#if it sounds like i have taken offence and would like to challenge to a duel of honour at dawn; it is and i do

[randomingoftherandomness]

There is a thing I don't get, why Yuanzhi was so against the idea of Ziyu becoming the sword wielder?

Just because he wanted his brother to be it? Or because of the rumors about Ziyu's mother? I mean, Shangjue was always logical on the reasons why he didn't want Ziyu to be the leader while Yuanzhi seemed to just do what he was told to do.

I read an answer on Reddit where Yuanzhi was described as Shangjue's dog, with no opinions of his own, petty and oblivious. Many people regarded him as the true villain of the show because he caused pain and played tricks for no real reasons. Do you think he is like that? Only smart for poisons?

Me to the Redditor who said that:

Knuckle and buckle, kids, you're on the Gab Meta Train.

1. Gong Ziyu started out hella unqualified and everyone knows it

Don't come at me and tell me Gong Ziyu was the most worthy candidate to be the Sword Wielder because based on the first character setup, he definitely was not it. He was known to frequent the pleasure house, he stumbles home drunk in broad daylight, he has no involvement in the family's affairs, and he is most definitely more known as a dandy than anyone who is being groomed to take over the helm of the family.

Honestly, off the bat, in real life, would you want someone with a proven track record to lead you and protect you and your interests, or would you want some dude who is better known for hanging out at a brothel than he is actually handling paperwork or has a track record of maturity?

Yuanzhi, who is younger than Ziyu, but already is contributing to the day-to-day running and the development of tech and research for the family.

Which means...?

He has skin in the game about who he wants to lead him in the family. And that's a very valid stance to take. It's more than "oh Gege told me to do this, so I will" because that's such a sad 1 dimension take, and again, to that Redditor:

Of course, we as the audience know that Ziyu will shape up. He will step up and he will answer the call, so to speak. But Gong Yuanzhi and Gong Shangjue did not. And if you really think about it, they're pretty much 'employees' of the Gong company. They just didn't agree with what top management decided and vocally voiced that opinion.

If you reeeeeallly want to think about it, they were just unionising :)

(gonna put this under a read more coz it got long)

2. Gong Shangjue has instilled a mentality of "Family First"

Relating to the first point.

Shangjue is obviously Yuanzhi's North Star. He is who Yuanzhi is shaping himself to be, and for all we know of his character, of course he would. He's basically the perfect man to aspire to be in a society like theirs.

So, when Shangjue says, "Family is the Most Important", don't you think Yuanzhi is gonna listen? Gong Shangjue is Gong Yuanzhi's most important person. He's family in a way that the rest aren't. Even if he doesn't outright say "I want that position", Yuanzhi would have done anything to help support him and get him there.

And going on the point where Shangjue and Yuanzhi were on Ziyu's case coz of the rumours that his mom was possibly pregnant when she married into the Gong family; I know other users on the MJTY tag have quite possibly discussed this matter (shoutout to @kingsandbastardz @swiftletinthecloud @romchat for their lovely metas and analysis posts ❤️ I consume them with much gratitude and glee), but let me crudely try to wrangle what has been beautifully said into my my own words;

For a family that prides themselves with being very strict about their familial rules, the fact that there is some measure and level of doubt persisting about Ziyu's parentage should have and must disqualify him from the position itself. Ziyu's dad could have easily kiboshed the rumours but he didn't, why?

More than that, the implication given to Shangjue over tea was that the position of Zhiren was always meant to go to him. Rewatch that scene where he last saw his uncle. Tell me differently.

The whole paternity issue is just one facet of a very Ziyu shaped problem. Having a murky paternity will raise issues of succession. Why do you think the nobilities of Europe back then had a court of people, usually people of importance, to be present when a marriage was consummated and a child was born? This is to make sure that there was no doubt that the marriage was legitimate and the line of succession and paternity remains unbroken.

(there were always exceptions to the rule, of course, but you get my drift, right?)

Of course, we got the resolutions to all of these issues; Ziyu was always the bio son of the Zhiren, he probably didn't kibosh the rumours because he never wanted to have his son carry that burden of leading the family when he could tell that his son had always wanted to leave the Valley, and Shangjue never coveted the position in the first place, he just wanted the right person to lead.

3. Yuanzhi has no opinions

Yuanzhi's just a dog to Shangjue? Well, if he's a dog, I wanna be one too Woof Woof.

Yuanzhi has his own motivations and drive. They just so happened to be Gege-shaped. I don't see how that warrants being called someone's dog.

He doesn't have his own opinions? Bro quite literally almost died to prove a point that the porridge was poisoned and Shangguan Qian cannot be trusted. HOW IS THAT NOT HAVING AN OPINION?

WERE WE EVEN WATCHING THE SAME SHOW???

Honestly, it's Reddit so I shouldn't be this surprised about the hot takes that happen on there, but damn if some people lack two brain cells to rub together to critically consume the media in front of them.

4. Yuanzhi is a reactionary character

Think about it; how many times throughout the narrative did he cause problems for no apparent reason?

If anything, don't you think that Ziyu & co. are the ones who deliberately do things to antagonise him and Shangjue? It's almost midnight as I am typing this and the old noggin is starting to lag, but let's focus on the blood GPS incident.

Yuanzhi saw that the people in the Yu residence were being a bit suspicious so he goes to snoop (cause + reason = reaction). Jin Fan is best boy, but Yuanzhi did not instigate that fight, he did (with good reason i know i know). (offense + defense = reaction). Ziyu & co. tried to stuff him into the closet (*snerk*) and what does he do? Bites down until he bleeds because he knows Gege will find him if he sniffs him out. And he did. A successful reaction.

In my opinion, he's like gunpowder -- left alone, they'll be fine. When given a spark, will react.

And again with feeling... To the Redditor who spouted such utter shite;

Class dismissed

[ribbittrobbit]

this is it, the wuvvy thoughts are here

ok to preface: i think that Rue is a very compelling flawed character, and i have lots of Rue feelings but I have more Wuvvy feelings.

Alright so Wuvvy is Rue's faithful right hand, she has shaped her life around Rue, following them and leaving her own court and giving up a position as a champion. Notably, Wuvvy has always willingly done everything Rue has asked, maybe even done more than that to the point of anticipating their needs, maybe that liberty will lead to her downfall. She repeatedly reassures Rue, of her love and support in pretty much anything and everything. The phrase "you know i love you, right?" is such a beautiful and tragic summary of her character.

Because she reassures them of her love by word and by action - and the rift is caused when Rue commands her. Up until that point Wuvvy was supportive of Rue's interest in Hobb, maybe not thinking too deeply about it, maybe just to validate Rue's feelings and make them feel good. But when she was made to burn the letter, something breaks. She would have done what was asked of her, but to be commanded at the slightest and maybe first hesitation Wuvvy has ever shown? and when Wuvvy's questions aren't even against Rue, she is deeply in favor of Rue chasing their happiness, she only expresses grief when they doubt themselves. That strikes me as deeply grave betrayal, to command a willing person whose only hesitation was fuelled by good intentions. And an argument can be made that maybe Wuvvy harbors jealousy but I think any of it comes after this moment, any doubt comes back to this command.

So she takes a liberty and acts in the name of Rue's honor, challenging Hobb to a duel for the offence of making them cry.

And Rue, Rue who believes in love and romance but is also volatile and confused and full of secrets and fear. Who is a master of weaving words and placating and putting on a show and putting the correct face on for whoever sees them. Rue chases romance, sheds their glamour, and still leans on Wuvvy for support in the midst of this rift: "but you'll stay by my side" and it's a statement, not a question. They remain assured of Wuvvy's support, why wouldn't they be? when they've been frequently reassured of Wuvvy's undying devotion and love. And what does Wuvvy say in return? "It's been very nice to walk beside you" and maybe that's the problem.

