#i got my sticklers reunion

[mcytegg]

derap has a feeling ls is ending when he leaves for Japan LOL

[h50europe]

BUCK/TOMMY - Adventures In Baking (on AO3)

When Evan and Tommy decide to spend a weekend together at Tommy's for the first time after their reunion, they try out a new recipe... and end up on Tommy's kitchen floor...

Day two of @bucktommyfluffebruary - Cooking Together

"Hi," Evan greeted shyly as Tommy opened the door to his house.

This was the first time since their reunion that they would spend a weekend together at Tommy's place, and the air was thick with excitement and anxiety.

"Hi," Tommy echoed just as shyly. "Have... you got everything?"

"Everything," Evan grinned, hefting his backbag. "Yes, I've got everything."

"Come in," Tommy said, stepping aside to let Evan enter.

Despite having been at Tommy's before, it still felt like the first time for Evan. Every step into the house felt charged with a nervous energy.

"I'm sorry for the impromptu invitation, but Chim and Eddie have been raving about your baking skills. I thought it was something… we could do without thinking about... you know what I mean." Tommy cleared his throat. "And since my kitchen is a bit bigger than yours..." Tommy's voice trailed off, uncertainty lacing his words.

"Hey, this is-is great, really. No problem," Evan said reassuringly, though his voice quivered slightly.

"Yeah, you think? I'm as excited as... as I was on our first date," Tommy confessed, quickly retreating to the kitchen, hoping Evan didn't notice his flushed cheeks.

"Wait, wait," Evan called, hurrying after him. "What do you mean you were nervous on our first date? Hello? You were as cool as a cucumber."

Tommy stopped and turned around, "No, Evan, I-I wasn't. I just didn't let it show."

"Tommy Kinard, you're a damn good liar," Evan teased, though there was a touch of uncertainty in his voice as he tried to gage Tommy's reaction.

"No, I swear it's not a lie. It took me at least two hours to find the right outfit," Tommy said, dropping his gaze to the floor.

Evan playfully poked him in the shoulder, "No, you didn't."

Tommy nodded, "Oh, yes, I did." And when he lifted his head, they were so close they could almost touch the tips of their noses. But they had agreed to keep their hands off each other. Even though it was incredibly difficult for both of them, they tried to stick to it, feeling the weight of their past decisions.

"So, Mister Flour Power, show me how it's done," Tommy said, turning his attention to unpacking Evan's backbag, hoping the distraction would ease the lingering awkwardness.

"Okay. And because it's our first baking date, I thought to try something new,"

"Sounds exciting," Tommy said. Evan winced slightly.

"Evan?"

"Well, exciting… this word still sticks with me."

"Oh, sorry," Tommy apologized.

"Nah, forget it. It's just… Nothing. Here's the recipe."

Tommy threw a glance at his boyfriend. But Evan had already tied on an apron and handed one to him.

"Then, let's do it… I guess," Tommy muttered.

Evan, a stickler for detail, insisted on following a complicated recipe he had found online.

And they dove head first into

"Are you sure we need to sift the flour twice? Isn't that a bit much?" Tommy asked, raising an eyebrow and waving the sifter around.

"Trust the process, Tommy. Precision is key," Evan replied solemnly, adjusting his apron like a pro.

Tommy, on the other hand, preferred to wing it. "Alright, but I'm adding extra chocolate. More chocolate equals more love," he said with a wink, dumping an extra handful of chocolate chips into the bowl.

As they mixed the ingredients, flour was everywhere—on the counter, the floor, and even their faces. They couldn't stop laughing at the mess they were making.

"Evan, you look like a ghost! All you need is a sheet to complete the look," Tommy teased, pointing at Evan's flour-covered face.

"Speak for yourself, Casper," Evan shot back, grinning. "If I look like a ghost, then you're a flour monster."

The real fun began when it came time to shape the cookies. Evan tried to make perfectly round cookies, but they kept coming out lopsided.

"Why won't they cooperate?" Evan muttered in frustration and pouted, trying to reshape a particularly stubborn cookie.

Seeing an opportunity to impress his boyfriend, Tommy began shaping his cookies into fun designs: one looked like a dinosaur, and another resembled a starfish.

"Hey Evan, feast your eyes on my culinary masterpieces!" Tommy announced, triumphantly pointing to a wannabe dinosaur cookie.

Evan tried to keep a straight face, but soon he was laughing so hard that he had to sit down. "Tommy, your dinosaur looks like it came straight out of a prehistoric food fight! It's a dino-saster!"

Seeing Evan laugh so hard, Tommy couldn't resist joining in. "Well, I guess we can't all be cookie architects! Maybe I'll stick to making dino-mites instead of dino-sasters," he chuckled, showing him another oddly shaped cookie.

They put the cookies in the oven and though they tried to keep their hands off each other, they engaged into some passionate kissing until they realized they had forgotten to set the timer.

"Uh, how long do these need to bake?" Tommy asked, peering into the oven.

"Since we went freestyle instead of following the recipe, I have no idea. But you know what? Let's just watch and see what happens. Maybe we'll invent a new kind of cookie timing method."

This time, they "behaved." But both started to feel the effects of their non-stop baking antics and the mess they'd made.

"Standing here is making my feet ache," Tommy admitted, glancing at the kitchen chairs, now covered in flour and mixing bowls.

Evan nodded in agreement, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. "Yeah, who knew baking could be such a workout?"

"Almost more exhausting than sex," Tommy grinned as he plopped down on the floor with a dramatic sigh. "Well, if we can't sit at the table, the floor will have to do. Plus, this way, we get a front-row seat to the cookie Armageddon."

Evan chuckled and joined him on the floor. "Fine, but only because I don't have the energy to clean off a chair right now."

Tommy stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned back on his hands. "You know, this isn't so bad. We've got cookies baking, a great view, and excellent company."

Evan smiled and nodded. "True. And I suppose this floor time allows us to make some last-minute predictions. I'm still betting the lopsided one will burn first."

Tommy shook his head. "Alright, let's make it interesting. If I win, you clean the kitchen. If you win, I'll do it."

"Deal," Evan said, shaking Tommy's hand with a smirk. "But don't think I'll go easy on you. My eyes are locked on that starfish."

They continued to joke and banter, making outrageous predictions about their cookie creations. The longer it took, the more they could see the cookies spreading into odd shapes and taking on a variety of colors.

"I bet the starfish is going to be a charred mess," Tommy said, tapping his finger on the oven door.

"You're on. My money's on the lopsided one. It's already looking crispy," Evan replied, chuckling.

"Look at that one! It looks like a deflated balloon," Tommy pointed out, laughing.

"That's supposed to be my perfect circle!" Evan exclaimed, shaking his head. "So much for precision."

They both burst into laughter, their previous frustrations now a distant memory. The warmth of the oven and their banter made the kitchen floor surprisingly comfortable.

In the end, the cookies were a disaster—some burned, some undercooked—but they didn't care. They spent the rest of the afternoon munching their misshapen creations and laughing at their baking antics.

"Okay, so maybe we’re not exactly master bakers," Tommy said, biting into a half-burned cookie with a grin. "But at least we can still eat our mistakes."

"You mean, together we're a baking disaster. I alone…"

"Evan? Thin ice, very thin ice."

Evan chuckled, holding up a cookie that looked like it had seen better days. "Yeah, I know. Who needs perfectly baked cookies when you have laughter as the secret ingredient?"

Tommy nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly! Besides, these cookies have character. This one looks like it’s winking at me," he said, pointing to a cookie with a slightly singed corner.

They both burst into laughter again, savoring the moment as much as the cookies. "We should totally open a bakery. We’ll call it 'The Misfit Bakery'—every cookie has its own personality," Evan suggested, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Brilliant! And our tagline can be 'Perfectly Imperfect Cookies.' People would love it," Tommy added, his voice full of excitement.

Evan put his hand on Tommy, "Perfectly Imperfect. A perfect description of our relationship."

Tommy swallowed. "How about we take it one day at a time?" he suggested.

"One day at a time," Evan agreed, then took a starfish cookie and bit into it. "I think these are the best," he said with a full mouth.

"I know, I made them," Tommy replied, grinning.

As they continued to enjoy their unique creations, they began brainstorming ideas for their next culinary adventure.

"So, what’s next on our agenda? Cupcakes? Brownies? Or maybe we should do something savory, like homemade pizza?" Evan suggested, taking another bite of a misshapen cookie.

"Pizza sounds amazing! But we should definitely stock up on ingredients first. And maybe I invest in a timer," Tommy replied, grinning.

Evan nodded in agreement. "Definitely a timer. And how about we invite the 118 over next time? We can have a cooking party and see who makes the most creative dish."

"That sounds like a blast! And we can make it a monthly tradition. Each time we try a new recipe, and the winner gets to choose the next one," Tommy said, already imagining the fun they’d have.

They spent the rest of the afternoon reminiscing about their baking antics and planning their future cooking escapades. Despite the cookie disaster, the day was one of the most memorable and enjoyable they’d had after their reunion.

As the sun began to set, Evan looked at Tommy and smiled. "You know, I think we’ve discovered the secret to a perfect day. It’s not about the end result; it’s about the fun we have along the way." Tommy nodded, returning the smile. "Absolutely. Here’s to many more perfectly imperfect adventures."

[synergysilhouette]

Reimagining a Disney musical about "Rapunzel"

I started doing this with "Wish" and continued on with "Frozen," so why not do it for "Tangled"? My rewrites are more important to me, but spitballing these concepts are fun, too! I hope you enjoy what I have cooked up. BTW, I think the setting of "Tangled" was inspired by Germany, so I'd keep that for "Rapunzel"--though I wouldn't be as much of a stickler for the fashion here since the silhouettes and designs don't quite match up with my image for the characters.

Plot

The kingdom of Rampia is home to a witch. No one knows much about her, and no one dares ask. But one day, she disappeared, some say with her arms filled with gold. She vanished to the far reaches of the kingdom to an abandoned tower, coveting whatever she had like a miser. But what would happen when that secret escaped? What havoc would she wreak to get it back?

Principal characters

Rapunzel--Curious, athletic, and hungry for knowledge, she has lived in the tower all her life. Born with beautiful golden hair that is now beyond 100 feet long (and never gets dirty or matted), she was taken by the sorceress Gothel the day she was born. Despite Gothel's attempts to keep her at home, Rapunzel desires to see the world, and does so by escaping with Prince Rudolph, who one day manages to find the tower. While she returns to her family and forms a romance with the prince, the townsfolk do not take to her, seeing her as the daughter of a witch and destined to bring them unhappiness. They treat her similar to Pocahontas in her sequel film, both exotifying and fearing her, seeing her as inferior to them and yet more dangerous. Gothel retaliates to her escape and curses the kingdom with being surrounded by imprisoning the prince inside his own castle, using thistles to encase the area. She invites Rapunzel to come and save him, but warns that the young woman with have a reunion with her "mother" if she does so. The curse quickly turns people against Rapunzel even more, and she must venture into the maze of a castle if she wishes to rescue her love and his family.

Prince Rudolph--A handsome, cunning, sassy, and somewhat vain prince, he accidentally stumbles onto Gothel's tower, which was the last thing he wanted to do. Despite his skillset, he is easily frightened off, and the thought of coming face to face with a witch was enough to frighten him for life. He's actually got a soft spot for kids and animals, and can be quite helpful when the need (for him) arises. When he manages to capture the heart of the "witches' daughter," there is much debate, with concerns that Rapunzel put a spell on him, with whispers of getting rid of her (or even the monarchy itself) beginning to rise.

(Note: Have NOT established whether or not I'd make him Southern European or Middle Eastern in contrast to German. I'm just gonna keep his German name rn.)

Gothel--A woman who has lived long and seen much, she was denied a special herb by a man when she was pregnant, and was unable to save her child. In revenge, when the man needed an herb of hers for his own wife, she gave it to him in exchange for the child in her womb. She raised Rapunzel as her own, but as she began to look like her parents and act of her own accord, any affection Gothel might have felt for her turned to anger and envy for the child she lost, and abused Rapunzel mercilessly. However, she had grown so used to her company that she couldn't imagine life without her, and when she falls in love and escapes from the tower, Gothel vows to take everything from her until she's all she has left.

Music

All For You--A rather long song, dedicated to the heartbreak Gothel goes through to save her child all for it to be for nothing, and for Rapunzel's parents to trade her in order to save her.

Not Today--Similar to "Mother Knows Best" and "Stay With Me," Gothel continually stalls Rapunzel by outwitting her, thus proving she isn't prepared to leave the tower.

Fantasy--Rapunzel daydreaming about traveling, about how different the world is from what she's learned (because reading and experiencing are two different things), as well as Rudolph singing about his own dream of becoming king and how "easy" everything will be.

At Last--Rapunzel is finally free from her tower and able to explore the world that's no longer a fantasy in her mind. As she experiences the world with Rudolph, she realizes how much she's falling for him, and vice versa.

Never--Gothel attempts to bring Rapunzel back to the tower peacefully, but when she refuses, Gothel vows to take everything from her, saying "never say never; it's much longer than forever."

Be Strong--Rudolph sings this to comfort a scared Rapunzel as she works to free him and face Gothel, realizing that the world is just as dangerous as Gothel told her and feeling guilt for bringing Rudolph pain, though he states that with love comes pain, and that he wouldn't trade it for anything.

Tonight--The finale, a powerful ballad where Rapunzel reflects on all she's learned and seen, and how the next day could bring just as much trouble as the past few ones have, but tonight, she has peace, she has love.

Lemme know what you think! I don't hate "Tangled," but I'd have enjoyed some different things from a Disney musical about Rapunzel.

[seigephoenix]

The Day After

I had to. I simply had to. The idea just wouldn't let me go and I was laughing at the idea. A follow up to a DADWC post featuring Briar and Cullen. >Here< Warning: that fic is NSFW

Content Warning: wholesome, Alissa being herself and teasing Briar Length: ~1k

Alissa strolled into Cullen’s office the next afternoon barely concealing the amusement from the night before.  She was happy he found some happiness, the man certainly deserved to feel a moment’s peace in this whirlwind they called life.  To think it would be the Hero of Ferelden that caught his attention, but Alissa sensed a story there.  Varric declared he was not getting involved with finding out what the story was, so Alissa took it upon herself.  She opened the door and spied the mage standing next to Cullen speaking quietly to him.  Cullen looked over at her and started as he recognized her.

“Inquisitor.”  Alissa’s lips twitched in amusement as she met Briar’s eyes.  Whatever she saw in Alissa's storm colored eyes had her red in the face.  “I, is everything alright?” Cullen looked between the two women before Alissa burst into laughter.

Briar covered her face as she realized Alissa heard her the night before.  She’d held out hope but if Alissa heard her then…  “Did he?”

“Oh Maker no.  He’s quite oblivious to his surroundings when there’s something else on his mind.”  Briar blew out a breath of relief at Alissa’s answer.  “Commander, I’m going to borrow Briar for a moment.”  Alissa’s fingers closed over Briar’s wrist but the warm smile assured the mage there was no trickery afoot.

“Um, but.”  Alissa gave him a deadpan look and Cullen threw his hands in the air in defeat.  “Fine.”

“Wonderful.  I’ll have her back shortly.”  Alissa grinned as she took Briar out onto the battlements and paused when they got far enough away from Cullen’s office.  “I wanted to welcome you to Skyhold.  I wasn’t going to intrude yesterday with so many reunions happening.  I know Leliana and Morrigan both missed you sorely.”  Briar was surprised to hear that.

“Oh, I would have come to greet you.  I know how these things go.”  Alissa waved it off.

“Nonsense.  I’m not stickler for protocol, much to Lady Montilyet’s dismay.  The eldest daughter of Bann Trevelyan out of Ostwick and I’ve as much noble grace as a nug.”  Briar couldn’t stop the laughter that burst out of her but she covered her mouth.  “Don’t hide it.  I’m more than aware of my faults.  Someone is always around to keep me humble.”

“Oh yes, I have someone like that too.”  Briar grinned as she thought of Sigrun and Velanna.

“It’s good to have people around you that aren’t just going to stroke your ego.”  Alissa leaned against the castle wall as they watched the hustle and bustle of the courtyard.  “I’ve never seen him looking so happy as I did this morning.”  Briar flushed and Alissa laughed.  “I suppose a good orgasm will do that.”

“Lady Trevelyan.”  Alissa laughed at the shocked dismay on Briar’s face.  “You heard us?”

“Oh yes dear.  Why do you think I practically shoved Garrett out the door?  The man is oblivious but not for long.  If we’d stayed then he would have eventually heard you two.  And that would have cemented the utter humiliation of the Commander. I know when to hold my tongue, but Hawke? Well, they've never been able to resist riling each other up ever since Kirkwall.”  Alissa saw the confusion on Briar’s face.  “I suppose you’re out of the loop on what happened in Kirkwall?”

“I heard reports from Stroud who was there during the qunari uprising and partial invasion.  I lectured him so much when he said that he didn’t stop to help the people.  Even if we do focus on darkspawn, we should help where we can.”  Briar crossed her arms and huffed.  “Were you there?”

“I was.  I own a brewery out of the town thanks to my family.  I set up the building as a place of solace.  The warriors that tried to get through were cut down by my guards and the people that volunteered to pick up a blade.  I was there at the Viscount’s keep when Hawke dueled the Arishok.”  Briar saw the shadow in her eyes and wondered on that.  “It was brutal.  I thought I’d lost him.”  Alissa remembered that battle and the aftermath very well.  “That was how Hawke became the Champion of Kirkwall.”

“I see.  I’m sorry my lady, but how does Cullen factor into all of this?”

“He was a Templar at the Kirkwall Circle, and Hawke's sister was a mage there.”  Briar sucked in a breath.  “I believe something horrid happened at the Ferelden Circle during the Blight?”  She nodded hesitantly.  “I won’t ask for details as I’m sure it’s not pleasant to remember.  Whatever happened there, he carried it with him to the Kirkwall Circle.”  Alissa told Briar of the atrocities committed by Meredith against the mages and the brewing tensions between the two factions.  “If anyone would point to where the whole mage and templar war started, they can point to Kirkwall.  What Anders did…”  Alissa turned her head and shook it when Briar looked at her.

“But when I spoke to Cullen, he didn’t mention this…”

“Well, I’m sure he will eventually.  He was there to see it firsthand, and it’s hard to talk about.  Even for me, and I just have a noble’s perspective. I fought that woman from dawn until dusk some days just to keep her hands off the mages.  I wasn’t the only voice there supporting the Circle, but I seemed to be who she fixated on.  Probably due to my relationship with Hawke and the rest of his companions.”  Alissa grinned at Briar.  “Give him time.”  Alissa told her.

“I will.  It hasn’t exactly been an easy road…”  Briar grinned at her.

“Since when is it ever?  That one.” Alissa pointed to Garrett in the courtyard as he held Zephyr on his shoulder.  “Took almost seven years to admit he had feelings for me.  So I imagine the road isn’t a smooth one, but when it’s worth it?  It’s worth all the work.”  Alissa smiled warmly at Briar before she heard her toddler’s screech and Garrett’s war cry.  “Oh for the love of.”  Alissa looked down as Briar jumped at the sudden change of tone.  She followed Alissa’s gaze and her jaw dropped.

“Is…  Is Hawke wrestling with a qunari?”

