#hes. very very fishy in the face compared to them

[dinoserious]

been playing totk. noodled out a rito design for bazal

[sofiahchan]

What's it's like cooking with Love and Deepspace boys?

𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐋

This man loves sea food, so why not cook it? So you decide to cook together. At first, you started helping each other. Rafayel cut some tomatoes while you picked up an octopus. Then you feel Rafayel's arms hugging you from behind, and he looks at the octopus and says, "It's not so bad to cook together."

Right when he finishes the sentence, the octopus ends up splashing black paint right in Rafayel's face, and you try to hold back your laughter, but when you can't, you end up laughing while he pouts, crossing his arms. "That's... That's not funny!! Let's cook... Let's cook something else."

That's how you and Rafayel decide to release the octopus into the sea, also cleaning Rafayel's face of paint. You two decide to cook a cake, but he keeps pouting every now and then. You decide to take his cheeks in your hands. “Don't be sad... I laughed because your face with octopus paint took me by surprise, okay?"

Rafayel ends up smiling at you, leaning his head in your hands. “Okay, okay, what can I do? It's my fishy charm, even with octopus paint I look attractive.” You roll your eyes and Rafayel head fell on your shoulder, both of you decorate the cake with a blue that resembles the ocean.

𝐗𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐑

This man is a complete disaster in the kitchen. When you're not looking for a second, everything starts to burn. Xavier stares at you as he looks at the cupcake he was trying to make and at your cupcake. “What did I really do wrong? I was following the recipe and tried to improvise a little."

Improvise, right... He tried to improvise when the cupcake batter simply ended up burning, and he put it in the microwave trying to fix it. This is what Xavier's cupcake looks like: all burned, and yours is in perfect condition. You decided to try to console him, “Don't worry, it's not that bad... What do you think about doing another one? I will help you!”

Xavier nods in silence as you help him make his cupcake, also giving instructions on how to do it, and finally, when it's done, Xavier looks at you with a sparkle in his eyes. "You're good at cooking... Do you have a secret or is there a trick?" He whispers looking at the new cupcake you helped him make comparing to yours.

“I think you'll improve with time and practice too." That's all you can say, trying to cheer him up, and then Xavier smiles and says, "I'll try." This is how you two end up decorating your cupcakes together, while Xavier asks a few questions every now and then about foods and how to make them.

𝐙𝐀𝐘𝐍𝐄

This man cooks so well that even just looking at the food he makes seems to send particles flying. You wonder how he manages to make food that looks and tastes so good. Zayne staring at you says, "You're staring at the food too much, it's not your liking?”

Well, the food looks good, and Zayne seems to like it spicy enough, as he did a spicy beef stew. The beef stew smells so good. "Zayne, that smells so good! Can I taste it?”

Zayne nods his head, and he then ends up feeding you, and when you taste the flavor in your mouth, you find yourself staring at him with a red face. "It's very spicy!!" Zayne eyes widened surprised he grabs a glass of water quickly, giving it to you, you drink it quickly and he whispers "Are you okay?"

You sigh and look at Zayne. “I wasn't prepared for it to be so spicy, but can we eat it? It tastes good and spicy, but I think I'm going to need another glass of water just in case." You see the corners of Zayne's lips turn up, and he gives a small smile. "Of course, if you want to eat something else, let me know, I can cook it.”

[chrysalis-the-butterfly]

My Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss Shipping Tier List

Hazbin Hotel Ships

Huskerdust - Angel Dust and Husk. My Hellaverse OTP! I've talked about them at length in my Huskerdust analysis post. Long story short: they're not perfect people, but they could be perfect for each other. They've both been through bad times and done bad things, but there's a chance they could change for the better now that they have each other. And that's why I love thinking about them together.

Chaggie - Charlie Morningstar and Vaggie. They're a sweet established couple, and it's cute to see how they'll take any opportunity to hold hands or hug or brush hair off each other's faces. Plus, I'm a sucker for pairings where one person is a grump and the other is a ray of sunshine.

Emilute - Lute and Emily. They're both angels, but very different in looks and personality. One is dark-skinned with pastel clothes and compassion for Sinners; the other is pale-skinned with black clothes and a dedication to eradicating Sinners. Emily would want to help Lute see the light, whereas Lute would try to make Emily cross over to the dark side... @carpp had made some great fanart of the two of them, which made me love the pairing!

Emilette - Emily and Velvette. I started shipping this thanks to @dallina17 and their posts on the pairing. I think it's interesting that Emily and Velvette both have musical moments where they stand up to authority figures (Sera in "You Didn't Know" and Carmilla in "Respectless", respectively), but go about it in different ways (appeals to morality vs. brash rudeness) and with different motives (concern for others vs. self-interest). That's got me thinking about what would happen if the two women ever met. Also, Black sapphic solidarity for the win!

MollyBomb - Molly and Cherri Bomb. I just think it would be funny if Angel's sister and Angel's best friend ended up dating. It's as simple as that!

CherriSnake - Cherri Bomb and Sir Pentious. Their shift from rivals to crushing on each other felt a bit rushed, but I'm intrigued to see where this relationship goes and what impact they might have on each other.

StaticNeedle - Niffty and Vox. I've talked a lot about my headcanon that Niffty and Vox were married in life. It stemmed from realising that they both died in the Fifties, and kind-of spiralled from there. It's probably the rarest rarepair I ship.

StaticMoth - Vox and Valentino. To be honest, I struggle to wholeheartedly ship Valentino with anyone, given his ... everything, but he and Vox would make a fascinating villain couple. One is camp and sexy and does whatever he wants, and the other is a sleek businessman who's obsessed with projecting the perfect image. Opposites attract, I guess?

Seramilla - Sera and Carmilla. Shoutout to @seramilla for getting me interested in this! I can definitely see the appeal of two mother figures on opposite sides of the afterlife finding common ground in their protective nature.

Zestmilla - Carmilla and Zestial. This ship is kind-of "meh" for me, but it is intriguing that Carmilla and Zestial seem so close with each other. I wonder how that happened?

Alzy (platonic) - Mimzy and Alastor. The way Alastor talks to and about Mimzy, and even the way he smiles around her, is different to how he acts around everyone else. The fact that they were friends in life and this friendship has carried over into death is really fascinating to me.

RadioRose (platonic) - Alastor and Rosie. I like how Rosie highlights a different side to Alastor compared to Mimzy, given that Rosie also seems to have a scheming nature. She's like a work buddy to Alastor, except they have a shared interest in eating people.

Lucilith - Lucifer Morningstar and Lilith. I'd like to find out more about their marriage and what caused it to fall apart.

Baximi - Crymini and Baxter. Neither have appeared in the show (yet), but a furry character and a fishy character falling in love has a cool star-crossed-lovers vibe to me.

Helluva Boss Ships

Owling at the Moon (platonic) - Loona and Octavia. Sarcastic Chorus made a really interesting video about how they differ and what they have in common. They're from opposite sides of the track, but both have daddy issues (to put it mildly), so they both could use a friend who understands.

Fizzmodeus - Fizzarolli and Asmodeus. I think the fact that I already love Roger and Jessica Rabbit made me more willing to accept another pairing with a clown and a sex symbol!

M&M - Moxxie Knolastname and Millie. I'm a sucker for married couples who don't completely hate each other.

Sallie Mayday - Verosika Mayday and Sallie May. One is a celebrity, the other is a country girl. It's another opposites-attract concept that I enjoy.

Marberry - Mrs Mayberry and Martha. This feels like "enemies to lovers" taken to the extreme, but hey, I'm here for it!

Stolitz - Blitzø and Stolas. I'm not sure how I feel about them as a couple, but I do enjoy reading and watching other people's analyses of the ship and of each person's shortcomings.

Colleenie - Collin and Keenie. They're both angelic sheep who seem like they're meant to be parallels to Moxxie and Millie, which intrigues me. If only Keenie treated Collin better...

Characters I Don't Really Ship with Anyone

Hazbin Hotel: Adam, St Peter, Odette Carmine, Clara Carmine, Arackniss, Travis, Katie Killjoy, Tom Trench, the Egg Boiz, Fat Nuggets, KeeKee, Razzle, Dazzle

Helluva Boss: Cletus, Deerie, Stella, Andrealphus, Paimon, Joe, Lin, Cash Buckzo, Barbie Wire, Mrs Knolastname, Crimson Knolastname, Striker, Chazwick Thurman, Beelzebub, Vortex, Mammon, Robo-Fizz, Glitz, Glam, Arick "Burnie" Burnz, Wally Wackford, Loopty Goopty, Lyle Lipton, Agent Two, Agent One, Ralphie, Counselor Jimmy

[artfandroid]

I like how your take on megaratch is they’re weird and old and in love. Love them sm

They are weird lovers, though I'd argue on "old" part. Megatron is a grumpy old mech no doubt, but Ratchet?

A fishy thing about him I notice during my watch of TFP - too fast, too curious, too easy to get excited with fancy science stuff, mind, sight and hearing are too sharp compared both to Megatron and Optimus (these lads actually ancient, right?). While on synth-en he behaves like a rebel teen, spitting insults in teammates faces then running from home to kick decepticon asses. Also - age topic feels VERY personal to Ratchet. As if getting old, or rather getting useless is a devastating perspective.

I have a strong suspicion that Ratchet is not as old as everyone refers to him and his "old bot" amplua is a result of chronic exaustion (and maybe some unconsious play pretend? I had to scrap this theory since I got too little to back it up).

Think about it that way: he's a hyper-responsible med bot who religiously believes he's supposed to put others before him. And there's only so much Ratchet can do before his altruism becomes a threat to his own life and those who depend on him. Mix it together with variety of problems and resourse shortage while on Earth, fighting war, staying by Optimus' side, setting example for others and keep going despite anything - it's just too much to bare and not feel demoralized even a little, when he doesn't have a priveledge to. In the long run this amount of stress just physically messes you up, make you look older, unhealthy. No wonder Ratchet got an "old bot" badge.

Just give my guy a proper vacation. There's still life in old watchdog of Prime!

[deityoftherain]

cherry blossom tea - Flower Court during Secret Life Fanfic

Rating: Teen

Relationship: M/M, Multi

Archive Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Status: Completed Oneshot

Word Count: 2,413

Summary: Martyn visits his boyfriends (Scott, Jimmy, and Tango) for a date at Gem and the Scotts' base while the server is taking a break from playing Secret Life.

I wrote this for @grimaussiewitch through the @mcyt-yaoi-exchange !

Polyamory was a new concept to Martyn.

Well, not new like he didn’t know what it meant, but new in the way that he was now a part of one. He had never been in a polyamorous relationship before! It was different– strange, even– but not in a bad way? Ugh, it was hard to explain.

Martyn wasn’t sure why it surprised him so much or why he still struggled to wrap his head around it sometimes. He supposed it was because, when he imagined his life, he never thought having multiple partners was an option for him. Other people, sure, but not him, not doesn’t-get-tied-down-anywhere Martyn! 

He had always assumed he worldhopped too much for monogamy to work out, let alone polyamory,��and, yet, here he was: climbing up cherry wood stairs during a death game to see his boyfriends. Granted, they were on break from the game, but still!

Martyn smiled warmly at the thought, instantly feeling like such a sap. His boyfriends.

He may be the newest addition to the polycule, but he’s known each of them for quite some time. He’s known Jimmy the longest, of course, but Tango and Scott were long-term friends as well. He and Jimmy had a bit of a thing before– several times, actually– but it never went anywhere, though Martyn knew he had most of the blame for that one.

None of them ever managed to take the first step to change their relationship status to romantic until things got a little steamy between him and Scott on the Coral Isles. Martyn still remembered the way he felt when Scott confessed his attraction and told him that his boyfriends consented to their relationship. He also remembered the way Scott’s scales felt against his skin and the way his unusually sharp teeth broke through the fragile skin of his lips… 

Nothing happened right after Limited Life ended, though that was typical. Most life members took a week or so off to recover and “do nothing” for a bit. Martyn thought he more than deserved the little holiday, especially because he was the winner that time around! They (being Martyn and his boyfriends) did find time for the four of them to meet up on Hermitcraft at Tango’s base, though. They spent hours talking through everything– through boundaries and expectations– and the rest was history.

