#here your comic news if you care 😘

[nthflower]

Part 2. Also I am normal again.

Hope is stealing Jean's looks. Eva is nice. Goldballs is great. Elixir is fire I love it. Proteus is nice. Yeah they are good.

Kitty are you going for emo vampire vibes? I like it tho.

We already knew this. And I think it's amazing. Simple and not so unique but fits great.

Charles detected costume invalid. Okay it's not ugly and nice I guess.

This looks better here than cover. I like this I think. Also they can do something better with hair :(

I love this it's very bobby

Helmet is ugly. And it's very normal. I like it but nothing special.

Art makes her look so good. But costume is not so clear here. I like shoulder fire.

Mask is so random in there. And belt too. Shoes are nice. Shoulder sleeve things too. Idk

Oh they are doing a couples things. Shoes are nice and I like this but belt is ugly.

[deadghosy]

Hi! I hope you're doing great!

So I saw the headcannons of reader as Catnap and Dogday and I fell in love with the way you write! So I was wondering if you could do a headcannon about the reader being bendy from bendy and the ink machine?

Like the reader can draw and bring ink creatures to help around the hotel, maybe draw some decorations for the hotel? Sometimes going full on ink demon form to protect it or just pick up their friends on their back to make them feel taller

And the reader was actually an animator at joey drew studios and died, I think that would be pretty cool!

P.s I would love if the reader was wearing the same suit bendy wore in bendy and the dark revival

HAZBIN HOTEL X BENDY!READER

Prompt: a cute “little” demon becomes a resident who helps with the designs around the hotel!

Starting off. You definitely appeared as baby bendy 😘 with ya cute ass red bow or white bow. What ever you want the bow color as you showed up to the door trying to seem professional as Charlie gushes at your cuteness and lets you in.

The picture of baby bendy in the car, yeah you have that as you literally fuckin' zoom in the hallways drinking apple juice like a bad ass kid….bendy!Reader and chibi!Reader both doing races to make sinners poor😭 lil evil asses….

I imagine Angel dust and Alastor ganging up on you as a team to insult you by your height until you grow up to ink demon from with a roar.

“HOLY SHIT-” “Oh my.” They both said as you they were blew off by the power of your roar. So you felt happy seeing them shocked to see that part of you as Charlie didn’t see it and had commented how adorable you are with your suit.

Shit you are a devil in an angel’s suit‼️

You still wore the suit you had in when you met Audrey…man you miss her. But you are getting taken care of by Charlie and her friends here. Plus her father.

You help design the banners around the place! And even your small ink minions help as well.

I can imagine bendy! Reader being like “fuck it.” Because they can’t reach for the cereal and turn into normal height looking bendy and just starts to act as if it’s normal. While in the background, the crew has pure confusion on their face. Like, “what the fuck? You can be taller?”

“Yeah! Pretty neat right?” “..Im out of here…” husk says walking away as niffty goes up to you excited to talk to you about your height.

You ran over alastor’s foot once….you never speeded over 120 mph in your whole life seeing Alastor chase after you.

I imagine you going to normal height as you are just chilling with your small or long tail swinging and husk gets curious as he picks it up with his paw. “So…this ya tail right here?” You nodded reading the new paper. “So you’re a sinner demon?” “I ain’t nothin'” you said with a smirk as you disappeared in ink.

No one knows what exactly what you are. You don’t have the basic looks to look like a sinner or a hell born. So it’s kinda confusing to other.

You’re obviously a human who died to the ink as you use to animate bendy…so you’re bendy?? Does that make since because whatever you died by is your demon form….hopefully that made sense..

You once went full ink demon mode because a sinner tried to attack at you and husk while just running errands for the hotel. You transformed getting taller with the ink covering your face as you growl and slashes at them with a giant gloved hand covered in ink. And after that husk respected you more.

“Bendy/reader, can you help me make a cute star design?” Vaggie asked as Charlie was trying to make a star gazing banner. You nodded with your cartoony smile and pulls out a marker and started to draw on the air. The star in the air becomes to life as vaggie’s eyes widen.

