#ic … vincent， ༶ notes.

[mysticdeath]

"i'll wait for you."

you're a restless person, always moving from one place to another, perpetually occupied with something or other. people call you impatient. hell, you might even call yourself impatient! and that's fine, that's just who you are. but you'll wait for some people — you'd sit down and wait for them if they needed you to, and the first time you do, the first time you show them you'll stretch your limited patience to something limitless for them if they need it, it feels almost like a confession. YOU MIGHT NOT BE VERY PATIENT WITH THE WORLD, but there are exceptions you're more than willing to make. you're so good at making people feel like they're not a burden.

watching them from across the room.

they don't see the way your eyes have softened as you look at them. you make sure they don't, at first, averting your gaze the moment it seems like they might turn your way and see the love in your eyes. but you might work up the courage after a while, and it feels like laying your soul bare for all to see as they finally meet the love in your eyes — and, lo and behold, return it with a softness all their own. you're not much of a talker. you prefer to think, usually from a distance, and keep your thoughts to yourself. you're quiet about things in general; you've never been too comfortable taking up space. BUT YOU'RE GREAT AT ADMIRING THINGS : the beauty of your surroundings, the people you love. you can sit and watch and soak up the beauty of the world for a long time when given the chance. how much more beautiful would the world be, if everyone could look upon it with just as much love in their eyes?

tagged by: @bloodwr4th & @viikingwitch tagging: you! — if you haven't done this but wish to, consider this your chance. please feel free to tag me so i can see!

[moralmortuary]

(heartsunghawkmoth, adair.) 🃏🃏🃏- As he's already a guest in Caine's home, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to get an understanding of how to move forward with his, ah... condition. Any guidance?

A reading for @heartsunghawkmoth "I tell you that I'm a man of science and here I am showing you party tricks," he chuckles and he shuffles his deck of cards. They're well worn and creased, yellowed, and peeling- yet he works them gracefully, handling them is an art in it's own right. "Though I suppose it's all some science we can't yet make sense of," he continued. It was a strange sense he had always carried with him. And he considered it a blessing to find others like him. He set the deck out between them and instructed Adair to split it into three stacks and reform it into one deck while contemplating the subject of his reading. "Mm," he takes the deck back in his hands, "I suppose we should start with a frame of reference and look at the current state," his sets a card, face down, to the right, "and the world isn't without meaning, you're to learn a lesson from this," he places another card next to the previous one in the center of the table, "but what we're to learn isn't always clear. Which is why we ask the cards for advice," he places the final card to the left of the center card and offers him a soft smile. He flips the first card he set: the 5 of Clubs. ♣️ "I'm touched," he gives Adair a wink, in jest, "New friendships. I hope it's a long one. It's a bit on-the-nose, but that is what we're looking for." He flips over the second: the King of Hearts. ♥️ "Oh," he hums to himself, contemplating the connection. It's the last he expected. He moves on without elaboration. He flips the final card: the 2 of Hearts. ♥️ "Oh-- oh, well then...," a faint blush crept across his face. He went for his tea as if it would steady him. "The whole reading is taken together, they each provide context to the others," he wasn't going to elaborate on that. "I'll... tell you what I see but it truly is interpretation. You may take it any way that makes sense to you." He clears his throat. "To start with the situation now as we see it," he tapped the card, "The five of clubs will represent new relationships, friendships, or marriage. These relationships of advantageous...," his gaze is steady, "I may be biased but your condition may have benefits against whatever else you may come across..." "And such your lesson to learn is in the king of hearts. To put it simply, this card is a reflection of you as an ideal self. Perhaps this is a journey to understand your deeper desires and goals, or to find your happiness despite the current situation." "Now," he clears his throat again, "The advice is in... the form of the two of hearts..." his eyes dropped to the card though he didn't touch this one, "It's typically read as the lovers... The relationship aspect is certainly reinforced by our five of clubs...hn." He takes another pause to chase the initial thoughts from his mind and truly focus on what they'd been presented. Certainly it wasn't his first impression. "As... much as you may not like it, I believe it's telling you find the best of your situation, to, hm..... to learn to love yourself as you would another, despite how treacherous your condition seems... It's a difficult lesson, and I understand it well," he finally looked back up at Adair, meeting him with another soft smile, "and I believe you're very capable of the challenge, my friend."

[vincentmatthews]

How my babies drink their coffee:

Vincent/Dean Matthews -> Blended Caramel Frappuccino, extra caramel.

Jaxx Wolfsbane -> Hot black coffee. Don't try and give him instant or decaf; he'll throw it in your face no matter how hot it is. Iced coffee?? Nah, you're getting waterboarded with it.

Vinessa Matthews -> Black with sugar; may add hazelnut creamer but it depends on her mood.

Velvet Rose -> Blended Hazelnut Mocha Frappuccino, extra chocolate drizzle and lots of whipped cream.

[icypopz]

when their s/o gets injured ♡

↬ request from anon ; could I request the NXX boys with a s/o who received the injury while they were away and how would they take care of them during their healing process?

↬ notes ; artem wing (zuo ran), luke pearce (xia yan), marius von hagen (lu jinghe), vyn richter (mo yi) x gn!reader

↬ from ice ; hihi!! unfortunately i was quite busy this week so i wasn't as active 😵 also as someone who's often in hospital i rly related to this request :') but anyways i hope you enjoy!

↬ warning(s) ; reader has an unspecified injury to their foot, artem + luke carry reader (but they're crazy strong so they can def lift u up dw)

please reblog ! it helps a lot :)

[ artem wing / zuo ran ! ]

as soon as artem heard that you were injured, he would want to drop everything he was doing and rush to be by your side at once. unfortunately, reality means that he can't just ditch his job, so he finishes his work so quickly that even celestine is surprised and he heads home at once.

upon seeing the state of your foot and the way you wince in pain as you try to hobble towards him and greet him, artem lifts you up like you weigh nothing and brings you straight to the bedroom. he surrounds you with a million pillows and if necessary, elevates your foot with a stack of cushions too. for the entire time that you're injured, artem applies for permission to work at home, and he'll be by your side day and night. whatever you need, he'll get it for you at once so you don't even have to lift a finger.

when he realises that you're feeling upset about your injury, artem would hold your palm in his, gently squeezing your hand as he listens to you talk about your worries. he understands that such a sudden injury can be earthshaking, especially when it results in such a loss of autonomy. but artem wants you to know that he'll be with you every step of the way until and after you're 100% healed.

more content utc !

[ luke pearce / xia yan ! ]

luke would be working at the antique store when you call him and tell him you've injured your foot while at work. his first emotion is complete and utter panic, he can't lose you again- but then he snaps back into focus and tells you he'll be on the way immediately. he grabs a bunch of things that might be helpful like an ice pack, bandages and cotton pads before driving to your workplace at lightning speed (he definitely runs a couple of red lights in his hurry).

once luke brings you home, he won't even hear one single word about how you want to help him, or how he shouldn't worry too much about you. he'll just carry you and lay you down on the sofa, putting on your favourite tv show to help pass the time while he goes to prepare a meal for you. he does his best to keep you as involved as possible, asking you about which spices you want, and walking to the couch just to give you a taste test. at that point you both remember that he's terrible at cooking, so you settle for ordering takeout instead LOL.

throughout the course of your recovery, luke flits about you like a worried butterfly. he doesn't want you to strain yourself, so even when you're taking your first few steps again, luke is the one who looks like he's going to pass out from nervousness. if you ever tell him that you feel like a burden because you aren't able to do anything for now, luke will reassure you with soft kisses and whispered words of comfort. as someone with a chronic illness, he understands how useless you can feel when you're bedridden, so he knows just what to say to help you feel better.

[ marius von hagen / lu jinghe ! ]

marius is actually the bane of his directors' existence. the second you call him and tell him you're injured, he dismisses everyone in the meeting room, muttering something about rescheduling it to another day. he leaves everything up to poor vincent, who's forced to deal with the wrath of the old men on the board of directors. marius drives way over the speed limit back home, and he doesn't care at all about the accumulated speed tickets he's going to have to pay - nothing is more important than getting to you asap.

once he's got you tucked into bed and is convinced that you aren't in mortal danger, marius is soo dramatic about the whole thing it's almost as if he's the one that's injured. "but i was so worried about you! you almost drove me to an early grave, is that what you want, mx lawyer?!" he clutches his heart and stumbles around the room, which at least succeeds in cheering you up a little. unfortunately, marius can't skip out on work to be with you because pax would probably fall apart in two seconds without him at the wheel, so he relies on payton to give you everything you need (it shows how much he trusts his butler that he even entrusts your safety to him).

marius would spend as much time with you as he could, always cuddled up next to you and resting his head in the crook of your neck as you thread your hands through his hair. he'll talk about everything under the sun, hoping it distracts you from your pain. when you confess that you've been feeling down because of your injury, marius comforts you the best way he can, letting you vent as much as you need to get everything off your chest. after that he tells you that he'll treat you like royalty every day if it means that you'll feel less bad about him doing it while you're injured.

[ vyn richter / mo yi ! ]

one of the perks of running your own workplace is that you can do whatever you want, and that is exactly what vyn does. when he hears you're injured, he informs his receptionist that he'll be unavailable for the next few days except for patients with extremely urgent needs that can't be handled by the nurses. with that out of the way, he calls ogier and drives home at once, not caring how many traffic lights he ignores.

anyone who saw vyn at the time might say that he was unbothered about your injury upon looking at the way he calmly handled the situation, merely asking you what happened and checking the prescribed medications. but you know better, because you notice all the small details about him that no one else would; the way his usually flawless hair is now messy, or how his eyes flicker to you every second as if you're going to disappear into thin air, or the way his hand is ever so slightly trembling as he holds onto you so tightly.

as a psychiatrist, vyn can spot the signs of how upset you are before you say anything, but he waits for you to tell him first because he doesn't want to put any pressure on you. when you open up to him, vyn isn't judgemental at all, he listens to you carefully and reminds you that your feelings are valid. after all, it must have been incredibly difficult for you to cope with such an unexpected injury, and he's so proud of you for being so strong. vyn would help you start to walk again, and the look in his eyes when you take your first few steps on your own almost makes the whole thing worth it.

✧ thank you for reading ! if you have a request, feel free to send it in 🌠

© icypopz 2024. do not repost or modify in any way.

[augustinewrites]

+ series summary: as marius von hagen’s assistant, it’s your job to accompany him to certain public functions. you’re used to being in the background, but this time? the event is an engagement party, and he doesn’t need an assistant. he needs a date.

as soon as the elevator opens to the penthouse floor, you pull the key card out of your purse and march straight to the door on your right.

six months ago you would have hesitated. six months ago you would have knocked politely, with a cup of coffee, a muffin, and a kind smile. 

now, you slap the key against the scanner aggressively. as soon as it turns green, you push down the handle and lean heavily on the door to let yourself in. 

you scrunch your nose as you step over a pair of sloppily discarded high heels, slipping your own off and pushing both pairs aside with a stocking-clad foot. then you venture into your boss’ apartment, deciding to deal with the blonde scrolling through her phone on the couch first.

