#botb fic

[ithinkyouhealedmyheart]

I'm putting all my covers of the Flower Series (+ 10 Things) together and also talking about why I chose the flower I did.

Ghostwriter, my beloved. It's my favorite cover. We all know yellow represents happiness; the same goes for the sun. Since sunflowers turn to seek the light from the sun, it symbolizes the light at the end of the tunnel. With tenderness, love, and care, anyone can thrive. For so long, Ronnie believed she had to suffer to receive the love she always wanted but she hadn't been looking in the right places.

The sunflower represents her. Despite moving across the country and worrying constantly about her father's prostate cancer, she survives and manages to soak up the sun the best she can. She stays true to herself and doesn't allow Hollywood to change her for the worse. She finds optimism in the darkest times and hopes that making it out on the other side of the tunnel will be better.

Finally, we have a face to the name or a face claim. For Battle of the Bands, we have Jasmine! These flowers are described in some spaces as unassuming. They bloom at night. In a way, this symbolizes how Lynette blooms once she changes her environment. She took a leap of faith and auditioned to be the fourth member of a girl group.

But it's also a nod toward how she adores the simplest things in life. She doesn't need fancy cars or expensive jewelry if she has something handmade with love. If something is made with love, it is the most valuable thing she could ever have.

Songbird! Represented by a singular daffodil. By itself, it can mean misfortune and unrequited love. Ashlynn's past has been paved with violence and mistreatment, but there is a rebirth factor. Daffodils bloom after winter. Although her heart has frozen over to protect herself, a new beginning is blossoming.

Working toward her dream and no longer living with her mother bring about many changes in her life. She makes space for herself in a world where she believes there is no spare for her. Her relationships and bonds reinforce the idea that her past doesn't define her.

Traveling on a Dream! At its core, the Water Lily represents Sarah. She makes the most of her life and sees the world with childlike wonder. Like the flower, she can be considered pure and innocent. The water lily blossoms beautifully from the muddy depths, which could be a nod to how much she thrives in Los Angeles after being isolated in Roxobel, NC, for so long.

10 Things I Hate About You. A flower that blooms in winter symbolizes strength, beauty, pride, love, and sometimes resilience. It's more representative of Marnie herself but pays homage to how stubborn and prideful Drake Parker is or, more so, how prideful they both are.

Unlike most of the other flowers, which are either white or have softer colors, the amaryllis is stark red because of the sheer determination shared between both parties. Marnie is determined to be seen as strong and independent, and Drake is determined to show her that she is worthy of love regardless of what anyone else thinks. It is strong and pushes both of them forward.

[fairyhaos]

YOOOOOO THE BLOND LEE TWINS ‼️‼️‼️‼️

[sapphicflower-ao3]

Not me wanting to read both battle of the bands and magic in a mirror for months now but never finding the time. Definitely gonna do that now though after hearing you talk about them!

I hope you have a great day!

DEAR ANON,

let me do you the honour of linking them both here for your easy reference:

1. battle of the bands - roadtripwithlucifer

2. the magic in a mirror - totallyrottentomatoes

i’ve talked abt these fics so often on my socials and it’s funny how everytime i can’t help but point out that my 2 fav bkdk fics are AUs… 😵‍💫

PLEASE HAVE A GREAT DAY IN RETURN <3

[tarmac-rat]

TFW you're two weeks removed from leaving your entire life behind and moving to Night City but you're restless and anxious and can't sleep so you sneak out in the dead of night and do something reckless and the only person you know who can fix you up is that old doctor guy your new friend took you to see in a basement last week for back alley chrome and fighting tips.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

(insp.)

[theoppositequeens]

there's glitter on the floor (after the party)

ship: Helnik

rated: T

read on AO3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52884196

Part 4 of the Helnik Royalty AU is Christmas fluff, written for Kay (@im-doing-hot-girl-shit ) for the Bastards of the Barrel WInter Exchange. Hope you enjoy, Kay!

there's glitter on the floor (after the party)

Christmas banquets and New Years galas are all the same – the same themes, same music, same kind of classy entertainment – year after year. Matthias has never found them exciting. Even Christmas has long since lost its charm. When expensive clothes and items are an everyday requirement, gift-giving can easily get excessive. He really appreciates his little sister's handmade or thoughtful gifts – Embla has always been artistic – but the family traditions have felt a tad stiff and planned and lackluster. The highlight has always been decorating their own private tree together, and getting a few rare days of downtime between Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Nina throws all his expectations for another boring holiday season out of the window.

The day before the row of banquets start, she shows up with two homemade bingo sheets.

