#back when i watched c2 in a NORMAL way (and i did watch it! and i liked it! i liked them! i was just also normal about it)

[sbrn10]

Me, 10 minutes into starting Monster Hunter World (yes, the old one) because I bought it on Steam and never really got into it and figured I might as well give it another try: Goddammit, Matt, I literally JUST finished playing another game that you were in.

[cboffshore]

with very little respect to that one feral Chima-purity-defender: here's that thing I was talking about the other day I now formally present THE SLOG THEORY.

obviously, this is STUPID rough. In order to make this way more accurate, I'd have to know how many normal days each season of Chima and Ninjago takes, which... not happening. I ain't doing that. This is very heavily rounded and largely for illustrative purposes.

(@ghostwalloper said I was cooking. It's dinnertime, pal.)

The original joke was that, since Chima is such a pain in the ass to watch and feels like it takes forever, obviously time in that realm must be WAY slower than in Ninjago, and only equalizes when The Merge happens and throws everything into a blender. Hence the name Slog Theory. I'm building on the time slowness thing here, because it's FUNNY. I could be entirely wrong - maybe everything in Chima happens in the span of five Ninjago minutes during the first season and they're just sitting around for the rest of the time.

Reading the chart: Blue side is Chima, with season chunks numbered. Red is Ninjago. Please note that the Ninjago season numbers are off to the side, ABOVE their related chunk, due to space. The purple V shape is when the Merge happens well after the end of N15. I drew this on my phone over breakfast, okay? Don't come at me for that. With that being said, I kept all of the time chunks on each side approximately the same just for ease of drawing, because - once again, for the people in the back - there is no way I am going back and doing the math to figure out exactly how many regular days each season takes. That's impossible. There are clues, sure, but WAY too many cuts. Just roll with it, please.

See those green zones on the blue Chima side? Those are our KEY POINTS. There are three, each correlating to some spot on the Ninjago side. They are:

The infamous Possession cameo. My brief research shows that this is an edited scene from EP 15 of C1, which leaves us two possibilities: either the cameo scene with Lloyd and Morro present is canon to BOTH sides, or history repeated itself on the Chima side after the original Eris/other bird iteration, and they all went to hang out on that hill again, hoping to see another fight. And boy did they deliver! Besides that scene EXPLICITLY being an edited version of one from C1, we also know that character lineup is consistent with C1.

The Beaver Portal thing from the second have of N11. It's trickier to place this in the Chima timeline because it doesn't have any of the main characters involved to indicate what season it happens in via armor or lineup, so I just let it fall where it may, which loosely suggests it happens somewhere off to the side between C2 and C3.

The final cliffhanger shot. Following with the time line I've already established with the other cameos, approximately 4-5 seasons have passed since the last one, which puts this after the end of N15 - right around where the Merge would kick off DR. Which would explain why we never see the Chima characters go have adventures down there - reality gets shredded first! Like, right after that shot!

Anyway! It's ultimately all pretty pointless - we're over here fighting over a toy commercial, after all - but I thought that drawing and writing it out a little more thoroughly helped me out, so I hope it helps you all, too.

[utilitycaster]

Fjord

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

2. Favorite thing: so much, but I particularly like how good and effective he is at herding the cats of the Mighty Nein. There are many reasons why they bonded so tightly, but a factor was that Fjord early on was insistent that they figure out ways to work together. You can tell how carefully his backstory was constructed; part of why Sabian and Vandran are such beloved figures despite almost no screentime is because you can get such a clear an outline of them from Fjord’s behaviors and discussions that is honestly more thorough than that of some fully introduced NPCs. Getting back to the original point, you can tell from early on that this is someone accustomed to team dynamics under pressure (ie, a sailor). In general, everything we learned about Fjord, as it was revealed, made me go “ohhhhhhh yeah that makes sense,” which is in my opinion the sign of incredibly skilled storytelling and character building.

3. This is tough; this is a character I truly love and I am always team “this person’s flaws are an important part and erasing them means you do not fucking get it," so like, I am in favor of his perfectionism and control issues and closed-off-ness and in case it's not clear from my Midst blogging and which characters I'm drawn to there, nor my enjoyment of Vex, a particular vibe of which he is one of the best examples. I also, admittedly, am defensive because while people watching C2 now without all the fandom discourse of C2 tend to enjoy him, he got done rather dirty by the fandom and was the recipient of basically every single thing I dislike that fandoms do (he is not alone; Keyleth got this with the added complication of rampant misogyny, and Veth got shades of this too, and all have similarly been received much better by people watching without fandom influence). So, for example, while I would love to have seen more of his backstory in-game, I am hesitant to say that because, well, ever notice how Caduceus was sidelined by the party and we didn't explore his past but Fjord avoided his backstory? Ever notice how Caleb's asshole behaviors are because of trauma but Fjord (grew up in a Dickensian orphanage, bullied over his race to the point of willing self-harm from a young age, betrayed, stabbed, and left to drown at which point he was forced into a warlock pact he didn't remember) is just an asshole? (I'm saying this as someone who very much likes Caduceus and Caleb, but this was blatant from the fandom, and pretty constant too.) So to be clear I think he has plenty of flaws, as a complex character, but I do not dislike those flaws as canonical aspects of him.

Anyway. The joke but also kind of true answer is, as Laura herself pointed out, why did he wait 7 entire years to propose to Jester.

25. I liked him from the start but Beau was actually my favorite in early C2! I liked the top table (and what faint impressions I had of Yasha) from the start, but Fjord had the Percy and Vex trait of "guy who can act normal in a social situation when no one else can" for the first stretch of the campaign, which meant he was high up there but didn't move up in my estimation until he started to reveal how civilizedly (not a real word, but vitally important as a modifier here for a number of reasons) unhinged and insecure he was.

[captainsspnanon]

C3E78 - reaction

No Liam! Sad times :( This is the second time he’s missed a game (my mom just watched the C2 episode where Marisha jaegered Caleb, she’s on such a great parallel watching as she bounces back and forth between the two campaigns)

I was very surprised by Fearne’s very physical reaction continuing after the end of last episode, but then I wonder if a part of it is above table. Not anger from Ashley, but her going ‘oh this is the first time I’ve actually been at the table during one of these moments, I’mma take it for all it’s worth!’. I mean, she wasn’t there when Scanlan left, she wasn’t there when Molly died, she wasn’t there when Fjord was going through his big power adjustments, so a part of me thinks that maybe a small part of Fearne’s reaction may be Ashley just reveling in being there for the moment.

Did NOT call the Delilah resurgence, nor did I even consider that Laudna could view this as a betrayal, but I’m loving it! I’m really happy that Marisha is leaning into the Delilah aspect more and more and Matt meeting it perfectly with voices, wisdom saves, etc.

CONSEQUENCES! Holy shit, con down 2 permanently???? Pretty sure a greater restoration won’t fix this! I am FASCINATED. There HAD to have been an outside conversation about this – I feel like it’s completely flipped from how it left off at the end of last episode? I mean, Narrator!Matt was saying how Ashton was now “unprecedented”, Taliesin was talking about high risk high reward, and Ashton’s physical body was certainly being described as a combination of earth and fire. But now here, their eyes are back to normal, their arm is now just a bigger mismatched earth arm, the gold veins are back to normal, and the shard got REJECTED. I just can’t imagine Matt choosing to do this without having some sort of conversation beforehand, even though I know he’s played with Taliesin for years even before CR. I wonder if it came from Taliesin though, if he could have wanted Ashton to fail for this…. I can think of so many different conversations above table, but this is just a full 180 from end of last episode, and honestly a harsh punishment from Matt. I’m all for it, and I’m so excited to continue this, but I would be VERY surprised if Matt did this on his own without any above table talk.

The vision that Ashton talks about seeing themselves with their family, and seeing that they were bad, and everything being their fault makes me think that Taliesin may have chosen the outcome of the shard being rejected, though of course it’s all pure speculation.

(Side note, can we talk about how Ashley is absolutely gorgeous and Taliesin’s hair is fucking phenomenal??? I like the Caduceus swirls a lot more than I liked the Percy geometric. Okay I’m done being distracted)

I was trying to figure out why I was enjoying this episode more than a lot of C3, and I realized that it’s because this is very reminiscent of the M9 relationships. It’s been a long time since we’ve had real interparty conflict with the Hells, whereas that was M9’s bread and butter. I’m hoping this isn’t something that’s just fixed by next episode, because I am THRIVING. I know that C3 has mostly been about external conflict (the solstice), but the PCs have all been….well...almost ‘shallowly’ connected? I don’t feel like that’s the right word, because there WERE true relationships between the group, but I just feel like the internal conflict is always so great at deepening the relationships.

(I’m actually doing this write up AS I watch, rather that after I watch the full episode as I’ve been doing for most of C3)

I am genuinely surprised about how everyone is being very aggressive towards Ashton. I didn’t expect FCG to lash out as hard as they are, and Imogen is cutting NO slack. Again, missing Liam at this moment as I would really love to see where Orym would fall on this, but a tiny part of me is a bit glad, as I don’t know if the conversation would have gone the way it’s going if he was there. And while I didn’t expect it, I am LOVING it. Sam is thriving! And honestly? Big growth moment for FCG here too, even a dozen episodes back I’m not sure they would have reacted this way.

LOL Ashley’s face when FCG asks Ashton how they could hurt Fearne because she’s so wonderful.

God the Fearne and Chetney dynamic is SO GOOD. He scolded her, gave her advice, tried to boost her confidence, maybe was a little offended that she was going for Ashton instead of him, helped her redirect her anger towards a more constructive destructive outlet…. Travis is SUCH a good player, y’all. And Ashley!! UGH I am so glad we get her for so long. *chefs kiss*

Fearne and Laudna/Delilah just off on their own, and holy shit I did not expect that harshness from Chetney, though I suppose I really should have. He’s always been incredibly pragmatic, and we’ve never seen how he would react with a betrayal of trust before.

This...this is both a new and an old perception of Laudna, or rather, it’s bringing new context to the woman who still plays with dolls and assumes they come alive at night. I really REALLY hope we get to see more in this vein, this is FASCINATING.

Alright, a lot of this is now post-watching rather than mid-watch. I really strongly speculate that Taliesin talked to Matt about having Ashton not fuse with the shard. All his RP this episode really feels like he planned to have the backlash and guilt ahead of time. I wonder if he felt that this would be the best way for Ashton to move forwards? Of course, definitely still can be wrong here and this could all be in the moment, but it just feels too off for Matt to have done it without some sort of discussion.

I can’t even begin to sum up how I feel about the feywild trip. It’s needed, I’m excited, I want to know what’s going on with Birdie, what’s going on with Fearne!

[sullustangin]

Fluffy February Day 22: Remember

Fandom: SWTOR

Time:  between Chapters 15 and 16 of KotFE (3631/22 ATC)

Pairing:  Theron Shan/Smuggler

Words: ~1030

~~

For Eva, it was just another day.  It wasn’t weird at all.

Theron had successfully extracted himself from her bed before dawn, but he did leave her a cup of caf on her bedside table.  That was a little disappointing, but not entirely out of character yet; if he had the urge to work at some ungodly hour, he tried to go without waking her.  

Eva flipped through her messages on her commlink in the galley as she scrounged up some leftover pastries from when Bowie was over and baking this past weekend.  

It was when she almost deleted a message labeled “Ceremony of Remembrance” that suddenly, it got weird for Eva.

She read through the message twice.

Oh yeah.

She’d been iced for five years.

Everyone else that had engaged the Eternal Fleet that one night – a lot of them were dead.  Their deaths had driven many people here, to Odessen, to serve one of the few survivors.  Eva Corolastor, alias the Voidhound.  

It wasn’t a shock that the Alliance was having a commemorative ceremony.  And it wasn’t even a surprise that it hadn’t been mentioned to Eva: what could she do that wouldn’t be seen as manipulative or capitalizing upon the dead?

No, it was best if Eva wasn’t seen at the center of it all today, out of respect.  Don’t rub her survival in the face of those still grieving – those who always would grieve for a life, a lifestyle, a life partner.  

What was weird… what threw her off – was how close this was to Theron’s birthday.

That had been the last time she’d seen him.  Then came Eternal Fleet.

Then she’d woken up, five years, two months and some change later.  

They’d just celebrated his 35th birthday about three weeks ago, their first together and safe.  

So his 29th birthday – the one where her romantic overture went flat … and then she was gone, for what he thought was forever.

That…actually went a long way in explaining how he was, now.  

Eva got dressed for the day and headed out of the ship, across the catwalk to the military hangar, and then tried to blend in with the walls as she made her way to the war room.

Some of the enlisted noticed and saluted.  Others just bowed their heads until she gave them the nod.  

…they seemed to understand why she wasn’t demanding the attention that a leader of a splinter cell faction normally did.  

The war room was empty today.  Except for one man.

Everyone else was going to be upstairs at that ceremony – Theron had organized it, put it on the schedule, but… it seemed like Lana would be the one running the show.  Theron, as ever, worked in the shadows, far from the sun or any touch of light this day had.

Eva took the time to watch him for long minutes.  She’d loved watching Theron work, seeing his brain orchestrate everything, modeling efficiency…but adding those human scowls and smirks and raised eyebrows.  

“You’re not going?” she finally asked, and he smoothly turned to look at her.  It was as if he knew she’d find him here, inevitably.

“No,” he answered, voice quiet but echoing in the emptiness of the war room.  “Attended five of them…that’s enough for me.”  

“Do you think I should go?”

“I think you should be seen in a back row,” he advised her, turning back to his work.  “But you already know…what you shouldn’t do.”

Eva tilted her head. “Sense of duty.  Sense of obligation to the people who follow me.” Then she came closer to Theron. “Why aren’t you going?”

Same question, different phrasing, another response.  “Someone has to keep watch.  In case Arcann decides to use a day of mourning as a day to make a point.”  His eyes darted to look at her, briefly. “Usually there was some sort of… repercussion for public ceremonies.  We did them anyway.”

Eva drew closer to Theron yet, resting her hand on his work console and standing well within his personal space.  “We got droids we can trust – T7, C2, 2V – forget SCORPIO and her kids or whatever. And you know C2 can throw down, even as a Hollis.”   Then one more time: “Why aren’t you going?”

Theron gave a small sigh. He didn’t look up from his work right away. “The stubborn wasn’t tempered a bit in there.”

“Nope.”  

Theron bowed his head slightly, the harsh light of the screen spilling over his features.  He let his hands drift away from the controls and braced himself on the frame.  “They… found the remains of Havoc Squad’s commander, Damasa Quo… a few weeks before the second Eternal Fleet Remembrance Day.  So her funeral was a part of those public acts of defiance.” Then Theron look over at Eva, and his expression was devastatingly sad.  “Today, I’d have to stand next to men like Aric Jorgan, who didn’t get their girl back.”

…

Of course, there was the flipside to Eva’s dilemma.

She came back, unlike everyone who died –

And Theron put voice to the rest of her thoughts.  “I have to stand there as the one man whose life came back together again after the Eternal Fleet shattered it.  I might have had a rough five years, but I can make the argument I got a hell of a promotion and my personal life got a big upgrade,” he finished, voice a little rough at the end.  “And unlike everyone else up there, I get one more hour, one more day with you – more than they’ll ever have again.”

Her arms ached for him, and Eva had crossed the last little space between them before she could worry over being found out.  

Given the ferocity of his embrace, Theron didn’t care right now either.  

Right now, all that mattered was Theron and breaking every rule about public affection in the war room.

“…spend the day with me. Upstairs.”

There was a weighty pause.

Then he relented.

Theron and Eva sat in the back row, hands clasped tightly where no one could see them.  They sat through the whole commemoration, unnoticed, as they should have been.

~~

@fluffyfebruary @ayresis @starlightcleric @ermingarden @bluephoenix1347

[serenity-lattes]

It’s All Coming Back to Me

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Billy Hargrove

Summary: The sauna scene from 3x04 and the scene with El in 3x08 got mixed together with a little ✨spice✨. Billy is flayed and Steve’s on a mission with Robin, Dustin, and Erica to bring him back. And maybe this time it isn’t as difficult as they thought it would be.

Warnings: Mind Flayer’s icky veins, breaking a window and door, attempt to hurt others with a sharp object, choking someone.  

Word Count: 1371

A/N: I was gonna wait for Halloween to post this, but I’m too excited to wait. It’s just a little snapshot fic for my C2 square “Let me out! I’ll fucking gut you!” on my @harringroveson-bingo​ card. As always, thanks to @writer-in-theory for being my beta.

Also, check out this fan art by @valsyngur because it fits perfectly. Jay sent it to me while I was writing it and asdfghjkl I fell in love with it.

Three days. Billy had been fighting for control of his body for three entire days and Steve felt like an idiot because he didn’t realize it until after El told him what she saw in the void. He should have known better, known to call.

Billy didn’t show up to their date. For any other couple, this would normally be a reason to worry, but Steve didn’t. Billy’s home life wasn’t easy, which forced them to tip toe around Neil, making sure to not get caught. Because of that, there were many canceled dates, especially if Neil was home and in a bad mood, ready to take it out on Billy.

