#fe flash friday

[merryfortune]

Selfish Sleepers

Written for FE Flash Fic Friday on Dreamwidth

Prompt: WLW Rare Pairs

Title: Selfish Sleepers

Ship: Nerþuz/Sharena

Fandom: Fire Emblem Heroes

Word Count: 1,381

Rating: T

Tags: Fluff, Literal Sleeping Together, Cuddling & Snuggling, Humour, Sexual References

   The Inn’s dormitories were filled to the brim with every amenity a hero could need but there was always someone who was needier than most, believe me, Sharena could tell you a thing or two about that.

   Just like the family of three bears from that one fairy tale, everyone had different needs that needed to be accounted for and catered to. Soft pillows, hard pillows, fluffy beds, firm beds. Some liked privacy, some liked total darkness. Others needed a little bit of background noise and others liked some company. Variety was the spice of life and to keep Heroes in tip-top shape, the Order of Heroes did their best to provide so that the Heroes would be regularly well-rested and happy to provide their services.

   But some… some Heroes like to push the envelope. 

   Charlotte, hailing from Nohr, came to mind. She needed her beauty sleep, after all. She was very stringent about her routine of facial masks and other implements of skincare. She had big dreams and she was not content to let them be figments of her sleep.

   Hilda from the Officer’s Academy in Fódland was another example, too. She was very much the five more minutes type in the morning, very slow to start anything. Getting her up and dressed could be quite time consuming, no wonder Professor Byleth had whole systems of getting her ready for school.

   Then there was Nephenee, who belonged to the Greil Mercenaries, was the complete opposite. Too often she could be found asleep in a haystack or anywhere else, trying not to infringe on anyone or cause inconvenience by being selfish. Telling her she deserved just as much luxury as anyone else was like trying to convince a brick wall of a cause! 

   But none of those aforementioned Heroes had anything on Nerþuz!

   Oh gee…

   If it wasn’t one thing with her, it was another. She was a Goddess, after all. She wasn’t used to hearing the word no… But Sharena really wished that she was. She also seemed to operate in a completely different reality to most other folk which otherwise would have been chalked up to her holy origins but there were plenty of other divine and ethereal Heroes who were not as needy as her.

   “My pillows need fluffing!”

   That was a common complaint and with horns like hers, Sharena was sympathetic. It must be hard having to lug around such equipment, they were always ruining pillows, too. 

   “I can’t sleep without a lullaby…”

   That wasn’t too uncommon of Nerþuz to demand. She and her silly shows and whimsical skits, Nerþuz adored to have some entertainment. Sharena cringed in embarrassment to remember how she had to ask the Land Mother of her aid. At least she was easily amused and it seemed like it came from a good place…? Honestly Sharena had no idea but a few bars of a nursery rhyme and Nerþuz would typically plonk out asleep.

   But now Nerþuz had a new one… Something she hadn’t asked for before…

   “Sharena, my dear, I need a friend to sleep with.” Nerþuz pined. “I need something small and soft to cuddle and share in my dreams with…” Her tone of voice was sing-song.

   “Well, we have a fine selection of stuffed toys, you know.” Sharena chirped. “There’s Mr. Bear the Teddy Bear, or Henry the Horse or-”

   “Oh, sweetie, I don’t want a play-pretend friend,” Nerþuz batted her eyelashes at her, “I want you.” Her expression was all too come hither in the dim.

   “Wh-Huh?” Sharena blushed.

   Nerþuz swept her up into an embrace and Sharena’s face was forcibly nuzzled against Nerþuz’s velvet soft chest. Nerþuz hugged her tightly, much the same way as a child would hug her favourite stuffed toy, all but smothering Sharena with affection as she was stunned by it all. 

   “Pwease…” Nerþuz begged. 

   Nerþuz towered over Sharena and held her in a deep embrace, forcing her as close as close could be and Sharena was too useless to struggle as she was drawn into Nerþuz’s atmosphere. She inhaled deep Nerþuz’s unearthly scent and her mind began to whirl. Her perfume was sweet and heavenly, it made Sharena’s mouth water as it warmed her with… all sorts of lewd and lurid thoughts as Nerþuz waited on Sharena’s answer.

   One she wasn’t going to get any time soon the more Sharena dithered with her reveries quickly unravelling. Don’t have dirty thoughts about a Goddess, don’t have dirty thoughts about a Goddess! Sharena begged herself but she found the contact of her face to Nerþuz’s breast all too intoxicating. Focus on her negatives, Sharena told herself.

   Nerþuz was so childish and immature! She was as old as time and this was how she behaved?! Sharena, a mere nineteen year-old mortal, could hardly believe it but her lips went fuzzy. She could feel the blooms of red pulsate in her cheeks. Sharena was unable to deny Nerþuz this request, too. Just like all her previous ones. 

   Oh, curse her hospitable and generous nature! Sharena swallowed her pride once more.

   “O-Of course, anything for you, Lady Nerþuz.” Sharena replied, stilted and saccharine.

   “Aww, and that’s why you're my favourite child of Midgard.” Nerþuz celebrated.

   She dragged Sharena to bed and that was that - and made the middle spoon, no less. Nerþuz fell asleep as soon as her head hit her pillow which yes, was sufficiently fluffed by Sharena beforehand and made from goose feather down. Nerþuz’s breath whistled as she curled around Sharena and Sharena was held tight under Nerþuz’s elegant arms and the doona covers of the bed. 

   (Sharena could only hope that they got plenty of R&R Affinity from this, gee whiz.)

   But it wasn’t… uncomfortable to be Nerþuz’s living plushie, Sharena found as she fell asleep. If a little uneasily. Nerþuz was actually quite cute when she slept, from what Sharena could gather whenever she glanced over her shoulder. And thanks to all the - often thankless - prep that she did for the dormitories, with the help of the maids, the bed was pretty comfortable, too. 

  It was nice and warm. Or, more accurately, Nerþuz made it nice and warm. Her voluptuous figure generated a lot of heat which she was more than happy to share. So, Sharena drifted off herself and had a pretty good dream about warm, spring skies and gardens filled with endless flowers explored by bunny rabbits. 

   If only it could have lasted forever but all good things must end. Especially when out in the real world, it was just as lovely. The sunshine which came through the curtained window was yellow and charming, a whole day of training and studying was ahead of them and sounded quite energising to Sharena.

    Nerþuz still held onto her, her face buried into her back. Her hands were knotted in front of Sharena’s belly, keeping her close but Sharena began to wriggle about.

   “C’mon Lady Nerþuz,” Sharena whispered, “wake up…” 

   “Nooo… five more minutes.” Nerþuz pouted. “You're my toy, I decide when we get up.”

   “Aww but we need to get the day started.” Sharena insisted, still squirming despite how Nerþuz snuggled into her in protest.

   “Noooooo.” Nerþuz continued to whine.

   Nerþuz pulled herself up and on top of Sharena. She was… very heavy, Sharena realised. Of course she was, she was a deity with another form as an enormous and domineering goat but even still. This was a shocking realisation to Sharena as she was pressed into the bed.

   “Let’s stay in bed a little longer, please, my darling…?” Nerþuz implored Sharena.

   Her voice had dropped several octaves and had taken on a much sharper quality. There was practically a smirk in her voice, Sharena was too submissive to check as Nerþuz toyed with her. Their lower bodies were hidden by the covers of their bedding and for that, Sharena was glad as they were also aligned underneath the soft concealment of the doona. 

   “S-Sounds good, my lady.” Sharena’s voice cracked as she blushed.

   Nerþuz leaned in and slotted her head between Sharena’s neck and shoulders. The closeness made the light peach fuzz on the sides of Sharena’s face stand on end. Nerþuz nuzzled her and kissed her cheek sleepily, her intentions still obscured by her selfish eccentricity - to Sharena at least.

[marvelwitchergilmore]

Let Me Prove It

Summary: Logan x Fe!Reader -> After months of grieving for Logan, he proves to you he's not going anywhere.

Disclaimer: Descriptions of death, blood, reader goes through grief of losing Logan. Angst, sadness, some fluff. There is a happy ending. Illusions to smut towards the end. Not Proof Read.

You could remember the day you fell in love with Logan Howlett. 

It had been a rainy afternoon. Nothing grand had happened that day. The kids had been in classes all day, most exams were happening all week but by Friday, they’d all be over for the semester. There was stew, heating up on the stove, and you had been reading your book. 

At least, you’d been trying to. 

Often, your mind would wander off on its own and only half way through your train of thought would you realise you had boarded the wrong train and it was already moving. And just like a flash of a meadow, snapping past one of the compartment windows, you discovered you had feelings for Logan. 

And watching him walk through the backdoor only a moment later, confirmed your thoughts. 

“What’s wrong with you?”

Your train came to a halt and you snapped up, focusing on reality. “What?”

Logan grumbled. “Nothing. Dinner ready?”

“Almost. Storm’s looking for you, by the way. She wants to know if you can cover her class next week. She’s got a doctor's appointment and no one’s available.”

Logan still had his back turned as he looked in the cupboard for something. “Sure. What class?”

“History. What are you looking for?”

Logan didn’t fully answer you. He just mumbled a noise before pulling a small box out from the back and closing the door. Turning around he opened it up, took a cookie out before offering it to you. 

“She got a lesson plan?”

Looking down at your book, you dog-eared the page. Sometimes, you’d use a bookmark but considering most of them would disappear without a trace and leave you fending for yourself to find your page again, hours after you’d read it, you gave up on them. 

“Yeah, she’s already left it in your room.”

“Of course she has.” Logan took another bite of his cookie and rounded the kitchen island. 

Your gaze followed him. Mostly out of curiosity. You and Logan were friends. Not best friends. But good friends. Well…

Good enough friends. 

Could you really be in love with him?

Reaching up into the top cupboard, he brought down the set of bowls and took half from the top. 

“You take the rest.”

And for the next ten minutes, you both laid out the table in time for dinner. 

Then you watched as he helped some of the younger kids with their hot meals. Despite all of his grumbling and his small protests when it came to calling him the best baby-sitter. 

Logan was good with kids. 

Yep. 

You were in love with Logan. 

And just like how you could remember the day you fell in love with Logan, you could also remember the day he died. 

It had torn you to pieces. 

It still did. 

It had been on a mission. You’d all faced worse before. And yet, somehow, nobody was prepared for what was about to happen. Everything blew up. Quite literally. You had been helping some of the kids to safety with Storm and Scott. Scott had left half way through, running to find Jean and help her. Storm had given him cover, as well as the kids. 

And once you knew the kids were in safe hands on the jet, you ran back. 

Only, when you got to the top of the hill, having skidded to a halt only to catch yourself on a rotting tree, you looked down to see for the first time, the image that would be forever imprinted in your mind. 

Logan and Jean were at the bottom. Scott had made it just in time to hold his girlfriend back when Logan took the brunt of the attack. It sent him flying and when he fell to the floor, your gut twisted. 

Usually, he’d get up. 

But something was off. 

He wasn’t getting up. Not as quickly, anyway. 

And when he did, an attack came sooner than anyone else had expected. 

Straight through his stomach and a second through his side, Logan was impaled to the tree before being torn from it, sent flying forward with the tentacle branches before being pulled off and sent flying to the ground. 

You remembered screaming his name along with the others before running forward. Storm had made it there before you, but you were the first on your knees beside him, trying to check for any healing that was starting. 

It wasn’t. 

You heard the muffled voices of the rest of the team in your ears, fighting against your own heartbeat as you looked down at Logan. He was bleeding out and fast. 

The bodies beside you disappeared and followed after the attacker and soon everything became…

Silent. 

The ringing in your ears had stopped, your ears had gotten used to your own heartbeat, and you tried your best to focus on Logan. 

His eyes were closed. Begging him through your own tears for him to open his, you took his hand. Feeling for his pulse, it was weak. And getting weaker. 

“Logan…please. Please don’t do this.”

Then your hearing focused on his heartbeat. Each beat took longer to come after the other until finally, with one weak squeeze of goodbye to your hand, Logan died. 

The hours that followed after that became a blur. 

The man you loved but had never told had died in front of you. You had heard his heartbeat stop. You had felt his last goodbye. He never got any last words. Just one last touch. 

And every night that followed after that, you re-lived it. Over and over and over again. Each night, the same. Logan. The branches. The blood. The pulse. The heartbeat. The touch. The silence. 

Sometimes you’d wake just as he touched your hand, the ghost of a feeling left on your palm as you woke. 

The others never bothered to ask. At least, not after the first time you had told them. The Professor had gathered you all in his office after everything had happened. And all you could think of was that Logan’s body was lay, lifeless, underneath the school. 

He had asked you what had happened and, with your arms folded and your eyes on the ground, you answered him. 

“He wasn’t healing. There wasn’t anything I could do. He died,” you explained before looking up at the Professor and giving him Logan’s time of death. “May I go now? I want to make sure the kids are okay.”

The Professor excused you and you left as quickly as you could, the door slamming a little louder than you had meant. 

And for the next two months, you…kept yourself busy. 

People talked about Logan, they were determined to keep his memory alive. But they didn’t have to go to bed at night, just for his memory to die again. Each morning, you seemed to wake up earlier than usual. And with the feeling of Logan’s hand against yours, you busied yourself as best as you could. 

Grading papers, alphabetising the library, cleaning every possible surface including the ceilings, constantly doing the laundry. Weeding out the garden, planting some new flower beds. Fixing the creaky wooden board in the hallway, painting the doors and wooden boards between the windows. Trimming the bushes, scrubbing the pots (even the old ones that weren’t in use anymore). 

You did anything and everything you could. Mostly to keep your mind busy but party because you hoped, if you tired yourself out enough, you might have caught a break. Made it one night through without re-living Logan’s death. 

But all of that changed one afternoon when you were called to the Professor’s study. 

Where you came face to face with…

Logan. 

Everyone was confused. 

Apart from the Professor. 

And throughout the meeting you remained quiet. Obviously, everyone was angry at the fact the Professor had kept such a big secret. 

“We didn’t know if it would work and we didn’t want anyone to have to re-live their grief.” The Professor explained. “It was a shot in the dark.”

“How is this even possible?” Storm asked as she sat down. 

“It seems Logan’s healing abilities were simply weakened. He needed help to heal. Medical help that not I, nor I’m afraid even you, Jean, could give him. There is a doctor I know, based in Alberta. She helped boost Logan’s healing factor and made sure that whatever had weakened him was no longer in his system.”

