#hopefully i got the shyness part at least somewhat right

[biggest-geo-oogami-enjoyer]

Uhm,,,, may I ask for geo x shy reader (whatever format you want, im just starving for geo content) (´·ω·`)

Diffidence (Geo x Shy! MC/Reader)

Thank you for the ask Anon! I had fun writing this one (albeit, as someone who isn't even remotely shy, I want to apologise if the shyness part seemed inaccurate). Hope you enjoy! :D - Signed by biggest-geo-oogami-enjoyer

Diffidence: modesty or shyness resulting from a lack of self-confidence.

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Geo wasn’t the shy type. He never was, nor ever planned to be. Unfortunately, you were.

He never understood how someone as…dare he say…beautiful and smart as you could be so insecure of yourself. Even actively talking yourself down, trying to doll yourself up to appease the gazes of people who’d never appreciate you. Not in the way he did anyway.

When Crowe first introduced you to him, and the others, you tried asking him about Hyugo, about why he even hung out with Crowe and company; and all it took for you to become antsy was a couple seconds of intense eye-contact. Sure, he was irked by the former query, but it didn't mean he was irked by YOU.

It didn’t even register in his head at the time that someone could be as shy as you. But he wasn’t planning on letting others take advantage of it.

He’s seen first-hand how cruel other people at this school can be, and he wasn’t going to let them lay a finger on you (if someone already did, they’re dead)

Everytime someone remotely dodgy approached you, asking for a favour, or for ‘help’ with ‘something’, he’d nonchalantly drag you elsewhere, ensuring that you were again safe. That you didn't have to do anything they requested of you.

He would try to be less cold with you, especially since he was starting to become extremely somewhat fond of you. 

He would make attempts to get you to join the Archery Club, so he could see you more often assist (and subtly praise) you whenever you did well; which was always. You get the bullseye each time. He trains you well. (A bit *too* well some have noticed).

He’d 110% death-stare anyone who tried talking to you after that, didn’t matter if they seemed nice or not, they aren’t trustworthy, not like him.

If you become a target of bullies? They’ll end up hospitalised. Rumours? Person who started them will magically vanish without a trace. He doesn’t care, he’s got enough money to buy this whole city and not make a dent in his funds. The city cops love a good bribe.

Tries to slowly grow closer to you during Archery, hoping that you will warm up to him, become less antsy around him; and eventually (to his unbounding relief), you start talking.

You tell him about your interests, your likes, dislikes, worst fear, what classes you had; and he’s entranced. He doesn’t even care if he spends all day there anymore, he enjoys your voice too much. Also remembers everything you tell him. 

You start talking to him more, and all he can do is relish in the fact that he’s befriending one of the kindest, prettiest, smartest people he’s ever met.

Oh, if you like Crowe? You won’t soon enough, Geo will make sure of that. He won’t harm Crowe’s reputation or try to paint him as a monster, but expect Crowe to become way busier than usual.

Will start randomly muttering compliments to you; sometimes you hear them, to which he denies…but deep down you know he sung your praises, and it fills you with warmth; because you know he isn’t the type to lie to his friends.

“Ugh, Brittney’s so pretty.”

“Not as much as you.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re excused.” (you’re not).

Will send you a gift on your birthday, Valentine’s Day (he’ll make an exception to hating it if it means seeing you happy), Halloween, Christmas, he doesn’t care. Any occasion to give you something is a good one.

Will ask you out…eventually…maybe in a few decades (jkjk)

But when he does, his stoic face will crack, possibly for the first time ever, and he’ll smile. (You can’t handle it he’s too beautiful)

Will ensure you know how highly he thinks of you every single day, along with letting you be the only person to hold his hand.

Will treasure you. Will tell you secrets after a while, will remind you that you can say how you feel around him, and you better start believing it.

As long as you’re comfortable, safe and happy around him, he's content.

[msaluna]

The Moon Well

This story is a mini fic of Luna in a Corruption AU, giving hints on how she became corrupted by an event while overseas. All of Luna’s backstory is relatively the same with only this one event causing her sudden shift in corruption. Enjoy. -RayMun

================

The night of her return was not a pleasant one, the woman known by so few in the town as the local witch, and even fewer by actual name passes through the magical portkey door. The one that leads back to a mansion overseas owned by a man she no longer cares for. Her body still humming with magic from the events that only happened the night before. 

She closes the door behind her, waving a hand over the door, it vanishes in a shimmer of powerful magic. The house creaks with what could only be heard to Luna as a sound of concern. 

"I am okay dear friend," Luna said to what would be emptiness. "But I think we’ve outgrown this town."

