#i also love Laura being smug about it

[forgetriestowrite]

Vex being hot and rich is everything I have ever wanted

[livefromcastledracula]

Gothic literature fanons I wish would die a death and disappear from pop culture, here we go...incoming ramble.

DracuMina and tragic, romantic Dracula is a big one. It's just not who he is. There are plenty of other vampires who live these tropes. It's not Dracula. It's Barnabas Collins and Louis de Pointe du Lac and Angel from Buffy and Edward Cullen. It's not Count Dracula. Count Dracula is a bastard and his bastardy is what makes him scary and charismatic and compelling as a villain in the same way, say, the Joker or (pre-Angelina) Maleficent is. He doesn't need to be suave or soft or secretly a woobie out for love to be interesting. He is a smug, smiling monster to the bone and we love him for it.

If there's any tragedy at all to Dracula the character it's the vague hints Van Helsing gives that he was once a great man and that man's soul might still be trapped somewhere in this hollow, monstrous husk of a creature, yearning for the release of true death.

But that man is long gone. What Dracula is now doesn't feel any guilt or remorse or compassion or grief. He is, he schemes, he hungers, he preys. He is Vampire.

Okay, Carmilla...well the big one is that she is in any way not a lesbian. Adaptations that make her an equal opportunity seductress. Ha ha ha no. Book Carmilla shows absolutely zero interest in men. They might as well not exist to her. She is ALL about young women her own (apparent) age. There is that vague anecdote about the Baron's male ancestor in her backstory, but at the time 'lover' was also used in a more one-sided context of romantic admirers, of which a beautiful young noblewoman would have many, so it could as easily imply she'd never even spoken to him. Vampire Carmilla, the one we meet and interact with, is all about the girls and especially about specific girls; like Laura.

Frankenstein... oh there's a bunch, pop culture Frankenstein is probably the farthest away from the book. Let's not even go into "Frankenstein is the monster's name" or "Doctor Frankenstein" or "Igor" or "the monster is a mute lumbering zombie" or even the animated with lightning thing...

...the one that actually irks me is the pervasive idea that Frankenstein is resurrecting dead people, or that the Monster is / has the brain of a specific person who just doesn't remember who he is. Even Penny Dreadful did this one! Even the musical did this one!

Nooo, the Creature isn't a frigging zombie. He's not a revived human. Frankenstein specifically says that he can't revive the dead but that someday if his "creations" are successful he might also discover that secret:

'I thought that if I could bestow animation upon lifeless matter, I might in process of time (although I now found it impossible) renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption.'

Also very worth noting that despite the frequent fanon that Victor used a random hanged man for the Creature and Justine or even Elizabeth's body to build the Bride, this absolutely does not happen in the book, at no point does Frankenstein consider 'reviving' his dead loved ones. It doesn't even cross his mind. He's not Herbert West 😆

Back to Creech, Frankenstein specifically says he made him eight feet tall because human parts were too small and detailed for him to work on quickly.

'Although I possessed the capacity of bestowing animation, yet to prepare a frame for the reception of it, with all its intricacies of fibres, muscles, and veins, still remained a work of inconceivable difficulty and labour.'

"...As the minuteness of the parts formed a great hindrance to my speed, I resolved, contrary to my first intention, to make the being of a gigantic stature, that is to say, about eight feet in height, and proportionably large...."

You can't do that just by chopping up a few dead people. You can't get an eight foot giant by stitching together a bunch of smaller dudes. You can't make a bigger heart and bigger bones and bigger organs just by stitching together smaller ones. So what the heck IS Frankenstein doing?

I had returned to my old habits. I collected bones from charnel-houses and disturbed, with profane fingers, the tremendous secrets of the human frame. In a solitary chamber, or rather cell, at the top of the house, and separated from all the other apartments by a gallery and staircase, I kept my workshop of filthy creation; my eyeballs were starting from their sockets in attending to the details of my employment. The dissecting room and the slaughter-house furnished many of my materials; and often did my human nature turn with loathing from my occupation, whilst, still urged on by an eagerness which perpetually increased, I brought my work near to a conclusion.

Okay so we know he IS collecting flesh to use as raw materials, but slaughter houses interests me. This suggests that the Creature isn't necessarily being built of human flesh.

And that makes more sense, doesn't it? How do you build a humanlike body with bigger-than-human bones, muscles, veins and organs? What if you got them from a bull, a horse, an ox?

But here's another point of interest:

...After having formed this determination and having spent some months in successfully collecting and arranging my materials, I began... ...The summer months passed while I was thus engaged, heart and soul, in one pursuit...

Months. It's taken him months at least to build Creech.

This book is set in the late 1700s. There is no refrigeration and Victor is working out of a loft apartment at a university.

How. The HECK. Is his glorious Creation not a pile of rotting meat falling apart on his table? How is he preserving it?

Does his magical mad science also extend to preservation? That's never mentioned, but I could imagine that it might involve a fair bit of, well, pickling. He does compare him to a 'mummy' at least once.

So...

Book canon Creech is an eight foot tall giant with flowing black hair, nice teeth, shrivelled yellow skin stretched over his muscle and veins, and watery yellow eyes in 'dun white' sockets. He is probably a bit 'pickled' and potentially a chimera built partially out of animal bones, muscles and organs, though don't think Dr Moreau, Victor was TRYING to make him look human and nobody ever comments on any visibly animal parts.

I wish the 'serious' movie adaptations would go harder on his makeup and effects. As OTT and steampunk Karloff inspired as the Van Helsing movie was, that's actually the level of "oh shit that's not a human" I expect from a canonical Creech, just ditch the steampunk cyborg bits and give the man some hair. Penny Dreadful did good with his alabaster skin and yellow eyes, and Rory Kinnear's still my favorite performance of this character, though they could've stood to use some LOTR-style forced perspective to make him Huge. If Creech could pass for a tall homeless war vet with a lot of scars, he's not 'creature' enough for me. There's probably something poignant to be said there about him thinking that his mistreatment at humanity's hands is because he's an inhuman monster, But Actually people he meets think he's human, they just treat him like they'd treat any other large, disfigured, confused, potentially mentally-ill homeless person they'd meet.

But that's not Mary Shelley's intent, I don't think. He's not a revived, amnesiac human. He's something much more terrifying, poignant, and mysterious. He's an entire new creature, a newborn, earthbound alien species, and that's what makes it interesting to me, because ... what even IS he? Creature is born as a total blank slate, he doesn't know what he is. Victor doesn't understand him, doesn't really comprehend what he's created, so he can't tell him.

So there's no-one alive that can, and there never will be, it's not an answerable question.

There's a deep, abiding existential horror in Creech's existence that is dumbed down to 'came back wrong' if he is a resurrected human. If he isn't, what the hell IS he? Frankenstein is grounded in science fiction rather than the supernatural, but if there's such a thing in its universe as a soul, does he have a soul? Where did it come from? Is he an amalgam of all the people/animals he's built out of, potentially hundreds of them? Is he something that came from somewhere else to inhabit this meat-husk? Is he something else entirely? He doesn't know and never will, Victor never will, no one ever will.

That's haunting, tragic, and terrifying.

[littlebosslady7]

Since Laura shared pallidin would be a good alternative class for Vex, what do you think Percy's AU class would be?

Definitely wizard, it works well with his love of reading, the passion for innovation in a sense, his intelligence, and if his smugness. Imagine wizard!Percy with Orthax. Hot, badass, and dangerous.

I know there's awesome fanfics of Vex being a Champion of the Raven Queen, but Vex just being a DawnFather paladin would be interesting as well, it's classic Light v Dark with Perc'ahlia.

I've also thought about Percy and Vex just switching classes. Taliesin and Laura brought up on a certain aftershow, that they've probably taught one another how to use a gun and bow.

Also, Percy would absolutely have an owl. But I could see a direwolf companion as well.

[celestialsister0918]

Chapter 1 of "A Window Not Missed" (Brutasha) now up!

Chapter 1 of my first venture into the MCU fandom is now up! Brutasha fans, I'd be honored if you'd head to AO3 and give it some love! Teaser below...

Bruce had been cold, and he had to be. It was for the best. Surely Nat understood and wouldn’t hold it against him. They could still be friends, could still have their late night chats, could still exchange eye-rolls when Tony was very much being Tony or Cap very much being Cap. Clint was Nat’s brother, of course, in all but the biological sense of the word. But he had a wife, a family– which explained why Nat would so often wander in search of a confidant, someone to just shoot the shit with, and would land on Bruce– another loner. He hoped that despite their earlier argument, they could still be each other’s person. Sex was just sex, after all. There was so much more to a relationship. 

How are you going to have any kind of relationship when you��re clear across the globe, Banner? Wait, globe? You have to go clear across the galaxy… clear across space itself… there’s no place far enough for someone like you…

At least they could have their friendship for now, while they were here in their holding pattern. If only she would speak to him…

“Um, hey, Nat.”

She had changed into gray lounge pants and a black tank following her shower. Despite the lack of hot water, the Barton house itself was rather toasty, with all these extra bodies milling around. Since Laura had prepared dinner and Clint was off working on some household project, it appeared “Auntie Nat” had volunteered for dish duty. That seemed a Hulk-sized feat for a crowd this big, and Banner, grateful for the opportunity, happily pitched in.

“Hello, Bruce.”

“Need some help?”

“If you’re offering, I won’t say no.” Natasha didn’t meet his eye, instead focusing on a particularly stubborn plaque of baked-on cheese affixed to Laura’s rustic casserole dish. But Bruce noticed the left side of her mouth curl into that classic Nat smirk, so he took it as a sign that not all hope was lost. 

“Oh. Okay. Good. Why don’t I tackle that cheese and you polish up the glasses?”

“You implying I’m weak, Banner?”

Bruce chuckled. “Nah, I know better. Implying that I owe you. I– I was a jerk. I mean, I meant what I said. But I guess I could have gone about it in a better way. It… it wasn’t you… it’s just that–”

Natasha interrupted his scrubbing and his monologue with feather soft fingertips on his forearm. “I know. Like you said, we missed the window. Maybe someday we’ll find it.” 

Bruce swallowed. He didn’t want to give her false hope. But he was also tired of sounding like a dick. 

“I hope so, Nat.”

They continued their work in silence, save for Lila giggling “Go Fish!” from the adjacent living room. Bruce’s brain buzzed with the discomfort and awkwardness of it all. It was so unbearable that he did what he did best: made it even more uncomfortable. 

“Um, Nat… when I was in the shower earlier… um… why didn’t you just shower in one of the other bathrooms? Instead of waiting. You know…then you would have gotten some of that hot water…”

The tip of her tongue traced her bottom lip, and her eyes met his coyly. “Because that’s my room, Banner.”

“Oh, you have your own room here?” he laughed nervously. “I guess I should have known. “Auntie Nat,’ right?”

“Yep.” Natasha popped a dish tablet into the jam-packed dishwasher and sealed it up. She wiped her hands clean on the apron she’d donned before attempting to discard it. “Hey, Bruce – can you get the knot?” She shimmied backward until she was within his reach, the damp knot resting atop the gentle curve of her behind. 

“Uh, yeah. Sure.” The knot gave way with a gentle tug, which he was sure was no news to her, given her smug grin. Part of him sighed inwardly with relief at that subtle sign it wasn’t over between them.

“So if that’s your room,” he began as calmly as he could, “Why did Laura tell me to put my stuff down in there?”

“Time for you to ‘do the math’, doc,” Natasha quoted him teasingly. “Some folks around here are going to have to double up.”

Bruce drew in a sharp breath before he could stop himself. She seemed to revel in his predicament. “There’s only one bed,” he reminded her dully.

“Math again!” she laughed. “You’re getting good at this.”

 “I’ll sleep on the floor,” Bruce muttered. 

Her playful expression suddenly turned serious, and she took the two miniature steps to close the gap between them. “Don’t be ridiculous, Bruce,” she murmured. “We’re adults. It’s been a crazy day, and we need to rest. Besides, I can behave myself.”

Pained, Bruce shut his eyes for a moment. He could only stare so long at the perfect red bow of her mouth before he had to break the spell, for his own sanity. A hot adrenaline seemed to fire up in his veins, like a runner’s high, but with the effect of planting him firmly right there instead of forcing his feet to flee. The forbidden words exploded out of his brain, down to his throat, and out of his mouth before his logical faculties could stop them.

“The problem is, Natasha, I don’t want you to behave.”

*******

Read the rest of Chapter 1 here, and bookmark for future updates! While I'm not sure if this will be a long or short fic ultimately, I promise it WILL be finished. I always complete my works! Your honest feedback is welcome.

[bumblesimagines]

Green Thumb

Request: Yes or No

Ppl seemed to like the Imagine and nobody really said anything about it being a fic but I like that (Y/N) sooo. For anyone confused about the root things, (Y/N) has root bracelets on each wrist that he can control. He can't make roots come out of his hands or anything. (Y/N) isn't gender neutral ik I use second person for a gender neutral reader but I'm starting to rlly like second person view lmao. If people like this enough, I might keep this fic going to Civil War, Infinity War, and Endgame.

~

You placed your hands on the sides of the pot, watching the dead flower slowly regain its color. You could hear the faint sound of chatting and music from the party Tony was holding. Parties were never your thing. Parties meant crowds of nosy people with nothing else better to do. You heard your bedroom door open, turning around and looking at Clint.

"Hey, why don't you come downstairs? The party's ending." Clint offered a small smile, holding his side. You looked back at the flower, standing and gently placing it back with the other flowers on your desk. You approached Clint, feeling him gently wrap an arm around your shoulder.

"How's Laura?" You asked softly. Clint grinned, licking his lips as he glanced at you. You liked Clint. He was like the father or older brother you never had.

"She misses you. She mentioned wanting you to move in once training was complete." Clint revealed, looking at you. You blinked, brows raising as you stared at his face, wondering if he was joking.

"Think it over." Clint gave your shoulder a small squeeze as you joined the others, nodding to Maria. She gave a nod in return, a small tight smile on her face. You didn't blame them for not trusting you. You had attempted to kill them a few times out of fear. You took a seat on the couch, watching the Avengers laugh and chat. You stayed silent, fingers gently tracing the root bracelets.

"You thought of those yourself?" Maria asked softly, tilting her head. You looked at her, nodding.

"Having them on me makes me feel safer." You replied quietly, looking back at the roots. You continued to trace them, watching them shift slightly at your touch. Dr. Cho leaned over, humming in fascination.

"It's incredible how responsive they are to you." She whispered softly, meeting your gaze briefly for permission. You nodded, watching her reach out and touch them.

"How much can you feel? Or is it just a control thing?" She asked.

"Uhm, I know when they're dying or are in need of something but they don't feel pain so.. Hurting them doesn't hurt me." You explained. Dr. Cho nodded in understanding, leaning back.

"I'd love to ask you more questions later, if you don't mind." She gave a kind smile. You looked up upon hearing grunts, watching Clint attempt to pick up Mjollnir while Thor watched on in amusement. He gave up, chuckling. Tony went next, the smug look on his face disappearing when he couldn't lift it. You chuckled softly, watching James try to help Tony but the hammer didn't even budge.

"(Y/N), why don't you give it a try?" Clint asked after Bruce went. You licked your lips, glancing at the Avengers when their gazes went to you.

"Uhm-"

"Go on, give it a try." Thor encouraged with a a big smile. You stood up, walking up to the table where the hammer sat. You grabbed the handle, roots slithering down your hands and wrapping around the hammer. You pulled, suprised to find it was definitely harder than it looked.

"Don't pull a muscle, kid." Clint called, chuckling as you huffed, letting go of it and retracting the roots. You took a seat beside Clint, gently leaning against him as Steve went next. He went at it but wasn't able to lift it.

"It's rigged." Tony called with a shrug as Clint stood, a chuckle leaving him.

"You bet your ass."

"Steve, he said a bad language word." Maria pointed out in playful seriousness. You chuckled softly. Clint had told you all about Steve and the bad language joke. You stood up, about to call it a day before a ringing noise stopped you in your tracks. You looked up, noticing a half built robot limping into the room, mumbling stuff.

"Clint?" You called out, frowning. Clint looked at you before turning around, standing up as everyone's attention shifted to the robot. Clint slowly backed up until you were within arms reach. He knew you could protect yourself but he cared about you too much to let you get hurt.

"How could you be worthy? You're all killers." The robot said, motioning at them with its broken arm.

"Stark?" Steve's gaze stayed locked on the robot. The robot continued to speak, stumbling about. He replayed a clip of Stark saying something. Maria took out her gun, slowly standing up. Clint immediately grabbed you when the robots bursted into the room, pulling you along and hiding.

"Stay here." Clint whispered, standing up. You frowned, watching him go. Your looked over the room, noticing Dr. Cho attempting to hide behind the piano. You stood, quickly going over to her as a robot rose up. You raised your hand, making a root shoot out at it and wrap around its neck, throwing the robot to the side and watching it break.

"Thank you." Dr. Cho whispered as things began to calm down. You helped her stand, making eye contact with Clint as Thor threw his hammer at 'Ultron', breaking him into pieces.

"(Y/N), go to your room." Clint breathed out.