There was a little more explaining to do, but you could feel yourself drifting from the conversation. You just kept looking at Logan as he stood by the window and the Professor’s desk. 

He had his back turned when you had walked inside, the others all looking confused and annoyed, having to wait for you before they got their explanation. 

He had died. 

You had seen him die. 

You had felt him die. 

And yet, there he stood. His hands in his pockets, looking around the room, breathing and living as if nothing had even happened. 

Not long after all the explanations, everyone got to voice their opinion and you came last. Everyone looked at you, including Logan. 

And all you wanted to do was run.

To him or away from him, you couldn’t quite tell. 

So, with a breath, you forced a half smile and nodded. “It’s good to have you back. Professor, may I go? I’ve got a class that’s about to start.”

“Of…of course. I would have thought-”

Reaching for the door, you looked back. “See you round, Logan.”

Just before you closed the door, you heard Storm announce her way to Logan to give him a hug. But even the Professor couldn’t concentrate on that because he couldn’t help but notice there was something different about you. 

Of course, he’d noticed you’d been keeping yourself busy. Missing out on family dinners, eating yours when you found the time later on in the evening, cleaning up the classrooms after hours, doing a little touch ups here and there with a smaller paint can and paintbrush. 

Little did he know, you had just been filling in the spots you had missed the day before. 

But he had figured you had been like the others. Itching to hug Logan. Being glad he was alive and breathing. 

Instead…

You had barely said two words and had left as soon as you could. 

“Are you okay?” Storm asked you later that night when you were cooking dinner. 

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Storm lifted herself onto a stool opposite you. “I don’t know. You just didn’t seem…excited about Logan being back.”

“Of course I’m excited he’s back.”

“Then would it kill you to show it?” Storm asked, half jokingly. “Here, let me help.”

You shook your head. “It’s okay, I’m almost done.”

Storm moved her hands away from your chopping board slowly. “Okay. Are you sure you’re okay?”

You smiled. “Ororo, I’m fine. Scouts honour. It’s just…”

“Just what?”

You shrugged, forcing your mind back to reality. “Nothing. It’s just been a long day, s’all.”

Later that evening, you found yourself alone in your classroom. The others were down the hall having dinner but you had found yourself something to do. You could have gone down but whether out of habit of the last two months or fear, you didn’t wish to join them. 

Your appetite had already been worse for wear over the last couple of weeks. If you were sat at the table, across from Logan, you wouldn’t have been able to even think about eating. 

So, taking another bite of your sandwich, you turned back to your essays. 

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Logan looked around the table. You were missing. 

“Whose turn was it to cook tonight?” Logan asked. 

“Y/n’s.” Jean told him. “She’s been making most of the meals lately. Guess she just got the cooking bug.”

“But she’s not here.”

Jean shrugged it off. “She’ll probably get some later.”

“Where is she?” He asked as he went to stand. But Jean stopped him. 

“Oh, no. Stay. Come on, Everyone needs to catch up.”

“Catch up on what?” Logan asked. “I’ve been in a hospital in Alberta for two months.”

“Please, just…stay. Besides, Y/n’ll appear when she wants. She’s probably busy.”

And after a little bit more convincing, Logan stayed. You’d left so abruptly that morning, he questioned if you even wanted to see him at all. 

It continued like that for a week. 

At first, Logan tried to convince himself you weren’t avoiding him. But as the week went on and he began to see less of you inside his routine, he knew you had to be. 

And then he began to notice things. 

Everything seemed cleaner than when he had left. And brighter. Fresher, even. The doors had been given a paint job. Despite it being dry, he could still smell the aroma of fresh paint in the air. The halls were less creaky when he walked down them. The cupboards were tidier. He could find his cookies with ease now. 

And despite the fact he didn’t read all that much, he knew the library had changed. Even the books that no-one ever touched. There wasn’t a speck of dust to be seen near them. And one of his personal favourites – a book he tended to read around winter, where the cover was falling off and the pages were falling apart – had been binded to look like new.

So, taking action into his own hands, he went to look for you. 

And it wasn’t long before he found you. 

You had escaped him when he saw you planting fresh flowers in the garden, and you had escaped him when you had brought in the groceries having used Storm as a distraction for you to slip out of the kitchen once everything was away. 

But he had found you in the library. 

Once again, you hadn’t come to dinner, making up an excuse that you needed to work. And Logan knew for a fact you hadn’t left to come and get your dinner yet so, he brought it to you. 

“Thought you might be hungry.”

You looked up but Logan had already heard the change in your pulse. 

“Oh…thanks. You can just leave it there.”

And he did. 

“You’ve got to eat at some point.”

“I will,” you looked back up at him. “Soon. I promise.”

This was the longest conversation you’d both had since he got back. So, he took a seat across from you. 

“What are you working on?”

“Work.”

Logan smiled. “Funny.”

Then the silence washed over you both. But he didn’t want it to stick. “Y/n?”

You hummed a response. 

“Can you look at me?”

Your heartbeat seemed to jump and you took in a discrete breath. Finally seeing your face, Logan smiled. 

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

“I’ve not been avoiding you.” You looked back at your work. 

“Yes, you have.”

“What makes you say that?”

Logan gave you a list. “The constant work, the avoidance of dinners, the silent treatment. Did I do something?”

You shook your head. “You haven’t done anything, Logan.”

“Then can you look at me when you tell me that so I might believe you.”

Finally, you looked at him. 

“Tell me what’s going on?”

“Nothing’s going on.”

Logan asked again. “What’s going on?”

You laughed, nervously. “Nothing’s going on. Logan, I’m fine.”

“Are you? Because you’ve been avoiding me since I got back and- what? What is it?”

You laughed again, except this time you didn’t know how you’d describe it. 

“‘Got back’ you repeated his words. “You say that as if you left for a vacation. You died, Logan. Or did you forget that?”

“No. Y/n. What’s going on?”

You shook your head and packed away your things as quickly as you could. “Forget I said anything. Thanks for dinner.”

“You didn’t even eat-” Logan watched you walk away from him again. 

He’d rather have you fight him than avoid him, so he pressed on. 

“Talk to me.” Logan followed after you. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing. It’s late, Logan. Go to bed.”

“Only when you do.”

“What?” You asked. 

“Your bedroom, it’s upstairs, down the hall from mine. In the opposite direction. The only thing this way is your classroom.”

“I’ve got to finish grading.”

“It’s almost midnight.”

You shrugged. “What teacher doesn’t get enough sleep?”

“Something is going on. Something has been going on. For a while. Please,” Logan begged. “Just tell me what it is.”

You stopped in your tracks. “Do you really want to know what it is?”

“Yes.” Logan nodded, stopping in front of you. 

“Okay then, I’ll tell you.”

And you did. 

“I watched you die, Logan. I heard your heart stop. I watched as blood pooled out of your body with no way for me to stop it. Even after three scalding hot showers, I still had your bloodstains on my skin, under my nails and on my clothes. Every night when I close my eyes, I re-live it. Everything. Every tiny detail. And the silence afterwards…it’s deafening. Sometimes I wake up, still feeling the pressure you put into my hand. Sometimes it’s still there hours after I wake up. I had spent every single day keeping myself busy, finding extra work for myself, just to make sure that I don’t start daydreaming about the waking nightmare I had to watch you go through. I had spent the last two months going over and over in my head what I would say to you if I ever saw you again. But I could never bring myself to do it, because I had watched you die. I had felt you die. So, please. Forgive me if I’m not jumping with joy because I can miraculously forget what happened, like everyone else.”

Logan let your words wash over him. No one had told him. He had a sneaking suspicion they hadn’t because even they didn’t know. Maybe they never asked. Maybe they just hadn’t noticed. 

Gaining back your breath, you went to turn away. 

“Goodnight, Logan.”

Closing your classroom door behind you, you silently locked it and pressed your back against it feeling your entire body start to shake. Slowly, your legs went from underneath you and you lowered yourself to the ground by sliding down the door. You tried your best to squeeze your tears back into your eyes with the heels of your hands, but nothing could stop them. 

Not now. 

Not when you had just admitted the truth to the one man you never thought you would see again. 

Three times Logan turned back to your classroom door, ready to walk inside. But he didn’t know what he would say. 

So he waited. 

Back in his room, he waited to hear the door to your room close. 

And after two hours, he finally did. 

And before he knew it, his feet were carrying him towards your door. Only, he stood there for ten minutes, unsure of what to do with himself. 

At some point, he finally knocked. 

Turning off the tap by the sink, you hung up your flannel onto the radiator bar and dried off your face when you heard the soft knock at your door. 

There was only one person who could have been up so late. 

He knocked again after a minute or two. 

And you opened up the door. 

Whatever Logan had just semi-prepared in his mind, slipped away. He was going to say something. But looking at you, standing in front of him…all words failed him. 

And the longer he stood in front of you, the louder the reminder came to you that he wasn’t dead. He was alive. He could be shot with twelve live rounds and the bullets would pop right back out of his skin. His claws would flare out and he’d be Wolverine. They’d retract and his skin would heal instantly. There would be no evidence that anything had ever happened. 

Then six words slipped from your mouth before you could stop them. Before even your brain could register the thought. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”

Logan felt his chest crack and his heart impale with pain. 

Pushing the door open a little wider, his arms engulfed you in an embrace that would forever be imprinted on your soul. Your own arms wrapped around him, trying to remember the feel of him both physically and spiritually in case the day ever came where you truly would never see him again. 

That if this was going to be your only memory of him, you could never, ever forget it. 

Lifting you up in his embrace for a moment, Logan walked further inside your room, kicking the door shut with his foot. Even if no one else was awake, he didn’t want to risk anyone walking by. Clearly, no-one else knew what you had been living through in your nightmares. And he didn’t want anyone else to share this moment between himself and you.

“You spared me the pain of being alone.” Logan whispered into your hair. “I was less scared because you were there.”

“I couldn’t have left you.” 

Your tears were back to rolling down your cheeks. “I’m sorry about everything you had to go through.”

Logan softly kissed away your tears, wiping the others away. 

You took in a shaky breath. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”

Logan shook his head. “You saved me. You stayed with me.”

“But-”

With both your eyes closed, and Logan’s, you felt his forehead touch yours as his hands cradled your cheeks. “I’m real, Y/n. I’m alive.”

You felt Logan take your hand and press it to his chest, over his heart. His heartbeat was mostly steady, if a little quick. Spreading your fingers across his chest, you felt it rise and fall with his breathing. 

“I’m alive,” he kept repeating. “I’m alive.”

Logan’s breath was drawing closer to yours. “Logan…”

“Let me prove it to you.”

And you let him.

Capturing your breath in a kiss, Logan remained soft at first. He didn’t want to scare you. He didn’t want you to jump and run away from him like you had done only a few hours before in the library. 

But then you kissed back. 

So he moved his hands through your hair and over your body until you were pressed against him as close as you possibly could be. 

Your own hands pulled him in closer by his neck whilst the hand he’d placed over his heart remained fixed in its position. 

Logan was proving to every sense in your body he was real. That he was alive. Almost counteracting the memory that had been drawn from a waking nightmare. 

And as he lifted you up, your back soon pressing against the wall, you and Logan knew he would be spending the rest of the night doing exactly what he told you he wanted to do. 

Prove it to you. 

As morning rolled around, you felt a warm body next to you, tangled not only in you but also your sheets. 

Logan. 

His arms practically caged around you, you recalled every single detail from the night before. Your argument in the hallways, the classroom, the knock at the door, the hug, the kiss, the proof. 

And then, you felt yourself, for the first time in months, give a real smile. 

Lowering your head, you buried yourself in between Logan’s chest and your bedsheets, feeling his arms tense at your movement, holding you in the bed without a way of escape. 

And as your body reacted to his touch you realised something. 

For the first time since his death, you hadn’t had a nightmare. You hadn’t seen his death play on repeat inside your head. And the touch you were feeling wasn’t in your hand but rather all across your body. 

Parts were aching with a soreness you never quite knew was possible and later when you would look in the mirror, you would find fingertip bruises by your hips, love bites leading down your hip bone and on your inner thigh. Smaller ones were also dotted around your collar and neck, but a rather prominent one was yet to be left by the crook of your neck from behind where Logan’s lips would find themselves before you got into a fresh shower, Logan joining almost immediately. 

But until then, you’d revel in the feeling of Logan’s constant heartbeat against your hand, and for a moment your lips as you kissed his skin. Before he woke up and proved to you time and time again how real he was and how much the memory that had plagued you for two months was something that, although wasn’t easy to forget about, could become something of a distant memory. 

And for the rest of your lives, he would make sure to do exactly that.

[jimraisedmeup]

TICK // 1.1 - gimme danger

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Rating: mature (language, sexual content)

Word Count: 640

☾

There's nothing in my dreams Just some ugly memories Kiss me like the ocean breeze

Now, if you will be my lover I will shiver and sing But if you can't be my master I will do anything

☾

September 1983 - junior year

"Who does your tattoos, Edward Munson?"

The blunt voice behind him took him off guard, appearing out of nowhere. It didn't even sound like a question. More like a matter-of-fact demand. 

Your voice was thick and dripping like honey. Deeper than the voices of other girls in your school. Eddie was so used to the high-pitched, bubblegum-popping, giggling tones of the artificial female species that wandered the halls of Hawkins High.

The cafeteria around him was bustling with all the usual assholes, but suddenly all he could focus on was the figure of you standing behind him.

Finally turning around to lay eyes on the culprit, Eddie was shocked to see you.

He knew you, of course. Or at least knew of you. 

In the back of his mind, he tried to remember if he had ever even spoken to you before. But he would have remembered your unique voice. Eddie's whole life revolved around sounds, melodies, vibrations. 

You were a year younger than him, being a junior while he was a senior. He recalled seeing you in the crowded hallways. Plain hair. A face that said leave me the fuck alone. Weren’t you a part of the French Club or some shit?

His mind was racing, but still responded to you without any sign of hesitation. There were too many witnesses around for him to let his guard down. Bako and Donny, seated at the table with him, openly stared in awe.

Eddie found his vocal cords. "I do some of them. My uncle has a friend that does some of them."

Your disarming gaze bore into him, squinting for a moment. Eddie took a second to glance down at your clothes. Blue jeans. Gray fitted t-shirt. You were plain. No other word for it.

"How much for one?"

"What?"

