’t help her with her report.” she mused out loud. “I don’t want to influence her in any way, so she doesn’t get disqualified for copying something by accident. So I hoped I could help her with her class rep duties! Usually, Alya does that, but she’s so passionate about her report and I don’t want to distract her.”

“Very considerate!”, she praised. “What duties would you like to take over for now?”

Now came the important part.

“Oh, Kim has been sick for a while now.” she reminded her. “I wanted to bring him some of the work we did, and inform him about the contest. And the swimming team asked Marinette to bring him the bag he forgot last time. Would it be alright if you gave me his address?”

She seemed to think for a moment before searching for a list in her bag.

“Usually, I’m not allowed to give out personal information.”, the teacher confessed. “But I think in this case, we can call it an exception, don’t we?”

“Of course”, Lila agreed dutifully as she skimmed the list Bustier held out to her. LeChien, Kim... there. And directly above: Leanne, Felix. Smiling, she typed the address into her phone. Felix’ address, of course. Max was already bringing Kim his homework, and the forgotten bag was a lie.

“Thank you so much, Madame!”, Lila said genuinely when she put her phone away and walked towards the door. “Oh, one last thing! Would you maybe... not tell Marinette I asked for this? I want to surprise her.”

“Don’t worry!”, Bustier said cluelessly. “I‘ll forget you asked me for anything.”

“You are the best, Madame! Good bye!”

She didn’t her her teacher’s reply, she was already out of the door. Her phone was on and she pulled up the pictures she’d taken of Felix’ calendar.

He was meticulous when it came to organizing his day, and she was more than grateful for it. He would be home by now, and lunch with his mother would last until 15 o’clock. He’d made a note not to disturb her from 15 to 16 o’clock, since Madame Leanne was in a meeting. From 16 to 18 o’clock, he’d be busy with his violin lessons.

Perfect.

But before her plan could be set in motion, she had another little tale to spin.

“Nino!”, she called when Adrien’s best friend came into her sight. “Wait for me!”

He was alone when she reached him. This was almost too easy.

“Wow, everything alright, dudette?” Nino asked, concerned that she’d hurried so much to catch up to him. “You look kinda rushed.”

She smiled and waved it off.

“I’ll be meeting Jagged Stone soon, and I don’t want to be late. I showed him your latest tape by the way, and he was really impressed.”

“Really?!”

“Yeah! But I really have to hurry now. Could you maybe tell Adrien from me that he doesn’t need to worry. You know, because of the Marinette thing.”

Nino frowned.

“Wait a sec. Marinette thing? Is she or Adrien in trouble?”

Surprised Lila put her hand over her mouth.

“Oh no, he didn’t tell you? Oh, I messed up! I’m so sorry!”

“What did you mess up? C’mon, I’m not telling anyone.”

She looked from side to side, as if worried others might overhear.

“I’m sure he meant to tell you.” she started secretively. “It’s just that... he’s been worried about Marinette. He thought she acted so weirdly over my proposal that Felix should sit with us in the front, that maybe she doesn’t like him. He thinks Marinette is ignoring, or outright bullying Felix.”

“What? I mean, that dude is giving me the creeps, but Marinette is super close with him.”

She forced a smile.

“You’re right, I noticed that too! But, you know, Adrien has been isolated so long... he just doesn’t know how to read the atmosphere, you know?”

“Yeah, he’s kinda oblivious.”

“I just wanted him to stop worrying so much. He was really concerned when he thought Felix and Marinette might not get along.”

Nino gave her a thumbs up.

“Don’t worry about him, I’ll soothe his nerves. You go meet Jagged Stone!”

“Thank you so much!”, she said, and meant every word. He was really useful, even though he made her cringe. “Oh, but maybe don’t tell him you heard this from me. He didn’t tell anyone else, and I don’t want him to think he can’t trust me.”

“Sure thing, dudette!”

“Bye-bye, then! And thank you!”