And we see the distance grow between them, they start to be out of sync. Rue says their thing about wanting Wuvvy to learn to exist, being worried that she is "bound by obligation and not love" and what does that even mean? what does that sound like to someone who has taken on obligation out of love? What does Rue expect Wuvvy to find by "existing", romance? why would they presume that?

And the final thing is "your contract is done, you are no longer bound by me". Oh to drop that on a person who does not view this as a contract. Imagine Wuvvy having the most important person in her life so solemnly say something that shows such a profound misunderstanding of her person.

Maybe they are both selfish and their relationship is needlesly complicated by unwavering devotion and inequality. In the end we see Rue chasing romance and the idea of love and being volatile and passionate. And Wuvvy loved a person or the idea of them, never making for a real understanding, never forming a true reciprocity.

tldr: a 10/10 tragedy of a person, wuvvy.

[originemesis]

@hellpride is trying his best to keep these humes alive - from xxx

The shrieks of terror were new. Adam could cut Lucifer at his core with the licks of fear leaving slights against the angels core. He almost did not want allow the frightened man to leave his hold; there would be nowhere safer than by that of a cherubim. Or so...one would assume. Begrudgingly, Lucifer allowed him to uncoil away from the safety of his angelic care. A huff pulling out the last remaining frustration that influenced a forbidden desire; he could not simply hold Adam from self caused mistakes forever. Made in gods image. However, he was also made to be a troublesome foundation for Lucifer's worry. Oh, this guilt! All those harsh words and desire to claim another chance of more delicate touch came right back onto the angel. "I see. That sounds very serious." Eyes up the fluffy nimbus casting a shadow of insult over the first man. With one smooth and swift brush of a wing upwards Lucifer casted the cloud into disbursement. Content with the challenge taken cared of Lucifer tucked each wing downwards in rest. "Feel a bit better?? Hm. Hm." Nods without waiting for confirmation. "Good. Now, if I see you doing that again I'll push every cloud together and follow you both around with it. Doesn't sound very fun, does it?? Exactly!! Don't be foolish like this again. Just stick the normal and safe mistakes. Like tripping and the other lesser offences to your body. Unless I'm here to watch over you." Catches Adams hand in his own secure hold. "You can be as reckless as you please if I'm near. Just-- not when others are watching. You want to make a good impression on the Seraphim. I think." His chatty lesson slowed down to that which was unexplainable. Lucifer wasn't exactly sure of the first man and woman's purpose entirely with concern to the angels plans. Just that he cannot be seen found dead on the ground due to a cloud. Sighs. The humans have such odd standards; better Lucifer not stress a headache trying to understand the unreasonable desire for perfection in the imperfect. May the humans explore that in his tight lipped security. "Keep this in mind, for me??" Adam was not out of the ballpark yet. Lucifer gave a gentle tug of encouragement for Adam to follow him. Really, Lucifer should have left once Adam was secure once more but the angel always lingered where he shouldn't. Keeping some semblance of security Lucifer found the perfect spot. Adam in the light as Lucifer claimed the shadow of a tall tree of great green lush to shelter from prying eyes. "Why are you so upset these days?? Or are you just made to be this empty-headed??" Presses a touch to his forehead. His voice followed by a short lasting laughter.

With how much lower to the ground the angel is, Adam would have been wiggling out into a low enough position to pass any limbo challenge, but thankfully the short stature is not without its uses. Namely- becoming an arm rest for the man to push off of, even if it is essentially a shove in the guardian's face that might cause him a stumbled step back or two and imparts the imprint of an elbow planted upon the others cheek in the rough and tumble blissful unawareness that was humanity's first, but not exactly brightest.

Once on his feet, Adam nodded and flicked his head and hair back with the satisfied air of not only being heard clearly, but wholly agreed with. His hands rested on his hips, the divine seal of creation in the form of a glowing, ethereal leaf sitting between the gesture as a reminder from the artist just who the first was modelled after. With a squeeze, he'd leaned back for a better angle to fling a squint up at the cloud in question. "Ch'yeah...it DOES." And he wouldn't have to wait long for the angel to obliterate the so called 'pretty' cloud. "Whoa- direct hit!" He whistled appreciatively, but winced and crossed his arms afterwards. "I mean- I was so gonna do that. But you know, like. More..." With arms unfurling and stretching to either side like an offered hug, he flexed his fingers in to form fists a few times before he settled on, "-hands on??"

After a few more moments spent examining the capability which was making fists, he took to the other's rapidly advancing platitudes and quickly crossed his arms again, almost dramatic in the way he tossed his gaze upwards and tried to balance on one foot for good measure. "I- GUESS..." Though he wasn't too sure what there was to feel better about. Eve was still going to call the other clouds pretty eventually. When did he ever get to relax?

The grab for his hand upset his one footed wobbling and pulled him down onto two, so he swiveled his attention that way, though it would be after a couple of blinks that he'd prove if there was truly anything going on behind those golden veils. "Hah- your hands are tinier than Eve's, dude. I'm gonna call you Ladyfingers." And he did clap both of his larger ones around Lucifer's hand for an amusing comparison before the other would start to yank him unamused elsewhere.

Once faced with the angel at the tree, the man gave a curious tilt of the head to consider the question, though the claim had him scoffing. "It's not even empty, my dude. Look- I got eyes don't I? Oh wait, you probs can't see'em down there." And with that prehistoric height jab, he'd moved to balance on his knees and attempt a headbutt to close the distance- but merely ended up with his forehead caught by a planted palm. "Huh?" Something warm welled up across his face in streaks of gold not unlike the freckles found in the same vicinity and he flashed a playful canine briefly as if he just discovered why the animals with the horns liked to bonk one another in the head.

"Where have you been anyway?" A shift, and the grin fell to a more inquisitive pursing of lips.

"They said you left. You don't wanna hang out anymore?"

[realcatalina]

I had actually argued with the person who made this comment about the very topic. It is Jane Haylay's opinion.

And I agree upon most points she has about battle of Flodden-for most of it is well-thought and well-researched.

-It was Surrey's victory, he faced stronger oponenent, outsmarted him and it wasnt plan A for him to face Scots alone with Northern troops. Etc.

However, I strongly disagree that Catherine of Aragon was incompetent regent.

What Jane at the time didn't know-until I pointed it out-was that Surrey was forced to meet Scots earlier than he would ideally wanted to. Because portion of supplies for Northern army got stolen.

And he would run out of supplies possibly completely before Southern reinforcement would come.

Is it true that North would be screwed had Surrey failed? Yes-but bear in mind he was the one tasked to defend the country, and to lead troops into battle. It was his duty-not Catherine's, to say she would have failed in job she was never given, it is not getting that they both had their specific tasks.

-And reason for Jane not getting this, is partly due to how often it is presented that Catherine was the one at Flodden. Lots of sources claim she was given that task/duty.

But nobody at the time expected her to or wanted her to. Plans were made prior, so that she wouldn't have to.

Jane is also way too fixated upon call of arms in South being issued very late after declaration of war by James, in her mind it is as if people had no idea that war was happening and all in south only started to move from that date.

Yet I have to give her that Surrey at North managed to muster troops significantly faster than Catherine in South.

But what was the cause of this and could Catherine do better in south?

-that is matter upon which Jane and i agreed to disagree, after very long and very heated debate.

-Jane thinks that lords were reluctant to do it without official royal command(thus she is blaming Catherine and calling her incompetent). This sounds logical at first, but it doesn't mean it is necessarily the true cause of any possible delay.

-Imo lords would know they would not be in trouble for mustering troops when Scots invaded-even prior to command, while yes in peace-time it would be huge offence.

It is possible that North was already pre-prepared for possibility of invasion and that both Northmen and Surrey had learnt from 1497, where they already didnt do bad.

That might be why they did better and faster in mustering.

There are more possible contributing factors.

