#but jem hardly is noticed

[scarlettblack24]

The Creator (yeah I said it)🧛🏼‍♂️🧛🏻‍♀️🤓

[jomiddlemarch]

christmas prompt #6, anne/gilbert!

“I’m sorry, Anne, truly,” Gilbert said, his arm warm around her waist, the words dropping as softly as the snow that had begun to fall. 

“I’m not,” Anne replied. She didn’t dare glance up at him. He was tall and sturdily built and it was taking a great deal of determination to serve as his crutch, which she could hardly let him see. He’d be sure to insist she go to fetch someone to help him back, as if she’d leave him sitting beside the frozen pond with only his great-coat and scarlet muffler to keep him from becoming a block of ice. She could also feel her nose turning an unbecoming red in the cold and was vain enough not to want Gilbert to notice.

“You ought to be,” he said, wincing as he made an entirely unsuccessful attempt to bear some of his own weight. Like every doctor she’d ever heard of, he made a poor patient, a fact she intended to share with him just as soon as they were settled safely back at Ingleside, Susan whipping up a delicious pot of her famous vegetable soup, “known to keep body and soul together, Mrs. Doctor, a tonic far tastier than anything the Doctor ever prescribed.”

“Let’s not have any oughts or shoulds,” Anne said. “It was a wonderful idea, an afternoon of skating, just you and I, the way we never did back in Avonlea. I had a lovely time, you thought of everything, the flask of hot tea and those lemon biscuits—”

“And then I nearly crushed you, falling like the greatest oaf, as if I’d never worn a pair of skates before,” Gilbert interrupted. “If you weren’t so quick and graceful, I’d have hurt you badly.”

“That’s quite enough,” Anne said, letting her voice hold the faintest hint of Marilla’s regular asperity. “You didn’t come close to toppling me and the only consequence is your poor sprained ankle. If you’re quite sure it isn’t broken, you’re limping terribly.”

“I’m sure I can diagnose a broken ankle, whether I’m the patient or yet another one of the infinite McPherson clan,” Gilbert said. “It’s just a sprain—”

“A bad one,” Anne said. “I saw how you looked when you tried to stand up, don’t try to convince me otherwise. You shan’t and it will be a waste of your strength.”

“You’re not wrong,” Gilbert said, which she knew was as far as he would go in allowing he was in pain. She made a quick mental inventory of the pillows in the sitting room and decided which ones she’d use to prop up his foot. The squashy green velvet one she sewed just before Walter was born, the one he said made her look like a most industrious nymph, would at the top of the pile. “Why aren’t you sorry, though, Anne-girl? If you’re not sorry the skating ended early, it sounds rather heartless and that’s the last word I’d use to describe you.”

“I’m not sorry because I loved skating with you, Gil,” she said. “It felt like heaven, flying about the ice, and though I’d never want you to be injured, now you’ll have to rest for a few days. You can’t drive the carriage with your bad ankle. I’ll have you all to myself at Ingleside, Dr. Blythe unable to attend clinic or conduct any house-calls. I can’t think of the last time you had to stay at home and let yourself be tended to. You’ll have to let me be the one who takes care of you.”

“It sounds like work,” Gilbert said. “Me, a useless lump stuck on the sofa, Jem and Walter running you ragged—"

“I shan’t tell Susan you said that,” Anne replied. “She’ll reproach you so long and thoroughly you’ll wish you’d sprained both ankles or knocked yourself insensible. The boys will be delighted that Papa is home and happy to read them stories and Susan will be overjoyed to make us all twice as many of her little snacks as usual and when Jem and Walter are napping and Susan is in the kitchen, I’ll have you all to myself—”

“And what will you do with me?” Gilbert asked, his voice low, a little husky, startling to hear outside of their moonlit bedroom.

“That’s quite a good question,” Anne said. She risked a look at his face, the gleam in his hazel eyes obscuring any distress from his ankle or the growing cold. “You’ll be at my mercy, won’t you?”

“I will indeed,” he said. “I’m curious to see what form it will take.”

Nine months later, the form was apparent: twins, Di her mother’s image and Nan just as fair, with his own dark curls and eyes. He’d laughingly suggested they name Diana Mercy, but Anne, tired but indomitable, had only shaken her head and cuddled the swaddled babies a little closer.

[jinanreona]

@muraenide sent a meme:

patch .   help  my  muse  patch  up  a  wound .

Tensions had been building in the body art parlour lately. It had started a few weeks ago, first beginning with the cash drawer coming up a few bucks short. Over time though, it only became a more jarring amount, the school only growing warier and suspicious of the students that manned the place. It could be anyone, new students coming and going each semester. However, a certain pair stuck out from the rest, what with already having a criminal record to back any claims of foul play.

Lindo had noticed the shift in attitude almost instantly, noting the side glances he'd receive from so-called 'co-workers' when he'd come in. Jem wasn't spared either, constantly stared at when he worked or even tended to a customer. He assumed ignoring it would be the best way to go, not much interested in other people's opinions if it meant getting to see his old friend regularly.

He'd come to regret this decision when he'd arrived at the parlour one evening. As he'd turned off his bike, emerald eyes spotted Jem in that familiar alleyway where they'd reunited some nights back. His expression had briefly softened, about to call out to him before he stilled when he saw him talking to two other men. The others were some new students who'd recently joined them. Lindo hardly knew them, and purposely avoided them when he'd felt something was amiss about them.

That gut feeling had proven to be right, one of the guys suddenly stepping up to Jem as if threatening him. Whatever Jem had said to them clearing rubbed the pair the wrong way. Lindo clicked his tongue, eyes narrowing as he dismounted his bike and walked towards them. His pace quickened as one of them finally swung on Jem, the thug embarrassingly missing and stumbling forward from his own momentum.

"Hey!," the other guy shouted as he joined the fight, digging for something in his pocket. A flash of metal revealed the switchblade, the guy holding it threateningly towards Jem as he closed the distance between them.

Jem could take care of himself; Lindo knew this. He'd seen the other in action back when they were in prison. Had seen the boy easily take down guys who towered over him. He knew yet couldn't help but jump in, getting between them in a flash. Before the bastard knew what was happening, Lindo had landed a right hook across his cheek, the blow hard enough to send the guy tumbling back.

It'd been a mistake, the other employees in the parlour instantly stepping in to pull Lindo away. In the heat of the moment, he hadn't noticed them coming outside to check out the commotion. It only served to annoy him more. How long had they been watching? Why only know were they jumping into action? Where was this promptness when the other two had tried ganging up on Jem? Why wasn't the boy worth defending just as much as the scumbag who started it all?

Rather than argue, he pulled away from the employees with a scoff, ignoring the way they practically jumped away as if he'd attack them next. So it seemed even if he was free from prison, one couldn't escape that past. Even Jem with his seniority here didn't seem to be much more favored. What a joke...

He left then, not noticing if Jem followed or remained behind.

Later that night

A quiet hiss escapes Lindo as Jem cleans the fresh bruises along his knuckles. A small price to pay to land a blow on the rando from tonight. "Y'think they fired me yet?," he teases, his tone just barely hiding his exhaustion. He supposed being kicked out from the parlour wouldn't be so bad. Too bad the two from tonight would still be a problem if they weren't handled.

His gaze falls to Jem, lingering on him for a moment. Though his expression is neutral, there's a flicker of concern in his eyes. One he doesn't voice, knowing it's unfounded. Even if Jem was now free, he was still the boy he'd met all those years ago, capable of defending himself and evading any trouble that came his way. Hell, he'd helped him out plenty when he was new in the prison. Right up until the other had won his freedom. He feels a sense of pride at that, though the thought is interrupted as he groans and tries to pull away as Jem wraps his hand.

"Hold still."

"You be gentle," Lindo quips back, but begrudgingly stays still for the other. There's a beat of silence between them, only the sound of the fan and the distant sound of cars passing by the apartment as ambient sound. "Thanks," he says after awhile, the word genuine even as his gaze had settled on the opposite wall this time. The gratitude could be taken to be for Jem's care. Though in reality, it was a thanks long overdue. One he should have shared all those years back when Jem was to leave. Even if the boy had been younger than Lindo, he'd shown him how to survive. Perhaps it was something he should have appreciated more back then...

[books-i-finished-reading]

(17)

Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare

( The infernal devices - book 1/3 )

12th February 2023

" You can keep it a secret," ... "But secrets have their own weight, and it can be a very heavy one."

" It isn't against the Law to be an idiot."

"... Beauty fades, but cooking is eternal."

" One must always be careful of books," ... "and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us."

" Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry,"

" There's plenty of sense in nonsense sometimes, if you wish to look for it."

" Pulvis et umbra sumus. It's a line from Horace. ' We are dust and shadows.' ..."

" Everyone has something they can't live without."

Was her face nothing but a mask of flesh, irrelevant to her true self?

" Such harsh truths so early in the morning cannot be good for the digestion."

...the less you had, the more careful you had to be about everything you did have.

" Some people value sentiment over diamonds, ..."

" Perhaps you are the sort who would sacrifice yourself on the altar of principle, but I doubt it. Most of us do things for reasons that are more purely personal. For love, or for hate."

"... You need ask nothing of anyone. You need depend on no one. You are free, and that freedom is a gift."

" Camille walks delicately. Like a faun in the woods. Not like a duck." "I do not walk like a duck." "I like ducks," Jem observed diplomatically. "Especially the ones in Hyde Park." "Remember when you tried to convince me to feed a poultry pie to the mallards in the park to see if you could breed a race of cannibal ducks?" "They ate it too," Will reminisced. "Bloodthirsty little beasts. Never trust a duck."

"... The forgotten and lost. Those who will not be missed."

" The dead can tell no tales,"

" If your point is that there was a pretty girl in the room and it was distracting you, then I think I've taken your point handily." "You think she's pretty?" Will was surprised; Jem rarely opined on this sort of thing. "Yes, and you do too." "I hadn't noticed, really." "Yes you have, and I've noticed you noticing." Jem was smiling.

It was a terrible black place in himself that the fear came from, a dark voice he could only silence with anger, risk, and pain.

" Whatever you are physically," ... "male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy-all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. Whatever the colour, the shape, the design of the shade that conceals it, the flame inside the lamp remains the same. You are that flame."

" So you don't ever get angry at him?" Jem laughed out loud. "I would hardly say that. Sometimes I want to strangle him." "How on earth do you prevent yourself?" "I go to my favourite place in London," said Jem, "and I stand and look at the water, and I think about the continuity of life, and how the river rolls on, oblivious of the petty upsets in our lives." Tessa was fascinated. "Does that work?" "Not really, but after that I think about how I could kill him while he slept if I really wanted to, and then I feel better."

" There are more important things than being careful."

"... there is more to life than not dying."

"... sometimes the only choice is between acceptance and madness."

[realjem-art]

So apparently she was originally going to have light blue streaks in her hair, and I just never did that?

[hey-lady]

Atticus Finch and Maudie Atkinson Headcanon

Maudie was insistent on helping the Finches in Jem’s recovery. She became a regular around the house, and slowly became part of everyday life in the house. Early to arrive and late to leave. 

Atticus did not realize how much he found comfort in her presence. Not to mention, Scout was eager to have another companion in the house. Jem enjoyed her conversation with her and discovered her to be a fount of encouragement as he recovered. 

They all sat around the table at night, ate, talked, and laughed just like a family. Once the children were tucked away, she would stay to make sure Atticus was comfortable. They sat together in silence in the front room both reading a book. It was simple. It was domestic. And it was bliss. 

She had to leave for a couple weeks for family business. It was rare that she had a reason to leave Maycomb, and it was just their luck that this was one of the times. Scout was her shadow the day before she left. She found excuses to keep Maudie in her bedroom close by, and eventually fell asleep wrapped in her arms listening to Atticus read. She clung to her as she left, and Atticus swore he saw a tear in her eye. Even Jem embraced Maudie before Atticus drove her to the station. 

Atticus was silent and pensive on the ride back. And that night, the Finch household was somber. The dinner table was silent. Scout and Jem went to bed early, and Atticus found himself standing the living room staring out the window across the street towards her house. 

This mood stuck around for the weeks that followed. Atticus knew deep down what it was but refused to say. Scout walked around with her head hung and moved slowly. Jem became secluded and very quiet. 

Calpurnia forced him to acknowledge the truth. Atticus mentioned Scout and Jem’s new behavior and asked if she had noticed it and if she was concerned.

“Yes sir, I’ve noticed, and I’m not concerned. All will be well when Miss Maudie returns home, Mr. Finch.”

Atticus froze when she said that. Maudie had always been a part of his life through all its stages, but somewhere along the way she became something more to them all. He knew what had to happen. 