"These are things I think we'll spot people doing," she explains with an excited smile. Matthias stares at the paper, confused. It contains squares like Ambassador Gröndahl itches his nose and someone trips on their skirt and Embla shocks someone with descriptions of her current obsession (horror TV-series) and a parent gives their child the patented disapproving stare and someone gets too drunk and knocks over a glass. "Every time we see something on this list happen, we get to cross it off after the party! And then if we get the whole bingo card we can celebrate!"

"Celebrate with what?" Matthias asks dumbly.

Nina smirks. "Perhaps we'll shop together online for some lingerie."

That gets him on board real fast.

-

The other bingo card contains ridiculous phrases or words they have to try to squeeze into polite conversation.

"Why, I believe Mrs. Andersen is slaying in that dress tonight," Matthias comments to Nina and Embla while watching the dance floor. Mrs. Andersen is about 80 years old and wearing a black ensemble which might be made out of leather, but Nina keeps a surprisingly straight face at his comment, her eyes glittering. Embla in turn is choking on her champagne, eyes comically wide.

"Yes, it's giving fashion," Nina retorts, a pretty tame phrase on their third bingo card – they are going through them way too fast.

"I can't with the two of you," Embla mutters and flits away to join one of her friends.

"Are you having fun, darling?" Nina asks, and Matthias wraps an arm around his wife.

"Surprisingly, yes," he admits.

-

They do keep to Matthias' family's tradition to decorate a private Christmas tree. The rules are that they have to chop it down themselves in the forest edging palace grounds, and every year they manage to find an ugly and lopsided one.

It always looks crazy and colorful and beautiful with the ornaments on, though.

Matthias hangs the star but lets Embla dig through the decorations they've made through the years: pinecones painted by clumsy chubby toddler hands, paper snowflakes that he made when he was still mastering the scissors, tacky painted balls and some uneven crocheted angels Embla has contributed. Of course there's tinsel and family ornaments from years past as well, so it's quite a mess.

Nina runs back to her rooms and contributes an ugly glittering plastic avocado-ornament as well as a red ball with a picture of her family printed onto the side. Embla is ecstatic about the ugly ornament and Matthias shakes his head from the sofa while the women debate the best branch to hang it from.

His parents have already given up, enjoying a hot toddy and casually cranking up the volume on Frank Sinatra Christmas songs to drown out Embla's dictator-like commentary on tree decoration.

Matthias feels happy, at that moment. Content. In the years to come he's sure Nina will add more ugly decorations, and perhaps one day assist new chubby hands in making something for the tree.

-

Nina insists on making Christmas dinner themselves. She somehow gets his mother and father on board. Mother even starts reminiscing about grandpa Krister's Christmas meatballs and digs out all the old family recipes on her side. Matthias' father has always enjoyed cooking, and he cures the salmon for gravad lax and makes the potato casserole.

Matthias religiously follows a recipe for a beetroot salad, and does not mess it up too badly. Nina whips up cranberry mousse and generally cooks like there is no tomorrow. The ham ends up with a lovely mustard glaze and they'll have leftovers for a week. The table looks very different to Christmases before, no carefully plated dishes or subtle flavor combinations. Instead some dishes are a bit burnt, others too salty and some quite perfect. At least their cooks sure enjoy an extra holiday.

Embla's Christmas tarts meant for dessert sort of explode in the oven, but they all agree they taste wonderful.

-

Matthias gets a kiss at midnight that New Years, and he strokes Nina's cold cheek as fireworks explode above. Privately, he muses that she's been the best thing about this year.

-

They make new traditions as well. Nina enjoys having dinner with friends on January the first, to start off the New Year right!, she claims.

Matthias loves how well their friend groups mix, Nina's friends and siblings having flown up to meet them. He especially enjoys watching Nina in her element, playing hostess and tossing jokes around. Her brown hair meshes with Inej's black as they lean their heads together, discussing something in animated whispers.

Fedyor sidles up to him at some point, and they contemplate the starry sky outside while nursing their warming beers.

"She's really happy here," Fedyor says quietly at one point. "Just so you know."

Matthias smiles and claps him on the shoulder.

"I'm really happy she's here," he says, and they rejoin the party.

-

And January the second... Well, the lingerie they ordered arrives, and Matthias tackles Nina into bed and they don't end up leaving their room that day.

