#i feel like my good mutual fern would be excited about the first part

[fandomchaosposts]

there's this guy in my boxing club who looks exactly like how I've pictured Telemachus and me and my unstable mind are having a hard time distinguishing what's real 🙃

[zozophoenixxx]

Serotonin Booster :D 🐉

How to train your dragon edition

Here are some things I had forgotten or little details I just noticed on my rewatch, maybe even Unpopular Opinions 🤭👀

✨Race to the Edge ✨

SEASON 5

Meatlug and Toothless messing around in ep1 when Hiccup and Fishlegs are trying to figure out how to stabilize the island 🥺

I remember when I first watched this I was actually in bio and hearing Ruff and Tuff talk about symbiosis was like " WOW IM LEARNING THAT" 😂😂😂

Symbiotic relationship - symbiosis is the interaction between organisms living in close physical association to the advantage of both

It can lead to -> parasitism - a non-mutual symbiotic relationship between species where the parasite benefits at the expense of the host

- Hookfang and Snotlout have a parasitic relationship JAHDHAHSHA

wait I like that instead of calling a relationship toxic now imma be like "this shii is parasitic peace out ✌���️"

HICCSTRID FOREHEAD KISSES OMG😭

I like how Barf and Belch are incredibly strong, I feel like it's a fact that's usually ignored about them

Astrid: *talking about Garf* that dragon has a lot of fight in him

Hiccup: *while placing his hand on her shoulder* he's not the only one

I can't ok I love them too much 🥺

WAIT I JUST NOTICED THE FORESHADOWING WHEN THE TWINS WERE REFERRING TO JOHAN AS A PARASITE OMG 😳

THE BETROTHAL NECKLACE 😭😭😭

Fishlegs licking Astrid's hand is hilariousss nonono it's just that scene in general when Fishlegs is trying to help Astrid find the betrothal gift for Hiccup and she judo-flips him and then sits on him like 🤔

Sandbuster - doesn't like the light. Lives underground.

Astrid riding Toothless to save Hiccup. Just badass.

Hiccup giving Astrid the betrothal necklace and telling her that it's ok that she didn't get him anything bc she's the best gift in the world 🥺

And their hug and the way he moved her out of harm's way whenever Snotlout threw the sword

Still sad abt Shattermaster being replaced by the Triple Stryke

I really liked ep3 whenever they were in Berserker island bc we got to see them actually fighting in battle without their dragons it was pretty cool

The beginning of ep4 is also hilarious I can't with Astrid and Snotlout fighting and then also Astrid beating him up JAHDHAHSHA

- I also always wanted to know what Snotlout said to her 😭😭😭 all of them were just extremely concerned and shocked and Snotlout even had to leave the Edge UGH AHZHZHAG

Atali and the Wingmaidens 👏🏼🤩

"Males would neither understand, nor would they be helpful." Atali is a queen

Vanaheim - the last resting place of all dragons

"Sadness is a matter of perspective. It is how you choose to view something that makes it happy, scary, intriguing, or sad"

Ok so is Stormfly a tracker-class dragon or a sharp-class dragon?

Sentinels - Know all the dragons so they know how to deal with each of their tactics. Run Vanaheim. Have never encountered night furies. Good trackers. Blind. They tend to the island

OMG I FORGOT THAT VANAHEIM IS THE SKELETON OF THE KING OF DRAGONS

HAND HOLDING AND KISSES UFFF THANK U

Hiccstrid kiss count: 3😘

It's the way it's so realistic too, the way he smiles at her, the way he holds her hand and looks at her, the way she puts her hand on his chest and he lightly touches it with his free hand I just can't they're too perfect

Snotlout's excitement to see that Fishlegs was Fishlegs again and not Thor Bonecrusher- I mean the dude went running towards him🥺

I love how Hiccup just knows when Astrid's thinking about something

SPARRING HICCSTRID UGHHH I LOVE THIS SCENE

The way he's just in such a good mood afterwards 🥺

The scene leading up to the moonlight flight in ep7. I love them so much.

Hiccstrid Scene: ep7 min 5:42 -> 7:24

Meatlug's shot was the first to free a Singetail from a dragon flyer

Just realized that Johan not being able to get Hiccup's oil was probably also part of a plan to get them away from the edge to attack

Ok but Snotlout actually taking the initiative to be the leader while Hiccup and Astrid were away

The edge 🥺and when he destroyed his own Hut 🥺 I can't 🥺

I love how Mala and Throk were both trying to put the gang in a better mood

Silicates makes Meatlug drool

Tuffnut's Spanish is amazing we love to see a bilingual king✋🏼👑

Just realized that Krogan's name is well... Krogan. I never actually paid attention to the dude.

OMG WE GET TO SEE DRAGO IN THIS SEASON THIS IS CRAZY

I really like the twins in the Wings of War Episodes, the way they attempt to speak Spanish and start pronouncing the Rrrrrrrrs

Spitelout too lmao the way he helped Hiccup 🤩

It was also Spitelout the one that figured out that the Singetails don't like the altitude

I really love how Hiccup actually found a way to fight the flyers without hurting the Singetails, OMG IT REMINDS ME OF AANG when everyone was telling him to just kill the FIRELORD he found the right way

Tuff has a feet fettish

Stormfly and Garff messing around is too funny I love them sm 😭

Snotlout can be so sad sometimes

The twins singing >>

And that hug between Stormfly and Garff, they're just adorable 🥺🤧

HAHDHSHAHA THE WAY ASTRID LOOKED AT FISHLEGS WHENEVER THE SLITHERWINGS SHOWED

Slitherwings - very poisonous dragons! Even their skin is coated in poison. Like snake appearance. Not much is known about its poison and how it works but there is an antidote -> combination of angel fern root, pine sap and Slitherwing venom. The skin coating protects them from Garff's amber

Stormfly is such a badass omg I love her sm the way she protected Garff

Garff is an excellent shot according to Fishlegs

Fishlegs telling Astrid to look at him is just adorable, the way he wanted her to feel better 😭

Have I mentioned how much I love lil Hiccstrid moments? They dont even have to be romantic but just them? Like he just lightly touched her shoulder and told her to be strong and be there for Stormfly 🥺

Snotlout actually being worried about Astrid 🤧

I will never get over Astrid and Stormfly's relationship and how close they are, they would do anything for each other and Astrid just proved that by going up to the Slitherwing and PUNCHING THE LIL SHIT just to get Stormfly the antidote. AND WHEN SHE STARTED CRYING!!! As Tuffnut said "no one has ever prepared us for something like this"

And the Ruffnut being there for her and protecting her 😭😭😭

Astrid can actually draw

Still pissed about the fact that Hiccup never knew Astrid got poisoned NOW I NEED TO READ A FANFIC ON IT

That scene in Snuffnut [ep11] where Throk arrives to take Ruffnut as his wife is too funny. The way Astrid is pissed since the beginning and both Hiccup and Fishlegs are like "umm nope" AND WHEN HICCUP TAKES ASTRID OUT OF THE SCENE AND ALL YOU CAN HEAR IS HIM SCREAMING AND THESE RANDOM NOISES 😩😩😩😂

It really bothered me that Astrid had to stay behind in Looking for Oswald... And Chicken [ep12] just to take care of the twins when we could've had some Hiccstrid 😩😭 but it makes sense because Astrid is the only one Hiccup can actually trust on to keep things under control because even though Fishlegs is kinda sane neither the twins nor Snotlout would listen to him and Snotlout would definitely join the twins or just make things worse somehow. I mean they've both proven themselves to be fully capable but well- yk... Astrid is just Astrid

Astrid and Stormfly's faces whenever the twins said they needes a dragon that loves tracking and chicken😭😂😩

Chicken covering her tracks and Snotlout as narrator 😂

Omg Dagur saw Oswald's dead body... He even had to bury him and wow-

Grim Gnashers - hunters that prey on the sick dragons in Vanaheim.

