#begonia squeaks

[fairy-verse]

Good people of the land, hear hear!

There are fairies roaming about. I’ve spotted a golden one, sweet as summer, flickering between the trees. One has bitten me, and my neck is hurting terribly, and I swore I saw a flash of red when I turned to look.

Only one allowed me to see him. He was fierce, with fire in one of his sockets. Black and white, a rare colour combination for the otherwise bright and colourful fairies, though still beautiful.

I believe we might see these three fairies up close very soon. Perhaps, already in the morrow, but patience. Fairies are anything but predictable.

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊✧*。𓆏𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

[yanderecrazysie]

Begonia (Yandere Leona)

Part 1 of the Flower Language Series

I got these meanings from the internet, so some may be wrong. Sorry if that is the case, but please ignore my mistakes.

Please do not request the Flower Language Series.

Title: Begonia

Pairings: Leona Kingscholar x Reader

WARNINGS: Yandere themes

Flower meaning: Beware

Summary: Leona has always scared you. Turns out, that was for a good reason.

To be honest, all of the dorm heads intimidated you.

Riddle, as you had come to know through Deuce and Ace, was probably the strictest person you had ever met. He had hundreds of rules, most of which were oddly specific, and he collared anyone who broke them, making them lose their magic until he saw fit.

Even as someone with no magic to your name, it still scared you.

Azul was a scheming bastard, tricking people into making contracts that put them at a severe disadvantage, then stealing something from them when they inevitably failed.

Then, there was the floating tablet. The device was supposedly controlled by a housewarden back in his dorm, but it was strange enough to creep you out a little.

Malleus was absolutely terrifying, with his horns that looked like they could skewer you and an expression on his face like he just might do that if you looked at him wrong. Plus the rumors of his power made you tremble in his presence.

Kalim and Vil, you had to admit, didn’t seem too bad from what you��d seen. You would still have to get to know them to make a final judgment.

But the one who scared you most was Leona Kingscholar.

His face was twisted into a menacing frown, his green eyes glaring at everyone around him like they personally annoyed him. He was muscular and stood at a daunting 6 feet tall. He had a scar down one eye- an injury that made you wonder how he got it. 

You had to admit, he was handsome, but he also terrified you. You knew from the moment you saw him that he wasn’t someone to mess with. 

—------------------------------------------------

You liked to walk through the botanical gardens. There were all kinds of beautiful trees and flowers, some the same as the ones in your homeworld, and others that you were sure were unique to the world you had found yourself in.

Your eyes moved from each plant, never looking down at your feet. Why would you, when there was so much to see and smell?

You should have looked down.

Suddenly, you pitched forward, your foot catching on something. You tried in vain to keep your balance, but you ended up on your hands and knees anyway. Your knees and palms felt like they were on fire and, when you lifted your right hand, you found that you were bleeding.

A growl sounded from behind you- one that sounded dangerously like a lion’s. Slowly, you turned your head.

Leona’s tail was lying in the walkway. The walkway you had just been walking down.

Oh my God, I tripped on his tail!

“I am so sorry!” you spluttered, standing up as quickly as possible, “I wasn’t paying attention!”

“Clearly,” Leona snarled, baring his teeth. You couldn’t help but notice that his canines ended in sharp fangs. He got to his feet and you cowered as his shadow fell over your figure. He was even taller up close.

“I’m sorry,” you squeaked.

“You should be,” Leona snapped, “I was taking a nap and you disturbed my sleep.”

You trembled under his gaze. He looked down at you like a predator sizes up its prey. 

The warm garden seemed to drop 50 degrees. The shadows of the tall trees seemed to stretch into the shapes of clawing hands. Your nose no longer smelled the sweet scents of the flowers.

Leona looked you up and down and a smirk spread across his lips. You didn’t know that he could smile, but somehow, it was worse than his frown.

“You’re that magicless girl with no home to go back to, aren’t you?” he asked.

You nodded meekly, then changed your mind “I do have a home to go to, the mirror just couldn’t find-” you fell silent at the glare he sent your way. A scowl that clearly told you to shut up.

Leona took a few steps forward and leaned in toward your neck. You froze, unable to move if you tried. He took a deep inhale and, finally, leaned back to look you over once again.

“I can’t smell a speck of magic on you,” he said condescendingly, “You really don’t belong here, do you?”

You weren’t sure what to say, so you stayed quiet. Leona took a step forward and you took a step back in response. Leona's predatory gaze followed your every move, a wicked smile playing on his lips. 

“I- I have to go,” you stuttered, mouth feeling as dry as the desert.

“I’m not stopping you,” Leona replied, his voice a deep rumble, as though he thought you were amusing.

The only problem was, you had to get past him to leave the botanical garden. You trembled from head to toe as you squeezed by him. You swore you could hear him take another sniff of you as you passed him.

You walked robotically to the exit, your mind on autopilot as you left the frightening housewarden behind. As you left, Leona called out to you one last time.

“I’ll have you make it up to me, little mouse.”

—--------------------------------------------

You didn’t return to the botanical garden after that incident. However, Leona seemed to pop up wherever you went.

You weren’t in the same classes, yet he appeared in the hallways outside each of your classrooms. He had to have been skipping class for some of these occurrences. 

He didn’t do anything to you, but you knew that he was there for you by the way his green eyes locked onto your form, boring holes into the back of your head as you hurried away from him.

The first time he showed up at your dorm scared you to death.

You had just been hanging out with Deuce and Ace at the Heartslabyul dorm, goofing around while getting a small amount of homework done. Grim raced ahead of you, his small figure disappearing in the darkness before suddenly reappearing, running toward you with a worried expression on his face.

“Did you invite that Savanaclaw Housewarden over?” Grim asked hesitantly.

“What?” it felt like you had been doused with cold water, spreading down your back and making you shiver, “No, of course not! Please tell me he’s not…”

“He’s there,” Grim jumped up and down, “What are we supposed to do? Do we fight him?”

“No!” you said quickly, “We’ll just have to ask him what he wants.”

Your feet felt like lead, dread weighing you down as you headed back to Ramshackle Dorm. Sure enough, Leona Kingscholar’s himself came into sight. The intimidating lion prince stood on your doorstep, facing you and Grim as you helplessly made your way toward him.

“L-Leona,” you stuttered, your heart speeding up in fear, “What are you doing here?”

The man looked at the broken down house you lived in, “I came to see what the excitement was about your dorm. I wanted to know why Azul was so interested in getting his tentacles all over this place.”

You nodded, not really understanding what he meant, but wanting to agree with him nonetheless. You really didn’t want to upset him.

Leona looked down at you, a bored expression on his face. 

There was something wrong with him, you decided. It took you a few seconds to find out just why he put you on edge so much. 

It was his eyes. They were clouded with an emotion you couldn’t decipher and locked on you. The gaze was purely predatory, making you feel small and helpless compared to him.

“I really don’t see what the excitement is about,” Leona said, condescending once more, “It looks like any old shack to me.”