[wnightingales]

rip to orange cassidy but if julia hart stared at me i would simply stare back and then let my gaze wander down to her lips and then meet her eyes again and then we-

[knickynoo]

To do list for my blog

• make the APK bingo card

• finish writing the current chapter of BotB and post it (I am struggling so hard with it. It's taking me 10 years send help)

• like. A dozen in-progress gifsets to put together

• answer the asks that have piled up in my ask box but that I keep forgetting about

• maybe perhaps even post something resembling BTTF commentary or analysis, which is what my blog was created for but I never seem to do anymore.

[hexiewrites]

january 22nd: 10,391

welp. here we go again. i've officially (as of earlier this week) started on the ronance companion fic to my steddie hockey au carve your name into my chest.

summary tldr: nancy, an ex-figure skater, learns there's a new competitor on the hit canadian tv show battle of the blades (picture: dancing with the stars on ice, ft male hockey players and female figure skaters doing pairs routines) who only wants to skate with a female partner. intrigued, nancy signs up for the show, and gets a lot more than she bargained for as she slowly starts to fall for her new pairs partner, the one and only robin buckley.

this fic starts a few months before carve your name, and then overlaps with the rest of the fic. it's nancy pov and the plan is to feature some fun steve moments that show a little more of his insight into what's happening on his side of carve your name, while also highlighting nancy and robin's romance as they speed run a sexuality crisis and a relationship.

anyways. i'm making good progress now but it's going to be a busy few weeks (we're moving in less than a week! ahh!) but i wanted a way to keep myself accountable to still trying to write at least a few hundred words every night when i have a minute. SO, we're back at it again with a new tracker!

i don't want to fuck myself again but i do always find it funny to see how wrong I was, so: my current estimation is that this fic is going to be ~35k, with 9 chapters (of varying lengths). wish me luck!

[the-kipsabian]

someone keep me updated on tonights battle of the belts tho

[persephinae]

ok so i started this because it was on sale and by the author that had the half-elven merc stories

and it starts out a bit slow but it's picking up steam now and has my interest

so far from what I can gather this is a steam punk world where magic was once wielded by powerful sorcerers however the mountain where they dwelt was decimated by their enemies and now most magic users are called witches and either stoned to death or hunted by the government to become living weapons

the story deals with Sardelle, a sorceress from that time when magic flourished, but during the attack she was put in stasis for 300 years.

she awakened to find that her mountain home is now a hard labor prison for criminals forced to work the crystal mines within the mountain

she was unintentionally freed by some less than savory miners and then made her way through the tunnels trying to figure out where her soul sword is located, which was also buried within the mountain for 300 years

while she's doing this she finds out that magic users are hunted, and the soldiers stationed at the mine assume she's a recent criminal condemned to work the mines

so while she works in the laundry she's trying to find intel and figure out 1) where the fuck her telepathic sword is 2) what the fuck happened 3) how to get off this godforsaken mountain

and while this is happening she stumbles upon the new captain assigned to the mines. They're attracted to each other, but doesn't know the other person feels the same, and in the meantime, the captain assumes she's a prisoner, so he's trying to be honorable and keep his distance, but little things don't add up around her. She's not on any documentation, she's incredibly educated and refined, has intimate knowledge of the area around the mountain, and she's a terrible liar who sticks to half-truths as much as possible.

he thinks she's a spy but he doesn't know for whom or why she keeps saving everyone

so, so far it's interesting 👍

his personality is like a regency soldier who after his heroic feats is punished for his hubris and assigned to some armpit of the empire as punishment

and her personality is of a refined lady who happens to be an intelligent (nerd) sorceress

both caught up in some war and thrown together, while she tries to find her sword and get the fuck out before anyone discovers she can use magic (she's failing this so badly)

[starseungs]

jgh from a battle of the bands competition 😻👍

[tough-n-dumb]

and for a bit of levity because it is a rough one, here is the funniest typo i have ever made while writing this

instead of kisses you leave bruises

"She kisses him. She kisses him and it hurts. He can tell it hurts on purpose for her. For both of them. Kaz doesn’t want it to hurt. He wants tenderness with her, soft and gentle, their hands bare and cherishing on each other’s skin. But they are not tender people. And so it hurts." - Inej leaves. She does not come back—at least, not as who she was.

Read on AO3

[esther-dot]

Braavos is For Lovers 3k

Tired of fighting, Jon and Sansa run away to Braavos to get warm. They take new names, find work as common folk, and struggle with a forbidden attraction to each other.

Jeyne and Bael 7k by @wendynerdwrites

Jon and Sansa escape to Essos after Jon finds her again in the Vale. They adopt to their fake married aliases so well, they forget they are not actually married.

