#diana was everyone's baby sister for so long and then she gets to go play auntie for all these tiny children

[aurorabayrpg]

we have 4 new wanted connections!

[LAYLA BOYAJIAN (ANGELA SARAFYAN)] is looking for their [EX FLING].

[STERLING LEVIN (MADELYN CLINE] is looking for their [FRIEND FROM HIGHSCHOOL]

[JULIET HARKNESS (INBAR LAVI)] is looking for their [EX-HUSBAND].

[SAFIE CARRIGAN (ADRIA ARJONA)] is looking for their [BIOLOGICAL FATHER TO HER SON]

[LAYLA BOYAJIAN (ANGELA SARAFYAN)] is looking for their [EX FLING]. They are [35-37], and look an awful lot like [FC UTP]. Muns [DO NOT] have to contact mun before applying. They met when Layla was working in small town bars in Texas around 3 years ago. Essentially this person was known to be a heartbreaker, and Layla saw right through their attempts of flirting at first. For a little while they played a little mutual game of cat and mouse, before Layla caved and slept with them after getting to know them better. Both starting to experience stronger feelings than usual. However, when they were absent from her bed the next morning, Layla did her very best to avoid them if they approached after trying to get back in her good graces. Their efforts didn't work. It's up to the mun on why this person is in Aurora Bay, and their current reaction towards Layla. She came to Aurora Bay shortly after this. Essentially this person was the final straw leading Layla to give up on romantic attachments in life, so fun times all-round!

[STERLING LEVIN (MADELYN CLINE] is looking for their [FRIEND FROM HIGHSCHOOL]. They are [22-23], and look an awful lot like [ELLE FANNING, KATHERYN NEWTON, DIANA SILVERS, LILI REINHART, UTP]. Muns [DO] have to contact mun before applying. tw: pregnancy: Sterling got pregnant at 18, and when she'd decided to keep the baby, everyone kind of left her hanging, even the baby daddy. This wc was the only person to stay and support her through it all, along with Sterling's sister, Liza. These two are best friends and have been since high school.

[JULIET HARKNESS (INBAR LAVI)] is looking for their [EX-HUSBAND]. They are [35+], and look an awful lot like [TOM ELLIS, Aaron taylor-johnson. Donald Glover, utp ]. Muns [DO NOT] have to contact mun before applying. tw: divorce They both grew up in Aurora Bay, their parents were best friends so, they spent a lot of time together, going to fancy parties where they had to dress up and she had to be on her best behavior, they started to date when she was 16 and at 18 they were married, it was an okay marriage, she did what she was supposed to do, a stay home wife, making dinner, going to tea parties and trying to get pregnant. Juliet was miserable because that wasn't who she wanted to be, but she didn't feel she could be honest with him or her parents, after 8 years of being the perfect wife, she just exploded, packed her things, and left divorce papers on top of the table for him to find while she was already long gone. Is been 7 years since she left and now she's back in Aurora bay and they will undoubtedly bump into each other sooner or later.

[SAFIE CARRIGAN (ADRIA ARJONA)] is looking for their [BIOLOGICAL FATHER TO HER SON]. They are [32-ish], and look an awful lot like [JEREMY ALLEN WHITE (!!!), DYLAN O'BRIEN, UTP but at least a little bit resembling Sam Claflin because that's who everyone thought was the kid's bio dad]. Muns [DO] have to contact mun before applying. tw: pregnancy, divorce WC is the proverbial boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Saf's parents didn't approve of him in the least, but being his friend was her one form of rebellion. As they reached puberty, emotions became involved, but whether or not they ever acted on it, it was clear there was no way a serious relationship would work with them — their lives were just too different. Eventually Safie began dating the man that would become her husband, but after a fight, she met up with WC and... things got out of hand. A month later, she found out she was pregnant, and decided through sheer force of will that the baby was her boyfriend's and not WC's. Spoiler alert: she was wrong. She is now in the process of getting divorced and fighting for custody, and battling with whether or not to reach out to WC so he has the opportunity to know his son. There are several ways we can up the angst factor depending on what speaks to you: Did he ever find out she was pregnant? Did he try to make a bid for her and the baby before she got married? Or my personal fave: did her father paid him off to say he wanted nothing to do with her? There are truly so many different ways we can go with it...

[fluorescentpipedream]

Adryan Beck - formerly a member of Ryki’s band while he was in LA, Adryan is non-gender conforming, preferring they/them to any other pronoun, and flits between female and male presenting depending on their mood. Their parents had been expecting twins, a boy and a girl, however something happened in the womb and Adryan absorbed their twin sister. Another birth defect occurred in their eyes as well, which makes them appear golden. This has caused them to be legally blind and having color blindness as well, though they often wear contacts to correct the problems caused, if they’re going to be around the house and not around a lot of people, they will wear glasses. After calling to talk to Jon Connell they find out that Ryki has not only gotten married but has a baby (Bea) and they decide to surprise Ryki and his family with a visit from an old friend. Adryan and their girlfriend have been together for about 4 years, and she is completely understanding and loving through whatever form her partner decides to be. Adryan still performs from time to time, but releases music on youtube more than they actually do anything else. They also preform sometimes in a drag style show at a local club in Malibu where they and their girlfriend live. The two own a bed and breakfast right on the beach. It was apparently a gift for their girlfriend. 

Thomas “Tom” Moreau - Tom is usually seen as aloof and prefers to be alone, though he is oddly a bit of a social butterfly (not so much that he flutters around between groups but because he doesn’t belong to any particular group and is considered, by some, to be friendly to everyone) He has a firm jaw and an overreaching annoyed look on his face most of the time but more often than not he’s not feeling particularly one way or the other. Tom is a poet as well as being a member of the coven his mother runs in, spending a lot of his time reading off to the side and keeping himself to himself. He has been friends with Lilly and Roxie since elementary school and considers them both to be his better friends, to the point that as much as he’s not one to stand in front of a crowd, he will appear in or work on Lilly’s productions, usually in the background somewhere though. It’s not until after Diana starts getting into the plays that he starts stepping more into the light. Tom is a little athletic, he used to be on the track team until his epilepsy seemed to have gotten worse and is currently taking a bit of a break from it. 

Austin Grier - (no relation to Joey or Johnathan Grier) - Austin is a gamer, plays world of Warcraft and GTA/RDR and pretty much anything else he can get his hands on.  He came into my head playing Mario Kart with Andy on a hotel bed when Andy is competing on Master Chef, he made friends with Andy pretty quickly and usually they’re on the same team, though there’s an added, teasing rivalry the one or two times they’re on opposite sides. He’s very animated, and very out/proud and doesn’t have a vicious bone in his body. He was raised by his grandparents and spent 95% of his childhood in the kitchen with grandma. He currently lives in NYC and works at the Bronx teen club but has plans to move to LA, Vegas or even out of the country, depending on the results of the show. He doesn’t win, but is the runner-up after almost getting cut in the third round. 

His specialty is baking but he also has a soft spot for pasta, and wants to travel to as many other countries as he can to learn everything he can. He has one tattoo, an ouroboros on his right wrist. It has something to do with his parent - his mother was attacked and wound up with him, though they never hated their son, they transitioned shortly after he was born but unfortunately passed away when he was four. His grandparents were both very supportive of their child and grandchild. Grandma died shortly after he turned 15, grandpa only stayed in NYC long enough for him to graduate high school then moved back to Colorado to live with one of his other sons. (Good relationship there to, his uncle doesn’t really understand why his sister transitioned into his brother but just wanted them happy in the end.) He used to spend summers on his uncle’s ranch, taking care of the horses and working in the kitchen.  Apparently he experiments in the kitchen quite a bit, he auditioned with “one bite salad” pockets made with rice paper sleeves and balsamic “caviar” he made using agar agar powder and oil. 

Darnell Terrance - Darnell isn’t new but he needed an updated picture. 

Jamie Oliver - Jamie isn’t new either, she’s been around for a very long time.  So Jamie used to be the guitarist of the Suicide Kings (originally called the Lords of Salem), however when Scott got involved with the band the direction changed without her. Wolf IS her brother, not biologically but they met in the system the first time she tried to get away from her abusive family. He protected her from the foster father and then when she found out she was being sent back to her home, he told her he was blowing the joint and offered her a place if she needed it. Wolf ultimately ended up breaking her father’s wrist and taking her with him to California. She was about 12 to his 18. She lived with him as his little sister since. When the band started she was 14,  everyone in it treated her like their little sister. The serial killer homages in their names were her idea and she took the name Hell’s Belle after Belle Gunness, a female murderer of over 40 people in Indiana/Illinois between 1884 and 1908 and dressed like this on stage while wearing a bedazzled skull mask. She usually wore the mask so no one could see how young she was. Scott joined the band about a year before they were signed and turned the band on its ear, ultimately trying to make it HIS band, not Wolf’s but because Wolf was going through it at the time he did little to push back, subsequently demoting Jamie to essentially roadie, the only person he trusted to touch his guitars. He still was trying to look out for her though. When Lynn voiced her anger with her brother Martin never giving her the time to play her music, Jamie decided to give Scott and at the time, Wolf, the middle finger and agreed to play bass for the Riot Girls and ended up really loving it. When Scott loses himself to alcohol, Wolf can’t deal with it anymore and asks her to play a few shows as Hell’s Belle again while they figure out what to do. I do know Scott gets his ass kicked into rehab for alcoholism and while the band continues to tour, Jamie goes back to the Riot Girls when a new guitarist takes over (he looks like Zakk Wilde and apparently goes by the name Joseph Skinner) 

Luke Vaughn - Diana’s father, Luke has been in my head for a while but I’ve never really known much about him. Turns out, Luke is a member of the Scorpions from California and an honorary Viking due to his relation (by marriage) to Floki. Luke had been married to Floki’s sister though the two worked out much better not being married and divorced shortly after the birth of their daughter, Diana. He is a doting father and loves his daughter more than he thought he could love anyone. After the unfortunate death of his wife, Luke takes over caring for Diana, bringing her down to Illinois with him where he relocated a few years before the unfortunate business with BP and the reorganizing of the Slayers/Scorpions. (He has already stated he will follow Queenie as he had the greatest respect for BP)  Luke generally works at either the Hustler Club as a bouncer and/or as a landscaper during the summer months in order to provide something more stable for his daughter. 

@musesnotebook

[iridescentoracle]

#diana was everyone's baby sister for so long and then she gets to go play auntie for all these tiny children #she takes a particular liking to percy because she takes one look at his fighting style and goes #'hell yeah hell yeah hell yeah my beautiful reckless boy i'm gonna teach you how to get chucked off a shield' #it puts mr. d's teeth on edge to see percy and diana high fiving in the training arena so percy makes sure to do it a l o t #at some point diana meets thalia and thalia's like 'hey look we're sisters' #and diana's like 'i'm gonna teach you how to shoot someone with arrows while doing a backflip' #there are some mutterings about making diana a cabin but for the time being she just kind of couch surfs #guardian goddess of halfbloods #she didn't even know these people existed but now she does and she's putting them all in her pockets #every single one #also hello steve trevor is not dead he's a magical winter soldier #it's gonna be terrible #but also it's gonna answer a lot of questions that chb has about why diana doesn't have thirty billion children (via words-writ-in-starlight)

Is it wrong to ask what your feelings would be about a Percy Jackson/Wonder Woman crossover? I mean, I like to think that everyone would like to see Diana mother the traumatized child-soldiers that are the Greek Demi-Gods, while still respecting their own accomplishments and choices, all the while Reyna, Annabeth and Clarisse ask for autographs and "Shield Manuver" training and Percy and Aquaman tell jokes in dolphin-speak. But is that just me?

Diana doesn’t hear from the gods very much.  Her family.  It’s complicated.  Ares is…she’s not sure if Ares is dead, really, but it’s increasingly evident to her, these days, that the other gods are thoroughly alive.  Not in the ways she was raised to expect, centuries ago on Themyscira, but present nonetheless.  Sometimes when she curses aloud in her own tongue the sky rumbles with thunder.

Sometimes she dreams, and she dreams of a dark throne room with a man dressed in black, and he sighs over her unmarked hands and sends her away with no, no, he is not here and I cannot help you.  They are not dreams, and she wakes up with scorch patterns burned into her sheets and her skin more golden than flesh-toned.  Diana is afraid of what her blood might be, after those not-dreams of a not-uncle and his empty throne room.

It’s rare, that Diana has dreams.  She suspects that this is because she is a goddess–of what, she’s not quite certain, but she destroyed a god, even if Ares still lives he was destroyed at her hands–and her mind is inviolate, her own territory in the most ingrained sense.  Morpheus has no hold on her.  

So when she falls asleep and there is a man sitting there, waiting for her, she takes a polite seat across from him and folds her hands on the conference table and says, “Hello.”

“Diana of Themyscira,” the man says, rolling the words around in his mouth.  “The lost Olympian.”

“With respect,” Diana says, “I am not of Olympus, and I do not plan to be.”

He smiles at her, when she says that.  His hair is gold and his eyes are gold and his skin is gold and light spills from his lips.

“A good answer, little sister.  The wandering Amazon, then.”  She inclines her head, just a touch, and he says, “I apologize for accosting you like this, sister.  I wasn’t sure how else to get ahold of you.”

“I have a phone,” she says, and takes a moment to enjoy the grand hilarity of it.  “I’m sure Olympus can find one, as well.”

And then her visitor laughs like the sun rising, until tears dew at the corners of his eyes, and grins at her like a boy, and says, “I like you, Diana of Themyscira.”

Diana smiles a little too.  “I like you too, Lord Apollo.  May I ask what you needed from me?”

“Not Lord,” he says, flapping his hand at her.  “And I wanted to ask you a favor.”

“I didn’t know I was in the position to be doing favors for the gods.  But,” she says, slow and considering, “I will see what can be done.”

Apollo smiles at her again and offers her an open hand across the table between them, and she delicately rests her hand in his palm.  He turns it, so that her palm faces up, her fingers loosely curled inside his.

“You will have a visitor,” he says, his eyes locked on hers.  “You’ll know her when you meet her.  When you meet her, go with her.  You’ll understand when you reach the manor house.”  He releases her hand.  “That’s my favor.”

“I have a job, Apollo,” Diana says, and it’s easier than she had expected to turn a severe look on him.  “I can’t just leave with this woman.”

“You might be surprised,” Apollo says.  “Travel safe, little sister.  And say hello to my messenger and her guardians for me.”

Diana wakes up.

Diana sits up.

Diana walks onto her balcony, looks up at the sky, and says, very clear and loud in perfect Hellenic Greek, “Apollo, please use the phone next time.”

The sun peeks out from behind a cloud overhead and she thinks she hears him laugh.

***

Three days after Diana’s unplanned chat with a god of prophecy, she is poring over a book about Spartan metallurgy when there is a knock on her door.

She opens it to find three children looking a little lost.

“Hi, my name is Rachel,” says the girl in the lead, with a mop of red curls tied up in a bun.  She has a piercing stare and the air around her tastes like sunlight.  “This might sound strange, but we’re looking for a wandering goddess of truth.  Or possibly battle.  Does that sound familiar?”

Diana studies this girl–Rachel–for a moment.  She can’t be over the age of sixteen.  Her companions, a tall boy with broad shoulders and a grim looking face and a girl with steely eyes and a pencil stuck through her ponytail, can’t be much older, for all that they both have a streak of grey in their hair and a look in their eyes like they’ve seen combat.

“Listen,” the boy says, and he sounds exasperated, like he’s been dragged through more than one apartment building already.  “If we sound crazy, could you just tell us, and we can go?  I’m beat.”

He has a gaze as bright and green-blue as the sea under sun, and sword callouses on his palms.

They are children.  Diana had not thought that they would be children.  They look so tired.

“Be polite,” the grey-eyed girl says.  She looks at Diana and says, “Ma’am?”

“My name is Diana,” she says with a faint sigh.  “I suppose you would be the messenger, then.”

“Actually I’m an oracle, but yeah, that’s us.”

“Well,” Diana says, beckoning them inside.  “Make yourselves comfortable while I pack.  Apollo sends his regards.”

[carewyncromwell]

“When we grow up, will I be a lady? Will you be an engineer? Will I have to wear things like perfume and gloves? I can still pull the whistle while you steer. Well, I don't care if I'm pretty at all, And I don't care if you never get tall... I like what I look like, and you're nice small -- We don't have to change at all...”

~“When We Grow Up” by Diana Ross

x~x~x~x

inspired in part by this absolutely precious Youtube video, because honestly that articulate little metal princess is baby!Carewyn in a nutshell 😂💚 // more information on Carewyn’s childhood bully Bobbie Mathis can be found here

x~x~x~x

It was always a joy, whenever Jacob Cromwell returned home during any holiday break. As much as Jacob loved learning at Hogwarts and as much as he was determined to use all of his time at school to his advantage so he and his friends could deal with the Cursed Vaults, he still couldn’t contain the flood of relieved, exuberant emotions that came from being reunited with his mother Lane and his little sister Carewyn. And considering that the last time he’d come home for winter break, Carewyn had managed to charm the driver of the Knight Bus enough that he actually took her to the train station to meet him and then drove them home free of charge, Jacob was so looking forward to surprising his little sister just as much in return when he came home with a chocolate Easter Egg full of salted caramel he’d picked up at Honeydukes especially for her. 

One can imagine, therefore, that Jacob's enthusiasm was tempered significantly, seeing several fresh-looking bruises on his little sister’s pale, but smiling face. 

They didn’t hurt, Carewyn had reassured both Lane and Jacob with her bravest attempt at a smile. Everyone had been playing a game of kickball at recess that day, and she hadn’t been paying attention. The nurse said she’d be fine, though. Jacob could tell Lane didn’t entirely believe this, but true to form, she was reluctant to force her children to tell her anything they didn’t want to. 

Jacob, however, knew for a fact his little sister was lying, and he wasn’t going to keep quiet about it. So that evening, while Lane cleaned up the dishes, Jacob took the opportunity to confront the matter while tucking his nearly-eight-year-old sister into bed.

“Pip,” he said lowly, looking Carewyn straight-on in the eye. “Where did you get those bruises?”

Carewyn blinked twice. Then, her smile fading from her face at once, she looked down at her blankets, visibly uncomfortable.

“...From playing kickball,” she said again, much more quietly. 

Jacob’s eyes narrowed. “Come off it, Pip -- I know those didn’t come from any kickball. Bruises don’t come in clusters like that unless someone’s purposefully hitting the same spot multiple times.”

He knew that full well, after all the times he’d gotten into fights, back when he was in Muggle primary school. 

Carewyn didn’t answer. Her small hands clutched at her blankets in front of her.

Her posture made Jacob’s expression melt a bit, gaining a gentler, more concerned glint.

“Come on, Pip,” he coaxed her, “you know you can tell me. You can tell me anything.”

Carewyn was quiet for another long moment. She brought her knees up in front of her, hugging them tightly under the covers. 

"...You won’t tell Mum?” she asked at last. 

Jacob tilted his head to the left, confused. “Not if you don’t want me to.”

“I don’t.”

Carewyn’s blue eyes grew a little smaller and more miserable. 

“...I...I know Mum was upset...seeing how my face looked. I don’t want to upset her anymore.”

Jacob’s eyes -- the same shape and size as his sister’s -- gained a more empathetic look. 

Although yes, Lane had always been unilaterally supportive of her children, both Jacob and Carewyn had still always felt a sense of protectiveness over her. They knew how hard she worked to try to keep them afloat financially all on her own...and with how uncomfortable she often was dealing with other people, there’d been more than a few times when Jacob had decided to deal with problems on his own rather than go to Lane asking for help.

“I won’t tell Mum a thing,” Jacob murmured. “I promise.”

The promise should’ve reassured Carewyn -- and yet even now, she seemed unable to look her brother in the face. She rested her head on top of her knees, her gaze locked on the far corner of her bed instead. 

“...I...I hurt somebody,” she admitted softly. 

Jacob cocked his eyebrows. “If it was the somebody who hurt you, I’d say they probably had it coming.”

Carewyn shook her head, clearly upset. “No! I mean, yes, it was -- but it was my fault! I hurt him! I...”

Her eyes overflowed with tears.

“...I was awful. I lost my temper, and...and I hurt him. I was terrible, to him.”

Jacob’s expression softened further, gaining the slightest hint of a sad smile as he brought a hand up to rest on the top of Carewyn’s ginger head. 

“Hey...it’s okay,” he said softly, as Carewyn began to cry. “We all lose our heads sometimes. I’ve done it a bit more than ‘sometimes’...”

He brought his hand through her short pixie cut gently, to try to comfort her.

“You know I won’t care about that, don’t you? You’re my little sister. No matter what you did to that bloke, I don’t care. I know you didn’t mean to hurt him...”

This sentiment only served to make Carewyn look more upset. She shut her eyes tight and shook her head harder. 

“But I did hurt him!” she burst out through her still rushing tears. “I know I did! That’s why he hit me -- because I said those awful things!”

Jacob’s eyebrows furrowed. 

“Who?” he demanded. 

“Bobbie Mathis,” sniffed Carewyn. “I -- I hadn’t wanted to hurt him, at first -- I just wanted him to leave me alone! I was already running late, and -- and if I didn’t get home soon, I wouldn’t get there in time...”

“Before I got home,” Jacob surmised. His lips had drawn more tightly together.

Carewyn was crying harder than ever as she nodded, clutching her knees.

“But -- but Bobbie just wouldn’t let go! And his friends were all laughing, and he kept calling me names, and making fun of my clothes, and calling me a freak, and -- I just wanted to run away! That’s all! But -- but I was just so mad, and sad, and...and he’d ripped my dress in front of all of his friends, and I was so embarrassed -- ”

Jacob felt like his vision was being overtaken with red as he took in all of this.

“He did what?”

His eyes shot around Carewyn’s room. After surveying the space critically, he zeroed in on a slightly open drawer of her dresser drawer. He strode across the room to the dresser, opening up the slightly ajar drawer, to find one of his sister’s only three dresses folded neatly inside. When Jacob unfolded it, he found that the skirt of the old-fashioned red gingham dress had a long, jagged tear that stretched from the hemline almost all the way up to the waist -- clearly high enough to show off some little girl’s underwear.

Jacob felt like someone had sparked two gigantic fireballs to life behind his eyes. Seeing the rage in her brother’s face, and perhaps even feeling it, Carewyn’s voice grew more strangled than ever.

“It wasn’t his fault, Jacob!” she insisted. “I know Bobbie didn’t mean it -- I knew it then too, but -- but I was just so upset! Because I like that dress, even if it is old and people say it’s ugly, Mum still bought it for me, and -- and I was hurt, and -- and I took it out on him! ...I said such awful things...”

Jacob whirled on Carewyn, his face contorted with righteous anger and disbelief. “You? Pip, what could you have possibly said, to deserve getting punched in the face? What could you have possibly said, to deserve getting your dress torn?”

But Carewyn looked too ashamed to articulate an explanation. Instead, she hid her face under her arms as she tried in vain to hold in her tears. 