“you need to leave,” you tell her dispassionately, picking up what you assume is her clutch and tossing it into her lap. “this isn’t a bed and breakfast. mr. von hagen has business to attend to.”

you wait impatiently as she looks you up and down, taking in your office ensemble along with the identification card hanging from your lanyard. 

relenting, she lets you herd her out the door without protest, but not before handing off all her contact information in case your boss ‘wants to have fun again.’

you take the little slip of paper (noting the lipstick kiss in the corner), then slam the door in her face. 

monday mornings are always the same. 

after kicking out sunday’s trash, you grab some aspirin and a glass of water, heading for the master bedroom.

predictably, marius is still passed out. you find him practically spread-eagled in the bed, with only a thin top sheet protecting his modesty. 

you’ve learned the hard way that marius sleeps nude, but seeing his toned chest and abdomen, along with the neatly trimmed trail of hair leading below the sheet never fails to make you catch your breath…

you squeeze your eyes shut, telling yourself to snap out of it. he’s your boss, the man who signs your paychecks and is the cause of some of your biggest headaches to date. 

“sir,” you whisper harshly from the doorway, reluctant to move closer. when you don’t get a response, you call out to him again, this time at a normal volume. much to your chagrin, his cute sleeping face - mouth slightly parted, brows scrunched - remains unchanged. 

huffing, you step around last night’s clothes and empty liquor bottles to rip the curtains open, letting the morning sunshine stream into the room. this action makes marius stir, groaning tiredly as he lays a hand over his eyes. 

“sir,” you say again, with more force this time. “you have a consult with the legal team in a half hour.”

“the legal team…” he mutters, still refusing to pry his eyes open. 

he continues to grumble uselessly into his pillowcase, clearly intending to make your job as difficult as possible. 

…until you check your watch and decide that you can’t waste anymore time coddling him, so you take the half filled glass of water and dump it over his head. 

he jerks up with a sputter, glaring at you as he swipes the ice water out of his face. 

“there are nicer ways to wake a guy up, you know,” he huffs, shaking the water out of his hair. 

you set the glass down, sighing. “if you want to be babied, sir, you should call vincent.” 

he mumbles something you’re sure is rude under his breath, pushing wet bangs out of his face before asking, “where’s maia?”

“first of all her name is–” you check the note you’d scrunched in your pocket. “–mia and she left her cell number, home number, and the number of the strip club she works at.” you hold it out to him, humming. “very classy, sir.”  

he doesn’t even look at it, so you crumple it back up and stuff it into your pocket. 

“yikes. i don’t know why she bothered. i already gave her the speech.” he shrugs, clearing his throat as he recites, “‘last night was incredible. you’re a great girl, but right now in my career–’” 

“‘i just can’t give you the relationship you want or deserve,’” you finish, having heard him recycle the practiced line to multiple other hookups in the last three months.

“hey, you memorized it!” he exclaims, lifting his hand for a high five. he lowers it when he sees your unimpressed look. “wrong crowd, i see that now.”

rolling your eyes, you turn around and open the door to his closet, grabbing a set of clothes that costs more than your rent and laying them over your arm as you call over your shoulder, “when i took this job, i didn’t expect to deal with the pussy parade. be honest, are you in some kind of competitive sex tournament?”

“i’m young and single!” he reasons, catching the boxers you throw at his head and quickly slipping them on. “i’m allowed to sow a few oats.” 

everyone in the office knows that it’s really about the lawyer from themis getting engaged. 

you’ve seen the way marius used to look at her, seen the plain adoration that used to shine in his gaze. it’s why ever since news of her engagement, you go through this every monday— when she comes in to help him navigate the confusing reports and updates of confusing legalese.

his behaviour these past few weeks was a coping mechanism. an unhealthy one, obviously, but who were you to tell that to the president of a multi-billion dollar company?

“whatever you say, sir,” you shrug, shoving the pants and button down into his arms. “get changed. i’ll call vincent and have him let everyone know we’re on our way.” 

you step out of the bedroom to let him get dressed, deciding to make yourself busy by starting the coffee maker. as the scent of freshly ground beans fills the penthouse, you take a moment to pull out your phone and double-check your boss’ calendar. 

after the meeting with legal, his schedule is relatively clear. only a handful of things you need him to review, along with a spot of press. it’s a relatively easy monday, by all means.

it’s then that berry decides to make an appearance, the adorable russian blue leaping up onto the counter and meowing insistently to get your attention. smiling, you reach out to scratch lightly under his chin.

“what are we going to do with him, huh?” you whisper, scooping him up into your arms. content purrs rumble against your palm as you stroke his fur. 

“traitor,” marius scoffs, entering the kitchen. you glance over your shoulder to see him looking somewhat put together. not only is his shirt still untucked, but his hair is still messy and wet and you’re positive he’s still sweating tequila. 

he ignores the fresh coffee in favour of grabbing a carton of orange juice from the fridge. he unscrews the cap, flicking it onto the counter so he can take a swig. 

“unbelievable,” you mutter under your breath. marius  glances over at you, wiping the corner of his mouth with sleeve before holding the carton out to you. 

“what? you want some?”

you push it away with a fingertip. “no, thank you.”

he shrugs, screwing the cap back on and shoving it back into the fridge. you and berry watch with equally unimpressed looks as he rummages through the oversized pantry, resurfacing with a box of cereal. 

you turn to open a nearby cabinet, grabbing a bowl. 

but in those few seconds, he’d already ripped the box open and was scooping cereal out with his hands, pouring handfuls into his mouth. 

this is it, you think as he gets crumbs all over his nice shirt. this is what marius von hagen looks like when he hits rock bottom. 

_____

you barely make it to the meeting on time. 

the whole team is already seated, ready to begin. marius - with the mcdonald’s iced coffee that’d almost made the two of you late in hand - takes a seat at the head of the conference table. 

your boss is surprisingly alert despite the fact that his brain is currently steeped in alcohol. he takes notes, asks appropriate questions, makes thoughtful suggestions. it’s one of the things you respect about him. he is a professional first and foremost.

“it seems that’s all for today,” he says once the last subject has been covered. “if there are any other questions, please keep them to yourselves.”

with that, he makes his grand exit.

well…he was a professional most of the time.

you're quick to jump in when the room fills with dissatisfied murmurs. “if you have any questions, please direct them to vincent or myself so we may raise them with mr. von hagen at a later time."

with that, everyone carries on with their day. you head back to your desk with an armload of paperwork for marius to look over and sign. you read the first few pages as you walk, already working out a summary in your head.

you make it to your desk just in time to see rosa following marius into his office.

chatting in his office after a meeting is a fairly common occurance. rosa comes by to help review whatever contracts his staff of corporate lawyers had drawn up, or walk him through any topics confused about.

your phone buzzes with a message from marius.

[marius]: come get me in five to say that we’ll be late for lunch.

what isn’t common is for him to do that.

but you do as he says, knocking politely when the five minutes are up.

“come in!”

“sir,” you begin after sending rosa a small wave. “we’ll be late for lunch if we don’t leave now.”

“lunch?” the young lawyer echoes, sounding confused. “it’s hardly 10am.”

marius clicks his tongue, closing the folder on his desk. “well, you know what they say. early worm gets the worm.”

“that’s not at all correct—”

he’s already nudging you out the door, a respectful hand resting on the small of your back as he guides you away from his office. “see you later, miss!”

“what are you doing?” you ask, feeling your face heat up as you become the object of your coworker’s confused stares. “i have work to do—”

marius pulls you into an empty conference room, closing the door behind you.

“rosa invited me to her engagement party this weekend,” he says, tone clipped.

you’re not quite sure where he’s going with this. “shall i pick out a gift?”

“no, i’ll take care of that,” he tells you. then, with a growing smile that almost always means he’s up to something, he asks, “what are you doing this saturday?”

“i—”

“trick question. i’d like you to accompany me as my date.”

[galaxybooper]

The legend, the greatest of all time, Vincent Tong has answered three questions. After being granted permission, I happily yeet this post into the fandom. I want to note that the questions and answers are copied directly from the Cameo DM. There is no rewording. The more personalized question is hidden below for those who are not interested. Enjoy!

Question: "My first question is what do you think Kai would wear when he's not in his ninja gi? I know during the show we have some outfits Kai wears but as the voice actor, I wanted to ask what is your take on Kai's fashion style?"

Answer: "That’s a good question. Since Kai fancies himself as a ladies man, he is very aware when he’s out and about town. I can see him being very colour coordinated, in red of course, in case anyone isn’t aware he’s the elemental master of Fire 🔥 For casual wear he would rock a red tracksuit with with a sleeveless hoodie, to show off his muscles of course. And if he was to dress up a bit, I could see him wearing a sparkle red suit that would change colour if heated it up by his fire powers!"

Question: "My next question is about the scar on his right eye. My apologies if you have already answered this question before during a Q&A but I am curious. Do you have any takes on how Kai got that scar or why he has that bandage too? Is it another scar? And did Kai always have this scar or did something happen before the events of the Sons of Garmadon season that caused the scars?"

Answer: "My answer to this is kinda lame, cause I actually was never told the origins of the scar. I think it was a design decision to make Kai stand out. But if I had to create a story: He was going pee in the middle of the night and hit head on the bunk bed Nya and him shared as kids. But he would never admit that to anyone. He’d say he got it from defending a poor street dog from other giant bully streets dogs. Kai walked away with a scar but those street dogs walked away with greatest lesson of all: You play with Fi-yah, you’re gonna get burned 🔥🔥"

Question: "My last question right now for you is this. You mentioned before Ariel was your first crush as a kid. If Kai ever met Ariel, what would that interaction look like? What would Kai think of Ariel?"

Answer: "Oooo good question! Well Kai would right away blush so hard seeing Ariel. His hair might even catch fire a bit, cause she’s so pretty! And she would point out that both their hair is red🔥🤭 He would use a cheesy line like ‘Whoa are those fins, cause you’ve been swimming around my mind all day!’ Ariel can’t talk cuz of that mean sea witch, but she would giggle silently at Kai trying so hard to be cool! I think they would prob hang out eating ice cream to help him cool off. He would try to make Ariel laugh and anything she did would just make him blush more ☺️ I think they would make a great pair! 💕💕🧜‍♀️🔥"

[h-l-v-kennedy-blog]

Unexpected (how a punch can turn into a meet-cute)

Robert Kennedy x OC

Taglist: @jackiesgirl, @theverystrangegirl27, @fortheloveofjos, @kennediva, @stargiirl27

Trigger Warnings: age gap (around 12 years), no smut (if that's even a warning?), a single punch, harassment, bruised knuckles, swearing.

Extra notes: this is an rpf and not based on any fact, just delusional daydreams from this gal.

Synopsis: It was an unexpected turn for Robert when Ethel chose God over him and left their relationship to join a convent. He understood her to some measurement as a Catholic, yet a part of him thought he had found the one. He decided to dedicate himself not to God but help his older brother on his growing political and government career. 

So, in 1949, even with a broken heart he went on with his studies at the University of Virginia. He made a few good friends and befriended Alec Worthing, whose younger sister he ended up meeting in 1958 at a campaign celebration party for Jack after he was re-elected to the Senate after winning against Republican lawyer Vincent J. Celeste. 

1958 - 4th of November, Boston, MA

“Now, Bobby, my kid sister’s a bit of nuisance. She breathes poetry and reads too much. Ignore her enthusiasm, it’s her first campaign party.” Alec said sipping champagne from a plastic cup as he and Bobby watch the celebrations. Jack was dancing with Jackie. “She’s freshly 21 and wants everyone to know it and...” Alec got distracted when a redheaded campaign aid came to them and asked him for a turn on the dance floor. Flushed, Alec nodded and left Bobby behind.  

Bobby leaned on the back wall smoking a cigar and already thinking of having to soon return to the Senate Rackets Committee where he was chief counsel. He was in deep thought while his eyes wandered around the busy and joyful room. His sight then fixed on a young woman who he had never met before and who seemed to be having some issues with a campaign aid in a corner of the large office space were the campaign office was. The male aid stood close to her; he saw her squirm and so Bobby made his way towards her and the man towering over her.  

