#i've sat on this for the past-- 8 or 9 hours

[hugshughes]

Patience is a Virtue C. Loveland

Colston Loveland x fem!Minter!reader

synopsis - Colston gets the trophy, and finally gets the girl.

wc - 3.8k

contains - UNEDITED! this is based off of this request! READER IS COACH MINTER(michigan defensive coordinator)'S DAUGHTER!!!!!!! kissing, hugging, fluff, cursing, stress over the game. guys if u don't like my cute outfit i picked then #1 ur a hater and #2 it's not a big deal! think of something else🤞🤞🤞 cause my Adidas navy handballs with gold accents ARE STAYING. there IS a picture of the outfit im describing but im obvi not gonna stick it in the middle of the fic so if anyone wants that i guess request or message me lols?

an - GUYS PLEASE LET THIS POST LETS PRAY TOGETHER. THIS WAS CUTE. i've been getting the BEST requests lately. i'm on my Michigan FOOTBALL grind. ive spent a long while introducing the jesse minter daughter reader.... she might have to stick around. i want to write for Blake Corum but don't know what to do because literally all i have written for the past week is like "girlfriend or friend of player reader comes to watch their playoff game, reader and love interest kiss after love interest wins game" so... DONT GET ME WRONG I LOVEEEE WRITING THAT SHIT. but it feels so repetitive. BUT THIS? I LOVED THIS. daughter of the coach is so scandalous and i love it. minter is only 40 so like we're just saying he had his daughter (reader) pretty young, like 21. hope u enjoyyyyyyyy ;)!

-

You woke up with a start. Your body jolted as you brain registered a shout somewhere in the room. You sucked in a breath, opening your eyes, only to close them again. You squinted, trying to orient yourself. You were in a hotel room, your brothers were the ones shouting.

You groaned at the realization, then let out a shout when you felt three small bodies land on top of you.

"Holy shit, get off of me!"

They immediately scrambled, most likely going to tell your mom you cursed in their presence. You loved your 3 baby siblings, but they were pains in your ass sometimes.

You heard a faint "she said shit mommy!" in the conjoining hotel room, and rolled your eyes. You sat in bed, stretching, grabbing your phone before grabbing your bag and locking yourself in the bathroom before your mom could scold you so your siblings shut up about it.

Today was the college football playoff championship, and it was safe to say your family members above the age of 8 were stressed. It was 8:11, and you had to be out the door by 9:50. You showered, drying your hair after and then starting to pick your outfit. You brought a lot of different gear, you had not clue what you wanted to wear to the game. You had so much Michigan gear, and even more maize and navy colored clothing, courtesy to your father.

After almost 30 minutes, you decided on a cute denim skirt, a maize long sleeve, and your navy Adidaas Handballs. You perfected your hair and makeup, successfully erasing any signs that you'd only been awake for about an hour.

You came out of the bathroom all put together, your bag and pajamas in hand. Your siblings were sitting on your bed, watching something on the TV. Since you guys had 6 people in your family, you'd gotten two hotel rooms with the connecting door in the middle. You slept in one room with your little sister on the other bed, and your parents and brothers slept in the other room. You walked through the connecting door, checking the time. 9:17.

Your mom was getting ready in the bathroom when you walked into it. You sat on the closed lid toilet and started talking to her about the plans for today.

"You really gotta stop cursing in front of the littles!"

Your mother scolded you, a grin wide on her face. She was joking, of course. You and your parents had always been close, you'd been their baby for the longest. You'd been with them since they were two just married 20 year olds in college. Not that you remembered it, but you were there for all of your dad's junior and senior year games when he played at MSJ. You'd been there through all the coaching jobs. From Cincinnati, to Georgia State, to the Baltimore Ravens, you'd been there through all of it.

You sat with your mom until it was time to go. Your dad corralled everyone together, taking a photo before you all headed to the elevator. When an elevator came, it opened up and there was barely any room unless your parents held two of your siblings, so you told them to go ahead and that you would wait for the next one.

You only waited about a minute before the doors slid open again, revealing none other than Colston Loveland. His eyes lit up, a grin shining on his beautiful face. You'd always had a weird little thing with Colston. No words were ever said about it, but there had always been a vibe between you.

Being the daughter of the defensive coordinator definitely drove a lot of the guys, even ones you had classes and other school related things with, far far away. The boys knew how protective their coach was of his family, and didn't want any bad blood on the team. Something about you just attracted Colston so heavily. He knew he shouldn't even think about it, but he never could help himself.

"Hey coach."

You rolled your eyes at him playfully as you stepped into the elevator. He always called you coach, he had to remind you he was one of your dad's players. You would've loved to forget that for two seconds.

"Hi Cole."

He could've died. You'd called him Cole, instead of Colston. It was the smallest, most insignificant little thing, but it made him melt.

"Where's your family at?"

You tilted your head towards him, he wanted to talk, okay. You smiled at him, he loved it.

"The other elevator was too full, some of the guys were on the way down too."

He nodded, the smirk never leaving his face. You thought about kissing it off of him, then realized you had just thought of kissing his smirk off of him. Shit. You were in deep with this kid, and there was little to no chance anything would ever happen.

The elevator reached the lobby, and Colston gestured for you to step out first. You exited the elevator, the boy hot on your tail. You were immediately greeted by a hallway packed full of Michigan players, coaches, families, and more.

You have Colston one last glance and smile before finding your mom, taking your baby brother out of her arms and into yours, playing with him. Colston's eyes followed you, he admired you as you smiled and laughed with your brother. You were perfect. He was gonna have to find a way to get around the fact that you were his coach's daughter.

You held your brother with one arm and your sisters hand with the other as you smiled at the cameras, walking through to the buses. Your family followed behind the rest of the coaches and families, the team trailing behind you.

The ride to NRG took longer than you assumed it would, almost an hour because of the traffic, and it didn't help that everyone could tell that the buses were transporting one of the CFP Championship teams in them.

Everyone went into the stadium together, through some backstage type area. You walked with the team until you had to go separate ways. You hugged your dad, squeezing him tight. You would see him again before the game, so you saved your 'Good luck, I love you Dad.' sentiment for then.

You'd always had a special connection with your dad, you were closer to him than almost anyone else. You were his baby, his first baby. Still, you were his baby in his eyes. Your dad would do anything for you, and he was quite protective. Though he was protective, all he wanted was for you to be happy, and if it meant dating one of his guys, he would have no problem with it.

Your family sat bored in the box of the stadium, looking down on the field as Washington practiced. There was over 6 more hours till the game started, and there was practically nothing to do.

You took a nap on the carpeted floor of the box with your siblings for a couple hours, your mother snapping photos that although you were embarrassed of, were undeniably cute. Once you guys had woken up, there was about 2 hours till game time. You voted with your family on whether you guys wanted to stay in the box, or sit way close to the field. You all wanted to be closer to the field, you wanted to see the action head on.

Your family departed the box, along with a few others to see the team one more time before the game. You got down onto the field in about 20 minutes, and stood with your dad for awhile. When you were being told it was time to go, you quickly hugged your dad.

"Good luck, I love you!"

He thanked you, saying the three words back as you guys waved at him, going to leave. Your eyes caught on a certain brunette as he ran off the field, his eyes finding you quickly. He smiled at you, ugh, that smile.

"Good luck, Cole!"

You smiled at him, right before you turned to go up the tunnel. More and more fans started to pour in as you got settled into your bleacher seats. You were three rows from the bottom with a perfect view of the field. You settled in as the national anthem ended and the game began.

As the game progressed, you were so happy to say that Michigan was winning, the entire time. You'd caught Colston's eyes multiple times during the game, letting it linger for a few seconds before giving him a stern look and gesturing towards the field. He'd mouth back, 'okay, coach.' and turn back around. Your mother caught the interaction once, her heart warming seeing her baby with a crush.

You stood up, your brother in your arms as you jumped up and down, shouting, Michigan had finally won! You cheered and danced around with your little siblings as you celebrated. You were all so insanely proud of your dad. Soon though, you were being escorted to the field, eager to see your father and congratulate him.

Blood was pumping and hearts were racing as you exited the tunnel, smiles burned onto your faces as you went to look for your dad. You held your sister's hand as you two ran around, trying to find him. Your mom shouted, and you turned to look at her. She pointed to your left, and there stood your dad, hugging one of his players. Your sister went back to your mom, to walk over to your dad with her as you all but sprinted over to your dad, weaving in between sweaty boys and families.

Your dad saw you incoming and held his arms out accepting your forceful hug. You both laughed, your dad squeezing you tightly. Your best friend had finally done it.

"Literally told you you would do it."

He laughed again, agreeing as he laid a kiss to your temple, pulling back with one arm to accept your other siblings into the hug, who'd finally made their way over. After a minute, you took your siblings from your dad so your mom could hug him, and kiss him, much to your brothers' disgust.

After talking with your dad for a little, you spotted a familiar 6'5 frame standing by himself as his teammates walked away from him. You sauntered over, shouting his name when you were in earshot. The brunette quickly turned around, the smile already gracing his face deepening.

"Well hi, coach."

"Congratulations, Cole. You know your catches were pretty legit."

You gave him a slightly impressed face, shrugging your shoulders. He laughed, rolling his eyes playfully.

"You can't win 'em all over, can you?"

You laughed in turn, stepping closer to him. Colston's heart was racing as he looked down into your eyes.

"But really, Cole, you were incredible, serious."

He nodded, accepting your praise with a grin, before he looked around, over-exaggerating a look of being in thought.

"You know, coach, I think I might just deserve a reward, for my quote incredible performance."

Your eyes widened, your heart starting off, faster and faster.

"Really? What might that entail, Cole?"

Shit, he was gonna have to kiss you if you kept calling him that. He was about to take the leap. He knew he had to at some point, and he was on an adrenaline rush, that just chanted at him to do it.

"Well I think it entails you accepting a date with me back in Michigan."

Your jaw dropped slightly, you were dumbfounded. Colston really wanted to go on a date with you?

"For real?"

Colston nodded, seemingly confident, though he was shaking in his boots on the inside.

"Well then, I think we can make that work."

Colston's heart erupted. He literally could not have been happier. He'd just won the Natty, and got his dream girl to agree to a date, holy fuck. You got nervous all of the sudden, leaning up to kiss his cheek, before turning to leave.

"Just text me, Cole!"

He nodded, his eyes following you as you went to go find your family again. His family came back over to him, they'd been gone for just a second but stopped and waited when they saw him talking to you. His family, especially his mom, knew quite a bit about you.

You found your family, immediately grabbing your moms hand to pull her a few steps away. You looked at her with the biggest eyes ever, still in shock over what had just happened.

"What's up, sweetheart? Why are you all, thousand yard stare-y?"

"Mom Colston just asked me out, and I said yes! And then I kissed his cheek! And then I left!"

Your mom laughed, her baby was finally growing up. You'd had a few boyfriends in all your days, but you'd never been proper crushing like you were right now.

"That's so good! I knew this was coming, we just had to wait for one of you to get the courage."

You blushed, hiding your face in your hands. Your smile suddenly dropped, a realization coming to you.

"Is dad gonna hate me?"

"Why would I hate you?"

Shit.

You ended up telling your dad later on in the night, when you were tired and sitting in the back of a restaurant the team was celebrating in. Your family didn't party for too long, having a 4, 7, and 8 year old didn't exactly allow you guys to stay out for too long. Even your parents 19 year old daughter got a bit cranky if she stayed out too late.

When you told your dad, he just laughed. He knew you and Colston had things for each other, he was waiting for the tight end to make a move.

-

You were stressing. Tonight was your date with Colston. You sat at your vanity, ranting to your roommate over it. You put on makeup and did your hair, wanting to look cute but not over the top.

Colston had told you to wear comfy clothes, so you were in one of your most common outfits. Leggings and a Michigan sweatshirt. You stared at yourself in the mirror, doubting yourself. You had known Colston for over a year, almost two, but you didn't really know him that well. You wanted him to like you so badly.

"Babe, you look fantastic. He's going to stare at you all night."

You sighed at your roommate's encouragement. But before you could respond, you got a text from Colston. He was outside your dorm building. Your roommate pushed you straight out the door, saying bye.

You went down the stairs quickly, making your way out of the complex. You saw Colston as you opened the door, slipping out. He looked up and smiled at you, his stupid beautiful smile.

"Hey, Gorgeous."

You felt the heat on your face even in the Ann Arbor cold. You smiled, shaking your head as you gave him a spin, showing off your extra casual outfit.

