#anyways rae and I are super normal about him right now

[thru-the-grapevine]

[8:25 PM] “Too bad the game got rained out, huh?” Chris grinned as you both slogged, soaking wet, into the entryway of his townhouse. “It was just getting good, too.”

“Ugh” was all you had to say as you attempted to wring out the sopping material of your shirt.

“You can borrow something of mine, c’mon,” Chris said, pressing a quick kiss to your temple and beckoning you to follow him up the stairs.

He could hear his roommates making a racket in their rooms, as usual, as he made his way to his room. So long as they didn’t come out to terrorize you, Chris was fine with the noise. It had taken such a long, careful process of coaxing you out of your shell, and the additional risk of confessing his feelings to you, before you both got to this point. He didn’t want Jisung or Changbin making it harder for you both.

“Do you have something warmer than just a t-shirt?” You asked as Chris closed his bedroom door behind him.

“Yeah, I’ve got sweaters and stuff in my closet, help yourself,” he offered, going over to his dresser to find a clean shirt.

Once he’d changed, his eye caught on the lyrics notebook on his desk. He picked it up, flopping back on his bed and examining the latest page. Where had he left off? He knew this one had been stumping him somewhere.

“Where should I put my wet stuff?” You asked.

“Oh, you can just lay it over my desk…chair…”

Chris set the notebook down slowly and sat up, staring.

You gave him a Look. “Don’t. Don’t you say a word.”

“No, no, like…it’s just,” Chris paused, taking in the sight of you in an oversized light blue sweater he’d completely forgotten he owned. “I can’t believe you’re actually wearing my clothes.”

“Yes, well, they were the dry ones,” you said wryly, laying your shirt over the back of his desk chair as instructed.

“Hmm,” Chris said, still staring.

You turned back to him and folded your arms over your chest. “Are you going to be like this every time I wear something of yours? Or even something particularly colorful?”

Chris valiantly fought back a grin. “…No.”

You sighed, sitting next to him on the bed and resting your head on his shoulder. “You’re the worst liar I’ve ever seen.”

“Sorry,” Chris grinned, not sorry at all.

[goldrushzukka]

aidays playlist breakdown: chapter 3

writers block is kicking my ass right now so instead of fulfilling my promise to finish aidays by november im just gonna churn out a couple of these. sorry. (end of the year. probably. writing is really hard.)

here's the fic

here's the playlist

the one by carly rae jepsen

ms carly slay jepsen back at it again with another song about casual sex with absolutely no strings attached at all ever. easy breezy. don't even worry about it.

(ID: "Truth is I never thought of us together / You're just a friend of mine / We should know better, this can't last forever / But kiss me one more time". End ID)

this is sooooo them bc they should know better! they do know better! but here they are anyway! sokka and zuko entered into this thing with the intention of it being unserious and temporary. theyre just people who have sex, and then they become friends who have sex, and then friends starts to turn into something...else. but they've set these boundaries, so they can't be something else, so they pretend it's not happening. they keep saying casual and acting like their feelings aren't there, just to hold on to what they have, in the hopes that it'll be enough.

(ID: "Romance is fine / Pour me some wine / Tell me it's just for the fun of it / Thoughts in your eyes / Hard to deny, but / I don't want love, don't want none of it". End ID)

this part of the song is the most applicable to chapter 3 i think. the scene where sokka asks zuko to catsit while he's away at yue's wedding is so thick with romance it's a wonder they don't fucking choke on it. that whole exchange is so. like. they're lying to themselves. sokka gives zuko a key to his apartment. 24 hour access. a promise not to turn him away, that he is welcome and wanted always. and they both somehow convince themselves (and each other!) that this is a normal thing to offer your casual sex friend. olympic level mental gymnastics happening in that scene.

(ID: "If you want to, you can stay the night / I don't want to be the one, the one / IF you want to, you can hold me tight / I don't want to be the one, the one". End ID)

this is the mindset. sokka gives zuko a key to his apartment, but they're super casual. zuko sleeps better beside sokka than he has his entire life, but they're not dating or anything. they talk every day even if they don't see each other, but it's not like they're in love, right? right. they can do all of these romantic things, make all these gestures and be there for each other, and it's completely fine as long as they remind themselves that it's casual, it's casual, it's casual.

valentine (what's it gonna be) by rina sawayama

another casual relationship banger, but this time it's anxious!!! this song just scratches something in my brain. idk how to describe it i think there's drugs in this

(ID: "I don't think about the future (It doesn't matter) / Or whether we'll stay together (Whether we'll part) / Making promises is dangerous (I'm just a phase) / I'm just your valentine". End ID)

they're casual, right? because anything else -- dating from the start, admitting feelings when they're in the thick of it -- is setting themselves up for failure. they met in a dirty bar and hooked up in the bathroom before going home together, this can't last. this can't be the great love story of their lives, right? right? so this is again, still, the lie they tell themselves. it doesn't matter, it's just a fling, i'm just your valentine.

(ID: "Nowhere else to go / Turn to you but I hope you know / This love is just for show / One night and nothing more". End ID)

the contradiction of "nowhere else to go" and "this love is just for show" is exactly the kind of bullshit zuko and sokka are trying to get away with. this isn't a relationship and there are no real feelings involved and we're just having fun, but no one else would have me and i don't want anyone but you. god. they're so fucking stupid.

house key by scott helman

YEAHHH BABY LET'S GET YEARNY!!!! LET'S GET SOME PINING IN HERE

(ID: "I wanna back splash and a house cat / I wanna make a home for you / I wanna T.V. and a settee / I wanna live alone with you / And when you wake up in the middle of the night / I won't complain if you turn on the light / Beside me you'd be happy you'll see / Can I get your house key? Can I get your house key?". End ID)

this song was not inspiration for this chapter bc i didn't know it existed until i'd already published, but it very well could've been written about this fic. this song is the dead of night, when it's too quiet and dark for anything but the truth. it's all the cards held close to the chest, all the secrets kept even from yourself. the agonising knowledge that this is real, this could be something, it could be everything, it probably already is.

lover by taylor swift

let's just get into it i can't talk about what this song means to me without sounding even more deranged than i already have in this post

(ID: "And there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you, dear / Have I known you twenty seconds or twenty years?". End ID)

this is the thing with zuko and sokka in this fic. they hit it off immediately. they click. the "getting to know you" phase doesn't feel like learning, it's like remembering. it's just like carly rae jepsen says in her smash hit single call me maybe, "before you came into my life, i missed you so bad". always right. anyway this line makes me want to bite my own fingers like carrot sticks

(ID: "Can I go where you go? / Can we always be this close? / Forever and ever, ah / Take me out, and take me home / You're my, my, my, my lover". End ID)

this is what love is. this is it. can i go where you go ("i wish you could be here to see it"), can we always be this close ("do you want to take the long way?"), forever and ever ("i wouldn't want to be stuck with anyone else"). that's love.

(ID: "My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue / All's well that ends well to end up with you / Swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover / And you'll save all your dirtiest jokes for me / And at every table, I'll save you a seat, lover". End ID)

this is what i'm TALKING ABOUT!!!!! like!!!! all's well that ends well to end up with you equals nothing safe is worth the drive equals every moment of heartache is worth it to be together at the end!!!!! they have each been through so much, both separately and together. i have personally forced them to have so many problems. but this is what it's all for. this is the goal. this is what they get to have, when the dust settles and the sun finally shines on them: dirty jokes and a spot beside their lover. simple pleasures made grand by true love.

[delicrieux]

—MAKE YOU SAY “OH” EXTRAS: TINDER

extra meaning non-canonical occurrence; can be placed anywhere in the “make you say oh” timeline after couple (cha. 14) and before the final “oh”. 

pairing—corpse husband x f!reader warnings—tinder profiles, tw: men, swearing.  word count—2.6k. format— written. ─── ❥ req by nonnie​:  y/n makes a youtube vid/live stream where she's just swiping through her tinder acc and corpse literally blocks her lmao

author’s note—akldsljfs this was such a funny idea i could not not write it lmao

ultimate masterlist. myso masterlist

You have pulled the biggest brain move by setting up both a facecam and a screen recorder on your phone. All is beautifully displayed and visible during the stream. Your fanbase is particularly intrigued on what exactly are you planning on doing today, seeing as your tweet of “strea” had been a bit vague, if not downright ominous. No emojis. No elaboration. You couldn’t even be bothered to finish the word. Truly, a mystery. Everyone tuned in and are currently waiting with bated breath.

A few of your fans must sense upcoming doom because the overall mood in the chat turns from optimistically intrigued to...evil. It’s an entity all on it’s own now, clawing at you through the screen with various renditions of laughter and devil emojis. A few eggplants thrown in there for good measure, accompanied, naturally, by the scandalous water drops. At first the common consensus is that you’re biting the bullet and going through your camera roll on stream. Definitely an idea worth considering, though you frankly don’t know what lies at the start of the 11k photograph journey, and you are afraid to check in public. Could be a harmless meme, could be a salacious pic you had saved of an OF star. It’s really a gamble. Either way, you would definitely get banned. You might still get banned. Why do you insist on doing shit like this?

Because it’s funny. Because you’re kinda stupid. Because it’s just so absolutely laughably easy to do.

A smile quirks your lips, and while it is not explicitly smug, the look in your eyes sure is, “Greetings,” You utter lowly, dimming the lights--the budget for this stream! Ugh, you went all out, “my children.”

mother i crave violence

sensing evil energy rn!!

i do not claim the energy in this video for myself or anyone else watching this 💖💖

^with peace and love shut the fuck up

“I know y’all lowkey hoes-” Upon your words the chat splits into two: one side eagerly agrees (even shares a few OF accounts! How helpful, supporting small businesses!), whilst the other feverishly insists on innocence. You make a face stuck somewhere between offended and bewildered, “Now c'mon now-I know you. I know you all. We’re the same, don’t-what was that?”

You try to scroll back to the comment but it’s loss in the sea of incoming messages, “I swear to God I just saw-”

Corpse_Husband: i love late night streams it’s not like i have anything better to do.

“COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORPSE!!!!” 

rip headphone users

i cant feel my face when im with you by the weeknd but instead of face its my fucking ears

yall think full vol on pc is better?my parents woke up 😭😭😭😭

To think he’s spending his last waking moments for today with watching you (he probably still would have anyway, because you do not posses an ounce of shame or self-control and pester him relentlessly)! It makes your heart sing, and suddenly, a traitorous, fun hating idea barges it’s way through the crowd of incoherent buzzing and states: don’t do this. For some reason it also has the voice of Rae. As if that would work in guilt-tripping you- Rae never succeed, and her fictitious rendition in mind won’t fare much better either.

Still, you thought about it. That must count for something. Corpse will understand, won’t he? Why don’t you want to upset it in the first place? Men look so funny when they lose their shit, like hello, don’t you have anything better to do? But the image of Corpse just sitting there, hurt, distraught, leaving you on seen because he’s in his sad boy hours leaves a sour taste in your mouth. 

queen rly went from  🥺😊 to 😕 u ok bbgirl?

Corpse_Husband: no pouts cutie

akjdjoeijdfse cUTIE??? deadass boutta r.i.p.

Well that succeeded in eliminating everything from mind, doubts included. If this was an anime, the scenery would shift into something roseate, with flowers and bubbles and sparkles all around you along with a halo or two. Alas, not an anime, rather reality. The led-lights, however, seemingly possessing a will of their own, slowly turn from deep violet to pink. You smile brightly, like the absolute dumbass you are, and you are met with a ray of heart and blushing emojis. You are just so cute, a real cutie! Still in your disguise adorable state, you swipe your finger on your phone screen, the grin never leaving your lips.

There, among the plethora of apps, nestled sits a red square with a white fire plastered on it. The delicate calligraphy on the bottom reads: TINDER.

The mood changes once again- you’re giving the roaches emotional instability by how quickly everything flips over- and the chat spams eggplants vigorously; some, of course, bravely fight against the thirst.

nooooooo i thought y/n is gonna stream in a god honoring way!!!

^pack it up girl defined

“So, Charlie and I-” You note a few awfully curious comments and squint, “-yes, we talk a lot. Charlie is a really good friend of mine. We’re best friends. Brothers. Sisters. Cousins. The whole fucking family tree-no, that sounds weird. Delete. Anyway, Charlie, being the absolute fucker he is, said, hey, you know what would be funny? And I was like, nooo, what would be funny, Charlie? And he says to me, he says, says, making fun of men on Tinder. And if y’all need any more proof that Charlie and I are platonic soulmates, then dunno, my children, my roaches, I dunno-I dunno what more to give you.”

You can’t be bothered reading the comments, there’s too damn many. You also need to save your reading comprehension for the actual bios. It has a time limit, that darn thing. 

“Okay, so I made a profile earlier, but I hadn’t swiped on anyone yet-” Despite the fact, Tinder helpfully informs you that already 99+ people have swiped right on you, “So, this is me,” You show the pictures you have of yourself, and damn, not to be a conceited narcissist, but you look really good. Like if you saw yourself on Tinder, you’d super like instantly. “Uhm, so, my bio-my bio says: let’s sauce in the tub together, ya dig? splishy splashy, giggle giggle.” 

i cant believe we are witnessing y/n trying to form a coherent sentence live 

shes trying give her time

ya dig??? y not capeesh

what scene from the godfather is this lol?

“My anthem, is,” You laugh, covering your lips with your hand, “Corpsie, this is form you-” Proudly, you show that indeed, Corpse’s E-GIRLS ARE RUINING MY FUCKING LIFE is listed as your anthem on Spotify, “Hehe.” Yes, you say that aloud.

Corpse_Husband: you’re killing me Corpse_Husband: thanks baby Corpse_Husband: now delete tinder ❤︎

You ignore his last quip, deciding it’s finally time to get this show on the road, “Right, let’s do this shit. I’m not actually going to swipe on any guys that look, uh, decent? Yuck, can’t believe I just said that, uhm, because I-because I feel like some actually deserve a chance with someone? I don’t wanna get anyone’s hopes up, as I am currently in a long distance relationship with Chrollo. So I’m just gonna swipe on, like, frat boy assholes. Because I don’t care if I hurt their feelings. Quite frankly I don’t think they possess them in the first place.”

The chat voices their agreements. With the ground rules set, you, giddy, click on the first profile.

Does Tinder know what you’re doing, your plan? The FBI agent watching you through your phone must be working overtime, bless his heart. They must, because the the first guy to meet you is named Jason, and there he is, blond hair and blue eyes, holding up a fish the size of his torso. Marginally adequate in looks, pretty good muscles. A solid 7 bordering on 8. He’s the same age as you, 15 miles away, and he studies at some college you don’t care enough to look up. Bio reads:

I like to drive fast. Fishing is my passion, but if you can’t catch me by the ocean, you’ll catch me catching waves, bro! Love a good gym date. You do squats, and I’ll keep a close eye to make sure you’re doing it correctly ;) You probably saw me at a party. Leader of the The Phi Kappa Psi. I’m a Gemini, if that matters lol.

You, of course, read it aloud, dramatically; provide some constructive criticism-he seems nice, but he’s a Gemini, so naturally, you can’t trust him at all! Also, that gym date session leaves little to be desired. With your rant done, you swipe right, and shocker! (not), it’s an instant match.

“Okie, I still wanna swipe of some profiles, so I’ll see what he’ll text later-” For a second you wonder the legalities of this stream, but you’re having too much fun to think of it further, “guys, I won't get sued, right?”

NOW she considers it

well....

if you do, we’ll kickstart your lawyer dw <3

Onto the next profile. Kevin, 25, is seen fixing his car- or, you assume he’s mid-fixing it, you don’t really know why else he’d hold a wrench and be covered in oil. He’s shirtless, and the caveman part of your brain echoes something closely resembling AWOOOGA!, but...but!...blonde hair, blue eyes. You pout again, “I don’t...I don’t really like blond boys, ya know? With the blue eyes and all, it’s just not my thing, uhm, unless it’s like-like...Armin from Attack on Titan. Else I don’t care.”

Onto the bio:

You have to treat a car like you treat a woman: go on long rides, take the lead, but most importantly, keep her oiled up 😜 

“What the fuck did I just read?”

The chat is equally confused. You swipe right anyway- another match. Too easy.

The stream continues without incident for a solid thirty minutes- all of your matches, expect a few that genuinely looked like normal dudes that really couldn’t write a decent bio to save their lives, had been blond hair blue eyed gym rats with ranging forms of misogyny. Some opened with asking for nudes out right, some asked about your day first before asking for nudes. You prefer the former. Straight to the point! You admire the gall. 

But then, down the forty-five minute mark a profile popped up that made you still by your phone, your smile dying as your eyes bulged. Dear God. Lord in heaven. Who is this demonspiit lookalike and why is he so fucking hot? The neck tats, the skateboard, the clothes- holy shit, you gotta close your mouth before some drool dribbles out.

No bio, just his name, Tyler, and that he’s 23.

“He boutta be 23 in me.” You mutter, swiping right with lightning speed.

WHAT DID SHE SAYYYYY?????????

tyler is y/ns karma for relentlessly mocking that one guy that had a whole ass list on what his “female” partner should be

^he deserved it and also tyler seems like a typical fuckboi y/n grow a braincell

look at mom 🥺 her eyes are sparkling

It wasn’t a match right away. You somehow expected as much, but it still upset you. Simp behavior, pathetic. The stream continued bravely, and when Tyler messaged you a simple “yo” you totally didn’t sequel. You didn’t manage to text him back on stream: texting all those guys that you didn’t really find all that attractive was easy, but this...You’re a sucker for a man who radiates red flag energy. His whole profile is a red flag. He might just be a red flag himself.

