#granted one of those two steps is the actual quilting of the thing

[proserpine-in-phases]

I hereby pledge that I will not obtain any more fabric until I've made three of the five quilts I currently have planned out in my head (not counting the quilts I'm currently working on)

[asweetprologue]

me lámh le do lámh - Part X (epilogue)

First | Previous | Masterpost

“Do you think,” Jaskier said, “that Yennefer is going to be really, truly unbearable about this?”

Geralt turned to look at him. They were on the Path back to Kaer Morhen, probably a few more days out, by his mark. Roach was meandering ahead, so used to the trek that she probably could have made it without him. The air held a sharp bite to it that promised colder days ahead, but for now the sun still shone merrily above them, keeping the frosts at bay. They had begun heading north well before the chill had truly begun to set in, both ready for the comfort of warm lodgings and old friends. Geralt smiled, thinking about seeing Ciri again soon.

Triss had no doubt told Yennefer that Geralt planned to marry the bard to grant him greater longevity, but they’d not yet told anyone that they were actually married now. Geralt could feel his own golden ring bumping against his chest, nestled next to his medallion. Jaskier’s was hidden under layers of fur and leather, Geralt having bullied him into wearing gloves now that they were in cooler climes.

He thought about Jaskier’s question for a moment. “Yes,” he finally settled on. “But she’ll be pleased, too.”

Jaskier knocked their shoulders together as they walked, reaching out to take Geralt’s hand in his bulky gloved one. He had begun doing that a lot lately—just holding Geralt’s hand, or sitting against his side when they stopped to rest. Always touching, even more so than before. It never failed to make a slow, pleased warmth spread through Geralt’s chest. It was a good thing he couldn’t blush, or this winter would be a nightmare of teasing.

As if it wasn’t going to be already.

“I admit I’m a bit worried she’ll turn me into an eel or something.” Jaskier pulled them to a stop as they rounded a bend on the mountain path. The valley spread out below them, the golden fields and dense reds and oranges of the forest winking up at them. “I’ve never been up when there were still leaves on the trees,” Jaskier said, gripping Geralt’s hand tighter. “It’s beautiful.”

Geralt kept his eyes on Jaskier, smiling fondly. “Hmm,” he said by way of agreement.

Jaskier glanced at him, and then rolled his eyes, though he was smiling as a blush spilled across his cheeks. “Oh, stop. You’re incorrigible.”

Geralt shifted closer, until he was smiling into Jaskier’s flushed skin. “Mm. I have it on good authority that you don’t mind.” He nosed at Jaskier’s hair. It was deep brown again, no grey in sight, and the skin around his eyes was unmarred by wrinkles. They might return one day, Geralt knew, but no time soon. His own wrinkles had grown a bit deeper, his bad knee a little more twingy, his reflexes a bit slower. Jaskier had been concerned the first week, as Geralt adjusted to the sudden onset of more human physiology.

It was worth it. Jaskier was here with him, and Geralt couldn’t regret a little stiffness in his joints if it meant he got to have this.

Jaskier turned his head until he could press their lips together briefly, pulling away with another smile, cheeks still flaming. “We should keep going,” he said. “Roach is starting to lose us.”

It was true; Roach had continued on heedless of their pause, clearly disinterested in her master’s preoccupation. Geralt laughed, feeling lighter than he had since he’d first laid eyes on Ciri in those woods. “Wouldn’t want to get shown up by a horse,” he agreed, turning back towards the path. Jaskier stayed close to his side the rest of the day.

*

Yennefer, as it turned out, was not the one they needed to be concerned about.

“I knew it!” Ciri crowed, clinging to Geralt’s shoulders. As soon as they’d walked through the front gates she’d launched herself into his arms. “You were so mopey when he wasn’t around.”

Jaskier snickered beside him. Their good mood was infectious, and Geralt found himself smiling as he lowered Ciri back to the ground. “Don’t say it,” he warned Ciri in good humor. “He doesn’t need the ego boost.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Jaskier drawled, giving Ciri a wink. “You’ve already told me you loved me six times since this morning. A fellow might start to get ideas.”

Geralt squinted at him. “Have you been counting?”

“Yuck,” Ciri said with relish. Behind them, Yennefer made a shockingly childish gagging sound.

Jaskier flushed up to his hairline, though he still seemed pleased with himself. Geralt watched the color progress with interest.

“Well, I’m glad neither of you died in this frankly suicidal endeavour.” Yennefer stepped forward to join their small circle. She was as stunning as ever, her dark hair pinned away from her face to expose the long line of her neck. “The others were taking bets.”

Geralt sighed, wishing he could be more surprised. “So they all know?”

“Triss won the pot,” Yennefer informed him gleefully. “Though they don’t know that yet. The rest of us were less confident in your collective capacity for forthright communication.”

“Are you going to have a real wedding?” Ciri demanded, hands coming up to rest on her hips. “It’s not fair that we all had to miss it. I didn’t even get to make your crowns!”

“We didn’t wear any,” Geralt assured her. Jaskier had turned to look at him, radiating excitement. Geralt avoided his gaze. “We’ll think about it,” he hedged, and felt Jaskier’s hand reach out to squeeze his briefly.

Ciri hissed in victory regardless. She snagged Jaskier’s free hand in her own, tugging lightly. “You have to tell me everything.”

Jaskier grinned at her, and the warmth that filled Geralt’s chest at the sight of the two of them threatened to overwhelm him. “Well you know our witcher of few words will do it no justice,” Jaskier agreed, and Geralt’s huff was lost under the sound of their laughter.

*

Later, after they’d received wry congratulations from Vesemir, after Jaskier had regaled the others with a hilarious retelling of their strange coming together, after they’d sent Ciri off to bed and retired to their own room—just one now—Jaskier spoke.

“We don’t have to,” he murmured, pressing the words into Geralt’s neck. They weren’t really trying to sleep, but they were both too tired for anything more strenuous. Instead they lay tangled together under the quilts, skin to skin. Jaskier’s head was tucked under Geralt’s jaw, and he amused himself by drawing ambling patterns along Jaskier’s back. It had become his favorite way to pass the time. He felt drunk off of it every time, hazy with comfort and affection.

He hummed, taking a moment to process Jaskier’s words. The soft kiss Jaskier pressed to his shoulder didn’t help. “What do you mean?” he rumbled, enjoying the way it made Jaskier shiver against him.

“The whole wedding thing,” Jaskier said. “I know Ciri seemed excited, but—I don’t know if you would want to reenact all that in front of everyone. We don’t need to.” He brought his free hand up to trace a finger along the ring that rested in the hollow of Geralt’s throat. “This is enough for me.”

“I know,” Geralt smiled, shifting slightly so he could meet Jaskier’s eyes. “But you want to.”

Jaskier wriggled uncomfortably, flushing. He did that a lot nowadays; Geralt was hopelessly enamored with it. With him. “You know me,” Jaskier shrugged, half explanation, half apology.

“Hey,” Geralt said, capturing Jaskier’s chin so that he could press a chaste kiss to his lips. The tension melted out of him immediately, gratifying. “Anything you want, remember? I don’t mind. I’ll marry you as many times as you want me to.”

Jaskier beamed then, and their next kiss was sloppy with it. Geralt couldn’t remember being so happy in his entire life. “Don’t say that,” Jaskier warned with a grin, joy bubbling up underneath his words. “We’ve got decades and decades now. I’m probably going to want you to marry me a lot. Any way I can think of.”

They had time. He would propose to Jaskier in a hundred different ways, court him with gifts and sweet words, bind him with foreign phrases and silver rings and anything else he could think of. It didn’t matter; they were already one heart. But he wanted it, wanted to see Jaskier’s surprise and joy over and over. “Let’s start with this one,” he said thickly, brushing Jaskier’s hair away from his face tenderly. “I love you. Will you marry me?”

Jaskier laughed as he answered, “Yes, I love you too, yes,” and Geralt knew it was only the beginning.

~

and that’s a wrap! thank you so much to everyone who followed along and everyone who helped me finish this thing. if you missed them before, @herostag and @silvertonguelover created the art for this series, so go check them out! i hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

tags: @whereismymonsterlover

[gossip-girl-of-middleearth]

Hello! I hope this doesn’t make you uncomfy but I was wondering if I could get a bit of advice? From your recent posts, you said you left your home from toxicity and just bad things in general.

I’m in a similar situation, but my dad will be taking me away from my mom. And I just know it’ll be a shit show. And I’m absolutely terrified when we tell her and what the backlash will be afterwards towards my brothers and me and dad in general

How did you do it? How did you take the leap? Do you possibly have any advice on how to deal ?

Hello, friend!! ☀️

Thank you so much for reaching out, it means a lot that you value my advice <3

Hmm, okay from what I can tell of your situation, that is indeed a tricky one, but nothing can’t be overcome!

It’s important to remember, though, I was 19 when I left (now 20), so the way I handled things is going to be a lot different than how a minor can handle things (legally at least, feel free to replicate my insane stunts lmao)

Advice below the cut! (family violence trigger warning, I suppose?)

My entire family was and is extremely volatile, and I don’t speak to any of them anymore except for my older brother, but I’ll be cutting him off in 3 weeks too when I move.

Fortunately, my dad and brother were both kicked out of the house years ago due to violence, which left me with my mother, who’s quite insidious herself (just watch any Conjuring movie and that’ll give a good idea of what it was like living in that house lol)

I get the same feeling watching this scene as when I was around her in that house. Granted she didn’t try to change my gender, but the hatred for my father getting taken out on me is pretty accurate lol, paired with the immediate “motherly love” afterwards (she never hit me though, pleased to say — she wasn’t physically violent, just emotionally, financially, mentally and verbally. She did try to run my dad over once though, so, there’s that too)

Yikes…yeahh the same eerie feeling for sure, still makes all my hairs stand upright in memory.

(For further context this clip reminds me of my father and this one of my brother)

In the clip about my father, he definitely reminds me of Frank Gallagher, except he despises my mother instead of revering her. He’s a workaholic instead of a drug addict, too. But the mannerisms are the same. I always handled him in the way Fiona does.

Regarding my brother, I think everything about our family hit him the hardest, despite being the oldest. He developed a very violent streak, and has very poor impulse control. I love him dearly but he’s a snake in the grass, and has thrown me under the bus multiple times to get ahead in life. I mostly just pity him, since I know what our life was like growing up. But still, I can’t defend him forever, especially not at the cost of myself. Literally yesterday I woke up to a text from him asking me to come pick him up because he got arrested for starting a fight at a bar and smashing their windows.

When things started getting pretty bad with my mother earlier this year, I started to realise in my heart that there was no way I could go forth in life with her in it. I focused on the future relationships I would have one day when far away from this town — romantic partner, children, friends etc

I sort of realised one day I’d care about them a lot more than I care about my mother, because those future people would care about me. That in turn got me realising that I do deserve love, despite how my mother made me feel, and that I don’t want her to deprive another second of that in my life.

Something very unique that triggered this too was going to go visit an old family psychic, who’s basically just the Gandalf to my Frodo (ily, Chris <3). He very accurately predicted my birth years ago after my mother was told she was infertile — he got the date, year and time right three years in advance, and even knew ahead of time what my personality would be like, which he was spot-on about.

Well, I went and visited him a few months ago because I was lost with my direction, and he ended up pausing and had a sudden feeling, which led to him telling me that he’d just found out I would be having twin boys one day.

Normally I don’t buy into that stuff, but this Gandalf dude…well I knew he was right.

Knowing I’d have sons of my own one day took me from a scared daughter mindset and into a maternal mother bear in an instant, and I knew I didn’t want any children of mine around my mother or the rest of my family, for their safety alone, which made me realise, “Well, if I wouldn’t allow my own children near them, why do I allow myself?”

I started grey-rocking her in the lead-up to me leaving, which of course frustrated her (she’s a malignant narcissist), but it was a necessary step to start emotionally detaching myself from her.

It all bottled over one night after a pretty distressing argument (I had locked myself in my room to avoid it, but she was still at my door carrying on).

My cat, who’s been my best friend for years, was sitting on the floor next to me, and sort of looked up and I swear he spoke with his eyes, saying, “You know we can’t keep doing this, right? You know this abuse has an expiry date?”

I agreed with my cat and knew right then and there that I’d be leaving that night after my mother fell asleep.

Well, when she was finally done (with threats that there’d be more in stock in the morning, mind you) I went to bed early and set my alarm to 3am (was a little inside joke with myself, since that’s biblically the “witching devil hour”)

I started quietly packing my quilt and cat up (I’d already been secretly packing the boot of my car up with all sentimental and important items weeks in advance, except she caught on and took all my baby albums and more to her boyfriend’s house, so I don’t have any baby photos or information on me when I was a baby anymore, like first words, size and just general things I’d have liked to compare to my own kids one day, rip)

Once that was all in my car, I quietly said goodbye to the old family dog and cat (they weren’t mine to take, not that I could’ve anyways, since it was troubling enough taking Buddy, who’s actually my pet and not the family one). That was pretty heartbreaking, as I knew that’d be the last time I’d see them (I grew up with them and was the only one who took care of them — mother neglects kids and pets alike lmao).

Once that was over, I looked around my house with my hand on the front door and was very melancholy, but knew Buddy was right: it had all reached its expiry date.

I left very quietly and drove to McDonalds for a coffee, as I had a long drive ahead (I had organised to be a nanny in this rich family’s house far away in the city — two hours drive). Luckily they were away on their country farm 4 hours away, so I had time to sneak Buddy in.

The nanny thing recently backfired horribly because they discovered Buddy, which led to more AM escapes with my car, but I’m staying with my older brother and his gf for 3 more weeks only. Something I’ve been working towards for months now is moving to a wilderness island to live in my country’s equivalent of Bag End — a beautiful country cottage, amazing job and fantastic study opportunities.

Best feature yet: it’s 60 hours away from my hometown by car, and then you’d have to take a boat for 10 more hours!! They shall never find me hahaha

One of my friends has also told me recently that my mother has started spreading horrible, defamatory rumours about me around town, but I don’t care anymore because I’m almost out.

So, although I can’t offer any practical advice (idk if you’re a minor or not, but regardless it’s great your dad is helping you!) this is the best advice I can offer:

Find a dream and hold onto it, one that doesn’t involve your immediate family. For me it’s moving to that island and enjoying all the fresh air. It’ll push you forwards and remind you of what you’re fighting for when at your lowest.

Remind yourself there will be other people in your life, whether a spouse, friends, children or even a dog! (I’m getting a golden retriever next year 🐾) And then remember that you deserve all of them and the unconditional love they offer you.

Remember that if you don’t want your mother/family screwing those people over by proxy of her/their relationship to you, then there’s no way in hell you alone should put up with it either, as I guarantee those future people only want good things for you ☀️

There is a good life after abuse, I’ve seen it, and I know you can achieve it, too!

Be prepared for tons of backlash and bullshit — it’s inescapable when dealing with people like this, but I recommend educating yourself on narcissistic parents and tactics to deal with them.

Finding a good therapist who deals in PTSD regarding childhood abuse is important, too. I found an amazing one in the town I’m moving to, who had nearly the same upbringing as me!

So while I’m still struggling with a lot of fear (scared my mother will find where I’m working and living one day) and guilt (I feel horrible about leaving the family dog and cat behind, especially when they need veterinary help, only to then go and get myself another puppy) I understand I’ve done the best I can in a very abnormal situation, and that I can only do better from here.

Also, this song has been a saving grace when going all angsty over wanting to leave your current situation:

It’s from my favourite Broadway Musical, “Newsies”, and lemme tell you — discovering this as a 17-year-old when I was just starting to realise the severity of my situation was pure divinity.

Jeremy Jordan, my beloved Broadway Bard <3

When I finally get my cottage, I’m getting a wooden plaque with the name “Santa Fe” engraved on it, and am hanging it on my front door.