As he was nearing, he stopped when the woman decked the men and pushed out into the hallway outside the main room. Bobby made a mental note to have that man taken off the management team. 

Was she alright? 

He decided to find out and saw her in the empty hallway and saw her hold her right hand. She hadn’t noticed him. Music and the warm light crept into the dark hallway where only a single window brought in moonlight. The light bounced back on her blonde hair and light blue dress. She heard his footsteps, and her body went frigid. 

Looking at him standing a few feet away from her. “Are you...his friend?” She asked, her voice steadier than Bobby had expected.  

“No.” he said.  

She nodded her head slowly, “How much did you see?” 

“I saw you punch him.” 

She muttered under her breath a soft “shit!” while clutching her right hand. “Did anyone else notice?” 

Bobby shook his head ‘no’. “I don’t think so. Can I come closer?”  

She took a step back. “Why?” 

“To see if your hand's alright.” 

“You won’t try anything?” 

“I don’t want to take my chances. I saw what you did to the last guy.” He tried to joke but saw her expression not change. “I won’t try anything. I promise.” 

She looked at him skeptically but walked towards him. “It doesn’t hurt that much.” She showed him her hand, her knuckles bruised with blue and purple. 

“How hard did you hit him?” He asked gently touching her hand avoiding the bruise. 

She shrugged, “Harder than I thought.” 

“You should get some ice on it. Sit here, I’ll bring you some.” He gestured for her to sit down on one of the benches in the hallway.  

She looked apprehensive. “What if he finds me? Can’t I come with you?” 

Robert nodded and led her to the staff kitchen where there was ice kept in the freezer. He turned on the light and the young woman jumped onto the counter and looked at him as he found a dish towel and wrapped it around a handful of ice.  

He put it onto her knuckles holding it place. “You should hold it on for a while.”  

She nodded and placed her hand on the cloth as he removed his. He put some distance between them. Several beats of silence later. 

The woman broke it: “What’s your name? I’d like to know who to send a thank you card to.” 

“Robert Kennedy.”  He spoke. A look of recognition passed her face. Her eyes widened in a quite almost cartoonish way. 

“Kennedy? I should’ve known.” She said, and for the first time he saw her smile and laugh, “My friends will lose their minds when I tell them Bobby Kennedy put ice on my hand.” Her expression then changed. “You went to UV with my brother, right?” 

Now it was Robert’s turn to look surprised. “You’re Alec’s kid sister?” 

“That’s me. Ava Worthing.” She said before scoffing, “Though I’m not much of kid anymore, I’m senior at Vassar and much more mature than he can give me credit.” 

And so, they talked without noticing the passage of time. It was simple for both, to move from topic to topic. It was strange how easy it was. They hardly knew anything about each other and somehow, they clicked into place. 

She was curious about politics and about what was happening in the courts with the Teamsters. Robert showed his passionate side and found himself enthralled at how she kept up with him. She told him about her own interests and that she wanted to be a writer and to better the world in any way she could. 

End (for now...)

Dividers: @cafekitsune, https://www.tumblr.com/cafekitsune/761910969259655168/moon-line-dividers-001?source=share

[sephirthoughts]

New Tseng Headcanons!!

Tseng being a smug villain about blowing up the Sector 7 support pillar and dooming thousands to death, but also holding on to Aerith's letters for Zack because he can't bear to throw them away, which would be tantamount to admitting Zack is really gone. He's complicated.

Tseng can see the Whispers but is gaslighting Rufus about it to amuse himself

this is because Tseng is all ice-cold badass on the surface (like it's a matter of legend that he may have ever smiled once) but he's an absolute menace and he's secretly clowning everyone

it was him who stuck gum on the bottom of all of Reno's shoes

it was him who replaced Elena's bullets with blanks that one time so she thought she was a terrible shot for a whole day

it was him who anonymously circulated those embarrassing photos of Rude when he had his MC Hammer phase as a teen (Rude was not embarrassed in the least and maintains that he looked cool in parachute pants, with a flat-top fade)

it was him who threw a red scarf in with Rufus' laundry when they were in Junon and it was the only suit he brought, so he had to do a press conference in bright pink

it was him who taught Darkstar to bark wildly whenever Scarlet says the word "boring" or Hojo says the word "fascinating"

Tseng actually laughs really easily and has a very childish sense of humor. a lot of the times that he's being all silent and stoic and mysterious, it's because he literally has to bite his tongue to stop himself laughing at some stupid shit, and he can't talk while he's doing that

no one but Tseng's mother has ever actually heard him laugh (like really laugh not the villain laugh he does when he's making a theatrical scene about some evil shit he's up to)

Tseng smokes when he's stressed. no one in the fucking world knows about it and they never will. there is never even a molecule of lingering scent on him ever. the lengths he has to go to in order to accomplish this are….excessive, since no one would give a shit if they knew he smoked. he just doesn't like anyone knowing anything about him

on that note, no one knows where he actually lives. he keeps multiple dummy addresses on file with Shinra to throw the HR people off. the other Turks can't even figure it out because he always spots them when they try to tail him. like from 200 yards that asshole is supernatural or something

he considered Zack his best friend because they had several missions together and exchanged multiple sentences outside of work, due to their both caring for Aerith. it destroyed him that he failed to save Zack and he became even more cold, detached, and emotionally unavailable because of it. no one ever noticed any of this because he's a goddamn pro

he still has the letters

he's a huge dorky ridiculous Vincent Valentine fangirl and the secret president of the (admittedly very small) fan club

the fan club is called the TV Club, as in Turk Valentine, because that makes it sound like boring nerd shit that no one would be curious about if it happened to come up somehow

most of the TV Club members are retired Shinra employees who had crushes on Vincent back in the day, before he disappeared. the conspiracy theories regarding him being alive rival those of the famous Elvis truthers, and some of them get weirdly close to the real facts (those ones ironically are the most laughed at and least believed theories)

there is some very well written but anonymous reader-insert Rookie Turk x Agent Valentine fanfic on their message board, but no one can prove who wrote it

Veld is also in the fan club

so is Sephiroth for reasons currently unknown

people say Tseng's Turk Valentine cosplay is absolutely stunning (mostly because he's also beautiful, black-haired, and Wutaian) but they have no idea how how very much painstakingly historically accurate detail is in it. he had the suit custom tailored from a vintage midnight-blue worsted wool fabric that he had to hunt down because it's not in production anymore

he actually checked Vincent's old service sidearm out of the Shinra armory on supposed official Turk business to go with the costume even though everyone thought it was a replica, because real weapons are not allowed at the convention center. he knew. that was enough.

he wore the costume for the office halloween party, one year, but everyone at work just thought he got a new suit. Reno almost had a brain aneurysm over even that much, though, so it's probably for the best that they didn't notice.

however, the fact that they didn't notice the very obvious blood-red contact lenses made him deeply worried for the future of the Turks. everyone was required to attend remedial espionage training the next week, much to their bitching and moaning

@soundcrusher tagging you cause you said that you wanted to see this silliness. you brought it upon yourself! 🖤

[small-sinclair]

Hello, hope you're doing well ^u^ The Sinclair brothers (separate) heading out to another town/city to get groceries and other necessities? I feel like thins would be pretty hard with Vincent, though maybe on Halloween it could work?

As a side note, do you have plans to expand your character list in the future? Asking out of curiosity

-Snake

Heya! Yes, I do plan on expanding my list. I’ll try Michael Myers(young, not old), Jason V., and Thomas Heewit once. I think they might be fun to write.

(I’m actually really excited to talk about my Thomas Heewit x preg!reader au!)

The Sinclair Shoppings

Bo: Grab and Go

Shopping List King. If it’s not in the list, he’s not getting it. He doesn’t care how bad you want it, you’re not getting it.

But as the gif shows, he does like to buy in bulk.

Aims for easy cooking/quick cooking meals, but he’ll make some good southern food if he’s in the mood or something special is coming up like a holiday.

He doesn’t like being far from Ambrose because he doesn’t like leaving Vincent alone (or his s/o).

He’ll also put up flyers for people to come and visit the House of Wax if Vincent needs a new muse.

Side note: I have a hc that they do open the HoW to the public, cleaning it up a bit, and have people come visit from the other towns. The Sinclairs actually drew a crowd and get a lot of money, too! As always, they take 1/4 of the money and donate it the cancer hospital in memory of their mother.

If he’s in the mood, he’ll stop for food on his way home :3 Burger King or Wendy’s.

Vincent: Halloween Only

The Sinclair Brothers make a DAY out of this!

It’s Halloween night he he goes out in public for shopping and to the art store for the Scary Art Fair at the local community center.

He loves seeing other people’s art even if it’s made by amateurs. What he really loves is when kids look up at him without fear and show him their art! He as a shelf in his workshop with all the art the children have given him over the years.

Oh! And there’s an art competition for best Halloween art! Of COURSE, Vincent stays and does this art competition. He loves it!

Anyways, he goes shopping and gets the items he needs for art, the house, and for anything else.

Bo is by his side the whole time because he has to make sure his brother is safe. Also, they sell candy apples at the art fair. He’s a happy camper with his candy apple.

Lester: An Average Day

He’s the one that goes out and does the shopping mostly.

Whatever Bo or Vincent needs, he’ll get it. If Vincent needs new art items, he’ll get it as long as he has a brand name/packaging.

Lester is actually really good at finding good art tools and supplies. He has a membership at Michael’s and Joann’s just to get art stuff for Vincent.

Lester has to bring Bo along for new car parts.

He’ll always bring back food afterwards. Ice cream is his go to, and no one has complained about it!

He can be gone as long as he wants… well, as long as he’s home for dinner.

[us3rnam3-r3dact3d]

I was scrolling thru my old posts and found the one about the boys coffee orders and… I disagree with my former self. So…

New and Improved Redacted Coffee Orders

David

It started as a red eye, no sugar, no cream. Eventually he graduated to a black eye. There’s a small coffee shop across the street from the den that he frequents. The staff knows him by name and, while most of them were scared of him to begin with, seeing how giant he is, they warmed up to him. He’s very polite to service workers and tips very well. The owner started keeping his favorite brew (a light roast single origin from Coast Rica) well in stock. Most days, when he comes in, the barista decides how many shots he needs based on how tired he looks.

- [ ] Asher

Frappe all day baby. He knows that there isn’t a lot of caffeine in those, but he’s already hyperactive so it balances just fine. He has a taste for chocolate, but always tries the seasonal ones when they come out. While the baristas hate making his order, they love his personality and always make his, as he puts it, with “extra love.” Ash claims he can taste it.

- [ ] Milo

Cappuccino. Sometimes with a pump of flavor, most often as it comes. Milo is an espresso snob. The man is Italian. Whenever they go to a new coffee shop he orders a solo to see how it tastes. He refuses to drink Starbucks espresso. Will be an asshole about how to pronounce coffee terminology.

(As a side note, Darlin’ orders straight espresso shots and takes them like actual shots. Milo is always horrified and tries consistently to get them to sip it but they simply won’t.)

Sam

Caffeine doesn’t work for vampires, but Sam just likes the taste of coffee. He’s a conoceré who loves fruity notes, unwashed processed beans, and dark roasts. His favored form of preparation is a French press, but he recently got a very nice syphon set up that he’s still figuring out. He takes his coffee with cream and a bit of sugar.

Vincent

Iced lavender lattes. Listen… Vincent is fruity. He’s a fruity fruity man. He likes it sweet and he will take it iced no matter the weather. There’s a late night coffee shop he frequents whose baristas think Vincent is an incredibly attractive gay insomniac.

