#decided to break this into tiny chapters like i originally thought

[chaeyablood]

I Know the World's a Broken Bone Part 1

vampire au chaeya

chapter masterlist

words: 837

It wasn't that Tartaglia was afraid of getting kidnapped or killed by the vampire. He simply did not want it to leave. He wanted to hear its lovely voice again, to be able to admire its pretty face. There was much he didn't know about. Much he didn't have time to ponder as his head felt felt like it was being filled with cotton. It became too hard to think.

The darkness of the night was comforting to Tartaglia. Even as he walked through the woods, there was nothing to fear, at least not in his eyes. He was strong enough to protect himself and he liked living on the edge like that. It reminded him of his days spent in the abyss, where all of his time was spent fighting strange monsters just to survive. There were rumors of vampires living in these woods, but no one had actually seen one. Tartaglia was pretty sure it was something told to kids to scare them out of going into the woods by themselves.

Fortunately, he is not a child, and he doesn't have to listen to anyone who tries to tell him what he should or shouldn't do.

Not only that, but he could see well in the dark due to having to survive in the abyss for quite some time. Humans may fear the unknown, but Tartaglia has seen it all. There is nothing that scares him anymore.

Not even the rustles in the trees above him. He never saw the movement directly; it was a bit too fast for even Tartaglia to be able to tell what kind of animal was moving around up there. It sounded big though. The thought only excited him. If he got to see it, would it put up a fight? Try to chase him off? Try to kill him? He couldn't help but hum a bit to himself as he continued to walk through the bushes. Why take a trail when you can explore the less traveled parts of the forest? Eventually he sat down at the base of a tree, wondering if the creature would go on its way or stay with him.

The shifting of the leaves seemed to come to a stop. That was enough of an answer for him. He leaned the back of his head against the tree, leaving his neck wide open and closing his eyes. If the creature wasn't a figment of his imagination, he didn't know what else it could be if not the vampire. He wondered if it would take the bait.

He found out rather quickly when he was tackled by someone impossibly fast. Instinctively, he had started to struggle, but when his eyes snapped open, it seemed that he was being straddled by the most beautiful person he'd ever seen in his life. Maybe it was the moonlight or his adrenaline, but either way, the hunger in this man's beautiful eye and the tips of sharp fangs he could see inside slightly parted lips had Tartaglia unwilling to fight at all.

"Go on," the ginger tilted his head back to expose more of his neck. "Do it. I know you want to."

The vampire stared down at him for a moment before lowering his face to take what he was being so generously offered. Both of Childe's hands were firmly held in place by the vampire as his breath ghosted against the side of his neck, close to his ear.

"Don't worry..." The vampire's voice was only slightly more than a whisper. "It isn't going to hurt much." Childe had started to open his mouth in response before he felt the vampire's fangs sink into his sensitive skin. It stung pleasantly, but the sensation quickly faded. He opened his mouth to complain, but his thoughts were stolen from him as his head started to spin. He felt a bit woozy, soon fighting to stay conscious as the vampire's mouth stayed on his neck.

It wasn't that he was afraid of getting kidnapped or killed by the vampire. He simply did not want it to leave. He wanted to hear its lovely voice again, to be able to admire its pretty face. There was much he didn't know about. Much he didn't have time to ponder as his head felt felt like it was being filled with cotton. It became too hard to think.

By the time Tartaglia awoke, the vampire was long gone. The sun shone through the trees and the dappled light highlighted his freckles perfectly. His thoughts were still a bit muddy, but his first coherent one was mourning the loss of the beautiful man that had pinned him down the night before. He brought two fingers up to verify that the wound was real, and that the whole ordeal wasn't something he'd just imagined when he sat down to rest.

But there they were. Two slightly raised bumps far enough from each other to eliminate any other possibility. They were more sore today, to Tartaglia's delight. He gently pushed on them to feel how they stung, to prove that the situation was not just in his head. The information made him giddy. He'd have to come back in a few days' time to see if the vampire would come back again. Oh, who was he kidding, he'd be back again tonight. But for now, he'd hunt some animals to bring home and feed his family.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

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[violentdelightsandviolentends]

Honey Girl. Chapter Six.

Chapter One. Chapter Two. Chapter Three. Chapter Four. Chapter Five. Chapter Seven. Chapter Eight. Chapter Nine. Chapter Ten. Series Masterlist. The Playlist.

Chapter Synopsis - You finally start to appreciate the happiness that having a soulmate brings.

Pairing - Dad'sBestFriend!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader - soulmate au

Warnings - smut. cursing. alcohol consumption. so much fluff.

Age Rating - 18+

Word Count - 5k

Author's Note - the sixth installment!! thank you to everyone who voted in my poll - I listened, and decided to make this chapter as sweet as pie, because I think we all need it. it's nice to have a little break from the angst. just a liiiiittle break though. a tiny one. as always, thank you for all of your love and support and enthusiasm and patience and kindness towards this story. so much love for every one of you. <3

as always, reblogs, comments and feedback (even anonymous feedback) are immensely appreciated!! your reblogs are the only way to circulate my fics, which keeps me going <3

Masterlist. Inbox.

"Are you happy?"

You stretch your feet further into the sand and sit up, wiggling to get comfortable on the picnic blanket.

"That's a big question to start with."

Stella laughs and closes her notebook, deciding to take a different route than originally planned.

"I just mean... be honest with me. I'm not gonna be offended if you say no."

"Do you think I'm gonna say no?"

"Do you always have to answer my questions with questions?"

You tilt your head and watch her, smiling softly.

"I thought this was supposed to be an employee performance review."

"You're not my employee and you know it."

Both of you laugh, the sound whipped away by the sea breeze.

"Then what am I, Stella?" you chuckle.

"You're basically my partner. Come on, we've done all of this together. You helped me build this business from the ground up - I couldn't have done it without you."

You go to protest, so she continues.

"I think you should be. My partner, that is. Obviously there's logistics to work out, but it'd be fifty fifty. You and I, co-owners. It doesn't feel right to me that you're my 'employee'. I'm not your boss. We're equals."

Your mind is running a mile a minute, trying to process what Stella's asking of you. Being her business partner is an opportunity you know is rare and incredibly special - and it could potentially set you up for life - but you can't help but think about the fact it's a big commitment. About home. About Bucky.

"You don't have to answer me right now - I just want you to think about it. We always talked about opening up businesses of our own. I should have asked you to be my partner at the beginning, but honestly... I didn't know if you were gonna stick around. It kinda felt like you had one foot out the door when we started."

You take a deep breath, nodding.

"Yeah. I, uh - I think I did. Don't get me wrong, I was super excited, but the idea of moving away when I felt like I'd just got home was a lot to process. I'd just settled back there, and then I was gonna be packing up all of my stuff again and shipping myself across the country. "

"I didn't realise it was so tough for you, you know. I just assumed you wouldn't mind moving. I mean, you were always up for it, back at school."

"Things changed, after I graduated. I got home, and a couple of things happened and I guess it just... turned everything upside down. Home is different now. In a good way, I think."

"You're different now, too."

You look at her carefully, half attempting to read her mind.

"How do you mean?"

"You're... more grounded. More careful. You think through everything way more than you ever did. Almost like you've realised you're not invincible anymore."

There's a feeling, when you're young, that you're indestructible. Unharmable. Broken bones mend, cuts and bruises heal, hearts and minds forget about their aches if you give them long enough.

Then one day, that feeling is gone. And you realise that you're mortal - made of flesh and blood and bones that will one day be returned to the Earth, whether you like it or not.

Meeting your soulmate is like having that realisation again, but bigger. Again, and again, and again. You don't live for yourself, anymore. You live for them. The pain they'd feel if they lost you is unfathomable, completely unimaginable.

So you become more careful. Less reckless. You drive a little slower, take things a little easier, quit your dangerous hobbies and unhealthy habits. You need to be alive for as long as possible. And you know your soulmate will do the same.

That's how you can tell a Tethered person from an Untethered one. Ask two people to go skydiving with you, and the Tethered one will tell you no. They can't risk it. It's not worth it.

Stella's right. You have realised you're not invincible anymore. You're a little more cautious when you climb ladders, you don't balance precariously on the kitchen counters anymore. You look twice when you cross the street, and don't risk it if there's a car coming and you could maybe get across.

You're also painfully aware that Bucky's older than you. He'll be turning forty in less than two years. Sure, he's not ancient, but it does mean you'll have less time together than Lacie will with Cameron, for example. And that hard truth makes you live a little less recklessly, every single day.

"I guess I just... grew up."

You're honestly not sure why you don't just tell Stella about Bucky. You know she'd understand. But there's a part of you that feels protective over what you have - territorial, even. Your Tethering is sacred, almost, and you feel the primal urge to guard it with your life. To lock it in a box and keep it away from anything that could harm it. The less people that know, the less damage that can be done. Maybe.

"I did too. The world is kinda scary now we're not in that little culinary school bubble, huh?"

"Yeah," you laugh. "We thought that was hard. Little did we know."

"Take your time, thinking about my offer. But just know that I really, really appreciate the fact that you're here. That you believed in me enough to move across the country. It means a lot."

"Of course," you say, reaching across to grab her hand. "I always believed in you, Stella. I always knew you'd do something great."

"We'd."

"Hmm?"

"We'd do something great. The two of us. Together."

"I always knew that we'd do something great," you correct.

You're starting to believe that, as time goes on. You were born to do this. You deserve to live your dreams.

Let the happiness seep through, you'd told yourself.

It finally feels like it is.

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

"There's a guy here to see you."

Isabel pops her head around the door, grinning at you like she knows something you don't.

"Again?"

She nods, giggling.

"Let me guess... he's hot, tall, brown hair?"

"Bingo."

"Thanks, Isa. I'll be right out. Is it busy out there?"

"It's quieter than it was. There was a pastry rush this morning, but we're good now."

You laugh and hang up your apron, washing your hands quickly before making your way to the café.

You feel like you're having déjà vu, this situation oddly familiar.

Just like Isa said, he's stood waiting with his back to you, broad shoulders filling out his powder blue short sleeve button up.

You're excited to see Rafael again. You've been trying a new cookie recipe for his sister, and you're eager to get him to try it. You're mentally making a note to buy a nice box to put them in when you feel it.

The lights get a little brighter, the colours a little more vibrant. The tightness in your chest eases, allowing you to take a full, deep breath. You can suddenly hear the birds outside singing, melodies drifting through the open doors like a summer breeze.

The man turns around, and it's not Rafael.

It's Bucky.

You're moving before you can even process it, running and jumping into his arms. You inhale, revelling in his familiar scent. He's here. Your happiness has arrived.

"Surprise," he laughs quietly into your ear. "Miss me, honey girl?"

You beam a grin at him, pulling away to look at his handsome face.

"More than you'll ever know."

"Oh, I know. I feel it."

He places a hand over his heart gently, looking at you with pure adoration.

"What are you doing here?"

"It's been a month since your Mom's birthday. A month since I've seen your pretty face. A month too long."

You roll your eyes jokingly, so he continues.

"You don't mind that I'm here, do you? Because I'll go, if it's too much for you. I know me showing up unannounced is a lot to process."

"Don't go," you reply quickly, grabbing his hand. "I want you here, Buck. More than anything."

He leans in and presses his lips to yours, cradling your face in his warm hands. The background of the café melts away, the man in front of you the only thing that matters.

You pull away and smile at him, pressing your forehead into his gently.

"Come back to the kitchen with me. Let's get away from all the noise."

You grab his hand and pull him with you, ignoring the excited giggling from Isabel behind the counter.

Bucky perches against a counter, leaning back to allow you to stand in between his legs. You wrap your arms around his neck and peck his lips, stealing kisses in between giddy smiles.

"I hope you weren't expecting a day full of super exciting adventures. I've got a list full of stuff I've got to get finished by closing."

"Honey, I'm more than content to stay here and watch you work. There's nothing I love more than watching you bake."

You run your fingertips over his face carefully, gently tracing his features as you look at him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I don't care what we do, as long as we're together."

You wrap your arms around his middle, holding him as tightly as you can.

"I feel like I hit the soulmate jackpot," you whisper.

"No one's as lucky as I am," he whispers back. "Now, come on. Let me see you work your magic."

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

Bucky, it turns out, makes a damn good assistant.

Instead of just watching, he volunteers to help in whatever way he can. You set him onto weighing your ingredients, so you can focus on making and decorating. He takes his job very seriously, measuring down to the precise gram each time. You can't help but grin as you watch him concentrate, determined to get it right.

At lunch time, Isabel brings you both coffee and sandwiches, entering just as you're teaching Bucky how to properly fold in ingredients.

"Sorry, I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"You could never. Isa, this is Bucky. Buck, this is Isabel. Our best waitress."

He holds out his floury hand for her to shake.

"It's nice to meet you, Isabel. I've heard a lot about you."

"You have?"

Her eyes light up as she looks at you, fighting the smile off her face.

"My honey talks about you all the time."

Isabel glances between the two of you, clearly trying to figure things out.

"And you two are..."

"Soulmates," you say at the same time as Bucky does.

Her jaw drops for a moment, before she laughs.

"Yeah. That makes a lot of sense, actually."

You roll your eyes at her lovingly before Stella's voice calls her name from out front.

"I better go. But me and you are gonna talk about this later."

"Fine," you laugh.

"Nice to meet you!" Bucky shouts after her, pressing a kiss to your temple. "I like that we're just telling people now."

"Yeah, me too, actually. I thought it'd be scary, but... it feels right."

He slings an arm around your middle, pulling you into his side.

"We've still got the two most important people left to tell."

Your muscles tense and Bucky feels it instantly, running his thumb in patterns over your hip gently.

"I've been thinking about it a lot. I'm almost ready, Buck. We can't avoid it forever. Next time I'm home, I think we should do it. We should tell them."

Bucky hooks two fingers under your chin, forcing you to look at him.

"Are you sure? Once we tell them, we can't undo it. We'll only do it if you're one hundred percent sure."

"I'll be ready when the time comes. It'll be a huge weight off of both of our shoulders, which I think we both need."

"Okay then," he says, kissing your forehead. "Next time you're home."

Isabel clears her throat from the doorway, smiling sheepishly.

"I can't believe I'm saying this again, but... there's a guy here to see you."

You laugh, untangling yourself from Bucky with a kiss to his cheek.

"Send him through. Thanks, Isa."

The man you were originally expecting to see this morning walks into the kitchen, envelopes in his hand.

"Hey!"

"Hey, Rafael."

He gives you a quick hug, before waving at Bucky.

"Hey, man. You've gotta be the soulmate, right?"

Bucky chuckles, coming over to shake Raf's hand.

"Yeah, that's me. How'd you know?"

"Are you kidding? You can feel it the minute you walk into the room. There's like, electricity in here."

You laugh, hiking yourself up to sit on the counter. Bucky stands next to you, arms crossed over his broad chest.

"Here," Rafael says, handing you an envelope. "We're having a gala next month, for the charity that has supported my sister. We'd love it if you could come - and bring your date too, of course."

"I'd love to," you say as you read the invitation. "Do you need me to bring anything? You know I'll happily make something, if you guys need it."

"You would?"

"Absolutely! I could bring a cake, if you like? I haven't done a proper, three tiered cake in forever. I'd love to."

"That'd be... amazing. Seriously. We just want to raise as much money as possible."

"Of course. Thanks for these, Raf. How is she?"

"She's okay. She's getting a tiny bit stronger every day, and that's all we can really ask for."

You reach a hand out to squeeze his in support.

"You know where I am if you need anything."

"Of course. Thank you, so much. I've gotta run - I've got like a hundred of these invites to deliver. But I'll see you at the weekend?"

"For sure. See you, Raf!"

"Nice to meet you, Bucky."

"You too, man. Take care."

Isa shows Rafael out of the door, winking at you on her way out.

"Damn, he's handsome," Bucky laughs.

"Isn't he?" you giggle. "Nothing on my soulmate though, I'm afraid."

"Shut up," he blushes, leaning in to capture your lips. "You wanna get dinner when you're done here?"

"Yes, please. I'll show you around my new apartment too."

"Can't wait."

There's not an ounce of tension in your muscles as you finish up your bakes for the day, gliding around the kitchen while Bucky stands and watches your every move.

If you could pause time, this would be when you'd do it. You'd be content to live in this moment forever.

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

The minute Bucky walks through your front door, he inhales deeply. The entire place smells like you, cosy and golden.

"You like it?"

"It's gorgeous, baby. I love the windows."

He makes his way over to your kitchen, where the glass panes run from floor to ceiling. Sitting on the bench pressed against it, he takes in the view, savouring the feeling of the sun on his face.

You sit down on his lap, draping your legs over him and wrapping your arms around his neck. Nuzzling your face into his jaw, you press a kiss to the stubble, resisting the urge to lick the salt off of his skin.

"Come on," you murmur. "Let me show you my bedroom. The sun sets in that direction, so it's always beautiful in there."

You grab his hand and walk him across the apartment, swinging open the door to your room and pushing him inside.

He takes in the space for a moment before turning in your direction, striding over to smash his lips to yours. You tangle your fingers into his shirt and pull him closer, letting him slip his tongue into your mouth with ease.

Bucky leans in to trail kisses down your neck as he slips your shirt over your head, making quick work of unclasping your bra with skilled fingers. He grasps your chest in both hands, massaging gently as he nips at your throat.

"So fucking pretty," he murmurs. "Haven't stopped thinking about you since you left me."

You whine and unbutton his shirt, shrugging it off his shoulders. You're desperate to see more, desperate to feel his skin on yours, desperate to bare every inch of him.

Your fingers make deft work of his belt, sliding it from its loops and throwing it to the ground. You unpop his button and slide down the zipper, pulling his jeans off his legs in no time. You shimmy out of your skirt, leaving you both in your underwear.

The evening sun seeps through the window panes, illuminating the room in hues of orange and gold. The light hits Bucky's skin, making him glow in a halo of love and adoration.

He walks you backwards, wrapping an arm around your back to throw you onto the white sheets of your bed. Crawling over you, he settles in between your legs, pressing gentle kisses from your ankles to your inner thighs.

"The way you look when you come has been burned in my mind," he whispers. "Need to see it again. It's been too long."

He slides your underwear down your legs and wastes no time, diving into you like a man starved. He devours you, tongue never ceasing it's movements. His hands pry your thighs apart, one arm thrown over your stomach to keep you still. When your muscles start to shake, Bucky doubles down on his efforts, lapping and sucking at you like you're his lifesource.

"Oh, Buck, I'm-"

You see stars as you come, white and silver shapes flying through your vision. Bucky never stops, prolonging your release for as long as he can. When you go boneless, he ceases, pressing kisses to the inside of your knee.

"You okay?" he murmurs, moving so his body smothers yours.

"I'm good," you smile, leaning up to kiss him. You groan when you taste yourself, wrapping your legs around his waist.

"Need you, baby. Please, Buck."

"You sure?"

You smile at him, cradling his face in your hands.

"Couldn't be surer."

He dips down to lick into your mouth once more, shucking his boxers off and throwing them across the room. Slipping a condom on, he lines himself up, eyes meeting yours.

"I need you more than I need air to breathe," he murmurs. "You know that, don't you?"

"Buck," you breathe. "I've been going crazy here without you."

He goes to speak, but stops himself, instead leaning down to kiss your forehead.

"I know," you whisper. "I know."

Bucky slides home in one smooth thrust, both of you gasping. One of his hands finds your hip, the other resting against your throat as an anchor. You wrap your legs around his waist, arms snaking around his shoulders.

"Fuck me, please."

"Fuck," he groans. "I'll be replaying that in my head forever."

You chuckle breathlessly, gasping when he draws his hips back and forward again. He sets an even pace - not too fast, not too slow. He has you right where he wants you, both of your bodies in perfect synchronisity. It feels like the stars have aligned. Everything's fallen into place.

Bucky dances his fingers from your hip to your clit, rubbing firm circles. He plays you like a violin, your muscles tensing as you get closer.

"That's it, pretty girl. Fuck, you're so good for me. You close, honey? Gonna come for me again?"

You nod frantically as he picks up his pace, hips colliding with yours. He groans as you tighten around him, head dropping to rest against yours.

"Come for me, honey girl," he whispers. "Please."

Your back arches as you find your release, nails scratching at the skin of Bucky's back. The pain tips him over the edge, spilling inside of you with a deep groan. He collapses on top of you, both of your chests heaving.

"I think we're naturals at that," you chuckle hoarsely.

"You think it's the soulmate thing, or are we just that good?"

"I think we're just that good," you laugh, pushing him off your body so he lands next to you. You link your fingers with his, resting your head on his chest.

"I need a drink."

"I was just thinking that, actually. You wanna go out? Know anywhere?"

"There's a cute little bar that looks out over the cove - it has good food and good cocktails. You wanna go there?"

"I'd go anywhere with you," he affirms, pressing a kiss into your hair.

"I'd kill for a pineapple margarita right now."

Bucky sits up suddenly, bringing you with him, arms wrapped around you.

"Then let's go get my girl a pineapple margarita."

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

The golden lights adorn the beams of wood above your head, the deck illuminated in the gentle glow. The ocean waves break the shore in a comfortingly repetitive motion, a calming soundtrack to the evening. You sit across from Bucky at your table for two, the sunset casting orange hues across the horizon.

"It's beautiful out here."

"Yeah," you agree, smiling. "The view is pretty good."

Your eyes haven't left his, lost in the sea blue of his irises. He chuckles, running his thumb over the back of your hand where it rests atop the table.

"This is our first date, you know."

"Really?"

"I mean, we've been 'dating' this whole time - but we've never gone out and had dinner like this. Held hands and all."

"You're right. Our first date of many, huh?"

"Our first of countless," he grins, brushing his lips over your knuckles in a gentle kiss.

"Where do my parents think you are?"

"Visiting a cousin in Nevada."

You laugh, and the sound makes Bucky light up, electricity running through his veins.

"You're a scarily good liar."

"To everyone but you."

"I used to think I was a good liar. Until I met you, that is."

Just as he's about to respond, your waitress appears, two pineapple margaritas in hand. She takes your orders and leaves, smiling at you.

