#i know it's set in the book nook but this doesn't have to be for juliet JKDFL feel free to reply for anyone!

[dcrkcloud]

starter: your choice ( @rcdamancy ) location: national sticker day, the book nook

Admittedly, Georgia isn't much of a reader. She isn't much of a New Year's resolutions kind of person either, so her being in The Book Nook that afternoon isn't some fleeting hope of becoming a reader just because they've looped back around to January either. In reality, a good friend had told her all about the novel they'd been absorbed in all weekend and in a desperate attempt to have something to connect with them on, she'd vowed to try reading it. Plus, she can never say no to anything free, even if it's stickers she'll probably never use. "Excuse me." She smiles tightly, nudging past someone. "Hey, do you know where the thrillers are? Sorry, I don't know if you even work here."

[something-about-sunflowers]

ALRIGHT, *cracks knuckles* let's get into that teaser, shall we?

Should I itemize this? I think I'm going to itemize it lmao.

So:

Starting here because this is a baseline for Stede, he's got no neckerchief here. This is likely early in the season, probably the very start.

Man's got a fuckin' ARM.

This is Ed. You can see the bare right arm in both shots.

Red neckerchief. Ed's scrap of silk? Beat to shit if it is, which, he did toss it out to sea so, it would be.

Ed's not wearing the knee brace. Or gloves for that matter. I know the knee brace being an actual mobility aid is unconfirmed canon/fanon but it does make me :(c to see him without it. Either it wasn't actually considered as a mobility aid or he's lost it like he's lost his gloves OR he's going without it because he doesn't care if it hurts.

Closer shot of the neckerchief.

I just wanted to point out all the knives stabbed into the table. Also, those look like bits of paper on the windows, did they keep some of the books to repurpose for window blocking purposes?

THERE HE IS!!!!!!!! Other people have already pointed out the makeup and his ring still on his tie, along with the whip on his hip cjizzy real. He's got a new baldric but I also think his clothes look. Darker? Than in season 1? This is a darker/heavier contrast setting but it carries into other shots of him too I think? Like they're less sun/saltwater faded or something?

Other thing to note: If I have my orientation right, this is to the right of Stede's bed nook and to the left of the library, which means this shelf is the one with the auxiliary wardrobe opening mechanism. Which I bring up because:

This little guy seems to be in the place of the mannequin. Ed kept the auxiliary wardrobe and gothed up the mannequin to justify it still being there.

SO much here. This is, I'm fairly certain, Benjamin Hornigold. This camp he's set up (along with what he's wearing) looks like it was made out of a shipwreck. Ed's barefoot and missing his jacket and gloves, and his shirt's torn up at the sleeves. Definitely where he washed up from his dip in the ocean.

Note the trees and the lighting, that comes up later. Ed shoots here and Ben moves with the shot but it doesn't look like he was actually HIT by it to my eyes.

'Wanted. |Blackbeard| Villainous Pirate. Murderer, thrice over. $400 Reward for the criminal responsible for: theft - brigandry - larceny - arson - tax evasion ➡' Presumably there are more crimes/info on the back, though we see the reverse side in the next cut and it's either blank or all in very small text, I couldn't quite tell.

The poster to the right says 'Port' something which has me wondering Port Royal but that's just the only 'Port' something I know, could def be somewhere else.

(Also, just for fun:

Here's how much abouts Ed's capture would be worth now.)

Wider pic than it needs to be but I didn't wanna cut out Olu lol. ANYWAY. Neckerchief again. Also the back of the poster, see what I mean about it either being blank or very tiny?

Babygirl. . . But also that Bride Ed figure kinda slays. Little bralette with the midriff showing, I see you Babygirl. When will he be allowed to just rest and do silly little crafts WITHOUT heartbreak looming over him?

Well. Four is not nine. So. There's that. The other five could be used or out of frame though, of course.

OH. He's back to his fingerless gloves! They might actually be different from his original ones though, they look different at the wrist to me, not quite sure though.

The BOYS!!!! Frenchie looks like he's having a GREAT time. Considering he suggested they turn the hostage into a table and complained about the Republic of Pirates being a bit gentrified I'd say this is more in line with what he's used to in piracy. I 100% buy he was going along with Stede's way because he knew it was an easy ride compared to real piracy. This wouldn't necessarily be a return to form for him but definitely something he's more used to? And he gets to be kitty :3c

And FANG!!! Look at him showing a bit more skin!! Good for him!!

Everybody say 'Thank You David Jenkins'. Right now. Look at this Mad Max shit. Fuckin' Imperator Jimenez right there. LOVE that tye added the 'beard' after the 'fuck's wrong with your face?' bit in 1x10. Full 'it looked weird on you but I slay' energy.

Jim

Izzy

Fang

Near as I can tell at least. I can't make out if Frenchie is in the shot and I'm pretty positive Ed isn't cause he stayed by the cake when they charged in.

Man, yknow I know we were all kinda clowning on it a bit at the end of 1x10 but this look really is so JARRING. Like, in the dark it's menacing but in the light? It's unhinged and that reads as more dangerous imo.

Also just for comparison's sake the pre-Ed-ified version of the bride figure. He really did full on customize that thing lol.

I DON'T THINK ANNE KISSED STEDE HERE. It feels out of character of the show to pull the 'It's fine if a woman does it to a man' kind of thing with regard to unwanted kissing. This is the frame the scene starts on in the trailer. She's leaning back from him and isn't nearly close enough to his mouth to say for certain that's where she was coming from. My money is on her leaning in to whisper something into his ear, maybe under the guise of it being an advance/intended kiss, which would also explain the annoyed look when she's interrupted. She either got ACTUALLY interrupted or it's part of the act. Stede doesn't look nearly as uncomfortable as he would be if she'd kissed him or tried to, he looks confused.

Izzy going for his sword when this guy tries to get the drop on Stede. He either is starting to care or he knows how much Ed needs him alive.

Also, this is the other potential source of Stede's neckerchief. Mr, Knife right here has a red one and Stede doesn't have it in this scene. I do think this one is a little less distressed than the one Stede has though so it could just be coincidence.

See? No neckerchief. He DOES have a sword at his hip tho! So this, I think, is after Izzy's started training him.

Also, he actually looks really good in red lol.

Baby. He's definitely missing the ring in this shot. It sits higher than the baldric is covering. I want to give him a little kissie on his ouchie and then let him have a nap, he needs that.

The pants match the coat. Also, black shirt. Stede is kinda slaying ngl.

Still missing her head :(c. Isn't that bad luck?

Maybe yall didn't hear me properly with the Jim pic. I'll repeat:

EVERYBODY SAY 'THANK YOU DAVID JENKINS'.

I can't get over how Stede's just standing there politely with his arms behind his back lmfao.

Also, Izzy's got his right leg up, he's putting his weight on his left. . . 'foot'.

I SAID EVERYBODY SAY-

I know tits and all but also. The belly. I would like to. Bite.

*ahem*

ANYWAY. On the left (our left) side of the barrel you can see the tip of his right boot so he's def got that leg off the ground. Perhaps someone is trying to relearn their footwork? Now that they've got a different balance than they're used to? And perhaps a difference in sensory input in the leg he's standing on? Possibly?

This is the same beach Ed was on when he did the fuckin' RAD takedown of the other officer but it definitely looks like different times of day. Having both in the teaser is def meant to be a red herring. He doesn't have the neckerchief in this shot either.

Bra för honom. (Is how google translate tells me you say 'Good for him' in Swedish.)

Is Jackie's hair the same here as it is in the VF pic with Ed? Or like, similar enough to be a 'later in the day after some Fun™ messing it up a bit'?

Roach!!! Fully sleeveless now, added a belt, got some flowers tied to the strings/straps of his apron. Looks like he's having fun lighting that cannon lol. Pretty sure this is the same scene as that one leaked photo of him dancing with Fang and Izzy's green screen sock. He had the flowers in that, right?

[Ran out of allowed images, please hold]

[siconetribal]

Beyond the Bookshelves (10)

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Warnings: The gates of heaven have finally been opened, Loki doesn't know makeup, and when you work above and beyond your pay grade.

Summary: You’re a Resource Management Specialist at S.H.I.E.L.D. normally referred to as “The Librarian”. You’ve been assigned the nightmarish task of digitizing all the physical resources currently owned by the agency, with a few new computers and one extra helper.

A/N:

Sorry about the delay. I ended up getting more tasks for work right after traveling abroad. It was a scramble to get the last 2 months caught up.

Please comment/like/reblog. If you’d like to be tagged moving forward, please let me know! (If I missed any tags, please let me know, I’ll add you right away!) I’d also greatly appreciate it if rebloggers remember to add the tags (or some at least).

The lovely banners used in this fic are from @cafekitsune.

If you’re new to the story, please check out the master post for the rest of the chapters.

The doors opened. The library doors swung open without any resistance, no blaring alarms or the ear grating computer voice that incessantly disturbed his times sneaking in. He was actually allowed to enter the library once more.

“Good morning, let me know if you need any assistance!” A familiar voice called out. A sweet voice that triggered Loki, setting his rage aflame and quickly overshadowing the joy of having his access given back to him. His icy blue eyes narrowed as he crossed the threshold and quickly strode up to the semicircle reception desk that forced him to remain roughly three feet away from the villainous woman who left him stranded. He stood tall, looking down at her, ready to scold her, but there was something off about her.

Her face looks pale, but her cheeks are quite red. What sort of makeup style is this? He scrunched his nose in distaste, no attempt to hide his look of displeasure, as Y/N finally looked up at him. She was saying something, but her voice sounded odd, stuffy and nasally. A dark shade was visible under her eyes. He took a step back from the desk, unsure what was wrong with her. Perhaps I should reconsider working with this odd person. Her sense of professionalism is questionable.

“Hello, Loki?” He reflexively grabbed the hand waving in front of her face, but quickly released it at her wince.

“What?” He cleared his throat and straightened up his posture.

“Glad to see you back on Earth. Well, you’re back in the library, free to browse and rent as you used to.” She grinned, but the happiness did not reach her eyes. False niceties, something he was used to seeing. What else should he expect from some odd stranger? Why did it hurt? He balled his hands in to fists to keep from rubbing at his chest to ease the dull ache that blossomed over his heart. 

“Yes, thank you,” he kept his tone flat, formal. “I’ll summon you if I need any assistance.” He waved at her dismissively as he turned and wandered into the maze of shelves filled with books. 

“You’re welcome?” Y/N raised a brow, rolling her eyes as the younger prince disappeared from sight. Plopping back into her chair, she softly groaned at the soreness that throbbed through her back and hips. Her eyes burned, only a slight reprieve coming from when she squeezed the heavy lids shut. “I really should’ve stayed home today.” She muttered, fumbling under the desk for the small bottle of painkillers, popping two pills with a swig of water. “Rent isn’t going to pay itself, though.” She forced herself to sit up and carefully rolled and rubbed her neck. She shook the computer mouse and woke the monitor. “Let’s make sure the files are properly being shared between locations.” She muttered under her breath, forcing herself to stay awake.

Time was finally running smoothly, as it was meant to be, as Loki finally finished the book he left off on and began a new one. The sunlight shone through the floor to ceiling windows beside his favorite little nook, giving a warmth to the room. Everything was as it should be. Quiet and perfect. No needless ford conversation, unwanted company, and petty animosity. He was able to breathe and simply be. Finishing his second book, he closed it with a soft thud and stretched. A passing glance at the clock had him sitting up in an instant.

“Nearly two already? I’ve been here far longer than I thought.” His schedule was fairly light today since the mission was being replanned and his training session was cancelled due to other members being sent out on missions or having other debriefings. “The dinning hall should be quieter now, and anyone who would think of talking to me should be long gone.” He smiled at his luck, returning the book to its proper place with a snap of his fingers as he stood and left the library.

Yes, all was right with the world once more and luck was finally on his side. Even the stares and whispers of the other agents could not dampen his mood as he made his way to the cafeteria with a slight bounce to his step. A small tune was poised on his lips, ready to be hummed in his sudden abundance of happiness when something odd caught his attention. He frowned at the small crowd of people that lingered at the entry. Had he been wrong about the time? He checked his phone for the time, and his frown deepened.

No, fifteen to two, the cafeteria should be quieter. So why are there so many people and blocking the door? He slowed his space to a near stop.

“What’s going on?”

“Someone fainted.”

“Fainted, where, here, when?!” He rolled his eyes at the bits of conversation he could hear.

If you’re unable to care for yourself, you should not be here. Such poor care makes you a liability, not an asset. He audibly scoffed, grabbing the attention of the crowd, which quickly parted for him. He wanted little to do with such useless gossip, and their fear of him was an asset at this moment. As he began to make his way through the path made for him when a familiar voice caught his attention. It was weaker than before, just as stuffy. He froze, looking down to see the librarian.

“I’m fine, just got dizzy.” She forced a smile that once again did not meet her eyes. 

“Y/N, you literally passed out and fell to the floor!”

“I’m fine, just tired from all my travels.” He watched as she used the wall to stand and push herself off of it, only to stumble forward. To his surprise, and everyone else’s, his arm shot out and caught Y/N before she fell forward.

“Librarian, get a hold of yourself.” He scoffed, ready to move his arm, but her lack of response and full weight on him made him pause. “Librarian, what game are you playing?” He stepped closer and turned her, so his arm was hooked around her back. Her eyes were closed, breathing was labored, and her body was on fire. It dawned on him then that her look was not a makeup choice. She was severely sick and was currently unconscious. “Librarian, get a hold of yourself!” He gently tried to shake her awake once more, to no avail. He called out once more, and a slight groan from her eased some of the worry that gripped at his heart. Hooking his other arm under her knees, he vanished in a flash of green and black as he turned on his heel. Captain America would have to excuse him for the use of magic, he was taking a team member to the medic after all.

Tags: @vbecker10 @huntress-artemiss @softestqueeen @thegodofnotknowing @princess-ofthe-pages @firedrakegirl @rcailleachcola @cabingrlandrandomcrap @lotrefcp @lwtannie @jainaeatsstars @msdjsg7 @tom-hlover @kneelingformyloki @gruftiela @gigglingtiggerv2 @kats72 @mischief2sarawr @evalynanne @wolfsmom1

[sabigawa]

this is from like, early last year lmfao that I never got around to posting-- atla AU!

it's not really that fleshed out, I just know it would be set post atla but before lok, before republic city is the metropolis that it is in lok. So I put the original gaang to be around their 40's-50's?

the Kongo brothers are from a mixed family, with a firebending father and a non-bender, water tribe mother. Agon is a fire bender, and as in canon, a prodigy in everything he does (he even has blue flames because he sucks like that). because they grew up with a firebender as a parent, and because they lived in a predominantly fire-nation neighborhood, Agon ended up getting the most attention and praise for his bending accomplishments, and he proudly incorporates both fire-nation and water-tribe clothing styles into his day-to-day wear mainly because he likes standing out.

Unsui is a water bender. he's a hard worker and practices for hours every day, but he didn't have the guidance of a water-bender parent, and no matter how hard he worked he could never get close to Agon's skill. sometimes he looks at Agon firebending, and seeing his blue flames while he seamlessly incorporates water bending techniques into his firebending as though it's the easies thing in the world makes Unsui feel as though Agon isn't just the better bender, but the better water bender too. eventually Unsui gives up trying to compete with his twin. it gets to a point where he stops wearing water tribe colors at all as a way to stand out less as a water bender.

Hiruma is a non-bender. he seems to know every nook and cranny of every district in republic city, but no one know where he actually lives. he spends his time being a menace to society with his blackmail book, gambling, and inventing things (he doesn't patent any of his work-- he privately invented hair dye (or bleach, in this case) and uses it only for himself so that people are unnerved by his appearance. rumors that he has something to do with the spirit world follows him around, but he neither denies nor confirms). he and Agon meet one day in a shady alleyway on the rough side of town....

[darkpuppysuit]

~Chapter 3~

Hybdrid!BTSxHuman!Reader

⚠️WARNINGS: Marijuana use, alcohol use, hybrid scenting, dirty talk (nothing too extreme I don't think, not this chapter anyway😏),

MATURE THEMES MDNI!!

