#i should finish writing the second chapter ugh

[littlemissfix-itfic]

Years have passed, and you no longer write letters to Santa, but still the peculiar, one of a kind gifts keep arriving. The gifts range from opulent jewelry that has a tendency to grow warm, and sometimes even white-hot, at random intervals to small seemingly custom-made stuffed animals of nightmarish creatures turned cute and cuddly. Every year, six gifts come, wrapped in a glowing, reddish paper that was always warm to the touch, just for you, labeled in number order: 60-66. And every year, you and your family ponder who the gifts are from, and if your family should be concerned. This year, as you sit around the tree, the gifts arrive, as usual, but something is different. This year, each parcel of unknown origin is still wrapped with care in the same, ever warm, glowing wrapping, but this time, the boxes are numbered differently. The first is labeled 66.1, and they follow in order with the last labeled 66.6, and that one has a key tied into the center of the large box with a lavish bow. The key is an intricate skeleton key, forged in a reddish metal, blackened by either time or design. Its artfully carved handle looks alive, with its winding serpent-like design, and the gems inlaid at the center of the winding mass, that form an eye. As you go about your Christmas morning traditions, the eye seems to follow you as you bask in the joyful holiday, the ever-present gaze of the key blanketing you in a strange sense of security. Eventually, you get to the special, almost reverent, moment of privacy that you partake in every Christmas morning. You collect the six warm boxes, and bring them into your room, settling onto the lush rug that you had received from your unknown proprietor in a Christmas long since past. You murmur your thanks to the kindness of whatever stranger offers you these gifts, and sit staring at them all at once unnerved by the change, and oddly comforted by the key’s watchful eye. As you sit, your feelings about the strange gifts at odds with one another, curiosity leaps at its chance to take the reins. So, you reach out, and carefully lift the first box, drawing its warmth into your awaiting lap, fighting the urge to draw the familiar warmth into you, much like a child would with a teddy bear. Running your hands across the familiar wrapping, you find the tapeless edge, and slide your fingers under the lip. With a gentle tug the warm paper gives way, and you find the same wooden frame, carved by deft hands into arching landscapes of a far off land that no amount of research can locate. A smile tugs at the corners of your lips as you see the artistry, your fingers reliving the comforting texture of each stroke of the craftsman’s blade. Opening the box, you find the gift, as thoughtful and unique as ever, and murmur your thanks to your anonymous friend. You repeat the process, each gift just as unique and ornate as the last, until you get to 66.6. This box was different from all the others that had come before it. This box's carvings were just as unique as all the others, but the landscape on each side arched and twisted until it gave way to a castle. One with a threatening throne, and a several devastatingly gorgeous men and women perched about the thrones on each side. The box itself felt… different. Something about it made your chest ache, like a fresh heartbreak, but that pain was mixed with a yearning for something you couldn't quite place. Before opening the box, you survey the gifts bestowed on you by your mysterious benefactor.

Should I continue this? Because I definitely have more planned… (read written) I just hit the text limit hehehe…

When you were a child, you accidentally wrote a letter to Satan instead of Santa. Now, every year for christmas you get presents from the lord of hell himself.

[kidspawn]

AFTG - The Sunshine Court (Reaction Notes)

Alright. Been a minute. Jean met Jeremy, Cat, and Laila, and toured his new little home. More Jeremy in general. I'm starting to like this Jeremy kid, tbh. Some quieter, slice of life moments with intense trauma dumping/lore drop. Shoutout to Jeremy Knox for being a reclusive and tight-lipped little guy, because something is up with him. Push and pull and healing aches with Jean. Language kink! And the beginning of my love story with Cat because lord hold me I think I'm in love. The more we learn about the Ravens the harder this gets to read, and the more impressed I grow with the improvement in writing.

(Once again: this is more in the style of annotations I'd put in my book margins/stream of conscious thoughts than an in-depth analysis!)

CHAPTER SEVEN

- "Men like Wymack shouldn't exist" SAY IT LOUDER FOR PEOPLE IN THE BACK: WYMACK IS THE BEST OF US. Could go on and on about Wymack being one of the only legitimately good people in the series.

- "tousled caramel brown" be for fucking real 😭😭😭

- YOYO IN HIS WIRED EARBUDS HAHAHAHAHA

- "it didn't matter that Jeremy Knox was annoyingly easy to look at" SHU-

- I find the fact that Jeremy is the opposite of what Jean has learned a captain should be to be fascinating. It's a direct opposition to the type of captain he's been conditioned to expect.

- THEY DONT CHOOSE THEIR MAJOR!?!?

- Oh i could go on and on. "school as a means to an end" breaks my heart. I mean, obviously don't force people to go and do school if they don't want to but if they are like you should enjoy it at least a LITTLE BIT!?!?

- History nerd Kevin Day will, however, do me in everytime. I think it's one of the earliest signs we've been told of involving Kevin really sticking his neck out and advocating for something he wanted?

- Once again that restriction of identity the Ravens engage in - same majors, same classes, same goals. Limiting individuality and indoctrinating players into the team's fabric.

- I do appreciate how fiercely protective of Kevin Jean is.

- "Want to teach me any?" OH!?!?!?

- OH SHIT NVM OK WE GOT TRAUMA CONGA

- Oh and I love Cat. She's got that organized chaos vibe I really work well with

- Jean lasting about five minutes before having a meltdown. I mean, I hate to jest here but... bestie. Let her finish the tour

- "he wanted to break his fingers" you know this is interesting. i didn't know how prominent this would be, but Jean's first instinct being to hurt himself or others during periods of heightened emotion is a strikingly realistic response imo?

- I also appreciate seeing Jeremy be relatively assertive, but it's noted to be in a kind way. I better not see someone painting him as a pushover he's noted out the bat to dig his heels in and only yield as much ground as he is able without disturbing the team

- Which really leads me to consider that Jeremy has a very different approach to protecting his team vs protecting himself

- THEY'RE EXY PARTNERS YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS

- "You strike me as an only child" 😭😭😭

- Cat really went, "ah you are my nut to crack alright stray cat you're getting bag treats and water until you cuddle me"

- "You're not telling me that's everything you own? What the fuck?" HAHAHAHA Oh Cat omfg I adore you i love you she says the quiet part out loud I am in love with you Catalina

- "I'm not dealing with this again. Buy some fucking clothes - W" HAHAHAHFWJFJEJDJSJS Something something Wymack's fifth rodeo.

- "His opinion came second" I'm genuinely excited to see Jean actually voicing whatever *he* wants, not what the Ravens or the Foxes or even Trojans told him to do. Like, if we get to a point where Jean can voice what he's actually wanting out of these moments and interactions.

CHAPTER EIGHT

- ugh wait I know I KNOW little Jeremy moment yes but can we just "Kevin had gone from Riko's side to Andrew's, and in the first year he had never put more than a campus between him and the short goalkeeper." idk that makes me feel a little emo yall.

- "Jean was exactly the kind of guy Jeremy would trip himself up over" STAWWWWWP Cat CALL HIS ASS OUT.

- "'Its not fair to either of us if I look" <- first i stress that he says "us" because the implication here is not JUST that Jean is the bad idea but Cat is definitely implying Jeremy is not in the best headspace for this either. Or Jeremy is implying it and they both know what he means.

- SAFETY FIRST HAHAHAHAHA

- ugh yes shifting POV because calling his hair uneven when we've been in Jean's head and we know this IS something he's a little sore over so of course he has that reaction

- his bitchiness is so so jarring from an outside POV but LORD is it compelling to switch between the two

- "What purpose does this serve?" "It makes us happy"

- GET JEREMY A DOG FUCKING NOW!?!?! (i know they get a dog but GET HIM A DOG RIGHT FUCKING NOW??)

- Im sorry

- His

- The first like "nice" thing Jean says ("nice" it's a fact to him) is to Laila, that she's good. An that the Trojans will win? STOP!?!?!?

- yeah keep his ass away from the press he just said he wants them to burn

- actually get him and neil the mic right now

- HAND THEM THE MIC!!!!

- in regards to the obvious trigger warning I was relatively nervous about going into:

- athlete dietary regiments are the fucking worst and I could go on and on about how my swim coaches personally contributed to my ED but maybe it's too soon but one comment sent me down a ten year spiral and I can't use my knees the same so you can see why I'm nervous for Jean

- over exercising and limited dietary intake results in some of the most disdainful medical circumstances

- I am not surprised the autonomy stripped from the Ravens trickles all the way to what they put in their bodies and I am equally not surprised Jean has an eating disorder (because like that's what it is) and I really hope this is given the time it needs to

- it can be easy to really fuck up this kind of plot line if you don't handle it well?

- the disparity in resources between the foxes and the trojans is so interesting

- 29 instead of 30 because of a fresh start AHHHHHH

- "Loving something is not enough" "When did you last enjoy playing" Fuccccccck

- I went off on a tangent in my head and forgot to annotate anything but I do want to add: noting Jean's little victories, the use of red and black as opposed to just his appointed clothing. He picked the shirt. He may have needed a second opinion, but he picked the shirt. Maybe it wasn't the bright colour recommended, but he picked the shirt. He held it tight as they left. It is such a little but poignant victory after the chapter we've had.

CHAPTER NINE

- OK SO

- I appreciate when, in-text or on-screen, characters will call others out for cutting off or omitting information. underrated detail, imo, but appreciated all the same!

- did i mention i love Cat

- I think I'm in love with Cat

- I also appreciate the "we will met you halfway as we are able" mentality

- that paired along with a "hey we are going to point out something is fucked up" I really just

- yeah I really fucking like that

- "I am Jean Moreau. I have always gotten exactly what I deserve" fucckkkkk

- his whole "drop the wholesome act" thing is curious because he's convinced all the Trojans are just pretending not to be monsters. Fascinating. Fascinating.

- I think Jean's statement, "I am going to be a problem" just... hurts. The fatigue in that statement. Fuck.

- HE PUT THE DOG IN JEAN'S ROOM? JEREMY YOU FUCKING SWEETHEART!?@?

- WAIT THIS MADE ME SO SOFT?

- JEAN WENT AND CLEANED UP AND SHOWCASED A KIND GESTURE AND JEREMY *RECIPROCATED WITH A KIND GESTURE* OHHH THE SLOW BURN IS SLOWBURNING

- hey Jeremy can you maybe uhhhh.... clue me in on what's going on bud. can you uhhh let me into your head. baby boy? darling? tell me what that's about? please? *cocks gun*

- HEY JEREMY CAN YOU STOP BEING VAGUE AS FUCK ABOUT WHATS GOING ON AT HOME!?!?@?

- oh PLEASE tell me we have frosted tips Jeremy i NEED that in my life wtf

- Jean having a little romcom moment over Jeremy's hair is so cute shut upppp

- THIS ISNT SLOWBURN THIS IS- *BONK BONK* JEREMY TO HORNY JAIL N O W

- "voulez-vous coucher avec moi" HAHAHAHAHA

- GIMME STRAY DOG AND DOG MOTIFS AHHH BARK BARK WOOF WOOF BARK BARK BARK-

- ah remember what I said about balancing pushing vs not i think mayyybe we chill with the pushing rn <3

- Jean. Baby boy. Personal space, darling. Personal space PLEASE.

Previous Chapters

1-5 6

[tiddiewitch]

Second Chances - CH. 15

Description: Agathrio AU - Rio tries to figure out what the fuck to do with Agatha

Warnings: foreplay? periods are mentioned, abuse

Wordcount: 14K

Notes: Writing this was a fever dream - it took way longer than it should have.

Chapter 15 - Twenty One

From across the island Rio watched as Agatha lifted the bottle to her lips and took a few large gulps before setting it back down and taking another bite of her burger. Her mouth curled into a stunned smirk. She was conflicted, did Agatha really not know or was Lilia losing it? Ok Lilia was definitely losing it. That shit with the pregnancy tests was over the line, but, then again, it was proof! She took in every inch of Agatha as she ate. The way her tank top stretched at her chest. The slight curve of her stomach, peeking out from the bottom of her shirt, that pressed against the waistband of her pants. Her full glowing cheeks as she finished off the last of her questionable dinner choice. The beer gave her pause, but the evidence otherwise was piling up. This was going to be a completely different conversation than the one she had prepared for. In the meantime, she couldn’t let Agatha self sabotage, even if she wasn’t aware she was doing it. 

Agatha reached for her beer and took another sip then noticed Rio staring at her. “What?”

“Huh?” Rio snapped out of her contemplation. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Agatha snorted. 

“Oh, uh, can I have some of that?” Rio asked, reaching for the bottle in Agatha’s hand. 

“Sure…” Agatha shrugged, as she handed her drink to Rio. 

“I just want a sip.” Rio took the bottle and swirled the brown liquid. She cleared her throat and tipped the bottle back, emptying its contents. 

“Hey! I would have gotten you your own if I knew you were going to finish it.” Agatha grumbled, perturbed. 

Rio let out a loud burp, “My bad, you can have the rest of my soda if you want.” She scooted the can closer to Agatha who grabbed it frustratedly and chugged it out of spite. She set down the can with a look of discomfort and regret on her face before letting out an obnoxious belch. 

“You good?” Rio chuckled 

“That may not have been the best choice.” Agatha admitted before burping again. “Ugh, I’m so full!” 

“I bet! You inhaled that sandwich!” She laughed. “You…uh…feeling ok otherwise?” She asked, changing the subject and wanting to glean any information she could. 

“Yeah, just tired mostly, and bloated! Gods, I hate flying. It always messes with my stomach. I’m sure this didn’t help but I swear, I felt like I was gonna die if I didn’t eat that burger!” She rubbed at her stomach in discomfort and walked over to take Rio’s hand and lean against her side. “How about you, how was your drive?” 

“Good, quiet, uneventful. Gave me time to think.” 

“Oh, yeah? What were you thinking about?” Agatha rested her chin on Rio’s shoulder. 

Rio turned her head to take in Agatha’s face. Her crystal clear blue eyes, that sleep was already tugging at, looked back at her with love and curiosity. She thought of all the scenarios she had run through trying to solve the situation before them. Seeing her now made her realize how futile that all had been. “You, mostly” she smirked. 

“Me?” Agatha leaned back a bit, spreading her hand across her chest in mock flattery. 

“Us, really.” She smiled as she pulled Agatha in so her back was resting against her chest. Her arms cradled her low around Agatha’s stomach. 

“Oh, us.” Agatha grinned as she leaned back pressing her cheek to Rio’s, “What about us?” 

“Well, what our future might look like.” 

“And what have you dreamed up for us, my love?” 

“Oh you know” She hummed, “a house, 2 cars, 2.5 kids, some pets? Lots of adventures and mischief.” She squeezed Agatha lightly and began rubbing circles with her thumb across her abdomen. 

Agatha looked back at her, a glimmer of grief and concern brewing in her mind. “Is that really what you want?” She asked hesitantly. 

“That depends, what do you want?” 

Agatha looked back into Rio’s eyes as she considered the question. “You.” She finally answered. “This.” She relaxed further into Rio. “I don’t really care about the rest. I just need you.” 

Rio hummed in agreement, hugging Agatha tighter and resting her chin on her shoulder. A swarm of conflicting emotions buzzed in her chest. She was relieved at how Agatha cared for her, how she truly needed her here. But that relief was soon squashed by concern. How could she not know? How could she not realize? Seeing her now, feeling her now, knowing everything, how was any of this possible? Would she have to tell her? How could she tell her? How could she begin to reason any of this? 

“I’m glad you came.” Agatha murmured in the shared silence. “I was absolutely dreading this.” 

“Anything for you, my love!” Rio leaned down and kissed her shoulder. “I’m glad I came too.” Rio held her there, their bodies swaying gently, as she stilled her mind and savored the moment. And she knew, whatever was to come next, however this was to shake out, at the very least, they would face it together. 

————————————————

MONDAY:

After a fitful night's sleep Agatha had them both up early cleaning and bringing more things downstairs. Rio spent most of the time running around trying to grab the heaviest things before Agatha could get to them. Even the things that needed both of them, she did her best to lighten the load as much as possible. Taking drawers out of dressers to carry them down. Heading down the stairs first to bear more of the weight. She encouraged Agatha to rest and eat while she made three times as many trips up and down the stairs. When they finished up in the late afternoon she was completely spent. 

Though the entire first floor was now crammed with boxes, and paintings, and books, and furniture, they had managed to carve out a pathway to the living room where they left space to sit on the couch and turn on the television. While Rio sat and  flipped through channels looking for something to zone out to, Agatha stretched herself across the couch and dug into the many folders and documents the lawyer had given her when she collected the keys. 

After settling on a nature documentary, Rio crawled to lie across Agatha. She rested her head against her stomach, listening to it gurgle, as she wrapped her arms around her waist. She turned to kiss her stomach and looked up seeing her face scrunched in concentration, “How are you feeling, my love?”

Agatha looked down from a document she was reading through the large black reading glasses dangling at the end of her nose to smile back at Rio. “I’m alright, hon!” She brought a hand down to tuck a piece of hair behind Rio’s ear. “Just trying to make sure I have everything in order to send over to the realtors. How are you feeling? You were practically sprinting carrying things down today!” 

“I’m alright, just tired now. Ready for that pizza to get here so we can eat and go to bed.” 

“I’ll be surprised if you make it back up the stairs!” She chuckled, returning back to her documents. 

“I may not, we might be stuck here. I don’t think I can move, I’m too comfortable.” Rio said as she snuggled in further to Agatha. 

“I don’t think my back would forgive me if I didn’t sleep in a bed tonight. I’ll carry you if I have to!” Agatha joked

“No!” Rio shouted, a little louder than she meant to, startling Agatha. “I mean, I’ll crawl if I have to, but you’re not carrying anything else. You’ve already done too much.” 

Agatha looked down at Rio concerningly. She was about to respond when there was a knock at the door. “That’ll be dinner.” She said as she put down the papers she was holding along with her glasses and moved to get up. 

“No, I got it!” Rio said, jumping up, “You…relax, I’ll be right back.” She ran to the front door before Agatha could argue. As she tipped the driver and closed the door behind her she turned to find Agatha walking across the entryway into the kitchen and followed her in. “I thought I told you to relax!” She chided 

Agatha jumped, not expecting Rio to have followed her. “Fuck! You scared the shit out of me! I didn’t hear you come in.” She said as she grabbed two sodas from the fridge. “Just grabbing some drinks and plates. I was gonna meet you in there. I think I can handle that!” Agatha scoffed. 

“Alright, I’ll let it slide, but anything else let me know and I’ll grab it for you.” Rio scolded

“You act like I’m made of glass!” Agatha snorted. 

“I just…I know how much work you’ve been doing since you got here and we still have tomorrow to sort through things. I don’t want you to overdo it.” Rio rushed to explain. 

“Thanks for the consideration, hon, but I think I can manage.” She patted Rio’s cheek before grabbing the plates and heading back out to the living room. 

They made quick work of the pizza before snuggling back into the couch and quickly dozing off, wrapped in each other. Eventually Rio awoke to the TV blaring an infomercial. She untangled herself from Agatha and got up to turn it off and put away their trash from dinner. When she returned Agatha was still deep in sleep on the couch, her hair covering her like a blanket, one arm flopped across her stomach, the other tucked tightly at her side with her hand pressed against her face. Her cheeks were pink with the heat of sleep. The visage of the glowing goddess before her, serene and peaceful, made her heart swell. She knelt down in front of the couch and brought a gentle hand up to rest on the ever so slight swell of her belly and leaned in close. 

“Hey little one” she breathed, barely more than a whisper. “I don’t know where you came from, or how you got here.” She paused, feeling Agatha stir, but she didn’t wake. “I’m Rio, I’m gonna take good care of your mama, but I’m gonna need your help. She doesn’t know about you yet, so anything you can do to help me out, I’ll make sure you’re both ok.” She leaned down and kissed the spot she had spoken to before looking back up at the sleeping Agatha. 

She moved to sit on the couch and began brushing away strands of Agatha’s hair. 

“My love!” She hummed. “I hate to wake you, but we should head up to bed.” She leaned over pressing a kiss to Agatha’s temple. Agatha groaned and stretched in response as her eyes fluttered open. 

“Who were you talking to?” She mumbled sleepily. Rio felt a chill go down her spine. 

“No one.” She quickly replied. “Just trying to wake you up.” Now was not the time for this conversation. Agatha hummed accepting that response and slowly moved to sit up. 

“What time is it?” She asked, still blinking awake.

“12:30” Rio replied 

“Aw! And you put the pizza away!” She smiled sleepily. Rio moved to help her off the couch and guided her up the stairs to the bedroom where they quickly fell back to sleep. Agatha cradled in Rio’s arms which wrapped lovingly around her belly. 

—————————————————

TUESDAY:

Agatha awoke to the smell of bacon and coffee wafting up the stairs to the bedroom. She rolled over in the empty bed to grab her phone. 

9:45

Damn, she had planned to get up at 8! They had another full day of sorting through everything and she was already behind. Why didn’t Rio wake her? As she sat up at the edge of the bed she could feel the weight of the last few days settle upon her. Her feet were stiff and swollen, her back twinged in pain, heartburn was already brewing in her chest from the pizza last night. Maybe Rio was right about overdoing it. 

She stumbled out of bed, slid on some pants and the robe Ralph had gotten her, and headed down to the kitchen. As she opened the door she was met with a buffet of eggs, bacon, toast, potatoes and peppers, fresh fruit, and an assortment of baked goods and juices. “What’s all this?” She chuckled sleepily. 

Rio turned from putting away ingredients in the fridge. “Good morning, my love! Did you sleep well?” 

Agatha moved to sit on a stool at the island. “Yes, perhaps a little too well! Why didn’t you wake me?” 

“I wasn’t going to disturb you, you looked way too comfortable. Besides, we have another big day ahead of us. I wanted to make sure you got the rest you needed.” 

Rio handed her a mug from which she immediately took a sip. “This isn’t coffee.” She choked as she swallowed the ginger lemon tea. 

“No, sorry, I accidentally bought whole beans when I went to the store and couldn’t find a grinder. Hope that’s ok for now.” 

“It’ll do.” She replied disappointedly before tucking into the elaborate breakfast Rio had prepared. “What sparked this idea?” She asked as she bit into a piece of toast, gesturing to the plates of food around them. 

“Well I was going to surprise you with breakfast in bed but this all took a little longer than I expected.” 

“You didn’t have to do that!” She smiled through a mouthful of eggs and bacon. 

“Maybe not, but I wanted to.” She pulled up a stool next to Agatha. “So, for today, since we have to organize and catalogue everything, I figured we could go room by room, you log what everything is and then I’ll sort things into groups, move things around.” Rio offered

“That could work. Are you sure you’re not too tired from all the running around you did yesterday?” She smirked as she took another sip of her tea, which she had forgotten was tea, and frowned as she choked it down. 

“No, I’m feeling great! I’ll be all fueled up here in a bit and then we can get started.” 

By the time they finished and cleaned up breakfast it was nearly 11:00. They sorted through hundreds of books, and cabinets, and odds and ends, organizing everything for the estate sale company in the morning. Agatha sat in the middle of the room noting as much as she could about the pieces around her. Rio bounced from room to room adding like thing to like thing until there were several distinct groupings in each room. When all was said and done they had organized and logged tens of thousands of items and as they checked the clock it was nearly midnight. The people were coming early the next morning so they tucked quickly into bed. 