They finally received word from Maudie for her return to Maycomb. The entire household counted down the days. 

Much to Atticus’s dismay, Scout and Jem insisted on coming to the station with him. 

Maudie could hardly get onto the platform before Scout launched herself into her arms. Jem quickly followed suit, and that image, mingled with all their laughter, never left Atticus’s mind.

The rest of the day was loud, chaotic, and joyful. Calpurnia could not stop grinning as they all clambered through the door together and laughed, once more, around the table that night. 

Finally, after much convincing, Scout and Jem settled into bed. Maudie and Atticus tucked them in together with books in hand, but not before hugs and kisses on the forehead. 

Maudie and Atticus resumed their position in the living room as if no time had passed.

That night, when they said goodbye, Atticus got a hug as well that was sealed with a kiss that landed a couple inches south of his forehead and lasted much longer.

[chibi-tsukiko]

Thinking of him always

A fic for @carstairgray Parabatai Week : Day 2 Will & Jem

I hope you like it 🙈

Click to read on AO3 or continue below

Tag List : @legendofconsullightwood @themostawesomehuman @littleturtle95 @justaburningpile @morgnstern @zfoxdraws @bookworm-jedi @magnus-the-maqnificent @pleasechokemekeith @fair-but-wilde-child @beclynn-herondale @khaleesiofalicante @my-archerboy @youngreckless @runecarstairs @high-warlock-of-brooklyn @ninacarstairss

It’s nearly noon by the time Tessa wakes to an empty bed. The sheets beside her, still perfectly pressed. She sighs quietly, reaching for her robe to draw it over her nightgown. She ties her hair into a low bun and washes her face in the basin before creeping out into the hallway. 

As she makes her way down, a noise from the living room catches her attention, she peaks around the corner and is met with a happy squeal. 

“There’s my sweet boy!” Tessa coos, reaching down to pick up the crawling baby.

“Ah ah! No bending!” A voice calls out.

Tessa looks up just as Sophie crosses the floor and scoops James up into her arms. “You remember what the doctor said, no bending or heavy lifting.”

“I hardly call him heavy lifting.” Tessa tuts as Sophie passes James to her. “Huh? Are you too heavy for me? Is my Jamie too strong for me?” Tessa half-sings, bouncing James lightly in her arms while he giggles. 

“Even so, you should be careful.” Sophie scolds.

“I am careful,” Tessa says, “Will hardly allows me lift a finger. You know how he was with James.” 

Sophie nods in agreement, “I do, but I also know how stubborn you are.”

Tessa shrugs, poking James’ nose softly while rocking him. “Speaking of Will, have you seen him?” She asks.

Sophie shakes her head. “Not since this morning. I came to drop off more scones, and he asked if I had a moment to look after James.”

“Oh dear, I’m sorry to have kept you for so long. You should have come to wake me.”

“I don’t mind! And besides, Will said to leave you sleep. The little one keeping you up again?” 

“All night long” Tessa sighs, rubbing her tummy with her free hand “this one has quite the kick.” 

Sophie laughs, “Euginia was the same way. And always at all hours of the night.” 

“How are the girls doing?” Tessa asks.

“Very well.”

“And little Thomas?” 

“Just fine. Barbra has taken it upon herself to tend to him. She’s always carrying around an extra blanket to wrap him in or asking to check when he needs fed.” 

“Such a good big sister,” Tessa smiles, shifting James in her arms as he wiggles. “Would you mind terribly if I handed this wiggle worm back to you while I see if I can find Will?”

“Not at all” Sophie grins, taking James back over to the couch. 

Tessa finds Will in the study sitting with a book in hand, only when she follows his gaze she sees that it falls on an instrument case in the corner and not the page. 

She’s careful not to startle him as she comes to stand beside the chair. Will, of course, notices her presence before she can speak and lays the book in his lap so he can take her hand. 

“Good morning, my beloved,” he smiles, pressing a quick kiss to her knuckles. 

“Afternoon,” Tessa corrects. “I see Sophie is here. She mentioned she hasn’t seen you since this morning.” As Will releases her hand, she moves to card through the curls atop his head. 

“Oh damn. Sorry, I must have” he glances at the instrument case and then quickly to the book in his lap. “I got lost in the pages.”

Tessa hums still petting his head, “thinking of him again?” 

Will leans into her, “always” he whispers.

She gives his arm a squeeze and kisses the top of his head, “you know”, but before she can finish, there is a knock at the door. 

Tessa and Will turn to the door, “Charlotte,” Will says getting to his feet.

“I hope you don’t mind the intrusion, Sophie let me in.” 

“Not at all,” Tessa says. “Would you like some tea?” 

Charlotte shakes her head, “No thank you, I was just passing by, and I wanted to ask you something.”

“Has something happened?” Will asks.

“Well, I’ve just gone through Gideon’s report. Seems he’s found a nest of Ravnor demons just pass the square. I was hoping you and Gabriel could have a look at.”

“Of course,” Will says, turning to Tessa, who nods. 

“I’ll be fine,” she says and smiles when she notices that familiar glint in Will’s eye. 

“You know,” he says, turning back to Charlotte, “it’s quite out of season for Ravnor demons to be nesting…perhaps we should send word to the Silent Brothers. For their records.” He glances at Tessa hopefully. 

“I’m not sure that,” Charlotte starts, but gets cut off by Tessa.

“We could also give them an update on the pregnancy and how James is doing.” 

“A SPLENDID IDEA!” Will rejoices, nearly jumping in the air “I shall send for a carriage immediately! Tessa, my wife, you are brilliant.” He kisses her cheek, “brilliant!” He turns to Charlotte, “Thank you Charlotte, I’ll meet with Lightwor- Gabriel, tonight at the square. See to it, he isn’t late this time.” He rushes past her down the hallway, his voice echoing through the house, “Sophie! Here, let me! Jamie my boy! Come! We need a carriage!” 

Charlotte, dumbfounded, turns to Tessa, who smiles sweetly, looking down at her stomach, rubbing it. “Come on, little one. Let’s get dressed.” 

~ over 100 years later ~ 

“That’s what I’ve been saying tho. Movies are better than books!” Kit exclaims, as he shuts the car door and walks through the garage. 

“You lose all the details and composition. Hardly any movie can truly do the book it’s based on justice.” Tessa mentions, following Kit into the house. 

“All that stuff is just fluff. Besides, you get plenty of details through the visual effects,” Kit retorts, setting the grocery bags onto the counter. 

“Fluff,” Tessa chuckles, setting her own bag down on the kitchen table. “I would imagine that” she stops suddenly when she hears it.

Kit perks his head up from the paper bag. 

Soft strings float through the house. And their playful discourse quiets at the ambivalent tune. 

“Kit honey, would you mind putting these away for me?” Tessa asks.

Kit nods in understanding. 

Tessa checks the baby monitor before heading down the hall. Mina is just stirring from her nap, but won’t be fully awake for a few minutes.

Tessa finds Jem in the office. The violin tucked delicately between his arm and his cheek as he plays. The case lays open on the desk next to an old blade stained with a past. Tessa leans against the doorframe, watching, smiling as she recognizes the song. 

Jem stops when he catches sight of her, “Wǒ de àirén” he says, “I did not hear you get in.” He sets the violin back in its case, running his fingers over the strings. 

Tessa hums, coming to stand beside him. She places her hand atop his and rests her head against his arm. “Thinking of him again?” 

“Always,” Jem answers, lacing his fingers with hers. 

“wŏ yĕ shì” she whispers.

Jem gives her hand a squeeze and presses a kiss to her temple. He closes the violin case and sets it on the desk.

“Mina mine should be up from her nap by now,” he says.

Tessa nods, “you should get her, then you can join Kit and I in the kitchen. Kit picked Bagel bites for dinner.” 

“Bagel bites?” 

“Mhm. Little mini pizzas on bagels. Kit’s very excited to see you try them.”

Jem quirks an eyebrow, “I best hurry and get the silly melon then.”

“See that you do Jem Carstairs. It isn’t right to keep a lady waiting.” Tessa teases, sending Jem a wink before heading back to the kitchen. 

Jem smiles, turning back to the small dagger on the desk. “I’ll be keeping you waiting a bit longer, my brother,” he whispers, before leaving. “For now, I follow where she goes.”

It may have been a trick. A mix of the voices in the kitchen and the closing of the door. But for a brief moment, Jem hears the whisper of an old friend. 

Go on my Parabatai. I can wait. 

For both of you.

[imagineclaireandjamie]

Bonnie Prince Charlie dies in France of natural causes.

Jamie leaned a bit harder on the porch railing, shifting his feet on the floorboards he and Ian had hewn, watching his children and grandchildren race each other in the field.

Claire wordlessly appeared at his side, offering him a clay mug of hot cider. He clinked it against hers and sipped.

It was an unseasonably warm afternoon for October - and Jem and Germaine and Marsali and Joan and Fergus and Roger had abandoned their chores to chase and tumble.

He didn’t mind. It had been such a hard year - such a hard month. But Claire was slowly on the mend. Back to seeing patients in her surgery. Back to reaching out for his hand, and pulling him close to her in bed. Back to smiling every once in a while.

“Can I ask ye a question?”

He didn’t need to see her face to know it would have a puzzled expression. “I’d think that by now we would be past the point of asking.”

He set down his mug on the railing, watching Germaine let Jemmy tackle him to the ground, giggling.

“You ken that I often think on the nature of change. I change one thing in my early years, and I trace what may have changed in my later years.”

She cleared her throat. “I know. We’ve talked about it before. God knows I think about how my life would have been, had I not seen those forget-me-nots at the stone circle. Or had I not seen the notice in the paper of Reverend Wakefield’s death.” She paused. “You’ve told me that you’ve often thought about what if your father had been home and not off to a funeral when the redcoats came to Lallybroch.”

“Aye.”

She sipped her cider. “So what are you thinking about now, then?”

He straightened. “What if Charles Stuart had dropped dead in Paris. Natural causes or otherwise.”

She let out a deep breath. “I see. Not what we’ve talked about - had we killed him at Culloden.”

“Aye. That’s my question to ye, Claire - do you think that that would have been a big enough change?”

For a long moment, Claire watched Brianna and Marsali quietly speak to each other while their sons ran around them like wildcats.

“Big enough to change the course of history? Or big enough to change our own history?”

Gently he reached for her right hand, and protectively curled his fingers around it. “We would have been able to leave Paris earlier, or to stay there longer. I could have continued working for Jared. From what ye’ve told me, we still may have lost our lass...”

Claire nodded, eyes suddenly filling with tears.

“...But we could have built a life there. No matter what, there wouldnae have been a Rising. We would have had Bree, and she would have grown up speaking French. Ye would have stayed here, in this time.”

She pursed her lips. “I don’t disagree. But why are you thinking about this now, Jamie?”

He turned to face her. Released her hand. Raised his palm to her cheek, his thumb gentle on her still-bruised skin. “It would have been a simpler life. I - we - would have had more. But we would have had less, too. You wouldnae have been to medical school. I...I wouldnae have served in prison, but I wouldnae have met John. Willie - he wouldnae have been born. Bree wouldnae have ever met Roger. Fergus wouldnae have ever met Marsali. We wouldnae have our grandbairns. We wouldnae be here, right now, in North Carolina.”

His eyes were so full of love, she could hardly bear looking at them.

“We drive ourselves mad looking back. Can we not look forward?”

He closed his eyes.

“We have so much to look forward to, Jamie. Don’t we?”

Gently, carefully he leaned down so that his forehead touched hers.

“Aye,” his whispered. “Every day we have is a day we never expected to have.”

In the field, Brianna watched her parents embrace on the porch.

Roger appeared at her elbow, heaving deep breaths.

“Warms my heart,” he panted, winding an arm around her.

She nodded, suddenly not able to find the words.

[bookswitchcraftandcats]

Rainy Days (Part 1 of 4)

Link to AO3 --- Part 2

Summary: Emma and Julian are in charge of the London Institute for a week and find a box that once belonged to Cordelia Carstairs and contains poems written to her by James Herondale. The story switches between Emma and Julian and oneshots about things that happened in Jordelia's life to inspire the poems.

Sorry if the formatting for the poems is messed up, I tried. 

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

Emma and Julian walk through the halls of the London Institute. Growing up, Julian always loved London, he found the city to be inspiring for paintings and loved the older feel of the buildings. They were here for a visit and also because Alec asked them to watch over it for a few days while Julian’s Aunt Marjorie was on vacation. Both of them love London and spent most of their time going to Hyde park and all kinds of little cafes but unfortunately, today was not a good day to be exploring the city.