Lila smiled as she ran off. Everything was fitting perfectly together. The best tool to keep Marinette away from Felix was her crush on Adrien. The best way to use her crush was his dislike of Felix, and his assumption he knew what was best for his friends. The closer he thought them to be, the more he’d try to spread his animosity towards Felix onto Marinette, who’d do everything to please him.

Now Lila only had to wait.

- - -

I’m happy over every reblog, Part 5 is on its way. Here’s the tag list:

@crazycookie13o @a-6-yearold-inside @sinfulfoxbeast @kuroko26 @sternsneeze @zeyheartstaylor @elliecake5 @kristycocopop @yamadochie @sofmimis @enigmaticagitator @offically-over-it @earth-demon @juhavs @omgelisahagemanuniverse @owllover132 @kaydenth3gayden @janaikam @mewwitch

[firewoodfigs]

letters to a young poet 

Summary: Riza Hawkeye, a young, aspiring poet, exchanges letters with her fiancé, Roy Mustang during his time in the military academy. He attempts to write her poems and prose about life and love, and occasionally sends her presents to remind her of him. Like his boxers.

read on ao3  

(a/n: (i) title is taken from Rilke's book. (ii) tw: the timeline of this is largely based on yet another man's battlefield, so there are brief mentions of racism here. (iii) I recommend reading on ao3 instead because... formatting issues, again xD (iv) original poetry at the end)

for @royaiweek 2020 - thank you to the lovely mods for organising!! 💖 

~x~

“Promise you’ll write to me when I’m away?”

“Of course, Roy,” Riza drawls idly as she adjusts his coat and ensures that his tie is neatly in place.

“Thank you. I’m going to miss you terribly, you know,” he says, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead before stretching his arms out invitingly. Smiling, she leans in and allows herself to be crushed to his chest in a warm, firm embrace.

God, I’m really going to miss her, he thinks, as he inhales her scent - a lovely mix of gunpowder and peonies and old books - and incarcerates it in his memory.

Roy steps back to admire her pretty countenance properly. Pride and admiration swells in his heart, and he can't help but run his fingers gently through her flaxen tresses once more before resting them on her lips.  

“Let me be your muse,” Roy declares with a triumphant grin, pressing a hand to his heart with a melodramatic flourish that earns an amused eye roll from his fiancée. “For parting is such sweet sorrow, and -“

“Shut up.” She pulls him by his tie to kiss him roughly, before flashing a wicked grin and kicking him out of the door. “Get going, you lovesick, histrionic fool.”

Riza throws his belongings out and slams the door as he stares at the wood longingly with an endearing pout.

~x~

June 8th

Dear Riza,

How doth your literary endeavours come along? I hope all is well with thee. Whenever I close my eyes, I see you Like a midsummer’s night dream, exquisite And when I open my eyes to sunlight I cannot wait to see you once again.

All my love, Roy.

~x~

June 12th

Roy,

Stop trying to imitate Shakespeare and force all your sentences into iambic pentameters. It makes me shudder - in disgust, not delight, lest you misconstrue what I’m saying.

Anyway, my literary endeavours are coming along fine. I’ve been spending my time reading some of the books you got me for my birthday, and for someone who writes so incorrigibly you sure do have impeccable taste. All is well on my end. What about you? How are you adjusting to the academy?

Thanks for the pressed flowers that you sent over, by the way. They’re surprisingly lovely, though I’m sure all credit goes to Vanessa’s guidance.

I also enclosed a scarf that I personally knitted for you in case it gets cold at night. Because you have an uncanny tendency to misplace your things, I embroidered a few water droplets in blue at the bottom for clearer identification (if you lose it I’m never making you anything ever again, this took me days to complete).

Hopefully, they serve as a reminder to you that you’re useless in the rain as well, so that you’ll refrain from doing anything reckless or stupid in my absence.

All my love, Riza.