"A tattoo. How much do you charge for a tattoo."

Again, you didn’t really ask it as a question. It was less of an innocent query and more of a personal space invasion, a solicitation. Your face gave away not a single emotion or even a hint of a personality.

Eddie scratched his head, acting like he was thinking deeply. He glanced at Donny, who looked at him like well, say something, idiot!

"Well, sunshine, that depends." 

That's all he could think of. Why were you suddenly speaking to him? You had successfully ignored each other for the last however many years.

Your shoulders dropped in annoyance, but you still held onto the lunch tray in your hands. 

"Okay, depends on what?"

A wicked grin painted his lips. At the motion of your shoulders falling, he could easily tell that you definitely weren’t wearing a bra. Your tits were smaller than average, basically nonexistent, but Eddie had x-ray vision at the short distance between you and him.

"Hmm… size, the design… location." Leaning over in the plastic chair, he purposely fixed his eyes on your ample behind.

You scoffed at him, "Cool, you're a real Don Juan. Let's get to the point, yeah? I want a quarter sized half moon on my hip. Just the outline, nothing fancy. Need more info?"

Taking his time to answer, mainly because he suddenly found himself entertained by your impatience, he shrugged. 

"Nah. I'll do it for fifteen bucks."

"Deal. How soon can you do it?"

You were all business and no play. Eddie was enticed by your no-bullshit confidence.

A shocking flash of pink passed behind you: a popular girl chatting excitedly with a football player. Neon pink windbreaker, bleach blonde hair in perfect curls. Eddie observed her.

And then he looked back at you. So ordinary yet so different.

"How does this weekend sound?"

You held your hand out in front of him to shake. Your skin was smooth and warm on his callouses.

"Don't fuck this up, Munson. I'll see you Friday."

☾

There's nothing left alive But a pair of glassy eyes Raise my feelings one more time

☾

(song lyrics credit: "Gimme Danger" by The Stooges)

TAGLIST for this series if you would like to be notified when I post new chapters!

[collectorscorner]

CC New Arrivals @ Collectors Corner : WEDNESDAY - 2/14/2024 #NewComicsWednesday! + SAVE 20% Off *Everything Store-wide for 4 Days during our Presidents Day 4 Day Weekend Sale Friday Feb 16th - Monday FEB 19th.

[liquid-luck-00]

Do you think you could write an Au where Bruce Wayne is Marinette's bio!dad, but they don't learn that until she interns under Tony Stark, please?

@jumpingjoy82

Okay so disclaimer I mainly know marvel through fanfics and a couple of the MCU movies. Having said that this was a fun write hope you like it.

