#claire is awful. but the point of claire is not claire; so it's a little easier to stomach

[blackjack-15]

this 80s romcom lighting outside is hysterical oh my land

"wanna see the restaurant?"

"there are about 10 things in here that could kill you" 11, counting Syd

and among all this chaos he has one pertinent question:

"why didn't you call me?!" "i should have called you!"

this is going age like milk when syd sees who else is here!

syd was right last episode that carmy should have called her; carmy's right this episode that syd should have called him they're great at knowing they're a partnership. right now, they're not sure what that actually means, however, and it's causing massive friction, miscommunication, and stress

wow claire great time to introduce yourself there. like a bucket of cold water. she didn't really need to is the weird thing? nat was already talking to her, already greeted her? most people would have been like mm let me take a step back, maybe even come back later. but not claire! no she strides in like the elephant in the room and does a dance

oh ho. syd's face when claire says her name. that's a whole look

"this is my friend, claire" most honest he's been about this whole arrested development situationship

"sorry to interrupt, you all seem really busy" mm. no kidding.

"i'm sydney, it's really nice to meet you, i'm also sorry that you're here" SYD I LOVE YOU

she explains what she means and all but like. what a choice of dialogue, huh? and carmy's face. holy eff this is amazing

"interesting" oh richie. and nat's face when he says that -- the Wheels are Turning. direct comparison to his "ooooh" from last ep.

also i do love carmy's noticeably softer with Richie here. he knows richie really is just trying to help, and -- more than that -- knows that nothing else is gonna get done tonight

OH. INCHRESTING.

he tells everyone great job and to go home -- syd's rolled eyes here are a Pleasure -- and then when syd does that? carmy's reaction?

"what?" "i'm saying good night!"

very reminiscent of carmy's "what are you doing" when syd's quitting in S1E7. hmm i wonder why there's a bit of betrayal there.

this. this is beautiful. and he watches her go, too. beautiful direction, dialogue, etc etc

richie and nat are having similar problems to syd and richie last season. looking like we're gonna have a similar blow up. nat please keep the knives away from richie's ass, he's already a cheek down

the camera pan and hold on "carm/syd menu review" and then back to carmy and claire? i think that's the least subtle thing in the show, and we've seen richie's behavior + syd's temper almost literally bite him in the ass

"we're very fast" the subtlety is just...any more subtle and we'd have neon lights going. this is enjoyable because holy crap the telegraphing is Blatant

also this is some of the worst flirting i've ever seen. we're back to the total lack of chemistry and the two of them talking like 8th graders.

"i did that." "i know you did, and now you have to go" i'm still amazed that this is all text? none of this is implied? the writers are normally a little more subtle, so like...this is on purpose.

and the predictable kiss! you knew it was gonna happen, and they don't care. carmy going in with the same hand thing claire did earlier? either i can see the future or they're flashing the cliche, high-school nature of relationship with big flashing signs

and i can't see the future.

as a final note? i'm just gonna say. carmy is inexperienced, etc etc, yaddah yaddah. his actor on the other hand, is very much not. well done there sir.

[19catsncounting]

Wild idea: Alex Jones was one of Azazel's Special Children that he made just for funsies.

Research I didn't actually have to do but did: The Special Children Activation happened between 2006-2007 and Alex was kidnapped by Celia from her family smack-dab in the middle of that. 😃

[katsukistofu]

claire de lune

contents ౨ৎ ⋆ k. bakugo x fem reader. 1.8k words — domestic fluff. slightly suggestive. ⭑ there’s nothing you and katsuki wouldn’t do for your baby girl, and that includes giving her the moon.

“Mommy! Mommy!”

“Yes angel?”

“I want that thing down!” Your daughter points above you with her tiny finger. The faint chirping of crickets can be heard in the distance, and tall, silken blades of grass tickle the both of your cheeks as you gaze upward at the vast periwinkle sky. 

A sweet smile spreads across your lips. “You want me to get the moon down?” 

“Yeah!” 

“Aw sweetheart, I’d get it for you but mommy can’t reach that high. Daddy probably can though.”

She pouts at this, and turns away from you to poke her dad who is on the brink of falling asleep again on the other side of her. 

“Dada!”

Katsuki’s eyes flutter open and he groggily faces her, head resting on his folded arms behind him. You bite back a laugh at the crumbs still decorating his cheeks. Sumi was trying to balance Cheeto puffs on his nose earlier before his nap. “What ‘sup bubba?”

She points at the moon again. “Get it down.”

“That?” Your husband covers his mouth to yawn, glancing up at the darkening sky. Sumi nods excitedly. “M’kay. Was thinking about it when you and mommy started lookin’ anyway.” He says it so casually, like getting the moon for her was a feat as simple as buying a carton of strawberries at the store.

“Yay!” Sumi cheers, and he chuckles when she struggles to slip her hand under his arm on the ground to hug it. Katsuki rolls over and she giggles, now sandwiched between the both of you as you hug her.

“Sumi, how about you wait inside while Daddy gets it for you?” You suggest. It was starting to get late. 

“Nooo,” Sumi whines. “Wanna stay here and watch.”

“You can have the last cookie in the kitchen’s jar.”

Sumi’s eyes brighten. “The bear one that looks like dada!”

“That’s right, sweetheart. The one with his grump grump face.”

“Who’re you calling a grump grump.” Katsuki scowls, secretly reaching over Sumi to give an affectionate pinch to the softness of your hip and you squeal. 

“Sumi, Daddy’s being mean to mommy!”

Sumi’s face matches Katsuki’s expression from before. “Stop that dada!” 

Katsuki slyly grins and withdraws his hand, masking his face into an expression that is the definition of innocence. With amusement, you note the little huff of pride he makes seeing Sumi’s tiny scowl, perfectly identical to his. “Mommy started it.” 

She blows a raspberry at him and wriggles out of his grasp, then gives the both of you pats on the head like you’re misbehaving puppies and finally runs off back into the house. 

“You two play nice!” Sumi waggles her finger with as much sternness as a three year old can muster before promptly shutting the door in your faces.

Katsuki meets your eyes with his and the both of you laugh on the grass, breathlessly clutching each other. 

“I wonder who she takes after more,” you muse between giggles. 

“Definitely you.” Katsuki rolls his eyes, bringing you closer to him with his arms snug around your waist.

“Whaaat? No way, I was totally going to say you.” You grin cheekily, eyes going almost comically wide when he kisses you hard on the mouth in response.

“Shut up.” 

“Kiss me again and I will,” you murmur dazedly and he chuckles, muttering something under his breath about you being insatiable despite leaning in to give you another one.

With how close he is, everything is soft eyelashes, the dull thudding of his heart beat synchronizing with yours as his firm chest presses against you, and the warmth radiating from his smooth skin, slowly seeping into your body.

Each movement of your lips brushes his mouth more and more against yours and even after almost a decade of being together, the feeling still makes your brain go fuzzy. All your thoughts melt away. It’s just you and him.

“Kats,” you breathe in warning. His fingers have somehow found their way under your sundress and they’re mindlessly tracing nonsensical shapes into the small of your back, his other arm still tightly wrapping you in his warm embrace. “I really, really need to go iron your suit for tomorrow. Plus, aren’t you supposed to be catching the moon right now, mister?”

“Just ten more minutes,” Katsuki murmurs against your collarbone and you shiver. His voice is still husky with sleep. “And I already caught the thing.”

“Really? Proof or you’re lying.” You raise a brow skeptically, and you should’ve known better than to doubt him when he actually reaches behind him, the wedding ring that he never takes off even to wear his hero costume glinting in the moonlight, to lift up a neatly wrapped up box with a little baby pink ribbon on it. 

Your mouth drops open in surprise. “Where the hell did you get that?”

Katsuki grins proudly. “Found it after patrol last week with Eijiro.”

“It being…?”

“The moon.” He sets the box down in front of you. “It’s a night light, ‘cause I know Mimi’s scared of the dark.” 

“Aww Katsuki,” you coo, reaching out to caress his cheek. “That’s so cute.”

He blushes at the pure look of adoration in your eyes, and you can’t help but smile when he hides his face in your hair. “S’nothin’. Just getting the best for our little girl.”

Your husband grumbles when you let out that perfect, angelic giggle of yours and rest your hand on his head in response. He was so adorable. 

The way he’s acting is so similar to how you did at the beginning of your relationship all those years ago in high school, but it seems that as the both of you got older the tables turned and he was the clingier one now, much to the amusement of your classmates and the press when they managed to get ahold of you.

Katsuki lets out a low, content hum as you run your fingers through his soft hair. The both of you lay there, basking in each other’s touch and comfortable silence.

“Couldn’t keep my eyes off of you when you were sunbathing on the beach this morning.”

Your cheeks are warm. “Really?”

“Uh-huh.” Katsuki smirks at your expression. “Sumi kept smacking me with her damn shovel when we were making sand castles. Stop staring at mommy, it's rude!” He says, mimicking your daughter’s scolding tone.

You laugh at his Sumi impression. “My girl was trying to teach you some manners!”

“Damn straight.” He grins against your neck, and your cheeks grow hot at the way his teeth lightly graze over your skin. “That’s why I said she’s more like you, mommy.”

Your stomach flips against your will and your cheeks burn as you smack his well-muscled chest. “Don’t call me that!”

“Hah? Am I hearing my wife being embarrassed right now, after everything we’ve done? After what we made together?” Katsuki teases. “When you’re talking to Sumi you call me dadd—“

“What’s taking you so long!” Speaking of the little devil, Sumi’s impatient voice floats down to the garden through the open window of her room upstairs. “I want my moon and bedtime story now!”

“We’re on our way, Sumi!” You call up. Katsuki reluctantly lets you pull away from his arms, and the both of you stand up to dust yourselves off. He groans as he cracks his back next to you.

“Don’t think we’re nursing home age just yet,” you say jokingly. Katsuki snorts and pinches your cheek for the jibe. 

“You’re lucky I’m still gonna think you’re cute when you’re in grandma diapers.”

“Wha—Hey!” You trail after him into the house. Damn his fast pace and his longer legs. He’s already up the stairs, the present box in his hand.

You reach the top of the stairs and head for the familiar light pink interior of Sumi’s room but stop in the doorway to coo at the sight before you. 

“Hey, squirt. Got the moon for you, just like I said I would.” Katsuki’s voice is gentle as he kneels on the floor to meet her sparkling eyes, and gently shakes the box in his hands before holding it out to her.

“Whoaaa!” Sumi eagerly takes it. “Thank you dada!” 

She raises her head and spots you leaning against the frame of her door. “Mommy look!”

“I’m looking, Mimi.”

“You and dada watch me open it.” 

“Okay, go ahead we’re watching.” Katsuki and you smile softly as she unwraps the present with care and she gasps, tiny hands taking the globe-shaped, moon night light out. It was decorated with realistic looking craters, and even came with a wooden stand to put it on.

“So cute.” Her eyes are as wide as dinner plates. “So pretty.” Then she tilts her head in the direction of her open curtains.

“Why’s she still up there though?” Sumi asks curiously, and Katsuki chuckles. Of course his kid is way too smart to be tricked by something like a night light. 

“Well we can’t actually take the moon away, sweetie. She has her stars to take care of.”

“Oh.” Sumi frowns, deep in thought, then perks up. “Mr. Sun would miss her too!”

“Mhm, that’s right.” You ruffle her hair playfully and she squeals. “That’d be like someone taking me away from you and daddy.”

“No!” Sumi pouts. “Don’t like that. Wanna stay with you and dada forever.”

“And you will, Sumi.” Katsuki pats her little head with his much larger hand in reassurance. “Mommy and I are gonna to be with you forever. Right mommy?”

You sigh, realizing he’s got you trapped. “That’s right… daddy,” you grit out, ignoring the victorious grin that causes his unfairly attractive dimple to appear on his cheek and you head straight for Sumi’s spot on the bed, taking a seat next to her. She leans against your arm, and you press a loving kiss to the top of her head. 

Sumi holds the night light out to Katsuki, who gently sets it down on her nightstand and plugs it in. It casts a soft, white glow, just like real moonlight on his face, and Sumi and you ooh and awe at it in appreciation.

“Can I have my bedtime story now?” Sumi pipes up.

“Sure, think it’s mommy’s turn to read.” Katsuki joins the both of you in bed, sliding an arm behind you. “What book were you thinking of tonight?”

“Le Peewee Prince!”

You giggle. “Le Petit Prince?”

“Yeah, that one!”

“Okay then. Come here and lay down, sweetheart.” You take the bookmark out from where you left off last time, the moon night light beside you illuminating the pages as you begin to read.

“Goodbye, said the fox.” You recite in a quiet, dulcet voice. Katsuki’s arm around your waist hugs you and Sumi closer, who snuggles up between you both, blanket tucked snug under her chin. Your chest warms at the sight, and you continue. “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye…”

[unconventional-lawnchair]

A Second Chance pt.3 {Blurb}

Poly!Marauders+Lily x Fem!Reader - Zombie Apocalypse Au

Stick Season Noah Kahan

Masterlist

Summary: Reader has sometime with Remus, before she is sent out alone with Sirius}

Cw; Guns, death, zombies go nom nom , a lot of baby talk, cussing, minor character death, Zombie apocalypse typical violence, infants)

a/n- This is totally just filler, but next chapter is going to be very intense, so warning ahead of time

Wc-2464

Amazing People- @mooonyxoxo @sippinpeachtea @amethyistheart @zjasminelouvre3 @idonotknowenglish @le-clair-de-lune @shylahstarzz

You hadn't slept a wink. Still staring out the window with Hermione against your chest. She had fistfuls of your shirt, and you couldn't bring yourself to put her down, far too anxious of what would happen to her. Your mind wandered to the worst but just because you were terrified didn't mean the world stopped turning.

Eventually, Hemione woke up and gave her soft fussy gurgles. You stood up and tried to stay quiet. Lily had laid in the bed last night, and must have fallen asleep with Harry. They were both sleeping soundly, so you didn't want to disturb them. 

If last night had happened any other time, at any other place, with anyone else, you would have kicked them out. Send them straight back to the woods. It was cruel, but you weren't going to keep around people you didn't trust. However, they had Harry and your friends have done dumber things in the past. They seemed like truly good people, that was rare nowadays, and company of your own age wasn't entirely awful. 

Everyone was going through this for the first time. You did know one thing, however, Sirius was not to be trusted to have Hermione’s best interest at heart. 

You went about your routine, making your way to the kitchen, feeding her with what little milk you could find. You don't know much about about babies, again, you used to find them extremely annoying, but you knew that when Mrs. Granger first had Hermione, she could hardly lift her limbs.