Martyn heard Scott shuffling even before he entered through the gate to Gem and the Scotts’ base, though his sense of hearing has always been strangely enhanced compared to the average Player. He didn’t hear Scott’s teammates, but that was to be expected. Martyn knew that Gem was planning to spend the break at the Mounders’, well, mounds with her girlfriend, Pearl, and he had seen Impulse heading towards The Heart Foundation to visit Skizz. Even if he hadn’t seen him make his way over, Martyn recalled Tango telling him all about it, dramatically complaining that Skizz hadn’t stopped talking about getting alone time with Impulse all week.

Martyn surveyed the area, soon spotting Scott setting up a little area among the cherry blossom leaves outside of the three individual cottages. Scott must have noticed him because he perked up, a grin widening on his face. “Martyn!”

“Hey fins,” Martyn greeted, using the pet name he had given Scott during Limited Life. What else was he supposed to do? Scott gradually turning all fishy as the clock ticked down opened up a world of ocean-y themed nicknames! “Where’s Tim? Or Tango, for that matter.”

“Not here yet,” Scott answered with a shrug. “Though neither he nor Tango are known for being very punctual. You get used to it.”

Martyn furrowed his brow as he settled down beside Scott. “Huh, that’s strange. He left before me. Ran off before I could ask why he was leaving so early.”

“That is peculiar.” Scott hummed, tilting his head down to sniff a flower he had picked. “I’m not too bothered though. We’re so high up and the map is so small that I don’t think he’ll get too lost. He’ll find us”

“Eh, you’re right. He is a Big Dog, after all, ruff ruff!” Martyn carried on the barking he and Jimmy had been doing most of the game, leaning into their theming hard. It was sort of difficult not to when the server had literally given them dog ears and a tail. Their new appendages were far more expressive than he liked though, giving him away when he otherwise may have gotten away with whatever it was that time. “He’ll be fine.” Scott sucked in his lips, graciously attempting to hold in his giggles. It only lasted a second before Scott started laughing fondly. He leaned forward and reached out his hand to ruffle Martyn’s blonde hair between his ears. “You’re so cute.”

“Nah, mate, intimidating,” Martyn corrected, but, admittedly, his tail wagged happily at the affection. “Not cute. I’m very scary.” “Mhm, sure.” Scott didn’t bother arguing, giving him one last scratch behind the ear before pulling his arm away. He laid down on the grass and petals, but he used Martyn’s thigh as a pillow. “Whatever you say, pirate.”

Martyn rolled his eyes, but he didn’t comment, content to run his fingers through Scott’s cyan locks as Scott sang various tunes for him. “Pirate” was Scott’s “revenge” for calling him “fins”, and both names stuck, mostly because they were both known to be stubborn when they wanted to be.

Scott sat up at the distant sound of competitive screaming quickly moving closer. It didn’t take a genius to guess that Tango and Jimmy were racing each other up the stairs, only confirmed when the voices got closer.

“Oi!” Jimmy protested something Martyn didn’t see occur. “That’s not fair!”

“You snooze, you lose, bucker-oo!” Tango forced himself through the gate, throwing his arms up in celebration. “Yeah, baby! Let’s go!”

“Holy moly, man!” Jimmy was all out of breath by the time he passed through the gate. “You are way too fast for someone so short.” Tango’s thin tail stuck straight up, the puff of hair at the end promptly engulfed in flame. “I am five foot two! That’s not that short.”

"Rancher, I love you, but are you sure about that?” Jimmy rested his elbow on Tango’s shoulder to prove a point, and Tango playfully shoved him away. They both burst into a fit of giggles, no bad blood between them.

While they were messing around, Martyn noticed they were both holding hand-picked bouquets of various flowers. Shit, was I supposed to bring flowers? He shifted uncomfortably, suddenly feeling very empty-handed. Martyn stole a glance in Scott’s direction, who looked particularly pleased with what they brought. 

“What kind of flowers did you get?” Scott asked as the two left their play fighting behind to sit with him and Martyn. “I see some tulips, ooh, and some cornflowers.”

“Uhh, I’m not sure of all their names,” Tango admitted, twisting the bunch of flowers around every which way to get a good look at them. “I know these ones are alliums. They mean good luck and prosperity.”

“And I got some poppies, of course,” Jimmy added, pointing out the red flower. Poppies had a more personal value to his and Scott’s relationship so of course he brought some, even though poppies appeared already alongside dandelions and cherry blossoms in the cherry grove biome. “And some lilacs! Magenta ones, meaning love and passion.”

Martyn’s ears pressed back against his hair, feeling embarrassed. Was the bringing of flowers an established thing? Why were they reciting the flowers’ meanings like Scott was some sort of floristry teacher? How the fuck did he not get the memo? Scott hadn’t mentioned anything to him! “Were we supposed to bring flowers? I didn’t– Tim! Why did you never tell me? Your fellow Big Dog?” 

“Oh, right.” Jimmy averted his gaze, tail pressing against the back of his legs as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, babe. I forgot that you didn’t know.”

“It’s okay, Martyn,” Scott reassured him, taking his hand and raising it to his lips. He pressed a kiss against Martyn’s hand before pressing his cheek against Martyn’s palm. “You wouldn’t have known, but I appreciate that you would have brought me some if you did know.” “Well, of course I would!” Martyn was almost offended. Almost. “I can’t be the only one not bringing you flowers! I may not always act like it, but I am a gentleman.” Scott raised an eyebrow, amused. “And you think they are?” “Hey!” Jimmy protested before Tango poked his side, instantly grabbing his attention away from Scott and Martyn’s conversation.

“They’re mostly doing it because I was trying to teach them flower meanings one night forever ago, before Limited Life. I assume so, anyway.” Scott sorted through the colorful plants, organizing them so he could easily access the kinds he wanted to make patterned crowns. “We’ve just been so busy that I haven’t hosted another flower lesson. I honestly forgot about it; it doesn’t come up too often.” “Impulse wore one of the cherry blossom flower crowns you made him and Gem when he was visiting us.” Tango entered their conversation once more as he picked at the grass and cherry blossom petals that had fallen from the trees. “That opened the topic to the other beautiful ones you did in Third Life with Jimmy when you had access to more colors, so I brought it up to Jimmy, we planned to gather more types just before heading to see you for quality assurance, and here we are.”

Martyn scrunched his nose, though he otherwise tried to hide the feeling of being left out, of being useless, of being less. He knew that line of thinking was irrational, and he wasn’t mad at his boyfriends, but it did sting a bit. Their relationship was still all so new and he was trying to find his rhythm!

He discreetly pulled up his inventory, searching through it as he racked his brain for a gift of his own. If he couldn’t do flowers, he could do that next best thing. “Scott, do you mind if I use your furnace to boil water real quick?” “You’re free to use whatever you like, as long as we aren’t in session,” Scott gave his permission, though his face creased with curiosity. “Why though?”

“Well,” Martyn started, placing his hands on his knees and pushing himself up to his feet, “I may not have brought different kinds of flowers, but I believe I can make something better.”

“Oh?” Scott was clearly intrigued by what he meant, but Martyn didn’t stick around long enough for his boyfriends to ask questions.

Martyn snatched some cherry blossoms off a nearby tree as he darted over to Scott’s cottage. He had visited many times before so he knew exactly which one was Scott’s. It would have been awkward if he entered Gem or Impulse’s instead. 

Fortunately, Martyn had some water in his inventory already, so he didn’t have to run back down the mountain (or jump off of Gem’s diving board) to retrieve some. Now he wouldn’t normally do this, but he let the petals seep in the water before it came to a full boil to help save time. He didn’t want to spend too much of his break standing in front of a furnace instead of spending time with the three waiting for him outside.

Once Martyn deemed the tea finished enough, he exited the cottage to find his boyfriends each wearing a crown on their head. They were likely made by Scott considering that Jimmy and Tango seemed to be struggling making new ones.

“No, lovebug, like this,” Scott instructed Tango both verbally and by demonstration. “There you go! You got it.” Jimmy noticed Martyn’s return first, eyes brightening, ears perking up, and tail wagging joyfully. “Martyn! You’re back! What did you make?” “Cherry blossom tea,” Martyn announced proudly, pouring the tea into a cup. He gave the first to Scott, seeing that he was the host, before dividing the rest of the tea between himself, Jimmy, and Tango. Once everyone had their tea, he claimed his spot beside Scott again. “It’s pretty simple to make from scratch. I actually know how to make a few different types of tea with what I find foraging and some hot water.” Tango let out a low whistle as Scott plopped a flower crown on Martyn’s head. “That’s crazy impressive! You gotta show me how to do that later.” “Just come up to Baxter sometime,” Martyn started, referencing the Dog House he and Jimmy affectionately named, “when I’m around and I’ll show you. Or message me on the comms and I’ll visit you on Hermitcraft.”

“Excellent.” Tango grinned, excited at the prospect of learning something new. “I’ll take you up on that, don’t you worry.”

Scott took a sip of the tea, and then paused for a long moment to properly consider what he was tasting before exclaiming, “Mm, Martyn! This is good!”

“Oi, don’t sound so surprised!” Martyn reprimanded in faux defensiveness, one hand on his chest and the other making a playful smacking motion in Scott’s direction.

“That isn’t what I meant!” Scott squeaked, promptly backpedaling. “I’m just impressed with your quick thinking and resourcefulness.”

Now that compliment meant a lot and filled Martyn with a sense of pride, though he attempted to not let it show. Codeword: attempted. Damn his dog-like appendages. “Eh, you don’t survive this long without picking up a thing or two.” “Well, I think it’s hot,” Scott commented as if he were sharing the day of the week, taking a long sip of his tea as he kept eye contact with Martyn.

“I’m always hot.” Martyn snorted, amused. He set his tea aside and scooted closer to Scott.. “Now get over ‘ere.”

Scott bounced up to his knees with a giggle, taking two “steps” towards Martyn until he was close enough for Martyn to pull him onto his lap. Their lips met and all feelings of being inadequate left Martyn’s mind. In fact, all intelligent thoughts saw themselves out the door, leaving Martyn only with bliss and pleasure, merrily content with how their group date had gone. Void knows that they needed this after how stressful Secret Life has been with the whole “no regeneration” rule, and Martyn planned to use every second of free time with his boyfriends.

If you got down this far, please reblog, like/kudos, and/or comment here and/or on ao3! I appreciate it all <333

[mischievouslittlecreature]

Part 21: The Shadow of the Abattoir

Summary: May's visit does not go as anticipated.

Word Count: 6,477

Warnings: Sexual content and jealousy.

Previous Chapter • Series • Fic • Next Chapter

Chapter 14: The Man Who Doesn't Exist

“Right. Now try this one.”

Lucy raised an eyebrow at him, taking the small shot glass filled with clear, shimmering liquid that he offered her, holding it up to the light, swirling it, and bringing it to her nose.

“You better be careful, or I’ll be drunk before midday,” she commented, taking a sip. Tommy watched her intensely as she swished the helping of freshly made gin in her mouth, testing the taste of it thoroughly before swallowing. “It’s good.”

“You’ve said that about all of them,” he pointed out with fond exasperation. It probably would have done him well to find someone less biased in their opinions about everything he did. But then again, it would probably be equally difficult to find someone not so stone cold terrified of him that they would be willing to be honest in their assessments of the recipe. 

“I don’t know. I’m not much of a gin drinker,” she set down the glass, eyeing the bottles lined up on the table in front of her, each containing a different variation of the recipe he’d been tinkering with.

“Exactly; I want it to appeal to both seasoned and unseasoned gin drinkers. Try ordering them for your favorite to least favorite,” he suggested, nudging one of the bottles her way. She started to pick them up, moving them around the table, sometimes pouring a splash of liquid into a glass to give it another taste before deciding on its ranking. 

“You should have May try some of it while she’s here. I bet she drinks more gin than I do.”

He rested his cheek on his fist as he watched her work. “Yeah. That’s a good idea.” 

The light struck her face at an angle, highlighting the shape of her cheekbones. The freckles that always dotted her skin were a little more pronounced, likely as a result of spending more time outside in the sun since Christmas. Her lips formed an adorable, ever so slightly downturned pout when she concentrated, comparing the gin from two separate bottles before choosing their positions in the ranking.   

She had been sad for a while after Aberama gave her the news about her mother. Understandably so, of course, but it still hurt him to see her so despondent. Like the spark that lived inside of her had dulled, somewhat.

But she was coming back to herself, gradually. A healthy hue of color in her cheeks, the bright warmth in her eyes steadily returning. 

Tommy shifted a little closer to her, swallowing roughly when she pushed a lock of deep red hair back out of her face. He was close enough to smell the distinct scent of her rose perfume, the temptation building within him to pick her up, swipe all the bottles of gin off of the table to crash upon the floor, and make love to her on that table until she screamed his name. 

