#evs fic reading bingo

[maximoffcarter]

New Year’s Eve.

Pairings: Emily Prentiss x reader.

Summary: Ever since reader joined the team, Emily has felt captivated by her. Her smile, her eyes, her laugh, her personality, literally everything about her. But, friendship was before anything else, so she kept it bottled up. But New Year’s Eve was always eventful, anything could happen.

A/n: This is for @storiesofsvu 's Holiday bingo with the prompt 'New Year’s kiss'. AND IM BACK! Sort of. Like I said a while ago, adult life sucks and I barely have time for myself, so it’s been hard to get to write, plus my laptop is kinda failing so it’s not so easy to write on my phone cause I get easily distracted hehe. But two other christmas shots are coming, Calex fics. I also did not proof read this, I never do until it's too late haha, so my apologies. I'm working on everyone's request still, I miss writing so much, and I've been so busy. Hope you guys enjoy this, leave comments, hearts, whatever you like and reblog so this gets some love🫶🏻

A/n 2: And happy new year, my pretty friends✨ have a wonderful new year, and let’s make it the best🫶🏻

Rossi had decided since October that he’d be hosting a party for New Year’s Eve, inviting the whole team and their respective families (meaning only JJ would be taking her family cause she was the only one with family along with Hotch having Jack). JJ and Penelope had told Emily that it’d be her chance to her with y/n.

Emily has laid eyes on her since the first moment that she had joined the team. She was mesmerized by her, everything about her was perfect, and she couldn’t get enough of her. But just the thought of ruining things, of losing her just for her feelings, kinda ruined it all…she didn’t want that. They had become so close since the very first moment, they were inseparable, they were everything Emily had always wanted in a friend…and she was way more. But still…she couldn’t lose her.

Finally, at Rossi’s, Emily stood by the doorframe staring at her; her dress was definitely distracting, showing off her curves and legs, part of her back was bare and god, she wanted to just walk to her and-

JJ chuckled softly as she stood beside Emily, raising her brow. “Enjoying the view?” She said in a playful tone.

Emily slowly turned to JJ, her eyes narrowing before turning back to look at her. She tried desperately to not let her eyes linger down her body but she was failing miserably.* “Shut up.” She said in a quiet voice, her eyes still not leaving her.

“Please, everyone here can see you eating her with your eyes.” JJ smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Please tell me that today is the day. And you’ll finally tell her.”

Emily finally turned to look at JJ, her face flushed red with embarrassment as she quickly looked around the room to see if anyone was actually staring at her like JJ said. She quickly shook her head as she looked down. “I-I can’t…what if she doesn’t like me…? What if she laughs or worse, what if she doesn’t even talk to me after this?” She said quietly as her worry grew.

“She won’t ever do that. She wouldn’t be like that with you. Specially you. You’re too important to her.” JJ tilted her head as she sighed. “Em…if you don’t do it, you never will. And not that I’m pressuring you, because I definitely do not want to do that. But…you know…it could happen?”

Emily bit her lip as she glanced back at her, then back to JJ, and kept bouncing her eyes back and forth. “God, I don’t know…I really want to but-“ She shook her head as she looked down again. “What if I ruin things between us? I can’t lose her, JJ…I can’t lose her for my stupid feelings.”

“They’re not stupid. They’re feelings. And they’re valid. And it’s y/n who we’re talking about. She could never hate you or stop talking to you…” JJ said softly as she stared at Emily, tilting her head.

Emily’s eyes shot back up to her and stayed there. She stared at her longingly as a soft sigh escaped her lips. “God I can’t get enough of her…that stupid, beautiful smile.” Her eyes suddenly widened as she realized what she had said out loud but quickly looked back to JJ. “Don’t…tell anyone I said that…”

JJ laughed softly, shrugging as she playfully grinned. “We all know…except for her. She’s a profiler…she should know by now, because you’re not even subtle about it.”

“God, how obvious am I?” Emily buried her head in her hands, shaking her head. “What if she’s just playing dumb and she’s actually realized? And she’s secretly making fun of me about it…or she’s trying to think of a way to let me down gently-“ Emily was now thinking of every scenario that could happen right now making her grow more anxious as her chest became tighter. “God I’m starting to hyperventilate-”

“Hey, hey, hey…” JJ turned to face Emily and placed her hands on her forearms. “Stop overthinking. Just enjoy the party, alright? Don’t think too much about it. Just go to her and act like you always do with her. Be the Emily that you’ve always have been around her.”

Emily’s heart was racing but she slowly nodded and closed her eyes taking a deep breath and started to calm down. “Yeah…yeah, you’re right…I’m just overthinking again like I always do...” She looked back over to her one more time, her eyes lingering a bit too long before she looked back to JJ. “Thank you…I think I’m gonna go get a drink…”

Emily eventually made her way to the bar, grabbing herself a whiskey, straight up with 2 ice cubes. With the glass in hand, she turned around leaning against the table as she took a sip, her eyes wandering around the room as she wondered where y/n was now. In that moment, y/n noticed Emily over at the bar and she smiled softly. She grabbed her drink and walked to her, noticing that she was looking around the room as if she was looking for someone.

Y/n stood behind her and leaned in, whispering in her ear. “Looking for someone?” She smiled softly.

Emily’s eyes widened, her mouth opening in a silent gasp as she felt y/n suddenly behind her. Her body froze as she whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. She swallowed down the lump that had formed in her throat as she took a sip of her drink. “No! I- I mean…” She shook her head as she turned around to face y/n. “U-Uh…no one…no one in particular.”

“Mmm, I see.” Y/n grinned as she looked at where Emily had been looking. “Enjoying the party?”

Emily took another sip of her drink to try and cool herself down before nodding. “Y-Yeah…yeah, it’s a nice party. Uh-“ She looked y/n up and down, her eyes lingering on her dress again. “You- uh…look nice.”

Y/n looked back at her and smiled softly, blushing slightly at her words. “Thank you.” She said softly. “It’s the one time that I actually dress up.” She chuckled softly.

Y/n then let her eyes dart down Emily’s body, loving how she looked in a suit. She normally wore those, or cargo pants, but this suit just looked so good on her, and the red blouse she had? And the two top buttons undone? She was killing her.

Y/n looked back up into her eyes and smiled. “You look really nice too. Red is definitely your color.”

Emily blushed deeply as y/n looked her up and down and complimented her suit, almost dropping her drink when she felt her eyes on her chest. “Thank you…” She smiled softly. “I could say the same for you. You look stunning in dresses. You should wear them more often.” She smirked as she joked.

Y/n chuckled softly, nodding her head. “Oh, yeah sure. I’ll be wearing this dress to impress the unsubs. And then I’ll be chasing them down with these heels.” She grinned as she showed off her heels.

Emily smiled as y/n played into her joke, giggling a bit. “Mm, you’d be an unstoppable duo. Sexy and badass at the same time. You’d make any unsub give themselves up instantly.” She said as she looked down to her heels, her smile growing. “I doubt you’d actually be able to run in those heels though.”

Y/n blushed slightly as Emily said she was sexy, biting her lip softly as she chuckled. “Oh, wanna bet, Prentiss?” She smirked and raised bed brow in a teasing way. “I’m great at running, and you know it.”

Emily rolled her eyes as she chuckled. “You might think you’re great at running but I still don’t see you actually running around in those.” She teased back. “And I’m definitely not betting against you cause that would just be…dumb.” She smirked.

Y/n placed her hand on her chest and pretended to be offended. “Right in my heart, Em. Right here.” She pointed to her heart as she looked back at her, smiling playfully.

Emily’s smile grew as she watched y/n place her hand on her chest. “Oh please, you’ll live.” She teased before finishing off her drink. “So what are you doing here? Hiding from the party? Standing here with me for no reason?” She raised her brow in a teasing way with a small smirk.

Y/n rolled her eyes and then shook her head, looking back at everyone. She shrugged as she took a sip of her drink. “I don’t know…I just…I’m not exactly a party girl, you know that. And…I feel comfortable with you, so I rather be here.” She smiled softly.

Emily smiled as y/n said she felt comfortable around her, her chest feeling a bit warm at the realization. She swallowed hard as her eyes darted from hers to her now empty glass. “Mmm, I know you’re not a party person. Which is good, means I don’t have to worry about other people trying to hit on you all night.” She smirked slightly.

Y/n raised her brow curiously as she looked back at Emily. “You don’t want people to hit on me? I’m looking for my midnight kiss, though.” She smirked.

Emily raised her brow in a playful way but the idea of someone else hitting on y/n or trying to kiss her, it made her stomach tie in knots. “Your midnight kiss? Please, you don’t need anyone else to give you a midnight kiss.” She said before thinking to herself ‘I would give you a midnight kiss.’ She shook her head, getting rid of the thought.

“Well I’ve…never done that, and Morgan said he used to just kiss random people, so I said…” Y/n shrugged. “Why not? Doesn’t hurt. And I’ll finally get to experience kissing someone by midnight.”

Emily rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms. “Oh course he-“ But as y/n mentioned the whole getting to experience kissing by midnight, she felt her stomach tie in knots again as her jaw clenched. The idea of y/n kissing someone else made her feel sick. “So…who’s the lucky person?” She asked, trying her hardest to sound casual.