Chucking the torn red dress haphazardly back in her drawer, Jacob immediately swept back over to his little sister, bringing an arm around her and inhaling her in a suffocating hug. It was like he was trying to squeeze all of the remaining tears leaking out of her, just with his arms. 

“Oh, Pip,” Jacob muttered beside the top of her head. “You really are a saint, aren’t you? Even after getting beat up and getting your dress ripped, you still can’t even hate the guy who did it, can you?”

Carewyn choked.

“I hurt him worse,” she mumbled almost incoherently. “I know I did.”

“That doesn’t give him the right to hit you,” Jacob said fiercely. 

“No, but...he was ready to say sorry,” Carewyn mumbled. “He knew he’d done wrong -- they all did. But I lost my temper, and I was wrong, and I was mean. I know what I said hurt him. It hurt him bad -- really bad...”

“What is it you said to this prat that was so terrible?” asked Jacob disbelievingly.

But Carewyn once again seemed to have difficulty articulating that. She looked too ashamed -- she instead buried her face in her brother’s shirt, trying in vain to bite back more tears. 

His jaw clenching that bit more tightly, Jacob ran his hand through his sister’s short hair and along her back, trying to comfort her. 

“Now you listen to me, Carewyn,” Jacob said very lowly and firmly in her ear, “I don’t care what you said to that crotch-goblin, or how much he might’ve been hurt by it. You were hurt and angry, and from the sound of things, I’d say you were thoroughly right to be. I reckon for you to have lost your temper that bad with that rotten little gremlin, you must’ve been bottling up those feelings for a good long while. Probably trying not to worry Mum, or me, or anybody else. Is that it?”

Carewyn gave a loud sniff. 

“...But...I made you worry anyway,” she mumbled after a moment in shame, “didn’t I?”

Jacob gave a dry smile. “You didn’t make me do anything, Pip. You’re my little sister -- I’m always gonna worry about you.”

He gave her a tight squeeze. 

“Fortunately, though...I’m always gonna be proud of you, too. No matter what you might do or say, or what anyone else might think. Because I know you’re absolutely stellar, just the way you are...and anyone who can’t see that isn’t worthy of being a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe.”

Carewyn gave a choke that sounded a bit more like a suppressed giggle. It made Jacob smile that bit more widely and softly down at his little sister as she pulled away at last, rubbing her still tear-stained eyes. Picking up on how sniffly she was, Jacob immediately reached over to grab a box of tissues Lane had left at Carewyn’s bedside and brought it over so Carewyn could grab a couple and blow her nose. Then, just as smoothly, he’d put down the box of tissues and picked up her wastebasket so she could throw them away.

“There we go,” Jacob said with a smile, “feels better once it’s all out, eh?”

Carewyn nodded with another loud sniff, her lips being tugged up in a weak smile. “...Uh-huh.”

She wiped the last few tears out of her eyes with a smile. 

“...Hey...Jacob?”

“Yeah?”

“Mum got me a new record.”

Jacob’s eyes lit up. “Oh yeah? Who’s it for?”

“Alice Cooper,” said a wispy, yet still rather amused voice.

Lane had quietly opened the door to her daughter’s room and now came inside to stand at the foot of her daughter’s bed, her arms crossed and her eyes sparkling with something not unlike mischief. 

Jacob raised his eyebrows with interest. “Oh yeah? What’s she known for?”

Both Lane and Carewyn covered their mouths to try to hold in their laughter.

“They were an American band from a couple of years ago that was led by a singer who now solely goes by that stage name,” Lane said, her soft, understated voice full of fondness. “A lesser-known act, really...but Winnie heard one of their songs passing by the record store, and she was just determined to save up for it.”

“That’s because the song is awesome, Mum!” Carewyn’s face had unfurled into a very, very big grin, and she bounced up and down on the bed almost despite herself, headbanging as she sang at the top of her lungs -- 

“No more pencils! No more books~! No more teacher's...dirty looks~! Out for summer -- out 'til fall~... We might not come back at all~!”

Now it was Jacob’s turn to burst out laughing. 

“Hold up now,” he said, his face full of both delight and teasing, “did my wee little sister become a rebel, all of a sudden?” 

He pretended to wipe a tear of joy from his eye. 

“Oh! I’m so proud!” he said in an over-the-top choke. “My little Pippa, all set to ‘stick it to the Man!’”

He gave Carewyn a more playful hug from behind, plopping down on top of her in such a way that she could feel his weight lightly crushing her.

“Hey!” Carewyn yelped through her giggling. “Jacob, get off!”

But Jacob merely leaned against her more, grinning from ear to ear like a Cheshire Cat. 

“Oh, Merlin, just wait -- just wait ‘til you get to Hogwarts, Pip! There’s so much to learn, so much to do -- so much to explore! Then you can really get up to some trouble...” 

“Jacob!” Carewyn said in a rather petulant, huffy voice, as she tried and failed to push her older brother off of her. “I don’t want to get in trouble!”

“And you won’t! You’ll be way too smart to actually get caught.”

“That’s not what I meant, Jacob!”

Jacob cackled with laughter as he eased himself off of Carewyn. Lane was still smiling fondly at her two children as she came over to sit on Carewyn’s bed next to Jacob. 

“All right, now -- settle down,” she said. “It’s high time you went to sleep, Winnie.”

“Yes, Mum,” said Carewyn. 

With a small smile, she lowered herself down under her covers. Bending down, Lane brought a hand gently through her daughter’s ginger bangs and kissed her forehead. 

“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

“Goodnight, Mum.”

Lane eased herself up off the bed and headed for the door. She paused in the doorframe to look back at Jacob.

“You should get yourself off to bed too, Jay,” she said in a very soft, but reproving voice. “You had a long day, getting home.”

Jacob nodded. “Yeah, I know. I’ll be right there -- just let me say goodnight too.”

Lane smiled at her son, before heading out of the room. Jacob turned his focus down to Carewyn in bed.

“Don’t worry about your dress,” he said under his breath. “I can always mend it with Reparo, while Mum’s asleep.”

Carewyn’s brow creased with concern. “But won’t you get in trouble? Using magic outside of school?”

“Nah,” Jacob said with a wry grin. “The Trace can only detect magic as being an anomaly in certain areas...you know, sensing magic’s been used somewhere where it shouldn’t be used, like in a Muggle neighborhood. It can’t sense who cast it, just where the magic was cast. And Mum’s a full-grown witch! So no one from the Ministry would even know it was me using magic, if I do it while Mum’s here too.”

Carewyn relaxed, clearly relieved to hear this. “...Okay.” 

She paused. Then, impulsively, she got up and threw herself forward -- Jacob, having sensed the move long before she made it, caught his little sister in another big bear hug. 

“Jacob?” 

“Yeah?”

“I’m proud of you too.”

Jacob cocked an eyebrow. “What prompted that?”

“Nothing, really,” she mumbled into his shirt with a smile. “I just...I feel like you don’t hear people say that enough. So I wanted you to know.”

Jacob considered his tiny sister for a moment. Her words had prompted some gears to shift in his brain. 

“What you have is a rare gift, Jacob,” Dumbledore’s words echoed in his mind. “To be able to traverse the space within another’s mind well enough to predict one’s actions before they happen is a talent many have fought hard to cultivate. To do it with no training, as you can...I would hazard to say you may be the only wizard in your generation, to have inherited such potential.” 

If what I can do is so special, Jacob couldn’t help but think with something of a smug smile, just wait ‘til you see what my little sister is capable of...

Despite the arrogance in his expression, he gave Carewyn another affectionate squeeze. 

“...Thanks, Pippa.”

After a moment, he let go of Carewyn, pulling the covers up and over her as she settled back down. He then crossed over to her dresser to fetch her torn red dress, tucking it into the back pocket of his jeans, before he headed to the open door, turned off the light, and closed the door behind him.

~*~

Not long later, while doing some errands for his mother, Jacob came across eleven-year-old Bobbie Mathis and his buddies, meeting at their usual stomping grounds by the playground next to their secondary school and Carewyn’s primary school. As soon as Jacob put two and two together about who the leader of this little middle-school gang was, the newly-sixteen-year-old wizard immediately strode right up to the rather tall boy and punched Bobbie in the face so hard that he broke his nose.

“That was for beating up my little sister,” Jacob snarled. His blue eyes shone like a mad dog’s as he looked from the stunned Bobbie to his trembling friends. “And if I ever hear of any of you laying a hand on Carewyn again, I can and will do a helluva lot worse than that.” 

Sure enough, Bobbie and his gang were so terrified of both “freak Cromwells” that he never so much as spoke to Carewyn again.

[harrylilies]

The Royal Series | Pt. VIII

The Royal Series Masterlist

"Come on, Henry!" You laughed at your brother, wrapping the scarf you got him around his neck. "It's your best picture!" The green and red scarf had a picture of him fighting a pap in 2004 all over it, ready to be worn.

"You were only 10 when this happened, how did you even remember this?" He laughed, wrapping his arm around your shoulders and squeezing you to his chest.

"Brings out the colour in your eyes." Will said, helping Charlotte off of his lap and letting her run towards you.

"Think you should wear my gift to your boyfriend's family meeting." Harry joked, letting you go.

You rolled your eyes, scooping Charlotte in your arms. "Did you see Granny's face when I opened the gift?"

Harry mimicked, making everyone in William's drawing room laugh. "Admit it, it's a nice sweatshirt."

"The best thing to wear to a first family meeting; Harry Styles have my babies. Excellent choice." You said sarcastically, swaying Charlotte gently in your place.

"Teetee, did you like my present?" Charlotte asked enthusiastically, wrapping her arms around your neck.

"I loved it! I'm putting that picture frame beside me, on my bedside table. So every morning when I wake up and every night before I sleep, I see you and your brother. It's the best to wake up and sleep to, Charlie." You smiled, pressing a kiss to her cheek, "Also, our little squish here wrote me a very nice letter." You nodded towards Kate's baby bump.

Spending more time with your family doing nothing but laughing, teasing one another, and reminiscing the days when you were all younger, it wasn’t long before you were putting on your coat and ready to leave.

"Do you have to go?" Charlotte whined, frowning as she looked at you.

You cooed, "Aw, none of that now, Charlie. I'll be back before you know it."

"Yeah, Charl, Teetee will only be gone for a few days before she comes back." Kate said, standing beside you as she assured her daughter, "We don't want Y/N leaving with us crying and her getting sad, do we?"

Charlotte nodded before letting out a dramatic sigh, "Okay."

"Now, I really have to go. Want to help me get my bags?" To which Charlotte nodded eagerly to, making you grin, "Where's your brother? Where's Georgie?"

"I think he's in his room." Will said, standing up.

"Let's go get him, Charlie. Let old Daddy sit, wouldn't want him hurting his back." You said teasingly as you walked past your brother, hearing everyone behind you snickering.

"Hey! Don't tell my daughter that!" Will joked, making you wave him off.

Reaching George's room, you let Charlotte knock before you heard him give you a "Come in!"

You opened the door gently, peaking yours and Charlotte's head inside to see George sitting on his floor, playing with the train toy set you had gotten him. His head snapped towards you, a grin instantly drawn to his face as he stood up and sped towards you, hugging your legs. "Auntie, you're still here!"

"I am, baby, but I wanted to ask you if you want to join me and Charlie and help me with my suitcases?" You stroked his scalp gently.

"Yes, of course! I'll get my train." He said before walking back to his previous spot, taking one red train before walking beside you, holding your hand.

George opened the door to your room, going inside and climbing up the bed till he sat, his feet dangling and swaying as he made train noises and flew his toy in the air. You sat Charlotte beside him, giving her the small piano toy she had left in your room the previous day, before unlocking your phone, finding 3 missed calls from Harry.

"Shit," you cursed under your breath, turning your phone slightly to find that it was silenced.

You instantly called him back, balancing the phone between your ear and shoulder blade as you opened your plain blue suitcase, double checking that nothing was missing before checking your duffel bag, too.

"I thought you got cold feet." Harry said as soon as he picked up, followed by a heartfelt laugh.

You smiled to yourself, taking your red sweater in your hand, "No, no. My phone's mute button was probably pushed by accident. Is something wrong?"

"No, love. I just wanted to make sure that you're," he cleared his throat, "You know, still coming."

"I am, H. I'm about to leave," you assured him before chuckling, "They still don't believe you?"

"They don't. Even showed them a couple of pictures but they told me that my fans make insane photoshopped pictures. I’m starting to feel very offended."

You laughed, zipping your suitcase. "Good thing I'm spending New Year's with you then, huh?"

"The best. Still sure about that? Wouldn't your family have your head?" He asked. "One, I'm sure. Two, told you it's me who decides. Now," you held your phone with your hand, "I have to go get dressed. I'll text you when I'm near, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. I'm waiting for you. Take care, yeah?"

"Always do. Bye, baby." And so, it slipped from your mouth, making your eyes widen and your other hand to cover your mouth.

The pet name didn't seem to go unnoticed by Harry as he giggled quietly into the phone, giving you an eager "bye!" and a kissy noise before hanging up.

"I'm going to go change, I'll be right back." You informed your niece and nephew who only nodded at you, too engrossed in their toys.

_

With the car door open wide for you, you bent down, hugging George and Charlotte close to your chest, kissing their temples. "Be good for Mummy and Daddy, will you?"

"Yes, Teetee." They both replied, their arms on you.

"Come on, give me a kiss." You smiled, patting your cheeks for them to which they giggled at, leaning forward and planting loving kisses on your cheeks. "I love you."

"Love you, Teetee!"

Getting into the car and blowing everyone a kiss, you nodded at your driver who stood by the driver's door side. "Don't worry, Ben. I’ll be careful." You smiled, "You spend some time with your family."

"I did actually spend a wonderful time with my wife and the kids." He smiled, closing the door after you got in and put on your seatbelt before you put down your window.

"Oh! Did they like my presents? I certainly hope they did. Although I'm not so sure about the sizes, I just picked the ones suitable for your daughters' and wife's ages." You chuckled, looking up at him.

"They loved it, Your Highness! And the sweaters fit them just right. Lilly especially wanted me to thank you and invite you for a tea party." Ben chuckled humorously as he referred to his youngest daughter, only being 5.

You grinned, perking up. "I love tea parties! I'd gladly come if you'd let me."

Ben laughed in delight, nodding eagerly. "Of course we would! You're welcomed to visit anytime, Your Highness."

You smiled, starting the car before waving at him before you drove off, already feeling the nervous butterflies in your stomach at the thought of meeting Harry's family after a 3-hour drive.

Meanwhile, Harry sat on his mother's sofa, laughing at Gemma's embarrassing stories that Anne was telling Michal, Gemma's boyfriend, laughing at his sister's sour face.

"Oh, come on. At least I'm not as delusional as Harold here, says he's with HRH Princess Y/N." Gemma snickered.

Harry groaned, dropping his head low in defeat. "She's coming in a few hours."

"Oh dear, I have to move the pebbles for when the horses arrive on our doorstep." Anne joked.

"She doesn't move in coaches, Mum." Harry laughed.

"Probably wings." Gemma joked, motioning with her arms to wings, making Harry throw a cushion on her.

"Stop it, Gemma. Stop making fun of your brother," Anne said, standing up and taking two of the many empty glasses on the table which belonged to some of Harry's family whom were in their presence but left, "I raised you both to never make fun of troubled people." She giggled, speeding off to the kitchen.

"Hey, why are you doubting him? Harry's pretty big and known." Michal defended him, looking at Gemma.

Gratefully, Harry made prayer hands as he closed his eyes, mouthing "Thank you" to him.

"I'm not belittling him but," Gemma began, "This 23-year-old woman, one of the most beautiful, whose father is Prince Charles and mother is Princess Diana and her grandmother is the fucking Queen and was raised and continues to live in the monarchy is pretty big, too."

"You always believed me when I told you about my girlfriends." Harry gave her a side eye, raising his eyebrows.

"Because you dated what we now call ordinary people, T Swift, Kendall Jenner. If a colleague of mine told me that they were dating them I'd believe them," she stood up, taking a couple of glasses before following Anne to the kitchen. "Better start cleaning before Her Highness arrives.”

Harry rolled his eyes, looking at Michal. "At least you believe me."

Michal chuckled, standing up as him and Harry started helping Anne and Gemma with the remains of the Christmas get-together they threw.

_

"It told me to make a left, so I did." You said, glancing at your phone in its holder before looking at your surroundings. "Alright wait, I'm coming outside." Harry said through the speaker, the sound of some shuffling around being heard next.

"Are you wearing a green jumper?" You asked, squinting your eyes to get a better look at the figure in front of you.

"Yes! Is that you in the black ca-Oh, hi." He giggled as you drove closer to him, finally getting a clearer view. "Bye bye." He eagerly said before hanging up, watching you park in front of him.

You grinned as you rolled your window up and took your keys and phone, Harry opening your door for you.

The moment you got out, Harry wrapped his arms around your waist, bringing you chest-to-chest closer. "You look very cuddly right now," he whispered, kissing your hair. "You always look cuddly now that I think about it."

You laughed, putting your hands on his chest and looking up at him. "I got some nice cocoa powder for hot chocolate. It's the best you'll ever have."

"I think we have marshmallows." He nodded. "Where are my manners?" Harry asked himself. Smiling as he leaned down, he pressed his lips to yours. Your leaned back on your car, smiling into the kiss as your hands moved to his jaw.

"They still don't believe you?" You asked as you took your breath, glancing back at his house before looking at him.

Harry rolled his eyes, "They teased me enough."

You tried not to laugh, though did a terrible job at it, before patting his chest, "Come on then. Let's meet them." You got out of his grasp and towards your boot. Right as you were about to take your suitcase, Harry beat you to it, taking it out, draping your duffel bag on his shoulder before closing the boot.

"I can take it." You said as he rolled your suitcase in one hand, the other holding yours.

"So can I. Come on." You both walked towards his open door, you smiling sheepishly as you tried not to look around.

"It's quiet." You whispered as Harry put your suitcase and duffel bag beside the door after kicking it close.

He chuckled, "They're in the back."

"I got presents." You whispered again, "Oh shit, I forgot to take them from the backseat." You opened the door, practically jogging towards your car before Harry followed you, grinning as he saw you take out neatly wrapped medium sized boxes in glistening and vibrant Christmas wrapping. "I trust you with the sizes you gave me."

"You got Mum that dress you showed me?" He asked, helping you and taking two boxes, leaving you with one which had a card on top of it with your neat handwriting that said “Merry Christmas, Michal!”

You nodded, humming. "And got Gemma the striped suit and the golf watch for Michal. Is that all alright?"

"Baby, I told you that you don't even have to get anything." Harry chuckled, bumping his hip with yours.

"It's Christmas, H. Everyone deserves nice presents." You smiled.

"Let's put these under the tree." Harry said, raising his eyebrows upwards as you both walked inside. Instantly smiling at the cosy aura the place had, your eyes fell on the twinkling Christmas tree by the window. You put the box under it, waiting as Harry put the other two there.

"And your gift is in my suitcase." You giggled, looking up at him.

"Yours is in my room." He replied with a dimpled grin, "Come on."

With his hand on your waist, you both walked towards the kitchen where you heard chatter and clinking, making you look at Harry, giving him a nervous smile. "Oh God." You whispered to yourself, huffing out before putting a strand of your hair behind your ear, your fingers lacing together in front of you, sheepishly.

Harry gave you a quick peck on the cheek before walking inside the kitchen, clearing his throat to catch his family's attention.

You could almost hear a pin drop. All of their jaws dropped, faces going tint red, looking intently at the new addition. You looked up at Harry for a second before looking back at the ones in front of you. "Hi, I'm Y/N."

"What the fuck?" Gemma was the first to speak, Harry cringing as he squeezed your waist slightly. Gemma's eyes caught her brother's, who widened his green eyes at her before she cleared her throat, drying her hands in the yellow towel on her shoulder before putting it on the chair. "Do I-Do I curtsy?"

"God, please don't," You laughed, moving forward and naturally wrapping your arms around her in a brief hug. "You look a lot like Harry. It's insane."

Still at a loss of words, Gemma awkwardly hugged back, looking at Harry from over your shoulder as he smirked at her, cocking an eyebrow. "You look like-" She cleared her throat, "Like how I see you on the telly."

You chuckled, pulling away, "I'm hoping that's a good thing?"

"Yeah, of course. Of course, it is."

"Excuse my daughter," Anne spoke, moving forward and approaching you with a wide, loving smile. "I'm Anne."

You and Anne hugged, her rubbing your back soothingly as she did. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Good things?" She asked jokingly as you both pulled away.

"The best." You nodded in confirmation.

"It's so nice to meet you." Michal said, leaning down and giving you a greeting hug before looking at Gemma, "Guess your brother isn't so delusional after all, huh?"

"Shut up." She said under her breath, covering her face.

"Let's take this to the living room, shall we?" Anne grinned enthusiastically.

"They're starstruck." Harry leaned down, whispering in your ear.

"I'm more of in awe that I'm meeting them." You giggled, holding his hand that was draped from your shoulder.

"Who got-Oh God, did you-" Anne gasped, looking back at you from the tree.

"It's Christmas. It's also a thank you for making me spend New Year's with you." You smiled warmly, feeling yourself get hotter, “I hope that’s okay.”

"Did I just get a present from the Princess of the United Kingdom?" Gemma asked her boyfriend quietly who tried to stifle his laughter and not burst out laughing before his face fell, looking at one box under the tree, "Yup. She got you one, too."

"I read online that's she's known in the royal family to get the funniest Christmas gifts." He whispered back.

They couple both shared a look before looking at you, laughing at something Anne said. "We did make fun of our Harry, honestly. Sorry, darling."

"I felt very offended, thank you very much." Harry put his hand on his heart dramatically before looking at you, "How was your drive here?"

"Very nice and quiet. That intersection you told me about saved me a lot of time." You pointed at Harry.

"No offense, sweetheart but what do we call you?" Anne asked warmly, “We have never really interacted with someone from the royal family this close before, excuse us.”

"Please, don’t worry. Just Y/N would be great."

"And please call me Anne," Anne pointed at herself, "Oh where are my manners? Are you hungry, sweetheart? We had nice turkey and mashed potatoes."

"Mum makes incredible turkey." Harry said from beside you on the sofa, his hand on your knee.

"Thank you so much, Anne, but I think I'm so full. I managed to get myself pizza on the way.”

“How many slices did you have? You can’t be that full, love.” Harry asked.

“Got a large and finished it all actually,” you shrugged, “But actually, I got us some fine cocoa powder if you fancy a nice hot cocoa cuppa. It's homemade." You grinned, standing up to walk towards your suitcase, "Actually if you don't mind, I can make them."

"Oh, love. You really didn't have to." Anne laughed in delight, watching as you shook your head at her with a warm smile, "Gemma can help you."

"Of course!" Gemma perked up, standing up, "I personally love eating cocoa powder."

