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mimisempai · 3 years ago

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Wait for me on the other side 5/8

Summary:

Une rencontre... un baiser... une mini dispute... Loki et Mobius se rapprochent et chacun dans leur temps se rend compte de ses sentiments...

Thank you for all the people who came aboard the ship of this story! Your comments are really the essence of my motivation. I hope you'll continue to enjoy your reading!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32948254/chapters/82281988

BiFrost Bar - 2021

Thor exclaimed, "Why didn't you say it was your birthday? We would have had a cake for you or something."

Loki replied with a gentle smile, "It's just the time passing. I hate to make a big deal out of it."

Thor looked at him with his piercing eyes, "You keep a lot to yourself don't you?"

Although lately he was starting to open up a little more, Loki couldn't argue with him.

Thor continued, "There's nothing wrong with that. But I sometimes wonder what else you have in your life besides work. A family? A girlfriend or a boyfriend?"

Loki remained silent at first, then, faced with Thor's kindness, he finally began to talk about himself.

Sigyn's House - 2019

Sigyn introduced Loki with enthusiasm, everyone toasting him, kissing him, congratulating him.

Loki tried with difficulty not to show that he was slightly annoyed.

They arrived near Mobius and Sylvie, who was really looking forward to leaving.

"Loki, I'd like you to meet, Mobius and uh... Sylvie. He's going to help us find our lake house."

"Hello." greeted them Loki.

Mobius replied, "Hi." while Sylvie nodded.

Seeing that they were holding their coats, Sigyn asked, "Are you guys already leaving?"

Mobius looked at them, his gaze fixed on Sigyn's arm around Loki's waist and replied, "No, we're staying."

He felt Sylvie's irritated look on him.

"Very well." said Sigyn, "Come on Loki, I still have some people to introduce you to."

Loki gave a small pinched smile and followed his enthusiastic girlfriend.

A little later, Mobius was looking for a bathroom and in doing so, passed by the door of a room, half-opened. Inside, Sigyn was kissing Loki.

Mobius stepped back quickly and heard Sigyn ask, "Were you surprised?"

Loki replied in a tone that Mobius found dull, "Yes, I was. When are they going to leave?"

Sigyn asked worriedly, "What's the matter Loki?"

Loki sighed and replied, "Nothing. I'm fine... It's just I had a long day, plus the crowded train, I don't know. I guess I thought we'd be alone tonight."

Sigyn protested, "But these are my friends, Lo. They're going to be our friends. I want you to get to know them. We're going to make a life here."

"I know. I know..."

BiFrost Bar - 2021

"We moved in together when I finished college of the arts. He had rented this big house. A beautiful place, on the north side of town. We were going to live there forever. That was the plan."

Thor, who was listening intently, asked him softly, "What happened?"

Loki shrugged, "The problem is that it was his plan not mine."

Thor nodded, understanding.

Loki pulled himself together, "No, I'm not being fair. I thought I wanted it too. I don't know. Anyway, I ended it."

Thor put his hand on his arm and said, "That's your right Loki. You don't have to justify yourself, whatever your reasons, you had the right to end the relationship."

He took a sip of beer before continuing, "But then, who are you writing to?"

Loki didn't answer. He didn't know how to explain Mobius.

At Loki's silence, Thor added softly, "Sorry. It's none of my business."

Loki shook his head, "No, it's okay. You're right, there is someone."

He twirled his glass in his hands to give himself a little composure.

"It's kind of a... long-distance relationship."

"For how long?"

Loki sighed, "a long time."

Thor looked interested, "How did you two meet?"

Loki swallowed and replied, "We haven't met."

"What?"

"We just write letters to each other."

Thor laughed, "Is this a joke?"

Loki shook his head again, "No, I promise."

"You mean, it's like a pen pal?"

Loki nodded his head...

Thor laughed, but Loki didn't join him and drained his glass. before continuing, a little sadly, "It's the story of my life. Keeping everything at an appropriate and safe distance. Everyone... The girl who loved me, who wanted to marry me, I pushed her away, I run, I run away all the time. While now, the only man I can never meet... him, I want to give him all my heart."

Thor squeezed his hand and looked at him with a compassionate eye, "So you've never really talked face to face?"

" Nev-" Loki paused, suddenly realizing something, "No. Wait. One time..."

Sigyn's House - 2019

Loki left the house after his discussion with Sigyn. He really needed a break. He sat down on the stairs and suddenly realized he was not alone. Mobius was there too, alone.

The silence lingered, neither of them knowing what to say.

Then suddenly Mobius said simply, "Happy birthday."

Loki growled and replied, "If one more person comes up and says that to me tonight I'll kill them."

Mobius looked apologetic and stepped back a little in surrender.

Loki sighed, "Sorry for the reaction, I know it's not a big deal. Just one more year. I guess I'm not really in the mood to party."

Mobius replied, "Neither am I actually."

"So what are you doing here?" asked Loki, curious.

Mobius hesitated and replied, sitting down on the steps next to Loki. "I was hoping... to meet someone."

"Who?"

"Someone Sigyn told me about."

Loki nodded, "Ah. A reunion?"

Mobius chuckled, "Sort of."

"So what are you waiting for?"

Mobius sighed, "I'm trying to get some courage."

Loki smiled, "I understand." He tightened his arms around himself, feeling the coolness of the night and asked, "So you're the one who's going to find us a house on the lake, right?"

Mobius, sure of himself replied in a confident voice, "Yes, I will."

Loki was a little taken aback by the assurance of his answer.

"Are you a real estate agent?"

"No, I have a house above the lake."

Loki looked surprised and Mobius added, "And you're going to rent it after I move out." He coughed and pulled himself together, "I mean, you could. If you want to."

"When are you moving?

Mobius replied, "I'm...not sure. I guess once you finish your PhD in literature?"

Loki glared at him.

Mobius wanted to smack himself on the head and tried to make things up, "Sigyn said you were in the College of Arts and studying literature."

He paused and the silence was awkward.

Loki looked confused and Mobius felt he had lost the thread of the conversation, if there ever was one.

"What makes you think we would like it? How can you be sure."

Mobius replied seriously, "You'll like it."

Loki asked point blank, "Can you swim?"

Mobius replied, "Sure, I took lessons when I was a kid."

Loki shook his head laughing, "No, I mean, can you swim from home?"

"Oh."

Mobius laughed with Loki.

"Uh no. You can't. That's a downside. There's no path to the water."

"That's a shame."

Mobius nodded before adding, "Actually, I thought... You'd have to see it, but I always had the idea that I could change it. Nothing major. But a few new elements could really transform the house. A deck in the back that would be over the lake. And stairs…," Mobius paused, embarrassed by his enthusiasm when Loki wasn't supposed to have seen the house.