Which is why it was killing Steve to lock Billy up in the sauna. Listening to Billy sob was the worst thing he could imagine right now, next to the thought of losing him to this thing. Thankfully Robin was next to him, trying to remind him that by doing this, they’ll coax Billy back into control and force The Mind Flayer out. 

“It's not my fault, okay? Steve, please. Please, believe me, Stevie, it's not my fault. I tried to stop him, okay? I did,” Billy cried, rubbing his hands together like he always does when he’s nervous.

Steve sniffled, watching Billy rock back and forth, trying to calm himself down. God, he wanted to open the door and pull him into his arms, but he knew he couldn’t. Not right at this moment, anyway.

“Billy,” he whimpered, “It’s gonna be okay, baby.”

“Steve, be careful, step back,” Robin called out, anxiety growing with Steve’s proximity to the window. Steve turned back, about to argue just before there was a loud crack and pieces of glass clattering to the ground. 

Everyone yelped in surprise and jumped back, getting into fighting stances, ready to attack if need be. 

“Let me out! Let me out, I’ll fucking gut you!” Billy shouted, swinging a shard of porcelain tile around the window in an attempt to hurt anyone nearby. Steve held up the pool net, hoping he didn’t have to use it as a weapon against Billy. Even if that thing was taking control, it was still Billy, his Billy. He was still inside there somewhere.

It was a good plan in theory, up until Dustin chucked a chlorine floater right at Billy’s face.

Well, shit. 

“Steve, we gotta go!” Robin shouted, tugging at the sleeve of his uniform, scared and ready to get to safety. Steve didn’t budge, watching the window for Billy, his Billy, to stand up and ask what had happened. Except… that’s not what happened. The lights were flickering and he could hear Billy thrashing around and screaming gutterly, making his heart wrench. He was struggling, in agony, fighting for control of his body. Billy was suffering and Steve wasn’t brave enough to make his way over to the window to see what exactly was going on, given what just happened last time he approached. Dustin and Erica joined in, begging him to leave but he couldn’t. Not when Billy was in there and needed their help. 

Then Billy stood up, veins blackened and raised, and began ramming his body against the door in an attempt to open it. Oh, fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Robin gasped and tried pushing Steve away, but he shook his head.

“Go.”

“Are you shitting me?” Dustin screamed, “You’re coming with us, Harrington.”

Steve turned to look at Dustin, eyes glistening with tears, “Go help the others, I’m going to save him.” He wasn’t sure he would walk away from this, but he would be damned if he didn’t try. 

Robin knew there was no talking Steve out of this, but she wasn’t so sure he was going to succeed in his plan, either. After meeting his eyes, they shared a minute nod, a silent goodbye. She grabbed hold of Dustin and pulled him away, and just in time, too, as the sauna door flew off its frame, the chain links clattering everywhere.

“Shit, come on, Henderson” Erica finally yelled, pulling him away by his vest, refusing to let Billy hurt him too.

Billy rushed toward Steve, forcing him to swing that pool net in an attempt to get him away, but Billy and this thing were far too strong. Next thing Steve knew, he was pushed against the brick wall, Billy’s hands around his neck, squeezing. Steve grasped at Billy’s hands, struggling for air as Billy began to lift him off the floor.

“Oh, god,” Robin gasped, her and Erica pulling Dustin around to the other side of the fence. They should run far, far away from here, but they couldn’t leave Steve, not yet anyway. Steve had to pull this off. He just had to.

“Billy- this- isn’t- you-“ Steve struggled as Billy tightened his grip around his neck. The man before him right now wasn’t the man he fell for in gym class. He clawed at Billy’s hand, desperate to be out of the chokehold. Billy’s eyes looked into his, hardened and hollow. Steve couldn’t see Billy in those eyes he had fallen in love with. He had to bring him back. 

“You-You’re Billy Hargrove, you’re eighteen, and were born in C-California. You graduated from Hawkins High School and got your first job here as a lifeguard. You listen to Metallica after every fight with your dad and lift weights as an outlet. You only smoke Marlboro reds because you say the golds are for moms and the menthols are for old people,” he squirmed under Billy’s grip, terrified that if he couldn’t bring Billy back, not only would everyone here at the pool die, but all of Hawkins with them. 

Steve’s eyes burned with tears as he reached up to touch Billy’s cheek, as he had done thousands of times. Billy’s gaze softened, and he slowly lowered Steve back to the ground, hands still around his neck.

“You love to surf and you miss the ocean because,” he swallowed, trying to catch his breath, “be-because it reminds you of your mom. You miss her every day and that’s why you never take off her necklace, so a part of her is always close. We were in your Camaro with the seats down while we ate McDonald’s and you told me all about her,” his thumb brushed over Billy’s cheekbone, careful to avoid the healing wound, “You dropped me off at my house later that night, an-and you kissed me for the first time. When we played basketball the next day, I fell and scraped my knee even after you told me to plant my feet, but you patched it up anyway, then you asked me to be yours.”

Steve smiled at the memory, relaxing as he saw Billy’s eyes well with tears also. He was coming back to him slowly, remembering. 

“You are Billy Hargrove, a flawed human being. You are Billy Hargrove, an amazing person who is always trying to be better despite what life has thrown your way,” Billy’s knees buckled and they both fell, Steve catching Billy the best he could given their current position. Billy held himself up by his palms, vaguely aware he shouldn’t crush Steve. Steve cradled Billy’s face in his hands, tears sliding down his face, into his hair, “You are Billy Hargrove and you are the love of my life.”

He leaned forward and kissed Billy with all the love he could muster, not stopping until he felt Billy release his neck and slide his arms around his waist. Steve pulled back to look into Billy’s eyes, the baby blues that he had fallen in love with. 

“Billy?”

Billy nodded his head tentatively, still attempting to ground himself. 

Steve let out a sob and threw his arms around Billy in a bone crushing hug, thankful he hadn’t lost him forever. He didn’t even care that Robin and the kids were around to see this. Billy was back and they were both alive. 

“I’m sorry,” Billy whispered, face buried in Steve’s neck, “I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t mean to- he made me. You know me, I-I would never.”

Steve pressed a kiss to Billy’s shoulder, “I know, it’s okay. I’ve got you.”

MAIN MASTERLIST

HARRINGROVE BINGO MASTERLIST

[thebrochtuarachs]

Something in the Rain - “A Month Apart, Part 1”

A/N: Hi everyone, thank you for your patience as I whipped out this chapter. I had the initial outline on how this chapter will go but more frequent than none, it changes a lot in the middle while I'm in the writing process. :) I love this story and I hope it just gives you the good feels while reading this. We're two years into this pandemic and the world is still crazy. I hope you're keeping safe and being kind to yourself. :) As always, your comments and suggestions are very much welcome.

A modern day meet cute instance between Jamie and Claire.

AO3  / C1: A Day In June : C2: Definitely, Maybe : C3: So We Meet Again : C4: Friday Lunch : C5: Finding Solid Ground : C6: Situations : C7: Interruptions

XXXXX

After their first date, their schedule for the following two weeks we’re packed - with Jamie settling back in the firm after his 2-week trip from London and Claire’s schedule at the hospital and preparing for her trip to Seattle.

Being a lawyer and a doctor weren’t the most flexible jobs - with patients and clients to attend to, surgeries and hearings to prepare for, plus, with both of them in administrative positions, it is additional work on top of their normal duties. But Claire and Jamie were determined to make it work, so they decided to communicate better, be extra patient and understanding, and really commit whatever available time they had.

The first week, Jamie couldn’t make lunch as he had a court hearing to prepare for and Claire couldn’t make dinner as she was on the night shift. So Jamie, one day, surprised Claire outside the hospital by picking her up, invited her to quick breakfast dates instead, and dropping her off at her house to make sure she got home safe.

The second week was a bit lighter but with Claire going to Seattle on Saturday, she had to do extra administrative work to make sure everything was set for her leave. She offered to have dinner takeaways at her office in the evenings which he happily accepted.

The night before her flight, Claire and Jamie were hanging out in her office, sitting at the sofa, admiring the Edinburgh skyline with a little wine and cheese tray.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t go out” Claire apologized.

“Don’t worry about it, Sassenach.” Jamie turned to Claire and patted her hand. “I honestly would prefer to do anything if it means I get to spend time with you - whether sitting here in your office on a Friday night or sitting in the gallery watching your surgery.”

“You’re too good to me, James” Claire quipped in a feigned dramatic voice.

“Ah, you give me too much credit, Claire. I hope you know that you make an effort too, especially these past two weeks”

“Me? It feels like you’re fitting more to my schedule than I am yours!”

“But you met me during breakfast even though you looked too knackered from yer shift.”

Claire couldn’t deny that and she could just smile with Jamie’s understanding.

“Are you all packed up for tomorrow?” Jamie asked, changing the subject.

“Yes. The weather’s mostly rainy in Seattle so I brought extra items for the wet and cold.”

“And what’s your schedule for the month?”

“Have I not sent you my itinerary? Hold up -” Claire took out her phone and quickly sent an email to Jamie. “There, I sent you my schedule but between teaching and surgery, my time’s the same as here just minus the administrative work, which I tell you not, I’m pretty excited to be free of it for the next month”

Jamie just nodded. The next month.

It’s all rather bad timing if you look at it. The first month, they’ve been rather inseparable with going to lunches almost everyday and weekends at the center. The following month, quick dates and meetings as Jamie was away at London and their crazy schedule at the hospital and the firm. And now, going into the third month since meeting, they’d be completely separated by roughly 4,485 miles.

“Did you hear what I said, Jamie?” Claire asked while waving a hand in front of Jamie’s face.

“I’m sorry, what?” Returning to the present, unaware that his mind has gone away a bit.

Claire gave him a softened look and sat closer to him. “What were you thinking?”

Jamie stayed silent but Claire’s look urged him on.

“Nah, ye’ll think me daft” Jamie said but Claire shook her head.

“Fine” Jamie stretched his arm to pull her closer and she gladly leaned on his shoulder. “I was just thinking about how I’ll not be able to see ye for a month, how much I’ll be missing ye, and how excited I am once ye return here.”

“Oh,” Claire knew the feelings were simple but it’s his words and the way he said it that touched her most.

“I told ye it’s daft.”

“It’s not daft.” Claire tried to mimic Jamie’s accent but they both just have to laugh at her attempt. Turning serious quickly, she took Jamie’s face by the hand and looked deeply into his eyes. “You know that I am going to miss you too.”

Jamie just nodded in agreement, looking at Claire so sweetly and lovingly that she couldn’t help but lean in for a kiss.

Since their first kiss after their date, they hadn’t been shy in showing affection to each other. Nonetheless, it’s all been very respectful to the boundaries to whatever stage they are in their relationship. Hand touches, hugs, pecks and kisses here and there but never really beyond that.

But with her impending departure, Claire seemed to be eager for more. Instead of completely pulling away, she kissed him again some more.

Jamie quickly picked up the signal and allowed himself to pull Claire closer and to his lap. A few minutes later, Claire felt Jamie’s tongue on her lips asking for entrance which she happily obliged. The air around them was electric.

Jamie was first to pull away before the moment got away from them. Claire sighed - not from disappointment, but by the fact of how chivalrous Jamie really is. And she doesn’t really mind it one bit. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

The following day, Jamie picked up Claire to drop her off at the airport. They thought they had time for a quick bite but traffic was so horrendous that they got to the gate just in time before boarding began.

With barely any time left, Jamie pulled Claire to a tight hug as the PA system called her flight. “Go, you’ll miss your plane”

Claire reluctantly released Jamie with a grunt. “Let’s go somewhere when I return”

“Sounds like a plan” Jamie tried to hide the longing in his voice but it was too late.

“The month will be over before you know it, okay? Message me everyday, call me every afternoon when you can” Claire encouraged him. With one last kiss, they bade each other goodbye as she started walking to her gate and Jamie was no longer in sight.  

As Claire waited for take off, the silence of a constant message ping on her phone slightly unsettled her. It was then she realized the vast distance between Seattle and Edinburgh. A single tear escaped but she quickly pulled it together. She’s not even gone yet but homesickness hit her right away.

-

So the four-week long distance trial began.

The 8-hour time difference is not too crazy between Seattle and Edinburgh with their available times falling at the start and end of the day. They’ve been coping well with their synced calendars and communication options.

Jamie sends flowers and snacks to Seattle Grace, earning Claire points from the staff for all the treats she’s been giving away.

Claire, on her end, sends late messages to Jamie to wake up to in the morning and asks Mrs. Kim’s Korean Street Food Hub to delivery chicken wings to Jamie every so often.

They’ve also reserved some time on the weekend for extended calls with conversations falling from happenings to their week to what hairstyles and colors they’ve done in the past.

It wasn’t till late in the 3rd week that things started to shake up.

It was a random Thursday evening in rainy Seattle. Between two surgeries and one class, Claire was ready to call it a day. She was settling on her sofa, drinking her tea for a little night cap when her phone pinged. It was 9:30PM Seattle meaning it was 5:30AM Edinburgh, too early for anybody to contact her over there unless it was important.

Grabbing her phone, her notifications show it was from Geillis. It was a link to a tabloid along with a message “HAVE YOU SEEN THIS?”

With the link, she can see the preview of the title “Jamie Fraser is off the market!” Curiosity prevailed Claire and she clicked the article

-

On the other side of the world, Jamie, as always, promptly arrived at the firm. Just as he was to pass Mrs. Fitz, she called him out.

“Ah, lad”

“Yes, Mrs. Fitz?”

“I dinna ken yet what ye or Claire are yet but have ye spoken to her today?”

“Today? Not yet. Why?”

She motioned for him to come round the reception and take a peek at her monitor.

She showed him the same article Geillis sent Claire and as soon Jamie saw the accompanying photo, he fished out his phone and immediately contacted Claire. It was midnight in Seattle but Jamie didn’t care - he wanted to clear things before things got misinterpreted.

“Erm, hello?” a groggy Claire answered the phone on the other side of the line.

“Hi, were ye asleep?” Jamie asked as he walked the hallway to his office.

“I was but I answered already, what’s up?” she replied, her voice still muffled by sleep. She knew why he was calling though but wanted to hear it from him. “Did you just arrive at the firm?”

“Yes,” he replied, closing the door to his office for privacy. “Well, I don’t want to keep you long but an article came last night about me and well, in case ye’ll see it, it is not true.”

Jamie heard Claire sigh on the other end, “I’ve seen it” she confirmed.

“Ye’ve already seen it?” he repeated in disbelief, looking at his watch, it’s only been posted a few hours ago.

“Geillis sent it to me earlier, I think it just came out then. She’s a bit of a morning person so…”

“Claire, it isn’t true. It was all in a bad angle. The Dunsany’s have been a long-time client of ours and we had an unexpected dinner meeting yesterday. I was just escorting their daughter to her car when the paparazzi got wind of us and ran with whatever story they could think of.” Jamie quickly explained in summary.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah. I mean you say it’s not true and I believe you.”

“You don’t have any questions?” he asked, a little baffled.

“Not really. I mean was there more to it?”

“A bit but something we can talk about later.”

“Okay”

It was both refreshing and confusing as to why Claire seemed nonchalant about all this. On one end, she might be really understanding. On the other end, she might be harboring ill-feelings she didn’t want to discuss.

It was Jamie’s line that turned silent. Claire, guessing he might need more despite her sleepy state, obliged him. “Jamie, I won’t lie. I was surprised at first because of the photo and how the article was written with your family histories. Add to that, that I didn’t see it in the calendar and you didn’t text me about it.”

“Why didn’t you call -?”

“But” she interrupted him, “I also know you, Jamie, and I know about us. If I was really concerned, I’ll call you right away. But I’m not and we’ll be meeting later anyway, so I know we’ll talk about it eventually.” she paused to catch a breath. “Besides, you already explained it, I don’t need to know any more because I trust you, Jamie.”  

“Okay” it was Jamie’s turn to give the one-word reply.

“Are we okay now?” she asked.

“Yes, as long as ye are too.” Jamie replied to which Claire mummed in agreement. “Thank ye, Claire.”

“You’re welcome. Now, I’ll go back to sleep and see you later.” With that, Claire ended the call, a small smile crept on her face knowing the relief and joy Jamie probably feels right now.

[tick-fic-nick]

What are friends for?

SPOILERS FOR C2 E141!!!!

Summary: Essek has a bad dream, but he also has friends who take care of him

Warnings: tickling, nightmare stuff, angst

The true fight had begun.

Everything went tense.

His mind swirled with different possibilities, different options, and different endings.

The city was beneath them, and it all had happened so fast. Each of his new allies falling unconscious or worse. Caleb under a fallen building, or whatever it was. He pulled him out, willing it to happen.

When he looked up again, the final blow had been dealt, and.... it was over.

He looked around and his friends who most of which were looking worse for ware... but still standing.