Before y/n could say anything, Penelope decided to interrupt them. “Y/n! Y/n!” Penelope ran to them. “Need you on team with me! Come come!” She grabbed her hand before she could even say anything else and dragged y/n with her. Leaving Emily with a knot in her throat.

Emily swallowed hard as she looked around, needing a drink desperately. The thought of seeing y/n with someone else, it made her stomach spin and twist in an uncomfortable way. She quickly made her way to grab herself another whiskey, needing the alcohol to calm herself down. But as she was about to get herself a drink, she noticed Morgan walking to her.

“Ugh, go away.” Emily grabbed the bottle of whiskey and filled her glass again.

Morgan chuckled as he leaned over the bar. “What did I do?” He smirked.

Emily rolled her eyes. “A stupidity, as always.” She looked at Morgan. “Why would you tell y/n to kiss a random stranger to get a midnight kiss?”

Morgan scoffed. “Prentiss, if I said that, was for you to take your chance to finally get your girl.”

Emily furrowed her brows. “What?

“I knew she’d want to be with you, because she’s always by your side, and you by her side. You two are inseparable, and I knew she’d want to be with you in the countdown. So…” Morgan smirked. “It wouldn’t be a complete stranger. She’d have you by her side.”

Emily’s heart raced at the thought, just staring at Morgan. “You- I…” She huffed. “I don’t think she’d do that.”

“Oh, she would. Trust me on this.” Morgan smirked.

Emily looked back at y/n for a moment, watching her play with Penelope. “Well…”

“Just try it out, Prentiss. And you’ll see...” Morgan poked her nose. “…that I’m right.” He winked.

Emily rolled her eyes. “You’re impossible.”

“You’ll love me after midnight.” Morgan chuckled.

********************

Emily was now on her 3rd whiskey, leaning over against the wall as she watched everyone around her getting ready for the countdown. Her eyes darted around the room, trying to catch a glimpse of y/n before the countdown. But it seemed as if she was nowhere to be found, and she was slowly starting to panic.

“Please tell me you’re not hiding here. The countdown will start soon, and everyone is already outside.” Rossi stood beside Emily as he spoke to get her attention.

Emily’s head snapped to look up at Rossi as he suddenly appeared beside her. She swallowed hard, her hand gripping the now half-empty whiskey glass. “U-Um..I’ll be out there in a minute…I just need a minute to….think.” She tried to lie, her eyes darting across the room again, still searching for y/n.

“Y/n is by the swing. She finished playing with Penelope, and then seemed like she had a conversation with her and then went to sit down. So she’s outside.” Rossi smiled, knowing that Emily was looking for her.

Emily felt her heart race, her eyes widening as Rossi revealed where y/n was. She quickly got up from the wall, downing the rest of her whiskey in one go before putting the empty glass on a nearby table. As she took a few steps towards the doorway outside, she suddenly stopped and turned back to Rossi. “W-Wait..why are you telling me this?”

“Because you should go get her. We will soon be welcoming the new year and…you both could start the year with a kiss.” Rossi winked at her and then walked outside.

Emily blushed as Rossi winked at her, feeling like the whole team knew about her feelings for y/n but she tried not to focus on that right now. Taking a deep breath, she quickly walked outside, searching the crowd for you until her eyes finally landed on her. Emily slowly made her way to where she was sitting, taking a moment to admire how beautiful she looked in the moonlight. Her heartbeat was fast now, feeling her nerves build as she finally reached her, clearing her throat softly to get her attention.

Y/n looked up at Emily and slowly stood up, smiling softly. “Em. Was hoping I’d find you before the countdown.” She said softly.

Emily smiled softly, her heart rate speeding up even more as y/n looked at her. “Y-Yeah I was just…” She trailed off, her eyes wandering down her body before quickly bringing them back up to meet hers. “I-I was just grabbing a drink and all…” Completely forgetting she, indeed, did not have a drink on her hand.

Y/n blushed slightly as she noticed the way Emily stared down at her body. She chuckled nervously and nodded softly. “Good.” She said softly as she stared directly into her eyes. She smiled softly. “I was hoping I’d be in the countdown with you.”

Emily felt her own cheeks heat up as y/n blushed from her staring and tried telling herself that it was just a coincidence cause of the lighting out here. She swallowed hard as she said she wanted to be in the countdown with her, a smile forming on her face. “You-“ Emily cut herself off, blushing deeper. She knew if she finished that sentence, she most likely would spill everything to her. “Why?”

Y/n cleared my throat, unsure of what to say. What was she supposed to say? That she was hoping she’d receive the new year with her? That she was hoping for something? “Well…I wanted…to countdown with you.” She chuckled nervously.

Emily’s heart was racing, her mind running wild at her answer. She wanted to countdown with her. But, what did that mean? Did that mean she wanted to kiss her when it struck midnight? Or was that just her being delusional again? Her eyes darted to her lips as she licked her own. “Why me?” She asked with a small chuckle.

“Because it’s you, Em. Why wouldn’t I? I told you…I feel more comfortable around you.” Y/n said softly as she smiled.

Suddenly, Rossi announced that the countdown was about to start and to get their drinks ready. And then, the countdown started. “10…9…8…”

Emily blushed deeply at y/n’s words, her stomach now feeling like it was on fire, the way it burned whenever she was around her. She couldn’t stop her eyes from darting back to her lips again as the countdown started. She didn’t know what to do…. She kept second guessing herself. Should she lean in, would you lean in? Was she waiting for her to make the first move? Emily swallowed hard, trying to calm herself down as her heart was now practically pounding against her chest.

Emily was just about at her limit. The countdown was getting closer and closer to midnight and she was here, looking more beautiful than ever as the moonlight was shining on her. Emily swallowed hard, her eyes darting between her eyes and her lips as she finally worked up the courage to finally speak. “You look so beautiful…god you look so gorgeous right now…” She said in almost a whisper, taking a step closer to her.

Y/n’s breath hitched as her eyes slightly widened, not expecting her words, or…anything at all.* “I…” She chuckled nervously. “T-Thank you…”

“7…6…5…”

Emily’s heart skipped a beat as she slowly reached her hand up to gently cup y/n’s cheek as her eyes darted down to her lips again, taking another step forward to close the gap between them. She spoke in a low voice, her heart aching with need. “I hope you don’t hate me after this…” She whispered softly.

Y/n shivered at her touch, her lips parting as she stared into her eyes, those beautiful brown eyes. But then she furrowed her brows at her words. “Hate you?”

“4…3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

Emily’s heart was racing so fast now as the last few seconds of the countdown went by. At the sound of ‘Happy New Year’ and the sound of all the team and people cheering, Emily moved quickly, cupping y/n’s face with both hands as she suddenly pressed her lips against her own. The second their lips met, fireworks went off in Emily’s mind. Their lips were as soft as they had imagined they’d be. Emily felt like she was flying, like she was in some sort of dream, as she tried to savor the feeling, savor her lips against hers. Her hands moved down from her cheeks, wrapping around her waist as she pulled her closer to her until y/n was pressed up against her body, her heart thumping in her ears. Y/n wrapped her arms around Emily’s neck, pulling her impossibly closer, kissing her back after smiling against her lips. This was finally happening, and her heart was about to burst out of her chest. Her whole body filling with butterflies.

When air became a necessity, they pulled away, y/n’s forehead rested against hers and smiled. “That…was better than I expected.” She chuckled softly.

Emily felt like at any second, her heart was going to beat out of her chest. She felt lightheaded, trying to catch her breath. She was still holding her tightly, making sure this was real, wanting to savor the feeling of y/n in her arms. She chuckled softly, her smile brighter than it had ever been as she spoke, her words coming out in almost a whisper. “I didn’t think you’d kiss back…”

“Of course I’d kiss back. I…I was actually going to kiss you, but then you started talking about me being beautiful and gorgeous and…you distracted me.” Y/n chuckled softly as she moved her hands to Emily’s cheeks, stroking them softly.

Emily blushed deeply, leaning into her touch and closing her eyes. She felt butterflies in her stomach again as she moved her hands down to her hips, holding her close. She opened her eyes again, smiling. “I was so scared…” She admitted, chuckling softly. “I thought you wouldn’t kiss back…that I’d ruin our friendship…”

Y/n shook her head, furrowing her brows as she stroked her cheeks. “No. Why would you ruin it? I…I was hoping you’d stick with me and we would do the countdown and I’d kiss you. And finally tell her how I really feel.” She smiled softly as she brushed her nose against Emily’s. “I’m…so in love with you, and today seemed to be the perfect opportunity.

Emily chuckled, remembering how nervous and anxious she had been the whole night, and this had been the end of it, and she was not complaining. “I’m so in love with you. God, you have no idea.” She then captured her lips again, in a soft, gentle kiss which y/n happily reciprocated.

Morgan chuckled softly and fist bumped JJ and Penelope. “Told you this would work.”

“Finally…” JJ sighed softly.

Penelope cleared her throat. “You…guys realize that now they’ll be disgustingly adorable and lame, right?”

“Worth it.” JJ said as she smiled.

[laurenairay]

A reason to start over new - T. Jost

Summary: It’s been five years since Lucy has seen her ex-boyfriend Tyson. Can his grandparents’ Christmas party fix their broken hearts?