Loki continued his sentence though,"Stairs that go down to the water?"

Mobius nodded, "Yeah. That's it, like a gentle curve down... So you could go out the back door and down to the lake whenever you feel like it."

"That sounds really nice."

Loki turned his head toward the house where the party was still in full swing. He sighed, "It's pretty late. Shouldn't you go back? If you want to find the woman of your dreams tonight?"

Mobius replied with a wink, "Actually, that would be the man of my dreams."

"Oh..."

"Does that bother you?" asked Mobius.

"Oh no, I'm just surprised, pleasantly surprised to know that I'm not the only one here who's attracted to a little bit of both."

Loki gave him a teasing shoulder nudge. Mobius chuckled in response and added, "To answer your question, I'm not interested in finding the man of my dreams, I'm much better off here."

Loki blushed slightly at the implication of Mobius' words.

Mobius asked him gently, "Loki, have you read Persuasion by Jane Austen?"

Loki startled slightly and replied in surprise, "It's my favorite book. Why?"

"I have a friend who likes it."

Loki replied with a half smile, "Your friend has good taste."

"Yes he does." Mobius replied, a playful glint in his eye before adding, "I've been meaning to read it. Could you tell me a little about it?"

Loki waited a little and thought before answering. He wrapped his hands around his knees and began to speak with his chin in his lap, "It's about... waiting. These two people meet. They almost fall in love, but it's not the right time, and they have to part ways. Then, years later, they meet again. They have another chance. But they don't know if too much time has passed, if they've waited too long, if it's too late to make things work."

Mobius replied, "That sounds sad."

Loki shook his head, "It's not. Not at the end. I wouldn't have read it, I hate books that don't have a happy ending."

They were sitting pretty close to each other, Loki straightened up a bit and turned his head to Mobius who had also just moved closer.

They looked at each other for a long moment before simultaneously leaning towards each other until their lips met.

They kissed for a long time, forgetting everything around them. Both of them felt a sense of adequacy, of harmony at that moment. After a while, Loki pulled back and hesitantly said, "I don't know why I did that."

Mobius replied softly, "We did this, not just you, I'll try to explain..."

He was leaning again on Loki who did not move back when the door behind them opened on Sigyn and Sylvie.

Mobius and Loki quickly separated and both stood up at the same time, looking like children caught with their hand in the jam jar.

Sigyn and Sylvie could see that they had interrupted something. There was an awkward silence until Loki decided to break it, "Oh, Sigyn, hey. Uh, Mobius was just telling me about his house. It sounds really great."

Sigyn, his face set like stone, replied in an icy voice, "Great."

Loki turned to Mobius and continued, "We're, uh, definitely interested."

Mobius nodded and replied, "Good. I'll be in touch."

He stared at Loki for a few seconds and then whispered as he looked toward the ground, "I promise."

Sylvie, her eyes flashing, intervened, holding out his coat. "Mobius. It's late."

Mobius reluctantly followed her, taking one last look at Loki before heading for his pickup.

The return drive passed in dead silence and he dropped Sylvie off in front of her house. At the moment of closing the door of the car she said to him bitterly, "You know, if you didn't want anything to do with me, Mobius, you should have just told me. I know I'm intrusive but you never say anything, because you never want to hurt people. But not saying anything can hurt too you know."

Mobius felt bad that he had really hurt Sylvie.

"I'm really sorry. I... I'm not very good at this. I really like you as a... friend, but I don't want to go any further. I... I am in love with someone else."

He was surprised by the admission he had just made to himself. For the first time.

Sylvie seemed to notice and her face softened a bit.

"It'll take me a little while, but don't stop coming to the store or talking to me because of it, okay. I like you as a friend too, not just a love interest. I don't want to lose our friendship. So I'll probably give you a hard time the next few days, but that's okay."

Mobius nodded, moved by Sylvie's kindness, "I... Thanks."

She didn't answer anything, closed the car door gently and went home.

Mobius drove in a daze back to the house on the hill and was surprised to see that the mailbox flag was up.

He opened it and grabbed the little note that was inside.

Oh, my God. It was you.

I remember you.

Why didn't you tell me who you were?

I'm waiting by the box, I know you're home around this time, so you can answer right away

Two years apart, the same conversation, rhythmed by the movement of the small flag.

M -You would have thought I was crazy.

L -But I liked you. That was our chance. You should have told me.

M -And your girlfriend?

L -What about your girlfriend?

M -She's not my girlfriend!

L -Well, she's not my boyfriend!

M -She was then! I mean, she is now.

L -Your 'now', not mine! And maybe the 'now' would be different if you had said something back then. Maybe now would have come sooner, or maybe now would be our now, not just my now, you know?

M - No! I don't know!

2021 - Loki's apartment

Loki reread their conversation, grumbled in frustration, and threw the letter across the room, exasperated. A missed opportunity. Croki spun around his feet and rubbed his legs, as if to comfort him.

2019 - Mobius House

Mobius, equally frustrated when he saw that Loki did not answer, threw away his pencil and stomped toward the house. Once inside, he slumped in his armchair, sighed and looked thoughtfully through the bay window as Croki came to lie down and put his head on his feet, sensing his master's trouble.

_________

Fortunately, Croki is there to support them... but will they finally meet? How about a date?

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 (End)

#lokius fics #lokius #Developing Relationship #no powers au #Alternate Universe #Letters #penpal #loki series au #loki #mobius m. mobius #thor

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drjackandmissjo · 5 years ago

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Roses are Red, Tattoos are Forever

Chapter 3 --- previous chapter

Feysand masterlist

The Sherlock Conundrum

Florist and tattoo artist Au, Modern Day

“Can you please stop with this madness? Hugh Laurie is clearly the best Sherlock ever!”

They were both sitting on the couch of his living room. Really close to each other. She had her left knee under her body and was fully facing him. He had been throwing glances at her way the whole time she’s been there, and now was admiring her everything as they bantered lovingly.

After a particularly rough client, that had taken her nearly seven hours to finish, she came into his shop claiming: “We’re both closing earlier, I need to rest and so do you.”

At his attempt to tell her off, cause “I don’t need to rest I am in pristine fit every second of every minute”, she simply replied with an elongated ‘Please’ and a pair of puppy dog eyes that would’ve put a Labrador to shame.

Useless to say, they ended up on his couch half an hour later, a marathon of the fourth season of House M.D. on the television and chips and popcorn all around.

Feyre is harder than she looks, tougher. She likes to drink whiskey and burning liquor and beer.

Rhys, on the other hand, is a refined rosé man. He drinks fruity drinks and cocktails and vodka. He tried the same stuff that she drinks, once, when they went out with the rest of the inner circle after Az had received a promotion. It didn’t end well.

Feyre and Cassian will forever tease him about it.