~x~

Roy tears the package open with all the enthusiasm of a child opening his presents on Christmas morning the instant it lands in his hands. His eyes light up appreciatively at the lovely scarf, laughing at the tiny water droplets at the bottom that she’d added as a personal touch.

When he reads her letter and realises its intended meaning, though, an indignant frown makes its way to his handsome features.

Nevertheless, he dons it on immediately, relishing in the warm comfort and how it smelt like her, like flowers blooming in spring (even if his fiancée didn’t appreciate his poetic attempts, he very much liked to believe he was capable of using a simile properly).

June 16th

Dear Riza,

Thank you for the lovely gift, although your harsh words wound me terribly. Nevertheless, I understand that underneath your acerbic tongue lies a tender heart full of love, and I am a lucky man to be the sole recipient of it. I’m glad you liked the flowers. One day I’ll buy you a carful of them, I promise.

Things are going fine here. I’m adjusting well to the ridiculous sleep schedule (you’re the only person I know who willingly wakes up at seven in the morning daily), and with the rigorous physical training we have to endure I believe you’ll have a glorious set of washboard abs to admire the next time you see me.

I must say, though, the food here is pretty bad. Spinach quiche is pretty much the only edible thing, but this man - I think his name was Huggles or something. Sorry, Hughes - had the audacity to take the last piece of quiche right under my nose.

(Per your commands, though, I refrained from trying anything stupid.)

What’s even worse is the racial prejudice. The other day I saw an Ishvalan getting bullied by a trio of ugly men, but they left before I realised what was really happening… So I helped him out after that. I can’t bear it, to this day - they picked on him just because of his skin colour, for goodness sake! It was completely unwarranted.  

It’s only been a week but I already miss you terribly. Can’t wait till I see you again.

All my love, which extends from one end of Amestris to Xing, Roy.

~x~

June 21st

Dear Roy,

Sure, keep deluding yourself however you like if it makes you happy. You’re not the only recipient, by the way - I made a cute little scarf for Hayate, too, who has replaced your ‘snuggling spot’ in my bed, as you like to call it. Between the both of you I sometimes can’t tell who smells worse.

Also, don’t be ridiculous - what would I even do with a carful of flowers?

I’m glad to hear that things are fine on your end. Waking up at seven is a wonderful thing, especially when you get to see the sunrise, no? I look forward to seeing those abs, though with your drinking habits I’m sure you’ll probably end up with a beer belly in the foreseeable future. Don’t drink too much.

I’m sorry to hear about the quiche. I’ll make you one when you’re back. If it makes you feel better, though, I’ve sent some cookies I made the other day to you as well. Express delivery, in case they go bad.

Also, even if you haven’t already punched the Hughes guy I can already envision you slamming your tray down on the table, turning around to scowl at him like a petulant child and competing with him in just about everything you do.

All I will say is this: relax, it’s just a bloody quiche.

Good to know that you did that! The Ishvalans most certainly don’t deserve such treatment. No one does, of course, but it’s frustrating that certain ethnicities still continue to be singled out and ostracised in Amestris, despite the state’s proclamation that it’s a cosmopolitan society accepting of different cultures and whatnot… Until then, we have to stand with them, stand up for what’s right, and -- oh, I don’t mean to ramble. Just know that I’m proud of you, Roy. Keep at it.  

If it does make you feel better I suppose a tiny part of me does miss you too. Just the slightest.

All my love, Riza (not interested in your silly competitions) Hawkeye.

~x~

Roy blanched at the bag of cookies she’d sent him and the thought of Riza’s quiche. Cooking had never been her strongest suit, and while she was talented in many areas somehow all of that seemed to go away every time she entered a kitchen.

Nevertheless, it was Riza who’d painstakingly made them, and because he appreciates his fiancée’s efforts he vows to eat every single one of them even in her absence.

He bites down on a cookie apprehensively, and is pleasantly surprised to discover that it’s edible. It bears emphasising that this is an incredible feat for Riza Hawkeye - considering how she’d managed to almost burn the entire kitchen down when she tried to make a simple pasta dish for his birthday.