What can you do? Suddenly becoming color blind is not easy. Once the stream ends, you unmatch with everyone expect Tyler. He you chat with for a bit, but a sudden craving for different company makes you abandon him, too. You don’t feel too heartbroken for him- you’re certain there’s already too many girls in his dms. You wish them luck.

Happily, you delete Tinder. You go to Twitter, notice you’re trending again- look at you go! Queen shit- and as you compose a thank you tweet, something strange happens. You go to text Corpse, but when you click on his profile you grow cold.

YOU’RE BLOCKED. You can’t follow or see @/Corpse_Husband ‘s Tweets. 

...Pardon? You hop onto Instragram and-also blocked. Seriously? And you thought you’re one petty bitch. Corpse is seriously prissy about everything. Damn, if he didn’t like your stream, he could’ve just said so. Didn’t need to, like, block you from his internet existence. So not cool.

You try texting him but no text go through. Well how will you let him know you deleted Tinder just like he asked? You relieve your frustrations by punching your pillow a few times. Later, you apologize to her, you didn’t mean to hurt her, it’s not her, it’s you. Fuck, 5 minutes of exile and you’re already loosing your mind.

“Raeeeeeeeeeeee!” You whine loudly. It’s roughly 2am now, but you don’t care. You’re too heartbroken to care. There’s a thump from her room, but nothing else, “Raeeeeeeeee!!!” You wail, wallowing in self-pity on your bed. You hear a very loud, very annoyed sigh from her room, followed by angry marching. Your door is abruptly thrown open, and in the dim, colorful light you see her scowl.

“What?” She grits.

“Can you please tell Corpse to unblock me from everything?”

“What did you do now?”

“I made fun of men on Tinder.”

She pauses, “...That doesn’t sound so bad.” She surmises, voice laced with suspicion, “What else?”

“...There was one really hot guy that I kinda sorta talked to after--”

“Y/n.”

“-But I totally deleted Tinder and honestly he was pretty boring, so, like, uhm, please?”

She sighs, the servery of which implies she is holding the weight of the world on her shoulders, and instantly you know that you won. She taps away at her phone, “You owe me one.” She states, and before you can reply, she exits your room and slams the door behind her.

Grinning, you text his phone again. The message goes through, oh gosh, you’re so relieved you feel like crying. This has been, officially, the worst five minutes of your life.

You Y DID U BLOCK ME LOSER!!! MAJOR LOSER ALERT!! I DELETED EVERYTHING IT WAS A JOKE r u still mad at me? y u always mad at me i never do anything:(

my husband You’re my baby, how do you think I’ll react when I see you publicly simping for some asshole on Tinder?

Oh no, he used the words, he delivered the killing blow. You’re finished. Your heart can’t take such a workout. 

Not that you would ever admit it to him, though!

You hehe ur jellyyyy u always dis jealous hehe?

my husband Not jealous.

Yeah, you might not be the brightest tool in the shed, but even you know that’s a lie. You send him an array of kissy emojis that he doesn’t have the decency to reply to. Then, completely unprompted and dead serious, you send him a simple voice memo, saying: “You really have nothing to worry about, you know? You’re my favorite, Corpsie.”

He responds via text, reiterating that he’s not fucking jealous and that he just doesn’t like when you show such outward interest in anyone but it’s not like he cares or anything. It’s just really, like, weeeeird to see his baby simping for another man like that totally ruins the whole dynamic!!! It was only natural that he should block you on every social media platform, including his personal number (which, like, was completely necessary! Doesn’t matter that his viewers can’t see it, it’s gotta be super believable!), and inform his followers of that, because it’s all a joke, like, for the dynamic, that Youtube grind, you know? Ya dig? No personal feelings were involved at all. He totally wasn’t upset that you found someone else cute, no way!

my husband I’m not jealous. Lol.

You ik u repeated tht like 50 times  u trynna convince me or??? lmao

my husband No comment. ...You don’t actually talk to anyone else like we’re talking, right?

You no one else calls me their baby if thts wat ur wondering at least not to my knowledge lol im all urs

my husband That makes me very happy to hear:)

Yeah, it makes you very happy, too.

hope you liked it!! xx

[imjusttpeachy]

she's a rae of sunshine (c.h.)

okay so this was a request but i completely read it wrong so i’m gonna write it again but i finished this one anyway so here take it

so sorry to the anon who requested it bc u were so fuckin sweet i’ll have it up asap i promise

playlist

ralph castelli - morning sex

crumb - bones

jorja smith - teenage fantasy

summary: balancing college life and wanting to support your best friends online endeavors was difficult, but reader regrets trying a little harder when she finally meets one of her newer stream-mates

word count: 2, 828

WARNINGS: she/her pronouns used, coarse language, lowkey OOC Corpse, that needs its own warning i’m sorry,

•••

“Look you knew I had to stream before I said you could come over ya fuckin idiot.”

“Yea I knowwwww, I just wanted to spend more time with my super-hot best friend forever.”

Being the best friend of an online personality had its perks— the amazing trips you got to hitch a ride on, the adoring fans that seemed to latch on to you as well, the sponsorships that would always send you something along with the original PR package, and especially the way she was able to choose their own work hours.

Well... mostly.

As much as you adored spending time together during the day, whether it be shopping or going out for brunch, those late nights that always seemed to hold the most memories you held so dear were few and far between. Of course, you couldn’t blame her; responsibilities were responsibilities, and fuck if you’d let your selfish wants override the way she chooses to get her work done. You really couldn’t be one to judge either-- having to call off dates because you’d underestimated the time you needed to complete a school paper, or when a last-minute lab was called in and you’d have to leave her sitting alone in those cafes with your half-finished mocha and a promise to Venmo her the money to cover it later. What left you feeling the most guilty, though, was the fact that you weren’t able to watch her content as much as you’d like to. Sure, you’d catch a few minutes of a stream here and there but any time you spent apart was usually spent with your head buried in a book, mind bleary with countless espresso shots trying to keep your tired eyes focused on the seemingly unending work in front of you.

But, a distraction every now and then couldn’t hurt. Right?

Having had enough of your current assignment, any coherent thought was long gone, you’d decided to pay your favourite person a little visit. You knew she’d probably be busy as she hadn’t replied to your previous text for a few hours, but knowing her presence alone and any passing comments would lift the heaviness that had found its home in your head and chest, you shot her a message to let her know that her office couch would be occupied by you for the next few hours. Normally, you’d just show up so you knew she wouldn’t have a problem with it; so when that fateful message popped up on your phone giving you the go-ahead you completely ignored the warning of her work schedule and drove right over.

So now here you were, sprawled haphazardly on her couch clad in sweats and a sports bra scrolling through your phone as you watched her finish her final touches so she could start her stream.

“You’re gonna be in the background of my face cam if you wanna sit there y’know.” Groaning in response to her warning not wanting to move from the comfy spot you just found, you looked over at her with the best puppy eyes you could muster. She chuckled softly, raising her hands in surrender as she turned back to her setup. “Hey I really don’t care, just warning ya bug. The thirst comments and screenshots are outta my hands.”

Scoffing under your breath at her comment, you turned your head back to your phone as a Twitter notification popped up at the top of your screen.

Corpse Husband: streaming among us in a few mins, join in on youtube

Heartbeat picking up slightly, you scrambled for the purse you’d thrown at the base of the couch for your headphones. Ever since you’d found this handsome-voiced stranger’s channel on your late night horror binges, you had fallen completely in love. While you weren’t typically the type to watch video game commentary outside of Rae, his voice got you completely hooked and you couldn’t get enough of it. Yeah, maybe you were a bit of a simp, but that sweet and genuine personality that hid behind that gravelly tone had you melting completely into his clutches. You tried to convince yourself to get over it, you didn’t even know what he looked like. But, y’know, a little crush wouldn’t hurt anybody right?

“Going live in T-minus 30 seconds babe.” Jumping slightly as Rae’s voice knocked you out of dreamland, you mumbled out a small “got it” as you once again got focused on getting your headphones connected to your phone. You’d never been able to watch one of his lives before, his horror commentary videos usually playing as background noise as you did schoolwork or while you were falling asleep. Practically shaking with excitement, you opened your YouTube app seeing the live at the very top and tapping on it immediately only to be met with that sweet laugh ringing through your headphones like music to your ears. You grinned to yourself, grabbing the throw pillow you had previously tossed to the floor and hugging it to your chest while your eyes remained glued to your phone screen, completely forgetting what was happening around you as you zeroed in on the gravelly tone you’d fallen oh-so in love with.

“Hey (Y/N) wave hi.” You startled slightly as the faint voice of your friend sounded from across the room. Glancing up from your phone, you pulled an earbud from your ear and furrowed your brows at her before slowly processing what she said, lifting a hand in greeting to her watchers. She laughed at your confusing antics, turning slightly in her chair to look over at you. “What the hell are you so smiley about?”

“…Nothing..” You grinned widely as her laugh once again resounded around the room, shaking her head at you before turning back to her screen with a scoff, muttering something under her breath so only her watchers could hear. Smile still plastered across your lips, you settled back down into the comfiness of the couch and popped your earbud back in, zeroing in again on the screen in front of you. Watching as Corpse moved his character around the lobby as he waited for his friends to join, a small giggle escaped from under your breath; trying your best to be mindful of Rae’s stream but not being able to hold back the flustered feeling welling up in your chest, mind giddy with the thought of finally being able to see one of his famous live streams, well, live. It had only been a few seconds later when you heard Rae’s voice once again, only this time, not as muffled as before.

“What’s up motherfuckers.” Brows furrowing in confusion, you lifted your hand to your earbud and pulled it from your ear once again, hearing her voice from across the room but from your other earbud as well. No, there was no fucking way. All your questions were answered, though, as you glanced back down at your phone screen seeing a red character move around the game lobby along with Corpse’s, the gamer tag ‘Valkyrae’ floating just above it. Blinking hard at your screen trying to convince yourself that your eyes were lying to you, you slowly pulled your hand to cover your mouth in shock. How… How could you possibly not know they knew each other? With the way they spoke to each other in sarcastic comments, poking fun at the other it sounded like they were close too. Body finally catching up with your thoughts, you scrambled at your phone, shaky hands moving as quickly as they could to pull up your texts with Rae. Your fingers tapped furiously at the screen, anxious to get back to the live stream to listen in more but also needing to know what the fuck was going on.

TO my rae of sunshine: care to explain what the fuck is going on??! how the fuck do you know corpse husband?????!??!

“Oops sorry guys, guess I forgot to turn off my phone ringer-“ Staring up at the back of her head helplessly, you watched as she picked up her phone seeming to read out the text before bursting into a peal of laughter. Tossing a look at you over her shoulder, you looked back down at your phone bashfully, seeing the three loading dots in your message thread indicating that she was messaging you back.

my rae of sunshine: lol what about it? you gotta crush on him or something?

TO my rae of sunshine: …no

Hitting send you rushed back to the stream, anxious to see what Corpse was saying in response to Rae’s absence, not thinking anything about your brief conversation and thinking you would discuss it after she had logged off for the night. Though, as you heard her phone chime again from across the room followed by another bark of laughter, you knew you weren’t getting off that easy.

“What are you laughing about?” Corpse’s honeyed voice sounded from your earbud, hearing Rae’s giggles from what you presumed to be their discord voice chat. Glancing anxiously between his stream and the reflection of Rae’s face cam in one of her monitors, your heart began to sink as you watched that familiar mischievous grin tugging at the edge of her lips.

“Oh just my friend (Y/n) sent me a funny meme”

“Wait, is she the one in some of your Instagram posts?” You swear your heart stopped beating at that moment, eyes glued to the screen in front of you as you tried helplessly to process the conversation happening right in front of you. He knew who you were? You thought you’d always be lost among the hundreds of thousands of his new adoring fans, left in the anonymity of your Twitter tag in his subtweets, or just another subscriber that fawned over him silently behind a keyboard. Knowing that he’d actually seen your face you could feel your own beginning to heat at that moment; you brought your hands your mouth again, unknowingly curling your body tighter around the pillow in your lap as you tried to hide your face behind it as you become more and more flustered from the words nonchalantly escaping his mouth.

“Yea that’s her, pretty thing isn’t she? She’s my absolute favourite.”

That’s it, you were gonna fucking kill her.

“I mean, yeah... I guess..” The timid words followed by a soft awkward chuckle had your breath hitching in your throat. There was no fucking way this was happening. This had to be a dream, that was the only possible explanation. You were just about to pinch yourself when Rae’s voice startled you from your thoughts.

“She’s actually over right now. She insisted on getting wine drunk later tonight because her professor’s been on her ass lately. I’ll get her to come say hi.” Rae had barely turned around in her chair when she was met with your wide-eyed gaze, panic painted across your features as you shook your head wildly. You were in no state to be talking to your long-time internet crush in such a casual setting. But with the look Rae shot you from her chair as she started to plug another headset into her PC, you knew you had no choice and begrudgingly pulled yourself from the couch almost tripping over your own feet as you shakily walked over to Rae. Shooting her another pleading look, she only shoved the headset in your direction in return as she grinned up at you. Finally biting the bullet, you pulled on the headset and leaned down toward the mic.

“Hi, how’s it going?” Cursing at yourself for how quiet and shaky your words came out, you barely had any time to think it over before a chorus of greetings sounded through the headset. A small giggle escaped your lips as you watched the different Discord icons appear and disappear from the top of the screen. You knew most of these people already which made you even more confused as to how you managed to miss that voice from all the discord chats and voice calls. Well, knowing them was a bit of an overstatement anyway; you knew /of/ them, and they knew /of/ you in the other times you popped up in the background or in passing conversation during Rae’s streams. They did know you well enough, though, to know this was not the way you usually spoke around them.

“No way, that can’t be the (Y/N) I know!” The voice you recognize as Sean echoes through your headset, another chorus of knowing laughter following quickly after. Taking a deep breath you managed to force out a few words that would get them off your case.

“…Shut the fuck up”

“There she is!!” As the group erupted in laughter yet again, all you could focus on was the faint deep chuckle that resounded through your headset. Feeling your face start to heat up, you covered your wide grin with your hand as butterflies burst through your stomach; you could listen to that laugh all day. Before you were able to speak again, though, that heavenly voice piped up and wiped all train of thought from your mind.

“Nice to meet you (Y/N).”

“It’s nice to meet you too Corpse. I gotta be honest ‘n say I’m a pretty big fan of your no-sleep work.” And... there’s the word vomit. Fuck, you could feel your cheeks starting to heat up with the ongoing realization of who you were talking to.

“Aha thank you, I uh really appreciate that. I’m sure you just heard, but I guess you could say I’m a fan of yours also.”

No.

No, there’s no fucking way.

Is he...

Flirting with you?

Before you could even think about what to reply to that with, the rest of the group beat you to it.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, what is happening.”

“CORPSE! You SIMP!”

“Is- Is Corpse really shooting his shot right now?”

You didn’t realize you were frozen in place until you felt Rae’s hand on your elbow, snapping you out of your bewildered trance as you tried to comprehend what was happening yourself. As your thoughts finally caught up to the present, you could feel your cheeks start to burn; pulling your hand up to cover your face you stepped out of the view of the face cam. Rae’s laughter filled the room as she watched your flustered antics, shooting you a sly grin as she started scanning the monitor displaying her live chat.

“Wait, wait, chats telling me (y/n)’s blushing right now?” Sean’s voice echoed through the discord chat, only making you flush further as you tried desperately to find a way out of this.

“Okay, okay, leave her alone.” Corpse’s voice finally piped up amid all of the chaos causing everyone to immediately pipe down. God, you didn’t even want to begin to think of the mess this has already made, you just needed to get out of there before you caused any more damage.

“Yeah, I uh- see- see that the lobby’s full so I’ll just uh- leave you guys to it.” Quietly thanking the stars that Corpse finally got you out of this mess, you went to pull the headset off your ears when that fateful voice piped up again.

“Wait, don’t let these nerds make you leave. You should stay- I mean, only to help Rae y'know? She needs it.”

“I do not!”

“I- I mean yea sure, as long as I’m not intruding,” Cursing yourself again for stuttering before forcing yourself to swallow the knot in your throat, “I mean, she really does need the help.”

“Okay just because you want to flirt some more doesn’t mean you can bully me-“

“Okay, I’m starting the round!” The booming accented voice cut off everyone else in the call as you all stared as the screen began to count down to the game, and before anyone had the chance to say anything else a chorus of laughs resounded, and then the lobby fell into silence.

•••

And it went on like that, the not-so-subtle flirting followed by relentless jabs from the group immediately after. The game was almost forgotten with how much of each lobby was taken up by teasing words and endless laughter, but every audience was just eating it up. You didn’t even want to think about the mess social media was going to be after this stream but right now you were having fun with your friends and that’s all that mattered. The grin was practically plastered on your face as you laughed along with Rae the chat during the gameplay portions and you knew everything from this moment on was gonna be different, but you couldn’t find a single thing within you to care.

Especially when you logged onto Twitter right after the stream and saw that little message right at the top of your requests.

@.corpsehusband: wanna hear some of that no sleep work in person?

•••

beep bop here u go,

[forever-rogue]

Hi! I have a request and whenever/ if u get to it I’d be super happy😊 it’s been a rough week and I would love a Javi fic where he wakes up next to you and it dawns on him that he loves you, and some fluff or smut ensues 👀? Have a great day!