You laughed, pointing at her, " Me too! My brothers make fun of me for it all the time."

You and Gemma walked towards your suitcase by the door before you opened it, taking the packet of cocoa from one of the pockets and closing it. Gemma hummed, closing her eyes "It already smells so good."

"Trust me, it's the best you'll ever have." You assured her as you both walked back to where everyone was. Harry leaned his head back on the sofa, looking at you upside down before giving you a childlike wide grin, almost as if he was assuring you that it was going well.

_

Standing in the kitchen with Gemma as you warmed the milk, she cleared her throat, getting you to look at her. You felt nervous, almost as if you were preparing yourself for the talk.

"So, you and little Harold? How did that even happen?" She chuckled, looking at you as she leaned on the counter.

"I've been a fan of One Direction for as long as I remember and I've always, you know, kind of had a soft spot for H. I don't get to go to concerts and shows very often but I went to his show a few months ago after getting in contact with Jeff then I met him. We met then we went to this local bar not far away with the rest of the band and we sort of," you shrugged with a smile, "Clicked."

"I bet he was shitting himself," she laughed, turning off the stove before taking out mugs for you. "From what he told us, you haven't been dating for long."

You nodded, "Almost two months."

"I'm sorry if this is too straightforward but does your family know?" Gemma asked quietly.

"My brothers and their partners know that we're together, yes. Uh, my grandparents and father know something is going on but we kind of had," you gestured with your hands, "A disagreement you can say. They'll come around."

"But you're planning on telling them, right?"

You nodded instantly, "Definitely," you paused, sighing as you looked at her, "I know what you're thinking. I really don't plan on hurting Harry."

"What about your family? Do they not?"

Deciding to not take it to heart, you simply shook your head. "My family won't get in the way of what makes me happy."

"I'm sorry if I come off as a bitch, I just," Gemma stopped, looking at you sympathetically.

"I understand," You smiled, "I'd do the same if I were in your place. You're just looking out for your brother and I truly respect that."

Gemma smiled in gratitude before shaking her head, "God, you sound so posh."

As the night went on and everyone was more comfortable, you were tucked in Harry's side, his arm wrapped tightly around you.

Empty mugs of hot cocoa were proof of the success and so were the smiling faces in the room. Gemma, Anne and Michal sat with their presents on their laps as they waited to unwrap them.

First went Anne, neatly unwrapping the present after complimenting your choice of wrapping paper. Her eyes almost widened at the Versace box, opening the lid slowly as she gasped at what's inside. She took the dress out, holding it at arm's length as she gushed over it. "Y/N! This is gorgeous, sweetheart!" She stood up, holding it over her.

"Ooooo, look at you." Gemma grinned, now feeling over the moon excited to open her present.

"This is a lot, Y/N."

"It's not, I promise. You're letting me stay here for 6 whole days, Anne. It's the least." You truthfully said, giggling when she gave you a kiss on the cheek.

Harry grinned at the interaction, rubbing your arm.

"Okay, my turn!" Gemma exclaimed, unwrapping the present before gasping at the Alexander McQueen box, "Oh God," She laughed, opening it. "Ooooo,"

"I trusted H with the sizes." You informed them, watching as Gemma took out the black and white striped jumpsuit out.

"I love you already." Gemma pretended to wipe her tears, making everyone laugh. "Thank you so much, Y/N." "You're welcome, Gemma. I bet it would look so good with red lipstick." You wiggled your eyebrows.

"You know what? We're going out tomorrow and I'm wearing that." She pointed at you. Gemma sat down, elbowing Michal, "Go on then."

Opening his box after unwrapping it, Michal let out an excited laugh as he looked at the expensive golf watch he remembers telling Gem about it a year ago. "That's massive! Thank you!"

"It's no problem. Harry told me you're really into golf. He helped me with this one." You smiled up at Harry who scrunched his nose.

"Did a great job, mate."

_

You left your hair down as you changed into your pyjamas, walking inside Harry's room. Right as you stepped inside, Harry quickly covered something with the covers, making you stand on the doorway with your hand on your hip. "Got something, Styles?"

"Don't know what you're talking about." Harry shrugged, tilting his head at you with a cheeky grin.

You sighed dramatically, "Guess I just won't give you your present then."

Harry laughed, throwing his head back, "Y/N!" He whined.

"Fine," you chuckled, "Alright I got you a bunch of stuff actually." You took the rectangular box out of your duffel bag, holding it out as you sat beside him on the bed, crossing your legs.

"Okay," Harry breathed out, copying your moves and sitting in front of you with his legs crossed, unwrapping the box. "You have really nice wrapping paper."

"Thank you, I take pride in choosing and wrapping them." You giggled, bringing your knees closer to your chest as you rested your chin on your knee.

The first thing Harry got out of the box was a book that had a cat in front books and a typewriter on cover, the title being "I Could Pee On This" along with "And Other Poems by Cats"

Harry burst out laughing; his eyes shut and his head back as his hand slapped his thigh. "Where did you even find this?!"

You only shrugged in response, grinning at his reaction. "I know you love cats and I thought it might be exactly what you need."

"I definitely needed that. Thank you, baby." He laughed, putting it beside him before taking out the next item. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the packet in his hand, reading what was written; "Animal butt magnets."

"When I first came to your house, I noticed your fridge didn't have any magnets so I thought you should add a few there."

Harry laughed, turning the packet to you, "You got me animal butts for me to stick on my fridge?"

You nodded excitedly, hugging your legs, "Precisely!"

"You're absolutely mental." Harry chuckled, leaning forward to peck your lips.

"Now for the grand, real gift!" You exclaimed in a reporter's voice, opening your arms wide.

Harry grinned, glancing at you before closing his eyes and taking the last item out of the box. His eyes fell on his hands, laughing, "Love, is that-" He glanced at you before opening the wallet in his hands, "It's a wallet! You got me a wallet that looks like burnt toast!"

"I love all of them!" Harry laughed, moving until he propped himself up on his knees, cupping your face in his hands as he pressed his lips to yours. "Has anyone ever told you how creative you are with gifts?" You hummed, smiling up at him before glancing at his lips, "Maybe one or two."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." You whispered back, pecking his lips.

"You might not know it but you've been touching your present all along." Harry chuckled, kissing your temple for a second before taking the box from under the covers.

"H, it's made a fucking lump. Of course I knew it was a present." You laughed, looking at the green wrapped box.

You unwrapped the box, Harry watching nervously and silently admiring how gentle you were while unwrapping the box. "Gucci!" You grinned, looking at him, "That's your favourite."

"I remember you telling me you like something of mine so," he shrugged.

You opened the box, "Loafers! You got me loafers!" You grinned, taking them out, "Are we going to be the cliché couple that match?"

"I think we're cliché enough to do that." Harry nodded. "There's something else in there."

You looked down, taking out the vinyl record in your hands, grinning when you read "Piano Man" and "Billy Joel".

“How on earth did you know I wanted this?"

"Might have had Farrah help me with that one." Harry smiled, shrugging sheepishly.

"You take your Christmas presents seriously, don't you?" You smiled, putting the shoes back in the box before wrapping your arms around his torso.

"Do you have any idea how hard picking a present for you is?" Harry rolled his eyes, groaning as he threw his head back.

"Hey, that goes both ways." You raised an eyebrow.

He laughed, raising his hand to push the hair that got on your face away, "You know what I got us for when we're back at my house? For our board games nights and all that?"

"And the Chinese takeaway?" You asked hopefully, making him chuckle and nod.

"And the Chinese takeaway," Harry confirmed, "I got us about 10 massive puzzle pieces."

You gasped, "You genius! I was actually thinking about getting us a new one."

"And now we have 10."

“And I have Gucci loafers.”

“And I have a wallet that looks like burnt toast.”

“Sorry about that, by the way. I didn’t know you took Christmas presents so seriously.” You sheepishly said, scrunching your nose as you looked up at him.

“Hey, none of that,” Harry frowned, “These are probably the nicest Christmas presents I have ever had. ‘sides,” he held up his wallet and new magnets, “What’s not serious about these babies?”

[batcathuntress]

I’ve got you Batfam x Batsis

request for @aestheticllylosers my power just went out the other day at my house so i was wondering if i could have batfamily, plus maybe Selina Kyle trying to entertain a scared little bat baby (age three) through a blackout and storm. very fluffly....  _____________

The whole family was gathered in the living room preparing ways to entertain themselves in an attempt to drown out the storm, sadly living with tech geniuses and a billionaire father does not help keep the power on, in fact you’ve all been sitting in the dark for about an hour whilst Alfred went around lighting candles, that being said their attempts of having fun during a thunderstorm only did the bare minimum when it came to distracting you and due to the loud crashes outside you had your head buried in your dad’s chest for half of it anyways so you couldn’t even pay attention to it. 

Your family were at a loss, they didn’t know how to make this situation any more comfortable for you, even your mother Selina attempted to take you upstairs and distract you with your toys but you ran down the stairs screaming as soon as you saw a flash of lightning outside your window. Bruce was thinking about calling Diana to see if she could tell you an old story about the Gods because you always enjoyed those but given the situation the cell towers were down so he had no way of getting through to her, but he figured he could help you all on his own, almost on his own, your brothers were also in panic mode trying to find ways to calm their little sister down. 

Dick attempted books, cooking and even some old board games he found in his room but nothing seemed to keep your attention for too long before you were back whimpering in your dad’s arms. Tim thought hide and seek was a good idea but it was ruled out because he joked about the manor ghosts finding you first and you started bawling your eyes out, Damian attempted to fight the lightning as a way to make you laugh but he slipped in the mud outside and that made you think that the lightning was attacking people so that took a whole 2 hour conversation from your dad to try to explain to you that lightning can’t push people over and Damian is just clumsy, he scoffed at that but a pointed look from his father got him to play along with the story. Jason, well he tried but ultimately gave up and tagged Alfred in, it’s not that he didn’t want you to feel safe it’s just he had one idea since the fighting lightning joke was taken by the demon spawn as he likes to call him, he’s also came to the conclusion that Damian can read his mind when in actuality he just found the piece of paper that Jason used to write his two ideas down with.

____________

“what are we gonna do?” Dick asked looking around the kitchen at all the baffled faces of his family, Selina was laying with you in the other room trying to put you down for a nap but from the sound of your little cries it wasn’t working.

“well we could-” “no” Jason said cutting Damian off “tt you didn’t even let me say it Todd” “we already know it’s sh*t stop wasting time” “Jason” Bruce said in a warning tone, “there’s a generator in the cave if we go down there and get it working we can put a movie on for y/n to help her” Bruce said and looked up to everyone staring at him in disbelief,”wait so your telling me we could have had power this WHOLE TIME” Tim yelled , Bruce sighed, “I just wanted to spend time with you all, your sister has been asking for you and with your jobs you hardly get to see her, I just thought that if i forced us all together with no technology to distract you that you’d end up enjoying it a bit” when he finished talking Alfred smiled to himself, when the storm alert first hit the news his master told him to turn the generator off and tell everyone to come home, he knew Bruce missed them but would never admit it out loud so he just went along with it, the truth is he needed this time with his family just as much as the rest of them and secretly didn’t want the generator on but if it helped miss y/n he was open to trying. “wow, I didn’t think i’d ever hear you admit to wanting us here out loud, like i’ve heard you say it in so many dreams but real life? i’m shocked” Jason said jokingly “ you know that’s all you needed to say right? keep it off” Dick said smiling “but-” Tim tried to object but got a warning nudge from Damian who would never admit it but this has been one of the best days of his life.

____________

Once they got back into the living room Selina looked up at Alfred and the two smiled knowingly at each other, and you slowly lifted your head up to look at your family walking back in “the storms calmed down sweetie do you want to try play a game again?” your mother asked you and you tilted your head to look up at her and then to your dad again “okway” you said sniffling as you crawled off your mom’s lap and down to the floor with your brothers.

Bruce sat with Selina and put his arm around her pulling her close to him and watched his kids actually get along to play a game of monopoly, and slyly wished for more storms in the future.

____________

i’m in a batfam mood so send in requests! 

[anch-vaviel]

Day 3 of the challenge!

Make a mini slideshow describing what your villagers are like on your island!

Oh jeez.. I couldn't make a slideshow so this post will be kinda long... Just scroll on past if you're not up for reading a long thing about how much I love all these babies

Julian is Vaviel's very own Prince Charming! He's always there to save the day. Close friends with Audie, he cheers her up whenever she's down. He's also best friends with Skye and Sherb! They do almost everything together! (Precious blue babies) But when he's not with his friends, Julian is trying to impress his crush, Bella! He brings her flowers, they go on lunch dates, and he showers her with all types of compliments

All though most of Vaviel was wary of Bella because of her vampire like appearance and obvious Twilight reference we've all warmed up to this cute mouse! Rivals with Audie, she currently has a bet going on with the wolf on who will become famous first! The only thing they agree on is how great of a friend Julian is! And although she'll never admit it to him, Bella talks about how grateful she is for him whenever he's not around

Cherry is like the edgy sister everyone needs and wants. Her fashion taste is always amazing and she loves to twin with her bestie Bella! Despite her tough appearance, Cherry is actually sweet and caring. She wants to protect all her friends and doesn't stand for bullies, a true good girl!

Resident Witch Diana is always ready to help with your spiritual problems, even if you don't want it. She's new to Vaviel and some residents fear she'll try to hex them, but I know she means well! She's a tad bit rude and blunt, but it's only for your own good.

Our self proclaimed know it all and owner of the book store is Skye! She always has a new fun fact and loves sharing them, especially with her close friend Etoile! She spends her days reading or tending to the books in her store, so it's rare to find her out and about around the island. But when she is, be prepared for a storm of knowledge, as its surely because she just finished a new story! Julian and Sherb stop by her house a lot to make sure she remembers to take care of herself during all her binge reads

Bob is Vaviel's favorite, and only, cat boy! He loves to snack and nap and can frequently be found doing one, or both, of these activities. His favorite hang out spot is Tavi's Orchard, where he's been seen eating apples and resting in the sunshine on multiple occasions. Be sure to bring him a blanket if you catch him falling asleep outside!

Audie is a pure ball of sunshine! Nearly nothing can get her down, but when something does she's quickly cheered up again by her closet friend Julian! But practicing to be a popstar isn't all this peppy wolf does with her time, she's been known to commit multiple crimes! While tax fraud and minor pranks might be the only things she's admitted to, there's no telling what else she's done...

Merengue is our head chef! She's always cooking up something new for us to try! Although she's unsure if Vaviel will be her permanent home, we make sure everyday here is one of her favorites!

Etoile is co owner of the plushie store! She makes new toys while her business partner tests to make sure they're okay for play! Together they keep Vaviel supplied with lots of cute friends to snuggle with! Some rumors say she has a small crush on Sherb, but these have never been proven true. I suspect Skye has just read too many romance novels and likes to imagine her best friend as the main character...

Finally we have Sherb! He's Etoile's business partner and loves playing with all the new toys they create! His bug friends are also excited every time they get a new plushie, so we make sure to keep him well stalked. When he's not playing, Sherb can be found with his best friends Skye and Julian! Their most popular hang out spot is the plaza, where they run around together or listen to Julian and Audie preform!

[dontshootmespence]

Through It All

Part 28

Summary: Now married, Spencer & Y/N navigate the D/s lifestyle. How will their relationship change?

Words: 1,832

Warnings: Tooth rotting fluff. Have a dentist on hand. 

A/N: No smut, just another fluffy installment.

All of the people in the doctor’s office are quietly confused about the four people entering the waiting room together, but neither you nor Spencer can muster up the energy to care. Today, you’ll know if the babies are healthy, hear their heartbeats, and possibly even find out whether you’re having boys or girls or one of each.

As you make your way up to the front desk, you link your arm in Ai’s. She’s happy and excited and nervous, but also a little sad, though she doesn’t confide that in you. You can just see it in her eyes; it’s all bittersweet. “Ai Campbell,” she says softly. “My boyfriend, Kyle, and the adoptive parents, Spencer and Y/N Reid will be coming in with me. That’s okay, right? We discussed it on the phone a few days ago.”

The woman reiterates that it’s fine, “as long as they all remain out of the doctor’s way,” which is perfectly fine with you. All you want to do is make sure they’re healthy and that Ai is as comfortable as she can be considering she’s going to be carrying two full grown babies soon.

Inside the office, Ai slips onto the table and lifts her shirt. She’s a small woman so her bump is already fairly visible despite being just over 3 months along.

Kyle sits at Ai’s side, occasionally giving her hand a squeeze. Though they both agree that giving their children up for adoption is what’s best for all of them in the long run, you can all see that this is especially difficult for Ai; they’re growing in her belly. You’d never have been able to give up Charlotte. All you can do is make it as easy on her as possible.

Just as Kyle presses a kiss to Ai’s temple, the doctor comes in and greets you all. He’s been made aware of your situation by her nurses and Ai. “How are you feeling, Ai?”

“A little morning sickness, and I can tell my back is going to kill me soon, but for now I’m okay.”

As the doctor explains that everything she’s feeling is normal (and giving her a heads up about what’s to come), she squirts some of the ultrasound jelly on her stomach, gently passing the wand over her. One pass. Two. Then she wiggles it around and you see two tiny peanuts - actually they’re about the size of nectarines - on the screen and you start to sob, cradling your head in Spencer’s shoulder. He can’t help but smile, a tear falling down his cheek as he and Ai share a moment. You’re both eternally grateful for the opportunity they’re giving you. “So what are we having?” Ai asks, making the effort to smile when she looks at you both. “We all want to know, right?”

You, Spencer and Kyle nod in agreement and wait with baited breath for the doctor to make the announcement. “Well, let me see...given that it’s twins there is a greater chance of us being wrong-”

“But with a single baby at 14 weeks you can tell with between 90 and 96 percent accuracy so-sorry, I’ll shut up.” Spencer bites his lip and stifles a laugh. He’s full of nervous energy and when he’s nervous the stats start flying. Thankfully, it makes Ai laugh, which allows Kyle to breathe a bit too.

The doctor finally settles the wand in place. “It looks like you’re having...one of each,” she says softly. Immediately, you and Ai burst into tears. You bend down to give her a hug, not giving a crap if you get any of the jelly on your clothes.

“Looks like you’re having a boy and a girl,” Ai says. The lightness in her voice makes her happiness for you apparent, despite how she might be feeling herself.

Pressing a kiss to her head, you wipe her tears away with the pads of your thumbs. “We all are.”

---

With the excitement of two babies on the horizon and a toddler at home, Spencer and yourself fall once again into the most predictable of routines. Unlike with Charlotte however, you aren’t feeling physically gross, so you’re still able to fit in quickies at night and random morning showers together. Without the physical and mental weight of an actual pregnancy, plus this being your second (and third) baby, you’re feeling more confident, which Spencer recognizes. In moments where you question whether or not you should’ve tried for another baby naturally, he reminds you of how you’re feeling. Every one of your roles - wife, mother, sub - you know who you are within them now.

Quickly enough, Ai is five months along. The two of you text every single day, and your boys are in a group text thread with you as well. She’s still not rid of morning sickness, but it’s lessening.

“The back pain though,” she says, her voice resounding through the apartment through the laptop during one of your weekend video chats, “The back pain is brutal. My doctor says I should probably be on bedrest in a month or two. Everyone at work is really helpful though. I’m allowed to sit all the time, which I do, because now I can’t see my feet either. But they’re there, because they hurt like hell.”

Her frankness makes you and Spencer snort. You remember not being able to see your feet at the end of your pregnancy. It was brutal. Thankfully, Charlotte, who’s playing with her baby doll across the room, is super cute and totally worth it. “What about food? Are you able to eat? Any smells turning you off? Any cravings?”

“Smelling coffee makes me want to vomit. Which sucks because I love coffee. Even though I couldn’t drink anything but one cup of decaf,” she says, rambling. You don’t want to laugh, but you can’t help it. The feelings are so real. “I also hate that I can’t have a glass of wine every now and then, not that I do,” she adds quickly.

Spencer laughs when Ai meets his gaze through the screen. “You’re growing two babies, heading off to college and working your ass off, I’m not about to turn you in for a tiny bit of underage drinking.”

“Thanks,” she laughs. “I just miss relaxing with a glass of wine.”

“I feel you. Anything you’re craving?”

“Cliche as it is, pickles. Kyle went out last week at 2 am to grab me a jar. Also breakfast foods. And chocolate. Ooohh, chocolate.” As if on cue, Kyle appears at the side of the screen with a square of Ghirardelli chocolate for the woman he loves. “You do love me.”

Stuffing the chocolate in her mouth, she sighs and closes her eyes, probably feeling a moment’s contentment amidst a sea of morning sickness, back pain and giant feet. “Are you able to come over for dinner sometime soon? Spencer and I will cook breakfast for dinner. Bacon and eggs and-”

“Hash browns?” She asks, her smile wide and pleading.

“Absolutely. What’s your favorite chocolate or candy bar? I’ll make sure we have one of those on tap for you too.”

“Almond Joy! You’re the best.” By the end of the video chat, you have plans for a few weeks later.

---

Three weeks later, Ai and Kyle knock at the door just five minutes after 6. Ai looks like she’s about to pop. “Everything smells delicious,” Kyle says, his arm linked in Ai’s as he helps her waddle to the table. “Bacon is one of God’s greatest works.”

“I have to agree,” Spencer laughs.

Charlotte runs into his arms and he introduces her to Ai and Kyle. You’ve shown her pictures of them and she’s seen them on video calls, but never in person. Smiling at Ai, she points to her stomach. “Babies?”

“Yes, my little flower,” Spencer coos. “Your brother and sister are in there. Want to sit next to Ai for dinner?”

“Breffast,” she replies. She knows it’s breakfast food. Ai is a natural with her and you know when the two of them are ready to be parents they’ll make wonderful ones.

At the stove, you finish up the rest of the food and turn the stove off while Spencer pulls out plates and utensils. “Want to help Daddy make a plate of food for Ai? And Kyle?” Charlotte is eager to help. She’s a natural helper. Even though you aren’t pregnant you feel like you could cry. She’s going to be such a wonderful big sister.

All of you eat your weight in eggs and bacon and hash browns. Except Charlotte. She tries to but she’s still a messy eater so most of it ends up on the table or the floor. After dinner, your little angel climbs into Spencer’s lap and falls asleep against his chest. “Excuse me,” he whispers. “I’m just going to go put her in bed.”

It’s nearly 15 minutes before Spencer leaves Charlotte’s room with the soft thud of her bedroom door. “Sorry, I needed to read her the book with the rainbow fish three times before she would fall asleep.” Laughing, he sits down at your side and gives your hand a squeeze. Before Ai and Kyle came over, you’d discussed this, but you didn’t want to start without him. “We have something we wanted to ask you,” he said softly, careful to keep his voice down so as to not wake Charlotte. He glanced at you and let you take over.

Your voice was shaky. This was important to you. And you hoped it would be to them too. “We got to talking and we- well we realize how hard this is for you-”

“It’s necessary,” Ai interrupts. Her eyes spoke the truth but the pain sat vividly behind the facade.