Her husband had asked you to scavenge any nuts you could find, specifically almonds or cashews, he said it wasn't ideal but if he could use it with his water supply he could make a suitable replacement until his wife was better. It was crazy to think they were gone. Did they even think that it was a possibility? That you would be looking after their baby girl?

It was life or death in the moment, but they had made a point to involve you from day one. You hadn't been entirely close, but even if they were just a few years older than you, you looked up to them. So much resolve, tenacity, and with a bond you saw in the movies. It's crazy to think you had been traveling with them for two years, and suddenly, they were gone.

Thinking about it now, Mr. Granger made a point of teaching you what he knew, Mrs. Granger had made sure you were the first person Hermione was comfortable being held by at such a young age. For nine months you had to hear the nervous but excited soon to be dad rattle on facts about newborns that you now used day to day. Barty used to joke you were ready for your own, you could still remember the absolutely horrified look Regulus had when the thought of you as a mother came across his mind. Evan’s laughter rang in your ears as you elbowed Barty in the side for the sly comment.

Maybe they did have a feeling. They were always smarter than you.

You were snapped out of your thoughts when you heard Hermione give another gurgle, quickly you set the milk down and began to rub her back. You were distracted, again.

Using as little formula as you could with the abomination of handmade nut milk was the most sustainable option. Just three more months and it would be time to worry about getting your hands on mashed food. The stress of it all wasn't necessarily bad, you found yourself waking up every morning with someone to be awake for.

Cooing at her as you swayed around to keep her calm. You had to admit, she was a cute little thing. Even if it wasn't what you wanted, even if you lost the people dearest to you, you wouldn't go back. The idea that any other outcome would have resulted in those monsters getting their hands on her terrified you more than anything.

Those bandits, the so-called “Death Eaters” like some pathetic indie rock band name, were ruthless. They first started appearing about a year ago, they had even attempted to recruit your group. 

Some religious ramblings about the worthy and the righteous, always fell on deaf ears for you. Even then, they seemed particularly insane. Speaking of the rapture and innocence leaving the community around you. That the most dignified should step up and show why they were worthy to be on earth.

That was when, of course, you had just met the group.

You weren't as skilled as you were now, but you had been alone for months when this all started. Trial and error had your best interest at heart, until skill slowly took over. When you met them, you were not the most.. easy person.

As in you stabbed, who you later learned to be Barty, right threw the hand. To your absolute horror he called you hot for it. The damn psycho. You missed him. 

Evan wasn't far behind in thinking you were just the best thing since sliced bread. Maybe it was the change in faces around their boring camp, but you quickly went from some stranger they hunted with, to someone who would pop up at their camp. Eventually, you never left. You made friends with the people there, and being a part of a group made you feel safe since the first time it all happened.

Maybe that was another reason why you were so determined to keep these people around. You wanted nothing more than to be witnessed. 

You were once again rudely snapped from your thoughts at the feeling of being watched. You hated that feeling. You turned to look at the doorway from the hall to the kitchen and locked eyes with that Remus boy. He looked to be sweating, but trying to hide how much pain he was clearly in. He seemed startled to see you, slowly smiling and you nodded to him, turning to look out the window.

He joined you in silence, using two chairs to prop his ankle up above his heart. 

Eventually, he spoke up.

“How did you sleep?” 

“I didn't. Couldn't.” You mused and after a moment of silence you turned to see him again. His eyes were closed but he didn't seem to be dozing. “... did you sleep?”

“Couldn't.” He responded and you nodded. “The pain or your friend?”

“Both.” He mumbled and slowly opened his eyes. “He.. we'd known him since we were 11.” 

He seemed so solemn. It didn't even cross your mind they may have known each other from back before the change. You walked over and took a seat beside him, and he continued. “He was always a bit of an anxious kid, maybe he did some things I need to think twice about but.. I never would of figured him to..” 

“Yeah.” You whispered. “No one wants to think of a friend that way.”

You rolled your tongue. It was hard to hold a conversation, truly. You had been alone for a month, before that you spent two years of your life with people you mostly listened to. 

“So,” Remus began. “If you don't mind me asking, where were you when this all started?”

The question grew worn and weary with each new encounter, gradually losing its significance. It was more common than normal formalities at this point. 

It held a certain importance, though, as it let many saps share their story with another person. It was a way to ensure that, even in your absence, at least one person would know your story. That you weren't lost in this world like the thousands of others who were gone. So, when the inevitable end came, whether in the tearing grip of zombies or other perils that watched you in the tree line, someone would carry your memory until it became their turn.

It just seemed to hit you, everyone in that camp. Regulus, Barty, Evans, the Grangers. Their stories were now all that was left of them. Right.

You hoped to be so lucky to tell Hermione of the heroes her parents were. The lives they saved, including yours and her own. 

“It's a.. long story.” You sighed and he nodded. 

“Is there anything else to do?” Remus offered and you purse your lips. 

“Actually,” You looked out the window and bit your cheek. The sun was rising slowly, you didn't need to be anywhere just yet. “Short version.”

Remus leaned back against his chair and nodded before you took a deep breath.

“My dad, he worked for the military. He used to take me on these hunting trips with his coworkers. These two idiots and a pretty cool veteran.”

“Is that how you shot down that buck?”

“Learned from the best.” You nodded, smiling down at Hermione as you ran your hand soothingly down her back. “My dad and I got into this big fight.” You whispered, smile fading. “I took a hike early to get away from them all. They were being.. men.”

“Men?” Remus smirked.

“Men.” You cheeked. Remus was easy to be playful with. “On my walk, there was this guy. He looked unconscious. It was.. it was a bit jarring. Then when I called for help he got up. He was eating meat of some kind.”

You shuttered as you remembered so clearly the crazed and red faced man looking at you. Like you were his next meal. “And then my dads friend, Mr. Prewett came out of nowhere. He jumped in front of me and this guys just- well.. you can assume what happened. I went back to camp and I told my dad. He panicked and called the sheriff office.” You waved your free hand. “Useless. Eventually, there was this mass panic and people chasing each other. My dad packed up the car and told me to drive. To go home and wait for him and his friends there. He just.. never came back.”

Remus nodded along thoughtfully.

“What of you five?” You asked in kind. He fiddled with his nail. 

“We had just been sent home from boarding school. We were on a train home and suddenly it just stopped.” Refused recounted the horrified screams and the mass panic. Remembering locking their compartment and drawing the curtains. The sounds of tearing and horrified screams etched into his memory.

You winced a bit. “A train?”

“Right? I mean, who starts these things off on a train?”

Okay, that made you laugh. The cheeky bugger. “How did you make it out?”

“Lily broke a window.” 

“That.. makes sense. She seems like she has a thing or two going for her upstairs.”

“Something the other two lack.”

Okay, he was definitely charming too. A sense of humor could go a long way. A comfortable silence settled over you, before you saw how late it was getting. You began to stand and Remus winced as he shifted to look at you. 

“Where are you headed?”

“The spring further down the forest line. It's fresh water and I have an embarrassing purifier.” 

“You're taking her?” 

“...” You usually did take littler Hermione with you, you hated to be so far from the house without her. You knew it would be easier, however, to leave her behind. 

“I-”

“I'll watch her.” Remus offered gently.

Your eyes locked onto his hazels. You searched them with a determined tightness in your chest. Remus had never done anything to make you think he might hurt her. Something about the boy reminded you of safety in its purest form.

But you weren't going to just trust your gut. Not again.

“I'll set her down in the livingroom. If she cries-”

“I'll be here. I promise.” 

You slowly nodded and gave him a brief pained smile. His eyes were soft and so was his curled lips. Showing you a gentleness you only saw after you met the group. It frustrated you to no end, to not understand why your heart was clenching so painful and desperate in your chest at just a look.

You turned sharply and walked into the livingroom, past the sleeping figures to hide her away in the corner as you always did. You made a point to not look at Sirius nor James.

James seemed distraught, holding his curly strands of hair in between his fingers. Eyes bloodshot.

Seems no one slept.

“I am going out, down to the stream. It's a walk, so I'll be back by the time the sun goes down.” You informed them, it felt odd to have someone to report to again.

Walking past them, James suddenly stood up on his feet before he stumbled a bit. “Alone? You're going alone?”

Sirius came to grab his wrist and help him stay up.

You looked back at them with a quizzing look. “Yes. We need water. I figured the idea would make you happy.”

James shook his head. “No- no- water, it's- it's great.” He mumbled and stared at you. His eyes were low and filled with concern. You should have walked away, but he looked like a wounded puppy.

“Is that.. okay, James?” You whispered back. It was hard to stay too stern with him. 

“It is just.. just alone?” He pushed and you slowly crossed your arms.

“I have survived plenty long without-”

“I-I'll go with you! We can be quicker too, I'm pretty strong I-”

“James.” You cut in on his words sharply and his eyebrows pinched together with a sad look. “... yes?”

Merlin, you see why Lily was so taken with him. If the current situation was anything else-

“I will be fine alone.” You insisted before Sirius cleared his throat. 

“You?” You glared at Sirius, this time, unlike yesterday, he didn't shy away. “I'll go with you.”

“No.”

“Can't really stop me, can you?” Sirius mused and picked up James's gun. You glared at him harder and he sighed, handing it back to James. 

“No weapons.” He comprised.

“And you travel ahead of me.” You huffed, the black haired boy slowly smirked. “Darling, I don't have a clue where we're going.”

You rolled your eyes. “Just bloody- follow me then.”

Before he could make another comment you walked to the door and began to leave. James seemed to visually relax, and Sirius hurried after you.

“Don't slow me down.” You warned him, stepping into the porch. The outside was calm and serine, but there was this sinking feeling in your chest that only grew worse as you tried to catch something in the tree line. 

It felt like you were being watched. You hated that feeling.

Your thoughts were suddenly cut out of your mind when you heard Sirius.

“Wouldn't dream of it.”

[prettypinkporkchop]

Hello, can you do Embry x Reader. Where they are hanging out with the pack and Emily cousin. Claire sat on Reader’s lap and hugging her and Reader hugged her back. Emily smiled and in awe including Sam. When it was late night, Reader started to notice that Claire is tired so she asked Emily can she take her to bed upstairs. Emily says yes. After that, Reader took Claire to her room and put her bed but Claire was still awake. So Reader started to sing like harmony and hitting notes but soft. When she started to sing the pack heard her because of super hearing and then they went to upstairs then Sam, Paul and Embry with the pack opened the door and saw Reader singing amazing. Embry was shocked and impressed. Sam was impressed into especially Paul. When he said damn. Emily saw it too. After that Reader walked out the door and the. Embry told her that was amazing and she got embarrassed.

"Wow! She really likes you." Emily smiles at you. Claire is on your lap with her arms wrapped around your neck. You have your arms wrapped around her and making funny faces with her, causing her to giggle.

Embry is staring at you. Now, he needs to marry you asap. He's been thinking about it for a long time now, but he's been so scared! Paul keeps urging him and making fun of his nervousness.

You look up and see Emily, Sam, Embry, and Kim staring at you in awe. Sam places a hand on Emily's thigh and looks at her with a sweet smile. "Guys." You laugh awkwardly.

After a few hours, you guys play a movie for her. Everyone is hanging out and roaming around while Claire is up your ass. You don't mind. This has you melting. You adore kids and want one of your own! She starts yawning. You rub your head. "You want to go to bed?" You ask her. She nods and then clings onto you. You lift her up, her head in your neck. You carry her toward Emily. "Hey, can I take her to bed?" You softly ask. Emily smiles and looks at Embry, who is just daydreaming. "Yes." She looks back at you.

You carry her to the spare bedroom and lay her in the bed. "Alright, baby. There you go." You whisper. You turn on the little nightlight in the wall and turn off the big light. You sit on the chair next to the bed to make sure she falls asleep before you leave.

A few minutes pass, and she's still playing with the stuffed animal that was in bed. You think of what to do and then catch an idea!

"Constant as the stars above

Always know that you are loved

And my love shining in you

Will help you make your dreams come true

Will help your dreams come true"

(LMFAOOOO BARBIE!)

You sing quietly and softly. She's out by now, but you continue to sing just to be sure. But, you hear the door behind you slightly open, causing you to jump and look at the door. There Emily and Sam stand with their mouths agape. You blush and sigh, standing up and stepping out of the room. "Really?!" You giggle. "That was so beautiful! You have an amazing voice!" Emily gushes. "Thank you, Emily." You smile and then walk down the hall. You see Embry standing there with this face:

He steps closer to you and wraps his arms around your waist, looking down at you. "Your voice is just as beautiful as your face, my girl. I am so marrying you." He smiles. You blush deep red and cover your face. "Nuh uh." He takes your hands, pulling them away and smashing his lips on yours. You kiss him back and hold the back of his head.

"Stop, you gross bitches." You pull away and see Jared with a face of disgust. "By the way, nice voice!" He points and then walks into the bathroom. "Oh god." You laugh and look at Embry, your beautiful and perfect imprint.

[chevvsgotanumbrellatattoo]

I haven't even seen the full season, but from Tumblr alone (yall are troopers), I am devastated. Even my shitty fic from 2020 made more sense than this shit (before you ask, no I will not sharing /gen /nm. My writing pre-4-years-of-creative-writing-classes was AWFUL)

Also, the true ending was revealed to me last night in a dream:

Viktor owns and runs his bar. Sissy is alive and well. The two of them and Harlan (kid aged, like S2) live on a farm and go to the record store every Saturday. Mr. Pickles comes along each time. Harlan has no powers.

Ben was never in jail bc crypto currency can't exist when the best phone tech is a rotary phone??? Anyway, he goes to art school, hones his craft, and makes up with the family by inviting them to his first art show. He visits Klaus on Mondays for lunch.

Five works at the CIA. He truly loves solving big puzzles, he learned that from the Commission. After work, he comes home to human!Delores and helps her cook supper. They talk about science and how Five's boss keeps telling him to pick up a new hobby for stress relief. Delores smiles over her glass of wine and suggests picking his guitar back up.

Klaus lives in a 2 bedroom apartment with Dave. His OCD and anxiety is still rampant, but with Dave's support, he gets on meds (which Dave holds onto and administers for him since pills make him nervous) and gets a handle on it. He and Dave have movie nights every Friday and talk about tarot. Dave makes the best menudo Klaus has ever had.

Allison lives happily with Claire and Ray. She learns to manage her guilt and anger, apologizing at length to the family and vowing to herself to be a better person. Claire needs a better role model than the person she'd been. Ray and Allison take Claire for picnics with the at least one of the Uncles once a month. Claire looks forward to it every time.

Diego and Lila are happy. They have their 3 little nuggets and love them to pieces. Diego learns that his father-in-law has a friend at the archery range in the next town over. He drives over with him one day and decides to pick up knives again. It takes a long time to make peace with the fact that his aim will never be marigold-perfect, but Diego is entirely happy with his progress.