Luna places a satchel of books she has been holding onto the table as she goes to prepare for her “Move” to another location. The books weren’t hers to keep but she felt every right to take it. The contents were a mix of rituals, spells, and Fay knowledge along with one black journal. It was written in cursive french, but she didn't have to translate it to know of its contents. Because she saw through the torching visions of the Moon Well what secrets it and its previous owners kept. 

Without much preparation time, Luna focused her magic to the condition of the house. Her eyes and body glow in pale gold light, a phantom image of moth wings expand from the woman’s back. The house around her binds and twists, creaking as the Relocation spell takes hold. Markings and symbols write themselves in light along the walls and ceiling of the rooms. And in a matter of minutes, the house once known as Sun & Moons Fortunes is now an empty shell in the small town. Making the new residence to the Witch of Secrets currently unknown.

VVV[Open Read More to see the Journal Entry]VVV

[Research of the Moon Well] 

[Owner: Viktor Frollo]

[Contact: XXX-XXXX-XXXX]

[Date: 21/12]

The Moon Well, I have only seen it in tales and vague mentions in old documents but now I have been convinced the place or more accurately this phenomenon truly exists. This year, during my visit to that drabby campus, invited to the Yule ball as per usual, I was expecting it to be the same as last year. Boring. Typical meet and greet while reconnecting and reassuring some of my former contacts that I was being a well-behaved gentleman. Seeing the most mature and basic of magical potential. Such cowards. They do not realize untapped magic is waiting to be discovered if they simply opened their eyes and looked. 

But no, they fail to even realize that one of their own students has talents that are far more than just a prodigy witch. This time, even I was allowed the opportunity to peek behind that curtain that hides the secrets of the moon. A student by the name of Luna Eirian allowed me to see past this veil during her performance for the winter moon. It was stunning in more ways than one, truly something to behold. But what was more shocking than the skills she possessed was the display of natural magic being displayed through her voice and music, it was the fact that no one realized what I had at that very moment. She was performing Fay magic! Specifically Moon Fay! At least, this is what I strongly believe just from the scene I experienced this evening. 

I can hardly steady my hand as I write my excitement of this discovery. The only thing now is to convince Ms. Eirian to allow me to be her patron or mentor. She will never be able to reach her true potential through the cowardly teachings of that establishment. This will be difficult, as she is already suspicious of me from her reaction to my presence at the Ball. Even when asking her if she would like a patron to fund any projects she wishes to undertake, she politely declined. Sadly, she isn't like any of the women, like the ones who pursue me in the hopes I would give them my time. It would have made this situation easier. 

[Date: 22/12]

I have sent a request to Ms. Eirian's counselor to have her study under my watch. Seeing as we are both viewed as porridge witches from the same university, it was fairly easy to convince the council. However, Ms. Eirian herself seems to be a paranoid sort of individual or at least highly instinctual when someone takes interest in her. I did not see any hint of shyness in her demeanor when asked, so her rejection of me doesn't stem from bashfulness. At least she isn't a gullible idiot, that much is a blessing and frankly, I believe it adds to her charm. 

[Date: 28/12]

It has been a week since the Yule Ball and I have managed to convince Ms. Eirian to stay at the estate while I help her with a project. A broom. Simple enough, but now that she is here, I can proceed with providing her with information about her talents. And I can finally push her to limits that will break that veil once again, without interference with those cowards at the university. Hopefully, the promise of more knowledge from my collection of books will entice her to stay longer than intended. She seems to be very fond of learning about magic. 

[Date: 10/01]

A new discovery, even if she didn't have her Fay heritage, Ms. Eirian has proven to be quite clever and knowledgeable. She has only relied on her Fay powers less than a handful of times while under my watch. It is truly impressive, we would have many quite the collaborative team if she lived on this side of the ocean. Or have come to the university when I was attending. I still intend to study her Fay capabilities, but even I have to admit that her presence here has significantly warmed the chilly atmosphere of this estate. 

I need to move the project forward if I am to hope to achieve my goal of studying Luna before I become distracted.

I will be moving the project forward a little faster than usual. Now that she is less suspicious of my movements, I will be able to gather samples to perform further studies.

---

[Date: 16/01]

Today, I took a gamble. I handed Ms. Eirian a book that normal human eyes are not typically allowed to read. It is one of the few Fay-written books I have managed to find without being tarnished or fake. It was worrisome, I had a story prepared to explain why I had the book and why I was handing it to her without explanation. However, a surprising thing happened...she didn't question the book or the contents. She didn't even ask how she could read it. Ms. Eirian...do you trust me this much with your secrets? Or in bittersweet irony, are you truly unaware of why I drew close to you?

The way she smiled at me with excitement about the contents of the book tells me she does not know. And for some reason, at that moment in time, I felt sad. I pitied her more than being pleased with the concept of her unknowingly being part Fay. She truly didn't know how special she was to me. And the idea of knowing a secret she didn't know she had, pained me.