Chicklet🐥🐥🐥🐥

SNOTLOUT'S TAN LINE OMGGG

"Please let me hurt him. Please? Just-- just a little?"JAHSHAHAJAJ I LOVE AGGRESSIVE DAGUR

Fishlegs saying that "Snotlout can actually be pretty handy in an air battle" is so true. Like we mostly see Snotlout as this dumb, sarcastic, rebellious dude who doesn't care about anyone but himself and but that's actually not true he's actually caring and will fight for the ones he loves but he won't say that because he cares too much about what others think of him 😭

I really dislike Johan sm u guys don't understand like I used to like him and feel bad whenever ppl cut him short but ughhhhhhh it's the subtle things too like him telling Heather to give them the dragon eye, him screaming in Snotlout's ear, not extending his hand to grab Heather, and him putting his hand out to "grab" the lens but just causing Snotlout to drop it

The way Heather jumped to get Windshear and the way Windshear kept telling her to leave and save herself

Archipelago gold = The clouds of corn = pop corn

I can't believe I'm about to start season 6 this is actually so sad

[tren-fraszka]

Fic in a Box 2021 Exchange Letter

Dear creator,

Thank you for taking your time to check my requests. I know my requests can sound a bit tricky, but please don’t be discouraged. I wish you will have good time writing first and foremost!

My AO3 is Tren, if you wish to check it out.

Likes: comedy, casefics, canon compliants, AUs, time loops, bodyswaps, roleswaps, “being hoisted by your own petard” plotlines, snark, pettiness, rivals, enemies to friends to lovers, violence, friendships, and character bonding,

DNW: explicit sex (makeouts and fade to black is okay), A/B/O, mpreg, rape depicted as positive (so no “it’s okay, because the other person enjoyed it/it was what they truly wanted”), trans headcanons, soulmate AUs, stories ending with surrender to fate/destiny, fourth wall breaking in canons where that doesn’t occur, character has cancer or other real-life terminal disease AU, word “queerplatonic”.

Also, I included what ships I’m okay with in each fandom. Please do not include any ships that aren’t canon and I have not allowed in those sections (if you feel really strongly about a ship I haven’t mentioned, you can always ask through mods just in case).

On a separate, but similar note, I’m okay with OCs as long as they don’t overshadow the characters I requested.

Additionally, while I almost never request fanart as possible medium, because I prefer my main gift to be fic, I would be very okay with receiving fanart treats. Also, feel free to peruse my old letters if you get your hands on them. I never stop being interested in fandoms, and if I requested something once I will still want it in the future.

                                           REQUESTS

Medium opt-ins (they are the same for all the fandoms):

Length Opt-In: Drabble Length Opt-In: Drabble Series Medium Opt In: Any - Any In-Universe Documents Medium Opt In: Art - Drawn - Comics Medium Opt In: Art - Drawn - Fanart Medium Opt In: Art - Excerpts from a Character's Sketchbook Medium Opt In: Art - Tarot Card Medium Opt In: Illustrated Text (Art & Writing) - Bureaucratic Paperwork Medium Opt In: Illustrated Text (Art & Writing) - Excerpts from a Journal/Notebook/Sketchbook Medium Opt In: Illustrated Text (Art & Writing) - Field Report Medium Opt In: Illustrated Text (Art & Writing) - Mission Report Medium Opt In: Illustrated Text (Art & Writing) - In-Universe Scientific Documents Medium Opt In: Writing - Unreliable Narrator Medium Opt In: Writing - Non-Linear Narrative

MARIMASHITA! IRUMA-KUN

I read new manga chapters as they get translated so feel free to incorporate anything from the manga that’s available in English.

Kirio Amy/Suzuki Iruma

There are many good ships with Iruma, but this one just has a lot things I like. I love enemy ships with both sides being way too emotionally invested into each other so this was inevitable. I love how this relationship starts as this really wholesome friendship and school festival preparation, except Kirio turns out to be a bit messed up and wants to blow up everyone. But then they both accept the outcome and go on with their lives still thinking about each other. Iruma goes through a lot of trouble to keep the club operating even though Kirio has been pretty much expelled. And then Kirio is now obsessed with Iruma as his anthitesis and perfect enemy.

I’m okay with the potential story happening at any point in the canon. I would love both a story set before the festival while Kirio is still hiding his true colors or a story set after it. Maybe Iruma runs into Kirio somewhere after he escapes prison and instead of calling an adult, he tries to stop Kirio from causing trouble on his own. As for pre-festival story. Maybe some upperclassmen steal important parts from the club and Iruma and Kirio set out to get them back.

Naberius Callego & Suzuki Iruma

I love Callego for being a much better take on Snape than original Snape ever was. The second the series made Callego Iruma’s familiar I knew this was about to get good. And it was. I love how Callego slowly warms up to Iruma, even if he is still allergic to his and Sullivan’s antics. I love that Callego is actually a competent teacher who cares about his students, but at the same time he would rather eat a whole lemon than admit it out loud.

For prompts, maybe Sullivan ends up having an important business and Opera isn’t available so he dumps looking after Iruma on Callego for a few days. Or Iruma is struggling with studying since so many things are new for him, so Callego ends up forced to help him catch up with the material (if you are following manga inclusion of Balam is always welcome). Or maybe Iruma gets into usual trouble ends up stranded somewhere and the only one he can call for help is his familiar.

Crocell Kerori | Kuromu/Gyari

One of the last thing I expected to get this year was a canonical yuri romance in this manga, but here it is and it’s perfect. I love how it is pretty much built on mutual pining. I love how Kuromu loves Gyari, but refuses to reciprocate her feelings, because she knows that she needs to remain unattainable to keep their relationship alive, and I love how Gyari is never ever going to give up.

I would love to see more of the time when they worked together. We know it was love at the first sight for Gyari, but I would love to see how Kuromu’s feelings grew. Those hours they spent together practicing, maybe a not-date where they sneak together to scout a venue where they will be having their first big concert, or maybe a small contest that would sow the seeds for their future rivalry. I would love any and all of it. Also, Gyari doesn’t seem to be aware of Kuromu’s civilian identity, so I would love a story where Gyari meets Crocell Kerori rather than Kuromu. Does she recognize her? Or does Kerori manage to successfully trick her? Maybe Gyari makes a full investigation after hearing rumors that Kuromu is attending Babylys. I would also love any sort of future fic for those two.

AUs and ships

I love the worldbuilding around the demon world, so I would ask that if you decided to write an AU that it still incorporates demons. I would definitely love an AU where rather than getting summoned to demon world, Iruma accidentally summons either Kirio or Callego into the human world. Maybe Iruma’s parents try to use him as an offering, but instead he ends up bound to a demon. I would love to see Kirio excited to unleash suffering (even if his weak powers severely limit him in that regard) onto human world just to discover that he made contract with the biggest pacifist possible. Or Callego being torn between wanting to return home as soon as possible (he has classes to teach!) and wanting to somehow help the weird human child that just keeps getting into trouble. Any other demon-focused AU is also welcome. For Gyari and Kurmou, maybe one of them is a human who ends up summoning the other as a demon. How different would their relationship be then? I’m also fine with any sort of AU divergences scenario. Maybe Iruma keeps accidentally sabbotaging Kirio’s terrorist plans without realizing it. Or Iruma ends up summoning Callego more often as his familiar when he gets into trouble. What if Gyari also attended Babylys.

As for ships, I’d rather avoid any love triangle scenarios for this canon, so please focus on just one pairing per character (competing for Iruma’s attention is normal for this canon, I’d just rather not see outright romantic competition). It’s self-explainatory for Kirio request, but if you want to include some shipping elements into the other requests I also ship Iruma/Amelie and Callego/Balam.

VIVY: FLUORITE EYE’S SONG

Solo: Vivy

WB: Any

I would love a look into some alternate timelines or missing scenes. Feel free to go as tragic as you like for alternate timelines, or make a happy end, or anything in between. I just think the core concept of the show has a lot of potential in that regard. For a more specific prompts I would love an AU where Diva doesn't disappear, but maybe she and Vivy end up spliting in some way (I'm sure Matsumoto could find a spare body or something). Or maybe a story where one of the Sisters ends up dragged into Singularity project (I really loved what they did with Elizabeth in the show).

For more worldbuilding prompts I would love a more in-depth look of how Matsumoto as more advanced AI differs from the past eye and how that gap is slowly being closed with each case he and Vivy resolves. Or outsider POV on how Vivy’s and Matsumoto’s actions shape the world. Them turning off the plant producing new androids and the subsequent suicide would definitely get coverage. I would love to know how the whole thing was officially explained. Are there conspiracy theories on the Internet? Sisters are involved in every major incident, would people suspect something?

AUs and ships

I would prefer no setting changes for this story. Any other AUs are fine. As mentioned I would love any look for alternate timeline. I would also love an AU where Diva doesn’t recover her memories and keeps helping Matsumoto while trying to regain them.