It's been just over three months since the hybrids had slipped into Y/n's barn that fateful night and they couldn't be happier. Hoseok wakes up early with Y/n every morning and only after light conversation over a cup or two of coffee he goes for a small jog around the farm, sometimes Namjoon will join him only to stop in the sunflower field to watch the sun rise while he reads a book from the never ending shelf in the living room.

Seokjin wakes up a few hours after Y/n does and helps her make breakfast for the eight of them every morning bantering back and forth, asking questions, learning new things from her. He admires the motherly aspect of her personality whole heartedly. Is this what it felt like to fall for a someone? To not only see how perfect they are but how imperfect they are at the same time? 

Don't get him wrong he's no saint but to him, there's just something about the simple and easy purity in being taken care of for a change, instead of being the one to take care of others that keeps him smiling at her clumsy little hands when she almost drops the bag of sugar onto the floor one morning or the way she blushes every time he bends down to her level to look into her beautiful pale blue eyes, listening to her talk even though he can hear her just fine standing up straight.

Yoongi will normally wake up the second he smells breakfast being made, shuffling into the kitchen resting his hands on Y/n's waist before nudging his nose against her bare neck before walking to the coffee pot to pour him his own cup of coffee with a few ice cubes mixed in. Finding his perch in the reading nook in the living room across from the large couch gazing out the large window, probably bird watching or something. 

Taehyung, Jimin, and Jungkook almost never wake up before noon so most of the morning chores are done before they even get out of bed giving the three hybrids an almost completely free afternoon to do what they wanted.

Despite Jimin's smaller lean frame he's a great help with the farm animals, giving the new baby chicks names like peaches or something that just seems a little too butch for a small, soft little ball of yellow poof. Y/n is slowly teaching him how to ride a horse, starting with Dove who was thoroughly trained by Y/n herself. 

She leads the horse around the open pen by the rope she tied to her bridle to guide Dove around with Jimin holding onto the straps for dear life the first go around but with Y/n's encouraging words and kind hearted smile, he was determined to be able to ride a horse like she does one day just conceivably sooner rather than later. 

"Tomorrow we're going to have that bonfire I've been putting off for the last few days. Emily and John are off work on Saturday so they said they would come by with some goodies. Knowing Emily that could only mean weed and alcohol." Y/n rubs the sleep from her eyes only slightly mumbling half her words to Seokjin who is surprisingly up before she was, Hoseok having already run out the door for his morning jog. 

Seokjin looks at her curiously and a little bewildered handing her cup of coffee to her just the way she likes it. "Alcohol I'm familiar with but weed? Not so much, actually not at all if I'm being honest." They both take a sip of their drinks, Y/n setting her mug down on the table walks over to the cabinet next to the stove to pull out a few pans and a pot. "Marijuana, I know it's not for everyone and there's a lot of rumors and such surrounding it but damn does it make you feel better than just being drunk. Being cross-faded is my personal favorite." He doesn't say much when she explains all the different strains and weird names, some are funny he'll admit but not out loud.

Y/n hasn't been able to wear anything other than long sleeves and chaps over her jeans since taking in the squirrely, stubborn mustang and the wear and tear the horse is giving her, being bucked off only a handful of times, she has gathered a small crowd around the fence barely paying them any mind. "Where do you think she learned all of this from?" Jimin leans over his crossed arms on the fence speaking to the moose hybrid who's staring intently at every move the horse makes including every tug and pull Y/n answers him with. 

"I think she said her cousin started teaching her when her grandfather broke his hip but, whoever taught her did a damn good job, she's only fallen off once since I've been here and that was a few hours ago." Jungkook kicks the fence post with the boots Y/n had bought all of them just last week, only now being able to really wear them when he was out here with her just past the sunflower field and a few yards away from the large pond where the cows stood grazing on the green grass at the break pen. 

Namjoon and Jin join the other two hybrids at the fence when Y/n is bucked forward over the mustang's head, quickly standing to her feet only for her chest to be met with a kick from the tired horse and she hits the fence with force, her hat flying off and her head hitting a post in the process. Namjoon and Jungkook are the first to spring forward, jumping over the gate one grabbing the horse by the bridle and the other rushing to Y/n's side the retriever and jaguar hybrid following close behind. 

"Y/n! Holy shit! Are you okay? Y/n!" Seokjin kneels down in front of her slumped figure somehow getting there before Namjoon or Jimin could, her head hangs low and he scoops her face into his warm hands trying to get her to react. "Y/n! I swear if you die on me I'm going to burn all of your vinyl records! Elvis Presley included!" It was an empty threat but when she doesn't respond to it like she had many times before Seokjin starts to panic even more, shaking her in a desperate attempt to wake her up. 

"Goddammit, someone get Yoongi she's not responding but she's breathing. Don't just stand there, go!" Namjoon yells at the younger hybrids and they both take off sprinting towards the house as fast as their legs would carry them.

Namjoon kneels next to the jaguar hybrid who is doing anything he can to get Y/n to respond to him, he puts a hand on Seokjin's shoulder and he looks at him with tears running down his face. "We should've came out here earlier, maybe- maybe this wouldn't have happened and she would be f-fine." Seokjin chokes on air as he pulls her body close scenting the top of her head heavily, fearing the worst.

A few minutes later Y/n slowly comes to her senses, her eyes flutter open with a grunt, reaching for the back of her head and winces. "Ow." Is the only word that falls from her lips when Seokjin and Namjoon help her sit up, a look of pure shock on Seokjin's tear stained face that he attempts to clean with his sweater sleeve. "Could you possibly- never do that again?" Seokjin quips with a half hearted smile as the other five hybrids come running from the house and yelling down the slope of the hill towards them. 

They barely get the gate open as Yoongi slides through the dirt to kneel in front of her. "I heard you hit your head. How are you feeling kit?" Besides the throbbing in the back of her head she was fine to say the least, Yoongi and Namjoon help her to her feet and Jimin hands her the hat she was wearing.

Dusting it off on her pants she sets it back on her head straight and she sighs followed by a whistle. "That bastard is going to be glue here in the next five minutes I swear to Gods." She grunts as she fixes her belt, her scent of burnt leather and ashy cedar signaling to the hybrids she was pissed and not to get in her way. 

Looking around to locate the horse, spotting it trotting in a circle on the other side of the break pen, she sets her sights on him and stomps towards him tapping him on the snout before swinging herself onto the saddle strapped to it's back and to her surprise when she pulls on the reigns he follows her every command for the next two hours, Jimin was even able to get close to the mustang without it flinching or kicking. 

The next day at the grocery store in the freezer section the hybrid's stuck to Y/n like super glue giving her almost no breathing room. "Hey my boys, What do you think about meatball subs for the bonfire tonight?" Y/n turned to ask the lot of them what they thought, some of their cheeks burned when she called them her boys others stumbling over their words or fumbling with their hands or even looking at anything else other than her. 

Namjoon is quick to mumble an agreement before Y/n could even catch onto their stiff movements. Moving to the next aisle over into the bread section to get some buns and maybe snag a small bag of candy along the way the hybrids had disbursed into different areas of the store looking for any snacks that would be good to munch on later. 

Y/n is quietly humming to herself when there is a sudden presence behind her, the being starts to rub her back and Y/n's hair on the back of her neck stands on end because this isn't one of the hybrids she's come to love and know so well.

"Hey baby, miss me?" Y/n shivers when his nasty breath ghosts across her skin as she's frozen to her spot, staring at the nearly empty shelf in front of her. 

She takes a deep breath, her body is vibrating with anxiety and her vision slightly blurs due to the tears collecting in her eyes. "Wh-What are you doing here Adam?"

Adam lays his meat cleaver sized tattooed hands onto her shoulders giving them a tight squeeze. "I've come home, I told you I'd come back when I got out or did you forget?" He turns her around harshly and her hat falls off her head and into the cart next to her. "You know what happens when you say shit like that, you never could hold a lot in that tiny brain of yours could you?" 

He chuckles at her terrified expression and her clouded eyes as a tear falls onto her cheek. "I-I'm s-sorry, it won't happen a-again." Y/n stares at the ground when he waves his hand in her face causing her to flinch hard tapping the back of her already hurting head on the shelf behind her. "Tsk tsk, I'll let it slide since I just got back but," He leans in close to her ear the smell of shitty cigars and dry gin stinging her nose, he puts a death grip around the softer area of her ribs squeezing hard most likely bruising her tender body but she hardly reacts because she knew if she was to make a face, a sound, anything it would set him off like it had so many times in the past. 

"When we get home I'm going to fuck you until you can't get off the bed much less twitch." His disgusting words rang through her head over and over again, her eyes misty, tears falling onto the plaid work shirt, tilting her head down further her trauma response is to lay her head on him. When the top of her head meets his chest he chuckles darkly wrapping his large arms around her.

"Good gi-" Before Adam could get another word out edgewise, a fist makes contact with his cheek causing him to fall to the ground with a thud and a loud grunt, taking Y/n to the ground with him.

Namjoon and Yoongi come to her aide running and manage to free her from his grasp but she's barely able to stand on her own shaking legs as she watches Taehyung, the soft cuddly hybrid she thought he was, throw a few more hits every time the man tries to get up off the ground. 

"Tae, that's enough. I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH!" Namjoon barks when he sees blood dripping from the human's brow, the white tiger hybrid stands to his full daunting height, looming over the groaning thing on the floor looking over at Y/n.

His eyes soften when he sees her trembling form, she's weak at the knees and by the look of her glossy eyes and scent of wet, soggy leather and moldy cedar they could tell she wasn't mentally here at the moment. 

"What the fuck happened?" Jin shouts as he and the rest of the hybrids rush down the aisle with arms full of snacks and drinks. "Where's Y/n?" Jimin asks when he sees a different human on the floor groaning in pain. Namjoon moves to the side, the retriever hybrid catches a glimpse of her soft glossy hair on the other side of him covering her face making it hard for him to look her in the eyes. Jimin walks towards her carefully, leaning down to her level, tucking some of her hair behind her ear when she makes eye contact with him and slowly comes out of her own head. 

"J-Jimin? I'm so s-sorry. I didn't- he-" Her voice was trembling as well as her body, leaning against the shelves behind the three of them, her hair falling around her flushed cheeks. "Hey, hey hush. No don't do that you did nothing wrong. Let's get our stuff paid for and go home okay? We have a party to host remember?" Y/n nods her head, taking a deep breath as Adam picks himself up off the floor with a stomp. 

"She's not going anywhere with you filthy animals, if anything she's coming home with me!" He barks at nobody in particular as he's still trying to get his vision to focus. Y/n's head snaps up at his voice before she walks right up to him pointing her finger in his face, her jaw set as she rips him a new asshole.

"I'm not going anywhere with anyone! We are going home Adam, if you so much as follow us out of this store- I have a shotgun in the bed of my truck with your name on it." Though her threat was empty and there was indeed no shotgun in the back of her truck Y/n still growled it at him all the same before turning around and walking away.

Back at the house Y/n is rushing around trying to get everything ready, cooking the meatballs in the crockpot, making sure all the alcohol she bought was either in the freezer or the fridge. She sets out some snacks and makes sure there were enough blankets and lawn chairs for everyone to sit on.

Hoseok watches her run around like a chicken with her head cut off for a few minutes, sweating underneath her work clothes and just when Y/n is about to pass him for the fifth time he grabs her by the arm and pulls her towards him, their bodies colliding together as Hoseok holds her close. 

"Take it easy honey. Why don't you go upstairs, take a shower and get out of your work clothes for a change? It's hot as hell outside and it's only going to get hotter next to the fire later." Hoseok winks then quickly wraps an arm around her waist pulling her body even closer to his, staring into her eyes as his gaze roams over her face, committing her shocked expression and pink cheeks to memory gently rubbing his cheek against hers. 

Y/n lays her hands on his chest, the fox hybrid starts purring in her ear before he opens his mouth to speak again. "Go on, go get ready pretty." He turns her around pushing her towards the stairs, giving her ass a firm smack and before she could protest Hoseok chuckled claiming the rest of them could handle what was left. 

Once Y/n was finished with her long hot shower, finally washing away all the dirt and grime collected on her soft skin her phone rings. Picking it up she answers her best friends video call. "Hey girl, you ready for tonight? Just a few more hours!" Emily squeals on the other side of the phone which causes Y/n to wince at the sudden volume change, opening her large closet to find something to wear. "Not exactly I mean I have all the food and alcohol fixed, finished, and ready to go. The one thing I have no idea what I'm doing, is picking what to wear." 

Y/n doesn't know why the pit of her stomach is doing flips every time she thinks about the party that's only a few hours away, maybe because she knew how horny she could be when she was inebriated and it's slowly starting to make her sick.

Taking a deep breath as she puts on a matching pair of lace underwear and her favorite lace bra when Emily chimes in again. "Oh, wear those booty shorts I got you for your birthday last year with that pretty purple tank top that hugs your curves just right!" 

She says excitedly, Y/n can't help but roll her eyes at her through the phone sifting through her closet dresser. "Why do you always dress me like a whore when we do things together?" Now it's Emily's turn to roll her eyes. "Because If I didn't you'd be dressed in your country hick clothes and we can't have that, not when you have seven hybrids checking you out on the daily when your back is turned." Y/n can't believe the words that just flew from her best friends mouth, is that all she thinks about these days? 

Trying to get Y/n laid or to find someone to have for the rest of her life she didn't know but either way Emily needed to calm down. "Em, you know I'm in this for the long haul, I don't care if they're checking me out when my back is turned, it's probably just part of their hybrid instincts or something."

After a few minutes of arguing and throwing insults each others way Y/n is finally able to get dressed just as their conversation was coming to an end. "All I'm saying Y/n, is you need to ask them about the scenting part of being a hybrid because I heard it's important to their health, but it hurts like a bitch." Y/n didn't know why it would hurt so much, their scenting has been pretty mild and she doesn't mind it when they put their hands on her, it comes with the territory after all. 

Meanwhile downstairs, Seokjin is making sure the last few finishing touches inside the house are done while Jungkook and Namjoon fill buckets of water from the outside spout, taking them down to the large wood pile, along with other burnable junk, incase there were a few flaming fly aways.

Hoseok and Jimin were in the living room playing some type of combat game meanwhile Yoongi had tucked himself in the reading nook like he always does and Taehyung is messing with an old camera he found underneath the stairwell when he was looking for new sheets for his bed upstairs. 

Namjoon slowly follows Jungkook up the back steps sweating more so than normal when he comes in from outside, grabbing a towel from the dryer on his way through the kitchen.

Seokjin stops him before he can cross the archway into the foyer. "What's going on with you? You're shirt is soaked through and your body is literally hot to the touch." He sighs as Namjoon puts the towel on the back of the chair beside him. 

"I don't really know Jin, this has never happened to me before. I keep sweating bullets and can't catch my breath when I even think about-" The wolf hybrid is quickly distracted before he can finish his sentence when Y/n comes down the stairs, her large chest bouncing perfectly underneath her bright purple tank top.

Moving his eyes downward he notices she's wearing really short jean shorts with her tiny bare feet padding down the stairs, her ankles adorned with gold and silver chains with tiny charms on them. 

But what makes the air hard to breath for him and the others in the room is her golden sun kissed skin, they thought was an empty canvas, is actually covered in tattoos from her ankles up her thick thighs to her hips and from her wrists up to her shoulders with a few odds and ends littering her chest cavity.

She turns to walk towards the living room and Namjoon could barely see the beginnings of a moon phase tattoo leading downwards to what looks like a very old tramp stamp. 

"Holy fucking shit. Taehyung, you sir owe me twenty bucks!" The moose hybrid pats the tiger on the back hard which causes him to grimace when he drops a small gear onto the counter top of the kitchen island almost losing it in the sink, he looks back the moose with a death glare.

"Y/n, when were you going to tell us your whole body is covered in art like a fucking goddess cause goddamn, you're something out of one of those erotic novels." Hoseok grabs her by the hand spinning her around from the archway in the living room towards the kitchen. She lets out her beautiful unfiltered laugh that rings throughout the house before coming to a dizzy stop in front of the staircase again. 

"Whoa fuck, sorry I guess I'm so used to having them that I kind of forgot?" Trying to get her vision to focus again Y/n has yet to realize she was wobbling her way towards Namjoon and before either of them knew it she trips over her own feet and towards the floor but before she could hit the floor Namjoon swiftly catches her in his arms. Holding her by her lower back with one arm as the other wraps around her upper body his hand instinctively caressing the nape of her neck to keep her head from bending back too far. 