After that, his mind was muddled, feeling the effects of the battle they barely won.

Lucien mangled body lay on the ground, ripped down the middle. The living surrounded him, in a puddle of the their own tears, and Esseks too. He felt his face for wet finding a small stream trickling down his face. He pulled away his finger from his face looking at the red that laced his index.

Shocked he brought his other hand up to his face, the same red coming back. He looked back up to where his friends were, only to see them all laying motionless on the ground in front of them, taking a step back instinctually.

A hand arose from the flesh, grabbing his leg and pulling him down into the city. He could feel himself sinking deeper and deeper. His arms trying to pull at the flesh, but could never grab hold. The ground came up to meet his shoulders.

But then everything stopped.

He was stuck. And it was getting tighter. His chest compressed slowly. Tunnel vision appeared into his periphery. But voice spoke out, and walked toward him.

"Thelyss, don't think you'll get away that easy"

The familiar Zemnian voice crept under his skin. Not the one he'd come accustomed to over the last week. The one he'd try to separate away from. A horrible, wicked man that came closer into view.

Trent. He felt his face contort from panic, to blood curdling fear.

"Why the long face? Wait, don't tell me," the noise from the boot got louder before he felt the bottom of it pressed against his cheek. The force of the boot made him ache.

"You let yourself become weak with these fools," he took a beat to laugh "well don't worry. There's a special place to watch their execution."

Essek tried to scream but nothing came out of his mouth. He tried to do anything, but each movement seemed to sink him further into the ground. But anywhere was better than with him. So he struggled and struggled, only sinking more and more until he completely submerged into the city.

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

Jester and caleb had volunteered to take watch for the first couple hours that night. Sure, they were at the Clay's temple of the Wildmother, but after Trent attacked them, they made sure to keep a close watch at night.

Rain softly drizzled down, tapping the windows and thatch roof, causing for most, a sound sleep. Though Caleb noticed Essek in his trace, to have scrunched his brow. Tapping Jester, he then pointed at their drow friend who hovered off the ground, not but a couple feet away.

Jester leaned over and whispered "maybe he's dreaming"

"I'm not sure... he could be"

"He's probably having freaky dream sex, right now" She winked

"Probably... but if he's not having a good time, then we should wake him, ya?"

"But aren't you supposed to like, not wake up someone who's have freaky kinky dream sex?"

"No, that's for sleep walking."

Jester scoots closer to caleb "Cay-Leb! Who do you think he's having süper freaky kinky dream sex with?" She pokes him repeatedly into his side for playful emphasis.

He bats at her hands, with a slight smile at his lips "shh! Don't get too loud, and im not talking about this with you" He continues to watch Essek, even through Jesters inappropriate questions.

The drow in question, twitches. Once, twice, five times, and curls into himself slightly. After a few seconds his hovering stops, falling slowly to the ground. But still siting up in his trance. Caleb grabs Jesters hands lightly and holds them causing her to quiet slightly, just enough to hear a almost silent squeak that comes from the drow in question.

Caleb's face had recognition on it before he quietly whispered to Jester who had the same look grace her features "he's having a bad dream."

They both stood and walked to Essek, flanking him on either side. When they both got situated, almost about ready to wake him, his eyes shot open. A gasp and a sob found it way into his throat, and his arms hugged his middle.

Jester found herself scooting closer putting an arm behind his back, and he other arm onto of his knee. "Essek!" She whispered "Essek are you alright?"

He looked to her a little shaken, and realized the wet on his face. He chose not to wipe it. "Y-yes Jester. It is alright, im fine, just a little bad dream, no cause for alarm." He finally looked towards caleb.

"Stange..." started Caleb "I didn't know drow could dream, let alone have nightmares"

"...yes, normally we don't, however, if we are tired enough in our nightly trance we can slip into sleep and thats is when we dream."

There was a slight silence. Jester started to run her hand across his shoulders and upper back. "Well do you want to talk about it?"

The thought crossed his mind but he couldn't bother them with this. They had already helped him so much. "Ah, no Jester. That won't be necessary..." He couldn't help but Glace slightly at the figure in the corner with the permanent bindings.

Feeling a third hand on him he looked at Caleb who had a put on hand on his shoulder. "Well you know, Thelyss... you need to learn how to relax."

A small tired chuckle escaped Essek "Yes, it is something that I've found I need to work on."

Jester spoke up in a quiet genuine voice "I can help you right now, only if you want to."

Normally, he wouldn't say yes, normally he wouldn't let people this close into his bubble and normally he wouldn't let people see him so vulnerable. However, he could trust these people. These people were his friends who only wanted the best for him. Would it be rude to say no? He took a breathe and looked between them both before saying "I suppose... if you are offering."

Jester's concern, turned into a wide smile squeezing him slightly. She scooted away "ok, so my Mama would do this with me whenever I had a bad dream. Now lay down right here." She patted on her thigh.

He begrudgingly followed her command, slightly embarrassed. Facing away from her, he lay curled onto his side, with her thigh as his pillow. "Is... is this what I am supposed to do?"

"You perfect! Now I'm going to rub your back, is that okay?"

"...yes"

"Ok" her fingers gently began to glide on Esseks upper back, sometimes using her nails. However he didn't relax into her touch, quite the opposite. The muscles she barely touched would twitch under her. "Essek you need to relax"

His voice peaked through shaking slightly. "ssorry Jester, it uh... just tickles is all." At his admittance, Jester saw the skin around his cheeks become a darker shade, without light she couldn't see the color but she already knew he was blushing.

"Essek~ you never told us you were ticklish" her fingers now more deliberately searched for sensitive skin, not enough to make him laugh, but just to keep him tittering. She needed to relax him after all.

"J-Jester! Plehease ihi" He kept his plea quiet and soft, but his body shook slightly. His neck scrunched up and a smile plastered onto his face. His hand brought up to hold his mouth shut, to not wake the others.

Caleb spoke up "Mr. Thelyss, it'd be better for you if you just relaxed, she's not going to wake everyone up just to tickles you to bits"

Just as the muscles in his neck and shoulders loosened, he felt something begin to trace around his ear. Squeaky quiet giggles escaped him as his upper body balled up. "Nonononoho! Eheheh ehe jeeheehsteher! Please!" His hands came up to bat at what he thought was her other hand but was the tip of her tail.

Jester immediately stopped tracing, both with her hand and tail, instead rubbed away the tickly feeling, almost massaged. His muscles instinctually softened as his giggles murmured down. "Sorry essek I didn't know your ears were that ticklish"

Butterflies swirled in his stomach making him shiver, from her accidentally tease. "It is alright Jester." He sat up from his position composing himself and not making eye contact with her or caleb (though he wouldn't see him anyway.) He felt more heavy than he did before. "It seems that your..." He paused looking for the right words "peculiar method for relaxation has worked"

"Sorry that it was too tickly, oh and don't worry we won't tell anyone that your like süper ticklish Essek"

He just blushed with a nod, hoping that she was telling the truth "Well I will try and find rest then." Before he could stand up he felt a hand on his forearm. His eyes landing on Caleb.

"I know that sleep is most restful when surrounded by friends" he then felt Jester put her hand on his mid back.

"Yeah, essek stay here with us"

Looking between them, he sighed slightly "alright" settling back down, he took up his trance position, this time not floating.

Slowly falling into trance. This time however no nightmares.

He awoke a couple hours later, most of his friends still asleep. One of which Caleb was leaning against him. Jester had found her place against Fjord, who was in fact awake. Along with Caduceus. It's was nice. Peaceful even.

This next week wouldn't be too bad he thought.

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

Finally did it!

(Authors note, I forgot that elves/drow don't sleep but I kinda made it work out in the end, also I tried to make caleb as awkward as possible so I hope I succeeded.)

[choco-glow]

Aliit

“Like so, riduur…kat-tay-LEER da-RAH-soom.”

“Kat-tay-LIR—”

“Leer, think two ees in Basic. The letter’s a bit weird in Mando’a.” Senya shot Shae a rueful smile, and Mandalore the Avenger threw back her long red braid with a laugh, wispy strays forming an auburn halo about her head. “You’re doing great, riduur; it’s hard picking up a new language, especially when it doesn’t use the same grammatical cues as Zakuulan or Basic.”

“And you didn’t have an overbearing father forcing you to learn everything, Buir.” Arcann drawled from where he was underneath Shae’s speeder, his face striped with oil and a bit of grease, blue eyes bright over his smile. Senya couldn’t help smiling back, warm and happy, because her lone living child was so at peace with his rebirth, with this, with them…Hell, he was picking up Mando’a faster than anyone else on base, but then again, the Mandos had taken him in like a lost son, Shae particularly. Torian chuckled low and rich from his perch atop the speeder, working on the upper half of the engine while Arcann took care of the transmission, and Senya found herself happy to have a second son again, if in name only.

Torian Cadera and his wife, a former Togruta bounty hunter-turned-adopted Mando, had been mostly adopted by Shae, and while Chromi was out and about taking care of things, Torian had elected to help his newly adopted brother with the repairs that Shae had, quite frankly, gotten too old to do. Not that that had stopped her, of course, but Shae had allowed Arcann and Torian to take over, while Senya eased her out, swearing and muttering under her breath about being too old for this shit, etc, etc.

“No, that is true, but still, I should at least be able to say that phrase, Tyth knows you tell me it enough.”

“It’ll come with time and practice.” Senya flushed, just a little at Shae’s sweet, quiet smile, and she took her riduur’s hand, conscious of the fact that she stood almost a head taller than the other woman. Then there was her power in the Force…Senya still felt like the odd duck out, though Arcann had made himself useful enough to blend in admirably. But then, he and Thexan both had felt better with their fellow soldiers on the battlefield, rather than the cold confines of Zakuul’s palace. Vaylin too, though Senya had always been less sure of her youngest…but she shook those sad thoughts away, longing for her children, and knowing that at least they were at peace once more in the Force.

“So it will…How about we go find ourselves a bit of dinner? We’re old ladies now; we can’t skip meals.” Shae pulled a face at that, and Torian laughed, falling back a little at her expression.

“Admit it, Mandalore, you’re no orochick any longer.” She swiped at him playfully, and he grinned, cheeks dimpled and eyes crinkled shut, and Senya laughed, catching Shae’s hands and pulling her closer.

“Old my ass, Cadera, don’t make me swat you like your buir should have.” Shae ruffled his hair, though, grinning despite her protests, and let Senya drag her off, while Senya failed to hide her smile. “I see you smiling too, riduur.”

“Yes, well, it’s nice to listen to you…even if you’re a bit over the top.”

“Hey now, I’m downright boring for Mandalore; trust me, some of my predecessors weren’t that nice. But…eh, that’s old news. C’mon, let’s hit the cantina; that C2 droid found the best chef in the galaxy.” Senya chuckled at that as they took the elevator back up to the main deck of the base, protected by the heavy cliff overhang, with the rest of the Alliance stronghold carved into ancient bedrock. Odessen as a planet was relatively young, and life on the planet hadn’t progressed to sentient yet, which had made it perfect for the Alliance…and having been so young in the galactic record, it was also that rare planet that hadn’t been explored yet, hence the first come, first owned philosophy.

Not that their Commander had claimed the planet for herself…no, Ionial had taken care to file everything neatly, and for a Jedi Knight, that was a rare perk. Then again, she was married to Theron Shan…and as he was the main Operations manager to the whole of the Alliance, Senya had a feeling that paperwork was something that poor couple dealt with even in the marriage bed.

 Certainly, she was perfectly fine shacking up with Shae in her old age; Mandalore had baggage, but so did she, and though they did have responsibilities…they could set them down for a time. Shae, however, nudged her out of her thoughts with a careful touch to her elbow, and Senya glanced down at her riduur, eyebrows raised…and followed Shae’s line of sight to one of the tables in the back room, empty but for a familiar figure in long graying braids, her slender hands wrapped around a mug of tea, her beautiful face pinched with weariness and sorrow.

“…That’s Satele…”

“So it is…Senya, love, how much to you know about the Grandmaster?” Shae murmured as they accepted their drinks, and Senya chewed her lip, reviewing everything she’d learned about the former leader of the Jedi in the last eight years.

“…I know that she was the Grandmaster, and though she still holds the title, she is no longer the speaker for the Jedi. I know that she helped train our Commander…and I know that she’s Theron’s mother.”

“…She’s a hell of a warrior, in the speaking halls and on the battlefield. I’ve gone up against her once, and out of respect, I’ll never do that again.” Shae replied softly, and to Senya’s surprise, the Mandalorian took her hand, guiding her to the room. “And out of respect, I think she needs a friend.” Senya glanced back up at Satele’s face, and even at this distance, Senya could see tears sliding down her cheeks.

“…You might be right about that. A moment…” She leaned over to the waitstaff who took their order, and hurriedly ordered a third meal of Alderaanian stew and fresh veggies, and Shae nodded approvingly. They made their way to the back room, and it was Shae, her eyes frank and kind, who slid into the booth opposite Satele’s seat, and gently clasped the Jedi’s hands. Senya joined her as well, her own long hands joining Shae’s, and that brought Satele’s eyes up slowly, tears streaming down her face, her pain so strong that Senya instinctively reached for the Force to help calm her. That seemed to help, just a little, and Satele took a deep, shuddering breath.

“…Can we ask what happened?” Shae asked gently, her tone as soft as Senya had ever heard it, and Satele gave a weary, wet laugh.

“…I tried to talk to my son, and utterly ruined things. Again.” She swallowed, with difficulty, but cleared her throat and took a shaky breath. “Theron…and I have a…well, complicated is too strong. We don’t have much of a relationship at all. I…when I got pregnant, I didn’t think about him, I didn’t think about being a mother…I was too worried about being found, about figuring out what I could do with him. My master, Ngani Zho, took him and raised him…I stayed for six weeks to nurse him until we’d found a formula that worked, but that was all. And I left him.” Satele’s voice broke at that, and both women slid around to hug her, letting her weep into their arms. Senya’s heart ached for her; she’d been raised with no attachments, to have no attachments, and no matter what the Jedi might say, that was something that damaged the very soul.

For all that she mourned her children, Senya was grateful that she’d been able to love them so fiercely. Not being able to care for her babies like that…it horrified her to her very core. One glance at Shae over Satele’s braids, and Mandalore’s eyes were shuttered, angry, and grieving too. I could hate the Jedi for what they’ve done to people…even the Sith cherish their children.

“I am such a horrible mother…” Satele was whispering now, and it was Senya who shook her head, voice low but fierce.

“You are no such thing. You are a woman who was forced to make a choice, with little regard to your own heart.”

“But…the Code…”

“Blast the Code.” Shae’s voice was as sharp as vibrosteel, and Satele flinched, just a little. “Sorry, but…Satele, you wouldn’t have made that choice if you’d been like me, would you?” Satele froze, and for the first time, Senya sensed someone just outside their door, listening…she closed her eyes, opening her mind, and to her shock, it was Theron. He was frozen on baited breath, his eyes wide, and Senya amplified the sound in that room, just a little, just enough…both Shans needed to hear this.

“…No. No, I wouldn’t have…if I’d been…normal…like him…I’d have kept him. If Malgus hadn’t been hunting me…I would have been overjoyed to be a mother…” Satele whispered, but it was enough; Senya heard a bitten off sob outside the door, and she reached behind her, grasping the younger man’s sleeve and gently tugging.

“Theron, you need to come in here.” She called softly, and he shook, but he obeyed her, watery golden eyes a match to his father’s, wide with worry and nerves…and it was Satele who watched him, tears still burning down her cheeks, who reached out for his hands.

“Theron…”

“…You really would have kept me?” His voice wavered, and Senya clasped his shoulder, willing all the love she could feel pouring from Satele into him, knowing he was only just Force sensitive enough to catch it.

“Yes. Yes, I swear, I would have…I would have needed Master Zho to help, because I was…I had no idea what I was doing…but I would have brought you home and to hell with anyone else.” She whispered, and he closed his eyes, lips twisting in pain. “Theron, sweetheart, I’m so sorry…”

“I’m sorry for what I said…I’m sorry, Mama…” He whispered, and Shae hopped up out of the way to let mother and son embrace tightly, both of them sobbing as the dams broke between them. Senya managed to order a fourth meal too, and when they all arrived, she laid them out neatly. Soon, Theron and Satele had calmed enough to sit back down, this time opposite one another with Senya sharing the seat with Theron, Shae on Satele’s side.

“I know you two are probably exhausted, but you need to eat.” She declared, and Theron’s lips curled up in a half-smile, used to Senya’s Mom skill by now, while Satele managed a wan smile and Shae openly grinned.

“Thank you, Senya, Shae…”

“Yeah, thank you…I’m so sorry I yelled, Mom…” Satele only shook her head, eyes softer now, and clasped his hand.

“You were right to yell about that. I never…” She paused, took a deep breath, and continued. “I should have talked to you about all of this…really, I just should have talked to you. I know you felt like the dirty secret for years…and understandably so. I treated you as such, and Jace…” Theron sighed, wincing, and she nodded. “I owe you a lifetime of apologies.”