"Oh, shit. She forgot to give us straws. I'm gonna grab some - be right back."

You chase her inside, tapping her shoulder gently.

"Excuse me - could I get a couple of straws, please?"

"Of course. Sorry!" she apologises, handing them to you.

"Thank you! Your shirt is so cute, by the way."

"Thanks - it's thrifted! You're gorgeous, girl. And your boyfriend is stupidly hot too. You're a pretty couple."

You thank her and laugh, returning to Bucky with a grin on your face.

"What's got you smiling?"

"The waitress called you my boyfriend."

"Huh. As much as I love the commitment... boyfriend kinda sounds like we're in ninth grade, doesn't it?"

You throw your head back, laughing with your entire being.

"That's what I thought. There's gotta be a better word. Partner? No, that makes us sound forty."

"I am almost forty."

"Oops."

Bucky rolls his eyes, but he can't wipe the blinding grin from his face. He takes out his phone and snaps a quick picture of you, admiring the way the breeze caresses your face as the setting sun beats down.

"Sneaky," you tease. "Let me see?"

He hands you the phone, letting you look through. You swipe right one too many times, and accidentally land on a picture of a blueprint laid out across a kitchen counter. His kitchen counter.

"Babe... what's this?"

You don't miss the way Bucky's cheeks heat up, blush creeping across his chest that's exposed by the V neckline of his blue button up. He stutters for a moment, before finding his footing.

"They're blueprints. Plans for a house."

"A house?"

"I want to build a house."

When you keep looking at him softly, he doubles down.

"I want to build a house for us."

Your breath hitches in your chest, the world going silent momentarily.

"You... you do?"

"My Dad worked in construction my entire childhood. I watched him build houses, apartment buildings, bungalows... everything. I've always wanted to do it, but never had reason to. Until now."

You squeeze his hand, urging him to continue.

"I've been planning it for upwards of ten years. But I'm taking it more seriously, now. Those blueprints are the final ones. It's all mapped out, down to the square inch. I've made some modifications for you, obviously."

He zooms in on the picture, pointing out areas on the plans.

"I've added a big island in the kitchen with a tonne of storage in it, for all of your supplies. I know you have that huge mixer, so I've made sure there's enough space for it to fit underneath with the doors closed."

You take a deep breath, lump in your throat forming unwillingly.

"Up here, there's a window at the top of the stairs. I've added a sketch of a bench which I'll upholster, so you can sit and read in the sunlight."

Tangling your legs with his under the table, you urge him to continue.

"I've also made sure there's a balcony off the master bedroom that overlooks the garden. I know how much you love sitting on yours in your apartment at home. There's probably like a hundred more little modifications for you, but those are just a few."

Tears are running down your cheeks freely, emotion escaping you like a flash flood.

"Bucky..."

"If it's too much too soon, please tell me. I won't be offended, baby. I know it's a lot."

"It's perfect."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

You jump up from your seat and around the table, throwing yourself into his lap to kiss him happily.

"I can't wait to build a house with you, Buck."

He grins at you, joy radiating off him in waves.

"Buck?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

He blinks back tears for a second, processing the words he's been waiting to hear for what feels like an eternity.

"I love you too, honey girl. My pretty baby."

He leans in to kiss you tenderly, the rest of the world melting away. It feels like it's just the two of you, floating on cloud nine.

Suddenly, you get it. You understand why people say this is the greatest thing that'll ever happen.

It is. They were right all along.

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

After several pineapple flavoured cocktails and a taco or four, you and Bucky take a slow stroll home, hand in hand along the sidewalk.

"You wanna have a sleepover tonight?" you ask, digging your heels into the ground to stop yourself from skipping with glee.

"Can't think of anything I want more," he chuckles.

You walk a little while longer, content to bask in the comfortable silence.

"Guess what happened a few days ago."

"What, honey?"

"Stella asked me to be her business partner."

He stops where he is, turning to face you but never letting go of your hand.

"Wait, really?"

"Mhmmm."

"And how do you feel about that?"

"I was unsure, at first. But I'm going to do it. I've been thinking about this for a while, actually. We had to take a business class in culinary school, and I actually learned a lot. I've had a business plan for the future of the café drafted up for months. Numbers, locations, investors, everything. I'm really serious about this, you know."

He's gazing at you like you hung the moon, eyes bright and adoring.

You sit down on a bench, looking out over the coastal path. Bucky joins you, arm heavy over your shoulders.

"I can't stay here."

His head whips around.

"Baby..."

"I mean it, Buck. I like this city, I do, but I just can't settle. It feels like a placeholder until I can go home. And it's not fair to Stella, if it feels like I'm half in half out."

He goes to speak, but you're on a roll.

"I'm suggesting that we franchise the business. It's the logical next step anyway, it was just a matter of choosing the right location. I'm proposing somewhere a hell of a lot closer to home. To you. To my parents. And that means we'll have one branch on the east coast, and one on the west. We can start filling the middle, in the future."

"Are you... are you sure?"

"I've never been surer of anything, James Buchanan Barnes. I wanna start my life with you. Telling my parents, building a house, furthering my career. I'm ready, now."

Bucky grabs your face in his warm hands, kissing you with more passion than you ever thought possible. It's all the answer you need.

"I want you to read over my plan, when we get back to my place. But it's tight, Buck. I've been perfecting it for months. There's no way Stella can say no - I've made it so she won't want to. Besides, she just wants me to be happy. And this... this will make me happy. Happy beyond words."

Bucky stands up, wrapping his arms around your middle to bring you with him. He spins you around, laughing when you squeal in surprise.

"I'm so proud of you, honey baby. I love you so much."

"I love you," you grin. "More than I ever thought possible."

Bucky practically carries you home, both of you giddy on excitement and hope.

You wake up tangled in his arms, sunlight beaming down onto your skin through the open window. Happiness, you think. It's finally here.

Happiness. It's finally here.

tag list part one -

@lillytracy6996 @securegorgon @roostersforevergirl @povlvr @val-writesstuff  @dreadfulxives18 @1deadpool26 @abbygraceasd @nyutasgirl @mavrellover91 @winterslove1917 @f-this42 @skewedcherries @noisesinthedark @kandis-mom @black-cat-2 @harrystylesandthegoobs @vladsgirlxx @h0nestly-though @arienotari @nash-dara   @wandaneedstherapy @galaxy-dusk @justherefortheficandsmut @cremebruleequeen   @cjand10 @buggy14 @avengers-fixation @blueberrybambi @beautiful-loserr @sarah1barnes @miss-rebel-without-applause @ragingrainbowshipl @shamrockqueen @savemeroman @jenn-f @8crazy-freak8 @daddyjackfrost @openup-yourmind @adangerousbalance  @mandijo17 @daddylorianisastateofmind @rcarbo1 @casa-boiardi @spideegwen @navs-bhat @mssbridgerton @asuni921 @middle-of-the-earth @mfrnchsk

[vinelark]

do you have any good reverse robins fic to rec?

oh hell yeah!

Reverse Robins: Joker Junior series by miyaji_08 i rec’d the second fic in this series over here for the timkon of it all, but the series—two parts, both complete—is also one of my absolute favorite reverse robins stories. it goes the joker junior!tim route, so heads up for A Lot of tim-centric trauma, but gives tim (and everyone else) so much healing, too. it also gets creative with the robin of it all, as in, the call sign for batman’s partner is different from the jump because dick wasn’t around to originate “robin” for it, which i always think is a fun extra detail. the batfam characters are great and the young justice crew is also great, so read for top-tier hurt and comfort and great characters and satisfying plot and tim and damian competing to see who is the most Tired big brother of the bunch.

blood of the covenant by envysparkler robins are angsty in any order, but man does this hit the angst sweet spot, which in turn makes the soft parts feel even softer. i genuinely can’t decide what my favorite dynamic is in this AU, between damian & tim (damian wracked with guilt, tim hurting and still wanting an older brother even if he’d never admit it) and tim & jason (no spoilers but chapter 4 especially lights my brain up like a supernova) and tim & dick (i think about the part where dick grayson [tiny, cheerful] uses tim [undead, annoyed] as a jungle gym like once a week).

Wing Beats in Reverse by firefright a longfic where jason gets kidnapped by the mysterious red hood, who turns out to be jason’s not-so-dead predecessor. the jason pov here is great, and i was so compelled by how this AU explored his place in the bat family, and how it managed the emotional fallout from the kidnapping. tim is also so interesting in this—it does something i love in a reverse robins concept, which is make tim’s motivations (and lazarus pit effects) less about anger/hurt/revenge and more about ice cold logic, about being the villain so the bats don’t have to/whether they want him to or not. plus some league of assassins trauma as a cherry on top. also, kon gets to show up for a bit. (as a fair warning—and spoilers ahead—the fic has a somewhat hopeful ending for tim, but doesn’t reach full reconciliation in the scope of the plot.)

i woke up so worried that the angels let go by circees a short but potent batkids age reversal au that’s also a grisha au, starring duke as the coveted sun summoner that damian is trying to deliver to safety without mentally adopting a new brother (damian fails on the second part). even with my limited memory of grisha lore i could tell a lot of thought was put into this au, and i have a feeling it would be even better if you are able to catch all the details. i also love that even in a fantasy world where some of the bat family have magical abilities, duke is still extra special—a great analogy to being a metahuman among the bats.

The 90s Are Back! by RedWritingHood saving the two silly ones for last to lighten the mood! in this one, red hood!tim gets de-aged to sixteen and meets all his new siblings. it’s like .01% angst and 99.99% shenanigans, and pretty much all the dialogue is super quotable but Dick holds out his hands like he's calming a bunch of wild animals. "Okay, I know everyone's real upsetti spaghetti right now, but I think we all just need to calm down." might take the cake.

Clowns Don’t Kill People by mademoisellePlume very short, very silly reverse robins brother shenanigans, in which tiny dick grayson isn’t scared of recovering joker junior!tim because dick, having been raised in the circus, doesn’t associate clowns with evil yet. the fic is fun (and a great palate cleanser if you need a break from the angst above), and the author’s note at the end made me fully laugh out loud.

[rorywritesjunk]

Oh, go to sleep, Little Skylark. Fly up past the stars

After breaking your heart, Buggy is cursed to be a kid again. The last thing you want to do is be involved with this.

Rating: PG-13ish. Warning: A crying kid. Reader doesn't keep emotions in check a few times here. Also an adult lying to a kid because what else do you do in a situation like this? This story and how the Reader deals with Kid Buggy is different than the other Kid Buggy story. A/N: This is what I originally wrote before the other Kid Buggy fic. I decided to revisit it and tidy it up before posting it. This has no connection to the other story at all. Completely different.

Title comes from “Little Skylark (safe at home)” by S.J. Tucker.

Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 + Chapter 6 + Chapter 7 + Chapter 8 TAGLIST: @lostfirefly @fluffybunnyu @plethora-of-fickleness @ane5e @valen-yamyam16 @lavanderdreamve

Chapter Three

You hit a wall at dinner. Your things were back in your room at the inn and you did not want to be in the bedroom again, but there was no choice. You didn’t want to leave the kid alone to sleep with the crew, and you didn’t want to sleep in the bedroom again, but you didn’t want to leave him alone at all. Not to mention when you looked in there you saw a photo of the two of you still on his desk and it took everything in you not to throw it out a porthole and into the water. Instead you stuck it in a drawer.

Dinner was an experience. You cooked what you knew to be Adult Buggy’s favorite meal, which to your relief was the kid’s favorite. He was excited to eat it, letting you know it was delicious as he shoveled the food into your mouth. You couldn’t help but smile at the compliment, even if it was coming from a nine year old. And while he regaled Mohji with a tale of his adventures on the Oro Jackson, Cabaji told you what actually happened.

Buggy was cursed by a witch after trying to steal some flowers from her garden. When he was confronted, he stuck his tongue out at her and called her old so she turned him back into a child. It happened so quickly that when Cabaji and Mohji went to look in the pile of clothes where Buggy was just standing, they found him as a child asleep in Buggy’s shirt. The logical thing was to bring him back to the ship and look for you for help.

Of course he would do something stupid like that. You thought as you rubbed your temples. This ordeal was giving you a headache.

“Why was he stealing flowers?” You asked as you picked at your food. You didn’t want to know the answer. He gave you flowers whenever the ship arrived at a port. Did that mean he already had someone else lined up that quickly? You pushed your plate away as your stomach churned at the thought.  

“He just said something about ‘Oh, she’d like these’ before tearing them out of her garden.” Cabaji told you as he ate. You glanced over at him.

“Who’s ‘she’?”

“No clue.” 

You no longer had an appetite and pushed the plate closer to Cabaji before you got up to start cleaning. So there was someone else. How long had it been going on, you wondered. If he didn’t want to be with you he should have just said something instead of saying horrible things to you. It still would have hurt but you would have preferred him to be honest instead of going behind your back. You glanced over at the kid. He looked pretty happy to have an audience to listen to his stories, even if it was just one person. How could a sweet kid turn into such an asshole?

After dinner was one more meltdown when he asked again when he’d be going home and you told him the same thing as before. It was getting exhausting. You didn’t have the energy for this and you were about to just leave and let Cabaji and Mohji deal with it, but a tiny hand grabbed the hem of your shirt and you looked down to see two bright, tear filled eyes looking back at you. Your heart ached at the sight. The kid didn’t know what was going on, he was innocent in all of this, not the adult. You rubbed your face and sighed. 

“How about a bath? Do you like baths?” You asked. “I bet that would make you feel better and help you sleep tonight.”

As soon as you said the word he was no longer crying, instead looking disgusted by the suggestion. It was almost comical and you suggested a bath again, but instead you two agreed on just washing his face and hands for now. You weren’t sure how long he was going to be like this and Cabaji had no more information. You really hoped this was just a 24 hour thing or something so you could move on from this nonsense.

There was a pile of clothes in the bedroom. You found a pair of pajamas for him and handed them over after giving his face a good washing. There was some lavender scented lotion that you accidentally left behind, and after he changed you let him rub some onto his hands and arms. 

“Smells girly.” He frowned. You rolled your eyes as you grabbed one of Adult Buggy’s shirts to sleep in. 

“Don’t say that.” You scolded him gently. “It’s not, it’s very calming and will help you sleep.” You changed tops quickly and looked over at him. “Captain Roger uses lavender lotion. Keeps him relaxed.”

The kid’s head whipped around so fast you almost thought his head would have popped off his body. He looked back at the bottle of lotion before he poured some more into his hands. You hurried over and took the bottle from him before he could make a mess.

“Really?” Buggy asked with a frown. “How do you know?”

“Because I know things.” You told him as you took some of the lotion from his hand and rubbed it onto your own. “I’m the captain, after all. Captains have to know a lot of stuff about other captains.” 

Buggy rubbed the excess lotion onto his arms some more before lifting his hands up to smell the scent again. “Guess it’s not that girly.” 

You tried not to roll your eyes. “Get some sleep. Tomorrow we’ll do something fun.”

He shrugged and headed for the bed, climbing onto what had been your side previously. You said nothing as you got onto your ex’s side, trying to ignore how his pillows smelled like him. You didn’t want to be here at all, but you had to help him as much as you didn’t want to. The kid seemed to kind of trust you, as much as he could in this situation, but you didn’t know if you could keep the story going forever. Tomorrow you’d find the witch and beg her to change him back so you could move on.

~

You didn’t really sleep. You dozed, waking up every time the kid stirred. There was maybe an hour of uninterrupted sleep before day break and when you woke up something was clinging to you. When you opened your eyes you hoped to see the adult Buggy so you could knock his head off his body, but it was the kid, clinging to you as he slept. This was no different than when he was an adult and you hated it. You didn’t want any of this. Tears sprang to your eyes and you covered your mouth to keep quiet, allowing yourself a moment while he slept. This wasn’t fair at all.

The kid started to stir and you hastily wiped your eyes on the blankets, hoping he wouldn’t notice, or maybe he’d start crying and the two of you could have a cryfest together. 

He looked up at you with a sleepy frown before sitting up away from you. 

“You sleep okay?” You asked as you wiped your eyes. “You want breakfast?”

That seemed to perk him up. He nodded and lept out of bed, taking off for the kitchen while you got out of bed and followed after him. 

He ate breakfast with gusto. You just sipped some coffee as you watched him, your brain trying to process having custody of your ex as a kid. You had to go find that witch today to get him turned back sooner rather than later. As cute as he was, you didn’t want to deal with a kid. It wasn’t what you signed up for when you joined the crew and then became his girlfriend. There was never any talk of “Babe, if I get turned back into my 9 year old self, please take care of me” because this was just something you didn’t expect to happen. And now you were no longer together and you were back on the ship and in the room where everything seemed to finally fall apart. You were focused on your thoughts, not realizing tears were rolling down your cheeks when the kid was suddenly at your side, touching your arm to get your attention. 

“What’s wrong?” You asked as you set your mug down and crouched down to his level. 

“Why are you crying?” He demanded. He actually sounded just a bit worried.

“I’m not, the coffee just irritated my eyes.” You lied as you wiped your face clean on your sleeve. You took a deep breath and smiled at him. “So, we got chores and things to do today. You up for it?”

Buggy smirked. “I can handle a few chores.”

“Perfect.” You said as you stood back up.

~

You crossed your arms as you watched Buggy help the crew with the cleaning and moving of supplies. It gave you a little break from him. Kids were exhausting, Buggy as an adult was exhausting, and the combination of the two drained you completely. If he cried again you’d just walk off the ship. Let Cabaji and Mohji put up with their captain now, it shouldn’t have to be you dealing with all of this. 

How long could you keep up this act for, that Roger was coming with Shanks to take him home in a few days? Maybe you could leave before it came to that, let the rest deal with the upset child. Or maybe the situation would solve itself by then.

Buggy walked past you at that moment, grinning widely as he chatted lively with the crew. He looked up at you, grin even wider. You sighed and smiled back at him as you trailed after him.

“So, enjoying my crew?” You asked as you took one of the two crates he was carrying. “They’re a fun bunch, aren’t they?”

“They’re alright.” Buggy shrugged as you headed below deck. 

You tucked the crate under your arm and ruffled his hair with your free hand. He turned and made a face, not liking that one bit. You chuckled. He hated it when you’d do it to him as an adult, so you only did it when he was particularly annoying on some days. You had tried to do it nearing the end of your relationship once, trying to see if you could get a bit of a reaction out of him to get him to talk, but the way he had snapped at you had scared you just enough that you didn’t try it again.

“What’s wrong?” 

You blinked down at the kid, looking confused for a moment. “What are you talking about?”

“You look sad.” He pointed out as he set the crate down. “Kinda like at breakfast. Is your boyfriend being dumb?”

“I don’t have a boyfriend.” You said a little too harshly, setting yours down as well. “I’m fine, okay?” 

Buggy looked a little taken aback by your tone but nodded, looking away from you. You felt like an ass and was about to apologize when he gasped in surprise.

“You have a lion?!”

Oh, right. Richie. Buggy hurried over to the cage, staring in awe at the large beast. The lion looked at him confused, wondering why the captain was so small. He looked at you for an explanation, but you just shrugged and opened the cage before stepping in. Once you were close, the lion pounced on you, causing the kid to shriek.

“Is he going to eat you?!” 

“No, no, he’s happy to see me.” You insisted as you ruffled his mane. “He’s a very fierce member of our crew, y’know.”

Richie wouldn’t get off you. He hated that he hadn’t seen you in a week because while Mohji took good care of him, you snuck him tasty snacks from time to time. That steak was one of the best things he had in a while and before you knew it he was sniffing and pawing at your pockets, trying to see if you had anything for him.

“Can I pet him?” Buggy asked. You managed to push Richie away long enough to agree, gesturing for him to come into the cage. “He’s not going to eat me, right?”

“No, no, he won’t. He’s very sweet.” You assured him. “He likes being scratched between his ears so be gentle.” 

Buggy nodded, listening to what you were instructing him to do. Richie leaned into the pets, excited to be having so much attention showered on him at once by the two of you. It was kind of nice having Buggy listen to you for once. Before he would have scoffed and had his hand taken off by Richie if he tried to pet the lion incorrectly. Maybe having him as a kid for a day or so wasn’t that bad.

[zzzykiek]

Play it Sweet

2p!Alastor x Human Diabetic Fem!OC

TW: toxic workplace, noncon touch, manipulation

2P alastor Originates from: https://www.tumblr.com/anic-mj/627521842542936064/2palastorblueberry?source=share

No Smut this chapter, but Minors still DNI please. Enjoy!

5_____________________________Close Observation. 

Al lets you go. (No, come back!) He spins into the shadows. (What? where?)

You feel his lips ghost over your ear. “Miss me?” Al had, in mere seconds, transitioned to his human form without so much as a sound, appearing behind you, which causes you to jump and drop your towel. (Well, that's not the way to defend yourself.) He begins laughing at your startled state. “I hope you don't mind, but I perused your wardrobe and picked out your outfit.”

“You were gone for like two seconds, how the…?”

He skips towards the door and turns in a flourishing bow, “Power, my sunshine, I do have an image to uphold, after all.” 

Crossing your arms, you can’t help but reveal a tad bit of snark as you remind him, “Al, I've wiped your tears away multiple times. Why do you feel the need to show off for me?” 

“That is e-exactly wh-why.” His features soften as he breaks eye contact. His hands search desperately for something to cling to before landing on the lapels of his coat. 

He didn't need to explain any more. You immediately understood his line of thought. The idea of this powerful being desiring to impress you sends an unexpected spark through your body as you let your gaze begin to admire his own outfit choice for the day. A royal blue suit with a white linen shirt underneath. (I feel like one of those cartoons with the hearts coming off of them…)

He hooks a finger under your chin. “Keep looking at me like that and we will be late, my sunshine.” You are helpless to hide the shiver caused by him calling you that little nickname. He smiles wide and then leads you out to show you the outfit he had chosen. Black slacks with a royal blue chiffon top. Your favorite hair clip was sitting there as well, a bright enamel and rhinestone sunflower. “I couldn't resist that piece…It m-made me h-happy.” He admits while nuzzling into your hair.