Bittersweet Symphony 1k by @captainbee89

For the prompt I got: Could you write a Jonsa fic in which Jon and Sansa lose the war and they'll change their names and live somewhere (let's say at the seaside) in bittersweet happiness

Alive 2k

“Where will we go?” “Somewhere warm. Far from here.”

We Should Run Away 2k

“We were children,” he tells her when she asks for his forgiveness, a long since given thing. But they are not children any longer and he does not know what to do with this sister in a woman’s body. or Jon and Sansa run away to Lys, and they don't look back.

Setting Sail ficlet by @azulaahai

At twilight, on the brink of night, a ship sets sail from White Harbor. Based on a prompt by @thimbleful: "After the resurrection, they decide to be selfish and go somewhere warm after all."

Tomorrows ficlet by @misshoneywheeler

It’s raining today, a softer rain than the sort that fell in Winterfell or the Vale or even King’s Landing. Most things in Essos seem softer so far: the winds, the ground, the people. And Jon.

Voyage to a New Life ficlet by @alczysz17

The shift between them was gradual. It was so easy to forget who they truly were here. Easy to forget their old lives and even their past relation to each other. Easy for the lines to blur when playing husband and wife.

take me apart and I'll flow like water 2k

“We can leave here and not look back,” he says, as he steps nearer to her, unsure of how close to get to this sister of his, this sister who had only ever offered him cold, blue Tully eyes and a frost-lined frown that had mirrored her lady mother’s. “We can start over,” he adds softly, and he knows he has her then, can tell by the broken, tear-laced sigh she delivers, her breath visible even in the warmth of Jon’s solar. OR the one where Jon and Sansa escape to Braavos before the BotB.

PRE CANON - WESTERN - FAIRYTALE - REGENCY - LITTLE WOMEN - HOLIDAY - SEASON 6 - ANNE OF GREEN GABLES - THE GIRL IN GREY - FAIRYTALE PART II - POLITICAL MARRIAGE - SALTY TEENS - POST CANON

[drywallwords]

ok so like. need to scream into the void for a sec trying to figure out how i wanna write this inf//amous au. need to get my head on straight because i think i'm losing the plot here.

underneath the cut because these are thoughts for a horny sadfic. i have to cater to my tastes. because why else do i write. i love flawed and messy characters and unhealthy relationships (mentions of self-harm)

dakshini and ri get into a fling before the botb tryouts. massive fucking mistake. dakshini's clinging on to whatever "relief" she can because she wholly feels like she needs the cycle of being hurt and getting relief for it (or, the endorphins after pain). all the time.

oriana on the other hand is fucking struggling too. ex husband got married. his partner is pregnant. there's a baby shower soon after. she feels the inadequacy all over again and since work is all she does-- and being needed is addicting-- completing a task is satisfying. it proves that she's useful. she pushes dakshini harder into the career of a singer while working herself into the bone.

a moment where she doesn't think is like bait to dakshini. they have a desperate kiss in a dingy alleyway. dakshini chases her for more.

the tricky bit about this is making it so that the canon events of inf//amous are plausible. canon oriana is truly a person who cares about her clients. she has suggested dropping out of the competition multiple times. she worries about how the industry sucks the life out of it's constants. she's a moral, principled person. an adult, if you will.

the most sensible thing for oriana to do in this situation is to nip the problem in the bud: send dakshini to a therapist (maybe involuntarily send her to a hospital if it gets extreme enough. boy howdy do i have many words about this but that's for another time); tell the rest of the band; distance herself emotionally. maybe find them a new manager since dakshini had latched onto her so much.

so why doesn't she? in this fic she's not that person. i added that little current of selfishness. oriana *wants* to be that manager that led the band to the top. she *wants* to be the one that dakshini goes to. because oriana can love no one but herself. that feeling is strong enough to override her good sense but it's up to me as a writer to pull it off.

the two of them learn to love only after their fling. the love starts when the fling ends. right person (debatable. dubious even), drastically wrong time.

im thinking too much ahead of myself, pondering how the O scenes would be like under this context. but that's another time.

[theoppositequeens]

war is over (if you want it)

This is a fic written for Kay (@im-doing-hot-girl-shit ) in the Bastards of the Barrel Winter Exchange. I'm sorry it took me so long to get posted - first inspiration struck for two fics and then I had no inspiration to finish either - so on this last day you are of course getting both! Hope you enjoy them!

Ship: Helnik

Rated: T

Read on AO3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52883680

war is over (if you want it)

Matthias Helvar was infuriating.

Nina had been aware of him since freshman year - who wouldn't be, he was freakishly tall - and even had a major crush on him, because he was gorgeous and seemed like serious boyfriend material.