---

[Date: 21/01]

Our relationship has grown closer over these past few weeks. She has opened up quite a bit, and it makes things easier. But there seems to be an issue that I wasn't expecting to have, I purely played with the idea of returning her affection to keep her close but now, I wish to keep her close regardless. However, the issue is that I still would like to pursue knowledge about the Moon Fay while she is still by my side.

 In a few days, the super moon will be rising and I need to be prepared. 

Forgive me Luna, but maybe you will if my studies help you control this Fay magic inside. Once I see and record my findings, I promise that I will tell you everything. No more secrets between us. 

I promise.

---

[Date: 31/01]

I am not sure what happened, all I could say is the display of magic and the veil tearing was unlike anything I have ever seen before. The power of the ritual could be viewed as a success to a typical scholar, I know my past self would have seen it as such but seeing Luna---Apologize for my notes at this moment. 

The ritual is supposed to be performed during a normal full moon but my eagerness to see a positive result has led to a miscalculation. The Moon Well does exist and it can be accessed by a half-Fay heritage of moon descent. However, due to the mythical powers of the supermoon, the results have left --the subject-- Luna in an almost comatose state. Possibly overwhelmed with the sudden flow of magic, knowledge, or both that came to her. She was screaming by the end of the ritual and I, admittedly in a panic, tried to cut her ties off to the connection of the well---

*the writing seems to be shaking more and more as the journal goes on*

She was babbling in Fay for hours nearly four hours, I can barely pick out a few words that I know, "too loud" and "stop the voices" were some of the few I could trasl translate as I got her to some care. Her body is strangely chilly to even myself. Body limp but strangely light as a feather now that I recall. Her body glo was glowing softly, still full of magic I presume. Apologies again for any miss-spelling or illegibility, my hands are still shaking from shock. I will be staying by her side for the remainder of the night to make sure that her condition didn't worsen. 

*the writing is a little more steady, assuming after a pause to calm themselves* 

Luna's condition had improved in the last few hours of the night, maybe due to the peak of the moon finally reaching its end. It is only a hypothesis. Luna is still restless in her sleep though, but the chill has gone away. Thank God. The glowing has also faded somewhat but her hair has clearly changed, adding more blond to her caramel hair. Upon further inspection, the freckles on her body have also burned into her skin, only now do I realize that her markings on her back fit perfectly as the constellations of the night sky. 

This experiment should not be replicated without further research and understanding of Fay magic. And also should not be proceeded without less secretive tactics to any 'subject' performing the ritual. I believe, if I wasn't a coward in that very moment, if Luna knew about her heritage before performing the ritual, the results would have been less catastrophic and dangerous to her livelihood. Hopefully, Luna will wake from her sleep soon, so I can apologize to her properly. For now, I will leave this journal here for a time while I rest and wait for her to awake.

Luna. I am so sorry. 

---

[eveningstarfarms]

Stardewinter 2019!

A day later than I would’ve preferred but I got dragged out and didn’t get back until late last night so sorry about that! But my gift is for @stardewforest​! I had blast writing this out, I’m just a sucker for Shane and his shyness when it comes to things like feelings. I also want to think @stardewevents​ for letting me participate in this wonderful event! Gift down below:

He desperately didn't want to fuck this up.

It had been almost a year since the new farmer, Mieko, had come to Pelican town and almost a year since she had stepped into Shane's life and changed everything for the better.

He was on a steady streak of sobriety going on for a while now, and the therapy sessions over in Zuzu were going well. Shane was feeling the best he's ever felt in years, and he was truly grateful towards Mieko because of it.

The winter season is one dedicated to gift-giving and together, wasn't it? Even if most of the time Shane found himself playing the scrooge when the holidays rolled around, that didn't mean he always had to. This year he'll play nice, as thanks.

That's what he told himself to make him feel better when he found himself on Mieko's doorstep, a bag of gifts at his hip. Nothing unusual, just some things he remembered Mieko liked, a necklace Jas made and was very adamant about him giving to her, and… a bouquet he picked up at Pierre's. It was the only thing keeping his in a state of hesitation, he'd be lying if he said he regretted buying it.

It wasn't that his feelings weren't genuine, he was scared that Mieko didn't feel the same way. Sure, she could feel for him what he does for her, but she could also not, and he couldn't exactly blame her in that case. When they first met he was a rude jackass with a drinking problem, who'd get feelings for someone like that?

Yoba, he really didn't want to mess this up. 

He'd gladly take being friends and pining after her like a nerd over him being honest and potentially damaging their friendship beyond repair.

It's too bad that fate wouldn't let him chicken out of his mess this time.

"Shane?"