"No, he deserves to know what happened here." Steve said, giving you a nod.

~~~~~~~~~

You licked your lips, glancing at Clint when he silently drew an arrow. You unclenched your fists, watching the root bracelets around your wrists grow and wrap around your fingers. You were surprised you had even been asked to tag along considering you were still new and young. You watched the Maximoff twins, stare at Tony with pure hatred. Not long ago, you were also an enemy of the Avengers. Clint had taken you under his wing, practically adopting you after everything. You assumed you were only allowed to tag along because of your powers. You had gained better control of them over time.

"Stay alert and stay close." Clint told you, shooting the arrow once the fight began. You watched the robots, nodding. You leaned forward, slightly over the railing, fingers moving. The roots wrapped around them shot out, wrapping around one of the robots that had lunged for Steve. You moved your arms back and apart, watching the robot be ripped apart. Steve looked up towards you, giving a greatful nod. Clint grinned, drawing another arrow. You noticed a flash of blue and white running below, keeping an eye on it. Another root shot out, successfully making the male Maximoff trip and stumble. You retracted the root, shifting your attention onto the men with guns.

"What a shitshow." You muttered, sighing softly. Clint glanced at you in amusement.

"Language." He called playfully, chuckling when he heard Steve groan. You let a small smile slip, roots wrapping around the necks of two of the gunmen. You slowly clenched your fists, making the roots strangle them. You heard Thor mention something about the Maximoff girl trying to mind control him.

"Drop 'em." Clint said, giving you a pointed look. "Only make them pass out, don't kill them."

"Fine." You huffed, dropping the men with a small scowl. Clint shot an arrow that knocked out a whole floor, giving a satisfied hum. You heard soft footsteps, spinning around and grabbing the girl Maximoff by the throat, grip tightening with each passing second. Her eyes were wide, caught off guard. Fear flashed in them briefly. Clint quickly planted an electrical arrow on her forehead. You removed your hands, glancing at Clint.

"You seriously need some freshing up on those people skills." Clint said, shaking his head. You scoffed, head tilting slightly.

"She's the enemy!"

"No killing-" You were suddenly shoved forward, bumping into Clint and crashing into what seemed like a control room. You grunted as pain struck up your back, turning your head and watching Pietro pick up his sister bridal style. You shot out your hand but he dodged the roots, using his superspeed to run off.

"Yeah, you better run." You heard Clint breath out. You turned towards him, roots retracting completely.

"Are you okay?" You asked softly, feeling glass digging into your hands as you slowly stood up, grunting softly. There was definitely gonna be a big bruise on your back when you checked later. You helped Clint stand, watching him attempt to contact the others. You leaned over the railing, seeing Steve laying on some stairs. You raised your hand, having the roots grab onto something sturdy before jumping over the railing and heading down to the floor he was at. You approached him, crouching down, cupping his face and seeing his red eyes and dazed look.

"The girl got to Steve." You said, sighing softly.

"Natasha as well." Clint replied. "Seems like the whole team is out of commission."

"Wonder what they're seeing." You muttered, standing and having the roots gently wrap around Steve's arms and waist. They were thin so dragging him along was the only choice.

"Having fun on your first mission yet?"

"Oh, fuck off, Clint." You called with a huff, trying to drag America's sweetheart across a ship, avoiding bodies and trying to keep his head from bumping into stuff.

"Sorry, buddy." You winced, watching Steve's head bump against some steps. Once outside, you were able to drag him along with more ease, getting him inside the step as Clint went to get Thor. Natasha had slowly come out of her daze, groaning softly and holding her head. You looked at him, gently slapping him. Steve gasped, panting softly as his blue eyes met your (E/C) ones.

"Welcome back." You muttered, standing up.

"What happened?" Natasha asked, looking at you with furrowed brows. She looked around the ship, standing.

"Where's Banner?" She asked with a frown. You rubbed the back of your neck, stepping aside so Steve could get up.

"He.. He and Stark are in the city. He hulked out." You told her, concern appearing on her features. Natasha cursed under her breath, though her mind seemed to be somewhere else. You turned towards the entrance, seeing Tony with Bruce. Clint returned with Thor, silence filling the air as Clint got the aircraft in the air. Clint motioned for you to get closer, a smile appearing on his face.

"You did amazing today." The praise made you smile, nodding as you glanced down at the ground. It had been your first real fight.

"Does that mean-"

"Not yet, we still need to work on some things. Soon enough, you'll be officially part of the team." Clint assured. You nodded, taking a seat nearby and sighing. Clint steered the ship to his home, landing it. The Avengers seemed confused at the unknown location but you happily got out of the aircraft. Clint chuckled, watching you head up to the house and enter.

"Honey? We've got company!" Clint called. Laura appeared from one of the rooms, smile widening.

"Hey, sweetie." Laura cooed, arms extending and wrapping around you. Both of you chuckled when the baby kicked.

"Someone's happy to see you too." Laura smiled, placing a hand on her belly before greeting Clint with a kiss.

"Gentlemen, this is Laura." Clint introduced her to the team. You enjoyed Laura's company. Her warmness was welcoming and she had been more than happy to take you in. Footsteps echoed lightly, preparing Clint to greet his kids. You smiled, watching them greet him. Natasha had been the only other one who knew about Clint's family. Lila gasped softly upon seeing you, quickly running towards you. You bent down, picking her up and chuckling.

"Miss me?" You asked, giving her a gentle hug. Laura looked over, smiling softly.

"Of course she missed they missed their cool big brother." Laura said, giggling softly when Lila noticed Natasha and happily went over to hug her. Cooper took Lila's spot, giving you a big grin. Thor suddenly left the house, Steve following.

"What have you been up to?" You asked, watching Coppers eyes light up. He grabbed your hand, pulling you along to his room. Laura and Clint hadn't officially adopted you but they were more than happy to do it. Once you were done with training, they were gonna get the papers and make you a Barton.

[solarbird]

Wow. They're training 'em in it now. It's "As One" rather than "Sieg Heil" of course, because nobody speaks German and it's not 1937, but it sure has the same cadence.

Watch the hands. Some of 'em aren't sure what to do, their hands vaguely up like they're in class. Some pose like they're a witness in court. Some even have one-armed "praise jesus" revival hands.

And a bunch of people just have the full heil salute. I wonder if they're the loudest barkers, after Mastriano.

"If you're willing to do it," he says, goading them, asking if they're willing to be transgressive enough to do what he's about to lead them through. Challenging them to go in on it with him.

He damned well knows what he's doing.

Notice the hype man in the audience, of course. "Oh yeah!" he shouts. Instantly. He knows what this is too. - I mean, after all, he's part of the show.

The audio is interesting too. As a study in technique.

Mastriano does the "AS ONE" shout twice, first to demonstrate, then with the group, barked both times. Listen to the difference. It's partly delivery, but not entirely. He has his sound crew doing something for effect.

The second "AS ONE" has a countdown, which is extremely useful for this live, and it. is. punched.

It's sharpened, brought way up very quickly to a hard high but very level compression for the first part of each word. Puts a real sonic pow on each syllable.

I can think of a few ways to do it. It's not difficult - in and of itself, it's just showmanship. But they've practised it. And it's effective.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with using stage technique. That's fine. It's what he's using it for that's evil.

Is he trolling? Probably.

Does he also mean it? Absolutely.

That's what 2016 should've taught everyone: you can troll and completely mean it at the exact same time.

See also Laura Ingraham:

See that smug little smirk? She knows what she's doing and how people will react.

And people were right to react, because you can be a smug little trolling asshole and a smug trolling would-be fascist at the same time.

They love trolling us with this shit. But that doesn't mean they don't mean it.

Someone trolling as a Nazi is still being a Nazi.

And that's the Republican Party of today.

Give them power at your own peril. Because they will use it.

[emmamountebanks]

Not inspired at ALL by my job at a build a bear, wdym?

Emma Dylan and Max wreck havoc upon a build a bear. How you may ask? (prolly not but I'll tell you anyways)

Max gets Dylan something, Dylan gets Emma something and Emma gets Max something. Max is very sweet when recording something for Dylan (maybe a song he likes or just a nice lil message like 'Hey Dylan, you're doing great :]' hes just vvv sweet), getting him a lil frog :]. And he shells out a lil more cash to make the frog smell like strawberries

Dylan is the worst person to ever get a build a bear from I am so sorry to Emma. The bear? The most brightly coloured fucking unicorn you can find (im not kidding the hooves are like a disco ball. 0/10 to stuff) The recording? The most sappy thing to ever walk this earth the employee accidently played it and turned bright red but he has NO SHAME and was super smug about it. Emma will kill him and he will laugh. The heart? He shelled out to make it beat to scare the crap out of her when the unicorn just starts to vibrate.

And Emma,,,oh sweet Emma,,,,poor Max, she's just cackling thinking about what she's gonna do. A recording, the vibrating heart, bubblegum scent, the whole shabang. The song is his least favourite pop song of all time just to torment him, he plays it and its the song he has to skip or mute or change the station because he CANNOT STAND IT, and there it is, in the cutest Tom Nook plush (bc he totally plays animal crossing with Laura) and he cannot escape it any longer.

Anyways they'd get kicked out of the build a bear. I don't know why they would, but they would. Max is mortified. Emma and Dylan think its the funniest thing ever. The employees would think they're the funniest fucking thing ever as well but they're just disrupting the peace

i did not know i needed build a bear brinivybank until reading this just now this is incredible

living for the idea of them just being obnoxious as possible in their gifting but also full of love. bet they get kicked out because they keep trying to go in more gifting circles like "EMMA CAN YOU GET ME THAT ONE" at high volumes and parents with their kids are just staring at these three grown ass idiots pointing at various colorful animals like 🤨

[lovesomehate]

Laura studies is working at a local clinic and North Kill and Max is a deputy under Travis.

Laura starts to get bored of Max because he got full of himself after becoming a deputy. But after she discovers that he has such a cute boss she starts appearing at the precinct with cookies and whatsoever wearing little summer dresses and throwing glances at Travis.

One day while visiting Max ends screaming with Laura in front of everyone and Travis intervenes. Laura gets that as a chance and breaks up in front of everyone.

She storms and Travis follows her and give his card if she feel like talking.

Next week she invites him to her house with a excuse like ... She baked something as a 'thank you' and he can't deny her because of all the convincing thinks she told him.

They end that night with some kisses and eventually they get together.

I can only imagine Max seeing Laura again at the precinct with her usual good and feeling smug thinking she's there to try get him back just to see Laura making a bee line to the Sheriff's office.

The blinds are open and everyone have a open show of Travis greeting her and getting special treatment if you get me 😏.

Max becomes a laughing stock this time again.👍And no one gets in his side because them saw the way he treated Laura.

Travis and Laura have their own group of supporters(more like shippers). And the others officers will get no shit if someone try to shame their boss and his lovely girlfriend( I mean .. The guys are already planning our couple's marriage in their minds).

Ndjwfkajfakg please I love this au 😂😂😂😂 Laura is the precinct’s little princess that the sheriff is very much in love with 😂

Everyone basically ships them (except poor Max 😂)

Psh like anyone would try to shame Travis to his face. If they say something about Laura he gets pretty pissed off and if you try saying something about him you will be dealing with a murderous Laura 😂😂😂😂 also the other cops don’t appreciate any of them being badmouthed 😂😂😂

[rachaelswrites]

How’d You Know

Tom Holland x Sister!reader

Word Count: 593

Requested By: Anonymous

hi! first of all, i absolutely LOVE your blog ♥️ it's like the only place i can read actor!daughter stuff that's actually good😂 second of all, could i please request a wyatt x holland!reader (i noticed you didn't have any yet), where paddy catches the reader at a cafe or smth with wyatt and tells the other brothers (and haz probably) and they kinda corner her during dinner one night and are like "so... u have bf?" and she's like "wdym?" it can end however you want just a concept. thanks!

A/N: I changed this just a little and it turned out more into a Tom x sister!reader

On the rare occasion you and Wyatt were in the same city, you took advantage of it. You were barely home these past few days and everyone had noticed. Tom was also home and he expected you to spend time with him not, not staying out of the house. 

You and Wyatt hadn’t told anyone you were dating. It had only been a few months and you didn’t want fans or the media getting in the way of your relationship. You either hung out at Wyatt’s hotel or went to a restaurant and kept your heads down. 

You and him had just ordered lunch at one of your favorite places. You were too busy talking to realize that Paddy had entered with a few of his friends. He spotted you, with Wyatt, and connected the dots immediately. You had mentioned a while ago you thought he was cute and would love to go out with him. He thought you were just joking around, not being serious. 

You had gotten home a little later than Paddy. You and Wyatt went out after Lunch and did some shopping. You walked in the front door and Paddy was sitting at the kitchen table, “Did you have fun today?” he asked. 

“Yeah I did. Why are you asking?” you took your jacket off and hung it up, shooting your brother a questioning look. 

“I saw you today. Having lunch with someone,” he responded. 

“Am I not allowed to eat with friends?”

“You can but, Wyatt’s not a friend. He’s your boyfriend,” Paddy said, a smug look on his face. 

You shot him a confused look, “What do you mean? Me and Wyatt aren’t dating. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you walked past him but he grabbed your arm and pulled you back, “Let go of me Paddy. Or I’ll get Tom.”

He let go of your arm. Everyone knew you had Tom wrapped around your finger and he’d do anything for you. 

“Not if I get him first. Tom!” he yelled. You knew where he was headed with this and you tackled him on the floor to keep him from talking. 

Tom came running into the room, followed by Sam, Harry, and Haz. Tom pulled you off of Paddy and helped him off the ground, “What are you two doing?”

“Y/n’s dating Wyatt,” Paddy said. 

“No I’m not,” you argued back. 

“You so are. I watched you guys kiss and hold hands.”

“You were stalking me? That’s so creepy.”

“Hang on hang on. What is happening?” Sam asked, “One at a time please.”

Paddy started, “I was out at lunch and I saw her and Wyatt eating lunch. Then, I saw them leave holding hands and they kissed. They're totally dating.”

“Y/n? Do you have anything to add?” Haz asked. 

You shook her head. Tom looked like he was going to faint. He didn’t want his little sister dating anyone. 

“No,” he said, “You’re not dating anyone.”

“Well I am so,” you said shrugging, “It’s not really a big deal Tommy. I’m old enough to have a boyfriend.”

“No you’re not,” you crossed his arms over his chest, “You can’t have a boyfriend.”

You crossed your arms over your chest, “Would it help if you met him first?” you knew Tom would never like any boy you ever dated. Even if he was prince charming, he would never accept the fact that you weren’t his baby sister anymore. You were growing up. 

“Oh I’m definitely meeting him. Can’t say I’ll like him though.”

Taglist

@ssebstann @peachyprincessss @emmy-writes-sometimes @dudele @prentisswrites @laura-naruto-fan1998 @multifamdomfan12 @aquariuslavenderhoney @rafehogwarts @vxidsti1es

[beetlebumxo]

I Kind of Like Crazy (smut)

I Kind of Like Crazy (smut)

Pairing: Early 00s Damon x Reader

Word count: 3,916

Warnings: SMUT, language, the usual smut warnings... 

A/N: Based on "psycho" Damon from the Gorillaz Charts of darkness/Bananaz, also slightly inspired by the show "Ratched". Thank you to my friend Laura for this prompt/working out some of the ideas with me. As a backstory, (well, canon from CoD) Damon went "insane" as he claims he was "beaten up by cartoon characters" and ended up in a mental institution. This is the setting for the story.

--

It was his first day here, he had gotten into a fight before coming in. His face was scratched up, and a long white bandage was wrapped around his (presumably) aching head. 

"My name is Y/N, if you need anything just ask for me." I chirped while looking down at him. He was slumped in a chair, holding his head up with this hand, resting his elbow on the armrest. He was so intense, jaw clenched, staring down at the floor.

"Yea.." he said, barely raising his head to look at me. 

"Mr. Albarn.." I began as he lifted his head, barely moving his lips.

"Damon.." he mumbled in a soft, quiet voice.

"Damon… do you understand why you're here?" I questioned, trying to get a better look at him, but he only moved his head slightly towards me.

"Look, I've told you a thousand times…" His deep, tired voice was laced with frustration, I didn't want to push him anymore on the subject. 

"Listen, they're going to keep you here while the investigation is ongoing. There's a growing concern for your well-being, and I---"

"And you what?" He shot back, now looking directly at me through the long lashes that lined his blueish-green eyes. I straightened myself up as best as I could -- trying to brush off his somewhat rude response.  "And.. I believe you saw something. But right now I'm here to make sure you're ok, are you ok?" He just nodded.  “Ok, Damon, ok, just let me know if you need anything.” I said as I made my way out of the room.

------

(A week later)

Standing outside the building, leaning against the cool brick, I took a moment to take in the events that occurred over the last week.  Damon had finally taken a liking to me, or so I thought. He had this intensity about him and yet, he could be so silly and child-like. I had to admit I was very attracted to these qualities. He was so incredibly handsome, right down to the little cut on his perfect nose. The more I thought about him, the more I knew how wrong this was.

"Fuck, this is not good, Y/N, not good," I muttered as I reached for a cigarette.  