“…No, just the one is good, Mom. You did give me to Zho, and without him, I would have…well. He explained a lot, especially when I flunked out of the temple; he could have told me to bug off, but he kept in touch, helped me get into the SIS, even went with me to get my implants in. And he never faltered when I asked if you loved me; he always said yes, looking me dead in the eyes. I…didn’t always believe him, but he always said yes.” Satele smiled, just a little, and it was Shae who spoke up, having stayed quiet through most of it all, uncharacteristically so.

“He sounds like a good guy…I’m guessin’ he’s gone to the Force, isn’t he.” Both Satele and Theron nodded, twin expressions of pain marking their faces, and Senya closed her eyes, pulling a well of comfort and care from her core and filling the room with it. She had always been a master at controlling her emotions, in no small part because she was so strong with her empathy, and Satele gave her a fragile smile, so shy and tiny, that Senya couldn’t help smiling back.

“Thank you, Senya…and yes, he is. But he went down in battle, as he wanted, protecting his boy.” Theron was picking at his steak now, his jaw tight, but he heaved a sigh.

“Yeah, he did…it…it was hell watching him die in front of me. But I wouldn’t want him to go any other way; whatever else happened, he was a warrior, and he didn’t let any fight go past him without taking a swipe. But he’s at peace now…kinda wish he’d visited, but…I figure I’m doing a good job if he isn’t coming back.”

“Or you two didn’t need me until now.” The voice of an old man, far older than Satele or Shae, even, filled the glowing spot now hovering next to the table, and Ngani Zho, glowing blue and smiling faintly, stepped from the shadows, giving Theron a gentle cuff on the ear, and tweaking Satele’s nose. Both made the Shans break into startled laughter, and their Master smiled fully this time, leaving Shae and Senya speechless. Force ghosts were…a rarity on Zakuul, if at all; Senya had sensed Darth Marr’s spirit on Odessen, alongside Satele at times, but only just, and never had she sensed Thexan or Vaylin…Shae looked almost frightened, and Senya clutched her hand, broadcasting calm.

“So, you two finally talked it over…about damn time.”

“Master Zho…”

“Don’t you give me that, it’s been long enough. Take your time, feel things out, but let the Code go, Satele. At this point, it matters, but not more than your boy…and Theron, so help me if you don’t cut out the swearing—”

“Look, I’m a leader now, I’m gonna swear a lot more—”

“I will appear in front of your wife and complain to her.” Theron froze, and Zho crossed his arms, looking as smug as a Force apparition could. “With her old master in tow.”

“…Orgus passed on.”

“Wanna take that bet, son?” Another crusty old man’s voice sounded, and the former Jedi Orgus, short-haired and taller than Zho, leaned over the other ghost’s shoulder. Theron blanched, while Satele burst into relieved laughter, leaning back and reaching over Shae’s shoulder to give the other Jedi a brush of her fingers. He chuckled and squeezed her hand before vanishing, and Zho smiled down at her.

“Now then, any more complaints I should know about?”

“No, thank you, Master Zho…and thank you for coming to see us.” Satele murmured, and he leaned over to kiss her forehead, his eyes calm and warm, then he leaned over to do the same to Theron, who hugged the old man tight, despite their bickering.

“…Tasiele would have been proud of you both. She loved you so fiercely, Satele, and Theron…your grandmother would have fought tooth and nail to bring you into the Temple from the start…But she left us far too soon. It’s hard, losing your soulmate…” He gave them both a wan smile, Satele’s mouth open in shock, Theron’s eyes wide and his jaw hanging slack, and Zho chuckled. “Never did really care for the Council’s strict policies…maybe that’s why we had a secret marriage, and why when you were born, Satele, we kept things quiet. Kinda blaming Revan and Bastila for starting a line of rulebreakers…”

“Father…” Zho gave a warm chuckle, and kissed his daughter’s brow, then his grandson’s, and vanished once more, his revelation leaving both Shans speechless, while Senya and Shae made to get up and back out. Satele came her senses, and shook her head, taking a deep breath. “Shae? Senya? Please, don’t go…I’m sure that was…absolutely bizarre for you both, but please, stay…” They shared a look, and at Shae’s quiet nod, sat back down; Senya was on firmer ground here, if only just, but Shae looked…spooked, for lack of a better word.

“…So, I’m guessing you never knew…?” Shae murmured, and Satele shook her head, eyes closed.

“I knew my father was a fellow knight, but…my mother died when I was a child, and I was already with Zho as his padawan. He was always just Master to me, but kinder, gentler…at the same time, stricter. Now I understand why…” Theron gave a huff of a laugh, and Satele cracked a smile at him.

“It all makes sense now…Force, it must have killed him to keep that secret to the grave…” Theron murmured, and Satele squeezed his hand.

“I think that’s really why he came back…to prove that we had more than just a shared Master…that there’s always time to fix things.” Theron smiled at that, really smiled, and Senya was struck by just how much like his mother he looked in that moment. He took after his father in eyes and coloring, but his smile was all his mother’s, with a touch of Zho in there in the quirk of his lips.

“Yeah, there is…” He leaned up, kissing her on the forehead, and sighed. “But duty, unfortunately, owns my sorry ass, and I need to go get things in order. Love you, Mama…make this a…thing? Maybe tomorrow?” He asked, sounding so unsure of himself, and Satele kissed his forehead back, both hands cupping his face.

“I love you too, Theron. Go, and call if you need any help at all.” He shot her a weak grin, and sped back off to work, while Satele slumped back into the cushions with a weak laugh. “…You both are looking at me like I’m crazy.”

“Nah, just figured you were overwhelmed.” Some of Shae’s easy-going nature had returned, and she motioned for the Jedi to keep eating. “Eat up, no point in wasting good food.” Satele obeyed, and by the time the three women had finished their plates, Senya gathering up all four dishes, Shae was gently rubbing Satele’s shoulders, and Senya knew that look in Mandalore’s eye.

 They’d talked it over extensively over the last six months they’d been together; if there was anyone they might wish to add as a third lover…Satele was first on the list for both of them, and Senya could already feel the beginnings of a dyad between herself and Satele, which, had she not taken the time to research it on the Holonet…

“…thank you both. Sincerely. I…I thought for sure it was all over, that…that Theron would never speak to me again…” Satele murmured, and Senya cuddled up to her other side, rubbing her upper back while the Jedi leaned into them both, melting a little from the gentle touches.

“He’d already came back in the short time we were there…” Senya murmured, and Satele gave her a weak smile, gray-blue eyes weary but relaxed.

“Still. Thank you. For listening. For feeding us…and for not running away screaming at the ghosts.”

“…It was creepy as fuck, but you’re cute enough to make us stay.” Shae sighed out, and Satele burst into laughter, cackling a little as Senya hid a smile. “What?!”

“Oh Force, Shae, I know we were enemies once, but you always know how to make a woman laugh.” Shae grinned at that, looking smug, and Senya just chuckled.

“It’s a strong skillset of hers…just like my empathy is mine. Satele…I can feel the loneliness rolling off of you in waves. It’s been with you for years…” She calmed down, sighing a little, and Senya probed the tentative dyad with careful touches, smiling as Satele closed her eyes and probed back, understanding and a little joy warming between them.

“…so it has. So it has. Your empathy…small wonder you walled yourself off, Senya…” Satele’s eyes were calmer now, and she glanced at Shae, making sure that the lone non-Force user was also in the conversation. “You two…I was surprised to see you two together, but at the same time, I was happy for you…” She trailed off, looking vulnerable now, and it was Shae who spoke up again, this time her voice softer, that familiar rasp Senya’s favorite sound in the world.

“Well, if you wanna give it a shot, riduur, we’d love to have you in the middle. There’s something already with Senya and you, right?”

“How…did you know…?”

“I might not have the Force, but I can read bodies almost as well. And Senya said she’d sensed something the first time she’d met you, a…dayd, right?”

“Dyad, but close enough. A bond, between two souls through the Force. It’s rare…but it’s strong.” Satele bit her lip, worrying at it, and Shae gently took her hand.

“Riduur. Satele. There’s been a bond between us too, we were both just…too indoctrined by other bullshit at the time to see it.” Those blue, blue eyes, warm despite all the storms they’d weathered, watched both her riduur…and her riduur-to-be with a calmness that not even Senya could call up. “I lost my daughters…you lost your whole family. Senya lost everyone but Arcann, and for a time, she’d lost him too. We lost our lovers, and in time, discovered that those weren’t what our hearts had longed for. I had a long time to figure my heart out…have you?” Satele seemed to think on it for a long, long time, dipping her head to stare at her tea; neither Senya nor Shae were impatient, though, holding her hands, Senya radiating love through the bond, Shae’s eyes never leaving Satele’s face.

When those eyes lifted again, though, both women were shocked to see that the storm clouds in Satele’s eyes had parted, leaving sky blue irises, with a hint of gold glimmering in the centers. A warm smile, rich and bright and so lovely it made Senya’s heart ache to see it, and she leaned in, kissing first Shae, then Senya full on the lips, pulling them into her arms.

“…I have. I found where I belong.” Shae grinned, bright and fierce, and Senya laughed, happy as joy from deep within welled up and overflowed, Satele’s power second only to her daughter-in-law’s.

“Good. ‘Bout damn time. C’mon, you two…let’s go let the brats know.”

“Arcann will be thrilled.”

“Torian’ll probably just call me a gold digger, the little shit.”

“…oh crap.” Senya paused as Satele froze, her arm over the Jedi’s shoulder while Satele’s arms were around their waists, and she touched Satele’s cheek, worried.

“Love, what’s wrong?”

“…Theron’s going to kill me.”

“Nah, probably just bitch about it. Hey…” Both of them stared as Shae got a wicked grin on her face, and suddenly, Senya understood exactly how Hylo felt whenever Gault opened his big fat mouth. “We could stage a strip Pazaak tourney. Let the kid really understand what trauma is.”

“Oh Force, Shae, no.”

“…I have a better idea.” Satele’s voice was smug, and she pulled out an old datapad, pulling up a file that crackled for a moment before clearing, revealing a tall man with long dark hair in a half-pony tail, his robes a bit disheveled.

“Is this thing on?”

[seaswalllow]

concept below :P

snippet one is mostly establishing format, snippet two, though... ;]

--

> User: E@>>J registered.

> Audio components active. Visuals active.

The camera's screen flickers. It is held in a surprisingly steady hand, although its wielder is excitable- and loud. As the pixels resolve themselves into a grainy picture that steadily sharpens, you can make out grass underfoot.

Shadows flicker on the edges. They resolve, too, into the shadows of two other boys.

> User: EF33@ registered.

> User: C2?3@@ registered.

The voices of all three fade in.

> "-did you bring the extra flashlights? Batteries? Snacks?"

The camera-holder scoffs. From your angle, you can see him dig the toe of a scuffed sneaker into the earth.

> "Yes, I did. Water, too. I'm not an idiot."

Speculative noises arise from his companions. He pans the camera up aggressively, zooming in on the shorter one who makes direct eye-contact and shrugs.

> "You're excitable."

The taller one seems more careful with his words. This earns another aggressive- relatively over the top- scoff.

> "And you're a bitch, Ranboo. Ranboob."

> "Well now that was just uncalled for-"

Ranboo's protests are overlapped by the camera-holder walking forward, and beginning to talk.

> "Let's get going! It'll be nighttime by the time we get there, and you'll want to go back because you're a little bitch-"

> "Because we don't want to break our necks-"

The camera is snatched amidst the argument; the camera flips enough for you to see that it is the other boy waving to you.

> "While they argue, we'll keep walking. We're walking down to this ravine that Tommy had found."

As he speaks, he briefly pans over to the boy arguing with Ranboo, before returning to the path in front of them. In front of you, the woods loom. This close to the edge, sunlight dapples the floor.

The boys overhear him, and their arguing seems to cease. Tommy speeds up to walk in front of the camera.

> "Tommy, is there anything that you wanted to tell us about the ravine?"

> "It's haunted, bitch."

This draws a yelp from their companion. Tommy's expression twitches with a barely concealed smile; neither the camera holder nor Ranboo seem as amused. The camera holder skirts around a tree, and you watch as a squirrel scuttles past.

> "What do you mean, haunted? Tommy, what do you mean haunted?"

> "There's no way that it's haunted. You're trying to get a spook out of us."

Ranboo and the camera holder's complaints overlap. Tommy waves a hand dismissively at the camera.

> "Take a look and find out, Tubbo. There's supposedly a sad little man who wanders around the place, playing with the lanterns-"

This time, the camera pans up again to Ranboo, who shakes his head at it.

> "This is going to end so badly."

> "It'll be fine! Just don't pussy out and run off on your own!"

A huff sounds from behind you. Tubbo pans the camera around to catch more of the forest; here, the undergrowth sprawls wildly about the floor, and it nearly trips Tommy up. Birdsong grows fainter, and fainter, and Ranboo rubs at his arms.

> "Should I turn the camera off until we get there? I'll save its batteries."

> "We brought extra, it'll be fine!"

> "Besides, if we end up getting murdered in the forest, at least someone can stumble onto the camera-"

> "Someone's just gonna leave the camera behind, right-"

The three boys' arguments overlap each other, but Tubbo does not shut the camera off.

--

Tommy brings the group to a stop in front of a hill. From behind Ranboo, you can't see why they've halted; when Tubbo pans the camera around, you can see the cave entrance.

The sunlight hardly reaches you here, thick as the canopy is. It doesn't stretch much further into the cavern.

Tommy pulls out a torch, and flicks it on. Ranboo does not follow suit; Tubbo does.

> "So this is the ravine. It goes down a passage, and then supposedly opens up."

> "I still say this is a bad, bad idea. We are going to break something, we are going to get murdered-"

> "We'll be fine. We're three big men, we can take whatever bitches try to jump us. I'll just flex- and punch them-"

> "And break your hand."

Tubbo sounds amused; Ranboo has hesitantly taken out a torch and flicked it on.

> "You go on then, bossman. You want to show us this badly, you go first."

> "Fine! Fine."

Tommy steps into the cavern; the camera is panned down to note that the floor dips down immediately within the entrance. He forges on, further, gravel crackling underfoot.

The party pauses at indentations in the floor, scrapes around it- Tommy pokes it with a foot. The camera zooms in on it.

> "Looks like somebody hollowed out this place at least a little. Did you say that this place was manmade?"

> "Well, somebody had to have found it if there's a fucking ghost here."

> "If there's a ghost here, then someone died, and we shouldn't be here at all!"

Tommy does not answer, having moved on. Tubbo only pans the camera to Ranboo- your view bobs, presumably from a shrug.

> "Come look! I found the way down, look at how cool that is-"

The camera just catches Tommy sliding into a crack in the wall, and beginning to make his way downwards. Tubbo follows. He makes a surprised sound, and points you at the stairs.

The very clearly manmade stairs. They are unevenly hewn out, and although Tubbo doesn't slip, you can hear Tommy swear up ahead as he grabs at the walls for support.

> "Definitely manmade."

Ranboo's voice does not sound terribly excited with this revelation. Tommy has stopped firing back particularly acerbic retorts- Tubbo silently zooms in on his white-knuckled grip on the torch and doesn't say another word.

> "How deep can this go? We've been in here for what feels like hours-"

The camera jerks up sharply at Tommy's loud swear, and you come to an abrupt stop. Tommy steadies himself for balance on the floor, and the camera peeks around him, Ranboo whistling under his breath.

The three beams of light play over the expanse yawning below them; pathways arch, thin and winding, between the cavern walls. Tommy's light lingers over a lantern, rusted and long-burnt out, before it wanders further down to the floor. Below them, something clicks, once, twice, three times. A rock, presumably, hitting the floor as they enter the path.

Ranboo's, meanwhile, explores the pathway that sprawls in front of them and follows it down. The camera flicks between both, before Tubbo starts cautiously following the path in turn.

> "So somebody clearly was here. They spent lots of time here if this wasn't- natural."

Tubbo's light flicks to a wooden pathway, rotted through.

> "No way all of this was natural, bossman."

Distantly, Ranboo can be heard muttering under his breath. Whatever it is, it is worried; but it's too quiet to be distinct.

By now, Tubbo is halfway down the path. Closer to the ravine floor, more cracks can be seen in the walls.

As one of their lights wander across the walls, Ranboo clears his throat.

> "Guys. Guys, are those- what is that in the walls? Buttons?"

Tubbo hops the last distance off, and wanders closer to one. The camera, grainy as it is in the low light, zooms in on one of the little square mechanisms. It's wood, and oddly smooth, despite the rot that's wormed its way in.

> "Sure seems like it."

> "You should press it."

Quick as a flash, Tommy comes up behind him, and presses it. Other than a gentle click, despite Ranboo's scandalized hiss, nothing happens. It pops back into place.

> "Next question: why're there so many of these?"

> "Someone was bored, probably."

Tommy's peeled off again, turning in a circle. Tubbo zooms the camera in on a crack in the wall.