He was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of someone else's voice and he realized that the door to the farmhouse was wide open and a familiar face was standing in its place.

Shane never felt his stomach drop so low nor his heart jump so high into his throat before.

"H-Hey, Mieko! Uh-" He stammered lightly, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. Yoba, he's too much of a nervous wreck for all of this. "I wasn't your secret friend for the festival yesterday, and Jas, Marnie, and I still wanted to get you something, as thanks for everything you've done for us." The 'for me' goes unsaid, not that he had to, it just rendered him several types of embarrassed to even think of saying it. He held up the bag, holding it out to her warily. "Here."

Woefully, he watched as Mieko took the bag and set it aside, the physical confession unseen, at least for now. She smiled at him, and somehow that eased his anxieties somewhat. She wouldn't react badly, even if some feelings weren't mutual.

"That's so sweet of you all! Thank you."

Shane gave a curt nod, swallowing thickly. He was still so nervous, despite it all. "Don't mention it… I, ah, should get back to the ranch. Almost feeding time for the girls, but y'know, the door's always open for you if you want to drop by and hang out." He spoke quickly, noting how he could see the tail of a little possum wagging outside of the bag. Hopefully, Kusa would turn the flowers into a nice snack before his owner could see.

"Definitely! I love hanging out with you and Jas, I'll come by later today after I finish my chores, sounds good?"

That was too soon for his likings, way too soon, but it's not like he can tell her no, look at that face! He just nodded again, plastering a nervous smile on his face. "Yeah, sounds good. I'll just, ah… get going. I promised Jas I'd make pancakes with her, she'll throw a fit if I'm not there when she wakes up." Partly true, he did have to do that, but Jas was already awake and was fully aware of what he was doing, he just needed an excuse to leave before he had a heart attack on Mieko's doorstep. "So I'll uh… see you later, I guess."

"See you later, Shane!"

They exchange farewells and Shane hightailed it back to the ranch, his heart pounding in his ears as he dashed inside. It didn't help that there were two expectant, awaiting faces watching him as he stood pressed against the front door. Better get that dealt with as soon as possible.

"She didn't see it yet."

"Shane!"

"She has it!" The reassurance didn't stop Marnie from pinching his cheek and scolding him for dragging his feet as much as possible. Yoba, he wished he was dragging his feet, but there was no turning back now.

He was equal parts relieved to have the hard part over and dreading the visit later, but he couldn't say that he regretted it entirely anymore, just very anxious about the aftermath. No matter the turnout, he was sure it would be fine.

His assurance wavered the closer it got to the time Mieko was finished with her chores on the farm and went to roam around town. He felt that similar anxiousness set in whenever someone knocked on the door, only to let out a sightly panicked sigh of relief when it turned out to be just Lewis coming along to check on the business (read: make goo-goo eyes with Marnie when they think they’re subtle about it) or Penny to drop off something Jas forgot after their last tutoring session. This stress was just as bad as him as his drinking habits, he swore.

He had calmed down enough to not freak out internally at every single visitor that came by, but it didn’t stop him from anxiously fidgeting in his room. He had completely lost track of time until he heard someone out in the hall.

“I-Is Shane home?”

Whether it was on unconscious impulse or his own body growing tired of it all and acting without his permission was debatable but all of a sudden he was on his feet and rushing out, taking Marnie and the current visitor off-guard. “... Hey Mieko.”

The next few minutes were a blur for Shane, but suddenly Marine was gone and the two of them were alone, sitting at the table in the kitchen, enveloped in slightly awkward silence.

“So… that bouquet, huh?”

Ah, the ever-dreaded question. Shane swallowed thickly, nodding lightly. “Yeah, I uh-- Uhm…” Okay, he could do it, he just needed to calm down. It’s okay. Just breath. “I… like you, Mieko. A lot. I’m not too good with words, I probably never will be, but I just had to get that out in the air.” He spoke quietly, keeping his eyes to the table. He didn’t think he’d be able to actually get that out, even then he felt ready to pass out after all of that.

It didn’t help the Mieko was silent for an agonizingly long time before she spoke again. "I’m glad you feel like that!”

… What?

Shane whipped his head up, eyes wide and mouth gaping, a stupified expression on his face that made Mieko herself laugh lightly. “What? I’m not allowed to be happy my crush likes me back?"

For a moment Shane thought that he had misheard her, that it was a trick his brain was playing on him, but as he stared and took in her expression he realized that he had heard her just fine. He collapsed back into his seat, heaving out a heavy sigh. "Yeesh… you had a crush on me?" He asked in near disbelief, letting out a nervous bark of laughter. In hindsight, seeing Mieko roll with it in such a chilled out manner, Shane couldn't help but feel like it was stupid of him to agonize over this for as long as he did. Mieko made it look so easy, he'd give her that. "Why me? I'm not exactly the best choice in Pelican town…"

"Even if that was true you're not the worst either. And besides, you're getting better, aren't you? You're trying, Shane. Anyone could see that." Mieko said as she reached out a hand to gently rest on top of Shane's. "I can see that, so give yourself some more credit."