“It is my favorite for a reason.” You respond wistfully, looking over as he rests his chin on your still bare shoulder, wrapping his arms around your waist. “Al,” you draw out his name playfully, “If you hold me like this, we will be late for sure.” He sighs and plants a tiny kiss on your neck, which sends sparks through your whole body before he slowly removes himself from the embrace.

Finally dressed, he helps you tie the bow at the neck of your blouse then runs his fingers through your hair, twisting and clipping half of it into the sunflower. You look at yourself and adjust the sleeves, your eyes falling on the very obvious bite mark from the morning's activities. 

“Sadly, it is best to keep that to ourselves, for now anyway.” He winks at you and pulls the kerchief from his breast pocket. He ties it around your wrist while he leans in to whisper “By the end of the week, there will be no doubt that you are MINE.” His growl at the end makes your body react as your free hand grabs at his coat. He laughs, planting a kiss on your now concealed wrist. 

Glancing at the clock you groan, “I guess we should go.” Grabbing your purse, you spot the printed itinerary you never showed Al last night. (Whoops, got a bit distracted I guess.) With a giggle, you pass it over as you both get in your car. “Guess you should look at this so you're a step ahead of Cliff, considering I never put a copy on his desk.” You cringe a tad knowing that was going to bite you in the butt later. 

“I will take the advantage, but we won't let him know that. For all he will know, you decided to wait and print them this morning.” Al glances at the plans and lets his free hand rest on your thigh, a move that doesn't seem conscious on his part. Humming in approval he hands the page back to you. 

You sneak a look over at him with no attempt to hide the mischievous look plastered on your face. “I fully expect you to go off script though, Al.”

 

His smile widens farther than it probably should as he turns his torso towards you, leaning his elbow on the dash. “I-I think you c-can read my mind sometimes.”

 

You almost choke at the irony of his statement. “I was thinking the same thing last night. Guess we just make a good team.” Tandem chuckles fill the car as you pull into the library parking lot.

You can already spy your boss leering at the two of you arriving together. His scowl deepens as Al opens your door and helps you out of the vehicle, before linking arms and escorting you towards him.. 

“Clifford! Wonderful morning! I am so excited to see the detailed workings of a library. I understand it's more than just books.” Al offers his unoccupied hand to your boss, who quickly sets his jaw into a smile and heartily shakes it. 

“And I am equally excited to get our little library’s important work highlighted.” Cliff grits out, ready to turn the conversation in his favor. (No way I am going to allow that.) 

“Of course it's not just for our little library, sir! Al’s segment will help bring awareness to libraries all over the United States!” You finish your statement with both arms clasped around Al’s and a slight hop. Al shoots over a glance of appreciation at your enthusiasm. 

“Oh of course Sunni, but I can't help but be proud that our community will be the ones to share their voice.” (Why does he always have to call me that….)

 

“I couldn't think of a better voice to share!” Al says, obviously referring to you, causing your cheeks to flush. 

“Well of course! I wouldn't have picked just anyone as my PR manager!” 

“The best choice you could make, sir.”

 

You choke back a laugh at Al’s efforts to beat Cliff at his own game. You add the nail in the coffin by cutting in before your boss can respond. “Gentlemen, I do apologize for not getting the itineraries out yesterday. I caught some small tweaks that needed to be made, let me get them printed and we can begin the tour! Al, you can keep your bag in my office when you are not needing it.”

“Perfect! Lead the way, darling.” 

Cliff moves and opens the front door for you, smirking as Al is forced to let go of your arm as you make your way through the doorway into the lobby. You can see the eyes of a few of your coworkers ogling Al as he walks behind you, hands gripped tightly on the strap of his bag now that he isn't holding your arm. You catch a glimpse out of the corner of your eye of him smiling but avoiding eye contact with everyone as you move through the establishment. Arriving at your office, you hang your purse on a hook and indicate its twin for Al to hang his. 

Al takes in the decor of your office, noting the vase of sunflowers that are at the end of their days. Cliff enters and comes to your side, placing his hand on the back of your chair. You feel a quick prick of static, indicating Al’s complete dislike of the current situation. After fussing with your computer for a few moments, the printer comes to life spitting out your plans.

PR Visit - Evening Tea 

Day 1

Tour and relevant staff introductions -Clifford and Sunnifa 

Library arrangement and basics -Sunnifa 

Open observation - no specific staff needed 

Debrief - Clifford, Sunnifa, and Heather

“Who is Heather, dear?” Al asks after reviewing the document. 

“Our assistant director. She has been a librarian for longer than anyone else here, making her a great resource for your interviews. She won't be in until this afternoon though.”

“Excellent! A veteran of the craft. I will have to plan a double length interview with her, getting history through first hand sources is always preferred.” 

Cliff snorts. “She is hardly worth your time Al, we need to get the view of the relevant community out, not the tales of an old timer.”

“Nonsense!” Al actually looks hurt by his statement. “I would have never attained my current standings in radio without speaking with every veteran broadcaster I had the honor to meet. Studying the history of—and the science behind—radio broadcasting is how I got to the point I am today! As I said, nothing beats first hand experience. Speaking of, I know Sunnifa has been working in Libraries for 5 years now. Where does your experience lie, my good man?” (Wow, he really knows what he is talking about)

“Well this is my second year in Libraries, but I have been working for the people since I graduated.” Cliff hooks his thumbs under his lapels like he just gave the most impressive statement.

 

“Hmm, well I'll save the rest of my questions for our interview. I do believe we have a tour to do!” Al turns and offers you his arm.

“Indeed we do! There is a surprising amount of ground to cover here.” You happily slip into his offer. “Cliff, sir, I will let you lead the way for this. I will fill in any additional info as needed.”

Cliff is all too eager to take the reins of the tour. Cliff is in his own element, presenting all the physical facets of the library. (He is doing better than I expected.) He didn’t even skip over the history of the building. (I guess he figured that would impress Al) While Cliff is engaged in his show, you can't help but catch all the looks and whispers pointed at Al and you. You know most of the staff are under the impression there's some sort of thing going on between you and Cliff, despite you clearly stating otherwise. Seeing you on another's arm has rumors and questions swirling. You catch Al glance at you, questioning the reaction of those you pass. You flick your eyes to Cliff and see the understanding smack Al in the face as he snarls, pulling you closer to him. His voice from this morning echoes through your brain “MINE.”

You're brought back to the present by a rush of floral smelling breeze. There’s a skip to your steps as you pull Al out onto the roof. Full of pride, you announce, “This is my personal project!”  Releasing Al, and you bound ahead to dance into the massive rooftop garden. “Good morning my plant babies!” Excitement drips from your greeting as you run around and connect with each plant.

 

“Sunnifa!” Your boss's voice is demanding. He hates the way you treat the plants like sentient beings, even though they are to you. “We are in the middle of a professional tour.” 

“How can you curb her happiness sir? The view is simply exquisite!” Al is not looking at the garden when he says this. “Besides, plants are such an important part of life on earth. Did you know plants can hear you? It's been proven that talking to plants helps them grow!”

“Of course it does.” Cliff grumbles under his breath. You return from the other end of the roof, features downcast in response to your boss’s stern voice, with no clue of the exchange you missed. “Sorry, sir.” You see Cliff go to speak before Al cuts in.

“Whatever are you apologizing for, darling? This garden is breathtaking!” He picks a blueberry off a bush. “You could feed an army with all you have growing up here.” He tosses it in his mouth, humming out a complement to the taste. 

“Well that's kind of what we do.” Your explanation is cut short as Cliff steals your spotlight.

“It is our biggest philanthropy endeavor! This garden is open to any hungry member of the community!” As he finishes his show, an obviously homeless older man comes out from the stairwell and begins pulling blueberries off the nearest bush. Cliff doesn't hide his grimace toward the new guest well.

“Hi Mr Stu!” You go over to the gentleman. “The cucumbers are ripe, and I just refilled the ranch in the community fridge. I know it is one of your favorites.” A small smile graces the gentleman’s face as he answers in a very hoarse voice. 

“How do you remember details like that? Especially about little old me.”

“I just do, Mr Stu; I just do.” You respond in a sing-song voice, playing with the rhyme of the statement. 

Cliff interrupts. “Well, we should be moving on to more relevant items for Al here to feature”

“Nonsense! This is prime content right here.” He softly walks over, approaching Stu with an air of respect. “Al, pleasure to meet you, quite a pleasure. I am a reporter for a popular radio station which will be featuring this library in an upcoming special. Would you mind sharing your story regarding this fine establishment and its staff?” Al nods to you. Stu’s expression first holds an air of worry, but he relaxes at the encouragement of your genuine smile. 

“I would be honored, sir.” He shakes Al’s hand.

“How about we plan an open lunch tomorrow, and Mr. Stu can bring some other members of his community to speak to me.” Al’s eyes sparkle as both of you catch Cliff's look of absolute disgust.

“Al, as nice as that offer is, I was hoping to take you out for lunch tomorrow with the board.”

“Oh well we can do it Thursday, then. Knock out all the public interviews in one day. Does that work for you, Mr. Stu?”

“Oh, I can do whatever, I have nowhere else to be.” He shakes Al’s hand again, shooting a glare at Cliff before pulling All closer and dropping his voice. “Don't let that jerk fool you,” 

“Oh, I have already seen right through him.” Al gives him a reassuring squeeze of the hand as he straightens back up sharing a knowing nod. “Thursday it is then! Bring as many friends as you can! I will make sure everyone leaves well fed and happy.”

You can tell your boss is ready to explode and you're not wanting to deal with that right now. “I could stay up here all day, but we should make our way back to the inner workings. Ms. Heather will be here any minute. I know you were excited to meet her, Al.” 

“That's my girl! On top of things as always.” The flash of desire in his eyes as he focuses on you makes your skin crawl. (Ugh, I didn't shift things back for you dumbass) Both Al and Stu sneer at your yelp from Cliff grabbing your healing wrist to Lead the way to the elevator. (Why the hell are you squeezing so tight!)

As Cliff hits the button for the lobby, you see Al’s eyes flit between the stairwell and the elevator panel and can already anticipate his question. And you answer in a melancholic tone. “We had some trouble with our garden visitors making a mess in the elevator.” 

“I am happy to help the community, but they get the level of respect they show.” Your boss’s tone lets you know not to say any more on the subject (for now). An awkward air settles as the elevator closes. “Sunni, we will have a moment to speak on the rest of these plans while Al meets Heather.” His voice is gruff and annoyed. You feel Al’s hand brush against your arm asking if he should step in.

“Sure, sir. Best to be on the same page” your uncomfortable but confident. You know it's not actually going to revolve around your plans. Al leans back against the wall of the elevator humming to the light tune playing from the speaker above his head. 

“How long have you been in the radio biz, Al?”

“I've aspired to be a host all my life! My mother found me a toy microphone for my sixth birthday and I have been hosting my own shows ever since!” 

“How about professionally?”

“I hopped in immediately after graduation! My town's local station took me in for an internship. I started hosting on my own about… seven years ago. Joined KMFDM three years ago and hit the ground running to bring The Evening Tea to life!” Al beams proudly at his story. You had gotten lost in his voice while listening. 

“Is your radio show all talk or do you indulge in music as well?” 

“Well I have been told people can listen to my voice all day, but my vocal cords would hate me if I did that, so I play a mix of old time jazz, it always boosts my spirits.”

“You don't seem old enough to be familiar with jazz.”

“Oh, my mother loved a good old swing around the living room. Those tunes take me right back there.” 

“I see.” You can feel Cliff stiffen at the idea of this oddball youngin’ liking his music. Thankfully, the door opens, and your wrist gets released from his grip. You dare not completely escape his grasp at the moment as he hooks your arm with his and pulls you out of the elevator. Al’s footsteps quickly follow, a slight static embedded in each one. (I am used to this Al, though I guess I shouldn't be.) 

You try to turn and catch his gaze, but Cliff pulls you forward, almost taking you off your feet, jaw clenched and eyes searching the office. “Heather! We have a special guest! Sunnifa got us some media coverage from a national radio broadcast. Al, I’ll let you do your thing while Sunni and I take care of some last minute details.” You catch Al’s gaze giving him a smile to let him know you can handle yourself. Al turns and you recognize his signature introduction to Heather as Cliff drags you into his office. He is fuming.

 

“What's the matter sir?” You pull your sweet, innocent voice out that you know causes him to go soft towards you. 

“This host is getting under my skin, I understand you have known him for a while, but I do worry his focus is not going to show what we want in this broadcast.”

“What we want, sir?” You play the hurt kitten very well. It is the only way you have kept your boss in check. 

His shoulders drop. “I know you love the garden, but it's hardly the focus you brought Al here for.” Cliff holds onto your shoulders and gets very close to your face. You catch his eyes dropping to your lips. (Shit, can he see where Al bit me this morning? Or is he just being his creepy self? Or both…? It’s probably both.) His form stiffens. “I also have to ask. What exactly is your relationship with Al, hun? You seem awfully close, for him being merely a business contact.”

“We haven't seen each other for two years, Sir, and my personal connection with Al is hardly any of your concern. He came here for business first and foremost. It is not like you are my father vetting my date for prom.” He hates you acknowledging your age difference by referring to him as a father figure, and you know it. “I have full confidence in Al and his skills to bring this broadcast to life. He will make sure he has all the information he needs. We have nothing to hide here do we, sir?” You let your tone drop, letting him know you could sense his desire to hide Stu and the homeless from the other staff and patrons. 

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Of course not, Sunni.”

“You know I don't like being called that.”

Cliff sets his hand on your hip and steps in so close you can feel his nose on your cheek as he practically growls into your ear. “My apologies, sunshine.” Your stiff form attempts to recoil and you sputter at him stealing that name from Al, tears welling up at your lower lashes. Before you can respond, Heather's voice breaks the tension. “Eh-hem, am I interrupting something?” Her tone is firm and dripping with concern. You feel Al’s static, and know he just witnessed your boss's little stunt as well. Cliff moves faster than you have ever seen, stepping back as if he never invaded your space to begin with. 

“Not at all, I was simply sharing how excited I am about this opportunity.” 

You quickly exit the office, letting Al wrap his arm around your waist while nuzzling your cheek from outside of Cliff's view. Your body finally relaxes, and a few tears fall as you recover from the confrontation. Heather is quietly reprimanding Cliff; she has had her suspicions about Clifford’s attraction to you, but this is the first she has caught him acting on anything. Al meets your eyes, knowing not to say anything about what just happened, his look of concern and rage softening as he runs his fingers through your hair. You sigh and lean into his touch, forcing your boss’s voice out of your mind. (Talk Al; I need to hear you)

“Wonderful lady! Reminds me of my mother. She has invited us to lunch if you are up to it, my sunshine.” Gently leaning backwards, he reads your face before allowing you to answer.

“Of course, Al. I told you Heather is the backbone of this library. She dotes on all of her staff like a loving mother, puts us in our places too.” You laugh and look over as the conversation in the office reaches its end with Heather exiting and quickly embracing you. 

“Sunnifa, are you alright, dearie? I swear Clifford needs to go back to etiquette school! Unlike this wonderful gentleman; I am surprised you’re letting him grace us with his presence. I would be locking this one away for myself!”

 

“Oh Heather I think you have that quite backwards.” Al’s arm returns to your waist as he gently guides you closer. You don't even think of it as you rest your head on him. 

Heather claps. “Ohh, Suniffa, no one deserves such a gentleman more than you. You deserve some happiness in your life. I expect you can supply that young man.” 

“How have I done so far, sunshine?” Al looks down at you.

You can feel your face burn at the implications Heather is tossing out, but you can only answer truthfully.  “I have never been happier.” A look of surprise flashes in Al’s eyes before he redirects his attention back to Heather. 

“Ohhhh! You will have to tell me all about things; come on we are going to lunch. Cliff will hold down the fort!” Heather ushers you toward the staff exit as you see Al look over his shoulder and can only imagine the look he gives your boss. 

[seirclys]

SUOL-nim Season 4 Livestream recap!

Note: This will only be the English portions since I don't speak Korean or Japanese (ノAヽ)

Reminder: DO NOT SHARE IMAGES OR SCREENSHOTS OF SUOL-NIM'S STREAM. WE AREN'T ALLOWED TO DO THAT.

Season 3's recap

Thank you to @eloise-writes-things, @leila-lirui, @bluebutterflyrose, and @karmablacks for helping supplement some of this information when I was outside or when I was sick ^^

This time she's streaming on Youtube instead of Twitch! However, the VOD will still not be saved afterward.

As speculated, the cover is Winter and Siyeon(our transmigrator FL), with the necklace Winter gave her in the caves :)

volume 6 will be out this summer(approximately)

Unfortunately, she doesn't know when the English translation will be licensed since it's between Gyeoeul-nim and the publisher,,

Her voice is so nice... she speaks Korean, English, and Japanese too!

Return of the pink underlayer for the magenta hair!

She talked a little about the Alice in Wonderland dress! The color was specified in the novel as "sky-blue", and SUOL-nim thought it would be fitting for Siyeon to wear such a dress while adventuring with our White Rabbit, Winter

Ahh I had to leave the house for a few hours so the stuff below are all my panicked notes. Some of these are out of order, sorryyy

SUOL-nim showed us the concept arts of the characters individually.

Fun fact, Siyeon and OG!Penelope's concept art has them wearing the same colored shoes, but Siyeon's shoes have low heels, almost like flats.

She says that out of all the characters, Callisto is the hardest to draw. This is especially since his golden hair has narrative importance and the aesthetic is hard to nail down.

The webtoon is mostly SUOL-nim's own work! She doesn't really speak to Gyeoeul-nim about work matters or help in adapting some scenes.

It takes her a week to finish a chapter, so she doesn't really have a "backlog" of progress. This is also why there's an extra week of break after four weeks.

One of the most memorable changes she made in the adaptation was changing the Empire's name from "Inca" to "Eorka". She reasoned that because "Inca" is the name of a real Empire, it would be confusing. Thus, she changed it.

The anagram of "Eorka" to "Korea" was completely accidental.

She has an Instagram for her SUOL account(like how she has a personal and a work Twitter) but has no plans on using it since her Twitter is overwhelming.

She doesn't have a favorite dress, but one of the ones she's especially attached to is the white Goddess dress since most of Penelope's wardrobe is dark.

She shows her folders occasionally, and we get little peeks of concept art for characters like Ivonne, the assassins, Penelope's male disguise, Cedrick, Emily's Hunting Competition dress, Winter's layered clothing, and minor characters, as well as the tiny bird monsters.

She also showed the dress concepts for Season 3!

In addition, we got to see a rendered concept of Penelope(think the promotional portrait) as well as a version of that style for Reynold and Penelope's faces in her folders.

There was also a WIP with Eckles and Penelope, perhaps a small illustration she scrapped, hasn't released yet, or just a concept.

We also got to see a silly doodle of Penelope, a redraw of a Crayon Shin-Chan frame(it's a popular kids manga/anime in East Asia).

The original was Shin-Chan trying to decide between a few identical outfits; the VADD version is the one where Penelope is surrounded by objects representing each ML.

The ointment from Reynold, the scroll from Callisto, Winter's mask, Eckles' collar, and Derrick's bird cage.

Her rendering is immaculate; Siyeon glows off the page.

The info after this is second-handed since I'm still sick and I fell asleep an hour before it ended ;-; but my throat is killing me and my ears were ringing

The Eckles Penelope art is the preliminary sketch for the physical Vol. 6(from my calculations!)

She moved to sketches around this time ^^

For the top row, SUOL-nim drew a Penelope, an Eckles getting dressed, and a sulky baby Reynold in a onesie. To the right of him is a doodle of him and Derrick in high chairs, with the Duke and a heavily pregnant Duchess watching over them.

On the bottom row, we have Emily in a noblewoman's dress and a fan with her hair pinned up(with feathers!), the head butler Pennel, and an overworked salaryman Cedrick on his phone.

Edit: He's chatting about Callisto with his feet on the table while thinking about strangling Callisto loll.

The stream was approximately 6 hours long!

Also, something she reiterated for a bit: Season 4 is planned to come out in August/September. The dates are tentative but she wants to get it out to us by that period.

It was nice seeing a lot of the discord and tumblr crew!!

Also, the stream tea: SUOL-nim requested that we translate our comments that weren't in Korean, English, or Japanese since she has to moderate the chat still and she doesn't want to feel left out of her own stream. Even if it's conversing amongst themselves, they should still translate.

A group of Arabic-speaking viewers actively ignored her and there were small fights in chat, and she even addressed this issue TWICE.

And in the end they still didn't do it, so... PLEASE RESPECT SUOL-nim's stream rules! At the end of the day, it's still HER stream! She has to moderate it! Don't make it unnecessarily difficult for streamers to stream!

This is basic chat etiquette.

[picklefics]

Benefits of Camping, or How to (not) Hunt Bigfoot With Your Parents

This was originally posted on Ao3, but I decided I'd see what posting on Tumblr was like for fanfiction :) (https://archiveofourown.org/works/47138986/chapters/118767895)

I already have chapters 1-5, just not gonna put em all up right now as I'm at a coffee shop and need to work on heading home.

Summary:

It could've been a great vacation. Probably. Except there's one tiny issue: Danny's parents have decided to take a break from hunting ghosts, instead supporting their fellow cryptobiologists in hunting Bigfoot. The big problem? They do find Bigfoot. And Bigfoot can talk. (...and has a PhD?)

Chapter 1: Benefit 1-New Cooking Skills

Danny’s folks are usually ghost hunters, but that doesn’t mean they don’t branch out. After all, they’d spent almost 20 years of their life studying a science practically everyone thought of as a paper house in a rainstorm. Surely one of those droplets of evidence would disprove the science as a whole.

Really? Entire beings made of one substance? Supernatural entities?

Absurd .

Maddie and Jack have a great deal of sympathy for cryptobiologists. They also have a tendency to suspect that ghosts are involved every time someone spots Bigfoot or some other being. But really, they’d be happy with either the discovery of a ghost or a new animal to dissect.

