#i wish this book weren’t $600 now

[oil-eclipse]

The Factory, photography collection by David Lynch.

[valley-girlkissers]

Chapter one: pilot

Words: 1630

Chapter one is officially out! Enjoy :)

👙☀️🐚🌊🩷🏄‍♀️🍒

“$600? For a flight to LA????? Ridiculous.” For the past hour, all anyone in Jamie’s household would hear from her bedroom door is her gawking and yelling about how all flights to LA were way too overpriced, and how she is “not a woman made of money!!!”. She was making it very clear that she was not. It was not long after Jamie had gotten way too pissed over flights that were more than $300 when she realised, she wouldn’t be able to make it to America this year and visit her friends. A lot of her friends lived in other countries, some in Canada and even more in America, LA, so every year she made sure to save her money to book flights and visit her friends over the summer…that was until this year. Her job wasn’t great, with the unreasonable hours and shifts Jamie got that weren’t even worth it enough for her paycheck. So she said enough and quit, because that was the most fair thing to do! I mean sure, she wouldn’t be making money anymore but she could’ve always gotten a new job not long after quitting! Or so she thought. Turns out her resume needed a big upgrade and all the places she applied to weren’t desperate for workers like her previous job. Jamie laid on her bed with a pose making her look like a starfish, not even attempting to stay positive or tone down how overdramatic she was being. All of a sudden she heard her phone ringing begging and pleading her to actually respond to a call for once. It was from Scar, one of Jamie’s best friends for a long time, one of the people she was the most excited about seeing on her now destroyed summer trip. She felt horribly guilty, not prepared to break the news to her future disappointed best friend. They had been hyping the trip up for months now, planning where to go and what to see and what to wear, sometimes those conversations with her was the only thing that got Jamie through her day. With a deep breath, Jamie got out of her starfish position and accepted the FaceTime

“Hey Scar!” Jamie didn’t fully understand why she was so extremely stressed, Scar was the most understanding person she had ever met. Yet, she still could not find a way to just chill out of her panicking.

“Hi Jamie! How are you!”

“I’m okay, thanks Scar! Actually, I do need to talk to you about something. Were you about to ask about the summer trip?” Jamie was barely hiding her nerves at this point. “YES!! You read my mind! I was actually going to ask if you had scheduled any flights yet that me and Gri should know about so we can pick you up from the airport and such” Gri, as in Griande, was Jamie’s sister that moved in with Scar a couple years ago when they got together. Great, another person she would be letting down from having to cancel the trip.

“Well I was scrolling through them and well.. Scar I just don’t know if I can make it this year. All the flights are way out of my budget, and honestly I cannot beg my parents for money or else they’ll make me do almost all the work on the ranch again.” That was a true story.

“Okay, hmm.. no that’s, that’s okay! I totally get it haha, flights are way too expensive lately and I know that you didn’t have the highest budget.” Jamie was glad Scar was being understanding but that first part.. felt odd. Scar was making that face Jamie knew all too well.

“I know that face. What are you thinking up there miss goodtimes??? It better not be giving me money for the trip. You know I’ll say no!”

“No, no it’s not that just… okay this could sound a little crazy but what if you worked at the surf store I work at over the summer to pay off the expenses of the trip?” Jamie registered what Scar said for a minute before replying.

“Wait, what? I don’t know, I mean your boss probably won’t let someone work in a store just for two months and then leave suddenly. I don’t know if that’ll work, in all honesty” Jamie wished that would work, but in reality she knew it wouldn’t.

“No I swear my boss X is the best. Also, we actually have had people only come it for a month or two before, she’s totally cool with it. It’ll be perfect! It pays well, and also the hours are not excruciating at all, it’s really well staffed! Please Jamie!!! I’ll totally ask!!” Scar was then doing her pouting ‘please’ face that no one including Jamie never could say no to. It felt cruel.

“Well.. I guess it could work. But make sure you ask! I’ll send over my resume but don’t get too worked up, God knows if this’ll work.” Jamie was then met with a cheering scar jumping around her room saying ‘thank you!’, it was incredibly amusing. Her prediction that Scar would be miserable after the call couldn’t be more incorrect. After talking and planning on what they might be able to do on the trip now that it hopefully wasn’t cancelled, they both hung up. Jamie was back to her starfish pose on her bed but with a much more positive expression on her face, truly trying to manifest hearing a ‘we’d like to offer you a job’ after not hearing it for almost a year. Maybe this trip will happen after all.

~~

“Genuinely, how did you get that lucky that you actually got the job?” Lin said in between folding clothes into his suitcase. Lin, Jamie’s sister, too was coming onto the summer trip. Normally she does with Joelle, his wife and one of Jamie’s best friends. “I.. genuinely don’t know. I was just stressing about flight costs and then all of a sudden Scar talked and pleaded her boss to give me the job and I somehow got it? She fully saved my entire trip” Jamie replied, looking at tops and dresses and asking herself if they looked good. “She calls herself hotgirl for a reason, to be fair.” Joelle said, already giggling at her joke, which everyone else did as well, because it was true that ever since Scar got into superhero’s and Star Wars when she was little all she wanted to do was be a superhero. Hence the name hotgirl. “True, true. I’m not even sure how she even found such a job in the first place. She wasn’t lying when she said the shifts her insanely good with an even better pay, it’s actually unfair how much she lucks out sometimes I swear” “it’s all about having a good boss… which you and your dumb luck unfortunately did not have at your last job!” Lin pointed out, and he wasn’t wrong. “Pretty ironic that you have the worst luck with jobs yet one of your best friends has the best luck with jobs, hey?” Joelle also pointed out. It felt like salt in the would at this point! Jamie didn’t mind at all though, truly she loved being teased and being the butt of the joke “like you’re to talk Joelle, what about your first job? Where they didn’t even tell you about your hours and then got mad when you didn’t show up to shifts you didn’t know about” “fair play. Fair.” The three could go on for ages about their horrible first jobs, but honestly they were way too preoccupied with outfits, flights and day-to-day activities. “What if we tried out this mini surf course together? It’s only for a week but it looks really fun! It says it’s hosted by ‘the most passionate surfers in the world’, whatever that means” Lin suggested “er.. I’m not really sure my balance is horrible. I would look like a cartoon character slipping on a banana peel” Jamie responded, which actually had happened before. “Well now we need to do it. I need to see Jamie fall off her board.” “Okay Joelle, as if you would also have balance on a surfboard” “I’ll have you know that I am the quickest learner of all time! I could probably be the best surfer ever only aster a few minutes” Joelle loved feeding into her comedically big ego, though she wasn’t serious most of the time. “Another thing, Jamie what time is your flight tomorrow? Just so me and Joelle know when to drop you off” Joelle and Lin were going to America just after Jamie, only because they wanted to make sure everything was sorted like the house/dog sitter. “Uhhh… I think midday? I’ll have to get there around 11:30am I think.” “Noted!”

~~

“Thanks for driving me guys, I’ll see you in a couple days?” Jamie thanked Joelle and Lin as she stepped out of the car “yep! No worries Jamie, see you soon!” And with that the two were off.

The process to actually get to the gate was excruciating, but Jamie got through it all eventually. She felt extremely proud of herself after surviving it all in one piece. “Flight 276 to America, Los Angelous is now boarding. Please board your flight now if it’s yours” blasted in the speakers of the airport, so Jamie picked all of her luggage up and boarded the plane.

Eventually the plane took off, and Jamie was overjoyed that a trip she thought she would have to cancel, was actually happening. Next thing she knew, she had arrived in LA and could see Scar and Griande at the bottom of the escalator to pick her up.

[qmakobin]

You've Been Workin' Hard, Ei.

A/N: hi! I was writing this while listening to workin' hard by Fuji Kaze. I'm dedicating this short story to my friend, Ei @moonfeiz . I'm not good at advising and comforting but I hope the message in this story resonates with you.

Word count: 600+ words

Genre: slice-of-life

-------

Hazel sat at her desk, staring blankly at her computer screen. The dim glow was the only light in her apartment, and the clock on the corner of the screen showed it was way past midnight. The stack of work she still had to do felt endless, no matter how much she finished. It always adds up.

She had been grinding for weeks, chasing deadlines, and trying to prove herself, but it never seemed enough. She kept telling herself this was the time she’d finally catch up, finally get ahead. Yet, here she was, feeling like she was lost.

Her phone buzzed. It was a message from Kimie: "Let’s hang out this weekend! You've been working non-stop."

Hazel sighed. Kimie was right. She couldn’t remember the last time she saw anyone outside of work. She was always working, always pushing herself to be better, faster, smarter. But for what? Her chest tightened at the thought, the weight of the question pressing on her. She didn’t have an answer.

Her thoughts drifted back to earlier that day when Mr. Sato, her boss, had called her into his office. His stern face was still fresh in her memory.

“Hazel,” he said, folding his hands on the desk, “your last report wasn’t up to your usual standard. It was late, and you missed important details.” He paused, leaning forward. “You’re better than this. I need you to give your best—always.”

She nodded, the familiar sting of guilt settling in her chest. “I’ll do better, Mr. Sato.”

He didn’t seem convinced. “This is a competitive field, Hazel. If you want to move forward, there’s no room for mistakes. Keep working hard.”

Those words stayed with her now, replaying in her head as she leaned back in her chair. She felt exhausted, worn thin by the pressure to be perfect. She had always been proud of being a hard worker, but lately, it felt like she was losing sight of why she started this journey in the first place.

Suddenly, her phone started playing an old song she hadn’t listened to in years. The melody was soulful, gentle rhythm, comforting, and the lyrics felt like they were speaking directly to her:

“You've been workin' hard, workin' hard

Maybe you don't understand

But I know that you're workin' hard, workin' hard

Wish I could give you a hand

Baby, you've been workin' hard, workin' hard

Trust the process and be brave, you've been workin' hard

God, you've been workin' hard”

Hazel closed her eyes, letting the song play. Her mind began to wander���back to the girl she used to be. She thought about the time when her dreams weren’t about promotions or meeting deadlines but about creating something meaningful. Drawing her thoughts, dreaming of traveling to far-off places, or laughing with friends until her stomach hurt. Somewhere along the way, she’d traded that for sleepless nights and constant stress.