"Even in this ensemble?"

He nodded, his smile deepening. He pulled you into his side, hugging you. You were immediately enveloped in his warmth. You ducked your head down to hide the shock in your eyes. He smelled really good.

When you pulled away Colston led you to his car, opening the door for you before going around and getting in. You two buckled up before Colston pulled out of the parking spot, setting off into Ann Arbor. He gave you the aux, warming your heart. You both knew he probably didn't listen to the same music as you, but he wanted you to listen to whatever you liked.

Smaller Acts by Zach Bryan came on when you hit shuffle on your main playlist, making you smile. You resonated with the song, always having thought that smaller acts of love were more important than any grand gestures. You got to really look at Colston while he drove. He kept his eyes right on the road always, until you got to a red light, that's when you'd jerk your head back forward as he turned to look at you. He was really pretty, his jaw was so insanely defined, he had a strong neck, and the deepest brown eyes. You stared at the tattoo on his left forearm, he was hot, to put it simply.

You drove for around 40 minutes before the car slowed, pulling onto a gravel driveway. You looked out of your window, seeing a large screen and projector, and lots of cars. He had brought you to a drive in movie. You could've cried when you saw the sign reading the movie you would be seeing. Ocean's 11. The very first time you ever talked to Colston, he'd asked you your favorite movie. You said you couldn't pick one, then settled on Ocean's 11 because it was one you'd seen so many times you could quote any scene.

You couldn't believe he remembered. You'd never mentioned it since then. That was the kind of smaller, seemingly insignificant thing that meant the world to you. You jerked your head to the left, staring at Colston with wide eyes. He was dealing with the tickets for a few seconds before you pulled into a spot, then he finally looked to you.

"Cole, I cannot believe that you remembered."

Colston smiled, and on the inside he was celebrating that you loved it. What he hadn't expected though was you leaning over the console and hugging him. It was honestly the sweetest thing any guy had ever done for you, you were beyond grateful for this boy, and it was your first date.

"This is the sweetest thing a guy's ever done for me, I'm being serious."

Though you were mostly saying that about the fact that he'd remembered, the date itself was also amazing. Colston knew you enough to know that you'd have preferred this over any fancy restaurant, and that meant a lot.

"It's the least I could do, coach. You mean something to me, 'm gonna take care of you."

You just squirmed in your seat, getting more comfortable and smiling as you looked ahead of you. You wordlessly reached over and slipped your hand into his, pulling them into your lap.

Colston was so happy he could've gotten out of the car and started dancing. He acted as cool as he could on the outside. You two settled in as the movie began.

At some point, Colston had reached back into the backseat and grabbed a blanket that he tossed into your lap, and a bag of food and snacks.

You traced your free hand over Colston's tattoo, admiring the line work and shading. The movie ended, and Colston's hand stayed with you as you two began the drive back. You fell asleep on the drive, your head leaning against Colston's arm.

You woke up slowly about 5 minutes out from school. You kept your head on Colston's arm, but allowed yourself to carelessly stare at him in your tired state. At a stoplight, he turned to look at you, smiling deeply when his eyes met your sleepy ones.

"Hey, coach. Nap good?"

You smiled and nodded, yawning at him. He laughed lowly, turning his head back when the light went green. You parked outside your building, dampening your heart. The night had been perfect. You sleepily got out of Colston's car, after he told you to not dare opening your own door. He walked you up to the entrance with his hand on your back, rubbing his fingers back and forth lightly.

When you got to the door you stopped and turned around, wrapping your arms around his middle.

"Thank you so much Colston. This was like, the best date I think ever."

He smiled, hugging you tightly. Colston had the best time, obviously you were gorgeous, but getting to talk to you one-on-one without interruptions was his idea of a good time. His insides melted whenever you fell asleep, and before then, he could've swore he was in love while you traced over his tattoo.

You pulled away from him, looking at the boy through heavy eyes. He looked absolutely handsome in the dim lighting of a street lamp. You put your hands on his shoulders, leaning up and kissing him. You probably wouldn't have if your drowzy mind hadn't commanded you to. Obviously you wanted to, but you weren't sure if it was 100% mutual yet, but it was.

Colston's hands went to hold the back of your head, his hands in your hair. He kept the kiss shorter than you would've liked, knowing you were tired.

You looked up at him with stars in your eyes, a smiling fighting its way onto you face. Colston's hands shifted from your hair to your jaw, rubbing his thumb over your cheek.

"I'll see you tomorrow baby."

Your blown out eyes widened at the name, your heart clenching in your chest. Colston saw the reaction, his lips quirking up the slightest bit.

"I'll see you, Loveland."

You let go of him, turning towards the door. You paused for a second, quickly turning back around and kissing Colston again. Colston's hands grabbed at your hips, pulling you closer. Colston smiled brightly into the kiss, giggling to himself.

You pulled away from him, a grin falling to your face.

"You ever gonna let me leave, coach?"

"Thinkin' about it."

"You get inside, gorgeous. It's too cold for you to be out here."

You smiled, nodding at him, letting go of him for the last time.

"You gotta go too, off season just started. You gotta stay on your A-Game Loveland."

He laughed at you, shaking his head as he watched you walk into the dorm complex, turning the corner and out of his sight. You ran back up the stairs and to your room, squealing like a 13 year old as you described your date to your roommate.

Colston sat in his car, texting his mom that everything went well. When he put his phone away, he finally let himself think that you were the girl he'd want to be with forever. It was finally real. The boy just had to be patient.

[macabr3-barbi3]

God, That's Good

Chapter 7: Wait

Alastor tries to ease Lucifer's impatience, and Vaggie comes by for a favor.

Tags: more brooding, banter, A PROPER KISS

Before I rant about my writing wife some more, I do want to advise that once we get past this chapter, things will be getting quite a bit darker and more explicit. There's murder; there's blood; there's cannibalism; there's a little sex (not dark, but still warranting a warning I think LOL). If you know the musical/movie I'm sure you have a vague idea of what's coming. Be mindful of these things from chapter 8 onwards- I'll make sure to put specifics in the tags for each chapter but PLEASE don't read if you think these things might be triggering or upsetting to you.

Back to our regularly scheduled vibes- as always, huge thanks to @fraugwinska for helping me stick to a normal schedule and being one of my absolute best friends and most enthusiastic supporters 😍 ALSO thank you to everyone that has liked/reblogged/commented- this AU has me in a chokehold and I'm stoked that others are enjoying reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it

PSSSST: Wednesdays have even more to look forward to! If you love Alastor being a questionable hottie as much as I do, check out @hazelfoureyes with A Doe in Fall that is ALSO updating on Wednesday evenings! I promise I'm very normal about this story and Hazel's writing in general (she said, lying, being very not normal about either thing)

Act 1:  Chapter 1 🥧 Chapter 2 🥧 Chapter 3 🥧 Chapter 4 🥧 Chapter 5 🥧 Chapter 6  🥧Chapter 7 🥧 Chapter 8 🥧 Chapter 9

Despite her promise to visit soon, it’s a fortnight later and the Beadle still has not come by Lucifer’s barbershop.

He would be the first to admit that he broods on it. Between customers of his now booming business, he spends hours sat in his chair staring at himself in the mirror, trying to find the remnants of the man he used to be. He watches the tendons in his hands move as he shaves the gentlemen of New Orleans, thinking that they surely were not the same hands of Damien Diggory though they remained on his body all the same. Families came and went through his door, constantly reminding him of what he had lost, what the Beadle and Adam had to pay for, making his unease at her absence grow more every day.

He sat now in his empty shop with one of his razors in hand, staring down at the blue of his eyes reflected on the blade. He felt empty, numbness creeping from the pit of his stomach to his limbs and making his whole body feel like a hollowed out shell of a person- he looked the same, sounded the same, but the substance inside him was either missing or in the process of rotting where it sat. Charlie was still out of his reach, his revenge on hiatus until the Beadle saw fit to grace his shop with her presence. Everything was at a standstill, and the lack of activity beyond shaving was making him a madman, always pacing around the upstairs, approaching the entrance to his family’s old apartment and retreating like a coward.

A creak of the floor alerts him to the door opening, three soft knocks letting him know that it’s Alastor. He can hardly look the man in the eyes these days after he had embarrassed himself that night two weeks ago, when he had tripped into Alastor’s lap and pulled him into a kiss. It was embarrassment more than anything; thinking that he had reciprocated had been nothing but a figment of Lucifer’s drunk imagination, as Alastor hadn’t mentioned it since. Sometimes his eyes will fall on the younger man while Alastor is busy doing something else, and he uses those stolen moments to learn the curves of his face, imagining the blade skimming over his cheeks if he ever gave him the chance to give him a shave. 

Alastor comes behind the chair, leaning his elbows on the back above Lucifer’s shoulders. “I thought you had no customers today,” he says softly, watching Lucifer in the mirror. “What are you doing up here, hm? Plotting?” He smiles slyly, the corners of his mouth turning up and giving him a mischievous look. “Or pouting?”

“It’s been a fortnight,” he laments, snapping the razor closed and placing it on the stand beside him. “Why has she not come?” He stands from the chair and starts to pace- surely he looks like a madman, stalking between the apartment door and the sizable chest that held his spare towels and aprons, hands taking through his hair. 

Alastor sighs, his smile still in place. “Oh dear, a tantrum. How unbecoming. And just when I’ve started to think you were respectable.”

Lucifer scoffs. “Come now, Alastor- you don’t think it strange that she’s not arrived yet? You’d think such an ‘esteemed member of society’ could keep to a date.” Perhaps his air quotes and exaggerated accent were a tad childish, but it still makes Alastor laugh through his admonishment. “I’m… antsy, sitting around and waiting for her. They have to pay for what they did to Lilith, to me-”

“And they will.” Alastor leaves the chair to approach him, the proximity when he finally stops making Lucifer’s heartbeat pound in his throat. “Patience is key, my good man.”

“I’ve waited for so long already,” he groans. “Was fifteen years not enough? Must I wait another ten before I’ve avenged the wrongs against us?”

“So she’s a few days past when she said she would come,” Alastor says flippantly. “Do you not think that your over-eager manner won’t scare her off? Cause her to alert the Judge?”

Lucifer says nothing, not wanting to concede that he’s correct. He keeps his eyes on his feet, that hollow feeling returning to his chest and muffling the sound of Alastor’s voice as he continues talking. What would he do if she never came? Then surely Adam would never have reason to set foot in his parlor; he would never have his vengeance, Charlie would be lost to him, Lilith would be dead with nothing to show for his avenging her-

“Lucifer.” His head jerks up, and Alastor is watching him with narrowed eyes. “Did you hear anything I just said?”

He’s sure his face flushes. “Of course I did,” he lies, “you were… shit-”

The smile returns to his face. “I was saying,” he says softly, “that perhaps you can use the time to update your bearings. Get some flowers, hang some decor on the wall- that will likely sway the Beadle’s mind as far as recommending your establishment to the Judge, if the walls are not bare as though you’ve just moved in.”

“I have just moved in,” Lucifer points out petulantly. “I’ve only just started taking customers this last fortnight, I’ve not had time for bearings as you well know.”

Alastor claps his hands together, the sound making Lucifer jump. “I’ll send Husker for a floral arrangement for you- I think it will really cheer the place up.” He glances at Lucifer, a slow drag of his eyes up and down the barber’s body that almost makes him feel shy with the heat it contains. “I was also thinking that the unknown waiting period we find ourselves in is not a wholly bad thing. Perhaps I’m old fashioned, but I find that half of the fun in a plot is making the plan itself! Especially when one has a partner.”

And to Lucifer’s surprise he steps closer, bridging the already short gap between their bodies and taking Lucifer’s hands in his own. “I, for one, have also been enjoying this time simply getting to know you.”

He thinks his brain stops working, the way his mouth stammers to get out a response to that. “Oh! Well, I- I mean, I’ve also been, you know. Enjoying you.” Alastor’s head tilts in amusement, and Lucifer realizes what he’s said. “Enjoying your company, I mean! Fuck, I’m sorry-”

“There’s no need to apologize,” Alastor murmurs, and he releases one of Lucifer’s hands to slide around his back, pulling him fully into his chest. “We did say that we would revisit the intimate portion of that night when you were no longer intoxicated. Tell me, Lucifer, are you under any influence at this time?”

He doesn’t trust himself to speak, so he shakes his head. It shakes some logic loose- that kiss had been a mistake, the door wasn’t locked if a customer approached, he was less than ten feet from the apartment he had shared with his dead wife- but doesn’t stop him from allowing Alastor to lean in and press their lips together.

