#anyone stuck on step 9 just go back to step 1 honey you’re doing great okay? okay

[lovelesslittleloser]

How To Be A Good Writer

Read a lot & have an idea of what is and is not good to you in a book/writing

Have an idea that you want to write

Allow the idea to simmer in your mind until you’re completely sure that this is what you want to write

Do so much research

Binge-write and use about 8% of said research

Write a little bit more as it comes to you

Stop writing for probably months/return to step 4

Be reminded of the thing you were writing & start thinking of it again

Mental & emotional agony

Go back to what you have written and fix it with the shame you previously lacked

Repeat until finished/stuck on step 7

This is intended to imply days, weeks, and/or months of time between each step, but please go at whatever pace suits you best! This is your writing, after all, so just use this as a guideline :)

[spidxysense]

Back to You | 13

Summary: He broke your heart, but you’d always love him. Two souls that not even the universe could tear apart, even if you wanted it to at times.

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader x Timothee Chalamet

A/N: Yay I updated! I hope you guys like this one, I was stuck for a bit there but once I sat down and got to typing, I really finished it in one sitting. I was just planning on updating it bit by bit lol. Let me know what you guys think, Love you!!!!!!

Word count: 2,591

Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

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

You were in the car with Troye, it had been a few months since you came back home from Italy, and by home you meant your shared apartment with Troye in LA. Now you were out looking for a dress to wear to the premiere for Celia. You’d tricked your manager to think that you’ve been sick the past week but it was like Troye had a no Bullshit radar. The second he stepped into your shared apartment last night from his trip to Australia he knew you were pretending to be sick so you could miss the premier.

Troye pulls down his sunglasses to the bridge of his nose, giving you a side eye as you glared at him, “Sweetie, don’t give me that look.” he rolls his eyes, “I thought everything was going great? You agreed to release that album you’d been holding onto for who even knows how long anymore. You and Timothee kissed-” You wince at the sound of his name, “Troye…”

He groans, “No! Tell me you didn’t ghost Timothee Chalamet, you asshole!”

You put your hands up in defense, “In my defense, I did not ghost him. He’s filming a movie, he’s off his phone because he’s focusing on the movie and-adn well, he’s starring in the movie with Lily-Rose Depp, he’ll forget about me.” You try to reason, finally opening up your insecurity to your best friend who probably already knew from the beginning.

His grip on the steering wheel gets tighter, “So what? You tell me you let Tom go, a week later news breaks that’s he’s dating Zendaya which by the way makes him a fucking asshole. Now you’re back to being this insecure girl who thinks some pretty french girl can steal this guy who’s like practically head over heels for you?” He pauses from his rant, “What are you two even?”

You shrug, "Which is why this situation is perfect. I have a chance to think things over and so does he… in case he realizes he made a big mistake. I don't know what we are, I mean, we just kind of agreed that we both like each other."

He groans, parking the car, "You two are cute you know? Like I want to bash your heads together cute because nobody will take the first step."

You hop out the car, slamming the door as cameras rush to your presence. Troye's hand on your back guides you through as he insults the paparazzi for hounding celebrities as their day jobs.

He passes by the aisles of clother, already picking something out for himself while ylu see a few pretty numbers tp buy for everyday use, "You are perfect, Y/N. Just like fucking insecure." He trails behind you, which you don't need to be, might I mention." He hands you a dress, pushing you to the dressing room, "I thought you might want to emulate her character so I thought this would be perfect."

You rolled your eyes, "At least Timothee won't be at the premier tonight." You sigh in relief, "He would never abandon filming just to go to some premiere. So that's one less person I have to worry about."

Troye gapes at you, "Oh honey, if you were anyone but you, I would agree, but I already know you're worrying about the fact that he's off in some european country with Lily."

You bit off a dry piece off of your bottom lip, as you changed, keeping silent because both you and Troye knew that what he was saying was right.

He sighs, “Look Y/N, at the end of the day all that matters is, is he someone you see yourself with? And if he is, then why the hell would you throw that away? Or even let anyone take from you? You need to boss the fuck up and I’m sorry if I’m hurting your feelings but I am so done with you being and feeling so sorry for yourself when you know you deserve better but aren’t taking it when it’s being handed to you.”

You open the door with a heave, “Because it feels like I don’t deserve it!” You were already wearing the dress but you slump down on one of the couches, “How can you not understand that the guy I let go, who was my first love is dating the very person he cheated on me with? How can you not understand how absolutely soul wrenching that is? That even if I want to be with Timothee, I can’t because I don’t know how to be with him properly. Because he’ll know and feel all these thoughts in my head and all these terrible feelings I have after Tom replaced me with the person he was with when he hurt me?” The tears are pouring out as you feel the flashes from the cameras outside but you didn’t care. Let them see because you were so tired of not being allowed to hurt, “I don’t know how to do this Troye, not without hurting Timothee, and I don’t want to do that… not anymore, he deserves the absolute world and where I am now, I can’t give him mine because there’s almost nothing left of it.”

Troye looks shocked as he gets on his knees next to you, hugging you with all his might, “Alright, well I guess tough love was the wrong move to use on you.” He pulls apart from you, grabbing your arms at the side and looks in your eyes, “But Y/N, have you ever wondered what Timothee wants? Based from everything you’ve told me it seems like you guys haven’t even talked about whatever the two of you are and Timothee wouldn’t be the type of person who’d tell you what he wants because he just wants you to get what you want.” He smiles sadly at you.

You sigh, “Alright, I’ll talk with Timothee when he gets back.”

He gives you a pat on the back, “That won’t even be for until a few months so you have time to think for yourself.” He grabs you by the hand, pulling you up to stand, “And that dress definitely embodies Celia. You’re wearing that tonight.”

You laugh, “I look like I’m going to prom. Is it really alright for me to wear this?”

Troye rolls his eyes, “Sweetie, this is your movie, you can wear whatever the hell you want. You could even come in a sack and nobody would have the right to tell you not to wear what you want.”

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

The light flashes in your eyes when the car comes to a hald and you step out, blinding lights from cameras and the ones directly pointed at the red carpet and suddenly you can’t breathe.

Troye’s hand guides you through the walkway onto the carpet but you can’t seem to get a grip on the reality in front of you. It had been so long since you last did a red carpet which was from The Greatest Showman. This was an indie movie, but given the success of the first one, it had garnered a lot more fans. Luckily you’re stopped by an interviewer.

“Y/N! You look fabulous!”

You smile shyly, “Thank you so much, you look beautiful tonight as well.”

She laughs along with what you said as she proceeds to her question, “So, how much chemistry should we be expecting from you and Timothee in this movie? You’re known to be very electric with your onscreen partners in your scenes so there’s no doubt in me that the sparks between you two will go absolutely haywire.”

You laugh, “Well, you know we did our best so hopefully the scenes are captivating and we were able to capture Luca’s intended emotions for the scenes.”

She nods, almost seeming like she wasn’t even listening, “And how about Timothee? He isn’t here tonight, will you and Armie be fine without him?”

You look around, “Oh is Armie here now?” You spot him along the carpet right as he looks over at you, waving and running over.

“Y/N!” He hugs you, as the interviewer stares at the two of you.

You wrap an arm around his back, “To answer your question, we won’t be needing Timothee.” You laugh.

Armie grabs hold of the mic in the interviewer’s hand, “This is live right?” He looks over at the interviewer who nods, “Timmy if you’re watching this, I hope you know we’re having the time of our lives here.”

He gives you a big smooch on the cheek, ruffling your hair and going back to the carpet with his wife who gives you a wave and blows a kiss towards you.

“Alright, so a few weeks ago, your team released a statement that you’ll be releasing your new album which from what we all understand has been in the making for a very long time?”

You nod, already expecting the next question out of her mouth.

“So is it safe to say songs from these past months since you last released an album will be in there.” You smile, nodding, “Then is it safe to assume we’ll be hearing some songs inspired by Tom?”

And there it was, “Well, you know this album will be a double release so it comes from all these beautiful moments since my last album, whether that be me in love, me falling out of love, hurting, laughing. I just think it’s gonna be such an important album for me since it captures so many beautiful moments in my life that I’m just very glad to be treasuring and emulating in my songs.” 

“And you aren’t nervous at all for any backlash? Since it has been a while since we last heard a song from you and since you last performed live, especially considering how your last tour ended up.”

You nod along, not taking offense to the questions, “Yeah, well you know, I have been writing songs and they’ve been given to other artists so there’s not too much worry in me that these songs won’t be well liked, and in terms of tour I just don’t think that’s something I can really handle still since the last one had me in a really bad place mentally, and this is something I really want my fans to understand, that mental illness isn’t something we can ignore until we pop. We have to handle it the best way we can and sometimes that just means we have to avoid things that might bring us bad feelings.”

Suddenly the crowd goes wild as a car comes to a stop, the person inside stepping out. You crane your neck trying to get a good look at who it was, but the amount of people was too much so you decide against it. It was probably a celebrity that wasn’t in the movie and is going to the premier or a close friend of Armie’s or Timothee’s, maybe it was Saoirse Ronan.

You look back at the interviewer who had spotted another up and coming celebrity, “And here we have George Mackay!” He waves towards the camera, giving you a grin and standing next to you after the interviewer called him over.

“I don’t quite know why I’m here for the interview seeing as it’s not my premier.” He laughs, “But I am very excited to watch this movie.” He gestured towards you, “This is our first time meeting but I am a very big fan.”

You cover your mouth, “You were so great in Marrowbone.”

“So, here we have another up and coming actor, George Mackay at the premier. Many of our viewers have said that you two should do a movie together soon.”

You giggle, “Well I don’t know, only if George is up for it.” 

He laughs, “I’ll have my agent call yours.” He jokes, “I’m quite excited for this one, You don’t really star in too many movies anymore so seeing Y/N in a movie is quite a treat.” He scratched the back of his head.

“Aren’t these two just adorable?” The interviewer laughs.

Suddenly an arm snakes around your back, and you turn only to see brown curly hair.

“Oh my! What a surprise, Timothee Chalamet has just arrived at the premier!”

Somehow George had made his way back to the carpet, Timothee now moving over to where George stood just moments ago.

You laugh nervously, “We thought you were still in Europe.” 

He looks at you, a light in his eyes, “I would never miss the premier for our movie, are you kidding me?!”

She gestured towards you, “What can you say about Y/N? How is she looking tonight?”

He takes a look at you up and down, “Well you know, that isn’t really in my line to say but she looks great, absolutely stunning. I think Y/N and I are the same in the regard that we pick our own clothes for these things, right?”

You nod, “Totally, and I only really wanted to look good because I knew if you somehow ended up here tonight you’d outshine me.”

He laughs, “No way! How could I outshine you, I mean come on!” He looks at the camera gesturing towards you, “Look how beautiful she looks!” You blush at that.

The interviewer laughs, “Well, we just got a first hand look at the chemistry we were just talking about, Y/N. You two look like you’re on a date night.” She pauses, “Now Timothee, now that you’re back how was Europe, what did you miss most in the States?”

He grins, “Well it’s pretty cold there, and what did I miss, well not really too much. Who I missed though is a whole different question.”

You laugh nervously, realizing you weren’t ready for the whole freaking world to know you and Timothee had confessed mutual attraction.

The interviewer points at Timothee’s arm around you, “Now that’s been going on for a while now, do you have anything to tell us?”

Timothee opens his mouth, but you beat him to it, “Well you know Timmy, always comfortable with everyone he meets. He’s just such a goofball that’s very easy to get comfortable with him.” You laugh.

He somehow gets the point and laughs along, “Yeah yeah, exactly. One night during the filming I hopped in bed with Armie and his wife.”

“So do you have any words for this movie, Timothee?”

He nods, “Of course, well Armie and I are just so lucky that Luca didn’t realize we were two of the biggest idiots he’s ever met, and I’m just so thankful that this movie brought me to Y/N here, who is just so lovely and was the only sensible one among Armie and I. I really hope we stay in touch since a lot of these movies you know, once the filming is done, the same goes for the relationships and friendships you build with everyone here.” He takes a breath, “I’m very proud of what we’ve made and I really hope nobody has any regrets with the movie.”

“Alright, well, I’ll let you two get to it. Thanks for giving us your time guys.” You wave at the interviewer and spot Luca along the carpet who was giving you hand signals to stick by Timothee the whole night.

You stand next to Timothee as pictures of the two of you were taken, “We need to talk.” You look up at him, right as he looks down at you.

“Okay.”

[saeryuart]

Ikevamp Hugger Tiers

... Welcome to the first and last piece of writing I’ll likely ever post on here lmao. I couldn’t get this outta my head and this happened XD If your guy happens to be one of the lower tiers, sorry! 

The entire list is just how I think it would go, soooo yeah. Though funnily enough, the guys listed in the tiers themselves aren’t necessarily in order lmao. 

Includes Vlad and Charles! Because it’s gonna be a long af post, writing is under the cut!

TOP TIER HUGGERS

Napoleon:

-Honorary member #1 of the #GotThisSquad

-Man radiates big bro energy, and if you don’t know it right now, you WILL know it when he takes you in his arms. They’re warm, strong and protective.

The kinds of hugs he tends to give vary between being playful or protective. If he’s feeling playful, he’d probably hug you from behind and murmur teasing, loving remarks in your ear. He’s particularly fond of nuzzling his cheek in your hair.

-Man’s also got big hands, great for holding your waist, along with other things mhmmm~ ;)) they’re great for making you feel even more secure than you normally would, and that’s saying a lot

-With his hugs, he wants to tell you he’s not only protecting your body, but your heart and soul if you’re willing. They’re all encompassing, and are always gonna have you feeling safe, no matter what

-Sleepy hugs are arguably the best kind of hugs to receive from him though, bc all filters are off. Any reservations the man might normally have are gone as he pulls you into bed to hug the life outta you 

-Hope you don’t have any important plans for the day bc you’ll be stuck there with his face buried in the crook of your neck, nuzzling into you like a cat. 

-Please hug him, you won’t regret it. .... If you don’t have plans.

Overall rating: 9/10

Comte:

-Leader of the #GotThisSquad, man knows what he is doing

-He’s super observant of people by nature, so he’ll know immediately what it is you want. You someone that’s more energetic and wants tight hugs? That’s what you’re gonna get. You’re a shy, hesitant bean that isn’t quite used to contact? He’s gotchu girl~ He’ll hold you gently but loosely, so you have the chance to step away if you want to

-but if he had it his way, he would put the person in the gentlest but secure hold. Especially fond of having his hands stroke their hair and back.

-Speaking of which, his hands are like magic, able to melt your worries and tensions away. They just coax you into relaxing in his arms

-He personally prefers to be the one doing the holding, but if you want to spoil him, you don’t need to work that hard to convince him - running your fingers through his hair is a surefire way to make a contented sigh escape his lips.

-It’s a bone-deep kind of satisfaction that Comte wouldn’t trade for anything in the world, cherishing the person in his arms

-It doesn’t matter whether you’re happy or sad, he’s your go-to person if you’re in need of a hug

Overall rating: Sugar Daddy/10

Vincent:

-Final member of the #GotThisSquad.

-Like a warm summer day, his hugs are super soft and sweet. Somehow, despite being a painter and hardly stepping out of the mansion, he smells like freshly washed sheets.