“That’s The Iron Bull, you can’t forget The when addressing him.  And those two louts know better than to fight near Zephyr.”  Alissa’s hands rested on the battlements.  To her surprise Cullen showed up and scooped Zephyr off the ground to the toddler’s delight.  “Well, well.  Zephyr’s third favorite person in Skyhold.”

Briar couldn’t help but laugh at the spectacle of the tall and broad Commander, holding the toddler in the crook of his arm as he lectured Hawke and Bull about their behavior and the example they set for the boy.  Alissa grinned as she listened in, with Briar brushing her shoulder as she leaned in as well.  “He’s reading them the riot act.”

“Hahaha, he gets going sometimes.  Should we go save them?”

“Let’s watch just a little while longer.” Alissa looked over and laughed.  “What?”

“Getting all hot and bothered huh?  Perhaps I’ll go save Cullen the trouble and give him the day off.  We’ve got a clear schedule for the moment, no serious business until at least the beginning of next week.  Please make the man take a break.”  Briar burst out laughing despite the blush on her cheeks.  She straightened from next to Briar and made her way down the stairs.

Briar watched as Zephyr lit up at seeing his mother approach.  She easily accepted him from Cullen’s arms and whatever she said had Cullen freezing in place.  She pointed towards the battlements and Cullen turned.  Briar waved and she saw the moment he put two and two together.  The look of panic on his face as he turned towards Alissa, who had a knowing and smug smile on hers, had her laughing until her stomach hurt.

[formulaforza]

Okay I’m literally begging you, pleading and asking and requesting. Please make a part two of strawberry wine. Not sure if it was always only meant to be a one shot or if you’d planned on other parts but it’s just too good and I need a reunion, I need the next part and the reason she broke up with him. I need more of it!! I’m in love

this is so so kind, truly it's so kind. so kind that I am not going to break your heart and tell you I will never write a part two.

comments like this are what keep me going. I love it so so bad when you guys get invested in my silly little words. it means so much to me.

It was planned as a one-shot, and I don't usually like going back to add part 2 or 3 or 4 to things that I didn't plan on doing so to, just because I am a stickler for the little details and hints and I don't know if I laid a strong enough foundation for it all when I'm not doing so on purpose. I don't know if strawberry wine will get a part two, but if it does. asks like this are why😭🫠❤️‍🩹 (I do know exactly why they broke up, if reader went to the party... if they got back together and why it all happened, though... lol)

[fruitcoops]

I think it would be really interesting for leo and sirius to talk ab how they both didn’t go to college and how they both joined the nhl at 18 but had v different upbringings

Ooo, I like this one! I’m always down for some Cap and Knutty bonding. SW credit goes to @lumosinlove!

TW for mentioned bad parenting

“Kinda weird, isn’t it?” Leo said, breaking the nighttime silence after many long minutes of just their breathing. Sirius hummed in question. “Starting all this so young.”

Sirius made a noncommittal noise and Leo shifted, never taking his eyes off the sky. There was too much light pollution to see the stars properly in Gryffindor, but the roof of the rink didn’t have a bad view; the planes flying overhead brought pinpricks of brightness to the indigo blur.

“Was it hard for you?”

He heard Sirius’ coat move. “Was what hard?”

“Starting the NHL at eighteen.”

There was a long beat of silence. “Sometimes.”

“I didn’t know if I would make it,” Leo confessed, still barely above a murmur. Nobody else was around, but it didn’t feel right to talk in normal voices. The whole world was muted, save for the noise of the city below them. “There was just so much to do.”

Sirius laughed softly. “I hate to break it to you, rookie, but that doesn’t change.”

“How do you deal with it?”

“Before, or now?”

Leo thought for a moment. “Both.”

“Before, I would go home and shoot pucks until I was too tired to stand up. Sometimes I would read.” It wasn’t a secret, but it still made Leo’s heart hurt to remember. Nobody as kind and hardworking as Sirius deserved that. “Now, I make myself some food, take a shower, and steal Re’s softest hoodie.”

Leo could hear his smile in the dark—it echoed his own. “Nothing better, huh?”

“Nope.”

“Finn’s fit me best,” he mused. “But Lo’s smell better.”

“Ah, he finally discovered deodorant?”

“Shut up,” Leo teased, elbowing his ribs. Sirius laughed a little louder; in the light of the streetlamps and the absence of his granite-hard focus, it was easy to remember that he was only 26. Leo had worshipped him as a kid, but now he just saw Sirius for what he was. His captain, who guided him through the playoffs even when his personal life was crumbling apart. His older brother, though Sirius certainly wouldn’t think of him that way. His friend.

“Really, though, it’s important to have those connections,” Sirius said when they both calmed down. “Being alone is good, but only if you know you have people to talk to when you need them.”

“Was it easier when you weren’t living with someone?”

“No.” The answer was immediate.

“Sometimes I want the apartment to myself.” Leo lowered his voice unconsciously, then sighed. “It’s not because I don’t want them there. I just need to be alone. Wash the dishes. Clean my room. Call my mom.”

“You should tell them.”

He turned his head slightly; Sirius was still scanning the sky. “Is that what you did?”

“It took a couple hiccups, but yeah. If one of us needs some alone time, the other will go to the grocery store or take a walk, maybe hang out with friends. You just have to make sure your boys know that it’s not personal.”

“You’re freakishly good at sage advice.”

Sirius snorted. “Merci, rookie.”

“I’m not a rookie anymore.”

“Yeah, you are.” He raised his hands, as if outlining a marquee. “The Eternal Rookie, starring Leo Knut.”

Leo stuck his tongue out, feeling rather petulant about the whole thing. “Watch it, Cap, I’m gonna sic Dumo on you.”

“My own father?” Sirius gasped dramatically. “How could you?”

“Did you ever get homesick?”

The question was out of the blue—he didn’t blame Sirius for faltering. Honestly, Leo was kicking himself for asking in the first place, though he had been keeping it in for ages. Unspoken rule of the Lions #1: Don’t ask Cap about his childhood.

“I…” Sirius fell silent once more.

“I’m sorry,” Leo apologized, and he meant it. “That came out of nowhere.”

“I missed Regulus,” Sirius continued carefully without acknowledging him. “But no, I didn’t get homesick. I didn’t have time, or a real reason.”

Alone in a new city, finally out of a horrible living situation, but desperately missing the little brother he left behind… Leo couldn’t even begin to imagine going through it when the NHL by itself was already overwhelming to his teenage brain. He scooted an inch closer until their shoulders touched. “I get homesick every couple of months.”

“You have a kind family.”

“Have you even met them?”

“At the party.” Sirius’ smile was practically audible. “Your mother was very excited to see me.”

“Oh, god,” Leo groaned. “What happened?”

“She—“ He broke off with a laugh. “She was very nice, I promise, but I think I surprised her because she squeaked when I said ‘hello’.”

Leo shook his head. “Did you sneak up on her?”

“I’m six two, I can’t sneak up on anyone!”

“You walk like a fucking ghost, dude! It’s creepy!”

“Okay, rude.”

“I swear, you and Loops need to be belled like cats,” Leo huffed.

They lapsed back into comfortable quiet for a few more minutes as a train rattled past on one side and the metro busses rolled down Main Street on the other. It had taken Leo a long time to figure out Gryff’s layout, and even longer to get used to the sounds of the city.

“What does it feel like?”

Leo blinked, unsure if he had heard correctly. “What?”

“Being homesick.” Sirius shifted again and folded his hands over his stomach. “I didn’t notice much of a difference in practices when I started the NHL, and going back to my parents’ house wasn’t my exactly a highlight of my year.”

Curiosity overrode his tact and reasoning skills. “You never asked Logan?”

“Non. It was different, with him. He had already left to go to college before I knew him, and spent four years away from his family.”

“Right.” Leo forgot about that on occasion. That Finn and Logan might be five years older than him, but they had only been rookies a year or two prior. Not everyone went straight from their city select team to an official draft. “It’s hard to describe.”

Sirius made an understanding noise, but he couldn’t entirely mask his disappointment. Leo licked his lips and tried again.

“It’s like a piece of you isn’t where it’s supposed to be. And it keeps tugging on your chest, but you never know when it’s going to start and stop so you just… deal with it. You ignore it some days and you think about it other days.” He swallowed around the lump in his throat. “The hard days are when you remember you can’t go back to the way things were before. I don’t even call my mom sometimes, ‘cause I know it’ll make me sadder.”

“The way things were before?”

“Yeah, like—like all my classmates are in college, and I’m laying on a roof with one of the most famous hockey players in the history of forever.” That drew a light laugh from them both. “I’m gonna go back to my reunion in a couple years and have literally nothing in common with the people I used to be friends with.”

“Sometimes I wish I went to college,” Sirius said. “But I would have missed so much if I did. I don’t think I would have been happy there.”

“Finn and Logan get weird about college.” Maybe he shouldn’t be talking about it, but Leo had the feeling none of their conversation would leave the rooftop. “It was hard for them, with all their shit.”

“Re does, too.” He recognized the sad edge in Sirius’ voice; it was the same as his own. “For a different reason. It started good, and ended bad.”

“I’m glad I missed out on that,” Leo said, biting down the urge to scream at the universe for putting their significant others through so much hardship at an already-difficult time. None of them deserved the pain they went through. “Besides, it’s not like we need degrees to play hockey, and we’ll have plenty of money afterward.”

“I never thought about my life after hockey until my ankle.”

“My parents always pushed me to make sure I wanted to do the NHL instead of more school.”

“You’re lucky to have them.”

“I wish you did.”

The words hung suspended between them before Leo could swallow them back down, somehow dangerous and calming at the same time. It wasn’t like he had never thought about it before; he just hadn’t said it out loud. The first time he had seen Sirius’ parents across the rink had given him a case of the heebie-jeebies so strong he had to shower twice. All the times after that just made him angry.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Sirius’ voice was quiet, but not upset. “You’re not the first person to say it. I’m glad you feel like you can be honest with me.”

Leo frowned. “Well, yeah. Obviously.”

“I try really hard to not be an asshole captain, so it actually does mean a lot.”

“I don’t think you could be an asshole if you tried.”

The barking laugh that split the night startled Leo so bad he nearly jumped out of his skin; Sirius clapped a hand over his mouth, though he was still snickering. “Sorry, sorry, I just—holy shit, I forgot you didn’t know me before. Mon dieu.”

“You weren’t that bad,” Leo protested. “Pots said you used to be grumpier, but that’s it.”

Sirius shook his head, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. “I was such a dick. There’s not a single picture of the whole team where I’m smiling for about two years and I was such a stickler for the rules.”

Leo gaped at him. “You followed rules?”

“To the fucking letter. It was awful.”

“What happened?”

Sirius shrugged. “I got friends. Idiot friends who did things like showing me the easiest way onto the roof. Pots used to drag me up here every Friday.”

“Really?”

“Ouais.” Mischief flitted over his face. “He skipped date night with Lily once on accident, and she tracked us up here like a bloodhound. It was terrifying.”

“What did you do?” Lily was one of the nicest people Leo knew, but he knew better than to get on her bad side.

“Lied to her face while James hid behind that strobe light.”

“Did it work?”

“Are you kidding?” he snorted. “She called me a liar and suggested getting a better best friend. That was after she told James he’s better have something nice planned for their next date if he ever wanted to get in her pants again.”

“And yet you didn’t listen to her.” Leo tsked. “Of all the people on the team, you chose the hot mess.”

“Trust me, rookie, James had his whole life figured out compared to me.”

“Did you…” Leo trailed off and but his lip. He had pushed his luck a lot already; who knew if one more question would be the tipping point? “Did you ever think about coming out? Even just to Pots.”

Sirius didn’t hesitate. “After every single game.”

“For seven years?”

“Up until the day those pictures were leaked. Even more after Re and I were together.”

“How old were you when you knew?”

“13. You?”

Leo exhaled slowly. “I’m not sure. I think I had an idea of it as a kid, but didn’t really get it until I was in high school. My parents were even more worried about the NHL after I told them.”

“They worry a lot about you.”

“Only child, and I was going for a wildly unstable career path with no guarantee that I would ever see the ice.”

“They’re proud of you. More than you know.” Sirius’ watch beeped. “It’s ten o’clock. Are you supposed to be home?”

“I should probably make sure my boys haven’t burned down the apartment.” Neither of them made an attempt to move. “Can we do this again sometime?”

“Of course.”

You’re like a brother to me, he wanted to say. I don’t know who else I can talk to like this. “Thank you.”

“Any time. We don’t have to do extra practice beforehand, either.”

Leo nudged him gently. “You’re the best captain ever.”

“You’re the best rookie, rookie.”

“I’m not a rookie.”

“Yeah, you are.”

Yeah, I am, he thought as they laid side-by-side in silence once more with the past behind them and the future ahead. And if I end up like you, it means I did something right.

[jeanbeaux]

i cant believe in a matter of 4 months there are 600 of you lovely people here with me!! thats absolutely insane, i love each and everyone of y’all SO MUCH!! thus, im hosting an open collab to celebrate!

the theme: use a quote or scenario from your favorite meme, vine/tiktok, movie, or tv show to build a fic! examples below (you can use these as prompts if you want too!!):

— bella, where the hell have you been loca? (twilight): a reunion fic

— look at your dad, hes such a dork, keeping bees (rick and morty): dilf fuckery

— darling, this is chamomile tea (the most iconic 2chainz quote): messed up your order at a coffee shop

— gaga, i got your milkies! (tiktok) : self explanatory

the rules:

— this is an OPEN collab! anyone can participate, just shoot me (@jeanbeaux) an ask or dm! when you send me your request, if you could send me a link to the meme of inspiration that would be great, if not, no worries!

— works can be sfw or nsfw (YOU MUST BE 18+ to WRITE NSFW, all characters involved must be aged up to 20+). crack fics are highly encouraged!! because i want these fics to be relatively light hearted/funny, no dark content please (dark humor is allowed!) please specify what you’ll be writing when you send in your request!

— the inspiration for your fic does not have to be the title of it!

— if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to send an ask!

— accepted fandoms: attack on titan, my hero academia, haikyuu, jujustu kaisen, tokyo revengers

— characters are allowed to be repeated three times! memes and quotes can NOT be repeated! everything will be assigned first come, first serve.

— minimum word count is 500!

— if you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to send an ask!

DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 5th!

but I’m not a stickler for this, if you need more time don’t stress about it! you can submit your piece whenever it’s done :)

— @blondeboyfriend : zeke yeager, “lets see colt grice’s cock”

➥inspo — american psycho

— @local-ackerman-whore : connie springer, “whats more important”

➥inspo — the boondocks

— @aiiwa : bakugo katsuki, help! a jellyfish stung the back of my throat

➥ inspo

— @txpsyy : bakugo katsuki, this is for rachel ….

➥ inspo

— @jeanbeaux : geto suguru, and they were roommates!

➥ inspo

—

— @smoochiesdiarie : hanamaki takahiro, me sucky sucky, now mommy!

➥ inspo

— @jean-kayak : ojiro aran, take a deep breath

➥ inspo

— @welcometotheclubhoe : miya atsumu, so no head?

➥ inspo

— @devilstempt : azumane asahi, i had to dig this banana out of the trash because its a war crime

➥ inspo

— @ixwrites : iwaizumi hajime, when your crush becomes single

➥ inspo

—

[cazzyvintage]

Oblivious

Request from anon: Hi, I really enjoy your writing, particularly your Zemo fics! I had an idea for one that basically follows the while y/n joining Sam, Bucky, and Zemo through Madirpoor and Riga. Only despite Zemo’s flirting, y/n doesn’t really do anything about it or even notice until y/n along with Sam and Bucky witness Walker (New Captian America) murder a flag smasher in the street. They all go back to the safe house and y/n is like, in shock. “Captian America just killed someone” is all y/n can really say. And Zemo is able to calm them down. Maybe the romance can start then?

Word count: 3.4k

Author’s note: This one-shot can be multiple parts, if you would like to see a sequel please say! If I do decide to write a sequel though it will take me a while as I’ve had a lot of requests, please check out my master list to see what I have coming up next and if requests are currently open or not

Masterlist

(Please check out my master list to see what I will be writing next and if requests are open or closed)

Cross-posted to ao3 under the same username

Heels clicked along the pavement as you sashayed along the road, approaching the men before you, two of which you know fondly. The other one, however... not so much.

They all stood close together in a circle, obviously discussing something important but at hearing your voice call out their heads turn towards you, a smile appearing on Sam and Bucky’s faces as they see you. “Long time no see boys,” you say, stopping a few feet away from them to lean on a wall.

They both walk over to you, Bucky pulling you into and hug then followed by Sam hugging you tightly. “Thank you for agreeing to help us out y/n. I know things haven’t been easy for you,”

You fake a smile at Bucky, one you hoped he wouldn’t see past resting your arm around his shoulder. “Anything for my friends,”

He was right, though. These times haven’t been easy for you, especially after Steve Rodgers left. Captain America had always been your idol, ever since you were a little kid you aspired to be just like him. You collected all the Captain America merchandise along with your brother Phil, always arguing with him who owned which toy of his. Meeting Steve had been a dream come true for you. He was the person you were closest to. He helped you come to terms with your brother’s death and whenever you needed help; he was there. You two stuck together through the thick and thin. That’s was how you got to become good friends with Sam and Bucky. You and Steve have always had a complicated relationship, though. You two liked each other and tried to see if you could be something more, but it never seemed to work out. Then Thanos happened. You, along with half the universe, were dusted. For you it was as if you had simply blinked however for Steve it was five years without you. You barely got to see each other again before he went away for good. You couldn’t hate him for it, you understood why he did what he did. He was always telling you about the ’40s, about his childhood, about her. You just wished you weren’t so connected with him. Seeing him there, old, dying. It broke your heart. But times move on. You can’t live in the past as he did.

Your eyes focus on the man behind Sam and Bucky and you frown, pulling your arm away from Bucky. A man you never thought you would see again was staring right back at you.

He stood a few feet back, knowing he wasn’t welcomed in the warm reunion of friendship. He clasped his hands, unsure what exactly he should do right now, feeling awkward, but as he looked over at you his eyes twinkled with recognition. Now you had been interesting to him. You weren’t a super soldier like Steve and James. Yet you certainly could hold your own against them. He had seen when he had first activated James. No, your strength and fighting abilities were down to your own human powers and he admired that. You were one of the few avengers he might have had an inkling to like if the Sokovia attack never happened. Still, it wasn’t as if you were to blame for it. The people who were to blame had suffered for it. You were merely the pawn in the giant game of chess. Perhaps he could grow to like you, after all, he could admit you were certainly tempting to him, the way your body was shaped excited him, the way your neck was shaped made him want to brush his fingers along it and your piercing eyes felt like they could look into the darkest corners of his soul.

“Why is he out of prison?” you snap, bringing Zemo out of his trance

Sam turns to scowl at Bucky as you all turn to Zemo, who awkwardly smiles. “Bucky thinks we need him,” Sam mutters

“Why would we need him!” you exclaim, crossing your arms and shooting Bucky a glare.

“I am invaluable,” Zemo explains with his hands, his eyes unwavering from you as he answers for Bucky.

“He hates super-soldiers, therefore he will help us in getting to Karli,” Bucky says, stepping in front of your eyesight trying to explain himself.

“That also means he hates you, Buck,”

All of them freeze as you address the elephant in the room. Bucky grits his teeth and steps back, averting your gaze as you and Sam stare expectedly at him but he doesn’t respond so Zemo takes his opportunity to step closer to you, now only a few feet apart.

