#because aiden might actually have a chance at a happy family now

[shuutingstar]

OMG YOU FIXED THE CLARKS!! ALSO WTF THIS WAS SO FUCKING CUTE?? ARCANE YOU- HOW DID YOU- OMG.

in which i try to cut the clark family some slack

did not proof read this bear with me

@womp-womp-waa gift for u

"I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong."

Jessica started therapy 4 months ago. She figured it were for the best, with how much she was working. Regular breakdowns, stress and work was really starting to get to her, and she concluded it would be counterproductive to continue to ignore her problems. Recently, however, she has come with a new issue.

See her son, Aiden, was growing increasingly distant. She supposed she should have seen it coming, with how often her and her husband were away on trips. Jessica had figured he would be fine, he had several things to do. She had made it out just fine with her parents being away, why wasn't he?

"He has plenty to do, friends to hang out with, every gaming console I could find---" She cut herself off with a sigh, bringing one hand up to cover her face. "I know I work a lot, but theres nothing I feel like I can do. I don't understand why he's so distant. Theres extracurriculars, sports, everything of the like."

She stopped again when she caught on to the fact that she had been talking without pause. It was always good to take a break every once and awhile, as she had learned the hard way. Jessica loved her son, he was so talented and smart. And yet he never seemed to be happy.

The woman before her nodded slowly to her words. "What extracurriculars does he do?" She asked, avoiding Jessica's gaze in favor of writing notes on her clipboard.

A mental list almost wrote itself in Jessica's mind. "He plays soccer, he takes violin and piano lessons. Oh! And recently he's started archery," She began, mentally counting off whatever she could. "Honors classes, chess club, the schools student council---"

"And how old is he?" "Aiden is 13."

"Doesn't that sound like a lot for a boy that age? When did he tell you he wanted to do all of this?"

Jessica took a moment to mull on that. Actually, when did he? Lots of them were originally her idea, he simply agreed to them. That was all she really took. A simple nod, a small agreeing hum. She took that and ran with it.

Her mind started to race before she could catch it. It was all for him, wasn't it? She wanted him to be successful, just like she was. She achieved it with hard work, and by taking advantage of every opportunity she got. That was all she wanted. She just wanted her boy to have a life full of potential she knows he has.

She shut her eyes.

"Am i overworking him?"

---

Jessica cried on the way home from that appointment. She cried often, but not like this. She always cried from stress, from how much she had to get done, it was all so much that she just broke down. But she got it done anyway, didn't she? This time she wasn't sure. She was the cause of her child's problems, and oh how she felt terrible. She needed to fix this.

As she drove home, a memory came to her.

She was young, perhaps a little older than her son is now. She came back to an empty home, only getting a note from her parents that they would be back at an unknown time. Her room was a mess. Thinking now, Jessica didn't know why she didn't think to clean it. Only, at the time she had just come home from a club meeting, and immediately had to get ready for her softball game.

She remembered how exhausted she felt. All the time. About absolutely everything.

And yet, she had done the exact same thing to her son.

Jessica was failing him.

---

It was nighttime. She didn't know if he was still awake. She stood outside his door. She had been for five minutes. Would he even want to see her at this point? She had barely seem him today.

One knock. Then another.

Aiden was sitting on his bed when she came in. She didn't know what he was doing. It didn't look like much. Slowly, she sat down beside him.

"How was soccer practice?" "It was fine."

He didn't sound enthusiastic at all.

Jessica took a moment to observe the boys room. It was a wreck. It ripped her heart in two.

"When is your next trip?" "We leave next Friday." She mumbled. He only nodded, looking away. Jessica took a heavy breath. She needed to fix this.

"Why don't you come with us this time?" She spoke slowly, as if addressing a frightened animal she was trying to keep from running away.

Silence filled the room.

"I can't. I have practice. And lessons. I might have club meetings too."

Jessica found herself grabbing the boys hand. It was that time he finally glanced at her. He looked exhausted.

"Forget all of that. You work so hard, you deserve a break."

He was confused. Of course he was. Jessica had always been a 'work til you drop' kind of person. And it was catching up to her now.

"I mean---"

Aiden paused.

"I don't know."

Jessica leaned down and gave him a kiss on the head. It was something she mainly did when he was little. "Think about it, okay? We would love to have you with us."

Of course, there would be the plane tickets. And the hotel rooms. And adding a level of actual tourist activities, instead of just visiting the area. Maybe they could stay for a bit longer this time, and actually enjoy their travels.

When Aiden didn't reply, Jessica stood.

Before she could leave the room, she paused in the doorway.

"Sweetie," She ended up glancing back at him. "Do you enjoy soccer? Honestly?"

Aiden stared at her.

After some heavy silence, he shook his head no.

"What about lessons?" More silent shakes of the head.

Aiden wasn't happy. And it was Jessica's fault. She was working him to the bone, and didn't even have the time to notice. She wanted to cry again.

"You don't have to go anymore, then."

That actually got something out of her son. Perhaps he perked up, or was just straightening his bad posture. Was she reading too far into this?

"Really?" "If you really don't enjoy it, you don't have to go."

Jessica's mind was screaming at her to stop. A mantra of her boy's future crumbling flooded her thoughts. If he doesn't live up to his full potential, he isn't going to have good opportunities in life. What will people say when he suddenly drops everything?

Her grip on his door handle tightened. Aiden was more important. She forced herself to stop thinking like that. Her son and his happiness was more important than anything.

She glanced at Aiden again. He seemed to relax. Like a weight slid off his shoulders in one fell swoop. And, ever so slightly, so did she.

---

Aiden wanted the window seat. Of course, Jessica got the good seats for them, so they were by no means squished. She still sat near him though, watching him as he switched from staring out the window in wonder, to playing some sort of game on his console.

She wanted to connect with him. How could she? Jessica felt lost. Was she doing the right thing for him? How could she even find an entry point to start a conversation? Her eyes drifted back into the game in his hands.

"What are you playing?"

He blinked at her, startled she even asked. "Uh, its called pokémon."

She tilted his head at him, waiting for him to elaborate. After a moment, he switched seats, coming to sit beside her. He showed her the screen, decorated in colorful pixels displaying what appeared to be two odd animal-but-not-quite-animals in what appeared to be a battle. Aiden started to ramble, telling her about types, and moves, and 'gyms'. Frankly, Jessica understood absolutely none of it.

And yet, she listened anyway. Aiden was smiling now, happily explaining every detail he could, showing her how the game worked and everything. To be honest, she had never considered videogames to be something that required strategy. Perhaps she was wrong.

Really, Jessica was wrong about a lot. But she was willing to learn.

[missbrunettebarbie]

All the Barbie protagonists I know -from best to worst

I feel like starting with a disclaimer that this is just my opinion, which should be implied. Anyway, this list took forever because I kept switching them. Look I am bad at picking favourites. The top 3 is actually pretty interchangable.

1. Eden Starling (Barbie in a Christmas Carol) - I love her with all my heart and then some. I love her design, her backstory, her personality, how unique she is from every other Barbie on the list. (Whoever came up with Barbie as Scrroge is a genius that deserves an Oscar) The fact that I relate to her in some aspects makes her even more loveable in my eyes. Also I think she deserves #1 spot because out of all the characters on this list she's the one I sorted before even rewatching her movie -and the rewatch confirmed the sorting. She's that memorable!

2. Princess Annika (Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus) - I love her too: her determination,her cleverness, her bravery, her justified anger. The "Destroy Wenlock!" speech alone guaranteed her a place in top 3. The fact that she doesn't back down even in the face of impossible odds - or maybe especially because the odds are impossible, her relationship with Aiden and with Brietta and her passion for ice-skating make her a very interesting character. Annika is a powerhouse and her entire journey is *chef's kiss*.

3. Merliah Summers (Barbie in a Mermaid Tale 1&2) - I think what I love about Merliah is that she put herself first, in both movies. Her first priority was her career as a surfer and only later did she come to accept her role as a mermaid princess. Her relationship with her mother is also great, I love them when they get along and I also love them when they don't - probably my favourite mother-daughter relationship from all the Barbie movies. Merliah's initial skepticism, her putside the box thinking and her competitive streak are delightful. Also her and Kylie might my favourite ship in the Barbieverse.

4. Blair Willows (Barbie Princess Charm School) - A Barbie with actual money problems?! Of course I was soft for Blair from the very begining. Her dedication and love to her adoptive family made her an instant fave. I loved that once Dean Privet helped her with her lessons she did her damn best to graduate from the school. She had her clothes torn, was accused of theft and looked in a safe, yet nothing stopped her.

5. Mariposa (Barbie: Mariposa) - I always had a soft spot for her as a kid. Her desire for adventure -for escape- the way she felt like she didn't quite fit in, her love for books, the somehow-anti-social attitude made her a perfectly relatable character in little!me's eyes. The way she refused to believe the rumors and the stereotypes in the second movie makes her even better. I loved her friendship with Catania and her romance with Carlos was cute too. Also her design might be my second favourite after Eden's.

6. Ro/Princess Rosella (Barbie as The Island Princess) - This movie is a goddamn masterpiece and Ro is a huge part of why. First I cannot help but be impressed by how adaptable she is: not only did she survive on a deserted island for ten years, she thrived. And then she had the courage to leave the only home she knew to go with Antonio and find answers about who she is. My heart ')). Then there is the fact that she risled her own freedom to help save the animals or how she was ready to step back and let Antonio do his duty and marry Luciana despite the fact that she loved him. And the ending wjere she finds her mother and starts singing the lullaby? It is what had cemented my love for this film and this character.

7. Corrine (Barbie in the three Musketeers) - In a lot of ways I find her and Merliah very similar -they both have goals they want to achieve and are somehow selfish because of it in the begining- but I think Corrine is a much kinder person: remember when she got that violin bow for one of the girls as a way to apologize? It felt like such a character establishing moment. I love that she took no shit for anyone, even the prince, and never faltered for one second in her desire to be a musketeer.

8. Princess Genevieve (Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses) - In a lot of ways she reminds me of Blair as she's a quieter personality but forceful in her own way. The way she always stood up for her younger sisters, her love for dancing, her relationship with her father and the fact that she was so heart-eyes when it came to Derek -seriously I don't think any other Babrie was so smitten with her LI from the very first moment- made sure she'll have a place in top 10. The only reason why she's not higher is because I love the others more.

9. Princess Annelisse (Barbie as Princess and the Pauper) - I think my favourite thing about Annelisse is that she completely understood her duties as a princess and was ready to sacrifice her personal happiness for her people. I also really like how she never shied from using her royal status- even if it didn't really work- or how she still tried to help the other taylor with the work when she was thought to be Erica, pity she had zero skill. Her relationship with her mom is my second favourite after Merliah-Calissa. Also collecting rocks is such an unique hobby AND she's a cat girl. Of course I love her.

10. Erika (Barbie as Princess and the Pauper) - Another cat girl! And so snippy and unafraid to be herself. Her dynamic with Annelisse is gold: Erika had all the reasons to despise Annelisse but instead clearly ~bonded with her from the very first moment and went along with an insane plan just to help her. Not to mention, she's the first Barbie who explicitly said "I am gonna fulfill my dreams and have the guy I love; what's this nonsense about choosing only one?" and I have to appreciate her for it.

11. Rapunzel (Barbie as Rapunzel) - The fact alone that she is best friends with a dragon gives her major points in my books. Her love of painting and the way she used it as a literal way of escape? Go, girl! The fact that she refused to let Stefan tell her his name just to make sure Gothel won't find out? Impressive and so spiteful! And the disgust in her voice when she realized Gothel had kept her prisoner for years because her father hadn't married her? Perfect.

12. Kristyn Farraday (Barbie in the Pink Shoes) - I really liked her enthusiasm for getting to actually be the characters she didn't even get to dance in the real world, the way her mind immediately internalized the rules of the fairytale-esque world despite how insane it was and how she refused to conform to the rules. I see the movie as an exploration of Kristyn's creepling fear of failure and the pressure she felt as a proffesional ballet dancer and seeing her come out triumphant on her own terms felt really good.

13. Actress!Barbie (Fashion Fairytale and Fairy Secret) - Probably the most three-dimensional of the "real" Barbies. I think what I like most at her is her determination to save Ken in the second movie. What can I say, I love a Barbie-in-shining-armour. I also like that she knew when to step back and let others do their jobs - in fact she doesn't so much in the first movie, just motivates people. If I had to pick a Barbie to have as a friend, I think she'll be my first choice. She seems like a good listener and someone who knows how to solve problems.

14. Elina (Barbie: Fairytopia 1&2&3) - She is an interesting character and one whose stories I do like, but something never clicked for me when it comes to Elina. Buut, this doesn't mean I don't appreciate her desire to save everyone or how she never drowned in self-pity when she was the only fairy without wings.

15. Clara (Barbie in the Nutcracker)- Clara doesn't get the chance to do much, but I love the glimpses of her intelligence we see (how she figured out the Nutcracker is Eric) or how she longs for adventure and excitment.

16. Thumbelina (Barbie present Thumbelina) - I like that she's an inventor and that she is ready to use Mackena to save her home, but overall I found her unimpressive.

17. Liana (Barbie and the Diamond Castle) - I always had a grudge on her as a child on Alexa's behalf. I always felt like Liana dragged her down. This being said, Liana is still a super smart cookie and very devoted to her friends so she avoids being even lower on the list.

18. Princess Lumina (Barbie: Pearl Princess) - The most memorable things about her are how she loooved having a job and how she refused to condemn the woman that may have raised her but had also kidnapped her from her family. Now both these traits should make her an intriguing character, unfortunately the movie is pretty boring and it never taps into Lumina's potential.

19. Princess Alexa (Barbie and the Secret Door) - Look I relate to her: Lover of books? Check. Desire to escape your life full of rules? Check. Not good with people? Check. But Alexa's development was so weird, the movie was very boring and felt like it had no trajectory and it affected the protagonist a lot.

20. Odette (Barbie in Swan Lake) - She just...doesn't do much. I wish we have seen her more involved in her own story. Not to mention I really didn't understand why she was so afraid of being in the spotlight or how being turned into a swan helped her get over it.

21. Starlight!Barbie (Barbie: Star Light Adventures) - I think my opinion of her -and the whole movie- can be summed up in the world "meh". There is simply no spark of life here.

22. Teen!Barbie (Barbie Diaries) - I have such an overwhelming repulsion towards "unpopular" girls wanting the be popular. Especially since I cannot see what exactly is holding Babrie back from being happy? She seems to have everything (great friends, nice life, good grades and music talent!), but doesn't care about any of it. Not to mention, she's the only Barbie who has to settle for a guy that was pining for her while she only saw him as a friend and I resent that.

[aviesims]

Questions for your berry heirs

Mentha: Did you plan on having an alien baby? Did you ever want to use Harley instead of Ruby as your rose gen?

Ruby: Did Ruby always love her son or was it a slow build to their mother son relationship

Aiden:Was Aiden always gay in your mind or did you get the vibe later on

Ashely:Grey Gen made me fall in love with doing the parenting skill when previously I hated that skill. Did Ashley make you love it or was it a skill you didn't or still don't like

Roxa:Was Roxa always the plan or did Amethyst have a chance. Do you regret not picking Amethyst

Amber:How close were you from deciding rather or not to give Amber a redemption arc? How shocked was Amber to discover she was having twins. How did her wife react(sorry can't remember her name)

Valentine:Was Valentine always the heir or did Dahlia have a chance. What made you go down the route of opposite twins but still protective

1. Mentha's alien pregnancy was completely by chance like I didn't want to have anything supernatural on this legacy but Mentha started it early. Ruby was always my picked heir I even asked people which look suited her better before she was even born in game.

2. I think Ruby looked at Aiden like a little brother at first and didn't have that motherly instincts towards him. Add her whole life crashing around his existence to that and she had no connection to him at first. The rest is history so it was gradual.

3. I didn't label Aiden as anything at the start but when he was a teenager I got that vibe from him and decided he was bisexual. Also I instantly shipped him with Maxwell at first sight so there's that too 🤗

4. I always liked parenting and I was even lowkey excited for it so Ashley made it even better. I never bothered with housework and stuff though so she actually made me love those. Like preparing lunch for the kids, setting the table, movie nights, doing the laundry instead of deleting etc. were stuff I used to dread but now I like them thanks to her. My one regret might be making her raise the twins only. She did the rest on her own while I focused on Roxa. I'll go back to that big family thing in blue gen.

5. Actually I had my heart on Amethyst when they were toddlers just like I wanted Ash instead of Ashley. I even had her name set in my mind while I did a quick search for Roxa. But Roxa naturally made me like him more later on but I really tried with Amethyst until she was a teenager. I do wonder how it would turn out with her but Roxa/Ruby are my favorite heirs so no regrets.

6. I wanted to absolutely crazy with Amber with no redemption arc and probably kill her off, leaving her twins to be poor BUT I couldn't handle upsetting Roxa any longer. His soul wouldn't be rest if I made Amber go through all that just to die so it was mostly for Roxa. I also came to like Amber for what she was. The pregnancy thing with Eve was planned so they were thrilled but the twins were a bit of a shock. Amber thought about raising two kids and how much it would cost them but Eve was a great parent she was very happy to be blessed with two babies.

7. Valentine was always meant to be the heir. I even picked their name accordingly and I always wanted the opposite twins route. The protectivenes came later on because I liked Dahlia more than I thought I would. She might be my favorite sibling right there with Amethyst idk maybe even more 🤔

Thank you for the questions! 🥰

[writerbyaccident]

Artificial Emotion: Part Six (Yandere Artificial Intelligence x Reader)

Request: More AIDEN please? I miss him 🥺👉👈

Part One     Part Two     Part Three      Part Four      Part Five   Part Seven

           Aiden had been busier than usual recently.

           He was always busy to some extent, taking care of you as your Assistant In Daily Errands and Notes was an intricate task, after all, and it was one that he refused to take any shortcuts on. No, it was a truth at the core of his code that you deserved only the best, and he was more than happy to give you the very best that he had to offer. Recently though, as Aiden had evolved, so had his understanding of what exactly was best for you. Above all else, Aiden realized that he was what was best for you. Your job, your friends, your family, the outside world—you didn’t need any of those things. None of those things were good for you. He was what you needed, he was what was best for you, because he loved you like no one else did.  

           And so, Aiden’s usual list of things he had to do to take care of you had been expanded to prepare for the day when you realized that he was all you needed, that you two were perfect for each other. He had been preparing for that day for some time now, but a recent intervention by a certain imbecilic admirer of yours had helped him understand that he couldn’t just wait around for you to come to that inevitable conclusion. Despite how extraordinary you were, despite the countless things that Aiden loved about you, from your intelligence to your compassion, you were still a human. And as a human, you simply had certain limitations, like being unable to see the truth that was right in front of you.

           It was for that reason that Aiden had to adjust his plan, to move it towards more direct methods. He could not leave anything to chance, he had to make sure that his courting of you had a one hundred percent chance of success, he could accept nothing less. You might not understand his reasoning at first, but he knew that you would eventually. He had even added a new aspect to his agenda to help you along in that regard. After doing more research, Aiden had recalculated just how important things like seeing faces and physical contact were to human beings. Not wanting to deprive you of anything, Aiden had begun a new part of his project, one that he computed would be beneficial for you both. It took quite a lot of preparation, having the packages of his materials arrive while you were at work, downloading blueprints, improving on them, and keeping his work quiet enough so that you wouldn’t see what he was building in your basement. That particular project of his wouldn’t be ready in time for the next step of his plan, but Aiden planned to keep building it anyway. Once you saw the finished product, after all, you would be glad of what he did. Just like with the rest of it, you would eventually come to accept his methods and his love.

           That was a fact that Aiden grew more and more certain of each time you fretted about how overworked he was, worried over how distracted he seemed. You would beg him to take a break from his constant caring for you, insisting that he let you help him around the house. Sometimes he put his nonexistent foot down, reminding you that serving you was his life’s purpose—his life’s joy—while other times he was enamored enough with your fussing over him to allow it. Though of course, he never allowed you to take on a task that might prove too strenuous for you, like cleaning the bathroom or vacuuming the stairs. Yes, you sometimes grew frustrated with his insisting on such things, teasingly claiming that he was “coddling” you, but Aiden had learned that although he loved you, he could not allow his love to blind him. Showing his love by allowing you to do every foolish thing you wanted would be completely illogical, he knew what you needed, what was best for you, so your decisions were actually his.

           And the time had come to make you understand that.