> "Is this an actual cave system?"

Tommy moves ahead of him, peeking into the crack. Crack is inaccurate- more like an opening, oddly tall enough and spacious enough for two of them to fit through comfortably.

> "...This isn't a fucking cave."

Tommy disappears into it, and Ranboo hovers outside. His attention is drawn somewhere deeper into the ravine- Tubbo zooms in on him.

> "Shadows got to you?"

> "I thought I saw something."

Even in the low light, Ranboo's troubled expression is easy to make out. Tubbo swings the camera around to follow where he stares. The torch cuts deep enough to come across the other wall- not a single thing moves.

Tubbo swings the camera back to Ranboo.

> "Here, you follow Tommy, and I'll go behind."

> "For you to spook me too?"

Nonetheless, Ranboo does follow Tommy in. Tubbo pans the camera a last time down in the direction he was staring in- nothing. A rusted lantern swings in a breeze.

Odd, that. A breeze in a cave.

The view lingers on it, and when it's pulled away, seems grainier than normal.

> "This is an actual room. This isn't a cave. Someone made this room."

Tubbo zooms in on more scratches in the side of the wall. Some of it looks like somebody was hacking away at the walls. Others...

> "What, someone hacked out this room, and went- hold up, hold up. What the fuck is this shit on the ground?"

Their footsteps don't echo here, muffled by what appears to be softer ground. As multiple torches are pointed down, Ranboo crouches down, and pokes at it, before taking a handful. Dirt trickles through his fingers.

> "Did someone just- just haul down some dirt to shove into a random cave room? What kind of- who made this place?"

None of the others have answers for him; Tubbo crouches as well, and digs his hands deeper. He does not meet stone anywhere underneath.

> "It goes deep, too. Wonder why."

Tommy ducks out of the room; his footsteps echo as his feet meet stone once more.

> "There's more further down the hall. There's- guys. Guys, come look."

This time, his confusion sounds tangible.

The camera is lifted back up to eye level, as they follow his voice, into another room.

> "That is very clearly a bed. That is a bed. That is a table. And a chair across the room. Did- there was somebody living down here."

> "Tommy, what kind of ravine did you take us into?"

Tubbo takes the camera closer to the bed. Most of the fabric is long gone, eaten away by moisture and insects. The wood creaks as he reaches out a foot to nudge it.

The table is in no better condition. Tommy attempts to lean on it, only to jump away as it creaks.

> "They're definitely not here. Right? Why would you even live down here? How?"

The camera bobs with Tubbo's shrug.

> "Maybe this was like... someone's secret base."

> "In the middle of a ravine, in the middle of the forest?!"

> "I didn't say it was normal!"

> "We should leave."

Outside, the lantern chains gently scrape together, again. Ranboo jumps, and Tommy shoves him with a shoulder.

> "Calm down. Whoever was here is clearly long gone- and if we see a ghost, we have some cool footage!"

> "Or we just- don't mess with them because we don't know what would've killed them down here."

> "But ghosts, Ranboo. Ghosts!"

By now, they're ducking out of the room. Ranboo continues to look back behind him; Tommy continues to walk further into the ravine.

Above them, the wooden pathways creak, and all three freeze.

The torchlight reveals nothing.

> "You've already gotten enough footage."

For all of Ranboo's efforts, Tommy keeps going, poking his head into cracks and walking up roughly hewn stairs.

> "Bossman, Ranboo might be right. It's time to go, we spent a good part of the day already."

Tommy's grumbles float back up to you, but he rejoins not long after.

It's at this point that they begin maneuvering back.

The footage is fuzzier than ever. Tubbo hums, disgruntled, and the view jostles; presumably as he lightly smacks it.

> "Something wrong?"

> "The footage's gone all weird; it's even shittier than before."

> "Give it here."

The camera switches hands; your view sweeps across the ravine ceiling, faintly catching four shadows. Tommy flips the camera over, presumably examining it by torchlight.

> "That's weird. Maybe the lighting's got to it. Or maybe it's the ghosts."

A faint thud sounds, Tommy letting out a huff.

> "Don't fucking- elbow me, you're like double my height-"

> "Don't try to freak us out!"

> "Okay, let's go, boys."

Tubbo's interruption breaks up the bubbling argument, as he takes the camera and starts back to the path. The view is slowly panned around them.

> "Nothing now, see? It's just you freaking out, Ranboo."

> "Or maybe whoever it is heard that we're leaving."

Ranboo is vocally displeased with the idea of Tubbo's suggestion. Tommy only snickers.

No other banter is picked up.

> "Look, there's that weirdass bridge again. It won't hold my weight, will it?"

> "No, definitely not, Tommy. It's been God knows how many years."

The camera sweeps back to face Tommy, who has a single foot gently testing the weight of the bridge. Ranboo hovers nervously to the side.

Behind Tommy, on the film, through the increasing static, a faint figure pulls itself up from where it was dangling its legs over the side. The camera freezes where it is.

> "Tommy. Tommy- are any of you seeing this? On the bridge?"

The figure pauses. So do the boys- they look at the bridge, and then back at Tubbo.

> "There's nothing there. See?"

The flashlight plays over the bridge, passing through the figure watching them. Faintly, a trenchcoat can be made out. A tattered sweater.

> "That- Ranboo. Come here. Look."

Gravel crackles to the side, and a sharp intake of breath can be heard; presumably as Ranboo approaches.

> "Tommy, get away from the bridge. Get over here."

Tommy moves towards the camera. The figure stops moving towards Tommy.

> "Oh, what the fuck. What the fuck."

The camera zooms, slightly. With three torches now focused on the figure, more details of the patches on the coat emerge. The man wearing it- he's folding his arms, staring them down.

From further down the bridge, a fourth voice echoes.

> "Hasn't anybody taught you boys not to play on rotting fucking bridges?"

[ciggylungz]

Rivals. c2

Rivals: chapter 2

3.2k words

Summary: Y/n and Harry are both CEO’s of their parent’s companies since they inherited the businesses from them, they’ve been rivals since they were kids- now that they’re professional adults how will their rivalry affect them?

__

When Friday rolled around Y/n was excited, she’d had a grueling week and been working 18 hours a day for the past 6 days so she was more than thrilled to have a break. Friday’s were usually pretty tame in the office, but just her luck that day a new product design was dumped on her desk and she was tasked with going through the mountains of papers filled with advertisement ideas, promotion pictures and commercial ideas for the new line of clothes and perfumes coming out for the winter season since they were a few weeks away from December. Due to the time crunch she couldn’t really afford to push it off, so she sat at her desk and reviewed everything well past her normal hours.

It was around 7 in the evening when she pulled out the bottle of tequila she kept in her desk for late nights like this, grabbing some ice from the office kitchen and a tonic water from her own mini fridge stashed in the closet in her office. She kept the lighting low, her eyes already feeling the strain of the fluorescent bulbs and fine print papers after hours of reading and she’d like to save the headache for the next morning if possible.

She was a tad bit startled when a knock sounded at her office door, she glanced to the clock seeing it was nearing 10 at night and she knew her assistant left at 8 so she was a surprised by the interruption. Of course, he had to be the one knocking. Even through her mild intoxication she could tell that curly mop of hair as him, his face joining his locks a second later as he waltzes into her office. His lips were tugged in a small smile, hands holding a binder with a plastic bag cradled in his left one.

“Ah! Getting a bit wild in the office tonight? Tequila, you naughty girl!” he gave her a fake disapproving look companied with a stern finger pointing between her and the now half empty bottle. Y/n was always a bit looser after a drink, so she didn’t have her usual bitter comeback loaded she instead felt a strange shot of happiness? Relief? Fondness? She couldn’t put her finger on it. It was too foreign of a feeling to be associated with the man. The woman didn’t understand why she didn’t feel the sense of loathing tugging at her when he spoke, instead she let out a small laugh before flipping him off.

Harry was surprised yet pleased at her reaction. He always loved tipsy y/n, the booze seemed to soften her overly serious nature and make her a bit sweeter. They had some of their best moments together after they had a good buzz going, they’d even had a few instances of cuddling during their alcohol induced haze. He remembers those times fondly; he thinks back on them at times when they’re arguing or in the middle of a grudge holding session. Harry knew she’d never admit it, but deep down behind all her walls she really was a loving, sweet girl. She always had been yet her pride and fear of vulnerability would never let her admit it.

“Hello Harry, any reason you’ve broken into my place of work?” she tipped the glass back to her lips, taking another sip of her cocktail as she waited for his response. She watched him set his things down, shrugging his suit jacket off before rolling his sleeves to his elbows. “Saw you through the window, was workin’ late myself. Thought misery needed a bit of company, and knowing you I knew you’d probably need a designated driver for the night miss tequila.” He lifted his eyebrows in a slight teasing manner, a smile growing on her lips as she giggled quietly, raising her hands in surrender. “bad habits die hard, huh?” she retorted, the smile didn’t drop from her features and Harry loved it. She always had such a beautiful smile. Her plushy lips molded into the shape, her braces did their job giving her a perfect even smile. She had a genuine smile on, he could tell by the way it met her eyes that seemed to brighten when she was in a good mood. She was beautiful. He truly didn’t understand why she had always been so self-conscious. he hated when she’d talk negatively about her looks, weight, body etc. He’d always found her to be a very beautiful woman, and her strong personality amplified that even further.

“That they do miss Y/l/n, they do indeed.” He agreed with a nod, reaching his hand into the previously noted bag pulling out some bread, followed by small slices of cheese and finally a container of grapes. They both shared a love for the particular grouping of food, often having it for snack as kids or packing it when they went on little trips with their friends. It was their thing in a sense. He might amp it up a bit to feel a special bond with her in some way, even if it’s just over a love of the same foods.

“Brought some goodies, might share with you if you’re nice to m’.” Harry made himself comfortable on the couch, toeing off his shoes to leave him in his red dress socks. He liked to have accent colors when he dressed for work, often opting for pocket squares, socks or collar pins to tie together his outfits. He had decided early on just because he was in a work environment didn’t mean he had to dress boring, he worked in fashion for Christ sake so he enjoyed a bit of complimentary accessories. Tastefulness is key though, and he knew how to pick them right.

Y/n polished off her drink, reaching to pour herself another mixing it with a coffee straw she snagged from the kitchen during her original venture out. the woman shrugged slightly, taking a sip with a little smack of her lips at the strongness. She went a bit heavy on the tequila this time around.

“Eh, I’m on a diet anyway.” Her response amused Harry, chuckling lightly before popping a grape into his mouth. He always appreciated someone with a quick wit, and Y/n checked that box for him. He was starting to realize she checked most of his boxes regarding things he found attractive…and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

__

It was nearing midnight when Y/n started to show signs she was fully drunk. Her head bobbed slightly, body lightly swaying and Harry saw her eyes flutter every so often. He could read her like a book, he knew she was stressed, tired and wasted just from a single glance. The man found it quite cute, she looked so soft and cute when she was in this state. She radiated that type of energy that made you want to hug her; she wasn’t as guarded and flighty. She looked utterly trashed but relaxed and he didn’t mind the drunkenness if it meant she wasn’t as worked up as usual. She worked hard; the woman deserved to let loose once in a while.

“Hey, think it’s time to head out hmm?” Harry slowly sat up as he spoke, stretching with a few quiet pops of his joints. Y/n lifted her head slightly, giving him doe eyes and a pouty lip. “but I have work to do…” a hiccup sounded after she spoke, making her body jolt slightly. “It’ll be there on Monday, it’s late and you’re wasted love. C’mon time to go, hey don’t get all misty eyed on me it’s okay. Swear it’s alright, everything will get done.”

Harry frowned mid-way through his sentence seeing her eyes gloss with tears. She could be quite an emotional drunk, she bottled up her feelings 24/7 so in any sort of weakened state she began to crack. Harry had seen it only twice in the thirteen years of knowing her. The first time they were 15, she’d just broken up with her boyfriend at the time who was a total douche and he’d spent the six months the pair were together practically bullying the girl and mainly spending the time they had together fucking her. she had gotten absurdly drunk and walked to Harry’s home, sobbing and shaking only to spend the rest of the night cuddled into his chest. it was a toxic relationship and Harry always hated that guy; he gave the boy a few swift kicks to the ribs a few days after the incident. The second was during spring break, the pair were freshly 20 and someone had groped her at the club. Y/n had a panic attack on the bathroom floor and Harry sat with her the whole time, even though the filthy floor was sticky with booze and god knows what else he didn’t even think of leaving her behind.

Y/n took in a deep breath nodding her head slightly, letting Harry put the bottle back in it’s hiding spot and organize her papers before getting himself situated and heading to the car. With some episodes of tripping over her own feet and dizziness he’d managed to get her into the passenger seat, buckling her and joining her in the vehicle.

__

 “Y/n no, you can’t smash the window! Where are your house keys? Put the rock down”

Bargaining with someone who’s intoxicated was never easy, but he was worried about the woman chucking a random stone through her first-floor window instead of just unlocking the door. Drunk minds aren’t the soundest he supposed seeing as he was prying a rouge rock from y/ns hand.

Eventually the keys were located and used to forge entry into her modest town house. Unlike her parent’s y/n wasn’t into flashy mansions and cars. She didn’t see a purpose for such a large home when she was the only resident, plus it creeped her out knowing there would be more room for potential squatters if she had opted for an 8-bedroom 6-bath mansion like her parents had for the 3 of them. She was never someone who fancied showing off expensive thing, she found it tacky and risky because you’re flashing to people that you have expensive things to steal. So, when she purchased a home, she opted for a modest 2-bedroom town house and she really did love it.

Harry was greeted with a subtle scent of cedar and nutmeg, reminding him y/n always opted for fall themed candles and home fragrances. She felt it made places feel cozier and warmer. contrary to her guarded and sometimes cold personality, she always wanted her home to feel welcoming.

Her décor was nice, a large leather couch with some dark red throw pillows along with a fuzzy blanket folded and draped over the back of the furniture. Some arm chairs also filled the Livingroom, art hung evenly on the wall and a tv mounted right in the center of the adjacent wall. A nice area rug and coffee table really finished off the center room, it was an inviting set up and Harry had to resist the urge to sit on the large couch that seemed to be calling to him as he started walking her up the steps.

The bedframe groaned as she flopped herself down on her mattress, a content sigh leaving her lips as the woman kicked off her shoes. “mmmm love my bed, missed it.” The woman placed an affectionate pet to her pillow, Harry laughing slightly at her antics whilst searching her dresser for clothes to change her into. Pinching a pair of sleep shorts and a tshirt before tossing it on the bed making his way into her bathroom so she could change in private.

Once the girl was situated, he reappeared, picking up her dirty clothes and putting them in her hamper for her. everything was going well, they weren’t fighting and she seemed to really be enjoying his presence but because Harrys an idiot he had to ruin it.

“maybe if you weren’t such a raging bitch, I wouldn’t have to come take you home and you’d have a boyfriend who could huh?”

He intended it to be their playful teasing, how they usually pick on each other and make rude comments but it came across harsher than intended. He sounded utterly mean and spiteful, and after Y/n had spent the evening warming up to him and even enjoying his company that felt like a smack in the face. Just when she thought maybe he’d changed or wasn’t so bad he had to make a comment, picking a topic she was already very sensitive about because all her previous relationships were very abusive and put her in the position she was in now of being so guarded and cold she was left to a life of loneliness.

There was a beat of silence, Harry registering his tone and how he’d just switched the atmosphere entirely. There was no sense of playfulness anymore, just hurt and anger. He regretted ever opening his mouth, seeing the woman look away from him with veins visible on her neck from the restraint she was using to hold back her tears. She cursed herself for drinking, it always made her more sensitive and she felt like a fool for not seeing Harry was just waiting for her to become vulnerable so he could strike back even when truly it wasn’t his intention, his actions left her with only that theory to believe.

Y/n cleared her throat and shot him the best glare she could while her eyes burned with tears begging to escape. “You can see yourself out Harry.” The dismissal was curt and quiet, there was no option for bargaining or pleading because she didn’t want to hear anything else he had to say. Harry knew when to pick his battles with her so he knew it was best he left, sighing slightly before leaving the bedroom making sure he locks her front door for her on his way out. he’s never wanted to beat his own ass so bad in his life.

__

 As much as Y/n tried to hide it under her cold, blunt exterior- she was extremely insecure and broken inside. She never learned how to express her emotions or hurt. Y/n never had parents there to guide her nor comfort her in her times of need. She’d never had anyone who cared about her to look out for her besides neglectful nannies who left her to her own devices most of her childhood. She was emotionally stunted, and it had made her vulnerable to shitty people her whole life. It led to her having a 17-year-old boyfriend when she was 13 that pressured her into losing her virginity and emotionally abused her the entirety of their year long illegal relationship. It put her in the position of having a revolving door of toxic abusive relationships with cruel boys who treated her poorly, her father was never around so she never had an example of a good man so she resorted to getting attention and validation in whatever form she could even when it was harmful and a façade to use her body and status. The woman was never taught how to handle her emotions and it led to her clawing for control in any way she could, any sort of distraction and turned her to dark, destructive behaviors in her teen years that still haunt her in the form of physical and mental scars now that she’s in her adult years. She’d practically had to raise herself, and now that she’s grown, she’s running the company that stole her parents from her. she can’t tell who she hates more, her parents or herself.

