#i got lazy w the shading and forgot to color some spots

[thecavesystem]

casually slips this into the digital world for EVER

side by side below

get this guy some melanin STAT

[sasharosewater]

Candied Apples and Chocolate Covered Strawberries (Alastor x Lucifer Fanfic)

Summary: Lucifer is a holiday fan. Alastor is not. Luci is going to do whatever it takes to convert his boyfriend, even if it means loving him to death.

Category: Fluff

Pairing: Alastor x Lucifer

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

-----

It was February 14, 7:30 am in hell. Alastor was still sleeping soundly in his soft king sized bed adorned with red, white, and pink sheets. It was spotted with various apple themed patterns, and even the bedstand had carvings of the fruit on it in various places.

Now, one would imagine that such an influential demon like him would be up by now, working hard and fast on his next broadcasts. However, today was a lazy day for the deer, one of his rare ones. He continued to sleep, his breaths soft and slow and his hair slightly ruffled. Not even the bright redness of the sky outside pulled him from his slumber.

Suddenly, as the deer slept, he felt a gentle pressure on his lips, as well as a slightly harsher pressure over his chest area. They were just subtle pressures, but they were annoying, although painless. Grumbling with irritation, Alastor slowly opened his eyes to face the offending objects. He was somehow mutually surprised and not surprised at once. His confused glance slowly melted into a sleepy glare.

"Luci..?" he mumbled. Straddling the deer was Lucifer, king of hell and Alastor's boyfriend. The mischievous king was gently pushing what appeared to be a chocolate covered strawberry to his lover's lips, smiling happily from ear to ear.

Alastor grumbled again, attempting to gently push Lucifer's hand away from his face. "Luci, love, what are you doing?" he asked rhetorically. He couldn't open his mouth too far or the strawberry would make it's way through his lips, forcing him to mumble.

The king just chuckled at the deer, calmly taking the strawberry away from Al's face. "Sorry, love, but I had to! Do you know what day it is?!" the king asked excitedly.

Unfortunately, the deer did know what day it was. Valentine's Day... Now, much like with most other holidays, Al didn't hate this one. He just felt general indifference towards it. Luci, however, seemed to love all holidays aside from Easter, and he only liked Christmas for the romance, presents, and food. Al rolled his eyes calmly and slowly sat up in bed. There was for sure no way Lucifer would possibly let him go back to sleep anytime soon. At least, not for today.

"Well, Luci," mumbled the sleepy radio demon. "At least you're excited." With that stated, he placed a sweet kiss on the king of hell's lips. Luci, although flattered, was surprised and left blushing by the kiss. Alastor had already stepped out of bed and gotten dressed by the time he gathered himself. Smiling like a kid in a candy store, the king followed Al downstairs into the main room of the palace.

When they entered the room, Al had paused to look at the decorations. They weren't as plentiful as the Christmas ones, but there were still an overwhelming flurry of hearts pasted throughout. The deer was blinded by the various shades of red, pink, and white. The palace already consisted of those colors anyway, but somehow Lucifer had managed to make each shade stand out like a wrinkle in freshly printed paper. Alastor appreciated the effort, but physically had to hold back his cringe. It was too much for his taste.

"Come with me, love!" Luci suddenly exclaimed, taking a gentle hold if Al's arm. "I made you something!"

The king quickly led Alastor to the kitchen, the deer following confusedly. When they got there, Luci took hold of a small tray covered by a pink towel and held it up for the deer. With an intrigued expression, Alastor carefully slid the towel off the contents only to reveal.... Handmade chocolates. They were, of course, various lovely shapes, which included the casual hearts, but also included some shaped like deer.

Al sighed in a tired, and slightly irritated, stupor.

"Darling, you know very well that I am not a fan of sweets..." he mumbled, seeming somewhat offended that Luci forgot such a simple detail about him. However, the king simply giggled and held up a small treat for the deer.

"Come on, love, try it! They're not just ordinary chocolates!" Luci declared happily.