Rio laid awake for another hour as Agatha quickly fell asleep. She kept turning over and over the conversation she was still yet to have in her head. The timing was tricky with all they had coming up these next few days, but she reasoned they’d have to find something to do while the cleaners were at the house on Thursday and she could plan out the day and find a good time and place to bring it up with her. Resolute in this decision she turned to spoon Agatha, crooking a leg beneath hers and bringing her arm around her chest to pull her close. She nuzzled her nose in Agatha’s hair at the crook of her neck, breathing in the warm, spicy, floral fragrance and quickly falling asleep. 

————————————————

WEDNESDAY:

Agatha’s mind had started working on the day ahead before the alarm went off and she was fully awake. She mentally rechecked every list she had made a dozen times and was still sure she was forgetting something. She moved to crawl over Rio and turn off the alarm as she made her way to the bathroom to relieve herself. She still felt so bloated and the heartburn was back again. They needed to pick something other than greasy takeout for dinner tonight. All of that wasn’t helped by the overwhelming hollow feeling she had about the task ahead. She had thought she would feel relief, or maybe grief about selling all her family’s possessions but instead there was this well of emptiness that left her body tingling and numb. Had it not been for the ball of nerves swimming in her stomach, she might have thought she wasn’t even alive. 

Rio slowed to pry herself from the sheets but as her feet hit the ground so did the realization. She was going to talk to Agatha tomorrow. HOW? What would she say? How could she bring it up casually? Would Agatha be angry? She’d probably be scared. Would she try to run? Feeling the thoughts spiraling she forced herself to the bathroom in search of Agatha. As she saw her at the sink, running her fingers through her hair and pinning it up in a messy bun, she felt a rush of relief. She eased forward and wrapped her arms around Agatha’s waist, pressing herself against Agatha’s back, and tucked her head down in the hollow of her arm and neck pressing kisses at the nape. 

Agatha startled at the sudden contact but quickly relaxed into Rio’s touch. Her warmth spread quickly, bringing her out of the purgatory she had woken up in. “Well, good morning to you too, my love!” She giggled as Rio peppered kisses across her neck and shoulder. 

Rio gave Agatha another squeeze and grumbled in a husky morning voice, “How are you feeling, Cariño?”

Agatha snorted, “You keep asking me that! You sound just like Lilia!”

“I just want to make sure, this is a lot for anyone let alone…”

“I’m fine!” Agatha snapped. Seeing the shock on Rio’s face at her reply, she realized that may have been harsher than she intended. “Ok, maybe I’m a little nervous for today, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’m just glad it’ll be over soon.” 

“Exactly! Everything will work out.” She said half to herself. “We just have to see it through, together.” 

Agatha turned to face Rio, throwing her arms around her neck, “Have I mentioned how glad I am that you’re here?” 

Rio shrugged, “Once or twice, perhaps?” she smirked.

“Well, remind me to show you how grateful I am later!” She bit her lip, batting her eyes up at Rio, then looked down at her pillowy lips and swallowed them in a passionate kiss. After a moment she broke away abruptly with a wicked grin on her face. She winked at Rio and rushed out of the bathroom to finish getting ready. 

Rio stood stunned for a moment, her reflection staring her back in the bathroom mirror. She let out a soft chuckle as conflicted feelings of curiosity, doubt, and amusement rushed through her mind. In the end she wasn’t sure if her arousal or the awareness of their situation would win out. 

Agatha wandered back into the bathroom to locate her glasses and leaned over to kiss Rio on the cheek, “I’m headed downstairs to get breakfast ready, the estate sale people should be here in about 30 mins to get started.” This finally brought Rio back to reality and she moved to get ready. 

Before long Rio bounded down to the kitchen to the smell of coffee and burnt toast. She opened the door to a stack of questionably crisp bread, a couple bowls of fruit, some yogurt and granola, and Agatha frantically wiping down the counter near the coffee machine. 

“Do you need some help, my love?” Rio giggled

Agatha whipped around flashing a less than convincing smile at Rio. “No, no! I’m all good over here, you sit down and eat! Want some coffee?”

“Did you manage to find a grinder?”

“Oh, no, not at all! What I did find was a mortar and pestle and smashed the shit by hand. Honestly, it helped with the nerves, I feel great now!” She grimaced as she took a sip of the coffee she made. 

“Based on that look, I’ll pass on the coffee.” Rio snickered and took the least burnt piece of toast. 

“You know you bought decaf right?” Agatha asked, raising her eyebrows

“Hmm” Rio hummed in feigned innocence. “Oops, must have grabbed the wrong bag by mistake. Sorry about that!” she followed up with a smile of apology. 

“Well, I’ll suffer through today because at least it’s coffee.” Agatha took another sip.

“So, can you remind me what the plan is for tomorrow?” Rio choked out through a bite of toast. 

“Well there are people coming in the morning to collect whatever doesn’t sell today. Then the cleaners are supposed to be here at 1 to do the whole house.”

“So we should probably be out of the house while they’re here?” Rio asked. Agatha nodded in reply. “Would you want to go wander around downtown? I can show you some of my favorite spots? We can go out for dinner?” 

Agatha smiled, “That sounds great! It’ll be nice to get out of this house for a bit. It’s making me uneasy.” She said as she rubbed at her side with a look of discomfort on her face. 

“You alright, Cariño?” 

Agatha rolled her eyes, “Yes, dear! I just have this weird spasm. It’s nothing, I’m sure it’ll go away on its own.” 

Rio laughed anxiously, “Yeah, of course. I’m sure it will.” 

Before long the house was bustling with people, those from the company Agatha hired, some there to sort through and purchase items, and many who were there out of sheer curiosity having wondered about the house for ages. More than once Agatha found people wandering up the stairs like it was an open house and did her best to block it off. 

Rio milled about pretending to be an interested party whenever someone was checking out an interesting item and did her best to convince them she might snatch it out from beneath them if they didn’t make a quick decision. She had just finished her latest mark, whom she convinced to purchase a rather interesting taxidermy tableau, when she spotted her next victim. A tall, slender, severe looking woman with her black and grey hair pulled back into a tight bun. She wore modest dark heels with a muted grey A-line dress that came down past her knees. Rio mozied over, glancing at a few other items along the way, before she landed on the same ornate wooden chair the woman was staring at. 

“Interesting piece!” She mumbled, crossing her arms and bringing a hand up to her chin in consideration. “It piqued my interest earlier, it’d be a great addition to my living room. Where were you thinking of putting it?” 

The woman chuckled to herself then turned to face Rio. “Are you one of the people she hired to help sell things?” she asked.

“Excuse me?” Rio chuckled, a bit taken aback.

“I saw you convince that man to buy those animals, and the lady over there to purchase the silver tea set. Do you get commission or something?” The woman asked snidely. 

Rio leaned back, tucking her tongue into the side of her cheek and tilting her head to the side. “Actually, I’m here with the owner personally.” 

“Oh, is that so?” The woman grinned slyly. 

Agatha was talking with someone about the house when she saw a child crossing her makeshift barrier and rushed to catch him and return him to his parents. As she handed him back she searched the house for Rio. She entered the family room and saw her in a corner nodding amusedly at an older woman she was in deep conversation with. As Agatha caught her attention Rio gave her a wave and cheeky smile, flashing her big brown eyes in her direction, almost pleading for an intervention. 

Agatha started to head toward Rio when she heard the woman’s harsh and piercing voice.

“Do you have any idea how long this house has been under the same family? It’s a disgrace is what it is! An embarrassment!” A cold chill ran down Agatha's spine as she rushed to Rio’s side. 

“There you are! I was wondering where you ran off to.” Rio called out as Agatha approached. I’ve just been chatting with…” 

“Evanora Harkness” the woman hissed. 

“Oh!” Rio’s eyes bulged at the realization. “Nice to meet you, I guess. Dr. Rio Vidal, I’m dating your daughter.” She smiled brightly and offered her hand.

Evanora grimaced and ignored Rio’s introduction, turning all her attention to Agatha. “I should have suspected as much. You were never able to resist the pull of sin at your heart. And look at you, barely able to put down the fork either, apparently.” 

“What are you doing here?” Agatha snapped at Evanora, ignoring her snide comments.

“Isn’t it obvious? I came for my things before they’re sold to the highest bidder! Seeing as I didn’t get the courtesy of a phone call before you let the rabble stampede through our home taking what they like. I figured I’d come and salvage what I could.” She chided, “ Agatha! How could you?” 

“How could I?! How could you?! Look at this place?! It’s practically falling apart! Looking after it all these years was your responsibility.” 

“Well then I guess it’s good that it ended up with you since I’m so incapable of caring for it. Though I did for nearly 40 years! With no help from anyone! And who does he leave everything to?” Evanora huffed out an exasperated breath. “And now you’ve decided to sell everything! Figures you’d only agree so you could siphon off any money you could, one way or another. You’ve always been so selfish, so disrespectful, so ungrateful.” 

Agatha’s rage built at the triggering insults. “Oh, and what exactly am I supposed to be grateful for? Huh? Being punished for who I was? Being beaten when I couldn’t obey your puritanical rules? You kicking me out? You cutting me off?”

“Enough!” Evanora commanded, but Agatha could no longer hold herself back. 

“NO! You have the audacity to show up here! After everything! After sending that weirdo lawyer after me! And for what? A few trinkets? Are you really that desperate? Are you really that jealous of your own daughter?!”

“Oh, you insolent, wicked child! I rue the day God cursed me with such a daughter! I would have rather buried you the moment you left my womb than have to stand here and listen to this tirade against me!”

“Well maybe it wouldn’t be such a tirade if you weren’t such a bitch of a mother!” Agatha felt the sting of Evanora's slap before she could register what had happened. Her vision went blurry for a moment and then the world around her moved in a muffled haze. She could see and hear Rio shouting and confronting Evanora. She felt hands move around her shoulders as a few people standing nearby guided her to the kitchen where she was handed a glass of water and a bag of ice. She sat there for a moment, as the reality of what had happened washed over her. 

Moments later Rio burst through the kitchen door looking for Agatha, “Ah! Mi amor!” She rushed to kneel before Agatha as she looked up into her tear filled eyes, her hands gently coming up to cradle her face and lift the ice pack. She twinged looking at the bright red mark growing darker across Agatha’s cheek. “I’m so sorry! I should have stepped in sooner!” 

“It’s alright. I’m alright.” She breathed through tears streaking down her face. She could feel the adrenaline begin to subside and a shaky uneasiness creep into her limbs. She took a breath to steady herself and smiled unconvincingly at Rio. “Believe me.” She huffed “I’ve had worse.” She took a sip of water and threw the ice pack on the island. 

Rio’s hands shifted down to squeeze Agatha’s shoulders in comfort. Her eyes were stuck on the indigo pools of blue brimming with fear and anger yet stilled by calloused experience. She didn’t look surprised, only resigned. Agatha broke away from Rio’s grasp and moved to shakily stand. She wiped the tears from her face and straightened out her clothes then made her way to the door. 

Rio rushed to catch her by the arm. “Agatha! Where are you going?” She asked alarmed 

Agatha turned to look at Rio’s hand clutching her wrist then up to Rio’s eyes. “I’m just going to go talk to the coordinator.” She said, attempting to sound casual. 

Rio drew her closer, “I can talk to the coordinator. You should sit down, that was a lot.” 

“Rio, I’m fine!” Agatha protested, though the tears returning to her eyes denied the claim

“No you’re not fine, because that was not ok what just happened out there!” Agatha stood there silently as Rio’s words crashed into her. “You don’t need to pretend it was. You don’t need to prove anything!” She could feel the tears streaming now as if a dam had burst, though she didn’t make a sound, merely gritted her teeth holding on to her last bit of control as her lower lip quivered.

Rio could feel Agatha lose resistance and she pulled her in, cocooning her with her body. She felt Agatha’s final resolve melt away at the embrace and the emotions overcome her. She held her there as Agatha fell apart in her arms, not daring to move until the sharp inhales of her crying slowed. She brushed her fingers through her hair, pulling it away from her face, as she moved back to look into Agatha’s tear stained eyes. “I’m so sorry, my love! You didn’t deserve that!” Rio soothed. 

“Why did it have to be her?” Agatha hiccuped as the final sobs dissipated and her eyes stung from drying tears. 

Rio shook her head in sympathy, unsure of what to say, and brought a hand up to graze a thumb over the welt on Agatha’s cheek. She watched as Agatha involuntarily flinched at the touch and drew her hand back. “That woman is never coming anywhere near you again if I have anything to say about it.” Agatha cracked a smile in response. “Why don’t you go lie down. I’ll talk with the coordinator and come check on you in a bit.”  

As Agatha went upstairs, Rio went and handled the coordinator along with the police who someone had called. She reassured them all that as long as Evanora was evicted and banned from the property there would be no further issues. Once she was sure everything was settled she went upstairs to check on Agatha. She found her on the bed, hair sprawled out around her, lying on her side with her knees tucked in, staring out the window. She silently edged her way onto the bed gliding a hand along Agatha’s arm as a comforting awareness of her presence. Slowly Agatha turned to look at her, eyes silvery grey in the haze of sadness. 

“Please,” she croaked, voice weary from crying “Hold me.” Rio didn’t hesitate, she moved to lie down, sliding her knees under Agatha’s and wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her close. Agatha grabbed Rio’s arm and hugged it tightly, brushing Rio’s fingers across her lips for comfort, breathing in her earthly grounding scent. Before long her body ached with tiredness as the heaviness of the event settled upon her. In Rio’s arms, with her warmth pressed against her back, she relaxed and quickly fell asleep. 

Agatha awoke to a dark room, the only light flooding in from the moonlight streaming through the windows. She rolled over to find an empty bed though the smell of garlic and onion rose from the kitchen below. She reached over to check the time. 

8:47

She had slept the entire afternoon and into the early evening. She stretched as she moved to get out of bed and hobbled to the bathroom. As she flipped on the lights she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her face was puffy from all the crying, Her left cheek was red and slightly swollen with a scratch right in the middle. It was tender but not particularly painful, she just hoped it didn’t leave a bruise. The scratch would heal in a few days just fine. 

Though it had been a very long time, this was not the first incident like this. Spare the rod and spoil the child was cross stitched into a placard which hung above the paddle that Evanora bore down upon her at any sight of disobedience. When she was very young the tears and the pleading would come almost immediately. She would beg for her mother to stop with no avail. When that punishment had run its course and Evanora could no longer get a response to her thrashings, she had Agatha kneel on rocky ground in prayer until she had paid her pennants. She was quick to smack for back talk and disrespect and would even withhold food should she see the crime great enough. All this in service of the Lord. It was an unbearable childhood filled with fear and obstinance. 

Agatha had clawed her way out at 18, never intending to interact with Evanora again. She had built a life for herself over and over and over again, despite her mothers interferences. She wasn’t going to let her ruin things for her here and now. Now she had Rio, she had someone else in her corner sticking up for her, defending her. She didn’t feel alone. 

She washed her face with cool water, calming the irritation and cleaning off her streaked makeup. She threw her hair in a quick bun, changed into one of Rio’s T-shirts and pajama pants and headed down to find her. 

She quietly pushed open the kitchen door finding Rio stirring something in a pot on the stove. The air was thick with aromatics and the smell of baking bread. Rio turned, surprised to see Agatha out of bed, and rushed to meet her at the island. 

“What are you doing up? I was just about to come check on you!” 

“I smelled something cooking down here and came to investigate.” She gave a half smile. “What are you making?” 

“Chicken Pozole, it’s just about ready. I figured soup would be just what today called for. How are you…” 

“How am I feeling?” Agatha cut her off, raising her eyebrows as her smile grew. “Much better after some sleep. Though my body is still exhausted. Honestly everything hurts and that spasm is back, right at my ribs.” She croaked. 

“You’ve been doing too much and today was…a lot to say the least. You need to take it easy. Have some pozole ” Rio guided her to a stool then headed to the oven to pull out the baguette she was heating. She ladled a bowl for each of them, sliced the bread and brought it all over to where Agatha was sitting. Rio immediately started eating, having waited as long as possible for Agatha, and expected her to do the same. Instead she just stared down at the bowl haplessly. 

“If you’d like I could make you something else?” She offered 

Agatha blinked up from the food, “Oh, no, you don’t need to do that. I just don’t think I’m very hungry at the moment.” The events of the day flashed back in pieces. 

Rio looked back resolute, “You said this morning you’d show me how glad you are to have me here, yes?” Agatha nodded, a look of perplexed amusement on her face as she was drawn back into the moment. “Then eat. Trust me, it’ll help.” Rio smiled as she tore off a piece of bread. “And when we’re done I’m going to draw you a bath” she leaned over and kissed Agatha on the side of the head then returned to eating her soup. 

Agatha had so many questions, about the rest of the day, about what happened with Evanora, about their plans tomorrow. Yet, even after her long nap she found herself too tired to speak. She resolved to eat at least a few bites, as she hadn’t really eaten since that morning. As soon as the food hit her tongue she could feel her body begin to relax. The soup was indeed the perfect remedy; light, and warm, and comforting. It filled the hollow cracks left by her mother and replaced it with the love Rio had shown her. Any residual concern or doubt was banished and she surrendered to the care Rio was showing her. The questions could wait for another day. 

——————————————————-

THURSDAY: 

Rio slid out of bed as the sun was rising and headed out for a morning jog. She needed to think clearly. Today she would have to play by ear, as she wasn’t sure how Agatha would be feeling when she woke up. The events of the day before had been jarring and Rio felt her overwhelming desire to protect Agatha, and the child she didn’t know she was carrying, grow even stronger. She would find a time, find a way to talk to her, but she would have to take Agatha’s lead. 

As she arrived home she headed upstairs to check on Agatha. Her body was tangled in a mess of sheets and hair as the soft breath of slumber whispered in the room. She tiptoed in to grab her wallet and keys and headed out to get coffee and pastries before the people came to take what was left of the stuff downstairs. Luckily it wasn’t much since after the incident word spread and dozens people from around the area came to hear the drama with many who ended up walking out with a souvenir or two. 

As Rio pulled into the bakery lot she got a text:

Yelena - Hey! Vidal, are we still on for tomorrow? 

Rio - Yeah, you still good to meet me at the storage unit in the morning? 

Yelena - Yeah, what time?

Rio - 10?

Yelena - That works. We still meeting Nat and Hela for dinner?

Rio - That’s the plan, at least for now. I’ll need to double check that Agatha’s still up for it. 

Yelena - Uh-oh! Trouble in paradise?

Rio - Yes and no. We can talk about it tomorrow. 

Yelena - Cool. See you then. 

Rio quickly returned home, breakfast in hand, nerves a little on edge at the thought of the day ahead. She could hear the water running as she entered and knew Agatha was up and moving at least. She stopped by the kitchen and grabbed a couple plates then headed up to her. As she opened the bedroom door she could smell the lavender and rosemary of Agatha’s shampoo wafting in on clouds of steam billowing out of the bathroom. She set their meal out on the vanity and collapsed back onto the bed running through what she was going to say and when she should say it. Before long she heard the door creak and sat up to see Agatha in the doorway, steam flowing out of the bathroom around her, nothing but a towel on her head. Rio stared in awe as she walked over and planted a kiss on her forehead. 

“Where did you wander off to?” She cooed. Rio, speechless, nodded towards the treats she had purchased. “Oh my gosh, is that an iced latte?” Agatha rushed over and took a sip, humming in satisfaction before digging into a chocolate croissant. Rio’s eyes once again wandered over Agatha, now in her natural form. The rosey blush of her face from the shower she took, smooth and glowing save for the scratch across her left cheek. The heaviness of her breasts dotted with hershey kiss nipples. The curved swell of her ass cheeks matching the ever present swell of her stomach. She was mesmerizing, radiant, like witnessing a deity.  Her eyes eventually landed back at Agatha’s which were peering back at her along with a smirk. 

“See something you like?” She quipped as she took another bite of the croissant. Rio nodded and stood, still silent, and padded over to Agatha, wrapping her arms around her waist and drawing her in for a kiss. She pulled apart to look back into her eyes and said, “You, of course”

Agatha leaned back and chuckled, “GAY!” Snorting in laughter as she took another bite of the croissant and moved to get ready. 

“You still up for going out later?” Rio asked

“Definitely, I need to get out of this house before I lose it!”

“Fair enough. I figured we could go to a museum, maybe hit up a couple book shops, then we could go somewhere for dinner?” 

“That sounds perfect! Really, I just need some quiet time away, not thinking about this stupid house, or my mother, or anything stressful or upsetting. I just want to have a nice time.”

Rio swallowed uncomfortably, “I…uh…can make that happen.” She

grinned, secretly cringing on the inside. Given Agatha’s demeanor she wasn’t going to resign herself to defeat just yet, but she knew this was going to be extremely tender territory. 

The salvage company arrived just as they were finishing breakfast. Though not many items were left it took the two guys they sent right up until the cleaners came to finish loading everything. Once Agatha was satisfied that the cleaners were set, she and Rio headed off to the Boston Art Museum. 

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been here.” Agatha admitted as the uber dropped them off at the entrance. 

“Really? Even when you were a child?”

“No, of course not! Too many naked images, very sinful!” She let out a small laugh at the idea. 

“OOO, then I guess we’ll have to keep our eyes peeled for anything scandalous!” Rio joked as she took Agatha’s hand in hers and led them inside. 

They wandered into the first gallery of mainly ancient Greek and Roman statues and artifacts. Agatha stopped to read as many descriptions as possible while Rio bounced around imitating the positions of each statue she came upon, until Agatha would walk by and spot her causing one or both of them to erupt in giggles. The shenanigans continued as they moved to view 18th century European paintings. Agatha glided slowly from painting to painting taking in every detail and occasionally Rio would pop up behind her to add some obscene or witty commentary causing Agatha to snort. The entire time they were there Rio ensured there was a smile on her face or laughter flowing from her mouth. Keeping her relaxed and happy could only work well in her favor. As they exited a third gallery Agatha quickly found a bench to take a seat. 

“You alright, my love.” Rio asked as she joined her on the bench.

“Oh, I’m alright, just needed to get off my feet for a bit. I’ve got that spasm again but it’s on the other side this time. It’s starting to get annoying” 

“Anything I can do?” Rio asked, knowing full well what the spasm was, and that there was nothing she could do about it except hope that it helped things click into place before she had to explain it to Agatha. 

“No, I just want to rest for a minute before we check out that bookshop you mentioned. Oh and I’d love to grab a snack!” She added hopefully, as she was starting to feel tired again. 

“Anything you want, mi amor!” She leaned over, kissing Agatha’s temple. “Just let me run to the restroom and we can head out.”

Rio exited the stall, feeling more confident than she had that morning. The little bean inside Agatha was making moves, Agatha was in a good mood, they had a great time at the museum. She was going to make sure the rest of the day went just as smoothly and then, it would be a breeze. She just had to ask her, just pull off the band-aid. She stared at herself in the mirror and began reciting what she wanted to say.

“Hey Agatha, you are just so radiant, so glowing, is there any chance you’re pregnant?” She shook her head and tried another approach. “Hey, Agatha, what would you think about us having a kid? Maybe sometime soon? Who knows maybe that’s something you’re already working on?” She laughed at herself. No, absolutely not that. Just be upfront with her. “Hey, Agatha, you know that twitch you’ve got going on?  Is there a possibility you might be pregnant? Any chance?” It still didn’t feel right but definitely the right direction. She’d have to find a way to ease into the conversation. 