But that was before he opened his mouth and started talking.

Helvar was damned smart, and he used his smarts to constantly question Nina. Any time she answered in class, or had a theory, or gave her opinion on what could have caused this psychological issue in that exemplary person, he would open his beautiful mouth and argue. He'd pick apart her answer, offer infuriatingly good alternatives and pull her into a heated debate that just made her look stupid. She didn't know why the teachers never intervened.

And so she had decided to hate him. It wasn't going amazingly, because she still admired his strong shoulders and cute half-smile from a distance, but she was trying. It was easier when he wound up taking courses he had no business taking - rumor had it that he was ex-police force, studying criminal psychology because of an injury in the line of duty. He had nothing to do in her specialized developmental psychology classes!

Yet there he was. Sometimes Nina wondered if he was taking every class available.

-

"Ohhh, I hate him!" Nina seethed, face planting into the sofa in hers and Inej's apartment. "The stupid man always has to punch holes in my explanations!"

"What did Helvar do this time?" Inej inquired mildly from the kitchen.

"We had a group conversation in class about what we'd do with this imaginary client, and what factors to take into account and look for, and every time I said something, he'd go: but what if it isn't trauma? Could we be looking at...", she did a bad rendition of Helvar's voice and Inej giggled. "And of course the professor happened to pass our group every time so I then had to defend my idea like a three-year-old defending her sand castle. Scrambling and badly."

"Well was he right to question you?"

Nina thought about it, and groaned. "Sometimes," she admitted grudgingly. "But he was still an ass about it."

Inej dropped the subject and Nina should have spent the evening not giving Matthias a second thought, but his constant comebacks were wearing her down, a little. Even after sushi, two glasses of wine, and quality time with Inej and Grey’s Anatomy, it was bugging her. She shouldn’t let him take up som much space in her mind. Perhaps she could just be a bit quieter in class so she wouldn't have to deal with him all the time.

-

In the beginning she had thought that they could be friends. They had both been clearly older than the typical uni student – heck, she'd done her degree in social work and been in the workforce a few years before feeling like she could make more of a difference as a child psychologist, especially because of the nationwide psychologist shortage. She was on average 7 years older than everyone else in her year.

So she'd placed herself beside him at the bar during freshers events, they had chatted amicably but very shallowly. At first, she’d thought he was just slow to warm up, or perhaps shy. Sometimes getting answers out of Helvar had felt like pulling teeth, though, so Nina gave up. He clearly wasn't interested in being friends, let alone more.

"Stop daydreaming, Nina," chided Inej, and Nina jerked her head around from where she'd been staring at Helvar, further down the line. She grabbed her lunch tray and started filling it, opting for the chili. Flashing her student card and paying, Nina followed Inej into the thick Monday crowd of students. Her friend moved confidently and elegantly, her lithe dancer's frame twisting to avoid other people's lunch trays. Inej somehow spotted a free table with three chairs in the inner courtyard, and beelined for it. The student cafeteria would put out absolutely uncomfortable metal tables and chairs whenever the weather warmed up, and spots outside in the sunshine were coveted despite the less-than-stellar seating. Everyone was eager to escape the noisy interior and soak up the sunshine.

"So have you heard anything about the research assistant spot?" Inej asked when they were seated.

Now well past her bachelor's, Nina had applied for the spot in the hopes of getting to do her master's thesis about the subject. The project was awesome, looking at the reliability of children's testimonies in court, and how children responded to certain types of questions. Just the kind of thing that could make a difference.

"Not yet," Nina sighed. "We'll probably hear from them next week. Did you know Helvar had the interview slot after me? I'll bloody murder him if he gets the spot instead!"

Inej laughed merrily but Nina shut her up with a question about Kaz, which made the other girl blush and peep that they were going on a third date soon. Just when they were launching into what Inej should wear, someone cleared their throat beside their table. Nina looked up, and there he was, blonde hair contrasting against the autumn glory of the maple tree in the courtyard, the reds and yellows in the sunshine making his blue eyes pop.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, Nina," he said politely, "but everywhere else is full, may I sit with you guys?"

Nina looked around, but unfortunately did not spot any alternative places to suggest instead, and so she answered with a sigh: "Sure, Helvar."

Somehow Matthias managed to fold his impressive frame onto the small metal chair, and after introducing himself to Inej he joined their lunch. It was awkward, but surprisingly not hostile. Matthias seemed warmer than he did in class, his tongue less sharp. He was mostly quiet besides, so Nina and Inej carried most of the conversation.

