#his hair is somehow even more difficult to draw when it's down (mostly cuz i have no reference to go off of)

[ladyofthecreeddraws]

Throwing that bitch in a tub.

[lustresky]

all i ask [peter parker x f!reader]

summary: You question your true feelings for Peter after missing out on five years of your life.

wc: 2400ish.

themes: angst(ish), fluff, happy endings, best friends to lovers trope, mention of dermatillomania, existential questionings...

a/n: this is the first x reader that i have ever written, so sorry in advance if it’s awkward:’’’) english also isn’t my first language, so please do hit me up if i make any mistakes/some things sound wrong! still, i hope that some of you out there will still like this lil thing. i just want to keep peter in my pocket gawd what a bby:’’’’’’’( p.s. title is a song by adele! just had to name this that cuz it unexpectedly came into my playlist while i was writing this and the song just fit so well that it shocked me haha

requests are open! & pls don’t forget to like and reblog, thank you! c:

THIS TAKES PLACE AFTER ENDGAME, RIGHT BEFORE FFH. IT EXCLUDES THE LOVE STORY BETWEEN LIZ & PETER IN HOMECOMING. 

available on ao3.

The rom-com flickered on the screen in front of your and Peter’s eyes, the only light illuminating the small living room.

Your legs were sprawled on top of Peter’s own, your arms becoming a bit numb from the fact that you haven’t moved them from their cramp inducing position for the past fifteen minutes. It wasn’t your fault— the small sofa could only leave you and Peter enough space to lounge about.

He had invited you over for some much needed “hang out” time. Considering the fact that both of you had missed out on five years of your life, you had suggested you both catch up on all of the movies the two of you had missed; but one thing led to another and now you were both watching late 90’s and early 2000’s films. 

You were surprised, and maybe even mildly offended, when Peter had said that he had never watched Mean Girls nor Clueless. The boy who spew out pop comic references every other second had never watched the classics for every teenage girl? The blasphemy!

You fiddled with the fluffy throw covering your legs and partially, Peter’s. Your attention wasn’t really on the movie anymore, you’d seen it multiple times. Could probably recite it by heart, you thought, if you concentrated hard enough.

Speaking of concentration, your eyes inadvertently found their spot upon Peter’s face. It was quite funny, and maybe even adorable if you wanted to go that way, how concentrated the geeky boy was over such a cliché film. You had never once thought, with all of the years that you had known him, that he would listen and take Cher Horowitz’s words to heart.

Peter didn’t notice your gaze, and so you took that as an unspoken permission to roam your eyes over his features: the small lines already appearing beside his eyes, a tell-tale sign of how much he smiled— or at least, tried to, these days. There were those chiseled cheeks and the sharp jawline that he somehow managed to maintain despite eating delivery food every other day. (You can’t blame May, she tries her best, really; but sometimes Thai or Chinese is just way more palatable.) His nose, a bit crooked, from an ”accident.“ (You still don’t really know the exact details about that one, and frankly, you think it would hurt just hearing about it.) Soft curls of his brown hair fell over his forehead, messy and barely brushed.

Truly, you could probably spend a whole hour just staring at him. It’s weird, you know, who the hell stares at their own best friend for long periods of time? Well, MJ probably does, but then again she draws people most of the time so that’s socially allowed... and well— she’s MJ. She just… does that. You suppose.

Maybe she does have a point, you mused. People-watching seemed fun, seeing the way that people processed information was interesting, but you couldn’t really imagine doing that to anyone— anyone else but Peter, at least.

You loved Peter. It wasn’t even a question. Truly, you did— he was family. However, after the Snap, you started to question how you truly felt about him.

Did you ‘love’ him? You had asked yourself that question multiple times already. Then again, he was cute, goal-oriented, stubborn, loyal, smart, geeky, strong... (not just physically, between his difficult childhood and what you both had just gone through, you think that he may just be the strongest person that you know, mentally.) He knew how to make you laugh, how to make you feel safe… God, he was your exact type. 

However, you had always put your feelings aside ever since you came back from the dead. What if it was just your mind craving for affection, afraid that you would never be able to experience the love that you had always wanted? Were you just terrified of the thought of not living your life to the fullest, that you started to ’love’ the first person to have ever given you warmth, just because the choice to do so was taken away from you? 

Did you actually love him in that way? Would you still have loved him in that way, even if that purple fucking raisin didn’t come out of the fucking sky and take you both away from reality without even asking? Were you just blindsided? Were you wearing rose-coloured glasses?

What type of love for him did you feel, exactly?

It didn’t really help that Peter was way more clingy and touchy now. Sure, you were best friends even before then, but you never really touched each other so often before. His actions only further spiraled your pondering.

His hands seemed to linger more on your shoulders, nowadays. Now, he would, absentmindedly, lay his hands on your thighs while you were talking. Now, his hugs were tighter, warmer, and always included both of his arms— unlike those casual, one armed hugs that you would give each other while saying goodbye after school, right before you both ceased existing.

While talking, his eyes seemed to stare straight into yours, which always made you falter with your words before you shook his gaze off. Once, you saw him fixating his eyes on your lips while you vented to him about a mathematical formula that gave you a hard time. 

He never really did that before— whenever you didn’t understand something, he would always just give you a small grin before shaking his head and finding a way to better explain the topic to you. At first, you thought that maybe he just had a lot on his mind, that he was just staring into space… 

Or maybe, just maybe, he loved you. In that way.

Though, now that you thought more about it, maybe he just craved affection like you did. He went through a lot. His life was never devoid of danger, and it wasn’t questionable to want comfort after all of the things that he had gone through. Did he truly feel that way about you, or did he only see you as a comfort tool? You wouldn’t be angry if he did, out of all the people that you knew that deserved more reassurance and love, he was definitely on top of the list. 

You didn’t mind. You understood.

Was he in the same boat as you? 

You startled yourself away from your thoughts when Peter suddenly retracted his body further back into the couch, as if he wanted to bury himself in it. His brows were furrowed, nose scrunched, lips curled up in disgust; though to your relief his eyes were still glued to the screen and he hadn’t just seen you checking him out. You chuckled at the unexpected reaction, “What’s gotten you so worked up?”

Peter shook his head from side to side, as if that would help him from his current situation. “I get that they aren’t really related, but it’s just— weird.” He replied. 

Intrigued, you shifted your eyes over to the screen, and was welcomed by Cher and Josh kissing. You laughed at Peter’s disgust.

“How is it weird? They’ve had— like, very evident tension for half of the movie, Pete.” You replied, eyes watching the way Josh held Cher’s face in his hands. As much as you would never admit it, your stomach fluttered at the scene. “Don’t tell me you didn’t expect it to happen.”

Peter groaned. “It’s not that I didn’t expect it to happen, it’s just— Josh is what, almost twenty or something? And Cher is our age!” He rattled off. “I’m having flashbacks to when I learned that Luke and Leia were actually related.” 

You shook your head and let out a snort. Typical Peter, always finding a way to reference Star Wars.

“It’s just a lil’ kiss scene Pete, don’t get so worked up about it.” You chuckled. You let out a dreamy sigh, your lip unknowingly curling into a small smile. Truth be told, you've always wanted something so passionate yet so soft like that to happen to you. 

You couldn’t help but let the next words tumble out of your mouth. “Isn’t it romantic though? The fact that the person that Cher has been searching and looking for so hard was actually just right there.”

“Always there…” Your voice slowly found itself becoming quieter, until it was only a ghost of a whisper. “Right by your side.”

You felt your cheeks grow hot. What the fuck was all that sudden sentimental bullshit, Y/N? You thought to yourself.

You hoped that Peter just didn’t pick up on what you had just said. The movie was loud enough to cover it, right?

With a reassuring breath, mostly to yourself, you turned your gaze back to Peter’s face.

Only to find him staring back at you.

Fuck, what were you thinking? With his enhanced senses, of course he would’ve heard what you had said.

Your breath got caught in your throat as your brain almost short circuited from the unexpected eye contact. His stare was unrelenting; from the dim light of the television, you can see his dilated irises, swimming with what you can only assume was longing… and hope.

The air suddenly seemed thick with tension. What kind it was? You weren’t really sure, but the movie and its noises were now just background noise and lighting. From the corner of your eyes, you see Peter’s Adam apple bob up and down as he opened his mouth to speak.

“Y/N…” He started, slowly, seemingly unsure of how to word his sentence. You mustered up a small bit of courage and sent him a small smile, patiently waiting for his brain to catch up with his mouth. It was one of his quirks that you adored so much, how much he struggled with the right words to say, because he knew the gravity of them; even if he did end up just spewing them out in the end.