But maybe... maybe she could change that. Maybe life didn’t have to be all or nothing.

She stood up, stretching her stiff limbs as she walked to the window. The city outside sparkled like a sea of stars, buzzing with life and movement. It reminded her of something Mr. Sato said.. something he probably didn’t mean to sound encouraging but did.

“If you want to move forward, there’s no room for mistakes.”

Maybe mistakes weren’t failures. Maybe they were signs she was trying, pushing, and learning. What if moving forward wasn’t about being perfect but about finding her own rhythm, her own way?

She thought of Kimie's text. Maybe she could start small. Meet up with friends. Pick up her Sketch book again. Let herself dream beyond work. Life wouldn’t wait forever, and she didn’t want to look back one day and wonder where it all went.

Hazel took a deep breath, a weight lifting off her chest. She didn’t have all the answers, and that was okay. She’d take it one day at a time.

Tomorrow, she’d return to work. But she’d do it differently—on her terms. Tonight, though, she’d do something she hadn’t done in weeks, rest.

[choicesmc]

How They Are

banner: The Art of Love by Ron Hicks

MC: Rams Erndheart Book: The Elementalist WC: 600+ (i think, don’t quote me on that) Summary: Shreya is made of passion and fire, but even she has her doubts from time to time. Luckily, Rams knows just how to help.

tagging: @lover-also-fighter-also

Co’s bed was still in couch-mode. Sometime past eight, co’d fallen asleep on cos book chair. Groaning, co lifted the open book from cos face, wiping spittle from the edges of cos lips. 

With a stretch, xe glanced at the analog clock on the other side of the room, conjuring a small fireball for light. 

It read 3:02. Probably AM. 

Uncurling from xir warm position, Rams lumbered towards xir bed fully intending to crash back to sleep on the couch. Or the floor. Xe was too sleepy to be picky right now. 

On zir way to zir bed, a faint sniffle caught zir ear. It was quiet, so quiet, Rams thought ze’d imagined it. Ze’d paused all movement, taking careful note of the sounds ze heard. 

Another sniffle. 

Ae was not imagining it. 

The clock on aer desk displayed the time. It was 3:02 AM. 

Yet, ae could hear sniffles from the other side of aer door. They were faint, as if the person making them was suppressing it. 

Shreya was the only person who could be in their shared reception room at 3 in the morning. 

But it was Saturday. A resting day for Shreya. She’d never gotten up before cos on a Saturday and ae usually didn’t get up this early either. 

Yet, here she was, crying and sniffling at a time Rams shouldn’t have heard her. 

As if she didn’t want Rams to hear her. 

Either way, the result was the same: co’s girlfriend was sniffling in their living room. Going to sleep while knowing that was impossible. It wasn’t even an option. 

Instead, crossing the room, Rams grabbed a chocolate bar, a small can of sparkling water, and two packs of the fancy trail-mix that Shreya liked. Carefully placing them on zir fanciest paper plates, Rams made xir way out the room.

The door barely creaked but still Shreya’s head darted up anyway. Changing from a small fireball to a small chain of fairy lights, Rams gave her a soft smile, “Can’t sleep?” 

The tear trails shone in the light and her eyes were red and puffy. Shreya shook her head. The action felt somewhere lacking when compared to her usual self. Rams responded in kind, silently sitting beside her and opening up one of the trail-mix packs. 

A couple seconds passed before Shreya reached out for the chocolate, slowly nibbling on a corner. 

A couple more sends passed, before she said anything, “Did I wake you up?” 

“I was already awake,” the lie rolled off Rams’ tongue, easy and comforting, “Got too invested in something I was reading, I just finished it.” 

Shreya nodded. 

“Could I lay on your lap?” Rams asked, casually filling up the silence, “I missed you yesterday.” 

This finally put a smile on Shreya’s face even if it wasn’t full just yet. “Come here,” she said, sitting straighter so Rams could lay cos head. 

Her hands gently tugged the kinky strands of xir hair, watching as the strands recoiled as soon as her fingers let go. Every so often, her nails scratched xir scalp, eliciting a pleased sound from Rams. 

“Why did you miss me?” Shreya eventually asked, voice soft, “I didn’t go anywhere.” 

“We weren’t together,” Rams shrugged, “Do I need any other reason?”

“Doesn’t it ever get tiring?” Shreya asked, hands pausing mid-action, “I’m always so much, all the time. Maybe you wish I could be more loll? Or less bossy? Or more graceful?”

Rams hummed, interlacing zir fingers over zir stomach. Keeping zir eyes trained on the ceiling above, purposefully avoiding Shreya’s beautiful brown eyes, Rams responded, “Do you wish I was more fiery? Or louder? Or less subdued?” 

Glancing towards her, ae continued, “Aren’t I such a drain on your energy?”

“That’s not the same!” Shreya frowned, “Being quiet is better.” 

A smile danced at Rams’ lips, “I actively enjoy organizing papers and planning incredibly complicated events. I think I could suck all the extroversion right out of someone if given enough time.” 

“But I love that about you,” Shreya replied, pleasant exasperation flooding her voice as she booped Rams’ nose, “and I get your point.”

“Are you certain?” Rams blinked, hand coming up to cup her cheek, “Are you sure you don’t want me to tell you exactly why Shreya Mistry is a downright delight to be around at all times of the day?” 

Her cheeks twitched, “I didn’t stop you.”

Laughing, co looked at her and smiled as ze started, “Your confidence is stunning, I find myself preening for praise whenever you’re around me. I can’t help it. You’re just so sure, so certain of yourself that I want to get noticed by you.” 

Reaching up to twirl a strand of her hair, ze continued, “This one is incredibly obvious but let’s say it anyway: you’re gorgeous. Your hair is so silky and all your outfits are incredibly well put-together –even on a bad day you have more coordination and artistry in your makeup that I could reasonably dream up.” 

Glancing at her, xe murmurered, “You’re passionate and you care about your family and you treasure your little sister so intensely that, sometimes, I wonder what it’d be like to be loved like that. I want to love you like that. I want you to know I love you like that. Knowing that sometimes you aren’t even sure I like you makes my heart hurt, love. It hurts.”

“Dammit Rams,” Shreya said, voice already wobbly, “I just stopped crying.” 

“I’m sorry, love,” Rams replied, kissing away a tear. 

“I thought you came here to make me feel better,” she whined, dabbing a handkerchief to her eye, “you’re so lucky you’re cute!”

“I didn’t– It was a coincidence!” Rams stammered, a smile at the edge of aer lip, “What gave it away?”

“The water, jaanu,” Shreya said, mirth replacing her tears, “You don’t drink sparkling water, Rams.” 

Rams laughed, handing Shreya the water, “Did I also mention how incredibly perceptive you are?” 

“I don’t think so,” Shreya pressed a quick kiss to xir cheek, “but no worries, you can make it up to me right now~”

Author’s Note: hihi. I will not lie. i struggled with this. kinda.

some people may know this, some might not but: i’ve been grappling with whether or not i am aromantic (or otherwise on the arospectrum) since ~january.

it’s been a long ride. some days worse than others. and this fic kept sending me down the “what is romantic love” question more times than I’d care to admit.

eventually I lowkey kinda gave up on trying love. it eludes me so I focused on what I think makes Shreya and Rams work as a couple <3

thanks to a wonderful friend (ya know who you are 🫶) I’ve started coming around to being aro —at least as long as it fits <3

hope y’all had fun reading!!

[dream-beyond-the-fantasy]

Prompt-oween Day 2

@occreatorexchange

Prompt: Driving down a dark road late at night. The driver makes up a story to scare the passenger(s).

Fandom: Doctor Who/The Sarah Jane Adventures

Characters: Mike Yates, Molly Yates (OC)

Rating: G

Word Count: 600

Summary: Mike is forced to tell his granddaughter about Autons.

Note: A prequel to my Molly Yates WIP.

Mike Yates was visiting his son and granddaughter.  A coworker had set David up on a blind date, so Mike was lucky enough to spend the whole evening with little Molly.

He took her to the playground at Golden Gate Park, where she played for hours.  He occasionally read a book, but never let Molly wander out of sight.

Before he knew it, the sun was starting to set.  He closed his book and looked around. Mike noticed that the park was practically empty.  He remembered that David had told him about an assault and a mugging that had taken place in the park after dark.  He saw Molly on the jungle gym.

“Molly, come down.”

The four-year-old pouted at him.

Mike beckoned to her.  “Molly, now.  It’s time to go.  It’s getting dark and we still need to eat dinner.”

Only then, did the girl come down, or rather slid down the slide.  As Molly ran to him, Mike noticed that she had a plastic doll in her arms.  He frowned.  She didn’t have the doll before.  Mike told her not to bring any toys, so there would be no chance of losing them while they were out.

“Who’s your friend?”

“I don’t know.  She didn’t tell me her name,” Molly replied.

Mike tried not to smile. He took her free hand and they started walking to the car.   “Well, where did she come from?”

“Space.”

He faltered.  Mike knew children had active imaginations, and Molly was no exception.  However, he had experience with things and beings that came from outer space.  Not all of them were good.  He hoped Molly was just exhibiting her vivid imagination.  Best to ask more questions.

“Oh?  Any certain planet?”

Molly scrunched her face.  Mike nearly laughed.  She was too cute.

“P-Poly… Polymos.”

Mike’s laughter died in his throat.  There is no possible way she should know that name.  The only reason he knew it was because the Doctor had told him back in his early days at UNIT.

Mike crouched down to his granddaughter’s level.  “Molly, where did you find it?”

“By the swings.”

“Did you see anyone with it?”

She shook her head, pigtails whipping her cheeks.

That cold fear solidified in his chest. He wished that he had his gun.  “Drop the doll now.”

Molly was confused but did as she was told.  His tone scared her.  She didn’t say anything as he picked her up and ran the rest of the way to the car.  He quickly threw open the door and strapped her in.  He glanced back over his shoulder, making sure they weren’t being followed before getting into the car himself.

Mike pulled out onto Kezar Drive.  The sun had set nearly ten minutes ago.

“Grandpa, why did you make me leave the doll?”

Mike looked up at the rearview mirror, seeing Molly’s frightened and confused face.  “Love, you know I was in the military a long time ago?”