“I can assure you, getting rid of Karli and her super soldier friends is my priority. Not James,”

You clench your jaw in anger as you look at Zemo. He tilts his head, the side of his lip curling up slightly, hoping you’d take a chance on him. Sighing, you turn to shoot one more look at Bucky.

“Steve wouldn’t have liked this,”

Later you sat across from Zemo on his private jet. All of you sat in uncomfortable silence as you flew to Madripoor. Sam and Bucky did not seem as close as you were to both of them. They both just sat on their respective sides and looked out the window. Zemo had a book on him which he seemed very preoccupied reading, yet there were moments where you could feel his eyes settle upon you. Ignoring his inquisitive gaze, you choose to follow in Bucky and Sam’s lead of looking out the window and daydream the rest of the trip away.

Your mind trails back to Steve. You wondered just what Steve would have thought about you teaming up with Zemo. He would have understood, wouldn’t he? It was the best option you had. Ah, but he had always been such a stickler about the rules. Breaking a criminal out and helping him avoid the law wasn’t very patriotic of you. Yep, he would not have gone through with this plan, he would have found another way that worked. But none of the people here were him. He choose not to be here. You knew you had to let him go.

“Champagne?”

You pull your eyes away from the window, coming back to reality as you see a bottle of champagne in Zemo’s hand and an empty glass in his other hand. He already had another glass full beside him as he looked at you expectantly.

“No,”

“Sure?”

“What part of no do you not understand,” you snap harshly glaring at him then back out to the window

“My apologies,” he says, pursing his lips together as he looks down at the empty glass. He glances over to Sam and Bucky but they both shake their heads as well so he hands the glass and drinks back to his butler and sighs as he opens his book again.

The tension between all of you sticks around as you arrive at Madripoor. Zemo had provided you a tight-fitting dress to ‘appear the part’ of your allice, and it showed off a bit too much of your chest than you liked. It was too bright for you, golden and sparky, cutting off at your upper tight, and had a very low v cut. You try your best to pull it down to cover you some more but to no avail. Begrudgingly, you leave the plane to meet up with the rest of them.

“My my y/n, the dress suits you,” Zemo says, smirking as his eyes trail up and down your body as you walk past him taking a straight beeline towards Sam and Bucky.

“How long will this mission take?” you ask, already feeling the cold air nip at your skin.

“Few hours at the least. I’m sorry that you have to do this, y/n”

“Hey, I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to help you two,” you mutter as you hear a car pulling up behind you

“Not exactly this though,” Bucky grumbles, glowering over at Zemo who motions to the car that had arrived. Zemo opens the door and waits for you to get in however you walk to the other side of the car and get in. Bucky chuckles at Zemo’s annoyed expression as he instead gets into the side, which Zemo held open.

During the mission, Zemo kept getting uncomfortably close to you. Occasionally his hand brushed against your back as he moved past you, or his hand would bump into yours slightly, lingering against yours longer than normal.

You knew why he was doing this. Because of Steve. He knew how close you and Steve were, everyone did. During the fight between Steve and Tony which Zemo had helped cause you stuck by Steve every second. Now that Steve was gone, Zemo was trying to rub that in. Trying to irritate you on purpose. You would not let him get to you.

During the meeting with Selby you stood off to the side with Sam and you were feeling pretty good about yourself that the mission was going well until Sam’s phone rang. You tried to keep cool while also giving Sam the wtf look as to why he didn’t put his phone on silent. You hung out hoping things would go okay, but today wasn’t your day.

Shelby got gunned down in front of you, and the mission was ruined. Running in heels wasn’t ideal, but you had to make do. You followed Sam and Bucky as Zemo split up from you, running off somewhere else. Eventually, you kicked off your heels, believing running barefoot would be better than dealing with the agony of heels.

Finally, meeting back up with Zemo, you were ready to have to fight your way out of this mess, but then someone you didn’t think you would ever see again appeared. Sharon Carter. You two weren’t exactly buddy buddies. You got along for Steve’s sake, but it always felt like a sort of rivalry between you two for his attention.

“Y/n,” she says, finally addressing you

“Sharon,” you say back, feeling the awkwardness seep back in. Sharon didn’t seem bothered however, she even kindly let you have some new clothes and shoes which were much more comfortable than the ones Zemo lent you and more your style.

Walking back into the main room you see Zemo sitting down, once again drinking, Bucky sitting down as far away from Zemo as he could get and Sam standing at the side. You choose to stand by Sam.

“Hey, y/n, you doing okay?” Sam asks as you walk over.

“Better than other days. What are we waiting around for?”

“For Sharon to lead us to a party where she can get the information we need,” Zemo answers for Sam, peeking over at you. You ignore him.

Sharon comes back in and tells all of you not to get in trouble while you are out at the party.

“Trouble,” Zemo jokes, and he once again glances over to you, raising a glass and winking at you as he downs it.

Following Sharon, you head into the party. It was to show off the art pieces she had got a hold of so you thought you might as well look at them as you were unlikely to see any of these genuine pieces again. You could see however Zemo following you. He tried to be sly by checking out the other artworks near you, never exactly where you were, but you could tell because every time you moved to a new place soon enough Zemo would suddenly appear there as well. He leaned into one of the artworks, pretending to study it closely, but the corner of his eyes would flick over to you.

Groaning in frustration at your new stalker, you decide you had to lose him in the crowds. Swaying your body, you enter the dancing crowd and jump along to the music, letting yourself go. You could feel your excitement growing with the crowd as you danced, but with one quick turn around there, you saw him.

Zemo had now entered the crowd and was dancing along to the music as well, pumping his hands in time to it. As you stared at him in disbelief, he notices and takes that as an innovation to dance over to you.

“Dancing is fun, right?” he asks as he claps his hand to the music

“Why are you doing this!” you exclaim glaring at him.

His eyebrows furrow as he looks at you, “I don’t understand what you mean?”

You huff in annoyance and storm away, going to find Sam and Bucky leaving Zemo alone on the dance floor. He watches you go and sighs, moving away from the dance floor. It had been a long time since he last got to socialize with anyone and he was trying with you; he wanted to know you more, but he didn’t want to push you too far either if you were uncomfortable with it.

The next few hours felt like a blur to everyone. Sharon found out where the doctor was and you found out a bit of information before Zemo choose to shoot him. Then the whole place exploded, and you had to fight for your life while Zemo hijacked and car to pick you up. Now you were standing outside the safe house.

Zemo opened up the doors, and with his arm motioned for you to go in first. You roll your eyes at his extravagance and storm in, looking around the place. It was simple, but you could still tell that it was all designer, expensive to Zemo’s tastes. You sit down on the sofa while Zemo instantly gravitates towards the liquor cupboard.

“If you drink so much you won’t have long left to live” you mutter as you watch him pour some whiskey. His head shoots up as he turns sidewards to look at you, raising an eyebrow.

“Concerned about my health now?”

“I’d rather have you not pass out during a mission, at least till you are no longer of use to us then you can drink yourself to death for all I care,”

“Ah concern for the mission, yes you avengers folks are all the same. The mission takes precedence before anything else,” Zemo says, grabbing his glass and walking over to take a seat on the sofa opposite you.

You give him a cold hard stare crossing your arms. “What do you mean by that” you hiss

He tilts his head, smirking as he sees how riled up you were getting. “I’m simply observing that you have to put your mission before human lives. I know from how much I studied Steve-”

“Don’t bring Steve into this!” you exclaim, leaning forward, baring your teeth at him.

Zemo pauses for a moment shocked, he pulls his head back to observe, his mouth slightly ajar as his eyebrows cast down but realization dawns across his face.

“Ah, you and Steve, you two were an item,”

“It wasn’t like that” you murmur, jumping up from the sofa and pacing around the room to try to alleviate the agitation you felt, your nails digging into your arms as you wrapped them around your body in comfort.

“But there was something,” Zemo replies, watching you pace around the room then looking into the glass bitterly, his grip on it tightening.

You turn your back to Zemo to stare at your reflection in the mirror, seeing the tears swell up in your eyes.

“Why are you bringing this up? Why do you keep trying to annoy me Zemo, what purpose are you getting from this apart from some sick sadistic pleasure?”

It was Zemo’s turn to jump up from the sofa, hurt you could ever think so lowly of him, his eyebrows furrowed as he speeds over to you. He stands beside you, getting a lot closer to you than you would like. You turned your head away so he couldn’t see the tears threatening to fall.

“Do you think that bad of me? Y/n we may not have had the best first impression but know that it is never my intention to irritate or upset you,” Zemo says, trying to move even closer to you, but he moves a step too far and you back away.

“Just leave me alone, Zemo” you whisper, then run out of the room to find a bathroom to let everything out.

Zemo watches your form leave, angrily clenching his jaw, knowing he pushed it too far. The vein in his neck twitches as he grabs an ornament by the side of the mirror. Holding it in his hand, he observes the glass figure, a dove, then chucks it into the ground in rage, feeling an inkling of satisfaction at seeing it smash into a thousand pieces. He grabs more ornaments, at that moment not caring how much they each cost, just enjoy the release of anger he felt every time he smashed one.

-

You could hear the blood in your brain roar through your ears, the feeling of your heart hitting your chest in shock as you stared down at Lemar’s dead body.

Your eyes flicker to John’s who knelt beside him, trying desperately to wake him up, but you knew it was hopeless. Lemar was gone. Your eyes flickered around the rest of the room, Karli and her friend realising how bad they have messed up were already running away from the room. Bucky and Sam looked at each other as if knowing what was to happen. Your eyes finally land on Zemo’s. John had tried to arrest him, but you were able to stop him. Zemo was still useful though you hated to admit it, it wasn’t long however till the Dora Milaje would find him.

You feel a hand brush against your shoulder and snap back into reality, “We need to leave, now,” Zemo whispered in your ear, pulling your arm to make you move.

Gathering your senses, you let Zemo lead you out of the building as you hear a crash from above. Running out into the road, you and Zemo catch up beside Sam and Bucky and watch the disaster unfold.

There was John, in Cap’s uniform, holding Cap’s shield above that man.

Steve.

Steve’s shield.

You feel a scream tear from your lips as you watch John Walker bring the shield down, penetrating the man’s chest, staining it in blood. Tears leak from your eyes as you attempt to rush forward, to try and stop it, but arms grasp onto you, pulling you back.

“NO” you repeatedly cried, trying to worm your way out of the grasp, but they gripped you, refusing to let go. Your knees gave out and you sink to the floor, collapsing in the arms of the person who held you, your head buried in the fur part of their coat as they held you to their chest.

You kept sobbing, shaking as the image replayed over and over in your mind.

“Captain America just killed someone,” you whispered, unable to say anything else. The arms which held you picked you up, quietly shushing you, and carried you down a road, back into the safe house.

They tried to put you on the sofa but you clung to their body, not believing you could survive without their support, so they settle on lying down beside you on the sofa.

They turned you to face their body as their arms draped around you, gently rubbing circles into your back. Burying your head into their chest again, you let the sobs wail out as your chest ached from breathing.

“Captain America just killed someone,” you whisper again to him.

“That wasn’t Steve, y/n, Steve would never do something like that,” he murmured, his accent soothing your nerves.

“But it was his shield Zemo. The very thing I had idolized for so long,”

“A shield which by now no longer belongs to him. He was never Captain America y/n, what we just saw proved that. They will give the shield to someone better,”

You sniff, trying to prevent the snot from coming out of your nose as your bloodshot eyes look up into his, “Really?”

He gently smiles at you, taking his hand off your back to push a strand of hair that was hanging over your eye away.

“Yes, they won’t make the same mistake twice,”

Zemo’s words brought more comfort than you could have ever imagined. His embrace brought you warmth and you could feel yourself slowly stop shaking as he held you. Looking away from Zemo in embarrassment, you instead choose to snuggle your head back into his chest, hearing the rapid beating of his heart which lulled you to sleep.

Tags: @sinister-sleep @cable-kenobi @faustlyaccused @chipster-21 @icarusinstatic @yallgotkik @montypythonsholysnail @bunniwritesx @checkurwindow @huntheimpossible @jayxkelsi @avgravy @prestigious-tea @aloyssiac @hannahbal-the-fannibal @alainabooks143 @jokerprettyprincess @plumsandkiwis @latenightartist-author @e-barba @flutterskies @wonderwoman292 @there-goes-thefighter @multiyfandomgirl40 @freyjasamael @ineffablebean

[sanders-sides-dnd]

Family Reunion Chapter 1

Here it is! The beginning of our adventures. I’m sorry this took so long. This was the first session of the first game we played together, everything the characters do was the choice of their players. This includes the romance, I later worked their pairings into their backstories to add some clarity. If you have any questions for us or the characters our askbox is open. Wordcount: 5048 TWs: Kidnapping, swearing, violence, implied child death, implied child abuse, ghosts, hunting, dog Pairings: Logince, Moceit Taglist (ask to be added): @crazydemigod666 @newtnotfound @star-crossed-shipper @3amthebitchinghour @s4moose 

The group woke up and felt a tight rope tying them all together. They looked around the darkness and most were able to identify they were in a cell, they also saw Prince Roman sitting outside the cell. He softly stroked Kai, the paladin Patton the Moral’s hound. Roman didn’t notice his friends had woken. Logan, a human wizard and partner of Prince Roman, recognised the cell. They were in the castle of Creativiton which explained why Roman was not locked up. His parents wouldn’t lock up their heir. But why were they locked up? Logan was the first to try and get Roman’s attention.

“Why are we here?” Logan asked. Roman’s black eyes lit up when his partner spoke. “What happened?” The group all looked at Roman. Kai stuck his head through the bars to try and get to his owner. Roman felt guilty, this was all his fault. He remembered what had happened. They were happily walking through the forest, unaware how close they strayed to Roman’s kingdom. They were ambushed by familiar guards, his mothers personal battalion, they knocked out his friends before they could even fight. They were all tied up and brought back to the castle. He was separated from his friends and brought to his less than pleased parents who promptly banished him to his room to wait, however he clearly didn’t stay there long. “Are you all okay?” Roman asked full of concern. “We were ambushed on our journey.” The half-orc answered as he slid a cup of water through the bars towards his friends. Patton, being only a few feet tall, easily slid out of the ropes and inspected the water. “My parents are… displeased we left. They wished to speak to all of us, I was waiting for you all to wake up.” Patton brought the water to Logan to inspect, he was much smarter after all. Logan nodded and took a sip, Patton followed hesitantly. Janus the deceiver, Patton’s partner, a wicked tiefling warlock, smirked and took a drink not worried if it was poisoned or not. Virgil drank too and Patton returned the cup. “Why are we in a cell?” Patton asked as he handed the cup over. “Couldn’t they have spoken to us over dinner or something not… this?” Virgil, the rogue elf, piped up. Roman looked away guiltily. Patton moved to pet his hound. “I think they’re just angry we left the castle. Although I agree, locking you up is a bit drastic.” Roman sympathised. Janus scoffed. “And tying us up is just for safety.” Janus remarked, snarky as always. “Right, totally believable.” Janus never trusted royals, the only reason he could get along with Roman is because they met away from the castle. Roman paused for a moment. “We’ve been here a few hours and I haven’t seen Remus yet.” Roman said solemnly. Prince Remus or, as he preferred, Duke Remus was not the kind to be quiet. Especially after his brother who has been gone for so long came back. Virgil knew this was weird too, he was a close friend to Remus. Well, until he abandoned him that is. Roman shook his head and got back to business. “I could break you out of here and we can leave. Or we could stay and talk to my parents… although I am starting to think fleeing might be our best move. What do you think we should do?” Roman nervously eyed a nearby guard, trying his best to stay out of sight.  Virgil asked what everyone was thinking. “Did you know your parents were going to do this?” Virgil pressed. “Of course not, I have no idea why they would lock you up!” Roman defended. “You know your parents best. Do you think talking to them would work?” Virgil asked. He already knew from what he’d heard from the twins that the Queen definitely wasn’t the talking it out type but perhaps the king was? Logan spoke up after a bit of contemplation, working at the castle meant he had a good array of knowledge to help make a decision.  “If Duke Remus is missing then something suspicious is going on. I vote we flee while we have the chance.” Logan concluded. “I’m sure they have a reason to want to talk! Even if they weren’t the best to their guests...” Patton opposed. He always saw the best in people, it’s what he was taught in the temple he grew up in, even when it got him in trouble. "I say we get out now and then we'll see." Janus said. He was Patton’s grounding force, bringing him back from his dream lands and reminding him of the harsh reality. “They were in a foul mood when I spoke to them earlier, I vote we get out of here.” Roman informed. "If we escape do you think your parents will send people after us?" Virgil questioned. Roman thought for a moment before replying. "Most likely, but what other choices do we have?" Roman finally replied.  "What if they just kidnap us again?" "Then we'll get out again." Janus announced. Virgil knew how to do that, he’d been in these jails many times. Logan grew agitated, they needed to make a decision quickly. "We do not have time to worry about that, we must be focused on getting out for the time being!" Logan reminded them all. "The best we can do now is to get as far away as possible, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Roman added. With a nod Virgil and Patton finally gave in. Virgil quickly got to work. With his hands behind his back he quickly found the knot keeping the men together, the knot was tough but Virgil was an expert. In mere seconds the rope slacked and the men were free. Virgil knew the key to a successful escape was speed so he wasted no time beginning to pick the lock. Roman looked at the guard, he was still unaware. The bars opened with a quiet squeak. “Where to now?” Virgil whispered as they all exited the cell. They had no gear, no weapons, they weren’t in the best position. Roman remembered all the times Remus and he had snuck around the castle, trying to think of an exit. "I can lead us out of here, but we'd have to go through the main halls. There's a high chance we could be spotted." Roman whispered. "Damn, no secret passageways?" Virgil retorted with a smirk. In all his years here he had never found any but then again he wasn’t a royal. "None that I can think of right now, and none that won't be monitored by my father's men." Roman informed as the group started sneaking. “They wouldn't expect us to go through the main halls, out in the open. It's our best chance of escape." Roman looked around the corner, it seemed clear. The men kept low and ran quietly, Roman took care looking around every corner to watch for guards. Eventually they made it to sight of the door, but as Roman looked around the corner he saw the shins of a familiar human. He looked up to see the black armour his mothers battalion wore, the same colour as the man’s hair and stubble. His helmet was off so Roman could clearly see his grey eyes looking down at him. “Ah Roman, how predictable.” Remy teased as Roman rose in shame. "Remy, " Roman said grimly. "Let us pass, my friends and I have done no wrong." Without a word, guards seized the group and brought them to the throne room. Roman was set at the front of the group with the others slightly behind. They stayed silent as two royals stepped out. A tall and stocky orc woman with brown dreaded hair and a lean human warrior in a golden crown on his silver hair. The king and queen stood on a dais with one throne, looking down at their son and his party.