I wish you much luck and love, my little anonymous friend! And please know my inbox is open any time you need anything — vent, advice, a laugh or something else, ANYTHING, it feels good to know my past can maybe help someone else’s present ☀️

Please update me, too! I’m following your story along ardently now! (Also, be sure to take your sentimental items and store them somewhere safe away from your mother — ie baby albums, birth certificates, other paraphernalia/memorabilia etc).

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must hit the road. DESTINY AWAITS!

[sparatus]

15 for Areus and Sivia? (probably more in the mandible region) ☺️

YESSSSSS i have so much romantic garbage in my head for them that i just never get around to writing 😭 areus watched his parents being sweet and tender with each other growing up and said sign me the FUCK up

spots to kiss

15. kiss on the jawline mandible

Areus Sparatus was a gentle soul, his mother's little tenderheart, soft-spoken and shy and more interested in whatever was going on in his head than in the world around him. It was what had drawn Sivia to him in the first place: a handsome young drake sitting quietly in the window seat of the lounge on the troop transport both of them happened to be on, legs folded neatly beneath him, headphones on so the lecture he was taking notes on wouldn't disturb anyone while others in their battalion chattered and played video games and shouted at the clawball match on the vidscreen around him. Granted, it had meant it took some actual effort to get him talking to her regularly, and then to even be sure he was interested in her as more than a study buddy, and then... well, every other step in the relationship, at least up until he proposed, that he'd managed to work up the courage to do on his own, she was so proud of him, but it was worth it, in the end.

He was quiet, sure, but she liked quiet. He wanted to be left in peace to read or study or just be by himself, and she could give him that. Sometimes, and more and more frequently as they grew closer, he didn't even mind being in the same room, and they could be by themselves together.

That's what they were doing today, sitting at the kitchen table in companionable silence. Both of his parents, the councilor and his equally-famous reporter wife who had by some miracle liked her despite her being nowhere near anybody special enough to date The Councilor And Miss Epirian From The News's Eldest Child, were at work, leaving the two of them alone to mind the apartment and not do stupid things. She, being the more practical-minded of the two of them, was working on sorting out plans for the wedding, and he was watching a documentary he'd found on Aralakh's solar flares and their impact on Tuchanka, on standby for moral support if she needed it.

Which she did. Very much.

"Unnhhhhhghhhghghghhhhhhh," she groaned, tipping forward and dropping her head onto the table. "It's not too late to elope. We haven't put any non-refundable money down. Let's elope. Can your dad officiate?"

Areus didn't look away from his terminal. Understandable. She'd already made this proposal twice this week. "Not really, no, he can't. We need either recognized clan elders from both sides to give approval, or a judge. Honestly, I'm sure my parsaemat would give her approval if we asked, she loved you. And she'd probably get a kick out of us going 'fuck it' and eloping, it sounds like something she'd do."

Sivia sat up and dragged her hands down her face. "My marsaemat would never allow it," she grumbled. "She's too big on tradition. We'd have to find a judge."

"I mean, my dad's still friends with a bunch of people from when he was a prosecutor, he'd probably give us Glen's number..."

Sivia paused with her claws over her eyes, considering it, then sighed and shook her head. "I can't," she admitted, dropping her hands. "As much of a pain in the ass as it is, I do want to, y'know. Do it the right way. And I think it'd be cool, meshing the two cultures in one ceremony and all."

Areus quirked up a mandible. "You really want that marriage quilt, huh?"

"It looks so fucking warm. Do you know how cold I was with those fucking tissue paper blankets they gave us in mandatory? I would've killed you for those blankets your family sent."

Areus snickered. "Good thing we were sharing, then," he teased, leaning in to press his mouth plates to her mandible. She closed her eyes, savoring the gentle pressure and his scent wreathing around her as his arm wrapped around her shoulders for reassurance. "Come on," he purred, voice soft and quiet like a comforting weight on her cowl. "Let's keep it simple, start with the guest list. Can't get a marriage quilt if the old broodies don't know we're getting married."

[a-very-fond-farewell]

The forbidden crack! Untamed prompts: 25/?

Gaming Chat AU [xuexiao + songxiao = ?]: “Lie to Me”

[tw cyber bullying; tw use of slurs; tw fake suicide mention; there’s a redemption arc, but it starts with 15yo Xue Yang being... well, himself I guess. so be warned.]

[attn!: I don’t know shit about playing games and going to quests with strangers on the internet so bear with me. if you feel inspired by this please, by all means, feel free to use this prompt and write something and then tag me so I can read it and reblog it!]

[enjoy!]

*

It’s been 15 years since that idiotic intern at the school counseling center suggested him to... what did he say? “Channel his anger in something productive”. And then tried to talk Meng Shi into purchasing a fucking computer to let him “get off some steam” by killing fictional people instead of smashing actual valuable objects like, say, the principal’s Mercedes with a stolen golf club, or, the nurse’s desk with a fire extinguisher back in middle school.

Good thing Su She had disappeared under mysterious circumstances after Xue Yang had surreptitiously let the intern’s uni professor know in a detailed email how the aspiring counselor had suggested him (a sweet innocent 15 year old) to use his new computer to watch porn instead of focusing on his studies. Song Lan was much better than him, and bitchier too, which was fine by Xue Yang anyway. Not that he cared.

What good had that stupid glorified television brought him in the end? Most of the computers at school had become intimately familiar with many a malware and virus already with how frequently he used to browse through the deep web. The ones at the local library had let him in on the secrets of 4ch*n since the tender age of 8. Hell, even his pediatrician had made the glorious mistake to leave him alone in her office one merry day of winter when he discovered the wonders of x-rated videos.

But Meng Shi had tried to cheer him up anyway, buying him that stupid thing. Working her ass off at the bar trying to make social services forget she used to be a stripper back in the days. All to provide a place for children in foster care to feel safe, the stupid hag. Xue Yang wasn’t fucking stupid, he knew she was collecting money for every kid ever stepping inside her ratty flat. He knew that she would have never adopted anyone for real because she already had a son and she was working to send him to university anyway.

Yet, she had come home one day with a big smile on her youngish and bland face, hoisting up the heavy computer in a box, and told Xue Yang to share it with his siblings. Yeah, fuck that. That little bitch A-Qing was even worse than him, and she probably used to sell feet-pictures recycled from the internet to disgusting men online. To this day Xue Yang is none the wiser and he doesn’t need to know what that fucking witch had been up to at 14. XuanYu would have used the computer to stream and torrent shit nonstop to sell at school even if he was only, like, 12. Qin Su was 15 like him and she would have been tempted to set up a fucking YT channel and subject him and XuanYu to whatever scientific experiment she would have come up with. And Meng Yao had too much embarrassing blackmail material on Xue Yang already, he didn’t need to have access on his erased search history after digging gods-knows for how long.

Ahah no. No thanks.

But detention got him occupied for so long by cutting library books pages down to papermen without getting bored out of his mind. And he did have his fun that one time when he caught a pervert with a hand down his pants when they chatted on Om*gle after Xue Yang had catfished him good by pretending to be a girl. Got everything on tape and published the whole interaction on the school website for everyone to see. Which had been appropriate at the time, given that the man had been part of the board of directors. Fittingly hilarious too.

Still, boredom loomed over him like a quilt of sadness on summer break and he had been tempted to log in and play games in the end. Nobody wanted him in their stupid ass teams anyway, with him having higher kill counts than them and all, not following tactics and so on. Whatever.

Until one day user shuan_ghua naively trusted Xue Yang when the other assured him that “teabagging“ was just a fancy slang for ordering a cup of jasmine tea. The 17 year old boy named Xiao XingChen had thanked him for teaching something new to him and then proceeded to ask him to join his one-man-party out of fucking nowhere.

Everything changed after that.

[more under the cut. it’s long long tho]

XXC family!:

XXC is 17 at the beginning of the story and he used to live with his mother Baoshan [i know that “Sanren” and “Daoren” are titles, but in absence of a real surname I will use them as such for this prompt. feel free to change that if you take inspiration from this post to write your take on the story] and the rest of their family on a mountain before they moved back to the city in Gusu.

XXC’s mother was barely 20 when she got married the first time and her first son Daoren YanLing was born. two years later her husband died and she travelled a lot afterwards, adopting 4yo CanSe when she was 25. then she married again at 41, had XXC at 44, and then divorced at 48.

CanSe eloped with ChangZe when she was 18 and got WWX at 20, the same year her own mother got married again (at 41).

BaoShan got XXC three years later (at 44).

hence, WWX is 3 whole ass years older than XXC despite being his nephew. both boys find the thing absolutely hilarious.

YanLing and CanSe are only 1 year apart and they still bicker nonstop. both of them went to school with Lan QiRen and his older brother and frequently got in fights back in the days at Gusu.

(if YanLing had a thing for Lan QiRen, well, nobody has to know)

XXC, being the baby of his family, is doted on by YanLing and brought to mischief by CanSe until XXC’s father divorces their mother and they move on the mountain along with ChangZe and 7yo WWX.

up on the mountain BaoShan works as a tour guide and she takes baby XXC and WWX on hikes along with tourists to admire the beauty of the scenery.

XXC’s sight starts deteriorating when he is 12 and WWX is 15. they have been homeschooled until then, so when it gets clear XXC will not improve much so far away from proper healthcare, the whole family moves back to the city in Gusu.

XXC is not comfortable leaving his new home, not with all those new noises and flashing lights. WWX is drawn to them instead, more than happy to enroll in school, where he meets JC and he realizes the boy is the son of CanSe’s middle school boyfriend. WWX declares them to be almost-brothers and is perfectly fine with adopting even JC’s older sister in the family and CanSe can only laugh at that. JC and YanLi visit XXC often as a result and they help him make sense of the new environment without stressing him too much.

YanLing finds a job as a cook in WWX’s school and he is back to making Lan QiRen’s life impossible after learning the man is a teacher there.

LWJ and LXC’s mother is a music teacher there as well and YanLing bonds with her to make Lan QiRen life’s an absolute nightmare.

LWJ and LXC make friends with the mountain gremlins and they are initially horrified by their manners: XXC would pick food from the ground and eat it, it doesn’t have to be his for that to happen to begin with; WWX doesn’t realize he should cut his nails (both for his feet and hands) until he is forced to wear shoes outside and not climb up trees, for he assumed nails simply never grew bc he used them constantly, wearing them down; etc.

LWJ hates himself for falling for WWX but he cannot care less.

LXC notices how lonely XXC feels when wangxian becomes a thing, so he buys him a computer to better gather more information about the world and adjust the settings to maximum accessibility whenever XXC wants to read something.

by the age of 17 XXC is mostly left alone in the house: WWX goes to uni; his mother BaoShan works at a local museum; his brother YanLing is trying to not get fired at his job; and his sister CanSe has started to travel with her husband selling the delicate dizi flutes ChangZe makes as an artisan.

XXC is also on the waiting list for an important eye surgery and he figures he has a couple of years to go before he will either lose his sight or be granted a second chance at life altogether.

XY’s family!:

Meng Shi had Meng Yao at 19 and started stripping the following year in Yunmeng. 

her friend SiSi helped her both financially and emotionally, spending time with A-Yao while she worked at night. after four years she can move out of her flat and finds a job as a bartender downtown. she would have kept her old job, if SiSi hadn’t convinced her to think of A-Yao first, who was painfully shy and didn’t know how to socialize with other kids his age.

at 24 she starts the paperwork to become a foster parent and has to child-proof her entire apartment before the first kid arrives. at 25 she welcomes Qin Su, who is only 5, and initially A-Yao doesn’t want to share his mother with anyone. the situation gets bad to the point social services have to take Qin Su away one year later, because she tried to set A-Yao’s hair on fire in retaliation once, but two years later Meng Shi gets her back.

A-Yao, now 9 years old, has thought about it and reasoned that having a sister wasn’t so bad after all. Qin Su is only one year younger than him and she will not take up much space, right? wrong. but they bond over their shared nerdiness and while A-Su likes to blow things up, A-Yao helps his mother with taxes every year.

at 29 Meng Shi takes in XuanYu, who is not an orphan like A-Su, and still misses his birth mother fiercely. she had to give him up for adoption when he was 3, because she had been only 15 when XuanYu was born and her family threatened to disown her. 

being profoundly deaf on top of that, no foster home wanted to have him and he was kept in the system for three years after his mother had to let him go. the woman had tried to be present for him while he waited for a family to pick him, teaching him sign language and reading lips, but she had been forced to eventually let go.

XuanYu arrives at Meng Shi’s when he’s 6. A-Yao (10yo) and A-Su (9yo) try their best to involve their new brother, but they don’t know how to communicate with him. SiSi takes the children to sign language classes at the community center after school and XuanYu warms up to them. he teaches Meng Shi what they learned the previous day every morning, before going to school. teachers don’t really pay attention to him, but he manages by reading lips when people face him properly, which is a rare occurrence, but he tries his best.

when A-Yao and A-Su realizes A-Yu is being bullied, they start to get nasty, setting backpacks on fire and terrorizing the other children at school. even when they move to middle school one after the other nobody picks on A-Yu, fearing what his siblings could do.

XY arrives at Meng Shi’s when she is 32 (A-Yu is 9, A-Su is 12, A-Yao is 13) and XY is 12. A-Su initially gets jealous bc they are the same age, but XY doesn’t talk to anyone for a year and ignores her attempts to rile him up. Meng Shi had been warned about him: his father had killed his mother and then failed to kill himself afterwards... and XY still believed the man was out there, looking for him to finish the job. XY had lived on the street for years before social services could find him, but he had felt trapped like a dog, not wanting to be touched, frequently running away.

XY doesn’t remember much of his life before entering foster care. he only knows everything is a bother, that his nightmares give him constant migraines, and that he doesn’t care how he lost one of his fingers. but anyone who makes fun of him for that gets kicked, that’s for sure.

it’s only when A-Qing (12) comes one year after XY’s arrival that things get a bit better... so to speak. 

she is even less well behaved than him, thrashing around at night, screaming at the top of her lungs, saying that she doesn’t want to be there. that she’s better than the rest of them combined. 

her anger issues trigger something in XY and the two of them get into fights with each other constantly.

A-Yao (14) and A-Su (13), reminiscing of the 2 years they spent apart because they couldn’t stop hitting each other up, take the issue seriously and convince Meng Shi to ask for help. SiSi is the one taking A-Qing and XY to therapy two times a week and they are followed through by professionals who know how to tackle their issues, an elderly woman who goes by the name of Lan Yi (LWJ and LXC’s paternal grandma) and her assistant Wen Qing, an intern working there for uni credits.

one year later XY is 14 and A-Qing is 13 and they... don’t really love each other, but at least they can talk to one another without trying to kill anyone in the process. they spend a lot of time with A-Yu (11) and learn sign language to keep him entertained.

by the age of 35, Meng Shi has 5 kids and can barely afford food for herself but she is happy like never before. A-Yao (16) is already considered smart enough to attend advanced math classes in high school. A-Su (15) has won a science competition sponsored by city hall. A-Yang (15) is trying to work on his anger issues with video games, making friends online. A-Qing (14) doesn’t let anyone make fun of her for her dyslexia, asking adults and classmates to take her issue seriously for once. And A-Yu (12) wants to learn how to sign in different languages to maybe travel the world one day.

Meng Shi is very happy indeed.

now, the plot: (tw fake suicide mention; tw use of homophobic slurs)

XY (15) and XXC (17) meet online every night before bed, playing video games together. XY made a mistake first time they chatted, saying he was 17 instead of 15 bc he didn’t want the other to look down on him.

XXC trusts him a little too much and doesn’t question if his new friend is lying to him or not. he’s the funnies person he has ever met, after all.

WWX (20) notices something is wrong by the way XXC starts speaking around others, using inappropriate language when he has never been anything but polite and gentle. even if, technically, XXC is WWX’s uncle, the latter sees the other more like a cousin than anything else given that he’s older. so he takes the matter in his own hands and one day asks him to let him play games with him.

XY doesn’t like his only friend not telling him someone else would have joined their party, and initially he covers XXC in insults and threatens to leave. but then WWX is really good at killing fictional people and XY reconsiders. he makes fun of WWX for being the older one AND the other’s nephew at the same time, but aside from that he doesn’t try to run away like a caged animal anymore.