“Yeah.”

“While I was serving, an organization called UNIT recruited me.  Among other things, we kept humanity safe from alien threats.”

“Aliens are real?”

“Yes, sweetheart, they are.”

“Why does Daddy say they aren’t?”

“Well, love, your dad doesn’t know.  We tried to keep aliens a secret from the public for their own good..”

“So, the doll was an alien?”

Mike sighed.  “Not the doll itself.  But I think that the doll was, let’s say, possessed by the Nestene Consciousness.  They control things made out of plastic.”

Molly was on the edge of her seat, eyes wide, as Mike told her about how the Doctor defeated the Autons.

[a-gay-old-time]

An anthology of works by @the-sinking-ship

Volume I includes: Stupid Love, Quicksilver and Phoenix Fire, Criminal, Sweet Indulgence, Like Gold, Intention, Sugar Sweet, ‘Tis a Far Better Thing

Volume II includes: Things We Do, Dwelling on Dreams, On Target

Happy birthday, Sly! When you asked me the other day what project I was working on, I was so glad we weren’t face-to-face because I have a terrible poker face and the truth was I was working on this surprise birthday gift for you. Your writing is brilliant--sharp and witty, imaginative, vivid, full of tension, angsty, hot, tender, and everything else you could wish for--and it’s so amazing to have it all collected in these two volumes for you (minus the two other stories you’ve already got on your shelves). I hope you have a day that’s as lovely as you are!

I got to have more fun with edge speckling, bookmark charms, and multi-volume spine painting for these books which are three of my favorite things to do with books right now! I also went a little wild with water and ship imagery inspired by Sly’s username, The_Sinking_Ship. Like with Tit for Tat, I had the amazing opportunity to work with the incredibly talented @babooshkart on these books--they did the gorgeous wave art that’s found on the spines and on each title page and a whole new piece of art for Intention (more on that in the art post for this book because wow was there a lot of stunning art to include in these volumes)! These two books were made in a whirlwind in the last 2ish weeks, and I’m really happy with how they turned out! Fun fact: the first volume is officially the longest book I’ve bound so far at over 600 pages.

[softtdaisy]

hiiii i’m not sure if you’re still taking requests but if you are can you write something to

let her go by passenger

sad but with happy ending

and peter parker but whichever one you see fit!!

congratulations on 600 love!!!!!

_let her go

mcu!peter parker x female!reader

based on: let her go by passenger

words: 952

a/n: i choose mcu!peter for this one for no reason except I wanted to change a little ahah. thank you for your sweet word love and I hope you will like this story 💛

600 followers celebration 💛

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Leaving you was probably Peter’s stupidest decision. No. It was the stupidest decision he ever made.

You had started dating before he even was Spider-man. You loved this discrete and nerdy guy who was building lego with his best-friend. You wouldn’t say Peter really changed after that. He was still a sweet and lovely guy. You couldn’t be prouder to say he was the man behind the mask. He was the best superhero the world could hope for. 

The only issue about this was that you both had a hard time keeping up with your relationship. Almost like it was now too much in his new life. 

You stopped having weekly dates, even though you were seeing each other all the time before. Now you were hanging out when you had the time. And even then, most of the time Peter would disappear because something was happening. 

You couldn’t be mad at Peter for putting the world first.

He couldn’t blame you for feeling sidelined and forgotten.

Because of this situation, you both had thought that it would be best to end this before it became a tragedy. Well, it was Peter's idea, and you agreed.

It has been a tearful but peaceful break-up. Peter kept holding you in his arms “I’m so sorry I wish it was different.” He said it multiple times in your ear. And each time you would say that it was ok, that you understood, that it was the best decision.

It was difficult for you to accept this break-up. You suddenly felt lonely, like you had nobody in your life anymore. You had to build your happiness back with new friendships and hobbies that weren’t related to Peter.

For Peter, it was different. From the first week, he realised how much he missed you. He needed you when he came back home and May’s love wasn’t enough to bring back a smile on his face. He needed your stupid and lovely texts. When you would text him emoji to know if he was available or send him a long text to reassure him. He needed to hear your voice on a phone call. Or being able to fly to your room to find your arms. Your love. You.

He just needed you.

But he was the one who let you go and it would be selfish from him to ask you back.

Some nights were even harder than others. When Peter couldn’t sleep and kept looking at his ceiling in silence. He wanted to scream because you weren’t there. He wanted to cry because he was the stupid one who let you go. And when he was finally falling asleep, he dreamt of you. And never not being able to touch you had hurt him that much. 

What was worse, was that Peter had to see you finding your way into life without him. He hated every guy that was talking to you. He even hated some of your friends for being able to make you laugh like he used to. It wasn’t fair.

But it was Peter’s fault. That was what he kept repeating him.

One day he couldn’t take it anymore. He missed school to go to your room. You weren’t there because you were part of the studious ones. Peter knew how to open your window from all the nights he did it before. He waited for you on your bed, for hours. But he would have waited months if it meant he had a chance of having you again.

Peter just didn’t realise he would scare you like this. But when you opened your room and saw a form on your bed, you grabbed a book as a weapon. And then screamed. “Oh my god Peter!” You were breathless from this scary episode. “What the hell are you…are you ok?”

You immediately calm down when you noticed his red eyes and his shaky hands. You went on your bed to sit in front of him and grabbed his hands. “What’s going on?" You asked in a whisper.

“I miss you.” You almost didn’t hear him. Maybe it was what broke you most. You took him in your arms to comfort him. You never thought it would happen this way around.

“I miss you too Pete.”

“No you don’t understand!” He broke your cuddle to take your face between his hands. “I miss you. I want you back. I can’t do it without you anymore. I need you in my life. I love you so much. And maybe you don’t love me anymore. I’m sorry for letting you go. I shouldn’t have. I should…”

“Calm down.” You said, putting a finger against his lips. Peter frowned, did you really shut him up during his love declaration? Was it your way of saying he shouldn’t bother trying because you didn’t want him anymore?

“Why would you think I don’t love you anymore Peter? Yes, we’re not together anymore, but that was your choice and I respected it. But that didn’t mean I stopped loving you. I couldn’t even if I tried.” You laughed at the idea you could live in a world where you don’t love Peter Parker with your whole heart. What a crazy idea. 

“So…you still want me?” He asked shyly, like he was asking for a new bike. You tilted towards him to kiss his nose slowly before stopping a few millimetres from his lips.

“I will always want you.” You kissed Peter first. But he was quick to answer this kiss.

Sure you had a lot of work to do to make it work this time. But for now, all that mattered was being back together. The rest could wait. 

[celestialarchon]

Celebrating 600+ Followers

i can’t believe i’m writing another celebration post less than two days after my first

this has been rotting in my head all day and might become a series in the future

Genshin Impact x F!Reader | Modernish AU | warning: it’s cute!

“I hope you don’t mind, we gave you a student teacher as well. It’s only fair since you were given the most troublesome class,” Headmistress Ping smiled at you warmly.

“Ah,” You nodded, “Thats fine.”

The elder woman patted your back, “Genshin Academy is truly lucky to have you. Your track record is impressive and you have an extremely rare vision. I think you’ll get along fairly well with Mr. Aether, he’s a good kid.”

You smiled at her, honored by her words. Genshin Academy, the elite and prestigious school, had taken you as a teacher. The education system was impressive and diverse, teaching elementary to college aged students. You were given the first year elementary school students and now a student teacher as well. No matter how troublesome the class may be, having assistance would be appreciated. If it didn’t, the extraordinary pay would make up for any issues you had.

The older woman walked you to the doors of the building and then left you to prepare yourself. Clutching your class roster, you stepped in and made your way to your classroom. When you entered your room, you were greeted by a young blonde man. He introduced himself as your assistant teacher and made some small talk before leaving you to prepare for the day. You appreciated his thoughtfulness as you tidied the room up a bit, smiling at your class pet, Dvalin.

Soon enough, the children poured in and greeted each other and you. Aether returned to the room, beaming at each child. You took attendance, ticking off each name as they all answered. Qiqi, Teucer, Klee, and Diona seemed to be the most lively of them all. They were also marked with asterisks as the worst “troublemakers” but so far things were running smoothly.

“Welcome, my name is Miss Bright,” You beamed at the children, “Let’s have a good year, okay?”

“Wow, you’re very pretty Miss Bright!” An energetic Teucer exclaimed.

Klee squealed, “I’m so excited!”

Diona scoffed and Qiqi nodded in agreement. You went through the motions, following your detailed curriculum perfectly. There were two separate general subjects, academics and control. One was simple enough, teaching the kids by the book. The other was all about assisting your students in controlling and growing their abilities as vision users.

By the end of the day you were exhausted. Soon enough the week flew by. As Friday came, you were exhausted. Most people had made these kids out to be terrible and mischievous, and in some ways they were. Yet, you had already grown very fond of all of them. They were much more tame than you had expected, save for some explosions and outbursts. Now you were stuck as some of the children were late being picked up.

“I hope my big brother gets a girlfriend like Miss Bright. She’s so nice and pretty.” You overheard Teucer whisper to the last three kids.

“Oh yeah!” Klee’s whispers weren’t whispers at all, “She’s like a princess. My brother is a prince. I wish he’d marry Miss Bright.”

“Tch,” Diona intervened, “Honestly, I wish Miss Bright had adopted me instead of that annoying man at home.”

“Qiqi thinks Xiao and Zhongli would like Miss Bright a lot.”

You giggled at their words, they were too sweet. Aether chuckled overhearing them as well and waving you off.

“Go finish up your paperwork, I’ll take care of them.” The cheerful blonde nearly pushed you out the door.

You sighed and made your way to the office up front. Paperwork was such a drag, not nearly as fun as over hearing those brats gossiping. The paperwork ended up taking up the rest of your time. By the time you were done you wanted to scream. As you left the office, a handful of coworkers approached you and invited you out. No was not an option as they insisted you let them treat you.

You were exhausted as they led you to their favorite bar. Aether followed like a lost puppy and you sighed.

“You can’t drink can you?” You questioned him.

“Ahhh,” Aether started but was interrupted.

“It’s fine! I know the owner. He doesn’t have to drink he can just babysit us.” Venti exclaimed.