Wouldnt you sent your most experienced men to be at North-where the threat was the biggest? Meaning men left at South were less experienced and that might be why they were slower?

Also, how many levies were left in England? Since possibility of invasion by Scotland was known, English wouldnt take as many levies from North. But in South they likely did take many and those went to continent. Thus finding usable levies in South might been been more challenging. Thus the delay.

I think the matter is that men in North and upon continent outperformed themselves- not that Catherine underperformed in the South-imo there were factors hindering her at South, that was why it took longer.

All would be well, if not for those border bandits(and somebody in north tasked to guard those supplies, not doing well upon their job).

But I must say I agree a bit with Jane's frustration-over how sexist is battle of Flodden presented and that men who fought in it, are taken out of the equation! (Especially Spanish Princess did dirty to Surrey.)

And everything done well is turned into Catherine's doing-which is false!

It was not that Catherine done nothing-like Jane claims, but it wasn't that she done everything either-like many people claim.

Historically Catherine didn't claim the victory in battle as hers-she understood very well that it wasn't. It was other people, and later generations which totally misrepresented Flodden and Catherine's regency.

What i think we can all agree is that Earl of Surrey deserves full credit for the victory at Flodden-because he was the commander in charge that day.

But imo contributing to his victory more people also deserve credit:

-Catherine for her rousing speech about month prior to the battle (i made post about it. That is the only time she could have spoken to captains that later defeated Scots)-when war declaration was issued.

(in Jane's opinion speech never happened because Catherine never met the troops from the north. But original report says Catherine made speech to captains which defeated scots not to the troops-and doesnt specify when).

-Henry VIII-also not present at the battle( just as Catherine), but he deserves credit for choosing Surrey in first place and because likely it was him who sent troops and cannons from continent, hence we could say he provided additional support after Scots invaded.

We could sumarize the players behind Flodden as:

English:

Surrey-fight, military command, logistics at North-main guy

Catherine-moral support, logistics at South

Henry-decision making, logistics at continent

Scots:

James-invading to support French

Border bandits:

-stealing

And there is additional problem with not giving enough credit to Earl of Surrey and his two eldest surviving sons-who fought in the battle as well. Or perhaps it is the cause of people's people reluctance to give them the credit.

Earl of Surrey at the time was Thomas Howard, later 2nd Duke of Norfolk.

His eldest son also named Thomas Howard , was made Earl of Surrey after his father was given the dukedom and eventually became the 3rd duke of Norfolk.

The 2nd eldest surviving son at time of Flodden-was Edmund Howard.

In other words it was Anne Boleyn's grandfather and two uncles, one of which was father of Catherine Howard.

You cannot claim that Howards had any need to prostitute their relatives to the king to gain favour, when you take their victory at Flodden into account. That narrative is completely false.

Yet in it is the part of plotlone of many modern adaptations of Anne Boleyn's life.

[stilemawillow]

Fake But Not Fragile [Levi | Reader | Modern AU!]

High school. Translation: a dreaded little world where everything depended on the very first impression you made - there were no second chances if you screwed up once. So you wanted everything to be perfect.

"Grab my hand." You stated, not looking to the side at the person you were talking to. There was an exasperated snort before five cold slender fingers wrapped around yours. His palm was sweaty, which made you suppress a smirk as you turned to face him. "Maybe you should also try not to look like you're constipated." The advice, though appropriate, made the male glare at you. In return, you offered him a smile.

"I'm not here to play around, (L/N)." He spat as you stopped in front of the doors to what would be your biggest challenge so far. He might've sounded serious but you saw the little bit of nervousness hiding along the edges of his sharp eyes.

"Incorrect," you sang with another smirk, "you're here to play along and protect me." You corrected cockily, still holding his hand as if it was the most normal thing in the world. It was an all-known fact to both of you that you'd have to get used to it. He scoffed before rolling his eyes at you, but his mouth stayed shut. You took it as a sign of the fact he'd accepted his defeat and a softer smile made its way on top of your lips.

"Relax, I'll handle everything. Plus, you could enjoy yourself a little out there." You joked half-heartedly, squeezing his hand briefly as to encourage him. His eyes hardened as he looked at the doors you soon had to open.

"You know that's the only thing I'm not allowed to do." His statement made your smile falter briefly because yes, you knew it very well.

"I'm telling you this isn't the way. You do anything only if it's an emergency." You argued with Levi at the back of the room during third period.

"Anything could be an emergency when it comes to you." He countered with a glare, making you snort condescendingly his way. Your fingers pulled at the skirt you wore since it kept crawling up your thighs even in positions where you did nothing but sit on a stupid chair.

"Very funny." You mocked fakely, not a hint of amusement in your voice. "I know what I'm doing." Your expression was hard and your eyes dared him to tell you otherwise.

"Maybe so, but you're certainly not aware of the right way to state it so that nobody else hears." He whispered in return, making your eyes narrow as you leaned closer to him so he could hear your hushed voice a bit better.

"I'm whispering, mind you." This particular set of words was more of a hiss than an actual whisper, but Levi needn't even hear it to battle it with an argument of his own.

"You're not doing it well enough then." He stated quietly yet promptly as you glared at him once more, attempting to shut him up using only the sole power of your gaze.

"The love birds in the back!" The teacher exclaimed annoyedly, making your shoulders stiffen as you faced the front. "This is the third time I've stopped my lesson to lecture you two. Detention after classes." It was a curt verdict that would take no less than an hour - an hour you had a variety of ways to utilize that were better than sitting still in a room full of teenage delinquents.

"Wha---" Your mouth hung open in offence and the raven next to you had to have realised seconds prior to yourself that you were on your way to talking back to a teacher because he took matters into his own hands. Quite literally.

"Hush, (L/N)." His fingers wrapped around yours as he whispered so lowly nobody but you could hear it. "Composure." The word was cold but you found in it the little life preserver your overflowing annoyance needed as to not drown in the sea of impulsiveness your mind held. You breathed in and out once before meeting his gaze. You were a bit calmer.

"Thanks." You whispered and although you weren't sure your vocal cords had actually taken any part in the action you still saw the raven give you a small nod of acknowledgement.

You and Levi walked into 'the cellar' (as most students called the detention room) without any expectations besides those of your ruined free time after school's end. You took your seats at the back after placing your phones on the desk by the door as everyone else had done before you. You quickly counted the phones left on the wooden surface and then the students in the room.

One phone was missing and you quickly found its owner - a boy two seats away from you. Seeing as the teacher who would keep an eye on you was still absent himself, you stood up and threw Levi your best 'I know what I'm doing' look before walking up to the boy with a warm smile. Prior to tapping his shoulder, you noticed the ravenette sitting next to him was watching you very intently.

"Hey, I'm kinda new here, and I've no idea how long this is gonna last. When can we get out of here?" You spoke once the brunet had turned to face you, the phone in his hands no longer being paid attention to. You glanced at the time on it before looking back into the male's teal orbs.

"It all depends on Dok. He's made detention last thirty to forty minutes but he's also held us here for two hours straight." You made sure not to let the surprise get to your expression. The boy shrugged, his phone's screen turning black when his finger pressed the 'off' button.

"I'm seriously hoping for the former. Nice to meet you, I'm (Y/N)." You reached out a hand and he took it with a kind smile. Maybe, you thought, he wasn't an actual delinquent. Maybe he'd also disrupted the peace in a cranky teacher's class like you and Levi, and he wasn't here for a good enough reason.

"Eren. Nice to meet you, too." He introduced politely before arriving at the point you knew would sooner or later come: "So what are you here for?"

"My boyfriend and I annoyed our teacher I guess. You?" You smiled again, quick to transfer the topic from yourself to him.

"It's my weekly fight. This time Mikasa was protecting me so she's here too." He gestured to the ravenette who had been glaring at you earlier from the near desk and you nodded at her politely, not making the effort to shake her hand since she didn't seem like a person who'd reciprocate it.