“We know,” Spencer replies. “But we realize this isn’t an easy decision. We want you to know that you always have a place in their lives.”

“That’s why,” you start again after clearing your throat, “we wanted to ask if you would want to give us their middle names. Maybe family names. Something that’s special to you.”

Tears gathered at the corners of both their eyes before Ai completely broke down. “Really? I mean, we never thought- it would mean the world to-” she clutched her hand to her mouth to stem the sobs that flowed from her mouth. “My father’s given name is Xing. It means star or spark. Do you know what his first name is going to be?”

Spencer chuckled. “We still haven’t settled on one. Y/N wants Spencer Jr., but I’m not so keen on that. We both like Noah and Blake. Either way, his middle name will be Xing.”

“For the girl, we’re tossing between Morgan and Diana.”

Kyle began to chuckle, the tears finally flowing. “How about both? My mother’s name is Diana.”

“Mine too,” Spencer says. “Morgan Diana. For both of us.”

Kyle smiles. “For all of us.”

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[elisaphoenix13]

Winter Ease

It was one of those rare mornings that Stephen slept in. Maybe it was because it was winter and he liked staying bundled up and warm. Last night Tony had to pull him away from the warmth of the fireplace and to bed, but that was the norm when they came to the lake house during the winter. The sorcerer blinks his eyes open and finds himself looking at Tony's side of the bed, only it was empty along with the cribs when he turned to look to see if Valerie and Lucy were still sleeping. Before he could even wonder where they were though, he heard laughter from outside as well as some playful screaming.

Stephen groans and gets out of bed, dressing warmly before leaving the bedroom and heading down to the kitchen. There, he found Tony standing at the sink and washing the dishes...or at least attempting to. He was currently wrestling with the sprayer that must have slipped out of his hand again. Sometimes he wasn't even sure why his husband bothered with it.

Tony huffs and wrestles it back into place and throws a dish towel over his shoulder after drying his hands before turning. "Hey Mama Bear. Glad to see you're done hibernating." He teases as he walks over and pulls him in for a kiss.

"Are the kids outside?" Stephen asks when they pull away.

"Yup. They're all playing out in the snow or attempting ice skating. Valerie is with William and the baby is sleeping through all of the noise." Tony tilts his head toward the living room and Stephen looks over to find their new infant daughter sleeping in the swing.

"Are they all--" Stephen starts.

"Warmly dressed." Tony interrupts with a smile. "Want some uhh...brunch?" He asks after looking at the time on the stove.

"After I check on the rest of the kids."

Tony chuckles. "Well there's more than six out there. Everyone else came for a snow day too."

Stephen raises an eyebrow and pulls on his jacket and boots before going out the back door and stopping on the porch. Everyone really was there. Some of them were ice-skating, or at least attempting to...others were having a snowball fight, and the rest building snowmen.

Or rather a snow army. Valerie and William were one of the few bolstering their snow army and a triple take revealed that Athena was dutifully standing near the toddler while she helped her brother with a snowman. Stephen had to chuckle when he saw her in her winter clothes. She looked like a light blue marshmallow.

Since Athena was accounted for, Stephen looked around for the other animals. Gerald was in his little stable staying warm with some fresh hay that someone must have given him this morning, and since they were spending winter vacation at the cabin, Tibbs had come along and Stephen definitely saw him inside by the fireplace (he had the right idea), and Flynn...well Stephen almost audibly laughed at what he saw.

Quill, of course, had no need for winter clothes since he was a human...well...a walking furnace, and so that made it easier for the fox to cling to the god. Quill was talking to Bucky while Flynn clung to his pants leg and curiously pawed at the snow below. It was his first winter and he had no idea what the snow was, but after poking at the snow and seeing Athena walk around in it, he deemed it safe and jumped off Quill's leg and right into a pile of it.

He completely disappeared for a couple of seconds but his head eventually popped up again and he 'hee hee'd' as he tromped through the snow. He jumped around, spraying the white powder everywhere, but remained close to Quill in case something spooked him. Harley was out on the frozen lake with Diana and Cassie, skating around the two as they held hands and tried making designs in the ice. Peter and Thomas were part of a snowball fight with Clint, his boys, Sam, Scott, and Natasha, and Lila and Laura were digging through the snow. Probably to find rocks for the snowmen.

When Stephen looks back to William and Valerie, he raises an eyebrow when the red scarf around the snowman's "neck" lifts a corner and waves at the sorcerer.

"Is that my cloak?" He asks as he steps off the porch and joins the two.

"Levi helped Mama." Valerie says as she puts more snow on the bottom part.

"It sure did." He chuckles. "How long have you been out here?"

"About a couple of hours." William answers.

"Are you okay with staying with her for a little while longer?" Stephen asks and William nods. "Alright. I'm going to go eat. Maybe I'll help your father make gallons of hot chocolate and hot cider."

"Make sure you put aside a gallon for Scott." William smiles.

"I heard that!" The man calls from behind a wall of snow.

Stephen smirks at his youngest son and uses his magic to pick up a large pile of snow and make it hover over Scott before dropping it on top of him. William and Valerie laugh when Scott gasps in surprise (and from the cold that undoubtedly slipped into his clothes) and Stephen chuckles as he walks back inside. Tony had already set a plate on the table for Stephen, and the sorcerer looked around for him to thank him, finding him in the living room and scooping Lucy up into his arms.

Like her sisters, she was a relatively easy baby but she easily slept through the chaos of the family and the team. Diana, for the little time he was there when she was a baby, slept like any other baby, and Valerie had been their light sleeper. If Lucy was awake, that meant one of three things. She was hungry, she needed changing, or she was simply finished with her nap. Based on the look on Tony's face though, Stephen had a good idea why Lucy was fussing.

"You couldn't wait until Valerie was out of diapers could you?" Tony says as he grabs a clean diaper and the wipes from the coffee table.

"Where's the fun in that?" Stephen chuckles and then takes a bite of his french toast. "For what it's worth, she's in pull ups during the day."

"At least she's getting close to potty trained. I was hoping to have at least a month break before we dove back into this." Tony teases as he changes Lucy's diaper on the floor.

While Stephen eats his brunch, Tony finishes his task of changing the infants diapers while trying to keep Tibbs away. At least enough so he can rebutton Lucy's onesie. The cat was only trying to acquaint himself with the new human and was sniffing her face so close that his whiskers tickled her nose and drew a tiny sneeze from her. The action startles the cat to back away a little as tiny fists lift to rub erratically at small eyes, and Tony smiles when she yawns.

"Pensi che la mamma possa nutrirti naturalmente adesso, dolcezza?” Tony murmurs with a small smirk as he lifts her up to his shoulder and stands.

Stephen sends an empty bottle sailing at Tony's head and it thunks hollowly against it before clattering to the floor. "No I cannot!"

The engineer laughs and bends down to pick up the bottle and take it to the sink before grabbing a clean one. "Honey, I never know when magic is involved."

"That's just...no." Stephen sighs.

He takes his last bite of eggs and gets up with his plate and takes it to the sink to rinse and put in the dishwasher. Tony then hands the baby over to him after Stephen takes the burping cloth from his husband's shoulder, and puts it over his own before taking Lucy. Stephen holds her to his shoulder so Tony can make her a bottle and big brown eyes look around their surroundings while she grips onto the sorcerer's shirt under her tiny hands.

"After her bottle, we need to start on hot chocolate and cider." Stephen says.

"I swear I'm going to invest in giant tanks and find a way where it can be made at the press of a button."

"Like a giant coffee maker?" Stephen says flatly.

Tony smiles and kisses him. "You have the greatest ideas Duchess."

"You better start on Scott's first."

"Maybe I'll build him a pool of cider." Tony hands the bottle of formula to Stephen and starts pulling out packets of hot chocolate and cider.

Normally Tony would make hot chocolate from scratch, but since the Avengers were here too, he wasn't going to bother. That was something he did just for his immediate family or on the rare occasion, smaller gatherings. The kids thankfully didn't complain when the chocolate powder was brought out since more than half of them were used to cheap and instant stuff like it, and Stephen made sure the girls weren't spoiled either. They were born into money, their brothers were not. The boys knew not to take things for granted, and even now tried not to ask for much. Stephen, to everyone's surprise, made sure to say no every once in a while to not just Diana and Valerie, but the boys as well just to show them that he was treating them equally.

All of them were his kids, not just the girls.

"God, I really need to invent some kind of hot chocolate brewer." Tony huffs. "Making all of this for those clowns is a lot."

"Ask someone for some help."

"You think we can use Porcupine as a burner?" Tony asks and Stephen rolls his eyes.

"Quill is not a living stove."

"I beg to differ. You should too. He's slept in our bed a couple of times." Tony points out.

"How Scott can sleep next to him and even cuddle him is beyond me." The sorcerer admits as he walks to the living room to sit on the couch and feed Lucy.

"You think if we shoot him at a glacier that he'll go right through it?"

"Don't give him any ideas."

Tony chuckles and turns his attention to the stove and after a few minutes of quiet, Lucy finishes her bottle and Stephen holds her up to burp her as Valerie and William come in. The teen joins Tony in the kitchen to help make the drinks, and Valerie joins Stephen and the baby in the living room with Athena following (after she had shaken herself free of snow). Valerie climbs onto the couch to curl against Stephen's side and Athena flops onto her cushion near the fireplace, and Tibbs immediately walks over to curl up against her stomach.

"Where's the cloak?" Stephen asks the little girl.

"Dia." She answers. "Watch TV?"

"Yes. Go ahead." Stephen answers and then hears a tiny burp from Lucy.

"That means it's my turn." Quill says from the door as Valerie turns the tv on.

"You better talk to Nat about that." Tony says.

The god grumbles and walks over to sit on the other couch while Flynn does the same thing Athena had done. He shakes himself free of whatever snow is left on his fur and his collar jingles until he's finished. Instead of joining the other two pets though, he trotted over to Quill and jumped up into his lap to curl up.

"He tried to skate on the ice like the girls and Harley...it didn't go very well." Quill laughs.

"He might enjoy winter since he doesn't have to survive in it." Stephen says as everyone else starts to file in from outside.

Bucky and Wanda joined Tony and William in the kitchen to finish making the drinks and distributing them to everyone, the rest spread out after shedding their jackets and boots by the door, and Natasha went straight for Stephen to take the baby from him. She was then taken over to Laura for them to fawn over until Wanda eventually joined them after helping with the drinks. Board games and card games were pulled out to enjoy, and all of the teens were currently being obnoxious over a game of Uno. Diana chose to watch TV with Valerie when she came inside, and Levi floated near the fireplace to ruffle it's lapels and dry off.

Lucy remained content despite the chaos and even fell asleep against someone at one point. It happened to be Thor...and Clint quietly joked that he could see hearts in Bruce's eyes. She remained with the demigod until Steve braved retrieving her from him, and then it was Bucky with the hearts in his eyes. Stephen trusted everyone with his kids no matter what age, so he was able to play a game of Scrabble with Sam, Laura, and Vision. Vision wasn't allowed to keep score for obvious reasons so Stephen was winning.

"Tony are you going to properly add on to the cabin?" Laura asks.

"There's a plan. I don't want to have Stephen use his magic all the time to accommodate you guys when you visit." Tony nods.

"Perhaps we can make a week of it." Vision says. "Like the usual barbeques but with the addition of helping build additions to the house."

Tony raises his brows. "That's actually a good idea."

Everyone that happened to be listening murmured their agreement.

"We'll come back and help too." Clint says. "I know a thing or two about building things."

"Well, when winter is over and the weather gets warmer, we'll do it." Tony says. "Or we could just roll Quill around so he can melt the ice."

"Fat chance." The god grunts out as Flynn uncurls himself to scratch his neck with his back paw. He leaned too far and tumbled off Quill's lap with a squeak and then jumped back up to lay back down.

"Spaceman--" Scott starts with a grin.

"Scotty, I know he's special. You don't need to remind me." Quill huffs.

"Think he'll chase a laser pointer?" Bruce asks.

Everyone nearby looked at each other before Tony got to his feet and climbed over everyone to head for the kitchen.

"I think I have one in the junk drawer."

[rainbowglittr]

Love and Marriage - Chapter 9 (Mature- Minors DNI)

Description:

After a loss in the family uncovers a family secret, Jaleia and her husband Jesse are forced to balance one family crisis after another along with their budding careers and their plans to expand their family. Will the pressure to keep everyone else together ruin their own relationship? Can ruined relationships be fixed before it’s too late?

Chapter 9:

"Jessekins!" I called out as I walked thorugh the front door. It had been a long and busy day at work and I was tired. I put my keys down in the key rack.

"Do you have to call me that?" Jesse called out from the kitchen.

"Yes I do, my love!" I walked into the kitchen. Jesse was assembling tacos he leaned over so I could give him a peck on the lips.

"I hate this kitchen, it's too damn small. How was your day, Love?"

"Too long. Some dumbass mislabeled one of our test runs so we had to do the three hour test all over again. And guess who the dumbass was? Me! I was the dumbass who wasn't paying attention and had to stay an extra two hours to rerun the test. I could've slapped myself. I'm tired. How was your day babe?" I leaned against the counter, facing Jesse.

"You're not a dumbass. I got some interesting news today from the studio. I don't think you're going to like it though."

"Okay, great start. What's up?" Jesse snuck a glance at me and then started to talk.

"So the studio is sending me to L.A for a couple weeks to work with some new artists they signed." He started.

"That's great isn't it?" I asked as I washed my hands.

"Yeah except one of the artists I'll be working with is my ex, Imani."

"Imani is a singer."

"You've heard of Imani Redd?"

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold the phone, stop the presses, rewind the tape. Imani Redd is your ex? The ex that cheated on you and then dumped you? Imani Redd is that ex?" Imani Redd was a rising R&B singer. She was always in and out of the gossip blogs and always in some social media beef.

"Thanks for that and yeah, Imani Redd is my ex. I never told you? My mom never told you?"

"No, negro! No, you never told me that Imani Redd was your ex! You guys always went by her first name so I just assumed it was some girl named Imani, I didn't think it was the singer! How could you not tell me?" I said as I slapped his arm.

"I thought you knew. She's one of the artists I have to work with while I'm there."

"You're right, I don't like that. Why do you have to work with her?" I asked as I stole a piece of meat from one of the tacos he was making .

"Because if I don't, I won't be working with anyone good anytime soon. They'll stick me with crap projects." He said finally turning around to face me.

"How do you feel about it?" I asked.

"I'm not thrilled but I gotta do what I gotta do." I rolled my eyes at him.

"Don't be like that. I don't want to work with her, it's strictly professional."

"It always is until you get to talking and working together and then all of a sudden you're reminiscing, and old feelings start to reappear, and then someone catches feelings and I end up going to jail because I stabbed you after catching you with your ex."

"Why do you jump to violence so quickly?"

"Don't push me and you'll never have to find out."

"Baby I promise, nothing's going to happen. We'll work on a few songs and that's it. No catching feelings, and more importantly no stabbing."

"The most important part is the catching feelings part because if that doesn't happen I don't have to stab you."

Jesse held my waist. "Seriously Jay, nothing's going to happen. You trust me, right?"

"I do trust you, but realize that nine times out of ten, when a guys says do you trust me and the girl says yes, that guy does something completely untrustworthy, right? " Jesse looked me straight in my eyes.

"I promise you nothing is going to happen between us. I love you. You know I know what it's like to be cheated on, I would never do that to you. You know that. "

"I know. It's just hard. It's going to drive me crazy though, you almost married that girl, Jess. You guys have history. You guys have a lot of things in common. Does this not seem like a giant red flag to you?"

"I love you, I only have eyes for you. I'm not going to do you dirty. If you trust me, you won't have to worry about a thing. If you don't you're going to be worried for nothing cause I ain't sleeping with her, I don't want her in any way. It's just work and strictly professional." He said.

"Look I trust you, you've never given me a reason not to. But, there are two conditions, one, You better answer ALL my calls. I don't care if you're in the middle of writing or recording the best song you ever wrote, you better answer. I don't care if you're in the middle of dying, you better pick up. And two, you should NEVER ever be alone with her at any time in any place no matter what. Understand?" I said, looking into his eyes.

"Yes, love. I promise." He said pulling me close and kissing me. I unraveled myself from Jesse.

"I'm also taking Di with me, I think she deserves a little vacation, she's made a huge turn around. "

"I agree. Wait, you're leaving me alone? No fair."

"I'm sorry. But unless you can take off..."

"Which you know I can't."

"Then you have the whole house to yourself and my mom."

"Screw you." I said, pouting. I crossed my arms and glared at him.

"I thought we agreed you're too old to pout." I stopped pouting and continued glaring at him. He was now getting a salad out the fridge.

"I'll make it up to you. I promise."

"One, I don't want your sex. Two, you're making a lot of promises tonight. "

"One, Ouch, my ego. And two, I keep my word."

"Don't spoil her while you're there. I know how you are."

"I'm her big brother, that's my job. You're spoiled too."

"Yeah, but my dad did that, not my older sisters." I scoffed.

"That makes a lot of sense. I'm going to call Di down. She's probably talking to that boy." He said. Diana was still interested in the intern she was caught making out with and was alway texting him.

"I thought you said 'that boy' was nice?" I said raising an eyebrow at him.

"Not nice enough."

>>>>>>>>>>

"So I have good news for you Di." Jesse said as we ate dinner.

"Yeah?"

"I'll be going to L.A for three weeks and you're going to come with me."

"I get to go to Cali?" She yelled.

"Yeah, you gotta hang with me the whole time though but yeah."

"Yeeessss!!!" She screamed. She practically jumped into to his arms to give him a hug, almost knocking him out of his chair.

"Okay, okay, okay. Chill. You gotta hang with me the whole time. Mom said not to take my eyes off of you for a second, so well be in the studio for most of our time there, but we can still do cool stuff, like go to the beach, and I know you'll want to go shopping." He said. I groaned.

"Why rub it in?" I said. I let my head smack the table.

"I'm sorry baby, we'll talk about later Di."

"I'm so excited!" She said as she sat down.

"I hope you guys have a good time. When do you leave? You never told me." I said. I was already dreading it.

"Sunday night. Well get into L.A in the middle of the night our time but over there it'll still be evenings since they're behind us and well still be able to sleep." He said.

"Send me pictures, you know I love pictures."

"We will!" Di said.

>>>>>>>>>>>>

I thought really hard about Jesse going to write with his ex. I know he had no feelings for her. I know he loves me, and I completely trusted him, but I couldn't help but to feel uneasy about it. That's his ex. But at the end of the day I trusted him and I knew he would do right by me, so I had to stop stressing about it. Plus, would he really fall in love with another woman and cheat on me with his sister there? No. That would set a terrible example.

I sat on the couch and watched Jesse bring his and Di's bags down the stairs. They were just about to leave for the airport. I waited until Jesse got to the bottom stair to say "Do you need help?" He gave me a sarcastic laugh look and put the bags by the door. I was scrolling through Instagram when all of a sudden I felt a giant weight land on my lap. Jesse adjusted himself on my lap.

"So I told you I would make it up to you. So I hid somewhere in the house two presents for you. Good luck." He smiled.

"What if I don't find them?" I asked.

"Oh, I know you, you'll find them. And if you don't there's some diamond jewelry that's just gonna collect dust somewhere in the house. "

"You got me diamonds?"

"I told you I'd get you something sparkly. " he said. I pulled him on top of me, our lips naturally moving together. I put my hand on the side of his face as our tongues danced around each other. He shifted on top of me so he could grind our crotches together. My hands moved to his shoulders. He started leaving a trail of kisses down my neck, sucking extra hard where it was sensitive.

"You're going to leave a mark." I breathed out.

"I know." He said. After giving my neck one last kiss, he returned to my lips, moving his hips against mine at the same time, the friction of our jeans rubbing against each other turning me on more.

"Didn't you get enough last night? Don't start something we can't finish." I said into Jesse's ear.

"We better stop before-"

"Jesse, I'm ready- Ew! There's no door, how am I supposed to knock? And unsee that?" Diana's voice rang out from the stairs.

Jesse gave me one last kiss, whispering in my ear "we were about 4 seconds away from me having a big problem."

"Just get up." I laughed. We sat up and faced Di.

"Sorry, we'll be away from each other for a few weeks so we won't be having our usual nightly hot and nasty, banging against the wall sex-" Jesse started to say.

"Shut up!" Me and Diana said. Diana was covering her ears. He laughed as I slapped his arm.

"Don't torture her, behave." I said.

"I will. Di," he said, throwing her the car keys from his pocket. "While we make sure I have everything and say goodbye, you can sit in the car, get the air started and play the trash music you like."

She caught the keys. "Yess! We have to get to the airport in like thirty minutes. " she said as she walked out the door.

"Just enough time." He said, climbing on top of me.

>>>>>>>>>>>

We got to the airport in just enough time. I spent the ride to the airport using foundation to cover the marks he left on my neck. Diana laughed when she saw us all disheveled and marked up. (It got a little competitive between us and considering our skin was brown I didn't think love bites would show up as vividly as they did.)

When it was time to board the plane, I gave Diana a hug.

"Be good, and watch out for your brother."

"I will, I'll miss you." She said.

"I'll miss you too. Love you." I said, waving to her as she walked to the boarding door. Jesse hugged me tight amd kissed the side of my head.

"I'll miss you, Lovebug." He said, smirking. I hate that stupid pet name.

"I'll miss you too, Jessekins." I said matching his smirk.

"I love you, Jay."

"I love you too." I said, kissing him slowly.

"Make sure you call as soon as you land so I don't freak out, take pictures, ANSWER ALL my calls, and don't fuck up with your ex." I reminded him. He picked me up, my arms went around his neck and my legs automatically wrapped around him.

"You got it, my Queen. If you need help adjusting let me know." With one last kiss, he put me down and boarded the plane with Diana. I sighed and started walking back to the car.

I hope they have fun in L.A.

Cause I sure as hell missed them already.

[sweet-sammy-kisses]

The Annual Shipping Polls

Fandom: Batman/DC Pairings: Dick/Tim, Bruce/Diana, Roy/Kory/Jason, Stephaine/Cassandra, mentions of fandom Kon/Tim, fandom SuperBats Summary: Dick is brooding, Jason is amused, Tim is confused, Damian is annoyed, Stephanie and Babs want to knock some heads, and Cass and Diana are all-knowing. Author notes: This is my first time writing Dick/Tim and I owe a huge thank you to @iphoenixrising who’s amazing Tim stories got me longing to write my own Tim stories. 

Like many things Jason will claim that it was all Roy’s fault he discovered it first and after laughing for several moments sought out Jason.

It was the annual shippers poll that happened once a year where fans of superheroes would vote for their favorite ship as they went head to head to see who would win. There was favorite slash, female slash, het, poly and superheroes, and their villains.

When it was first discovered an amused Lois sent the links to Clark.

Diana had been amused.