Being from LA, they hardly ever saw rain and they felt as though even if they did, it wasn’t usually this much. It was pouring outside and nearly flooding the streets, even though it was the middle of the day it was so dark outside you could hardly see. So, the young couple decided to stay inside and explore the institute instead.

“Do you think the sun ever shines in London?” Emma asks while looking out the window. Today they were in the library just trying to get some work done. Julian laughs and then walks over to join her at the window, placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

“Want to take a break and explore for a little bit?” He asks, taking her hand. They headed off into the rest of the building, looking for an adventure.

The London institute was one of the biggest in the world, it felt as though you could go for miles without ever seeing the same room twice. Now Emma and Julian were laughing as they raced through the historic halls, they hadn’t had much time to themselves lately and desperately needed this break. Every so often they would stop and take pictures of tapestries or portraits that Jules would want to try to paint once they got back home.

They came to a tapestry of a pond with ducks. It had a bit of text sewn into the bottom corner that just said, “never trust a duck.” They thought that was kind of wierd to have but it looked very old. They were approaching a whole hallway that seemed like it hadn't been touched in decades. The wallpaper reflected the style of another time period and the pictures were covered by a layer of dust.

Now out of breath the two stopped for a second and smiled at each other. They may not be parabatai any more but they still knew what the other was thinking. This was the most fun they have had in years. Julian stepped forward and kissed his girlfriend. Emma returned this with passion. Jules’ arms around her waist and her arms thrown around his neck.

One thing leads to another and next thing you know they find themselves stumbling backward into one of the abandoned bedrooms. They keep making out as the door slams behind them, falling onto the bed. Emma then suddenly stops and looks across the room curiously.

She had caught something out of the corner of her eye, a name. Her name. There was a wooden jewelry box with the name Carstairs engraved on it. It sat on a bookshelf next to an old leather bound book titled The Beautiful Cordelia and a book of Persian mythology. Looking around the room, it seemed as though no one had been in here for years. Julian followed her gaze and quickly caught on. Emma looked up at Julian,

“Do you think this could have belonged to one of my ancestors?” She asks while picking up the box.

“Probably. Didn’t Jem used to live here? Maybe it is his?” He responds as they walk back to the bed. They set the box down between then and open it up. Inside it is filled with treasures that belonged to someone a century ago. The first thing they pull out is a worn portrait.

“I don’t think it is Jem,” Emma says as she hands the picture to him. It depicts a girl with bright red hair holding a familiar gold sword. The same sword that Emma carries with her every day.

“Is that,” Julian starts with a bit of surprise, “Cortana?”

“I think so,” Emma says. “So this must be Cordelia Carstair.” She had grown up hearing stories about the warrior that fought greater demons in London and wielded the same Carstairs sword. She was said to be one of the bravest shadowhunters of her time. She had also met with Lily Chen during one of her visits to New York. The vampire had known Cordelia and had a few stories of her own to share.

“This must be a box of her belongings, and this probably used to be her room.” She continues while reaching in to grab a stack of notes. On each one was written a poem and at the bottom they were signed ‘J.H.’

“H” Julian wonders aloud, “I wonder if it stands for Herondale.”

“It does” says Emma, “James Herondale was her husband.”

“Do you think he wrote these poems to her?”

“I don’t know, maybe?” She says and then pulls out another portrait from the bottom of the box. It was of a boy with dark hair and gold eyes. They weren’t quite sure who this was but had a sort of an idea. They could always ask Tessa later too, she had sent a fire message earlier that day saying she was going to stop by tonight with Jem.

“Do you want me to read the poems?” Emma asks, retrieving the first one from the box. Julian nods and then she starts reading.

Cortana

You carry a sword of mercy and power It’s blade an extension of your own will. It can cut through the wickedest of powers, And slice through the chains that bind me.

The Sunlight reflects off it’s gold surface. Holding confidently to the grip of the hilt, Cutting down enemies for miles and miles, You could tear this very world in two.

The sword for the purest of hearts, For the one who has my own heart. The most beautiful of weapons ever made, Belongs to the most beautiful person I know.

It was another day taken over by the rain and The Merry Thieves and company were all sitting around the Devils Tavern discussing their latest projects. Lucie was just finishing reading her latest chapter of The Beautiful Cordelia. This section happened to be about “Lord Asher” and his new boyfriend, a knight named “Sir Tobias”. This prompted blushing from Alastair and Thomas while the others made jokes.

Cordelia was sitting next to James on the couch resting her head on his shoulder. She enjoyed these little displays of affection and was very content. James looked at her and smiled and then all of the sudden Mathew jumps up and says,

“Jamie, do you have any poems that you have been working on?” James sighs and then walks over to the book shelf and pulls out a leather bound notebook. He sits next to Cordelia and then starts flipping through the pages looking for a poem to read when the word Cortana catches her eye. She puts a finger on the page and looks at her husband, he winks and she blushes. James then quickly continues flipping through pages before his nosey parabatai notices. He starts reading the group one of his poems and they continue chatting for the rest of the afternoon.

Cordelia and James say their goodbyes and head back to the institute. Their carriage was kind of far away so they had to walk a bit in the heavy rain, not that either of them minded holding hands in the rain.

They were running and jumping in puddles, they would be wet anyways so what's the harm? Cordelia laughed as James pulled her in for a kiss under the street light. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. They pulled apart and smiled, walking off to their warm, dry carriage.

James put an arm around Cordelia as they rode home, they were both tired from a long day and the gloomy weather. By the time they got to the institute they were both half asleep and wet from the rain. They head up to their room to change into some dry clothes before laying down on their bed. Cordelia looks at James,

“So, what was that poem about?” she questions with a smirk.

“The Cortana one?” James says while grabbing the leather bound book from his bag.

“Yes,” Cordelia says, looking over at the journal in his lap. He turns to the page with the title at the top.

“Would you like me to read it to you?” he asks in a quiet whisper. She nodded.

You carry a sword of mercy and power It’s blade an extension of your own will.

He is right next to her and she can feel his warm breath as he reads each line. She thinks of her own sword, the sharp edge for mercy, the sword itself full of power. The Sword was an extension of her will, it had chosen her and would always come to her in a fight. James kisses her cheek.

It can cut through the wickedest of powers, And slice through the chains that bind me.

It had cut through wicked powers, when she needed to save James. She wasn’t even thinking then, she just knew she needed to save him. She had also cut through the bracelet that binded him to Grace, freeing him. She knew that even if he didn’t love her, he should be free to choose for himself who to love, but he did choose her.

The Sunlight reflects off it’s gold surface. Holding confidently to the grip of the hilt, Cutting down enemies for miles and miles, You could tear this very world in two.

She had fought many demons, even princes of hell and her sword never failed. James was always by her side fighting too. Together they could defeat the most dangerous of creatures, they even tore through the layers of this world once to stop one. Her love for James extended beyond the bounds of this world and she would do anything to get to him.

The sword for the purest of hearts, For the one who has my own heart.

She didn’t know if her heart was necessarily pure, she could only try her best. She loved James and he certainly had her heart too. She could feel her heat racing while watching his lips form the words in a calm whisper.

The most beautiful of weapons ever made, Belongs to the most beautiful person I know.

This made Cordelia blush a little, James’s eyes turned to meet hers as he closed the book. He carefully tore the page from the notebook and handed it to her.

“This was meant for you anyways,” he says as he kisses her softly on the lips. She placed the paper on the nightstand. “I love you Daisy.”

“I love you too,” Cordelia says as she kisses him again. They then lay back in bed and fell asleep next to each other, listening to the rain outside as it lulled them into a deep and loving sleep.

Tag list: @fortheloveofthecarstairs  @thehotfaeriethreesome  @shadowrunner2000  @alastair-esfandiyar-carstairs1 @surrounded-by-exquisite-clutter @gabtapia  @niathesanctuary-bolastair-kanej 

Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the tag list :)

[livia-dovehallow]

Could you do for your celebration something with little Eugenia Lightwood maybe when Sophideon found out they were expecting, or something cute with her when she was a lil baby pleaseeee

This ended up being longer than I anticipated... but hopefully that’s not a bad thing! Please enjoy this Sophideon + their daughters fluff <3

Girl Dad - Sophideon (ft. Barbara & Eugenia)

Characters: Gideon Lightwood, Sophie Collins, Barbara Lightwood, Eugenia Lightwood, Gabriel Lightwood

Time: 1881-1882, London, England

“Barbara Margaret Lightwood!” Sophie barked from the doorway. Her one-year-old daughter froze in her bassinet, her fruit-filled fists leaking through her fingers. She stared back at her mother with wide brown eyes and an angry scowl. “Do not throw that peach.”

In defiance, Barbara launched the peach across the table where it landed in Sophie’s cup of tea. Barbara began to cry, then, when she went to put her fist in her mouth and found that her peach was no longer there. Sophie forced herself to calm down. She pinched the bridge of her nose and inhaled deeply.

“Whoa,” came a deep voice behind her. “What happened here?” 

Gideon stepped forward and plated a sweet kiss on Sophie’s cheek before moving toward their daughter. Barbara raised her arms toward her father; her sticky fingers latched on to his shirt the moment he lifted her. Her small face was drenched in tears. “She is having a morning,” answered Sophie with an aggravated sigh. “I can’t possibly take it today. I don’t know what is wrong with me. Perhaps I need more sleep.”

Gideon bounced Barbara in his arms and cooed soothingly. The little girl hiccuped and sniffed all over his shirt, but she had begun to calm down with her father’s comfort. Gideon looked over at Sophie as he bounced her, his eyebrows furrowed. “Did you not sleep well last night, love?” he asked. “You snored like a sailor so I thought you’d slept quite well.”

Sophie scowled. “I do not snore.”

“As if,” Gideon laughed boisterously. This made Barbara giggle. “I love you Soph, but you snore horrendously on occasion. Especially when you were—“ he paused, a thought visibly occurring to him. “When you were pregnant.”

Sophie blinked at him in shock. “I’m certainly not pregnant,” she stated, though she was unsure. Was she? It was not out of the realm of possibility. They’d discussed having another child plenty—Barbara was certainly lonely. The only other children in the family besides her were Charles and Jesse, but Charles did not like to play with Barbara and Tatiana had adamantly refused to let her son around any of his cousins or uncles. “Right?” she added, with a questioning look at her husband.

Gideon recovered from his pondering at his daughter’s whimper. He gently patted her back while bouncing her as he looked at Sophie. “It’s possible,” he wondered aloud. “We haven’t exactly been avoiding another pregnancy as of late.”

“Oh dear,” Sophie breathed. She leaned against the frame of the doorway and buried her face in her hands. “I’ve been snapping at Barbara all morning and it isn’t her fault.”

Footsteps grew closer to her. Sophie glanced up through her fingers and found her daughter’s small face peering back. Gideon said nothing, but smiled gently. Sophie moved her hands to cup Barbara’s face and kissed her head. “Mummy’s very sorry for getting angry with you,” she told her. “Will you please forgive me?”

Barbara smiled and nodded, her tears dry on her face. Sophie wiped them off with a gentle brush of her thumb. “I love you so much, my precious girl,” she said gently. Barbara smiled bigger. 

“How about I ring my brother and see if he’s willing to watch Barbara for a bit? We can see the Brothers and find out if you’re pregnant or ill.” Gideon turned his body so he could see them both, his wife and daughter. “I hardly think he would say no. Look at her little face.”

Barbara giggled and patted her still-sticky fingers on her father’s shirt. Sophie couldn’t help but smile back. “Are you sure?” she asked him, wary of making a fuss about something that may turn out to be nothing after all.

Gideon nodded. “I’m sure,” he stated confidently. “Gabriel adores Barbara. I truly don’t think he requires any reason to see her.”

Barbara’s eyes lit up. “Uncle Gabe!”

Sophie laughed at Gideon’s betrayed expression. 

.

.

“Barbara!” Gabriel called from the top of the stairs the moment they walked through the doors of the Institute. Sophie watched with amusement as Gabriel launched himself down the steps and came to a screeching halt before his brother, who he ignored in favor of the small child in his arms. 

Barbara squealed with glee and reached out for her uncle, who took her gladly. He squeezed her tight, a bright smile across his face. Sophie had to admit it was quite nice to see Gabriel genuinely happy these days. “I suppose this means you wouldn’t mind looking after her for a few hours?” Sophie questioned. Gabriel glanced up at her. “Gideon and I must drop into the Silent City for a bit and we’d prefer to keep Barbara here where she feels more comfortable.”

Gabriel’s expression fell a bit, his eyebrows furrowing just like his brother’s did. “The Silent City?” he repeated, ignoring Barbara’s grip on his hair. “Is something wrong?”

Gideon shook his head. “Not at all,” he said to his brother calmly. “Just some preemptive health check. We shouldn’t be too long.”