He stayed with them until it was time for them to bring their trays back and head to the next lecture.

"Thank you for the company," he said in his typical formal way when they parted, and as soon as he was out of earshot, Inej rounded on Nina.

"So that's Helvar? " she asked, a teasing glint in her eyes.

"Yeah?" Nina didn’t like the tone in Inej’s voice.

"Oh, girl," Inej's smile was almost blinding, "the guy has a crush on you!"

"What?" Nina stumbled. She caught herself at the last minute, feeling like the air had been knocked out of her. "No, he does not!"

"Well, clearly you didn't see the way he was looking at you," Inej grinned. "Are you sure the arguing in class isn't just some weird academic foreplay?"

-

Nina had laughed at Inej but the truth was: she couldn't stop thinking about him.

His big, long-fingered hands gesturing while he made a point. His intense gaze almost burning through her whenever she said something. How he tossed his head almost flirtatiously while countering her argument.

She wasn't sure what to make of it.

-

... and due to this additional funding, we have decided to hire two research assistants for the project. Joining you will be Mr Matthias Helvar.

If you could swing by my office on Monday, we could set up a meeting time for further discussions. Everyone on the team is looking forward to working with you, Ms Zenik...

Nina stared at the screen in disbelief. She had worked so hard for this and that was the reward? She should be shrieking with joy – the position was hers after all and she'd really wanted it – but working with Matthias Helvar on the team left her with mixed feelings. Nina read the email a third time, trying to decipher from the wording whether she was the runner-up while they would have chosen Matthias if not given additional funding. It was impossible - likely she'd never know.

She knew they likely would have to collaborate on all the basic tasks involved in data gathering and analyzing as well as general project prep. The brief had said she'd be required to do some writing as well, at least a systematic review on some background research. That would be amazing for her academic career, but would she now have to do all of it with infuriating, too-tall-for-his-own-good Helvar?

-

Nina arrived at the uni exactly twelve minutes before the initial appointment. Enough time to refresh her makeup and smooth her dress down one last time before she went to meet her supervisor. It couldn’t hurt to make a professional first impression with her new co-workers, and arriving a touch early, but not early enough to seem desperate, was the way to go. When she arrived on the faculty floor though, she discovered that Helvar was already there, chatting with a dark-haired middle-aged woman, a coffee mug in his hand. Nina wanted to roll her eyes at him – obviously – being there before her, but she also couldn’t help noticing how well the black shirt and gray dress pants he chose for his first say here suited him. Nina blinked, trying to shake off the notion of how good Helvar looked and entered the room.

The internship, it turned out, would involve a lot of cooperation between her and Helvar. The dark-haired woman who turned out to be their supervisor gave them an overview of their tasks for the next few weeks and then took them on a tour to introduce them to everyone on the team.

Over the next few days Nina familiarized herself with the various projects and got to know her coworkers and their areas of expertise better. On top of that, she kept up with normal coursework and classes, which meant a lot of late evenings and early mornings. She’d been annoyed to find out that she’d be stuck doing a lot of work with Matthias on top of her busy schedule, but that didn’t turn into the horror she'd somehow expected. Someone bringing down her mood constantly would not have helped at all. Matthias wasn't as combative as she remembered from their discussions in class, and he seemed surprisingly happy to be working with her. He was flexible with his schedule, always greeted her with a smile and kept up on his promised parts of the work.

He still annoyed her though. Especially in the mornings, he was way too cheery, and his constant good mood grated on her nerves. This particular Thursday, Nina had been up with another deadline all night just to catch three hours of crappy sleep and drag her ass to the university. On the way she’d had to trudge through typical November-snow slush, and narrowly managed to avoid slipping on some ice. Her favorite coffee place had been out of ingredients for a hot cocoa and once she arrived at their booked studying nook, she realized she’d forgotten her laptop charger. She was so ready for the week to end.

"Hey, Nina," Matthias said, sounding way too chipper while flopping down at the table. "I’m stuck with this research hypothesis because I found a lot of really contradicting papers. Could you give it a look. I’d like to have your opinion on it."

Later, Nina would blame her lack of sleep, or perhaps her general personality, for her next words: "Why should I give it, when you're just going to pick it apart anyway?"

She grimaced at her snappy tone. She’d sounded irritated, almost defensive. A real bitchy response to a nice inquiry.

"W–what?" Matthias looked confused for a bit, and then a little hurt before he settled on confused again. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Forget it, Matthias," Nina said tiredly. "I'm just in a shitty mood this morning."