Bruce grunted and glared.

Clark feared just a little for his life.

SuperBats had won favorite slash pairing while WonderBat had won for favorite het pairing and The Trinity had won for favorite poly pairing.

It stayed like that for many years until other heroes started appearing Wally and Dick to their amusement learned that they were a much loved BirdFlash and one of the few that could give SuperBats a run for their money but sadly always came a little short of beating them. Nightwing/Starfire was a much-loved pairing and one year managed to defeat WonderBat only for the WonderBat fans to come back next year and claim their crown.

To Barry Allen's shock and Leonard Snart amusement, ColdFlash was undefeatable as the fans' favorite hero/villain pairing. No one was really surprised when those two actually did end up together.

Roy had been checking to see where the Outlaws ranked and was pleased to see that they had won favorite poly pairing. "Finally, good to see that people have some good taste."

Continuing on Roy fought back the laughter when he saw that Nightwing/Red Hood had made it pretty far. "Oh, this is priceless." Roy printed out he wondered how long it would last before Jason used it for target practice.

Moving up the list Roy was waiting to see that once again SuperBats was named as the top slash pairing only to stop and stare. "No way."

But it was there SuperBats was in second place.

"JASON! SOMEONE BEAT SUPERBATS!" Roy shouted with glee.

Jason was at Roy's side in a second all but shoving him out of the way he was a little bummed to see that Bruce and the boy scout were no longer number one, he loved using it to annoy Bruce. Jason loved the little twitch Bruce developed when Jason brought it up. "Who beat them?" Jason growled out. "It better not be me and Dickie!" Jason could do so much better than Dick. 'So could replacement but for some reason, he is hooked on him.'

Roy's body hummed with amusement, "A new version of SuperBats."

For several moments Jason could only stare at the computer screen as he processed what he had just read. “Oh, this is just too good.” Forget teasing Bruce this was glorious.

+*****+

Diana Prince -Wayne wasn't at all surprised when Jason breezed into the cave a mischievous look on his face. She knew that she shouldn't play favorites and she did her best not to but Jason out of all of Bruce's partners had a special place in her heart. "I take it that you have seen the outcome of the latest results of the annual polls?" She knew that Jason loved to tease Bruce about the fact that people loved the Batman with Superman he had even gone as far one year to cover the cave in fanfics and fanart of the couple and even got Babs to have the bat computer play Superman's theme for every little thing.

A small smile appeared on Jason's face she was one the few people that he genuinely liked to see. Personally, Jason thought Diana could do better she is fucking Wonder Woman after all! But for some reason that Jason couldn't understand she had fallen in love with Bruce. 'Bruce is one lucky son of a bitch.' "I did indeed but I am going to wait until everyone is here to tell the wonderful news."

"Just go easy on Dick, he is still in denial." Diana already knew she was curious about the outcome of these polls and she knew what had Jason so happy.

Jason knew that Diana had a point, he wasn't blind he saw the glances Dick tossed Tim’s way when he thought no one was looking, the longing and desire to fix things. Jason knew that Dick’s feelings for Tim were far from brotherly but he wouldn't act on them. Dick still carried guilt when he made Tim think that he wasn't wanted anymore when he took Robin from him and gave it to Damian, Tim was just starting to come back to realize that they did want him and Dick wouldn't risk Tim running away again.  

"Alright, I won't tease Dickie too much," Jason promised.

"That is all I ask of you." Diana smiled serenely at him before pulling out a copy of a much loved Jane Austen novel, "Something to keep you entertained until the others get here."

Taking the novel Jason pressed a kiss on Diana's cheek, "And this is why you are my favorite."

+*****+

Dick Grayson stepped one foot in the cave and saw that Jason was already there, the grin on his face promising a good time for Jason and humiliation for anyone but him. Dick knew what day it was today but he never cared much about it, unlike Jason who loved it, mostly because he loved to tease those who won.

Jason grinned at the look of dread on Dick and Tim's face, the grin that grew as Bruce looked even more gloomy than normal.

Stephanie's hand in hand with Cassandra entered the cave with a bounce and a wide smile on her face, "Guess who won favorite female couple?" She beamed at Cass who returned it with a small smile.

Tim smiled at them, he was happy his favorite sister and Stephanie had found happiness with each other. "Like there was any doubt."

Stephanie preened, "It just shows that people have good taste."

Tim did not like the look on her face, it matched the one Jason was wearing.

“It would seem that after many years ranking at the top SuperBats has been at last defeated!” Jason announced.

Bruce grunted he didn't understand why people shipped him and Clark together but he was curious as to who finally dethroned them. ‘Maybe this will finally stop Hal and Barry from sending me SuperBats fanfiction and artworks.’

An unholy gleam appeared in Jason's eyes, the look that he aimed at Dick and then Tim before pulling up the article on his phone, “Yes folks, it has finally happened the long regaining SuperBats has been defeated by another that has been gaining on them for years. Congratulations Superboy and Red Robin.”

“WHAT?!”

Dick’s enraged bellow sent bats flying as Tim could only stare at Jason.

"Kon and me?" Tim could understand why people shipped them, best friends to lovers was a very popular trope but he didn't think that he and Kon had that big of a following. He felt kinda flattered even if he never thought of Kon like that. No his heart belonged to only one person.

An annoyed look appeared on Damian's face, he didn't understand why Todd and Brown made such a big deal about these foolish polls. "Ridiculous, if anyone should have defeated father it should have been Grayson and Drake they have been pining over one another for years it is sickening."

Dick and Tim both paled, both had been so sure that they hid their feelings for each other so well that no one else in the family knew, let alone their crush.

"Silly." Cassandra moved away from Stephanie coming to stand between Dick and Tim she took their hands in hers.  "Love each other. Stop denying it."

“I couldn't have said it better. Everyone is tired of the two of you pining for one another." Babs voice echoed around the cave, no one was surprised that she hacked the comm system.

Rising gracefully to her feet Diana took Bruce's hand in hers. "I think that we should give them a few moments alone."

Never one to deny his princess Bruce led Diana from the cave. 'At least now I don't have to put up with Jason decorating my cave with all that artwork of Clark and I.'

Dick and Tim avoided looking at one another as the cave emptied as their family left them alone.

"Do I need to worry about you going after Kon with a chunk of kryptonite?" Tim found himself asking the last thing he wanted was for Kon to be in danger.

'Now that is an idea.' Dick was tempted, oh was he ever tempted to take some and hunt down Kon and ask him what his intentions were towards Tim. 'No Tim would be mad at me.' Dick forgot the idea right away.

Dick looked at Tim and was once again blown away at how beautiful Tim was. "All I want for you is to be happy and if that is with Kon then so be it."

"Kon and I are friends, best friends but just friends." Tim wanted to say, 'How can I be in love with Kon when I am in love with you?'

"You're in love with me?"

Tim's eyes widened in horror as he realized he had just said that out loud. Slapping his hands over his mouth Tim took a step back.

Only Dick followed his moves smooth and seductive until he had Tim pinned between him and a workbench. "Answer me baby bird. Are you in love with me?"

Tim was tempted he could nerve strike Dick and high tailed it out of the cave but he knows that Dick will just follow him. "I have been for so long. Before I even knew what love was."

Reaching out a hand Dick cupped Tim's face and nudged his head up to look him in the eyes, "I love you too, pretty bird. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to push you away not when you have just returned to us." Dick explained.

Tim was sure that his heart was pounding so loudly that Dick could hear it. "Kiss me?" Tim pleaded softly.

Dick's face lit up in a smile, "Nothing would make me happier, pretty bird." Dick had dreamed of his moment for so long and nothing he had imagined was like the real thing. Tim fit perfectly against him like Tim was made just for him.

+*****+

Jason grinned as he heard Bruce mutter about "slideshows" and "protection" this turned out even better than he thought and if Dickie got one his nervous he had tons of Baby Bird and Superboy artwork saved away for revenge.

[phobidawg]

This is insanely late, but I finally finished up my fic for the Renegades Fic Exchange, hosted by @narcissacronin and @ruby-assassin! It’s for @onecannotbebravewhohasnofear with the prompt of “something with Callum.” I hope you like it! <3

SUPERNOVA SPOILERS!

And AU where Callum survived Supernova, and all the team is grown up. It’s Giving Thanks Day, and Nova is completely overhwelmed with preparations, so Callum offers to babysit the kids. 

Word Count- 1728

Callum turned the lock, patting the granda victorian doors fondly. The wooden sign above them read “Treadwell’s Treasures.” The name had been an offhand thought of Nova’s. Though Maggie has scoffed, Callum thought it was charming. And so, the three of them had pooled their money, and bought Callum his dream museum. The museum hosted a wide variety of historical objects and presentations. The council even let Callum showcase many of the unused prodigy objects in the artifacts room, under the condition that they could access them at any time they needed. 

Treadwell’s Treasures was his favorite place to be in the world, hence why it had been open even today, a national holiday. Giving Thanks Day was to honor the gifts they had. It was a holiday that Callum himself had suggested to the Council, and they’d readily agreed.

There was a beep, and Callum looked down at his Renegade watch. He picked it up, and was met with a distressed Nova yelling at someone “no the other pot, there’s already something in that one!”

“Nova, are you okay?” Callum could sense the anxiety and Nova’s overwhelmed state of being through the phone. 

“Hi Callum, it just wanted to remind you that dinner’s at- Andromeda please don’t touch that it’s hot!”

“Dinner?” From the sound of it, that was the last thing Callum expected Nova to tell him about. 

“Yes it’s at 5… OSCAR PLEASE-”

“Do you need a hand?”

“Oh no you don’t have to do that,” There was a bang and a squeal that sounded suspiciously like Oscar in the background. It sounded like Callum did to do that. “I’ll be there in 10!” Callum reponsonded brightly, before hanging up and jogged to his bike. 

Callum never went anywhere by car, he believed that saving the environment was in the small things. He also always wore a helmet, which he buckled now.

Passing through the streets, Callum admired the improvement the Council had made to the dilapidated suburbs. The project was a huge undertaking, and when he had time Callum liked to help the effort. Though the main priority was making them safe to live in, Callum liked it when  the helpers repainted a house a bright color. The reds, yellows, greens, and blues really brightened the atmosphere of the whole place.

Callum turned a corner, smiling at people as he passed. Soon he neared a pretty, light blue house. Parking his bike, he knocked on the door.

Nova opened it, and promptly ushered him in.

“Happy Giving Thanks Day!” She began to hug him, but a “Nova! The pasta is on fire!” quickly recalled her back to the kitchen.

Callum wasn’t alone for long, only moments passed before a little girl came to hug his legs.

“Uncle Callum!” She squealed. He laughed, swinging her up over his head. She shrieked gleefully and he kissed her cheek. Callum loved when Nova’s kids called him Uncle, even if they were by no way related. 

“Andromenda! How’ve you been? How’s Bear?”

Andromeda showcased her stuffed cat proudly. “He got a cut above his eye, but I gave him stitches myself. Callum peered at the stitching. “Wow! You're going to have to give me lessons! I ripped my pants yesterday gardening, can you fix those too?”

Andromeda considered, before nodding, determined. “I’ll fix them!”

“Whew, what would I do without you.” He set her down, and she scampered off to find Nina, Oscar and Ruby’s daughter.

“Callum! Nova said I would find you here.” Adrian clapped his shoulder. The two exchanged greetings as Adrian led him to the back room. “Thank you so much for offering to help out, it’s really hectic- Oscar, his mom, and Ruby’s parents and grandmother are all in the kitchen trying to cook over each other while she leads them, and Ruby and I are busy setting the table and finishing up decorations… it’ll only be for a half hour before my dads and everyone else come and they’ll be fine on their own.”

“It’s no problem! I’m glad to help.” Callum responded, and Adrian sighed in relief. 

“Thank you so much.” He ran off to find Ruby again, and Callum was left with the kids.

There were three jumping kids, and one in a bucket seat. Andromeda and Nina, the 6 year olds, and Lucas, Ruby and Oscar’s 4 year old son. The one in the bucket seat began to cry, so Callum went over to pick the child up. Cradling the baby, he looked down and bopped it’s nose.

“Why are you so sad Diana?” He cooed, moving around a little bit to soothe her. Diana waved one little fist, sucking on the other. Callum caught the first, and enclosed it in his hand. Diana made a gasping sound, and her eyes widened as she wondered where her fist had gone. Callum smiled, and opened his hand. The little girl goggled at her newly reappeared hand, tears forgotten. Callum bounced her a little, and reached over to get the sash from the table. He handed the little girl to Andromeda for a moment, and put the sash over one shoulder and under the other. He took the baby back and settled her in the hammock like space that was made before turning to face the other children.

“Lucas, Nina! I believe it’s been a full week since I saw you last. Have you been good for your parents?”

The two bounced on the balls on their feet, nodding profusely. Callum smiled at them. “I’ve been good too!” Andromeda piped up. Callum laughed, and dug around in his pocket. Pulling out his hand, he extended it towards the three and opened it. The squealled gleefully when they saw the little caramel chews. Callum mimed a shushing motion, “your parents won’t be very happy since caramel gets stuck in your teeth, but a little extra sweetness has done nothing but help people.” 

“Thank you Uncle Callum!” They chorused, unwrapping them eagerly. 

Diana gurgled, and Callum reached over to grab her bottle. “I didn’t forget you.” He reassured, handing it to her.

“What were you doing before?” He asked when the candies had been eaten.

“We were playing family.” Andromeda informed. 

“I was the baby.” Nina complained, crossing her arms. “I wanted to be the dog!” She exclaimed, “And plus we already have a baby.”

“But Diana can’t play with us, and not every family has a dog.” Andromeda reasoned.

“I’m the Dad.” Lucas stuck his chest out proudly, looking at Andromeda for approval. She was too busy arguing with Nina though. Callum told Lucas he looked very manly.

“Well I can’t see why Nina can’t be a dog, not every couple has a child. Look at Aunt Danna and Aunt Narcissa!”

Nina began to grin, and Andromeda paused, considering.

“Well, they don’t have a dog either.” She said, as if that settled it. 

“That’s because Auntie Narcissa is allergic to dogs.” Lucas pointed out. “If she wasn’t they might!”

“Oh…” 

Callum was a little lost on the logic of toddlers, but could sense it was going to work itself out.

“Does that mean I can be a dog?” Nina was looking between them, equally lost. 

Andromeda didn’t answer, eyebrows furrowed, but Lucas told his sister that of course she could.

“Yay!” Nina jumped up and down.

“Wait, what’s Uncle Callum going to be?” Andromeda asked.

Callum considered, “the next door neighbor?”

“You can be the grandpa!” Lucas giggled, and Callum laughed, joining the game.

~*~

 Once the company began to arrive, they all congregated in the living room. Danna, Narcissa, Maggie, Ruby’s brother’s, Max were all there. After the battle, the last four had become a Renegades team, along with another girl (who couldn't make it tonight.) Hugh and Simon were in their way, as well as Leroy and Danna’s parents. 

Callum took a seat next to Maggie. She and the boys from her team were engaged in a very serious game of Connect 4. It was Maggie and Max against the twins.

Callum whispered something in Maggie’s ear. She grinned and a moment later, she and Max had the twins beat.

“No fair! They cheated!” Jade pointed at him accusingly, but Max and Maggie couldn't hear of the sound of their whooping.

The two hours passed in a joyous blur of talking, friends, and intense games of Uno (Danna won every time.)

Food was served, and the rest of the guests came, the meal was ended, people left to play games in the other room, and an exhausted Nova took a seat next to him.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, taking a bite.

“Aaaaaah.” Nova yell sighed. Callum pat her hand. “This is all amazing, you’ve done an outstanding job.” He reassured. She smiled at him.

“Hosting is hard,” she admitted. “It’s all much better now that I’m sitting though.”

“I wouldn’t know.” He laughed. “Well, I hosted a museum, but that’s very different.”

“Speaking of, how’s your Day of Triumph exhibition going?”

Callum nodded. “Very well, I think the people will walk out understanding both sides, the losses of both, and how it didn’t stop further problems- though a victory nonetheless.”

Nova nodded, fingers tapping her glass. “Are you doing another one of the ‘stand really still and look like a statue’ fundraisers soon? Because Narcissa loved it.”

“She did tell me that afterwards, also she said she had some good books I could borrow for my next exhibit.”

“That’s great!”

There was a pause of silence, before Nova said, “Thank you for coming over and watching the kids today. I know they’re a handful, but it was a huge help.”

Callum just smiled and waved it away. “Anytime, and it was no problem! Love the kids.”

Nova stood up. “You’re the best. Now I have to go wash the dishes.”

Ruby popped her head in the room. “Danna and I have got the dishes!”

Nova looked doubtful. “Clear the table…”

“Adrian did that.” Ruby informed.

“Oh!” Nova was surprised and clearly relieved. Callum gave her a gentle push towards the living room, where Adrian and her other friends were waiting for her on the couch. “Go!” 

Callum watched her sit and give Adrian a kiss on the cheek with content. His friends were happy, Gatlon was on the rise, and all was at peace in the world. He was most definitely thankful.

[raleigh-ocean]

where does my heart belong (you know it, right?) | billie dean howard x dara ann lynch

words: 3,608

summary: sometimes Billie wished for Dara to know that she became all that she didn’t know she needed so bad, how much she loved every second of that realization. And that also meant that Billie had room not only for improvement, but to get a little bit extra along the way. 

Billie’s laugh sounded muffled against Dara’s chest, coming out with a content sigh all along that made the younger woman to giggle ever so soft in response, fingers brushing back silky blonde hair.

“Please, tell me we didn’t do it just becau-”

“Of course not,” Billie pressed her lips in the tiny crook between Dara’s collarbones. “We did it because we wanted,” two kisses a bit lower, over the swell of her breasts. “Because you looked stunning in that dress; because all I wanted was to be by your side, as close as possible,” another kiss in Dara’s throat, along another content hum. “And because we know how to have sex without the rest knowing, which makes us the best team,” Billie moved slightly to the left, taking good care to give Dara a new mark in her favorite spot. “I didn’t need Josephine to push me to do something I was gonna do the same, lovely.”

“God, Billie Dean,” Dara laughed hoarsely at that, leaving a kiss in Billie’s temple before licking her lips and waiting for the big kiss Billie was going to give her. She didn’t sound upset, just not surprised. “Tell me at least we won some money.”

“How dare you miss Lynch, suggest we just didn’t? Do you think my sister actually convinced my brother-in-law to do something so unholy under my parents’ roof?” Dara shrugged a bit and Billie actually turned on the night lamp to look at her, cocky smirk swifting to one of curiosity. “Annie.”

“I mean, Steve showed up without tie to this year’s dinner,” Dara laced her hands together over Billie’s back, since the medium was really comfortable resting over her chest. “The next thing could be eating cauliflower or finding them having sex against the bathroom’s sink, who knows.”

It was then when realization hit Billie and, for a fraction of time, Dara could see her curiosity go away to be replaced with a kinda scared expression. Dara used her fingers again to brush back a lock of Billie’s hair behind her ear, as if they weren’t having a stupid conversation, and when she withdrew it Billie took it in hers, kissing her palm with somewhat devotion before going up enough to hover over her and kiss her slow on the lips.

Neither of them could help but moan ever so softly, going deeper with the kiss, Dara’s fingers pressing against Billie’s lower back and Billie biting her lower lip in response.

“You stay here, my queen,” Billie whispered, another well placed peck in Dara’s lips. “I’m going to get some towels to clean us up, okay?”

“Okay,” Dara barely nodded, closing her eyes and sinking in the mattress again, Billie’s warmth and weight gone. “Just please, don’t take your time, I still find unnerving that you have a Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ poster in your ceiling.”

“You have a Selena one in Sacramento,” reminded Billie, pulling up Dara’s basket shorts and then her shirt, dressing a bit in case she encountered someone in the corridor. “And I don’t think any of them are going to disappear any time soon.”

“It’s Diana’s and it’s inside the closet, not looking at us in airplane view,” Billie laughed at that and leant to give Dara a last kiss. “Parents’ and their effort to not let go of stuff.”

When Dara was finally left alone in bed, only covered by the quilt and one foot out of it, she only managed to curl into a ball and sink her face against Billie's pillow to take in the scent. It was comforting, even when both were having a rough time sleeping there, to do such a homey thing...and also get to share an actual bed when they were guests.

Opening one eye, she looked around the room as far as she could, and smiled softly to see that the decorations hadn't been changed for almost the last twenty years, even when Billie moved from her parents' house in Palos Verdes to her apartment in Pasadena when she was twenty-five. It was a bit weird in a good way, like, Dara felt safe there even with the ceiling poster and the terrifying pink of the walls.

Maybe it was because she didn't feel she was suffocating there.

"Sit up, baby," Billie's voice was the only thing that brought Dara back to Earth and she did as she was told while watching her partner dressed with her clothes - big on her - and holding a towel in her hands. "There we go, let me...yeah, that."

Aftercare was always a thing that they did together, helping each other to be faster so they could go back to where they were before, but that time Billie brushed her hands off and did everything on her own while leaving tiny kisses here and there. They didn't talk much, aside a punctual laugh, but Dara thought that having Billie being that...chivalrous and sweet was something she liked too much to let it not happen.

And when Billie took off her clothes again to get in bed by her side, skin to skin and making a gesture for her to cuddle in her arms...just absolutely blew her mind.

“I hate not being able to smoke whenever I want,” Billie sighed after pressing a kiss onto Dara’s forehead. “Withdrawal symptoms are a bitch.”

“Honey, you always have pseudo-withdrawal symptoms when you reduce from four to one even for a single visit,” Dara moved her head a bit to look at Billie.

“I know! It’s madness,” Dara got a brand new kiss, index curled under her chin. “But I can totally do it as long as I can kiss you.”

“Big sappy,” Dara followed the kiss, her own hand resting over Billie’s stomach and rubbing softly her thumb there. “What got you all dripping honey?”

“Christmas, that I finally have a long break from work after five years working my ass off, that Audrey is doing much better, maybe that my mother is going to bake my favourite pie for Christmas lunch tomorrow,” Billie’s fingers brushed Dara’s hair with care and she indulged in the moment, her voice softened. “Maybe that I have you here with me, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers watching over us like the Saints or something...I don’t know what it could be.”

Having Billie telling her all that made Dara to close her eyes and cuddle against her chest better, as if she wanted to not just indulge but to drown in the feeling and the situation. She loved, absolutely and hopelessly loved when Billie went softer than their usual. Was she loving? Of course Billie was loving, in her own weird way. She wasn’t one to dwell deeper in her feelings, but she still got it in her to make what she was feeling be known...most of the time.

Dara wanted to indulge in the little reminder that Billie was enjoying being together.

“I think it’s the pie, totally that,” she mumbled, pressing a kiss to Billie’s neck with love and moving her fingers over her sternum until she was playing to her favourite game: pressing her fingertips over Billie’s chest freckles. “I’ve never seen you more happy than when you eat any kind of sugary thing.”