She opened her mouth to try another phrasing when the door to the bathroom opened and Agatha walked in, startling her.

“Oh, hey!” Rio said, a rush of panic running through her. “I was just finishing up here.” 

“Good to know, for a second I thought you might have fallen in.” Agatha chuckled as she walked hurriedly into a stall. Rio let out a breath of relief and headed out to wait for her. Despite her confidence, as soon as she saw Agatha her nerves shattered. It wasn’t just that she was afraid to tell her. That came with a whole host of worries! Would she deny it? Would she be angry? She was also afraid to find out the dirty details. Would Agatha leave her? Was there someone else? Would she let her be a part of the child’s life? Those thoughts still ran through her mind. 

As soon as she was out they hopped into another uber and were off to the bookstore. Rio fidgeted in her seat, anticipating the rest of the evening. She glanced over at Agatha who was leaning her head against the window, her eyes closed as she rested. She looked so peaceful after everything that had happened. Rio didn’t want to disrupt this calm if she could help it. Was now even the right time? If not it could cause more harm than good. Besides, everything she had tried in the bathroom felt idiotic! Was there maybe a way she could get Agatha to realize on her own? Maybe let them come to the conclusion “together” somehow? She’d continue to play it by ear this evening and if the opportunity felt right, if she could find a way to ease into it, she would jump on the chance. If not, then she’d have to come up with another plan. 

Their car pulled up outside the store and Rio leaned over to wake Agatha, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear and taking her hand. 

“Cariño, we’re here.” She hummed gently 

Agatha breathed in as she returned to consciousness, blinking herself awake. “Oh shit!” She grumbled, “I did not mean to fall asleep!” 

“It’s alright, just be careful getting out. I’ve got your things.” Rio jumped out of the car and headed around to help Agatha out. 

“I don’t know what’s going on with me! It's not like I haven’t gotten enough sleep lately. I had that coffee you got me this morning but I don’t think it helped at all.” 

“Let’s head inside, they have a little cafe, we can get you a snack and a drink, that’ll help.” 

Rio guided her inside to a comfy armchair in the corner while she went and grabbed them both a pick-me-up as Agatha took her time to wake up fully. Rio returned shortly with their sustenance and sat down across from her. 

“I got you another coffee and this snack pack thing with nuts and cheese and grapes and stuff.” Rio said as she leaned back, watching Agatha closely. 

“Ugh, that’s perfect!” She sighed taking a sip of her coffee and digging into the snacks. She had eaten half the box before realizing Rio was staring at her. “What?!” Agatha asked

“Hmm?” Rio replied with raised eyebrows. 

“You keep staring at me! What?” She laughed, a little nervous. “You’ve been doing that all week.” 

Rio swallowed as she felt her stomach drop. Was now the time? She took a breath to settle her nerves and decided to test the waters. “I’m just worried about you. That’s all.” 

“Worried? Is this about yesterday? I promise I'm fine. Hate to say I’m used to it but, with Evanora it comes with the territory. You see now why I avoid her if I can help it.” 

“I mean yes, that is definitely near the top of my list of concerns. We didn’t really talk about this but officers were called, they said to follow up if you wanted to press charges. Would that be something you’d want to do?” 

“No, I’m not going to bother with that. I already have my lawyer working on a restraining order after dipshit showed up at my house. I hate to say I’m a little fuzzy on the details but, what exactly happened after she…”

“After she hit you?” Rio let out a chuckle as she recalled what had followed. “Well, I’d love to say I kept my composure but it was a little difficult to restrain myself completely. I came this close to knocking her lights out but thought better of it and just shoved her. I guess she wasn’t expecting that and toppled over like a jenga tower.” She started laughing harder. “I wish you had seen the look on her face!” 

Agatha sat there dumbfounded yet amused, “Is…is she ok?” She asked hesitantly 

Rio calmed herself at Agatha’s response. “Yeah she’s fine, maybe a little shaken up. I helped her up and escorted her right out the front door. Told her to get the fuck out of there and don’t come back.” 

Agatha let out a lone chuckle, “In front of all those people?”

Rio nodded, pleased with herself. “Absolutely! And we made a killing after that by the way.” 

“I was wondering where everything went. I thought the salvage guys had shown up early. Damn, I bet she hated that!” Agatha finally laughed as she pictured the whole scene playing out. 

“So you’re not upset?” Rio asked as she took a sip of her coffee. 

“No!” Agatha huffed. “If anything I’m incredibly turned on right now!” She raised her eyebrows and bit her lip before popping a piece of cheese in her mouth. 

Rio let out a breathy laugh as a blush rose in her cheeks. She took another sip of her coffee and stared at the cup. She was still unsure how she felt about that without talking to Agatha first. She sat for a moment as her storm of thoughts blew in once again. She felt her heart race and a tug of unease pull at her chest. Though the words danced on the tip of her tongue she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Now was not the time. They still had much to their day and bringing things up after talking about Evanora didn’t seem like the best idea. For now she needed to keep it light, there’d be plenty of time to talk later. 

“Feeling better?” She asked instead. 

“Much, that’s exactly what I needed.” 

“Good, then you won’t mind helping me with a book hunt?” 

“You know we could just ask somebody if they have the books you’re looking for.” She huffed

“Yeah but where’s the fun in that? I bet I can find more of them than you can!” 

“Is that a challenge?” She raised her eyebrows curiously. 

“Pretty sure it is! I’ll even give you a 5 minute head start because I have home field advantage.” 

“Oh! How generous of you!” She scoffed. “Do you have a list?” 

“Yeah, I’ll text it to you. If you want to start at the top of the list I’ll start at the bottom, we’ll see where we meet up? Loser buys dinner?” 

“Oh you are so on!” Agatha smirked as they both got up and walked to the checkout counter for the starting point. 

“Alright, I just sent you the list, I’ll give us 20 minutes overall. No asking the staff for help!” She leaned over giving Agatha a quick kiss, “and a kiss for good luck, you’re going to need it!” She winked.

Agatha grinned slyly and leaned in as if she was going for another kiss just to brush by and whisper in Rio’s ear “I’m going to crush you!” She gave her a peck on the cheek and sauntered off in search of the first book. 

She took a quick glance at the list, Rio had 25 different books picked out, all in different genres and half the titles she didn’t recognize. Undeterred, she set her sights on the first book, finding it quickly in a featured author section. The next 3 were just as easy, finding them on end caps and display tables. As she went in search of number five she passed by Rio already carrying two books. 

“Ok, you definitely didn’t wait the full five minutes!” 

“Oh baby, I’m just getting started! Like I said, home field advantage.” 

Agatha picked up her pace, eventually finding the fifth book. After finding 6 and 7 she passed by Rio again whose hands were curiously empty compared to the stack she was now balancing. 

“Where are you putting them?” She asked, a little exasperated. 

Rio chuckled seeing her confused struggle, “I just dropped them off at the front counter. You should do the same or it’s gonna slow you down.” 

Agatha sighed as she headed for the counter. She placed her stack of books near another stack, seemingly Rio’s, which already contained eight of the books. With renewed focus, determined not to be beat, she rushed off once again for the next on the list. She searched for the next one for some time and finally reasoned they were either out of stock or didn’t carry it and moved down the list. Her luck changed as she found the next three rather quickly and went back to place them with the other books she’d found. She caught Rio again as she was dropping off two of her own. 

“Better hurry, we’re getting down to the wire,  5 mins.” 

She quickly checked their stacks. They were close but Rio still had her beat by one. She rushed off again, having to search three different sections before she found the next two. She cut it close and was able to find one more before Rio found her and they walked back to the counter. 

“Are you ready for the moment of truth?” Rio teased. 

“How close was it?” Agatha grimaced 

“My final count, 10.” Rio stated

Agatha let out a burst of laughter. “14! Ha! Like I said,” she tossed her hair over her shoulder “Crushed you!” 

Rio rolled her eyes and snickered. “Well done my love!” She leaned in for a celebratory kiss. 

Agatha broke away, a look of concerned curiosity on her face, “are you seriously buying all these books?” 

“Why not? I’ve got a lot of shelf space to fill.” Rio shrugged.

“We’re not seriously going to carry these with us the rest of the night?!” She huffed. 

“No! I’ll pay for them now and pick them up on Saturday on my way out.” 

Agatha let out a sigh of relief and moved to sit down and wait while Rio checked out. As she waited she felt the spasm return, this time back in its original spot. She pressed her hand to where it was, just under her ribs yet she was unable to feel anything. Figuring it was gas she made herself burp and the sensation quickly stopped. 

Satisfied with her purchase Rio moved to join Agatha. “Any chance you’d be up to checking out another store before dinner? I know this one that specializes in old texts and first editions if you’re interested? It’s not far from here.” Rio asked. 

“I could be persuaded though I don’t want to stay too long. I’m already getting hungry again.” 

“Deal!” Rio beamed. 

They headed out and down the street for about ten minutes until they reached a small dark shop with a few dusty books in the windows. 

“Are you sure it’s even open?” Agatha asked

“Oh yeah, it always looks that way.” Rio swung the door open and a bell rang above their heads. 

The woody scent of old books was heavy as they entered the small shop. There was a counter with an old cash register in the back and every wall was stacked floor to ceiling with books of all sizes. There was a wooden chair in the corner with a small table and lamp set up as the perfect reading nook. Looking around it appeared they were the only people in the shop, no employees in sight. 

“Again, I have to ask, are you sure this place is open? There’s no one here!” 

Rio laughed, “Yeah, I’m sure Frank will be back up in a sec.” 

“Frank?” Agatha asked just as one of the bookcases behind the counter started to open and a short, elderly, portly man with a ring of wispy hair around his balding head wandered out carrying a handful of books. 

“Hey, Frank! How’s it going?”

“Rio! Man, long time no see!” Frank wandered over to give Rio a hug. “What? You don’t like comin around to see me no more?” 

“I moved Frank, I’m out in Westview now.” 

“Westview? Where the fuck is that?” 

“New Jersey.” 

“Oh man, you’re in fuckin Jersey? No shit! I got a couple cousins out there ya know!” 

“Don’t we all!” Rio joked “Hey, I actually came by to introduce you to someone.” She motioned for Agatha to join them. “Frank, this is Agatha.” 

“Oh my god! Don’t tell me you found her in Jersey! Frank Kelley, nice to meet you.” 

“Likewise.” 

“I worked for Frank a bit doing odd jobs during college.” Rio explained

“You lucked out, the kid can fix anything! I don’t know how she does it!” Frank praised. 

“Frank is an expert book hunter, particularly first editions, he can track nearly anything down you could think of.” 

“I live for the thrill of the hunt!” Frank grumbled. 

“How’s your son doing?” Rio asked

“Oh Dennis? He’s doing great, actually he and his wife just had a baby!” 

“No shit! Congratulations man!”

“Thanks, I’m a very proud grandfather to my new grandson! Eh, you wanna see some pictures? My son’s got ‘em loaded up on my phone.” 

“Of course! Show me!” Rio replied. Frank fumbled with his phone for a moment before turning it around so they could look over him to see the photos. He scrolled through image after image of this tiny bundle of a human as he gushed about his love for the kid. Rio was completely engaged, commenting on each picture. Agatha stood back half watching the pictures and half watching Rio. The way her eyes lit up as she took in every image. There was something precious about her admiration. 

As the slide show ended Rio made her way to the door “Anyway, we’ve gotta head out, we’re going out to dinner, but I’ll see ya around before long!” 

“Make sure that you do! And Agatha, keep an eye on this one, she may be charming but trust me she’s trouble!”

“Oh I know it!” Agatha replied as they headed out the door. 

————————————————-

As Rio led them across town for dinner Agatha couldn’t help but let herself think, even just for a moment, what it might be like to have a child with Rio. She was brilliant and creative, adventurous and curious, loving and attentive. All qualities she wished she could have experienced in a parent growing up. But who knew if Rio even wanted kids? Was it too early to ask? 

Before long they arrived at a small Italian restaurant. Rio held the door open for Agatha and they made their way inside the already crowded room. As soon as the door shut behind them they were greeted by a booming voice. 

“Well look who it is! Hey Gino! Guess who just walked through the door?!” He shouted to the back of the cramped space. 

“It’s not Mikey is it? That guy owes me 50 bucks!” 

“No man, Vidal’s back!” 

A large man in a chef's coat and apron poked his head out of the tight doorway at the back of the house that led to the kitchen. 

“No fuckin way!” He grinned, pulling his apron off and squeezing through the crowded dining room to the host stand where he crushed Rio in a hug. 

“Gino! Man, how you been?” She asked as he released her from his grip. 

“Not too bad, not too bad! Business has been good. How’s things going out at your new job?” 

“It’s been great, I finally found a place out there, settling in. I’ve actually brought someone with me for dinner.” She turned to introduce Agatha. “Gino, this is Agatha. Agatha, Gino. I used to run deliveries for him on the weekends.” 

Agatha chuckled in amusement. Of course she worked with Gino too. “Nice to meet you.” 

“I talked to Vicky earlier about putting me down for a table. You got one ready for me?” Rio asked. 

“Let me see, I got a great spot that just opened up, I’ll get the boys to clear it off for you, gimmie 5 minutes.” 

“Thanks Gino!” She turned to Agatha who was chuckling to herself. “What’s so funny?” 

“You!” She snickered, “You really are that charming aren’t you?” 

“What can I say? I’m a delight and people love me.” 

“I certainly do!” Agatha hummed in a sultry voice as she pulled Rio in for a kiss before they were quickly interrupted 

“Ahem, your table’s ready.” Choked out the blushing host. 

“Jeeze, Tony! You really know how to ruin a moment!” Rio quipped with a smirk. 

As they ate and talked Agatha couldn’t help her mind falling back to her earlier curiosity. Rio was magnanimous, a black hole of charisma that sucked in everyone she encountered. She seemed calm and assured of herself. She had a great, stable job that wasn’t taking her to the ends of the earth, risking her life. She would have to see about that motorcycle when they decided to have kids. She caught herself, just as her train of thought was rushing off the tracks. They had barely talked about their future, let alone children! Yet, she was surprised to find how easy it was to let that part of herself dream again. With Rio it felt like she was finding the pieces of herself she thought she lost with Wanda. Though it might look different than she planned, she could have a second chance at the family she had always hoped for. 

“I’ve been thinking…” She started as they waited for the check. 

“Yes, my love?” Rio asked, leaning back in her chair, full. 

“About what you said earlier this week.”

“Mhmm” she hummed, “and what was that?”

“About our future, about what that could look like.” 

“Ah! I see.” Rio could feel her heart skip a beat as she thought of the conversation yet before them. 

“When you asked, my mind drew a blank. I hadn’t given much thought to a future beyond this.” She swallowed, feeling a trickle of anxiety creep into her chest. “Honestly I didn’t really think of my future at all until you asked. I had gotten so used to just taking each day as it came, not really caring about what came next. It didn’t really matter. Even after Wanda I had tried and hoped so hard for a life I didn’t think I was meant to live that I gave up even trying.” She let herself sit in the moment as she built up courage to continue. “And as soon as I stopped trying, you appeared.” She sighed a breathy laugh that Rio echoed. “And I don’t think I’ve felt this light in years!” 

Rio reached out and took her hand, bringing it up to her lips and pressing a kiss to the back of her fingers. She could feel her gut bubbling once again with anticipation, seeing Agatha’s vulnerability. 

“I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m starting to see that future with you. A long one I hope.” She cracked a smile. “How did you put it? A house, a couple of kids, and some pets?”

“Something like that.” Rio breathed shakily as she moved to take the last sips of her wine. 

“Well, I’m not one for picket fences, but were you serious about kids?” 

At that Rio choked on her wine, sputtering it through her mouth and nose down the front of her shirt and coughing uncontrollably. 

“Oh my gosh, are you ok?” Agatha rushed to help clean up and handed her a glass of water. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Rio croaked, “just went down the wrong pipe.” 

In the midst of their chaos Gino stopped by with the check. 

“Geeze, Vidal, you still learning to drink or something!” He teased seeing the mess. “I just wanna let you know, this one’s on the house!” 

“Oh, Gino, you don’t have to do that!” Rio rasped. 

“Please! It’s my pleasure! So glad you stopped by to see us. It was nice meeting your lady friend here. Hope you come back by soon.” 

“Oh you know it!” Rio laughed, lungs finally cleared of liquid as they stood and headed for the door. 

The conversation lost, they caught an uber back to the house. The ride back to the house was silent and thick with the anxieties they were each holding. On top of that, Rio’s blunder caused the whole car to smell like wine and she had to sit the 30 minute journey back wet and sticky. 

“I’m sorry about your shirt.” Agatha finally whispered as they walked into the entryway. 

“Oh! It’s not your fault! I just need to learn how to hold my wine!” Rio laughed timidly. “I’m going to hop in the shower though.” 

“Give me your shirt first, I’ll soak it and try and get these stains out at least.” She sidled over to stand before Rio as her hands came up to gently pull the buttons open on her shirt. She sucked in her bottom lip as she let her gaze float up to meet Rio’s whose honey amber eyes glowed in the low light of the sconces aligning the walls. She continued down the shirt until Rio’s bare chest was staring back at her. She could feel a heat rise in her burning down to her core as she peeled the garment off. 

“I’ll meet you upstairs?” Rio breathed, beginning to blush at the exposure. 

Agatha nodded then leaned in, pulling Rio’s lips into hers as her fingers tangled into her hair. Though hesitant at first, Rio melted into the touch, wrapping her hands around Agatha’s waist and pulling her in closer. Agatha smiled at the response, breaking the kiss. “You better go wash off, you’re very sticky!” She giggled as she pulled herself away. 

Rio turned reluctantly and headed up the stairs to the shower. Once under the water her mind was racing. Did that really happen? Was she serious? How was she so oblvious? And it was right there! She could have asked her but she literally choked! She felt defeated and overwhelmed by it all and at this point she needed help, she needed advice. She wasn’t ready to talk to Lilia, there would be too many questions she couldn’t answer and she was still upset with how she had handled everything. Then she remembered, she was seeing Yelena tomorrow. Between her, and Nat, and Hela maybe they could help her figure this out. 

Agatha took her time treating Rio’s shirt. She kept running through everything she had said. Why the fuck did she say that? Was it too soon? Had she upset Rio by asking? She felt embarrassed that she had even brought it up. She tried to push the worries from her mind. Rio did love her, and in the end that’s all she really wanted. She didn’t need to push anything that, honestly, was a pipe dream to begin with. She was happy and grateful for all Rio had done for her. She didn’t need to rush things. 

When Rio exited the shower she was greeted by Agatha, half naked brushing her teeth. 

“I was going to come join you but then the water turned off.” She mumbled with a mouth full of toothpaste. 

“I can jump back in if you’d prefer!” Rio offered shamelessly. 

Agatha spit and looked back up at Rio through the mirror with a wicked smirk, “No that’s alright!” She spun around eyeing Rio, “I wasn’t really planning on showering anyway.” she hummed suggestively, raising an eyebrow. 

“Oh!” Rio laughed nervously

Agatha stood from where she was leaning on the counter to walk over to Rio, grabbing her hand and leading her back into the bedroom. There she pushed Rio back to sit against the bed and came up to straddle her as her hands moved intently undoing the towel around her. Agatha leaned down, pressing her lips against Rio’s as her hair fell like a veil around them. Once the towel was shed Agatha leaned forward, pressing Rio down into the mattress as she peppered kisses down her neck and onto her chest. 

Rio breathed heavily as the tornado of Agatha’s love was thrust upon her. Her mind was quickly losing the battle to the sensations she was currently feeling. The rising swell of desire pooled in her core as Agatha nipped and kissed further down her body. She reached down to lift Agatha’s face, to simmer the heat that was burning between them, but her sky blue eyes were awash, blown wide with passion. They gazed up at her devilishly as her hands came up and pinned Rio’s wrists to the bed. 

“Agatha…I…”Rio stammered as Agatha leaned forward, capturing her lips once again. 

“Come on!” Agatha breathed onto her lips. She leaned down further brushing the shell of her ear. “Let me show you how good you’ve been.” She kissed softly, just beneath her earlobe then nipped at the soft piece of skin as her hands glided down Rio’s body. Rio let a shaky breath escape her lips.“So good for me” Agatha moaned as her lips kissed down Rio’s body again and she slid a leg between her thighs. Rio let out an involuntary moan at the pressure. She closed her eyes trying to search for any ounce of willpower. She needed to stop this before it got too much further. “Fuck…Agatha!” She managed to cry out just as Agatha’s hand began to wander further down. “WAIT!” 

Agatha stilled her movements and sat up, looking at Rio with a mixture of confusion and concern. “Did I? Is there something wrong?” She breathed nervously.

“No!” Rio huffed, breathless. “You’re fine, I just…I think my period started while we were at the restaurant.” 

Agatha sat back on her heels, somewhat disappointed. “Oh!” 

“Believe me, the last thing I want to do is stop whatever was about to happen, but it feels like someone is having a knife fight inside me right now. Maybe I could get a raincheck or something? When I’m not dying?” 

Agatha shifted to move off of Rio. “Yeah for sure.” she replied, though the pang of the second rejection this evening was bitterly sharp. 

“Are you ok?” Rio asked gently, seeing Agatha withdraw.

“Yeah, of course, why wouldn’t I be ok?” she replied abruptly as she threw on one of Rio’s t-shirts from the floor. 

“Just making sure.” Rio said, not buying Agatha’s nonchalance. She grabbed her hand, pulling her back in as she wrapped her arms around Agatha’s thighs, resting her head on her stomach. 

Agatha reached down and pulled Rio’s face to look at her. “Can I get you anything? For the pain?” She offered through a half smile. 

Rio nodded, “I’ll be yours forever if you could find me some advil?” 

Agatha softened at the request. She knew that pain all too well and couldn’t help but feel sympathetic to it. She brushed a few hairs from Rio’s face and bent down to press a kiss to Rio’s forehead. “How could I deny you when you look at me with those eyes!” They were wide and sorrowful like a pleading puppy. “I’ll be right back.” She pulled herself away from Rio’s grasp, threw on her robe and headed to search for the medicine. 

As soon as the door closed Rio flopped back onto the bed with a sigh of relief. It had been a convenient excuse that was, unfortunately, all too real. Her insides were betraying her as the anxiety and pressure of the past week had built up to the point they had to release themselves one way or another. She searched her bag for a comfortable pair of underwear and one of the few pads she happened to pack should she be stuck in this very situation. By the time she dressed and finished getting ready for bed Agatha had returned with the medicine and glass of water. 

“I tried to find you a heating pad or hot water bottle or something but I was lucky to even find the pills.” She shrugged apologetically. 

“This should be enough. Thank you, Cariño.” She swallowed the pills and pressed a soft kiss to Agatha’s lips then pulled them both into bed. She wrapped each of her limbs tightly around Agatha, like an octopus’s tentacles, so that there was barely room for air between them. 

Agatha snuggled into the embrace, tucking her head under Rio’s chin against her chest. As Rio’s fingers combed gently through her hair the drum of her heartbeat soothed her into a restful slumber. 