Since their taste in alcohol was on such a wide spectrum, they decided to settle for some sparkly Coca-Cola for that fine night.

About halfway through episode six, the debate had begun. The show was soon forgotten and left as a white noise machine that lulled them into their silliness.

“Feyre Darling. You are being delusional. Dr House’s got nothing on RDJ’s Sherlock. Just cause the character was inspired by Conan Doyle’s work it doesn’t mean it can be considered a Sherlock.”

She laughed. A delicious sound that was filling his days more and more each morning. “Do you know that Conan Doyle based Shelly on a doctor, right? Also, yeah Jude Law’s better than Wilson, that is true.”

“Can we just agree that Cumberbatch and Freeman are equally amazing.”

“Yeah, duh! But, controversial opinion: I don’t actually ship Jonhlock romantically.”

“More like platonic soul-mates? Makes complete sense. They are not interested in each other at all. You are right, Fey-ruh Acheron.”

‘HOW DARE SHE...’, he thought severely displeased.

“Oh please don’t be pissed at me. I like them together and everything, but in my mind, Sherlock is pretty much ace-aro. I mean, Cumberbatch was also Smaug. Which in the books is described as a dragon while the movies decided to portray him like a vixen...” He solemnly nodded.

That is, indeed, a severe problem in mainstream media.

“That is, indeed, a severe problem in today mainstream media. We live in a world where people don’t know the difference between one another! Daenerys Mother of Dragons? More like Dany The Soccer Mom of three cool lizards. That would be more appropriate!”

“Don’t talk to me about Dany, I’m still pissed about Jonerys. I mean, fan-service much? Okay, I can deal with that. But don’t freaking kill Viserion and try to make us all believe that HIS MOTHER WOULD FUCK HER NEPHEW THIRTY MINUTES LATER!”

She laughed again.

‘Gods above and below,’ he thought, ‘how much can a person love another?’

“Agree 100% on Viserion, though Jon after Ygrit should’ve just zipped up his pants and close business. You experience that kind of love once in your screentime. And when you do, Martin kills the counterpart off immediately after the big scene. You know that sadist is gonna kill you off, so just spare him the dirty deeds to write.”

“The dirty deeds are the reasons he is taking so much to finish that freaking book. Also, salty much?"

"You dare calling me salty? It’s been years and you still weep over Robb’s body.”

“Excuse you, it is a very fine body. Have you seen Richard Madden lately? With that kilt at Kit and Rose’s wedding? Fine AF.”

She was now scooting over, moving closer to his face to find a reaction.

“Fine, you’re right. But Darling, you know damn well I am attracted to that man, you can’t just casually throw his name around! That would be like me, saying that Misha has aged like a fine whisky.”

“And where would a lie hide in that sentence?”

“ANYWAY. We were talking of something terrifically important.”

He decided to add a Meaningful Pause to give himself some dramatic effect...

“How can you say you don’t ship Jonhlock romantically?”

‘Honesly I love that woman. She is my other half, I would die for her and with her. My life without her has no meaning.

But if her answer doesn’t please me then so help me God I will suffer through a meaningless life with the strength of my ships.’ His mind said.

“I told you before the 'The Hobbit/Game of Thrones' parenthesis. When I read the books I thought of Sherlock as a madman who cared about Watson profoundly, but mostly cares about himself and his work. Someone who doesn’t dwell into feelings, doesn’t really enjoy sexual times and, truly, a modern-day asexual and aromantic asshole with a kink for unofficial police work. Yes, He and Watson are amazing together, and especially with RDJ and Jude Law I saw the sexual tension, which then I also saw in the BBC’s version. But for me, since I read the books first, Jonhlock will always be the exact relationship shown by House and Wilson. Sorry to disappoint.”

She was so close to him, he could smell her shampoo and count the freckles across her nose. She was staring directly into his soul. Rhys was fully clothed in an old tee and some pants and yet he’d never felt more naked.

“You never disappoint me. As a matter of fact, you never cess to amaze me, Feyre Acheron. You are perfect and beautiful both on the inside as well as on the outside. Here I was, looking for a polite way to kick you out of my apartment after you say you don’t ship one of my OTPs and now, here still I am trying not to be drowned into you and trying not to get lost into your eyes and I love you so fucking much that it physically hurts.”

His inner monologue at the time? ‘Fuck. FUCK. What the fuck did I just say???’

She had managed to fry his whole brain with her smart reasoning and perfect voice and now he had ruined a perfect moment by saying cheesy stuff to a girl that didn’t particularly care for cheese.

That was the end of Rhysand Sphera as we all know and love him.

Cause of death: killed by Feyre Acheron as result of saying something completely idiotic.

Only...

“Do you really mean that?”

She sounded hopeful and scared at the same time. The horrors she had to face in the past came running back to her and were written all over her face. Rhys took her hands in his. They were both trembling.

His mouth had probably never been that dry and yet aching to speak at the same time. He could only nod and pray she reciprocated.

That was the moment of truth.

“Of course I mean it. All of it. Each unsaid sentence and each shared glances. Every time I bring you coffee or a send you a picture of a dog that walks into my shop with its owner even though I’m terrified of them. The dog, not the owner. Even though some owners of dogs are terrifying. I have been in love with you for so long, I forgot how it feels not loving you. I look back at those times when you were not in my life and even back then I knew I was missing something. And when he-who-must-not-be-named showed up and swept you off your feet away from me, I was broken beyond repair. But you came back and made me hope that maybe, maybe all my dreams could become true. But you were hurt and also broken, and you needed time to heal. You still do. I shouldn’t have said anything, but you’re just so fucking amazing that I struggle to not scream ‘I Love You’ every time you breathe. I am utterly in love with you and hopelessly devoted to you. I understand if you still need time to heal or would rather be with someone else. But I said it, and I do not intend on taking it back.”

She was kneeling on the couch, her hands still clutching his, tears streaming down her face.

“Don’t take it back.”

Rhys thought he had heard what he wanted, so he had to ask, “What?”, a dumbstruck disbelieving-his-luck expression plastered on his face.

“I said don’t take it back. I feel the same way. I am utterly in love with you and hopelessly devoted to you too. I thought you hated me after, well, Tamlin. It is pleasant knowing we reciprocate each other’s feelings.”

Feyre laughed again, breaking the spell between them. Only, now the deed was done. Neither of them could hold their emotions in any longer. Feyre leaned in and so did Rhys, and their lips met halfway in a once in a lifetime, epic romance, Full on Princess Bride type of kiss.

After they both ran out of breath, they simply remained connected in every way possible given their awkward position. Foreheads never leaving each other, hands clasped together, lips barely touching. That spell, though, didn’t last for long. Soon they yearned to touch each other’s skin and feel each other’s bodies.

