#come on Lillian try to be fair

[abitchyturtle]

Lily: ' If I actually molested Courtney, she would have proof. She doesn't, so she's lying. '

Okay Lily, then where is your 'proof' that Courtney, Lizzy and everyone else you have accused of SA-ing you? Hm?

If you think rape victims are just lying for attention, then how do we know you're not doing the same thing?

What about all those texts and emails you claim to have from Lizzy but never actually showed?

Or those tweets of your minions, I mean, 'girlfriends' harassing Lizzy on Twitter when she finally decided to come out about your treatment of her after years of being silent while you slandered her and told everyone your fantasies about how you wanted to torture and kill her?

You know, the responses that did nothing to address what was actually in Lizzy's statement, but were just full of making fun of her looks, her art and coming up with new baseless accusations?

The ones where Ginger tried to say she was 'literally there' but showed nothing to 'prove' that she was?

Followed up by you accusing Lizzy of raping you only AFTER she came out with her side of the story? ( Same with Courtney. You would have never tried to turn the tables and accuse her of doing to you all the things she said you did to her if she hadn't spoken up and you know it. )

Or those anons that were supposedly from Lizzy, even though there was no proof or way for anyone to actually know because they sounded generically exactly like every other ' stalker / hater ' anon you clearly send to yourself?

'The rules for thee but not for me' bit you're still trying to pull isn't working for you, Lying Orchard. You should have quit playing these stupid, manipulative games a long time ago.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Meet the Family 6

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as dubcon/noncon and other possible triggers. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: Your boss needs a last-minute favour for the holidays.(petite!reader)

Characters: Lloyd Hansen

Note: gotta right my final reflection today and then I don't have schoolwork for a while!

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me <3

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Asking for more or putting ‘part 2?’ is not feedback.

Love you all. You are appreciated and your are worthy. Treat yourself with care. 💖

“So, when is the wedding?” Lillians asks over a half-empty plate. 

You take your time chewing. You don’t have an answer. As far as you’re concerned, this is Lloyd’s plot so he can come up with the detail. You're here to enjoy the wine. 

“Uh, the spring,” he blurts out. 

“The spring?” Gwenyth repeats. “Don’t you have a specific date?” 

“Erm, May something...” Lloyd says. 

“May? That’s so soon. If you don’t even have a date, I doubt you have a venue or a dress or--” Lillian counters. 

“Oh, well, we were thinking of. Er...” Lloyd turns his fork in this hand. “Eloping?” 

“Eloping,” Gwenyth hisses. “Eloping? Does that mean we’re not invited? It’s simply not fair.” 

“Mom, I--” 

“Gwen, he didn’t say that, did he?” 

“Well, dad--” 

“We are invited,” William states. It’s not a question. 

“You see what happens?” Gwen takes her cloth napkin and folds it, dabbing her tearless eyes, “the groom’s mother is always excluded. He is my son--” 

“A destination wedding would be nice,” William suggests. 

“Uh, of course. Yeah. We’d like to go somewhere far away, but uh, not far from you...” Lloyd stammers and you kick his foot. You could laugh at how flustered he is if you were entwined in his lies. He sits straighter, “We’ll have the invitations out soon. Everyone’s invited of course--” 

You kick him again. He slips his hand on your knee and squeezes, “we’re still figuring things out,” he declares. 

“Oh, it seems so!” Gwenyth clasps the napkin between her hands. “Darling, you must let me help. And Lillian. Her wedding was fabulous.” 

“Which one?” Lloyd snickers. 

“We’ll see if you even have one,” his sister retorts. 

He cackles and William sighs. 

“Yes, weddings. All that mess,” William drawls. “The ladies can suss out the details but I do believe it’s time for the yearly rematch.” 

“You still do that?” Lloyd asks. 

“Hm, of course. It is a tradition. What’s the matter? You too old, boy?” 

“Speak for yourself,” Lloyd bounces back, shocking you with the snipe. 

Another surprise, William laughs. 

“Ben may need to sit out,” William suggests. 

“Oh, to the contrary, old boy, I’ve had just enough bourbon that I am a prized asset in my state,” the man with the fluffy ash hair doffs his mug. 

“Hm, yes, Carter, Linus, Ransom, Ben, myself, Lloyd,” William counts on his fingers, “Dawson, Lewis, Hudson, and Owen. Quite the lineup this year.” 

You look at Lloyd confused. He doesn’t look excited. You reach under the table and move his hand off your leg. He flinches and glances over at you. 

“Is this some sort of cribbage tournament?” You scoff under your breath. 

He shakes his head. “Touch football...” 

“Football...” You peer across the table with concerns. At least four of the players named are a bit too old to be running around in the snow. 

“It’s fine. Just like tag,” Lloyd shrugs unconvincingly. You chew your lip as you consider him. His eyes follow the movement and you stop yourself. “What?” He asks. 

“I’m just trying to picture it,” you say. “You don’t seem like a football person.” 

“What does that mean? You don’t seem like one either? What would you know?” You hiss back. 

“Ah, dear,” William calls across the table, “do not fear for his safety. We are all family, no one means to hurt each other.” 

Despite his assurance, you’re even less convinced that there won’t be some horrible accident. Again, you remind yourself, it’s Lloyd’s problems. Your sole focus is the money. And the wine. 

You reach to drain your glass, “I’m not worried at all,” you smile, “oh, and honey,” you turn to Lloyd, “you never asked but I love football. I’m a big Bills fan, actually. Remember, laces out.” 

Lloyd grumbles and stands. The other men do in a lazy succession. They stretch and groan over the scraping chair legs. The women rise too and start to clear the table. You’re not a fan of that divide; the men get their fun and the women get to tidy, but you will not be as rude as they’ve accused you. 

You start to gather cutlery and plates. Lloyd startles you as he puts his hand on your hip to stop you. You face him. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” He says. 

You bat your lashes and smirk. You’re amused that he thinks you’re that concerned. 

“Oh, I’m sure you can handle a game of tag, but you might want to stretch. There’s no one you can pay to run the ball for you,” you snort. 

You move past him and follow Lillian. He huffs as you leave him to the rabble of old man talking trash. As you enter the kitchen, Lillian sets the plates on the counter and you put yours next to hers. You take the top one and scrape it clean. 

“You’ll enjoy it. It’s always a good show. I am interested to see the teams this year,” she trills. “Of course, without Lloyd around for so long, I had to step in. Unfortunately, this year, I'm in no condition to lace up.” 

“Oh, it sounds like a fun tradition,” you remark. 

“It’s wonderful fun,” she assures as Gwenyth enters. Lillian shifts closer and lowers her voice, “also, you might want to consider, Lloyd wasn’t keeping us from you, perhaps it was the opposite. We are a rather selective bunch.” 

You meet her bruising sneer and smile. The wine helps drown your agitation. Why should you be bothered? Once you have your money, it won’t worry what the bloated bitch thinks? Oops, let’s keep those thoughts inside. 

“Oh, I’ll be sure to thank him for that,” you wink. She frowns. 

“Leave the plates at the sink, ladies,” Gwenyth commands. “Let’s grab out coats! The powder’s fresh. It’ll be a good match.” 

It’s odd. You really didn’t take this horde of pretentious ghouls as the football type. Well, maybe not the NFL-watching, tailgating type in pickups or minivans. Still, you can’t help but be a little amped for a Christmas game. 

There’s a crunch at the front door. Andrea, Angela, and Raquel warble with Gwenyth, as Shanna, Linda, and Lana come over to admire Lillian’s bump and ask her about the birth plans, while you stand to the side and watch Beatrice with a few younger girls, the elder daughters from all those pairing, who are less than enthused about the whole show. The parade of names escape you though you hardly wonder who is who. 

Your eyes wander to the next room. The younger kids are kept busy before the large Christmas tree by women you haven’t been introduced too. You assume those are the nannies Lloyd mentioned. It’s rather grim, a family divided as if the younger generation were a nuisance. Despite the enthusiasm for Lillian’s coming child, the poor soul will only end up at kids’ table apart from their mother. 

The men chatter near the open door as a brisk wind flows in. As you reach for your coat, you collide with another. You turn in the tight space to face Ransom as he cracks his neck. 

“You going to cheer me on, baby girl?” He smirks at you. 

You stare at him crisply. You continue to pull your coat on as you censor the variations of ‘hell no’ rolling through your mind. You look around for an escape but there isn’t one. The entry way is packed with bodies. 

“It will be cathartic. You’d just be cheering on the team, not necessarily, cheering against your beloved fiance,” he snickers. 

You look at him dully, “oh, I'm certain you’ll run circles around a team full of middle aged and elder men.” 

“You love to see it,” he grins and reaches around you. Before you can react, he pinches your ass again. You hit his chest as he pulls away and rubs his fingertips together, “for good luck.” 

“You’re nasty.” 

“Look at who you came with, sweetheart,” he sticks his tongue out and turns away. “But I understand if it’s my ass you’re watching out in the snow.” 

You curl your lip as you zip up your coat and shuffle over near the women. The men disburse through the front door ahead of you. They holler at each other, pointing impatiently, “over there.”; “Ben, too far”, “No, you snap--” 

You watch them break into team in the snowy street, barren of cars in the calm of Christmas Day. You tuck your hands into your pocket as you stand along the curb and the other women puff clouds into the frigid air. Lazy flakes swirl down and add to the glowing ambiance of the wintry midday. 

William, Ransom, Linus, Dawson, and Hudson huddle on one side with the ball as the others, Benson, Lloyd, Carter, Lewis, and Owen watch, waiting to respond to the first play. You’re not expecting anything more than wobbling throws and clumsy runs, still, it’s better than arguing at the dinner table. 

Ransom gets down to snap to William. The ball passes hands as Dawson runs a route and Ransom and Linus block the front light. Hudson takes the running backs route for the fake handoff before William searches for his receiver. Not bad for amateurs, especially given the demographic. 

The ball is caught as Owen makes the touch. No proper tackle, just a tap on Dawson’s shoulders. The play end as the next play is called in the huddle. Instead of moving down the street, the team resets at the same line, counting yard from that point. 

Another snap. The run is stuffed as Lloyd makes the touch on Hudson, almost indifferent about the play. The women cheer but not at the right times. They’re not really paying attention as they garble about desserts or their hair stylists. 

“You know what would be perfect, some mulled cider,” Beatrice suggests. The comment does make you thirsty but you’re not so sure you’d trade the cold outside for that inside. 

The ball switches possessions. Lloyd takes the snap. You’re a bit surprised but Benson is swaying in his blocking position. That’s less shocking. 

Snap. A pass. Straight and on target. Carter, one of William’s brothers, makes the catch and runs for ten more. Or what’s assumed to be that man. 

A new call. Lloyd rambles out signals in a parody of a real game. “Blood. Wine. Beemer, beemer beemer. Black sheep...” Your eye is drawn by Ransom as he shifts low. You tilt your head. 

“Offside,” you mutter as the ball snaps. Ransom’s across the line before the blockers can react and before the ball can change hands. In an instant, Lloyd is in the snow beneath the other man. 

“Oh my!” “Gosh.” “Ransom...” The concern washes over the audience of women as the men stop the play and turn to look at the two men in the snow. 

The latch onto each other in a toothless brawl. Lloyd knocks Ransom into the snow and grabs his neck. Ransom grips him in turn and they roll back and forth, trying to throttle each other. The other men move to separate them. 

“You two,” William booms. 

“Oh, Ransom, what are you doing?” Linda rushes over. 

“Linda,” William growls as Lloyd is dragged away from her son. “We were kind in letting him come here after everything--” 

“Oh, don’t blame him. Your son is just as bad.” 

“My son has a job,” William snarls back. 

“Don’t worry, that cuck barely got a ding on me,” Lloyd sneers as he shrugs the other men off. There’s a raw and red patch on his cheek bone and snow in his mussed hair. Scratches peek out above his collar as he coughs. 

“Fucker’s weak as pudding,” Ransom jeers back. 

“Both of you. That’s disgusting,” William growls. “Enough. Both of you, benched.” 

“I didn’t do anything,” Lloyd whines. 

“Doesn’t matter. You’re ruining the game,” William says. “Both of you, go inside.” 

“He antagonized him,” Linda squalls, “you heard his play call--” 

“Your son’s grown. He can handle words,” William rebuffs. “You can go inside with them.” 

You’re disappointed. It wasn’t bad while it lasted. Lloyd chuffs and steps around his father. Several bodies move to keep him away from Ransom. He rolls his eyes and waves them off. 

“He’s not worth it,” he stomps over to you. “Whatever, let’s get some hot chocolate or some shit. Better than standing in the snow with a bunch of geezers.” 

He grabs your arm and you have no choice but to let him lead you away. You can hear Ransom pleading his own case, whining at his mom, as she huffs and sighs. The argument fades as you near the front door. 

Lloyd pushes through and drags you in with him. He checks his reflection in the wall mirror, fixing his hair as he winces. He left his coat and blazer inside, wearing only his black turtleneck, now wet from the snow and streaked with salt along his back. He shakes his head at himself. 