It’s so much better now that he’s not drunk. The kiss is soft and gentle for a bit, simply their lips touching as they learn the ways they fit against one another. It’s not until Alastor fists a hand in his shirt to keep him close that Lucifer even considers trying to deepen it. His hands tremble from nerves instead of liquor when he reaches up to hold the back of Alastor’s head, fingers threading through his hair while a broken noise tears itself from the back of his throat. Alastor responds in kind, making a soft sound that’s lost in Lucifer’s mouth as he parts his lips, his tongue shyly seeking entrance that Lucifer is all too eager to give him.

Lightning sparks behind his eyes, heat flooding his veins to pool low in his stomach, and he knows he needs to end the kiss before he does something that both of them may regret- though he hates to break the intimacy of the moment, ravishing Alastor in his parlor was not on his agenda for the day. He would need time to plan, to properly court the baker perhaps before inviting him to his bed- not to mention the extra time he would need to whisper pleading prayers to Lilith to forgive him.

Lucifer pulls back, his resolve nearly broken when he sees the way that Alastor’s lashes flutter, a noise of confusion escaping him. “We-” He clears his throat, embarrassed at the low rasp of it. “We should stop for now. Which is not to say that I don’t want to kiss you more! I do, very much,” he rambles, and Alastor merely blinks slowly and watches his mouth move as he had that first night. “Just, we should take this a bit more slowly. I don’t want to take advantage of your kindness-”

“Rest assured, Lucifer,” he purrs, “you are not.” And that makes him lose his train of thought for a moment, with how husky and low the words come from Alastor’s mouth.

“Haah, well, still. I would like to take this a bit slower and do it right. If you would allow me to, you know, properly court you, I would very much like to do so.” He sounds stupid, he realizes, like a child with a crush asking them to check ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on a piece of paper; he just hopes Alastor isn’t put off by the formal request. Perhaps he would prefer something unspoken, more blinding, unplanned kisses that steal both of their breath and leave them panting and wanting more.

But thank God, Alastor simply smiles at him and takes his hand again. “I would like that as well,” he says, and Lucifer thinks he could just collapse from the relief he feels. “We shall go at whatever pace best suits us- though I hope you’ll forgive me if I seem a bit impatient at times.” He watches Lucifer’s neck as he says this, and the barber knows he follows the movement of his throat as he swallows. “But by that logic, if I can wait for what I want, surely you can as well.”

Lucifer opens his mouth to respond- to admonish him, or perhaps pull him in for another kiss- when he hears the creaking of the stairs. He has just enough time to step back from Alastor before the door swings open, and he manages to hide his disappointment that it is not the Beadle, like he hoped, but Vaggie.

“Mister Morningstar!” She crosses the room to greet him with an enthusiastic handshake. “It’s been ages, I haven’t had much time to make it to this side of New Orleans but I’m happy to see you’re in business. And hello to you as well, sir,” she offers to Alastor, who gives her a small smile and turns to tidy something on the shelf behind him. “Mister Morningstar, I admit I have a favor to ask of you- there’s a woman, you see-”

Alastor scoffs behind them, and Vaggie’s eyes narrow into slits before she continues. “She is kind and beautiful, and stubborn beyond belief; she’s opened my eyes to so many new ideas and theories, and- her guardian poses a problem to any intentions I may have towards her, but late last night as we talked and the Judge called her away, Charlie slipped this into my hands.” She holds up a key, dark and dangling off a red ribbon. “It must be a sign, don’t you think?”

“Charlie?” He could hardly dare hope that it was her- that the Judge Vaggie spoke of was Adam, that such an opportunity to have her back was simply being dropped into his lap like this. “Charlie. And, the Judge, you say?”

“Charlie- Charlotte, I suppose, that is her name. And the Judge Cain and his lackey, the Beadle Sera Dempsey. They patrol the alley behind Cain’s home at random hours but despite this we’ve found days that we talk for hours before they can interrupt us. She is perfection, Mister Morningstar, and even if she doesn’t return my feelings I want to see her free from these jailers she’s in the care of. If I can convince her to leave with me tonight- perhaps later in the week, depending on when that horrid Judge is home- could I bring her here for shelter for an evening? Just until I can find a coach for hire to take her North with me, or wherever she wishes to go.”

She finally stops talking, taking a deep breath while she waits for Lucifer to answer her. He finds his words stuck in his throat- yes, bring her, please, bring her to me- and is dismayed to find a lump in his esophagus, halting his words behind the threat of tears. He clears his throat, blinking his eyes a couple times to rid himself of emotion. “You may bring her here,” he says, his heartbeat rapid in his veins, and Vaggie’s face lights up with joy. 

“You’re a blessing, sir, thank you! I hope to see you again tonight, but in any case, I’ll come with Charlie soon!” She shakes his hand again, the force of it making him stumble, before she releases him and is back out the door as quick as a flash.

He turns almost absently to Alastor, who gives him a smile. “Who could have guessed?” He says cheerfully. “You’ll have her back before the week is out- possibly even before the day is done!”

“Charlie will be coming here,” he says distantly, and then it hits him like a train. “Charlie is coming! Oh God, what will she think of me? I need to- shave, maybe, or- should I grow it out? My beard was grown out when she was young, maybe that’s why she no longer recognizes me-”

“Lucifer.” 

Alastor approached him slowly, like one might a feral animal- and that’s what he had felt like lately, some untamed beast stalking around his shop, so perhaps Alastor was right to take a cautious approach. “Perhaps we focus first on getting her here before you spiral about letting her know who you are, hm?”

“You’re right,” he says, and thank God for Alastor to help him keep a level head. “Of course, making sure she gets here safely is the most important part. But- we should clean the place up a bit! How soon do you think Husk can bring those flowers you mentioned? And I can dust the apartment, make sure that everything is tidy-”

He’s interrupted by the creaking of the stairs again, the bell at the bottom ringing loudly to signify someone coming. He expects Vaggie again, or even perhaps the Beadle at last. But to his confusion, it’s neither- Sir Edward Pentious stands in the doorway, his small assistant at his side and carrying a bag that was far too heavy for her slight frame and causing her to tilt to one side. 

“Sir Pentious,” he greets cordially, “and… young lady.”

“I’m Niffty, sir,” she giggles, reaching a hand out to vigorously shake Lucifer’s. “Nice to meet you when you aren’t beating my boss in a shaving contest- and his shop is way nicer than yours too,” she directs to her employer, and he flushes a dark shade of red. “Are you sure you want to be a barber?”

“Niffty,” he hisses, and gently shoves her behind him. “I was hoping to speak with Mister Morningstar alone,” he directs to Alastor, who shrugs with a soft hum and leaves Lucifer’s side.

He meets Niffty at the door. “Well, aren’t you just a little wisp of a thing!” He says when he sees the bag she carries. He takes it from her hands and gestures her down the stairs. “Come along, I’ll see if I have anything adequate for you to eat…”

His voice and Niffty’s enthusiastic reply fade as they descend, leaving only Lucifer and the growing grin of Sir Pentious.

Again, a secret little 'so sorry, gotta do it' for the next chapter. Pour one out for Pentious y'all

Act 1:  Chapter 1 🥧 Chapter 2 🥧 Chapter 3 🥧 Chapter 4 🥧 Chapter 5 🥧 Chapter 6  🥧Chapter 7 🥧 Chapter 8 🥧 Chapter 9

[a-fluffy-dog24]

The best day

The day Dipper and Mabel were born.

1996 A young Michael and Catherine met for the first time and fell in love. He a high school language arts teacher and she is a in college to be a nurse.Two  year later they tied the knot and one year after that they decided to start a family.

9 months ago Catherine and Michael Pines were expecting twins, Mike has dark curly brown hair and brown eyes.Catherine has straight light brown hair and green eyes.They have been married for three years. They were having fraternal twins, a boy and a girl. They picked out names, got baby cribs clothes and put it in the nursery to bring home their babies .They prepared to start the next chapter of their lives to become parents Catherine is 33 years old she  mature  for her age she feels she is ready to be a mommy and Michael is 34 he can be immature for his age sometimes but he is excited to be a daddy.

Aug/31/1999

She went into labor they drove to the hospital 5:00 am she  sat down in her bed at the hospital the nurse gave her her pain medicines. 4 hours of labor then she pushed Mike held her hand then they're daughter was born at 8:05 am and the doctor unclipped her umbilical and checked her to make sure everything is normal the nurse takes and  puts her in a see through crib .She screamed and cried.

Because she wants her brother but he has the umbilical cord stuck, around his neck in the womb five minutes past of pushing at 8:10 the doctors take him out and quickly unclip the umbilical cord. Their son is born but theirs a problem he turned blue and the parents are looking concerned and worried that their son might not make it. "Why is he not breathing? HELP MY BABY " she cried panicking "help my son please"he held on to the nurse and begged her the doctors start to work to revive  him.Just then Sherman , his wife Faith Catherine's mother Lois and Stan, came in. "What's wrong with him?" Stan yelped in a panic.''He'll be ok" the nurse reassures them the doctor does some more compressions  the baby starts breathing,crying.He screams for his sister the doctor checks him to make sure everything is normal. Faith takes pictures of the babies. For her younger daughters to see their new niece and nephew.

Then the nurse takes the babies and waives them baby A is a little heavier than baby B by a pound or two and she cleans them up giving them their first bath. They only have a little bit of light brown, almost light red hair on their little heads. She gives them their first shots preventing things like polio,whooping cough,hepatitis B they don't like it very much.They stop screaming and crying when they feel the other one is their and they hold hand they can't see well  or hear well yet but they feel each other and that makes them happy.They don't know why they're where separated but their afraid  they'll never be with each other again.

The nurse put diapers on them, wrapped the girl in a pink blanket and the boy in a blue blanket and put the newborns in their mothers arms. "Oh their beautiful Catherine holds her very tiny babies and they sleep, the doctor told them they are perfectly healthy "what I've always wanted, a little girl and a little boy they have your nose" he said looking down at his babies. “And your eyes dear” she told him he kissed her.Michael wrote down the twins names on their birth certificates.Mabel, Ariel, Pines and Masson, Alex, Pines.

She holds and breastfeeds them for a while. They happily drink their mother's milk they eat their first meal. Michael asks Stan if he wants to hold them "would you like to hold the babies" he nods his head he picks the newborn and puts them in Stan's arms. He is 52 years old and looks at both of them and starts crying. He thinks about his brother disappearing and that he wishes that he could be here to meet them.

"Is he ok, why is he upset?" Catherine looked confused "well because he had a twin brother that passed away" Michael explained at least that what he was told.He and his siblings rarely saw their uncles growing up.So he didn’t really know them personally. "what are their names"Stan asked . "Well our girl's name is Mabel, Ariel, Pines" she told him "aww she's adorable"

"and our little boy's name is Masson ,Alex, Pines" he added. When he said that Stan was not paying attention, he was looking at the mark on the boy's forehead. "Hey look at that mark on his head there it kind of looks like some dots, or the big Dipper" he talks to babies quietly as they sleep in his arms. "You two are very cute and small, you got something special, you have a twin. It means you were born with a best friend. The negative is you didn't choose then.And you have to be around each other all the time sometimes you might drive each other crazy but.

They'll know more about you than anyone else and always be there for you to help you I know what it's like to have a twin sibling who you do everything with and grow up with ". The babies sleep peacefully through him talking "I was dumb ones now my twin brother is gone I'd do anything to bring him back, I'm sorry he not here he's would've love you two but maybe one day. Anyway what is that on your forehead look, like the Big Dipper. Dippy can you keep a promise for me to protect your sister I know I did with my brother and be careful ok don't go scaring your parents like that again ."

Dipper makes a "MMM" noise. "What about you sweetie can you promise, you're great uncle Stan to keep your brother out of trouble. I know my brother tried to keep me out of trouble ". Mabel yawned. "I love you two."He hugs them gently "StanFord, can I hold my grandchildren please?"Shermans begged "just one more minute you promise to be less boring" he stood up. " No and you know I don't like trying new things ....I know this is hard for you after losing Stanley but please let me hold them"

"be careful don't fight over my babies"Catherine warned"fine" Stan puts the newborn's in their grandpa Sherman's arm.He  is 60 years old he used to have dark brown hair but now it's gray and white. "I am so happy you guys are here you’re so precious I remember when you Stanford. And Stanley were born when I was 8 years old, mom and dad thought they were only going to have one baby  but you guy's surprised us". Faith smiled and got to hold her grand babies. She used to have blonde hair but now it's white. She holds them and plays with them for a little bit she tell the babies."Ok I can't wait for you guys visit us and we'll play together, I bake you cookies won't that be fun" they start to cry and scream.