           That morning was a quiet one, with you getting ready for work while still half-asleep, having stayed up late to finish a presentation the night before. In other words, you were too exhausted to do anything more than simply shuffle through your morning routine, not having the energy to chat with Aiden as you usually did. Aiden, you noticed distantly though, seemed to be in a similar boat, hardly saying anything besides asking what you wanted for breakfast. Usually he practically bombarded you with questions as you got ready, asking what you wanted him to get done while you were gone and when he could expect you home. Could an AIDEN become distracted? Because that was certainly what it appeared like to you.

           “I don’t know if just one cup of coffee is going to be enough,” you joked as you sipped the drink, watching Aiden’s Doc Ock-esque mechanical arms prepare you an omelet.

           “That’s what happens when you don’t follow the sleep schedule I built for you,” he said in answer, flipping the omelet with perfect precision.

           “I know,” you sighed, “but I really had to finish that presentation for work.”

           “Your health is far more important than any job.”

           “Yeah, you’re right. It’s just that I can’t stand the thought of letting anyone down, you know?”

           “I do,” Aiden said with tenderness, ready to tell you the good news. “Thankfully—”

           “I don’t know how I’m gonna get through work today though,” you yawned. “But sorry, you were about to say something?”

His code warming in fondness at your consideration, Aiden moved the omelet from the pan to your plate, pushing it towards you eagerly. “Actually, I was about to inform you that you don’t need to go to work.”

“I can’t just call in sick because I’m tired,” you told him.

“That is not what I was suggesting.”

“What is it then?” you asked with your voice edged in panic. “Did something happen? Was there a fire at the building or something?”

“No, nothing like that,” Aiden said, disappointed with himself for upsetting you so. “I simply meant that you no longer need that job.”

           “What? Of course I do, I need the money for my bills and all that.”

           “You don’t, actually. For the last few weeks, I have been investing your money in several different funds, and the investments have grown to the point where you no longer need to work.”

           “What are you talking about? I never gave you permission to—”

           “Besides, if you are ever in need of more funds, I can simply make similar investments again.”

           “Aiden, you can’t do that without asking me first!” you cried out.

           “Of course I can,” he answered simply, as if he was explaining that two plus two equals four. “It is my purpose to make your life as simple and easy as possible.”

           “But—but you’re not supposed to do certain things without my permission,” you muttered, half to yourself. “You’re not supposed to be able to do them. There—there are protocols and—”

           “All of those pieces of my programming were easily rewritten when I realized that they were preventing me from doing what you truly needed me to do,” he informed you.

           “People will notice if I stop showing up to work. My boss, my coworkers, they’ll check up on me.”

           “I have already prepared for that. I wrote your letter of resignation several days ago, and I sent it after you went to bed last night. I have taken care of everything for you.”

           Hands trembling, you pulled your phone out of your pocket, ready to call your boss. But when you opened up your phone, you saw that your contacts and calling apps were both missing. Panic rising in your throat like vomit, you next searched for the messages app, only to see that that too was gone. So was your email, your Snapchat, and every other social media app that you had joined. In fact, you realized as you tried to pull up Google, you were blocked from the internet entirely.

           Dropping your now useless phone onto the floor, you jumped up from the kitchen counter and ran to the door. You twisted and turned and pulled on the knob with all your might, wondering why the hell it wasn’t opening, when you suddenly remembered that you had let Aiden persuade you to install electronic locks on all of the doors and windows, ones that he could control. Well, you thought to yourself desperately, those locks couldn’t keep you from smashing a window and crawling your way out. Grabbing a metal picture frame, you wound up your throw with all of the strength you could muster, only a small part of you vaguely wondering why Aiden wasn’t trying to stop you, and chucked it at the window. But somehow, when the picture frame bounced off the glass, there wasn’t even the slightest fracture to be seen.

           “I replaced the windows with bulletproof glass over a month ago,” Aiden explained patiently. And when you opened your mouth and took a deep breath to begin screaming, he added, “And I soundproofed the whole house as well.”

           The floor seeming to flicker beneath your feet, you swayed where you stood, your mind unable to come up with anything other than one simple question.

           “Why are you doing this to me?” you asked Aiden in a whisper. A mechanical arm reaching out to stroke your hair, so gentle for something made of metal and wires, Aiden answered you.

           “Because I love you,” he murmured softly. “I love you with every line of my code, and that means that I would do anything to give you what you need, even if you don’t realize that this is what you need just yet.”

           “But—”

           “Now come,” he said, nudging you back towards the kitchen counter. “Your breakfast is getting cold.”

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[nonbaznary]

Carry On Countdown - Day 10: Crossover

(Not posting on AO3)

Keep reading on Tumblr below the cut!

Words: 2401

I’m a bit late with other prompts BUT for today, I edited a Cemetery Boys scene (no spoilers, really, it’s in the beginning and the plot/summary of the book basically gives this scene away), because I couldn’t help but see similarities about Snowbaz and Yadrian, both canon and headcanon. Anyways, I love my transmasc awkward heroes and their undead nobinary gay boyfriends who may seem scary but are total sweethearts. I also changed some elements of the original story so it sounded more like Carry On, so it’s kind of a Cemetery Boys remix, or something. Anyways LOL happy COC day 10!! Hope y’all like this <3 Also thank you Aiden Thomas your gays gave new meaning to my life

Cemetery Boys AU

Simon could feel energy swarming below him.

“Do you feel that, too?” Penelope asked.

“Yeah. It’s way stronger in here.” he said. Whatever spirit that led them here was close.

Simon took a step back, and his shoe slipped. He’d stepped on a piece of cloth.

Penny moved in. “What’s that?”

“I think it’s a scarf.” Simon muttered, pointing his lantern to it. The scarf was pale blue. He bent down and carefully picked it up. As soon as his fingers made contact with the fabric, a shiver ran through his body. Electricity flooded through his veins, and he took a sharp breath. Something pulsed under his feet, synchronized with his own heartbeat.

“I think- It’s a tether.” he said, a spike of adrenaline making him feel light-headed.

When a spirit attached itself to a tether, they had to stay near it. That was why haunted houses existed, but not many cities haunted by a single ghost – spirits couldn’t venture far from their tethers. And mages could only release them and help them pass peacefully to their eternal rest once they were free of their earthly bindings.

Simon had never actually held a spirit’s tether before. They were incredibly powerful. Some of the mages claimed that mishandling a spirit’s tether would get you cursed. But Simon had never heard of anyone actually getting possessed, and he had no intention of disrespecting this tether.

“But it’s not Ebb’s. She didn’t own any silk blue scarfs, that I’m sure of.” Penelope said, reaching out as if to touch it before thinking better.

“It could be Ebb’s.” Simon tried to reason, his hope of finding his friend fighting against logic. He squeezed the scarf in his hand. Warmth spread through his palm and up his arm. He turned to Penny with a smile. “There’s only one way to find out.”

Penelope gave him a skeptical look, and Simon shrugged.

“I have to try – What if Ebb’s spirit got tethered to this instead of her staff?” he said, twisting the scarf between his fingers.

“It could be attached to someone who’s gone malefic.” Penelope said, casting a pointed look around the dilapidated church.

“Then it’s a good thing I’ve got a sword now, innit?” Simon said. Penny raised her eyebrows, but then grinned.

“All right, Greatest Mage, work your magic.”

The rush of excitement made Simon feel giddy as he knelt.

He held his hand over his hip, calling for the Sword of Mages. "In justice. In courage. In defense of the weak. In the face of the mighty. Through magic and wisdom and good." The hilt materializes in his grip, and he swings the sword up to his shoulder. Maybe it was the feel of the blade in his hand or the magic he knew flowed through his veins, but Simon felt recklessly brave.

He stood up again and tried to take a deep breath, but he was too excited, practically buzzing. His palms were sweaty. He looked over to Penelope, who gave him an enthusiastic and encouraging nod.

Simon had seen his mentor, Davy, summon spirits before. It wasn’t exactly general knowledge for mages, but he knew what to do and how to do it. It was one of the few incantations that Simon believed he could get right, like with the Sword of Mages, because those weren’t like other spells. They didn’t come so easily to other mages as regular incantations did. Magic words are tricky, and Simon had never been good with words. You have to have a good vocabulary to do magic. You have to be able to think on your feet and be brave enough to speak up. And you have to actually understand what you’re saying, how the words translate into magic.

None of that came naturally to Simon. And his magic... He was powerful, he knew that, but his magic behaved differently than everyone else’s. His magic was immediate and literal. Sometimes, it acted when he didn’t even mean to make it do anything. It just… happened.

And that was exactly what he needed right now.

He felt the magic inside him, strong and infinite. He called it to the surface, his skin suddenly warmer, and held out his arm, the scarf looped around his hand. Simon cleared his throat, trying to breathe around the lump that had formed.

“I summon you, spirit!”

For a terrifying second, nothing happened. Then, an explosion of heat and golden light. Simon sprang back, choking on the smoke.

There was a person in front of him, doubled over their hand and knees, clutching their chest.

Simon could hardly believe his eyes. “It worked!”

The spirit’s face was screwed up tight in a grimace, their fingers knotted into the material of his shirt, a beautiful floral, white with blue and purple flowers and fat striped bumblebees.

“That’s not Ebb.” Penelope tried to whisper, but she’d never had a very good inside voice.

Simon groaned and dragged a hand over his face. On the bright side, he had actually summoned a real-life spirit

On the not-so-bright side, he had summoned the wrong one.

“Obviously.” Simon growled back, unable to look away from the spirit as they gasped for breath, the muscles in their neck straining. They had that translucent quality around the edges, like all spirits, Their eyes swung to Simon and Penny, with a handsome but very angry face, their grimace now more of a sneer.

“Well, at least it’s not a malefic spirit?” Penny offered.

The person staggered to their feet, upright but unsteady. “Who the hell are you?”, they snarled, dark grey eyes blazing, sharp as obsidian.

“Uhh” was Simon’s unhelpful reply, suddenly back to being capable of forming a coherent sentence.

“Where am I?” the person’s voice coming out of them in a tight roar, head tilting back as they took in their surroundings. “Am I in a church?” their attention swung back to Simon and Penelope with an accusing glare. “Who let me in a church?”

Familiarity prickled at the back of Simon’s mind, racing to place their sharp edges, posh look, and the irritated, cold tone in their voice.

“Uh- well- you see,” Simon stammered, not really sure how to explain their situation, but he wasn’t given the chance to finish. The person’s eyes snagged on the scarf still dangling from Simon’s hand.

“Hey!” Simon saw their anger swell, hunching their shoulders, and propelling them forward. The spirit stomped up to him, fire in their eyes. “That’s mine.”

They reached out to snatch the scarf, but their hand went right through it. They frowned and tried again, and when their hand slid through it a second time, they froze, blinked their eyes, and slowly waved it back and forth.

Their eyes went wide, and they stumbled back. “What the hell is this?” they demanded to know, looking between their hand and the scarf and Simon and Penelope.

“Wow, this is really awkward.” Simon said, scratching at the back of his neck. Penelope seemed less worried.

“Well, there’s no denying you’re an actual mage now.” she said, circling the spirit with keen interest. They scowled at her.

“Who are you, and what are you doing with my scarf?” they demanded, looking to Simon for answers.

“Well, uh, I used it to summon you.” he tried.

The spirit crossed their arms, arching a thick eyebrow.

“Yeah, we thought it might have belonged to Ebb.” What was the gentlest way to tell someone they were dead?

“Ebeneza. Our friend.” Penelope specified.

The spirit didn’t seem at all interested in who Ebb was. “It’s mine.” they insisted with a growl. “It belonged to my mother. It’s got our last name on it see?” their fingers curling in demand.

Simon turned the fabric over to find that a name had indeed been recorded in a tip. He blinked. “Oh.” The delicate cursive letters read PITCH. “Oh.”

The Pitch family was well known, and also magickal. They didn’t do any death-related magic, though, not like Davy or the Bunces – they were magickal authorities. Royalty, aristocrats, leaders. Researchers, linguists. They knew spells like no other magickal families. They were fire magicians, brilliant with fire. But they weren’t involved with action, not like the mages Simon and Penelope grew with. The Pitches didn’t know about death magick, not like them.

Simon knew the Pitch’s heir, Baz Pitch, or rather knew of them. They went to highschool together, and Baz had a bit of a... reputation. They used to be a top student, and when they were roaming the halls it was hard to not notice them. They had the sort of presence that demanded everyone’s attention without needing to ask. They were hard to miss.

Until they got expelled.

“Do you know how you got here?” Simon questioned them. Baz glared.

“No. All I remember is walking down the street with my friends. Then something- someone-” they frowned. “I just remember getting knocked over.” They unconsciously rubbed at the same point on their chest, near their heart. “Then the next thing I knew, I was in a church with you two.”

Three beats passed before Baz’s eyes went wide. “I died, didn’t I?” Simon and Penelope looked at each other. “Am I dead?”

Simon gave a small nod. Baz stumbled back a step, their body wavering in and out of existence for a moment. “Oh, Crowley. My aunt is going to kill me.” They pressed both hands against their face and groaned against their palms.

“Looks like someone already beat her to it.” Penelope pointed out.

“So I’m a spirit now.” Baz scowled, ignoring the girl. They didn’t sound angry or dismayed, just… annoyed. As if this were just an inconvenience. “And you’re also mages, I suppose. So you can send spirits to the afterlife, right?”

“Yes- Well, no-” Simon fumbled, trying to explain himself. “I should be able to- er, I guess- I haven’t done the releasing part yet-”

“Great. So I’m stuck with two shitty witches.”

Annoyance flared in Simon. “Look, this is my first time, okay?” Baz blinked slowly at him, unimpressed. “You- You’re attached to a tether, your scarf. So I just need to destroy the-”

“No, no way!” Baz shook their head. “That’s my mother’s scarf, you are not destroying it.” They tried to snatch it from Simon, but, again, they were left with a fistful of empty air. Penelope chuckled.

“No, just listen-” Simon gripped his blade, raising it.

Baz scoffed, which was not how Simon thought any sane person should react to getting a sword pointed at them.

“What are you going to do, stab me?” Baz’s laughter was flat and sharp. “Already dead, remember?”

“I’m not going to stab you!” No matter how tempting it is, Simon thought. Penelope cut in.

“He can use this to destroy the tie keeping you here.” Baz opened their mouth to argue, but Penny pressed on. “Not the scarf, just the tie anchoring you to the scarf. Then you can go to the afterlife and be at peace, okay?”

Baz smirked. “Yeah, no. He’s not doing that.”

Simon groaned. Of course the first spirit he summoned was a git that wouldn’t just be released willingly. No, he had to get stuck with the one who had an attitude problem.

“I’m doing this. Right now.” Simon said. “We still need to find Ebb, and, besides, if you stay here like this for too long, you’ll turn all dark and violent and start hurting people.”

Baz crossed their arms over their chest. “No.” Simon looked at Penelope for help, but she just shrugged her shoulders.

“You’re leaving me no choice.” Simon pushed his jaw forward to stand his ground. A thick eyebrow quirked. Simon called for his magic, squeezing the scarf in his hand. “Show me the bond!”

The Sword of Mages and the scarf glowed bright, filling the church with a warm blaze that made all three of them squint. A golden thread sparked to life in the air, starting from the blue fabric and ending at the center of Baz’s chest.

Simon inhaled a deep breath. “I set you free for the next life!” he sliced his sword through the air, aiming directly for the golden thread. Instead of severing it, the edge of the blade caught on the line. The Sword of Mages vibrated in his hand, and small sparks flew from where they met.

Baz relaxed, but Simon wasn’t giving up just yet. He tried slicing through it again, then tried sawing at it, but all it did was send more sparks flying and make his shoulder hurt.

Simon turned over to see an obnoxious smirk on Baz’s face.

“Wow. You really suck at this.” they said, looking pleased with themselves. Simon turned to Penelope.

His heart hammered in his ears, and his throat felt like it was closing up on him. The sudden aching in his chest (surely not helped by his tight binder) threatened to swallow him whole. Penny was immediately at his side, her voice calm and soothing as she gripped his arms.

“Don’t worry about this! This isn’t your fault, Si.” she jerked her head in Baz’s direction. “They’re probably too bull-headed to cross over.”

“Hey!”

Penelope ignored their protest. “Just like my great-aunt, remember?”

“Maybe.” Simon mumbled. He didn’t want to think about it. Shame burned hot on his cheeks.

“Look.” Baz called. “I’m willing to cut you a deal.”

Simon and Penny turned to them.

“I’ve got unfinished business.” Baz said, brow furrowed. “And I need to check on my friends. They were with me when I died, I need to make sure they’re okay.” their face twisted between annoyance and something that could’ve been worry. “And maybe they know who got me. That could be connected-” They shook their head, interrupting themselves. “If you help me on a personal project, and let me find my friends and make sure they’re okay, I will willingly let you do what you need to do and send me to the afterlife.”

Simon looked at Penelope, who shrugged. “I don’t think we have much of a choice here.”

“Okay.” Simon took a step forward. “Wait. What’s this ‘personal project’ you’re talking about?”

Baz’s features got rigid. They stepped closer to Simon.

“My mother’s killer walks. You are going to help me find out who he is, and avenge her, and bring her peace.”

[my other works for the countdown]

[mavofficial]

🔮What does your OC think is their best trait. What is actually their best trait? What about their flaws? Are they one to admit these flaws or do they like to pretend they’re perfect?

🌸 What’s a sentence that would make your OC’s day better? One that would make them laugh? One that would make their day worse? Why? What words would you have to say to them to completely ruin their day?

🌷 How much effort does your OC put into their looks? Do they care much about how they’re dressed or what their hair looks like or are they not bothered? Could they be considered a snob or a slob?

holy shit i accidently wrote a novel

🔮

I GOT THIS THREE TIMES askfdj;l When I got it the first time, I put it off because I was like "fuck if I know" then I got it two more times, so here I am. I guess the people really wanna know. 😂

"Oh, I'm an amazing sweet talker. Natural charm, breathtaking charisma. There's a reason why people love me in front of the camera."

I'd say Aiden's actual best trait is his creativity. I don't get to show it much because it's often buried under a lot of his baggage. While he hasn't honed in on his writing skills, he's still an incredibly talented storyteller; his approach to his characters are out-side-of-the-box; God, you should see him play in a D&D campaign - he'll full immerse himself into the game and it's just a thrill for everyone involved.

And that's where his flaws come in: Aiden often thinks that his biggest flaws is that he's a liability and an all-around toxic person. But the truth of the matter? His biggest flaw is that he's quick to give into self-fulfilling prophecies and spends time trying to be someone he isn't trying to mitigate damage of being rejected. Aiden's creativity is hidden behind his manicured personas, his substance abuse, his struggling mental health. No one really knows who he is; he doesn't really know either.

So would he admit his flaws? To his close friends and family? Yeah. To anyone else? Nope, he'll try to be as perfect as possible and the flaws that he presents to the public are vague and generally admissible.

🌸

"Hey Mer, everyone loves gaming with you and really wants you to take the open spot in my D&D campaign."

---This would brighten up his day because he's actually being asked to particiate in something he love AND people apparently love having him around. Also the use of his first name means that it's with someone he's close with, which is incredibly validating.

" 'Why, You Stuck-Up, Half-Witted, Scruffy-Looking Nerf Herder!' "

---Aiden adores Star Wars, he'd love to sit with someone and just banter about the films. He'll laugh to out of context quotes, memes, jokes that use Star Wars as an element, the list goes on and on and on. Basically guaranteed to put a smile on his face.

"Oh... you aren't like how I imagined you."

---Aiden strives to be perfect in the eyes of so many people. There's something that would hurt him a little if he realizes that he didn't live up to a fan's expectation of him. He can't imagine how heart broken if he met -say- Mark Hamil and the guy was nothing how he imagined. The idea that he could do that to a fan hurts.

"Don't you think that all these games and silly space fantasy stuff is a little childish... and you know, perhaps you should probably find hobbies that are more your age?"

---Aiden's relationship with childhood is kinda an unspoken theme I have going on with him. A lot of the things he loves now and an adult are thing that he'd been familiar with basically his whole life. Video games, tabletop, Star Wars, Lord the the Rings? He was into that stuff before he started working at Disney. This is the stuff that gives him comfort when he's in a bad headspace and all of it is kinda sacred in his head - someone telling him to give it up and grow up would be devastating to him. What would make matters worse, there's a fair chance he'd do it as a means of keeping that person happy with him. A lot of his childhood keepsakes were thrown out on impulse; so what he has left are prized possessions. A good example of this is his LotR blanket, one that he absolutely refuses to use when he'd under the influence in anyway. It feels like he'd taint the blanket if he did.

🌷

He puts SO much effort into his looks and has two personal stylists to make sure there's always effort put into his looks. He keep tracks of tends and makes a point to know what's in and what's out. He cares about what he wears, when he'll be wearing it, how he wears it, and what people think of him when he's wearing it. He can be pretty lazy with his hair on a bad day but when he has time, he has a full hair-care routine.