“That’s why I’m always happy after eating you out?” Billie laughed and wrapped her arms better around Dara, who was coughing because it took her by surprise and her own saliva went down the wrong pipe. “But let me tell you, I don’t miss my mother’s bakeries. Not when I have such a Goddess baking pure ambrosia.”

“My throat hurts too much to actually fight you back,” Dara managed to croak that muffled against Billie’s chest, her voice more hoarse than before, trying to rest and calm her breathing with Billie trying to ease the pain of coughing so violently in a short span of time. “You give me too much credit for a few cookies.”

“A few cookies? What about my birthday’s carrot cake?” Billie helped Dara to sit up so she could drink from the glass of water they carried on purpose hours before. "Or that guayaba sugar rush bar you make every three first of the month? Do I have to bring the brownies to the conversation? You don't want me to bring the brownies up."

"I get it, I get it!" Dara grumbled, her hand going directly to Billie's face to bring her a bit lower and kiss her. That made them accommodate better side by side under the quilt, Billie still kissing her sweet girl when she managed to blindly turn off the night lamp. "One day, my butter cookies are gonna start a war somewhere if they are half good as you say then."

"Oh, now that you bring that up, they kind of did," Billie said while her left hand found its place brushing Dara's hair with care and caressing her cheek softly. "I forgot to tell you, I brought over some to the office the other day because, well, we wouldn't eat them all in two days as much as I wished to," then Billie's hand lowered until she let it rest in Dara's lower back, letting her index draw lightly her dimples there before just pulling her a bit closer. "And it gave us a better plot than 'Troya'."

Dara's curiosity skyrocketed with that, letting Billie talk to her heart content and tell her about how after everyone got over the shyness of taking a harmless cookie, her crew almost fought each other over them. Not only that, they also managed to pull together the make-up artist and Billie's camera man, blossoming love thanks to Benny's being a good guy and sharing the sweetery with Jean.

Billie was really relaxed if she was talking that much, Dara thought while she let out the seventh little variation of 'really?', and she herself as well since she didn't need to cut her story to ask or add something else - aside of her throat being a bitch and making her not want to restrain it more.

There, in the darkness of Billie's old room, they were existing as if any of their problems existed. No powers, no family acting weird, no fame; just the two of them sharing the peacefulness they usually only got at home, where they were always at peace.

"...so yeah, you basically became a Goddess unknowingly by baking some innocent cookies," Billie chuckled at that, her tell-tale coming to an end, as she leant to leave a tiny kiss on the tip of her nose. "How is your throat, doll?"

"Not very goddess-ly like, but we know how I get when nodules attack me, it's just a bit tiring," Dara smiled softly when Billie kissed her lips first and then hugged her better to leave tiny kisses in her neck. "Nothing I can't handle, but I'm getting sleepy."

"We can always go downstairs to get you some honey lemon tea," the tiny 'nu' mumbled against her chest, Dara hiding in her neck, made Billie smile worriedly at her. "Why not? It would help you to get sleepy faster as well as relieve your pain."

"I've been living all my life with nodules, it's not that terrible! And also, do you really want to mess with Santa's schedule, Bills? He's already turning a blind eye because we are adults and can legally stay up after eleven," Dara felt Billie's hand giving her tiny caresses as she was trying not to laugh loudly. "We're pushing the limit and I don't know about you, but I want my present to be there in the morning."

What did Billie do in her life to end up with someone like Dara?

She truly was considering ditching that response and go get some tea to calm her throat, but hearing Dara so adamant about something like that...Billie only sighed and took the glass of water again, handing it to Dara so she could at least have a few more sips to help.

"But I already have my present here, he won't mind me wandering around the kitchen at the wee hours, even less since I’m doing some good," Billie oversaw the way Dara pouted, making her use her index to push her cheek a bit out of habit. “Okay, we stay, we stay…but if it gets worse, you tell me right away.”

“You’ll be the first one, sugar, always,” Dara smiled and kissed Billie, meaning those few words and just enjoying the soft brush of their noses. “I know that we don’t actually think of visiting our parents as...vacation, so where would you want to go? Like...actually none know us, no family around.”

“Good question…” it’s easy to mold their bodies together, legs entangling out of habit and arms draped over the waist. “I want to take you to the beach. Spend the morning there, go back to eat, maybe a nap, go back to the beach until we have to go because it’s getting dark, dinner and talk. Rinse and repeat for a week.”

“I thought you were gonna say Italy or wherever fancy,” Dara mumbled sleepily, her hand finding Billie’s to bring it under the pillow and cuddle it just like that. “You’ve been watching tons of travel programs lately.”

“I do want to take you overseas one day, yes, but first and foremost I want us to have a week of absolutely doing nothing at the beach,” Billie felt her heart swell with love, the one she felt so deeply for Dara, upon imagining that. “Remember when you accompanied me to that mansion in Yosemite? The one with the old lady who swore to me she could see her daughter?” Dara hummed in response, two thousand and twelve a bit foggy in her head thanks to her current state but still there. “We literally spent three days out of five doing nothing. Nothing but drink, nap, play your old Uno and walk around the forest...and I want that feeling back.”

“Tell me then when to pack and off we go, I’m not kidding,” Dara felt ready even half asleep, willing to throw herself under a bus if Billie wanted. “I’ll call Mavis once we are at home, do extra hours or something.”

Billie felt her heart squeeze, because the commitment Dara had with her was still up high even in a moment so unique like that one. She really thanked having the light turned off, because if not Dara would probably see how her eyes got all teary. The sweet static all over her skin made the feeling more wholesome and less...sad, as to speak, because Billie sometimes got desperate for showing her girl something like that and truly making her feel it.

“When I’m done with the new contract to film on the Hotel Cortez then,” Billie promised that with something else growing in her chest, side by side to all that love that was filling it right now. “We go straight away after that.”

“We can’t go exactly straight away,” Dara chuckled in another mumble, Billie hearing how her breathing was settling more and more but also the innuendo, which gained her a few playful pats in her butt. “But okay...still don’t like you’re going back.”

“Work is work, sweetheart,” something in the back of her head was recriminating Billie that it wasn’t actually the truth, however she shut it down. 

“Work can go to Hell as far as I care,” there was a tint of harshness in Dara’s voice that got sweetened the next second. “If that means you come back to me, home, safe and sound...”

The raw sincerity jolted Billie as if she touched a socket with her hands wet and barefoot, and it left her in silence with a Dara that managed to hide her face in the crook of her neck, sleep taking her once and for all. It was hard to leave her speechless but many of those times were always thanks to the woman that was sleeping soundly in her arms now.

She was sure none could do that like Dara.

Billie always had this feeling of not knowing where she truly belonged, she thought while trying to calm her whole being to fall asleep as well. Not even when she was young felt like she was comfortable enough or could drop her defences to rest. But since she met the younger woman, that started to change little by little in a way that Billie barely noticed until she was too into it. Almost three years had passed since the day she realized what she truly wanted, what her heart wanted…

...and that was to stay by Dara’s side.

“I love you, you know that right?”

Unheard but she said it, she managed to say it and she felt selfish but at the same time she felt on top of the world. Dara, asleep, moved and rolled to let her back face Billie and she took advantage of that to cuddle her from behind, kissing the back of her head.

“Of course you know, if not you would have escaped from me long ago.”

…

The next morning, Billie woke up alone in bed but she didn’t feel lonely. Dara was missing from her rightful side of the bed and, still trying to rub the sleep from her eyes, Billie managed to get in Dara’s pajamas before going off to find her. It was funny to see Billie in baggy clothes, being out of place with her parents’ house by miles, but she navigated through corridors with expert feet and yawning big.

She found Josephine in her expedition, getting not only a drained look but also a few bills because apparently she won the bet - Jo crowning her as the winner after she clearly saw a hickey peeking from the t-shirt collar. Billie was too content and sleepy to throw a new jab, so she only kissed Jo’s temple with some kind of weird sisterly Christmas love and locked arms with her, deciding that probably was the best for both to make their way to the kitchen.

And when they crossed the door, Billie felt herself floating in cloud nine. Not only because of the smell of coffee, but because of the view she was welcomed with. 

Dara was there talking with her mother in a respectful tone while Lucille gave her instructions, the contrast between both being way too big, over a big bowl. Billie’s father, Edward, was watching them from time to time while reading his book with a soft smile hiding under his moustache. It wasn’t something out of place, it was natural and it made Billie feel like woo because three of her most favourite people on this planet were enjoying, as far as she could see, being just there together.

“Dee, you never told me she was this good at baking,” Lucille said, barely fixing her eyes - same brown hue as her daughters - in them. 

“Well, I told you a few times she was full of surprises, mother,” Billie made her way first to kiss her father’s cheek and steal a sip from his coffee. “Where are the kids, by the way? Did I miss presents’ time?”

She couldn’t help her smile go bigger when Dara rolled her eyes and looked down to the bowl, hiding that way her embarrassment for being in the spotlight of mother-daughter’s conversation. It didn’t stop her either from walking behind her girl and murmuring a soft ‘merry Christmas, doll’ after leaving a kiss on her nape and wrapping her arms around Dara’s middle, resting her chin on her shoulder and just staying like that.

“No, you didn’t miss it. Tanya and George are still asleep,” Edward said while Josephine served two big cups of coffee for her sister and her. “So we’re enjoying the bliss before the chaos.” Even Lucille laughed softly to her husband’s cheerful tone. “Any idea of what you are getting this year, Bibs?”

“I’m hoping for a few history books or a new phone, mine got totally trashed at work,” Billie responded while trying to stick her finger in the chocolate batter, unsuccessfully because her mother noticed but getting some the same because Dara did it for her, giving her own finger for Billie to lick quickly. “And you, dad?”

But all Billie could think about was that she already had her gift between her arms, she really wasn’t joking last night. She didn’t care about anything else this Christmas but having a good time and being able to spend it all with Dara and her family. For her, that moment in the kitchen was more than enough already as well. 

She still felt happy the same when hours later she unwrapped all her new history books, the new phone and a handcrafted checkbook - which she was going to put to an use as soon as they were home -, all from Dara; plus some few other things from her parents.

However she felt the happiest when she finally handed the brand new set of car keys to her love, Dara’s eyes a chaotic mix of panic, happiness, shock and surprise. She laughed loudly when Josephine seemed about to pop up a vein upon seeing the car and her brother-in-law, Steve, high-fived her in a strange sudden burst of confidence. 

Who would have told her that having your anniversary on Christmas’ Eve was going to be such fun?

Oops, maybe she forgot to add that last night to all the reasons she was dripping honey like crazy.

[fluorescentpipedream]

For Aliviya pt 1

Deacon has ever been the calm one of his family. The middle child is often credited with being brash and attention-seeking as they try to outshine their older or younger siblings but that was never the case for him. Born after the twins, Benjamin and Charlotte and followed by their baby sister Rachel, Deacon was a more determined, hard working young man never content to stay on the side but also not one to rock the boat. With his parents, Lord Harrison Moore and his beautiful wife Francesca, behind him in any and all of his endeavors, he’s always been free to be the kind of man that would be the best representative of his family. The Moore family is 13th in line for the throne in England, and to some degree a favorite of the Queen, even being so long out of being actual royalty. When he was in his early 20′s, he moved out of London and into a mini-mansion in Bibury, by way of Gloucestershire. The picturesque little hideaway was his own private home, only an hour outside of London itself but it gave him a sense of peace and serenity. There, Deacon had three Irish wolfhounds named Gaius, Augustus and Brutus and for a time he had a young woman he’d been courting for some time, and while he’d been able to accept her harsh temper and selfish ways, things with Diana Ashworth were not meant to be. 

Something changed in him when he was rather spectacularly dumped by Diana after they had been together for nearly seven years. Her reasoning made little sense, she said the $2.5 million, Harry Winston ring was too small and tacky and made a scene when Deacon had tried to propose to her. Whatever her reasoning really was, he could never be sure but after the dust had settled, he’d finally realized how terrible for him she had really been. Diana was a very “particular” woman. She liked to have things a certain way, usually with servants for nearly everything she could ever need and with all the money she had, she was expecting to live in the lap of luxury inside the safe confines of one of the main areas of London, none of which fit Deacon’s small “cottage” as he called it. She didn’t like his dogs and often didn’t respect him much either, all things he came to see only after they had rather publicly broken up. Another thing Deacon disliked had been how public she liked to do anything and everything. Diana always wanted to be seen doing something, so people who still think of her...but considering her family wasn’t as well known as the Moores, it may have had more to do with her wanting to show off her newly acquired status. Whatever the reason, he was happy to have her gone but had been left in a vulnerable position now without her.

One thing he had always prided himself on was having close friends with those in his same caliber, the likes of Niall Hannigan and Peter Danvers, just to name a few. These men always had his back, or so he had thought but their idea of comforting him following his breakup was to use a work trip to the states, specifically St. Louis, to visit a sex party. The rules had been simple enough, wear a mask and never exchange names, this was meant to be a meeting of like-minded individuals looking for a night of consensual frivolity, though while it might have been Niall and Peter’s scene, it was hardly Deacon’s. Still, he had allowed himself to be drug to this horrible thing, though he’d ultimately ended up in a private room with a few bottles of wine, trying to forget where he was and exactly why he was there. Through some strike of fate, it was that night he met  Aliviya St. Michael. Ali blew him away, her kindness and compassion when he was at his worst had been more of a comfort in his heartbreak than his closest friends.Deacon never saw her full face but there was something in Aliviya’s eyes that just seemed to stick with him. 

The Monday after the party, Deacon had found himself still hungover and mortified by his unprofessional behavior, as his father would have described it. For all of his attempts to actually make himself look presentable, he just came across as disheveled and tired looking. Or so he had believed. When he’d arrived at Giovanni Incorporated, the darkening sky opened and began a steady, chilly downpour over his head. He had come into the building shaking out the collar of his wool jacket. His bodyguard and one of his best friends, Samson, had failed to get the umbrella up in time as they had been walking into the building and both men had gotten drenched. Most people would have been annoyed but Deacon had only laughed if off, running a hand through his hair and rushed to catch an elevator that was already going up. Samson and his partner, an impressive sized man named Roman, remained in the lobby of the office, waiting for Deacon to come back down again. After they left here, it was back to the Chase Park Plaza to get some much needed rest before they would all fly home. 

Deacon finished shaking out his coat once he was in the elevator and scowled as he realized the warped reflection in the chrome showed exactly how bad he looked. As he struggled to fix his tie, his eyes shifted slightly towards those beautiful eyes he had been thinking about since Saturday. Aliviya offered to fix his tie for him and as her fingers had played with the soft silk of his tie he’d lost his mind for a moment, carefully tipping her face up towards his and kissed her. It straight out of a badly written romantic comedy movie, but he had recognized her eyes, the softness of her touch on his chest and the lyrical tone to her voice, everything had been there exactly as he remembered it. For only a moment, he’d had those perfect lips on his own again before the moment ended and as any actual woman would do when a strange man kissed him, she slapped him. Deacon had been flustered but what was he supposed to say? “Hey I’m that guy you found sobbing in the private room at the sex party downtown this weekend, want to go out?” It didn’t have the greatest ring to it.

Instead, he had apologized several times for stepping out of bounds with her and told her that she had looked like someone he thought he knew. That hadn’t been the best recovery either, but as she got off on the 7th floor, Deacon hesitated but decided not to say anything. It wasn’t until he was leaving the office later that evening that the two saw one another again and he was given a second chance to talk to her. The poor girl had a busted umbrella and seemed to be at her wits end as she stood in the rain waiting for the bus. He had asked Roman to pull up alongside her and asked if she would like a ride. 

"I’m fine....fine.” 

“You don’t look fine...Lord Moore would like to offer you a ride, anywhere you want to go?” 

“Lord...Moore....No no, it’s really fine.” 

Deacon had rolled his window down and looked at the young woman for a moment, wanting to bring her inside and take her back to the hotel with him though the best he could do was offer a soft “please”. She had eventually given in, though only allowed him to take her to a rather run-down looking apartment building a few blocks away. 

“I’d like to take you out to dinner...” 

“That kiss didn’t mean anything, really...it’s fine. I’m afraid I don’t really have the time...I have class and I work early tomorrow...” 

“What about after class?” 

“You’re persistent, aren’t you?” 

“I tend to be very determined...” Deacon had started then, leaning forward in his seat as he looked over her and after a moment he reached out to take her hand. “I have met you before, Aliviya....on Saturday. You had been kind to me when you could have left me alone... I’d like to have a real chance to get to know you. When I’m not sobbing into my cheap chardonnay.” 

It had started out so innocent, dinner in a diner after she had gotten out of class for the night and over time their romance bloomed. It was still a bit like a movie and sometimes, Deacon found himself wondering how he’d managed to be so lucky as to meet someone like her. She was driven, hard working and had an odd variety of friends, all of which brought something new to her personality that Deacon may not have noticed before. Her compassion and caring nature was rivaled only by her beauty, which was as much inside as it was out. 

As it stood, Deacon and Aliviya had been dating for six months, almost entirely remotely due to his living in London and her being in St. Louis. It was difficult, only seeing her when he was able to come in and often work prefaced the trip as it was the only time he could get away from his family business. 

They had made it through some pretty murky waters as all relationships struggle but the long distance ones are extra tricky. The main issue had resolved itself only a few weeks ago, when Ali had been used as a scapegoat for a massive embezzlement scandal going on within Giovanni Incorporated and while his father and brother had wanted Deacon to break off his relationship with her, he hadn’t been able to actually ever say the words. He had been a little distant through it but when it all came down, Deacon didn’t believe Aliviya to be the type to steal money from anyone, much less a company that she bent over backwards for and who had taken a chance on her. Though the situation had worked itself out and the right people had been persecuted for the role they played, Ali had been left unsettled about the whole thing, not that anyone could blame her. As they sat together on her couch, Deacon attempting to offer comfort he finally came off with the only thing he could think of. 

“You need a vacation.” 

“Yeah...right let me just pull that out of my ass.” Her dry tone caught him off guard but he recovered, chuckling. 

“Vincent would like you to take some time off to regather yourself, after the entire situation he believes everyone needs some time to settle back in again. Not to mention...with you taking over as Mr. Lowery’s new assistant, it’s going to take some time to get everything processed.” 

“Oh...and where am I going on this vacation?” She seemed to be warming up to the idea, that was a good sign at the very least. Deacon thought for a moment before finally speaking again. 

“You had to meet my brother and father under the worst circumstances, I’d like you to meet the rest of my family, on my terms this time...you could come to England with me...I’ll introduce you to my family and if it goes well, we can go to my parent’s anniversary trip in Greece.” 

“Deacon...that’s a big trip and...your father...he doesn’t like me. He said it to my face...” 

Deacon frowned and looked at her. “I know, chicken...I know. But the last time I allowed everyone to make decisions about my life for me, I nearly married someone who had none of my best interests in mind.” Diana had been one of Charlotte’s friends and while he didn’t blame his older sister in the least for her friends’ conniving ways, everyone had thought she was going to be the best person for him. His father may have told Ali to her face that he didn’t think she was right for his son, but he’d said the opposite about someone who shattered him, it was his turn to make his own choice. 

“My friends like you..." He trailed off, knowing that wasn’t exactly a good way to start. Niall liked everyone and while Peter could be pretty discerning he wasn’t overly picky. His brother Michael was a bit more choosy but then again, Michael was...unique. Gavin Deveroux was the one that would give him his honest opinion, Deacon knew and trusted that at least. But Gavin hadn’t had a chance to meet her yet. Deacon frowned softly before starting again. 

“Ali, I want you to come with me. I want you to see where I live...and I know things have been tense but I’d like to keep you in my life. This is something important to me. I love you...and I want to show you the places that matter the most to me.” His parents’ home was one of those, but the other was his “cottage”. A place all his own that Diana had almost ruined with all of her issues with it, but it was still home and still his favorite place to be. Aliviya was quickly becoming his favorite person, so of course he’d want to take her to his favorite place, right?

There was silence for a while as she seemed to consider it and when she finally agreed, as long as she could bring Mike with her. Mike was...an odd egg, as Deacon’s aunt Sarah would have called him. The smartest man in the room at 28 years old, he could sound like the genius he was one minute and the loudest, gayest man only half a second later. It always amused Deacon how the man’s mood could fluctuate, but he was Ali’s closest friends and because of that, he was quickly becoming very important to Deacon too. Mike was a good judge of character and if the situation got too uncomfortable, he would give her an easy out of the situation. Deacon felt his heart swell like a balloon filled with too much air. He hopped off of her couch, startling one of her two cats, and captured Ali in his arms, cupping her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. 

“I love you, chicken.” She had returned his kiss deeply and leaned back only slightly. 

“I love when you call me that.” Deacon beamed. Chicken was a term of endearment his grandfather used to call his grandmother when they were together, and they had survived World War II together, he was part of the Royal Navy and she was a nurse, not a lady or a duchess, just a woman who had met him when he was hospitalized following a siege and he had fallen head over heels for her. Deacon’s grandfather, the late Lord Moore, had been an amazing man, still a Lord even though he was also a naval officer. And he had the greatest love story, Deacon had always loved hearing it. 

--

Aliviya had agreed to join Deacon after Mike’s Mensa meeting in Washington. The two of them would be flying together to New York on first class and after a day to rest they would take the Moore family private jet the rest of the way to London. After picking her up it was just a short drive out of the main city and to the family home in Oxfordshire. Aliviya was going to be meeting his mother and both of his sisters, as well as the majority of the family when she joined them on the family yacht in Greece. He had plans there, of course, but those would come into play soon enough. 

When the pair had made it to New York, they were met on the air strip by Roman, who rode with them on the plane the rest of the way. The flight itself was only going to take 7 hours, as opposed to the 12.5 it would have taken for them to make it commercially, which was part of why Deacon had insisted that they travel this way. The other was so they would have a quiet, easy trip. The jet was one of the luxury liners that featured it’s own staff, a bedroom in the back as well as a working shower and high quality entertainment system. Roman had told a very amused Deacon via text messages that Ali and Mike had wandered through the whole of the plane before choosing a place to sit and played cards with drinks and a mild meal during the flight. Of course she wouldn’t take advantage of all of the amenities but he had wished he could have heard the noise when she’d seen it. Oh well, all in due time, there was still the yacht. 

It was late when the plane arrived at the private airstrip near the family home, and Deacon was waiting on the concourse for them with flowers and a bright smile. They were going to the Moore estate for the first few days before they’d be heading to Santorini, Greece for his parents’ anniversary. Most of the family and some very high profile guests would be in attendance and while he was nervous about inviting Ali to the party, he was more looking forward to having her on his arm and introducing her as his girlfriend. It would be the first big event he had been to since his breakup with Diana, and luckily she would be nowhere in sight. As they got off the plane, he watched Roman fight off a yawn before he set about getting the bags out of the back. Samson moved to take their smaller personal items and set them in the car before opening the door. Ali had run to him, her arms going around his neck like he was catching her and holding her for an eternity, which he could have, in all honesty. Kissing her deeply, Deacon leaned back and smiled. 