WWX trust XXC when the younger says XY is 17 like him, but he still supervisions most of their sessions just to be sure XY cannot teach too many horrible things to XXC. WWX wants XXC to make more friends and maybe one day leave the house to attend university if the other will feel inclined to do so, but he doesn’t pressure him.

in the meantime, XY changes counselor at school and it is Song Lan (23) who tries to make a better human out of him. SL is deaf and occasionally uses cochlear implants to hear, but only because his family made the choice for him to have surgery when he was only a child. he can speak if he feels like it at times (not frequently, he’s very adamant about reminding others he doesn’t owe them anything. he’s also trying to make a change at the school where he works by organizing classes on Deaf culture and sign language for the students to take as an elective)

XY already knew of SL thanks to XuanYu, bc A-Yu had seen the counselor at the community center where SiSi usually takes the kids to for sign language classes. counseling at school doesn’t really happen one-on-one, detention kids being too many to follow one at a time and all, but when SL comes by to chat with them he’s always funny as fuck and XY (who will never admit it) feels good about being the only one in class able to understand SL only through sign language.

SL forces himself to talk to the kids and read their lips only bc... well, they’re young and did nothing wrong to him. he occasionally asks XY to help him translate, but aside from that there are really too many kids to look after and he doesn’t treat XY differently from the others, nor he notices him much.

two years pass and XXC (19) announces to XY (17) that wangxian (22) is having their wedding. since XY has learned all about their family, he asks XXC if it’s a common thing to get married super young in their household and XXC laughs... but it’s a sad and brittle thing and XY gets a bit worried.

XXC reveals then that soon after the wedding he will have a surgery to (hopefully) fix his sight and he’s very anxious. he timidly asks XY if he wants to go to the wedding with him, because he would like to see his face at least once before the surgery.

XY panics: he knew XXC’s eyesight was bad, but he never knew to what extent exactly; he’s not really of age yet, so he cannot move on the other side of the country just to attend a wedding; he has never talked specifically about XXC with his family and Meng Shi is working a lot and A-Yu should get his hearing aids soon and A-Qing needs help for her finals and... and...

...and he’s not ready to meet XXC.

XY lied to him and told him they’re the same age. he had never told XXC his name, even if the other had revealed his own, always going by his username jiang_zai. he called him and chatted with him and made fun of his own family and the other had been nothing but kind and amazing and... and... and XY realizes he’s been in love for a while and he abhors the idea to the point where he openly laughs at XXC and calls him a sap.

XXC notices the change in his tone immediately and wonders if he’s overstepped, if he’s asked too much by inviting the other over to celebrate with the rest of the family. XXC apologizes to XY and begs him to not step away like he usually does when he feels cornered.

XY feels absolutely cornered and attacks XXC by asking him why he’s so keen on asking him out (“are you a f*g or something?” etc.). the other doesn’t even know what that means but hearing XY so scared hurts, bc he doesn’t want to make the other uncomfortable in any way.

XXC does like XY romantically, but would never dream to say anything and hinder their friendship. yet, it hurts more to hear his only friend so afraid and angry. he apologizes profusely and promises him not to bring the subject back.

after that, XY doesn’t log in much, avoiding XXC. A-Yao (18) notices he’s sullen and tries to spend more time with him, but the younger doesn’t budge and talks less and less. even SL (25) sees XY less and less, but he doesn’t thinks the younger one is actually skipping classes or anything.

but XY is, in fact, skipping school and Meng Shi covers for him saying he doesn’t feel well enough to go to class. she knows something’s up and she also understands the need to have days off in order to take care of yourself when everything goes to shit.

wangxian wedding happens and XXC is both happy and sad. they made him the official photographer of the day, which is both sweet and incredibly hurtful, because he’s the one taking all those beautiful pictures... and maybe he will never be able to look at them ever again after the surgery. WWX and LWJ already had to organize the wedding earlier than what they originally planned to accommodate XXC and the date of the surgery. XXC feels bad but he’s very happy for them.

YanLing and CanSe worry about him and they ask their mother to help them figure out what’s going on. BaoShan agrees with WWX that XXC had a fight with a friend, alright, but that cannot be all, surely...

it’s the week before XXC’s hospitalization and WWX takes the issue in his hands. logs in pretending to be XXC and plays until he takes XY’s place in the rankings of his and XXC’s favorite game.

XY receives notifications about it and initially fumes at the idea of being outranked, but then he understands what XXC is trying to do and doesn’t know how to react.

he does something horrible instead.

WWX waits to be contacted by this jiang_zai boy who broke XXC’s heart, but when it finally happens... it’s not the familiar, high-pitched voice he expects to hear in the chat. it’s a girl (A-Qing), who tells him her brother had died and that he won’t be playing games anymore. she sounds too serious to be joking and WWX tries to ask more about it... but she just tells him her brother killed himself before ending the call.

WWX doesn’t have the heart to tell this to XXC, not before the surgery and not until he has properly recovered (one year later).

XXC had wondered about XY in silence, not trusting himself to reveal all about his crush to his family, worrying about making the other boy uncomfortable. 

XXC misses XY, but he is patient. he can wait.

A-Qing had agreed to lie for XY only because he lied to her first: he told her a creep on the internet had tried to meet with him and he needed a way out; outraged, A-Qing had helped him without a second thought and answered the chat in his place. 

this spurs her to take more seriously what she and her siblings had been doing on the Internet and reconsiders some of the things she herself posted in the past. she will take this topic so much at heart that she will pursue an academic career to become a social worker.

XXC’s surgery goes well, but he still loses his sight after a while. WWX ends up telling him what happened to his online friend and XXC is so heartbroken he doesn’t even blame WWX for keeping the secret from him for so long. 

after some time BaoShan makes sure he goes to therapy and takes better care of him, helping him figure out what to do. she fears people will look down on XXC and, as a blind person, he will probably be hindered by the system to pursue a career, so she retires from her job at the museum and focuses all of her attention on him.

XXC feels guilty for XY’s passing, but he doesn’t think the other had been triggered to commit suicide bc of him: XXC simply fears XY had hid a different type of sorrow from him; a pain so deep that XXC had failed to see while they were playing silly games. so, three years after the surgery, when he’s 21, he enrolls in uni to study psychology to help kids who are struggling to ask for help.

15 years after XXC and XY had met online:

XY is 30 and a professional carer. he studied to become a nurse, of all things, after what happened. he got a lot of time to think about the horrible thing he had done to XXC and considered helpings others to atone for that.

he is the first to say such a choice was very out of character for him, and even if he has to bite his tongues at times he doesn’t mind his job: it keeps him occupied and exhausts him well enough... but after working in the hospital for 5 or so years he decides to become a carer and trains to help disabled people in particular in his late twenties.

A-Su (30) has become a chemical engineer and married a man working as a lawyer (who happens to be LXC), while A-Yao (31) ends up moving in with his best friend (NMJ). A-Qin (29) doesn’t find romance interesting enough to give up on her career as a social worker, so she doesn’t really move out of Meng Shi’s old flat and everyone is fine with that. A-Yu (27) has graduated from uni and travels the world as an interpreter. Meng Shi and SiSi have lived together since the first has adopted all the kids and they opened a B&B near the seaside. they are wives and very in love.

XY lives with A-Qing in Yunmeng until his late 20s and they fight a lot for stupid things (like when A-Qing makes fun of the boring people her brother hooks up with on the regular, or when XY tries to coerce her to do the fucking laundry by tickling her into a pulp of pain and tears), but otherwise they work well together.

A-Qing is working at the community center as a social worker to help the kids find purpose in life and use the internet safely. she still believes a creep had tried to mess with her brother and doesn’t want anything to happen to the kids under her care. XY knows this, but never got around to tell her the truth, believing it would have been pointless to reveal her how everything she knew had been a lie. even her own purpose on top of that.

A-Su’s husband (LXC) rarely got to speak with XY in person, the latter busy with his job as a nurse most of the time, but during a dinner party LXC has to suddenly leave because of an emergency: his brother-in-law had been brought to the hospital after a car crash and lost the use for both of his legs.

one year later, XY (29) coincidentally becomes WWX’s personal carer and decides to move closer to the man’s house in Yiling since it would be troublesome to help him as efficiently otherwise. XY does not recognize WWX (34) from his voice or name (he did play games with him in the past, sure, but he knew him as XXC’s nephew by the name of Wei WuXian, not Wei Ying, which is the name LWJ uses around him) and helps him around the house and out of it.

WWX’s husband (LWJ) is frequently out of the house to work as a lawyer like his older brother and entrusts WWX to XY, even if begrudgingly so. 

WWX pretends to be fine, but he has a tendency to try to sneak out and walk on crutches without anyone noticing, so LWJ has asked for a carer to come to their house every day. XY doesn’t have to bite his tongue as much around WWX, their interactions easy enough for the both of them to work together despite bickering about the stupidest things.

XY discovers WWX is friends with Wen Qing (37) (the same intern who helped the psychologist take care of XY and A-Qing while they sorted their shit out in the past). 

he meets her and learns from her how WWX’s family had moved in Yiling to help him recover after the crash. her brother Wen Ning is the physiotherapist helping WWX regain control of his legs, but there are basically no chances for him to go back to be a professional athlete even if he were to walk once more.

this new information spurs XY to force WWX to rest more and take his situation more seriously. they work together to find possible solutions and WWX decides that he would much rather have his legs cut off from the knee down that suffer through the pain of having multiple fractures splitting him apart day after day. the surgeons had done their best to save his legs, but the fractures had compromised his nerves maybe forever and the pain is now unbearable.

LWJ trusts his husband but he’s weary at the idea of having him evaluated for amputation. XY refuses to feel responsible for the tension in the house, since this is clearly what WWX wants. XY knows WWX is secretly considering running again on prosthetic legs in the future, but he doesn’t want to anger LWJ more by mentioning it. it’s too soon to know anyway, and who is he to tamper down what little hope WWX has managed to harbor for himself after an entire year drowning in grief?

one year later WWX (35) gets permission from his physician to get prosthetic legs fitted for his needs and he couldn’t be happier. his family visit him more frequently now to congratulate him, even his grandmother who has descended from the mountain where she retired to in order to celebrate him.

XY (30) has already met WWX’s parents and his oldest uncle, but he never suspected them to be related to XXC, because he had never knew them by name. 

yet, one day Song Lan (38) comes in with a huge backpack on his shoulders and recognizes XY immediately. XY doesn’t know why his old counselor is there: he knew WWX’s other uncle was coming over, but he never imagined it was SL they were talking about. 

SL is beaming at him, signing he met XY’s bother A-Yu during one of his travels as a tour guide and that they kept in touch. SL has come to know XY is the reason behind WWX’s recovery and he tells the younger man that everyone in their family is happy XY has appeared in their life.

XY doesn’t have time to answer, overwhelmed with this sense of belonging, this sense of being finally, finally accepted somewhere outside of his own family... that someone else enters the house with a backpack on his shoulders.

XY doesn’t know the man and SL enthusiastically guides him over to meet the newcomer. XY is surprised to hear SL speak out instead of using sign language as the older man asks “A-Chen” to come meet “his nephew’s savior”. based on the pronouns SL has just used, XY recognizes the newcomer to be WWX’s actual uncle and he smiles at the beautiful man in front of him...

...only to be filled with horror the minute the other speaks.

XXC (32) greets XY without knowing who he really is, smiling at him without even recognizing the younger man’s voice. the two of them had never seen each other, playing games only through chats and calls... but XY recognizes XXC immediately, aware that his own voice has changed drastically over the years.

XY is still transfixed and petrified when XXC asks him if it would be okay for him to touch his face to have a better idea of who he’s interacting with. XY doesn’t even register himself voicing his consent when he feels XXC’s hands on his face. only then he understands the infamous surgery had failed and that XXC did not regain his sight after his nephew’s wedding.

overwhelmed with grief, guilt and longing for what never was and never could be, XY is unaware of the tears rolling down his cheeks as XXC gently trails his features. XXC apologizes when he feels his palms dampening and he asks XY if he overstepped. next to them SL is distressed, not understanding what’s happening in front of him.

XY shakes his head and simply says... that he lost someone and that XXC reminded him of that person. then he excuses himself looking for WWX, to ask him to give him something... anything to do. he gets himself a task to accomplish and leaves the house brimming with relatives that he will never be able to call his own.

1 year later:

XXC and SL do not leave the city as they originally planned. they have travelled long enough for the time being and they decide to get a house close to WWX and his husband. they spend the following year after their return looking for stability and peace.

XY (31) didn’t stop working for WWX (36) and doesn’t plan to. not now that he got his new legs finally fitted. the recovery takes long, but it’s already been two years since the amputation now and WWX tries his best every day. he believes to be a handful and doesn’t dare ask for things he needs after receiving the prosthetics. XY is there to loudly remind him to stop being an idiot and that he is paying XY to boss him around however the fuck he wants. LWJ is very grateful to hear WWX laugh more and more these days thanks to XY.

XXC (33), however, is frequently around his nephew’s house, keeping him company. before his three-or-so years of traveling with his boyfriend SL, XXC has briefly worked as a psychologist with Wen Qing, of all people and the two of them have applied for a position at the community center in Yunmeng at the same time. there isn’t one available in Yiling and the commute shouldn’t be too bad. during that first year after his return, XXC has met A-Qing multiple times to inquire for a place at the center in Yunmeng and they are quickly becoming more involved with each other because of their shared passion for the job.

XY feels the end nearing, time ticking away. it had been an agonizing, brilliant, terrible year the one he had spent so close to XXC... and it is now coming to an end. knowing that A-Qing will eventually tell XXC how and why she became a social worker, spilling everything about how “her pitiful bastard of a brother had been molested by a pervert online” and so on. he only hopes A-Qing will never get to meet WWX... she would absolutely recognize the other man’s voice and accuse him of being the pervert in question and XY... XY will die.

XY feels trapped and he will most certainly have a stroke the moment XXC will realize that he lied to him, that he is still alive, that his reason to become a psychologist to help troubled kids was not a real thing... XY will die and Meng Shi will cry.

only because he lied about being 17 when he was 15 one day of 16 years ago.

XY disappears the same night XXC tells him he invited A-Qing over. SL (39) is overjoyed at the idea of meeting the girl once more after the time she and her step-siblings used to go to sign language classes at the community center in Yunmeng. WWX is interested as well, having heard all about A-Qing from XY along the years.

but XY disappears anyway.

2 years later:

it’s XuanYu (30) who finds him, but doesn’t ask him to go back home. A-Yu takes XY (33) with him in his travels for some months to hide him. he doesn’t ask him what he did in those two years, but he does force him to call Meng Shi and SiSi at least.

XY complies but still feels empty inside. the single year he had spent with XXC while the other visited WWX will be permanently engraved in his memories and he cannot stop thinking about it. about how gentle XXC had always been with him, how sad he had looked and sounded reminiscing an “old online friend who had died many years back”, how generous he had always been towards him and everyone and... and XY cannot do this anymore.

A-Yu may be younger than him, but he protects him well for those months... waiting for XY to tell him the truth. so one winters night finally XY does, starting from the beginning.

the following week, close to New Years, XY realizes A-Yu had betrayed him.

someone rings the bell of their shared apartment and A-Yu asks him to go open the door. XY does and it’s A-Qing (32) and WWX (38) who greet him with tears in their eyes. A-Qing tackles him on the ground and tries to hit him they way they used to do as kids, fists getting the point across faster than any word ever could, but WWX pries them apart and hugs them instead.

somehow, XY had not been notified of having acquired a new sibling, but WWX clearly considers him a brother of sorts and he had missed him greatly. A-Qing explains that A-Yu had sent her an email with XY’s version of the truth, sure... but she also tells him that she and WWX had solved the mystery soon after XY’s disappearance already, after talking extensively on the matter.