Any canon pairings are fine.

SOUSOU NO FRIEREN

I read new manga chapters as they get translated so feel free to incorporate anything from the manga that’s available in English.

Frieren

Frieren/Himmel

I love how this manga is a slow-paced fantasy dealing with loss and inevitable passage of time. And I love Frieren for being one of the best depictions of an elf whose long life actually affects their outlook on life and actions.

I would equally love the insight into Frieren’s present with her charges and the past with hero party. What other shenanigans they get into on their journey? What kind of weird magic Frieren pursued? I would love to see more of her mentoring Fern and Stark. I also love to see her interactions with the hero party. Maybe some more insight into how they fought with demons, since Frieren seemed to have picked up a number of enemies during that time. For some more specific prompts: maybe Frieren accidentally stumbles ona cursed item that erases her memories (or just her memories of Himmel). How would it affect her? What would the party do to help her? Or maybe a demon kidnaps someone from Frieren’s party?

Feel free to include any other characters, they are a colorful bunch.

AUs and ships

I’m fine with AUs as long as Frieren’s long lifespan is preserved. Her perspective is very much shaped by how long she has lived, so I wouldn’t want that aspect to change. One exception would be, a roleswap where Himmel is an elf, while Frieren is a human, and exploration of how both of them would be affected by having a different lifespan. An AU with mythological creatures or similar could be interesting.

I would very much love Himmel/Frieren, though I also enjoy how the manga softly builds on their connection. I also enjoy the budding romance between Fern and Stark.

ONMYOJI

I like all the characters so feel free to include any of them in the story. Bonus points for Ennmusubi doing some subtle matchmaking.

Hakuro/Kusa

I love both of them and how much Kusa looks up to Hakuro. I would love to see them have some adventures together. Maybe they help some other youkai? Or one of the onmyoji? I would also love a deeper insight into how Kusa became stronger after getting inspired by Hakuro. How did she try to improve herself? There definitely was some trial and error and I would love to see that.  

Shiranui/Kinnara

That pairing came out of the left field for me, but I absolutely love the interactions the two of them had so far. I would love to see them meeting more, their feelings growing each time they see each other. I also feel like a story where they keep meeting each other in a dream would really fit them, as they would long to finally meet each other in reality.

AUs and ships

I’m fine with any AU. A modern AU with archer Hakuro and gardener Kusa would be cute. Or a dancer Shiranui and a musican Kinnara. Alternatively an AU where one of the two is onmyoji could be very interesting.

I’m fine with Hakuro’s admiration for Hiromasa being present as long as it doesn’t overshadow her relationship with Kusa. 

DRESDEN FILES

Harry Dresden/Lara Raith

I was sceptical of this pairing all the way through Peace Talks, but then Harry and Lara had this intense falling out, Murphy had died, and suddenly this is a supernatural arranged political marriage and I love everything about this situation. I mean everything. Harry still being in mourning and absolutely not wanting to be forced into this arrangement, Lara still being distrustful of Harry, suspecting that Dresden is using their brother as a bargaining chip, Mab expecting both of them to present themselve as a couple for political reasons. It’s just terrible time for both of them, but so much fun for me.

I would love to see them forced to attend various supernatural events to present themselves per Mab’s wishes. How badly would Dresden handle it? Also it was confirmed that he was marked with true love which means he and Lara probably can’t even touch directly. How well do they hide that fact from everyone? How much guilt would Harry have once he realized that the mark has weakened or disappeared now that he started to develop feelings for Lara? How much chaos will ensue when the wedding does happen?

AUs and ships

I don’t want any setting AU for this fandom, because the existing setup is just too perfect. I’m fine with a divergence AU as long as Lara and Harry are still forced into arranged marriage.

I would want for Harry’s past relationships be acknowledged mostly because him being in mourning is part of what I find appealing about his situation. I don’t expect any scenes actually showing him with his past lovers, but I would be very okay with them appearing.

TALES OF CRESTORIA

Feel free to include other Tales characters. My faves are the cast of Xillia, Symphonia and Graces, but I’m also fine with including other characters (I would appreciate proper introductions in that case, I still haven’t played some of the games, so I might not recognize everyone just by their name).

Solo: Lloyd Irving

I would love more insight into small, but murdeous Lloyd. Seriously I loved the idea of Lloyd originally being manipulated into killing Colette and would love to see Lloyd remembering his lost memories at some point (bonus points for also exploring the idea of Colette as an artificial construct). Also I'm always a sucker for Kratos and Lloyd awkwardly trying to rebuild their familial bonds. What if Lloyd went with Kratos after all? What would happen if they ran into each other again. 

Stahn Aileron & Leon Magnus

I would love more of Leon's utter suffering as he searches for a way to turn his best friend back into human, so people stop thinking he's crazy whenever he tells his sword to shut up. I would love to see him reunite with Crestoria’s main cast and getting annoyed at how chaotic they are. Or running into Sorey again. Honestly, I would love seeing him interact with pretty much anyone, and grumpily helping them kill monsters/do charity/etc. Or exploring Stahn’s and Leon’s past. I would love to see their childhood and how they grew to be such a good friends.

I haven’t played Destiny, so please give me context if you want to include any elements that aren’t in Crestoria.

Velvet Crowe/Milla Maxwell

I thrive on the twisted codependency those two have in Crestoria. I will take both good, tragic and/or ambiguous ends for this relationship. Whether Velvet decides to forgive Milla or kill her it will be great. Give me all those twisted emotions, the hesitation, and pain both of them are carrying.

For straightforward approach, maybe the two of them stop in a town while chasing the last Incarnation and Milla decides to throw a party (because it’s some sort of festival, or maybe she found out it’s Velvet’s or Laphicet’s birthday and wants to make some amends however small). Or maybe one of them gets hurt during the fight with an Incarnation and the other ends up nursing them to health.

For some more levity, maybe Velvet and Milla ran out of money and pick up some side-job to have enough money for an inn. Maybe they work as waitresses and are both great and terrible at it at the same time. Or they have to take care of kids. Any other amusing job is also good.

AUs and ships

I’m fine with any AUs, though for Stahn&Leon request I still want Stahn to be the sword. I’m okay with Stahn turning human (or from human to sword) in the course of the story or being human when showing his past with Leon.

I don’t want Velvet or Milla paired with anyone else or Asbel/Cheria. Other than that there’s too much ships. Please inquire through the mods about specific ones.

FATE/GRAND ORDER

WB: Any

Please only include NA content, I want to avoid JP spoilers

I would love to explore any part of the setting really. I especially love the various interesting connections Servant have with each other that might not be obvious at first glance (like the fact that Iskander is also a pharaoh). I’m just fascinated by all the intricate historical connections. I would also love to see how some Servants would react if they were taken to Singularity/Lostbelt/Event they weren’t a part of. 

Alternatively I would love to see exploration on how different the protagonists upbringing is from other mages especially given how bad they are at magic. We get some of it with Crypters (I loved how frustrated Kadoc was at the fact that the protagonist is even worse at magic than him), but I would love to see more of it. Maybe some Servants try to teach protagonist magic or prepare them for interactions with Clock Tower mages.

I'm fine with both male and female protagonist. Feel free to do anything from a serious character exploration to zany antics. I love both moods FGO jumps between, you can't go wrong with that. Historical context always welcome. I'm fine for any usual suspects when it comes to plot ideas: be it training simulator shenanigans, "oh no we lost comms and are stuck in Singularity", Moriarty scheming, to someone wanting to make Master happy in their own special, dysfunstional and/or possibly destructive ways

Some of the characters I enjoy: Gilgamesh (any), Mordred, Karna, Medea, Saint Martha, Ereshikigal, Danzo, Jeanne D'Arc Alter, Mysterious Heroine XX, Sitonai, Moriarty, Goredolf, any character from pairings section solo. Though honestly I love pretty much everyone in Chaldea except Columbus.

AUs and ships

Obviously, no setting changes AUs, but feel free to Canon Divergence

Pairings: Amakusa/Semiramis, Izou/Ryouma, Kintoki/Fuuma, Romani/Merlin, Romani/protagonist. Also feel free to assume protagonist/everyone (except the "child" Servants). Feel free to ask about other pairings through mods, I’m definitely missing some

[yehet-me-up]

Fate, or Something like It

HAPP BELATED BIRTHDAY BAE @yeoltidecarol  🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 I hope you enjoy soft shameless Katyeol fanfics because *tosses confetti* HERE YOU GO FERN 💕💕💕💕💕💕

WEDNESDAY

‘Can you believe we're finally here?' your friend says to your right before throwing an arm around your shoulder.