Poor Aether couldn’t get out of it either. Once you entered the bar, things blurred. Immediately, your coworkers bought you many drinks. Venti was especially aggressive about drinking. The short music teacher was babbling to an extremely handsome bartender with vibrant red hair.

The scarlet haired man seemed to be a bit annoyed by the drunken chaos ensuing. Amber was giggling crazily and the school nurse, Baizhu had cornered a tall man with amber eyes, and Ganyu was petting you. Aether was awkwardly fidgeting, stone cold sober. Eventually, your poor student teacher ended up having to call a cab and carry you home. He was forced to try and navigate to your cozy apartment by unlocking your phone with your drunken face. It took way too many attempts.

You awoke the next day with a pounding headache and over a hundred notifications. The night was still a blur so you proceeded to try and take care of yourself. Aether was kind enough to go out and buy you some pain medicine and left it on your counter with your keys. It was embarrassing how you couldn’t find any memories of your adventures in liquor.

The weekend flew by until Sunday night came and your phone buzzed. You looked down and horror filled your body. Tomorrow was parent conferences. It wasn’t mandatory for parents but encouraged. Suddenly, you were tearing through your apartment trying to prepare for the upcoming doom.

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Before you knew it, parent conferences were upon you. Aether wasn’t attending because it wasn’t mandatory and you insisted he go home and rest. He had done so much for you already, you didn’t want him to suffer through it with you. You looked up as somebody knocked on your class door and opened it to see two beautiful blondes.

“Hello, is this Miss Bright’s room?” The woman’s blue eyes met yours.

“Yes,” You held your hand out, “Hello, I’m Miss Bright.”

The woman shook your hand, “I am Jean, Klee’s guardian. This is her older brother Albedo.”

The young man’s beautiful eyes bore into you as he shook your hand. You stepped aside and gestured to the tables in your room. The two took their seats and almost immediately a tall red haired man sauntered up to you.

“Hello!” His tone was cheerful, “I’m Childe, Teucer’s older brother!”

“A pleasure to meet you, Childe. I am Miss Bright.”

“Ah,” a crooked smile formed on his lips, “The pleasure is all mine. You are just as beautiful as Teucer claimed.”

You blushed and laughed nervously, but before you could answer he was shoved into your room. He turned to glare at the two dark haired men in the doorway. Huffing, he found his way to a table and sat.

“So annoying.” The shorter of the two men scowled.

The taller one sighed, “Hello, Miss Bright. My name is Zhongli, and this is my cousin Xiao. We are Qiqi’s foster family.”

Xiao stomped past you, Zhongli followed him quickly. You didn’t have time to introduce yourself to either of them before they sat down.

“How rude,” A smooth voice came from your door.

Two men stood there, a tan man with dark hair and a very familiar red head. Internally, you groaned at the sight of the bartender. It was going to be a long conference wasn’t it? You were glad you had organized your agenda so well.

“Diluc. Guardian of Diona, and this is my brother Kaeya.” The redhead said almost sternly.

He strolled through the doorway to sit at a table, all four families spread out. Kaeya winked at you and followed his brother. Now you were sure the night would be long.

No other families came, and you were left alone with the strange bunch. In the back of your mind, you were thinking of your roster and the asterisks. The irony in all of it was that the troublemaker’s parents were the only ones who showed. The room was quiet, families only talking among themselves. You cleared your throat and introduced yourself once more, starting in to your very planned speech.

A short time had passed but it felt like years to you. You felt incredibly awkward but continued on. Childe raised his hand which nearly made you laugh but you contained your amusement and paused.

“Yes?” You called out to him.

The lanky man smirked, “I’m sorry but what sort of vision do you use?”

“I will address that later on.” Your voice was kind but also stern.

This response earned several looks from the families listening. All of a sudden, their full attention was on you. The change of atmosphere had put you on edge. You tried to continue on but Childe stood abruptly.

“That’s an interesting response.” He chuckled.

“Tartaglia!” Jean intervened, “Thats enough.”

Kaeya kicked his feet up on the table, “You can’t say you’re not curious though, right? It’s only natural we want to know. This school has just as much focus on vision skills as academic skills.”

You were beginning to grow irritated. The children were more respectful than the adults. Composing yourself, you sighed. Nobody denied Kaeya’s words, although Zhongli and Jean seemed to disapprove of the attitude.

“As i said before i will-“ you were interrupted again by an arrow of water, you easily side stepped it.

Jean stood, sword in hand and glared at Childe. Diluc shoved his brother’s feet off the table and scowled. Albedo yawned while Xiao clicked his tongue. Zhongli merely observed the scene. Childe cackled at Jean which only angered her more as she dove at him.

You opened your mouth to say something but were forced to dodge a cold sword. Kaeya grinned at you but was yanked back by Zhongli. The room was in utter chaos. You gritted your teeth and once more tried to remain calm. Another arrow narrowly missed your ear and you felt yourself become enraged. Kaeya dodged Zhongli and thrust his sword at you but was stopped by a sharp pillar of light.

“That’s enough.” Your voice was cold as you used your own weapon to shove the pushy cryo wielder away from you.

As if by magic, suddenly everyone stopped to stare at you. Quickly, they sat down. Albedo’s eyes were alert now, he was suddenly interested in every word you had to say. Even Xiao seemed to have a better attitude.

You continued your speech without any further interruptions. Finally, the end was in sight.

“And to answer your earlier question,” You pushed your hair back behind your ear to reveal your vision on an earring, “I am a light wielder. I will not take any questions on it. Have a wonderful night and thank you for coming.”

You turned and exited your classroom quickly as murmurs spread across the room. Light visions were only gifted to those who were recognized by multiple gods. Light was a strange element that could mold itself and change to take shape of different elements, although it wasn’t perfect. Elemental mastery took a lot of time and the light could only bend to your will for short periods of time. Using light as anything other than itself could backfire easily. Ontop of the many complications, attaining a light vision meant going through a crisis so terrible that multiple gods had to intervene. It was a blessing and a curse.

As you headed home, shivers ran down your back. You couldn’t help but feel that you were being watched or followed. You shook it off and returned home. It was just paranoid thoughts after a rough night.

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After the conference, you seemed to be plagued by the families. Outside of work you ran into them constantly. It was nerve wracking.

“Miss Bright, Teucer loves you so much. He’d love to see you on the weekend. We could get lunch and then have a play date with him. What do ya say?” Childe grinned at you as you exited your classroom.

“Sorry, sir” An arm slid around your shoulders, “But i’m afraid she has plans for this weekend.”

You looked up to see the school librarian with a tight smile. Lisa was so kind, saving you from his shameless flirting. Although, she often seemed to flirt with you as well. You couldn’t really tell if she was being nice or flirting though.

He scowled and turned. Lisa laughed and squeezed you tighter. She escorted you out of the building, telling you about the new books the library had just received. Her eyes twinkled as you laughed at her puns and asked her questions about being a librarian.

“Excuse me,” A deep voice said “May I have a moment of Miss Bright’s time?”

You turned to see Zhongli, one of the only reasonable guardians you’d met. So far you’d not seen him after the meeting so you felt safer around him. Even Jean had appeared before you several times, though it didn’t seem intentional. You weren’t entirely sure but you’d swore you’d even seen Xiao lurking around when you were out.

“Of course,” You waved Lisa off.

She frowned and kissed your cheek before sauntering off. Zhongli raised his eyebrows as you laughed, clearly embarrassed. The nerve of that woman sometimes.

“Sorry, she’s a friend but she’s very affectionate,” you apologized quickly.

“Hm,” Zhongli nodded and stared at you intently, “I’m sorry to bother you but is there a way I could schedule another meeting with you? I would like to hear about Qiqi’s progress.”

Your heart nearly melted. He was so kind and it was refreshing.

“Of course! How about this weekend?” You beamed at him.

The two of you scheduled a conference lunch and parted ways. From afar, Diluc grimaced. He was curious about Diona’s behavior in school. She was a very moody child. Furthermore, he was curious about you. Kaeya had also pestered you for a date so the scarlet haired man was trying to find the right time to ask you. He didn’t want to come off the way he was sure Kaeya did.

“I would also like to attend the meeting.” Xiao announced to Zhongli once he got into the car.

“Too bad,” Zhongli chuckled “It’s one on one, you’ll have to schedule your own.”

Xiao huffed at his words. He disliked the idea of the two of you doing anything one on one. He couldn’t decide whether he was jealous of you or Zhongli. He decided it was you, since both Qiqi and Zhongli seemed to be infatuated with you. He clicked his tongue, Zhongli merely smiled, and Qiqi demanded coco goat milk.

“Does she like science?” Albedo questioned Klee.

“Miss Bright likes a lot of things I think.” Klee said, ice cream smeared on her face.

“I want to know more.” Albedo stated.

Klee grinned, “More ice cream?”

Albedo nodded, only hoping Jean wouldn’t catch them.

This new job had many opportunities open up for you. With so many people in pursuit of you, who would you choose?

[leejeongz]

i know it says reqs closes but maybe do this later or whenever u can but ummm yeonjun txt + prompt no. 11 (if u still do prompts, if not then a simple fluff C:) love you !!

“you weren’t supposed to see that” - choi yeonjun

pairing: boyf!yeonjun x gn!reader

genre: fluff

word count: 600

warnings: toilet humour

a/n: i was very much in yeonjun hours when you sent this request so 😳 ofc yk i had to write it hehe tysm for being so sweet !!

summary: yeonjun attempts to make something for your birthday in secret and he almost gets away with it!

finally getting some time to himself while you called your long distance best friend, yeonjun grabbed the large yet unnoticeable black box from behind the suitcases in your parents’ dining room and placed it onto the table.

with your birthday just around the corner, your family (including yeonjun) had booked a trip away so that you could spend your special day with your best friend, your boyfriend, and your family, your only wish. even though yeonjun had chipped in to pay for the trip, he also wanted to get you a little something of his own to say how much he loves you.

unpacking the box, he pulled out a scrapbook, filled with decorated pages and tearful memories, alongside some ribbons and a pair of scissors. one by one he threaded each of the ribbons through the front and back covers over the scrapbook, squinting, biting his lip and then shaking his head at all of them.

“you’re running out of options, yeonjun, there’s no time to be picky,” he mutters to himself, which was apparently, a little louder than he wanted.