“Done!” she announced, rousing him from his lascivious daydream. She looked over her shoulder at him, and the spark of conspiratorial cheekiness in her eyes nearly had his self control snapping completely. “Tommy?”

“Mm?”

She looked to be trying very hard to suppress a smile, head jerking towards the bottles. He cleared his throat, rising from his seat and moving to stand behind her, bending down to wrap his arms around her shoulders, hooking his chin over her shoulder. 

“Right; let’s see what we’ve got, eh?” he assessed her decisions carefully. She’d rated the one flavored with cinnamon the highest–predictably so, Lucy did love her cinnamon. “Didn’t like the one with the coriander, eh?” he asked, leaning forward to swipe up the bottle she’s put at the bottom of her ranking. 

“It was more that it’s too weak on the alcohol, rather than the coriander that was the problem,” she tapped the bottle that was second to last. “But this one was too strong. You’ll have people staggering around after one glass if you sell them this stuff.”

He reached into his pocket, fishing out a notebook already half filled with various gin recipes he’d been trying out, jotting down the notes she was giving him. 

“Honestly, on all of them I could use a little more sweetness. I like the cinnamon flavor, but I don’t know how popular that will be with the general public. You’ll have to ask a couple more people,” her head craned around to look at him from over her shoulder. “It’s getting there.”

He smiled shyly. “You think so?”

“Mhm.”

He squeezed his arms around her, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips. She tasted sweetly of gin, a soft, wanting groan leaving his mouth at the first meeting stroke of their tongues. Lucy giggled softly against his mouth, giving him another peck before leaning back, smiling again when he bumped her nose affectionately with his. 

“We better get going if we want to be there when May arrives at the yard.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, but made no movement, instead dropping his head into her neck, mouth trailing kisses up to her jaw. She laughed, a sound more beautiful than a harp or the chirp of birds, squirming halfheartedly in his arms.

“Tommy!”

“Alright, alright,” he huffed in teasing grumpiness, forcing himself to draw away from her. She touched his cheek, her expression one of deep affection.

“There'll be time for more of that later,” she promised, kissing him quickly once more before standing. He reached for her hand eagerly, enveloping her seemingly eternally chilled fingers with his, and let her pull him with a strong tug from the room.  

∗ ∗ ∗ 

May’s perfume smelled sweet, the fur that rested around her collar soft against Lucy’s cheek when she pulled her in for a hug. In the mist whirling around the canals, she had looked nearly ethereal as the boat glided up to the dock. 

“Hi, May. It’s good to see you.”

“Hello, Lucy. You’re looking well.”

She smiled bashfully, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. Tommy smiled at her from over May’s head, and began ushering them to the office. They chatted as they walked, inquiring about what May had been up to (not much, outside of her horse training duties) and how things were going with the horse (very well). 

Lucy glanced over her shoulder, brows pinching when they passed by Lizzie’s desk on their way to the doors to Tommy’s office. She could hear her muttering angrily under her breath, shooting glares in their direction, but couldn’t make out entirely what she was saying. 

She frowned, but decided not to say anything on the matter. At least not now.

She hadn’t expected Lizzie’s black mood to last so long. Especially since things had been going so well between them beforehand.  

Shaking her head, she closed the doors behind the three of them, moving to plop down in the chair next to May, taking an offered cigarette from Tommy while he and May talked about the horse. The toe of her shoe bumped against Tommy’s shin, rubbing up and down idly while she rested her head on her fist, looking over at May appreciatively as she set down the horse’s registration papers for Tommy to sign. He fixed her with an intense gaze, and Lucy leaned forward a little in eagerness as he questioned coyly just why on earth May would come all the way here in person for nothing but a signature. 

May’s eyes darted between them, a little color rising in her cheeks. Lucy couldn’t help the cheeky smile she sent her way, shifting in her seat with barely contained excitement. 

Outside of Grace, May had always been her favorite of the girls she and Tommy had included in their trysts in the past, and she had remained a close friend even after they’d broken things off.

May raised her eyes back to Tommy, and there was something in her face and voice that Lucy couldn’t entirely place; something that smothered her excitement a bit.

“Nothing seems to change you,” May said, in reference to both Grace and John’s death. The words alone had Lucy’s brow furrowing, but before she could fully ponder them, the door flung open and Lizzie waltzed in. Tommy started, and Lucy’s head snapped around sharply at the sudden intrusion.  

Fucking hell; had she fallen and hit her head and forgotten how to knock?

Her shock at the intrusion, however, had nothing on her surprise when Lizzie openly sneered at May, tossing the file she was carrying onto Tommy’s desk, then pulled herself up to her full, impressive height, arms leaning against the back of the large chair behind the desk. She ignored Tommy’s attempts to dismiss her, smirking at May smugly.

“But, you know sometimes, he sees something glamorous and expensive, he just can’t resist it,” Lizzie grinned, as if she’d made some big, clever point. “He’s so weak.”

Lucy’s jaw just about hit the floor. She had been on the receiving end of several of Lizzie’s jealousy-induced fits over the years, but this one had to take the fucking cake. May hadn’t even done anything. And in all that time, she didn’t think she’d ever seen Lizzie take such a harsh swipe at Tommy before. Normally it was just Lucy she went after, never him. 

The blatant smugness and disrespect had her so flabbergasted that she couldn’t even speak. 

Tommy seemed equally as stunned, meeting her gaze with widened eyes. She wasn’t entirely sure if the repeating thought of what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck was in her own head, or something that she was picking up through the silent way that they sometimes communicated through glances. 

May responded before either of them could, and in quite graceful fashion too, announcing her desire to make a donation to the charity set up in Grace’s name. Lizzie’s smug smile faded steadily as May filled out the check, and Lucy caught herself feeling a spike of satisfaction at seeing her knocked so cleanly off of the high horse she’d decided to perch herself upon.

She immediately scolded herself internally for the petty feeling.

Lizzie’s jaw was clenching, entire form practically vibrating with rage. For a moment, Lucy thought that she might explode without another glorious display.

“That’ll be all, Lizzie, thank you,” Tommy said firmly, hardly even looking at her. Her jaw twitched once, and then she went stalking from the room, slamming the door behind her.

Lucy stared at the place where Lizzie had been standing, thumb dancing along the length of one of her rings, trying to figure out what the fuck had just happened. 

Lizzie had always been one for more the cold shoulder when she was jealous or upset. Subtle jabs and maybe the occasional snide, hurtful comment. But never anything quite like that.

It was obvious that taking Lizzie to the canal had been a mistake. She’d gotten her hopes up, though Lucy couldn’t entirely understand why. Perhaps if Tommy had taken her there on his own, just the two of them, it would make more sense why the sudden mood change, but Lucy had been there too. It wasn’t like her presence had been even subtle. So why? Why had it clearly affected Lizzie so deeply?

Maybe it had just been a reminder of what Lizzie wanted so badly, but could never have.  

She had always known deep down that Lizzie used their rendezvous to fulfill her own fantasies: ones in which Lucy was positive she did not exist, and it was just Lizzie and Tommy, happy and in love.

All this time, Lizzie’s feelings for Tommy had perhaps not been fading, but simply sleeping. And they’d gone and woken them back up again. 

They could never do something like that with her again, Lucy decided resolutely. It wasn’t fair, and it only brought them trouble. 

“Lucy?”

She roused, realizing that she had just been staring intensely at the wall behind the desk, and looked over to find that Tommy had gone over to the shelf of liquor, his hand resting on the decanter of whiskey.

“Sorry?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Drink?” 

“Yes, please,” she said desperately. He shot her a sympathetic look, pouring a glass and handing it to her before returning to fix another for himself. She took a gulp of the amber liquid gratefully while Tommy hastily corrected course, asking May if she had packed an overnight back, and explaining that the train drivers had called a wildcat strike earlier in the day.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at the lie, but didn’t comment. 

May didn’t seem perturbed, simply asking where she was to stay. Tommy offered that they could meet her at four. 

“Meet and do what?” May asked. Lucy looked up at her through lowered lashes, one corner of her lips pulling upwards.

Surely you must know, my dear.

Tommy was fighting back his own coy smile, but rather than stating the obvious, merely offered for her to try the gin he’d been distilling.

A…not a hobby, precisely, but an activity that he had grown more and more obsessive over recently. Probably just a symptom of him going minorly mad over being cooped up in Small Heath for so long. 

It was honestly kind of cute, how serious he got about the whole thing, tinkering with the recipe that his father had left him and asking her to consume far more amounts of gin than she’d normally prefer–she would always be more of a whiskey girl–to get her opinion. 

Again, there was that moment of trepidation, when May did not immediately seem amiable to the suite at the Midland that Tommy had booked for her–them, technically, if May even wanted them there–but it faded when she agreed to a tasting of the gin. Lucy wetted her lips, cigarette turning over and over in her fingers, trying to puzzle out the mixed signals May was giving out. 

They agreed to meet at four, Tommy pulling on his coat and ducking out the door. Lucy could see his figure through the glass, moving over to Lizzie’s desk, the gestures of his hands making it blatant that he was scolding her.  

“I’m sorry about Lizzie,” she apologized to May, grabbing her coat and beginning to pull it on. 

“Is she often like that?” May asked curiously, rising elegantly from her own seat.

“She’s…” Lucy sighed. “It’s complicated.”

“Isn’t everything, when it comes to Tommy?” 

Lucy finished pulling her coat up over her shoulders, adjusting the collar. “Not always,” she murmured quietly. Her relationship with him had never been all that complicated, after all. They loved each other. They were together. All the rest was just details. “I have to go with him,” she said apologetically. “You’re welcome to stay here in the office, if you’d like. Or I’m sure Charlie and Curly would be happy to host you at the yard.”

“I worry that if I stay here Lizzie might try to maim me.”

Lucy chuckled. “No, that’s more Polly’s thing. Lizzie will just mutter nasty things behind your back when she doesn’t think you’re listening.”

May shook her head, shooting her a funny look. “I don’t know how you put up with it.”

Lucy shrugged. “You and me both. I’ll see you at four?”

“Yes.”

She gave her one last smile. “Alright.”

Tommy was just stepping away from Lizzie’s desk, head turning when he heard the door opening, tensed shoulders relaxing at the sight of her. 

“Ready?”

She shot a curious glance at Lizzie, who was sitting at her desk and visibly sulking, lips pursed. “Yeah.”

He took her hand, and began to pull her to the doors, when she heard, muttered snidely under Lizzie’s breath:

“Fucking slut. Don’t know what he fucking sees in you.”

Tommy’s hand squeezed hard in hers in reaction to the words he had also heard, body half turning, mouth opening to shout at her, but Lucy grasped him tightly, pushing him lightly towards the door.

“Don’t,” she hissed, half begged, under her breath. He was so puzzled at the reaction that she managed to push him out the doors and away from Lizzie, though not before they also heard her bellowing on about May again. She would have stopped to verbally cuff her for that, had she not been confident that May could more than handle herself. At the moment, she needed to get Tommy out of there before an actual fight broke out.

“Let it go,” she told him firmly, half pulling him along to the corner before stopping. Tommy gave her a baffled look. 

“But she–”

“She’s just had her heart broken, Tommy. Give her a break. I’m fine,” not entirely true, the words still stung, no matter how often she had to hear them, but she was a big girl. She could handle a few insults flung her way. Given her role in Lizzie’s anguish, she probably deserved it, on some level.      

His face furrowed with guilt, though a spark of anger still flickered in his eyes. “Upset or not, that’s no reason to speak to you or May the way that she did.”

Lucy made a noise of agreement, gaze darting away, passing over the street without really seeing it, hands twisting and fumbling with each other. 

“Hey,” he touched her chin, raising her gaze back up to his. “Don’t let her get to you.”

“I just thought that we were passed all of this…”

“I know,” his eyes were sad. “I know; me too,” with a sigh, he looked away to the rising smoke of the factories. “Not much we can do about it now, other than distance ourselves until the storm passes.”

“I can never tell if she really means it or not. The things that she says.”

Tommy opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, looking down, hand smoothing along her arm. “I’m sorry.”

She just shrugged. “Not your fault.”

“It kind of is.”

“You don’t control what Lizzie says or does.”

“I could go back in there and yell at her some more if it would make you feel better.” 

She bit back a small, terrible smile at the suggestion. “I appreciate the offer, love, but I’m pretty sure that would only make things worse.”