You sigh. 'Thank God, this year has been four thousand years long.’

Turning, you watch her take in the Chicago skyline, drenched in a rosy sunset light. The excitement on her face mirrors the electric joy running through your veins.

'Who are you most excited for?' she asks.

Pursing your lips you run through the lineup in your mind. 'Tool, for sure. I can't believe they're here. I'm going to die. Hmmm. Bazzi will be AMAZING. ODESZA's set is going to blow my mind.'

'What about that guy? The one you spammed me with last week that does the electric stuff and plays guitar?' she interrupts. 'Lonely? Is that him?'

You stop mid-stride and feel your heart skip a beat at his name. 'Fuck. That's right. Loey is performing Saturday night. It doesn't feel real, I can't believe they somehow landed him last minute.'

When you turn she's smirking at you. 'There it is, I almost thought you forgot.'

Pursing your lips you glare at her until she laughs. 'Like I could forget. His voice is everything I'm? His EP is blowing up, I can't believe we're going to see him live. I keep blocking it out, it's too good to be real. Pinch me, am I dreaming?'

'I won't pinch you, I’m opposed to violence,' she laughs. 'I will support you in eating though. Let's get dinner I'm starving,' she whines, rubbing her stomach.

THURSDAY

The energy in the dorm is already buzzing when you finally drag yourself from bed after ten. But the first day of Lollapalooza is too exciting for you to care about being tired. You and Jess make your way to breakfast, weaving through a sea of similarly antsy festivalgoers.

After shoving some food in your faces the two of you head down to the entrance, aiming to be some of the first people in the gates. Something in you unwinds, relaxes, as you stand in front of the big industrial fans that line the bridge into Grant Park. This is your home, this is you. Away from work and bills and the stress and minutiae of everyday life.

Here there is only music and dancing and community and the intangible sense of life operating on hyperdrive. Already the feeling of your everyday life is melting off of you in the sweltering midday heat. You know by the end of the weekend you'll be stripped bare, filled to the bone by a haze of dancing and alcohol and the kind of connection that can only come from sharing something amazing with an entire city full of people.

Next to you Jess pulls out her phone, holding it up at an angle and making a peace sign. The sight makes you smile and tightens your chest with a feeling akin to jealousy and desire but gentler than either. Longing is what you decide to call it before you shake yourself from your thoughts.

'Is Min dying cause he misses you yet?' you ask when she hits send, nudging her shoulder with yours.

She turns to you, beaming, a blush coloring her cheeks that has nothing to do with the heat and everything to do with love. 'He says he's counting down the minutes until we're back together.'

You laugh and lean your head briefly on her shoulder. 'That's so gross, I fucking love it.'

She wrinkles her nose and laughs. 'I know, right? Hey, what can I say? The man makes me mush. At least it's mutual.'

'Maybe you'll meet the love of your life here?' she carries on, raising and lowering a shoulder and giving you a wink.

'Yeah, right,' you counter, sarcastically. 'I think if the universe was going to send me the love of my life they'd have to literally smack into me to get me to notice.'

The line finally brings you to the front and after a quick bag search you're through the gate. Once you're through the two of you pull out your phones and begin strategizing what shows you want to see and what you want to eat for lunch.

You both decide to grab a quick bite and then to swing by an acoustic set from a london-based R&B singer in one lounges. When you arrive the room is packed, probably because it's so hot outside you ascended to another plane of existence and the space is being cooled by big fans.

Neither you nor Jess mind. Good shows, in both your opinions, are worth just about anything. You can handle crowds.

The singer starts out and instantly you turn to each other, grins pasted on your faces. She's amazing, a thousand percent better live, and she was already phenomenal. Without a hint of hesitation you start swaying your hips to the beat and the two of you move closer around people lingering at the entrance.

A tall man moves to let you pass, his deep voice saying ‘after you’ sounds vividly familiar, but in an instant you’re lost in a sea of bodies and shake your head.

By the end of her set your hair is frizzed up from the heat, sweat and contentment running down your spine. It always astounds you how quickly you succumb to the world of the festival. Each one is different in its own way, but all they’re all alike in the way they remake you into someone more yourself.

Here you worry less, going where your desire and heart direct you. Here you feel free and confident and sensual in a way that your everyday life doesn't allow. Here you chase the high of the moment without the driving machinations of your mind forcing you to think of the future, of consequences.

After a walk through the merch tent and a stop into some of the sponsored tents the two of you decide it's officially time to grab a drink. When you join the line at the bar a man with broad back blocks your view. Something about the cap on his head, the line of his profile, catches your attention…

When you get to his ears you swallow a gasp. You practically pull Jess’ arm off in your jolt of realization.

‘What is it?’ she asks, confused.

You lean in close to whisper to her. ‘Fuck. Jess that’s uhhh… that’s him.’

She looks around. ‘Who?’

‘It’s Loey,’ you say, pointing to the tall man in front of you, doing your best to keep calm.

Her eyes go as wide as yours must be. ‘Holy shit. Well. Say something.’

Your heart feels like it leaves your body. ‘Say what?!’

‘I don’t know. ‘Hi’ is probably a good starting point?’ she laughs.

The energy coursing through you is equal parts terrified and excited. There’s something in the air, an electricity and a heat in the two feet that separate you from this man. It’s inexplicable, but the urge to reach out and wrap your arms around his waist, to press your face to his back and inhale, is bordering on insanity.

The thought is there, an image playing out in your mind. You’d tap him on the shoulder, give him your warmest smile. Let him know you like his music in a subtle enough way that there’s no pressure on him if he doesn’t want conversation. He’d return the smile, drawn by your energy and obvious knowledge of music. Maybe the two of you would…

But no. You shake your head and wipe the image from your mind. ‘I can’t bother him,’ you whisper back, your shoulders slumping. ‘Being this close is enough.’

Jess nods, instantly understanding. She wraps an arm around you and the line moves forward. He orders a beer, the depth and warmth of his voice wraps around you even tighter than her arm does, and you know the sensation will stay with you much longer.

Beer in hand, he turns to leave. He turns to look around and notices you behind him, his mouth tugging into a soft grin. With a polite nod he heads off, taking what feels like your heart with him.

The brief glance you get of his face before he moves into the crowd and disappears is disastrous for your sanity. He’s even more handsome than you imagined. With a sigh you step up to order, determined to let the moment pass, but it sits low in your gut waiting, tormenting you with what might have been if you’d said something.

That afternoon at Bazzi’s show you and Jess use your passes from work to get backstage and practically bounce with excitement while you wait for the show to start.

‘I’m gonna die. Literally. My soul will leave my body,’ Jess says, holding her drink in the air in celebration.

‘Here’s to that,’ you agree and clink cans with her.

Finally, the lights dim and the show starts. The two of you jam out with the small crowd of fellow VIPs on this side of the stage. One of your absolute favorite songs starts but abruptly your attention drawn from the singer to Jess elbowing you in the side.

‘What’s up?’ you yell over the music.

She discreetly points at the opposite side of the stage. In less than a second you find what she’s pointing at. Loey is watching your side of the stage with a fond smile. No, not this side of the stage - he’s watching you.

‘I think they call that fate my friend,’ she yells joyfully. ‘Or coincidence. I don’t know. Either way he’s obviously into you.’

You can’t help it, you turn and look around you to see if he might be staring at someone else. When you finally accept he’s definitely looking at you and turn back, he’s gone. Frantically you look around to see where he might have gone. Jess has resumed jamming out and you stand there for a moment, lost, wondering if you hallucinated the entire thing.

Someone taps on your shoulder and when you realize it’s him, standing this close to you, that sensation of electricity and heat surges through you once again.

‘Hi,’ you say over the music.

‘Hey,’ he starts, sticking his hands in his pockets, his lips pulling back into a shy smile that almost undoes you. ‘I’m Loey, but my real name is Chanyeol.’

‘I know,’ you counter, unable to stop smiling. You laugh when you realize what you said. ‘I know your music, I mean. I love it. I’m Kat.’

His cheeks color with pleasure. ‘Thank you, that’s nice to hear. This is all so -’ he gestures around at the stage, the crowd singing along with Bazzi, Lollapalooza in general. ‘Much. It’s nice that I know there’s at least one person here who likes my music.’