“huh?” you ask, creeping into your dining room through the door he’d pushed to “did you say something?”

yeonjun’s eyes widened before turning to face you, the scrapbook almost displayed in his hands as if it was something he wanted you to see.

“what’s this?” your eyes soften as you make your way over to your boyfriend who, in that time, managed to slump himself onto the chair behind him. “a scrapbook? happy birthday, my y/n” you read the cover, eyes welling up at this alone.

yeonjun’s bottom lip protruded as he wrapped his arms around your waist, gently pulling you to sit on his lap. “you weren’t supposed to see that,” he sulked, “yet.”

you looked back to see his disheartened face and smiled at him softly “that’s really sweet of you, yeonjun, i’m so lucky to have you,” you pressed a quick kiss to his lips and he gave you a defeated smile as you pulled away.

“can you at least wait until your birthday to look through it?” he asked.

you nodded in response and smiled cheekily “i’ll try!”

————

you followed through with your promise, finally reaching the day that you get to look through the scrapbook, a far more exciting event than your actual birthday, you thought. that morning, you woke up to it placed neatly at the foot of the hotel bed, surrounded by a number of questionably wrapped smaller gifts.

“good morning, beautiful,” yeonjun cooed, making his way over to you from the chair beside the desk. “happy birthday!”

you thanked him with a meaningful kiss. now sitting up right, you could reach what you’d been waiting for. you took the book in your hands and opened to the first page to reveal a picture that you recognised to be taken on your first date, a small note beside it reading ‘and to think, that evening we ended up going back to my place because they’d given you cows milk… very stinky.’ you rolled your eyes as you laughed, looking up to see your boyfriend giggling along with you, reliving the memories together all over again.

the rest of his efforts continued in the same manner, making you cry with laughter until you reached the final page, the writing smudged as the ink was yet to dry.

‘i hope that i get to spend the rest of my life laughing with you, you’re so precious to me, my y/n.’

[lostinfinity1]

Theory time : Trash of the count’s family

As usual, it’s pretty long.

And I don’t think I ever got a theory right. So if you don’t want to read a lot, skip it. Spoiler until chapter 480 of the light novel and a few things that I was spoiled. (I know, I still have a long way to go with 700+ chapter having been released, but the idea just kept coming back in my head and I was trying to not work on other things. So, I procrastinate to write this and to flee the tiny humans visiting who wanted to keep playing with me until exhaustion.)

Theory: Cale Henituse aka Kim Rok Soo ‘s soul/ heart is someone from the ancient time.

Why? There are a few things that caught my attention while reading the first 480 chapter.

I first thought about it because the ancient powers’ behaviour surprised me a little.

1.      The little hints in the ancient powers

               a.      The way the ancients power saved the “water of judgment”.  They burned a whole area in the North, created an epic mess and saved/ freed someone in the process. When I read about that crazy plan, I thought: that is something Cale would do. And the more I thought about it, the more I am certain Cale would have done something like that had he lived in that time. Create a big mess to save someone.  

            b.      The ancient powers personalities. Don’t they seem like crazy people that would gather around Cale had they lived in the present time? Also, Cale kept wondering if the Cobblestone was human since he killed so many monster in the tunnel between the two continent next to his villa. But if the ancient powers were not all human, it would parallel Cale present time where he befriends so many different races that look up to him. And while they worked together to save the water ancient power, they seemed to have split later on since they all died alone and they did not all seem to be friends.

                                          i.     It made me think of another theory, if the one person (Cale original self per example) they gathered around together died or disappeared (Cale is the heart of the group in this present time too), it wouldn’t surprised me that they would split. And that would kinda explain why the fight was so complicated that all evil and all heroes died if the strategist had died beforehand and that the core members had died while branching out.

               c.      The way the scary cobblestone kept asking: do you want to sacrifice yourself. Now we know that he wasn’t doing it to scare him (well maybe a little), but because he was worried and wanted to protect him. But what if he was asking and being worried because he and the other power knew his self-sacrificial tendencies from back in the days (and that they failed to protect him maybe)?

              d.      Cale can hear the ancient power while others who have ancient powers don’t. It was said that it was because the power didn’t fuse with him properly, but it might have been a subconscious choice from him. Cale also chose to not to fuse with them to keep hearing them. The reason could be because while he doesn’t remember them, he subconsciously didn’t want to lose them again.

                e.      The reason Cale was so lucky to find all five ancient powers could be because they all wanted to be found by him. Why? To protect him. They were all on the same side of the war. None of the powers are the ones that the white star or his subordinate had. I know most of them came from the Birth of a hero book from Nelan Barrow but (SPOILERS that I found out that happens later in the series, be warned, 600+ chapter ?) it was said that the current god of Death could be the first Choi Aka Nelan Barrow. He was also part of the group of heroes from that time since he was the only survivor of the last battle because he was protected by the Scary cobblestone. If he had known about the original Cale, he could have written about them for Cale to find because he knew they would have wanted to protect him. Remember that some ancient powers in the book were mentioned, but never claimed. That itself is pretty weird unless it was on purpose. And Nelan Barrow might have written down only the powers that he knew that Cale had met, if he had met the ancient power after they had split since I don’t think they say at what time exactly he arrived in ancient time. It could be before, in, or after the war.

               f.       The world tree hint. Chapter 172 I think : “There were people like you whom I could not see their pasts nor futures. I could only see tiny glimpses of their near future.” And later. “– The owners of the ancient powers were just like you. I could not see them. (…) I couldn’t see through the arsonist nor the rock for brains.”

 2.      Cale ability “record”.  I have a theory that the ability people awakened in his version of Earth are things or power that they either consciously or subconsciously wanted. Like his team leader embrace that stem from his desire to become an actor in the past. The ability to “record”, thus remember things, might stem from him subconsciously wanting to remember people in this time since he forgot (because of reincarnation probably) his past life (or lives).

 3.      The Henituse motto. "There is no reason to be recorded in history. Live for peace and happiness instead." The key word here is “recorded”. Knowing Cale’s ability, this sentence hits differently. What if the Henituse family had ties to Cale’s earlier life (ves?) ? Or was created by him at one point in time if he had more than one incarnation? It’s an old, selfless noble family that ended up protecting people from the forest of darkness while quietly living their life. The motto is essentially how Cale wishes he could live. I always thought it was fishy when I read it. The first incarnation of Cale may or may not have had the record ability though, but may reflect Cale’s desire not to known as a hero or recorded as one. However, the two sentences still hold true to what Cale wants and desire, especially if he lived in the troubled/war time that was the ancient times.

 4.      The birthday conundrum. It seems the Choi of the past and present and Kim Rok Soo share the same birthday. It might be the “link” that allowed the Choi and Cale to transmigrated into the birth of a hero world. But I wondered something else, what if (Spoilers again like earlier, so 600+ chapter spoilers that I saw online) the link was more subtle or emotional. If the first Choi, Nelan Barrow, chose that day, his own birthday, to incarnate people to protect someone. Kim Rok Soo friend, the nephew of Choi Han, ended up dying to protect Kim Rok Soo. Choi Han is currently acting as Cale’s sword. Nelan Barrow, possibly the god of death, is using Kim Rok Soo to save the world, maybe 2 worlds since he was also a hero on Earth.  Anyway, the God of death seems like a complicated story that will get worse as it goes on.

 5.      Cale’s aura. The fact that people keep mistaking him for dragons/demons/some sort of other being. He could be related to the gods or be a divine race, or just a human favored by nature (and possibly his past friends that had a close affinity to nature such as the ancient powers). It points toward the fact that Cale is someone special in any case.

 6.      SPOILER Chapter 600+. Cale’s mother from the Thames family has a time/fate? Ancient power. The Thames family also gathered information about transmigrator and the sort. So there is definitively something going on on that side that has yet to be revealed.

 7.      Raon power is the present. It sounds like a strange power and, as of chapter 481, he hasn’t really used it yet. I kept wondering why he had that power. But if Cale’s time is related to the past, maybe Raon is going to be needed to secure is time in the present or something of the sort. But I feel like his power is a clue to the events to come.

 8.      Cale time is warped according to the white star. That itself doesn’t say much, but (SPOILER Chapter 600+ that I saw) Original Cale had not his time warped apparently. I am wondering if it’s because Kim Rok Soo transmigrated or if it’s actually because it’s is soul/heart that is from the ancient time.

 9.      Cale/Kim was supposed to die, but didn’t according to the god of death. His friend from Earth weren’t supposed to die, it seems. Kim Rok Soo was supposed to die, but it was never cleared when he was supposed to die. It could mean that he was supposed to die in the past, the ancient time kinda past. Yet, he is here now. I also find it weird that his past team leader on Earth took the time to explain to him, he who can remember everything, how is special ability, Embrace, work when it was not standard to talk about them. I also wonder a lot about him since he was the first one to find Kim Rok Soo and that he was one of the first to develop an ability, but that’s off topic.

 Well, that’s all I could think off.

I’ll keep reading the novel when I get more time and probably think how a fool I was to write this. Bah, Tumblr is the land of fools. It would not be the first time I am completly wrong about something. And this novel is pretty good at being hard to predict.

[lowkeytesss]

Written for @grufflepuff-writes-stuff, based on this post 🥰

“You’re my next-door neighbor and sometimes I look out the back window and see you crouching next to the fence to pet my dog and sometimes I hear you saying the sweetest/silliest things to them in a baby voice and it’s the cutest fucking thing but I’m afraid to say anything because it might make you feel weird and stop doing it.”

I wrote this with Loki in mind, but I tried to keep it kinda generic so you could imagine any character you’d like :)

600 words of pure fluff...

You plucked a blade of grass from the soil with a quiet snap, brushing off the dirt before placing it between the pages of your book so you wouldn’t lose your place. Your dog had been resting her fuzzy little chin on your knee, waiting patiently for you to reach the end of the chapter and play another game of fetch. Now that you were ready though, she had disappeared around the corner of the house. Must have spotted a squirrel, you assumed.

“Hello, friend! Haven’t seen you around in a couple of days. How are you?”

You knew the voice wasn’t directed at you, but that didn’t keep your heart from skipping a beat. Not wishing to interrupt their conversation, you did your best to remain still and silent and not draw attention to your hiding spot tucked away in the shade. 