Grim shook a clenched paw at him, “Hey! We’re working on fixing it up! You should see the bedroom- we totally remodeled it!”

Leona gave Grim a disdainful frown, “Ah, I see you still have the raccoon with you.”

“I’m not a raccoon!” Grim yelled.

You grabbed Grim’s shoulder as he attempted to advance on Leona, shrieking, “Lemme at him! Lemme at him! We’ll see who’s a raccoon!”

To your surprise, Leona laughed. Then, as if nothing had happened, his face resumed its familiar frown. His eyes locked onto yours, the hungry gaze making you tremble in fear once more.

He didn’t say a word as he slunk away from Ramshackle dorm, merely staring you down, even as he disappeared into the darkness.

You opened the door to your dorm and you and Grim made a beeline for the bedroom. You each got in your respective beds without you even changing into your pajamas. You stared up at the ceiling, fully awake. Hours ticked by and still sleep evaded you.

Why did you still feel as if you were being watched?

—-------------------

That day you didn’t see Leona after any of your classes. It should have put you at ease, but instead it put you on edge. Had he grown bored of you?

Somehow you didn’t think that was the case.

Since it was a Friday, the teachers decided to assign a mountain of homework to do. You struggled to fit all of your textbooks in your backpack, but the struggle to carry them all was even harder.

Grim and you split ways; you deciding to get an early start on your homework while Grim went to goof off and put it off to the last minute.

You trudged all the way to Ramshackle dorm and struggled up the stairs. As soon as you had gotten to your room, you let the backpack drop, panting for breath after all the labor you had endured.

When you opened the door, time itself seemed to stop.

There, on your bed, lay Leona, a sharp-toothed smirk playing across his face. He cocked his head at you in an almost-cute way, but you weren’t deceived. Not when his heavy gaze was so predatory.

“You sure took your time getting back,” he drawled, his smirk turning sly.

You stumbled backward, “Leona? How did-”

“Ah, the perks of being a cat,” he yawned, stretching out on your bed as if he owned it, “I can easily slip in undetected.”

Dread coursed through your veins, “Why are you here?”

“I wanted to be here when you returned,” he purred.

“Stop acting like this is normal! This isn’t-”

“Normal is boring, little mouse,” Leona sighed, pushing his body into a sitting position, “You should be thankful that I’ve been guaranteeing your protection.”

“What?” you were struck dumb by his words.

“Night Raven College has its dangers,” Leona drawled, “You’re the only girl in an all boys’ school, after all.”

“I can handle myself thanks,” you said coldly.

Leona’s laugh echoed across the room, booming in your ears. Your cheeks heated up, feeling as though you were being looked down upon.

“You have no idea what could happen to you,” in a flash, Leona was right in front of you. You recoiled in shock, but one of his hands gripped your chin before you could get too far, “Someone could lock you away forever, and you wouldn’t be able to do a thing.”

He leaned forward until his hot breath played across your face, “Do you understand?”

You managed to nod, knowing there was only one answer he would accept.

“Don’t worry, little mouse,” Leona purred once more, “You’re under my protection. No one would dare hurt you as long as I watch over you.”

The way Leona looked down at you made you feel like you were an insignificant, helpless little bit of prey playing right into his hands.

And to Leona, you probably were.

[squeakadeeks]

having tons of OCs is all fun and games until you have to draw a series lineup and it takes you 3 DAYS _(:3」∠)_

anyway here's the character lineup for Alliacea! if you recognize that name you qualify for a squeaks veteran account. Read more below for an overview of the concept and the characters!

as a refresh on the concept, Alliacea is an island in an oceanic pocket realm. The island itself is mostly inhabited by spirits who represent certain aspects of the island like the tides, trees, etc. If you end up on Alliacea and you cant fit in, the island finds a place for you by making you a part of it, like morphing you slowly into rocks, a fruit tree, flock of birds, etc.

This is complicated when Mansoa found a way to stay on the island by making her own role as the outsider. Her ecological niche worked ok for awhile but over time it caused progressive problems. The clash between the the island wanting to make everyone a part of it, and Mansoa's place on the island being distinctly not a part of it makes the island go haywire and the island starts to sink into the sea until the paradox can be resolved.

a little bit about the cast is as follows: Bohai is the open ocean and has a boisterous, rowdy faux confidence personality. He has a hard time expressing serious emotions that are not bodacious.

Lamerei reps the forest floor and hes a down to earth, big brother archetype thats a calming presence.

Begonia is wildflowers and shes really inquisitive and curious.

Mrysin is Alliacea's gate and literally can only feel happiness and be upbeat and cheerful.

Pacific is the tides/shallow seas and is like if those "is it illegal to go outside" anxieties were a person.

And Mansoa's whole thing is being the outlier but shes got a lackidasical, carefree sort of attitude that masks being super nervous all the time too and feeling deeply isolated and lost.

[northerngoshawk]

Happy ffwf! This is demand to share a snippet of one of your wips really. 🔪

Peaches, I would gladly give you a snippet of my WIP, even without the knife 😌 and I chose this snippet specifically for you ;)

from my 大鱼海棠 (Big Fish & Begonia) AU:

"Katara?" Sokka's voice drifted up from the pit. The sound of swishing water grew louder, like he was trudging back to them. "Is someone up there with you?"

"And there are two of you?" The spirit hummed. Katara shivered as she felt it vibrate deep in her bones. "How… intriguing."

Sokka's hand appeared on the edge of the pit, groping about, and Katara scrambled to help him up, somewhat relieved that it gave her an excuse to tear herself away from the spirit. Sokka emerged, soaking wet and grimacing, as she hoisted him back up onto the floor.

"I'm sorry," he said to Katara, shivering. "I couldn't find him." Then he looked up and his eyes widened. He scrambled backwards, and if Katara hadn't quickly bent a spout of water he would've tumbled back down into the pit. "What the— who—?"

"What are you little ones doing so far from the surface?" the spirit asked, although Katara didn't miss the note of sadism in the question. "It is very, very unlike surface-dwellers to visit us down here."

Sokka recovered faster than Katara anticipated. "We don't have to tell you anything," he snapped, scrambling to his feet and stepping towards the spirit with his fists clenched.

Normally, Katara would be right by his side with a water whip at hand, but a shudder of apprehension trembled through her as the spirit reared up. The air was suddenly thick with suffocating fury.

"Ungrateful wretches. Be glad I found you and not Koh," the spirit hissed menacingly. "If it were up to him, you would already be rotting in his collection."

Katara didn't need to see Sokka's face to know he had paled; she could feel her own face draining of color. "The—the Face Stealer?" Sokka squeaked out, his voice cracking with fear. "He lives here?"

The spirit rumbled with a strange sound. It took Katara a few moments to realize he was laughing. But unlike the laughter that filled the air with an airy lightness, this laughter froze the blood in her veins and set spiders scuttling down her spine. "All spirits reside down here," he scoffed disdainfully. "I should think you would know that, shaman."