“All right,” Gabriel said with a suspicious look. He turned back to Barbara and his smile returned. “Of course I don’t mind looking after her.”

Sophie felt relieved. “Thank you,” she told him, and gripped his arm. “I know it’s short notice so I am thankful.”

Gabriel smiled. “We’re family.”

.

.

The Silent City always spooked Sophie. She had not grown up Nephilim so she’d never had a need to become used to Silent Brothers, let alone ever been permitted to visit the Silent City prior to her Ascension. 

Come to think of it, Sophie had never been to the Silent City until she fell pregnant with Barbara. Gideon had insisted from the moment she woke up vomiting.

Now, she ventured into the city from its Highgate entrance hand in hand with Gideon. She still felt unnerved by the silence but was no longer afraid. Jem was here and she was not afraid of Jem.

Gideon and Sophia Lightwood, rang a monotonous voice in her mind. Sophie peered steadfastly into the hazy darkness. A cloaked figure approached them: Brother Enoch. 

“Brother Enoch,” Gideon replied politely with a bow of his head. “We apologize for the sudden visit, but we had a matter of importance we seek assistance with.”

What is the matter of importance? Brother Enoch replied. Sophie lifted her chin.

“There is a possibility that I may be with child,” she explained evenly. Gideon squeezed her hand. “We are not certain, however. We’ve come to seek an answer.”

I see there is something, said Brother Enoch. A further examination is required to determine your answer. 

Sophie swallowed a lump of anticipation and follow the Brother further into the Silent City. A gentle hum filled the otherwise soundless corridors—even their footsteps made no sound despite not bearing Soundless runes. Gideon’s hand on the small of her back reassured her, however, and calmed her nerves.

The group entered a small, dimly lit room. In the center was a single large stone, meant to serve as an observation seat. Sophie settled herself in and breathed slowly.

Have you experience any unusual ailments similar to those of your first pregnancy, Mrs. Lightwood?

“Irritability,” Sophie admitted mournfully.

“Snoring,” added Gideon thoughtfully. Sophie scowled at him.

“Other than that,” Sophie continued, “not a thing that has been too noticeable.”

Brother Enoch did not respond but continued his movements; slow and precise, in the air over Sophie. She closed her eyes and laid back. It wouldn’t take long for Enoch to come to a conclusion, but she was so tired.

I am impressed you were able to detect this so early, said Brother Enoch, removing his hands and returning them to his front. You are, in fact, with child, Mrs. Lightwood. I suspect you are only six to eight weeks into your pregnancy.

Gideon let out a sudden whoop of happiness and Sophie smiled brightly. “Truly?” she wondered aloud.

Yes, I am certain, answered Brother Enoch. Congratulations to you both. It is too early to tell if you are having a son or a daughter, however. If you’d like, you may come back in several weeks time to learn.

Sophie nodded. “It’s all right,” she said, happiness flooding her body. She turned to Gideon, who looked so happy he may cry. “Son or daughter, it doesn’t matter. Right?”

“Right,” Gideon confirmed, his voice strained from trying to remain calm. He looked up to Enoch. “Thank you, Brother Enoch. This is truly wonderful news.”

.

**Ten Months Later**

.

“Genia,” Gideon cooed desperately at the infant screaming in his arms. “Hush, darling, you’re all right.”

“Is Genie sad?” Barbara questioned. She stood at Gideon’s side, her head barely reaching the tops of his knees. She’d been glued to her sister’s side from the moment she met her, curious to see this new member of the family who cried so much. 

Gideon smiled despite his growing fatigue. “Babies cry for many reasons,” he told his firstborn. “Right now, she is crying because she is tired.”

“So why does she not go to sleep then?”

Gideon chuckled, still bouncing his newborn daughter. Eugenia appeared to have been born with lungs of steel. “She needs to learn how to that, Babs. That’s why Mum and I take turns holding her at night; so she can feel safe and happy enough to sleep.”

Barbara nodded. She was in her own nightgown preparing to sleep when she heard her sister’s cries and followed Gideon into the nursery. Her dark hair was tied up to keep her cool in the summer heat and it made her look so much like Sophie. “Don’t cry Genie,” she said after a moment, her small face gentle and kind. “Papa says we are safe.”

Gideon knelt down beside her and kissed her head. “That is right,” he said to her. Barbara leaned closer to her baby sister and kissed her cheek, wet with tears. Eugenia began to calm, her screams settling into fading whimpers. Barbara smiled brightly. 

“I did it, Papa!” she exclaimed quietly and with wide brown eyes. 

“Yes, you did,” came Sophie’s voice. She strode into the nursery and smiled, tired. “You are a wonderful sister, my darling, but it is also time for you to go to sleep.”

Barbara nodded and skipped to her mother’s side. “Goodnight, Papa! Goodnight, Genie!”

Gideon blew her a kiss. “Sleep well, all right? Listen to your mum.”

Sophie lifted Barbara into her arms and hugged her close. Barbara rested her little head on her mother’s shoulder. “I love you,” Sophie said to Gideon. 

Gideon stood, Eugenia beginning to finally fall asleep in his arms. He looked at all three of them, his girls, and felt more at peace than ever before in his life. This was his family; his to love, his to protect, and his to love him in return. 

“I love you, too,” he whispered. “All of you.”

Thanks for your request! I had so many ideas that I had to force myself to pick small pieces of each to create flashes of memories. I might expand more on all these wonderful prompts!

Join the celebration! It’s my birthday!

[nothingbutdustandshadows]

Invisible

next>

characters: christopher lightwood, matthew fairchild, thomas lightwood, james herondale, lucie herondale, cordelia carstairs.

tw: blood, death

Chapter One

Matthew woke up to the faint sound of explosion in the basement, he groaned and stomped downstairs, both sleepy and slightly annoyed at being woken up, at the bottom of the stairs he ran into Christopher who smiled brightly, Matthew thought he noticed a sort of strain in Kit’s smile but dismissed it, Kit must be tired. “Matthew! Look, I made this dagger for James!” Christopher said waving a dagger, and seemingly from thin air pulling out several other daggers from it. “Woah, Kit, James is going to love it, he keeps complaining about the lack of space in his belt.” “I know, I was there” Christopher notices more than I know, Matthew thought. “What as that noise? Blow up a tea cup again? “Oh it was a seraph blade, I tried to infuse it with electricity, did it wake you? It’s about time you woke up anyway” Matthew yawned and ruffled Kit’s hair absent mindedly. “Shall we go to the Tavern?” Matthew asked eager to see his parabatai. “Matthew it’s almost 7, we should be going to patrol now” “Oh” Matthew said, had he drunk too much the day before? He quickly put on a smile and went to get his weapons, Christopher in tow. “Give the magic knife to James will you? He’ll like it very much.” “I was going to, I’m also working on a similar concept for your chalikars” “That’d be wonderful, can you do that with hairbrushes too?” Matthew and Kit laughed as they picked their weapons.

James was walking across the bridge railing his hands outstretched on either side of him to keep balance. They haven’t encountered any demons yet, Thomas was telling him to be careful. “There are hardly any demons now aren’t there, my father told me about when London was filled with them, he and Uncle Jem would have to fight one every other night.”  “Your father told you stories about fighting demons? Every time I came over he only told me about Demon Pox and Uncle Worm” “Father never got tired of telling the story of how Uncle Gideon and Uncle Gabriel’s father turned into a giant worm and how his Aunt Cecily killed it.” Thomas sighed, “I heard it was when Kit’s father fell in love with aunt Cecily.” “James!” Matthew shouted from his carriage, startling James to lose his balance, Thomas grabbed his arm before he went tumbling off the bridge. “Have you tried not yelling every time you see James?” Thomas said “I’m sorry Tom, look what Christopher made!” He said happily. Kit handed him a dagger, James inspected is warily “Does it explode Kit?” he said keeping it at arms length. “No sadly, but it multiplies” James looked confused till another knife slipped out of the handle. “Wow, thanks Kit, Oh I almost forgot, Lucie and Cordelia wanted to train before their parabatai ceremony, they’ll be patrolling with us” “Speak of the devil,” Matthew said as a carriage rolled up, Lucie leaping out followed by Cordelia. 

“Mam told you to stop leaving your steles everywhere ‘round the house. Lucie said as she walked up to the group “Well, hello to you too Luce.” James said, “Hello, Daisy” “Hello James, is your knife, spilling knives?” “What- oh that, yes, Christopher made a sort of infinite knife for me.” “That’s wonderful she said with a smile at Christopher. “Me and Cordelia will be practicing our swordplay near the street,” Lucie said taking Cordelia by the arm “Don’t go too far from the bridge” James called after her. 

The Merry Thieves were joking around marveling Kit’s invention, when suddenly James’ world turned black and white. No. He thought, but something was different this time, around him were his friends, looking confused and drawing their weapons, they were never in the shadow world before. He saw Lucie and Cordelia make their ay towards the group, Lucie her axe drawn and Cordelia holding Cortana. The familiar demon stench of the shadow world rose up around them but this time it was stronger, so much stronger. “James, behind you!” Kit called as James spun around and saw a massive Khora demon lunging toward him, just before it touched him Matthew’s chalikar split the demon in half, it staggered back but didn’t disappear, it continued to advance forward. A cold loud voice rang through his ears. “You fools, you think you can kill a demon in my dimension?” James saw a man with silver hair wearing all white, just before his vision went dark.

[aliypop]

Reinvention

Word Count : 777

Warning : Language

A/N : A bit of Tiffany x Michael, forgive me I wrote this while also dealing with stress so if it’s bad I’m sorry...

"Go back to bed: you're going to get yourself killed..."  Tiffany squinted from the shallow bit of sunlight coming from the cave.  "Go to hell, Tiff..."  Michael responded with a laugh. 

Michael was in the abandoned hotel for about a week since he had fully turned into a vampire. However, Tiffany was on Michael's surveillance duty. " And leave you here... I don't think so." she plopped down from the ceiling and into Michaels's makeshift nest. "I don't see why you have to babysit me..." he rolled his eyes as she got closer to him. "Because vampire powers are like a box of chocolates." she shrugged, "You'll never know whatcha gonna get." Tiffany laughed as it echoed through the cave, 

"How come you get to walk in the sun then?"

"Because I'm David's favorite ..." she winked, jokingly

"That's bullshit." he leaned in closer towards Tiffany, her eyes nearly dilating at how close he was. He was so naive, just like she once was, but there was a gleam in his eyes that made Tiffany want to ruin him completely, 

"I don't know what you mean, Emerson," she smirked, pushing him away, her playful nature arising. To say Michael had a soft spot for Tiffany was an understatement, from the way her smile brightened the night to the way she'd sing along to Careless Whispers with him. "Do you love them..." he asked her, taking her by her hand, "Do I love who..." she asked, a bit confused by his question. She loved the boys equally, but she never really thought about it. 

 "David... Dwayne." 

 "Love... It's a strong word..." Tiffany turned away from him. She loved how David, when they were alone, would tell her all about the stars and the ones he'd name after her, but she enjoyed those simple moments with Dwayne where they would cuddle and read and exchange a few words. To her, those were just regular things. However, she would be lying if she didn't love them both. 

"Well, Love isn't something you can't control..."

"That's why I'm leaving... I gotta get to work!" she rushed out. 

"You look different..." Jeffery said, looking at Tiffany. Her hair was in a ponytail as she wore a tight black skirt and vibrant pink top. "Is it bad?" she asked, "You look a lot less threatening ." he smiled, handing her a bucket of records as she walked around in her electric pink heels. The moon began to appear, kissing the last bit of daylight. As she focused on customers, she hardly didn't even notice Michael and the boys enter.  Her back turned toward the door as she stocked T-Shirts back on the shelf, a few of Stars bracelets on her wrist. 

 "New babe alert at the counter..."  Paul smirked, 

"I dare you to talk to her," Marko smirked, watching as Paul approached the new girl. 

"How can I help you?" Tiffany turned to face Paul, who was just as stunned. It wasn't that Tiffany wasn't pretty. It was the sheer fact that Tiffany was wearing vibrant Jem and The Holograms pink when she usually went for subtle colors and or one of their jackets. 

"Did you throw up Pepto Bismol on yourself..." Marko questioned as he walked over. 

"No, I didn't. I just wanted to change my look,"

 She mumbled, watching as David and Dwayne were coming her way.

 Tiffany was going through what she would call reinvention.  Thinking back to Michael, asking if she loved David and Dwayne scared her more than Garlic bulbs and Roses, especially when there was the possibility that Tiffany was just another one of The Lost Boys. It was time she said otherwise. 