“I don’t understand her,” he shook his head. “You’re wonderful. All you’ve ever done is try to be nice to her…”

“I stole you from her.”

“What?” he looked entirely taken aback. Lucy shrugged again.

“She was here first, technically. Then I came along and snatched up you and all of your love for myself.”

“That’s not what happened. She and I never even were anything. She was just a whore I saw on a semi-regular basis.”

“Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure that’s how she sees it.”

He touched her face, expression puzzled and concerned. “You’re not stealing her share of love from me.”

She leaned her face a little into the soothing warmth of his strong palm, closing her eyes. “I know,” she mumbled softly, though she was not entirely sure that she really did. Because the guilt still gnawed at her; the wondering that, maybe, if it weren’t for her, Tommy and Lizzie might have actually had a chance.  

When she opened her eyes again, he was looking at her with an appraising, narrowed expression.

“You’re really sure you don’t want me to go scold her some more?”

A small, sharp exhale of air that might’ve been the beginning of a laugh passed through her nose. “I’m sure, love,” she turned her head, kissing his palm and taking it in hers, stretching up onto her toes to peck his cheek. “But I appreciate the protectiveness.”

He gave her a gentle, adoring look, lips brushing the crown of her head. 

“We should get going, or we’ll be late to the boxing ring.”

“Mm. Yeah,” he squeezed her hand still holding onto her firmly, their shoes clicking in tandem together against the cobblestones as they started to walk. 

∗ ∗ ∗ 

The boxing ring smelled of sweat and rubber. The slap of boxing gloves hitting both flesh and the punching bags filled the room, as did the grunts of exertion and concentration of the men practicing. Bonnie Gold already had his gloves on and was in the ring, practically bouncing on his toe while he waited for his first opponent. Aberama was standing on the sidelines, hat cocked on his head, watching his son. He gave Tommy and Lucy a respectful nod of greeting when they approached, and while Tommy went to speak with King Maine, the boxing trainer, she moved to stand beside Aberama, arms crossed over her chest.

“Good afternoon,” he said, after a moment, eye remaining fixed on Bonnie with Maine directed another boy to get into the ring with him.

“Afternoon,” Lucy said back, shifting from foot to foot.

“You look to be doing well,” he finally turned his gaze onto her. Lucy rolled her head to a noncommittal angle, shrugging.

“Not much use that can be done just sitting around and crying,” she looked back at Tommy still talking with Maine. “It’s better that I keep busy.”

“I can understand that.”

“Thank you again for telling me. Mum and I…we fell out of contact around 1920 when she went back to the caravans.” She was grateful that he did not ask her why.

“She was very proud of you, you know.”

Brows furrowing, she looked at him sharply, searching for any trace of a lie in his face and finding none. 

“I spoke to her, once or twice when we would run into her and Miri at the fairs. She always had such a glow about her, when she told us how she had a daughter in the city, in a high position in a company there.”

Lucy looked down and away quickly, hoping that he wouldn’t notice the sudden glassiness in her eyes.

“She had all these clippings from the papers, about Shelby Company Ltd., pictures of you at various company events. Miri said she would sometimes spend hours just pouring over them.”

Lucy swallowed hard, clearing her throat roughly. “I wish that she had stayed here. I wish that I could have looked after her. Maybe then…”

Aberama suddenly touched her shoulder. “There’s no point spending valuable time and energy mulling over the things we could have or should have done. It brings nothing but pain. Your mother loved you. Focus on remembering that.” He gave her a stern, yet paternal look, waiting until she nodded before lowering his hand from where he’d rested it lightly on her shoulder. Lucy looked at him for a long moment. 

“You’re not entirely what I expected,” she admitted. Aberama chuckled.

“And what were you expecting?”

She shrugged. “After everything Johnny Dogs told us? Someone more…”

“Savage?”

“I was going to say feral.”

He cracked a sly smile. “I’ve found that playing up the reputation at times can be…beneficial,” those clever, fox-like eyes darted back to hers. “Something tells me that you’ve discovered the same.”

Lucy bit back a smirk. “Yes, something like that.”

“What you did with Changretta’s cousin was impressive.”

“Thank you. I’d prefer to avoid advertising it around for just a little while yet, though.”

“Why?”

She smiled sweetly. “I want to see the look on Luca Changretta’s face when he realized that I’m not just a tiny little woman who only got where she is by fucking the boss.” 

Aberama’s lips quirked in quiet approval, expression growing serious when Tommy and Maine approached them to watch Bonnie fight.

After it was over, she followed Tommy out of the gym, his hand dipping into his pocket to procure his watch, glancing at the face before tucking it away again. 

“I need to go by the factory and speak with Devlin. But you can head back to the yard and spend some more time with May, if you’d like.” 

“You’re sure?” She tried not to show just how excited the idea made her. Tommy nodded. 

“I can deal with Devlin. You go on. You can show her the gin distillery, if you’d like. I’ll meet you at four.”

With a grin, she stretched up onto her toes to peck his cheek. “Thank you.”

He gave her a small smile. “Try not to have too much fun without me.”

“No promises, Shelby.”

The skin around his eyes crinkled, even as he attempted to suppress the fond smile pulling at his lips. His hand curled around her hip, pulling her just a little more closer so as to press a quick kiss to her lips. 

“See you soon,” he promised.

She gave him a small smile, walked a few paces backward before turning around and heading in the direction of the yard. She could feel the protective presence of his gaze on her until she went around a corner and out of his line of sight. 

The walk to the yard was quiet and peaceful. While the smog and smoke still lingered in the air, the sun was actually out for once, and she enjoyed the gentle warmth that the beams languished upon her.

“Charlie,” she greeted him where he was working by the entrance when she came in. “Where’s May?”

“The stables.”

“Right. Thanks.” She weaved her way towards the aforementioned building, stepping through the open barn doors, smiling to herself at the sound of May’s posh accent speaking lowly while she stroked careful fingers through Sin’s reddish mane. She started at the crunch of hay under Lucy’s boots, head turning in her direction. 

“I thought I wouldn’t be seeing you until four.”

“First meeting wrapped up quick. Tommy’s got another one he needs to go to, but he doesn’t need me for it.” Coming up beside May, she gave Sin a little pat to her flank. “Charlie and Curly been treating you alright?”

“Yes,” but there was a small hesitation before she spoke, and Lucy shot a curious look her way, again feeling that prickle in the back of her mind that something was not entirely right. “I was going to take a walk by the canal, but then Charlie told me I’d need to take a revolver with me, so I figured perhaps it would be best to just stay here.”

“I can take you, if you’d like.”

Again, May hesitated, doe-brown eyes looking Lucy over as if she were assessing her. “That’s alright. I’d rather try Tommy’s gin, I think.”

“Okay.”

She led the way through the yard, into another set of stables where Curly was busy at work. 

“Curly, dear, could you get us a bottle of Tommy’s gin?” Lucy asked. He nodded, bustling away hastily. While they waited, Lucy grabbed a blanket to spread out over a haystack for May to sit.   

“Is everything alright?” Lucy asked after a few moments, the silence feeling long and all encompassing. 

“Yes, of course.”

“You’re sure? Charlie and Curly didn’t say anything, did they?”

“They said several things. But it’s alright. Really,” she turned her face away from Lucy to look at the entrance to the bar expectantly. “How are things going with the Italians? Honestly, I mean.”

With a sigh, she shrugged, and it was her turn to avert her gaze down to her shoes. “Could be worse. But could be a lot damn better, too.” Looking up, she met May’s worried eyes, her brow furrowed in a way that only served to accentuate the unique shape of her face. “We’ll be fine.”  

But the frown did not leave May’s features. “What about you? Are you doing alright?”

Lucy shrugged. “It took a little adjusting at first with everyone being scattered and then coming back together after so long, but I’ve managed.”

“Polly hasn’t been causing you any trouble?”

“Actually, no. Not really. She’s been…nicer maybe isn’t exactly the word, but it’s been easier to be around her.” She gave May a small, humorless smile. “I doubt that it’ll last, but I’m going to enjoy it while I can.”

“And what about you and Tommy?”

Lucy cocked her head, not understanding. “What about us?”

“Is everything alright between you two?”

Now she was truly puzzled. “Yes, of course. Why?”

“So much tragedy, and in such a short span of time…I’ve seen it have nasty effects on couples before.”

“Most everything else has been hard, at one point or the other, but not us,” she again shot May a curious look. “We help each other, we…it’s always been easy. Being with him.”

May shook her head. “That’s such a strange thing to hear, having known him for a few years, now.”

Lucy didn’t entirely know what to say to that. She was aware that the way that Tommy treated her was different from how he was with almost everyone else. It was not something she could entirely explain. Hell, she doubted that even Tommy would struggle to entirely articulate why that was. It probably had at least something to do with all of the trauma that they shared. But it wasn’t just that.  

“You’ve really never wanted him to change?” May asked, the question completely catching Lucy off guard. “Not even a little?”

For a moment she could only stare at May in bafflement. She felt like she was teetering on the edge of understanding something, but what that was, she couldn’t entirely say. May met her gaze with those wide, dark eyes, waiting patiently for her answer.  

“No,” she said softly, truthfully. “Not ever. I like him just the way he is.” 

  A flicker of disappointment, quick as a sudden, sharp spark, ignited in May’s eyes. It was gone just as quickly, only appearing for such a brief moment that Lucy was left half wondering if it had actually been there at all. May smiled at her, sadness entangled with the expression.

“I suppose that shouldn’t surprise me.”

Lucy nodded, still confused, still trying to grasp onto what it was that was causing May to behave so strangely. But before she could get a good grip on it, Curly came back in with a bottle and two glasses clutched in his hands. 

“Thank you, Curly,” Lucy took them from him and shooed him away, pouring a glass first for May and then for herself. 

As they drank, they talked about lighter things: May’s horses. The particularly talented gardener she had just recently employed at the house. The beautiful tea set Lucy had found during her and Tommy’s most recent trip into London. 

But all the while, even as they laughed together in the stables, sitting nearly shoulder to shoulder, Lucy could not shake the feeling that May was steadily drifting farther and farther away. 

Fumbling with her pocket watch, she checked the time, finishing off her glass and setting it aside. 

“He won’t be long. What do you think?”

“It’s alright. A little too sweet for my taste, I’d say.”

Lucy nodded. “He’s hoping that it’ll be big in America, so he’s been trying to tailor it more to their tastes.”

“Has he been working on this long?”

“Not as long as you’d think. I’ve probably taste-tested at least a bucket’s worth of it, now.”

May let out a quiet chuckle, taking another sip from her glass. They continued to chat while they waited for Tommy, ultimately winding up laying side by side on the hay, May’s voice a soft, low hum as she started to sing. Lucy stared up at the ceiling, her empty glass seated beside her, throat constricting with memories of lingering near the doors of the Garrison, watching Grace stand up on a chair in the back, her rich voice echoing throughout the pub as she sang song after song, some her own choosing, others requests from the crowd. 

Her eyes darted to the dark corners of the stables, searching with hope for the golden-haired ghost, but finding nothing but black shadows. 

May’s singing cut off abruptly at the sound of Tommy’s voice announcing his presence, both of them sitting up to see him approaching them with quick steps from the door. Lucy hopped down from the hay while May offered her opinion to him on the gin, Tommy dipping his head to give Lucy a quick kiss to say hello, big hand taking hold of hers, beginning to lead the way towards the stairs that led down to the distillery.

It was cool down the stairs. Lucy jumped up to sit on the table where Tommy deposited a crate of bottles, legs swinging in the air. He rifled through the bottles, selecting one and uncorking it to pour another glass for May to try. 

Lucy’s legs unconsciously stopped swinging as she watched him begin to lay on his famous charm, standing close to May, glass filled with clear liquid offered to her, voice lowered, eyes looking steadily into hers. May continued to keep her eyes on him, even as she lifted the glass from his fingers and took a sip.

“You’re unlike any man I’ve ever met,” she told him, and Lucy felt the beginning pulsings of want stirring within her, leaning forward where she was seated on the table.   

At May’s determination that the gin was still too sweet, Tommy leaned in, and kissed her.

It was a soft, sensual kiss. The kind that Lucy was intimately familiar with receiving from him. Lips moving slowly against each other, his touch gentle but firm. 