Shane felt his face heat up at Mieko's words, running his free hand through his hair. "I guess you're right. But, ah..." He trailed off, looking to the side. The question was on the tip of his tongue, but even after everything, he was still much too embarrassed to say anything besides a light, "Us…?"

Mieko laughed again, shaking her head. "Us. I, for one, would love to be able to call you my boyfriend, unless you think that’d give you a heart attack."

That drew a laugh from Shane, one free of nervousness or anxiety, "Yeah, but I think I'd die a happy man if Harvey can't bring me back."

They both laughed and smiled, chatting back and forth for a while until Meiko had to leave to tend to the crops she had forgotten to water after her little 'surprise' in the gifts. Shane was left to think about the day, relishing at the end of it all.

This holiday season was a good one.

The next day, when Mieko opened up her mailbox, she’d find a little note that simply said:

’Thanks for making me so happy. -Shane’

[chuffyfan87]

Hiding. Part 66b (NSFW)

"OK." She tried to hide the slight wobble in her voice as she reached out for her father's hand.

He held his daughter’s hand and together they went into the venue.

Emily's eyes grew as wide as saucers as she took in the variety of different activities available to her.

“What do you want to do first Emmy?”

"Don't know."

“Shall we find something that you want to do?”

"OK." She began wandering round the various tables.

Eventually she settled on a table covered in drawing supplies.

“Daddy’s just gonna be over there, ok?” He gestured to a row of seats nearby.

"O-ok." After an anxious few minutes Emily became utterly absorbed in what she was doing.

It was beautiful to see her so relaxed.

Her hair fell down over her face partially obscuring the look of concentration she held.

Inside Charlie knew she was going to be just fine with life.

A little while later she finished her drawing and looked over towards her dad.

He got up and wandered towards her, “You ok, Em?"

"I finished."

“Can daddy see?”

Emily nodded and slowly slid the paper over.

Charlie took the picture and smiled.

"Do you like it?" She asked hesitantly.

“Emily I love it!”

"You do?" Her face lit up.

He nodded, “I told you. You’re very, very talented!”

She smiled brightly. "What can we do next?"

“Anything you want to.”

She spotted a pottery table. It wasn't something she'd tried before but she was intruigued.

“Shall we try this one?”

"Can we? Can you help me?" She asked nervously.

“Of course I can.”

They sat at the table, Emily's eyes wide as she watched the pottery wheel go round and round.

“Are you excited?” He asked.

She nodded a little timidly as she chewed her bottom lip. She poked her fingers in the lump of clay in front of her.

He allowed her to be mostly independent with the clay but helped her on occasions when she needed a little guidance.

Though she'd been nervous she squealed with delight when it came her turn to have a go on the wheel. "Look daddy!" She giggled.

“Are you excited?” He asked. Rubbing her back.

"Mmhmm." She replied, her focus taken by what she was doing.

He watched her. Her confidence was growing. He hoped she continued with that confidence.

After she'd finished at the wheel she moved back to the table to begin the slightly laborious task of writing her name on the slip of paper so her bowl could be returned to her later in the week for decorating.

She did her writing neatly and joined up.

After a couple more activities it was time to break for lunch.

“Are you hungry?” Charlie asked Emily.

"Yes! Can we have a special treat for lunch? I won't tell the others." She giggled.

“What special treat do you want?”

"Pizza and ice cream."

“Hmm...” He pouted slightly, “Go on then.”

"Yay!"

They went for pizza and ice-cream for lunch.

As she was eating her ice cream Emily looked up at her father, deciding to ask a question that she'd been thinking about for a while. "I know I was poorly when I was a baby, is that why I was so tiny? Oli's a baby but he's not tiny."

Charlie met Emily’s gaze, those beautiful green eyes she’d inherited from her mum. Charlie nodded, “You were born prematurely which means really early. You were tiny. Had to be on a machine for a very long time to help you get big and strong.”

"Is that why I have to visit the hospital sometimes?

"That's right, for check ups."

"Will I have to do those forever?"

“Maybe honey, I don’t know.”

"They try to make it fun but it's kinda boring sometimes." She admitted.

“Hopefully you won't have to go for much longer. Maybe another year?”

"Good! I'm not a little kid anymore."

“You’ll always be mine and mummy’s baby. Especially mine. You’re my first daughter.” He kissed her head.

Emily smiled as she finished her ice cream.

“Finished Em?”

She licked her lips and nodded. "Can we go back now?"