Harrys word seemed to pop the stitches on an internal wound she thought was close to healing. While he was joking, she couldn’t tell. It was said with such a bitter malice it made her skin crawl. Sure, they’ve been mean to each other for 13 years but in her vulnerable state and the knowledge he had of her past his words seemed deliberate and cruel for the sole purpose of hurting her. not a stupid joke like he’d intended.

She couldn’t get it out of her head, she spent the remainder of the weekend nursing her hangover and a wounded soul. Her mind was screaming self-hating words, cruel statements towards herself and pushing her to look for comfort in another person again even when she knew she was vulnerable to falling back into the arms of yet another man who wasn’t good for her but she couldn’t bring herself to care enough about herself to make the best choices for her. she felt like she had something to prove to Harry, herself and the universe that she wasn’t so horrible that no one could stand to be around her even if the person she chose only stuck around to leech off her. it was a stupid mindset, one that’s left her torn to shreds numerus times since her early teenage years but the spiral Harrys verbal bite sent her into had her internally turning back into 14-year-old y/n who just wanted to feel like she mattered. She was setting herself up for pain again, she knew it. But like she stated before, old habits die hard.

and y/n decided she must be a glutton for punishment when her fingers started typing in the familiar number of her ex.

[alphapockets]

Discord: New Message Infodump

Yes this is not getting put in the widofjord tag because I don’t like filling up others’ searches with something that is not “directly” linked. *jazz hands* anxiety. BUT here is all I could think of and a sprinkling of things I have seen asked about or mentioned in the comments! May this and the last chapter hold you over <3

Q: Why a text fic?

A: Honestly? I have only ever seen one from VM (there may be others, but I don’t read many fics out of my niche sections?) that was between Grog/Vax (I don’t ship it but when it’s a bar shift #3 in a row that’s 14 hours long, you need entertainment). I had read also Call Me, Beep Me from the VLD fandom as well as Misuse of Stark Technology and thought that it was a strong platform for conversation and storytelling that shows multiple perspectives at once without the constant POV whiplash that can happen otherwise. And with the strong and chaotic personalities of TM9 and the diverse ways the NPCs interacted fit in, I hoped it wouldn’t be that hard to pull off.

I’ll be honest, I was not sure if it would work out or catch on as it is not the most popular form of storytelling. As many people said in the comments of chapters 1-5, people generally don’t enjoy texting fics and skip past them. I am glad I took the risk and that everyone has with me.

 Q: Is it true you have not watched past Ep. 40?

A: Yes. Campaign 2 came out just before I started school, and I decided school deserved my full attention. I was also not as attached at large with the cast as an ensemble as I was with VM. This combined with having anxiety and needing something to be finished before I can enjoy made it difficult to get back into C2. I was lucky that I started Campaign 1 a few weeks before that ended. I will probably watch it when everything is over, but I mostly follow through spoilers and Arsequeef’s gifs.

 Q: What are some of your influences for this?

A: I have seen a lot of people loving the realism of the conversations. I don’t watch TV or movies, but I watch streamers mostly, especially group streamers. Because of this, I tend to hear nothing but natural conversations. I also have been in group chats since the old AIM days and was a bartender for 6 years, so I have pulled from interactions that I have experienced around me. Often when something perfect happens in a chat with my friends I screen shot it for use later (the look spam and how do you uwu are both examples).

 Q: Why that area?

A: I like to use locations I know well if there is a lot of real-world interactions. I am from Massachusetts and I had used Savannah, Ga., for Here’s To Us, where I lived for 4 years.

 Q: Will the chat be renamed to The Mighty Nein or something similar?

A: No. The chat existed before Caleb as that and was set up originally by Fjord and Beau with Molly, Bryce, Darrow, and Yasha. It’s been the Game Hoes for too long in their life to change. There will be some side chats that appear and disappear.

  Q: Didn’t Veth work with Caleb?

A: Originally that was the plan, but halfway through the first chapter, I decided to space everyone out better and missed her name in one paragraph at the beginning of the chapter. I wanted them to know each other but avoid the trope of “direct connection” with strangers to lovers and text fics.

  Q: How tall is Fjord (and the rest of them by proxy)

A: I changed the heights because Caleb is canon “Average height” which in DnD is different than the US. So, he was given a few extra inches to put him at 5’10”. Fjord was scaled up because we love height differences to 6’3” because of that. By order of height:

Veth- 4’11, Kiri- 5’, Keg and Yeza- 5’3, Jester and Rissa- 5’4, Astrid- 5’5, Bryce, Beau, and Wulf- 5’9, Beau, Caleb, Molly, and Ava- 5’10, Yasha- 5’11, Darrow and Essek- 6’, Fjord and Gunther- 6’3, Cad and Enzo- 6’5.

I’m probably forgetting some people.

  Q: Why did Enzo’s arc allegedly end that way?

A: I’m not sure I’m done with him just yet, but the reason it had to be let go like that is simple: legality. Real world consequences to acts would have kind of thrown a wrench in how this all unfolds. And Molly was the character who I felt could bounce back the best from getting a solid ass kicking.

  Q: Why was Astrid faster at accepting than Wulf, and why is he so possessive?

A: Wulf was Caleb’s first real friend and that meant he was the redhead’s world. Astrid came second and she realized how quickly jealousy can sour something. Wulf’s jealousy fed into the break-up. So, despite the awkwardness, she wanted to show Caleb that she meant it when she said they could still be friends.

Wulf was Caleb’s first friend, and he has that sense of seniority in his mind and has a hard time accepting he is not being replaced when new people come around. And as a more dominant person, it was hard for him to have the normally docile friend speak out against him. He is still immature and needed to grow, but has a hard time seeing that is okay right now.

  Q: Where does everyone attend?

A: Amherst College- Astrid, Caleb, Essek, Wulf. Boston College- Cad. Emerson- Beau, Gunther, Enzo, Fjord, Keg, Molly, Rissa, and Yasha. Princeton- Bryce. Hofstra- Jester and Kiri. UConn- Yeza (Graduated). UMass/Boston University/Tufts- NPCs not brought in yet.

**Caleb has stated Jester lives in the City early on because Jester has all her locations on social set to NYC

 Q: Any reason why you picked those schools?

A: I’m a BC fan (and Providence College), my childhood friend went to Emerson, and I was accepted to Hoftstra before I joined the military instead. Amherst was a perfect “nearby” city that was another college town/I am maybe looking at Amherst for a PhD. Program.

 Q: Where is Darrow stationed when not crashing Bryce’s life or deployed? What does he do?

A: Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He was attached to the 26th MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit) that goes through the Mediterranean. He currently is on hospital duty as a temporary “relaxation period” for people who are deployed often. As he is a paladin, I thought it’d be a nice touch to have him as an FMF Corpsman.

  Q: Where is everyone from? The holidays showed people all over and it’s mentioned some people were not born in the US or where they were located.

A: This is where that spreadsheet I made comes in handy. Most of the people either grew up in or intend to stay in Massachusetts for a long while. As there are some of the major schools in that area, obviously people would be out of state.

Boston TM9 Party

The Clay Family is in Jamaica Plains, which is just outside of Boston proper. They are from there, minus Toya who is adopted as well and from Maine.

Molly was the godson of Cad’s mother, who is from England and his father had been stationed in England for some time, so when he was essentially orphaned and given up by the indirect family, she put through the paperwork to take him in. Fjord and Yasha stayed with them.

Fjord is originally from Texas, outside of El Paso. After he joined the Navy, he never intended to move home as he hated it there. He fell in love with New England when he was sent TAD (Temporary Assignment of Duty) to the naval base in Newport. He stayed and continued his education at Emerson.

Yasha is from Jamaica Plains as well and went to school with Molly and Ornna, who is the same age as them. Her dad is from South Carolina and her mother is from Okinawa. They moved up north for her dad’s work.

Beau is from Kentucky and her family is unreasonably wealthy. She decided to go to school someplace as un-Kentucky as she could fathom and was stuck between Berkley and Emerson but chose the former because the weather meant her mother would never visit.

The Amherst Crew (Astrid and Wulf) are all from the area except for:

Caleb, was born in Poland to a Polish/German family. They moved and when his family died in a fire (he was at a sleepover at the time) his grandparents took him in. Wulf was still there with his large family and

Essek had returned home to California for the break.

Astrid and her family spent 10 days in Key West for the holidays, which is why she missed the New York trip. Wulf stayed locally for winter break.

The Conn/NY/NJ Groups are pretty straightforward.

The Brenattos stayed in New Haven, where they moved when Luc was born from Amherst. They had moved so Veth could start fresh.

Jester was surprised by a visit from her mother on Christmas Day and spent it with her. It was the first time her mom came from the Ukraine, as Jester’s dad is the one who she moved with. She lives on Long Island not far from her school.

Kiri is from upstate New York and was home for the Holidays.

Bryce drove down to Louisiana. They and Darrow are from Marietta, but they were at their grandmother’s place in Lafourche Parish. Darrow returned to Jacksonville NC.

Others Keg and Gunther were in Rhode Island but separately, where they are both from, Rissa is from Maine and went home, and Enzo was in jail (he is from Lynn, Ma).

  Q: How old is everyone?

A: 5- Luc. 19- Kiri, 20- Jester, Rissa, Keg, and Enzo, 21- Beau, Molly, Yasha, Essek, and Astrid, 22- Caleb, Cali, Reani, and Wulf. 24- Cad, 25- Fjord and Bryce. 27- Veth and Darrow. 28- Yeza.

  Q: If Fjord has the GI Bill why does he live on campus or have a job?

A: For those who don’t know how the GI Bill works, the government pays for education and sends some money based on housing in the zip code of the school. Boston is insanely expensive and student living is easier. Essentially, he wanted the “college experience” and it was cheaper. He needs the job more because he knows better than to let himself get idle. If he does, he won’t focus on school. Like Travis, my Fjord has ADHD.

  Q: How did Veth and Caleb meet?

A: In a Juvenile’s in-patient program for at-risk teenagers and those suffering from mental health issues. Caleb’s depression and anxiety following the death of his parents and the constant bullying for numerous things and previous attempts or ideations had him labeled “at risk” for self-harm. He was in for 3 weeks. Veth was in for her kleptomania and possible signs of disruptive BPD or other developing personality disorders but aged out of the youth section when she turned 18. As most diagnoses cannot be done for those until adulthood, she was being watched for early onset signs.

  Q: How did Jester/Veth get into the group?

A: Jester met Beau, Yasha and Molly at NYCC two years’ prior in line for a panel. They met again at Anime Boston after exchanging Twitter handles a few months later. Jester had worked NYCC a year ago and helped Veth to a quiet room for Luc, who was fussing, then stayed with her as she was on break soon. She invited Veth to play a few games of Don’t Starve Together with her and Yasha before she was brought into the main group.

  Q: This is a really diverse cast. What is everyone and why?

A: Some were obvious choices such as Caleb being from Germany, Jester being from Eastern Europe (Ukrainian), and Molly as Irish (and English).

Others I did to flush out to make a group in a major city make more sense. Wulf and Astrid both have French/ Germanic backgrounds because in canon, they were raised in a similar way. Astrid is Jewish along with Caleb to hint at why it may have been easier for them to date if her family was stricter than his.

Fjord and Yasha faced some racial issues early on in the show (Yasha from where she was from and Fjord for being a half orc), so I wanted them to be people of color. Yasha is half Japanese because of her name and because US troops often marry someone from Japan when they are single and stationed there. Her father is Jamaican in decent. Fjord’s dad he figures is Black but they’ve never met, as his mother’s side are Mexican. I chose that because I wanted to keep the Texan because a lot of people in the service are from Texas. Also, as previously stated, I had too many naturalized or foreign students already and needed to not stress over how they would be around for the breaks.

Cad is English, Norwegian, and Swedish because Cad is a god, who why not make him a Norse god? Veth is half Cambodian partially because there is a decent population size in Massachusetts. Beau is the not white-passing cousin of her family which will come in later because rich families have secrets, yo. Her family has some Cajun/Creole in her like Darrow but it shouldn’t be there according to her family lineage. 

Essek is Persian, Rissa is Puerto Rican, Bryce and Keg are “Confused American Mixes” of everything. Cali I have not decided yet, but will probably have some English in her, Reani I have decided on Moroccan. Kiri is Korean. 

Enzo is an asshole (he’s also mix of random European heritage.) I feel like I missed someone.

  Q: Is Widofjord the only pairing we will see?

A: There are some others forming, including BeauYasha, which was one of the possibilities when I started. Molly/Essek/Astrid were a shock and some others I won’t spoil just yet are starting to bud as hopefuls.

  Q: Do you have an end game in sight?

A: Honestly, as this whole fic has taken on a life of its own, not entirely. It was originally mapped out to be 12 chapters long and have much of this condensed down with all the side characters removed, no Enzo or hockey games, and the extra fluff cut out. As I wrote it, I found I enjoyed that almost more than the Widofjord specifics. So, this has really evolved away from a Widofjord ONLY fic, I am aware. Endgame wise, when I feel the story is told, I will wind it down, but there are more elements evolving with every chapter and I want these characters to get the moments they’re aiming toward. I also don’t want it to drag on too long, so I know that this will eventually come to an end.

 Q: Did anything change relationship wise while writing?

A: 100%. Beau and Jester were originally who I expected to pan out, but my Jes couldn’t seem to devote to that because she had developed more attraction to Molly and Fjord than I expected. Beau and Yasha just clicked better. Molly was the next option for Jester, but then I decided to make Essek and Astrid actual friends with the TM9 and we see how that went.

 Q: Is Jester going to find something happier? It kind of sucked seeing her so down and withdrawn these last few chapters. And where is Nott’s role now?

A: I am trying with Jessy. I am. Here’s to hoping she behaves? As for Nott, she is shining as the mom friend, but her coming into the fray more means bad things are happening. And yes, that is on the way.

 Q: You keep hinting at something in both Caleb and Fjord’s pasts. Are we ever going to see that?

A: Yes. I am trying to space out the angst as much as possible. This was never meant to be a hurt/comfort type story, but people have mental health issues and those because pivotal to the story more than I intended. Maybe the curse of having complete access to everyone’s conversations? But they will be coming out.

[ecofinisher]

¡Vamos a España! - Chap 26

Chapter 26

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29442912/chapters/75312552

https://www.wattpad.com/1052093676-%C2%A1vamos-a-espa%C3%B1a-chapter-26

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13819897/26/Vamos-a-Espa%C3%B1a

At the airship of Alfida sat next to Orm looking into the book with the map of the Iberian Peninsula.

„Your cousins are well. Rollan and his mother took care of them without any problem,“ The pirate girl mentioned. „They have eaten and drank enough to be alright,“

„This is good. I couldn‘t live with the guilt of being unattentive toward the triplets and then something happens to them,“ Orm admitted.

„Yeah mostly they‘re Arrog‘s kids and worse….they‘re heirs,“

„I‘m glad they were with Rollan. Despite not being fond of him, I‘m glad to know he was willing to keep them until we come to get them,“

„When you see him tomorrow or so you can thank him for that,“ Alfida suggested.

„Yeah, I owe it to him after all,“ Orm said making the girl nod. „Or will he also pass by here with Gerda?“

„I don‘t know. I just heard Gerda and Rollan went on a walk together,“ Mentioned the girl. „I didn‘t hear anything else,“

„I don‘t think there‘s anything to worry about for now,“ Kai said coming from the cabin of the ship to meet the duo. „I don‘t know how long you two want to stay here, but I think being here two or three days won‘t hurt…..Hey, we could as well go out together on the road and have some fun together,“ Kai offered. „What do you think about this?“

„And what have you got in mind?“ Alfida asked with a smirk, then Kai pondered about Alfida‘s comment, then shrugged.

„Well…..we haven‘t agreed on what time we go, so…...I‘ll have enough time to find something for us to, what do you say?“

„Okay sounds like a good start,“ Alfida responded, then Kai went down on his knees to look ath the card on the book.

„I think I could look for a location map or anything here to find easy something for us. If I‘m not around in the morning, I‘m out there,“ Kai advised earning a nod from the troll.

Rollan and Gerda were walking together along the beach holding each other‘s hands. Gerda, during the walk, gazed at the ocean as her boyfriend guided her gently.

„It still feels a little warm here on the beach,“ Gerda mentioned rolling her eyes up at the raven-haired boy.

„During the summer it is like that on the beaches. You could as well lie here the entire night for a sleep. Sometimes people do that once in a while,“

„Have you ever done it?“ Questioned the blonde making Rollan shake his head.