"Nice to meet you." Came the kind greeting, accompanied by your eyes glancing in Levi's direction. His gaze told you to get this over with, so you guessed that was what you had to do in the next few seconds.

"Likewise." Mikasa returned curtly, not set on being nice or anything besides plain civil. Then you could hear footsteps echoing down the hallway. The door of the cellar opened before you could look back as Eren hurriedly spoke:

"Dok's here. Better get back to your seat." You made your way back to Levi with quick steps just as the teacher stood in front of the blackboard, smirking deviously at the lot of you. He spoke in a calm manner, announcing the usual rules of detention without specifying when it would end. During the speech, you got a piece of paper from the pocket of your jacket and slid it over to Levi's desk right after scribbling a few words down.

You saw his eyes narrow before he pulled a pen from the pocket of his jeans and wrote on it as well. The little piece of paper was handed back and forth between the two of you a specific number of times before arriving at your desk for the last time. The exchange on the paper looked like this:

i don't know when exactly we're getting out of here

meaning?

they said it depends on his mood

i don't mind staying

seconded

You folded the paper and stuffed it into your pocket, back to listening to Nile Dok's speech, just to become aware of its very last sentence. "All in all, do whatever you want, so long as it doesn't include talking or your phones, and if I hear or see something else you'll be paying the price as a team."

You exchanged glances with Levi and pulled your chair a bit closer to his, seeing as it didn't break any of the rules. You gestured for him to give you his hand and when he did - hesitantly so due to the doubt in his orbs, you started playing with his fingers in the most innocent way ever. You had nothing else to do either way.

You saw Levi eyeing Nile Dok prior to turning his attention back to you. You looked up at him and smiled knowingly, seeing how he immediately scoffed and turned his head to the side in supposed denial of the statement in your eyes. Maybe if you were outside he'd also use his free hand to flick your forehead, but now you were under the protection of the silent detention room.

Wishing to embarrass your partner furthermore, you lifted his hand to your lips and kissed his knuckles gingerly to which he glared at you so hard you almost burst out laughing. You kissed his hand once more, which earned you a small snort and a warning glare. The third time was when Levi's breaking point arrived and a very light pink dusted over his porcelain skin. You grinned and ceased your affectionate attack only to realise that, suddenly, detention didn't seem so bad anymore.

"I see you've become a regular now. Your little boyfriend isn't here this time, though." That was the phrase which stopped you from exiting the cellar after a month of weekly detention sessions. Most of them were for disrupting the peace during a particular teacher's lessons. Others were for supposedly acting violently. However, none of those attracted too much attention to yourself or Levi. You slid your phone into the pocket of your jacket and turned to face Nile Dok with a small pout.

"Yeah, I guess you could say we're fighting." You returned absentmindedly as the teacher gestured for you to close the door to your right. You did so whilst listening to his follow-up question of ‘what about?’. He brushed his fingers along his jawline and you could hear his beard scratching against the hard surface of his nails. "Well," you bit down on your bottom lip nervously, "can you keep a secret?" You inquired quietly, making the man show you confirmation in the form of one of his most recognisable traits - a wolfish grin that never seemed overly sincere.

"Of course I can." Came the calm answer as you fidgeted with the hem of your skirt and wondered whether to speak or not. He'd said this wouldn't exit the room so you guessed it was the perfect time to speak up - the only downside was that Levi wasn't close enough at the current moment. Or was it an actual downside? After taking it into consideration, you realised it was an advantage in itself.

"Since we moved to this school I've been looking to find myself a guy." The emphasis made the man behind the old desk understand the word's true meaning. There was a nod of acknowledgement on his side as his narrowed eyes traced your features. You looked at the ground and switched feet, fingers becoming more fidgety. "My boyfriend doesn't like it, he says I'm addicted and shit like that, but I know what I'm doing. You won't tell my parents, will you?" You shot him a worried look as your hands pulled down the short skirt you wore.

"I told you I can keep a secret. I'll keep yours." There was a gracious smile on his lips as his eyes briefly strayed from yours to trace your hands' action. You sighed in relief. "And," he started to add, the smile turning into another devious grin, "if you're so desperate, I can even help you."

"Really? Y-You can do that?" You stuttered, suddenly looking very hopeful.

"Of course, darling. We just shouldn't let your boyfriend know." The teacher nodded thoughtfully and you hurried to agree with his one simple rule.

"Sure thing, sir. How much do you need?" You asked afterwards, eyebrows briefly furrowing in worry that you'd need to give more money than you had.

"For a sweet girl like you, I'll make a discount." There was another wolfish grin before he grabbed a stray sheet of paper from the desk and wrote down a certain number on it. Once the sheet was slid over to you, your eyes lit up as the male gave you one last piece of advice. "Get yourself in detention tomorrow and bring it along."

You smiled hopefully and nodded frantically before opening the door and observing the way his eyes fled back to your thighs. Once the door was closed behind your back you huffed in exasperation and the smile fell from your lips. You made your way to the exit and saw Levi's car parked a few feet from the doors. The moment your foot stepped out of the building Levi's eyed pinpointed your figure.

"So?" He opened the car door and raised an eyebrow your way once you'd come close enough. You snorted at how he never seemed to believe in you and your ability to take care of yourself. Also, in contrast with the perverted bastard in the cellar, Levi didn't glance at your skirt once.

"I know what I'm doing, Levi." You promptly closed his door for him before making your way to the other side of the car and plopping down in the front seat. You glanced at the raven next to you, who seemed reluctant to start the car and drive off. "Also remember for tomorrow - we're still fighting." You reminded somberly, making him snort. His grey orbs bore into yours but you didn't buckle and then he faced the front again, grumpier than before.

"We're always fighting either way, (L/N)."

"All's well when it ends well." You were walking down the street while whistling happily, one of your hands stuffed in your pocket. Levi looked at you doubtfully, almost unable to believe you were this cheerful on a topic that would've usually made a lot of people uncomfortable to even mention. Of course, he knew how you were but he suspected you didn't have an actual idea of your mission's impact on the high school and its teachers and students both.

"Ten people were arrested, (L/N)." The raven-haired police officer cleared out as you half-heartedly rolled your eyes at his bluntness with a smile. The kindly supplied information did nothing to influence your good mood in a negative way. For you that was another job well done and a new, possibly better one, on the way. Going undercover sure seemed to be fun for you, more so when you got to expose the bad guys whilst playing the innocent schoolgirl.

"That's called justice, Levi." You said, a proud smile sitting on your lips, to which your male companion snorted. You were - besides highly indifferent to violence - also a very fervent supporter of the 'let's be righteous' cause, which just meant he had to deal with your just bullshit almost every day. Correction - every day.

"Whatever. Thankfully you didn't have to stay alone with that douche too long." Levi's newly chosen topic was in no way, shape or form better than the previous one, mostly because it pushed your righteous side to the back of your mind and called forth the annoyingly confident one. He realised that a second too late.

"I can protect myself." You huffed, narrowing your eyes at him briefly yet still puffing out your chest like the proud female you obviously were. Thankfully, you had finally gotten to the part where you were dressed in the most mediocre and eye-uncatching clothes you had - a perfect work attire, if anybody were to ask you. No perverts staring at you, no nothing. Just calm and khaki.

"I was the one who had to protect you." Levi argued pointedly, almost making you laugh. Of course, he just had to point that out like every other time you'd gotten in small proximity to this topic. He had to make sure you knew he was the male amongst the two of you (which was, probably unbeknownst to him, a fact you were well aware of) and thus, your one and only knight in shining armour that you could rely on.

"So you didn't let yourself enjoy anything. That was so boring of you." You looked him in the eye and kept walking, sure that he would soon come up with a good comeback that was most probably related to your well-being and overall safety during the mission. Of course, that hadn't been your first undercover mission without him, rather your first one with him.