With a hesitant gaze and small smile, Alastor took the treat and ate it slowly, only to be pleasantly surprised when he wasn't slapped in the tastebuds with sugar. This really wasn't ordinary chocolate... It was bitter chocolate, his favorite! Not even just regular dark chocolate, no, BITTER chocolate. This stuff had to be at least 85% cocoa. Of course, there was some sugar in it, and hints of vanilla in a few of them, but for the most part, itbwas simply bitter. His smile grew, satisfied and flattered. Luci hadn't forgotten. He had made these especially for him! The deer gave Luci a loving stare.

"Thank you so much, darling! These are scrumptious! I could eat these everyday!"

The king smiled proudly. "Glad to hear, sweetheart! Guess I'll be making them everyday!" He shrugged, as if having no choice. Alastor only responded with a laugh and a kiss on the king's cheek.

"Sounds lovely~"

As the day went on, they simply spent it talking and loving on each other. Alastor shared some special stories of his encounters with other demons during his work time and Luci listened intently. He just loved hearing his sweetheart talk.

Later that night, they were chatting in the kitchen, Alastor finishing off the last few handmade chocolates. They were laughing over some classic dad jokes, of course. Suddenly, as they were talking, Luci got a mischievous idea. He gently sauntered over to Alastor and have him a sensual look.

"Hey, darling?" he began. "You know what would finish this night off perfectly?~"

At first, Al was caught off guard. Then, he crossed his arms and gave Luci an 'Are you kidding with me' expression. "I dont know, Luci, what WOULD finish this night oh-so-perfectly?"

"Oh, I think you know what I mean~" the king hummed suggestively. He caressed Alastor's cheek lovingly and his face never lost its sensual look. The deer only exhaled in Humor and poked the king's nose.

"I believe I do know, darling. And I'm not sorry to say that I must humbly decline, your majesty~"

Lucifer's response was a simple pout, puppy eyes engaged. "But, love, it has been months since I last tasted you!" he whined. "Can I at least have a sample, just for tonight?~"

Al only responded with a smile and a shake of the head. He slowly turned to walk out of the kitchen, leaving the king pouting behind, when he suddenly got a mischievous idea of his own. Turning back to Lucifer, he adopted his own sensual gaze, trying to seem as genuine as he could. Luci was startled as Al suddenly pinned him between the kitchen counter and his own body, smiling suggestively at him.

"Actually, now that I think about it... Perhaps I should take you up on your offer~"

Luci was suddenly out of breath by the sudden shift of tone. Shaking his head clear, he returned to his flirtatious self and grinned longingly. "Oh really now? Glad we've come to an... agreement ~" Slowly, both of them leaned in for what appeared to be a kiss.

However, Alastor suddenly pulled away and took a large bite of a fresh, red apple that he had snatched from a fruit bowl sitting casually behind the king. He smiled devilishly at his lover, Luci left breathless from the closeness and the overwhelming need building inside of him. He should've known Al would do that. Slowly, his breathlessness dissolved into laughter as he registered what had happened.

"Ah, Alastor... This is why I love you. You always know how to keep me in my place."

"Well, someone has to, am I right?" Alastor sang teasingly.

It was slowly nearing midnight at this point, and Luci felt a nervousness tug in his chest. He had to do it now... It was already pretty late, but... if he didn't do it now, he would chicken out. He had to... he HAD to! The king took deep, calming breaths and slowly approached hisbdeer lover, who was starting to get ready for bed. He gently tapped the demon on the shoulder. Al looked over at him with a curious hum.

"What is it, darling?" emhe asked, smiling as usual.

Lucifer forced a brave smile onto his face and opened his mouth, hoping his words wouldn't fail him now. "A-Alastor..?" he nervously stuttered. Taking one final breath, he slowly brought forward from behind his back...

A small velvet box, an engagement ring concealed comfortably inside it.

"W-will you marry me...?"