I love this - I went with some fluff, because I am feeling soft. Here we are, some gentle, soft, and introspective Javi. 

Javier x Fem!Reader; no warnings

Javier Masterlist

»»————-　♡　————-««

He came home late. Again. For the millionth time this week - rather this month. Year?

He always insisted that you didn't have to wait up for him but it didn't matter - you always tried anyway. For the days when you were able to stay up and welcome him home into your arms, he always seemed to ease up and melt into your touch. It wasn’t much, you never thought it was, but to him it was everything. To be able to come home to your smiling face, especially after a day out in the field was better than anything he could imagine. You were the singular, bright light in his dark and desperate world, reminding him that no matter what horrors he witnessed, there was always some good in this world. That no matter how bad of a man he felt, how evil and corrupt, you made him feel like that he wasn’t just filled with aching blackness. He was a good man and he was doing good things. 

The way you’d whisper his name as he walked into your shared apartment was always reverent, gentle, but firm, a catalyst to ground him and drag him out of his DEA head-space. Sometimes, you’d have dinner ready and waiting, almost as if you could sense when he’d be back, cracking a cold beer open for him as he sat down before gently kissing him. 

Other days when it would be late - too late - you’d meet him at the door and pull him along to the bathroom where you ran hot water filled with gently perfumed oils and stripped him of his clothes before guiding him into the tub. Sometimes you joined him, when he’d reach for you with eager hands and let you lay on his chest as he spoke about his day and got it off his mind; other times he just wanted the touch of your skin on his as you laid together in silence. Some nights you sat on the edge of the tub as you held his hand, telling him about your day, or something random, followed by washing his hair and body for him. It was something you enjoyed doing and he often did the same for you. He never verbalized just how much it meant to him, but you knew, you could always tell when he’d look at you with those soft chocolate, glossy with unshed tears before he kissed you. 

There were a hundred million ways that you told him you loved him without ever saying a word. Your actions always spoke volumes, and sometimes they overwhelmed him so much, he’d retreat into himself and go off into his head. Sometimes he was convinced that he didn’t deserve this - you - any of it. That he was masquerading around and had you fooled and thinking he was a decent human. But even in those times, you let him go, didn’t push or pull too much. And you went back to showing him in all the ways you could that you loved him. That you needed him as much as he needed you. That he was your everything. 

But this particular evening, he came home extra late. The stakeout had gone on longer than he intended and he wanted nothing more than to come home and crawl into bed and into your arms. 

By the time he entered the apartment and tossed his keys, badge, gun, and wallet onto the side table, he knew you were asleep. You weren’t there to greet him in person, but in your place was a scrawled note on the counter top.

Javi - dinner is in the fridge - I made your favorite. Eat and take a hot bath (I insist) and then come to bed. Tomorrow’s your day off and I want you to rest. Te amo.

An overwhelming sense of warmth started in his core and spread throughout his body as he read over your words. Never in his life had he expected to be part of this level of domesticity, but fuck - it sure felt nice. He ran a finger over your gently scrawled words before tucking the note safely away into the pocket. 

Just as you instructed, he went to the fridge and pulled out the plate you had prepared for him, heating it up while he got a beer and flicked on the television to quietly listen to some rerun of an old movie. As he ate, he listened to your soft snores coming from the bedroom as he smiled to himself. He knew he loved you, hell, he’d known that for a long, long time, but it had never really hit him just how damn much. It was the little things, and the big, that had him falling for you, over and over again. And - gods, he was completely smitten with you, overwhelmed and all consumed by you. 

He finished his plate and beer, going to set them in the sink before deciding against it and washing the few items up and tucking them in the cabinet. It wasn’t much, but he wanted to do it so you wouldn’t have to. Padding to the bathroom, he sneaked a quick peek at your sleeping form before smiling and stepping inside and turning on the tap for the hot water. He filled it with oils and bubbles, just as you always did, before stripping and sliding into the warm, blissful water. A low groan escaped his lips as he already felt the tension leave his body; you had been right - this was exactly what he needed. 

He took his time to wash his dark locks, to scrub himself free of any of the stress and grim, both literal and metaphorical, from the long day he’d had. He was off for a few days now and he wanted to start anew, to have a couple of fresh, clean days to get lost in you, to get lost in the simple pleasure of a normal life. It was nice sometimes, to get a reprieve from the constant darkness. One day, you promised him, this would be an everyday thing. And he couldn’t wait. 

Once he was satisfied with his handiwork, he got out and dried himself off and grabbed the clean pajamas you had laid out for him before crawling under the covers to join, taking care not to disturb your slumber.

But it was no use; as soon as you felt him slip into bed, you whispered his name with a smile tugged across your features. Your eyes didn’t open as you held your arms open and motioned for him to come to you. He eagerly complied as he let you wrap him up in your arms, pulling him tightly against your chest before tangling your legs with his. Javi made a small sound of content as he buried his face in your neck, pressing a few kisses to your soft skin before yawning and feeling the sweet call of slumber win him over. 

“I love you, Dulzura,” it was a soft whisper - a promise - a reminder that even if he didn’t verbalize as often as he should, it was true. 

»»————-　♡　————-««

By the time he woke up the next morning, or rather later that morning, the sun was shining brightly through the sheer curtains, the chirping of birds and the excited shouts of children reaching his ears. Javier moved to reach for you, but found your side of the bed empty. He huffed lightly, wanting nothing more than to feel your skin on his, but his despair was quickly turned upside down.

The delicious smell of cooking - bacon, coffee, pancakes - met his nose as he listened to you softly singing along to whatever was playing on the radio. Suddenly his world stopped as he realized with a burning intensity that this  - you  - were his everything. It was overwhelming and nearly bowled him over as he realized that he already had everything he could ever want. 

As if you sensed that he was awake, you padded down the hallway and poked your head into the bedroom to find him grinning back at you. 

“Good morning mi amor,” you beamed at him, that soft, gentle smile that still managed to make him weak in the knees. God, that smile had won him over within about five seconds of meeting you. You stepped in and walked over to him, leaning down to press a soft kiss to his lips. Javi reached up and grabbed your face, holding you against his lips as he savored your sweet, saccharine taste. He traced over your features, studying you closely as his eyes softened, “what’s wrong, Javi?”

“Nothing,” he promised with another soft kiss, “I’m just happy. What a sight to wake up to.”

��I’m happy too,” you promised him, “I’m glad you got some rest, but now go back to sleep, it’ll be a little bit before everything is ready.”

“I’m wide awake now,” he insisted as he sat up and you ran a hand through his messy locks.

“Was I being too loud?” you frowned, hoping you weren’t the cause.

“No,” he promised softly, “I got enough rest. Let me help you - “

“It’s okay, Javi,” you insisted, “I want to do this, besides, it’s your day off. Let me take care of you.”

“I love you, dulzura,” he said suddenly, reaching for your hand before you could get away, “I know I don’t tell you enough, or show you, but please just know, I love you more than you will ever know.”

“I know Javier,” you gave his hand a squeeze, “I know you do. You prove that to me every day, even if you don’t realize it. I love you too.”

“Let me come and help make breakfast,” he moved to slide out of the bed and stand up, stretched as he did so. 

“Javier, you don’t have to…”

“I want to,” he promised gently, wrapping his arms around you before pulling you into his chest, “really. And maybe this afternoon we can go to the beach. Just you and me. What do you say dulzura?”

“I’d like that Javi,” you grinned at him as touched his cheek, getting lost in those soft brown eyes, “I’d like that a lot.”

“And I like you a lot - I love you always, even if I don’t say it enough,” he insisted, “you have my heart, now and forever.”

“And you have mine, Javier. Always.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

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[kpopfanfictrash]

s is for sexy

Author: kpopfanfictrash

Pairing: Jungkook

Word Count: 1,532

Rating: PG-13

Summary: An accompanying drabble to The Art of War More. This drabble takes place after the events of both TAOM and L is for Lunacy. Jungkook is included in People magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive issue, but you can’t find a copy anywhere.

[ PART OF MY JUNGKOOK BIRTHDAY DRABBLE GAME ]

“We’ve made a terrible mistake,” you complained, sinking down on a park bench to rest your chin in one hand.

Coming to a stop, Gina craned her neck to peer over her shoulder. “I agree,” she said. “We should’ve stopped and gotten donuts at that shop I pointed out.”

“Gina.” You looked up. “Read the room, alright?”

“Right, sorry.”

She grinned, plopping down on the park bench beside you. Adjusting her green and white striped shorts, Gina lifted a hand to scan the horizon. A few children played on the slide at the playground, their innocent cackles drifting over the hedges.

Utterly exhausted, you sighed. “We should give up.”

“No!” Gina turned to face you, appalled. “We’re not stopping until we’ve combed every newsstand in the city. Until we’ve harassed every bodega owner! Until our names are plastered under persona non grata in every library!”

Normally, Gina’s speeches were enough for you to crack a smile, but not today. Today was the day Jungkook’s big magazine article was released and you had woefully dropped the ball. To be fair, Seokjin had suggested you order the volume ahead of time, since the People’s Sexiest Men issue tended to sell out, but you completely forgot.

Jungkook had stayed on campus through Senior year, but then had immediately entered the NHL. This was his second full season with the team and already, he was garnering national attention. Much of this was due to a viral clip of your boyfriend removing his jersey at the end of game five of the western conference finals, but said clip wouldn’t have gone viral if Jungkook had been on the bench.

The fact that he got playing time in his first season was remarkable – let alone that he was playing in the semis and was now considered the league’s It boy. Already there were rumors of him being nominated for end of year awards. Jungkook was excited about those, of course, but you and your friends were more excited for this. People’s Sexiest Men Alive.

He wasn’t the cover, of course – that was reserved for A list celebrities – but it seemed Jungkook’s abs had been enough to land him a mention. You’d planned on wallpapering the apartment door with the photo before he got home tomorrow, but that wouldn’t happen if you couldn’t get your hands on a copy.

Unfortunately for you, the issue seemed to be sold out.

Sighing again, you folded your arms over your chest. “Has Seokjin said anything to you?” you asked Gina. “Was he able to find one?”

“How should I know?” she said, somewhat defensive. “It’s not like I know everything Seokjin does or says.”

You stared at her for a moment, unsure how to respond. “Uh – I know?”

“Right.” Gina swallowed, somewhat mollified. “Why don’t we call him?”

Shaking your head at her weirdness, you pulled your phone from your pocket. Honestly, Gina and Seokjin had been acting mad weird lately. They acted all cagey and awkward whenever you asked one about the other. If you didn’t know better, you’d almost think they were fighting.

Dialing Seokjin’s number, you leaned back on the bench and listened to his ringback tone. Kim Seokjin was one of the only people you knew – well, him and your aunt – who still had that feature, and Seokjin hadn’t bothered to update his since 2011. It was still Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen.

HEY, I JUST MET YOU! AND THIS IS CRAZ –

“Hello?”

“Seokjin,” you groaned. “When are you going to change that dumb ringback tone?”

“Whenever Carly Rae goes out of style, so never.”

Gina, having overheard, cracked up beside you.

“Anyways,” you said, switching to your other ear. “Any luck on the search?”

“Sorry, but nope. Seems your boyfriend is more in demand than that one donut shop Gina always wants to go to.”

“That, or it’s the fact that Michael B. Jordan’s on the cover.”

“Yeah, probably that.”

“Alright,” you sighed, picking a thread on your jeans. “Thanks for trying, Seokjin.”

“Anytime,” he said and hung up.

As you shoved your phone in your purse, Gina looked at you warily. “No luck?”

“Nope.”

“Hm.” Gina leaned back on the bench. “Maybe we should switch gears here, get creative. We could cut out semi-nude photos of Jungkook and stick them to the pages of last year’s edition!”

“Where would I get last year’s issue, though?”

“Good point.” Gina thought. “You could just stick semi-nude photos of Jungkook to your front door?”

“Gina,” you laughed, shoving her shoulder. “Stop stripping my boyfriend!”

“There it is!” Gina beamed. “I knew I could get you to laugh.”

Shaking your head, your smile faded a little. Gina was right though, this was silly. It would’ve been fun for Jungkook to come home from his away game to this, but it was hardly the end of the world. You would just order a copy online and wait.

Heaving a great sigh, you stood from the bench. “Okay,” you said, turning to Gina. “Let’s head out.”

Gina convinced you to go to the donut shop at least, so you didn’t arrive home empty-handed. That was the reason she gave you at least, although you knew it had more to do with her recently launched donut Instagram.

The box was precariously perched on your hip as you shoved open the door, placing the keys on the hook to kick the door shut. As you turned to walk inside, you started – nearly dropping the entire box of donuts on the floor.

“Jungkook?” you gasped.

Chucking the box on the counter, you dashed across the room.

Jungkook laughed when you reached him, immediately jumping to wrap your legs around his waist. He caught you easily, warm hands on your waist as you buried your face in his chest. Somewhat awkwardly, he walked you towards the kitchen.

“You’re back!” you blurted, pulling back to see him.

Jungkook grinned, rosy-cheeked from your touch. “I’m back,” he agreed, depositing you on the kitchen counter. “Miss me?”

“How?” you demanded, poking his chest. “How’d you get home so fast?”

“I feel so welcome,” Jungkook teased. At the look on your face, he grinned. “Coach cancelled tomorrow’s practice, so I caught a flight back today.”

“Yay,” you said happily, leaning to rest your head on his chest.

The steady thrum of his heartbeat reassured you and for a moment, you allowed yourself to enjoy this. Jungkook smelled as he always did, like light floral and cotton, and the weight of his hands on your thighs made your heart calm.

His thumbs played with the thread on your jeans, which sent your mind to other places – places involving your bed, his ass and zero clothes – but for now, you were content with this.

“What’s in the box?” he murmured into your hair.

“Oh, right,” you said and pulled back. Twisting around, you dragged the donut box towards you and popped the top. “Some might be a bit squished since I threw them. Gina and I went to the new donut place on Lakeview.”

Jungkook’s eyes went super-wide. He immediately bent to grab the closest donut, powdered sugar getting everywhere when he bit into the side.

“Yum.” Jungkook’s eyes rolled exaggeratedly back in his head. “Wow, this is the best welcome home I’ve ever gotten. There’s you, of course, but also – donuts.”

“Obviously,” you said. “There was actually supposed to be another surprise, but I kind of messed it up.”

Jungkook licked powdered sugar off his wrist. “Messed something up? You? Don’t buy it.”

“Suck up,” you teased. “But no, really. I wanted to get your People’s Sexiest Men edition! I was going to plaster it across the front door and embarrass you.”

Jungkook grimaced. “As fun as that sounds, the donuts are better.”

“What? You aren’t proud of how sexy you are?”

“I don’t care about that.” Jungkook swallowed the last of the donut. “As long as you find me sexy.”

Tipping your head back, you groaned. “Okay, now you’re seriously sucking up.”

“Mm.” Placing his hands on either side of your thighs, Jungkook’s nose grazed your jawline. “Anything else you want me to suck?”

“Jungkook!”

Drawing back, his gaze glinted darkly. “Besides, why do you need that photo of me with my shirt off?”

You frowned, perturbed and he reached one hand overhead. Still looking at you, Jungkook did that stupid-hot thing guys do where they remove their shirt with one hand. When his six pack abs were revealed, they left you a bit speechless.

Flexing a little, Jungkook grinned. “You have the real thing.”

“Shut up,” you groaned, shoving his pec. Oh – hard. Sliding down from the counter, you began walking towards the bedroom. “But since you offered…”

Jungkook waggled his brows. “I did.”

“Get in there, sexiest man alive,” you laughed. “Show me what you got.”

“Alright.” Jungkook caught himself on the doorframe with both hands. “But before we go any further, I feel compelled to clarify I’m not People’s sexiest man, just one of them. Michael B. Jordan is the sexiest man alive.”

“Jungkook!” You pointed through the door. “Bed!”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a salute.

You stared after him, grinning stupidly before following.

 kpopfanfictrash, 2020. Do not copy or repost without permission.

[pinkrae]

Beyond the War | Chapter 1

Setting: DamiRae, Post!Apokolips War, new timeline AU

Inspired by: THIS Comic by chromium7sky and all the Super!Rae fanart xD

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

“Do we know that this will work for sure?”

“It’ll work.” Violet eyes looked into green before the gaze was averted, letting a sigh of concern leave the young man’s lips. There were many uncertainties, many questions lingering in the air. As it was expected after everything they had gone through. They’ve had one hell of a time, after all. But there was something else, too.

“Would you rather have the world as it is right now?” She then asked again after a moment, placing her hand over his and bringing his eyes back to her.

“I- Of course not,” he stuttered and took a quick look at the people- the survivors around them before locking his eyes with hers once more. “I just- We only just got each other back. I don’t want to lose you again.” His brows furrowed, he tried his best to hide the immense pain in his chest that he felt just thinking about it. But he knew she felt it regardless. She always did. A sigh escaped her lips as well.

“I know,” she mumbled and looked over at the water before them, her lips curling into a sad smile. “But- We found each other in this timeline. I’m sure we can find each other again in another.”

He looked at her in somewhat of an awe and surprise of how lightly she seemed to take the situation at hand and before he even knew it, he released an incredulous chuckle. 

“How do you know that?”

“I don’t.” A simple shrug and a gentle squeeze on his hand as she could see Flash preparing to start his run from the corner of her eyes. “All I can do is hope.”