"You look good..." Dwayne said, noticing the ribbon in her hair: it was the same one he gave her in 1956. "You think so," she asked, twirling loose hair, as he nodded.  David only rolled his eyes at Dwayne, 

"Too bright... but it suits you..." he mumbled, looking back at Michael, who gave him a thumbs up.  Watching as Tiffany sighed, both David and Dwayne looked back at Michael as if they were asking what to do. 

"So these two fucking idiots wanna take you out on a date." Paul blurted out as Marko shoved him. 

"Way to go, dingus..."  

"Is that so...  mes amours?"  her cheeks red, they both nodded, watching as Tiffany jumped over the counter, 

"Oh wait, one more thing..."  Tiffany snapped her fingers as several girls appeared from the back. 

"Anything for you, kitten." David winked

"Tiger Lily's be sure not to foutre la place while I'm away." 

"Tiger Lily's..."  Paul smirked. 

"Yeah, they're my gang,  it's a reinvention."

[ambssssssssss]

Skimmons/bioquake + 18 please

Skimmons + “please tell me you did that on purpose”

There’s a hole in the wall. Which, to be honest, isn’t all that surprising given the nature of their current project to remodel the old home they had just purchased. There are several holes in several walls, some cut out for light switching and sockets, some located where a weak spot had needed to be reinforced and hasn’t been covered by up yet, and still some that were simple accidents that they’d decided to fix as they went along. 

“It’s part of the joy of being homeowners, Jem,” Daisy had said when Jemma had realized that their to-do list kept getting longer rather than shorter. Jemma didn’t see having a million little things to fix as something to be happy about, but Daisy was enjoying the work of repairing the home they wanted to raise a family in and Jemma was happy to let her wife do as she pleased. They’d roped in Fitz and Mack to help, Phil and Melinda as well when they would get away from the office, so Jemma was pretty removed from the actual work itself. She’d taken to being the one to pick up lunch for everyone and make sure their kitchen was full of everyone’s favorite drinks. 

Jemma had just returned from one such trip to the store, directing Fitz and Mack to unload her car while they were taking a break, and had gone looking for her wife when she noticed the hole in the wall. It was remarkable because unlike the other holes in the walls, which were all precisely cut and measured, this one was rough and broken and looked an awful lot like someone had pushed their fist through the wall. She paused to look at the hole, remaining there long enough to hear her wife approaching from the downstairs bathroom. 

“Please tell me you did that on purpose,” Jemma said, pointing to the hole. 

“Um, not exactly,” Daisy sounded sheepish. “Totally unrelated question: did you move the first aid kit?” 

“No, it should be in the medicine cabinet-Daisy!” Jemma cut herself off as she turned and noticed her wife’s bleeding hand, bits of drywall stuck to her knuckles. 

“I’m fine, Jem,” Daisy spoke to her wife gently, unresisting as Jemma lifted her bleeding hand up to inspect it. “Technically, I meant to throw the punch, it’s just the hole in the wall that was an accident.” 

“And who were you fighting in the den?” Jemma gripped Daisy’s wrist gently and directed her towards the bathroom, where the first aid kit was indeed sitting in its usual place in the medicine cabinet. 

“Mack. And we weren’t fighting, we were sparring,” Daisy shrugged, hardly reacting at all as Jemma pressed an antiseptic wipe against her torn skin. “Mack said I’d probably gone soft with all this domestication, not to mention I haven’t been out in the field in a while. Of course, I had to kick his ass.” 

“Of course,” Jemma rolled her eyes as she quickly wrapped a bandage around Daisy’s hand, securing it tightly. “So then why is there a hole in my wall?” 

“He dodged the second punch. Asshole.” Daisy was grinning as Jemma placed a kiss over her bandaged knuckles. 

“Next time, take the match to the backyard please,” Jemma requested, dropping Daisy’s hand and moving to pull her in for a short kiss. “I like it so much more when my wife had full use of both of her hands.” 

“Oh yeah?” Daisy’s grin turned teasing, playful. 

“Yes,” Jemma took Daisy’s uninjured hand in her own, resting it against her stomach. It was too early to feel any movement but Daisy could feel the slight bump on Jemma’s abdomen, small enough that no one had noticed yet. They still had a few more weeks before they were ready to tell everyone, hopefully, the house would be finished by then. “Mama needs to be able to hold our little one.” 

“Good point,” Daisy kissed her wife again, slow and deep. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too,” Jemma bumped their noses together. “Even when you stupidly punch holes in our walls.” 

[theheartsmistakes]

The Last Night Part III

(Author’s Notes: Hello readers! Here is Part III of The Last Night, a Jordelia fanfiction, from Cassandra Clare’s Chain of Gold. As always thank you for reading and please do give it a like, reblog, comment, and let me know if you’re interested in more. Happy and safe quarantine to you all!)

Here is Part I

Here is Part II

Thunder crackled over the carriage as it drove down central London. The streets were empty this time of night except for those wayward travelers and the few patrons on their way home from the pubs. Rain fell in torrents in a way that Cordelia hadn’t seen it rain in a long time. With her head resting on Alastair’s shoulder, their hands bound together like when they were small children, she watched the city that she’d grown to love blur past her through the window. Alastair had taken her hand when she emerged from the Institute and hadn’t let it go since. Her skin, just a bit lighter than his own, but still similar. He smelt like their father she noticed: a warm spice mixed with smoke. It was comforting in that it reminded her of home: of white hot sand, open kitchen windows, and colorful tapestries that her grandmother said were known to capture spirits. As a child, the intricate black designs reminded her of runes by the way they swirled and bent and stood out amongst the other colors, because of that, she believed there to be magic in carpeting. 

When they’d visit Sona’s family in Persia, Cordelia felt a deep and dormant part of her come alive. She’d join the other children in the sand coated streets and run barefoot in the shadows of the clay buildings. Men would fill the hallways with laughter; women, adorned in their colorful silks and intricate beading, would throw flowers from windows as the children ran by. When it would come time for them to leave, she’d wish that she was a tree with roots so strong that nothing could uproot her.

How desperately she wanted to share that part of her with James. To run with him in the warm shadows, barefoot as their own laughter filled the alleyways. They would drink spiced tea in the garden while exchanging their favorite pieces of literature by the trickling water fountains. 

No, she couldn’t let herself think that way any longer. He wasn’t hers to fantasize about anymore. She would need to learn to fold up those thoughts and bury them away into a distant part of her. It was the only way to survive. The hardest parts aren’t the goodbyes, she thought, but the flashbacks that follow. The memories and what-could-have-beens. 

“Layla?” Alastair stirred her gently. “Where have you gone to?”

“Home.” She answered sleepily. 

He patted the back of hand gently. “We’ll be there shortly.”

“Not that home.” Cordelia sat up and turned to face her brother. “Do you remember going to grandmam’s house, in Persia? Do you remember their house on the top of the hill that looked out over all the clay city? Do you remember the way the kitchen smelt like abgoosht?”

Alastair nodded. “I can’t believe you remember it. You had been so young.”

“I remember all of it,” she said. “Do you think that we could ever go back there?”

“Of course, Layla.” Alastair reached up to cup her cheek in his gloved hand. “We can go wherever you’d like. Idris won’t be like it was before. We’ll have each other, and before long our new sibling to keep us busy. Lucie can come to visit, Anna, and—” His voice trailed off with his thoughts. Cordelia wondered if he thought about Thomas. She had wanted to ask him what happened between the two of them, but if Alastair felt anything like the way she felt upon simply hearing the name James, she didn’t want to be the catalyst for his pain.

She hadn’t told him of her plans to join the Iron Sisters. She hadn’t told anyone. It seemed terribly cruel to keep it a secret from her brother who was about to uproot his entire life in London to live with her in Idris. He tried so desperately to make it sound like a fairytale and the adventures that would follow. 

“Alastair,” she began, “I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?” 

“I’m—“ She noticed for the first time the thin webs around his eyes and the deepening crease between his eyebrows. He’d already put so much of his life on hold because of her, to protect her, she couldn’t allow him to do it any longer. “I’m not going to stay in Idris and I don’t think you should either.”

His dark eyebrows drew together. “What do you mean? What are you talking about?”

“There’s nothing for us there.” She took a deep breath, trying to draw strength. “Because of what I’ve done, the Clave won’t likely allow me to join in missions, and by affiliation you’ll be excluded as well.”

“Where would you go?” Alastair’s tone grew more firm.

“To the Iron Sisters.”

“No.” Alastair shrank away from her as if she’d struck him. “The answer is no, Cordelia.”

“I’m not asking.”

“Well as your older brother and your guardian, I’m saying no.” Alastair moved to the other side of the carriage and rapt twice on the glass window.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m turning this carriage around that’s what I’m doing.” Alastair nearly shouted at her. “Had I known your intentions of joining that underground cult, I would have never agreed to leave London.”

“They’re Shadowhunters,” said Cordelia, “just as you and I are Shadowhunters.”

“I would never be able to see you, Cordelia.” 

The carriage merged onto the side of the road and came to a stop. 

Alastair turned back around to face her and slowly slid down into the seat. “You’d be isolated, worse than Jem, it’d be like—like you were dead.” He turned to look out the window as the rain fell in crooked streams over the glass like translucent veins. His jaw shook the way it did when he was adamant about something and could not be budged. 

“I want to be known for something other than scandal,” said Cordelia. “The Iron Sisters offer me the chance to change my fate, to take back a semblance of my honor, and do something with the life that I have been given. Alastair?” She reached for him but his expression had gone cold. “I won’t let you waste another moment of your life because of me. I made my choices and I’m ready to accept the consequences for those choices, but I will not let you shield me from this— the way you did with father.”

“You had a childhood because of what I did.”

“And you will have a beautiful life because of this.”

Alastair dropped his hand from his mouth and shook his head. “No,” he whispered. “No, I will have nothing.”

He had said once, offhand, when he thought no one was listening, you don’t actually end up with the people you love, but with the ones who stay. At the time, she thought it cruel and the thought made her sad. She felt as thin as a piece of paper. The last thing she wanted to do before leaving was upset her brother. He will heal one day, she thought. One day, he will forgive her. He’ll find someone to love and to stay.

Their driver came around to stand at the carriage window awaiting further instruction. 

“Dâdaš.” His eyes that mirrored her own flashed to her. They were red and full of rage: at her, at everything. She reached for him again when their carriage jolted forward, nearly throwing Cordelia into Alastair, except she didn’t quite make it and instead ended up sprawled out on the carriage floor.

“Bloody hell.” Alastair turned to the window where the driver had been standing, but he was no longer there. 

“What was that?” Cordelia asked, pushing herself up to her knees.

“I’m not sure.” Alastair reached for the door. “Stay here. I’ll see what’s going on.”

“I’m coming with you.” Cordelia successfully got to her feet and followed her brother out of the carriage— the rain so thick she could hardly see in front of her.

“Martin?” Alastair called for their driver. “Martin, what’s going on?”

Cordelia glared down the dark road where she thought she saw a figure standing in the middle of the street, but it very well could have been a trick of the mist. Rain dripped down her face, flattening her hair, and drenching her clothes in minutes. A horse screamed in agitation behind her, but when she turned around to investigate, she felt her foot catch on something. She looked down, expecting her boot to be caught on a stone, instead finding a blood red hand wrapped around her ankle.

“Martin!” 

“Run, Miss Carstairs, run.”

She fell backward when the carriage started moving again. A scream only comparable to nightmares ripped from her throat as the wheels rolled over Martin trapped underneath it. Afraid to open her eyes, Cordelia fumbled to her feet again. The skirt of her dress becoming increasingly heavy with water but she managed to find her footing.

“Martin.” She sobbed, turning around slowly, when a pair of arms reached out for her. She screamed, but recognition settled in, as Alastair’s face appeared before her own. He pulled her into his chest and whispered in her ear not to look. 

“What’s going on?” She demanded over another ripple of thunder. 

Alastair had a spear in his right hand, held out in front of them ready to empale whatever or whomever came near. At some point, he had abandoned his waist coat and tie. “I don’t know.” His eyes danced sharply around them. “Draw Cortana, I believe we’re under—“

Before he could finish his sentence, a great wind beat down on top of them and for a moment the rain stopped. Simultaneously, they looked up as a Diggoron demon with a wing span of twenty feet, a body the length of a whale, and the jaws of a dragon screeched above them. Its sharp tail, barbed with spikes, swung down towards them.

Alastair shoved Cordelia aside and took the brunt of the hit sending him flying through the air and into the darkness.

Cordelia landed painfully on hands and knees, but in a moment, her hands reached behind her and grabbed the hilt of Cortana. Instantly, she felt warmth radiate through her palms as if she’d grabbed the end of a burning log and not the metal end of a sword. The blade rang as she drew it from its home and held it out in front of her. 