You undo your coat and hang it. You almost want to call it a day. You came to brunch, you faced the wolves, and there isn’t enough wine to make them tolerable. 

He touches his cheek and hisses, “ugh, bastard.” 

“Hard hit,” you say. 

“Sure was. Who knew the brat had it in him?” He gingerly presses his cheekbone, “ugh, well, Pix, how about you kiss it better?” 

“What?” You grimace. “No way.” 

“But it hurts,” he turns to you and pushes his bottom lip out. 

“Uh uh,” you cross your arms. “We need to talk. About the wedding.” 

“Really? You wanna talk about that?” 

“Lloyd, I said a courthouse.” 

“I know but...” he pauses and glances around the entry way, “come on.” 

He ushers you down the hall and into the bathroom. He shuts the door and you’re once more trapped in the tight space with a Hansen twin. He stands in front of the door as he faces you. 

“Look, I’m just trying to get this done. It’s good for both of us. You want your money, don’t you? So you need to play along.” 

“I am.” 

“It’s just a fucking ceremony and a dinner.” He argues. 

“It’s not what I agreed too.” 

“Yeah, well, we have to be convincing if we want our prize.” 

You scowl, “I really am not enjoying this whole ‘we’ narrative.” 

“That’s the script, Pixie pie. So put a little bit of energy into it.” He steps closer and you stiffen as he puts his hands on your shoulders. “Loosen up and you might actually have a bit of fun.” 

“It was supposed to be the holiday and the courthouse,” you insist. 

“Not good enough. We both know it.” 

“I want more money,” you grit. 

He pouts again, “you drive a hard bargain for such a soft little thing.” 

You push him away as he goes to stroke his cheek. 

“Two million. I’m not wearing a white dress for anything less.” 

“Baby, please, you’re bleeding me dry--” 

“I’m not blind, Lloyd.” You look around emphatically, “I know what I’m asking for is a fraction of what you’ll get. I’ve worked for you long enough to know your tactics. Whatever I ask, I’m being undersold. Two or I walk right now.” 

He takes a deep breath and lets it out, “let me just see a little ass.” 

You blink, stunned by his barter. You shake your head. “Not for a three million.” 

“Ugh, fine. You’re so damn stubborn. I like it but I also hate it,” he sighs. “Two,” he pulls his hand free and offers it. You shake it with a triumphant smirk. “Let’s seal that the right way.” 

He tightens his hold on you as he grabs the back of your head and bends to smother you with a bristly kiss. You squeak before you can pull away. You scoff at him and yank your hand free to wipe your lips. 

“It’s gonna happen, Pixie,” he grins. “Trust.” 

[trixierosewrites]

writeblr intro :3

Hi, everyone, I'm Trixie! I'm a young (but adult) writer and classicist, currently in the middle of publishing my novella, Memento Vivere. I also write short stories and am working on a couple novels! I go by shey/heir neopronouns but if that's too complicated she/they is tolerable too.

My favourite genre is the mystery-murder mystery-crime-thriller-horror area, but I dabble in a lot, including historical and fantasy! I love to write dialogue and I am a compulsive world builder for fantasy, including seven partially made conlangs.

Writing commissions are currently closed, but editing commissions are open.

I'd love to connect with more writers :3

my novella: memento vivere

horror/thriller

will be available as paperback, ebook, and deluxe edition

every single character is a horrible person

high stakes, little time, and a lot of character death >:3

Aidan Whitney, four times ex-prime minister, wakes up chained to a bed in a room with ten other people. The only way to escape? Making accusations that kill the accused, and, if incorrect, kill the accuser.

my short stories and novels below the cut!

my short stories

One Hundred Times, or a retelling of orpheus and eurydice in which orpheus looks back a hundred times for a hundred different reasons with a hundred different reactions

The Wasp, or three polyamorous women trying to make it work in between crime and betrayal

untitled fairy wip, or a first person POV of a somewhat stuck up researcher into the fair folk

"you can't protect her forever" AKA woman offers herself up to be tortured to protect her girlfriend

a crime solving gang of polyamorous women head undercover into a den of crime, magic, sex, drugs, and lies, and come out of it a little less unattached

a failing demon falls in love with a beautiful angel, only to find that things are not as they appear

Blood Dice, or where in a realm not quite real, millie learns to play for her life

For Want of a Ticket (complete), or a western girl runs elaborate scams on strangers, complete with an undertone of sadness (and loneliness)

my novels

my beautiful time travel catastrophe, featuring an obscenely large cast of characters all from different time periods that come together against their will to save the timeline

Trinity, AKA what attempts to be a neutral retelling of hades and persephone, told from three perspectives: hades, persephone, and demeter. the goal of this one is to write what is clearly the same narrative with different perspectives, and ultimately tries to not hold anyone at fault

"the lillian ainsworth murder" AKA a late victorian setting for a murder mystery, featuring repressed gays, mysterious marriages, financial debt, family feuds, and an unsettling promise for revenge

a very rough plan for what is essentially out of timeline parasites that overtake someone's body with the aim of assassinating targets

untitled bacchae-inspired wip, or where an unsuspecting oxford student gets a sinister boyfriend that likes drinks and all-female orgies, and then the murders begin

backwards murder mystery, where a seasoned detective is vindicated when the unsettling up-and-comer officer reveals himself as a serial killer - but why? what does he hope to gain?

untitled heist wip, where magic is rare and highly sought after, used for volatile healing and the most dangerous of weapons, except in england, where it makes the trains run on time. low fantasy featuring found family, crime, family secrets, and mutations that won't stay hidden - this one is in collaboration with my good friend @elizabeth-writes!

[dean-a-mean-tae]

Nicholas Ross Scenarios | Stray Kids Extra Member AU

You can read these in whatever order you want. I switched things around in the order I believe they're set.

You DO NOT have my permission to put any of my work into an AI

Back to the Nicholas Ross Master List

☼Life Before The Idol Journey☼

☾ A Star Is Born (370 Words) ✧SUMMARY: The birth of Nicholas ✧WARNINGS: Tamaya threatens someone. Black babies usually come out a shade or two lighter because it takes a while for their melanin to kick in. Nolan breathes in this.

☾ First Impressions (448 Words) ✧SUMMARY: Tamaya is brings Nicholas home to introduce him to Lillian and Johnny, the Golden Retriever. ✧WARNINGS: Slight angst? Hinted that Tamaya was isolated from her family. Lillian is 2 in this. Nolan is a piece of shit. Cussing. I think that's it

☾ Siblings Care For Each Other (425 Words) ✧SUMMARY: Nicholas notices his sister's selflessness is at her own expense. ✧WARNINGS: Neglectful parents? Nicholas is 7 in this and Lillian is 9. I think that's it. Tamaya and Nolan are Nick and Lillian's parents.

☾ Telling The Family (1.7k Words) ✧SUMMARY: After much thought, or until he got tired of his grandpa talking about it, Nicholas finally decided he wanted to be an idol. Now, how does he tell his family? ✧WARNINGS: Abuse, arguing, and slapping. Nicholas is 14 in this. The grandparents are trying, but they're old. This is most likely not how the industry works. Tamaya tries to kick Nicholas out.

☼Pre-Debut☼

☾ Fragile (1060 Words) ✧SUMMARY: How Chan and Nicholas became Chan and Nick. ✧WARNINGS: Nick smokes, Pre-debut!Nick and Ore-debut!Chan, Nick is a bit of a pushover. Talk about Nick's childhood.

☾ How It All Started (202 Words) ✧SUMMARY: He'd seen people get chosen and others get denied. People with potential get pushed away because one person is better, even by a little. ✧Pre-debut!Nick and Pre-debut!Chan

☾ Promise (902 Words) ✧SUMMARY: The first member Chan introduces Nicholas to is Minho. Unfortunately, it's on a day when Nicholas can't hide his pain. ✧WARNINGS: Pre-debut!Nick and Pre-debut!Minho. Soft minho?

☾ Coconut Head (473 Words) ✧SUMMARY: It's time to meet the rest of 3racha. ✧WARNINGS: Pre-debut!Jisung, Pre-debut!Changbin, Pre-debut!Chan, Pre-debut!Nicholas. Flinching? Pre-debut!Jisung (iykyk)

☾ A Teddy Bear From The Fair (767 Words) ✧SUMMARY: A soft peach gives Jeongin a cozy feeling. ✧WARNINGS: Predebut!Chan, Predebut!Nicholas, Predebut!Jeongin, Told from Jeongin's POV. There might be a strange vibe going on... I don't know any other warnings.

☼Idol Life☼

☾ Need A Break (483 Words) ✧SUMMARY: Everyone needs a break. A break from work, from school, or from life outside their blankets. Some people are not allowed breaks. Out of pressure from peers, parents, themselves. Setting a goal, a standard, that does more harm than good. All they need is a push in the right direction. | Little bit of Hyunjin x Nicholas

☾ Stray Kids' Nicholas Talks About His Conditions (1.8k Words) ✧SUMMARY: “I think, I think I’ve always needed people like them (Stray Kids) in my life.” We welcome Nicholas Ross of Stray Kids to talk about his conditions, chronic pains and anorexia, and how they have affected his childhood and his members. - Achievement Goals ✧WARNINGS: Mention of anorexia, chronic pains(I don’t have chronic pains but my big brother does so I base this off of him), mention of toxic family, past child abuse(not physical), switches between members at some point to gain perspective, Nick switches between Korean and English

☾ We Can't Make It On Our Own (717 Words) ✧SUMMARY: After a rough day, a moment with the youngest of Stray Kids helps Nicholas come to an understanding. | Little bit of Jeongin x Nicholas

☾ Fourth Cat (618 Words) ✧SUMMARY: Nicholas has some weird habits, and everyone loves them ✧WARNINGS: Second-hand embarrassment?

☾ The Shrinkage Is Real (_ Words) ✧SUMMARY: Nicholas, with the help of Chan and Minho, teaches the boys how to care for his hair. ✧WARNINGS: Cussing, normal banter between the boys, and description of the long and aching process called washing your hair.

☾ Light At The End (993 Words) ✧WARNINGS: Discrimination, Racism, Could be perceived as self-harm (Nicholas gets hurt twice but is okay with both), anorexia (different for everyone this is based on my experience), I think that's it

☾ Of The Tunnel ( 1.8k Words | Part 2 of Light At The End) ✧WARNINGS: Mention of self-harm, mention of sl!tt!ng, racism, discrimination, dissociation, JYP, I think that's it.

☾ Normani Defends Stray Kids' Nicholas Ross Against Racist Comments (790 Words) ✧SUMMARY: The singer, Normani, went to Twitter and Instagram to defend Nicholas Ross from racist commenters. Nicholas responded with a public thank you video. - Achievement Goals ✧WARNINGS: Racism, harmful words, mentions of death threats, mention of su!c!de

☾ Piercing (575 Words) ✧WARNINGS: Switches from 3rd person to 1st person. Depending on how well this is written, it might make you feel what he's feeling. There's angst, but I don't want to put too many warnings.

☼MISC☼

☾ Sleeping Where I Shouldn't (457 Words) ✧SUMMARY: Nicholas has a habit of falling asleep. Getting his makeup done, laying on one of the boys, during a Vlive, and many more examples. I made a compilation of times we saw Nick sleeping in the background. - random fan | Or 3 times the camera caught Nicholas sleeping, and the 1 time they didn't.

☾ Why Won't Bang Chan Let Nicholas Drink? (608 Words) ✧SUMMARY: Chan tells STAY why Nicholas isn't allowed to drink. ✧WARNINGS: Nicholas is an emotional whiny drunk.

☾ Never Again | 100 Followers Event (499 Words) ✧PROMPT: "Guys?" "We aren't going that way!" "Guys?" "That way or back! Cause I'm not going with creepy old man. No offense." "Hello?" "Can we talk about this?" "Guys!" "What?!" "Don't yell! There's a man in the window." "No, there isn't." "They're not lying! He's right there!"

Back to the Nicholas Ross Master List

©️DEANAMEANTAE

[danikamariewrites]

Right Where You Left Me

Dorian x reader

A/n: this takes place like halfway through Throne of Glass when shit starts to get really crazy lol. Dorian is another character that deserves the world but the world doesn’t deserve him.

Warnings: Angst

It had been months that you had this weird feeling that Dorian was keeping something from you. You tried to get him to talk about it but he wouldn’t open up to you. You tried to follow him during the day, and at night even but you were never successful.

Today you have finally reached your limit. You knew it had to do with the champions contest for the king. Dorian didn’t want you anywhere near that mess but you didn’t care. There was dangerous and creepy stuff happening all over the castle, people were dying!

If you couldn’t be near it, then you wanted him away from that mess too. You couldn’t bear to lose Dorian for something so stupid, especially if his father was involved.

You stood outside his room, taking a deep breath praying you didn’t cry once you saw him, and knocked. You entered without waiting for a response from your boyfriend.