May responded with a hand on his chest, leaning into his body. Quiet and graceful as a cat, Lucy slid from her spot on the table, padding over to them and pressing her front to May’s back, running her nose through her soft, sweet-smelling hair to get at the nape of her neck, ghosting a kiss across it while her hands landed gingerly on her shoulders. She could feel Tommy shifting the positioning of his arms, so that he was more thoroughly embracing her. 

And then she felt May go abruptly stiff and freeze. Tommy felt it too, pulling back a fraction to look at her. 

“You said you booked a room?” she asked softly, after a moment. Tommy’s lips quirked up a fraction. 

“No, I booked a suite.”

“Thank you,” there was something dull in May’s voice that had Lucy pulling slightly away from her, head angling to try to get a look at her face. May drew in a deep breath. “If you book a taxi, I’ll go.”

Lucy started, brow creasing and eyes shifting from May, to Tommy, then back again. Tommy’s face drew away from her, expression suddenly hardening, going cold. The warmth and tenderness he’d been exuding a moment ago almost entirely shut off in the face of the abrupt rejection. As May continued to speak, Lucy drew her hands from her, taking a step back. 

“If only you could…”

“If only I could what?” Tommy asked, with a voice like sharp razors, eyes searching May’s before he took a large step back, away from her. “‘If only you could change.’ Go on, say it. If only you could change the bad.” 

Suddenly, all of May’s strange behavior over the day started to make sense. Particularly that curious question she had broached about whether or not Lucy ever wished Tommy could change.

He continued to verbally snarl for a moment, a wounded animal, hurt and angry and lashing out at the person who’d stung it. Because Lucy knew that it kept him awake at night, how badly he wanted to be better.

“You all deserve better than me,” he sometimes whispered, head resting on her chest, against her breasts on the particularly bad nights when she held him and stroked his hair. She always shook her head, kissing him between the brows, reminding him as best she knew how that she loved him exactly as he was.

May had struck a raw nerve she was not even aware of.

“You fucking people,” he fumed, storming away, back to them. Lucy watched him mournfully. She did not think that May intended to hurt either of them. But still, it ached. 

At least she could recognize that perhaps they could not offer what she truly wanted. At least she had the sense to understand that and step away.

If only more women were like her: with that sense and acknowledgement that she could not change nor heal a man through the power of love alone. 

Lizzie had never learned. Linda had never learned with Arthur. Hell, Lucy had sometimes wondered, at some level, at least, if even Grace had not understood that reality completely. 

“You bite like your horse,” May said after a long moment of silence, and there was both regret and apology in her voice, but not for how she felt. No, the apology was for the unintentional sting that her rejection had inflicted. Tommy’s eyes moved from hers to Lucy’s.

Fuck. 

Yes, she agreed silently, sadly. Now over his little outburst, Tommy beckoned May to follow, reaching for Lucy’s hand before beginning to move. She squeezed his fingers, his grip tightening enough that her rings bit into her flesh a little. 

None of them said much of anything at all on the walk through the canals, to a boat that could take May to the train station. It was a long enough of a walk for the disappointment to really settle in Lucy’s stomach, leaving her feeling gloomy. 

“Here’s your carriage,” Tommy said, gesturing to the boat, informing May of the train that she could catch. She gave him a look of exasperated fondness when he admitted to lying about the strikes. Lucy couldn’t help but smile a little herself at her gangster’s devilish antics.

May touched his cheek gently for a moment, looking between them, suddenly earnest.

“We’ll keep in touch?”

They both nodded, and that seemed to relax her a little. Lucy felt a wave of relief wash over her. At least May did not want them entirely ejected from her life. 

“I’ll call with updates about the horse. And please, feel welcome to stop by the house or the stables anytime you’d like.” 

At their agreement, she moved away, but not before giving Lucy a firm hug in farewell.

“I mean it, anytime you need to get away from this one, just come on by.”

“Oi!” Tommy sputtered in indignation, and they both giggled while he rolled his eyes, looking to the sky as if asking what he’d done to deserve such teasing. He helped May up and into the boat, and Lucy watched with a steady ache in her chest as she disappeared below deck, Curly climbing aboard after her. 

Tommy settled a hand on her shoulder, and very gently, began to guide her from the canal. As they walked, he wrapped an arm around her, and pulled her tightly into his side. 

Previous Chapter • Series • Fic • Next Chapter

Thank you for reading! Please consider leaving a comment, reblog, or like. I always appreciate feedback and love getting the opportunity to interact with you and hear your thoughts!

[lefarte]

omg hiiiiiiiiiii fellow funger connoisseur[leans on my bugatti, misses completely and falls into a bed to cash] ;]

anyway, may i ask for a moment of respite with August during termina? just a lil break in the bacchanalia. a moment of normalcy, like dinner 🙏

Yall,,,,,, I want that old man cannibal

Brown trout in the Vlata river are good and fat, but very fishy, so they go best with salt and herbs. An oven is the best, but in a pinch a spit will do just fine. You never knew a man could gut a fish so elegantly. August can use a knife like a fine instrument, and can keep a fire roaring even in the damp season. He splits it open, takes out the guts (“Would you like me to take the head off for you too, my dear?”) and uncerimoniously dumps them in the river. It goes up over the fire, he puts yarrow on it and something called “Česnek medvědí”.

“Are you trying to impress me?”

“No, no,” He chuckles. “I am just an old man with a hobby. That’s all.”

The fire is at a low purr like a cat. The sun has long since set. This part of the woods was unnaturally chilly, even compared to the city. You had been wandering westward for no particular reason and then got caught spinning around in circles. You survived three or four hours of this monotony by snacking on raw mushrooms (one of which gave you a tummy ache), until you saw a manmade knife slash on the side of a tree. You followed, and found another. You kept following, and here you are.

“What other hobbies do you have?” You ask. “Is that bow a hobby too?”

“It’s my occupation.” He pats the quiver on his hip. “I’m a… hunter by trade.”

You tilt your head. “Oh. There’s not many of those anymore.”

“Eh, no. But I do it because I love it.” He smiles.

He takes out a bottle of vodka and offers you a sip. It smells strongly. You shake your head. He gives you a shrug and takes a shot.

“I also saw you jumping from buildings.”

He nods sagely. “Did you like it?”

“…oh, so you are trying to impress me now…”

He has a nice deep chuckle that sounds pleasant to the ears. “The fish is done.”

You were borderline ravenous from the smell, so you perked up instantly. He cut you the most tender pieces, and ate the head and tail himself. You two ate with your hands, for lack of silverware. He seemed to watch you eat with fondness, even though your hair was ratty and your face tired.

He suddenly reaches out his hand. You flinch from the unexpected contact, but he makes a noise that’s almost… cooing at you.

“You have something on your face.” He takes his handkerchief up to your mouth, and dabs your lips gently. “I’m not supposed to be so fond of you, you know. I have a job to do. But you are so… cute.”

You lean into the warm touch. Afterwards, he sets the handkerchief in your hand. It is soft and embroidered with his name. “A memento.”

“I will have to go by the morning.” He says, quite suddenly. “You will probably never see me again.”

Your heart sinks. You don’t want to be alone in the deep woods, freezing and with an awful dry autumn wind. You don’t know how to get back to the city. You don’t want to. You’ve been chased, hungry, and beaten half to death all within the span of one day. It felt like you were here for years. It felt like you would be here for centuries more. You like the fire. It’s good and warm.

“I don’t want to,” You ball up your fists without even noticing. “It’s… cold.”

“I know, my dear.” He sighs. He wraps his big hands around you in a side hug. You realize just how big he is. His hands are calloused. Under the dinner jacket, he is muscular. “There’s quite a chill.”

He puts half of his jacket around you, so you’re sharing heat. You feel heat for the first time in a while, with warm food in your tummy and a bit of a blush.

“I’m a bit drunk,” he admits. “So I’ll just ask outright. I suppose you’re probably not used to sleeping on the grass, so you don’t suppose we could… cuddle up a bit. We wouldn’t want you catching a cold, now.”

You hesitate.

“You don’t have to say yes. If I’m being pushy, I apologize.”

“No, no, I’m just.. happy.”

He grins. “Good. That’s good.”

He lays down and sets his arm out, so you can use him as a pillow. He’s so gentle with you. He gives you a headpat before sleep. The night is still. You feel calm, good and calm, and your muscles relax. It’s good, it’s great even. He doesn’t snore, you hardly know if he slept at all. It’s not too long before you fall asleep. And as he said, in the morning, he was gone.

[ovobawrites]

𝐵𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽: 𝐸𝓅𝒾𝓈𝑜𝒹𝑒 𝐹𝑜𝓊𝓇 ♡ 𝐹𝒷𝑜𝓎𝓈 𝒜𝓃𝑜𝓃𝓎𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓈

disclaimer: this has already been posted on ao3 and quotev, i'm just reposting this beach episode special as a promo for the fic. after this is all my previous author notes.

this is a fem!reader and also a half chinese!reader insert.

previous ♡ next

Dusk tinted the beach in oranges and purples as your group walked over to your bags. All of you were soaking wet, leaving trails of water droplets behind you as you trudged through the sand. Leona and Vil glanced over from where they were conversing, the lion looking as tired as usual while Vil seemed to be slightly more tanned than before. 

"So who won?" Leona asked, eyes half lidded as he leaned on a pillow Ruggie had set up for him.

You beamed, elated. "I did!"

"Yes, you really shocked us." Azul sighed, "If only you were on our team, then we would have easily won!"

"Oh please," Riddle scoffed, "Malleus and Lilia had gotten us out of your 'trap' so easily it was hardly a hindrance! Your small group was nothing compared to our team."

"Aww is goldfishie mad that he didn't save koi fishie~?" Floyd slung an arm over Riddle's shoulder and laughed. "You're not even strong enough to carry her!"

Jade chuckled alongside him. "Now now, Floyd, we wouldn't want to upset Riddle too much... even if what you're saying is true."

Cater sighed. "Oh no..."

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME! I AM NOT WEAK!" Riddle yelled, face as red as his hair. "HOW DARE YOU!"

Floyd just laughed and reached for Riddle as the boy struggled to pull away from him. The two started play-fighting, well, Floyd was. Riddle was trying to strangle Floyd... despite the fact that he could barely reach his neck...

Trey nudged Cater and the two struggled to separate Riddle from Floyd. The two of them did their best to calm down their housewarden... but Jade joining the taunting put a stop to their plans. 

"It was rather fun to play that game." Malleus spoke up from besides you. "I particularly enjoyed swimming, though I don't understand why I could not just teleport over..."

Lilia tsked. "But where's the fun in that? Besides, then we wouldn't have gotten the chance to see dear (Y/N) save herself."

"You did very well," Silver gave you a soft smile. "I'm surprised at how quickly you swam."

"Right? You moved so quickly!" Ruggie chimed in, grin on his face. "How'd you do it?"

"Ah." You looked away. "My brother taught me how to swim that quickly."

Silver nodded, "Oh... so you won't drown..."

"No, it was so that I could escape any assassins while at the beach..."

Ruggie looked pensive. "Can't assassins just... swim after you?"

"That's why he taught me to swim fast."

"...So we're just gonna ignore the assassins part?" Idia muttered off to the side, like he was one to talk.

"At least I'm not the heir of a famous noble family." You replied. 

Idia rolled his eyes. "And yet I've never had to swim away from any assassins."

"And when you do I'm sure you'll drown." 

"That's no true, I'll have Ortho to rescue me."

Ortho nodded. "Big brother gave me a tracking software so I can locate him from anywhere in the world!"

Slightly concerning, but okay. 

"Why don't you just teleport away from any assassins?" Malleus wondered. "Would that not be more convenient?"

The rest of the group gave him a look. Riddle and Floyd paused their fight just to stare at him incredulously. If it weren't for the fact that Malleus was a crown prince, you would have thought he'd been living under a rock for his whole life. Besides, didn't he know?

"Teleportation fúlù are really expensive, Malleus. Just because I have them doesn't mean I'd use them to get away from some annoying assassin!"

"Your family's net worth is like, in the millions." Idia mumbled. 

"That doesn't mean I'm going to spend money like it's water!"

"Are you not more concerned about the assassin who'd kill you? Who cares about money when their life is on the line!" 

"Money is more important than life..." Ruggie shrugged, a sneaky glint to his eyes. 

"See! Ruggie agrees!"

"He does not! Ruggie is an outlier, if you ask anyone else they would back ME up!"

"How dare you call Ruggie an outlier!" You growled. "Look at him!" You pulled the hyena towards you and gestured to Idia. "He's so adorable, how could you say that about him?!"