“Of course we can honey.”

Emily jumped down from the table, grabbed her dad's hand and practically dragged him back to the art venue.

He chuckled softly, “Are you really excited to go back?”

"This is the bestest day ever!"

“I’m glad you like it honey.”

As the day wore on Emily became happier with tackling activities by herself.

Around mid afternoon one of the organisers came over to speak to Charlie. "Hi, are you Emily's dad?" She asked.

“Hi, yes I am.” He smiled.

"Lovely to meet you, my name is Susan, I'm one of the organisers of this week's event. Would it be possible to speak with you for a few moments about an opportunity I'd like you to consider for Emily?"

He nodded, “An opportunity? What kind? I’m interested to hear the details.”

"Well normally we wouldn't consider someone as young as Emily but I've been looking at some of the work she's created today and it's exceptional. I run a class on a Saturday morning for artistically gifted children to help them nurture and advance their talents. Every summer the children put on a show at the big gallery in town to showcase their work. Normally the children need to be at least eight or nine to be considered for a place but I'd be willing to make an exception in Emily's case."

Charlie’s eyes began to water at Susan’s suggestion. “You—you're serious?”

"Completely. I understand if you want to take some time to discuss the idea with Emily's mother and Emily herself. If you could let me know by the end of the week though?"

“No, no. I want Emily to have this opportunity. My wife will agree.” He smiled brightly, brushing away the tear from his cheek. “Sorry you have no idea what we’ve been through.”

Susan was somewhat taken aback by his reaction. "We work alongside the local University so that will hopefully open up some further opportunities for her. I can see her going far. I'm surprised I haven't been made aware of her talents before now!"

He nodded, a really big smile on his face. “Emily doesn’t like to tell people she can draw. But she’s really talented and we wanted to help her confidence.” He paused, “Emily was premature, she was born at 28 weeks. Touch and go for a very long while. Everyone tells us... she’s—dim. We’ve just recently discovered she’s able to write perfectly well.”

"A lot of people have very fixed ideas of what counts as smart. Trust me, if she can do this at seven..." Susan held up a small drawing of Emily's that she had been particularly drawn towards. "With the right support and encouragement around her, well, I could see her exhibiting in one of the major London galleries by the time she's in her twenties."

“You really think so?” He grinned.

"Absolutely. I've been working in the industry for close to thirty years now. What your daughter has is very rare indeed."

“Thank you so much! I hope this is the confidence boost Em needs.”

"I'll bring in all the forms and literature tomorrow." She smiled as she looked over at Emily. "It looks like she's ready to move onto the next activity so I'd best leave you to it."

“Thank you so much. I appreciate it.”

After Susan had walked away Emily came over. "Who was that lady daddy?" She asked.

He crouched down, “That lady was asking me about you.”

"Why?"

“Because she’s really impressed with your art work. She’s asked daddy for something but daddy needs to tell mummy first before we tell you, ok?”

"She liked my pictures? Mummy said other people would like my pictures."

“She loves your pictures.” He grinned.

"Yay!" Emily giggled, racing off to do one last activity before it was time to go home.

He watched as she did her final activity. He couldn’t wait to tell Duffy about everything Susan had said.

Emily stood in front of the large canvas that had been stretched across a wall at the far side of the room. The idea was that everyone invited to add their own little piece to the overall picture. When she'd first seen it at the start of the day she'd stayed far away from it out of shyness but now she couldn't wait to get stuck in. Pulling off her shoes and socks she sat down on the mat and placed her bare feet into the trays of paint, giggling as it squelched between her toes!

He watched her, wondering what kind of masterpiece she was going to create.

She lay onto her back and pressed her feet onto the canvas in a circle, alternating each foot - one pink, one purple. She then stood back up, her feet making little coloured footprints on the newspaper as she wandered over to a tray of green paint which she pushed her hands into. She then came back to her painting and added a stalk and leaves to complete her flower. "Daddy!" She called out, gesturing her father to come over.

He came over to Emily and smiled brightly, “Did you do that, Em?”

"Yeh but I ran out of hands and feet." She pointed to the tray of yellow paint. "It needs a middle..." She fluttered her eyelashes at him.

He smiled and took off his coat, placing it on a nearby chair. “What do I have to do?”

"Stick your finger in the yellow and swirl it in a circle." She indicated where on the painting he should add the colour.

He stuck his finger in the yellow paint and followed Emily’s directions.

Once he'd finished Emily studied his work closely. She stepped back and smiled. "You did OK daddy."

“Not as good as you though, hey Em?”

"If you practise then maybe." She giggled.

He laughed gently, “You’re the artist in the family.”

She washed her hands and feet before grabbing one of the marker pens to write 'Emily and daddy' next to her painting.