Danny, on the other hand, is not in love with either of those two discovery options. He is having a great deal of fun tormenting Jazz, who’d been forced to come along on a trip to the red cedar forests of California. He’d tried to bribe Sam and Tucker into coming along. Sam, with the lure of a new animal (maybe) to check out, and Tucker with peer pressure and lots of grilled meat. Unfortunately, after the reality check that was another fight with a new ghost named Fortuna (self-proclaimed follower of Fortuna, Goddess of Fortune and Misfortune, and with luck-related powers), they’d been forced to concede that having people at home who could fight ghosts was too important to have all three of them on a camping trip.

Thank fuck that Val wasn’t in school right now and that she’d gotten less extreme about ghosts since meeting Danielle. One day Danny might even consider telling her about him, if she doesn’t figure it out first. As a result, there are three competent ghost hunters in Amity Park who don’t actively hate ghosts while Danny is on vacation.

At any rate, Danny is trapped with a bunch of adults who are way too enthusiastic about hunting down rare animals and (in at least one case) killing and taxidermy-ing them. The guy in question keeps tracking new hunters down and showing off pictures of his living room and business, covered in eerie deer, bear, and alligator heads, among other things. There’s even a snake wrapped around a driftwood piece on the table. It reminds Danny of Skulker, and makes him consider yet again whether ghosts might be more likely to form out of these kinds of people. He’s pretty sure his parents were obsessive before they started regularly working with ectoplasm, and after?

They grew much more extreme.

And who knows? It could be due to exposure to ectoplasm, or maybe the obsessiveness causes ectoplasm to accumulate near them. He’s heard theories going both ways.

This guy, Danny could easily imagine dying and becoming a ghost.

At least he helps with setup. The camp takes a while to go up, yellow and beige tents popping up like gophers among the trees. His parents’ tent is a green dome, one of a few splashes of color in the group. Another guy sets up a big grill and a solar panel in a little clearing, one of the few places with sunlight. His incredibly buff partner totes a bag of backup coal to the grill like Mom would carry a sack of flour.

All around the area, people bring up folding chairs and situate equipment. In a big, waterproof, black container, they all put their tech away. The container is anchored with thick ropes to be absolutely certain that nothing can drag it away. It’s flash-flooding season in the area and there’s a river nearby, so they’re concerned that the container could float away, but they had wanted to make the equipment available to everyone, so they aren’t keeping it in anyone’s vehicle. 

A cage goes up towards the far west corner of the camp, away from the fire pit, because they’re worried anything they capture might be unduly frightened by said fire.

With that, a few people sign up in rotation to monitor the grill, planning to bake some potatoes and apples in the fire pit and grill weenies. It’ll be about three hours before supper, but the planning, and a snack, are needed. As the only kids present (apparently many of the others’ kids are nonexistent or at summer camps), Danny and Jazz are put on apple coring and potato poking duty involuntarily. 

Matthew Kapp is their instructor. He practically drags them to the fire pit and tells them how to make the food like he thinks they have infinite memory space for commands, no matter how long the list is.

He explains that potatoes explode when in the ashes without holes, then shows them the basic steps to prepare the food. Essentially, they’re supposed to stab the potatoes with a fork “until it feels right”, wrap them in tin foil, and then yeet them into the fire. Then they have to be surrounded by the ashes and dug out later. Jazz and Danny both work on this, quietly chattering.

Danny grins and with particular emphasis stabs a potato old enough to have green sprouts studded all over its surface. He has to use his right thumb to put enough pressure on the sides of the sprouts that they fall off. He jokes, “If I were Skulker and this potato was me, I’d be so happy right now…”

Jazz raises her eyebrows at him. “Sometimes I worry about the normalization of violence you’ve experienced, Danny.”

Danny is like 90% sure she’s saying that mostly to get on his nerves, but he’s not 100% sure. Ah, the delights of a sister who adores psychology and tormenting her little brother. He rolls his eyes. “Literally everybody in town probably has that. The school has at least one attack every week.”

Jazz retorts, “That’s really not normal.”

“Well it’s normal for me.” 

At that, Jazz changes topics. “Did you remember to bring our tent?”

Danny gives her a thumbs up.

“Great. We don’t have to listen to their snoring!” She cheers. Granted part of the reason they have the tent is because of Danny’s nightmares and occasional power use. Particularly, he’s prone to leaping out of bed and turning intangible the second he gets startled awake because of the sheer number of times ghosts have woken him up.

“Thanks for suggesting it,” Danny offers. Then he adds, “Stabbing the potatoes until it feels right is so…imprecise. How do we know when it feels right?”

Jazz groans sympathetically. “I know, right? I get it for people who’ve baked campfire potatoes before, but we’ve never done this. Mr. Kapp is a scientist, isn’t he supposed to know to be exact for beginners?”

Danny tosses his potato back and forth. “This potato better be good. It’s very hole-y now.” He sets it in the metal bowl to his right and adds, “It’s starting a cult.”

Jazz raises her eyebrows at him. “...why?”

“Holy? Y’know, like saints or whatever?”

Jazz snorts and grabs the tin foil roll. She starts unwrapping it to the familiar crumbly crackle of ripping metal, tearing off pieces big enough for each of the potatoes they’ve prepared. Danny snitches some of the squares and starts wrapping them around each potato as fast as he can. For this part, they don’t talk. The aluminum is too loud anyways. It covers speech pretty well.

After all 14 potatoes are wrapped, they toss them into the fire. Sparks flash into the sky and drift away, and one of the logs collapses into the pit with a soft thud. The white ashes have increased in number, but there aren’t many yet, so they wait to bury the potatoes in the ashes. While they wait, they move on to the apples.

Danny mixes the cinnamon and other spices together and Jazz cores the apples while grumbling about how hard it will be to work on her paper out here. She brought paper so she could handwrite some of it, but out here there isn’t any internet so the most she can do is type on her phone. She isn’t doing that because she’s worried about running out of power and not being able to call if there’s an emergency.

They both stuff the apples with the mixture and then wrap them and toss them in the fire in the same way as the potatoes but to the side. About 15 minutes later, they use sticks to roll the apples out of the fire. The potatoes are saved for later since it will be a few hours before they’re done, while the apples are served as a snack/dessert immediately. 

Having had a long drive and therefore possessing a strong craving for sweets (or any sort of snackage really), everyone swarms the apple pile and as a result only gets one each. Danny plots to sneak another apple into the fire later so he can have seconds, and Jazz wholly supports him. He forgets to eat, and she has to remind him far more often than she’d like.

After the apples are all eaten, some of the people sit down to rest (those who weren’t already asleep) and some of the others begin prowling the area, including Taxidermy Guy (Oscar Polson) and his wife Paloma.

When the two of them come back, they have a map of the area filled with markings denoting where they want to put various kinds of traps. The Polsons are the experts on trap-setting and location, and they’re responsible for deciding which places to put the traps each person brought. With the locations for each trap decided, everyone fixes the last few supper items and sits down for supper as the sun sets, mostly because there’s not enough time to set up the traps that evening.

Next Chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/picklefics/730299785376104448/boc-chapter-2?source=share

[barnesboo1967]

Chapter 4

Series Summary: After Tyler’s last ride, he’s been lying around the house. His parents decide he needs a summer job. Lucky for him the owner of the town rodeo needs a new farm hand. But just when he thought it couldn’t no hotter the farmer’s daughter comes home from Aggie Land. Will they have a sweet summer lovin’ or will they break up in a small town

Word count: 698

Masterlist

A/N: This chapter took a turn I didn’t expect. I made it more angsty than originally planned, but I am happy with where it is going. I’m almost working on a rooster one shot that because I just have to have backstory will take longer than previously thought.

Grace was in the kitchen, trying out a new brownie recipe. She forgot how much she loved baking and cooking. Seeing as you can’t really bake or cook in a tiny dorm room. And what made it even better she got to share her newest creations with Tyler. Her favorite part of the day was when she got to take Tyler whatever she just finished making.

Maverick had just comeame home from hanging out with his friends at the lake, when he saw his sister dancing around the kitchen. Her signature old country music playing as she did so. He chuckled as she made a mess of the kitchen their mama worked so hard to keep clean. The obvious obsession with baking for a certain farmhand did not go unnoticed by the youngest Campbell.

“More treats?” Maverick said, sitting on the island of the kitchen. “Mhm, I found a new recipe on Pinterest and thought I would give it a try.” Grace said as she made her way around the kitchen. “Mmmm, how much are you going to give to Tyler?” Maverick asked, “What are you talking about?“ Grace asked, genuinely confused. “Oh come on sis, don’t think I don’t notice. The two of you spending his whole lunch on the bed of his truck. You always bring him a drink and a snack. Even a blind man could see it.” Mav said, very matter of fact. “I’m just welcoming the new guy. Dad hasn’t hired a new guy since I was a freshman in high school. I know all the other guys like they are my uncles, I just want to get to know him.” Grace said, trying to cover up her true intentions. The fact she can’t get Tyler off her mind, the fact Tyler makes her smile and blush like no one has, the fact they somehow keep getting closer to each other everyday, and the fact Tyler was getting bolder and bolder with his flirting. ”Listen sis, I’ve known you long enough to know how you get with guys. And I know it’s technically none of my business. But please be careful, I’ve known Ty for a while. I also know the trail of broken hearts that follow him. And as much as I say I hate you, I can’t watch you go through more heartbreak.”

Mav left her with those words as she waited for her brownies to cook. Grace was lost in thought cleaning dishes. What could her brother mean but ‘the trail of broken hearts that follow him’? Would Tyler break her heart? No Tyler wouldn’t do that, he wasn’t like that. Right?

It was almost 7 and Tyler hadn’t seen Grace all day. He was lucky some of the guys went out for lunch and brought back food, or else he would’ve been starving. Tyler kept catching himself looking up at the house to see if she was headed his way. He was missing her lemonade, her treats, her smile, her laugh, and pretty much everything else about her. Tyler couldn’t remember the last time he felt this way about a girl.

He knew what reputation he had in town. The heartbreaker. Leaving girls high and dry whenever he felt like it. Tyler had never denied or confirmed anything. Why should he? He never cared what anyone thought and wasn’t going to start. Tyler never thought about what his reputation could do to future relationships. He hadn’t even thought about relationships in a while. His life was rodeo, and then that was gone. He went from focusing on being the best bull rider he could be, and then that was all taken away. He hid after that, but now it was like this angel came into his life. This perfect angel who brought him treats and made him smile like no one else.

He thought about going and knocking on the front door. He thought about throwing rocks at her window, like in thoses movies she talked about. But he didn’t. He just went home, on time for once. Tyler watched as the house got smaller in his rearview mirror. He watched Grace standing on the front porch getting smaller.

[o0par0o]

Seven Days(1)

It’s a fanfic for the film Annette , a story about Annette and the conductor(rip).

This fic has 9 chapters in total. English isn’t my native language, I wrote it in Chinese originally and I'm slowly translating it into English. I'll finish the translation as soon as I can (if there are actually people reading it)(I’ll finish it anyway:’D).

My phrases have a bit of a Chinese-writing habit, so if anything sounds odd in English or you've got any thoughts about this fic, or or or if you like this fic, please let me know!

(Simon Helberg was incredibly hot in this film I love his role so much and he’s a perfect male mom😭💕)

AO3

-

Summary:

Whether you like it or not, memories and love naturally fade with time. But then, your mind may play a cruel trick, bringing them back like a tidal wave that hits you with a force even stronger than before.

---

1.Dream

She only had to lift her head to see that face, now somewhat blurred in her memory. It was a face that had been a constant throughout her childhood and adolescence, supporting her through countless moments of despair and anxiety, yet also breaking her heart—a face that was both familiar and strange.

She knew she was dreaming again. The room's lighting was the same warm yellow she remembered, a comforting glow that flowed like liquid through the space, enveloping everything in sight. The ambient sounds were distorted, as if an old tape recording was pressing against her eardrums.

Her perspective was a bit low, and the warmth against her back was deeply relaxing. Without thinking, she moved her hand up and wiggled her fingers—a hand that looked so tiny, just like when she was a kid. It felt like she was back in those days, sitting on his lap, leaning against his chest, which was not broad, but it was enough.

Annette looked up at the face she had missed so much; it was so close that if she raised her hand, she could touch it. From this angle, she first saw the slender chin, then the tightly pressed lips, the straight nose bridge, and only then could she glimpse the eyes from an obscure angle. He seemed to be reading a book, his eyelashes casting little shadows and sparkles of light as they extended from his eyelids. His face was bathed in the warm light. She couldn't resist reaching out to touch it; her small hand pressed against his chin. The beard pricked her palm, slightly itchy yet soft, convincingly real, just as she remembered.

Perhaps everything happening now is real. Perhaps she had just woken from a long and vivid nightmare. Perhaps, after all these years of trying so hard to become a mentally healthy person, the universe has decided to reward her by returning what she had lost.

Her touch drew his attention away from the book. He closed it and placed it on the coffee table, gently cupping her tiny hand against his face, smiling at her with eyes that softened from their previous focus. This look was reserved only for her.

She used to be good at reading the emotions behind people's expressions when she was just a little kid. She often secretly observed him, always noticing the sadness on his face. He would frequently stare into nothing, his eyelashes drooping, while that sadness sparkled at the corners of his eyes. She could tell he was sad, but she didn't know why. Usually, when he caught her looking, his eyes would gradually warm and become soft once more.

"Sleep well?"

At this age, she probably hadn't started speaking yet. She didn't want to frighten him, not just now. So, she just nodded, silently gazing at him, trying to etch every detail of his features into her mind. But the watery light distorted her vision, blurring her sight. She felt like crying, telling him how much she missed him, but she held back; all she wanted at that moment was to memorize his face.

"What’s wrong? Staring at me like that, did you just have a dream?"

His fingers gently massaged her brow, smoothing out the furrow. The touch was light, with the feel of calluses from playing the piano, and warmth spread from his fingertips to her forehead.

She knew she must have looked odd at that moment, her expression far from what a little girl her age typically had. But she couldn't help it. She caught his hand on her forehead, opened it, and pressed it to her cheek, feeling the lines of his palm, his warmth. She had missed this warmth for too long.

He didn't pull away, but comforted her with gentle caresses, tucking her hair behind her ear.

She snuggled into his arms, pressing against his palm, and wished he would hold her even tighter. She felt safe in his embrace, just as she had during their tours when they'd flown together, or when he'd comfort her to sleep on nights her father was out drinking. She remembered the security she felt during stormy nights when fear gripped her, and the affectionate moments when she'd asked for a cuddle simply because she wanted to be spoiled. Whenever she needed him, he was always there, his warm body enveloping her, his slender chest rising and falling with every breath. His heart beat steadily, a reassuring rhythm inside his chest.

“It’s okay, I’m here. I will never leave you, Annette.”

This was everything she cherished. Since that stormy night when her mom sunk in a shipwreck, she felt like she had been adrift in the turbulent waves, and the man who liked his drinks so much could never fulfill the role of a father. But he was there, a man with no blood relation to her, and even though he was slimmer than her mother, he gave her all the love and safety he could, like a life jacket keeping her safe.

Annette dreams of him frequently now. At night, the dreams gave her back everything she once had, then took it all away the moment she had opened her eyes. She remembered the warm yellow light, the distorted vision, the face she longed for, the prickle of his beard, the warmth of his palm, the heartbeat, and his promise never to leave.

“Liar.”

Annette whispered this and turned over to bury her face in the pillow, regretting her words as soon as they were out. Her fingers twisted together beneath the pillow. She didn’t want to blame him; it tore at her heart as if she had done something terribly wrong. It wasn’t fair to him; he hadn’t left by choice. How could it be his fault?

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry...” Her voice was barely a sigh. “I didn’t mean to blame you.”

---

tbc

[pintsizeninja]

❤️ For Ragnarok: 8, 14, 16

❤️ For Talented Voice: 16, 27

❤️For Gods in Disguise: 25, 26

Thank you so much for the ask!! I tried not to wax too poetic, but it's me, so of course this is long. 😂

Ragnarök

8. Did you cut something out of the outline or an early draft? What was it and why did you decide to cut it?

I'll copy verbatim what I wrote at the beginning of my notes where I was first planning this fic (and it also ties in a bit to question 14), so you can see just how much the fic changed in the early planning stages:

"Fic begins with Odin on the porch of the farmhouse and ends with him on the porch of the Valhalla nursing home, one year before the events of AW2"

I originally planned Ragnarök to encompass all of Odin's life, which is now split into two fics, with Rag only covering August - September 1976. Zane was an afterthought. I quickly decided to focus on Deerfest 1976 since it's such a pivotal moment in Odin and Tor's life and save everything else for the sequel (sidenote - this is most definitely not how the sequel ends either haha.) So, I cut out about 46 years of Odin's life. 😂

14. Talk about the fic's opening scene & how you approached it

I knew I wanted to use bookends with this fic, since I really love that framing device. I also wanted to introduce two crucial plot points early on: Odin's ravens Memory and Thought, and Odin and Tor's shared psychic ability. I liked the idea of Odin just chilling on his porch, taking a break from work and reminiscing about life in the company of his ravens, when he gets interrupted by the cosmic ripple of the Dark Presence snatching Barbara and he immediately reaches out to Tor to check on him. First chapters are tricky since you need to balance world building with a hook to keep readers interested, so I tried my best to do that in the opening scene.

16. Talk about the fic's biggest moment & how you came up with it

As soon as I decided to turn this fic into a tragic love story between Odin and Zane, I knew the big moment was going to be their goodbye. While the premise of the series is canon-divergent, I wanted to make the rest canon-compliant, which meant Zane needed to write himself out of existence to stop the Dark Presence. I knew Odin would want to be with Zane until the last possible minute, so their goodbye needed to take place at Diver's Isle.

I slowed things down, gave them one last chance to be physically intimate and to say the important things they needed to say before Zane sacrificed himself. That in and of itself was an interesting choice, because it interrupted the flow of the action, but it's what felt right for the two of them. It was a very, very difficult scene to write. I shed a lot of tears and went to a deeply emotional place to write it, and I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

Talented Voice

16. Talk about the fic's biggest moment & how you came up with it

This is a very interesting question for this fic, because the answer totally changed with the rewrite. Prior to the rewrite, this fic was essentially just a smut fic with a tiny bit of world building and plot, so the big moment (and entire point of the fic) was Odin and Zane hooking up for the first time. With the rewrite, the biggest moment is when Zane sees Odin up on that stage for the first time, and then when they lock eyes. It is absolutely the 'Love at First Sight' trope and it's a hugely important moment for the entire series as a whole.

That's partly the reason why I wanted it to happen from Zane's point of view, not Odin's. I wanted to showcase what Zane felt in this moment and how important and earth-shattering it was for him, since he's so hot and cold with Odin up until near the end of Ragnarök and we don't get a good sense of how he feels about Odin until then.

Of course, the 4,000 word sex scene where they have sex for the first time is still a big moment, just maybe not as big as the love at first sight moment haha.

27. Share a piece of lore you made up for the story

The biggest, and arguably most important, piece of lore I made up for this story is that Tom the Poet was actually a collaboration between Thomas Zane and the Old Gods of Asgard. I was heavily influenced by Sam Lake and Marko Saaresto's close friendship and how they collaborate on Remedy's projects, with Sam providing Marko with poetry and Marko turning that poetry into lyrics. It just made so much sense since Odin incorporates some of Zane's poetry into the Old Gods songs!

Gods in Disguise

25. Share your favorite line

"That one quick dalliance was a lightning strike in a bone-dry field, igniting a wildfire that’s raged out of control, consumed acre after acre, left Odin reeling and breathless and confused."

I'm quite partial to this line because of the imagery and how it speaks to Odin's feelings about the current state of his (sort-of) relationship with Zane. I wanted to capture the intensity between the two of them and also how Zane's behavior's messing with Odin's head.

26. Share your favorite detail

Hmm. This is a tough one. I spent some time in the Hollywood Hills prior to writing this fic, so my favorite detail is probably Odin seeing all the twinkling lights of the city spread out before him as he's initially looking out at LA in the beginning of the fic, then when he's fucking Zane against the glass wall. It's a pretty phenomenal view!

[hostilecityshowdown]

I'd love love love to hear more about your version of Kevin Nash from that one Heartbreak Hotel fic 🙏

shaking diesel in my teeth and dragging him under the cut

chapter one • additional notes • credit for the AU, lore and character development, original fics, and accompanying material in the series: @cyberslam

this guy. while my little pocket dimension within mango's heartbreak hotel AU is his main 'verse, almost every other time i write diesel, i'm just writing HHAU diese in yet another AU. you can actually thank slater for this one!! they love him so much and are so inspiring for me, and if i could i'd churn out fics based on our conversations and their OCs and headcanons like a machine. slater i am holding ur hand.

in terms of the patented* Diesel Writing Process, his muse is headstrong, stubbourn, and self-centered, and most of the work i do when writing involves convincing him to share the spotlight. my offshoot of mango's universe would be all flowery prose, cerebral horror, and... diesel, suffering largely alone on centre stage, if i couldn't coerce this big lug to cooperate. some aspects of that are still preserved, but i've been able to avoid writing all my chapters in this world as solitary experiences; silent hill one and two deeply impacted me as a tiny xentex, and i always want to write that slow, surreal, murky trudge through dreams and summoned memories laid atop the burnt-out husk of reality that the SH2 hotel section, especially, captures.