“Ah Roman I see your companions are awake.” The king sung. The king was a professional man, even Roman had never heard his name. He had always called him Dad or Your Majesty. This didn’t mean he was a stick in the mud, he was a happy man just a stickler for titles. “Welcome to Creativiton!” Queen Bhom Head-Crusher greeted, knowing well some of the group had been here before. The Queen was a true blood orc, married into human society. Steel and war ran through her veins. She was caring but violent and bull-headed. “Salutations.” Logan said with a controlled glare. “Pleasure.” Janus followed with a scoff. Patton tried to bow and Virgil tried not to barf. “It’s been a while since I had you in chains, Virgil.” Remy chuckled. "Can't get enough of me in chains?" Virgil shot back. “What is the meaning of this?” Roman cried, outraged at the treatment of him and his friends. They had been knocked and locked and now, just as they had a taste of freedom, chained. Queen Bhom looked across the group then let her eyes land on Roman. “When you left your brother was quite upset that you didn’t ask him to join you. He felt as if you didn’t care about him anymore. He was sad for a while but then it turned into anger.” She explained. Roman felt guilt begin to scratch at his stomach. “He wanted to find you and make you explain yourself. So he left, without telling us.” The Queen’s black eyes grew sad, but her face did not waver from it’s strong expression. "Is that all?” Janus announced. All eyes turned to him. “Hardly seems a reason to put us in chains and a cell." Janus didn’t let royals hold power over him, he had once and it ended with blood on his face and a demon in his mind. “Well, street rat, we can’t have both of our heirs just off running around in forests. We need at least one of you here or our reputation will be destroyed.” The King reasoned. He looked directly at Roman. “So we're grounding you until your brother comes back and we can sort this out together. Your friends must stand trial for treason and kidnapping but if they leave without causing trouble then I won’t stop them.” Roman blinks, momentarily thrown off guard. "He's never shown interest in fighting with us before, I didn't think this time was any different, so I didn't ask." Roman mumbled. This wasn’t like his brother. Yes he was wild and unpredictable, and he hated the castle, okay maybe it was like him. "Not to be rude, your majesty, but how is it our fault if Duke Remus felt a certain way and did certain actions? Those were of his own volition." Logan asked. “And it’s not kidnapping if Roman came with us willingly.” Virgil added. Patton raised his hand. “Your highnesses?” He addressed incorrectly. “Some of us are not even from here. How can it be treason if we aren’t citizens?” Roman put out a hand to silence his friends. He took a deep breath and stepped forward. He could stand up to his parents one on one, but both of them together is a challenge.  "Mother, Father, surely you see that this is unreasonable?” Roman began. “I went with my friends of my own volition, it was in no way a kidnapping. Let them go peacefully, and I swear to stay and do whatever it takes to locate my brother. He couldn't have gone far. Let me take responsibility for him, but let my friends leave." Roman’s plan to sacrifice himself did not sit well with his friends. However, his mother looked down proudly. “Well how about a trial by combat, an orc tradition.” Queen Bhom announced proudly. The king tapped her arm gently but she gave him a reassuring glance. “If you can find your brother and bring him back then it would be quicker and we won’t have to send more guards. It’ll also prove to us that you can go out and adventure with your companions without getting yourself killed.” The queen waited for a response. Roman looked back at his friends, they all gave him enthusiastic nods. Roman pulled himself to his full height. “I accept.” With a wave of her hand the guards escorted the group to the armoury where all their gear was laying on the ground. While everyone gathered their gear Virgil turned to Remy. “Don’t miss me too much.” Virgil flirted with a wink. Remy looked away, the faint blush on his face mostly covered by his stubble. The others kept a close eye on Virgil while they gathered their stuff. Roman thought it was a good idea to have the head guard on their side. Logan and Roman looked around at the other guards protectively. “Hurry up and get your stuff before I lock you up.” Remy said in a stressed tone. Virgil began collecting his stuff while looking back at Remy. “I’m sure you’ll be looking forward to that.” Virgil shot another wink. Remy looked away awkwardly. Virgil did too as he remembered the last time before this he was locked up, it wasn’t his most graceful encounter. Janus made a gagging noise and rolled his eyes.

When everyone had their stuff Remy escorted them out of the castle and slammed the large door behind them. The streets were narrow and the group walked in sets of two. Logan looked at Roman. “You know Remus the best, where is he likely to go?” Logan asked. “Tavern.” Virgil and Roman answered in unison. Roman continued. “He’s a fan of wandering around. He’s usually at the tavern but I’ve seen him around the inn, the blacksmith, and that old burned farm.” “There’s also a hunting store he likes to visit.” Virgil added. "Maybe we should try the tavern first," Roman mused. "He's probably passed out drunk under the counter." "With so many places, perhaps it would be wise to split up?" Logan suggested. They all agreed. Roman split from the group to go to the tavern, he didn’t find Remus but the bartender did tell him they hadn’t seen the duke in a week. Logan and Janus went to the inn, they hadn’t seen him at all. Patton brought his hound and found the blacksmith, he informed him that Remus had stopped by a month ago to get some weapons sharpened. Virgil took the hunting store where he found out Remus had bought a large sum of dried meat about a month ago.

The group met up again at the gates to share their findings as they headed out to the last place on their list. The burned down farm. The sky was a dim orange as the sun disappeared. "This is worrying, to say the least," Murmured Roman. He started to look visibly concerned about his brother. "Sharpening weapons, hoarding dry rations, sounds like he was planning to go away for a while." Logan put a hand on his partner's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. He knew Remus and Roman were close, this had to be affecting him a lot. "Well we were gone for a while ourselves. It's a good thing he at least has anything with him at all.” Janus reasoned, but it only made Roman’s guilt grow.  “Now what is the deal with this farm?” Roman and Virgil smirked at each other before leaping into a dramatic stance. “We don’t know a lot about the farm…” Roman began suspiciously. Logan knew this song and dance. “I heard a child who was just learning to control magic lived here with her family. One day she lost control and burned down the whole farm.” Virgil explained and Roman made an explosion sound behind him. Janus and Logan rolled their eyes but Patton was entranced. "The flames didn't touch anything on the other side of the fence, and they didn't touch her younger brother's things. The girl and her parents perished, her brother was never found." Roman finished with a flourish. Patton clapped. Roman turned around and saw a charred fence. They were here. 

By this time it was dark, and the darkness only enhanced how creepy the house was. Under the full moon’s glow they inspected the burned walls. The house was a husk, not even the roof remained. However a small hay bed and some kids toys were alone, only touched by a thick layer of dust. They felt a cold presence around them. Janus lit a torch to help them see. “I feel like something doesn’t want us here...” Roman said as he lit up another torch. Logan inspected the toys without touching them, they had no ash on them. Just dirt and dust. They looked like they hadn’t been touched in years. Patton closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Using his divine powers bestowed upon him after a lifetime of prayer, he could sense the presence of good and evil. He breathed deeply through his nose. He could smell the foul scent of an evil and greedy presence. It was so strong it nearly startled him. Virgil saw a flick of white in the corner of his eye but when he turned there was nothing here. "I don't like the vibes of this place. How about we just confirm that Remus isn't here and get the fuck out?" Virgil fretted. He did care about Remus, but this place seemed off. Janus saw what Patton was doing and put a hand on his shoulder. Patton nodded in response. “There’s something here.” Janus shouted to the group who was spread around the house. They all looked over. “What kind of something?” Logan asked. Janus enjoyed being vague but it annoyed Logan. Maybe that was part of why he enjoyed it. “Only one way to find out.” Janus smirked. He gave his torch to Patton and sat down. He began chanting in a language no one else could understand. “Venite Tenebrae Animae et Ostende te.” Three ghostly figures faded into view in front of him. One child and two adults. The child appeared in the corner, she looked to be hiding. The adults, a man and a woman, quickly turned on the party with a hiss. The group readied their weapons. Patton was first to attack as he grabbed his battle-axe in one hand and raised his shield with the other. He pulled back and swung his axe at the female ghost. It passed right through her. “Crap…” Patton let out before the ghost retaliated. She scratched his face with her long nails. It didn’t do much but it was enough that it pushed him back. Roman took out his great-sword and raised it above his head. The heavy steel blade and golden hilt caught the torch light. Roman was about to take a risk. But it didn’t seem like he could do much else. If Patton’s silver axes didn’t work then surely his sword wouldn’t do much more.  "Don't come any closer!" He yelled with his booming orcish voice. "I am Prince Roman of Creativiton, and I command you to stay back!" When they were alive they clearly lived in Creativiton, perhaps not during Roman’s life but at some point. Perhaps they still had some loyalty. Roman’s risk paid off as the ghosts cowered, leaving them vulnerable. Janus took the opportunity. He took out his staff and held it horizontally in front of him. The staff was curved and made of light coloured apple wood. A python is etched into the wood circling to the top, the side of the staff where the head was. “Illusio.” He whispered to himself. He pointed the end of his staff towards the attacking ghosts and a wall of flames shot towards them. They were shocked and backed themselves against the wall, much more scared than Patton’s attack. The male ghost looked to his right to see the scared child. He grabbed her and held her out like a shield. “Janus, what can we do?” Virgil asked as he pulled out his daggers. Janus was their creature expert, there is nothing he hadn’t fought. “Healing items and magic.” Janus shouted back. Virgil put away his daggers. Those weren’t going to do squat. “Healing?” Virgil asked again. Janus rolled their eyes although it was hard to tell since they were pure gold. “They lose connection to the physical realm because of the healing properties.” Janus explained as the male ghost shook the child at them. Logan was the only other who knew spells. He pulled out his silver staff, the blue gems attached to the top already glowing. He pointed the staff at the female ghost, streaks of blue shot out. The ghost disappeared as it was hit by the rays of frost, only leaving behind a thin layer of ice on the wall behind it. Roman shot a proud smile at his partner. He loved watching him fight, the way his face was lit by the magical spells he trained so hard to learn was his favourite sight. “One down.” Logan said proudly. Patton took advantage of his close range and called upon his divine powers again. His hands glowed with a healing light. Janus took the opportunity to reach to the shelf behind him and pick up a few small pieces of rubble discarded there. Patton lunged at the remaining ghost, attempting to avoid the child he shielded himself with. The ghost quickly turned on him, holding out the child. Patton retracted, not wanting to harm her. Across the room Janus put away his staff and pulled out a sling. He closed his hand around the rocks and whispered into it. “Incanto lapis.” When Janus opened his hand, the pebbles had a hint of a pink glow around them. He loaded the three small rocks into the sling and took aim. “Are you aiming at the child?!” Patton yelled from across the room. He knew his partner too well at this point. The rest of the group also looked over at him “Yeah.” Janus responded. The party looked between the two, not even paying attention to the ghost. “The child is a child!” Patton scolded. “Fine.” Janus groaned. He let go of the elastic and the rocks flew towards the ghosts. The little girl put up her hands to block her face but the pebbles went around her, bouncing off the wall and hitting her attacker. The other ghost faded after the rocks hit his head, the small girl fell to the floor. She stood and looked around. She smiled brighter than the white glow around her as the party put away their weapons. “Thank you! Thank you for helping me!” She said gratefully. She looked around at them all before her eyes fell on Kai. “Oh, can I pet your dog?” She asked happily. Patton offered the girl a comforting smile. “Of course you can.” He answered. The girl floated forward and began playing with the dog. They all looked at each other. Roman kneeled down next to the girl. “Hello there.” He said gently, trying to get her attention without startling her. She looked over with a smile. “Hi!” She replied. She looked at Roman quizzically for a second. “You look my friend.” Roman looked interested. For anyone else this’d be just a confused or funny kid moment, but he had a twin brother who hung around this house. “Your friend?” He asked, trying to pull more information from the child. She turned away from Roman to continue playing with Kai. “My friend Duke. He always scares away my parents when they try to hurt me but he wasn’t here this time.” She explained happily. Roman looked up at his friends. “He came by a month ago and told me that he was leaving. I miss him. He was silly and made me laugh. He promised he’d come back though!” The story seemed to fit what Roman’s parents had told them. Remus was a prince but preferred the title of duke in non-formal settings. He always said What’s the point of being called a prince if I won’t get the crown? “He’s my brother.” Roman was excited to finally have some information but tried to keep his voice quiet and reassuring. "We haven't seen him in a while either, do you have any idea where he went? Also what’s your name?" He questioned. He felt guilty for interrogating a small dead child. “I don't remember my name, but I do know where Dukey went. He said he was going to find you. He went to the witches in the north forest to see if they knew where you was.” She stopped playing with Kai and turned to Roman who had now shifted to a sitting position. “I’m looking for my brother too! Have you seen him? His name is Elliott.” Roman looked up at Logan who shrugged. He looked at the others who also didn’t know. "I'm really sorry, we haven't seen your brother,” Roman said. "Or my brother," he added after a pause. The small girl reached out and touched his hand. She smiled at him, he couldn’t help but smile back. “Okay. If you see him tell him he’s late and Mama and Pa are going to be mad.” The child said as she started to fade. Roman gave her one last nod as she disappeared. Roman stayed sitting for a couple seconds. He felt bad for the young girl. Logan put a hand on his partner’s shoulder. “We should find somewhere to set up camp.” Janus prompted. Roman nodded and stood slowly. They all left the burnt out house and set up camp on the edge of the northern forest, lighting a small fire and dropping some of their gear. “Our supplies are low.” Logan said, rummaging through his bag. “We’ll need to find some food.” Virgil nodded. He and Logan went into the forest. “I’ll go too, we’ll have a better chance.” Janus said as he stood. “Take Kai.” Patton told him. Kai trod up next to Janus. They headed into the forest together. After a while Logan and Virgil returned. "I saw some berries.” Logan said upon returning. Virgil settled empty handed by the fire. “I thought they were blackberries. I tried to get them. I was unable to, and was damaged by the thorns." Logan put out his arms to show a number of scratches. Behind him Janus came out of the treeline. "Well it turns out having the dog with us was very beneficial." Janus said and dropped a dead fox in front of Logan. "Look what he caught." Logan flushed red as Janus nudged him jokingly. "Never speak a word of this again." Logan huffed and went over to sit in Roman’s lap, Janus picked up the fox again. "Of course not Logan, I wouldn't want to blackmail you with any of this." Janus teased as he handed the fox to Patton. After the fox was skinned and cooked they all sat around the fire eating together. Janus and Patton sat facing each other, both with food in their lap. “You know I think I left something in the forest.” Janus said as they ate. “Help me come look for it?” Patton rolled his eyes. Janus and him had been dating for near a year now. He knew his tricks. “Janus! Everyone can hear you.” Patton didn’t really mind that much. “Yeah they look very interested.” Janus laughed and nodded towards Logan and Roman. They had abandoned their dinner and started kissing instead. Virgil was playing with Kai nearby. “Even so. I would prefer something a little more romantic then just follow me into the forest.” Patton responded. Again, Patton didn’t really mind. He loved Janus no matter whether he was able to come up with fancy words or not. He just enjoyed teasing him. Janus tried to come up with something quickly but his flustered mind couldn’t find anything. “So…” Janus began. “Papaya?” Janus drew out the last sound of that word. Patton giggled, it was cute putting Janus on the spot. He was usually so sharp tongued but when it came to Patton he would lose his nerve. Patton decided to throw him a bone. He put down his plate and put his arms around Janus’ neck. “Well I don’t know anything about papaya…” He began. He got close to Janus’ pointed ear, his breath warmed it better than the fire did. “But I do know about peaches.” Without warning Janus stood, holding Patton. He ran off into the forest with his partner. Virgil enjoyed the company of Kai. Virgil didn’t talk much and Kai didn’t mind, mostly because Kai was a dog and also couldn’t talk. Virgil also enjoyed being an elf. It meant he could stay up later than his friends. He looked across at his sleeping friends, he hated just sitting around. It meant he had to think. There were lots of things he didn’t want to think about right now. He went into the forest and climbed into the trees. He jumped from one branch to another. He did this as a kid, except instead of trees it was buildings. It helped him clear his head, focusing only on where to jump next. As he jumped he heard a scamper below him. He looked around and saw a fat rabbit. “You shouldn’t be out this late.” Virgil whispered as he grabbed his shortbow. He also took out an arrow, the purple feathers were stiff against his hand as he pulled the arrow back against the string. “Goodnight little bunny.” Virgil hummed as he let go of the string. He gathered the rabbit and took it back to the camp. There were just enough embers left in the fire to cook it. He stored it in his bag and found a place to sit against a tree. The other four were huddled together, sleeping in one big pile. Even Kai was with them. He felt a little left out, but he needed to be alone to meditate. Virgil closed his eyes, signalling the end to another day of adventure.  

[quoteablebooks]

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Novella

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary:

Biffy, newly minted Alpha of the London Pack, is not having a good Christmas. His Beta abandoned him, his werewolves object to his curtain choices, and someone keeps leaving babies on his doorstep. Professor Randolph Lyall returns home to London after twenty years abroad, afraid of what he might find. With his pack in chaos and his Alpha in crisis, it will take all his Beta efficiency to set everything to rights. Perhaps, in the process, he may even determine how to mend his own heart. New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger presents a charming love story set in her popular steampunk Parasolverse. Featuring the long-awaited reunion between everyone’s favorite quietly capable Beta and the werewolf Alpha dandy who let him slip away. This sweet romance is full of unexpected babysitting, holiday decorations, and no small amount of pining. Look for surprise appearances from popular side characters and the occasional strategic application of italics. The Supernatural Society novellas stand alone and may be read in any order. But if you’re a stickler, this story chronologically follows Imprudence, and ties specifically to events in Timeless. Delicate Sensibilities? Contains men who love other men and have waited decades to do so

*Opinions*

Romancing the Werewolf follows the new London Werewolf Pack Alpha Sandalio de Rabiffano, commonly referred to as Biffy, and the return of the packs Beta Professor Randolph Lyall from his time abroad. Twenty years have passed since the two men have been together, socially or intimately, and a lot has happened during that time. As Biffy continues to navigate taking the place as Alpha and Lyall attempts to figure out his place in this new pack dynamic, they both are unsure of their time spent together twenty years before and if it means anything now. If that wasn’t complicated enough, someone keeps leaving babies on the front steps for the pack to take care of without any explanation why. With Christmas approaching, it is a lot to deal with, even for supernaturals of Biffy and Lyall’s caliber.

This novella was a fun little story about self-doubt and how the people we love can help us overcome that if we let them. Now, I will admit that I am slightly biased as Lyall is probably my favorite character in the entire parasolverse and Biffy was one that I have enjoyed since he was first introduced. There are also hints to the backstories of some of the other characters that have been introduced throughout the parasolverse. I smiled so wide at the mention of Sophronia and Phineas since we have not heard from them since the Hedgehog Incident and am more intrigued about Major Channing Channing of the Chesterfield Channings past. That being said, even without any background knowledge of the series and their backgrounds, it is easy to understand and care about both men as they navigate this new phase in their lives.

Miscommunication and lack of communication is a trope that I don’t usually enjoy, but in this novel, I believe the lack of discussing their feelings between Biffy and Lyall makes sense given the power dynamic within the pack. Neither wants to take advantage of the other but also doesn’t want to burden the other by discussing the topic. The fact that this is a novella with the plot of the children being left on the doorstep intertwined, helped so that miscommunication doesn’t become too repetitive or annoying. Being in both men’s heads and getting their explanations for their actions also helps, but it also makes the reader want to shake both of them. 

Plot wise, I loved that we got a glimpse into how werewolves behave in America as well as more information about how pack dynamics and challenges work. Given the current state of the world, a werewolf pretending to be a preacher to start a werewolf cult to further his own power and influence was a little too much on the nose. Still, it was a rather interesting, if low stakes, issue to intertwine throughout the novel and I loved seeing the pack with the children. 