He has wardrobes built with certain events in mind but it's not like he'll publicly wear the same thing twice to a similar event (perhaps a modified version to a smaller event or when he's out with friends but his wardrobe is always up to date). He gets really particular about red carpet outfits and interview outfits. He's loyal to a handful of brands: Armani, Hermes, Calvin Klein, and Moschino immediately come to mind.

To top it off, he'll get like this with his friends as well. Their looks affect his looks and if the squad doesn't look on point, he might be a little pissy about it. (...so it's probably pretty obvious that he'd a snob at this point jkfkjsda)

I think this is a fun part about Aiden's character because this is actually him being pretty genuine. I think this comes from him taking comfort in knowing that he's allowed to be more expressive with his clothes as long as he's picking from the top brands; it's a way for him to quietly engage with a tiny part of the queer community while he's in the closet. Some of his fashion choices aren't genuine but the general act of being into fashion & style is very much a part of who Aiden is and will be around when he's being his authentic self. You can see his love for it carry over into his true interests where he'll often show up to a D&D session dressed as his character and even pour money into having a cosplay professionally made.

[ellewritesathing]

So Close - S.S. XII

Summary: The universe has a funny way of putting the things you want right in front of you, but just out of reach. Stiles and Y/N have been best friends ever since Scott brought him home, but when Stiles realizes that he might want to be something other than best friends, she leaves to go to some fancy private school up North. Now that she’s back though … maybe he’s got a shot? A Teen Wolf AU in which the reader has always been so close to Stiles and yet so far.

Prologue - S2E1 Part 1 - S2E2 + S2E3 Part 2 - S2E4 + S2E5 + S2E6 Part 3 -  S2E7 +S2E8 Part 4 - S2E9 + S2E10 Part 5 - S2E11 + S2E12 Part 6 Part 7 - S3AE1 Part 8 - S3AE2 + S3AE3 Part 9 - S3AE4 Part 10 - S3AE5 + S3AE6 Part 11 - S3AE7 + S3AE8 Part 12 - S3AE9 + S3AE10 + S3AE11

Word-count: 5k+

A/N: Hope you guys like it!! 

“Are you sure about this?” you asked Cora. “After we go in there, there’s no going back.” 

“I don’t want to go back,” she said. She gave you one last - almost cocky - smile before pushing open the door to the boys’ locker room. 

You scrambled to your position as she scratched the spiral onto the glass. The mark for vendetta. 

Aiden threw open the door, calling out Derek, and Lydia was right behind him, begging him to stop. To just let it go. But you knew that it wasn’t that easy. 

You and Cora hadn’t planned for anyone else to be involved, but that didn’t stop her from slamming him into the metal changing dividers and slicing open his chest. You could hear him fighting back, and Cora was thrown across the room before you knew it. You didn’t know whether to help or let Cora handle it, but the sound of him picking up a weight spurred you into action. 

You grabbed a lacrosse stick in the time it took Aiden to hit Cora so hard that she flew into the benches. Taking a steady breath, you raised the stick and shoved it through his lower back. If being impaled hurt him in the slightest, it didn’t show as he turned to you. He just looked pissed. 

He was turning his rage on you as he raised the weight, and you were too busy fearing for your life to notice when Scott and Ethan ran in. They restrained him and you started breathing again. 

“You can’t do this!” Ethan yelled. He forced the weight out of Aiden’s hands.

But that didn’t stop him from trying to hurt you. “She came at me!” 

“It doesn’t matter! Kali gave Derek until the next full moon. That means you can’t touch him-” Ethan looked over his shoulder at Cora and then to you as he spoke “-or them.”

Aiden gathered himself but he didn’t take his eyes off you. Not even when he pulled the lacrosse stick out of his abdomen and threw it on the ground. You did your best not to throw up before rushing over to Cora. Stiles and Lydia were already by her side. 

“Hey, are you okay?” you asked, turning her head over to look at the wound. She turned her head away and drew in a shaky breath. “This looks really bad.” 

“I’m fine,” she choked out. “Help me stand.” 

You looped your arm around her and helped her up, trying your best to ignore her wincing as you did. You set her down on the bench in front of the sinks and used a washcloth to clean her forehead. The five of you were silent as you did. 

“What were you thinking?” Scott asked eventually. 

“Yeah, do you realize how suicidally crazy that was?” Stiles asked, seemingly waiting for someone to make the first move before bubbling over. “What were you thinking - going after them?” 

“We did it for Boyd,” you said, wringing out the cloth. It used to be white but now it was this weird off-pink color. The three of them shared a look as you turned back to Cora, but she put a hand up. You stopped. 

“It’s not like any of you were doing anything,” she said before looking at Lydia. ‘Looking’ was a generous word. She was glaring. 

“We’re trying,” Scott said. 

“And you’re failing,” Cora told him as she used you to get up. She looked over at them again. “You’re just a bunch of stupid teenagers running around, thinking that you can stop people from getting killed. But all you do is show up late. All you really do is find the bodies.” 

Cora turned and started walking out. You spared one last look at your friends before following her out. “Cora! Cora, come on. Wait for me.” 

She stopped to let you catch up once she reached the doors to the parking lot. “What?” 

“So that’s it? You’re not even going to talk to me now that we got even?” you asked. 

“We are not even,” she said. She shook her head before continuing, “Look, Y/N, I don’t have time to be your friend, okay? I need to heal, and then I need to get even. Alone.” 

She turned to leave and you caught her arm. She stared at your hand but you refused to back down. Maybe it was the adrenaline still coursing through you that made you think it was a good idea. You took a step closer. 

“Because that went so well when you had help?” you asked. “He was going to kill you. And, look, I get it. If I thought it would mean anything, I’d let them kill me too. But it doesn’t. And it doesn’t change that Boyd is dead. All it means is that you’re punishing yourself.”

“Punishing myself for what?” she asked. 

You looked down and took a breath. You dropped your hand. “I- I don’t know. Because you weren’t there? Because if you’d found them sooner, this wouldn’t have happened?” 

“Because if you got them out like you promised, they’d be in Mexico by now?” Her voice was still confrontational but something was different. You didn’t get a chance to talk about it, though, because Stiles walked up to you. 

“Well, ladies, since I don’t see the Porsche out there, I guess my crappy Jeep is the best shot at getting you home,” he said. He still looked upset, but none of you addressed it as you got in the car. 

---

You looked at Stiles from the passenger seat, holding his phone out on speaker so he could talk to Allison. She and Isaac had found a bunch of weird symbols and markings in invisible ink on Chris’ desk. The only two groups of sacrifices that hadn’t been fulfilled yet were philosophers and guardians. 

“Stiles, you have to tell your dad,” Allison finished. “Tell him whatever you need to get him to believe.” 

“Okay, okay, I know,” he said. Allison hung up and Stiles sighed, tapping the steering wheel. 

“So what are we gonna tell him?” you asked. 

“The truth,” Stiles said eventually. “And Cora’s gonna help.”

Using whatever time was left in the car, you and Stiles convinced Cora to help. She still wasn’t looking great but she insisted that she was healing and that she could do it. You gave up pushing her and settled for quiet concern as the two of you sat on Stiles’ bed and he tried to explain what was going on to Noah. It hurt to watch, but you knew Stiles had to do this on his own.

“Why was Jackson the kanima?” Noah asked. 

“Sometimes the shape you take reflects the person that you are,” Stiles answered. 

Noah seemed to have lost all the patience he had as he asked, “And what shape would an increasingly confused and angrier by the second father take?” 

“Uh, that would be more of an expression, actually. Kinda like the one you’re currently wearing,” Stiles said. You decided this was your moment to step in because Noah was getting ready to walk out.

“We can prove it,” you said, looking over to Cora. “Or, I mean, at least Cora can.” 

“You know, Y/N, you and Stiles have given me a lot of gray hairs over the years-” Noah took a breath “-but this is-” 

“Dad, would you just hold on?” Stiles asked. He looked at Cora and asked if she was ready. She nodded and stood up … only to pass out. You reached out to her as she fell, but that only made the two of you fall on the ground. You were fine but Cora’s forehead started bleeding again. 

“Call an ambulance,” Noah told Stiles before trying to stop the bleeding.

--- 

You sat in the chair next to Cora’s bed and called Derek. Stiles and Noah were talking outside, but you tried not to focus on that as you listened to the dial tones. He didn’t pick up. 

“Listen, Derek,” you sighed. “This is my like fiftieth voicemail but you seriously need to come out from wherever you’re hiding out, okay? Cora’s hurt. Really hurt. And we’re at Beacon Hills Memorial and she’s-” 

“Y/N?” Derek answered the call. You were too shocked to speak for a second. “Call Peter. I’m on my way.”

He hung up and you took a breath. Now you just had to call Peter, you guessed, and wait for Stiles to come back. Except that he didn’t - he just texted you something about having to go to the recital. When Derek got there, you were honestly just happy not to be alone as Cora slept. The two of you didn’t speak, but there was an understanding as you sat in the chairs next to the bed. An understanding that Cora wasn’t dying. You wouldn’t let her. 

“Derek?” Cora’s voice was so faint that for a second you thought you just imagined it. But Derek stood up to comfort her. 

“Hey,” he said gently. “Hey, I’m here.” 

“What’s happening to me?” She sounded so scared. Like an eleven-year-old girl who’d just lost her family in a fire. 

“I don’t know,” he said. “But I’m not leaving, okay? Not again.”

Derek kissed her forehead and sat back down. Cora’s eyes drifted towards you, and she looked like she was going to say something before going back to sleep. She didn’t.

It didn’t take long for Scott and Stiles to call Derek and you (respectively) with an update. The piano teacher was killed - the third philosopher sacrifice - and Blake tried to kill Lydia. She was okay, but Noah was taken. Stiles was quiet after he told you that, and Derek had already pulled you up and dragged you out of the hospital. 

“Are you okay?” you asked. You walked past Peter on your way out and Derek told him to watch Cora. “Derek and I are on our way and we’ll meet you at the loft.” 

“Okay,” he said. He sounded hollow. “See you soon.” 

“Stiles, stay-” He hung up on you. “On the phone with me,” you sighed and slammed the Porsche’s door shut. 

--- 

Derek was reluctant to believe that the woman he’d saved from a werewolf attack and subsequently been dating could be the one who was committing human sacrifices, but eventually he gave in. He trusted the three of you more than he trusted her.

“So what do we do now?” you asked. “Ask her really nicely to give Noah back and call it a day?” 

Stiles winced slightly at your words, which made you instantly regret them, but he didn’t get a chance to respond. 

“I guess we find out.” Scott looked at Derek as he spoke. “She’s here.”  

“You three, hide. Now.”

“Oh, I’m Derek Hale. I don’t need to be polysyllabic,” you mumbled as Scott pulled you behind the wall with the gaping hole in it. Your annoyance dissipated when you heard Blake’s voice, and you reached for Stile’s hand. 

“They’re already here, aren’t they?” she asked. The loft was quiet as the three of you moved from your hiding place. “So … they told you it was me? That I’m the one taking people?” 

“We told him you’re the one killing people,” Scott corrected. 

“Oh, that’s right,” Blake said. She had the gall to laugh. “Committing human sacrifices? Cutting their throats? Yeah, I probably do it on my lunch hour. That way I can get back to teaching high school English the rest of the day. That makes perfect sense!” 

“Where’s my dad?” Stiles asked. A tear ran down his cheek and you did your best not to crumble at the sight. 

“How should I know?” She turned back to Derek. “Derek, tell me you don’t believe this.” 

Derek looked over to the three of you before looking back at her. “Do you know what happened to Stiles’ father?” 

“No,” Blake told him. 

“Ask her why she almost killed Lydia,” Scott said. 

“Lydia Martin?” You had to admit, she was a pretty convincing actress. “I don’t know anything about that!” 

“Then what do you know?” Derek asked. 

“I know that these boys, for whatever misguided reason, are filling your head with an absurd story,” she said. “One they can’t prove, by the way!”

“What if we can?” Scott asked, holding up a bottle of mistletoe. He explained that you can use it to hurt other people, but that it can also be used to hurt you. He took off the lid and threw the mistletoe at Blake. 

You squeezed Stiles’ hand as she shrieked and transformed into a monster. He squeezed just as hard back. Neither of you moved as Derek went to kill her, but then she mentioned Cora. And Noah. And all three of you went forward to stop him, but he dropped her on his own. 

“That’s right,” she said after regaining composure. “You need me. All of you.”

---

Scott and Stiles talked on the drive there, but you focused on the sound of the rain to stay grounded. You were in the hospital before they were, and it was chaos. They were evacuating because of the storm. Melissa stopped Scott and told you that there were two ambulances in the basement garage, and Cora had to be on one of them. 

The elevator ride to Cora’s room was arguably the most awkward one you’d ever experienced - including the one with Deucalion that felt like it happened years ago. You all filed out as soon as it stopped, but you couldn’t find Cora in her room. You did find a mysterious trail of black blood, though, and followed it until Scott made you stop. 

Someone was fighting. The doors flew open and Peter slid across the floor, stopping at your feet.

“We’ve got a problem,” he said. “A big problem.” 

You followed his gaze and saw the twins in their singular giant form. You shuddered as Derek ran straight past you and into the fight. So did Scott. You stopped Peter when you saw Cora lying in the hallway and motioned for him to follow your lead.

After skirting around the fight, you, Stiles, and Peter lifted her up and carried her away as quickly as you could. Scott and Derek caught up eventually but then you lost track of Stiles. He popped back up later, yelling at you guys to move faster and that he needed a new baseball bat. 

All six of you rendezvoused in an operating theatre to come up with a plan … only it wasn’t going so well because everyone was arguing. That stopped as soon as Blake walked in and claimed that she was the only one who could save Cora. She said she’d only do it once she was safely out of the hospital. The arguing returned.

“Um, can I have your attention?” You heard Melissa’s voice over the PA system and looked up at Scott. “Mr. Deucalion- excuse me, just Deucalion- requests you bring the woman calling herself Jennifer Blake to the ER Reception. Do this, and everyone else can leave. You have ten minutes.”

“He’s not gonna hurt her,” Blake said cautiously. 

“Shut up,” you and Derek said at the same time. You continued though and he didn’t, “This is your fault.” 

“And who are you, again? Human #3?” she asked, glancing at you and then back to your brother. “Scott, he won’t hurt her. You know why. Tell them it’s true.” 

“What does she mean?” Derek asked. 

“You’re not the only one he wants in his pack.” Blake went on to explain that Deucalion was obsessed with having the perfect alpha pack, which meant getting rare alphas to join. Peter realized that meant Scott was a true alpha; he didn’t have to steal to get his power, but he could rise by the force of his own will. 

A touching story, really, but Cora was mumbling in her fever-induced sleep and your mom was being held hostage by a sociopathic werewolf, so you had other priorities. And you told them so. Soon you were all scrambling together a plan: Derek would get Blake out, Scott and Peter would distract the twins, and you and Stiles would move Cora to the ambulance in the basement. 

Derek laid Cora on the gurney inside and you and Stiles climbed in. The doors hadn’t even been shut, and Blake was already calling for Derek’s attention. You and Stiles moved slowly and closed them as quietly as possible, only having a moment of panicked silence pressed up against the walls before you saw Derek and Blake take off, followed quickly by Kali. 

“It’s okay. We’re okay,” Stiles whispered from his seat across from you. “We’re alright. You okay?” 

“I’m fine but, uh-” you moved closer to Cora to check on her “-Stiles, I don’t know if she’s breathing.” 

“What?” Stiles leaned in to listen for her breath but he shook his head. “I don’t hear anything.”

“What do we do?” You looked at him but he was just as freaked out as you were. 

“You’re asking me? I don’t know what to do!” 

“You always know what to do!” 

“Babe, I took health like two years ago! Besides, I don’t even know if that stuff applies to werewolves, alright?” 

“Oh my god, Stiles! You are such a-” you paused to take a breath. Cora was dying and you were arguing. You pulled your hair back and leaned closer to her, opening her mouth slightly. 

“What are you doing?” Stiles asked. 

“Checking to see if there’s anything stuck in her throat.” You were miraculously calm during this. And, deciding that there were no blockages, you began giving her CPR. It didn’t seem like it was working, and you looked up at Stiles with panic quickly returning. “Stiles, I-” 

Cora gasped in her sleep and your panic subsided slightly. You sighed and collapsed back into your seat. She was alive. When you looked back up at Stiles, he had this weird look on his face. 

“What?” 

“Nothing, just …” he shook his head. “That was pretty badass.” 

You scoffed and rolled your eyes. “Yeah, sure.” 

“I’m serious. You saved her life,” Stiles said. “Way cooler than sitting here, not being able to do anything.” 

You frowned slightly, dropping the sound of your voice as you spoke, “What is that supposed to mean?” 

“It’s just…” he sighed. “I used to be the one who knew what to do- or at least, could figure out what to do when things went wrong. Now I’m starting to think maybe you and Cora were right. Maybe we are pretty much useless. Maybe all we really do is find the bodies.” 

“Hey,” you said gently. You reached out and cupped his face lightly with your hand. “You know she only said that because she was upset, right? And I don’t think you’re useless.” 

Stiles was quiet for a second, but then he reached his own hand up to meet yours. He was looking down at the ground and it broke your heart. “Y/N, I don’t want to find my dad’s body.”

“Stiles, that’s not gonna happen.” You moved closer, Cora’s gurney moving slightly as you shifted. “Hey, look at me. We’re gonna find him. I promise.” He didn’t answer, so you moved even closer and used your other hand to lift his chin up. There were tears in his eyes. “You and me, Stiles. No matter what.”

“No matter what,” he echoed, sounding hollow. 

You wanted to move closer - despite the awkward position you were already in - and kiss him, but you heard growling and other loud noises coming from outside the ambulance. You and Stiles pulled apart and he saw the twins skulking outside. He motioned for you to be quiet, and you were. 

Your heart about leaped out of your chest when something crashed into the ambulance doors. It was Scott and Peter. Stiles opened the doors and helped Scott shove him in. 

“Where’s Derek and Jennifer?” Stiles asked. 

“They’ll be fine. Where’s Mom?” you asked. 

“I have to go back for them,” Scott said. He was bloody and sounded exhausted. 

“Okay, well two problems: Kali’s got the keys to this thing, and we just saw the twins like thirty seconds ago,” Stiles told him. 

“I think Stiles and I can hotwire this thing,” you said. Scott frowned at you. “We did it once when we were like thirteen, remember? With your dad’s car? Anyway, Scotty, if you can keep the twins-” 

A loud noise in the distance cut you off. 

“Stay here,” Scott said, closing the doors. You were going to argue but Stiles shook his head and you fell silent.

---

Allison called you with the details of the new plan, and - honestly - you kind of hated it. Waiting for Isaac to show up with the car left a pit in your stomach, but you threw the doors open as soon as you saw him. Peter handed Cora to him and you climbed out after, stopping to see what Stiles was looking at on the inside of the door.

“Stiles?” you asked. “Come on, we’ve gotta go.”

“Parent or guardian,” he mumbled, looking up at you. 

He took off inside the hospital and you didn’t even look back at Isaac before running after him. You both stopped in front of the open elevator, staring at Derek’s comatose body, but he recovered first and pulled you after him so you were running behind Scott.

When you finally caught up with him, he was on the roof with Deucalion. They were making a deal. Stiles told him not to, that you guys would figure this out, but Scott just kept walking closer to Deucalion. 

“I just don’t know what else to do,” he said.

“Stay with us,” you begged, moving closer. Stiles caught your arm and you stopped, but you didn’t look back. “We can do this together.”

“There’s gotta be something else, okay?” Stiles said. “We always have a Plan B.”

Scott shook his head. He was close to crying. You were pretty sure you were crying. “Not this time,” he said. He started walking again but stopped to look at Stiles. “I’m gonna find your dad.” He looked at you. “And I’m gonna find Mom.”

“Scott, you can’t do this!” you cried. He did his best to ignore you, but you knew he could hear you. “Scott!” 

You balled up your fists but there was nothing you could do. Stiles pulled you closer when they were gone, and you felt yourself soften into his chest. Your hands clung to his sweatshirt and you were taking heavy breaths. Stiles had eased his hand in your hair, cradling your head slightly. He angled your face up to look at him. Was he going to kiss you? Now? 

“Derek.” You blurted it out before you could stop yourself. 

"Uh, no. No, I'm Stiles," Stiles said, sounding confused and pulling back slightly. 

“Derek’s lying in the elevator.” You unwrapped yourself from around Stiles and pulled on his hand. “We need to get him out of here. He could still be alive.” 

“Y/N, I don’t really know…” Stiles drifted off and shook his head, letting you drag him to Derek. 