Her breath came out in a white cloud as the air around her took on a great chill. Rain dripped into her eyes marring her vision. The air smelt heavily of sulfur and the metallic tang of freshly spilt blood. 

Her feet slipped on the pavement as she ran in the direction Alastair had been thrown. The streets were empty and unnaturally dark without the glow of the moon. All of the lamps had been snuffed leaving her alone in complete darkness. She hadn’t enough time to draw a night vision rune, besides her Stele was tucked safely in her bag on the runaway carriage. 

When she was a child, as a part of her training, she would wrap a blindfold over her eyes and let loose a Revarrt demon, a small seemingly harmless bug except it packed a terrible sting if one allowed it too close. It had a particularly high pitch buzz. With her eye sight gone, Cordelia would hold out her blunt weapon as if it were Cortana and wait for the buzzing to come close and swing. 

It felt as if she were back in the training room in Idris again, waiting for the buzzing to get close enough to her. 

“Cordelia!” She heard from her left and stopped. It came again from behind her. “Cordelia!” Her name took on different voices: Alastair, Lucie, Sona, Matthew, Elias, James.

“Cordelia.” Something hissed right behind her ear. She swung Cortana in an ark but whatever had been there had left in a wave of smoke.

“What do you want?” She yelled into the darkness. “There’s no need for games.”

She felt something brush the side of her neck. In a flash of gold, Cortana cut through the air, but once again she was met with nothing. Movement caught the corner of her eye on her left. A dark mound lay in the middle of the road.

Alastair.

She stumbled into a run, Cortana’s weight in one hand, as she raced to her brother’s side. A slow, dark current circled his head and ran down the street.

She fell down beside him, Cortana clattered to the pavement beside her, as she carefully picked up his head in her hands. There was blood everywhere, more blood than she thought she’d ever seen in her life. Head wounds bleed the worst, she told herself. It was fine. He would be fine.

“Cordelia.” More blood seeped from between his lips, staining his teeth. “You— It wants—“

“Don’t speak.” Quickly, she found a hole in the hem of her dress and ripped a piece from it. It was wet and filthy but she pressed it to his head and picked up his hand to hold it in place. “I’m going to find the Stele. We’ll put an iratze on you and it’ll be fine. Hold that in place.”

He mumbled something as she stood up again.

A gust of wind, so powerful it nearly pushed her forward, swept past her again. As she reached for Cortana, a moment too late, the spiked tail of the Diggoron demon connected with her chest. 

A spike lodged into her ribcage, but she hardly noticed, looking out at the glistening city of London from such great heights. For a moment, while her body lay suspended in the air, she thought about how quiet it was. Without even a chance to scream and all of the air knocked from her chest, it was inexplicably silent- as if time and space had stopped. 

The bliss, however, was short lived. Her stomach flew to her throat as her body fell through the air towards the earth and landed back on the street sliding across the stones like a limp doll until her back slammed against a wall.

Sound and pain rushed back to her. Unable to draw breath into her lungs, her heart rate elevated in her ears, it felt like she were drowning on dry land. Rain ran into her eyes and spilt down her cheeks as she looked up at the blackened sky swirling with rain and mist. 

A figure came to stand over her. For a brief moment, she thought the face familiar. The tangle of dark hair lay limp now and the eyes, went from warm yellow to black. His fingers grazed her cheek as he spoke her name.  James. A great pair of wings spread out from his back and the darkness seemed to swallow her whole. 

[surveys-at-your-service]

Surveys #417-419

Been slacking on posting these, so here’s like three surveys over the past few days divided up. I just don’t feel like posting them individually. Beware, it’s a long post, haha.

Do you believe that animals don’t have souls? I lean towards the idea that they, at least more complex species with actual sentience, do in some way. It's hard to imagine like, a fly having a soul, but it's a nice thought. You could NEVER convince me some don't, though, like my late dog Teddy, Sara's old chameleon Jem, and I could go on and on. Have you ever not been able to swallow pills? No, I've always been able to. If you HAD to change your first name, what would you change it to? Maybe like, Quinn. Something you don't hear a lot, for sure. Something more memorable. What are your thoughts on orange soda? Orange cream soda is BOMB. Man, been so long since I've had that stuff... Are you good with children and/or animals? Don't mean to brag, but people say I'm like a magician with animals. No matter what it is, I bond with it. Children, not so much. I'm awkward around them. Who in your life makes you smile the most? My cat, ha ha. If you were cremated, where would you want your ashes to be placed? Hm. Maybe high up in the mountains or in the Kalahari Desert. Do you plan on going to your high school’s reunion? No. I'm pretty sure I'd shatter from memories just entering the building. Would you want revenge on someone if they killed someone special to you? Or would you find it in your heart to forgive? "Forgive" my ass. They'd better get what's coming to them, even if I've gotta be the person to deliver it. Is there someone you are dying to see? More than I think anyone could possibly know. But it's probably better if I never do. Could you picture yourself getting married and having kids? Married, yes. Having kids, no. I could only picture that in one phase of my life, but like I called it: a phase. I should never be a mother, nor do I want to be one to begin with, so yeah, no kids for me. Do you like to take walks? If my legs were actually worth a shit, yes, I would, if it's in a nature-filled area. What are you listening to at this moment in time? "Thoughts & Prayers" by Motionless In White. Did you ever kiss someone with a tattoo? No. Could you say something good about the last person you kissed? She's very resilient. Why are you single? Because 1.) I'm a very unappealing example of an adult, 2.) I'm not exactly very attractive, and 3.) I'm basically a hermit, so I don't meet people. Do you get jealous if your boyfriend hugs another girl? Hypothetically, in almost any case, I wouldn't. My imaginary boyfriend can have female friends. But I'll admit if it was like, an ex-girlfriend or something and it was a seriously intense hug, I might. Is there something that happened in your past you hate talking about? Yes, but I mean, who doesn't. Have you ever been completely alone with a boy in his room? You make this sound so scandalous lmao. Yes, plenty of times. I dated a dude and briefly lived with him for three and a half years. Do you hate the person you fell hardest for? No. Who was the last person that you cried in front of? I'm sure it was Mom. Is it hard for you to be “just friends” with the opposite sex? Nah. Do you remember every single person that you’ve kissed? Yeah. Do you believe that the world will actually end? Humanity, oh yeah. The planet itself, given the infinite nature of the universe, also yes. At SOME point, even if it's zillions of years down the line, Earth is gonna get fucked by something. Are you socially awkward? I am the literal avatar of "socially awkward." Would you rather watch a comedy movie or horror movie? Horror. Who is your favorite actor/actress? MARK IS A FUCKIN' ACTOR, Y'ALL. Are you satisfied with your gender? Yeah. Are you good at admitting your problems? HA! Yeah. ezpz Have you ever had a hangover? No, never been drunk to begin with. Do you know any strippers? No. How many times have you dyed your hair? I ain't counting. What is something that reminds you of your childhood? Dinosaurs. Do you think you eat healthy? I try to. I have my bad days, though. Are you sick quite often or hardly at all? My immune system is the fucking MVP. I am just about never, ever sick. Has anyone suspected you of being a different sexuality? Yes. Do you like chocolate or vanilla cake more? Chocolate, duh. Does it bother you to have blood drawn or not so much? Nah, no biggie. Has your cell phone ever rung in class? Omg no, I woulda been mortified. Have you ever tried opening your eyes under water? Yeah, as a kid. Would you rather have a cat or a dog? I prefer cats. Have you ever been admitted to the hospital? Like... six times, I wanna say. What would you say is your favorite type of flower? Orchids, but I also love dahlias. I've actually noticed that I've really had a greater "thing" for flowers lately. Like don't get me wrong, I've always loved flowers very much, but I've just found myself more drawn to them than usual, especially when taking the daily hour ride to the TMS office. Do you watch Toddlers and Tiaras? FUCK no. That show disgusts and angers me so much. If someone asked you to go to war today, what would you say? Yeah, no. Funny joke. I couldn't go anyway due to mental health issues and a suicidal history. Do you own an old vintage typewriter? We used to when I was little. I have no idea what happened to it, though?? Hell, maybe we still have it somewhere, but I doubt that. Do you like or hate the smell of fish? Ew, does ANYONE like the smell of fish??? Have you ever read any of John Green’s books? I got a few pages into The Fault in Our Stars, but stopped for no real reason. I didn't not like it or anything, I was just still in my "I don't read" episode. Are you a protective person? VERY. I'm a fucking guard dog over those I love most. Are you a fan of penguins? Yeah, they're cute. I especially think emperor penguins are very majestic. Have you ever met your favorite author? I don’t have a favorite author. Did you get your mom or dad’s eyes? Neither's. I think my maternal grandpa had blue eyes, though? I'm not sure at all, though. When was the last time someone bought you flowers? Not sure. Has there ever been a murder in your town? "A" murder? Thems is rookie numbers for my neck of the woods, fella. This place is known for crime, and that includes murder. When falling asleep, do you ever feel like you stopped breathing? Well, I have seriously severe sleep apnea, so... but the diagnosis came as a surprise to me, because I never DID think this. But sure enough, did a sleep study, and in just one hour's time, I stopped breathing like what, 30 times? What's the last thing that scared the hell out of you? Stupid drivers. Do you have any life-changing plans within the next 6 months? I guess getting a job could be pretty life-changing. As of right now, how do you feel about your future? I'm very, very scared. Who is the last person you ran into unexpectedly? Hm, I dunno. Where does your grandma live? Both of mine are dead, but my paternal grandmother lived in Michigan, while my maternal one technically lived in Florida, but stayed in New York with her son's family a whole lot. I don't really know where she stayed more. Do you know how to read music? Not anymore. Does the song you’re currently listening to remind you of anyone special? Not so much the song, but the band. Motionless In White is one of his all-time favorites, so I can't listen to them without thinking of Jason. Sucks because they've been becoming one of MY favorites, too, so I listen to them a lot. If the person who has hurt you the most, said they were in love with you, would you believe them? I'd tell him he was in a love with a person who no longer exists. It's impossible for him to be in love with me now when he doesn't know how much I've changed. If Facebook made you pay would you still use it? Ha, no. Have you ever been recorded on film without your permission? Not that I know of? Tell me about your last boyfriend? He's a wonderful person. He's been there for me without fail since we became friends in high school band, and he is SO fucking funny. He's always cared a lot about me, and I care a lot about him, just not in the same way he does me. He's like my big brother. Are your parents racist? My dad definitely is. What is your least favorite subject in school? Math and economics both sucked. Have you ever been involved in a custody battle before? Almost certain no. I'm pretty sure Dad didn't fight for custody at all, but it could've been something Mom just never told me. Have you ever babysat a newborn baby before? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I NEVER could. Do you have any siblings you neglect? .-. As a kid, did you ever go to camp? I went to Vacation Bible School, if that counts. Did your parents ever let you play in the pits of those multicolored balls? Yeah, until that big news story about a dirty needle pricking a child. Have any of your siblings ever had a crush on your significant other? Not to my knowledge. I highly doubt it. What do you usually order at Taco Bell, if you go there? Cheese quesadilla with fiesta potatoes. Rarely a pair of those cinnamon ball thingies. Ever consider a sex change? Nah. Do you eat whip cream straight out of the can? EW no. I hate the texture of whipped cream. What do you think of popcorn? Loooove. Have you ever dated any of your friends’ ex? No. Well, it's funny, Rachel (both Juan's and Jason's ex) and I are friends now, but definitely weren't at the time of us being together. Have you ever gone out with someone even though one of your friends liked that person first? If yes, did you feel bad? If no, were you tempted to? No. Would you rather be a rich musician, or a rich actor? Musician. What was the last charity you donated to? I don't recall. Did you like to collect frogspawn as a kid? I've told the "my friends and I saved hundreds of tadpoles" story enough times, so for this question, I'll just talk about when I would go fishing with Dad as a kid. Back then, if I got bored of actually fishing, I would walk along the riverbank and try to catch tadpoles and minnows in my hands. It was soooo fun to Kid Brittany. Do you walk fast or slow? I walk pretty damn slow. Can you juggle with more than two items? I can't juggle, period. Do you like jalapenos? Yeah! Do you like kiwis? Yessss, I love kiwi! Does anyone in your family go deer or bird hunting? Who is it anyway? I don't know if she still does, but my little sister used to go deer hunting with a friend.