Dorian was sitting at his desk, pouring over a large ancient book. He looked up as you got closer to him. He noticed you were upset, “y/n, what’s wrong?”

You weren’t going to hold back. You were always honest with each other and that wasn’t going to stop now. “I don’t think I can do this anymore Dorian.” His eyes widened in shock and worry. You could tell he wasn't expecting this. He stands, taking your hands in his.

You close your eyes and gently pull away from him, you don't want to touch him again, not when you knew it would be the last time. “You’re keeping secrets from me, and it’s killing me.” Guilt takes over his face. Like he knew this conversation was coming.

“There’s weird shit going on around here. And that damned contest is the root of the problem. I know you said you didn’t want me around it and that’s fine I don’t want any part of that.” Taking a shuddering breath you continue, “But, I can’t stand by while you put yourself in danger too.”

Dorian stuffs his hands in his pockets, “Chaol is always with me, I’m perfectly safe.” You shake your head. “It doesn’t matter if Chaol is with you or not. I have a bad feeling about all of this.” Tears start falling fast. “Dorian, I can’t keep worrying about you. You won’t tell me what’s really going on and quite frankly, I don’t even want to know anymore.” Dorian looks down at his feet, you can feel the guilt coming off him.

“You’re sneaking off, getting into weird situations with Chaol and Lillian, and we’re not even spending time together anymore.” There was finality in your tone. You could tell Dorian knew there was no changing your mind but he had to try.

“I’m sorry y/n. Please, please let me make it up to you. I can’t lose you.” He steps closer to you but just back away, shaking your head.

You wipe at your face trying to stop the tears still falling. “There’s nothing to do. We’re past that. I want to break up, Dorian. I think it’s for the best.” Truly, he knew it was too. Dorian knew deep down there was something bigger than a few strange murders and odd marks on the walls. And whatever was coming he wanted you far away from it.

Even if you didn’t love him anymore he would always love you. If something ever happened to you he would never forgive himself. He nods, “I am truly sorry, for everything. And if this is what’s best…” he couldn’t finish his sentence. It was too painful letting you go. And saying it made it real.

All you could do was nod. You walk towards the door before you break down. If you did break down you knew he would comfort you and that wasn’t fair to either of you.

Before you shut the door you looked at the prince one last time, “Goodbye, Dorian. I’m sorry too.”

As soon as the door shut Dorian began to cry. He would never forgive himself for how things ended between you two.

[ecargmura]

Wonderful Precure Episode 35 Review - Satoru's Feelings

I’m still a fledgling when it comes to Precure lore, so it’s sort of unusual to see an episode dedicated prepping Satoru up for a confession. The last time I watched an episode about love, it was in Episode 14 where Takumi was confessed to by a girl and a whole topic about first loves came to be. However, unlike that episode where it wasn’t about Takumi but the girl who had a crush on him, this one is fully about Satoru and his feelings for Iroha. Heck, this is actually a Satoru-focused episode as well, so I’m all for this.

While Satoru is a popular guy who receives his fair share of love confessions at school, his heart is only set on Iroha. They first met three years ago when he rescued an injured Daifuku who was hurt badly from a snake attack. He was worried about him, but a young Iroha approaches him and tells him that everything will be okay. Younger Satoru wasn’t too well-versed with animal trivia as he had no idea not all rabbits had perky ears. In fact, Iroha had more knowledge than him, but the moment she called him kind and smiled at him, he fell for her HARD. The fact that it’s symbolized by flowers blooming and that Satoru started researching animals just to impress her was adorable as heck. He was down bad at eleven.

It was cute seeing the biggest IroSato shipper Mayu trying to help Satoru. Yuki helps out too. It was funny how they snuck into Iroha’s house to see who this “Keiji” is, only for him to be a German Shepherd training to be a K9 dog and his owner Keiichi being a frequent visitor. Though, this part of the episode did feel a little weird as Satoru is usually very good at guessing the identity of Iroha’s vague descriptions, so the fact that he didn’t put two and two together that the “man” she was talking about was actually a dog felt out of character.

Getting the help of Mey Mey wasn’t a good idea at all. Not only was Mey Mey clueless about Satoru’s feelings for Iroha, but he legit spilled the beans at the end. Gosh darn it, you darn sheep. Though, it was comedic to see him being a scorned hypotenuse when it comes to Satoru. It’s funny how he acts like he has feelings for Satoru. I also love the shocked black and white shots of Satoru, Niko and Mey Mey being shocked and then another one with Mayu and Yuki with the 70’s Shoujo shocked faces.

The Gaogaon segment with Torame felt really shoehorned in for the sake of formula, but it was shocking to see the kangaroo actually kicking Friendy HARD. I do like that using the Lillian Net reminded the kangaroo of its mother’s pouch.

The episode was cruel for ending it there. I wonder how Iroha will take it. I do wonder what will happen next. What’s the purpose of having Satoru’s feelings for Iroha be a part of the story? It doesn’t feel like he’s going to transform? Who knows…the preview for next week’s episode actually gave us nothing, meaning they’re hiding something major! I know that human Niko has been revealed, but is there more? What are your thoughts?

[chicaotaku-fanfics]

There's Three of You?! Pt. 13

Please don't kill me! This took longer than expected, I'll be the first one to admit it, but it is finally here! The 3/3 chapter of the Mistaken (Chicago Med 1x04) mini arc is finally here!

Hope you enjoy!

Warnings: foul language, might be some medical inconsistencies.

CHAPTER 13

Connor and I had emptied the room sometime later and made our way to the elevator to go and wait outside Miss Goodwin’s office, to see if we could at least save a kid’s life today. Even a few seconds before the door opened, Connor was already on his feet, and as soon as it did opened I stood up.

Miss Goodwin’s expression wasn’t good at all.

“Can I at least talk to him?” asked Connor

“No, you cannot.” she said.

“There has got to be something we can do.” I said.

“And we've done it. Let it go, Dr. Rhodes. You too Dr. Halstead.” she said, looking at us pointedly.

Unexpectedly, the door open, and we all turned to see Mr. Simms coming out. He handed Goodwin the forms and just left.

“He signed them.” Miss Goodwin said, noticing the signature on the papers, Connor started making his way to the elevator.

“Good luck!” I exclaimed, he turned to me and nodded. I turned to my boss again. “Thank you Miss Goodwin… I’ll go see if Mr. Simms needs anything.” I said, going after the grieving man.

I managed to catch up to Mr. Simps, so I decided to talk to him about Max.

“Mr. Simms, how are you doing? How’s Max? I haven’t seen him since this morning, when we played at the kid’s lounge in the waiting room.” I said, announcing my presence to the blond man.

“You… you’re the doctor that took care of Max while I was coming here?” he asked.

“Yeah, I am. Dr. Lillian Halstead.” I said, offering my hand for him to shake, he did.

“Bill Simms. Uh, oh, my mother came for Max shortly after we reunited… didn’t want him to be exposed to this circus.” he said, I nodded.

“I understand. And I’m also very sorry for your loss Mr. Simms.” I said, he sighed, walking until he reached one of the windows, he stared at the view of the city.

“Lucy and I met at a Cub's game.” Mr. Simms said, I made sure to listen to him intently. He then let out a short mirthless laugh. “I heard this--this crazy laughter coming from, like, five rows behind me and… it just– it just reached out and grabbed me.” he continued. I could only listen to him. “I'd look at her, and it would just make me happy, and then, this afternoon, just watching the life get stomped out of her… you know, his site has gotten more hits in the last hour than it's every had before, I mean– it's disgusting, it's all disgusting.” he said, I just looked down.

“Like I said Mr. Simms, I understand… but you’re also going through one of the most traumatic days of your life.” I said to him, he was about to say something, but I raised my hand for him to let me finish. “I’m not invalidating your feelings, or even suggesting that anything that what happened today was fair. I’m trying to paint the bigger picture here: you’re grieving, that’s normal. And you’ve also just donated your wife’s liver to the guy responsible for her passing… that takes a level of maturity not many achieve.” I continued, he finally interrupted me.

“LUCY DIDN’T DESERVE TO DIE, HE DOES!” he exclaimed, I just placed my hand on his shoulder to calm him dowm.

“I understand your pain… but you just saved a kid’s life, and by doing that, you’re giving him the chance to turn his life around.” I said to him.

He finally broke down sobbing, I hold him so he didn’t hit the ground. I maneuvered us to one of the rows of chairs so he could sit down, from my coat pocket I pulled out a packet of tissues and offered one to him. He took it and dried his tears, then he looked at me and said something that really left me thinking.

“Max told me about how you took care of him when he and Lucy first arrived. How you asked to look after him, took him to the play area, even played with other kids and talked to them about being a doctor.” he made a pause, blowed his nose and continued. “He says he wants to be a doctor when he grows up… all thanks to you.” he then turned to look into my eyes. “You’ll make a great mother someday Dr. Halstead. Thank you for taking care of my son.” he then hugged me. I hugged back.

Just then, my pager went off, it was Connor, Peter was just out of surgery, he had pulled through just fine.

“Sorry Mr. Simms, I have to go, my other patient just pulled through out of surgery, I gotta go check on him.” I said, he looked at me.

“It’s him right? The prankster?” he asked, I just nodded. “I wanna go see him.” he said, I wasn’t convinced, but he pleaded. “I just wanna say something to him.” he managed to persuade me. So I took him with me towards the elevator and to the ICU floor.

We made it there, and Connor looked at me in question.

“Mr. Simms wanted to say something to Peter.” I answered the unasked question.

Connor nodded, and the three of us went into the room.

“Mr. and Mrs. Wallace? This is Bill Simms. It was his wife–” started Connor.

“Lucy. Her name was Lucy.” he said, not looking at the parents.

“It was Lucy's liver that was transplanted into Peter.” I added.

“Thank you for saving our son.” said Mrs. Wallace

“What you've done for our family–” Peter’s dad started to talk, but Mr. Simms interrupted him.

“I didn't do it for your family.” Mr. Simms said, he made a pause to sniffle, but the continued. “I did it for mine.” he made another pause. “Death isn't justice. Can he hear me?” he asked Connor, pointing at Peter.

“Yes, he can.” my friend answered.

“My wife– my wife died because of you. And now she keeps you alive… And that's gonna haunt you for the rest of your life.” he said, his expression somber.

Oh no

“Mr. Simms, please.” I said, trying to stop him.

“No, no, no, I can't– Look, you wanted a following, right? Kids today, everyone wants a following. I'm gonna give you a following every day on every social media site for the rest of your life. I'm gonna be there to remind the world of what you did!” he started raising his voice by the end of his last sentence, becoming more erratic by the second. Connor and I stepped in between him and Peter’s bed.

“You will never be able to go anywhere or do anything without people knowing who you are!” Mr. Simms exclaimed against Connor who was pushing him out of the room. I just stood there, my back facing the kid, one of my arms extended to protect him.

“You will never be able to hide!” was the last thing we heard from Bill Simms as Connor managed to get him out of the room.

I turn towards the terrified teen and distraught family.

“I’m so sorry about that.” I said to the three of them, then turned my attention to the kid. “You gotta understand Peter, actions have consequences… you did something dumb today, and someone payed the price.” I made a pause, he looked at me, as well as the parents. “I’m not gonna scold you, everyone makes mistakes… I just hope that today helps you to think before acting next time.” I smiled at him. “Because, and I mean this in the best way possible, I don’t want to see you around here ever again. So take good care of yourself, hear me?” I asked him, he nodded the best he could.

I nodded at the parents who nodded back and I just left the room. I went to the elevators and made my way to the ED floor, just as Miss Goodwin was leaving Connor’s side.

“Hey.” I said to him, he just nodded to acknowledge my presence. “Come on, if we don’t hurry, Will and Jay will make a mess of my apartment.” I said, he snorted.

“Somehow I doubt that.” he said.

“Oh believe me, they could. But they know I’d kick their asses if they did, so, for thier sake, they don’t.” I said, that did get a laugh out of my friend.

“Oh, I’d bet you win.” he said.

“Like hell I will! They may be older, but I’m smarter.” I said, while we made our way to the doctors lounge.

[chaotic-super]

The Vampire Woman - Chapter 23

Read it on AO3 here!

If Kara had the strength to do so, she would be pacing the length of the apartment right now but her legs just can’t sustain the energy levels required for anxious activities right now so instead she’s sat on a chair in the living room, her head tilted back, and she’s staring at the ceiling.

Lena is watching her from across the room but she’s got her laptop on her lap and she’s using it as a shield to hide herself so it’s not as obvious that she’s spending more time staring at her than she is working. To be fair, she’s gotten a few emails done and by a few, that means three in the last hour. Better than nothing.

Her mind isn’t focused at all. She wants to focus on her work but she’s struggling. She always struggles when she tries to work from home but this is immensely harder. Having Kara here is the perfect distraction to keep her from doing all of the things she needs to do and the position Kara’s sitting in definitely doesn’t help.