“I— I don’t really know how to say this exactly, but,” Peter chewed on his bottom lip. “God I just— I just need to man up and say it because it’s been on my mind ever since I came back and I don’t think I can put it off any longer because I’m scared that you’ll disappear again and that I’ll never have the chance to say the truth and I—“ He stopped in his tracks, seemingly running out of words to say. His head dropped to look at his lap, as he started fidgeting with his hands and picking at his cuticles. A nervous tick that you recognized.

You straightened up from your lounging position, and slowly reached out your arms to lay your own hands on top of his, effectively gaining his attention and stopping his quite destructive habit. Bit by bit, he faced you once more; albeit now his eyes seemed to be more glassy.

“Y/N,” He took a shaky breath. “You— you mean so much to me.“ His eyes stared straight through you, and by now you felt your eyes start getting teary too.

“When it was happening I— all I could think about was how I felt about you. I— I felt so fucking selfish. I didn’t even think about Aunt May— or Ned, or MJ. All I thought about was how much I regretted not telling you how I actually felt about you sooner— that I’ll never be able to tell you how much I actually fucking loved you—“

Instinctively, you cut him off with your index placed on his lips. Now it was your turn to let out a shaky breath as your hand descended and found itself laying once more on Peter’s own.

Peter loved you. Even before the snap. Even before you disappeared.

The sight of Peter in front of you: vulnerable, hair ruffled, cheeks and nose and the tips of his ears red, his eyes watering as he poured his heart out to you was the moment that answered all of your doubts from before.

That was when you realized that you loved him, too. Truly. Without a doubt.

You loved him before everything went to hell, you still love him now, and fuck, you would still love him even if you hadn’t died. You weren’t wearing rose-coloured glasses, hell, far from it. You were seeing everything clearly. You were seeing everything just the way that they are.

You opened your lips, and a strangled but genuine giggle came out. “Pete, I love you too. I’ve loved you since— fuck, I can’t even remember when I actually started fucking loving you. You’ve been such a constant in my life that I questioned myself whether I truly loved you romantically, because I’m also a fucking idiot that thought that the type of love that I had for you was only platonic. Turns out they’re both one and the same.” You were laughing now, with a few hiccups here and there from the hot tears streaming down your cheeks.

“And shut up— you aren’t selfish,” With a new wave of courage, you lifted up one of your hands again and cradled his face. He leaned into it, impulsively, sniffling. “You’re one of the most selfless people that I know, hell, you put yourself in danger for people that you don’t even fucking know. I… I honestly think you could use more selfishness sometimes.” You laughed, softly, trying to regain a bit more composure with the tidal wave of emotions washing through you.

Peter, thankfully, found your quip funny. He snorted, shaking his head, as he lifted the sleeve of his Midtown Tech hoodie up to wipe at his tears. He wiped yours too, and you thanked him with a genuine smile.

All hearts now bared, you both just stared at each other, not really knowing what else to say nor do. From what you could tell, the movie was over now, the ending scene just slowly rolling in as it always does.

You opened your mouth, about to break the silence, when Peter beat you to it.

“Can I kiss you?”

A chuckle escaped your mouth before you could reply properly, and a huge grin overtook your face as your cheeks heated up once more. You squeezed his hands, and nodded.

Peter leaned in, and you had never felt more at peace.

[katsmonsterblog]

Sunflowers in the Cemetery pt 1

OMG okay so... I feel like I have to post this now. If i don’t then this will probably be a full blown novel... and I mean I wouldn’t complain but I have literally been working on this for months. 

So this is a story about two of my OCs :D how they met actually. At over 5k words and 13 pages long, its one of my longest works and I’m so super proud of it you guys.  I came to a stopping point and...While the story isn’t fully done, I’ve decided to make it a part one of however many (pls don’t kill me ;-;) 

Its a bit pg13, mentions of sex and cursing

If you like this then please support me on Ko-fi! And check out my commissions page and my masterlist :) 

Anyways! Enjoy!  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Music pumped through the speakers around the club, vibrating the wood of the floor and bar, a pulsating beat that made you want to grind and sway and move. Well, the music only helped add to the atmosphere of sex on the dance floor, in truth, there was something else that seemed to be at play here. There weren’t many places like this in a smaller city like this one, and it definitely wasn’t the alcohol that brought the demon here. No, it was definitely the sex. A hand clapped him on the back and took his predatory gaze from the crowd of writhing bodies. “You know Andras, I don’t much like demons in my place of business but for you I’ll always make an exception.” The male beside him was a friend of a friend’s, and his club wasn’t one that especially catered to the supernatural, more a way to get food if you were invited to prowl and were smart about it, though Liam had never expressly liked his kind. “Is it because I’m pretty Liam?” Andras smirked, sipping whiskey that would never get him drunk. “Or is it because when I’m here you make more money than you know what to do with?” He batted his eyes as the vampire laughed, flashing his fangs and then leaning into him. “Both. Are you hungry tonight Andi? Cuz I’m starving..” Liam purred, green eyes flashing red, a spark within the depths, and having little effect on the incubus. Andras in turn smiled, though his own deep blue gaze was hard, and rolled his neck….a tease for the male and a little something more. Around them it seemed like the humans grew frenzied in their grinding, the aura of lust rising. Prince was only a title he had once held, but it was a title and a bloodline in itself and Andras came from a rare breed of Incubi, his power and aura like another part of him. Like breathing. It flowed out over the crowd of humans, heightening their touch, their lust... “Don’t call me Andi….but yes I could most definitely go for.... a bite...” He responded with a wicked smile as he looked out to the crowd once more and caught the shy gaze of adoration on a younger male, human but very willing. Ah he knew that look, one that said, ‘oh please come here and wreck me.’ Who was he to deny that wish? “I’ll catch you later Liam.” He said as he slid off his barstool, the picture of liquid heat and raw sex and ...gods help the multitude of humans he’d burn through tonight. True that he could feed on just the lust in the room, the arousal, but it was like water to a starving man. Empty calories, and not only that but it would take longer, even through chaste touch, as skin to skin heightened his ability to use his power. It was so unsatisfying.

Tonight he wanted a full course meal... ~~~~~~~~~~

It was as dawn was just peeking out over the city that Andras slipped out the door of whatever apartment he’d been in, a lit cigarette in his mouth, and pulled on his leather jacket. Not that he needed it, it wasn’t particularly cold and the rain from the night before had stopped, but he had to blend in. He looked human for all intents and purposes, if only a little punk rock for most people’s tastes, fishnets and leather and piercings. 

He took a deep breath of nicotine and tar, not caring about the smell or taste really, it didn’t harm him, but it took the edge off. The humans he'd left in the apartment upstairs were spent, but alive. They'd likely be drained, and deliciously sore, for a few days.  As much as he was down for cuddles after… he shook himself from those thoughts, frowning and turning towards the street. Humans were clingy...and weak… he couldn’t be around them for long without them being addicted to him. Literally. It wasn’t his ego talking either, humans were known for becoming addicted to the use of his power, to the touch and taste of him, to the point they grew mad and fanatic. He had just decided to disappear, a demon’s way of teleporting that they called ‘smoking out’, when movement caught his eye. 

Really, there weren’t many people up at this time of day, so when he turned to see someone staring at him from across the street, he halted. He couldn’t tell why it shocked him at first, people stared at him a lot, but it had always been lust and awe. This wasn’t that, instead she stared at him as though she were staring through him, like she knew him. She was dressed cute, in cuffed jeans and a sunflower blouse, her hair a mess of red curls and something about her heart shaped face and wide eyes screamed innocence. But as soon as she saw that he was also staring, turned in a hurry with her bike and pedalled off. 

He should leave that alone.. really, because from what he could sense in that instant, she was human. But the way she looked at him, could she somehow see him for what he truly was? He blew out a cloud of smoke and tossed the cigarette. This was fucking stupid, it was just some fucking human.

But even as he thought that, he followed after her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Holy cow biscuits. He saw her.... Didn’t he? She knew him, the demon.. Well she didn’t know him really.. But she’d seen him. She’d seen him before she ever saw him. It was difficult to describe, how she knew things before they happened, how faces stuck in her mind only for her to come across them in real life. How her powers were a curse, not a gift, and often not helpful at all.Especially when it all but invited the demon to see her too...