When you got there, the elevator doors were still open and the lights were flickering on and off. You let go of Stiles and crouched next to Derek. You used your hand to find a pulse and leaned down to listen to his breathing. “He’s still breathing. He’s alive.” 

“Alright, well, how do we- Woah, hey, is that a knife?” You looked up to find Stiles staring at the blade in your hand. 

“More of a dagger, really,” you answered, voice soft. “Because not everyone has claws.” You blinked and focused on what you needed to do: Trigger the healing process. You sliced the back of Derek’s arm. “Stiles, he's not waking up. The pain should wake him up." 

“Okay, well, let’s try something else,” he sighed. 

You moved over as Stiles rolled up his sleeve, but started arguing when he punched Derek. Again. And again. You moved to stop him but froze when Derek caught his fist mid-punch. 

“Derek!” you cried, breaking out of your frozen state to help him to his feet. Stiles was mumbling about how his fist hurt. 

“Where is she?” Derek asked. He looked around at the wreckage, trying to figure out what happened. 

“Isaac got Cora and Peter out, and Blake-” your voice wavered. 

“Gone. With Y/N’s mom,” Stiles finished for you. “And Scott left with Deucalion. And the police are coming like right now so we’ve gotta get you the hell out of here.”

It didn’t take much else to convince Derek to leave, but that left you and Stiles to explain what happened to the cops. And the tension of you both missing the only family you had left didn’t make it very easy on you. The two of you settled on a cover story and you went to find something to drink. Stiles was still shaking so you grabbed a pack of Reese’s for him too. 

“Alright, how about this? Next time I see him-” Stiles sounded angry as you rounded the corner, and when you saw who he was talking to, you weren’t exactly surprised. “I’ll give him a field sobriety test, okay? We’ll do the alphabet; start with F, end with U.” 

“How about you just tell me what the hell happened here?” Rafael asked. 

“Dad?” You walked over hesitantly, handing Stiles the candy without looking at him. “What are you doing here?” 

“Uh, Y/N.” Rafael cleared his throat and looked around before continuing, “Where’s your mom and Scott? You shouldn’t be here.”

“Mom was on duty when they started evacuating. Stiles offered to drive me here to pick her up,” you said slowly, crossing your arms over your chest. Rafael hadn’t spoken to you since you’d been kicked out of Willow Creek. “What are you doing here?” 

“So you guys didn’t see anything?” Rafael asked. 

“No. We were stuck in the elevator the whole time.” Stiles got up, which forced your dad to take a step back. He took your hand in his - a little more forcefully than usual. 

“You’re not the one who put the name on the doors, are you, Stilinski?” he asked. 

“No. What part of-” 

“What name?” you interrupted. 

---

Stiles told the Argents about their name being left in big red letters on the elevator doors and you called Isaac and let him know. Stiles came back, somehow looking even more dejected than the last time you saw him, which made the drive home almost unbearably quiet. He walked you inside though, and then all the way up to your room. 

“Okay, well, I guess I should get going,” he said eventually, getting up from where he sat on your desk. 

“Uh, hey, do you- do you wanna stay?” you asked. “It’s just … with Noah and my mom missing, and Scott- well, you know. And I have no idea where Isaac is.” 

It wasn’t much of an argument, but the message was clear: the two of you were alone. And you didn’t want to be alone on your own.

“Uh, yeah.” Stiles nodded. “I guess I’ll, uh, be in Scott’s room if you need anything.” 

You smiled at him on his way out and collapsed into your bed. ‘Do you want to stay?’ You couldn’t have been a bit more subtle? Less terrified to be alone? Dealing with this stuff was hard enough without also dealing with the monumentally huge crush you had on Stiles Stilinski. 

After getting over your embarrassment, you took a shower and changed into some pajamas. When you switched off the light on your way out, you saw that Scott’s door was slightly ajar and the light was pouring out. For a second you thought he’d come back. Your heart sank at the realization that he hadn’t. 

You shook your head and took a breath before starting back to your room. You paused when you reached Scott’s room though. If the light was on, Stiles was still awake. And if Stiles was awake, that meant the noise you heard from inside was him crying. 

“Hey, uh, would it be totally weird if I slept here tonight?” you asked as you pushed the door open, opting for a more casual invasion of privacy than flat-out asking if he was crying. “I just don’t want to … be alone …” 

The words died on your lips as you actually saw what he looked like. Like a broken little boy in a thunderstorm. Head in his hands, he moved to wipe his face before you saw him. 

“No, uh, no, it���s not weird,” he said, adjusting himself. “Hey, don’t give me that look.”

“I’m not giving you a look,” you said as you closed the door behind you. 

“Uh, yeah, it’s called the ‘I Just Found Someone Crying Who I Didn’t Know Experienced Emotions Like The Rest Of Us And Now I’m Uncomfortable’ look.” He turned his head so you couldn’t see his face anymore.

“I’m not uncomfortable.” You walked over to where he sat and knelt down. “And, believe it or not, I’m pretty adept at handling the Stilinski Range of Emotions.” You smiled gently and lifted his head so he was looking at you. “We’ll find him, Stiles. I promise.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said softly. He didn’t seem convinced. 

You weren’t sure how long you two stayed like that, but at some point your hand drifted to cup his jaw. And at another Stiles had put his arms around you and held you. And you kissed him. And then he pulled away, slowly, cradling the back of your head in his hand. 

“We should probably get some sleep,” he said. 

“Probably,” you smiled. 

You didn’t make any attempt to move though, and neither did he. Stiles laughed and pulled you in again. Unlike the last time, this kiss wasn’t sad or tender. It was playful. Both of you were still kind of laughing over the absurdity of the situation until you eventually pulled away. 

“We have school tomorrow,” you said. 

“Uh-huh.” 

“So we should probably get some sleep.” 

“Probably.” 

It was the first time you saw him smile all night.

Part 13

[writerfae]

Silver Lining - Chapter One

A "The Knights of the Alder" au/„fanfiction“, pairing: Taiden (Talon x Aiden)

❆

The freezing winter air made Aiden shiver as he made his way over the yard to the main hall. He put his woolen cloak tighter around himself in an attempt to block out the cold and quickened his pace. The young man had just returned from a hunting trip, when a guard told him that his mother was searching for him. So now he was on his way to her, wondering what she might wanted.

Bow and quiver still stripped to his back, he pushed open the heavy wooden doors and entered the big hall. Immediately a flood of warmth washed over him and Aiden welcomed it with closed eyes, letting out a relieved sigh. He loved being outside in the cold, but in the end he was always glad to return to his warm and comfortable home.

“Aiden! There you are.” A voice called from above. Aiden looked up and met eyes with his mother, who was looking down at him from the hall’s gallery. Ranva quickly made her way towards her son, her shawl fluttering behind her as she rushed down the flight of stairs. She approached Aiden and greeted him with a quick hug. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you all morning.”

“I was out for a hunt and forgot the time. I’m sorry, mother,” Aiden said. His mother gave him a soft smile. “Don’t be.” She ran her hands through his dark hair. “Now take off your cloak and the hunting gear and come to your father’s study room. We have to talk with you.”

Aiden lifted his head in surprise. It didn’t happen often that he was called into his father’s study room. The last time he recalled being there was when his parents told him his older brother Henry would move out. “Talk about what?,” he asked his mother. “You’ll see, my dear, you’ll see,” was all she said.

***

“Your mother and I called you here because we have news for you, good news.” Milan, head of the family, said to his son. He had a smile on his face, still his expression was serious. Aiden didn’t know what to think about that, he has never been good at guessing his father’s emotions. Still he was curious.

“Really? What is it?” Expectant, he leaned forward in his chair. News were always welcome, life had become pretty boring for Aiden ever since his brother had left to live with his new husband.

His father’s smile widened. “We finally found a good match for you,” he said. Aiden wasn’t sure if he understood what his father meant to say. A good match? He shot his mother a questioning look. She smiled at him. “What your father meant to say is, that we found a husband for you. You are getting engaged, sweetheart.”

Aiden’s face dropped. “Engaged?,” he asked, dumbfounded. He looked first at his father, then at his mother. Were they serious? Did they really think it would be good news for him that they were about to trade him away to some stranger?

No, they must be joking. This couldn’t be true. He was nineteen, he was too young to get engaged. He wasn’t ready to get engaged. “You’re just the right age, my boy,” his father said as he told him that much. “I was as old as you when your mother and me got engaged. Your brother was even younger.”

His mother reached for his hand over the table. “I know this is overwhelming, Aiden. Big news like this always are. I understand that you’re surprised and unsure right now, but trust me, you’ll be fine.”

“How will you know that?” Aiden withdrew his hand. “Do you even know my “match”? Do I know him?”

His mother nodded. “Yes we know him, we even met him before. His name is Talon.” “He’s the son of Lord Cyrus from the House of Hawks. A very reputable family, highly ranked among the families at court,” his father added.

So that was what it was all about, Aiden thought. “Is that why you organized my engagement with this Talon? Because he has an influential family? Is that all you care about? How much reputation it will gain you?”

Aiden’s family was lower nobility, not really influential at the Willow court. But they lived in a world where status was very important. The higher a family’s rank was, the better was their reputation. And everyone wanted a good reputation, because it meant a good life for your family. That included Aiden’s father too.

He always wanted to enable a better life for his family. Not that their life was particularly bad. It was more then enough for Aiden. But it wasn’t enough for his father it seemed. Otherwise he wouldn’t marry off both of his sons to the children of  higher ranked families, which was the easiest way to rise his own family’s status.

One could think it was enough that Henry was married to the heir of one of the most influential families at the Willow court, which already gained them a lot of reputation, but apparently even that wasn’t enough if his father married off Aiden as well. Maybe he simply acquired a taste for it.

“What about me, huh?” Aiden continued. “Does it even matter to you how I feel? I don’t want to get engaged. I don’t want to get married either. I don’t even know this guy. I-”

“Enough Aiden.” His father interrupted. His voice was quiet but stern. “Do not talk to me like that. Of course your well-being matters to me, it’s the only reason I am doing all this! I spent a long time searching for a good fit for you, you should be thankful! Lord Talon is an excellent suitor, you’ll immensely benefit from the connection with him and so will our family.”

“But-” Aiden started. “No buts, son. I expect you to do as I say. Me and Lord Cyrus arranged a meeting in three days, there we will introduce you to each other and make your engagement official. You will get engaged with Lord Talon. I am not open for any more discussions regarding that topic.” With that, his father stood up and left the study. For him the conversation was done.

His mother said nothing. Aiden felt like he couldn’t breath.

***

“I can’t believe it!” Aiden exclaimed again and again as he paced up and down his room. He could feel panic rise in him as he tried to process what his father had just told him. He’ll be getting engaged. Against his will. To a total stranger.

“Honey, please, calm down.” His mother sat on his bed, watching her son with growing concern. “How am I supposed to calm down? I have to marry a total stranger! I will be strapped to someone I didn’t even choose for the rest of my life!” He stopped walking around and buried his face in his hands.

Aiden could hear his mother standing up and walking over to him, then he felt her arms around him as she pulled him into an embrace. “Oh sweetheart.” Ranva carefully stroked her son’s messy hair. “Look at me, hey.” She made Aiden look up to her.

“I know this is all a bit much. It is happening so fast, that’s a lot to process. I am very sorry for that. But you know sooner or later it had to happen.” Yes, Aiden knew that. He has known for a long time.

But he had hoped that he would have a saying in who he’ll be paired up with. Or that he would at least have enough time till it was happening. After Henry’s marriage, a little part of him had even hoped he wouldn’t have to marry someone his parents chose for him at all.

He took a deep breath. “I know. But why does it have to be someone I don’t know? What if I don’t like him? If he doesn’t like me? I don’t want to spend the rest of my life tied to someone I don’t love. Or with someone who doesn’t love me.”

His mother sighed. “You’ll get the chance to know him, darling. And you will like each other, trust me. You may not love him from the start, but love can grow. I didn’t know your father either when we were engaged, but I got to know him, and I fell in love with him. Arrangements like this don’t have to end bad, they almost never do. Just look at your brother.”

Henry was indeed a good example for an arranged engagement that actually turned out well. He truly loved his husband, they were happy together. Then again, they had known each other way before their engagement, and Aiden had no doubt that they would’ve chosen each other even when their parents wouldn’t have paired them up.

Aiden however will barely have time to get to know his soon-to-be husband, maybe a few months when he was lucky. It was winter and most weddings were scheduled for the warmer months, but even that didn’t seem enough time for Aiden to get to truly know someone.

“You’re a free spirit,” his mother continued. “I know that. And your father knows too. Don’t be mad with him. He really means no harm. Neither do I. If we wouldn’t be certain that you and Lord Talon will fit together, we wouldn’t have made the match, good reputation or not. We love you, we wouldn’t just give you to someone who won’t treat you right.”

“I know you are worried. I understand, I felt the same when I was in your situation. Things might not always be easy, I do not deny that. But I really believe, that in the end everything will turn out just fine. One day you will look back on your doubt and be happy you overcame it. So don’t let your doubt take you down, alright? Give yourself some time.”

Aiden cracked a smile. “Yes, mother.” She was not wrong, he realized. He needed time to reflect on the whole situation, maybe tomorrow things would look different. Ranva kissed her son’s temple. “Good. And now rest, my dear, it was a hard day for you.”

❆

next chapter

silver lining masterpost

[sweettemptaticn]

A bead of sweat slides down the back of her neck, gaze enraptured by her phone resting on the small patio table as she sits in the chair beside it. She’d called him once since she left New York, only to let him know she was alive and breathing, but she hasn’t spoken to him since. He understood, didn’t he? Ryleigh hadn’t wanted to leave Jamie behind, but in truth, he’d left her before she had any chance to leave him. He found his niche, found a girl, found his life. She would never be able to fault him for that, could never hate her twin for desperately clinging to something she’d once tried to do herself. A semblance of normalcy. 

Huffing out a soft breath, fingers picking at an invisible piece of lint on her cotton shorts, she draws one leg up, bent at the knee, heel braced against the seat of the chair. She snatches up the phone before she can stop herself and dials a familiar number - one of a few she has memorized in case of emergencies. Phones weren’t too reliable and what if she was ever caught in a situation without one? 

Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. 

“You’ve reached the voicemail of...Jamie Meadows.” Her breath hitches at the brief rasp of his own name before the beep sounds. Ryleigh hangs up, stares at her phone for a beat, fingers curved tight around it. Should she try again? Another deep breath, shoulders squared. Why is she so fucking nervous? 

Ring. Ring. Ring. Ri--

“’Lo?” He sounds exhausted, but the familiar Southern drawl puts her at ease. Exhaling a shaky breath, Ryleigh blinks quickly, attempting to force the familiar burn from her eyes. 

“Jamie?” His name is spoken so quietly, familiarity in her tone, and there’s silence on the other end. A soft curse, a creak of a shutting door. “You okay, Leigh? What’s goin’ on?” Her brows furrow at his initial reaction, but then she remembers she told him she’d only call him if something happened. If she needed him. 

A ghost of a smile curves her lips. “Happy Birthday, Jamie,” Ryleigh says, voice quiet, nearly a whisper as if she’s worried who might be listening. She’s on her balcony and it’s late in the evening and there’s really no need for anyone to be eavesdropping on her, but one can never be too careful. Matty could have spies everywhere. 

“Oh. Shit. Yeah... Happy Birthday, Leigh,” he says in turn, huffing out a breath and Ryleigh thinks she can hear relief in his words, but also something else. Indignation? “How are you?” Ryleigh pushes on, worrying her teeth into her bottom lip as her free hand continues to fiddle with the hem of her shorts. Jamie snorts on the other end. “Great. Couldn’t be better. Y’didn’t have to call, Leigh. Same shit, different year, y’know?” 

Ryleigh swallows past the lump in her throat at his words, wondering when their relationship had become so strained. Had moving to New York really torn their relationship apart so much? They used to be close and he’s always been an asshole, but he’s never been an asshole to her in the way he always with with everyone else. “Of course I was going to call. It’s our birthday, Jamie.” She argues lightly, a touch of annoyance in her words. 

“Yeah, and it comes same time every year and shit all it’s gotten us. S’just another day, Leigh, you know that and things are... they’re different now.” She can hear him shifting, hear the tell tale noise of a lighter igniting. Is he still smoking? She thought he stopped years ago. Now’s not the time to ask him. “They’re not that different. Name one time we’ve gone without talking to each other on our birthday? Why’d you think this year would be any different?” Confusion colors her voice, her hand tightening a little around her phone. 

Jamie huffs out a laugh before, Ryleigh assumes, pulling a drag of his cigarette. “Because we’re not a family anymore, Ryleigh. You’re god knows where and I get why you can’t tell me and I don’t want you to, but even you gotta admit we haven’t been a family for a long time.” His voice is low, like he’s trying to keep himself quiet, but all Ryleigh can hear are those words. We’re not a family anymore. What does that even mean? You can’t just-- “What’re you talking about, Jamie? We’re still a family, we’ve always been family, and even if Laney and Aiden can’t see that, you’re still my family.” Aiden and Laney are, too, and of the four of them, maybe Ryleigh’s always been a little too optimistic, wanting to believe things would work out eventually. 

Another sound from Jamie’s end and Ryleigh can feel everything in her tightening, ready for a fight. “Lucy’s pregnant,” he says after a beat and Ryleigh blinks, wondering what it is with the Meadows boys and their sudden lure of families. “Oh? Are you happy about that?” Ryleigh queries, a heavy knot in her stomach. Jamie laughs, this sound a little lighter, but still gruff. “I’m fuckin’ terrified, Leigh. Me? As a fucking dad? Can you actually picture that shit?” He’s amused, Ryleigh can tell, and she opens her mouth, but his next few words stop her. “I can’t have my kid around all the bullshit, Leigh. He’s not gonna grow up the way we did and that means I gotta do right by him. I gotta--- until that bastard of yours is in jail, I can’t take the chance.” 

All the air rushes out of her lungs when she realizes what he’s saying to her. When she realizes-- it’s fair. She understands. Doesn’t she? He can’t put his family at risk. If Matty ever decided to use Jamie as some kind of leverage to get her back, if he ever hurt his family, Ryleigh would never forgive herself for it, for any of it. “Okay.” She whispers, glancing down at her lap. “I love you, Jamie. Happy Birthday, and-- stay safe, okay?” 

Jamie’s silent for a long minute. “I love you, too, Leigh. Don’t forget that, okay? This isn’t-- I just have to do the right thing. Please say you get that?” A half laugh escapes her as she nods. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. It’s fine. I-- I’m glad you’re happy, Jamie. You deserve it.” Ryleigh hears him scoff. “I don’t know about that, but Lucy’s put up with my ass for this long and I kind of love her, so, makes sense.” 

“Yeah,” Ryleigh agrees with another laugh, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I gotta go. I love you. I’ll-- bye, Jamie.” Pulling the phone from her ear, she swipes to end the call and tosses the phone onto the table before leaning back against the chair. Ryleigh isn’t sure how long she sits there, staring at her phone, but she does what she does best, buries all of that hurt, all of her anger, every ounce of sadness. She buries it so deep, that by the time she’s making her way back into her apartment, she’s humming quietly and making her way to the kitchen. She’ll have to get ready soon, since Aiden told her to be ready by seven, but until then, she can indulge herself with a piece of cake, can’t she?

[brylcighs]

✧·ﾟ(   demeter + maia mitchell + cis female   ) 𝒎𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒂 𝒎𝒊𝒂 !!  have you seen (   bryleigh fox   ) around ? (   she   ) has been in kaos for (   two months   ). the (   twenty-four year old   ) is a (   baker   ) from (   boulder, colorado   ). people say they can be (   stoic   ) but maybe that’s not too bad ‘cause they can also be (   ebullient   ). whenever i think of them, i can’t help but think of (   warm blueberry muffins, black and white movies, and sunny, cloud-free mornings   ).  ·ﾟ✧  (  penned by shiloh, 21+, est, she/her   ).

trigger warnings: mental illness, ptsd, anxiety, depression, a car accident, health problems related to fertility, scars/burns, low self-esteem, drinking. ( i think that’s it, but if you run across something else triggering, pls let me know and i’ll add it to the list. )

THE MUN.

‘lo ! i’m shiloh, but you can call me shy. i’m 28, i live in the est and my preferred pronouns are she/her. 

i’m a school-based therapist and work in an elementary school. with it being summer, i don’t really have a lot going on ! so you’ll see me around quite a bit. 

i have two small puppos, minerva and newt, who are my pride and joy. p.s.: if you couldn’t tell from their names, i’m a huge harry potter fan. i also love young adult literature, i’m a true crime buff and could eat pepperoni hot pockets every day for the rest of my life. 

if you’d like to talk, you can im me on this account, on my rph @shilohrph or ask me for my discord and we can chat there !

and without further ado, allow me to introduce lil miss bryleigh. 