They were never going to have enough of each other.

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irondadgroupie · 6 years ago

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Bohemian Rhapsody: Chapter 8

A/N: Peter is still in coma and more professionals visit him @intoresus

“Oh, sorry,” the doctor smiled at the sight of Tony slouched in a chair, his legs resting over Peter's.

“Hey! It's alright,” The man straightened up and closed the book. “It was getting a bit monotone anyway. There are only so many times you can stand the story of Peter Rabbit.”

“Tell me about it,” The doctor stepped into the room and watched Tony adjust the blanket over the patient. “I have a daughter who loves that story, I know it by heart.”

“I can only imagine. So, a check-up?”

“Just a quick one,” the doctor stared at the monitors that displayed Peter's vitals. “Your boy is doing magnificent progress!”

Tony ruffled Peter's chair with an affectionate smile. “Well, he has always been a straight- A- student.”

“We were a bit worried the cardiac arrest would set him backwards a lot but it seems the hypothermia-“

In life, there are few moments you go through a complete pause, one where your thoughts cease and your mind needs to reboot. That happened to Tony at the words ‘cardiac arrest‘. His eyes snapped open and his pulse turned into rapid fire.

“THE WHAT?”

The doctor turned to him.

“The cardiac arrest, in the helicopter? Weren't you told-“

“NO, I WAS NOT TOLD ANYTHING!” Tony shrieked and buried his face in his hands. “This is not good, this is not good- “

“Mr Stark, I understand it is a shock but Peter is doing fine!” The doctor tried to set a hand on his arm but Tony recoiled further away. “I admit that cardiac arrest raises the risk for another by about 70 percent if I remember correctly-“

“OH MY GOD!”

May had barely heard the last words of the conversation, but she wasn’t surprised to find Tony panicking at the physician’s exclamation. She couldn’t even count how often she had had to deal with relatives that had yet to swallow that information – and how often she had to explain that it was incorrect. Signing the doctor to leave the room, she made a step towards Tony.

“Tony, Tony, Tony,” May grabbed the man's shoulders. “You need to calm down.”

“Peter- but Peter-“

“Tony, forget those numbers! They don't mean a thing!”

“How can you say that?” The man hyperventilated. “He could have another cardiac arrest!” “Tony,” She guided his head between his knees. “Take deep breaths and I'll ease those worries. Now, forget those figures, they are not reliable and are only rough estimates. They include all cases in them: old and young, sick and healthy. Yes, initial heart failure might raise the risk for another but there are numerous other factors. Peter does not have heart issues, his main problem was hypothermia and lack of oxygen.”

“But-“

“No, Tony, those statistics include everything from cancer patients and people suffering from severe infections to people who were hit by lightning.” She squeezed his shoulder. “Peter is fine. He’ll maybe spend some more time in slumber land but he’ll be fine.”

It took Tony quite a while to calm down after that. Every time he tried taking a breath he could feel his heart burn at the thought of how close he’d gotten to loose Peter forever. He could’ve done more, he should have -

“Stop it, Tony.” May still stood beside him, hand resting on his back. He couldn’t even understand why she was helping him, after everything that happened. “You want a glass of water?” The woman hurried off before he could give an answer and returned only a few moments later, handing him the glass.

“I’m not -“

“Yes you are. Everything’s alright and you need to drink something without caffeine for once.” When he didn’t make a move to sip, she gently gave him a reason to.

“You know we have the breathing therapist coming today, they’ll tell us what we can do to support and quicken the ventilator withdrawal process. We need to be clear-minded for that.”

“It’s today already?” The appointment had seemed in distant future when he’d scheduled it.

“Yeah, they’ll be coming this afternoon.” May was glad to see Tony’s breathing finally evening out and him taking a half-conscious sip of water. She decided to swiftly change the topic to something less heavy, something that would distract the man from the weight of knowledge. “Has Rabbit Peter finished his adventure?”

He weakly gestured to the book at the nightstand. “For the tenth time. Wanted to hear it twice today.”

While his condition was still classified as ‘vegetative comatose state’, May and Tony had quickly learned to interpret signs of Peter’s comfort and discomfort. It was still try- and- error sometimes, figuring out what he wanted and needed, but they got better at it. After trying to read another story, it hadn’t taken Tony long to figure out the kid’s pulse only calmed down when he continued to read that one particular story. On other days, Peter wanted his hand held, or May humming some old lullabies.

“What luck I brought some new ones.”

Tony looked up, trying to smile at another bunch of young children’s novels. For the moment though it only reminded him of the fact that they were slowly making this hospital room Peter’s room, with the flowers Pepper had bought, some more of his old stuffed animals, including a Captain America and Iron Man one that currently sat at his right and left side

“What do you think, sweetie?” May whispered, sitting down at her nephew’s bedside, her fingers affectionately caressing his cheek. “What do you want to do ‘til the big visit?”

As always, the only response were the continuous beeps of the vital monitor and the mechanic huff of the ventilator.

“We can put up the old Star Trek movies, if you like. I can read for you, if you want. Tony read the entire night reading for you, I bet his voice is too scratchy to sound like the little Heffalump.”

Tony raised his eyebrows.

“The what?”

May’s mouth opened in shock but she smiled when she turned to Peter again. “Can you believe it? He doesn’t know the Heffalump!” She handed him the book without further words, an old copy of a children’s book called ‘Winnie meets a new friend’.

“Seems like I have to read it, huh? No way we can let him leave without him knowing Piglet’s best friend Lumpy.”

May started reading shortly after, her voice soft, and Tony found himself actually following the story of that little pink elephant and his adventures. Who knew whether or not the knowledge couldn’t come in handy someday? When May reached for her tea and paused reading for a moment to oil her voice, Peter’s pulse quickened slightly, a fact Tony did not miss. His eyes scanned the open page of the book in May’s lap before he found the sentence she’d stopped at, reading the following few lines. The next thing just happened, without either one of them thinking about it: Tony paused and May jumped in, reading the little elephant’s part, before Tony continued casually with the story, reading dialogue lines of Winnie, Rabbit, and Tigger while May took over for Piglet, Lumpy, and Roo.

May and Tony were both interested in what the appointment would bring, but for slightly different reasons. Tony still hoped the efforts would quicken Peter’s healing process to the point were they could just get rid of the breathing tube after one or two weeks of doing what the therapist recommended. May, on the other hand, knew that although they might be supporting the process with said means, Peter couldn’t get tube-free without being fully conscious, and that was a state they’d not yet reached. Which was about exactly what one of the invited physicians just tried to explain.

“What we can do is strengthen the diaphragm. That will be the main goal of all designed exercises. However, due to the vegetative state he is in at the moment, most of them have proved rather ineffective because of the lack of willing impulse control.”