-His hands are gentle and soft, but a little calloused from constantly washing and handling his art supplies and paintings.

-While holding you, expect sweet nothings to be whispered in your ear. Man loves you so much, he has to make sure you know everything that’s in his thoughts, EVERYTHING.

-His fingers tend to absently trace all the little things he loves about you; your hair, your cheeks, your lips, the way your eyes shine when they reflect his own loving gaze in yours... it all makes him want to hold you more and never let go.

-Particularly fond of holding your hand while hugging you, intertwining your fingers together as naturally as breathing. Also enjoys touching foreheads with your own, staring into your eyes.

-He hopes he makes you feel as beautiful as he sees you.

Overall rating: Sunshine Boi/10 **sobs** 

HIGH TIER HUGGERS

Leonardo:

-BLAST FURNACE.

-This man is a portable heater who can’t stand not being in your arms for 0.000001 seconds. Especially when he’s ready to take a nap.

-Great during Winters, but the Summer... welp. Run MC. Other than that though, he gives great bear hugs.

-He’s so huge, he literally dwarfs any and everything under that hugeass coat. TBH you’ll either hate it or love it, depending on how good your blood circulation is lmaooo

-Man likes giving back hugs when in a teasing mood, but when he’s feeling more romantic, he prefers you to be facing him. Odds are, he’ll be pulling you into his arms, hand tucking the back of your head into his chest.

-His bear hugs are reassuring, those broad arms and strong chest doing wonders in making you feel safe and secure. Depending on how tall you are, he’d pull you into his chest or the crook of his neck. ... And did I mention that chest? Damn Daddy.

-Odds are, he’s gonna smell like tobacco too. If you don’t like that sorta thing, that could be something of a turnoff. Man’s a giant too, so odds are you’re going to be an armrest half the time, rip.

Overall rating: 8/10

Arthur:

-Like his personality, his hugs are playful and endearing. He LOVES cuddles and by Jove, if Arthur Conan Doyle wants cuddles, he WILL get cuddles.

-Repeat after me. CLINGY. MAN.

-It’s practically canon that, like a puppy, he wants your attention on him ALL THE TIME. So eye contact is a must, lots of small kisses peppered across your face to make you laugh; your laughter never fails to make his heart skip a beat.

-Skinship is practically a requirement, it’s Arthur’s love language. Up there with gift giving.

-He loves holding your waist while breathing in your scent in the crook of your neck. He wants to be enveloped by you, your presence assures him more than anything. But that doesn’t mean the hugs are a one-sided thing, either.

-If in a particularly good mood, he’ll hum some random English tune while swaying you side to side. Sometimes, that swaying might evolve into a full-blown dance, with him twirling you around the mansion floor with laughter.

-With you, he always wants you to feel as good as you make him, for you bring out the best side of him.

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Vlad:

-0/10, momma didn’t raise you to fall for no shady man, wouldn’t recommend.

-KIDDING, I’M KIDDING. .... Mostly.

-Bc he’s such a shady man with little to no experience in physical contact, one would think a hug from him would be the worst idea one could have if they ignored his pretty face and bewitching eyes-

-Warning: Once he’s in love, his hugs are the singular most addicting thing besides his kisses. MAYDAY, MAYDAY, ABORT!! Man is dangerously attractive, and he knows it.

-Bc he’s always around flowers, he always smells great. Like nectar from the sweetest flower, his sweet, honeyed words would coax you over until, before you know it, you’re trapped within his arms.

-He’s not planning on letting go either, because only he deserves to see such beauty and tend to it. As far as he’s concerned, the other weeds he calls ‘men’ could be nipped in the bud ok that’s enough flower puns, I promise.

-His hugs are unbelievably gentle, but possessive. You’ll be handled so delicately, you’d wonder if he mistook you for glass - no, even glass was handled with less care than how he’s holding you right now.

-He has to have eye contact while holding you. No exceptions. He has to know, what are you thinking right now? If you feel like breaking away, surely he has other ways of convincing you...

Overall rating: Intervention/10

Charles:

-TACKLE HUUUUUUGSSSS

-Hope you have a strong back, because he won’t be able to resist glomping you over half the time.

-If he’s particularly excited, he’ll be playfully swinging you around after. You getting dizzy? Tooooo bad, maybe after a couple more minutes. As long as you don’t throw up, babe~

-Man may be a doctor but dammit, he has the right to cuddle his honey, too! Hmm, this sounds familiar. Must be a doctor thing.

=Nose boops and cheek rubs. All that disgustingly cheesy and playful shit that makes anyone watching gag from the diabetes. 

-If he’s feeling mischievous enough, he might bury his nose into the crook of your neck to blow hot air on your skin to make you squirm. It never fails to make him giggle.

-His main focus is making you laugh and have a good time, nothing else matter.s He likes the way laughter makes your eyes crinkle juuust right~

Overall rating: 7.5/10 bc his hugs will break someone’s back one day-

MID-TIER HUGGERS

Dazai:

-A surprisingly decent hugger.

-One wouldn’t think him capable of giving hugs with such genuity and emotion, unless you were the person he were doing it to. These special hugs are especially private, reserved for the irreplacable person in Dazai’s life.

-Despite his appearances, he is a compassionate person deep down, and wants to see you happy. Especially as the one who taught him to care for his own life.

-Like Arthur, he likes making you laugh. With his arms encircling your middle from behind, he likes giving surprise tickles to make you squeak and jump, promting his own quiet chuckles. Your reactions never fail to amuse him.

-His hugs are literally breathtaking, because you’ll be too busy squirming with breathless laughter to escape out of his arms. It makes his eyes light up in a way that’s startlingly different from the smile he shows the others; the closest thing to a true smile.

-For more somber moments, he holds you like he’s never going to hold you again. You can feel how much he cherishes you with how gently but securely he embraces you. He likes doing it from behind so you don’t have to see the pained expression on his face as he holds your hand for comfort.

-The only real downside is that again these hugs are especially private, so no one else gets to see. A shame too, or not, depending on how you look at it. uwu

Overall rating: Soft sad boi/10 whoops I kinda accidentally turned this into angst.

Isaac:

-Awkward Blushy Boi #1.

-Bc he’s so awkward and shy, his hugs are gonna be stiff af at first. He might not even respond at all, depending on how startled he is. Or how fast you let go of him

-If you do let go first, he’s gonna be lowkey highkey disappointed.

-Good thing is, because his hands are so used to delicate work, his touch is gentle and precise. So if you’re sensitive to physical sensations, he’ll pick up on that. If he does manage to brush against a sensitive area, expect a ton of stammered apologies and red cheeks.

-At first, his initial touches are shaky and unsure. But when he starts to gain confidence, his hands are curious and careful.

-Give him some time to let the hedgehog bristles come down a bit, and you’ve got yourself a teddy bear. Unfortunately, his hugs are going to remain awkward for some time bc-

-wHAT IF HE HOLDS YOU FOR TOO LONG, WOULD YOU GET ANNOYED??? DOES IT COME OFF AS TOO CLINGY, WHAT IF- ***incoherent anxious screaming into the void***

-Error: Isaac Newton has stopped working.exe

-Once he gets used to you though, his hugs become super comforting. Boy’s a string bean, so his arms aren’t the most buff. But the way he holds you is so awkwardly sweet, you can feel the sincerity behind his actions.

-Please give him a chance, he’s so worth it T_T

Overall rating: 7/10

Jeanne:

-Awkward Blushy Boi #2

-Similarly to Isaac, he’s super standoffish at first, especially with the whole ‘don’t touch me, you’ll get dirty blah blah blah’ spiel sHUT UP AND LET ME LOVE YOU.

-Don’t expect him to ever initiate hugs, not at first. It’s a long work in progress with this man. But pls stick with him, he is so, so worth it.

-Jeanne isn’t a person that gives away affection lightly, so whenever he hugs you, expect him to mean it. You will be weak-kneed at the sheer compassion and warmth behind his actions, even through his gloves.

-But if you do ever hug him, even though it’s hesitant, he’ll never fail to hug you back bc he’s a soft boi that doesn’t want to hurt your feelings.

-Despite having the tendency to push people away,his hugs are gentle and protective. They let you know you’re safe and not alone. Giver #2 of great comfort hugs.

-Once he’s comfortable, he’ll like the feeling of your bare skin against his palms, so he’ll start hugging you with his gloves off.

-Develops a habit of gently rubbing his thumb across the back of your hand; he likes how small they feel in his own. It makes him feel protective, renewing his vow of keeping you safe.

-Unfortunately, he gets points deducted for never initiating contact at first, as well as his hugs being rather stiff for a long time.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10 pls love-

Sebastian:

-Hugging? When you could be WORKING?? It’s more likely than you think.

-Man is normally reserved, and not one for physical contact. But his touch is surprisingly gentle and reassuring. Particularly if you’re feeling upset or stressed.

-He’s fond of back rubs and closeness as he’s holding you. Tucking your head under his chin, his hold is gentle but firm, reminding you of your good qualities and what he loves about you. 

-Because he’s not as remarkable as the other men in the mansion, he might need some extra reassurance that he’s good enough for you. He’ll appreciate it if you rub his back, especially after a rough day. 

-Under those gloves, his hands are rough and calloused from his work as a butler, but the way he embraces you couldn’t be more deliberate or careful.

-Sebastian considers you his little miracle, the fact that you came from the same timeline as him gives him a new level of comfort as a piece of home away from home.

-Despite his strictness during work, he makes sure you know how much you really mean to him. While he disapproves of PDA in front of the residents, he doesn’t mind sneaking a cuddle now and then... in privacy of course.

-But despite these qualities, the problem with Sebastian’s hugs is that they hardly get a chance to happen.

-Man is too busy working himself to death helping the mansion residents, and has an 18-hour work schedule everyday to spend time with you. Someone save him bls. You’ll be doing both of yourselves a favor.

Overall rating: Workaholic/10

LOW-TIER HUGGERS (I’m so sorry)

Theo:

-Ah yes, Hondje fetish man.

-Like his brusque personality, his grip may be a tad rough, but the way he holds you is protective and gentle. Likes holding the back of your head close to him, arm secure around your waist; he likes the feeling of you belonging to him

-Theo doesn’t really do comfort hugs. Unless your life was in danger or something, he’s much more likely to just pull you in when he feels like having cuddles hugs. Processing emotional depth greater than familial love is a bit of a learning curve for the man. He’s trying.

-His hold is possessive, but affectionate. He likes pulling you in close by the hip when in public; man claims he’s not big into PDA, but he’s proud of his girlfriend and WILL show that off, dammit. 

-Also claims he’s not clingy, but he’ll hold onto you for as long as physically possible until he has to let go. So you’d better not be thinking of going anywhere Hondje, not when you have your Master to please. Yeah, sure ok sounds fake but ok.

-He doesn’t initiate hugs often, but he likes holding you in quiet moments when you’re alone. Not that he’ll admit that out loud. Like Vincent, he likes touching foreheads with yours to stare into your eyes. They’re like the perfect works of art to him, a masterpiece he can stare at for hours. He likes how expressive they are, the way they light up in so many different ways whether you’re happy, angry or excited.

-Honestly, despite the loving shit I give him, he’s only barely in this tier for a couple reasons. But one of them is that he’s not really an affectionate kind of hugger. Theo’s the kind of guy that expresses his love through uh... other physical means. If you catch my drift~ >3

-All in all, his hugs are protective and strong, but also a little rough. Perfect if you want to be assured of your relationship and loved, but not really recommended if you’re looking for something comforting and soothing. 

-TLDR: His hugs are warm, but not versatile. Honest Tsunderes die if they are killed

Overall rating: 6/10

Mozart:

-Awkward Blushy Boy #3. The holy trinity is complete.

-Unfortunately, I’m gonna have to rank Mo as the worst hugger of the mansion guys for a couple reasons. One being his lack of human contact.

-Like Isaac, his hands are very careful. He cherishes you, and wants you to feel the devotion he has for you, so he often handles you as gently as he does his violets.

-But the stage to get there is unbearably long. Like, Jeanne kinda long. In fact, Mo is someone that, (even after he gets together with you), thinks that people only approach him when they have an angle, something to gain from him. But that doesn’t mean he holds back with you.

-His initial hugs are awkward at best, the but number of ways he hugs you is as innumerable as his compositions. A loving, encasing hug for a declaration of affection, a passionate intense embrace when recovering from a close call, entwining of fingers in a quiet moment... you’ll have it all. 

-He sometimes hums some songs in your ear while holding you, particularly if you’re upset. His hand will also be rubbing soothing and gentle circles in your back. Mozart is a passionate, empathic man deep down, and will accept nothing less than your complete comfort.

-Unfortunately, while his hands are beautiful and practically close to perfection in appearance, they’re awfully cold from poor circulation. Doesn’t help that he’s a literal vampire.

-The temperature difference is bound to make you jump a little, but he makes up for it with his gentleness. It’s also why he likes stroking your hair, entwining his fingers together around your waist so you don’t feel the cold as much.

-But the big reason points get deducted off is-

...... I see you reaching for the Purell, asshole. >:(

Overall Rating: Ice Hands/10

Shakespeare:

-D.... do i really need to explain this? ;;

-Don’t get me wrong, the man is very romantic. He never fails to whisper sweet words to sweep you off your feet. Hushed poetics and compliments flow out of his lips with ease, making you feel like a princess in his arms.

-However, like Mozart, his hands are cold from poor circulation. Not to mention... do you smell a hint of blood, coming from him? No, it’s just your imagination, he swears.

-Like the man himself, his embraces are very passionate. He loves holding you close by the waist, making sure your bodies are touching as much as possible. He’s rather fond of bringing a lock of your hair to his lips, kissing it with the flutter of a butterfly’s wings.

-He’s also rather... possessive. When he’s feeling particularly sly, he embraces you sensually from behind, resting his chin on top your shoulder. The way his arms slowly rise to curl around your waist feel like the sweetest trap you can’t bring yourself to escape.

-He’s also one that silently demands eye contact. As he keeps a hold of your waist, he likes to cradle your cheek tenderly, the mismatched wild yellow and blood red faze staring into your soul. The way he searches your eyes for your secrets steals your breath away, as the devotion he pours into the act belies any falsehoods he might’ve told.

-Again, this man is very devoted. Loves you to the point of obsession, really, But would I recommend hugging him personally? Aha ha ha haaa... gimme a while on that one. When the knife he has in his pocket isn’t poking my stomach. And NO, I don’t mean the one you want.

Overall rating: Romantic until someone dies/10 (I SEE those knives sticking out of your coat pocket Shakes, I want your arms, not the damn Iron Maiden).

Faust:

-Man wants you as a guinea pig. Why would you want to hug that. 

-...  Idk enough of him to actually add more than that. Sorry lmao.

Overall rating: Death wish???/10

--- Wow, I am never doing that again sdlkfjsd. I think my wrists have died along with my sinuses making this post lmao. Hopefully everyone was relatively in character! If you actually managed to sit through all of this, you deserve a big round of applause, seriously. I think I’ll stick to drawing tho, kek.