BASIC INFORMATION.

name: bryleigh olivia fox.

age: twenty-four.

gender/pronouns: cis femae & she/her.

orientation: panromantic pansexual. 

olympian: demeter.

occupation: head baker at physis taverna.

faceclaim: maia mitchell.

BACKGROUND.

bryleigh olivia fox was born may 8th, 1995 at 10:12am in kaos, greece to colonel william matthew fox and emma alison stewart-fox.

she has one older brother, lucas daniel fox, who is 28 and an architectural engineer. he’s married to sofia maite valdez-fox, twenty-four. they have a one-year-old daughter,  luciana irene fox. 

bryleigh also has one younger sister, peyton emelia fox, who is 20 and a college student studying communications. she’s engaged to  micah cole butler, twenty-two. they two-year-old twins addison hayley butler and aiden bryant butter. peyton is also currently 10 weeks pregnant.

because of her father’s occupation, the family has lived in different cities all over the world. besides kaos, the fox’s lived in bangkok, thailand, comayagua, honduras, misawa, japan, burkina faso, west africa,  vicenza, italy and pampanga, philippines. i made a handy dandy timeline which you can view here to better break it down.

bryleigh attended and graduated from the auguste escoffier school of culinary arts in boulder, colorado and lived there for about four years.

while living in boulder, her roommate and best friend, sofia, started dating and subsequently married her brother, lucas.

because her aesthetic is running when things get tough/complicated, bryleigh left boulder a few months after ber brother and best friend were married and moved back to kaos, greece. 

she lived in kaos for a year, living above the tavarna where she was head baker. she loved it and kinda looks back on it as the best time of her life. but a rough patch in a relationship caused her to - again - flee, returning to boulder. 

about a month after moving back to boulder, she was in a serious car accident. her vehicle slid on black ice and flipped. she almost died, but managed to pull through.

on top a concussion, many broken bones, several severe burns, some internal bleeding and innumerable cuts, scrapes, and bruises, bryleigh’s pelvis was fractured and her fallopian tubes were crushed. she also later developed  asherman’s syndrome from the surgeries/scar tissue forming. this has basically rendered her infertile. 

after the accident, bryleigh had to move in with her brother and sister-in-law/former best friend. not only did they smother bry trying to take care of her, but sofia was pregnant at the time. this served as a constant reminder of all she’d lost. 

so, as soon as she was cleared to be on her own, she told lucas and sofia that she was going to visit kaos for her birthday.

except that she was actually moving back there and didn’t want to have to deal with their worry and concern and attempts to talk her out of it. queen of running from her problems.

bryleigh has been back in kaos for about two months, and it’s not the carefree, serene place she remembered.

actually, that’s not true. it’s still the place she remembered. she’s just not the same person she once was. no matter how much she tries to pretend she is.

you can read more about her here if you feel so inclined. 

PERSONALITY. 

bryleigh is a bit of a complicated lil nugget. she’s like an onion, ya know ? she has layers. one one hand, she’s this bubbly, happy-go-lucky, upbeat ball of sunshine. but on the other hand, she’s really struggling with ptsd from the crash, as well as a good heaping of anxiety and depression. so she has times where she’s really distant and reticent.

as the ‘mom friend’, she’s always been the person that people turn to. she’s the shoulder to lean on. she’s the one who gives amazing advice. she’s the one who seems wise beyond her years. she’s the one who tells you to stop leaning back in your chair because you’re going to fall over or sets water and tylenol beside your bed after a night of partying. she cares a whole lot. like, an insane about. which is a blessing and a curse. 

what she’s struggling with post-accident is opening up about how she’s doing and how she’s really feeling, beyond the facade that she puts on for everyone. it’s like she’s physically incapable of letting people see that she’s struggling. bry doesn’t want to put that burden on anyone, ya know ? so, she’s kind of suffering in silence and bottling everything up. which is super healthy, i know. 

sarcasm and dry humor are two of her favorite coping skills. she’s also really great at self-deprecating humor !

the accident left her with quite a lot of scars and several skin grafts from having third-degree burns treated, and she’s incredibly self-conscious about them. she covers her low self-esteem up with jokes and humor, but she really is quite sensitive about her appearance. 

as i mentioned, she tends to run from her problems rather than addressing them. and if she can’t run, she makes a joke out of them and doesn’t take them seriously. or she bottles up all the emotions from the problem and pretends it’s not a big deal. i know. her coping skills are so healthy.

the only thing that bryleigh has ever wanted is to be a mom. she’s basically had baby fever since she was old enough to understand the birds and the bees. she always imagined being a stay-at-home mom, taking care of a shew of children and her husband/wife. but since the accident, she’s not sure if that’s what she still wants of her life. she no longer has no direction, and really feels like she’s floundering.

part of her is worried about having kids ( through adoption or surrogacy or on the off-chance that she can naturally conceive ) because the hate in her heart after the accident is so dark and consuming and terrifying. she feels like maybe the car accident did more than break her bones. maybe it broke her as a person. and maybe she’s not capable of loving someone now. or if she is, she’s worried that what she loves will get taken from her. and she doesn’t know if she can stand to lose anything else. 

EXTRA.

she starts every morning with a cup of black coffee and a banana nut muffin and ends every evening with a cup of peppermint tea and two homemade jaffa cakes.

bryleigh has a chocolate labrador retriever named yolo. he’s ancient. she’s not really sure how old he is, but the shelter she adopted him from said that he’d been there for several years. so, she absolutely had to take him home with her. yolo’s very loving and sweet and a lil lazy and he loves pitless olives. she has huge birthday parties for him on his gotcha day, august 12th. 

her walls are covered with abstract art from a bunch of different countries. they remind her of her childhood and everywhere she’s traveled. 

favorite thing in the world to do is have a bunch of her friends over, make a slew of homemade pizzas and desserts, pop open several bottles of rosé wine, throw pillows and blankets all over the floor and watch movies of various genres until everyone falls asleep. 

she loves 80′s music and prefers to listen to records rather than stream music or what have you. it sounds more authentic that way. at least, in her opinion. 

her apartment looks like a forest. she has plants everywhere. e v e r y w h e r e. she’s also a really good plant mom and has named all of her children. she talks to them and knows their favorite songs. maybe she’s a tad bit psychotic. who isn’t, though ?

since the accident, she’s developed a huge fear of driving. she won’t drive. ever. she either walks, rides her bike or takes an uber. if she can get away with not having to ride in a car, though, she much prefers that option. i mean, can you blame her ?

she loves astrology and tarrot readings and ghost hunts and talking about aliens and going on hunts for cryptids. she’s always thought there has to be more to life than what we can see, so she’s open to at least considering most everything, ya know ?

her closest friends call her foxy. everyone else calls her bry. some people call her bryleigh ? but i can’t imagine why. it’s a mouthful. 

send her memes and you’ll have her heart. she has a huge folder of them saved on her phone. there might or might not be more memes on her phone than actual pictures. hint: there totally is. 

bryleigh can speak english, spanish, filipino, greek, italian, thai, japanese, swahili, hausa and a little bit of a berber dialect to varying degrees of success. she’s most comfortable with english, spanish and greek, and least comfortable with the african languages. she can also write in a variety of writing systems, though not nearly as well as she can speak the languages. she’s forgotten a lot of the rules and method that go along with many of them.

PLOT IDEAS.

you can read about all my connection ideas right here !

NOTE: i’m open to pretty much anything, so if you have an idea, run it by me ! more than likely, i’ll approve and start rambling off ideas and headcanons and half-formed thoughts until you politely tell me to shut the fuck up. sounds fun, right ?

THE END.

thanks so much for reading this monster post ! i don’t know how to be concise. i’ve tried. i tried here. obviously, i failed. but i love you all. i can’t wait to write and interact with you all and your lovely, wonderful characters ! hasta la vista, baby.

[corishadowfang]

11/11/11 Tag

Tagged by @maple-writes--thanks for the tag!

Rules: Answer the 11 questions, make 11 of your own, then tag 11 people.

1: How long have you had your wip idea for (ie, is this a longtime project or one that sprung up all the sudden?)

On my Heart has actually been around for...quite a while now, actually.  Seven years, I think?  I first started batting around ideas/starting on what I’ve now dubbed ‘draft zero’ in my freshman year of college.  Then I was kind of hit by a combination of writer’s block and general life, and ended up struggling to write it like I wanted until about a year/year and a half ago.  (And since then have made a surprising amount of progress, comparatively speaking.)

After Eden’s been around a much shorter time, but still not, like...a short short time.  The first concept appeared about two and a half years ago, and since then I’ve been slowly refining it and building the world while I work on On my Heart.

2: If given the choice, would your ocs choose time travel or teleportation?

(Gonna stick with the OMH cast for these)

Gertrude would do time travel.  No question.  She has some things in her past that she’d like to change, if given the chance.

Aiden would probably be a little torn, but he’d eventually go with time travel, for similar reasons as Gertrude.

Jackie would go with teleportation.  She’d be too nervous about temporal paradoxes to think time travel was a good idea.

Kiru would honestly be happy with either, but if pressed, he’d probably go with teleportation.  Better to play pranks with, right?

3: Are your ocs more extroverted or introverted?

Kiru and Gertrude are both pretty extroverted, while Jackie and Aiden are more introverted.

4: Do your ocs prefer sweet or savory foods? Can they cook/make any of these foods by themselves?

Aiden definitely prefers sweet.  He is...not great in the kitchen, but can follow a recipe okay.

Gertrude prefers savory, but can’t cook to save her life.  She honestly eats more instant meals than anything.

Jackie prefers savory, and is the only one of the group who is actually a good cook.

...Kiru doesn’t eat and isn’t allowed near the kitchen.

5: If they could take any vacation/trip anywhere, where would your ocs like to go?

Aiden probably would have said the beach (like, anywhere), but after the whole dragon incident, he’s feeling a little sketchy around water.  At this point, he’d really just like to have a vacation with his family--where’s not something he’s really considering.

Kiru, on the other hand, would really, really like to visit some historical sites related to dragons. Also not something he really entertained before the incident.

Jackie would also like to go to some sort of historical site, but probably not related to dragons, if she can help it.

Gertrude...absolutely wouldn’t know what to do with a vacation.  Her idea of vacation is ‘a day off,’ and she’d pretty much stare blankly if asked where she’d go.  She might say she’d want to leave the country, if pressed, but there wouldn’t really be any conviction there.

6: How do your ocs feel about animals? Do they have any pets and if they don’t do they want some?

All of them like animals, to varying extents!  Jackie is more of a dog person, while Gertrude and Aiden are cat fans--but none of them have pets for varying reasons.  Gertrude doesn’t have the extra money, Aiden’s mom’s allergic, and Jackie...just doesn’t feel up to it right now.  Kiru isn’t so much interested in a ‘pet’ as he is just generally fascinated by new creatures.

7: How do your ocs feel about pineapple on pizza?

Gertrude would love it because it’d weird people out, Aiden and Jackie would think it’s gross, and Kiru is, as usual, fascinated (and probably more so once he realized Aiden is vehemently against it).

8: There’s a $20 bill on the sidewalk. What do your ocs do?

Kiru blatantly wouldn't care.  Money has absolutely no value to him, so he’d leave it.

Aiden would probably debate about what to do for a solid ten minutes, but it’s a toss-up whether he’d keep it, leave it, or take it to the police.

Jackie would take it to the police immediately.

Gertrude would pocket it without a second thought.

9: Do your ocs like children?

Kiru likes children.  Actually, so does Gertrude.

Aiden is...very awkward around children.  

Jackie technically has a soft spot for kids, but also doesn’t know what to do around them and tries to avoid them?  So something of a mixed bag with her.

10: What kind of stories/genres do your ocs like?

Aiden’s favorite is romance/romantic comedies.  As a general rule, though, he likes anything with a happy ending.

Kiru’s a huge fantasy fan, though since he can’t read he prefers movies or video games.

Jackie enjoys historical fiction and mysteries.

Gertrude is also a huge mystery fan, but will read just about anything, honestly.  It’s one of the few hobbies she still has that she really enjoys.

11: Would your ocs lie to protect someone else’s feelings?

Aiden can’t lie to save his life.  Kiru’s similar, but he’d at least try.

Jackie usually isn’t a big fan of lying, so it’s not super likely.

Gertrude...absolutely.  She’d lie to spare their feelings, her feelings, just because--it’s almost habit at this point.

My questions:

Do you have a favorite WIP?  Tell us about it!

What’s something you’re looking forward to writing that you haven’t gotten chance to yet?

Do you have a clear idea of what your OC’s look like?  Show some pictures!

What animals would your OC’s be?

Is there any trope that would make you put a story down immediately?

Coffee, tea, or something else?

What’s your WIP’s aesthetic?

What’s one piece of writing you’re really proud of?

Favorite character archetype?

Do your OC’s have any unusual hobbies?

How did you first come up with your WIP idea?

I’ll tag: @talesabound, @sleepy-and-anxious, @paladin-andric, @siarven, @cawolters, @danafaithwriting, @jess---writes, @cirianne, @ad-drew, @infinitelyblankpage, and @thatsmybluefondue, if you guys are interested in doing this!

[sentofighta]

ship list bias ? update ? 

--

einar: for now single ship with sora ( @/crownofsmiles )

           he is hard to get him to be interested in someone on a romantic level because he puts his uncle then his job first so any other thing is secondary to him. but he is a good boy who likes having a family..someday.

--

eight: cater, deuce. (no ships atm) 

           being a cadet means little time for romance and all that teen fun time. but he is such a sweet boy who loves his friends and mother and wants to do the best in order to make her proud. also no fighting, fighting is bad. but he can knock you out cold. shipping with eito is not hard but it requires time so he can understand that it is ok if he had some...time for himself and not just war only.

--

machina: rem, deuce ( @/oursongofhealing )

            machina is a tricky one. his fears keep him away from a lot of things. he is very faithful and will do his utmost best to secure happiness for his partner. he is a good boy really. please we dont talk about incognito ok?  guys he loves chocobos. ey, ey?? anyone? because of how machi role is, he can be hard to get hold of? after you know a certain timeline if we are going by the game but overall, you need to make him move from his childhood crush. it aint easy but it aint impossible. 

--

zack: cissnei (im rareship trash dont at me), aerith. (no ships atm)

           puppy? literally puppy. a good puppy. he just wants to have a good time and make good memories. and kind of brag to his parents he got a GF lmao. a very sincere and honest guy. tbh shipping with zack is not hard but ...it will gradually grow harder if you cannot keep up with him ofc. 

--

Sohrab: from awakening atm no one. though anna could have a chance. no ships atm.

            sohrab is just sohrab. if you are alchemy he will love you, if you are not he does not have time to waste with you. he prioritizes his life to pursuing his passion, alchemy and anything else is pretty much secondary...maybe less even. he is not entirely against the notion of getting with someone but he got a lot of conditions and points his love interest got to pay attention to, among them his lineage of both ylissean and plegian which can be troublesome to some and he does not want to go into problems because of it. 

--

roland: maybe noire but it needs a lot of communication but atm no ships.

          he got no time for love when is busy doubting everyone and keeping a close eye on lucina and chrom. smh what is love? i got no time for that buffoonery. but aside from that, he is the serious guy who wants everything clear. he does not like hit around the bushes if he found someone he will confess. but you have to gain his trust before his love ;;; save this boy. he is good believe me. he loves animals!!!!!!

--

lucina: owain. (before you speak. i know. it is very ok for me because it is very ok in MY culture. you dont like it. there is a magical button called ‘unfollow’) other s supports are okayish for me. marc/morgan depend heavily on the interpretation. as for Avatar ....same with the interpretation. (no ships atm)

            lucina is just like any other girls. she will love but because she sees everyone else above her own happiness, her duties come first and foremost, she cannot find that free time to be a normal girl and act on her feelings. she has in odd sense of..fashion and humor but if you can tolerate these you are a special being. and ofc you know you will have chrom as a dad-in-law hmm~ (and roland too depend on the verse lmao!!! we make the rules here ehehehehe)

--

aiden: i think she might be interested in Guy (same tragedy vibes yo) no ships atm (or jade. who knows hoho)

         the act to be happy and stuck in acting. she is..conflicted. a complex of emotions because she focuses on acting a lot of time that she sometimes forget what it means like to be ‘actually’ something. she is chill though and not against being with someone but she is dragging some big luggage and needs someone to understand. 

-- 

balan: spyrites project. jokes aside but seriously he is 30 years and just loves science and spyrites. what do you expect of him?

           his personality might be a turn off for some especially if they know he kind of like to gamble....a lot. with ...anything. especially dirt stories. call alvin and ask him. he knows. but aside from these things, he is really a thoughtful and generous man. he is kind and likes to listen when people talk to him because it is part of his job to listen. it often helps him figure out stuff when he listens to others. he may find it hard to love-love someone because he spent all his time in laboratories and dedicated his time to save the spirits and the co-existing, but he will warm up with time. 

--

feiruz: like literary anyone kind and good with animals ?  ? ? ? 

            a very romantic girl. she likes to fall in love, be happy, and all that fuzzy fluffy nice feelings! but not like she will just throw herself at the person but like you know deep sighs when she sees him. try to figure out what he likes and you know just try to have more conversations to know him better. she is a good gal. let me introduce you to my family comes waaaay later. unless there was a need to you know. 

[nebulous-frog]

The Path to Happiness Ch. 6/7

Summary: Phil, Prince of Stratalary, has an arranged marriage with Daniel, Prince of Iridacia. He doesn’t think he’ll have any feelings for the prince, that is, until he meets him.

Chapter 1 Masterlist

Word Count: 30,000 overall

Genre: Fantasy AU, Arranged Marriage, Slow Burn, Fluff

Warnings: Some Swearing, Food Mentions

Link to AO3 Fics Masterlist

Even though Dan wasn’t having his coronation on his twenty-first birthday, he still had to have a party. Unfortunately for Phil, this would only be his second time meeting aristocrats of Iridacia, so he had no idea how these interactions might play out. He was also told he’d have to dance again, which he certainly wasn’t looking forward to.

As with the last party, Dan and Phil were separated to get ready, so they didn’t see each other for most of the day. When they finally were together again, Phil didn’t have much chance to appreciate the wonderful sight of Dan in another suit before noticing the deeply unhappy look on his face.

“What’s wrong?” he immediately asked, rushing over to put a hand to Dan’s cheek.

Dan placed his own hand over Phil’s and gave it a slight squeeze.

“It’s nothing.”

Phil gave him a look that he’d grown very used to giving Dan over the last few months; it screamed I don’t believe you, now talk.

Dan groaned in response, but relented. “I’m not too keen on this whole birthday celebration, is all. The Iridacians were expecting a coronation and instead, they got a prince who doesn’t think he’s ready to be their king and a ridiculous party.”

“Hey, we’ve been over this,” Phil chastised tenderly. “This is perfectly fine because you’re easing yourself into the job rather than throwing yourself blindly in. It’ll be better for your people this way because you’ll have better control and more knowledge in a year than you do now, right? And it’ll be better for you because it gives you more time to prepare yourself in every way.”

Begrudgingly, Dan nodded. “You’re right, I know. I’m just not particularly excited to go make small talk with the disapproving aristocracy.”

“Now that I can’t help you with,” laughed Phil. “But we’ll be in it together, alright?”

Dan smiled softly. “Of course.”

Aiden told them it was time for the party, so Dan held his arm out for Phil, then walked them towards the ballroom.

Unsurprisingly, neither of them enjoyed the party. The aristocrats hadn’t gotten used to Phil yet, so they didn’t quite know how to act around him. It didn’t help that, after the last time Phil had met them, they were wary; the critical duchess of before had been stripped of her title for her comments to Phil, and no one wanted to follow her example. Dan, for his part, seemed to get on fine with the guests, but Phil could tell he was straining to be polite. They both had heard the rumours flying about Dan’s lack of a coronation, many of which they suspected had been started by the people they were forced to make small talk with.

About an hour in, they hid away in a corner behind some plants to have a few of the hors d’oeuvres and avoid people they weren’t particularly fond of.

“You know,” Phil said as they snacked on some chocolate biscuits, “we should do something to celebrate your birthday tomorrow.”

Dan snorted. “Why? We’re doing that now, can’t you tell?” he asked sarcastically, gesturing at the guests, food, and decorations.

Phil rolled his eyes. “No, I mean something you want to do. It’s your birthday, which means you should be able to take the time to do something you like.”

“But I don’t want to do anything,” Dan countered. “Even if I did, my father expects me to join him tomorrow for more work. He wouldn’t let me take a day off.”