Are you saving up for anything right now? What? Yeah, my pet snake's 40 gallon terrarium. What sort of things do you have bookmarked in your internet browser? It's quite diverse, but I think I mostly have templates for specific character profiles. Have you ever snuck in to a theater/dance/bar etc? No, I'm a good noodle. If given the chance, would you go to Ireland? Certainly! It's beautiful there. If you have a cat, does it ever “converse” with you? Oh, ABSOLUTELY. When I talk to him, he sure does try to answer me and it's the cutest thing, ha ha. Have you ever tried those electric toothbrushes? Yeah, that’s what I use. Has anyone told you that they wanted to marry you/were planning on it/etc? Yeah, guess he changed his mind. Name one of your ex’s mother’s names? Virginia. Does your favorite song have a meaning? BIG TIME. Have you ever written or received a suicide note? I've written one. .-. What is the worst thing a child has ever done to you while you were babysitting? When I was changing her diaper, she got up and ran around naked in the house. ;-; Do you own a nightgown? No. If you could get any pet right now, what would you get? i. want. my. tarantula. Have you ever actually been stuffed into a locker? No. That is just such a TV trope that I've never even heard of happening irl. Do you/did you decorate the inside of your locker at school with stuff? I only had a locker in middle school, and I believe I didn't. I didn't want one in HS. What’s the coolest thing you’ve made with Legos? I was never a Legos kid; I played with Lincoln Logs. Do you want to get pregnant right now? Fuck no, man. Or ever. Have you ever housed a friend for a long period of time because they had no place to live? No. If you have a favorite comedian, have they ever been in a movie? I don't have one, really. Are there any books you want to read? Besides the series I'm reading, I want to read The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, but idk if I'll ever get to it, really. If you have younger siblings, are you very protective of them? We don't have a close relationship, but I am nevertheless. If you have older siblings, are they very protective of you? Not really, it seems. First letter of the names of everyone you have kissed? J, T, D, S. Do you like going to school sports games? No, I hated it. When Ash was a cheerleader, Mom made me go, and I was never happy about it. Have you ever worn your boyfriend’s clothes? An ex-boyfriend's, yeah. Did you get into your mom’s makeup when you were a kid? I don't think I did? Do you want anything pierced? Ugh, a lot of places. The last time you washed your hair, did you use conditioner? I never do. Has your partner ever accused you of cheating when you actually didn’t? I've never been accused of cheating. Has anyone ever called you stuck-up? No. I'm quite the opposite. Have you been diagnosed with any mental disorders? Too many, really. What are you doing this summer? Nada. Do you still watch MTV? I never did. Have you ever spent the night with the last person you kissed? Yes. What’s the dress code for your job? Do you like it? I'm unemployed. Does your job allow piercings or tattoos? ^, and this might sound stupid, but I wouldn't work at a job that didn't. Especially tattoos. No job is stopping me from doing things that improve my self-esteem and body image, particularly when I LOATHE my body. If a little bit of art makes me feel better about myself? Nobody is stopping me. What are some trends you dislike that everyone seems to love? "Crocs. Whyyyy?" <<<< THIS. First people hated them, now they love them??? They're hideous as shit. If you got married and then got divorced, would you want to re-marry? I don't really know. How often do you use lotion? Not NEARLY enough for someone with skin as dry as mine. Do you donate your old stuff to Goodwill? If so, what was the last thing you donated? Yeah. Mom recently brought some old toys, I think? How weight conscious are you? You have no fucking idea. Rent a movie or go see one in theaters? I prefer going to a theater. I enjoy the experience. What’s the biggest personality trait turn-off for a potential partner? Probably being an explosive/volatile person. I can't with that. Would you ever go on a birth control pill? I already am to regulate my period and tame the cramps. And if I was sexually active, I absolutely would want to be on it. What's your favorite late night tv show? I don’t have one. At high school do or did you participate in Spirit Week? No. Do you have a favorite vocalist? Who? Queen's Freddie Mercury will probably always top the list. If you have a favorite photographer, can you describe their work? I don't have a favorite photographer. Surprisingly. Are sex and sexual activities something you enjoy? If it's with someone I'm in love with and am in the mood, sure. What is one aspect of your life that did not turn out as you expected? I did NOT expect to reach 25 like... *gestures at self* this. What is one thing stopping you from becoming a veterinarian? I could never handle euthanizing pets and watching the families' hearts break. How long have you lived in the house you live in? Not even a year. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder? I'm definitely sadder. Especially today. Do you like Subway? I do. Have you ever seen a volcano? No. Have you ever found a spider on your bed? Yes. It's the scariest shit when one skitters across your blanket, because like, you LEAST expect it to happen in the comfort of your own bed. Are you satisfied with the way your life is right now? Not even remotely, if I'm being honest. I'm at a real low. When was the last time you ate at Burger King? Years ago, when I was a vegetarian and went there for the veggie burger. How often do you cry? lol a lot Ever had a crush on a teacher? No. Can you wire a plug? ... I don't even know what you mean by "wire a plug," so obviously no lmfao. Where were you when you got your first period? Well I think I actually *started* at school, but I noticed when I got home. Can you drive? I mean I'm capable, but I'm an incredibly anxious, overly passive, and just generally terrified driver. I'm so scared of when I finally get new glasses and therefore a new permit... but I have to get used to driving. Living where I do, public transportation is very, very limited, and I just can't have people driving me places the rest of my life. Exercise or healthy eating? I sadly hate exercising SO much. I'd rather eat healthy. Did you play Red Rover when you were a child? Yeah. Are you more attracted to men or women? This can actually vary with time, which I originally thought was weird but is apparently normal for some bisexual individuals. There are spans where I feel more sexual attraction to men, and then other times women. Has anyone ever called you rich? God no, I am so far from it. What makes you feel beautiful? Nothing. Are you considered a very sensitive person? I'm way too sensitive for my own good. Have you ever told someone you never wanted to speak to them again? Yes, my dad. I regret that letter I sent him so, so much. I honestly don't know how he can treat me with so much love after the shit I said. If you could watch any TV series right now, what would it be? I am... astonishingly behind on Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty. I know, seriously incredible. I just don't watch TV, man. It's strange, I'm into the show, of course I am, I just... don't like sitting myself in front of a television and purely watching it. I'll catch up, though. Do you grind your teeth, and if so, why do you do it? No. But it's not like people have a reason they grind their teeth... they just do. Do you feel the need to rant about anything right now? If so, go for it. I could, but I'm not going to. It'll just upset me. Do you have a friend named Nick? What’s his favourite food? My sister's husband's name is Nick, but he is definitely not my friend. I can't stand his bigoted, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, racist ass. I don't know or care what his favorite food is. What are you listening to? I'm re-watching Gab and Sinow play Resident Evil 5. People can say all they want about RE5, but I love it. Do you prefer waffles or pancakes? Waffles, but only if they're still soft enough to not be considered crunchy. I prefer them because I can put peanut butter on them, and the grooves catch the syrup instead of just absorbing it all like pancakes. Do you prefer non-diet or diet soda? I don't/can't drink diet sodas because the artificial sweetener gives me a KILLER headache. Are you craving anything right now? You guys have no idea how badly I want Taco Bell for whatever reason. Which word did you say first, mama or dada? The latter. What was your first pet’s name? So, there's three answers to this. I was born into the family while we had a collie named Trigger, but I have absolutely zero memory of her. She passed when I was too young. Our first family pet that I clearly remember was Chance, our rescued cat. My first *personal* pet was either a guinea pig named Squeak or Chinese water dragon named Shadow. I can't remember who came first. Who was your best friend in elementary? It changed with the years, but I can say the three biggies were Brianna, Kim, and Quiata. Who was your favorite teacher in high school? Probably Coach Collie. He was so wise, kind, funny... He was all-around just wonderful and taught so many life lessons. When you go to a restaurant, do you have a go-to dish? Always. What is the best part of your most ordinary day? Waking up and doing my first sweep of the Internet before I get bored outta my fucking senses. Do you read any web comics? No.

Do you drink bottled water? Yeah, but like any water, it has to be COLD. Not room temperature. Not a tad chilly. I mean cooooold. When did you last use a straw? Earlier. I have a metal straw I use to drink water with because I drink faster through a straw, and with it being water, of course I want to try to drink as much as I can when I actually choose to drink water. Have you ever tackled someone to the ground? No. Do you know anyone who lies to make themselves look more interesting? My former best friend did that. She was an online friend, so it made it easy. I finally caught on and called her out on it, and then she just totally dipped. Do you like to sing? Not that much, honestly. Like sometimes I feel like it, sure, but not frequently. Are your parents in good health? No, not really. Have you ever been a caregiver to a sick/disabled relative? No. I feel bad saying it, but I know I never could be. I could NOT clean another human being. It's one of the bajillion reasons I'm not having kids. Do you like to take naps during the day? "Like" isn't the right word. I just... need to. Most days, there is NO way I can make it 'til night without one. What movie was your favorite to see in the movie theater? Even though it was sincerely a sucky movie, I really enjoyed watching Silent Hill: Revelation because I saw the 3D version, plus the hype over my favorite franchise getting a new movie was just very exciting. Favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle character? I was never into that. Ever watched The Blair Witch Project? Yes, and I positively adore it. I genuinely think it's a genius horror movie, never showing, but telling through other methods. Have a favorite AC/DC song? Probably "You Shook Me All Night Long." Are you good at selling candy for those fundraiser things? Omg nooooo I HATED doing that shit, especially when some amount of sales were like, required for whatever bullshit reason. I hate hate hate advertising to people. My parents always bought them instead. Have you ever had a crush on someone too old for you? No. Well, besides James Hetfield, ha ha. What's your favorite Dr. Suess quote? I don't know enough quotes to have one. If you were to have wings, what would you want them to look like? Dark and dragon-esque with lots of rips and tears in them... but not enough to stop me from flying, ha ha. Have you ever broken up with someone to find you want them back later? No. Has anyone ever dared you to eat a chili pepper? Did you do it? No. Have you ever tried Thai food? No. Have you ever watched Avatar? The TV show, not the movie. I've seen I think one season with Sara so far? I actually quite enjoy it. What's your cellphone's signature for text? WOW this survey is ancient. If you smoke marijuana, what is your preferred or typical method? I don't smoke it. Do you often take painkillers? I dunno about "often," but headaches to the point I take something aren't rare for me. Do you wish you were in a relationship? I mean yes, but I know it's for the better I'm not. Have you ever been to the ER? Many times. Do you ever feel guilty eating meat? I feel extremely guilty. I try not to think about it. Where have you lived for the most part of your life? Eastern NC. How old are you? 25. What are you listening to at the moment? Powerwolf came out with a new album, so I've been bingeing the shit out of some songs, ha ha. Right now it's "Blood For Blood." Do you watch WWE Raw? Ew, no. I have NEVER gotten the appeal of wrestling. Just like... why????? Do you dye your hair? Nowhere near regularly. :/ I haven't had it dyed in a very long time, and I hate it. I love colored hair. We just can't afford that expense on something so little. My hair does NOT take dye easily, so we have to have a professional do it, and that isn't exactly cheap. Have you ever lived in a different country that the one you’re living in? No. Which of your parents will you see next? I live with my mother, so. Have you fallen asleep in school? Not in class, no. In college when I would be in the library between classes, though, I've dozed before. Have you ever been hospitalized? Yes, but not for physical issues. Do you make fun of obese people? You're talking to someone who is. So obviously no, and you're a piece of fucking shit if you do. Do you have an innie or an outtie? Innie. Have you ever tried to headbang? No. Even as a metalhead, I don't get it, man. You're asking for a headache. Do you own any Converse? What do you think of them? I have a few and like them. Have you ever started a rumor? No. Have you ever been in a position of authority? I mean, I'm an admin on two sites, so I guess? Were your ancestors royalty? Yeah, I'm related to one of the Queen Victorias, I believe. I just know she had a thing for beheading people, ha ha. What do you like on your pasta/noodles? Sauce, butter, grated cheese, etc.? Just tomato sauce and meatballs, really. Who is the most ungrateful person you know? What makes them this way? My fucking ex-best friend. You could never, ever give her enough and she just... blegh. She was so fucking ungrateful for everything people did for her. It was just never enough. Do you like cherry Pepsi? I like cherry Coke. I don't like Pepsi. Have you ever held an uncommon pet before (ex: mouse, spider, snake, lizard)? I've held snakes, rats, lizards, and a tarantula. Who did you last play truth or dare with? No clue. Have you ever camped out somewhere for an event the next day? No. When were you the saddest in your life? 2016. Do you know anyone, personally, who is in an abusive relationship? Are you? No. If you have siblings, have they moved out or do they still live with you? Yeah, they've moved out. What was the most unique pet you’ve owned? I'd probably say my champagne ball python. A lot of people don't even know ball python morphs exist, so seeing her might surprise some people. Do you like Doritos? Yeah. When you buy clothes, do you always try them on first? No, but I need to learn how to... I just HATE doing it. Have you used bugspray recently? No. Do you enjoy swimming in the ocean? Yesssss. Have you ever tried to sew or knit anything? No. Has something ever happened to you that seemed like it was from a movie? Most of Jason's and my relationship felt like one. Hence why the breakup felt so sudden and just impossible. Do you find yourself to be a believer in love at first sight? Not even remotely. Is there something you want to do, that you swear you will, no matter what? Spread Teddy's ashes in Yellowstone. I promised him. Are you longing for the day that you’ll be an adult? (If you’re not already) I am an adult, and it sucks. What’s something you’ve vowed to never eat? Any meat that was hunted. Have you ever owned a diary/journal with a lock and key? I don't believe so. When you were little, what movie did you watch over and over? Mostly Disney films, like The Lion King and Finding Nemo. Are you deathly allergic to anything? No. Do you know what you want for your dream house? Nope. I honestly don't really care about having a "dream" house to begin with. I just need one that's cozy to me and gets the job done. Have you ever seen the movie The Notebook? Many, many times. It's my favorite romance movie. Have you ever used the photo editing site “Picnik”? No, not to my memory. Has an animal ever taken a strong dislike to you? Our old dog Bentley didn't like me all that much, and I didn't like him, either. Have you ever attempted to cut your own hair? No. Do you have a lucky or special coin? No. Do you love ice cream cake more than normal cake? No. Do you check your email daily? No. Is there anyone you know who’s in any way paralyzed? No. For you, do you commonly feel more jealousy or envy? Envy. Do you rely on the heads/tails flipping of a coin sometimes for decisions? No. Has a laptop ever burned your legs? Yes, actually. For a while many years ago, my old laptop left subtle burn marks on my legs. Anyone’s birthday coming up soon? My nephew's is next month. Do you like Laffy Taffy? I doooo. Are your biceps at all noticeable? Ha, no. Have you ever seen a walrus? Maybe when I went to SeaWorld as a kid? Did you ever have one of those easy bake ovens as a kid? Yup. If given the opportunity, would you ride on a camel? Sure. What flavor cake do you like for your birthday? Red velvet. Have you ever had a job you loved? Nope. Have you ever been in a building that was on fire? Yikes, no. Have you ever written a poem for someone? Two people. Have you been best friends with someone of a different race? Yes. Who is the person you are closest to that you’ve met online? Sara. What was the name of the first porcelain doll you got? I was very afraid of dolls as a kid, so I obviously didn't have one. Do you sell any products? If so, what? I mean, I'm a wannabe photographer that sells my service. Owls or peacocks? Owls. Lions or horses? Lions. Can you still fit into kid’s clothes? Hell no. What devotional do you read, if any? None. What do you make wishes on? I only ever do for the tradition of it on my birthday. I don't believe in the magic of wishes, though. Have you ever made a recipe you found in a magazine? No. Are you bitter about anything? Probably always will be. Have you ever been in a love triangle? No. How bad are your hangovers? Never had one. Have you ever broken a bone? If so, what was the cause of it? Yes. It was identified as a fracture, but a break and a fracture are technically like the same thing, so. At a skating rink, I fell and landed on my hand so the top of it nearly touched my arm, so my wrist got FUCKED. I will never, ever forget the severity of the pins and needles feeling and just the experience in general. It hurt so goddamn bad. Is this the best year of your life? Fuck no.