Happy birthday @senditcolton! This is my fic for your birthday bingo – I had a lot of fun with this one! I chose The Hand Touch, Exes to Lovers, Free Space (Resolved Angst), “You’re Too Good for Me”, and Winter Romance, making it a full bingo! Hope you have a wonderful day Nicole.

A massive thank you to @jostyriggslover96 for reading through this!

Words: 3.3k

Warnings: angst, flashback to breakup, some bad language, self-deprecation.

Title from The Reason, by Hoobastank

~

I've found a reason for me, To change who I used to be, A reason to start over new, And the reason is you.

~

“Oh wow, Val and Jim have really outdone themselves this year, haven’t they?”

Lucy glanced around at the Christmas decorations surrounding them, smiling at her mom’s words.

“Full of holiday cheer, as always!” she nodded.

She took off her thick coat and gloves, glad to be out of the icy air, hanging them up on the rack put out for guests.

“Now honey, if it’s too much, you can slip out back and head home, okay?” her mom said seriously, albeit quietly.

“You said that last year. And the year before that. For the last five years, actually,” Lucy mused.

“And I’ve meant it every year. They might be our neighbours, but you are my baby. And my priority, always,” her mom said seriously.

Not for the first time, Lucy was thankful to have the mom she did.

“And I appreciate it. But I’m going to be fine,” she said, smiling fondly.

“Alright, if you’re sure. You just send me a sneaky text if you change your mind though, yes?”

“Yeah, thanks mom,” Lucy beamed.

The Christmas Eve Party thrown by her neighbours was a tradition she’d attended her entire life, and even though she hadn’t dated their grandson in half a decade, Val and John had always insisted that she still came along. A lingering effect of being childhood sweethearts, she supposed.

“Amy! Gary! Lucy!”

The welcome from their neighbours was warm and effervescent as it always was, and soon enough Lucy found herself swept in by conversation and catching up. She may have gone to college in UBC Okanagan in Kelowna for both her degrees, barely away from home, but she’d lived in campus residence for all four years of her bachelor’s degree and moved out of her parents’ house properly into a small apartment near campus for her master’s degree. It would’ve been easy to move home after guaranteed accommodation ended, but Lucy had wanted to keep the independence she had grown to love, and it wasn’t as if she didn’t visit her parents at least every other weekend.

But it was still nice to be able to talk about her accomplishments with the people that she’d grown up alongside, especially now that she was in the final year of her master’s degree and looking like she was on track for starting the PhD she’d always aimed for.

After a couple of hours, she escaped the crowds in the living and dining areas, grateful for the sanctuary of the kitchen. There were a few plates of cookies and other Christmas treats laid out, and Lucy couldn’t resist reaching out for a snickerdoodle…

…at the exact time as someone else.

She jumped in surprise as a large hand rested on top of hers, not realising anyone was next to her, but as she looked up, she couldn’t but to freeze despite the warmth of his touch. Tyson. It was Tyson’s hand touching hers.

“Oh fuck, I’m sorry, I…Lucy?”

“Hey Tys,” she managed to breathe.

The familiar curls, the big beautiful eyes, the sweet smile, and now a little bit of stubble? He looked good. Of course he looked good.

Tyson quickly drew his hand away from hers, breaking her out of her thoughts.

“Uh, you have it, I shouldn’t be eating baked goods too much anyway,” Tyson said, rubbing the back of his neck a little sheepishly.

Lucy pursed her lips and broke a third of the snickerdoodle off, handing it to Tyson with a raised eyebrow. Tyson huffed out a laugh but accepted the offered treat, sending her a small smile of thanks. Fuck, it may have been five years since they broke up, but he really hadn’t changed, had he?

“So, uh, you still come to these parties?” Tyson asked.

Lucy bit her bottom lip but nodded.

“Yeah, your grandparents insist. I hope that’s okay,” she winced.

“Of course it is,” Tyson said quickly, “They always loved you.”

Well that was something at least. Why did this feel so awkward? Sure, it had been five years since she’d seen Tyson, but they dated from eight years – surely they had more than this?

“I don’t usually come to these. Well, I guess you already know that, if you come every year. I, uh, I have the 24th to the 26th off this year, so I didn’t want to miss another Christmas with my grandparents,” Tyson explained.

“I bet Val and Jim were over the moon when you told them,” Lucy mused.

Tyson laughed softly, nodding. “They were. Mom and Kacey didn’t hesitate to come to Kelowna to join us, so it’s a big family Christmas this year.”

“That’s great, Tys. Really. Spending Christmas with your loved ones is important,” she said softly, smiling.

His smile dimmed a little, but he nodded.

“How’s, uh, how’s your degree going? Gramps said you’re doing a master’s now?”

He knew that? Did he ask? Or did Jim just tell him?

“Uh, yeah. I graduated my bachelor's degree magna cum laude back in 2020 and went straight into starting my graduate program there. I’m a paid teaching assistant for my supervisory professor too.”

“That’s incredible, Luce. Still doing Earth and Environmental Sciences?” Tyson prompted.

He remembered? After all this time?

“Yeah, yeah it is. Focusing in on environmental impact assessment for my master’s thesis,” she nodded, a little stunned, “I didn’t think…I didn’t think you’d remember.”

“Of course I remember. You were always so passionate about your studies – it was one of the things I loved most about you,” he said softly.

“Tyson…” Lucy said faintly, trailing off when no words would come.

He smiled sadly at her, shaking his head.

“Sounds like…it sounds like everything was worth it for you,” Tyson murmured.

~

2019

“So you can’t make it over?”

“No, Tys, I can’t, I have labs to do,” Lucy sighed.

“We haven’t seen each other in so long!”

“I can’t just not go to my classes because you want me in Denver! You know this!” she groaned.

“I know, I know, but it sucks.”

Lucy frowned, even though he couldn’t see her. “You’re the one who didn’t come home for Christmas, remember?”

“The schedule didn’t make sense, and I offered to fly you down?”

“Tyson!” she groaned.

He stayed silent on the other end of the phone, a silence that sent an ominous shiver down her spine.

“So where do we go from here?”

“W-What?” she said, confused at the dull tone of his voice.

“Your priority is college, my priority is hockey, and neither of us can compromise. I would never ask you to compromise, just like you wouldn’t ask me. We have different priorities, clearly. So where do we go from here?”

“Tyson, are you really saying what I think you’re saying?” she whimpered.

“Yeah, I think we should break up.”

“We’ve been together for eight years! You’re the only boyfriend I’ve ever had, the only guy I’ve ever wanted. And you want to break up, just like that?”

“I don’t want to break up, Luce. But what other option do we have? Neither of us can give the other what we need right now. We have to focus on ourselves, don’t we? For our own careers? You have so much ahead of you and I can’t be there to celebrate it. And you can’t be by my side cheering me on from the stands. I love you, Lucy. But this isn’t working anymore.”

~

“Tyson, why would you say it like that? You think it’s been easy for me?” Lucy asked, throat a little choked.

“No, no, of course not,” he groaned.

“Then what do you mean?”

“Look, forget I said anything, okay? It was really good to see you, Luce.”

Before Lucy could say a word, Tyson walked away, leaving her alone in the kitchen with her head spinning. What the hell was that?

For the final few hours of the party, Lucy indulged in a couple more glasses of wine than she intended, sticking solidly by her parents’ sides. She did her best to keep a smile on her face and ease into the Christmas festivity, even when Laura and Kacey said their hellos, but her mind just kept going back to Tyson.

“We’re going to start saying our goodbyes, okay honey? Why don’t you find all our coats.”

Lucy just nodded at her mom’s suggestion, grateful for the opportunity to escape the crowd. Well, she was grateful, until she saw Tyson sitting on the bench next to the coat rack, face flushed and eyes glassy. He was drunk, at least moderately so.

“Ah, fuck, I didn’t want you to see me like this,” he said, voice slurring.

What did he mean by that?

“I’m just getting our coats. We’re heading out,” she murmured, trying to ignore the whoosh in her stomach.

“Already?”

“It’s nearly midnight, Tys,” she said, smiling wryly.

“Well, fuck. Time flies when you’re having whiskey, I guess,” he groaned, putting his empty glass on the bench next to him.

She huffed out a laugh, unhooking the coats when she finally spotted them.

“You look good, Luce,” he murmured, looking up at her through his eyelashes.

“I do?” she blurted.

Damn it.

But Tyson just grinned. “Yeah, you really do. You always looked good, but damn you’ve really settled into your own skin, eh?”

“I love who I am, yeah,” she nodded.

She wasn’t lying, or even placating. Her studies in environmental impact had opened up a whole new side of her she hadn’t even realised was there, and she loved everything about the person she’d become through it. She just hadn’t realised it was obvious on the outside.

Then again, if anyone was going to notice something like that about her, it was going to be Tyson, wasn’t it?

“You’re too good for me.”

Oh fuck.

“That’s not true. Not even slightly,” Lucy said, frowning.

“No? I can barely get a team to keep me, and you’re soaring ahead with your academic career, just like you deserve,” Tyson scoffed.

This was just the alcohol talking. It had to be.