Oh and Marinette knows Tom isn’t her bio dad. Tony is Sabine’s cousin.

~~~~~~~~~~

Marinette was a lot of things. She was a dancer, a gymnast, a bio chem major, an engineer, an amateur detective, a superhero, and completely over her class at idiots who followed a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Marinette was actually done with high school. In fact she was two years into her first Masters degree along with skipping two years. Making her two years younger than the sheep in her class and at least four years younger than those in her university class.

Mari was sitting in the back of the class during her last period when she received an email and several texts, thank kwamii her phone and tablet were on silent.

She decided to open her email first.

You have been selected as one of the lucky seven applicants to study and intern at Stark Industries for two weeks this summer. Below is the date, location, and mentor you will report to. We hope to meet you then. -Sincerely Co-CEO Virginia Potts

She would have answered her text had the projector not began to glitch and calling her name. "Mari bug answer your phone!"

'Ugh' she sighed running her hands down her face. "I would have Uncle T if you hadn't started yelling from the projector!"

"But Peps just told me and..."

"Wait," her head snapped up. "How many screens are you projecting on." She started to look around, her uncle, who never not used the camera unless... Then she saw the Iron Man suit.

"I dunno maybe the whole school, the city, the country I don't know."

"Ya I'm not dealing with this at least not here." She walked down the stairs her bag packed hung from her shoulders. "Oh and Uncle T, fe...male 4 o'clock." He began to sputter but she didn’t stay in the classroom and walked out without looking back.

Thank kwamii that her uncle was only projected in her class. It did have the unfortunate side effect of her class sending confused and curious looks at her. Even Lila seemed to stop her tirade for a while. But all good things must come to an end.

"Alright do I have all the permission slips for the summer graduation trip." Miss Bustier started counting the slips. “Marinette your permission slip is missing."

"I'm aware."

"If you want to go you need it in by the end of the day."

"Seriously Mari, if you want us to beg you to come save it. We don't want a bully on this trip wit us." Alya huffed before Marinette could speak.

"One only my friends call me Mari, you are not one of them so it's Marinette to you Cesaire. Two you save it I don't want to hear any of you beg me for anything. Finally three, I already had plans for this summer. So this trip I’ll be a no show so have fun."

“Y...Yes but this is a class trip,” Miss Bustier stammered.

“I understand that but it would still be a class trip even if I don’t go.” Was Marinette’s retort.

Miss Bustier would have continued had her Uncle not burst into the room. Her head was now banging against the desk. To his credit he was not in a suit, Iron Man suit included. He was in more ‘Civilian wear' with a baseball cap and shades.

"Ready to go Bug! I already signed you off."

"How mad is Auntie Pepper going to be when she finds out you came to Paris." She was now next to him at the door still in the classroom.

"Pete's here!" He shouted.

"Fine our secret." She smiled leaving the class behind without a wave or goodbye.

---

Interning with her Uncle Tony was great. Especially because she could get his input on her projects and learn from him directly.

It also helped that she stayed in Avenger's Tower and that ment leaving for akuma's was easy and was expected. Every summer she would spend with her uncle for the past five years. Meaning that they knew when she became Ladybug since it's kind of hard to keep a secret identity from FRIDAY, who is constantly monitoring the tower.

On the plus side that meant she had adult guidance and mentors.

"Mari bag mind going to pick up the Bats and Hood?”

"Suit?"

"Suit."

she left and was swinging between the sky scrapers, until she landed at the meet up point. She didn't have to wait long.

"Who are you?" Red helmet, so Red Hood, asked.

"I'm Ladybug. My guess is he just sent that bug was going to meet you guys."

"That's night how did you know?"

"There's three bugs at the tower right now Black Widow, Spider Man, and me so it's understand able, come on."

They made their way to the tower and she dropped her transformation. "If you guys want to change FRIDAY will guide you." she faced them, smiled, and walked off.

---

Something had been bothering him since he first saw the girl, Ladybug. Two days had passed and that feeling was not going away.

"Don't even think about it Bruce." Tony glared at him. "You are not adopting her she already has loving parents."

"I wasn't... why would you think that."

"We told you you have a problem B!" Jason yelled from across the room. "So what is your name anyway everyone just calls you either Maribug, Buginette, or just bug."

"Those all sound more like nicknames," Bruce now added having made his way across the room with Tony.

"That's because they are," she gave them a bored and a 'duh' look. "My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

A memory flashed in his mind from 16 years ago.

"You wouldn't happen to know a Sabine Cheng?" Bruce asked.

Now both Marinette and Tony turned on him and the glare Marinette was giving him. Well he would recognize it anywhere, he trademarked it after all.

"Why would you ask that?" Tony was the first to answer, but not soon after Marinette spoke.

"Yes. She's my mother." Then she looked at him as if she were analyzing him. "Oh fuck" she groaned.

"Language!"

"Oh not now or kwamii help me I will beat you to a pulp later during sparing Uncle Steve."

"I'll bring the popcorn." Natasha piped.

“You’re not helping.” Steve argued.

“We both know she can take you. She added as they left the room.

"Mari Sweetie, what's up."

"Eyes, hair, build, complexion"

"Glare," he added.

"Not helping but yes. Ya know apparently being a hero is genetic," She had began to laugh.

"No don't tell me, that my sweet smart niece is related to..." Tony Just motioned at him not finding the right words.

"Ya well it looks that way uncle Tony."

"B. Demon spawn is not going to be happy." Jason scolded once he seemed to grasp the concept. "Hey at least you have a kid who already knows your a vigilante and a hero to boot.” Jason grinned.

Of all the ways Mari had thought she would meet her biological father, this was not one of them. Who would have thought interning with her uncle would lead to meeting her father. This is by far better than a class trip with those sheep she calls classmates.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Permanent Taglist: @itsmeevie01 @miraculouspenta

[rjzimmerman]

Couple of stories about water in New Mexico that seem contradictory

One, this story from the New York Times about flooding in New Mexico:

Two women were killed and another person was missing in New Mexico after flash floods swept through an area that had been burned by the state’s largest recorded wildfire, officials said on Friday.

Emergency responders found the bodies on Thursday afternoon in a creek, along with a capsized vehicle, the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement late Friday. The flash flooding occurred in an area east of Santa Fe where the wildfire has burned through hundreds of thousands of acres in recent months.

The New Mexico State Police and other agencies were still searching on Friday for the missing person, who they believe is a man, the statement said. The victims’ identities were not disclosed.

Heavy rain continued to fall across the burned area on Friday, state officials said in a news release. In some places, more than an inch of water fell in less than an hour.

A “surge of monsoon moisture” is expected across much of New Mexico on Sunday, and there will be an increased risk of flash flooding through the middle of next week, the National Weather Service office in Albuquerque said on its Facebook page. It warned that burn scars caused by wildfires would be “especially susceptible to runoff, flash flooding and debris flow.”

Wildfires occur throughout the American West every year, but scientists see the influence of climate change in the extreme heat waves that have contributed to the intensity of recent fires.

Wildfires make it easier for even short bursts of heavy rain to cause flooding, because they destroy vegetation and make soil less permeable. A recent study found that in the West, global warming is greatly increasing the likelihood of extreme wildfires being followed by heavy rainfall.

Then this story from the Washington Post about the disappearing Rio Grande River:

A stretch of the Rio Grande near Albuquerque that supplies farmers with water and a habitat for an array of aquatic life is drying — an unsettling sighting of climate change’s effects in a populous U.S. city.

As the summer’s hotter and drier weather has fueled drought and fire throughout the West, federal and local agencies are salvaging what they can along a 100-mile section of the river: rationing the water for 66,000 acres of agricultural land and rescuing silvery minnows stranded in the remaining puddles of water. If the area doesn’t get consistent rain soon, the drought not matched in four decades could worsen.

They are also warning residents to prepare for the sight of a bed of mud and sand where one of the nation’s longest rivers should flow. While southern stretches of the river regularly dry out, this reach has not experienced a drought like this since 1983, said Jason Casuga, CEO of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District.

[raindancer2004]

Blended Family

Word Count: 4,543 Demetri x OC - Part Three Warnings: Language, Fluff, Angst, Description of torture / murder

When Demetri and Nico arrived back at the castle the following afternoon he dropped off Nico to Heidi’s room “Can you watch him for a bit please, I need to have a private conversation with Felix?” “Of course D. It will give us a chance to catch up and maybe I can find out more about his new friend” Heidi smiled at him and Nico looked up at Heidi excitement clear in his blue eyes “Sophie and Ellie are great but Ellie is so tiny…” Demetri smiled and closed the door knowing Heidi was going to hear all about Sophie and Ellie. 

He found Felix in his room along with the twins “Afternoon Demetri, enjoy your ‘sleepover’?” Jane asked, amusement clear in her voice, he chuckled “Afternoon Jane and yes I enjoyed spending time with my mate” He replied “So that talk went well then?” Alec asked “Yes it did and she is absolutely fine with everything…including our diet” He replied “Did you tell her about Nico’s mother?” “Yes Fe, I did and she was ok with that too. The conversation that followed was a little more difficult to deal with…for me” Demetri replied taking a seat beside Felix on the sofa “Ah…the complication of Ellie’s father” Jane said softly “DON’T CALL HIM THAT!” Demetri growled at her, his eyes darkening and Jane visibly flinched “D…calm down” Felix said placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder, Demetri took a breath “I’m sorry Jane but-but that man doesn’t deserve the title of father…” His fists curled into balls “Demetri” Alec warned this time “Sperm doner” Jane said low looking at Demetri “We’ll refer to him as the sperm donor…better?” She asked and he nodded seeming to calm a little “Talk to us D…maybe we can help” Felix sounded cautious “I won’t tell you everything as it’s…private and not fair to Sophie but…” He took another deep breath trying to stay calm as just thinking about what happened to his mate angered him “We have a human to hunt down and kill…she deserves to feel safe again…I owe her that much seeing as I wasn’t there when….” Demetri trailed off and realisation flashed across Jane’s face although Felix and Alec took a little longer to catch on “Tell us when and where and we’ll help you Demetri” She said firmly “I was actually just going to ask Felix…” “We’re family and we protect what’s ours” She growled low cutting him off “Agreed” Alec and Felix said together “Thank you. That means a lot” Demetri replied. 

Demetri met with the Kings in the throne alone, the guards on duty having been dismissed by Caius “Demetri, how did things go with Sophie?” Aro asked holding out his hand “May-may I tell you rather than show you?” Aro looked a little shocked as Demetri had never refused before “I mean no disrespect master, it’s just…Sophie disclosed something…personal…pertaining to Ellie and I want to respect that….it should be up to her to share that information with you” Aro nodded “Say no more my dear boy, I think we can…fill in the gaps” “Thank you. Although I must confess, I will be dealing with the problem personally as it hasn’t been dealt with by the human authorities” He told them “As long as you cover your tracks and take Felix and the twins with you, you can deal with the matter however you wish. After all our mate’s safety is what’s important” Caius replied “Thank you, I appreciate your support master” He replied looking at Caius. “I’m glad she has accepted you and Nico and vice versa. I hope you all have a long and happy life together” Marcus smiled “Yes, quite. We are looking forward to meeting them both” Aro added with a smile. 

Demetri and Nico had been spending time with Sophie and Ellie the last month or so and Nico started to notice differences between himself and Ellie that left him a little confused. “Daddy how come Ellie isn’t growing up as fast as I am?” Nico asked Demetri “Ellie is human the same as Sophie” “Why does that matter daddy?” “Well, you are half human / half vampire and as a result you will be fully grown in seven years, whereas Ellie won’t be fully grown until she is sixteen” Demetri replied “Oh ok, but I thought you said I was younger than Ellie” Nico replied looking a little confused “Although you are younger than Ellie in age, you will look older than her physically because of your vampire side, so essentially you will be like a big brother to her as she grows up” Demetri replied “Will Sophie and Ellie become like you dad, a full vampire?” He asked “Yes, I will change Sophie once Ellie is a little older, and once Ellie is old enough to be changed, I will change her too” Demetri replied “So you and I have to protect Sophie and Ellie until they become like you?” “Exactly Nico. Although I will protect all three of you forever” “So, Sophie and Ellie will be with us forever?” Nico asked looking hopeful “Yes Nico, they will be with us forever, I promise” Demetri smiled and wrapped his arms around his son holding him close “Good, I will help you protect them forever too” Nico replied snuggling into his dad.

Demetri told Nico that he had to go away for work and that he was going to ask Heidi to look after him but Nico had a different idea “Can I stay with Sophie and Ellie whilst you’re away Daddy, please?” “I don’t know if that’s a good idea buddy” Demetri replied “Why not?” “What if something happens, Sophie can’t protect you like Auntie Heidi can” He replied “Nothing will happen. It’ll be a sleepover just…without you” Nico replied “Exactly Nico, I won’t be there to keep you all safe” “Please Daddy, I promise to be good for Sophie” “I know you will, but that isn’t what I’m worried about” Demetri said “You don’t think Sophie will want me there without you” Nico replied sounding sad, eyes becoming a little glassy “No, no that isn’t it either buddy. I’m just worried that Sophie will be a little overwhelmed looking after you and Ellie alone” “Honestly?” Demetri lifted Nico onto his lap “Honestly” He cupped his Nico’s face and wiped away the lone tear that slipped down his cheek “I’ll ask Sophie and see what she says” “Thank you Daddy.” Nico hugged him and Demetri smiled. 

Demetri rung Sophie later that evening after Nico was asleep and asked if she would look after Nico for the weekend whilst he was away on a mission “You-you trust me to look after Nico alone…without you?” Sophie couldn’t help sounding surprised “Yes, I trust you with Nico. You’re my mate…but you don’t have to agree if you think it’ll be too much” He replied “I’d love to have him for the weekend and…it gives you a reason to come and see me when you get back” She answered smiling “I don’t need a reason to come to see you” He replied “I know, I’m just teasing Dem. When are you going to drop him off?” “Friday about 11.00am if that’s ok” “Perfect. It gives me time to go shopping tomorrow for food” She replied. Demetri was happy that Sophie wanted to look after Nico, although he was a little worried about him being away from the castle without him. 

“He’ll be fine D. Sophie’s a mum and will look after him” Felix said from the doorway “I know. It’s just he hasn’t stayed away from the castle without me” Felix nodded and entered the room taking a seat on the sofa, Demetri sat beside him “When we get back, invite her to the castle to meet the Kings and me of course, then ask her to move in. You’ll feel much better when she and Ellie are living here with you” Felix said “What if she thinks it’s too soon to move in here?” Demetri asked, worry evident in his eyes “Discuss her concerns and reassure her that she is the only one for you and that you are offering her forever. Be patient and you will get the result you want” He replied “When did you get so wise?” Demetri chuckled “Common sense D. You love her and want her and Ellie here with you and Nico, I can see that, especially after what you told me the other night. Isn’t this why you want to take care of that human, so that they’re safe” Felix replied “Yes Fe, it is. I guess I’m just worried that I may not get my forever with her…once she knows I’ve dealt with him” “You plan on telling her then?” “Yes. I will not lie to her and I want her to know she’s safe. I want her to know that I will protect her and the children always” Demetri said looking over at Nico asleep in his bed “You know what you have to do when you get back…take my advice and bring her here to meet us and take things from there” Felix smiled and Demetri nodded. 

Nico was excited that he got to stay with Sophie and Ellie whilst Demetri was away “Thank you for letting me stay Sophie” Nico said with a smile “You’re very welcome sweetie” She replied and watched as he went straight to Ellie’s room “Thank you for this Sophie. Nico asked to come and stay with you instead of staying at the castle with Heidi” “It’s not a problem Dem, really. I’m looking forward to having some company whilst Ellie naps” She laughed and he smiled at her “I wish I was keeping you company” He replied low and pulled her against his chest capturing her lips with his “Feel free to come straight here instead of the castle once you return” He felt her slip something into his pocket and he looked at her confused “Spare key. So you don’t have to worry about waking me or the children if you’re back late” She replied “You are amazing cara mia” He said and kissed her again “See you in a few days Dem” Nico came running back to the hallway “See you later Daddy” “See you all soon” He replied and kissed his son and mate goodbye “Give Ellie a kiss for me” “We will” Nico replied and watched as Demetri left, making his way back to the castle. 