[shimmershae]

“You know you want it, Sweetheart.”  (a Walking Dead drabble series, Caryl AU).

Just a little Caryl AU where they raise Sophia and a puppy (and...).  

Because I’m sucker for Carol and Daryl parenting Sophia and pets apparently.    Probably I’m just a sappy sucker period, lol.  

I don’t know.  Call this my little comfort, feel good drabble series.  I really wouldn’t mind revisiting this little ‘verse and making this a recurring little series of sorts.  Maybe one day.  

“Please, Mom.”  

“Sophia,” Carol warned.  

“But it was an accident, Mom.  He didn’t mean to.”  

“Tell that to my begonias.”  

She heard a snort behind her and she whirled around to glare at her husband.  He was just as complicit in the laundry list of crimes as her twelve year old.  He didn’t know it yet, but he would pay.  “Daryl, don’t even.”  

“Didn’t say nothing.”  He grinned, edged a little closer, penned her in against the counter.  “You know you want it, Sweetheart.”  

“Mommy,” Sophia pleaded.  

Three pairs of puppy dog eyes stared at her until she folded, completely melted.  

“Okay.”  

-----

“Daryl, have you seen my favorite...”  

Daryl tried to hide the chewed up shoe behind his back, but it was too late.  She’d already spotted it.  

“Where is he?”:  

“Sweetheart, just remember.  Harvey’s still a puppy.  He don’t know better.”  

“Harvey Dent Dixon!”  

Sophia appeared behind her mother, their happily slobbering new addition cradled in her arms.  

Daryl tried to warn her away with his eyebrows, but he didn’t marry no fool.  His wife whirled around and angrily wagged her finger beneath the puppy’s nose.  

“How do I even put up with you?”  

“Mom!”  

“We should have named you Wreck-It-Ralph.”  

-----

“Harvey, you know you’re not supposed to be in the bed.”  

The puppy responded to her half hearted scolding with a sweetly pathetic whine and a broad swipe of his pink tongue across her chin, burrowing beneath the blankets with her and flopping down in an exhausted heap.  

Caught between a giggle and a sigh, Carol merely smiled and opened her eyes, thankful her husband and daughter were at soccer practice and not bearing witness to her utter failure disciplining the little obedience school dropout.  “Oh, you.”  

Harvey’s tail thumped lazily.  

“I have a secret.  Two, actually.  Promise not to tell?”  

-----

“You can’t just hug me and think everything’s okay.”  

Daryl peeled back, let his arms fall to his sides.  His blue eyes darted over to Sophia, but the preteen was looking elsewhere, anywhere but at them.  

Harvey was flopped down between her daughter’s bare feet, his tongue lolling, mouth panting as he tilted his head this way and that, happily, tiredly unrepentant for the latest episode of chaos.  

“Help me out here, Soph.”  

“It looked dead.”  

“Weren’t though.  How’s I s’posed to know Mama and Pa would go all Commando on us?  Fucking squirrels.”  

Carol snorted out a laugh.  “Daryl!”  

-----

“No more dogs.  How hard is it to understand?”  

“Really?”  Carol sighed as her husband mimicked her oft-repeated words.  Twisting in her seat to face him, at least as much as the seatbelt cinched snug across her hips would allow, she challenged, “C’mon.  You can do better than that, Pookie.”  

Behind them, Sophia giggled.  

Catching his stepdaughter’s eyes in the reflection of the rear-view mirror, Daryl narrowed his eyes.  “Traitor.”  

Sophia grinned, stretching out her legs and wiggling her socked feet between them, her smelly socked feet.  

“Sophia!  Shoes back on!” 

“What your mom said.”  

“Technically, it’s a kitten.”  

“Pfft.”  

-----

“You fell asleep in the tub?”  

“Third time this week,” Sophia piped up oh-so-helpfully, fingers tightening in Harvey’s collar when he made another playful lunge at their newest family member.  

Coined Poison Ivy by her feline-averse husband, the kitten squeaked.  Blue eyes huge, just as wet and bedraggled as Carol thanks to this latest disastrous romp, it shivered and snuggled itself into the open vee of her robe.  

“Third time, huh?”  

“Now now,” Carol frowned.  “Sophia.  Take Harvey outside.  Let him chase some real squirrels.”  

“But Mom...”  

“Please?”  

Once alone, Daryl reached for her.  “Something you wanna tell me, Sweetheart?”  

-----

Eyeing her husband’s pale face warily, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth, Carol murmured, “Did you hear...”  

Daryl staggered a little on his feet, hands fumbling to find the edge of their mattress, flopped there like a fish out of water.  Still looking a little stunned, he nodded at her when she made her careful approach.  

Smiling hopefully when his hands found her waist, Carol tenderly brushed his hair back from his forehead.  “Use your words.”  

“A baby?  You’re...”  

“I’m...”  

“Holy shit, Sweetheart.  We’re living in a sitcom.”  

“Daryl!”  

Frightened from her doze, Ivy mewed plaintively.  

“Cat agrees.”  

[haledamage]

23 - whelve for Nadia/Kurt ❤

whelve - to bury something deep, to hide

I swear someday I will actually write about these two in an active romance (VERY SOON I promise)! But today is not that day. There's just so much potential in a shared backstory with so little of said story actually discussed in game, I can't resist.

Nadia & Kurt, no romantic interaction to speak of but still cute together. Very pre-relationship and also very pre-Teer Fradee (featuring precocious troublemaker teenage Nadia and long-suffering master of arms Kurt who is only in his mid-twenties but already feels like an old man)

---

“Excuse me!” Nadia yelled, weaving through the marketplace crowds as gracefully as she could. “Watch out, please!” An old man stepped out of an alley and she only barely managed to avoid crashing into him. “Pardon me, sir.”

The man muttered something about the unruliness of children and dodged around her. She watched him for a few seconds as he disappeared into the crowd, then spun back around and slammed directly into a wall.

Strong hands seized her by the arms, stopping her from falling backwards from the collision. From above her came a familiar voice. “Whoa there, Green Blood.”

Not actually a wall then, though her master of arms may as well be. Kurt was solid muscle under thick armor and an unimpressed scowl on his handsome face, and even though she’d had a massive growth spurt over the last season he still towered over her (she was taller than Constantin now, a fact that he constantly reminded her how much he hated no matter how often she assured him it wouldn’t last).

“Kurt!” she said brightly, trying to sound happy to see him and not at all like she was still reeling from that impact. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

He grunted in a way that sounded disbelieving. It was clear he was curious why she was running through the market, but he wasn’t going to ask. Kurt wasn’t a man that asked for things, he just glared at you until you told him what he wanted.

Nadia, however, was resistant to his charms, such as they were - if only because of years of exposure to them. “Well, see you later!”

She didn’t even make it two steps before he grabbed the collar of her doublet and dragged her back.

“Not so fast.” He didn’t let her go until she made it clear that she wasn’t going to run, then crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

She intended to answer him. Really. She was even going to tell him the truth. But as she opened her mouth to do so, she heard another familiar voice behind her. She whipped around, watching the crowd like she expected to find an army approaching through it. There it was, a telltale flash of pink.