I rested my head against the wall and closed my eyes, the warm smoke filled my lungs -- I slowly exhaled trying to let my troubled thoughts go.

"You know, smoking is bad for you." There he was again, batting his box of cigarettes in his hand. Damon removed one long white stick from the box, brought it up to his lips, and began to light it. 

“Wait, how did y---” I began, but Damon interrupted.

"I like to live a little dangerously, love." He smiled, holding the cigarette between his imperfectly perfect teeth. His grin suddenly grew a little wider. “And well, maybe a little bribery goes a long way?” 

He winked and grabbed the cigarette from between his soft pink lips, to now rest between his slightly bruised fingers. I loved his hands, they were truly just as gorgeous as his face--  a little dirty, ragged, with perfectly placed veins. 

He paused, shifting his gaze from his cigarette over to me again. "Tell me, why do you always do that?" He said, cocking his head to the side.

"Do what?" I smiled softly.

"Well, the way you.. kind of, sort of -- wrap your hair around your finger when you're nervous, the way you, uh,  bite your lip when you're unsure. The way you always have to make sure your skirt is pulled down low enough, because sometimes you're just a little insecure about that scar on your leg, yeah?"  

He smiled slyly at me. I squinted my eyes at him, somewhat flattered he had been paying such close attention to me.

"I see you've been studying me, hm?"   I curled my lips into a small smile, taking another long drag of my cigarette.

"Y/N.." he exhaled as smoke covered his slightly crooked bottom row of teeth.  "You're very pretty to look at, you know?" His eyes were focused on me. I felt heat rising to my cheeks, which were probably flushed by now. 

I cleared my throat --  "Oh.. thank you. You’re pretty easy on the eyes too." was the best I could come up with. I wanted to tell him how he'd been on my mind, how I couldn't stop thinking about him--, but I couldn't bring myself to do it-- that would have been completely inappropriate. 

"Who wouldn't fancy this?" He laughed while batting his long lashes. I could tell he was only half-joking -- he knew he was absolutely gorgeous.

“You are something, Damon.” I shook my head and laughed.  “I have to head back now, ok?” I really didn’t want to break up the conversation.

“Yeah, ok.” He said.

I turned to leave when he unexpectedly grabbed my hand. My hands began to sweat, my heart began to beat fast. I looked down -- his hands were big, his fingers were so long and beautiful, I loved how his hand felt gripping mine, even for that short moment. 

"I'll be seeing you, Y/N" he said with a smile. I smiled back --  this was trouble.

---

(The next day)

I tried not to let on how much Damon had an affect on me. I had to push the feelings down and keep this professional. Damon was sitting on his bed as I approached. I took a long, deep breath--

"Ok, I need to be a real nurse today and check how you're healing." I chuckled, bringing my hand to his chin to examine him. I tried to choke down all of my feelings and simply do my job.

"So, what were you on the other days, then?" He smiled a small devious grin.

My hand just barely touched his skin, but I could start to feel a slight tightness and warmth in my stomach again. He was even more beautiful up close - those blue eyes, that perfect nose -- and a smile that just melted my heart. I must have been studying him a little too long, I could feel his eyes on me. 

Just then, Damon lifted his hand to my wrist, moving it in such a way that we were now face to face.  Everything was happening in slow motion, as I stared into his eyes. He reached out pulling me closer, leaning into me, his lips inches from mine-- his warm breath on my face 

*click* -- it was the door handle. I jumped back, breaking the tension--it was only my colleague doing rounds. 

"I, I, I should go.." I stuttered as my heart and mind were racing. Damon just smirked at me, he knew exactly what he was doing. 

"Aww..." he teased. He looked me up and down again, I shifted my eyes quickly around the room. I didn't know what to say, the whole incident had taken me by surprise.  I walked back into the hall and tried to pull myself together again. 

--

(The following day)

I had success with avoiding him for most of the day -- this gave me more time to think about how to handle whatever this was. Oh, but he was so perfect. I let out a heavy sigh -- I needed to take a break to just clear my head. I made my way to the small back stairway. The door slammed shut behind me, echoing through the empty space. As I reached the platform, I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Ahhhh what the fuck??” I yelled.

"Shh, shh, love it's only me." It was Damon reassuring me. His hair was slightly messy, poking out from the white bandage that was still wrapped tightly around his forehead. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“Ugh, Damon!” I looked at him angrily, but after a few moments my face softened “Oh....... fine. I can’t stay mad at you.”

“Few people can.” he winked.

“So let me guess how you got out..hmm..let’s see...” I placed my hand on my chin --   "You know, I’m going to just take a guess that you're not used to hearing the word 'No' very often are you?" I said with a small smile, assuming that he had charmed his way out again.

"You certainly wouldn't tell me 'No' now would you?" He now made direct eye contact with me, turning more serious and intense. 

"That depends on what you're asking --- Damon."  I gave in and reached out, playfully running my finger up his arm. There I was touching him again, I couldn’t help myself. I noticed his little slightly indented tooth as he smiled at me.  He grabbed my arm and pulled me close, my breath hitched.

"What am I asking? Oh, Y/N.." his voice cracked a little bit-- his tone was so dark, deep and sexy. I could almost feel the heat radiating off of his body as he leaned in close to my ear.

 "I've seen the way you look at me, and how you shift your body.." his lips brushed my ear "..when I do this" he began to run his calloused fingers over my hand.  I felt a jolt of electricity run down my spine, these feelings were too much--  "I mean, do you really think you could tell me, 'No' now?" He smiled a smug, overconfident smile. I felt pressure building in my stomach. I pulled away and looked into his eyes again.

"Mhm, you know, this is not very….professional. “ I teased.

Damon now had a devilish smirk across his handsome face. He backed me against the railing and ran his large hand against my cheek. He slowly leaned in and kissed me. Pressing his lips to mine I opened my mouth as he pushed his tongue in. I felt a rush, and a throbbing in my core. He held his hand against my jaw and continued to explore my mouth. I brought my hands up to his jaw pulling him into me, tasting his mouth on mine. The pressure was building up inside of me but at the same time, it was a release, as if this most basic craving for him was finally being satisfied--even if only briefly. 

"Too much?" He smiled. I stood there watching him, I wanted so much more. He smirked then clicked his tongue as he walked back up the stairs. What a tease he was.  I braced myself against the railing, breathing hard. "No…. no, it wasn't too much. Oh….. shit." I muttered, unsure if he could hear me.

--

I lingered against the railing for a few minutes, taking in what had just happened.  I took a moment to catch my breath before making my way back upstairs. My entire body was aching for him. My breaths began to quicken, as I thought about his lips, his hands, his body pressing into me. 

I made my way back to the office, it was very late now, almost everyone had gone home. I went to tidy a few papers before leaving, when suddenly, as if on cue, he was at the door--

“I couldn’t stay away, and I know you didn’t want me to.” He began.

"Oh, I don't know.." I smiled.  "But, what are you bribing those nurses with, again?" I teased. 

"Well, wouldn't you like to know?" He flirted back, leaning his tall frame against the door.

"And just maybe I would....could it be you're just one of those… naughty boys?". I didn’t care to keep this professional any longer -- he had pushed me over the edge -- 

He chuckled, closing the door behind him. He walked up to me pushing my back against the desk. As I gripped the side, he began to run his fingers along my hand and slowly up my arm. I could feel my body temperature begin to rise from his movements.

"Maybe I'll just show you what a naughty boy I really am."  Oh, the way those words rolled off of his tongue -- "Y/N…. I'm not actually crazy, but you are driving me completely insane." He said.

“I kind of like crazy, Damon. I need more." I purred. My next breath was caught somewhere in my chest, I could barely breathe feeling his body pressed tightly against mine. Pressing his long fingers to the side of my neck behind my ear, he stretched his hand out just enough to run his thumb very lightly over my bottom lip.  I closed my eyes and tried to steady my breathing.

“Are you sure?”  He tilted my head up and began to leave a trail of small fiery wet kisses on my neck. "Like that?" My body was completely on fire now. All I could mutter was a breathy "Like that....." 

He shifted just attention back to my mouth, pushing his large tongue in so deeply. My hands slowly began to roam his sturdy, strong body. I managed to squeak out a few words as he pulled away for a moment.

"Wait--” I had a moment of clarity, before I was swallowed again by his charm. “Do you know how much trouble we would be in if we were caught right here?" I asked.

“I told you, I like to live dangerously.” he replied, grabbing my face with his hand pulling me closer to him while running his thumb over my lips again, this time smearing my lipstick all over my mouth and chin. I grabbed his hand and began to kiss and suck on his beautiful, long fingers, leaving small traces of whatever lipstick was left. He began to push his fingers in and out of my mouth, slowly at first, but then a little faster.  I could tell that he liked what I was doing to him as the bulge in his pants grew.

I grabbed his face, kissing him again, pushing my tongue back in his mouth, running it over his crooked bottom row of teeth --  I sucked at his bottom lip gently taking it between my teeth. 

He grabbed my hips with his large hands and sat me on the side of the cherry wood desk, the pressure from his fingers on my hips was almost too much for me. He brought his hand back up to my face and began to kiss me harder, slowly moving his lips to my neck as I carefully ran my hands through his hair.

My body tingled with nervous excitement as he began to unbutton my uniform, starting at the top, working his way down. His lips were back on me, slowly kissing my collar bone. I threw my head back, letting out a soft moan. I wanted him to devour me whole. 

He moved down to my chest barely grazing my skin with his teeth. He made quick work of freeing my breasts from my tight bra. Cupping my left breast he began to suck and lick at my soft sensitive skin. Running his thumb over my nipple, he brought his tongue to my right breast, slowly licking while squeezing my left. It felt so good the way he was paying attention to exactly what my body needed. I could only reply with another moan as I felt a wetness pool beneath my panties. 

He sat down in the chair and pulled me to the edge of the desk. He slowly pushed my legs apart revealing my completely soaked panties, and began to slowly rub his finger up and down over and over again. 

"Why don't you let me take care of you for a change, darling?" he said. 

“Yes.. please.. please...” I panted.

I felt him press his warm tongue against the wet fabric of my panties. Feeling his warm breath on my thigh, he began to slowly lick long wet stripes up and down my underwear. With the pressure of his tongue and the tip of his nose against the thin material that was so close to my heat, I only wanted him to remove the barrier between us and push his tongue in, but he only kept teasing me.

"Oh, Fuuckkk ...." I whispered, as I watched him continue to tease me.

He stood up and finally removed his shirt and unzipped his pants. Oh, he was so big I almost gasped at finally being able to see what he had been hiding from me. He stood against the desk and ran his long index finger along my panties but this time looping them around his finger and pulling them off. I could feel the cool air hit my wet core.

"Oh, just look at you." He hissed as he licked his left index finger and pushed it deep inside of me. His words alone were enough to push me over, but I held back. My body jerked back as he began to finger me.

"So good.." He whispered in a low voice, as he pushed a second finger in and began to pump them in and out. He muffled my moans by placing the fingers from his right hand in my mouth, while the fingers from his left hand were inside of me. I began to ride his hand hard while clutching onto the side of the desk. He rubbed my clit more and more with his thumb, pushing me closer to the edge. 

His hard cock was now directly against my wet folds as he stood between my legs, I wanted him to just finish the job so badly. He looked at me in awe, watching the pleasure across my face. I leaned forward pulling his face down to me, licking his wet lips. I lightly kissed and licked the little cuts and bruises across his beautiful face. I slowly moved my hips against his hard cock. "Mmhm," he moaned, trying to control himself as he began to buck his hips against my core.

"Fuuck, I want to be inside your tight wet cunt" he moaned.

“Please..." I begged as I thought about how incredible he would feel inside of me.

"Please what, love? Tell me what you need.". He moved his ear up to my lips. Fucking tease.

"Take Me. Fuck me…..  Ruin me." I said as I grazed his ear with my teeth, lightly pulling at his little hoop earring. 

“Ruin you?” he chuckled, pretending as if I had offended him. “I don’t know if I---.” 

Before he even finished his sentence - with one quick motion, he was deep inside of my wet, aching core. I let out a gasp as he began to thrust hard and fast, hitting my spot almost every time.

"Damooonnnn.. " I moaned. He pulled me up into a sitting position on the desk, pushing harder into me. I leaned into him, wrapping my legs tightly around him-- he began to pant and breathe heavy in my ear, while every now and then, kissing and licking at my shoulder. His eyes were dark and filled with lust, his breaths were quick and ragged.  I loved the sounds he made -  small little groans of pleasure. I gripped him, digging my nails into his burning skin, hoping to leave my mark. He looked so delicious, screwing his face up whenever I would clench myself around him as he buried his face into my neck.

"You feel..so.. incredible.." he said in between heavy breaths.  I bit my lip hard as I felt my stomach tighten again.

I felt him pull away, removing himself, causing me to let out a small whimper. His strong arms flipped me over, pushing me down, bending me over the desk. My breasts were now pressed tightly against the wooden surface.

He teased me again with his tip, running it up and down my wet folds, as he leaned forward, pressing me down, his large hands directly on top of mine, I felt a slight pressure from the weight of his body -- but I wanted to feel him so badly. I wanted to feel that force on me. He slowly began to kiss and lick my ear.

"Fuuckkk ---" was all I could get out before he slammed back into me again. I could feel his hands now gripping my shoulders, I felt him push his thumbs into my back-- hoping he would leave a mark on me, too -- I wanted to be his. Reaching his left hand over, he began to rub my clit harder and faster as he thrust into me. He was so big, and I was so wet. I could feel the edge of the desk rubbing against me, which made it harder for me to maintain control, it wasn’t going to be long. 

Damon let out a few low, sexy growls as he pushed into me -- it became too much. My orgasm hit hard.  I threw my head back as my whole body clenched and tightened. My legs went weak as I finally released all tension -- I could hardly hold myself up. Damon removed his grip and I pushed myself up from the desk. He was so gorgeous, his beautiful face was just staring right at me. 

“Oh, sweetheart, that felt good, didn’t it?” He smirked, while rubbing himself. I still wanted him, even after those intense waves of pleasure washed over me, I still really wanted him. He had such an affect on me.

“You really know what you’re doing, huh?” I managed to reply.

“I’ve had some practice.” he smirked again. “Mmm..now.. how about you help me feel good?”

I nodded. I would have done anything he asked me to. I laid back down on the desk, as he stood between my legs. I let out a few moans to try and entice him. “You are so fucking beautiful, tell me, where do you want it?”

I moved my hand to my stomach, I watched it rise and fall quickly with each breath. I was still trying to recover.  Damon began to rub himself harder. I watched as he threw his head back in pleasure. “Mpphh”. He moaned. It was so hot just watching him, knowing I was the one he wanted. His breaths became ragged as he reached the edge - suddenly his whole body jerked, as he released his warm, hot liquid on my stomach. He was breathing so hard. I was sitting up on my hands, leaning towards him. He reached out and pulled me close to his face, gently kissing my salty lips.

"That was.. everything I hoped it would be, love.” He paused.  “I just can't wait until I'm out of here."

I pulled back, looking him in the eye. "Oh..?" I said, not sure what he meant by that response. Damon could tell that I was a little concerned.

"Oh..” he chuckled. “Sweetheart, so we can do this all of the time, you know..?” His face was flushed and still slightly sweaty. He was so fucking gorgeous, I still could not believe what just happened. "I really, really want to take care of you. I want to do this properly, love. You deserve that. I want to make you feel so good. You're incredible in so many ways" he continued. “I want to be with you, if you'll have me.”

I grabbed his face, slowly running my thumb over his pink-tinged lips. His eyes were soft, he looked even more handsome, if that was even possible. 

"I would love nothing more...." I closed the space between us and brought my lips back up to his; I felt him smile. 

[kurt-nightcrawler]

How to know if the lost girls have a crush on you

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐩! 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

Warnings: mentions of drug use and language

Word Count: 1.9k

A/N: I know requests aren’t open jddndjdj but I enjoy writing for the lost girls so enjoy!!

Darcy

Darcy is a sucker for romance

She’s a bit shy and awkward, despite her semi-scary looking demeanor 

(She’s 6’0 and has resting bitch face)

Darcy isn’t going to be super obvious or up-front about her feelings at first though

It will be the cliche “we’ve been friends for 10 years and everyone knows we like each other except us” 

Darcy will always have a hand on you. She wants to feel your presence 

subtle touches, little “pinky holding” or her playing with strands of your hair

Her poking any freckles you have when she first discovers them

You’re one of the few people she let’s mess with her hair. Which is a telling sign

“Your hair looks nice Darce” “thanks, (Y/N) did it” “oh worm? 👀” 

She loves having you run your hands through her hair, it soothes her

Sometimes, if you can’t make it to the cave— bad weather, car trouble, etc.— shell come over and you guys watch a movie together

Darcy’s got an extensive tape collection of rom-coms, so she’ll pop one into the tv and snuggle under covers with you

She’s probably going to ask to borrow your clothes if she’s “really cold” since she exclusively wears sports bras and her leather jacket