Your brow knits together in confusion. ‘Did you come here alone?’

He laughs and shakes his head. ‘No, no. I’m here with my manager and some other people from my label. But it’s been such a wild ride I haven’t felt connected to anyone in ages. Then I saw you dancing yesterday at Nao’s show. Then again at drinks...’

He reaches out a hand, ghosting it over your shoulder, before he realizes what he’s doing and checks the movement. The whole exchange, surrounded by the heat and energy of the crowd and Bazzi’s soothing voice, feels once again like a dream.

‘Then I get here and see you again, free and happy and dancing and I just -’ he continues. ‘I don’t know, I just feel like... I’m meant to know you.’

Something draws his attention and he pulls his phone from his pocket. A name shows on the screen and he sighs. After a few moments the call goes to voicemail.

He looks so conflicted you want to melt and run your thumb along the crease in his brows to undo it.

‘I have a meeting with my manager for the soundcheck,’ he says. ‘But will you give me your number? I want to see you again.’

You nod and he opens up a new contact. After he types in the number he tilts the phone back to himself to enter a name.

‘What did you save me as?’ you laugh, pretending to sneak a peek.

He meets your eyes and gives you a mischievous smirk. ‘That’s my secret for now.’ With a wave he makes his way through the crowd and disappears.

When you manage to come back to reality you look over at Jess and she’s giving you a knowing look. ‘Oh, no, there’s no way I could meet my soulmate here. Nope, absolutely not,’ she says loudly in an imitation of your voice and grins.

‘DID THAT REALLY JUST HAPPEN?’ you call to her over the resounding chorus of the song.

‘YEP’ she answers, bumping hips with you.

Unknown Number 5:47pm: any chance you want to watch my set from backstage?

The text comes through while you and Jess are grabbing a quick dinner before heading to Loey’s show, umm, Chanyeol’s show, you guess. Reading the words you almost choke on your taco. As quickly as you can gather yourself together you type out a reply.

You 5:48pm: is that even a question??? You 5:48pm: just tell us where to go and your #1 fan will be there 😄 Chanyeol 5:48pm: 😊😊 Chanyeol 5:49pm: lake shore stage, round the back Chanyeol 5:49pm: i’ll tell them you’re coming You 5:49pm: on our way!

You can almost feel him grinning through the phone. After telling Jess the plan the two of you wolf down the rest of your food and start weaving your way through the crowd. The security guard hands you two passes the moment you walk up to him, with surprising ease.

‘I recognized you right away,’ he says with a smirk. ‘He said it would be the feistiest, most excited, tiny black-haired woman I’ve ever seen.’

You purse your lips and Jess cracks up next to you. ‘Come on, let’s go!’ she says, calling a thanks to the security guard.

The backstage area is filled with people milling around, checking the speakers and setting up equipment. Chanyeol is tuning a guitar, his hair falling across his forehead. The sight turns your heart to liquid. 

He waves you over the moment he sees you. His energy is even more excited than the last time you saw him, no doubt due to his first major concert happening in oh, five minutes. He opens his mouth to speak and then closes it. Turning to look at Jess he gives her an apologetic smile. 

‘Do you mind if I borrow her for a moment?’ he asks and she waves him away with an amused shake of her head. 

He leads you to the walkway at the far side of the stage. It’s miraculously empty, only you and Chanyeol and the view of the harbor. Energy pours off him in waves, sending heat to every nerve ending in your body. 

For several long seconds you stare at each other, both equally baffled and amused by the feeling that you’ve known each other for years, the obvious connection and attraction between you that somehow supersedes words. 

The two of you cave to the desire to touch each other at the same moment. Stepping closer you fist your hands in the fabric of his shirt as his hands slide to cup your jaw on either side.

‘I’m glad you’re here for with me. The first,’ he says with a contented smile playing along his lips.

‘You’re going to be huge, you know,’ you say with confidence. ‘It’s the first concert of many.’

He shakes his head with a grin that barely hides his giddy excitement. He bends down and presses a kiss to your lips, full of passion and excitement. It must only last a second or two but the feeling of his lips against yours, his hands, calloused from guitar playing, holding your jaw, and the breeze spilling in off the harbor - all of it feels like it lasts a thousand lifetimes.

When he reluctantly pulls back he rests his forehead against yours. ‘No, I mean the first time I get to kiss you,’ he says softly. ‘My good luck charm.’

With a gentle kiss to your forehead and a wink he disappears back onto the stage. You hear the roar of the crowd, Chanyeol’s voice starting his set, the sound of a guitar - but all of it fades as you press your fingers to your lips, laughing at the way your day has somehow become a fantasy.

Eventually you make your way backstage in a haze, feeling like you’re flying. Jess takes one look at you and laughs.

‘He kissed you, huh?’

All you can do is nod and she shakes her head in amusement before grabbing your hand and dragging you over to the side of the stage so you can watch the show.

He’s amazing, you knew he would be. The passion in his voice, the lyrics that cut straight to your heart, the way he engages the crowd - you knew you were screwed the moment you saw him in the line for beer. Knew it in a way you couldn’t express rationally, and yet here you are, falling in love with a man you barely know and loving every second.

Once he finishes his set he moves to the side of the stage to speak who a woman who you assume is his manager. The crowd starts drifting off to the other side of the field where the next act has started playing. Chanyeol catches your eye and smiles, mouthing ‘I’ll be right there.’

He runs over and slips his hand into yours. ‘I was supposed to leave after my set, but I convinced my manager to let me fly out tomorrow morning so I could spend the night with you instead.’

It feels as though your heart has stopped beating. Jess squeezes your shoulder.

‘I can entertain myself tonight, I’ll meet up with Grace I know she’s around here somewhere too. Just text me if you’re going to be umm… not back tonight,’ she says pointing a finger at Chanyeol and narrowing her eyes in mock sternness.

He salutes her. ‘Yes, ma’am, I promise to take good care of her.’

‘Okay good. You were very good and clearly my friend likes you, so I’d hate to have to kill you.’

With another gesture signifying she’d be watching him she grins and exits the stage where you guys entered.

‘So, how about dinner?’ Chanyeol asks.

Dinner at an incredible hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant his friend recommended blends into walking hand in hand through the city. You’d both felt the connection instantly, but neither of you could imagine how similar you are - in musical taste, in food preferences, in travel dreams. 

Something good and right is growing between you and it takes everything you have to not jump to conclusions past tonight.

When night sets, covering Chicago with a blanket of indigo sky sparkling with stars, Chanyeol say he has a show he thinks you’ll enjoy. 

He guides you through the crowd of bodies, his warm, rough palm against yours feels like the only thing tethering you to the earth. The excitement of the audience is infectious, a living thing that joins the alcohol and desire flowing through your veins to make your body a live wire.

At last, the two of you break through near the front and Chanyeol turns to look down at you, squeezing your hand and giving you a lopsided smile you already know will be seared into your mind after this weekend is over.

The bass from the speakers is so loud and deep it shakes the ground around you. How fitting, you think, for the man attached to you is rapidly crumbling your world as you knew it.

The band is one of your favorites. You’d screamed out loud when you saw their name on the festival line up; but now that you’re here the chorus of one of their hit songs fades into the background, eclipsed by Chanyeol as he leans down to be heard over the music.

‘Our second.’ His lips brush your ear, the roughness of his cheek sending a thrill down your spine.

This kiss is longer, lingering. His hands roaming down your sides, searing heat along your skin covered only by your thin shirt. He tastes better than you could have every imagined. The world fades and the entire show passes in a blink of an eye, pressed against the railing kissing the man of your dreams. 

When the show ends he pulls back, breathless. ‘Want to go back to my room?’

You nod, already wondering what the rest of him will taste like, what his hands will feel like in places that are currently covered lest you get an indecent exposure charge. The two of you take off at a steady speed for the exit to the park, laughing, your hand clasped in his.

FRIDAY

The first thing you see when you open your eyes is a naked chest. The second is early morning light filtering through the curtains around the man tangled with you. 

For a few minutes you let yourself savor the leg pressed between your, the arm wrapped securely around your waist, the hand that even in sleep is protectively cradling your head.

The night floods back into your mind - the shower he’d started for you two before washing your hair and your body. The way he’d kneeled down, draped your leg over his shoulder before setting his mouth to your center and giving you your first explosive orgasm of the night. The shower sex that had followed, and the next several rounds in the bed you’re currently in.