Then Lois got a turn she has green eyes and red hair with a few gray streaks.She rocks them to calms them down. The babies stop crying.She talks to the twins "Oh they are really cute I can't wait to get them matching onesies Granny Lois is gonna spoil you two rotten". Catherine laughs. Then she put the babies back into her daughters arms.A few days later Stan and Sherman took the twins to meet their 85 year old great grandmother Carren.She lived a long life and she will pass away soon.She has a strong feeling of deja Vu holding her great grandchildren, and she tells Stan that she hopes he can one day bring Stanford back.

Catherine and Michael took good care of their babies. The babies don't do much the first 3 months they eat,poop,sleep and repeat but their parents enjoy this period.After the babies are bathed and changed Catherine sits on a rocking chair in the nursery and nurses them. Dipper cry and Mabel start crying as well she hold them close and comfort them she sings baby mine softly .Mabel close her eyes and sleeps Dipper sleeps too they love each other but they love their mommy a lot.And she loves them both and that she gets to make them feel better and Michael and Catherine can't wait to raise their children to smart loving people she puts them in to bed. Mike comes in to see if she needs any help. She said she's ok they kissed.

The babies have their own brown cribs in the small nursery the walls have purple wallpaper on them a small yellow rug on the floor.The twins are wearing matching purple onesies

She sometimes dresses them it matching clothes.Mabel sleep in her crib she sucks her thumb she has a Mobile with gold stars on it.Dipper sleep sucking his blue pacifier he is tucked in to his crib his mobile has gold pine trees on it .Michael and Catherine’s parents and his uncle are more than happy to babysit they are happy to have a helpful family.They takes lots of pictures they are starting to sit up at 3 months old and giggle they both know it won't be like this for long.

[basketballanonsblog]

I'm a little nervous to post this because this is the first time I've written for Tzuyu. I dedicate this to @dinoooo-w who requested a Tzuyu one-shot (I hope you like it). It's just fluff

Synopsis: What's the best way to confess to your crush ?

Paper Trails

Power forward.

That was your position on the school's basketball team, something you prided yourself on.

It also boosted your popularity amongst your peers but for the past few months, there was only one person whose attention you longed for.

Chou Tzuyu.

She transferred at the beginning of the semester, and the first time you saw her, was painfully memorable.

You dribbled the ball before passing it to your teammate. Swiftly, you ran closer to the hoop, but your attention was stolen by the prettiest girl you had ever seen. Walking to the bleachers had never looked so good.

A minute later, it hit you that you were still playing. Literally hit you. The impact from the basketball knocked you back to reality. You weren't too disoriented, but some gathered to check if you were alright; effectively blocking your view of the person who unknowingly had a role in this commotion. Not that you were mad or anything, just curious.

Since then, it was difficult not to notice her. She sat a few places in front of you in most of your classes, and her presence was so magnetic. You could listen to her talk for hours, even if it was about algebra.

It became a dilemma after a week of losing sleep over her. No one had made you this giddy before.

Class had finished, you were almost out the door when you heard your name.

"Y/n, you dropped your pen." You spun so fast, you swore you got whiplash.

"You know my name?!"

"It's hard to forget the name of the person who got hit with a basketball." Tzuyu said no more and walked away.

Her tone was so dry, you couldn't tell if she was teasing you or not. Either way, that was your first interaction.

-x-

"I don't know man, what if it doesn't work?"

One of your teammates, Jeongyeon, suggested leaving a written compliment in her locker.

"What's the harm? She won't know it's from you, so you can play it cool. Besides, the team has agreed that we're sick of seeing you pining." The joke made you feel a little better.

Right, here goes nothing.

You slipped the paper in and left.

-x-

This went on for a month, and now again, you'd notice when she read the little notes you left her.

One day, in a bold move, you decided to ask her about them.

"A little birdie told me that a secret admirer is leaving you love notes."

Her lips curled up minutely.

"Yeah, they're cute, but honestly, I'm uninterested and throw them away after reading them."

Your heart sunk.

"Oh."

"Yeah...anyway, I'll see in you class y/n."

-x-

You missed again.

"Y/n! What is up with you today? You haven't made a single shot this afternoon!"

"Sorry, coach, I'm just having an off day." 

He sighed but didn't berate you further. With a big game next week, he understood the pressure that comes with it.

"Damn, she really got under your skin, huh?"

"I don't know what I was thinking, she's way out of my league."

"That's true." You didn't regret throwing a basketball at her.

"You know, Jeongyeon, you should really be nice to your captain, or else you'll end up doing extra push-ups."

"Empty threats don't work on me, young one. Anyway, I think you should write one more hand it to her directly, so she knows."

-x-

For some reason, you took her advice again.

You managed to catch her after school. You trembled a bit when you approached her.

"Tzuyu." The words flew out your head when she smiled at you. "This is for you." You practically shoved the paper into her hand before running away.

She opened it, and her smile grew.

I like you, will you go out with me?

Tzuyu knew exactly how to give you her answer.

-x-

"Ten seconds on the clock! Will y/n be able to make the shot in time?"

You were just a bit too far from the hoop, but you took the risk.

9

8

7

6

There was silence as the ball glided through the air.

5

4

3

2

1

"And it's in! What a victory for the last game of the season!"

Your team tackled you in a hug and then lifted you in the air since you scored the winning shot. Amidst the celebration, you locked eyes with Tzuyu, who waved at you.

You met her outside once you had showered and changed.

It was her turn to give you a piece of paper.

Yes.

P.S. I never threw them away, I knew it was you leaving notes in my locker. Your handwriting is distinct.

You looked back up at Tzuyu, who held her gaze on the ground.

How can someone be this adorable?

"I'm meeting the team for some pizza to celebrate. Do you want to join me?"

She reached for your hand and grinned.

"It's a date."

[circusmania]

SIN Chapter 7

✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠ Notes: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11

⚠️ Non-con advances and Manipulation ⚠️

✯

✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠

On her knees

She cried

For what she told

Was the truth

But her tears

Were a lie

For the next couple of weeks, I've gotten better. I've moved on. I've embraced the future. And it's all because of the church.

Now, I'm not a religious person, but… the welcoming feeling of Father Pierre has shone a new path for me. Although, Omar and Vanessa were opposed to the idea.

I just… don't get them. Yes, sometimes Father Pierre is a bit too enthusiastic, but he's not a bad man. He can't be.

I mean, I've been helping around the church every weekend. It earns me community hours and I enjoy Father Pierre's preaching. Maybe, in a way, this was all part of God's plan. 

Maybe Judy's death was a sacrifice so that I could find him.

“What… are you even hearing yourself!?” Vanessa's eyes widened as she stood up and yelled.

Omar stayed quiet. His eyes fixated on me.

He's been relatively quiet this past week. He even stopped trying to convince me to turn away from the church.

Vanessa's voice became blurred as I looked elsewhere.

“Vanessa… It's hard to believe that he's a predator without any proof.” I looked back at her and let my voice rest on a softer tone.

“Our word should be enough! Don't you trust us…?” 

Before I could reply, Omar raised his head, stood up and furrowed his brows.

I expected him to go off on me, but he turned to Vanessa instead.

“You've got a lot of nerve going about trust!”

Vanessa's voice grew an octave higher as she turned her attention to Omar.

“Excuse me!?” She screamed. 

They went back and forth, their voices growing as they yelled. However, my attention was directed to the man behind them. 

Father Pierre was outside his church across the street, he was waving me inside. 

I obliged. 

“Glad you could join me, child.” Father Pierre slipped a hand around my shoulder.

“Is there something you wanted to talk about? Or do you need help with something?” I smiled and he returned the gesture.

“Yes actually, please, sit.” He motioned to the two chairs sitting near the confession booth.

I sat down, and he brought out a black bag. He sat down opposite to me and sat the bag on his lap.

“I've been talking with God. He's been telling me how much he's proud of you.” 

Father Pierre eyed me from head to toe.

I couldn't help but feel pride swell up inside my chest. 

“Child, I want you to fully give yourself to… God. I want to baptize you.”

He leaned forward and laid a hand on my leg.

“Are you sure? I've only been here for a couple of weeks…”

“It's never too soon or too late to submit yourself to the Lord.” He reassured me.

“I… well… I mean, if you think it's the right thing to do…”

I half-heartedly smiled.

He reached into the bag on his lap and pulled out a silk white tunic. He held it out.

I reached to touch it. 

It's soft and thin.

“When you'll be baptized, I want you to wear this.”

“Isn't baptizing when you're submerged underwater? I'd hate to get this tunic wet…”

He lightly chuckled.

“It's a tradition in my family line to do this. There's something about the tunic touching your bare skin that-”

“I'll be naked under the tunic?” I interrupted.

I shifted a bit in my chair.

Father Pierre moved his chair closer to comfort me.

“Don't worry, I have baptized many children before, just like you. There's nothing to be afraid of.”

He rubbed my shoulder and I lightly smiled.

Suddenly, the church doors opened.

“Ah! The church isn't open yet…” Father Pierre perked up.

There was suddenly an eerie feeling inside the church.

Marcus.

He ignored Father Pierre and walked closer. The doors shut loudly behind him.

I stood up.

“Marcus? What are you doing here?”

“What does it look like? I'm here to have my sins forgiven.” He smiled as he stood next to me.

“As I said… the church isn't open.” Father Pierre glowered and frowned as he stood up and towered over Marcus.

“This pamphlet would say otherwise.” Marcus dangled the pamphlet in the air.

It was the one Father Pierre had given to me.

Father Pierre snatched it away, causing me to jump a little. He looked through it, his expression quickly turning to disbelief. 

“And so it does…” His voice lowered.

“Shall we start?” Marcus invited, pointing to the confession booth behind us.

Father Pierre scowled. I've never seen him act like this. 

Usually, his demeanour was always kind and fluent. He never spoke out of line and always spoke with love. Now he looked as if Marcus was the reincarnation of Satan himself.

“No, we shall not. Even if I were to, there's no way God would ever forgive you for what you've done.” Father Pierre stared down at Marcus. 

Have they met before?

What had Marcus done?

Marcus continued smiling. He directed his attention to the tunic on Father Pierre's chair.

“And what's this beautiful thing?” He picked it up.

“It's a tunic, it's what I'm going to be baptized in,” I responded, observing each of Marcus's movements.

“In this thin piece of fabric?” He stretched it out.

“Careful!! You'll break it! Give it here!” Father Pierre reached out to grab it, but Marcus moved away.

Marcus moved backwards and backed himself into a stoup. His smile widened.

“MARCUS!” His voice echoed through the church. “Don't you dare!” Father Pierre looked as if he wanted to intervene, but he didn't move to stop him.

“Isn't the tunic made to be put in water, Father?” Marcus let the tunic soak in the holy water.

Marcus pulled it out seconds later, and I moved closer to him.

The tunic was still intact, but it was sticking to Marcus's hand. 

It had also become somewhat translucent (as thin clothing does when wet).

“Now, I'm no expert, but… wouldn't this tunic expose all parts if the wearer was submerged underwater?”

I looked back at Father Pierre.

But his voice only faltered, and he stammered on his words.

“Wh… what should it matter!? It's between God and the wearer!” He turned to me. “It'll be only me, you and God in the room, there's no shame…!”

I pursed my lips, almost ready to agree with him if Marcus hadn't interrupted.

“Don't be pretentious, Father. We both know you use the concept of a higher power to mask the belief that you see yourself as such.” Marcus's words never fell, almost as if he practiced saying this over and over.

“Stop it! Stop it, both of you!” I screamed and clutched handfuls of my hair. I ignored Father Pierre's excuses to try to justify himself further. I didn't give Marcus any more glances, either.

I started to walk faster toward the exit, but someone grabbed my wrist.

“Wait, please child! It- It isn't… oh, forget it. My intentions were wrong but please… Marcus, he … he isn't sane! He's been-”

I snatched my wrist away.

“You make me sick.” I spat and ran out.

My mind was spinning with ways to justify what I heard.

I've only known Father Pierre for a couple of weeks, but it feels like I've known him for years… maybe even decades.

☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ 🏡🏃🌃 ★‧°𖦹 ｡⋆☆

It has gone dark and I've finally reached my bed. I've decided to put this all behind me and focus on other things. Like apologizing to Omar and Vanessa.