Overall this was a fast, fun, and heart-warming read that fits in perfectly with the rest of the series. I don’t know if we will see Lyall and Biffy again, but if this is their last appearance in the Parasolverse, I am happy with how their story has ended.

[fluffubunny23]

Hello! I’m tired and I wanted to write my own fix it fic with my probably overpowered OC because I want to. It’s patchy, unfinished and has bad grammar and not a lot is explained about my OC but I’m exhausted and am going to bed. I’ll fix it and maybe add more tomorrow in a reblog. I have not proof read this at all and am not going to. Had to get all my ideas on here while they were fresh.

So things you need to know:

His name is Peter

He’s a very powerful alien friend of douxie and has been for a while now

Just imagine Peter Pan (yes that’s where I got his name from) wearing all black, really tall guy, kinda goth with really long hair styled like a rats nest

So sit back, relax, and enjoy a shitty story from a angry, tired first time writer who hated the movie ending with no reset and no one dies!

Begin story!

‘Hey doux, I heard what happened, what’s going on-‘ he stopped, noticing what was going on around him. A boy was talking about fixing everything and bringing everyone back. Why would he be- Oh no.

He was going to time travel

‘NO’ he said, making a bat and hitting the gem a mile away before it can be use

‘Look, I’ve been where you are, time travel is dangerous and won’t fix everything like you think it would!’ ‘But-‘ Jim started ‘no. Hold this’ he said, shoving the bat into Jim’s hands and pushing him aside.

Kneeling down next to Toby's body, he began to focus his energy on him and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was floating in a dark space. A shine of light caught his eye.

He saw Toby, slowly floating up towards the light source.

‘Hey!’ He shouted ‘Hey, kid!’

Toby turned to look at him.

‘Woah, are you an angel?’ He said wide eyed

‘No. I’m here to take you back. If you want to that is. Your friends really miss you. I think your best friend was about to do something rash to get you back too.’

‘Wait I can go back?! Heck yeah man, take me!’

With a flash of light he was back, sore and a bit light head, but he was back. ’TOBES’ Jim shouted hugging his now alive best friend.

‘How..how’d you do that?’ Asked douxie in disbelief

‘How many times do I have to tell you? I. Am. Basically. A. God. You should know this by know man, you’ve seen me do lots of impossible stuff. You know what? I’m just gonna write a list of what I can do so you don’t almost do anything stupid like this again.’

Thank you, thank you so much

Eh, no worries kid, bring someone back is easy as long as it’s within 24 hours

‘Wait, that could mean you could bring back everyone else too!’ Exclaimed Claire

‘Wait, what? there’s more!’ He said

Yeah…do you think you can help us a little more? Douxie asked sheepishly

‘Uh, yeah sure, For the record it only works if they want to come back, I can’t force them. So, just take me to their body’s and I’ll do what I can.’

Oh, right, their body’s. Not a lot to work with there.

Let’s see, strickler was blown up, nomora was turned to stone then crumbled and bark dissintigrated into the earth.

‘What?’ Peter said, noticed how everyone looked away

‘Well, uh, about that-‘ douxie started

“They don’t have bodies do they?

“Yeah”

‘Ok then I’ll just go back and grab them before they die’

‘Hold on! Didn’t you just say time travel was bad!” Said Jim, finally speaking up after hugging Toby for what felt like forever

‘This is going to be a short visit to separate times in one jump, which I have done before, you were going to reset an entire fucking timeline with zero experience.”

Jim looked down sheepishly

‘Now, I will be right back, this should only take a moment”

With that, he disappeared into what they assumed was a time portal.

He found Strickler first, 10 seconds away from sacrificing himself

Peter immediately set to work, flying as fast as he could, the bomb was a split second from going off when he grabbed strickler and portables away. No saw them as the bomb felled the titan.

Next was nomoura, this one was tricky as he would definitely be seen, but he decided to forgo that just once, considering it’s the same people and they know what he’s doing. The portal opened just as Nari had raiser her to the sun, he grabbed her and portaled away as fast as he came before she was turned to stone completely.

Navi was last, as he came out of the next portal, he could see the Titans battle was about to end. He swooped in and found Nari as the ice was creeping towards her, just inches away from sealing her fate.

Everyone was still staring at where the portal had closed when it reopened again. This time four people stepping out instead of one, strickler, nomoura and nari all came out barely unharmed.

‘Ah, ha ha, you did it!’ Said douxie he quickly ran to nari, kneeling and hugging her tightly ‘Nari, oh thank the stars your okay”

‘Of course I did it, was there ever any doubt” he said cheekily, giving dousing a light hearted smirk as he watch everyone’s reunion. But wait, the was someone missing.

‘Hey doux, where your cat?”

He froze, then standing to meet his eyes “um well-‘ he started

Douxie. Where’s your familiure?

‘Well you see-‘ he tried again

‘Oh no, he’s not dead too is he?!, I really liked that guy, and I can’t go back so soon after doing it once’

‘No no, he’s fine. He’s just trapped in a underground troll market… with no way to get in…or out’

He let out a sigh, he missed Archie already.

‘oh thank the king’

‘Well, c’mon’ we don’t have all day

‘Wait what? What are you talking about?’

‘You’re gonna take me to where ever this underground trollmarket is and where gonna get your familiar out’

‘Peter, no, it’s impossible to get in or out of there with out a horngazzle, and even if we had one the entrench is gone, crushed under a bridge, there’s no way in” he was starting to tear up, reality setting in.

‘That’s what you think” peter said in a sing song voice

‘What are you on about now?’

Douxie, you’ve seen me create an entire house inside a tiny closet, you’ve seen me materialize food out of nothing, you just watched me bring back your friend from the dead, and time travel the rest of them here, you’ve seen me copy money so you’re never broke, you’ve seen me do lots of things. Creating a portal and doorway using your familiar as an anchor shouldn’t sound like much of a stretch, I just need you to take me to where this place is.’

‘Oh..right then’

A few moments later half of the crew where standing in front of the fallen bridge in Hong Kong. Stickler, nomoura, Nara, Toby, Jim, Steve, Eli and the akiridions all stayed behind to rest up. It was surrounded by workers clearing debris and searching for possibly injured people. Luckily due to a quick illusion spell they weren’t seen.

‘Ok, Peter, where here, now what?’ Douxie said

‘Watch this”

Peter knelt down, placing his hands on the ground, glowing green cracks started expanding around him. He began to feel every living thing near him, the group, the workers, and something big just a bit further. He dug down deeper, and felt an entire city full of people.

‘Got it’ he said, and began searching for the familiar

‘Can you see him?’ Douxie asked, feeling hopeful

That when peter felt a familiar aura, a small one in the middle of the city, there was someone else next to him.

‘Found him, there’s someone bigger with him too’

‘That must be his dad!’ Exclaimed clarie

Peter stood up, the green cracks not leaving the ground

‘Alright then, everyone, stand back’

He began pulling the cracks out of the ground and forming a circle with them. Soon enough there was an opaque portal looking doorway in front of them. When he was finished, he placed his hand at the top of it and pulled an item from it.

He handed it to douxie, ‘here, this will be the key to this place from now on, just put it against a wall and it’ll open’ turning back to the portal, ‘but for now, this portal will lead straight to your Archie’

Upon hearing that, douxie wasted no time running into the portal. On the other side, he found what looked to be a throne room. And atop the throne was ‘Arch?!’ He said in disbelief ‘Douxie!’ Said the dragon as he flew towards his familiar, both hugging each other tightly.

There was a loud crunch in the background. Douxie look up “Charlie?’

‘Oh, hello there, my boy’ charlimane said, with a mouth full of (idk, image something crunch that a dragon would eat)

“what’s all this?’ Douxie said looking back at Archie.

‘Well, um, dad and I may have killed the king when we took the kronosphere and took over this place and are now ruling with iron fists”

[ice-cream-nekogirl]

Young Love and an Episode of Friends (Bakugou Katsuki x Reader x Shinsou Hitoshi) PART 3

I had been asked by this person here @soseoky for a part 3 just to let our parents know that we’re alive and well and I thought ‘That’s actually a pretty good idea’ so I did it! :3 

Summary: Things are mostly normal now that you’re back home from Hell... but Bakugou and Shinsou are even more hostile towards each other than ever before. And your classmates can’t get enough of it. 

BTW SORRY FOR ANY OOC-NESS!!

Featuring: Lord Explosion Murder!! AAAAAND Our Fave Emo, Purple Boi!

You were a hundred percent sure that not many people can say that they escaped from Hell and lived to tell the tale. Yet here you were, telling the tale to your teachers, your classmates in the General Studies, Principal Nezu and unfortunately to some of the media to let the world know that you’re not dead.

And here you were now, returning to your house to your parents after watching a LOT of Friends with all of your friends that you thankfully reunited with, especially Bakugou and Shinsou. They walked you home since it was late and despite the fact that Aizawa was still pissed at them, he did let them go with you to take you home and let your parents know that you were alive.

You inhaled and exhaled deeply when you knocked on the door, a little bit nervous to see your parents after being gone for a week. And your world practically stopped as soon as your mother and father opened the door, their eyes going wide in disbelief when they looked at you. They were shocked, and yet overwhelmed with emotions as your mother teared up and started to sob, instantly engulfing you in a tight hug as your father quickly joined in. You realized how much you had missed them though when they hugged you so tightly and you closed your eyes and quietly cried as you hugged them both back. Bakugou and Shinsou could only watch the scene before them, neither boys would say it outloud, but seeing the reunion that they mostly made possible felt… really nice…

This is what heroes did. They rescued people and created moments like this for civilians and the free. And it meant even more since they saved someone that they both loved and cared for dearly.

Which is why your father had to reluctantly thank them. Well… he reluctantly thanked Bakugou, he kinda liked Shinsou but didn’t care for your childhood friend that much. But he owed it to the ash-blonde for bringing his child back home.

“I can’t ever thank you enough Katsuki… I knew that you and Shinsou would be able to save my (Y/N)… you… you saved my baby...” Your mother was more trusting of Bakugou, as she remembered the happier times when you and him were closer, even if his attitude started changing when you both started growing up. However, after nearly losing you and realizing just how much he truly did care for you, Bakugou planned on trying to rebuild that friendship you and he had in the past.

“What are friends for…?” Bakugou spoke softly, which shocked the hell out of you since he wasn’t the type to talk so soft. But he WAS in front of your parents after all…

“I always knew that you and (Y/N) had a special friendship~. I never doubted you for a minute.” And of course your mother had to point that out and making you and Bakugou blush rather horribly. “Mooooom!! I JUST came back from the dead! Don’t embarrass me!!” You whined and tried to hush your giggling mother. She always did think that some day you would eventually fess up to Bakugou and get with him. To put it simply, she sensed that perhaps you and Bakugou would have that beautiful childhood friend romance because of your quirky attitude and Bakugou overall having a soft spot for you. She thought it was adorable.

“Tch! That’s why I saved her!” Bakugou was quick to exclaim, still blushing heavily as he scowled and grunted, “Because we’re friends…” He added as fast as he could, hating just how red his cheeks felt and not seeing how annoyed your father and Shinsou looked.

“And I will forever be grateful to you Bakugou…” Your father on the other hand, was a lot sterner with your childhood friend and not as fond of him as your mother was. He wasn’t aware of how Bakugou treated you, but he did think he was a bad influence and didn’t like his attitude. 

“You too Hitoshi. You brought my daughter back to me… that’s something I will never forget…” He favored Shinsou, and as much as he didn’t like the idea of his child getting into a relationship with someone yet, he would hope that you ended up with someone a little kinder and more respectful like Shinsou. Him, he liked and thought he was a good lad, and didn’t discriminate against him for his quirk at all, finding it actually very useful for a hero.

Shinsou seemed to know that though, and he couldn’t fight the blush warming his face as he rubbed the back of his neck, “It was no problem… (Y/N) is… also my friend.” He said rather calmly, and you couldn’t help but smile and pat him on the back, “Hee~. Yes ya’ll sure are~.”

Of course, you were none the wiser, and just happy to be back with your family and your best friends. And you had no idea what your parents were really discussing when you had gone upstairs and let both boys follow you.

“Isn’t it romantic…? Katsuki is a softie for her… I can’t wait til she winds up with him… ever since they were little, I knew there was something between them…” Your mom had fawned a little bit, even though it was visibly annoying your dad.

“Sure… but Hitoshi’s a good kid. He and (Y/N) get along well, and they were in the same class together. He’s helped her study and focus on her studies.” Your dad was almost smirking when he thought about how well you got along with Shinsou, and at how your mom looked a bit annoyed now.

“Hitoshi is a very good kid, and an excellent friend to (Y/N)… but she’s had a crush on Katsuki since they were both 6…” She retorted, but your dad just chuckled, “She’s grown up since then though… and obviously she likes Hitoshi’s company…” He added, which actually made your mom smile and giggle a little bit. It was clear whose team they were on, but they knew that in the end things would work out somehow. Since both these boys did care for you and love you, warts and all.

All that mattered though was that their child was back home, safe and sound.

I’LL BE THERE FOR YOU~

Things went mostly back to normal for you, and your classmates asked you a shit-ton of questions that you quickly answered. The attention was nice at first until people wouldn’t leave you alone and so you waved them off and just went back to your thing…

Some of the nastier students called you names like ‘Hell Girl’ or ‘Zombie Girl’, but since those sounded really cool, it didn’t really bother you. You cared more about what you were going to watch at home rather than what your lame classmates thought of you…

“I have to catch up with SO. MUCH. Things you guys…” You had complained to Midoriya, Uraraka and Iida as you met up with them in the hallway and chatted with them a bit.

“Whaaat? Surely they have to let you off the hook after what you’ve been through!” Uraraka instantly gave you her sympathy, “She’s right! After such an ordeal, you deserve some recovery.” Iida might have been a stickler for the rules, but you came back from hell. Even he thought that warranted a little bit of a break…

“I know right…? I was already in Hell, it feels like they’re trying to make this a new Hell for me to live in…” You chuckled and made a joke about your ordeal, but didn’t really see that it made your friends a little bit uncomfortable and concerned for you.

“If you want… I can help you with most of it (Y/N). You shouldn’t be doing homework after everything you’ve been through.” Izuku was so sweet to offer to do your work for you, but you chuckled and shook your head. “Izuku… god you’re a sweetheart and I love you but… I can’t make you do that… I’m just going to milk this for all it’s worth and just relax… as I always do.” You reassured your friend, and even though he was concerned, he still smiled at you.

And the four of you chatted away as you all entered the dorms. You might not have had a room here or even lived here but Class 1-A treated you like an honorary member since you got along with a good majority of them.

“Hey Shitty Girl.”

Bakugou surprised you by greeting you the minute he saw you enter the common room and even approached you and he growled at Izuku to back off, obviously not wanting your other childhood friend near you. Izuku got the message though and nervously giggled as he backed away, knowing that something definitely changed in Bakugou after you came back from the dead.

But you were hella surprised, since it’s been such a long time since Bakugou came to you. You were the one who had to go to him first. “Ohhhhh, Katsuki hey~.” You smiled widely at him though, more than happy to see him again as you brought your arms out to hug him. And adding to your surprise he LET you hug him and even softly hugged you back as soon as Izuku, Uraraka and Iida had left you both to yourselves.

Hugging you made him realize how much he had missed your hugs, so he held onto you even if the hug was just friendly, taking in the warmth of your body now that he knew that you were back, alive and well. He swore to himself that he wouldn’t treat you like garbage anymore; he’d still be his normal self but he wasn’t going to be as awful as he had been. You had no idea what was going through his mind, but he felt so nice and warm, and he smelt fresh of soap after finally having a shower.

Today was going better than you thought…

You even managed to talk to him, and he actually talked with you. Bakugou saw how much you were smiling, and it was both annoying and endearing, obviously he was aware that you were surprised by how much he started talking to you. He wouldn’t admit it, but he felt kind of guilty for that…

“I was just talkin’ to Izuku about the extra homework I gotta do... and I’m thinking ‘I was already in Hell, should I really be doing homework after that…?” You had asked with a little chuckle and Bakugou scoffed, “Are you just gonna use that fucking excuse for the rest of your life?” He asked you in his casual tone, no malice in it though and you could tell as you laughed.  

“YES! Because who else do you know has actually been in Hell and came back dude?”

Even though you were so cheerful and nonchalant as always, Bakugou wasn’t comfortable at all with how you casually talked about coming back from the dead and escaping Hell. It was terrifying enough to have been taken and held hostage by the villains, but thinking that you were dead for even a second with no hopes of you returning, and realizing that you were trapped in hell had scared the wits out of him. He couldn’t talk any shit though, since he never talked about how he felt during his own ordeal with the League of Villains and brushed it off whenever someone asked him about it.

And yet he hated that you were doing exactly that…

Maybe he had gotten somehow even more protective of you, but at this point he didn’t really care. There’s no way anything like that was ever going to happen to you again.

“Tch… let me see your damn homework later... it’s probably not even hard...” He muttered to you, and you couldn’t help but clap your hands cheerfully. That was more or less his way of saying that he’ll help you with it...

Meanwhile...

“They’re SOOOOOO cute together~! Bakugou LOVES her so much~!” Mina had started gushing to her other girl friends and the rest of the Bakusquad over you and Bakugou when she saw you both walking together. “Yup… if that’s not a crush I don’t know what is…” Jirou gave a little smile and agreed.

“Bakugou’s always liked her… even when he said he didn’t. I mean, I didn’t like how mean he could be to her at times, but I knew that it’s cuz he just sucks at showing how much he cares about her.” Kirishima actually knew Bakugou pretty well and how the guy functioned. He was well aware that Bakugou cared a lot about you, and how much he sucked at showing it…

“But Bakugou just sucks at anything involving feelings.” Kaminari kind of snickered though. He had flirted with you a little bit, and Bakugou always made him back off by threatening to blow his face off, so that was proof enough for the electric blonde that he might have had a thing for you. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they started dating soon…” Sero remarked with a smile. He had gotten along with you pretty well, and you talked with him the most of the Bakusquad and he knew that you definitely had a crush on his volatile classmate.

In short, the Bakusquad was feeling pretty positive about their leader’s chances with you.

At least until they saw you go into the kitchen…

And before Bakugou could attempt to follow you, he saw Shinsou…

The purple-haired teen stopped when he realized that he was being stared at. For a moment their eyes met and their stare turned into hostile glares… before they both quickened their pace to go and try and get into the kitchen with you first.

Mina, being the snoop that she was, had followed the two and hid behind the corner along with Kirishima, Kaminari and Sero. “Seriously…?” Jirou shook her head though at their antics, being the sanest member thus far…

You had no idea you were being followed though, all you wanted was to steal the Oreos (that you brought for everyone) and take them with you to a room to watch a movie at. But since you were sure that you must have been alone, you decided to try something dumb…

And so you bent over backwards a bit and placed an Oreo on your forehead, making sure that it was balanced. Focusing your eyes and balance as much as you could, “C’mon… c’mon… c’mon, c’mon, c’mon…” You held your tongue open, carefully moving forward to let the cookie fall at hopefully the right place, but instead of landing in your mouth the oreo slid down your nose and instead fell to the ground…

Your eyes widened as you felt a twinge of despair and disappointment upon seeing the poor cookie and all it’s crumbly remains on the ground. “Argh… dammit!” You exclaimed in frustration, mourning the Oreo somewhat childishly but perked up as soon as you saw Shinsou coming in.