*patent pending

diesel loves being the star of his own show, but so does the heartbreak kid - shawn's a begrudgingly necessary fulcrum for diesel, once he decides he has to be. my diesel muse genuinely suffers from OCD, and projecting his compulsions onto other people is an unhealthy coping mechanism of his. shawn likes the attention and benefits enough to encourage and enable this in his own ways, until he's able to take over performing compulsive rituals for diesel, becoming a mandated aspect of the rituals themselves. i wrote an example of this in diesel's testosterone injection, and shawn's absence will leave an impact on diesel's compulsive thoughts and behaviours in the ongoing narrative. shawn likes when people are dependent on him (to his preferred degree, not for anything... substantial. he just likes feeling special.) sure, but the heartbreak kid and, inherently, the hotel, need that dependency.

diesel also collects matchbooks from hotels, motels, rest stops, tourism welcome areas, reservation smoke shops and other native-operated establishments, and casinos, which he started as vinnie vegas. dallas collects poker chips, and kim collects ashtrays, cigarette boxes, and dice. studd much more passively collects coasters and glass bottles (especially tiny ones) but competes with kim for dice. and scotty flamingo, the most notable member of the diamond mine (duh /j)... he likes to swipe cosmetics, towels, notepads - anything free! and sometimes even things that aren't free. he doesn't collect but outright hoards various forms of tickets, too, but that predates the stable. i was going to include a huge section on these habits, quirks, and compulsions, but... in the end, most of that was cut. it detracted from the atmosphere too much, and it started to spoil plans i have, which you can see the beginning hints of in that heartbreak hotel branded ashtray in my most recent chapter contribution.

diesel's muse solidified for me very quickly and easily, and i barely even need to keep notes on him. big wolf keeps track of himself and comes to me with whatever i need when i need it, or chases me down and demands i devolve into a crazed, sweating, dizzied madman, writing twelve thousand+ words in a single sitting with no breaks. always something with this guy. in a diesel/undertaker fic that will eventually see the light of day, i write in his beloved ford bronco. it has a wolf howling sticker on the trunk, an Idle No More bumper sticker, genuine leather upholstery, leather conditioner and a rolodex (with hundreds of names, numbers, and addresses of people who died of AIDS and their loved ones, roadside memorials for 2SLGBTQIA+ people and missing and murdered indigenous women, and various gay clubs, bars, bathhouses, safehouses, shops, farms, and other gay establishments - including many that are defunct even by diesel's modern time) in the glove box, endless atlases for different states and provinces he swaps out as needed (most of these go with him to his truck cabs as needed), and a dedicated, custom case for depeche mode CDs and cassettes. i hope that gives a better overview of the guy he is than i could ever provide in mere words alone /j

[thisweekingundamwing]

This Week in Gundam Wing 8-14 January 2023

Here’s the last week’s roundup! January 8th - January 14th!

Remember to give your content creators some love! Be sure to join in on the events at the bottom! And remember to send in any new works you see or make next week!

~Mod Hel

Fanfiction/Ideas/Snippets:

danceswithronin

Requiem for the Sinners https://archiveofourown.org/series/3258501

Pairings: Heero/Duo, minor Duo/OMC, Quatre/Trowa

This series was originally posted and languished, unfinished, on Gundam Wing Addiction. Now the author (Clever Young Thief on GWA) has revived it and begun posting new updates on AO3 under the name danceswithronin! Almost all of the original fic has been transferred over and edited, as well as its prequel Fall from Innocence, and both of them are updating regularly every few days. In addition, the author has expanded the series to a number of other one-shots. As of right now, Fall from Innocence is up to chapter 21 and Requiem for the Sinners is up to chapter 38, but I expect one or both will have updated again before the next content update.

[CW: Requiem begins with the assassination of multiple non-pilot characters. As it is a work in progress, happy endings are not guaranteed.]

Two years after the Endless Waltz, Duo is a representative for the struggling L2 colony cluster while Heero hangs in the shadows as Relena's bodyguard, hiding from his past. But when the civil unrest in the L2 colonies threatens to boil over into civil war, the two pilots suddenly find themselves on opposite sides of the battlefield.

@expewrites​

Snow Like Ash, Snow Like Sugar https://archiveofourown.org/works/44084992

Gen, M/M, Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner

Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, Nichol (Gundam Wing), Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell

Teen And Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, Post-Canon, Mobile Suits & Gundams, Mentions of War & Death, Developing Relationship, Friendship/Love, Snow, winter vibes

Cleanup after the Battle of Brussels takes a hard toll. When Quatre suggests a break, it's a chance for Trowa to appreciate winter through new eyes, and find warmth in the bitter cold.

@helmistress​

Advance from Behind https://archiveofourown.org/works/44278162

M/M, Multi, WuFei Chang/Duo Maxwell, Heero Yuy/Duo Maxwell, WuFei Change/Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, mentioned Meilan Long/Relena Peacecraft

WuFei Chang, Duo Maxwell, Heero Yuy, Relena Peacecraft, Meilan Long

Mature, No Archive Warnings Apply, GW Holiday Gift Exchange 2022, Pinch-hit, Omegaverse, Mafia AU, lovers of Relena’s purity beware, Pining, sexual themes mentioned

Being an Omega sucked, especially when you knew you were the smartest person in your ‘family’. Smarts didn’t make you an Alpha though, and only Alphas could lead a mafia. WuFei rolled his eyes at the very thought, then turned them back to face the young woman currently on her knees begging his leader to give her a chance.

@miyurinq​

Heart (Ch. 21) https://archiveofourown.org/works/40914714/chapters/111206877

M/M, Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner

Quatre Raberba Winner, Trowa Barton, Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Chang Wufei

Not Rated, No Archive Warnings Apply, Post-Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, Minor Violence, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort

All Quatre wants is to help. Even when the war is over, so many people suffer because of the consequences. Helping rebuild is the least he can do. But he seems unlucky, things go wrong all the time and people get hurt.

Trowa hardly recognizes Quatre. He has changed and seems to have problems. He reluctantly tells him about his bad luck, but Trowa doubts that it's just "bad luck" and decides to investigate.

@vegalume

After https://archiveofourown.org/works/44199298

M/M, Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner

Trowa Barton, Duo Maxwell, Chang Wufei, Quatre Raberba Winner, Heero Yuy

Not Rated, No Archive Warnings Apply, Holidays, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, tiny bit of sad-feeling-ness, First Christmas Together, kisses and gifts

Wufei, Quatre and Heero are recalled from their missions and instructed to wait with Trowa and Duo, who were currently on Earth, until it is time for them to resume their missions.

Oh, and it's Christmas 🎄

Arts/Crafts/Photo Manips:

@ghost-proof

https://ghost-proof.tumblr.com/post/705843605972140032/the-season-premiere-of-rupauls-drag-race-had

Duo Maxwell, fanart

@imperviousmelodrama

https://www.tumblr.com/imperviousmelodrama/705927358525358080

Deathscythe, fanart

@noirangetrois​

https://www.tumblr.com/noirangetrois/171815436459/artist-rei

WuFei Chang, fanart by REI

Photosets/Gifsets/Screenshots/Manga Pages:

@fallenwingzero

https://fallenwingzero.tumblr.com/post/706270675613138944/i-love-that-noins-weird-american-western-style?_branch_match_id=1143012942983282777&utm_medium=Share&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXTyzRKynNTcop0kvOz9VPS8zJSc0rz8xLr0otytc3NzAzAmJzUzNDY0NjC0sTE31jw6qMDLM0MwPzdBMA8LY8bkQAAAA%3D

Noin, Zechs, Naina, official art

Head Canons/Meta:

@fallenwingzero

https://fallenwingzero.tumblr.com/post/706050300179529728/continuing-on-with-my-red-dead-online-duofather?_branch_match_id=1143012942983282777&utm_medium=Share&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAAwXBiQ2AIAwAwI1ohWDFbcDUJ%2BGRWmPC9N6dqvezAkQ1%2BpaUxWytwB5z5vpd9RgsDQhn9OgQJwreBrILSGDsVJLrPH4lT6OARAAAAA%3D%3D

Red Dead!Duo

Quotes:

@incorrectgundamwingquotes

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/705921238311305216/kidnappers-over-the-phone-weve-got-your

Kidnappers & Relena

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/705830682588495872/trowa-remember-bird-watching-goes-both

Trowa & Cathy

Calendar Events:

@gundamzine

Battle Scars and Kitchen Cabinets

Applicatons Open~ https://gundamzine.tumblr.com/post/705258971113619456/applications-are-open-to-apply-fill-in-the

Applications close on January 31st!

@gwcocktailfriday

Cocktail Fridays!

Post responses on Friday, during Happy Hour between 3 & 5 pm in your own timezone.

Here’s the prompt for Friday, January 20th! https://gwcocktailfriday.tumblr.com/post/706415628641320960/cocktail-friday-post-responses-on-friday-january

In need of prompts!

@gwlemonyshenanigans

Lemony Shenanigans 2023! https://gwlemonyshenanigans.tumblr.com/post/705715266075705344/hello-everyone-were-back-d-sign-ups-are-now

@thisweekingundamevents

Events Calendar https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/post/644080386309275648/events-calendar-update

If you are hosting an event currently, or are planning on one, hit us up with links and dates! We’ll add them to the Calendar and reblog your notices to get the word out!

GW Holiday Gift Exchange 2022

Rules https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/giftexchange

The full roundup of gifts will be posted on the 21st!

[khoicesbyk]

The Royal Romance.

Love Everlasting.

A/N: I had a different name and plot for this fic over a year ago. But after being in the RP community for more than a year, I've decided to write the current Royal Life of my favorite OTP.

Rated: Mature (at times can and will be Explicit. I'll be sure to change the rating when and if that happens). | Contains sexual content and strong language. (You know? The usual. Y'all should be used to this from me by now 😁) | Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters. | Main Characters: King Marquise Rys (LI) and Queen Shanelle Miller-Rys (MC) | All Characters and names: (except MC and original characters created by me and/or other authors [their characters have been mentioned and/or used in the story with their permission] ) are property of Pixelberry.

Current Word Count: 7K words. (may be slightly more or may be slightly less. Look, I stop counting after editing and re-editing and driving myself insane. 🤷🏾‍♀️)

If you’d like to be added to my tag list. Just reblog or dm me and I will gladly add you! 😁😘

This series is rated Mature and/or Explicit. It is NOT reading material that is safe for those under 18. Reader discretion is STRONGLY advised!

Missing a chapter or want to read a chapter again? I got you covered! Click ——> Here!

Tag List: @choicesficwriterscreations @shewillreadyou @txemrn @busywoman @peonierose @twinkleallnight

Chapter 13.) A Royal Debut.

Marquise felt like time had stood still. He couldn't breathe. His palms were sweaty. His heart raced. He was in total shock.

“Your Majesty?” Dr. Ramirez asks.

He blinked himself back to reality. 

“Say hello to your son, my King.”

He looked at his wife’s OB and it still didn't register.

Not until she placed the tiny newborn in his arms. 

“Congratulations to you and Her Majesty.”

He looked down at the baby in his arms. 

“My son…my son…”

He gently ran his thumb over the soft skin of the baby’s cheek.

“You're here. You’re really here.” 

His vision blurred as his eyes welled up with tears.

“My boy. My sweet beautiful boy. You’re here.” he said as he broke down into tears. 

His dream had finally come true. Shanelle had given birth to their eldest son. And the baby boy was safe in his arms. While his heart celebrated the birth of his second son, it also still mourns the death of his first. 

“Look at you. Look at how beautiful you are.” he said as he cried, “You’re so tiny. And so precious.”

Marquise didn't want to put him down but he knew his wife was anxious to hold him. He gently placed the baby in her arms where she lost it.

“My baby. My beautiful baby. You’re here. You’re real.” she said as she cradled their son.

This was an answered prayer. They prayed for this moment. Ever since they lost their first child. And now that prayer has been answered.

“Your Majesties?” their nurse asked, breaking their reverie. 

Shanelle looked up at the nurse.

“Do you have a name for your son?” she asks.

Shanelle nodded as she took a steadying breath.

“Yes. His name is Kylo Jeremiah Rys.” Shanelle replies.

The nurse nodded as she wrote his name down.

“Very well. I will register his name and give you both a few minutes. We still have one more to go.”

Shanelle nodded before looking down at their son.

“Kylo Jeremiah Rys,” she whispered.

Marquise wrapped his arms around her and their baby.

“First Prince Of Cordonia.” Marquise quipped.

Shanelle smiled tearily.

“Eldest Son Of The King Of Cordonia.”

“First Heir Of The Queen Of Cordonia.”

“First Heir Of The Queen?” she asks. 

“Yes. The twins are officially your heirs to the throne. After all, The Royal Family is essentially two families in one. And Because Khari is my heir to the throne. Or at least the boys will be once the paperwork is filed. So no one can say our children aren't the heirs.” 

Shanelle smiled softly at her husband.

“Congratulations my love, you finally have your son.”

Marquise looked at her as she held the baby close to her heart.

“All because of you. You gave me our son. This beautiful boy is here because of you.”

“I don't want to let him go. I just want to stay in this moment forever.”

She kissed their son's forehead before handing him back to his father. 

“My sweet boy. I swear to you that I will always be here. I will always love you. I will always protect you. I will always defend you.” he said with tears in his eyes. “I refuse to fail you. Like I failed your brother.”

Shanelle laid her head on his shoulder, rubbing his arm. 

“I wasn't there for him or your mother. I couldn't save him. I failed him. And I will never forgive myself for that. But with God as my witness, I swear I will never fail you, your brother, or your sister. I will never be able to forgive or live with myself if I ever do.” 

He held his son close to his heart as tears streamed down his face.

“I love you so much, my beautiful little love. You will always be safe in my arms.” 

He was obsessed. His son is here. He's safe. He's healthy. He's alive. This moment is what Marquise asked, begged, and prayed to God for.

When Kylo quietly fell asleep in his arms, Marquise handed him to the nurse who had quietly reentered the room.

“I promise you, Your Majesty, we will take good care of the little Prince while you wait for his brother,” she said, smiling warmly. 

Marquise nodded before going to check on his wife.

“How are you feeling my love?” he quietly asked.

“Exhausted. Elated. Scared. Still wondering if I'm dreaming.” Shanelle replied. 

“I know. I'm still in shock.”

She looked at him, tears shining in her eyes.

“We did it, baby. We finally have the son we prayed for.”

Marquise shook his head.

“You. You did it. You blessed our family. I am eternally grateful to you. For your love. For your grace. For your poise. For your patience. And for your sacrifice. Our family is complete because of you.”

“You deserve credit too, Marquise.”

“No, I don't. I didn't do anything. You did. You nurtured our children. Followed the orders and advice of your doctors. Even when you were exhausted from the process, you stayed the course. All I did was watch you go through the emotions and physical changes. Our children…our family is blessed because of you.”

“You still deserve credit. Everything I felt, I took it out on you. And I'm sorry. But after 9 months look at where we are. Our son is here. And soon his brother will be too.”

Shanelle took a breath. 

“Are you okay, love?” he asked. 

“Yeah, but I think he's ready. Go get the nurse,” she replies. 

Marquise nodded before going to get her nurse and Doctor Ramirez. 

“Well, my Queen. This is it. Are you ready?” Dr. Ramirez asked Shanelle. 

“Yes. I'm ready to meet my baby,” she replied. 

“My King, are you ready?” Dr. Ramirez asked him. 

“Beyond ready!” he replied. 

“Okay. Take a deep breath my Queen. And on the count of three, you’re going to push. One…two…three…Push!” 

Shanelle took a deep breath, squeezed her husband’s hand, and pushed with everything she had in her. And soon a baby’s cry was heard. When Shanelle looked up, Dr. Ramirez held their son in her arms. 

“Congratulations again Your Majesties. Your son is here.” 

Shanelle’s vision blurred as the tears welled in her eyes. The moment she had been patiently waiting nine whole months for was finally here. Her sons, her Princes, her boys, her babies, are finally here. They're alive. They're healthy. They're safe. After Marquise cut the cord, Dr. Ramirez placed the baby in her arms, she thought she would drop him. He was so little. 

“Look at you. Look at how small you are. My son. You’re here. You’re actually here.”

She was enamored with him. 

“No wonder I had so much heartburn and indigestion. You and your brother have heads full of beautiful hair.”

There was no bigger joy than this. 

“You're so small. I never thought I could love someone this much.” 

Shanelle looked at her husband who was in tears himself. 

“Say hello to your Daddy baby. He's been waiting to meet you,” she whispered to the baby. 

“My Queen. Do you have a name for the baby?” her nurse asked. 

“Yes. His name is Zyon Shomari Rys.” Shanelle replied. 

The nurse nodded. 

“It's a beautiful name for him, ma'am. Congratulations again to you and His Majesty.”

Shanelle smiled at her nurse before turning to her husband. 

“Come meet your son.” 

She gently placed the baby in his arms and he was a mess of tears all over again. 

“I love you. I love you so much little one. I can't believe you’re here. You and your brother are here. I asked God for one healthy baby and he gave me you two. You and Kylo. My sweet boys. My loves. Thank you for choosing me and your mother. I will always love you. I will always protect you. I will always defend you. You, your brother, and your sister are the reasons why my heart beats.”

Soon the newborn was on his way to the nursery and His Majesty was just beside himself. His wife had safely and successfully given birth to their children. He was in awe of her. Her power, her patience, her strength, all of it enamored him. 

He pulled his chair up to her bed as he looked at his wife and she smiled at him. 

“What is it?” she asked softly. 

“You. You amaze me. You mesmerize me.” he replied as he gently ran a thumb across her forehead, “I know you’re exhausted. But I…I just want you to know how eternally grateful I am for you. You did it. You pushed through an unimaginable pain to bring our boys into this world. They're here because of you. I love you so much. I will never be able to repay you for giving me the ultimate gift of fatherhood.” 

He gently took her left hand in his, wrapped his right arm around her, and laid his head against hers. 

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you. But I will never stop loving or appreciating you. You are the love, strength, and backbone of our family.”

Marquise squeezed his eyes shut to hold back tears. 

“My Warrior. My Goddess.”

“A Warrior Goddess?” she asked. 

“Who needs Xena when I have you?” he replies. 

She chuckled softly before letting out a yawn. 

“You must be exhausted, my love. So get some rest.”

“Stay with me? At least until I fall asleep.”

He kissed her forehead softly. 

“I am at your side, My Queen. I am always at your side.”

He held her until he heard her snoring lightly. He felt as if his heart would explode when he looked at her.  He watched her chest rise and fall peacefully as she slept. He moved a few stray strands of hair from her face. 

“Je t'aime mon amour. Je suis entièrement et entièrement à vous. Je serai toujours à toi. Merci pour tout ce que vous m'avez toujours donné,” he whispered, before kissing her forehead and quietly leaving her room. 

Once outside Marquise took a deep steadying breath. The reality of the situation was starting to set in. He's a father again. There was no more waiting for his sons to arrive. They're here. And he still has so much to do. He has to formally announce their births but first, he has to tell their daughter. 

When Marquise finally arrived back at the residence of the palace, he was greeted by Margo and Shanelle’s parents. 

“Why are the three of you still awake?” he asked. 

“They were waiting to hear from you. I'm just here as moral support,” Damien replies. 

Marquise snorted. 

“Well?” Shantel and Margo ask impatiently. 

Marquise chuckled before choking up again. 

“They're here. My boys are finally here,” he replied. 

Margo and Shantel looked at each other before squealing happily at the news. 

“That is fantastic! Congratulations Your Majesty.” Damien said to Marquise. 

The grandmothers couldn't get enough of the news. 

“They're here! Our grandsons are here.” Margo exclaimed. 

“This is everything we wanted to hear. Our grandbabies are here.” Shantel added. 

Margo hugged her son. 

“Congratulations my son. Your family has been blessed beyond measure. And you…you finally have the sons you always wanted.” 

He hugged her. 

“Merci Maman. You are as much a part of my family as anyone. Je t'aime.” he said to Margo. 

“Je t'aime aussi mon garçon. Papa serait si fier. Et ta mère aussi.” she replies. 

“You look exhausted Marquise. You should get some rest.” Damien said to his son-in-law. 

“I said the same thing to your daughter.” 

“Go rest, honey. We’ll celebrate later.” Shantel added. 

Marquise nodded before yawning. He watched his in-laws and mom walk down the hall before turning in the direction of his bedroom. He had just enough energy to take a hot shower and change into something to sleep in before inevitably crashing. 

When he woke up later, he had a renewed energy. His first task was telling their daughter that her brothers were here. After freshening up, Marquise was off to see his baby girl. 

When he entered her room, she was sitting on her bed reading her favorite story to their corgi quartet and her kitten Paisley. When she looked up from her book and smiled at him. 

“Hi, Daddy!”

“Good morning my love!” he said to her as he sat down on the edge of her bed, “Did you sleep well sweetness?” 

“Uh-huh! When did you get home?” she asks. 

“Earlier this morning. You were still asleep. And I didn't want to disturb you,” he replied. 

“Is Mommy getting ready for breakfast?” she asks. 

“No mon amour. Mommy isn't here. She's at the hospital.” 

“Is mommy okay?” she asks. 

“Yes. Mommy is just fine. As a matter of fact, I have some very exciting news for you,” he replies. 

“What is it, Daddy?” she asks as she climbed into his lap. 

“Mommy gave birth earlier this morning. Your brothers are here,” he replied. 

“They're here?” she asked. 

“Yes, my love. And I can't wait for you to meet them,” he replies. 

He watched her face light up. 

“They're here! They're here! They're here!” she cheered. 

He loved seeing the excitement and love in her eyes. 

“Will we go see them, Daddy?” she asks. 

“Yes, my love. But first, we have to make a very big announcement,” he replied. 

“We do?” she asks. 

“Yes. We have to announce that the boys are here,” he replies. 

“Yay! Let's go, Daddy!” 

There was a knock at Khari’s door before Margo entered the room. An animated Khari made a beeline for her. 

“Grammy! Grammy! Grammy! Grammy! Guess what! Guess what! Guess what!” 

“Yes? What is it, my sweet?” Margo asks. 

“Mommy gave birth! My brothers are here! They're really here!” Khari replies. 

Margo chuckled. 

“I know my sweet. Your grandparents and I stayed awake until your father came home and told us the great news. Are you excited my Princess?” Margo asks. 

“Yeah! I get to a big sister Grammy. That's a very big job.” Khari replied. 

“Indeed it is my love. But Grammy and I have all the confidence in the world that you will be the best big sister ever.” Marquise quipped. 

“Your father's right. You will be the best big sister ever.” Margo added. 

Khari nodded. 

“But first Daddy says that we have to make a big announcement and tell everybody that my brothers are here.” 

“Well then! We'd better find you an outfit.”

“Yeah! It's gotta be something big and pretty!” Khari said before running into her closet with the corgis and Paisley hot on her heels. 