—————————————————

FRIDAY:

Rio sat in her van in the parking lot of the storage facility waiting for Yelena. She had spent a rather silent morning with Agatha as they packed their items and cleaned the small space they were still using in preparation for the photographer to come. Agatha didn’t seem upset or angry, just quiet, and that concerned her more than anything else. She knew something was off, besides the obvious, but couldn’t coax Agatha to admit to anything. More than likely they just needed some time apart before dinner that evening. 

She was glad she would have a chance to at least chat with Yelena before then, if she would ever show up. She had a penchant for arriving late but was pushing it, even for her. Rio was about to call and make sure she was even awake before she saw Yelena's Subaru pull into the lot. 

“I thought we said 10!” She hollered as she exited the vehicle. 

“Well I was already gonna be a few minutes late so I stopped and got coffee.” Yelena climbed out of her vehicle carrying two cups. 

“I’ve already had coffee and breakfast. It’s practically lunch.” Rio said as she took the cup. 

“If you don’t want it then give it back!” 

“No, it’s mine, you bought it for me! I’m just pointing out that your late streak has gotten worse.” Rio chuckled. 

“Hey I’m here aren’t I?” She scoffed

“Yeah, thanks, I really do appreciate the help. Man, I'm glad to see you!” 

“Good to see you too! So you wanna get started loading, or do you wanna talk about whatever is going on with this girlfriend of yours?” 

“Dude, you are not fucking ready! We’re going to have to multitask because both are going to take all day and I’ll still need to shower before dinner.” 

“Oh god! What have you gotten yourself into this time?” Yelena rolled her eyes as she followed Rio. 

It did indeed take the whole afternoon to unload the unit and figure out how to Tetris everything into Lilia’s van. The entire time Rio went through every sordid detail she knew up until this point. She told her about Lilia’s suspicions and the delusional plan she had carried out. She reviewed the chaotic nature of the week she and Agatha had somehow managed to survive. She expressed her overwhelming confusion and fear about Agatha being pregnant and somehow not knowing herself and the impossible position that put her in. 

“And you’re sure she’s actually pregnant?” Yelena had asked for the fifth time that day as they leaned against the packed car. 

“Dude! Everything I know about her says that’s impossible but knowing the signs, it’s pretty undeniable at this point. I just don’t get how?! And how does she not know? HOW? What am I supposed to do with that?!” 

“I have no clue!” Yelena chuckled “I’d hate to be you right now. How do you even get yourself into these situations?” 

“I blame Lilia for most of this! That and I love too hard!” 

“You do tend to go head over heels pretty easily. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but is this really what you want?” 

Rio smiled thinking of Agatha, “I do. Which is what makes it worse! I don’t want to fuck it up! I’m worried she’ll bolt if I’m the messenger.” 

“You want me to ask at dinner tonight? I don’t care if she hates me!” 

“No! Absolutely not! I need all of you on your best behavior! This week has been stressful enough!” 

“Have you told Nat and Hela?”

“Not yet, I’ve got to figure that out too.”

“We’ll think of something tonight.”

“With Agatha there?”

“Don’t stress, I’ll try to get there early and fill them in.”

“You…get there early?”

“Listen, you’ve got a pregnant girlfriend, clearly anything can happen.” 

Agatha kept checking the time as the real estate agent prattled on about different conditions and all the potential this place had to be a quick sale. Rio should have been back by now, they still had to get ready for dinner with Rio’s friends. Something she couldn’t tell if she was more excited or nervous for. She was also reaching that point of hunger where if she didn’t eat soon she’d murder the next person that breathed wrong. At that moment she heard the front door open and Rio soon found her in the kitchen. 

“Mi amor! I'm so sorry I’m late!” She rushed to Agatha, planting a kiss on her cheek. “I had a lot more shit stuffed into that box than I remembered. Hey, I’m Rio” she turned to the agent who hadn’t entirely stopped talking. 

“Hey, Shirley!” Agatha interrupted “Thank you so much for your help! I know this place is in good hands. If you don’t mind, we have dinner plans so I’ll catch up with you when I’m back in Westview.” Agatha shuffled the woman out the door. They both rushed upstairs as Rio took her time in the shower, Agatha quickly got ready. She waited nearly an hour, as her hunger grew, for Rio to emerge from the bedroom, ready. 

“Finally! I thought I was going to have to leave without you!” She complained

“Sorry, my love! Good things take time.” Rio shrugged

“You take any more time and we’re going to be late!” Agatha grabbed Rio’s hand and dragged her out to the waiting uber.

As they entered the restaurant Rio could see Hela and Nat at a booth in the far corner. Of course, Yelena was running late, so much for getting there early. The nervous pit in her stomach returned as she led Agatha over to her friends. 

“Rio! Oh my god! It’s been so long! So good to see you again!” Nat wrapped her into a tight hug. 

“Nice seeing you, Vidal! Hope things are going well out in Westview.” Hela stated a little more reservedly than Nat. 

“I’m hanging in there, finally getting settled. I want you both to meet my girlfriend, Agatha. Agatha, this is Hela and Nat. You’ll meet Yelena whenever she decides to show up.” 

“Oh! Wow! So nice to meet you both! Sorry to say hi and run but I have to go to the restroom before I explode!” Agatha sat her stuff down and ran to the bathroom just as Yelena made her way over to the table. 

“What happened to getting here early?” Rio chided. 

“Listen, I’m on time, that’s early for me. Where’s your girlfriend?” Yelena asked

“She’ll be back, she had to go to the bathroom.”

“Oh, the little squirt pushing on her bladder or something?” She laughed before noticing Nat and Hela’s confused looks. “Oh, did you not tell them yet?” 

“No, she literally just left!” Rio snapped

“Can one of you fill us in? What’s going on, what chaos have you conjured now?” Nat asked half amused. 

Rio rolled her eyes and let out a deep sigh, “So, don’t say anything, but Agatha’s pregnant.” 

“What?” Nat gasped

“Excuse me?” Hela asked, eyebrows raised.

“That woman is pregnant? How far along?” Nat asked

“I don’t know. Honestly I don’t know any of the details.” Rio replied 

“What do you mean?” Hela asked

“Agatha doesn’t know she’s pregnant” Yelena giggled. 

“Again, I ask, what do you mean? How do you know she’s pregnant and she doesn’t even know?”  Hela reiterated

“Listen I don’t have time to go over everything but I need your advice. I’ve been trying to figure out how to talk to her about it, but haven’t really found the right opportunity. Things have been hectic this week to say the least. How do you tell someone they’re pregnant? Help me!” Rio begged. “Also I told her none of us are drinking because we are supporting Nat in her recovery.” She added looking at Hela sipping from a rocks glass. 

“You’re lucky I’m at the end of this!” Hela said as she tossed back the last of her drink. 

“Why am I the one with the drinking problem?” Nat whined. 

“It wasn’t intentional, I picked one of you at random. So, any thoughts?”

“Outside of just coming out and asking?” Hela confirmed

“Obviously that’s why I’m asking. Every time I try to ask her I panic, or choke.” 

“Could you get her to take a pregnancy test?” Yelena asked

“How do you suggest I go about that? Hey, I had this super cute date idea, let's both take a pregnancy test.” 

“Well not if you put it like that!”

“Who else knows about this? Besides us?” Hela asked

“Just Lilia.”

“Would you be comfortable having Lilia talk to her?” Nat asked

“Absolutely not! She’s part of the reason I’m in this mess to begin with!” Rio scoffed

“Understandable, however, why do you have to be the one to tell her?” Nat questioned

“I offered but she shot me down!” Yelena chuckled

“Yes, because it would be worse coming from you. But, you do have a point, maybe I could ask Jen?”

“Ask Jen about what?” Rio hadn’t seen Agatha before she reappeared behind her. She did her best to hide her look of panic as she thought of something to say. 

“My love! I didn’t see you come back! I was… telling them about our karaoke night with your friends. Jen and I had fun, I was thinking of asking her if she wanted to hang out sometime.” She wasn’t proud of the lie but she hoped it worked.

“Really?” She huffed, “You and Jen? I would have figured you’d hit up Ralph for happy hour at Chili’s.” 

“Yes, Ralph, he’d be fun to hang out with too!” She eyed notably at her trio of friends. Luckily Agatha didn’t dwell on it and turned her attention to the new person at the table. “Agatha, nice to meet you!”

“Yelena, nice to meet you too, Rio’s told us so much about you!” She said, giving the rest of the table a knowing look. 

“I wish I could say the same but Rio hasn’t been as forthcoming!” She nudged Rio

“You ashamed of us Vidal?” Hela joked 

“No, we’ve just been preoccupied! Yelena and I went to med school together, I know nat from my residency, and Hela is the mentor I told you about. They are the only reason I’ve made it to where I am today!” 

“You’re being modest! You were an outstanding student! Top of the class really!” Yelena praised. 

“The best mentee I’ve ever had! She was born to be a surgeon. The only thing I've seen her struggle with is difficult conversations.” She eyed Rio pointedly. “She tends to defer that responsibility.” 

Rio was strangling Hela with her eyes as Hela grinned back slyly. “Yes, that’s something I’m still working on. If it was easy they wouldn’t call them difficult conversations now would they?” 

“Really? That surprises me! You’re so gregarious, my dear!” 

“Yeah, that’s not the problem though.” Rio admitted 

“Rio tends to let her emotions get the best of her and then she’ll clam up.” Yelena explained, smirking at Rio. 

“To be fair, most of the time it’s life or death. It’s to be expected, just something you have to train yourself to do, like the rest.” Hela reasoned. 

As their food arrived they sat and got to know each other better. They each poked and prodded at Rio, sharing wild encounters from school and horror stories from their days in residency. They studied Agatha, asking her every question under the sun trying to get as much context as they could for Rio’s current situation. Just as they were wrapping up Agatha excused herself to head to the restroom again. 

“Alright I’m taking bets, who's got 4 months?” Yelena proclaimed as soon as Agatha was out of earshot. 

“No.” Rio grumbled

“No way! I’d say 3 months tops! She’s so tiny!” Nat replied 

“Seriously guys?!” Rio whined

“I bet she’s further along than we think. If I were you I’d talk to Jen sooner rather than later.” Hela advised

“Believe me! It’s the first thing on my list now when we get back tomorrow. Honestly I should rope in Ralph too, he seems like he would be a good buffer. Things between Jen and Agatha can get tense easily.”

“You have to keep us updated! Let us know how the intervention goes!” Nat beamed excitedly

“It’s not an intervention! It’s just all of her friends coming together to tell her she’s pregnant. Fuck me!” 

[errruvande]

Fanfic writer interview

Thank you @thelettersfromnoone for the tag!! 💖

How many work do u have on AO3?

3, not your local AO3 girlie lmao

What's your total AO3 word count?

8 534

Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes

I'll go with Tumblr ones, cause from my 3 AO3 works the biggest number I got is 31 lmao

Anyone but you (Legolas x f!reader)

Night watch (Legolas x Reader)

Well-deserved rest (Haldir x f!Reader)

One messy night (Boromir x f!Reader)

Transition (Haldir x f!Reader)

Honorable mention (since it's not fics but headcanons)

Green Council receiving a hot pic from you (HotD)

TLK men's reaction on being pet named

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I always try to respond to comments! These little things are brightening up my day, so I wanna let the people know that they are my heroes hahaha

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

I really think it's Transition. All in all it's a pretty dark story, a bit depressing I think (I had these intentions while writing at least).

Otherwise, I don't think I have angsty endings fics?

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

New family members for sure!! Was thinking hard what to choose, cause I think all of my happy ending fics are on the pretty same level on a happy scale, but I remember that I have this gen, non romantic baby and I love it so much ❤️‍🩹 There's a little TLK OMC for y'all

Do you write crossovers?

I wanted to say I've never done this BUT THEN!!! My Assassin's Creed (Ezio) x LOTR little headcanon!!! My beloved child!!

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No, not that I remember getting any hate on my fics

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do, tho not much and on rare occasions. I used to write a lot of smut when I was younger (a teen), then I stopped being comfortable with it for a wild few years (tho reading never made me uncomfortable lmao).

Now I started writing smut again, idk what kind? Don't really understand what does that mean lol F x M traditional sex? Pretty detailed? If so, then yes lmao

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't know 😂 Maybe, maybe not. I think rather not.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not to my knowledge, I don't think so.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

We tried with my friend a long long time ago. Didn't go well lmao It's hard and kinda stressing, cause you never know what the other person is gonna write (at least we had this SURPRISE system), so... You kinda have zero plot cause everything you want to write plot-wise can be ruined by the second person's plot lmao

What's your all-time favorite ship?

Athelnar?? Athelstan and Ragnar were my first ever OTP (quickly followed by Alfred and Uhtred). You could never beat that Athelnar shit out of my body lmao I've never written for them, but oh I do love them boys!

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

Now, that's the HARSH one lmao

I think I have at least 3 OC stories that I really wanna write (2 for TLK and one for LOTR), but I'm scared that I will never actually do it. I never was good with multi chaptered stories, and these are indeed not a one shots 🥲

What are your writing strengths?

Ugh... I don't know? I think I was pretty good with dialogues and descriptions of the surroundings to build the atmosphere. But... I guess it's not for me to decide but for the readers?

What are your writing weaknesses?

I rarely finish what I've started lmao I should write everything in one go or else I'll never finish it... Or will finish it in two months even if it's a 2k words one shot

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I love them! I've only done it with my LOTR fics (with Sindarin) but I really love it. But I really love it when the language is different from the language of the settings? Like, if the story is happening in England and everyone is English, but you have two characters who can speak idk Dutch, let them have a Dutch language in their dialogue. I had a rant post about it not that long ago actually lmao You have to think about your in-universe language

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

Ahhh Bungou Stray Dogs! I love them, and I'd gladly try to write something for them. Not a character/character but reader my beloved.

And maybe Stephane Narcisse (reign) my beloved and a reader

What's your favorite fic you've written?

The blood on my hands (Eomer) and Peace (Finan) are definitely my fave ones I think. They are dark and both explore some trauma

No pressure tags: @whitedarkmoonflower @lord-aldhelm @holy3cake @gemini-mama @emilyhufflepufftlk @persephones-journey @solinarimoon @mrsalwayswrite @emmanuellececchi @bilbotargaryen @levithestripper @mrsarnasdelicious @paula-in-dreamland

[pimosworld]

The ties that bind

Pairing- Dave York x f!reader x Francisco Morales

Series Summary-Dave is a private investigator who tracks down soulmates. He’s tasked to find Frankie’s, but what happens when he finds you and he wants you to himself?

CW-18+,MDNI, Angst,Fluff,Eventual Smut,Hurt, Comfort,MMF dynamics. General warnings for each chapter. Anything sensitive will be added to individual chapters.

WK-5.5K

A/N-This starts out angsty but I don’t write sad endings so keep that in mind going forward. Reader has a best friend very near and dear to my heart.

[Series Masterlist][Main Masterlist]

Not beta read

Chapter I

Dave looks over the file on his desk again before he makes the call. He reviewed it the night before and was going to contact the client until he realized not everyone holds the same weird hours as he does. Insomnia. 

  He takes a sip of his coffee as he dials the number with a Florida area code. At least he would get to enjoy some nice weather this time. The last soulmate he tracked down mid winter lived in Buffalo New York, he wasted weeks trying to find him only to find out he was happily married and had no intention of leaving his current wife. The woman who hired him was devastated but…devastated doesn’t pay the bills so she was out twenty grand, and went back to being single a few states over. 

  They don’t always end in misery but he’s used to it now. He wonders why he still does it, maybe helping these people will erase the thought of killing someone’s soulmate when he’s contracted for his other job. He can’t think about that one too much. 

  “Hello Santiago speaking.” Dave glances down at the file once more to be sure. 

  “Ugh yes I’m Dave York calling to reach Francisco Morales?” He hears a low curse on the other end and some apologies. 

  “Oh ya, just give me a second.” He can hear ruffling and the sound of a sliding door. My patience is already wearing thin. 

  “Thanks for returning my call. I’m actually hiring you on behalf of my friend Francisco.” 

  This wouldn’t be the first time he was contracted to find someone’s soulmate because some friend or family member couldn’t keep their nose where it belonged. There would most certainly be drama and resistance. Two things Dave did not handle well. 

  “That’s very generous of you. Is Francisco eager to find his soulmate?” 

  “He ugh…well…yes, yes he is.” Fat chance

  “I would need to meet him of course to go through with this, you understand?” 

  “Of course, that won’t be a problem at all. I sent you the details of when and where we can meet and provided you with the deposit.” At least he means business, either way Dave doesn’t care about the in’s and outs of why people do it. He knows it’s important… or at least he did. 

  He finishes going over the rules with Santiago that will hopefully get relaid to Frankie. He’ll find your soulmate and set up a meeting. If the person does not wish to pursue the relationship he will relay that to you to avoid any in person embarrassment. No stalking or harassment involved. If he can’t find them within 30 days you get your money back. 

  Some people frowned upon what he did. Purists thought you should meet your soulmate organically. They were rarely alone for more than a few years before they found theirs so he didn’t like listening to what they had to say. 

  He wasted years trying to find his love. When he did find her…it was already too late. Those six months were the best and worst of his life. Knowing he’s found his soulmate and gets to spend every waking moment with her only to have it ripped from his grasp. 

  If he had to spend the rest of his tortured life helping others not waste time then he would. 

  ****

  Why the hell did Will make them wear bow ties? This must be Amanda’s suggestion, there’s no way he decided they should all be this uncomfortable on his wedding day. 

  Frankie looks over at Ben and Will having some brotherly talk as if the younger miller has some wise words of advice having been married for all of six months. He loved rubbing it in that he was able to tie the knot before the rest of them of course excluding Tom who got married years ago when they were all in basic. 

  He tries really hard not to be bitter on these days but he can’t help himself. Of course he ran that risk when he married someone who was not his soulmate. He loved Sophia so much it didn’t matter to him. It’s worked out for plenty of other people and it worked for him…until it didn’t. 

  He didn’t try very hard to find his soulmate. Between being in the military, not being able to put down roots for so long and the fact that his soulmate probably hated him for all his scars and tattoos he can’t say he put much of an effort into finding them. 

  The hummingbird tattoo on his wrist practically taunted him his entire marriage. He pretended he didn’t care and so did she. She always told him they would try for kids when she was ready and he never pushed. He thought she was finally ready when she told him they needed to talk. Never in a million years did he expect her to say she found her soulmate and she was leaving him. 

  Their baby boy should be a year old by now, Sophia was pregnant within a month of the divorce being finalized. This was information Santiago insisted despite the others protests that he needed to know so that he could move on. 

  He can’t put the blame all on her. He left for Colombia to bring home money so they could start a family and he came home with nothing but news that her best friend's husband was dead. 

  It must be some kind of fucked up karma that they went back for the money and now he’s alone. If he’s really being honest with himself, he knows they never really loved each other. It was convenient for both of them. Frankie doesn’t like being honest with himself so he'd rather continue on painting her as the villain in his story. 

  “Hermano, you need some help with that tie.” Santiago starts fidgeting before he can even answer no. He slaps his hands away and Santi backs away with his hands up in surrender. 

  “Why are you being so nice?” 

  “I’m always nice.” Frankie scoffs at that. Santiago was never nice unless he wanted something from you. 

  “You picked up my tux, gave me a ride here and now you’re offering to fix my tie?!” He gives him a look and Santi knows it’s only a matter of time. 

  “I have a surprise for you.” He resumes fixing his tie despite Frankie’s protests. 

  “The last time you surprised me someone died.” Santi clears his throat but doesn’t protest, it must be bad. 

  “I hired a PI to find your soulmate.” That last part is rushed out but Frankie hears him clear as day. 

  He shoves him back a few steps which draws the attention of Ben and Will. “Why the fuck would you do that?” 

  “Chill out Fish, what’s your problem?” Ben steps between the two of them as Frankie looks as though he could spit fire. 

  “I told him about the PI.” Ben whips around to Santi. 

  “I thought we were gonna wait until tomorrow.” Frankie looks over at Will in disbelief. 

  “You fucking knew about this?” He can see it in their eyes and how no one will look at him directly.

  “Can we please talk about this tomorrow? I’m getting married in an hour.” 

  Sure he’ll talk tomorrow, they can all talk about staying out of his life and meddling in his business. Pope can call off the PI and they can all go back to being happy with their soulmates and Santiago can go fuck off somewhere in another country as he always does, leaving Frankie to mope alone with his thoughts. 

  “Ya we’ll talk tomorrow.” Ben comes over to fix his tie and Frankie clenches his fists at his side. 

  This is going to be a long day. 

  ****

  The new Mr.& Mrs. Miller do look very in love on the dance floor as Frankie enjoys his second piece of cake. Cake never betrayed him…his ex wife and his best friends maybe but never cake. 

  Ben dips his wife and it sorely reminds him of his wedding day when he and Sophia ended up with calloused feet from dancing all night. 

  His chest tightens at the sight of Molly dancing with her girls. She stayed so strong through it all and she looks so happy, maybe it’s just a front or maybe she’s choosing not to be a miserable sap like him. She lost her soulmate and never once judged them for what they did. She knew how Tom could be. Frankie doesn’t know how someone could treat their soulmate the way Tom treated Molly. He’s better off alone than with a soulmate who doesn’t love him back. 

  Santiago makes his way over to the table and gestures to the seat next to Frankie. He nods his head for him to sit down while he watches the dance floor. They sit in silence for a moment and Frankie thinks about how selfish he is for being so petulant about the whole thing. 

  Santiago never cared about finding his soulmate, maybe because of their line of work or maybe it was the nature of his being. He’ll never forget the look on his face when his tattoo’s disappeared. He told the guys it was fine but they could hear him trying to muffle his cries in his bunk. 

  “I’ll do it Pope.” Santiago looks at him with a mixture of shock and excitement. 

  “I came ready for an argument.” He slides Frankie’s plate closer to him to steal a bite of cake. “We meet him tomorrow.” 

  “Jesus what if I said no?” Frankie slides the plate back to himself, not ready to let go of his precious dessert. 

  “You might want to lay off the cake if you’re going to meet your soulmate soon.” Frankie flips him off as Santi grabs the plate and saunters off to the dance floor. 

  ****

  Dave’s always early to meet a client, but never this early. He couldn’t find a lot of information on Francisco Morales but he did find out he was Delta Force and so was the man that hired him on his behalf. He always met potential clients in a public place of their choosing to get an idea of who they are. There's no doubt in his mind that this coffee shop holds no significance to the two men and will most certainly not help him figure out anything about Francisco. 

  He knows it’s their military training that they will never seem to break free from. It doesn’t make it easy for your soulmate to find you when you're as mysterious as Francisco Morales. No social media, no parking tickets, no convictions. A minor hiccup with his pilot's license but his record was scrubbed clean a few years ago. It takes a lot of money to completely wipe your record. 

  Their trip to Colombia wasn’t as off the books as they thought. With Dave’s connections he can find out a lot more about the average person than they think. It’s true he is paid to find your soulmate but he has a duty to uphold to not put said person in harm's way. Frankie’s sketchy past and interesting finances make him a little wary to just introduce him to the person he’s supposed to spend the rest of his life with. He doesn’t know the circumstances behind his wife leaving him and that also has his guard up. Who just up and leaves after 8 years? 