Her writing was perfect. He kissed her head before going to wash his hands.

After she'd put her shoes back on she raced over to pick up the items she could take home today and headed out to the car. She jumped up into her seat and waited for her dad to buckle up her seat belt.

“I bet you’re excited to show mummy and everyone all your pictures aren’t you?” He buckled her into the car seat.

"Yeh. I had so much fun today daddy!"

“So you’re definitely coming again tomorrow?” He asked as he started the journey home.

"Yes please!"

Within minutes she was fast asleep, sucking her thumb, her other hand wrapped around her bag of creations.

Charlie carried Emily into the house. “Babe? We’re home.” He called.

Duffy lent out of the kitchen doorway into the hall. She was covered in flour. "Good day?"

He settled Emily down on the sofa, placing her bag on the floor by the sofa and heading into the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around Duffy’s waist and grinned. “Brilliant! I’ve got something to tell you!”

The kitchen looked liked a bakery had exploded in it. "Oh? What's that?" She asked.

He kissed her tenderly, “Lets talk once the kids are asleep?” Noticing the kitchen he laughed, “Have you been baking or trying to blow up the kitchen?”

"Tilly decided she didn't need adult supervision..."

“Ah. That explains why the kitchen looks like a bombs gone off.” He kissed her again, a little more passionately.

She found herself being pressed up against the counter, her hand landing in some of the icing that was spilt on the surface.

“Is there any of that icing spare?” He whispered into her ear. “I could put it somewhere and lick it off you later on.”

"I think I'm pretty much covered in it already!" She giggled as she held up her hand and smeared it down his cheek.

“Then maybe I can spend five minutes, licking it off you?” He smirked. His hands cupped her breasts.

Duffy rolled her eyes as she realised that when Charlie had put his arms around her earlier they'd gotten flour on them so she now had two flour handprints on her chest. "Charlie!"

He removed his hands and laughed gently, “Oops.”

"You did that on purpose!" She pouted.

“Didn’t.” He smiled. The rest of the evening passed in a chaos of dinner, attempting to get as many people bathed as possible and settling them down to bed. Emily was utterly exhausted from her busy day.

[flutteringphalanges]

The Claws that Bind Us

FFN LINK  and Ao3 LINK 

                                              The Crush

As sappy as it sounded, Logan had begun to feel that Laura was growing up way too fast for his liking the day she started high school. Though they had only become a family a few years ago, the older mutant still viewed his daughter as "his little girl". No matter the circumstance, she would always be that. And so, at the exact moment that boy set foot into his household behind his child, a great sense of primal threat overcame him.

"Daddy," Laura said, walking up to her father. "This is Trevor. We have a group project together and I thought we could work on it here," she paused before adding. "If that's okay."

"It would've been nice if you had texted me first," Logan replied, his tone heavily thick with distaste. "That's the entire reason I agreed to get that fancy cell phone for you."

Before Laura even had a moment to reply, Trevor stepped forward with a friendly, but slightly nervous smile. "You're Wolverine, right? That's so cool! I was a major fan of yours when I was a kid-not that I'm not still. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

When he extended his hand towards Logan, the other man grabbed it roughly, seeming to be more interested in squeezing the teenager's fingers to near breaking point rather than actually shaking them. As clear pain and discomfort washed across Trevor's face, Laura quickly began to pick up on her father's hostility. With a deep frown, she took a step forward, brow furrowed with a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

"Dad," she hissed. "Let him go."

Logan dropped the boy's hand who immediately exhaled and gripped his bruised fingers with his uninjured one. While his expression was still friendly like before, it was evident that his shyness had melted away and was now replaced by fear. He said nothing, trying not to meet Logan's gaze as the mutant stared at him hard, seemingly watching every bit of him including each breath.

"We're going to my room to work on it now," Laura said, finally breaking the silence.

"No, like hell you are," her father cut in, not allowing his daughter to even have a moment to interrupt. "You can work down in the living room, right where I can see you."

"But you're watching your football game," she complained, glaring at him. "It'll be distracting. How are we supposed to get anything done?"

"You can sit your ass in here with your new friend or fail the project all together. I don't care either way, but you are not going into your room. Not in my house. And sure as hell not in his."

Laura's expression of rage and mortification burned across her features, fists clenched to the point where Logan was somewhat concerned that her claws would reveal themselves. But before any of that could occur, Trevor rested a hand on her shoulder. Fury ignited in Logan as Laura's seem to simmer away.

"It's okay," he said gently. "I'm fine with working down here. We can get it done, no problem."

The younger mutant's shoulders relaxed as she looked at her friend with an apologetic smile. "I'll go grab the supplies from my room then," she said, then looked to her father disapprovingly. "It will only take a second. I will be right down in a minute." Or translated into what Logan knew she meant, "If you start any shit with him while I'm gone, I'm going to literally tear you a new one."