A-Qing had recognized WWX as the person she had talked to in chat all those years ago, that is true, but she also realized WWX was not, in fact, a bad person and that something didn’t add. when she understood who XY’s online friend actually was... she had felt sick to her stomach for having let someone as kind as XXC presume XY had killed himself bc of him.

hurt and confused, XXC’s family and even A-Qing’s one had initially blamed XY for the pain he had caused, the lot of them filled with anger and grief. especially BaoShan, who had felt guilty for not supervising and protecting her younger son better when he was still too naive to understand the ways of the world.

but then, seeing XY was not coming back, Meng Shi and SiSi insisted for XXC’s family to help them with the search instead. after two years the lot of them missed him. yes, even those who still berated him for his poor choices in life.

XXC now knows the truth and only wants XY to come back home.

some days later:

XXC opens the door after hearing the bell and he knows, he knows who the person in front of him is. he already had his suspicions back when he used to visit WWX every day two years back. WWX’s carer reminded him so much of his friend that... that he may have hoped.

but now XY is back and he has a name and a face and is alive and XXC greets him with a smile as the other hugs him and never lets go.

XY has never been happier in his entire, miserable life.

and XXC will never lose sight of him ever again.

the end.

[now imma go weep for fucking ages. also fuck typos.]

[jinkisbelly]

Simple Request  5/?

Warnings: mpreg

Pairing: Jongyu

Rating: pg

w/c:3.5k First part [x], Second Part [x], Third Part [x] Fourth Part [x], Can read on AFF [x] Ao3 [x]

Summary: The Fae King is under a lot of pressure to conceive an heir, while given a deadline by the Council he turns to his personal guard and best friend to help him with it 

         “Is the tea alright?” Jinki quietly asked as he placed the pot back onto the table. His hair was gathered over his left shoulder, falling a bit into his face as he smiled.

          Jonghyun sipped at the tea once more, humming as the warm sweetness rolled over his senses. “It’s just fine, thank you.”

          Jinki’s small spoon was gently tapped against the rim of his cup as he settled in his seat behind him. “And you’re feeling better?”

          “Much.”

          As he added more honey to his drink and stirred it, Jinki squinted as he looked at him. “Are you lying to me?”

          “And if I was?”

          “Jonghyunie.”

          With a sigh, his cup was placed on the table before him, eyes fluttering a little before they focused on Jinki. “I’m tired. I feel mentally exhausted. I feel like I’m in some fog and can’t really make out what is happening around me. And other than you ordering me to sleep more and take it easy, there isn’t much you can do for me Jinki.”

          “How long have you felt like this?” When Jonghyun’s eyes lowered, Jinki leaned forward, voice rising in volume and losing a bit of the softness. “How long, Jonghyun?”

          “A few weeks? Since the miscarriage, maybe before.” He fidgeted with the carving in the wood around the rim of the table. His head snapped up when Jinki’s chair screeched across the floor as he stood up quickly. He downed his tea before holding his hand down. “What in the world are you doing?”

          “You’re spending the night with me at the temple.”

          “And why is that? We can’t have sex here?”

          Jinki’s cheeks were slightly pink as he explained, “That’s not what I meant. I meant actually sleeping. I can help you with that.”

          Jonghyun pressed his lips together before taking Jinki’s hand and letting him lead him out of the room, their hands falling apart as they stepped from the main chamber door.

-----

          The sound of Jonghyun stepping into the steaming bath was masked slightly by the sound of his voice. “I really should look into getting a bath in my room like this.”  

          Jinki smiled as he gathered the few tonics and essential oils from his shelves. He walked over toward the bath and knelt carefully on the edge. As he began to drop each of the liquids into the water, he spoke, “I don’t think the servants will appreciate all that requires.”

          “It would lessen the dangers of walking to the springs,” Jonghyun commented as he lowered until his head was against the folded towel on the edge. He smiled over the rippling surface of the water. “I feel better already.”

          “That’s very nice to hear.” Jinki dipped his hand into the water, warm light flashing from his palm and spreading through the water. He smiled softly, before standing, “Relax. There’s a change of clothes just over there and I’ll be in the next room if you need me.”

          “Thank you.”

          Jinki grinned, “We’ll see if you’re still saying such a thing when you feel the differences in our mattresses.”

------

          He sipped at his cup of tea before gently placing it back on the table to the right of him, flipping the page of the book in his lap by a slight flick of his finger. The fire crackled softly in front of him, casting a warm glow over him.

          Jonghyun quietly padded in, dry and comfortable in the clothes that Jinki had laid out for him. He paused just inside the doorway, taking a moment to look at Jinki closely. His hair was up in a messy bun, strands falling around his face as he leaned on his left hand to read. He had a soft, almost content, smile on his face, just a little upturn of the corners of his mouth. He looked beautiful and serene in the calm of the room.

          It was then Jinki’s gaze lifted and the smile grew, “You’re very bright, Jonghyun. I should have noticed the difference.”

          “It has been quite a few interesting months, Jinki.” He walked closer to the man, and the fire, to be seen more. “I don’t fault you for not noticing something I was trying to hide from you.”

          Jinki shifted, the book in his lap falling close as he brought his legs out in front of him instead of bent to the side of him. He patted the bit of chair beside him with his palm, smiling. “Come sit. Remember, it’s a little chilly in here if you wander too far from the fire.”

          As he climbed over the arm of the chair and shifted to get comfortable, he grumbled, “I thought you were going to get the heat through here too.”

          “The people healing here deserve more comfort than I.” Jinki laughed quietly as Jonghyun’s face scrunched with his massive yawn. He lifted his arm up, “Here, try to sleep a little. I have a few reports to go over, and I can help you get some rest.”

          Jonghyun had learned a long time ago that most of the time, it was pointless to argue with Jinki, especially when it came to his health. So, he shimmed until his head was resting against Jinki’s chest. He closed his eyes as he felt the arm fall softly against him. “You’ll wake me when you’re ready to go to bed?”

          “Yes. Rest well.” Jinki’s right hand came over to gently rest on his forehead before he lulled Jonghyun to sleep. Once he was sure he was asleep, he pressed a kiss to his hair. Then, he grabbed the first report from the top of the stack on the table behind his cup of tea. He was careful not to jostle Jonghyun too much as he let it fall open. He was confident his magic would keep him asleep for a while more, but he also didn’t want to risk it. The last couple of months had been horrible and draining for him, and Jinki knew he needed all the uninterrupted sleep he could get.

------

          As he woke up, Jonghyun was half expecting to hear Jinki’s voice or to feel him trying to jostle him awake. When neither of those things happened and there was a stillness around him, his eyes snapped open. Dazed, he recognized he was in Jinki’s bedroom at the Temple of Light. Glancing to his left he saw Jinki’s bare back as he laid on his stomach and sprawled out, sleeping. Jonghyun panicked a little when Jinki began to move, but when he relaxed again after turning over, he felt more at ease.

          Now being able to see his face, Jonghyun slowly moved closer. He moved the bits of hair that had fallen into his face with his fingertips, smiling at the red marks of the pillowcase pressed into his cheeks. Jonghyun felt more rested than he had in a while, and he was somewhere between being angry at Jinki for not waking him up to move to the bed, and finding the fact he was carried to bed and kept asleep awfully sweet of the man.

          There was another emotion he couldn’t fully place. It was warm, and almost comforting, reminding him a lot of love. Except, he only felt it when Jinki was concerned and he couldn’t love him in any way other than his friend... His only real friend. He withdrew his hand, turning onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He didn’t love Jinki. He wasn’t falling in love with him. That would surely complicate things. Greatly.

          He turned over completely, away from Jinki, and mapped out the pattern of the quilt over him with his finger. He was a little hungry, but even with how many times he had been in the Temple for official and unofficial business, he couldn’t quite remember where he would acquire food. Besides, he wasn’t sure if Jinki wished the inhabitants of the Temple to know he was here...sleeping in his bed. That would surely start some nasty rumors.

-----

          By the way the sunlight was falling through the windows high up on the wall, about an hour had passed before he felt telltale movement behind him. He tried to ignore the way the deep, gravely sound of Jinki’s voice makes his toes curl slightly. “Jonghyun? Are you awake?”

          He hummed, twisting a little to look at him. Regretting it almost immediately with the way Jinki softly smiled at him, eyes still a little closed with sleep. “I have for a little bit. I didn’t remember where food was.”

          Jinki chuckled quietly before sitting up, lifting his arms above his head as he stretched. “I’ll send for something.”

          “I can’t stay very long. I have a meeting with the West Mountain Fairies today.”

          Jinki swung himself out of bed after tossing the blanket from over him. He went to the glass, wide bowl full of water on the table along the far wall to wet his face. As he patted himself dry he gave a soft smile. “Not anymore you don’t.”

          “Excuse me?”

          “I took the liberty as your healer to cancel it.” Jinki avoided his gaze, scratching the back of his neck. “For your health, you see.”

          “For my health, huh?”

          “Yes.” Jinki finally looked over at him, bottom lip sucked between his teeth for a moment. “I rescheduled it for the same time two days from now. They were very happy to grant my request with how I saved their kingdom from being overrun by that mudslide.”

          “Ah,” Jonghyun sighed deeply before leaning back against his pillow. “Well, since I am without commitments today now, what does my all-knowing healer suggest for me to do?”

          “Eat breakfast with him and stay here in the temple for a little while longer.”

          Relenting, Jonghyun got dressed in some provided clothes and waited for breakfast to be brought up. Breakfast was a small selection of fruit and a few cooked eggs. One it was cleaned up he went and searched Jinki’s personal library adjacent to his room. Most of them were old scrolls on ways of healing and the anatomy of various species of people, but others were about cultures of each. He wondered momentarily if Jinki had read them all. Through the large door opening, he could see Jinki sitting in front of Saferus, forehead against the giant dragon’s snout. He closed the book he was reading and walked over to lean on the doorframe.

          The bond between Jinki and Saferus was strong, intertwined into their very being. Jinki had once tried to explain how such a bond felt to him, but Jonghyun knew the words would never serve the bond justice. If he tried hard enough, he could remember when he had heard the news of a new Protector being chosen, found, and how odd of a fashion the choosing had occurred.

----

Elven Kingdom, 237 years ago.

          Master Wixu had arrived a fortnight ago, and it had been even longer since the children had begun to line up outside the courtyard for the choosing ceremony. Jinki had never witnessed a choosing ceremony for the next Protector of the Light, but he had read the stories, heard wise tales from his caretakers, about how sacred being chose was. How the current Protector carried a single chosen Dragon’s egg to each part of the adjoined Kingdoms, having each child within a certain age touch it to see if it cracked. He wasn’t sure of how much of the tales were the truth, but as he watched each child step up to touch the egg, he leaned forward in his seat.

          He knew it was bad form for the heir to the mantel of their Kingdom, but he couldn’t participate even though he was in the right age. He wasn’t qualified because he was the only heir of the Elven people. He could almost feel his mother’s eyes boring into the side of his face, but he was transfixed. History was happening right before him, and even at eight years of age, he understood the gravity of being able to witness this.

          He heard the crack of the egg in the complete silence of the room and the gasps following. His eyes widened, a smile appearing on his face as he inched to the edge of his smaller throne, wanting to see the dragon as it hatched. Standing before Master Wixu and the egg was a young girl, still older than him by a few years at least. Then the small wail was heard. Jinki saw the expression of confusion on Master Wixu’s face, but he couldn’t understand why. Not until he saw the small dark dragon jump from the eggshell and on slightly shaky steps, lobber over to him. The dragon whelp sat right in front of his feet, big eyes looking up at him.

          Jinki couldn’t breathe, his heart rate spiking as he reached down completely out of impulse. The dragon climbed from his hands up his arms to wrap around his neck, poking his head out from his hair that was down to his shoulders. He reached up hesitantly to run his fingers on the small snout, smiling a little as the dragon’s eyes closed. Master Wixu’s voice startled him, his head whipping up so quickly his vision blurred. “I have never known a connection to be as strong as this, for a dragon to hatch from across the room for anyone Young One.”

          “But I can’t be the Protector.”

          “It seems,” Master Wixu took a glance over to his parents, before kneeling before him, smiling. He lifted his hand up to scratch under the dragon whelp’s chin. “That destiny has other plans for you.”

----

          He hadn’t believed Master Wixu when he returned to the Capital and told his father. Jinki hadn’t returned with him then. He had needed time to figure out if he wished to accept the position, the role and direction in his life he never thought he would have a choice for. Watching them now, Jonghyun knew he had been wrong to not believe the man. Sometimes he could catch himself thinking about how different everything would have been if Jinki hadn’t accepted his destiny, if he had stayed and become the leader of his people he had been born and raised to be. The war might have never happened, or he could have had to fight against him. The idea of not having Jinki in his life as he had, made a lump form in his throat and a dark cloud to form over his mood.

          Jinki’s attention turned to him then as he shifted to look at him. There was a smile on his face as the one eye Jonghyun could see of Saferus landed on him as well. He could tell Jinki was saying something to the dragon, but what would always be lost to him. As Jinki laid his palm on Saferus’ snout and pushed off the ground to walk towards him, Jonghyun straightened. He gestured toward the dragon gently. “Should I be worried about you two talking about me?”

          “If so, you’d be worried far greater than if you didn’t care.” Jinki quietly replied as he walked past him.

          “Are you saying you talk about me a lot?!”

          “Possibly.” Jinki laughed, eyes crinkling as he looked over his shoulder. “Come. If I don’t return you to the palace in time for grievances, Lord Donghae will certainly get his knickers in a twist.”

----

          When the last citizen was led out, their problem addressed and a solution had been put into motion, he left through the right door toward his office on the other side of the castle. He had Jinki lock the door. When he returned, Jonghyun was nibbling on a cracker and gazing at him softly. “You know, we never did finish our talk.”

          “Our talk?”

          “Yes, the sentimental one when we were in precarious positions.”

          “Ah yes, that one.” The deep rouge of Jinki’s cheeks told him the man did indeed recall. He cleared his throat before flashing a small smile. “What about it did you want to finish?”

          “I feel as if my actions that led to us having sex like that were misunderstood. I don’t wish you to feel like I’m.. or that I did, use you. I know I am by definition using you to father my child, but you’re important to me. You bring me familiarity and comfort, and that’s what I needed then. To feel something good to take the doubt and self-criticism out of my mind.” Jonghyun didn’t take his eyes off of Jinki as he continued. “You’ve gone far beyond what could be expected of you in this. You’ve thought about my wellbeing and haven’t been afraid to make me think about that too. What I am trying to say Jinki, is thank you. I am quite sure I would have never been able to do this without you. Whenever the Gods decide to grace us with a child, they’ll be blessed to have you.”

          “Jonghyun.. I-”

          He smiled sweetly as he stepped up to him, clasping his hand for a moment with a firm squeeze. “You don’t have to say anything as long as you understand what I said.” When Jinki took a deep breath and nodded, the smile on Jonghyun’s face widened. “Good.”

------

          Jinki had to admit, that he hated Council meetings more than probably anyone else that was required to attend them. Even more so for the sheer fact, he had to stand on the grass below the large dome and wait for Jonghyun to finish talking with the Fairy’s representatives that always had to discuss something with him. This meeting had been long for the accusations against the Dwarves had been tried and found to be true. He leaned against the wall and looked around the dome, looking for any sort of threats. He didn’t feel anything, and he doubted anyone that would want Jonghyun harmed would have the courage to do so in such a place. Still, he didn’t relax. He once told Jonghyun he would figure out fifty ways of getting out of every location they went to, and he hadn’t been exaggerating in the least bit.

          He was looking at the south lower floor entrance when he felt the flutter in Jonghyun’s magic. Quickly, he glanced up and his heart was in his throat as he watched Jonghyun fighting to say up until his eyes closed and his wings stopped fluttering. Jinki was pushing off the ground so hard there was an indentation in the grass where his feet had been. For once in his life, he cursed himself for not having wings of his own. He quickly looked around the ground, for something, anything to propel him high enough to stop Jonghyun’s descent.