“Shit!” She spun back around to Kurt. “Hide me.”

The comically incredulous look he gave her would have made her laugh in any other situation. “And why would I do that?”

Nadia glanced over her shoulder; the pink was closer. She reached out and grabbed Kurt’s hand, giving him her best wide-eyed, pleading look. “I promise I’ll explain later. Please.”

He only lasted three seconds before giving in with a frustrated grumble. “This better be good.” He held his cloak out in invitation, and Nadia didn’t hesitate to slip behind him, huddling close to his back. He was tall and wide enough that she would be completely hidden behind him.

In less than a minute, Kurt greeted the man Nadia was obviously trying to escape. “Sir de Courcillon.” He failed to keep the laughter out of his voice. “And which of our resident troublemakers do you have to thank for that?”

Nadia peeked out from under Kurt’s arm to see for herself if it was as bad as she’d imagined it. Sir de Courcillon stood only a couple feet away, looking positively serene for a man with bright pink hair. It was the same color as Mother's begonias - which, incidentally, were one of the main ingredients of the dye that caused his current fashion statement.

“Both of them, most likely,” Sir de Courcillon chuckled. He looked a lot less angry than Nadia thought he would be, but maybe he was just saving it up for later. “They are both conspicuously absent from their lessons this morning.”

“You want me to hunt them down for you?”

Nadia made a tiny squeak of protest and Kurt shifted to elbow her in warning, somehow making it look like he was simply resting his hand on the hilt of the sword at his hip.

Luckily, Sir de Courcillon didn’t seem to have noticed her momentary slip-up. “That will not be necessary, Kurt, but thank you. There are only so many places they could be hiding. Good day.”

He left, but neither Nadia nor Kurt moved for a while, making sure he didn’t come back.

Kurt lost patience first, reaching back to grab her elbow and drag her back around in front of him. He crossed his arms once more, scowling down at her. “I believe you promised me an explanation. And it had better be a damn good one.”

“I didn’t do it!” she blurted out.

A loud laugh escaped from him, a rare sound that Nadia had always found endearing, and she coveted her ability to draw it from him as often as she did. “Then why are you hiding from your teacher?”

“I’m the one that made the dye.” The words spilled out of her as fast as they could, stumbling over each other in their effort to escape. “Constantin told me he was going to use it on his own hair, before that ball tomorrow night. Trying to get back at his father, like always. I didn’t know he was going to do that to Sir de Courcillon, I swear it.”

“That still doesn’t explain why you’re trying to turn me into an accomplice. Again.” His scowl got darker and finally it was intimidating enough to make Nadia wither under it.

“I need to find Constantin before Sir de Courcillon does. If I don’t, he’ll set me up to take the fall, you know he will!” She grabbed his hand in both of hers and hoped she could be more charming than he could be stubborn. “Please, Kurt.”

He sighed, a weary sound as if dragged from the depths of his soul. “Why do I always let you talk me into helping you?”

“Because I’m your favorite?” She gave him a wide, hopeful grin. They both knew it was true; she’d always been his favorite. It was the only competition she could ever beat Constantin at.

The corner of his lips twitched with the effort not to smile back. “Don’t push your luck, Green Blood.”

“Too late!” She stretched up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

She ran back off into the crowd again before he could respond, another sigh from him following her as she went.

[marryonette]

It’s just a normal, peaceful day at Begonia Meadows. Wind blowing, sun shining, couples strewn out across the grass on picnic blankets...

And a giant concerned crowd surrounding a large tree, all looking up at the small teenager clinging to it’s branches like her life depended on it.

Are you alright? Are you stuck? Do you need help? a chorus of voices call out from below, but the girl in the trees holds on tighter.

“Y....y...yes....!!!! No! No! Um! Yes!” she squeaks, almost unintelligibly. 

She had just meant to get as high up as she could to see if she recognised any of her surroundings so she could find her way home to everyone-- that’s what you do when you’re lost, right?-- but somehow she’d attracted a lot of attention.

What she wouldn’t do to have Kido’s power right now.

@crimsonshouts

[brutashaswin]

Today and Every Day

Synopsis: Carol comes down to Louisiana for a surprise visit, and has a very important question to ask Maria (and Monica). Takes place ~5 years after Captain Marvel, so Monica is around 15.

Carol stood outside of the Rambeau household, a bouquet of begonias in her hand (Lady Carol reds, Maria’s favorite) and a ring in her back pocket. She knocked quickly and stepped back in anticipation.

The front door opened to reveal someone much shorter than she was expecting.

“Auntie Carol?!” Monica exclaimed, with sparkling eyes and a wide smile.

“Hey, you!” Carol said fondly, opening her arms to wrap them around Monica, who leaned her head on her shoulder. “I figured I’d come down and surprise you and your mom.”

“You just missed her, but she should be home in a little bit!”

“Well, all the more time to spend with you!” She replied, tossing her arm genially around the younger girl’s shoulder as they walked into the house together.

“So, how’s everything going for you? School going okay?”

“Yeah, Uncle Nick said I could intern at SHIELD in a few years if I wanted to! There’s this new agent, Maria Hill, and he thinks she’d be a great mentor for me.”

“That’s exciting! I’m sure whatever you decide to do, you’ll be great at it.”

“Thanks! What about the Skrulls? Are Talos and his family doing okay?”

“They’re doing great! The majority of them have relocated, but then there’s the matter of assimilation and cultural preservation, plus keeping an ear out for everything else in the Universe that needs my help.”

“So, same old same old?” Monica asked with a teasing grin.

“You know it.” she replied with a wink, as the two of them settled into seats at the kitchen table.

Carol cleared her throat and shifted in her seat before starting to speak again.

“So, Monica, I’ve got kind of a big question to ask you.”

“Is it about the leather jacket? Because I already told you, I’m not giving that back.” Monica joked as she raised her hands defensively, catching Carol off guard and causing her to laugh.

“Funny, but no. Not that kind of question.” She took the ring box out of her pocket and slid it across the table to Monica, who inspected it closely.

“It’s for Mom?”

Carol nodded with a small smile, attempting to gauge her reaction.

“You know we’ve been together for a long time now. And she’s been the most important person to me for as long as I can remember, and even before that. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t love her with every fiber of my being. So what do you say? Would I have your blessing to marry your mom?”

“Of course you do!” Monica exclaimed, getting off her chair and throwing her arms around Carol, both women laughing giddily.

The sound of the door squeaking open caused them to break apart.

“Monica Akira Rambeau, how many times do I have to tell you to lock this door?”

The two culprits shared a frenzied, wide-eyes look as Monica hastily slid the ring back to Carol, who barely managed to stuff it back into her pocket.

“When you get a minute, baby, I need some help with the groceries.” Maria called up the stairs, her arms filled with paper bags that forced her to shut the door with her hip. She turned around to see her daughter and girlfriend seated guiltily at the kitchen table.