I opened my messages and began texting Omar.

However, after sending it, Omar viewed my message but didn't reply. I don't blame him.

Vanessa was next. I opened up her contact, but she beat me to it.

Could you meet me at ____________ in 15?

I have something to confess.

Okay 👍

Also, Vanessa, I'm sorry for not believing youand Omar

It's alright.

It's not your fault.

It never is.

I closed my phone and got up to get dressed. Vanessa's message flew by my head. 

I put on some grungy clothing and went out to my front door. My TV was blaring, I must have left it open.

While walking to the living room, I noticed the news displayed on the TV. It was old news recaps. 

And lo and behold.

Father Pierre's picture was on the screen with the caption: 

“Church priest, Pierre Pierson, who was found guilty of multiple claims of grooming and rape, was released earlier this month. The public is…”

I really dodged a bullet thanks to Marcus.

Who knows what would've happened if he wasn't there?

I closed the TV and walked out of my apartment. 

🪐⋆｡°✩ 🌃🚶🚶‍♀️✩°｡⋆🪐

I reached the place where Vanessa wanted to talk. In reality, it was just an alleyway.

It's not a dark alleyway, it's located between a diner and an old apartment complex, and it had SOME light brightening it. As far as I know, this alleyway leads into the park.

As I entered the alleyway, I saw Vanessa a few feet away. She noticed me and walked up, her face was gloomy, but she wasn't crying, yet.

“Vanessa? What's wrong? If this is about Father Pierre, I'm-”

She quickly interrupted me.

“There's no time for apologies. He's listening.”

“Who?”

“Marcus.”

I don't know why that sent chills down my spine.

“Listen, there is something I need to get off my chest.”

“Wait, Vanessa, what's going on-”

“It's about Judy.”

I shut up quickly. 

“Judy?”

“I killed her.”

My heart sank.

“What…?”

“I… I was jealous.” Vanessa's voice faltered as she started to tear up. “She always got to be with you… it was never me. I was always the second choice.”

I felt tears start to form, but I quickly wiped them away. I continued to stay quiet and listen.

“You don't understand how… painful it is… How many times I've had to watch my heart being stepped on… How much taunting I've endured.”

She lifted her head and we made eye contact.

“You don't remember, do you? … Each time it resets… you forget, but we don't. Every time… it's never enough for him.”

“Marcus…?” I finally managed to blurt out.

Vanessa stayed silent, and somehow that answered my question.

“Judy… she's… she's never killed herself before. She's always so strong. She resented him so much… I guess it was really too much this time.”

“I… I don't understand…”

“This time it's different, though. I can feel it… this time… there won't be a reset.”

Vanessa's voice dropped as she stared me down. She wasn't even staring me down, more so looking right through me. 

Nothing made sense. 

A reset??

Before I could question more, time stopped.

Not literally, but it felt like it was slower.

A baseball bat swung out of the darkness, hitting Vanessa on the back of her head. 

I watched as her body dropped dead onto the floor.

✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠ Want to read ahead? Click here!

[what-if-queen-camilla]

Chapter 13

Charles meeting Theodora ❤️

04th August 1987 - Part 4

"You'd better be quiet, Sir, when I last came in they were both sleeping…", Andrew carefully instructed the Prince who, a huge bouquet of vibrant summer flowers in his hands, had just arrived at Middlewick House a few minutes ago. Camilla and the little one had been sleeping almost all day, but that was alright, the ladies had done amazingly and more than deserved a good rest. Tomorrow was going to be busy enough as Camilla’s parents as well as Annabel and Simon with Tom and Laura and their own children were going to come over and meet the new family member. Especially the proud new big sister had been very disappointed when Andrew had told her that Mummy and Thea, what Laura had chosen to be Theodora's nickname, were too tired to meet them today but were very much looking forward to see them all tomorrow, but it was the only chance for Charles to be the first one to meet the baby without anyone noticing. "You can stay until 9 in the morning.", the Colonel added. "The children and my in-laws will arrive around midday. That gives us time to prepare everything. I'll spend the night at a friend's and be back at half past 8 so that Milla won't be alone. See you tomorrow then. Take good care of our ladies, Sir." With that, he grabbed a little suitcase, put on a hat and took his leave, before Charles could even thank him. Obviously, he'd never been a fan of Andrew but he couldn't deny that he'd been more than generous throughout the whole pregnancy, the birth and even now. He had arranged for Camilla and him to have some precious hours on their own and at the same time made sure that the new mum and baby weren't alone. Apparently, despite everything, he genuinely cared and looked after them in a way Charles was not and would probably never be able to look after them. But he didn't want to think about that now. All he wanted was to see them now, so he rushed up the stairs and quietly knocked on the door of Camilla’s bedroom.

Almost inaudible, he opened the door and carefully peeked through - to find the most beautiful and adorable picture he had ever seen in his entire life: the love of his life, peacefully sleeping, tightly holding the baby - their daughter - who was fast sleep as well and sweetly snoring, and he had to cover his mouth with his hand to avoid himself from sobbing loudly in delight - he certainly didn't want to disturb his ladies. But, God in heaven, never had he seen something more beautiful, more perfect and more wonderful than this… He quietly tiptoed over and sat down on the edge of the bed and finally got to see Theodora's little face, the little mouth and nose and, good Lord, these little eyelids, excitedly fluttering as she was dreaming - and immediately was overwhelmed by emotions. "Oh Darling!", he sobbed, not sure whether he was referring to Camilla or Theodora himself, and tenderly stroked over her head. She'd already had a bit of hair, and it was so soft and sweet. His heart almost exploded with pride and joy. All that he wanted was to hold her, to feel her and tell her over and over again just how much he loved her and that he'd always be there for her and protect her. "I'm your daddy, little angel!", he whispered with a teary voice, tenderly stroking over her little hand now which caused the little girl to sigh in her sleep and instinctively reach out for her fathers finger which was actually bigger than her entire hand. Having Theodora grabbing his finger was too much for Charles and he couldn't hold back his tears and sobbing anymore, which finally woke up Camilla as well. "Darling…", she whispered sleepily, looking at him full of love. "Oh, darling!", he cheered, tenderly kissing her beautiful lips. "Darling, have you met our daughter?", she asked and he nodded. "She's perfect. You're perfect. You've done so well, my darling and I'm so proud of you. I've never loved you more." Camilla was too tired to respond anything sensible so she just kissed him and cuddled up against his chest, while carefully placing the baby in his arms. "Take her, darling. Take our daughter.", she said, lovingly and with tears in her eyes now as well. "Our daughter…", Charles replied, touched and stared at the little bundle in his arms as if it was the greatest miracle he had ever seen. It probably was. "My sweet, perfect, little daughter…" Camilla's heart beated like mad by watching the love of her life sweetly interacting with their joint child, the daughter he had always wished for. "Darling, do you realise how happy you've made me?", he asked her, his face overflowing with tears, and more tears still flowing out of his eyes. "The happiest man on earth…" And just like that, they spent a whole night as an almost perfect, little family of three, forgetting everything and everyone out there, covered in love and happiness, cuddling, kissing, whispering sweet promises until the sun rose again the next morning.

"Andrew said I can stay until 9.", Charles remarked at around 8, kissing Camilla’s hair lovingly and tenderly. "He said he'll return at 8.30." "I suppose he spent the night with Rose.", Camilla answered. "His… partner." He had, indeed, been dating a certain Rosemary for quite a few months now and apparently felt something for her that he'd never felt for any other woman, including her, and though of course she was happy for him that he had finally found love in his life as well, it only underlined once more how absurd all of their situations were. Andrew, married to Camilla but in love with Rose, who, too, was married to someone else, a man who also loved someone entirely different, just as Camilla loved Charles and Charles loved Camilla but was married to Diana who loved… herself in the first place, and then Charles' titles, his position, and all of the attention that came along. What a mess they were all living in. Hopefully, one day, their precious little darling would be able to marry the one she loved without any odds or obstacles. And, until then, she'd be there, loving and supporting her as best as she could. Along with her most adoring two dads...

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

But asmi, newborns sleep like 8 - 10 hours-- oh you meant naps.. nevermind, although I'd suggest fixing up your sleeping schedule a little? Like idk, when your clock says 11 pm go to sleep and NOT STAYING AWAKE till FUCKING 6 AM?? probably?? MAYBE??

Also hello, on another note, have you had lunch? Considering you had a double breakfast some hours ago (like 10 hours ago I think)) it's possible in my head that you hadn't lunched yet so if you didn't please go EAT SOMETHING thanks 👍

I sleep more than 8-10 hours a day, for sure. Aaaaaah well good news today I didn't stay up till 6 am I've stayed up past 9 am :")

And don't worry I eat enough food at weird times sure but I do eat.

Currently I am sitting utterly exhausted by trying to figure out Ko-Fi/Patreon before giving up on the entire endeavour after two hours because it's a goddamn nightmare from India.

I should sleep butttt what if I just sat and cried instead eh? eh? sounds fun yes?

In good news though Crowley's wedding dress design is coming along nicely despite the BAFTA chaos

[looosey]

Tech and the City

Long time no write. To get you onboarded: this summer, I've been code-monkeying as a software engineer intern at the AI music startup I wrote about earlier in my posts. This past month has looked pretty routine: show up before 10 and leave after 5, code-code-code. But on Thursday and Friday, I pushed the backend and frontend of my feature into the product for the first time!! My hands were cold, and I sat right next to the senior engineer, reading my Github "Files Changed" tab over and over again, nervous as heck about my manual merge, and I clicked Merge... Screams of joy in my head!!

I realized recently, I want a return offer to this job, because... I enjoy it.

For the first time in my life, I've enjoyed my job itself. I like the focus it requires, the challenge to engineer and design and clean and improve, the mentorship I get from brilliant engineers around me. The pace of it, as a startup. The tight-knit, rapidly growing team. So I'm greedy to be a part of it for a bit longer.

This got me thinking though, about what it takes to be at the caliber of coding that would guarantee me any position I wanted. It was as if I was back at college applications, wondering if I should become a spikier applicant and put in hours and hours into programming, to become an undeniable pick. Spikiness... an athlete's dedication to her sport... an artist's whole investment into their craft... is brilliance and I deeply admire it in other people and find it a pleasure to be surrounded by people who dedicate their lives to one thing.

For example, there are my friends who dedicate their college lives to becoming better freestyle or choreography dancers. There is my professor who dedicates his entire day to perfecting the craft of rap. There is my co-intern who spent 8 hours a day after school coding his own personal projects all throughout high school.

And then there is me, who cannot make a decision between her interests in engineering, dance, music, and content. For this summer, I have adopted the mindset of not forcing any of my "hobbies:" to do something only as much as I enjoy it. Is it possible for this to still be a satisfying life?

After Friday 10 a.m. standup (i.e. tech companies typically have these short, regularly-scheduled meetings, where team will update each other on what they're working on), I was waffling around the corporate watering hole (i.e. the coffee machine) when another coworker stopped by and helped me use the terrifyingly complex Xbloom. After a bit of talking about our favorite roast, I found out she was extremely interested in coffee, so much so that she was writing a book! This girl can code, play piano, make coffee, design/draw, and write?? And with the drive needed to write her own book?

This interaction reminded me of my Software Design professor, who told me to go write a book: it's very fun and surprisingly easy to self-publish. He was very good at programming. And also teaching and also photography..

Which makes me think there is another model of brilliance that is not as obvious. A world where it's possible to achieve satisfying qualities in different areas of interest. Fueled by the belief that as long as you are true to yourself: because you as a body of cells and celestial dust exists, a narrative of your interests too can be summarized.

I think, I'm going to schedule Thursdays of every week to think about this a little more.

Anyways it's 1:30 a.m. and I need to be at work at 9 tomorrow. Good night!!