(Fortunately, they’d managed to extinguish it, but afterwards Roy mentally designated himself as head chef for the rest of their lives.)

Deeply touched by the gesture, he wraps one of his shirts to send back as a gift. The thought of her dressed in his apparel has him grinning like the lovesick, histrionic fool that Riza said he was.

June 26th 

Dear Riza,

Don’t say that, I definitely smell better than Hayate. And I know for a fact that you love me, although maybe not as much as I love you -- my love for you knows no territorial boundaries.

You could curate your own gardens with a carful of flowers, I suppose. And we could… Well, smell the flowers and procrastinate together?

It is - the sunlight reminds me of you, and I appreciate that. A lot. I also haven’t been drinking, so don’t worry - these glorious abs are definitely en route to you.

Thank you for the cookies - they were delicious, and I look forward to your quiche when I return. Baby steps, alright? I hope the kitchen will still be intact when I come home.

… It’s sometimes creepy how well you know me… But I think you’ll be pleased to at least know that I became friends with Hughes, after we confronted said trio.

We also made a new friend today - Heathcliff! He’s the Ishvalan I told you about in my last letter. He told us he joined the military because he wanted to change and empower the people’s perceptions of Ishval and its culture from a point of leadership. I think that’s an admirable dream - one that I’d like to assist in, too. He’s been a great friend, and I can’t stand to see him be the recipient of so many pejorative remarks. It’s completely unjustified, and you’re absolutely right on that point.

I take that as an admission that you miss me ‘most ardently’ - have you been writing poems about me in my absence?  

On that note, you’ll be pleased to know that I have a break on the 8th of July for a couple of days. Want to do something fun? I know you’ve been dying to check out that shooting range, and I’ve been training in the academy for my victory.

All my love, kisses and glorious abs, Roy

P.S. I’ve also enclosed a token of my own affection herein for you - hopefully it reminds you of me whenever you wear it.

~x~

Riza stared confusedly at the oddly-shaped lump that surfaced after she opened the package. After reading his letter she was expecting one of his shirts, maybe one of his button-downs that would’ve been perfect as an oversized sleeping top on her, but she certainly wasn’t expecting his…

Boxers.

His boxers, of all things. She holds it up to scrutinise it in its full glory, and it’s peppered with little puppies - his favorite pair.

To say Riza is surprised is an understatement. She’s not quite sure why he’d sent her his boxers or how she’s supposed to even wear it, but she chucks it aside in the laundry for him to retrieve it when he returns.

July the 8th. The date's circled in bold, bright red on her calendar.  

She’d never admit this out loud to any living person, not even her best friend Rebecca. The only person who’d heard her let out an almost-giggle (almost, because Riza Hawkeye did not do giggles) in excitement was Hayate. Because God, did she miss him terribly, and true to his predictions he’d been her muse for quite a number of her recent poetic endeavours.

July 3rd

Dear Roy,

Whatever, you insane idiot. I miss you and I love you too. That is all.

For the record, the kitchen is still intact, and will continue to be so. My cooking skills aren’t that bad.  

That’s great to hear. You’re an honorable and intelligent (this is questionable) man, Roy, and I would definitely like to see that kind of change happening. I hope Heathcliff is well, too - send him my regards.

… I refuse to lower myself to drawing smiley faces on my letters, but you’ll see one on July the 8th in person.

And yes, it would be nice to check out that shooting range, though let’s be real - we both know you can’t defeat me no matter how hard you try. I do live up to my namesake, after all.

All my love, Riza

P.S I don’t know if it was intentional, but I never knew you had a thing for me wearing your boxers. Unfortunately, they are way too loose for me and I won’t be wearing them any time soon. Your underwear and I eagerly await your return.

~x~

The 8th of July finally comes around. Everyone in the academy is astonished at just how fast Roy Mustang is capable of running. He might’ve been the golden boy, and he generally outran most, if not all, of them during their training sessions, but now he looked like his pants were on fire as he made a dash for the gate and boarded the first train in a sweaty mess.