“What the-“ Maria started, lowering the groceries to the floor as her mouth gaped, subconsciously walking closer to Carol.

“Surprise.” Said Monica with a weak smile.

“Hey.” Carol said shyly, standing up and closing the distance between them. “I’m home.”

Maria wordlessly pulled Carol into her arms; the intense, empty longing of so many months passed melting away at her touch.

“I’ve missed you so much.” she said, planting a kiss on Carol’s cheek.

“I’ve missed you, too.” she responded, gently pulling away and looking deeply into Maria’s eyes.

Monica cleared her throat before tapping on Carol’s shoulder, causing the lovers to jolt. Carol turned around to see the teen holding the ring box.

“You dropped this.”

Maria looked at them both with raised eyebrows, as Carol sheepishly took the box back.

“Well, this isn’t exactly what I was expecting.” Carol started nervously, as she got down on one knee and opened the box to reveal a dazzling diamond ring.

“But I guess this will work. Maria...will you marry me?”

Maria brought her hand gently to her mouth, her breathing sharp. But then she smiled wider than Carol had ever seen before.

“Of course I will!”

She slipped the ring carefully onto Maria’s shaking hand, and stood up as they shared a sweet kiss. They broke apart with euphoric grins, unable to stop themselves from kissing again.

“Thanks for your help, Lieutenant Trouble.” Carol said, pulling Monica into a hug.

“Any time.” She replied with a smirk.

[fairy-verse]

Good people of the land, hear hear! ₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊

... I have run for the hills. The fairies will return my letters to you all in due time, but they're prone to trickery and might be purposely slow, so for this I am sorry..

Toodles!

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊✧*。𓆏𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

[thesides]

There’s No Remedy To Our Tragedy

Fandom: Sanders Sides / Thomas Sanders Word Count: 1528 Pairings: Logicality (Can be seen as Platonic or Romantic) Alt. Link:  AO3 Chapter: one two Warnings: I don’t know if any apply, but please tell me if some do! Notes: debating on whether or not to continue this with a second chapter, so spam me if y’all want another chapter. Part of the Asphodel Incident. 

Tag List:  @hey-youre-out-of-shampoo @modcarbz @patton–here @mayor-damien-protection-squad @thatoneperson1714@analogicalisreal@hghrules @half-blood-geek @e-c-swing@percy32 @princessbelix@imnottrashiswear @stargazingtraveler  

Summary: A flower blooming is something to cherish. After all, a new sign of life is an event that should be celebrated. But Logan can’t ignore the growing pit in his stomach when, one day, a flower blooms in the middle of the Mindscape.

And it certainly isn’t a rose.

(He so wished it was.)

“…You’re going to have to explain to me how on Earth a flower is growing in our floor.”

Patton gave a light shrug, a small blush burning on his face. Logan resisted the urge to sigh, instead pinching the bridge of his nose. “Then, if you can’t explain that, can you at least tell me when you found out… whatever this is?”

“Well,” Patton dragged out the word, kicking at the carpet beneath them. “I don’t really know

“You don’t know.”

“Yep!” Patton touched his two fingers together, grinning sheepishly. “I kinda just… saw it. Well, I tripped on it. You could say I fell for it.”

Logan could only grimace at the pun. “Right.”

   It had been approximately fifteen minutes since Logan had nearly stumbled on top of a flower that was spontaneously growing in the middle of their floor. Mind you, a carpet floor. And it had been approximately ten minutes since Logan had summoned Patton in an attempt to find the root cause for the sudden flower. If anyone besides him had any knowledge of the Mindscape, it would be Patton. But the other side simply cracked up at the pun - ‘Root cause, ha!’ - and they’ve been going in circles ever since.

   Logan concluded that Patton had no clue as to what the flower was doing here. The thought made his stomach churn. He quickly turned away from Patton, adjusting his glasses with a breathy sigh. It was a nuisance, that flower - And he might be possibly making a big deal out of it, but it was annoying him ever since those fifteen minutes. A flower shouldn’t be able to all of a sudden burst from a carpet ground. That was simply illogical. He could not make sense of it-

“Hey,” Patton’s quiet voice tore his attention away, and Logan felt him place a hand on his shoulder. “If there’s anyone who can figure this out, it’s you, Teach. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you that much, but if ya need me, I’m here for ya.”

   Logan nearly relaxed at Patton’s words, sparing a small glance back at the fatherly side. Patton’s face was loose, gentle - holding that comforting expression that made even Virgil loosen up just a bit. Anyone could fall prey to that kind smile. But something tugged at him from the back of his mind, and Logan slowly looked away, taking a step forward from Patton. “I appreciate the sentiment, but… I shall deal with this conundrum by myself. There’s something… not logical about that flower. Not right.”

   He heard Patton sigh softly, and the silence that followed that could only be a nod. “I know. I can feel it too. It’s weird. Like… like if Thomas ate something that looked okay-”

   “But was not in reality. An illusion of sorts. Illusions are purely illogical, and…” Logan turned around, crouching down to the flower that stood steadfast from the ground. He reached his hand towards it-

Patton squeaked from behind him.

- and wrapped his hand around the stem, and pulled.

    It stood, the flower, as if his strength was just a sort of breeze. He pulled it again, this time staring at Patton as he did so.

“An illusion, it cannot be… Illusions are not tangible.” Logan stood, dusting off his hands and staring back at the flower. “But it somehow exists in our plane.”

Patton fiddled with his hands, and he stared at Logan. “Do you think… we should tell the others?”

“They’re bound to find this out eventually. There’s no use in hiding it.” He took a deep breath, shaking his head, “…Perhaps I can gain input from them. I can use that to solve whatever this sort of flower is doing here.”

 Logan had felt a sort of… disconnect from the Mindscape a couple of days ago. He recalled it perfectly - it was as if a wave of nausea overcame him. He had been working, organizing more specifically. Thomas’s schedule was not getting done without his interference. And yet, when he was just about to leave his room for his hourly cup of coffee, he had felt a wave of nausea and confusion overcome him. He remembered stumbling, hitting the door with such force it nearly flew off its hinges. He remembered gasping, desperate for breath that seemed to escape him every second. He remembered feeling as if some invisible force was was tugging at his heart- And before he knew it, the event was over, and he slumped to the ground, unconscious. Logan assumed that it was a lack of proper sleep. He had been skipping more than adequate amounts of sleep. It made rational sense then, but… Logan swore he’d only missed one day’s of sleep. And the timing was perfect with the discovery of the flower. It would’ve started growing just about then, wouldn’t it? The feeling as if he was still missing something lingered - and his heart constricted briefly at the phantom pain.

  A cough from Patton broke Logan from his thoughts, as the other Side began coughing violently. Logan immediately turned around and he jerked his head back as Patton’s coughs only increased. “Pat-Patton?!”