          There was a large rock a few paces from him and with graceful movements, he pushed from it, landing against the large tree that held Jonghyun’s platform during council meetings. He curled his left arm around one of the branches, feet flat against the trunk as he waited. He pushed off just in time to catch Jonghyun. He rolled them so he took the blunt force of the ground as they landed, dirt and grass billowing around them. He groaned as the pain set in, he knew he was the least, bruised and worse something was broken, but all he could think about was Jonghyun.

          He gritted his teeth as he shifted onto his knees, holding Jonghyun in his arms. He touched his face, trying to figure out what happened. He hadn’t been attacked, there were no wounds on him, but his magic presence was weak and dancing as if fluttering away. When the other fairies finally made it down to the ground, Jinki glared at them. “Thank you so much for reacting to your King falling a few hundred feet.”

          “We should bring him to the Castle, the healers will figure out what’s wrong with him.”

          Jinki knew that to be Ryeowook, the head Councillor for the fairies. He quickly gathered Jonghyun into his arms, careful of his wings, and stood. He ignored the throbbing pain in his back for the moment and focused on the gathered Councillors. “He will not. He’s coming with me.”

          “I must forbid that.”

          “And why is that?”

          “Well,” He gestured at the length of him and Jinki growled deep in his throat at the meaning.

          “I am the Protector of Light, the best healer in all parts of this Kingdom. I trained your fairy healers." His grip on Jonghyun tightened, "I am his healer. Now get out of my way before I make you move.”

          The man squinted, “You wouldn’t attack a representative.”

          "In a heartbeat," Jinki lifted his chin, squaring his shoulders and making a point to look at each of their eyes. “I would for him.”

          In the end, they parted for him. Jinki just hoped he was right about why this was happening as he headed for the North Balcony, where he knew Saferus to be waiting for him.

-------

a/n: While the ending is a cliff hanger, pls rest easy in knowing the angst is only temporary. Everything will work out fine.

[jadekitty777]

‘Til the Clock Runs Out

So apparently when I feel ill I decide it’s time to make my favorite boys sick too. Didn’t actually expect to finish this one, but here we are! 

Summary: While taking care of a sick Taiyang, Qrow recalls the time when their situations were reversed and realizes that they’ll always be there for each other.

Rating: K

Word count: 2.3k

Pairing: Taiqrow

A03 Link: ‘Til the Clock Runs Out

~

Coughing awoke Qrow immediately.

It took a moment or two to adjust to the bedroom’s only light coming from the moon spilling through between the curtains, splashing silver slats along the wood floors and across the end of the bed. Definitely too early to be up. The sentiment was shared by his partner, who gave a weak groan and another violent round of coughing.

Qrow stretched out his legs and turned over, looking up at the lump of blanket beside him. He reached out, tugging down the edge until he could see Tai’s face. He brushed the back of his hand along his forehead. “You’re really hot.”

One corner of Tai’s lips quirked up into a smile and he croaked out, “You know it, beautiful.”

“Save it, Casanova.” He replied, amused, though it quickly shifted into concern when the other buried his face into his pillow, whole body jerking with his coughs. “Alright, I think some medicine’s in order.”

The pathetic moan was the only answer he got.

Qrow slid out of bed, slipping through the door always left open in case one of the girls had a nightmare. The hallway was drafty and he kind of regret not grabbing a shirt or some slippers as he padded barefoot along the ice-cold floor. Out of habit, he paused once he reached the first bedroom, peering inside. Yang was a sprawled mess, golden curls and limbs everywhere, her blanket having been kicked completely off the bed. Ruby was sleeping more soundly, curled up on her side. Their newest addition, Zwei, was cuddled in her grasp, little snout resting on the pillow.

Though he knew he was playing fate, he tiptoed into the room as carefully as he could, having to step around wooden blocks, action figures, a ball and two chew toys, before he finally got to Yang’s bedside. He picked up the knitted quilt, unable to help admiring the mismatched patterns as he tucked it around his niece. The whole team had made the quilt together before Yang had been born. Each fourth of a section was obvious whose side it was, right down to Tai’s dragons and Raven’s flowers, to Summer’s dogs and his birds. It was honestly the ugliest thing they’d ever made and they’d never been so proud.

Ruby had one as well, though made with only three hands instead of four. They filled in the fourth side by letting Yang pick what it should be – and being two at the time, she was innocently unaware that perhaps dinosaurs and fire patterns didn’t send the best message. He looked back at the little squirt still resting soundly with her puppy, wondering idly if maybe they should make one for Zwei next. A tiny puppy quilt knit by the four of them.

Qrow shook off the inane idea, wondering if he was somehow channeling Tai spiritually now. Maybe they’d finally just spent so much time together their personal auras had intertwined.

Who knew, maybe tomorrow he’d be gardening and shopping for zip-off cargo pants.

He shuddered at the thought, ducking back out of the room, miraculously not tripping over anything or rousing anyone. Distantly, Qrow could still hear Tai giving his most valiant effort to bring up a lung, so he quickly got back on track as he hurried down to the first floor. As soon as he flipped the switch, he had to blink away spots as the kitchen lights assaulted him, hip-checking the table in his partial blindness.

“Stupid.” He grumbled at it, rubbing at the mostly non-existent ache as he crossed over to the pantry, shuffling through the top shelf where they kept the medicine hidden away. He shook out the painkillers and filled the cap of cough syrup, before pouring a glass of water, letting the tap run hot first.

The motions were much too familiar because he’d done it all at least a hundred times before. He and Raven had gotten sick often after they’d relocated to Beacon; especially during their first year. Their immune systems were so unaccustomed to Vale’s vastly different ecosystem that any virus just wandering on by saw they were prime real estate and moved right on in. It made for a very miserable experience.

During those days, Summer and Tai mostly let them be, only getting things when explicitly asked. It hadn’t been because they didn’t want to help, because they did, especially Summer who would dote on them in suffocating amounts if allowed to. But he and Raven refused all attempts at their teammates playing ‘nurse maid’, leaving them to find subtle ways of helping them. Granted, Summer’s best attempt at subtly was acting like a medicine fairy by leaving cough drops on their nightstands. Tai tended to be a little more discreet, like offering to fetch lunch for one of them under the guise of getting it for the whole team. Most of those instances were just hazy memories, disjointed and brief, but there was one Qrow never quite forgot, the events playing with almost startling clarity.

It had been a stormy night in November, the wind howling as it rattled the trees and rain pattered noisily against the window. It wasn’t particularly late in the evening, the rest of his team still doing homework, but he was feeling rather lethargic, so he had turned in early, hoping to sleep away the sickness. Instead he found himself only restlessly tossing about. The lingering chill in the air had him shivering under two sets of blankets, but the fever was mild in compared to the pain in his throat. It was as if someone had taken a blade to the back of it, leaving dozens of tiny, little cuts along the lining of his esophagus until every swallow was like an agony worse than throwing salt into a wound.

Tai, who was in the bed right next to his own, eventually looked up from the chapter he was reading and asked, “Qrow? You alright?”

“My throat’s killing me.” He rasped back, voice so distorted he could hardly tell it was his own.

Tai frowned, the genuine concern on his face only making Qrow wish he hadn’t said anything at all. He set aside his textbook and shifted until he was sitting up. “You want some painkillers?”

“Mmno. Not working.” He turned his back to him. “Don’t worry ‘bout it. M’fine.”

There was a hovering pause between them, drawing long enough Qrow was certain the issue would get dropped. But then the bedsprings shifted as Tai got up, chirping almost merrily, “Hold on. I know just what you need.”

He watched him go, the blond only pausing long enough to snatch his vest from his bedpost and hurrying out their bedroom door with a quick, “Be right back!” to the girls before they could even think to ask where he was going. Qrow didn’t remember how long Tai was gone but he did remember how he returned, all of them looking over when he finally walked back inside.

Summer took one look at him, gaping as she pointed towards the window still being pummeled by rain. “Did you go all the way to town? In that?”

“Yep!” He was looking more triumphant than a man should when soaking head-to-toe and only having a small, plastic shopping bag to show for it. He dropped it onto the desk with a wet plop.

Raven’s expression was one of someone who didn’t know how to compute this rare brand of stupidity. “Why?”

“Home remedy.” Was his only answer as he kicked off his shoes. “Now uh, little privacy ladies? I really need to get out of these clothes.”

Tai didn’t wait for their agreement, already yanking off his jacket and undershirt. Summer gave a squeak, shoving her face in her notebook. Raven just rolled her eyes, turning back to her phone. Qrow just pulled up the blankets further and didn’t look.

Alright, alright. He peeked, just a little.

“Okay, I’m decent!” Tai eventually called, towel-drying his hair until it was nothing but an untidy mess before going back to the desk where he’d left his mysterious ‘home-remedy’.

Qrow watched him curiously, quickly realizing the familiar motions as the blond went about brewing up a kettle of tea. It made no sense; he knew Tai had plenty already here in the room. Why go through the storm for more?

He found out the reason was in a little jar of amber-gold liquid that Tai carefully took a spoonful of and stirred in. He wasn’t really sure what to make of it, so as he was being encouraged to sit up and handed over the cup, he mostly just stared between it and the brewer suspiciously.

“It’s just chamomile tea and honey. I promise.” Tai said, holding up two fingers like a salute. “A few cups of this’ll make you feel much better. The honey will help lessen the swelling in your throat. And chamomile is like, a SuperTea; it’s good for everything.”

Qrow wrinkled his nose some. Honey? As in the waxy, sweet stuff in beehives? The tribe only gathered that if they had someone with burns; the painful stings combined with the insects’ tendency to swarm usually drew them away for anything less. And people here could just buy it in a jar? And had enough to spare to throw it into their drinks?

Society was weird.

He doubted a bunch of sugar being poured down his throat would really make a difference, but he was desperate enough to try anything. He sipped slowly at the hot beverage, the taste of it – or what of it he could taste at least – surprisingly pleasant. Tai went back to his book, but always seemed to know when he’d finished a cup, happy to hop up and pour him another.

Qrow didn’t start noticing a difference until he started on his third, the pain seeming to lessen little by little. By the time he was through with his fourth, he could have believed he was in heaven with how much relief he felt. He hummed softly as he leaned back into the pillows propped up along his headboard, hugging the lingering warmth of the cup between his hands. He was almost content enough to doze off right then and there.

“Want another?”  

“Nah. M’good.” Qrow peeled his eyes open, turning his head some. The girls’ side of the room was dark, the two having gone to bed a little bit ago.

Tai stifled a yawn, looking about ready to faceplant in his book. “Well, this is a good place to stop anyways.” He dogeared the edge, setting it on the nightstand. The cup joined it next, their shared lamp being turned off.

In the dark and with the girls already asleep, he finally felt brave enough to say it: “Tai?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

“Anytime buddy.”

The past hazed into the present, the smile he imagined on Tai’s face ten years ago now a warm, caring reality greeting him as he crossed the room, balancing the tray on the nightstand.

“Gee, with this amount of preamble, I was thinking I was getting a four-course meal!” The blond quipped, voice having gotten scratchier in just the few minutes he’d been gone.

“Sorry, not your butler, just your drug peddler.” Qrow handed him the painkillers and lukewarm water once he’d sat up.

Tai chuckled, swallowing them without complaint. It was when he was given the cup of cherry cough syrup that he hesitated, turning to look up at him with eyes so sad that puppies would have adopted him. “Do I have to?”

“Gods, you’re more dramatic than your daughter.” He snarked.

“Which one?”

“Whichever choice offends you more.”

“Wow you’re getting lazy if you’re making me finish the insults for you.” Tai laughed – only for it to result in a new round of coughing. Served him right.

Qrow propped a hand on his hip. “Drink the damn medicine.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He groused back once he could breathe again, doing a mental countdown before taking down the medicine in one go, quickly chasing it with the rest of the water, shuddering overdramatically against the taste.

“Here’s your reward for being an adult.” He said as he traded the glass and medicine cap for a tea cup.  He placed the tray onto the ground where it would be safer.  

Tai took a slow, savoring sip before saying, “Not sure a guy like you can give those rewards.”

Qrow ignored that in favor of diving back into the warm bed, rolling into the blankets and curling his arms underneath his pillow to better nestle into it. He had to fight the urge to immediately drift off. Instead, he angled his face enough to confirm, “Guess I’m subbing for your class tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Tai wilted, head like a drooping sunflower bud as he hunched over. “Sorry.”

He shrugged as best he could. It wouldn’t be the first time. Sure, keeping track of twice the amount of students wasn’t exactly the easiest of tasks, but he’d managed before. Tai just always acted like it was something to feel guilty about; as if they both didn’t have those days when getting up in the morning seemed impossible. “Eh, whatever. Your rugrats are nothing compared to mine.”

“Probably because you don’t teach them manners.”

“That’s not part of the syllabus.”

That finally got him to smile again. “You’ll have to get the girls ready for the morning too. Unless you want me to wake up with you?”

Qrow flipped onto his side, getting more comfortable. “Nah, no point risking you getting ‘em sick too. I got it.” He yawned some, tacking on drowsily, “Just worry about feeling better.”

“Alright. G’night.”

“Night.”

Things grew quiet. Qrow started to slowly drift. Just as he was on the edge of dreamland, he felt the warm touch of fingers brushing his bangs aside and the press of a gentle kiss on his forehead.

“Thank you.” Tai said, so soft it was almost missed entirely.

Though he could not rouse himself enough to answer verbally, it did not lessen the strength of his mind that whispered back:

Anytime.

[jinmukangwrites]

Forcibly stripped/chained to a bed with a little bit of manhandling sounds like something that will happen to nightwing during your bad things bingo writing tbh is it gonna happen?

Tis it’s happening now, my friend.

X/Completed Diamond/Next Fire/Requested (getting kind of low on the requests guys! Make sure you send an ask of what point in Dick’s life you want it to happen and it would help out if you had an idea of what the one shot should be about too!)

Since this chapter has heavy references to Nightwing 93, only a small part of this will be put on Tumblr (because I’m still scared of the Staff), make sure you click the link to AO3 where an intense, 6k chapter awaits you!

-o-o-o-o-

Dick groaned. Even behind closed eyes his vision swirled; not making his mysterious headache feel any better. He felt like he was waking up with a hangover, but he didn’t remember drinking… not that most people that wake up with hangovers actually remember getting drunk. For a moment, he thought that maybe he had gone to a party, but then he remembered that the only thing worth celebrating in his plans for the next two months was Tim’s birthday, and alcohol would absolutely not be present at that event.

It took a few seconds of wracking his brain for his body to jolt and for him to realize that the last thing he remembered was patrol. His nerves awoke with a spark of electricity and he recognized the familiar feeling of his Nightwing suit tight around his skin. The pressure at the top of his nose became significant to him, making him almost sigh in relief that his mask was still on.

He dared himself to move—surely if his head hurt so much his whole body would as well—but when he began to shift his hand up to his forehead, his wrist met resistance. His stomach sunk with the sound of chains clinking and if were any less trained, he would have jerked up and struggled. Instead he carefully moved his other limbs and unfortunately met the same resistance of shackles and manacles.

He opened his eyes and ignored how his headache seemed to travel to the back of his irises.

He had expected to be chained down in some kind of dungeon or torture room, but he was surprised to meet the sight of a normal bedroom ceiling; the kind where children would lay on the ground and make shapes out of the random squiggles like they would with clouds. It took him a couple seconds to look around the rest of the room he was in, and with those few seconds his confusion grew.

He was in a normal bedroom… by the looks of it it belonged to a teenaged girl—judging by the bright colored walls that popped out even in the shadows of the moon clawing itself through the closed curtains above the window. Posters were taped to the wall, of various bands and celebrities, and a wardrobe sat half open to reveal clothes that definitely belonged to a girl. He found himself in a full sized bed placed center of the far wall across the door. He was chained spread-eagle to each of the bed posts with just enough room to slightly bend his knees and wave his arms in an “are you kidding me” kind of gesture.