@pharaohjaz

[queerchoicesblog]

The Gala (OH, Harper x F!MC)

Nobody asked for a sequel of Unexpected News (& Misunderstandings as well) but I wrote it anyway! As my confidence in a good Book 2 for Open heart decreases every day, I found myself missing my non-canon slowburn pairing and voilà: the night of the gala brings some good news and an unexpected -and long waited- turn of events for Dr. Emery and Dr. Valentine. Special thanks to Kyra :D

Perma Tag: @brightpinkpeppercorn @bhavf @melodyofgraves @abunchofbadchoices @silverhawkenzie @strangerofbraidwood @kamilahmykween @desiree-0816 @universallypizzataco @gayestchoices @embarrassingsmartphonegame @lilyofchoices @somewillwin @allaboutchoices  

Harper x F!MC Tag: @andi-the-cat @korrasamixfan @delphinusbae @noeschoices @jellymonster

Word Count: 2250

Disclaimer: For previous chapters of the Harper x F!MC, check my masterlist (too lazy to post all the links her) + I mentioned Avery Wilshere, in this fic it will be a male Avery as I pictured it male in my Platinum playthrough, sorry for that!

__________________________

The Edenbrook Hospital Fundraising Gala was in full swing. Everything was surprisingly running smoothly: Dr. Naveen Banerji gave a gracious and inspiring keynote speech, acknowledging and praising the hard work of the medical staff and encouraging patrons to support research and the new pioneering programs in favor of the community launching soon. The gala guest Avery Wilshere took the stage and echoed his words, remembering how the doctors of Edenbrook went above and beyond to cure and eventually save the life of one of his dearest friends before charming the audience with his soft voice and ballads.

Dr. Valentine had never been to a gala before: she felt thrilled and awkward at the same time standing there, in a fancy hall, dressed to the nines eating canapes and sipping expensive wine. Shaking hands with embarrassingly rich people and trying to look her best professional self while enjoying the party. She took a moment to check in on her friends. A soft smile drew on her lips as she spotted Sienna and Danny slow dancing downtempo and lost in each other's arms on the dance floor. Not far a visibly smitten Phoebe was adjusting Elijah's bowtie, spreading a blush over Dr. Greene's cheeks. Seeing her friends happy and in the company of their loved ones comforted her, a content feeling taking in inside her. Then she noticed Bryce and Jackie bantering at the bar and shook her head laughing. She rejoiced again seeing the shade of pink on Aurora's face as she shyly nodded and squeezed closer to a smiling Raphael for a selfie. It was so endearing how the young Dr. Emery still struggled a little to come to terms with the genuine affection all of them showed her, to people around her age willing to include her, Aurora, without ulterior motives than to enjoy her company.

Now it was her turn. She took a quick nervous look to Kyra who just nodded and winked in encouragement. I suppose you don't exactly have a choice, self, she thought, sighing to steady herself and turn. She surfed through the crowd, flashing quick smiles to fellow doctors as she passed by...until she saw her. The breath caught in her throat as she froze in place: Harper was glowing in an elegant blue dress - blue navy was definitely Harper’s favorite color- and finely jeweled, crimson over her perfectly shaped lips. The Head of Neurosurgery was in the company a bunch of doctors and wealthy patrons: she looked perfectly at ease, chatting and sipping a glass of champagne. Dr. Valentine diverted her eyes, pondering her options.

Nah, maybe it wasn't the right time. It was silly, maybe she should leave and..

But it was too late: when she raised her eyes again, she met Harper’s, looking in her direction. She gave her a quick smile and a nod, that Meredith immediately mirrored still wondering if she should just keep walking and pretend she wasn’t just passing by. Dr. Emery anticipated her once again. The neurosurgeon graciously excused herself and parted from the group, heading straight towards the young fellow.

“Hello, Valentine. Enjoying the party?” she greeted her with a smile.

"Oh yes, it's..." Meredith's eyes wandered around the hall looking for the right words. "Amazing. And impressive. Dr. Banerjii and the board went above and beyond for this gala night"

"Indeed" Dr. Emery agreed, following Meredith's gaze before looking back at her. "I noticed that Naveen and Ethan showed you off to the VIP guests over here"

A light blush spread over Valentine's face as she minimized.

"They just introduced me, I wouldn't go that far...but it was kind of them, I guess"

Harper flashed a quick smile as if she was expecting that kind of answer.

"I'm glad they did. After all you've been through, you deserved a little victory lap, Valentine"

"Do you think so?" Meredith sighed.

"You know me: have I ever said anything I didn't mean?"