   But Patton’s only response was more coughing, a hideous, gurgling sound that made Logan click into action. He moved forward, grabbing Patton’s arm roughly and practically throwing Patton onto the couch. He would apologize for any roughness later - for now, he had to make sure Patton was okay. He flew into the kitchen and he grabbed a cup of cool water. His mind was racing, and his skin tingled as if sparked with electricity. Logan darted back into the main room, where Patton’s fit was reduced to wheezing and chokes.

Even then, it didn’t make Logan feel any sense of security.

    Logan quickly sat by Patton’s side, grabbing Patton’s face and tilting it towards himself. He could tell, by the sheer shuddering in Patton’s body, that he was trying his hardest not to flat out cough in Logan’s face. But it was a losing battle - one that would end quickly.

“Drink.” Logan tipped the cup into Patton’s mouth, and he eagerly drank. Logan felt his own heart refuse to start beating, especially at the sweat drops falling down Patton’s forehead. So he refused to move the cup from Patton’s lips until every last droplet disappeared.

He pulled away his hand, and Patton gasped for breath. A twinge of guilt surged inside of Logan for forcing the other to drink, but he had to do something…

 Patton glanced at him, tears in his eyes. “What-” He tried to say, and Logan tightened his fist as a single tear dripped down Patton’s face, “What was that? It- It hurt.”

Patton hiccuped, and Logan realized the raw emotion that burned itself on Patton’s face. His eyebrows were pinched together, his eyes red from the tears that were lingering in his eyes, the ghostly pale color on his face - and the trembling that wracked through his body.

 “A… A coughing fit.” Logan cursed his voice for being so wobbly. “A coughing fit.”

“It didn’t-” Patton’s breath hitched with a shudder, and Logan desperately wanted to fix this. Patton’s voice grew quiet. “It didn’t feel like it.”

   Logan placed a hand on Patton’s shoulder, hesitantly squeezing it - an action that he hoped calmed Patton down as much as it did him. “…In all honesty, it did not look like it, either.”

   Silence took over the room, and Logan saw Patton still shaking, his body weak from whatever - whatever that had been. Logan could hear the beating of his own heart. Or, perhaps, that was Patton’s. But whomever it was… The beating was just as quick as a rabbit’s. He took a deep breath, lowering his hand from Patton’s shoulder and glancing away. He didn’t want to see the pure hurt on Patton’s face - he didn’t want to observe the sweat drops, or the flicks of red that he couldn’t tell if it was blood or his imagination.

His eyes landed, solemnly, on the flower that stood just a few paces away.

“…It’s kinda pretty.”

Patton’s voice was soft, hoarse even. But Logan nodded nevertheless. “I agree.”

The flower was simple, but gorgeous - Layers of petals on top of each other, in a beautiful dance of light purple and pink. An alluring flower indeed…

“Do…” Patton’s breath hitched. “Do you know what type of flower it is?”

Logan shook his head, and Patton sighed. “Me neither.”

“It is quite aesthetically pleasing though.”

“Yeah.”

Logan quietly looked back at Patton, and the latter was staring straight at the flower. Logan could practically feel Patton’s thoughts, considering he had no doubt they were sharing the same thoughts.

A small, lavender petal dropped from the flower.

“A Begonia.” Patton spoke suddenly. “It’s a Begonia.”

Logan felt his heart stop.

[conduitandconjurer]

"Is me," Rose chimes. "Just sort of happened the other day. Walked into work and suddenly every rose, orchid, and begonia is clamoring for my attention. It's like I can talk to them or something. Well, sort of. They don't have mouths or anything." Rose stares at the plant for several moments, scrunching her nose. "But anyways, you didn't answer the question. Would you like a hug, or should we leaf you alone?"

Klaus squeaks a laugh, the bridge of his nose wrinkling. He blows a kiss to the flowers, which he places down in the center of a strand of fairy lights--their ilk littering the walls of his room, highlighting strange and uncanny illustrations and poetic ravings.

"Worst puns ever, but course you can hug me! It's like my favorite pastime!"

[jun-wu]

ok back to winter begonia [clown shoes squeaking]

[supercharged-nostalgia-blog]

Cedric's New Year's Birthday

Mister Cedric's got the middle-age blues, but perhaps our plucky little Sofia can help? Rated G Written by queen-of-fools All characters belong to Craig Gerber and Disney Junior The bitter chill of the late December wind snuck through the old windowpane into Cedric's tower. The scrawny sorcerer shivered, pulling a heavy quilt around him; the heating spell he had cast an hour before had worn off. He cursed under his breath for not making it a little stronger. He wasn't sure if he could continue his day's work in this pathetic state. To make matters worse, his 40th birthday was tomorrow; just an hour more, in fact. Cedric peered out the window, his chestnut eyes straining to see the lovely sparkle of new fallen snow that blanketed the Enchancian hills and the towering pine trees just over yonder. He sighed heavily. Clearly, he wasn't ready for the new year. Just as he was turning round, he nearly stumbled backward as his eyes met the bright blue ones of none other than his dear little friend, Sofia. "Gah!! Princess Sofia!" Cedric squeaked in surprise before hastily composing himself. "What are you doing in here at such an hour, young lady? Shouldn't you be in bed by now?" "Hi Mister Cedric!" the princess chirped. "No, Mom and Dad are letting us stay up till midnight. It's almost New Year's Day! Aren't you excited, Mister Cedric?" she added with much enthusiasm. Cedric chuckled ruefully. Sofia's pure joy was too precious to resist. A sad smile quirked at his thin lips. "Well, Sofia," he began, "I'm not exactly as excited as i should be. You see, I'm about to turn 40 very, very soon." "Whoa, no way!" Sofia gaped in awe. "That's ol-" She stopped herself when she noticed Cedric's face twist into an unimpressed grimace. "Aw, sorry, Mister Cedric, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." "It's quite all right, dear," Cedric shrugged. "I'm used to it." He sighed heavily. "It's just...I've never had any good birthdays in my life. That I know of." He quickly added that last part. "Maybe I can help with that!" Sofia cried, suddenly getting an idea. "I'll be right back, Mister Cedric!" "Sofia, what are you-?!" But the little princess was already gone by the time the words left his mouth. **Minutes before midnight** "Honestly, I wonder what goes on in that head of yours, Sofia," Cedric sighed, looking down at himself. "And this three-piece suit feels a bit much..." "Don't worry, you look handsome, Mister Cedric!" Sofia said in an encouraging tone. She smiled up at her mentor and friend; she wanted his 40th to be the best birthday ever. Cedric slowly grinned back. He just had to trust her that this was going to be good. 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1... The door to the ballroom opened, and suddenly... "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MISTER CEDRIC!" Cedric gasped in genuine shock; the ballroom was flooded with fairy lights and showy bouquets of pink begonias, his favorite flower. His eyes flitted from one familiar smiling face to another: King Roland, Queen Miranda, Prince James, Princess Amber, Baileywick, Violet, Clover, and even Cordelia and Calista were all there! Sofia grinned widely, looking up at Cedric, but her smile fell just a little when she saw tears in the sorcerer's eyes. "Are you okay, Mister Cedric?" she asked quietly. He nodded in response, kneeling down so that Sofia could wipe his tears away. "I don't know what to say," he whispered, pulling the princess in for a hug. "This really is the best birthday I've ever had! Ever!" Sofia's grin widened as she hugged Cedric back; she was so glad this year got off to a good start for him. "Happy New Year, Ceddy!" Cordelia called out. "Happy birthday, Uncle Ceddy!" Calista chimed in. Cedric smiled from ear to ear. Sure, he probably looked goofy now, but he was too delighted to care. He picked up a goblet of sparkling cider and raised it slightly. "To a new year full of promise!" "Hear, hear!" everyone responded mirthfully, raising their goblets. Confetti fell like the January snow outside as the royal family rang in a new year that would indeed be filled with many promising memories to come.