William

William is more familiar with the early Parisian style of cafes than he is with American coffee culture, and he absolutely misses that. William staunchly stands by the idea that Le Procope was the first cafe in Paris, and that he drank coffee with Voltaire. He loves noisettes (espresso with a drop or two of cream) and has one nightly after dinner.

Huxley

Hux doesn’t drink coffee, but he does call the energy drinks he drinks coffee which drives Damien insane. Dames has started passive aggressively bringing Hux cups of black coffee when he asks instead of his Monster flavor of the week.

Damien

Iced coffee, no sugar, no cream. He drinks it iced because no matter how fresh the coffee is, it still feels a bit tepid to him. Drives him crazy, so he sticks with iced. When he’s feeling a little wild, he’ll add some oatmilk.

Lasko

Canonically, he drinks a doppio americano. I like to think it’s because he is too nervous/ conscientious to ask for something more complicated. He drinks it with two sugars and cream, but he doesn’t really enjoy the taste of coffee. Just the utility of it. Freelancer tries to get him into other drinks, and he enjoys the things that they get, but he never has the nerve to get them for himself when it comes time to order.

Gavin

Gavin has absolutely no interest in coffee. Caffeine does nothing for him, and he doesn’t like bitter things. What he does have, however, is a massive sweet tooth. He likes boba, but the fruity bursting type. His and FL’s favorite coffee shop is a small cafe that serves a wonderful selection of boba. He mixes it up often, but his go to a pink lemonade with blueberry popping boba.

Morgan

Morgan is a tea guy for sure. The potency and intrusiveness of seer magic can be worsened by substances, and that includes caffeine. Morgan doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink, doesn’t take anything. He drinks herbal tea, sometimes decaf black tea. He likes a decaf London Fog when he’s feeling fancy, but often drinks his tea with just a splash of milk and two sugars.

Guy

Red Bull energy. This man drinks energy drinks like he isn’t blessed by the gods with an unholy amounts of hyperactivity. Since he does have adhd, caffeine often makes him sleepy. He can be found drinking Red Bulls of all flavors at all hours of the day. They’re the only things that manage to get him out of the absolute energy slump he has first thing in the morning, but he has been known to drink them late into the night. He’s also a fan of a vodka Red Bulls.

Aaron

Black coffee. And not good black coffee, either. He likes the instant shit. Coffee so tough he can chew it. He’s had good coffee before. Freshly ground French presses, premium Italian blends, single origins from the heart of the coffee belt. And yet, nothing satisfies him like Folgers instant. Smartass does have a fancy ass espresso machine, but he refuses to use it, and only politely sips the sugar-filled lattes they lovingly make for him.

Elliot

Elliot loves coffee. It’s a byproduct of his trade. Maybe it’s a stereotype to say that all dreamwalkers love coffee, but given that he spends the majority of his day asleep, it helps when he has to be conscious and functional. Elliot loves cold brew, since it’s a really concentrated brew. He makes his own using a very dark roast. He likes it a bit sweet, a bit creamy, but he really loves

[ladydeath-vanserra]

New Blog Bio:

I do not tolerate pro-israel, zionist shit anywhere near me. I don't tolerate anti semitism anywhere near me. I will not tolerate anyone who is upholding or supporting the ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Palestinians. if you do, BLOCK ME

if ur gonna follow or interact with my blog pls realize I am very critical towards most acotar content, especially if it involves Rhysand. I am more-or-less a Rhys Anti until further notice and I am hard-core side eye towards Cassian until Rhysand is held accountable for being a shitty person for more than like *checks notes* two pages

I'm not a Tamlin Stan, nor do I particularly care for him, but I have been engaging in thoughtful criticisms of his actions often which involves character analysis so you v likely will see that pop up every now and then

likely you will find:

anti Rhysand

anti/critical IC

anti/critical/pro feyre

anti/critical Cassian posts, maybe MAYBE pro cassian

critical/pro Azriel- I'm pretty neutral towards him

anti/critical/pro elain content [often. w/o being tied to a ship]

pro Lucien

pro Nesta

pro Eris

most pro tog characters

anti/critical chaol (he just annoys me with his high horse)

Pro Ships:

Azriel/Eris/Nesta

Tamsand (lmao)

Feylin [book one]

Elucien

Nesta/Lucien [idk the ship name]

Feycien

Feyssian

Mesta

most tog ships

aelin/manon

malide

chaorian

Anti Ships:

Nessian

Feysand

Elriel

lysaedion

chaolena

My Specific ACoTaR Meta:

SJM + Eugenics + Ableism in her Writing

CoN + the Eternal Perpetuation of Abuse and Toxicity

SJM and the vilification of Ireland in acotar and tog

SJM could have had the HLs give their power to resurrect her wo Rhys forcing them if she played by Faerie Rules

Rhys physically assaulted Nesta

Class Warfare + Class Traitors in ACoTaR

Rhysand + Morally Grey Behavior

My Meta / Aus / etc Posts

tag -> #justice for poor cassian and poor archeron Sisters

tag -> #glasses!elain propaganda

tag -> #slavic archeron Sisters au

tag -> #fix cassians characterization challenge

tag -> #scottish!tamlin

tag -> #welsh!rhys

tag -> #disabled!Cassian

tag -> #my acotar world building

tag -> #appropriated faerie lore in acotar

tag -> #hybern Ireland

tag -> #white feminism in acotar

tag -> #eugenics in acotar

tag -> #eugenics in tog

tag -> #classism in acotar

Other Acotar Meta:

Mor SA'd Cassian

tag -> #acotar tiktok meta

tag -> #acotar meta

tag -> #racism in acotar

tag -> #Nesta is not an alcoholic send tweet

Other:

A Synopsis of The Ballad of Tam Lin

Other Fandoms:

TVDverse:

leave season 1 Caroline ALONE. she deserved better 🥺

Damon and Rose's Friendship that is ALL

"He's the 'good brother'. I'm the 'bad brother'" Salvatore Brothers meta

Esther is Mikaels victim too stop this irritating 'Esther is the real villain'

tag -> #can we stop the overt vilification of Esther Mikaelson and the UwUization of Mikael Mikaelson

tag -> #tvd tiktok edits

tag -> #Damon Salvatore

tag -> #Caroline Forbes

tag -> #Vincent Griffith

tag -> #Shelia Bennett

Bridgerton:

It's Loving how Nuanced Portia is Hours

tag -> #Portia Featherington

Shadow and Bone / Six of Crows:

The Darkling Meta

tag -> #David kostyk

Once Upon a Time

tag -> #cora mills

The Hunger Games / A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes:

Coriolanus Snow Meta

tag -> #thg tiktok meta

tag -> #coriolanus snow

tag -> #reaper ash

tag -> #wovey

Percy Jackson

tag -> #nico di Angelo

completely irrelevant:

tag -> #rural iowa

more to be added!

[mysticdeath]

Send “📂“ for a random yet completely useless headcanon I have

Vincent

while known for his mastery of magic, specifically that of dark and sacrifical magic, the tremé witch also has profound knowledge of herbalism, a skill he learned from his grandmother. he frequently uses natural remedies and plants from new orleans' rich ecosystem for healing spells; preferring the herbalism and healing magic to darker, more dangerous forms. this came into play as vincent began to focus on healing both the witches of new orleans and his personal relationship with magic. while he has always been connected to the earth, even when he was distant and defected from the witch community, he believes that natural magic — drawn from the world around them, is a way for witches to stay grounded, avoiding the temptations of more destructive power.

on his rare days off, vincent enjoys tending to a small community herb garden he helped start, a peaceful hobby that reconnects him to the earth and his ancestors' more spiritual forms of magic. after becoming regent, then faction leader, and retaking his place among the witch community, vincent begins using the garden as a means to teach witch children. encouraging them to come and visit and cultivate plants themselves, eventually creating an informal class where he shares his wisdom.

instead of focusing on spells that deal with raw power or offensive magic during these "classes", vincent teaches them the subtle art of working with nature. using herbs, roots, and flowers to create potions, salves, and charms for healing and protection. the biggest point vincent tries to emphasize : magic doesn’t always have to be about dominance or destruction, a belief he hopes will one day shift the younger generation's focus away from the power struggles that have plagued new orleans for centuries.

| | | | 🩸 — a random headcanon, accepting.

[heichou-dancho]

FFVII Rebirth thoughts (Spoilers for everything)

I reemerge having finished Rebirth after four weeks and 92 hours in-game playtime. That’s an incredibly short but also massive amount of playtime for me, Yakuza 0 took me a year with pauses. I’m still reeling after finishing chapter 13, and since all my FF buddies from the old days are long gone, I’ll just vent here. I enjoy reading the reactions and thoughts of other players, so maybe someone else does too?

This post is full of spoilers and Shinra fangirling, but it’s about the whole game:

Shinra:

First, somebody on the team that wrote material for the Turks and Rufus must be some Shinra fandom veteran grown up with 20 years of fanon. Just Elena as a whole, Rude getting her that ice cream, Rufus in the Gold Saucer harassing fighting Cloud for fun, Dark Star not only obeying Rufus but also Tseng. Rufus complaining that Tseng is being overprotective… (faints) So much crack and shippy moments, I was grinning like an idiot.

(Is crack fic even a thing anymore? It feels like they’ve gotten rarer)

I expected maybe three or four scenes with the Turks, maybe less for Rufus. AND THEN SQUARE SHOVED THEM IN WHEREVER THEY COULD WITHOUT DERAILING THE PLOT. Elena was given so much room to breathe. Same for Rufus. Those little moments with Darkstar. I’m over the moon.

Okay, Rufus, so your father got stabbed, and the first thing you did after that was recording some motion-capturing and dialogue for a Turk recruitment hologram-video-thingy in an abandoned facility? It makes zero sense, but it’s my favourite protorelic mission and I’ll happily add it to my headcanon as a sign that Rufus gave Tseng his okay to recruit more Turks.

(The real answer would probably be automatically generated AI shenanigans, but that’s not very exciting.)

Viceroy Saruf. Just … Rufus, you’re such a cheeky idiot and I love you. Is there any faction in this world you’re not manipulating from the background? I can’t shake the feeling that being the man in the shadows suits you more than actually openly running the company.

Tseng and Reeve were great, I would love more little moments like that, where the Shinra folks just interact outside of action scenes and dramatic moments. The talk Tseng had with Reno and Rufus in Remake after the Sector 7 collapse hit the same note for me. I want more Reeve in part 3.

The scene between Tseng and Aerith at the temple made my eyes misty, but I wish it had been longer. Tseng keeping it short and abruptly leaving to "make a report" was perfect, and I know Cloud being so cold and cutting Aerith off fits his behaviour, but something about the timing just felt off.

I was surprised that Heidegger would take a bullet for Rufus. For President Shinra, absolutely, but Rufus? Hmm… This makes great fanfic material. I’ve read a fanfic before that tried to reimagine the Shinra executives (even Palmer) as more realistic people, and I found it to be really interesting, but then I’m a weirdo with plot bunnies in my head that involve a younger President Shinra, his wife, Veld, Vincent and the older Shinra execs.

I’ve never been a fan of Hojo but his R re-imagining is one of the few that doesn’t work at all for me. OG Hojo was far more unsettling. R!Hojo is just your typical mad scientist, I just can’t care about him, which is a shame, because him taunting Aerith in Remake with how he dissected Ifalna hit me hard.