"If I'd let myself enjoy shit you could've gotten hurt." The raven-haired male stated, making you roll your eyes at him pointedly. Wasn't he just too predictable? Despite that, he was still concerned with you and your condition - whether it be emotional or physical. You had to give him credit for that even though he tried his best to make it sound like it was all business and no feelings as per your work protocol.

"I didn't get hurt, though." You returned but your smirk was a bit too soft at the edges and your eyes were a bit too bright. Levi stared into your orbs before facing the front again and beginning to roll his thumb over your knuckles. It was a subconscious thing you'd caught him doing when he was thinking or holding himself back from doing something. "You know we're about to enter the office in about a minute, right?" You inquired calmly among the sea of strangers you walked through, which would very soon come to change as you neared your workplace. You heard Levi hum before he raised an eyebrow your way, not even mildly curious as to what you had to say.

"So?" He prompted boredly, making you chuckle inwardly. Actually, make that outwardly - the raven faced you briefly as you suppressed laughter in the middle of the street. Then you looked at him and it took you a lot not to start laughing again in the direction of his ever so innocently oblivious expression.

"I probably shouldn't take you on any undercover missions anymore. You grow used to showing affection too easily, to the point you're still holding my hand." You announced mockingly, a soft tone managing to sneak into your voice no matter how hard you struggled to keep it locked in your imagination only. Levi's eyes widened slightly as he became aware of your sentence's trueness in the face of your interlocked fingers.

"Shut it." His glaring eyes left yours, his fingers left yours and his jawline clenched in alleged anger. You grinned and jokingly nudged his shoulder with your finger. It was fun playing with him like this and in some situations, which unfortunately didn't include this one, he became so adorable you wished you could photograph his face for future evidence. Of course, that would get you killed, so you just tried to memorise each such moment to your best ability.

"Come on, Officer Ackerman, you have to start hating me in about thirty seconds." You poked his shoulder again, making him glare in your direction with half-hearted spite. He was annoyed, yes, that much you could see yourself, but deep down you also knew he'd never really hate you. That phrase was just for laughs - mainly your own if you were to be honest, mostly because it always provoked the exact same reaction from him.

"I hate you." His jaw clicked again as his eyebrows furrowed. Upon looking at his deep frown and striking glare one would think the phrase that had gone out of his lips was actually sincere, but you weren't a random person and you knew Levi better than anyone else so you also knew there was not an ounce of candour in those words.

"That's the spirit, darling." A big smile graced your lips as you caught the raven's shoulder and made him briefly stop in the middle of the street. You quickly tip-toed and kissed his cheek, almost like the loyal spouse in every old-fashioned movie. "I'll be going in first."

At that moment Levi could swear he was very much capable of grabbing your wrist and dragging you back to his car, where he would show you a variety of ways to call him besides 'darling'. Thing was, he didn't do it. Mostly because he couldn't allow himself or you to be late to work and be subsequently questioned by your boss. You'd need lame excuses and patience and good acting skills and Levi doubted that, in spite of your brilliant undercover skills, he would be in the condition to provide all of those efficiently.

So he kept his thoughts to himself and when his foot stepped inside the office you two shared with a bunch of other people, the first person he greeted wasn't you.

"I'm going to miss those short skirts." It was a blatant statement in the middle of a silent part of a boring movie neither of you was paying attention to either way. Both of you were only in because of the cuddling and the popcorn, and Levi's phrase just confirmed that. You turned to face him before kindly suggesting just what he'd supposedly wanted to hear.

"I can start wearing them at work if you want it so much." You stuffed your mouth with popcorn right after as his hands wrapped around you tighter. You readjusted your position in his lap before grabbing another handful of popcorn. You felt in complete peace with yourself because at least you were now sure Levi had been eyeing your thighs at one point as well as all and every other male in that high school had. It made your pride swell to the point you wore a smile for an overall of ten seconds full of silence.

"... no." He said after a thoughtful pause, making your eyebrows furrow. You spun so your shoulder was leaning on his chest and you could observe his face a bit better. His eyes were following the movement on the TV screen ahead but his mind wasn't really focused on it as intently.

"Why? I thought you liked them." You used the moment to stuff his mouth with popcorn and talk as he was chewed on it. His eyes didn't meet yours but you could tell by the furrow of his eyebrow he wasn't thinking happy thoughts. He swallowed and took a second to inhale before speaking.

"That's why you'll be wearing them in front of me only." He explained calmly, making you snort as you tossed a popcorn in your mouth. You cheered yourself on inwardly before looking at him again and raising a mocking eyebrow his way.

"Jealous much?" The smug inquiry came from your smirking lips, making the raven's grip on you tighten warningly. He hated being called out on being jealous but in most cases, he actually was and watching him struggle to deny it believably enough provided you with great entertainment.

"Shut it, (L/N)." He spat, attempting to sound angry. You rolled your eyes and fed him another handful of popcorn to soothe his wounded pride as a male. Another ten minutes of you feeding yourself and him passed before you put the empty bowl of popcorn to the side and turned to face Levi again. His eyes were on the screen but he wasn't fazed in the least.

"Hey." Your soft whisper made his eyes meet your warm gaze. You brushed his bangs out of his face and tucked them behind his ear with what Levi thought was the most beautiful smile you had in store. "You did amazing on the mission, Levi. I couldn't ask for a better bodyguard... or boyfriend." You added after a diminutive pause as your hand cupped his cheek affectionately.

"It better be that way." Though his eyes narrowed at you jokingly you could still see the overwhelming amount of tenderness and affection they held, up to the point he closed them as you kissed his lips in an adamant way of confirming that yes, it was that way. And it would stay that way because even though your relationship's secrecy was quite fragile, the intimacy it contained was anything but fake.

[fific7]

Cold Day in Hell - Part 2

Logan Delos x Reader

A/N: This does not completely follow canon, it’s mainly lemon zest 🍋 because the world needs more Logan Delos.

Warnings: 18+ NSFW due to sexual content, including oral, between consenting adults* in some chapters. Drinking and swearing.

*Irl, please don’t go wild in the country without protection.

(My GIF)

Logan went back to his own office after showing her to hers. He sat down in his plush office chair and swivelled slowly from side to side, picking up his pen and tapping it on the desk as he did so. He was thinking. How was he going to approach this?

Unusually for him, Logan wasn’t 100% convinced that she was attracted to him. That was something of a departure for him; the norm was that he would just look at someone and that was it, they were putty in his hands. Not this gal. He thought she might be interested but he could tell that there were walls up there, that was for sure.

Should he ask Juliet? She was dead set against him getting involved with this new lady, but it might be worth listening to one of her lectures if he got some useful ’women’s perspective’ advice at the same time. He got up and strolled the short distance down to her office, knocking and popping his head round the door. Juliet looked up from her screen at him, “Hey, Logan... what can I do for you? I’m right in the middle of something here.”

Irrespective of her comment, Logan went into the office and sat down in the chair opposite her. Sighing, Juliet put her screen lock on and lounged back in her own chair. Knowing him as she did, she could tell just by looking at his face that he was in thinking mode, in fact he wasn’t even looking at her; he was staring at the back of her big computer screen, a sure sign that his mind was off somewhere else. “Logan!” she said firmly, and his eyes snapped to hers, “I’m busy here, darling brother. What’s on your mind?”

As Juliet had been expecting, he said the name of their new secondment. Then he held up a hand, “Now I know you don’t want me to go there, Jules - but I’m serious here. She’s not a one-and-done in my mind.” Juliet snorted, “What then? A two-and-done?!” Logan rolled his eyes, “Ha ha, very funny. No. I’m thinking of something a bit more... established than that.”