Meredith offered a weak smile and shook her head in response. Then she remembered her chat with Kyra and she felt conflicted again, but Harper was giving a look filled with curiosity as if she read her mind and knew, just knew that she was keeping something from her.

"Actually, Dr. Emery I was kind of...hoping to bump into you"

"Really? What's the matter?" Harper asked, shifting slightly to listen more carefully.

“This is…embarrassing, very silly I should probably-” Meredith started but froze mid.-sentence.

“I’m sure it’s not. So?” Harper inquired, taking a sip of her champagne.

“Well…” Meredith swallowed hard and fiddled with her own hands “I somehow got involved in a bet”

“A bet?” Harper echoed, flashing her an enigmatic and slightly amused smile. “What kind of bet, if I may? Please tell me it has nothing to do with scalpels because I don’t have one in my purse. Stupidly I forgot to bring them to the gala”

“Oh no” Valentine chuckled. “It’s…Kyra, the girl over there….she bets that I...well that I would never have the guts to ask you to dance”

“Oh” Dr. Emery raised a surprised eyebrow to her before cocking her head to look over Valentine’s shoulder.

On the other side of the room, a young woman wearing a colorful turban excitedly waved at her with a big smile.

“And what did she ask you to do if you failed?” Harper asked, waving back at Kyra.

“Running the upcoming Boston marathon on her behalf”

“Well, I was expecting something worse to be h-”

“Barefoot and wearing a t-shirt that says ‘too chicken to ask Dr. Emery to dance’”

Harper gave her a long look before both of them burst into laughter.

“I know it sounds ridiculous but it’s also tragic on my end” Meredith chuckled.

“It seems you have quite a lot to lose here, Valentine. Now the question is…what are you gonna do?”

“W-what do you mean?” Meredith asked suddenly less confident than before.

Harper gave her an amused smile and leaned a bit closer:

“You haven’t asked me to dance yet. If that’s what you wanted to do”

“Oh, yeah, right!” Meredith mumbled before recollecting herself.

The notes of one of Avery's most loved song started playing in the background as if on cue, eliciting a round of applause and cheer from the audience.

“Will you dance with me, Dr. Emery?”

Harper gave her one of her long looks before breaking into a smile and stopping a man in a dashing tuxedo passing by.

“Grant, dear, sorry. Would you mind holding that for me?” she asked, handing him her glass.

“Sure, Harper. Hitting the dance floor?” he asked winking at the two of them.

“I think so” she smiled back.

“Cool, just don’t ask for your drink later, Harper! Have fun, ladies!” he said with a huge grin before being approached by another patron.

Dr. Emery shook her head and turned towards Meredith, flashing a smile.

“Shall we?”

Meredith's knees threatened to give in as Harper gently grazed her arm, a light touch that made her heart flutter, but she managed to keep walking and mirror the neurosurgeon's smile.

Kyra later smiled to herself observing the two women dancing in the crowd, slowly letting themselves go and forget about the gala, being more confident around each other only to fall into an awkward silence as they swayed to the beat of  Avery's signature song, Lift Me Up

I tried to resist you I tried to keep my distance I tried to play it cool I'm no match for your persistence

I knew it, she beamed as a few songs later they moved to the bar arms in arms and spent the rest of the night chatting and laughing, Meredith gesticulating, too lost in some kind of deep conversation to be nervous, and Harper, listening carefully resting her chin in her hand.

They were still together when the gala came to an end, walking side by side into the parking lot among the multitude of doctors and guests exchanging parting greetings and a last round of chats.

"Who would have thought that a gala could be so much fun?" Harper commented, smiling to herself.

"Thanks for saving me from the deadly dull of patron conversation" she whispered conspiratorially, leaning closer to Meredith so that only she could hear.

"Anytime! But I should be the one thanking you: you saved me from the most disastrous and embarrassing Boston marathon ever" Meredith giggled.

"Yeah...I must say it would have been quite a sight. I can see the headlines-"

"No, it would have been awful, thank you!" Meredith interrupted her before laughing again. "You're an awful tease Dr. Emery, you know that right?"

Harper just shrugged and smiled.