"Cool," Trevor smiled, watching as Laura threw him one final glance of sympathy before hurrying off to her room. "I'll get the guidelines from my backpack."

Once Laura had disappeared, Trevor began to dig through his backpack, trying his best not to release Logan's inner beast onto himself. It was incredibly obvious that the teenager found his daughter attractive, possibly to a much greater extent than just observation. And that, Logan despised. No kid had the right to even consider having a crush on his daughter-even if they were a fan of him and the X-Men. There were no brownie points to be given about this.

"So," he began coolly. "You know my daughter. How come I haven't heard of you before?"

"Well Laura and I have just started to become closer," he immediately backtracked upon seeing Logan stiffen. "...well, I guess become more acquainted. We hadn't really talked up until we were assigned to this science project together."

"Science," Logan grunted. "What the hell are you two doing anyways?"

"Well, we are actually conducting various tests on metals. Seeing what different chemicals do. How they interact with one another. Comparing and contrasting, nothing too fun." He let out a nervous laugh, immediately falling silent when Logan didn't. "I really enjoy working with her. She's very smart."

"I'm no geek, and I am sure as hell no scholar, but I do know a thing or two about metal," Logan's tone was cold, frighteningly calm.

Trevor shifted uncomfortably where he sat, suddenly losing interest in digging through his bag. There was a sense of pleasure Logan found in watching the boy squirm. It was amusing, his fear. Hell, he should be scared. If he wasn't, he didn't have a damn brain. Not that lacking that would've saved him in the long run. He was, of course, not picky when it came to dealing with those he felt needed to be properly dealt with.

"Yep," he continued, cracking his knuckles one by one. "Several decades ago, actually. See, back then, way before your damn comics even existed, I was a part of this underground super soldier team-if you wanna call it that." He leaned back, smirking slightly when Trevor sucked in a breath. "I used to be like you. Just a skeleton of old, breakable bones. But then I got equipped with something real special. You've read about me, surely you know, right?"

"I..um...I'm not sure, sir," Trevor gulped, beginning to shake. "Do you mean your…"

He drew out his claws before even giving the kid a chance to finish. The long, metal talons glistened in the artificial light. He moved his hand slowly, looking at them as one does when examining a piece of famous artwork closely. Out of the corner of his eye, Logan could see the teenager trembling, surprisingly enough not yet wetting his pants.

"Adamantium," he exclaimed, lips pressed tightly together. "They say it's the strongest metal out there. Were you aware of that?"

"No, sir," the boy's words came out in a whisper. "I didn't."

"Mhm," Logan nodded, briefly returning his gaze to Trevor. "Can cut through everything. I've seen it myself. Done it actually. Brick. Concrete. Trees. Cars…" he paused. "People."

"Oh," Trevor's voice was completely drenched with terror.

"Now that you know that scientific history, there is just one more bit of information I'd like you to tuck away into the egghead of yours," he leaned in, and with the coldest, calmest, tone he could muster. "If touch my daughter, hell, even breathe on her too hard, I will cut off your dick and shove it down your throat before slicing you up into unrecognizable pieces." He paused, watching the fear in the boy's eyes as his words sunk in. "Do we have an agreement?"

Trevor was nodding vigorously, almost to the point where the older mutant was certain it had to be giving him a headache. "Yes, sir," he spluttered. "Of course, sir. I understand...sir!"

Logan, appearing satisfied with the teenager's answer, settled back in his couch. Grabbing the remote and a beer from the side table, he turned on the television. Exhaling, he began to flip through the channels, trying to find which one had the station he desired.

"Oh, and one more thing," he said, not even looking at Trevor anymore. "Let's not tell Laura about this, alright? Keep things between the two of us. It's better that way."

The older man was already immersed in his game when his daughter came hurrying down the steps. With an armful of supplies, she made her way to where Trevor sat beside the couch. Laura smiled as she took her own seat, offering her friend a small smile.

"I'm so sorry," she exhaled, slightly out of breath. "I couldn't find everything at first. My room's a mess apparently. But I have everything now!"

Trevor mumbled an inaudible reply, most likely assuring her it was fine. Immediately, Laura sensed something was not right. But Logan, now far too deep and focused on his favorite football team duking it out, only remained silent, too content to meet his daughter's cold glare.

Hopefully his conversation with Trevor had heavily sunk into the teenager's mind. For his first go at this, Logan considered his "talk" with his daughter's unacceptable suitor an accomplishment. Now he would be ready and well prepared for the many who would surely follow. At least until then he had time to beef up his scare tactics. She was, of course, his little girl and no one was going to touch a hair on her head.

Well, that was if they didn't want a "Circumcision a la Wolverine".