The way her neck is stretched back and oh-so-beautiful is a distraction in its greatest form. Part of her wonders if the beauty of this woman’s neck is what drew her towards her and created such a need to have her when she first encountered her but that thought is pushed away pretty quickly because the first time they met, she didn’t look at her neck, she just saw an easy target and went from there.

Classifying Kara as an easy target was her biggest mistake. She charmed her way out of being bitten the first time and then fought her way out with impressive garlic-throwing skills the next. She survived a fight with a bunch of savage vampires outside of L-Corp and then killed Lillian to defend herself inside. She’s a force to be reckoned with and you wouldn’t even know it just by looking at her now, her pouty face all soft lines and her nervous hands twitching in an unfamiliar rhythm against her thighs.

“She’s going to be here soon.” Kara looks down at her watch and tells Lena. “I don’t know how to explain it all to her without lying but I think I might have to.”

“You don’t have to outwardly lie, Kara, you just have to omit certain truths. You can say people broke into your apartment, you can say that someone from that group hurt you and you’re recovering. Hell, you can even say that you killed one in self-defence and it would be fine, but I’m not sure telling your boss you killed someone is a great idea.”

Kara sinks even further back. “I don’t know how to feel about that.”

“About lying to your boss by telling very specific truths?”

“No, about the fact that I killed Lillian. I’ve been trying to be ok with it, if I hadn’t, I would definitely be dead right now, even more dead than I was before you saved me, but I killed someone and I’m not sure how I’m meant to deal with that.”

Lena pushes the lid to her laptop closed. She’s not going to get any work done now. “It’s normal to have guilt over someone dying, Kara. She might have already been dead but as far as vampires go, we do feel pretty alive. I just…I think the world is safer without Lillian in it but I wish the burden of that happening wasn’t put on you.”

“I deserve it.”

“Why would you even say that?” Lena frowns, the laptop now being moved to a side table so she can lean forward, her elbows coming to rest on her knees.

“I felt bad after I hurt her the first time. It was me that made you bring her inside and so it’s my fault she was able to kill people inside the building. I didn’t know Ted Carlson very well but he didn’t deserve to get bitten and die. Vasquez didn’t deserve to die either. She was nice to me and I could tell she was a good person but now she’s dead and I’m left here wondering why I’m still alive when three people are dead because of me.”

“They aren’t dead because of you, Kara. They’re dead because of Lillian. You felt bad for hurting someone, which certainly doesn’t make you a bad person. The bad person in this situation is Lillian and she’s responsible for the deaths of Carlson and Vasquez. You’re not to blame but I know you don’t believe me. I’ll keep reminding you though, maybe one day you will believe that I’m telling the truth.

Kara shrugs. “I hope so too because it hurts.”

Lena looks down at her feet. The pain within Kara is palpable and while it’s taken a while for it all to sink in for Kara, which is understandable given everything else she’s been dealing with on top of it all, and it makes Lena feel like the worst person on the planet.

She’s hurt far more people than Kara has. She’s killed far more people than Kara has and yet she’s here completely composed while Kara is shattering on the inside. Perhaps it’s because it’s been so long or perhaps it’s just because she’s so numb to the concept of death now that it doesn’t hold as much weight to her anymore, but either way, she’s sure she doesn’t feel even half the pain Kara’s feeling right now.

Kara sniffs and looks down at her watch again. “She’s probably on her way up now. She’s not one to be late for things like this. The only time she’s ever late is when she’s going to galas because she likes to make a point that nobody is worth her time.”

“That’s very Cat Grant of her.”

“It really is.”

Three knocks are all they get when Cat finally does arrive. Kara makes to stand up but Lena sees the shake of her arms and the struggle to do so. It’s not as bad as it was and she is slowly getting better but she hasn’t been out in the sun yet today so she’s not as strong as she can be. Lena pushes her back down onto the chair with a steady hand on her shoulder and goes to get the door herself.

If Cat is surprised to see her answering the door instead of Kara, she does a good job of hiding it because there’s not so much as a raised eyebrow or a twitch of her lips.

“Come in,” Lena mutters as Cat starts making her way inside before she’s even had time to start opening the door wider so she can get by without having to turn on her side to squeeze through the gap.

She doesn’t wait for Lena to show her where to go either, she just wanders through the apartment with her eyes searching for the woman she came to see, a woman who isn’t Lena.

“Kara,” Cat says, taking a seat on the couch that is at a ninety-degree angle from the chair Kara is sitting on. She angles her body towards her and places her bag and the laptop bag she’s brought with her on the floor at her feet. “How are you?”

“I’m getting better and I’ll be even better now I can get some work done, I’m going stir crazy not having anything to do.” Kara smiles but Cat can see how unsteady it is and the fake undertones to everything she’s saying.

Cat shakes her head. “You’re lying to me, Kiera.”

“Ms Grant—”

“Tell me how you really are.” Cat cuts her off.

Kara takes a deep breath and her head drops down so she can stare at the floor. She can’t look her in the eyes while she says this. “I’m struggling.”

Cat’s voice responds in a tone much softer than usual. “Thank you for telling me that.”

Kara nods and Lena walks in. “Hey, Kara. Do you want me to stay or shall I go and be busy somewhere else?”

Lena receives a tight-lipped smile. “I’ll be fine, thanks, Lena.”

She grabs her laptop from where she left it on the side table and pats Kara’s shoulder on the way past her as she heads for her bedroom. She’ll go and hang out in there while Cat is here and give them some space.

Neither Kara nor Cat speaks until they hear the clicking of the door behind Lena, at which point Cat asks the obvious question. “So, you are now in a relationship with Lena Luthor?”

Kara flails for a moment. “I—I…No. We’re not together like that. We’re just friends.”

“But you want more. Don’t lie to me, you forget the way I saw you pine for James for a while before you finally clued into his mediocrity.”

Kara’s head rolls to one side in defeat. She’s never had the ability to hide her feelings from Cat, always either way too transparent or too easy for someone with impeccable reporting skills like Cat to read. “It’s complicated.”

“I doubt that,” Cat responds. “I think it’s actually very simple.”

“You do?”

Cat nods once. “Yes. You like her, that much is obvious and by the way I’ve seen her act around you, even for the few moments it was, it’s very clear she has feelings for you too.”

Kara’s eyebrows furrow, replaying her brief interaction with Lena in her mind. “I don’t understand.”

“She’s protective of you. She was protective of you on the phone when she tried to ban me from seeing you and she was protective of you when she came in here to ask you if you wanted her to stay. She likes you, Kara, don’t be blind.”

“Oh.” Kara’s eyes widen.

Cat rolls her eyes at Kara. “I thought we had gotten past the point where I have to hold your hand through life so you don’t miss it.”

Kara ducks her head for a second time. “Thank you, Ms Grant. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

“Oh no, you’re not thinking about anything. When you think, you back out of whatever it is that scares you. As soon as I leave you’re going to grab that woman and kiss her because the tension in this apartment is so thick it’s suffocating. Got it?”

“I…” Kara hesitates.

“If you don’t kiss her, I will.”

“Ok, I’ll talk to her after.” Kara gives in.

Cat shakes her head. “I said kiss, not talk.”

“I can’t just walk up to her and kiss her.”

“Sure you can. Your lips work because you’re using them to argue with me and you’re wasting your breath. I’m helping you sort out your love life here, or your severe lack of a love life.”

Kara buries her face in her hands. “I’ll handle it, Ms Grant, can we please just move on?”

“I suppose it’s best we do because you look seconds away from having a stroke just at the prospect of having a life like an ordinary human being.” Cat shifts her weight, uncrossing her legs and then recrossing them the other way. “So, tell me about your apartment.”

Kara relaxes again, not fully but she’s back to the level she was before Cat brought up her feelings for Lena. She’s prepared for the questions about what happened to her, she was not prepared for the questions about her relationship with Lena. “What do you want to know first?”

“Just start at the beginning.”

Kara’s head moves in a nodding motion as she filters through what happened so she can try and pick out the parts she can talk about. “Well, my apartment got broken into and it was done by a group of people from Lena’s past. I think they were targeting her company because she’s got some really impressive stuff coming up, the articles I was going to write were going to talk all about them.

“Somehow, I think they must have found out I was going to write the articles and they targeted me. My apartment got trashed when I wasn’t there and I got attacked by one of them. I don’t know exactly who they are and neither does Lena but she recognises them.”

Cat gasps when Kara reveals that she was attacked by someone. She was expecting it but that’s nothing quite like having someone straight up admit to being assaulted. “You were hurt badly?”

Kara takes a sharp breath in. “Yeah. It was a bad fight.”

Leaning forward, Cat does something that takes Kara by surprise, she covers Kara’s hand with her own. “What happened to the person that attacked you? Were they stopped or caught or did they get away?”

“None of the above,” Kara replies, her voice tight. “I killed her.”

A heavy sigh is the only response she gets. The hand on her own doesn’t get pulled back, it doesn’t tighten, she doesn’t go tense, she just takes the information for what it is.

“It was a one-on-one fight. She tried to kill me and it was close but I won. I’m not so sure as though that’s something I should be happy about though.” Kara’s eyes fill with tears she doesn’t want to cry. She’s not sure she deserves to be able to cry.

Kara’s head shoots up when Cat stands up, pulling her hand back finally. She watches as Cat picks up the bags and is expecting her to leave her, probably out of disgust or something akin to it, but she doesn’t leave, she moves the bags and puts them on the other chair on the other side of the couch and moves over from where she was sitting before on the couch. “Come here.” Cat gestures to the space where she was just sitting.

Kara reacts quickly, so quickly in fact that she trips part way through getting up. In her rush to get to Ms Grant, she forgot that her legs are still shaky and she has to take it slow to her left leg buckles beneath her and she has to catch herself on the arm of the couch.

Cat’s arms dart out to steady her. “Here, let me help you.”

With the help of Cat, Kara manages to sit down carefully beside her without becoming out of breath. “Thanks.”

“Kara, I want you to look at me now,” Cat announces, her voice as commanding as she can make it. Once Kara meets her eyes, she holds her gaze, unblinking. “You are not to blame for that woman’s death. Killing someone in self-defence isn’t murder and she’s the only person to blame. You deserve to be happy and live the rest of your life knowing that you deserve it.”

Kara tears her eyes away from Cat’s. “I don’t know how to do that, Ms Grant.”

She’s pulled into Cat’s embrace in a flurry of movement and the physical comfort is everything she needs for the dam to finally break and the tears to spring free.

“Oh, Kiera. You’re much too innocent for this world. What you do is you keep going. You hold your head up high and you live your life in a way that makes you happy. You can be sad and you can mourn and you can get stuck in the past but what does that achieve other than to destroy one more life? You can add so much good into this world if you live up to your potential and you will have people with you every step of the way, of that I’m certain.”

Tears pour freely down Kara’s face and heaving sobs force their way free from Kara’s throat. She’s just so emotionally drained by this point that she doesn’t even know how to being to process everything that’s happened since she met Lena. She’s been attacked a whole bunch of times; a bunch of really terrible and traumatizing things have happened and the person that has brought all of this to her feet is super hot and she has a crush on her. It’s not ideal.

“God, I’m a mess.” Kara cries, her hands clinging to the back of Cat’s shirt.

“That’s ok. We’re all a little messy at times.” A hand rests on the back of Kara’s head, stroking gently.

They remain in that position until Kara’s tears stop and then she pulls back and uses her sleeves to wipe her face. “I’ll be ok.”

“You will. We’ll all make sure of it.” Cat holds onto Kara’s shoulders, the pressure an attempt to ground her. “You’re not dealing with anything alone. Now, this is very important, Kara. How is everything going with the police? Is there a threat that you could be charged with anything?”

Kara’s eyes widen. She didn’t think about that. “Um, I don’t…I’m not sure. Lena has dealt with everything, I’ve just sort of been recovering.”

Cat looks at her strangely, probably because it’s remarkably obvious there is truth being omitted but her focus is drawn away from it anyway. “Recovering from what exactly? What injuries did you get?” Her eyes travel down Kara’s body and it means she’s got to come up with something quickly.

“I…well…”

“She got a bad head injury,” Lena answers, strolling casually into the room. “Sorry to interrupt. I just forgot to grab something.”

“I see.” Cat watches Lena closely while she moves through the room over to the chair where she was sitting earlier and then eases up when she pulls a notebook from beside it since she didn’t fully trust that she was telling the truth before.

“Her memory was shot for a few days and it’s left her weak. She’s seen a physiotherapist and has some exercises she does a couple of times a day. Other than that, it was mainly cuts and bruises which have pretty much healed at this point. The head injury was the worst one.”

“Hmm.” Cat sees her prey and locks on. “Kara couldn’t tell me anything about a police report, can you shed some light on that for me.”