"No," he insisted, watching her carefully. "What’s this about?"

Nina was stubborn, but she sensed he was equally so. She wouldn't be getting out of this situation without answering. And the real answer meant sucking up her pride and admitting that she'd taken his comments to heart and let them affect her.

"I just... You're always picking apart my theories in class. I just don’t think you’d value my opinion that much."

“No!”

It was an unusually loud noise from the collected and calm Matthias. Like it had startled out of him accidentally. Matthias pressed the heel of his hand against his forehead. He frowned and shook his head lightly before he continued.

“No, I – I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come across as rude. I wasn’t criticizing you, I promise!”

“Alright,” Nina mumbled, still unsure, and avoided his searching gaze. It sure had felt like that to her. Matthias seemed to sense that she wasn’t convinced yet, so he continued:

“It’s just the way we were taught to engage at the academy – you know, find the weak spots in someone's plan of action and help patch the plan up. Like, bouncing ideas off each other.” He looked upset and embarrassed when she did dare to take a peek at him. “I didn’t realize it made you feel like I was putting you down.”

“Okay,” Nina said. “That makes sense, I guess. And I mean, I didn’t tell you I found it uncomfortable, so how could you know?”

Matthias sighed. “Well I’m an ex-police officer and I’ve studied years of psychology, you’d think I would know how to read a situation!”

“And perhaps I should have picked up that you weren’t being mean, just constructive in your own way?” Nina threw him a wary smile.

He smiled at her attempt to lighten the mood a bit. And gosh, was he attractive when he smiled.

“I…” Matthias hesitated a bit, and still sounded very apologetic despite her giving him an easy out. “Okay, now that I think back, I could have phrased a lot of things better. Perhaps I’m not so good at constructive criticism.”

“Yeah,” Nina said quietly, then perked up a bit. It was good to know that she’d just been misreading his attempts to debate as a personal attack. But then again, she really wore her heart on her sleeve, and, “I just tend to put a lot of myself into everything I say or do, so I guess I’m bad at separating my emotions from any argument I use? And then I tend to get a little defensive of my ideas.”

“That’s not a bad thing,” Matthias said. “I really like how you can get really passionate about things, it’s such a great quality!”

Nina smiled back at him, taking the compliment with more ease than she usually did. After this intense discussion – she wouldn’t call it a fight – she felt more inclined to believe it was genuine. And really, no one was really at fault here, they just communicated very differently, and that had gotten them off on the wrong foot.

“So now that we’ve established we have very different styles of communication for academic debate, perhaps you could offer your opinion on my hypothesis?” Matthias asked shyly, putting into words what Nina was about to say. Then he blushed and looked down. “I quite like getting your input on things.”

Oh. Okay, so perhaps Inej hadn’t been far off?

“Sure”, Nina said brightly, her day looking so much better. Matthias didn’t really dislike her, she’d just misinterpreted his signals of interest. And having different communication styles wasn’t really a hindrance to a relationship if both parties were aware… “Show me what you got?”

-

Christmas parties weren’t always the best – Nina had been to quite a few boring and uncomfortable ones while she was working – but the psychology association at her uni tended to throw a great party. Everyone was invited, from students to staff, food and alcohol were plentiful and the decorations tasteful.

And Matthias would be there.

They’d spent most of November and December building up an easy friendship. Soon they’d dropped the excuse of doing research work and just hung out together. She learnt Matthias was addicted to cute puppy videos and that his leg injury only bothered him if he had to be standing for long stretches of time. Matthias had learnt not to stand between Nina and pizza (or any food really) and he tolerated her ranting about basically anything with good humor.

Sometimes she wondered if he would make a move, but even while they did some typical dating things like movies and bowling, he never did.

That was okay though. Nina didn’t mind taking it slow – and yet tonight she was dressed to impress. The dark red dress clung to all her curves, and Inej had helped her with hair and make-up.

-

The lights at the venue were slightly dimmed, but it didn’t take Matthias long to find her at the bar after the sit-down dinner was done. He was handsome in his suit, the baby blue shirt matching his eyes.

“Hey,” he greeted her, his eyes quickly raking over her form. “You look amazing tonight!”

“Thanks,” Nina said with a flirty smile, and held up a glass of wine in question. “Something to drink?”

He smiled at her and slid in quite close when he ordered, just enough that she could feel the heat of him. While waiting, he turned to her and Nina tilted her head back to get a good look at his face. His hair was slightly mussed, like he’d ran a hand through it. He once confessed that before being a policeman, he’d had long hair. It was just more practical to keep it short while working, and he hadn’t gotten around to growing it out yet. Touching it was his nervous habit.