“Uhm…oh wow. Thanks?” Vaggie says as she walks away with question marks visible while you just smile.

Y’know those dubbed comics where bendy has an accent? I feel like that’s cannon because you and Angel would be babbling about which part of city you guys were from.

I can see sir Pentious and you doing crafts as you made him an ink cartoon flower as he made you a bracelet bead with your name on it.

Lucifer will definitely play violin as you tap dance. Just a wholesome ass moment fr 💗🦆

You one time had fat nuggets in your doom buggy as you guys had shades just chilling around the hotel like bad asses✨

You miss your original family when you were alive and working. But everytime you open your eyes, you are greeted by the sweet comfort of your new family in the hazbin hotel.

You one time made an ink sculpture of your family and you tried to hold your smile but it faltered as you cry at how you missed your family as the ink sculpture melted due to your emotions.

Alastor appeared in your room seeing you sad little state as he comforted you. He had taken a liking to you ever since you joined the crew.

I can see you being childish because of your shortness so you use it to your advantage. YOU AND ALASTOR MAKE YOUR INK DEMONS FIGHT LIKE POKÉMON 😭😭

lol imagine bendy!reader making a whole like of fake ass tarrot cards to fuck with people as you have that smirk on your face.

“You’re gonna get run over toots…watch your back..” “what. The. Fuck-”

They got ran over by a mysterious person and a car….who knew who it was…it was you, you little bastard.

When the hotel has a talent and show day or night, you remembered how you animated bendy to do ballet and tap dancing. So with your information, that’s what you did. Yeah some sinners laughed..but some aplaude as they found it cute and so did your friends

You making ink blob bracelets for your friends as you can make them solid is a goal for real.

Headcannon on how you would try to make ink sculptures, but failing as you huff in anger and smash it with a full ink demon hand as the rest of your body is fine.

Headcannon of you just accidentally leaving ink footprints as you took off your shoes once 😭 niffty doesn’t complain as she likes to clean tho

I can see Lucifer picking your small body up happy for you to be so small as he has started in his eyes. And you are like annoyed at how the cast picks you up like a baby.

LMAO THAT WALMART MEME STOPPP😭😭 LUCIFER PUTS YOU UP TO THE DAMN WALMART CAMERA HAVING ALASTOR ALSO PICK LUCI UP 😭😭

I imagine you and Alastor having either a “bad ass son x calm father” troupe or a “non-biological sibling” troupe as you two get quite along

Your little ass doom buggy is such a weapon when needing to take a troubled guest in the hotel….YOU RAN THEM OVER?! 😨 ALL PEOPLE SEE IS A SMALL ASS INK DEMON HAVING A GUEST SCREAMING AS THEY GET RUNNED OVER TO THE DOOR-

So when the angels came for the battle, you were sure damn ready as you suffocated them in ink and control them into killing their own.

After seeing your full demon form, you definitely had been seen in a different light. They don’t see you as the cute baby bendy they seen you before.

Nah nah. They see you as a grown ass person as you are not in the baby bendy phase but more like the fanart type shit looks. With your charm, you definitely bring in some customers. 

HOPED YOU GUYS LIKED THIS AS THIS IS ALL I COULD COME UP WITH 🦆💗 MWAH

[fabseg-creator]

Miraculous comic: Kagami and Sabrina at the Ballet Dance (Sabrigami/Kagabrina)

I've imagined a scene between Kagami and Sabrina (a Kagabrina/Sabrigami moment).

The story:

It happens during a ballet party.

Kagami takes an interest on Sabrina.

K: Nice dress. And nice flower. 😏

S: Thanks. You must be Kagami. And... you are, yourself, well-dressed too. 😊

The Tsurugi heiress puts her arm on the ginger's left shoulder. The latter begins to blush. 😳

K: Can I ask a lot of questions to you ?

S (intrigued, confused): Yes. What do you want ?