Y/n wraps her arms around Namjoon's neck and when she looks up again, like something out of a movie, her pale eyes meet soft chocolate orbs. Namjoon's ears flick around listening to every gasp and oh my gods barely able to hear them as he locks eyes with Y/n. The very person plaguing his mind with her curvy breed-able figure and sweet southern accent all fucking day.

Namjoon wasn't sure what to do in this situation he was perpetually frozen, in one hand he had his alpha screaming bloody murder at him flashing all sorts of lewd and pornographic images of all the different positions he could have her in within the hour, making him sweat even more and his body vibrate with electricity.

He can feel her cool skin sizzling against his own blazing touch on her lower back, not to mention his issue downstairs. He was just hoping, praying even, that when he stood up straight no one would mention the growing tent in his pants. 

Before either of them could utter a single syllable the doorbell rings, quite literally saving Namjoon by the mother fucking bell. It startles him to the point he almost drops Y/n on the ground needing to get out of there as soon as physically possible. "I should go get th-that." He helps her stand up and she quickly shuffles towards the door. 

With Y/n out of the room the rest of the hybrids are staring at Namjoon. Most of them are trying to keep themselves from laughing while the others like Hoseok and Jungkook are laughing at him outright.

"J-Joon you might want to go f-fix yourself before..."Hoseok can't help but burst into another fit of laughter, hiding his face in the moose hybrids shoulder so Jungkook has to finish his sentence for him. 

"Before whoever's at the door sees that." Jungkook points down at his own pants when Namjoon looks down and closes his eyes in frustration. "Don't mention a damn word to Y/n got it? I have enough problems today, the last thing I need is for you assholes to make it worse than it already is." He rushes off to his room still wiping the sweat off his brow and doing his best to keep the ever growing nausea rising in his throat down, he wasn't going to ruin her party just because he didn't know what the fuck was going on with him. 

A few hours later Namjoon still hasn't come down from his bedroom and Y/n and Emily have already lost themselves and are so far gone it's hard to tell who to corral first. Her friend who likes to play with fire or Y/n who is currently going between the bonfire and the house on the back of Dove claiming, drinking and driving is how you get a ticket so why not save a cowboy ride a horse, right? Or was it the other way around?

Eventually Y/n finally sits down in one of the few lawn chairs, taking a hit off the blunt Emily passed to her when it hits her. "Where's Jooniebug? Haven't seen him since uh earlier." Her already red cheeks somehow turn an even darker shade when she vaguely mentions the incident from just a few hours ago to Emily.

Jungkook looks at Hoseok and they burst out in laughter at Y/n and her childish nickname for the wolf hybrid as Taehyung snaps a picture of her with Jungkook laughing in the background. 

She looks so beautiful next to the fire. The way her tattoos glow in the orange haze, the way her curvy body moves when she crosses her legs. The smoke she blew out of her pretty pink lips dances around her beautiful round face, to think he caught almost all of her beauty on camera. 

He didn't care to notice it before but everything about her is adorably sexy, even her small feet kicking in the air when she laughs at a joke her friend made is the cutest thing he's ever seen and don't get Taehyung started on her laugh. Oh how it was pure and unfiltered to his ears, he could listen to it every day for the rest of his life and die a very happy man.

"Tae?" Her addictively sweet southern accent and cute nickname for the tiger hybrid brings him out of his reverie, his eyes snapping back to meet hers and his tail standing ramrod stiff like he'd been caught doing something illegal. She's holding the blunt out offering it to him and he puts his hand up that's not holding the vintage camera and shakes his head. "No I don't smoke, sorry." 

Y/n in her cross faded state doesn't take no for an answer, she stands up and takes the camera from his hand, giving it to Emily who now stands next to her more drunk than high at the moment.

She kneels down onto the blanket Taehyung is sitting on and situates herself onto his lap straddling his hips making his ears down to his neck burn with the heat of a thousands suns and the ears on top of his head to flatten against his fluffy hair before she leans in close and explains her actions to him, laying her left hand on his shoulder delicately. 

"Since this is your first time this is what we're gonna- do okay- listen closely." She whispers the last part of her sentence in his ear and he nods his head yes, completely wiggin' out at how close she was. He could easily pull her in and kiss her lips raw but she obviously doesn't understand what she's doing to him right now. 

Y/n rubs his head between his ears roughly sending shivers down his spine and straight down to his cock shifting his legs underneath her, his large hands hovering just above her hips.

"Good boy, now- I'm going to hit this, and then as I'm breathing it out I need you to breath in okay?" Y/n even in her inebriated state, makes sure Taehyung is comfortable. He knew he could back out at any given time if he really didn't want to go through with this. "Y-yeah I-I-I got it."

Y/n smiles at him giggling like a schoolgirl before taking a large puff off the blunt in her hands. She passes it to Emily before she hands it over to Hoseok who takes a smaller puff.

Emily holds the camera up as Y/n holds Taehyung by the jaw to keep his head in place and leans in close their lips a literal breath apart. His hands clamp down onto her hips harshly a deep chuff erupting from his chest with his eyes shut.

She gasps when he places his hands on her, sending a small shiver down her spine when she feels his chest vibrate causing her to part her lips more closing her eyes. Blowing the smoke out as he breathes the weird tasting smoke into his lungs and the flash of the old camera goes off but both of them are too lost in the moment to really notice. 

Taehyung chuffs a little longer this time almost turning it into a deep growl as he squeezes her soft squishy body. Tightening his long fingers almost hard enough to leave bruises on her delicate hips when her lips ghost over his and before he knew it he had taken his first hit of weed in his life.

The fact it came from the one person he admires the most sitting on his lap holding him like a vice as if he was going to float aways any given moment. Getting him high? Now that was just the icing on the cake and all he needed was the strawberry on top. 

He was about to seal his fate with whatever god chose to play with him tonight until the rough clearing of someone's throat from across the way jerks him out of his reverie once again. He turns his head quickly causing Y/n to thump her forehead against his collar bone, unknowingly rubbing against his scent gland causing his ears to twitch haphazardly and his eyes to roll back a little. 

"You guys need a minute?" Emily asks as she snaps another picture of the pair of them together when Seokjin drunkenly chimes in. "Do that to me like, fuck." He takes a deep breath and sighs loudly, finishing his bloody mary that was completely full before standing up to throw the pre mix can into the fire. Making a b-line to the two sat on the ground, like a literal b-line. 

Seokjin wobbles and trips over a few holes in the dirt before he makes it to the plaid blanket. "Y/n, You should probably go check on Namjoon- he- he needs to talk to- to you." Seokjin speaks through hiccups and a gag as he tastes the tomato juice on his breath, shaking her slumped figure causing her chest to rumble.

Not quite like a purr or a growl like a hybrid would but even so it causes Seokjin to retract a little and Taehyung to pull on her to sit up right noticing her eyes are closed with a grimace ruining her once smiling cheeks into a frown. 

"Y/n-ie go on, I need to talk to Tae for a minute anyway." Seokjin nudges her by the shoulder, talking surprisingly crystal clear and she reluctantly gets off of the white tiger hybrid, wobbling and tripping like Seokjin had towards the house just over the hill but not before she yells back. "You owe me a drink when I get back Jinnie!" 

Back inside the house Y/n is still fumbling over her own clumsy feet trying to at the very least get up the stairs in one piece. "Ouch- fuck- who put that table there?" She grumbles rubbing her hip that was just assaulted by the table in the hallway a few doors down from Namjoons bedroom, his light is still on so that means one of two things. 

One, he was still awake, Y/n tries to think clearer as she makes her way down the hall hopefully there aren't anymore magic tables to get in her way before she reaches the door.

Number two, he forgot to turn the light off before completely crashing, which was odd for him because he always turned the light off after he was done reading or writing and before actually going to bed. 

Y/n's hand taps the doorknob, trying to grasp it, or at least see it in the dark hallway so she could grab it but instead she rests her head heavily against the door in frustration with a soft thud.

"Why am I like this? Oh yeah, nevermind. Namjoon!" She shouts dragging out the last part of his name thinking that should wake him up and she calls him again.

"Jooniebug! Joon- Joonie?" She calls him over and over again but she hears, what sounds like a grunt or a moan she didn't know, come through the underside of his bedroom door. Somewhat sobering up she knocks on his door and opens it just a sliver, poking her head through the crack. "Namjoon? Are you alright?" She asks timidly, slowly pushing herself through the doorway towards his bed. 

Namjoon lays in his bed, sweating so much part of the it is soaked with an outline of his body. His face is scrunched in what looks like pain, a lot of pain.

He's twisting and turning like he's trying to get away from something. Y/n slowly approaches his side, nearly sobering up this time as she puts her wrist on his forehead flinching away as his skin is boiling hot like the sun.

"Oh my gods, Namjoon you need to wake up we have to get to the hospital now! Oh fuck fuck fuck, I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner to check on you-" Y/n reaches for Namjoon's blanket that's been wrapped around his body haphazardly. Tangled with his long legs trying to get him up to go to the emergency room when her wrist is caught in a tight grip and she's yanked onto the bed. Namjoon hovers over her resting his large hands on either side of her head straddling her hips, successfully pinning her to the bed.

His eyes are glowing yellow, his chest vibrating with a deep snarl and his canine teeth bared like he was in danger meanwhile Y/n stares at him scared for her life.

"Namjoon it's me, Y/n." Her voice is trembling with fear yet she still reaches for the wolf hybrid looking him directly in his eyes. She gently caresses his cheek rubbing her thumb under his eye trying not to suffocate under his staggering body heat. 

Slowly his eyes soften, turning back to their calming brown color. He looks at her with wide misty eyes as he'd realized what he did. "Fuck, I'm sorry Y/n I didn't- I mean-"  Namjoons eyes screw shut as he grinds his teeth against one another, trying to hide his face from her.

He fights against his every instinct screaming at him to claim her, she's here right underneath him why won't he do it? "It's okay Joon, we need to take you to the hospital, you're burning up. I think you might have caught-"

"No, no I didn't catch anything- I mean- Fuck this is difficult-" Namjoon stumbles over his words because he's not too terribly coherent when he's with Y/n especially in this moment.

He has her pinned under his body and every time she squirms he bites back a moan caught in his throat. "I've never had this happen to me. I mean, for fuck sake I had to have Jimin explain it to me since he's a domestic hybrid." 

He moves off of her body to sit next to her trying figure out a way to explain the situation at hand. Y/n is still dazed and confused when a light bulb goes off in her head only now remembering what Emily said about scenting for hybrids; maybe this is what she was taking about when she said it hurt like a bitch.

"Joon, if you need to scent me you have to let me know. I understand I'm- not sober- like at all right now but, you can still come to me- if it's going to cause you to be in pain like this." Y/n sits up in the bed and moves closer to the wolf hybrid and Namjoon shifts a little so he can face her when a shockwave of pain hits his chest and his handsome face scrunches as he doubles over with a whine escaping his perfect lips.

"Namjoon! Shit." She  scrambles in front of him kneeling, she grabs his cheeks rubbing his cheekbones soothingly. "Hey you're going to be okay. Emily told me something about scenting earlier a-and it's something every hybrid needs to do with their owner. I mean I don't f-feel like your owner more like a friend but if that's something you really need for your health then go ahead." 

Namjoon lifts his head and their eyes meet, she's smiles brightly bringing him in for a hug when he stops her. "You're willing to let me mark your skin, just like that?" His face scrunches in agony, he rests his head on her shoulder with his hand clutched to his wet t-shirt as she holds him close.

Y/n wonders why he has to mark her, isn't it just scenting, like rubbing his head against her like he was doing right now? He didn't need to bite her surely not but she hates seeing him so miserable and her questions could wait until tomorrow anyways. Right now the wolf hybrid is her only priority. "Whatever you need to do okay?"

The wolf hybrid barely catches the words that spill from her pink lips as he to pulls her into his lap, wrapping his long arms around her waist, resting his large hands on the middle of her back.

Pulling her forward as she safely places her hands onto his shoulders for stability. He buries his face into her chest, catching a hint of coconut from her perfume infused with her familiar scent of leather and cedarwood which causes a deep-seated groan shoot from his chest up his throat and through his gritted teeth as he hums.

"You're aroma is so fucking intoxicating pup, I could get lost in it all fucking day." He purrs giving her chest cavity a few kisses that turn into him licking up her chest to her collarbone where he nips at her sensitive skin. 

Y/n's chest tightens as she sits on the wolf hybrids lap, not fully aware of just what she's agreed to but she lets him continue his assault on her neck when he latches on to the space just below her jaw and her hands move across his blazing skin to the nape of his neck softly pulling at his hair earning a moan from the hybrid underneath her. "Careful pup, I'm not responsible for my actions if you keep pulling on me like that." Namjoon snarls playfully as his hands continue to roam every curve of her astounding body, his iron grip will most likely leave bruises on her delicate skin. 

The wolf hybrid doesn't want to hurt her but his animal instincts are clouding his judgement, his eyes have blown out so much they look black if it wasn't for the tiny slivers of yellow Y/n would be a complete goner for sure.

Namjoon wraps his arms around her completely, silently wishing there was less clothing between them as he leaves bruises on every part of her visible skin along with open mouth kisses before one particularly rough bite meets her chest cavity and she quickly pulls his head back by his hair causing him to let out a growl at her. "Shouldn't have done that pretty girl." Namjoon forcefully pushes her back on the bed baring his teeth with a snarl, his hands on either side of her head resting his hips between her legs as he stares her down. 

"You have no idea what you do to me babygirl, I barely have any control over myself because of you. Wearing those sinful shorts, those tattoos of yours on full display. When you flick your hair behind you causing your intoxicating scent to fill my senses. Fuck, give me one good reason I shouldn't fuck you right now." He snarls as he dips his head into her neck once again littering her skin with more bruises absently grinding himself against her. A mental battle warring within him.

Y/n can hardly think straight, she's too busy thinking about the wolf hybrid and what he could do to her if she let him. The sheer possessiveness he has over her, maybe it was just the hormones talking or maybe the alcohol but damn she'd be a fool to accept anything less from someone like him or the other six, hell, she was just sitting on Taehyungs lap for fuck sake.

Even in her inebriated state she could feel the lust coming off of him in waves, just like now with Namjoon it was just as nerve racking maybe even more so now that he had her like putty in his hands hovering over her like he had no shame whatsoever.

"Use your words baby." He purrs hovering just above her, desire and lust evident in his tone licking and sucking at his chosen spot against her throat. Namjoon isn't very prideful on visible marks yet for some reason unknown to his coherent thought pattern he wanted, no needed everyone to see the many marks he's leaving on her fragile skin. She's staring at him her eyes heavily lidded whimpering as he speaks filthy words to her. "Everyone is still o-outside, need to get back s-soon." She stutters as Namjoon grasps her hips rather tightly with both of his hands, he noticed how she completely dodged his question but didn't think much of it, nudging her throat with his nose pausing for a moment before pulling her head back by her hair earning a moan from her soft pink lips. 

"Do you like it when I pull on you like that? Oh you are definitely my type of woman." She whimpers at him urging him to mark her when he pulls himself up to meet her eyes. "I'm going to mark you now sweetheart, are you ready?" Y/n nods her head as the wolf hybrid gives her a smirk before connecting his lips to hers, it's like fireworks go off in her head, pressing her lips against his with the same fervor, earning a moan of pleasure from the wolf pulling on her hair roughly, leaning back only to connect with her throat biting down hard, his canines piercing her skin causing Y/n to let out a yelp of pain but it's soon muffled by euphoria. 

Y/n feels as though she has ascended past cloud nine and she's up in the stars looking down at the world below. Namjoon is still locked on her throat sucking with a vice like grip on her body before he pulls back slightly, licking her wound as a drop of blood pools in the dip of her collar bone. "Let's get you cleaned up stay here." The wolf clambers off of the bed and into the hallway bathroom as Y/n lays there completely dazed and confused on what just happened to her. She can't think straight to save her life trying to grasp the concept of what scenting truly meant for hybrids, to think she had six more who hadn't even thought about it. She was in for a wild ride if this is how it was going to be every single fucking time.

Namjoon comes back with a warm towel and starts cleaning the blood that has now dried off of her skin before picking her up and putting her into the bed the correct way. "Take it easy pup, the hazy feeling will go away soon. Could take a few minutes to an hour though." She's thankful for him being informational because if he wasn't and she had to go through this six more times, granted she could just ask the others but she was thankful someone was telling her.