Juliet’s eyes widened, “You mean....” her voice took on a mock awestruck tone, “...a relationship, Logan?” He nodded, “Well... yeah. I suppose you could call it that.” She sat forward, eyes boring into his, “No! I just don’t believe you. Look, you’re the guy who’s out on the town every night with a different person. Or occasionally someone you’ve taken out once or twice before. You are just not a monogamous kinda guy! I don’t want you to mess around with this girl!” Logan crossed one leg over the other and made a point of studying his nails, “I know you don’t, but I want to take her out. And I’m gonna take her out, Jules. She can make her own mind up if she doesn’t want anything to do with me from there on.”

Juliet muttered something and Logan leant in a bit, “Whaddya say, sis?” She looked him straight in the eye, “She probably doesn’t want anything to do with you right now, never mind after you’ve taken her out. Your reputation proceeds you, Lo.”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You’d spent a little time arranging the few items you’d brought with you onto your new desk. Your laptop, your favourite pens, a ruler and a stapler. That was it - you liked to travel light. And anything else you needed, you were sure Delos Destinations would be able to supply by the kilo-load. Logan had said to you, before disappearing back to his own office, “I’ll leave you to settle in, and anything you need.... just ask!” There had been the merest hint of a wink accompanying that last comment, but you’d poker-faced it and just said, “Thanks, Logan.... I’ll bear that in mind.”

You so wished that he wasn’t as handsome as he was, as you had to admit that this made it quite difficult to concentrate on your projects. Shaking your head, you pulled up the folder for one of said projects on your laptop and began work on it.

Hopefully Logan would just keep to his own office. Otherwise you weren’t sure how much work you’d actually get done. Your eyes would be too busy drinking in the male masterpiece that was Logan Delos.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Logan walked dejectedly back to his office. The visit to Juliet for advice had been a complete and utter waste of time. All he’d got was one big rant about keeping far away from his new love interest. Well, he wasn’t about to do what she said, he’d be damned if he would.

Back in his office, he took to swinging from side to side in his chair once more. He really didn’t have a clue how to start his campaign to win her over. Logan just wasn’t used to having to chase down anyone he was interested in, so this was a bit of a new challenge for him. Should he go all out and whisk her off somewhere in one of the private jets? Take her out on the company yacht? Pick her up in a limo and take her to a premiere?

Or should he go low-key, ask her out for a coffee and see how that went down? Build it up from there? He’d picked up his pen once more and as he got more and more frustrated, threw it across the room where it bounced off the door, dropped and skittered across the floor. A couple of seconds later, his secretary knocked and opened the door, “Did you need something, Mr Delos?” “Uhhh.. no, no, it’s fine, Stacy, sorry about that.” She gave him a bit of a look, nodded and closed the door.

He sighed and thought to himself that he’d better get ready for these upcoming investor meetings in Seattle the following week. He sat bolt upright in his chair, smacking his forehead. Of course! Why hadn’t he thought of that sooner!

Three days in Seattle... just the two of them.... perfect!

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You heard a small tap and then Juliet’s head appeared round the door. “Welcome!” she smiled, coming into the office and over to you, giving you a big hug. “I’m so pleased you’re here!” You agreed, “Yes, I’m pleased to be here. It’s lovely to see you, Juliet.” “It’s going to be so much easier all round,” she said, before sitting down opposite you, “...it’s going to make a big difference to the status of the projects.” She paused, her eyes - so like Logan’s - gazing into yours, “And.... I don’t mean to sound off-putting, especially on your first day... but I’m guessing you already know that my brother is really quite taken with you?”

You gave a small smile, “Umm... yes I kind of did get that vibe.” She nodded, “You’re a damn good engineer and that’s a big part of the reason you’re here, but this was Logan’s idea and I’ll be straight with you, he’s busy working out how he’s going to get close to you.”

Laughing out loud, “Juliet, no offence to your brother - who’s a very good-looking guy - but it’ll be a cold day in hell before I go out with him. I know he’s a complete player.” She laughed too, “I’m glad you’re already aware of that. I mean, I love my brother to bits but he is just terrible at relationships! He doesn’t mean to be, but he says he doesn’t know if he could ever love anyone, any one person. It’s not really in his DNA.”

You took a breath, thought to yourself, why not? - and asked, “Is his ...uhh... substance abuse a thing of the past now? Well, as much as it can ever be.” Juliet nodded, a pained look on her face, “Yes, thank god. We had a pretty awful time with him for a while, especially after a... a particular situation in Westworld, but he’s clean now and still goes to meetings every so often just to keep himself in line. I really thought we’d lost him a couple of times, so yes, he’s done really well. I’m proud of him.” “You should be,” you agreed, having seen tears welling in her eyes when she’d mentioned losing him. “I’m sorry I brought that up, Juliet, I shouldn’t have said anything.” She smiled, “Hey, it’s fine. You should know what you’re getting into... or rather not getting into!”

You both laughed at that.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

In the meantime, Logan had asked his secretary to book one of the private jets and two hotel suites in downtown Seattle for the dates of the investor meetings. He was almost bouncing around his office, he was so pleased with himself and his new plan.

He thought he heard the sound of laughter coming from her office, and couldn’t stop himself from going right next door to see what was going on. He opened the door after a brief knock on it, and saw his sister sitting with the object of his affections, the two of them still laughing.

Juliet turned round and said with a smile, “Lo! We were just talking about you.” His eyes narrowed suspiciously, “Oh yeah?” She nodded, “Yeah. Are your ears flaming?” Logan scowled at her, “What have you been saying, Jules?” with a quick, anxious look over at the other woman in the room. Juliet stood up and said, “Oh, nothing too bad, Logan,” giving him a wicked little smile and striding out of the room.

Logan watched Juliet go before clearing his throat and turning back just in time to see her hiding a smile. “C’mon,” he said, “...what did she say?” She shook her head, “Honestly, nothing bad. She was just pulling your strings.” Logan just managed to stop himself saying that she would be more than welcome to pull his strings, before sitting down in the chair which Juliet had just vacated. “Okay... well, what I came in to tell you is that we’re going to Seattle next week...” total surprise on her face, “....to some investor meetings,” Logan carried on smoothly. “Oh now, Logan, why on earth would you want me to go to them?” “You’ll be able to update them on a few of those middleware projects you’re working on. You were so much better than that boring asshole they let do most of the presentation. You’ll wow these guys.”

She was still looking at him as if he’d asked her to go to the moon. “It’s all booked,” he said quickly, a tiny bit of confidence leaving his voice, “...so I’ll give you the dates and schedule, okay?”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Oh, he’s booked it already has he? you thought. Sighing, you could feel your shoulders slump a little in defeat as you agreed to go with him. You knew that your boss wouldn’t be very impressed if you didn’t, as apart from helping Delos Destinations get more investment, you’d be floating your own company’s name out in front of them.

“Who else is going?” you asked, and saw a distinct gleam in Logan’s dark eyes as he answered, “Uhh.. just the two of us. Don’t want to overwhelm them with too many speakers.” He slapped his hands down onto his thighs, “Well, I’d better get back, I’ve got a meeting in 5. I’ll get those details to you asap.” He stood up, ��See you later,” and left your office.

Okayyy - just the two of you? This trip was shaping up to be something out of a bad romcom.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Logan had mentioned the proposed Seattle trip to Juliet as they were both leaving the office, casually dropping in who was going amongst all the other details. She stopped in the middle of the corridor, looking round to see if anyone else was within earshot before saying in an exasperated tone, “Really, Logan? Are you serious? And I suppose there’s only going to be one room available when you get there?!” Logan held up both hands, “No!! You can check, there are two rooms booked!”

Juliet scowled at him, “Logan, I swear - you better be on your best behaviour. She’s only just arrived, so you piss her off this early in then I’m going to be super pissed too!” Logan did one of his over-exaggerated eye rolls, “Oh for fuck’s sake stop worrying, Jules, I’m not about to piss her off. I’m out to charm her.”