Cassie winced at her own train of thought as she coasted her bike around the corner and looked both ways before she rode across the street to the one lane road that would take her to her favorite painting spot. Forest Grove Cemetery was old, one that the city had stopped using a while back, but it was still visited and kept clean, filled with old statuary and wildflowers and moss. It was odd, but she always felt at peace here. Today, she had all day to paint, she’d brought her materials and a backpack of packed lunch, snacks and water,  but now… 

She looked behind her as she parked her bike near the entrance gate, sure that she’d do so at some point and see ...him. It was crazy… but then when was her life sane? She didn’t ask to have these powers. Pulling out the huge drawing pad that was mostly sketched and colored, she set herself on one of the only benches in the cemetery and set to work, following lines that were already there and some that she just knew should be. 

“Funny spot for a sunflower, a cemetery.” The voice wrapped around her, honey toned and ...well it might have been soothing, or alluring even, except it scared the holy bejeezus out of her. Whipping around, she clutched her book to her chest and  froze. It was him, the demon from before, leaned against the tree watching her. He looked for all intents and purposes, human.. But she could see past his glamour magic. An Incubus demon. His skin a deep blue, black horns curling back and up away from his face, a face that looked both softly sensual and so sharply beautiful that it hurt, and was dotted by silver piercings. The horns seemed more prominent where his hair was shaved on the sides, and where his human mask had blue eyes so dark they looked black, now his eyes were like the night sky, full blackness with a swirling blue galaxy that almost made you drown in them. He was… sinnfully gorgeous, built like a swimmer with narrow hips and a lean frame... And he was powerful...she could sense it. The only issues she had right at the moment was the cigarette that dangled from his hands as he pulled it from a pack in his jacket and lit up. He watched her curiously, smirk on his lips when she hadn't replied, only stared. “What’s the matter, sunflower? Cat got your tongue?” he asked.

“No..” She voiced, hesitating when he raised a brow at her. She frowned at him. “Those things smell awful by the way...” She commented, knowing that since he was a demon, he probably didn’t care much about it possibly affecting his health. Heck it probably did nothing for him besides maybe making him seem ’cool’. He blinked at her, before he smirked again and snuffed out the cigarette, chuckling. “You can see through my disguise, can’t you?” He gestured at his body, “Not many humans can, although you’re not the first…” He sighed, straightening out and stretching like a big cat. He reminded her of some large jungle cat with the way his lithe blue tail swished back and forth lazily… maybe he meant more with that analogy of his. She wondered what kind of demon he was, she could feel his power, like warm breath over her skin. It was… nice, but why could she feel it? She’d been around other demons, and fae, and while they held power, most were uninterested in her, didn’t see her even. Was he pushing it to touch her? Was there supposed to be an effect? It was odd, Andras let his power pool around her and yet… she simply stared at him, up close he could see the freckles across her face. But there was no feeling of lust, and her hazel green eyes didn’t linger over him, her pupils didn’t dilate in want... she wasn’t affected by him. That fact hit him like a ton of bricks. Not that there weren’t beings that held immunity to incubus powers, though it was a small range especially for one of his lineage and status but.. for a human to have no effect well, that was a rare thing. “You gonna answer me sunflower?”

“Yes, I can see what you are..” She spoke softly, trailing off. She was nervous, he could see it in the way her fingers played with the ridges of her book. But it was the nerves of a potential prey likely to bolt, it wasn’t anticipation he saw normally with females. She licked her lips as he stepped forward. “Look, I didn’t mean to offend you or anything by staring..You caught my eye…. Not that I mean anything like that by the way..”

“No.. staring’s fine.” He grinned, interrupting her ramblings. He was trying to read her, appear.. charming, playful...she tilted her head a bit and he continued. “I was curious to see what you were up to all alone, like I said, a cemetery is an odd place for a sunflower.” He stepped closer. Her eyes widened a little at that and she made to stand up, leaning away. Okay he probably could have worded that better.

“Why do you..” She started, then looked down at her shirt and flushed a little. “I’m not a sunflower. I’m sketching and I don’t want any trouble so...you can  be on your way Mister Demon.” She mumbled, and Andras was confused. When she didn’t say anything else, it was clear that she didn’t want anything to do with him...still that didn’t deter him. 

He stepped closer again and it brought her gaze up in a hurry… was she… scared of him? “It's not everyday I get shooed away by a pretty girl. I’m not gonna hurt you.. In fact, I’m pretty sure you’d like me if you tried.” He purred, winking and putting on a smile. “At least tell me your name?” 

This time she did stand up, shoving her padbook into her bag with a small frown in her lips. He was being.. a creep. Was this normal for an Incubus? Didn’t he know that commenting to a girl that she was all alone and secluded with some stranger with every potential to hurt her was… scary?  Again, she felt his warm power and realized that he was.. Flirting..? Trying to seduce her? Heat crept up her cheeks, not only by realizing what he was doing but also for what he kept calling her. And she really didn’t feel like giving him her name. Clearing her throat, she looked down at her stuff then back to him. “Listen.. I’m sorry mister demon but… I didn’t ask to be able to see the real you.. And I’m not interested in…”  she gestured her hands, “yeah, so you can ...just not... with the names and flirting. I just came here to sketch and I’m sure you have much more fun things to do like parties and whatnot... so..yeah...” She trailed off again, hesitating in her speech. She didn’t want to be mean, or piss him off...right now he seemed laid back, non threatening. But that could change. Grabbing her backpack she turned away in a hurry. 

Andras blinked, a frown of his own turning to a confused scowl. “Hey! Wait a minute.. Hey, sunflower..!” His voice caught her before she could get far and she paused, turning to him with another frown.  “I don’t mean to be a pest. If it’ll help, I’ll tell you my name?” He asked, whatever small awkwardness he held melting away. She had to admit, he was charming. 

“What’s your name then?” She asked, and he seemed to brighten up. 

“Andras.” He answered her, giving a mock bow that seemed to be more sensual than romantic. “And what can I call you? If not a sunflower?” he chuckled. She paused again and then smirked. 

“See ya around then.. Andras.” Not answering and then she was off, heading down the path and disappearing off into the cemetery. He was… stunned. And he didn’t even get her name! He huffed as he pulled out another cigarette and stopped, scoffing a laugh when her words in his head came back. Smells bad? He never thought to care about that, and most people didn’t comment on it. 

He thought about going after her again, but instead, he turned and stopped when something caught his eye....  On the bench where she had been sitting was a folded piece of paper, stuck as if she’d dropped it. He shoved his cigarettes back into his pocket, walking over to pick it up.... and smiled. Looks like fate had other plans for his runaway sunflower...and what the hell, he liked the chase. 

Disappearing in a cloud of blue tinted smoke, he set out to make some plans.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her bike tires skidded to a halt in front of what used to be an old book store. A few months back they’d renovated it into some sort of building for art classes and after working overtime, she’d signed up to take one. The flyer, that she couldn’t for the life of her remember where she put it, had said that each week was a different theme or lesson and it seemed...exciting. Maybe it would inspire her to draw something other than..

Again she shook herself from whatever weird dreams she’d been having that week and parked her bike against the building. It was a little later in the evening but it seemed to be the only time she could do with her work schedule, she just hoped she wasn’t too late. As she headed inside though, she was relieved to see a smaller gathering, probably ten or fifteen people, all standing around mingling. The room was nicely lit and a warmer temperature than outside, to the right of the room was a circle of chairs and easels set up around what looked like a platform. That made her pause...in her dream last night-

“Hey! Welcome to the class, you must be Cassie?” A middle aged woman with white blonde hair came up to her, breaking her thoughts. 

“Ah! Yes ma’am.” She answered politely, feeling nervous when others turned her way. She wasn’t as dressed up today, since she’d be painting, she wore a big shirt that had star trek next generation on it and some ripped jeans, both already had paint on it. All that coupled with her beanie and reading glasses, made her look like a nerd and a boy...a look she liked but often felt out of place around others. 

“Great, thanks for joining us! My name is Sofia, we spoke on the phone? We were expecting another person but they canceled on us. Still, For today’s class, we’ll be painting a live nude model, I mentioned this right?” She asked and Cass assured her that yes she knew of what this week entailed. Though, something in her brain nagged at her, why did this particular room look so familiar?

Sofia had her fill out a form, and then called the class to order, no time for deja vu thoughts when she got to set up her paints for her easel, grabbing her pencil to sketch first. It was then, she found out, why the room looked so familiar. Sofia introduced the model with a flush on her cheeks, and a hush fell over the room as Andras walked in from behind a screen she hadn’t noticed at the back of the room. She froze in place while the others awed over him, he was just as gorgeous as before but.. what hit her most... was that this moment was her dream last night.. She had seen this, him, in her dreams, dreamt of tracing his lines with her pencils.. her fingers... He noticed her with a breathtaking smile as he introduced himself and stepped onto the platform. He was once again in his human guise, and yet she could see past it if she tried hard enough. And then he was shedding his robe, and while the idea of sex had never appealed to her, she felt... something in her stir as she took him in...he was a work of art. 