“But there’s still something we can do, isn’t there?” Tony asked. He knew the basics and issues of breathing therapy, but when he’d scheduled the appointment, he’d hoped they were way past the vegetative state. In all honesty, Tony had made the necessary calls in simple hopes of never needing them. Back then, he’d thought that Peter would heal just as impossibly fast as usual - and by now be that once healthy teenager he had grown to love.

“Sure there is, I just wanted to point out that while we’ll be able to show you certain therapy aspects, they’ll be almost useless until he’s less deep in his coma.”

As if the physician picked out Tony’s growing impatience (he wanted to do something to help Peter, not talking about “hows” or “whys”), he stood up, moving to the bag of tools they’d brought: sandbags, modified air balloons... None of those were of interest right now, but the specialists still explained the details of “the daily breathing workout” that’d include Peter learning how to regain control over the air traveling down, even though he wouldn’t be able to in- or exhale entirely by himself at the beginning. It would be a rather rough step by step work when Peter was ready for it. Until then, they had another method of artificial support that Tony was far more interested in: Electric impulse triggering.

It basically consisted of a small belt that was laid on the appropriate area, where the included electrodes would continuously send signals for the muscle to contract and relax, which would hopefully strengthen the muscle fiber that could otherwise easily dwindle.

Tony insisted on being walked through a session set-up from beginning to end.

The first step was to allow the belt skin contact, and Tony tried his best to keep a straight face when moving the gown aside. Peter still seemed covered in so many tubes and wires that the burning knife in his heart twisted at the sight. The only relief was that at least the most prominent bruises had faded away within the past weeks.

“It’s pretty simple. You enable it. There’s just one setting, no frills or anything. But you have to take care of the time. Start with two minutes a day and slowly move upwards from that so the body can adjust to the new pressure. If you want too much too quick, you could risk a charley horse that could easily impair muscle movement.”

“We won’t let it come to that.” May promised, listening to the silent whirs of the new machine added to the symphony she had somehow gotten used to. Peter laid still, showing no obvious signs that the machine was doing anything and his pulse was calm and steady. As long as it wouldn’t harm him, a condition both May and Tony had agreed on, they would try anything that could be even slightly beneficiary to Peter’s condition. 

“How has the appointment been? Any progress?” Pepper asked, placing a tray of food on the nightstand before leaning towards Peter, squeezing his hand to let him know she was there.

Tony shrugged half-heartedly and watched his spouse take her place. The woman had learned pretty early on that if she wanted to spend some rare time with Tony it had to be here since the man refused to leave Peter’s room for any longer than he necessarily had to. Showers and shaving had become less frequent too - which easily caught attention, given that Tony Stark used to be a very spruced person.

“Just like we’ve guessed. They gave us some recommendations, but in the end, we mainly have to wait until he reaches at least a minimally conscious state.”

“Still no changes?” Pepper handed him the cutlery.

“No. Still sleeping deeply.” Tony began forking up the noodles without looking, his eyes fixed on the teenager in the hospital bed. “The doctors keep assuring it’s nothing to worry about but -“

“Then it isn’t. Trust them, Tony, they know what they’re talking about.”

“It’s been so long, Pep. Too long. If he’d be normal, I probably wouldn’t worry that much... But he’s enhanced, the spider genes should’ve taken care of the damage by now.” 

Pepper sighed, not in frustration or annoyance, but in pure understanding. ��After all those papers you’ve read by now, you should know that there’s no such thing as a reliable estimate on the duration of coma. There’s no correlation with the severity of injuries, so there might be other factors that his healing factor does not have a direct impact on, or they’re just... new. We have to remain patient.”

“I know.” Tony sighed. “I just hate seeing him like this. He should be in school outsmarting his classmates - not here. This is not what I meant when I said I wanted to have him around more often.”

“He’ll be fine.” Pep assured, for what must be the thousandth time ever since the accident. “And when the rough part is over, you two can have a talk about prolonging your weekend sessions.” She smiled, before frowning, suddenly remembering that there was something else.

“You should check your emails. They’ve sent first reports to Peter’s mail address, but since he isn’t able to read them just now, I had them forwarded to you, too. I assume you want to read them to him.”

“Are they good?” Tony asked, faking a casual tone.

“I didn’t look.” Pep answered. “But let’s just say the research group doesn’t exactly consist of scientist that have a happy expression on a day to day basis.”

Tony’s eyes lightened at the words, and he would’ve given everything to have Peter wake up at them, just to see the glance of excitement in the boy’s warm, brown eyes, too. No matter how the results would look like, it would give them something new to work with, which would definitely be a reason for celebration.

Peter, as always, slept the happiness away.

But Tony refused to give up just yet. Maybe that’s what Peter needed: Hearing that the world needed him, awake and aware, to change it for the better.

So, as soon as he’d finished at least half of his portion, he reached for his StarkPad and went through loads of emails of no interest before he found the one he’d been looking for, opening the attached files.

“‘Dear Mr. Parker,’ he started, eyes already lines below. “The chemical fluid design that Mr. Stark has sent us on your behalf has been in Alpha-Testing for the past couple of weeks. Main goals of the research were to study the advances and potential weaknesses of said design in the light of the intentional idea for its use in, quoting your own descriptions, ‘biological engineering as a possible construction material for 3D printed organ layouts.’ Our momentary, rather basic results prove that the fluid hardens to a nearly perfect degree in the printing settings you recommended. Further, the general construction flexibility is very good, allowing the print-out model to accede certain movements without loosing structure.

“It is yet to be seen whether or not the chemical design will be adopted by surrounding, natural cells. Testing the inter-body-dynamics will be a huge part of further research phases.

“Enclosed, you will find the used experimental designs as well as their results, showing minor inconveniences with the current formula.” Tony stopped reading, and realized only then that he had started smiling. Scanning the list of mentioned “inconveniences” with the ‘Steak Formula’, it became clear that all of those were minor and probably easily corrected by changing just simple aspects of it. Maybe even just adapting the printer settings a little again. 

“This is better than you probably ever dreamed of, kiddo. This is extraordinary.” He threw a glance at May who’d come in after the first half of the mail, eyes widened in surprise, too.

“They’re waiting for you.” She said, thumb moving along the lines of Peter’s cheek. “You hear that? They’re waiting for you too continue what you started.”

The happiness left when a response failed to appear. But the pride in both May’s and Tony’s heart remained.

#irondad #fanfic

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littlehollyleaf · 7 years ago

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Ask a writer!

tagged by @mysillylittlesoapbox (yes I do still write fic... sometimes :p I’m afraid it’s all Gotham now though!) ...I don’t usually do memes about my writing though so, this should be...interesting...