He flicked his fingers towards his wrist and his gut dropped when they get nothing. He lifted his head from the plush pink pillow below him and studied his outstretched arm with a growing sense of horror.

He was disarmed… effectively. With a bit of searching, he found all of his secret pockets and hidden weapons searched and made useless. At the moment, he was just an abnormally strong guy in a kevlar suit. He was practically reduced to a Dick Grayson wearing oddly good cosplay.

The metal bands circling his wrists and ankles we’re thin but extremely tight and didn’t look cheap. The chains connecting from the bands to the bed posts were about the thickness of his own pinky finger, but they too didn’t look like cheap metal, that—along with the thick padlock securing the chains around each post—did not bode well.

Then it hit him.

There was only one person who could effectively kidnap, disarm, and restrain Nightwing.

A chuckle reached his ears just as a growl rumbled in his throat. “Deathstroke,” he snarled and kicked at the quilt below him to scoot himself up into a somewhat sitting position.

Out from the shadows emerged the one and only Slade Wilson. His mask sat annoyingly on his face, cored half yellow and half black, allowing a hole for only one eye. Deathstroke wore his classic uniform which made him look like he crawled out of a call of duty game. The last part of Nightwing’s patrol suddenly came back to him; he remembered jumping over the gap between two apartment buildings before something stabbed his neck mid leap. He could feel the bruises on his shoulders and ribs start to smart as he recalled fumbling the landing on the other building and rolling into darkness.

“What’s your game?” Nightwing growled as he tugged on the cuffs on his wrists. They were too tight, cutting off circulation and making sure that if Nightwing dislocated his thumb to get out the escape would be very painful band would permanently damage his digits.

Deathstroke let out a cocky snicker at the back of his throat and casually leaned back against the wall, folding his muscular arms across his chest. “You think this is for my own amusement?” Deathstroke asked with a smirk lacing his vocal chords. “Not everything is about you, Grayson. Actually, this is just a job, you squirming, trapped, is just an added bonus.”

Nightwing’s muscles rippled with the mentioned use of his name; reminding him that Deathstroke knew full well what his real identity was, but he pushed that to the back of his mind because he already knew that Deathstroke knew, right now the important thing was that a third party excited in the situation, which was never good.

“So?” Nightwing said slowly as he attempted to shift into a more defensive position—though he failed miserably in the sense he had a very limited range of motion. “Are you going to kill me?”

Deathstroke suddenly took a step forward with heavy boots pounding even on the carpeted floor, yet the chuckle that reached Nightwing’s ears were so much louder. He felt his throat go dry and his fingers cold as the fact that if Deathstroke really wanted to kill him: he’d most certainly be dead.

“Now that would be the norm, wouldn’t it?” Deathstroke asked with an almost bored tone of voice. He stopped just a few feet from the bed and stared through his mask like Nightwing was an interesting animal. Nightwing tensed his muscles and stretched his limbs to the limit so he could sit with Deathstroke in front of him… so he could attempt to defend himself if Deathstroke decided the talking was over. “However, my job is already done. I was paid just to bring you here and leave you to whatever my payer has planned.”

Nightwing snarled and jerked his arm when Deathstroke put a hand on his shoulder. It churned his stomach when he couldn’t remove the hand from his body; it made him feel completely helpless… completely open for any kind of attack.

“Make sure you get out of this one, kid,” Deathstroke said, leaning forward, “it would be a shame if this defeated you.”

“Let me go, Deathstroke,” Nightwing said lowly, granted it hurt his pride to say that to Wilson, but he honestly had bad feelings about where he was and what could happen. He’d much rather take a blow to his ego by begging a bit than whatever Deathstroke’s “payer” had planned.

Deathstroke didn’t say anything, but Nightwing could just tell that he was grinning. He gave Nightwing’s shoulder a pat before he stood and began to walk over to the door.

“Wilson!” Nightwing called out. He pulled against the chains and kicked his legs, in futile hope to get free, as Deathstroke opened the door and closed it behind him. Nightwing swore and began to recheck his suit, hoping that just maybe there was a lockpick that had been missed. He heard the low, smooth voice of Slade Wilson say something difficult to make out on the other side of the door, followed closely by calm and retreating footsteps.

[thestuckylibrary]

Mod’s Reads: March 2018

Mod Iamnmbr3

But We Can Try by hetrez (complete | 10,567 | G )

Bucky said, "These are love letters, Rogers. You've been drawing me love letters.”

teach your man to fish by silentwalrus (complete | 12,835 | T ) 

Bucky doesn’t deign to stay in Stark Tower for much longer than it takes to completely clean out the kitchens’ fish supply. After slurping down the last oyster and sneering in disgust at the contents of the walk-in freezer, Bucky turns to Steve, pelt over his shoulder, and says, “Where do you live?”

Lonely Dragons by Taste_is_Sweet (complete | 4,813 | T )

Bucky was sitting in the corner where the railing met the building, cross-legged and hunched and of course in the ridiculous moose hoodie plus a quilt around his shoulders. It was the quilt Tony had ordered with vintage Howling Commandos and SSR symbols all over it—score—but the overall effect of Bucky sitting alone and all bundled up like that was just tragic. And adorable. But mostly tragic.

"You look incredibly tragic out here all by yourself like this. Just saying." Tony decided he wasn't going to have to holler for help or call one of his suits, so he fully committed to stepping out onto the balcony. It was, as he'd surmised, fucking cold. Maybe less so if one was wrapped in an awesome quilt and a ridiculous moose hoodie, but still. Tony tightly folded his arms, wishing he'd had the foresight to grab a hoodie himself—or a quilt—instead of just coming out here in his Sisters of Mercy tee-shirt. "Really, you're like, a lost kitten. A lost kitten with antlers. You do know we can afford light and heat and stuff, right?"

Steve, Bucky, and the Tinhat Collective by mypedia (complete | 7,015 | G )

The internet and the Avengers fandom react to the events of Civil War.

***

avengers-daily:

How do they get 200% more attractive when they're covered in dirt

#avengers

2554 notes

the coming of our golden age by buckyjerkbarnes (complete | 2,761 | T )

Bucky’s heart came to a stuttering halt in his chest: Steve, almost obscured if Bucky wasn't so used to finding him in places he wasn't supposed to be, was boot to boot with Thanos. He gripped the golden gauntlet in both his hands, despite one of the purple fucker’s arms being the size of his torso.

The mad titan looked as though his day had just been made.

[Or the one where everything works out and no one dies because I'm stuck in the denial stage. Speaking this into existence!]

A Precarious, Fragile Thing by Taste_is_Sweet for tigriswolf (complete | 6,961 | T )

"I didn't know he did that," Tony said. He knew Bucky liked tucking himself so far under Steve's arm that it was like he was trying to climb into his armpit. But he'd always stayed upright, just kind of plastering himself against Steve's side. This blanket thing was new.

"Seventy years of skin hunger," Steve said. His voice was just as soft, but for a moment his eyes flickered hot with anger, bright as the candy-colored screen. "He was always tactile. Now, when things get…well, sometimes it helps. The contact."

And it looked…nice, the two of them together like that: Comfortable. Familiar. Safe. Tony knew what a precarious, fragile thing it was, to feel safe in the middle of the night.

despite the threatening sky and shuddering earth (they remained) by praximeter (Zimario) (WIP | 57,623 | M )

“They really didn’t want the mask to come off.” Hill thumbed through the scans, and pulled out a film that she then handed over to Sam, face mostly expressionless but for the flat line of her pursed lips.

Sam accepted the film and held it up to the light, angling so both he and Steve could see it, squinting at the outline of the Winter Soldier’s skull, and the blips of unnatural white that showed up, God, in his brain, not to mention about half his teeth, plus the mask, with its thin protrusions—

“Those are pins,” Steve realized. He looked over at Hill. “The mask—it’s nailed to his face.”

Hill’s face was as unmoved as ever. “Like I said. They really didn’t want it coming off.”

Mod Blue

Flush by I_Dont_KnowWhatImDoing (oneshot | 4,923 | E)

Bucky would really like for his life to just be simple, but all evidence suggests that the universe is actively conspiring against this goal. This is further reinforced when Steve Rogers is dragged into his suite, almost completely unable to communicate under the influence of some crazy Wakandan flower, and randy as all hell.

Minimal Property Damage by Nejinee (oneshot | 6,704 | E)

Everyone assumes Bucky's super soldier body will process the gas that's gone and driven others mad with sexual hysteria. Everyone assumes the evil scientists messed up and Bucky's okay. Everyone assumes wrong because no one ever thinks about Steven Grant Rogers.

-

A sex pollen PWP.

Bowties and Bugs by Tsuki_Amano (complete | 41,014 | not rated)

In his line of work, Steve thinks he's seen everything. After all, it's hard to surprise a spy. So when he gets a call from one very disgruntled James Barnes who's handcuffed to a tombstone, it's safe to say they've set a precedent.

Or the one where Steve and Bucky are both spies working for SHIELD and get called in for a rescue mission. Which should be fine because Steve most definitely does not have an earth-shattering crush on Bucky Barnes and his perfect hair. Except he does. And they're playing the role of happily married husbands.

'til you come to me by radialarch (oneshot | 4,978 | T)

"I'll do it," Steve says. "I'll marry Bucky."

(It's because of the Russians.)

sometimes everything is touch and go by santanico (oneshot | 14,180 | E)

Bucky and Steve's mission is to infiltrate a suburban neighborhood as a married couple. In theory, it should be difficult, but it also kind of isn't.

Bucky hesitates. “It’s undercover. We’ve done undercover before.” He shrugs.

Steve laughs again. “This isn’t exactly the same as infiltration under the guise of being regular civilians. What is it again – what did Fury’s email say?” Steve pauses, tapping his chin with his index finger. “ ‘Mr. and Mr. Rogers are a couple who have recently moved into a neighborhood in northern Colorado. You are to maintain an image of high-standing and societal grace.’ That’s not exactly your scene, is it, Buck? Especially the part about being Mr. Rogers.”

Everything (that I couldn't have) by obsessivereader (oneshot | 7,252 | T)

“You don’t have to do this, Steve.” Bucky pushes away the letter from the Russian government demanding that one Dmitri Batischev, alias the Winter Soldier, be surrendered to them to stand trial for his crimes.

Steve hesitates in the doorway. Bucky must’ve heard the tail end of his conversation with Pepper. Now he looks tired, and resigned, and so done and Steve fucking hates that Bucky keeps getting dealt shit hand after shit hand. “I want to.” He hopes Bucky can hear the conviction in his voice. “I’m not losing you again.”

“But getting married? You think that’s gonna work?”

Satellite (I'm Part Of You) by Brenda (oneshot | 4,190 | E)

"I'm okay, Steve." Bucky raised his hand to cup Steve's jaw, his thumb slowly stroking over stubble.

Steve shuddered once, all over, then brought his own hand up to cover Bucky's. Felt the calluses and nicks, the steady pulse beating at his wrist. "I thought I was gonna lose you again."

Bucky gave him a small, fond smile. "I thought I was gonna lose you."

The Arsonist's Choir by Brenda (complete | 11,911 | E)

"It's Bucky," Steve added, helplessly. The buyer was now sitting at Mikhailov's table, but the mission seemed unimportant. "He's been arrested. In Texas. And, uh, apparently, we're married."

"Congratulations," Natasha replied, with a small grin. "Are you registered anywhere?"

yoga mesh by wearing_tearing (oneshot | 2,293 | M)

“You could just be honest with him,” Nat suggests. Beside her, Sam nods.

Bucky levels them both with a flat look. “This past weekend I asked if he wanted to go out on a date and Steve said not to be funny because, and I quote, ‘Where would we even find dates this late?’”

it's actually like you're photoshopped by biblionerd07 (oneshot | 11,870 | G)

Steve's relationship with Bucky violates a workplace policy. So, backed into a corner by his well-meaning but meddlesome coworkers, he does what anyone would do. He makes up a fake boyfriend. He just hopes it doesn't cause problems with his real boyfriend.

M is for Murder by rohkeutta (oneshot | 4,196 | M)

I’m pretty low on funds and need to make ends meet this month, Barnes types slowly into a new post three days later. I’m taking commissions for hits in the New York City area.

Will Not Kill: Captain America or other Avengers. Will partially refund payment if target turns out to be HYDRA. Will not go to Jersey. No dismemberment or killing children. Message for negotiations and payment details.

build it bigger than the sun by defcontwo (oneshot | 10,083 | T)

“Yeah, because nothing says heteronormative like living in Dupont Circle for two years and wearing skin-tight shirts to hit on hot airmen when you go running in the morning.”

“Look, I know you’re being sarcastic but I really don’t get how no one picked up on that.”

Steve and Bucky try to work out their relationship. The Avengers keep getting in the way.

The Spotless by BetteNoire (WeAreWolves) (oneshot, restricted | 5,640 | T) (reread)

Steve, the face on the screen said, dropping its gaze. I wanted to say first of all, thank you for everything you've done for me. I've had a lot of time to think here in Wakanda, and... A sigh, seventy years of weariness in one breath.

Then he looks up again. I wasn't worth it.

Bucky chooses to fix himself. And Steve realises he's nearly lost Bucky again, because he's been too busy being Captain America to be a friend.

Part 1 of Spotless

From You Have I Been Absent In The Spring by BetteNoire (WeAreWolves) (oneshot, restricted | 9,411 | E) (reread)

Natasha bangs on his door that evening. “Steve, nobody's seen or heard from you in three days. I'm invading the sadness palace. I have ice cream.” Then: “Five seconds until I pick the lock.” 

Part 2 of Spotless

Lucky Seven by BetteNoire (WeAreWolves) (complete, restricted | 94,364 | E) (reread)

Captain America trashes his motorcycle a lot. Tony says he'll fix it, then never gets around to it and just buys him a new one. Steve, the Depression-era kid, can't stand the waste and goes looking for somewhere near him in Brooklyn where he can get his bike fixed. That's how he finds Red Star Bike Repair, and the hot Russian-immigrant bike racer who runs it: all long hair and muscles and tattoos. And for the first time since he woke from the ice, Steve feels a connection to someone; a comfort in the other man's silences and his space, an attraction in his sheer skill at racing. But James Barnes isn't exactly who he seems...

Happy Accidents by BetteNoire (WeAreWolves) (complete, restricted | 29,777 | E) (reread)

Bucky's still in cryo. Steve is in New York, angry and unsettled. And then Trump takes a photo in front of a Captain America mural like Steve has ever supported anything he says or does. So Steve enlists Pepper to throw a costume gala for LGBTQIA causes, and to celebrate his coming out.

It's a terrible idea, especially when a bunch of people come dressed as Bucky.

But then Steve meets a tall dark stranger...

These American Dreams (ain’t no white picket fences left for me) by kariye (oneshot | 50,608 | E)

In which Bucky has a house, a dog, an herb garden, and a serious case of insomnia. Welcome to Havensport, Indiana (population 8,294), where Tom’s Neighborhood Grocer stays open all night, little old ladies call the car shop to get their refrigerators repaired, and the heat of summer days and the length of summer nights can make you think that this perfect world will last forever.

Highest Bidder by Brenda (oneshot | 2,774 | M)

"Bidding will start at $5,000, ladies and gentlemen. $5,000 for an evening spent in the charming company of one of the most eligible bachelors in all of New York. The winning bidder will be chauffeured to Mr. Barnes' private yacht, where you'll both share a meal exquisitely prepared by his own personal chef, and a sunset cruise around the harbor. Who says romance is dead." The MC smiled, looking like nothing so much as a very hungry shark.

"$50,000!" Steve called, shocking everyone in the room – and himself – into silence.

The MC blinked. His perfect, plastic smile melted right off his face. "Uh...could you...I'm sorry, what was that?"

Part 1 of Going Once, Going Twice, Sold...

Contract Negotiations by Brenda (oneshot | 4,623 | E)

“If I don't get my mouth on you in the next twenty seconds..." Steve shuddered and paused as he looked up at Bucky like an acolyte seeking favor. "I need...can I? Please?"