Also she likes that your sweaters and sweatshirts smell like you 

But you’ll definitely have to have been friends for awhile before she even CONSIDERS telling you how she feels

“I live forever. I have to be sure about my feelings and what if I get rejected?” “Anyone who rejects you is stupid. Almost stupid as Michelle—“ “HEY!” 

But overtime she’ll try to make things more obvious— to the point where Pauline and Marcella are teasing you both and then she kind of HAS to come clean

But you find it sweet! 

And a bit shocking, someone as powerful and strong and amazing and gorgeous as her, has feelings for YOU??? damn okay babe 

Dominique 

Dom is going to be a bit cold at first

It’s not necessarily intentional, but she just has this aura of mystery around her

Those icy blue eyes that peer into your soul

And anyway she wants to get to know what you like and if you like her

If not, she can’t exactly force you 

Cough cough Michelle cough cough

 Anyway, Dominique will try to learn about the things you like so you have something to talk about

Even if they aren’t her cup of tea. She’s a good listener and likes seeing your face light up and you so passionate about a subject/hobby

Dom is going to steal buy you things she thinks you’d like

“You said you liked cherry chapstick. I got you some.” “I got you some chips and your favorite soda in case you’re hungry” “Here. I saw this giant care bear and thought of you.”

It’s sweet, but you feel a bit flustered and embarrassed, not giving her anything in return

“Seeing you smile is enough, Kitten”

Speaking of! Pet names! 

Dominique finds using your full/actual name too personal

So if you have a nickname she’ll use it. If not she’s given you pet names— most notable are Kitten and Pumpkin

She’s not big on physical touch but sometimes she’ll put the idea of it into your mind so you want it

She won’t manipulate you, but she wants you to come to her. She’s had too many bad experiences where she confessed first, and she doesn’t want another one

So when you do finally confess to her she’s all smug and knowing

“I um… I really like you… and uh well—“ “I know.” “Oh…” “I like you too.”  “Oh!”

 Marcella

She’s going to be playful and flirty with you but quick to deny anything the other girls accuse her of

“No I don’t have feelings for (Y/N)! Shut up!” “Haha you so do!”

She’s rowdy and high energy but also more quiet than Pauline

So she’s not going to just blurt it out or recite sonnets for you

Instead she’ll give you a patch she was going to put on her jacket. Or make you a cool little pin

She’ll constantly hype you up if you’re wanting to try new fashion styles or wear something out of your comfort zone

“You look amazing! Better than any girl out on the boardwalk” “You really think so?” “I would never lie to you. Honest.” 

She’ll let you braid her hair and stick all kinds of colorful little clips and barrettes in her curls 

(I know they weren’t popular until the 90s but imagining covering her hair in hundreds of little butterfly clips!) 

Honestly she’ll be like those movie scenes where “do you like it?” *it’s hideous* “if not you don’t have to wear it!” “No. I’m never taking it off.” 

She asks you to help care for her pigeons so you guys can bond together more

“Does Pauline or Sebastian usually help you feed them?” “No. No one does. I don’t let them.” “Oh…”

If someone upsets you she's ready to go and have them as her meal for the night

Sometimes you have to stop her

“Look! Cathy from my work is a total bitch but you can’t kill her! I won’t have anyone to cover my shift tomorrow”

“Fine… You're lucky I love you”

“What?”

“What?” 

She’d probably accidentally tell you and then act like she has no idea what you could be talking about

“Well I like you too. But I dunno… Dom’s pretty cute too—“ 

“Oh that’s it!” She’s definitely smothering you in little kisses and tickling you, getting you say you’re sorry and say you think she’s the cutest

 Pauline

She’s just going to blurt it out point blank. 

Why wait? If Pauline likes someone, she likes someone! She may be immortal but she’s also immortally impatient 

She tells you she likes you so much you start to think she’s kidding

But she’s not! 

She’ll bring you baked goods edibles and take you out to concerts and maybe steal your shoelace to wear on her wrist

Sometimes you’ll have little “sleepovers” and you’ll hangout at the cave. Usually this means sharing a joint and watching her play songs on her guitar

She’s definitely not exclusively playing romantic songs for you

One night she’ll get high and just pour her heart out to you

“And I think you’re one of the coolest people I’ve ever met, and I’ve met a lot of people, babe… And sure, I’m definitely a bit ditzy but I’m not completely stupid! I know you don’t believe me, but I really really like you! I think about you a lot and I hate when you have to leave right before the sun rises. And on nights you can’t hangout with us it’s so boring! We do the same things every night, but you always make them special. I really like you babe… I really really like you…”

She’ll wanna take you out on a little date to one of the small bands playing on the boardwalk and you’ll both dance together and she’ll be real giddy and excited and probably kiss you but it’s really messy and quick because she was just so wrapped up in the music! 

 Michelle

She’s really obvious

Like, staring at you with heart eyes when she first sees you out on the boardwalk

She’ll try to not-so-subtly follow you around. She’s not being creepy, but she just wants to admire your beauty 

She thinks she’ll never see you again

Imagine her surprise when she sees you again! 

“Told you! She probably lives around town” “Shut up Sam!” 

You’ll eventually confront her and ask what her deal is

“Oh! Uh, um, well, I just— I... like... your outfit?...” 

She’s bad at coming up with an alibi

“thanks. I get most of my clothes at the thrift store away from the boardwalk. Wanna join sometime?” “Uh yeah! Sounds good!” 

She’s going to do some dumb things to impress you— racing on her bike, getting more piercings, dressing in lots of leather, offering to buy you food— but you think it’s cute

She’ll follow you around like a lost puppy at times, partially cause she’s new in town

Sam likes you though!

When you and Michelle hangout, you’ve usally got the braincell and you don’t tease Sam for liking comics so much

“No Samantha, I’m not taking you to the comic shop” “Aww Sammy I will!” “Thanks (Y/N)! You’re the best”

Honestly you knew the whole time she liked you! You had moments of doubt but she’s always so obvious about it. Once you even swore she drooled over you

A bit gross, but you were also eating ice cream so…

Visiting her at work! She’s a lifeguard down at the beach! She’s definitely trying to get you visit her ;) and go swim and sunbathe ;) maybe have her “perform cpr” on you ;)

But you’d still have to make the first move if you wanted it to go any further 

 Sebastian 

He’s got this aura of mystery around him 

But he’ll steal glances if he spots you in the crowd, thinking you’re cute

The lost girls will want him to bring you back to the cave

He will, but not for awhile

It will be small one on one hangouts and dancing together on the boardwalk 

Walking in and out of shops, saying you’ll buy things but you never will

Sebastian will offer to pierce your ears and paint your nails 

Night swimming together! 

Sebastian definitely has really floral swim trunks, almost like tacky dad Hawaiian shirt print 

He’ll do the thing where he’s under water for a long time and then jump up and scare you

Once you meet the girls you’re all playing games together like sharks and minnows, chicken

Sebastian always wants to team up with you though. Even if teams aren’t a part of the game

He likes to read. He’ll spend a good amount of time at the bookstore on the boardwalk, staying there for hours reading books, and leaving with a whole stack

If YOU have a book he wants to read/borrow he will definitely maybe leave a little sticky note in it as a thank you

“thank you! ur sweet :D <3” 

Laura will love you!! 

She’s very close to Sebastian and everyone thinks they’re siblings, and they most definitely have the dynamic 

So if Laura likes you, Sebastian will definitely like you. I mean, he already does, Laura just kind of seals the deal, ya know?

Dominique and Pauline will be the most blunt about Sebastian’s feelings for you

“He’s like Darcy. Not necessarily the most obvious but you can tell” 

“It’s so obvious. He like, talks about you all the time when you aren’t around and he’s got this real love sick look in his eyes”

Dominique is going to interrogate you to see if you’re “worthy” or not of Sebastian. 

“Sebastian is my— our friend— like a brother almost. Hurt him and I will kill you :) that is a promise” 

Once she deems you good enough she’s going to push Seb into asking you out. “You guys already go on enough ‘dates’ just make it official” “no” “-_-“ “hhh fine”

Sebastian is going to be really simple with it but also kind of coy and shy. He’s nervous. He’s much rather you asked him out or confessed your feelings but he’s willing to go first. He finds himself trying to compete and keep up with the girls. He’s the only boy, and while it may not matter he doesn’t want to seem weak and pathetic while they’re big strong vampires

Anyway once he tells you how he feels he’s all red in the face and nervous!! Poor boy

He’ll constantly ask to kiss you all the time, worried maybe you don’t want him to but you’re always reassuring “yes, Seb. you can have a kiss” “thank you” 

[wannabe-fic-writer]

Natasha Romanoff x Reader : Prove Me Wrong

Summary: She can trust you, even if she doesn’t know it yet.

Warning: 18+ Mental Health, Mentions of Death, Mentions of Violence, Smut

Chapter 12 - Final Chapter

* * * * * *

Natasha’s lithe fingers follow the trail of your spine, her touch on your bare skin gently stirring you from your sleep. 

The touch halts, lingering on a darker spot on your hip. Using the tip of her finger she traces the pattern of the birthmark. 

She hadn’t noticed that before. Just another thing about your body she’d learned in the past few days. 

While you weren’t sex crazed, after your first time together, you and Natasha had become much more sexually active. Almost every available night you spent tangled up in each other. 

That didn’t happen of course until after you’d both had a long and understanding conversation about what had happened. 

Now though, you’re both closer than you had been before, in every way. 

Natasha moves, leaning down to press a soft kiss to the mark on your hip, before curling into your back and kissing your neck. You, basking in her warmth and gentle touch, cuddle back into her and grab her hand, lacing your fingers together and holding it to your chest. 

“Good morning lyubov moya.” She speaks softly, each breath fanning your neck. 

You turn in her embrace, a sleepy smile on your lips,“ morning malyshka.”

A faint blush coats her cheeks as she ducks her head. Making you chuckle and press a kiss to the top of her head, arms tightening around her. 

Looking to the nightstand, your eyes widen when you realize you’d both slept well into the day, the time reading 11:35. No doubt due to the previous nights activities. 

“Tash, we should probably get up.” You tell the woman, just barely upset you’d wasted half the day.

She groans, somehow snuggling into you further.

You didn’t think you’d ever see the day Natasha Romanoff didn’t want to get out of bed. The woman consistently wakes up before the sun rises. 

“Don’t you just want to stay here with me?” Her words are a whisper against your skin and you shiver involuntarily. 

Biting your lip, you try to build a firm resolve in your head, but with the way Natasha’s fingers keeping gently stroking your skin, and the small pout on her lips, you fold.

Playfully groaning, you nod,“ I mean I guess we can stay in bed a little longer.” You look up to the ceiling in fake thought before meeting her gaze again.

"You make it seem as if this isn’t exactly what you want to be doing.” She teases, eyebrow quirked at you challengingly.

Of course she’s right. What right minded person wouldn’t want to stay in the arms of their love. 

Instead of indulging her smug attitude, you lean closer and press a kiss to her lips. She moves to deepen it, her lips adding pressure to yours. And then she pulls away abruptly. 

Eyes wide you back up a little, in case you just did something you shouldn’t have,“ what? What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing I just, I have to pee.” She smacks a quick kiss to your lips and crawls out of bed.

You nod, then watching her sprint to the bathroom. While she’s in the bathroom, you use that time to get up and pull on some clothes, also picking up the clothes you and your girlfriend had discarded last night.

“This does not look like staying in bed.” 

Looking, your eyes move to the bathroom door where Natasha stands, hands on her hips. You can’t stop your gaze from trailing over the woman’s naked body. Every inch of her is beautiful: scars, curves, birthmarks, freckles, everything is breathtaking.

You nod and shake your head at the same time,“ yeah no I- well I was just tidying up is all.”

Green eyes narrow and she points to the bed. With a chuckle you obey, crawling back under the covers, and accepting Natasha into your arms when she crawls in afterwards. 

The both of you sit in the silence, reveling in each other’s embrace. A low hum leaves the ex-assassin’s lips when your fingers graze her scalp as you comb through her hair. The soft affection from you making her smile a little.

“Hey,” she squeezes you gently,“ I love you.”

Smiling brightly, you kiss the top of her head,“ I love you too Tash.”

Just holding her makes you beyond happy and you can’t express how glad you are things worked out. 

Seeing as you hadn’t exactly practiced what you preached, you hadn’t seen the benefits of total honesty with your partner. Now that you’re both on the same page it’s the most incredible feeling.

Natasha’s proven to be the most loving, understanding, and caring woman. Knowing that she can trust you wholly has her acting in a way she didn’t think she ever would. You’d pulled out this childlike happiness that she wasn’t allowed to have in the past. Moments like this: being affectionate and playful, happening more often. 

It’s not until Natasha’s stomach rumbles from hunger that you decide to get up. Leaving her to take a shower, you head out to the kitchen.

“Good morning Buck, Mister Rogers.” You nod to both men. 

They smile back, Bucky good naturedly patting your shoulder as you pass by.

“Looks like you slept well.” Steve notes, earning a scoff and chuckle from Bucky. 

“Or not at all.” 

Wide eyed you look back at the man, who sports a knowing grin. Steve’s cheeks heat up and you refrain from retaliating to Bucky purely for his sake. 

That doesn’t mean a comment isn’t made though.“ Jealous Rogers hasn’t put out yet?” 

All eyes fall to Natasha as she comes in smirking at Bucky and winking at Steve. You sigh, shaking your head at the woman’s antics and focusing on making her something to eat. 

As you cook, you engage in conversation with the three. They make it known that there’s been a spike in missions lately, something to do with some mad scientist over in California. 

Setting a plate down in front of Natasha, you ask,“ so they’re just mass experimenting on people and there hasn’t been any news on it?” 

They all raise their eyebrows at you as you sit to eat as well.“ What kind of news would you expect? It’s not like they’re interviewing the bad guy.”

“Well no, obviously, but if there’s suddenly a bunch of enhanced individuals tearing up the west coast I refuse to believe there are no reports on it. Some kid who saw them and posted about it, a family noticing their relative missing or showing abnormal abilities, hell a news report on some kind of superpowered mugger?” You explain yourself. 

You may not be here as a superhero but you’ve seen the way the public reacts to them. When the Avengers came out there wasn’t a news station that didn’t cover their every move.

“She’s right,” Natasha nods,“ we keep looking at underground channels instead of plain ole media.”

Both men share a glance, Steve then leaning forward and looking at you,“ where would we start?” 

A small chuckle leaves your lips,“ honestly, I’d go straight to social media. I don’t know what kind of programs or whatever you guys use but if you searched a particular word combination,” as you speak you go to wash up the few dishes you and Natasha had used,“ like superhuman + California it’s likely you’ll find something. Everything is always all over social media.” 

“So-”

Natasha quickly cuts Steve off,“ okay okay she’s given us a lead, let’s talk about it with Tony.” 

Both men nod, all of you understanding Natasha’s reasons for stopping it here: she doesn’t want you involved in this part of their work. 

In one of your many moments of honesty she told you that she would rather you not get into that. The team already comes back from missions and lays all that on you and you’re of course in danger enough just living with them, knowing in  depth mission details puts you further in danger and she refuses. 

And you’d also told her you genuinely didn’t want to be that involved anyway. As cool as you’ve seen being an Avenger can be, you have no interest in actually being one. Their therapist is a position you’re more than happy to fill. 

“Fellas, excuse us.” Natasha nods to them, taking your hand and pulling you back to your room. 

You can’t help giggle when she pushes you on to the bed and goes right back to cuddling you like you hadn’t left the bed in the first place. 

That’s where you both stay for the next few hours. Even when you decide to do something else she keeps you in her arms. While you play on your switch she watches over your shoulder, sporadically presses kisses to your neck, and asks what the heck it is you’re doing. 

Until the time approaches for you to get ready for tonight. Pepper had insisted that the couples of your friend group go out for the night. First dinner and then going to a play Tony had scored tickets to.

Wanting to be comfortable and still formal, you decide to wear a black pant suit, the top you choose is a solid black bralette, and you pair it all with a simple pair of black heels. 

“Zip me up?” Natasha steps out of the bathroom and turns her back to you.

As you do so, your eyes roam over her figure in the mirror. How she can make such a simple green dress look so beautifully elegant you don’t know but you love it. 

“You look gorgeous, love.” You tell her, pressing a light kiss to her shoulder. 

She smiles as she looks at you,“ as do you malyshka.” 

Once you both have everything you need, you leave out. Bucky and Steve are waiting for the two of you by the door and together all of you climb into Bucky’s truck.

Everyone meets up at the restaurant and are seated after confirming that they’re a part of Tony’s dinner party.

Admittedly you weren’t too sure about this whole thing for a number of reasons, but your worries fade away throughout dinner. 

There’s an amazing energy flowing through the group. It’s beyond entertaining to see the matching sass between Tony and Maria Rambeau. The woman is just as witty as Carol which makes their interactions with the billionaire very entertaining. 

You find yourself jumping from about three different conversations, one being with Pepper, Laura, and Natasha, the other with Clint, Steve, and Bucky, and of course the one with Tony, Carol, and Maria. 

Funnily enough, the first conversation sounds a lot like what you’d expect to hear from three wives, wine and partner complaints galore, with the guys it’s mainly sports(Bucky and Clint aren’t too happy about the MLB playoffs), and as mentioned, the last conversation is very sassy. 