And a whoosh sound went past them. That’s how they all knew these were their last moments together like this and it brought a tear in her eyes. As fucked up as the world turned out to be, she had loved so much of it. She found friends, found family, she found love. And all of that would be gone in a blink of an eye. Even if it was for a better future, she couldn’t help but to feel sad about losing all the positives that she had gained during her stay here. 

“Raven-” his voice brought her back from her thoughts and she looked at him teary-eyed, noticing the sadness in his own eyes as well- “what if we can’t find each other in the new timeline? This new- Flashpoint?” The thought of her not being able to find him pained her to the point that it felt like her heart had just gotten pierced by a dagger, but she had to remain hopeful. She had to.

“Dum spiro spero, Damian,” the girl spoke through her tears and lifted her free hand to caress his cheek. “While I breathe, I hope.”

“Dum spiro spero,” he repeated in a whisper in an almost desperate thought that speaking those words out loud would help to make it come true and slowly leaned in until their lips touched for their first and their last kiss in this timeline as the world around them slowly disappeared in a bright light… 

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

Deep breath…  

Be calm… 

You can do it… 

Violet eyes slowly opened as she took in the scenery before her. It was definitely much different than Metropolis. Darker. More grim. Filled with so many negative emotions. Fear, hatred, greed… She hadn’t arrived too long ago and she already hated being here. But she had set her mind on doing this and, well, she was already here, so there was no backing down now. Sporting the signature look of her family, Raven roamed about along the rooftops of this godforsaken city in hopes of attracting the kind of attention she came here for. And she didn’t have to wander around for too long before she heard that very familiar deep voice behind her.

“You’re far away from home, kid.”

She wasn’t startled or afraid of the man in the slightest, so she turned around to face him as if she had expected him. 

“I didn’t know how else to contact you,” the girl responded confidently.

Sure, he wasn’t the friendliest of superheroes she knew. In fact, most people, sometimes even his own friends, were afraid of him. And while, yes, he did give off this dreadful vibe, Raven was more- curious. There was a sense of familiarity with him and she felt comfortable enough around him. 

“Well- Not without Superman finding out about it, anyway,” she added in once his silence told her that her response wasn’t extensive enough. Of course, there were other ways to contact Batman. But not without someone else’s help. Which is exactly what she didn’t need this time. 

“Why are you here then?” Brief with his words, as always, the masked vigilante stepped out of the darker corner of the rooftop.

And that’s when she froze for a moment. Like she hadn’t thought of even getting this far. Suddenly doubting if it had been a good idea to come here after all. Was this the right thing to do? Behind Clark’s back? Not telling anyone? Not trying a different alternative and just going straight to Batman? Who was currently looking right at her, expecting an answer-

“I- I wanted to ask for your help in finding someone,” Raven stammered a bit at first, but found her confidence again towards the end of her sentence.

“There are legal ways to do that.”

“Not for someone who’s got no legal records on the entire planet,” she was quick to respond, but stopped for a brief moment before elaborating with a sigh. “Look, all I got is a fake ID and fake adoption papers. As far as the law is concerned, I didn’t exist until I was fourteen. And even for someone who was born on Earth and dropped at an orphanage as an infant, it could take years to- to find your actual family, so… Please. All I want is a chance.”

Batman looked intently at her, putting the puzzle pieces together the more she spoke. He didn’t say anything- did he ever?- only hummed in thought. Sure, he could ask her why she didn’t just go to Clark and Lois for this. They were renowned reporters, very much capable of helping her. But she had made it clear that she didn’t want Clark to know she was even in Gotham right now, meaning she probably didn’t want them to know anything at all about this. A foster child looking for their blood related family not wanting to tell their foster family about it to not hurt their feelings? He’d seen that all too many times before. Some with less happy endings than others.

“You’ve been on Earth for how many years? Why now?” His raspy voice then finally broke the silence, startling her just a little bit. Of course, she had expected a question like that to pop up. But truth to be told, she had no solid answer for it. Or, what could be considered a solid answer, anyway. There were many things she could tell him in response. That she wanted to know if she had any blood relatives on Earth at all. That her mother had been an adopted child herself and she wanted to do this for her. Or that she could never go back to Azarath because it got destroyed and she missed her mother, even though they were never truly allowed to have a proper mother-daughter relationship, so she was seeking a way to somehow connect with her through others of her bloodline. Or that there was just something constantly missing in her life and she felt like she was always searching for something- someone, not even knowing what or who that was, so she was hoping that finding family would perhaps quench this feeling. But- It was all so complicated, even for her.

“I just want to know.” That was a simpler answer. 

Raven shrugged and hid her hands behind her back, thinking for a brief moment as her gaze grew distant, not focusing on anything in particular. “I’d like to think that getting to know both sides of my family would do me good.”

A part of that was true, too. All she ever really was recognized as by those who didn’t know her was the demon’s daughter. A hellspawn, born to an interdimensional beast that almost destroyed this world just like he had done with countless others, had her adoptive family and the heroes of Earth not intervened and helped her stop him. Having a nice, quiet, normal family somewhere sounded nice sometimes. But again, it wasn’t the main reason.

The Bat’s “hm” almost sounded like a growl as he contemplated the sincerity of Raven’s explanation, unsure if he should trust it or not. Well, she didn’t blame him for not trusting her. Not a lot of people did. Her eyes returned to observing the masked man before her in anticipation of his response. Luckily, however, she didn’t have to wait for too long. Glancing sideways for a second as if hearing something, he looked back to her and swiftly turned around.

“Follow me,” he said as he started making his way to the edge of the roof. “It’s not wise to parade around Gotham with that “S” on your chest.”

“It’s- not an “S”...” The girl mumbled quietly under her nose, but quickly levitated after him as the two of them got down into one of the many dark alleyways where he’d hidden the Batmobile. It was for the best not to argue with him since he seemed like having agreed to her plea, even if he didn’t outright say it.

It wasn’t a no either.

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

FF.net link || AO3 link

[i-just-love-spop]

...and then I found you. [Part one]

Part two | Part three

“Bow...” Glimmer was white as a sheet now. “I think I’m having the baby.”

“Did your water break?”

“Yeah. ...about three hours ago? ... I think the baby wants out, like, right now!”

“GLIMMER!”

—

Actually less a request than just the result of me and @darkmasterofcupcakes talking about Glimbow (and stubborn Glimmer that would insist on still working until literally the last minute of her pregnancy) for way too long that spiraled into a huge fic. This is the first out of either two or three parts, depending on how long the rest of this ends up being.

Companion fic to “One night, I wished upon a star...” which completes the title.

Summary: Glimmer is convinced she can get through the rest of the meeting and then have her baby afterwards. The baby disagrees.

Bow is losing his mind.

Their friends are being semi-helpful.

The healer is questioning their own choice of career.

All of the princesses are present but most of them are not that important. Catra and Adora will be more relevant in the second part.

Glimbow-centric, but also has some background Catradora, Seamista and Scorfuma.

I’m going with Perfuma being a trans woman because Rae said she was designed that way, which I like a lot. I’m also using this as the explanation why she can have a biological child with Scorpia, in case anyone is wondering.

[Takes place a couple of years after the end of show.]

(Also, this has cursing in it. For obvious reasons.)

—

This was fine. This was fine. This was fine!

Glimmer clenched her hands on the edge of the table again.

Shit. Was this supposed to hurt this much?

She breathed in and out, in and out, in and out until finally, after what felt like an eternity, the pain finally subsided.

She didn’t really have much time to relax, though. The time that passed between the surges of pain lessened with what felt like every contraction. They were only about five minutes apart now.

This was fine.

Just another half an hour, then they would be done with the meeting, and she could get to a healer and have her baby.

This was fine! And she was totally focused on what was being said!

“Uhm... Should we, like, pause the meeting, or...?”

Mermista looked at her friend, eyebrow raised.

The entire meeting room was staring at her now.

“No, it’s fine! I’m great! Really! Just go on with what you were telling us about the new trading route!”

Glimmer gave them the world’s falsest smile, clenching her fists again.

“Uhm... we finished that topic about twenty minutes ago? Are you okay? Do you need medial attention? I feel like you do.“

The Queen of Brightmoon shook her head vigorously.

“Scorpia, that’s really, really sweet, but it’s fine! Really! I’m great!“

Glimmer had reached the point where she felt so sick and was in so much pain that she was certain she was about to either throw up or pass out on the meeting room table. Maybe both.

This was fine.

“Uhm... are you sure? Sparkles, you look awful,” Catra cut in.

Adora nodded in agreement.

Both of them were immensely worried about their friend.

“Yes! Totally sure!”

Then the next contraction hit, and it was so painful that she couldn’t keep herself from screaming.

“Okay, that’s it! You’ve never had practice contractions this bad, and I don’t care if the healer said this is normal, we‘re done here and you’re seeing another healer IMMEDIATELY!”

Bow was extremely worried.

Glimmer took a moment to reply, breathing heavily until the pain passed.

“It’s fine, really! I promise! We’re almost done here anyway! Let’s just wrap this up real quick, and then we can go see a healer!”

...right. Practice contractions. That’s what she‘d told him this was the day before. She’d completely blanked out on that until now.

She had had practice contractions before, and in the beginning, she’d really thought that was what this was. She’d taken a long bath to make herself feel better and had then gone to bed.

She’d actually slept relatively well through some of the earlier contractions that hadn’t been quite as long and intense.

Then they’d gotten worse and more frequent and had jolted her up from her sleep about every thirty minutes.

By morning, the contractions been twenty minutes apart, and Bow had been pretty worried that she was having them again – which had been a faulty assumption on his part that Glimmer just kind of didn’t correct.

He’d told her to see a healer, which she’d promised she definitely would... but after this really important Princess Alliance-Meeting that she still had to attend. By then, she’d been pretty certain she knew what was going on, and the baby was still kicking and moving around the same way she had before, reminding her that she was alright, so she wasn’t worried about something being wrong with the baby.

All of this had then led to her telling him that this was just... normal and how it was supposed to be – which it really was, according to the books, at least –, and Bow had just assumed a healer had told her, and she once again hadn’t corrected him.

She didn’t like being dishonest with him, but he wouldn’t have let her attend the meeting if she’d told him, and this was important. Bow was already super protective of her anyway and would have preferred it if she’d just taken some time off of work now that she was getting so close to her due date, so there was absolutely no way he would have let her work today if he‘d known what was going on.

But Glimmer had a kingdom to run.

Besides, the books said that it took several hours up to a full day from the first contraction to your body actually being ready to have the baby, especially if it was your first birth, so she could definitely get through the rest of this four hour meeting and then have her baby afterwards.

Probably.

This was totally, completely, definitely fine.

And then the next contraction hit, and it was that very moment she knew that nothing was fine in the slightest.

The realization that she was having her baby very, very soon suddenly washed over her. It was as if someone had flipped the switch on her relatively relaxed ‘I can do this’-attitude, and from one moment to the next, she went into full-on panic mode.

She instantly went back on her word from before.

“ALRIGHT, MEETING’S OVER, GOODBYE EVERYONE!” She yelled, punching her fists onto the table.

If the others’ attention hadn’t been on her since before anyway, it definitely would have been, now.

She needed to get out of here, she needed to get to the healers and-

Glimmer tried to get up. Her knees were weak and everything hurt, and she immediately collapsed back onto the chair, howling with pain.

“Glimmer!”

Her husband was at her side straightaway.

“I’m okay! I’m okay...”

She wasn’t. She really, really wasn’t.

Bow put his arms around her, and she immediately melted into them and started sobbing.

Stars, why did this hurt so much?

“It will be okay, I promise. We’ll take you to a healer immediately, and... you’ll be okay. Both of you will be okay.”

It wasn’t like that was something he could actually guarantee, but he was doing his best to stay calm because him freaking out while his wife was already freaking out would help absolutely nobody.

Seeing her this scared was still just as terrifying to him as it had been back when they were kids.

“No, you... you don’t understand. I’m okay, really. This is perfectly normal.”

He shook his head vigorously.

“Yeah, no. I appreciate the effort to calm me down, really, but there’s absolutely no way this is normal for practice contractions, you’re in way too much pain and you and the baby could be in danger so please don’t downplay this!”

“No, we’re fine. She’s kicking and we’re both fine. I just... don’t think these are practice contractions.”

“...what?” It a moment for his brain to process what she’d just said. Then his eyes widened. “Wait, you mean-”

“Bow...” Glimmer was white as a sheet now. “I think I’m having the baby.”

Okay, that... that was good, right? That did mean what she was going through right now was actually, really normal and Glimmer and the baby most likely weren’t in danger. But also...

‘Oh stars Glimmer is having the baby!’

Bow was excited.

And also terrified.

“Did your water break yet?”

The amount of time his time took before answering made him really, really certain he probably wouldn’t like what she was about to say, and that she definitely knew that.

...he really didn’t like the answer he got when she finally replied.

“Yeah. ...about three hours ago?” The next contraction was so bad it brought tears to her eyes and almost made her faint. That was it. This was too much. The pain was unbearable. She couldn’t take it a single second longer. “I think the baby wants out, like, right now!”

All color drained from Bow’s face.

“GLIMMER!”

That meant his wife wasn’t just... having the baby as in going in to labor, she was actually having the baby. Right now.

Bow was usually a calm, collected, sensible person. He was currently having a very hard time being either of those things.

“I was just trying to get through the meeting first!”

Admittedly, that didn’t seem like much of a decent justification anymore, even to Glimmer. Her defensive tone wasn’t even convincing herself, much less anyone else. Her voice was still shaking from the pain of the last contraction, and she knew there wasn’t much time for her to take a breather until the next one hit.

“I can’t believe you...” Bow shook his head and groaned, less mad than just in plain disbelief and shock. “How often are you having contractions? How far apart are they? Have you been keeping track?”

She thought for a moment.

"...Like, every minute or two? They're close, that's all I kn-"

She wasn’t even able to finish the sentence before the next contraction hit her, this one even longer and even more intense and painful than the last. She screamed her lungs out.

It hurt. It hurt so, so, so, so much.

Glimmer’s body was on fire, and she was almost certain this was what dying felt like – although, who knew, at this point she all but guessed dying was actually more comfortable and hurt less.

“EVERY MINUTE OR TWO? ARE YOU SERIOUS?!”

Bow was officially losing his mind.

His squeaky voice was pretty telling for just how freaked out he was.

‘Why. Is. My. Wife. Like. This?!’

This was bad. This was really, really, really bad.

Bow loved Glimmer, he really did, but there were moments like this where she drove him completely insane.

He took a few seconds to close his eyes and then took a couple of deep breaths to gather his thoughts. They could do this. They needed to, because he had to make sure Glimmer and the baby would be okay, and him freaking out was not helping right now, so he had to stay calm. He could still freak out later. Glimmer and his daughter needed to be his main priority now.

He was calmer and more collected when he opened his eyes again. He clapped his hands together.

“Okay. Catra, please go get some towels, a sanitized blanket and a bunch of pillows, would you? And Adora, we need a healer. Immediately. And ask them to bring medical supplies for the delivery. Everyone else: GET. OUT!”

Catra and Adora both just nodded and disappeared on their separate ways instantly. It wasn’t hard to grasp the importance of his requests, after all.

“Wait wait wait wait wait, there’s no need for anyone to get out, or for anything else, because I’m definitely not giving birth IN HERE!”

Glimmer was tired and in pain and just wanted her bed. Or any bed, for that matter. Just something soft to lay down on that she could sink into that would make her feel a little better. And she definitely did not want to stay in here of all places!

“Love...” Bow’s voice was soft and sweet and sounded really worried. “You can’t even stand up. Forget it. We’re not moving you. I’d be happy if we could get you onto the table so you could lie down, but I’m not even sure we can manage that.”

Glimmer gulped. She really, really couldn’t imagine giving birth in here. She just wanted a bed – was that really too much to ask?

“I- I could try teleport-” She suggested.

Bow didn’t even let her finish. There was absolutely no way he would let that happen.

“Oh no, you don’t! Glimmer, I love you, but your powers have been acting up for a while now because of your pregnancy, and I have absolutely no desire to help you give birth on a tree!”

He really didn’t want to find out where her attempt to teleport during contractions would possibly land them.

“WELL, I DON’T WANT TO GIVE BIRTH IN THE MEETING ROOM EITHER!”

“Glimmer-”

She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate, but then the next contraction hit and this just absolutely, definitely wasn’t happening.

She couldn’t even focus on teleporting long enough to screw it up, which hadn’t happened to her before, ever. And it somehow felt even worse than back when she’d had problems with her powers because of Shadow Weaver’s curse.

The Queen of Bright Moon sunk back into her chair, screaming.

“Okay. Okay, you’re right,” she mumbled after a while when the pain passed. “This won’t work. But I can’t- I can’t give birth in here.”

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t have to, but it’s not a choice anymore, Glim.” Bow was immensely relived that the teleporting hadn’t worked because who knew where they would have ended up if it had, but all of these people in here were stressing him out even more than he already was because of the whole situation. “Could somebody help me get her on the table, and could the rest of you guys PLEASE LEAVE?”

Since Glimmer had said she wasn’t staying in here so nobody had to leave, everyone as currently still standing around the room, either looking at her awkwardly or trying to avoid staring at her even more awkwardly.

“Oh, no problem, I’m out of here I have no desire to learn what I’ll go through in a couple of months,” Mermista commented, dragging her husband after her as she headed for the door.

At least some of the attention of the group shifted from Glimmer to Mermista for a moment.