“Wow… you look really busy…” He knew the weirder, sillier things you often did, and trying to catch oreos was one he was all too familiar with.

“Hitoshi~!” You had no idea that you were being watched by a few others as you quickly went over to hug the brainwashing teen. Mina, Kirishima and Sero were kind of shocked, but Kaminari was actually looking quite proud of Shinsou… he always knew that he had a crush on you. Despite how distant Shinsou was to him, Kaminari eventually got through to him and they became friend-ish with each other.

“Hey.” Shinsou replied to you casually with a little smile as he hugged you back. Hugging you felt right to him, especially since he was so much taller than you so it was like you were a perfect little fit. You were so soft and warm, akin to a kitten. And you kind of liked how tall he was, it was a safe feeling to hug your dear friend and you hummed contently when you nuzzled him a bit. You didn’t see his smile turning into one of his trademark smirks when he saw how PISSED Bakugou looked the second he walked into the kitchen. “What the hell are you doing here Eye-Bags?” He asked him roughly as the two of you pulled away.

“Katsuki~.” Of course, you knew that he was annoyed, but you nonetheless smiled just seeing him. Even though you sensed that an argument or some form of bickering was probably going to happen.

“You’re one to talk… you came in here too. And I don’t think I need permission to grab a snack. We’re not in elementary school anymore are we?” He asked Bakugou somewhat snidely, earning even more annoyance from the latter. Ever since you became friends with Shinsou, Bakugou’s had nothing nice to say about him and became twice as hostile towards him. You knew that these two didn’t like each other, so you tried to be as calm as possible. “Hey now… have an Oreo you two. They make everyone happy… they’re like so bad for you but dammit they’re so fucking good…” You held up an Oreo and kinda offered it to whoever took it first. Bakugou wasn’t one for sweets though…

“No shit… you eat way too much of those fucking things…” He wasn’t criticizing you or anything, but he was slightly annoyed by your… less than ideal snacking habits. It didn’t help that Shinsou did take the Oreo you had out.

“They’re very bad for you… and yet they make you feel as if they are good for you.” He said, and actually did eat the cookie you gave him, and you grinned and gave him a thumbs up, “You said it brother!”

Shinsou didn’t smile much but seeing you again and having you back was arguably his biggest reason to smile. Somehow you always got a little smile out of him, “Are you just going to steal them all again?” He asked you in amusement, knowing how fond you were of these snacks.

“Well I DID buy them ‘Tosh… and you know me, I’m a bit ‘cookie’ for these cookies.” You pointed at him with a grin, laughing at your latest pun which just irritated Bakugou and amused Shinsou.

“Oh my fucking god just stop it!” Bakugou quickly shouted at you for such a lame pun, as he often did. Your sense of humor was so corny it was stupid… almost stupid-funny.

Okay… THAT’S your worst pun to date…” Shinsou then remarked, even though the truth was he thought your dumb jokes were funny…

“You love them… both of you do!” You pointed at them both cheerfully with a big laugh, not exactly seeing how these two exchanged brief little glares. “But to answer your question ‘yes’, I’m going to steal these cuz I’m still celebrating my resurrection… after spending a week in a suffocating, dark, cold and bloody place that was my own Hell, I’m trying to take it easy…” You sounded like you were a little troubled, and the truth was you were and both your friends could tell as a flicker of concern blinked in their eyes. They really didn’t like thinking about how you suffered in that Hell, and so they both wanted to make sure that you were safe and felt comfortable… and yet it lead them to competing and trying to be there for you first.

“And so after re-watching all of Friends for the 10th, today I’m just gonna make the big decision of whether I should just binge-watch a Netflix show or watch a horror movie before Endgame~.” And yet you suddenly went from troubled to excitable when you told the guys your plans.

“You idiot…” Bakugou shook his head, clearly amused by what your idea of celebrating was, as was Shinsou. If there’s one thing they could agree on at all, it’s that they both found you endearing in your own… odd way. Not that there was anything wrong with you being odd, that was simply you.

However, neither one of you could tell that you were being listened to and partially spied on. Not just by the Bakusquad, but the Dekusquad too as Izuku, Uraraka and Iida refrained from going into the kitchen when they heard you, Bakugou and Shinsou talking…

~~I’LL BE THERE FOR YOU~~

“They’re going to see a movie together!”

After seeing you and Bakugou talking together again, Mina went straight back to gushing about you and Bakugou to the rest of the Bakusquad, as well as Yaoyorozu and the other girls, including Uraraka and Tsuyu.

It wasn’t like 1-A to indulge in gossip, but it was comforting to talk about their classmates especially after the latest ordeal they had to go through with losing you for a moment. “Guess Bakugou’s got a date.” Kirishima smiled wide just thinking about it, obviously happy for his friend as were Kaminari and Sero.

But not everyone was happy for Bakugou…

“That damn Bakugou… he’s the scariest one and yet he’s the one going out with a girl!” Mineta cried and bemoaned how the most violent and aggressive one in his class had managed to go out with someone. “It’s not fair… it’s so not freaking fair…!”

“Well Mineta, Kacchan and I have known (Y/N) since we were kids… she’s always kinda liked him…” But Izuku felt sorry for Mineta, so he attempted to justify the possibility of you going out with Bakugou, however neither him or the others expected some of his classmates to put their two cents in.

“I don’t know Midoriya, I mean it’s obvious that she has feelings for Bakugou but… to be honest… Mineta almost has a point… Bakugou isn’t really approachable, nor does he put any effort into such, not even with (Y/N), or you for that matter.” Tsuyu pointed out a very clear truth that surprised her friends and classmates, especially Mina and Kirishima.

“She’s right! I’ve seen how he’s treated her before this, he was so mean to her!” Uraraka supported Tsuyu’s statement by adding what she’s witnessed between you and Bakugou. “She’s told me about him too… honestly, some of the things he’s said are just uncalled for…” You and Uraraka were pretty good friends, so you tended to vent to her and Tsuyu about things that frustrated you, whether it was school or Bakugou…

“They’re not wrong. (L/N) and Bakugou’s relationship is like Ross and Rachel’s. Constantly on and off and somewhat dysfunctional, which isn’t really a good thing.” Todoroki agreed with both Uraraka and Tsuyu, even if he referred to Friends to describe your relationship with Bakugou. But hearing Todoroki of all people allude to Friends is what really shocked everyone…

It was official, you had successfully converted Todoroki to Friends.

“Well… okay yeah he’s not a saint, at all… but I saw the way he looked at her when she came back… and when he took her back home last night… I’ve never seen him look at anyone else the way he did her. I think he’s gonna try and be nicer to her from now on.” But Kirishima had to defend his friend somehow, even if he didn’t condone how Bakugou treated you before the ordeal.

“Maybe, but it took an ordeal like this to make him appreciate her more.” Tsuyu quickly stated after Kirishima’s heartwarming outlook on his buddy, “That’s correct~. And not only that… but compared to Bakugou… one other person was there for her every time she returned to our plane…” Aoyama really surprised Tsuyu by also supporting her side, and they all knew who he was talking about. “Shinsou Hitoshi. And it is especially because he has feelings for her… and deep down… I can see that there are some feelings for him that she may have~.”

Now that surprised everyone… except for Uraraka and Tsuyu, they had a hunch that Shinsou might have had a thing for you, and that you might have had some subconscious feelings for him too.

“Yeah! I don’t know Shinsou well, but I’ve seen him talk to her a lot! And she’s told me a lot about him too, how he’s a lot nicer than he acts. To her maybe, but still!” Uraraka was certain that she found out who’s team was on…

“Oui… their chemistry is undeniable… I knew it as soon as I heard them singing Brendan Urie’s songs together.” Aoyama definitely knew whose team he was on though, being a romantic at heart he thought that Shinsou would be a better match for you.

“Well…! That might be true, but she likes Bakugou! And he likes her too! I just know that those two are gonna wind up together somehow! He’ll be like the scary badass who defeats all those who dare try and harm her! And he’ll whisk her away into the sunset!” Mina was definitely for you ending up with Bakugou, and so was Kirishima.

“That’s right! Bakugou’s growing up and improving himself for her… like a true man!” It was no surprise that Kirishima was Team Bakugou, but Uraraka and Aoyama weren’t going down without a fight.

“Well maybe (Y/N) doesn’t need a badass who can threaten to beat up all of her enemies for her. Maybe (Y/N) would like to have someone to watch movies with and sing songs with and someone who will wait patiently for her when she comes back from a spiritual realm.” Uraraka’s feisty side was showing, which was kind of scaring Izuku.

“U-Uraraka…”

“Bakugou waited for her too!” Mina made sure to remind her that Bakugou waited for you to return, but Aoyama had a rebuttal, “Maybe. But before the ordeal, Shinsou never discouraged her from using her quirk and instead made sure she always returned safely.”

“He just wanted her to be safe! Her quirk is… it’s scary man you saw what happened! It’s more dangerous than I thought… I can’t excuse the way he acted before, but he knew her quirk had its drawbacks… and he wanted her to just be safe…” Kirishima wasn’t trying to necessarily defend Bakugou’s actions, but he understood why his friend wasn’t comfortable whenever you descended into the spirit realm.

However, bringing up that traumatizing moment did shut everyone up for a minute. Kirishima honestly had a point, but Bakugou shouldn’t have been so hard on you about it. Still, the memory of watching you just disappear like that haunted them as Izuku, Uraraka and Kirishima started trembling just remembering it…

Everyone was now a little bit calmer after hearing that, “I understand… but… I’ve seen how happy she is whenever she talks about Shinsou and every time they hang out. So… I’m sorry Kirishima, but I’m on Team Shinsou.” Uraraka didn’t go back on what she felt, but she was a little bit calmer now.

“And I’m on Team Bakugou!” But Mina thankfully brought the energy back to the room as she crossed her arms determinedly, “So am I.” Kirishima was on her side, and his friend’s side, he knew Bakugou would treat you better now. He had nothing against Shinsou, but he knew how you felt about Bakugou…

“I am also on Team Shinsou~.” Uraraka was relieved and thankful that Aoyama was on her side, even if it was over just a little bit of a shipping thing.

But this just made the others, especially Izuku extremely worried. Now he definitely couldn’t pick sides because Bakugou was his childhood friend and he liked Shinsou a lot. He would rather you just decide whoever you wanted and whoever you felt would make you happy. He wasn’t comfortable seeing his good friends just looking at each other like this was something worth challenging each other though…

“I respect your opinions you guys, but… it’s too bad (Y/N) and Shinsou are already watching a movie together~.” Although they came to a civil conclusion, Uraraka had to giggle and reveal what you and Shinsou were doing together.

“What?!” Mina perked up with wide eyes, seeing that as an opportunity to do some good old-fashioned meddling, “Not for long…!” She declared with vigor and pointed at the girl before she promptly took off running out the common room, “Hey! Wait up!” Kirishima followed her, wanting to somehow help her in getting his friend to get a moment with you.

“Hey! Ohhh… those two!” Uraraka huffed and squealed indignantly, but Aoyama put his hand on her shoulder, “Do not worry… I have a feeling that this will all work itself out~. (Y/N) will choose who she loves the most in time…” He said softly and optimistically to reassure the girl, and really surprised Uraraka.

Aoyama was so much more insightful than he let on wasn’t he…?

~~I’LL BE THERE FOR YOU~~

“BAKUGOU!!”

It’s like his classmates liked irritating him as the ash-blonde growled just hearing the loud screech coming from no one other than Mina, “What the hell are screaming for Raccoon Eyes?!”

“Uh… well dude… I don’t wanna tattle-tale but…” Kirishima felt a little bit bad, and couldn’t really say It, but Mina could, “Shinsou’s getting comfortable with your girl!!” She exclaimed rather loudly, making both Kirishima and Bakugou flinch, the latter because he heard Shinsou’s name…

“What?!” He shouted even louder than earlier, and the first thing he did was march over to wherever the hell Eye-Bags’ room was. “Go get her!!” Mina practically cheered him on, but the very angry explosive teen was too pissed to even care, “Shut up you! And she’s not my girl!!” He didn’t turn to face her because he started blushing…

You weren’t his girl! But that didn’t mean he wanted Shinsou with you at all...

No fucking way!

To be continued...

[mrreindeerface]

Character Info for When The Night Comes

I’ll be honest, this got away from me a bit. I am not entirely sure this is coherent and I had to fight myself to not info-dump because I have so many thoughts on these dorks. For @galleywinter who has been patient with my need to scream about this fantastic game

Les Full Name: Alessa Mylona – also answers to Lessa Age: 27 Height: 5’10”

Les is the Hunter General in Lunaris. She’s headstrong, composed, and very much a stickler for the rules. She can be a bit standoffish at first – but is always willing to take the time and listen if someone needs her. She’s been a bit of an overachiever since she was young, which tends to rub off on the people around her whether they want it to or not. She’ll follow the spirit of the law rather than the letter of it – she’s gotten a fair share of citations in her files from going against orders when she felt it wasn’t the right thing to do. She can be very caring when needed, but tries to hold herself apart from people to help with her work.

She was orphaned at a young age, and was too difficult of a child to find a home anywhere until she was taken in by the Hunters. She puts a great deal of effort into appearing the ‘perfect’ Hunter, mostly out of fear she’ll lose the one family she’s ever really known. Although she worked on her own the first few years, she and Wren partnered on a difficult assignment and have been inseparable ever since. At the academy she specialized in Demonology – she fights with a weighted quarterstaff mostly but also has a few smaller silver daggers (just in case).

Les knew of the Piper Meriman before coming to Lunaris, more as the legend of a Hunter than as a real person. It was a bit of an early blow to find out the Enforcers would cast aside someone with that kind of reputation, though it did give her the chance to get being starstruck out of her system (and somewhere Piper couldn’t see her). There’s never been any hesitation on her part with letting Piper take the lead, not only because Piper is a force of nature but because Les likes having a chance to not be in charge of everything. Piper is one of the few people who can get her to shirk responsibility and just have fun.

Wren Full Name: Florian Laurent Age: 26 Height: 5’7”

Wren is the Hunter General’s right hand. They are very quiet, seeming almost shy, but they can be unyielding as steel. They are fiercely loyal to those they care about, almost to the point of absurdity. Although dedicated to their career as a Hunter, they weren’t prepared for volume of bureaucratic nonsense that came with the territory of trying to help people. Wren will flout any rule necessary to do the right thing, at least the right thing by their standards. They’re much more empathetic than their partner, and don’t bother to maintain a distance from the people in their life.

Wren grew up the oldest of three children – their father was forcibly retired as a Hunter due to a spinal injury. Hoping to carry on the family tradition of being a ‘hero,’ they studied and trained until they could be tested. Although never a truly model student, they were still one of the best. They specialized in Weapons and Combat training and spent their first few years in the field honing their tracking skills. They are unparalleled at laying traps and setting ambush locations – usually with some guidance from Les. They prefer to fight from a distance, using ranged weapons and resorting to daggers only when necessary.

They were wholly unprepared for the Lunarian double-threat of Omen and Alkar. Both of them had a unique charm, and proved to be effortlessly entertaining for the needling-inclined Wren. The two of them served as a good distraction and break from the insanity that was the investigation, and Wren was more than happy to play matchmaker in the early stages of their relationship. It can be a bit tricky for them to not get sucked into teaming up with one or the other to get the third, but in reality that’s part of the fun of their relationship.

 Les and Wren

They started working together three years before coming to Lunaris after teaming up together on a particularly tricky mission. Wren liked the convenience of having what was essentially a battering ram on their side, while Les appreciated knowing there was someone at her back to help out. Although Hunter teams are not common, and are often split up if called for, the two of them fought tooth and nail to be kept together every time they needed to be transferred.

Not only in sync in battle, the two also work well together off the field. Les is much better suited to maneuvering (read: manipulating) the Enforcers to get what they need whereas Wren has been much better at connecting to the Creatures and getting insider information. Although both have their own way of handling civilians, they ultimately have the same goal: to put on a good face for the organization, despite the recent situation.

 Alaric Full Name: Gideon Alaric Fehler Age: 31 Height: 6’2”

Alaric came to Lunaris by chance, as a Hunter on a specialty assignment. Although he holds himself proudly there’s always a mischievous glint in his eyes. He’s a sucker for having a laugh and a round of ales in the tavern, as much as he enjoys the sense of accomplishment that comes with seeing a town that fees safe because of the work the Hunters do. As he operates, to some degree, outside of the standard Hunter/Enforcer system he can come off a bit of a loose cannon, but at the end of the day his interest is protecting the people.

Originally from Thiyrus, Alaric was sent to join the Hunters by his mother who dreamed of having her son grow up to be strong and a protector for their homeland. Although she did get her wish, he always carried a hint of resentment at the pain her choice brought him. Despite this, he dedicated all his time and effort to his training and studies: he specialized in Alchemy and Demonology both. In combat training he favored short swords, enjoying the adrenaline rush that came from being in the middle of a fight and dancing around his opponents.  

Alaric fell hard and he fell fast for August – as comically “love at first sight” as can be imagined. He was immediately drawn in by their grace, composure, and the raw depth of power he could sense under their skin. Due to the nature of their work, he originally decided not to act on his feelings as he felt a workplace relationship was not the best idea. The longer their task kept him in Eskria, and by extension in Lunaris, the more he found himself wishing to court them. The delight he felt when his interest was immediately (and intensely) returned was palpable, and the two have been nigh inseparable since.

 Poppy Full Name: [Redacted] – Also answers to Pippa, Pips, and Pip (only used by Alaric) Age: 24 Height: 5’1” or 5’2”

Poppy is not a Hunter, but a Witch working under the mantle of Enforcer, though their history with the organization can be considered complicated at best. They hold themselves tightly, observing with sharp eyes rather than interacting with the world around them. There’s a sly humor to them if caught at the right moment – they are guilty of playing small tricks just to get a laugh out of a group of children more than once. They are also sharply intolerant of those who would do harm to others out of fear and misunderstanding, leaving them usually opposition with others in their order. Underneath the hard exterior is someone very afraid of being vulnerable – something they spend a lot of time trying to hide.

Protective of their origins, Poppy doesn’t talk much about who they are and where they’re from, not even to those they consider close friends. Although Alaric seems to hold many of their secrets, even he will say he knows almost nothing. They do frequently allude to being from somewhere “far away” and come from a “rather large” family – brothers and sisters of all sorts are mentioned in passing. At some stage they received both magic and combat training: their skill with barriers and forcefields is unmatched and the enchanted blade hanging at their side is not just for show. They are an alchemist on the side, mostly using the skill to brew potions and poultices for their frequently injured Hunter.

As they arrived in Lunaris several months before everything truly went to shit, they were able to catch a glimpse of Finn and Ezra together in their prime. Though instantly intrigued by both of them, Poppy was content to have their relationship stand at “enthusiastic flirting” and nothing more. After Finn’s attempt at distancing and the escalation of Lunaris’ problems, Poppy was unexpectedly caught up in their reunion – quite literally walking in on them shortly after they reconciled. Though it was uncharted territory for them they will grudgingly admit it all worked out in the end, and that they are happier for it.

 Alaric and Poppy

Having originally met on a special assignment in Aclea, the two of them complimented each other perfectly as both fighters and scholars. As both of them specialized in locating, identifying, and containing magical phenomena they were quickly organized into a specialist unit. Though this meant they were forced to travel in excess, it gave them both the opportunity they wanted to forge their own roles within their respective organizations.

