#heartofmania

[himbovillains]

@heartofmania - hugh and florence

he's always grateful for a weekend. there's something nice about being able to wake up in the morning and not have to worry about leaving the apartment. of course, he usually still wakes at 7am, just out of habit. it's hard not to when you've worked a nine to five for the past twenty or so years. this morning's routine had still required him to leave the apartment, however, as sofía had needed dropping off at her ballet class. she's being picked up by his brother though, so he doesn't have to worry about collecting her, which had left him free to pick up a coffee on the way back to the apartment. keys jingle in the lock and the door swings open to reveal florence sat at the kitchen table. ‘ good morning. i've got you a hot chocolate, if you want it. ’ he lifts the cup holder to show her, before stepping inside to allow the apartment door to swing closed behind himself.

[dolcesuono]

" and where exactly have you been hiding yourself? " she slid onto the sofa beside him, a teasing glint in her eye. in that moment, her motives were two-fold. first, the party was crowded and the spot beside the spare bridgerton was one of the few available - and second, it had been some time sine she'd had the pleasure of crossing his path. their circles were not identical, but there was enough overlap that she'd come to see the young aristocrat as something of a fixture in certain artistic circles. " i would be deeply offended if i thought you'd been avoiding me, mr. bridgerton... " her tone was deadpan, but there was mischief beneath the surface.

@heartofmania --> 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙲𝙰𝙻𝙻

[himbovillains]

the house, much like uganza, remains seemingly unchanged. he feels as if he could look around the room and see things that he left laying around when he was a kid, things that he definitely planned on putting away at some point ( and definitely the first time that he had been asked to do so ) before he'd left. but they're not his things, it's just clutter of a different kind. after all, this place was no doubt built on clutter, and felix can't be certain that it doesn't hold up the ceiling, that it isn't buried deep into the foundations.

he takes two steps forwards into the house and then he’s being scolded, like he’s sixteen again, having just run inside after football training with mud stuck to the soles of his shoes. and it’s nice. that familiar nostalgia washes over him again. there's the warmth that he realises now he's been craving for far too long, despite the fact that he's being told off ( albeit in a less than serious tone ) because even that has been sorely missed by him.

one step backwards, so that he can wipe his shoes off on the doormat, before he moves forwards again to head towards the kitchen. ‘ just thought i'd drop by on my way home, y'know? got the time, for once, and i haven't seen you in...god, an age, right? ’ yes, perhaps he's exaggerating slightly on that front, but two months is a long time not to see someone who you'd spent practically every day with for the past fourteen years. but, as is felix's way, he downplays the fact that, emotionally, he needs this right now, favouring instead a slightly more laidback tone. uganza will see right through it, he's sure, but he's nothing if not a chancer.

his usual seat at the kitchen table is waiting for him and he slides into it with ease. his arms fold and rest on the table in front of him, as he then leans forwards to put more of his weight against the table. ‘ though i can't be one hundred percent sure that you're not going senile, so probably best bet to check on that too, right? ’ it's with that familiar 'felix cragsnow grin' that he says this, the one that says he knows that he's going to get away with a cheeky comment because he has uganza wrapped very tightly around his little finger.

With a chuckle, Uganza shakes his head and gestures vaguely towards his study.

‘Nothing unusually strenuous, Felix, unless you count slowly reading through manuscripts as ‘busy’. He knows there will undoubtedly be a comment made that Uganza is always doing research and never takes a break, but in a half-hearted attempt to escape said comment he nudges the study door shut and instead heads over to the kitchen.

‘It wouldn’t matter anyway, would it? You know you’re always welcome, my boy.’

Almost on auto-pilot he pulls the teapot down from the cupboard (specifically the well-loved family teapot, the blue flowers still visible on the stoneware lid and only the tiniest bit chipped despite the many knocks and bumps it has taken over the years), and sets about making some tea and fixing a plate of bourbon biscuits. He always makes sure to have a good supply of them, just in case Felix happens to drop by.