You bite your lip to stifle a laugh. The teeth marks on his shoulder are a souvenir of his time in Chicago you’re delighted to send him home with.

The two of you had finally fallen asleep just as the sun had cleared the horizon. For a few more minutes you enjoy the warmth from his body before you allow reality to enter. The uncertainty and melancholy replaces the content that surrounded you like a bubble of peace. He’s leaving today, back halfway around the world.

He stirs and opens his eyes, the blissful smile on his face at seeing you next to him wipes away any worry you feel.

‘We’ll figure it out,’ he says with a sleepy smile before giving you a kiss. You tuck the words away inside your heart, letting them carry you through any worry or sadness you feel at his departure.

The morning is spent in almost silence, you helping him pack in between kisses and gentle touches. In the car ride to the airport he cradles you in his arms, raising the partition so the driver doesn’t see what’s going on. He doesn’t talk of the future but neither of you feels worried, you’ll see each other as soon as you can.

All too soon the car pulls up. ‘I’m leaving something with you,’ he says, meeting your eyes with a sudden intensity.

You purse your lips in confusion, digging through your purse trying to find whatever he stashed away. He laughs, resting his hands on top of yours to still the movement. He bends down so only you can hear.

‘I’m leaving my heart with you. And I don’t want it back.’ His velvet voice caresses your ear.

[angelofrainfrogs]

Mischief (Partly) Managed

Fandom: Good Omens

Pairing: Aziraphale/Crowley

Description: Overall, living with Aziraphale was absolute paradise. Crowley had a warm, safe place to live with an equally warm, safe companion by his side. Still, at their cores he and Aziraphale possessed an urge deep down to continue affecting humanity in some way: Aziraphale had an unquenchable desire to do good, while Crowley had a penchant for mischief. To Crowley’s dismay, Aziraphale was not a fan of the latter fact. 

Rating: K+

Genre: Romance/Humor

Read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23618683

Mischief (Partly) Managed

“Don’t.”

“Wha- I’m not even-”

“I know what you’re thinking, my dear; just leave them alone.”

“…Come on, Angel, just one little-”

“No.”

Crowley’s lip curled into a sneer, his plans thwarted once again. He sunk further down into the chair as Aziraphale puttered around him, fruitlessly cleaning off shelves that would inevitably be repopulated with dust in a few days.

“Oh, do stop sulking, Crowley; your negative energy is scaring that poor fern by the door,” Aziraphale said, noticing a leaf on the plant beginning to tremble.

“Good; maybe it’ll finally understand that if it wants to survive the week, it needs to stop getting ssspots,” Crowley hissed, glaring at the offending plant, which shook even more. Aziraphale sighed and walked over to it, patting the topmost leaf gently and murmuring comforting words of reassurance. Crowley crossed his arms and pouted.

Overall, living with Aziraphale was absolute paradise. Once Crowley admitted his feelings for the angel, finally getting the 6,000-year-old weight off his chest, his love was reciprocated with immediate, absolute certainty. After their mutual confession, Aziraphale was quick to set up a place in his beloved bookshop for his newly-realized soulmate; though Crowley still retained his apartment, he preferred to stay wherever the angel was. A more efficient heating system was installed to suit Crowley’s cold-blooded nature[1], and strategic chairs were set up around the bookshop for the demon to lounge on wherever he wished.

Most of the time, Crowley had no complaints. He had a warm, safe place to live with an equally warm, safe companion by his side. Still, at their cores he and Aziraphale were complete opposites- a demon and an angel. Even though neither of them had a “side” anymore except their own, they both had an urge deep down to continue affecting humanity in some way: Aziraphale had an unquenchable desire to do good, while Crowley had a penchant for mischief.

To Crowley’s dismay, Aziraphale was not a fan of the latter fact.

“Please, Angel, just give me free reign to do one little thing,” Crowley said once Aziraphale sufficiently calmed the plant and returned to dusting the shelves.

“No,” the angel repeated calmly, ever-patient with his demon. “If you must cause some mischief, go outside; I don’t want you bothering any of my customers while they’re browsing.”

Crowley scoffed. “You know, calling them ‘customers’ implies that you intend to let them buy something.”

“Oh, good heavens no!” Aziraphale placed a hand over his heart as if Crowley’s words had wounded him. “Please, dear boy, don’t say such things. They are ‘customers’ because I run a bookshop, and the people that browse within a bookshop are ‘customers.’”

“…As I’ve asked countless times, why don’t you just turn this into a library?”

Aziraphale’s expression became pained. “You don’t understand, Crowley.”

“Nope, and I don’t think I ever will.” With a loud sigh, Crowley stood and stretched. He leaned over and placed a firm kiss on Aziraphale’s cheek, making him blush. “Suit yourself, Angel; I’m going to wander and get some of this demonic energy out of my system.” He punctuated the end of this sentence by grabbing Aziraphale’s waist and squeezing, causing the angel to yelp in surprise and swat his hands away. Crowley snickered and slunk off into one of the aisles before Aziraphale could reprimand him more.

Crowley and Aziraphale lived together, but the bookshop would always be Aziraphale’s at heart. Crowley couldn’t stand to go against his angel’s wishes, and if that meant no pulling pranks on the hapless humans that unfortunately wandered into the shop, then he would keep his mischievous ideas to himself.[2]

Suddenly, Crowley stopped dead, the fingers he’d been running absently along a shelf pausing on the spine of a first edition Italian cookbook. A slow smile spread across his face. Aziraphale specifically forbid him from making mischief in the shop; he never said anything about temptation… which could certainly, if one squinted, be considered an aspect of mischief. And if this temptation happened to cause the mild annoyance of a certain angel- nothing serious, just enough to ruffle some feathers- well... technically Crowley would still be following Aziraphale's condition of not directly harassing the customers.

The demon sidled around the bookshelves, scoping out each human currently within the shop. There was a woman sitting in a chair with a book in her hands, though she was staring somewhere far away from the pages; no, she looked too exhausted for Crowley to truly tempt. A group of tweens clustered around the new graphic novel section[3]; no, Crowley didn’t mess with kids. A couple stood in the romance section, one man tugging on his partner’s sleeve and pointing to something while his partner rolled his eyes, pretending to be exasperated; no, Crowley thought it best to leave those two alone as well.

He was about to give up on his clever plan when he came across the final customer- a woman in her early forties, with short, dyed-blonde hair, not-so-subtle pink eye shadow, and bold, black eyeliner and mascara. She was holding a book entitled “How to Keep Your Home (and Life!) Clutter-Free.” Crowley appreciated the irony of the title, though he knew this was one of the few books that Aziraphale would most definitely sell if the woman wanted to buy it. It had come in a box of random books that had no significance to the angel, all titles being modern and mass-produced, that someone had left on his doorstep one day. This happened frequently, especially during “spring cleaning” season, and Aziraphale had a special section of the shop dedicated to the small group of books that he could bear to part with.

“Hello,” Crowley drawled, sidling up to the woman. She was a head shorter than him and startled at his sudden approach. Her eyes widened as she looked the demon up and down. Crowley could tell by the unintentional spark of hunger in her eyes that his current appearance was definitely her “type:" tall, dark, and handsome.[4]

Good. That made things so much easier.

“Er… hi,” the woman replied, finally composing herself and instinctively tucking a loose piece of hair behind her ear.

“I haven't seen you around here before; as a good friend of the owner of the shop, I thought I might check in and make sure you're alright.” Crowley flashed a gleaming smile and the woman flushed. “What have you got there?”

“Oh, uh, it’s…” The woman turned the book over in her hands, temporarily forgetting how to read. She cleared her throat and returned the demon’s smile. “It’s a book about decluttering.”

“You’re American,” Crowley stated, noting the woman’s accent. She nodded and gave a little laugh.

“Yeah, my son is on our high school’s soccer team- best in the league!” She puffed herself up proudly at this statement. “Their team got invited to play in a special international tournament and England is one of the stops. My son and his friends are at that pizza place around the corner, so I figured I’d give them some time to you know… ‘chill,’ or whatever they do now.” She let out another laugh, this time a little more forced. “Kids these days; never want to hang out with their uncool parents anymore, you know?”

“Oh, most definitely,” Crowley agreed, absolutely giddy with excitement. An American soccer mom- now this was a person that no one, human or otherwise, wanted to be on the bad side of.