“Alright Andras, give us a comfortable, natural pose and hold it. We’ll break when you need to.” Again, Sofia’s voice cut through her thoughts and Andras posed as she explained that they were going to take everyone’s unique style in the form of real life sketches first. But Cassie’s mind was already going, and so was her hand.

She always went to a different place when drawing, and when painting, but here it was like the two of them were the only in the room. He hadn’t chosen a provocative pose, one arm bent up and the other reaching down, he looked like a greek god, or a statute of one. She sketched the lines of his face, the curve of his mouth, his hair, shaved on the sides and wild on top, black and soft, and each piercing in his ear, nose and lips. His upper body was studded, small raised patterns of skin, like scars made purposefully, they traveled across his chest and down his stomach. For some reason, drawing him, drawing him in hard lines seemed wrong, so instead she used soft curves and watched him come to life on canvas...and that made him more real than him standing no less than ten feet away. 

Before she knew it, Miss Sofia was calling for a break and Andras was stretching, moving again and completely comfortable with being in the nude. There was chatter, a few people flocking to Andras to ask him questions as he robed up and Sofia gave him a bottle of water. Cass...stayed seated. She followed the lines of her pencil, letting it complete the curves and edges that was him. Somehow she’d managed to capture some sort of emotion on his face, mischievous, wistful, lusting… distant. 

“Do sunflowers always sit by themselves?” His voice startled her and just as she whipped her head up to see him standing behind her...she caught his reaction to her drawing. His face said he was impressed, but there was also.. A softer something in his face.   He was so...tall, she mused. He seemed to shake himself though and smile down at her. “You have some wicked talent.” That got her to flush red more than any of his attempted flirting had. “Thank you.. Um, could you not call me sunflower?” She asked, dropping her gaze as he took the seat beside her. She wasn’t even wearing that shirt anymore.

“Not a chance.” He grinned, “You never told me your name. But I stilI found you.~” he sang with a small laugh. She frowned at that, found her? 

“You were looking for me?” She tilted her head, confused, “Why?” She didn’t leave the cemetery that day.. He could have followed her, but he didn’t.

Andras wondered how she could make such an innocent gesture look so ...cute, and it was surprising to him that he thought something like that. He sipped his water and sat back with a smirk. It was easy for him to stretch out, feel all of the eyes in the room on him. But hers wasn’t in want. “Because you’re a bit of a mystery. Won’t tell me your name and hang out in graveyards? And you can see me. The real me.” He watched again as her hazel eyes dropped to her hands. What was she hiding? And again while he could feel the lust off of  everyone in the room, from the instructor to the only two males, all of them lighting up on his radar, she alone was a blank spot. All of the others' works had seemed innately sexual but hers...there was something different. 

This time she rolled her eyes a little. “Cass, my name is Cass, or Cassie if you like.” she said, her eyes lifting up, looking through him more than at him. “Did you seriously sign up as the model to get to me?” She asked and when she put it so bluntly…he guessed that he was being a bit stalkerish.

“What can I say? You left an impression on me.” He smiled. It was just then that the instructor lady got his attention, asking if he was ready to continue their session. He said he was, glancing once more to Cass, and stood up. Looking at Cassie's painting and then back up to her, he gave another dazzling grin, “Paint me like one of your french girls?” He asked. 

And she laughed, head back and eyes closed, a loud sound like he’d caught her off guard. Something in Andras liked that, that he’d made her laugh, and he gave her another smile as he stepped up to the platform and shed the robe again. 

He resumed his pose, able to look right at her, though she seemed once again to just be looking through him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Weeks followed and for some reason it bothered Andras that he hadn’t seen her since then. She’d only shown up at the one art class, and when he asked about her, the instructor woman had even said she’d left her painting to be displayed. He declined sticking around after that… after he bought the painting with enough cash to buy the studio. One reason why it had been weeks was because he had to feed, at least once or twice a week depending on the “meal” available but when he wasn’t doing so, he was.. quite literally hanging around, bored out of his skull and hoping… to see her. He went back to the cemetery several times, but no luck. Out of all the flowers there, not a single one was the sunflower he wanted to see. 

He scrubbed a hand down his face with a growl as he walked down the street, when did he become such a fucking sap? Why was he still hung up on one human woman? She obviously didn't want to be around him. And again...humans were predictable, weak...except he didn't think that she fell into that category. Still, he felt wondrously bored out of his skull and a bored demon wasn’t something anyone wanted. Maybe it was time to let this all go, move on to another city. 

“Andras?” The voice halted his steps, and he turned to see...Cass. She was standing in the doorway of a small pottery shop that was wedged in between two larger buildings, a tote bag tucked under one arm and a curious expression on her face. Well.. fate had other plans once again. “Are you stalking me again?” She asked, raising a suspicious brow in his direction and stepping off the step of the shop.  

“No.” He winced, because...had he been? Kinda. Maybe. Okay he had been. “Well not really,” He amended, “I've been hoping to find you again but no such luck. But fate has led me to my sunflower.” He smiled, charming and cheesy all at once. He watched her frown, pursing her lips a bit though her eyes rolled and he caught amusement as she moved past him to a small alleyway where her bike was parked. 

“It’s not sunflower, remember? It’s Cass. And fate is stupid.” She grumbled, pouting her lips. He wondered why the sour tone. Was that really how she felt about fate, not that he could fault her on that really,  or was it his presence that made her frown like that. He couldn’t have that.

“My apologies, Cass.” He smiled again and followed after her as she set her bag into the basket on the front of the bike. “And yeah, fate is a tricky mistress. I'll give you that. And yet just when I'd given up, you popped up in my sights. So that must count for something right?” 

She eyed him, relaxing a touch and sighing a little. “I guess so.” Though she felt otherwise on the matter for sure… still it wasn’t his fault. Not really, especially when she had other reasons he didn’t even know of, that made her stance on the cruelty of fate more concrete. She was stolen from her thoughts by the warmth touching her again, his power? Or did he just radiate that? Looking up, she could see him watching her, his curious dark eyes… it didn’t take much to see past the illusion he held of being human, and the real him was just as flawless. Why was he so interested in her? He could have.. Anyone. Was it her odd powers that lured him?

She shook her head. “So, you’ve found me...again, what now? I told you that I’m not interested in flirting.” She said, her tone was softer, unsure of what he wanted but wanting to remind him, casual sex was off the table. 

“Hey, even I know that no means no. I’m not here to seduce you,” and then his smile turned to a grin, his voice a lower purr. “Not unless you want me to try. I do like the chase.” he teased, quick to drop that tone and she was grateful. “but really, I just feel drawn to you. And though I’m not sure why yet, I’d like to find out.” He admitted, shifting again from the role of wicked incubus, that bit of awkwardness she’d glimpsed before coming back. “There’s something there, I know it..” He said and Cass found herself taking a breath to steady herself. Of course there was something more...but she couldn't tell him that. Could she? 

“You hungry?” Cass blurted before she lost courage, picking at the edges of the tote bag in her bike basket. This was stupid.. She didn’t get involved with demons...But Andras grinned. “And if I am?” he asked, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans, hanging low on his hips. She looked at him then, and again, no lust or want or arousal, but nerves. 

Cass shoved at her hair and pushed a headband back through it, away from her face. “I just got off work,” She pointed to the pottery shop, “We could.. grab a bite to eat? And maybe talk.” She probably sounded stupid.

“Alright, let’s go then.” Andras said and stepped in close. She barely had time to protest before he was pushing her bike down the street, her trying to keep up with his long strides.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cass dipped another fry into her milkshake, kicking her feet because she was too short in the booth to touch… which he found cute really. She was more than cute, she held a softer beauty, one that felt feminine… yet not, he couldn’t describe it. He’d been with males and females, and those that felt they were neither, both or in between.. Bodies that were warm and soft or hard and rugged...he liked them all. And she was no exception. He had seen first her outer beauty but there was something.. More. Again, it was difficult to describe the pull she held.  “I know that it’s not the most...unbelievable thing, not to people like you.” She said softly, “But I don’t exactly go around broadcasting my… abilities.” She shrugged, munching on her food, glancing around to the only semi busy burger joint. 