Demetri, Felix and the twins left the castle and took the private jet to Seattle to deal with the sperm donor, as Jane calls him. Jane made Demetri promise that she could ‘play’ with the lowlife before Demetri and Felix dealt with him permanently. Jane used her gift on him, starting at the lowest level and working her way up to the highest level, Alec took away his senses one at time just for fun during the ‘downtime’ Jane gave him. Demetri couldn’t help the wide smile on his face as he watched the twins torture the man “I think they’re enjoying this a little too much” Felix said low “Good. Let the bastard suffer. I plan to kill him slowly, until he’s begging for a quick death” Demetri replied and Felix noticed his best friend’s eyes were black, despite their recent hunting trip ‘I don’t envy that human once Demetri gets his hands on him’ Felix thought to himself. 

Demetri and Felix torture him a little too as they kill him slowly “Hold his arms down Fe” Demetri growls and Felix nods and moments later Demetri’s foot comes down on the man’s hand, shattering every bone within it “Arrghh” He screams out before Demetri’s foot crushes his other hand, another scream leaving the human’s lips. Felix then bends the human’s elbows backwards, breaking them in the process; Demetri smiles as the human screams again, laughter leaving the twins as they watch the human being broken bone by bone. Alec can’t help himself when he sees the human’s feet moving about as he writhes in agony and steps down hard on them one at a time breaking both feet, more screams filling the air and Alec shrugs when Demetri meets his gaze “He was moving about too much” Demetri nods in agreement before leaning down and punching his ribs, a cracking sound can be heard before he screams again “Wh-who are y-you?” The lowlife stuttered out pian lacing his voice “That doesn’t matter” Demetri replied “Wh-what did I d-do to de-deserve th-this?” “You hurt someone that I love and got away with it…until now” Demetri responded “I-I ha-have no idea wh-what you’re talk-talking about” “DO NOT LIE TO ME” Demetri growled and nodded at Felix who began choking the human, he started coughing and struggling to breathe “I-I d-don’t…” Demetri growled low before moving Felix’s hand from the human’s neck, wrapping his own hands around it instead and twisted; the crack that sounded out in the quiet room assured them the human was dead. “Let’s clean up and head home” Jane said looking at Demetri and Felix, who nodded “Hey D, let me do that, take a walk…cool off” Felix said placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder “I’ll help you” Alec added. Demetri stepped away from the dead body and watched as Felix ripped the human’s limbs away from his torso, Alec throwing a match onto the body parts, ensuring to cover their tracks.

Meanwhile, back in Volterra, Sophie and Nico spent Friday watching movies and cuddling and playing with Ellie when she wasn’t napping. Saturday afternoon Sophie baked cupcakes with Nico and showed him how to decorate them, something he thoroughly enjoyed “Mmm, that’s yummy”” Nico said as he licked the frosting off his fingers, Sophie chuckled “Glad you’re having fun” “I am, I don’t get to do this at the castle” Nico replied and Sophie smiled “I promise to do ‘human’ things with you when you’re with me” “Thank you Sophie, I’d like that” He replied smiling. Sophie and Nico made pizzas for dinner, something else Nico enjoyed doing for the first time, before getting comfortable on the sofa to watch more movies together. 

Demetri got back late to Sophie’s and let himself in, locking the door behind him. He walked into the front room and saw Sophie and Nico cuddled up together on the sofa under a large blanket, he smiled to himself before carefully lifting Nico up into his arms and putting him to bed on the sofa bed in Ellie’s room “Goodnight son” He kissed his hair and tucked him in. He walked over to Ellie’s crib and leant down over it, inhaling her scent “Goodnight princess” He placed a kiss to her forehead and returned to the front room; he lifted Sophie up and carried her to her room and gently laid her down on the bed beneath the duvet. He changed into a pair of lounge pants and a t-shirt that he had packed in Nico’s bag and climbed in beside her, taking her into his arms “Goodnight mi amore” He kissed her cheek “Goodnight Dem” She rolled over and snuggled into him, his grip tightened a little holding her closer to him. 

The following morning Ellie woke up early and Sophie rolled over ready to get out of bed “Let me” Demetri said and moved quickly to Ellie’s room, Nico was standing beside her crib, he had slid his arm between the bars and was stroking her head “Sshh, sshh, you’re ok” He said low, trying to soothe her “Come here princess” Demetri said as he lifted her out of her crib “Daddy” Nico wrapped his arms around Demetri’s legs “Missed you” “Missed you too buddy. Come on” Nico followed Demetri back to Sophie’s room and Demetri climbed back in beside Sophie as Nico stood in the doorway “Come on sweetie” Sophie said smiling as she shifted towards the middle of the bed making room for him. Nico climbed in and snuggled into her as Ellie snuggled into Demetri’s chest “Sunday mornings are a great excuse for a lie in and cuddles” Sophie said smiling “I agree” Demetri replied “Me too” Nico added and Ellie cooed before falling back to sleep, along with Sophie and Nico; Demetri closed his eyes enjoying the sound of his family’s steady breathing and their heartbeats. 

That Wednesday Sophie met Demetri by the fountain in front of the castle “Hi mi amore” He wrapped his arms around her “Hello Demetri” She replied hugging him back; he leant down and kissed her. Ellie recognised his voice and started cooing and making babbling noises, Demetri chuckled “Don’t worry princess, I haven’t forgotten about you” He leant over the pram smiling at her and she smiled back, happy she had his attention. “What if they don’t like me?” Sophie asked as they neared the doors to the castle “They’ll love you, I promise” “But…” “Nico has told everyone about you and Ellie” He cut her off wrapping an arm around her waist “They can’t wait to meet you both” He kissed the top of her head and he felt Sophie relax a little in his hold “O-Ok” She replied. They entered the castle and saw Nico waiting for them; the four of them made their way to the south facing garden where Demetri had blankets laid out on the grass and a picnic basket filled with food for Sophie and Nico, and a flask of blood for himself. 

The three Kings were in Caius’ study that overlooked the south facing garden and observed Demetri, Nico, Sophie and Ellie as they sat in the castle garden spending time together. Marcus didn’t turn to look at his brothers as he confirmed Sophie was indeed Demetri’s mate “Demetri and Sophie are known as ‘True Mates’ and their bond is strong despite the complications of children being involved. Demetri feels very protective of both Sophie and Ellie.” Aro found it amusing that Demetri hadn’t figured it out when they met on the plane “How did he not know Sophie was his mate when they first met?” “Fate works in mysterious ways brother” Marcus mused “All that matters now is that they have found each other and they need to find a way to blend their families together. In fact, a ‘father / daughter’ bond is forming between him and Ellie as he already sees her as his daughter” He added. “Are there any bonds between Sophie and Nico or between the children themselves?” Caius asked, curious “Sophie and Nico have a ‘mother / son’ bond that is very strong; in fact, that bond probably took hold before her bond with Demetri...” “Really? How come?” Caius cut him Marcus off “Yes brother, and I put that down to the fact that Sophie is a mum and she naturally stepped into that role for Nico early on. There is also a ‘sibling’ bond between Nico and Ellie and although Nico is younger that Ellie; physically he appears older than her due to him being a hybrid” Marcus added “Let’s hope things work out for all involved” Aro said “They will brother I’m sure. I will say this though, some leniency will be needed with regards to Sophie staying human until Ellie is a few years older and even then she will need to spend her newborn phase here with us; with her daughter” Marcus replied “That is something that can be accommodated I’m sure…as long as they move into the castle; move into Demetri’s quarters, which can be extended to include the vacant room opposite his; I mean the room can be split to accommodate both children” Caius added “I’m surprised you agreed so easily brother” Marcus commented “I won’t have mates separated, it’s cruel and heart-breaking for all involved, not to mention without his mate our dear Demetri will become like you brother and I know you wouldn’t want that for him. None of us would” Caius replied “I think you’ve mellowed a little brother” Aro mused “I will never allow mates to be separated especially when they are mates of our guards. Anyways, my wife is rather fond of Demetri and Nico and she would make my life hell if I did anything to upset or hurt them” Caius replied honestly “I think my wife would do the same brother” Aro said in agreement. 

Demetri had arranged for Sophie and Ellie to meet the Kings and Queens that afternoon, Marcus suggested they meet outside in the garden as it might Sophie less nervous. Athenodora and Sulpicia were excited to meet Sophie and Ellie “Just don’t over crowd her mi amore, she’ll no doubt be nervous about meeting us” Caius said softly as they neared the doors to the garden. 

“Good afternoon Demetri, Nico” Marcus greeted them with a smile “Master, Marcus” They replied together. Demetri stood up and helped Sophie to her feet too “This is my mate Sophie, Sophie this is Marcus, Aro and his wife Sulpicia, Caius and his wife Athenodora” Demetri introduced “Hello, it’s nice to meet you all” Sophie said smiling “And you my dear, Demetri and Nico have told us lots about you” Aro smiled, resisting the urge to take Sophie’s hand in his. “This is Ellie” Nico said looking at up everyone, Ellie sitting on his lap babbling away “She’s beautiful, just like her mother” Athenodora smiled, Sophie blushed and watched as the Queens sat beside Nico “May I?” Sulpicia asked looking at Sophie, who nodded, before looking at Demetri who smiled back at her “You may not get her back for a while” “That’s ok, Nico seems to like holding her a lot too” Sophie chuckled “She’s just so huggable” Nico replied smiling at Ellie. “I really like Sophie and Ellie” Athenodora said low to Demetri “Thank you mi’ lady” He replied “When are they moving in?” “As soon as possible, if I get my way. We need to have that talk” He replied low “The sooner the better my dear, it’ll be nice to have them here with us” Caius rolled his eyes “You cannot steal the little one my dear” He whispered “I wouldn’t steal her Caius, but I would look after her and Nico if…Demetri and Sophie wanted alone time” Demetri chuckled as she took Ellie from Sulpicia “I’m going to assume Sophie and Ellie have your approval” “Definitely my dear boy” Aro answered smiling. 

Later that afternoon Demetri took Sophie and Ellie up to his room and met the twins in the corridor “Hello Demetri, Nico” Jane smiled “Hello Jane, Alec. This is Sophie and Ellie. Sophie this is Jane and Alec” He introduced “It’s nice to meet you both” Jane said smiling “Yes, we’ve heard lots about you” Alec added “It’s nice to meet you both too, Demetri has told me about you both also” Sophie replied  with a smile. The twins followed them into Demetri’s room taking a seat on the sofa “They want a cuddle with Ellie” Demetri said to Sophie as she watched the twins get comfortable “Oh ok. I’ll change her quickly and then she’ll be ready for a cuddle” Sophie said before entering the bathroom to change Ellie’s nappy. A few minutes later and Jane is cradling Ellie in her arms, Alec sitting beside her “Ellie’s loving all these cuddles and attention” Sophie whispered to Demetri, although the twins heard “There’ll be no shortage of offers to look after her and Nico should the two of you want alone time” Alec said smiling “As long as I get first refusal” Jane said looking at Demetri “You’ll have to speak to Athenodora, I think she called dibs first” Demetri chuckled “My room is closer” Jane replied, Demetri and Sophie nodded at her. Nico went and beside Alec waiting for his turn to hold Ellie again. 

Sophie and Ellie stayed over the night and Demetri saw to Ellie when she stirred, crying a little, allowing Sophie to get a full night’s sleep. The following morning Demetri caught her off guard with his topic of conversation “Sophie I would like you and Ellie to move in with me, here at the castle” “Isn’t it a bit soon to live together?” She questioned “Sophie, remember what I said about my kind being protective of our mates…” She nodded “…In my case it’s worse as there are two children to protect also” He continued “I must admit I like it when you stay over, but I miss you both when you leave” She replied “I miss you both too when we’re not together. I want my family together, I want us all under one roof, so I can protect all three of you” Demetri said looking at Sophie, Sophie was speechless hearing Demetri say her and Ellie were his family “I love you Sophie and that will never change, I promise. Please move in with me mi amore” He asks holding her hands in his and she nods, her eyes tearing up “Ok, we’ll move in with you” “Really?” He asked “Yes, Dem really. I love you too” Demetri smiled wide and lifted her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her, her arms wrapping around him too. “Hear that Ellie you’re moving into the castle with Daddy and I” Nico said smiling at her and she made little noises back at him in response, causing him to laugh “I need to teach you to talk once you move in” He added, Demetri and Sophie chuckled watching their children together. 

Demetri moved Sophie, Ellie and their stuff into the castle that weekend with the help of Felix and the twins. “Sophie the room opposite yours and Daddy’s is my room, but I haven’t really stayed in there as I sleep in Daddy’s bed, but now you and Ellie are moving in with us, that room will be now be mine and Ellie’s shared room” Nico said smiling and pulling her into the room “It looks nice but are you sure you want to share with Ellie, she doesn’t always sleep through the night” She replied “I like sharing with Ellie when we stay with you and I don’t mind if she cries in the night” He replied “You won’t change his mind mi amore” Demetri said in her ear, his arms wrapping around her waist from behind “I just wanted him to be sure Dem that’s all” “I know but trust me, Nico wants to share with Ellie..” “He told us all how this is his and Ellie’s room now” Felix added cutting off Demetri as he entered the room with a box of Ellie’s stuff. “Thank you for helping us move in” Sophie said to Felix and the twins “You’re welcome, although I was surprised you didn’t have more stuff” Alec replied “The apartment came furnished and all I had was mine and Ellie’s clothes and a few toys when I moved over here. I bought a few things that I needed once I moved in and planned to get more as time went on but…” “Anything you need just let me know cara and it’s yours” Demetri cut her off but she didn’t reply, choosing to just smile at him.

[yikestripes]

For the First Time

humans of tumblr, friends and fans of my blog, mamma mia here we go again. ya girl is BACK and better than ever with her new obsession, criminal fuckin minds. this was such a fun one shot to write; enjoy!

Summary: You’ve been working for the FBI for 3 years now, and have never seen the sights. Spencer,  of course, volunteers to take you along for a wild ride. 

“Spence!” You called as you entered the BAU, your bag swinging wildly on your shoulder as your crazed (Y/E/C) eyes searched for the lanky doctor. Although it was mildly quiet despite the typing on a few keyboards and phones ringing here and there, the office was nowhere near as excitable and filled as it usually was on a Friday morning. The man in question poked his head out of the break room, quickly accompanied by the rest of his body as he strode across the catwalk.

“Yeah, (Y/N)?” He materialized at your side and held out a coffee mug with your name on it. You grabbed it gratefully and sucked down a few gulps before recollecting your thoughts.

“I was up half the night thinking about it, and I think I finally understand!” Spencer gave you a confused look, scrunching up his face as he thought through whatever it was he said that could have confused you.

Compared to the other members of the BAU, you were the only one who understood what he was saying at least 95% of the time- something that Spencer found both impressive and is what initially drew him to you. Here you were, 3 years later, on the anniversary of your joining the BAU. Little did you know that this was the day Spencer had realized his feelings toward you were a lot more than friendly. Nevertheless, the boy genius was terrified of how you would react, whether that be to laugh at him or possibly worse- feel sorry for him.

Taking in the confused look on his face, you giggled and your hand flew to his arm in excitement.

“The Star Trek theory you were talking about to Morgan and I yesterday- I finally figured it out!” Spencer smiled and took a careful sip of his coffee, taking in the easy-going smile that was plastered across your face and the accompanying gleam in your eyes. They say that the eyes are the window to the soul, something that based on his current job, was very apparent to him. He could spend hours staring into your eyes, whether it be to distinguish each different color that presented itself and understand why your particular set of eyes were so beautiful, or to finally get some sort of a grasp on why he fell so hard for you so quickly. It would take a lifetime, he thought, to finally understand what made you so different from all the other people he had met in his lifetime.

Meanwhile, you had been going on for a solid 3 minutes about his Star Trek theory, he could only nod along, buried so far in his own thoughts that he couldn’t even hear you.

“You know?” You finally said, taking a second to catch your breath. Just like Spencer, you had a hard time with knowing when to stop talking without being told to do so. You tended to ramble, so if no one stopped you, you would go on forever.

Spencer simply smiled.

“Yeah. I know.”

Several hours had passed when you were finally able to move the mountain of paperwork from your desk to Hotch’s. You grinned, this was one of your favorite parts of paperwork days. You fiddled with the stack in your hand to reach up and knock on Hotch’s door, when you heard him already saying come in from the other side. He knew you were coming, considering how clockwork-like your work habits were.