[overplannedbutunnamednpc]

glade playlist

got two likes on my post so that’s literally 20% of my readership saying hell yeah fuck yeah glade playlist. i am a servant to the masses. here it is, w descriptions under the cut.

some warnings: don’t expect this to be good. this is Vibes Only and an excuse to talk about Him. the order of the songs tells no story and thus does no sin. skip the songs you don’t like because it makes no difference at all.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ZJRrektFybq9vksjnWGnh?si=jhSi_lBeThqaB74HO1UrQA

1. Above The Clouds Of Pompeii by Bear’s Den

Just don't cry Hold your head up high She would want you to She would want you to You said stay in the car and wait There's just some things I have to say Don't you know I miss her, too I miss her just as much as you So my father and my son As you end what she's begun You'll lie patient by her side With roses red come lilies white

this came from a magnus/julia playlist originally and it fucks, but it’s more here for the Vibes than anything else. if I had to explain it, I’d say this is immediately post like. lent coming home and telling glade that she doesn’t remember anything about him. this is the vibes of red being down for her nap, blissfully unaware that the motherfuckers have left and glade sitting down heavily on the couch of the home they shared and finally, tiredly, burying his face in his hands as he processes the fact that when lent first saw him, there wasn’t a spark of recognition in her eyes, and how much that hurts even if she’s promised to come back to him anyway. thats the vibes.

2. Best Intentions by Hodera

I guess we'll just stop talking then We can forget this ever happened 'Cause it's obvious I can't just be your friend I'm going in circles 'cause I only have one paddle out here alone Got back to shore 'bout 2AM I grabbed your jacket on the boat dock And I pulled you in and we kissed It was so dark, I found your lips Only because I felt your breath I know that soon I will be fine You left this void the size of pines lake Now I'm filling it up one cup at a time And if I knew that was the last time I'd see you I might have said Hey Mary, that was one crazy summer I know after this we'll never see each other I'm old enough now to know nothing lasts forever The only thing I ask is please Remember every detail of this moment Because once you close that door you'll never see me And some day you might remember When we drove out to the lake And stole a boat to see the moon eclipse go by

this one is a break up song so it’s here for the Vibes. i’ve kind of been envisioning this as the song glade would have written/sung if lent decided that she’d rather have amaunator than him, when he told her that he was a criminal. it’s about a summer romance that didn’t go far enough, and it fucks majorly, and it comes from a universe just a little bit to the left, where glade and hymn met but never actually took all the steps glade and lent did.

3. New Religion by The Heydaze

A city of strangers, the streetlights, they change us We all need a little bit more, we all need a little bit more The saints and the liars, the dealers and buyers We all need a little bit more, we all need a little bit more But somewhere there's a light A sign that it's alright I find it by your side People get lost in repetition Working and watching television Hard to wake up in the morning It's hard to wake up in the morning I'm watching you dancing in the kitchen I could call you my new religion You're waking me up in the morning You're waking me up in the morning, yeah

IF YOU LISTEN TO NO OTHER SONG FROM THIS PLAYLIST. LISTEN TO THIS ONE. sometimes I listen to this song and I get stuck in a loop where it’s the only music anyone has ever listened to because I love this song so much. anyway this is a REALLY good gladelent song. Vibes of them falling in love that first time, and lent’s recovery when she’s started getting her sight back, probably after she takes relentless as her next virtue name, and glade finding her dancing and singing to herself in the kitchen they now share, and just watching and loving her so much because he forgot how good it was to see her happy.

4. Gray Flowers by The Gray Havens

They cried, We told you stay away, From that crazy color, Turn around if you don't we'll break you, And you don't have anyone to save you, He said, She needs me to stay, Cuz gray can take her sorrow, So I will die tonight so she will know, That gray will stay in the color-code, For my love I will die you know, But before I do let the record show, That I brought her flowers every day, And she loved them, She loved me she'd never felt that way, So if you feel you need some gray, That's ok child, cuz you know you've just got to Ask, And I'll come back

this ones about love transforming a society around them. idk i like it. the townspeople who hate the color gray are the crownsguard @ gladelent. is that anything??? who cares not me it’s on Here one way or another!

5. Two by Sleeping At Last

I know exactly how the rule goes Put my mask on first No, I don't want to talk about myself Tell me where it hurts I just want to build you up, build you up 'Til you're good as new And maybe one day I will get around to fixing myself too I don't even know where to start Already tired of trying to recall when it all fell apart I just want to love you, to love you, to love you well I just want to learn how, somehow, to be loved myself Like a force to be reckoned with A mighty ocean or a gentle kiss I will love you without any strings attached And what a privilege it is to love A great honor to hold you up

this one is about loving someone despite not loving yourself quite yet and like. it’s a good one for pre-fall gladelent. glade was a squatter and a thief trying to provide for himself; he wasn’t exactly his own biggest fan, but love happens when you aren’t expecting it sometimes, and There He Was, head over heels for a woman who could have been (and should have been) arresting him. it is simply. a good love story.

6. Ezra by Becca VanDerbeck

Someday you'll find a Place where you belong Somewhere to settle down and plant Your roots, and grow up strong Oh, I hope that you'll remember all My silly little songs Honey, please remember these Few things in all you do Won't you always love your neighbor Wear a smile, and tell the truth Don't be scared of what you don't know And don't be afraid to lose Cause there’s a lesson there for Learnin', there's a lesson if you choose Oh and listen, kid, I promise I will Always see you through Cause Ezra, I love you, I love you, I do Oh Ezra, I love you, I love you, I do Ezra, I love you, I love you, I do

this is a glade and red song. i actually sing it as “red, girl, I love you, I love you, I do” bc I so strongly associate it with Them. it’s just a good, sweet song! glade dances red around the living room while singing it and she babbles along and maybe she sings it at him when she wants to be danced, because she’s a baby with both fangs and tusks and its SO hard to use words but humming a vague melody and clapping at your daddy gets you what you want so why would you Talk? smh. (someone needs to stop me before i get really emo about this tradition continuing into red’s childhood and adolescence and how when she’s upset glade will hum it to her when he hugs her and uh oh..... misty about this now................. they are a Fambly.........) all his kids get their own songs but reds song is Special, I think, in this way.

7. Black Coffee Morning by Bluebiird

Just too tall to comfort Just too big to hold But I'll fit you inside my future At least that's the lie we told And it's a black coffee morning on the east side And I'm singing all the time today Cause you're saying that you love me with your big eyes But your words don't come out that way Oh, play it again for me Big bright moon in the sky And give me one more night with my baby And that'll be alright

this is a little bit of a bitter one, as the name including black coffee implies. I imagine this one as a vibes of, “my wife went out to adventure again and I haven’t seen her in three weeks as a consequence.” like does he respect that lent has a ton of wanderlust? yeah. does he wish she’d stay home safe with him so he never has to worry when he goes a few days between Sendings from raini whether she’s alive or dead? also yeah. this is the song that plays the morning after lent left for hell, after two years of being not quite satisfied with retirement. this is the song that glade wakes up to, his bed empty, because they have an agreement now that lent sneaks out rather than glade potentially having to say goodbye for a Last Time. this is red babbling questioningly at him when mama hasn’t been home in hours and glade picking her up and singing to her rather than answering.

8. Band of Gold by The Gray Havens

I'm never get'n over you No I never will be over you Yes I threw away the key That bound my heart to yours To the bottom of the sea I don't need it anymore No there's no turn'n back for us There's only movin' forward Cuz this love is a band of gold When the fire's burn'n and When the embers feel cold So when I hold you in my arms I hope you know That this love is a band of gold

note: did NOT know i had two songs by the same guys on here! nice going gray havens. this is a good marriage song. that’s the vibes of this one. staying together through thick and thin, waking up and choosing to love that one person every single day, smiling down at your wedding ring even when they’re not around you for the symbol and reminder that they love you just as much, that they made that same commitment.

9. Farther Along by Josh Garrels

There's so much more to life than we've been told It's full of beauty that will unfold And shine like you struck gold my wayward son That deadweight burden weighs a ton I go down to the river and let it run Wash away all the things you've done Forgiveness alright Farther along we'll know all about it Farther along we'll understand why So cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine We'll understand this, all by and by, oh yeah

so, full disclosure, some of these songs came from my godfucking/religious trauma playlist. this is one of these songs. as such it’s? more of a Vibe than the other songs. it only kinda fits as a song of faith that things will get better even if you don’t understand why they are the way they are right now. I think of it as like. kind of glade’s relationship with faith? he hopes it’s all for a reason, that one day he’ll understand why bad shit is happening, but he doesn’t have a lot of faith in any actual god. but mostly this is just vibes.

10. How To Be Yours by Chris Renzema

You say that you love me, don't say that you love me 'Cause I don't know how to be yours You say that you want me, don't say that you want me 'Cause I don't know how to be yours I still act like an orphan I guess And my hard heart breaks to confess That even while you hold me As I cry on the floor I still don't know how to be yours So love me or hate me I'm not going anywhere Leave me or take me You still bear my signature Know me or not Seen or forgot I'm not walking out on you

lent and glade are both orphans and this is the song about doubting the love that comes your way even when you’ve not necessarily been given a reason to. it’s sung both by the doubter and the person refusing to leave them just because of that, and I think it’s nice! glade and his doubts, come amnesiac lent, that she will actually want to stay with him once she has her grace back with amaunator, and lent and her doubts, post fall, that he’ll stay with her now that she’s no longer good or righteous, now that she no longer deserves the name hymn.

11. Take Me To Church by Hozier

My lover's got humor She's the giggle at a funeral Knows everybody's disapproval I should've worshiped her sooner If the Heavens ever did speak She's the last true mouthpiece Every Sunday's getting more bleak A fresh poison each week "We were born sick", you heard them say it My church offers no absolutes She tells me, "Worship in the bedroom" The only Heaven I'll be sent to Is when I'm alone with you I was born sick, but I love it Command me to be well A-, Amen, Amen, Amen Take me to church I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife Offer me that deathless death Good God, let me give you my life Take me to church I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife Offer me that deathless death Good God, let me give you my life

obligatory hozier song. it’s horny and it’s religiously themed. this is also from my godfucking/religious trauma playlists. there’s not a whole lot to say here except that I wanted some hozier on this playlist bc glades og design/concept was “half orc hozier” and take me to church slaps. next song.

12. Belly of the Deepest Love by Tow’rs

The beats of hammers felt like drums of war Killed for the words you swore From the belly of the deepest love, The hills trembling throats sing hallelujah Like the flowers on a dogwood tree Blush with blame you took for me Oh how you wish to be with me Oh how you wish to be with me Do you remember seeing the man Covered by the same blood he damned Join the song with the sky in the darkest hour I need something to hold on to Stronger than the iron that held you Louder than the roar of the crowd that day

I think this one is pretty immediately post lent’s fall too. it’s got jesus imagery in there but I think that fits. this one doesn’t have a whole lot behind it except for post fall vibes.

13. One Jump Ahead by Brad Kane

Gotta keep One jump ahead of the breadline One swing ahead of the sword I steal only what I can't afford (That's Everything!) One jump ahead of the lawmen That's all, and that's no joke These guys don't appreciate I'm broke

this is a fun little song about scoundrel!glade! I thought it fit nicely and also it makes me think about the Aladdin au slash novel Lex and I have where glade lifts something valuable (her holy symbol I think?) off of lent and shows it to her and basically says, “I’ll just keep this so I know you’ll come see me next time” intending it to be a tease and then her gripping her sword hilt and holding her hand out with this fake smile and going “or you’ll give it back Now” (because she Can’t let him get away with that) and him going “or I can give it back now! great idea!” he really Thot it would go over better. but it’s okay bc they fell in love anyway.

14. Karma by AJR

I've been so good, I've been helpful and friendly I've been so good, why am I feeling empty? I've been so good, I've been so good this year I've been so good, but it's still getting harder I've been so good, where the hell is the karma? I've been so good, I've been so good this year Time, I know we're out of time But what if sad thoughts come and I can't stop it Bye, I don't wanna say bye If only I could keep you in my pocket To give me some diagnosis of why I'm so hollow Please give me instructions, I promise I'll follow I tripped on my ankle and fractured my elbow But doesn't that mean that the tour's gonna sell though? I try to explain the good faith that's been wasted But after an hour it sounds like complaining Wait don't go away, can I lie here forever? You say that I'm better, why don't I feel better? The universe works in mysterious ways But I'm starting to think it ain't working for me Doctor, should I be good? Should I be good this year?

similar vibes to farther along but much less hopeful and more desperate while still trying to sound like an upbeat song. this is glade telling amaunator off for letting lent go when she is nothing but Good. this is glade when he’s still a thief, going hungry because he fed his sister tonight rather than himself, asking whatever god might be listening why it was them who were punished with this because they weren’t doing anything wrong. this is glade setting the table for the motherfuckers, smiling even though it’s immediately post lent’s rez ritual, because they were the ones who actually saw her die, not him, and they’re good people who need to catch a break so here he is, getting them to joke and laugh with him while lent sleeps off her resurrection sickness in the other room.

[caixxa]

fanfic authors tag game

snatched this from @ao3commentoftheday because it was kindly encouraged!

AO3 name: caixa

Fandom(s): men’s hockey rpf, hockey rpf, men’s football rpf, football rpf (to be fair, it’s been almost a year since I last wrote a football fic and I’m not likely to go back)

Number of fics: 51

1. Fic you spent the most time on:  My fair lad II: The odd couple, over two years. (Published: 2017-01-11 Completed: 2019-06-06) Took a long break between the last two chapters though.

2. Fic you spent the least time on: It has been either Miss U Honey,  Forgetting Martin Nečas,  Etelässä kuulemma jo illat pimenee or The Nip Bit. I don’t know how long those took but they have been quick one-sitting writes.

3. Longest fic: camera ready (89175 words, 43 chapters)

4. Shortest fic: The Nip Bit (853 words) (I’m not counting Sälää (107 words) which was just some random dialogue notes)

5. Most hits: camera ready,  7456

6. Most kudos: My fair lad II: The odd couple, 134

7. Most comment threads: camera ready, 129

8. Fave fic you wrote:  camera ready was such a wild ride from start to finish, I had fun throughout the whole process. (But I also love Tappiolla tappiin so very dearly. When it comes to the translations, I think that the other work with the same pairing, Midnight in Paris, works better.)

9. Fic you want to rewrite/expand on: Well, I’m writing a sequel to camera ready and I’ve written two spin-offs based off of it so that must be the answer to this question. Other than that, none really. When I let go, I let go. But who knows, someday I may feel differently and want to pick up some work I thought I was done with. It has happened. 

10. Share a bit of your WIP or share a story idea that you’re planning:

Is it cheating if I share a bit that I have already posted? This is just a good sample of what the camera ready sequel money shot is about.

It’s a piece of dialogue from chapter 3, Sepe and Roope talking.

"It's nothing. Or – it's… I feel like I'm stuck. In my work. Like - I don’t have a next step. I’m doing the same thing, different settings, different guys, but that’s it.”

“Why is it bad? I have thought you like what you do.”

Sebastian turns to reach for his clothes near the end of the table.

“I do. But you know, it was different a while ago. All of these things happening. The Subban show. We made the movie, and the one with Teuvo, and we did so good at the awards. But after that – it’s pretty much the same.”

“Stagnant?”

“Stagnant. That’s a good word.

“But can’t you look at it like – maybe you are now somewhere you worked all the time to get to? Aren’t you in a good place? I mean, you’re making steady money, and Teuvo too, and you get to fuck that hot kid roommate or yours at home and at work and get paid for it too?”