Lila is ELATED to have her parents. She talks to them daily and plays Twister with little Grace and the twins while her Mom and Dad take turns spinning the Twister wheel. She goes to the gym to scratch the itch of adventure she sometimes finds herself needing and talks to Diego when something is bothering her. Diego does the same. They call it 'Thick-Headed Therapy Thursdays' and they get ice cream afterwards.

Luther lives in a lovely house with Sloane. He studies space and cooking at the local college and helps Sloane kickstart her fashion designs (based off when she made her KILLER wedding dress in like,, no time at all). They have a small dog named Moon-Moon McGee. Sloane keeps her moon-rock wedding ring safe in a small box in her nightstand.

Grace works at a daycare and is the favorite of kids and grownups alike. She visits Diego and Lila on Sundays and makes little Grace and her siblings pancakes and chocolate milk for breakfast (Lila and Diego partake in this as well).

Pogo works at the library. He prides himself on neat bookshelves and loves when people ask him for help. He calls everyone "Master," "Miss," or even "Mx." and asks politely for preference and pronouns before doing so.

None of them have their powers.

Reginald Hargreeves still has a heart attack and kaputs. Abigail never bothers the Brellies.

The family all make it to little Grace's birthday party. The piñata breaks when she hits it. The cake is gone within an hour. Little Grace and Harlan are damn near inseparable. She makes Mr. Pickles hats for the holidays, much to Harlan's delight.

Case in point, they're all so happy and love each other! They each go to therapy and work out their own issues and don't take it out on each other!! The kids love all their aunts and uncles!! Everyone wins!! (Except Reggie bc FUCK YOU).

[hannahssimblr]

“She’s so cute,” Jen says, watching Evie crouched by the pond in St. Stephen’s Green. She is breaking up the last third of her ice cream cone and feeding it to the ducks.

Experiencing Dublin through her eyes has been the most entertaining part of the day, because when we’re with her, following her from shop to shop as she announces she’s found a soap or candle she can’t get at home or stops to watch a street performer sing the same roster of songs he does every single weekend, the city doesn’t seem like such an awful place. 

Now we’re taking a break. We’ve had lunch at a burger restaurant set up to look like an American diner, wandered through the science museum touching all of the exhibits, and made her try the sea salt flavour at our favourite ice cream parlour. She liked it, which means that she has objectively good taste, and evidently, so do the ducks.

“Look at her! They love her, she has a way with them.”

“Are you supposed to feed ice cream cones to ducks? Doesn’t it make them explode or something?”

“God, you’re not supposed to feed them anything these days, are you?” She grins at Evie, enamoured, “It’s so hard for me to get my head around the fact that she’s friends with someone like Kelly. How does something like that happen to a person?”

“Same as how someone like me is friends with someone like you. People just get trapped.”

She snorts, “Am I the victim or are you?” 

Evie tries to pet the smooth head of the duck that waddles closest to her, and then squeals as it lunges to peck a piece of wafer right out of her hand. I smile. “What do you think about her and Liam?”

“They seem cute, I’m happy that, like, something is happening for him in that department.”

“Hm. I don’t think she likes him.”

Jen glances at me, “Did you get some delicious piece of gossip about this while I was in the gift shop?”

“No, not really, I just have a feeling.”

“Probably projection then. I don’t think you want Liam to be happy.”

I scoff. She is ridiculous sometimes, “As if I care if Liam is happy or not, that has nothing to do with me. I was just sharing a point of view that I have.”

“Ah, I get it!”

I squint, “What do you get?”

“You want her for yourself.”

“What? No. Shut up with that stuff. First Claire and now… they're literally just random girls to me.”

“Look at that pretty face though, you're so weak for cute features,” Evie gets to her feet and wipes her hands as the ducks scavenge for crumbs in the dirt around her.

“She’s not what I go for. She’s too… she’s a bit weird,” I flinch with guilt as Changing-Room-Fitzy in my head slaps me on the back. See, lads? Turner agrees. Complete oddball, right man? I don’t answer him. 

“Wow, okay.”

She’s coming back toward us now, “Do you guys have any more food on you? The ducks have me tortured over there asking for it. They might start pecking me to death if I don't provide for them.”

Jen digs in her bag for a little bag of almonds, “There you go, chick,” and as Evie goes back to the birds and begins doling out the nuts, Jen shakes her head at me, “You should learn to be nicer about people,” she says “This whole dickhead attitude thing is getting real boring.”

Beginning // Prev // Next

[gorjee-art]

🪄

(Haven't been following you for very long, so I don't know many of your characters - tell me about the ones you just haven't had the opportunity to talk about! Or just whoever you want to talk about! Have fun with it!👀)

I don't talk about Claire very often so...so be it!

I like to call Claire a mutt (in a very endearing way mind you) because she's from mixed origins! Growing up in a large circus/carnie family that found their loves from all over the globe, you tend to lose sight of your "original" heritage. To the point of knowing far too many languages just to talk with all your cousins...

Second fun fact, Claire was based on the "ugly duckling" story, I feel awful for not talking about it so often but I've been meaning to explore it. She hasn't always been so prim, proper, and perfect and at times if you catch her at the right moments of time, those times of being a sad little clown will float up to the surface.

Lastly, Claire has an ODD ability to charm any animal she wishes. (Might be why Charles has such a strong attraction towards her lol) Animals just seem to be drawn to her for no particular reason. Chester's capuchin monkey wants her attention 24/7, Gators never really bother to threaten her, and Tigers chuff in her presence. It started all the way back at a really young age when she worked with circus animals all day long. Feeling empathetic to their lethargy and tiredness from performing all day, not particularly enjoying the heavy amounts of "training" and "rehearsing"

[winter-leftovers]

Til The End Of Eternity || Chapter twenty: We Need To Talk About Mom’s Paintings (20/?)

(Douxie Casperan x f!reader)

Summary: Y/n is trying to figure her life out but is going to be hard since her brother is the new trollhunter and she is plagued by dreams and feelings she doesn’t understand.

Chapter Summary: Morgana possesses Claire. Douxie and Y/n have a moment. Y/n needs her father.

Word count: 2568

Warnings: we have everything. We have angst, we have comfort, we have some I would say +16 stuff

(Season 3 Episodes 2,3,4,5)

Song?: The Night We Met by Lord Huron and Phoebe Bridgers

Previous - Next

Masterlist

Y/n looked around the room, the once dark and colorless basement was now an art gallery full of colorful paintings of creatures that shouldn’t exist against vibrants backgrounds.

She observed her mother paint a portrait the size of the wall of her ex-boyfriend's troll from with an intensity she had never seen before. She didn’t even know her mother could paint.

“Mom, I packed you lunch!” Jim screamed from the kitchen.

“Down here honey!” Screamed back Barbara without taking her eyes from the painting.

Jim slowly walked down stairs and saw her sister sitting in a stool observing the spectacle.

“What’s going on?” He mouthed.

Y/n shrugged, she was just as confused, with her head she pointed at the big Mr. Strickler’s painting.

Jim’s eyes opened like plates.

“So, what do you think? I call it “Goodbye, Walt” You warned me he was bad news, but I didn’t listen. Then he vanished without a goodbye. What kind of man does that? Hence the horns. They’re symbolic” Barbara proudly showed off her painting.

“Wow, mom. Quite the imagination” Jim turned to Y/n.

“Yeah” Y/n is lost for words. She didn’t know what to do “Now, I know where I got my artistic side is from”

“Aw, thank you sweety” Barbara pinched Y/n’s cheek “First your father, and now him. I swear, if I ever see Walt again…”

“On that note,” Jim nervously chuckled, starting to go upstairs “gotta run”

“Coward” Y/n whispered.

—

“Hello” Y/n announced her arrival at the bookstore.

“Hello, love” Douxie emerged from under the counter mirroring the smile in Y/n’s face “You’re early. I thought you were coming for lunch. We were going to the park”

Y/n walked to Douxie and kissed his cheek.

“Are you kicking me out?” She chuckled against his cheek.

“What?! No?!” He screamed. For a moment, fear creeped on Douxie's spine. Did he make Y/n feel rejected?

“Relax” Y/n rested her head on his shoulders, and patted his chest “I just wanted to see you. Is that such a crime?” It wasn’t a complete lie. Y/n wanted to see Douxie, she always wanted to see him. But today, she needed to get out of her house, stay away from her mother’s art.

“Stop toying with the kid. He only slept two hours” Archie jumped on top of the counter.

“Hi to you too, Arch” Y/n scratched the cat’s chin.

“Yeah, sorry. I’m a little bit on edge. It was a long night. Too many trolls in Arcadia wreaking havoc” Douxie let himself fall on the chair “Do you know what’s up with that?”

Y/n nodded. She doesn’t want to lie to Douxie but if she told him the truth she knew he would want to help and that would open a can of worms that she doesn’t want to deal with just yet.

“No idea” she shook her head “that’s weird” she observed Douxie’s dark eyebags “Hey, why don’t you go lay down until lunch and I stay here?”

“No. No. I’m okay” he straightened himself in the chair, dropping a cup with pens with his elbow.

Y/n and Archie shared a look.

“You’re not” Y/n gently push him from the shoulders of the chair “you’re missing a cat and you didn’t notice it”

“No, Al is…” Douxie started to look everywhere as Y/n guided him to the stairs.

“See? Go to sleep. See you at lunch” Y/n waved until Douxie disappeared into the distance. She turned to Arch “Where’s Al, anyway?”

“Who knows. He said something about a meeting with a duck and then something about a dandelion and tacos” Archie rolled his eyes.

“Don’t laugh at him. Is always important to have connections”

Y/n helped out a few regulars and a few not so regulars during the afternoon. Time moved slowly, the dog outside the bookstore sniffed the tree comically slow until he found a spot, the traffic lights wouldn’t change colors, everything seemed to move so painfully slow. She looked back at Archie to see if he was also affected by this strange phenomenon but he was belly up under a ray of sunshine. She smiled and walked the small store coming back to the spot where Douxie had given her her old book. She couldn’t see it back then but now, with this piece of the puzzle back in its place she could recognise that Douxie had reconstructed her old bookshelf from their time in Camelot.

“Lady Y/n” Hisirdoux shyly knocked on the door.

“Come on in” Y/n answered, her voice almost above a whisper. She was laying on the floor with her back against the bookshelf, her nose buried in a red leather bound book and her bare feet were covered by her faithful friend, Alfred.

“Where…?” Hisirdoux looked around the room until he saw the cat’s brown tail coming from under the bed “Y/n?” He called.

“Mmmh?” She lifted her view from the book, her hair was in a perfect braid but she was still in her nightgown.

“Master M…”

“Y/n?” Morgana pushed the door wide open.

Hisirdoux jumped back like a cat.

“Why aren't you wearing your dress?” The woman grabbed the dress from the bed and ran next to the girl.

“I thought I had time” Y/n looked at Hisirdoux her eyes filling with tears “I…I…”

From the hallway, they could hear the echo of the steps followed by a staff hitting the stone covered floor.

Hisirdoux’s heart fell to his stomach when he saw Y/n’s red eyes.

“Hisirdoux, can you distract him?” Asked Morgana as she prepared the girl’s dress.

Hisirdoux pursed his lips and nodded before running down the hallway.

Y/n smiled while the tears fell as she heard Hisirdoux’s insanes complain about his lack of staff.

“He is nice” Morgana whispered .

Y/n’s cheeks redden as her bracelet, she lowered her head and played with it while Morgana tightened her corset.

The woman chuckled, “He could be a nice friend… Like in the book”

“But…”

“And, don’t…but mater me”

“Y/n?! Y/n?!” Douxie screamed.

Y/n blinked a couple times and came back to the floor of the bookstore. Her knees red from supporting her weight on the floor. She looked around. She doesn’t remember getting to the ground, she doesn’t remember grabbing the book.

“Love?!” Douxie asked, voice laced with desperation.

“Doux? When did you wake up?” Y/n tried to get up but her legs failed her, luckily, Douxie caught her before she could hit the floor.

“A couple minutes ago. What happened?” He guided her to the small couch and crouched in front of her.

“I..I was looking at the books and then…I had a vision?” She frowned.

“A vision?” He repeated.

“From the past…remember the morning after Morgana gave me the anthology?”

Douxie smiled at the memory, that was the beginning of their friendship.

“I was ten and you were nine and deadly afraid of angering your father” he said a little absent minded.

“Yeah…I almost remembered him” she looked at him, her eyes full of tears like that morning.

“You’ll remember him” Douxie’s heart fell to his stomach just like that morning.

Y/n looked deeply into Douxie's hazel eyes, the only eyes that she ever wanted to look at in moments like this and closed the distance kissing him, her hands quickly finding their home amongst his hair. Douxie instantly returned the kiss with the same sweetness but more desperation. Everytime they would touch, he needed to taste every drop of it, even if it was an accidental graze of hands during the day.

His hands lifted her from the couch and her legs quickly snaked around his waist.

“Doux” Y/n panted, holding his cheeks “people can see us”

“I don’t care” he whispered, his eyes full of lust going back and forth between her eyes and her lips.

“Doux…”Y/n whispered. She was shocked. Douxie was a little more shy than that.

“Let’s go upstairs” he said into her ear before biting her earlobe.

“Mmmh” she laughed.

As Douxie’s feet would step each step of the stairwell, Y/n’s heart would pound faster, stronger. She hid her face on Douxie’s neck but the familiar smell did nothing to calm the tremors in her hands, in her torso.

Douxie laid both of them on the couch of the second floor where they would usually nap and started to kiss Y/n’s neck, his hands slowly feeling her stomach up to her sides. Y/n instinctively opened her legs to give him space, her hips moved against his, her hands went to his chest, her body reacted to his but a part of her mind was confused.

“You’re so pretty” Douxie's voice brought her to the present. His shirt was missing, his toned chest exposed for Y/n to see.

“Look who’s talking” she put a hand on his now red chest and pushed him back.

“So pretty” he repeated as he observed her while she sat on top of him.

Y/n kissed him again and again and slowly went down from his mouth, to his chin, to his neck, to the spot under his jaw where she could feel his pulse. Douxie groaned making Y/n smile but it quickly got erased from her face when her hands started to shake again while Douxie took out her shirt leaving her with her bra exposed.

Y/n put her hands on Douxie’s shoulders and moved her hips, maybe if her hands felt him they would remember him.

“Y/n?” Douxie’s hand caressed Y/n cheek “are you alright?”

She looked down at him, at his eyes full of worry and smiled.

“Of course” she kissed him but this time he didn’t return it as passionately as before, this time was sweet, understanding.

With a swift move he was on top of her again and could inspectionate her face more clearly.

“No, you’re not” he furrowed “we don’t have to do this, love” he started to pull back.