“Hey Hotch, these need to be processed for Monday.” Hotch tried his best not to crack a smile at the smirk displayed on your face, and give you the pleasure of making him laugh. He thought you were hilarious, constantly having everyone in stitches throughout the day to make the reality of your careers a little less heavy- which is one of the reasons every person at the BAU loved you immediately. You were sarcastic and creative, and had great dad jokes to boot, ready at any opportunity.

“Thank you. Does Garcia need to see any of this to upload it into the system?” He asked, returning to the stone man he was previously.

“Nope.” You popped the P as you headed towards the door.

“(Y/L/N).” Hotch said. You turned around and he hadn’t even looked up at you. “You did some excellent work this week; grab Reid on your way out, I don’t want to see either of you for at least 3 days.” You grinned and wished him a good weekend, as he watched you walk out smiling. He shook his head and buried his head back into his work.

“Hey Professor,” You called as you bounded down the stairs. Reid flashed you a tight lipped smile as he so often did, and raised his eyebrows in response to the nickname.

“We’re done for 3 whole days!” You said as you packed your stuff haphazardly into your backpack. Spencer grinned and began packing his own things much more meticulously.

“Do you have anything exciting planned for this weekend?” He asked.

“Nah, unless you count going home to Gerald something exciting.” You said with a laugh. Reid smiled at the thought of the orange tabby that was oh so fond of him.

“Did you know that cats are actually an excellent judge of character? In a newspaper article I read from the early 90s, cats are actually extremely perceptive of humans upon first or second meeting, meaning that they can distinguish between good and bad based on a human character and emotion.” He said.

“I KNEW my cat hated Steven for a reason!” You said, recalling how your cat would do nothing but glare and his at your ex boyfriend, who ended up using you. “Do you have anything going on?” You asked. Spence shook his head, before looking at you with a small grin.

“How long have you been living in Virginia?” He asked.

“I don’t know, 3 years? Whenever I started working here I guess, why?” You hadn’t really given it much thought, it seemed like whatever life you had been living before this one seemed so far away. It hadn’t originally occurred to you that today was your 3rd anniversary of being with the BAU, and meeting Spencer.

“Have you ever been to the tourist sights?” He asked, pausing his stride outside of the elevator. You thought about it for a minute, and realized quickly where he was going with this.

“Nope! I always thought they were way too crowded for me whenever I got the free time to go.”

Spencer grinned. “Well then, Miss (Y/L/N), today is your lucky day.” You grinned back. No idea could have been better for your third anniversary of knowing and secretly loving Doctor Spencer Reid.

You had parted ways at your cars to shower and change, before meeting up around 8 pm so Spencer could show you around without tourists.

His hands were deep in his pockets as usual, as he carefully explained each monument in great detail. Considering you were a history major in college before going to FBI training and schooling, you were appreciative of Spencer’s long winded rambling, even able to inject your own knowledge in the quiet moments.

“And last but certainly not least, one of my favorite places in the city.” He said as you entered the World War II memorial. The water from the fountain was glistening in the moonlight as you took a deep breath, both from the breathless feeling Spencer gave you whenever he was around, and the sight before you. The stars and the moon lit up the night sky before you as the memorial itself framed it. No wonder this was one of Spencer’s favorite spaces, it was breathtaking. Then again, so was he. Very fitting.

“Spence…” You began, unsure where to go. You took a seat on the stairs behind you and took in the feeling in that moment, where you felt so relaxed and happy, beside your favorite person in the world.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” He said, looking at you and smiling softly. “Really, really beautiful.” he whispered. You glanced in his direction to see his attention was focused on you, not the sky or the fountain beneath it. Your breath hitched in your throat.

“(Y/N),” Spencer swallowed hard and licked his lips quickly, a habit he had when he was nervous about something he had to say. “I-I don’t know how to say this but I’ve kind of been in love with you for about 2 years now. Sure, I knew you were beautiful the first day you stepped into the BAU but once I got to know you, the real you, when you really let your guard down and allowed me to fully understand how truly intelligent, kind, and hilarious you are is when I fell hard for you and I’m sorry it took me so long to say it but I’ve always been so afraid that you wouldn’t fe-” You grabbed Spencer’s face and pressed your lips onto his, immediately feeling him soften into the kiss after a moment of anxious surprise.

You pulled away first, your eyes wide and your mouth hanging slightly agape. Spencer just looked mildly surprised, before softening into a shy smile.

“I love you too, Spence. I knew the day I met you, that you were going to be the most unforgettable human being I had ever known.” You said softly, rubbing your thumb gently across his cheek.

“Um,” He looked down and flicked his eyes upwards, gently tucking a piece of hair behind his ear. “Can I kiss you again?”

You grinned and met him halfway, the second kiss equally as sweet as the first.

[bijackkellys]

thunderstruck ; part one

lazarus, or the return of jack kelly

Fandom: Newsies (All Media Types) Relationships: Jack Kelly/David Jacobs/Katherine Plumber Pulitzer Word Count: 1,651 Dedications: a huge shoutout to my gf, beta reader, and number one fan @mistyw273​, and to @dimenovelcowboy​ for supporting me endlessly. tag list (if you’d like to be added to this list just send me an ask or dm!): @santa-fe-maniac​ @pulitzers-world​ @yo-let-me-get-a-milkyway​ @verified-dumbass​ @jewishdavidjacobs​ @agentsnickers​ @thetruthabouttheboy​ Author’s Note: hey readers! i want to start by saying thank you so much for all the support and interest so far—i was honestly not expecting to get so much feedback with just the introduction but i'm really thrilled so many people are here for the ride! i figured i would go ahead and put part one up; this is the only back-to-back update i'll be doing, but i wanted to have more than the prologue out there. from this point forward i'm going to try bi-weekly updates on tuesdays and fridays (that's tentative and subject to change depending on how things carry on, though!). again, thank you for your interest and i really really appreciate the feedback, it honestly means the world to me. with that, let's get on with part one! 

read it on ao3

five months later.

JACK DOESN’T KNOW WHEN he started running, and doesn’t know where to stop.

Right now the world is this hazy, deafening thing. The streets loop endlessly around him, too bright and too loud, a mix of over-saturated colors and sounds he can’t pull apart. In the middle of it all he feels as if he’s drowning. He’s drugged up to his eyes, this much he can tell—there’s little else that he’s aware of, though, except for his feet pounding against the pavement and this base, animalistic instinct in the back of his brain telling him to go. To run and run and keep running. 

So he does. Buildings and road signs and people dissolve into background noise as he tears through the streets. Someone is after him; as disoriented as he is, he’s sure of it, and it’s that hot rush of fear that keeps him going more than anything else. A spike of adrenaline pushing him forward. 

Maybe he’s lost them miles ago, but it’s not until the moment he thinks his legs will give out underneath him that he collapses against the back wall of an alleyway, sputtering for a breath. His lungs burn and he feels dizzy, but Jack pushes past the blurred images in his head and the low ringing in his ears to catalog what he knows. His name is Francis—no. He swallows dryly and starts again. His name is Jack Kelly. He’s eighteen, maybe nineteen, now, depending on how much time has passed. He’s an art student, and a superhero, and there was a fire, and then—

And then everything fills up with static and the feeling of hands on his skin and this harsh, chemical smell. His stomach turns. 

Jack hates feeling like this, like he’s been separated from his own thoughts. The lack of control that comes with the clouded figures where his memories should be is enough to make him vulnerable in a way he hasn’t felt in years, exposed like a copper wire that’s been stripped of its casing. 

And the current—that’s gone altogether. There are silver cuffs biting into the skin of his wrists; the seam that held them together is broken along a jagged edge, but the slim band of green light lining them means they’re still suppressing his powers. Jack aches for the buzz of electricity to come back, needs them off. He twists his hands desperately and in doing so, makes his drug-addled brain suddenly aware of a cold piece of metal clenched in his fist.

He opens his palm. It’s a flash drive. His mind dredges up a fuzzy memory of ripping it from a computer port in what he thinks might have been a control room. He doesn’t know what it contains, but if he’d held onto it so desperately that it became second nature, then it must be important. He needs to find a computer, he thinks abruptly, and then stands up and immediately sways on his feet. 

Okay—okay. Not yet, maybe. Before that, he needs food and water and rest. He needs the lodging house, except he has no idea where he is, and in the state he’s in, he barely knows which way is up. He needs—he needs to call Crutchie.

Jack is struck suddenly by the overwhelming desire to hear his pseudo-brother’s voice, strong enough that his chest physically hurts from it. It’s been—weeks, maybe? months?—the longest they’ve gone without seeing each other since they were kids. If he can get his hands on a phone and get Crutchie on the line, he thinks, then powerless and drugged or not, he’ll be okay. 

It’s not much of a plan, but it’s a start. All he has to do is find a phone. This is easier said than done, though; there’s still a payphone booth left next to a nearby subway station, rusted from lack of use, but he doesn’t have any money. He’s aware of how he must look, a boy in tattered clothes with cloudy eyes and words slurred together, begging for change. More than one person threatens to call the police. Most of them just push him away. Jack feels his desperation pitching upward quickly, tightening in his throat.

When a stranger finally hands him a few quarters with a wary look, he’s not sure if it’s fear or pity or some combination of the two that makes her do it. He’s grateful all the same. He rushes over to the booth, blood roaring in his ears from the anticipation. His hands are shaking so hard that his fingers stumble over the keypad, but he knows Crutchie’s number by heart, is sure he could dial it in his sleep. It goes to voicemail and Jack shoves the receiver against his ear.

“Crutchie, it’s me—it’s Jack. Please pick up.”

When he slides the second quarter into the slot and calls again, it barely has a chance to ring.

“Jack is dead.” Crutchie’s voice comes through, wavering. Jack almost chokes on his relief.

“I’m not,” he says, and there’s a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line, and then a noise that sounds like a broken sob. 

“No—”

“Crutchie, I’m here. It’s me. I’m not dead.”

“How…”

“I don’t know,” Jack says, truthfully. 

“You—you can’t—fuck, Jack.” And in the middle of everything, Jack is caught off guard because Crutchie almost never swears. There’s a long quiet, broken by just the static-filled sound of Crutchie crying. Jack’s own cheeks are wet. “It’s been five months,” he gasps finally. “I thought—we all thought you died in that fire. Holy shit. Where have you been?”

Jack’s head spins. He hadn’t even realized how much time has passed. Five months...it’s June now, then, and the spring semester of classes is already over, and he’s nineteen, and there’s this gaping chasm of lost time in his head—

“—ck? Jack.” 

He realizes that Crutchie is calling his name abruptly, and Jack blinks, trying to clear his thoughts. “Yeah, I-I’m here. I don’t—everything’s fuzzy, Crutchie, I don’t know what happened, where I’ve been—” His words trip and stumble over each other. “I’m gonna try and find my way back to the lodging house, I’ve just gotta—”

“No, no, wait, you can’t,” Crutchie cuts him off, suddenly fierce. Jack pauses.

“What do you mean?”

His response is quieter this time, tentative. Slow, like he’s walking on his toes. “Jackie...how much do you know about what’s been going on?” 

Dread pools in Jack’s chest, hot and fast. For as long as they’ve known each other, he’s only heard Crutchie sound like this, scared and small and hesitant, a few times before. Something has gone deeply wrong; he knows it in an instant, maybe should have realized it even before now. “What is it, Crutchie?” he demands.

Crutchie takes a shuddering breath. “They said you set the fire,” he says, and Jack’s stomach plummets. “It was all over the news—they said the hospital wasn’t an accident, that Strike—that you—had planned the whole thing, did it on purpose.”

“No...” Jack feels nauseous, dizzy, sure in that moment that he’s going to be sick all over the pavement. His memories of the hospital brim with fear and heat and voices that echo in his skull, and the idea that the public believes he’s the cause of that, of all that death and destruction, hurting innocent people—he can’t stomach it. Doesn’t know how to.

“Jack, people were angry. Really angry. Not just at Strike—there was a whole new anti-super wave, worse than it’s ever been before, and now everyone thinks supers are dangerous and they started... taking people.” Crutchie’s voice goes even lower as Jack feels his heart crawl up into his throat. “They—we call them Snatchers, we think they’re in league with the police—they’ve surrounded the lodging house and swarmed half the city, dragging kids with powers off to someplace called the Refuge.”

Everything goes hot and sharp for a moment, a quick snap of recognition that burns like fire. Jack tastes metal in his mouth, chokes on it. “That’s where I was,” he says hollowly. He knows it even through the fogginess in his head.

“Oh, Jackie,” Crutchie begins, but Jack doesn’t let him finish.

“Are the others—is everyone okay? Race, Specs, Elmer—did they get taken?” The lodging house is a frequent stop for super kids who need a place to spend the night, but the three of them and Jack are the only permanent residents that have powers. If the Snatchers found them, they’d have been dragged off to the same fate that Jack has only just escaped. He doesn’t know what he’ll do if Crutchie says yes.

“They’re holed up with Spot in Brooklyn,” Crutchie replies, and Jack lets himself exhale. “I haven’t been talking to them a whole lot, because they’re trying to stay under the radar, but the last time I heard from them, they were okay.” He gives a rattled sort of laugh, devoid of humor and more exhausted than anything. “Shit, Jackie. Everything fell apart without you.”

Jack passes a hand over his face, wants to cry. Wants to scream and tell Crutchie that he’s lost and drowned and terrified, that he feels more helpless than he’s ever been, that for all the time he’s spent playing hero he doesn’t know how to save anyone from this. Instead, though, he sets his jaw. “I’m gonna fix this, Crutchie,” he says, half-promise and half-prayer. He’ll find a way.

“Jack—” Crutchie begins, but what he’s going to say next Jack doesn’t find out. The timer clicks, and there’s a robotic female voice in place of Crutchie’s that tells him the call has timed out. 

The line goes dead and then Jack is alone all over again, the vow he made weighing as heavy as the shackles on his wrists. 

[merryfortune]

Weed Eater

Written for the FE Flash Fic Friday on Dreamwidth

Prompt: MLM Ships

Title: Weed Eater

Ship: Dedue/Dimitri

Fandom: Fire Emblem Three Houses

Word Count: 1,432

Rating: T

Tags: Alternate Universe - Gardenverse, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Blue Lions Route

   There was a type of folk considered fey amongst the people of Duscur. Not spoken of often because it was so unusual, even they considered the talk of the Flower Eaters to be but a poorly remembered myth. This, too, was a legacy that Dedue embodied, too, for better or for worse. It was considered as unlucky as it was beautiful.

   He still remembered the confusion and the elation, when he was a young child. Still small and innocent and naive to the ways of the world and he expressed his love with how any child would: with wild flowers freshly picked.

   “Mama, Mama, look what I can do!” he had cried out, happy and joyous with a big smile on his face. He was what? Four?

   The look of fondness on his Mother’s face turned in an instant as Dedue showed her what was in his hands and it was not a trick of light. As he uncurled his fingers, the flowers that he unveiled were not from the garden but from him.

   “Dedue, my love, you must never show this talent of yours to anyone, understand?” his Mother warned him as she accepted the little, yellow flowers Dedue had produced from his palm. “And you must always avoid anyone who would want to eat them.”

   That was even unluckier. To be a Flower Eater. That was a curse far greater and heavier than the one which Dedue had upon him as a Flower Grower - or Florist, as he would come to hear amongst the mainland of Fódland. Turns out they were in tune with different bits and pieces of Duscur lore, filtered through inaccuracies. A long, long tale which had changed every time it had been spoken between two people. 

   Much like a school rumour, actually. 

   Deduce did his best, at the Officers Academy, to be as detached as possible but people talked. Even to him. Though he did his best to not talk back. 

   He minded his own business. He kept to himself, to the greenhouse, and no one was none the wiser to Dedue’s status as a Florist. People knew he had a green thumb but no one suspected that there was something more to his talent and gift with plants was nothing more than the innate knack that certain gardeners had.

   No one except Dimitri and Dedue had his own suspicions about what exactly Dimitri was.

   More than a friend, a house leader, a lord or a prince. There was a great darkness inside of him as well but Dimitri did his best to obscure it underneath a well-controlled and amiable persona. This extended far and wide to being close and personal.