Maybe it was the initial stinging burn that started when he bit into the column of her throat or maybe it was the clouded high she felt afterwards that was causing her to currently see double. "I have to get back out there Jin owes me a drink." Namjoon rolls his eyes at her stubborn attitude and tries to get her to lay back down until she could think straight but she doesn't take sit the fuck down for an answer as she stumbles her way back outside with the wolf hybrid holding her hand being pulled outside. 

A/N: So what do we think about this chapter? I feel like it's all over the place honestly but that's a writers critique on their own stuff I guess.

+ Taehyung working on an old camera and taking pictures of Y/n? Ugh yes, the way he sees her through the lens is just- ugh I love it.

+ AND NAMJOON???? LIKE EXCUSE YOU SIR!!!! I even surprised myself with that one honestly. (It gets "worse")

+ Petition to see more Drunk and Brutally honest Seokjin, uh yes please?

+ Jimin is such a good pup he just wants to be good for Y/n it's making my heart so happy, his hybrid suits him I think.

+ Anyway I'd love to hear your thoughts on it too! I'll stop talking now.

[whiskey-bumblebee]

something we can share

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner/Reader

Word Count: ~860

A/N: This one is specifically written for a plus size reader!!! It me :) Also please forgive any typos, I had acrylics put on yesterday and they are inhibiting my typing like you would not believe! Mentions of Hotch being physically smaller than reader, also extensive discussion of clothing related to size (but no specific numbers mentioned!!)

There's nothing like the sound of your sigh to put your partner on edge. The various intonations all mean different things: I'm hungry, I want to go home, I'm feeling down, please fuck me, I love you, and of course, frustration. This one, however, isn't one that Hotch has heard before.

He's paging through a book, brushing up on his understanding of sociopaths (a new study just came out), and he glances up at you for further cues. You set down the book that you've been reading and change your position slightly, swinging your legs into Hotch's lap as you sit together in your reading nook slash sunroom, beside the kitchen. He runs his hands over your legs, giving your feet a gentle rub.

"You know how teenagers wear each others' clothes when they're dating?"

"Sure."

"Is that awful? Possessive?"

"Well," He says, setting down his own book, realizing this conversation will be more than a few words. "Not really. It's common practice, as far as I know. Why?"

"I'd love to wear your clothes," You explain. "And you know why I don't, right?"

"No," He says, thoughtfully. "I just figured it wasn't your thing."

"I don't think they'd fit me," You say lightly. "I love your body, and I love my body, but they're not at all the same," You smile.

He's cautious here, knowing that a misstep, any misstep, might be more harmful than he knows, so he nods slowly and allows you to continue.

"What if we bought a quarter zip that we can both wear? Something we can share? And then when I miss you, I can wear it, and when you miss me, you can wear it."

"I think that's a great idea," He says, still running his hands over your calves. "I'm sorry I didn't think of it before. Has it made you feel... Left out?"

You shrug. "I feel like we see it in movies a lot, that the girl just slips into his button up and it's oversized, and sexy, and that's not... It doesn't feel real to me. Like, what about the boobs? They're just magically going to fit in a men's work shirt? The two of them are just perfectly almost the same size?"

Hotch nods, and motions for you to come closer and sit on his lap. You do so, sitting on his lap and running your hands through his short hair.

"I love your body. I'm glad it doesn't look like mine," He laughs. "I find your body... soft. And sexy. Every time I look at you, I feel lucky. And every other time I look at you," He drops his voice lower, "I'm thinking about touching every inch of you."

A shiver runs down your spine, and Hotch takes a short inhale as the sensation makes you squirm on top of him.

"I feel like it's one way that people can see me as yours," You murmur as he kisses your neck. "And wouldn't it turn you on to see me wearing something of yours?"

He hums against your skin. "I think if you had anything else going for you in that department, I'd never let you leave the bedroom."

"So that's a yes," You laugh lightly, gently urging his head away from your neck.

"There are other ways I can make sure people know you're mine," He grins, slipping his cold hands under your shirt.

You sigh happily under his touch. "So we can go buy one tomorrow?"

He nods. "And if you want, I can wear it while I-"

Your laugh cuts him off. "Okay, cowboy. Hold your horses."

________

Within days, you think it's the greatest purchase you've ever made as a couple. It's a size or two too big for you, so you can have that oversized comfy feeling, and it's even bigger on Hotch. He's started wearing it around the house with only briefs underneath, since it covers him to his upper thigh, and you're more than happy to take in the sight of your man's legs more often than you normally could.

It smells like the perfect combination of both of you: fresh and sweet, heady and unique. Hotch has a twinge of pride every time he sees you in it, that warm possessive feeling, and you love burrowing your nose into the collar when he's away on long cases. He even wears it into the office once or twice on really cold mornings, slipping it on over his suit to stay warm while he walks from the car park to the elevator.

Emily is about to question him about the odd fit when Penelope lights up with glee. "It's her sweater! He's wearing her sweater!"

And while Aaron may blush a little, having forgotten that he was even wearing it, he's not at all embarrassed to correct her. "It's our sweater."

He tugs it off, over his head, and he looks as crisp and professional in his suit as ever. Back to being the stern, stoic boss. At least until he walks into his office and presses the fleece to his nose, unable to hold back a smile at the soft smell of you in the fabric.

[rinamars]

i want to hear all your thoughts about dadwin. what does he do to you? 😏

OH ANON what DOESN'T he do to me!!! here's a (definitely not comprehensive) list of things i think dadwin would do

will read every single book about pregnancy and parenthood that he's able to get his hands on (in the end he knows more about being pregnant than you do)

gender roles are a foreign concept to him. he will not take you for granted and will do anything to make sure you're comfortable and not stress after birth, completely unprompted

while he's raiding the store for books on pregnancy he makes sure he picks up TONS of children's books as well. he will build the baby's first reading nook himself.

speaking of building things: in my head he gets 100% into building things from scratch. he builds a rocking chair for you to nurse the baby in, a dollhouse, a swing set for the garden, all kinds of wooden toys... 🥺

he looooves reading aloud to his children every night, and playing with them as well, so much that you almost begin to forget who's the child and who's the parent (i just love the idea of erwin being a child at heart and letting it all out once he becomes a father)

of course he will teach his kids anything and everything, from history to astronomy to mythology to urban legends. and he answers every! single! question! that they might have. even if they're silly. he takes every single question seriously and goes on an endless tangent every time

he carries his babies around in these little slings (is that what they are called? well those things)

his genes are so strong all of his kids resemble him sooo much, you'd almost think that he gave birth to them

i feel like i could go on forever tbh dadwin just lives rent free in my head 24/7!!!

thank you for asking my dear please ask me more. ask me anything. enable my brainrot. distract me from the pain and stress that this studying for this one exam is causing me

[blacklegsanjiii]

can we have more fluff or hurt/comfort with shirohige!sanjis relationships with the whitebeard ctew? whether its during sanjis childhood or maybe after he becomes a strawhat but i adore the potential here

Alright, this is going to be a list style type of thing lets go!!!!!

Marco: He is the most protective and loving brother Sanji has. He was the only one who could hold Sanji for a long time due to his injuries and with Marco being both a doctor and having been a brat under White Beard for as long as he was he knows all the nooks and crannies that the Moby Dick has to hide brats. He can find Sanji whenever and where ever. He taught Sanji the constellations on nights where the trauma or anxiety kept him awake or when Sanji would wake up screaming in the medical bay from nightmares. He also took Sanji out for his first escapade against the Marines causing Sanji to get his bounty of 100 million Beri at sixteen. Marco is proud because his was similar at fifteen when he stole his fruit from the Marines.

He absolutely keeps Sanji's poster in his medical file. When the one he got for joining the Strawhat crew come out he laughs so hard he cries. Who the fuck is that? That's not Shirohige Sanji?(White Leg Sanji?) For a while that's the only thing keeping them sane, especially when they lose track of Ace. And then when they lose track of Sanji while he's fighting Akainu, Sengoku, and Kizaru?? Fuck. Fuck that's his baby brother. He's so proud of Sanji that if he died fighting it was against those fucks but his baby brother might be dead and he's so fucking upset. He claims first rights to Teach.

Thatch: Sanji's funniest brother and Sanji doesn't claim favorites(It's Marco, anyway) but Thatch teaches him so much. He provides Sanji with cookbooks and nutrition books and explains a lot of the science behind food and taste. It's just that he keeps saying he's married to Ace before they're even dating. Unfortunately Thatch dies so he doesn't get to see Sanji join the Strawhat crew or anything and it hits Sanji so hard when he knows Thatch won't see the actual wedding or anything.

Vista: Taught Sanji to use swords until he decided to just focus on more physical forms of combat. The proudest brother Sanji has. He has shown Sanji off at every possible turn. Claims his cooking was better than Thatch's when Thatch was alive. When Sanji was older and started setting himself on fire he once brandished Sanji's leg as a sword as a joke. Had Sanji in his grip and was just like "USE YOUR CORE" as he jokingly fended off Jozu.

Jozu: The hardest on Sanji. He taught Sanji all about haki and trained his observation and armament and he and Marco have a running theory that Sanji can feel the friction of his blood and use that to set himself on fire. Genuinely thinks Ace and Sanji will be the death of him, Sanji especially because he doesn't have a fruit, can kick a man thirty yards off ship and is the best swimmer. Has told Marco and Pops on numerous occasions that they need to keep a very close eye in case anything else develops. And when he sees Sanji can sky walk he points at Sanji and says to Marco "That sorta shit, that shit right there was what I meant." Marco is losing it.

Izou: Helps Sanji with his gender expression from a young age. Carried Sanji around when he was younger since Oden and Toki took Hiyori and Momonosuke to Wano after leaving with Roger. Tells Sanji all about the title of 'Monster' and how the Government bestows it upon people. He explains that it's up the individual to live up to the title. Izou is the first person to hear Sanji explain he wants to be a monster. To make those who hurt him fear him. Izou smiles and assures him he will do that. In Wano Sanji, Ace and Marco are crying at the loss of another brother. Especially one who smiled so brightly and expressed himself so freely.

White Beard: Best dad Sanji ever had. Would let little Sanji fall asleep on him after particularly long days and will not let anyone take Sanji from him because "he's my last, dammit! Can't exactly hold the rest of you shits!"

Spoils the fuck out of Sanji as he knows everyone else is doing the hard work of discipline on the baby. When he saw Sanji light his legs on fire and Teach was done with he took Sanji to his office and wrapped him in several blankets and then is like "Alright come here brat" and then just holds him and tells him about people gifted without fruits. Sanji suddenly realizes that his dad is dying and White Beard comforts him and says he has some years left.

Ace: Husband. Fell in love with this brash 18 year old boy who tried to kill his dad. Decided to say fuck it and fuck him. And succeeded on both aspects. Sanji absolutely spoils Ace with food and Ace spoils back by keeping the cook warm. Everyone finds them gross. Showers Sanji is kisses and drives everyone mad with how touchy he is. Not that Sanji would have him any other way. It's just how the Shirohige are.

[paradoxcase]

Chapter 21 of Nona the Ninth

I don't understand why she did that? She knew it would be We Suffer listening and making the call on whether to shoot her, and that she would consider stealing Judith to be betrayal. I still have no idea why Camilla saved her here, other than just that Camilla doesn't particularly want her to die? Pyrrha had not appeared or said any codewords at the time she objected to the shot. Corona obviously wasn't collaborating with Pyrrha to communicate things to Camilla and Nona via codewords, I don't think she expected to see Pyrrha there at all and she doesn't know about the codewords, either. So I don't know what her plan for not getting shot was? Was she just hoping that Ianthe would take in Judith after she got shot?

This seems to be setting things up to say that Nona is actually Gideon, but I don't think that's correct, for numerous reasons. I guess we'll probably find out what's up when they get ahold of Gideon's body

I can't find this particular code. Going back to the beginning of the book, supposedly the code for "someone listening" was "fritters", but I don't see Pyrrha saying that anywhere in the last chapter

I did find these ones:

That's clever, I didn't expect those to come back, presumably the important resource is Gideon's body and not Ianthe's cigarette stash (does she still think smoking is cool after she decided to sacrifice Augustine to the Stoma? I wonder). But I don't think I would have been able to find those again without the Nook app's search function

Yes, they do give weird incest vibes

I'm surprised that We Suffer is offering to give them a shuttle and information on the Sixth House in exchange for Gideon's body - I think since she no longer has Judith, she no longer has a way to leave the planet and get to a place where she can use it to open the Tomb. Or does the wider BOE have a way to rescue them that they'll use if they get ahold of Gideon's body? It sounded like from what We Suffer said about the mysterious package she wants them to take with them that she is stuck

So yeah, John obviously made no attempt to resurrect Gideon, and it doesn't even sound like anyone is puppeting her corpse like Ianthe is with Naberius? I'd say he lost his mind, but I think we're going to eventually find out that that already happened 10,000 years ago at this point

I wonder if there's going to be some reveal at some point that John can't actually resurrect anyone, and whatever happened during the Resurrection was like, a one-time fluke, or Alecto actually did it, or something like that? Because he started out Harrow the Ninth telling Harrow that he can't resurrect the Ninth House because "the cost is too great" but it never became clear what he meant by that or why that was the case, and now he's clearly not resurrecting Gideon despite that being the obvious thing for him to do. I think there weren't any Lyctors other than Cytherea that died in a way where they could in theory have been resurrected: Cassiopeia was torn apart by angry ghosts, Cyrus went into a black hole, Ulysses went into the Stoma, and Anastasia wasn't a Lyctor

So the theory now is that they think Harrow would have reappeared where Number Seven is, and so they broadcast Gideon's body to get Harrow back? Except... during Ianthe's last interaction with Harrow's body, it was being occupied by Gideon. So maybe Gideon's body is also meant to lure Gideon in Harrow's body in addition to Harrow in Harrow's body?

I have no idea what the exchange is about

Was this like, 12 year old Corona suggesting making wards out of cum or something

Right, so obviously we're meant to interpret this as being code:

but I can't find any instance of "None" being used as a nickname for Nona in this whole book, and as amply demonstrated by this example, "none" is in fact a pronoun, which would make it confusing to be used as a nickname - it'd be like nicknaming someone "You" or something like that, there'd be no real clear indication when it was being used with its usual meaning and when it was meant to refer to Nona. So this seems like a really big stretch

Surely colored contacts are going to be easier to find than iris dye?

Anyway, I guess Nona is going to go pretend to be Harrow

[hel-phoenyx]

31) Will you marry me ? (bonus prompt)

Lubell and Ether belong to @noa-de-cajou, War, Ragnvindr, Chiara, Desire, Nru to @corneille-but-not-the-author, and Agathe to @thal-ent

A lot of other characters (mentioned) belong to them and @soupedepates too

I've thought long and hard about this for a while.

My rings are heavy on my fingers, but light on my pocket. I have run through every law text, every little nook and cranny of our holy book, finding nothing that can stop me ; I am after all Queen and Queen's word is law. Even if the Queen is no longer the Creator's herald and descendant.

However, I know what I'm about to do is going to create a rift in the kingdom. Lamia warned me countless times. Heirs won't like that, thinking I'm shitting on their traditions ; the church won't like that, thinking I am destroying the sanctity of union. Even the people may not enjoy it, because the Queen ? Taking not only a concubine while married, but a second spouse ?

Oh the blasphemy.

I have heard her words and all of them are wise. I have to prepare myself for a thunderstorm, maybe a national outrage. It may be the cause of an unrest, even though I am quite popular. I should wait for a better time.

But I want this now.

How long are we gonna live ?

I'm sat at my desk, my daughter looking at me. She thinks I'm a fool, and I wouldn't disagree with her. She's always been more cunning than I am. Yet she didn't say no to what I am about to do.

"Lamia, can you take care of something from me ?"

She rolls her eyes.

"Yes, I can do your paperwork for today. But I'll have you remember that contrary to you, I have no experience dealing with the people. Be quick."

I am aware. This is precisely the reason why I let her go to that apprenticeship with Faloi, as much as I hated the idea. She's leaving in a few days. I have so little time with her.

I nod.

"That won't take too long."

"Hope so, mom. I know dad. Also I have ears."