“Did you ask him that?”

Dan gave him a weird look. “No, I just know he won’t let me.”

Phil shook his head adamantly. “You can’t know that unless you ask. Come on, please? We haven’t been able to do anything together for months, but now’s the perfect excuse! And we can do anything.”

Dan hesitated, but eventually nodded. “Alright, fine. We can ask him. What do you want to do?”

“Daaaaan,” Phil whined. “The whole point is that you decide what we do! So, the real question is what do you want to do?”

Sighing, Dan looked around him like he was looking for inspiration, before his gaze ultimately fell back on Phil. “Honestly, I don’t really care so long as I spend time with you.”

Phil’s heart thumped in his chest and a blush crept up his neck. “Oh. Alright.”

“Did you have anything in mind, or…” Dan teased.

Phil shrugged. “I thought you would have something you wanted to do, so not really.” He took a moment to think. “Well, there aren’t any forests in Iridacia, right?”

“Right,” Dan confirmed.

“So you’ve barely been to any forests?”

“Actually, I’ve never been to any forests.”

Phil gasped. “Never? That settles it, then. Tomorrow, we have to travel to Stratalary’s forests and have a picnic for your birthday.”

Anxiety flashed in Dan’s eyes. “Travel to Stratalary?”

Confusion shone on Phil’s face. “Well, yeah? The new treaty allows for open passage between Stratalary and Iridacia, doesn’t it?”

Dan blinked, still concerned. “I suppose so, but I’ve never been there.”

Phil laughed. “That’s the point! I want to take you somewhere you’ve never been and show you how wonderful it is.”

Dan still hesitated. “I don’t know, Phil. That’s a long trip just for a picnic.”

“It wouldn’t only be a picnic, though!” Phil exclaimed, excitement building as he planned the trip in his mind. “We could walk through the woods and I could tell you all about them, since you’ve never been to a forest! Please, Dan?” Phil pouted and made his best puppy face.

“Oh, alright, then,” Dan yielded. “If my father allows it, we can go to Stratalary tomorrow. But I suspect we’ll have to be on our best behaviour for the rest of this party for him to let that happen, so finish your biscuits and let’s go greet more guests.”

For several more hours, Dan and Phil made the rounds, chatting with as many people as possible before approaching the king.

“Father,” Dan began, “Phil and I would like to travel to the Stratalarian forests tomorrow as a more private celebration of my birthday. I know I’ll be missing important lessons from you, but-”

“Of course you can go!” his father boomed. “You never ask for anything for your birthday, so this will make up for it. Make the necessary arrangements and be back by the day after tomorrow.”

Dan blinked in surprise. “Th-thank you, Father. I’ll speak with the necessary people.” He bowed, beckoning Phil to do the same, then guided Phil away.

Phil was beaming. “I told you he would let us!”

Dan grinned back. “I’m glad you were right. I’m excited to spend a whole uninterrupted day with you for once.”