"God yes, anything you want," Bucky breathed, and lifted his hips so Steve could tug his slacks and boxers down to his ankles. He was on board with anything – anything at all – as long as Steve didn't stop.

Part 2 of Going Once, Going Twice, Sold...

Booty Call by Brenda (oneshot | 6,703 | E)

Bucky leaned in, rubbed a light, lingering kiss to Steve's parted lips. "Why don't you tell me what you need," he whispered, his breath mingling with Steve's. "Tell me what you need from me."

"I just..." Steve's absurdly long lashes fluttered. He blinked, his eyes already glazing over with desire and want and trust, and it was the trust that shot through Bucky like a bullet. "I just don't want to think for awhile. I just...I want you to..." He paused, swallowed, adam's apple bobbing. "I need you to take me out of my own head for a couple of hours. Can you do that?"

Part 3 of Going Once, Going Twice, Sold...

Public Offering by Brenda (oneshot | 6,960 | E)

"Missed you so much...so fucking much," Steve moaned, then dove back in, his tongue curling, slick and heated, against Bucky's own.

Bucky just deepened the kiss, biting and sharp, slid his tongue alongside Steve's until all he could feel, all he knew, was Steve and only Steve. His touch, his scent, the solid feel of his body, the greedy moans as kiss slid into kiss. Nothing existed outside of this bubble of heat and desire.

"On your knees," he ordered, in the hushed space between them. "I want you to show everyone how sweet you look when you're choking on my cock."

Part 4 of Going Once, Going Twice, Sold...

Closing the Deal by Brenda (oneshot | 10,212 | E)  

Bucky clicked the vibrator off with a smile that morphed into an outright grin at Steve's frustrated growl. "I am gonna have so much fun tonight."

"You're a dick," Steve huffed, but nuzzled Bucky's nape, breathing him in – the hint of woodsy, expensive cologne, the clean smell of soap, and under it, Bucky's own natural scent. Everything about him addictive, and Steve was – as always – completely at his mercy.

"Oh, don't worry, me and my dick have some definite plans for you later," Bucky said, and laced his fingers with Steve's, their palms sliding together perfectly.

Part 5 of Going Once, Going Twice, Sold...

Honeypot by cleo4u2, xantissa (complete | 133,204 | E)

Preconditions: One Sasha Marozow - internationally renowned assassin for hire, known as the Winter Soldier, ex-Hydra operative freelancing for the last five years; One Steve Rogers, Captain America - recently defrosted national hero and Avenger; One assassination contract; One set-up known in the intelligence community as the “honeytrap”.

Expected Result: One Winter Soldier in custody, the name of his employer attained.

Actual result: Definitely not as expected.

Part 1 of Honeypot

Give Up the Ghost by cleo4u2, xantissa (oneshot | 19,518 | E)

They were happy together and the year had been good for them. They thought nothing could tear them apart. They were wrong.

Part 2 of Honeypot

The Chosen Verb: Fuck by cleo4u2, xantissa (oneshot | 14,295 | E)

“God,' he said, 'I have to have you.' 'Take me. Own me. Use me. Pick a verb. Just please.' 'Fuck you. I'm going to fuck you. That's my verb.” ― C.D. Reiss, Resist

OR

Steve needs Bucky, needs him to fuck him, to break him, to own him. What happens after Steve’s doctors clear him for more strenuous activity.

Part 3 of Honeypot

Cracked Mirror by cleo4u2, xantissa (complete | 34,497 | E)

The Avengers stumble upon an infinity gem while clearing out a smuggler’s lair. The result? Bucky Barnes is back from 1940, reminding both Steve and Sasha how much he’s changed.

Part 4 of Honeypot

Demonique by BetteNoire (WeAreWolves) (complete | 38,959 | E)

“Oh come on, Steve. You look at me like you want to put me on a pedestal and worship me. You look at Barnes like you want to tear his clothes off with your teeth. Tell me why you two aren’t...?” Peggy smirks at him, because of course this amuses her greatly.

Steve fidgets, trying not to blush. “Peggy, I can’t—“

Peggy steps closer. “Steve. Is this an American peculiarity? Because in the British army, as long as you’re discreet, that sort of thing between two men is fine. I mean, some of our greatest war heroes, and so on.”

“It’s not... that...” Steve cringes.

It’s Bucky’s tentacles.

And how badly he wants them inside him.

Into Infinity by rooonil_waazlib (complete | 6,888 | T)

Clint hadn’t said that Mr Barnes was such a goddamn DILF, tall and lean and dark-haired, skin a tiny bit tanned like he’d spent a day at Coney Island. Not even five years older than Steve. His face could be my throne, Steve thinks, madly, nearly choking himself on the thought.

Then the guy grins. Steve’s fucked. “You must be Steve.”

Part 1 of And Beyond

Sick Day by rooonil_waazlib (oneshot | 6,026 | E)

There, in the big leather recliner that looks out over the water, Adrienne is curled up in Bucky’s lap, swaddled in blankets, both asleep. Steve wants to draw them, wants to capture the ease with which they fit together, the gentleness with which Bucky holds his daughter.

Part 3 of And Beyond

The Manny by LilyInTheSnow (WIP | 54,052 | M)

Steve needs a nanny for his twins. Bucky needs a job and secretly adores kids. Natasha thinks they both need a husband. Or to at least get laid. Either way, it works. Or would if they'd get their shit together.

The thing that drives the wolves away by caughtinanocean (oneshot | 7,876 | T) (reread)

The thing about Bucky these days is that, while he might be a semi-mythical assassin, he's also vulnerable—the kind of vulnerable that makes total strangers want to drape a blanket over his shoulders and take him to safety. The problem is, of course, that Bucky is already safe.

The first time it happens, Bucky has no idea how to react. He and Steve are walking down the street, when a slight woman takes in Bucky’s terrified eyes, the dark circles so bad they almost look like bruises, and Steve’s protective hand resting on his lower back, guiding him down the busy sidewalk (but it must look possessive, to someone looking for a sign), and comes to the wrong conclusion.

You Will Meet a Stranger by spitandvinegar (oneshot | 3,061 | M) (reread)

When the mask falls off Steve recoils.

He'll never forgive himself.

Mod Julia

Kintsugi (Call It Love) by Anna_Heyward (oneshot | 28,653 | E)

Lt. James "Bucky" Barnes has had a long day. A cargo plane from Kabul, a 3 hour flight from Istanbul, and another 8-hour flight from Amsterdam, and he's finally made it to JFK. Just two more flights to go - one to Minneapolis, another to Fairbanks - and he'll be back at base. He can pack up his stuff, head back home to Brooklyn, and be a civilian again. He's got his discharge papers; all he has to do now is get through 12 more hours of flying and this long day will be over.

But the hot stranger he's seated next to on his flight has Bucky wishing that Minneapolis was a little farther away.

The Biggest Part of Me by Anna_Heyward (complete | 69,992 | E)

Newly divorced single dad Steve Rogers moves his kids from the suburbs to Brooklyn to start their new life together, and becomes captivated by the young man who works at the coffee shop downstairs from Steve’s apartment.

Bucky Barnes is 25 years old, working part-time in a coffee shop and still living with his mom. When a handsome single dad in a pinch offers Bucky a job as his nanny, Bucky takes him up on it.

It could be lethal (sleeping with a friend) by asleepygay (oneshot | 2,674 | T)

He’s in Steve’s room because it’s closer to the door in the apartment they share. And he’s starting to remember that they were very impatient last night.

Last night. Christ

-

drinks are had, sex is had, feelings are had

Lazy Sunday by Chiyume (oneshot | 2,231 | E)

“Watch it,” Bucky drawls. “Or you’re gonna end up in trouble.” He meets Steve’s eye, and Steve looks right back. The change in his gaze is minute – barely enough to notice unless you know exactly what to look for. Bucky, however, does know, and as Steve swallows tightly, Bucky feels his own lips widen in a smirk. “Oh,” he breathes. “So that’s how it is?”

In which Steve wakes up with a craving, and Bucky is all too happy to oblige.

Luck of the Irish Stroll by GoldBlooded (oneshot | 8,626 | E)

Every year Steve and Sam go on the Irish Stroll Bar Crawl, and ever since their first time on the Stroll four years ago, Steve and Sam cross paths with Bucky and Natasha.

Every year they drink and celebrate in a little group, and every year Steve’s world is rocked by the gorgeous, blue-eyed man that has captivated him since they first locked eyes fighting over a couple of pints of Guinness from the bartender.

Captain Cosplay by alby_mangroves, Ignisentis (oneshot | 9,184 | T)

James Barnes loves to cosplay as Captain America, and not just because he's damn good at it, either. No, it's the feeling he gets when he puts on the suit, the light in people's eyes when they see him, the thrill of getting the details just right. It also helped him feel connected to New York after he moved back there for work. Well, cosplay and his landlord,Clint. So when Bucky gets an invitation to his dream cosplay event, hosted by none other than Tony Stark and judged by the Avengers themselves, he knows he has to pull out all the stops and make a new Cap cosplay: the elusive Stealth Suit. Clint turns out to be surprisingly resourceful in that endeavor, and Bucky's more than pleased with how his cosplay turns out. As the day of the event dawns, he can only hope that Steve Rogers feels the same way.

A Vision of Ecstasy by a_splash_of_stucky (oneshot | 2,664 | E)

Sometimes, sex should just be had for the sake of exploration.

Smile by TheLocket (oneshot | 8,463 | M)

When an official Captain America press event runs over, the whole crew gets stuck in Cincinnati overnight. With only a few rooms left at the hotel, Bucky offers to bunk with Steve—how bad could it be? But he forgot how awful Steve can be as a roommate. He has no personal space. He never wears clothes. And, even worse, he smells really good.

Bucky is in for a rough night.

the blood is the life by obsessivereader (oneshot | 3,357 | M)

He can smell them when Bucky comes back to the apartment late at night. Different men, their colognes wafting off him as he lets himself in and walks past the living room where Steve’s always waiting. It may not be every night, but it’s at least two, or sometimes even three, times a week.

Tonight is no different. Bucky keeps his head down as he walks past. He goes straight into his room and closes the door behind him with a finality that means Bucky won’t be emerging till morning. The sound of the shower starts up not two minutes later.

Steve sits alone in the living room, the scent of cologne hanging in the air like an interloper in the apartment. He can’t help thinking Why not me.

weary of war by endofadream (oneshot | 3,190 | E)

Bucky’s fingers slip.

This time, he manages to scream the name: “Steve!”

You Could Be Mine by lambchop33 (complete | 33,818 | E)

Bucky Barnes never sees it coming when his buddy, Sam Wilson brings his buddy, Captain America, to visit him while he's recuperating in a hospital after a car accident.

He never sees it coming when he finds out sexy, courageous, self-sacrificing Steve Rogers is also... lonely.

One more thing he doesn't see coming? That he could possibly be the one destined to become the friend, the lover that Steve has been searching for ever since he came out of the ice.

Or, the smutty Valentine's season AU no one asked for...

[lala-kate]

Until That Day:  Chapter 3

This is a belated birthday present for my amazing adopted little sister @ninzied. I hope you like it, Nina!  

You can read it here or on ff.net. Have a lovely day, everyone!

April 18

Tomorrow we shall marry.

When I gave birth to Henry, I gave up all hope of one day becoming a proper wife. But worse than that, I believed that my actions had robbed my son of the opportunity of ever having a good father, one who would love and accept him as his own and care for him the way he deserves.

Then you came into our lives, and everything changed.

You make it very evident that neither the fact that Henry was conceived out of wedlock nor that he is not yours by blood mattes one whit, and that means more to me than anything I could ever wish for myself. He adores you--wants to be more like you, has even asked me if he can start calling you Papa immediately after the wedding.

You have no idea what that means to me.

Well, perhaps you do, for you have told me repeatedly how you feared that no woman would accept and raise Liza as her own because of the circumstances of her birth. Yet loving that little girl requires no effort at all, and when she reaches those pudgy arms of hers out to me and snuggles into my chest, I forget that I didn’t give birth to her. Parenting is a choice, and becoming a mother to your two precious children is an honor I do not take lightly.

From this time tomorrow, they shall be mine just as assuredly as Henry is.

Can I tell you again how strange yet wonderful it is to know that you do not view me as a fallen woman worthy of censure but rather as a woman with whom you have chosen to spend your life and to mother your children? That when you caress my cheek or kiss my lips, all of the shame of my past seems to melt into a puddle at my feet?  That strolling through town on your arm makes me feel as though I’ve just emerged from a cocoon of censure and am allowed to spread my wings for the first time in my life?  

I am so giddy with happiness I fear I may not sleep tonight.

It’s difficult for me to believe this is truly happening, that tomorrow night I shall be sleeping in your bed rather than here in Widow Lucas’s guest room, that your body will provide me with a warmth far more intimate than that any quilt can provide. Of course, after the way you kissed me earlier this evening, I have to wonder just how much sleep I shall actually be granted on our wedding night.

I somehow think the answer to that is very little.

My skin is still tingling in wake of your caresses, my lips still burning from the imprint of your own upon them. You draw feelings out of me I’ve never known, Robin, sensations that stagger me with their intensity and persistence and carry me into dreams from which I am loath to wake. Would you be shocked to know that I touched myself last night in order to quell the ache that wouldn’t let me rest?  Would you be scandalized to learn that my own hand brought me pleasure even as my lips breathed your name, that I trembled in the darkness, imagining what it will be like to feel all of you inside my body while your lips explore me in places some would deem perverse?

I somehow doubt you would, and for that, I am thankful. I am weary of living under the self-righteous judgment of those who prefer condemnation to grace and deem our bodies as shameful. I am ready to live freely with you, to be your wife in every way without reservation, to finally be at peace with who I am.

________________________________________________________________

Dearest Regina,

Today is the day.

In a matter of hours, we shall speak vows and bind our lives together. I shall look into your eyes and be able to call you my wife rather than my intended. I shall be able to kiss you in places on your body that have been hidden to me, places I look forward to revealing in all their splendor and beauty.

I cannot wait to bring you home tonight.

Home. How different the word feels as I write it in my journal, how it dances from my quill to the page, how it warms me in a manner I’d nearly forgotten after I lost Marian. This home will feel complete again with you and Henry inside it, for as much as I love my children, there has been an emptiness that can only be filled by a life companion. How thankful I am that my new life companion will be you.

How thankful I am that I actually placed that advertisement for a wife.

I nearly talked myself out of it, you know. Several times, in fact. But as I rocked and walked with Liza for hours one night, as I heard Roland stir fitfully in his sleep, I decided I would take a step into the unknown for the sake of my children, if not for myself. I did so with trembling hands and a dry mouth, and the day that your letter arrived, I very nearly refused to open it out of absolute fear.

How thankful I am that curiosity combined with fatherly determination triumphed over nerves and prompted me to open and read your response. The tightness in my chest eased, my breathing steadied somewhat as your letter took root and began to blossom in what I had feared to be barren ground.

Now, because of you, Dearest Regina, what was once frozen has sprung back to life.

I must stop writing now and get the children and myself ready, for we have a wedding to attend this afternoon, one I have no intention of missing. Until then, Regina. I know you will be the most beautiful bride for whom a man could wish.

I shall meet you at the altar.

________________________________________________________________

April 19

I am your wife.

I am struggling to find words adequate enough to describe the emotions bubbling over inside my chest this morning, but as I sit here and watch you sleep, I must try, for this is a moment I want to press into memory forever.  It is odd, feeling somewhat sore and stretched in places rarely discussed, but God in heaven, such tenderness is a small price to pay for the ecstasy that brought it about and one I will gladly pay again and again.

My God, Robin. How you made love to me last night.

Parts of our wedding day are a blur, I must confess, regardless of the small audience in attendance and the tiny yet perfect details seen to by Widow Lucas. The wedding cake, the flowers, the fact that Marco is quite an adept fiddler, each individual item in itself was far more than I could have ever imagined. Henry and Roland looked so handsome in their suits, although I must admit to missing my youngest son’s floppy curls that were trimmed into as much submission as much as they could be.