K: I noticed that you are alone in here. Are you waiting someone ?

S: Uh... That's Chloé. She must come there with her new dress. She likes gold and diamonds. Meanwhile, she's late.

K: Have you called her ?

S: Of course, I am her bestie. I care about her. I already called 13 times. At the 13th time, she answered me she has already found a hairdresser. A true professional. Chloé said me she will arrive even she is late for 9 minutes (and I'm sure she doesn't admit that). And she requested me to stop calling her until her entrance.

K: Okay. So you must be too loyal. Dependant of this girl. Have you a free time ?

S (bit of embarrassed): Dependant ? I swear I have a free time. And Chloé lets me the freedom I get. It's normal to me for make services to people.

K (confident): If you have a free time when your "friend" isn't here, so you must be actually free. Can you be able to spend this time now ? Do you know other friends ?

S: About being able, a lot of my classmates have already adviced that to me.

K: So. Is it useless I am saying that ?

S: Uh... No. I didn't thought about you. And that's great.

K: So. What do you think if we can learn to more know each other while your Chloé is still absent ? Is it possible for you ?

S: What's the deal about ?

K (more confident): Honestly. Since I saw you, I think you are an interesting .

A seductive and attracted Kagami kisses Sabrina on the cheek. 😘 Confused, Sabrina extremely blushes. She has a bi/lesbian panic. 😳

K (giggling): You surely are a magnificient girl, Sabrina. I give an invitation to you: What about dancing together ? You and I ? For this free time ? 🥰😏

Kagami blinks one eye. Sabrina is amazed and fascinated about Kagami's offer. That's the first time someone calls her "magnificient girl". Even Chloé never called Sabrina like that before.

S: -thinking- | Chloé I feel you will be mad at me andI will beg you to forgive me later. But this girl Kagami is so... too beautiful to me. More attractive than you.| 😳💗

Will Sabrina accept to dance with Kagami ?

To be continued (?)

The Ballet Dance designs of Kagami and Sabrina below:

Kagami design Sabrina design

The initial sketches post here

[zepskies]

Hello hun! 😊

Okay, since I'm still on hold up here 🙈, I thought I send you a question.

How do you find a plot for your storys? What get's your inspiration going or what does spark you to make it a WIP?

So interested to hear how it works for you. 😁

Hey there, lovely!! 💜

Aww still waiting on Tracker to come out for you, huh? Almost there, right? 😅

But thank you for this question! The lovely @luci-in-trenchcoats asked me a similar one not too long ago in this ask, so my answer will be similar on some things.

⚡ Getting inspiration for stories:

Initially, my imagination always gets sparked by the "What If" question. Here are a few examples:

"What if Soldier Boy could be redeemed?" (Break Me Down - Soldier Boy x Reader)

"What if Dean Winchester had a Latina girlfriend?" (Midnight Espresso - Dean x Plus-sized Latina!Reader)

"What if Dean was a firefighter?" (Smoke Eater - Firefighter!Dean x Reader)

"What if Dean met his soulmate in season 1?" (Never Say Goodbye - Dean x Soulmate!Reader)

"What if Russell Shaw set his sights on his sister's best friend?" (Every Second Counts - Russell Shaw x Reader)

"What if you had a messy past you were running from, just like the new sheriff in town?" (Take Me Home - Beau Arlen x Reader)

You get the idea. 😂

✍🏽 Developing the plot:

After that, where I draw ideas for the plot depends on the kind of story I'm writing. And for that, I'm a big advocate of:

"Write what you know."

"Write what you can research."

"Write what you're interested in."

"Write what you've never tried to do before (but may secretly want to)."

Again, a couple of examples...

Break Me Down:

With BMD, I already had a loose concept in Checkerboard, with the reader working surveillance at Supe Affairs. It would paint her and Soldier Boy (Ben) as enemies from the start. "Enemies to lovers" was a trope I had never written before, but I thought it was a fun challenge, besides the obvious one of attempting to "redeem" Soldier Boy lol.