Perfect.

“So, uh… you said you work here too?” the woman asked, trying to keep the conversation going. Crowley gave a derisive snort.

“On occasion, I suppose,” he responded. He looked at the book in the woman’s hand and raised an eyebrow. “May I?”

Without hesitation, the woman handed the book over. Crowley’s lip curled as he examined it, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the meaningless waffle about “decluttering your life” on the back cover.

“I was… I was just looking at it,” the woman said, a little guiltily, her blush deepening underneath the pink make-up on her cheeks. “It seems like you’re not a fan of that sort of thing, Mister…?”

“Crowley,” the demon responded automatically. His gaze flickered to the woman’s face and he saw a tiny frown twist the corners of her mouth at the unconventional name.

“Crowley,” the woman repeated with a little nod of acknowledgement. Her frown quickly turned into a wide smile. “I’m Cindy.”

“Well, Cccindy-” Crowley lingered on the name for a split-second longer than necessary, his gaze fixed onto hers. “-you would be correct. This isn’t really my thing.” He moved his hand as if to haphazardly throw the book but realized he would have heaven to pay if Aziraphale caught him disrespecting a piece of literature, no matter how little value it had. Crowley settled on placing the book onto the shelf a few spaces away from its original place; a mildly annoying surprise for the angel to find later.

“Perhaps we should find you something a little more interesting to read?” Crowley titled his head expectantly. Cindy blinked at him for a moment, then said:

“Oh, uh… sure.”

Crowley turned away from the shelf of sellable books and examined the texts on the opposite side. He was looking for a book that was off-limits for purchasing, but not too special- just enough to rile the angel up a little bit. Within a few seconds, he’d found a collection of ancient Italian poetry.

An easy smile slid across Crowley’s face as he casually held the book out to Cindy. “How about this?”

“Italian… poetry?” Cindy said, looking unimpressed. “Um, that’s… not really my usual type of reading style-”

“Not your usual type, correct,” the demon echoed, waving the book slightly. “So why not try something different?”

“Well…”

The woman still looked hesitant. Crowley suppressed a frustrated sigh and leaned towards her, slipping the book into one of the lax hands at hanging at her side.

“Come on, why don’t you just take this over to the nice man at the counter? Then you can get it all packed up and be on your way with a new experience in hand.” Crowley raised an eyebrow expectantly over his glasses. Cindy nodded slowly, looking quite confused as to what they were actually talking about.

“Y-Yeah… sure; why not,” she finally relented. Crowley’s grin widened. He gently turned her in the direction of where Aziraphale had set up his pointless register and gave her a light push on the small of her back, urging her forward.

Crowley followed the woman until he caught sight of Aziraphale, now shuffling around some books on a nearby desk. The demon slipped behind a shelf out of sight.

“Um, excuse me,” she said, stopping a few paces away from the angel.

“Oh, hello!” Aziraphale said, turning around and giving her a kind smile. One of the low hanging candles in the shop[5] rested behind the angel’s head, lighting up his blonde curls like a soft halo. Crowley couldn’t help the lovestruck expression that momentarily crossed his face, though he quickly masked this with a cool scowl. It wouldn’t do to be overcome with fondness when he was in the middle of trying to prank said object of his affection.

“What can I help you with?” Aziraphale asked. Cindy merely stared at him for a few seconds, subconsciously adjusting to the different auras between this man and the one she’d just been talking to. Soon, though, she shook her head to clear it and held up the book.

“I’d like to buy this.”

A corner of Aziraphale’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

“I’m sorry, my dear, but I’m afraid that book isn’t for sale,” the angel said. “Please feel free to take your time and enjoy reading it in my shop. Or, if you would prefer, I could take that book back and direct your attention to some that are for sale?”

He held out a hand. Cindy glanced at it, then tightened her grip on the spine of the book.

“I’d really like to buy this, though,” she said. Aziraphale slowly lowered his hand, only to clasp it in his other palm behind his back.

“As I mentioned, unfortunately it’s not for sale.” His smile had already slipped into something curter and less genuine. Crowley suppressed a snicker.

“Why is it out on the shelves then?” Cindy pressed, her mouth twisting downwards in a frown.

“It must have gotten misplaced,” Aziraphale fibbed. He and Crowley knew perfectly well that it had definitely not gotten misplaced; though the bookshop looked chaotic, it was an organized chaos that only Aziraphale truly understood.

“Hmm…,” Cindy mused, staring at the object in her hand that was causing such a fuss. She wasn’t sure why she wanted this poetry so badly, but a nagging tug in the back of her mind told her that she just had to leave the store with it in her possession. She straightened her shoulders and looked Aziraphale dead-on. “Well, I still want it. How much?”

The angel’s mouth opened slightly, taken aback by the woman’s persistence. "Madam, as I've already told you-"

"It shouldn't be on the shelves if it isn't for sale. So, how much?" With the dexterity of having done this hundreds of times before, Cindy reached into her purse with one hand and dug around until she found her wallet. Refusing to let go of the book, for she didn't like the calculating gleam that had settled into the bookseller's eyes, she skillfully pulled out a credit card and held it up for the world to see. "Name the price."

"10,000 pounds," Aziraphale responded casually, not missing a beat, but Cindy merely laughed.

"Nah, you're lying. What is it really? 100? 200?" She shook the credit card, as if demonstrating that it could pay as much as Aziraphale (reasonably) wanted it to. The angel's lips pursed into a thin line.

"I can see we are not going to come to an agreement, madam, so I regretfully must insist that you return the book to my possession and come back another day when you are a bit more reasonably-minded," he said, a pinch of his annoyance slipping through. Cindy's eyes blazed with offense.

"Okay, if you're just going to be rude, then I don't want to deal with you," she snapped, looking around as if to find someone else to help her. "Let me speak with your manager."

"I am the manager." Aziraphale's returning smile revealed a bit of teeth, and Crowley shivered involuntarily. He could tell that it would soon be time to put a stop to this woman before she drove his angel too far over the edge. Before he could find a subtle way to do this, however, Cindy uttered something that made the demon's blood run cold.

"Well then let me speak to your other employee; he was very helpful."

"I don't have another em-" Aziraphale paused, realization dawning across his features. "Ah. Right... I know just who you're speaking of, my dear."

It was at this moment that Crowley foolishly decided to run. He figured if he could just make it out the door, he would pop down to the nearby florist and then the chocolate shop to pick up some tokens of apology for riling up the Principality a little more than intended. After a few glasses of wine, he knew that everything would be forgiven. He just had to make it out of the shop first.

However, as he took his third step, a nearby stool slid away from the shelf and stopped right under his feet, sending him flailing unceremoniously towards the floor. Miraculously, the ground in front of him came to life with a plethora of soft pillows, preventing any physical damage from his fall- though his pride was as different story. Still, Crowley instinctively shut his eyes as he hit the pillows, then lay there for a moment as he felt an all-too-familiar angelic presence close in on him. When the aura was incredibly strong, Crowley carefully opened one eye to see a pair of brown, well-worn shoes standing in front of him.

"Oh," the demon said, as casually as he could, flashing a shaky grin. "Hey, Angel."

***

"I wish you'd have told me how antsy you truly were, dearest," Aziraphale said, running a hand through Crowley's fiery hair. The pair rested on the couch, Crowley's head in Aziraphale's lap as the demon curled up in a rare attempt not to encompass all the furniture space he could. They were alone, all customers in the shop having suddenly decided that they would rather be anywhere but there.

"Tried to," Crowley mumbled into the angel's thigh, and he could almost feel Aziraphale roll his eyes above him.

"Grumbling about wanting to cause mischief isn't the same thing as saying that not doing so is actually bothering you, love."

Crowley's face flushed with a combination of embarrassment and frustration. Sometimes it was still hard to express his true emotions to Aziraphale after centuries of not being able to.

"Oh, you silly thing," Aziraphale said fondly as he felt the demon nuzzle closer to him. "Well, I can't put all the blame on you; I could certainly do a better job of listening to you sometimes."

'S fine, Angel, don't worry about it," Crowley responded, and Aziraphale leaned down to press a light kiss against his temple.

"Do you feel a little better than earlier, at least?"

"Yeah." Crowley turned his head to flash the angel a grin. "Good enough for a spot of lunch at that new sushi place down the road, in fact; what do you say?"