Lena nods, her shoulders back to make herself appear as open as possible. “Yeah, I’m not surprised Kara can’t tell you much, I’ve tried to keep her out of it, it’s something she doesn’t need to stress about on top of everything else. There won’t be any repercussions against Kara since there was CCTV footage of the altercation, proving that she acted solely in self-defence. There are no worries there. I have my lawyers dealing with the investigation into the group and they are handling everything to do with the…altercation between Kara and the woman that attacked her.”

“And she wasn’t approached by the authorities for a statement?”

“She was approached in the hospital but for the first couple of days she was really out of it and her memory was all over the place. They didn’t try again for a statement after the footage was turned over, her injuries and the tape were enough to prove that it was self-defence.”

Cat leans into the back of her couch with her shoulder since she’s sitting at an angle. “That’s good. Let me know if you need more legal resources, I can have my team get in touch with yours if necessary.”

Lena smiles warmly. “I appreciate that. I think they have it covered but I’ll keep the offer in mind in case that changes.”

“Please do.” Cat moves her attention back to Kara. “So, are you still having memory issues?”

“No,” Kara answers quickly but then sees the hard stare Lena is giving her. “Well, not really.”

Cat’s eyes narrow. “Well, which is it?”

Lena jumps back in. “She’s mostly better, a few hiccups but most of the memory loss is from a couple of days before the attack and then for a couple of days after so other than that, she’s been pretty good. Honestly, I kind of think some of the post-attack memory loss is due to the confusion and meds she was on.”

“Makes sense.” Cat murmurs. “Well, is there anything I can do for you, Kara?”

In response, Kara shakes her head. “I really don’t think so. Just let me work to get my head away from what happened, even just the hour a day you’ve allowed me is going to help me out a lot.”

Reminded of why she’s here, Cat gestures to the laptop bag she put on the chair. “I brought you the laptop and some notes to give you a hand on getting the hang of editing a little more since you’ve only done it passively up until now. Don’t push yourself too hard and if it’s too much, just call me and I can either dial it down or we can postpone working for a while. Your job is safe, Kara, there’s no need to rush anything. That being said, I don’t want to be receiving subpar work, if you aren’t going to be able to do it well, don’t do it at all.”

“I hear you. Thank you, Ms Grant. I will keep that in mind and I’ll keep you in the loop. I promise.” Kara’s hands press together in thanks, looking like she’s about to start praying but she’s just so glad she can get some kind of normalcy back that she doesn’t care how pathetic it makes her look.

There’s a softness to Cat’s eyes that Kara doesn’t see very often and usually, she would dismiss it as Cat just being in a good mood but she can see now that it’s because she genuinely does care for her in the same way she cares for Cat. They have truly become friends over the years and that’s something Kara has questioned many a time because she couldn’t believe it but seeing the way Cat’s colder demeanour returns whenever her attention is drawn to Lena and then disappears when she’s talking to her is quite striking.

“One more thing before I go and let you rest, Kara.”

“Sure, anything.”

“I’m going to send some of the more useless people from around the building to do some work for once and handle your apartment for you. You’re in no state to do so yourself.”

Kara sighs and opens her mouth, her head already shaking to try and turn down Cat’s offer except it’s not really an offer.

“It’s happening. You focus on getting better. I told you, Kara, you have people around you who can support you, you just have to let them. I will get your things moved out of your apartment. Where should I have them sent? Here?”

Lena jumps in. “Here is fine. There’s no point in putting it in storage until you’ve got everything you need to last you a while. Just have them toss any broken furniture though, we can get you new stuff when you get yourself a place when you’re better.”

“Between the pair of you, I’m not going to have a choice in any of this, am I?”

Lena answers for both herself and Cat. “Nope, we’re here to make sure you don’t kill yourself just because you’re too independent to accept help.”

“Fine. I’ll let you help and I will be very grateful for it. I am very grateful for it.” Kara responds, not bothering to suppress her smile.

Cat looks between the pair and then leans in towards Kara, pulling her into another hug. Kara gasps, the movement taking her by surprise for a second but then she slumps into the embrace. She’s released quickly but the message is clear. Cat is here for her if she needs her.

As soon as she releases Kara from her grasp, she stands up and grabs her purse from the chair and slings it over her shoulder. Then she takes the laptop bag and puts it on the couch where she was just sitting. “Take a look, if it’s too much, don’t do it.”

“Ok. Thank you for coming and for everything else.”

“Of course. Take care of yourself and remember that promise you made about what you’d do when I left.”

Kara’s eyes go wide, looking between Cat and Lena, who is looking pretty darn confused. “I never promised anything.”

“Yes, you did, follow through, Danvers, follow through,” Cat says and then looks at Lena one last time. “You keep an eye on her. You hear me?”

“Loud and clear, Ms Grant and I will have my people in touch with your people over those articles.”

“You better. Have a good day, ladies, I will see myself out.” Cat says and makes her way to the door before Lena can argue about etiquette.

Lena and Kara exchange a look of amusement and Lena is the first to break into a laugh. “She’s really something.” She moves the laptop bag to the floor and sits down next to Kara who muses about how much the bag has been moved around in the last few seconds.

“I know. She’s got a soft, gooey centre though, as you just saw. It doesn’t come out very often though.”

Lena smiles. “I saw. Now, I think you’re meant to kiss me.”

Kara’s eyes bulge and her jaw drops. “What? You heard?”

Lena shrugs. “I couldn’t help it, I had to listen so I could help you out if you got stuck on any questions, I was quite shocked to hear her call you out for liking me although I will say that I am very happy to hear it because she was right about me liking you back.” She’s taking her chance now while she has it, she’d be a fool to pass it up and well, Sam was right when she told her she was a fool. She might have to watch everyone she cares about die but losing the people she loves isn’t as bad as never loving anyone at all.

For the most part, Kara is just speechless. She agreed to speak to Lena to get Cat off her back, she was never going to actually follow through with it. With everything on their plates at the minute, it feels a lot like bad timing. Now though, now it’s being offered up to her on a platter, how could she say no?

“I just messed up, didn’t I?” Lena asks, shrinking back into herself at the lack of reaction from Kara.

Kara’s hand shoots out to rest on Lena’s cold wrist. “No.” It comes out high-pitched and weird so she clears her throat and tries again. “No. I’m just…shocked, I guess. I wasn’t expecting you to say that.”

“Oh, ok,” Lena says, her gaze flitting between Kara’s face and Kara’s hand, which is where Kara’s focus is drawn to as she thinks.

“Can I kiss you?” Kara asks, finally looking up into the green eyes that have held control of every breath she’s taken and every beat of her heart since she’s seen them, even before she knew what that meant.

Lena responds by pressing her free hand against Kara’s cheek and drawing her closer, her lips latching onto Kara’s as soon as she’s within reach. Kara leans into it and her hands move up to clutch the back of Lena’s neck, holding her close and not letting her go.

Their hands press onto each other insistently, both trying to get the other as close as possible but alas, the kiss has to break at some point, that point being when Kara runs out of breath. At first, when she tries to pull back, Lena doesn’t let her but when she pushes back on her shoulders, she’s released.

“You might not have to breathe but I do.” She grins, breathing deeply for a few moments before diving back in.

Lena shows her annoyance at having to stop by bringing her teeth out and dragging them along her lip softly, biting down with just enough force that it makes her lip tender but not enough to break the skin. It draws a groan from the back of Kara’s throat and she presses even closer, nipping back at Lena when she gets the chance, sans the sharp teeth.

They do eventually part, both of them looking a mess from the way they resorted to running their fingers through each other’s hair. “That was…wow. I wasn’t expecting that.” Kara pants.

“Me neither. I have no complaints.” Lena answers, a smile crossing her lips.

“I wouldn’t mind a repeat performance.” Kara throws out there.

Lena’s grin widens. “I wouldn’t either but it’s high time you got out in the sun for a while so go and get your ass out there. Take the laptop with you and do some work if you must but neither of us would have a good time if you faint in the middle of…it just wouldn’t be a good time.”

Kara tips her head to the side briefly in acceptance. “I’ll give you that. Let me just grab a drink first then I’ll go outside but first, one more for the road.”

Lena isn’t about to deprive Kara of what she so clearly needs, “besides, I did promise the mighty Cat Grant that I would keep an eye on you. I think keeping my lips on you will be a good substitute.”

“Oh god, you’re so corny.” Kara gasps but goes for another kiss.

Her quip is ignored and Lean focuses on making the most out of this kiss before she has to usher Kara away to go and sit outside for a while, somewhere Lena won’t be able to get to her, something that feels a whole lot like torture right about now.

Another minute goes by with Kara having no self-control and Lena barely clinging to the one rational brain cell she has left that is telling her she needs to part from Kara’s delicious lips so her health doesn’t suffer.

Lena pulls away from Kara, a hand at the base of her neck keeping her from following. As she does part form her though, she tugs on her bottom lip with her teeth, taking it with her for a moment before she lets it pop back into place.

“Ok, go, before you never make it outside.”

“I’m not complaining.”

Lena stands up, her head shaking at Kara, a mirth settling in her eyes. “Normally, I wouldn’t either but you have to get your vitamin D.”

“Oh yeah, I gotta get that D,” Kara snickers to herself.

“Oh, dear lord.” Lena facepalms. “You stay here and control yourself; I’ll go grab you a drink while you do that.”

Kara mock salutes her, a cheeky grin on her face, her mood lifted in light of the recent developments. She was not expecting that to happen just now but she’s certainly not complaining about it. It’s probably going to bring up a couple of problems here and there for them at certain points and there’s a lot they will need to discuss but she’d like to give it a go between them.

One of the things that she’s not looking forward to is the potential awkwardness surrounding them being roommates whilst potentially dating, which could get messy fast it if doesn’t work out. That’s saying that Lena actually wants to be in a relationship. Sure, she said that she has feelings for her but that could just mean that she wants to have a sexual relationship and Kara wants more than that.

“Here you go.” Lena wanders in and hands her the glass she just filled with water for her.

Kara takes it distractedly. “Thank you.”

Lena frowns. “Ok, what’s going on?”

“What did you mean when you said you liked me?” Kara looks up at her, her eyes imploring her to tell the truth.

Lena sits back down beside her and laces their fingers together. “I don’t know how I can be much more obvious than that. I like you; I want to take you out on a date sometime, preferably after dark.”

“Oh…good.”

“Why? What were you expecting?”

Kara presses her lips together tightly, rolling them once before pushing her embarrassment aside. “I thought you were about to ask to be friends with benefits or something and that wouldn’t work for me, I want to be more than that.”

“Me too,” Lena replies, a little horrified that Kara thought that. “I wouldn’t want to just be friends with benefits either. Want to talk about it in more detail later, maybe tonight after dark and you’re back inside?”

“I’d like that but I don’t like the subtle push to get me outside.”

Lena shrugs. “I think it was a good push.”

“Not very subtle though.”

Lena rolls her eyes and starts guiding Kara up by the hand she still has entwined with her own. “I wasn’t trying to be now go, take the laptop and your drink. I’ll be right in here, go try out the balcony.”

“Ok, ok. I’ll see you later.”

“Yes, you will.” Lena carries the drink and bag to the balcony door for her and only when Kara pauses to grab her phone does she have an amazing idea. “Want to talk on the phone through the glass like you’re a prisoner and I’m visiting you?”

“What makes you think I’m the prisoner and not you?”

“The key is on this side of the door.”

“Mean. Let’s do it though.”

Read the next chapter early on Patreon here!

[artist-kreating-stuff]

I’m an avid supporter of the ship Cole x Vania, and I’ve head cannoned for a while that they would have twins if they ever decided to get together.

But then Dragons Rising Part 2 came out, and I wondered… how would they try to prevent another Empress Beatrix?

This is what I came up with.

—————

“YOUR MAJESTY!”

Cole winced as the frantic voice echoed throughout the cavernous hall. He turned around to find the source and took in the sight of a palace attendant rushing towards him, a harried look on her naturally pale face. There were too many attendants in the palace for Cole to keep track of, but he easily recognized this one.

She was the attendant assigned to oversee his sons’ history lessons.

This could not be good.

“What’s wrong?” Cole quickly asked, fully turning to face the attendant as she literally slid to a stop in front of him. “Are my sons okay?”

The attendant took a while to answer, nearly crouched into an upright fetal position with her hands on her knees as she heaved. She had obviously ran very fast from a very far distance, if the sweat streaking her dark hair was any indication. Her condition only worsened Cole’s worry for his sons, but he respectfully waited for the attendant to compose herself before she answered.

Finally, the attendant straightened slightly from her pained position as her breathing started to slow. “I’m… sorry to… disturb you… your Majesty…” She was able to gasp out, still shaking on her feet. “I was just… giving the princes… a lesson in the garden… because it’s such a… a beautiful day… and I… I guess I said… something wrong…? And, well… one thing led to another… and now…” She started babbling, her eyes darting anxiously to his face, to the walls of the hallway. “I-I really am sorry… b-but Queen Vania is in a meeting with the Queen of the Munce and the Geckle Chancellor, a-and… none of the guards can seem to calm them down…”

A small tremor ran through the palace’s marble floors, so slight that one would have missed it if they weren’t focused on it. Cole quickly got the gist and nodded. “Which garden?” He inquired.