In general, I'm a sucker for the gruff, devil-may-care, rough exterior guy who only becomes soft for his girl. 😂

More practically though, I drew from the source material a bit for the Black Noir twist (the comics), and also from my love of Smallville for some of the superhero plot aspects. I also knew that if the reader was going to eventually give Ben a chance and see the humanity underneath, she would need time to do it. So what better way than with an accidental kidnapping? 😅

And somehow it became this quasi- Beauty & the Beast storyline that developed into Ben and the reader saving one another, in more ways than one. 💚

Smoke Eater:

With this story, I had several influences that helped me develop the plot. I have a deep and abiding love for cop and medical procedurals like Law & Order, House MD, and Chicago PD, but also for Chicago Fire in particular. (Also my uncle was a firefighter.) That helped me create Firehouse 25 and decide which canon characters I wanted to pull into the narrative.

It was my first ever full AU as well, so I drew a lot from the SPN canon S1-2 storyline to create the overarching murder mystery/the string of arsons. I was also very much impacted from stories my friends had told me of their experiences with sexual harassment, which is unfortunately where the Nick storyline came in.

And I actually drew a lot from my own experience with grief and loss in that story. Specifically in the challenges the reader faces with her family (with Dean's help). I wasn't conscious of it at the time, but after I wrote the initial drafts and started editing each chapter, I realized just where I was drawing from for that storyline. 💙

All that to say, that's a snapshot into my process from ideation to plotting! It's not always easy when you hit those difficult beats in a story, whether it's grief and loss, trauma and PSTD, or just the difficulties of making complex plot lines connect.

But overall, I do my best to have fun. If I'm not having fun, then why am I writing? 😘

Anyway. 😂 Thank you so much for this question, my friend! @jessjad I'm pretty sure this is way more than you wanted to hear, but I so appreciate you for asking about my writing process! 💗

[chio-chan2artbox]

Hiiiii I just wanted to say that you don't have to rush yourself into making the comic, we are all patient here!so don't worry, besides starting a new job is not something easy so take your time and adjust and then you can continue with what you love!, it's important that you don't burn yourself out. 🩷🧸

Love your perrydoof comics soon much it's like the cutest thing ever and it make me rewatch Phineas and Ferb and it's just soooo nostalgic!🩷😭

I question that I have, is it okay if we make fanfic/drawing/etc with your perry au? Just wanted to make sure before doing anything.

Anyways! Take care ! Your own health and self come first 🥇 always remember that 💖💕

Take care 💅😘

This means the world to me 😭❤️❤️❤️

I WOULD LOVE TO SEE ART/FIC OR WHATEVER OTHER CONTENT INSPIRED ON MY ART!!! please do!! 🩵💜

Thank you and you too take care 😇

[drawingwiffmoochi]

Hi hi it’s me again and I made this Wan Ji on my new phone! >:D

In all seriousness I’ve been meaning to draw Wan Ji for the longest time.

I’ve been following @journeytomonkiekid ‘s Eclipse Apprentice comic for over a year now and I love it so much.

she’s also become a big inspiration for me and it makes me want to make a comic too! (Which caused a fixation last year and WHEW BOY) I have other drawings and more on the way for this awesome artist and I HIGHLY SUGGEST checking out their comic!

the character I drew here is Wan Ji and ngl- I relate to her on a spiritual level- both in the gremlin-esc nature and complicated family life.

I loved the food I was given in Chapter 3 with the Macaque and Wan Ji content soooo-

that’s just more for me to draw!

This Wan Ji in her Chapter 3 outfit was my first drawing on my IPhones pocket Procreate and ngl- it’s so weird using a cheap stylus rather than the apple pen.

but be that as it may- Miss WishfulVixen you are a huge inspiration for me and I adore you and your works. And I am more than excited to see what becomes of Macaque and Wan Ji in the upcoming chapters of your comic. also remember to take care of yourself and get well soon since I saw that you weren’t feeling the best!🌸🌸💕

Til next time my little mochis!😘

[muffindaddystyles]

more anxious reader and harry!!! if you don’t mind 😘😘

ANXIOUS READER SHOPPING LINGERIE WITH HARRY OUF IT'S A ROLLERCOASTER

//

When Harry offered Y/N to take her to shopping. Lingerie shopping more specifically, to make up for ripping her favourite flowery bralette the night prior. Did she vapourise out of shyness? No. She’s more than comfortable with Harry, in his space, in his bed, in his embrace – the only thing's that she has never been to lingerie shops.