Sebastian grimaces. Of course Andrei had to find his way in this discussion.

“Well yeah,” he says flatly, “Andrei is great.”

Roope props himself up with one elbow and darts a definitely interested look at Sebastian’s face.

“You don’t sound too excited there? Is there something wrong with the boy wonder?”

“No!” Sebastian denies quickly, regretting in a second the way his voice rises. “Not at all,” he says in a softer tone, trying his hardest to keep any bitterness out of his voice. “He is someone who actually is getting ahead.”

I tag @eafay70 @marmolita @thosedaysthatwill @diegoalvesisgod @isconnormcdavidok and @darkangel0410 - no pressure, if you feel like doing this! And anyone who wants to.

[vincent-frankenstein]

To My Heart and Soul

[ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | you are here | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | read on AO3 ]

Warnings: major character death, villain/abusive deceit, blood, fighting, panic attacks, creepy imagery

Pairings: logince, hints of moxiety, a tiny smidge of remile and past abusive anxceit

They stood at the end of a long, round table, with twelve others staring back at them with varying expressions of confusion. Each place at the table was marked with a gemstone-encrusted constellation, sparkling celestial approximations set deep into the wood. Patton sat before the constellation Cygnus, his hands folded in his lap. Logan didn’t dare sit.

“Patton, I hope you have a good reason for this,” said the man at the head of the table. His place was marked with the constellation Lyra. Concern lined his kind face. Patton nodded eagerly, hair flopping up and down.

“I do!” he said.

“You’d better,” said another man. He sat before the constellation Aquila, with one leg thrown casually over the arm of his chair. He was dressed in travelling clothes, a suitcase leaned up against his chair. “I’m gonna miss my train.”

“I know, Nate,” Patton said, with an apologetic grimace. “I wouldn’t bring you guys here unless it was super important —”

“And who’s that?” said the person sitting at Ursa Major, pointing at Logan. Tufts of dark hair stuck out from beneath a bright orange beanie, framing their round face. Patton smiled, a nervous hum building in the back of his throat.

“This is, uh, Logan!” He held his arms out wide, presenting Logan with a flourish. Logan inclined his head by way of greeting. “He’s, um. He’s mortal. He has some information —”

“Mortal?” the man at Lyra gasped. “Pat, you know you’re not allowed to bring mortals here!”

“I know, Thomas!” Patton said, a bit louder than he’d intended. He winced, running a hand through his hair. “Gosh, this isn’t going how I wanted it to go, uh — okay. Logan was attacked by shadow-beasts a couple days ago, and Remy attacked him and his therapist just earlier today.”

“How does that warrant bringing a mortal to our world?” Thomas asked. “I mean, obviously it’s awful that you were attacked, but — well, you shouldn’t be here because of it.”

Logan watched Patton splutter, his eyebrows furrowing. His voice was drowned out by the others, and he was too nice to interrupt, far too nice for such a political role. He simply couldn’t break in.

But Logan wasn’t so nice. “I have information about Dorian,” he said sharply, loud enough that his voice echoed through the grand hall. The conversation jerked to a stop, and suddenly all eyes were back on him, twelve identical expressions of shock.

No, scratch that, thirteen. Patton blinked at him, eyes wide. He took a moment to recover, foot tapping nervously against the floor. “Not much,” he continued for Logan, “but enough to say that he’s still alive.”

“And Roman might be as well,” Logan said, standing as tall as he could. He did not enjoy being referred to only as a ‘mortal,’ as a problem rather than part of the solution. He was going to be a part of this, whether these high-and-mighty wizards liked it or not.

“There’s… there’s no way,” said a person sitting beside Thomas, their beautifully colored hair dimming to a soft blue. The gemstones marking their constellation — Draco, the dragon — shifted their color to match. “I saw him die, we all did.”

“C’mon, Talyn, we all knew Dorian. You couldn’t trust anything he did.” Nate shifted in his seat, throwing his other leg over the side. He had a very slow way of talking, a honeyed drawl. “Couldn’t even trust that asshole to die.”

“Shush, Nate,” Thomas said. “What information? Tell us everything, Logan.”

So he did. Starting with the graveyard and ending with Remy, Logan put every ounce of information he had on the table and could only hope to get some back in return. Out in the open air, it didn’t really seem like that much — but he couldn’t lose his nerve now. It had to be enough.

“That’s… not much to go on,” said the woman sitting at Andromeda.

“But it implies Dorian is still alive,” Patton said, standing. “And if he is…”

He trailed off. Logan hadn’t been able to get many specifics from Patton on what Dorian had done, but… obviously, it hadn’t been good. Silence fell across the table, each wizard lost in thought.

“If he is, we’re in deep shit,” someone finally said, a man sitting at the constellation Perseus. He wore a clashing kaleidoscope of magenta and black that gave Logan a headache just to look at. His statement earned several annoyed noises and a whack on the arm. “What? It’s what we’re all thinking!”

“Not all of us think as crudely as you, Henry,” said a man dressed all in black, his seat marked with the constellation Corvus.

“I do,” the person in the beanie said, raising a hand.

“We know, Joan.”

The woman at Andromeda held up her hands, glaring at her counterparts. “We don’t have time for this,” she said. “If Dorian really is out there, we have to find him. Now.”

“Valerie’s right,” Thomas said. “We barely beat him last time, and the damage he caused… We can’t let that happen again. We need to get the upper hand. Logan, do you have anything else?”

“No,” he said, wishing he did. “What about Roman? Anxiety said that Dorian was going to use me to get to him. That implies that he is still alive as well.”

“That doesn’t make sense either,” Valerie said. “We investigated his death. Everything checked out, it was just… a normal, mortal death. He didn’t survive.”

Logan gripped the back of Patton’s chair so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Nate continued where Valerie left off. “Why would Dorian use you, anyway?”

“Oh, shoot! I forgot to mention,” Patton said quickly, shooting Logan an apologetic glance. “Logan is —”

“Roman was my husband,” Logan said, voice stronger than he’d expected. A hush fell over the room, quieter, sadder than before. Everyone’s gaze turned horribly sympathetic, and Logan burned beneath their searching eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” Thomas said. “I can see why you’re so invested in this.”

Logan stood up straighter. “If there is any chance to get Roman back, however infinitesimal, I will take it. If Dorian has him, I will do whatever I can to assist you in defeating him.”

The members of the council shared a look. “We… we can’t let you do that,” said the man sitting at the constellation Delphinus. He was dressed like a ray of sunshine, shimmering golden fabrics from head to toe. “It’s far too dangerous.”

The darkly-dressed man at Corvus nodded, his face shadowed and dark. “We have to wipe your memory and send you home,” he said, and Logan jerked back as though he’d been slapped. “If we find anything, we’ll —”

“No,” Logan said, so firmly that Corvus’ mouth snapped shut. “You will do no such thing. If Dorian is planning on using me to get to Roman, my life is in danger. Wiping my memory will leave me back at square one and give him an opportunity to strike. He has already found me once. Don’t play into his hands.”

More silence. Another shared look. “He has a point,” Joan said, raising an eyebrow at Logan. “Dorian obviously knows how to find him. Letting him go probably isn’t the best idea.”

Nate groaned, drawing out the noise as he stretched lazily in his seat. “Stop using logic against us, you assholes.”

“But that’s what I’m best at,” Logan and Joan said in unison. Joan grinned at him, and Logan found himself smiling back. They seemed to be a kindred spirit; Logan liked them.

“Great, he stays!” said the person sitting at the constellation Dorado, their silver hair falling in their face. “That doesn’t solve our Dorian problem.”

“I have a lead,” said the man sitting at Corvus, leaning back in his chair. He let a moment pass, anticipation building, and then he leaned forward, relishing in the tension he caused. He quirked a brow. “A lead on Roman’s secret weapon.”

It was like he said he’d found Atlantis. The table erupted in cries of shock, confusion, and excitement, and it was a good five minutes before they’d calmed down enough to speak. Logan’s eyebrows furrowed. His secret weapon? Why did that sound so… familiar?

“Toby! How long have you had this?” Henry asked. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Calm down, H.P. I’ve only had it for a few days. I was planning to go check the credulity before this whole mess blew up.”

Logan took a step back, lost in thought, the conversation fading around him. He’d heard of this before. Something was tugging at the corner of his mind, a memory he’d forgotten, something dark and hazy and almost gone. He closed his eyes and pulled at the memory. His secret weapon…

“... Is in the dragon’s keep,” he finished out loud, his voice barely above a whisper. The memory snapped back into focus and he cursed himself for having forgotten it in the first place. A rushed conversation, late at night, one Logan had only half heard and then lost to the throes of sleep. Roman had been panicked, tense, as though he was delivering the most important information in the world.

Maybe he had been.

“What?” Toby asked.

“The secret weapon is in the dragon’s keep,” he said again, louder, stronger. Toby’s eyes widened.

“How the hell did you know that?”

“Roman told me,” Logan said, eyes wide, heart pounding. “He told me. It’s in the dragon’s keep, isn’t it?”

“Bullshit,” Nate drawled. “Princey never told anyone about his secret weapon. It’s a wonder we even know it exists.”

“He… he never even told me,” Patton said softly. He blinked, shaking his head. “But this can’t be a coincidence. If Logan’s memory matches Toby’s lead…”

“It does,” Toby said, eyes narrowed. “My lead pinpoints the weapon in a dragon’s keep at Sleepy Hollow. Patton’s right, that can’t be a coincidence. I found it.”

“That changes things,” Talyn said, their eyes sparkling. “We can beat Dorian with that. We just have to get it.”

“Right. I’ll put together a team and we can go —”

“No,” Toby cut Thomas off. “I work alone.”

“Not this time,” Logan said sharply, stepping forward. “I am coming with you.”

“Me too,” Patton said. “I have to be there. Roman was my brother.”

“And my husband. You are not leaving me behind.” He stood as tall as he could, looking down at Toby, whose face was growing steadily darker.

“I am not taking a mortal to a dragon’s keep,” he growled, eyes narrowed behind a curtain of brown hair. “You stay.”

“Actually, I think he should go,” Joan said. “If Roman trusted him enough to tell him where the weapon is, who knows what else he told him? Maybe he’ll come in handy.”

“I think so too,” Thomas said, offering Logan a smile. “Besides, I’m not gonna let you go alone. With Dorian out there again… we’ve gotta be careful.”

Toby growled and shoved himself to his feet, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. “Fine,” he snapped. “We leave at —”

And the hall began to shake. Logan yelped and grabbed the back of Patton’s chair as the ground rumbled beneath him, nearly sending him tumbling to the floor — yellow smoke began to seep from beneath the closed doors and in through the high windows, coalescing, gathering into a shape vaguely like a person, undulating and horrible —

And then the figure had a face, snake-slit eyes and a smile like venom. He fixed his horrible gaze on Logan and he knew, knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, who he was looking at. Dorian. 

“You’re so right, Thomas,” Dorian purred, in a voice like Roman’s doused in burning poison. “You must be careful.”

[queen-scribbles]

OC Interview

Rules:

1. Choose an OC.

2. Answer as that OC.

3. Tag 5 people to do the same. 

I was tagged by: @haledamage Thanks! (I have so many freaking OCs, I’m always a safe bet for these things xD) Not going to tag anyone else though, unless @captainofthefallen still needs an excuse? Consider this a tag, if so. :D

This time around I’m gonna answer with Jas, circa where she currently is in-game(tail end of 4711, mid-Varnhold Vanishing; tracked down two of the three Defaced Sisters for Along the Cold Trail, so no spoilers, please. I’ve already seen some big ones and wanna avoid any more)

–------

1. What is your name?

She swings her legs for a minute, seemingly tickled by how far they are from the floor, before registering she’s been asked a question. “Huh? Oh! Sorry, Jasiri Swallowtail. But please, call me Jas.”

2. Do you know why are you named that?

“Well, Jasiri’s from a.. ridiculous number of greats-grandmother or aunt who was an explorer” --she waves one hand with a laugh--”and Swallowtail’s the family name.” A wink. “Though that did work out well when I pledged myself to Desna.”

3. Are you single or taken?

The infectious joy dims significantly, and her expression is pensive as she devotes all her focus to twisting one of her rings. “Um.... that’s complicated right now.” 

4. Have any abilities or powers?

She brightens. “Desna gave me a whole bunch of cool stuff I can do through my faith in Her; healing people, curing stuff like poison and blindness, protect people, throw fire at bad guys.... it’s a really long list. And my parents used to joke I’m supernaturally curious and energetic, so maybe those count, too?”

5. Stop being a Mary Sue.

She cocks her head, twirling a loose wisp of hair around one finger. “I’m not; I’m Jas. Don’t know anyone named Mary Sue, though I did have a friend named Susanna growin’ up.”

6. What’s your eye color?

“Grey-green, though which one stands out more depends on the light and what I’m wearin’.”

7. How about your hair color?

“Dark red.” She tugs on the wisp she’s twirling as if to emphasize the words.

8. Have any family members?

“Oh, lots,” she nods happily. “Both parents are still kickin’, last I heard, and I have five sisters, all but one older’n me,”

9. Oh? How about pets?

“OH! You haven’t met Ember yet?!” She hops down from the chair and almost skips to the doorway, giving an unusual trilling whistle. “Em! C’mere, there’s a new friend!” A few moments pass before a frankly adorable red panda somersaults into the room, and she beams as she scoops it up, careful not to step on the tail trailing between her feet. “There you are! Say hi to a new friend.” She “helps” it wave one paw, then scratches it under the chin before setting it down again to climb back in the chair. It amuses itself playing in the corner as she continues, “There’s also a cat named Tiger hiding somewhere, and this really cute stray dog that followed Octavia home from one of her ventures out to Spruceheart, but I dunno if that one counts as mine, since he likes her a little bit better.” 

10. That’s cool, I guess. Now, tell me something you don’t like?

She purses her lips in thought and taps one finger against her chin. “The standard stuff, I guess. Y’know, people who hurt innocents or take advantage of them. Also, being stuck inside too long. Snow. And peaches.” She makes a face. “Can’t stand peaches. Don’t ask me why.”

11. Do you have any activities/hobbies that you like to do?

“Climbing trees, exploring, reading....” She ticks them off on her fingers. “I enjoy pretty much anything if I can do it with a couple really good friends, honestly.”

12. Have you ever hurt anyone in any way before?

She shrugs, pick at a scab on one knuckle. “Some, yeah. Mostly good ol’ physical violence if I couldn’t solve things with talking--I’m a really good talker--but I’m sure there’s people I’ve hurt with things I said.” .

13. Ever… killed anyone before?

“Same as I just said; ones I couldn’t talk down, yeah.”Another shrug. “Some people are just lookin’ for a fight. Or I say the wrong thing.” She wrinkles her nose. “I do feel kinda guilty for those.”

14. What kind of animal are you?

“You mean, what would I be if I was an animal? ‘Cause, I mean..” she gestures at herself. “Pretty sure I’m a halfling. But if I was an animal, I’d either wanna be an otter or a red panda like Ember. Look at her, she’s so cute.”

15. Name your worst habits?

She snorts good-naturedly. “I talk too much, leap before I look, and say things without thinking.”

16. Do you look up to anyone at all?

She snorts and grins mischievously. “Almost everyone; I’m not even four feet tall.” A pleased wiggle follows the joke. “Or is that not what you meant?”