“West,” The attendant immediately replied, and that was all Cole needed as he took off in the direction she’d come from.

The palace was a maze of stairways and corridors, but living in it for over a decade had helped him develop a mental map of the place. Marble columns and colorful paintings flew past him until the white fell away into the sprawling green of the West Garden. The tremor he’d felt before slowly strengthened into a steady rumble the farther he went, with regular intervals in which the tremors grew in intensity before leveling out. Cole was starting to get an idea about the type of fight his boys were getting into, and the garden turned into nothing but a multicolored blur around him as his speed increased.

A decently sized rock flew past his head; it was only thanks to his ninja training that he was able to duck out of its way in time. It slowed him down for a split second before he was up to full speed once more. He was getting close.

Finally, the scene of the crime came into view. Lillian, his and Vania’s oldest son, was standing in a giant crater with other smaller craters surrounding him. His fists were clenched at his sides and he was seething as he stared up at his twin brother, Vincent. The younger prince had so far been able to evade his furious brother by using the surrounding foliage as shields. The result was that everything green within a few yards of the center crater was tragically smashed and pummeled. Vincent was currently perched on the last surviving tree within the danger zone. Both boys’ regal outfits, black with orange lining for Lillian and white with gold lining for Vincent, were dusted in a fair amount of dirt. The states of both the garden and the boys’ outfits suggested that they’d been at this for a while.

The gardener is probably going to quit over this, Cole griped, picturing the angry message that would most likely be waiting for him in the morning.

“Take it back!” Lillian was shouting at Vincent, his normally pale face nearly the color of a tomato. His hand instinctively reached for the earth beneath him, causing another chunk of the garden to crack apart and rise to his beckoning. “Take it back!”

“You can’t take back the truth!” Vincent wailed back. His tone was smug enough to hide his true feelings, but they showed through the sweat slicking his forehead and the way he tensed on his tree. A guttural growl came from Lillian and he raised the earthy mass above his shoulder, ready to throw it. Vincent crouched in response, prepared to make the jump to safety.

It was time to wrap this up. Cole took the tense moment as an opportunity to take a deep breath and bellow, “BOYS!!!”

The twin princes jerked in surprise at the sound of their father’s voice. Lillian lost his control over the earthy mass and it fell onto his shoulder, breaking apart and dusting his skin with a new layer of dirt. Vincent lost his balance and fell at least five feet, though his training had him rolling and on his feet in no time. They looked to their father with twin expressions of dread, made of wide eyes and trembling lips.

But Cole wouldn’t allow himself to fall for their sorry appearances. “Just what do you two think you’re doing?” He asked them heatedly, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’ve trashed the West Garden, traumatized your history teacher, and from what I’ve heard, probably put a good chunk of our guards out of commission.” He hadn’t seen any wounded guards when he’d run through the garden, but he could see enough chips of armor in Lillian’s crater to know that at least a few of them were in the infirmary at this point.

The boys blinked at their father for a second before turning and gazing at their surroundings. They took in the battered ground, the destroyed greenery, the shards of golden armor, and the state of their attire. It occurred to Cole that they had most likely been so caught up in their explosive argument that they hadn’t even realized the kind of damage it was causing. The realization made him even more curious as to what the fight had been about.

His sons glanced sheepishly at each other before turning back to him, their hands folded apologetically in front of them. “We’re truly sorry, Father,” Vincent spoke up, his eyes closing as he bowed his head respectfully towards his father, the King.

“Yeah,” Lillian added somewhat mediocrely. His eyes stayed open as he stared at Cole imploringly. “Are you mad?”

Cole was about to say yes, but the picture of his sons looking at him with such fear stopped him. He sighed and said instead, “I can decide whether or not to be mad once I’ve heard what the fight was about.”

Vincent was all too happy to provide him with an answer. “Well, our history teacher was just giving us a lesson in the garden when she referred to me as ‘Crown Prince’…” He turned condescending eyes towards his brother. “Which Lillian apparently didn’t like.”

The older twin scowled back. “What I didn’t like was the fact that you didn’t correct her,” He explained, putting an angry emphasis on each word. “We’re twins - we’re both Crown Princes! But no - you just smiled your little princely smile and said ‘thank you’.”

“We may be twins and Crown Princes,” Vincent admitted, though his tone remained haughty. “But which of us is inheriting the throne?”

“I told you before and I’m telling you now,” Lillian growled, taking a threatening step towards his brother. “The only reason you’re inheriting the throne is because you’re a kiss-up!”

“And as I told you then and am now repeating,” Vincent sneered, sliding into the crater so that he could match his brother step for step. “The reason Mother and Father passed over you for the throne is because you’re ugly!”

Lillian froze before showing his father a tense smile. “Which is when I started to pummel him like this!” He reached towards the ground once more and started to separate a large chunk from the surrounding earth.

“Boys!” Cole yelled before the mass could be dislodged . He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, already tired of the whole thing. “We’ve discussed this before - Vincent got the throne because Lillian got the Elemental Power of Earth. Your mother and I just split up your responsibilities!”

Lillian released his hold on the mass, but his expression had turned into one of forlorn. “But why, Father?” He asked, sounding on the verge of desperation. “Why wasn’t I given the throne? I’m the older twin - it’s within my right!”

Cole sighed again. “Lillian, I just told you…” He started, but his son angrily cut him off.

“And I don’t want to hear that trash about splitting up our responsibilities because we’re twins - I may be ten, but I know that’s not the real reason!” He stared up at his father, who was still standing at the lip of the crater. “Please, Father… why was I passed over for king? Is it because…” His voice trailed off as his gaze slid down Cole’s body until it wasn’t on his father at all. “Is it because you and Mother didn’t believe in me?”

A quiet gasp escaped Cole’s mouth. “What…? No… no, that’s not it at all!” He quickly denied, shocked that Lillian would even consider such a notion. His hand instinctively stretched towards his son in an attempt to comfort him. Within the crater, Vincent’s hand did the same as his expression turned from one of smug content to one of guilt-stricken fear.

A bit of heat creeped back into Lillian’s voice as he quietly demanded, “Why?”

Cole hesitated. He wanted to tell them - the words were on the tip of his tongue. But are my sons ready to hear the truth?

He took a long look at his sons - his brave, beautiful twin boys. Both had inherited their mother’s platinum blonde hair and their father’s warm brown eyes, and Cole could already see the shaping of his chin and cheekbones peeking through their baby fat. Though when it came to personality, they acted more like their uncles than anyone else. Lillian was hotheaded and prone to outbursts like his Uncle Kai, while Vincent was more logical and forward-thinking like his Uncle Zane. Neither of them had completely grown into their royal attire, as their sleeves still dropped a few inches past their wrists. Cole had held both of them in his arms, comforted them, attempted to shield them all the horrors of the world. He’d tried to be a good father.

But he was well aware that he couldn’t protect them forever.

It was with this realization that Cole heaved another sigh and sat down on the crumbling lip of the crater - royal attire be damned. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and fixing his sons with a tired smile. “Story time,” He announced softly.

His boys immediately sat down in the center of the crater, knee to knee. Cole smiled at this - regardless of whether they were fighting or not, that all went out the window when their father was about to tell a story. He prided himself on his storytelling abilities and the peace it brung.

Cole looked out over his audience before he took a deep breath. Like most of his stories, he started with a question, “Do you know of the city of Imperium?”

“Of course,” Vincent readily replied. “They’re our closest trade partners, supplying most of our computers’ motherboards and hard drives.”

“What he said, I guess,” Lillian agreed with a shrug.

Cole nodded before continuing with another question. “Did you know that it wasn’t always a democratic republic? Up until a little over a decade ago, it was a monarchy, like Shintaro.”

Both of his sons looked surprised at this information. “Really?” Lillian asked. “What caused them to change?”

Cole hesitated once more before he dove into the main story. “The last Imperium Emperor was a good man. I didn’t know him personally, but I’ve heard that he was content with the state of his kingdom and preferred diplomacy before violence. His allies stood with him by choice as opposed to force, and things were at peace. But the Emperor was also an Elemental Master, and-”

“Like you!” Vincent exclaimed, sounding eager to contribute.

“Yes yes, like your old man,” Cole relented with a slight chuckle. “And also like your old man, he had twin children of his own, two daughters. The oldest daughter inherited her father’s powers, and as was the tradition of the royal family, she also inherited the throne.

“Though it probably wasn’t the Emperor’s intention, he started to show bias towards his daughters. He spent most of his time with his oldest daughter, showing her how to use her powers and how to run the kingdom. So not only had she gained her father’s power and his kingdom - she’d also gained his favor.”

“But what about his other daughter?” Vincent asked. “She must have been so lonely!”

Cole scoffed. “I don’t know if ‘lonely’ is how I’d put it,” He admitted. “The younger daughter had been devoid of any form of power her entire life. She was desperate for control in her father’s kingdom. So when she finally got the chance to get some… she took it.”

As was his custom, he took a pause for dramatic effect. He paused for so long that Lillian impatiently blurted out, “So? What happened?”

“Well, they say that her father died in a hovercraft accident,” Cole explained. “And her sister was imprisoned on charges of treason. With no one left to stand in her way, the younger daughter ascended to the throne.”

Lillian and Vincent were both quiet after hearing such news. In an almost scared voice, Lillian asked, “They weren’t accidents… were they?” As his father sadly shook his head, he seemed to withdraw into himself in order to ponder this revelation.

“The younger daughter finally had the control she’d been denied by birthright,” Cole went on, his tone taking a more serious edge. “But after having a taste of power, she couldn’t get enough of it. She demolished her father’s regime and put her own in its place. Allies and loyalties were gained by threats and violence. Dominance was asserted in the form of military and technological might. Anyone who dared to speak against her faced imprisonment… or worse. Dragon, human, animal… no one was safe from her wrath.

“She ruled Imperium with an iron fist, but it still wasn’t enough for her,” Cole continued, his mouth tasting bitter. “She wanted more. She wanted to do something her father couldn’t - place all of the Realms under Imperium control. And she was willing to do whatever it took to do so.” He took a deep breath through his nose. “Even destroy the world as we knew it.”

His sons looked confused, so he asked another question. “Has your history teacher ever taught you two about the Merge Storm?”

“Of course,” Lillian spoke up before his brother had a chance. “That was the day when the sky tore open in order to allow all of the Realms to come together as o-” He abruptly stopped talking as a new expression of horror dawned on his face. “Wait, you’re saying that happened just because some lady was having a temper tantrum?”

Cole nodded solemnly. He hadn’t been in that particular fight, but he’d felt its effects. The memory came unbidden to the front of his mind, the one of the sky becoming speckled with Merge rifts that sucked everything around them into their depths, then splitting open entirely into the universe beyond. He’d heard later that it was only thanks to his friends that the event had been averted, and he’d been so unbelievably proud in that moment that he’d actually cried. He’d rather die than admit it to them, though.

“She’d created a weapon that could tear open the fabric of the universe itself,” He explained softly, swallowing. “She wanted power so badly that she’d went mad with her hunger for it. I don’t know if her original plans as empress were good or bad, but whatever pure intentions she had were squashed the second she gave into her hunger.

“Fast forward a few years to when your mother and I realized that we would be parents,” Cole went on, a small smile lighting his features when he remembered that much more joyous day. “We were overjoyed when we found out, and even more so when we discovered that we were having twins.” His mouth twisted as the feelings came back to him, and he had to avert his eyes from his sons. “But we were also scared. We knew that whoever was born first would inherit my Element of Earth, and royal law decreed that the firstborn child would also inherit the throne. It was the same thing as what happened in Imperium. We were terrified that history would eventually repeat itself.”

Cole couldn’t speak for Vania, but his feelings that day had been especially worrisome. He’d been terrified at the thought that he may show bias towards his own children, just like the Imperium Emperor did. No child deserved such treatment - especially if it led to that child becoming another Empress Beatrix. He’d resolved to himself that day that he wouldn’t do so, and that he’d love his children equally.

“Father?” Vincent asked gently from outside his field of vision.

He took another deep breath to compose himself before going on. “So your mother had an idea. She wrote and passed a law that decreed that if any Elemental Master married into the royal family, and if they had twins, one twin would inherit the Elemental Power while the other would inherit the throne.” He held out his hands for emphasis. “That way, both twins would have their own semblance of control. And… they wouldn’t feel left out in any way.”

His sons lapsed into another period of silence. It went on for so long that Cole finally mustered up the courage to look at them again. Vincent’s hands had come up to grasp his older brother’s bicep, though he didn’t seem to mind one bit. Their big brown eyes, so much like his own, were filled with tears as they stared up at their father. He got the impression that his eyes weren’t doing much better.

“So… the reason why I was passed over for king…” Lillian said slowly. “Was because… you were trying to protect us?”