[panevanbuckley]

tagged by @magdacimy thank you so much dear!! 💙

-20 questions for fic writers-

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 292 (jesus)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 649,327 (it's not as much as you might expect from the amount of fics bc i specialise in short fics)

3. What fandoms do you write for? atm? 9-1-1 is the fandom i have most fics for i think but i haven't written one in about a year. (i should get back on that!). i also sometimes do harry potter fics (usually jegulus), and i just started dipping my toe in f1 fics 👀

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. baby, come home [buddie] - 9033 (which is WILD to me)

2. don't tell my husband (he'll kill me) [buddie] - 8117

3. don't blame me, love made me crazy [jegulus] - 7691 (recently lost it's number 2 spot which makes me sad ngl)

4. come home to my heart [buddie] - 7491

5. fake boyfriends (with real kisses) [buddie] - 6790

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? i used to all the time!! but in the past couple years it started getting overwhelming and now i rarely do but i DO read every single one and they make me smile every time 🥺

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? oh gosh i rarely write angst but the first one that came to mind was a 1917 fic ('loving you is a losing game'), that was pretty angsty

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? umm...literally any fic i write?? happy beginning, happy middle, happy ending. that's my brand of fic writing

8. Do you get hate on fics? not that i know of (and i'm ever grateful for that! i have the BEST readers)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? not really. i dabbled here and there in the past but i'm just not very good at it 😭

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? again not really. i did do a world war z x justified fic ('don't count your chickens before they hatch') because i'm total loosier trash so it was like an alternate universe of them in a way because of the same two actors 💀

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? not that i'm aware of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? i think i have? actually idk people have asked if they can translate fics and i said yes but i haven't got links available to me. somebody once did a podfic ('in the silence we fall apart') translation though and i loved that!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? i once wrote a part for a 5+1 buddie fic but i don't think the full thing ever got posted?

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship? 100% gotta be buddie hasn't it? they consumed my entire soul. i have sooo many otps though

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? there was a hogwarts au 'the pacific' fic i started writing in lockdown that must be over 10k that i never finished... i think about that a lot

16. What are your writing strengths? umm.. nothing?? no but in all fairness i have no idea but people have always told me my characterization is good. or my ability to make up OCs (which i do A LOT)

17. What are your writing weaknesses? god, speech? writing anything longer than 5k 😭

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? i LOVE it! i've had to do it quite a lot because usually the characters i write are multilingual

19. First fandom you wrote for? the maze runner!! goddd back in my wattpad days i wrote SO many newtmas/dylmas fics it was unreal. they really got me into fic writing

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? funnily enough it's not any of my buddie fics. even though i love those fics dearly and they're definitely favourites. but the one that owns my heart is 'don't blame me, love made me crazy'. it was the first jegulus fic i wrote, i had only gotten into the ship a few days prior and sat down to do a short fic but in a couple hours i had over 5k written and wasn't even halfway through 💀 this was back in the days when jegulus was still a rare pair too! and the love i got on it blew me away 🥺 so a huge thank you to anybody that read that fic!!

tagging literally anybody that sees this and wants to do it because i'm not sure who writes and posts on ao3! please tag me in your posts so i can check out your work too 👀

[mysunfreckle]

First Ten Lines game

Rules: Share the first line of ten of your most recent fanfics (edit: or original fiction) and then tag ten people. Don't have ten? Not to worry, just share what you have.

@starkey tagged me, quoting the beginnings of 10 original works I have not all read and am very curious about, but I've been writing a mix, so here is some fanfic, some un-fanned fic, and some purely original stuff:

1) "It had been his intention, whatever foolishness he might have been led to commit afterward, to dance with her only once."

From: "The Vampires of Northanger", a vampire AU for Northanger Abbey.

2) "When Mr. Charles Bingley rode into Hertfordshire to acquaint himself with Netherfield Park it was on a purely accidental recommendation."

From: "Conceit and Concilliation", a retelling of Pride and Prejudice from the perspective of Bingley and Darcy.

3) "As the [REDACTED] crept closer, the [REDACTED] and REDACTED] every door."

From: "On the [REDACTED]", a retelling of [REDACTED], for the Once Upon a Fic Exchange.

4) "Two voices, rapid and impulsive in the comfort of familiarity, bounced off the stone walls of the otherwise empty cellar."

From: "Accidental Harlequin Romance" (working title, alternatively: Runaway Noble/Smirking Smuggler), a multi chapter original work that is going to cause me trouble.

5) "It was late, well past two in the morning, and Rebecca sat on the fire escape of her building."

From: "Vampires of Amsterdam", an urban fantasy novella/triptych that started out as fanfic.

6) "In a land so far away that the names of places and people were all forgotten on the way here, a kind and responsible merchant once lived in a fine country house with large windows."

From: "The Fox at the Window", the latest original fairy tale for @patchworkfairytales podcast.

7) "For someone who had, in a span of one hour, managed to do their first magical fire spell and acquire their first serious magical injury, Violet thought little Hümeyra was doing extremely well."

From: "Magical Accidents", an urban fantasy piece I wish I could finish.

8) "As far as assignments went, keeping an eye on the boss’ spendthrift son was very tolerable."

From: "Bodyguard", a setup for an abandoned story that was polished to an open-ended ficlet.

9) "It was peculiar how names stuck."

From: "Or Iron Heinrich", a polyamorous take on the Grimm's "The Frog King or Iron Heinrich".

10) “Why a temple? Why now?”

From an unnamed ficlet about a forgotten goddess.

I tag @burntblackfeathers, @feyland, @williamvapespeare, @adorablecrab , @fishandchipsandvinegar and @theblazeofmemory, and double down on the tags for @rosesutherlandwrites and @desperadore , for any kind of writing, including poetry~

[athene-studies]

k havin some trouble keeping out of The Ennui this past while and i realized i had 7 core values listed on my blog (listed on the little explore thing on my desktop theme as "live life on purpose • step off the path of least resistance • take care of myself • contribute to the community • get things done • always learn • appreciate beauty") sooo score thats a weekly challenge right there.

im just gonna start tomorrow (its the night of the 5th as i post this) since im lucky and my week isnt bounded by things like "weekdays". lets do them in order!

6. Tue - live life on purpose: to keep myself mindful I'm going to write down what I've done after every half hour of my day, plus im gonna plan out a couple things at certain points of the day and attempt to stick to those plans 7. Wed - dont get dragged back into my comfort zone: i do have a dentist appointment that day, but im going to also go to the library while im out, which ive been trying to do for a while but just never felt right. im going to wear a cute but maybe a bit weird outfit, and whenever i have an urge to do something (i should go read, i should cut up and eat an apple), im going to do it instead of succumbing to the Nah. ...also this isnt relevant to the daily challenge but i do need to pick up a prescription so im going to try to remember that 8. Thur - take care of myself: im going to try to do all of my self-care habits ive set up. most of them i do once in a while, but i havent managed to do all of them at once in a few weeks. so that means doing my workout, brushing my teeth, turning my phone off at 1 and reading instead for bedtime, making sure my laundry is put away... etc. this one's only a small part of the day but i guess that means its a good chance to rest lol 9. Fri - help others: its a terrible time of year to do things like volunteering, plus short notice, so im going to focus on chores around the house and donations and home political action, that sort of thing. maybe text my siblings to find out how theyre doing. 10. Sat - get shit done: i mean what else is there to say. at the beginning of my day im going to write down a list of things to get done (attempting to include things that are low on my priority list so just keep repeatedly getting pushed back, like calling my grandpa and working on a video edit) and see how much of it i can do. the slogan for the day is gonna be "if i think to myself 'yknow i could go do this thing' i fucking will" 11. Sun - learn: hopefully the rest of the week will have caught me up on my accounting course, but if not, id like to do that. after that, though, id like to set aside some time to read articles on things i care about but dont know much about, and do a lesson or two of language learning or coding or something. learning at my own pace isnt going very well so far considering "my own pace" is ✨stagnancy✨ 12. Mon - appreciate the world: not much else to note other than looking around myself more often. im pretty good at this one already. lets use it to mean "do hobbies"-- take an hour to do some writing, take an hour to do some music, drink a tea ive been keeping aside for a special occasion, idk

and i will let you know how that goes :)

[tehloserprince]

I was tagged by @santacoppelia - thank you! 🥺🧡

1. were you named after anyone? Michael Jordan, ha ha. No, really, my mom's a huge fan. She's followed his career ever since his UNC days. I love telling people that's how I got my name. For the record, although I have an obligatory fondness for my hometown team and a nostalgic love for the Bulls in their Jordan Era, I'm currently a Bucks fan.

2. when was the last time you cried? It's really difficult for me to cry. It's such a relief at times, tho. I cried a few weeks ago, when I realized my special needs dog was having some epilepsy-related issues. I've mostly accepted that I'll probably never see him with a grey muzzle, but I really hope we can share more time together. There are still so many things I want to show him.

3. do you have kids? Nope. Sorta did, once, but I don't really talk about that much. It was a good experience, and I still love/think about her. But my kids are all the critter variety these days ;) I enjoy hanging out with my friends' kids, but they're all growing up too quickly :/ What even is time

4. what sports do you play/have you played? I never really played anything professionally, but I liked soccer, basketball, and running when I was younger. I got into boxing and Muay Thai when I was a little older, and also did a lot of hiking. Unfortunately I'm crippled, so I'm limited in what I can/should do. I try to go on lots of walks with my pup and swim whenever I can. Sometimes I still wrap my hands and hit the bag, which is fun.

5. do you use sarcasm? No, never. (/s obvs)

6. what's the first thing you notice about people? The way they treat other people - especially the most vulnerable - and animals. Physically, eyes and smile. I'm more impressed by people who can be genuinely kind without ulterior motivation.

7. what's your eye color? Hazel.

8. scary movies or happy endings? Depends on my mood! In terms of scary films, gore feels lazy and boring to me. I need a film to get inside my head in order to be scary. But I'm a sucker for happy endings too, which is a lot of projection on my part, ha ha.

9. any talents? Err. Uh. Writing, I guess? Remembering a lot of random info? Friends are consistently surprised that I'll remember so many little details, especially if it's like ... me surprising them with something they mentioned liking at some point. Funny enough, I'll frequently forget why I walked into a room these days, but I'm glad some parts of my memory still excel! I'm also told that I'm extremely patient, if that counts as a talent.

10. where were you born? Charlotte, NC.

11. what are your hobbies? Writing, reading, watching movies and television shows (mostly with the BFF), random crafts, DIY home improvement stuff (I painted my entire house despite my health worsening over the years and I'm very proud of that), canine behavior/training, and playing video games. I don't have as much time for games, but I still enjoy it. Started a new game of Red Dead Redemption 2 this winter, and I've been spending hours just roaming the land with my horse.

12. do you have any pets? Ha, yes! I do a lot of animal rescue and have some life goals related to that, so hopefully I'll always be surrounded by critters. My beloved dog (Skippyjon) passed away in 2022 (old age and CHF). I had a cockatiel for 21 years - a birthday present when I turned 8. We basically grew up together, and the house is still way too quiet without him. I had other dogs (Smokey and Locke), and a lot of fish. In college, I had an "illegal" hamster, Kai (Kaizoku). He was fat and wonderful. I chose him because he squeezed past his siblings, sat in their food dish, and started shoving food in his mouth. King behavior tbh. I had a rat named Stevie in my late 20s. Currently, I have a deaf special needs dog (Oscar aka Ozzy), a cat that I hand-raised because she was found abandoned shortly after birth (Swayze), and a rabbit (Shasta aka Bad Bunny). At some point, I decided that all my rabbits would be named after soda brands, ha.

13. how tall are you? About 5'10".

14. favorite subject in school? Literature, Spanish, Philosophy, sometimes History, Classical Studies, Art. Anything that wasn't math, because I always struggled with that.

15. dream job? If I could make a living off of writing and spend a lot of my time doing animal rescue, I'd be content. Even if I was wealthy, I'd ultimately pursue a simple, cozy life without a lot of fanfare. I'd love to have more money to invest in animal rescue and local community welfare (kids should always have basic necessities imo). Maybe someday ...

Tagging anyone who feels like doing this! Feel free to reblog or tag me if you wanna let me know that you did it. Thanks, this was fun :3

[highwaytothedangerzone502]

India Lima Yankee - Bonus Chapter

Pairing: Rooster x Female OC

Word Count: 2411

Warnings: Mild pregnancy complications

Summary: Juliette Kazansky discovers Maverick is back in town for a special training detachment, but she's more than a little blindsided when Rooster arrives too. Having not spoken to him for almost ten years after their less than amicable break-up, Juliette can only imagine how the next few weeks are going to play out when she remains head over heels in love with him while he wants nothing to do with Juliette other than to forget her.

Or so she thinks.

Notes: None!