“-if I can fly my suits I think I can fly a fighter jet.” The man continues is his argument.

With a chuckle, you look at him pointedly,“ Tony, my friend, pick your battles,” then you take a bite of your dessert.

Natasha notices the way your eyes widen and you eagerly take another bite. Her elbow gently nudges you and when she gives the cutest little pout you know what she wants. So you scoop another piece of the food onto your spoon and hold it out to her. 

A hum of approval leaves her and you smile, wiping a spot of chocolate off the corner of her lip, which elicits her to lean in and kiss you. 

The bubble pops when Tony speaks,“ it’s like we aren’t even here.” 

His words make your friends laugh, Pepper reaches over to smack his arm,“ pay him no mind, you two are adorable together.” 

“Natasha and adorable? Never thought I’d see the day.” Tony further teases.

“Hey T, remember when you lost that bet to me and had to wear-”

“Aye aye okay,” he raises his hands in surrender,“ no more teasing I got it.”

Pepper covers her laugh with her hand, knowing exactly what you’re talking about, and everyone else looks at you and Tony expectantly. But you smoothly change the conversation and everyone soon moves past that moment. 

Almost everybody. 

It’s after you’ve sat down at the play venue that Natasha brings it back up. 

The lights dim and she leans into your side, you wrap an arm around her, and the actors walk on to the stage to begin the play.

“Y/n,” she pokes your side making you look over at her, voice a whisper, she asks,“ what did Tony have to wear?” 

Resisting the urge to laugh out loud, you lean over to whisper in her ear,“ assless chaps.” 

Her jaw drops, the corners of her lips lifting in amusement,“ you’re kidding.”

You shake your head,“ it’s a long story but the moral of it is that Tony should not underestimate me.”

Even though your eyes are trained on the play you can feel Natasha still looking at you. 

If you were looking at her though, you’d see stars in those green orbs. Better yet hearts. You would see how absolutely in love with you she is. And she genuinely can’t believe it.

Had anyone told her, when you walked through the compound doors, that she would’ve fallen in love with you she would’ve laughed. And she would’ve been more wrong than she ever had been in her life. Because here she is staring at you like a lovestruck idiot.

You’d managed to come in and completely flip her world upside down. 

“Miss Romanoff, you’re missing the play.” A teasing smile masks your lips as you look down at her. 

Before you can turn away, she’s gently grabbing your chin, and kissing you. 

“Thank you.” Her breath fans your lips. 

“For what?” You frown.

“For proving me wrong. At every turn. You’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever met-”

“Shhhhh.” A voice interrupts from behind you and you turn around to find a frowning, clearly pissed off, older man.

Locking eyes with him you whisper/yell,“ hey buddy my girl’s trying to profess her undying love for me, if you could just not butt in that’d be great.” With a thumbs up you turn back to Natasha,“ as you were saying.”

The woman shakes her head amusedly,“ I love you so fucking much.”

Even though you can tell she has more to say, it’s obviously not the best place for that. Besides you know the two of you have all the time in the world, so you simply kiss her again,“ I love you too.”

* * * * * *

taglist: @username23345 @muffliat-o  @aaron-despair @natasha-danvers​ @wildhoney32 @criminallyhamilton @fayhar @nat-km-mh @chicken-wang09 @trikruismybitch

[friendofhayley]

Hooray for all content creators in all fandoms! Y’all make the world go round! This is April’s round-up of fics I read and recommend from multiple fandoms. This fic rec includes 9 fics from the Teen Wolf, Harry Potter, and One Direction fandoms!

Drarry (Harry Potter)

1. Nero su bianco by @zuzallove | oblivious boys in love - we get to see what Draco could have been thinking during 7th year Hogwarts - lots of drama, if you’re into it - Narcissa knows all and is great - 40k

September 1997. Hogwarts is under the regime of Voldemort and the Carrows. Finding himself alienated by both his friends and his supposed enemies, Draco puts quill to parchment, and writes letters. He addresses them to the only person he can think of, as Hogwarts rapidly falls into chaos and ruin: Harry Potter. He goes to great lengths to ensure the letters are never discovered, and he’s pretty certain he’s done a great job.

Until the day of his trial.

2. What’s Eating Draco Malfoy? by @actual-howlinglikeaseaturtle | this is a re-read so it’s v v good - cw eating disorder, suicide ideation, alcoholism - Ginny & Draco being friends is just so special to me - also everything is handled very well - 75k

"Tragedy struck today when Anorexia Nervosa claimed a young boy's life," he spoke loudly. "Very sad. He will be missed by one person, maybe two. Awful. Now to the weather with Carl!"

Ginny could not help herself; she burst out laughing. She didn't know what was more absurd. The way Malfoy joked about his own death or the fact that he had watched muggle TV. Muggle news even.

"You're a bloody lunatic!" she snorted, and Malfoy's smile widened.

Sterek (Teen Wolf)

3. Exactly Like You by Jerakeen | Pride and Prejudice AU whoo whoo!! - werewolves are known - stereotypical A/B/O - but everything else is the same except Scott leaves town with Derek after S1 - 70k

“It was Jackson’s idea,” Lydia explains, looking perfectly serious while standing in front of a March Madness bracket of Beacon Hills’ eligible bachelors.

Jackson looks smug. “It only makes sense.”

Stiles meets Isaac’s eyes over the heads of all the crazy people in the room. Isaac shrugs with a slight wince. “’Tis the season.”

4. But Then What... by Stoney | Derek is the same age as Stiles! - I just love how they’re written like real (horny) teenagers - they’re just so bad at communication - also Jackson is a Jackass - 24k

Senior year is almost over, and all Stiles needs to do is keep his head down to survive. A teacher calls in a favor, leaving him stuck tutoring Derek Hale, one of the most popular jocks in school and a member of a group of douchecanoes who have bullied Stiles for years. He's someone Stiles totally hates. Totally. Like, doesn't like him even a little bit. DEFINITELY isn't attracted to him.

Except that is a total lie. Fuck his life, seriously.

5. We’ll be Better Around the Second Time by @jordansaysno | I don’t know about y’all but this hits my wish fulfillment for running away from home in high school - side Isaac/Scott which is very cool - Stiles deserved better tbh - happy ending - 26k

It's been months. Months of fading contact with the pack. Months of the silent treatment from his father. Months of nothing but himself and the occasional lesson with Deaton to entertain him.

It's too much, and eventually, Stiles leaves.

For years, everything goes great, until of course his dad gets injured, and he is suddenly forced to deal with people he thought he left behind in his past for good.

6. Fireman Derek’s Crazy Pie [Cheeseburger Baby] by @thegloryof | this is such a classic and what I turn to when I’m really craving pie - NYC fic - some parts are just delicious to read (and not just for the food porn) - misunderstandings - 17k

“He can't blame me for the fact that I live in a building full of people united in the singular effort to ogle Hot Fireman as often as humanly possible."

Laura laughs, loud and echoing in the empty restaurant. "Hot firemen can make a girl do crazy things," she agrees, nodding towards her brother's name on the menu. "Derek won't let me date anyone from his company, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the eye candy."

"Send them my way," Stiles suggests, finally loading up a forkful of pie. "Apparently I'm incompetent enough that I need to be babysat at all times, because it would be cheaper than dispatching a truck every time I try to use a kitchen appliance."

7. Don’t Feed the Wolves by Amazonia_8 | another classic fic that’s also hot - cw: Derek thinks Stiles can’t consent - werewolves are known - the jailhouse scene is constantly replaying in my head - 30k

Stiles took the dare, because what else was he supposed to do when the whole lacrosse team was chanting his name? Even though the werewolf pack had left Beacon Hills years ago, nobody was stupid enough to set foot on the Hale property.

Except, apparently, Stiles.

Now he's got a feral werewolf following him around town with the sole purpose of claiming Stiles as his own.

Larry (One Direction)

8. take my hand (and my heart and soul) by @anylessreal | aaaaaa this was so good! - just so much misunderstandings, but it’s so cool that the audience/Harry don’t know what’s going on too! - amnesia - friends to strangers to lovers - 45k

Harry feels nauseous when he opens his mouth. "Hey. Um, hi. It's me," he mumbles before realizing with a jolt that Louis might not have his number anymore. "It's Harry... Styles," he tacks on, screwing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose. This was a terrible idea.

There's silence on the other end for a long time. Harry understands. He shouldn't have called. He tries not to let the static swallow him whole.

"I – yeah. Hi," Louis finally answers, slowly, awkwardly. "I um. Sorry. I heard about your accident. You're alright?"

9. thinking about the t-shirt you sleep in by @absoloutenonsense | this was another re-read!! - traditional A/B/O - misunderstandings due to past abuse (not done by the boys) - get ready for some high/low emotions - 52k

Harry's alpha fraternity donates to a local thrift shop (because of Liam's latent crush on a cute beta in his lecture). Louis' financial situation (and confusing omega instincts) lead him to make some interesting fashion purchases. Lots of pizza, feelings, and not-really-lying.

[planetchii]

THE MEGA NICHIASA SHITPOSTING REPORT

NOW WITH THAT GREAT 2 WEEK LATE TASTE

Tropical Rouge, Culture Festival! Everyone Together, Let's Put Make-Up On Aozora!: The Tropical girls are getting ready for the best time of the year: The cultural festival. And in true Tropical Fashion, the girls decided to hold make-up classes for all visitors. But while planning just the right make-up to teach the novice children and grown adults, Laura gets suspicious that Minori is looking over to her ex, the Literature Club. I mean, when you up and disappear into the library, it's kinda hard to not think that you're looking for an escape route. But it's fine because they totally have enough people to help with the make-up classes. As long as Minori stays in the clubhouse.

That being said, distancing yourself from the rest of the group isn't very cool, Minori. Now you have a suspicious smug fish being all suspicious. And being a detective. And asking questions. A lot of questions. And she would ask even more questions if Manatsuu and the Smug Fish Laura's homeroom booth wasn't short-staffed because the kids with that shift decided to get an early head start on getting their Yaruki power stolen.

Meanwhile, the Lazy Trio has clocked into work, and Chongiri drew the short straw today. Guys, he just wants to cook. He wasn't trained for this. And he certainly wasn't trained for being kidnaped by a bunch of martial artists to run their grilled squid booth. Even if it's the most fun that he's had. At least right up until the point where he remembered he was still on the clock. At least everyone is busy.

I mean, really busy: Sango is still teaching people how to put on lipstick properly, and Asuka is trying to make sure no one cuts the line. The only one who the Broadcast Club could interview for the Tropical Club was Minori. Who turns out to be a secret master of the make-up arts.

The lesson the monster should have taken away was don't touch books. Books are supposed to bring people joy. I feel like I've heard that before. It also turns out that the reason Minori left the Literature Club is because her sempai quite literally read The Great Book and that story was already written, and therefore boring and too familiar and unoriginal. Again, I feel like I've heard this before. But that's okay because Minori's stronger with the Sword of Logos Tropical Club.

Reviving A Legend! The Pretty Cure's Power-Up Makeover!: After getting the results of a contest that the girls were not aware they were part of, The Tropical Club finds out that they came in second in the "hey, this booth is pretty cool" contest. Everyone is so excited that even Kururun even has to say something in front of the School newspaper. In other news, the girls suddenly develop a love of ventriloquism. Before telling Kururun to do their best impersonation of a statue.

Elsewhere, the Witch is waking up from a nightmare when her ex-girlfriend up and left her. If only her ex just didn't have the energy to leave... she probably should have given her ex's money back. But on the plus side, the Butler finally does something! He heads to the nearest watering hole and figures out a way to make polymer slime. While that is going on, Manatsuu and Laura are having a loving conversation over who is the most Tropicool.

After a nice long conversation, Manatsuu and Laura head to sleep, where Manatsuu meets the legendary Precure in a trippy and glowy dream aquarium. Manatsuu probably shouldn't overeat at dinner. Especially when she nearly drowns in her own dream.

But in the morning, the Girls start heading to school, only to have the Butler's slime experiments come up from the depths of the town's canals. So the girls transform and try to find the source of the Yaruki power, only to have the Aqua mirror 404 error on Cure La Mer. But while trying to find the source of the Yaraneda power, Cure Summer learns that Kururun is a good listener and has not moved since the beginning of the episode.

Meanwhile, the villains really still have no idea what their actual job description is. They're now working to form a union because they don't even know why they have to do all of this extra work. They're just a maid, doctor, and cook respectfully. They have also decided that union dues are due at the end of the month. Nuremi will collect.

Elsewhere, Cure Summer has picked up one (1) Kururun but ends up having to sacrifice herself to save the good sealo. And while Summer is now being farmed for Yaraneda power, Kururun becomes the new Cure Summer. All Hail Cure Kururun. Only to get hit with friendly fire via Cure Papaya's eye lasers. RIP Cure Kururun.

But with the power of Friendship (TM) and a new Mirror (buy our toy) Toei actually giving a good budget for an episode and some new barefoot dancing, The Butler's polymer slime experiment is defeated. This type of leadership should be the Student Council President. Revice, The Devil is Just a Bad Guy?!: It's time for a company review of last week's (lol), super conference where FENIX was super happy to show off their belt and their choice for a Rider in front of the whole world and one over-excited family. Since it didn't go too well, someone's getting demoted as punishment. RIP Hiromi's commandership. Perhaps he shouldn't have tried to be a hero, because now instead of a belt, he has a contract to become a magical girl I mean, have a deadman walking around. And now, the one that they wanted to be Revice in Daiji, has become a go-for to get his older brother to sign a contract to also become a magical girl I mean to work for FENIX, since he's not scared of the belt. Daiji can't win.

Meanwhile, in a golf competition, an older brother and younger brother are fighting over who has the better swinging motion, and who has the better golf knowledge. The fighting gets so... well, not intense, but belittling for the younger sibling, so much so that he gets fired as his older brother's caddy.

Don't work for family. (I say that as a younger sibling too.) But at least he was sold this spiffy new contract by a personified alcohol person. Alcohol for your soul. Salespeople are getting real pushy with their selling.

Meanwhile, back at the bathhouse of Happiness, Daiji has come back home to offer Ikki an offer he can't refuse.

Ikki promptly refuses it. Something about needing more bare butts in the tubs. And probably wouldn't want to trigger Vice's fight or fight harder instincts. But in the mists of the "Please, Ikki, there's a 300,000 yen signing bonus" fight to get Ikki to work for FENIX, the dad apparently found a live stream of the golf fight. Fight or Fight Harder instincts fully engaged, Vice possesses a bike to get to the action faster. Regular bikes are for squares; get your demon-powered bike now at your local bike store.

At the golf course, Ikki and Vice transform. And while Ikki was actually doing his not-his-job, Vice went off to do some selling. He'll be denied no fights. At least until the new VStamp pulls him back in to become an Eagle. After beating the older brother's contract deadman, Vice goes back to selling things. At least until Ikki undoes the transformation.

But good news, everyone! Mama is almost completely healed from almost being eaten unceremoniously. And soothes Ikki's fear and tells him that plenty of people have had 2 jobs before. I mean, look at Vice, selling things. He sold the younger golf brother on visiting the Deadmans and getting his own Deadman. That's some A+ selling.

Not the right selling, apparently, since Ikki is pissed. We're not supposed to be selling the Deadmans, we're supposed to be selling the bathhouse. I mean the bathhouse services. And as punishment, Ikki fights this new Deadman without transforming when Daiji notifies them of this new, totally out of the blue and not sold to, Deadman. I mean we can't have other lives in danger.

Tasked with either apologize and fight properly or not fight at all, Vice agrees not to sell shit like Deadmen again and finally gets that magical girl contract. After beating the second Deadman of the day, the two golf brothers make up as much as siblings are willing to, for the low price of their stamps.

Hostage Trouble, What To Do Brother?!: While hanging out at the best-awarded rave place in town, the Deadmen are trying to look for a way to revive their head of ravers, and peanut butter named villain Jif I mean Giff, with a new recruit, a walking hood. Meanwhile, while Mama is trying to support her middle child, in a surprise to all middle children everywhere, an eviction company came to evict the bathhouse. Ikki proudly states that they will never be evicted from that spot, despite the father's best attempts.

Elsewhere, Sakura and her best friend forever Ayaka are going shoe shopping, where Ayaka finds these really nice sparkly shoes. Since Ayaka was not invited to her little sister's photoshoot (instead opting to bring her mom), it was only fair to bring about the shopping therapy. But it turns out that one of them has a stalker following them. And that stalker has some Deadmen foot soldiers. He really has this thing for Ayaka. But Sakura has a cellphone, and calls for Ikki, since we're not doing hide the identity thing.

When Ikki gets to the scene of the crime, he tells them to run, only for the stalker to throw a Pokeball and catch Ayaka. He also demands Sakura, a woman who could probably kick his ass, or he'll kill off Ayaka. But live your dream dude. No kink-shaming here. But they agree because killing people is bad. But is then interrupted by the Kong Deadman. At least Daiji comes in at the right time with the 555 suitcase, now holding the Revice Driver.

While in the midst of a hard-fought battle, the Deadman runs to where the girls are kidnapped, and while chasing this Deadman, Revi and Vice run against another alcohol personified man who wants to make a bargain: The girls for the stamps. This leads the new Go-For Daiji to go back to the FENIX Inc., and retrieve the new stamps, and takes a look at the new P-Bandai belt. Daiji asks if it's possible for him to use that belt, only for George to do his best Ankh impersonation and laughed in his face.