“I mean, that’s understandable.. and I did stalk you.” He grinned at her, completely unashamed of his actions apparently. But she smirked, a twitch of her lips that made him notice the dimples she very barely had. “And by the way sunflower, there are no people like me.” he added on, watching her roll her eyes, protesting that she was not a sunflower. “But you are human, and you have... a power to you. A pull… help me understand why that is? I know you didn’t ask me to lunch just because.” He knew that if it had been someone else, his charming smile and sensual allure could have them eating out of his hands, but Cass seemed wary. Like a nervous cat about to be caged, and he didn’t want to scare her off. It felt… awkward, trying to get someone to open up to him with actual… effort. 

Cass seemed to purse her lips in thought, her eyes dropping to what was left of her food, before launching into her life story. She told him about her powers, unstable as they were, how things, demon or otherwise, were always drawn to her and how she had visions that often caused her to black out from the force of them. It was why she rode a bike instead of driving. “My parents didn’t have powers.. in fact they hated that I did and tried to get the church involved.” She winced, very vividly remembering what cruelty they had dealt her. Then there was her sister, a few years older and just… gone one night. She’d said goodbye, a sleepy memory that she tried to hold onto but part of Cassie felt that she’d been abandoned. 

“And you’ve had visions of me?” Andras asked, listening to her as though she weren’t babbling nonsense. A waitress came by, slipping her phone number in with the check, smiling and touching him as though she couldn’t help but to do so, she completely looked Cassie over, which didn’t bother her much. She was used to it for the most part. Andras though, seemed to preen at the attention and tucked her number into his pocket with a wink. It hit her that she’d only seen him as a demon now, she didn’t see his disguise though she knew it was there otherwise the waitress would have freaked. 

“Sort of?” She questioned, mostly herself more than his question. “I’ve seen you.. before I saw you on the street, I mean. In dreams and such. I had a vision where I was just.. happy, and you were there.” A tint of warm pink touched her cheeks when she admitted that. “But for the most part I don’t know how to interpret the things I see. They aren’t always accurate or certain and time changes the outcome so.. I try to avoid it.” She spoke softly now but seemed less tense. 

Andras sat back in the booth. “Well that makes sense. You’re what us.. Other folks would call a Seer.” He’d met more than one and none were ever alike.. and that did explain the pull he had towards her, but not why she had no reaction to him. Cass nodded like she was familiar with the term. “But, have you ever considered finding someone to work with your powers? You’re young but If someone my power level is drawn to you..” He knew that he had meant her no harm but… there were always those that did out there. Cass looked away. 

“I usually outrun them.. When they find me.” She voiced and he frowned. 

“Who’s they?” He asked, though he had an inkling as to who she meant. 

“Demons, fae, vampires once. People who think that I can control this and scare me..” She admitted. She didn’t know why she felt like admitting this to him. She had thought of running from him too. But maybe it was their constant meeting, or maybe.. She did find him charming in a way. Andras paid, though Cassie protested and as he walked her down the street, Cass pushing her bike, he again brought up the idea of seeking someone to help her harness her power. 

“I tried to go to a psychic.. One of those ones that claimed to read fortunes.. But she was a farce.” Cass explained. It had been embarrassing and frustrating to have someone read a premade astrology horoscope to her, not listening once to her problems and seeming irritated for voicing them. She stopped pushing her bike and looked up at him as he stopped too. “Why are you so interested in helping me..?” 

“I can’t let other demons stalk you now, it’s my job.” Andras grinned with a wink, and of course, he was rewarded with a smile. “Look, let me pull some strings. Least I can do is help out my new friend yeah?” He stuck out his hand. At this, she brightened and reached out, shaking his hand. 

“Okay.” She agreed, liking the idea that he could be a friend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist: @doodledream @jellyflux @serenitydusk @sunrisehoneybee @ijwrff @the-dying-red-rose @junepop45 @no-need-to-apply @nickthegiantboi (its not gt but I hope you don’t mind me tagging you)  @scribbles-main-blog @matronofthevoid    @bee-wrecker @spooky-scary-lesbian If I forgot anyone Im so sorry! >.< And if you want to be tagged just let me know!

[bumblybeebounce]

Sweet Music

So I was the guitar anon in @rzrcrst 's asks a while ago, and thought hey, why don't I try to practice a bit more on writing Ezra? Ssso I made this. Hopefully it's at least tolerable? :'D I just wanted to write something sweet, maybe it will cheer someone up a bit! I am actually trying to learn how to play guitar, but please consider: I am a dumbass. It's a slow going thing. VERY SLOW. So apologies if I got something wrong! Anywho, the song in this one is "I Belong To You" by Brandi Carlile.

Rating: E Pairing: Ezra x Reader Warnings: None

Taglist: @rzrcrst @tarrevizslas @equalstrashflavoredtrash

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Sometimes, for all the advancement made in space travel, the waiting was a purgatory of boredom you just HAD to get through one way or another. Like right now. With you and Ezra in your ship, docked to another carrier on the course for another possible payday. And as much as you could appreciate it when your companion decided to leave you alone for a bit and have some quiet time with a book, this was one of the times where you actually kind of wanted him to talk. Of course if he did he wouldn't shut up for a few hours but listening to him would've been vastly preferable to the sheer amount of mind-numbing boredom you were going through right now.

"If you don't mind me saying so, birdie, going by the frequency and continuous nature of your fidgeting, it truly sounds as though you're preparing to climb the walls." And then he simply turns the page. Like he's not even bothered by the fact that all the daily tasks are finished and there's no reason to go out anywhere because the carrier has sweet fuck all in it and gah!

"Astute of you." It comes out grumpier than you really intended, but going by the lopsided smirk Ezra flashes at you while looking at you knowingly from behind the book is kinda worth it. He seemed to take a lot of pleasure when at any time you either used a fancy word, or spoke in a similar long-winded way he did. Which, let's be fair, was kind of growing on you after spending enough time in his presence. Stupidly charming... Smart-ass. With a nice ass.

"Well. If you are feeling amenable today-" He started after a while and laid his book against his knee, finger between the pages. "I can't help but recall you to be musically inclined, and that you have an instrument hidden in that there locker." Ezra nodded at the locker underneath the bench you were on, causing you to automatically look down at it too.

"Ah. So you noticed." "With this little space to work with, birdie, it's very difficult not to notice such things. Now, that is not a reproach in any way, shape or form, calm yourself-" He leaned forward a little and straightened his leg as you opened and closed your mouth, swallowing the apology you were about to give. "I merely mention it because I do believe you haven't played your guitar in my presence before and I am nothing if not a man who appreciates the arts, as difficult as those may be to find here among the constantly moving stars. So if you would indulge me this once, I believe I would appreciate immensely to hear whatever you deem fit to share with me."

Ezra did have a point, you had been making sure to practice mostly when he was out of earshot for one reason or another, a little convinced that he didn't much care to hear the music. Granted, that could've just been a mix of modesty and self-consciousness, but it honestly hadn't come up before now. You scratched your head a bit and shrugged.

"I mean. If... If you don't mind..." Actually, playing the guitar sounded kind of nice right now. "Oh, I insist."

And with that, you got the bag out and pulled out the acoustic guitar. It had been a bit since you last did so a while went by with just checking that it was still in tune and and just testing that everything sounded right. Your partner kept looking at you with a small smile from his side of the ship as you did, and begun strumming the chords in no particular tune, just to feel it out.

"I must confess, I am mildly disappointed I haven't suggested this earlier. It is a privilege to witness living art produced by a living work of art." Ah, and there was the blush back on your cheeks. You gave a nervous titter and raised a brow at Ezra. "Really, Ez? You're going with that?" He inclined his head in good humour, while keeping his voice serious. "Birdie, have you ever known me to be untruthful about your considerable skills or your considerable charms?" For once, he was very bad at keeping that smirk off his face and you shook your head, telling him to enjoy and keep reading his book.

And so the time passed, with Ezra reading his book and occasionally glancing your way warmly, and you strumming the instrument, playing old songs you half remembered or just nothing in particular. It was surprisingly easy to just get lost in the act of playing, the notes in the air, filling the little pod with something other than mechanic beeping.

Still, now that you had the approval of your partner to practice more freely, it didn't feel like that big of a step when you decided you wanted to sing a bit. Reaching into one of the pockets of the bag, you pulled out a capo and clipped it to the fretboard, tested out the strings, and began. The notes flowed wonderfully and familiarly, like an old friend returning as you took a breath and sang.

“Last night I had the exact same dream as you I killed a bird to save your life and you gave me your shoes You said clip my wings and walk my miles And I said I would too Then I woke up But I wasn’t gonna tell you.”