You turned your ear toward them just in time to hear your furry friend give a polite woof in reply.

“Ah yes, I assumed it was the rain that was keeping you indoors this week. I hope you weren’t as bothered by the thunder as I was. Glad to see you out here enjoying the sunshine again, my friend.”

There was another cheerful woof, and now you could hear the thumping of a wagging tail beating against the fence—usually an indication that your neighbor’s long arm was reaching over to bestow some much-appreciated head scratches.

Sheltered from his view, you listened with a wide smile on your face, as always. You had never allowed yourself to impose on their discussions, but you appreciated the friendliness in his voice as he conversed with your pup. For that reason, you felt like you knew him already; you can tell a lot about a person from the way they speak to animals.

It was usually from the open kitchen window that you shamelessly eavesdropped, elbow-deep in foamy dishwater as your pup roamed around the backyard. From there, you could watch their sweet interactions and observe the way he knelt by the fence, talking about the weather or his plans for the afternoon. But today, you had the pleasure of actually being outdoors with them. Maybe it was finally time to introduce yourself?

“Been rolling around in the warm grass, by the looks of it, haven’t you?” he laughed, as you tried to summon the courage to peek around the corner. “Your fur is tinted green. That’s my favorite color, you know? What’s yours?”

He pretended to understand the answer that came in a series of barks and whines punctuated with a sneeze.

“Fascinating. You know, I’ve considered keeping some treats on hand for you, but I should probably check with your human first, to be sure that’s okay with her. I promise to ask next time I see her, alright? Well, I’d better get these inside before the ice cream melts.” You heard the crinkle of a paper bag as he leaned over for one more pet.

Your heart was definitely melting as your dog came bounding around the corner, flopping over next to you for some belly rubs.

“Okay, okay,” you conceded. “I promise I’ll let you introduce me to him next time, so you can get your treats. He does seem very sweet, doesn’t he?”

Click here to read Part 2!

[jmnjmnjmn]

the 1 | Angsty story

Pairing: Reader x Person of your choice Keywords: exes, breakup, regret Warnings: angst Word count: around 600 Author's note: i ended up writing the story in such a way that no names are mentioned so this story is like a choose your own hero haha. i still wanted to put a gif in to cover on top so i chose taehyung's eyes cause he's so pretty hihi Masterlist

Hundred meters from the building to the first turn. Right. Another fifty and he’s at the bus stop. It’s a monotone route but at least it’s short and soon he’ll be home. He always thinks of just going home. When he’s not busy all he does is dream about locking the door of his apartment and burying himself in anything that’ll occupy his mind like work does like friends do like books or movies do. He’s just always looking for something to keep his mind busy and free from thinking because when he starts to think he starts to overthink and when he overthinks he spirals and when he spirals he-

Her name slipped from his mouth as soon as he saw her. Right there. Standing at his bus stop.

“What a coincidence,” she chirped with a smile on her face.

He mimicked the expression with much difficulty strongly taken aback by the mere sight of her. Her voice echoed through his ears along with a high pitched and piercing tone that made it almost impossible for him to fish out any sense from what she was saying.

“I'm doing really good. I hit the ground running each night. You know how it is,” he managed to blurt out an answer to her question about his wellbeing.

“I’m really glad to hear you’re doing so good. I- uh- I sometimes think of you and wish you’re doing something really great.”

It’s been too long since he distracted himself and it was too much seeing her at his bus stop. It threw him out of the loop. His brain was boiling with endless questions and scenarios. What if she misses me too? What if she regrets what she’s said and done? Maybe she goes back to that night in her mind all the time. I guess you never know. You never know until you test the waters and try for yourself. If I don’t ask her about it now I might not get another chance and I might just keep waking up alone every day when I could be standing on the brink of a possibility of having her back again. On and on like I did for the past months.

“We had something special though, hadn’t we?”

That was it. The testing question. The bait he set out for her. If she were to take it he would have his answer, one he was deeply hoping for. His eyes were slightly dimmed yet still full of some sort of brokenness, some desperation. He didn’t know it was visible and she didn’t notice because she simply wasn’t looking for it. And he understood that as soon as her gaze met his once more. Her lips moved to form some unimportant words because they weren’t those of a confession of undying love and deep regret.

His thoughts went back to all those times they tossed pennies into fountains, wishing for their love to last forever, whispering heartfelt confession into each other’s ears. It bugged him that he still had those moments engraved in his memory so deeply, so clearly. He felt his heart physically ache inside his chest or maybe those were just the last of the butterflies with her name on them finally dying to never be reborn again.

“If one thing had been different,” his sad inside voice whispered between his ears. “Would everything be?”

It was hard resisting the temptation to punch his own self in the face for picking at this old wound again. He bit his tongue, both physically and mentally, stopping himself from saying the first thing that came to his mind.

“It would have been fun if you would have been the one.”

[itsapapisongo]

Closing Time | JOHNNY | Teaser

Pairing: Paranormal Investigator!Johnny x Mage!Gender-Neutral Reader

Genre: Adventure | Horror-Comedy | Non-Idol AU | Urban Fantasy

Word Count: 600 (Teaser)

Warnings: Allusions to dismemberment; sequences of fantasy action and scary imagery; partial nudity; profanity; suggestive themes (references to alcohol, disorderly behavior, drugs, and sex); and violence throughout.

Summary: Who would have guessed that a normal day at work—at the modest apothecary you work at—would turn into such a clusterfuck. In hindsight, reading from the Book of Dead was an abysmal idea and doing it five minutes before closing time just adds that missing bit of chaos to the whole damned situation. Lucky for you, the last customer for the night lends a helping, if troubling hand against a recently resurrected mummy.

This one goes out to @sehunniepot​ for appreciating both Johnny Suh and Rick O’Connell and @naptaemed​ for introducing me to the wonderful concept of Werewolf!Lucas and how much of a himbo he can be. Thank you, both of you are inspirations and sources of comfort and creativity.

AS YOU CRAWL across the shop’s floor, you think to yourself this entire situation has gone beyond what some would consider ‘a little out of hand.’ The whole thing would’ve been funny if it weren’t (1) terrifying as hell and (2) your fault. 

All around you, the guttural growling of something—of that thing you awoke when it heard the words from that damned book—echoes and bounces off the walls, cracking the windows and making vials and bottles explode. The floor creaks and shakes until cracks begin to show. For a second, you pause and lean against a counter then drag yourself away from it when you feel the glass display explode with a loud crash that’s oddly reminiscent of pouring rain.

You groan and roll your eyes, fiercely exclaiming to no one in particular, “Oh, for fuck’s sake—stop vandalizing the shop—there are antiques here!”

The growling momentarily softens but it immediately increases. You feel the ground underneath you move like it’s going to give in and pull the entire apothecary to the depths below. You sit upright, gain your balance, and try to stand up when you feel a firm hand pulling you up a bit too hard and fast for your own taste. Blinking once, twice, thrice, you realize it’s him—the tall, dark, and handsome, but definitely irritating guy that, as luck would have it, was your last customer for the night before the whole Honey-I-Resurrected-A-Mummy act.

“How’s the view from downstairs, doc?” he asks in exasperation yet you can hear the faintest hint of amusement in his voice. He flashes you a weary half-smile as he pulls you close, his palm delicately placed on the small of your back, and meets your eyes. Time slows for a second or two then resumes the instant he yanks you away by your elbow. “I wish we could stay here but we gotta go—”

“Go?”

“Yeah,” he replies with a confused frown, shaking his head in disbelief. “As in running away to a safe place.”

You click your tongue, grumbling. “I can’t leave this place like this—”

He gives what remains of the apothecary a cursory glance and scoffs, his entire body contracting with an aloof shrug. “Like what? Whole damn place is a messy mess. I think it’s best to leave it like this.”

“I can’t!” You smack his wrist twice but that only makes him roll his eyes. Thinking on your feet, you pinch the space between his thumb and his index finger and guiltily wince when he lets go. “There’s no way in Hades I’m letting this place be desecrated!”

“You kinda already did.” He grimaces then tilts his head to the side. “You read from that book, remember?”

“I—” you begin but find yourself without an answer because while the comment is out of line, you can’t deny it’s the truth. With an eye roll and a startled squeal when you feel the entire apochatery vibrate with a deafening boom, you squeeze his shoulder and push him forward. “Okay, maybe it’s a messy mess now but I can definitely fix this later.”

He raises an eyebrow, intrigued. “Can you?”

“I think. Maybe. Probably. I’m not sure.”

“We can talk about renovating the place later—” He pauses to look at you, pushing against his shoulder and ribs but he doesn’t budge. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to get going.”

He smirks and firmly grasps your right forearm. “Uh-huh,” he hums. “Let me show you how it’s done.”

And then he just yanks you into safety.

[sweetsunflowerkisses]

the library.

Pairing: Loki (MCU) x Fem!Reader 

Genre: Angst (??)

Warnings: Implied Character Death , Mentions of Loki’s faked death, Descriptions of falling?, Cannon Divergence, Making a bunch of shit up about Asgardian relationships and Asgardians in general? Angst, Bad writing TvT

Summary: In your final moments you reflect on your relationship with Loki and wish that you could be back at the library with him.

Word Count: 1.9k (It’s kinda short TvT)

a/n: I was rewatching Thor and the first avengers movie and this idea popped into my head and I kinda hate myself for writing it :D Also I’m working on Secret Identities Are Hard To Keep, I promise TvT

Falling. You had always wondered what it would feel like going from a height like this. It was almost euphoric, the wind pushing against your back as you fell, carrying your tears up with it. These were your final moments, you knew that, there was no surviving a fall from this height, not even with the strength provided by the asgardian blood that ran through your veins. So you did what most people did in their final moments, reflected on how you got here.

It all started centuries ago, in the golden palace on Asgard, the place where you were raised as a noble, your father being one of the Allfather’s most trusted advisers. Your memory of those years were riddled with the overwhelming feelings of loneliness, your only company being the vast array books in the palace library. You were lonely until the day you met him.