1. How did you come up with your username and what does it mean?

my name is holly, holly leaves are a thing, I wanted to just be ‘hollyleaf’ but it was already taken so I figured ‘well hey, I’m also small...’ and voila! (no, I’m so sorry, but the Warrior Cats series was not involved at any point, I still haven’t read them and only know a character has my username, or a version of it, because of all the asks I keep getting about it :P)

2. Which fanfic of yours has the most feedback? (bookmarks/favorites, follows/subscriptions, visitor hits, kudos)

So I had a quick glance at AO3 and this is something it looks like WAAAAY too much effort for my lazy ass to figure out, plus I dunno how accurate the AO3 stats would be for my stuff anyways because I only very recently put all my fic on there after having most of it posted (and therefore commented on and otherwise interacted with) solely over at LJ for years and years...

I would imagine it’s Imitating Life (spn, deancas), because that’s the one I remember getting the most feedback for. So I’ll just go with that!

3. What is your FFnNet/AO3 profile icon, and why did you choose it?

It’s the same as my tumblr one. Because it’s me and I already had the image saved in an appropriate size. I know, dull right?? (back on LJ I was OBSESSED with finding and/or creating SO MANY different icons to convey different moods and whatnot - they were basically an oldschool version of reaction gifs I guess - but on any other platform I’ve been just... meh about the icon thing... idk!)

4. Do you have any regular/favourite commenters?

@vampirebillionaire has been a regular for my Gotham stuff, notable for jumping ship with me into foxma :) (well not jumping... simultaneously enjoying :p), for which I am profoundly grateful xx but generally my fic style and content is a bit... eclectic I guess? so no, no one who is super regular

5. Is there a fanfic that you keep going back to read again and again?

Of my own? Nah. Well... not AGAIN AND AGAIN like on the regular. I HAVE re-read my stuff OF COURSE :p But usually it’s me re-reading previous parts of a series/set to get the feel for the story/characters again as I write new stuff. Though admittedly I have re-read Imitating Life more than most probably, to check it still reads okay.

As to other authors’ fics - I must confess that I read less and less these days, so there is def not a single one I constantly return to.

I have, however, re-read a few by depthsofgreen since I got into Gotham, as well as some by rissalf and silentsinger

Back in the day there was this one spn last unicorn AU I used to re-read the night before each premiere, because it was a deliciously angsty way to get me in the mood for a new season and pass the time while waiting - particularly notable because AUs are not really my thing, so it was an interesting choice for me to keep returning to! Alas I have lost my link to it however :( Should anyone know the one I mean drop me a line! (Cas was the unicorn, obvs, Dean was the Prince, Sam was Schmendrick, Anna was Molly and Meg was Fortuna)

6. How many stories are you subscribed to? How many do you have bookmarked?

I have ONE (1) story bookmarked - because it is a WIP I am following (and I just learnt how to bookmark the other month)

...what even is subscribing and how is it different??

7. Which AU do you find yourself writing the most?

None at all if possible. Although most of my fics end up being Canon Divergent in the end ofc they are generally canon compliant (based on my interpretation of the canon anyways) at the time of writing... Sometimes canon changes things while I am in the middle of writing stuff though ofc (*shakes fist at Gotham right now*), in which case I will unavoidably be writing something knowingly Canon Divergent/What If.

(aside - I tried to write an spn x-men AU once, but I got bored very quickly... full on AUs are just not me!)

8. How many people are subscribed and bookmarked to you in total? (you can view this on the stats page)

OH THERE’S A STATS PAGE?

*checks*

K - 34 subscribers and 423 bookmarks (whoa that seems a lot??)

hey there’s graphs and stuff with your top five fics based on hits too - that’s pretty cool - my top is in fact Holding On and Letting Go... probably because it was one of my last big spn fics and one of the first I published on AO3...

9. Is there something you’d like to write about but are afraid of people judging you for it? (Feeling brave? If so, share it!)

No... I mean... I don’t think so? If there ever has been it’s passed me by and I’ve forgotten about it.

...for a hot minute I was into Eddie/Isabella in Gotham, and that plot was ofc (understandably) received VERY POORLY by the fandom, so I may have at one point been hesitant to explore that idea (and the related Ozzie/Eddie/Izzy thoughts I had) because of that... but I never got as far as wanting to actually WRITE anything that I recall so... I guess not really?

10. Is there anything you would like to be better at? Writing certain scenes or genres, replying to comments, updating better, etc.

There’s a couple of dumb little grammatical things I wish I was better at remembering - like when it’s ‘passed’ and when it’s ‘past’ or when it’s ‘effect’ and when it’s ‘affect.’ Because I forget and have to look it up Every.Damn.Time!

11. Do you write rarepairs or popular ships more often?

Well, the ship I’ve written most for is deancas - so it’s def ‘popular ships’ I write most! (though I would like to point out that it WASN’T ONE when I STARTED :p).

I’m not opposed to writing rarepairs as well however (she says, in the middle of a huge Gotham rarepair series!). I just write... whatever I’m enjoying most at the time.

12. How many stories have you posted on FFNet/AO3 to this day (finished and unfinished)?

I’ve got 39 works up on AO3. Never published on FFNet. Probably got a few little things that I’ve only ever published on tumblr (like my cracky spn/WtNV crossover :p), so total number published across the board is more like 40ish...

13. How many stories do you have saved in/with your writing program?

(not counting the abandoned spn x-men AU that will remain forever unfinished) Just one. I CANNOT work on more than one fic at a time.

14. Do you write down story ideas, or just keep them in your head?

In my head (my stories are never especially complex after all). Once I’m stuck into a fic though I do tend to start creating bullet points below the main text of certain things that are coming next - like specific lines or phrases/metaphors I might think up as I go that I want to make sure I include, or the order of certain scenes if there is a series of short ones on the way, or sometimes points with question marks if I haven’t quite decided on something (eg. ‘have Eddie take his hat off here or wait until Ozzie smiles at him?’ that kind of thing...)

15. Have you ever co-authored a story?

No. I came CLOSE to co-writing a DCBB with the lovely @takadainmate YEARS AGO but we never quite made it work (I got a distracted by involving Balthazar in a subplot and went on my own tangent, we had trouble even getting together to discuss it, the deadline started looming and eventually we wisely close to call it a day!).

For a while there were VAGUE murmurings about returning to the idea... but the plot involved Dean and Cas getting trapped together in Purgatory you see aND THEN SEASON 8 HAPPENED!! So we decided to let canon run with it instead :P

16. How did you discover FFNet/AO3?

While I don’t use FFNet and don’t even read stuff there now, I did used to read fics on it early on. I discovered it while searching for info on my very first TV obsession Due South and was DELIGHTED to find a place full of stories about this thing I loved but had no new content for at the time :)

AO3 I remember being talked about and used a little by my LJ crowd, which is how I heard of it. I didn’t start using it myself until recently when I realised it had very much become the go-to hosting site used by tumblr fic writers.