Have I mentioned how much I love the fact that I can now officially refer to Roland and Liza as my son and daughter? There is such a rightness to it that warms me deeply. My family feels complete now. Actually, I suppose it would be more appropriate to say our family.

Ours. What a powerful word. How it changes absolutely everything. From my shame to our marriage, from my illegitimate son and your illegitimate daughter to our children, from my solitude to our family, from my loneliness to our love.

I do believe that our is the most beautiful word in the English language.

Speaking of our baby girl, Liza looked absolutely adorable in her new dress, even if her unruly locks kept trying to take center stage and made it look as if we did not even bother to comb her hair. Mr. Nolan dotes on her, as I am certain you’ve noticed, and after the ceremony he referred to her as a burst of wildfire. It is almost frightening how accurate his assessment of both her hair and personality is.

Speaking of Mr. Nolan, I think he may be sweet on my Aunt Mary Margaret.

The fact that you secretly arranged for her to be here for our wedding, that you both paid for and booked her passage, that you arranged for her to stay with Widow Lucas for a few weeks so she can get to know you and the children might be the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me. Well, besides Aunt Mary Margaret taking me in and giving me a place to live after I discovered I was expecting Henry. I was so surprised to see her when I walked into the church, I nearly squealed as I walked down the aisle.

Have her here means the world to me. But I believe you already know that. You seem intent upon seeing to my happiness, and that is something I’ve never before experienced.

Now I get to experience it every day of my life.

When you took my hand within your own, when you repeated the vows spoken by Reverend Hopper and gazed into my eyes as if you could see forever, I had to keep reminding myself that this was really happening, that maybe, just maybe, I shall be given a chance at a happy ending after all.

It still seems somewhat unreal to me, but then I look over to the bed--our bed--and see you sleeping peacefully, your bare chest on full display for me to both view and appreciate. I remember how it felt beneath my fingertips, how the smattering of light hair on your chest tickled my breasts as our bodies pressed together when you were buried inside me. I can still taste the salt of your skin on my tongue, can feel the stirrings of fresh desire as they tingle and tease my inner thighs and nipples, and I am tempted to lay my quill and journal aside and return to your side beneath the quilts.

How would you react if I awakened you with my hand? Would you be scandalized by your wife initiating sex, or would you grin that devilish grin of yours and let me have my way with you? I am fairly certain I know the answer to that, and so I shall abandon this entry and return to your side to test this theory so I can know for certain.

________________________________________________________________

April 19

You’re a minx, Regina Locksley. And by God, I love you for it.

How thankful I am that Widow Lucas and your Aunt Mary Margaret volunteered to watch the children last night. It was lovely to have some time to ourselves without having to worry about little eyes seeing something they shouldn’t or little ears hearing the sounds you coaxed out of me this morning when you woke me up in the most incredible way possible. I adore the fact that you feel comfortable enough to explore my body the same way I’ve already come to love exploring yours, even though we’ve been husband and wife less than twenty-four hours.

You have initiated a craving inside me I fear may never be sated as long as we both shall live.

For you are exquisite, Regina. Every plane of your body, every small expanse of skin, every freckle, every hair, even the marks left by childbirth you feared I would find unattractive. You are a feast for a starving man, a goddess worthy of worship and adoration, a woman who has suffered much yet possesses an incredible capacity for love and tenderness.

The trust with which you honored me by placing your heart and body into my keeping humbles me to my very core. Kissing you feels like coming home, and being inside your body completes me in a way I find nearly impossible to put into words. Watching you respond to my touch, feeling you come apart around me….I have no words for the fire you’ve so expertly kindled

and now stoke with each glance and every touch, regardless of how innocent in nature it might be.

And as I watch you slumber after our morning love-making, I relish simply being able to gaze at you openly without fear of censure or reproof. I love that I can slide in the bed beside you and cradle your nakedness, that I can touch what before remained hidden and openly confess the thoughts I have held at bay.

For I love you, Regina Mills Locksley. Within a short time, you have become a trusted friend, a mother for my children, a lover, a partner, and a confidante. And I count myself the most fortunate man on earth that I now have the privilege of calling you my wife.

[marcusssanderson]

73 Gratitude Quotes Celebrating Life, Love & Friends

Looking for an awesome list of inspirational gratitude quotes for a greater sense of appreciation and thanks for our life, family, and friends? Below you’ll our collection of gratitude quotes that will bring love in your heart.

We all want to be appreciated, but are we also expressing our appreciation in return?

This is such an important part of our relationships with others, and in both them and ourselves knowing what they mean to us, or how we mean to them.

These gratitude quotes on appreciation will motivate you to either express your appreciation for others or to identify what we have been lacking and need to hear often.

Let them inspire you to be thankful for life, love, family, and friends.

Below is our collection of inspirational, wise, and thoughtful gratitude quotes, gratitude sayings, and gratitude proverbs, collected from a variety of sources over the years.

Gratitude Quotes About Life

Here are some inspirational gratitude quotes about life.

1.) “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” ― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

  2.)  “I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes gain.” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

3.)  “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough” ― Oprah Winfrey

4.) “The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter.” ― Paulo Coelho, Veronika Decides to Die

5.) “Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

6.) “Music has always been a matter of Energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel. I have always needed Fuel. I am a serious consumer.

On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio.” ― Hunter S. Thompson

7.) “At the end of the day, let there be no excuses, no explanations, no regrets.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

8.) “To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.” ― Mark Twain

9.) “Forget yesterday – it has already forgotten you. Don’t sweat tomorrow – you haven’t even met. Instead, open your eyes and your heart to a truly precious gift – today.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

  10.) “Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!” ― Mae West

Inspirational Gratitude quotes about friends

11.) “What I’m not sure about, is if our lives have been so different from the lives of the people we save. We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we’ve lived through, or feel we’ve had enough time.” ― Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go

12.) “When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love — then make that day count!” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being

13.) “Dance. Smile. Giggle. Marvel. TRUST. HOPE. LOVE. WISH. BELIEVE. Most of all, enjoy every moment of the journey, and appreciate where you are at this moment instead of always focusing on how far you have to go.” ― Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass

14.) “I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it. People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back.” ― Alice Walker, The Color Purple

15.) “My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus.” [The Science of Second-Guessing (New York Times Magazine Interview, December 12, 2004)]” ― Stephen Hawking

16.) “Love is made up of three unconditional properties in equal measure:

Acceptance

Understanding

Appreciation

Remove any one of the three and the triangle falls apart. Which, by the way, is something highly inadvisable.

Think about it — do you really want to live in a world of only two dimensions? So, for the love of a triangle, please keep love whole.” ― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

17.) “It’s funny how, in this journey of life, even though we may begin at different times and places, our paths cross with others so that we may share our love, compassion, observations, and hope. This is a design of God that I appreciate and cherish.” ― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

18.) “Some books are undeservedly forgotten; none are undeservedly remembered.” ― W.H. Auden, The Dyer’s Hand

19.) “It’s funny, but have you ever noticed that the more special something is, the more people seem to take it for granted? It’s like they think it won’t ever change.

Just like this house here. All it ever needed was a little attention, and it would never have ended up like this in the first place.” ― Nicholas Sparks, The Wedding

  20.) “The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

21.) “This place was truly the highest and the lowest of all worlds – the most beautiful senses, the most exquisite emotions…the most malevolent desires, the darkest deeds. Perhaps it was meant to be so. Perhaps without the lows, the highs could not be reached.” ― Stephenie Meyer, The Host

Gratitude Quotes About Appreciating Our Life

22.) “Just an observation: it is impossible to be both grateful and depressed. Those with a grateful mindset tend to see the message in the mess. And even though life may knock them down, the grateful find reasons, if even small ones, to get up.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

23.) “In societies where men are truly confident of their own worth, women are not merely tolerated but valued.”(From a speech read on video on August 31, 1995 before the NGO Forum on Women, Beijing, China)” ― Aung San Suu Kyi

  24.) “Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.”  ― H. Jackson Brown Jr., Life’s Little Instruction Book: 511 Suggestions, Observations, and Reminders on How to Live a Happy and Rewarding Life

  25.) “The problem that we have with a victim mentality is that we forget to see the blessings of the day. Because of this, our spirit is poisoned instead of nourished.” ― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

26.) “Every one of my fans is so special to me” ― Justin Bieber, First Step 2 Forever

27.) “Be happy with who you are and what you do, and you can do anything you want.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

28.) “If we never experience the chill of a dark winter, it is very unlikely that we will ever cherish the warmth of a bright summer’s day. Nothing stimulates our appetite for the simple joys of life more than the starvation caused by sadness or desperation.

In order to complete our amazing life journey successfully, it is vital that we turn each and every dark tear into a pearl of wisdom, and find the blessing in every curse.” ― Anthon St. Maarten, Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny

29.) “Those who have the ability to be grateful are the ones who have the ability to achieve greatness.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

Gratitude quotes about being thankful

Be inspired by these gratitude quotes about being thankful.

30.) “Ten long trips around the sun since I last saw that smile, but only joy and thankfulness that on a tiny world in the vastness, for a couple of moments in the immensity of time, we were one.” ― Ann Druyan

31.) “You are evidence of your mother’s strength, especially if you are a rebellious knucklehead and regardless she has always maintained her sanity.” ― Criss Jami, Killosophy

32.) “Life is not made up of minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years, but of moments. You must experience each one before you can appreciate it.” ― Sarah Ban Breathnach

33.) “We can’t undo a single thing we have ever done, but we can make decisions today that propel us to the life we want and towards the healing we need.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

34.) “I would rather be able to appreciate things I cannot have than to have things I am not able to appreciate.” ― Elbert Hubbard

35.) “A very small percentage of the people in this world will actually experience and live today. So many people will be stuck on another day, another time that traumatized them and caused them to spiritually stutter so they miss out on this day.” ― Steve Maraboli

36.) “Admiration for a quality or an art can be so strong that it deters us from striving to possess it.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

37.) “The difference between appreciation and flattery? That is simple. One is sincere and the other insincere. One comes from the heart out; the other from the teeth out.

One is unselfish; the other selfish. One is universally admired; the other universally condemned.” ― Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People

38.) “Finding happiness should not be seen as finding a needle in a haystack. Happiness is within. Each day is a blessing that brings an abundance of happiness. Therefore, finding happiness should be like finding a gift in a stack of gifts.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

39.) “A grateful mindset can set you free from the prison of disempowerment and the shackles of misery.” ― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

40.) “The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting its inner qualifications and thus adds his contribution to the creative act.” ― Marcel Duchamp

Motivational Gratitude Quotes For Life and love

41.) “Sometimes we fight who we are, struggling against ourselves and our natures. But we must learn to accept who we are and appreciate who we become. We must love ourselves for what and who we are, and believe in our talents.” ― Harley King

42.) “Connecting with those you know you love, like and appreciate you restore the spirit and give you the energy to keep moving forward in this life.” ― Deborah Day, BE HAPPY NOW!

43.) “Now and then, however, he is horribly thoughtless and seems to take a real delight in giving me pain. Then I feel, Harry, that I have given away my whole soul to someone who treats it as if it were a flower to put in his coat, a bit of decoration to charm his vanity, an ornament for a summer’s day.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

44.) “For the yesterdays and today’s, and the tomorrows I can hardly wait for – Thank you.” ― Cecelia Ahern, The Book of Tomorrow

45.) “The honey doesn’t taste so good once it is being eaten; the goal doesn’t mean so much once it is reached; the reward is no so rewarding once it has been given. If we add up all the rewards in our lives, we won’t have very much.

But if we add up the spaces *between* the rewards, we’ll come up with quite a bit. And if we add up the rewards *and* the spaces, then we’ll have everything – every minute of the time that we spent.” ― Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh

46.) “Not having money to spend doesn’t mean we can’t have well-spent moments every day.” ― Sarah Ban Breathnach, Peace and Plenty: Finding Your Path to Financial Serenity

47.) “In prison, I fell in love with my country. I had loved her before then, but like most young people, my affection was little more than a simple appreciation for the comforts and privileges most Americans enjoyed and took for granted.

It wasn’t until I had lost America for a time that I realized how much I loved her. ” ― John McCain, Faith of My Fathers: A Family Memoir

48.) “Be thankful for your allotment in an imperfect world.  Though better circumstances can be imagined, far worse are nearer misses than you probably care to realize.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, and Grumblings for Every Day of the Year

49.) “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley

50.) “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” — Gilbert K. Chesterton

51.) “Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.” —Zig Ziglar

52.) “ ‘Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding.” —Alice Walker

53.) “Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” — Henri Frederic Amiel

54.) “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” —Robert Brault

55.) “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” – Melody Beattie

56.) Sometimes we should express our gratitude for the small and simple things like the scent of the rain, the taste of your favorite food, or the sound of a loved one’s voice. – Joseph B. Wirthlin

57.)  “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” — William Arthur Ward

58.) “The way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement.” — Charles Schwab

Attitude of gratitude quotes

59.) “Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty.” ―Doris Day

60.) “Appreciation can make a day—even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” ―Margaret Cousins

61.) “There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.” ―Ralph H. Blum

62.) “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” –  G.K. Chesterton

63.) “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” ― Marcus Tullius Cicero

64.) “Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” ― Voltaire

65.) “Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” – Brian Tracy

Other inspirational gratitude quotes and sayings

Here are some more inspirational gratitude quotes for you.

66.) “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” – Aesop (c.620-560 BC)

67.) “Since we cannot get what we like, let us like what we can get.” –

[westudentofbasementsme-blog]

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Madden NFL sixteen options the most important stars within the NFL, probably the most real looking gameplay, and the motion that keeps you coming again for extra. ONE-SENTENCE EVALUATE: While the sport has many of the same features as earlier editions, "Madden NFL 25" does have some new controls that make sport play more sensible. The Madden NFL cellular cheats on-line instrument will also be used to generate limitless resources. For all intents and functions, a random number generator could be a greater predictor of the result of the NFL playoffs than this simulation. Madden NFL 16 is making its transfer to past and present-gen consoles on August 25, 2015. When you ever want cash, open up the Madden NFL hack software and generate coins and cash and stamina for a lifetime. The most important fallout I see from it, that's impacted my purchases essentially the most, is we also lost loads of those arcade sports activities games like NBA Street, NBA Ballers, NFL Blitz, and so forth. CW's new series takes viewers behind the scenes of the Madden NFL 18 Challenge, which is part of the Madden Championship Series, with the purpose of broadening their attain and expanding their audience. In Madden NFL 17 on Xbox One and PlayStation®four, Big Choices start a new course in your profession mode experience changing the way in which you method your gameplay technique for each match up. Madden Cell hack instrument doesn't must be downloaded you simply do it on our website on-line.Stamina, cash and madden cell free cash serve as probably the most huge issues found in this madden NFL cellular hack. Madden NFL 16 is the first installment within the franchise in a while to include extremely specific throwing and catching strategies. EA Sports activities announced its plans for the quilt of the upcoming Madden NFL after a tear-filled retirement speech from Favre in March 2008. If you do not have to worry about pissing off the NFL, you can also make football and its gamers look as violent and ruthless as you want. Whichever scheme you select, Madden NFL Arcade plays and controls nice. EA Sports has the unique rights to make use of NFL teams and players in video video games till 2013 and no different company appears prepared or able to out-bid them. Madden NFL Football on Nintendo 3DS brings your favorite American Soccer players and groups to life like never before, in jaw-dropping 3D. The motion jumps off the screen as you compete in traditional eleven-on-11 games or excessive-flying five-on-five. 27, ESPNEWS: Madden NFL 18 club championship division finals, from Orlando. Critics, lamenting the dearth of modes, restricted replay, and other lacking Madden intangibles, scored Madden 06 a seventy four on Metacritic, down from the ninety one of Madden 05 and an 88 for the PlayStation 2 edition of 06. The person score for the Xbox 360 version particularly whittled to a mere 50. The one console edition rated decrease prior to now 18 years is Madden NFL Football for the 3DS (that was a forty nine).