“Oh god help her then,” muttered Juliet as she stalked towards her car.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Logan took your hand as you stepped out of the chauffeur-driven car at the private airstrip. You’d thought about ignoring his outstretched hand but instead placed yours in his. A smile appeared on his face, “Now, this is how it’s gonna be over the next few days - us holding each other’s hands through the investor meetings.” You rolled your eyes, “Whatever you say, Logan.” “I do say,” he smirked, hand going to the small of your back as you reached the bottom of the steps up to the aircraft and guiding you onto them. You knew that his eyes were glued to your rear as you made your way up the steps, but tried to ignore the feeling. Every so often you’d catch Logan’s eyes on you, looking at you as if you were a prey animal and this made you even more determined to avoid getting involved with him.

But lordy it wasn’t easy, you admitted to yourself as you watched him settle his tall frame into the extremely comfortable seat facing yours. You’d never been on a private jet before, but you were having difficulty paying attention to all its facilities when Logan was looking absolutely edible in an impeccable dark blue suit and light pink shirt, unbuttoned quite low as usual and showing off a little chest hair. Your eyes met his after you’d finished exploring his body, and he was looking so smug you wanted to punch him. Damn! You’d better be more guarded in future when drooling over him.

Now you started showing an interest in the interior of the plane, but every time you caught Logan’s eye he was still smirking at you.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Ha! he laughed to himself, he’d obviously chosen the right suit then. He’d taken particular care when dressing that morning as he’d wanted to look really good for her and it seemed he’d made a good choice, judging by the look on her face when she’d finished eyeing him up and down.

He lounged back in his seat, still gazing at her. He wanted to fuck her so badly! His mind supplied a vision of himself climbing on top of her as she sat there, undoing her top, pushing her skirt up and.... He could feel himself getting hard just from that short clip playing in his head right now.

“Wanna fu-...”, he clamped his jaw shut, before carrying on, “...wanna drink, sweetheart?”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You were under no illusions as to exactly what was running through Logan’s mind at that moment.

You’d noticed how his eyes had glazed over slightly as he stared at you, his lips parted, and you could literally see his trousers tightening by the second over his groin. The dead giveaway was when he almost asked you if you wanted to fuck instead of what you wanted to drink. You couldn’t stop a smile making its way onto your lips. There was an undeniable thrill that you could turn him on like this ...but No!!! your brain said. This guy’s middle name is ‘Player’ and even his own sister had warned you what a hound-dog he was.

“I’ll have a G&T, please,” you said sweetly, “...and nothing else, thanks.”

Logan looked stunned for a second, then pressed the call button for the attendant.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Oh shit, Logan thought, she knows exactly what I was thinking. I guess I’m being a little obvious here, I’d better calm it the hell down. He just wasn’t used to playing it cool in the pursuit of someone. Usually he went from 0 to 90 in sixty seconds, and the people he hung out with expected that from him. Not this gorgeous example of womanhood though. He was going to have to majorly change his approach.

But being with her like this - so close, just the two of them - was driving him crazy as it felt really intimate, and while his thoughts were still firmly planted in the sexual receptor of his brain, the longer they were on the plane together the more he realised that he was enjoying just being with her. Which surprised him to be honest, that wasn’t something that normally entered his sphere of relations with other people. She had a very calm demeanour, and it made him feel at ease. Conversation flowed, and he felt like he was getting to know her a lot more.

Initially he’d hinted to his sister that he wanted more than sex from his new love interest to get Juliet off his back, but now it appeared that karma had got him fair and square. It felt like that he did really want something more.

What that was, he wasn’t exactly sure yet.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Checking in to the fancy hotel in downtown Seattle, you noticed the receptionists - male and female - checking out Logan and not being discreet about it. He, meanwhile, was in his element, flirting up a storm with them while handing over his black Delos card to register for the rooms. You shook your head, smiling to yourself. This was exactly what put you off him. You were more than certain that he’d be sharing a bed with one or all of them that night.

He handed you your keycard, and quickly noting your room number you took off like a shot towards the elevators. Logan had been surprised when you’d set off so briskly, and scrambled to grab his bag and suitcase beside the reception desk before following you.

He reached the elevator just as you turned, smiling at him and commenting, “Have fun with your new little friends,” and nodding your head back towards reception.

Hitting the ‘close doors’ button, you were still smiling at him as the doors closed.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Logan scrabbled at the ‘call’ button but not quickly enough to stop the doors closing in his face. Damn it! The other elevator arrived after a couple of moments and he rushed into it, wanting to catch up with her. What had he done wrong? She’d seemed pissed off underneath that smile. And what did she mean by his ‘new little friends’? Then he realised what had ticked her off - he’d been doing his usual flirting with the hired help who of course had been flirting right back.

But it didn’t mean anything to him, it was just his usual m.o., didn’t she realise that? He’d obviously need to introduce her to the Delos way of doing things so there’d be no future misunderstandings.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You were just putting your toiletries out in the bathroom when there was a knock on the door. Knowing it would be Logan, you opened the door to find him standing outside still with his suitcase and bag in hand. “Come in,” you invited and he walked quickly inside. You went back to the bathroom and finished laying out your shower gel and shampoo.

He stopped next to your bed and sat on it, waiting until you emerged from the bathroom. You had to admit he looked good on your bed but dismissed the thought and headed over to your suitcase to start unpacking. “I always flirt with the staff,” he said, “...it gets you a better level of service.” “Or just gets you serviced,” you said before you could stop yourself. You heard his deep chuckle as you kept taking items out of your case.

“No, that’s not the aim,” he said, “truly it’s not.” Walking over to the unit underneath the giant flat-screen TV attached to the wall, you began putting the garments away in the drawers then became aware of Logan invading your personal space to look over your shoulder. He was smirking at you and you suddenly realised you were holding a handful of your lingerie. Long fingers stroked one of the silky pairs of panties you were holding and you abruptly shoved them all into the drawer and slammed it shut. “Logan!” you admonished him, but his only reaction was to keep smiling mischievously at you.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Logan had tried to persuade her to come out on the town with him but she’d decided to stay in the hotel and have an early night. So he’d gone out on his own, heading to a restaurant he’d eaten at before and ordering a steak and some wine. The waitress had been very interested in him, hitting on him shamelessly but he’d politely brushed her off.

There was only one person he wanted in his bed. Not sure how long it’s gonna take me to get her there though, he thought glumly.

What did surprise him was the fact that he was willing to hang on in there until that happened.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Drifting off to sleep, aware of the low sound of the TV in the background, you couldn’t even be bothered to sit up to grab the remote and switch it off. There was a low knock on your door, then a second one - louder - when you didn’t answer the door. Groaning, you got up and went over to it, looking through the peephole to see Logan standing outside.

Sighing, you opened the door and he swept into your room as if he owned it. Then with typical Logan braggadocio he threw himself gracefully onto your bed, propping up some pillows behind him, crossing his ankles and linking his hands behind his head. You rolled your eyes heavenwards and closed the door, making your way towards where he lay. You were damned if he was going to chase you out of your bed. Standing beside it with your hands on your hips, you demanded, “Logan... what do you think you’re doing exactly?” Those dark eyes of his roamed all over you in your short little silk nightdress and he smiled, “I’m lonely.”

“Lonely!” you laughed, “You’re... you’re just... unbelievable!” His smile got wider, “I’m more than willing to prove just how unbelievable I am, but you won’t let me.” “Do you blame me, Logan?” His smile faltered, and he looked away from you, gazing at the TV, “I guess not.” But then those dark chocolate eyes were back on you, “But you could at least give me a chance,” he said with a small but genuine smile.