I still haven’t quite grasped why Rufus is so obsessed with the Promised Land. It probably all comes down to wanting to be more successful than his father, right? I’m probably forgetting or mixing up details from Remake, Rebirth or the OG here, but I assumed that Rufus would outright dismiss it as a fairy tale.

Apparently there is a Midgar DLC for Power Wash Simulator. Square Enix, where is Hitman: Tseng and a version of Yakuza where I can play the Turks dealing with dumb crap doing missions in Midgar? Give us Shinra fans something, I'm still waiting for the EC version of Before Crisis. And I don't even like gacha mobile games. >:(

General game thoughts:

The open world is fantastic, I want to live in Gongaga or Kalm. So pretty. People online seem to hate the Gongaga map, but the soundtrack and the jungle theme made it work for me. I found the gliding parts in Cosmo Canyon far harder to navigate.

Shinra Manor is terrible with Vincent being it’s only redeeming part. The actual mansion looked great (the portrait of President Shinra was a nice touch) but the upper levels being inaccessible and turning it into another lab dungeon was boring. Same for the box throwing mini-game.

Dio the archaeologist turned body-builder is great, but Shinra knowing about the keystone and just not bothering to use it when President Shinra was looking for the Promised Land is a weird plot hole. It would have been a lot easier than trying to convince Aerith to come to them. There were some other little details like that, that bothered me but it’s a blur now.

Remake Barett made me into a Barret fan, Rebirth Nanaki into a Nanaki fan. The writers are genius when it comes to rewriting these characters from the OG. I’m not really bothered by Cid not being grumpy and swearing all the time. Him reminiscing about Ifalna was cute. Vincent using his old Turk skills (and having some lingering loyalty to the job?) was cool. Really looking forward to seeing how they’ll handle Lucrecia, the one character in FFVII I'm so conflicted about.

I’m still confused about Aerith’s death scene, especially the cuts where she’s lying in her own blood and then isn’t. I understand that she’s dead in her current reality, but is the scene without blood (and Aerith "waking up" in Cloud’s arms) Cloud’s hallucination or just a different reality? I’m also utterly confused by how many Aeriths we’re dealing with. The Aerith and Cloud we’re playing with and the sleeping Aerith (and Cloud) from the dimension where Zack lives are one and the same? It’s tying my brain into knots, and not in a good way. That’s why I usually can’t stand stories involving elaborate time travel loops or parallel universes.

(Man, why doesn't Tumblr allow spaces between paragraphs? I hope your eyes aren't bleeding)

I first played the OG as a young teen. Cloud’s mind being fractured and hallucinating was a neat bit of storytelling back then that I hadn’t encountered in video games before. Twenty years later, I’ve dealt with loved ones who are ill but refuse help, and known plenty of people who have some form of psychosis or schizophrenia. Whilst I would never seriously compare Cloud’s problems with rl mental illnesses, I found the scenes where he sees Sephiroth and no one else, or is completely out of it hard to stomach. Interacting with somebody who has hallucinations (even "harmless" ones) or paranoid thoughts is unsettling at best, nightmarish at worst. The group trying to passively bear it and keep things together rings very true (especially Tifa) but I’m surprised that even Barett or Yuffie aren’t trying to confront Cloud about his behaviour at least once.

(I tried to format in html, but it somehow looked worse. I'm old. This is how Vincent must feel like every day.)

Dyne, Myrna and Tseng talking to Aerith at the temple had me tearing up, and I lost it at Aerith’s "date" with Cloud in Ch. 14. Hoo boy, I know Aerith stalling off the inevitable just for a little time, was the game having a very direct conversation with the player about what’s going to come, death and how we deal with it. But to me personally, it was more about how one gets caught up in trauma and repeat it over and over in your head, mulling about the point of where things went wrong and what you could have done to prevent it. I know it doesn’t fit, but that’s what my weird brain made out of it. Also Dyne’s and Aerith’s (at the temple) speeches about how they deal (or didn’t) with grief and trauma hit me hard.

Damn you, silly anime action game, you really shouldn’t affect me this deeply, but then a lot of fiction hits me harder than it used to.

[sweetbillwriting]

The Finer Things

Who Are You? - Part 1

Description: Ines lives a modest life in Brooklyn but have a secret, a valuable painting. Out of nowhere Vincent De Gramont appears and wants to help her sell it. He welcomes her into a life of luxury the question is just why?

Characters: Vincent De Garmont, The Marquis, From John Wick 4.

Setting: This story is set in my own universe, so not exactly the John Wick universe.

Warnings: 18+, prejudice and stereotypical thinking about nationalities, mentions about sex.

Notes: Opinions are the characters' own, not mine.

Here you can find the teaser.

He didn't look comfortable. He didn't look amused. He looked disgusted.

Ines had said yes to the tall man to just talk over dinner. She didn't want to leave her own block, she felt more safe there, so she had decided they would go to the restaurant on the corner close to the gallery. She had always thought it was nice, a restaurant conscious about the environment and their climate footprint but the frenchmen looked around with the corner of his mouth pulled down and his nostrils flaring.

They had been placed by a small table by the bar. The Frenchman asked the staff to wipe it again but afterwards also asked his bodyguard to wipe the table but also his chair. The tall man looked like a spoiled three year old while his dad fixed everything for him. When he finally sat down he started to dust the table with his hand. Ines looked at him amused. He felt like a cartoon character.

"Why the clothes?" Asked Ines with a smirk while looking at his tie. It was knotted as a craft work and she knew he couldn't have done that by himself.

He smiled, much more friendly than she had expected.

"Your clothes say everything about you," said he and gave her outfit a careful look. She wore an oversized burgundy sweater over black leggings. She liked to dress comfortably. She smirked a little.

"So what do my clothes say about me?"

He gave her a look again but seemed to bite his tongue and turned to the waiter.

"Slow service here…"

Ines laughed a little and gave the bodyguard by the door an amused look. She wondered what people reacted most to, the Frenchman's outfit or the bodyguard.

They began to order, she ordered a modern take of green curry while he ordered a dry martini. He had sighed when he saw the menu, then the list of spirits. But he got stuck looking at the dessert menu.

"I will take two scoops of the vanilla ice cream."

Ines looked at him amused. The man in silk and velvet ordered ice cream for dinner.

"Americans make great ice cream… One of the few things you people can do…"

Ines made a sound of offense even if she wasn't.

"You're such a snob!"

He looked at her like it was an obvious fact. He would not deny it.

When their food had come out he looked at her in another way. He was down for business.

"Can I see it? The painting?"

She doubted and looked down at her plate. It wasn't really to show it that made her feel uncomfortable, because he already knew she had it but she needed to invite him into her home then. It would be easy for him to take to violence to get it and because of it being a secret she hadn't insured it and would probably not get any help to get it back.

"Can I call you Vincent?" She asked but he looked offended until he swallowed hard. He probably knew he must adjust himself to her ways to get her respect.

"Fine."

"Vincent, emm… It's in my home and you're a gentleman, I guess?"

"Absolutely." He said without a doubt, like it was a given fact.

"But I'm still afraid you will use violence against me to get the painting…"

Vincent licked his lips and nodded.

"Do you have a friend who can be with us? If that makes you feel safer?"

He looked at her with big eyes. Ines smiled with a blush. Maybe he actually was a gentleman. He did look like one.

She nodded and got a charming smile back from Vincent.

She looked at him eat his ice cream. He had a silly way of doing it. He sucked the spoon almost erotically and she could even see how his pink tongue poked out to lick the back of the spoon. It wasn't the way she had expected a fine Frenchman to eat ice cream but maybe he just liked ice cream that much. She continued to throw glances at him. It kinda looked like he was doing something else and once again Ines blushed. He was far from her normal type but he was beautiful and sexy in a snobby way. Even if he was a silly pedant.

×××

Vincent came to Ines’ home two days later. Her friend Taye was there as her safe person while Vincent's bodyguard got to stay outside the apartment. It was Vincent's idea and Ines couldn't stop thinking that she maybe had misjudged him. He was a snob but maybe not a bad person.

Taye was as tall as Vincent, a former football player so Ines could feel safe but started to feel she maybe didn't need him.

Vincent stood in front of the painting with a hand over his mouth. He looked touched and Ines looked at him fascinated.

"Can I look at it up close?" He said almost carefully and Ines nodded with a smile. Vincent moved so he could look at every pencil stroke.

"I would like to see the back of it," he said professionally and gave Ines a look.

"You can take it down by yourself."

It wasn't such a big painting, the same size as the Mona Lisa but in a modernist style.

Vincent put on a pair of thin white gloves the bodyguard gave him and then took the painting down from the white wall. He sat it down on the underside of the frame on the dinner table. He looked at the back of it, examined the frame and the part of the canvas he could see. Both Ines and Taye looked at him with big eyes. It was obvious he knew what he was doing and Ines even got a bit nervous it would be fake.

"She is a relative to you?" Said Vincent when he once again looked at the painting.

"It's my grandmother," she answered and smiled proudly. Vincent nodded and gave her a charming smile.

"You look like her."

"Thank you…" she said with a blushy smile. She could feel Taye's eyes on her. He probably couldn't believe a snobby Frenchman in a three piece suit and clock chain could make her blush.

"It's obvious he was really in love with her and she was with him. Look how gorgeously he has painted those lips… He couldn't stop staring at them…" said he passionately while looking at Ines intensely. Ines moved closer to him so she could look and could smell the scent of him. He smelled soft and sweet, almost like a feminine perfume.

Ines felt her heart beat faster. The attraction to him had come so sudden and she felt confused about it. She got embarrassed in front of Taye when she stood next to Vincent with blushing cheeks.

"I'm almost sure it's a Pivoine but I need to drive it through an X-ray and do a small test of the color," said Vincent and looked at Ines. "Do you want to sell it? I can help you get double what you have read you can get for it."

Ines swallowed hard and looked at the painting of her grandmother. But it sounded great with money. She could be financially independent.

"How would that happen?" Ines played with her necklace and looked at him nervously.

"The real buyers are in France so we must go there…"

He nodded while looking at the painting. Ines furrowed her brows confused.

"We?"

Vincent looked up at her and pulled in his waistcoat.

"Yes? You will of course be a part of the deal. I will not just take your painting. Of course you will be there. With me."

Ines laughed shocked and looked at Taye who looked worried.

"I'll fix everything. You can just relax and monitor the affair."

Ines continued to laugh and dragged her hands over her cheeks. She had never left the US, not even the state. It was like Vincent knew what she thought because he smirked at her.

"Paris, the best hotels, Michelin star restaurants, the best wine in the world, fashion…" he said seductively and looked at her with his intense big eyes. It was obvious he knew he was sexy. Ines just looked at Taye like she couldn't believe it but he didn't look impressed at all.

"You don't know this man, Ines," he said with crossed arms. Ines just thought about what Vincent said and then her boring life in Brooklyn. She didn't earn much with the gallery and had never eaten food in a Michelin star restaurant. She didn't even know what it meant. She laughed again and let all the impulsiveness, drama searching sides of her from her teens come out again. She wanted this and didn't care that it was risky. You must take risks to win.

"I want to go with you. To Paris. And wear a beret and eat croissants!" She smiled big at Vincent who smirked and took out his hand from his pants pocket.

"Shake hands on that?"

Ines made a little excited sound and took his big hand. It looked like he had gotten a manicure. She wanted that sort of luxury too.