17. Are you gay, straight or bisexual?

“Straight,” she says with an airy shrug.

18. Did you attend school?

“Yeah, for a while.” She giggles. “Sitting still was torture, though, and I managed to persuade my parents I could learn just as much from explorin’ the world as I could from a book.”

19. Ever want to marry and have kids one day?

That pensive looks flickers again, and she starts twisting the ring, though she does keep eye contact this time. “I... wouldn’t be opposed if the right guy wanted to.”

20. Do you have any fangirls/fanboys?

“Oh, yeah. They almost manage to balance out the detractors,” she says with a self-deprecating grin. “I’m very popular.”

21. What are you most afraid of?

“Drowning, I guess?” She taps her chin thoughtfully. “Yeah. It’s a scary way to go, and between my height and the fact I usually wear heavy plate armor, it’s a.. present concern for me around water.”

22. What do you usually wear?

“Somethin’ comfortable,” she shrugs. “Shirt and pants, dresses, whatever fits my mood. Gotta be bright colors, though.”

23. What’s one food that tempts you?

“What’s one that doesn’t?” a new voice mutters out in the hall--miraculously still loud enough to be heard.

Jas rolls her eyes and twists around to kneel on her chair so she’s facing the door. “No one asked you, Jubilost!” She returns to a proper seated position, flashing an angel-innocent smile, “I do love all things sweet, but there’s an extra special weakness for chocolate ice cream. And kameberry pie.Oh, no, my biggest temptation would be sweet pancakes. Yeah, that.”

24. Am I annoying you?

“Oh, not at all!” She grins. “I love talking to people.”

25. Well, it’s still not over!

“Okay!”

26. What class are you (low/middle/high)?

“Well, as Baroness, I’m pretty sure I’d count as high class?” Her nose wrinkles. “But I’m still confused by the ins and outs of nobility and politics and all that, so maybe upper end of middle? My family’s pretty solid middle class, though.”

27. How many friends do you have?

“Lots, though the exact number varies by how many people are in the room,” she jokes, toying with the carved butterfly talisman that hangs around her neck.

28. What are your thoughts on pie?

“Give it to me, all of it, right now.” She laughs and half-grimaces. “Unless it’s peach pie. Then the opposite, keep it away from me.”

29. Favorite drink?

“Never really thought about it,” she admits breezily. “I like a lot of things. Maybe milk? Or honeyed mead, that’s really good.” 

30. What’s your favorite place?

“There’s this flat rock that overhangs the river out behind Willowmere that’s the perfect distance from the surface to hang your feet in the water or skip stones.” She starts to smile, then gets distracted by a clearly less pleasant thought. “Up a tree’s always good, too. You can see for miles. It’s great.”

31. Are you interested in anyone?

She clears her throat and fidgets, looking down into her lap as she fiddles with her ring again. “...Yes.”

32. That was a stupid question…

“Not really, everyone wants to know if I’m spoken for.” She flashes a reassuring smile, dazzling as the sun. “I’m used to it, you’re fine.”

33. Would you rather swim in a lake or the ocean?

“Hmm... Lake, I guess. Less chance of being swept off never to be seen again.”

34. What’s your type?

“Quiet’s good, to balance me out. Blond’s nice. And sharing a passion for seein’ the world. Oh, compassionate, that’s a big one...” Her voice trails off, and she looks toward the window as a figure clad in white passes below. “Can we move on?” 

35. Any fetishes?

Her face colors ever so slightly and she clears her throat. “If I had any, I wouldn’t share them with a stranger.”

36. Camping or outdoors?

“Yes to both, as often as possible.” She bounces a little in the chair. “Sleeping under the stars is so much better than indoors. And on that topic, I’ve hit my limit for sittin’ inside when it’s so nice out. Maybe we can talk more later.” 

And with that, she hops down from the chair and darts out the door.

[spockuhurashipper]

“A Risk Worth Taking” - Chapter 9 - Voight/OC

Sorry it has taken so long for this chapter. Got stuck on it. Please let me know if you enjoy.

Also, here is the dress I imagined Layla wearing in this chapter. https://www.memorandum.com/30-dresses-in-30-days/wedding-guest-black-tie/

Previous chapters are on my tumblr page and the whole story is at FF.Net (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13185182/1/A-Risk-Worth-Taking-Voight-OC)

Chapter 9

Layla was putting the finishing touches on her makeup when she heard a knock at her door the following Saturday night. Hank was right on time to pick her up for the mayor’s party.

“Just a second!” Layla called out, checking her lipstick in the mirror one more time while putting on her earrings and hurrying to get the door.

Hank stood on the other side, looking more handsome than ever. He was wearing a classic black suit, white shirt and black tie. The suit was tailored to perfection.

Before Layla could speak, Hank took a step inside and gestured to her dress.

“You look…”

Hank’s eyes took in the floor-length emerald green dress she was wearing. It complimented her auburn hair perfectly and the thin satin fell gracefully over her curves.

“...absolutely incredible.” He finished, lifting his eyes to meet hers.

Layla, feeling self-conscience, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“You think so? I feel a little out of my comfort zone.”

Hank stepped forward and kissed her softly. “Trust me, I’ll be the luckiest guy there tonight.”

Layla smiled up at him and then laughed.

“What?” Hank asked, confused by her expression.

Layla reached up and wiped her thumb across his lips. “You’ve got some lipstick...”

Hank nodded and watched her as she wiped it away for him. He couldn’t get over how beautiful she was.

“Okay, let me just grab my purse and we can go.” Layla told him.

As Hank watched her cut off the lights and grab her keys, he found himself wondering how he’d been lucky enough to meet this woman. She made him feel things he hadn’t felt in years. But most importantly, now that she was in his life, he felt a hope - a hope that helped him get out of bed every morning - something that had been becoming more and more difficult since Al’s death.

“Ready,” Layla told Hank and locked up her apartment before they headed downstairs to his SUV.

-----

When they pulled up to the event, Layla was surprised at the scale of the party. Men and women were pouring into the building in their finest clothes and jewelry. You could already hear jazz standards being played loudly inside.

Layla felt a little nervous about the night. Officially being Hank Voight’s date, she assumed there were probably a lot of people with opinions about that. Plus, she didn’t exactly fit in with the rich and influential crowd.

Hank came to stand beside her in front of the building after getting the valet ticket, and extended his arm to her.

“Ready?” He asked.

Hank smiled at her and just like that, all her nerves vanished. Wrapping her hands around his arm, she nodded and they went inside.

They immediately spotted the rest of the team at a large banquet table and went to join them.

As they approached the table, Antonio let out a whistle. “Wow. Layla, you look great.”

Hank pulled out her chair and Layla sat down.

“Yeah, you sure you’re here with the right guy?” Jay asked, sitting up and straightening his tie, as if he was volunteering for the job, a smirk on his lips.

Layla glanced over at Hank, who was busy grabbing them two glasses of champagne from the tray of a waiter walking past, and smiled.

“Absolutely.”

Jay nodded in defeat as Hank handed her a glass and sat down beside her.

“Okay,” Kevin said, leaning in towards the center of the table like he had a secret.

“Let me tell y'all what this fool did when we went to question Latoya the other day.” He nodded towards Adam.

“Kev, no. Come on, man.” Adam complained. Kevin was struggling to hold back his laughter.

Layla turned to Hank and asked, “Who’s Latoya?”

“She’s a hooker that Adam’s trying to turn into a C.I.” Hank told her, an amused expression on his face.

Layla raised an eyebrow and turned back to the story, interested to see where this was going.

As Kevin continued the story, Layla sat back in her chair and crossed her legs, taking a sip of champagne. When she did, the split in her dress fell to the side, exposing her well-toned upper thigh. Though the dress appeared to be conservative, this was the part that made it sexy. Or that’s what the boutique owner had told Layla, at least.

Layla felt a thrill of excitement when Hank leaned in, his lips almost touching her ear, and whispered, huskily, “Honey, you’re killing me.”

Layla watched as Hank lifted his gaze from her leg to her eyes. For a moment, it felt like they were the only two in the room. For a moment, Layla imagined his hand running up her thigh. Hank imagined more than that.

They were pulled back to the present when the table erupted into laughter, Adam’s face red as a beat.

“Look man, I didn’t know she had so many places she could hide the cash!” Adam said, putting his hands up in surrender.

The group enjoyed each other’s company for about half an hour before the mayor got on stage to officially welcome everyone and give a speech about his new gun control initiative.

After that, the party was in full swing. Hank, along with the rest of Intelligence, had been instructed to work the room by their deputy commissioner. The mayor wanted his campaign contributors to see how involved the Chicago PD was with his cause.

Over the next hour, Layla was introduced to so many people that they became a blur. A few seemed to genuinely be Hank’s friends, but the rest he simply talked to out of obligation.

Many couples who approached them to talk were Hank’s age. While the men talked, some of the wives would cast Layla judging looks. Hank, of course, noticed this early on and whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry about them.”

Layla smiled at him. “It doesn’t bother me,” she assured him, pressing herself closer to his side and rubbing her hand across his back.

As they continued their rounds, Layla spotted Kim across the room and they smiled at each other. The two women hadn’t had a chance lately to catch up so they had plans for brunch and pedicures the following day. Layla had also invited Trudy but she wasn’t sure yet if she was going to come.

When a man approached them and Hank hugged him fondly, Layla turned her attention back to him.

“Layla, this is Jamal Tyson.”

“Nice to meet you.” Layla smiled, shaking his hand.

“Jamal and I worked together when he was a rookie on the

cyber crimes unit,” Hank told Layla, smiling when her expression changed from bored to interested. “Now he’s running a Fortune 500 IT company.”

Jamal looked embarrassed. “Yeah, that seems like a lifetime ago doesn’t it?” Jamal asked Hank, who laughed and said, “You’re telling me.”

“Hank taught me a lot,” Jamal told Layla. “Helped me out of jam or two, if I recall.” The two men nodded at each other in recollection.

“So what do you do, Layla?” Jamal asked.

When Layla explained her role at the department, Jamal started asking her a million questions. Hank couldn’t follow most of it but he did enjoy the way Layla’s face lit up as they talked. He regretted that he hadn’t asked her more about her job earlier, and vowed to do so in the future.

“That’s amazing.” Jamal said. “Things sure have changed from when I was with the department.”

“Well look,” Jamal slipped his hand into his jacket pocket and handed Layla a business card, “if you ever want to see what’s available outside the department, please call me. I’m always looking for new talent.”

Then turning to Hank, Jamal said, “I never pictured you with a computer geek, Hank.”

Hank smiled and looked at Layla affectionately, “Things change, Jamal.”

Jamal smiled. “That they do. Listen, it was great to see you. Don’t be a stranger, okay?”

Hank agreed and the two men hugged.

“It was nice to meet you, Layla.” Jamal said, shaking her hand before he made his way across the room.

“I like him.” Layla said, turning to Hank now that they were alone.

Hank turned to her and smiled, an expression of contentment on his face.

“You’ve been incredible tonight.” He told her.

“Just don’t quiz me on anyone’s names cause I got nothing. Except Jamal.”

Hank nodded, amused.

Almost everyone was on the dance floor at this point, the night becoming more relaxed.

Layla thought it was strange when Hank checked his watch before asking, “Would you like to dance?”

She smiled at him suspiciously but took his hand, allowing him to lead her out onto the dancefloor. They ended up next to Antonio and Kim, who were laughing more than they were dancing.

Shortly after they stepped onto the dance floor, the recognizable opening rift of “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton poured out over the speaker system. The song was very different from what the DJ had been playing all night and many guests picked their heads up to look around.

Layla did too, confused, before her gaze landed on Hank’s face. He was smiling.

“Did you do this?” She asked, impressed.

Hank just shrugged and Layla felt her chest tighten with happiness. She couldn’t help the huge smile that spread across her face.

As they danced, Layla leaned in and whispered, “If you’re trying to get lucky tonight, Sergeant, your odds are looking really good.”

Hank raised his eyebrows in surprise and cleared his throat.

“What are you to whispering about?” Antonio asked, where he and Kim were still dancing a few feet away.

“Mind your own business, Dawson.” Hank told him.

When the song ended, Hank said, “I’m going to go to the bar and get us some real drinks. I’ll meet you back at the table in five.”

Before Hank could leave, Layla snaked her hand up his chest and pulled on his tie, bringing his face closer to hers. She kissed him once, smiled devilishly, then let him go.

Back at the table, Layla found herself alone. The rest of the team was still either on the dance floor or socializing.

Taking a moment to check her phone, Layla smiled when she saw a text from Cindy. It included a picture of a drawing from her niece, Annabelle. Cindy captioned it “A Portrait of Aunt Layla.”  It was just a bunch of squiggly crayon lines but it made Layla’s heart full.

Sensing someone approaching and, figuring it was Hank, Layla started talking before she looked up. “You have got to see this picture Annabelle drew, it is…”

Layla stopped once she looked up and realized it wasn’t Hank, but her boss, Jerry, who’d approached her.

“Oh. Jerry. Hi. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Hi Layla. Yeah, my cousin is an alderman who is pretty close with the mayor so…”

He said it with such ego that it made Layla want to roll her eyes. She resisted.

“So I see you’re here with Hank Voight.” Jerry stated. It wasn’t a question.

“Yes.” Layla said, wondering why it was any of his business.

“Hmm.” Jerry nodded, processing that. “So what is it you hope to gain by sleeping with the head of the Intelligence Unit? You want their ever-vacant IT spot? I think you have to be a cop for that but you never know… maybe you’re more talented than I imagine.” Jerry raised his eyebrows suggestively and looked her up and down, slowly.

Layla’s mouth fell open. For a moment, she couldn’t form words.

“Excuse me?” She asked.

“Well, I mean, I’ve asked you out a dozen times and you don’t want anything to do with me. I’m the one with connections.” Jerry gestured towards the mayor. “Voight is a dinosaur. So you must be after something.”

Layla stood up, getting angrier by the second and stepped closer to Jerry.

“I am not trying to sleep my way into anything. I like Hank.”

“Besides,” Layla said, looking Jerry up and down, “you never had a chance.”

At her words, Jerry looked like he’d been slapped and didn’t say anything for a moment. Layla’s heart was racing and she tried to still her shaking hands.

“Everything okay here?” Hank’s voice said as he approached them, coming to stand beside Layla. He had seen them from across the room and could tell something wasn’t right.

“Ah, here he is now. Hank Voight.” Jerry tried to regain his composure. “The man who got me kicked out of cyber crimes.”

Voight rolled his tongue and turned his head to one side. “Jerry. You not being able to keep it in your pants got you kicked off cyber crimes. I was just solving my case.”

Jerry nodded, clearly not agreeing with Hank’s version of the story.

Hank, tired of this prick, took a step forward, angling himself between Jerry and Layla.

“Jerry. Why don’t you walk away before this goes in a direction you’re not going to like.”

Jerry smirked, satisfied that he’d gotten a rise out of them both.

“Some things never change, Voight.” Then turning to Layla, he said, “See you Monday.”

As Jerry walked away, Layla let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

“What happened?” Hank asked her, concern clouding his expression. Layla put her hands on his arms and he could feel them shaking.