[shimmershae]

Waltzing might have stalled (for the moment), but all the words and worlds crowding my brain haven't.  Wanna have a look-see at some of the other little Caryl drabble-verses I'm considering turning into their own full-fledged stories (eventually)?  Here you go.  Tell me which one(s) you'd most like to revisit.

First up, the AU Caryl married fic where they raise Sophia.  And a puppy. 

 1. 

 “Please, Mom.” 

 “Sophia,” Carol warned. 

 “But it was an accident, Mom.  He didn’t mean to.” 

 “Tell that to my begonias.” 

 She heard a snort behind her, and she whirled around to glare at her husband.  He was just as complicit in the laundry list of crimes as her twelve-year-old.  He didn’t know it yet, but he would pay.  “Daryl, don’t even.” 

 “Didn’t say nothing.”  He grinned, edged a little closer, penned her in against the counter.  “You know you want it, Sweetheart.”   

 “Mommy,” Sophia pleaded. 

 Three pairs of puppy dog eyes stared at her until she folded, completely melted. 

 “Okay.” 

***

“Daryl, have you seen my favorite…” 

 Daryl tried to hide the chewed-up shoe behind his back, but it was too late.  She’d already spotted it. 

 “Where is he?”

 “Sweetheart, just remember.  Harvey’s still a puppy.  He don’t know no better.”

 “Harvey Dent Dixon!” 

 Sophia appeared behind her mother, their happily slobbering new addition cradled in her arms. 

 Daryl tried to warn her away with his eyebrows, but he didn’t marry no fool.  His wife whirled around and angrily wagged her finger beneath the puppy’s nose.  

 “How do I even put up with you?”

 “Mom!”

 “We should have named you Wreck-It-Ralph.” 

 ***

 “Harvey, you know you’re not supposed to be in the bed.”

 The puppy responded to her half-hearted scolding with a sweetly pathetic whine and a broad swipe of his pink tongue across her chin, burrowing beneath the blankets with her and flopping down in an exhausted heap. 

 Caught between a giggle and a sigh, Carol merely smiled and opened her eyes, thankful her husband and daughter were at soccer practice and not bearing witness to her utter failure disciplining the little obedience school dropout.  “Oh, you.”

 Harvey’s tail thumped lazily. 

 “I have a secret.  Two, actually.  Promise not to tell?”    

 ***

“You can’t just hug me and think everything’s okay.” 

 Daryl peeled back, let his arms fall to his sides.  His blue eyes darted over to Sophia, but the preteen was looking elsewhere, anywhere but at them. 

 Harvey was flopped down between her daughter’s bare feet, his tongue lolling, mouth panting as he tilted his head this way and that, happily, tiredly unrepentant for the latest episode of chaos.

 “Help me out here, Soph.” 

 “It looked dead.” 

 “Weren’t, though.  How’s I s’posed to know Mama and Pa would go all Commando on us?  Fucking squirrels.” 

 Carol snorted out a laugh.  “Daryl!” 

 ***

“No more dogs.  How hard is it to understand?” 

 “Really?” Carol sighed as her husband mimicked her oft-repeated words.  Twisting in her seat to face him, at least as much as the seatbelt cinched snug across her hips would allow, she challenged, “C’mon.  You can do better than that, Pookie.” 

 Behind them, Sophia giggled. 

 Catching his stepdaughter’s eyes in the reflection of the rear-view mirror, Daryl narrowed his eyes.  “Traitor.” 

 Sophia grinned, stretching out her legs and wiggling her socked feet between them, her smelly socked feet. 

 “Sophia!  Shoes back on!” 

 “What your mom said.” 

 “Technically, it’s a kitten.” 

 “Pfft.” 

 ***

 “You fell asleep in the tub?”

 “Third time this week,” Sophia piped up oh-so-helpfully, fingers tightening in Harvey’s collar when he made another playful lunge at their newest family member.    

 Coined Poison Ivy by her feline-averse husband, the kitten squeaked.  Blue eyes huge, just as wet and bedraggled as Carol thanks to this latest disastrous romp, it shivered and snuggled itself into the open vee of her robe. 

 “Third time, huh?”

 “Not now,” Carol frowned.  “Sophia.  Take Harvey outside.  Let him chase some real squirrels.” 

 “But Mom…” 

 “Please?”

 Once alone, Daryl reached for her.   “Something you wanna tell me, Sweetheart?” 

 ***

 Eyeing her husband’s pale face warily, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth, Carol murmured, “Did you hear…” 

 Daryl staggered a little on his feet, hands fumbling to find the edge of their mattress, just flopped there like a fish out of water.  Still looking a little stunned, he nodded at her when she made her careful approach. 

 Smiling hopefully when his hands found her waist, Carol tenderly brushed his hair back from his forehead.  “Use your words.” 

 “A baby?  You’re…” 

 “I’m...” 

 “Holy shit, Sweetheart.  We’re living in a sitcom.”    

 “Daryl!” 

 Frightened from her doze, Ivy mewed plaintively. 

 “Cat agrees.” 

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

 Second, the AU where Carol and Daryl are partners.  Purely platonic.  Or are they?

2. 

 “Bed, Soph.  Now.” 

 “Fine.” 

 “Love you.” 

 “Sure.” 

 “Teenagers,” Carol muttered, falling back against her bedroom door.  Kicking her heels off, she bent to peel the stockings from her legs, made short work of her blouse and skirt.  She was down to her underwear and thigh holster before she realized she wasn’t alone. 

 “Keep going, Partner.” 

 “Fuck!  Dixon!  Is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?” 

 “Exterminators, remember?”    

 She took off her gun, turned on the bedside lamp, rolled her eyes at the erection tenting the sheet pooled around his waist.  “Seriously?” 

 He shrugged, grinned.  “Happens.”    

 “Stay on your side." 

  ***

Thing about Mason was, she was fun to fuck with.  And Daryl?  He loved fucking around.  Both in the bedroom, and…well.  Barring the field, everywhere really. 

 She’d left her bra on.  Sexy little number.  Just a lacy shadow against her pale, freckled skin. 