Bow blinked in surprise.

“Wait... you’re pregnant?”

“Uh, duh? I thought everyone knew that?”

The mermaid seemed a little confused by the question.

Glimmer just looked at her with a pained expression.

“I’d say congratulations, but right now I just feel like I’m dying, so expressing my condolences kind of feels more appropriate!”

Mermista raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t you think you’re being, like, a little dramatic?”

Glimmer gave the mermaid a death glare.

“Either you shut up right now, or by the Heart of Etheria, I swear, the first thing I’ll do after giving birth to this child will be KICKING YOUR ASS!”

Mermista raised her hands defensively.

“Okay. Okay. We were just leaving!”

Bow was a little relieved that there was two fewer people in the room now, but there was still way too many inside for it to be anything close to comfortable.

He growled.

“I swear to the stars, I will shove all of you out of the room myself if I have to!”

“Me and Scorpia can help with Glimmer. Everyone else, you heard him, get out of here!” Perfuma said, gently shoving Netossa and Spinerella who were standing next to her towards the door.

The two of them just waved.

“Alright, we’ll be... on our way. Good luck!” Spinerella said and waved while her wife just gave them an awkward smile.

They had friends that had kids biologically related to them, but they’d never gotten this close to watching the actual birth before. Not that that was something either of them had ever desired to see.

Entrapta on the other hand didn’t move at all. She was mesmerized. She’d never watched anything like this before – well, not with humans anyway.

“Eeek, this is so exciting! Can I stay?”

“YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT!”

“Childbirth is one of the most fascinating experiences in nature! It would be incredibly thrilling to see it from up close.“

Bow pinched the bridge of his nose and tried not to scream. He really, really liked Entrapta and went to her for advice when it came to technology a lot. But he also really, really didn’t have the patience to deal with her right now.

...or with anyone, really.

“Well, if you’re so fascinated, just have your own kid!”

She thought for a moment.

“Hmmm... Interesting suggestion.”

“Do me a favor and contemplate it OUTSIDE!”

He was losing his mind. He was officially completely losing his mind.

“...am I making you uncomfortable? I feel like I might be making you uncomfortable.”

Bow was fighting the urge not to just straight up scream for a solid thirty seconds, took another deep breather and looked at Entrapta sternly.

“Listen. You’re great, but right now, I would appreciate it if you could give us a little bit of privacy. Thank you.”

“...right. Sorry. Good luck!“

Bow let out a long-drawn-out sigh when she finally left the room.

Now the only people left in there were Scorpia and Perfuma – well, and Frosta, because she was waiting for them, but she was facing the door and seemed to have absolutely no desire to turn around again.

This was better. Still not even close to ideal, but better.

“Can’t I at least try to climb the table myself if I have to give birth here?” Glimmer protested. “I’m not a baby anymore!”

But the protest was quiet and weak because she was tired and hurting and pretty sure it would fall on deaf ears anyway.

“Right. You’re not a baby, but you’re having one, and you still can’t stand up, so you’re not climbing anything.” He kissed her forehead. “I love all of you, including your stubborn nature, but right now I need you to not be stubborn for once in your life and let us help you, okay?”

She grimaced, but let them lift her onto the table without protest afterwards.

That she was lying instead of sitting now felt a little better, but really just very slightly. She still wanted her bed. Or maybe just to straight up die so the pain would end. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could take this.

...had the pain been that bad from the beginning? How in the galaxy had she sat through several hours of that?!

Her panic got worse by the second as the pain also worsened, and she became more and more certain that she was actually going to die, right here, in the middle of the fucking meeting room table and that she would never get to meet or hold her baby or-

She felt Bow‘s hand in hers, his soft, loving voice pulling her out of her thoughts and back into reality.

“Hey... I’m right here, okay? Shhh. You’ll be fine. I promise you’ll both be okay.”

He was sitting next to her on the table now.

“It hurts so much...”

“I know. I know. The healer will be here soon. You’ll be okay.” She put her head in his lap. He ran his fingers through her hair. “Just breathe...”

And Glimmer did just that, trying to tune out all the background noise and the pain as she breathed.

Bow looked up at Scorpia and Perfuma, on hand still on Glimmer’s hair, the other one squeezing hers.

“...thank you for the help.”

“Always. Can we help you with anything else?” Perfuma asked.

“Not much, we just really need Adora and Catra to be back.” He hesitated for a moment. “Although... I mean, you two are the only ones out of our friend group that have actually had a baby so far, so any advice you could give us right now would be appreciated?”

Scorpia smiled sheepishly.

“I wish we could, but... I actually had Thorn in a medical chamber, so this isn’t really comparable to begin with. And also, I had a c-section, so I don’t think anything we could tell you would be especially helpful right now. Sorry.”

Almost all Scorpioni-children were brought into the world via c-sections because the chances of the child accidentally harming the mother during birth with their pincers and stinger was pretty high, making natural birth too dangerous in most cases.

“She’s right. We could offer you some parenting advice later on, though,” Perfuma added. “But I think we should leave you two alone here for now, anyway.”

“Yeah, that would probably be for the best. Thanks again, you two.”

“Anytime.”

A calming scent of lavender remained in the air when the two of them left.

—

“Will... will she be okay?” Frosta asked softly when Perfuma and Scorpia walked up to her to leave the room.

Frosta still had her back turned to the whole situation but Glimmer’s agonized cries were hard to ignore. She was genuinely terrified.

Perfuma rubbed her hair.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine, don’t worry too much about her, okay? Glimmer can handle herself. She always could.”

“Yeah, okay, I guess that’s true...” Frosta admitted, still somewhat skeptic.

Not that she’d spent much time prior to this thinking about childbirth, but she’d never imagined it was this painful.

She shuddered.

Scorpia put one of her arms around the ice princess.

“Come on, kid. Let’s give the lady some privacy.”

”...okay.” If anyone else had called Frosta kid, especially now that she was an adult, she’d have smacked them on the head with her ice fists. But Scorpia and Perfuma were her moms, so she could let it slide when it came to them... Maybe. “Since I doubt we’ll continue with the meeting today, can we pick up Thorn from daycare now?” She asked when they’d left the room.

Perfuma hugged her daughter, her eyes sparkling.

“Awww, are you missing your little sister?”

“Pffft, no.” Frosta crossed her arms, but Perfuma looked at her with so much love in her eyes that she caved immediately. “Okay, I totally am! Can you blame me? She’s so cute and I love her!” She admitted, her face turning beet-red.

A second later, Scorpia had pulled her wife and her daughter into a crushing bear-hug.

“I love you guys so, so much.”

Perfuma immediate hugged her back.

“We love you too, lightning rose.”

Frosta was just kind of stuck in the middle of the hug between her adoptive mothers.

“Air is still a thing I need, even now that I’m an adult!” she reminded them, only half-serious. “You two are squeezing me to death!”

“Right. Sorry,” Scorpia apologized, relinquishing her grip a little.

When the three of them separated, they were all laughing.

—

Bow was just glad that he was finally, finally, finally alone with his wife.

He just hoped Adora and Catra would be back really soon, because despite having read a lot of books on pregnancy, labor and delivery over the course of Glimmer’s pregnancy, he had serious doubts he would be able to deliver their baby on his own.

[andsotheuniverseended]

cephas my beloved

so i don't know if what you meant here was "answer all thirty of the dnd meme questions for cephas" but that is how i'm interpreting it so i'mma go ahead and put it under a cut

(also for those not in the know, Cephas (they/she/him/any pronoun you like) is my stone construct witch. yes those are both homebrew things I found online. i use this witch and just recently updated them to the 3.0 version and i'm very excited about it)

1. if one of their friends was jumping on a bed and asked your character to join them, would they?

Yes, absolutely, of course. The bed would then immediately break because Cephas is a couple tons of solid rock, but that's on their friends for not thinking it through. Or maybe that was the plan. Either way, Cephas is on board.

2. would your character carry around a tiny bath and body works hand sanitizer? if yes, would it have a specific scent?

I mean, Ceph does carry around smelling salts enchanted to smell like whatever would make someone feel better in the moment? Which is kind of the same thing? But anyways the real answer is Probably Not unless it was a gift, because Cephas has no sense of smell and has no need to sanitize.

3. does your character paint their nails? do they wait for them to dry fully afterwards?

Technically he doesn't have nails but Cephas will happily allow themselves to be painted over any part of their body, and will stay completely still until it's dry. I know because the party his done this to them before.

4. if you cut open your character’s heart and there was something inside, what would it be? why?

Hm. I mean. Literally speaking, no heart, you just find stone in there. Figuratively speaking... a jade earring. representative of their first steps towards freedom.

5. do/would your character carry lots of hair ties on their wrist?

Nah, not unless one of the other party members asked.

6. what parts of your character’s voice/manner of speaking are distinct, if any?

Hm. Mostly just that their voice is pretty rough and low. Otherwise I think they talk pretty normal??

7. what’s the first thing your character’s eyes are drawn to on a map?

New places. To all the parts of the world they haven't seen yet, and want to.

8. how did your character feel when they left home for the first time?

Okay I'm going to go with the definition of home that means Cephas has to feel like it's home, which would mean the place where they lived with their BFF Effie. And I think the first time they left there, with an intent to go out and adventure, they felt really excited, happy, and like they were finally doing what they were meant to be doing. They'd been feeling very restless up until that point, so it's kind of like scratching an itch. Very satisfying.

9. where does your character look when they’re the only one walking down a road?

All around. She likes to see everything and doesn't get particularly worried about other people or robbers or things like that, so there's a lot of being generally distracted by whatever scenery they're passing through. Sometimes he'll just stop and pretend to be a statue on the side of the road and people watch for a while, if there's time for it.

10. does your character have tattoos? were they alone the first time they got one?

Being made of stone, my darling Cephas can't get tattoos. If they had actual flesh I do think they'd wanna get some.

11. if a button came loose from your character’s shirt, would they make sure the replacement matched?

Cephas doesn't wear clothes, and if they did 'matching' would not be the thing they cared about, so for sure No.

12. how loudly do they cry?

Gods I feel like a lot of these answers are just "Cephas is a stone construct and therefore cannot/does not do the thing" but like Cephas is a stone construct and cannot cry. There have been a lot of times where they wished they could, but their body wasn't built for it. Typically if they're sad, they're quiet about it, reserved.

13. does your character like holding hands? do they do it often?

Yes! But he doesn't do it very often at all. Stone isn't comfortable for other people to hold, and they have to be careful not to hurt people when touching them, so it's generally more dangerous for whoever they're holding hands with than its worth.

14. is your character more likely to wear a necktie, a bowtie, or a bolo tie? (if any at all)

Again, no clothes. But I think Cephas would enjoy a good bolo tie.

15. have you ever said something as your character that stuck with you for a while after? what was it?

Oh lord. Uhhh... hm, well there was this one thing but it is very dependent on the context of the moment. Which is that they were talking with another character who was frustrated about not knowing things, and talking about how in order to be people you have to ask questions even if you don't get answers, you have to keep asking questions. And then they discovered something that was a step in a mystery they'd been trying to deal with and Cephas said "and sometimes you do get answers" and I don't know why but that one did stick with me.

16. what does getting flustered look like for your character?

Stuttering. Awkward hand movements. Maybe reverting to the old "I am but a simple construct with no consciousness" trick if they're really feeling out of sorts.

17. does your character have to glance at their hands to remember left and right?

Ha, no. Cephas knows what they're doing, unlike me.

18. does your character have stuffed animals? would they if they could? what kind?

Hm, no, xe doesn't. But I think they would if they ever settled down and stopped traveling. Even if Cephas can't really feel the softness, they would like it. And they'd be very careful with them too. As for the kind... I'm thinking those, like, huge round ones? Fuck there was a name for them. Squishables?? I think???

19. does your character walk or run down stairs?

Walk, typically. Running could damage things lol

20. if your character saw a turtle stuck on its back, would they flip it over?

Oh yes 100%. And also try and talk to the turtle and see if it needed any further assistance.

21. has your character ever climbed out of a window? would they do it again?

I don't have a moment in mind specifically, but there's no way Cephas hasn't, and they would absolutely do it again.

22. what’s your character’s ideal way to wake up? what usually wakes them up?

Cephas doesn't so much sleep as... go into Obedient Construct mode for four hours, which is to say they will obey any order given to them. Ideal way to wake up from that is in some weird/compromising position because it means his friends were messing with them and they love that. And they can't be woken up unnaturally, so its just that after Four Hours something in their head goes Ding and they're back.

23. what’s the pettiest thing your character’s ever done?

Dyed a nobleman's hair bright pink because he was kind of rude to them when they were pretending to be a normal construct.

24. what made your character the angriest they’ve ever been?

Cephas... doesn't really do anger, generally. But! There was a man who pretended to be a prophet of a god, and collected a small group of true believers. And then he took over a town, and made the townsfolk slaves. And that really got to Cephas, in a very personal way. (They did take care of the man and they still have mixed feelings about doing it.)

25. how does you character smile?

With great effort. Cephas wasn't built to emote, so any facial expressions are subtle and take a lot of concentration and effort to make happen. Over time they've gotten more practiced at this and can do it almost without thought, but it's still the smallest movements for a great amount of toil.

26. does your know the names of their constellations? how did they learn them?

I think, some of them? Cephas lived with her best friend's family for a long time and I think they would've learned some of them there. But then they also definitely made a game out of making up constellations and naming them whatever they wanted, so it's a toss up whether what they know is a real constellation or one they made up and then forgot they made up.

27. do/would your character draw or write on themself?

Oh yeah, for sure.

28. would your character race someone to the top of a tall tree for bragging rights?

Not for bragging rights, but absolutely yes Cephas would race someone. And they would lose because they are big and heavy and not made for climbing, but its more about the fun of it than the winning or the losing for them.

29. is there an artist whose style you associate with your character? (visual or otherwise; poets and musicians, etc. count)

Hmm... not really?? I don't really associate artists with my characters. My friend drew Cephas once, so I think that's the closest I'm gonna get to that. Maybe Delta Rae? I feel like Delta Rae has got those witchy vibes, and that makes me think Cephas.

30. how has your character’s first impressions of their party members changed since they met them? have they stayed the same?

Oh this is delightful because when Ceph first met the party, they were pretending to be a normal construct, so the DM was 'playing' them. Which meant I got to sit there and watch, and so I wrote down what Cephas was thinking. They only met the first three members of the party that day, but I literally have it written down that it was three "good first impressions" because one of them stole a book, another one turned invisible to draw a face on a trash can, and the third called Cephas 'interesting'. Overall impression? A group of messes who just went through something tough and are not dealing with it super well.

Current impression? A surprisingly competent group of messes who are working through some stuff, and very much don't like talking about their feelings. Also, I'm invested.

Seriously though it started out as Cephas thinking they seemed fun and wanting a distraction, and now Cephas is like actually really invested in all of them and their growth and wants to help them as much as they can.

[changingourdestiny]

Season of the Hunt Part 7: A Cold War

Summary:

Dawning is here at last! To celebrate, Blaze brings Crow to the Tower. However, things take a very chilly turn thanks to Cayde.

Previous Part: Here

Next Part: Here

“I can’t believe this is happening.” It had been a little over two weeks since Blaze and Crow’s mission to restore Hawkmoon. The two were currently in Blaze’s ship and were flying towards Earth. “How did you manage to convince Spider to let you do this?” Crow asked “He needed some items delivered to Drifter, so I promised him that I’d deliver them if you got to come over for the Dawning.” Blaze replied. “And you’re sure no one will try to shoot at me or Glint?” “100%. Use of weapons, abilities, and Supers in the Tower is forbidden unless in the case of an emergency. And if anyone tries, they’ll have Rae to answer to and, trust me when I say this, she is damn scary when she’s angry. Something she definitely gets from Ikora…” Blaze muttered the last part. “I’ll admit, I’m still a little nervous.” Crow shuffled in his seat a bit, “The Vanguard probably know of what my past self did. To say things will be awkward is an understatement.” “Don’t worry about that either. Rae and Osiris gave them a heads up as to what’s happening. As far as they’re concerned, that man is dead and you’re a Kinderguardian celebrating the Dawning.” Blaze reached a hand back and held Crow’s, “It’ll be great. I promise. And I won’t leave your side for a second.” Crow gave a slight smile as he squeezed Blaze’s hand, feeling a little less anxious.