„You know my mama never went out on this time with me alone. At least when I was younger. But during the day we‘ve got and she taught me how to swim. Therefore I already had some lessons with my father, before he departed,“

„You…..never spoke about your dad,“ Gerda pointed out stopping to look at Rollan. „You only spoke about your mother,“

„You know I particularly grew up without an actual father figure. He passed away, when I was around 10 years old,“ Responded the Spaniard. „He died out there at the sea along with other men as they went fishing,“

„They drown?“

„A tempest had come over Alicante and we have never heard of them since that day,“ Rollan explained making Gerda sad. „We never got to see the shipwreck after all these years,“

„I‘m sorry you had to go through that,“ Gerda apologized squeezing his hand.

„It‘s alright. I made it through my growth with only my mama. Sure at some aspects having papa around would have been better, but I can‘t pick how my life moves on….Well I do, but I can‘t always choose, who will be around me for long,“

„A few things for ourselves we are allowed to pick for us,“

„What do you mean?“ Rollan questioned, then the blonde moved his arm up to her giving him a simper smile, so the boyfriend would understand it. „Oh……….You‘re one of the best things life has offered me yet. You gave me the chance to show you the real me….the better side of me I mean,“

„Deep inside everyone‘s heart, no one is bad. Neither are you, Rollan,“

You‘re right. I just was really naive in wanting to gain superpowers, not noticing, what this would do to us,“

„What matters now, is that everyone is okay and you‘re here with me,“ Gerda commented leaning her head under his chin making him smile enchanted with the girl‘s affection.

„I know when I took you out here I didn‘t want to talk about it, but I need a second opinion on what I should do about this with the book and my unawareness of what I‘ve done in the past,“ Rollan mentioned. „I‘m afraid if Enrico tricked me and has already shown the book to Roberto,“

„Don‘t worry, tomorrow I and Luta will take care of the situation. While each of you is busy training Luta will look for the book and when she finds it she will bring it back to you,“

„And that will work?“ Rollan asked.

„She can always rip off pages from it if there is no quicker way to get rid of it,“ Suggested Gerda. „Isn‘t probably the smartest idea, but it‘s what I could come up with for now,“

„Okay, but hey if it leads her or you into danger, don‘t do it and leave it to me instead. Could even be a worse idea,“

„It will go fine, I promise“

„I worry about you, Gerda,“

„I know you do,“ Replied the blonde caressing her boyfriend‘s cheek with the back of her hand. „Estàs…..dulce,“

„Eres dulce is the correct one, but muchas gracias mi Amor,“ Rollan responded grabbing the girl‘s hand, then leaned in to kiss her on the lips. Afterward, Rollan embraced the girl, leaning his chin over her head making her sigh enamored, then open her eyes to look at the boy.

„Want to move on with our walk?“ Questioned the Spaniard earning a nod from the girl, then she went off Rollan‘s arms and stepped on the water making Rollan chuckle.

„Whops,“

„You did that on purpose did you?“ Gerda asked jokingly making Rollan shake his head.

„I wouldn‘t do that while you‘re wearing your clothes,“ Rollan mentioned, then Gerda pulled him on the arm at the water causing him to trip over her leg and fall into the water on his knees. „Hey!“

„I would,“ Gerda commented with a snicker as she saw her boyfriend at the water, then he held up his hand for her to help him up, but instead Rollan pulled her down at the water and laughed at her incident.

„Ops I pushed too hard,“ Rollan commented, then Gerda glared at him and splashed water toward his face. „Hey! That was my payment,“

„And this was mine,“ Gerda stated crossing her arms, then Rollan got up and held out his hands to help his girlfriend up, then he smiled at the girl as both had eye contact again, afterward Gerda closed her eyes pursing her lips and Rollan mirrored her move, then the girl opened her eyes and she pushed him into the water again.

„Gerda! Really?“ Rollan asked annoyed watching Gerda ran away, then he stood up to pursue the girl along the beach which chuckled at their tag match. Rollan was catching up with the girl, then before he reached his arm to grab her arm, she turned into her dragon form and flew up on the air. „En serio?“

Gerda looked down at Rollan, which stood back surprised, then she returned and flew above his head passing with her tail above Rollan‘s shoulders, then he began to run behind her making her chuckle at their arranged entertainment.

„Don‘t worry, amor. I practiced well enough to catch you,“ Rollan warned earning a silly grin from the blonde.

„Oh really? I don‘t think so,“ Gerda commented moving around her tail to distract Rollan, but Rollan didn‘t let it go through him and he jumped up to grab Gerda by the tail, shrieking the girl, which looked behind her seeing Rollan slide with his feet over the sand.

„This is actually funny,“ Rollan commented making Gerda smile, then she had an idea and flew up in the air carrying the boy behind her.

„How much do you weigh?“ Gerda asked feeling Rollan getting heavy for her tail.

„I haven‘t eaten anything fat lately,“ Rollan pointed out, then Gerda moved her arms down to pick up Rollan by his shoulders and beat with her wings to fly higher, so both could have a different perspective from above. „Wow so this is how you see when you‘re flying on your own,“

„You like it?“ Gerda asked seeing Rollan nod, then Rollan‘s shirt slowly slipped off his shoulders, shrieking Gerda, which dropped him and fell on her back to catch the boy and landed inside the water. „I‘m sorry, your shirt was slipping off my hands,“ Gerda explained watching Rollan sit up on the water, then Gerda noticed Rollan‘s clothes were wet and she recognized on the red textile of his shirt his well-formed front. „Wo….woah,“ Gerda commented looking astonished at seeing Rollan like that.

„Looks like they won‘t dry until tomorrow,“ Rollan mentioned getting up, then helped Gerda up, which turned a little red at Rollan‘s sight. „You‘re okay?“

„You‘re…...You look amazing,“ Gerda commented making Rollan smile.

„Thanks,“ Rollan responded, then he spotted in the far two guards stroll together then he grabbed her hand and pulled her with him. „Turn back into yourself before someone sees you,“ Asked the Spaniard, afterward the girl turned into her civilian self to see the guards continue their way normally and she gazed back at Rollan.

„Where shall we go now?“ Gerda asked stopping along with Rollan, which shrugged his shoulders.

„I would say we should get back home and dry ourselves,“ Suggested Rollan. „I borrow you one of our towels back at the house,“

„Thanks,“ Gerda replied, then Rollan held out his hand and walked along her across the beach, heading back to town.

[13-reasons-ideas]

Finding Peace In Another Part 20

A/N: Trigger Warning: This chapter contains explicit depiction of sexual assault. I have put the assault in italics so you can skip that part if you are uncomfortable reading it. As always, feedback is appreciated and much love!

On Monday Montgomery was out sick. He had gotten a cold over the weekend and spent most of his time at my place in bed alternating shivering and sweating with a fever. He insisted that he go back to his place and I go to school this morning as I protested vehemently. He argued that both of us missing school would not only be, quote, “detrimental” to my education but would also raise people’s suspicions about if our friendship was deeper than they thought. I reluctantly agreed, making him promise to stay in bed and continue resting. I spent my morning before class with Cyrus, hanging out listening to music. I texted Montgomery in History to check up on him, not expecting an answer any time soon. The morning was very uneventful. We had a chapter quiz in English and then started watching the movie adaptation of the book. The day got very interesting at lunch however. Bryce was being very charming and attentive. He even sat next to me at our table. I assumed it was because he was just trying to be friendly. “Hey Becca, can I ask you something?” Bryce asked me suddenly as lunch was ending.

“Yeah sure Bryce, what’s up?”

“I know you said never to ask you for help in math but... I could really use someone familiar with the stuff to help me out?” He asked me, innocently. I deliberated my answer for a few minutes before replying.

“Alright. I can try and help, but I make no promises it will make you understand anything more.” I said, adding the disclaimer so he couldn’t say I screwed him over if he didn’t do well.

“Nice. Meet at my place after school? My parents are away on vacation for a week.”

“Sure. I’ll see you then.” I made sure to pay attention as Mr. Daniels explained this week’s concepts to us in class, so I could try and explain it to Bryce that afternoon. I decided not to bother Montgomery with it and didn’t let him know about hanging out with Bryce. It’s just tutoring, and he lives literally four houses away from me. Besides, he’s one of Monty’s best friends. It’s not like he would try anything. Then why did I feel a pit in my stomach the rest of the day? After school I went to my locker to grab my things and let Bryce know I would meet him at his place in 15. We arrived at roughly the same time and went inside. He was polite and offered me a bottle of water and made himself a snack, offering me something to eat as well, which I declined before going up to his room to study. I sat at his desk as he plopped himself down on his bed and we began studying. I started with the basics. Good old Pythagorean Theorem. “So, if a2+b2=c2 is used to find the hypotenuse of a right triangle, and if you have one where side a is 7cm and side b is 12cm, then what would side c be when rounded to the nearest 10th?” He grabbed his pencil and started to work out the answer.

“Uh... 13.9?” He asked, unsure. Checking over his work, I smiled at him.

“That’s right.” I gave him a few more examples before having him solve for side a or side b.

After an hour or so, he seemed to begin to struggle as I moved to more complex topics. I rolled his desk chair closer to his bed so I could watch his process as he worked through the questions in the book. He seemed to not be grasping anything from the last ten minutes. Sighing, I moved to sit on his bed and try to guide him through the procedures. He scratched his head and placed hand absently on my knee while I looked over his answers. I didn’t pay it much mind, figuring he hadn’t noticed what he did, until his hand started moving up the inside of my thigh. “Bryce... what are you doing?” I asked him, unsure of what exactly was happening. Or rather, hoping it wasn’t what I thought it was. His hand stopped just about at the top of my thigh and he looked at me as if it was completely normal for him to be touching me like that. My heart started to speed up.

“How are my answers?” He asked, his hand creeping a little higher.

“Uh. They’re fine. Bryce. Please stop touching me.” I asked nicely hoping he would stop. He stopped moving his hand but scooted closer to me. “Bryce. I-I don’t want this. I’m not interested in you like this. And what about Chloe?” I asked him, trying to get him to stop.

I felt him grip my arm with his other hand. “She isn’t going to find out about this is she? I see the way you look at me. Are you sick of wasting your time pining after whoever you think about when you could have me instead?” He said, his voice low and slightly thick with arousal. His grip on my arm tightened as he touched me through my jeans. I tried to get away. I tried to squirm out of his grasp, but he was too strong. Years of sports had done wonders for his strength.

“Please no Bryce. Don’t do this. I don’t want this.” I begged. I tried to push him off me but as he leaned in and kissed me roughly, it felt as though my soul had left my body and I was watching the scene unfold from above me. I was completely unable to move or speak at that point. I could feel him push me down on the bed and unzip my jeans. He pulled them down, lifting my hips as he did so. He played with my underwear before taking those down too. I heard him undo his zipper and watched him pull down his jeans, stroking himself as he crawled on top of me. I closed my eyes. I felt his hands holding my hips, the feel of his hands on my body sickening me, felt him entering me over and over.

“So tight for me.” I heard him groan as he violated me. I just wanted it to stop. Why couldn’t I say anything. Why didn’t I text Montgomery and tell him I was coming here? I felt Bryce pull out and heard him finish himself on his bedspread. The bed shifted as he got up and went to go clean himself up. I laid there, frozen for what felt like an eternity. I felt myself come back and my brain started to clear. Getting up quickly I put my pants back on as fast as I could. I gathered my things before running from the house. I ran the half block to my house and burst open the door. Dropping my things at the door I ran upstairs and turned on the shower as hot as I could stand it. Taking off my clothes, sick at the sight of blood in my underwear, I threw them to the side. My face felt wet and I realized I was crying. I climbed into the shower carefully, finally noticing the pain between my legs and sat down on the tub floor. I sat there for an hour and a half sobbing and scrubbing my body, trying desperately to get the slimy feeling to go away. Even after my skin was rubbed raw, I still felt dirty. Getting out of the shower, I gathered my clothes, went to my room, and put on one of Montgomery’s shirts I had stolen from his closet and the loosest pair of bottoms I could find. Before I could think better of it, I went downstairs and grabbed the rubber gloves I used to clean with and the candle lighter. I went back to the bathroom, picked up the ruined panties, and lit them on fire before dropping them in the garbage can and watching them burn. With the underwear gone, I crawled into bed and cried myself to sleep. I hadn’t even realized Montgomery had texted me back while I was at Bryce’s to say he was feeling better and couldn’t wait to see me tomorrow.

[loquaciousquark]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E83 (Nov. 5, 2019)

A day late and many dollars short, but we’re here! Tonight’s preroll: minifigs & what I assume are tonight’s guests of Liam & Matt:

which is followed by lazy susan rotating the D&D minis from eldritch-foundry.com for the rest of the cast. Cute! Anyway, Dani is back and ready to rumble! Brian is briefly lambasted for only getting through mumblemumble questions last week, but it’s all smoothed over soon enough and we move right along.

Tonight’s announcements: Undeadwood finale is delayed one week due to some post-production tech issues. Should premiere Friday, Nov. 15. Brian marvels over Matt’s speech about God being just as feral as what he creates. Matt is also surprised. Marisha is apparently the living dice Snitch of both campaign 2 and Undeadwood - everyone wonders if it’s the seat, the chair, the floor, or some innate karmic sense Marisha herself creates. CR is also partnering with Operation Supply Drop for the month of November to support veterans. Matt announces (re-announces?) that they are partnering with Amazon to create a full second animated season, as well as two more episodes to the original season one. All backers will be able to still watch the full season one for free. Everyone is so excited & I’m excited for them. Good job, tiny D&D friend group. More details on the CR Kickstarter Updates page.

And now! Episode 83: Dark Bargains

CR Stats: Liam poured wine for 49 seconds. Brief sidebar as Liam expresses genuine nervousness being on the couch beside Matt; he normally talks behind his back on TM, since he’s not sure if Matt ever watches it, but now he has to watch what he says. Caleb’s smell has been mentioned 60 times. Matt acknowledges that he is clean and washed. [doubt] Nott’s death was the 60th knockout and 8th player death of C2. Half of those deaths were Frumpkin. Liam calls Frumpkin a magic fart with a weak wifi signal.

Our first question (23 minutes in, NOT THAT ANYONE’S COUNTING), reveals that Matt did design the HFB with some “big red buttons” for the characters to press, or want to press. He expected more group approval before some of them were pressed, though (the dreadnought). Liam wanted to clear all the corners of the Baldur’s Gate map. 

Caleb fears Halas because he’s one of the most powerful mages ever, he fears the lab setup/experimentation angle, he still fears the siren song, and is scared of the grains of similarity he sees between the two of them.

Liam knows they’ve continually seen fun stuff come from shitty situations, but Caleb sees the story of the HFB as “you’re not welcome here; this is going to suck for YOU! You thought you were going to have fun here? Fuck you!”

Matt loves those climactic moments though, because he loves it when the dice tell the story. Liam loves that there was a day where Matt rolled terribly in Undeadwood and played it as being embarrassed to be around all these amazing people.

Matt enjoyed getting to dig into the backstory of his world. He’s had references to pre-divergence stuff before, and it was a big joy to give more context to some of the things the M9 have been encountering.

Liam: “[Caleb] is gambling big when he thinks there’s something of worth to gain.“ He’d heard of a long-vanished mage who was messing with time stuff, and thought there might be a chance this was him. Then, once they found the gem, he started feeling this might be the real chance he needed to start messing with the crazy stuff he wants to do with time.

The bound devil was a general temptation, but in hindsight he can see why Jester was drawn to him. Matt often builds scenarios and has no idea how they will react to them (and acknowledges that the M9 did not fully read the poem that would have given them more info here), and sometimes he’s right and sometimes he’s very wrong.

Caleb is very distrustful of other arcanists and always assesses their level of threat to the group. Liam does think Caleb has come a long way since the start of the campaign. “A lot is changing for him. He’s very reactive in a lot of ways. Whatever is laid out for him in the moment that he can take advantage of, or that he cares about...I don’t know. The Betrayer Gods coming back is so much more important, and I don’t know if it’s going to make him let go of that stuff. He has to re-evaluate. He has to. He’s like an addict who has a weak day.”

Brian comments that Caleb seems to be a clinic in self-forgiveness. He wants him to do well, but at the end of the day he wants him to forgive himself. He also points out that it’s possible to get addicted to grief, and he sees that in Caleb; he’s choosing to stay in that space, and we are watching what that does to a person. Brian feels that he forms an attachment to the grief because it is the only emotional connection he has to the family he lost.

Liam nods and says these are things he’s been thinking about for months and months. He does not and did not have the answers when he created the character, and is looking forward to seeing where he ends up. He is not railroading his character; he’s letting the other players affect his character so that Caleb can remain malleable.

Matt loves how it reflects how real people inform the lives and actions of their friends in real life.

Cosplay of the Week: @suchamantis on twitter for a Caleb/spellbook cosplay. It’s gorgeous work!

Brief derailment into Liam pulling a Bane out of his mug and Matt hypersensually smelling the winner’s dice vault. I don’t even know what’s happening.