“How was your dinner?” Matthias asked while they sipped their drinks, and Nina recounted being seated near a professor who had drunk a bit much and incited her part of the table into some spontaneous and rambunctious Christmas carols.

“That sounds like fun,” he chuckled. “I didn’t know Professor T liked singing.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say Professor T is good at singing,” Nina confessed, trying to stay serious, ”but at least he has enthusiasm!”

They both cracked up a bit, Matthias almost snorting beer out of his nose. Soon they abandoned their empty glasses and Nina took a deep breath, holding out her hand.

“Do you want to dance?”

Matthias looked stunned for a second, before he smiled widely and followed her into the crowd. It had started with a few more classical dances, but now that the professors were mostly tired, drunk, or heading home, the students had taken over the floor. Someone was acting DJ and the music was rhythmic and fast.

Matthias was a surprisingly good dancer. He kept near but let Nina do her own thing, sometimes he pulled her closer and she delighted in shimmying against him. They spun into a circle of mutual friends, who they danced with for a while, and when the crowd moved they ended up in a quiet corner, pressed against each other. Matthias’s hands on her hips were more intoxicating than all of the wine she’d consumed that evening. He was warm and strong and she would very much like to kiss him. Instead, she leaned in close and shouted over the music,

“Want to go take a breather?”

Matthias led her through the dance floor, his bulk cutting a path through the throng of people, Nina following behind. The air outside was refreshingly cold, a few snowflakes slowly descending from a dark sky. They weren’t alone on the patio, but Matthias steered her away from the gang taking a smoke – a blessing, since Nina hated the smell of cigarettes.

Instead, he brushed off snow from one of the tables and leaned slightly against it, taking a deep breath. It would be way too cold to stay outside for long without a jacket, but the alcohol warmed Nina enough that she decided she’d copy his pose for a while. That was a great idea, until her foot slipped on the icy deck.

Her arms flailed for a second before she caught onto Matthias, and he to her. Unexpectedly close, he let out a surprised and relieved huff of air, and then he was kissing her.

His mouth was warm and soft and careful at first, everything she’d dreamed of. And when she entwined her arms around his neck and rose onto her tippy-toes to kiss him back, the kiss turned delightfully smoldering and dirty. They were interrupted by hoots and cat-calls from the smokers, and Nina pulled back with a laugh, half-dazed by the kiss.

Matthias let out a puff of air, the white of his breath visible in the cold, and Nina felt herself blushing a bit. His attention and his proximity was intense. This was not how she’d expected the night to go.

Then again, she wasn’t exactly going to complain either.

“So how am I meant to interpret this kiss?” She teased. “Are our communication styles very different in this area, too, or should I assume this means you like me, because if not I’d –”

Matthias kissed her again to shut her up.

“Yes, it means I really like you,“ he said roughly. “Now, let’s get you inside, so you don’t freeze before I have a chance to take you on a first date.”

[jovenshires]

soooo.... not to be obviously obsessed like i always am but if you would like to divulge even a little bit of what the spomny dynamic looks like in battle of the bands... i would be VERY interested/lh

so. SO. so--

so spommy is kind of rivals-to-lovers in this au again but this its more like. spencer is like "oh yeah that's lead singer of ftc tommy bowe he's cool and pretty" and tommy is like "my Archnemesis Spencer Agnew i will DESTROY you" and spencers like. "oh!" KNDLKKNLFNLK like spencer did not know it was this deep. and honestly it's really not, tommy's just petty. you ever just see someone do/say something and its not REALLY a mean thing about you but it feels like a slight and it gets under your skin and builds. yeah. very him. (im not projecting you are.)

but the funniest thing is that they've only met Extremely briefly before and so they're also basically strangers. tommy just has this parasocial rivalry based on nothing. and also the chosen (spencer band) is like pretty famous and successful atp and one of the frontrunners to win botb so tommy is like. not on my watch! so yeah he's trying to cartoonishly kill spencer tom and jerry style. meanwhile spencer is like "bro what did i do........ please be my friend" and eventually tommys like. oh you're actually. not a shithead. okay.

its a pretty quick turnaround between tommy ignoring him and when they're like hanging out one-on-one and being besties. and then of course tommy's like. shit. god damn it. bc he doesn't want to date another singer that sounds like the fucking worst idea bc all other singers are terrible and shitty. but not this goofy lil guy!

skimmin some details that, if i ever Write A Fic for it, will be spoilers. but that's the gist ! kind-of-rivals and then friends and then lovers my beloved!