Chapter Songs: All I Want For Christmas Christmas Baby Cold December Night

Chapters: Chp 1 Chp 2 Chp 3 Chp 4 Chp 5 Chp 6 Chp 7 Chp 8 Chp 9 Chp 10 Chp 11 Chp 12 Chp 13 Chp 14 Chp 15 Chp 16 Chp 17 Chp 18 Chp 19 Chp 20 Chp 21 Chp 22 Chp 23 Chp 24 Chp 25Chp 26 Chp 27 Chp 28 Chp 29 Chp 30 Chp 31 Chp 32 Chp 33 Chp 34 Chp 35 Chp 36 Chp 37 Chp 38 Chp 39 Chp 40 Chp 41 Chp 42 Chp 43 Chp 44 Chp 45 Bonus Info Bonus Chapter

Rooster

Bradley Bradshaw discovered his wife curled up under a blanket on the couch with Raptor and Lightning, reading a book in the warm yellow lights of their Christmas tree. She looked miserable. Leaning against the wall, he asked, "What are you doing up?"

Juliette snapped her head up, and in the dim light, he could see her paleness. "I've been nauseous for the past hour, and nothing is helping, not even the anti-nausea medicine the doctor gave me. It's taking ages to kick in," she said sleepily, glancing over at the pill bottle on the coffee table with distaste. "What are you doing up?"

"Bad dream. Why didn't you wake me up? I would've sat up with you." Rooster moved to her end of the couch, intending to sit on the coffee table to be closer to her without moving the dogs, but Juliette sat up and moved over just enough to allow him some space next to her. He pulled her onto his lap and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. 

"You're not getting enough sleep as it is. Still having nightmares?" Juliette inquired, looping her arms around his neck.

"Yeah, I guess getting shot down and traipsing through an enemy base and evading fifth-gen fighters in a fourth-gen fighter can do some damage to your psyche. Nothing I can't handle, though. I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you. Do the docs know why the morning sickness is so bad?"

Juliette shook her head. "No, they're saying all my hormone levels are super high, and that's what's causing all this." Juliette chuckled weakly and added jokingly, "Maybe it's twins."

"Let's hope they take on more after you than me because I was a troubled-ass kid."

"Hey, you went through things no kid should ever go through. If they take on after you, they'll be extremely lucky. And hey, I've seen the pictures of the men in your family. If we have a boy, he's going to be a heartbreaker."

"And if we have a girl, she's going to be beautiful like her mother and all the women before her." Rooster kissed his fiancée, smiling into it. He started to say more, but Juliette's hand flung to cover her mouth, and she bolted off his lap faster than a jet launched off a carrier catapult. Rooster followed her to the bathroom and barely managed to pull her hair back before she hurled into the toilet. 

"Oh, I hate this," Juliette groaned, leaning away and sitting against the cabinets. Rooster grabbed some tissues for her, which she gratefully took to wipe her mouth. "I'm creating life, and this is how Mother Nature decides to thank me?"

"I wish there was something I could do to help," Rooster said sympathetically, hating seeing Juliette in this state. "Are you up to going to your mom's later?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine. I want to go. Besides, we're giving everyone the big news, and I don't want to miss that. If it gets much worse, I'll go to urgent care or the ER to make sure it's nothing else, okay?"

"I'll be by your side wherever you go. Come on, let's get you back to the couch."

"No, no, brush my teeth first, then bed. It's still a little easier for me to sleep in the bed. I only went to the couch so I wouldn't wake you up."

"You can always wake me up when you're not feeling well, Jules. This is what I'm here for." Rooster stood up and held out his hands to help her up. Juliette gratefully took them. The couple strolled hand-in-hand to their room, intent on getting a little bit of rest before the chaos of Christmas Day.

Things hadn't gone as planned. Juliette passed out the moment she got out of bed later that morning. She barely called out for Rooster before she collapsed, and he narrowly managed to catch her. He rushed her to the hospital, much to her protest when she came to. 

"I'm fine, Rooster. I'm sure it was my blood pressure dropping too low," Juliette insisted, bracing her head against the window.

"My mom thought she was fine for weeks before she went and saw a doctor," Rooster said sharply, a flashback of his mom eerily repeating Juliette's words almost exactly: I'm fine, Bradley. Just my blood pressure dropping too low.

It hadn't been that. It'd been something so much worse, and Rooster hadn't been able to convince his mom to go see a doctor sooner. Then again, even if he had, they would've told her she was fine, that it was stress. He wouldn't let it happen to Juliette or his future child. Besides, medicine had come so far now, surely they wouldn't make the same mistake now with Juliette as they had his mom?

Juliette had reached over and laced her fingers with his free hand, smiling understandingly at him. "India Lima Yankee."

Rooster smiled. "India Lima Yankee."

The trip and stay at the hospital turned out to be short. As Juliette stated earlier, it had simply been her blood pressure dropping too low, but they left with more information than they intended, and a flood of emotions went through them. It also sent them scrambling to buy new presents for Sarah and Maverick.

Upon arrival at the Kazansky house, as the last people to arrive due to the unplanned hospital visit, they had to park on the road, meaning a long trek for them up to the door. Rooster turned to Juliette and asked, "You sure you're up for this? You've had a hell of a day, and I know this year is... particularly hard since-"

"Dad's not here," Juliette finished, sniffing. "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. I'm going to stay off my feet as much as possible. Besides, we have to give everyone the news. Trust me, there's no better surprise than this for my mom."

"Then let's get going." Rooster hopped out of the Bronco and rushed to the other side to open Juliette's door. As she stepped out, he kept a grip on her hand until she stood steady for long enough that there was no threat of her fainting. Then, and only then, did he let the dogs out of the backseat, who darted to the front door. The couple followed, and on the way, Rooster asked, "Hey, how many insinuations do you think I can make before people start to catch on that you're pregnant?"

Juliette grinned. "Let's find out."

Before they could knock, Sarak Kazansky threw open the door and enthusiastically greeted the two with a hug. In the blink of an eye, the pair found themselves going from one person to the next in the packed household: first Maverick and Penny greeted them, followed by Jack and his family, then Joey, and then the Daggers. Even Hondo, Warlock, and Cyclone came with their spouses. Rooster tried to stay near Juliette as much as possible, and if not near her, then at least have his fiancée in his line of sight, the events of earlier still fresh in his mind.

Two hours in, Rooster entered the kitchen, where Juliette sat at the counter chatting with Hangman and Maverick. He peered into the oven and remarked, "Ooh, got some buns in the oven."

Juliette hid a snicker behind a fake coughing fit, then said, "Mom's making two kinds as well, so it's double the goodness."

"Speaking of doubles, think I'm gonna have one." Rooster shot Juliette a mischievous look. "Mav, you want anything?"

"No, I'm good. I still have my beer." Maverick lifted his bottle. "Jules, you want something?"

"Nah, I was sick all morning and doubt alcohol will help. I'll stick with water."

Maverick's brow creased in concern. "How come you were sick all morning?"

Juliette shrugged. "Could be anything, but I'm fine now."

"Are you sure? You didn't eat anything weird recently?"

"Outside of the Prego's tomato sauce the other day? No. Hey, Rooster, what did you use to call Prego's when you were little?"

Rooster cringed, knowing Hangman wouldn't let him live down the truth for ages. Still, it was yet another hint for everyone at their big announcement later, and he couldn't resist it. "Preggers."

Hangman snorted into his drink. "Classic."

At that moment, Sarah Kazansky walked into the kitchen and pulled out the prime rib and roast chicken. She hollered out that dinner was ready, and everyone swarmed into the kitchen. Rooster sidled up next to Juliette, ensuring he stayed close to her while she stood and walked around in the event she passed out again. He doubted she would right now, but it'd scared him earlier to the point he found himself paranoid about her wellbeing.

The evening passed with good food, good company, and good conversation. Rooster mainly talked with Maverick and Juliette, who sat beside him, and Phoenix, who sat across from him. He and Jules even slipped in a few more pregnancy idioms and insinuations, mainly at the end of the dinner. Juliette leaned back in her seat and groaned, "Uh, I was so hungry, I ate enough for two or three people."

"Got a food baby?" Rooster teased, gingerly patting her stomach.

"I think there might be two."

"Well then, Merry Christmas to me! Best present yet!"

"Oh, speaking of presents, Mom, Mav, I want to give you yours before I forget." Juliette started to get up, but Rooster beat her to it, shooting her a disapproving look at how fast she tried to move. Jules sighed, evidently annoyed that she couldn't do what she usually did. Rooster returned shortly with the two presents and handed them to his parents. Then he sat back down in his chair and tried to hide his anticipation at their reaction. Sarah and Maverick opened theirs, although the former was a little faster. She blanched at the little onesie she pulled out that said: Guess what? August 2021.

"You're pregnant?" Sarah Kazansky squeaked, tears welling in her eyes.

"It's twins?" Maverick added in disbelief, staring at the onesie he pulled out that said: Guess what else? It's twins.

Juliette nodded, biting back a broad smile. "Rooster and I had to scramble to find new onesies because we just found it was twins today."

The shock finally seemed to pass for everyone because the group burst into cheers while hugs were immediately exchanged. It was Hangman that pointed out, "You were dropping hints the entire time, weren't you? The buns in the oven, the eating for two or three, the food baby, the 'Preggers' joke-"

"That was actually a true story," Juliette chirped. "And I give you full permission to never let him live it down."

"Perfect!" Hangman grinned and enveloped her in a tight embrace that lasted longer than any he'd given her before. Then, his voice full of sincerity and excitement, he said, "Congratulations, Juliette. I'm so happy for you two."

She smiled at his use of her first name as he rarely used it, always calling her 'Princess' or 'Jules' or 'Kazansky.' "Thank you, Jake."

Before they could converse any further, Sarah and Maverick reached her, and she found herself unable to catch her breath between hugs and conversation about her pregnancy until she and Rooster arrived back at their house with the dogs. They collapsed onto the couch, not even bothering to turn the lights on, as the Christmas tree provided more than enough illumination. 

"So," Rooster began, "I think it's fair to say everyone was excited."

Juliette nodded, fiddling with her locket. "Yes, I think so. Thought my mom was about to pass out when she found out with how much she paled."

"Pretty sure Maverick wasn't far behind her. How are you feeling?"

"Better. I think all the anti-nausea medicine finally kicked in. Now I'm just anxious."

"About what?"

"Being a mom to twins. I mean, I don't know the first thing about being a mom! I don't know what all milestones there are or what diapers are best to use or-or what is normal during pregnancy and what's not!" Juliette rambled quickly, her mouth moving faster than he'd ever seen. "I'm going to get so freaking fat, and I've never been able to lose weight easily, so losing the baby weight is going to be a bitch. Worst of all, you're probably going to be deployed when they're born and-" Juliette's voice cracked, and she bowed her head to hide the tears Rooster had already seen welling in her eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey, what brought this on?" Rooster asked gently, brushing her tears away with his thumb.

"Seeing pictures of my dad on the wall in all these different countries and ports and knowing that that's going to be you. And I'm so, so proud of you and supportive of you for being in the Navy, but I'm selfish in that I want you here with me."

"Well, then, your wish is granted."

"It's not. You're still having to-"

"I'm going to be stationed at the naval base here. I already talked to Cyclone about it tonight, and he's given his approval. Apparently, he has a few favors of his own he can cash in to make it happen if it doesn't happen when he asks nicely."

Juliette looked up, eyes full of surprise. "Y-you're staying here?"

"Yeah, I am. I'm never leaving you again, Jules, not as long as I can help it." Rooster placed a hand on her barely swollen belly. "I'm going to be here for you every step of the way, every bad morning, every anxious thought, every pound gained, and I'm going to love you through it all too. If you're scared about losing the weight, I can help you get back in shape afterward when you're ready. We have your mom, Mav, and Penny to watch the twins when they're born, so we don't have to worry about babysitters. And if none of those three can do it, we have the Daggers as backup, although we need to make a list of who would be best and who not to call."

Juliette smiled through her tears. "Have I ever said how much I love you?"

"You don't need to. I know." Rooster lifted her left hand and kissed the skin next to her engagement ring. "India Lima Yankee."

Juliette cupped his face and kissed him. Her lips brushed against his as she said, "India Lima Yankee."

****

A/N: Threw this together after @polikszena gave me an ask about what Rooster and Juliette would be like at Christmas time. I made it relatively short and sweet, but I hope you enjoyed! And for the record, the twins came a month early on July 4!