17. Do you consider yourself to be a popular or famous author in your fandom(s) on FFNet/AO3?

Nah.

18. Do you have a nickname or fandom name for your readers?

...my personal readers? As in, not the general name for the various fandoms (like ‘spn family’ or ‘Gotham fam’), but for the people who read my fic specifically?

No... that seems... weird...?

19. Was there an author who inspired or encouraged you to write?

Actually... no... no one specific. Just... reading lots of fiction by lots of different writers, fic writers included, is what inspired/encouraged me to take a crack at it myself I suppose.

20. What writing advice would you give to a beginning author?

Do not listen to me!

21. Do you plot out your stories, or do you just figure it out as you go?

Um... both I suppose. Only... my plotting isn’t really... plotting.

Because I just... daydream, you know? And after a bit I’ll realise that I’m coming back to one particular daydream more often than another. And adding to it. And adding to it. Until I’ve got something at least vaguely coherent. At which point I make a decision as to whether I like the scenario enough to write it down or not and if I do, well, it’s already pretty much there and fully formed in my head, so no additional ‘plotting’ necessary (just the ironing out and researching of a few details).

But while I’m daydreaming... well that’s me ‘figuring it out as I go’ I guess.

22. Have you ever gotten a bad comment on a story? If so, what did you do?

My first foray into writing fic was with a Clex re-write of S05 Smallville. It ended up being a sprawling, much too ambitious multi-chapter thing I had no hope of ever finishing. But hey, it kept me out of trouble :p

Anyways, I was part of a sci-fi society at Uni at the time I was writing and each of us in the group developed these different fictional versions of ourselves over the course of our time together... because we were a sci-fi society and it was fun! And I thought it would be a laugh if, for one chapter, I put all of us into my SV fic. So I did (I made us all kryptonite infected characters who lived at Lex’s secret 33.1 facility - if any SV fans are reading) and prefaced the chapter with some disclaimer about how I was sorry if this part was a bit too self indulgent or ‘mary-sue’ or whatever, but that I couldn’t resist doing it for my friends, and that things would get back to normal next chapter.

And generally it was fine - I didn’t have many readers anyway :p

But long LONG after the fact, when I had written many other chapters since, I got a comment on this one chapter from someone saying that they felt my self-insert characters came across as too obviously self indulgent and were unnecessary and that I shouldn’t have written them in.

And you know, it was a fair call. But since I’d actually prefaced the chapter with myself saying that’s EXACTLY what they were, it seemed a bit odd to me that this person would bother making a point of the issue. And to compound confusion - this person had actually already commented POSITIVELY on the chapter when I first posted it, so their comment read something like ‘I’ve been re-reading this and on consideration ACTUALLY I think you should know that...’

So... that was a bit odd. Not really bad, but notable enough that it’s stayed with me! Since I was many many chapters along in the story at that point though it was easy enough to just nod and shrug and move on.

I’m lucky in that I’ve never received any actual scathing or horribly negative comments otherwise. I like to think I’d be thoughtful and philosophical about any serious criticism I might receive...

23. Is there a certain type of scene that you have a hard time writing? (action, smut, etc..)

Hmmm. Exposition probably. My focus is typically on a character’s emotion at any given time, but when the only thing happening is characters discussing what’s happening and when and why there’s not exactly much strong emotion involved you know? So I struggle, because it’s boring to write and I constantly fear I’m not describing/depicting it in a way that is interesting to the reader and blah blah.

(part of the reason I don’t often write complex stories anymore perhaps - less narrative means less exposition!)

(smut used to be hard... now it is less so... though that doesn’t mean I think I’m good at it now! I don’t think I’ll ever shake the fear that my smut is actually cringe-worthy...)

24. What story(s) are you working on now?

Just The Fox and the Scorpion :)

25. Do you plan your next project(s) before you finish your current ongoing story(s)?

No. Like I say above - I CANNOT work on more than one fic at a time. How do people do that??? I bow to you all!

I have in the past paused in the middle of longer spn fics (like my DCBBs) to knock out some quick ‘finished in the span of an evening’ FICLETS, usually in response to specific happenings in canon (like when Gabriel died and I just HAD to type something up as an outlet). But I don’t think that’s really quite what this question means? Because those aren’t projects OR stories, they are just... SCENES, you know? Also - I haven’t written a ficlet in FOREVER, so I’m not even sure I could do it anymore...

Having said this - I DO CONSTANTLY DAYDREAM. Which involves daydreaming multiple scenarios not exclusive to whatever fic I’m in the middle of. Some of which may well end up being part of the next fic I end up writing. But that’s hardly ‘planning’ I think? Because at that stage of things I’ll have no desire to make what I’m dreaming part of an actual story/fic.

26. Do you have a daily writing goal set for yourself?

Nah. I just write when I feel like it and keep going until I’m done.

If I’m writing for a challenge this changes ofc, because DEADLINES. So sometimes I’ve had to set goals because of that - usually it’s something vague though, like ‘you need to get to this point in the plot by tomorrow night Holly, come on!’ Nothing so regimented as a specific amount of time and/or words every day.

...generally when I’m in the middle of a fic I end up in a kind of... idk, natural momentum that pulls me on? Like there’s this constant FEELING in the back of my mind urging me to get back to the story. And not in a nagging guilt kind of way, in a ‘this is what I WANT to be doing right now’ kind of way.

Not that I end up easily writing every time I get back to the fic or anything! Sometimes I’ll get back to the page and just... be stuck, find I’m not in the mood or can’t think of the words or whatever. Which is frustrating because I still have that feeling of WANTING to continue the story, but I’ll know that I’m not in the right frame of mind so have to leave it for a bit (which can be anywhere from a few hours to a week). Generally the pull to keep writing draws me back in eventually though.

27. Do you think you’ve improved as a writer since you first started?

Goodness yes. I think if you’re writing regularly you’re just ALWAYS improving, aren’t you? Naturally my fic today is better than my first attempts, but likewise I think some of my Gotham fics are better than my spn fics in some parts. It’s a constant process isn’t it?