He looks up from his work, smiling at how familiar this all feels. So many afternoons over the years had Felix turning up at the door after school, football or ‘activities that absolutely most definitely were not dates’, and Uganza would do as he has always done, as he is doing right now. His eyes flick to the doormat, and he clears his throat, nodding in that direction.

‘If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a hundred times, wipe your feet when it’s been raining.’ His tone is more joking exasperation rather than a genuine scolding, because of course he’s not being serious. Felix could track mud all over the house if he really wanted to and Uganza would simply roll his eyes with a sigh and get the mop out. It would entirely depend on the day whether it would remain in his grip or get handed over to Felix. Uganza has never been a stickler for a spotless house, just as long as it’s comfy, cosy and liveable.

The water boils (somehow it always seems quicker when Uganza is making it), the tea bags brew, and the smell fills the kitchen. Warm, familiar, comfortable. Uganza then produces their usual designated mugs, with their usual designated coasters from some nebulous drawer as if by magic. These are quickly joined by the jar of honey and the bottle of oat milk, and as the steam rises up into his face as he pours both cups, he asks:

‘So what brings you over, Felix? Came to check I wasn’t going senile, or was it more that you wanted some company?’

[gurneyslade]

2012 Human Survey of existence:

Rule 1: Post the rules.  Rule 2: Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then make eleven new ones.  Rule 3: Tag 11 people and link them to your post.  Rule 4: Let them know they’ve been tagged.

Tagged by AuspiciousEmma

1. Which fictional character (of any fandom) are you most like?

Probably Rimmer to be honest. He's my favourite and we're both total smegheads.

2. Name someone (a real person) you aspire to.

Russell T Davies.

3. A wild [what] appears! (Which Pokemon are you?)

I am a Pikachu :)

4. What is your next big goal?

To finish watching Red Dwarf, Space 1999, The Prisoner and Star Trek Series 2

5. Are you having fun?

For the most part.

6. Any fun hobbies?

Going on the internet

7. Describe yourself in a sentence (without anything superficial like what you look like or which fandoms you belong to).

Someone you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alleyway.

8. Your favourite Tumblr person.

Not answering that.

9. Who would play you in a movie of your life?

No idea.

10. Name something or someone that has changed your life.

Doctor Who

11. Do you have a favourite type of cheese, and if not, why not?!

Parmesan.

My questions:

1. Who's your favourite fictional character?

2. Top Ten Books?

3. Tumblr or Sleep?

4.Do you have a Fanfiction account?

5. Anything particularly awful in your life?

6.  What TV, if any, from the 1970s-80s do you watch?

7. What was your first fandom?

8. Chocolate or Spots?

9. A Dalek prepares to exterminate you. What do you do?

10. How's life

11. You're awesome?

[himbovillains]

@heartofmania — felix and sylcia.

‘ okay so, let me get this straight– ’ they’re at dinner. it’s a relatively fancy restaurant, one that felix has deemed it appropriate to wear a tie for, which is fitting considering they’ve been dating for six months now. it boggles his mind that they’re still together, that she hasn’t gotten sick of his tendency to chat absolute shit at the most inopportune times. like in a restaurant when they’re supposed to be celebrating six months of dating. ‘ not only have you never seen the classic movie snow dogs, you’ve never even seen the clip where he bites the dog on the ear and then gets laughed at for believing that’s actually how you show dominance to a sled dog? ’

[himbovillains]

@heartofmania — continued from here (x)

‘ i believe, ’ he starts in a hushed whisper as they get closer to benedict's door, as though their younger (and hopefully sleeping) siblings what be able to hear him through the thick wood, ‘ that given the right sort of provocation, you would turn on me within an instant. the wolves, ’ by which he is mostly referring to colin and eloise, ‘ can be very persuasive when they wish to be. ’ it would be held over his head at every family dinner for the foreseeable future, until someone else was unfortunate enough to attract the attentions of the gossip hounds that are the younger bridgertons.

he's never known anything like it, and he's almost convinced that the two of them might just be worse than the rest of the ton put together. ‘ look, benedict, ’ he comes to a sudden stop, and places both of his hands very seriously and very solemnly on benedict's cheeks. ‘ look at me. as your brother, your eldest brother, you must promise never to reveal this secret to them. do you swear it? i need your word that they will never find out that this has happened. you must absolutely swear it to me in this moment. ’ he's taken on a very similar cadence to a raving madman.