“Tys, those teams are the ones missing out. You’re amazing,” she said softly.

He paused for a moment, before shaking his head.

“If I’m so amazing, why did we break up?”

Because he had to put hockey first.

Because she had to put college first.

Because neither of them were each other’s first choice.

“That’s not fair, Tyson. We were kids when we first started dating. Barely 13 years old. And we were together for eight years! We had an incredible relationship! It just…we wanted different things. Our priorities were different, our passions were different – we might have grown up together, but we’d also grown apart. Your life is hockey and my life is academics, and that’s okay! That doesn’t mean we didn’t have love, yeah?”

The way that Tyson’s eyes filled up with tears made her own eyes water, dangerous lump rising in her throat.

“If I could go back and change it all, I would. I’d choose you. I’d always choose you.”

His soft words tore a sob from her throat and she shook her head. How could he be so cruel?

“Don’t say that. We made the right decision five years ago and you know it,” she whimpered.

Tyson’s face fell at her devastated expression, and he staggered to his feet.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m sorry,” he said sadly.

And yet here she was, broken hearted all over again.

“I should go. I need to go,” was all she could manage to choke out.

“Lucy, baby, please…”

But Lucy just shook her head, clutching the coats in her hands, shaky smile on her lips as the tears finally fell. “Merry Christmas, Tyson.”

~

“So what happened at the Christmas Eve Party that has you all torn up like this?”

Lucy flinched at her mom’s voice, turning her head to see her standing in the doorway to her bedroom.

“Nothing,” she said quickly.

“Uh huh, and I’m a fairy princess,” her mom snorted.

Lucy couldn’t help but giggle, earning a fond smile as her mom walked into the room and sat down next to her on her bed. Lucy placed a bookmark in the book she’d been reading to give her mom her full attention. She’d needed a little respite from all the preparations to hold her dad’s family for a late lunch, after all the intensity of having her mom’s family over yesterday on Christmas Day, but she’d found herself reliving her conversation with Tyson over and over.

“Sounds like…it sounds like everything was worth it for you.”

“You’re too good for me.”

“If I’m so amazing, why did we break up?”

“If I could go back and change it all, I would. I’d choose you. I’d always choose you.”

So really, her mom coming up to talk to her was a welcome break from all of that as well.

“If you know it was the Christmas Eve Party then you can take a guess,” Lucy said, shrugging.

“I’d rather hear it from you, when Tyson’s involved,” her mom mused.

Well at least her mom was blunt about it.

“We had a couple of conversations, and it stirred up old emotions, old drama. He…mom, he said he’d go back and change it all if he could. That he’d always choose me. What am I supposed to do with that?”

Her mom blinked a couple of times, lips parted in a surprised, before she coughed out a laugh.

“Well I could never accuse Tyson of being subtle.”

“Mom, seriously. This is stressing me out. I can’t stop thinking about it,” Lucy groaned.

“I think that’s an answer in itself, sweetheart,” she said softly.

“What?”

Her mom stayed silent, just nudging Lucy with her shoulder, and Lucy nudged back out of habit. What did she mean, that was an answer in itself?

“Lucy, honey, if you can’t stop thinking about Tyson choosing you above everything else, that means something,” her mom eventually said with a huffed laugh.

“But how can it? He still has his hockey, and I still have academics. Neither of those are going to change any time soon,” Lucy said sadly.

Because at the end of the day, that was the bottom line of it all. Their priorities haven’t changed.

“Just because your both still have your passions doesn’t mean that they have to be your only love. You can have both,” her mom said firmly.

What?

“How can I have both?” Lucy asked, confused.

“Do you love him?” was all she said.

“What?” Lucy said, surprised.

“Do you love him?” her mom repeated.

Lucy opened her mouth, shutting it again before huffing out a laugh. There was only one answer to that.

“Yeah, I never stopped,” she replied.

“Then you can have both. You spent the last five years missing him, and I know damn well that that boy missed you too - neither of you deserve that for another second. You can have both,” her mom said decisively.

She could have both?

How could she have both?

“You love him.”

“I love him,” Lucy whispered.

“Go get him.”

Lucy whimpered as she looked into her mom’s eyes, but she only saw warmth and encouragement. Her mom was right. She loved Tyson. She loved Tyson and if seeing him again this Christmas had taught her anything, it was that she was stupid if she tried to deny how much she missed him. If she didn’t tell him now, when would she?

“He leaves today. I need to go now,” she said suddenly.

“Well damn, okay then. Put on a sweater and I’ll find your snow boots,” her mom grinned.

Lucy felt like she was in a haze as she walked as quickly down the street as was safe, heart pounding as she spotted Tyson loading bags into his grandpa’s car.

“Tyson!”

His head whipped around at her shout, eyes going wide as he saw her walking towards him. Tyson shuffled down the driveway, missing Jim’s fond smile as he himself went back into the house, and the moment that she was standing in front of him, Tyson cupped his hands over her elbows to steady her.

“What are you doing here?”

“I love you,” she breathed.

Tyson whimpered, but Lucy wasn’t discouraged, not when she saw the wonder that filled his expression.

“You love me?”

“I love you. I love you so much and I can’t stop thinking about everything you said the other night,” she blurted out.

“Luce, I’m sorry, I know I upset you but…”

“No, Tys, it’s okay,” Lucy said, shaking her head as she interrupted, “While I stand by what I said, that we made the right decision at the time, maybe we could make a different decision now?”

“What are you saying?”

She could understand his hesitation, really she could. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t coming out with this out of the blue, after five years of nothing at all. After five years of heartbreak and heartache. But her mom was right – she missed him so fiercely and she couldn’t bear the thought of him not knowing that.

“I want us to start over new. I never stopped loving you, not for one moment. We could have both. We could have our passions and our love, and I hate that it’s taken me this long to even consider that? I miss you and I love you and I know you’re heading to the airport to fly back to Raleigh, but tell me I’m not crazy for thinking we could do this?”

Tyson’s jaw dropped as he processed her long rant, and it was only his firm grip on her elbows that stopped her from giving up hope.

“That was a lot,” Tyson said.

She winced. “I know, but…”

“And you poured out a lot of emotion there,” he interrupted.

Lucy kept her mouth shut this time, as much as she wanted to beg him to say more.

“It’s been agony for five years, for so many reasons, but hearing you say that you love me and you want to give our relationship another shot? I just…”

Tyson trailed off, letting out a long breath.

“I understand if I’m too late,” she murmured.

But Tyson huffed out a laugh, raising one hand from her elbow to cup her face in a gentle motion that had her breath hitching in her throat.

“There is no world in which you’d be too late,” Tyson said softly.

“Really?”

“I love you too, Lucy. I never stopped either,” he murmured.

She couldn’t stop the incredulous laugh that tumbled from her lips, smiling back up at Tyson as he smiled at her.

“We’re really doing this?” she asked, giddy.

“Yeah, baby, we are. I don’t know how we’re going to do this, or what it’s going to look like, but we’re both adult enough to know how to put in more effort this time round right, yeah? I’ll fly home for the all-star break, and I’ll fly you out for spring break, and we’ll have video calls that neither of us are going to miss. And everything else. We’re going to make it work this time,” he said, tone serious but face grinning.

“And we’re going to communicate, yeah? When one of us is finding it hard? We’ll find little compromises, as we can’t do the big compromises. We’re worth it,” Lucy added, not caring that her cheeks were aching with her smile.

“Yeah, we are. I love you, so much Lucy,” Tyson grinned.

“I love you too.”

Tyson didn’t waste any time in leaning down to press his lips to hers, their last first kiss.

[tevantarlos]

This fic went from being a 200 word ficlet, to a one-shot.

Preview of my first upcoming BuckTommy Fix It Bingo fic: "Hello. May I speak to Evan Buckley, please?"  "This is Evan Buckley, may I ask who's calling?" "Mr. Buckley, my name is Nurse Johnson from the Los Angeles Medical Center. I have a Thomas Kinard who was brought in two hours ago with crush injuries from a helicopter crash. He has you listed as his emergency contact."

As soon as Buck heard the words 'crush injuries, crash, emergency contact' he froze and the room spun around him, but he forced himself to focus. "Tommy? You said Tommy's hurt? How bad are his injuries? Uh, okay. I'm on my way. I'm going tell my boss that I have an emergency to deal with, and I'll be there in thirty minutes."

"Mr. Buckley, Mr. Kinard's injuries while they aren't life-threatening, they are very severe. Mr. Kinard broke his left leg, he has four broken ribs, and our surgeon is in the process of re-inflating one of his lungs which had been punctured in the crash. The surgery should take anywhere from two to six hours. I'm sure that he'd love to see you when he wakes up."

Buck was struggling to grasp everything the nurse had told him, but after several moments of struggling, he forced more words out. "I understand, thank you for telling me all of this. I'm on my way and I'll be there soon." He hung up and jumped up from the bed, and headed for the Captain's Office, and knocked on the door. 