  He pauses his thoughts momentarily as he notices an old Jeep pull into the parking lot of the cafe. He hasn’t seen a Jeep like that in years. His suspicions are correct when two men around his age step out. Still relatively in military shape, the shorter of the two in a black t-shirt much too tight for him and black jeans. The taller one in an open flannel and blue jeans donning a dirty cap and aviators…that must be Francisco. 

  They both survey the area as if it’s their first time here and that confirms his other notion that these men wanted to meet somewhere not near their home. Probably thirty minutes to an hour outside of where they actually live if he would guess. Fifteen minutes early to be safe but still not earlier than him. 

  “I should’ve worn something nicer.” Frankie smooths his hands down the front of his worn flannel as they approach the coffee shop. This was his nice flannel but maybe he could’ve taken an iron to it or something. 

  “Relax hermano, he didn’t bring your soulmate to the meeting.” 

  “You vetted this guy?” Frankie couldn’t find much information on David York, which worried him a little. 

  “As much as I could.” Frankie holds the door open for Santiago as they enter and head straight for the counter. Coffee is much needed after imbibing too much at the wedding. He’s grateful in hindsight that he chose this location just outside of town. 

  “Corner,black suit.” 

  Frankie glances up, hopefully shielded by his sunglasses. “He looks smug.” 

  “Don’t start.” Santi hisses under his breath as he steps up to place their order. “ Two black coffees please.” 

  Best case scenario, this guy finds his soulmate and Frankie can’t even wrap his head around what he would do with that information. It scares him to even think about it. 

  Worst case scenario, Pope is out some money that he didn’t ask him to spend in the first place and he can go back to whatever semblance of a life he was living before all this. 

  Way to be positive Frankie

  ****

  Introductions are awkward to say the least. Frankie and Santi seated at the small cafe table across from Dave who has set a notepad down next to his small coffee. The silence is deafening as he scribbled down a few things after giving them a once over. 

  “So I’m sure you have some questions for me. If you don’t mind holding those until I’ve gone over everything.” He’s not really asking and Frankie already had his hackles up at the grim outlook of the man in front of him. 

  He always hated ‘suits’ . This guy is obviously ex-government and he’s not really sure how someone like him ended up in the line of work of finding someone’s soulmate. Besides the obvious monetary aspect there is a lot of love and emotion involved and the man seated before him doesn’t strike him as the romantic type. 

  “Why did you decide to hire me to find your soulmate?” I didn’t hire you. Frankie looks over at Santiago hoping he’ll help him out a little. 

  “Well ugh…I actually didn’t.” Dave raises his eyebrows at that but lets him continue. “My friend here was kind enough to give me a push in the right direction.” After too many drinks and a lot of talking he reconciled with Santi that this was something he should at least try to pursue. 

  Everything seems pretty straightforward once he starts going over his normal way of doing things. Frankie understands after the initial round of uncomfortable questions that Dave needs to make sure he’s not some weirdo. He opted to return a few peoples initial deposit upon meeting them and not deeming them safe enough or sane enough to track down their soulmate and uproot their lives. 

  Frankie’s thankful he doesn’t pry too much into his reason for divorcing. Dave mostly wanted to make sure that he was not still legally married because he won’t set anyone up for heartbreak. 

  Dave has a thirty day guarantee, if he doesn’t find them in that time frame you get a full refund. Frankie is a little shocked at his confidence. People spend their entire lives trying to find their soulmate and he can somehow guarantee it. 

  “So, now that I’ve gone over all the logistics. Do you have any questions for me?” Frankie looks to Santiago who’s been uncharacteristically quiet throughout this meeting. Maybe out of courtesy for Frankie or perhaps he’s sizing him up. Either way, Frankie really only has one thing he is curious about. 

  “Why do you do it?” 

  Dave takes a sip of his lukewarm coffee. It’s pretty bad if he’s being honest but he needs a moment. He always needs a moment when this question is brought up. It’s usually one of the only questions he hates answering. Truthfully answering would require to let people in ‘strangers’. 

  These same strangers trust him enough to do this so as uncomfortable as it is he provides enough of an answer to suit both parties. 

  “I hate to say that it pays well, but I have to state the obvious.” For the first time during the meeting Frankie can see his hard exterior crack a little. The first time where he seems nervous and unsure of what he’s going to say. 

  “Also…I wish I had met my wife sooner. I may have had more time with her.” 

  Santiago excuses himself from the table. He doesn’t do well with emotions. Frankie knows that probably stung a little. He’s not sure if it’s worse that Santi never got to meet them or if meeting them briefly makes it all that more painful. 

  “I appreciate your honesty Dave.” He sends him a tight lip smile that doesn’t meet the eyes. 

  “If that’s all you have for me I’ll be in touch in the next few days hopefully with an update.” 

  Frankie shakes his hand, a firm handshake he notes to himself. Dave has a nice build, he’s not sure why he makes a note of that as well. 

  Frankie finished the rest of his coffee and headed outside. Santi leans against the back of the Jeep scrolling idly on his phone. He looks up at him but says nothing as they both get in, Frankie in the driver's seat. 

  “I just needed some air.” Santiago looks out the passenger window seemingly fixated on the passing cars. 

  “I know hermano.” He doesn’t need to say anything more. 

  Neither of them speak for a while, too many thoughts on their minds as they ponder the meeting and what all of it means. Seeing Santiago still struggling with losing his soulmate makes Frankie want to give this his all. 

  ****

  Santi can’t shake the thought of Dave doing all this because he didn’t have enough time with his soulmate. At least he got to spend some time with them. He's lied to himself all these years after his tattoos and scars of his soulmate were long gone. This was not about him though, this is about helping his friend move on and be happy. That’s all he wants for them after the chaos he caused in Colombia. He has to make things right for him. Frankie may not see it as his fault but Santiago can’t help but think maybe Sophia would’ve stayed if things hadn’t gone so poorly. 

  Santiago would never know that things started to sour in their relationship long before that Ill fated trip to steal someone else’s money. 

  Frankie was the one who had it all together. A real job he could be proud of , a wife he loved , a house for their future family. Things quickly fell apart for him after they returned and he was no longer the one that they looked to for guidance. 

  Santiago made it his mission to help Frankie get back on his feet after they went back for the money. Frankie got his license back, he bought a home that didn’t remind him of all his memories with his ex wife, now all he needed to do was find love. 

  Santi rubs his hands across his jeans trying to shake himself from the trance. Frankie eyes him cautiously from the driver’s seat. 

  Santiago leans forward to turn the radio down. “So how are you feeling about all this?” 

  “Considering he has a guarantee, a little better than I felt going in.” 

  He doesn't want to get his hopes up too much but he’s starting to get that feeling like things may be taking a turn for the better. 

  Frankie pulls up to Santi’s house and puts the car in park. 

  “I know what you’re gonna say, I’ll be fine I promise and I’ll call you later after I sleep off this hangover.” Frankie smiles at that,Santiago only lets a select few into his world and he won’t push it any further. 

  “I just want to say thanks Pope. This really means a lot.” Santi waves him off and hops out, he knows how much it means but he’s not gonna get any more emotions out of this day. 

  “Love you hermano, this time next year we’ll be planning your wedding.” Santi calls out over his shoulder before he enters his house. Frankie wants to roll his eyes at that but he secretly hopes that he’s right. 

  ****

  “Alicia! We’re gonna be late.” You stand in your bedroom in front of the floor length mirror putting the finishing touches on your makeup. The modest yellow sundress and strappy heels you bought ages ago are finally getting some use. 

  “I can’t decide on what to wear.” You faintly hear her yell from her bedroom. 

  You’re not particularly excited about this singles event she signed you up for but you certainly didn’t want to walk in late and have all eyes on you. She’s your best friend so you agreed to accompany her on one of her many schemes to get you back on the dating scene. 

  You cross the hall to her room and find a mountain of clothes on her bed and more clothes flying out of her closet. 

  “Let me see what you’re wearing.” She emerges from her closet in a slinky black dress to match her long black hair. She was a bombshell in anything she wore so you aren’t sure what the hold up is. 

  “Alicia that looks hot, wear that.” She gives herself a once over in the mirror as she smooths her hands down the front. 

  “You don’t think this is sending the wrong message?” 

  “Babe you said yourself you need to get laid.” You glance down at the time on your phone. “Shit we’re gonna be really late.”

  “You’re right, I did say that. Thanks for talking me off a ledge.” She grabs her phone from the nightstand as you follow her out of the room. 

  “You’re gonna need to pretend my room is yours if you bring someone home though.” You gesture towards the disaster she left on her bed. 

  She turns to you, grabbing your face and kissing your forehead. “Only a true friend would let me defile her bed for the sake of a hookup.”

  You laugh as you shoo her along out the door. “That’s what friends are for.”

  ****

  The bad news, you were indeed late. The good news is no one seems to notice as you both enter the hotel lounge for the event. Everyone is talking and mingling amongst themselves so you and Alicia have an opportunity to grab a drink and settle in. 

  You haven’t been on a proper date in years so she thought this would be a nice way to ease back into things. No pressure or obligations and no awkward first date etiquette. People were just here to simply talk and get to know each other. If you made a connection that was great but if you just didn’t like someone then there were no hard feelings. 

  “Cute guy at twelve o'clock is checking you out.” You try to do a subtle scan of the room as you sip your fruity drink. 

  “Alicia I don’t know what that means…Wait how do you know he wasn’t checking you out?” She steps in front of you to slightly block your view. 

  “He’s in the gray button down on my right .” She half whispers as she attempts a head nod. “Do you see him?” 

  “Oh shit he’s coming over here.” You both do your best worst to act casual as a tall and very attractive…distractingly attractive man walks over. 

  “I do have to say yellow is definitely your color.” 

  “Told you.” Alicia says under her breath as she leaves you at the bar with this stranger. 

  You thank him politely for his compliment and introduce yourself as you try to ignore the lewd gestures your best friend is making with her hands behind his back. Thankfully she’s interrupted by a man with a tap on her shoulder. He’s noticeably not the type she goes for. He’s much too tall for her…she prefers to tower over her love interests ‘it makes me feel powerful’ in her words. 

  Jeff was nice enough as he engaged you in conversation. He mostly droned on about his job in finance and his hobbies, his five year goals and now come to think of it…you didn’t really get a chance to talk about yourself. He excused himself from the conversation when he saw someone he knew in the crowd, leaving you in your comfortable silence once again. 

  Your moment of reprieve is short lived when a woman approaches you. You actually enjoy talking to her and you can tell she’s listening intently. She’s beautiful, funny and smart. Perhaps another time you would be interested but she mentioned she just got out of a long term relationship and you don’t have the energy to be someone’s rebound. You’ve spent years repairing your broken heart and if this is your one attempt at trying to find love again it just wouldn’t be fair to either of you. 

  You still exchanged numbers after she’d said how nice it was to meet you. Your eyes immediately find Alicia’s across the room with a man who could be her grandfather. He doesn’t seem to notice her look of save me etched across her face. You take this moment to tease her a bit, making the same hand motions she did earlier. An older woman looks on in shock when you realize a little too late that you’ve caught the attention of others in the room. 

  After offering an apologetic smile, you gather yourself and join her across the room. 

  “Sorry to interrupt, Alicia, can I borrow you for a moment.”

   She loops her arm in yours pulling you close to her side. “It was nice to meet you Irving.”

  “The pleasure is all mine dear.” He takes her free hand, planting a sloppy wet kiss on the top. You bite your cheek to stifle a laugh as she waves him off. You can feel her eyes on you as you exit the lounge. 

  If looks could kill you’d be a goner. 

  “Irving seemed nice.”

  “Shut up.” 

  You both burst into a fit of giggles as you make it safely to the hotel lobby out of sight of anyone trying to vy for your attention. 

  These were the moments you lived for with your best friend. The reason you were able to get back on your feet when you moved across the country to start your life over. She took you in like a stray cat, no questions asked when you replied to her ad looking for a roommate. You didn’t find out until later on that she didn’t need the money, she just hated living alone. 

  She came from a wealthy family and traveled the world before settling in Naples Florida. She never had a soulmate…it wasn’t out of the ordinary for people to go their entire lives without so much as a mark or tattoo. It makes you wonder if the universe chooses at random or if people are destined for that path. She is such a free spirit it almost makes sense why she can’t be tied down to just one person. Her biggest problem is making sure her current interests aren't only after her for money. 

  “So…what’s the plan for the rest of the evening babe?” You both step out still arm in arm. It’s a beautiful sunset starting just over the tops of the buildings downtown. You could walk down to the beach or drab a drink at another bar. 

  You can feel your dress starting to cling to your back from the humidity and you made a huge mistake wearing heels that weren’t broken in yet. Alicia looks at you and then pulls out her phone to call a car to come get you. “Let’s go home and eat ice cream while we discuss what a train wreck that was.” 

  You let out a sigh of relief as you push back trying to stand on the heels of your feet. “That sounds like a perfect night.” 

  ****

  “At one point he actually took his dentures out to show me.” Alicia buries her head in the pillow as you make a disgusted face. 

  “That’s awful. I’m so sorry.” You’re laughing to the point of a stomach ache. 

  “Ya, you sound really sorry.” She throws the pillow at you on the other end of the couch. “So tell me about the girl. You were talking to her for a while.” She raises one eyebrow at you as she reaches down to the coffee table for the carton of rocky road. 

  “She was nice.” You lean forward grabbing the carton from her hands. “She was more than nice actually…but she just got out of a serious relationship.” 

  “Ugh…no one wants to be a rebound.” 

  Your thoughts exactly. 

  You swear sometimes you share a brain, or maybe you have just spent so much time with each other that you can’t help but think alike. 

  “I’m glad we went, I needed to break the ice. It’s not like the love of my life is gonna waltz into the record store.” You loved your job, you always had a love for music. There was something so special about the medium of records standing the test of time. That’s the kind of love you wanted. 

  “Let’s just marry each other if this dating thing doesn’t work out.” She holds out her pinky as you wrap yours around hers. 

  “Deal.” 

  “Deal.” 

  You raise from the couch gathering your plush blankets. “I’m gonna turn in for the night, love you leesh.” 

  “Love you too hon’, get some sleep.”

  ****

  Sleep

  That was a joke in its own right. The problem with having anxiety is the one time where your brain should quiet down is when it wants to be the most active. 

  You brush your thumb along the etched roses on your ring finger. It’s such a fine and delicate tattoo, the line work is beautiful and the stem of it perfectly curls around coming to a point at the end of your finger. 

  You hate to assume, but it’s always felt feminine in nature. It doesn’t seem like a drunken mistake or a rushed decision. The tattoo feels intentional. You had a lot of tattoos in a short amount of time when you were in college. These tattoos were overtly masculine. A small Blackhawk tattoo on your left wrist, almost mirroring your hummingbird. A gun of some kind on your left ankle…you weren’t familiar with firearms. A tiny elephant on the inside of your left thigh, by far the most adorable of the set. 

  In short succession they all adorned your body before you graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with a minor in arts management and a major in music history. Your step mother always said it was a waste and your father couldn’t be bothered to defend you. Your mother would have been proud though. 

  It was years before the roses showed up on your finger one beautiful spring day. It was so unlike the others it turned your world upside down. 

  The reason you moved across the country to escape the control and the pressure of someone who couldn’t love you with those scars and tattoos. Resenting you more and more each day knowing that you belonged to someone else. 

  It’s those thoughts that keep you up at night. The nightmares and horrible things that only your mind thinks up. As much as you try to push those thoughts away, you know deep down someone is out there. Made for you. 

  We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses. 

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[littlemissfix-itfic]

That shit makes me wish I was a medieval knight wounded in the heat of battle, finally home and (scandalously) falling to my knees before my beloved. I crumble before her, dire wounds needing tending, as I refuse any aid or touch but hers. I kneel, wounded and in agony as if I have naught but a scratch, if only to have a chance to press gentle kisses to her hand as she mercifully lays her countenance upon me and softly agrees to tend me, only for it to be revealed that I, a woman, have been masquerading as a long dead, distant relative, so that I might be able to serve king and country as a knight in order to earn enough valor and glory to be worthy of being in the presence of my beloved. That I might be worthy to breathe the same air that she does, that I might kneel on the same ground her feet have walked upon. As I know that it is unspeakable that I might love her and she might love me, but I’d do anything to be worthy of her, even if it means I must resign myself to loving her from afar, yearning and needing until my last bloody breaths are rended from my chest at the swords-end of a swordsman much greater than I. And as I sputter out my last breaths, my mind can’t help but drift to her, her soft ethereal presence calming me in my last, torturous moments and my dying thoughts can’t help but pledge fealty to her, in this life and this world, and in every other; resigned to love her in whatever form I may from now until eternity.

wound tending is everything. unparalleled intimacy. let me care for you. let me touch the skin around your open flesh. let me stain my hands with your blood. let me get close and breathe in the same air as you and stare into your eyes for a few seconds too long. let me make you think of me every time you see the bandage, or scar

[bereft-of-frogs]

final first-time watching the show thoughts:

I'm sad it's over 😭 what am I supposed to do now?? 😭😭

getting the whining out of the way:

the relationship between the crew made me...sad. 🥲 This is my least original thought. It seems like most people who start with the books think this. I would say a solid portion of the comments my 'just finished the books starting the show now!😊’ reddit post got were like 'so…heads up about the drama...' This is also essentially the font of all of my other issues with the show, so this really will be a short list because this was really it at the core. The added drama just did not do it for me in comparison to their relationship in the books. This also prevents me from accepting the 'but the show is the second draft of the books!' explanation for changes because why would you write a 9 book series where at the heart is a genuinely loving and respectful relationship between first 4, then 6, people who consistently call themselves family, and then in your second draft be like 'hm, but should we make it seem like they hate each other instead? yes, let's do that.'

To be fair, I don't think this is what anyone means when they say it's a second draft, I think they're referring more to the way that the books definitely didn't have everything planned out from the start, like the character backstories, so they could go back in and introduce things earlier. And I have seen people say this specifically was a showrunner decision, that they wanted to start the characters from a worse place and show them grow together. The problem is they don't even begin to feel remotely cohesive until season 4 of 6 (5 and a half, really) so imo they did not do that successfully. People who prefer the show try to claim it feels earned but...I can't agree. They never quite come together for me. Having one of your mains say 'I might not go back' in the penultimate episode and then trying to claim it's equal to the book relationship is...incorrect. But TV writers just love drama and people being bad at their jobs, while I love genuine emotion and people being good at their jobs and I think, despite my love of television, that will always be a problem between us.

I gave that one two points to try and break up the wall of text paragraph and also since it's basically all my issues in one it gets two bullet points.

This is the most nitpicky complaint that is not related to the above and mostly I've just been trying to find a place to say it without giving it its own post because it's so nitpicky it doesn't really deserve that kind of callout...but Bobbie wore blue the whole last season and I get it was supposed to be because she was working for the UNN but it just kept reminding me of That One Chapter (you know…that one 😭) in Tiamat's Wrath where Bobbie is like 'I really wish I wasn't wearing blue, I'll never feel right in blue' and I thought that was just MEAN iykyk 🥲

This aired on American network TV so Avasarala didn't get to call a single person a cunt 😭 even when they really deserved it (Errinwright)

RESCINDED COMPLAINT: I rescind my issue with Naomi going off on the Behemoth. I still wish it was done a bit better. It just ends up making her feel kind of flaky. Like she leaves them because of OPA nostalgia and then she's like 'oh wait misplaced that nostalgia, gotta get back to the Roci'. I think it would have worked better if someone like Drummer had specifically asked her to come be chief engineer, that would have given her more concrete reasoning for going to work for the OPA. Still hate that she left (see above 'font of all criticism' issue). BUT. The Naomi/Drummer breakup scene was worth it. Ugh okay that was good drama. Naomi begging her not to fire the missile? Drummer shouting at her 'I'm sorry! If I killed them, I'm sorry!' while Naomi ignores her and storms away. Like. Okay. Yeah. That was good.

More good:

I would die for Camina Drummer

I don't like thinking of this as a second draft as in 'we're fixing the first' but an alternate draft if that makes sense? In that sense, I really like some of the alternate decisions they made, like bringing Avasarala and Earth in from season 1, Bobbie going to the Ring, the changes to the Ilus plot. I'm not saying I disliked how they went about these things in the books -- and in some cases technically prefer it (like people point out it doesn't reeeaaally make sense for Bobbie to go to the Ring, it's kind of insane they reinstate her at all after what she does in season 2, but it is fun. I wish she went with them to Ilus too just for her observations) -- but I also enjoyed the alternate versions. Even stuff that I didn't necessarily love, like the changes to the Mars plot around season 3/4, had some good moments. like the bomb going off and shattering the dome was just so cool I couldn't even be mad.

Camina Drummer

Also, as much as I feel like we lost a lot of the main characters in adaptation, the secondary characters got more time to shine, since it's not as close a POV. I particularly liked Errinwright, like yes, evil, but he was so interesting. 'Time is short and I'll be brief', what a moment.

Have I mentioned how I would die for Camina Drummer??

No but seriously, Camina Drummer is THE example of a minor character (or...several minor characters) getting so much more depth and focus and I did love that for her. 10/10 would die for Camina Drummer.

See also my new 'stern but competent dark haired woman with 10 minutes of screentime' Capt/Admiral Sandrine Kirino, who does not exist at all in the books, and only really exists in the show to have one speech about the nature of war, take a gamble in the name of peace, sass Avasarala, and then die as one of the biggest victims of the compression of Babylon’s Ashes down to 6 episodes. (That fight was a bit rushed.) I mean I get it, she was at best the minor-est of the minor characters and we had a LOT to get through in season 6, but I wish her exit had a tiny bit more fanfare. Just for me and the two other people who posted about her on here. (I’ve been through all…10 posts in that tag.)

But yeah. Mainly Camina Drummer.

The effects were also great. Obviously dependent on cash flow but I felt that even in the early SyFy seasons, you could tell they knew where to splurge and where to save. Yes some of the effects didn't look great, but when they needed to (the first flip and burn of the Canterbury, everything on Eros post-protomolecule taking it over, the opening shot of season 3 that pulls out from Venus to Earth to Mars) they looked good. Time to reluctantly praise Amazon, they did a good thing by writing them a bigger budget check, the effects in the later half were truly excellent.

ok that's it for now, though it is unlikely I will stop annoying people with these posts, the expanse-posting will continue until morale improves etc etc... 😅

[kiwi-luminaryofthestars]

02/22/2025 “Fiction and Feast” Progress Update + Small Phantom Thief AU Update

Actually got some significant editing done today, yippee! With how much time I’ve lost feeling sick, though, I don’t think it’ll be done this weekend like I’d hoped, ugh. I ALSO have to finish more midterms tomorrow, so writing will be the last thing on my mind 😭😭 Kill me now. At least my eyes stopped swelling!

I actually wrote a few more dialogue exchanges for the Phantom Thief AU today, which took up the most time. I had an epiphany this morning about how I wanted a certain section of Chapter 5 to go and had to get it down before I lost it. It feels a lot smoother to me, now.