Cole nodded, forcing himself to smile against the wave of emotions. “The Imperium Empress let her hunger for power nearly destroy herself and Ninjago,” He told them. “Your mother and I love you boys so much. We couldn’t bear to see the same thing happen to either of you.

“You are both important,” He said firmly, stretching out his hands to his sons. Getting the message, they stood up and climbed the side of the crater so that they could grab his hands. “You are both necessary for this kingdom,” He continued, staring into their eyes. “You are both necessary for Ninjago. You are both regal Crown Princes.” He gripped their smaller hands in his big ones. “And you are both our sons. And we love you both very very much.”

That was the dam breaker. Lillian and Vincent started crying and wouldn’t stop, jumping onto their father and burying their wet faces against his silk shirt. Their combined weight ended up pulling Cole over the lip of the crater, causing them all to tumble down into the center. They became even filthier in the process, but the sobs gradually turned into laughs as they realized their predicament.

“W-We’re sorry, Father!” Vincent eventually blurted out. “W-We didn’t mean to bring back bad memories for you! W-We promise to never bring up the subject again!”

“Yeah!” Lillian agreed; his face and that of his brother were still buried in their father’s shirt. “W-We didn’t know that you and Mother had done it to protect us!”

“It’s fine, boys,” Cole sniffed, his own tears coating his face as he rubbed his sons’ backs. “We were going to tell you eventually, anyway. No time like the present, I guess.”

The family lapsed into a brief period of peaceful quiet, father and sons locked into each other’s embraces. It was Lillian that broke the silence by saying, “So… does this mean we’re not in trouble?”

Cole feigned a dramatic gasp and abruptly pushed his giggling sons away. “Oh I knew it - I knew there was a catch!” He exclaimed in disappointment, even while his own bright smile lit up his features. “Buttering up your old man so that he won’t punish you for tearing up the West Garden? Is that the plan?” They continued giggling, so he decided to play his trump card. “Yeah yeah, laugh while you can - you’re still getting punished. You’re both going to help the gardener clean up this mess!”

The giggling stopped as the boys once again took in the sights of the ruined garden. “Oh come on!” Lillian groaned. “I thought we had a moment!”

“Besides, it… it’s not that ruined!” Vincent attempted to protest.

Cole smirked. “If it’s not that ruined, you shouldn’t have any problems putting it back together,” He replied smugly. At his sons’ persistent complaints, he added, “Oh, you think you’re in trouble now? Wait until your mother finds out about this!”

That surely shut them up. “Y-You’re not going to tell her about this, right?” Lillian asked, searching for any hint of mercy from his father.

“BOYS!!”

The princes winced as the king looked in the direction of the queen’s voice and smiled. “I think she already knows.”

[mermaidsirennikita]

Hi, love your blog! What would you say are your favorite meet cutes or hate at first sight in historical romance?

Thanks so much!!

I think one of the best meet cutes I've read in a historical ever is in Dreaming of You. Derek is very literally get his face slashed by a group of attackers paid by his ex lover (to ruin his looks of course) and Sara just walks up and shoots the guy attacking him in the throat and kills him. And as soon as she realizes who Derek is, as she's supporting him on the walk to the club, she's like "OH HELLO MR. CRAVEN MAY I SHADOW YOU FOR MY BOOK???" And he's like "... Jesus Christ".

Secrets of a Summer Night has a good one too, with Simon Hunt immediately getting under Annabelle's skin with that stolen kiss. Which Lisa has cut from recent editions, ugh. Lillian and Westcliff sorta have their meet cute in this one too. I believe they know each other beforehand, but him walking in on her playing rounders in her underwear and deciding to hate her Because Lust is so pivotal.

Something Spectacular by Alexis Hall has an amazing one for Peggy and Orfeo. Peggy is planning on trying to help her friend/ex get Orfeo's attention, and when she goes with said friend to an opera performance, Orfeo notices Peggy instead and zeroes in on her. And Peggy's friend had just said she'd heard Orfeo's singing voice made people come, and Peggy literally fainted when Orfeo sang because their voice was so beautiful. So when they're like "Hey I noticed you fainted" Peggy goes "I DIDN'T COME THO". It's definitely not a hate moment, but it's just such a good meet cute and I love this book so much.

Laura Kinsale writes really good meet cutes. in For My Lady's Heart, the hero and heroine meet when he's dropping his wife off at a convent (it's a lot) and the heroine, a married princess, sees him, accuses him of looking at her lustfully (he was) and then saves his ass and earns his blind devotion. Shadowheart features a heroine who gets ensnared by a seductive pirate guy and then he goes "LMAO FORCED MARRIAGE TIME". Flowers from the Storm has a Quaker heroine who meets a rake hero who does this whole seductive thing where he's like "let me describe your sexy face to your blind father". It's great.

Gotta love Lisa Valdez's Passion, where the hero and heroine meet and immediately have sex behind a screen at like, a world's fair.

Hotel of Secrets by Anna Biller has a great meet cute where the hero saves the heroine from getting hit by a carriage, and then they immediately annoy each other.

The Duke Gets Even is so so so good on this meet cute/hate thing. Nellie and Lockwood meet when he's swimming (for his health) in the ocean and she's swimming (naked) also in the ocean. He thinks she's a sexy mermaid, she flirts, they make out, she grabs his hair and realizes he's into giving and receiving pain, he tries to get her to have sex with him, she's like "meet me tomorrow night" and then the day after it's revealed that he's about to propose to hER BEST FRIEND. And then they loathe each other. The Bride Goes Rogue has this hate at first meeting thing too--the hero and heroine have been betrothed for years but never interact until she asks him when they're actually going to get married and he says NEVER ACTUALLY.

A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera has this. The heroine is a rum heiress who goes to sell her wares in Paris, and the hero is a Scottish whiskey guy. It's immediately like "competitive sparks" vibes, which turns into sexual tension, which turns into an orgasm on the Eiffel Tower.

The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian--the hero and heroine actually meet over letter when he's trying to blackmail her. And then he falls in love with her over the verbal sparring, while she thinks he ain't shit. SO GOOD.

After Dark with the Duke by Julie Anne Long has a great setup where the stiff, war hero guy meets the scandalous much younger opera singer girl and looks down on her, leading to mutual enmity (and tension).

The Viscount and the Vixen by Lorraine Heath, where the hero marries the scammer heroine right after meeting her to save his dad from being scammed (it's a thing) so now they're legally bound and he hates her.

Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt, where Isabel saves Winter while he's in a full vigilante outfit and is bleeding from a stab wound and he still manages to get visibly turned on by her wound care lmao.

[fazedlight]

For the fic ask game: F and(/or) B?

Ask game

B: Any of your stories inspired by personal experience?

Irish was definitely inspired by my childhood, being a mexican-american kid bullied out of speaking Spanish (which I talk a bit about here). That's probably the fic where my direct experience most closely led a story.

I definitely put a bit of my tech/MIT background into Lena. The locations described in It's a Metallo Life are a bit of an easter egg for MIT readers (at least one person laughed at my Stata joke!!). I have a character study for Lena going that also has a bit of MIT woven in.

I like to think that I'm able to explore some of Kara's cultural struggles and Zor-El's relative alienness in Darkness in All Things because of my background. The exploration of two different cultures is interesting to me because I've often been a bridger-of-gaps. (Tangentially, I have a huge interest in anthropology - I love trying to consider people's POVs in the sense of "what is alien to you may not be alien to me", and I hope that comes across in my stories.)

The firefighters in Inauthentic are named after fallen firefighters in my family.

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

There were multiple interactions between Kara and Cat in Inauthentic that I'm proud of - I think/hope I did Cat's character justice. An example:

“I need you to convince Kiera to work for me.” Kara tilted her head. This is why she called me? “Ah, she uh, she did tell me about-” Kara cleared her throat nervously. “I’m not sure I’m the best person to, uh, convince her...” “Oh please, Supergirl. You threw me off a building once. I think it’s fair to say I’m owed a favor?” Kara’s stomach dropped. I guess that happened on this Earth, too, she thought as guilt started to eat at her. Rao, I wish I could explain. “I- I’m really sorry about that-” Cat waved dismissively. “I can certainly forgive you being a tenth as bitchy as I am-” “A tenth-”

Overall, I just love playing with different characters (like Lillian in Darkness in All Things or Zor-El in Even Though You're Kryptonian). The CW, despite itself, created some really fun characters to play with.

[wordswithkittywitch]

I'm trying something new tonight and I'll tell you how it works. I keep writing scenes with entirely too many people in them, and while I can say stuff like "Estella seemed lost in her own thoughts and said nothing" and "Pollyanna and Charlotte made polite conversation with Mr. Blake about his profession" to keep the word count down, I really think having a cheat sheet for what thirteen characters are discussing over dinner is going to keep a great deal.

The full thought processes of a large dinner party under a cut, for example.

THOUGHTS OF THOSE PRESENT: (UNLIKELY TO BE DIRECTLY STATED)

POLLYANNA- Be nice to the ghosthunters without insulting hosts, we are depending on the kindness of many people right now I can’t relax until we’re safe in the next hotel. CHARLOTTE- I wanna know about this ghost hunting shit MISS SOMMERSET- let’s just get out of here NOW SILAS- please don’t talk about the demon MR. BLAKE- My job is the coolest! AUGUSTINE- At least no one will get attached to these idiots and we can just kill them without drama PETRONELA- oh that’s why Mr. Makepiece said ‘dinner for 13’ CAMELIA- I’ve got to kill Godfrey MR. MAKEPIECE- I’ve got to kill—oh, wait. Camelia’s handling it. GODFREY- this is the best meal I’ve had in weeks, and I’m getting two paydays for the same amount of work. Life is good.* SEBASTIAN- How come you guys can bring bloody carriage drivers in and I can’t take Adriana to supper? It isn’t fair. ESTELLA- Oh I don’t like this talk of demons, I have a bad feeling about this whole night, I think the hosts are looking at me funny, why is that guy taking so long in the bathroom? VICTORIA- well of course I’m going to flirt with these two strange men. LILLIAN- Huh. Ghosthunters hunting ghosts in this myserious spooky old castle. Where’s Pollyanna, I need my sidekick to go hunt ghosts.

*how do you bring “life is good” down to “actually being a vampire or a thrall sounds amazing”. Threats of death?

[moistvonlipwig]

fic ask please!

bullet in the proof - 8, 20, 26

laid in thine enemy's grave? - in truth, i dig it - 7, 20, 26? :D

bullet in the proof

8. What inspired the title for this fic? Is that usually how you choose titles?

it's from the dessa song "i already like you"! which i wouldn't say i associate Strongly with guardiancorp but it doesn't Not fit. (although genius.com is now claiming the line is "i'm your bullet AND the proof", which....may indeed be the real line but it makes less sense as a line because presumably the line is riffing off of "pudding in the proof". but ok.) i really had no idea what to call this fic but i like this line and it works with james taking a bullet for her. honestly how i choose titles in general varies a lot. currently i don't have any other published fics with song lyric titles though.

20. What is something you wish more people noticed about this fic?

well to be fair i haven't gotten very many comments on this fic lol so i'm not sure what people have noticed. but one detail i sprinkled in there is that james does aikido; IIRC it's never revealed what martial art he has a black belt in but i decided to give him aikido because (a) i do aikido lol and (b) it's a purely defensive martial art and i like the idea of a guy whose superhero weapon is a shield doing a defensive martial art. oh and also i included a bit about eve where i kind of 'foreshadowed' that she is being blackmailed by leviathan to spy on lena for lex but she doesn't want to because she does genuinely like lena. i like writing limited 3rd person POV fics where i have other characters say/do things that the POV character doesn't at all understand the implications of but the audience does.

26. Wild Card! I’ll tell you a fun fact about this fic!

hm not sure if this counts as a fun fact/trivia but the reveal in s4 that lex tortured james and gave him 16 scars was really one of the first things that made me super interested in guardiancorp (reminder that i watched this show spoiled & out of order lol) because i was like. ok how does he get to the point where he can see past his own hurt to who lena actually is? and part of that was thinking about how growing up with lex left its own psychological scars on lena and how i think james probably came to see that and understand that it wasn't him vs. the luthor siblings, it was him and lena vs. lex. so this fic was in large part an attempt to flesh out the crumbs of guardiancorp we got in 3a to include james's evolving thoughts on that aspect.

laid in thine enemy's grave? - in truth, i dig it

7. What inspired the idea for the plot?

well as i said in my author's note i owe a big debt of inspiration to the OUAT fic "The Long Con" by lostlilsnail. i actually kind of worried while writing it that it was Too similar? then i was like, no, the characters are tackling a similar plot from a different angle because they're different people with different motivations from a different source material. honestly i'd love a third party reality check though!

20. What is something you wish more people noticed about this fic?

now this fic does have a lot of comments so i guess i will just quote some lines that i haven't seen anyone mention that i was particularly proud of:

Lena knows all about the greater good. It’s the thing you kill brothers for.

&

Kara took Kara from Lena, and that is unforgivable.