In a sign of kindness, the stalker allows Ayaka to call her mom, who tells her to bug off, she's watching her daughter work the cameras. It sucks to know you're not the favorite.

Elsewhere, the trade is going down, in the following fight allows both of the stamps to go back to Ikki and Vice who pull off their best Den-O impersonation, and end the fight. And in the confusion, Sakura breaks out of her confinements and kicks the ass of the stalker, proving that if Toei doesn't make her a Rider they are missing an opportunity. Sucks that it seems the stalker isn't the actual contract holder.

Back at the Rave Central, The Hooded Intern has these new sparkly shoes.

Zenkaiger, No. 27-kai! A Great Voyage Through Seven Worlds!: After hearing that his mom is still alive and has escaped her deep sleep can on Tojitendo Kikaitopia, The Zenkaiger group starts looking for Kaito's mom Mitsuko. Despite their best efforts, including a massive Google search by Secchan, they still can't find her. This leads to the thought by Gaon that maybe she escaped to a whole other world.

Since it was a good thought, Kaito asks his boyfriend Vox if he can borrow his pirate ship to go look for her. He promises to fill it back up with gas. What does it take, diesel? Regular?

Vox doesn't allow this because Kaito has no driver's license. I mean, neither does Vox, but Flint does and Flint has the keys.

Meanwhile, Stacey hates his job and now is sent on a wild chase to find a woman he may or may not have let out for the sake of his adopted grandma and ice cream supplier. Truthfully, it wasn't entirely his fault. It's not like he attacked the warp gate like the others when he may or may not have left the sleeping pod open.

Back with the heroes, Vroom and Gaon stay behind because Toei's budget is running a little tight. Can't have all that CGI and stuff after spending all that money on the CGI for the other worlds. There are budget concerns to think about, you know. But the remaining heroes board the Pirate ship and Magine sets about looking for Mitsuko with her crystal ball. But because the Pirates have no time for proper seancing, they just start picking the closest worlds to our heroes' world and work from there. Mr. Su is everywhere, by the way.

And after going to worlds where they are called perverts, nearly arrested, and freeze to death, in that order, Stacey arrives with his entourage of other people looking to cash in on overtime and says that all of the other worlds are getting visited, because she didn't just go back home, and not because they shot themselves in the foot. Instead of searching for clues in the Ice World, the Zenkaigers and Twokaizers head off to the Mushroom Kingdom. They did not see any plumbers, however. But, they "find" "Mama" "Mitsune" before Stacey and his crew of merry overtime workers, and a fight breaks out. After beating this wave, the Pirate ship heads off to Earth, much to the relief of Stacey who just wants to make Yatsune happy. Only to be told to follow them. Leading to another battle on Ice World. Stacey better be getting paid time and a half for this. The Zenkaigers win again and head back to Earth. But after the fight, "Mitsuko" takes off the magical disguise to show that it was Me, Magine! (not actually this writer.) with the hope that the bait and switch will get Tojitendo Kikaitopia to leave the other worlds alone, and just focus on them.

No. 28-kai! Weekly Shonen Manga World of Great Illustrations!: Kaito finally got his learner's permit to drive interdimensional ships and is going on a drive with Flint and some of his friends for practice before his big test with the Experienced Driver Flint. Vox has decided that is not his scene and is hanging out at Colorful, on Kaito's dime.

As someone who loves discovery, Vroom has made a big one: Vox is an Otaku. Vox loves him some manga. This is cool since Vroom is also a Manga Sommelier. And so is today's world, Manga World. And Manga World is working on his new hit piece for not-Shonen Jump about the everyday lives of the People of Earth. The pages even move! Now with exclusive Zyuran and Magine chapters! This is a limited edition, so make sure to get yours soon.

Back at Kikaitopia, the entire Tojitendo is still not happy about losing the Eve to their Adam. It'll be fine guys. It's not like there's someone there who'd sell you guys out for one ice cream parfait or something. He's too busy trying to get intel and how to get the father out to really mess with his own dad.

Back at Colorful, the Comics and the Not-Comics are having a conference about how to deal with Manga World. Kaito thinks that because Manga is just "drawing" and "some words" and some "Ink" that anyone can be a Mangaka. That it's sooo easy. This may or may not piss off Vox (and this writer.) about how people think it's so easy to be a Mangaka and storms off. Probably to an art room to make his Manga.

So because plan A didn't work, they go with plan B and buy the latest edition of the most popular manga. And after unbinding the pages of the latest Tankobon of Kimetsu no Yaiba and laying them off on the floor, Manga World starts trying to collect and read the pages. Kaito, thinking he's a ninja tries to steal it while he's reading, only to be caught and sent to the Manga page world. That Limited Edition now has a Kaito Chapter. Only 50 made! (Use the Ninninger or Hurricaneger gear next time.)

But this gives just enough time for Vox to drop ALL of his doujinshi and Original Works onto the floor. The Manga World loves the fact that they're seeing this new work about a pirate in space, looted, in true fashion, from Mangatopia. So much so that Vox does what pirates do best and swipes the limited edition not-Shonen Jump.

Everyone transforms to fight, including the comic pages. And proceed to fight and win, with half of the time acting it out in comic pages. And all the people are freed from their comic pages. I hope you got that limited edition not-Shonen Jump before it was too late.

And while Vox used that manga to save his family, he'd like to get it back now. Too bad Yatsune has ordered that manga back to Mangatopia. If he doesn't tell, will he get to keep it?

[shipmistress9]

FTLOAP: Interlude 7: Secrets And Plans

For The Love Of A Princess Masterpost

Alpha/Co-author: @athingofvikings

Taglist: @drchee5e @hey-its-laura-again @thepixiedustfactory​

AN: Originally, I'd wanted to post this update on my birthday last week. But that didn't work out, too much RL chaos. Ah, well, have the update now. ^^Another interlude? you may wonder.

Yep, it's another interlude. And not the last one coming during the next chapters. There are a lot of things happening behind the main viewpoint of Hiccup and Astrid, and they need attention. This one contains some hints that are important to me. And I finally got around to write some Dagret fluff. :D

Also, many people commented guesses about what's happened there to Hiccup at the end of the previous chapter. I'm sorry, but we're not returning directly to Hiccup here, so you still won't get an answer. All I can say is... that so far, nobody guessed right. O:) Also, there's a hint I gave on the ATOV-Discord server, so it only seems fair to give it here, too. I might be pulling a WIMTBC here...

Read on AO3

. o O o .

???

His steps echoed off the empty corridors, hard and deafening. He had to hold himself back from outright running toward his goal. It wouldn’t be appropriate for a man of his rank. But even worse, such a run would surely draw the attention of a guard or servant, and secrecy was vital to his every action.

But, oh, he couldn’t wait to get back to his private room! The piece of paper he carried hidden in his inner pocket seemed to weigh as much as a millstone, seemed hot like a coal, burning a hole right into his skin. If anyone knew about this message…

But no. Who was left to notice, anyway? A smug smile tugged at his lips. As much as he loathed the latest developments, they’d still given him the perfect excuse.

Once he’d reached his room, he narrowed his eyes at the servant hustling about. The young woman was only cleaning dust, but still. That was more company than he was comfortable with at this moment.

“Thank you, but that is enough for today. You may leave now,” he dismissed her in a composed voice.

The young woman looked up in surprise, then hastily bowed. “As you wish, your Grace.”

He wandered over to where a carafe of wine stood, and poured himself a glass, watching the serving girl from the corner of his eyes. He put on a show of not paying her any attention as she left, but as soon as the door closed behind her, he placed the glass back onto the sideboard, the wine untouched. This was not the time to cloud his mind with a drink.

Impatiently, he rushed over to where a fire was burning in the hearth, low but consistent, and threw a fresh log in. Then he pulled out the piece of paper from his pocket. It was small, the writing clipped.

“We agree with your assessment of the situation. D.M. has outlived their usefulness. You may dispose of them however you please.”

A satisfied grin spread across his face. Finally! Content with the content of this message, he went to get the glass of wine from earlier and watched as the note burned to nothing but ash in the hearth. This person had been a thorn in his side for years on end, but now, he could finally use his influence to do something about that. Their days were numbered.

. o O o .

Dagur

Dagur tried to be as gentle as possible, he really did. Even so, he couldn’t prevent Eret from hissing and wincing at nearly every motion. And he felt sorry for it, he really did! He didn’t want to cause his boyfriend pain, not like this, at least. But most of all, he just found it hilarious.

“I can’t remember you ever being so whiny,” he said in a cheerful voice as he applied the healing salve Fishlegs had given him for the wound on Eret’s chest.

Eret grunted. “I wouldn’t be complaining if you were just a little more careful,” he threw back, but Dagur didn’t buy his overly offended attitude.

“No, I don’t think that’s it,” he replied. “I mean, come on! Do you remember the brawl we once started? In that little tavern in the middle of nowhere?”

“You mean the brawl you started,” Eret threw in, but Dagur opted not to listen to him, lost in fond memories.

“And do you remember how that coward called over some twenty of his friends because he didn’t want to face us both? Okay, maybe one against two wasn’t exactly fair, but… twenty? Talk about fairness.” He cackled. Oh, that day had been fun.

Eret rolled his eyes. “But you remember they didn’t actually beat us up, right?”

“They didn’t?” Dagur’s brows furrowed. “Huh. I could have sworn I woke up the next day with a pretty mean headache. Didn’t someone smash a bottle on my head?”

Now, Eret chuckled. “Yeah, you woke up with a headache alright. But not because we lost a fight. One of them eventually realised who we were, then they apologised and every single one of them insisted on ordering a drink for us. And while I was sensible enough to quit after four or five beers, you insisted on drinking them all, mine included. Hence the headache.”

Dagur frowned, but then just shrugged. This didn’t line up with his memories… but he couldn’t say he had anything to dispute Eret’s version, either. However, ultimately, he didn’t care either way. “Whatever,” he said cheerfully. “That’s not the point, anyway. The point is, that you’re awfully whiny, and this wound isn’t even that bad. When did you become such a wimp? Or…” An insinuating grin spread across his face. “Or is it just that you enjoyed it more when it was Hiccup tending to your wound? He sure seems to have some gentle hands.”

At that, Eret laughed. “Wasn’t it you who made joking comments about how he might end up with Hiccup if Swanja and I were to get married? I think I recall hearing something like that. And it didn’t sound too sorry, either.”

“Eh,” Dagur waved Eret’s words off, knowing it was nothing but lighthearted banter, anyway. "Well, I won’t deny that Hiccup is cute in his own way. I mean, Thor, that boy has an ass! Wait… did I say that out loud? Ah, whatever… Yeah, he’s cute, but he’s not my type.” He threw Eret a wink, which made him fondly roll his eyes in return. “But back to the point! I can’t remember you ever being so whiny when he tended to your wound, and this time, I was sober. Mostly.”

Suddenly, a smirk played around Eret’s lips, making Dagur cock his head in curiosity. “Maybe I was just hoping you’d put in the extra effort and kiss it better.” He peered up at Dagur, a twinkle in his eyes.

Dagur laughed. “Oh, all right. I see.”

Without warning, he jumped onto the bed, tackling Eret and pressing him down into the sheets. Play-fighting and wrestling for positions was always great foreplay, and also this was an excellent test of how sturdy the bed was. If it couldn’t hold up with them, they were better to replace it now instead of in the middle of the night.

Eret grunted as if in complaint, but didn’t really resist and even placed his hands on Dagur’s upper arms, rubbing over the fabric of his tunic to feel the muscles beneath.

“If this is what you want…”

Dagur shifted until he was straddling Eret’s hip, and with a grin leaned down to kiss the skin around Eret’s wound. He was more gentle than their usual energetic making out, but Eret seemed to appreciate it. He was humming, the rumbling in his chest pleasant against Dagur’s lips, and he placed his hands on Dagur’s shoulders, caressing, feeling him.

Content with the slower pace for once, Dagur enjoyed this form of treating Eret’s wound far more for a while before he eventually moved further down. His lips found a pert nipple, circling around it teasingly before they closed around it in some fun mixture of a kiss, a bite, and suckling.

“Nng, Dagur,” Eret groaned. His hands grew tense around his shoulders, fingers digging deeper in obvious longing.

“You all right there, Chippy?” Dagur mouthed against Eret’s skin, grinning when he felt something poke against his thigh.

Before Eret could reply, however, a knock came from the door, making them both groan in annoyance.

“That’s got to be the food Hiccup ordered to be brought here for us,” Eret muttered. He rubbed his face, then reached for his tunic after Dagur had climbed off him.

Dagur waited until he was dressed again—even as he internally bemoaned not being allowed to ogle his half-naked lover any longer—then opened the door. Just like Eret had predicted, it was a servant carrying a heavy-looking tray with three portions of roasted meat and vegetables.

“Your meals, Sirs. Hopefully, they will be to your liking,” the boy said cheerfully. There was a hint of awe on his face. It was an expression Dagur had become used to, even as he couldn’t understand where the fuss about his person was coming from. He might have gotten born into an important position, but that didn’t mean he was automatically special.

“Also, the inn-keeper wanted me to ask whether the accommodations are to your satisfaction,” the boy went on.

Dagur had to suppress a smirk. It would have been way more satisfying if you hadn’t interrupted us, he thought to himself. Outwardly, he nodded and gave the boy a—hopefully—easy smile. “Aye, everything is all right. Thank you.”

The boy nodded, awkwardly shifted his weight from one foot to the other, but then excused himself.

The food turned out to be surprisingly good. Not as well-seasoned as the meals they’d got at the castle over the past months, but still better than what he’d expected. Which was good. They had to eat enough to cover for Hiccup’s absence, after all. But then, how much would a scrawny guy like him eat?

“Do you think he’ll be all right?” he asked a little while later, chewing on the last bite of tender meat from Hiccup’s plate.

With a slight grimace, Eret put down his fork and sighed. “I hope so,” he muttered. “If it doesn’t, if this plan doesn’t work… then I don’t know what to do anymore.”

For a moment, those words dampened Dagur’s mood as well. Yeah… If they couldn’t get Hiccup into a position where he was eligible for Swanja, then she would have to marry Eret after all. The thought on its own didn’t hurt as much as it did in the beginning. Strategically, Eret and Swanja would still make a good match, he could admit that much. And the reminder that his and Eret’s relationship couldn’t last had only made him appreciate this small reprieve even more.

But for Swanja… If she and Hiccup couldn’t be together, then it would break her, break both of them; the past weeks had shown that clearly enough. And watching her wilt and die inside would be so much worse than to eventually give up on Eret. For one, he was prepared. For the other? Never!

But then, sitting here and brooding wouldn’t do anyone any good.

“Eh, I bet he’s already found one of those beasts and is just about to build a trap or something. He’s smart. And motivated.”

Eret snorted, a weak smile tugging at his lips. “That’s certainly true. And I don’t really have doubts, you know? If there’s anyone who can pull this off, it’s that stubborn idiot of a Haddock. I just wish… I don’t know, I wish we’d already be back and everything’s clear. I want these uncertainties to be over.”

“Ah, but that’s life.” Dagur leaned back in his chair, a wide grin on his face. “If you already knew how everything turns out… where would be the fun in that?”

Eret snorted, but shook his head. “As much as I agree; in this, I wouldn’t mind a little less excitement.”

Dagur threw his boyfriend a thoughtful look, then jumped up on his feet and sauntered over toward him. “Maybe it’s just that this is the wrong kind of excitement.”

With a wide grin, he sat down on Eret’s lap. It made the chair groan beneath their combined weight, but Dagur couldn’t care less. Wasn’t that what people expected of them? For the high lords to trash their rooms and pay handsomely to cover it up? Surely some people thought like that, right? Better not disappoint them.

“I have an idea,” he purred into Eret’s ear. “How about we accept that there’s nothing left for us to do but wait, and make the best of it? And if you keep worrying… well, I can be very distracting, you know?”

He ground down against where he could feel Eret’s cock through his trousers, quickly growing hard in excitement. And at first, he thought he’d been convincing enough to persuade Eret so he would let go of his worries. His large hands landed on Dagur’s hips, bucking up against him as their lips met in a searing kiss. The same strength that on other occasions could reign in even the wildest of horses now held him tight, helping him move as breathing and thinking became secondary.

“We should… nnng, fuck! We should get to the bed or this chair is going to be nothing but firewood in a minute.”

There! He could be sensible. Sometimes.

But as proud as he was of this fact, in the next moment he already regretted having said anything.

Eret grunted, something like a pressed laugh, then used his strength to hold him still instead. “Actually, we should take care of a few other things before we get carried away like this.”

“No, no, no. Moving over to the bed is enough sensibility for now. Everything else can wait.”

Now, Eret laughed for real and even leaned up to kiss Dagur once again. “Mmh, I know why I love you,” he hummed, but then sighed regretfully. “But as much as I’d like to go along with this plan of yours… I know where these usually lead us. And without Hiccup being around, we need to take care of our horses. We can’t let some unassuming grooms risk their lives feeding Crusher or Squish now, can we?”

Grudgingly, Dagur had to agree. “Okay, fine,” he grumbled, and pushed himself back up on his own legs. He held his hand out to help Eret up as well. “Let’s get that over and done with and then—”

He broke off when Eret grabbed his arm but then grunted, his face twisting into a pained grimace and his free hand flying to his injured chest.