This caused Marquise and Margo to laugh. 

“I've never seen her so excited before.”

“She just became a big sister, Maman. It's to be expected.”

“This is true. And how are you?” Margo asks. 

Marquise smiled. 

“I feel like I'm dreaming. Like I should be waking up any moment now. I'm still in shock. I held them Maman. I held them both. And it hasn't registered that I did.” he replies. 

“I'm sure son. This was everything you always prayed for. It's everything Papa and I always wanted for you.” 

Marquise shook his head with a smile. 

“God I miss him so much. He’d be so thrilled.”

“Hah! Thrilled nothing! He would be marching up and down the halls with his chest out saying that not only are his grandsons here but he finally has his golf proteges. He'd be especially happy that they were born today.”

“Why?” he asks. 

“It's our wedding anniversary today,” she replies. 

Marquise winced. 

“I totally forgot I'm so sorry.”

Margo patted his arm affectionately. 

“It's alright my son. Papa wouldn't have paid attention anyway with the boys being born today.”

“I promise. We'll visit him together soon.”

Margo smiled. 

“Very well my King. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to help my granddaughter get ready.” 

Marquise pulled her into a warm loving hug that she returned. 

“Somewhere in heaven, Ellie is smiling because she is even prouder of you than I am. And she loves you just as much as I do. Maybe even a little more. Always know that.”

Marquise kissed Margo on the cheek before leaving to go get ready. 

As the King got ready, he felt a strange sense of nervousness. The announcement of the birth in the Royal Family was common yet this felt monumentous. For the first time since his birth was announced, Cordonia would have not one but two Princes. 

But what made him nervous was he wondered if he would end up making the same mistakes with his boys as his own father made with him. He was so lost in thought he didn't hear his father-in-law walk into the holding room outside the throne room.

“Are you alright, Marquise? You seem a million miles away.” Damien asks. 

“Huh? Oh! Yeah. I'm fine. Hell, I’m more than fine. I was just lost in thought.” Marquise replies. 

“Something troubling you?” Damien asks. 

Marquise sighed. 

“Yes? No? I don’t know?” Marquise replies. 

Damien gestured to the chairs for them to sit down. 

“What's wrong son?” Damien asks. 

“I'm excited. I'm exhausted. I'm so full of happiness and joy and love. But I can't shake this nagging voice in the back of my head.” Marquise replied. 

“What is it saying?” Damien asks. 

“It keeps saying that I'll be no better of a father to my boys than he was to me,” Marquise replies. 

Damien nodded in understanding.

“Let me ask you this. Do you think you and Constantine are the same in terms of fatherhood?” Damien asks. 

“No. We are indeed night and day. He abandoned his children whereas I would die for mine. But I also know that he lives with me. As much as I despise him, I can't ignore the fact that parts of him are a part of me.” Marquise replies. 

“This is true. And while we grew up together in a sense, I didn't know your father all that well. But you do. No one knows Constantine quite like you. And you have worked hard to not repeat his mistakes. Now I'm sure there are parts of you that are just like him. But there are parts of you that are just like Eleanor. While I never met her formally, my mother did. And she always spoke of her gentleness, of her kindness, and when I look at you, I see that in you. Yes, you and I don't always get along, but even I know how much of an amazing father you are. I see how much of an outstanding husband you are. I say all of that to say this, you'll be just fine. You'll continue to figure out this whole trial-and-error journey of fatherhood. And you'll love and protect and defend like you always have.”

Marquise nodded at Damien gratefully. 

“Thank you. I know I shouldn't be in my head but sometimes I can't help it.”

“I understand that. Every father has that nagging voice in their head, even me.” 

“Really?” Marquise asked. 

“Just because she's a Queen doesn't make Shanelle any less my daughter. I will always worry about and for her. I'm not saying that I don't trust you to keep her safe and protected, it's just sometimes I can't help but wonder if she is truly safe.” 

“I get that. And to that, I can assure you that I take her and Khari and now the boys’ safety seriously.” 

Damien nodded. 

“I know you do.” 

As they walked out of the holding room they were greeted by Khari and both of her grandmothers.

“Look at Pop Pop’s sunshine! You look beautiful.”

Khari curtsied to her grandfather. 

“Thank you Pop Pop. What do you think Daddy?” Khari asks.

“You look ever a vision like your mother, my love.” 

“Thank you, Daddy. Are you ready for the announcement?”

“Yes, my love.”

Before taking his daughter’s hand Marquise looked at Damien. 

“I might be a bit busy today so can you start the paperwork on the boys’ official titles for me?” 

“I would be honored. Now you two go.” Damien replies. 

Marquise nodded before taking Khari’s hand and walking into the throne room. They made their way to the thrones where the press was already gathered. With Khari sitting on his lap, Marquise cleared his throat, quieting down the voices in the room.

“Good morning everyone! I know it's a bit early to be awake on a Sunday but I do thank you all for being here. I assure you all that this won't take long. On behalf of my wife, my daughter and I have a very special announcement to make.”

Khari nodded before looking up at her dad. 

“Can I say it Daddy?” she asked. 

“Go ahead, my love,” he replies. 

Khari smiled brightly. 

“My baby brothers are here!!” she announced. 

“My daughter is correct. Earlier this morning, shortly after returning to Cordonia, Her Majesty was taken to St. Regis Memorial Hospital where she gave birth to our sons. Prince Kylo Jeremiah Rys and Prince Zyon Shomari Rys. I can assure all of you that mother and babies are doing quite well.”

Many of the press began excitedly talking at once. 

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! On behalf of everyone at the CBC, I'd like to congratulate you and Her Majesty on the birth of your sons.” Donnie Brine spoke up. 

“Thank you, Donnie! We are overjoyed and completely grateful and blessed.” Marquise replies. 

“And happy too!” Khari chimed in. 

“How are you feeling, Your Majesty?” Donnie asks. 

“I am everywhere at once. I feel everything. Joy, excitement, gratefulness, thankfulness, adoration, shock, intimidation, and love. This moment has been a long time coming. And now it's here.” Marquise replies. 

Donnie looked at a smiling Khari with a gentle smile. 

“And how about you Princess? Are you excited to be a big sister?” 

Khari nodded. 

“Yeah. I can't wait to see my Mommy and meet my brothers too.”

“That's great, Your Highness.”

Marquise cleared his throat. 

“Now I would love to take more of your questions but I think this little one is anxious to meet her brothers. So I thank you all for being here this morning. I will have an official statement for you all very soon.” 

He looked to Khari. 

“You ready to go?” he asked. 

Khari nodded enthusiastically as she took his hand. 

“Yeah! But first, we have to get Mommy some flowers,” she replies. 

“Very well, my love. Now let's go see your mother.”

Soon, they departed the palace for a local flower shop and then to the hospital to see Shanelle and the twins. Khari couldn't run out of the elevator fast enough. 

“Whoa! Wait for me!” Marquise said to his daughter as she raced down the hall. She stopped when she got to her mother’s door. 

“Sorry, Daddy. I forgot you’re not fast anymore.” 

Marquise made a face at his daughter. 

“You're lucky I love you.”

Khari knocked on the door before they went inside. 

“Mommy!” Khari said before running to her mother. 

“There's my girl.” 

Khari threw her arms around her mom. 

“Are you okay Mommy?” 

“Yes, baby. I'm okay.”

“We brought you flowers, Mommy.”

“Thank you Peanut. They're beautiful.”

“Are my brothers here?”

Shanelle nodded to the corner of the room. 

“They're right over there.”

“Can I see them?” 

“Of course baby. Go on over with Daddy.”

“Come on, my love.”

Marquise led Khari over to where the boys were resting. 

“Say hello to your brothers, Princess.”

She was in awe. 

“They're so little Daddy.” she said as she looked at them, “Hi Kylo. Hi Zyon. I'm your big sister. We're gonna have so much fun.”

It was at that moment her parents knew she was in love. 

“Can I hold them, Daddy?” 

“Of course my love. Here, have a seat by your mother.”

Khari sat down on the bed with her mother behind her. Marquise placed both boys in their sister’s arms. 

“They're so small. They're like little dolls. And they're warm.” Khari said as she held her brothers, “I want to hold them forever.”

Seeing the love she had for her brothers, melted her parents’ hearts. Eventually, she gave her brothers back to her father. After spending all day around the boys, Khari found herself laying in her mother’s arms. 

“When do the boys and Mommy get to come home?” 

“Tomorrow babe. We'll be home tomorrow.”

“Okay Mommy,” 

“My sweet girl. You’re gonna be the best big sister ever.”

Khari nodded before laying her head on her mom’s shoulder. As Shanelle held her daughter close she glanced over at her husband who winked at her, making her smile at him. 

“Mommy?”

“Yes, babe?”

“Are you happy?”

Shanelle nodded. 

“Yes, baby. I'm very happy. Because I have you, your pigheaded Daddy, Pop Pop, both of your Grammies and now I have your brothers.” 

Kharu nodded with a smile. 

“I'm happy too. We have a big family now.”

“Yes, we do.”

Khari snuggled in her mother’s arms then slowly and accidentally fell asleep. When Shanelle looked down she smiled softly. 

“And she's out.”

Marquise chuckled. 

“Like a light. I should get her back home.”

“Okay. Thank you for bringing her.”

“Always my love. I'll be back after I put her to bed.”

“Okay. I'll see you when you get back.”

With a sweet kiss to his wife, the King gathered his sleeping daughter in his arms and took her home. True to his word, His Majesty was back at the hospital that evening. Watching his wife and sons as they slept. It was at this quiet moment that his heart continued to swell. The peace that settled over him was a feeling that he wanted to have bottled. 

He moved a few strands of her hair from her face, causing Shanelle to stir from her sleep, and smiled at him. 

“Hey, handsome.”

“Hey yourself beautiful. I didn't mean to wake you up.”

“It's okay. I'm just glad you’re here.”

“I'll always be here love.”

Shanelle smiled softly. 

“You know it hasn't hit me yet.”

“What?” he asked. 

“Reality. I still think I'm pregnant. Like I'm in a dream and when I wake up I'm still gonna have this huge stomach.” she replies. 

“I know the feeling. Like we should still be waiting for the boys to get here.”

“Exactly. But nope. They're here. Our boys are finally here.” 

“We have never been more blessed.”

“No, we haven't. And that's a blessing in and of itself.”

Shanelle nodded with a smile. 

“Thank you.”

“For what? I haven't done anything. At least not lately.”

“For being the amazing father that you are. My children could never ask for a better Daddy than you.”

Marquise chuckled softly. 

“You let the world tell the story, and they'll say I don't deserve you or our children. But I will never stop proving my undying love and utter devotion to them or you.” 

Shanelle ran her thumb over his cheek. 

“I love you.”

He softly kissed the knuckles of her left hand. 

“I love you too, my Queen. Always and forevermore.” 

The next day it was time to head home and Shanelle couldn't wait. While the staff at the hospital were nothing short of fantastic, she was ready to go home and get in her own bed. With the boys safely in their carriers, The Royals headed back to the residence where her parents, Margo, and Khari eagerly awaited their arrival. 

“Welcome home Mommy!” Khari said as she greeted her parents. 

“Thank you, baby. It's good to be home.” Shanelle replies. 

Shanelle greeted her parents as well. 

“Hi, mama. Hi Daddy.” 

Damien wrapped his daughter in a loving hug. 

“How are you my darling?” he asks.

“Tired but I'll be okay Daddy,” she replied. 

Her mother couldn't get enough of the boys. 

“Look at them. My precious grandbabies. I am going to spoil you two rotten!” 

Shanelle shook her head with a smile. 

“Welcome home Your Majesty. And congratulations on the birth of your sons.” Margo said to Shanelle. 

“Thank you, Margo. Now go love on your grandsons.”

It did Shanelle’s heart good to see her babies receive so much love. After spending the day with family and getting the boys settled in their new nursery and opening the gift box she received from Vescovi Boutique’s new baby line, Shanelle was finally able to climb into her bed and relax. 

“God I've missed this bed,” she said with a sigh of contentment. 

“I'm sure you have.” Marquise quipped. 

“And I missed food. I missed real food. Don't get me wrong, the food at the hospital was decent, but I missed food that didn't taste sterilized.” 

Marquise chuckled as he wrapped her in his arms. 

“Well now that you're home, you can have whatever you like. And it won't taste sterilized.”

“Thank God. But you know what I missed most of all?” 

“What?” he asks. 

“You. I missed being with you. I missed being in your arms.” she replies. 

Marquise tightened his arms around her. 

“I missed you too. I hate being in this bed without you.”

“You're spoiled, Your Majesty.”

“Pot. Kettle.”

“Touchè.”

The two snuggled together, enjoying a quiet moment together until the baby monitor on Marquise’s nightstand crackled to life. 

“It seems it's time to feed the boys.”

“Okay, I'll go.”

He stopped her. 

“Nope. I will. You rest.”

“You sure?” she asked. 

“Positive. You did most of the heavy lifting so get some rest.” he replies. 

“I love you so much right now.”

Marquise chuckled before kissing her forehead. 

“I love you too.”

The next two weeks were a blur of diapers, feedings, bottles, sponge baths, and uneven sleep schedules for the new parents. But they handled it beautifully. They took turns so one could rest and so the boys could get used to either parent being alone with them as well as together. 

While their daughter was at school they were enjoying a quiet moment walking down the hall with the boys. Shanelle was tickled with how animated her husband was with their sons. 

“You are too cute, you know that?” 

“Thank you. I love talking to them.”

He rocked Zyon as they walked. 

“You’re a natural at this Daddy thing.”

He snickered. 

“Thanks. I have 5 years of experience.” 

The two laughed. It did his heart good to hear his wife laugh. 

“I love this feeling.”

“What feeling?” She asks. 

“This feeling of pure happiness. I have never been this happy.” He replies. 

Shanelle smiled. 

As they turned a corner, they were greeted by an attendant. 

“Pardon the interruption Your Majesties. But you have an audience waiting for you in the throne room.” she informed them. 

They looked at each other. 

“When did you put an audience on the schedule?” Shanelle asked. 

“I didn’t. I cleared our schedules through the end of the month.” He replied before turning to the attendant, “thank you.”

The attendant bowed then walked away. They looked at each other before Shanelle texted her parents. Asking them to meet them outside the side door to the throne room. 

“What is it butterfly?” Shantel asked her daughter. 

“Someone is waiting for us in the throne room. So we need you and Daddy to take the boys if you two don’t mind.” Shanelle replies. 

“Of course.” Shantel said as she took Kylo from her.

“Can I be of assistance?” Damien asks. 

“No but thank you. I’m sure it’s nothing serious.” Marquise replies. 

With their children safely with their grandparents, The Royals stepped into the throne room to some unexpected guests. 

“What are you doing here?” Shanelle asked. 

They were greeted by Genevieve and two other guests. 

“Well hello to you too, niece. And to you as well Your Majesty. I heard the great news. Congratulations on the birth of your sons.” Genevieve replies. 

Shanelle and Marquise looked at each other. 

“You requested an audience?” Marquise asked. 

“Yes I did. I had to come see and congratulate the two people who ruined my life on their two new bundles of joy.” Genevieve replied. 

“The two people who ruined your life? What are you talking about?” Shanelle asks. 

“If it weren’t for you and your husband exposing your uncle I wouldn’t be a laughingstock among the court!” Genevieve sneered. Her face ugly. 

“With no due respect Genevieve, if your husband had kept his dick to himself you wouldn’t be in this situation. And the only reason the world knows he fathered a child is because Naya tried to use that pregnancy as an excuse to not be convicted of murder.” Marquise replies. 

“And you just had to tell the entire court!” Genevieve snapped at him. 

Marquise let out an annoyed sigh. 

“I’ll remind you to watch your tone, Genevieve. My wife and I are not your children nor are we your staff. When you speak to me or her you will be respectful of our titles.”

“You think you scare me?! Without me you wouldn’t be King!” 

“I became King because my cousin’s mother took him out of the line of succession when my uncle died and my brother abdicated. And before you tell me how your kingdom was stolen from you and your children, South Cordonia was never meant to be yours or Edward’s. Your father-in-law, King Dominic made sure my wife would be the next monarch. Because at that time not only was she the oldest living child of the Miller Clan but he was still King when she was crowned Princess. Not that I need to remind you of this.” 

Genevieve looked at him indignantly. 

“Now why are you here? And don't lie to me.” Marquise said. 

“I'm here in an official capacity as a representative of the next Head Of State Of Comery Isle.” 

“Is that why Former Prime Minister Ballenger’s grandson and I assume his wife are sitting on my thrones?” Marquise asked. 

Genevieve nodded. Seemingly impressed. 

“Very good. The hollow King knows his nobles. Yes, that's them.” she replies, “Marquise, Shanelle, meet Lord and Lady Alden Douglas Joseph of Gallagher. The next Heads Of State Of Comery Isle. My Lord and Lady meet your sad excuses for Monarchs.” 

“Do you enjoy your life and the comfort it provides you, Genevieve?” Shanelle asked. 

“I earned the comfort my life provides me!” Genevieve snapped at Shanelle. 

“Then if you want to continue enjoying that comfort you'll respect my husband and his title as YOUR King as well as my own. Don't you ever forget that I control what you get from the Monarchy.” 

Genevieve scoffed. 

“And you had the nerve to call me and your uncle tyrants.”

“I never wreaked havoc on the people or the economy of this kingdom. But you did. So yes, you and your husband, separated or not, were indeed tyrants.”

Marquise cleared his throat. 

“Now that we know who's with you, you can get on with the reason why you're here.”

“As I said, I'm here as a representative of the next Head Of State.”

“Okay. You could've just sent that in writing to the campaign committee.”

Genevieve smiled venomously. 

“Why do that when I can happily inconvenience you and my niece? Besides, I wanted Lord Joseph to see you up close so he knows the type of watered-down leadership that he would be dealing with now that he's the next Head Of State.” 

Lord Joseph finally spoke. 

“I'm glad she did. It's high time someone stood up to the tyranny of you and your highly unqualified wife.” 

“Highly unqualified you say? Then I guess that includes your grandfather.”

“Unlike this Queen, my grandfather served this kingdom with distinction!”

“While feeding state secrets to Auvernal when they tried to force our daughter into a betrothal and attempted a hostile takeover.” 

Lord Joseph stood stock still. 

“The schmuck you call a grandfather was willing to sell this kingdom out for a check. Oh! You thought my husband and I didn't know? Why do you think the man is in exile now?” Shanelle asked. 

Lord Joseph kept his mouth shut. 

“That's what I thought.”

Meanwhile, Marquise tilted his head to the right. 

“Hello, Makenna. It's been a while since you and I have seen each other.” 

“Not long enough Marquise.” 

“It's Your Majesty.”

“I don't care what it is.” Lady Makenna sneered. 

Marquise rolled his eyes and then turned to his wife. 

“My love, meet Lady Makenna Laurent-Joseph. Aka Naya’s cousin.”

“Your ex has a cousin?” Shanelle asks. 

“Yes. She, Geoffrey, and Lord Joseph are the same age.” Marquise replies. 

Shanelle nodded. 

“Charmed I'm sure.”

Makenna scoffed. 

“Of all the women in this world for you to choose from, you pick this bleating sheep to be your wife Marquise?” Makenna asks before shaking her head, “Such a shame. But not surprising given how much of a failure you've always been.” 

“Your cousin didn't seem to think so.”

“My cousin was a fool! Falling for you was the worst thing she could ever do!”

Marquise raised an eyebrow. 

“How is King Elgin doing Kenna?” Marquise asked. 

“My uncle is none of your concern!” Makenna replies. 

“Oh well since he's no longer my concern, I can tell the Monarchy to stop paying for his dialysis treatments now.”

Makenna fumed. 

“If you dare…” she sneered. 

“Careful my Lady. You don't want to end up like your cousin.” Shanelle warned her. 

When Makenna backed down Marquise turned his attention back to Lord Joseph. 

“If you plan to run for the Head Of State, be my guest, and should you win, I will do my job as your King and congratulate you. But don't let the power go to your head. Because just like I told Edwin, I reserve the right to remove anyone from their position.” 

Lord Joseph took a menacing step toward Marquise. 

“I look forward to the day your reign as King goes down in flames.”

Marquise cleared his throat. 

“My Lord. Don't ever forget that your station is LIGHT YEARS BELOW mine. Don't ever threaten me. It never ends well.” Marquise said to him, “And oh! Don't you ever touch MY Thrones again!” 

“So dramatic! This isn't a threat, Your Majesty. It's a preview. To let you and your wife know that I am a wolf. And I will not play nice with bleating sheep!” 

“Guards!” Marquise commanded, “Get these people out of my throne room.”

The couple watched as their guests were ushered out of the throne room. 

“They're going to be a problem I see.” Shanelle quipped.  

Marquise nodded resolutely. 

“Nothing we can't handle, my love.” 

“True. Now let's go see what my parents are up to.”

Marquise led his wife out of the throne room and down the hall. The next few days were filled with family, fun, fellowship, and the twins’ first Thanksgiving of many. This was all Marquise wanted. He even took time out to honor his mother on the 25th anniversary of her death. As hard as the day was for him, he was comforted by the fact he had his family all under one roof. 

That following Monday, the elections for Comery Isle had concluded and the winner was announced. Marquise and Shanelle were in his office when the results were announced. As predicted Lord Joseph won by a landslide over his opponents.

“Well, it's official. Lord Joseph is the new Head Of State.” Shanelle said to her husband. 

“So it would seem,” he replied before taking a sip of his whiskey, “but we needn't worry though. Always remember Comery Isle is still under your jurisdiction, my love. You are the Queen. No one bullies you. You are the one who sets the tone and the standards.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Good as long as you know.”

Just then Marquise’s phone buzzed. 

“What is it?” Shanelle asked. 

“The latest news on the kingdom of Gemmora,” he replies. 

“What's the latest?” she asks. 

“It's up for grabs,” he replies. 

“What?! What about King Eli and Queen Vanda?” 

“According to this press release the Gemmoran High Court has decided not to award control to either and instead will sell the kingdom to the highest bidder.”