"But I must admit I'm glad you decided not to run the marathon" she took a brief pause as if to ponder her words or to cherish the realization that just crossed her mind and made her smile to herself, almost shyly. "It's been ages since I had a night like this. Of course, it wasn't all fun, there were work duties too but...dancing, actually having a good carefree conversation with someone, that's rather unusual for me these days. Well, in a while, to be honest. I almost forgot how it was and I missed it. Thanks, Valentine"

The soft shift in her tone was so earnest that left Meredith a bit puzzled as a flashback of Mr. Linen Suit leaving Edenbrook with Harper. Maybe the date didn't work out?

"No need to thank me, it was my pleasure. I had a great time too, it was nice spending time with you outside work. Well, more or less as you said"

A light shade of pink colored her cheeks.

"You mean it?"

Meredith turned: seeing Harper surprised that someone might enjoy her company outside work, her personal self talking of ordinary stuff not the myth, the public persona was unexpected. And quite heartwarming as well. She barely refrained from the urge to reach out and squeeze her hand or pull her into a tight embrace.

"Of course I do" she said instead.

Harper smiled, a rather shy and grateful smile so different from her usual dignified ones at work, and nodded.

"I'm glad to hear. Maybe we should-" the neurosurgeon stopped mid-sentence, unsure whether to finish the sentence that slipped out of her mouth.

"Maybe we should...?"

Harper slowed down to a stop and after much internal debate, she shook her head and continued.

"Do you like Thai food?"

"Yes, sure but why?"

"I was thinking that maybe we should do it again, spending time together outside good old Edenbrook and I happen to know a lovely place downton. I'd love to take you out to dinner there"

"Yo-you would?" Meredith managed to stutter as she blushed furiously. "Like casually or-"

"Yes, I would" Harper laughed softly, amused of how flustered Valentine got in the turn of seconds. "And it's a date only if we both feel like that, no pressure. So what do you say?"

Dr. Valentine refrained herself from screaming the easiest yes she had ever formulated.

"Yes, yes I would love to".

Harper's face relaxed a bit.

"Excellent! So how's...let me think of my schedule...how's Friday? Does it work for you?"

"Friday's perfect" she confirmed, her smile barely containing the happiness that surged inside her.

She forgot about the rest of the world for a moment: Harper was smiling back at her, the most beautiful smile Meredith had ever seen when the charm was broken by a sudden realization that made the surgeon laugh.

"I'm just afraid...I don't have your number. I don't know how to text you the address" she smiled apologetically.

"Oh right!" Meredith chuckled too.

"It's usually the other way round, right? First number then asking out" Dr. Emery shook her head as she picked her phone out of her purse.

"I suppose, buy it doesn't matter, we can change that" Valentine commented outstretching her hand.

As Harper handed her her phone, she quickly typed down her number. After checking it twice, she gave it back, a huge smile on her face.

"There, fixed"

Over Harper's shoulder, in the distance, she spotted Kyra and the rest of the group walking in the opposite direction. Rafael saw her and mouthed something about a uber. Valentine nodded and sighed.

"I'm afraid that's my cue, sadly" she apologized. "I have an early shift tomorrow and..."

"It's okay, I would have offered to give you a ride home but I wasn't sure if it would put you in a bad place back at home" Harper smiled, a hint of tease in her hazel eyes. "And I know you're a professional, Valentine"

"Meredith" the fellow corrected her. "Just Meredith"

Dr. Emery's eyes gleamed again in the dark of the night.

"I'll text you very soon, Meredith"

"Please do, D-"

"Harper"

As her friend almost disappeared from view and the neurosurgeon was smiling down at her, Meredith bit her lip and allowed herself to be a little daring for once. Without thinking twice, she leaned closer and pressed a quick kiss on the doctor's cheek, leaving Harper to gape in surprise.

"Thanks for making my day. Goodnight, Harper" she whispered softly.

That said, she parted and walked towards her friends, head over heels and still not fully processing what happened, but feeling like the heroine of a romantic comedy, her own romantic movie as she heard Harper, the Harper Emery who just asked her out and now visibly flustered, whispering "Goodnight, Meredith".