In terms of how the Chapter 5 draft is faring, it’s really got a lot done already, it’s just the connecting pieces that needs to be completed. Like, I’ve had the heist drafted since I finished the outline (I have all the heists except for Act IV pre-drafted already though lol), two important dialogue exchanges outside of the one in the heist, and the whole first section and some of the second drafted. In truth, I have a ton already done, but I anticipate it still taking me a good chunk of time to get it structured correctly. There is a LOT going on in this chapter and I need to get my head wrapped snugly around it so it’s not too crazy complicated to read.

It’s gonna be long again. Dear Lord it’s gonna be long.

Excited to get to Chapter 6 afterward, though. I call it the “calming tf down chapter”. There will still ABSOLUTELY be more mystery here (I’d say the last key mystery is introduced in this chapter, and then you’ve got most of the puzzle pieces already, just need to fit them together) but it’ll be wrapped in some fluff and saiouma goodness. Chapter 6 ALSO is drafted pretty heavily already 🤣 so that one should be relatively smooth. It’ll be a bit shorter, too. Still over 10K likely, but a milder chapter nonetheless.

And then Chapter 7 is crazy. And also largely drafted, too lolll.

Ey man, I don’t write linear. I’m always working on other parts.

I’m already getting stoked to keep drafting Chapter 5, so I’m hoping to be done editing this fun little vampire thing soon. Though I’m not limiting myself to just one or the other rn, since I’m clearly motivated to do both. It’d be dumb of me to deny myself that

Anyway! Long update aside, I hope you all have a lovely night. Be kind to yourself and do what makes you happy!!

[aller-geez]

Snow Daze (part 4)

written & illustrated by- allergeez

(If you missed any previous parts, you can find ‘em here! Part 1, Part 2, & Part 3)

It really should be taking so much longer than this for yet ANOTHER chapter to be done, let alone another 6.4k words, but this fic has been so much fun to write, I can’t stop 😅. Anyway, here’s part four, with sneezes from all four of them as they all inevitably caught Vee’s cold, even Rex helping Kriia blow her nose~. What will become of our beloved toad biscuit without the album finished? Read to find out~

Hoping to wrap this fic up with the next and final chapter so be ready for some angsty piece after this 😅

The room was heavy with the sluggish quiet of exhaustion, the low hum of the television blending with the soft crackling of the fireplace. Kriia and Rexar were tangled together on the couch, fast asleep, their quiet sniffling and occasional sleepy murmurs the only signs of life from them. The remnants of the snowstorm outside painted shifting shadows across the walls, flickering in and out of existence with every gust of wind against the windows.

Vaelyn, despite looking like absolute death, sat hunched in the far corner of the bed, his guitar resting lazily against his lap. His fingers idly plucked out a half-formed melody, something slow and aimless, the notes drifting into the air like the steam from the half-finished tea on the nightstand. His notebook lay open beside him, filled with scribbled-out lines and abandoned lyrics, none of them quite right.

Kalypso, sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed, watched him with her usual mix of amusement and exasperation. "So, what’s the game plan here, rockstar?" she asked, her voice dry but not unkind. "Gonna stare at that page until inspiration physically manifests, or are we actually brainstorming?"

Vaelyn sniffled, dragging a sleeve under his nose before glancing up at her with tired, bloodshot eyes. "I’b thigkig," he rasped.

Kalypso smirked. "Uh-huh. And?"

Vaelyn sighed, strumming a few more chords, then muttered, "And I got dothid’."

Kalypso chuckled, shaking her head. "Hopeless. Truly."

But instead of her usual snide teasing, she scooted a little closer, tucking a pillow under her arms as she leaned forward. "Alright, let’s figure it out, then."

And, against all odds, Vaelyn found himself actually wanting to.

The lion tapped a lazy rhythm against the body of his guitar, squinting down at his notebook like it had personally offended him. “Alright, so whad are we thigkig? Love sog? Existential dread? Somethig about beig sick and biserable and trapped in a hellish winder lodge with you?”

Kalypso scoffed, adjusting her position on the bed so she could face him better. “First of all, you are the reason everyone is sick and miserable, so don’t even start. Second—why would I help you write a song when you have lyrics like, ‘Love’s like a vending machine at 3 AM—looks promising, but it just eats your last dollar instead’ already scribbled in there?”

“Hey,” Vaelyn sniffled, flipping a page dramatically. “That’s real poetry. A bedaphor. A social codbetary on bodern relatioships. You would’d get id.”

Kalypso rolled her eye. “Okay, Edgar Allan Sneeze, let’s try something that won’t make the entire band quit on the spot.”

Vaelyn opened his mouth to retort, but his breath caught sharply instead. His lashes fluttered, nostrils twitching as his head tilted back slightly. He inhaled shakily—

And then nothing. The sneeze backed off, leaving him blinking, dazed, and deeply unsatisfied. “Ugh. I hate thad.”

Kalypso smirked. “I love that.”

Vaelyn shot her a glare, rubbing aggressively at his nose with the back of his wrist. “Evil.”

“And yet you still want my help.” Kalypso grinned, but then her eye flicked down to where his abandoned notebook sat open on the bed.

Vaelyn, still distracted by the lingering tickle in his sinuses, didn’t notice when she casually leaned forward.

Didn’t notice when she glanced at the half-written lyrics staring up at her.

Didn’t notice when, with a quick swipe, Kalypso snatched the notebook right out from under him.

Vaelyn’s breath hitched again—then abruptly stopped again—and by the time he refocused, Kalypso was already leaning way back, grinning like a fox with stolen prey.

“KAL.”

She flipped open the first page dramatically. “Ohhh, what’s this?”

Vaelyn dove for it, but Kalypso, with infuriating ease, dodged out of his reach, already thumbing through the pages.

“If I find even one rhyming couplet about your tragic little cold—"

"Give id back!” Vaelyn rasped, lunging again.

"Not a chance." Kalypso smirked, turning another page. “Let’s see what embarrassing lyrical genius you’ve got hidden in here.”

He pushed up onto his knees, ready to reclaim his dignity (and his notebook), but she only held it further out of reach, thumbing through his messy handwriting.

She read a few lines aloud, chuckling at some of the more questionable lyrics he’d crossed out. "‘You set my soul on fire, but not in the cool way—' Vaelyn. What the fuck?"

"Look, id was lade, I was delirious, and I was drunk od NyQuil," Vaelyn grumbled, flopping back onto the bed with a heavy sigh. "Dot all of us are lyrical gediuses all the tibe."

Kalypso snorted but kept flipping. "‘Love is like a mosh pit—cool until you get punched in the face’—honestly? Not your worst."

"Cad you dot?" Vaelyn groaned, rubbing his face.

But then, Kalypso turned one more page and stilled. Her smirk faltered as her eye skimmed over the hastily written words—lyrics very different from the rest.

She read them out loud, but this time, her voice had lost its teasing edge. "‘Every sharp word leaves another scar, but I can’t tell which ones are yours and which ones are mine...'"

The room felt a little too quiet now. Vaelyn shifted uncomfortably, watching her reaction through fevered, half-lidded eyes.

Kalypso didn’t look at him immediately. Instead, she stared at the words for a beat longer before finally glancing up, her voice quieter than before. "This was about last night, wasn’t it?"

Vaelyn hesitated. He could lie. Brush it off, make some sarcastic comment. But for some reason—maybe the fever, maybe the sheer exhaustion—he just exhaled and said, "Yeah."

Kalypso’s fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the notebook, like she was weighing a response, but in the end, she just let out a quiet sigh and tossed it back to him. "Here."

Vaelyn caught it, sitting up just enough to pull it against his chest. He didn’t say anything, and neither did she. But for a second, the air between them felt different.

Before either of them could address it, the rustling of blankets from across the room signaled that their couch-bound companions were waking up.

Kriia stretched with a quiet groan, pressing her face into Rexar’s chest just as her breath hitched. "Hh’tchhh! H’NgXt! Hh‘gsch! k’gnsh! N’gxt! Heh’n’gtx!"

Rexar, still half-asleep, let out a raspy chuckle, his voice thick with congestion as he kissed the top of her head. "Bless you, pridcess," he murmured with a lazy smile. "Such a dice way to wake up frob a nap~"

Vaelyn, desperate to move the attention away from himself, seized the opportunity. "If I did thad to Kal, I’d be throwd off of a building."

Kalypso, as if on cue, shot him a deadpan look. "That can still be arranged."

Rexar snickered. "You two flirtigg or threatedigg each other? ‘Cause with you guys, it’s ki’dda the sabe thigg."

Vaelyn groaned and flopped back onto the pillows. "Kill be."

Kalypso smirked. "Nah. Too easy."

Rexar groggily lifted his head from where it rested against Kriia’s, blinking blearily at Vaelyn as he took in the sight of the guitarist with his instrument in hand. With great effort, he pushed himself upright, careful not to jostle Kriia too much as she rubbed furiously at her nose, coughing softly into her sleeve.

“Heyyy, look at you!” Rexar rasped, his voice thick and sluggish with congestion. He sniffled hard, the sound rough and waterlogged. “What, idspiratiod fidally decide to strike?”

Kriia cracked open one purple eye, barely mustering the energy to glance in Vaelyn’s direction before groaning and burying her face into Rexar’s chest. “Lebbie hear whatcha got!” Rexar encouraged, his usual enthusiasm dampened by fever but still present.

Kriia let out a long, suffering sigh. “You guyssss…” she whined, her words thick and rounded out. “We agreed to pud a pause od sodgwritigg while we’re here… I dod’t have it id be to haddle you guys fightigg right dow…” She pouted, her already exhausted expression looking even more pitiful, framed by dark blue shadows under her eyes.

Vaelyn let out a quiet sigh, scratching the back of his head. He looked almost guilty, his lips twitching downward. “Yeah, yeah, dod’t worry about id,” he muttered, his voice hoarse and raw. “Id’s dot like I’b gettig adywhere with id, adyway.”

The words had barely left his mouth before his expression shifted, his breath catching sharply. His brows furrowed, lips parting as his body froze in anticipation. Rexar and Kriia, long accustomed to Vaelyn’s theatrics when it came to sneezing, barely reacted—until, of course, the inevitable fit exploded out of him.

“Hh’EISHhh! hh’ISSHHh! Ehh’tSSHhh-! …hehh—hh’EEIISSHHHuhh!!”

The force rocked his entire frame forward, sending his guitar vibrating against his leg as he barely managed to direct the fit into his elbow. By the time the last sneeze tore out of him, he was left breathless, shoulders trembling slightly as he sniffled and groaned.

Rexar wrinkled his nose and gave another thick sniffle of his own, mumbling, “Bless you, bro… You sou’d like absolute trash.”

Vaelyn, still blinking dazedly, waved a hand before sniffling again. “Yeah, yeah, I feel abazing, thagks for askigg,” he deadpanned. “And to top id all off, I still cad’t cub up with adythigg thad flows.”

Kalypso, who had been silently watching from her spot on the bed, smirked. “Damn. Guess this is the end for Toad Biscuit, huh?” She shot him a teasing look. “Tragic. Our beloved lyricist, his brain melted away by fever.” She clutched her chest in mock despair.

Vaelyn scowled at her, already preparing a comeback, but before he could open his mouth, Kalypso’s teasing expression suddenly faltered. Her breath caught, lips parting slightly as her shoulders twitched forward just the tiniest bit before—nothing.

She groaned, pressing her fingers to the bridge of her nose as frustration crossed her face.

Vaelyn immediately burst out laughing. “Ohhh, dot agaid—”

Kalypso shot him a glare, sniffling sharply. “Shut up.”

But Vaelyn was grinning now, delighting in her misery. “Oh, cobe od, just let id out!” he taunted, his voice still raspy but undeniably amused. He wiggled his fingers mockingly in her direction. “Oh wait—you cad’t.”

Kalypso let out a strangled noise of frustration, rubbing aggressively at her nose as the tickle refused to go anywhere. “You are so insufferable,” she growled, voice thick and marshy.

Vaelyn shrugged, smug as ever despite how utterly wrecked he looked. “What cad I say? I thrive id your sufferigg.”

Kriia and Rexar exchanged a long, knowing look—the kind that screamed, Yeah, this checks out. Before either of them could voice their shared exasperation, Kriia’s stomach let out an obnoxiously loud growl. She scowled, pulling her hood further over her head as if that would somehow muffle the humiliating sound.

“Ughhh,” she whined, curling further into Rexar’s lap. “I’b starvigg…”

A chorus of agreement followed. Even Vaelyn, who had spent most of the morning insisting he couldn’t stomach food, gave a weak nod of concession.

With a breathy chuckle, Rexar fished his phone from his pocket, squinting at the screen through fever-bright eyes. He sniffled wetly, knuckling at his nose with a miserable little grunt before announcing, “Well, id looks like we bissed breakfast id the lobby…”

His stomach responded with its own low, hungry protest.

Vaelyn cleared his throat and rubbed a tired hand under his nose, sniffling thickly as he set his guitar—affectionately referred to as Michelle—to the side of the bed. “Roob service?” he suggested, his voice wrecked with congestion.

Kalypso, still caught in a seemingly endless battle with an infuriatingly stubborn tickle in her sinuses, didn’t trust herself to speak right away. She swallowed thickly, nostrils twitching, and waved a vague hand of agreement.

“I mead, ad this poidt, what other optiod do we have?” Kriia muttered, rubbing furiously at her nose with her sleeve.

“Yeah, yeah, okay—so what are we orderigg?” Rexar asked, scrolling through the digital menu. “Because if I dod’t eat sobethigg id the dext ted bidutes, I’b godda start gndawigg od Vee’s armb.”

Vaelyn, visibly unimpressed, opened his mouth to respond, only for a sharp inhale to cut him off. His expression crumpled, brows drawing together as his breath hitched erratically. He lifted a hand but barely got his wrist up in time before a desperate fit tore through him.

“Hh’EISHhh! ISHHHuh! hh’IIESHHH'uhhh! —Shhh! —shh! —hhehhHH! hhh’ESSHHH!!”

Each sneeze snapped him forward, leaving him momentarily dazed. He sniffled hard, a miserable, irritated sound, and groaned. “Fuhhck… I hate this…”

Kalypso, in a rare moment of actual sympathy, reached over and swatted a tissue box toward him. “Try not to die before the food gets here,” she snarked, rubbing at her own nose as the stubborn tickle resurfaced with vengeance.

Rexar hummed, scrolling further. “Alright, well, we bissed breakfast, but there’s ad all-day menu.”

“What’s the bost expedsive thigg od id?” Vaelyn asked, voice still hoarse but carrying a hint of amusement

Rexar smirked. “Why? You pladding od flexigg your dad’s credit card?”

“Oh, absolutely.” Vee sniffled again and swiped a tissue under his nose. “Godda bake sure you peasadts eat well.”

That was all the encouragement they needed. What started as a simple food order spiraled quickly into an absurdly competitive contest between Rexar and Vee, each one determined to outdo the other in sheer gluttony. Burgers, steaks, seafood platters, pasta—every other sentence was, “Oh, well if you’re gettig thad, I’b gettig this.”

Kalypso, fed up with their antics, rolled her eye and interrupted, “If we’re doing this, we’re also getting a bottle of something strong, because there is no way I’m making it through the rest of the day sober. We check out tomorrow, might as well go out with a bang.”

Vaelyn grinned, half-delirious from fever and exhaustion, but still unable to resist an opportunity to be dramatic. “Oh, dod’t worry, darligg,” he drawled, tapping at the screen until he found what he was looking for. “We’re dot just gettigg a bottle.” He turned the phone toward them, revealing the most expensive item on the menu—a bottle worth a couple thousand dollars.

Kalypso’s expression went from skeptical to amused in an instant. “You’re actually insane.”

Kriia groaned. “You two are the worst.”

The moment the order was placed, Vaelyn barely had time to gloat before his breath hitched again, his shoulders drawing tight. He turned hastily away, but the sneezes came too fast for him to fully brace.

“Hh’ISCHHh! EISHhh! H’ISHHhh! —ish! shh! —sh! ……………… hh—huhhh—hh’EEIISSHHhh’uhh!”

Kalypso smirked. “See, this is why you don’t get a say in anything right now.”

Vaelyn, still sniffling, shot her a tired glare. “And yet,” he rasped smugly, “here we are. With ad overpriced bottle of booze comigg. You’re welcobe.”

The knock at the door barely registered over the fevered haze hanging thick in the room. Rexar groaned, peeling himself from the couch with a rough sniffle, careful not to jostle Kriia too much as she mumbled something unintelligible into his chest. He dragged himself toward the door, rubbing at one sleep-heavy eye before swinging it open—only to be met with an entire fleet of resort staff lined up in the hallway, carts of food stretching as far as his foggy brain could process.

There was a brief pause. The bellhop in charge, a well-dressed young man who clearly had not been expecting to deliver an entire banquet to what looked like the aftermath of a plague ward, hesitated. His gaze flickered over Rexar—disheveled, red-eyed, and sniffling—and then down to the order ticket in his hand, as if reconsidering whether he had the right room.

Rexar smirked, rubbing at his nose. “Doh, thad’s correct,” he confirmed, voice thick with congestion. “All of thad is comigg id here.”

The staff exchanged glances, but they were professionals. Within seconds, they moved into an organized shuffle, carting in tray after tray of food. The bellhop began listing off each item, but Rexar was only half-listening, his focus shifting to the dull, prickling itch creeping up the bridge of his nose. It had been teasing him since he’d gotten up, but now, with all the movement and the mingling scents of food wafting through the air, the tickle flared to life with a vengeance.

“Sir, we have the Wagyu sliders, the seafood tower, two orders of filet mignon—”

Rexar nodded along, his breath starting to hitch. “Yuhh-huh, good choices…” His nostrils flared, eyes fluttering as his jaw went slack. “HhHh'—hH’KXTSCHhhOO!! Hh’ESSHHH’iUE!!—et’CHXIEW!!”

A burst of heat flared from his mouth and nose, casting flickering light across the room for a brief second before the flames fizzled harmlessly into the air. The bellhops collectively froze, one letting out a very startled noise of alarm.

Rexar sniffled thickly and let out a sheepish chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. “Bless be,” he muttered, voice hoarse with embarrassment. “Uh, sorry ‘bout thad—occupatiodal hazard.”

The staff hesitated for a beat before cautiously resuming their work, stepping around him as they wheeled in the remaining carts.

As the sheer volume of food continued to pile up before them, Kriia and Kalypso’s jaws simultaneously dropped.

“Oh by god,” Kriia croaked, staring at the spread like it had personally betrayed her.

Kalypso let out a low whistle. “We ordered this much?”

Rexar and Vaelyn exchanged smug glances, neither looking even remotely apologetic.

“Hey, we were hudgry,” Vaelyn sniffed, reaching for a tissue with a dramatic flourish.

Just as the last cart rolled in, one of the bellhops produced the crown jewel of the order—the absurdly expensive bottle of liquor. The second it was in sight, Kalypso was on her feet, snatching it from the man’s hands with an almost feral possessiveness.

“That one’s mine,” she announced, cradling it like a prized treasure.

Vaelyn snorted, reaching for the nearest fork. “Whadever helps you sleep ad dight, babydoll.”

The last of the resort staff made a very hasty retreat, the lead bellhop forcing a polite smile as he backed toward the door. “If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to call,” he said, his tone a little too eager to wrap this interaction up. The moment the door shut behind them, the sound of muffled, hurried footsteps disappearing down the hall was unmistakable.

Not even a second later, both Rexar and Kriia pitched forward simultaneously, sucked into their own sneezing fits like some kind of synchronized misery performance.

“Hh’KXSSHhh! Hh’KZSSH’ue! Hhh’IXTSSHHuhh—!”

“K’tch! Nkch! Hh’gschhh—! Hh'nNGXt! Hh—n’gtx!”

The air was briefly filled with flickering embers from Rexar’s nose and muffled, breathy squeaks from Kriia’s stifles, the two of them rendered completely useless for a good fifteen seconds as they sneezed themselves dizzy. When the storm finally passed, they both groggily muttered, “Bless you,” at the same time, causing them to glance at each other and chuckle breathlessly.

“Oh by god,” Kriia rasped, sniffling into her sleeve. “Why are we like this?”

Rexar flopped back onto the couch, rubbing at his nose with a half-hearted groan. “Id’s Vaelyd’s fault,” he grumbled, waving vaguely in the sickly lyricist’s direction.

Vee, mid-sniffle, rolled his eyes but was too congested to bother defending himself.

With the fits finally over, all four of them crowded around the tables like absolute feral animals, the fever-haze of hunger overriding any and all semblance of etiquette. Two entrees each were chosen with lightning speed before they all retreated to their respective spots—Kalypso and Vee back to the bed, Rexar and Kriia on the couch, nestled under the thickest blankets they could find.

Kalypso, before even bothering to dig into her meal, grabbed the extravagant bottle of alcohol, lifting it slightly to inspect the label. The script was unfamiliar, intricate and elegant, with an emblem that looked like it belonged in a museum.

“Damn,” she mused, tilting the bottle. “This looks fancy.”

Without further thought, she cracked the seal, lifted it to her lips, and took a long, determined gulp, the expensive liquor burning its way down her throat. She smacked her lips afterward, brows furrowing in slight disappointment.

“Hmmm… doesn’t taste fancy,” she muttered.

Vaelyn, chewing his steak with his mouth half open (through absolutely zero fault of his own—he simply could not breathe), lifted an eyebrow. “Lebbie try.”

Kalypso, with a shrug, wiped her mouth and nose on her sleeve before handing over the bottle. Vaelyn took it without hesitation, because really, at this point? Germs were absolutely a lost cause.

The lion turned the bottle over in his hands, eyes scanning the intricate, foreign script on the label as he mumbled an attempt at pronunciation under his breath. Whatever language it was, he butchered it beyond recognition.

Kalypso snorted. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s how you say it.”

Vee shot her a deadpan look before flipping the bottle back around. “What eved is this? Whiskey?” He squinted at the deep amber liquid inside, then gave a dismissive shrug before tilting it back and taking a long swig.

The alcohol burned its way down his throat, but he barely grimaced, more focused on the fact that it barely had any taste. His brows furrowed, and he pulled the bottle back to examine it again, frustration creeping into his congested voice.

“Ugh—why does this just taste like whiskey?” he grumbled, turning to Kalypso with a sigh. “I spedt—” He cut himself off, realizing that saying exactly how much he’d spent in front of Rexar was maybe not the best move. “—a lot od this bottle, ad it just tastes like every other whiskey I’ve had.”

Rexar, sprawled lazily across the couch, rolled his eyes. “You’re sick, dubass. Of course you cad’t taste id.”

“Still,” Vaelyn muttered, slumping back against the headboard with an exaggerated sigh.

Rexar pushed himself up with a sniffle, rubbing a hand over his face. “Lebbe try.” He held out his hand, and Vee tossed him the bottle without protest.

Rexar took a deep swig, letting the alcohol burn its way down before exhaling what he could through his nose. His expression remained mostly neutral as he smacked his lips.

“Strodg,” he adbitted with a sniffle, “but id’s fide.” He shrugged and handed the bottle off to Kriia.

She sighed in defeat, her shoulders sagging as she took it from him. “This is a terrible idea…” she muttered, but still, she lifted the bottle with an anticipatory deep inhale.

Tipping it back, she took a slow swallow—then immediately dissolved into a harsh, spluttering coughing fit.

“Shhhit, thad’s strodg,” she wheezed between desperate coughs, her voice cracking.