&*&*&*&*

"I've never been more scared in my life, Tommy. When the nurse called me, I was terrified she was going to tell me that you were dead." Tommy blinked a few times, looked down at his hand and then up and recognized his ex-boyfriend. "Ev-Evan? Why?" He reached up and carefully removed the oxygen mask that was on his face. "Why?" He cleared his throat a few times and then spoke again. "Why are you here?" Buck gently squeezed his hand. "I'm here because I'm still listed as your emergency contact. The nurse called and told me you were here, that you were seriously injured. When I got that call, I froze. I know that I screwed things up, and I'm sorry. I moved too fast and didn't check in with you to see if you were okay with the pace we were going. I'm here because I still love you, Tommy. We were together for six months and it was the best six months of my life. I love you and I don't want to live the rest of my life without you.  I was worried we'd lost our chance." Tommy was still groggy from the anesthesia he'd been given before surgery, but the fog was slowly lifting the longer he remained awake. He took in Evan's words and then said, "Evan, just like the way our first date ended, I didn't end things because of bad behavior on your part. I ended things because I wanted to give you a chance to explore and figure things out. Give you time to figure yourself out. You're still new to dating men. It takes some getting used to and I didn't want to tie you down in a serious relationship so soon." Buck shook his head. "I didn't understand when you broke up with me, but I've talked to Eddie, Maddie and Bobby, and even Josh, and they explained a lot to me. I don't need to screw around to figure myself out. I've already done that. I don't need to date or sleep with other men or people to know what I want. I want you, us. I want to be with you. I love you, Tommy. You. I know that before it seemed like I  looked up to you like some gay yoda or something, but I know better now. I don't know if you know this, but sometimes I have trouble saying what I mean. But this time I'm going to be completely clear in what I mean, so there's no way for you to misunderstand. "I love you, Tommy. I want to be here with you. There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

Read the rest on A03.

[aziraphales-library]

Hello! Good morning/afternoon/evening to you! Thank you so so much for all the effort you put in :) here's my ask :

Are there any fics in which A & C are reincarnated over and over again and every single time, they fall in love with each other? Thank you! <3

Hi! We have a #reincarnation tag with loads of fics, so do check that. Here are a few more fics along this theme to add to the collection...

Till the End of Time by bitchofdarkness (G)

In the back, she heard the red-head say in a heated tone:"Adam and Eve? Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of joke to Her?" ------ So basically, I just love reincarnation storys/theories and stuff.

You are my better half by SlyKing (G)

Ezra’s throat suddenly tightened and he wanted to cry, his chest compressed with gratitude. He felt as if he had just found something precious and, met by a gaze as puzzled as was his own, he felt at home. [...] And then, quite naturally, the man reached out to him. "Anthony Crowley." He dropped with a certain detachment which, however, was anything but detachment. - In this Alternative Universe, Aziraphale and Crowley are soulmates; they reincarnate at different times and always find each other. Each part can be read separately.

did you open up your heart there? by weatheredlaw (E)

or were you quiet and afraid? — Aziraphale and Crowley meet over and over and over again. Aziraphale doesn't know what Crowley is, or why their souls can't seem to be parted, but he is a creature of love, and he's not going to argue with that.

Are These Days Forever And Always? by nephiliminality (T)

"Maybe 'our own side' was never really an option. Maybe there's just Heaven, or Hell, or Earth? With- with all that each entails." (In which Crowley and Aziraphale discover that giving up Heaven and Hell means giving up something else as well. But maybe it's not that bad, once you get used to it.) For the Angst Bingo 2020 prompt: "Curse: time loop". I got a bit carried away...

I second that emotion by HolRose (Series) (G-M)

Crowley and Aziraphale are exploring what it might mean to be together. As part of this, they find a way to view a series of very human stories in which couples find their way to love despite the problems and obstacles that life throws at them. On their way to a deeper understanding of just what close, loving relationships look like in humans, they find themselves becoming closer, and nearer to an acceptance of themselves and each other.

- Mod D

[my-cabbages-gorl]

Original fic & other things consolidation post

Everything listed in this post is my original work (including the banner above heh :) Please mind the tags on each fic! Search #cabbage art tag to find my art- some, not all, is smutty so please be warned!

Inheritance- Read on Ao3 - Longer One-shot, Aang and Zuko spend a wine and laughter-soaked night reading through unsent letters from Sozin to Roku on the eve of Aang's 27th birthday festival. Written for Zukaang mini Bingo April 2024

Delicate- Read on Ao3-Short one-shot of Aang and Zuko's relationship facing a painful memory 10 years post-war, written for Flash Fic Friday

First Light- Read on Ao3- A cozy, smutty, sunrise imagery-drenched, and slightly angsty one-shot of Aang and Zuko 14 years post-war. Written for Avatar-Year-Of-The-Dragon prompt, "Have your way with me"

I Know- Read on Ao3- An extremely, let me repeat extremely lol, self-indulgent smutty one-shot of Aang and Zuko's established relationship.

Marigold, chapter 1 of Blue- Read on Ao3- The first chapter of an in-progress Zukaang fic, exploring their delicate love for one another through the sometimes harsh complexity of their lives as leaders. Bewitched - Read on Ao3 - ongoing series- Originally ch. 1 was written for Flash Fic Friday, but turned into an ongoing fic about Aang and Zuko questioning their relationship in the face of Zuko being pressured to find a wife and produce an heir, 6 chapters up so far stay tuned!

Mercy and Lightning - ficlet inspired by this post - Zuko won't let Aang rest until he's mastered redirecting lightning

[critter-genfic-events]

This week, we have nine amazing Calamity fics, featuring the beloved Ring of Brass and the people they inspired! Check them out underneath the cut, and as always, comment and kudos if you like them!

Benediction by Sandtalon (4961,General) Warnings: None Pairings: Maya Agrupnin & Cerrit Agrupnin

Cerrit tries to return to his family after the events of Calamity. Maya starts to realize the impact of all of the events.

Reccer says: A wonderful post-calamity read, there's so many emotions and I end up feeling them all whenever I rearead this one

last letter by bittersnake (1373,General) Warnings: choose not to warn Pairings:

a letter read before everything went to hell that day

Reccer says: It's such a simple but heartbreaking premise

on the eve by quothhh (1770,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Maya Agrupnin/Triton, Maya Agrupnin/Kir

A first date at the end of the world.

Reccer says: It's so sweet and a perfect teenage voice

Complete Solitude - The Matron of Ravens by CatcherWrites (1235,General) Warnings: None that I can tell Pairings: There are very brief references to The Matron/Her Predecessor

A story about The Matron's last day as a mortal woman, and the consequences of her ascension to godhood.

Reccer says: It's short and sweet and has some interesting ideas about the kind of person The Matron was and what it must have been like to become a deity.

when people say that something is forever (either way it ends) by actualtaracole (freaking_intelligent_fangirl) (9006,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: The Circle of Brass + Elias

Zerxus's family give him the redemption he deserves

Reccer says: Made me cry (affectionate)

Pick Your Brain Apart (And Build it Again) by ShakesqueereanTragedy (921,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Patia Por'co & Maya Agrupnin

Patia sends the Library Incantatum to Maya

Reccer says: I loved this moment of hope in Calamity and this fic captures that vibe perfectly

What endures beyond the silent edge by Beleriandings (241304,Teen) Warnings: Choose not to warn Pairings: Background Beauyasha, Laerryn/Loquatious, Evandrin/Zerxus, and Shadowgast

On the day of the Apogee Solstice, the members of the Ring of Brass are transported into the future

Reccer says: Amazing interplay between the Ring of Brass and the Mighty Nein, and a gripping longfic

Let Others Light their Candles by ChronicBookworm (2801,General) Warnings: None Pairings:

Patia, her mentors, and the one she never got the chance to mentor.

Reccer says: I love the exploration of the weight of expectation

warp and weft by CodaAtTheEnd (4474,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings:

Cerrit Agrupnin receives a chance to avert the Calamity.

Reccer says: I liked it

This is one of our weekly communally-generated gen rec lists. Every week we announce a new theme and allow anyone to submit a fic recommendation. Please note that the summary and content notes are provided by the reccer, and may be different than what the author has provided. Please assume good intentions all around. <3

And hey, anyone includes you!

Next week, we'll be featuring fics focusing on Transformation!

Then, it'll be fics featuring Post-Campaign, Marquet, and then Blindness/Deafness!

Any fics coming to mind? Well, then use this form to submit! If you're looking for some more, check out some fics written in the critter genfic bingo tag, or the older rec lists! Or you can request your own card and join in on the fun!

[ultravioletbrit]

ultravioletbrit : not british, just a girl named brit who likes purple ᥫ᭡.