“No, I want this” she put her hand on his shoulder “it just…” she felt the blood rush to her cheeks. To Y/n Ambrosius it isn’t a big deal but to Y/n Lake it is “You know…”

But Douxie’s big eyes told her he didn’t know.

“I know that you and I…you know but…Y/n Lake hasn’t” she explained.

“I don’t follow” he whispered.

“You’re gonna make me say it” she whispered to herself “Y/n Lake is still part of me, right?”

He nodded.

“Y/n Lake is a…virgin”

Douxie’s blood drained from his face and came back in a rush.

“Oh. Oh” he sat on his heels “I see”

Y/n sat up, her body warming up from the shyness “I want this”

Douxie chuckled and kissed her cheek.

“Me too but…” he grabbed both cheeks with his hands “this time has to be special too” kissing her nose.

The butterflies ruptured Y/n’s stomach traveling through her body. She nodded, a lovesick smile plastered on her face.

—

“I was falling asleep. Was it necessary to call me sixty five times?” Y/n screamed as she opened Claire’s bedroom door.

Claire was floating in the middle of the room. The boys had tied her up chains that her magic seemed unable to break. 

“I’ll wear your spine as my crown, peasants!” Claire screamed in anger.

“That’s a new one” said Jim pointing his bat to Claire.

“Her creativity knows no bounds” added Toby.

Claire screamed, throwing Jim and Toby threw the air with her magic. Y/n was able to stay put on the door. She had been more thrown out by the familiarity of the magic than the magic itself. She took a step forward, her eyes focused on the changed Claire, her voice was different and so was her magic.

“Apologies for my delay” Blinky barged into the room and was able to set the chair back into the ground and with a quick move of a stone set the chains back into place.

The troll explained the why of his delay but Y/n couldn’t hear. She was consumed by the weight in her throat, by the burning in her eyes, something in Claire’s eyes was pulling her to the ground.

“Does the name Morgana mean anything to you?” Jim asked Blinky.

Y/n mouth hung open. The memory of the red haired woman holding her hand through the woods, braiding her hair, teaching her magic, being slayed by a sword, all came back like a stab to the heart. The myth was true. Morgana was alive.

“Morgan Le Fay, Merlin’s apprentice” explained Blinky, scared of naming the monster.

“Like Merlin who made my amulet?” asked Jim

“No” whispered Y/n and took a step back.

“I spit on his name as I spit on his grave” Morgana chuckles “Don’t we, Birdie?” She looked directly at Y/n.

“Sounds like they didn’t get along” Toby hid behind Jim.

Y/n kept walking backwards until her legs hit the bed and sat down, too afraid to make a sound.

“He thinks he can be rid of me? The fool” she laughs and turns to the guys in front of her “I will erase his name and all of his creations”

Y/n looked down at her hands and saw the tears falling down. She wasn’t sure of what she was more afraid of: the ghost in front of her or what the ghost could do to her friends.

She turned to the door and ran. Afraid that the grief and the nostalgia would bend her will. Ran far from Claire’s house, from Douxie’s library, she ran until her feet ached, until her knees gave up and then, she fell to the ground, her hands softening the blow.

A broken sob escaped her throat, her body gave out, falling to the side on top of the grass. She pulled her knees to her chest and prayed that the darkness of the night was enough to hide her from the world.

One last sob abandoned her lips before closing her eyes:

“I want my father”

—

“Good morning” whispered a familiar raspy voice.

Y/n felt a familiar hand caressing her hair. Without opening her eyes she leaned into the touch, she knew that feeling before she was even born. She stretched her hand and grabbed the familiar robe, an old habit she hadn’t shaken.

“Come one, Birdie, open your eyes” the man insisted, moving the final strand of hair from her face.

“No” she clutched the robe tighter and moved closer to the warmth that the man’s body provided.

“Why?” The man chuckled.

“I’m afraid” she cried.

“What?” The man grabbed Y/n and cradled her “Why?”

“I’m afraid you won’t be there when I open my eyes” she grabbed the closest piece of fabric she could feel.

“Oh, Birdie” the man rocked her “Of course I’ll be here”

Y/n slowly opened her eyes and under the light of the sun she saw a man with crystalline blue eyes.

“Father?” She asked before the weight of reality brought her back and made her realize that she was alone and that her father was laying on a tomb waiting to be awakened.

A/n: was that a lot?

-Yes -No

Did you expect the revelation?

-Yes -No -Why would you do that to a child?

Can you tell I have daddy issues by my choice of father?

-Yes -Yes

[pansysgothgf]

I feel like I need to accept that the fic I’ve been writing for The Bear is pretty much abandoned because I truly don’t have the attention span for anything that isn’t about Buck and Eddie, so here’s a few paragraphs of Syd being a little insane about Carmy because I’ve been rereading my favourite fics of them lately :)

(Spoilers for S3 of The Bear)

A Star. It almost feels like the gesture the chef whites were. An expensive, insane apology. She takes it. She takes the insane list of non-negotiables. She wonders if, when Carm promised that she wouldn’t have to do this alone, he really meant that he was going to do it on his own. That she was going to lose more and more of the hard earned respect she has in this awful fucking kitchen.

She pulls him out of a panic attack. She tells him she isn’t his babysitter. She doesn’t know what the fuck she is to him. A co-worker? A subordinate? At one point she would’ve called herself his partner, maybe even his friend. Now, she doesn’t know.

They work together, but they’re disjointed. It’s too much, all the time. The only time they ever feel like them is when they’re alone in the early hours of the morning. She steals a piece of his gum just to taste what he tastes. Just to see, if she were to lick into his mouth, what flavours would hit her first.

The thing is, Sydney knows what she’s feeling isn’t normal. She knows that people generally don’t get this obsessed with their bosses, that they don’t think the things she thinks. She knows she’s too fucking possessive over this man, to the point where she feels her eyes roll the second anyone even implies that somehow Carm and Claire are meant to be. Bullshit. Fucking bullshit.

Carmen Berzatto isn’t hers. He doesn’t obsess over her the way she does him. He’s in love with Claire, and who could blame him? She’s a doctor, she has kind eyes and her family is friends with his family. They’re basically a couple from a fucking rom-com. Sydney isn’t even a named character in the credits of their Hallmark Original movie.

The bit about the nicotine gum is actually one of my favourite things I’ve ever thought about when it comes to the sydcarmy dynamic, so I needed to share that before I forget about this fic for another three months lol. Maybe one day it’ll get resurrected 🫡

[fanficshiddles]

Eternally Mine, Chapter 19

‘Stop whining, he’s your brother and you guys have been getting along reasonably well lately.’ Claire scolded Loki while they looked out drinks and snacks onto the dining table, ready for their guests that were about to start arriving at any moment.

It was just a small gathering really, to celebrate the new year.

‘I just know he’s going to be in a huff because Louise isn’t here. Plus, he’s just going to go on about the hunt last night, I don’t want to hear about it.’ Loki scoffed.

‘Oh, I don’t know, I get the feeling he will cheer right up soon enough.’ Claire said as she looked out a few bottles of wine.

‘What makes you say that?’ Loki raised an eyebrow at her.

‘Ohh… just a feeling.’ Claire smirked and made her way through to the living room.

‘What are you up to?’ Loki stalked after her, but the doorbell rang so Claire didn’t answer him, just went to the door.

First to arrive was David, Matt, Spencer, Jessica and Hannibal.

‘No Will today?’ Claire asked Hannibal as she took everyone’s jackets to put upstairs in one of the spare rooms.

‘No, he’s not doing too well.’ Hannibal sighed.

‘Oh no, what’s wrong? It’s not that sickness bug that’s going around, is it?’

‘No, no. He just drank too much last night.’ Hannibal smirked.

‘Oh.’ Claire rolled her eyes and headed on upstairs.

Next to arrive was Severus and Toshi, everyone else was a little surprised that they came. Since Severus usually turned down all invites. Though Toshi wanted to go, and she managed to convince him.

Lucius came along with his new partner, they’d been seeing one another for five months. Loki had met her once before, but they thought this would be a good chance to get to know her more. She had spent Christmas with her family, so wasn’t around for Lucius’ meal.

Chris was last to arrive, looking a little smug when Loki glared at him.

‘You missed a good hunt last night, lil bro.’ Chris chuckled and patted Loki on the shoulder. ‘I’m still stuffed after all the feeding.’ He patted his stomach.

‘Don’t start.’ Loki growled in warning. ‘I don’t want to hear about it.’

‘It was good. Even more satisfying knowing that the assholes deserved a painful death.’ Jessica said from the sofa, she was already almost finished one glass of wine.

Toshi and Claire were at either side of her, with wine too. Though they weren’t getting through it as quickly as Jessica was.

‘I certainly didn’t lose any sleep over the hunt this time.’ Toshi said with a smirk as she glanced at Severus, who was sitting on a chair from the kitchen just off to the side on front of the fire.

‘Is Michael not coming?’ Claire asked after looking around and noticing he wasn’t there.

‘Good point. I haven’t seen him since the ball, actually. Don’t you think he’s been rather quiet lately, not as social?’ Matt asked.

‘His daughter isn’t doing too well at the moment, she's really ill.’ Chris said as he walked through from getting a glass of gin from the kitchen.

He took a seat on the other sofa next to Spencer and Loki. Bat let out a chirp as she hopped from Spencer’s lap over to Chris’ before his ass barely hit the leather. ‘He’s had to take another part time job alongside teaching, to try and save for surgery for her.’ Chris continued as he stroked Bat with his free hand.

‘Oh shit. That’s awful. She’s only eight, isn’t she?’ Claire asked sadly.

Chris nodded.

‘He never said anything, must be tough, especially being a single father.’ Matt said.

‘We should check in on him more.’ Loki suggested.

Claire nodded in agreement.

The conversation turned to other subjects, Bat did her rounds of everyone’s lap until she got to Toshi. She then decided her lap was best and had a nap.

Loki noticed that Claire kept checking her phone, sneakily showing Jessica and Toshi things now and then, speaking rather hushed. Chris noticed too and nudged Loki.

‘What’s your girl up to?’

‘I dread to think.’ Loki said as he took a big swig of his drink

‘You got off lightly, Chris. We had to deal with that bloody Christmas trend.’ Spencer huffed.

The three women started giggling.

‘Aw come on, it was great.’ Claire laughed.

‘That group chat is the worst thing to have ever happened.’ Loki grumbled.

‘Can’t be that bad.’ Chris said naively.

‘I get the feeling it’s going to get worse.’ Loki huffed quietly.

‘You just need to have better control over your partners.’ Severus said with a smirk.

Toshi narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him playfully. Severus raised an eyebrow at her, and she just laughed in response.

‘Your time will come soon enough… So will yours.’ Claire said to Severus, then to Chris.

Chris raised an eyebrow and chuckled. As embarrassing as it would have been for him, being decorated in Christmas decorations, part of him actually melted at the thought of Louise joining in on viral videos in that way with him.

He missed her so much. Even though she’d only been gone for under two weeks, it felt like a lifetime. He knew they were still in the early stages of their relationship, so it wasn’t like they had to be joined at the hip or anything… but he still longed for her.

Claire noticed that Chris went a little quiet. Though it wasn’t for long. Chris went through to the kitchen, just as the doorbell rang. Claire jumped up off the sofa like her ass was on fire and ran through to answer.

Loki looked utterly confused.

Hannibal, David, Lucius and his partner were in the kitchen. Hannibal was talking quietly about Toshi, how he still didn’t trust her. David and Lucius just rolled their eyes and tried to change the subject.

Chris walked into the kitchen to grab a drink, though he stopped on front of Hannibal and glared at him.

‘You best watch what you say about Toshi. The others might not hear your hushed tone, but I can.’ He growled at him.

Hannibal just held his hands up in response, though he couldn’t help but have a tiny smirk.

Chris continued on to pour his drink. ‘Anyone else want one?’ He asked, though he suddenly stopped pouring when a certain, intoxicating, smell hit him.

‘I will, please.’ Came a familiar, shy voice from the doorway.

Chris spun around so fast he was surprised he didn’t give himself whiplash.

‘Louise!’

‘Surprise!’ She laughed and waved shyly.

Chris dashed across the room and grabbed her into a big hug, lifting her up off her feet so he could spin her around. She giggled like mad and put her arms around his neck.

‘I didn’t think you were back for a few more days?’ Chris asked in surprise as he put her back down to her feet, but still kept her in a tight bear hug.

‘I decided to come back early for the party and to surprise you.’ Louise grinned, then started laughing when Chris didn’t let go of her. Though she didn’t attempt to pull away, anyway.

‘Are you going introduce us, Chris? Or keep her in a crushing hug for the night.’ Lucius’ partner teased.

Chris and Louise reluctantly let go, Chris looked a little sheepish as he turned around. Though he kept one arm tightly around her.

‘Yes… Abbie, this is my girlfriend, Louise. Louise, this is Abbie. Dad’s girlfriend.’ Chris introduced.

‘Nice to meet you.’ Abbie smiled. Lucius had told her about Louise before, so she knew that she could be a bit iffy with even hand shaking with someone she didn’t know. So she respected that and didn’t initiate it.

Though everyone, including Louise herself, was a little surprised when she initiated a hand shake to her.

‘Nice to meet you, too.’ Louise smiled back at her.

‘Have I missed anything exciting yet? I had hoped to be back a bit earlier, but traffic wasn’t great.’

‘Nothing at all... I can’t believe you’re back. I’ve missed you.’ Chris said honestly as he cupped her cheek, making her blush.

‘I missed you too.’

‘God guys it was only what, ten days?’ David scoffed.

‘Eleven, actually.’ Chris said quickly.

David face-palmed.

Chris and Louise both got drinks then they ended up sitting on the small sofa that was in the kitchen, by the patio doors.

‘Did you have a good time at home?’ Chris asked.

They sat close together, thighs touching. He was holding her hand, rubbing the back of it and making her skin tingle.

‘Yeah, I did. It was good to see my parents and spend some proper time with them again. Though I was more than ready to come home, maybe a week would’ve been enough.’ She laughed.

‘I bet they’re glad to have you back though.’

‘Oh yeah, they wouldn’t let me lift a finger with any housework or cooking. It was nice, in a way. Though at the same time I felt like they were kind of tiptoeing around me. Not once did they mention him or what had happened.’

‘Sometimes people don’t know how to handle or process something like that happening to their child. I bet they feel partially to blame, parents often feel they are meant to protect their children. I’m sure it tore them apart what he did to you. They probably don’t know how to react or deal with it. Maybe next time you see them you should open a dialogue about it.’ Chris suggested as he continued rubbing her hand.

‘Yeah, that’s true. I never mentioned it either, so I guess I can’t blame them for it.’ Louise said sheepishly. ‘We did have a little gathering with some friends and family, I didn’t feel overly comfortable there… I uh, I felt like I needed you there, being honest. I feel more confident with you, which is crazy considering we’ve only known each other for what, two months?’ She laughed a little nervously.