“He said I was trying to sleep my way into Intelligence’s IT spot or something like that. Then he…”

Hank started to turn and go after Jerry, her words starting a fire of rage in his chest. But before he could follow him, Layla grabbed his arm.

“Hank, please… Don’t.”

Hank hesitated, but when he looked back and saw the apprehension in Layla’s eyes, his anger deflated.

“He said if I wanted to get ahead I shouldn’t have turned him down because he’s the one with connections.”

Hank scoffed.

“Should I be worried?” Layla asked him, feeling very unsettled.

Hank’s face hardened, pissed that Jerry had her feeling this way.

“Look, I’ll take care of it…”

“No. Hank, I’ve only been at this job for two months. I really like it. Maybe I can just file a complaint with HR and he’ll step back.”

Hank didn’t think so but he could see she didn’t want his help.

“Okay. Maybe. But if he does anything,” Hank put his hands on her shoulders and tilted his head down to make direct eye contact with Layla, “and I mean anything out of the way, you call me ASAP, you understand?”

Layla bit her lip and nodded, hoping that never happened.

“You want to get out of here?” Hank asked, sensing that Layla was done with the whole party scene.

“Yes, please.”

-------

Hank drove back to Layla’s apartment. Like the first night they’d kissed, the ride was mostly silent, but this time there was a peaceful feeling between them. Hank held her hand on the console between them as he drove.

When they got there, Hank walked her to the door. He’d ditched his jacket and tie as soon as they’d left the party, unbuttoning the top few buttons of his dress shirt and partly rolling up his sleeves.

He hesitated when she unlocked the door and started to go in. It was after midnight and he figured she’d want to call it a night, especially after what happened with Jerry.

Layla turned back when she realized he didn’t follow her in and walked over to where he stood in the doorway.

She stood close to him for a second, just looking into his eyes before her hands made their way to his chest. “Aren’t you coming inside, Sargeant?”

The playfulness he loved about her was back.

Deciding to play into the role, since she seemed to like calling him Sargeant when she was feeling flirty, Hank said, “Is there a crime you need to report, m’am?”

Layla threw her head back and laughed as they made their way further into the living room, delighted that he was playing along.

“Yes.” She said, walking towards another room and looking back at him over her shoulder.

“It’s a crime that I’m still wearing this dress, don’t you think?”

She winked at him before entering the bedroom and leaving his sight.

Hank stood there for a minute, an impressed grin on his face, before following her into the bedroom.

That night, Hank and Layla made love for the first time.

What started out as playful seduction turned into something tender and beautiful. They both felt a piece of themselves return that had been missing for a long time.

For the first time since Jake’s death, Layla felt whole. She felt comforted. She felt loved.

Hank kissed her tenderly as she climaxed, muffling her cries with his lips as she rode the wave of pleasure. Her urgent cries turned into satisfied whispers as she said his name over and over, her hands roaming his back and his sides. Hank came soon after.

As he laid beside her catching his breath, Layla rolled onto her side and trailed her fingers across his chest. They laid in bed like that, trading gentle kisses and whispers, until Layla fell asleep in Hank’s arms.

---

to be continued

[girlwithglasses1245]

Um so yeah.

I got a new chromebook which is legit one of the best investments I’ve made in quite a while. One problem, I don’t remember my newer tumblr password and email I had set up for my happy new account. So I am stuck here with an older tumblr I made years upon years ago. I was browsing through some of the archive posts and ugh was I whiny little pain in the butt complaining about such stupid things. Anyways! I thought it might be kinda fun perhaps to do a survey that I did in 2013, yes 2013 oh my that seems ages ago. My plan is to have my original answer on top followed by the 2019 answer below it. Because why not? Here we go!

1: Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? The closet must be closed! Still closed please.

2: Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel? Sometimes. Not as often as I used, because I honestly don’t ever use it. lol

3: Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? Out? In because that’s how Dan likes it. 

4: Have you ever stolen a street sign before? No. Nope. 

5: Do you like to use post-it notes? Sometimes. Sure, I leave Dan random notes in the morning if I wake up first. 

6: Do you cut out coupons but then never use them? I get coupons but sometimes I don't use them. Haha my above answer tells me two things I wasn’t worried about money in 2013 and I didn’t probably understand the question. So yeah, sometimes that will happen when they expire before I get the chance to use them.

7: Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees? Neither sound great so I guess a big bear sounds more interesting. I’ll agree with my 2013 answer. 

8: Do you have freckles? I have some. Last I checked I am the same girl, so I have some. 

9: Do you always smile for pictures? Usually. Sure, unless I am being told otherwise. 

10: What is your biggest pet peeve? I have two major ones, people snapping gum and not messaging someone back. Snapping gum is still up there and people slurping soup obnoxiously. 

11: Do you ever count your steps when you walk? Not really. Um not physically, but my phone does. Thanks Google Fit!

12: Have you ever peed in the woods? Nope. Still no.

13: What about pooped in the woods? Again nope. Still no lol.

14: Do you ever dance even if there’s no music playing? Yeah. Of course!

15: Do you chew your pens and pencils? Not usually, but sometimes I'll chew on a pen. Still sometimes I will chew a pen. 

16: How many people have you slept with this week? Zero. One.

17: What size is your bed? Queen. Queen, but now I share it with Dan. 

18: What is your Song of the week? Runaway- iio. Goodness I have no idea. 

19: Is it okay for guys to wear pink? Yeah.  Since when are certain colors unacceptable for certain people? I like that answer. Good job 2013 Christina. :)

20: Do you still watch cartoons? I don’t really watch a lot of TV. Nope. 

21: Whats your least favorite movie? I am not really big on the Hunger Games. Still accurate or scary movies would be an accurate answer. 

22: Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some? Wait…why would I want to bury hidden treasure. Dan’s safe?

23: If you’re a girl, bra size? If you’re a guy, pants size? 34 B 32-34 B depends on the bra. lol

24: What do you dip a chicken nugget in? Plain or honey mustard. I like those previous answers, but I do sometimes like BBQ. 

25: What is your favorite food? Some type of chicken with a bread coating. Chicken and dumplings from Cracker Barrel with carrots and green beans! 

26: What movies could you watch over and over and still love? Love and Other Drugs, Crazy Stupid Love, Easy A, Something Borrowed. So chick flicks I guess. Crazy Stupid Love is still in my top favorite movies ever. 

27: Last person you kissed/kissed you? Jeffrey. Eww I am sorry 2013 Christina that sucks. Anyways, Dan!

28: Were you ever a boy/girl scout? I was girl scout back in the day. Still a true statement. 

29: Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine? Eh I don't know. I am no model, so no.  30: When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper? On paper?  A while ago. I write Dan little notes in the mornings sometimes. Does that count? 31: Can you change the oil on a car? Nope. Still nope.  32: Ever gotten a speeding ticket? Surprisingly no. Warning, yes. lol 33: Ever ran out of gas? Close, but no. Nope!

34: Favorite kind of sandwich? Turkey and swiss with spinach toasted.  Grilled cheese!

35: Best thing to eat for breakfast? French Toast or Waffles. French Toast sounds lovely. 

36: What is your usual bedtime? Unpredictable. Still accurate, but now it depends on if Dan is around or not.  37: Are you lazy? More than some would think. I can be.  38: When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween? I don’t even know. Probably a princess.  39: What is your Chinese astrological sign? I believe I am a sheep. Correct.  40: Are you horny? No. Not really.  41: Do you have any magazine subscriptions? No. Yep, Cosmo. And it’s annoying they send out the following month way too early all the time.  42: Which are better legos or lincoln logs? I could care less. Still true. 

43: Are you stubborn? I some ways. Kinda.  44: Who is better…Leno or Letterman? Letterman. Still true hence why Letterman is still on the air? 45: Ever watch soap operas? Sometimes Spanish ones with Rach and her roommates. Nope. 46: Are you afraid of heights? Not as much. What kinda of answer was that back then? lol. Anyways, no height fear really.    47: Do you sing in the car? All the time. Duh, gotta keep it fun.  48: Do you sing in the shower? Not really. I hum though. Still true.  49: Do you dance in the car? Yeah. That’s probably not safe… Hahaha still guilty of that.  50: Ever used a gun? Nope, I want to do it sometime though just to say I shot a gun. Hahaha 2013 would never have thought I’d say I am pretty fucking accurate with an AR-15.  51: Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer? Does summer count? Jen took my picture. Christmas of 2015 lol. 52: Do you think musicals are cheesy? Some can be. Usually.  53: Is Christmas stressful? Not really, but this year I’ll be working the holiday season so we shall reassess. Nope. I love Christmas.  54: Ever eat a pierogi? Had to look that up.  Yes, I have I think my friend Elly introduced me to them. Yeah, not my type of thing.  55: Favorite type of fruit pie? Cherry or Dutch Apple.  56: Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid? Teacher. I don’t know anymore and I am 27. Oops.  57: Do you believe in ghosts? Eh debatable. Sure. 58: Ever have a Deja-vu feeling? Many times. I had one just the other day. Yeah I had one the other day. Wait that’s funny that was my reply before.  59: Take a vitamin daily? I take multivitamins. I still do, but currently out. lol 60: Wear slippers? Nah. Barefoot is preferred.  61: Wear a bath robe? Rarely. Unless I am super cold. Nah. 62: What do you wear to bed? Yoga pants and a t-shirt. T-shirt and panties. lol 63: First concert? Paramore. Still true. 

64: Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart? Target, but Wal-Mart is closer. Target.  65: Nike or Adidas? I don’t care. Under Amour? 66: Cheetos Or Fritos? Eh…neither. Haha still good answer.  67: Peanuts or Sunflower seeds? Sunflower seeds since I can’t do peanuts. Neither. 

68: Ever hear of the group Tres Bien? No? What? 69: Ever take dance lessons? I did a few times. Did I? Hmm sure okay. I did in the past.  70: Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing? Lawyer. Business owner.

71: Can you curl your tongue? Yes. Yep! 72: Ever won a spelling bee? Never participated. Nope I am not very good at spelling complicated stuff.  73: Have you ever cried because you were so happy? It has happened on occasion. Sure. 74: Own any record albums? No. Nope. 75: Own a record player? No. Nope. 76: Regularly burn incense? No. Nope. 77: Ever been in love? Yes. Yes.  78: Who would you like to see in concert? Matchbox Twenty, Google Dolls, Drake, Justin Timberlake, The Weekend, Linkin Park, The XX, and many more. I know weird mix there. Drake? 79: What was the last concert you saw? Grad night, Paramore. Same.  80: Hot tea or cold tea? I prefer cold tea. Ice tea!  81: Tea or coffee? Coffee, but I do like tea on occasion. Coffee 99% of the time.  82: Sugar or snickerdoodles? Yummy both please. Don’t make chose.  83: Can you swim well? Eh debatable. I’ve gotten better. lol 84: Can you hold your breath without holding your nose? Yes. Yes.  85: Are you patient? Most of the time. 50-50 depends on what.  86: DJ or band, at a wedding? Either would be fine, but a live band would be awesome. DJ, Cheaper, duh lol. 87: Ever won a contest? A few times. Yep! 88: Ever have plastic surgery? I am 22 so no. Nah, I am good.  89: Which are better black or green olives? Eww no thanks. *pukes* No no no. 90: Can you knit or crochet? My mom tried teaching me how to crochet. Still wanting to learn one day either one.  91: Best room for a fireplace? A living room? Still going to go with living room.  92: Do you want to get married? I don’t know anymore, I hope so. I do, lol. 93: If married, how long have you been married? (Not applicable) Same lol 94: Who was your HS crush? Mark fucking Andrew. Ugh that’s still true. But here’s a plot twist though he married someone I know and I see his picture on FB all the time because she posts pictures of them. I am not phased anymore. So victory? For me at least. 95: Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way? No. But I have though before though. Haha apparently.  96: Do you have kids? No. Nope.  97: Do you want kids? I would be ok not having kids for a while. No thanks. 98: Whats your favorite color? Purple! Purple!!! 99: Do you miss anyone right now? Yeah extremely. Yes. 

100. What do you hear right now? My Drake station on Pandora playing a Lil Wayne song. No Limit- G Easy ft Cardi B and A$AP Rocky

[dani-ellie03]

Fic: Wednesday’s Child (19/?)

Title: Wednesday’s Child Summary: The next time Emma Swan wanted magical help, she was on her own. Because now they were stuck with a pint-sized savior who clearly had an attitude problem and a terrified but pretending not to be pre-pirate. Spoilers: If you’re current, we’re good. Rating/Warning: PG-13, mostly for safety. Family angst/fluff, as per usual. Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time and its characters were created by Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and are owned by ABC. I’m just borrowing them but I’ll put them back when I’m finished! Author’s Note: Shoutout to @fezfanatic and @stark-park, for reasons. ;) Also,  please have your toothbrush handy because wow, this is sugary. Oops? O:)

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{1} {2} {3} {4} {5} {6} {7} {8} {9} {10} {11} {12} {13} {14} {15} {16} {17} {18}

At ff.net and below.

Tagging @shealivedarnit (If anyone else wants to be tagged, let me know!)

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Since Killian and Henry were having fun playing Super Mario Kart and Emma was perfectly content cuddled up between her parents with her baby brother on her lap, Snow saw no reason to break up the little party. A tiny voice that seemed to come from the elementary school teacher side of her tried to insist that the children should not have been spending so much time in front of the television. However, the bright grin on Killian's face and the amusement and pride in Emma's eyes as she watched Killian start to actually give Henry a run for his money silenced that voice. Besides, if this truly was the children's last night as children, they should spend it doing something they enjoyed.

"You could race, too, if you want, Emma," Charming reminded her after a long beat of silence. "You don't have to stay up here with us and Neal."

"Nah, that's okay. I like watching the boys race." She looked up at Charming somewhat shyly. "And I like sitting up here with you guys and Neal."

Snow's heart practically lifted straight out of her chest. The amount of progress they'd made with their little girl in such a short time was nothing short of a miracle. Could Emma have somehow unconsciously understood that she belonged here? That she was finally with people who loved her with all they had? The day before and even this morning, she kept saying they were different. She must have felt the effects of their love and attention, the love and attention she'd craved her entire life and had never received.

"We like sitting up here with you, too, kiddo," Charming assured her with a touched smile. Then he swiped the tip of his index finger down her nose, making her giggle.

Seven o'clock came far too soon for Snow's tastes. A large part of her wished she could stay on the couch with her husband and babies until morning but the more responsible part of her knew that if Neal was to go down without a fight, she needed to start him on his bedtime routine now. "All right, little prince, it's night-night time," she murmured as she extended her arms to take the baby from his sister's lap.

Neal let out a rather displeased whine, drawing surprised looks from the rest of the family. The baby's insistence startled the boys so much that both their pixelated racers fell off the track.

Well, then. There went trying to get him down without a fight. Having so many people to play with didn't help; the poor baby clearly didn't want to miss any of the fun.

That being said, it was indeed his bedtime so Snow lifted him off Emma's lap despite his fussing. "Shh, you'll see everyone in the morning. Everyone say good night."

"Good night!" came the chorus of soothing voices, all attempting to calm the baby.

As Snow headed out of the room with Neal on her hip, he stretched his hand out to Emma. At once, big sister responded to her baby brother's call, pushing herself from the sofa and sidling up to Snow. "I could help you get him in his crib for the night, if that's okay."