•⟡ mini masterlist ⟡•

⟡ • i’m regulus black obsessed • • i write daily jeggyverse microfics • • i spend a lot of time on insta • • i’m slowly filling my ao3 with jegulus fics • ⟡

fics ↓

⟡

• He’s So Lucky, He’s a Star • T : 17.7k Friday the 13th fic, Regulus thinks he’s cursed and Sirius and Andy try to knock some sense into him. • Here Comes the Pride • G : 4.8k James is a Zookeeper who deals with lions all day long. Regulus is a barista at the Zoo who deals with James every morning. James invites Regulus to a slightly unconventional wedding. • What I Like About You, You Hold Me Tight • G : 1.2k Regulus realizes James might know him a little better than he thought he did. • Murder Before Pancakes • E : 2.1k (e for discussion of murder and a lot of blood) Murder … but make it domestic. James comes home covered in blood and Regulus helps him clean up. • like my sunshine • G : 1.2k Regulus sings a song to Harry and things get a little silly and a little sappy. • instant connection • T : 4k Regulus and James connect after missing their connecting flight on New Year’s Eve. • ocean blue eyes looking in mine • T : 1.9k Gryffindor and Slytherin are in the final round of a debate tournament when James sees Regulus for the first time. It only takes one look into those blue eyes and James is a goner. He inadvertently lets the whole room know what he thinks, and Barty decides to use that to their advantage. • jealousy, turning saints into the sea • M : 1.8k Regulus is a little shit. James is a little more than possessive. They’re perfect for each other. • microfic collections • Life in the Universe : August Cosmos Colliding : September all things considered, all things are true : October for a moment i knew cosmic love : November shooting like stars, falling like snow : December

⟡

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⟡

If you’ve made it this far you get rewarded with a partial Jegulus Bingo Card reveal and a very long bingo / writer’s block / novice writer rant! (you don’t need to read; I just need to vent!) tldr: I’m stuck and don’t know what the fuck I’m doing! But I’m still having fun doing it! 😂💜 Bingo Card Reveal: I decided to reveal the prompts for the fics I’ve started and keep the ones that are still brainrotting hidden (prompts that are the same color are the same fic) updated 1/14

Here are my current thoughts and struggles… - ‘Coming Out’ and ‘Jealous James’ were supposed to be short one-shots that just keep getting longer and I don’t know how to end them and it’s frustrating. - ‘Jealous James’, I have another idea that would definitely be shorter, so I might abandon the current wip and just start over. updated 1/14 - Jealous James posted!! - ‘Gym / Doorman / First Fuck’ … I really like this one. It’s fun and flirty and is supposed to be smutty… but I got to the smut and quickly realized, I’ve never written a smut scene, and I’m so very stuck. It doesn’t feel like writer’s block, it’s the newbie writer in me coming out and realizing I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing. I’ve gotten some tips, and I keep coming back to it, just to stare at the page until I get frustrated. I might end up doing a fade to black, but I really wanted to get some smut in there. So, we’ll see what happens with that one. - I really want to get those wips done by the bingo deadline (just over a month). I’m a ridiculously slow writer but I think I can do it and that would give me 3 bingos and I would be so fucking proud of that!! (I’m already proud that I got 1 bingo!! 🙌🤭💜) Then there are the ones I haven’t started yet, if I want to try for a black-out card. I would love to try and get some of these done, but I’m not sure I can do it by the deadline. I still really like my ideas, so I might try and write them even if I don’t make the deadline. - The light blue one I have a pretty solid idea, and I almost want to call it a wip because it’s practically fully written in my head, I just need to get it on paper. But it’s pretty angsty, and I’ve only really written fluff, so it’s been a little daunting to start that one. - The light purple is one I sort of have a ton of ideas and no ideas at the same time. It’s a fairly popular prompt—that I really love and I’m so excited to write—but I have too many ideas and no idea what I want to do with them. That one does feel like writer’s block so I’m not sure what’s going to happen with that one. - Then the darker purple. Ugh, that one is my nemesis. I really love my idea for it, and I even have a partial outline started and I think it would be a really fun story to tell. Angsty as fuck, but fun and interesting to write. But it would definitely have to be a longer fic. And I am not good at long fics (baby writer rearing its ugly head again). I’ve thought about doing a few one-shots—just the scenes with the bingo prompts—to see if it’s even a story people would be interested to read, but even that is intimidating.   If/when I finish my current wips, I might reveal the other prompts and asks for some help… if anyone would be interested! Anyway, that’s my current bingo plan that was completely unnecessary to share. I’m sorry for the rant, I just felt like I had to let that spill out of my brain in order to move forward and I didn’t want to clog up the discord 😂 All of that being said, I’m genuinely having so much fun with these prompts and trying to write fics longer than micros! It’s challenging as a new writer, but I’m loving the challenge! 💜

(wow, that was way longer than I thought it was going to be 😬 🤷🏻‍♀️)

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[ramshacklefey]

Murderbot Diaries Comment Bingo Rec Post!

On the final eve, I have finished a full blackout for my comment bingo board! To wrap it up (and fill in my last square), I'm sharing some of my favorite Murderbot fics.

acknowledged (GP-53214680-J) by torpidgulliver We know what happened in Ganaka Pit. This is that story from the ComfortUnits' point of view. (cw for graphic violence, death, and way too many feels)

construct_killware.log by RoundedLoaf ART and Murderbot discuss exactly what information about each of them 2.0 will need in order to function. Bonus points for some adorable ART memories.

Why did you? by 002045 The human who shoots Murderbot at the end of Fugitive Telemtry tells her version of that story. Absolutely heart-wrenching.

Best SecUnit to hire in 7614 by JellyFishOnACloud Don't click out of the ad.

Cinema Verite by BoldlyNo Making a documentary out of your friend's memories is Not a Good Time for Ratthi.

[META] Security vs Combat by Verso Excellent and insightful thoughts on the importance of Murderbot's identity as Security. Extra bonus points for Sam Vimes mention!

Broken Half by FigOwl It made me cry so hard my roommates were legit worried about me.

Maintenance Manual for SecUnits models 36b-27f by Wordlet When Mensah receives the maintenance manual for the person she just bought she discards it on instinct. It's not until later, while trying to navigate the needs of a person she has limited context for, that the supplementary reading becomes useful. It's not instructions the way they are supposed to be but it does provide… guidance.

Digital Storage and File Sharing by RJam9 What if. Murderbot got involved in the fandom forums for Sanctuary Moon?

Stunt doubles (please stop coming to Murderbot with weird questions) by FascinatedFinch Ok, but Ratthi needs to know if this particular stunt is familiar. For... reasons.

Imma stop there before this gets impossibly long! This was some of the best fun I've ever had with a fandom event. Love and thank you to everyone who wrote these awesome fics and everyone who stopped by to leave comments on my writing too!

And also a special thank you to @comment-bingo for running the event!

[bullet-prooflove]

Valentine's Day Bingo Completed and Scheduled!

All fics have been written and booked in between 31st Jan - 29th Feb

Some of the character selections have changed because the pairings weren't working for me.

All fics are currently on early release over on Patreon if you want to read them before they hit Tumblr otherwise please see the schedule below:

31st Jan: Whiskey - Che 'Taza' Romero x Ben Harrison - Taza and Ben haven't talked about what happened on New Year's Eve. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Hates Valentine's Day)

1st Feb: Tinder - Terry Bruno x Reader - Terry discovers you’re single when he downloads Tinder (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Dating App)

2nd Feb: Polaroid - EZ Reyes x Reader (NSFW) - EZ finds the pictures you’ve left in his book (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Naughty Pictures)

3rd Feb: Coffee Shop AU: Blind Date - Neron 'Creeper’ Vargas x Reader - Neron is surprised to meet his blind date (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Blind Date)

4th Feb: Love Letter - Criminal!Joe (feat: Terry Bruno) - Terry gives you the letter Joe left for you. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Love Letter)

5th Feb: Moment - Filip 'Chibs’ Telford x Reader (NSFW) - Chibs savours the moments he has with you. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Secret Relationship)

6th Feb: Napa - Juan 'Juice’ Ortiz x Reader - Juice takes you on an overnight trip to Napa. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Wine Tasting)

7th Feb: High - Jubal Valentine x Reader - The evening takes a violent turn when you run into your ex Nestor Vertiz. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Seeing Your Ex)

8th Feb: Bold - Damien Powell x Reader - Damien hasn't kissed a woman in years. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Champagne Kisses)

9th Feb: Red - Bobby Goren x Reader - You tease Bobby in the Squad Room. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Red)

10th Feb: Makapipi Falls - Jesse Boone x Reader - Jesse tells you the truth about his feelings during a trip to Makapipi Falls. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Feelings)

11th Feb: Commitment - Tig Trager x Reader - You'll never be Tig's wife, but then again he'll never be your husband. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Expensive Jewellery)

12th Feb: Moonlight - Benny Miller x Reader - Benny's always found the water soothing. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Moonlit Stroll)

13th Feb: King (NSFW) - Angel Reyes x Reader - Angel's Reina needs her king. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Lace)

14th Feb: Mix Tape - Will Trent x Reader - Will finds an unexpected gift on his desk. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Homemade Gift)

15th Feb: Stillwater - Stuart Scola x Reader - Things take a sinister turn after a surprise gift arrives at the house. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Secret Admirer)

19th Feb: When in Rome - Scott Forrester x Reader - Scott waits up for you after a depressing case. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Hotel Stay)

20th Feb: Break (NSFW) - Beau 'Cyclone' Simpson x Reader - Beau inspires you to take a break. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Forgetting)

22nd Feb: Blossom (NSFW) - Michael 'Riz' Ariza x Reader - Riz and you invite a third into the bedroom. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Wild Night)

23rd Feb: Paint (NSFW) - OA Zidan x Reader - You help Omar to relax in a creative way. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Body Paint)

24th Feb: Fair - Vostanik Sabatino x Reader - You find Nik sitting on your doorstep. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Single on Valentine's Day)

25th Feb: Gifts - Nestor Oceteva x Reader - Nestor always works Valentine's Day. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Working on Valentine's Day)

27th Feb: No Questions Asked - Damien Powell x Reader - You give Damien a place to call home when he first arrives in Budapest. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Romantic Meal)

28th Feb: Kicking - Bishop Losa x Reader - Bishop feels his daughter kick for the first time during Coco's wedding reception. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Slow Dance)

29th Feb: Pink - Connor Rhodes x Reader - Connor thinks back to the day the two of you met. (Valentine’s Day Bingo: Wearing Pink)

[mazerunner-rarepairs]

Maze Runner Rarepair Bingo: Rules and FAQ

Which ships qualify as rareships?