Chris smiled softly and reached up to gently hold her chin. He brushed his thumb along her lower lip. ‘Well then, call me crazy, but I have never felt more myself, happy and relaxed than I do with you by my side.’ He admitted.

Louise’s heart melted and her stomach did a little flip of excitement. Chris glanced to her lips, then back to her eyes. They both leaned in closer, till their lips touched and they kissed softly.

Chris noticed her frowning when they pulled back slightly.

‘What’s wrong?’ He asked, concerned.

She looked at his lips and brushed her thumb along his lower lip, making his lip tingle. God, he wanted her so badly, in every way a vampire could have his human…

‘Where’s your piercings?’ She asked.

‘Oh.’ He laughed. ‘I took them out yesterday for the hunt last night. It can be a bit of a pain sometimes when bits of flesh get stuck in them. I forgot to put them back in.’

‘I forgot the hunt was last night! How did it go?’ Louise asked.

Chris was a little surprised she was asking about it.

‘It went well. The vampires had fun… The bad guys, well, they are no more.’

Chris had told her the other day when they’d been on a phone call together about the guys that he had gotten for the hunt with Toshi’s help.

‘See, you’re my Prince Charming. Sorting out all the baddies.’ Louise grinned.

Chris chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. ‘I guess I don’t mind being your Prince Charming. Just don’t let the others hear it.’ He grinned and squeezed her knee.

‘Of course. Scary reputation to keep up.’ Louise giggled.

‘Definitely.’ Chris then couldn’t resist kissing her again. He just couldn’t take his hands off her.

‘Hey, Mr Smoochie pants. Are we going to get to socialise with Louise tonight or not?’ Jessica asked as she, Toshi and Claire went through to find them.

Chris slowly turned to glare at them. ‘No. She’s all mine tonight.’

‘Nope. You’ve got to share. We need to catch up, too.’ Claire said as she folded her arms over her chest.

Chris pouted and wrapped his arms around Louise, holding her tightly.

‘Come on hound dog, pouting isn’t a good look. We will have her back in one piece in half an hour. Then you’ve got the rest of the afternoon and evening to be right next to her.’ Toshi suggested.

Chris grumbled and reluctantly let go of Louise. Though Louise then leaned into him and put her arms around him. ‘What if I don’t agree to that?’ She asked innocently.

Chris smirked and stuck his tongue out at the others. ‘See? Not just me.’

‘Oh jesus.’ Claire face-palmed. 'Sisters before misters, remember?' She raised an eyebrow at Louise.

‘Ok, fine... just a little while.’ Louise said as she looked at Chris, who responded by kissing her forehead, then let her go.

[quantomeno]

Layton Christmas Gift Exchange

The person I was given to give a gift to was @alex-r-kingston

The prompts were:

Puzzle family fluff - something warm and cozy

Layclaire

Pick a track from any game’s OST- create what comes to mind

I think I managed to get all three in this.

There are two links to songs in the story. Play them while you read the parts that follow them.

Professor Layton sat by the fireplace, alone. It was Christmas again: a time of reunions and family…

…And love.

Layton looked down at the photograph in his hands. His beloved Claire smiled back at him. With a sigh, he looked out the window and into the snowy night. Despite the warmth of the fire, Layton felt the cold wind of that winter’s day in the streets of London…

“Look,” Claire pulled his sleeve, drawing his attention away from the jewellery store window..

He turned to see she was pointing at a family: the mother and father were each holding a hand of their son as the three of them walked, laughing as the child gaped in awe at all the lights and decorations and toys on display. Claire looked up at him and smiled.

“You know Hershel,” she began. “I’ve often wondered…”

“Yes?”

She laughed and looked away. “Oh, well...” plucking up her courage she looked back into his eyes, a glimmer of curiosity in them. “Would you ever want a child?”

Hershel was taken aback, but he quickly smiled back. “I hadn’t quite thought of it…”

“Well, I think you would make a wonderful father, Hershel,” Claire said. “I could see you with a large family.”

Hershel laughed, embarrassed, but oddly flattered. “Are you sure? You know I was an only child growing up; a large family is something I’m rather… unfamiliar with. I doubt I could manage it.”

“I don’t think that matters, Hershel,” Claire replied. “You are such a calm, patient man. I think you would be wonderful with children. And I’m sure they’d all love hearing your puzzles!” Claire rubbed his arm affectionately and peered up at the massive Christmas tree that stood in the square. The family they had been watching were there too, with the father holding up the son so he could see his reflection in the shiny surface of the baubles. “Isn’t it such a gorgeous tree this year?” Claire sighed.

“You know,” Hershel rubbed his chin. “It reminds me of a puzzle…”

Claire shook her head in mock dismay. “Oh, please Hershel, can’t I enjoy the tree in peace?”

“It’s a clever one.”

With a bright smile on her face, she gazed up into his eyes again. “All right, go on. Tell me.”

Hershel cleared his throat. “Well, it goes like this…”

Layton was jolted from his thoughts by the sound of a knock at the door. He returned the photograph to its place and went to answer it.

There before him stood a young boy ― he shook his head, no, young man ― dressed in blue, arms laden with presents.

“Professor!” Luke smiled. “Merry Christmas!” He squeezed himself through the doorway, but despite his efforts he tripped, a present falling from the pile of precious cargo. Luke’s eyes were as wide as saucers as he watched it tumble to the ground before it was caught by the Professor, just before it hit the ground.

He chuckled. “And merry Christmas to you too Luke.” He placed the errant gift on the sideboard and took in the stack Luke still carried. “My word, you’re buried beneath those things! Let me help you.”

Luke blushed. “It’s like you always used to say, Professor, ‘a true gentleman never shows up empty handed!’”

“I’m glad to see you’ve been taking my lessons to heart,” Layton said with a smile. “It’s been so long, Luke. How go your studies abroad?”

Luke opened his mouth to reply, but before he could utter a word, a high-pitched cheer came from down the hall. A little girl rushed out and tackled Luke with a hug.

“Cousin Luke!” she cried.

Luke picked her up and spun her around.

“Wow Kat! You’re a big girl now!” He placed her back on the ground and she spun around, showing off her dress.

“I’m not a girl,” she said, sticking her chin up haughtily. “I’m a lady!”

Luke put on a stern face. “Yes, of course.”

“Katrielle, get back here! I haven’t finished your hair.”

Luke turned to the source of the voice. “Flora!”

Flora, focused on chasing the little lady, looked up in surprise. “Luke! The Professor didn’t tell me you were coming.”

Layton smiled as he dragged a curious Katrielle away from the presents. “I thought it would be a nice surprise.”

“It’s a proper reunion,” Flora said. “Dinner’s almost ready by the way.”

Luke’s face dropped and he cast a worried look over to Layton, memories of Flora’s previous culinary experiments flashing through his mind. He hated to think what she might have done to the ham, or worse, the Yorkshire puddings!

“The turkey is coming out in just a few minutes.” An elderly woman, an apron tied around her waist, poked her head out the kitchen door. “And hello to you Master Triton,” she winked at him. Luke sighed in relief: if the preparations were in Rosa’s capable hands, he had nothing to fear.

As the three old friends sat down to share stories, they were interrupted by yet another knock at the door.

“Who could that be now?” Flora asked, peering towards the hall. “Another surprise guest of yours?”

Layton shook his head. “It’s a puzzle to me as well.”

“I’ll get it,” Luke said, jumping up from his seat and racing to the door. From the lounge, Layton and Flora heard his voice as he opened the door.

“Hey! What are you doing here?”

“Not even a ‘hello’, Luke?” a woman’s voice came down the hall. “I thought the Professor taught you better.”

“Oh, right! Sorry…’ Luke cleared his throat in embarrassment. “Merry Christmas Emmy!”

Having recognised the voice in an instant, Layton was already out of his seat and at the door.

“Emmy! Come in!” he held out a hand for her coat. “What a marvellous surprise. Last I heard you were in the Alps.”

“Nothing gets past the great Professor Layton, does it? My latest assignment with the World Times wrapped up sooner than expected, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to visit. It’s been far too long since we last spoke and isn’t Christmas the perfect time for a reunion?”

“‘One must always show gratitude to one’s teachers’,” Luke recited. “isn’t that right, Professor?”

“Ho ho, indeed Luke.” He smiled. “Go set an extra place at the table for Emmy; there are some people I need to introduce her to.”

“Yes, I got your letter,” Emmy shook her head with a wry smile. “I’m surprised how little it surprises me to hear you’re now a father.”

Rosa had just started to carve the turkey when Emmy rose from her seat with a quizzical look and held a hand out to signal for quiet.

“Did you hear that?” she asked, peering around. “I’m sure I heard…”

This time everyone could hear it: a soft knocking at the door.

Flora looked to Layton who frowned. He went to the front door and pulled it open. There on the front step, was a bespectacled man with hair like a loaf of bread and, behind him, an older, bearded man in a red suit.

Layton blinked.

“Happy Christmas, Hershel,” the man said. “I hope I’m not… intruding…”

“Desmond…” Layton breathed. “I… Well, this is quite unexpected. Please, by all means, come in.” He opened the door wider and motioned him in. “And welcome to you too, Raymond.”

He guided them into the dining room where the others sat, speculating as to who the arrival might be. When they caught sight of the guests, they went silent.

Desmond looked around, taking in the holly and boughs of fir that lined the sideboard, the feast spread out upon the table, the fire crackling gently in the hearth.

“Quite a… domestic scene you have here.”

“Rosa, Flora, Katrielle,” Layton said. “Could you set two more seats for Professor Sycamore and Raymond?”

The three of them scurried out of the room, leaving Luke, Emmy and the Professor with the two new guests.

There was a pause. No one quite knew what to say. Raymond straightened his already pristine jacket. Luke stared down at his shoes. Desmond opened his mouth, but before he could utter a word he found himself in the embrace of his brother.

“I thought I would never see you again,” he said, stepping away slightly to face Desmond properly. Desmond avoided his gaze.

“I was afraid I’d show up here and have the door slammed in my face…” he chuckled drily. “If anything, that would have been easier to accept than a hug. I don’t quite know what to do with myself here.”

“You’re here with family, Desmond,” Layton replied, smiling.

“Come, sit down,” Luke added, motioning to the laden table. “We’ve got plenty of food!”

“And Christmas crackers,” Emmy waved one of them in the air. “I know how much you like bad jokes!”

“I have perfectly good tastes in comedy!” Desmond stuck up his nose and crossed his arms. “You Philistines just don’t appreciate it.”

Everyone laughed. Flora and Rosa returned with chairs, followed by Katrielle carrying a small stack of crockery.

“I see we’re all getting in the spirit of things,” said Rosa. She put the chair down and turned to Layton and Desmond. “Are you going to introduce us properly?”

“Of course,” Layton cleared his throat. “This is my brother, Desmond Sycamore, and his butler Raymond.”

“A pleasure,” Raymond dipped his head.

“And Desmond, these are your nieces: Flora and Katrielle.”

Emmy piped up: “I suppose that makes you Uncle Desmond.”

“Yes, I suppose it does…”

That evening was spent in a blissful glow of good food, laughter and the telling of stories old and new. As Layton caught his breath after a particularly hilarious anecdote, he looked over to the mantelpiece where the phonograph of Claire watched over those gathered. Hershel smiled back at her.

You were right after all, Claire. I only wish you could be here to see this family I have.

He raised a glass to her.

Merry Christmas, my love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This has to be one of the sweetest and most sentimental things I’ve ever written. But it’s Christmas so that sort of thing is only fitting.

The inspiration for this came largely from the intro to the TV series Babar. I had the vague idea of Christmas dinner with everyone arriving, and tying it in with the moment with Claire at the start was planned too, but then I thought, let’s add in the music aspect of the prompts somehow. I was then reminded of those opening credits and it was exactly the feeling I wanted.

A long while ago, listening to Time Travel, I noticed it is indeed rather more cheerful sounding than, say, Iris. In fact, with the snow falling when Layton removes his hat, it almost feels like a Christmas song, and so, what better song to use for a Christmas story? Particularly one about Layton’s future after Claire.

I also had the music of the picture book minigame in mind for the first half. I felt it captured that gentle, sweet, yet wistful atmosphere. I was toying with using Memories instead, but that’s a little too sad. Luckily, The Picture Book is also from Lost Future, so it all ties together quite nicely.

Also I left out Alfendi but included Katrielle. This is just because I’ve played LMJ but not LBMR. I know very little about Alfendi. Let’s just say Layton adopts him as a teenager and he hasn’t joined the family yet.

[danses-with-dogmeat]

Day 7 -- Kent Connolly

The (nsfw) details for Kinktober, Day 7 are just below the cut!

Minors, please don’t interact.

First Time with Kent Connolly x M!Reader

This one is... very long lol. But Kent is just !!! He's so precious, and I felt like I really wanted to draw out the process, since Kent tends to be quite shy and I feel like, in almost every capacity in a romantic relationship, he'd want to take things slowly.

So this is me trying to do that idea justice. If you're craving some serious sweetness with Kent, look no further! 😊

HOWEVER, I do have a couple TWs for allusions to/talk of sexual assault, and also mentions of homophobia. So please be aware of that!

Here is the link to the Kinktober 2023 Event List so you can stay up-to-date, or re-visit these works as you please.

Included: First Times, first time jitters, history of sexual assault, homophobic family, lack of acceptance, kissing, confessions of love, undressing, enthusiastic consent, praise, voice kink, light body worship, nipple play, hand jobs, anal fingering, gay sex, aftercare. Sweetness, love, adorableness, KENT AND READER BEING SO SWEET, cuteness, etc.

Words: so many lol 7.5k

--

“You did all this, Sole?” 

“Yeah, well… I figured, you know... this was something special." Your hand touched Kent's shoulder gently as he stared ahead in starry-eyed awe. "Plus, Claire owed me a favor, so… Honeymoon suite it is!”

You opened both arms wide in presentation of the romantic scene as you looked over to Kent with a large, dopey grin. 

Your partner was wide-eyed and frozen as he gazed into the mesmerizing room, his mouth still agape in awe at all you'd done for him.  

The candles, the flower pedals, the plush comforter on the bed, the way the curtains were drawn away from the windows, allowing cool, blue moonbeams to wade through the warm-toned candlelight within the room... It was a scene straight out of a romance novel.  

“It’s... Sole, goodness, it’s all too much for someone like me.”

You turned around to face him at that, a hurt expression creasing your brows as you spoke softly to your partner.