[himbovillains]

@heartofmania — continued from here (x)

he grabs a biscuit of his own and, in a stunning display of mirroring that he absolutely isn't going to bring any further attention to, he gestures at uganza with it still in hand. ‘ but if i ship you off to a home, then who's gonna make me tea that i won't drink? ’ superfluous point aside — because he'll drink the tea, he always does — he drags his designated cup closer, before his hands reach for both the honey and the oat milk. right now, he'd drink a whole pot of the stuff if uganza made it for him, if it kept him in this house for longer.

as uganza's hand settles on his cheek, felix finds himself leaning in to the touch, eyes closing in contentment. the warmth spreads through his skin, feels like it's spreading through his entire body. fuck, is he really so touch starved that even the smallest amount of affection has him feeling like he could burst into tears? he won't cry, he promises himself that, so reluctantly pulls away from uganza's hand under the guise of busying himself with his mug.

honey is stirred in first, so that he can take advantage of the heat of the brew to melt the saccharine liquid, and is then followed closely by oat milk, ‘ so, ’ he starts, as if he hadn't just been five seconds away from a breakdown, ‘ other than work, scamming miss rosalie out of cakes, and making tea, what else has kept you busy? and don't just say nothing. lie if you have to. ’

[himbovillains]

        —- BENEDICT gets attention from ANTHONY -— sent from this meme (x)

when benedict enters his room, he would be absolutely forgiven for thinking that a thief had broken in. the window is wide open, cold air filtering in and fluttering the ornate curtains that decorate the opening. and sat, on his bed, is an unusually out-of-sorts anthony, who looks up at his younger brother through a fallen fringe and long lashes.    ‘ i didn’t know where else to go. ’    the slur that tinges his words is unmistakeable, tarring them with the brush of inebriation and lending anthony the air of a man who is very much drunk.

[himbovillains]

❛ are you comfy? ❜ @heartofmania — sent from this meme (x) still accepting!

admittedly, he’d been off in a world of his own, so her question snaps him out of his little daydream. ‘ ...hm? ’ he tunes back in to the conversation, catches on to what her question was, and offers her up a smile before he opens his mouth to answer. it's at this point that he realises his feet are resting in her lap, done unconsciously where he'd been reclining on the sofa, with him at one end and her at the other. they haven't been dating long, certainly not long enough for him to just put himself in her personal space like this. sure, she knows that he's physically affectionate, but this is his feet and some people are weird about that. ‘ ...i, uh — ’ he's quick to push himself up into a sitting position, moving his feet out of her lap. ‘ sorry. spaced out there. just for a sec...sorry. ’ well, this is certainly the next step in their relationship.

[dolcesuono]

" starting early, i see, " she said with a smirk. but she accepted the proffered glass all the same and raised it in a silent toast. it was all in jest, of course - the point of these parties was to drink and make merry with nary a thought spared for moderation, let alone propriety. and that was just fine by hetty. with her latest production now behind her and rehearsals for the next looming, she was allowing herself a moment's relief. on monday, she would be back at the theatre, her mind once more on nothing but her work. tonight, though, she could let go - at least a little. she suspected that need for release was something her companion, with his unique background amongst the gathered company, would understand... " do not let me stop you, " she added, brow lifted in amusement as she brought her drink to her lips. " in fact, i may even leave you behind... "

@heartofmania --> 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙲𝙰𝙻𝙻

[dolcesuono]

she accepts the glass with a wry smile, following her friends gaze to where the two older bridgertons are clearly having an increasingly tense conversation in the corner. bringing her drink to her lips, she cannot help but ruminate on her good fortune. there were times, perhaps, in her life that she'd wished for siblings, for a playmate in her lonely youth. but now... she values her independence far too much to tolerate the thought of an older brother's lectures about her life and her choices. no, her fate is her own - for good and for ill. precisely how she wants it.