It was a day like any other, your father was tied up in various meetings with the Allfather and other important asgardians and like always you were camped out in the library. Through the years that you had spent here it had become your safe space and in the very back in a small corner was your place of happiness there was a small emerald chaise lounge with just the right amount of light and all of the books you had ever enjoyed stacked up around it. What you didn’t expect was for someone to already be occupying your oh so sacred spot.

He was stretched out on the lounge, his thin form but tall form draping over the edge a book in hand. You knew who he was of course, you were a noble after all, the dark prince, the forgotten prince, the boy that spent his years in his brother's shadow. In all of your 400+ years you don’t think you had ever seen him so peaceful, so you did what you usually did around people, you turned to leave. What you weren’t expecting was to feel the feather light touch of a hand on your wrist.

You looked up your eyes meeting his soft green ones. You wondered how he knew about this corner, about you and your time here, but pushed the thought aside as your gazes locked. There was something there, an unspoken understanding from one outsider to the other. He smiled softly, pulling a book out of seemingly nowhere and handing it to you wordlessly. You smiled in thanks and watched as he left, his green cape swaying behind him. And that was how it started.

You would have expected falling to be something that was over quickly yet it somehow seemed like the longest moment of your life. You knew you were getting closer though, you could see the tops of other buildings now, so as you waited you went back to thinking.

After that fateful meeting your relationship with the raven haired prince slowly started to change, for nearly fifty years the two of you would simply give each other books you thought the other would like, starting off wordlessly and eventually progressing into bigger and bigger conversations until the two of you would spend hours in the library together, animatedly talking about whatever book you were interested in that day, no doubt blowing off countless responsibilities your fathers had begun to place on you now that you were growing older.

It was around a hundred years after your first meeting that your relationship crossed from friendly conversations to stolen kisses and secret meetings. The two of you were around 500 and 600 now, both preparing for your futures. Loki trained to become both a warrior and a king, despite the limited possibility of him ascending to the throne, and you training alongside Her Majesty the Queen and other female nobles, preparing to become the perfect wife and partner for the next generation of Asgardian nobles. Yet you still found time for each other, spending as much time as you could together, only finding comfort in one another.

It was when the two of you hit 900 and 800 that Loki became consumed by his anger. It was in secret of course, as most of his emotions often were, but his emotions were always something you and you alone had the privilege of seeing. By now you and the pale prince were an official couple, Odin and Frigga having blessed the relationship, allowing Loki to court you and eventually allowing the two of you to biome some form of official, not married, but official enough to be allowed to share a bedchamber without getting odd looks.

In the past Loki had always confessed his anger to you, never allowing it to influence his actions, reveling in the catharsis he achieved by ranting to you as you played with his hair, but now, as he watched his arrogant brother become more and more loved by the people, as he watched his brother be promised the throne despite his hotheadedness and obsession with being a warrior, something within him snapped. Now he would yell for hours on end, often trashing your chambers, rather than his usual soft kisses that were full of love, his kisses were messy, needy and full of all the rage he could never show. It was in everything he did every emotion tainted by the anger that masked the true emotion. But you accepted him, every bit of him and so you did what you could. You matched his energy but also reminded him that you were still there, still there to give him new books, still there to play with his hair and still there for him to lean on.

As you fell your thoughts wandered back to the present, you were nearly there, you could hear the screams below, and you could see the chitauri army and the chaos that they brought with them. You could see the faint outline of Iron Man landing on the tower and your thoughts once again returned to Loki and everything that brought you here.

After the exile of Thor and the era of Loki as King you thought maybe everything would stop, the looks and the whispers that everyone would finally stop treating Loki like he was just a liar and a danger, you yearned for and prayed for the return of the Loki you fell in love with. You were distraught when Thor returned, telling you that Loki’s ascension to the throne was all based on lies, that he had been responsible for the frost giants that had gotten in the palace, that he had tried to kill his friends, that he had tried to kill his brother. And that he was now plotting something far worse. Somehow, as much as you didn’t want to, you knew it was true, but despite everything you knew that your feelings wouldn’t change. So you fought Thor, or at least tried, not being able to actually bring yourself to deal any damage to the god, too overwhelmed with the truth of it all, so you ran. You ran back to the place where it all started, back to the library, back to your corner of safety.

You found out he was dead the next day, Thor sought you out to tell you himself, yet somehow there was the nagging feeling in the back of your brain that Thor was wrong, and boy were you right.

It was 2012 when he finally resurfaced, you had spent most of your days hiding from the asgardian population, from the prying eyes of everyone who figured you had something to do with the events of the previous year. You were once again faced with the fact that your feelings remained unchanged for him, that despite the reality of what he was doing, trying to enslave a whole population you would still do anything for him. It was Heimdall who alerted you of his return, but it was the Queen who convinced you to go to him, to try and bring back the love that you had spent nearly 600 of your years devoted to. So you did.

You landed on the rooftop of Stark Tower, admiring the pretty pattern the bifrost has burned into the gravel. It wasn’t long before Loki found you, after all the Bifrost was kinda hard to miss. It was emotional for you, seeing the man you loved after spending so long thinking he might be dead. You approached him slowly, he rushed to you in return, overjoyed at the sight of you, telling you of his grand plan, inviting you to join him, to be his queen, to rule over Midgard with him. It was tempting and for a moment, just a single moment you considered it. But you refused, nearly begging him to stop the madness, to return to you, attempting to reassure him that no matter what you would still be there, that you would still love him despite the things he’d done in the past few years. You told him how that while you didn’t quite understand everything that you could listen and love him, that you would give him everything the world never did. Yet, it was when you looked up into his eyes that you realised that something was truly wrong, that your prince might truly be gone, rather than the normal green that usually stared down at you a piercing blue met your gaze.

You backed up slowly, this was the man you loved yes but there was something else in him too, something that was evil and corrupting, something you were sure would infect you too if you joined him. And it was backing up that had been your mistake, the platform on top of Stark Tower was by no means small but you had simply landed too close to the edge, and as you stepped back you felt nothing and you began to fall.

Loki lunged, moving faster than he ever had, just barely grasping your left hand in time. And you watched as his eyes flickered in between his green and the unnatural blue and that's when you realised, he was scared. But you were slipping and his grip simply wasn’t enough. You smiled softly, knowing what was going to happen next, tears beginning to stream down your face, and with your last words you simply whispered “I love you.”.

You fell, leaving Loki only clutching air, but then he felt something else as his fist closed around the air where your hand had just been. He knew what it was almost immediately and looked down to find the gold band with a single emerald in it sat in his hand. The ring that had adorned your ring finger for the past three years, the proof that despite it all you loved him. And you smiled.

You knew it was the end now, the sound of cars and people louder than before, and you wondered what would have happened if you hadn’t been in the library that day. With your very last moments you imagined yourself on the emerald chaise, surrounded by books with Loki on your lap, playing with his hair as he read to you and you smiled for the last time

[bugsbucky]

Secrets

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Prompt: “Did you fart? It smells like ass in here.” “Not my fault you finally smell your own scent.”

Word Count: 1,041 

Warnings: sassy reader, language, surprise trope revealed near the end, implied smutty smut smut

Authors Notes: This is written for @the-ss-horniest-book-club​ and this prompt almost killed me when I read it! Hope I did it justice :)

It seemed like the idea of a peaceful evening was lost tonight. Bucky was in his room with his hands under his head and his ankles crossed over the other trying to watch a romantic comedy. From his room, he could hear the team’s laughter and yelling all the way from the common room and it was no surprise they were the noisiest bunch of people he has ever known in his life. Sam was the loudest, he was always loud. 

You couldn’t have a normal conversation with Sam because he would always end up yelling at you. Bucky swung his legs over the side of the bed and paused the movie. He needed to find out what the noise was all about and why you were all being extremely loud at 9pm. With a huff, he pulled himself up from the comfort of his soft bed, keeping his footsteps light as he headed towards the common room.

“MOTHERFUCKE-! YOU’RE CHEATING!!!!!” Sam yelled at you just because he landed on your two houses for the third time in a row. 

You threw your head back and laughed, shoving your hand in his face and made grabby hands for your monopoly money. “Don’t be a sore loser Samuel! Pay me my rent.”

“I fucking hate you and this damn game! FUCK THIS GAME!” He more or less threw the $600 in your face. 

“Way to go Y/N!” Tony saluted as he walked into the kitchen to grab some more beers from the refrigerator. 

“Thanks Tony.” 

“Thanks Tony.” Sam mimicked and you laughed, throwing a piece of popcorn and laughing harder when the sticky caramel stuck to his hair.

“You’re so goddamn annoying!” Sam huffed rolling the dice. It was just you, Sam and Steve left in the game. Somehow and god knows how but you had managed to bankrupt Tony early on in the game. 

“What’s all the fucking ruckus?” Bucky seethed walking into the common room with his sweatpants hanging lowly on his hips and a tank top that showed off every bump and crevice of his incredible body.

“We’re playing Monopoly.” You snorted through your nose and rolled your eyes.

“No you’re not. You’re disturbing the fucking peace and quiet!” He argued back, leaning over your shoulder to look at the board and your Sam’s money. “And you’re chea-...  Jesus Y/N… did you fart? It smells like ass in here.” He asked you and pulled a disgruntled face and stood back up straight.

“First of all, sorry grandpa. And second of all, it’s probably you, not my fault you finally smell your own scent.” 

Bucky rolled his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows as he watched Sam and Steve lose their shit over your banter. It was no secret that the two of you disliked each other and took every single opportunity to throw remarks back and forth. It was all in good fun of course, you knew he was a good man and a great friend. Nothing was ever taken too far and you knew he knew that.

“Whatever. I’m going to bed.” Bucky muttered, trudging with heavy footsteps towards the door. You watched his back muscles flex with his steps and a smile widened on your face as he looked over his shoulder and threw a wink in your direction before walking back towards his room and leaving behind the snickers of his teammates. 

Your little exchange went unnoticed by Steve, who chose to remain quiet and you were grateful. He was the only person in the compound to know the secret and that was only because he accidentally barged into Bucky’s room one afternoon.

An hour or so later and a few more rolls of the dice, you managed to succeed in bankrupting both Sam and Steve, effectively winning the game. 

“You still cheated!” Sam yawned, rubbing his eyes with his palms. 