“Kent, sweetheart, you know that’s not true, could never be true. You deserve the world, you hear me?" Stepping forward, you wrapped both arms around the ghoul’s torso, hugging him tightly against you and placing a sweet kiss upon his temple. "And besides, you know how much of a romantic I am, right? I'll take any excuse to do something like this for my beloved hero.” 

You whispered that last bit into his ear, and as Kent turned to you, his eyes were glistening. 

God, he was sweet. Maybe the kindest, most darling man you’d ever met, and he was yours. 

Unable to help yourself, one hand left where it wrapped around Kent’s waist, and went to gently grasp at the point of his chin, holding him in place as you leaned in to kiss him full on the lips. You felt his little jolt, the small yelp of surprise he almost always released when you were this forward with your affections, and pulled back. 

Kent’s light, sparkling eyes were wide as he blinked up at you with parted lips. 

You let yourself take in the sight of him, then. His earnest expression, his genuine surprise, and his slow acceptance that you wanted this. To some, it might’ve become tiresome; the doubts Kent held in himself, the lack of forwardness, of confidence in your relationship, but after all the ghoul had been through, you could never blame him.

Plus… It was nice to take it slow. Necessary, even, after your own struggles, your losses, your difficulties being this vulnerable, this honest with someone about your true self. 

The army never glorified that kind of thing, and your family even less so. Your wife… she had understood, that though you were fond of her, though you loved Shaun with all your heart and held great affection for her, there was always something that was going to be off between the two of you, something that wasn’t the case– or wasn’t meant to be the case– with straight couples. 

But your family hadn’t been any the wiser about your strategically heterosexual marriage, and oh, how they’d adored Nora. And that was all that mattered, wasn’t it? 

At least, that's what they’d thought. 

Even on the hardest days of missing everyone you'd lost, you could never miss the way you couldn't be your true self with the people who were meant to accept you and love you unconditionally.

“Here, why don’t you get settled, I’ll close the door.” You forced yourself from your thoughts and gradually released Kent from your half-embrace as you turned to grab at the handle behind you, pulling the hotel room door closed with a click. 

Kent had seated himself on the end of the bed, not really appearing to be comfortable, but… he was trying. His hands still fidgeted in his lap, his eyes still darted around the room, but you saw him taking deep breaths, felt the nerves radiating off of him beginning, maybe, to dissipate just a little bit. 

“Want me to take your coat?” 

“O-oh, yes, thank you.” 

He pulled the thing off himself as though you were drilling him, like he was being timed, flailing around until he could hand you the stuffy, old suit jacket. 

“And your hat?” 

Kent handed that over swiftly as well, and you moved to hang it– and your own– on the coat rack by the door. 

“Nuka Cola?” You asked as you turned towards the little kitchenette in the lovely, roomy suite. 

As if I really have to ask. 

“Yes, t-that sounds nice.” 

He sounded so stiff, still, and a small part of you wished it was just another evening in his room; that instead of this lavish date night, you’d simply have shared the evening chatting about comics and a dozen other things in the quiet comfort of the Memory Den. Yet, you’d both talked about this so much recently, these next big steps in the relationship, moving forward after so long of holding things off, of taking the time you both needed to heal and get used to the idea of intimacy and vulnerability again, after your respective struggles. 

“Here, baby.” You handed him one cola bottle, and kept the other in hand as you sat down beside your partner on the lavish, burgundy comforter. 

“Wow,” You said with a chuckle, bouncing lightly on the cushy mattress. “This is... the nicest bed I’ve been on since waking up.” 

“Yeah,” he agreed with a rasp, “ahem, ah, comfy… yeah.” 

Kent swallowed like he had a radroach stuck in his throat, but took a swig of his drink nonetheless. 

You felt the energy in the air around you, the charged silence like volts of electricity flowing through your shared space, leaving you just as on-edge as your partner.

A deep breath left you, and you turned to him with a gentle determination.

“Kent, hon... we can just spend the night here, if you want.” You finally offered, breaking the silence. “The last thing I want is to pressure either of us, or to make you uncomfortable.” 

Kent's eyes met yours, and you saw apology shining there. 

“It’s okay." You insisted with a smile and a bump of your hand against his arm, "I promise, baby. If we’re not ready, we’re not. You know I’ve got no problem holding off. I’m… well, I’m definitely pretty nervous myself, to be honest.” 

“Y-you are?” Kent's bright blue eyes widened, his brow raising as though had no idea of your own struggles, your own inexperience. 

I swear, I told him… but maybe…

“Yeah.” You chuckled a little, your hands wringing around the glass neck of the bottle you held. “I actually had to ask Hancock for some tips.” 

“Oh.” Kent’s brow furrowed immediately, and he looked away from you. “Yeah… with ghouls I don’t know how different it tends to be–”

“No, Kent, that’s not what I meant, I… Did I really never tell you? In all the talks we’ve had about this?” 

“Tell me what?”

You swallowed, suddenly feeling the cruel claws of self-consciousness creep under your skin.

But he'd been honest with me. About everything.

You trusted Kent, with everything in you, you knew he'd never judge you, never breathe a word of something that you wanted to stay secret, but now... Well, Nora was the only one who'd ever really known the truth about you.

Maybe Hancock had an idea, given some of the questions you'd asked him in preparation for tonight, but you hadn't spilled your life story to him, he didn't know your background. You'd been vague with the details of why you needed some pointers, but this... This was as open as you could be.

A secret your closest family never even knew.

“That I’ve never… well, I've never been with another man before.” 

His gaze returned to yours with a whip of his head, brows still raised high, startling eyes wide with wonder. 

“N-no, Sole, I… I never knew.” Kent's head shook slowly back and forth. “And you want... your first time to be with–”

“Absolutely, Kent.” Your hand was on his before you even knew you’d moved, wrapping around it reassuringly as you scooted closer. “And you still want me to be your first?” You asked quietly, quite sure you knew the answer, but wanting to hear it anyway, wanting him to know you cared. 

Kent nodded to you with a small grin, before it quickly was dashed from him and his eyes grew strangely distant as they looked past you at some invisible memory.

“Well, you know… almost my first.” His voice was small, quiet as a breeze over snow-covered ground, and almost broke at the words. Your chest gave a painful ache that damn near knocked the breath from you at the sound of him, the sunken look upon your beloved partner's face. 

“Listen to me, love,” You scooted closer, until your thigh was brushing Kent’s, turning your body towards him and grasping at his hand all the harder, as reassuring a gesture as you could manage without overwhelming him. “What Sinjin’s goons did to you doesn’t count for shit, alright? That was… it was wrong and awful, it was cruel and it doesn’t count. You hear me?” 

He couldn’t quite speak, so Kent only nodded, and to your surprise, the ghoul actually leaned forward, falling into your chest as his arms wrapped around you. 

You felt a hollowness, a vile taste on your tongue as you recalled finding him in the aftermath that night, dressed as the Shroud and finishing off every last one of those criminal assholes before gently folding a shaking Kent into your comforting embrace.

If only you'd known before what they had done... You wouldn't have made their deaths so quick.

“We don’t have to do anything.” You leaned into your partner now, one hand moving behind him to rub soothing circles over the length of his back. 

“No.” 

You heard Kent croak out, and pulled yourself away slightly to look into his eyes. 

“You're sure?” 

He nodded; firmly, even, and you listened intently as Kent opened his mouth to speak. 

“I want to make new memories. With you, Sole. Ones that can replace the others… That can make me… happy, instead of… Well, you know.” 

You had to swallow as tears came unbidden to your eyes, feeling the way your throat tightened at the power of his words, of his resolve.

“That’s really brave, Kent.” 

“Yeah, well…” A small smile pulled at the ghoul’s lips, and you felt your heart soar at the sight. “You know me. Bravery. It’s what I’m all about.” 

A chuckle left you, and you leaned in to kiss his cheek. 

“Look, you may joke about it…” You whispered to him, “But really, I think it’s true, love. You’re brave as the Silver Shroud, there’s no doubt about it.” 

“Aw, stop it, Sole.” His hand weakly, jokingly, pushed at your chest as you both grinned. 

The air seemed a bit lighter now, some of the candles had burned down to nothing, and a cool breeze wafted through the slightly parted windows. A chill ran up your spine, but this time, instead of nerves, it was likely just the cold… or maybe the excitement you felt bubbling up. 

It’s decided. You reminded yourself. We’re actually doing this tonight. 

Instead of pulling away from him to start, you laid another kiss over Kent’s lips, and after a moment of stiffness, he leaned into it. You felt the brush of hot air as he exhaled through his ruined nose, but still, he only pushed further into you, tilting his head and kneading his phantom lips over yours. The friction had your mouth tingling, and the taste of your partner was sweet from the Fancy Lad’s cakes and Nuka Cola still on his tongue from after dinner. 

Finally, you pulled away, only for a brief moment, as you grabbed both the bottles of cola and leaned to set them down on the bedside table. 

“Hey,” You said as you scooted back on the bed, making it easier for you to lie down flat on the mattress. “Why don’t you take the lead? That way, if you start feeling uncomfortable, you can just take it back a notch. You can sort of set the pace, you know?” 

“You think that’ll work?” His voice was small, uncertain, even as his gaze set upon the way your body leaned back against the pillows at the head of the bed. As his gaze hinted at the yearning he felt within. 

“It’s up to you, love. Just thought it could be something to try?” 

Kent nodded then, and slowly, his body moved to join yours fully on the bed. Your breath almost caught in your throat as Kent crawled over top of you. He was still hesitant, yes, but his movements were more sure of themselves than you could’ve hoped. 

His arms caged you in from where he hovered above you, and his torso and hips pressed to yours as he gradually lowered his bodyweight onto you. 

“T-this okay?” 

“It's perfect, baby.” 

With that, a grin lit up Kent’s expression, and instilled the confidence he needed to press forward, to capture your lips in a kiss once again. 

His kisses were always as earnest as Kent himself was; careful, asking, sure, but more recently… brave. He kissed you with more confidence than you were used to, after being with him for so many months now, and this time, it took your breath away. Even then, as Kent felt you gasp into him, he didn’t pull away, only pushed forward.

A pleasant heat started radiating around you, invigorating your movements as you allowed your hands to raise off the mattress, to begin to roam over Kent’s body. Your fingers lightly grazed up his sides, and you felt him tense over you. In response, you slowed a bit, and only continued when you felt him release a breath and relax under your touch. 

It was a delightful dance you two weaved with one another, a push and pull, a giving and asking of consent that had you aching for more. If you could glean anything from his movements, it was that Kent too, was eager to feel you explore him. The way he ran his lips over yours in such charming movements-- there was an honest wanting behind them, but always of a respectful sort. In that moment, you realized, you truly couldn’t have asked for a better partner to share this with. 

“Kent.” You mumbled through your contact, and he pulled away only a hair’s breadth. 

“Hm?” 

“Do you mind…” Your fingers grazed over the bottom hem of his button up, “Can I take this off?” 

If his complexion had been different, you were sure you would’ve seen him blush at your request. Instead, he just looked away shyly, before nodding and sitting up to help. 

You joined him, bracing yourself against the pillows as you leaned forward and began to undo the buttons of his dress vest. When you had them undone, he shrugged the garment off, and looked down in wonder as your fingers set upon the smaller clasps on his shirt. Your smiling eyes met his, and Kent just looked… God, he had a way of– when he smiled at you– making you feel like you were the most important thing on this planet. 

You found yourself sincerely hoping your own look echoed that sentiment right back at him.

Once you had it undone, Kent helped you to pull the shirt from his shoulders as well; though, this time a bit more hesitantly, as he revealed his bare chest and torso to your gaze. You let your eyes rake leisurely down his body, from where you’d been looking in his eyes, now to his throat, the bobbing Adam’s apple as he gulped at the way you took him in, then down to his chest, how it rose and fell with his hurried breaths, his soft stomach, all rough and textured like you’d expected, but also, just…

He was breathtaking.

A man who’d lived so long, who’d been through as much as he had, and made it out still as sweet and loving as anyone you’d ever known-- hell, more so than anyone you'd known. He was everything good about humanity, wrapped up in this charming body, and offering himself to you, to be explored, to be loved, as he deserved; and dammit, you were going to live up to that, you were going to love him like everything good about the world was meant to be appreciated, respected, adored, and never taken for granted.

“Your turn?” Kent's voice interrupted your visual praise of him, and you nodded eagerly at the notion that he wanted to see you this way too. 

“Sorry, babe." You said with an easy smile, "Just got caught up in you. You’re just… You’re very handsome, Kent.” 

He tried to hold back the dopey, blushy grin threatening to take over his face, but you committed that look to memory before he could dash it away completely.

We'll have to work on that. How he could be sheepish about such a charming expression, I'll never know. I could see that look a hundred times a day and never grow tired of it.

Shakily, Kent set his fingers to your own set of buttons, the motion tickling slightly as he undid them as carefully as one might defuse a landmine. Your own hands worked at the cufflinks at the end of your sleeves, so when Kent was done, you could just pull the garment off straightaway. 

Once it was off, Kent must’ve gone through the same process you had only a few moments ago, his vibrant blue eyes taking you in without so much as a blink. The light scars upon your otherwise smooth skin from battles old and new, the crop of chest hairs below your collar bones, the way your stomach rose and fell from your own rapid breaths. 

Without a word, Kent’s hands found your chest, settling there reverently, his fingers stroking over your unmarred form, the coarse little hairs there, one hand even going down to brush gently over the point of your nipple, before his pressure eased you back, to lay down fully on the mattress. 

“I want…” Kent's roughened hands kept stroking over you, the light touches stimulating your nerves in an almost frustrating way. “I want to kiss you again.” 

“Please.” It left you on a desperate breath, and Kent pushed forwards eagerly. The warmth of your skin collided as he laid back over you, and his hands went up to wrap around your shoulders, even as your own touch set to drawing soothing patterns over the textured skin of his bare back. 

His lips, however, were only on yours for a moment, before Kent moved lower, setting them to the line of your jaw, then down to your neck, where you felt goosebumps spread from the tickling sensation of his feather-light kisses. 

“Ahh,” you sighed out, “That’s… that’s really nice, babe.” 

Kent hummed into you as he continued, and you blinked open your eyes to look down at him. His were still closed in a bliss of his own, as he worked over you with his worn lips, dragging them over your skin before pressing small crops of tingly kisses down your collarbone, and then onto your chest. 

As he moved lower, your hands slid up his body, now resting upon his shoulders, rubbing there with a bit of pressure until you felt his lips in a new place. He pulled away, surprising you, then, when his warm, wet lips set upon one erect little nipple, giving it a curious prod with his tongue. Immediately, your body tensed beneath him, your hands grasping firmly to his shoulders at the shock of his forward touch on that small, sensitive place. 

“Did that hurt?” Kent backed off quickly, his expression panicked as he looked down at you with furrowed brows. 