   However, Dedue didn’t want to talk about Duscur traditions or lore with Dimitri. Though, sometimes Dimitri would pry about innocuous things. Food, fashion, geography. The most surface level things so he could try and be close with him but Dedue was ever a brick wall. 

   Though a watchful one.

   Maybe he was channelling his Mother, her spirit and her memory, too much but he saw the signs. Dimitri was exactly the type of person she used to warn him about. The Flower Eater. No Fódland name for it, as far as Dedue had heard, anyway.

   They were characterised as the tragics, the obsessives, the ones who were always hungry for… something. Be it flesh or… be it flowers. 

   Dimitri was exactly that person and a little quip that he let slip confirmed it in Dedue’s mind. To anyone else it would have been funny but Dimitri wanted to eat the weeds. They had been assigned to gardening related tasks, like pulling weeds, by Professor Byleth to help. 

   And it only worsened from there, Dedue would observe from Dimitri’s side.

   He was a very different person. 

   To everyone bar Dedue.

   He had always sensed that one day Dimitri would snap. That he was hungry in a way that civil society could not provide as it went beyond a need for food but for vengeance. For blood and flesh and… flowers.

   After everything that had happened. Edelgard’s assault on the Academy. His separation from Dimitri and the allies that he had amongst his Blue Lion classmates, Dedue shuddered with recollection. There was still much to be done, such as restoring the Holy Kingdom, clearing the name of the Duscur people, and more. 

   “I’m … I’m happy to know you are still alive, Dedue,” Dimitri grovelled to him. “And that you are real.”

   “Yes, I’m real.” Dedue replied.

   He let Dimitri touch him. To confirm his warmth, his heartbeat, his breath. 

   Though much of Dimitri’s sanity appeared to have returned to him as he got catharsis from facing Edelgard or returning to tutelage in Professor Byleth’s stead, and yes, of course, Dedue’s return to his side as vassal. There was still more to be regained, if it could at all, and an underlying fragility despite Dimitri’s present calm and serenity.

   There was still more that Dedue could do for Dimitri.

   He waited until an appropriate time. He had never disclosed this to anyone. His family had known but no one else knew. So, Dedue waited for a calm, blue night when the moon was big and full and the purest white. He invited Dimitri for a late night walk to the gardens. Just them and their companionship. Nothing more, nothing less. 

   Standing by the gazebo with his hands behind his back, gazing out over the lawn, “Can I tell you a secret?” Dedue asked.

   He was finally ready to open up. He watched as Dimitri visibly perked up and for a moment, Dedue saw a flash of Dimitri’s seventeen year old self in the world weary and one-eyed face that he now bore. It made Dedue’s heart falter but he steeled himself.

   If he was correct, if Dimitri was a Flower Eater like he thought, then his Mother’s wisdom was too far gone on him. Dedue had doomed himself the minute he pledged allegiance to Dimitri in gratitude for saving him. 

   “Please, go ahead.” Dimitri told him.

   “I want you to know this.” Dedue said.

   As he had grown older, it had become less easy to hide his condition. As a child, it was a painless magic trick, like a sleight of hand, to produce these flowers from his body but as he went through adolescence, that was part of his body which changed. He had to shave them off like he would the whiskers on his chin, sometimes it would even hurt when these pretty, dainty little yellow flowers would bloom. 

   Dimitri watched, mutedly amazed, as Dedue showed him this legacy of Duscur, too. 

   They lived in a world, amongst people, who conjure lightning and fire, control the winds, and yet this simple little thing elicited such oddness and mystery. It was strange. 

   Dimitri caressed the petal of the flower, he followed the natural arc of it with his finger. It was soft, he noted. All whilst Dedue told him bits and pieces from his Mother’s fairy tales. How his siblings used to be jealous of him because he had a gift that they did not and that was unfair. 

   Dimitri listened intently.

   “I had no idea that such people existed.” Dimitri said, quietly awed. “I must be quite fortunate to have you by my side then.”

   “Yes, about that…” Dedue murmured.

   He plucked the flower and his fingers reacted as though he had given himself a paper cut. There was a thin line of red on his palm, like a scratch, and an involuntary twitch amongst his fingers. He offered it to Dimitri but when Dimitri tried to accept it with his hands, Dedue glared. He kept going. He offered to feed it to Dimitri and Dimitri, confused, did open his mouth.

   Dimitri chewed thoughtfully. Dedue had never once wondered what the flowers he produced would taste like. He had never seriously thought that he would encounter a counterpart to his own condition but Dimitri’s expression.

   “I like the taste of it.” Dimitri whispered. His lips quivered, like he was holding back an involuntary smile. Colour, ever so slightly, was added to his cheeks, too, that he could not interfere with. 

   Dedue blinked. He was actually taken aback to hear that considering… Dimitri was not known to be an auteur of taste or otherwise a gourmand. But it did flatter him to hear so. Even if it did affirm in Dedue’s mind that Dimitri was as every bit as tragic and obsessive and hungry as Dedue was promised when he was warned of as a child. 

[karlieklosssource]

Project Runway on Bravo: First Trailer Reveals New Faces, Huge Changes

By Andy Swift / January 29 2019, 11:39 AM PST

Following a makeover of epic proportions, Project Runway will begin its new life (back) on Bravo this spring. The revamped reality competition series, now featuring supermodel Karlie Kloss as host and Runway champion Christian Siriano as mentor, will premiere Thursday, March 14 at 8/7c, Bravo announced at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour on Friday. All episodes will be 90 minutes.

One familiar face will be back, with ELLE Editor-in-Chief Nina Garcia returning as a judge, alongside two new additions: designer Brandon Maxwell and former Teen Vogue EIC Elaine Welteroth.

Not only are the show’s iconic workroom and runway getting upgraded — courtesy of Brother, TRESemme and Maybelline — but the challenges will also be adjusted to embrace the “nuances of the fashion industry, including flash sales, fast fashion, the inclusion of plus-size models, Instagram [and] a special Elton John challenge inspired by Paramount Pictures’ Rocketman.”

New episodes of Project Runway All Stars‘ seventh season currently air Wednesdays at 9/8c on Lifetime, which acquired the franchise from Bravo in 2009.

We can also reveal the 16 designers competing this season: Afa Ah Loo (Samoa); Rakan Shams Aldeen (Homs, Syria); Cavanagh Baker (Nashville, Tenn.); Tessa Clark (Greenville, Ohio); Bishme Cromartie (Baltimore, Md.); Venny Etienne (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Jhoan “Sebastian” Grey (Cali, Colombia); Renee Hill (Philadelphia, Pa.); Sonia Kasparian (Portland, Ore.); Kovid Kapoor (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Frankie Lewis (Louisville, Ky.); Lela Orr (Monroe, La.); Jamall Osterholm (Cranston, R.I.); Nadine Ralliford (Stone Mountain, Ga.); Gary “Garo Sparo” Spampinato (Bayshore, N.Y.); and Hester Sunshine (Santa Fe, N.M.). Click hereto learn more about this season’s contestants.

[beeprich]

i’m deleting my IT playlists from my spotify under the cut i have listed all of the songs to each playlist in case y'all were that fond of em (feel free to follow @ lilriottt lol i still got some non-it bangers)

eddie

1. cut to the feeling - carly rae jepsen

2. lottery - kali uchis

3. my my my - troye sivan

4. american boyfriend - kevin abstract

5. going away to college - blink 182

6. hair - lady gaga

7. greedy - ariana grande

8. lo que siento - cuco

9. papoutai - stromae

10. make out in my car - sufjan stevens version

11. mama don’t make me put on the dress again - trixie mattel

12. brooklyn baby - lana del rey

13. kiss - prince

14. ship to wreck - florence and the machine

15. lies - marina and the diamonds

16. 400 lux - lorde

17. only angel - harry styles

18. wetsuit - the vaccines 

19. white ferrari - frank ocean

richie

1. quixoticelixer - red hot chili peppers

2. too drunk to fuck - dead kennedys

3. what’s my age again - blink 182

4. this song is not about a girl - flume

5. denial - the vaccines

6. flash delirium - mgmt

7. no friends - san cisco 

8. age of consent - new order

9. el scorcho - weezer

10. amoeba - adolescents 

11. boys - brockhampton

12. suck it and see - arctic monkeys

13. dare - gorillaz

14. creepin up the backstairs - the fratellis 

15. bloodstains - agent orange

16. masseduction - st. vincent

benverly

1. blossom - milky chance 

2. you were meant for me - jewel

3. friday i’m in love - the cure

4. ophelia - the lumineers 

5. pelican - the maccabees

6. sonora - spendtime palace

7. rhiannon - fleetwood mac

8. forrest gump - frank ocean

9. ironic - alanis morissette 

10. lovefool - the cardigans

11. kiss me - sixpence none the richer

12. check yes juliet - we the kings

13. iris - the goo goo dolls

14. wanted you - twin peaks 

15. linger - the cranberries

16. riptide - vance joy

17. happy together - the turtles

stanlon

1. medicine - daughter

2. little secrets - passion pit

3. hallelujah - rufus wainwright

4. angels - the xx

5. breezeblocks - alt-j

6. sea of love - cat power

7. boys dont cry - the cure

8. sleep alone - two door cinema club

9. not about angels - birdy

10. easy to love - ivan & alyosha

11. flightless bird, american mouth - iron & wine

12. rivers and roads - the head and the heart

13. daylight - matt and kim

14. cough syrup - young the giant 

15. santa fe - beirut 

16. marks to prove it - the maccabees

17. dreams - fleetwood mac 

bichie

1. cecelia and the satellite - andrew mcmahon in the wilderness 

2. handsome - the vaccines

3. somebody told me - the killers

4. the end of all things - panic at the disco

5. anything, anything - dramarama

6. wrong number - the cure

7. holocene - bon iver

8. tessellate - alt-j

9. dance on our graves - paper route 

10. how soon is now? - the smiths

11. bizarre love triangle - new order

12. blister in the sun - violent femmes 

13. cocoon - milky chance

14. love my way - the psychedelic furs

15. what you know - two door cinema club

16. sub-mission - sex pistols

17. the killing moon - echo & the bunnymen

kaspbrough

1. toothpaste kisses - the maccabees

2. lovesick - peace

3. love - lana del rey

4. too much - sufjan stevens 

5. our song - the xx

6. lottery - kali uchis

7. the blower’s daughter - damien rice

8. almost lover - a fine frenzy

9. still into you - paramore

10. childhood sweetheart - chunk berry

11. you don’t know how lucky you are - keaton henson

12. skinny love - bon iver

13. best of friends - palma violets 

14. to build a home - the cinematic orchestra 

15. medicine - daughter

16. atlas hands - benjamin francis leftwich

17. picasso - the cinema

reddie

1. caroline - amine 

2. lovesong - the cure

3. the night josh tillman came to our apt. - father john misty 

4. there is a light that never goes out - the smiths

5. shut up kiss me - angel olsen 

6. ivy - frank ocean

7. my kind of woman - mac demarco 

8. africa - toto

9. the predatory wasp of the palisades is out to get us - sufjan stevens 

10. love will tear us apart - joy division 

11. your best american girl - mitski 

12. i always knew - the vaccines 

13. buddy holly - weezer

14. a 1000 times - hamilton leithauser + rostam

15. irreversible cure - spendtime palace

16. tyrant - kali uchis

17. you - keaton henson

beverie

1. punching bag - cage the elephant 

2. fluorescent adolescent - arctic monkeys 

3. island in the sun - weezer

4. someday - the strokes 

5. believe me natalie - the killers 

6. shut up and let me go - the ting tings

7. heads will roll - yeah yeah yeahs

8. sour cherry - the kills 

9. everyday is like sunday - morrissey 

10. china girl - david bowie

11. time to pretend - mgmt

12. no you girls - franz ferdinand 

13. stella - san cisco

14. anna sun - walk the moon

15. hang me up to dry - cold war kids 

16. teenage icon - the vaccines 

17. lily lee - spendtime palace 

stenbrough 

1. romeo and juliet - the killers

2. teenage blue - dreamgirl

3. real love baby - father john misty

4. it’s nice to be alive - ball park music

5. chateau - angus & julia stone 

6. heroes - david bowie

7. see you again - tyler, the creator

8. no room in frame - death cab for cutie

9. fallingforyou - the 1975

10. i love you so - the walters

11. wouldn’t it be nice - the beach boys

12. coming home - leon bridges

13. last nite - the strokes

14. mardy bum - arctic monkeys 

15. seaside - the kooks

16. baby blue - king krule

17. a little while - yellow days

stozier

1. miss atomic bomb - the killers

2. this love - maroon 5

3. mystery of love - sufjan stevens 

4. old lovers in dressing rooms - keaton henson

5. cry baby - the nbhd

6. heart skipped a beat - the xx

7. only if for a night - florence and the machine

8. wet dreams - the growlers 

9. i love you, honeybear - father john misty 

10. love is a laserquest - arctic monkeys 

11. the less i know the better - tame impala

12. two fingers - jake bugg

13. come undone - duran duran 

14. cupid’s chokehold/breakfast in america - gym class heroes 

15. undone (the sweater song) - weezer

16. somebody else - the 1975

17. crooked teeth 

[pjstafford]

It is the Best and Worst of Times.

Dear Tumblr

It is a Sunday evening, January 13, 2019.  Outside the rain is turning to snow.  Tomorrow morning we should expect freezing fog.  There has been a long string of storms this winter season already.  

I  eagerly anticipated 2019.   In my mind, The New Year doesn’t begin until Tuesday because on Tuesday my life changes.  I will be moving to Santa Fe for two months for the new legislative session in my capacity as a lobbyist for disability issues.  New governor, both houses Democratic, and prosperity for New Mexico! The possibility of hope is in the air - and so it is with me, as well.  I am taking advantage of the fact that my expenses in Santa Fe are paid for two months to move out of where I have been living for the last six.  I knew when I moved in it would be temporary, but it was a desperate move after a traumatic experience.    I will take the couple of months in Santa Fe to look for a new place in Albuquerque for when I return.  I will look for a space to call my own after a couple of difficult years.  

2019 so far has not gone well.    I was sick for a day or two.  I was reminded quickly in the New Year that my past was filled with pain; with the belief in a love that never was, with the trust in the wrong people, with dreams I hardly knew I was saying goodbye to until they were long gone in the past.  Last week-end I had  an argument with someone I have known and loved since my twenties.  Tumblr is much too public to talk about it in details except to say it left me shaken and full of self-doubts. Also, it reminded me of so many past regrets.  On more practical terms, my car, in the shop because I hit a coyote, had a higher repair cost estimate than what the insurance had expected and the debate was on over whether on not the car (which I have been driving fine for five months since I hit the coyote) would be totaled.  That would have left me still owing $4000 on that car plus trying to get into another car somehow. 

This week-end more than usual has been a week-end of ups and downs to the degree that I find myself wanting to stop, take a breath, and think for just a minute.   “Time is a Jet plane,” says Bob Dylan, “It moves too fast.”  Tonight, I am once again in a time of transition. So, I  take a breath, and process this week-end.

My car went in on Monday and it was Friday before I got the word that my car was deemed repairable.  Friday afternoon then was so good, so wonderful, everything has changed again for the better because that stress is gone.  

Saturday I went to a pre-legislative forum for disability and it was a truly great morning with high hopes.  The room was full and the confidence was high!  I am so fortunate to have a job doing some actual good in this word!  Still, for some reason, persons reminded me of my (ahem) longevity in the field.  In other words I am really old.  A couple of people asked me about the first company I had worked for in the field - that one on Lomas you used to work for?  It was called Career Services.  

Saturday afternoon my roommate /landlord puppy ran away.  He was a sweet puppy; ten month old great Dane who, when he stood on his hind legs, was taller than I am.  He has been here about two weeks, from the pound and battling a lung ailment.  His owner, my roommate and landlord,  searched for him for the last two days.  I hope this sweet, loving puppy is ok tonight- in warmth, safe and with good food.  

Last night I went and saw George Clinton and the PFunks.  So gosh darn good.  I have been wanting to see them for 30 years or more.  Did not disappoint

Today, while packing for my move, I received a call from one of my closest friends that her step daughter had died.  She was fifty.  I actually knew her before I knew my friend.  We had worked together at the location on Lomas - Career Services.  

This, then, is life described in one week-end.  People die.  Tragedies happen.  Real tragedies.  Personal financial struggles frustrate and sometimes those tragedies are averted and sometimes are not, but the struggle, they continue.  We get a few brief minutes to do some good in the world or to hear some great music. Then it can be gone in a second, in a moment, in a flash.  

In my twenties, I struggled financially but thought it was temporary.  I was married and thought it would last forever, but I didn’t even know then the realities of what was going in my own world, in my own marriage, in my own life.  I was unaware of some deception.  I was blissfully ignorant.  It was the best and worst of times. 

In my 30′s, newly divorced and trying to find meaning in my life I started a career at an agency called Career Services.  I made some life long friends.  I struggled less financially despite  having a mortgage and a new car payment.  I found out I could not have children.  I thought maybe in time I would find a new love.  It was the best and worst of times. 

In my 40′s, I started a business and struggled financially and had prosperity intermittently.  There was no time for love or relationships.  I had a good friend who turned out to be untrustworthy.  I did some amazing work.  I made an impact on the world.  It was the best and worst of times 