Kalypso rolled her eye, unimpressed, and held out her hand toward Rexar. “Give it here,” she demanded, wiggling her fingers impatiently.

With a smirk, Rex tossed the bottle back to her. “Kdock yourself out.”

The room quickly descended into a feverish, congested mess as the four of them dug into their meals like wild animals, barely pausing for conversation between sniffles, coughs, and the occasional muttered curse at their shared misery. Plates clattered as they picked through their entrees, forks scraping against ceramic while steam curled from untouched side dishes, the warmth of the food offering some fleeting comfort against their aching bodies.

Kalypso and Vaelyn, seated together on the bed, passed the expensive bottle of alcohol back and forth like it was the only thing keeping them tethered to reality. Vaelyn took a long swig before handing it off, sniffling roughly and rubbing at his nose with his wrist. "Ugh… I cad barely taste this," he grumbled, his voice hoarse and thick with congestion.

Kalypso scoffed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand before taking a deep gulp. "That’s probably a you problem," she retorted, setting the bottle down with a dull thunk.

Before Vaelyn could shoot back a response, his breath hitched sharply, and he barely had time to twist away from the food before he was sent lurching forward into his sleeve.

“Hhh-hhh—Eishh! Ishh! Ish! ’shh! …hehhHH! -EEIISSHHuhh!”

The force nearly rocked him off balance, leaving him blinking dazedly as he sniffled, rubbing at his nose with a tired groan. Kalypso made a disgusted noise, reaching for the bottle and taking another drink, as if the alcohol could somehow sanitize the air.

Across the room, Kriia had barely managed two bites of her food before her face slackened, brows pinching together as she hovered a hand just in front of her nose. "Hh’hh—nNCHt!—Nkch!—Ktchh!—hhh’gschh!! Hhh-hh! Hhhihh—!"

Still curled up on Rexar’s lap, Kriia sniffled weakly, her nose twitching miserably as she scrubbed at it with the sleeve of her hoodie. No matter how much she rubbed, the itch remained, teasing her with the promise of another fit that refused to fully manifest. Her breath hitched again—soft, uneven little gasps that barely brought her any relief. She whimpered softly in frustration, her purple eyes glassy and unfocused with fever.

“Ughhh… stuck…” she mumbled, her voice small and congested as she pressed a few fingers under her nose in a feeble attempt to fight it off.

Rexar, ever the attentive partner, reached for the tissue box on the nightstand, yanking out a few and folding them neatly before instinctively bringing them up to her face. He pinched them gently between his fingers, holding them just over her irritated nose.

“C’bod, baby girl,” he coaxed, his voice low and warm, edged with amusement. “Just blow for be, yeah?”

Kriia shot him a tired look—one that might’ve said normally, I’d be mortified, but right now, she was too exhausted to care. With a resigned sniffle, she leaned into his touch, blowing her nose into the tissues as Rexar held them steady. The thick, marshy sound was evidence enough of just how stuffed up she was, but before she could even sigh in relief, the sudden force only aggravated the persistent tickle.

Her expression crumpled, brows drawing together as her breath caught in her throat. The second fit crashed into her without warning.

“Hh’Nkchh! Nngt! Hh’tchh! Ktchh’uhh! Hh’Gschh!!”

She barely had time to react before another shaky gasp hitched through her, her entire body curling slightly as she muffled the sneezes into the tissue still held between Rexar’s fingers. Despite the sharp jolts against his chest, he only smiled lovingly, rubbing slow, soothing circles against her back as she sniffled pitifully.

“Bless you, baby girl,” he mumbled, his voice rough but affectionate. He tossed the used tissue into the trash before brushing his fingers through her crimson hair, gently working through a few knots. “You get so cute ad sdeezy whed you’re sick~”

Kriia let out a tired little huff, too drained to argue as she melted back into him, her fever-warmed skin radiating heat into the crook of his neck. His arms looped loosely around her waist, letting her rest.

From the bed, Vaelyn scoffed, rubbing at his own raw, chapped nose with the heel of his palm. His sinuses were too swollen and sensitive to even attempt blowing properly, and every fit he had left him gasping for air and dazed for a good thirty seconds.

“God, I wish I sdeeze’d like thad,” he muttered, his voice hoarse and thick with congestion. “All soft ad tidy. Id’s like she’s got the fud size versiod of beig sick.”

Kalypso, who had been lazily nursing another swig from the bottle, gave him a side-eye. “Yeah, well, you wouldn’t be you if your sneezes weren’t obnoxious,” she teased, wiping her mouth. “Honestly, if you did sneeze like that, I think the universe would implode.”

Vaelyn scowled, snatching the bottle back from her and taking a deep gulp, his nose twitching threateningly as if to prove her point.

Kalypso’s sneezes were always a source of frustration—stuck, unsatisfying, and just painful enough to make her scowl with every failed release. And tonight, with the congestion clogging her sinuses and the alcohol dulling her senses, the teasing sensation was even worse. She sat there, lips parted slightly, nostrils twitching as her breath hitched over and over, but nothing came of it.

Vaelyn wiped at his nose with the sleeve of his hoodie, still grinning despite the miserable state he was in. “Bad, Kal, id’s hodestly just sad ad this poidt,” he mused, sniffling thickly. “Id’s like watchigg a dog try to cadch its owd tail ad still bissigg every siggle tibe.”

Kalypso, caught in the throes of another cruelly unfinished sneeze, shot him a murderous glare, nostrils flaring as her breath hitched relentlessly. “S-shut up—hhhhh—” She gasped sharply, her body tensing with anticipation, only for the sensation to cruelly fizzle out once again.

Vaelyn threw his hands up dramatically. “Ohhh, the tragedy! The absolute sufferigg! Will she ever kdow the sweet, sweet relief of a real sdeeze?” He clutched at his chest, shaking his head in mock pity. “We bay dever kdow, folks. This is a battle that’s beed waged for years—the dose agaidst itself. The stakes have dever beed higher.”

Rexar let out a raspy chuckle from the couch, voice still thick with congestion. “Vee, do ode wadts to sdeeze as buch as you do, bad,” he drawled, rubbing at his own nose before sniffling deeply. “You love thad shit.”

Vaelyn scoffed, tossing his hair out of his face with a flick of his wrist. “Thad’s because I’b good ad id,” he said smugly. “I excel ad sdeezigg. Id’s a taledt. A perforbadce. A full-body evedt. Kal, od the other hand?” He gestured to her struggling form, where she was furiously rubbing at her nose in frustration. “A tragic failure. A cautiodary tale.”

Kalypso finally snapped. “I swear to God, Vaelyn, if you don’t shut the fuck up, I will—hh’ihh—hh'GXT’shh! Huhh’gTSHHh!—ugh—” She barely managed to stifle them into the sleeve of her hoodie, groaning in frustration at how unsatisfying the sneezes were.

Vaelyn smirked, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “See? Eved your sdeezes soud pissed off. Thad’s how you kdow you’re doigg id wrog.”

The food was good, but their fevers and congestion dulled most of the flavor, making each bite more about getting something in their stomachs rather than actually enjoying the meal. Despite their exhaustion, they all ate as much as they could stomach, only stopping when they physically couldn’t take another bite.

By the time the chaotic meal came to an end, the room looked like a battlefield, empty plates and half-finished entrees scattered across the tables and nightstands. Even after all of them had eaten their fill, they still had enough food left over to feed an army.

Kalypso leaned back against the headboard with a groan, rubbing at her eye. “We’re gonna have to bribe housekeeping so much,” she muttered.

Rexar sniffled roughly, looking over the spread of untouched food. "Or we just leave it as ad offeri’g to the gods of bad decisiods," he rasped, nudging Kriia lightly.

Vaelyn sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Or, hear be out—we just do dot deal with it at all.”

Kalypso snorted. “Bold strategy.”

Rexar reached for the bottle of alcohol, taking one last swig before handing it off again. “I mead, we are checki’g out id the bordi’g,” he mused with a lazy smirk. “Dot our probleb adybore.”

The night had devolved into a complete mess of slurred words, half-formed jokes, and dramatic reenactments of the reality show unfolding on the television. Kalypso, Rexar, and Vaelyn had worked their way through the expensive bottle of alcohol, their inhibitions long abandoned somewhere between the second and third round of “Who Can Hold a Straight Face While Vee Sneezes.”

Kriia had dozed off hours ago, curled up in a little ball on the couch with her hood drawn over her face, blissfully unaware of the degeneracy surrounding her. For a while, the trio had made a valiant effort to keep quiet, muffling their laughter into couch cushions, exchanging tipsy whispers instead of their usual cackling, and even stifling their sneezes to avoid waking her. But as time went on—and as the alcohol burned away what little impulse control they had left—their ability to be quiet began to unravel.

Vaelyn, already glassy-eyed and lazily slumped against the headboard, let out a sudden, harsh sneeze that sent his entire upper body jerking forward. “Hhh’IIESSHH’uhh!!” The force nearly knocked the half-empty bottle from his lap, and he barely caught it in time, groaning as he swiped at his nose.

“Dude,” Kalypso hissed, smacking his arm. “You’re gonna wake her up, and then she’s gonna get on our asses about being wasted—”

“And thed we’ll dever hear the e’d of it,” Rexar finished, his own voice raspy from strain.

But the promise of quiet quickly crumbled when Rexar, in his alcohol-fueled enthusiasm, decided to dramatically re-enact a scene from the show. With grand, exaggerated movements, he lifted both arms—only to be suddenly interrupted by a breathless, fiery sneeze.

“Hhh’tCHXXSHHh!! Hh’EXSHhh’uhh!! HIIH’NKXSHH!”

A burst of flames shot from his mouth and nose, igniting the curtain beside him in an instant.

For a second, the three of them just stared at it.

Then—

“Oh, shit—”

Complete and utter panic.

Vaelyn scrambled off the bed, Kalypso grabbed the nearest throw pillow and started whacking at the flames, and Rexar—who was somehow still laughing despite the chaos—grabbed his drink and attempted to pour what was left onto the fire, only to realize, belatedly, that it was alcohol.

“REX—!” Kalypso smacked his arm so hard that the bottle flew from his grip, landing with a thud on the carpet.

“Oh, my god—” Vaelyn wheezed, tears streaming from his fever-bright eyes as he coughed into his sleeve from the smoke. “This is—exactly—how we die.”

They managed, somehow, to put it out—though the curtains were now singed and smelled of burned fabric. Just as they were catching their breath, hearts still racing, a sleepy voice cut through the smoky tension.

“…Rex…?”

The three of them snapped their heads toward the couch like deer caught in headlights.

Kriia had stirred awake, still curled in her blanket cocoon, blinking drowsily as she rubbed at her tired eyes. She barely looked concerned, more confused than anything. Her gaze flickered between them and the very obvious scorched spot on the curtain.

“Seriously?” she murmured, her voice rough with sleep. She tossed a pillow weakly in their direction, hitting Rexar square in the chest. “You guys suck at bei’g sdeaky. Also, I cad still see you. I’b dot a T-rex.”

For a second, no one moved.

Then Rexar lost it.

“T-Rex,” he repeated, slurring slightly, before bursting into full-bodied laughter, his whole frame shaking. “That’s mby dabe!!”

Kalypso groaned, rubbing her temples. “Oh my god, here we go—”

Vaelyn just smirked, nudging Kalypso with his elbow. “Y’know, I never thought he’d be this easy to entertain. We should just keep a list of words with ‘Rex’ in them and see how long it takes before he passes out laughing.”

Kriia sighed, but even she couldn’t help but smile at the absolute idiot she was dating. “How drudk are you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rexar, still laughing uncontrollably, wiped at his watering eyes and slurred, “Like... so drudk. But also, like, dot drudk. You feel be?”

Kriia rolled her eyes, but her smile lingered. “That’s a no.”

Vaelyn snagged the half-forgotten bottle from the floor, giving it a once-over before leveling Rexar with a judgmental squint. "Really? Just leaving our very expensive, possibly cursed liquor to roll around like an abandoned orphan?" He tsked dramatically, wiping the neck of the bottle on his sleeve before taking a deep swig.

Rexar, barely registering the callout through his drunken haze, made a vague, dismissive gesture. "Dude, I'm holding it with the floor."

Vaelyn rolled his eyes, grabbing a few leftover fries off one of the carts and popping them into his mouth. "Unbelievable," he muttered around a mouthful, before washing it down with another gulp from the bottle.

As he set it down, a slow, mischievous smirk spread across his face, his fevered brain latching onto an idea that was, without a doubt, terrible. "You know what would really save this trip?" He drawled, eyes glittering with mischief. "Drunk, sick, strip Never Have I Ever."

Rexar immediately perked up, eyes going wide. "Yes. Yes." He flopped unceremoniously onto the couch beside Kriia, his movements completely uncoordinated. "Kriiaaa, you gotta play—don’t leave me alone with these two menaces."

Kriia, who had been half-draped over the couch, sniffled into her sleeve and gave him a long, considering look before sighing in defeat. "Ughhh, fine. But only because I feel left out being the only one here with a functioning brain cell."

Rexar let out an exaggerated cheer, wrapping his arms around her and planting a sloppy kiss on the top of her hooded head. Kriia laughed, shaking her head as she tucked herself further into his hold.

Vaelyn quirked a brow, pleasantly surprised. "That was way too easy. I was expecting more of a fight." His attention slid over to Kalypso, smirking as he waggled his brows. "So, that’s three for sick, naked, boozy game night. You in, Kal ?"

Kalypso stared at him, unimpressed. "...I hate you."

"That’s not a no," Vaelyn sing-songed, already passing the bottle her way.

Kalypso stared at him, her expression deadpan. “I also hate that you just called it that.”

Vaelyn’s smirk only widened, mischief flickering behind his fever-bright eyes. He swayed slightly as he took another long pull from the bottle, his voice turning syrupy with amusement. “C’mon, Kal, live a little.” He gestured broadly, nearly knocking over one of the many plates still scattered across the table. “We’re sick, we’re drunk, we’re already suffering—might as well make it fun suffering.”

Kalypso exhaled through her nose, her patience hanging on by a thread. She glanced at Kriia, who was still curled up against Rexar, absentmindedly scratching at his scalp while he hummed happily into her touch. The two of them were already fully committed to this disaster, and the sheer joy on Rexar’s dumb, congested face was enough to tell her there was no talking them out of it.

She looked back at Vee, who was watching her expectantly, bottle in hand, expression somewhere between smug and hopeful. His nose was red and twitching, lips slightly parted as he hovered on the edge of another inevitable sneezing fit. Kalypso rolled her eye, already regretting what she was about to say.

“Fine.”

Vaelyn barely had time to let out a victorious HA! before his breath hitched, his body snapping forward into his sleeve with a harsh, desperate fit.

“Hh-! Hh’ISCHHh! EISHhh! H’ISHHhh! —ish! shh! —sh! ………………hh’EISHHhhhuhh!”

Kalypso sighed, reaching for the bottle as he blinked dazedly, sniffling thickly. “I’m not doing this sober...”

To be continued…

[britannia0]

MONSTERVERSE

x

MURDER DRONES

==============

MECHAGODZILLA - PART: 1

-------------------------------------------

..if I had to say the biggest understatement on Copper-9, It'd be how much the weather-

FRIGGIN' SUCKS!

I mean- sure, "We're temperature resistant robots, Uzi!" And!?- it's still AWFUL!

It doesn't help when you're searching for a creepy old facility in the middle of NOWHERE!

I- "Uhm..Uzi. Not to be rude or anything like that, becauseIwouldneverberudetomyfriends- but..you kind of-"

"What he means to say is that you walked into a tree face-first, idiot."

...

I can almost feel my circuits popping.

"How about you spend more time searching instead of treating me like such a prick!"

"Aw, is the mirror-cracker getting mad?"

"Argh- why yOU-"

"WOAH WOAH NOw- let's not fight, right? guys?..please?"

I swear if I didn't stop my boot from hitting the ground, she would be meeting her boss!

-------------------------------------------

Sometimes..I think Uzi is a bit..unhinged.

Others- well..it's usually V.

I just- I don't get it.

Why do we have to fight all the time?

It's not like we have to.

And it's definitely not like they want to..atleast Uzi doesn't.

so..why?

..I hope that sigh doesn't get commented on.

-------------------------------------------

Of all the drones I could of been stuck with, it had to be an emo and her lapdog.

...

I really hope this is worth it.

Because if not?

Well, let's just say;

N's gonna need a new rock friend.

..

Ugh, can't a girl sadistically grin without being stared at for it?

-------------------------------------------

..weirdo.

Ugh, anyway- bunker. Gotta keep searching.

We've gotta be close. I just know it!

Where else would a secret underground bunker be BESIDES in the middle of a forest, anyway?

[pop]

huh?- Oh, bunker door.

..

Wait wh-

-------------------------------------------

PART 1 - FINISHED

After notes:

utter pain to write this chapter. genuinely.

I couldn't think of shit on how they'd find the bunker so I just made it a straight bs lucky find, not to mention the character interactions.

V was the biggest fuckin pain to write cuz I know jackshit about how she'd normally act mostly. (I know some stuff, but im not exactly a V fan.)

N was the easiest, his thoughts were kinda hard but he's fairly straightforward as a character, though maybe im just good at dissecting personalities.

Uzi was medium. Her speech and thoughts were fairly easy, but she acts calmer than I remember, so it was hard finding the right balance.

I know I mischaracterised her a bit, but im sure as hell not going back and redo'ing it. this singular part has took me a week to think and write about, (mostly thinking) nagging my mind every damn second.

second chapter should be alot easier since im fairly confident I can write the bunker exploration. I already have a general plot for the bunker and the art thumbnail which is likely gonna be rly hard to draw, but hopefully look worth it.

enough rambling in notes, otherwise this is gonna get longer than the actual part. see ya in the next post.

oh, one more thing-

yes, hopefully, I will write other titans' parts. I'm planning to write a shin crossover, though it'll be its own separate fic, if you guys so desire, I'll post a poll between an interconnected universe for parts or not.

[bitethebulette]

WIP WEDNESDAY

I know it’s no longer Wednesday, but I managed to write a little bit. Not sure how long this will take to finish, so I’m sharing a small pieces of it here. Thanks for everyone’s patience while life happens.

Unedited WIP of chapter 36 of I’ve Been Here Before below the cut.

When Del awoke, she was surprised to feel a cool presence surrounding her body. As she shifted, the arm around her waist tightened and refused to relinquish it’s hold.

A glance at the walls and she could tell it was still early morning. Light was making it’s way in through the windows, but it was weak and milky. A cloudy morning.

With a sigh, Del muttered, “We really should be heading back to the tavern. Everyone will be wondering where we are.”

“If this is the last few moments of privacy I am to have with you,” he whispered against the back of her neck, “Then I am going to suck up every last second of it.”

She huffed out a breath and brought her hand to cover his own where it still clutched her close.

”I think the only thing you’re trying to suck up is my heat,” she joked.

”You’re the one who fell in love with a beautiful corpse,” he insisted, nuzzling his face closer to her neck. “I bring the art into this relationship, and you bring in the warmth. It’s a very equal exchange.”

”Is it now,” was her wry response. “I’m glad I could be so useful.”

She turned her head to look at him, but all she could see was his unruly white locks before she gave up.

”Is that why you’re still here even though you don’t need that much sleep? I didn’t think it was that cold.”

He groaned. “Just let me enjoy this. I couldn’t allow it before - I needed to keep my distance, but it was so hard when you were so soft and warm in my arms. The way you trusted me despite what I was…”

He trailed off when he heard her breath stutter.

He sighed.

”I don’t know why I fought so hard against it in the end. I was falling for you whether I liked it or not.”

When Del moved to face him, he didn’t fight her this time. He wrapped his arms around her waist and gripped the roundness of her buttocks, pulling her flush against him. His legs tangled with hers as he gazed into her eyes.

”I was fighting against it, too,” she admitted to him, reaching up to brush an errant lock from his face. “But like you said, we have all the time in the world. There’s no rush.”

He snorted and rolled his eyes at her.

”Yes, well, I wasn’t thinking about the impending battle with a giant brain that could turn us into mindflayers on command - if it wasn’t for our friend the Emperor, that is.” He became more solemn. “I know death is a normal part of life - but the thought of losing you so soon after…” He took a breath. “It frightens me.”

The additional problem of her not being able to be revived by Withers floated above her head like an apparition, taunting her.

”I know. I don’t want to lose you, either,” she told him, placing her hands over his chest. “But all we can do is go in with the expectation we will win and survive it. I believe it’s possible.”

His fingers idly thrummed across her butt as he thought about her words.

”Maybe we should sit down and discuss what you expect to happen.”

”I don’t think that’s going to really change anything,” she told him.

”You’re knowledge of the future is a weapon, too, Del. You’ve used it for yourself many times, don’t deny it. Help us help you to win. And when all is said and done, we will continue our life blissfully unaware of what will come like normal folk.”

She still hesitated and he smirked at her. 

“It’ll be an adventure.”

”With me around you really think it’d be anything different?”

”Well, we never discussed it. Maybe you were thinking about retiring before this whole nonsense began.”

She snorted. “I’ll retire when my body tells me to retire.”

”Ugh, I had to get with an adventurer.”

”You’re an adventurer now, too.”

”Without my consent, I will remind you.”

”I think you like it more than you’re letting on.”

”…You’re using your ‘psychic’ knowledge against me, aren’t you?”

Smirking, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer for a kiss. “Maybe.”

[artficlly]

Hey, I am just here to tell you that I love you!! I ate up your Western Au (me & the devil) UGH it was just too good like wow. I was so invested, didn’t want it to end. The story was amazing. The build up was perfection. My head is running on thoughts as to how this might go on. AHHHHH

I also loved your smog&spirits series!!! I love me a dangerous Bucky who is soft for only her. You portrayed him fantastically! You created that world so smoothly, it feels so real. Like I am living it. I'm obsessed. Honestly, I am not a fan of reading smut but I believe I will give your other fics a read as well because I am just so obsessed with your writing style.

And I cannot wait for daughter of the rotsál. Will cover myself in a blanket, prepare me some snacks and make some tea when it's out. (I don’t want to give you the feeling of pressure, please believe me, I just want you to know that I am excited)

Hoping you receive all my affection <333

omg hello lovely!!

firstly, i am the one in love with YOU! me & the devil was the one shot that really made me fall in love with writing again, whenever i hear someone has read and enjoyed i am so so happy. and also the fact you're interested in the daughter of the rotsál?!? RAHH???? that fic has been cooking for months now and let me say i am sooo excited for when it's ready to post. smog and spirits will be wrapping up soon (i'm estimating maybe 3 more chapters), there has been a lot of love for that series, which i appreciate so much! that fic started as a one-shot, the only reason it became a series and became what it is now is because of the encouragement of amazing people like you :)

now i'm gonna be cheeky and recommend some of my fics i think you should read next since you are interested!!

a dish served cold - if you enjoyed me & the devil, you'll likely enjoy this series! it's a western au mini-series (around 30k words), has sexual themes but doesn't include smut and is COMPLETE! this series is truly my baby. it didn't pick up much of an audience but it's one of my favourites to this day. i have long term plans to write a second part to it, but i'm focusing on finishing some other projects first.