“Today I sang the same damn tune as you It was ‘Lady in Red’, I hate that song and I know you do too You didn’t catch me singing along But I always sing with you Nice and quietly 'Cuz I don’t wanna stop you”

Alright, so your voice wasn't at it's best but it was fine. It felt nice to be singing again, you thought, even if it was a bit shaky.

“I know I could be spending a little too much time with you But 'time’ and 'too much’ don’t belong together like we do If I had all my yesterdays I’d give 'em to you too I belong to you now I belong to you”

“I see the wo-”

The sound of something dropping startled you and made you look at the source of the sound. It had been Ezra’s book, that much you could see but it was more the look he had on his face that gave you pause.

“Songbird.” Ezra breathed the word out like it was the sweetest word in existence, like it was the culmination of all the wonders of the worlds delivered to him at once, and combined with the look of stunned awe on his face, he sounded like he had just witnessed something indescribably glorious.

The blush creeping up your neck wasn’t that strange in Ezra’s company, the man seemingly lived to fluster you, but in this instant it felt different somehow. The changed term of endearment didn’t escape your notice either.

“… What?” You shifted on your seat, suddenly overwhelmed by the weirdly irrational feeling of doubt and embarrassment. “Sorry, I’ll stop-”

“No, no no no, songbird, please don’t mistake this interruption as a request for cessation, Kevva forbid-” Ezra got up, his book forgotten as he hurried his way to sit in front of you, still looking like he was witnessing the birth of a galaxy while he was given all his birthdays at once.

“I apologize for my clumsiness that distracted you from your practice, and forgive my presumptuous request, but I implore you to finish your song if there is still some of it left.” His voice had grown unusually hushed as he peered at your now very warm face, practically on the edge of his already precarious seat.

The silence stretched for a bit as you tried to respond. This was quite possibly the most captivated and enthusiastic audience you had had in a very long time and it was poking at your nervousness more than you would have guessed.

“Um. Well, okay, uh, just…” Fingers back on the strings and the fret, you counted from where you were and started again.

“I see the world the exact same way that you do We lend our hands, and take our stance In tandem when we do But I lied and said I knew the way And I hid my eyes from you I still don’t know why I probably didn’t wanna scare you”

You could feel Ezra's gaze on you, though you were trying your best not to let your brain psyche you out and just kept going.

“I know I could be spending a little too much time with you But 'time’ and 'too much’ don’t belong together like we do If I had all my yesterdays I’d give 'em to you too I belong to you now I belong to you"

“I’m gonna die the exact same day as you On the golden gate bridge I’ll hold your hand and howl at the moon Scrape the sky with tired eyes, and I will come find you And I ain’t scared 'Cuz I’m never gonna miss you.”

“I belong to you now I belong to you.”

“I belong to you now I belong to you.”

You looked up at Ezra, and had barely enough time to draw a breath before he was kissing you sweetly. You let out a surprised squeak and he lifted his hand bringing it to the back of your neck, caressing your skin as the kiss went on, somehow passionate while remaining warm and almost chaste, considering how his kisses usually were.

He pulled back, pressing his forehead against yours as he smiled with his eyes closed. He huffed a laugh as his hand slid over to cup your cheek, almost reverently.

"All the words in the language at my disposal and I cannot find a single one to describe what I am feeling at this very moment, songbird."

It was a little strange how easily he could summon a flock of butterflies into your gut while making your heart squeeze in delight. And all you could offer him back was a delicate "Oh.".

And then he kissed you again, brushed your cheek like you were a miracle and suddenly words felt incredibly superfluous. You wove your hand into his hair and carded your fingers through it, enjoying the affection he was giving you. When you broke the kiss, you bit your lip shyly.

"So I take it that I should play more?" "Songbird, the day I refuse the pleasure of hearing you serenade again is the day I am long dead and turned to dust." "Do... You want me to play something else?" "There is nothing that would please me more."

And who were you to deny such an earnest request?

[soul-music-is-life]

I have an emison prompt: Alsion and emily finding out they are having a boy the second time around Alison is pregnant. And they have a bet on what they are having.

I’m really not a big “holiday” person. But I do take stock of what I’m thankful for this time of year, and I’m more than thankful for my fans (it feels weird calling you ‘fans’ when I consider you friends). You have legitimately occupied my mind enough with the PLL/Emison stuff to where the loss of my mother isn’t constantly in the forefront of my mind so much that it makes me want to pull some “Thelma and Louise” cliff-dive. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Enjoy. Had to add a “read more” link cuz I prattle.

****

Emily’s eyes were closed in concentration. She delicatelymassaged her fingers against her wife’s exposed skin. Alison reached down andtucked her fingers underneath Emily’s chin, drawing her wife’s attention awayfrom her little protruding baby bump and up to her face.

Alison couldn’t help but smile at Emily’s dedication tomaking sure her pregnancy was as stress-free and relaxing as possible. That’show they’d ended up snuggled on the couch, Emily talking to their growing littleone. Emily had become very enamored in her conversation with their unborn babywhile she was trying to determine the sex. Emily rubbed her palm over Alison’sbelly and focused in on it in deep concentration.

“It’sa baby, Em. Not a magic 8-ball.” Alison laughed.

“Iknow.” Emily rubbed her belly again with a smile. She pressed her lips againstAlison’s exposed skin right below the midriff on her shirt. “Talk to me, littlenugget.”

“Again,a baby. Not gonna talk…” She was cut off when she felt movement, a kick.

Emilysmiled and looked up at Alison.

“Youwere saying?”

“Thatwas just a coincidence.”

“Oh,really?” Emily lifted her brow. “Kick your mommy’s bladder if you can hear me.”

“That’snot funny, Emily. I already practically pee myself every fifteen minutes as itis…”

“Sheloves you despite her complaining.” Emily assured the little fetus.

Alisonfelt movement, a reaction to Emily’s voice. Alison couldn’t help but smile.

“Okay,real important question here, peanut.” Emily spoke soothingly. “No pressure.”

“Youare ridiculous.” Alison laughed.

“Maybe.But my methods work. I have a sixth sense for this.”

“Ifthat’s true why didn’t you know we were having twins the last time?” Shemotioned to their twelve-year-old girls sitting across the living room playinga video game.

“Shh,I’m doing important work here.” Emily shushed her jokingly. “Okay, baby.” Emilyaddressed Alison’s stomach again. “Now, are you a little girl…”

Shewaited a few seconds. No motion. No movement. No kick.

“So,you’re a baby boy, then?”

Unbelievably,there was a kick.

“Fool-proofFields method.” Emily nodded. “My dad did it when my mom was pregnant with me,and he was right. So I’m casting my ballot. My vote is baby boy.” Emilygrinned, rubbing Alison’s stomach. “My little man.”

“God,if he is a boy he’s totally screwed. As if his mommies aren’t hormonal enough,he’s going to have to contend with two moody teenage sisters.”

“Youguys know we can hear you, right?” Grace looked up from the TV, a video gamecontroller in her hand.

“Ha!Suck it, Grace!” Lily took the opportunity to edge Grace out of the game theywere playing.

“Hey,no fair. I paused it for a reason…”

“Yeah,because you’re a sucker.” Lily grinned.

“Moms,she’s being mean to me…”

“She’sgloating. There’s a difference.” Emily shrugged.

“Punishher for gloating.” Grace demanded.

“Notmy fault that you can’t beat me.”

Grace’scheeks flushed red in anger. It wasn’t uncommon for them to fight every day,sometimes three to four times a day, about who was better at what. Grace hated to lose. When she was a toddlershe’d throw tantrums. Lily had beat her at Candyland once and Grace had yankedon her hair and stabbed her with a game piece. Everything was a competitionwith the two of them.

“Payup, loser.” Lily flipped her hand over, palm up. She gestured slightly with herfingers curling towards her body.

Gracelooked at her mothers and then at her sister, an idea suddenly coming to mind.She’d heard all the adults talking about whether her moms were going to be having aboy or a girl. They had even taken it as far as placing bets on it. Gracedecided she wanted in on the action.

“Howabout another game?” Grace asked.

“Comeon, I’ve already beat you three times. You really want to keep embarrassingyourself?”

“No. A different one. And the odds are 50-50. Gives us both a fair shot. But it’s along game.”

“I’mlistening.” Lily was intrigued.

“Soyou’re in?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool.Let’s take this pot and add a buy in of ten bucks for the new game. Fixed odds.Double or nothing,” Grace said.