“Wooow! Their divorce cost them both. So what happens now?” Shanelle asks. 

“Simple. We enter and win the bidding war to acquire Gemmora,” he replies. 

“No, we are not.” 

“Yes, we are.”

“No. We're not. We don't need Gemmora.”

“I'm not about to just let it sit there.”

“We already have Auvernal to the west and Monterisso to the south. We do not need Gemmora.”

“Yeah well, we're getting it.”

“Oh My God! You're being greedy.”

“Don't act like this isn't a great opportunity.” 

Shanelle crossed her arms and challenged her husband. 

“Okay, Your Majesty. Convince me to agree to this.” 

Marquise raised an eyebrow at her. 

“Gemmora is home to the largest Nintendo manufacturing plant outside of Japan. The jobs from that plant alone will bolster our kingdom’s economy. It will give us a chance to have land that will not be given to the nobility first for once. Their schools and educational system is one of the best in the world. Think of what that will do, not just for our children but all of the children of our kingdom. On top of the fact that their Aerodynamics sector is the best in all of Europe. They're a leader in cancer research and cure development. On top of the fact that it would be nice to acquire the homeland of my grandmother.” 

“Your grandmother is from Gemmora?” Shanelle asks. 

“Yes. Her father was a well known Duke in Gemmora before her family fled when she was a child to Cordonia during WWI and she met my grandfather,” he replies. 

“What is it with you Rys men and marrying outsiders?” Shanelle asks. 

Marquise chuckled and shrugged. 

“Okay fine, since I know you'll never let this go.”

“See? I knew you would eventually see things my way. Besides, Drakovia has wanted Gemmora for decades. So that means beating Queen Viktoria at her own game.” 

“You are so cocky,” Shanelle said with a laugh, “Okay. Go win us a kingdom, Your Majesty. Don't lose.”

“Always remember, I don't lose. I either win or I learn.”

“No one knows that more than me,” Shanelle said with a wink. 

Marquise winked back at her. This was his chance to expand his kingdom’s borders further north and east. And he is determined to take it. 

[scrunglepaws]

Is that SAILS doing the Captain Morgan??? Because PIRATE? (Yes). :D Anyway, if you want to hear me ramble about character design-

So! Sails! He's a pirate, so going with an ocean theme was pretty standard, but my little goober also has a romance theme! Because: he played a lute that one time -> he loves music -> I was like dang that makes me think of this lute-sounding song (idk if it's even a lute; I'm musically inept) and it's called the Romantic Sea of Tranquility -> I guess he's a sappy romantic now.

Fun fact: He's also a shipper, which is a completely unintentional joke. fgfdgdf

ANYWAY, he's got the lil wave marks in his ears and on his tails. The ones in his ears double as a heart to hit both themes at once, heck yeah! I was originally drawing the waves on his tails like giant, curvy ones but it was really hard to draw consistently and looked weird at certain angles. Then I had the Big Brain thought to do the generic, little waves. At the time, I hadn't drawn Kit as much and didn't realize this was also in his design. xD However! I FINALLY memorized which direction Kit's waves go in, and they're actually the opposite of Sails'. So I'll finally draw their tail swooshes consistently from now on. Hooray!

I considered changing Sails' tails to more gay little hearts (can never have enough gay little hearts!!! :3). But it looked too prim and neat, so I threw that idea out (this bitch scrungly). I did, however, add some more hearts to his ears- on the back! A broken heart and a happy heart, for his past and future. Hopefully Kit doesn't die so he doesn't have to get his other ear ripped off... >_>; But yeah, Sails has darker colored ears now. Which contradicts something from the first chapter of Aquarius, but you know what? Oh well. I don't think it will break the reader's immersion to have a tiny detail changed, so I won't let it bother me either. (Can you tell I struggled with this and it bothered me a lot kfklgfdl). I'm still debating about giving him darker paws/feets, but I'm really unsure about it. On one hand, they look really cute! Because sock markings on animals are stinkin' cute! But design-wise, it would ruin how nicely his darks/lights are broken up with his current clothing design. And I don't want to change it- I really like drawing his clothes (other than the head scarf)! So yeah... Dunno on that one. Most likely won't add them, though. I will, however, be making more of an effort to remember to draw the scar under his eye. I draw it much more exaggerated than it actually is, but that's fine because it adds to the overall scrungliness and makes him look like a tired old man. Which is good, because he is supposed to look older than he actually is. Living life on the salty ocean with the sun beating on you, constant stress from fighting/ect survival hardships, poor hygiene and nutrition... Doesn't do wonders for the complexion, or so I've heard.

Anyway, back to tails! I want my main dudes (aka Kaleidoscope + Someplace Tails variants) to have distinct enough designs that you wouldn't look at them and think they were clones of each other. Just weirdly similar instead. Because, in both AUs, they're actually not different versions of Tails! They're just coincidentally freakishly similar dudes from different planets. Because I said so. So we've got Nine (smooth, noodly thin tail with a tiny white tip), Tails (average, slightly bushy tail), Mangey (long, voluminous, BUSHY, styled tail with a red-typed tip), and... Well CaveTails isn't part of the main four, but he also has a distinctly tiny, SCRUNGLY tail, so I put it there. ANYWAY, then there was Sails. I could never decide exactly how I wanted his tails to differ in volume/texture/ect. I couldn't just go with a generic scrungly/scruffy, because honestly that's all of them (other than Nine and his extra short fur)! Then I thought, well, he's a pirate. He's been in a lot of scraps- he has some scars and he's missing an ear. What if he's missing some tail? And because I want these designs to be quick and fun for me to draw, I had to convey this in a way that was pretty simple. So I just tried rounding off the tip a bit, making it look just a little flat/chopped off. Which reminded me of how I draw a certain original species of mine's tails... That look like this nonsense:

And I was like shit... That's it. I've solved Sails' tails. They're fun as SHIT to draw and they look hella scrungly, but also soft and floofy at the same time. Perfect. 10/10. Very him.

Oh, and another quick note: I was fussing with differentiating his hair from Tails' SO MUCH. I tried making it wavy, bushier, swooping a different way, giving him a ponytail, but nothing seemed right. For the most part, I couldn't draw them consistently at all angles, or they weren't scrungly enough. It never occurred to me to make it scrunglier by making his hair SHORTER. Which, I did. It's probably too subtle for anyone to notice but me, but *I* can tell, so I'm finally happy with it. xD Same with his cheek and chest floofs.

Sooo, yeah! I think he's done? Finally??? (nothing I do is ever final... >_>) All I have to do now is find a point in the story where someone freaking BURNS his head scarf or something because I hate drawing it! xD Or maybe he starts wearing it around his neck again, like when he was a wee lad. I'd be cool with that. I got used to drawing the vest at least, so it can stay.

If you read all of this... Why... But also. MY MAN!!! *high five* >833333

[veebs-hates-video-games]

Look at me continuing to not talk about 13 Sentinels next. I hope this doesn't turn into another XC3 thing where I keep saying I'm going to for several months before actually doing it. Definitely at least one of the top three things I've played this year that I got the most out of/had the strongest reaction to though.

Anyway I keep trying to find something else to play next after that that my brain will cooperate for and that I like enough. Persona 5 clearly wasn't it, but it did get me to go back to Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore for a bit, and that was fun. I remembered why I like it so much (same reasons as my previous post(s?) about it) and do still plan to finish it one of these days since I'm on chapter 5 of 7 or something, but I also remembered why I keep taking breaks from it too.

As much fun as I have with it it also could really have stood to streamline some things so they waste less time. The game would be like 20% shorter if I didn't keep having to go back to talk to Tiki and suffer through the most annoying menus ever every time I want to unlock a skill or upgrade a weapon, and also if it actually had a quest journal or some non-garbage way to keep track of stuff. I'm sorry I don't remember what this random NPC told me to go do last time I played the game literally a full year ago, and it doesn't help that they'll only repeat a single line of their dialogue to me that isn't enough to go on. It still never gets old that my party members will occasionally randomly burst into song and go 🫶 with each other and obliterate something with the moe moe kyun beam though.

And then I messed around with AI: The Somnium Files for a bit because it was on sale pretty cheap and people kept saying it was good. My initial impressions were that the detective vibe wasn't super my thing and that moving around the cursor to interact with stuff was more annoying and fiddly than it needed to be (seriously just put a tiny bit of "gravity" on interactable objects so you don't zoom past them accidentally and it would feel a lot better).

And then suddenly like 15 minutes in it went full nonsense, and mostly in a bad way. Like I'm all in favor of weird dream logic, although unless they get really clever with it later it would make puzzles/progressing the story essentially just guess and check if it's anything like the first dream sequence, which is not great. I could get over that and be slightly disappointed if that was all it was, but then the AI that lives in my character's brain gave a ghost handjob to a doorknob and a whole series of lazy horny jokes (not even clever or original ones) happened, and I was reminded that a friend had warned me it gets so much worse than that and decided to just pass on the game. Oh well.

And then the Children of Morta demo went even worse for me. The game is supposed to be rather good from what I've heard, but the Switch version doesn't seem like it. I just didn't love how the character felt to control, which is entirely personal preference, but also the load times are atrocious. It's a 2D game that's just pixel art. I have no idea what the heck it's doing when it takes like 30 seconds for load screens.

I'm still glad the devs seem to have finally had some success with it though, even if it's not a game for me. I always thought they had potential after they made Garshasp like 12 years ago or whenever. It was basically just a God of War knockoff, but it was still fairly impressive that a random small indie team in Iran decided to make a game about Persian mythology with very little previous experience and no local gamedev scene for support and somehow pulled it off anyway, and I was hopeful they'd get better with time. It's nice that they seem to have stuck with it and actually managed to get a pretty positive reception for this one.

The Fuga: Melodies of Steel demo was pretty compelling though. It seems like it's basically the horrors of war from the point of view of small children as not!France is invaded by not!Germany and they find a fantastical tank that they're using to try to save their friends and family, and also everyone is cats and dogs because why not? Some day when it goes on sale again I look forward to playing more of it.

And then finally another thing that went extremely poorly: trying to go back to The World Ends With You after not touching it for 547 days, according to the in-game message I got. After like 10-15 minutes I was reminded that it's completely genuinely and unironically one of the worst games I've ever played. Like specifically as a game. Lots of the non-game aspects of it are good or even great. I'm a big fan of the art style and music, the characters and their weird relationships are interesting, and I was curious about where the story was going, but I just can't suffer through the UI and controls and especially the combat any more to find out. I know I've said it before, but I still can't understand how a major publisher said "yeah this is fine, ship it the way it is" when it's barely playable. NEO: TWEWY supposedly throws all of that stuff out and starts fresh, so maybe that would go better for me.

I guess we'll see what my actual next thing I manage to latch onto is. Not any of these, apparently, although I did at least get several more hours through TMS#FEE this week.

[yesimwriting]

Final Girl (Part 2)

Final Girl Series Masterlist (currently updated parts 1 - 9 and extras) 

A/N this one’s a bit of a filler but it’s needed and i’m looking forward to part 3!! a scene in part 3 inspired this entire fic :)) also i love feedback!! comments make my day and motivate me to write :)) so if you’re so inclined,, i’d love to hear your thoughts :) 

also lmk if you’d like to be tagged!!

Fandom: (original) Scream

Series Summary: Y/n can’t believe that she has to leave the only home she’s ever known just because her mom’s latest boyfriend has a house in some town in California. Just as she’s starting to think that Woodsboro might not be that bad, something life altering happens after she agrees to sleep over at  Becker’s house. Now her name is practically synonymous with Ghostface’s.

Chapter Summary: The only good thing that’s come from Casey’s murder and your injuries is that your good friends Billy and Stu are determined to help you. 

also i made the reader’s birthday Halloween bc it helps the plot and i love halloween and am so jealous of fall birthdays!! So on the really good chance that your birthday isn’t on Halloween, just go with it!! Also I named the mom character bc the reader’s connection to her mom is kinda specific and relevant for plot and that felt easier lol 

Warnings: maybe a tiny bit too fluffy in some parts but there’s a reason for it!! also gaslighting and the beginning of emotional manipulation (it’s billy and stu, y’all should’ve expected it lol)

----

I’ve always hated hospitals. Waking up with bandages I don’t remember getting placed on me just to receive the news of Casey’s death certainly hasn’t made me grow fonder of them. If anything, each additional second I spend in this hospital cot adds to the agony in my body.

“Miss L/n, are you feeling any better?” Nurse Samantha’s voice is cautious and smooth, but not overly peppy like Nurse Molly’s. 

In another life, in another situation, I might have really liked Nurse Samantha. She gave me extra Jell-O when she noticed that it was the only thing from my tray that I picked at. She was the only one willing to be honest about Casey’s death with me. But this isn’t another life or situation, so when I look at her, all I can think about is what it felt like to wake up here. Alone. 

But that’s not her fault, so instead of attempting to get out of this damn bed again, I just nod slowly. “A little.” My voice is so hollow and hoarse that it sounds wrong in my ears. 

She waits for me to clear my throat before speaking again. “Your boyfriends are here to see you, but if you’re not up for visitors--” 

“Boyfriends?” My voice is slightly less gritty than it was when I first spoke. “I don’t have a boyfriend, let alone a plural amount of them.” 

Nurse Samantha’s eyes widen slightly. “Oh, my apologies,” she then tilts her head slightly, leaning against the doorframe of the hospital room. “But you might want to consider breaking that news to the two boys that have been harassing our receptionist since a little after you arrived.” 

My eyebrows draw together in confusion. What is she--

“You said she was awake, which meant she could take visitors, so take us--” 

Yeah, even in my state, that voice cleared everything up. “Billy.” 

He’s close enough to Nurse Samatha to tower over her, but when he snaps his head in my direction, all sense of anger is gone. In an instant, he’s in my room. I must be more out of it than I thought, because I’m slightly surprised when Stu comes in right behind him. 

“Visiting hours are technically over, but considering what you’ve been through and the late time you were brought in, I can make a bit of an exception. If you need anything, press the call button.” 

I nod again, a little more grateful for Nurse Samatha than I was before. Not only do I love the idea of not being alone here, I’m also glad she decided to let Billy and Stu in before they got irritated. I know I haven’t known them that long, but I think Billy has a bit more of a temper than he’d like to let on, and Stu takes not getting his way personally. 

“Okay, thank you.” 

She disappears down the hall after a quick nod of her head. 

Billy has pulled forward one of the hospital room’s chairs so that he’s sitting as close to my bed as possible. He grabs my hand as soon as he’s settled. His fingers are squeezing mine so tightly it’s slightly uncomfortable. “Hi.”

His greeting is oddly hesitant, maybe even a little nervous. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Billy this unsure before. “Hey.” 

The silence that falls over us after that is serious. Much too serious for Stu to just stand on the sidelines in silence. Actually, it’s weird that Stu’s on the sidelines at all. What’s his deal? He never needs an excuse to be touchy and now that I actually need a hug, he’s choosing to keep his distance. Where was this restraint when I made eye contact with a cute boy during lunch and Stu decided that that’d be the perfect time to rest his head on my shoulder? 

I tear my gaze away from Billy’s hard stare, ready to call out Stu for being so weird. But then I see his expression. His face is oddly pale and his eyes are wide and kind of blank. 

“Stu, I’m fine, you can’t catch a concussion.”

Instead of taking the out and making some kind of joke, Stu’s expression falls even more. “A concussion?” 

Oh. Maybe Stu’s more worried than I thought. “Relax, we don’t know anything for sure. Concussions can take up to days to form, it hasn’t been long enough.” He doesn’t seem eased. “Would you stop looking at me like that? I’m fine, Casey’s the one that--” My voice catches on itself. Nope—still can’t even say it. “Would you please just come over here and be normal? I’m tired and I-I really want to pretend that I’m not in a hospital and I can’t do that with you staring at me like I’m on death’s doorstep.” 

His eyebrows draw together, but all he does is shove his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Stu,” Billy’s voice comes out so low and harsh I find myself gaping at him. “Y/n is asking you for one thing. For you to be normal.” 

On a normal night, I’d brush off their tension with some kind of joke or laugh. It’s not the first time I’ve ever witnessed the way they disappear into each other. A slightly longer than average glance or a simple sentence is all it takes to initiate one of their silent exchanges. Whenever they get like that, I can’t help but wonder what they’re like when they’re alone. 

Stu nods once, the motion oddly stiff, but then his eyes move so that he’s looking at me. And just like that, they’re back. Stu shuffles towards me. He moves like he wants to hug me but can’t figure out a tactful way to do it with all the wires connected to me. He settles for a gentle, barely there shoulder squeeze. It’s so awkward and unusually gentle I find an unexpected fondness tugging at my chest. 

He lets go of me, his hand moving forward to allow the knuckle of his pointer finger to graze the edge of the cotton bandage on my forehead. “It’s okay, Stu.” When he doesn’t ease, I continue, “No stitches. Doctor said it won’t even scar.” 

With that, Stu softens completely. He grabs the hand that Billy isn’t holding. “Won’t even scar, huh?” 

His easiness is infectious. “Nope.” 

“Good thing, too,” Billy says, “Wouldn’t want anything hurting that pretty face.”

My eyes widen slightly, heat rushing to my cheeks. “Shut up, I’m a total mess right now. I’m literally in the hospital.” 

“And you still look like an angel.” If I thought that the earlier comment had me struggling to form a coherent thought, this is something else. I hate how stunned into silence I am, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s totally reveling in my reaction. “Don’t even think a scar could make you less pretty.” 

Weakly, I try to cover how sentimental I’m feeling. “I almost got murdered, you have to be nice to me.” 

Billy exaggeratedly frowns. “I’m always nice to you.” 

I pretend to contemplate his words. “Mm...nice-ish.” 

There’s something oddly comforting about Billy’s mock gasp. It’s a display of the softer side of him that I’ve only ever caught glimpses of. “Now who’s mean?”

“Still you.” 

Billy rolls his eyes at Stu’s reply. I turn, expression easing at the look on Stu’s face. “You’re on my side?” 

“Always,” he hums pleasantly, thumb running along my knuckles. He’s definitely lying. Billy and Stu seem to understand each other in way that I’ve never seen between two people, but the gesture is still nice.

The realization that I’m really glad that they’re here settles into me comfortably, in a content sort of way. “I’m happy you guys are here.”

Stu tilts his head, his free hand moving to gently catch my chin between his thumb and pointer finger. I blink, eyes widening like a deer caught in headlights. He’s staring, analyzing me with a focus I didn’t think he was capable of. “You’re cute when you’re high.” My lips part in protest, but before I can get any words out, Stu continues, “You probably watched your friend get gutted, they definitely gave you something strong.” 

I frown, sinking further into the hospital bed without thinking about it. Noticing my reaction, Billy throws a dirty look in Stu’s direction before leaning over me in order to punch Stu’s arm. “Shut up.”

“What? She knows I didn’t mean it in any bad way.” He then turns to look back at me. “You know that, right?” 

I’m not exactly in the mood to brush off Stu’s insensitivity the way I normally would, and I don’t think I have the energy to humor him--but I also can’t bring myself to alienate them. I nod once, the motion tired and vague.

Billy runs his thumb over my knuckles gingerly, brining my attention back to him. “You did say you wanted him to be normal.” 

At that, I almost laugh. “Yeah, that’s on me.” A moment of silence passes, and for whatever reason, I don’t like it. “Y’know, I didn’t see anything. I-I was knocked out before it happened.” I can’t believe I’m talking about this. “I didn’t even know what happened to Casey until one of the nurses told me so that I’d cooperate with police questioning.” 

“The police already questioned you?” Billy’s question comes out too fast, too urging. “We’ve been waiting to be able to see you for hours, we didn’t know if y--” 

“Billy.” Some hard to name aspect of his personality takes on a darker shade, but he does stop ranting. So much for getting used to slightly more lighthearted Billy. “If it makes you feel any better, I was asleep for most of the time. One of the nurses had to borderline sedate me because I kept trying to pull out my IV and disconnect the heart monitor.” 

Instead of finding humor in my admission, the corner of Billy’s mouth turns downwards. 

“Why?” Stu asks Billy’s silent question before tacking on something to ease the tension, “This stuff looks important.” 

My nose wrinkles. There’s no good way to describe the panic I felt when I woke up here. No way to summarize the need I felt to be anywhere but the hospital. The desire to see Casey and be told that everything was just a bad dream. “Just didn’t want to be here,” I explain weakly, “I didn’t know what was going on and I freaked.” 

Stu’s eyebrows draw together. I’m too tired to hide the way I study him. It’s not that he’s never serious (though it is kind of rare), but there’s something strange beneath the way he’s looking at me. His eyes seem dark, tired and emphasized by the bruise forming near the top of his cheek.

Now it’s my turn to frown openly. Slowly, I pull my fingers from his grasp. Stu lets me move my hand towards his face with no reaction until my fingers just barely graze the line of barely formed purple.

He catches my wrist between his pointer finger and thumb, his grip just a little too tight. “You okay, angel?” 

The nickname leaves my face a degree or two warmer. Stu grins in a way that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Your face is bruised--what happened?” 

“You’re in the hospital and you’re worried about me?” He lets out a breath, demeanor shifting back into something easier.

I roll my eyes, glad that his strange worry is passing. “Shut up.” 

His hold on my wrist loosens. Stu twists my hand in order to press a quick kiss to the inside of my wrist, right above my pulse. “Billy and I were going to watch a movie. He threw the tape at me a little too hard when I wasn’t paying attention. Between you and me, I think he did it on purpose.” 

Billy sighs, throwing a mean look in Stu’s direction. “I told you I was going to give it to you right before--” 

“Yeah, give not throw--” 

“You were right next to the VC--” 

“Guys.” My interruption isn’t particularly loud, but they both instantly shut up. On a normal night, I really doubt that would have worked. I guess being in the hospital has its perks. “I’ve dealt with enough conflict.” 

After a second, Billy concedes, “You’re right.” He squeezes my hand once, eyes softening. “I can’t believe the police questioned you right after you woke up. You must have been so confused,” his thumb runs up and down my knuckles, “Probably still are. You can’t be sure about anything you picked up on.” 