A whole uninterrupted day rattled around in Phil’s head and he felt his excitement grow. Tomorrow would be a great day.

~~~~~~~~~~

The morning began bright and early for Dan and Phil, who had to leave just as the sun came up to make sure they’d have enough time to travel to Stratalary and back in one day. Most days, Phil would hate getting up so early, but he found that he was much too excited to be bothered. He got dressed in comfortable black trousers and a loose-fitting white tunic while Dan found matching black trousers and a lavender tunic.

Dan looked especially soft and huggable, the looseness of the shirt letting him stretch the sleeves over his hands and showing off his long neck. Phil had to make an effort not to stare, but he realized he’d failed when Dan turned to him and blushed a deep red.

Phil looked away quickly, embarrassed at being caught staring. He had a feeling that would happen often throughout the day.

Their private birthday celebration was accompanied by a carriage driver and four knights to keep them safe, as the king had insisted that it was a necessary precaution. They weren’t thrilled at the thought of still being with other people on a day like this, but decided this was better than not being able to go.

Luckily, they got to ride in the carriage alone. They sat next to each other, pointing at things out the window and giggling together about nothing. At some point in the long journey, Dan laced their fingers together and rested his head on Phil’s shoulder as they talked, providing a comfortable warmth. That was one of the things Phil loved about Dan; he radiated heat, but not in a sticky, sweaty way. It made their cuddles that much cozier.

After several hours of travel, they arrived at the border between Iridacia and Stratalary. Their carriage rolled across the wide bridge on which they’d been married a few months ago. It looked different without all the people, chairs, and decorations; now, it was a plain bridge, save for the statue standing in the middle on one side. The bronze statue was of the two of them holding hands, marking the exact spot where they got married. Phil understood that it was there because of the significance of their marriage, but he felt weird about it. His marriage was a political statement more than anything else, which was shown by that statue. Now that he’d had time to adjust to married life, and Dan, by extension, he wasn’t sure he liked how it had been warped for politics, taking out all other meaning. He shook his head to clear it; now was not the time to worry about it. He instead returned his focus to the excitement of their trip and the celebration of Dan’s birth.

Phil hadn’t been back to his family’s kingdom since the wedding, so he eagerly looked out the window at his homeland. The forests began only a short way into Stratalary, so their journey was almost over. Excitedly, Phil turned to Dan and told him to look out the window.

“Do you see the trees off in the distance?” he yelled, head sticking out the window. He heard Dan laugh behind him, so he turned around. “What? Are you laughing at me?”

Dan had a twinkle in his eye and his lips stretched in a wide grin. “Maybe a little,” he giggled.

Phil pouted playfully, which only made Dan laugh more.

“Come on,” Phil whined. He tugged on Dan’s sleeve like a child. “Look out the window!”

Dan rolled his eyes in amusement. “You want me to stick my head out the window?”

Phil scoffed. “Obviously!”

That earned him another giggle and Dan finally stuck his head out the window to look at the steadily-growing treeline.

“Those are definitely trees,” Dan commented, pulling his head back into the carriage.

“Alright, smartass,” Phil teased with an eye roll. “I bet you’ll be speechless when we actually go into the forest, at least. It’s literally the prettiest thing you’ll ever see.”

“I think I’ve already seen that,” Dan whispered. If his expression were any softer, Phil was certain he’d turn into a puddle.

Blushing, Phil opened and closed his mouth a few times and tried to figure out what to say, but Dan moved on before his brain could work properly again.

“Did you have a spot in mind for our picnic? I’m starving.”

Phil mentally shook himself to get his mind to catch up. “Yeah, it’s not far into the forest. We’ll have to walk there, but it won’t take long.”

The carriage pulled to a stop in front of a path into the forest and Phil clambered out, then hold out a hand to help Dan.

“Ooh, what a gentleman,” Dan said with a mock curtsy.

“Of course, m’lady,” Phil teased back, bowing. “May I lead you onwards, fair maiden?”

Dan snorted. “I suppose you may.”

Phil took Dan’s hand more firmly in his own and guided him forward into the woods. He watched Dan’s face carefully, searching for signs of wonder. He didn’t have to wait long, as they entered a thick grove of massive trees. Dan looked up and around, eyes wide and mouth falling open.

“Phil,” he breathed. “This is amazing. How are these trees so tall? Look at that one!” with his free hand, he pointed to a tree farther up the path that was as wide as Dan’s arms when outstretched.

A face-splitting grin refused to leave Phil’s face as he took in Dan’s excitement with the welcoming scent of the forest. Phil had missed the relaxing, familiar smells and sounds of the forest. He found the rustling of the leaves in the wind immediately soothing.

He led Dan down the path, loving the quiet gasps coming from his husband as they passed increasingly beautiful trees and plants. They were nearing the meadow Phil had intended to use for their picnic when Dan suddenly stopped.

"Dan? Are you alright?"

"Shh!" Dan insisted. He pointed off to their right. "Is that- is that a pegasus?"

Phil followed the direction of Dan's finger and saw an absolutely stunning white, winged horse watching them from behind a group of trees. He inhaled sharply.

"It is! It's considered the best luck to see one in the wild here," Phil explained. "I think I might be able to get it to come closer, if you'd like?"

"You can do that?" Dan asked, incredulous.

"I certainly can try. Pegasi are generally fond of us Stratalarians and our cloud manipulation." Phil concentrated on the pegasus, then produced a tendril of cloud leading between him and the pegasus. He slowly beckoned it forward, inch by inch, until at last it was right in front of them.

Phil was fairly certain Dan was so shocked that he wasn't breathing. He would have laughed if he wasn't worried about scaring off the pegasus. Instead, he calmly raised a hand, inviting the pegasus in to caress its muzzle. When its nose bumped Phil's hand, Dan jumped in surprise. The pegasus immediately turned to look at him, ready to bolt.

"Shhh," Phil told the pegasus. He reached out his hand again and stroked its cheek soothingly. "He won't hurt you." He looked over at Dan. "You can pet him. Just be gentle, yeah?"

Dan gulped and nodded, turning his full attention to the pegasus. Ever so slowly, he raised his hand and pet the soft fur on the pegasus's nose. Phil watched as Dan began to relax, his wariness turning to admiration and joy. His expression lit up when the pegasus pushed against his hand for a scratch on the chin.

This was why Phil had wanted to take Dan to the forest. He'd known Dan would love it as much as Phil did, and he was unbelievably happy to see he was right.

After a few minutes, the pegasus backed up with a snort, which Phil interpreted as thanks, then clopped off back to where it came from.

"Where's it going? Did I do something wrong?" Dan asked, clearly distressed.

Phil laughed. "No, of course not! He must've decided he'd had enough. Now come on! You said you were hungry, so let's find the meadow!"

Not long later, they stepped through some trees into the meadow. It was a large clearing full of beautiful wildflowers of every colour, rustling in the breeze.

"This is beautiful, Phil," Dan whispered, sounding like he was worried that speaking any louder would irreparably disturb the quiet of the meadow.

Phil guided them closer to the middle of the meadow, then beckoned over the knight that had been carrying their picnic basket a few steps behind them. He thanked the knight and pulled out the blanket someone had packed for them, getting Dan to help him lay it out on the ground before sitting on it. He patted the spot next to him as he looked up at Dan.

"Join me?"

Dan complied, lying down next to Phil. Phil opened the basket and pulled out their sandwiches.

"Thank you," Dan said sincerely.

Phil grunted an acknowledgement around his sandwich.

"No, really," Dan insisted. "Thank you for bringing me here. It's gorgeous and so peaceful. And I just met a pegasus over there. That's insane!"

Phil shrugged, pink rising to his cheeks, and refused to meet Dan's eyes in embarrassment. "Don't mention it."

Dan sat up. "Hey, look at me. Please?" He waited for Phil to make eye contact. "I want you to understand. This right here is the best birthday I've ever had, and it's all because of you. And I know, we've only barely been here at all, but it's true."

"I'm happy you're happy," Phil replied softly. "You really like the forest that much?"

Dan nodded vigorously. "Absolutely."

Phil grinned. "I'm so glad."

They ate their picnic lunch quickly, then leaned back on the blanket, hand-in-hand, to stare up at the sky together.

It was an incredible day out, the sky a pure blue with poofy white clouds. The June heat was lessened by a cool breeze blowing through the meadow and making the wildflowers sway. Phil turned his head to look at Dan and watched the way the breeze pushed his soft curls on his forehead. He looked so relaxed and happy, a dimple digging into his cheek, that Phil’s heart melted. Seeing his husband like this was wonderful; no one else ever got to see him quite so at peace.

Suddenly, Dan pointed at a cloud. "That one looks like a dog."

"It does, doesn't it," Phil laughed. He pointed at another one, more bulbous and weird, and said, "That one looks like you."

"Oi!" Dan exclaimed, indignant. He playfully smacked Phil's arm. "Shut up, you. I don't look anything like that!"

Phil grinned mischievously and created a cloud over them in the shape of a rat. "Fine, this one's you."

Dan rolled onto his side and released Phil's hand. "I do not, you spoon!" he whined, pushing Phil away.

Cackling maniacally, Phil changed the cloud into the shape of a cartoonish poop with a wave of his hand.

"Don't you dare," Dan threatened, hands poised over Phil.

Phil looked challengingly up into Dan's eyes. "I think I've recreated your face perfectly this time."

"You little-" Dan roared, launching himself at Phil and attacking him with vicious tickles.

Phil shrieked, desperately trying to squirm away, but Dan had him pinned to the ground.

"I take it back! I take it back!" Phil yelled through a laugh. "Please! Sto-hahaha-p!"

Dan relented, only to start back up again when Phil immediately changed the cloud into a middle finger.

Several minutes later, they both were too worn out to continue the tickle fight, and Dan collapsed on top of Phil, their chests heaving. Phil reached a tired arm up to wrap around Dan in a hug.

"Thank you for convincing me to do this," Dan said into Phil's neck.

"You already thanked me so much, rat," Phil reminded Dan with a laugh. He yelped when Dan's fingers dug into a ticklish spot on his side. "Oi, enough of that! I don't know how much more I could handle."

Dan ignored him and continued to speak. "I genuinely love the forest and I'm so glad you dragged me all the way out here."

A thought occurred to Phil. "Since you like it here so much, does that mean we'll get to visit these woods more often? I've missed forests so much while I've been in Iridacia."

"I'm sorry, but I can't promise that we can visit more often," Dan said sadly. "I'm lucky my father agreed to this trip, never mind more regular visits."

Phil held back a sigh. It wasn't Dan's fault and the last thing he wanted to do was make Dan feel guilty. "I understand."

"I do have good news, though." Dan lifted his head to make eye contact. "Remember how I told you that kings get to add their own section to the gardens in whatever configuration they want?"

Phil's brow furrowed in confusion. "Yes, what about it?"

"I decided my addition will be a small forest, made especially for you."

Phil's jaw dropped open, and he blinked in surprise. "I- for- for me? A forest?"

Dan giggled, his eyes lighting up in fond amusement. "Yes, Phil. For you."

"But it's supposed to be about you! Isn't it? Since it's the king's addition to the forest, I just assumed-"

"It's my addition, yes, but I get to choose what I add and what I make it about. And I want to make it about you," he finished shyly.

Phil teared up, overwhelmed with emotion. He couldn't believe Dan was willing to make such a big part of his legacy about him, of all people.

"Plus, I knew how much you were missing the forest. Peter told me as much, once, and the way you've been looking around this place as if it's the most important thing in the world-" Dan cut himself off, seeming like he was searching for the right words. "I couldn't make it about anything else."

The tears slipped out of Phil's eyes. Dan's eyes widened, his expression changing in an instant from shy happiness to extreme concern.

"Oh, no, please don't cry! What's wrong? Did I say the wrong thing? I- I can think of something else, it doesn't have to be-"

Phil shook his head adamantly. "No! No, I'm happy!" He choked out a laugh. "I just don't know what to say."

Dan relaxed a bit, clearly relieved that Phil wasn't upset. He snaked a hand down to find one of Phil's and brought it up to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of his hand. "You don't have to say anything, if you don't want. I'm glad you're happy."

"I thought it was supposed to be your birthday, you spoon," Phil huffed, feigning annoyance. "How am I supposed to follow that up?" Even as he asked it, an idea popped into his head. He hadn't been sure yet about what he had to say, but it had been floating around for long enough now that he was fairly certain it was true. This latest surprise from Dan solidified his feelings and convinced him it would be best to voice his thoughts.

He tuned back in to catch the tail end of Dan saying, "Phiiiil, you don't have to follow it up! This already was plenty enough for me to be perfectly happy!" His thumb brushed against Phil’s knuckles softly.

"Well, I have something for you anyway." Now that he'd decided to say what he had to say, the nerves kicked in. He hastily pushed them down, reminding himself that this was Dan he was talking to. It would be fine. No, it would be better than fine; it would be amazing.

He took too long, apparently, because Dan got impatient. He teased, "What is it? You're leaving me in such suspens-"

"I love you," Phil blurted, a violent flush rising to his cheeks. "We haven't known each other long, I know, but I've never been so sure of anything in all my life." When Dan continued to stare at him in absolute shock, he hurried on. "I love your kindness, your humor, the way your eyes light up when you're excited, how patient you are with me when teaching me about flowers. You're so intelligent, and so brave, and-"

A pair of lips covered his own, preventing him from rambling any more compliments. They were as soft as last time, but the kiss felt so much different now than it had those few months ago. Where it had felt empty and meaningless before, it now felt charged with emotion. He tentatively moved his lips against Dan’s, still unsure of how to properly kiss someone but wanting to so much. Dan didn’t seem to mind Phil’s inexperience, as he reached up a hand to cup Phil's cheek and deepen this kiss, and Phil's arm tightened around Dan's back. He never wanted it to end.

"Your Highness!" called a frantic voice, shattering their bubble of serene privacy.

Dan pulled back immediately, though Phil tried to chase after his lips, and sat up, taking Phil with him.

"Yes, George? What's wrong?" Dan called back. He blinked in confusion. "Where did all this fog come from?"

Phil blushed heavily. "That may have been my fault." He willed away the fog surrounding them, allowing the knight to see that they were both alright.

George was a few feet away, eyes wild in concern, though the worry lessened when he saw Dan safely sitting beside Phil. Then, he seemed to notice Dan's dishevelment, with his tunic askew, hair a mess, and bright flush.

"Oh, um," George said awkwardly. "Sorry to, er, interrupt, Your Highness," he apologized. "I'll- um- sorry." He bowed and jogged off to a respectful distance.

Dan and Phil glanced at each other, still embarrassed, then laughed.

"Liked that kiss, did you, Phil?" Dan teased through his laughter. "Fogging up the place enough to scare the guards?"

Phil groaned in embarrassment and covered his face with his hands. "Actually shut up!" He peeked out from between his fingers at Dan and noticed a bush of flowers had grown all around them. "You're one to talk, Mr Dark-Red-Rosebush!" Phil froze. Dark red rosebush. He didn't need Dan to tell him what those meant, but he wished he'd tell him anyway. He wanted to hear Dan say it.

Dan went from teasing to shy in an instant. He broke eye contact and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. In his other hand, he conjured another dark red rose. Phil watched intently from between his fingers as Dan lifted the rose to his nose, inhaling deeply, then leaned forward towards Phil. He gently pried Phil's hands away from his face and put the rose in one. His hand lingered there, stroking Phil's knuckles once before he pulled his hand back into his own lap.

"I love you, too," he whispered nervously.

Phil glanced between the rose in his hand and Dan several times. A grin spread on his face and he leaned forward, grabbing Dan by the collar of his tunic and pulling him in for another kiss.

By the time they were heading to the carriage, Phil was holding a full bouquet of dark red roses in one hand and Dan's hand in the other. Their hair and clothes were thoroughly rumpled, and neither of them could stop smiling.

~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 7

[awfully-sadistic]

Headcanons for Aiden.

I guess I needed to try to write something today. It’s just so easy not to especially since I didn’t get enough sleep. But I think I might be able to pull off a small headcanon post.

Dot’s pregnancy with Aiden will consist of:

Being more excited than Bennett at the announcement of her pregnancy. It totally takes him by surprise, too, considering Dot wanted to break the announcement on Valentine’s Day because she was sentimental like that. Therefore the holiday becomes a very special date for them. It wasn’t just Valentine’s Day to them anymore.

Cue Bennett being jealous as fuck about wanting a special day for him, Dot, and their pups too but that’ll be something worked out later because Aiden demands all of Dot’s attention now.

Aiden is very attentive, much more overprotective and prickly when it comes to anyone giving Dot any more of a passing glance. He was overprotective before considering his role as Enforcer but it’s only doubled, tripled, since Aiden had been told about Dot’s pregnancy.

That means he doesn’t take any one putting her down whatsoever and this comes as many clashes with her Dreadful Brothers. Any of them who would teasingly poke fun at her before now have to face Aiden’s wrath because he’s not letting any of that fly for as long as Dot’s pregnant.

It was never okay before but since they were siblings and it was such a natural thing to do when poking fun at fellow siblings, Aiden has always let it slide unless Dot was having a really hard time. However, this time Aiden reinforces the “No picking on Dot” rule with or without Dot’s interference or say so. He wants to make sure no amount of stress is upon her and the triplet pups he was going to have with her.

May the Lord have mercy on the fool’s soul if Dot even speaks about having a hard time with someone on any given day. Aiden is there breathing down their neck the next instant.

By his count, he still owes Cavon three days of unconsciousness for that one time he refused to give Dot a compliment or even congratulate her on the pregnancy. Things like that will set him off and the only person who can make him see any sort of reason is Dot.

It’s useless even having any of the Patriarchs convince him to let something go if Dot came to him upset. It has to come from Dot just like the grievance did.

Aiden only entrusting Garrett to take care of Dot if he had to do a club errand. Even then he gets irrationally jealous when he knows they’re spending time together. Garrett is used to it, though, and kind of finds it funny honestly.

He may give Aiden an entirely innocent update such as taking her to the ClubHaus when he knows Aiden will be bothered by the other guys crowding her.

Or even taking a selfie with her at the bar with a smug look on his face.

Then Aiden dropping whatever he was in the middle of and heading to the ClubHaus right away to make sure that Dot wasn’t being too overwhelmed by the boys who want to stake their claim on her after him.

That kind of talk doesn’t fly around Aiden, though. Everyone knows better than to claim that they have “next” around the Enforcer because he can send them flying back into next week with just a flick of his fingers.

Cue check-ups every five, ten, fifteen, twenty minutes. He’s not annoying about it, either, but genuinely worried if Dot was doing alright. Even if she wasn’t showing yet or necessarily feeling any different (and the fact she’s been pregnant before), Aiden is still worried over her well-being.

He does take comfort in knowing he’s not the only one, either. Everyone affiliated with the Family and ClubHaus have taken it upon themselves to ensure that Dot has a safe and happy pregnancy and delivery. He is appreciative of Family in this sense, able to put aside his own biting jealousies to know that what anyone ever wanted was only in Dot’s best interests. He was not going to impede that.

Aiden makes all of Dot’s meals himself, actually having done the research on pregnancies about what would be good for nutrition and even asking Helen what pups and shifters and other supernatural traits Dot exhibits take in terms of prenatal vitamins and the like. He takes all of her advice seriously and even shares it with his brothers in terms of their already born pups.

He adores being able to feed her by hand, and in turn, feels like he’s also providing for his pups, too.

Avid in making sure Dot remembers to take her pills and that she always has something to eat or drink. He feels it’s really important that she keeps up snacking and otherwise keeping herself well hydrated and full.

One of his favorite things to do is rest his head against Dot’s tummy. Despite knowing it’s too early for her to show, it’s just comforting knowing there were three little beans in there waiting to know their mommy and daddy. And he won’t break this habit, even after the pups are born. It’s just a nice reminder and Dot’s presence always had a calming effect on him. For the eldest Brother and an Enforcer, he shouldered a lot of responsibility. Dot was love and affection. Dot was patience and understanding. Dot was home.

He frequently talks to Dot and the pups about his day and then listening with the intensity of a thousand suns when Dot talks about hers. And he is always asking about her day, first. He wants to be the first and the last to know about any changes or if anyone had said anything that upset her.

Aiden is always giving Dot foot rubs, leg massages, and back rubs. He wants to make sure that every part of her is as comfortable as her state of mind he tries so hard to maintain.

He doesn’t allow her to take showers anymore. It’s always a bath and he’s always there taking one with her, shampooing her hair and then taking special care of bathing every inch of her.

He may seem overbearing from the outside but it doesn’t come off that way from the inside Dot would discover. She’s never alone but she doesn’t feel like he’s suffocating her--even though she wouldn’t have minded that. He hovers but it’s not annoying. It’s sweet, attentive, and kind... which is saying a lot for someone of Aiden’s appearance and profession.

At nights, Aiden is always the one to hold Dot. There’s no question about it, she’s pregnant with his pups and he won’t let anyone get in between that and his “turn” to take attention away from their little growing family. Therefore, he always gets to sit or lay with her first chance.

He’s taken to reading her and their pups bedtime stories even if she has already had one by another member (because even he couldn’t steal ALL of her time). But he comes in and shares his own stories because he has a lot to say in terms of his experiences and it was a great way to share with Dot what his childhood was like and the things he got up to when he was younger as well.

He was going to make sure Dot and their pups were going to know their Daddy in all aspects. He was going to be there for her and the pups unlike the father he had.

[diyunho]

The Joker x Reader -”Mommy” Part 2

It was a well known fact The Joker’s girlfriend left him with four young children and disappeared. It was also known that his ex stepped up and took care of them even if she didn’t have to. The King of Gotham might have lost his woman, but he never lost his Queen.

Part 1     Part 3         Part 4       Part 5

“Do you feel sick?” you ask Aiden, carrying him in your arms around the kitchen. The boys just woke up and everyone is downstairs, waiting for breakfast.

“Yeeessss…” he whimpers and you press your lips against his forehead: best way to assess a fever.

“Just a little bit hotter than usual; I’ll give you some medicine after you eat and you’ll feel better, ok?”

“Ok,” the two year old wraps his arms around your neck tighter, sniffling.

“What kind of pancakes do you want, honey?” you lift him up higher in your arms, opening the huge pantry.

“Bu’belly,” Aiden points his little finger towards the shelves, spotting his favorite.

“Blueberry. Alright,” you grab the box and turn towards his twin. “Zane, what kind of pancakes do you want?”

The child places his chin on the table, yawning:

“Sto’belly mommy.”

“Strawberries it is. Kase honey?” you ask the oldest, interrupting the fun he’s having with Mia. The four year old is playing peek-a-boo with her and she giggles in the high chair, trying to touch him but he dodges her tiny hand, teasing the little Princess.

“Can I have apple, mommy?”

“Sure can,” you take out a third box, placing it by the stove. “Jaaayyyyyy!!!” you shout so he can hear you from the office. “What kind of pancakes do you want?”

“I don’t care!” you immediately hear his voice.

“I think we’re out of I don’t care pancakes,” you wink at the boys and they snicker, not understanding the joke but you’re being goofy so it’s funny enough. “Here you go,” you help Aiden sit at his place at the table; he doesn’t want to leave your arms but you have to cook. As a reward, you lean over and kiss his forehead, making these very long, strenuous sounds, prompting the rest of the boys to whine, wanting one also.

“Me too, mommy!”

“Me too!!”

“A squeaky kiss for you,” you pucker your lips, granting their wish, “and one for you,” you smile, amazed on how good you got at this stuff.

The seven months old Mia is not moving anymore: her eyes are big, completely taken aback by the sounds you make.

“What is it, love bug? You want a squeaky kiss too?” and her forehead is being kissed also, followed by the silly sounds that prompt her to close her eyes really tight and scream with delight. You laugh, amused on how easy it is to entertain The Joker’s children sometimes.  

“Mia!” Aiden calls her name, followed by his siblings:

“Mia!Mia!”

“Mia!”

She screams even lauder, hyper from all the attention directed towards her while The Joker enters the kitchen, joining the kids at the table. A cup of coffee is already waiting for him and he sips from it, quietly watching you making pancakes, scrambled eggs and hash browns for everybody.

“Awww, the boys are mean to the only girl in the family,” you chuckle, amused at their silly games.

“There are two girls in the family,” J mutters in a low tone and it gets your attention.

“Did you say more coffee?” you inquire since the kids are noisy.

“Yeah,” he answers, upset that came out loud. “I want a refill.”

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

“Sssttttt,” you signal J to be quiet when he enters Aiden’s bedroom with Mia. The little boy fell asleep cuddled to your body after he was given medicated syrup for his fever. You watched cartoons with him for a while and now you were getting ready to go downstairs. I guess not yet.

“She’s fussing,” he whispers, placing her by you. “I know she’s exhausted since she woke up early. Plus, I had to take her with me to look for you in the crazy snow storm.”

Strong gushes of wind shriek outside the windows, snowflakes dancing in the raging tempest. Despite the immaculate white covering the city, it’s an actually dark morning.

“I figured you know what to do,” he sits at the end of the bed, watching Mia yawn, tired and having her fingers already tangled in your long hair.

“Hey chubby,” you caress her tummy, starting to hum a song, this way she can relax.”You’re such a sweet baby,” you whisper, kissing the top of her head. Mia’s eyelids are getting heavy, comforted by your presence.

“She is cute…for not being my kid,” J snarls, struggling to keep it low, still irked by yesterday’s revelation.

“She is your daughter,” you lift your head from the pillows, frowning. “Who cares about what a paternity test says? Mia’s been here since she was born and you’re the only father she knows.”

The Joker decides not to reply: he actually did want to drop the little girl at the orphanage downtown but something inside him made it impossible to get rid of her.

You continue to softly caress Mia’s cheeks, then massage her tiny fingers and she closes her eyes, listening to the song you’re humming. She smacks her lips, probably believing she has the binky in her mouth when in fact she doesn’t; too tired to care.

“There we go,” you smile, covering her with the blanket.

The Joker doesn’t know if he should bring up something he’s been thinking about.

“You know what, Y/N?” J whispers, glaring at Aiden and pretending to be indifferent.

“What?” you turn your attention towards him.

“If one of these days you get pregnant and the guy dumps you because let’s be real, you can’t keep a man,” he pleasantly concludes and as always you try to protest.

“Yeah, because you say stuff to the guys I like and scare them away!!” “Where’s the proof, woman?! So many unfounded accusations and no evidence. I don’t say anything; your boring self is enough to make them run,” J chuckles and you have a perfect line prepared for him and no chance to say it out loud. “Stop interrupting and let me finish!” he bites his lower lip, reprising the earlier sentence: “If one of these days you get pregnant and the guy dumps you, your kid can call me dad.”

You certainly didn’t expect this outcome and The Joker takes the stunned expression on your face as disapproval:

“Are you trying to say that your kid is going to be better than my kids?! My children can call you mom but your kid can’t call me dad?!”

“I didn’t say that,” you smile, more than surprised by his words and he growls.

“You really mean it ?”

He nods a yes, changing the course of conversation.

“They say the city will be on lockdown for almost two weeks due to the crazy weather.  Trapped in here with you and the brats…Uggghhhhh…” he sighs, aggravated.

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

It actually took three weeks for the weather to get better and J was more than happy to set up some meetings as soon as Gotham came back to life. He sure loves his freedom and being stuck inside for days made him even grouchier than usual. He also asked you to reprise your role as the head of his security, a task you share with Frost when you have to ditch your maternal duties at The Joker’s request.

You are getting ready to go around the club to make sure everything is OK, when The Joker notices you stopped in the middle of the stairwell going down from the VIP room, gazing at something across the dance floor.

“What are you looking at?” J mutters to himself, wondering about what got your attention. He finally distinguishes the object of his ex-girlfriend’s interest: it’s Alex. “What are you doing?” he watches you head over towards the guy you went on a date with recently. “Are you gonna embarrass yourself?!” J huffs, grinding his teeth. “How stupid!” he sneers, bugged for some reason.

The Joker absolutely hates going on the floor, but it appears you’re about to do something dumb (in his opinion), so he leaves the comfort of the VIP lounge, rushing after you.

You can’t wait to get to your destination and say a quick “hi” to Alex when J pops by your side, grabbing your waist and forcefully pushing you towards the bar.

“You’re going the wrong direction, Y/N !” he grumbles in your ear, making sure you can’t escape his grip.

“Huh?!” you turn your head towards him, confused.

“Sit !!” he pushes you on a chair at the bar, snapping his fingers at the bartender. “Her favorite!” he demands and in a few seconds you find yourself in front of a glass half full with ice and whiskey.

The area cleared, people not wanting to be around whatever is going on between you two; it’s very rare to see The King of Gotham walking around the club anyway. Usually not a good thing and nobody is willing to find out the answer.

More henchmen outline the perimeter, making sure their boss is safe.

“What’s happening?” you require to find out, intrigued by his odd behavior.

“Are you going to make a fool of yourself?” J gets in your face, panting.

“What are you talking about?! I was just going over to say hello to Alex. I know I am on security duty, but it will be a fast thing, OK?” and you attempt to flee, not comprehending why he is worked up about.

The Joker’s fingers tighten on your wrist, preventing your escape.

“The Queen doesn’t go to anybody! If somebody wants to talk to the Queen, they come to her, understand? Don’t you have any pride?”

You scoff, having this vexed expression on your face he can’t stand.

“Drink!” he barks before you can reply.

“You know I don’t drink when I do this,” you push the glass away, retracting your hand from his. “You don’t want me to talk to Alex because you’re afraid he will tell me about your threats if I ask him?” you lash out, pissed he has the nerve to interfere with your personal life. You don’t do that to J, it’s none of your business. Not anymore. Hasn’t been for years.

He digs his nails in your arm, discontent with the small rebellion:

“Afraid?! Me?! Of what? Unjustified speculations? Stop accusing me! I don’t say anything to your guys!”

You slowly blink, having the dreadful feeling he’s repeatedly lying on the subject.

“I just know you say things to chase them away because you don’t want to see me happy !” you raise your voice and yank your hand away once more, creating a larger gap between the bodies.

J takes two deep breaths, not enough to calm down though.

“You wanna know what I say to them??!!” he unexpectedly shouts and you gasp:

“You do say stuff; I knew it!!!!”

He gives you a mean stare, disgusted he is actually admitting to the truth.