“Whothe hell taught you gambling terms?” Alison frowned.

Grace’sand Lily’s eyes both flickered towards Emily. Emily glared back at them forthrowing her under the bus.

“Didyou teach our children to gamble?” Alison exclaimed.

“Teach is kind of a strong word. They may have stayed up late with me and thegirls for a few poker nights.”

Alison’sjaw dropped, but it had nothing to do with teaching their children how togamble. She was upset for another reason.

“Youplay poker without me?”

“Baby,you know I love you, but you give away too much with your tells.”

Themost ironic thing about Alison being one of the biggest liars in Rosewood whenshe was a kid was the fact that now that she was grown, she couldn’t bluff forshit anymore, especially not when shewas pregnant and emotional.

“Thatshouldn’t matter.” Alison sulked. “We’re supposed to be in this marriagetogether. Through better or worse, through wins and losses…”

“Iwon two grand the last time I played without you.” Emily interrupted her.

“Shuttingup.” Alison nodded.

“So,girls, you want in on the action of the baby pool?” Emily smiled at her twins.

Theywere just as mischievous and devious as she and Alison had been when they wereyounger.

“Yeah.” They replied in sync.

“Idunno. What do you think, Alison?” Emily asked with a teasing smile on herface.

“Ithink I gave birth to two suckers and it’s mean to let them practically give ustheir money.” Alison joked. “But they’ve got to learn somehow. Better at homethan at the tracks.”

“Soyou’ll let us play?” Lily smiled in excitement.

Emilynodded.

“Thereare three polls going, but only two big ones. The first is whether it’s a boyor a girl. And the second is the day you think your mom is going to givebirth.”

“What’sthe third one?” Grace asked curiously.

Emilylooked at Alison in amusement. Alison glared at her, warning her not to tellthe girls.

“Howmany times your mother swears in the delivery room.”

“Ohhh,I definitely want in on that one. Ifit’s anything like her road rage, I could clean up with my winnings of thatone.” Lily smiled.

“You’regrounded until you’re thirty-five.” Alison scowled at her eldest daughter.

After a few seconds a smile spread across her face and the two of them laughed.

Lilystood up and walked over to her moms. She looked over Alison’s stomach as if itwas a difficult word problem that needed to be solved. She flipped her tonguein between her teeth and tried to decide. Ever the scientist, she was lookingfor any factor that could steer her in the right direction. Also, gambling withher sister was serious business. She hadto win.

“Whenyou were pregnant with us did your belly stick up or hang low?”

Alisonlooked at Emily, and though she couldn’t say what she was thinking, Emily pickedup on her train of thought,

She makes it sound like adick.

Thenagain, maybe that was the point. Maybe it was part of her scientific process.Or maybe her mommies just had filthy minds.

“Icarried mostly in the middle with you girls. I started showing pretty early,but then again there were two of you.”

“AuntHanna suggested that it’s going to be twins again.” Grace smirked.

“You’renot allowed to hang out with your Aunt Hanna anymore,” Alison said dryly.

Godhelp them if they ended up with another set of twins. They loved Lily andGrace, but they couldn’t do two babies again. Not on top of the surly kids theyalready had.

Lilytook her mom’s answer into account and then her face tightened inconcentration. She looked a lot like Emily when she was trying to mentally worksomething out.

“Whatkind of cravings did you get with us?” Lily glanced at their half-eaten dinneron the coffee table.

“Sweet.Always sweet. I ate entire box of chocolates on Halloween.” Then she’d promptlypuked. “I also had a thing for dill pickle chips.”

“Yeah,and always at like two in the morning.” Emily scoffed.

“Soyou’re the reason I love pickles.” Grace nodded.

“Werethere any smells that made you nauseous?” Lily asked.

“Coffee.”

“Sobasically you couldn’t hang out with Aunt Spencer at all.” Lily laughed.“Anything else?”

“Pineneedles.”

“Oh,yeah.” Emily nodded. “Christmas was hell for you.”

Alisonhad insisted on letting Emily decorate a real tree even though it made her sickto her stomach. She knew how much Emily loved Christmas.

“Wasthere anything…”

“ForGod’s sake, Lily, just bet already!” Grace exclaimed impatiently.

Lilylooked at Grace with a snooty expression.

“Ithink mom is right.” Lily looked at Emily. “I think it’s a boy.”

“Andhow did you scientifically concludethat?” Grace snorted.

“Simple.”She walked over to her sister and plopped down next to her with a smile. “Momis always right.”

Emilygrinned. Alison hit her for gloating.

“Well,I think it’s a girl.” Grace disagreed.

“Why?”

“Idon’t have to tell you my methods.”

“You’rejust saying it’s a girl because I think it’s a boy.”

“No,I’m agreeing with mom.” She pointed to Alison. “She said the other day that thebaby was bitching at her. Girls dothat.”

“Youcurse in front of our children?” Emily looked at Alison with a smile on herface. “And you give me crap for letting them play poker.”

“Ah ha! You do let them play!” Alison pointed an accusatory finger at Emily.

Emily reached over and pinched Alison’s side where shewas ticklish and she almost leaped off of the couch. Alison glared at her, butthen laughed. Grace and Lily glanced at one another and rolled their eyes,because their moms were like so totally ridiculously mushy.

They went back to trash talking one another over their video game whileEmily and Alison watched. They didn’t have much else to do but wait. Becausethe new game they were playing was a long game. They had another three weeksbefore they knew whether they were going to have a baby brother or a babysister.

[unwiltingblossom]

A Dance of Flame and Shadow (1/?)

Summary: There are times when one does not so much meddle with time, as time meddles with them. They were never meant to meet. They always would. Cause and effect can be difficult to determine, but the shadow has always been moved by the light, not the other way around. Time travel, a stable time loop or two, and many casualties lie ahead. DanzoSaku. You read that right, you’re not on crack. (Probably?) This isn’t a new story, I just noticed it slipped through the cracks ages ago and it seems weird not to have it here since it’s based off of this Sakura’s RP. ‘Based off’ is the key word, because it’s ‘adapted’ from it like a ‘true story’ is adapted from true events. Not that it matters cuz lul who is even around to remember this or care if they don’t remember.

Prologue

'Ghost-Girl!'

She was weak. She was a weak, cowardly girl, so she ran away.

The laughter behind her somehow managed to be full of both happiness and malice, and she hated it. Tears ran down her face, and she ran. Somewhere, somewhere in the direction she ran, she'd find home. Home would be safe. At home they'd leave her alone, they'd all stop chasing her and laughing at her. Home wasn't cruel. At home, her parents would wipe off her face and tell her nice things.

"Ghost-girl~!" The voice of the one who started making fun of her first called over the wind. "Where oh-where are you haunting now?!"

She tried to stay out of their way. She didn't want to be noticed. Nothing about her was worth being noticed over, but those girls...they always did. Her big forehead made it impossible to hide anywhere, they'd said. So, she'd started to cover her face and hide behind her hair. But...it was too pink, too obviously different and they found her anyway.

They'd started chasing her off when they found her now, calling her a ghost, insisting that they needed to rid the village of her before she stole away their souls.

She only wanted to be left alone.

Ahead of her, a rustle of robes caught her attention. She didn't recognize the person, but he was an adult. The sounds of the girls behind her were close now, so she ducked immediately behind him, clinging to his leg and crying in desperation.

For a few moments the figure simply stopped, silent. When the girls approached, though, he spoke in a gruff and commanding voice.

It wasn't at her.

With some reluctance, the girls turned and scattered away.

He said something to her after that. She thought it might have been chastisement, but she was too busy sniffling and rubbing at her face to hear what it was. Before he left, slim fingers tapped lightly on the top of her head.

)+(

Her first trip outside of the village wasn't to go anywhere else. Students were separated into small teams and then sent off into the forests outside Konoha. They were meant to be out for the afternoon, gather mushrooms, and then come back to their instructors.

It rained that day. She liked the group of students around her, none of them were the mean ones who made fun of her, and they were all just as excited as she was to go on their very first 'mission' outside the village. With all the rain, finding mushrooms would be easy, their instructors said, and they only had small bags to fill.

They weren't supposed to split up, but they'd only filled half of their bags and they didn't have very much time left, so all of them went different directions and promised to come back to the same spot.

It didn't take long for her to become lost. Even though her bag was mostly full, she couldn't remember which direction she'd come from, and everywhere she looked seemed familiar. When she picked a direction and started to sprint that way, the mud underneath her gave way and she slid violently down a cliffside.

Everything hurt.