Taye sighed in the background but Ines didn't hear it, she just heard her own heart beating in her ears and looked at Vincent's fascinating face. Paris was also the city of love…

×××

Ines and Taye looked through the window at Vincent de Gramont when he jumped into the black car. Ines just took a closer look at the man. He moved determinedly but soft, like he wasn't stressed but knew what he wanted. He walked into the car with elegant loops even if his legs were so long and then the bodyguard closed the door. Ines looked at him in fascination. She could go with him to Paris and taste the life of luxury. She could confess that she didn't know much about the man but felt she didn't need to. It was obvious he was a rich gentleman just searching for distraction in his easy life in wealth.

"Fuck Ines… How can you think this is a good idea? He will just leave you in the slums of Paris and steal your painting," whined Taye and shook his head. Ines looked at him where he stood with crossed arms but didn't say anything, it was her choice, only hers.

"Sometimes I wish you had parents that could…" he started but then swallowed his words.

"Could what? Hm? Such a fucking stupid comment Taye. Maybe you should learn from Vincent and have some fucking manners!" Ines said upset while she walked away from the window. Taye sighed and walked after her.

"I'm sorry… But like, you don't have manners either. How will you survive in his circle? You say fuck in every sentence!"

Taye was honest because he knew he could. Both of them could say stupid things because they didn't have a filter with each other anymore.

"I will learn! He will teach me!"

Taye looked at her with raised brows.

"Yeah and how to embezzle money. Like a dude in a three piece suit doesn't have some shit going on."

Ines crossed her arms and looked at him.

"You're always jealous of people with money. He was probably born with a silver spoon…" Ines stopped to lay her hands on her blushing cheeks. "In his mouth but that doesn't mean he is a criminal. He is just rich."

Taye shook his head again and sat down on Ines white couch. Her apartment also looked like a gallery. White and airy.

"He looks like a Bond villain, he probably has a white really hairy cat that sits in his lap all the time."

Ines laughed at his silly words and sat down.

"But I will tell Faith about this, you know that right?"

Ines swallowed nervously. Even if Faith was just a friend she could be really dramatic and overprotective. She had succeeded to make Ines change her mind before, just by being angry.

×××

"Are you totally fucking stupid?? He can rape you, kill you…" Faith stopped suddenly in her angry outburst and looked out in the air.

They sat in a modest coffee house. It wasn't that great but they had bought a painting from Ines' gallery so she wanted to support them just like they supported her.

Ines looked at Faith, just waiting in confusion for her to say something. Faith turned her eyes towards her friend again and looked down at their hands.

"Are you sure you can be like, rich from this? For real?"

"Yeah, the painting is worth a lot but with Vincent's help I can get so much more. And like, it's obvious he is rich, he doesn't need the money from the painting," said Ines as her eyes became dreamy.

"Viiiincent," said Faith with a silly voice and wiggled her brows.

"What?" Ines laid all her power to try to sound like she didn't know what Faith meant.

"Is he handsome? A French model? Tall, pale and skinny?" Teased Faith without knowing how right she was. Ines felt her cheeks become warm. She had always liked European men. They were so soft and mysterious. They dared to be in contact with their feminine side without losing their masculinity. She thought about Vincent's perfume again. Maybe he actually wore perfume for women.

"He's…" Ines sighed. "Yeah, he is probably like 6'4 and pale like he was born in the shadows."

Faith laughed.

"You're sure he doesn't live in some castle and just wants you for dinner?"

"He can have my pussy for dinner."

"Ah!" Exclaimed Faith and pointed at Ines.

"You want to fuck him!"

Ines just smirked and took a sip of her coffee.

"So you’re hoping on getting money and dick? How can I stop you from doing that?" Said Faith and smirked as well.

"What about that whole rape, kill..?" Said Ines with an amused smile.

"That can happen here too. It probably even happens here more than in Paris and Viiiincent had a bodyguard, right?"

Ines laughed and nodded her head.

"So I have your blessing?"

Faith sat quietly a while and put her index finger against her lips.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

Ines looked at her confused. She seemed to have been really positive before.

"I want to meet Viiiincent," said Faith and crossed her arms.

Ines looked at her with furrowed brows and panted.

"Oh come on, he will think it's so silly. He's a rich, french business man. I can't bring my bff and be like, 'she wants to look at you'."

"I said I want to meet him!"

"That means that you're mostly going to stare at him. Just like when you met Michael!"

Micheal was Ines ex who Faith more or less had stared at for 30 minutes until she knew what kinda man he was. She was right though, she said he was bad news and he was. He was controlling, jealous and angry.

"I'm good at staring!"

Faith pouted with attitude and Ines sighed.

"Fine. I will call him."

Faith shone up. "But not now. I'll do it alone."

Ines didn't want Faith to mock her for how nervous she would be to talk to Vincent. She had gotten his number. It was a business card but the only thing that was on it was a phone number. Not even his name. But it was in thick white paper with a gold pattern as a frame. It was beautiful, just like him. He probably didn't do anything half hearted.

×××

Ines and Faith sat in the lavish suite in Lotte Palace Hotel. Both of them felt like stains on the white rug. They had a view over the whole of Manhattan and a bit more. Ines, who didn't even go to Manhattan especially often, felt small and insignificant when she looked out.

The bodyguard watched them while they sat and waited on Vincent. Ines wondered what he thought they would do. Doodle on the coffee table?

"Oh come on! Where is the dude?" Groaned Faith and crossed her arms.

"The Marquis will be here soon. He wasn't dressed," said another man coming into the suite's living room. He wore a similar suit as the bodyguard but was much leaner and carried a tray with a silver coffee pot.

Ines tried to picture Vincent in other clothes other than his suits but it was hard. Even if she thought he was really handsome, she couldn’t even think about him without a suit. Maybe he had been naked when they came? Ines looked down at her hands embarrassed. He was probably beautiful without clothes but it felt like it wasn't anything for her eyes.

"Do you want coffee?" Said the leaner man and put out white china mugs in front of them.

"No, I just think The Marquis can come soon. Like it's not good manners to let…"

Faith didn't end her sentence because Vincent had come out to the living room. This time he was dressed in a burgundy colored three piece suit with a black button up.

Faith looked at him and then gave Ines a look. She started to laugh and Ines looked at Vincent with worry.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but what are you wearing?" Said Faith and continued to laugh at Vincent.

Vincent took a cup and poured some coffee without moving his face. He didn't seem to react to Faith's behavior at all.

"Clothes tell people who you are."

He looked up at Faith and took a sip of his coffee. Those big eyes were telling and he looked at her outfit. The short little crop top and trashed jeans. It seemed like Faith could see what he was thinking and looked at him pissed.

"What are you saying?" She said offended. Ines looked away embarrassed. She was ashamed over her friend immediately picking a fight with Vincent. She had tried to dress more properly and had a white blouse with black jeans. It wasn't impressive but better than leggings but also Faith's outfit.

"I didn't say a thing. How you want to dress is up to you," said Vincent and sat down elegantly in an armchair. He crossed his long legs and balanced his cup on the small saucer.

Faith continued to give him the evil eye but pulled in her crop top like she suddenly felt too naked.

"Ehh… We're just here so Faith can meet you, so she can trust you," said Ines and crossed her legs at the ankle. She had seen on The Princess Diaries that fine women sat like that. Vincent nodded a little and looked between Ines and Faith. He took a sip of his coffee then turned to Ines with a smile.

"I think it's most important that you trust me. That you feel like you are safe with me," said he and laid a hand over hers. Ines looked at his handsome face and smiled.

"She doesn't know anything about you!" Said Faith. It was clear she wasn't as optimistic towards Vincent now when she had met him.

"I know you don't know so much about me, but we will have all the time in the world in Paris for you to find out what you want." Vincent still sat turned towards Ines and didn't seem to acknowledge Faith. Ines looked into his eyes. They were sincere and kind. And he could do her filthy rich while she ate creme brulee in bed.

She shook her head to herself and laughed a little at the thought.

"I'm going with you," she said and hugged his hand in hers. To her surprise he lifted it to his lips and gave her a soft kiss on the back of her hand. Everything he did was so gentlemanly.

"Ines!" Faith almost screamed and kicked the coffee table leg. Ines looked at her with furrowed brows. She wasn't just embarrassed over her friend now but appalled.

"Stop Faith, this is my choice," she said while she and The Marquis still held each other's hand.

"No! This is not your decision! You can't make this decision alone!"

Vincent looked at Faith uninterested and Ines looked at him. It was obvious he wouldn't let anyone drag him down to their level. Ines admired him. Not just his look but also his elegance. He didn't let Faith's bad manner affect him at all.

"I think it's time for you to go, Faith," said Ines and looked between her friend and Vincent. She searched his approval and he nodded once then he turned his eyes to his bodyguard that slowly walked closer to Faith.

"Oh come on! Will you let his bodyguard beat me up now?" Said Faith and stood up. She waited for Ines to say something but she just watched Vincent. Vincent looked at her and when she just looked back at him he gave his bodyguard a look again who answered by laying his hand on Faith's back.

"Let go of me! I can find myself out! Ugly ass frenchmen!!" Faith screamed and Ines blushed with humiliation. Her friend didn't have any class. Or was it a former friend?

She didn't look when Faith was leaving, she just looked down in her lap where she and Vincent still held hands.

×××

Ines didn't really know how to act. She still was in the Marquis' suite and sipped tea out of a really small cup. Maybe she should have left at once after Faith had but she didn't want to risk bumping into her just outside of the hotel. Instead she stayed while Vincent ordered afternoon tea for them. She now sat and looked at several sorts of cakes and scones on the table and hoped Vincent would join her soon.

Vincent walked around in the suite with his phone pressed against his ear, talking elegantly soft french Ines couldn't understand a thing of. She wondered if he maybe had a wife or children but she had a hard time seeing him as that type. She smirked a little at the thought of Vincent changing a diaper in his well tailored suits. While Vincent walked around, both the bodyguard and the other man stood looking at her. She felt a need to act elegantly after Faith's embarrassing behavior and let them stare.

"I'm sorry," said Vincent with a sigh when he finally sat down.

"It's okay," said Ines and smiled at him. Vincent leaned back in the arm chair and looked at her with a pleasant smile.

"It's nice, seeing you here. I think you need to get away from Brooklyn. You look like a woman now, not a little girl."

Ines laughed but really tried to keep that elegant manner. He liked it.

"Can't we go out and shop? You need a new wardrobe for Paris, right?" He said and leaned forward on his knees. His pants were tight and Ines looked away when she realized how well you could see the shape of him through the trousers.

"I don't know…"

She didn't want to say she didn't have money to shop.

"On me, of course. You can pay me back when you have sold the painting."

Ines laughed and Vincent smiled back charmingly.

"Okay… Okay. Do you want to help me? Otherwise I will just go to H&M and Zara."

"What's that?" Said Vincent sincerely and poured some tea for himself.

Ines laughed and dared to take a cake when Vincent did.

"Oh my god, it's like the biggest fast fashion stores!"

Vincent looked at her with a smirk. Once again he didn't need to say anything, it was obvious in his suits, his hair, his skin, his manners that he had never had any contact with fast fashion. Ines once again admired him. She could be like him. Live in suites, eat afternoon tea and wear clothes costing as much as a year of her rent. She could be like him. She wanted to be with him.

×××

They visited all the high end fashion stores but Vincent preferred the French ones; Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent. When Ines had problems finding clothes he started to point and boss the staff in the stores around. He was intimidating. He tried to speak French to the girl in the Louis Vuitton store but she looked at him like he had threatened her. Ines wondered if he had until the girl said she didn't know french.

Ines collected more and more bags but all of them were carried by the bodyguard. She learned his name was Mylan and he didn't know much English at all. She tried to be polite when they were alone but he didn't even give her a smile.