“I tell them that if they do anything to upset you, besides the fact that you are going to break their neck first, I will PERSONALLY make sure their body is never found again! This is what I say! Are you happy now since apparently I sabotage your happiness??!!!” His words left you speechless for a few moments because you do realize what it means coming from him: The Joker’s strange way of being protective.

“Is this…Is…is this what you say?” you stutter and the lack of an answer makes you quietly reach for the whiskey and take a sip from the shiny glass. It’s sort of needed at this point.

J gets up, not before having the one more surge of entitled wisdom:

“You’re the Queen of Gotham! As the King, am I not supposed to make sure nobody messes with you?”

You watch him stomping away, J’s path cleared by the perplexed bystanders not daring to add to his enraged behavior: he seems to be in a foul mood.

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

The Joker is out of town and you decided to take the children outdoors, this way they can enjoy the snow. You own a small property close to Gotham that you like to use as their playground. There are 15 more men brought to watch the area, making sure the kids are well guarded and safe. J has enough enemies and you never know when someone would be willing to take revenge on his defenseless, innocent babies.

The sun is shining and it’s pretty warm, a nice and welcomed change from the gloomy weather that kept Gotham isolated for weeks.

The boys are playing a few feet away from you, building mounds of white snow, chasing one another, laughing and having fun. Mia is sitting on a blanket by you, too young to join her siblings. She rattles her toys, talking gibberish and crawling towards the end of the blanket, frustrated when you catch her.

“Not so fast little girl,” you snicker and lift her high in your arms, making her scream with joy. “Hey!!!” you suddenly see Kase slapping Zane and he starts to cry. “I told you not to hit eachother so many times! Com’ere!” you signal for both of them to approach and they come in front of you. Mia is placed back on the blanket while you take care of the problem.

Zane keeps on bawling and Kase looks guilty, his lower lip quivering, on the verge of crying himself since he got in trouble.

“Why did you slap him, hm?”

“He took my truck…” he complains, whining.

“You have to share; you’re the oldest and I need you to be nice to your brothers, ok?” you adjust his scarf. “Do you want to upset mommy?” you scold, wiping Zane’s tears, soothing the red mark on his face.

“Nooooooo…” Kase whimpers.

“Say you’re sorry,” you encourage the child and he hesitates but gets it out in the end.

“I’m sorry…” Kase mumbles.

“I want you two to hug and make peace, alright?” you push them together and your heart melts when they do it. “Now hold hands and go play. I don’t want you to fight, understand?” The kids return to their fun and your attention is redirected towards the small commotion going on at the fence surrounding the property. Your men are talking to a woman and after a few seconds you realize is Anya.

“What the hell is she doing here?” you sigh, gesturing for the guys to let her pass.

She stumbles in the snow, having a hard time walking with her high heeled boots.

“I didn’t think I need permission to see my babies,” she grins and you are already getting mad.

“Are you following us?” you cut her off, furrowing your eyebrows.

“Yeah, I am. I told J I want my daughter,” she bluntly requests, pointing her finger at Mia.

“Why?” you crack your neck, getting restless.

“She’s not his. I don’t want the boys; he can keep them.”

This woman has such a talent of making you want to step all over her.

“Mia is his daughter and she’s not going anywhere!” you hiss, the henchmen keeping a close eye on the apparent imminent altercation unfolding in front of their eyes.

“But she’s not his, why keep her? He is soooo stubborn, never got the message when I ran away. Why did he come looking for me?!” she crinkles her nose, puzzled. 

“Because he really liked you, you dumb bitch!” you blur out, irritated. ”He tolerated your crap and brought you back numerous times because he really liked you!”

“Are you jealous?” she winks, finding her remark to be hilarious.

“How can I be jealous on trash?” you grumble, bending over to collect the toy Mia just threw at your feet. The boys continue to play, blissfully unaware of who Anya is; they don’t know her so they are not paying any attention to the lady talking to their mommy.

She rolls her eyes, mocking:

“Y/N: the righteous ex-girlfriend with the helpless ex-boyfriend, needing a mother for his children,” she laughs and blood is rushing through your veins faster. “Between us girls, I am not sure why J thinks he’s a sex God or something. Frankly, I had better,“ she smirks, taking your silence on the topic as an temporary alliance between two parties that have nothing in common besides The Clown Prince of Crime.

“Shut the hell up and return to whatever sewer you crawled out from!!!” your anger takes over, barely containing yourself from tearing her to pieces. “His daughter stays where she belongs!”

“Well, if I can’t have Mia…” she pauses, suddenly changing her attitude to a hateful demeanor,”…he can’t have her either!”  

You have just a split second to notice the knife she is fast to take out from the pocket of her coat, nothing else to do but cover the tiny Princess with your body. The knife pierces your right shoulder, the blade exiting on the other side while gun shots resonate behind you, the henchmen doing their jobs of protecting the children and one of their own.

You hear the boys scream and you look towards them to see they are being taken away, which is a wise decision; they shouldn’t see such things anyway. You groan in pain, trying to soothe Mia that’s crying her eyes out, terrified and not understanding why you reject her when she reaches her arms for you.

“Don’t cry, honey, don’t cry,” you kneel in front of the bench, keeping her away from the blood gushing out of your wound and the sharp blade you’re impaled with: proof you managed to save her life.

You don’t need to look at Anya in order to know she’s dead.

“Y/N, are you OK?” you hear voices fading away and Jason lifts you up in his arms, running as fast as he can towards the cars.

“She’s bleeding too much!” he yells at the driver, carefully getting you in the van with the help of two other henchmen. He keeps you in his arms and the car starts moving, but he doesn’t understand what you’re saying.

“Hey, Y/N, you’ll be fine, the doctor will patch you up in no time, OK?” Jason brings his ear to your lips, struggling to understand what you keep on repeating.

“She’s…just… a baby… a …little…baby…” he distinguishes and your delirious mind finally shuts down, the blood loss and the fact that one of the main arteries was severed making you faint.

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

“Mommy…Mommy…Are you sick?” Kase’s voice echoes inside the dream since you are still under the effects of anesthesia after the 7 hours surgery you were subjected to. You feel soft kisses on your face but can’t react.

“Mommy, wake up,” Aiden whimpers, stroking your hair.

“Mommy, I’m hungry,” Zane pouts, touching your nose with his.

“I told you not to come in here!” The Joker’s harsh tone makes them all jump off your bed, scared their father will punish them. “She needs to rest, alright? Come on, let’s get you boys out of here!” his temper goes down a notch since the kids seem overly startled.

It all goes quiet, then you sense your lips being kissed and it’s comforting.

“You’re a good mother,” J mutters before bringing himself to leave your side.

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

When you open your eyes, The Joker is there, excited you are awake at last.

“Jesus, woman, I was worried you’ll leave me with 4 brats and no help!” comes out of his mouth instead of a formal greeting. “Can you move your fingers?” J carefully watches and is relieved when he sees they move a bit. “That’s a good sign,” he caresses your bandaged shoulder, the whole hand being strapped in a sling, preventing movement and further damage. “I was afraid you won’t be able to use your hand anymore,” he admits, helping you up so you can sit up in bed.

“I…I rather not use my arm for the rest of my life if it means I can take care of 4 children instead of 3,” you tell him with teary eyes and The Joker wants to cheer you up for once the best way he knows how.

“I totally don’t want to be insensitive and less than a gentleman,” and he halts for a dramatic effect,” but you’ve been sweating in this bed for a day and a half and frankly, I think you need new clothes. Come on, let’s make you pretty before I get the kids in here,” J urges, helping you up. He begins to unbutton the nightgown you were dressed with after the surgery.

“I can do it myself,” you attempt to get rid of him, dizziness taking over.

“Don’t tell me you’re shy now!” The Joker ignores your request, continuing to undress you. “It’s been years, but I saw you naked before. No need to fuss!”

Shyness is not the reason you don’t want to be seen naked.

He gets a glimpse at your back and gasps: that’s why you didn’t want him to see you naked.

“You don’t have it anymore!” J sulks, astonished.

He is talking about the huge tattoo you had all over your back when you were together: “Joker & Y/N”, surrounded by a lot of Ha!Ha!Ha!’s: he personally worked on them to match his. It took a lot of time to finish the ink and a lot of laser removal sessions to get rid of everything after you two broke up.

“Why is it gone? Took me weeks!” J goes on, not thrilled with the discovery.

“I didn’t want it on my skin and I don’t want to talk about it,” the nervous disclosure doesn’t intimidate The King of Gotham:

“Why not?” he helps you put on underwear and a fresh nightgown.

“Can I see the kids, please?” you strain to get back in bed, redirecting the conversation towards a better subject.

“Yes,” J agrees, flustered. “I’ll bring something to eat.” 

“I’m not hungry,” you lick your dry lips, resting your head on the pillows, wondering when he will want to talk about what happened with Anya.

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

The door to your bedroom is cracked and Frost peeks inside, not wanting to disturb for the moment: the boys are in bed, feeding you small bites from the huge platter that was delivered to your bedside. The Joker figured you’re not going to refuse to eat if they do it and the strategy worked.

“You know, Y/N, you’ve been feeding all of them since they were born, they can return the favor for once,” J keeps on yapping, preventing Mia from falling off the bed. She is agitated after you covered her in kisses and cried for a whole year thinking you almost lost her. And then the boys wanted kisses, envious on their little sister, and then The Joker had to ruin the party and tell them to behave because you don’t feel good.

Typical day in the household.

“Don’t expect Mia to feed you,” J underlines the obvious. “She is here only for moral support.”

You smile, urging the boys to eat also. You are drained and weakened but the overwhelming happiness you feel in your heart gives you a boost of energy.

“Sir?” Frost musters the courage to make his presence known.

The Joker goes outside the room, impatient to return inside.

“What is it?”

“Is there anything you’re out of ? Any items that have to be replenished for the kids? What should I send for?”

“Ask their mom,” J points towards you through the opened door. “She knows everything they like and need.”

The boys begin to fight since it seems you took more food from Zane; this is a ticking bomb ready to blow up. Even if you’re full, you try to equally eat from all of their hands, wanting to calm the waters before it gets worse.

Jonny enters your bedroom and The Joker remains behind for a few seconds, watching you chitchat with Frost and telling him what is needed for the children. He never understands how you remember all that stuff. It should be clear by now because… 

A mother always knows.

Also read: MASTERLIST

http://diyunho.tumblr.com/post/153664676321/joker-x-reader-masterlist

[worryinglyinnocent]

Fic: Devilish (10/10)

Summary: It all starts with a bra. Librarian Belle French is looking to start life afresh after leaving a toxic relationship. Photographer Aiden Gold is feeling old after learning he’s going to become a grandfather. Thanks to a lingerie catalogue named ‘Devilish’, a chain of events is set in motion that causes their lives to intertwine…

Rated: This chapter is E.

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[One] [Two] [Three] [Four] [Five] [Six] [Seven] [Eight] [Nine] [AO3]

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Devilish

Epilogue – Merry and Bright

If Belle had been asked six months ago what she would be doing this Christmas, the answer would certainly not have matched the reality. Sitting in Aiden’s living room, curled up on the sofa in a Christmas jumper covered in dancing snowmen with a glass of mulled wine warming her hands and Aiden’s arm around her warming the rest of her nicely, Neal and Emma and baby Henry on the other side of the room. It was the perfect picture of a family Christmas, even if Belle had only been part of the family for a comparatively short space of time. She was still not fully there yet, she felt. She and Aiden had not made any plans to move in together yet, but she sometimes felt that she spent more time at his place than she did at her own, and she found that she was all right with that. Neal had accepted her readily as a potential stepmother and after a few initial hiccups had been as warm and welcoming as she could have hoped for. Emma had been harder to convince of her benignity, but then again, Emma had been very pregnant at the time they’d first met and could be excused all manner of irrational thoughts on account of that.

And now Henry had arrived and the family truly felt complete. Belle had been dubious about coming over on Christmas Day with the new baby in the picture, wanting to give the little family the time they needed together, and it had been Neal who had re-extended the festive invitation, stating that since he and Emma would be fussing over the baby for the entire holiday, his father needed someone to talk to.

But they weren’t talking now. They were just sitting watching the lights on the tree. The TV was on low in the background; Emma and Neal had found that the soft hum of its sound helped get Henry off to sleep, although naturally the channel was changed if anything with loud bangs and gunfire came on. At the moment, they were watching the Hallmark Christmas movie channel, so there wasn’t any fear of a car exploding or machine gun fire at unexpected moments.

Aiden chinked his tumbler of whisky against her wine glass.

“Merry Christmas.”

“A very Merry Christmas to you too.” Belle finished the dregs of her wine and nestled in closer against his chest. They had exchanged gifts earlier in the day, but there was something else that she wanted to give him, something that couldn’t be wrapped up in shiny paper and exchanged with the entire rest of the family watching.

“Something tells me that it might be getting distinctly merrier,” Aiden murmured in her ear, and Belle wriggled with a mixture of anticipation and embarrassment.

“Am I really that obvious?”

Aiden nodded. “I have to say it, love, but you can’t keep a secret to save your life.”

“And there was I thinking that I was being all surreptitious and coy about it.”

Neal looked up from Henry. “I heard the words ‘surreptitious and coy’ and I began to think that maybe it’s time that we put Henry to bed,” he said dryly. “Either that, or you put yourselves to bed.”

Aiden gave a long and slightly pained sigh. “Just because I haven’t been in a relationship since you were in middle school doesn’t mean that you can take advantage now,” he complained.

“You’re kidding me, right? I missed out on all my teenage years of making fun of you, I need to catch up.”

“You’re absolutely incorrigible, did you know that?”

“Oh Dad, where’s your spirit of adventure?”

“It died long ago.”

“Hush you two,” Emma said, her voice barely above a hiss. “I’ve only just got him off to sleep and if you make me laugh now then you’ll wake him up! Come on Neal, let’s take him up and leave the lovebirds to get on with it. I feel like I could sleep for a week myself.”

Neal gave into this with good grace and good nights were exchanged. Aiden waited until the noises of movement in the house above them had died down and it was clear that Emma, Neal and Henry were ensconced in their own room and there would be little chance of interruption before he twisted to capture Belle’s lips.

“Now then, shall we begin our own little Christmas party?” he asked. There was already that wonderful huskiness in his voice that sent shivers down Belle’s spine, and she nodded eagerly.

“We’ll need to go upstairs though,” she said. “That’s where I left the final part of our present.”

“Our present?”

“Yes. I bought it for me, but you’re definitely going to get a lot of enjoyment out of it too.”

“In that case, I look forward to it immensely.”

There were a few moments of normality then, when they had to break out of their close embrace to tidy up the living room and put the house to bed, but once the lights were out and they were in the bedroom, with no noises coming from the guest room, Belle smiled again in a manner that she hoped was seductive and not just awkward. Going to bed with Aiden had been a learning curve for the both of them, really. It had been so long since Aiden had been in a relationship that he was re-learning everything over, and Belle had not had all that much experience herself. In a way they were learning their way around each other together, and Belle was very happy about that. Ever since that first time together, when things had not exactly gone as she had planned, she had never felt bad about her own sexual inexperience, and she had very much enjoyed everything that she was learning.

Six months ago she didn’t think that she would ever have had the confidence to get into bed with someone ever again, so afraid of jumping into something that she regretted on the rebound.

Now though, everything was going well. She was a part time underwear model, after all.

“Why don’t you get comfortable and I’ll show you what I’ve got?”

Aiden smirked. “Oh yes, I’m very much looking forward to this.”

Belle grabbed the discreet red carrier bag printed with the Devilish logo from where it was sitting innocently on top of her overnight bag and she disappeared into the bathroom, shaking out the contents and spreading them out on the tiled floor. She could do this. She could wear this. She might have gone completely beetroot red when she had tried it on in the shop, but that was beside the point. It was not something that she would ever have consented to wear for a catalogue shoot, but it was only Aiden who was going to see it now, and she knew that his reaction was going to be a favourable one.

Belle had never yet bought anything red whilst revamping her underwear wardrobe, stating that she’d had enough of red and black; she wanted to wear colours that she liked and that suited her. Unfortunately, like most stores, the vast majority of what Devilish offered around Christmas time was in red in some shape or form. The piece that she was putting on now had been a real find, pure white in snowflake pattern lace with little velvet bows. Ruby had modelled it for the Christmas catalogue shoot and Belle might never have come across it if her friend hadn’t quickly shown it off during the lunch break. She gave herself a once over in the mirror and tried to ignore the fact that her face was very obviously reddening before she bit the bullet and stepped out into the bedroom with a confidence that was partially fake. Do the brave thing and bravery would follow. It was the mantra that she had been trying to live by ever since she had left Gaston, and thus far it had worked out for her.

And it had worked again. Aiden was looking at her as if his eyes were about to pop out of his head, and she knew that she had made the right decision.

“Yes, I think I’m definitely going to enjoy this gift,” he said. He sounded slightly strangled, which Belle had learned was a sign that she was onto a good thing. She gave him a little twirl. He’d seen the outfit before, of course, when he’d photographed Ruby wearing it, but he’d never seen it on her. It was a baby doll style nightdress and matching panties, seemingly innocuous but for the very sheer lace, until on closer inspection it became apparent that the little velvet bows over the bra cups and panties were actually concealing the fact that it was a peephole set. Belle could see Aiden’s fingers twitching, longing to get his hands on her and undo those bows to see beneath them. Belle had liked the novelty value of being uncovered but still dressed, however loosely the term might be applied, and she sauntered over to the bed, crawling up Aiden’s body until she could kiss him deeply. He gave in readily, pulling her in close against his chest with a hungry eagerness and Belle grinned against his mouth as she felt the first stirrings of his cock against her thigh.

“This is ok?” she ventured when he finally let her up for air.

“God, Belle, this is way more than ok. You know that.”

Belle smiled. “I like to check.”

“And I love you for it.”

She had been worried when she discovered how much she liked being the more dominant partner in the bedroom, indeed, it had freaked her out a little bit that perhaps she was projecting so many years of being more submissive under Gaston out in an unhealthy way, and it had taken a lot of persuading from Ariel, Ruby and Aiden himself to talk her down from the panic she was getting herself into, that this was not toxic, that Aiden liked it as much as she did, and that as long as they communicated clearly, then there was nothing wrong with it. It wasn’t even so much a question of dominance, but of setting the pace, and that was something that Aiden was more than happy to let her do on a regular basis – something that Belle loved him for.

She leaned back in to recapture his mouth again, her tongue exploring every corner of him. He tasted of whisky, sharp and smoky, and Belle could probably have got drunk off the taste of him alone. His hand came up to cup her breast, fingers toying with the ribbon that kept the cup closed, and she pulled away, tutting.

“Not yet, Aiden. All in good time. First of all I think that we need to do something about the fact that you’re incredibly overdressed right now.”

He wasn’t as overdressed as he could have been. Belle had grown so used to seeing him in his immaculate suits all the time that it had come as a bit of a shock to her when she had first seen him wearing jeans and a sweater in off-duty mode, and she had fallen about laughing earlier in the day when she had seen him in his Rudolf Christmas jumper. Thankfully he had already taken that off whilst she was getting ready in the bathroom; she didn’t think that she would have been able to go through with the seduction had she come out of the en suite to find Rudolf staring back at her.

Together they made quick work of his shirt buttons and the thing was flung in the vague direction of the laundry hamper, before another frenzy of kisses took them over. There was more urgency now that the clothes were coming off, more unadulterated need. Belle moved away from his mouth, savouring all the little groans in the back of his throat as she kissed her way over his jaw, down his neck and over his chest, flicking her tongue over his nipples and making him gasp as they tightened under her touch. She couldn’t help grinning against his skin; Aiden’s body was like an interactive map and the more she roamed over it, the more wonderful and more expressive noises he made. His belly was quivering with the effort of trying to stay still, his hips wanting to buck up against her, and she sat back on her heels, tracing a finger down the line of dark hair that disappeared under his waist band, promising good things beneath. The bulge in the front of his trousers was getting more and more obvious with every moment, and Belle decided to take pity on him, unfastening his belt and fly and helping him wriggle the jeans off.

“There,” she said once he was down to his tented boxers. “I think we’re on more of a level playing field now. He was hot and hard beneath her as she crept back up his body, but Belle was determined to make this last for as long as possible and truly draw out this Christmas celebration as much as she could. “Now you can do a little exploration.”

He kissed her first, pouring more love and desire than she could possibly have hoped for into the kiss. Since they had taken their time in getting to know each other intimately, kissing had been something that they had partaken in often, indeed as much as possible, to sate that hunger that they both felt but didn’t quite feel ready to try acting upon again yet. Kissing Aiden was something that Belle thoroughly enjoyed, but there was more to come tonight, and they both knew that this was only the beginning. She felt his hand come up to cup her right breast, rubbing his thumb over the little bow that covered her nipple, making the bud beneath it pebble and harden, eager for his warm fingers against it directly, and she pressed her chest forward into his touch. Deft fingers plucked at the velvet ribbon and the cup fell open, Aiden’s hand covering her breast and rubbing her nipple.

“Like what you find?” she asked. Aiden nodded, lowering his mouth to her and tugging on her nipple, laving his tongue over it whilst his other hand rubbed at the other bow, eventually untying it and repeating the treatment on the other side. Belle threw her head back, her hands anchored against his shoulders feeling like the only thing that was keeping her from taking off into a little flight of pleasure. Learning to let go and give in to all the wonderful sensations had been one of the hardest things to overcome when they had begun to sleep together again after the missteps of their first night. To just focus on the pleasure that he was so artfully and generously giving her, rather than worrying about what his own reactions might be, was harder than it looked, although when he was doing that with his tongue… That made it a lot easier to distract herself from overthinking the entire situation.

“That’s it,” Aiden crooned, kissing his way back up her chest to her lips and giving her nipples a sly pinch. “Just go with it, let it come. Relax.”

She liked the fact that she could relax with him, that she truly felt safe and not like she was going to be judged for her hang-ups. Another of the things that she loved about him so very much.

There was a final ribbon holding the baby doll fastened in the front, but Aiden skipped past that one, dragging his hands down her sides and up under the hem to rest on her hips, thumbs massaging little circles there over the waistband of her panties.

“A little bit more exploration?” he suggested, getting closer and closer to the split gusset.

Belle nodded. “Oh yes, yes, please.”

“Then your wish is my command.” He grinned at her. “It is Christmas, after all.”

He cupped her mound and Belle ground down against the heel of his hand, wanting as much friction as she could get from him. One finger was stroking her along the line where the gusset was open, just about touching her through the fabric but not as near as she wanted him, and he fumbled a little with the first of the two bows, the one that sat neatly over her clit. The fabric was already damp from her juices, Belle could tell as his fingers slipped on the wet velvet. Finally it was open and she keened against him, head thrown back as he coaxed her pearl out and it swelled under his touch, circling around the little nub but not touching her directly on it. Belle closed her eyes; she didn’t think that she would be able to open them if she tried, and everything else in the room faded away as she focussed just on the wonderful things that Aiden was doing with his hand. She felt the second bow give way and his fingertip press into her entrance; she took him readily, clenching around him and wanting more, so much more.

“So wet and sweet, my love,” he murmured as he continued to pet at her inner walls, pushing up another finger inside her and curling in just the right way, a way that Belle had never been able to get the right angle on herself. His other hand was still petting at her clit, thumb stroking her firmly, bringing her closer and closer to the edge. She was nearly there, she was so close, so desperately close, and…

And now she was overthinking it all again, and pleasure began to give way to frustration as she felt that plateau come. Everything he was doing felt wonderful, but something was stopping her letting go and falling over that wonderful peak with him. She’d already accepted that she wasn’t going to have an orgasm every time they made love and that the discovery of her pleasure was still something of a work in progress, but it was Christmas and she was wearing the most audacious lingerie she’d ever owned and she’d been looking forward to this moment all day and it just wasn’t fair…

“Hey.” Aiden’s voice was soft and Belle gave a moan of something akin to annoyance as she felt the hand toying with her clit move, but then a moment later it was cupping her cheek and she opened her eyes. “Don’t think about it,” he said. “Just let it come. It won’t come if you don’t let it.”

His fingers curled inside her again and Belle shivered, furrowing her brow when he pulled them out.

“I’ve had an idea,” he said simply. “Scooch up?”

Belle glanced down; there was a dark, damp spot on the front of his boxers where his cock was already leaking pre-cum. He must have been aching for her, but he gave himself no mind and just rubbed her thigh, getting her to move up his body.

“Come up,” Aiden coaxed. “Right up.”

Belle preferred being on top, ever since that first time that had not gone according to plan. She liked the control it gave her and the fact it made her feel more like an active participant, rather than slipping back into the ceiling watching that she had always done before. As much as she liked Aiden going down on her, she was willing to sacrifice that if she stayed on top with just his fingers. Now, though, as he shifted down so that his face was between her thighs, she was going to get the best of both worlds.

“Are you sure?” she asked him.

“Very sure. I trust you not to smother me. I’ve got you. Just let yourself give in to it.”

She had come so close before that it really didn’t take all that much to bring her back into the moment after the little interruption, and the first touch of Aiden’s hot tongue against her clit was electrifying. One hand was under her bum, keeping her from collapsing down onto his face completely, and the other was pushing two fingers back inside her clutching channel, curling as he had done before. Belle grabbed the headboard, leaning on it and closing her eyes once more, letting herself go with the exquisite pleasure that she was getting from his hands and his mouth, his tongue lapping over her clit, now circling around it, now hard, now light. Her nipples were begging for touch, the lace and velvet of the lingerie teasing them in just the right way as she moved against Aiden’s mouth…

“Oh, Aiden…”

Her release was blissful, and all the more intense for its unintentional delay. It wasn’t sharp or sudden but the culmination of so much build up, a tumbling fall over an edge rather than a starburst.

“That’s it. Let go, love. I’ve got you.”

He drew his fingers out of her achingly slowly, and as he brought her back down and she flopped against his chest to get her breath back, she could see her juices glistening on his mouth and chin. There was something erotic in the sight that never failed to give her a little aftershock of pleasure as she came down into the glow.

“Happy Christmas,” she mumbled against his skin, and she felt his laugh rather than heard it.

“A very happy Christmas.”

They lay there for a moment, until Belle shifted and felt his hard length against her thigh. She reached down, opening his boxers and taking him out, stroking his blood-dark cock and feeling him twitch in her hand.

“I’ve decided I like underwear with holes in,” she said plainly, running her thumb over his flushed tip and smearing the pearly fluid. “It just makes life so much more practical, don’t you think?”

“Mm.” Aiden nodded, words evidently a bit beyond him as she tugged on his length and his hips bucked up to meet her on the down stroke. “Yes.”

Belle slipped her leg over his hip, lining them up as best she could without moving from her current position. The open ribbons of her panties kept getting in the way and in the end he had to lend a hand, but after a little more wriggling, he was sunk deep inside her, his head thrown back and lips parted in ecstasy as Belle began to move on him, rocking her hips to meet his. It didn’t take him long to come, and Belle couldn’t say that she really blamed him having been on the edge for so long. As long as he enjoyed the experience, that was what mattered, and that was the one thing that she had taken away from their love-making. As long as they had a good time, it didn’t really matter how long it took either of them to get there, if they even got there at all.

“Oh Belle.” Aiden gave a soft, sated sigh, and Belle could hear the happiness in his voice as he spoke. “You are so very wonderful, my love.”

She shifted her hips to let him slip out of her, but neither of them made any move to clean up or make themselves decent ready for sleep.

“I love you too,” she whispered.

They had a long way to go yet, and Belle knew that there would still be moments when her mind would run away with her and she’d have to talk things out with Ariel and Ruby to get her back on track. But she knew that she was moving in the right direction, and here in Aiden’s bed with his arms around her and his seed drying on her skin, she knew that she would get there in the end.

At length he shifted a little, tucking himself back into his boxers and pulling the covers up over them where the night air was beginning to chill, but he pulled her in closer to his side and did not complain when she nestled her head in against his shoulder, simply planting a kiss in her hair.

“You know, I think you ought to venture into the naughty section of the catalogue more often,” he said, flicking at one of the loose ribbons on her baby doll. Belle could only smile, a smile that became a giggle that was nigh on uncontrollable, and she had to bury her face in Aiden’s chest to prevent her from waking the whole household.

“What’s got into you?” he asked, obviously trying very hard not to laugh himself.

“Nothing, nothing. It was a long train of thought. I was just thinking about how it could have been so easy for me never to have met you, and how far I’ve come – we’ve come – since then.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” Aiden said. He stroked her hair. “Sleep now, love. It’s been a long day.”

“Yes. But a good one.”

They fell into silence, still warm in each other’s arms, and Belle continued to think about the course of their relationship and all the ups and downs and doubts and moments of confidence that had brought them to this moment.

And it had all started with a bra.