It was more than okay. In fact, it was the most perfect thing Snow could imagine. "Of course it's okay, sweetheart. Thank you very much."

"Yes, and while you two settle the little guy," Charming added as he stood up as well, "Henry, Killian, and I can clean up down here and get everything set up for movie night. We can pop the popcorn and pile the bed with blankets so we'll be good to go once the little prince is down."

Snow sent her wonderful husband a bright smile. Splitting the tasks would certainly help a great deal. "That works for me," she agreed, her smile growing when Emma nodded beside her.

"Works for us, too," Henry said after exchanging a glance with Killian and receiving a nod in response to his silent question.

"I just have one question," Killian spoke up.

"What is it?" Charming asked.

"What's a movie?"

They all exchanged an amused grin. "Something you've got to see to believe," Emma chuckled.

With the family's plans now settled, Snow carried Neal up the stairs with Emma one step ahead of her. As soon as Neal realized that Emma was coming, too, he'd stopped fussing. That didn't mean, however, that he was suddenly happy that bedtime had rolled around. The second his crib came into view, he started to whine again.

Snow jiggled him in her arms in an effort to settle him but before any words of comfort could come out of her mouth, Emma addressed her baby brother. "It's okay, Neal. We're going to change you into your PJs and read a story and it's going to be so much fun." Belatedly, she looked up at Snow to make sure she'd gotten the baby's bedtime routine correct.

"That's exactly right, Neal," Snow replied with a wink to her little girl, who let out a soft breath of relief. "We're going to have a ball."

For such a young child, Emma was a fantastic help getting Neal ready for bed. She picked out a pair of pajamas for him and brought over a fresh diaper and the container of wipes without Snow having to ask her. While Snow changed Neal, Emma crouched in front of the little bookshelf to pick out a book to read. Somehow, Snow wasn't surprised when Emma finally decided on Goodnight Moon.

"You do more than just play with the babies at your group homes, don't you," she said softly.

It wasn't a question but Emma nodded anyway. "I don't have to do the bedtime stuff at the good homes but some of the bad ones … I try to take care of the babies and the little kids. Nobody should just be put in bed and left in the dark but especially not the little kids."

A telltale tickling rose in the back of Snow's throat and she coughed to ease it. No, she was not going to cry. She was not going to imagine her little girl – her sweet, wonderful little girl – alone in the dark. She was not going to imagine her little girl with no one to comfort her after she awoke crying from a nightmare. She was not going to imagine her little girl putting herself to bed and feeling utterly alone.

Instead, she focused on the little girl in front of her, the girl who, at ten years old, tried so hard to make sure no other child felt as alone as she had felt. "You're an amazing little girl, Emma Swan."

A teary-eyed Emma ran up to her mother and threw her arms around her waist. In an instant, Snow dropped to her knees so she could properly hug her little girl while also holding her baby boy. "I'm so glad I'm here," Emma whispered into her ear.

"I'm so glad you're here, too, sweetheart. We all are."

Neal chose that exact moment to let out a happy babble, making both mother and daughter laugh. "See?" Snow teased, sniffling back the tears of joy. "Neal agrees."

Emma held the hug a beat longer and then pulled away, wiping her eyes. "All right, squirt, I get it. Now let's read a bedtime story, huh?"

After settling the baby in his crib, Snow eased down on the rocking chair with Emma at her feet. She read Goodnight Moon to both her babies while once again thinking that this was how it should have been all their lives.

It took one and a half runs through Goodnight Moon for Neal to finally close his eyes. After Snow let her voice trail off, she and Emma waited a couple of minutes before pushing themselves to their feet. "Good night, little prince," Snow whispered before pressing a kiss to her fingertips, which she then ghosted across her baby boy's little forehead.

"Good night, squirt," Emma added, her voice the same whisper as Snow's. "See you in the morning."

Snow switched on the baby monitor, picked up the receiver, and walked her little girl out of the room, leaving the door open a crack.

By the time she and Emma entered the master bedroom, the boys had gotten everything ready. On the dresser sat two large bowls of freshly made popcorn gleaming with melted butter. They'd poured glasses of water for everyone, the better to quench the thirst created by the salty popcorn. The bed was piled with some of the blankets used in the fort, which Charming assured her had been dismantled and the rest of linens used in its construction put away.

"I'm bummed about that, by the way," Killian interjected, using a word Henry had clearly taught him and making the adults chuckle.

Wilby had even settled on one of the blankets while patiently awaiting Emma's return. The only things left to do were choose a movie and get comfortable.

The movie choice mostly came down to Emma. Henry was fine with whatever the kids wanted and Killian obviously didn't know any of them. When Emma seemed to have trouble deciding between Mary Poppins and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Charming told her to pick both of them.

"Both? Really?"

The excitement on her little face melted her parents' shared heart. "Of course, kiddo," Charming assured her. "I think a movie night this big calls for more than one movie, don't you?"

"I definitely do," she grinned.

"I still don't know what a movie is," Killian reminded everyone. He'd slid Honey, I Shrunk the Kids from Emma's hand and read the synopsis on the back of the sleeve. "I take it it's a story of some kind?"

"It's kind of like a play," Snow explained. Hopefully her own experiences in both worlds would help her to explain the concept of a motion picture to a little boy from the Enchanted Forest. "It's a story being acted out by real people but they're not going to be right in front of us like they would be at a play. They're going to be on the television."

The poor boy still looked a little confused but he nodded anyway. "Thank you."

Something told Snow that the boy would have many more questions before the night was over, especially once they got to "Jolly Holiday" in Mary Poppins.

With the movies chosen and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids in the VCR, the family all piled onto the bed. Snow and Charming climbed under the covers and were surprised when both Emma and Killian settled on top of the covers in between them. Hiding a grin, Henry handed each child a blanket, a pillow to prop up against the headboard with the adults, and a bowl of popcorn before lying down the long way at their feet. After everyone had settled, Wilby made himself comfortable in the empty space between the children's feet and Henry's back.

Thank heavens she and Charming had sprung for the king bed!

As the movie started, Snow made a point of watching Killian out of the corner of her eye. The sheer wonder on the boy's face struck her as utterly adorable. It was clear he was bursting with questions, not only about the mechanics of how the movie was playing on the television but also all the technology in the movie (outdated though it now may have been) but he was also drawn in by the story and didn't want to break the flow by asking his questions.

He finally broke his self-imposed silence with a gasp when the titular kids shrank. "I understand that this is just a story and those people are simply portraying the characters in the story but how did the people who made the story make the actors that little?"

Henry turned around and gave him a comforting smile. "They're not really little. It's a trick. They built really big pieces of furniture and other really big things to make the kids look really little. Kind of like how if Neal held something, it would look really big but if you held the same thing, it would look smaller."

"Perspective," the boy nodded. "It looks so real, though."

"That's what makes it a trick."

Emma didn't say a word but tucked herself further into Snow's side. A touched Snow wrapped her arm around Emma's shoulders and the bright smile that lit the little girl's face indicated how pleased she was with this entire evening.

Once again, everyone settled down and the rest of the movie played in silence. Towards the end, Snow felt more than saw poor Emma fighting a losing battle with sleep. Smiling, she tightened her arm around her little girl's shoulders, inviting her to snuggle even closer. Her little girl did so and finally let herself relax.

When the movie was over, Snow turned her head to ask the rest of the family if they wanted to put in Mary Poppins only to realize that she'd lost Killian and Charming, too. Even Wilby was out like a light.

Henry must have expected conversation to kick up as the credits rolled because he turned around at the absence of voices. The grin that split his face warmed Snow's already full heart. "I guess one movie was enough."

"Yes, I guess so," Snow chuckled.

Henry slid off the bed, stopped the tape, hit rewind, and switched off the television. After gathering the empty glasses, he slipped the popcorn bowls off the children's laps. "Do you want me to help you move them?"

Snow's heart skipped a beat. No, she didn't want Henry to help her move them. She didn't want to move them at all. If this was the last night she had with them, she wanted them as close as possible, Emma's bed hog tendencies and all. "No, thank you," she said with a smile. "They can stay right here tonight."

Henry returned her smile and nodded in understanding. Once he'd packed up the detritus of movie night, he leaned in for a good night kiss. "Night, Gramma."

"Good night, Henry," she said, dropping a soft kiss on his cheek. "See you in the morning. Thank you for cleaning up tonight and for being so wonderful about their little accident the past couple of days."

"You're welcome. They're really fun and I'm glad we can help them while they're little."

Gods, Snow had the best family.

And now it was time to tuck the rest of that family in. She slid the pillows behind Emma and Killian flat, made sure the blankets were properly covering them, and then ensured Charming was snug and warm as well. Starting with Charming, she gave each of her sleeping family members a good night kiss. "Good night, my darlings. I love you."

And maybe it was just her imagination but she could have sworn all three of her family members smiled in their sleep, giving her their own unconscious good nights.

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Chapter Twenty

[classic-rock-roller]

1. You get a gig singing down at a small local bar every Thursday night. Kevin comes every week, and eventually he notices that the house lead guitarist is constantly staring at you while you sing. You hadn’t noticed this, until one night at intermission when you’re talking to the guitarist. Kevin comes over and drapes himself over you and starts acting very possessive. What do you tell him when the guitarist walks away?

I’d turn around in his arms and go, “You know you don’t have to worry about him right? I only love you.” I’d then kiss him before getting ready for the second part of the show. 

2. QR wants to have a sax player on their next album, and after a few weeks, Randy comes to rehearsal with a potential player. You sit in on the audition, and she’s really good. You give an extra vote in her favor, and she’s in. During the recording process, she gets really close with all the boys, and you’re secretly jealous. One day in the studio after a take, she and Randy and Kevin are just having a grand old time, and you feel left out, but don’t want to be rude. What do you do?

I’d probably sit there for a bit and then go over and join the conversation. Besides the sax player is amazing and becomes one of my closest friends. 

3. You come home one day to see a mysterious spatter of blood on the sidewalk. You go inside to see Kevin removing a long piece of duct tape from his hand over the sink. “What are you doing? Why’s there blood on the sidewalk?” He glances at you momentarily before saying calmly, “Oh, I was helping Eddie and Jerry fix the roof, and I cut my hand on a piece of flashing, it went right through my glove. We needed to get done, so I just duct taped some paper towels on it.” He’s unfazed. How do you respond?

“Just be more careful ok? Don’t be like my dad. I don’t want to  drive you to the hospital for a tetanus shot because you get a deep gash from a rusty nail.” 

4. You and the boys take Kevin to a show for his birthday. He steps out to grab a drink, but is gone for half an hour. He comes back eventually, and he is driving extremely dangerously on the way home. He goes home with Randy for safety purposes, and Randy calls you in the morning. “Yeah, so I figured out why Kevin was acting weird last night. Whoever gave him that drink roofied him; it was one of the staff.” How do you two respond?

“We need to call the theatre. That’s against the law I think.” We’d call the theatre and they’d hold an investigation and the guy who did it would get fired. 

5. While writing their next album, Kevin writes a rather detailed song about your sex life. Despite your wishes, he puts it on the album, and that song gets super popular, to the point where people are recognizing you on the street, even when you’re not with Kevin. Some are just admirers, but some make innuendos and references to the song. What do you do?

I’d get really uncomfortable around the innuendo people to the point that I wouldn’t go out unless with Kevin or if I absolutely had to. He would regret putting it on the album when we’d start getting stalker letters to the house and people lurking outside. 

6. Kevin takes you to a Crue show for your birthday, and he splurged and bought meet-and-greet tickets. The show is amazing, and when you go backstage you can’t wait to meet them. Vince is the first one you see, and he comes right up to you. You open your mouth to tell him what a great show it was when he grabs you and kisses you aggressively, completely disregarding Kevin. What does Kevin do and how do you respond?

“Hey! Get off my girlfriend!” He’s about to punch Vince when I break off from him and slap him in the face. “You may be famous but that doesn’t give you the right to just kiss any girl you come across.” I’d walk past him then and Vince would just smile and say, “Boy, she’s a little spitfire. I like it.” This would earn him a glare from Kevin before I’d pull him away so that he wouldn't get us thrown out for punching Vince. 

7. You come home late one night to see 4 empty Jack Daniels bottles on the kitchen table, one of which is shattered. There’s a note that reads, “It’s all my fault” and there are bloody fingerprints on it. Kevin is nowhere to be found. What do you do?

“Oh my god.” I’d run up to our room and when he’s not there go to the bathroom. It’s locked. “Kevin, open the damn door!” When he doesn’t answer I start to break it down myself to find him puking in the toilet. I rub his back and when he’s done he looks to me. “I’m sorry I can’t be better for you. It’s my fault that you’re stuck with me.” I’d grab his face, “Oh no, honey, it’s not. This is my choice. I love you. I don’t want anyone else. Now come one, let me clean up your cuts.” 

8. Kevin and Co are scheduled to fly out to Colorado to do a show. You think nothing of it until the evening news details a plane crash. You call Kevin and he doesn’t answer. You try the rest of the boys, and none of them pick up. What do you do?

I’d freak out. I’d pace and freak out. I’m most likely call each of them about 15 times before I’d finally get a call back from Kevin. “Oh thank god, you’re ok. I saw the news about the plane crash. Is everyone else ok?” “Yes, we’re all fine. We were lucky, that was the flight we were supposed to get on but we missed it. We had to get on the later one.” I’d give a sigh of relief and say, “Ok, good luck at your show. I’ll see you when you get back.”  

9. You’re staying over at the Motley house one night. You actually fell asleep, which is odd, considering who you’re with. At about 4 in the morning, Tommy pokes you awake, and Nikki is with him. “Could you pretty please build us a pillow fort?” What do you do?

“It’s fucking four in the morning. No. Wake me up in two hours.” 

10. You’re dating Kevin and are out at a bar. Crue shows up eventually, and you are disappointed. Nikki is your ex, but you’re still friendly with Mick, Vince and Tommy. They all come over to you and exchange greetings and introductions with Kevin. Eventually, they all drift of to do their own things, except Nikki. He sticks around and is being really rude to you and Kevin, until Kevin’s had enough and takes the first punch. What happens next and how do you respond?

The two of them get into a huge fight while I’m trying to break them up so they don’t get kicked out. Nikki is worse for wear than Kevin and when Kevin lets up he says, “Don’t be an ass to my girlfriend ever again.” He turns to leave then and I take one last look at Nikki before following behind.  

11. You’re riding motorbikes with Nikki and are having a total blast. You’re enjoying the rush of the wind in your face, but the next thing you know, you’re in a hospital bed in immense pain. Who’s with you and what happened?

I’d look over to see Mick sitting next to me. I’d try to say his name but he’d come over to me and grab my hand before telling me that Nikki and I had gotten into a bad crash and he’d thrown me from the bike so I wouldn’t get as hurt. Although he was in intensive care and would be fine within a few weeks or months. 

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1) You come home from work one day to find Kevin and Randy snuggled up together on the couch napping. What do you do? 

You’re lying in bed with Randy. You turn over and whisper, “Randy, are you asleep?” When he doesn’t answer you take a deep breath and go, “Ok, good, because if you weren’t I wouldn’t be able to say this right now. I...I’m pregnant.” What you didn’t know was he was awake and listening to you. What does he do when he finds out the news?