"The final stop…" said Vincent and gave her a smile. He nodded towards a store with a black and white sign. Ines couldn't place it at first but then realized what it was. Cartier. Home of diamonds.

"This will be a gift from me… All girls need a pair of diamond earrings," he said smoothly while walking into the store, passing the store's guard. Ines laughed nervously, not because of his gift but because…

"I don't have my ear pierced…"

Vincent looked at her confused but then he got something smooth and wet in his eyes.

"Oh, that's so lovely. No piercings or tattoos or anything else… perverted?"

Ines shrugged her shoulders.

"No."

"Just clean and nice…" he still looked so wet in his eyes, then he licked his lips slowly. Ines wondered if he actually was turned on by her lack of piercings.

"Then we get a bracelet. That's even more diamonds, smart girl," he said teasingly and then turned to the woman behind the desk.

Once again Vincent tried to speak French with the employee who stared at him uncomfortably.

"I don't know French," she said and looked at Vincent apologetically.

He sighed, deeply.

"This country…"

Ines smirked and looked around in the store. She already started to get used to his snobby ways.

"I want a diamond bracelet for the lady. White gold, simple chain, classic."

The girl nodded and started to walk around the store to collect things he might be interested in. Ines just stood and looked in a display case. It was a beautiful necklace, a pendant shaped like a flower with yellow and white stones. She could feel Vincent's eyes on her and then he once again started to speak french. Ines laughed.

"She doesn't know French," she said amused and turned to him with a smile. Vincent looked at her, first it looked like he was irritated but then he gave her a crooked smile.

"It's a french store."

"But no French employees."

Vincent shook his head and walked up to her.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," she said, even if she had been mesmerized by the floral pendant.

"The necklace?" He asked and gave it an approving look. He turned to the seller and once again spoke french. Now Ines couldn't stop herself from laughing loudly.

"She can't speak french! Is that so hard to get?"

She looked up at Vincent with humor. He first looked irritated but after a few seconds of looking at Ines he smirked.

"This fucking country… Why don't people know any other language than their own?"

"I don't either!" Said Ines amused but tried to fake offense. Vincent shook his head.

"You must learn french. You work with art."

Ines didn't say anything, just smiled and looked at the necklace. She probably needed to learn french.

"We want this necklace," said Vincent to the seller who came fast with her little key to open the monitor. Ines looked up at Vincent with big eyes. No man had ever given her jewelry. She would have thought it was a big deal to get a simple silver necklace from a man while Vincent didn't make a thing of giving her a necklace with white and yellow diamonds. While standing staring in shock he took the necklace from the girl and put it around Ines' neck. She lifted her hair and looked at herself in the mirror next to the monitor.

"It suits you…" said Vincent and dragged a big hand over her shoulder sensually. Ines stared at herself. Diamonds. Just the word was dramatic. She couldn't stop looking at the necklace and Vincent looked at her amused. Diamonds are a girl's best friend. He knew that well.

"We take the necklace. And the third bracelet. And I need new platinum cufflinks."

He bossed the seller around and she worked fast, terrified of the Frenchman.

Ines turned around and looked at him with big eyes. He stood leaned against the display counter, just waiting for her to say something.

"Vincent… This is too much and you know it too."

He pulled down the corner of his mouth and shrugged his shoulders.

"This is my Zara." He smirked and looked quite smug. Ines laughed but didn't say anything, maybe he would take back his generous gifts then. She continued to look at herself in the mirror but also looked at Vincent behind her in the reflection. What a man he was.

Handsome, tall, elegant and generous. She continued to look at him while playing with the necklace between her fingers. He was a gentleman in a perfect, french package.

×

[monin1ca]

Hello, hope you’re well. Could you please write a Chamber imagine where the reader (female or general, idc) says ily for the 1st time? And the reader doesn’t know for sure if Chamber loves them back but he happily & passionately says iyi back. Nothing nsfw, thanks!

Word count:495 

Warnings: nothing~~ just pure fluff

Sypnosis:

“Vincent.”

“Hm?”

You breathed in softly, shutting your eyelids closed;

“I love you.”

The hushed ‘swoosh’ of the wind sent shivers down your spine, even though a thick duvet covered your body; head-to-toe. In front of you, a beautifully carved mantel with elegant clocks softly ticking alongside the occasional crackling of the fireplace, the dancing flame bringing heat into your shared home with Vincent.  ‘The morning would show the beauty of the ice for sure,’ You thought, allowing your brain to be empty, content to exist and be. Your head whipped in the direction of the soft crunches of the snow; you smiled. ‘It must be Vin.’ 

The soft bell rang, signaling Vincent had entered the home. Muffled shuffling of feet and thumps were heard as he made his way to you. “Ah, Mon Cheri. How I’ve missed you….” Your boyfriend hummed, his cherry-tinted fingers skimming your skin, then placing a small peck on your forehead. “Just where have you been, Vincent?”  You playfully pouted; the marksman kneeled at the side of your makeshift fort; “Me? Haha! I was out getting you the most delectable Hot Chocolate of your life!” Vincent proudly presented it; the cup smelled heavenly. Mumbling a soft ‘thank you,’ you carefully took the hot cup and, taking a few sips of the drink, you squealed, delighted. “It’s lovely, Vin!” “See? I know your tastes, mon ange.” 

Your lover hunched down to the level of the fireplace, feeding the fire more logs. The fire roared as it continued to grow and consume the wood. Dusting off his hands, he placed himself beside you, smushing your small fort of pillows and blankets. “Vin!” You whined, softly punching him as he mumbled, “What now?” “You ruined my fort.” “Ah, but aren’t I a great addition? I’m your knight and shining armor, am I not?” You rolled your eyes, “Yeah, c’mere big boy~.” Your arms and legs tangled together as you basked in each other's warmth and love. Vincent’s hair was ruffled, as was his coat. Though he didn’t seem to mind as much, he was half-asleep. While you were taking in his beauty, every perfection and imperfection reminded you how much you love this man.

“Vincent.”

“Hm?”

You breathed in softly, shutting your eyelids closed;

“I love you.”

The silence was almost deafening, but you couldn’t force him to say it back. It was heavy words that not everyone could say to another person. Nevertheless, you wanted him to know how you felt.

“Amour, open your eyes.”

Obeying, you slowly opened one eye and saw Vincent smiling and blushing. Not from the cold but from your words.

“I love you too. I love you to the moon and back.”

You beamed happily, snuggling closer to your man. 

Author’s note: HII I’M BACK FROM MIDTERMS! I THINK THIS WILL BE MY WARM-UP WRITING SINCE IM A BIT RUSTY BUTT DO FEEL FREE TO SEND IN REQUESTS! 

[quietblueriver]

Ava is fine. As fine as she can be given that she just got told she’ll be killing herself, and someone else, to save humanity, anyway. So maybe not like, fine, fine but it’s all relative. She just...

“I just need a minute, Bea. Can you...?”

The request is out before she can really even process it herself, because Bea is there waiting, and at some point over the past few months, she has come to trust that Bea will have her back and to be okay with it. She still trusts it, even though Bea broke her heart just a few hours ago. And like, given that she almost punched a guy for having the nerve to save her from literally drowning in a swimming pool not even six months ago, that feels like kind of a big fucking deal.

Not for the first time, Ava thinks of who she might be, where she might be, without Beatrice, and feels a gratitude so big it hums through her whole body.

Beatrice immediately jumps to action, because of course she does, grabbing Vincent much more roughly than necessary (not that Ava is going to intervene) and beginning to move everyone toward the door.

“Yes, of course.”

Apparently determined to be the most at all times, Michael instead starts toward the bed.

“Ava, what…”

But he hardly takes a step before Dora has an arm around his elbow, guiding him away. Ava is super fucking grateful, because she really does need a minute and honestly, if she wanted to be around anyone right now, it certainly wouldn’t be him. Like, not surprisingly at all, it would actually be the woman whose eyes are fixed so hard on him that she might melt him, Divinium bomb and all, if he takes one more step toward Ava. Bea’s still got Vincent securely and painfully in her grip but Ava can see the way she’s holding herself, tight as a bow, to keep from doing something that would absolutely not go well for Michael.

“She said that she needs a minute.”

Bea’s voice is a knife and Michael, because he is an idiot, doesn’t seem to notice as she puts it to his throat. Because Dora is not an idiot, her eyes flitting between Bea and the oblivious boy beside her, and because Dora is a sister warrior, it’s one quick twist of Michael’s arm and he’s back in reality. He finally takes note of Beatrice, shoulders slumping a bit, but he doesn’t turn from Ava.

“Right. I just wanted to...”

Bea’s eyes flash and, yep, she’s going to destroy him right there, sorry Jillian and RIP to your idiot son. And to humanity, I guess. At least Ava will get a little more time with Bea as everything burns. Vincent, who is bearing the brunt of Beatrice’s current anger, clears his throat and tries to shift slightly in Bea’s grasp. Beatrice must be ready to murder Michael, or just absolutely lay him out, because she lets him, lets Vincent, move in her hold, even if it’s only like two inches. Bea adjusts her grip and shifts just slightly in the blonde’s direction.

“Was she not clear?”

Ava recognizes that tone. It is the tone reserved for bar patrons who get handsy with Ava and that one absolute creep at the farmer’s market who was so rude that Bea had intervened with an ice cold, “She said she wasn’t interested.” When he tried to snap a picture of her tits as she was bending over to evaluate a tomato, Bea broke his phone and his finger so quickly that they were halfway to the flower stall before he could even figure out what had happened. (“What happened to discreet, Sister Beatrice?” She had asked, delighted, as she tucked a flower behind Bea’s ear and tucked herself into Bea’s side, kissing her cheek and dragging her to the stall with those fruit pastries Bea loved but would only get if Ava asked for them.)

Not looking good for Michael, then. On the plus side, Ava’s a big fan of protective Bea in these low-stakes situations—no risk of real danger for Bea, and Beatrice letting herself be big, take up space, glint sharp like the knives she has tucked in her boots. It’s very hot. She should maybe intervene but like, Ava’s about to die, and not in a melodramatic, my-god-Bea-is-so-hot-it’s-going-to-kill-me way but in a very literal, Jesus-y this-is-my-body-which-is-given-for-you way, so she’s absolutely going to enjoy hot, competent, protective Bea while she still can. Honestly it might do Michael some good to get his ass kicked, anyway. He’s smug as shit for a glorified lithium battery.

Apparently finally understanding his position, Michael frowns at Bea (he’s always frowning at Bea, like he’s expecting her, the fucking deadly assassin nun, to be more impressed by him than she is; it’s very white dude of him), but he turns his body toward the door. Beatrice glares at him until he begins moving, letting Dora follow, before she starts forward with Vincent.

“Hey, Bea?”

Brown eyes soften immediately as they meet hers.

“Can you come back, in a bit?”

“Of course, Ava. Whatever you need.”

She smiles softly at Ava before turning her attention back to Vincent, shoving him out of the room, all hard, sharp edges again.

*****************

Ava sits on their bed (their bed, because neither one of them even thought about sleeping anywhere other than exactly next to each other when they came back and what the actual fuck are they even doing anymore) and tries to get herself together. There’s too much going on in her brain for her to brief the rest of the team right now, but she knows she has to handle her shit, and quickly.

Ava’s just returned from the universe’s worst inter-dimensional sightseeing tour, where she was given a shiny new suicide mission as a souvenir. It fucking sucks and it’s absolutely not fair and it’s also just apparently the only way to save the world, to save Bea, so like, suck it up, Ava, I guess.