BITTER - this one is kinda angsty, doesn't include smut but there is illusions to it. it's a quick little modern au one-shot, mostly focusing on bucky being a troubled, grieving ex-solider. if you liked the angst in me & the devil, i feel like this is a similar level but less violence and more the aftermath.

sweetpea - this one is very fluffy, very cute. there is some smut but the majority of it is just a cute and kinda humorous developing relationship between the reader and bucky. it's a pretty quick one-shot read

his girls - you might've already read this but if you're looking for fluff, no smut and alpine content this is the one!

lessons in lovemaking - this is a hesitant suggestion, there is a fair bit of smut in this series but it's pretty tame and sweet. maybe read the first part and see if you like it? it's very angsty, focusing on bucky dealing with his trauma. the reader is an ex-widow

[tooti-fruiti]

MORTAL SOUL [CHAPTER FOUR]

Stranger Sewers

"Six pieces left." Bierce said. "Ready to try again?"

You nodded and walked through the portal.

Inside the hallway, a giant wall blocked your path.

"Malak's blocked the entrance. Now that's just pathetic, don't you think?"

"Uh-"

"Never fear love. There's a solution. You'll just need to rearrange your brain a bit. Come back to the ring alter."

"Alright." You sighed and walked back into the portal.

You put your hand on the alter and a jolt of electricity went through you.

"Your new ability allows you to see enemies through walls. To activate it, put your hands on the side of your face. You'll be able to move Malak's wall by doing so."

You nodded and walked back into the portal.

You stared at the wall as you put your hands on the side of your face.

Your vision blurred for a few seconds before the wall rose up.

You walked to the other end of the hallway and walked into the nightmare.

You immediately gagged and covered your nose.

You were in the Sewers.

"Ugh! The sewers?! Really?!"

"Not afraid of a little sewer water, are you?" Bierce asked as you trudged forward. "Just don't get any of it in your mouth."

You groaned as you moved forward.

Then you noticed the water was slowing you down tremendously.

So you got out of the water and walked along the sides.

"You're heard the urban legends I'm sure. All sorts of this get thrown away down here. Alligators, goldfish, duckies."

As she said duckies. Some lights lit up to your right and there was a show of oversized ducks with traffic cones on their head.

"Just like how you threw your life away."

"Okay okay, I get it. I fucked up." You groaned.

You kept walking and opened a door to keep going.

You went further and saw a hole in the water with some writing beside it.

"Watch out for the big one?"

You shrugged and opened the door ahead of you.

But as it was opening, a giant hand came out of the way and grabbed you.

You yelled out in surprise and wiggled around to get the hand of you.

Once you were free, the creature that grabbed you slinked back into the darkness letting on an evil duck sounding laugh.

You quickly ran through the door and saw some shards up ahead.

You rolled up your sleeves and began collecting the shards.

Then you saw a duck and Bierce started talking.

"They're trying to blend in. Let's see how well you pay attention to details."

You pressed your hands to the side of your face and saw the outlines of some ducks.

But the one next to you didn't have an outline.

Which lead you to believe there were fake enemies.

Now you understood what to do to survive.

•

After collecting all the shards, you ran to where Bierce said the ring alter was with several ducks behind you.

You reached out and transferred the shards for the next ring Pierce and cheered in celebration.

Then suddenly, someone teleported behind you.

You turned around and saw Malak standing by a wall.

You tried to run but Malal raised his hand and you couldn't move.

"That's far enough, mortal."

"You know, you're the first of Bierce's pets to actually cause me some trouble."

He glared at you. "I should commend you for your tenacity. Or better yet, maybe I'll just finish you off here."

"However, despite how aggravating you are. I will admit, I do like watching you run around trying to stay alive. So, instead of killing you of like a pest. I'll watch you run around just a little longer."

He smirked and raised his hand to his chest. "Watching you follow Bierce's orders so obediently, has reminded me that I have a loyal pet as well."

Then he raised his hand and the wall behind him raised. "Here, let me introduce so. So you can both become more properly acquainted."

Behind Malak was a giant duck with nails in it's head and several hands on it's back.

Your eyes widened in fear.

"Now, you'll have to excuse me, mortal." Malak said as he straightened his tie. "I must take my leave. I have some business I need to attend to."

"Oh! And Bierce, I know you're peering through your puppet girl. I will settling matters with you soon enough."

Malak let out an evil laugh before disappearing.

Once Malak was gone, you could move and you were left alone with the giant duck.

•

After defeating the giant duck, you ran away through the sewers.

However, while you were halfway there, the giant duck broke down on the walls and started to chase you.

As the bigger duck chased you, the other duckies were blocking off your short cuts.

You kept running through the sewer water as you uses your boost.

But even with the boost, the giant duck was slowly catching up to you.

But just as you got out of the water, a gate shut on the giant duck, keeping him from you.

You let out a laugh before running back to the portal.

Just before you touched the portal, the giant duck broke his head through the wall and tried to eat you.

However, you were able to avoid the giant duck and ran into the portal.

Once you were back to the portal, you let out a loud cheer of victory.

"YES!"

Malak started to chuckle and you turned to the eyeball on the door.

"It vexes me greatly that you're still here, mortal. I had hoped you would have perished by this point. Because now she has another piece of that infernal ring!"

Malak sighed. "Every piece Bierce gets makes her more powerful. Don't you get that, sweetheart? What do you think is going to happen when she doesn't need you anymore?"

"She'll grant my wish to change my fate?"

"Do you really think she'll do that?"

"Pay no mind to him. He knows that I am getting more powerful and that makes him afraid. You're right love, I will grant your wish."

"Bierce. Tell her what happened to the last person who trusted you."

Bierce once again grew quiet and turned her back to you.

She waved her hand and opened the next portal.

"I'm warning you, mortal. The consequences will be dire if you continue to help her."

You stared at Malak for a little bit before turning to the newest portal which had a clown on it.

Who were you supposed to trust now?

[Hope you enjoyed. Stay tuned for more and have a good day]

<-Chapter Three

Chapter Five->

[rhythm-of-lesbianism]

my ao3 writing history goes like this

orphaned shattered realms fics which are genuinely painful for me to go back and reread which was why i orphaned them. i was bad at formatting, for one, and also bad at writing. oh god the first one i wrote was in april 2019 that’s horrific to think about. it was also the second fic in the fandom ever on ao3 so that’s something. actually in total 8/22 of the shattered realms fics on ao3 were me if i include the orphans. anyway this was my first fic writing era throughout 2019

next was the danger days era, which are all still up on my account. I went back through the nuclear spectrum (my mostly OC-based fic) and it actually had some good writing. i spent so much time planning out that fic, i had an outline and i used to hand write the chapters on lined paper and then type them up when i got home. this was also the era when i was writing unholier verse (google docs that give you psychic damage if you open them btw) but that never got published anywhere despite the amount of work we put in. anyway i kinda wish i had finished the nuclear spectrum because it was basically an original story with vague danger days elements. i also wrote a few danger days ficlets as requests on tumblr and cross posted them to ao3. this is why it’s the fandom i have the most works in. honestly the writings not bad, i think i improved a lot while working on unholier verse even if it should never see the light of day. this was my 2020 era

after that was the couple of atla fics i wrote. one was sokka/zuko, one was katara/mai (underrated ship to me. like zutara if it was sapphic and zuko was cooler) and the other was both of those pairings. there’s a single genshin impact fic (beidou/ningguang)thrown in there during that same time. i know for a fact that i also have beiguang smut in my google drive somewhere but again that’s also never seeing the light of day. this was 2021

in 2022 i went back to the shattered realms. the obsession had reawakened and i wrote a couple fics and started a modern au that i never finished. i had a good outline for that one too but only posted one chapter. however, one of my favorite fics i’ve written, “on loyalties”, was posted that year. ugh i love that one it’s literally just two characters talking and it’s great

ok then 2023 i had zero zilch nada. i don’t know what was going on that year. i think i was completely off ao3 because i only have one fic bookmarked, and it was a game of thrones sansa/margaery fic that i never read and its over 1 million words. maybe i should read that though because i know for sure im never reading the end of GOT

2024 had my magnum opus of shattered realms fics, Came in Close, which is a missing scenes/destin karn character study and ugh it’s so good, the sort of thing you can only write when you know the source material intimately. and boy do i know the shattered realms intimately (gestures to how it was the reason i started writing fanfic)

and then of course now, tail end of 2024-2025, is my Stormlight era. I think it will end up surpassing my other eras in terms of volume of work especially because i will need to fill the Stormlight void for like 7 years until book 6 comes out

[nerdieforpedro]

Wednesday WIP

Hello! 👋🏽 Nerdie here, I am working on a few things:

1. A second entry for @undercoverpena ‘s April Showers Challenge (maybe featuring an agent I haven’t written for a bit). I had a burst of an idea which was different than the original one I had. Such is a Nerdie brain. Don't get lost in there, but there are cookies.

2. Finally progress of my “Wedding 101 with Dieter” fic! I had been having trouble with it. I’m happy to have more Maya, Dieter and Daisy. 🤭 I apologize to @angelofsmalldeath-codeine in advance for any undue stress I shall cause you.

3. Going to finish up my short Frankie body part series which sounds menacing but is the opposite. 😂 Very much so lol It’s called “Only Parts of you Mr. Morales.”

4. I’m working on a Javier Peña series because I feel like I need to give him something nice. Just one thing. 😆 It's very sweet, I have 2 chapters and no idea what to call it. Pfft, go figure. No idea how long it will be - sorry, won't be ready for a bit. Between Javier P and Joel recent. I need to be nice to them. They’re both very haunted. 😖

5. I'm still working on both Din fics and Benny. I'm redoing the outlines. Bullet points are friends and not our enemies. I think. Will there be more random Star Wars people? Is Obi Wan Kenobi a children’s author and Luke that old man who swings his lightsaber in the yard?! Both these things are true. 😌 Messing with Star Wars canon one character at a time. 😂😂😂 The sweet Din fic will remain so. My walking pile of nervous Beskar. 💚

And that's about it, I've cut back a bit on writing to do more school work (papers...ugh...writing about not Pedro. 👀 Eww...)

Previews under the cut:

Anyway, somehow, I went from being stuck in chapter five for 'Weddings 101 with Dieter' to now being in chapter six. I'd like to thank Hemmy for being so encouraging and @megamindsecretlair for discussing Pedro and Oscar with me the other night. I feel like I should make notes and keep both of those in mind for future fics because it's the right thing to do.🫡 Just thinking about it is… 🫠

This is a small excerpt from chapter six, we should all know Nerdie's humor by now 🤣:

“Who’s banging on my door this damn early?! You better get out of here!” “Dee at least ask who it is.” “I don’t care, it could be the president, pope or, no Beyonce could come in.” “I am not meeting Beyonce in my robe. My hair is a mess, my face is puffy, I haven’t showered yet…that’s not who it is!” “I mean, if she shows up on this door, she’s gonna have to be okay with my bare ass, balls and your robe with your cute puffy face. It’s just us. You don’t need one. I’m just going to take it back off to eat you for-” “MR. BRAVO IT’S ME ZACK! YOUR ASSISTANT!” He screamed, he didn’t need to hear Dieter removing anything off of Maya or eating her in any capacity, they can do that after he leaves later. Never any filter with this damn man, he just needs to remind himself of his loans. This job pays the loans.

Gotta love how....open Dieter is with everything. Even Sasha Fierce is not safe. 😭

Second is from my pending Javier Peña fic (I'll think of a good name, I swear!):

Meeting his gaze had her mouth run dry, the sandy tone to his skin contrasted with more papaya tones in his neck. Dark hair and kind eyes behind a gold pair of aviators perched on his curved nose. Tourmaline waves parted on the left side of his crown were matched by his bold eyebrows and thick mustache. His lips were a lace pink and plush. The sunlight made the sweat along his neck glimmer, accentuating its definition. The light blue shirt made the reds and browns in his skin stand out even more. “Did you need to get some fresh air too?” She asked, he could be doing that, escaping someone like she was doing or something else entirely. Now she was curious too, about this man who’d chosen to sit next to her.

I very much enjoy my description of Javier, hehe 😉

That's it! Normally I have more, but it's either still in bullet form or in my head. 🤭

NPT: @maggiemayhemnj @604to647 @connectioneverywhere @morallyinept @rhoorl

@goodwithcheese @soft-persephone @djarinmuse @pedroshotwifey @magpiepills

@secretelephanttattoo @tinytinymenace @inept-the-magnificent @soft-girl-musings @mysterious-moonstruck-musings

@laurfilijames @grogusmum @alltheglitterandtheroar @jessthebaker @musings-of-a-rose

@julesonrecord @wannab-urs @schnarfer

[box-dwelling]

So I wanted to make a pinned post compiling every post I've made that I have any intent at all to do anything with as a fan work.

Most of these are just drafts currently but as stuff gets released I'll edit this post and reblog with the news.

This post is long so the info will be under the cut but as a contents:

Franmaya Narumitsu Kids Au

Turnabout Orca

Ace Attorney DnD

Narumitsu Enjoying Art

Trucy V Kristoph

PTA Narumitsu

No Children Krisnix

Narumitsu Who Wait Too Long

Full Breakdown of My Plan For a Fic EU:

-Untitled Disbarment -Untiled Turnabout Trump Missing scenesand Fallout -Untitled Hell -Turnabout PTA -A Stray Turnabout -Turnabout Orca -A Christmas Turnabout -Untitled DnD -Turnabout Date -A Family Turnabout -The Perfect Wedding Turnabout -2 Bonus Fics

FranMaya Narumitsu Kids Au

Original post - full AU breakdown. Warning it's long

Ask about the Richards relationship to his sisters

Plan:

I'd love to do some fun comics. Maybe a fic but it would be a bitch to format as such. May become a series of drabbles instead

Current status:

No words on the page for fics. Ideas planned for comic but I'm really not happy with my art style at the moment and struggling to get someone drawn that I don't instantly hate and want to restart. Happy to take ideas to expand on this AU with questions

Turnabout Orca

Original post - Concept Breakdown

Additional post - Additional discussion of concept

Fic link

Plan:

Fic. A part of my larger series I have planned that I don't talk about that much here but separate enough to be posted on its own before the rest

Current Status:

Chapter 1 published. Chapter 2 needs edits but could honestly be posted whenever. I just keep procrastinating. I had ideas for a chapter 3 when playing this case but don't remember what it was so I'd need to replay the case.

Ace Attorney DnD

Original post - Character role breakdown

Character sheets

Plan:

A spin off midquel of a fic within my extended fic universe

Current status:

Ugh. So. I have a Klapollo Christmas fic within the previously mentioned extended fic series. There are 4 fics I need to post first or else it will make no sense.

The fic itself has a good amount written but is not finished but I probably could write the remaining scenes pretty easily. I would love to post this at Christmas but erm. We'll see.

I could cut down the previous references and just have it all be out of order as I post.

The first fic is a good good way done.The second is short sweet and basically done. The forth is a short sweet fluff fic that's not got too much written yet but should be easy enough to bang out. The third one is a complete god damn shitshow that I'm really unhappy with at the moment. I want to rearrange a tone of stuff before I post it. There's some stuff in there I adore. Then there's other stuff I hate and want to cut out immediately but can't because the stuff I like its currently dependant on it. It's got no coherent structure. There's a million things I want to cover in it but not over riding theme. A lot of the later stuff hinges on events in this one so I can't just completely kill it. It's overstuffed and just a complete Trainwreck. I recognize that what I post doesn't have to be good and this is a fan space but I genuinely don't want to put this out there in this state. Like to explain what a state it's in its currently dealing with a mirror to FmT, sibling reveal, setting up Klapollo, Manfred's execution, Narumitsu proposal, another thing on this list, AJ fallout, and Edgeworth's promotion and very very little connective tissue between these concepts.

This is relevent because the DND fic is kind of a midquel to said Christmas fic so need to come out after it.

Idk guys Christmas sounds a little too optimistic. I may post the Christmas fic very very late.

Narumitsu Enjoying Art

Original post - concept breakdown

Plan

Included in a part of one of the fics in the extended fic universe

Current status

Hey so remember what I just said about the third fic having a planned segment for another point in this list. Suprise guess which one it was. This one. So yeah development hell. I've not even written that part yet because even opening that doc demoralises me. Will it be in the end product? I literally have no fucking clue. It's linked in with the FmT mirror segment which is the most likely to get the axe and also the hardest to fucking cut so just ugh.

Trucy V Kristoph

Original post - beginnings of concept

Extended post on this idea - concept breakdown

Plan:

Finally, its own thing. A multi chapter canon divergence fic

Current status:

Honestly doing pretty well. I've got like 3 chapters written but am struggling to know where to go from where I am. Kind of on hiatus but I could also just post what I have so far and then have it be a more public hiatus.

PTA Narumitsu

Original post - concept discussion

Plan

Fic. Similar to Turnabout Orca in that it fits within the canon of the extended fic universe and may get plonked in there as a series but works as a stand alone

Current status:

One scene written. I have ideas but it's a hard one to get motivated to write. I love the concept but it's just not the document I instinctively open up.

No Children Krisnix

Original post- lyric by lyric scene description

Link to homeforall's own version of said idea

Plan

Animatic

Current status

I have done a handful of scenes but I'm having the same issue I was with the Au comic. I just need my art to be a bit better to feel comfortable.

Narumitsu Who Wait Too Long

Proper concept breakdown

Related prior post

Plan:

It's own fic as its own thing but also a general feeling and concept I try to bring in whenever I write 7yg stuff

Current status:

A brief scene written as its own thing though I may change it to go a different way because I have being think about it more. Also a theme I have in the first of the extended fic universe stories

Aforementioned extended fic universe

Ok so this one is more complicated because I don't really have posts for it but I did want to break it down for me and for future reference.

1: Untitled: Disbarment

Concept:

Begins with some small stuff during the trilogy, Choosing death, forbbien hospital scene and what not but is primarily about Phoenix's disbarment. Narumitsu fic mainly but there's a good deal of Franmaya and also some deeply toxic Krisnix.

Status:

A lot written but missing a lot of connective tissue and I want to put in some fluff padding at points. Also there's probably a smut scene or two that I want to write but have been putting off.

2: Untitled- Turnabout Trump Missing Scenes and Fallout

Concept:

Kind of tieing some loose ends from the last fic with some headcaons I have about this case in particular. Short. Probably a one shot. Could be an epilogue to the previous but I think will be worth publishing as its own thing.

Status:

Basically done. Need to be published in order.

3: Untitled Hell

Concept:

After Turnabout succession Phoenix goes to Europe with Edgeworth and Trucy and Apollo stay behind to take a case. When Apollo is writing up his journal notes from the Misham Trial they look through Phoenix's paper work to clear up some loose ends and find out a lot they didn't know. Meanwhile stuff gets more and more out of hand in Europe

Status:

Already said. Absolute hell.

4: Turnabout PTA

Concept:

When Edgeworth gets promoted to Chief Procecutor, Phoenix takes him to the PTA to show off. Chaos ensues

Status:

Already said. This and turnabout Orca are the only ons before the Christmas Turnabout that doesn't have to be posted before it. This one could probably come out on its own but it's best after the 3rd fic

5: A Stray turnabout

Concept:

Short sweet fluff fic. Athena meets her Boss's fiance. Edgeworth worried about Trucy's grades. Phoenix adopts a stray puppy. Apollo gets to subject the agency to one of his special interests

Status:

Like half written and the other half is inmy brain. It's just not been a priority.

6: Turnabout Orca

Concept:

Turnabout reclaimed from Edgeworth's perspective

Status:

Already said. Will be posted when it's posted.

7: A Christmas Turnabout

Concept:

Just after the end of dual destinies, Apollo invites Klavier to the Wright-Edgeworth Christmas party given that his previous plus one is now dead. It's the obligatory Klavier joins the found family and gets "forgiven" (read: realised he was never blamed I'm the first place) for Phoenix's disbarment fic that I always eat up. Also dealing with the fallout of DD and Clays death and Klavier's fallout after AJ. Big ensemble cast. Angst and fluff.

Status:

Solid half way done

7.5 Untitled DnD

Concept:

Some for the cast are bored and unable to sleep on Christmas Eve so Trucy runs a Christmas one shot for their DnD party.

The idea for this was that all the family members have a DnD character but it's kind of expected that not everyone can always make it. So it's an induction for Klavier and Simon into the fold by making their characters and joining in. The players for this fic are Klavier, Apollo, Simon, Athena, Kay, Pearl and Sebastian. Maya, Phoenix, Ema and Edgeworth all also have characters but aren't present for the game for reasons that make sense in context.

Status:

Already said

8: Turnabout Date

Concept:

A direct sequel to A Christmas Turnabout taking place a day or so after that one leaves off. Klavier has asked Apollo on a dated to an intimidatingly fancy restaurant.

Meanwhile as the anniversary of DL6 draws closer Edgeworth ends up giving up and giving the prosecutors office a holiday break until the New Year. In turn Phoenix gives the WAA the time off too given the stress of the last week. Both offices decide to help their respective idiot in love prepare for the date. Though the weird girls of Maya and Kay end up on the opposite of their usual sides as Phoenix needs requests the aid of everyone's favourite great thief and Maya get caught up in the chaos after an attempt to seduce her girlfriend.

Status:

About a third written. I'm really really fond of this one though.

9: A Family Turnabout

Concept:

A pair of ghosts from Phoenix's past turn up on the agency door all related to Athena's most recent case. A poisoning in a tea shop that she herself witnessed.

Tensions are high as more than one Wright family member's life hang in the balance. As Phoenix's mental state grows slowly more unstable, his relationship with his daughter is put to the test.

While Athena and Apollo butt heads about how much their powers are to be trusted and ask they begin to learn more and more about the mysterious group the victim and defendant belong to, Phoenix's protegee are forced to ask serious questions about what justice really means and if the WAA's tactics in court are really moral and safe.

Status:

Hey idk if you can tell. This is my favourite. If I could just post this and focus on it I would. Unfortunately it needs a lot of fucking context. Stuff that's fine to just be explained to a reader who knows they can learn more in other available fics but will sound insane if not. How much is written. A whole lot. The stuff that's missing is the case fic stuff but I know exactly what I'm doing with that now so it just needs to be properly written out. There's probably a few posts I could have linked to put this bad boy on the mentioned works in progress section but that would probably spoil it a bit and I don't want to do that.

10: A Perfect wedding Turnabout

Concept:

Narumitsu wedding. Big old ensemble piece. Stuff will get crazy but I don't want to spoil anything. But those two could never have a normal wedding come on.

Status:

This was like the 3rd fic is started writing and well. It shows. I don't love how a lot of it reads. I want to rewrite a tone. But there is a lot already on the page. The other 2 I wrote this early were a very early draft of the first fic which has been revised enough to be fixed and then the 3rd fic which is the bane of my existence. I like the plot concept I have. But I worry about the prose. When I wrote this is had been a long ass while since I'd tried to write a big cast like this and it fucking shows. Also just the character voice is off. It's kind of expositiony. It's not as unsalvageable as 3 it's just not there yet.

2 Bonus fics

Status:

Completely unwritten

Concept:

I kind of want to do a narumitsu fluff fic of them buying a house together and putting up furniture after 3 and I wouldn't mind a reunion faraskye fic before 3. But the benefit of me having written nothing and having planned nothing is that they have no vital link to the others so they can just be punished whenever and I'll say where they are in the timeline.