“N-no, it–” Your own chuckle interrupted you, “That actually feels really good, it just surprised me, is all.” 

“Oh, s-sorry.” 

“No!” You could tell you said the word too loudly, but honestly, if Kent got it into your head that you didn’t like that, well… it just wouldn’t be the truth, right? And heroes all strive towards the truth.

“No," You said more quietly this time, "Kent, please don’t apologize, I jerked up like that because it just felt so shockingly good. You're, god, I mean, you're a natural.” 

He made that face again, like he was trying to stifle a blush, and goodness, if that wasn’t one of the loveliest sights you’ve had the privilege to see. 

“You got a gift, baby, honestly.” 

“So... I should do it again?”

You licked your lips unwittingly as you nodded, silently wondering how sensitive he was in that same place upon his chest. You’d have to test it one day, but for now, you settled back to how you both were before.

Your stomach already buzzed in anticipation as Kent leaned forward, his eyes locked to your expression expectantly as he gave you a little teasing lick. Your own eyes closed in bliss, a chill running up your back from the too-light touch on your sensitive little bud, and a sigh left your lungs you as he did it again, drawing the action out a bit this time, much to your obvious delight. 

“Aw, yeah… that’s it.” You arched your back up against the mattress, pushing out your chest and urging your partner to continue. You let him witness the whole range of pleasure coursing through you, as your hands grasped his shoulders tightly, as you gasped with each lick, each sensual little suck, as your eyes rolled back in your head and you groaned out in response to your his touches. Just as you felt your nipple growing more sensitive, as it began to harden in response to the stimulation, Kent followed his instincts and switched to the other one. Thankfully though, he had the good sense to slide one hand up your body, to tease at the– now distinctly sensitive– bud he’d left temporarily unattended. 

Breaths continued to leave you in labored pants, and you could feel a tense bulge forming between your legs in response to his increasingly heated motions.

Kent appeared to be enjoying himself as well, it seemed, as you felt the evidence of his excitement against one of your thighs. As he laid sprawled over you, likely unwittingly, Kent began to grind his hips in slow, undulating movements against you. 

“Geeze, babe, that feels nice.” You continued to praise him, feeling your voice grow huskier with building arousal. “C-can I ask you something else?” You added at the last minute, your heart already beginning to pound against your chest at the thought of what you were about to request. 

“Hm?” Kent looked up at you, his eyes foggy as he blinked away the haze of his own increasing pleasure. “O-of course.” 

“I want us to do this, Kent.” You tried to regulate your voice, to keep it from wavering, to keep your eyes on him, even as you felt your cheeks flush with heat. 

“M-me too, Sole.” He whispered back with a little smile. 

Your heart fluttered in your chest as your own grin took over your expression. 

“Alright, so, I was thinking… Maybe we could, um, take off...”

“This next?” 

Kent leaned back even more, then, and one hand laid to rest lightly over the button of your dress pants. 

You nodded rapidly, feeling that bulge between your legs tingle with anticipation.

“Y-yeah, exactly. If you’re ready.” You quickly added. 

Though his brows were creased, though you could see a small shadow of nervousness clouding his vision for just a brief moment, next, his gaze was back on you, and with a nod, Kent's fingers brushed over the swell of your building erection.

“I was a little, ah, nervous when I felt it, but… Like you said. Gotta be brave. If the Shroud gave up every time he felt a little nervous, well, he wouldn’t be a hero now, right?” 

Your smile could only broaden at his sound reasoning. 

“I guess not," You agreed, "but, still… Kent, I don’t want to pressure you–” 

He cut you off, surprising you with his brash forwardness as his lips quickly captured yours.

You had no choice but to melt into it, rejoicing in the firmness of the contact, the way you could feel his rapid pulse through his skin, and still taste honeyed bliss on his tongue as it shyly darted out to meet yours.

Again, you found yourself in utter awe at his admirable courage.  

“You’re not," He said as he pulled away, "Don’t worry, my love.”

With that, Kent leaned back again, settling his knees on either side of your thighs as his fingers brushed over your button and zipper. “I really want this too, you know. Even if I'm nervous... doesn't mean I want it any less.” 

Your heart jumped, and as his eyes set upon your face again, you gave him one last nod of assurance, and felt pressure release as your button popped open. 

Your partner worked slowly, as had become custom with you two, much to both your liking, and pulled down the zip, before he began to shimmy both your briefs and pants down at once. You lifted your ass off the mattress to allow him to slide them down, and then it went easy, until at last, Kent was tugging the pant legs off from around your ankles. 

You were too busy staring at his precious expression as he took you in fully, for the first time, to notice what it was exactly he had his gaze set on. Without realizing it, you’d grown more than a bit stiff within the fabric walls of your briefs. Your cock stood up against your lower stomach, at full hardness, as Kent blinked down at you. 

“Wow…” He breathed, and you could feel your blush rising at his unabashed scrutiny. “I, no, you… I really made you like this?” 

Another nod, another blush, and another instance where Kent was in awe of you. And goodness, how that overwhelming feeling was wholly mutual. 

“Kent, baby…” 

At that, he snapped out of his haze, blinking as his gaze met yours.

“Right.” Kent cleared his throat, and scooted towards you with intent, and then… stopped, at a loss. “W-what should I do next?” 

“Well, what do you want to do?” 

His brows furrowed cutely, an expression akin to a pout resting on his face as he considered your question.

“T-touch you?” He suddenly asked.

Very well. Your expression plainly told him, and with a shy smile, you reached out, easing his hands into yours as you guided them to where your erection strained up against your belly. 

Slowly, his fingers wrapped around you with a tentative firmness, one that satisfied, but still left you aching for more. He drew his hands up, with your guidance, and smoothed down the generous bead of slick pre-cum from your slit over the rest of your shaft, easing the friction of his touch over you. A breathy groan escaped from your parted lips, and you felt Kent’s pace quicken, his confidence building at your reactions to his efforts. 

“Is this okay?” His raspy voice still questioned, even as he continued his dizzying movements. If you hadn’t known any better, you would’ve thought his words were meant to tease-- that your innocent, sweet little Kent Connolly was being smug.

But you knew better.

“More than okay." You assured him as the words left you almost in a groan. "Mm, feels really good, baby.” 

Kent's grip tightened a bit, and your hips bucked up into his textured touch in response, but instead of pulling away like he had with your chest, your partner's pace only grew more insistent against you. 

A shuddering breath left your lungs, some form of a ‘yeah,’ following shortly after as you felt your cock twitch within his grasp.

“H-hold on, please.” You held up one hand as you panted, as you felt sweat slickening over your back and forehead, as that tightening knot down below threatened to come undone all too soon. 

Kent's hands paused their movement, but stayed upon you as your gazes met. 

“Something wrong?”

“No, god no, the opposite.” You chuckled, but Kent only blinked at you.

“Getting too close, that’s all. Want this to last longer. I want… Want to touch you.” 

A moment of consideration, and then Kent’s hands left your protesting cock. 

“Okay.” He said with a new certainty, shifting back to give you room to sit up. 

With that, you rose, and set your hands upon his body gently, encouraging your partner to lie down in your place on the mattress, before you returned his earlier favor, and tentatively removed his trousers and the underwear beneath. 

Silver Shroud boxer-briefs… You noted with a fond smile, Who could’ve guessed?

You made no comment to him though, continuing with your efforts without pause. You allowed the clothes to pile up on the floor, and took in the full sight of your partner spread out beneath you. 

Much like Kent earlier in the evening, you just couldn’t help yourself.

Soon, your lips found him-- his lips-- briefly in a sweet, chaste kiss, then to his neck, drawing a shining line of spit over his collar bone with your wet lips, down to his chest, mouthing and leaving teasing, light lovebites in your wake as you steadily moved lower down his body. 

A fresh bout of breathy sighs and whines left your partner at your actions, and shudders of pleasure ran up and down through your nerves at the way he sounded from your attentions, the way he blissfully moaned out your name, how his voice caressed the hotel-room air as though he were whispering it for everyone in the world to hear. To hear and to know that you loved him, and that he loved this, despite all odds.

Because it was with you. 

You couldn’t help but warm fondly at the thought, and at the realization that you felt the same such way. 

As your lips set upon his lower stomach, grazing lightly over his pubic bone, you felt the heat of Kent's own rising erection building so near to your face. The next instant, and one hand was upon him lightly, gentle, asking touches that had him nodding wildly in approval above you, until you took his textured girth in-hand, and began to leisurely stroke. He was already mostly hard, already leaking like you were, and, also like you, Kent was pleading for you to ease up only moments after you’d began your ministrations. 

“So, ah…” You both had to stop and take a couple of breaths, allowing your mind to clear somewhat before you voiced your inquiry. “You want to try for the main event?” 

Inwardly, you cringed at your wording, making it sound like some show or sporting contest, when really… this was something softer, unostentatious, just… honest. Even with the romance that bled into it, the theatre of the candles and flower pedals and the honeymoon suite... the act itself was more subdued than any act upon a stage, or any great concert in an arena, it was just another soft chapter of your love story. It was words on a page: tangible, but only just so, only by the hands that caress it, by the eyes that so thoughtfully take it in.

“I-I do…” Kent said, his words hushed, but tinged with excitement.

You could see though, that he wanted to say something more, and with a swallow, he did.

“So, you want to, um… be on top?” 

You blinked in surprise at his forwardness, but still, you were grateful for it. Not only did it open up the conversation, as you had planned on doing yourself, but it showed that he was actively participating in this. He was choosing to be with you, and of course, of course that was necessary to continue in any capacity, but so far in your relationship, you’d lead the way. Kent was more tentative, less confident, less experienced, but when he made an effort to participate so enthusiastically, it just… it put your mind and heart at ease. He told you time and time again, ‘I want this.’ but words and actions are different, and after all he’d been through… you needed all he could give to determine how enthusiastic-- how ready-- he truly was. 

“That’s… well,” You started, “That’s all I’ve ever done, um, so far, you know, with Nora... Um, so I wouldn’t mind it, but… Where would you be most comfortable?” 

“Why don’t you take the lead this time?” Kent offered with a shaky voice, and stayed put where he was lying back on the bed, giving you your answer in more ways than one. 

With a nod, you slid off the mattress, and though Kent was surely surprised as you left him briefly, any inquiries of his were answered a moment later, when you settled yourself at the foot of the bed with a bottle of lube clasped in one hand. 

Hancock’s ‘most important tip,’ as he had put it. 

"Don't be shy with this stuff, trust me, heh."

He'd winked then too, but the genuine insistence was there in his words, and you weren't about to ignore them.

“It might be a little cold,” You warned as you squirted a generous amount into the palm of one hand, “but lemme just…”

You rubbed both hands together, trying to warm the gel up a bit, before lowering them between your partner’s legs. With a swallow of his nerves, Kent spread them wider for you, and with his invitation extended, you began to touch him. 

He gasped at first, but even so, you felt his body making efforts to relax as your hands grazed over his most intimate places. Slowly, you allowed your fingers to ease downward from his erection, down the seam of his ass until you reached his hole, tentatively spreading the slick of the lube there as you tried to pleasure him all at once. You felt Kent clench just a tad, before the pressure eased, and you heard a deep breath leave him. 

“This okay?” You questioned, keeping your gaze locked to his expression as your hands moved. 

“Y-yeah, Sole. Just… slow.”

“Slow.” You repeated, your own breath becoming shaky as you felt your arousal pooling low in your stomach. Unwittingly, you found one of your slickened hands pulling away and going to your own cock, stroking and spreading the lube over your length as your other hand continued familiarizing Kent with your intimate touch. 

One finger prodded gently at his asshole, and the faintest of moans left him at the near-intrusion. 

“You like that?” Your expression soon became a bit smug, proud of the way your touch obviously excited him. 

Kent didn’t answer, not with words, anyway, but as you did it again, his hardened member gave an excited little jerk of its own, and another– lovely– involuntary sound spilled from his parted lips. 

Your partner relaxed further back into the mattress as you continued toying with him, until, with relative ease, you found your prodding index finger sinking into him. The movement was accompanied by a throaty groan, but you honestly weren’t sure if the noise had come from you or him. 

Both, perhaps. Your thoughts suggested, and you felt your cheeks heat at that.

Kent tightened momentarily around the new sensation as you probed a bit further, and you allowed time for him to adjust while your other hand worked over your pulsing cock.

Once he’d relaxed enough for the pressure to let up, you began to withdraw, before pushing back in once more. It was slow, steady, just like the rest of the blissful night had been.

Eventually, one finger turned to two, and you thrust them unhurriedly, lovingly so; kneading and curling your fingers against his pliant walls, and pulling a menagerie of unusually wanton noises from your coy, intimately sheepish other half. 

“God, I love the sounds you’re making for me, love.” You leaned your body over his slightly, letting your skin brush his as you continued working your fingers in and out of him, your half-lidded gaze set religiously on the way his brows creased together, how the muscles in his throat strained, his chest rose and fell with the rhythm of your movements. 

“... Can I–?” 

You tried to begin your inquiry, but Kent’s half-moan, half-plead stopped you in your tracks. 

“Yes,” He whined out, “Yes, Sole, I-I'm ready for you.” 

The words had you quivering, had your eyes fogging over in bliss, your cock nudging up into your hand as if to encourage you to move forward.

Who were you to deny it? To deny him?

You scooted even closer to your partner, as you withdrew your fingers from him, and placed your free hand over one hip, holding Kent in place beneath you as the other guided the tip of your cock to rest at his entrance. 

“Please.” Kent looked like a dream as he eagerly shimmied his hips into you, his own cock drooling a strand of translucent pre-cum onto his soft stomach as you fought to hold yourself back. All of this, his pleading for you, the sight of him spread out beneath your body, the feel of his warmth, the smell of sex and spiced candles in the air, it had you straining and leaking all the same as your partner was.

But you had to be gentle, had to be slow. With that thought in mind, you nudged the head of your cock against him, and gradually, pressed your hips forward. You were pleased by the way he relented to you so easily, the feel of him damn-near making tears form in your eyes at the way his heat encased your sensitive tip, clenching and thrusting towards you, demanding more.  

“Good?” Your voice strained out the word.

Kent nodded frantically, one hand going to grasp at your wrist where you were holding onto his hips, and giving you an encouraging squeeze. 

With that, you allowed yourself to push steadily in further, feeling the delicious drag of his walls over you, the pleasant ease of the slick lubricant only making your movements more fluid, more blissful. 

Twin gasps left your lips as you finally bottomed out inside him, and you felt Kent’s grasp over your wrist tighten almost to the point of pain as his breath picked up in his chest. 

“Geeze, Sole…” He rasped as he blinked up at you, sky-blue eyes hazy like fog over the ocean as they clouded over with pleasure. 