"Just because he's adorable doesn't mean he's a good voice of reason! Ortho's way cuter anyways!"

"I think Silver is the cutest~" Lilia sang with a wide smile. "He was so adorable as a child-"

"Fa-Lilia! Don't say that!" 

Not breaking eye contact for a moment, Idia shouted, "Stay out of this, Lilia!" 

"Uh, Cater?"

"Yeah Trey?"

"Which fight do we break up?"

"...good question."

"Ortho, while admittedly adorable, is in no way cuter than Ruggie!"

"Leona, help me!"

"Yeah, Ruggie is definitely more adorable than your brother, Radish sprout." The lion spoke up.

"Leona!" Ruggie hissed.

"What?" He replied with a smug look. "I'm helping to defend your honor."

"If you wanted to help, that you'd get me out of here!"

"I don't understand why you think Ruggie is cuter than Ortho! Just look at the two!" Idia yanked Ruggie out of your arms and stood him and Ortho side-by-side. "Ortho has bigger eyes, a happier face and chubbier cheeks. He's definitely the cutest here!"

"Don't worry Silver, I still think you're the cutest!"

"Thank you, Father-Lilia."

"That's true, but Ruggie has the cutest personality! And besides, doesn't his thin frame make you want to smother him with care?"

At this point, sparks were bouncing off of the two of you as you glared at each other. Idia's hair was red in anger while your (e/c) eyes were almost glowing. At least Idia's hair was hot enough to evaporate the water from the ocean, drying off your bodies instantly. He took a step closer to you, and you responded by closing the distance even more. 

"What do you mean, 'Ruggie has the cutest personality'?! Ortho is so much more sweet! He's way more moe than Ruggie!"

"Firstly, I don't know what that even means! Secondly," The two of you had gotten so close to each other that your nose was almost touching Idia's chest, you had to crane your neck up to look at him. "I think you're just jealous!"

"Wh- Jealous!" Idia's face went pink, his hair following suit. He breathed in and then yelled out, "I'm NOT JEALOUS!"

"Okay..." Floyd said, "This is so not funny anymore."

"Agreed," Azul pushed up his glasses. "Jade? Mind helping Floyd to separate the two?"

"Of course, Azul." Jade's ever present smile had gotten darker when he saw how close you and Idia had gotten.

At Idia's yell, you had to hold back a flinch. You had let your emotions get hold of you. Ah. This was bad, how embarrassing. Your cheeks flushed. 

"O-okay..." You took a step back and looked off to the side, a full 180 from your brash attitude from before. 

This, of course, did not go unnoticed, and Azul took the opportunity to get Jade and Floyd to distract you while he talked to Idia. With your eyes off to the side, you missed the worried glance Idia shot at you, and the concern from the other boys. 

How could you let your emotions dictate your actions?!

I'm meant to be proper and polite, not- your thoughts spiraled even further.

The lack of control you showed was revolting. You had done the exact thing you were taught to never do. Self-loathing flooded your veins as you felt ashamed over your actions. You had gotten too heated, too angry. You were never meant to be that. It was- You were- a disgrace.

"(Y/N)?" Jade's voice snapped you out of your thoughts. "Are you... alright?"

"Ah-" You looked up at him and Floyd, who had walked over to you and stood almost as a divider between yourself and the others. "-I'm fine. There's no need to worry."

It was like shutters divided you from your emotions once more. Floyd couldn't help but miss the much freer you that was there just before. Your face was like jade, cold and emotionless. The only hint of the anger from before was shown in your eyes for just a moment. Then, it disappeared too. 

"...Are you sure?" Floyd leaned in, uncharacteristically solemn. "You know that wasn't a big deal, right?"

And he hit the nail on the head, by the looks of it. Your face displayed just a modicum of shock before swiftly returning to its stone-cold state. 

"No one's upset with you for breaking composure." Jade pointed out, him and Floyd leaning towards you. "In fact, your argument was rather amusing."

"Yeah, it was fun to see koi fishie so mad!" Floyd smiled. "You looked so passionate, it was so cute!"

"C-cute?!" You flushed a bright pink, ears to shoulders tinted in that warm colour. 

This reaction did not go unnoticed, Floyd and Jade exchanging a look before moving in even closer.

"Yes, you looked absolutely adorable." 

"I- oh. Thank you." You realised what they meant. Cute as in a kitten's hiss cute, not as in... attractive. 

...I shouldn't get side-tracked. 

You moved to grab your bag and dry your hair off. You had mostly dried off thanks to Idia's flaming hair, but you could still feel the unpleasant sensation of sea-salt sticking to your skin. A towel quickly and carefully got rid of most of the remaining moisture, and with a quick rummage through your bag, you put on your sundress once more. In that time, Kalim had popped up by your side with a kind smile. 

"You were super cool just then!" He remarked, "It was so fun to play with you, and it was so cool when you flipped Jade over!"

"That was nothing." You remarked offhandedly, "I only really intervened because I was getting a bit bored."

You missed the small frown Kalim gave at those words, remembering your bright excitement from before.

"Even so..." he started, "it was still amazing to see it happen. You were so fast! I was so afraid Jade or Floyd were gonna catch you but you got to the 'rescue point' just in time!" 

"Ah- thank you." The genuine praise was difficult to respond to, a warmth in your chest from just those simple words. "I doubt I would have won had I not managed to get Jade to crash into Floyd though... that cost them some time."

"But you did! So it doesn't matter if that didn't happen, since you won and it did!"

Oh. That's what I'm feeling.

It wasn't pride or happiness or glee. It was the warmth you feel around your brother. It was familial love. 

Oh dear.

This was... concerning. You've never felt this... love... for anyone before. Not since your brother. 

But that was a problem for later, for now, you were going to ignore it. After all, repressing it may just make it go away. You don't need this feeling, not now. 

Mini Theatre Ruggie: Mommy, daddy, stop fighting ;-;  Idia: Shut up!- Wait what- O///O (Y/N): Don't talk to him like that!  Ruggie: Omfg Leona save me from these stupid idiots already!!!

and here is the fourth part of the beach ep. if you'd like to read the rest of the fic, you can read it on ao3 here, and on quotev here.

[son1c]

Ask so long I had to write it in a Google Doc… 422 words btw. If you were wondering.

All of your designs are so interesting, Lovelyn, but I’ve picked out a few!

First of all... the kitty. Chimera Sonic ilysm <3 I want to hug him but he'd bite my face off. So creature. The mere concept is so interesting because Sonic's whole thing is being a hero, and now he's a monster. Who kills people. Which is exactly what Sonic does not want to do. Ughhh many thoughts (I'm going to watch that anime I swear)

And then there's Gale!! Wings :D Just love him so much. Overpowered little thang with an awesome hat, who then loses power at the end and can’t ever really be whole again ever. Compared with Bermuda (also on the list)?? They're even more opposites than canon Sonic and Shadow are, and it's already an interesting dynamic with them. It's like if you stretched them to the most extreme sides of the spectrum, and yet... also many thoughts

Bonus Bermuda mention again! Tragic fishy (I love sirens). I like his wings, they're really cool and very functional too. I can just imagine him opening them up to look bigger/more menacing. And the color palette rocks!!

And Teddy!! Ignoring the “typical” Sonic character body shape? Hell yeah!! I love it when OCs are just a normal guy. With paws. Shadow and Teddy are the cutest methinks. My comfort ship fr. Because I can’t hug Chimera Sonic I will hug Teddy instead <3

I can’t forget Jack, either. Ultimate girl boyfriend. The bestest rival. I love when people break “typical” Sonic character rules. I also love her fluff. If I were her I’d have as much ego too. She deserves it.

And last but definitely not least, the Falling Stars duo. I love all three of Sonic’s designs, especially the robot one (although he wouldn’t be as enthusiastic as I am about it), and Shadow is an epic guy with identity issues. Honestly, one of my favorite things to think about is Sonic with amnesia, and with Shadow is a bonus. I love your take on it.

I love all of your designs and I would yap more (about Three and Fibula and Bullet too), but this is bordering on essay length and I don’t know if making it any longer is a good idea. Your brain is so big!! And your art style is so beautiful!! I definitely made the best choice following you <3 

THANK YOUUUUU

[mamamittens]

A Lone Melody (Pt. 10)

Main

This chapter was sponsored by @yanderefangirl as part of the "Oh Shit Sale", thank you so much and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Warnings: Implied but not seen violence against a child. Health/dental issues. Racism.

Word Count: 2,109

Melody had been crying a lot lately.

To be fair to the young girl, she had a lot of reasons to cry.

Her dah, silly, aggressive fishman that endlessly teased her only to toss her high above his head with a toothy grin, had left.

Uncle Fishy, the sad man who held her so tenderly despite the hurt in his eyes, had died.

Her face hurt from the way her teeth had broken on her pah’s necklace one night. The jagged shards cutting her skin more than her small fangs ever could before. Venom seeping into the wounds providing no relief but heat. The thick liquid thinning out in her mouth as it wept endlessly from her teeth. She kept swallowing it so she wouldn’t just be drooling onto the table but it made her feel worse. Too full to eat or drink anything considerable even if it smelled really good.

Melody felt bad too. On the inside. Where her heart softly stuttered when she sobbed, not just her stomach that wanted something filling besides her own tainted spit.

She knew everyone was worried about her. Pah. Auntie Shar. All the nice ladies at the café. Even the two weird pirates that sat across from her.

But Melody just couldn’t stop crying.

The least she could do, was try and cry quietly. Maybe if she did, it would stop hurting.

Maybe her teeth would get better.

Maybe she wouldn’t swallow so much of her own venom anymore.

Maybe dah would come back…

And then she could eat with Tha-ch and Mar-co with a smile so even they wouldn’t look so worried for her.

Everyone would be happier if she stopped crying…

But Melody just couldn’t stop.

She gave them a hug after wiping off her face—something that they seemed to appreciate given how wet her napkin was.

They smelled… different. Familiar. Like sea salt and sun. The burn of booze and aftershave. Different but familiar. Their skin soft despite the rugged nature of piracy as she rubbed her face on their throat, teeth painfully clenched shut despite the instinctive desire to bite. To see what it felt like to cut into something warm.

Dah taught her better, even if he didn’t like humans compared to fishmen. Though he did emphasize exceptions to the rule.

But Tha-ch and Mar-co weren’t exceptions.

They were friends.

Friends that pah seemed wary of when she told him. Auntie Shar whispering something in his ear too low for Melody to hear. He seemed to relax, swiping his gentle thumb under her eyes.

“I think I may have found a dentist for you, pup. We’ll go to the office tomorrow and see if he’s willing to try and help.” Pah rumbled softly, smiling as she buried her nose into his chest, rubbing her face against his skin.

The promise of relief brought with it a swift collapse into sleep.

Melody will remember this day, though hazy with pain and emotions.

The kindness of her family as they sought to comfort her until a solution could be found.

And the two strange humans that eagerly distracted her and shared a meal despite her state.

The next day, however, Melody would remember far more.

--*--

Hody Jones slinked through an alleyway, nose wrinkled at the foul stench of refuse and humans. Those damn pirates had managed to worm their way into the good graces of his king and saw fit to stick around. Polluting the very air he breathed like they had a right. It sickened him, honestly.

The way they all happily traipsed down the streets, gawking at the land and people.

Obviously, Fishman Island was a beautiful place outside of the slums. The mermaids an obvious attraction to outsiders. But that didn’t mean Hody wanted to see them drool over his people. Even the frail mermaids deserved more respect than that. Though, they at least kept their hands to themselves, unlike many other groups of humans that managed to get in.

That was about the only thing they had going for them though.

Hody wished, not for the first time, that he had the strength to beat them all away. Show them how little they were worth compared to him. But this wasn’t just any group of pirates. These were the Whitebeard Pirates. They swarmed like cockroaches under the banner of Edward Newgate. And as pissed as Hody was, even he knew his limits.

But the sound of soft sniffles over scraping refuse under his feet challenged that notion swiftly.

Enraged, Hody quickly rounded the corner and found the mutt sitting on a bench outside a dentist’s office. It was almost dizzying how rapidly his emotions swirled with the realization.

The tiny half-breed was curled in on itself. Trying to appear smaller, perhaps. Why they were there… well, Hody could guess, but not why they were alone. He’d never seem it alone before. Always being carried and doted on. Spoiled. Hody felt his lips curl into a sneer.

Well… if he can’t do anything about the worthless humans, the least he could do was solve everyone’s problem with the mutt’s teeth.