She buys her undergarments from online stores, awkwardly enough Harry doesn’t know that.

It’s easier to spend time looking for the pieces without getting worried of different things and the fact getting measured whilst standing alien like in one of the posh stalls gives her creeps.

But this’s Harry. She could try to get out of her comfort zone for him, sometimes it’s fun and chill other times it projectiles her into straight panic.

This’s one of those moments as he brought her to the custom Gucci store. A place where everyone knows him and his likes and Y/N really doesn’t want all of them to let know that they’re here to shop for her tits.

While the staff is welcoming and sweet all Y/N could feel is her palm getting sweaty and slippery in Harry’s hand. It shouldn’t be a big deal. It’s a womanly thing and Y/N should be proud of it but since she was small, passing by these bold and sexy shops always had her face hot and pink – nothing to the day has changed.

“Don’t you think these are too much?” She asks Harry softly who’s plucking out pair after pair of dark themed sheer sets. Exact opposite of lilacs, tangerines, blues and flowery and fruity patterns Y/N wears.

“Not buying all of these fo’ you if that’s what ye’ worried of,” He scoffs playfully waving his hand at her knowing if he would even want to she wouldn’t let him, “Then for your side hoe?” She whispers to him with equal playfulness in attempt to make herself comfortable to surroundings.

Harry leans in and steals a chaste peck from her bitten lips, “You’re the only hoe I care for.”

“Now shoo away before I buy the whole store for you.” He turns her from her shoulders and pushes her towards the changing room, “What?” Confused and tangled in the silk curtain of stall Y/N cranes her neck up at him in bafflement.

“I’ll have to try these out?” She murmurs shifting her weight from one foot to another. Harry frowns down at her gently in concern cupping her cheek to make her look him in eyes, “You don’t want to bunny?”

“I don’t have a problem if it makes you happy.” She tells him honestly. Harry shakes his head vigorously making them step and disappear behind the curtain, “You tell me. Will it make you happy?” He emphasises on his words gazing her intensely and Y/N gulps thinking it’s time to tell him the truth.

Her hand brushes his wrist as she lifts it to push her hair back and smiles nervously when Harry does that for her, “It’s just.. I’ve never been to lingerie shops—..” She says in one breather and Harry brows shoots up in surprise.

“You could’ve just told me so lovie’.. could’ve asked Harris to send some sets at home.” He runs his thumb over her plushy bottom lip and chin, hands falling to grab her fidgety ones.

“I just didn’t want to make a fool out of my self.” She pouts and Harry chuckles, asking his infamous question whenever they’re somewhere new to adjust.

“On the rate of 1 to 10, howa ya feelin’?” He rubs her arms and Y/N squints one eye up at him comically, “7ish...?” His presence and his scent makes everything more sufferable.

“Wanna go home?” He tosses the sets that were slinging over his arm on the small ottoman, “No. Lemme try these out please?” Y/N smiles timidly grasping his hand and kissing his knuckles.

“D’ya want me to stay here with you?” He asks to be polite quickly pulling the already closed curtains to make sure nothing’s visible when Y/N starts stripping from her sweater and brown pants, “Overshly.” She mimics his accent holding back a surprised squealing giggle when Harry gropes plumy flesh of her ass and gives it a gentle squeeze.

“Oooh straight out of fifty shades..” Harry sing songs adjusting the straps of the bra right on her shoulders, caressing a knuckle up Y/N’s neck and Y/N’s head snaps to take a look at herself in the mirror – jaw slacking and hands shooting to cover her itty-bitties.