 3) You and Randy visit family down south. While talking to a cousin’s in-laws, they start to question you about your qualification for your job. When you snap back and explain to them that you are very capable at what you do that say, “You must be the NORTHERN cousin.” How do you and Randy react?

4) When you get home from work, you hear something in the bathroom, when you look in, you see Stephen with all your tools laid out. “What are you doing?” “Oh, I’m going to fix the shower.” You snort, “You, fix the shower.” “Yeah, I can do it.” He holds up a wrench, “Is this a screwdriver?” How do you respond?

5) It was early in the morning and you hear a knock at the door, both you and Randy go to answer it and when you open it, your upstairs neighbor is standing there. “Hey, I heard you were giving out homemade candy. Can I have some?” You look at him and go, “Sorry. We don’t have anymore.” “Oh ok,” he stops, “Have you always lived in the building?” “Yes.” He looks you up and down, “Mmmhh, I think I would have remembered you,” How does Randy respond?

6) You just got home from work and are walking through your apartment building’s hallway when you see a pair of legs sticking out of the ceiling, You get into your apartment to hear Stephen calling you. You follow his voice to find him in the closet in the cubby hole to the attic. “What are you doing?” He slides over a bit to show your boyfriend, Warren, who is halfway through the floor. Apparently, he was trying to get up to the attic but stepped on insulation and broke through the ceiling. What do you do?

7) You come home from work and set your stuff down in the living room. You say “hi” to Randy and Kevin, who are sitting at the kitchen table and then go, “I have learned two things in my life. One, always wear clean underwear and two, people who don’t like Bohemian Rhapsody cannot be trusted.” Rand and Kevin look at each other before Kevin says, “I...I don’t like Bohemian Rhapsody.” How do you respond?

8) You and Randy are out grocery shopping and you have your daughter in the cart. The both of you have turned away for one second to look at something on the shelf. You hear your daughter let out a piercing scream and look over to see a stranger carrying her and running away. What do you and Randy do?

9) You’re at a record store with Crüe and you’re browsing when the five of you come across two high school freshman, “Who the fuck is Mötley Crüe?” “I don’t know...old dudes maybe? They’ve got to be pretty old. They look at least thirty.” How do you and the boys react?

10) You and Randy are chasing each other and he grabs you in the living room and begins to tickle you. Kevin, who is sitting on the couch, says, “God, can the two of you just stop for one minute? You’re so nauseating.” How do you and Randy respond?

11) You’ve been at work all day and when you come home, Randy is carrying your son. “Hey,” you say as you kiss him and your son. “We have something to show you.” Randy sets your son down on one side of the living room and then comes over to you, “Come one, walk to Mama.” Your son gets up and wobbly walks towards you before crashing into your legs. Randy gives you a huge smile, “I’ve been trying to teach him that all day.” How do you respond?

@osbournebemydaddy , your move love            

[dani-ellie03]

Fic: Wednesday’s Child (11/?)

Title: Wednesday’s Child Summary: The next time Emma Swan wanted magical help, she was on her own. Because now they were stuck with a pint-sized savior who clearly had an attitude problem and a terrified but pretending not to be pre-pirate. Spoilers: If you’re current, we’re good. Rating/Warning: PG-13, mostly for safety. Family angst/fluff, as per usual. Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time and its characters were created by Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and are owned by ABC. I’m just borrowing them but I’ll put them back when I’m finished! —–

{1} {2} {3} {4} {5} {6} {7} {8} {9} {10}

At ff.net and below.

Tagging @shealivedarnit (If anyone else wants to be tagged, let me know!)

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Although the morning had dawned cool, the chill burned off by the time the family finished breakfast. Snow now stood on the back deck holding Neal on her hip as she watched her little Emma and a just as little Killian chatter to each other while they gathered the eggs from the chicken coop and tucked them into metal pails Charming had given them for the task.

"You wouldn't think the simple act of collecting eggs would be so exciting," an amused Snow whispered to her husband.

A soft chuckle escaped Charming's lips. "No, you wouldn't think so but they love it. Emma said it reminded her Easter morning 'without all the annoying hiding places.' She assured me this was 'a lot niftier.'"

"'Niftier,' huh?" Snow laughed. "She does realize that those are real eggs with whites and yolks and not chocolate eggs filled with fondant or peanut butter or something, right?"

"Oh, she knows. She's just never seen a real egg that didn't come from a carton. She's fascinated."

That was honestly one of the cutest things Snow had ever heard. As a matter of fact, it took all her willpower not to let out an audible, "Aww." Instead, she cleared her throat and asked, "How were they with the chickens? I know Dixie has a tendency to peck." Which was an understatement; if Snow didn't know any better, she would swear the hen was part woodpecker.

"The kids did great," Charming assured her. "Emma's a little more reserved around the birds than Killian, though. I started to collect Dixie's eggs precisely because she pecks but Killian wanted to try so I let him. That boy must be some sort of chicken whisperer or something because Dixie didn't even attempt to peck his hand."

Snow's eyebrows shot to the sky. "We're going to have to get him to teach us whatever he did."

"Yes indeed," Charming laughed.

The ringing of the house phone trickled through the open windows. Henry must have answered the call because the sound stopped after two rings. Snow shifted Neal on her hip as a comfortable silence fell between her and Charming. If she tried, she could almost pretend that this was a normal morning they never had, one where their little princess scurried around the castle grounds while she and Charming and their young prince kept careful watch over her.

After a moment, the screen door creaked open and Henry stepped onto the porch, cordless phone in hand. "Gramma, Mom wants to talk to you."

Snow took the phone from Henry while Charming took Neal from her to change him into his outfit for the day. Now that he was eating solid foods, Snow had learned – the hard way, naturally – not to change him out of his pajamas until after breakfast. "Dishes are almost done, too," Henry murmured before ducking back into the house. Since Emma and Killian had been chomping at the bit to collect the eggs from the chicken coop, Henry had volunteered to clean up after the family's meal.

"Thank you very much, Henry," Snow called after him, her hand pressed against the phone's mouthpiece. He gave her a wave to let her know he'd heard her. When she brought the phone up to her ear, she was smiling. "Hi, Regina. How's the search going?"

A heavy sigh filled Snow's ear. "It's going. I thought I had retraced Emma's steps enough to at least create the potion that blew up in their faces but my tests proved my assumption wrong."

"Do I even want to know what you're testing it on?"

Regina clucked her tongue in mock disapproval of her stepdaughter's question. "I needed something with a life cycle, didn't I? Still, you'll probably be glad to know that there are a lot of dried and wilted roses in my vault at the moment."

Snow swallowed a very un-princess-like snort. The former Evil Queen was now testing her potions on plant life. Oh, this was just begging for a teasing. "Would the roses have turned back into seeds?"

"Funny but no. They would have gone back to buds. As I said, though, they're all dead now so suffice it to say, I did not recreate Emma's accidental Fountain of Youth."

It was Snow's turn to sigh heavily. "You're close, though, right? I mean, if the potion wilted the flowers, you know it's doing the opposite of what you intended."

"I could do a little more experimentation with the ingredients of my magical Round-Up but I'd be wasting time. It wasn't what Emma did and fiddling with a potion I made would just be delaying my attempts to figure out the potion she made."

Almost unconsciously, Snow began pacing the length of the porch. "So what do you do now?"

"I start again but this time, I'm calling in reinforcements. I've explained the situation to Zelena and after she had a hearty laugh, she agreed to help. She's even graciously not demanding to meet Tiny Savior and Tiny Pirate, though her price for her assistance is a picture if you can manage to get them to sit still for one."

At that, Snow smiled. Yes, getting a picture or two of the children sounded like something she could do. Hell, it was something she should do. "I think I can manage that."

"Good. I don't doubt that she plans on holding that picture over Emma's and Killian's heads when we turn them back but hopefully two magical minds working on the problem will bring about a quicker solution."

"I hope so, Regina. Don't get me wrong, I love having them here, but we can't do this forever."

Hell, it hadn't even been twenty-four hours yet and Snow was missing Emma – adult Emma, her Emma – something fierce. She had little Emma and gods, she wouldn't trade this opportunity to see her and get to know her and love her for anything, but she missed her adult baby girl and her adult son-in-law.

The unmistakable sound of metal crashing down onto wood startled her. Snow spun on her heel in the direction of the sound and in one instant, her world shattered. There stood Emma and Killian, who had finished gathering the eggs and must have run up to her to show her how many they'd collected. A wide-eyed Killian was staring at her, his breath hitching in his throat, a hurt expression clouding his features. But it was Emma, her little Emma, who had dropped her collection bucket and was now slowly backing down the porch stairs, the tears in her eyes threatening to spill over.

Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. They'd heard her. They'd heard what she'd said to Regina and judging by the terrified look on poor Killian's face and the betrayal on poor Emma's, they'd completely misunderstood what she'd meant.

We can't do this forever. How terrible and terrifying that must have sounded to two scared, abandoned children!

In the second it took for Snow to murmur into the phone that she'd call Regina back and hang up, Emma took off running.

"No, Emma, wait!" Snow called, taking off after her. She heard the screen door bang open but didn't stop or look over her shoulder to see who'd come out or what was going on. All that mattered at the moment was her baby, her hurt and scared baby.

The yard was big and Emma was fast. Snow lost sight of her as the girl rounded the barn. When Snow reached the spot where she'd last seen Emma, she was dumbfounded. The girl was nowhere to be seen. She could have disappeared into the woods that bordered their yard or the fields where their small vegetable crop grew or the barn. She could have gone anywhere. "Emma!"

Silence answered her.

Snow was seconds from breaking down in tears herself. Her poor baby had heard what she'd said to Regina. How awful that must have sounded to someone who hadn't heard Regina's side of the conversation. How terrible it must have sounded to a lonely, abandoned little girl who had finally found somewhere she wanted to belong. Who had finally found people she thought were different.

"Oh, Emma, baby, where are you?"

Charming arrived then with a wary Killian and a couple of flashlights. "Killian! Are you all right?" Snow asked, dropping to her knees in front of the boy.

Killian nodded but he didn't look like he was all right at all. Snow gave him a watery smile and cupped his cheek in her palm. "I'm so sorry you heard that, honey. I didn't mean it the way it sounded, I promise."

The boy looked into her eyes for a long moment before matching her watery smile with one of his own and wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. "I'm glad you didn't mean it how it sounded."

A surprised Snow held her tiny son-in-law in the embrace, the tears in her eyes spilling over. "I didn't, Killian. You're ours now, too. I promise I'll explain what I meant as soon as we find Emma, all right?"

She felt him nod and tighten his arms around her at the mention of Emma's name. The poor boy was clearly just as worried for Emma as Snow was herself.

"Where did she go?" Charming asked Snow.

Killian released her from the hug and Snow pushed herself to her feet. "I don't know. She ran around the barn and then she was just gone. Charming, she could be anywhere!"

"Emma!" Charming called. "It's okay, kiddo, just please let us know where you are."

Nothing. There were no sounds except Killian's and Snow's sniffling and Charming's worried panting.

And then a black, white, and brown streak darted past them, making a beeline for the woods. Wilby was doing what he was born to do: searching for his lost lamb. Snow and Charming exchanged a glance and, as one, took off after the dog with Killian at their heels.

After a mad dash across the yard, Wilby drew to a stop just inside the tree line, whining and nudging something crouched behind a fat tree trunk. When his nudging resulted in a soft, "Okay, fine, you found me, now shush," all three of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Emma must have slipped into the woods when Snow lost sight of her and then run through the trees until she found the perfect hiding spot.

Slowly, Snow and Charming rounded the tree and as soon as Snow caught sight of her precious baby, her stomach lurched. Her poor little girl was seated on the chilly, hard ground with her knees pulled to her chest and her arms hugging her knees as if trying to make herself as small as possible. The second she spotted them, she tightened her arms around her knees, a clear attempt at self-protection.

"Emma, sweetheart," Snow murmured, crouching down and resting a hand on her baby girl's shoulder. Her stomach lurched a second time, her heavy breakfast roiling, when Emma wrenched out of her grip.

It had been so long since she'd seen a truly walls-up Emma that she'd forgotten how utterly soul-crushing it was. Her baby was hurting and all she wanted to do was hold her and make it better. And to make it worse, Snow was the one who'd hurt her this time. Unintentionally, of course, but right now, that was beside the point.

"You want to send us away," Emma muttered, mostly into her knees. Wilby nudged her hands in an effort to get her to pet him but she was so upset that she ignored his pleas.

"No, sweetheart, we don't," Snow insisted. Since Emma refused to look up, Snow sat down on the ground in front of her. The action startled Emma enough that she raised her eyes to Snow's. "I promise we don't want to send you away."

"But I heard you!"

"You misunderstood."

"You said we couldn't stay here forever."

"No, that's not what I said. I said we couldn't do this forever."

Emma looked away, clearly indicating that she believed Snow was splitting hairs.

Snow cast a helpless glance up at Charming, who nodded at her. The nod told her he believed in her, believed that she could make this right, believed that she could regain Emma's trust. His belief in her gave her strength, boosted her confidence. Made her feel like she could accomplish anything she desired.

And right now, what she wanted more than anything was to have her little girl back in her arms. And somehow, through some little bit of pure maternal instinct, she knew how to make that happen.

"Killian, would you sit with Emma, please? I want to explain what you heard."

Of course, she couldn't tell them the whole truth. That they had been adults less than a day ago was too much for the children to comprehend and she would lose little Emma for good if she started talking about magic and potions and spells. But she had to tell them something, something that wasn't a lie.

Emotional truth it had to be, then.

"I said to Regina that we couldn't do this forever," she said softly, looking into first Killian's eyes and then Emma's. "I did not at all mean you two staying with us. We love having you here, both of you. I meant that you two couldn't stay orphaned children with no place to call home forever. David and I … we intend to remedy that. You both will always have a home with us and we will be your family, if you'll have us."

When Killian smiled, Snow knew that she had reached him. Emma, on the other hand, still looked a little hesitant, though she had at least relaxed enough to start petting Wilby.

"I meant what I said to you last night, Emma," Snow continued. "You're ours now, both of you, and neither of you are going anywhere. I know you can tell when people are lying. Please look into my eyes. I wasn't lying last night and I am not lying now. You're ours, Emma, if you'll have us."

All was quiet for what seemed like an eternity. And then, Snow's precious baby girl finally spoke. "I know you're not lying," Emma whispered around a sniffle. "I knew you were different. That's why it hurt so much when I heard what you said on the phone."

That did it. The restraint Snow had been showing ever since the children had arrived on her doorstep snapped and she did the only thing the mother of an upset child could do. She gathered her little girl into her arms and simply held her. "Oh, sweetheart," Snow murmured into her baby's ear, blinking back tears. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Emma whispered back, wrapping her arms tightly around Snow. "It's okay."

Those four words were the sweetest words Snow had ever heard. Feeling as if a heavy weight had been lifted, she held her baby girl and murmured soft comforts into her ear. After a beat, Charming and Killian joined the hug and soon all four of them were sniffling, releasing old emotions and basking in new ones. Two adults and two scared children, finally connected as a family, were letting out sadness and letting love in.

And somehow Snow knew her daughter had spoken the truth. It was okay. The children would find their way and Snow and Charming and Henry would show them the love that they craved and Regina and Zelena would find a way to set everything back to normal.

Somehow, Snow now knew, everything was going to be okay.

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Chapter Twelve