Being sent to investigate the sudden spike in supernatural events across Eskria, and in Lunaris in particular, this assignment is their first “long-term” arrangement somewhere. It has provided Alaric the opportunity to train and fight beside one of his personal heroes, and has given Poppy the space to experiment with new recipes and spells. Though certainly one of their more challenging assignments, it is proving to be one of the most rewarding as well.

[roseonhissleeve]

yellow // chapter three

"You drive like a madwoman!"

Niall's voice rang through the car fearfully--the other three boys were able to cling to each other in the backseat for safety, but poor Niall was stuck riding shotgun as Ollie weaved in between lanes and honked the horn loudly and passionately.

"It's L.A., Niall. Everyone drives like a madwoman." Ollie replied, unfazed, drumming the beat of Mariana's Trench's Masterpiece Theatre (Part Two) on the steering wheel.

They had managed to all pile into her small car, moving her pillows and clothes to the trunk where it rightfully belonged, but in between cities she could never really be bothered to clean up. She usually didn't have company, and besides, who wants to sort through the trunk for a pair of overalls when you could just reach in the backseat?

"So why did you decide to start up the band again?" Ollie asked as she merged off of the freeway, flicking her headlights on now that the sun was starting to set.

"We all felt it was time." Harry replied from the backseat, looking out the window at the area of California that he's never been to before. "We explored who we were without each other, and finally felt like it was time to come home."

"I was in the middle of planning another tour," Niall admitted, smiling, "but I figured that a reunion tour will be so much more fun than another solo tour."

"He can't live without us." Louis chimed in from the backseat, making eye contact with Ollie through the rearview mirror.

"Who can?" Ollie grinned, smiling back as she turned onto a road that was all too familiar to her. She pulls into a parking lot behind a bar, turning the engine off and opening her door.

"Are we allowed to park back here?" Liam asked.

"Trust me," Ollie reassured, arms on her hips as the boys clambered out of her car, "and follow me."

She turned around and walked around the building, towards the front entrance of the establishment.

"She says that a lot, doesn't she?" Said Niall, following her with the rest of the boys beside him.

"Now this is my favourite bar, but don't worry, everybody in here is middle-aged and hispanic," she turned briefly to look at them all in the eyes before spinning on her heels again and opening the front door, "they don't care about you guys."

"Ollie!" They heard the voices calling from inside the establishment the second they walked in, and watched as Ollie stopped to smile and quickly greet basically everybody in the space. They could smell the rum in the air. The speakers were playing music in a language that none of the boys knew, but a rhythm and melody that they immediately fell in love with. They followed Ollie as she walked them through the room, and while they did a few people looked in their direction, but all of them simply smiled and got on with their own conversations.

"Here we go," Ollie said as she took a seat at a table that was close to the stage, "my mom worked evenings here. I would come straight here from school every day and do my homework on this table, and only when I was done would my mom let me hang out with the musicians and have them teach me how to play. She was a huge stickler for education, being a teacher and all."

"Your mom was a teacher and she worked here?" Niall asked.

"Yep," Ollie replied, "She would come here straight after work, work until close, take me home, and wake up the next morning and do it all over again. I slept in a cot backstage a lot of the time."

"Wow." Harry said, baffled.

"It's no bakery." Ollie smiled at Harry as the waitress came over to where they sat--it was a woman who was clearly about the same age as Ollie was, whose eyes lit up when she saw who was sitting at the booth.

"Olivia!" She shrieked, causing Ollie to jump up in her seat.

"Victoria!" Ollie yelled, giggling as she slid down underneath the table and squished through all the legs dangling onto the ground before popping out on the other side and embracing her.

"I haven't seen you in so long, where have you been, loca?" Victoria shouted, giggling as they swayed to and fro in each other's arms.

"Here and there, playing music," Ollie explained, beaming, "a round of shots for the table, please--the boys are paying. Oh, and a round of empanadas as well."

"Right away." Victoria grinned before walking towards the bar, and Ollie hopped back into the booth, sitting on the outside this time and effectively squishing Liam and Harry in the middle.

"We grew up together." Ollie explained, swinging her legs ever so slightly.

"Why did you bring us here, Ollie?" Harry asked curiously, a light smile on his features.

"To have fun!" Ollie grinned, propping her chin up on her arm that was bent at the elbow. "And to remind you what it's like to hear music just for the sake of it. Not for an album, not for the money, just to share the sound. People that play here don't play to get famous or to make money--it's just what makes them happy at the end of a work day."

As if on cue, the first act went up onstage--a handful of older men settled into their equipment and started playing a latin song, and the voice that filled the air was nothing like what the boys were used to hearing.

"Do you boys know how to salsa dance?" Ollie asked as Victoria set down the shots on the table.

"Ooo, it's so much fun!" Victoria chimed in, grinning at the boys. "And Ollie is the best teacher, taught me everything that I know."

"I've never tried," Niall admitted, reaching for his shot immediately.

"Let's do it!" Ollie grinned, downing her shot in one go before hopping up off of the bar and swaying her hips towards the space in front of the stage that functioned as the dance floor.

"Okay, watch me." Ollie explained, and started moving her feet to the music. The boys mimicked, and even though they could feel the pairs of eyes watching them from around the room, Ollie's laugh made it all feel comfortable. Soon enough they were trying partner work, each of them taking turns going with Ollie and rotating through partnering with each other in between, and soon enough, they were pros.

"Look at you!" Ollie giggled as she was spun around by Liam, who had almost fallen over about five times. "A prodigy!"

Soon enough the band's set was over, and a round of beers had been delivered to their table.

"Be right back, my boys." Ollie declared once they had walked back to their booth, making her way backstage and disappearing. Moments later, she walked onstage, guitar slung around her chest and hair pulled up into a messy bun. The bar was busy now, and the people in it clapped loudly--it didn't take long for the boys to realize that she must have been some sort of legend there.

They watched as Ollie started strumming, but she sang an unfamiliar song.

Yo, yo no me doy por vencida...

Although they couldn't understand a single word she was saying, the boys still cheered and hollered every time she finished a song and still were completely enthralled with her performances. They were halfway into their second round of beers when she walked back offstage after her half-hour set, where they were grinning and applauding her all over again.

"Brilliant!"

"Stunning!"

"Gorgeous!"

"Thank you." Ollie giggled as she sat back down at the end of the booth, talking a swig of her soda and reaching to grab one of the nachos off of the empanadas that had arrived during her performance. "Are you guys having fun?"

"Of course," Liam grinned, "most fun we've had in a long while."

"Definitely." Niall agreed.

"So remember this feeling." Ollie said, smiling as she held her empanada in her hand, waving it around in the air as she spoke. "This is the feeling that you're supposed to be chasing. This right now. You've got enough money to live more than comfortably for the rest of your lives. You're spoiled shitless, boys. Just make the music that you'll have fun with."

They spent the rest of their night dancing and spinning and drinking (except for Ollie), and didn't leave until last call. At two a.m. they all piled into Ollie's car where the boys were giggling and swaying to the music she played while she focused on the road, laughing at one of their jokes every once in a while. Soon enough, they were back at the recording studio, idling in front of the doors.

"Ollie?" Harry chimed from the backseat.

"Yes, curly?" She replied, turning to look at him.

"Can we ask you a question?"

"Yes, curly."

"Do you live in your car?" He asked, eyes serious even though there was a drunken haze about him.

"I do," she admitted, eyes lighthearted. The boys all turned serious suddenly, and they all looked at one another as if having their own silent conversation. "It's really okay, guys."

"We want you to come work with us," Liam spoke on behalf of them all, grinning beside her in the passenger seat, "as a songwriter. We all think that you're exactly what we need, Ollie."

She glanced at all of their faces, a small smile threatening to appear on her lips. They were all smiling right back at her, nodding their heads enthusiastically and chiming in with their own words of approval and pleads.

"Okay." She conceded, beaming as she rolled her eyes.

The boys all cheered and high fived each other and clumsily pressed kisses to her cheeks and held her hand, and she felt embraced in a way that she hadn't been in so long.

"You know, that means you've to move in with us." Harry grinned.

"What?"

"Yeah, we're all living together while we bang out this album." Liam chimed in.

"No." Ollie said, shaking her head as her face dropped. "I don't take charity, I'm not going to work for you just because you think that me living in my car is--"

"Ollie." Liam said softly, his gaze earnest. "We want to work with you because you're talented. And don't put up with our shit."

"Yeah, Ollie." Niall repeated, smile on his face. "Get over yourself."

Ollie started all of them down one by one, and they all held their own. She couldn't see a trace of pity in any of their gazes. She sighed, but secretly she was excited.

"Alright," she said, putting her car back into drive, "where do you fuckers live? You're all too wasted to drive yourselves."

They all cheered once more, and the three boys in the back started singing songs over one another while Liam paid enough attention to give Ollie directions to where they were living.

It was three in the morning when Ollie drove up to the driveway of their gated house. It was a good size, as she was expecting--the outside was a clean white colour with lots of large bay windows, all of them curtained for privacy. She waited as Liam unlocked the gate from his phone, and when he did she drove through the open gate and parked the car in front of the garage--her yellow punch buggy had never looked so out of place.

"We're here, lads." Liam said as he reached behind him to smack somebody in the behind, causing someone to groan awake. He stepped out of his car and opened the door for his bandmates, all of them releasing a series of groans and yawns as they stepped out of the car. Ollie remained still, staring at the house in front of her.

"C'mon, Ollie." Harry said in his half-sleep, opening the door for her and extending his hand. She stared at it for a few moments and finally took it, taking the key out of the ignition and holding Harry's hand in hers as they all walked up to the front door where Niall punched in a code into the padlock. Once the doors unlocked they all stepped inside, and once they were all past the doorway Harry released her hand.

The lights came on slowly and remained dim, but she could make out enough of the space to be thoroughly impressed. The walls were bare, and the inside of the house was all white, except for the wall of guitars that she could see in the living room.

The boys muttered goodnights as they made their way up the stairs, leaving Harry behind with Ollie.

"C'mon," Harry said, walking towards the stairs, "You can sleep in my room, I'll crash with Niall."

"Thanks."

Ollie followed Harry up the stairs and into the very large bedroom--unlike the rest of the house, the walls were covered in posters of old classic rock bands, and framed pictures of Harry's family. There were candles just about everywhere, which made her smile a little, and the large bed in the centre of the room was made up and already tidied.

"I'm just going to grab a pair of pajamas." Harry said before walking into the closet (which she could only imagine was absolutely huge). She walked over to the bed and sat down at the edge of it.

"Here, you can borrow this if you want," Harry said before handing her a plain grey t shirt and a pair of boxers, "I noticed you didn't bring anything. Didn't want you to have to walk all the way back to your car."

"Thank you, Harry."

"Of course. Make yourself at home, the kitchen's downstairs--it's well-stocked and you're welcome to have any of it that you'd like.  Help yourself to anything, really." He finished with a smile. "You good?"

"I'm good," she smiled, nodding her head, "You good?"

"I'm good," he grinned, holding his own pajamas in his hand, "G'night, Ollie."

"Goodnight, Harry."

Harry turned around and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. She heard his feet patter down the hallway and open another door, where Niall was already asleep. She quickly slipped into Harry's comfies and laid down in the bed, which was the comfiest she'd been in in a very long time.

And quickly, out of sheer exhaustion, she fell asleep.

***

When she woke up the next morning, the sun was shining through the crack in between the curtains and right onto her nose. She crinkled it instinctively and opened her eyes slowly, feeling groggy and disoriented. Where was she?

It took her a second to remember the previous day's events. She lied in bed for a long time, thinking and contemplating. She knew that somewhere in the house there were four boys who she'd just met the day previous but known of for years, four boys that could probably buy their own goddamn country. And there she was, lying in one of their beds.

She sat up and changed out of Harry's clothes into the t-shirt and jeans that she had been wearing the previous night, folding up Harry's clothes and leaving it on his bed that she had already made up. She padded out of his room and shut the door behind her, walking down the stairs in her bare feet.

"Louis, you bugger, get out of my way--"

"Fuck off, Harry!"

She could hear the boys bickering playfully in the kitchen and egging each other on, and a part of her was pleased that it was playful bickering rather than the very real tension that she had experienced in the studio a mere twenty four hours before.

She walked down the hallway and grabbed her keys from the side table, quietly opened the front door, slightly afraid that some sort of alarm would go off but nothing happened. She walked down the steps, her bare feet burning and tingling on the sunny cement of the driveway.

She unlocked her car and popped the trunk, reaching in for a fresh outfit--a bright yellow sundress. She also reached to grab her toothbrush and her tube of toothpaste from her bag of toiletries, then shut the trunk and locked the car even though it was near impossible that anyone would get this close to the house without the boys knowing about it.

Ollie walked back up the front steps and into the house, shutting the door quietly behind her. Now to find a bathroom. The house was a maze, and it took her forever to locate one, but once she did she brushed her teeth. She debated whether or not to leave the items there--how long would she be staying? She finally decided on bringing them with her, and she set it beside her car keys before finally walking into the kitchen where the boys were waiting.

"Hullo!"

Good afternoon!"

"Afternoon?" She said, scrunching up her nose. "What time is it?"

"Just past noon." Liam said with a smile from where he stood at the stovetop, flipping a pancake. "We wanted to make you breakfast."

"For some reason the lot of you didn't really strike me as chefs." Ollie said teasingly, grabbing a seat at the counter as she let her hair down only to redo her messy bun on the top of her head.

"Some of us are." Harry said, delivering a pointed look at Louis, who quickly delivered the middle finger back to him from where he was eating a stack of waffles drowned in chocolate sauce at the counter. Ollie laughed.

"Waffles or pancakes?" Liam asked.

"Both." Ollie grinned, and Liam swiftly delivered a plate of both waffles and pancakes to her.

"Did you sleep okay?" Niall asked, grabbing a seat next to her with his own plate. Liam offered her a glass of milk, to which she said yes.

"I slept like a rock." She said, looking around at all of them. "Thank you guys."

"Of course." Louis grinned, chocolate smeared around his lips that made Ollie laugh once more.

They all ate breakfast together and joked around--Ollie learned about all of their families and best friends, and their favourite places to go on tour together versus their favourite places to go solo. They were, weirdly, different. She asked them about their favourite songs on each of their albums, both as a band and solo, already thinking of her new job in the back of her mind and making plans.

"We should get your cell number, by the way." Liam said.

"Oh, I don't have one." She said. "I mean, I do have one, but I use a prepaid cell service and I haven't been able to load it up lately." She said it, and she wasn't ashamed. Not having a load of money to spend was something that she had been used to growing up, although it was only in the past couple of years that she'd really been going hungry and living in her car. It wasn't shameful--it was simply her reality, one that she was making do with and trying to work around.

"Well, today we'll send you an advance and we can get that sorted." Liam replied.

"An advance?"

"Of course." He nodded, on the countertop across from where she was sitting. "We'll give you an advance for helping us work on the album, and then after it's released you get a portion of all the copies sold."

Her eyes widened.

"S'not charity." Liam reassured, shaking his head. "You're helping, and being compensated for your work."

"I know." She said. "It's just weird. This is weird. Nobody should have this much money."

"What do you mean?"

"Nobody should be this rich." She said again, shaking her head. "Believe me...”

The four boys gaped at her for a few moments, and she swallowed the lump in her throat before hopping off of the stool. "I have to go do something. I'll be back."

She grabbed her keys and toothbrush as she walked out the front door, and the boys in the kitchen debated whether or not they should go after her. 

Liam eventually said to let her be, and in the meantime she had already gotten in her car and left.

if you enjoyed this chapter, please consider leaving me a dollar or two! x https://ko-fi.com/C0C0VKJI

if you would like to consider supporting my work long-term, please check out my patreon! x https://www.patreon.com/roseonhissleeve

[theonceoverthinker]

Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way (Tiana/Naveen)

Summary: As Tiana and Naveen work the catering job of a lifetime -- for any place other than Storybrooke, that is -- they reflect on how much they appreciate each other. And maybe, a spark or two flies for their long overdue romance in the process.

AO3    Fanfiction.net

Dynamics Featured: Tiana/Naveen, Captain Swan (Mentioned, but don’t appear), OG Killian and Tiana, OG Killian and Naveen

So, for my 300 follower spectacular, the lovely @daeneryssansa requested either a Tiana/Naveen fic or a CS surprise party fic. Of course, being me, I decided not to just settle for doing one of those suggestions like a normal person, but to do both of them at the same time because I’m freakin’ insane!! Sound fun? I think so, but I’m a bit of a madwoman, so who am I to say for sure? Either way, as always, I hope you enjoy!

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

If there was one thing the former Prince Naveen of Maldonia could never see himself tiring of, it was the smell of hot food as it wafted through the air. Ever since he was a child, he found the smell of a baking oven or cooking vegetables to be a source of coziness that was all but unrivaled. Sneaking biscuits with his brother was one of his favorite pastimes and big banquets in their castle allowed for reunions with friends and family alike.

Yes, the enjoyment of food was something Naveen dearly loved.

And relatively recently, he found that the making of that food was something he quite enjoyed as well, especially with good company.

Speaking of...

“I love these Hooks,” Tiana said, stretching her arms above her head after placing a tin tray full of beignets inside the oven. “Between the one whose entire family makes it their goal to bring their co-workers by the Bayou and the one who now gets his catering from us, we never have to worry about hiring a marketing department.”

“You’re definitely not wrong about that. They are quite the patrons,” Naveen said. He looked to Tiana’s side and was amazed at the 25 trays they had filled up with all manner of Cajun delicacies and desserts, a testament to how much work they’d completed thus far. “You’d think we were in charge of feeding the whole town with the storm we’re cooking up here.”

“It’s Storybrooke,” Tiana remarked. “You know we basically are.”

“Does everyone around here always go to everything?”

“According to Killian, yes.”

Naveen sighed, exhausted at just that prospect. “My God. I feel like we’ve been cooking for a year.”

Tiana snickered, and Naveen was happy to hear that at least one of them still had spunk to spare.

“It’s been nine hours,” Tiana specified. Naveen groaned. They’d pulled an all nighter to prepare this catering job, and time was showing itself as to just how much of a toll that it now could take on his body, especially since Ella had to drop out at the last minute to care for a sick Henry and Lucy. What were the odds?

“Besides,” she continued, “we’re more than halfway done and well ahead of schedule, so that’s good! If we keep on working, we’ll be done by this afternoon and be right on time for Killian’s surprise party.”

How Tiana not only managed to be so chipper, but so organized so early in the morning was what Naveen found to be one of her best qualities.

That said, for someone far more lax, such as himself, it set a standard that he had no shame admitting he couldn’t meet so easily. “You know, Tiana,” he stated, “there such a thing as too much hard work.”

“Says who?” Tiana shot back.

“Says the bags under our eyes.”

Tiana chuckled at the half-nag. “Fair enough,” she relented. “Let’s take five.”

Naveen sat down on the kitchen table in Tiana’s apartment and wiped a row of beads of sweat from his forehead. While normally, they’d be doing most of their work at The Rolling Bayou, the volume of their current order required much more cooking space than their truck could provide.

It was an admittedly welcome change of pace from the stuffier confines of The Rolling Bayou for Naveen. It’s not like he didn’t like the truck -- he certainly did, but it was so nice to have some real space to work in and be able to sit down every once in a while on a real chair and not just some metal steps, especially given the scope of their current project.