“Oooor... how about I go and take care of the horses while you stay here and rest. No, no talking back here,” he said as he put his hand over Eret’s mouth when he attempted to object. “I can do that, okay? And I’d rather have you not constantly in pain afterwards. Now, shush! Lie down. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Not giving Eret the chance to object, he turned and left the room without a pause. As he got to the door, he rolled his eyes a little as Eret called a reminder to be cautious with the horses. Of course, he would be cautious! He could be responsible—if he wanted to. Maybe he would never be like Eret who always had the well-being of those depending on him at the forefront of his mind, but he could try. He had to…

Once in the corridor outside their rooms, Dagur cursed under his breath. Too soon, he chided himself. He at least should have waited for his erection to go down again. Well, it couldn’t be helped now. He would not go back in there and admit his mistake. He could just wait here, right?

Sighing, he leaned against the wooden wall. He really wasn’t good at this, was he? At being responsible and all that? There was no doubt in him that, one day, Eret would become a great leader to his House, no matter how much his grandfather, the old goat, complained. He was smart, reliable, sincere. He truly cared for those around him and surely was going to work hard to do whatever was necessary to make the life of his people better. He always knew what to do.

Dagur, however? He wasn’t like that. His father had never voiced even the slightest complaint, but Dagur knew. He knew that he would be a poor leader at best. It wasn’t that he didn’t want this kind of responsibility. He would just never live up to it. If there was just any other way, he’d abdicate and leave the title and responsibility to someone else, anyone else.

Except that the only other candidate was Heather’s unborn child.

With a suppressed groan, he let his head thump against the wall. Yeah, if there was anyone else… But he would not take away his sister’s baby. He’d given his promise, and there was no way he would ever break it. No, he just had to do his best and hope that it proved to be enough.

If only the stupid law would allow for one of his siblings to take his place. There was no doubt at all that they were their father’s children, his blood. And especially Aren, who was only short of a year younger than Dagur, would be a much better choice. As a Prestr of Odin, he was studying politics and strategy, and in general was so much better at ordinary things like just plain dealing with people. Or keeping his temper...

Dagur let out another sigh. At least Aren had agreed to become his advisor one day. So there was hope that Dagur wouldn’t ruin the entire Grand Dukedom within a year.

“Well, at least these gloomy thoughts served one purpose…” he muttered to himself, glancing down along his body. He pushed himself off the wall and finally headed for the inn’s stables where the grooms welcomed him with a mixture of surprise and relief.

“Sir Dagur! You’re already here, good,” one of the younger grooms exclaimed as he grabbed his arm and pulled him along. It made Dagur smile; the carefree straightforwardness of the boy was refreshing. “With all the visitors that are coming, we wanted to move your horses to other, more secluded boxes, just like Sir Eret had suggested. But we couldn’t find his squire anywhere, and—”

“It’s all right, I’ll help there,” Dagur interrupted him. “Sir Eret’s squire is taking a well-deserved break, better leave him to it.” Eventually, people would notice Hiccup’s absence, but it couldn’t hurt to cover up his departure for as long as possible.

He followed the boy to where Crusher and Squish stood next to each other, and with the usual combination of cooing and humming, he entered Squish’s stall without any complications.

“Right, buddy, it’s just me,” he murmured, and patted his neck as the large stallion greeted him with a nudge to his chest. He wasn’t sure whether making those noises was even necessary for him anymore or whether Squish recognised him by now without them, but he rather stayed on the safer side. “We’re going to move you to another stall, somewhere where it’s a little quieter. How does that sound?”

Squish gave a snort as if in agreement which made Dagur chuckle. Calmed down now, it only took a few minutes to guide him to the other stall, where Dagur left him with an additional apple as a treat.

“Don’t go in there unless there’s no other option,” he warned the grooms. “Better get me or Sir Eret… or his squire. He didn’t get the nickname Squish for nothing.” Suppressing a grin at the almost scared looks on the boys’ faces, he walked back to get Crusher as well. This wasn’t so hard, he pondered as he opened the black stallion’s stall, again cooing at him to keep him calm. See, he could be responsible when the situation called for it. These were only two horses and not an entire Grand Dukedom, but still. He could do this!

Dagur realised his mistake too late.

He heard the apprehensive gasps from the grooms behind him and even saw how Crusher moved restlessly as he entered the stall. But, too sure of himself and his skills, he hadn’t paid it any mind. After all, he knew the noises to calm these horses by heart by now.

Except that those didn’t work on Crusher.

It happened in the blink of an eye and Dagur barely caught any of it. Crusher whinnied, the grooms shouted, and pain exploded in his right foot. It raced up his leg, momentarily rendering him blind, unoriented. He didn’t even know how he’d made it out of the stall.

There were screams around him, calls for a healer. People were running around everywhere. Dagur only registers it throughout a weird haze as every time he tried to get up and tell them he was fine, a fresh wave of pain washed through him and let black spots explode behind his eyes.

“Oh, by Odin’s balls, how did that happen?”

Eret’s voice. Dagur would recognise it everywhere.

“Wrong noise,” he pressed through gritted teeth. He wondered when someone had sent for Eret or how he’d got here so quickly, but didn’t really care either way.

Eret snorted. He was careful as he cut Dagur’s boot open, but it still hurt.

“That doesn’t look good.”

Another voice. Dagur blinked up and saw a woman in the robes of Freya’s order. Her face looked younger than her greying hair made her seem to be.

“I saw what happened,” a young boy volunteered. One of the grooms, presumably.

“Good, Jimmy. I’m listening,” the Gythia said in a calm but clipped voice as she knelt down by Dagur’s foot. Slim hands touched him, gently, but it still made Dagur hiss in pain.

“The black stallion didn’t grow calm like the buckskin earlier. He grew even more restless when the Lord went in, and then stomped on his foot.”

“Crushed is more accurate,” the Gythia muttered.

Dagur cackled, a little hysterically. “Made good on his name then.” Wow, did that hurt!

“This is not funny, Dag,” Eret grunted, and kneeled down on his other side. “How bad is it?”

The Gythia sighed. “There are at least three broken tarsal bones. We’ll bring him to my house so I can put a cast on it as well as give him something against the pain, but…” She bit her lip, then shook her head. “I don’t know if I’m fit to treat such an injury correctly; those bones are small and hard to set.”

“Aye. Sadly, it’s a fairly routine injury among horsemen,” Eret said, frowning. “If he doesn’t get them set right, he might need a cane for the rest of his life.”

“You’re probably right there, milord. All I can say is that he needs to rest his foot now. No putting weight on it at all, for two or three weeks, maybe more. And the best bonesetter you can call for.”

“We should bring him back to Oramond then,” Eret said. “I know that my House has healers experienced with this injury.”

She nodded. “I agree. Jimmy, go and tell Gordan to get a stretcher ready. Can you gather what he needs, sir?”

Eret nodded in confirmation, then the Gythia hurried away, probably to do some preparations or something.

“I really can’t leave you alone for even ten minutes, eh?” Eret murmured.

Dagur let out a chuckle through gritted teeth. “Just imagine how boring your life would be without me.”

“Sometimes, I wouldn’t mind a little boredom.”

Again, Dagur chuckled. He knew how to take this comment. “Well, you’ll get your wish. I hope the next few days will be sufficiently uneventful now.” He paused, then added more quietly. “I’m sorry. I thoroughly ruined these days for us, didn’t I?”

Eret gave him a small but true smile and said in a low voice, “I don’t know. Generally, you just make everything better for me.” Then, before Dagur could reply anything to that sudden outburst of sappiness, he stood up. “Make sure to stay off that foot, you hear me? This is serious, okay? Be careful or you might end up having problems with it for the rest of your life. So be a good patient and let the healer do her work, and I’ll go and gather our things.”

Dagur accepted the advice as serious, but perked up in surprise at Eret’s last words. “You’re what now?”

“Well, I’m not staying here all alone with nothing to do when you need help with that injury.”

Dagur’s lips twitched into a smile, and if he hadn’t been in love with this idiot already, he most certainly would be now. But then, he shook his head. “As much as I appreciate the thought... you have to stay here. Just think about how much it would fuel the rumours about us.”

“You know that I really don’t care about these rumours, right?” Eret scoffed.

Dagur nodded. “I know, and neither do I. But you know as well as I do that they won’t make your lives easier in the long run. So think about it from the other side. If we separate now and you stay here, that would quench at least some suspicions. Besides,” he went on before Eret could protest. “If you leave now, Hiccup’s absence will become obvious immediately. But he needs the head-start. You have to stay here, if only to cover for him and to wait for his return.”

Eret’s mouth was already parted, ready to object. But instead of saying anything, he closed it again, lips pressed together, and shook his head. “By Frigga’s piercing glare, since when are you the responsible one here?” He chuckled at Dagur’s triumphant grin, then let out a heavy sigh. “You’re right, though. I have to stay. But when you go back anway, will you look after Swanja? To keep her company. That is, if you can.” He gestured at the swollen foot, but Dagur refused to look at it. If he ignored it, the pain was almost bearable. “I fear she’ll have a tough time getting through these days.”

Grimacing, Dagur nodded “Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll have an eye on her. Make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.”

. o O o .

In the day since his accident, Dagur had been hauled back to Oramond on a stretcher slung between two horses, which had been ‘fun’. He was of the opinion that it was probably a great way to train sailors against seasickness, especially when the village Gythia’s potions against the pain had worn off. Once he was back in Oramond, he’d had his bones set—a ludicrously painful process, to say the least— and now had a cast made of flour and egg whites wrapped around his foot and calf, reinforced with birch rods.

As he was made to sit and wait for his cast to dry, his father kept him company. He didn’t say much, just sat in a chair next to him and had a weirdly satisfied expression on his face. It irked Dagur to think about the reason, even as it was a welcome distraction against the pain.

“Glad to see my misfortune makes you so happy, father,” he grumbled between pressed teeth. Who would have thought that a stupid foot could hurt so much? “But I shouldn’t be surprised. This way, I at least can’t cause any skandal, eh?”

His father measured him with a long and thoughtful look. Then he sighed and stood up to place a hand on Dagur’s shoulder. “I care about you, son, so I don’t like seeing you in pain. And given our family—” his face twitched into something between a smile and grimace. “—you should know that I also don’t care much about gossip or scandals. Emotions are not something we can always control or direct, so as long as you don’t let them influence your duties and responsibilities, I don’t have issues with who you love.”

Dagur lowered his gaze and pressed his lips together. This was the first time his father acknowledged in any way that he knew about him and Eret, and his reaction was far better than what he’d anticipated. But still, the reminder of his responsibilities stung.

“Anyway,” his father went on. “This is not why I’m glad you’re back again. It simply means… that you’re safe. There are far too many hidden knives out there for my taste...” He squeezed his shoulder again and then turned to leave, not pausing even as Dagur called after him.

Some hours later, he was still thinking about the meaning of those words. Hidden knives usually meant assassins. But… whose assassins were they if his father knew about them but also was worried about his safety? It made no sense…

After the cast was finally dry, he’d badgered the healers into giving him some crutches. They’d dithered, but eventually had given in after his father had given his permission. So long as he accepted a minder, who was a middle-aged Temple lay sister who was clearly wanting to make sure a ducal heir didn’t get more banged up under her supervision.

Grumpily, Dagur maneuvered the crutches and hobbled along the hallway to the rooms where Astrid was quartered here in Oramond. His foot itched, which the Gythia here said was a good sign. But it itched. Still, with at least some of his mobility back, he was going to fulfill his promise to Eret and check in on Astrid... and to give himself something to think about other than the throbbing pain radiating up his leg.

Upon his minder’s knock, his own hands occupied with the crutches, he could hear voices inside, one female which clearly was Ruff and one male which belonged to… Snot? Confused, he waited until the door opened and Ruff’s face appeared in the narrow gap.

“The Princess welcomes no visitors. You better—” Ruff’s eyes grew wide as she recognised him, then a worried expression crossed her face. “Dagur? What are you doing here? What— Did something happen?” She opened the door a little wider, glanced around, and then hurriedly ushered him in after making his minder wait outside, ready to escort him back to his room.

Even more confused—had she not heard that he’d been injured? The servants’ gossip was usually much faster than that!—Dagur manoeuvred himself inside, then stopped in bewilderment when he spotted Snot sitting by a low table at the side of the room, also looking surprised.

“Snot, you’ve really got to leave now,” Ruff ordered in a stern voice. “Get it into your head, Astrid won’t receive you. And I have no patience to chat with you, either.”

Given the history between these two, Dagur wasn’t surprised at the hurt expression on Snot’s face. Ruff’s rejections had always stung him more than those of others.

“No, I’m not leaving,” he grunted stubbornly, even crossed his arms in front of him and settled back on the cushioned sofa he was sitting on. “I want to know what games you’re all playing. I have just as much right to know as he does.”

Dagur grimaced. What he had to tell was not something Snot couldn’t know about. But he would have to be careful not to accidentally spill Astrid’s and Hiccup’s secret.

However, his own reluctance was nothing against what he spotted on Ruff’s face. Her expression grew more and more desperate, her movements fidgety. Why was she so nervous?

“I’m back because I got injured,” Dagur began, indicating toward his bandaged foot. He hoped to ease the tension at least a little. “Horse stomped my foot, my fault. But since I’m back here anyway, I thought I could update Swanja on… on her husband-to-be’s current state.”

Snot snorted. “What, did you bring love letters from Eret? Come on, you really don’t have to keep up that act for my sake. Besides, they’ve only seen each other yesterday morning, even for pretend yearning, that’s a little too thick, don’t you think? Besides, good luck with getting past Ruff. ‘The Princess doesn’t receive visitors’ is all she’s been saying all day.”

Dagur threw Ruff a measuring glance. Snot being so far off the mark was funny, in a way, but he didn’t miss how tense and uncomfortable Ruff was. And somehow, Dagur doubted that was merely because of her former lover’s presence.

“Is everything okay with Swanja?” he asked cautiously. “Is she hurt? Sick? Is there anything we can do for her?”

“She looked fine to me when I spotted her taking a stroll through the gardens earlier,” Snot muttered. “But even then, Tuff wouldn’t let me near her.”

Ruff grunted. “Sure, she’s fine. You can go now. Both of you!”

Dagur narrowed his eyes. He was too used to this tone from her and her brother. It always meant that they were hiding something, and in this case, it was probably more than just evidence of yet another prank.

“Argh, you’re getting on my nerves.” She threw her hands up in annoyance and stomped back towards the entry door. “As I said, she’s not receiving any visitors. Now, go.”

“Ruff?” Dagur growled, alarmed now. “What happened? I get her annoyance with random visitors, but why would she not even want to see me? Why would you not even ask her?”

Her expression grew even more tense. Her eyes darted from him to Snot and back again, both who were glaring at her with the same stubbornness. Whatever it was, Dagur would not leave until he knew what was happening here. And eventually, Ruff gave in.

“Oh, by Loki’s balls, I knew this wouldn’t work,” she cursed. She stood there with her hands balled into fists at her side and with her eyes screwed shut, as if waiting for the moment to pass by. Then she let out a deep sigh. “You have to swear, okay? Swear, that you won’t say a single word to anyone outside these rooms. Got it? Astrid’s life might depend on it.”

Alarmed, Dagur exchanged a quick glance with Snot, then they both nodded. Swanja’s safety was always a top priority for them.

Ruff hesitated for yet another moment, then went toward the door that led to the more private part of the suite. When she opened it, Tuff was the first to step through it.

“What did I say?” he exclaimed as he threw his hands up in the air. “This was a stupid idea. Completely hair-brained! And that means a lot coming from me!”

Dagur had to agree there, a bad feeling spreading in his stomach. Then someone else entered the room behind Tuff, and Dagur could do nothing but gape. With that elaborate dress and her blonde hair intricately braided around her head, she could have fooled him at a first glance.

But she was not Astrid.

. o O o .

Cami

(Three Days Earlier)

Curious as to why she’d been called to the Fyrir’s office, Cami greeted Mala with a light courtesy. “You wanted to see me?”

Mala waved for her to sit at a table in front of her. “I did. I just received a message from the castle, someone asking for your company.” She frowned. “And even though it came unexpectedly and on such short notice, I don’t think it would be wise to decline it without further consideration.”

“Oh?” Cami cocked her head. “What is it then? Which of the high lords is so bold as to request my company in the castle?” She smirked. She knew she was playing her role well, but this hadn’t happened so far.

However, Mala shook her head, bemused. “None. They explicitly asked for you, but I doubt they’re interested in your skills as an Ástir. Not directly, at least. Here, see for yourself.”

Mala handed Cami a letter and she started to read. Upon seeing the name written at the bottom though, she paled.

“Would you rather I decline the request?” Mala asked, one eyebrow raised as Cami looked up at her, the distress on her face obvious. “I can do that, for now at least. Offer another opportunity for a meeting, at another time, maybe?”