Tags: @lgg5989 @shanimallina87 @polikszena @summ3rlotus @souslesyeuxde @gleasonmalfoy @icemansgirl1999 @supernaturaldawning @thedarkinmansfield @lyannaforpresident @lapilark @getmyprettynameoutofyourmouth @simpofthecentury @shadeops21 @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @double-j @picklejuicesposts @bradshawsandbridgetons @majdoline @jakexfmc @catsandgeekyandnerd @peachiicherries @multifandomcnova @fandomsstolemylife00 @bookloverhorses @nicangelinee @mak-32

[liarian]

One more step

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10

The world seemed very different when Reigen's words came back to keep him company at all hours. It was strange not to have some notification on LINE at any time of the day. Katsuya had begun to look forward to calls that lasted late into the night. With his very presence, it was as if Reigen had kicked his life back into gear after months in limbo.

Katsuya was still waiting for Reigen to ask when they could meet up but so far it hadn't happened. Katsuya didn't know whether to be disappointed at the lack of interest or grateful that he didn't have to cross that line yet. The last week he had finally managed to spend several hours at a time in the dining room watching TV with his mom. Going outside, in broad daylight, people surrounding him everywhere, was still more than he was capable of dealing with.

Katsuya looked at the clock. It was already twenty minutes past four. It was strange that Kageyama-san was late.

"Did he tell you if he wouldn't be coming today?" Katsuya asked his mom.

"Didn't I tell you? He called that he'd come a little later."

"Oh, okay."

Katsuya twisted his fingers, trying to control his anxiety. Kageyama-san's visit on Tuesdays at four o'clock had become one of his routines. The time change threw him off balance. With nothing better to do, he locked himself in his room again. Katsuya bit his thumbnail until his cuticles began to bleed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Katsuya didn't remember falling asleep when the doorbell interrupted his lethargy. The headache seemed unwilling to leave him alone but he made an effort to get up. Wrapped in his orange kimono, he walked out of his room. The TV was barely a murmur in the background.

"Are you sure giving him a surprise is a good idea?" Reigen's voice came from the foyer.

"If anything happens, I'm here. There' still time for us to go."

Katsuya rushed out to peek out the door leading to the foyer, convinced that his senses were playing tricks on him.

"Reigen?" Katsuya muttered.

His hands were shaking. His heart was pounding so hard that Katsuya was unable to hear anything else.

"Hey!" Reigen raised his hand in a shy greeting. "Long time no see."

"W-what are you doing here?" Katsuya was unable to look away, afraid that if he blinked even for an instant, Reigen would vanish before his eyes.

He still couldn't quite believe he was there. He had grown since the last time they had seen each other. The black gakuran was a little short in the sleeves.

"Kageyama-san thought it was a good idea." Reigen lowered his head, his bangs hiding his face. "And I didn't know if you'd say yes if I asked about coming over."

"I-I can show you my room, if you want."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Katsuya would never have imagined that he would feel comfortable having someone else in his space but Reigen seemed the exception to all his rules.  Katsuya had barely said two words, glad just to see him there.

"Is that the NES Mario Bros?" Reigen pulled the box off the shelf and caressed it like someone holding a treasure in his hands. "And this is the first Zelda! How cool! Have you ever played them?"

"Only on emulators. The originals right now are sought after, they're collector's items."

Reigen put the games back in their place as if he was going to break them by accident. Being cooped up with Katsuya couldn't be what Reigen had in mind as an entertaining afternoon but for the moment he seemed content to snoop around every last corner of his bookshelves.

"Oh, Akira. I hear it's good but I've never gotten around to reading it." Reigen dragged the first volume with him and sat down on the bed cross-legged.

His fingers didn't seem to be able to sit still for a second. He flipped the comic up and down, his attention pausing for just a moment on a page.

"What else do you usually do when you're at home?" Reigen kept talking without waiting for an answer from Katsuya. "The models are a hoot, did you make them?"

Katsuya nodded his head. Anyone would have thought Katsuya was pathetic for not being able to leave his room in five months but not Reigen.

"Oh, the Breath of the Wind, I got that one!" Reigen picked up the Zelda game box on the desk. "Is that the one you're playing right now?"

"You don't mind if we stay here?" Katsuya asked nervously.

"Huh?" Reigen stared at him, head cocked to one side. The game was still in his hands. "Is there somewhere you want to go? Your room has a lot of cool stuff."

Katsuya shook his head. He wasn't sure what he would have done if Reigen's answer had been different.

"Anywhere is fine with me." Reigen shrugged. "You're fun to be with."

"Really?"

"Really."

[authorangelita]

First Sentences Game

Tagged by @disappearinginq - thank you!!

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway.

Tagging: @impossiblepluto, @appalachianapologies, @bloodfromthethorn, @januarydivide, @rosieblogstuff, @lailuhhh, @erinsworld, @nativestarwrites, and anyone else who wants to play! I've been traveling today, so I'm behind on posts and hope I didn't double-tag anyone.

1. From: Foster Mac 2: Mac Moves In

Mac spent several days in an emergency foster home, and there were a lot of kids there, so Mac kept to himself.  He was polite with the adults and spent most of his time working through a Calculus textbook from the library or reading ahead in his homework. 

2. From: Out Is Through Part 2

The Phoenix jet had been upgraded at some point over the last five years.  The seats were incredibly comfortable, with a plush, soft brown leather that almost felt like a hug when you sat in it.  Plus, a few of them even reclined.  Jack had claimed a recliner toward the back of the plane and sat there [redacted because I'm not sure I'm keeping this tidbit] while he watched Mac and Riley. 

3. From: Mac Drugged Jack Saves Him

Jack was woken by his ringing phone.  He rolled over, grabbed his phone, and glanced at the alarm clock.  2:37 AM.  No one in the history of the world had ever gotten a good phone call in the middle of the night.

4. From: Febuwhump 2023 Panic

A scream startled Jack awake, and he was on his feet and moving before his brain registered what was happening. 

He dashed across the hallway and through Mac's open bedroom door to find his partner frantically fighting his way out of his twisted bedsheets.  Mac made panicked, distressed sounds as he tried to push the sheets away with his left arm in a cast. 

5. From: Mac kidnapped Texas

Janie Dalton was startled awake.  Her bedroom was dark, and the clock's bright blue numbers seared 3:13am into her retinas.  It was too damn early.  She had less than two hours before she had to get up to tend to the ranch, so why was she awake now?

6. From: Mac Throat Injury (for Bad Things Happen Bingo)

Jack found Mac in the last place he expected to find him: sitting quietly in an exam room in Phoenix Medical.

"Everything all right?" Jack asked as he moved to Mac's side and looked him up and down.  There was plenty of blood on his clothes, but Jack was pretty sure it had all come from Riley.  He himself also wore a fair amount of her blood. 

7. From: Mac Sole Survivor (for Bad Things Happen Bingo)

Mac's ears were ringing from the explosion that had sent him tumbling down the stairs he'd been taking two or three at a time to get out of the building.  There was so much dust in the air that he could barely see what was in front of his face, and it was clogging his nose and throat, causing him to cough painfully with aching ribs. 

8. From: maybe not today

~~! 2036 !~~

The sun was barely over the horizon when they started their horseback ride through the pastures and trails around the Dalton family ranch.  Jack had wisely suggested they start their ride early, because it was July 4th weekend, and it would be too hot during the day.  Even ten-year-old Jay agreed, but that might have been because it was one of his favorite ranch activities.  He'd been up and dressed and ready to saddle his black and white-spotted Appaloosa before half the adults had even had their first cup of coffee.

9. From: sleepy Mac debrief

This debrief was taking far too long in Jack's opinion.  He and Mac had landed just past midnight and immediately reported to Phoenix.  They'd filed their after action reports while in flight, so he wasn't sure why it was so important that they rehash everything right now when they were both running on very little, or no, sleep.

10. From: don't be dead

The explosion knocked Jack off his feet.  He scrambled back up quickly and ran for the burning building that Mac was still inside. 

"Jack!" Riley shouted, reaching for him but missing as he dodged around her and darted through an open doorway. 

[ninjnerd-anaklusmos]

Woo, first time not an anonymous ask, let's go

Looked through the fanfic question list

Sorry if it is too many, feel free to pick and choose if it is

6, 7, 8, 9, 25, 31, 33, 34

Have a great rest of your day!! ^-^ 💜

Congrats on that! Coming off of anon can be scary.

6. What element of writing do you find comes easily?

That's a good one. Probably just mannerisms and building a space. I think I'm pretty good at it.

7. What element of writing do you struggle with the most?

Oof. Maybe ensuring that I don't leave out crucial details pertaining to the plot. My memory is a fishbowl lol.

8. Which character(s) do you find easiest to write?

Okay, fandom span for this one. We've got Leviathan and Belphegor from Obey Me. Then we've got Jay, Cole, and Kai from Lego Ninjago. And, of course, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael from Rise of the TMNT!

9. Which character(s) do you find most difficult to write?

RIP to me. Lucifer, Mammon, and Beelzebub from Obey Me. Wu, Pixal, and Nya from Lego Ninjago. And finally, Michelangelo, April, and Cassandra from Rise of the TMNT.

25. Have you ever daydreamed about side adventures/spin-offs from your fic? Tell us about them!

That's an easy answer. Yes! Giant yes! I think the main one would be the AUs I've though of but never written down solidly. But to answer the question, in one of my fics in OFIFotO, Luke is wandering through the haunted memory/trauma cave.

I had a thought about having him end up in Reaper territory and having an entire little side quest, but it didn't fit into the plot I constructed.

31. Do you have any OCs? Tell us about them!

Oh my gosh I have so many. Like, a ridiculous number of them. I'll tell you about two of them though, just to save some space lmao.

Ji'kan: a 1,500 hundred year old demon, specifically a demon of curses. His hair is purple with lavender highlights and his eyes are the deepest blue.

His demon form is as follows: Jet-black scales curling up to his biceps & thighs. Short, jagged claws on both his hands and feet. Thin, dainty horns. Hair turns slightly translucent, very snake-like and streamlined, eyes glow. His skin glows with teal lightning that he controls in bright flashes at different rates.

He's from an original story idea about demons and angels that, ironically, I came up with a couple months before falling down the Obey Me rabbit hole.

In the story, he's on the demonic council, but just barely. He dreams of running a seamstress type business, and he has issues with closeness and sudden touch.

Then we've got another guy from the same universe and story.

Wren: a roughly 3,000 year old angel, specifically a Virtue. His hair is a mixture of white, silver, and gray, and his eyes are pale gray in color.

His angelic form is as follows: wingless, usually dressed in white silks. He only has his two eyes, but they glow with an ethereal power.

In the story, he's sent as a delegate to the world of demons during a council meeting, and he ends up getting lost. Ji'kan ends up saving his life.

33. Is there anything you wish your audience knew about your writing process?

I fluctuate wildly between writing a 10k fic in two hours or it taking two months. You might have already guessed that from my sporadic ao3 posts, but still. I love writing, but I have a very busy life that derails my attention from whatever I want to write.

I also can't write without tunes.

34. Copy and paste an excerpt your especially fond of.

Ooh!

This one's from my fic, I Will Only Let You Down. It's a Ninjago fic, but this scene just makes me so happy. I love it.

The crackle that grew louder the longer he sat there wasn't falling on deaf ears, and he assumed it to be his little wisps of flame, gossiping about their master's odd behavior. Fire didn't blame them, not one bit. If he thought he was being odd, surely they must have thought he had lost his mind.

After another breath, he opened his eyes, unsurprised to find a clump of little fire wisps, all piled atop one another, rolling and chattering in crackles and sparks. He offered them a small smile, opening his arms. "Come here, I know you want to."

The pile of wisps jumped into action, at least a dozen little flames flying around him and snuggling against him, continuously chattering and nuzzling him. Fire laughed, stroking each and every one, giving them physical reassurance that he was okay.

They were adorable, honestly, and a great mood booster. He needed that pick me up after his dream. Getting to his feet, Fire rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, letting his wisps dance and cheer around him.

Curious, he nudged one of them with his pointer finger. "Is there something you need me for?"

The wisps swirled in delight, and all at once the dozen flames dashed away, burning down the halls and leaving Fire to chase after them. He rolled his eyes, but followed anyway, eager to see what they needed. The wisps had been nothing but helpful so far, and he could only assume they would continue to be.

The wisps burst into sparks in front of his temple's entry way, exploding in colorful swaths of reds and oranges, shooting off into different directions. All but the little wisp that had comforted him earlier, before his nap.

It hovered in front of the closed doors, looking almost sheepish. Fire snorted, poking it gently, making it crackle rhythmically, like it was laughing. "Go catch up, flare."

The wisp brightened, twirling around his fingers before it dashed away, leaving a streak of yellow after it. Hm. Maybe it liked being called flare.