" you've a far more patient temperament than i... " hetty says, turning her gaze back to the elegant young woman at her side. " i fear i'd have knocked their heads together long before now... " but there is a touch of fondness in her voice. if she knows one thing about her friend it is that, despite irritations and inconveniences, she loves her family dearly. while it is not a sentiment hetty can fully understand, she respects it all the same.

" and will they mind, do you think? " she says, her smile turning teasing. " will they mind that you've escaped their protective clutches to rub elbows with someone thoroughly unsuitable to be the companion of a bridgerton? "

@heartofmania continued from here.

[himbovillains]

care-taking - muse a rubs muse b’s arms repeatedly to get some warm into them (Felix for Sylcia)

        —- @heartofmania​ -— answered from this meme (x)

her suggestion for an afternoon out had been a christmas market, of all places. not that felix has anything against christmas markets, it’s just that he finds the concept as a whole to be one that’s steeped in romanticism. which, again, is fine. he doesn’t have anything against that either. but they’ve only been known each other for a couple of months and though his intentions had been to ask her out on a date at some point in the near future, he hadn’t quite gotten around to it yet.

perhaps this is her taking the initiative and spurring him into action, which is something else to add to the list of things that he’s absolutely fine with today, apparently ( AND THERE’S ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING MORE BEHIND THAT WHICH HE WILL NOT CONFRONT RIGHT NOW ).

he’d taken the drive up to cambridge to meet her, and the day has been pretty uneventful so far. there are a couple of things that he’s seen that he wouldn’t mind buying as gifts for people he knows, even some things that he wouldn’t turn his nose up about buying for himself. but as a whole, there’s been nothing to even suggest that the afternoon was going to have a more romantic turn.

it’s not until they’re waiting for gourmet hot chocolates when he catches her shivering. it’s not obvious, but he’s been finding it more and more difficult to keep his eyes off of her whenever they’ve been spending time together, so he manages not to miss it. and without giving her the opportunity to insist that she’s not cold, he slips off his jacket and wraps it around her shoulders. his hands, tactile, always craving touch, slide down to her biceps, hoping to impart some further warmth into her skin. 

    ‘ better? ’

[himbovillains]

[ 𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐊 ] ― sender makes receiver a cocktail to try (Felix for Pax)

         —- @heartofmania - — answered from this meme (x)

there’s a drink that is placed down before him, and felix is IMMEDIATELY SUSPICIOUS.

sure, it has all the RIGHT COLOURS for a cocktail, smells exactly like the right kind of FRUITY that felix enjoys in a cocktail, and is even in a NICE ENOUGH GLASS that it could definitely pass for a cocktail. by all rights, he should be thankful for this drink and spend no further time deliberating the intent behind it.

and he would, without hesitation, were it not for the fact that he had ABSOLUTELY NOT ASKED for this drink. there’s enough experiential evidence gathered on his part to know that the majority of time, when his sibling gifts him with something OUT OF THE BLUE, it’s undoubtedly going to cause him some minor harm.

    ‘ …you know there’s no way i’m drinking that, right? ’

[dolcesuono]

@heartofmania said: “ what are you doing out here by yourself? ” - from Benedict 😊

she turned in surprise at the sound of the voice behind her. hetty blinked. he was clearly a bridgerton - that much was unmistakeable. but it took her a moment to recall precisely which one. of course - the second eldest. the artist. he was surely the only one who would dare to be seen at a party like this - the only one who counted artists amongst his friends... the smile that appeared on her lips held something like relief. she was not prepared tonight to wear the careful mask of politeness usually required when rubbing elbows the crème de la crème of london society. the sort of sphere this gentleman's family usually occupied. she leaned back against the balustrade, the house's small garden at her back. " taking some air, i suppose, " she said with a shrug before shooting a pointed look at the window and the raucous party carrying on inside. " finding a moment's peace and quiet... " she quirked an eyebrow at him. " but i could ask you the same question... "