Sigh. Damn the gods hor having her inherit her father's earsight. I can't hide anything from her even if I try very hard. I had to insonorize my room but the more she grows up and the more she's aware her father and I love each other in many ways.

She throws a sarcastic smile in my direction before sitting down in my place, and shooing me away with absolutely no respect. I've never been a Queen for her, only a mother. This suits me perfectly.

I want a child, not a heir.

I get out, walk to my room. Sun is setting, Baku should be out of his office by now, and Chiara probably stopped training for the day to join him in the bedroom. I know I'm not interrupting anything, because Lamia would have told me so.

When I reach my room, slightly opened so the insonorisation spell doesn't work anymore, I hear two voices. Probably talking about something she saw in the streets and was curious about.

I don't need to knock. This is my room, after all, and I'm never interrupting anything. Yet, Baku and Chiara raise eyebrows, surprised to find me here, apparently. What, like I don't know you're squatting the queen's bechambers while she's not here ? The things I saw you two do on my bed, I swear.

Their guilty cat expressions are adorable.

"Lina, I didn't know you would get back so early..."

Baku is scratching his head, like he always does when he's embarrased. His cheeks are rosy, and it's probably not helping Chiara litteraly climbed him, arms around his neck and legs squeezing his waist from behind. She looks like a sloth like this. A sloth with big, shining doe eyes.

I never was so sure I wanted this.

"Yeah, I let Lamia take care of things for a while. There is something I wanted to ask both of you, actually."

Protocole in the divine Mandate often asks for the two people to be alone, when the question is thrown. Because love is something to be hidden, a secret, an intimate confession. But judging the situation, I wouldn't want to exclude any of them from this conversation.

My hand takes Chiara's, while the other reach a little box in my pocket, where lies an intricate dagger.

I've never been one to follow traditions, but this one I'll keep.

The other dagger I own is sitting on my desk, surrounded by our wedding ribbon. I didn't expect to receive another, but I'm fine with it. It's my turn to give, after all.

"I have thought about this for a long time, and figured out I needed to ask you this. Feel free to refuse, I won't blame you..."

After all, one of the reasons I've fallen in love with her is that she was free of all bonds of life.

I pull out the dagger and Baku's eyes widen. Chiara still looks surprised. She didn't know about the tradition, I suppose.

"But Chiara, will you marry me ?"

She blinks. Once. Twice.

Her eyes are round with something I hope is astonishment. Still on Baku's back, but not holding him as tight anymore. Her hand is still in mine, open. I'm waiting for her answer before I give her that dagger.

Baku is the first one to recover from the surprise.

He smiles.

"Well, for what its worth, I was planning to ask you, too. But it looks like Lina beat me to it."

My smile is a little too victorious for what it's worth. But Baku doesn't seem to mind. He just laughs.

"Maybe not the best time to ask this considering Lina just did an official proposal but I'd like to add myself to the roster. Chiara, will you marry u-"

"Yes !!!!"

She shouts with the enthousiasm of a little kid, a smile even wider than before on her lips. The smile she still holds when she takes the dagger, put it in her belt, and pull my hand towards her. The smile she uses to kiss me with laughing lost in my mouth.

I, too, am smiling.

***

The window is opened and spring winds cool down my room, bringing with them the smell of flowers and pollen.

Never been one to enjoy nature, but I have to admit the castle gardens, that I can see from here, do look like a fine scenery, especially at this moment of the year. A perfect atmosphere for my plans.

It's been years. I had a child far before I started thinking about thah. I had many reasons, of course, but Jiro is eight, now, and just a little bit younger than my relationship. Maybe it's time I go to the next level.

Why did I not, until then ? I suppose I was afraid. Afraid I didn't love her enough; Afraid he would come back and everything would crumble. Afraid, as I am now, that he would hurt her for the crime of being with me.

None of those considerations matter now. I still have that bad feeling, that hint of fear every time I see him in the corridors, but he's harmless, even if still grumpy. Well, can't blame him, memory loss can't suppress the pain of degenerating.

My door opens, and there she is, exhausted but smiling. She smiles way more now. After Lina's coronation she was always gloomy and unassuming ; how that discrete girl grew into an assertive, determined woman always astonishes me. I've fallen in love with that resolve, and her smile and her open hand.

I know she is the one I wanna give that ring to.

I've hesitated a long time. Do I follow Mandate's traditions or Death's ? Nru, who is closing the door carefully now, is Inkan, after all. She may not understand what I want to tell her if I go the Mandate way, and I don't know much about Death's way of courting. So I went back to age-old traditions, dating from the time Ink was still Paper and our continent didn't exist.

The ring is warm in my pocket, but I don't pull it out yet. I just smile.

"Hello, my dear. Did you have a good day ?"

"Tiring ! A necromancer sect was giving difficulties to Lina, I had to intervene for good. Sorry, I am covered in bone dust..."

"I don't mind. Sit down, I'll make you a bath."

"But-"

"No buts, Nru, my dear. You need to rest."

It would have been a time she would protest, say she isn't tired, she could still go on and hey, she should run me a bath and not the contrary, but today is not that time. She just sighs and sit down on the couch, while I go to the bathroom and activate the water warming system. Magic does wonders in the palace.

Bath won't be ready for a while, so I come back to the room and sit next to her. Her forehead feels so soft when I kiss it, even with the rebel hair everywhere. It's a little sweaty. I guess she did have a tiring day.

She leans on my shoulder and I smile again.

"Feeling better ?"

"Yes. sorry again for the bone dust..."

"I told you I don't mind."

And I don't. She's beautiful even tired and dirty. Even though I prefer her in a good shape.

I won't get any best time for this.

"Say, Nru, I have something to ask of you."

"Ask away ?"

Still smiling, I pull out the box from my pocket.

"Will you make me the happiest woman alive and join me in life until death do us part ?"

The box opens on a beautiful ring. ornamented with black roses, obsidian and amethyst. The colors complimenting her hair and those so pretty purple eyes now widening in shock.

It doesn't last for long, though. Because on her face shock lets happiness take its place.

"Yes, yes, of course I will !"

I take her hand, put the ring on her fingers, and she's laughing, I'm laughing, we're both laughing. Yet I've never laughed harder than when she raised her head, with a teasing smile, and kissed the bottom of my jaw.

"But I won't lie to you, you should have better hidden the box if you wanted to surprise me. Though it's not a bad thing. I would have fainted of shock right in front of you, that would have been unsightly."

Lucifer be damned, I love that woman.

***

A cat is laying at my feet, while I am waiting in those plains in the Gaikamshigtai territories, waiting for something that doesn't happen often.

Since she became War, I never see her anymore. Or, not as often as I wanted to. She's a goddess now, she has work to do, and I have work to do, too, as Greater Archbishop of the Silent Moon and Moon's Avatar ; She comes see me often, in between the duties, our duties, but it's so little.

I miss my love. People told me when I took my functions that a religion leader only should love her god, but she is my goddess, in more ways than one. My love, my life, my treasure, everything I've ever asked for while I was trapped in the Silent Moon. My first real friend, my angel, my everything.

And I know Moon doesn't mind, anyway. My loyalty is his since he saved my live, at my birth, and gave me a life I would be proud of, and he set us up, so at this point.

The cat is rolling at my feet, asking for scratches. I just squint my eyes.

Moon, I know it's you. Stop acting like I can't recognize you.

The cat meows. I roll my eyes.

Stop playing. I am your Avatar, for your sake, I litteraly communicate with you through telepathy.

It opens its eyes. Redder than blood itself, redder than the Carnage. A red people never saw on any cat, a red of divine nature. I know for a fact they hate that red. But changing the very nature of a Word is painful enough to make them stop at the tiniest details. Forsaking their human form is already a lot.

Those red eyes are now directly looking in mine.

Worth a shot.

You are a fucking menace.

To you, maybe.

It's a strange relationship we have, for a god and his worshipper. I am not afraid of them and they never made themselves terrifying. I have my own family, a family I wanted to join so badly when I was younger, a family that was never the Silent Temple ; somehow, they became another parent in the process.

Feeling sentimental, Selene ?

They're spying my thoughts again. It's annoying.

Well, as you signaled, you are my Avatar. I can't help it.

Get out of my head.

I'm saving all of my ressources for when you meet your girlfriend again. You have a tendency to broadcast your thoughts when she put her hands on you.

Bitch-

Come now, you're not my first Avatar with problems to control your sexual urges. I'm used to it.

I'm not, you peeping fucker.

That comes with the eternal life, black magic control and godly powers, kid.

I roll my eyes. they're right, the moment they leave my body and I will have to either learn to control my condition by myself or die trying. I have powerful powers without their help, but they destroy me. He saved my life not only by providing me energy, but by stabilizing my body.

I know they could leave any minute. They told me about their previous Avatar, Ahelm, a woman that couldn't be furthest from me but with who I empathise, in a way. They left her a bit before my birth, and now she has to live a life of a mortal loving a goddess.

Like me.

But unlike me, death will forever do them part.

i'm still waiting. The fighting is over, and the challenger died, so there's no ritual to be spoken of, why is she not here-

I hear footsteps the moment I think those words and there she is, running towards me. Two meters and fifty centimeters tall, I don't even reach her chest, running with the strenght of a million me, same strenght running in her blood, her Carnage. For so many people she is War incarnate, bloodshed and violence, but I do remember the teen holding my hand, the unassuming eyes of the girl from the people so unsure in a royal setting, the tiny smile when I told her I loved her for the first time.

Our kisses, our fight, and the final words of the mortal before she became a goddess.

"Will you still love me ?"

I will. I will. Forever and ever.

I let Moon here and run, too. I run towards her, smile wide, tears in my eyes; We haven't seen each other in so long. It's been weeks and weeks are already too much. I want her arms, I want her laugh, I want everything.

I jump in her arms and she catches me, smiling, her only eye shining with joy and love and everything and gods I missed her. Her hands pull me closer, grip my cress like she forgot how my body feels like, like I could forget how hers was so warm.

I kiss her with the might of a god and she answers with the devotion of a mortal.

"I missed you... So, so much."

It's hard for me to talk, still, but those words have never been easier.

Welp, bye-bye, says a voice in my head. I need to watch over something that isn't here.

I ignore them. Kiss her again. Gods, she feels so soft under my lips.

War smiles in the kiss.

"I missed you too, Selene."

"I have so much to tell you."

"I do, too."

She's so beautiful when she smiles. I can't live my whole life away from that woman.

"Will you marry me ?"

I blurted out those words completely out of context, and she blinks, a little startled. I have to admit I didn't think much before talking. I don't even know if gods can marry mortals, especially mortals that follow a different religion.

But I've never been so serious.

I want to have her as my wife.

Maybe she, too, had the same doubts in mind. I can see it on how she hesitates, how her hands squeeze my body. But she doesn't take long before replacing the doubt by a smile, shining and mighty and godly and everything.

"As soon as I can, my love."

Gods, Creator, everything in the sky, I love that woman.

***

Do gods marry mortals ?

I thought about it for a long time. I am no longer mortal myself, I'm gonna live a long, long time, and it's all thanks to her, my love, the mother of my daughter, but still, I am no god.

I don't even know what you're supposed to do. How do you propose to a god ? How do you even tell a god that you wanna marry her ?

That's a lot of things to think about, and sadly I am the overthinker kind of guy. She's the only one that can make my mind blank for a second.

Well, by stimulating another part of my body that isn't my brain, but, still.

I wanna marry her. I've known for a long time. It would be stupid not to join our lives, after all we have a fucking child together. At that point a ring on her finger would be jewellery, and not another step. And I wanna show to the world how much I love her, how much she's incredible, that little lady with her smiles and laughs and way to put me to silence with only a slip of the fingers.

But I still ask myself

Do gods marry mortals ?

She enters the romm, lightly dressed, still cheeks rozy, still sweaty. It's hot, outside, and our activities don't help. Her lips extend to a smile seeing me awake on the bed.

"And I thought I would have tired you by now !"

"Me ? Tired ? Never. In fact, I am ready for five more days, at least."

I say while winking. People can say we're horndogs, a,d that we're putting the endurance standard a bit to high for simple mortals, but I don't care the slightest. That's the woman I love, and that's an activity we enjoy. Who cares about what people say.

Her eyes grow hungrier, but she doesn't jump on me like she would have. In place, she just sit down next to me, put a hand on my thigh.

"Or we could just talk, you know, without moaning included."

"Oh, I love your voice anyway."

I love everything in her. Mind, body, charm, little flaws that once annoyed me but now I find endearing. I don't love easily, that's for sure, but this one it's for my very, very long now life.

Yes, I want to marry her. And I don't care if gods can't marry mortals. She would, with the same ease she kill all my doubts. About having a child with her, living with her, surviving with her.

"But that's good, because I wanted to ask you something."

"What a coincidence ! I do, too !"

"Well, go first, in that case, dear."

"Oh, but I wanted to keep the surprise..."

We laugh for a bit, back-and-forthing like that for a while, but no matter how hard I try, I can't keep the suspense, she isn't bulging. So, admitting my defeat, I pull out the drawer of our nightstand, before getting the box containing my whole life.

Before turning around and burst into laughing.

She has the exact same box in hand.

"Are you fucking kidding me, love ?!"

She looks at me. Looks at the box. Starts laughing too.

"Oh, by mother, don't tell me we had the same idea."

"Great minds think alike, huh ?"

She jumps into my arms, kiss me on the cheeks, boxes still on our hands.

"Sure we do. And yes, I will marry you, my big dumb idiot."

"Hey, com'on, Desire, I am not an idiot, I am a science genius !"

"That I can dumb down pretty quick when I have my mouth on his-"

"Don't finish that sentence or I throw you out of the bed."

She laughs, her teasing voice making my whole body ripple.

"My word, Mairù, you would throw your beloved fiancée out of her bed where she unraveled you so thouroughly ? You wound me, my dear, you wound me !"

"Well, if we're engaged, our bed now~"

"And I'm about to make you discover a whole new aspect of it-"

"Mom, dad, why are you making so much noise ? I can't sleep..."

Fuck. Carolyn. I forgot about my daughter for a moment, but that doesn't erase her from existence. Luckily, we didn't do anything, and my little menace is used to her parents hugging it out constantly.

Desire lets go of me, turns towards the door, where our toddler is standing, eyes heavy with sleep, her plushie in her hands. Before smiling at our little treasure.

"It's okay, Carolyn. Mom and dad are just loving each other."

"But you always love each other..."

"We do, we do," I smile while sitting down in a more comfortable position. And that's a good thing, you know. Something wrong, bunny ?"

She pouts.

"I had a nightmare... Can I sleep with you ?"

"Of course."

Too bad for the engagement sex, but we're not the only ones in this family. And since I am gonna be a husband, I also need to be a dad.

***

I'm not a big fan of weddings, usually.

I turned down Kaï for a reason. Many, in facts. I loved him, from the bottom of my heart I did. But he was mortal, and I was not ; he was king, and I was duchess. I didn't want another bond to tie him down to me, and rob him of his happiness while restraining mine.

Truth be told, I don't think I ever wanted to marry. It held little meaning to me, especially since in demons domains, marriage are often arranged. You sometimes end up loving each other, like Naberius and Meredith did, but more often than not you finish your lives like Ravil and his wife. My cousin, that doesn't skip a beat every time we see each other to tell me how much she despises him.

So, I wasn't sure about marriage, at first. Let time flow. And then Harue and the Spring Queen started talking about it, and I saw Ragnvindr's cheeks color in a slight red. His eyes were a splendid shade of yellow and red.

I guess he wants to marry Lubell, for what it's worth, he should. But now I wonder what about me. Would he want to marry me ? Would I want to ?

I had a long reflexion, around marriage. Talked about it with the Spring Queen, who told me wedding hold the significance I wanna give them. Then, with Katharinah, that told me she didn't like making things official but would consider me her wife anyway. I even asked Sinestri for her input.

She didn't told me much, but it was appreciated she at least didn't hit me for daring to replace her mother.

Now I am sat in front of the garden, tend to by the Queen. Her flowers are beautiful, like always ; she's looking at Harue helping her garden with Aravi, but her eyes sometimes gloss over me, throwing me an encouraging look.

Lubell and Ragnvindr are there too, sitting next to me. They're looking at each other more often than the garden, sometimes I feel like the third wheel, if their hands weren't holding mine tight. Ragnvindr's eyes are redder than ever, there is only love in those eyes.