For a moment, he mused on that project.

“He’s crazy about her,” Naveen remarked, looking at the literal mountain of beignets they’d prepared thus far. “Not only does he want to throw Emma a surprise party, but he’s inviting the entire town.”

“Some people will do a lot for love,” Tiana cosigned.

“Would you ever like a party like that thrown for you?”

Tiana shrugged. “I don’t know. I grew up a princess in a castle. I had plenty of parties thrown for me. I think my ideal birthday would be a night in, doing a bit of cooking.”

“Like we are now?” Naveen pointed out. While Tiana didn’t answer his question, she didn’t frown at him either as she playfully rolled her eyes. He decided not to push it and moved on. “I’ve also got to admit that guy’s money. If being a deputy makes you enough to throw a party like this without batting an eye, then I might need to give you my two weeks notice.”

Tiana smirked, clearly taking that possibility with a Rolling Bayou-sized grain of salt. “To be fair,” she said, “he did pay in dubloons, so I don’t know if he’s making all that much as a deputy. So, I guess you’re stuck here for now.”

Naveen returned the gesture and added in an eyebrow wiggle that had Tiana blushing. “Hardly a bad place to be.” They stared into each other’s eyes a bit. There was so much light and life in Tiana’s eyes, even so early in the morning. He could never summarize them as hard or soft, but at the same time, they were so expressive. And that’s what made them such a fun challenge to follow around. Tiana wasn’t so much a mystery as much as someone who even if he had an idea of what she was going to do or say, he wanted to see it play out all the same.

The last six months had largely given him that. Now free of Dr. Facilier’s control, he and Tiana were free to get to know each other. And that they did. To say their livelihoods merged would be an understatement. Not only did they still work together, but Naveen, still not admittedly ready for leadership, merged his kingdom with Tiana’s, much to the warm reception of his parents. It turned out that the three of them had gotten close and protected each others kingdoms in the wake of his absence, and Naveen couldn’t be happier about that, especially when it was clear that their hopes for the two of them were more than just a political merger.

Naveen couldn’t blame them -- he had honestly hoped for it too, and he had a feeling Tiana might as well. But he knew regaining her throne and then adapting to life in the merged realms and adjusting herself to her role in the Council of Realms was a lot to deal with, so he held off on voicing those feelings since the curse broke. If he knew anything about his lovely friend for sure -- and he did -- it was that she didn’t like to be overwhelmed. And it was fine with him -- more than fine. They worked together most every day and throughout that time, they’d only gotten to know each other better.

Which is why it wasn’t too much of a surprise when he saw Tiana -- while still on the break she herself proclaimed -- reaching for a bag of flour and a carton of eggs she’d no doubt use for her next batch of beignets.

“Lady Tiana!” he said with mock scandalization. “Are you breaking your own decree for a break?”

Tiana looked at him, pointed, but clearly not too annoyed. If anything, she looked a bit embarrassed.

Clearly defensive in the wake of getting caught, she held up a finger and attempted to dismiss him. “There’s nothing wrong with doing a little bit of prepping.”

Naveen shot her his own pointed look, albeit more tired and amused than anything.

“Tiana,” he said, getting up. “You are going to work yourself to an early grave.” His tone wasn’t so much overly concerned as it was tongue-and-cheek nagging. When he reached her, he got behind her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. “We’ll get this done on time,” he assured her, allowing himself to be serious. “It’s like you said, we’re way ahead of schedule. A little break never hurt anyone.”

Sighing, Tiana loosened up. Naveen could feel the tension leave her shoulders.

“I know you’re right,” Tiana said, turning to face him. “It’s just...you know me. You know I’m-”

“Demanding?” he inquired cheekily. Tiana’s eyes bulged. “Pedantic?” Then her jaw slackened. “An overachiever?” Then she looked like she was going to retort, but he beat her to it. “A stickler?” Obviously realizing his pattern, Tiana shot him an exasperated look.  “Have a tendency to nitpick?” he offered, barely holding back his own laughter as he shrugged.

Tiana seemed to be reaching for a rebuttal, but seemed just as unable to know where to start.

And once again, Naveen beat her to one.

“But hey,” he said, his hand reaching for her shoulder once more as she stood there still dumbstruck. “That’s why I love you.” And then he winked.

That seemed to snap Tiana out of her trance and with a wicked grin, she paid Naveen’s words in kind with a playful, yet still hard, slap to his chest.

“Ow!” Naveen howled in semi-fake pain. “Well, we’ll at least be done especially fast if you beat those eggs like you just beat my chest.”

“You got that right,” she teased. “And by the way, I was gonna say ‘a perfectionist.’ Now come on, let’s get back to cooking.” Despite the fact that they barely spent any of their break actually relaxing, Naveen smiled as he followed her lead without question.

Yes, Tiana was indeed a perfectionist.

And Naveen knew he wouldn’t have it any other way.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

“So where is this party supposed to happen again?” Naveen said as he loaded some more powdered sugar into his shaker.

Tiana couldn’t help her smile as she gazed at the disaster before her. Not a pinch of sugar had made its way into the shaker yet, and you wouldn’t know that Naveen was even aiming for it by looking at his clothes. His shirt was positively caked in the stuff -- no pun intended...okay, maybe a little intended.

Naveen, either oblivious to his appearance or in spite of it -- both were equally likely knowing him -- gave her a seductive glance. “You like what you see?”

“Well,” Tiana pondered, still grinning. “You are pretty sweet looking, but that sugar’s not cheap, so don’t candy coat yourself just yet. Do you need some help over there?”

While Naveen looked like he was about to dismiss her held, suddenly, the bag in his hand missed the shaker once more and what Tiana approximated was at least another two cups fell all over him. When he stepped back from his workstation, his clothes looked as white as a Stormtrooper’s uniform.

“Yes, please,” Naveen answered, deadpan in his delivery. She could tell that while he asked guiltily, it wasn’t shamefully, and Tiana appreciated that about him. He knew she was the boss and while he wanted to get better, he also knew better than to deny himself her help when he was outmatched in favor of something as relatively useless as pride.

And that was something that she really liked about Naveen. Naveen was cocky, but never too prideful. He’d talk a big game but just as easily know when to fold for the sake of others. To do that required a unique kind of heart, one Tiana was happy to have in her life. It made the days less boring, but let her feel safe too -- again, a combination that was hard to pull off, but Naveen balanced flawlessly.

“Okay, let me show you how to do this so that my floors and your wardrobe can be spared any further drama.” She took the shaker off of the counter. “This shaker is only for the powdered sugar -- I even labeled it -- so you can just scoop it directly from the bag.” To prove it, she did just that before emptying it once more. “Wanna give it a try now?” It was a simple process, and one he probably should’ve been able to figure out himself, but given that they’d been working for about eleven hours, she could hardly blame the exhaustion from getting to him a bit.

Naveen smiled. “After such a good lesson, how could I not?” And then he did it without a single issue. Honestly, she had no idea how Naveen’s cursed counterpart could have flunked out of culinary school. Naveen took to lessons, even her more intricate ones, like a duck to water and internalized everything he was taught.

Or maybe, it was just a matter of how he was taught. Tiana’s cursed memories of culinary school did paint their professors as...lacking. Despite their prestige, their teaching styles were more in making students read as opposed to doing any direct kitchen work more of the time, and Naveen was someone who learned best by example. Even Tiana only remembered Sabine getting by because she took great care to do supplementary research, practice recipes and concepts regularly, and attend cooking seminars.

But over the past six months, every time Tiana walked through some new recipe or mistake he made step-by-step with Naveen, he grasped it immediately and never needed to be told it again. And that allowed him to make better cooking decisions and even help Tiana out with some ideas of her own every now and then.

Who could’ve guessed that he’d end up being so talented in a kitchen?

Naveen really did have an interesting brain -- one Tiana liked being around and learning about more and more with each passing day.

“Tiana, you didn’t answer my question from earlier -- where is Killian holding Emma’s surprise party?”

Now Tiana remembered.

“Oh yeah. He’s holding it on his ship -- the Jolly Roger.”

“That sounds like quite the party! A big party boat, some Cajun cooking -- sounds like Mardis Gras!”

“It really does. But don’t let Killian hear you call his ship a boat -- his counterpart doesn’t like that and I’m willing to bet that he likes it even less.”

Naveen raised his hands in mock surrender. “Fair enough. Getting arrested by one of them was more than enough of their bad sides for me. Still, it makes you think.”

Tiana raised an eyebrow, confused. “Really? I thought you guys were friends now.”

“Not about Killian -- about Mardis Gras. Don’t you remember how we -- Drew and Sabine -- used to talk about where they wanted to travel? Didn’t we say New Orleans was on that list and that we’d go around Mardis Gras?”

The feeling of recollection hit Tiana fast. “Yeah!” she said. “We said we’d get all dressed up for the parade, buy some masks from one of the local markets, and go on a food tour!” Tiana instinctually moaned at the idea of having some of the most authentic Cajun food in the world.

She might never want to leave.

“You know,” Drew said. “We can go wherever we want now. Once things calm down a bit more -- maybe we could take a vacation there.”

Tiana grinned. It definitely would be an amazing experience, and one of the good things about the merging of the realms was that there were plenty of rulers to have her back if she wanted to take Naveen up on his offer -- including her mom and his parents.

Maybe...it would certainly take a while before it could happen, but maybe in a year or two...they could actually go…

“I’d like that,” she said, content in the bit of finality that she gave her words. From less than five feet away, Naveen smiled at her. She could sense some surprise in his eyes. “What?” she asked, a mix of confusion and amusement that bordered far more on the latter clear in her voice.

Naveen put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m just surprised you agreed so easily.”

“You make me sound like a total buzzkill!”

“To be fair, before we met, you kind of came off as one.” Once again, Tiana retaliated with a smack to his stomach. But to his credit, he did have a point. Since that first chance encounter with Naveen, Tiana knew she’d mellowed out a lot. She’d grown more trusting and more willing to give herself a break from time to time. And while part of her wanted to claim that it wasn’t so true, as she thought on her life, she knew it was a change for the better. Relaxing a bit more had made her a better ruler and helped her to be both more realistic and more cautiously ambitious with her goals, especially since she put more faith in others now to help her achieve her goals.

“Careful, Lady Tiana!” Naveen said, his goofy smile so much wider now. “I can hardly go on that food tour with you if I’m internally bleeding from my stomach.”

Absentmindedly, Tiana shook her head before gesturing the two of them to get back to work. “No, I guess I’ll keep you in in shape for a while.”

And Tiana knew she wouldn’t have it any other way.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Naveen, whenever possible, cooked to music.

Music had its advantages. It attracted business, it made the work day feel shorter, and it allowed him to dance.

So when an upbeat party song came on, especially after the string of more lowkey numbers that made up most of their thirteen hours of work, Naveen wasted not time getting into his groove.

As he started to dance, Naveen rhythmically stepped back from his own workstation and towards Tiana’s, albeit with work being the very last thing on his mind.

“Dance with me, Tiana!”

He could already see Tiana’s hips swaying as he moved to hold her hand.

Tiana laughed and gravitated towards Naveen as he gently pulled her towards him.

“Well, I do love this song.” She winked. “And I guess my partner can probably keep up with me.”

“Oh I’ll do better than that!”

With that, Naveen spun her. He watched Tiana’s feet navigate their way through the spin. She was mostly on her toes and at one point, she even popped her foot. It reminded him a bit of a ballet dancer and made her moves all the more interesting to view.

“You are quite the dancer, Lady Tiana.”

Tiana giggled at the mention of Naveen’s nickname. It was a change that had happened quite gradually, but one Naven was happy to see. While Tiana initially snarked at her title being used as her nickname, she seemed fine accepting it as a running joke between them. But now, he could tell that when he said it, she liked it quite a lot.

Yes, Naveen took pleasure in his innate ability to endear himself -- and his nicknames -- to anyone with enough time.

When the spin was complete, she came back to him, their chests nearly touching while they held each other in their arms. “And you’re a pretty good partner, Lord Naveen.”

“Looks like someone’s got jokes. Nice nickname, my little rip off artist,” he commented, smirking.

“You know what they say: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Tiana winked as the song came to an end.

Naveen snorted. “Well, consider me flattered.”

Suddenly, a nice easy listening number started up. A piano track began to play out, accompanying a smooth ballad sung by a talented woman.

Naveen drifted a bit closer to Tiana and smiled. “What do you say? One more dance?”

Tiana smiled right back. “You got it.”

And so, arms cradling each other, the two of them started to gently sway to the music. Naveen stared at Tiana. All around her was evidence of their crazy amounts of work. Bits of batter clung to her apron and sleeves and bits of powdered sugar from their earlier debacle were splattered across her hair.

In Naveen’s opinion, she had never looked more beautiful.

More than anything, he wanted her to know that.

Taking a deep breath, Naveen dared to lower his face so that it was a bit closer to Tiana’s. If Tiana had any objections, she didn’t give them voice.

In fact, she brought her face a bit closer to his.

Naveen questioned what he should do. This was one hell of a moment to make a move, but he felt he was ready, and maybe, she was too.

Well, there was only one way to find out.

With a gust of caution thrown into the wind, Naveen moved that last bit closer and kissed Tiana.

There was an immediate surge of relief as Naveen felt the impression of Tiana’s lips pressing against his.

She was really kissing him back, and he could feel her lips tugging in the direction of a smile.

With breath as baited as the circumstances would allow, he dared to sift his hand through her hair and bring her closer to him. For his efforts, he was quickly rewarded with a similar action done to him.

They didn’t kiss for too long before they pulled back for air, but they were both smiling when they emerged from the embrace.

Naveen laughed. “Well, it’s nice to have that settled.”

“I was wondering when you were gonna do that.”

“I’ve got to keep my favorite Lady guessing, don’t I?”

Laughing her own intoxicating laugh, Tiana brought Naveen in for another kiss, and that and the series of kissed that followed lasted through this song and the next and the next.

And Naveen felt comfortable saying that neither of them particularly minded.

After all, they were ahead of schedule, right?

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Tiana chuckled as Killian looked at the fully stocked trunk of The Rolling Bayou. It always amused her just how much less familiar this Killian was with the culinary scene compared to the Killian she bonded with back in the Heights. He was so fascinated by the working of her food truck and took generously large breaths as he inhaled the smells of her food.

“So what do you think?” Naveen said, emerging from the driver’s seat of the truck. “Do you think Emma will like it?”

Killian beamed as his vision went up and down the truck’s stuffed trunk for what was likely the fourth time since they met up. “She’s going to love it! I can’t thank you enough, though I hope your payment and this extra tip is at least a start.”

Tiana eyed the new bag of dubloons perched in her hand, stifling her salivation at the bag’s weight. What did she and Naveen say about those Hooks again? “Our payment is perfect. You’re more than welcome, Killian,” Tiana said as the two of them eagerly shook hands.

“I hope this didn’t do too much to hinder your sleep schedules.”

“Oh, it did,” Naveen interjected. “Sixteen hours of work will do that to you.” As if on cue, both Tiana and Naveen yawned. “But,” he continued, looping an arm around Tiana, “it was well worth the trouble.”

“I see more than just my own romance is in the air,” Killian commented, smiling at the two of them while Tiana took Naveen’s looped around hand into her own. “Glad to see you two finally got together, though I do wish it was under less sleep deprived circumstances.”

“Don’t worry about it Killian,” Tiana waved off, looking up and smiling at Naveen. His expression informed what Tiana already had a strong feeling was true. “I promise you that we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

[squigglysquidd]

4 for Cassia and Ellie for character traits? Also, I really love your writing :)

Aww.  I love you, anon.  You have my heart for such a wonderful compliment.  Ahem... Let me clean up this happy water someone poured on my face so I can answer your ask.

4.  What are their favorite traits about their lover? (one psychological and one physical)

Alright, let’s go alphabetically and start with our lovely princess, Cassia:

Without giving his name, I can say that she admires his unfaltering will to do everything in his power to get what he sents out for.  One example that isn’t too spoilery is the fact that Damocles doesn’t approve of him -even though Jane and Garrus have given the a-okay- and often tries to intimidate the lover into ending his affections.  Of course, our secret lover doesn’t, stands tall in the face of the monster of a turian hybrid, because he knows that, if he just gave up, it’d hurt Cassia.  He would be able to muscle through the pain, but he doesn’t want to see her upset because of her brother’s distrust.  He sees that enough.

Another quality she adores is his intelligence and - later in the storyline - how he doesn’t hoard it over others or lives in that state of believing he knows all knowledge and, thus, ‘learning’ is below him.  To strangers, he seems that way, but Cassia has a hand in teaching him so much that books or training cannot teach.  He may act reluctant, but he never refuses the chance to learn from her.  His ability to accept that he does not have every answer despite his belief in knowing and being able to plan all options in a situation - one that he only learns at her side - is one she loves about him.  Stubborn as he is about it, he never got angry with her for trying to teach him how to open up and accept that not everything in life is predictable.  

I’m assuming physical are all going to be somewhat silly compared to the above, but you always manage to find someone attractive when in love, right?  Cassia’s relationship started with a very girlish crush.  Her first, true, ‘I wanna be his girlfriend’ one in her life.  For as outgoing as she is, she was unable to make a move and, instead, admired him, building up a long list of what she likes about his looks.

The first thing she likes?  His plate colors and rare, long lateral fringes.  He’s white, stark white, and it just seems so clean, so unmarred, to Cassia.  It’s refreshing to see a shade of white among the bright colors of Virmire and various peoples in the Wraiths.  As for his fringes, we can all guess that is pretty rare and, to most, unflattering.  Turians are nothing if not sticklers for uniformity and him having those longer fringes really sets him apart.  Not to mention the distaste for them after Saren.  For Cassia, they have an odd appeal to her and she often takes advantage of the extra spot of sensitivity at the junction of them and his face.  A second thing she likes about him is how lean his body is, how he can be slim-waisted and strong in one package.  After seeing everyone in her close family as thicker in muscle build, she sees her lover as a supermodel with a strength that doesn’t have to equate to size.

Ellie:

Ellie, above all, loves that Arcanus does not give his word to someone without the true intent to fulfill his claim.  Even if it takes time for him to accomplish this, he will never give a promise that he cannot keep.  It shows in both his work and life with her.  It played a lot into the way their relationship panned out after so long apart and the damage Ellie had done.  He made a promise, if even to himself, that something was to come of them and, even after so long, he maintained that care for her, making it impossible for him to shoot her on their reunion.

He also has a way of expressing his affection that she enjoys, even if it’s not really as everyone expects.  His different kinds of relationships will always have loyalty from him, from the one he shares with her to the ones he shares with the Vakarians.  For example, he didn’t need to go out of his way and order his men to search for and treat both Garrus and Jane while they were in a coma after the war, but he swore his loyalty to them in his own special way when he shared that drink with them before leaving the Normandy.

As for looks, Ellie can’t deny that he looks great in his usual robes.  He’s so elegant, so regal, in the very way he carries himself and she often just watches him.  Even the fact that he can go into battle and still maintain that air about him appeals to her more than it probably should.  

She also likes to take advantage of those rings of his he’s got.  While not physically part of him, it’s the reactions she can get out of him by playing with them that she has a particular liking for.  While he does look regal, the rings make him seem dangerous, while also giving her a control in their intimacy.  With how they press against sensitive nerves in his mandibles, just a little bit of play can turn him into a very relaxed, very carefree Arcanus.