[himbovillains]

        —- DAPHNE -— sent from this meme (x) still accepting!

it's late, the sun having set hours ago and in danger of rising again soon. he should be resting, he knows as much, but the nerves eating away at his stomach have kept him from getting an early night. in just over twenty-four hours, he will be a married man. and he will actually carry through to the end of this wedding ceremony, making good on his promise to join together the bridgertons and the sharmas ( a promise that he had royally screwed up the first time around ). he knows that he has no reason to be nervous and yet there is a part of him that seriously considers the idea that kate may come to her senses and abandon him at the altar. a ridiculous notion, given that they had come this far despite the awful circumstances with edwina, but he still cannot stop himself from allowing the thought to infiltrate his mind.

daphne's words shock him out of his reverie, and though he would not admit to being startled by her, she would no doubt have noticed the slight jump as she had spoken. ‘ getting some fresh air...i found myself unable to sleep. ’ he admits, though he keeps his back to her as he says this. there is an openness to his tone that is refreshingly new, having cropped up within the last couple of months, but that apparently does not extend to his body language just yet. still, this is a vast improvement on the anthony that existed before kathani sharma decided to single-handedly change the course of his life. ‘ ...i did not think i would be this nervous in the face of my upcoming nuptials. ’

[himbovillains]

[ 𝐑𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐄 ] ― sender and receiver see each other again after a period of being apart

(Felix comes home to Uganza)

        —- UGANZA​ -— sent from this meme (x) still accepting!

shifting between jobs and moving into his own flat has kept him so busy that he hadn’t realised just how long it had been since he’d been back to visit his uncle. there just weren't enough hours in the day ( FOR EITHER OF THEM, NOT JUST FOR HIMSELF ) and if he could only just scrape together an hour more, then he probably would have found the time to be a little more present.

but as it stands, he only realises when he’s driving back from crawley, when the traffic on the m25 slows to a crawl not too far away from the dartford tunnel. his hands drum gently on the steering wheel of his van, out of time with the music that plays from the radio, which matches the vibe of the **out of tune **singing that he’s attempting. it’s only when he glances across to the car beside him, just on a whim, and sees a man who bears such an uncanny likeness to his uncle, that for a moment, he considers getting out the van to bang on the man’s window.

he doesn’t, thankfully, because the man turns his head to make eye contact with felix, who can now tell that this man is not his uncle. their eyes lock, and felix gives a slightly sheepish wave, before giving the road in front of him his full attention.

as he sits there, stewing in the juices of his own embarrassment from being caught staring, he remembers that the last time that he saw uganza was when he’d moved out two months ago. weird, that he hadn’t noticed, but he supposes that he’d been so caught up in everything he’d had going on, he hadn’t been able to find a spare second to notice that actually, he missed him very much. 

by the time he gets back to dagenham, it’s pretty late, and yet his van pulls up in front of uganza’s home, causing a pang in his chest at the memory of the fact that this is no longer his home now. sure, he knows that he’d be welcome whenever, but he moved out. for his independence, of course. that, and it gets increasingly more difficult to pull on a night out when you’re twenty-eight and still live with your uncle.

he trudges up the garden path, finds himself stood in front of the door, suddenly nervous to knock. he knows that he’ll be welcome, uganza had made as much clear when he’d left, he’s 100% sure of that fact. but there’s always that little doubt, isn’t there? always that tiny voice in the back of his head that tells him that maybe uganza realised how much he now likes being on his own. 

he knocks sharply on the door before he can chicken out, throat tight and heart pounding until the moment the door opens and felix comes face to face with a man he now realises he had been missing dreadfully.  ‘ hey, old man. ’