They love each other, I knew it since a long time. I took a lot of time to accept they loved me, too. I am not used, despite my past, to have more than one love.

Yet the balance was found and today I only find happiness in their shared feelings.

I want to share something with them, too.

The Spring Queen is winking at me, before taking Aravi and Harue by the hands and bringing them somewhere else. Sly motherfucker. She set us up, I know it. And my two lovebirds don't even notice we are now alon in the garden.

I laugh a little, attracting Lubell's attention.

"Something's wrong, Myrrah ?"

"Oh, nothing. Just something on my mind."

"Would you tell us then ?" Asks Ragnvindr with glitter in his eyes.

I bring them both closer to me.

"I was just thinking about how much I love you."

She smiles. He smiles. I smile, too.

"Say, Rag', Lu', my loves, my treasure, I have something I wanted to ask you."

I see their eyebrows raised, I feel their arms around me, I feel loved, I feel loved, I feel loved.

I love them for the rest of eternity.

And I want to show them how much I do.

"What do you think about marrying me ?"

***

Ai and Ether's wedding was a sight to remember, and not only because the two official concubines left could enjoy some alone time afterwards, finally alone in the harem.

I know what they did, I have ears, good ears. Teach' told me they sometimes feel like a curse. Not gonna lie, that night, I got the curse of jealousy.

They taught me a lot about weddings. How they're not only to create children, to reproduce. How they could be against anyone that loved each other, even people of the same gender. How they're a demonstration of love to everyone that can see.

Weddings are not forced, weddings are pretty, wedding can be controversial, but what's more important is that the spouses always laugh at a wedding. That's what Agathe told me.

She's lying down next to me, I'm preening her wings. Full moon is close, I feel cranky, and I know she can feel it, but she wanted me there, so I stay there. Her little chanting is calming me down, anyway. Her voice is so pretty when she sings melodies from her homeland, almost as pretty than when she tells me I did good, I am good, I am loved.

Only thing covering her skin is a transparent dress, one of mine. She stole it from my wardrobe and had the gall to act innocent when I called her out about this. I know she knows the clothing is too big for her, that she went into my stuff on purpose. Yet she looks so pretty, like this.

"How are you feeling, Agathe ?"

"I could ask you the same, says my beloved with a soft voice while lifting her head. You're the one affected by the moon, not me."

She's right, but I still want her to feel good. That's the reason why I still hasn't fallen asleep. I want to watch her as she's loosening her guard, watch as she put her life between my hands, as she knows I won't ever hurt her.

She's the first one that ever fell asleep before me. After caressing my body like I was a work of art, and not a weapon to forge. Like I deserve softness instead of violence.

I wonder sometimes if the blindness made her ignore she had in front of her a monster. But who in their right minds would touch a monster, kiss a monster, let her body in the care of a monster ?

Everytime her hands run through my scars it looks like she's worshipping them.

I lay down next to her, and she pulls me towards her. her wings envelopping us like a cocoon of safety.

"Shouldn't we sleep ?"

"Let's wait for Ether first. She wanted to see you."

Ether. Right. I wonder what she had in mind. It's not a lot of time since, listening to my damn Archbishop, she tried to propose to me the way she told her too. With bones. Selene always had a weird sense of humor regarding customs and bones, I wonder why.

I appreciated the intent and told her yes, but after learning it wasn't how the Mandatians ask for a hand in marriage, she promised me she would make it right.

And then, nothing.

Not a peep, not a word.

I wonder what she's thinking about.

I guess I can wait for a little while longer, even though I feel more and more sleepy, and Agathe has those little movements of the head like she's trying not to fall asleep. Luckily, I don't have to wait for long. The doors of the harem open, and hurried footsteps signal me of Ether's presence.

"Sorry for the wait, I had... difficult patients at the office..."

"It is alright, love," Agathe smiles while opening her wings. "Come here, come here, we were just waiting for you."

Ether doesn't need any kind of persuasion. Quickly, she snuggles next to me, takes my hand in hers.

"Feeling better, Lycarn ?"

"Yes, thank you."

Her hand feels so warm in mine, so soft. It's calloused, like a doctor's is, and yet it runs like silk on my skin.

Her smile gets even softer.

"Well don't fall asleep just yet, because Agathe and I had something to ask of you."

"What is it ?"

Agathe smiles, and takes something from the pillows next to her. A box.

"I had to ask Baku for the customs, and he told me it is usual to offer a dagger, or a ring, for that kind of occasion. But both Ether and I felt like giving you a weapon would be in bad taste, so..."

"We had to resort to the other custom, the more universal one, Ether laughs while pulling her own box. Silent Moon doesn't have any for engagement itself, apparently. We'll make up for it later, promise."

Both boxes are opened before me. Holding each a ring shining under the harem's lights.

Their smiles shine brighter.

"Lycarn, they say at the same time. Will you marry me ?"

Tears run to my eyes.

Yes.

Yes I do.

[goforth-ladymidnight]

A Second Chance

Pairing: Tamlin x Lucien

Rating: M for mature themes and strong language

Ch. 1/5(?)

Word Count: 3.9k

Summary: There is a reason that Tamlin disappeared from Lucien's life seven years ago. Lucien just doesn't know what it is. They were more than college roommates; they were best friends. Now, a chance encounter in a bookstore leaves both of them wondering if they can pick up where they left off. A new year is right around the corner, but there is no wiping Tamlin's slate clean. Featuring Jurian and Vassa in supporting roles, this is not a story of redemption, but of finding love—and forgiveness—in the most unlikely of places. A Modern ACOTAR Holiday AU.

✨✨✨For @praetorqueenreyna ✨✨✨

It's here! It's here! It's finally here! (Emphasis on finally.) Even though this took a lot longer than I intended, it's also a lot longer, too. This is the first chapter out of five (I think), and I hope to have the rest done by New Year's. Featuring your OTP Tamcien, as requested, as well as a little bit of Jassa because, as you'll soon see, they needed to be in this story. :) I hope you like it! I had an absolute blast writing it.

@acotargiftexchange

Read on AO3 as part of the 2023 Gift Exchange Collection or read on below the cut:

“Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer,” crooned a male voice in the sound system above their heads, a slower, mellower version of the jolly holiday song that matched the easygoing vibe in The Reading Nook Bookstore.

Lucien absentmindedly hummed along as he browsed the themed display tables, passing over the fantasy and romance books in favor of something more to his mother’s taste. As he read the synopsis of the latest Poppy Seedcake Mystery, a cozy murder mystery series themed around baked goods, he couldn’t help but smirk.

“What do you think of this,” he asked Vassa, who was perusing the political thriller section nearby. When she glanced up, he held up the cover and continued jokingly, “Should I get this for my mom? It’s all about murdering your husband and how to get away with it.”

Vassa’s bright blue eyes flicked to the cover. “Rat poison,” she said simply, before returning her attention to the thick novel in her hands.

Lucien’s brows furrowed as he turned the cover over. He traced the title with his finger as he read to her, “No, it says: A Raisin to Kill… Wait. What do you mean: ‘Rat Poison’?”

“How to murder your husband and get away with it,” she repeated in her richly lyrical Scythian accent. “Rat poison. In coffee. Tea is too weak to disguise the taste.”

Lucien swore and ducked his shoulders as a couple of curious shoppers glanced up from their magazines nearby. Redfaced, he set the mystery book down and remarked, “I forgot how literal you are sometimes.”

Vassa looked at him quizzically. “Is that not what you wanted to give your mother for Christmas?”

“Not if it can used as evidence in a murder trial,” he quipped, then shook off the chill rippling down his arms. “Maybe I’ll just buy her a fruit basket.”

“Rat poison works well in the juices of fruit, too,” she said brightly.

Lucien chuckled nervously and ran a hand over his long red hair. “I’ll take your word for it.” He wanted his bastard father dead just as much as the rest of his brothers, but he wasn’t keen on being considered a suspect in Beron Vanserra’s death. “Where did you learn about that, um—” he cleared his throat, “—advice, anyway?”

“My mother. It is said my grandfather was a—how you say—good-for-nothing rat bastard.” Lucien’s eyebrows shot up as she continued, “So, my grandmother, she takes care of him. Rat poison.”

He realized his mouth had fallen open, so he closed it. Loosening the knot of the wool scarf around his neck, he remarked, “Scythian housewives don’t mess around, do they?”

Vassa smiled sweetly and added her book to a steadily growing pile with a heavy, meaningful thump. “Rat poison makes no mess. Not like stab wounds.”

Lucien let out a nervous chuckle. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

“I will,” she trilled, then her smile vanished as she caught sight of something behind him. “Do you know a man with light hair in dark clothes?” she asked in a low voice. “He is—how you say—checking me out.”

Lucien chuckled. “Lucky you,” he quipped, returning his gaze to the Murder Mystery display, then he froze. “Wait.” Had one of the customers overheard them and called the police? Shit. Wait. Don’t panic. “What does he look like?”

She shrugged with her mouth. “Big. Strong.”

Shit. Shit. Shit. With a wincing smile, he looked over his shoulder, trying to think of a way to explain that he and his foreign friend were only joking, when he realized he recognized the man. He straightened and turned to face the man directly. “Tam?”

With a shy chuckle, Tamlin stepped closer, tucking a book under his arm as he said, “Hey, Lu. I thought that was you.”

Lucien shook his head and let out an amazed laugh, then spread his arms wide and drew Tamlin into a sudden hug. It was as brief as it was awkward, but he couldn’t help himself. After a congenial back thump, Lucien released him and stepped back. “How long has it been, man?”

“Long time,” Tamlin replied with a tight smile, his cheeks slightly flushed. “At least…”

“Seven years,” they said in unison.

“Seven years,” Tamlin repeated, nodding slowly. “What have you been, um—” He glanced at Vassa, then shoved his hands in his pockets and amended, “How have you been?”

“Good,” Lucien said quickly. “Really good. Um.” He cleared his throat and gestured to the redhead at his side. “Before I forget. Tam, this is my friend, Vassa. Vassa, this is Tamlin.”

She twiddled her fingers in a polite wave.

He looked to Tamlin and continued, “She and I met when I traveled to Scythia for that foreign exchange program back in college. Remember?”

“Oh… right,” Tamlin said, nodding slowly, then gestured at her with his pocketed hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Vassa smiled and repeated a similar greeting in Scythian.

“She’s just visiting,” Lucien explained, “but she’s thinking of moving here after the holidays.”

“Congratulations,” Tamlin said politely, and Vassa dipped her head in acknowledgment.

“What about you, man?” Lucien asked him, thumping him on the shoulder. “Where have you been hiding yourself? I haven’t seen you since junior year.”

Tamlin shrugged dismissively. “Oh, you know. Around.”

When it was clear he wasn’t going to elaborate, Lucien turned to Vassa and remarked, “Tam has the greenest thumb of anyone I know. Someone left a dying, um, plant in our dorm, and Tam nursed it back to health.”

At Vassa’s blank look, Tamlin explained, “He means weed.”

Lucien added jokingly, “The whole floor called us the High Lords.”

Tamlin turned red and chuckled. “Oh, god. The High Lords. I had forgotten about that.”

Lucien grinned. “Yeah. Weren’t there six of us? You, me, Kallias, Tarquin, Rhys—”

Tamlin’s easy smile stiffened. “Oh. Yeah.”

Lucien was about to ask what that look meant, when he noticed Vassa’s confused frown. “Oh, sorry,” he told her. “I meant to explain: Weed is something you smoke to get high. Um, feel good. We were in Room 420… You know. Dumb kid stuff.”

Vassa continued to frown. “He has green thumb?”

Both Tamlin and Lucien let out embarrassed chuckles.

Before Lucien could think of a better Scythian translation, Tamlin pulled his hand out of his pocket and gave her a thumbs-up. “He just means I’m good with my hands,” he said with a smile.

“You should have heard him play in the orchestra,” Lucien added eagerly. “He could make a grown man cry with his violin.” Vassa smiled at that. Music was something she appreciated, and understood; no translation necessary. He asked Tamlin, “Do you still play?”

Tamlin winced and rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, no. Not really.”

“Oh.”

Before he could think of a better question, Tamlin cleared his throat and said, “Well, it was good seeing you again. I don’t often run into anyone from the old days, so—”

“Oh, yeah?” Lucien said, trying to keep him a little longer. “Maybe we can have lunch some time. I don’t want to keep you from your Christmas shopping.” He nodded at the book tucked under his old friend’s arm. It had a bright yellow spine that contrasted nicely with the dark hunter green of his jacket, so it was difficult to ignore. It was difficult to think of what else to say.

“Job hunting for…” Vassa said slowly, tilting her head as she read the spine, and Lucien suddenly realized why Tamlin had been hiding the book under his arm.

“For a friend,” Tamlin said hastily, his face turning as red as Lucien’s felt. He jerked his thumb at the checkout line and said, “I’m on my lunch break, so…”

Not wanting to end their chance meeting on a sour note, Lucien asked him, “So, when do you get off work? Five?”

Tamlin’s throat bobbed. “Something like that.”

Lucien nodded at Vassa and said, “We’re having dinner at eight o’clock tonight, and we’d love for you to join us.”

“After, we have tickets to Swan Lake,” Vassa added.

“Vassa’s never been, so…” Lucien tried to explain, but Tamlin winced and held up his hand.

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“Not at all,” Lucien insisted. “We’ll just get another ticket.”

Tamlin looked skeptical. “To Swan Lake? In December?”

“You know the Vanserras are big patrons of the arts. I’ll name-drop.”

“I don’t know,” Tamlin said slowly. “Two’s company, three’s a crowd…”

“You can be bringing someone else, too, yes?” Vassa offered.

“Are you seeing anyone?” Lucien asked.

Tamlin’s brows furrowed. “You mean… like a date?”

“Yeah,” Lucien squeaked, then cleared his throat. “Um, yeah, a date.” He gestured between them. “You can bring someone, I’ll bring Vassa, and then nobody will feel left out. What do you say?”

Tamlin quirked his mouth to one side, thinking it over. After a long pause, he sighed. “I do have a friend…”

“Perfect.” Lucien jumped at the chance. “Let’s meet up for drinks at The Sour Lemon Bar at seven, then we’ll have dinner and go to the theater afterwards.”

When Tamlin still hesitated, Lucien added, “My treat.”

Tamlin winced. “I can’t let you do that—”

“Sure you can!” Lucien insisted, thumping him on the arm. “It’s all going on the Vanserra expense account, anyway. A very merry Fuck You to my father, just in time for Christmas.”

Tamlin dropped his gaze to the ground, chuckling deeply. When he looked up again, the tight lines in his face had eased, and his smile finally reached his eyes. “You haven’t changed a bit, you know that?”

Lucien grinned. “Does that mean you’ll come?”

Tamlin sighed again, but he nodded. “It’s a date.” He blushed. “I-I mean, with you a-and Vassa.” He cleared his throat. “Seven, you said?”

Lucien’s scarf felt strangely tight as he agreed, “At The Sour Lemon Bar. Do you need an address?”

“No, I’m sure I’ll find it,” Tamlin said, edging toward the checkout stand. “See you, Lu. Nice to meet you, um, Vassa.”

Vassa nodded, and Lucien raised his hand in farewell as he watched his long-lost friend make his way to the front of the store.

“He seems nice,” Vassa remarked.

“Yeah,” Lucien murmured, watching as Tamlin took out a worn-looking leather wallet from the back of his belted jeans. The hunter green bomber jacket looked warm enough, but it was December, and they were expecting snow later. He wasn’t even wearing a hat, but his sunlight blond hair reached his shoulders and covered his ears, so maybe he didn’t need one. Tamlin’s hair had been much shorter back in the day, just curling under his ears and tickling the back of his neck when the two of them were in school, an act of defiance against his military father, Tamlin had said.

The long hair suited him, but unlike Lucien’s own shoulder-length strands, it seemed less like a stylistic choice and more like he hadn’t seen a barber in a while. It was like he hadn’t seen anyone in a while.

As Tamlin left the store without looking back, the bell above the door jingled, and a new song began to play: “Sleigh bells ring, are you listenin’…”

It was almost funny, but Lucien could only sigh. Something had happened to his old friend, but he couldn’t begin to guess what it was. With a start, he realized he hadn’t given Tamlin his contact information. He could only hope that his old friend would show up like he promised, and then he could find out what had happened to break his spirit.