“Chicken! I’m so glad you’re here finally! How was your flight?” 

“Smooth and uneventful.” Mike muttered as he stumbled down the last step and lost his balance, falling into Roman’s arms. It took him a second before he barked out a laugh. “Thanks Hulk” Deacon chuckled softly. His two bodyguards had wound up with nicknames now because of these two, and honestly now he couldn’t unsee it. Samoan Hulk was Roman, a 6.5ft monster of a Samoan man with broad, tattooed shoulders and a shaved head. He looked like someone that should be a fighter. The other was Samson, or Samoan Jesus, as Ali had referred to him. He had long hair and dark, piercing eyes. The irony of his tough guy exterior was his love for growing roses in Bibury in the house beside Deacon and spending time with his 5ft tall wife. 

“Deacon!”

Deacon beamed, holding her close for another moment or two before letting her go. “Shall we head to the house?” He looked back at Mike and smiled at him though only got a halfhearted smile back. 

“Are you alright?” 

“Hmm? Oh...yeah. Sorry...I’m fine. It’s good to see you again, Deacon. I’m just really tried.” And distracted, Deacon thought but he didn’t say anything. The other man moved over and got a hug from him as well before letting him go and got into the car. Ali had told him that Mike was going through some things, so this listless behavior was probably because of that. After they were settled into the car, he turned Ali’s face towards his and kissed her gently, teasing her mouth softly as he did so. 

“Since you’ve had such a long couple of days, my parents thought breakfast together might be the better way to go, rather than bombarding you as soon as you arrived. Is that alright?”  

“I like that idea much better, I can’t wait to meet your mom. Roman was telling us about everyone on the plane so we’d be more prepared...though I’m still really nervous. After everything what if...” 

Deacon stopped her with a soft shake of his head. “Nothing that happened had anything to do with you, chicken. It’s just something that happened while you were there. I’ve reassured them, they’re looking forward to getting to meet you finally.” 

“Lord Moore has been talking about you non-stop every time he comes home, at this point the Lady Moore may know you better than you know yourself” Samson had quipped from the driver’s seat ahead of them before exchanging a look with Roman before both men laughed. 

“It’s a short drive to the house....Oh... Lord Moore? Em and I brought up the boys, so they’re waiting for you too.” 

“Oh god.” Deacon’s dogs were about 3ft tall and weighed about 175lbs each, and whenever they saw him both Augustus and Brutus would rush him, tackling him to the ground. When he was with Diana, he’d had three of the wolfhounds, but Gaius was unfortunately poisoned and died only a month before the proposal incident. Deacon still missed the old gray beast but his two brothers more than made up for his lack of presence. He laughed lightly and looked at Ali. 

“They’re going to pounce you.” 

Ali laid her head on his shoulder when he settled back in the seat, she wasn’t asleep but she had her eyes closed. Deacon started playing with her hair and did so, absently as they drove on in silence. The ride itself wasn’t much to really see this time of the night, he figured while they were in the area he would play tour guide for a few days and take them to the Tower of London or one of the museums or something. While he wanted Ali to stay here with him forever he wasn’t sure how long she was going to want to stay in England, especially since her entire life was in St. Louis. 

When they had arrived at the house, Mike leaned forward and lightly poked Ali’s nose like it was a button and motioned to the great gates that lead up the drive. “We’re entering Downton Abbey.” He mused and Deacon laughed, lightly rubbing on her back before pointing out the window. 

“The drive goes all the way up and circles around a fountain in the middle of the courtyard. It’s lit up right now but you’ll really get to see it in the morning. The manor’s courtyards are a tourist attraction in their own right.” 

“Hmm...I can’t wait to see it.” 

Deacon smiled and kissed the top of her head before the car slowed to a stop and Roman got out to open the door for her, while Samson opened up Deacon’s side for him and Mike. Just as he had predicted, the front doors were open already and the boys were sitting on the steps, waiting to be called. They looked like mutts, but they were actually thoroughbreds. Taking a stance much like that of someone playing rugby, Deacon planted his feet and called out to the dogs. Just as he had said they both rushed down the stairs and tackled him to the ground licking him and nuzzling their heads into him like they hadn’t seen him in weeks, even though it had only been a couple of days. Laughing, Deacon managed to push them off after a minute or two and took Samson’s offered hand to get off the ground. For their part, Augustus and Brutus moved and sat down like perfect gentlemen as Deacon held his hand out for Ali to take, and introduced her. Brutus moved to pounce on her but Deacon held his hand up, stopping him without even a word. Instead they approached her slowly, sniffing her hand and then Augustus licked it before walking away. 

“Bloody hell I thought they were going to rush you too.” Deacon laughed and made another hand gesture at the boys, they both walked back up the stairs again, taking their place beside the front door and waiting patiently. 

“Those aren’t dogs, those are furry horses.” Ali laughed, wiping the drool onto her pants before picking up her purse from inside the car. 

“I know...they can be quite a handful but I love them. Come on...let’s get everyone settled.” 

As they entered the grand foyer of the manor, the lights were already on and the whole house had a soft glow to it. Unlike a lot of the bigger mansions that have a cold feeling to them, this one actually felt like the family had all lived in it and there was a residual warmth left from them. In his father’s office, there was a pillar that marked the growth of each of the Moore children and now their little niece too. Charlotte and her daughter were coming in tomorrow, and Benjamin and his teenage daughter Tess should already be settled in. As they came in, Deacon smiled up at a beautiful, older woman with whitish blond hair and bright eyes. 

“Aliviya St. Michael and Mike Tomlin, I’d like to introduce you to the Lady Francesca Moore. Mom I thought you weren’t going to do this until tomorrow?” 

“Nonsense, I wanted to be the one to welcome this young lady to our home, Deacon...” 

“Ah...well....at least Charlotte can still surprise us with the Princess. Is father in his study?” 

“Of course he is, he’ll be out in a moment.” No doubt his father had told her about Ali when he’d met her the first time, so it wasn’t much of a surprise that they were both here and ready to introduce themselves properly. Francesca looked comfortable in a loose fit gray dress and a black shawl around her shoulders. Her hair was pulled back and tucked around a little. She looked to Deacon as though she had been reading on his father’s couch. Behind them, Samson and Roman moved silently up the stairs to take Ali and Mike’s suitcases up to their designated rooms. Ali had a room of her own, of course, but Deacon had already told Samson to take her suitcase to his room, since it wasn’t likely she’d be spending much time apart from him. Mike’s room actually overlooked the back part of the house and his mother’s garden, the lighting made it look beautiful of course but tomorrow it was going to be a truly stunning view. Deacon shifted a little uncomfortably before his mother took notice and only smiled at her son, with a soft, understanding look. He had been hoping to save the uncomfortable introductions for later, not having to do them right as they arrived.

“Alright...well Deacon’s giving me that look...I’ll let you all get settled and see you for breakfast outside in the gardens.” Deacon moved and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek before she left them to undoubtedly go check in on her husband in is study. Letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, Deacon laughed uncomfortably. 

“Sorry about that...Umm...Mike your room is upstairs and the last room on the left. It’s got its own bathroom so you won’t have to worry about running into anyone. Chicken...I’ll show you to our room?” 

“Our room?” Ali’s eyes twinkled and Deacon couldn’t help but smile, the light of it reaching into his eyes and dancing. 

“Well you do have one of your own near Mike’s but...I thought you’d want to stay with me” 

“Uh-huh. I want a real tour tomorrow though, this house is huge.” 

“And very easy to get lost in” Came Harrison’s cool voice from the other side of the main hallway. He smiled and moved towards them, all but ignoring his son’s uncomfortable stance. “Aliviya, it’s good to see you again. You’ll forgive me for that unfortunate business the last time? I’m afraid I was a little more rude to you than I should have been.” 

Ali, for all her grace under fire looked somewhat relieved to have gotten an actual apology out of his father. Harrison was wearing a soft pair of black pants and a gray jumper that made him look less like a lord at the moment and more like an older gentleman getting ready for bed.Harrison’s eyes fell on Mike as he shifted to the side and extended his hand to the other man. Mike took it and gave him a firm handshake, making his introduction simple before the Lord’s attention went back to Ali. 

“You two look absolutely bushed, I’ll let you get settled and see everyone in the morning. Deacon...” Harrison nodded his head towards his son before heading back in the direction of his and his wife’s room. After hearing the door click shut Deacon’s eyes widened before he shook his head. 

“Ah...well that was uncomfortable.” 

“Parents are the same in any country it seems...” Mike moved and kissed Ali’s cheek before telling them goodnight and heading upstairs to his room. Deacon watched him pause for a moment before turning his head to the right and headed in that direction. Deacon chuckled before holding his hand out to Ali. 

“Shall we, love?” 

Deacon’s room was one of the larger ones on the second floor to the left of the stairs. It had actually been his brother’s room first, before he’d moved into it some time after Ben had left for college. The windows faced the front of the house and had heavy, blackout curtains framing both sides in a soft green fabric. The rest of the room looked like a small apartment, and had a small sitting area to one side beside the walk-in and around closet. Behind the couch was Deacon’s cherry wood sleigh bed with a warm looking comforter made up perfectly with several of the decorative pillows positioned to hide the king sized pillows. At the foot of the bed was an extra soft wool knitted blanket from Killian McLeod's wife. She used to make the blankets before she had gotten too sick, though they had a few of them scattered around the house. To the right of the entrance was another door that lead into a relatively large bathroom with an enclosed closet for towels to one side and a hamper hidden behind a small curtained opening under the sink, set within the counter space. Everything on the counter had it’s own special place, and it looked like it had never been touched, even though he had actually stayed here the last few days. Further into the bathroom was a tiled, waterfall style shower to one side, a simple sink and a small half wall that separated the toilet from the rest of the room, seemingly hiding it.

Bringing Ali into the room, he took her purse from her and set it on his couch, moving over to turn on the fireplace. As it came to life, the light of the faux flames danced in the dim lit room, casting shadows this way and that. There were bookshelves built into the wall all along the sides of the fireplace and above it, filled with a lot of Deacon’s favorite books. Moving back over to her, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her deeply, nuzzling her softly. 

“I have missed you, chicken.” Deacon purred against her lips. He knew the next few days were going to be a little tough to get through, between his friends coming in from parts unknown to the various friends and family that would be introducing themselves to Ali...it was going to be a little crazy. But right now was just for them. Brushing her hair over her shoulder, Deacon moved his lips down around her neck and nipped at her playfully, teasing her skin until he felt the little goose pimples rising up on her. As he leaned back and looked into her eyes, Deacon smiled and suddenly scooped Ali up in his arms, carrying her over to the bed and laid her down on one side of it, climbing onto the bed with her, kissing his way down her body. They hadn’t had much of a chance to be together for some time and he wasn’t sure how much time alone they were going to have in the next few days. 

“Deacon...I’ve been traveling all day...I....” For every inch Deacon moved her shirt he kissed around the skin, teasing her stomach and up her chest, finally removing the shirt and tossing it over the foot board and onto the floor revealing her bra beneath. 

“Do you want me to stop?” He rested his chin on her stomach for a moment, looking up at her with a playful, almost hungry look.

“N-no...” Deacon smiled and continued to work his way along her body, moving his hands underneath her and carefully unhooked her bra without a second glance or even much of a pause. Slipping it off her shoulders, he looked down at her body for a moment and smiled, beginning to work down this time, taking extra care to give each breast a bit of time of its own, lightly flicking his tongue over each of her nipples before moving away from it. He only wanted to tease her right now, though he watched how her body reacted to him and it seemed to only fuel his movements. His fingers danced along her hips before he sat up slowly on her and began unbuttoning his shirt, pulling it from his trousers though he didn’t take it all the way off just yet, instead left the baby blue cotton hanging open as he shifted his hips just enough to begin pushing Ali’s pants down, repeating his delicate kisses.

Before he got too much further, Deacon slipped off of her and carefully pulled her pants and panties down at the same time, tossing them to the side before taking a moment to just look over Ali’s body on the bed. He knew she was tired and sex was probably the furthest thing from her mind right now but having her finally here in his country, his house, his bed, there was something about it all that had driven him nearly to the point of no return as it was. Unbuttoning his pants, Deacon left them open as he took off his shirt and added it to the scattered bits of clothing on the floor and opened up a drawer in his bedside table. Of course, his brother had bought condoms recently. 

[thecassadilla]

Written in the Stars - Chapter 3

Word Count: 3,755/AO3

Pairing: Kristanna

Love During Lockdown Series: Serendipity (Prologue) | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Summary: Figuring out how to go on an in-person date during a time of social distancing would be a challenge for anyone. Luckily, it comes easy to Anna and Kristoff, who find a creative way to spend some time with each other amidst a pandemic.

Author’s Note: Hi everyone, I’m back at it again. After a long week of feeling like I couldn’t see or think straight, I’ve somehow managed to write another chapter of this. It’s trash, just like me, so don’t read it lol. As a random side note that nobody even cares about - I haven’t eaten at a McDonald’s or a Dairy Queen in so long. Like, years - and not because of the pandemic, or because I’m a health nut, but just because XD. I don’t even know what this chapter is tbh. I hope you like it! (Also, I hope you like my little joke about Kristoff’s taste in music :P)

Kristoff turned around and looked through the rear windshield as he reversed out of the spot. As soon as they were back in drive, he asked “So, what are your friends like?”

“They’re really great,” Anna answered, simply. “We balance each other out.”

“What does that mean?”

“You called me brave, earlier - they’d call me bold. Let’s just say I’ve made some...questionable decisions in the past, and they’ve always been there to help me get through it.”

“They sound like good friends.”

She raised one of her hands up to cover her mouth as she realized what she’d just said. “Oh god, I just realized how terrible that sounded. I haven’t, like, gone to jail or murdered anyone. College is the prime time for making mistakes, and I’m not exempt from that. Just a lot of drinking and partying.”

“I just want you to know that I wasn’t assuming that you murdered someone,” he laughed. 

“Well, I don’t know! I phrased it so horribly, a lot of assumptions could be made.”

“Don’t worry, you’re totally fine,” he insisted.

“Anyway, I met my best friend, Diana, in freshman year English and we had a lot of fun together. I haven’t spoken to her in awhile, though.”

“Because of quarantine?”

“No,” she sighed. “We had a falling out. I don’t know. I mean, I know, but it’s complicated and neither of us want to suck it up and talk about it.”

“I totally get that. I’ve never really had a best friend, but there’s always been some type of drama within my friend groups. I’m just the guy who tries not to take sides or get involved.”

“The problem is that Diana and I are both equally guilty in this case. I hurt her, and she hurt me, and we’re both being babies about it.”

“Maybe you should be the bigger person, then? If she’s really your best friend, then you want her in your life, right?”

“I know, it’s just hard,” she whined. “I know that it would be the right thing to do, but I’m just not ready to have that talk yet. My friend Amanda - she’s the one who I mentioned you to - is the mediator right now. Diana isn’t ready, yet, either, according to her.”

“I’m not really qualified to give you advice here, but hopefully it all works out for both of you.”

“Something that you’ll come to learn about me, if we continue to see each other, is that I’m very stubborn and very strong-willed. Diana has a similar personality, so we tend to clash.”

“Strong-willed, huh? I guess that sounds like you - I am driving to Dairy Queen, after all.”

She reached over and playfully shoved his arm. “Shut up!”

He momentarily took both of his hands off of the steering wheel to raise them in surrender. “Sorry, I was just teasing.”

“I know,” she smirked. “I was, too. Anyway, I trust my instincts, and I know that we’ll make up someday.”

“That’s good. Friends are important.”

“What are your friends like?”

“They’re just...very relaxed. Easy to hang out with - just meet up at the bar and talk for a while. I don’t really have a best friend, like I said, but I hang out with Ryder the most, probably because I live with him. And I’m pretty good friends with his sister, too. They’re good people.”

“We could always use good people in our lives. Your roommate seems to look after you, from what you’ve told me.”

“Usually I’m the one looking after him,” he corrected. “He’s only nineteen, but he’s a good kid. He was working his ass off when all of this started - two jobs and in school full time.”

“Wow, that’s pretty impressive. I could barely manage one job and school.”

“I give him a lot of credit. Just don’t tell him that I told you that.”

“Hey, if it wasn’t for him we probably wouldn’t be sitting here right now,” she pointed out. “Give credit where it’s due.”

“You’ll have to remind me to thank him.”

“I’d also like to thank him, someday.”

“You can come over whenever you want; he literally doesn’t care. I wasn’t kidding earlier when I said he was chill. I mean, he’s been taking this very seriously, but he always preferred to hang out with his friends while playing video games, so it’s a win-win situation for him.”

“I wish I had that type of freedom in my own apartment,” she practically growled, crossing her arms over her chest. “But, I will definitely take you up on that offer.”

“And I can fulfill my promise to cook you dinner. You can even invite your sister, if you wanted to.”

“Ha, you’re cute, but she isn’t stepping foot outside of that apartment until the coast is totally clear. If she doesn’t want me to leave, she definitely isn’t leaving.”

“I thought you said the only reason you were able to come today was because she was sleeping and couldn’t stop you. She isn’t always going to be asleep.”

“Yeah, but I can sneak out,” she shrugged. “I’ve done it before and I can do it again.”

“Are you talking about rappelling down the side of the building or something?”

“I’m not a superhero,” she laughed. “My sister has a very strict weekday routine. She works all day in her room and doesn’t come out until it’s time for us to start dinner.”

“Wouldn’t she hear the front door close?”

“She also happens to wear noise-cancelling headphones so she can go to her zoom meetings without distractions. I just have to leave before she finishes her work for the day.”

“You really weren’t joking about being strong-willed, huh?”

“Nope,” she shook her head. “I’m very determined. So, what type of music do you like to listen to?”

“Hmm,” he hummed, trying to think of an answer. “I listen to a bunch of different stuff. I guess I really like rock music, but a lot of rock music is also considered pop music? I listen to a lot of older stuff, too, like Queen.”

“I guess that was kind of an unfair question, because I don’t have a straight answer for it, either. I like Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. I mostly listen to pop, but I also have an affinity for music from the ‘80s. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is my jam.”

He laughed. “That’s a good one.”

“Can’t take life too seriously, you know?” She giggled. “Anyway, next question.”

“Is this a test?”

She playfully rolled her eyes. “No. I just want to know more about you, and the only way to do that is if we keep asking each other questions.”

“Okay,” he nodded. “Um...favorite color?”

“Ooh, I really like jewel tones!” 

He glanced over at her. “....am I supposed to know what that is?”

“Really rich colors, like emerald green and sapphire blue - named after different jewels.”

“Aha,” he remarked triumphantly. “See, I wasn’t expecting an answer like that.”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“I’m fond of blue. And gray. Kind of boring compared to your favorite colors, but those are the colors I wear the most.” He took one hand off the wheel, and motioned to his gray t-shirt as proof of his statement.

“It’s not boring,” she assured him. “I don’t know why I expected you to know what jewel tones were. And I guess I made a good decision when I chose to wear blue today.”

“I guess you’re a mind reader.”

“Alright, so,” she started, clapping her hands together. “What is your favorite food?”

“Easy, pizza.”

“Mine is chocolate.”

“Does that count as a food?”

“I don’t see why not,” she shrugged. “I like chocolate everything. Chocolate bars, chocolate cake, hot chocolate. Ooh, and I’m definitely going to get some type of chocolate ice cream at Dairy Queen.”

“That’s why I asked if it counted as a food,” he laughed. “There are so many different chocolate things that it seems more like a flavor than a food.”

“Fine,” she groaned. “You win. Uhh...I’ll pick pizza, too, I guess. Or sandwiches. Or sushi - see, you should’ve just left it at chocolate. I love food too much.”

“You don’t have to listen to me. What do I know?”

“It’s fine, it’s not your fault that I like everything.”

“Do you have any foods that you dislike?”

“I’m not a fan of brussels sprouts,” she shrugged. “But I’m willing to try anything once.”

“Even something like escargot or sardines?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“How about liver?”

“Okay,” she answered, scrunching up her nose. “Probably not liver.”

“I figured, liver just seems gross. But, you’re definitely more adventurous with food than I am. I’m not picky, but I don’t think I’d be willing to try sardines or anything.”

“To each his own,” she responded, simply. 

“Once we pass this light we’re going to be at Dairy Queen,” he pointed out. “How about instead of eating in the car, we drive over to the park we just passed? So we can stretch our legs for a bit?”

“What a great idea!” She exclaimed. “What are you going to get?”

“I have no idea. I haven’t been to a Dairy Queen in forever. Probably one of those things they turn upside down to show you how cold it is or something?”

“Blizzards!” She yelled. “I love those! I’m going to get one, too.”

“I feel like that’s the whole point of going,” he chuckled. “You can’t go there and not get a Blizzard. It’s like going to Burger King and then not getting a Whopper.”

“You make an excellent point,” she said, as the car pulled into the strip mall parking lot. The lot was mostly empty, save for a few cars, and so Kristoff was able to park right in front of the entrance. 

“I guess we have to put the masks back on, right?” He asked, as he cut the engine and pulled his keys out of the ignition.

“Yeah,” she sighed, picking her mask up from where it rested and looping it over her ears. “I don’t mind wearing a mask, but I really can’t wait until we don’t have to wear them anymore.”

“We’ll get there, someday,” he stated, putting his own mask on, but for good measure, he added, “Hopefully.” 

“I feel really awful for the people who have to wear these all day, everyday with no breaks. I’ve seen so many pictures online and I can’t even imagine what all of those essential workers are going through.”

“Tell me about it,” he remarked, reaching for the door handle and pulling it open. He motioned for her to go inside and then quickly followed behind her. The restaurant was completely deserted, with the exception of the two employees standing behind the counter.

“Can I help you?” One of the employees spoke up, as they approached; they kept a considerable distance in spite of the tape marks on the floor.

“Just a second,” Anna answered, squinting up at the menu. Her eyes darted around the illuminated sign for a moment before she looked over at Kristoff. “I know what I want, are you ready?”

“Yeah,” he responded, and they stepped up to the line.

“May I have a small Choco Brownie Extreme Blizzard?”

The cashier nodded and pushed a few buttons on the register before looking expectantly at Kristoff.

“Uh, may I please have a Royal Rocky Road Trip Blizzard? Also small.”

The cashier nodded once again before gruffly asking, “Is that it?”

“Yes,” Anna said, digging through her purse to find her wallet. The cashier read her the total, while the other employee began making the frozen concoctions.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to pay?”

“Don’t be silly!” She insisted, sticking her credit card into the chip reader. “You paid for dinner, I’m paying for dessert.”

The cashier muttered something under her breath, and Anna glanced up and was met with narrowed eyes. She pulled her card out, and as soon as the receipt printed, the cashier hastily thrust it at her before stepping away. She glanced back at Kristoff, who was reading a sign taped to the wall, and most likely hadn’t noticed the odd exchange. 