Sneer twisting into a more approachable look, Hody stepped forward and called out.

“Hey there.” It turned to look at him, bright red eyes locking with his.

…she looked so young.

His hand itched to get it over with already.

--*--

Edward huffed, a smile hidden under his moustache as his sons argued behind him. Thatch whining about his innocence as Marco mercilessly teased him for flirting with a married mermaid.

“I was just speaking facts! She is beautiful! I didn’t know it was a crime to state the obvious!” Thatch complained, to which Marco scoffed.

“Maybe not, but leaning into her space and putting your hand on her tail was probably what offended her husband more than anything else.”

“I didn’t see her tail! I SWEAR!” Thatch screeched, “I meant to rest my hand on the table—how was I supposed to know she was resting her fin there?!”

“By looking?” Marco responded dryly.

Thankfully, Edward was there to scold his son enough to get the incident blown off with no issue, though the mermaid in question seemed deeply amused.

As a favor to his silly boy, Edward was taking the long way to the ship. Allowing the two to tease each other without dragging the rest of the ship into it. The slums weren’t exactly welcoming, but between his size and reputation—as well as the show his sons were putting on without realizing—no one argued about their presence. His boots clicked against the dirty street with a familiar cadence. Slow, steady gait eating the distance just enough to let his sons keep up in their distraction.

The sound of the slums background noise in his ears. An unfortunately familiar one even after all this time.

Hushed arguments. Small, contained violence as street kids shoved each other, daring one to try and pickpocket ‘fresh meat’. Store keeps selling wares at ridiculous prices to whoever was dumb enough to wander so far from the marketplace. It all blended in behind his son’s argument.

Until a sharp sound cut through it all just as they rounded a corner.

A heavy, meaty slap.

And then a high, young wail.

Edward’s eyes snapped to the scene, his sons falling silent instantly.

A tall fishman towered over a toddler. Hand raised over his opposite shoulder. The baby collapsed on the sidewalk, small hand to their face. His eyes narrowed as his strides quickly ate the distance. Curly black hair like his son, Teach, contained under a small white cap. But the resemblance did little to soothe the instant anger Edward felt. His hand curling in the back of the man’s shirt and tossing him into the wall.

“Oh, shit, that’s Melody!” Thatch gasped, scrambling past Edward and falling to his knees to fret over the child. Edward felt pride in how quickly his son acted as he pinned down the offender with his boot. The fishman glaring at him with a sneer as the child cried great, heaving sobs. “H-Hey, baby, it’s alright. The mean, mean man can’t hurt you. Pops got him—lemme see the—oh he got you good, huh?” Thatch cooed in his softest voice.

Marco quickly joined Thatch as the two helped the child up and inspected the damage. Edward was a little surprised Marco hadn’t already tried healing the obvious bruise but trusted his son had good reason.

The door to what appeared to be a doctor’s office slammed open. A man Edward recognized as Jinbe looking around wildly with a fury he felt sharp kinship with.

Clearly, this was ‘Melody’s’ father.

Jinbe seemed to pause at the curious sight before him, glancing between his crying child, Edward’s fussing sons, and himself. Boot digging into the fishman snarling up at him.

“What is going on here?” Jinbe growled with an impressive depth. The fishman under his boot seeming to pale despite his already white skin, expression faltering.

“W-Was just trying to help the mutt!” He defended with a gasp as Edward pressed his boot down a little harder in fury. “C-Clearly someone needed to knock those teeth loose!”

Jinbe sucked in a sharp breath and spun on his heel, gently pushing aside Edward’s sons to scoop up his child, taking in the damage.

Even before the child was in Jinbe’s arms, they were small. Pale gray skin with dark fingers. White hair tipped black and red with the biggest, watery ruby eyes Edward had ever seen. A large mark on her cheek cradled by small hands rapidly growing a dark purple. Blood and some sort of bright blue liquid seeping from her lips as she whimpered. Edward’s heart went out to the poor child.

“Melody, pup, let me see.” Jinbe held his daughter close and gently opened her mouth, eyes narrowed at the jagged, bloody mess of her teeth. The man inhaled sharply with a hiss. “I do not care what your excuse is—you. Struck. My. Daughter?”

Marco, ever brave, stood up and cleared his throat. Jinbe’s eyes were sharp as he looked at Edward’s son. Not faltering in the slightest, Marco gave a thin smile.

“I’m a doctor with the phoenix fruit. If you want, I can see what I can do while you handle… that.” Marco offered, Thatch instantly standing at his side.

“I’ll hold her hand if it helps! Marco’s the best doctor.” Thatch grimaced. “We heard you were… having trouble finding someone to treat her already.”

Jinbe seemed to struggle, body tense as he looked at his crying child and the three humans. Edward felt regret settle in his chest at the obvious distrust.

Still, he understood. Even under better circumstances, Jinbe had little reason to trust human pirates.

“P-Pah-pah?” A soft, hoarse voice whimpered. “H-Hurts, pah…” she spoke with difficulty through tears and her swelling mouth. Broken teeth likely not helping matters any.

Jinbe melted, pressing a kiss to his daughter’s hair.

“Doctor…Marco?” Jinbe partially cooed at his child, glancing at Marco in question. “—He wants to help. Can you be brave for me, pup?”

Melody sniffled but nodded, burying her face into Jinbe’s yukata before turning and reaching out to Marco.

A little surprise, Marco reached out hesitantly, looking to Jinbe for permission.

It was given reverently. Exactly how Edward would if he had to hand one of his children to someone else to take care of them as he could not. Heartbreaking reluctance and resolve to have the best hands sooth his child’s need. And Marco nodded, lifting the toddler to his chest before looking to the office.

“Think they’ll let me use their space?” Marco mused mostly to himself and Thatch.

Jinbe snarled.

“They better.” Jinbe glared pointedly at the window where a fishman in a doctor’s coat flinched away. The door opening seconds later.

“O-Of course! C-Come in—oh, you poor thing I-I—come in, please.” The fishman doctor wilting at the sight of the bruised child still clutching the side of her face.

Marco and Thatch went in.

“…thank you, Captain Whitebeard.” Jinbe huffed, tears in his eyes as he reluctantly looked away from the now closed office door.

“Just Whitebeard will do… father to father.” Edward acquiesced, lifting his boot as Jinbe stalked forward towards the now thoroughly frightened fishman.

Jinbe took in a sharp, steadying breath and bared his teeth at the man who struck his child.

Edward gladly took a step back and smiled.

He couldn’t wait to call this fine young man his son… and gain a granddaughter in the same breath.

[crepes-suzette-373]

Whole Cake Island comments

I'm late to this party, so what I'm posting here is probably old news to everyone, I just want to unload my thoughts.

I've read enough creator interviews to know that sometimes manga artists do things just for the heck of it with no deeper reasons. That's why I often hesitate to read too deeply into the scenes, but it's still there anyway, so I just want to react/ramble.

1) This arc repeatedly says that Sanji's brothers are supposed to be emotionless/heartless. Somehow despite that, they still burst into heart eyes when they see Nami. All of them!

If they're heartless, but they still do this, then what does it feel like for Sanji who isn't "heartless"?

It's to the point that Chopper goes "Are you sure you're not Sanji" at Yonji, and Yonji can't stop ogling at Nami's wanted poster. And they all say they want to take Nami home once the stupid wedding is over with.

Like, those 3 can normally kill people and clobber that poor helpless maid without even twitching a single curly brow, but Nami can still make them explode into heart eyes...

Maybe this is just a joke to laugh at, like "hahaha the quadruplets all have the same taste". Or maybe this was meant to show that deep down the other Vinsmokes aren't that heartless after all. Still...

2) I find it kind of strange that Sanji's injuries under the "skin mask" is drawn to look like the "joke" swollen face Luffy often gets when Nami beats him up for being dumb:

I mean, this scene with Pudding and the scene before that, when Sanji just got clobbered, I'm assuming they're both supposed to show his vulnerability. Then why make it look like the silly swollen faces that are usually meant for laughs and gags?

Compare that to the much more serious injured face Luffy has when Sanji beat him up, or way way back in the Skypiea arc when Sanji faced off Eneru.

If the in-plot intention is just to have him Sanji look so severely beat up that he needs a mask to hide it, why not draw him with the "serious" injured face?

My conspiracy thought was that sensei did that on purpose to make the scene with Pudding look either weird or awkward so that we can't take it seriously.

Like, now that it's all over we know it was a big nothing, but maybe during its initial run this specific art choice was a hint? Especially because later when Pudding revealed the trickery, she made fun of it. Something that probably can't be done with a more serious injured face.

3) Nami gave up so easily because...? She's someone who had literally done the exact same thing in almost the exact same way back in Arlong Park. She has also experienced being on the rescuer side with Robin, where they all eventually find out that there's something suspicious going on.

But somehow this time she took Sanji completely at face value and backed off in a very emotional way. Does it not even occur to her that something might be fishy again? And it's Luffy who saw through the nonsense and is completely not buying it.

Luffy, who is so clueless that he was dead-shocked to find his dad is Dragon, even though Garp already flat out told him so.

I mean, maybe because of the manga's tight schedule, sensei had to run this quickly to heighten the drama/stakes. Maybe there isn't a long plot game being played, and I guess I have a hyperactive imagination, but with a certain slant it can look like Nami gave up because she got heartbroken/jealous of the wedding.

When the group split up and the Sanji Rescue group was leaving from Zou, Zoro and Usopp said this:

They're all still there, the whole group heard it.

Oh no, maybe Sanji is on board with it. And then they actually meet Pudding:

Oh no, she's cute and he did go heart eyes at her. They then find Sanji, but he acts like this:

Oh no, maybe he does want to do the wedding for real after all.

Nami's reaction is such a classic "misunderstanding drama" reaction in romance novels.

4) Generally speaking, I feel like the wedding sham feels like something straight out of romance novels.

The leading lady gets closer to the leading man, then out of nowhere he turns out to be secretly a Very Important Person. His horrible family show up to threaten the leading lady, and he saved her at the cost of himself. Dramatic roller coaster and misunderstandings ensue, often including arranged engagements and/or almost-weddings.

This plotline really hurts my heart (poor baby Sanji), but at the same time I'm so baffled at how it all unfolds, because parts of it honestly kind of reminds me of telenovelas that my mum used to like to watch. Pretty sure I've even seen a couple permutations of this plot with vampires and whatnot during the supernatural romance craze in the Twilight era.

[parisofpeoplez]

Binged on this week's QoT episodes in one sitting and I have thoughts!

I know the cool rich auntie was one of the good ones! She has literally shown more motherly love to Haein than her own mother.

Speaking of, I understand that she was grieving the loss of her son, but how is it fair to put the blame of his death on her daughter??!!! Yes her son died saving his sister, but it's not like Haein wanted that to happen. Like Haein said, it was an accident. I'm assuming they will reveal more of what exactly happened in the later episodes. And I also feel like that was no accident, someone wanted to kill Haein as a way to harm her grandfather, but her brother died instead. The whole incident is a bit fishy but we shall see.

I'm glad that Hyun woo finally came to the realisation that he still cares about Haein and does not want her to die. Up until ep 4 I was literally going, Baek Hyun woo do better! Thank God he listened.

I love how he got the hospital to treat her! Like don't you dare mess with my wife because I will sue the shit out of you and make sure that I win the case!! Damn that was hot of him haha!

Haein talking about dying was just too depressing like this precious baby deserves to live, unlike those four evil people that are out to destroy her and Hyun woo's happiness!

Speaking of, I have so many theories about them! The sister in law and the Hercyna guy might be siblings, but all that DNA test talk made me sus. What if they are lovers and the kid is actually theirs and no Soo-cheol's? Damn I would love that twist haha. I don't know how I feel about Soo-cheol yet to decide if I pity him or not. The grandfather's girlfriend has been sus from the beginning and that background info that Beom ja got is also very shady. What if the mystery son that she gave birth to is actually the Hercyna guy? What is happening here?

And this masseuse lady...what the fuck is her deal? What does he want? I hate her damn face she's so fucking annoying. Bitch die.

Also all these family scenes get kinda boring sometimes. Sometimes i just don't care about the family dynamics, especially Hyun woo's family. Up until now I feel like they haven't really contributed much to the plot. I hope that changes soon given the amount of screwn time they're getting in every episode.

Coming back to our couple, the juxtaposition of the four leaf clovers lying on the ground and Hae-in's world literally falling apart....it was heartbreaking.