“We’re here!” Firefly chirped happily, as the ship arrived in the Tower hanger. “Ready?” Blaze asked. “As I’ll ever be.” Crow replied. The duo transmatted out of Blaze’s ship into the hangar. “Whoa…” Crow breathed, looking around. The huge hanger was decorated with Dawning decorations and lanterns, with piles of snow lying about. Blaze chuckled, “You’re making the exact same face I made when I first came here.” “Sans the nearly burning the Tower down!” Firefly giggled. “H-hey!” Blaze began to chase Firefly in a circle, the latter dodging and weaving out of her grasp. “Well I’m not wrong!” “That doesn’t mean you should say it!” “Why? Afraid I’ll embarrass you in front of your boyfriend?” “FIREFLY!” Crow let out a small laugh before hearing a voice yell from nearby. “What’s with all the noise over there?” Blaze stopped chasing Firefly, allowing the Ghost to disappear, as Cayde poked his head from around the corner. Crow wasn’t sure why, but he suddenly felt a pang of uneasiness. He quickly dismissed it as nerves as Cayde noticed him. “So this is the new Light, huh?” Cayde asked, walking over to the two. “Yep! Cayde, this is Crow.” Blaze introduced, “Crow, this is Cayde; the Hunter Vanguard.” “Welcome to the Tower, Crow.” Blaze could hear a hint of mischief in Cayde’s voice, “And just in time too. Let’s go!” Cayde grabbed Crow and Blaze by the arms and began to drag them towards the courtyard. “In time for what?!” Crow exclaimed, caught off guard by the Exo’s sudden enthusiasm. “You’ll see!” Cayde called over his shoulder. Crow looked at Blaze who just shrugged and gave him a look as if to say, ‘See where I get it from now?’.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the courtyard, Zavala was giving a short speech to some of the Guardians for the Dawning in hopes it would keep spirits up. Adam, who was among the Guardians, couldn’t help but glance around in suspicion. “You’re quieter than usual, Bergfalk.” Shaxx noted. “Have you noticed the distinct lack of Hunters here?” Adam asked, “Plus it’s too quiet. I think something’s afoot.” “Relax, Titan! I understand your unease due to recent events, but it’s the Dawning! Who would disrupt-?” “Attention Zavala and Titans!!” Everyone’s attention was drawn to the platform above Eververse. Cayde stood looking down at them with a confident stance along with Blaze, who was smirking with pride, and Crow, who seemed a little confused as to what was happening. “Earlier this year, you won the Guardian Games and took the trophy that Zavala so proudly displays at his post.” Cayde continued, “But today, we issue you a challenge! A snowball fight! If the Hunters win, we get to have the trophy for the rest on the Dawning!” “He’s still not over the loss, is he?” Shaxx muttered. “Nope.” Adam replied with a sigh. “And what if I refuse, Cayde?” Zavala called up to him. “You can’t, because…” Suddenly, Hunters sprung from their hiding places around the courtyard. “We have you surrounded!” Cayde laughed triumphantly, “You’ll never prevail!” To their surprise, Zavala chuckled, “Impressive strategy, Cayde. However, very predictable.” “W-what?!” “I saw your attack coming…and planned for it. Ikora, Rae?” Out of nowhere, Ikora teleported herself and Rae behind Cayde, Blaze and Crow as Warlocks flooded the courtyard. “You hired the Warlocks?!” Blaze exclaimed while Cayde stared at Rae with a look of betrayal. “Sorry, everyone. But this rebellion of yours must be stopped.” Ikora said with a small smirk on her face, “Ready, Rae-?”

*SPLAT!*

Ikora was caught off-guard as a snowball hit her in the side of the head, followed by a small chuckle that evolved into an evil laugh from Rae. “Hahaha! I fooled you, Ikora!”

“What?!”

“Sorry, teach. But I will always be loyal to my chaotic companions!” Rae grinned, standing by the trio of Hunters. “Yay, Rae!” Blaze cheered. “Ah, I knew you’d never betray me, Sunrae!” Cayde laughed, giving Rae a playful nudge before turning to the Titans below, “With that being said: Mission is a go! Retrieve the trophy and bring it to the hangar! Hunters, attack!!!”

“Do not let up, Titans!” Zavala commanded.

The courtyard was filled with shouts and snowballs, a few Guardians sneaking in Stasis snowballs. Surprisingly enough, the Hunters were able to overpower the Warlocks and Titans.

“We got it!!”

Everyone turned to see Rae, Crow and Blaze lifting the trophy. “Protect them until we get to the hangar!” Cayde called out, “Go, go, go!!!”

The trio ran as quickly as they could with the trophy in tow. “Hurry! I’ll cover you!” Marcia waved to them from the hangar entrance as she pelted the incoming Titans and Warlocks with snowballs, “Dredgens! Protect Dredgen Fate and her friends!”

A group of Guardians in Gambit gear came flooding out of the hangar, keeping the Titans and Warlocks back.

“Since when were you a Dredgen?!” Rae exclaimed.

“Over a year ago. I got bored!” Blaze replied.

“We’re almost there!” Crow called out as they made it to Cayde’s post.

“Hurry! Set it up!”

The trio carefully stood the statue upright at the post. “I’m here!” Cayde came rushing into the Hanger with white and gold spray paint. “It’s not permanent, right?” Rae asked. “Of course not! I’m not a monster!” Cayde replied as he began to spray the lion white after handing Blaze the other spray can, and she began spraying the snake gold. “Aaaaand done!” Cayde announced as the Hunters came flooding into the Hangar, Marcia in the front. Marcia threw her hands up in victory upon seeing the trophy, “VICTORY!!!”

A cheer went up among the Hunters and Dredgens as Zavala and Ikora entered behind them. “Well, a deal is a deal.” Zavala sighed, despite the small smile on his face, “Hunters are the temporary victors for the Dawning.”

“Is it always like this here?” Crow asked with a chuckle, trying to be heard over the thunderous cheering. “Oh yes!” Blaze laughed.

As the Guardians began to filter out of the hangar, Rae smiled as she brushed off some leftover snow that was stuck to her robes and fixed her scarf, “Sorry your first time here was a little crazy, Crow.” “A little?” Glint mumbled as he shook snow off his shell – he had gotten hit in the crossfire. “Trust me, this is only a little bit crazier than normal life here!” Sundance popped up beside Cayde, “Oh, and I’m Sundance, by the way. Cayde’s ghost and 50% of his impulse control. Rae’s the other 50.” “Hey, I’m not that impulsive!” Cayde feigned offense. “Alright, mister ‘I-got-stuck-in-a-Vex-teleport-loop’!” “That was ONE time!” “And who had to save you again?” Rae raised an eyebrow as she folded her arms. “The Warlock who I love and can always count on to save my life?” Cayde shot double finger guns and a wink at Rae who tried to keep a straight face but ended up snickering at Cayde, “Stop trying to be cool! I can’t be serious when you do!” “Not trying, ‘cause I am cool!” “Ew! Stop flirting!” Sundance groaned before disappearing. “It’s been two years, you should be used to it by now!” Cayde called after her as Rae giggled. “Are they…?” Crow began with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile. “Yep.” Blaze finished with a smile before whispering, “They were crushing on each other for like four years and it was super obvious to everyone except them.” “That long? It took us only a few weeks.” “I know, right?” “What are you two whispering about over there?” Rae asked with suspicion. “Nothing!” Blaze smiled innocently as Crow let out a light chuckle. “Riiight.” Rae rolled her eyes playfully as Zavala and Ikora approached the group. “So is this the new Lightbearer you and Osiris told us about?” Ikora asked. “Yep.” Rae replied, “Crow, this is Ikora – the Warlock Vanguard – and Zavala – the Titan Vanguard and the Guardians’ commander.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Crow greeted. “Rae and Osiris have informed us of the situation with Xivu Arath. It’s good to hear Fireteam Paralight have been receiving help in handling her minions.” Zavala nodded. “Not that hunting Hive Gods is anything new to you three.” Ikora gave a slight smile, “Speaking of. Where is…?” Ikora was interrupted by someone clearing their throat behind her. There was a very unimpressed Adam covered head to toe in snow. “Now I know why Shaxx keeps his helmet on.” He groaned as he shrugged off the snow. “That’s a good look for you, Adam!” Blaze laughed, which resulted in her receiving a snowball to the face. “Anyway, Eva wants you.” Adam began, “Something about cookies you ordered?” “Oh yeah!” Blaze’s face lit up, “Crow, follow me! I’ll meet you guys in the meeting room later!” “That’s what it’s for!” Rae chuckled as Blaze and Crow headed back towards the courtyard.

To Be Continued…

[mightbeawriter1]

Starting a new story about Ella and Azrael's friendship. Hope it turns out okay.

Sanctuary

The silence is broken only by the raspy panting of her breathing and the slow agonized squeal of one of the tires that was still barely turning. The sides of the old station wagon press close around her as she dangles upside down, held in place by her lap belt but unable to see to the front of the vehicle where her parents had been laughing just a moment ago.

"Mami? Papá?" Ella cries breathlessly, struggling to turn and see them. There is no answer, and she desperately tries not to think about why that might be. She can feel her rapid heartbeats pounding in her fingertips, and then a rushing in her ears as darkness wraps around her once more. When she wakes, the awful squealing has stopped and there's a girl with a sad expression below her, sitting on what used to be the ceiling of the car. She's confused for a moment, because she definitely hadn't been in the car with them before. She has short, dark hair, enormous glasses that magnify her expressive eyes, and is wearing a funky assortment of mismatched clothes that the eight-year-old Ella can't help but admire.

"Who are you? Where did you come from?" She asks groggily. Her head feels a bit achy and fuzzy, like that time Jay dared her to hold a handstand for half an hour and she threw up on his shoes once she stood up.

"Ummm, hi?" The sad-looking girl seems surprised to be noticed, looking around as though Ella might be talking to someone else. Ella thinks to herself that even her voice sounds a little sad, and wishes she could give her a hug. "I'm, uh, Az- you know what? Call me Rae-Rae. That's what my favorite brother used to call me."

"Rae-Rae's a funny name." Ella rubs her eyes tiredly.

"Oh, yeah? What's yours then?" she challenges. 

"I'm Ella. Ella Lopez." The girl twists to look toward the front of the car.

"Oh, hey Ella, dont turn around just now, okay? Just, um, talk with me for a little bit, huh?" She gives Ella a big smile and starts to reach for her hand but quickly pulls back.

"My head feels funny. I want my Mami." Tears start to leak from the corners of her eyes and tickle uncomfortably as they trace up her forehead and into her hairline.

"I know kiddo, but... She's not here. Maybe we can try to get you out of this thing, huh? I don't think humans are supposed to be upside down for this long. Can you reach the ceiling with your hands?" 

Ella's arms are already extended that direction, and with a little stretching, she finds that she can. Rae-Rae instructs her to brace with one hand, unbuckle the belt with the other and brace until her feet meet the ground.

"Almost like a cartwheel!" Ella declares proudly once she is crouching next to the older girl. Ella has been trying very hard to succeed in a cartwheel for months now. Ricardo has been relentless in teasing her for her inability to perfect it. She starts to launch forward to throw her arms around the older girl at her almost-cartwheel-success, but the other girl flinches away.

"Yeah, you nailed it, girl!" Rae-Rae applauds awkwardly. "Let's, uh, head toward the back there and crawl out through the window, okay kiddo?"

"My name's Ella." Ella reminds her, noticing that Rae-Rae has been very careful to keep between her line of sight to the driver's and passenger's seats, and diligently remembers not to think about why that might be. She turns quietly, waddles crouched across the ceiling of the car and squeezes out the shattered back window and into the ravaged grassy ravine where the car rests. Rae-Rae follows after her, and leads her a little distance away before settling down cross legged in the grass. Ella sits nearby with her knees pressed against her chest, tiny arms wrapped tightly around them.

"What do we do now?" Ella asks quietly, sounding lost. Her fingers worry the shiny cross around her neck that had been a gift from her parents for her eighth birthday, just a few weeks ago. Rae-Rae's eyes are drawn to the movement.

"Well, I guess now we wait for someone to come and help."

"My parents." Ella sniffles quietly, her eyes burning. "They didn't make it. Did they?"

"Ella..." The older girl hesitates. "I'm really sorry, but they didn't. They crossed over safely, and they'll be waiting for you in Heaven, but you can't be with them right now. They love you so much, but they were so happy that you were safe."

The tears are back now, and Ella sobs into her knees as she rocks herself. Azrael sits in silence and watches her, compassion lighting her dark eyes. Once the initial storm of tears passes and Ella's breathing has almost returned to normal, she peeks up from her huddled position to see Azrael leaning back, staring at the brilliant stars above. Ella copies her, gazing into that infinite velvety blackness sparkling with flickering pinpoints of light.

"My favorite big brother used to tell me stories about the stars, you know." Rae-Rae says conversationally, her voice still tinged with that ever-present sadness. "How they were created. How they burn, and expand, and collapse. We used to just talk about everything. And nothing. And it was amazing." 

Ella wipes her nose with her jacket sleeve. "You don't talk anymore?" Her voice is quavery, but she seizes the distraction from her overwhelming grief with both hands.

"Well...no." Rae-Rae shifts uncomfortably. "We kind of, can't talk anymore."

"Why not? What happened? Don't you miss talking to him?" Ella scoots closer to the strange girl, wanting to offer comfort, but unsure how.

"Jeez Louise, of course I do! But, I can't talk to him. Because... He had to leave home, and I can't go visit him." Her gaze is fixed on a blue wildflower in front of her left foot.

"Why can't you visit him? Or why can't he come visit you?"

 "He and my Dad don't get along anymore, so we just can't-"

"That's not fair!" Ella interrupts, pushing to her feet at the injustice. "You shouldn't have to lose your brother just because of a fight with your dad!" She starts again to offer a hug to the girl, who she is already starting to think of as a friend, but Rae-Rae flinches back again, more violently this time.

"You're... You're right, Ella, but... It's probably too late now anyway." The last part of that was quiet, probably meant to be aimed at herself.

"What do you mean too late? What happened?"

"Uh... I'm a ghost." The last words fall from Rae-Rae's mouth in a burst of speed. Ella's reddened eyes widen until they seem to fill her entire face.

"You're a ghost? How come I can see you, why can you talk to me?"

"I'm not sure. You must be special, Ella." A small smile flickers across the young girl's tear stained face. Shouting voices drift to them through the still night air, and red and blue lights start to reflect over the lip of the ravine. "I think your cavalry has arrived, Ella, so I've got to go. I'm glad I got to meet you. Smell ya later, Lopez."

"Rae-Rae?" The girl whispers, "Thank you for helping me." But when she turns, the ghost is gone.

************

The first few months after the accident were full of tears, nightmares, and arguments. The rescuers had launched a search for the girl Ella described to them, but she wasn't found. Abuelita moved into the house with Ella and her brothers and was slowly imposing a new normal over the household. There was a lot less laughing, and a lot more praying now.

Ella is playing in her room, setting up an obstacle course for the spider that lives in the top pane of her window. She hasn't figured out yet how she's going to get the spider to do the obstacle course, but she saw a movie once that said, "If you build it, they will come," so she wants to test that theory. She hears a soft whooshing noise, and looks up from the tiny balance beam

"Whatcha doing, Lopez?" A familiar voice asks quietly, and there is Rae-Rae sitting across the course from her.

"Rae-Rae!" Ella exclaims excitedly, "I was starting to think I wouldn't see you again! I told the rescue people about you, but they couldn't find you!" She launches toward her friend for a hug.

The girl is suddenly across the room, but gives her a warm smile. "Ghost, remember? You can't touch me. Nobody can see me, and I officially don't exist."

Ella looks offended. "You exist! You're my friend!" Her chin juts stubbornly. "I didn't care what those doctors said."

"Doctors? Why, where you hurt in the crash?" Rae-Rae looks anxious

"I wasn't hurt," her bright eyes darken a little. "But there were four of them. For therapy."

"Four?"

"Uh-huh. They kept sending new ones."

"Why?"

"I kept biting them." The older girl's eyes widen behind her thick glasses at Ella's matter of fact confession. "They kept telling me you weren't real."

"Wow, Ella, that's..." The ghost appears lost for words. "That really stinks. Since I'm kind of not real, I guess they're not completely wrong, ya know?"

"You are TOO real, or else how could you be here talking to me? You wouldn't have a brother if you weren't real."

"I guess you've got me there," Rae-Rae chuckles. "If Lu is real, then I must be, too."

"I was thinking about that," Ella leans forward and whispers conspiratorially. "If you want, I can write a letter to your brother for you! Just tell me what you want me to write and I'll mail it for you!" The little girl looks very proud of her solution to her friend's problem.

"Oh hey, Ella, that's super sweet, but," the ghost's gaze fixes on the tiny spider-size monkey bars in the course. "I don't know Lu's address. I'm pretty sure he doesn't get mail where he is, anyway. What are you building here?"

Ella's a little disappointed that her letter idea can't help her friend, but gladly launches into a detailed description of Frank the spider and his obstacle course. Rae-Rae asks good questions and pays close attention to the girl's ideas, even offering up some of her own. When Abuelita calls up the stairs that dinner is ready, Ella turns to answer her. When she turns back, a breeze fans her face and her friend has disappeared again.

"Bye, Rae-Rae. Thanks for coming to see me!" Ella whispers, then heads downstairs, her ponytail bobbing happily behind her.

*************

[neptunevasilias]

Neptune?

Oh boy...... this dude. Buckle the fuck in

Favorite thing about them

Gay bitch! *does a gay little run that pisses you off* also he is trans

Serious answer: what a fucking nerd. Same hat! Seriously though, I love how for all he tries to seem “cool,” he’s just a nerd. Also, I think he’s very analytical! I really liked his chapter in btd because of that. And same hat to that as well. Just in general, he’s super fun to play with, and he’s really compelling to me because of how much he Tries but ultimately does not succeed.

Least favorite thing about them

Apart from the Everything(aka the playboy attitude)? I actually hate that he’s treated as a joke for acting “gay” in rwby chibi. Like ok, yeah, I’ll take my crumbs, but make it canon fuckers

Favorite line

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

brOTP

*gets out my metaphorical spreadsheet* ruby and here’s why

They’re both bookworms! Ruby loves fiction, Neptune loves nonfiction. Together, they tackle the whole library. But at the same time, Ruby absolutely grew up watching remnant’s bill nye the science guy and also is smart enough to make crescent rose, and also I think she’d read a lot about any topic that interested her. And Neptune would be such a romantic and secretly read YA romance novels. Just. Bookworms bonding, yes. Also they’re both autistic don’t @ me. Also also, iirc lindsay said her favorite character(besides ruby of course) is neptune, so yeah.