“You feel so good.” You moaned out, and felt his body shudder at the sound of your praise. It was all you needed to begin pulling yourself out, only a couple inches, before easing your length back inside. Kent’s free hand tugged at the fabric of the comforter as your pace picked up, his teeth set together as his jaw clenched; you hoped, from the overwhelming pleasure, and not discomfort. 

“Feel so good around me… Doing so well, baby.” You encouraged as your breath picked up with the steadily increasing pace of your thrusts. “You doing okay?” 

“Mmhm. Ah-huh.” A whine escaped his throat, but the way it left him at the same moment his cock spilled another bead of pre-cum over his skin allowed you to make a pretty sound determination. 

“You like this, love?” 

Another thrust, this one a tad more aggressive than any before it, and you heard the skin of your hips meet his ass with a resounding clap. 

“Y-yeah, I do.” The sound of his raised voice went straight to your throbbing member, growing all the harder within him at the strain you detected there, but also the sheer honesty. His want for this, for you inside him, for you to be engaging in this scary, intimate act together that was more worth it than you ever could’ve imagined.

This is what intimacy means. Two people unselfishly and unabashedly loving one another, supporting one another, yearning for one another. You accepting him, and him, you. Love, free of judgement, completely honest, completely overwhelming in its sincerity.

You yearned to see Kent like this a thousand more times, to feel him surrounding you, his body and yours singing praises to each other while your minds and hearts embraced in the same such way. 

“Kent, ah…” A more drawn-out moan forced itself from your throat, and he clenched at the way you whined his name.

“Babe, I-I love you.” You managed, and your partner gasped, his eyes bursting open at the sound of your precious words. 

“You… you mean that?” His hand on you tightened its grip.

“Always, baby.” You said so quickly you nearly cut him off, “I love everything about you, and I… I love you for trusting me this way.” 

You leaned over him now, and felt Kent adjust himself to allow you to lay comfortably over top him. Your chests brushed together, shared breaths mingling in the small space that separated your faces. You were as close to him as one could be to another, and still, you craved more. 

“I love you too, Sole. More than I ever thought I c-could love someone.” 

His whispered words drew your lips to his, and held you there, reveling in the feel of his touch, his taste, the sweet massage of his textured lips against yours. 

Your thrusts into him had eased as you spoke, but now, they picked back up, the force of them jolting your bodies and the large mattress below until you heard the springs straining under your combined weight. 

A gasp left Kent each time your cock hilted inside him, and soon enough, you were forced to separate from the kiss, as you both quickly became winded. 

“I-I’m getting close.” You managed as you felt your blood rushing, your stomach tightening, fire flowing through your veins. 

“I am too.” Kent almost sounded surprised, like that fact had snuck up on him, and you grinned as you focused the grinding of your hips more strategically, flexing and unflexing your stomach muscles where his leaking erection was trapped between your bodies. 

His gasps turned to moans, Kent’s hips bucking upwards to meet you, to increase the friction over his aching cock, before his breath hitched in his chest, and he released.

A searing warmth blossomed between your bodies as he met his blissful end beneath you. Your eyes stayed locked to his expression as he rode out his pleasure, fixating on the way his jaw dropped, his eyes closed tightly, his little phantom nose wrinkled as he tensed and writhed and bucked up into you like his life depended on your closeness for its survival. 

His expression, the way he clenched around you, his warmth, his spend dripping onto your skin, it was too much, and you followed right after him.

Kent’s legs wrapped around you, holding your body firmly in place as you shouted out your own release, spilling deep inside him. He came down from his high just as you were riding yours out, groaning at the feel of you finishing so deep within, the continuing pressure of your cock against his sore walls, the oversensitivity of your stomach grinding against his tired cock proving almost too much, until finally, you stilled over top him. 

Both of you merely existed for a moment, panting out your exertion while you stayed pressed together snugly and basked in the pleasant afterglow of your first union together.

With a protesting sort of grunt though, you began to ease yourself up and out of your partner. You’d laid a towel over the headrest of the bed in preparation, and grabbed it now with one shaky hand, bringing it between your bodies to swipe away the mess of lube and spend. Kent was nearly asleep, his eyes half-closed as he watched you clean him with a tired little grin upon his lips. 

Unable to resist the call of that sweet, endearing expression, you bent down to press a kiss to his smiling mouth, before collapsing on the comforter beside him. 

“That was…” You started, shaking your head as you tried to finish the sentence, but there… there weren't the words to describe the bliss you’d just felt. 

“It was better than the Silver Shroud.” Kent whispered, almost chuckling to himself, even as your eyebrows flew high up on your forehead at his confession. 

There was certainly humor there, but also genuine surprise as you sat up to look at him-- to question both the soundness of that statement and his state of mind.

“It was?!”

A chuckle and a nod were your answer, his precious blue eyes crinkling with mirth at your animated response.

"Wow... that's saying a lot, baby. You sure you're okay?"

With that, Kent scooted his body closer to yours, warming your heart as his arms wrapped about you without a measly ounce of hesitation.

"Honestly?" His sleepy voice rasped, "I don't think there's a time I've ever been better."

[wwenhlimagines]

ooo passing out candy with my boyfriend HOOK?

Fall Fluff Prompts

A few weeks before Halloween, you heard about a nearby Trunk or Treat event and asked your boyfriend Hook to go with you to pass out candy. He hesitated since he didn't want to tamper his character on TV in case anyone recognizes him. You work backstage in AEW, so you don't have to worry about that as much, but you do understand him not wanting to pass out at your own house for your own safety. Obviously, you don't want your address getting leaked and to get unexpected visitors looking for your boyfriend.

The week before Hook seemed to get a change of heart as he came home with 2 giant bags of candy. "Fuck it, let's go pass out candy next week. Maybe it will help promote the show and sell more tickets."

You smiled and hugged him, cuddling into his chest. "So you want people to know you aren't always the cold-hearted handsome devil?"

He shakes his head as he pulls back, and his hands caress your cheeks. "Only when it involves my girl."

Halloween - Trunk or Treat

You grabbed the candy from the trunk of Hook's car as he grabbed his backpack and your camping chairs before the two of you found a spot to set up and pass out candy.

You saw so many different costumes, and the kids all looked so cute happily saying Trick or Treat, asking for candy. Your bubbly personality, in contrast to Hook's, made the kids laugh. You happily engaged with the kids complimenting their costumes while Hook simply handed them candy.

That was until you saw a kid walking up with sweatpants and a hoodie with a mini FTW title belt on his shoulder. You awed and looked over at Hook to see him rummaging through his backpack. "Hey there, are you dressed as a wrestler?"

The kid beamed so excited to have someone understand the reference. "Yes! I'm the best wrestler in the world, the cold-hearted handsome devil Hook!"

At that moment, the kid's jaw dropped as Hook turned back around with his own FTW belt slung over his shoulder. "Hey dude. Nice costume. What candy do you want?"

The child was speechless for a moment before you piped up, "How about we take a few pictures, and then you can have one of everything?"

The child nodded excitedly as Hook knelt down next to him, and the child's parents saw the interaction. His mom walked over and took some pictures of her own as you took a few pictures for your memories. His dad walks over with his little sister, who is dressed like Becky Lynch with a WWE women's title around her waist.

"Well, it looks like wrestling runs in the family. I love your title, Becky!"

"Thank you, but my name is Claire."

You tried to hold in your laughter as you nodded your head. "Nice to meet you, Claire. Your brother dressed up like my boyfriend Hook. They are taking pictures now. Do you want any pictures with him?"

She nods and quickly runs over to get her own pictures with Hook before turning to ask him a question. "She's nice. Is she going to be Mrs. Hook?"

Hook smiles, following her finger pointing over to you. "Someday, she will be."

You blush as the girl asks another question, "Are you going to have kids?"

Her parents intervene as her mom rushes over to her. "Claire, we don't ask strangers questions like that."

You and Hook say goodbye to the family as they continue on through the Trunk or Treat event. You see a couple more kids dressed up as wrestlers, and by the end, Hook was smiling from ear to ear. As you place your chairs back in the trunk, you decide to ask Hook what his favorite part was. "The mini Hook and Becky family. The kids were nice, and although the girl got a little nosey, it was still pretty cute."

"So about her questions... do you want to talk about them?"

You sit down in the passenger seat as he sits in the driver's seat, and you both turn to each other. "Well, obviously, I wouldn't be living with you if I didn't expect to put a ring on your finger someday. As for the second question, I hope one day we will have mini versions of us running out."

You blushed before leaning in to kiss him. You pull back and whisper against his lips. "Well, how about we go home and practice making those babies?"

Hook perks up and quickly starts the car before driving you home and giving you his own idea of a Halloween treat.

Tags: @legit9thlunaticwarrior @thesupreme316 @99hook @seeingstarks @hooks-martin @hookswifeeyy @hooksredrum @plentyoffandoms @730hook @im-just-a-mississippi-girl

[sofiafantasies]

Who's the impostor

Douxie: Who's the impostor? I'm not mad, I just want to know.

Y/n: I am, I'm the impostor-

Douxie: No. No, you're not. Steve?

Steve: Don't look at me! Look at Eli.

Eli: What! I'm not the impostor!

Steve: Huh, that's wierd, how did you even know there was an impostor?

Eli: Because we're playing 'among us' and that's the point of the game!

Steve: Sus.

Eli: No, i'm not!

Krel: If it matters, probably not, but Toby was the last one by the dead person-

Toby: Liar! I haven't seen him the whole round!

Krel: Oh really? So what were you doing in electrical?

Toby: I was fixing the lights so we can see everybody knows that, Krel!

Y/n: Alright, let's not fight, i'm the impostor so just vote me out-

Douxie: No. Who is it?

Krel, whispers: Claire's been awful quiet.

Claire: REALLY?

Krel: Yes, really!

°

Douxie: I'm the impostor. Jim was the closest one at the time so I killed him. I predict ten minutes from now, they’ll be at each other’s throats with warpaint on their faces and a pig head on a stick. Good. It was getting a little chummy around here.

Y/n: You're ruining there friendships!

Douxie: They'll be fine.

Y/n: Now that I'm thinking about it...we should have double killed.

Douxie: What do you mean?

Y/n: Claire was only quite because she knew.

Y/n, whisper: Should I kill Toby while he's distracted?

[amaltheas-garden]

What costumes did you like in s2? I thought only Rhaenyra’s really improved. Alicent was already very slay. Helaena got more dresses which is nice. The “dragon twins” are meh, like they’re recycling Dany’s outfits. I’m still side eyeing them for giving the male characters late outfits

Oh boy this is gonna be a long one...

First off my fave costumes this season were Alicent's embroidered thistle dress, Helaena's funeral dress, and Rhaenyra's gold dragon shoulders!!! Each one was embroidered by the iconic Michelle Carragher, who did most of the embroidery on GoT as well. Highly recommend checking out her instagram (as well as Claire Kitchener and Rie Winham) for up close shots of the embroidery. The show truly does not do their work justice!

Rhaenyra definitely improved the most this season, her s1 dresses were truly awful. They either looked frumpy, too basic, or just didn't fit right (the only exceptions being her off shoulder black and red dress, and final coronation dress... everything else was so blah). Alicent... I have mixed feelings on. She definitely looked more fashionable than Rhaenyra, but a lot of the dresses felt too modern or just had some weird details thrown on (the metallic side panels on her dinner dress come to mind). There was also very little continuity between outfits (ex: they styled Alicent's green robe-dress combo with the slit sleeves after young Rhaenyra's red and gold dress even though it takes place a good decade or so later and that silhouette should have seemed out of fashion by then). I also hated most of the fabric choices.

S2 succeeds because they established a clear-cut silhouette to model all the gowns off of, which makes it feel way more cohesive. There are three types of sleeves, all fitted to the elbow, then either flair out in a wide cuff, are cut as a circle, or open and fall straight down (+ some are just a regular long sleeve with a pointed cuff).

And there are two necklines: the round green/Andal cut, and the pointed black/Targaryen cut. The Targs also wear a kimono inspired wrap style compared to the more European medieval inspired Westerosi style. We see the dragon keepers wear it, suggesting it's from old Valyria, and Mysaria adopts it to signal her switch in loyalties to Rhaenyra. Cosplayers have nicknamed the pointed shoulders the "Targaryen dart". Helaena's dresses are interesting since they exist between the two styles, alluding to her status as a Targaryen while being on the green side/connecting her to Alicent. Rhaena also favors a more "Andal" silhouette to signify her as the black sheep of the family.

The dragon twins were kinda disappointing this season, and I understand the complaint about being too Dany inspired. Most of Baela's riding outfits were good, but the asymmetrical red cape-silver chain combo was a bit too on the nose. I loved Rhaena's travel coat, I just wish her dresses had more sparkle. They were too plain for a Targ princess imo.

The worst offender by far in terms of Dany copying was Rhaenyra's Harrenhal look. They weren't even trying to hide it.

Unfortunately, the male characters were still very basic 😔. For the record, I think the only men who come close to looking like wealthy aristocrats are Viserys I and Otto. Corlys is supposed to be the richest man alive, but dresses in such drab styles. No drama, no embellishment, muted colors :(((. Daemon gets a pass since he's just hanging out at Harrenhall and doesn't have to look like a proper King Consort. Aegon's outfits are more obviously embellished than Daemon's, but for the KING I still don't think it's enough. I hate that Aemond's looks are so basic; Ewan Mitchell's aura, eyepatch, and fabulous hair are doing all the heavy lifting. Would it kill them to do something non-leather?? Most of the male background characters looked better than the mains lol. I get that they want to reserve the pointed shoulders for the blacks, but Aegon's outfits still need something to add that grandiosity. I did loveeee Oscar Tully's fishscale armor probably the best men's look for the season. Jace also looked fine but that's more to do with his hair upgrade.

The layers, length, and extended shoulders give Vis a much more regal and imposing look, and I wish Aegon had gotten something similar. Most of my issues with him and Aemond could be solved by just making the costumes longer and adding some structure to the top portion of the silhouette.

This but make it floor length or add a cape or some pointy shoulders.

So close to perfection but the top needed that structure so the cape wouldn't be saggy and could actually give the ✨drama✨ it needed. Idc that Aegon isn't that into being king, he's still THE Alicent Hightower's son and would def be dressed to impress.

Loved this Daemon look. Lots of detail and the shoulders really do add so much 🤌

Only good Aemond look. He still should have had a non-dragon rider regal Prince look (WITHOUT LEATHER!!!).

OMG I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT GWAYNE!!!!!!

Hands DOWN thee best dressed!!!! Beautiful, majestic, i luv him so much 💚💚💚

I've run out of space for pictures so I'll just say the s2 costumes feel like they were designed with much more care in how they connect to each other while feeling like they belong in the setting. Everything looks way more cohesive on top of me just preferring the new designs.