Aziraphale's wiggle of excitement was all the answer Crowley needed. The demon stood up and held out a hand. Aziraphale grasped it and, in a swift move one would not expect from the angel, pulled Crowley close for a deep kiss.

"I love you, dearest," Aziraphale said, brushing a piece of hair out of Crowley's slightly dazed face.

"Uh... yeah," the demon responded, blinking slowly, another smile lighting up his expression. "Love you too, Angel."

"Come on," Aziraphale said, slotting his hand perfectly into Crowley's and gently tugging him towards the door. "While we're eating, we can talk about how to satiate this mischievous streak of yours in a way that won't drive anyone mad."

Crowley laughed, a sound that was absolutely musical to the angel's ears. "Sounds like a plan."

Aziraphale grip tightened in an affectionate squeeze and the pair left the shop, hand in hand as they were always meant to be.

[1] Aziraphale wasn’t nearly as bothered by temperature and therefore never noticed when the inside of the building only differed from the cold winter air by a few degrees.

[2] Crowley had only been allowed to unleash some of his demonic nature once, when there was a particularly aggressive customer who absolutely insisted on buying a very rare, misprinted bible. Aziraphale prized all his books, but his bible collection was, naturally, his absolute favorite. He couldn’t understand how the woman had even come across the book and it took all his angelic strength not to unleash his fury on her for having the gall to try and purchase it. Crowley came to the rescue and Aziraphale went into his office while the demon sorted out the situation. Needless to say, the woman never returned to the shop (and from that day on, gained an irrational fear of giant snakes).

[3] Courtesy of Adam; he wanted the Them to have something more exciting to read when they dropped by for the occasional visit.

[4] At least according to Aziraphale, whose opinion was the only one that mattered

[5] Fake, of course. The angel and demon both agreed that they'd dealt with enough real flames in recent history.

[love-with-you-i-have-everything]

all I want for christmas 21/24

So I found a series of Christmas prompts posted by @justablobfish and decided I wanted to give it a go. The post has 24 prompts, so there should be one every day until Christmas Eve!

Also found on Ao3 here.

21st ~ O Christmas Tree

A/N:  The prompt for this day was picking out a Christmas tree. I was going to go for a cute, Jones family drabble, complete with children and dogs, but I ended up sticking with our favourite pirate and princess. Enjoy!

It was their first Christmas since moving in together, and their first real Christmas as a family, no big bads, no interruptions. Storybrooke went all out for the holiday, as they quickly discovered, with Granny’s and all of the main street transformed into a Christmas village.

Snow littered the ground as Emma and Killian walked, arm in arm, to her parents’ new place. Only a few months ago, Snow and David had surprised everyone by moving out of the loft, out to a farm of all places. David had given her a notice a few weeks before; he had no interest in being a deputy anymore, what with a young son to look after.

So he’d started working on the farm, getting back to his roots, he liked to say. The new house had more space and was significantly more child friendly. Much to Emma and Killian’s excitement, the home also had rooms with doors, a step up from Emma’s old space in the loft.

“I’m just saying, love,” Killian began, tightening his grip on Emma, “that perhaps it would be bad form not to celebrate.” Emma let out a breath and kept her eyes looking straight ahead.

“I don’t know, Killian.” she shrugged her shoulders as she replied, “It’s not really worth all the money and the mess.” They approached the farmhouse and made their way up the porch steps, Killian stopping her before she could knock, “I know, love.”

Emma looked up at him, raising her eyebrows at him. She knew why he was making a big deal out of this. They’d had the discussion in November, about what they were going to do for Christmas. Emma had played it down, not quite seeing the point of spending money for things that would be around the house for one month of the year. But Killian thought differently.

“Wouldn’t it be nice, though? Finally have what you called a ‘proper’ Christmas, now that you have the chance.” The way he looked at her told her she needed to have a good answer. Emma looked over his shoulder, opening and closing her mouth. Killian just kept looking at her, eyebrows raised.

Looking back to her husband, Emma caved, “I’ll think about it.” she said, pecking him on the lips before turning to knock on the door in front of them.

Snow answered, little Neal, now just past one-year-old, in her arms. Both of their faces lifted when they saw her and Killian, her brother’s chubby little hands reaching towards them, “Hi you two!” Snow said cheerfully, passing Neal to Killian the second they got in the door. It was no secret that the toddler was partial to her husband, maybe even more than her. And the feeling was mutual. After a few awkward encounters, Killian was a true natural, getting used to the little guy’s presence.

They walked into the living area, her mother chatting non-stop. They waved hello to David, who was out on the back lawn, trying in vain to construct yet another contraption for Neal. Out of the corner of her eye, Emma saw Killian smirking at her. Turning to him, she raised her brows in question, “What?” she asked. Killian simply nodded his head, gesturing to the part of the room behind her.

Emma turned to see a huge Christmas tree, bigger than your average, run of the mill, token décor.

“When did you guys put that up?” Emma asked her mother, eyes fixed on the tree. It was traditional, green ferns and red, green, blue, and silver ornaments covering its front. Every now and then, Emma could see small childish baubles, that she assumed were for her brother’s enjoyment.

At that point, David entered through the back door, “Couple days ago.” he answered, moving next to Snow and putting an arm around her waist. Emma turned to them, nodding slowly. She tried to ignore the poignant gaze Killian was casting her way, but she knew it was there. Finally turning to him, ready to defend herself further, she saw him making silly faces at her brother, and suddenly she forgot about the whole Christmas debacle. Snow and David kept talking about how much Neal’s been enjoying the holidays and all the activities and traditions and what not, but she wasn’t really listening. The one thing that did stick out however, was something about wanting Neal’s first Christmas to be a memorable one.

This was Killian’s first Christmas, here, as a true part of the family.

And she was selfishly keeping that joy from him, even if she hadn’t meant to. Looking back at the tree, Emma started formulating a plan. Maybe her and her pirate did deserve a little bit of a splurge for the holidays.

--

Emma had left a message on her pillow that morning, telling Killian to meet her at the fields outside of town. Getting up before he did was a task in itself, but she’d managed to do it. Either way, Emma didn’t have to wait long at the tree farm before he showed up, complete in his black leather and jeans. She’d tried to convince him to buy a warmer coat, but he wasn’t having it.

When she saw him coming, she pushed herself away from the gate she’d been leaning on, taking her hands out of her pockets. They met in the middle, Emma immediately pulling him close to plant a kiss on his lips, one that was answered with equal enthusiasm. When they pulled apart, Killian was the first one to speak, taking in their surroundings.

“What’s all this about, love?” he asked, arms still around her waist. She smiled up at him, a real, happy smile and took his hook from her back, pulling him towards the copse of pine trees.

“We,” she started, casting a look back at him, “are picking a Christmas tree.” At the sight of his confounded face, Emma let out a laugh as they moved through the maze of trees. Killian caught up to her, pulling on her hand, “What changed your mind, Emma?” he asked, eyes full of hope.

Placing a hand gently on his cheek, Emma replied, “Being at mum and dad’s place the other night.” He raised his eyebrows, in a very clear explain look in his eyes, “Aye?”

Emma nodded, “Yeah. Something my mum said, about it being Neal’s first real Christmas, or at least, you know, the first one he’d remember. And I kind of figured, this is our first Christmas in a way. It wasn’t fair to be a Grinch and I’m sorry.”

A soft smile formed on Killian’s face as she spoke. When she’d finished, Emma watched as he too moved a hand to her face, this time running it through loose strands of her hair, “Well then, Swan,” he said, “looks like we have a Christmas tree to pick up.”

They spent the rest of the morning searching through their options. Apart from a few moments of bickering, it was a relatively painless process, both of them agreeing when one was too small, too wide, or too tall. Henry called at one point, and Killian insisted he come to join them. Once they three of them were together, it didn’t take long to find the one.

They wrapped it up and loaded it into David’s truck, very kindly leant out for their needs. On the way home, they stopped by any home stores they could, exiting with boxes of Christmas lights and decorations. And they didn’t waste any time when they got home, immediately putting their efforts into the tree.

The end result was perfect. Maybe not quite as organised and precise as her parents, but it was theirs. A little messy, a little all over the place, but it was a start. Emma and Killian sat on the couch that night, Henry holed up in his room, and basked in the light emitted from the tree. They both sipped glasses of wine, not saying much, just taking it in. Because as much as Emma liked to deny it, Christmas, as it turns out, wasn’t as bad as she’d thought.