OTP

Seamonkeys but this is where I actually Talk About It

So. The fall of beacon wasn’t actually the first time Sun left his team, and he says this himself. He did this in volume 1, when he ditched them to leave for vale early. So the thing about not just seamonkeys, but the whole team dynamic, is that this isn’t the first time sun fucked up like this. But what makes the fall of beacon the more important and gut-wrenching and dynamic-altering one, apart from what I just said, is how long he’s gone. He’s gone for months. And right after the fall of beacon no less, which was traumatic for everyone, these boys included. So while they’re recovering and trying to get things back to “normal,” they don’t even have their team leader there to help them or even just be with them.

Neptune of course is in love with him. Obviously. Who do you take me for, this is a seamonkeys blog. Honestly I think he was in love with sun the whole time and has been pining since the beginning of their friendship. Anyway, he’s got all these conflicting emotions about what’s happening. Obviously they’re all mad, him included, but most of all he just misses sun. And his absence is noticeable. Who’s there to rally them into doing dumb shit anymore?

The worst part is that they can’t contact him, because the CCT network is down. But can you imagine, the day that sun finally showed up again in his contacts once he went back to haven? God.

So once they’re reunited, neptune clings to him. He doesn’t want to lose him for a third time, and he also wants to make up for lost time, and also he wants to be able to pretend like none of it ever happened, that they can go back to their normal routine now that he’s back. That’s what they did last time, right? And between sage and scarlet not wanting anything to do with sun, neptune trying so hard to pretend things are how they’ve “always” been, and sun wanting to just get on with it all without putting in any of the emotional work to reconcile with his team, nothing is getting done.

I have my own version of events that goes down after that because before the dawn is my playground that I can do whatever I want with, but basically what needs to happen is that neptune needs to basically get a life outside of his team. And honestly the reinitiation was the perfect way of doing that. I have him bond with team BYRN(especially Rae, wink wink nudge at my followers who’ve seen me talk about her before). And being around new people helps boost his self-confidence, and then he’s ready for a romantic relationship with sun.

Sun though? Just needs someone to put him in his place and wake him the fuck up. And blake did give this to him, at the start of before the dawn he’s leaps and bounds better than he was in volume 4. But there’s still more work he needs to put in. He needs to actually commit to his team, so btd is about that.

Basically, sun fucks up, and both of them need to put in the effort to make their relationship work. Mostly though, it’s about the pining. You cannot even begin to imagine the pining. Surprisingly I didn’t tallk about it much during these several paragraphs, but that’s because it can really be summed up in one sentence llksdjfdlksfj. Also as a subset of that, JEALOUS NEPTUNE good god

nOTP

Him and yang sorry for anyone who ships them but she just finds him so fucking annoying god bless good for her

Random headcanon

Buddy...... buddy. You have no idea. There is one in particular that i’ll tallk about though: him and pyrrha used to be friends at Sanctum.

Not best friends. Not even close friends. But they were the only friend the other had. They were the loners that sat at the same lunch table and did group projects together, but didn’t hang out or know each other that well. But they were in this situation for opposite reasons. With pyrrha, it’s the same as when she’s at beacon: everyone sees pyrrha nikos the champion fighter, the celebrity, someone they shouldn’t talk to, or get to know. She was isolated from everyone. With neptune.... well, he canonically has “about the presence of a chair.” And one of my biggest headcanons for him is that before he met the rest of team sssn, he didn’t put effort into trying to look “cool,” he was just a nerd. So yeah, no one really noticed him either.

So him and pyrrha only really had each other, and even then it wasn’t that deep of a friendship. They were both academic, though; like, invested in their studies and stuff, so I think that commonality did make them more comfortable with each other. And maybe near their graduation, pyrrha invited neptune to study with her, but then they went off to different academies and never got any closer than that. Maybe neptune started crushing on pyrrha, but again nothing would have come of it and he would’ve just tried to hide it.

Actually, now that I think about it, I bet they danced with each other at school dances, very awkwardly of course. Pyrrha would ask him once the dance had started and they had been standing there a while bc he was the only one she was comfortable with. Hmmmm actually writing this made me even more invested in these two than I was ten minutes ago. Welp. And they’re not a ship for me, but brotp doesn’t really fit either, I just think they were really important to each other at that point in their lives.

Unpopular opinion

Ok so this is complicated. I guess my unpopular opinion is “he actually has the possibility to have so much fucking depth if the writers could just SEE it” *loses my mind*

Song I associate with them

The song from that album is Ewing

But uh lskdjflkdfjd I have a (more or less) carefully cultivated neptune playist and I could show you everything here individually, and explain exactly why it’s on there, but I won’t. I will say though, Drops of Jupiter by Train perfecty captures the seamonkeys feel, although Sleepless Nights by ayokay has been THE seamonkeys/neptune song for me for over a year now so nothing can take its place. Here’s the full playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ZulwB4hWIdZ3LxxQ5QuvQ?si=-XiW2VUeRVacrMs23vYlnw

There’s everything ranging from serious songs(i wanna get better) to joke songs(santa baby) to otter pop which is on there because of ottertune(if you remember ottertune you’re entitled to a rwby senior discount)

Favorite picture of them

So fucking many but here take this yes it is my current pfp

[insporaelynn]

📲 raelynn && roman

WHEN: january 24-26th 

DESCRIPTION: just best friends talking and being obsessed with each other. rae confides in him about her ex drama.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: drug mention, probably sex mention.

@romanbeckett​

Roman

Hi love of my life. I miss your face. How’s it going??

raelynn

my baby

god, i miss you too. i'm doing okay, how're you tonight?

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

it’s been an off day, not even gonna lie lol super sore and tired. I just wanna be back to normal already

raelynn

oh no

how's your scar healing up? the boys are taking care of you right??

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

it’s okay I guess bleh lol and not tonight. I’m all alone

raelynn

Where's Q? Is Aaron working?

Well I guess I should know that since I'm literally at work. Lmao.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

Q is working on music. Aaron has des tonight

raelynn

ugh. i wanna lay with you and kiss ur face.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

are you busyyy? I can burn us some cookies

raelynn

i'm working but I'd love to see you after if you're still up.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

of yeah you just said you’re at work lmao fucking weed

yes please come by when you’re done

raelynn

LMAO I KNOW THE FEELING

absolutely, i'm yours.

u know niamh was trying to figure out who rue's date was and she was like "is it you" bc i mentioned that I have a dick appt with him tomorrow night.

and i was like. dude, no, for like, a thousand reasons. like, why would that ever be me???

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚n.

oh god, I’m so out of the loop with gossip lately, it’s sad. I didn’t even know he had a date lol

raelynn

it's apparently some big secret but he's having people help him dress up and asking about flowers and candy and niamh is like "bitch is it you" and i'm like. LMAO.

like is there anything about me that says flowers and candy

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

Hahahahahhahahahahaha HAHAHA

that really made me laugh too hard.

raelynn

like, i'm not the flowers girl, i'm the sneak out in the night girl, the middle of the afternoon girl, all those things, but flowers girl???? sdkfdskksd

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

I’m 100p a flowers girl

raelynn

YOU ARE AND YOU'RE WORTH IT MY BABY

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

my parents are coming in to town this week. Gotta tell them I have two boyfriends haaaa. Pray for me

raelynn.

I feel like that should be the least shocking thing about you??? In a good way.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

yeah, I definitely keep them on their toes

raelynn

tell ur boyfriend that if he wants me to continue wearing body glitter he's going to have to pay me extra

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

omg but I love body glitter fyi

raelynn

I did an onlyfans video with Lilah earlier and I'm like 80% sure that I left glitter on her sheets. Like I'm a fucking unicorn.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

that makes me so happy I can’t even lie

I too wanna leave glitter everywhere

man I need to do only fans

raelynn

i would a thousand percent subscribe

both bc i'm a perv and also bc i'm a very supportive best friend.

we could get naked and do a body glitter photoshoot

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

and I love this about you

that sounds like a dream?? Wow

raelynn

would love nothing more than to apply body glitter to ur glorious tiddies.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

my tillies would appreciate it

Hahahaa it hurts to laughhhh

raelynn

SORRY SORRY I'M GOING TO BE VERY SERIOUS NOW

clears throat Um. The National Debt.

it is my understanding that there is. National Debt.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

hahahah I love you

raelynn

Blah blah, topics. Blah blah, smart people jargon, blah blah

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

god it’s so boring isn’t it

would so much rather talk about titties

raelynn

God same.

Like how yours are somehow bigger than mine.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

I know, I need some sort of support at this point I think

raelynn

we could get you fitted for bras somewhere maybe that'd be fun

it'd look actually so hot

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

well I already wear lingerie in the bedroom. Might as well.

raelynn

you will be the absolute death of me, you're simply too gorgeous and too sweet to exist.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

stahhpppp you’re making me blushhhh. Right back atcha my babe

raelynn

is there anything you want me to bring you when i'm done here?

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

just yourself. I’ve got good ass weed

raelynn

and for the millionth time, i realized, you are my soul mate.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

you’re mine, lovie.

raelynn

i wish i could've had appendix surgery instead of you

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

noooo don’t be silly lol I’m okay darling.

raelynn.

no i hate that you were in pain even for like a second i hate it so much!!

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

stop it, I love you. You cutie. Oh god okay I’m gonna make us cookies.

raelynn

Dont burn the house down my beautiful twin flame

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

I always get cookie dough thinking I’ll do better next time. I still have that unearned confidence

raelynn.

Thats bc im always building you up and rightfully so

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

yes you do and I live for it. I also really love fresh cookies right out of the oven, I just want to make that happen

raelynn

I believe in you my little tropical starfish

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

raelynn

literally you

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

hehehehe ⭐️

raelynn

i don't think anybody's ever gonna love me more than you

and i think. i think maybe that's okay?

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

that’s not true. You’re gonna find someone who is gonna blow you away

raelynn

yeah but even if i did, would I even be able to love them without being scared of them?

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

yeah, I think so. I’ve had to overcome a lot of walls and fears myself that I never thought I could. The right person makes it easier.

raelynn

idk there are a lot of people i could've loved if i hadn't been so....this lmao

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

I think it’ll just take some time!

raelynn

you have so much faith in me.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

of course I do. I think you can do anything.

raelynn

i'm not really sure.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

you don’t have to be cause I ammmmm

raelynn

and you're the smartest person in the world

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

in the whole world?? Damn. I’m not near as rich as I should be then.

raelynn

how about I stay over with you tonight and we get some breakfast in the morning? I did really good on tips tonight.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

okay!! I’d love that

raelynn

good 'cause i don't get to spend nearly as much time with you as i wanna

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

I knowwww. We haven’t had a sleepover in so long

raelynn

you can cuddle up to me and i'll feed you cookies and kiss your hair

revolutionary. better than therapy.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

Yes!!!!

raelynn

loml

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

I finished the cookies baby and I didn’t burn them to a crisp

raelynn

you fucking legend

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

I’m pretty damn proud of myself not gonna lieeeee

[...]

raelynn

extremely sad that i couldn't stay at breakfast with you all day

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

same

now I’m bored

raelynn

i swear after i left you my day went down the tubes.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

oh no I’m sorry

who do I need to fight

raelynn

well carson is back.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

oh god, tell me more

raelynn

idk why he's back but wes gave him my number bc i guess when i told him to lose it he took it to heart which like good i wanted him to

but anyway i screamed at him in the chat

everyone called me a hypocrite bc i told ivy to stop being a bitch in the chat awhile back. which tbh i didn't remember even doing, i just be saying shit.

like alex opened his fuckin mouth and i'm like what dog do you have in this fight

oh and DELILAH is moving in with carson bc he's "like her brother!!!" never mind the fact that he cheated on me bc i guess friendship doesn't mean much anymore

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

wow that’s...messy. Wtf lilah though seriously

raelynn.

So then Carson texts me bc wes gave him my number and that felt like being??? Pushed back in time against my will

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

that’s not cool

raelynn

So yeah a lot of crying today

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

*chick with knife emoji*

me rn

raelynn

Cute but lethal

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

*img attachment* 

and not at all high...

raelynn.

you're so hot jesus christ.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

I love you.

raelynn.

love u more than life itself

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

*img attachment of a keychain that says PUSSY WAGON* 

this was recommended to me on Instagram and now I want it.

raelynn

LET'S GET THEM MATCHING.

EVEN THOUGH I DON'T HAVE A CAR

AND THEREFORE NO KEYS FOR SAID CAR

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

it would be perfect for my Volkswagen

raelynn.

omg and with me in it...it really WOULD be a pussy wagon......

big brain

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

hahahahah

raelynn

we should road trip soon

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

I would love that so much honestly

raelynn

where should we go?

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

Disney world!!

raelynn

will u propose to me there

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

wouldn’t that be romantic as heck

raelynn.

THE most romantic and also we'd maybe get free dessert

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

I never turn down anything free.

raelynn

me neither. not the taylor family way

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

hahaha I love you.

raelynn.

we'll start planning a summer trip, just us.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

yay yay yay yay!

raelynn.

i'm gonna wear a tiara the whole time.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.BOT01/25/2021

with Mickey ears?

raelynn.BOT01/25/2021

of course, i'm not a monster.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

hahahaa

[...]

raelynn

I hate dudes.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

they’re a mess aren’t they lol

raelynn

Had a temporary lapse in sanity and agreed to meet Carson for coffee lol and he canceled like 15 mins before we were supposed to meet for a probably fake meeting lmao its so typical but I fell for it

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

babe I’m so sorry

raelynn

Like im just so tired

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧

how can I make it better

raelynn.

I don't know honestly and I wish I did.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

I love you.

raelynn

I love you.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.

you’re my baby

raelynn

you're MY baby

[crockettmarcel]

“Why are you being so nice to me?” - Reesker

Apparently, drowning is nothing like it is in the movies. There’s less screaming and splashing around, and more still water and silence. Ava didn’t understand how someone could be struggling like that - on the verge of death - and have no one around them notice. Until Sarah got sick.

She’d been open about it from day one. I don’t want to have to hide anything from you, she’d said. I need you to know what you might be getting into. So she told her everything, from the first time she was hospitalised to the last time she left her therapist’s office, armed with a new lease of life and enough (healthy) coping mechanisms to cure the world. It’s fine most of the time. There haven’t been any incidents for over a year. It probably won’t be relevant, but I thought I’d tell you anyway.

In typical Sarah fashion, she’d written a long list of signs that things were getting bad again in order of severity, and handed it to Ava in a little pink envelope decorated with hearts and bees and flowers. They’d both laughed at the irony of keeping something so serious in such cute packaging, and Sarah felt better about her decision.

Ava kept the envelope on her dresser, perched against her mirror. It stayed there most of the time, but occasionally she’d open it and reread the list, making sure she knew every single thing to look out for and all the best ways to help the girl she loved.

Which is why it came as such a shock when she got home to find Sarah curled up on the couch, staring into space with bloodshot eyes. She didn’t react when Ava came in, not even a Hey. Nothing. 

Immediately, alarm bells went off in Ava’s head. This was bad. This was very bad. Her first thought was to call Dr Charles, but what good would that do? There’s no way Sarah would want him seeing her in this state, whatever this state was. Instead, Ava called out a quick I’ll be back in a sec, then rushed to find the list. This was the first time she’d needed it since, well, ever, and suddenly it looked different. Sarah’s handwriting looked bigger, angrier, and she could feel it accusing her. You should have noticed. Why didn’t you see something was wrong?

Her hands shook as she read through the list, trying to see what she’d missed

Disrupted sleep schedule

Irritability

Eating. Everything.

Skipping work

Crying

Staying in bed all day

It went on like this, each bullet more depressing than the last, and each one more of a punch in the gut. God. She’d been so caught up with work that she hadn’t noticed how steadily Sarah had been progressing up the list, getting worse and worse as the days went by.

But now, looking back, all the pieces fell into place. She remembered one night a couple weeks ago, when a noise outside had woken her up at around one am, and she’d found the bed empty. Sarah had been sat on the couch with her laptop open on her knees, staring glassy-eyed at the screen. Ava had tried to convince her to come to bed, but she’d insisted that she had some important work to do and she’d be back soon. 

On its own, it had seemed like nothing, so Ava just dismissed it. After all, she’d lost track of the times Sarah had actually had work to do and had stayed up all night doing it, the only things keeping her going being those super strong coffee beans she loved so much. 

As she read through the list for the second time, she felt a hole open up in her chest. She’d watched every single one of these things happen right in front of her, and just done nothing. 

She turned the sheet of paper over to find the other list, helpfully titled How to make it better.

This list wasn’t as long, but it had everything Ava needed on it, so it didn’t matter. She skimmed over it, ideas already forming in her head. At this point, not everything was going to be helpful, but she needed to try.

As she made her way back into the living room, she was pleased to see that Sarah had moved, even if it was only to grab another bowl of cereal. The blanket that had previously been wrapped around her shoulders was now thrown haphazardly on the floor, adding to the pile of empty food wrappers. Simply, things weren’t good.

Ava headed straight for the couch and sat down on the other end, wary of upsetting Sarah even more by getting too close.

“I’m sorry.” Her words cut through the silence, and for the first time since she got home, Sarah looked at her properly.

She didn’t say anything, but according to the list this was normal, and if she didn’t want to talk she’d make it obvious.

“I should have seen this coming but I - I didn’t, and I feel horrible for it.” 

More silence. 