Roy continues running like a madman after alighting the train, desperate to reach their home as soon as possible to explain his predicament. He certainly hadn’t intended to send his underwear over, and was sure that one of the other men must have done so as a practical joke on him.

(Fortunately for the culprit, Roy didn’t manage to identify who he was, but there would certainly be hell to pay when he did so.)

As if on cue, Riza opens the door with a beatific smile adorning her features. “I can hear you panting all the way from the other end of Amestris, Roy.”

He chuckles awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. “Well, I’m excited to see you, for starters. And, uh…”

“You want your underwear back?”

“Yes, of course I do.” He pants, struggling to catch his breath while trying to formulate a coherent explanation. “Look, I swear it wasn’t deliberate - I intended to send you one of my shirts, and I definitely don’t have a thing for you wearing my boxers. I don’t know which idiot in the academy substituted my shirt for my underwear to sabotage -” She lets out a laugh. It's loud, unrestrained. Roy thinks it’s the most beautiful sound he’s heard in a month. “You really are hopeless, Roy. It’s fine. Defeat me at the shooting range, and you can have it back tonight.”

~x~

In the end, his favorite pair of boxers sits at the bottom of the laundry for the rest of the day, because Riza Hawkeye is an indomitable force of nature at the shooting range.

She does, however, have a poem written for him, and he’s so enraptured by it that he forgets all about the underwear fiasco. “I’m back home, ma chérie,” he whispers as he runs his fingers down the groove of her spine, as if he’s tracing constellations on the canvas of her back while they lay together on satin, hearts thrumming in harmony. “I’d like to keep holding you close, too -” he recites, but he’s quickly interrupted by her.

“You sound best when you don’t speak, Roy,” and with that Riza silences him with a fiery kiss that rouses an overwhelming conflagration in him.

One that can only be put out by her.

Roy grins delightfully into the kiss, all too willing to oblige. Her lips are an inviting chamber of unbridled affection and unsatisfied desire, and he finds himself exploring her eagerly, fingers tracing her sharp cheekbones in reverent adoration.

Riza responds in kind, trailing a hand down his shirt and notes, somewhat gleefully, that he has indeed returned with said glorious abs. She makes a move to untuck his shirt, humming to herself in amusement as she feels his bare stomach quiver beneath her curious palm.

He’s quick to make a comeback, though. Unwilling to be teased by her Roy draws her deeper into the kiss - she’s utterly incredible, he thinks, as he cards his fingers through her flaxen tresses - and he tastes traces of eggs and pastries and -

- and spinach?

“You made spinach quiche?” Roy asks curiously, breaking away from the kiss for the briefest of moments.

“What on earth,” she huffs. “Way to ruin the moment, Roy.” A scarlet blush makes its way to her cheeks - equal parts breathlessness from the vigour with which he kisses her, and embarrassment at being found out.

He laughs, and quotes yet another line teasingly. “Didn’t you say you’ll even listen to my silly moonshine?”

Riza scowls. “I do regret writing that now. Perhaps I will -”

“No, no, please continue writing more,” Roy pleads in earnest, and before she can make a decision he’ll live to regret he kisses her again with such an ardent love, such a fervent passion that it completely derails her train of thought.

The quiche rests in the oven, burnt and forgotten.

~x~ 

adieu, mon chéri. may you fare well. in my heart, you will always dwell. (won’t you please come home soon, or will it only be after june?)

you write to me, letters (hidden within are flowers) to abate my need for you. i knit scarves in a room candlelit;

holding a heavy weight within from empty spaces on satin. i’d like to hold you close again -- hurry, love, won’t you run to the train?

i’ll let you place your weight on mine oh, i’ll even listen to your silly moonshine (come home to me, darling my soul is aching in longing)

~x~ 

*moonshine: foolish talk or ideas.