Revivify in this campaign is being used as a CPR/AED type thing. If they fail, the DC goes up and a longer-form raise dead spell must be used out of combat.

It did occur to Liam that this is the second time his bestie has been killed by a treasure box. Would Caleb make the same sacrifice? Liam says in a spooky voice that nothing is as strong as the twin bond...but when Caleb goes into full-on survival mode where all emotions are pushed to the side, he doesn’t know what would happen. He knew he was with two very magical people who could work miracles and was focused on just getting her up the steps to them. Matt was sure everyone would figure it out and was shocked when no one checked it for traps.

The effect of the diamond on Nott being different from the diamond on Cad was flavor related to the Power Word Kill trap that was on the chest. He built the revivify around that imagery in the moment. A lot of Matt’s flavor text around spells is built around the moment, the characters themselves, their gods, etc. as much as possible.

Caleb is glad to find the signs of magic that may be able to return Nott to a halfling, but was way too concerned about the gem to think about anything else at that time.

Fanart of the Week: @acemasters4 on twitter for a beautiful pastel stylized portrait of Caduceus and mushrooms.

Ashley is almost here! Brian allllmost tells us how many days but refrains. COME BACK ASHLEY.

The Angel of Irons thread has been planned since the very beginning: everything with chains and hunger was planned. He pulled it together with Yasha when he realized they would mesh well. She had created her backstory, and as the campaign proceeded he was able to marry some threads together to make story points. Liam compliments Matt’s ability to weave character & world backstory together; specifically, the crystals in Caleb’s arms were Matt’s idea after Liam sent the first draft of his backstory to Matt. Liam loved it and ran with it.

Everyone is so excited that she is coming back and Matt won’t have to plan for her to be suddenly absent again.

In a moment that shakes my world, Matt is discovered to be wrong about what class of magic Cure Wounds is in 5e. The question is about how Halas’s comment on healing being necromantic is a throwback to older editions of D&D where CW was a necromancy spell, and Dani reveals to us all that in 5e it is now Invocation. Matt chooses to accept this as a deliberate throwback to older editions to emphasize that “man out of time” feel.

Chris Perkins apparently once described BWF’s personality as “Power Word Kill for someone’s joy.” He also apparently did MMA & figure skating, because why not.

Caleb’s reference to Jester suffering in the ruby was purely coincidental regarding her mother. He didn’t realize until it popped out of his mouth.

BWF talks about how he likes where the campaign is at. He has a weird gut feeling that something exciting is about to happen. “I’m finally invested in this campaign after 83 episodes.”

Everyone pauses to talk about how beautiful Matt’s hair is blowing in the wind. BWF tells a story about how based on how they were sitting in Undeadwood filming, Matt’s hair would blow ever-so-slightly in the A/C and people thought they did it on purpose.

Matt had a good time at Blizzcon! He was glad to see people gathering for the Hong Kong protests; he understands it’s a very complicated situation where the initial punishment was way too harsh and caused a ripple effect, but he was glad to see the space where the activism was welcomed in response.

Matt enjoyed cosplaying again for the first time in a long time, both at Blizzcon and as McCree for the Halloween episode. When he was buying adhesive a shop worker upsold him on an inferior product, which is why his beard started falling off during the show. Sad times, Matt. :(

And that’s all! Is it Thursday yet?

[thebrochtuarachs]

Something in the Rain - “Interruptions”

A/N: I hope you like it. As always, your comments and suggestions are very much welcome.

A modern day meet cute instance between Jamie and Claire. 

AO3  / C1: A Day In June : C2: Definitely, Maybe : C3: So We Meet Again : C4: Friday Lunch : C5: Finding Solid Ground : C6: Situations

XXXXX

“What should I wear tomorrow?” Claire texted Jamie on the eve of their first official date. She wanted to have an extra time to shop should the need there be. 

“What do ye mean?” he replied. 

“I want to dress appropriately to wherever you’re taking me, James Fraser.”

“I see. Smart casual would do. :) Sorry, I dinna thought of informing ye earlier but wouldn’t it be hilarious if you dressed to the nines and we’re going to some sort of cattle farm”

“Exactly.” Claire replied with the eye roll and laughing emoji. “Can I know where we’re going?”

“Don’t ye want to be surprised?” Jamie messaged back and saw three dots typing afterwards. 

“Hmm, thinking about it, yes. I’m excited to see the Jamie Fraser Date Experience.” 

“Hope it doesna disappoint. I, too, am excited to see the Claire Beauchamp Date Experience. ;)” he replied, knowing the use of emoji will make her smile as he rarely uses one.

“I hope it doesn’t disappoint, too.” she replied with a winky face too. “Are you back in Edinburgh?” 

“Just about to arrive home. I might just wash and then hit the sack.” 

“Rest then, Jamie. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Thanks, Sassenach. I’ll message ye tomorrow when I’m on my way” 

----

It has been four weeks since their accidental meeting at the sidewalk. After countless run-ins, lunches, and an absurd amount of consumed soy chicken, the day of their date has arrived. 

When Claire accepted his invitation three days earlier, Jamie went into a slight overdrive trying to plan what to do. He meant to ask her out when he got back - but when he found out that she met Laoghaire, something pushed him to go for it before Claire had any wrong idea about his connection with Mrs. Fitz's granddaughter. 

His first idea was to go all out - book the fanciest rooftop restaurant in the city, get the best chef he knew, and plan a private dinner for them. Fancy and exclusive seemed like a safe choice and a sure hit. 

Then he thought about Claire and all their interactions so far - hole in the wall kitchens, asian street food, very light and casual. Jamie pondered on the idea and realized that jumping from that to an uber private dinner might not be the best, so he kept that card to play for later. 

It was then he decided to just take their casual lunch to a casual dinner. He’ll just exchange one-hour savory chicken meetings for a comfortable, popular city restaurant and longer conversations. He also decided on wearing more casual clothes, opting out of his office suits that she’d seen him often in for a navy turtleneck, khaki pants and white sneakers. 

Arriving at her front door, Jamie took one last stock of himself, suddenly feeling a wave of nervousness, and knocked on her door. 

What he saw next knocked him out. 

Claire opened the door wearing a burgundy sleeveless jumpsuit that was both modest and sexy, yet casual enough. Pairing the ensemble with black heels, the garment hugged Claire’s curves in just the right places that left Jamie staring for a hot minute. 

“Hi” Claire broke through his thoughts and he remembered his manners.

“Hi, Claire. Wow, ye look beautiful” 

“Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself. Going to stop traffic pairing blue on blue like that” 

“Ye ready to go?” 

“Yeah. Are we going to walk?” She asked as she locked the door to her place. 

“Yes, I hope ye dinna mind. Ye live close by all the nice places to eat.” 

“No, I don’t mind and also, very true.” 

It was a short 10-minute walk before they arrived at Howie’s Restaurant. 

“Howie’s. Interesting choice.” Claire commented as they walked to the hostess. 

“We can go somewhere if ye dinna like it here.” Jamie offered. 

“No, I actually quite like it here” she had to stifle a laugh at how adorable she found his tenseness was.

The hostess pointed them to the bar to wait for their table. Claire excused herself to the bathroom and Jamie ordered a light whisky for some liquid courage. 

When the bartender served his drink, a familiar bloke sat beside him and greeted him. 

“Jamie Fraser, hello!” 

Jamie gulped the drink and turned to the man beside him. “Joe! It’s good to see ye, man!” 

The two shook hands and exchanged more pleasantries. 

“I’m actually meeting my wife.” He looked at his watch and then to the front door. “Oh, good, she just arrived!” Joe quickly waved her in and introduced her. 

“Jamie Fraser, meet Gail Abernathy. Gail, Jamie.” he paused when Jamie extended a hand to her. “He was the guy who volunteered at our center two weeks ago. All the kids were just drawn to him.” 

“No wonder.” Gail observed, her comment earning a jokey sigh from her husband. “So, Jamie, what brings you to this side of town on a Saturday evening?” 

Jamie was about to share that he was on a date, but then right on cue, Claire arrives to greet the trio. 

“Hello, everyone!” 

“Claire!” Gail squealed as she gave her friend a tight hug. 

“Lady Jane, you clean up good!” Joe remarked. 

As they finished their greetings, Jamie quietly whispered to Claire to order any drink she’d like. The husband-and-wife duo caught on and couldn’t resist to pry. 

“You guys on a date?” Joe asked frankly. 

“First one, actually.” Jamie replied as Gail raised an eyebrow while Claire returned to his side, drink in tow. 

Joe leaned closer to Jamie and pretended to whisper in his ear, “My date advice is don’t challenge her or don’t allow her to challenge you to a drinking game. You will lose” 

Claire groaned while the rest laughed at her expense. 

Just then, the hostess approached the pairs and told them their tables were ready. They exchanged their goodbyes and were led to their areas. 

 ---

Jamie had been a perfect gentleman. 

He opened her seat, allowed her to order and choose whatever she wanted from the menu (They both went to the steak and fries!), and is making just the right amount of banter. 

Claire actually liked this dining choice - Howie’s comfort food really brought out the easy ambiance and conversation to their date. She didn’t mind going to a fancier place but she knew that if they were there, things would be too formal, delicate and shy. This was much better and she’d Jamie props for this. 

Moreover, what made this official first date a little bit more fun is much of the first date awkwardness is gone. They’ve covered much of the basics about their life during their lunches - their families (both their parents are alive and have retired away from the city, Claire’s an only child while Jamie had an older sister), how they chose their careers and where they went to school (Jamie is Oxford Law while Claire is Cambridge Med, the school rivalry something they joke about), their current or main interests (horses for Jamie, herbs for Claire) and many other things.

So the evening was more or less less a continuation on what they’ve normally done - catching up on their days, sharing an interesting story at work or a photo they found on the web, asking more random questions - the only difference now is, there’s a more clear and intentional purpose for knowing these things and whole lot of shameless flirting in between.  

Forty-five minutes in and halfway through their steak, a man approached their table. “Dr. Beauchamp, it’s nice to see you here!” 

Jamie and Claire looked up and saw a slender man, not much older than they are with grey eyes. 

“Tom, hi!” Claire swallowed a fry and grabbed a cloth to clean her mouth. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt your evening but I saw you from the bar and just had to pass by and greet you. I mean at least, this time, not at the hospital or during check ups” 

Claire smiled and made the introductions. “Oh, I’m sorry. Tom Christie, this is Jamie Fraser. Jamie, Tom. He is a teacher at the public elementary school. We met when I did the annual medical checkup for the kids. Also, I’m the peds of his kids, Allan and Malva.” 

The mention of the word kids made Jamie release the tight fist he didn’t know he held beneath the table. He didna like the way the man eyed Claire but it was not his place - not yet at least.

Jamie gave the man a nod but ultimately wished he’d go. When neither said or did anything, Tom said his farewells and confirmed his kids check-up schedule in two weeks. 

---

They decided to share a slice of chocolate cake and one last glass of wine each to cap off their dinner. 

As they waited for their order to arrive, they got startled with a loud noise. 

“Jamie, is that ye?!” one man said.

“Oh, heavens, tis!” another man replied. 

Jamie could not hide the embarrassment he felt as the two blokes approached their table. Once they noticed Claire, they did not waste time introducing themselves. 

“Hello, I havena seen ye before. My name is Angus” the thin, beardly man extended his hand. “And ye are?” 

“Hi, I’m Claire.” she reached out but eyeing Jamie for confirmation that he knew these people. 

“I’m Rupert.” the other man said. “We’re Jamie’s cousins” 

“Distant cousins” Jamie retorted back. “What brings ye here?” he asked while glaring at them to leave. 

“We have a double date” Angus shared, pointing to the table where two ladies were indeed waiting for them. 

“Then I suggest you return to your dates then.” Jamie replied then proceeded to converse with the two men in Gaelic. 

When the conversation was apparently over, Rupert sighed and turned to Claire. “It was nice meeting ye, lass. Please ask Jamie here to bring around one of our office events and meet the rest of the clan. I’m sure they’d love to get to know ye as well.” 

Jamie stood up quickly and had to push the two back to their table before they said anything else that may ruin the evening. 

“I’m sorry about them, Claire. They are quite the more, erm, rowdy members of my family.” he said as he sat down again. 

“It’s alright. They seem really nice” Claire said, smiling. “So, clan huh? Just how big is that family of yours really?” She brought the conversation back up again hoping it would ease his discomfort.

Jamie visibly relaxed and then, they were back in their bubble, “How many generations back?” 

---

Desert went by swimmingly with the chocolate cake and red wine proving to be a winning combo. After an almost three-hour dinner, Jamie asked for the check and insisted on paying for the meal. 

 They were one their way out of the restaurant then Claire was greeted by incoming guests. 

“Dr. Beauchamp!” 

Claire turned to look who called her. “Oh, please call me Claire. It’s nice seeing you here” 

“Likewise. Please call me Meredith.” she quickly signaled to the man beside her. “This is my husband, Derek.” 

“Of course, Dr. Shepherd.” Claire politely acknowledged him with the man insisting to be called casually as well. 

“Anyway, I’d just like to say that I just read your latest paper in the Journal of Pediatrics. I look forward to hearing all about it in your visit to Seattle.”

Claire graciously accepted the complement with a smile and bow. “Thank you. We’ll catch up in Seattle in a few weeks, then.” Remembering her companion, she turned to her back where Jamie was patiently waiting for her. “Oh my, where are my manners. Meredith, Derek, this is Jamie Fraser. Jamie, this is Meredith and Derek Shepherd. They’re visiting doctors from Grey Sloan Memorial in Seattle.” 

Jamie returned the pleasantries and shook hands with the doctors. 

“Alright, I’ll let you guys go on with your evening. Sorry for the sudden call out” Meredith said. 

“It’s no problem at all. A good night to you both as well.” Claire replied as she looked at Jamie and motioned for them to head out. 

--

Once they we're out of the restaurant, Jamie lets out a light laugh. 

“What’s so funny?” she asked. 

“I was just thinking that I’d never unexpectedly run into that many acquaintances in one evening, let alone in a date!” he shared, chuckling more as the thought further sank in his mind and Claire joined him in his mood. “It isna exactly part of the Jamie Fraser Date Experience” 

“I’m really sorry.” 

“Don’t be, there’s nothing to apologize for. I mean, who would’ve thought, right?” Jamie retorted, his humor infectious. 

She was touched by his honesty, not just with the situation but the entire night. He was caring, makes great conversation, and is always authentic with who and how he carries himself. She cannot make a full judgement of his character yet, as that is something she is still getting to know, but she likes what she is seeing so far. 

Taking a bold step, she wrapped her arm around his as they started walking side by side back to her place. 

Jamie looked at her hand, smiled and hoped it conveyed to Claire the joy he felt at the moment. “Is this part of the Claire Beauchamp Date Experience?” he asked nonchalantly. 

“Only to a rare few” she said as she slightly tugged him closer. 

The walk back seemed shorter than the one they did earlier. Before they knew it, they were already standing in front of Claire’s building. 

“Oh, before I forget!” Jamie exclaimed as he fished out his car keys and a grey miata lit up open beside them. He pulled out an exquisite posey bouquet of red roses and handed it to her. “These are for you.” 

Claire took them and smelt it, “The flowers are beautiful” 

“I hope ye had a good time, Sassenach” 

“I had a great time, Jamie. Thank you” 

After a beat, Jamie took a deep breath, gathering strength to what he was about to say next. “Claire, we’ve known each other for about a month now, became unexpected friends in a short amount of time, had our lunches and now, our first date. I hope ye dinna think this is too forward of me but...I like you and I would like to see you again or keep seeing you, I guess.“ They we’re holding each other’s gazes as he laid out his intentions and waited for her reply. 

Claire sighed and was just amazed by him. Her previous encounters are usually with male friends who constantly hang out with her then a few months down, asks her “what they are” as if she had to know or feel that something was happening from the get go. So, Jamie's forthrightness and old-fashionedness was truly refreshing and she was more than willing to give it a go. 

As a final check to their chemistry, she stepped closer, tilted her head and leaned in to him. Quickly responding to her actions, he held her face on one hand and placed the other on her hips to pull her closer. He followed her lead until their lips crashed into each other in a single deep kiss.

In that moment, both Jamie and Claire knew something big shifted in the dynamic of their relationship. 

This was not usual. 

This is different.

And oh so good.

They felt each other smile against their lips just as they pulled apart for air. 

“I like you too, Jamie and yes”

--

A/N: Maybe not the first date you might've thought of but hope you liked it! As always, thank you for reading! Your comments, suggestions, and questions are always welcome. If there's a story or scene you'd like to know, feel free to drop it! :)This was my original idea for the date but as I was writing it, I was going back and forth about scraping the entire thing and think about something else. But the original thought kept developing in my mind so I went back and stuck with it and cross-fingers, hoped it worked and made sense. I knew she had doctor friends but adding the Greys Anatomy characters just came about since I've been binging the show and thought it'd be fun to crossover. Hope you're keeping safe and in line to get vaccinated for the COVID-19 shot! See you all in the next one!