Then there’s the pretty fucking severe heartache left from Bea’s response to her admittedly desperate Switzerland pitch. It shouldn’t have been a surprise— Beatrice is a nun, after all, very annoyingly sworn to Jesus and the Church, but Ava felt the rejection so deeply in her body that she hasn’t really been able to breathe properly since. She knows, she knows, that Bea is furious with herself, is dealing with many years of shame and guilt and repression, is absolutely in love with Ava at least half as much as Ava is in love with her. And given that Ava is “die to let you live” levels of in love with her, that’s still a whole fucking lot.

And now that she knows what she has to do, has been reduced to a detonator whose timer is rapidly running down, maybe it’s best that she goes without the hope of a future with Bea, back in Switzerland or anywhere else. Maybe it’s best, but Jesus _Christ_ it hurts, and would it really be too much to ask for her to have this, to have Beatrice get to love her and daydream with her for the final hours of her life? Even if they both knew it was nothing more than a distraction from the absolute shit that is reality, Ava’s pretty down for a distraction right now. She wants to be reminded of how good life can be, how much life can offer. She swears she’ll still do it, still offer herself up, when the time comes. She just wants one moment to daydream with the girl she loves.


“Please.”

She says to no one in particular. To the universe.

Her palms are pressed to her eyelids when she feels the weight of the bed dipping. She takes in the familiar scent of Bea, clean with just a hint of something spicy. (Ava knows it’s the cloves in Bea’s preferred soap, the one she kept returning to over the citrus and woody options in their lineup. Choice was almost as novel to Bea as it was to Ava, so when Ava had placed four different soaps in their basket at the farmer’s market stall, with an “I don’t really know what I like” and a shrug, Bea didn’t say a word about price or excess, just smiled at her gently, “Well, now you can figure it out,” and moved toward the selection of eggs across the way.)

She can’t quite open her eyes yet but her breathing has slowed and she reaches blindly toward Bea’s warmth, her smell, hoping that she’ll understand. Of course she does, and Ava’s hand is quickly and efficiently wrapped in both of Bea’s, one thumb swiping gently over the back of Ava’s hand while the other moves hesitantly over the skin of her wrist.

“Is it okay that I’m back? Do you need more time?”

Bea’s voice is gentle and concerned and Ava feels the halo hum slightly as she lets Bea’s presence wrap around her. Ava squeezes the hand under hers.

“No, I’m glad you’re here. Please stay.”

Ava feels Bea’s weight sink into the bed next to her. Ava’s still working through the reality of her visit with Reya, the unfair feelings she has about Bea’s rejection, the letters she wants to write and goodbyes she wants to say, so she doesn’t speak, just lets herself exist with Bea, confines the loudness of her mind to the inside of her body.

It’s Bea who speaks first, and unexpectedly.

“I lied, earlier. It was cruel, and I’m sorry.”

Ava’s eyes fly open at that, and she finds Bea stripped of her wimple, hair down and tousled in a way that makes Ava ache, makes her want to reach out and touch. Bea’s eyes are red-rimmed, and her jaw is so tight that Ava’s teeth hurt in sympathy. 

“Bea, what are you…”

“I would follow you anywhere, Ava.”

And, oh. Oh. Beatrice is torturing herself over hurting Ava, because of course she is. Ava, who asked Bea to run away from her lifetime commitment to her faith to work in a bar in the Alps again. Ava, who selfishly wants to rip Bea from the Church and the community that have been her home in favor of a deeply uncomfortable double bed in a flat where it takes 100 years to get the kettle to a boil on the stove because the burners refuse to stay at any consistent temperature. Ava, who keeps taking and taking from Beatrice’s well of love and commitment, even as she knows it must be causing a crisis for the girl she says she loves. Ava, who will be dead in less than a day. Ava, who won’t go out with Bea feeling anything other than love and understanding from her, regardless of what the most selfish parts of her beg for.

“I shouldn’t have asked you, Bea. I’m sorry. It wasn’t fair.”

She means it. She means it. She means it. What she wants, the life she wants in the mountains with Bea and cute Saturday shopping runs and friends at the bar, she doesn’t want it more than she wants Bea to feel how much she matters, how much what Bea wants matters. She’ll break her own heart over and over again to make Bea feel that, to make her feel loved and valid even when she can’t give all of herself, can’t be exactly what she thinks someone else wants her to be. And anyway, Ava only ever wants her to be perfectly herself. Always exactly Beatrice.

Bea’s eyes are exhausted but there’s something more there, the kind of determination she has seen when Bea fights, anticipation and confidence and grit right there at the surface. She squeezes Ava’s hand tight between her own and then drops it, turning her body on the bed to face Ava directly. Suddenly, her hands are on Ava’s neck, thumbs swiping at her jaw. Ava’s breath stutters because _wow_ that feels nice. She grabs tightly to the thoughts that threaten to run down a very distracting path, pulls them right back in because now is not the time, Ava.

“That’s the thing. You don’t have to ask me anymore, Ava. This stopped being...I stopped being... I would be there. I would be there. I lied, to you and to myself, pretending anything else was true. I can’t…it’s not the time, right now, to get into all of this. But I need you to know that, that I would choose you, that it wouldn’t even be a choice.”

And what is Ava supposed to do with that but cover Bea’s hands with her own and let herself cry. Bea’s eyes channel from determined to loving to concerned as she lets them rove over Ava’s face before pulling Ava into her, tangling a hand in her hair.

“It’s going to be okay. We’re going to do this. We’re going to do this together, Ava.”

Ava lets herself breathe Bea in, wraps her arms around Bea and tugs and tugs until they’re lying down, Ava’s head on Bea’s chest and Bea’s hand still in her hair, the other grasping Ava’s forearm on her stomach. They’re quiet for a long time.

“Ava, what happened, when you were gone?”

The question is soft, whispered into the air between them as Bea cards her fingers through Ava’s hair.

“She showed me what needs to happen to defeat Adriel. She helped me understand some things.”

Bea’s fingers stop, and Ava can almost hear her mind working.

“Listen, Ava, I know what Michael said to you,” the way she says his name is so full of spite that Ava nearly cringes on his behalf, “and I’m not sure what this person told you over there but I know…”

“Bea.”

Beatrice stops immediately, always making space for Ava.

“I promise I will tell you and everyone else about the plan. But for now, can I just…be here with you? I missed you, while I was gone. Time is weird, there.”

She moves her hand up from Bea’s stomach to her sternum, laying a palm flat over where her heart might be. Bea moves with her, keeping Ava’s hand under her own and holding it against her chest when Ava stops.

“Whatever you need, Ava.”

And right now, that’s easy.

“You, Beatrice,” she lets her nose drag against the sharp line of Bea’s jaw, lets her lips ghost behind it, “I just need you.”

Ava feels Bea’s sharp inhale at that and presses closer, tucking her leg between both of Bea’s and wiggling a foot underneath her calf. A minute passes and Bea’s breathing evens back out. Ava decides to let Bea’s warmth lull her to sleep. It was _exhausting_ to spend time with Reya in the other realm. She wants to sleep, just one more time, this close to Beatrice, feeling safe and loved. She knows Bea will wake her in a few hours, a gentle squeeze of her shoulder, a kiss on her head, if she’s lucky. And then they’ll have to move. And Ava will have to go, to let go of all of this.

But for now, the steady rise and fall of Bea’s chest is the only thing Ava wants to know. As her eyes get heavy, she feels Bea whisper against her.

“You’ve got me, Ava.”

Ava rests.

*********************

As Ava anticipated, Bea wakes her gently and she gets a few more moments of quiet closeness before she forces herself to move from the bed.

“Let’s get this over with, yeah?”

Beatrice watches her closely as she moves to put herself together. Ava tries to keep herself together, to act normal, but Bea knows her too well. She’s going to slip.

“Bea, would you mind asking Jillian and Superion to get everything together for a meeting?”

It’s a shit cover, and Bea knows that. She knows that there is no “everything” to get together. Still, she moves toward the door.

“Of course. I’ll see you in a bit.”

Bea has paused to look at Ava, and Ava meets her eyes and smiles. Despite Ava’s best efforts, it’s shaky. Shit, fuck, damn it. She sees Bea’s eyes narrow, god damn it, of course she noticed, but Bea turns around and walks out the door anyway and Ava exhales for a minute.

*******************************

Of course, Bea is suspicious. Her nun is not stupid, and Ava can feel Bea’s eyes on her even more than normal, knows, as she watches Bea put together her gun, exactly what that look on her face means. She tries for teasing, but Bea is not in the mood.

“Well, better not test me, then.”

It would normally be hot. Okay, it still is hot. But also, it makes Ava worry because, like, she has this whole idea that she’ll have a moment to take Bea aside, to tell her that she loves her, to kiss her goodbye. She doesn’t want to fight or phase or struggle with Bea. But she’ll be ready, when it’s time, even if it has to be an ugly goodbye.

They’re pressed close in the van, Bea giving Vincent side eye in an extremely unsubtle way. Ava takes Bea’s hand and squeezes, lets her head rest on Bea’s shoulder. She soaks in the closeness while she can. As they approach the drop-off, Bea ducks her head slightly and says quietly, keeping this for Ava as much as she can, “In this life, Ava.”

Ava lets her lips touch the skin of Bea’s neck, breathes her in and basks in the shiver she feels run down Bea’s spine, acknowledges the sharp grief of knowing she will never get to make her shiver like that again.

“In this life, Bea.”

As she emerges from the van, she tells herself it’s not a lie. She does love Bea in this life, loves her so deeply that it’s going to be the last thing she ever does.

****************************************

It is a lie, of course.

She tells Bea to live and finally, finally, pulls her close and kisses her. The circumstances are far from ideal. She’s on a literal suicide mission, Bea’s on the verge of a panic attack because she now knows Ava’s on a suicide mission, and Yasmine is there, somewhere in the background, wildly unprepared for basically every part of what’s happening and apparently destined to be an unwilling and vaguely creepy spectator to some of the most intimate moments of Ava’s short life.

The kiss itself? Perfect. She has tried to live her second (and third) chances as hard as possible, and regrets instantly not having done this sooner, in a tiny flat in Switzerland, or maybe after she burst from 20 feet of rock and into Bea’s arms. But Bea would not have been ready. She’s pretty sure Bea is planning to renounce her vows, when this is over, and she still can’t quite bring herself to kiss Ava back.

Because Ava is totally gone for this human, she finds it endearing—it’s very Beatrice to need time to run possible outcomes before determining next steps. And honestly, she is proud of the fact that she is one of the very few people who can stop this free-wheeling, secret, ass-kicking nun in her tracks. It’s a perfectly Beatrice kiss.

When Bea finally does respond, grabbing her tighter just as Ava is beginning to pull away, Ava feels her resolve nearly break. It’s not fair; it’s not fair, and she wants to scream and cry and run away and live a real life, a long life, where she gets more than this moment with Bea, gets to see her come into herself and shed all of that shame, to cut her hair and get a tattoo and live. She wants, she wants, she wants.

But Ava presses her lips to Bea’s forehead, tries to live as deeply as she can in this moment and the sensation of Bea’s hands on her skin. Because that’s the thing, isn’t it? She wants Bea to live her life. And she can make that happen. She is the only one who can make that happen.

Bea’s touch and the reality of her body in the world put Ava back where she needs to be. Bea is what matters. Ava loves her more than she loves herself and wow, what a feeling. It’s nothing then, to know what she has to do. Nothing more than love.

She tells a new lie, as she lets Bea go.

“In the next.”

It’s for Beatrice, and Ava hopes it will bring her comfort. As she drops through the floor, she wipes tears from her eyes and wishes she could believe it herself.