All ships with less than 150 fics where they are the main ship posted to ao3.

Qualify: Brenderesa, Soniet, Minally, Nally, Trenda, Nalby + all other possible ships you can think of!

Don't qualify: Thomesa, Thomally, Newtmas, Thominho, Minewt, Thominewt

When does the event take place?

The bingo runs throughout the month of May - May 1st to May 31st.

Read on for rules & FAQ 🔽

Rules

When posting, tag this blog and add the tumblr tag #rareshipbingo2024. Indicate which square your submission fills.

Fic and Artwork needs to be original, that means created for the event.

Any submission types are welcome for the Rarepair Bingo. fanart, fic, fanvids, moodboards, podfics - knock yourselves out!

The AO3 board however can only be filled with fic.

All topics are allowed, the one important thing is to tag your works appropriately. With darker themes err on the side of caution. If you're unsure, feel free to reach out.

If you post nsfw fics to tumblr, make sure you put the text under a read more break (just type :readmore: and hit enter).

You must be 18+ to submit explicit content.

I will be marking all nsfw submissions with the community label for sexually explicit content, so those who don't want to see nsfw submissions make sure to enable community labels.

This event allows all kind of content regarding maturity and topic - I expect followers and participants to practise good fandom culture and adhere to the don't like don't read principle. No bashing ships or tropes you personally don't like.

Unnecessarily hateful comments are to be deleted without response after you notify me, the mod, about them. (Just message this blog)

Upload your fics to the AO3 collection .

Addition made on May 5th: platonic ships are also allowed! For more info see this post.

Clarification: the rarepair needs to be the main focus of the fic. pairings that don't qualify as rareships can appear in your work, but only as a side ship. if you're unsure about this rule feel free to contact me.

FAQ

Is there a minimum word count for fics? No.

Are poly ships allowed? Yes.

Can one submission count for multiple squares from the same board? No. You have to decide which square you want to "use" your submission on, even if it combines prompts.

Can one submission fount for 2 squares on different boards? Yes! Eg if you write a fic for the square "poetry" and it's also the first fic for a ship, it can count for both the poetry square and the "write the first fic for a ship".

Can I submit WIPS? Yes.

Can I submit new chapters of a current WIP? Yes. If you have a rareship fic that you've been dying to continue, feel free to use the bingo as a motivator!

When is the reblogging perios? May 1-31st.

How does the Extra Rare Advanced AO3 Bord (For The Very Insane) work?

All the AO3 squares are to be filled in regards to the AO3 tag before April 22 - today.

Example: if you want to write a Rachel/Miyoko fic, and someone coincidentally would post one before the start of the bingo, your Rachel/Miyoko fic would still count for the "Be the first to write a ship" square.

Similarly, and using the same example as before, if 2 bingo participants decided they wanted to write Rachel/Miyoko, the person who posts their submission second would still get to fill the "Be the first to write a ship" square.

This applies to all AO3 squares:

If your fic is longer than all the fics posted before April 22, it fills the "Write the longest existing fic for a ship" square.

If before April 22nd there was no "General Audiences" rated fic for the rareship of your choice, your fic fills the "Be the first to write a rating no one has written for the ship before" square.

If you need help using the AO3 filtering system to figure out if you would be the first to write for a ship or for any of the other AO3 squares, drop this blog an ask and I'll help you out! I know not everyone is familiar with AO3 and I want this event to be open to everyone, including AO3 newcomers.

-

If any questions remain, don't hesistate to get in touch!

This post may be edited if further questions arise.

[whathappenstotheheart]

Through some absolute miracle, I managed to squeeze in the last fic I needed for my @fourormore bingo just before heading out to celebrate New Year's Eve. Yay! I now have a bingo, and a bonus, for six fics total.

The final fic is a silly Star Trek: DS9 romp with very mild nudity and no attempts made at explaining the polycule.

Title: Gerbera and Goo

Ship: Julian Bashir/Elim Garak/Kira Nerys/Keiko O'Brien/Miles O'Brien

Length: 638

Summary: A little botanical sight-seeing leads to skinny dipping! Unless you're a particular prickly Cardassian, of course.

Read on AO3 - Read on SquidgeWorld

Happy New Year's, everyone! Fic has been a real blessing for me in 2024, and I suspect it'll continue to be that in 2025. Wishing you a year of many good plot bunnies, finished pieces and new favorite rarepair reads!

[cinderella-ish]

Fic Reading Bingo: Blackout!

I finished with a blackout!

Okay, two caveats:

I've been dealing with the logout issue recently, so as I've been going back to make sure I've commented and left kudos on everything, I haven't been able to do so for every fic. I will keep at it until I get them all, though!

I'm actually still reading my fic of choice for "vampire AU" but I'm going to include it anyway because I'm pretty sure I'll be reading straight through to the end as soon as I'm done writing this post. (It's really good, y'all.)

This summer, I read 70 fics in 2 languages, 11 different fandoms, and by 67 authors, and that's an undercount, because A) 3 of those "fics" are actually entire series, and B) I read countless oneshots from OnigiriCat4Ever's various collections, but it was hard to figure out which ones I read this summer just by going through my history. I also found 2 new-to-me favorite authors (AO3: AveSolace and ohmygodwhy) and wrote or started 10 of my own fics while continuing my 2 WIPs.

I filled most of the squares without trying, just by doing my usual reading (okay, a bit more than my usual, since I don't work summers). Some were outside my comfort zone, like Omegaverse, or hard to find, like a fic with multiple authors. I probably still won't seek out Omegaverse in the future, but I don't think I'll avoid it, either. I enjoyed the fic I read, and I did mark a couple of others for later.

I very much avoided crossovers before this summer, but the one I read for this was beyond delightful, I marked several more for later, and I started writing two of my own!

Additionally, I met my goal of using only fics I love to fill out this card! I moved some around since last time to fill different squares, and swapped a couple out so I could let a few more fics shine. I'm sure you'll be seeing most of these in my next fic recs post!

List below the cut! Fandoms included are as follows:

Astra Lost in Space

Fruits Basket

The Hunger Games

JuJutsu Kaisen

Ouran High School Host Club

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Spy X Family

Crossover | of cats and curses, by faerialchemist Fruits Basket & She-Ra and the Princesses of Power | Tohru/Kyo, Adora/Catra | 6666 words Catradora meets Kyoru. As you might expect, chaos ensues.

Small Fandom | a piece of the sky, by evitably Astra Lost in Space | Luca/Ulgar | 2840 words Every person has a place they can claim as their own. Ulgar's happens to be another person.

Oldest Fic | Loophole, by Geoduck Fruits Basket | Gen | 463 Words Kyo has lost the bet. Akito demands that Kyo meet the terms of the agreement. There's only one teensy-weensy, itsy-bitsy problem...

Whump | End of the Banquet, by AveSolace Fruits Basket | Tohru/Kyo, Machi/Yuki | 55,197 words* (WIP) All the geopolitical tension in East Asia has come to a head. China has invaded Taiwan, and Japan is immediately drawn into the conflict. The Sohmas' lives are thrown into chaos, even as the Zodiac curse remains unbroken.

Character Study | 5 Times Shigure Claimed to be Selfish + 1 Time He Admitted the Truth, by TolkienScholar23 Fruits Basket | Gen | 1838 words* (WIP) Shigure insists he's the worst kind of man, and most people don't question him… and yet, somehow, his younger cousins tend to find themselves on his doorstep every time they're in trouble.

Rarepair | Setting Sail, Coming Home, by redelric Fruits Basket | Momiji/Kimi | 11,673 words Momiji claims his stake in his father’s business. Kimi is his secretary.

Multiple Authors | About Midnight, by CSHfic, VSfic Spy x Family | Loid/Yor | 2222 words The Forgers are invited to a party on New Year's Eve.

Magic | bone-white, soaked through, by chuuyasoup JuJutsu Kaisen | Geto/Gojo | 5166 words Satoru does not survive his fight with Toji. He doesn't stay dead, either.

Canon Compliant | Fourth Trimester, by AveSolace Fruits Basket | Gen | 6741 words Four and a half vignettes about the Zodiacs as newborns.

Omegaverse | Made Together, by Moonstorm69 Fruits Basket | Machi/Yuki | 13,121 words Yuki, a Beta, has spent most of his life hating his secondary gender. Yet when Machi enters her rut for the first time, Yuki is the perfect man to help his anxious, terrified girlfriend through this, if only she'd let him in…

Secret Relationship | All That, by himawaribees (series) JuJutsu Kaisen | Megumi/Yuji | 80,776 words* (WIP) Fushiguro Megumi and Itadori Yuuji first meet at a frat party and proceed to have lots and lots of sex.