& a moment i thought was funny:

Even Lillian comes. She sits next to James and occasionally leans over to whisper in his ear, and from the deer-in-the-headlights look that keeps crossing his face, Lena infers that her mother is probably trying to flirt with him.

26. Wild Card! I’ll tell you a fun fact about this fic!

i almost included a line about how kara & lena considered inviting oliver & felicity to the wedding but decided not to because barry & iris warned them that they were bad wedding guests LOL. but i decided against it in the spirit of not making the fic hostile to olicity fans.

[hphmmatthewluther]

Weekend With the Grays - Day 4: Croquet

It's time for the games to begin! A bit of a short one today, but it's nonetheless always a pleasure to write for this challenge! Thanks once again to @endlessly-cursed for organising this event and for Prim, @gaygryffindorgal for Malcolm, and @camillejeaneshphm for Helen, Noah, and Lillian!

Prim was in the middle of explaining the rules to the game when she shot a look at a certain group of those in attendance. Atticus, Fred, and Helen looked down at the ground on instinct. "I have a feeling what this might be about..." Fred whispered, guiltily.

"...And I would like to add the additional rule that no magic of any kind should be used whilst playing. Especially not ancient magic. With all that said, let us begin!"

Atticus shifted around on the spot. "I imagined she'd say something like that. I mean, it's not like it'd be a balanced game, otherwise. Especially you, Fred."

Fred shrugged. "It's true. Out of the three of us, my magic is the most easily hidden. It'd be all too easy to get a perfect game with just a couple of time stops."

"Well, now you'll just have to play fair and square." Helen smirked, ruffling his crimson hair. "Come on, let's get over there."

The game began as the two sides took their places on the pitch, the hoops already set up and ready. Atticus, Fred, and Helen found themselves on Prim's team, with Malcolm captaining the other side. One by one, each guest took a turn taking a hit, some playing better than others. As they moved along, waiting for their turn, Atticus' mind was very clearly at work, trying to analyse the game and figure out a strategy.

"Let's see...if that ball stays where it is, someone could use that to get some extra shots...oh, this'd be so much easier with shadow magic, I'd feel much more in control of the ball..." he muttered to himself.

Fred found himself unable to stop smiling, even as Malcolm took his turn and proceeded to bring the scores level. Helen scowled, having just finished up her turn, passing the croquet stick to her husband. "Suddenly I'm not opposed to you cheating, Fred."

As Fred took his position, he looked back to Atticus for a moment. The dark shroud that had seemed to surround him so much these days was almost gone, to the point that for a moment Fred had forgotten all that happened. He had that same calculated expression, just as he always did when figuring something out with Lillian. Somehow, not using his shadow magic seemed to be helping him. And thus, as much as he wanted to slow time down, he instead whacked it as hard as he could, sending it through multiple hoops.

Prim's group cheered as Fred passed the stick to Atticus, the two smiling at each other. "Excellent shot, Fred!" Atticus exclaimed, placing his hand on his best friend's shoulder. "That was the optimum move, there."

"What, whacking it as hard as I could?"

"Of course!" Atticus nodded as the other team tried their best to make up the points. "You've always been incredibly strong. Remember that time you lifted Noah? His face when he got hauled up?"

"I didn't see it, obviously!" Fred said, laughing. "I only heard him yelling at me until I put him down. Alright, your turn."

Atticus nodded, taking the stick and focusing on the hoops. He took a breath, feeling surprisingly light, and took a swing, hoping, but not necessarily insisting, that his strategy was right.

[nightmyst14-blog]

Trying this out by writing about my Cookie Run Werewolf AU (I dont have a name yet, soon I hope). Just seeing it would be fair.

Everyone in the photo are listed in the pack, with White Lily being the lader.

Keep in mind, Human names are used in this Au. Ypu got a question, feel free to ask!

Here we go!

“C’mon Gabe, keep up!!”  Arthur said, with a grin, running through a forest, a white haired boy following him. He was covered head to toe in mud.

Wait up, Dad! “ The kid said, laughing.

Nah buddy, if you want to be the fastest, keep running!” He said.

They soon ran up to a 2 story cabin that sat in a small clearing in the woods, where a light blonde in twin braids stood there. The two ran up to the porch where the kid placed a hand on the stair railing.

“I win!!” Gabriel said triumphantly, falling on his butt to catch their breath.

“Phew! Good job, Gabriel! Got doing a workout…” The man said, handing on his knee as he can feel his heart practically beat out of his chest.

“You’re late, Arthur. .” The blonde woman said, looking at the dirty blonde with her usual annoyed stare. “Its past evening. You know better than to your pup running around this late.

“Sorry, April. Me and Gabe got distracted while visiting the border. We this awesome mud pool and couldnt help but try it out.”

“Mud bath!!” Gabe said, throwing his arms up, mud splatting onto the porch. The woman named April shook her head.

 She sighed. “ Go inside and clean up. That means you too, Arthur.”

“Hehehe, Okay. C’mon little buddy!” Arthur said, leading his son inside. Beatrice was sitting in the living room on the couch, reading a book. She hid a smile under her book as she saw the two walk in. “You all visited the mud holes on the way back, didnt you?’ She asked.

“I'm getting faster this time, Mama!!” Gabriel said excitedly, seeing Arthur walk up to the couch.

“Yup, Gabe beat me here. 2nd time this week!!” Arthur said, trying to lean in for a kiss on the cheek, but Beatrice held her book up to his face.

“Oh no, you’re not kissing me while dirty with Vidalia on my lap.” The noir haired woman said, pointing to the baby on her chest. They were holding a stuffed rabbit as big as them. “I heard April. Upstairs, both of you.”

“Awww, Bea…” Arthur said as he led his son upstairs.

Two more people soon come inside. A tall grey-haired man with a smaller woman who was carrying a crossbow on her back.

Have you seen Leader Pandora?” Ashton asked, bringing a deer he and Bethany caught that afternoon. 

“She’s visiting the Valley today, trading some of the vegetables for some of the pack’s honey.” Beatrice spoke up. 

“Clemont and Lillian went with her.” April said, shutting the door behind her. Mei-Mei and Kina had just come back, carrying bags of stuff. 

“Got it.” Ashton said. He slung the deer over his shoulder, heading downstairs to the basement to break it up.

“We’re back~” Kina announced through the house.

“What in the world have you got in there?” Bethany asked, raising an eyebrow. “Don't tell me you haven't another clothes donation box.”

“Oh don't be silly, Bethl! This time we went through one at a thrift store!!” Kina said, soon dumping the bag on the table. It was full of baby clothes. “Pick whatever you like, Beatrice!”

Mei-Mei giggled, clinging to her mother. She was excited to help.

Beatrice looks through the clothes, holding them up to her pup to see if it would fit or not. She soon came across a purple nightgown, with a matching headband. 

“This one.” She said, setting it aside. 

“Awesome! I’ve found some great stuff. I even found a dress for April.” Kina said, holding up a light blue one.

“ I have no need for it.” Aprill said flatly, She rarely left the forest anyways, except for important things.

Oh Cmon!!” KIna replied. “It will be fun! Besides, you gotta at least have something nice in youe wardrobe. You dont wanna be-”

Soon there was howling in the distance, making everyone look up.

“Leader is back!!” Mei-Mei said, running outside.

April immediately goes out to the porch, seeing her sister and relatives walk up to the house.

April walked over to the trio, greeting them by resting their forehead and nose together, a custom in their pack.

“How did everything go?” She asked.

Pandora smiled, holding up a basket. “Yes. we got three jars of honey.”She said. “Is the rest of the pack awake?”

“Yes, they are.” April replied.

“Tell everyone to come outside. Pack Meeting now.” 

April nodded, showing heading back inside.

After 10 minutes, the entire pack was out of the porch, mostly the adults. The pups, except for the newborn Vidalia, were told to stay inside. Pandora stood in front of them, smiling a little.

“Good evening everyone.” She said. “As you know, this month’s Full Moon meeting will be starting in less than a week. We will be having our summer games there too.”

The group cheered, Bethany and Arthur high-fiving each other. They were in last year’s foot race against Winter Mountain's pack members. Hopefully they win this time.

“This time Arielle is going down,”Bethany said with a grin. I’ve been training all year!”

“Heck yeah! But I heard they got a new member last month.” Arthur added on.”  I fear for Ashton during the tug of war competition.”

Ashton shrugged. “I just like to participate.”

Pandora laughed. “ Also, my daughter Liliian is turning 17 soon. Her first hunt is soon, but it will also be held at Unity Lake, where the Full Moon meeting is being held.”

“Nervous, Lil?” Clemont asked his sister, nudging her.

“Kinda, but you and April did it so it shouldn’t be too hard.” LIllian said.

“Nah kid, you got this. You get to hunt your first deer. Always a rush.” Arthur spoke up.

“Will it be a competition?” Beatrice asked Pandora. 

“No. It will be our own thing while we’re there.” She answered. "One more thing. We seem to have run out of salmon and bass in the meat box. Would someone like to run to Half-Cresent River and trade with them? Raise your hand, I need two people..”

“I can go.” Kina said, raising her hand.

“I will as well.” Beatrice said, raising hers.

“Nah, Bea, Vidalia isn't even teething yet. I can go.” Arthur spoke up.

“I’ve been in the house for 3 months since our pup has been birthed. You watch her this time.”

“But-”

Arthur……” Beatrice growled, glaring at him.

“Alrighty then.” Arthur said, feeling her mate’s glare burn his skin. He didn’t want to argue.

“Alright so, Beatrice and Kina will head to Half Crescent River.” Pandora said. “Well. that’s all that needs to be discussed for now. Talk to me if you have any questions. I guess I can call this meeting done for now. You are all dismissed.”

Hope you guys liked it.

Dont worry, random shenangians are still happening, not changing that. Just wanted to try something that wasnt me just placing comics here (still like doing that, its fun.)

[innocentsshounenjuujigun]

How would the kids react to their new caregiver telling them that they're truly proud of them?

This is under the assumption that they're quite closer to said caregiver, at this point~ :3

. . .

Etienne — You earn an adorable blush and Etienne trying to both thank you and insist that he hasn't done anything special. He's a bit uncomfortable with attention like that... but it's still really nice to hear that you're happy with him. Even if it's kind of embarrassing.

Nicolas — He's half-paralyzed for a few seconds, looking like he's struggling to process what you just said. It's hard for Nicolas to tell if he's elated or about to cry... and in the end, the tears win. No one's been proud of him before, and hearing it somehow hurts.

Henri — Yeah, he's going to cry. As soon as the words register, Henri slowly goes from mildly stunned to sniffling back tears, and finally, hugging you as tightly as he can and hiding his face against your chest. He's always wanted someone to be proud of him.

Luc — He takes it pretty well. Somewhere between happy and a little bit flustered, Luc thanks you while not quite able to meet your eyes. Praise like this wasn't too freely given where he used to be, so it's kind of strange (in a good way) to hear it so easily now.

Marc — He's definitely flustered by that kind of praise... and the only way he can think to divert it is by trying to turn the situation into a joke. It's not fair for you to say something like that so easily, and his slight panic easily gives away just how much it affected him.

Christian — Even though she'll brush off the words with something like of course, inside, her heart is suddenly beating way too hard. It's not like she hasn't been praised before, but this, somehow, feels very different. It feels like she doesn't deserve your pride.

Remy — Another one who cries; or at least comes close to it. Remy doesn't quite panic about it, but he's definitely affected by such obvious affection. The best he can manage is to offer you a shaky thank you, and hope that it's enough to return the kindness.

Laurent — He can at least sort of handle the praise... even if it does leave him stuttering and unable to stop smiling. No one's said anything like that to him before, so in a way, it kind of hurts. And of course, it once again reaffirms that you're so very kind to him.

Lillian — That definitely brings on a moment of flustered panic. Just like his brother, Lillian isn't used to being praised. He's desperately wanted to hear those words for most of his life, though, and that means he's left struggling to hold back overwhelmed tears.

Guillaume — He's no stranger to hearing all kinds of praise, but the sheer affection in how you say that still catches him completely off guard. Guillaume will try to brush off your words as no big deal, even though he's unable to fully hide the excited smile on his face.

Pierre — His reaction is mostly just freezing up a little, stunned, until the words fully register. After that, he's going to hug you and cling a little too tightly, all while uselessly trying to hide how happy even that scrap of praise made him. Coming from you, it's special.

Guy — He goes terribly red, unable to form words for a few seconds before he eventually tells you not to waste those words on him. Guy doesn't think he deserves anyone's pride in the slightest, and having it directed at him just makes him want to avoid it and hide.

Michael — For a second, you catch what might be the most genuine happiness on his face you've ever seen. Michael recovers quickly, though, and immediately tries to brush off the praise as only natural. On the inside, he'll be replaying those words for ages.

Isabelle — Though she can't say anything in return, Isabelle's smile makes it very clear that she appreciates what you said. She's not very accustomed to having people say such kind things to her— and that means the praise hits even harder. She's truly happy to hear it.