An uneasy feeling I can’t name settles in my chest. The police were the ones that insisted on speaking to me as soon as possible, but if I accidentally gave them anything that leads to an inaccurate lead, I’m not sure I’d be able to forgive myself. “It was a man, I know that. I know that I wasn’t confused about that.” That was something I told the officers confidently. The voice on the other line was masculine and distinct and my attacker was too large and tall to likely be a woman. “I didn’t really remember anything else.” 

The memories of right before are seared into my mind perfectly. Casey and her polaroid camera, the phone, the popcorn. Or--or was it the other way around? Did I make the popcorn before or after the phone call? Did Casey come in with the movies before or after she took those pictures of me? 

What were her last words? 

I can’t remember them and for some reason, that makes me feel guilty. He wants to talk to you. That’s when she gave me the phone for the last time. The phone I threw at the killer’s head. Did it hit him? And then she screamed. Wait, no, she clasped her hand over her mouth. She didn’t scream until the glass broke. And then...there was a second scream much later, a much more pained, animalistic sound. 

My mouth goes dry. That might have been the last sound Casey ever made. I heard it, but I was too busy trying to escape the killer to pick up on it. Which would mean she was killed while I was being attacked. Which means...

“Hey, don’t think about it too hard. Don’t think about anything too hard, you said it yourself, you hit your head.” Billy’s voice is soft yet assured. He’s right, I know he’s right, and yet I can’t snap out of it. 

“I,” my throat aches, a part of me regrets sending away the nurse before she could bring me ice chips, “I think there were two of them.” 

The admission is so slow and unsure I instantly feel the need to defend it. “Maybe. I-I mean, I don’t--” I squeeze my eyes shut so tightly all I can see are stars that turn my stomach. The sharp ache in my head is returning. “I didn’t remember before, but now that I’m thinking about it--Casey ran while I was being attacked and I heard her scream. And not just a scared scream, it was the kind of scream that victims in a scary movie let out right before they die. I think what happened to Casey happened while I was still awake. Which would mean there were two of them.” 

The two gape at me before glancing at each other. Their silence feels like some kind of reproach that tears at my insides. Stu breaks the quiet with a laugh. A loud, free kind of laugh that’s usually only ever used after the kind of inappropriate joke that earns him some kind of scolding from Tatum. 

“You’re cute,” Stu hums with the kind of fondness a parent would use towards a child that proudly declares insanely unrealistic goals. Sure you’ll be the first president in space, here, have a gold star for being so creative. “This isn’t one of those books you read or a project for newspaper. This is about a real murderer that probably got hard watching you try to fight him off of you and finished to the feeling of killing Casey.” 

I flinch. A full body, knee jerk reaction that has me pulling both of my hands away from them. Blinking, I cross my arms across my chest. I’m tired and the irritated frustration and embarrassment running through me aren’t making things easier.

The look on my face is probably only making me look more childish. I’m only a grade behind them, but it’s come up before. Only in a semi-joking way after a particularly naive reaction to something. Like the time Stu made a vague sex joke that everyone rolled their eyes at but I missed. Need me to explain it, kid. Stu had said, emphasizing the nickname to further embarrass me before Tatum smacked him in the arm. If she’s a kid, then that was a total pedo move. 

Billy punches Stu’s arm again. This time he’s harsher. “You’re an asshole.” Billy then looks at me, expression placid with understanding. “Do you really think there were two of them?” 

“I--” Now my already rickety train of thought feels even more unsteady. “I don’t know. It was just a thought. My memory of right before has been kind of iffy.”  I scratch the back of my wrist, eyes focused on where my skin meets the plastic of the IV. “But shouldn’t I say something? Just in case? The police said that if I remembered anything a little more I should call.” 

“You’re the one in AP Psych--aren’t most serial killers loners?” 

The urge to rip off the tape that’s holding the IV in place leaves my fingers itching to do something. I tap my nails against thin hospital sheets. “We don’t talk about that kinda stuff, but yeah, I guess.” 

Billy’s gaze flits away from my hands and towards my face. “So that means it’s unlikely for there to be two of them.” That’s a fair point, or at least, a point that’s a lot fairer than Stu’s. “You can say something if you want, but they’re so desperate for leads they questioned you right away. And we both know that police officers aren’t necessarily the most driven.” He’s gently referencing my mother’s boyfriend, who’s a cop and the bane of my existence. Billy and Stu both know exactly how I feel about him. “What if it does more harm than good?” 

I frown, letting his words slowly sink in. Maybe if my head felt less sore and my body less far away, I’d be reacting a little more. “Yeah,” I mumble, “I’ll wait, see if it’s something I actually remember or not.”

The corner of Billy’s mouth turns upwards. “Good, would hate to throw off your step-dad.” 

My glare is violent, which only fuels his smile. “That man is not my step-father. You know that.”

“Leave her alone, Billy,” Stu mumbles. I turn my head forward, gaze shifting upwards. Stu’s eyes are softer than they’ve been all night. He reaches for me, expression falling when I pull my hand back at the last second. “Aw, baby, don’t be like that.” My hand stays near my chest. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for laughing, I’m sorry for what I said about you and your friend.” I try to glare at him through my lashes, but the look feels like more of a pout than anything. “Don’t give me that look.” He moves his hand again, placing it on my cheek before I can protest. “C’mon, hurting your feelings is like kicking a puppy.” 

Some instinct forces me to ease into the contact. Even though my shift is small, Stu picks up on it, because of course he does. My reaction unfortunately encourages him. His thumb gently brushes up and down my cheek. “Then don’t be mean.” 

It’s a sad attempt at holding onto my anger, and I’m sure all three people in the room know it. “Promise,” Stu nods, “Anything you want.” I thought he was laying it on thick as some kind of joke, but when I look into his eyes, I don’t see anything that indicates his usual brand of teasing humor. “I’ll even watch one of those lame chick flicks you’re always talking about with the girls.” 

A small, awkward noise that’s a hybrid of a scoff and a laugh escapes me. “Clueless may be my guilty pleasure, but it is not lame.” 

Stu kind of smiles, but he’s still stiff. “Still. I’ll watch it, whatever you want.” His touch loses all sense of hesitance. “You know I’d-I’d never hurt you. Not really hurt you.” 

“Stu.” Billy’s voice comes out a little too heavy, but I can’t look away from Stu.

“I’d never do anything to really hurt you, angel, you know that, right?” There’s something urging about the way he’s speaking. He’s waiting for an answer. 

I think of Stu, who I’ve only known for a little while but also forever somehow in a weird way. Stu, who’s always throwing an arm around my shoulders. Stu, who seems to know when I’m getting nervous before I do. Stu, who is always willing to hold my hand or say the wrong thing when I need a laugh. Stu, who’s always touching me but I’ve never thought twice about it until right now because he’s like that with everyone. 

Still, though, there’s usually something a little strange about the way his touch feels. More often than not, there’s a tension I don’t understand beneath his fingertips. Like he’s almost always trying to restrain the urge to hold on harder, to squeeze tighter, to keep pushing. 

I don’t know what that’s about, but I know that he always stops. That he’s never caused me any real pain. For all I know, he’s just so energetic that he has to constantly remind himself of his own strength. “Yeah, I know, Stu.”

My words are too honest. Something in Stu relaxes and that’s when I realize he wants me to be sure enough for the both of us. It’s an incredibly unfair--and weird--thing to ask for. 

Something flickers across Stu’s expression, but it’s quickly replaced by a grin. A genuine one. He leans down, pressing a shocking kiss to my forehead. My gaping doesn’t take away from his enthusiasm. “Does this mean I’m going to actually have to watch that movie?” 

“Oh, one hundred percent. No chance of getting out of it. Billy too.” 

Billy’s eyebrows draw together. “I didn’t make you any promises.” 

I feign a hurt look as best I can, turning my head to better face Billy. “I, your friend, was almost murdered and you can’t put aside your surprisingly good, but let’s admit it, pretentious taste for one movie?” He gives me a hard look, but it lacks any bite. “You know, if the killer comes back for me, you’re going to feel so guilty about saying no.” Billy must feel a little bad for me in some sense because at least he’s letting me continue this rant. “It’ll haunt you--I’ll haunt you.” 

He tilts his head downwards, the front strands of his hair falling forward. It’s an attempt to distract from the fact that he almost smiled. “Nothing’s going to happen to you.” 

I roll my eyes dramatically. “That was like the least important part of my argument.” 

“It was the main part of your argument.” Billy ignores my extremely pointed sigh. “Fine, compromise: a movie I pick, and then after, we can play your movie.” 

Biting my tongue, I fight down a grin and force myself to narrow my eyes. “Nothing too gore-y or stab-y.” 

“Deal.” He sighs the word like he can’t believe what he’s been conned in to. 

The feeling of having enough influence over these two to get them to agree to something like this leaves me beaming. They’re likely going to complain the whole time, but still, it’s the thought that counts. “No take backs, even when I’m out of the hospital.” A subconscious part of my mind begs me to yank out the IV and try to get out of here. “Which should be as soon as my mom gets here.” 

My mom and Wells were on a date--a show and a fancy dinner somewhere two towns over. The nurses and police assured me that my mom had been contacted, and that she was doing all she could to get here as soon as possible. But with traffic and the amount of time it took for them to get ahold of her, I’m not surprised that Billy and Stu beat her here. Actually, no, it is a little surprising. We didn’t have plans together that I missed and I’m not sure they’ve ever called me unexpectedly. Who told them I was here?

“How’d you guys know I was here?” The question is just as unexpected to me as it is to them. 

“Stu was over when your mom called me,” Billy says, ignoring the way I raise my eyebrows, “She said she still had my number from the time you called me from her phone when we were working on that history project, remember?” I nod, still in disbelief. 

Billy has been in my house twice. Both times were to work on the same project. My mom spent both of those times watching him like he was a danger to my entire future. I think in her head she was being subtle, but I can’t blame Billy for noticing. 

I give him a semi apologetic look. “You’re making it sound like my mom hates you.” He gives me a look that silently asks if I’m kidding. “She doesn’t hate you.” 

“Really?” 

“She doesn’t!” I sigh once, my face already feeling warm as I struggle to figure out how to best word my thoughts. “She doesn’t hate you, she just--” Ugh, there’s no non awkward way to say this. "On Halloween, I’m going to be 17. That’s the same age she was when she had me. She just worries and she’s going to keep worrying and giving any guy I’m friends with a hard time until I’m in college.” 

Billy pauses, letting the implications of my explanation sink in. With no warning, he pulls the sheets down just enough to expose a bit of my thigh. “So she’s worried that I’m gonna knock you up,” he teases, punctuating the comment by quickly pinching the newly exposed skin. 

My face has never been this hot in my life. I laugh, the sound somehow both lighthearted and nervous. “Shut. Up.”

Another rough yet brief pinch to exposed skin leaves me almost jumping out of my skin. I look up at Stu, glaring as he barely attempts to fight down a laugh. “Stu!” 

“What? I could knock you up just as easily.” 

I let out a sound that’s basically a snort. "That’s such a weird thing to want to be included in.” 

Stu half shrugs, placing a hand back on my thigh. Instead of pinching me again or doing something brief, he comfortably moves his hand up and down the expanse of visible skin. “The process would be fun.”

He’s joking, He’s joking. This is Stu--he’s definitely joking. Snap out of it, don’t be weird. I blink, coming to some sort sense. Pulling my legs forward, in an attempt to brush him off, I force myself to meet his gaze. “Fun for you maybe.” 

“I’d rock your world, babe.” I’m ready to roll my eyes, but before I can Stu moves his hand, pressing it firmly into my upper thigh. He slides his hand forward, his fingertips digging into the start of my inner thigh. I struggle against the instinctual need to press my thighs together. “You’d be begging to go again before we even finished.” 

In all fairness, I should have known better than to challenge one of those kinds of joke coming from Stu. He doesn’t know when to stop and doesn’t feel satisfied until I’m flustered. My brain must be as mushy as it feels, because I find myself digging my heels into the sand. “Pretty sure you’re all talk.” 

He tilts his head downwards, eyes darkening. “I’ll prove you wrong right now.” His fingers press even deeper into my skin. I wouldn’t be surprised if I found small, fingerlike bruises on my thigh tomorrow. 

“Mhm,” I manage after a long second, “There’s a supply closet in the hallway, give me a second to disconnect from all this and I’ll meet you there.” His expression is too good for me not to laugh. “Relax, I’m messing with you.”

“Haha,” he mumbles dryly, but makes no attempt to move his hand. And for some reason that I’m sure is head trauma or pain killer related, I don’t do anything to get him off of me. “You’re hilarious.” 

I poorly suppress another laugh. Stu frowns. Oh my god. There’s no way he’s going to be a baby about this. He’s the one that found a reason to put his hand between my legs and I haven’t smacked him upside the head for it. “Don’t pout. You had to have known I was kidding the entire time.” 

“Yeah, if she wanted to go to the supply closet with anyone, it’d be me.” I’m not sure if I’m more surprised by Billy’s comment or the way he says it. He’s much more evidently joking than Stu. The look he gives me after makes that clear. 

But there’s still something pointed about the way he said it. Pointed in a way that’s not meant for me. It’s another thing between him and Stu. I know I should make some kind of equally teasing comment just to keep everything normal, but I can’t help but sneak a glance at Stu. His expression is unreadable, but there’s something distinct about the turn of his head. More pressure is added to my thigh. Okay--that’s starting to become uncomfortable. 

“Alright,” I finally decide on, forcing a partial laugh into my voice, “We are dangerously close to either a bunch of threesome jokes or another one of those play fights over me.” I grab Stu’s hand by the wrist, moving it off my thigh before relaxing my legs. “And I do not have the energy for either.” 

Stu turns his hand over in order to press our palms together. I let him link our fingers. “You brought up threesomes pretty quickly.” 

My mouth falls open. “What?” 

“Fantasy or--” 

“Don’t even finish that sentence, Stuart.”

He holds up his free hand in defense, but he doesn’t have a chance to make some kind of comment. 

“Oh my god!” I’d know that panicked gasp anywhere. It’s been the same my entire life. One of my earliest memories includes that exact same shout, a bloody knee, and a tricycle that let me fall off the side walk and onto the (thankfully empty) road. 

Mom! “Okay, i know--” 

“Don’t you dare try to calm me down!” She reaches me in a flurry of motion that’s so her I can’t help but feel comforted. Stu steps out of the way after a second and my mom closes the distance between us, her fingers gripping the bed’s railing. “Oh my god, a concussion? You could be one of those professional football players--don’t they all have to retire early?” 

She presses the back of her palm to my forehead like I might have some kind of fever. I actually wouldn’t be surprised if she demanded the doctors perform more tests on me because something about me didn’t feel right. “Mom, be serious. Since when do you know anything about football?” 

Ignoring my response, she moves to cup my cheek. “I am so sorry it took me so long to get here. We were in the theatre when they first called and our cell phones were completely off. Never again.”

There’s so much emotion in her eyes I find myself feeling a lot less calm about everything. “It’s fine, how could you have known?” She’s still staring at me with so much maternal concern. Being so directly motherly is rare in our dynamic. If anything, I’ve spent just as much of my life parenting her as she has raising me. “I slept for most of the time, and when I woke up I had good company.” 

At that, my mom looks at Stu, analyzing his appearance. I’m ready to squirm for him. She then shifts her gaze to Billy and I bite my tongue to resist making some kind of joke. 

Her lips part and I fight the urge to interject, but then all she says is, “Thank you. I-I couldn’t think of anyone else I could call so late that knew her.” 

Billy’s expression is blank, but his silence lets me know that he’s as surprised as me. “No problem,” he finally settles on, “Wouldn’t have wanted her here all alone.” 

My mom nods once. She then looks over at Stu, “We haven’t met. I’m Gloria, Y/n’s mom.” 

I have spent my entire life dealing with reactions to people finding out my mom is my mom. I love her to death, but I don’t always love the way guys my age react. She’s pretty, I can’t be mad about that, but she’s also young and cool and I’ve had guy friends be super weird about it in the past. And she’s wearing a date night outfit. A dress that’s just a little too short that I’m pretty sure she stole out of my closet. 

And I know Stu. I know that he rarely filters through his thoughts before speaking. “I’m Stu,” he says normally, “I was over at Billy’s when you called.” 

My mom nods, processing the information before turning her attention back to me. I draw my eyebrows together, giving Stu a look. “Did they run tests on you?” 

“Yeah.” 

Answering was pointless, she’s already turning towards the hall. My mom waves down some poor, unsuspecting nurse. “You--I’m her mother,” she points back to me, “I want-I want her chart read to me, and I want every single possible test you could run done.” The doctor blinks. “If it’s something that could have been harmed, I want it checked out, I don’t care how unlikely--” 

“Ma’am,” the nurse finally says, “I can personally assure that your daughter received excellent care. I worked with her myself and her vitals have been regularly checked. I understand that this is an emotional time, but--” 

“If you tell me to calm down, I will sue this entire damn hospital and then find a way to personally sue you.” She takes a breath to prepare for her upcoming war path. “So go get a doctor. Now.” 

The nurse’s tired eyes widen before he scurries off. “Mom!” She turns to me, giving me a look that’s barely apologetic. “Relax a little, okay? They ran like a thousand tests on me already. They even said that if you approved, I could leave tonight.” 

“No way,” she gasps the words like the thought alone offended her. An instinctual, embarrassing whine escapes me. “Sorry, kid, complain all you want but you’re overnighting it.” 

Even though Billy and Stu are literally right here, I pout. “That’s so unfair! When you had complications after getting your appendix out, you signed yourself out even though everyone thought it was a bad idea.” 

“Totally different situations and you know it.” I glare at her. “Look, I know I’ve made a point of not doing this too often, but I’m pulling the mom card.” She ignores my frown, “Wells is already making calls and seeing what he can do--and do not roll your eyes, he is not some ‘monster that’s trying to ruin your life’.” 

“I only called him that once,” I mumble petulantly. “And you’re in my dress.” It’s a stupid thing to point out, but she’s being completely unreasonable. 

“You left home this morning in my skirt.” Ugh, why does she always have to have some kind of point? “I’m going to tell Wells that we’re staying.” 

Leaving no room for argument, my mom turns on her heels and leaves the room. Once it’s just the three of us again, an unfamiliar shyness rises up my chest. I know feeling awkward is such a small thing compared to everything else, but Billy and Stu are definitely thinking and analyzing that entire interaction. Their silence is starting to unease me. 

“Okay guys,” I say, eyes focused on the hands in my lap, “Let it out. I know you’ve got some kinda rea—“

“Your mom is hot!” These kinds of reactions aren’t unfamiliar to me, but from Stu, it kind of bugs me more than I thought it would. I don’t know why--I mean, he’s the exact kind of person to react like that. “I totally see where you get it from, babe. Amazing genes.” 

My eyes widen, “Stu, I get your sense of humor, but my mom doesn’t.” I drop my voice as I whisper, “Cool it with the nicknames as long as she’s in the same building.” 

“So now you’re embarrassed of me? I’m not good enough to bring home to mom?” 

I might kill him. “I’m serious--try anything and I. Will. End. You.” 

“You threatening me is really getting me going.” 

Rolling my eyes, I don’t even bother replying to that comment. I then turn towards Billy, who seems a little too amused by all of this. “I feel a little better about you, but same rules apply.” 

Stu gives me a particularly hurt look. “Him you trust?” 

“He’s met her before!”

With a sigh, I sink further into the hospital bed. They’re both being quiet. Stu made a comment about my mom, but I honestly expected more. I was mentally preparing myself for jokes about me being a mama’s girl or a little kid. Stu’s expression is something I don’t understand and Billy isn’t looking at me. He’s staring ahead, face stoic. He’s somewhere else now. 

“Billy?” My voice is soft, hesitant.

He blinks, the corner of his mouth pulling downwards as his head turns. “Yeah?” His voice reveals nothing. 

I didn’t think ahead enough to have a question to ask him. He doesn’t seem like the type to want anyone noting his feelings. “You okay?” I regret my awkward phrasing instantly. “You um...for a second looked kinda,” my noise wrinkles as I struggle to think of the right word that won’t offend him, “Wistful almost?” 

He side eyes me and I can’t even blame him. “I look wistful?” 

Billy nearly smiles at the look on my face. That alone makes my embarrassment worth it. “I said looked--past tense.” 

“Mhm,” he hums, eyes a little darker than before. I don’t break his stare until the sound of footsteps entering the room becomes impossible to ignore. A nurse has entered the room, likely due to my mother’s insistence. “It looks like you’re going to be busy, Stu and I should go.” 

Oh. I don’t know why that makes my heart sink the way it does. It’s logical--my mom’s here now and she’s going to force them to scan me with every single machine in this hospital. Maybe it’s because they calmed me down or maybe it’s because they’re the first familiar faces I saw, but the thought of them leaving bothers me. 

Stu squeezes my shoulder, his fingers lingering as he pulls away. “Yeah, babe, you don’t need us around while they poke and prod you.” 

The description of what I’m going to be doing makes me frown. They’re approaching the doorway. “Guys,” my voice surprises me. They both turn to look at me, and once again, I don’t know what I want to say. Do I want to ask them to stay? There’s no way that’s normal. My mom’s here--it wouldn’t work out anyways. “Thank you,” I mumble, “Thanks for coming and staying with me and making sure I didn’t have a complete meltdown. I appreciate it.” 

Billy’s looking at me in that way that makes me want to shrink into myself. Not that there’s anything particularly wrong or uncomfortable about the way he’s staring, it just feels so sharp and analytical. “Anytime, angel.” 

“Yeah, couldn’t leave you here all alone,” Stu says, “Call me when you get out, okay?” 

I nod, smiling a bit. “Duh--don’t think I’m going to forget about the movie promise you made me, and you can’t back out because hospital bed promises are like way more serious than regular promises.”

Billy throws me a look I can only think to describe as ‘bitchy’ and Stu rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah,” Stu mumbles, “Take advantage.” 

They manage to leave me grinning as they disappear out of the doorway. I don’t know what it is about them, but they always manage to make me feel...safe, I guess. I can’t remember the last time anyone made me feel like that.