“Sarah, I know you don’t want me to ask this but,” she swallowed, unsure if she was ready for what was about to happen. “Can I check your arms?”

Sarah nodded, holding her arms out for Ava to take. Her hands were gentle as she rolled back the cuffs of Sarah’s sweater, her fingers nimble. Surgeon’s hands. 

She breathed a sigh of relief at the sight in front of her. Nothing but old faded scars, thin white lines that Sarah never made any effort to hide. They were part of her, and she wasn’t ashamed of them, so why should she?

“Nothing anywhere else?”

Sarah shook her head.

“Okay.” She paused, considering her next move. “Do you know what we haven’t had for a while? That spinach lasagna you like. I think we’ve still got some lasagna sheets left, so I’m gonna go start getting that ready if you wanna join me?”

“Sure.” Sarah managed a weak smile before standing up and following her girlfriend into the kitchen, grabbing her cereal as she went. 

Ava talked a lot while she cooked, filling Sarah in on her day and everything she’d missed at Med. She even managed to get a few chuckles out of her with tales of some of the more interesting patients she’d seen in the ED, but the laughter didn’t last long. Either way, Ava relished in the fact that the life was starting to come back to Sarah’s eyes.

Once the lasagna was in the oven, Ava made a start on tidying up the living room. With Carly Rae Jepsen blasting in the background, she quickly gathered up all the food wrappers that were accumulating on the floor, plumped up the cushions on the couch, and sprayed some of Sarah’s favourite vanilla air freshener around. 

Finally, she grabbed a sharpie and the pad of paper they always kept on the coffee table, scribbled out a quick note, then headed back into the kitchen. Sarah was still sitting at the island, looking at something on her phone, and barely noticed as Ava slid the paper across the counter towards her.

“Look.”

Sarah looked up at Ava, then back down at where she was pointing to the note. It was a little drawing of two stick figures, one with curly hair and the other with a surgeon’s cap, standing next to each other. The one in the surgeon’s cap had a little speech-bubble next to her head which read “My girlfriend is the best.”

Sarah looked up at Ava, tears in her eyes.

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

Ava reached across the counter to hold Sarah’s hand.

“Because you deserve it. And I love you.”

[purplesurveys]

476

If someone's laughing, do you instantly think they're laughing at you? Egh no, not really. I’ve had people laugh at me but I do know about it; I’ve never felt paranoid like this. What is the strangest thing you've been asked? My mom’s masseuse asked me if I was pregnant after taking a good look at me and deciding I looked familiar. It felt weird and eerie until I told my parents about it the next day and they said “Oh yeah, she’s the one with the third eye.” Didn’t feel as strange after that, but at the time when she looked me dead in the eye and asked me that question it was definitely so weird lmao. What’s the weirdest thing about life that people just accept as normal? Sometimes I wonder how people from the far past got to decide how certain animals were safe to eat even though they a) clearly scream danger, b) have such a complex way of being consumed (like crabs), or c) ARE STRAIGHT UP POISONOUS (like the pufferfish in Japan). But hey, we’re all eating them right now.

What was your favorite game as a child? I liked local games. We had langit-lupa (heaven and earth), piko (hopscotch), ice-ice water (freeze tag), Chinese garter, 10-20, and patintero. What’s the stupidest thing you've ever heard? Anything that comes out of conservative Catholics’ mouths.

What's the most random thing you've done out of boredom? It would have to be that time that I got really depressed last December and I spent all my Christmas savings meant for friends and family on a bunch of coloring books and my own set of coloring pencils. All for myself. It’s a little morbid, but whaever.  What show did your parents not let you watch as a kid? My parents were pretty liberal and weren’t too strict about shows. My mom absolutely hated Mr. Bean though because she was convinced he was the reason my brother didn’t start talking until he was like 6. She would change the channel if it was on, but she didn’t outright ban us or anything. What is your personal catchphrase? I don’t have one. What is the most pleasurable feeling that doesn't involve anything sexual? Biting into your favorite food after a whole day of not eating. What was your 'Oops, wrong person' moment? I don’t think I have one. I’d die of embarrassment. What do you find attractive that isn't considered 'normal' attraction? I really can’t bring myself to be into the muscular/buff look and don’t mind if someone is on the bigger side, is skinny, or is generelly not a gym person. What’s the dumbest thing you’ve done drunk? Fell asleep in the pool. What's your proudest moment in the bathroom? ?????? What’s something you own that gets you lots of compliments? Technically not mine, but Gabie would lend me a windbreaker-type of jacket that was very colorful. It was green, yellow, pink, basically a very bright and gay jacket. I got complimented on it EVERY SINGLE TIME I wore it by nearly every single person who passed by me in school – and I wish I was kidding lmao. She got it in Baguio for 50 pesos ($1), it’s insane. I think it was lost by another person she lent it to. A damn shame. If money was no object, where would you want to live? Canada. Who is your favourite mythological character? In the brief moment I was into mythology, I really liked the way Rick Riordan wrote Apollo to be in his Percy Jackson series. Big ol’goofball. What's something that's happened which couldn't happen at a worse time? [continued from this afternoon] > Had the sign for my gas start blinking while I was stuck in standstill traffic > Get into a car accident while finally making a turn to the gas station > Get pulled over by an officer for changing a lane and nearly hitting a car, because unbeknownst to me, the accident had closed my right side mirror, making me not see my entire right side and I almost hit the car to my right All happened within ten minutes. I was a freshman in high school and couldn’t be more terrified. Police let me go when I started having a panic attack. What is the best pickup line you've ever heard? I don’t like pickup lines. What did aging ruin for you? Dreams. What is the most hilarious thing you’ve ever heard? Idk, I’ve found a lot of things hilarious. What is the darkest thing you have seen on the internet? It would be either Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared or Too Many Cooks. What's something you really enjoy, but can't have? A regularly luxurious life. What Wikipedia article have you recently read? OMG hahaha so there were times in internship where nothing was tasked to me FOR HOURS and I would get super bored. Then I remember hearing from somewhere that Wikipedia has a whole article that’s just a list of unusual deaths that’s happened from modern history until the present, and I gobbled that shit up until I was given a responsibility. I found out more listicles they apparently had – list of last words, list of people who disappeared mysteriously, etc; read all of those too. What's a book you were made to read in school that you really liked? My #1 would have to be Without Seeing the Dawn by Steven Javellana. It’s the most honest narration of the Philippines’ Japanese occupation I’ve ever read. It’s painful to read, but it’s the beauty of it. What objective did you fail to complete this week? I told myself I was gonna start externals work for my org, but I’ve just been so burned out in the last month that I haven’t gotten around to starting yet. I definitely have to this week, though so it’s not like I’ll completely fail it. What could have gotten worse for you but it didn't? Tbh the desire to end my life? I threw in the towel by the time I was 12, but I’m still here so I guess life is doing something right.

What subject should be taught at schools, but isn't? Adulting. Like being taught about taxes, social security, insurance, documents they ask when you apply for a job, etc. I’m 21 and I know nothing about these. I didn’t even know what insurance meant until I was 20. What is the best thing about having a Significant Other? The idea of having a go-to person for everything is very comforting for me. What makes you unusually uncomfortable? Distorted sound effects. It’s probably not unusual though. What is an upcoming purchase you're excited about? It’s no longer future tense because I was finally able to find Pop-Tarts at the nearby mall! I couldn’t find it ANYWHERE in the last couple of years and I’ve been craving it for the same period of time. Then Gab convinced me to try the supermarket at the mall we went to today and we found a box of Chocolate Fudge gloriously sitting on one of the shelves. It was way more expensive than I remember it being, but I waited for so long that I just grabbed it and didn’t care about my budget anymore. What is the worst game you've ever played? The Hannah Montana game for the Wii that I had was so bad it was good. What’s the oddest thing you like to do? I don’t think I have particularly odd habits. What's the funniest news story you've seen in the past few weeks? There’s a satirical article I came across a week ago that was about how dinosaurs got extinct because they ate pineapples on pizza. It was made even more hilarious by the fact that it included a graphic of dinosaurs and there were slices of pizza with pineapples on them photoshopped into the graphic. Definitely pissed off a number of pineapple enthusiasts that day lmaaaaao. What do you really really want right now? I’m so excited to eat my Pop-Tarts but I think I should save them for tomorrow. What do you hide from people? Suicidal thoughts, because I never wanna bother anyone. What was the first sign you knew you had a crush on someone? When I actively avoided her because it hurt to see her. HAHAHAH yuck drama What's the best lemonade you've made from the lemons life gave you? Lasting long enough to create a family in the form of my orgmates. Who was your cartoon crush while growing up? Sam from Totally Spies. What's the best way to deal with religious door knockers? We don’t have that culture here but I most likely would just never open the door. What’s the most hypocritical thing you’ve ever seen or heard? A large chunk of Catholics. Who’s the most interesting person you’ve ever met? When I was still interning at my PR firm, I shadowed my supervisor in an interview that one of our clients had for that day. Our client’s representative is the biggest badass I’ve met. He’s from South Africa and was born and raised at a time when apartheid was still around. He’s white, so he was brainwashed in school to think that they were superior and for a time, he really thought his race was. Then he got to work under Nelson Mandela’s party when he was much older and that was the only time he realized how backwards that mindset was. Anyway he had Mandela’s spies stalk his ass every single day because of his background and he ultimately got shot twice. There’s loads more stories to tell but I don’t want to give him away. 

When I was watching him get interviewed he proved to have a lot of knowledge on history and current events too so that’s another plus. He was just super cool and it was a breath of fresh air to talk to a foreigner that was more aware of social situations than the average Filipino. What just doesn't impress you? Carly Rae Jepsen. What’s the worst possible way to introduce yourself? There’s no worst way; just don’t try too hard because the bullshit can be detected so easily. What makes you wish that you were born in the past or the future? How easy it was to make a living and score a job decades ago. What tragic event was coincidentally beneficial to you? My breakup. What's something people are proud of, but it doesn't impress you? ‘Miracles.’ What's the worst possible moment to go and play on a bouncy castle? Doing it with a bunch of sweaty, rowdy kids. Who is the greatest ever comedian? Not really into comedians so my recommendations might suck for some. What’s your irrational fear? Commercials at night. What's your oldest memory? Playing in a Winnie the Pooh tent when I was 3. What can you not wake up without? Checking the time. What did you think was cool when you were younger that you now think isn’t? Wristbands. What are your favourite or most memorable lines from any movie/show? “How do you like them apples?” from Good Will Hunting. What's something people love to hate? The Kardashians. What’s something that is underrated but extremely useful? Being polite.

[skeletorific]

Ko-fi and Kisses: First Cut: SF!Alphys x Female OC x UF!Papyrus

matchup fic for @the-hidden-seeker who has been super patient about this

“WHY DOES SHE EVEN USE THESE?!?!”

“DON’T ASK ME, ITS YOUR CAPTAIN!”

The skeleton and the scarred up yellow dragon were glaring daggers (and throwing daggers) at a padlocked gate, which barred entry into the massive building behind it. The building was simply labelled “GYM” in harsh yellow neon that still flickered through the early morning fog. It was freezing cold out there, and the pairs’ breath spiralled into clouds as they continued to bicker.

“COULD YOU CALL HER?” Scales said, watching another lightning bolt bounce harmlessly away from the anti-magic forcefield around the lock.

“SHE DOESN’T HAVE A CELLPHONE” Edge said, mildly pouting as a row of bone spikes shot up just under it. The bones dissolved as soon as they got in range, as they had the past dozen or so times.

“WHY NOT?”

“SHE’S ON SOME KICK ABOUT HER BRAINWAVES GETTING HACKED.”

“CAN’T HER....NERD, WHIP SOMETHING UP TO BLOCK THAT?”

“DYNE DOESN’T LIKE ASKING ANYONE FOR HELP. AND ALPHYS IS ON HER PHONE ENOUGH THAT THERE’S A CONCERN SHE’S ALREADY BEEN CORRUPTED.”

Scales nodded as though this was a reasonable response and made a mental note to take a few sniffs around her phone. “WELL, NOW WHAT DO WE DO?”

The two had planned to finally settle their taunts into a resolved sparring match, and use the gym set up by Edge’s captain to do it. Inter-universe fights were at this point such a common occurrence that it had been decided they needed a space to do it that could take the damage. Dyne had insisted her place was state of the art, and Edge and Scales had planned to christen it with plenty of blood sweat and tears. They hadn’t counted on the doors being locked.

“....SHE HAS TO WAKE UP EVENTUALLY”

“SHE’S OUT OF TOWN” Edge muttered.

“...WE COULD PUT THIS OFF TILL SHE GETS BACK”

“I ALREADY POSTED ABOUT THIS FIGHT. AND IF WE DON’T END UP WITH A CLEAR VICTOR IT’LL BE ASSUMED WE CHICKENED OUT.”

Scales fell silent. To a Fell and Swapfell monster this was a genuine concern. Losing a fight was bad, but there was at least a certain honor to having fought at all. Faking a fight for attention...

“....WE’D BE MOCKED.” Edge said finally

They both shuddered.

Alphys got to her feet, pacing back and forth. She didn’t like this. They were in a neighborhood she wasn’t familiar with, filled with thousands of smells she didn’t know, which frankly was driving her batshit. Not only that but plans were in question, which frustrated them both. And-

“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT FUCKING TAPPING”

“WHAT?

“OVER THERE!” She snapped, pointing down the road. Edge rolled gracefully onto his feet and peered down the road. Eventually he heard it too.

Footsteps.

Slowly, a figure came into view. A Short-haired human girl bundled in a long coat and dress, frowning behind glasses as she wrestled with an overstuffed bag and several binders. She walked like a woman on a mission, and the two watched her with a slight tension. Humans didn’t often come to this part of town.

She steered around them, walking faster then any human had a right to. Then stopped. And turned back. “....whatcha up to?”

“.....” The two exchanged a look.

“LOCKED OUT” Scales finally said, jerking a clawed thumb at the padlock.

“You aren’t breaking in right?”

The two glared and Edge spoke. “YES, WE HAVE NEFARIOUS PLANS FOR AN UNOPENED GYM.”

“Alright, alright” The girl set down the bag with a huff and strode over, moving in front of the lock with such abruptness that the other two backed off, surprised.

Scales was startled. She wasn’t used to...being treated like a bystander?? In any situation?? The girl pulled something out of her pocket and then there was a sound of metal on metal, sawing.

“OH PLEASE” Edge said, gleeful to suddenly look in the know again. “THE LOCK IS MAGIC PROOF, AND I DOUBT A SIMPLE HUMAN KNIFE WILL BE ENOUGH TO-”

“Done.” She turned around, holding the chain in her hands.

“....WHAT?”

“Gate should open. Got the latch too.”

“.....”

Scales kicked the gate. Lightly. The doors swung open easily enough. Edge’s jaw hung slightly looser than normal as he looked between the padlock and the girl. The girl simply nodded with satisfaction and set the chain in the corner. “These aren’t metal, just enchanted wood. They fall pretty easy to standard knives.”

“.....” Edge, straightened up, clearing his throat. “YES, WELL...”

“WHAT’S YOUR NAME” Scales said, rolling her eyes at Edge and turning to face her.

The girl gathered up her binders. “Rae.”

“WELL, RAE.” As the girl straightened up she saw the dino holding her bag, offering it to her. “SEEMS WE’RE IN YOUR DEBT.”

“....don’t mention it.” She said, shouldering a bag. “What are you two doing anyways.”

“SPAR-”

“BATTLE TRAINING” Edge cut in, clearly eager to regain dignity points in the face of this competence.

“Nice.”

“WHAT’S ALL THIS FOR.” Scales said, nodding to her baggage.

“I work at a theater near here. Just some supplies we needed.”

“THEATER?”

“Um....yeah. We’re working on a new show...”

Scales’ eyes lit up. “THEN, ITS SETTLED.’”

“...what?”

“TO REPAY OUR DEBT, EDGE AND I WILL ATTEND THIS SHOW.”

“WE WH-” Fast as lightning Scales punched his arm and he growled, clutching it. “....WILL. WE WILL. I GUESS.”

“Um....well, it won’t be on for like a month, but.... I guess the more the merrier?” she pulled a poster from out of her bag and handed it over. Scales nodded and tucked it into her pack.

“IN THE MEANTIME WE’LL BE GIVING YOU TRAINING.”

“What-”

“YOU’RE HANDY WITH A KNIFE. BUT MORE TRAINING IS ALWAYS USEFUL.”

“I.....I’m usually pretty busy...” Her words were reluctant but her eyes were clearly lit up at the prospect.

“WE’LL WORK WITH YOU SCHEDULE THEN.” Scales said smoothly. “WE TAKE DEBTS SERIOUSLY.”

“.....you know what? Ok. worth a shot, anyways.”

“DON’T EXPECT US TO GO EASY ON YOU” Edge said.

Rae grinned up at him, which cause his cheekbones to tinge red. “Wouldn’t dream of it....here, let me-” she grabbed a loose scrap of paper and pinned it to the wall, scrawling something on it before handing it to Scales. “My number.”

Scales entered it in and texted her so she had hers. Rae nodded. “See you around.” She walked off.

“....ARE WE REALLY DOING THIS?” Edge said once she was out of earshot, face still a bit flushed and examining the cut on the chain. “SEEMS A BIT...EXCESSIVE FOR ONE CHAIN.”

“CALL IT....INTUITION” Scales said, watching her go until she disappeared around the corner. “NOW, FOR OUR MATCH...”