But Cami shook her head. “No, it’s all right. I’ll go immediately.” No matter what this was about, a delay wouldn’t help. Besides, the message contained a certain sense of urgency. As if something bad would happen if she didn’t respond.

“Very well. I’ll send for the stables; they’ll have a carriage ready for you.”

Only half an hour later, Cami reached the castle. And even though she wasn’t exactly scared, she still couldn’t help but wonder about this request. Why would the princess of all people send for her on such short notice? They’d only met a few times, and even though those had been pleasant enough, it wasn’t as if they were friends. Sure, it wasn’t uncommon for soon-to-be-brides to have this informative talk with a member of Freya’s Order, and maybe it even made sense that the princess summoned her specifically to have this conversation. But why now? Why in the middle of the night when everyone was trying to get a full night’s rest for the journey to Oramond in the morning?

Or... did she want to talk about something else entirely?

“Only one way to find out,” Cami muttered under her breath as she left the carriage.

The young man who’d delivered the princess’s message jumped off the coach box and waved her to follow him. “This way. We have to hurry. And if possible, make sure nobody sees you.”

Cami followed him with a frown, pulling the collar of her cloak tighter to somewhat hide her identity. What was happening here? Was this somehow about Hiccup and his involvement with the princess? Was she in trouble? But she’d already learned that questioning the princess’s servant had no use; he barely seemed to know more than she did.

They reached what had to be the family wing of the castle, with plush carpets covering the floor and paintings or tapestries on every wall. The man led her through the corridors in a hurry, nervously looking left and right, and then ushered her into what had to be the princess’s suite without even knocking.

Inside, Cami stopped by the doorway. In the middle of the lavish sitting room stood the princess, pristine and sublime as ever. From Eret, she knew that Princess Astrid wasn’t as stiff as people perceived her, that her cool front she showed at every public event was just that, a front. And the few times they’d met in person, Cami’s impression of the other woman had been similar, that she was kind and funny when in private. But right now, with how tense she stood there, eyes burning into Cami’s, she wasn’t so sure about that anymore.

A few tense seconds passed before the princess spoke.

“You know. Don’t you?”

Just those words. Cami bit her lip, nervously. Yes, she knew about a certain secret, about one that involved the princess and a certain squire. But right now, it didn’t feel safe to know about that. Was she going to get rid of Cami? To make sure the truth stayed hidden forever?

“I… I’m… I have no idea what you’re talking about, Your Royal Highness.”

The princess huffed in annoyance. “Oh, drop the act, and the title as well. We don’t have time for that.”

Gulping at her sharp tone, Cami reflexively bowed her head. “As you wish, Milady. But I don’t—”

The princess groaned, causing Cami to fall silent again. “I know that you know.” She looked at Cami with narrowed eyes. “About me and Hiccup. I know that he told you about us.”

So this was about Hiccup and his idiodic infatuation. Great! What had he got her into? But playing dumb wasn’t an option anymore. Taking a deep breath, Cami straightened, her eyes meeting those of the princess. “I do.”

The princess seemed to relax, her shoulders a little less tense now. “Good. Because I don’t have the time or patience to be vague. I need your help.”

Cami blinked. “My help?”

“Yes,” the princess said bluntly. “He told me how you always helped him, with information or to get away so we could meet. So I assume you’re not impartial toward him. I need your help to save him.”

“To save him?” Cami blurted out. “But… why? Is he in danger?”

Now that the princess apparently didn’t want to execute her after all, Cami felt a little more at ease around her. So this really was the woman Eret had told her about. And she had asked her to act normal. But it still felt surreal.

The princess hesitated, then gave a helpless shrug. “I think so, yes. I…” She paused, thinking, and then nodded as if to herself. “I really don’t have time, so I’ll be blunt. He’s going to partake in the Dragon Hunt, to earn himself a title so we can get married.”

Cami’s eyes grew wide.

“But I know he won’t make it alone. I can feel it!” She paused again, her hands balled into tight fists and her lips and eyes pressed shut. “I have to help him. So I’ll go after him, whether he wants it or not. But I don’t want the guards rushing after me as soon as they notice my absence. That would ruin everything. So… do you remember us joking about you taking my place now and then? That’s exactly what I need you to do now. My servants will do the major work, and you just have to be there. When visitors come to see me, let them see you from behind while my maidservant declines their request. Take a walk through the gardens while my warder keeps everyone at bay. Let them think I’m still there until we return.”

Unable to even blink, Cami could only gape at the princess. Was she serious? “You… you want to do what?” Eret had said that she liked being outdoors, but… she was still the princess! She couldn’t just… “Go out into the wilderness of the forest and hunt some elusive dragons?”

In the back of her mind, a tiny voice screamed at her to be cautious. For all of Freya’s love, she was still talking to the first lady of the entire kingdom.

Luckily, the princess didn’t seem to be angry though, and merely shrugged. “Into the swamplands, actually.”

“The swamps?” Cami shrieked, growing pale. “But… but that’s madness!” The swamps were no-man’s-land, dangerous, deadly. She couldn’t be serious!

“Maybe. But I don’t care.”

For a moment, Cami was speechless. The plan alone was pure insanity already, though the expression on the princess’s face was deadly serious, tense even. She was serious. But what baffled Cami even more was that she was willing to go to such length in the first place. And all that just… for Hiccup?

“You… would really do that?”

From one moment to the other, the princess’s features shifted into a soft smile, warm but distracted, her eyes cast unseeingly right through her. “For him? I’d do everything!” She paused, her lips twitching into a wider smile, as if she remembered something funny. But then she looked back at Cami again, sincerity radiating from her like a powerful wave. “Hiccup told me you don’t believe we share a true soulbond. I don’t have the time or energy to argue with you about that, believe what you wish. But I know it is real. Nothing will ever separate us. I will follow him. The question is just… Will you help me?”

Cami was reluctant to admit it, even just to herself, but she might have been wrong before. The princess clearly meant what she’d just said; she was set on going through with this mad plan of hers, whether Cami helped her out or not. But no matter whether this was just some intense form of first love infatuation or a true soulbond after all, the princess was right. What Cami believed was not important right now.

Right now, she had to make a decision. Logically, she should get away, alert the guards of the princess’s plan and do everything in her power to keep her safe. But… Someone—Princess Royal or not—had asked for her help, had placed great trust in her by even doing so. And a dear friend was in danger.

Cami squared her shoulders and gave a resolute nod. “Okay. What exactly do you need me to do?”

. o O o .

Dagur

(Present Time)

“And you just let her leave?!”

Dagur all but shouted, starring in utter disbelief at Cami and the twins.

“Hey, do you even know your so-called sister?” Ruff retorted, hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. “Do you know what she’s like when she’s set her head on something? Of course, we tried to talk her out of this. But you know how she feels about… her future husband. She would have left anyway, with or without our help. This way, she’s at least prepared and has some support.”

Dagur gritted his teeth but couldn’t help but see Ruff’s point. Deep down, he wasn’t even surprised Swanja had gone after Hiccup, not really. In hindsight, it was even obvious that she wouldn’t let him leave on his own. But by Thor’s balls, what was she thinking!

“I don’t get it,” came Snot’s confused voice from behind him. “Why would she go after Eret? No offence, but I didn’t expect her to feel that passionate about their wedding? And why out into the wilderness? Doesn’t she know that you and Eret would only travel as far as you need to and then enjoy your days off? Or… at least I assume that's what you’d planned?”

He threw a questioning look at Dagur, but he ignored it. Right. When Ruff and Cami had given them a brief account of Astrid’s plan, they’d been purposefully vague about who exactly she was following.

But what to tell Snot now was the least of his problems. He had to do something about Swanja, had to get her back here safely—and preferably, without anyone noticing she’d been gone in the first place. He hobbled over to a small writing desk and rummaged around for a pen and a sheet of paper.

“What are you doing?” Tuff looked at him with a bemused expression, his head cocked.

“Writing a message,” Dagur grunted. There are far too many hidden knives out there for my taste… Once again, his father’s words came to his mind. If what he’d hinted at was true, then… “We need to send someone after her. She can’t be out there on her own, it’s far too dangerous, especially now.”

Ruff snorted. “Good luck with that. She’s travelling disguised as a messenger.”

Groaning, Dagur let his shoulders slump. “Why… why would you do that?”

But Ruff just raised an eyebrow at him and he didn’t need an answer anyway. Because if she wanted to catch up to Hiccup she had to travel as fast as he did. Too bad that also meant she was already out of reach by now.

With a grim expression, he reached for the pen and ink and started to write.

“Uh, and what are you doing now? Didn’t you listen to what we just said?”

“I’ve got to send a messenger to Eret,” he muttered, pushing himself up on his crutches.

Tuff snorted. “Why? He won’t reach her anymore either.”

“I know. But he still needs to learn about this.”

Oh, what a mess!

. o O o .

Uh oh... Astrid, what have you gotten yourself in to? How does this relate to Hiccup? And who was that person in the beginning? What was that note about? So many questions... *hides under rocks*

(If you want to be added to or removed from the tag list, just let me know! :))

Next Chapter >>

* - . - * - . o O o . - * - . - *

I am but a street artist, offering my art to those around me. If you enjoyed it, a tip in the form of a ❤️, comment, or reblog would be highly appreciated. 😊

Or if you want you can buy me a coffee. I love coffee 😊 (Ko-Fi)

[uservillanelle]

KILLING EVE 3x03 ― Bus Scene

Its been over 24 hours now since episode 3 aired and yeah... I’m still very shocked and I’m almost sure I dreamed all of it. I mean, what are the odds KE would do something like this and give US, the clowns, everything we’ve ever wanted?!? So I decided to make a separate post about the bus scene, because HELLO, this deserves a separate analysis/reaction. It just does, so here we go.

Last week I was really struggling to imagine how everything would play out, only because it seemed like a VERY random place for both of them to meet. A bus? Really? Let’s not forget the fact that they usually meet in episode 5 for the first time each season. It’s basically a tradition which has been set by previous showrunners. So not only have them meet EARLIER, but in a bus makes it so... UNEXPECTED! I had to think it through, because I know there’s pressure for each showrunner to keep things fresh and new and Suzanne did just that. Like she picked the LAST place Villanelle and Eve would meet and that’s soo surprising and shocking to us AND to Eve.

Villanelle just got the postcard for her next target in London, she travels there and next thing you know, she’s looking for a perfume. Now this is soo extra and sooo Villanelle and the fact that she’s looking to have a custom made perfume so she could meet Eve SENDS ME! 

How did Villanelle know Eve was taking buses, which one she was taking and at what time? Obviously, she stalked her AGAIN. Instead of doing her job, finding the target, she goes to London, probably spends few days there searching for Eve and preparing FIRST and only then after the intense row with Eve, THEN she goes after her target. Love comes first, job later. Gotta stan. And in the middle of that she has the nerve to say “I’m not here for you” sure, sweetie, whatever you say. 

Okay, so before I was thinking of HOW they would play it out. How their fight would be carried out and honestly after seeing it... that was exactly how and I can’t imagine now any other way they could’ve done it. Everything about the scene was just... chef’s kiss. Suzanne, Laura - sign me up for S4 already!

My jaw LITERALLY dropped when I saw Villanelle walking up to Eve in that bus, while swaying due to the movement and wearing that SMUG smile over her face... jesus, I need HELP! How dare she... and I don’t think due to all of the craziness and intensity Eve notice just how fucking hot Villanelle looked.. or maybe she did. 

The fact that Eve was texting Niko for the 100th time until she lifted her head up and spotted Villanelle and next thing you know she forgot everything about Niko and went to fight AND kiss the love of her life is just... VILLANEVE IS ENDGAME YOU GUYS!

Soo Villanelle did NOT expect Eve to attack her like this, because have you seen her OFFENDED hilarious face when Eve did?! I DIED several times, yet there’s something important that needs to be mentioned.. Villanelle didn’t hurt Eve. She didn’t punch back when Eve literally was hitting her with all her might going nuts. Villanelle knew full well Eve’s having an intense tantrum so she handled it like a pro and really, with minimum defence she only shoved Eve around a bit only to show WHO is in charge there. I mean... the way she grabbed Eve and started shoving her, or more like CARRYING her to the end of the bus while smirking/laughing at her only shows just how CONFIDETN she is about herself and that she was actually enjoying seeing this crazy side of Eve.

Also. THE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE. I gotta say.. in this scene in particular it worked soo damn well! I mean, Eve being shorter and Villanelle EFFORTLESLY handling Eve as if she was some child who’s having a tantrum is SOMETHING ELSE! 

Now the power play... we all know Villanelle is a TOP, it’s a fact. Get over it. And like... the way she pushed Eve down on the seat and climbed on top of her only to tell her to SMELL HER which basically means “Admit I’m powerful” “Admit I’m the TOP here” is completely another level for me... because how can you NOT kiss her in that moment?! And she WAS powerful, she’s clearly physically stronger than Eve, BUT.. as soon as Eve kissed her all that power shifted back to Eve and just like that Villanelle gone SOFT™ for Eve.... It’s what I love. I love one powerful badass bitch right until her girlfriend touches/kisses her. 

Okay, so I’ve been seeing people say that Eve kissed Villanelle to have her let her guard down. Yes, it probably is the case, but I also think she couldn’t help it. They had several moments like these when they were face to face and sooo painfully close and neither of them did anything and like.. I think the tension was building up ever since and this time... she just went for it and this way admitted her feelings towards Villanelle. But at the same time by doing so she gained the power back from Villanelle and not only left her completely dumbstruck but gave that intense HEADBUTT as a wake up call for both of them and US. I mean... I still can’t believe it happened... it had to be a dream and it was going so well.. until Eve woke all of us up, including Villanelle, who obviously was too overwhelmed to stick around and decided to get off the bus ASAP.

I just gotta say... the way they handled the kiss was PERFECT! This is no ordinary romantic couple having their first kiss, okay... this is VILLANEVE, OUR VILLANEVE having their first kiss and it’s crazy.. it’s intense and above all... its SURPRISING AS HELL. To everybody... and that’s how intense and shocking that both Eve and VIllanelle are STARING at each other, completely taken back by what is happening... because neither of them really expected it and neither did we and it’s happening... they are kissing and they hardly can comprehend it.... while at the same time neither of them wanting to give in and let go of the CONTROL both of them crave... like... JESUS! I have a feeling we might get an actual, way more emotional kiss at the end of the season and I am not prepared... 

Now the soundtrack... Strange Effect by Unloved is perfect choice.. I mean ALL Unloved sounds are sooo unique and amazing but THIS... I haven’t heard this one before and I wouldn’t be surprised if they created this song for THIS exact scene... and I’m all about it. Truly. The lyrics described the scene AND both of their feelings sooo damn well and they didn’t even have to say a word. That’s how powerful songs can be when they are used PROPERLY in a show. Their minds....

I know, I said it plenty of times already but I STILL CANNOT BELIEVE IT HAPPENED. like... the twitter fanbase was LITERALLY betting money on whether or not they will kiss this episode and I was like... COME ON, it can’t happen. I’m not going to be this clown all over again.. I can’t and it can’t possibly happen because it’s way too soon?! We literally waited for over 2 years, almost 3 years for a kiss and for some reason it feels like it’s too soon? Because we are not used to seeing them meet this early in the season and I’m like... I’m in utter shock and no matter how many thousands of times I watch the scene and the kiss... a part of me refuses to believe it’s real because... it’s too good to be true and they actually did it and... if it wasn’t canon before, Villaneve IS now. And only thinking about this... makes me want to cry. We got everything we’ve been waiting for... and it was only their FIRST kiss... yeah, I’m not going to survive this.

The post-bus scene and Eve watching Villanelle watch HER drive off is such an amazing way to conclude the scene... Vilanelle’s hopeful expression which is filled with wonder and then excitement as she can’t help but smile remembering what just happened is just... she is truly in love and NO ONE can deny it. I mean at this point just like Suzanne said... Villanelle will only want Eve MORE and I. AM. HERE. FOR. IT. Also Eve’s reaction... she might not be smiling right now, but she’s realizing what she did and that it’s too late to go back and she doesn’t really want to think/talk about it since it’s TOO MUCH (same Eve, same) but as soon as she gets back home and finds Villanelle’s bear with the recording... she finally GIVES IN and admits that yes, she WANTS Villanelle to be there. And let’s admit it... we know perfectly well just how the episode ended.. with Eve listening to Villanelle’s voice over and over again... closing her eyes and the rest is up to your imagination....

So overall... this scene made the entire episode soo much greater and other than that, we got PLENTY of Villanelle’s outfits, AT LEAST 7 this episode alone and I cannot handle it. Not only that.. we also got Villanelle and baby scene and her scaring Konstantin to death and their silly conversation which turned out to be a lot more complicated and serious than Villaenlle originally intended it to be. But more about all of it later in my upcoming review!