“What’s the purpose if it doesn’t covers anything!?” She whisper yells and Harry gives the cheekiest smile he could’ve dig, “Your crotch’s showing that’s the purpose babyyy.”

“Don’t you like it?” He gives her puppy eyes as she hesitates to move her hands away, her nips showing through the sheer stuff, “I mean it’s too much skin–“

“You could wear it in our bedroom only, whatever makes you feel safe.” At the moment she feels like Harry’s her little stylist who’s trying to make her tumble into bolder options and helping her ward her fears off, “’kay only for you.”

“Only for me.” He chirps back joyfully. His eyes oozing with adoration and endearment for his girlfriend, “What?” She giggles nervously sensing his intense stare glued to her, wobbly on her footing trying to slip her leg through panties of another set.

“Nothin’.. ‘s just you’re really,” He unhooks his chin from his finger and sponges a tiny kiss atop Y/N's nose not caring if someone in the next stall hears them, “..pretty.”

“Freak.” She glares him teasingly shaky fingers tiring out from reaching for a clasp for the hundredth time, which indeed didn’t go unnoticed by Harry.

“It’s okay, you’ve got me.” He coos softly to calm her down brushing the warm pads of his finger up her spine, lips dipping into a tender smile when Y/N gasps – eyes fluttering shut as he tightens the hook and tugs her back to his chest making her tits appear more plump and kissable.

“Look at you bunny..” He mutters toying with the tiny silk bow that rests beautifully between her cleavage, “Angels wants to know your secrets.” The mirror infront of them turning foggy from their hot breaths and Y/N’s thighs comes clenching as Harry trails his touch around the perfect roundness of her bum feeling the softness of her skin and the silk panties she’s wearing.

Flustered and giddy she watches him step away, tousle his curls and adjust his trousers then gestures her to do a little spin for him.

“Harry stop! You’re embarrassing me.” She mumbles. Not able to resist from shying and stuffing her face against his bicep when Harry wolf whistled and the whole store got to know someone’s getting it tonight.

When it was time to get back into her own garments Y/N was a little too dangerously tippling over the edge, because she wasn’t able to find them in the pile and that made her all panicky, “Hey, hey bunny. ‘s alright. Did you really think I was g'na let ‘em out of my sight..” He fishes her bra and panties out of his pocket shaking his head when Y/N inhales a sigh of relief.

“Silly girl. Burning herself for stupid things, it was just some undies. What could’ve been worse? I would’ve just bought you nice and comfy ones ‘cos overshly I’d love to rip one once we reach home and these expensive ones wouldn’t do.”

“You’re really my comfort person, you know that?” Y/N grins popping her head through the neckline of her sweater.

“No time for being sappy. It’s a sexy time baby.” Harry all but rolls his eyes spreading his palm flat to take her hand and step outside together.

[ragingbookdragon]

ufonaut regularly goes around gatekeeping comics and harassing other dc fans for no reason, sorry they came after you😣 you should block them if you havent already

Yeah, I’m aware. For a lack of a better word, they’re a cunt. I have friends who left the dc fandom because of shit like this but the only reason I haven’t is because I’m an annoyingly stubborn asshole and I’m not going to leave. I carved my place here and I’m keeping it. They think that by kicking out the “fake fans” that they’re doing the fandom a service. They’re not, they’re just fucking it up for the rest of us and forcing good fans out and new fans.

I can get behind writing essays on your favorite characters and trying to educate others but you don’t have the right to harass other people and tell them that just because they don’t fucking read every comic that they’re not fans. Wanna know how I got into DC? I watched the shows as a kid. I played the Arkham games. Then I started getting into the comics. I didn’t read a single comic until like…2018? I don’t have the time. So I get my panels and information from the wiki and I think I do a pretty good job of being a fan—whatever the fuck the criteria is, I don’t fucking know or care. We’re all fans here, there is no greater or lesser or fake or real.