* * *

Tamlin slid into the front seat of his friend’s black SUV with a heavy sigh. The soiled interior smelled like an ashtray and stale french fries, but at least it was warm.

Jurian, sitting in the driver’s seat with his mini-binoculars glued to the front of his face, asked, “Find anything good?”

Tamlin sighed again and rubbed his hands against the vent’s steady flow of welcome heat. “Yeah.”

Jurian lowered the binoculars at last and looked at him. “And?”

“And she was in there, all right? She was Christmas shopping, like normal people do at this time of year.”

Jurian smirked. “Oh, like you?” He glanced down at the paper bag resting on the middle seat. “What’s that?”

“It’s nothing—Hey!”

Jurian had the bag torn open before he could snatch it back, and he scoffed. “Job Hunting for Dummies?” He snorted. “Looking for another job, dummy?”

Face burning, Tamlin snatched the book and the bag back. “Shut up. I had to buy something, all right? It was the first thing I grabbed. She saw me.”

“Shit. She saw you?” Jurian grimaced and ran a hand over his salt-and-pepper stubble. “Did she mark you?”

“No,” Tamlin muttered, wrapping the torn brown paper edges over the top of the book before shoving it under his seat.

“Good. The last thing we need is to lose our payday. Christmas is coming up, and the fat man is bringing a big fat check if we play this right.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tamlin muttered, shoving his hands under his armpits.

Jurian snorted. “Don’t sound so excited. It’s not every day that a job like this drops in our laps. Cheating spouses is our bread and butter, but runaway princesses?” He put his fingers to his lips and kissed them. “Filet mignon.”

Tamlin let out a resigned sigh. “If you like filet mignon.”

Jurian smirked. “I don’t mind second helpings.” Tamlin shot him a look, but Jurian suddenly straightened up and snapped his fingers at something outside. “Hey-hey-hey. There she is. Grab the camera.”

As Tamlin reluctantly reached into the backseat, Jurian lifted the binoculars and squinted through them.

“Huh. Koschei didn’t mention she had a brother.”

Tamlin straightened up in the passenger seat as he slung the camera strap around his neck. “She doesn’t.”

Jurian lowered the binoculars with a confused squint. “Then who’s the twink?”

“He’s not a twink—” Tamlin bit back a growl as Jurian raised his dark, bushy brows at him. He took a deep breath and calmly explained, “His name is Lucien Vanserra. You’ve probably heard of his family.”

“Vanserra? As in Daddy is the head of the entire Autumn Corporation?” When Tamlin nodded, Jurian let out a low, appreciative whistle and resumed his binocular view. “That explains the nice threads. No wonder Princess is hanging around him.”

Tamlin’s cheeks flushed with a muttered, “Yeah,” then lifted the camera and looked down the telescopic lens. The two redheads were chatting amiably outside the bookstore, blissfully unaware that they were being watched by some sleazy private eye and his equally sleazy but unwilling cameraman. At least it paid the rent. Some of the time.

It was just a few lousy pictures. Proof that Vassa was living in Prythian. That was all. But still, as Tamlin zoomed in on Lucien’s smiling face, as he laughed at something Vassa said, his perfect teeth bright against the tawny beige of his skin, his finger hovered—and hesitated—over the shutter button.

“Problem?” Jurian asked.

“Smudge on the lens,” Tamlin muttered, lowering the camera. As he dug around in the camera case for a cleaning cloth, Jurian swore.

“You didn’t think to check it before we left?”

“It’s this damn vehicle,” Tamlin snapped. “Maybe if you cleaned it once in a while—”

“Hey. Don’t blame me for your screw-up—”

“I didn’t want to take this job in the first place!”

“Oh, now you tell me. Anything else you want to confess, or should I find a priest for that?!”

They were still arguing when Tamlin saw red.

“Shit.” He ducked down in the passenger seat as Lucien stepped off the sidewalk and crossed the street in front of the SUV, alone.

Jurian sat back in his seat and barked a laugh when Tamlin finally lifted his head to peek over the dashboard. “Hey, dumbass. Tinted windows, remember?”

“Shut up,” Tamlin muttered, straightening up, then winced as he examined the lens, which had been bumped loose from the lens mount. He hoped it wasn’t broken. Repairs like that weren’t cheap.

Jurian sat up in the driver’s seat and squinted, then smacked his hand against the steering wheel. “Dammit. She’s gone.”

He shifted the SUV into gear, then floored the gas and pulled into the street. As they drove, scanning the slushy streets, Jurian ran a hand through his already unruly dark hair. “Fuck. Where are we supposed to look for her now?”

As Tamlin lowered the two pieces of the camera to his lap, he cleared his throat. “Funny you should mention that…”

Jurian cocked an eyebrow as Tamlin explained what had happened inside the bookstore. “A date?” He could barely keep his eyes on the road. “Are you fucking serious?”

“It’s not a date,” Tamlin retorted. “We’re just old friends catching up, that’s all.”

“You and pretty boy, maybe, but what am I supposed to do? I’m supposed to be undercover. We’re supposed to be undercover, dipshit.”

“I’m not going to blow our cover,” Tamlin growled through gritted teeth. “And you don’t have to come.”

Jurian huffed in frustration and slammed on the brakes, narrowly missing the car in front of him as it idled at a stoplight. “Great,” he huffed again, smacking the steering wheel. “This is just great.” He grumbled something about this being the worst time to give up smoking—even though it had been three years—then he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Look. I’m sorry, kid. I know this isn’t your dream job. I wouldn’t ask you to do this if I wasn’t desperate. My vision isn’t what it used to be, and Mr. Hybern is breathing down my neck, and…”

Tamlin’s fingers traced the edges of the busted lens mount, and he sighed. “I know.”

“I’ll make it up to you. We’ll skip the filet mignon and get one of those—” He snapped his fingers. “—what do you call ‘em—hide-a-beds. God knows we need a new couch anyway.”

Tamlin thought of the way the sorry sofa sagged under his weight and the way it was six inches too short no matter which way he laid on it.

“You know what? I’ll even pretend to be whatever you want on this date—not-a-date,” he amended when Tamlin shot him a warning look, “if you’ll help me with this last job. Deal?”

It still meant lying to Lucien, but was leaving out the worst part of the last seven years even a lie in the first place? The traffic light ahead of them turned green, but the SUV continued to idle.

“Well?”

Tamlin sighed again. “Deal.”

“Atta boy,” Jurian said warmly, then flipped off the cars honking behind him. “I know it’s green, you morons.”

Tamlin sank back against the passenger seat as the SUV sped up to join the thick of downtown traffic, strangely calm while Jurian swore at all the holiday shoppers during the most fuckin’ wonderful time of the year.

Even though Tamlin would have preferred to leave Jurian—and Vassa—out of it, he was almost looking forward to that evening. It had been so long since he had looked forward to anything… It wasn’t even about the food and the entertainment. God only knew how long it had been since he had had enjoyed anything half that nice. The Sour Lemon Bar alone was on the ritzier side of town, after all… It was about the company.

A slight smile touched his mouth as he thought back to that chance meeting with his old friend and former roommate. Jurian was decent enough to give him a place to stay when the whole world went to hell, but… From the first day they met at college, he and Lucien just clicked. They could talk about everything and nothing. It was more than being best friends. They were true kindred spirits.

They were each the youngest in their respective families, with strict, overbearing fathers who couldn’t be bothered to show up for important things like recitals or graduation, but who were also obsessed with image and obedience.

Tamlin still didn’t know how Lucien’s mom put up with it, but his own mother had passed away when he was sixteen. She had been there for every school concert, every violin recital, smiling proudly despite undergoing brutal cancer treatments. All the while his own father couldn’t be bothered to show up.

“Only queers and sissies play the fiddle,” his father had sneered.

Real men play football. Real men win wrestling tournaments. Real men take one for the team, the way his brothers did. They called him selfish for making their mother go to his concerts when she should have been home resting. They ignored her insistence that she really wanted to go, but at least they didn’t stop her.

Even at her weakest, she continued to show up, holding a single rose to throw on the stage after each performance, ‘the way they did it in the movies’. He used to be embarrassed about it, but he secretly dried them out and kept every single one… At least until his father found the box after her death and threw them all out.

Tamlin then chose to honor her memory by working his ass off and getting a music scholarship to one of the most prestigious universities in Prythian instead of going into the military like his father wanted. He had paid for it, too, in more ways than one. He hadn’t spoken to his father and two older brothers for ten years, and he didn’t plan on starting now. Jurian’s foul mouth and fouler apartment were preferable to the abuse and neglect he had endured at the hands of his so-called family. And then to run into Lucien again after all this time…

Maybe this was finally the end of some terrible bad luck streak. Some god-awful curse. Seven years bad luck, and all that. It seemed pointless to hope, and yet… Lucien had actually been happy to see him. He had hugged him. Tamlin finally understood what it meant to be touch-starved, and he realized he was ravenous. As much as he had protested, how could he say no to another taste?

Since the camera needed repairs anyway, there was no reason he couldn’t sit back and enjoy himself for a single evening. Jurian could keep an eye on Vassa while he and Lucien reminisced about the good ol’ days…

As the nicer buildings of downtown gave way to small, old-fashioned houses and even older apartment buildings on the edge of town where he and Jurian lived, Tamlin let out a disgruntled sigh. Who was he kidding?

There was no fooling Lucien. His friend had always had the uncanny ability to see right through him. If he somehow managed to bullshit his way through the evening and pretend that everything was sunshine and roses, there was no getting around the fact that he still had a job to do. Some shadowy figure called Mr. Koschei wanted those photos of Vassa by Christmas.

Tamlin wanted to believe that the pictures meant nothing more than a paycheck, but three months’ worth of rent was a lot to ask for a few lousy headshots, no matter how badly they needed it. He certainly didn’t want to see her get hurt, or Lucien, either, for that matter, but he didn’t see any way around it.

He hated himself even more now for getting involved, and for agreeing to Jurian’s proposal. But Jurian couldn’t do it without his help, or his camera.

The most wonderful time of the year, indeed.

[barbex]

Happy DADWC! Could you write a scene with “I’m better when I’m with you” between whatever pairing you wish to write? :)

Catching up with the backlog tonight for @dadrunkwriting.

Thank you for this prompt! I made it fenders again, I'm predictable like that, and I managed to keep it under 2000 words, just barely. Go, me!

---

Anders steps out of his cabin. Not quite his cabin, he's been assigned to live here, in the line of sight of the guardhouse in front of the gate. It's not quite freedom, but it's better than a dungeon or the Circle. Varric made that possible. As viscount, he ordered Anders to be under watch but not locked up. 

He should be grateful. He is, of course, he gets to see the sun set over the sea and watch it rise again in the morning; he has a garden to tend to where he grows elfroot and other medicinal plants. People leave him alone for the most part, the guards even protected him a few times from angry citizens, who wanted to hang him on the next best tree for his crime. Lucky for him, there's few trees this close to the coast tall and sturdy enough to hold his weight. He probably owes the protection to the fact he healed one of the guards when he stepped on a rusty nail, and that the other officer is Donnic.

It still surprises him that he has friends from the time before. Before he removed himself from everyone, pushing them away to protect them. Justice had been his only friend, but now he's gone. Anders still doesn't know how it happened, but when Meredith died, burning up from inside from the poisoned lyrium, they both felt the pull of the Fade and Justice followed it. There wasn't even time to bid him farewell.

He is alone now, but that's how it should be. He was supposed to die; he expected Hawke to kill him, and what could be more lonely than death? But Hawke let him live. It's only fitting that he is now alone, not burdening anybody. 

In truth, he isn't always alone, Donnic visits him for tea and brings him books, Merrill visits him, telling him about her projects in the alienage or brings him new patients. Even Varric comes around occasionally, and a few people leave the city to find their way to him and ask him for healing. The desperate ones, or old friends who knew him in Darktown.

The afternoon sun hangs low in the sky, soon the first autumn storms will begin, and Anders gathers firewood in his arms to carry into the cabin. He isn't surprised when he hears footsteps coming up the path behind him, Donnic often comes over around this time. He turns to greet him and the firewood falls from his arms.

It's Fenris. 

He hasn't seen Fenris in more than a year, not since he sailed away with Isabela and Hawke. He should say something, anything really, instead of gaping at him with a piece of wood in his hand. But before he can find his words, Fenris frowns and turns around, stomping away, further along the path towards the city gate.

A little while later, Donnic knocks on his door. "Hello, bet you can't guess who I've just met."

Anders piles logs into the nook under the fireplace. He turns to grin at Donnic. "I would win that bet and that wouldn't be fair. I saw Fenris too."

"Damn, I thought I would win for sure."

"Win what?" Anders laughs. "Firewood? Elfroot? I don't have much to offer."

Donnic settles down on a chair and pours himself some tea. "It would have been symbolic. Did he talk to you?"

"No, he just glared at me." Anders pours himself some tea and sits down at the table. "Pretty sure he didn't expect to see me alive and is now on his way to Varric to complain about that."

Donnic chuckles at that. "You're thinking too bad of him."

"No, I think I'm just realistic, but it doesn't matter, anyway." Anders stretches his arms and looks up at the low ceiling. There's a burn mark from when an experiment went wrong. "If he comes back to kill me, there's nothing anybody can do."

"Don't say that, he won't kill you." 

Leaning forward, Anders fixes Donnic in his gaze. "Just promise me you won't get in his way. He's too powerful, don't risk your life by fighting him." 

"Now, wait a minute —"

"Promise me."

Frowning, Donnic studies his face as if to make sure that Anders is serious. "Fine. I promise."

"Thank you." He lifts the lid to check the can. "More tea? I can make some more."

"I'm good, thanks." Donnic drains the rest of his cup. It clinks when he puts it back on its saucer. Such a luxury, cups with saucers. He never had that before in his life.

For days, nothing significant happens. Fenris doesn't show up, Donnic hasn't seen him either, and neither has Merrill, which is not surprising. But she heard about him being in Kirkwall. It's maddening to know that he's there, inside of the walls, so close, but still as far away as Seheron. Anders is not allowed to go into the city. 

One day, Anders has finished all his tasks for today and settles down with the book that Varric sent him, there's a knock on his door.

"Come in, is it an emergency?"

The door opens. "It is not."

Anders sits up and nearly drops his book. He would recognize this voice anywhere. "Fenris." He closes the book, putting it on the table at his side. No need to get bloodstains on it. He even pulls the bookmark out, he won't need to know his place in the story anymore. Waiting, he looks at Fenris, steeling his heart against his anger. Fenris has every right to be angry, it's expected, but it's entirely unfair that he still looks so beautiful, even with his face half hidden under a hooded coat. 

After what feels like hours, Fenris still hasn't said anything and Anders bites his tongue to stop himself from filling the silence with chatter. He used to do that, all the time, but he tries to listen more and chatter less. 

"Anything I can do for you? Would you like some tea? Merrill brings me all sorts of teas and —" Glowing eyes under a deep frown turn to him and he snaps his mouth shut. Less chatter. It's a work in progress.

At last, Fenris speaks, his deep voice filling the tiny room. "Why are you here?"

"Me?" Anders looks around. The cabin is barely large enough to fit the bed and the table with two chairs. "I live here. What are you doing here? You came across a lonely shed and thought to check if a mage hides inside?" He grins, it feels like old times, banter, jokes, but another look at Fenris sobers him up quickly. Fenris is not here to make jokes. Anders wipes his hands on his shirt and gets up. "We should go outside." 

Fenris steps out first, just because there isn't enough room for letting Anders go past him inside the cabin. "Do you want to look at the sunset?"

"It's poetic, isn't it?" Anders turns his face towards the setting sun, blinking against the light. 

"You always enjoyed watching the sunset."

Anders looks at Fenris in disbelief. "I had no idea you noticed that." 

"We were intimate," Fenris says, his voice halting on that last word. 

Smiling to himself, Anders nods. "Yes, I have not forgotten. Doesn't mean you had to notice things about me."

"It is difficult not to notice you."

Anders avoids looking at Fenris, at reading anything into the things he says. They kissed, they had sex, they almost had something like a relationship, where they would drink tea together in the morning and talk. That didn't happen, but it almost did. He stayed the night, once. Just once, before he realised he brought danger to anyone who knew him. 