 His hands, body burned with the need to touch that skin, touch her.  He didn’t.  Didn’t trust himself not to take them both down a long, dark road that would consume them both.  Didn’t want to put their partnership on the line that way, but fuck.  She was right there.  He groaned. 

 “My name isn’t Leslie…who’s Leslie?” 

 ***

Carol rolled over, glared at her uninvited bedmate.  “Answer me, Dixon.  Who the fuck is Leslie?” 

 His smirk was slow.  Sly.  “Why?  You jealous?”  He deftly avoided her attempt to knee him in the nuts, pulled her leg over his hip instead. 

 “Dixon.” 

 Heeding her warning, he let her go.  “Relax.  Been watching tv with your ball-busting daughter.” 

 Carol softened.  “She loves that show.” 

 “Yeah, well.  Didn’t do much for me.” 

 “Your taste is questionable at best.” 

 “Mine?  What about yours?” 

 “Excuse me?” 

 “Your UPS man wear his little shorts on your date?” 

 “Dixon.” 

 “…” 

 “Scoot over a little bit, please.” 

  ***

“Quit moving.  I’m trying to sleep.  Wait.  Are you…what?!” 

 Daryl’s hand stilled under the sheet just long enough for him to hiss, groan.  “Jesus, Mason.  Think you can stop screaming in my ear?”  That was absofuckinglutely the wrong thing to say because those blue eyes flashed and caught fire, and shit.  Shit.  His hand quickly went from tugging his dick to shielding it as his partner’s small hands balled into fists, and she growled.  She fucking growled.  He was equal parts terrified and turned on.  Alright.  More like 60% terrified, 40%...

 “My kid’s…” 

 “14 going on 40 and not here.” 

  **************************

Third, teen besties Caryl AU where they both grew up with absent parents and found each other early on. 

 3. 

 “We really doing this silent treatment shit?  S’not my fault they only had one room.” 

 Carol heaved her duffel on top of the bed with a roll of her eyes, started digging through it like it held the secrets of the fuckin’ universe. 

 He wished.  Some last hurrah this was turning out to be.  Stuck in Bumfuck, Nowheresville in this Bates Motel wannabe.  With a best friend who’d sooner rip his nuts off than utter a civil word.  “Got a beer in there?” 

 “…” 

  “Shit.  Sorry.  Jesus.”

 “…”

 “Is that…That’s my shirt.  So is that…wait.”   

 “…” 

 “S’Walsh, right?  You crushin’ on me, Sweetheart?" 

 ***

 He was almost asleep, first decent forty winks he’d managed since they’d started this trash-fire trip when he heard it:  a blood-curdling scream worthy of this place’s whole Psycho ambience. 

 “Daryl!”

 The bathroom door bounced against the wall when he burst through it, practically broke his nose on the rebound, but that was all beside the point.  Two steps inside, and Carol was in his arms.  Shaking, still squealing, naked as the day she was fuckin’ born.  “Shh.  Got ya.  S’alright.  Somebody…shit.” 

 “Kill it.” 

 “A roach?  Seriously?  Thought you were bein’ murdered.” 

 “It’s prehistoric…what?” 

 “You’re so clingy.  I love it.” 

 ***

 They checked out, ended up at some Waffle House knock-off a half mile down the road that smelled like grease and maple syrup. 

 Daryl had already demolished his burger, was on the second refill of his shake before he addressed the huge fuckin’ pink elephant in the room.  “So, I saw you naked.  No big deal.” 

 Carol tugged at one of her wet curls.   “Great.  What every girl wants to hear.” 

 “Yeah, well.  Waxing poetic or some shit ‘bout your world class tits would only make things weird.” 

 “World class, huh?” 

 “Fuck.” 

 “Sharing is caring.  Now, give me your fries.” 

 ***

 “Oh.  Did I scare you, big boy?” 

 His fingers still fumbling with his half-zipped fly, Daryl scowled.  “Fuck off.” 

 Carol sighed, gathered her loose curls in one hand, lifted them from her sweaty neck.  “Would you relax?  I didn’t even see anything.” 

 Daryl remained skeptical.  “Sure?”

 This time, Carol rolled her eyes.  “Yes, I’m sure.   Want me to tear the hinges off a bathroom door next time?” 

 Daryl’s ears burned with the pointed reminder, and he joined her on the truck’s old tailgate, cast his eyes to the evening sky, their surroundings.  It was too…

 “Children of the Corn.” 

 “Stop.” 

 ***

 Fourth, Sophia finds herself in a spot of trouble. 

 4. 

“Quit stalling.  Where’s your father?” 

 Beside her, Sophia moaned into the cover of her hands.  “Mom, please.  It’s not Cade’s fault.” 

 Feeling her blood pressure tick up another notch, Carol wryly reminded her teen daughter, “Of course not.  I paid attention in health class.  It takes two.” 

 “Which makes it both their faults.” 

 The screen door slammed shut behind the man as he belatedly joined the fray, and Carol did a double take.  “Daryl?” 

 The boy’s shoulders lifted defiantly, but his blue eyes still looked just as worried. 

 “You’re Cade’s father?” 

 “Uncle,” Daryl clarified. 

 “This keeps getting better and better.” 

  ***

 Finally, because this post is too long and I'm going to have to do another one, AU.  Carol and Daryl are two neighbors not-so-secretly pining over each other, and the waiting game for one of them to make a move is killing Carol’s visiting friend Aaron.  He decides to help things along. 

  5.   

  “Hold my hand so he gets jealous.” 

 “What?  But you’re, well.”  Her cheeks almost as red in that moment as her hair, Carol couldn’t even sputter out the word. 

 Aaron, as always, was quick to bail her out of the awkward moment.  Hiding his smirk in her mad cap of curls, he took her hand in his own and pulled her against his side, ushering her quickly down the hallway to her apartment door while her neighbor—her hot, adorably awkward, single, and undeniably interested neighbor—watched.  “What Dixon doesn’t know…” 

 “But…” 

 “No buts.  Just play along.” 

 “He watching?” 

 “Definitely.” 

[fan-art-maker]

Squeak!

Oh hi! Kens not here rn but I’ll tell them you were here! -begonia

[lucythompson]

@raphaelbrcoks​  ♡  Lucy’s innocent trip to the florist for a fresh bouquet of tulips turned into a trip to being a plant mom. She wasn’t ready for this at all. She tried to refuse the offer but the shop owner was already being too kind, offering it for free so Lucy smiled and thanked her. She sent a quick text to Raph saying she had ‘an emergency’ and that she was coming over right away. Carrying the bouquet under one arm, she held the small potted begonia at arm’s length as if by putting it near her, they’d mysteriously die. Taking the stairs two at a time, she knocked at the door a few times and tried the knob, surprised it was open. Pulling it wide open, she tried to neatly place her heels by the door, careful not to hurt her ankle even further. After she regained her balance, she saw where Raph was and called out a timid, “Hi!” It came out as a squeak which made her cheeks go red. Clearing her throat, she continued, waving her bouquet and the clay pot. “Yeah, so as you can see, I have a little bit of a situation here.”