[andrewjostn]

This has been written for Autism Awareness Day, Irene (@julemmaes) and Zey (@tyherondaletrash) had wanted to do something special for today and Irene invited me to join and clearly, I said yes. 

I suppose this is a one-shot or a short story of sorts from Ty’s perspective when he and Kit meet for the first time in three years. I know there are many fics out there about this but I thought a sweeter one would be nice. I do apologise if anything is incorrect in advance on the ways Ty is feeling, but what I’ve read is everyone is different. Still, if anything is wrong or incorrect I am deeply apologetic and please let me know for future writings.

approx. 1.7k words I think probably more...

—–

It had been three years, each year feeling longer than the last. Three eventually successful years. Ty had gotten into the Scholomance and had become centurion, he had gotten what he wanted, well almost what he wanted but he would settle for this. It had been three years since that night by Lake Lynn, and all three years the regret and sorrow for his friend never left, an itch against his heart which he tried his best to ignore.

All those three years Livvy was a constant against his side, she was always there when he needed her and when he didn’t. He had grown closer to his sister Dru when he was back at the LA Institute and when she wasn’t with her friends. He treasured his newfound relationship with his sister, one that grew stronger when Kit had left.

He would sometimes watch Dru’s horror movies with her and she would sometimes help him with caring for Irene. Irene was not fond that of Dru but would let her care for her when Ty had his watchful eye on them.

It had been three years, three years since he had seen that golden grown upon his head, but here from the top of the institute’s roof Ty let his legs hang suspended in mid-air and he saw the boy with the golden crown of hair again. His breath hitched in his throat, his hands fiddling with the sleeve of his jumper.

Kit.

He could see him again, he could. He told himself over and over again. He had to. If he couldn’t he felt he might go insane.

Ty had not noticed that Jem and Tessa followed after Kit with a small girl holding each of their hands, jumping and swinging between them, an innocent smile on her face. He did not know her name.

“You should go down and greet them, Ty-Ty.” Livvy’s voice echoed from beside him, she was floating beside him, a wistful look on her face as she looked down towards Kit and his newfound family.

“Go down,” She said again, her wistful look turning hard as she looked at Ty, “If you don’t you and I both know you will regret it.”

Ty knew she was right, his fingers continued to play against the fraying edges of his hoodie as he stood up on the wall. Kit was gone from front steps, he had gone inside. He still wished he had understood why Kit had left, he was going to get an answer from him.

Ty stepped down from the wall and made his way across the roof to the door that led down into the institute. It was warm in the institute compared to the cool breeze outside, the sun was beginning to set and long shadows danced along the walls.

Ty made his way slowly down further into the institute until he was above the foyer, out of sight of the people below. Out of sight of Kit.

Julian was there welcoming them, and Emma too—those two were always together, Ty had observed that but he guessed that’s what happens when you love someone as fiercely as those two do each other, they never leave each other’s side—She was giving a hug to Jem and then one to Tessa before kneeling down in front of the small girl extending her hand in greeting, the little girl took it smiling as she said her name.

“Mina.”

Ty watched as Julian shook hands with both Tessa and Jem, smiling at Mina before turning his eyes to Kit. Ty could see the tenseness in his shoulders when he looked at Kit.

Ty watched Julian think of what he was to do with Kit. Julian knew Ty had been upset over an argument that had happened between himself and Kit, but Ty had never told him the truth of what had really happened.

His eyes slightly widened as he watched Julian pull Kit into a hug, and Kit looked a little surprised too. Emma gave Kit a hug as well as soon as Julian had let go but Ty had expected Emma to be more friendly.

Now Ty finally let himself look at Kit, no one else in the frame. He had grown a bit, but that was to be expected. He looked stronger, where scrawny arms used to be, were now muscles. He had filled his lanky body with the strength and muscle of a shadowhunter, he had been training Ty realised. He had finally accepted that he was a shadowhunter. That thought made his heartache in a way he wasn’t used to.

With that newfound knowledge, Ty noticed the Herondale ring on Kit’s finger, and the Herondale dagger strapped to Kit’s leg. He wasn’t in full gear, Kit was wearing a plain hoodie over his pants which Ty could tell were gear from the rigid way they held.

“You haven’t gone down yet, Ty,” Livvy said, not looking at him, her eyes trained on Kit.

Ty watched as Livvy slowly floated down to where Kit and the others were. Ty saw Kit’s eyes widen at the sight of Livvy before he offered her a small smile and a slight nod, she returned it with a small wave. No, it wasn’t a wave it was a beckon for Ty to come down after her.

Ty slowly stood up, making his way down the stairs his eyes never left the floor beneath him. He felt Kit’s eyes on him, he looked everywhere but Kit’s face. He didn’t know what would happen if he looked at Kit’s face, he didn’t like not knowing.

Ty looked at Jem who offered a small smile, and Tessa who had a knowing look on her face and then to little Mina who beamed up at him with such child-like innocence. He had nowhere else to look but Kit, but he had to know.

His eyes soon found Kit’s, whose eyes had never left him. It struck him then how blue they were, they were as blue as the sky if it had remained untouched by humanity. He sucked in a breath running his eyes over his face, it was still Kit but his jaw was hard, his cheekbones cast a shadow against his face in the dying light. Ty could see a look of sadness when he looked at him, and it hurt Ty to see it. He wanted to hold him until the sadness left but he knew that is not how it worked, you couldn’t just hug someone to get rid of the feeling of sadness.

Their staring was brought to an end when Mina pulled against Kit’s leg asking to be picked up. When Kit looked at his adoptive sister there was nothing but the warmth of love and the fierce protectiveness behind it, he did as she asked.

Mina’s eyes were trained on Ty. 

“I’m Mina.” She said, giving him a smile with missing teeth, that made Ty smile.

“I’m Ty,” He said back, looking from Kit to Mina and back again. Mina’s face was lit up with a smile.

Ty found it odd, how children smiled for no reason but also cried for it too.

Julian had said something but Ty wasn’t paying attention and Tessa had taken Mina from Kit’s arms and the five other people had disappeared into the kitchen.

It was only Ty and Kit now in the foyer.

Ty knew what he wanted to say so he said it.

“Why didn’t you say good-bye?” His voice broke slightly on the words, but his gaze was strong and unrelenting as he looked into Kit’s eyes. It was hard for him to do, but at this moment he needed to.

Kit opened and closed his mouth, Ty could see his mind working at what he wanted to say.

“I thought you didn’t care—I thought you hated me,” He said finally, the sadness filling his eyes yet again. His voice fading.

Ty widened his eyes, in all his sadness and grief he never had hated Kit and he had never not cared. 

“I could never hate you, Kit,” Saying Kit’s name again was a comfort he didn’t know he had needed.

As if those words were all Kit needed his body relaxed ever so slightly. Ty looked down at Kit contemplation in his eyes.

“Why would you think that?” It was an honest question that Ty asked.

“Because—” Kit’s voice faltered, “I told you I loved you and you didn’t seem to care.” His words were quiet and he was no longer looking up at Ty.

He didn’t know what to say, no words came to his mind for him to speak. He remembered Kit saying those words, he remembered but he had wanted Livvy back so badly that they had hardly registered and he had pushed them aside.

“Kit— I…” He didn’t know what to say and he wanted, needed to say something, he watched as Kit’s eyes held his own for a moment.

“I know you do not, it has been three years so long and while there were others there was never another you,” Ty wanted to say that it would have been impossible for there to be another one of him but the look in Kit’s eyes held him back from saying it.

“But I fear that what I feel will never leave and—" 

Ty cut his words off, wrapping his arms around him. A feeling he never thought he would feel again swelled in his chest. To Ty’s surprise Kit lifted his arms up and hugged him back. This feeling Ty wanted, he had never known that he had missed. 

When Kit touched his shoulder it had always been gentle and careful, but now in their hug, he held him tight as if he didn’t want to lose him again. It made his mind whirl and his tightened chest relax, Kit’s touch is all he wanted, his touch made him help calm himself.

"Kit,” He whispered against Kit’s crown of golden hair, he was testing his name again against his tongue.

“Yes?” Kit’s voice was muffled against Ty’s shoulder.

“I—” Ty hesitated, “I was blind, blind to this feeling which I feel that is so clear now at this moment.” He took a deep breath.

“I was too focused on Livvy, I did not mean to harm you or your feelings because I— because I also love you.”

Kit pulled away from the hug and stared back up at Ty, his eyes wide and full of tears. Ty feared he had something wrong.

“If this is a joke Ty, it isn’t very funny.” Kit knew that both of them knew he would never joke on such matters.

“I’ve had three years,” Ty began, “three years without you and when I saw you standing on the steps something filled my heart that had been missing for these three years.” He took a deep breath.

“This hole I tried to fill with the Scholomance, with studies and friends—with other people, but it always remained empty. I never knew how much Sherlock had needed Watson until my own had left.”

Kit’s brimming eyes spilled over and a vulnerable look was splashed across his face as Ty spoke his words, Kit knew Ty could be good with words when he wanted to.

Ty lifted his hand and wiped away Kit’s tears, running his fingers along his cheekbones and jaw.

“Ty—What are you doing?” Kit’s voice was quiet as Ty’s fingers curled around the front of Kit’s jumper pulling him closer until they were a breath apart.

“Something you will like,” He breathed before leaning down and placing a kiss against Kit’s lips.

Ty pulled away a second after, “Do you believe me now? That I love you?” His question was innocent and the vulnerability clear in his voice and on his face.

Kit nodded, lifting his face back up to Ty’s.