In my 50′s, I made the same romantic mistakes I made in my twenties. However I learned that I don’t want to be alone.  I struggled as much financially as I ever have.  I realized the financial struggles were likely never going to end.  I found that I can be forgiving and loving and still hurt people somehow and that people can be kind one minute and cruel the next.   I realized the true meaning of loneliness.  I realize that I should allow people to help me.  I realize that I was not alone in the world and had people who loved me.  I relearned the importance of laughter and joy  It was the best and worst of times.  

My fifties are not yet over.  Will the next two years bring something different than what I expect?  I both hope and fear it will.  Each  time is the best and worst. Value each other!     I have at various times in recent years been afraid to love, to trust, to care, to interact, to engage with the world.  My reasons for this are sound based on my past.  However it didn’t prevent the worst of times and possibly did reduce the quality of the good times.   So tonight- a new commitment to risk it all on the voyage we call life.  2019- the year is just beginning!  

[breakingbigmoney]

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Sound the Alarm!

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Sound the Alarm!

I read the papers and watch the news on TV, but never thought it could happen to me. Then, suddenly, it does. Friday evening close to midnight, police cars, lights flashing and sirens blasting, came barreling down my quiet country road and up my driveway, 75 miles northeast of Santa Fe. An officer banged on my door and told me I had to evacuate my home. It’s not safe. The raging wildfire that’s…

[adobe-outdesign]

Before the studio went to hell, it was rumored that Shawn Flynn and Wally Franks were an item.

(Note that I don’t speak Irish. I’m relying on Google Translate, and we all know how accurate that is, so apologies to anyone who actually speaks Irish if this makes no damn sense.)

Wally woke up on the couch to a headache and the smell of something cooking in the other room.

Blearily he stood up, motivated primarily by the delicious scent wafting towards him. Further investigation revealed Shawn, still wearing his ink-stained work clothes from last night, standing at his stove and stirring something in a frying pan. The other man looked over as he stumbled in, adjusting a dial on the stove face. “i was wonderin’ when you’d wake up. Almost was wonderin’ if you were dyin’ of alcohol poisonin’, given how much you were drinkin’ last night.“

Wally stared blankly at the clock on the wall, his half-asleep brain trying to decipher the time. He settled on it being about 11 in the morning. “Not that I’m gonna complain if you’re making breakfast, but why are you here?“

“Because you passed out in the alleyway last night and I had to drag your sorry ass back here.“ He dropped his voice slightly, noticing Wally wincing at the volume. “And I didn’t want to be leavin’ you alone during the night, so I camped out in your spare room.“

“Wait, you stayed here the entire night just for that?” Wally asked, pulling out a chair at what was passing for a dining room table and rubbing his eyes. “Well gee, thanks. Hey, I’ll do something in return as a favor. Seriously, just name it.“

“Put on some clean clothes,“ Shawn said bluntly, setting a plate full of eggs and sausage in front of him. “You smell like cheap alcohol and bodily... fluids“.

“No offense, but you don’t exactly smell like a spring daisy either,“ Wally pointed out, biting into a large forkful of eggs.

“And where do you be expectin’ me to be getting fresh clothes from?” Shawn asked, taking a sip from a cup of coffee he must have made earlier. “All of my clean clothes are back at my place.“

‘‘You can always borrow some of mine! I mean, you know, if you need to,” Wally added, realizing his tone might be a bit too excited. “They might be a bit on the big side, but you can always roll up the sleeves if you need to.“

“You sure you don’t mind?“

“Nah, not a problem! Anyone who makes food this good is a friend’a mine.“ He swallowed his lack forkful and waved the utensil in Shawn’s direction, grinning.”You plannin’ to go anywhere later tonight?“

“No offense or anythin’,“ Wally said, taking off his cap to rub some sweat off his forehead as he observed the floor in front of him, “but are you trying to make my job harder?“

“Your job’s a walk in the park compared to mine,” Shawn replied bluntly, setting down his brush. “We’ve got more stock than we know what to do with right now. We need to be focusin’ on selling what we got, not making more dolls no one wants, but Mr. Drew won’t be haivn’ any of that..” Shawn waved his hand towards the pounding assembly line behind him and the massive inventory of toys.

“Oh! But speakin’ of things no one is wanting...“ Shawn ducked down to rummage under the workbench, and Wally leaned into to try to catch a glimpse of what he was doing.

“Sounds promising.“

“Here we are!“ Shawn sat back up, holding a Boris plushie in his hand that wasn’t covered in ink. “The... what’s the English word for the súile-?” He motioned towards the head of the plushie.

“The... face?“

“No, the other whatchamacallit.“

“The snout?“

“That one! The snout’s a bit off on this one, but I still be thinking it looks nice. So here.“ He held out of the plushie and Wally took it eagerly, squeaking the middle.

“Well hey, thanks a bunch! Look at this guy!“ He held it up to the light, giving it another squeak. “Joey really wouldn’t like it?“

“Mr. Drew once redid an entire cartoon just because the animators weren’t drawin’ Bendy’s eyes quite to his likin’.”

“...I guess I can’t argue with that.“ He gave the plushie a final squeak and tucked it under his arm. “But I mean, his loss, right?“

“His loss, my gain. You’re owing me now, by the way.“

“C’mon, that’s not fair!“ Wally objected, but he was smiling. “Fine, fine. Whadda you want?“

‘I was thinkin’ we go to a bar and ‘hang out’”. Shawn pushed his foot against the desk, leaning back in his chair to survey the others in the toy shop, making sure no one found their thinly-veiled date as suspicious. “Friday after work soundin’ good?“

“Sounds swell! Now if you don’t mind, some sap spilled a bunch of ink on the floor that I gotta clean up,“ he teased, grabbing his mop.

“I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about.“

Shawn made sure to spill more buckets of ink after that.

“So how’d you play poker, anyway?“

“Use your cards to score points.“

“Thanks Shawny, really helps me out.“

“Not’a problem.“

“You have two cards in the middle, see,“ Grant extrapolated. “You want to take those cards and make a good hand out of them using the community group of cards. Whoever has the best hand gets the winnings.“

“Isn’t gambling like this kinda’, you know, illegal?“ Wally asked, picking up his hand and frowning at it.

“Don’t worry your little head about it. It’s allowed as long as we’re just using chips instead of actual scratch,“ Shawn pointed out.

“If you want to see actual gambling, you can always drop in on one of Grant’s casino games,“ Thomas said gruffly, lighting a cigar.

“Hey, hey, hold on. Now it’s not gambling as long as you know you’re going to win.“

“That’s because you’re countin’ the cards, you cheating bastard.“

“You can’t prove that, now can you?“

Shawn muttered something presumably explicit under his breath in Irish and grabbed another card. A few rounds passed in relative silence. Eventually Wally leaned over, flashing his deck at him. “Is this a good hand? I’m confused,“ he whispered.

“So are you two seeing each other or something?“ Thomas interrupted abruptly. Wally pulled away from Shawn and sputtered a few startled objections.

“Who wants to know?“ Shawn challenged, eyeing him. Thomas only shrugged, not looking up from his hand.

“I couldn’t care less. Just something I heard through the grapevine is all.“

“You should be careful now,” Grant offered, not taking his eyes off his cards. “You know how Mr. Drew will react if he catches wind of this.“

“He won’t be finding out,“ Shawn objected, looking over his own cards, then throwing them down on the table triumphantly. “Full house! Pot’s mine!”

“Nice try, but no.“ Grant swatted his hand away and tossed his own cards on the table, revealing a straight flush. Shawn swore again under his breath and threw down ten dollars, Wally looking on in confusion.

“I thought you said this wasn’t gambling?“

“I lied,” Shawn replied bluntly.

Wally opened the door, stumbled to his couch, and dropped Shawn onto it with considerable lack of grace.

“Hold on, lemme get you some ice or something.“ Shawn uttered a thank you as Wally disappeared into the tiny kitchen, returning with a bag of frozen carrots. “Okay, so I don’t exactly have any ice, but hey, they say carrots are good for your eyesight, right?“

“That was terrible.“ Shawn laughed, grabbing the bag and slapping it onto his left eye none too gently.

“Seriously, are you gonna be okay? That’s a nasty shiner.“

“Eh, it’s just a black eye, not’a big deal. The other fellow was in worse shape.”

“Yeah, but... look, I’m not normally the one tellin’ people to hold hands and sing kumbaya or anything, but you really gotta be more careful.“

“Aww, I’m touched. But you have’ta teach people like that not to be messing with you, or they won’t stop. Something I learned a while ago.” Shawn sat up a bit, flinching in pain. “If you’re that concerned, you could go an’ get me some more carrots for my back. The big bastard really did a number there.“

“On it! Take your shirt off, I’ll be back in a jiffy.“

Shawn obliged, throwing the slightly bloody button-down onto the back of the couch. Wally returned a moment later, eyes immediately focusing on Shawn’s exposed chest. “Uh, we didn’t have any- sorry, fresh outta carrots. Peas good?“

“I never cared for ‘em, but I suppose they’ll do,“ he teased, turning so Wally could slap the bag on the dark purple spot between his shoulder blades. He winced as the bag touched his skin. “Fuck a bastard, that’s cold.”

‘‘You want it be warm instead?”

“What I be wanting is my back to stop hurtin’, but I guess I we can’t have everything.” Silence filled the air for a moment. “I really do appreciate ‘ya helpin’ me out like this,“ he added.

“What, you think I was just gonna leave you to hobble back here on your own?” Wally flipped the now somewhat thawed bag over, pressing it over the bruise again. “I’d do that to Sammy, maybe, but not you.”

“Aww, ain’t you sweet? C’mere, you.” Shawn turned around and pulled Wally downward, firmly planting a kiss on his lips. Wally stumbled back immediately, nearly crashing into a nearby lamp. “I- I- What's the big idea!?“

“...I’m kissing you? What’s the problem here?“ Shawn asked in bewilderment, wincing as he tried to sit upright.

“I- you can’t just run around kissing fellows on the lips!“

“We’ve been datin’ each other for six damn months!“

“Yeah, but you’ve never-! Look, what if someone saw us?“

“Saw us-? We’re alone in your apartment! Who do you think’s gonna be seeing us, the pigeons?“

“No! I just think that we shouldn’t be doin’ this sort of thing yet!“

“And there, look! You’re doing it again!“

“Whatd’ya mean, “doing it again?”“

“That thing you do! You’re always perfectly happy to be together, but the second I so much as touch you you’re running away like a small frightened animal!“

“I am not!“

“Then kiss me!“

“No!“

Shawn let out an exasperated noise, rolling over onto his stomach. A few moments passed in silence, neither making eye contact.

“Listen,” Shawn finally spoke up. “If you don’t want to be together, you should just say so instead of draggin’ this out.“

“What? Hey hey, I never said that! I mean... look, I’ve been with a lot of girls.“

“Don’t I feel special.“

“But none of ‘em ever worked out, you know? I even hit it off with a few of ‘em, but it never really felt right. I even ended up in bed with this real cute dish, but I ended up gettin’ outta there just because it felt so weird. You’re the first person I actually feel somethin’ for, as sappy as that sounds.“

Shawn reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, popping one into his mouth and offering the rest of the box to Wally. He shook his head and Shawn switched the pack for a lighter. “I was just thinkin’ that you were havin’ second thoughts about this whole thing.“

“No, it’s more like... I guess I’m not comfortably messin’ around with a guy yet instead of a dame, and you surprised me.“

“I didn’t mean to. I was figurin’ you’d like a surprise. Guess not.“ Shawn took out the cigarette, blowing out a puff of smoke as he sat back up. “Maybe we should be startin’ smaller. You wanna lie on this couch for a while with me, seein’ as I’m in no shape to be moving?“

“....Yeah, okay. I can do that.“ Shawn scooched over and Wally sat down beside him, leaning against his torso.

“Ow, ow! Éirigh as! Back!“

“Right, right, sorry!“

[merryfortune]

Unrequited Peonies

Written for FE Flash Fic Friday using the prompts Hanahaki & the Blazing Blade 

Title: Unrequited Peonies

Ship: Florina/Lyn

Fandom: Fire Emblem the Blazing Blade

Word Count: 1,023

Rating: T

Tags: Hanahaki, Emetophobia, Unrequited Love

   Florina couldn’t begin to describe it. Not without particularly floral prose or florid details. But she had to. For Lyn’s sake. She really didn’t want to worry Lyn, that was the least of everything and anything that Florina wanted to do.

   But it was peculiar. Supernatural. A curse, perhaps? Had she angered some mage somewhere? Nothing particularly sprang to Florina’s mind but it was difficult to think, especially when she had Lyn’s finger going through her hair, stroking her down from her illness and holding her back from her own ick.

   Florina vomited again.

   She emptied not the contents of her stomach, however. The last meal she ate, the last beverage that she drank. As awful as vomiting was, the taste of it, the wretch of it, that would be so much easier to explain than what Florina was actually vomiting.

   She was vomiting flowers.

   Gross, yucky, covered in her stomach acid flowers but flowers, nonetheless.

   They would have been beautiful had they not been growing in Florina’s stomach rather than the ground. 

   They were peonies, no less. Bulb after bulb, leaf after leaf, petal after petal, from the very depths of Florina’s body, she was vomiting peonies in their pastel bushels and Lyn was being very sympathetic about it.

   “Your being very brave right now, Florina. Your doing well.” Lyn cooed, concern saturated her voice.

   “I-I am…” Florina replied. She was shaky. Exhausted. 

   “Mmhm,” Lyn replied, “you are. Are you done?”

   “I-I think so…” Florina was hopeful, for a moment, but the hope barely lasted before the breath of her next syllable as she tried to speak.

   She hunkered over again, retching. Lyn sighed and surveiled their surroundings again. They had made camp in the hinterlands, far from home for either of them, it was a place not known for peonies to natively grow and to be sick in such a place, it would have been worrying for anyone but especially for a pair of soldiers.

   Florina vomited another flower and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. Her saliva was sticky on her chin. The flowers tasted sweet, even in their atrocious state as soaked in bile.

   “...I wish I was done.” Florina murmured, upset.

   “No, I’m serious, you are doing so well right now. Just let it all out.” Lyn said.

   “There, there.” Lyn murmured and she massaged Florina’s scalp.

   Florina blushed. It felt so good. Like really good, it made the hair on her arms stand up. Lyn smiled and then Florina frowned. She really didn’t feel well, even with Lyn playing with her hair and trying to make her feel better. Her heart had skipped a beat.

   “I don’t feel very brave right now.” Florina complained and she felt her stomach threaten another spill. 

   “Well you must be,” Lyn said, far too joking for Florina’s taste, “because peonies symbolise bravery.”

   She held her stomach as she pulled back, tentatively okay. She sat on the back of her legs and sighed. Florina thought back to when this had all started. At first it was just a taste in her mouth, then a sensation in her stomach, like those of phantom butterflies but now it was all very real. She had the scratches from the stems of those flowers in her throat to prove it.

   After her pause, through her pout, Florina replied: “I doubt that.” 

   Though it wounded her, she was coming to loathe Lyn’s platitudes. She wasn’t the one with knees in the dirt, fingers in the grass, and with flowers where they most certainly should not have been. She stole a glance at Lyn, trying to frown but she could not hold that expression for Florina could never loathe Lyn. Her feeble attempts of trying, even amused Lyn, making her laugh and poke her face, calling her cute.

   All because, all in all, Florina loved Lyn. That’s why she could never loathe her, not in seriousness.

   “Even beyond your ailment,” Lyn added, “you have to be feeling brave right now. To shoulder this burden? There’s an old Sacae legend, you know, about maidens in love.”

   “Th-There is?” Florina blinked curiously.

    That threat from before, in the pit of her stomach, it gave a movement which pained her but having been swung at with swords and axes, shot at with arrows, Florina forced herself to hardly wince. Even though her instinct for danger, whilst often clouded with her phobias and anxieties, was usually good for anything particularly sharp and right now. It was warning her gravely. Seriously. And so, Florina cradled herself more protectively. 

   Yet Lyn seemed utterly oblivious to Florina’s body language. She continued on, nothing more, nothing less. Just sharing a fun fact.

   “There is.” Lyn confirmed with a nod of her head. “There is a story of a young girl who was so overwhelmed with her true love that she, too, began to vomit flowers. It was said to have started because there had been a drought and thus, she had no gifts to give to her would-be beau, so her body provided them for her.”

   “Oh, um… Interesting.” Florina squeaked. “And what happened to her?”

   “Well, unsurprisingly, her beau thought she had a curse and rejected her gifts but the flowers… They wouldn’t stop growing inside of her, she couldn’t stop vomiting up, eventually she couldn’t eat and so… withered away. She, uh, Florina… She died, unfortunately.”

   Lyn’s words struck a terrible chord with Florina. She paled. 

   “But that won’t happen to me… right?” Florina asked in the tiniest voice.

   “Of course not,” Lyn replied, blithe, smiling, “after all, any guy would be stupid to turn you down. You’ve come out of your shell a lot, as well. So, who is the lucky fella?”

   Florina’s mouth dried. She couldn’t bring herself to say who just that lucky person was. After all, she was looking at the one who had enchanted her. In more ways than one, it did seem. And, for a moment, Florina was almost grateful that she didn’t have to reply. She vomited again, sudden, yet more peonies, though into her lap and to the secret of a breaking heart.