“Of course I did!” You rolled your eyes and stretched your limbs, the bones cracking from being hunched over the coffee table for a long time. “I’ll give you a rematch but tomorrow! I’m tired and I’m going to bed. Goodnight fellas!” They wished you a goodnight and disappeared into the kitchen for more beers and some plan to watch a movie. You wanted to stay, but your bed was also calling you. 

A flickering light appeared from under your door and walked in with a smile. The scent of vanilla permeated through the air and it was just like heaven. You locked the door and your smile broadened by the figure laying naked on your bed. 

“Hi handsome.” you purred, walking slowly towards the bed. The figure stood up and met you halfway. His hair loose and hanging just above his shoulders. 

“Hey gorgeous.” Bucky’s lips trailed along your jawline and sucked on your pulse point, pulling a breathless moan from you. “I love you.” he whispered, nibbling your earlobe as his fingers fumbled with the waistband of your leggings. 

“I love you too.” you pulled back and wrapped your arms securely around his neck. 

“Sam has no idea does he?” He asked, gently biting your bottom lip.

“Not a clue.” You giggled. Bucky smashed his lips to yours, teeth and tongues clashing as he tapped your ass, signaling for you to jump. He caught you easily, carrying you over towards your bed where he dropped you with a slight bounce. 

“Now…” he climbed slowly on the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. His right arm running marathons up and down your thigh that was bent around his waist. “Since that room smelt like ass… how about we make this one smell like sex?” He offered a gorgeous toothy grin, showing off his perfectly lined white teeth.

“Sounds like a plan.” His face dipped into the crook of your neck and your gasp-filled moans filled his ears. His fingers trailed under your shirt and stopped just under your breast. 

“Buck?” You whispered so quietly you weren’t sure if he could hear you over your breathing. He lifted his head and raised an eyebrow, prompting you to continue. “Can I ride your face?” you pulled your lip back between your teeth while a goofy and sexy grin was on his. 

“Fuck yes baby girl. Ride me till mornin’.”

Taglist: @jobean12-blog @marvelgirl7 @godofplumsandthunder @hawksmagnolia @deanthedemon @buckybarnesplumwhore @crushedbyhyperbole @sarge-barnes-sir @eurynome827 @emilylyoness @this-kitten-is-smitten @kitkatd7 @jamesbarnesappreciationclub @littleredstarfish @buckys-henley @tuiccim @mystoragehatesme @starspangledseb @bambamwolf87 @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog @buckbuckybucko​

[terrm9]

Cieli di Toscana

Words count: 1 600

Author’s note: I love Italy and Italian language, I miss hearing it, I miss eating gelato and the sea and I like Bocelli. That’s it, that’s all you need to know to understand this fluffy useless piece. Also, I tried to translate that one line the best I can, but my Italian is mediocre at best, so if someone from Italy sees it - please, feel free to correct my translation and don’t hate me if I got it absolutely wrong.

Takes place some weeks after the OHSY Finale.

It was raining heavily as Chiara stepped into Ethan’s car, making her sigh. 

“This is absolutely terrible weather for a road trip,” she rolled her eyes dramatically, earning an honest chuckle from Ethan.

They weren’t going on a road trip. They were invited to attend a conference in New York and as much as Ethan hated those, the vision of three whole days with Chiara, out of reach of the chaos that’s been erupting in Boston ever since Edenbrook’s closing and its subsequent grand re-opening, was enough for him to make a decision to go.

The excruciating rate of their lives in those past few months has also been reason why Ethan decided to drive for four hours to New York. Four hours on their way back and another four on their way back, eight full hours of the two of them being next to each other without anyone else’s presence, with nothing better to do than to simply be together. Hell, even if Chiara decided to just sleep the whole time, those eight hours of her peaceful sleep would be worth the time spent in a car.

“Okay, if you don’t want to start with my playlist,” Chiara waved indefinitely with her phone in the hand, “you better have something else than an audio book to listen to.”

To be absolutely honest, Ethan wouldn’t mind listening to her playlist if that would serve her best, however he gestured towards the dashboard on Chiara’s side of a car.

“There should be some old CD’s in there.”

Opening a storage space of the dashboard, Chiara raised her eyebrow at him and exclaimed: “Some old what? Have you ever heard of the possibility of connecting your phone to the radio?”

Ethan resisted his urge to pinch the bridge of his nose as he was in the middle of overtaking a truck. He knew what was coming and that he didn’t dispose of any power that could stop it.

“I remember the times when the only way to listen to something of your choice in a car was to use a CD. I said they were old.”

Chiara rolled her eyes, not even trying to hide the smirk that found its way onto her face. Of course he would remember that.

“Remind me again, which dinosaur was your favorite? You know, since you were lucky enough to live among them.”

“This joke is getting old.”

He regretted the words the moment they left his mouth, knowing that they would backfire terribly.

“Yes, and so are you,” Chiara replied without missing a beat, her triumphant grin so wide Ethan was sure her cheeks hurt.

She grabbed the first CD, disapprovingly muttering under her breath.

“Vivaldi, Sinatra, Schoenberg, another Sinatra, Bocelli? I know this one,” she turned to him with Italian tenor’s album in her hand.

Ethan glanced at her quickly and nodded, encouraging her to develop her statement.

“My mom loves Bocelli, like really loves, loves. I remember when this particular album came out, I was maybe eight or nine at the time and my mom would listen to it on repeat, all day for two solid weeks,” she chuckled to herself at the memory and decided to put the CD into the radio, letting herself get lost in the memories of her childhood. “My dad was going crazy, always shutting himself in his study to listen to Queen or David Bowie. I would usually follow him and when I asked him why he didn’t tell her to turn it off, he’d just smile, shrug and say something about the music making my mom happy.”

Chiara listened to the first track, the melody all too familiar despite not hearing it for at least fifteen years. It sounded like her parents and home and love. The unconditional love her father always held for her mother, the one that grossed her out when she was a kid and caused her to have unfulfillable expectations from boys when she was a teenager.

She always dreamt of meeting a man that would love her that way, the man that would listen to the music he hated and she loved just because it would make her happy.

Shaking her head slightly to get herself out of the dangerous waters of her mind, the waters of nostalgy, the waters of infinite sadness she felt when thinking about her dad and her brother and how they would never get to decide if Ethan deserved their precious Chia, their light, she cleared her throat and read the title written on the plastic cover of the CD.

“Cieli di Toscana. Do you know what that means?” she turned to Ethan, thankful that the traffic kept him from noticing how lost she’s been for the last few minutes.  

"Skies of Tuscany," Ethan replied, not tearing his gaze of the road.

Chiara smiled to herself, her mind taking her back to all those documentaries she's seen about that part of Italy.

"They must be bewitching. Skies of Tuscany, I mean," she leaned further into her seat, the soft melody of second song making it easier to just imagine being there, far away from struggles Boston had in store for her. "Have you ever been to Tuscany?"

Ethan nodded, his sharp gaze melting slightly as his focus has been divided between driving and reminiscing his time in Europe.

"Once. I've been attending a conference with Naveen in Florence. I hardly had any spare time for sightseeing and yet the city managed to render me speechless as I walked its narrow streets."

Despite his efforts to find a better word for the city, all he could think about, back then in Florence, was how romantic its streets were. He could still remember how his whole body both loved and hated the atmosphere and how, when he surly muttered that it was city made for couples, Naveen would laugh and say: „If you are clever enough not to repeat my mistakes, you will come back with a woman of your life one day and belong to those scandalous couples.“

Another memory flashed in his mind, too bright and fresh for his liking. The one where, laying on the thick fabric of hazmat suit that protected his chest, tears streaming down her cheeks slowly, Chiara admitted that she regretted not travelling more while she could.

„I’ll take you there, when this chaos settles down and we’re allowed to take some time off. I’ll take you to Tuscany then,“ he said softly, quietly, pretending to concentrate on the road, which must have looked absolutely ridiculous as the highway was currently deserted. He hoped Chiara didn’t notice how flushed the back of his neck suddenly became.

She didn’t.

Chiara was biting her cheek, staring back and forth at Ethan and the road. Her own cheeks were colored in a bright pink color, the sincerity of Ethan’s words making her weak.

It wasn’t only the fact that he remembered about her dream of visiting Italy. It wasn’t even about the way he told her, that he would take her. It was the fact that planning his future with her came so naturally to him at this point, he didn’t even need to think about it.

Lost in her thoughts once again, Chiara didn’t notice how Ethan’s eyes widened few seconds into fourth song when the recognition hit him.

It was the song he liked the most, the song that he would listen quite often to back in the days when this album kept him company on the roads.

It was the song that, just like the city of Florence, used to make that small, almost negligible part of him wish that he had someone to share it with.

With the rain falling heavily on the windshield, Chiara couldn’t hear Ethan’s almost unaudible singing. She could’ve easily miss it, if she didn’t notice his lips moving.

„Are you singing?“ she asked, absoltutely shocked. She caught him humming various melodies sometimes, but never in her whole life would she believe to see Ethan Ramsey sing.

‚Scusi se mi innamorai in un istante di lei per

l'aria serena che ha.‘

„Absolutely not,“ he shook his head, the wave of heat on his neck becoming almost unbearable. „I am reciting the lyrics, at best.“

How cute, Chiara thought.

However, she didn’t want to ruin the moment and so instead of teasing him mercilessly, she asked: „What does it say? The part that you absolutely weren‘t singing.“

„Excuse me if I, in an instant, fall in love with her for the air of serenity she has. Very freely translated.“

„How do you know the lyrics so well?“

„I like the song.“

„Sure, liking the song is one thing, but knowing – and singing – the lyrics is another. Especially when the lyrics is as soft as this one. Is the song special to you?“

She tried to ask it as casually as she could, as if she was simply curious, when really, there was a hint of jealousy blooming in her chest.

Was the song special to him? Did he use to recite it to his first girlfriend trying to impress her?

The car stopped at the red light, giving Ethan a chance to finally look at the woman next to him fully.

„It is now,“ he nodded, smiling softly as he caressed her cheek with his thumb.

The expecting and so vulnerable green eyes staring back at him made his heart flutter. At this point, it was useless to pretened that he wasn’t utterly and terribly sappy when it came to her. Taking a deep breath, just before the red light turned to green, he whispered.

„The name of the song is Chiara.“