Whether you read every comic or only one, whether you love characters because of obscure panels, whether you’ve only played the games or watched the shows or movies (animated or live), you are a validated fan. We’re here to enjoy our favorite characters not be assholes to each other and deem one another true fans and fake fans. If you engage in the fandom, you’re a fan, plain and simple. There is no fake fan vs real fan and they need to get over themselves if they think they are. “Real” dc fans wouldn’t act like cunts to other people.

But they can kiss my white ass 😘

-Thorne

[queen-of-love-and-beauty]

For the AU list, can you take at least three? 19, 45 & 48. And of course, the ship is Philinda 😊❤❤. Thank you in advance 😘

48. meeting again at a high school reunion au

The Bethesda High School gym looked even sadder with the paper streamers and half-deflated balloons scattered all over the floor.

At least this was a reunion and not prom, there had to be strong alchohol somewhere, Melinda hoped.

She realized her tight, black dress was too scandalous for her hometown high school reunion. It wasn’t too short and it showed no cleveage but Melinda still attracted stares, and even a few whistles, while she walked in. They were most likely all boys she had turned down and didn’t remember. The awkward thing was; she could see the wedding bands on their fingers.

Melinda tried the punch and curled her nose as the acidy after-taste. She should have pre-gamed before she left the house. Or maybe she wanted to drink because her mother was already pestering her about settling down and starting over. Melinda had mentioned one idea and her mother was already re-decorating her old room.

She looked around. A few women were looking at her, or better, staring and whispering. Melinda sighed. She had not been the most popular in high school, but she had also not been mean or a bully. She had had a group of friends to count on and had always been nice to to other girls. She didn’t understand why women in their forties felt the need to regress to a teenage state of mind to make themselves feel better.

Melinda scanned the room. She saw him and gasped before she could control it. Phil Coulson had still the same dorky look on his face, made even worse by the black hipster glasses he had on. He still smiled the same warm, inviting smile, however.

She let him come to her. Melinda knew he would. If there was one thing she could count on, was Phil’s friendship. Even though they had not seen each other in years and had only kept in touch through Facebook messenger and liked pictures.

“I was wondering when you’d show up and cause a disturbance,” he said, stopping a few feet away from her and stuffing his hands in his khakis pant pockets.

Melinda smirked. “I don’t have any pranks planned for tonight.”

“That is enough to cause all the excitement this party needed,” Phil said, jerking his chin toward the dress.

Melinda knew she was blushing and didn’t understand why. She chuckled, looking him up and down.

“You still look like the same nerd who read too many comics,” she said.

Phil pretended to be shocked. “How rude! And here I was complimenting you.”

“Mine was a compliment too. Most people here look like time punched them in the face.”

They laughed together, not bothering to care when a few heads turned their way. Melinda bit her lip, studying the dark shirt he was wearing. He did look good.

“I’m sorry to hear about your divorce,” she said, fidgeting with the clutch she had not even wanted to bring.

Phil smiled.

“Sometimes the timing just isn’t right,” Melinda said.

He nodded and took a sip of his beer. “Well, big city living was fun and so was teaching at a university but I think Daisy is going to like Bethesda.”

Melinda blinked. “Daisy?”

“Oh yeah, I’m fostering her. She’s eight and a ball of energy.”

“So you’re moving back home?”

Phil shrugged. “I’ll give it a shot. Daisy has never been in one place for more than a month and is sick of cities and apartments. She deserves a backyard to run around in.”

Melinda smiled watching how his eyes lit up when he spoke about the girl. “That sounds nice.”

“I’m so rude, I spent all this time talking about me. What’s up with you.”

“Funny enough I’m also considering moving back. My mom is getting older and her health is fragile. Plus...after what happened...”

Phil nodded. “I saw it on the news. You did good, got all the hostages out.”

Melinda sank her fingernails in the leather of her clutch. “After a while law enforcement becomes too much. I haven’t been back since.”

Phil took a step closer and placed his hand over hers. “Well then, Melinda May, maybe this reunion wasn’t all bad.”