A dead man shouldn't have friends.

The sun turns a dark red as it touches the horizon. He lets out a long breath, calming his nervous heart. "Why are you here?"

"I thought you were dead." Fenris lets the hood of his coat fall back and closes his eyes. Anders can shamelessly look at him, at his beautiful face, glowing in the light from the red sun, watching his lips as he speaks. "I thought if I wandered enough, if I saw enough places, I would find what I was missing. But I did not."

"What were you looking for?"

Fenris opens his eyes, pinning Anders in his gaze. "With you, I was better, I felt better. I felt complete. I was searching for that." 

Anders' knees buckle, he grabs for something to hold on to as he sways. Fenris takes his arm, steadying him. "You're not here to kill me?"

"Why would I want that?" Fenris' hand tightens around his arm, painfully. 

"Many people want me dead. It would be just." Anders stares at Fenris' hand on his arm, the familiar sharp-tipped gauntlets pressing into his skin. "All of this is temporary, I'm well aware. If Varric gets called away or someone else becomes viscount..."

Fenris notices his gauntlets shredding Anders' shirt and pulls his hand away. "I apologise."

"It's no problem." Anders rubs over his arm, missing Fenris' touch. 

"Can you accept I do not want you dead?"

Anders lets out a helpless laugh. "At the very least, you should hate me." 

"I do not." Fenris opens the buckles of his gauntlets and pulls them off. "I thought I did at first. I was confused and angry, I felt abandoned. You... the way you turned away from all of us, from me..."

"It was safer that way." Anders hardens his expression and turns back to the cabin. "I don't ask for your forgiveness. I don't expect you to understand, but —"

"But I do." Fenris' gauntlets clatter to the ground. "I do understand." 

Anders turns back to him, a shadow against the last rays of sunlight, his face hidden. "What does this mean?"

With quick steps, Fenris closes the distance, takes his face in his hands, and kisses him. 

After a second, Anders' brain catches up. Fenris. Kissing. Wrapping his arms around the elf, he can't suppress a whimper, and kisses him back like his life depends on it. 

Lingering on his lips, Fenris breathes in. "I've missed you. I tried to ignore it, but with every mile the ship put between us and Kirkwall, I missed you more. I just did not understand, at first." 

Anders leans back to look into Fenris' eyes. "You missed me?" 

A smile lingers on Fenris' lips. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"I do not... I didn't dare..." Anders tries to breathe, but his chest hurts. "Someone like me can never..." He tries to step away, but strong arms pull him back, hugging him tight and he finally lets the tension fall from his shoulders and buries his face in Fenris' neck. "You're here, for me."

"Yes, mage." Fenris cards his finger into Anders' hair and holds his head. "Stop hating yourself."

"I don't know if I can," Anders says. Something shatters inside of him and he can't help but cry, making Fenris' shirt wet. 

"Anders." Fenris' voice is incredibly gentle. "Can we go inside?"

Wiping his face, Anders nods, leading him inside. 

He cries some more as they sit on Anders' bed. Fenris holds his hand and he keeps staring at it, not quite believing his eyes. They fall asleep like that, Fenris holding his hand, Anders' head tucked under Fenris' chin. In the morning, they will have tea together, like people in a relationship do. Anders still won't quite believe it.

[stalwart-spirit]

reconcile - for the single-word fic prompt!

500 years later and I found time and an idea for this one!

Polycrystals in The Aetherfont are actually legit Elementals akin to the ones found in the Shroud and Eureka, so I took that and ran with it! This time, I write about my shy Sharlayan bunny, just before he became a WHM!

Not proofread, its once again 3am. u_u

Normally, it would take a great deal of work and persuasion to even get access to the Isle of Haam, but the young viera found himself in a great opportunity for study due to the efforts of his father; a respected Studuim professor and established Archon.

Thus they both find themselves wandering through the deeper regions of the isle, traversing a particularly new route into the Aetherfont itself perceived to be free of any lurking dangers, trailing just behind a small troupe of fellow researchers who busied themselves with setting up various tools and devices.

"Careful now, son."

The older viera, dark hair streaked with silver, helps the younger down a rocky slope with one hand, holding the bespectacled boy's pack in the other.

"Right, I'll be ahead with the research group." Renauld smiles warmly as he watches the other dust off his robes before handing back the admittedly dense pack, undoubtedly filled with as many books and notes the scrawny lad could carry. "Don't wander too far, you hear me?"

Bjarni shoulders the pack, taking the staff strapped onto its side, looking to his father and nodding repeatedly. "I-I know to stay in e-earshot and eyeshot, don't worry!"

It's with a pat on the shoulder that Renauld turns to join the others, leaving the young kit to his own curious wanderings.

He's been excited for days since getting the news of this trip, barely sleeping a wink from both the trepidation and thrill of such an opportunity. To think, first hand experience here of all places, perfect for his thesis! Sure, the excavation itself is fascinating, but what he really is interested in is the natural environment itself. What wonderful fauna and flora flourish here in such a densely aetherical environment?

Finding a small nook to settle in, Bjarni slips off his pack and pulls out a parchment and quill, squatting down before a patch of glowing moss in order to take detailed notes.

"A sign of h-high moisture, bioluminescence most likely caused by the brightness of t-the environment caused by the dense aether... Excess energy not used coming out as fluorescence-"

There's a sudden pickle up his spine, hairs standing up on the back of his neck. Something watching and the feeling of pressure in his ears. The boy's sensitivity to high concentrations of aether is enough already due to the current environment, but this is... Different.

Standing suddenly he swings his staff as he turns, the crystal atop the verdant cane almost making contact with-

"Polycrystal-" A small gasp as he breaks his train of thought. "Elemental??"

The winged creature seemingly takes offence at the stick pointing its way, giving it a shove strong enough for it to tilt back and hit the young viera in the face.

"Ow-" Glasses knocked askew, and he quickly adjusts them back in place. "I'm sorry, you s-startled me, is all! I only heard of the Elementals in the Twelveswood. Suppose the researchers who found this place only caught a quick glance a-and assumed you were part of the crystalline structures-"

His explanation doesn't seem to dampen down the Elemental's sour mood as it lets out a series of disgruntled chimes which cause the viera's long ears to pivot and tilt in... Recognition?

"Tre-trespassing? Oh! The others! I suppose suddenly having your home broken into and trodden on is a l-little alarming, to say in the least. I promise we don't mean any ill will! It's all in order to research aether, you see, we want to learn m-more so we came here to do that."

Awkwardly he fiddles with his staff, rolling it between his palms.

"It's everything, really. To find a big reserve of a thing that's basically in all of us means we ca-can potentially learn countless things about how we and the world works. How beings like you are!"

Now it seemed like the Elemental had calmed, Bjarni's words doing something to alleviate whatever aggressions it held towards himself and the research group ahead.

To reconcile with a peeved Elemental? Well, it wasn't exactly in his plans for the day.

"I know there are more of you here, l-lots more I imagine! So if you please, little polycrystal, let your friends know we're okay and we'll be on o-our best behaviour. If not, well, my dad will take care of anyone who does anything out of order!" His chest puffs in pride, certain of this fact. "I promise not to tell anyone of you ei-either! Won't even write of you in my notes!"

Hovering, the creature ponders, then circles the viera, making more of a musical chime, seemingly satisfied.

As quickly as it made itself known, the Elemental vanishes in a shower of glowing lights, leaving Bjarni to stand there suddenly realising how peculiar this interaction was.

"... Did I just make a friend??"

[lunapwrites]

An example of house-cleaning with ADHD.

My partner has been on my ass for at least the last 3 years to clear out the upstairs nook. As for why he is not assisting with this endeavor instead: it's 100% my stuff and 100% my space. I don't touch the basement. He doesn't touch the nook. Them's the rules.

But, well, you know, executive dysfunction and all that.

So fast forward to this year, with all the stuff happening and particularly Bean. And there's been a lot of "yes, I know I need to get it cleaned out" because we need the space and we also need to replace the windows and we can't get to them but me being me I have dragged my feet on it, because I didn't need to do it today.

Recently, though, I've been getting a little anxious about time - kinda hard to be as blind to it when you've got very visible proof that time is not only passing, but running out. So last week I finally dug through all my art supplies and figured out what I was and wasn't going to use, and gave away all the stuff I knew wasn't in my wheelhouse.

And just like that, there was an item checked off my list - one less barrier to entry.

Today, I woke up with a drive to clean, and if there's one thing you need to know about executive functioning disorders, it's that when the siren song of productivity finally calls us, we MUST drop everything immediately and dance to that demented little tune. So here I am, 12 hours later, exhausted and still only 80% done.

But god damn what an 80% that was. Bookshelves rearranged. Art supplies organized. Tables removed. Tea collection tamed.

Anyway, I still need to put all the books away that are going in storage but the important thing - the most important thing - is that the windows in both the computer room and the nook are now accessible, and able to be replaced so that the top floor of the house can be habitable in the summer months lol. Kind of important, considering Bean's room is up here. And also a lot of the stuff that was taking up space in Bean's room is being moved out, which means we can start properly setting it up. Nice little cascade effect.

I'm definitely gonna sleep like a rock tonight though, lol.

[frigid-moon-fall]

Since the post about the PS1 version of the manor went well, why not take a closer look at the bedroom in the remake? We still don't know whose room it really is, but Hugo comes out of it when you first enter the manor, and Leon heads up the stairs when saying he'll be in his room, and he comes from its general direction in a hallucination of Rutee's. With it being simplified so much, it's really anyone's guess whose room it actually is. These are the sacrifices of streamlining.

Anyway, details! Both visible and invisible.

First off, the things that are easy to see from this screenshot alone.

The (currently open) curtain around the bed for added privacy

The books aren't kept especially tidy

There's a piece of paper left on the desk with something on it. You can't examine it.

There's a picture frame on a shelf, turned to face the wall. This is an entirely different asset from the one in the foyer, which just happens to be turned away from the player's view, so it's likely this is on purpose. Whatever the picture is of, it's good to remember that the picture in the foyer is of the whole Katrea/Gilchrist family, and it's displayed openly.

The tissue box on the bedside table lol

And now things that you can't see.

There's a towel hung up in the bathroom somewhere entirely off camera

The bathtub is way bigger than the camera angle implies

The full painting on the wall

Full details of the coats in the armoire (A big strong artist should totally draw Leon or Hugo wearing those)

Full details of all the rugs

(Edit: Full shot of the bathroom!)

And now you might have noticed that all of these are isometrically oriented sprites instead of the usual top-down textures you'd expect from a 3D environment that looks like this. That's just how TOD's remake does things for a lot of areas. I guess it makes the art style easier to keep consistent, but it sounds like a pain to keep the skewing effect looking good across all rooms that use it.

By the way, if anyone wants something similar done for other areas, let me know which and what parts of it you're interested in specifically.

Oh, while we're at it, let's make a useless list of observable features in the most likely candidate for Leon's room from the PS1 version. We really don't need to, but whatever.

A whopping five different sets of drawers that Ori!Stahn is too polite to snoop through

A giant table meant for one

Two potted plants, neither of which would be in the general line of sight of someone sitting in either of the chairs (90 degrees to your left/right doesn't count), sitting on either of the window sills, or laying in bed

One trash can beside the desk, and one trash can beside the bed (They are specified to be trash cans in-game. It is not a chamber pot.)

A clock or radio on the desk. I'd sooner guess clock from the two hands.

A useless little nook that only houses one of the potted plants

A Marian She is not a room fixture, sorry

Oh, you clicked it? Okay. Here's my theory of where Leon sleeps....

On this couch in the dining room because that's the room where he spends all his free time anyway

[phanamu]

I'm having a highly self-indulgent writing day so I'ma post a thing I just wrote about some OCs I got rattling around.

Peer beneath the read more if you're curious.

Have you heard? There's a new shop in Elmerton.

It's on the corner of 31st and Ocean Avenue, you know, where the old jewelry store used to be? It was bought up recently by a single mom with two kids. Sweet lady, very pretty, Greek. Goes by "Faye" or something, though I don't think that's how it's spelled. Don't ask me to even try with their last name, all I got was that it started with a K.

Anyway, this shop, it's called The Serpent's Nest. I think it earns its name on account of all the snake details in their decorating, especially the wallpaper. It sells occult stuff. You know: crystals, incense, bells-books-and-candles. She uses the old display cases to show statues and burners and cards and stuff instead of jewelry and she turned the bay window into a reading nook for people to try before they buy.

Not that kitschy kid stuff either I'm talking at least three double-sided bookshelves worth of spellbooks and junk written by people who take it serious. The ones that tell you what to do when the sixth moon is in the house of whatever, like they got in the Skulk and Lurk. The kind of stuff that would make most people ask what she does every month outside October if she wasn't setting up shop next to the most haunted town in Illinois.

Oh, and she's got a massive herb and spice section along the left wall and a fridge at the back so that she can make that crunchy health-nut money, too -- almost everything homegrown and homemade, apparently, or else sourced local. She said she had a garden or greenhouse on the roof of the building she keeps tended, along with a couple of those big boxy beehives beekeepers got. I guess they own the building and live on the upper floor.

Anyway, I got a really nice pomegranate honey for my granddad there, and she let me put up a flyer for his yarn stall at the Farmer's Market on the board she's got next to the door. Showed up the Wednesday after, too, and actually bought something. Like I said, sweet lady.

She doesn't dispense drugs, far as I know, but she's apparently working on getting a pharmaceutical license. Getting in on that holistic medicine business too, I guess, though she was pretty quick to tell a guy that his eczema problem is probably better taken care of at a doctor's than anything she's got. Pretty sure she was letting him down gently, but you know. Classy.

Yeah yeah I know I sound half in-love but if you'd seen her you'd get it. She's got that classic dark lady witchy thing going with the long purple dresses and the smoky eyeshadow and bold brown lipstick. She keeps her black hair tied back in this scarf up-do thing and she has curls and waves my sister would kill for. I know her eyes are brown but I swear that they look gold in the right light. Whole family has that, actually. And she's got this little smile like she knows something you don't but you can find out if you pay attention.

Some people get all the charisma, I tell you. Must be great for business. Well, when she's behind the counter, anyway. Sometimes it's one of her kids instead. Day and night, those two.

The older one is built like an Amazon and dresses like she either just got back from beating the hell out of a punching bag at the local gym or like she just got out from under a car that needed a tune-up. She works that whole atheleisure style with a long braid and extra grease stains. Maybe a leather jacket. Killer smile, must be another family thing, though hers made me feel a little bit like she knew she could crush me like a soda can if I crossed her and it's lucky for me that she's in a good mood today. Pretty, but intimidating, y'know?

Name's Diana, if I heard her mom right, though they were speaking Greek at the time so that's just a guess. I pity the guy who tries to hit on her mom while she's in earshot.

The other kid? Man. That one is... Well, they look like their mom? Except. Shorter and sharper. And more dark, like, dressing for your funeral but there's an MCR concert later kind of dark. You know how some people in that scene do. They didn't tie their hair back so it was just curl city like a cross between a Gothic dandelion and a sheep from hell, add some silver jewelry. Their eyeliner had wings clean enough to slice a man but they're also flat as a board so I mean. Hard to tell if they're a boy or girl.

Hey, I'm not saying that to be mean! They look like the kind of person that either likes confusing people, collects knives, or both. They were professional enough behind the counter -- not your typical glass-eyed Daria wannabe -- but they had this way of staring into your soul like they were debating how hard it'd be to pick you out from between their teeth if you took too long to get your change out of your pocket. Not sure if I ever actually saw them blink while I was working that out.

I only got some of their name because their sister wrangled them into something like a human shape when they had their shift change. Still speaking Greek, mind, so it was either Andre or Andrea. Something like that. Wasn't like I really had room to ask for clarification when they were up the stairs so quickly. Barely even heard their footsteps hit the ground.

I think the both of them are going to Casper High next semester. I tried to give their mom a heads up about our whole ghost thing, mention how Phantom pretty much called dibs on our airspace. She didn't seem too worried, but hey. The new people rarely do.

Anyway, it'll be nice to have a fresh source of ghost gear that doesn't have the name Fenton on it, even if it is a little old school. Assuming any of it works, I think those three are going to do pretty well for themselves around here. Can hardly do worse than the old mayor, right?

So. Wanna go?