Secret Identity | The Cost for Silence, by AveSolace Fruits Basket | Tohru/Kyo, Machi/Yuki | 56,711 words Someone has an axe to grind with the Sohmas, and they've managed to find the perfect piece of blackmail to use against them. And this person is willing to keep the incriminating evidence to themselves--for a price.

Free Space | an inch away (from more than just friends), by ohmygodwhy Fruits Basket | Kakeru/Yuki | 12,034 words Six years after high school graduation, Tohru and Kyo finally get married. Kakeru tags along as Yuki's plus-one. Reunions, bonding, and eye-opening revelations ensue.

Short Fic | La fièvre de Tohru (Fr)/Tohru's Fever (En) by Soffya Fruits Basket | Tohru/Kyo | 576 words (Fr)/588 words (En) Kyo took off his shoes, the house seemed empty. He went up when he heard a noise. Apparently, he was not alone in the house. Someone was coughing.

Take Your Fandom to Work | My Brother, by OnigiriCat4Ever Fruits Basket | Gen | 58,867 words Momiji has made a new life for himself in Germany. He has a job he enjoys, a boyfriend he loves, and a life that makes him happier than he'd felt in a very long time. It wasn't perfect, but it was happy, and he was satisfied…until Momo asked if they could talk.

Old Favorite | inertia, by miss_coverly (series) Fruits Basket | Tohru/Kyo | 59,032 words Kyoru Friends With Benefits AU

Unfinished/Work in Progress | desiderium, by tessohma Fruits Basket | Kakeru/Yuki | 22,502 words* (WIP) Yukeru Friends With Benefits AU

BIPOC Main Character | reaching across years, by ohmygodwhy Fruits Basket | Gen | 4559 words Shigure asked Ayame to collect some of Yuki’s things. Ayame said: okay. I’ll do it. I’ll do it tomorrow, in fact. 

Vampire AU | Bloodlust, by Aa_chanFan Fruits Basket | Tohru/Akito | 13,852 words* (WIP) Girl meets beautiful stranger, beautiful stranger turns out to be a vampire. Yet Tohru Honda is not as easy prey as she seems…

5+ Year Old Fic | Due Diligence, by galaxysoup Ouran High School Host Club | Gen | 1841 words Kyoya goes to Haruhi for parenting advice.

Under the Influence | Think we kissed, but I forgot, by cold_flame Fruits Basket | Kakeru/Kyo | 38,163 words Kakeru and Kyo meet at a party. Things escalate quickly.

Future AU | The miner's wife, by MockingJayFlyingFree The Hunger Games | Katniss/Peeta | 142,741 words In an alternate universe in which Prim was never reaped, Katniss married Gale at the age of 18, and Peeta Mellark became the lone victor of the 74th Hunger Games. What happens when their paths cross for the first time since that fateful incident with the bread?

Unhappy/Bittersweet Ending | In a Year or So Fruits Basket | Akito/Kureno | 3786 words A bleak look at Akito and Kureno’s relationship.

Ghosts | Magic, by alchemicink Fruits Basket | Tohru/Kyo | 1867 words Kyo helps Tohru get ready for Halloween

Soulmates | our dreams are not our own, by AnxietyAvocado Fruits Basket | Tohru/Kyo | 1460 words they say that your dreams are your soulmate's memories

@ficreadingchallenge

[justaboot]

Gentle As It Goes for the fic bingo

Legit didn’t think ANYONE would read a One-off Scrooge-took-the-spear Christmas Eve au. Tiny idea turned into a tiny fic turned into a MONSTER canon compliant wip in my drafts, I REALLY hope I can rally the focus for that one bc it’s SUCH a fun exploration into right vs wrong, blame, ethics, genuinely I don’t know who’s right and everyones a dick. Also there’s babies. Love it.

[critter-genfic-events]

Storytelling Rec List

This week, we have seven stories that feature storytelling within the stories. From ghost stories to depositions to legends - check them out beneath the cut, and of course, comment and kudos if you like them!

We are the stories we live, the tales we tell ourselves by Senor_Sparklefingers (13496,Not Rated) Warnings: N/a Pairings: Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III/Vex'ahlia

The evolution of a bedtime story about the Terrible Tinkerer of Tal'Dorei told by Percival to his children over the years. Written before Tal'Dorei Reborn was published.

Reccer says: Written before Tal'Dorei Reborn was published, so the Perc'ahlia kids are OCs. An interesting look at Percy and his relationship with his children in relation of his history with his family and his most notorious invention.

i hunt for you with bloody feet across the hallowed ground by hypotheticalfanfic (1570,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings:

Bren is told stories, and Caleb retells them

Reccer says: Absolutely beautiful prose

Especially the Lies by Operafloozy (7800,Teen) Warnings: references to child neglect Pairings: Beauregard Lionett & Astrid Becke

Of the stories Astrid tells, and the truths Beau learns.

Reccer says: There's a lot of twists and turns in this story - and Astrid feels very true to canon

remember me as something bigger than i was by grayintogreen (1882,General) Warnings: Pairings: Kingsley Tealeaf & Yasha Nydoorin

Yasha tells Kingsley about Molly

Reccer says: It's a lovely look at Kingsley honoring Molly, Yasha's love of Molly, and the power of stories

Then dawn breaks open in faded blue by PryingBlackbird (3451,Mature) Warnings: Choose Not To Warn Pairings:

Trapped in an abandoned building Verin has to make it through the night together with a young wounded soldier.

Reccer says: Great whump, but also an interesting look into Verin as a character

The Haunting of Nein House by royalgreen (allyoop) (1168,General) Warnings: None Pairings:

The sun has set hours ago and the only light is a dwindling candle. It is time for the Mighty Nein to share their scariest stories around the table as Hallow's Eve approaches.

Reccer says: I liked it

The Grand Poobah's Book Club by memorysdaughter (7199,General) Warnings: None Pairings: Grog Strongjaw & Pike Trickfoot

Six vignettes in Pike and Grog's friendship, as seen through the books they read.

Reccer says: Extremely sweet and precious and wonderful

This is one of our weekly communally-generated gen rec lists. Every week we announce a new theme and allow anyone to submit a fic recommendation. Please note that the summary and content notes are provided by the reccer, and may be different than what the author has provided. Please assume good intentions all around. <3

And hey, anyone includes you!

Next week, we're focusing on Grog! And whatever Grog focuses on (mostly Ale)

Then the weeks after that, it'll be Cross-Campaign works, Skill/Class Swap fics, and then Mourning and Grief

Any fics coming to mind? Well, then use this form to submit!

Oh! Also! Critter Gen Week is happening! Prompts have been announced, you should check them out.

And hey, if you're looking for some more good gen content, check out some fics written in the critter genfic bingo tag, or the older rec lists! Or you can request your own card and join in on the fun!

[tevantarlos]

Inspired

Fandom: The Rookie Title: Inspired Characters: Lucy Chen, Tim Bradford Pairing: Chenford Rating/Warnings: PG. Het. Summary: On Christmas, Tim gets inspired by Lucy’s ugly Christmas sweater from yesterday/Christmas Eve. He gets into the Christmas spirit in a surprising way. Chenford. A/N: From now on, my fics will no longer be beta’d by other people. I’m going to use a spell checker, grammar checker, and a punctuation checker to check my works. Any errors that remain are my own. Thanks to anyone who reads, reviews, likes, bookmarks, or follows. Disclaimer: I don’t own The Rookie or anything you recognize and I don’t claim to. I make no money writing this story. Words: 831 without title and ending.

Written for the Chenford Christmas Bingo 2023.

Prompt: Kojo with a stocking cap (Santa’s red hat) on his head. [3/6]

[nedconte]

Here's my card for @topguncommentbingo round 2! I feel like I'm the only one not submitting a full blackout, but I'm very happy with my 3 bingo rows anyway. :D This event definitely motivated me to read and comment on more TG fics than I've done in a while. Thank you!

Links to fics under the cut. These are all Roosmav, mostly from the recent exchange event:

Fic more than 15k: The High Country by spqr

Fic rated gen: Helping Hands by kaavaa

Fic rated mature: intertwined and back together by MilesbyMicah

Fic set between the movies: It’s Too Late Tonight (To Drag The Past Out Into The Light) by Brenda

Art rated mature/explicit: Unraveling by Ponderosa

Fic tagged first time/getting together: my heart starts paying debts by othersideofthis

Fic rated teen: You Were My Lie In This Sinless Ocean by Zippit

Fic tagged with lingerie/crossdressing: We Said No Gifts by emseebeans

Free choice: heart steadfast by Lake

Fic tagged “___ to lovers”: the story started (when you said hello) by whatiwouldnotgive

Fic with a trope you love: cold hands, warm heart by Altered60

Fic tagged with public/semi-public sex: Limits by Ponderosa

Fic tagged angst with a happy ending: The things I meant to tell you by Lacerta

Fic tagged with anal sex: how to patch up a friend on new years eve and kiss them at the strike of midnight by secondhandgloves

Fic tagged with bondage: Infect me with your love by violation_of_faith_and_devotion