A moment later, the other employee returned with a white paper bag. Anna took it, and thanked her before walking over to Kristoff.

“Ready?”

“Yup,” he answered. “Do you want me to carry that?”

“No, I got it.”

He reached out and held the door open for her again, and they stepped out into the hot, humid air. 

“It kind of feels nice out there after sitting in the car for so long,” he remarked, as they climbed into the car. “You still wanna go to the park, right?”

“Yeah,” she said, simply, staring out the window as he backed out of the spot and drove away. Her mind was in another place; she was replaying the moment with the cashier over and over again.

“You know, I was thinking,” he started, glancing over at her. “What a crazy name Royal Rocky Road is. It’s a tongue twister - try saying that three times fast.”

She let out a small laugh in response, but continued to look at the passing cars and trees. The rest of the short drive was quiet, and they arrived at the park within a few minutes. Just like Dairy Queen, it was practically deserted, with the exception of one other car in the entire lot.

“Do you want to walk around or do you want me to pop open the trunk so we can sit outside but not have to worry about finding a bench?”

“We could just sit outside for a while,” she answered, finally looking over at him. She hadn’t even realized that she left her mask on until she saw that he had taken his off. She quickly reached back behind her ears to pull the loops free, and placed the mask on the center console. 

She opened the door and stepped out of the SUV, clutching the bag in her hands. She walked around to the rear of the car, where Kristoff was opening the trunk. She placed the bag onto the flat surface and started to open it.

“Should we sanitize our hands again?”

“Oh. Yeah.” She dropped her hands away and walked back to the front of the car and retrieved her purse, before returning to him.

“Sorry, I wouldn’t have brought it up if I had realized your bag was in the front.”

“No, it’s fine, it just slipped my mind. Can’t be too safe, right?”

She dug through her purse in search of the tiny bottle, and when she found it, she squeezed a dollop into his waiting hands before taking some for herself and placing the bottle on the floor of the trunk, next to the bag.

“Thank you, again,” he said, as he rubbed his hands together. “I’ll have to get a couple of bottles to keep in the car. Normally they smell like alcohol, but yours smells really nice.”

“I got this one from Bath and Body Works - they have tons of different scents. You can keep it if you want, I have a bunch at home.”

“Thank you, but that’s okay. I’m sure stuff like that is in short supply right now, and I never really go anywhere.”

She nodded, deciding that she was going to leave it in his cup holder anyway; it would make her feel better knowing that he had some if he needed it. She reached back and opened the bag, taking out the two identical cups. The employee was kind enough to write the initials of the flavors they got, so they were easily distinguishable. She handed him his ice cream and spoon before taking her own.

“This is going to sound so ridiculous, but I wish they could’ve turned them upside down,” he remarked as he took the lid off of his cup. “Obviously they couldn’t, but it’s part of the experience. Or, it used to be.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, staring at the cup in her hands. The interaction with the cashier was still heavy on her mind; there was an insurmountable feeling of guilt that was bubbling up inside of her, threatening to spill over at the slightest provocation. 

For a few moments, they quietly ate their ice cream, partly because it was sure to melt quickly in the blazing heat. 

“Hey, Anna?” He asked, finally breaking the silence.

She blinked and looked up at him. “Hmm?”

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No! Not at all! You’re great.”

“You’ve been awfully quiet since we left Dairy Queen, and if I said or did something -”

“No, you didn’t,” she cut him off mid-sentence. “I swear.”

“Is something bothering you?”

It seemed unavoidable now; she wished that she wasn’t so obvious with her emotions, but it was better to let it out than hold it in, right? “It’s just...that girl who helped us at Dairy Queen seemed upset or angry or something. She said something under her breath and gave me the dirtiest look and practically threw the receipt at me. I don’t know why, but I’m assuming because she’s working at an ice cream parlor, serving people like me, during a crisis.”

He looked slightly bewildered at her revelation. “You can’t make that assumption,” he assured her. “She could be angry for a million reasons.”

“I know, but that’s the assumption that my brain keeps going back to. In what world is ice cream essential?”

“It’s not, but you’re not the one making those calls.”

“It doesn’t help that she’s probably only making ten dollars an hour while everyone on unemployment is getting an extra six hundred dollars a week,” she pointed out, her eyebrows furrowing together.

“I agree, it’s not fair to anyone working right now. You didn’t implement that rule, though.”

“This whole situation isn’t fair. People had to cancel their weddings - that’s absolutely insane to me. Could you imagine spending months or years planning the happiest day of your life only for a virus to come and ruin it?”

He shook his head. “I can’t. But I guess if the love is there then the date doesn’t really matter? I don’t know.”

“Or what about the people who have kids? Could you imagine living with a kid, right now? I hated being home as a kid - I needed to go to school and see people, or go to my activities, or I would’ve gone crazy. How are people coping?”

“They have technology on their side, at least. We didn’t have tablets or anything when we were kids, you know?”

“I keep wondering - and this has nothing to do with you - if it’s bad or wrong to feel happy right now. Like, so much of the world is suffering, and I’m privileged enough to not be suffering, and feeling content with my own life makes me feel so…” she trailed off, her eyes downcast.

“Guilty?” He guessed.

“Yeah, exactly. Whatever this is could be a really good thing, and I want that - I want good things. We’re both healthy, but we’re breaking the rules to spend time together, and as great and wonderful as this has been, I can’t help but think about the people who haven’t been so lucky in this situation.”

“I don’t think you should think like that,” he said, simply. “I completely understand where you’re coming from, but you can’t blame yourself for what happens to other people. Some parts of life can’t be stopped or controlled no matter how hard we try.”

“I know,” she frowned.

“Besides, it isn’t like you’re one of those people who’s pretending that it’s over, or didn’t even exist to begin with. We’ve been following the rules - wearing masks, and cleaning our hands. There isn’t much else we can do; we can’t completely stop living. This pandemic is messing with everyone, even if we don’t realize it.”

“I guess it scares me more than I thought it did,” she admitted, biting her lip. “I have a lot of hope that this will all end, someday, but at the same time, I just don’t know.”

“I feel the same way.”

“And then, in all of this mess, I can’t help but think that we might not have met each other if it weren’t for this stupid pandemic - and despite my ranting, I’m happy that we did. I know we were joking about it before, but I keep thinking back to when I promised to shake your hand - or even when I tried to hug you, earlier. The only reason why I’m scared of doing those things is because of what’s happening,” she explained. “Everything feels wrong.”

“It may be socially unacceptable at the moment, but I’m personally okay with it because it’s such a small, calculated risk. We each live with one other person, and neither of us has even been in public in so long, you know?”

She didn’t answer. He seemed so rational and level-headed and calm, and quite frankly, she felt like a mess. There was a considerable amount of undeniable tension building up between the two of them, and although they were still standing side-by-side, she found herself staring at him. How easy it would be to wrap her arms around him, lean up, and press a kiss to his lips.

And even though he just expressly said that he was okay with being touched, she pushed the thought back down. It was absurd, almost - how natural it felt to be around someone she hardly knew, and yet be wracked with an asinine amount of guilt over the state of the world.

She shook her head, snapping herself out of the trance that she was in. “Sorry for rambling, I do that a lot. But I really appreciate that you were willing to listen to my rant and I hope you don’t think that I regret coming out with you, or something.”

“Don’t be sorry,” he looked down at her and gave her a small smile. “We’re all bound to...feel things after being trapped inside for two months.” 

“Thanks for understanding,” she smiled back, appreciative of his sincerity. She quickly realized that continually pushing her thoughts away was certainly going to be a struggle, especially when he looked at her with such kindness. And for some reason she didn’t quite understand, she tore her focus away from him and placed it back on the cup in her hands.

[aion-rsa]

Holiday Gift Guide 2020: Books for Geeks

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The holiday season is probably going to look very different this year, but there’s one thing that hasn’t changed: the sacred ritual of gift-giving. While we might not be able to gather in the same way for the 2020 holiday season, we can still let the people in our lives know how much they mean to us with the perfect gift (and maybe get ourselves something nice while we’re at it—we deserve it).

We here at Den of Geek believe there is no better gift than a good book and, with nerd culture still very much mainstream culture, there is no shortage of geeky books to get the nerd in your life. From Star Wars and Star Trek to Outlander and Wheel of Time to those speculative fiction books that broke into the zeitgeist this year without a franchise to support them, here’s a list of books we recommend for every kind of geek…

Editor’s note: Den of Geek may receive a small commission from items purchased through the links in this story.

The Eye of the World 30th Anniversary Edition by Robert Jordan

For the “Wheel of Time” fan in your life.

We’re all excited about the forthcoming Amazon Prime adaptation of the Wheel of Time series, especially long-time fans of Jordan’s fantasy epic. It’s been 30 years since the series launched, and this special 30th Anniversary Edition of the first book in the series, The Eye of the World, helps capture all the magic of reading the book for the first time. This edition features a new introduction by Brandon Sanderson, a hardcover stamp of the snake-wheel symbol so important to the series, redesigned jacket art, and a ribbon bookmark. Whether you want to give this to a longtime fan or whether you’re hoping to hook an epic fantasy reader on the series, the high production value on this special edition makes for a great gift.

Buy The Eye of the World 30th Anniversary Edition by Robert Jordan

The Wintertime Paradox: Festive Stories from the World of Doctor Who by Dave Rudden

For the Doctor Who fan in your life.

This spin on Doctor Who features twelve stories in the “Whoverse” all set on or around Christmas. While the holiday doesn’t play an important feature in many of the stories, visions of the Doctor’s Christmas Past, Present, and Future are sure to entertain. Though most likely to appeal to fans of the series, this is also a collection marketed toward children, which makes it possible to share your love of the series with a young person in your life.

Buy The Wintertime Paradox: Festive Stories from the World of Doctor Who by Dave Rudden

Heroes’ Feast: The Official Dungeons and Dragons Cookbook

For the gamer in your life.

While cooking these recipes isn’t as simple as casting the titular spell, it does contain eighty recipes for fantasy inspired feasts. In addition to the recipes—some of which may be a little challenging for beginners, as they start from scratch rather than premade ingredients—the foods come with lore about the foods from the familiar Dungeons and Dragons cultures. Included are recipes for Feywild Eggs, “Orc” Bacon, Dwarven Mulled Wine, and Halfling Heartland’s Rose Apple and Blackberry Pie. Making some of these for game night might be a challenge, but Halfling-style Melted Cheeses with Chunky Tomato Broth sounds so good, your giftee won’t even mind if some spills on their character sheet.

Buy Heroes’ Feast: The Official Dungeons and Dragons Cookbook

Rebel Sisters by Tochi Onyebuchi

For the anti-war, YA fan in your life.

It’s been a big year for Onyebuchi, with this second book in his “War Girls” series and his first adult novel, Riot Baby, hitting the shelves. Onyebuchi’s Afrofuturist YA features nineteen year old Ify as a respected medical officer on the Space Colonies, and Uzo, a synth who’s working to preserve the memories and history of wartorn Nigeria. When a virus hits the Space Colonies, Ify must return to Nigeria for answers—even though she’d pledged to leave her homeland behind. For readers who love strong Black girls leading the action in a space-bound future, this is a fantastic pick.

Buy Rebel Sisters by Tochi Onyebuchi

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

For the Eragon and space opera fan.

Fantasy readers remember Christopher Paolini from “The Inheritance Cycle,” published for YA readers, which were filled with dragons and magic. But Paolini’s first adult novel heads into space, introducing the Fractalverse setting, and focusing on a xenobiologist whose encounter with an ancient, alien artifact sends her across the galaxy, where the fate of humanity rests on her shoulders. This is a great choice for fans who grew up on Paolini’s YA novels, or for readers who like doorstopper sci fi.

Buy To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

The Hollow Ones by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

For fans of The Strain.

The Strain had four seasons on FX, and the horror drama procedural won fans and awards. The show was based on a trilogy of novels from master of horror Guillermo del Toro and literary heavyweight Chuck Hogan, who have now reunited on a fresh series. The Hollow Ones follows a young FBI agent who discovers an otherworldly evil when it takes over her partner—and forces her to kill him in self defense. For fans who love their procedurals with a heavy dose of horror, this is sure to keep their spines tingling.

Buy The Hollow Ones by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian by Phil Szostak

For fans of Baby Yoda.

The Mandalorian has clearly been a breakout show for Disney+, putting new life into the Star Wars universe, and featuring everyone’s favorite new character, The Child (aka Baby Yoda). The end of each episode features concept art designed for the show, and for viewers who love seeing where the ideas germinated, The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian is a fantastic way to dig into the details of the first season.

Buy The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian by Phil Szostak

Cemetery Boys by Aidan Thomas

For queer paranormal romance lovers.

Yadriel is determined to prove himself as a brujo—even though his family hasn’t accepted him as a boy. But when he raises the wrong spirit while trying to solve the mystery of his cousin’s death, everything gets more complicated. In our review, we praised the book for its groundbreaking depiction of trans identity in Latinx culture and called it “a riveting, romantic read filled with paranormal wonder.” Fans who loved the queer romance reveal in She-Ra won’t be able to stop turning pages.

Buy Cemetery Boys by Aidan Thomas

Seven of Infinities by Aliette de Bodard

For the lover of science fiction sleuths.

This latest in de Bodard’s Xuya universe features an unlikely pair of detectives teaming up to solve a murder. Vân is a poor scholar hiding her possession of an illegal implant. Sunless Woods is a mindship who is also a thief and master of disguise. The pair have to work together to solve a murder—and unravel their own secrets. For readers who enjoyed de Bodard’s previous The Tea Master and the Detective or enjoy a good detective tale in space, this is a sure hit.

Buy Seven of Infinities by Aliette de Bodard

Super Mario: Manga Mania by Yukio Sawada

For the NES nostalgic.

It’s the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros! This is the first Super Mario manga ever available in English, and for classic NES fans nostalgic for the good old days of their vintage system, the zany adventures contained in this volume hit all the right notes.

Buy Super Mario: Manga Mania by Yukio Sawada

Sal and Gabi Break / Fix the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

For the young reader in your life.

The Sal and Gabi duology (Sal and Gabi Break the Universe and Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe) are ostensibly about a boy who can reach through the multiverse and bring things through to his part of reality—but they’re also about friendship, finding common ground, being your best self, and sentient AI. Most middle grade books depict middle school as an evil horrible place, as much an antagonist as the book’s real villain. The Sal and Gabi books do away with all of that. Not only is Culeco Academy the coolest middle school ever, the series manages to ramp up all the tension and drama needed without having an actual villain. (Even the people who seem villainous at first turn out to be different from expected.) These are a delight for adult readers who love middle grade fiction, but they’re even more important for middle schoolers, who deserve to see kids their age saving the multiverse in communities full of hope and love.

Buy Sal and Gabi Break / Fix the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

Outlander Knitting: The Official Book of 20 Knits Inspired by the Hit Series by Kate Atherley

For the crafter in your life.

For fans of either Diana Gabaldon’s time-travel romance novel series or the hit Starz adaptation, this collection of patterns inspired by the show will transport your crafting friend into the Scottish Highlands. Featured among the projects are clothing, accessories, and decorations for the home.

Buy Outlander Knitting: The Official Book of 20 Knits Inspired by the Hit Series by Kate Atherley

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

For horror fans.

Compared favorably to horror-master Stephen King’s It, this classic revenge horror seamlessly combines elements of social commentary and drama. The story follows for American Indian men who, as childhood friends, experienced a disturbing event together. Now, the past has come back with a vengeance, and there’s no avoiding the violence they tried to leave behind. Jones is making his mark in the world of horror, and this is a not-to-be-missed thriller.

Buy The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

Teen Titans: Raven and Beast Boy box set by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo

For DC fans.

Garcia and Picolo’s Raven and Beast Boy origin stories reinvent the characters for an audience who may have already met them in kid-friendly Teen Titans Go! or adult-aimed Titans. While the comic versions presented here draw on those previous incarnations, the stories are self-contained, giving readers both familiar and new to the DC series a chance to experience them for the first time. This hardcover box set gives the books an extra gift-worthy feeling.

Buy Teen Titans: Raven and Beast Boy box set by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo

Thorn by Intisar Khanani

For the friend who needs a fresh fairy tale.

In this retelling of “The Goose Girl,” reluctant Princess Alyrra is happy to have escaped royal life. But when she learns of a plot against the prince, she must decide whether to reclaim the heritage she wanted to leave behind, or let the kingdom fall. This beautiful hardcover edition also features an additional short story set in the same world.

Buy Thorn by Intisar Khanani

Dinosaurs: The Grand Tour, Second Edition: Everything Worth Knowing about Dinosaurs from Aardonyx to Zuniceratops by Keiron Pim

For Jurassic World and other dinosaur fans.

While the 2020 entry into the Jurassic World franchise, Camp Cretaceous, was geared toward younger viewers, plenty of adults never grow out of their love of dinosaurs. And why should they? These prehistoric terrors continue to be amazing—and modern scientists continue to make new discoveries on an almost weekly basis. This huge guide to dinosaur species offers references for more than 300 species full of colorful illustrations that show these titans in all their (feathery!) glory.

Buy Dinosaurs—The Grand Tour, Second Edition: Everything Worth Knowing about Dinosaurs from Aardonyx to Zuniceratops by Keiron Pim

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin

For the SFF connoisseur.

This series starter is set in a contemporary New York—but the city is coming to life. But a city killer is trying to stop New York from evolving, and the city’s mortal avatars are the target of its plans. It’s not uncommon to hear people considering N. K. Jemisin the best modern writer of speculative fiction, bar none, so picking up The City We Became, her most recent novel, is a no brainer if you’re buying for someone who likes smart, quality SFF.

Buy The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin

Cyber Shogun Revolution by Peter Tieryas

For the mecha enthusiast.

This triumphant conclusion to Tieryas’s United States of Japan trilogy, which can be read as a stand-alone, takes place in an alternate reality where Japan and Germany won World War II and divided the United States between them. An assassin known as Bloody Mary is determined to eliminate corruption from within the United States of Japan, regardless of the cost. It’s up to a secret police agent and a star mecha pilot to stop her, but determining enemies from friends is almost impossible. Tieryas balances the super cool world of mecha battles and spy action with searing social commentary and ethical questions, making this a challenging but imminently worthwhile read for fans of Pacific Rim.

Buy Cyber Shogun Revolution by Peter Tieryas

Star Trek: The Wisdom of Picard by Chip Carter

For the Star Trek fan in your life.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard has always been quotably wise. In this collection, Chip Carter pulls together some of the greatest lines, featuring Picard’s thoughts on leadership, justice, and space exploration. The quotes are accompanied by photography from iconic scenes of The Next Generation, making this a perfect gift for the Star Trek fan who already has everything.

Buy Star Trek: The Wisdom of Picard by Chip Carter

Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis

For fans of Arrival and Stranger Things.

This first contact story from Hugo-nominated video-essayist Ellis is set in an alternate 2007. In the world of the novel, Cora’s father has blown the whistle on the first contact cover up. Cora herself wants nothing to do with aliens, but when one of the aliens decides Cora is the only human he’ll talk to, she’s stuck in the middle of everything. For lovers of aliens and conspiracy theories, this is one to pick up.

Buy Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis

Court of Lions by Somaiya Daud

For lovers of YA court intrigue.

In this sequel to Daud’s Mirage, Amani, who has been forced to serve as the body double for Princess Maram, is on her last chance. The princess discovered Amani’s connection to the rebellion, and now Maram is suspicious of anything Amani does. Yet Amani is dedicated to the cause of seeing her people free, which means she has to make a choice: continue to work from within the palace and risk her life, or flee and risk her people. For a female-centered plot that deals with consequences of colonialism, this series conclusion and its predecessor are a sure hit.

Buy Court of Lions by Somaiya Daud

Star Wars From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back

For the Star Wars fan.

Called “one of the best Star Wars books released this year” in our Den of Geek review, this anthology is packed with stories from authors both well-known and unfamiliar, whose works delve into the lives of central and side characters from The Empire Strikes Back. While some explore relationships between key characters (Luke, Leia, Obi-wan), others tackle the points of view of previously unnamed creatures (Sy-O, the space slug that swallows the Millenium Falcon). The stories are sometimes delightfully weird, other times grim or tender, and all a good gift choice for the Star Wars fan whose favorite film is still Empire.

Buy Star Wars From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back

Remina by Junji Ito

For the manga fan.

This science fiction horror story centers on Dr. Oguro, who discovers a planet that has emerged from a wormhole and names it after his daughter, Remina. But as the girl Remina rises to fame, the planet shifts its course, threatening all life on Earth. Could Remina herself be the cause? This chilling story is a classic from Eisner-winner Junji Ito newly released for an English-reading audience.

Buy Remina by Junji Ito

Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee by Shannon Lee

For the martial arts enthusiast.

For friends who like a little more grounded, real-world take, this exploration of Bruce Lee’s philosophies, written by his daughter, offer insight into the legendary martial artist. Although this title offers no martial arts tips, it is full of philosophy, untold stories, and inspirational takes from the cultural icon.

Buy Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee by Shannon Lee

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

For the lover of gothic horror.

When her cousin begs her to come rescue her from a mysterious doom, Noemí heads to a house in the Mexican countryside. As she looks into the secrets of both the house and her newly-wed cousin’s husband, Noemí finds that there’s more danger—real and supernatural—than she ever imagined. Set in the 1950s, this supernatural horror blends elements of Rebecca and science fiction for a chilling novel perfect for lovers of classic gothics.

Buy Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Marvel Greatest Comics: 100 Comics That Built a Universe

For the Marvel fan.

In a collection that spans the entire history of Marvel comics, characters like the Human Torch, Spider-Man, the Avengers, and the Guardians of the Galaxy show their historical origins. If you have a fan who’s waiting impatiently for the next MCU offering, this collection of some of Marvel’s defining comics from the company’s history may be just what they need to tide them over.

Buy Marvel Greatest Comics: 100 Comics that Built a Universe

Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar

For lovers of mythology and fairy tales.

Billed as Neil Gaiman’s Stardust meets Hindi mythology, this debut novel centers on the daughter of a star and a mortal. Sheetal tries to be normal, but when her starfire accidentally hurts her mortal father, she must travel to the celestial court in order to save him. The combination of court intrigue, mythology, and a fairy-tale like tone is perfect for YA lovers.

Buy Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar

Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews

For the romantic who needs a great stocking stuffer.

Although better known for the popular Kate Daniels series, the Ilona Andrews team (husband and wife Ilona and Gordon) has knocked it out of the park with the most recent installment in their “Hidden Legacy” series. There are now five novels and a novella in the series, with Emerald Blaze as the second book of a second arc, but while the book is most likely to resonate with readers already introduced to the character, it’s also a stand-alone magic-spy-action-adventure-romance. Despite that blend of genres, Team Andrews melds it all together in a world with both super cool magic and an alternate-reality Instagram, featuring characters you want to hang out with regardless of the stakes. The mass-market size also makes it perfect to slip into a stocking!

Buy Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews

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