Her back hurt. Her legs hurt. Her ankle looked bigger than it should have been, and when she reached out to touch it, pain shot through her leg.

Like this, she couldn't move.

Like this, no one would find her.

Like this, she'd never get home at all.

She scrubbed muddy hands into her face and wept.

"Fool."

She froze. The voice sounded nearly her age, but it wasn't familiar at all. Could it have been...an enemy...?

Hesitantly, frightened, she slowly lowered one hand to peek out in the direction of the voice. A boy only a little older than her scowled down at her. His shoulder and his chin and neck were all bandaged, but he didn't seem bothered by the injuries. Instead, he just glared down at her.

"You won't fix anything crying, stupid fool."

Her lip trembled looking up at him. "B...but...but I don't know how to get home..."

His expression turned to something like disgust, and he jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Home is that way. If you can't find your way back on your own, you shouldn't leave at all."

He walked on by her then, and no matter how much she called out to him, complaining that she hurt, that her ankle wouldn't work, he didn't answer.

She stumbled and limped in the direction he pointed, and after only a little while longer one of her teachers appeared, flustered, worried, and more than a little irritated that the students hadn't followed orders.

)+(

"Please...! Please just bring him back to me!"

She felt sick.

Her stomach knotted up, and she actually felt sick.

She'd felt plenty helpless, she'd felt hopeless and sad and frustrated before. She knew her life wasn't as hard as her teammates' lives had been. It wasn't hard at all, really. But she'd still felt sad, she'd felt all of the things she felt now.

She'd never felt them so keenly before.

She'd never felt so completely alone. She'd failed to stop Sasuke going, even when she knew he would. He never listened to her before, so of course he didn't this time, either. All of the hope she felt when he whispered those last words to her shattered into horrified despair when the team that went out - her friends who promised to bring him back to her after all - came back to Konoha in critical condition, all of them nearly killed trying and failing to bring him back.

She hadn't done anything. She couldn't do anything, everyone nearly died, and Sasuke was still gone.

Before she knew it, Naruto left too.

She felt alone, and now she was alone, and it was all because she couldn't do anything. She'd promised Naruto and herself that it would change. She promised she would do something next time. It didn't make him stay put, though. He still left, and she was still here.

They were gone, and life still continued, and somehow that life was one without them.

The Hokage accepted her as an apprentice, promised to teach her all the Sannin knew so that, in three years time when they would seek out Sasuke again, she'd be able to do something that time. The Hokage trained her so mercilessly, so brutally that often all she could do between sessions was sleep and struggle to eat to regain her energy.

On the days when she didn't, Konoha still had missions, and Sakura was still a genin of the leaf.

The team she worked with today were all out gathering food while she tended the fire and protected the camp.

So, of course, that would be exactly the time a small child (so young he might not have even been Academy age yet) stumbled into the camp. His dark eyes were wild with confusion and paranoia as he looked around the area, and then he settled his gaze on her.

"Hey!" He shouted, making her jump. "Where did you take me?! What did you do?"

"Wha-?" She shook her head. "What are you talking about? Who are you?" She stood, reaching for the kunai at her waist. It was weird, but maybe this was some kind of attack - appearing like a harmless kid and expecting her to be off guard. "How did you get here?!"

He took a step back, and settled into an admirable defensive position, pulling up a kunai of his own. "Don't pretend you don't know, Traitor! I was somewhere else, and you kidnapped me!"

"Kidnap-Traitor?!" She shook her head, confusion beginning to melt into frustration. For being such a tiny kid, he had a loud mouth. And he was rude. Why the hell would she be a traitor? "What are you talking about? I've never even seen you before!"

"Seen who?" One of her teammates sprinted up to camp from the treeline, drawing her attention briefly away from the child in front of her.

"The-" She cut off abruptly in frustration when she turned back to where he had been. "Damn it! He ran away!"

Whoever it was must have been some kind of a scout. If they didn't catch him now, they'd have to move the whole camp and set up somewhere else entirely.

And she'd just gotten the fire at the level she wanted it.

)+(

She flipped through the papers clipped into the metal board she carried. For the most part, all hokage duties were handled by either the Hokage herself, or Shizune her oft-beleaguered assistant. Every once in a while, a flood of paperwork required so much attention that it was just simpler to borrow an extra pair of hands.

It wasn't like she handled anything sensitive. Honestly, any jounin in the vicinity of the Lady Hokage could have done anything handed to her. Most of the jounin knew better than to linger in the woman's vicinity. She didn't mind, though. Helping with little things really was the absolute least she could do in return for all the instruction and help that the Lady Hokage granted her. Besides that, she wanted to help. She wanted to be useful.

Naruto and Sasuke had both been gone for nearly two years now, and the crushing sense of helplessness she felt whenever she thought of them hadn't alleviated at all. By the time Naruto came back, by the time they'd go and bring Sasuke back tomorrow, she promised herself she wouldn't feel it at all anymore. She'd make sure she was someone who wouldn't need to.

If reading and memorizing a few long reports from various jounin from time to time happened to be a part of that, she didn't mind.

She'd walked the path often enough that she didn't worry about looking up from the papers, so long as she walked at a reasonable pace. The people of Konoha generally had enough manners to get out of the way of someone walking, and it wasn't as if she wouldn't sense someone near her long before she actually bumped into anyone.

...She assumed, anyway.

A hand touched her shoulder, and thin lips pressed to her cheek just above her jaw. She didn't know when the person got close enough, she didn't immediately recognize them, either.

He showed incredible nimbleness to dodge the right hook she responded with.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

The man...actually, he looked about her age. She didn't recognize him at all, but part of the reason behind her lack of recognition could have been the lingering blind rage she still felt. He actually had the audacity to look annoyed. He snuck up on a kunoichi (somehow!) and stole a kiss! And he looked annoyed!

"What you asked." His tone was entirely too calm for narrowly avoiding a fist that would surely have sent him through a house or three. It was as flat as if she'd just asked him why they were hidden in the leaves.

Which made the least sense of anything that just happened.

"I did not! I don't even know who you are."

His lips twitched in irritation, as if he only just managed to suppress the urge to roll his eyes or say something derogatory.

Maybe she ought to make another attempt at avenging her cheek.

"And yet you asked me for a kiss all the same."

Why did he look so irritated? He was the one being unreasonable!

"First. No. I didn't." She pointed at him, settling for now on asking him questions before clobbering him again, just in case he forgot any answers between now and the end of his hospital stay. "Second, why would you even want to kiss someone you don't know, even if I had?"

His lips twitched, and he squinted at her a moment. Afterward, his expression smoothed to neutrality again and he shook his head. "Curiosity. It's not a request I often receive from strangers."

"Well you wouldn't." Yet, he seemed...perfectly serious. Annoyed, but serious. Not at all like the kind of lecherous pervert she'd expect from someone who randomly walked up and kissed strange women on the street. She found it disconcerting.

Come to think of it, actually, he didn't look familiar at all. He moved like a shinobi (no civilian, no matter how prepared, would have been able to dodge her attack so easily), and he wore a headband from Konoha, but he didn't even look like someone she'd seen in passing before. His dark hair spiked out in even wilder ways than Naruto's ever had, lines already started to form on his face that suggested he scowled far too often, and he had a distinctive set of scars she'd never seen before on his chin. He didn't look familiar at all.

Which was weird, because she lurked over the Hokage's shoulder often enough when the Lady Hokage gave out missions that she'd been certain she'd seen every face in Konoha at least once. Every face not hidden by an ANBU mask.

He watched her as if he were expecting something, and for a moment she worried that she'd missed a question.

No, he'd definitely just been looking at her, as if he were waiting for her to do something else. Maybe he was properly wary. Or maybe he was waiting for her to realize he wasn't a shinobi of Konoha after all. "...I've never seen you before."

His brows knit a moment. "So you've said."

Well...not in so many words. She squinted at him. "I've seen most of the people in this village."

"As have I."

He said it as if she weren't the Hokage's student and not the one under suspicion! It was like everything he said he specifically designed to make her angry ahead of time.

"Well then? Why are you stalling? Who are you?"

"You hadn't asked me before now." He frowned at her, expression a bit like she'd expect a teacher's to be if she failed to pay attention in class before a test. She couldn't actually decide whether to be flustered or angry about it, honestly. "My name is Danzo. And yours?"

She blinked at him in silence for a moment or two.

But-that was...

Wait.

She'd never personally met him, come to think of it, but she'd definitely heard descriptions which the man in front of her did not fit. There weren't two shinobi of the same village named the same thing, neither of whom she'd met, were there?

"You...what?"