But I'm glad that this secret came out now. I was loving all of their cute moments but dreading Haein finding out about the divorce. Now that that's out, they will hopefully both deal with this revelation early on and build their relationship again without any secrets. I didn't want them to fall in love again just for this to come out in the later episodes. Because honestly healing from that would have been difficult to sell to the audience later on compared to now when it's early days in finding their way back to each other.

[moonliched]

I just wanna say I adore your fic so so much. Everything is so nice and entertaining. I certainly can't wait for the proper meeting of the complete fishy bois. Also you don't have to compare the assistant ai!! I love bon-bon so much that he's growing on me like algae/lh

I love how he just worries about Y/N when they just brush him off saying they're just another replaceable cog to this system. Like the way he goes.

"But you're a person."

Makes me think he's not really well versed in stuff and still learning and that's what makes him so cute and fascinating. Bonbon our only ally fr fr

ALSO MOON!!! HE'S SO ANXNJEJDJRJF I JUST WANNA SQUISH IM AND BITE HIM. SHAKE HIM LIKE A FERAL DOG W THEIR TOY.

A MENACE.

I still snicker at the misunderstandings like Y/N trying to run away and Moon just goes "Play? Play! FRIEND PLAY!!!"

He's like a cat batting at anything that moves SJXJJEJDJDNEKD

Can I ask what he was trying to do, throwing fish at Y/N? Like I initially thought it was like a thank you but HAHAHA I'm not so sure.

I cackled on the bit where "IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME" Junior researcher. PLS YOU LITERALLY LIKE EXPOSED EVERY DCA ENJOYER.

NOT THE REDACTED IM FUCKING SOBBING OVER IT.

Bonbon literally has the normal reaction and reader's like wdym haha

I wanna ask so many questions but I must be patient and wait for everything to unravel OWOENDKSNDJD

Honestly I got curious and went to tumblr to see some extra content and it didn't disappoint.

I didn't expect the scene where Bronii and Y/N sees Moon glowing to be so ethereal looking!!!

He's sk beautiful augh. NOT ONLY HIM BUT OUR VERY OWN Y/N

Y/N is very pretty and i love them sm. I love the banter between them and BonBon. I just can't help but laugh that the bunny was going to jab about their ancestors in their oceanic planet.

I absolutely adore your AU and will keep rereading it <333333

I sincerely hope you recover well and take your time to heal before attempting to do more <333333 Put yourself first <3 we can wait

sneef aheem heem🥺 this is such a nice message🥺😭😭💕

i'm ecstatic you like it!!!!! tbh BON-BON is growing on me so algae-like that i need to elevate other characters so he doesn't overtake them😅 i'm sure some ppl know how it is when a supporting character kinda starts to overshadow the mains accidentally. but instead of cutting him down, the others will rise instead. also you're right, BON-BON has confidence but he's not as well-versed in relationships and social knowledge as he presents himself. he's naive, a little. and he has a mental hierarchy of AI at the bottom, living beings at the top that's being challenged by how carelessly Y/N is being treated.

i ADORE writing Moon! so when he was throwing the fish at Y/N, he was mimicking their tactic of using food to lure him forward. kinda like how they were doing with the crabs in that moment. he wanted to form some kind of trust using food and make them come closer. at that point he had yet to see them without their mask, so to his knowledge other communication methods like speech weren't available.

heeheehoo i wanted him to look very dazzling during the hypnotism scene🥰😳 and i noticed with half of his face covered with the esca he looks more human?? which would help with luring humans bc it kinda obscures the uncanny valley aspect of his usual face shape. i love drawing all of them!

i hope to update the fic soon! recovery isn't going as planned, so i'll be sure to rest, but i've been looking forward to answering this since i saw it in my inbox☺️and i love getting Q's about my fic. thank sm for such a nice message!!💞✨💗✨🌼💖

[sharksa-shivers]

TW: Blood, Max being a little unhinged feral gremlin

(Context shit ig is that The Trio derps all got captured by shadowdemons or some shit anddddd yeah…So our scene's basically Max in a cell of some sort, restrained and he overhears some fuckin shadowdemon convo.)

Guard 1:(amused)I thought the girl one wasn't ever gonna shut up…You think any of em can get out if they have no weapons or anything? Cuz these kids are apparently pretty crafty according to Queen Meforia…

Guard 2:(Nonchalant)I doubt it…Cept maybe the shark one…And i feel like if he gets out, he'll probably try and eat some of us…Sharks and shit, yknow…As long as he doesn't get you entirely, you'd probably be fine…

Guard 1:(thinking)………You really think he could do that??? Like rip somebody apart and eat em??

Max:(tired, looks ragid as fuck and pissed as shit, not happy in any regard)…….He fucking won't actually dumbfuck but i promise you…If i get out…I WILL…I will fucking rip you to shreds and eat whatever the fuck i can get since you bastards have been fucking with us for days now…Haven't had a good amount of food in a bit so i fucking will…Without hesitation…

(Both guards look at the disshelved dog teenager and laugh before talking and walking off…We see Max death glaring…) ------------------------- (Cut to a bit later, Max does find a way out cuz clever little shit and he keeps his word, mauling like the first shadowdemon he sees…Max actually rips them apart enough to where the shadowdemon is tempdead…Max's face is coated in blood and he stands up tiredly as he comes back more to himself)

Max:(to himself)…………Tasted like fucking shit…But least you died in fucking agony…Got at least a couple scraplings of something…Fuckers…(His ears twitch, he hears a shrill voice, probably Kristy, becomes more mission orriented)……..Right, right, goddamnit, gotta get em, gotta find em!!! (darts off to help his comrades) ---------------------

(So this is whenever Max manages to find Kristy…My guess is the shrill voice was Kristy in pain or something so my guess is a guard was not treating her very nicely…Max is more himself at this point thanks to the few bites he got so he just cracks this shadowdemons neck or something, kills them quicker or whatever…Max grabs the keys off their pocket and starts unlocking Kristy's cell and Kristy sees Max bloodcoated face)

Kristy:(Terrified by that)MAX, WHAT THE HELL IS ON YOUR FACE???? IS THAT BLOOD???? WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU?????

Max:(distracted, opens the cell, looks up at her)Huh? (realizes, wipes some off his face)Oh thisssssss…Ah, ok, that…Uh, was more uhhhhh what i did to them…

Kristy:(taking that in, very confused but scared all the same)…What…Did you do to them?

Max:(smirks, blood on his teeth)Mighta had a little snack…Not alot though…Shadowdemon i snagged tasted like shit…But also wasn't alot there honestly…Inner wolf came out, eh, what can i say?

Kristy:(terrified still, takes that in)………………………………….Jesus christ Max…

Max:(amused, wiping his mouth some more)Yeahhhhhh, and they always think Sharky's the dangerous one out of us…It's a fuckin laugh riot honestly…Anything bad Sharky could do would be pure mercy compared to anything i'd do…So uhhhh yknow…ANYWAY, speaking of Sharky, we should probably find him!!! Any clue where they're keeping his fishy ass or???

Kristy:(moreso used to Max being an unhinged little shit and not seeing what she could even do about that, she nods, refocusing herself)I think so!!! I think i heard him yelling a bit ago!!! Cmon!!!! (runs out of the cell with Max by his arm and they both start running)

-------------------------------------- Once again, Max ain't the one to fuck with...This dogboi unhinged as shit, he got some shit actually wrong with him fdjkhfdhsjfsdhjsfdhjfdhjfd little feral ass gremlin child, i adore him lol...and again, the Campsite is LUCKY AS FUCK Max is on their side lmaoooooooooo

Max legit the thing people fear Sharky is, like...goddamn lol A reminder too, shadowdemons reform lol, only way to kill em entirely is with fire so Max mauling one? Yeah, not a permakill, only a tempkill lol

[lerry-hazel]

HERE BE SPOILERS !!! (e6)

I’m making a list of all those fishy things in GO2 I’m no longer willing to dismiss, because it makes me feel vindicated

So, we continue from where we’ve left: Crowley leaves Aziraphale to face 70 demons presumably alone and goes to Heaven in search of a Convenient Plot Device: even though he already knows both where Gabriel is and why he can’t be found.  

Meanwhile, in accordance with annoying “latest trends”, Aziraphale stand around gaping like a fish letting girls do all the work. Ok, I’ve seen the bullshit explanation about holy water, but why doesn’t he pick up a sword, or the gun he is supposed to have according to this very season, and at least try to finish some demons off before “taking desperate measures”?

Also, the war on Hell can be declared either if all 4 highest-ranking angels come to an agreement, or if some random Principality starts throwing his halo around.

And then, of course, there is the great sham of “going to the stars together”.

Gabriel and Beelzebub were fun as supporting characters, and I know some people were looking forward to seeing them getting together. But I sincerely doubt anyone would agree to watch their story instead of A&C. Especially if that’s a story of a completely different Gabriel and completely different Beelzebub, and it takes all of 6 minutes and 39 seconds (yes, I timed) to unfold.

It’s just plain awkward and painful when B&G start spewing sentiments that were obviously poached from another relationship. And when it’s suddenly “if Beelzebub and Gabriel can…”, as if a relationship that lasted 6000 years against all odds needs to be measured against a story told through convenient amnesia and three flashbacks. And then, to add insult to injury, we also have Nina and Maggy as supreme authority, and –

If the goal was to “compare and contrast” A&C to a new couple who have little in common outside of an intense encounter in a dangerous situation on one side, – and a couple who’d been working together for years without understanding they’d been dating on the other –

WHY THE HELL IS IT NOT, respectively, ANATHEMA/NEWT and MADAME TRACY/SHADWELL???  :-E

And then – well, we all know what happened then.

[fff777]

reaction part 2 to 7llin' with dream episode 3

Aw is Chenle actually going to go with Jisung? :3

Jisung's hyungs love him so much. But also Nomin in particular take care of him so much.

So no Chenji shenaniganery I guess

Chenle asked Jisung to grill the mushrooms too and Jisung said he didn't want to but took one look at Chenle and immediately changed his tune lol

Anytime Jisung does anything, it's a group project

Jaemin has not stopped bitching about not having green onions

They found green onions in the kit for the oysters

Jeno's doing all the work lol

I think Jisung was asking if they could turn the heat up on the closed grill lol

Inside, they are discussing the songs on the mini album

The grill is very slow so the guys might have to grill the meat on the stove. This reminds me of EXO Showtime where Kyungsoo and Jongdae were struggling with cooking outside and Chanyeol just cooked the meat inside lol.

Back to Mark and the green onions lol. Renjun was like keep talking bitch.

Trying the cooking wine as an actual beverage

Both Mark and Jisung don't like the fishy taste of seafood :o

The way Jisung talks about stuff is so romantic lol. Times like these I feel like I should learn Korean to understand what he's actually saying. Anyway he's asking Jaemin if cooking is like muscle memory to him. I don't think it really is because there's a lot of judgment/eye test that comes with cooking. And then Jisung compared Jaemin to his grandma lol.

Jaemin called the induction stove 'highlight' (as in the lights are like highlights?) and everyone thought it was cute :3

I think this wow part is from one of their new songs (if I remember correctly from the teasers)

So Jeno and Chenle love mushrooms but Jisung dislikes them

Other than Jaemin who's the top chef, I think Donghyuck, Renjun, and Chenle are decent cooks as well? Mark and Jisung are the ones who don't cook at all lmao. I'm guessing Jeno is an ok chef. We need to bring back NCT cooking shows :P

All of the guys praising the meat that Jaemin cooked <3 <3 <3

Stuffing his mouth while grabbing paper towels

Mark fights back

Donghyuck getting quiet when he lost the argument X'D But he did pour a drink for Mark so he acknowledges defeat XD

Asking Jisung if he doesn't need a birthday gift this year

Wait...what does one buy with a google gift card...is it for games?

Lol Mark was the same as me, he was like what the heck is a google mobile gift card X'D and Jeno, being the one who knows Jisung the best had to explain

Donghyuck suddenly in pain after eating ginger ^^;;

They're getting sentimental, talking about how their last mini-album (excluding Christmas special album Candy) was Reload, which Mark did not participate for, and before that was We Go Up

The dragons stepping up because it's their year <3 Donghyuck has been rather serious this evening but that's how we know he really means it (y)

I wonder if Jaemin and Jeno don't drink or just don't like drinking. They're going to play a drinking game but Nomin specifically won't drink.

Jaemin's 'trying not to laugh' face

The way Jaemin has no shame