28. What is your favorite story(s) that you’ve written?

Imitating Life remains one of the fics I’m most proud of. Not only did the main story hold up well AND stick to overall canon (when it comes to Dean and Cas at least), so I think anyways, I also wove in a couple of subplots I very much enjoyed seeing through to the end. PLUS I really enjoyed all the meta nonsense, including messing about with the format to make it like look (a little bit) like a screenplay. So yes, that one will always hold a dear place in my heart :)

For Gotham I don’t think I’m ever gonna do better than We Are What We Are tbh

29. What is your least favorite story(s) that you’ve written?

Generally unimpressed by ALL my SV fic now. And considering I spent SO MANY HOURS/DAYS/WEEKS/MONTHS/YEARS of my life on it all I kinda feel like I should feel bad about that but... you know I really don’t? Because if it wasn’t for all the time and effort (and love and fun) I put into those not very good stories, I wouldn’t be enjoying the work I’m proud of and writing today. So *shrug emoji*

30. Where do you see yourself (as a writer) in 5 years?

5 whole years? Tbh I rather think I’ll have stopped writing by then. I’ve been winding down when it comes to fic for a LONG TIME now and writing for Gotham feels very much like a minor, brief resurgence of the hobby. Currently planning on calling it a day once I’ve finished Fox and Scorpion in fact.

31. What is the easiest thing about writing?

The part that doesn’t involve writing.

32. What is the hardest thing about writing?

Trying not to be repetitive.

Have I started a paragraph with this character’s name too many times in a row? Am I using ‘furrowed brow’/’bites lip’/’narrows eyes’/’insert stock descriptive phrase here’ too often? Did I use this phrase already or was that in another fic or in the book I was just reading? Is there too much alliteration in this sentence? - to name but a few of the questions that inevitably pop up related to my paranoia about repetition.

33. Why do you write?

Because I’m insatiable and the stories onscreen aren’t enough for me.

...well that was exhaustingly introspective so I’m way too tired to tag! Interesting one though, made me think! (and taught me some stuff about AO3 :p)

#meme #about me

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willreadforbooze · 5 years ago

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Hey everyone!!

Sam’s Update

It’s been Bookconline this weekend and I am loving being lazy on my couch and seeing all these fab folks talking about books.

I’ve also been watching the news and the Twitters about all the protests surrounding the death of George Floyd. First, I am really proud to see folks of all races come together to honor those who were unjustly murdered and to plead for change. I really and truly hope that this is it. That this is the time that the message will be heard and taken to heart. #BlackLivesMatter

What Sam Finished:

Deep Roots by Nick Sullivan: This is the third book in a mystery (?) series, sorta. Boone and Emily are scuba instructors and they hop from place to place, and every time they go, something happens and they get dragged in to it. This one is set in Belize. Nick did it again. He surprised me with the ending. It’s literally impossible to predict the end of his books.

Five Dark Fates by Kendare Blake: I’m gonna be totally honest, I wasn’t going to pick this book up. It’s the 4th book in the Three Dark Crowns series… I was super disappointed in the last one. This is the final installment and it was just as BLAH as the last one. It’s not even worth a full review. My main thoughts are… welp, four books to do exactly what they were supposed to do.

Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha: This is a near-future post-apocalyptic romance. Nina, is a leader in her community. She and her team are archivists and they print books for folks. They use the money to help the community out. Knox is a former captain who is on the run with his team. One of his team has been captured and the blackmailer wants Nina. So Knox tricks Nina and her team into “helping them break into another archive/library” when really he’s taking her to the blackmailer. That’s not going to end well at all. I started this having absolutely no idea it was a romance novel. It felt a lot like a fade to black YA, and THEN things got steamy. Anyway, full review to come but long story short, I inhaled this book. It was very VERY good.

What Sam is Currently Reading:

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb: This is the first book in the Liveship Traders series n the same Farseer world as the love of our lives, Fitz. I really adored that series and plan to keep reading the books in this world. I’ve finally re-started the audio. Let’s see if I’m ready yet.

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow: I literally just started this. I’m in chapter 3. But it’s been pitched to me as a Black Mermaid story and I’m here for that. Especially right now.

Minda’s Update

Feeling refreshed after getting out of town for the week and seeing family. Glad we did it.

What Minda is reading now:

The Jewel Thief by Jeannie Mobley – After being accused of stealing King Louie XIV’s diamond, she only has one chance to convince him of her innocence and win back her true love. I’m 60% done and so far it’s pretty good.

What Minda finished:

Nobody Will Tell You This But Me by Bess Kalb – Emmy-nominated TV writer and New Yorker contributor pens a true story as told to her from her grandmother. If you’ve ever had a grandma you were close to , this one is a real tear-jerker.

Ginny’s Update

Happy Monday.

I would already like another 3-day weekend. But managed to actually get some reading done. But I also started an additional three or four books that I put down after about five pages. I’m apparently super picky right now with what actually gets attention.

What Ginny Finished:

You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero: Honestly, this was the worst possible time to read this book. There’s a whole chapter about “Fear is your fault” saying there’s nothing in life that fear should keep you from… and while a lot of the messages were solid the book also felt a little condescending…

More than Neighbors by Shannon Stacey: We received this book as an arc and I will definitely be reviewing. I thought this book had a problem with pacing and tone. Meredith and Cam were perfectly nice, if not slightly predictable.

The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper: Main character’s dad gets accepted to the astronaut program which is being followed by a reality tv show. He falls in love with one of the sons of another astronaut and also deals with his very popular live-streaming news show. It’s a cute and very quick read.

Jinxed by Amy McCulloch: This book was freaking cute. Lacey is a preteen who wants to go to the school attached to the Apple-esque company that created “companion robots” called Baku. She finds a mysterious Baku and suddenly is accepted to the school. This book is at the youngest end of the YA spectrum and was a delight. The stakes all felt real, and appropriately frustrating. This book ends on a cliff-hanger and I’m definitely going to end up reading the next one.

Running Full Tilt by Michael Currinder: This book hurt. The summary on the back probably gave too much away b/c there’s a twist at the end that may have been better as a surprise. Leo, the main character, starts running when his developmentally disabled brother starts attacking him with little warning. After a move, a new school, a strained relationship between his parents, etc, running is the perfect getaway. Leo’s character was incredibly interestingly built b/c he tends to go with other people’s flow in all ways, which makes sense once you take all the portions of his life into account

What Ginny is Currently Reading:

The Vicar’s Daughter by Josi S. Kilpack: I’ve had this on my tbr since my very first bookcon. Cassie sends letters “from” her sister to a man her sister met b/c her parents are determined her older sister needs a match before her own debut. I find this kind of plot to be iffy, it can be done really well or done really painfully. And frankly, I’m worries this might be on the end I don’t prefer.

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown: Yeah, another one of these so close to the last one. But hey, that’s how library holds tend to go. I’m liking this one a little better b/c this book deals with “how to live wholeheartedly” which means accepting your faults and recognizing the good. That’s a little more my speed.

Until next time, we main forever drunkenly yours,

Sam, Ginny, and Minda

Weekly Wrap-Up: May 25 – 31, 2020 Hey everyone!! Sam's Update It's been Bookconline this weekend and I am loving being lazy on my couch and seeing all these fab folks talking about books.

#Wrap Up

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