You felt yourself melt a little, you couldn’t help it. So against your better judgement, you lay down next to him on the bed, under the covers. “Can I get myself a drink?” he asked. “Oh, I see, it’s my mini-bar you’re after, is it? Help yourself.” He got up and headed over to it, laughing and turning back to you, “You know only too well what I want, sweetheart.”

“You can have a whisky, Delos, but that’s all you’re having.”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Logan sighed as he poured the whisky miniature into a glass and made his way back over to the bed. But then he perked up, after all he had made it into her bed - in a manner of speaking - and against all expectations. Now he just had to make sure he didn’t screw it up (again, in a manner of speaking) by hitting on her.

If he got to spend the night in her bed, that would be enough for him - for now.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Your eyes slowly opened and you gave a little yawn, wondering what time it was and thinking that today was the first round of investor meetings, when you suddenly realised that you could feel someone’s breath on your ear and that there was an arm slung over your stomach. You were lying on your side and you moved your head slightly to look over your shoulder, but you knew what you’d see before you did.

Logan. His eyes closed, hair tousled, lying on top of the covers but he’d still managed to more or less wrap himself around you. He shifted slightly, giving a little sigh and burrowing his nose even further into the nape of your neck.

Oh hell. This was really not a good plan, but you couldn’t deny how good it felt to be lying here with him. He looked so deliciously handsome while he was asleep. But also vulnerable. You turned away from him and studied the bedroom wall opposite you.

You really did have to watch how you were handling this, or despite your best intentions you were going to end up getting badly hurt.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Logan awoke from the very horny dream he’d been having, only to remember that he was partly living it in real life. He sensed she was awake - he could tell by her breathing - and he decided to push his luck a bit. He gave a small sigh as if he was still sleeping, and gently rubbed his erection against the back of her leg. He heard a quick intake of breath, and smiled to himself as he felt her trying to squirm away from him but he tightened the arm he’d sneaked over her during the night.

“Logan!” she hissed, “Get that away from me!” He chuckled, “Aw sweetheart, get what away from you?” He further pushed his luck by moving her hair aside and kissing her behind her ear.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You shivered, he’d kissed you somewhere you wished he hadn’t as it made you want to kiss him back so badly. You were very aware of his body pressed up against yours, how good he smelt, how good it felt to be lying there with him almost wrapped around you....

You’d better get him out of this bed before you made a catastrophically bad decision.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

(Not my GIF - credit to owner)

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

@obscurilicious @theshadowkingsqueen

[ardenssolis]

corrchoigilt​.

    “Of course,” he parrots quietly in affirmation, thankful not a word more was needed to convince the other. He could point out the snarky dramaticism of ‘would never believe otherwise’, but for once he chose to believe the sincerity offered. It was welcome even as hesitant as he was to accept it. Rulers and ulterior motive went hand-in-hand in his mind, but the Rider has already proven to be unlike his uncle or even the Connacht queen. He had little doubt his brother would not be as smitten if they were.

    Idly his finger taps just out of sight, quiet yet in time with the cadence of their words as he directs a hard, searching gaze at the Pharoah. Not anger, not frustration, nor even offence was meant by the drawn out pause the Caster now offered … but it was a request that him weighing his options on whether not to argue now. What did that mean? What did Ozymandias expect? Yes, no, or some other answer — what would any of that matter if he asked for their honesty? Perhaps there was a hint of offense taken after all —  But, did they mean to coddle or challenge him depending on that answer??

    “I do,” finally escapes his lips. Quickly and under his breathe as if escaping his overthinking mind itself. He holds that gaze, frozen; all aside the faint sound of that tapping.

    Speaking it aloud felt like placing a curse on himself.

     AS OZYMANDIAS SURMISED. SOMETIMES, whether the Caster was aware of it or not, they could be akin to an open book. Maybe not to others, but certainly to his sharp gaze. Even now, their mind was working a mile a minute in the attempt to figure out exactly what Ozymandias’ intent had been to ask for their opinion first before granting his own thoughts. ❝Since you did as was asked, I will tell you.❞ There was a pause, such lingering for but a moment. ❝You are quite different. There is something altogether more cunning about you in compared to the others, and even your very presence is…not quite the same.❞ Their Lancer counterpart was still quite cunning – there was no denying that, yet the way they acted upon that wasn’t quite the same. If anything, if Ozymandias were to compare the two, the Caster was similar to a fox. Such elusive beasts were difficult to hunt because they utilized every trick they could think of to throw hounds off the scent, and in a way, that was how this variation held themselves as well.

      They had changed how they did things because they had to. The only thing that made them different was this single fact. ❝But that is not necessarily a bad thing,❞ he continued, his hand giving a small wave. ❝You are still you, Cu Chulainn. Whether you have a lance in hand or a staff instead, you will always, always be Cu Chulainn. The method at which you fight does not change who you are as a person, so do not look upon the others and see yourself as lacking. They would look upon you with shame if that were the case, and yet, they do not. If anything, I can say with confidence that you are respected more.❞ Ozymandias’ intent was never to offer them any comfort. He was sharp tongued and brutal in honesty. Thus, it was safe to say that this was exactly how he felt about the other based on what he had seen himself. In the end, though, such a conclusion was up to this Caster and this Caster alone to reach.

[fandomscombine]

Period Cravings

BG: Periods can be a pain. Food cravings are usually the easiest to handle. But with Hogwarts under curfew and not willing risk it all for the blood quill what could you do? Looks like someone had go above and beyond to help.

A/N: Why did I decide to write something about food in the middle of the night, it’s like I wanted to make myself crave on purpose!

This is an entry to @blisfvll ‘s 1.5 celebration writing challenge! With the following prompts:

14. “I swear to God I’ll punch you.” “You can’t even reach my shoulder.”

15. “I don’t know if I wanna kill you or kiss you.”

WC:1223.

>>MASTERLIST<<

>>JOIN MY WRITING CHALLENGE!<<

You don’t normally get period cramps you are very thankful for, but of course when it does come, it hurts like hell. Luckily Madam Pomfrey has a supply of menstrual pain-relieving potions available for those in need. Which you had taken after dinner. Although now sitting in front the common room fire, you had another problem. Cravings. Which magic unlikely could not fix. Oh what you would do for a plate of a hot chocolate lava cake topped with cold vanilla ice cream!  A glance to the clock- 9:55 pm- had killed whatever small hope of getting that sweet treat from the kitchens. It was almost curfew.

The last of the students were arriving back, deflated like always after Umbridge had become High Inquisitor and held Hogwarts with an iron grip.

‘If you keep making that face y/n, your brows are gonna be permanently sewn together.’ Fred remarked.

Which only made you scowled further.

‘Sorry Sorry!’ Fred raised his arms in surrender. ‘I bet you would still look cute even when your face ultimately stays mad.’

Did he just called you cute?- Well no exactly but also could he be? You thought but before your brain could process if his teasing had something behind it, your body reacted first. Next thing you know, you had hit his arm.

‘Ouch woman! You hit hard!’

‘Well these chaser arms do pay off even outside of quidditch.’ You knew Fred only tried to cheer you up. He always does, when he sees you down or anyone for that matter and would crack jokes to brighten the day.

Placing your hand on his arm as to lessen the pain you begin, ‘I’m sorry. You were just trying to make me feel better and I released all this crap onto you.’

‘Heyyy heyy it’s okay.’ Fred said, pulling you for an embrace, ‘Take it out on me all you want, I can take it. Anything for you.’

Breaking away he continues, ‘What’s got you bitter anyway?’ Genuine concern in his eyes.

You looked away. ‘Ahh it’s so stupid- It’s nothing really.’

‘I am Fred fucking Weasley, I do stupid things all the time. Try me.’

‘I want a hot plate of lava cake with ice cream.’

‘Say what now?’ Fred stated, a bit confused.

‘I would die for some lava cake and ice cream right now.’ You stated with a deadpanned face.

‘This craving is driving me insane!’ You explained. ‘Normally I would just sneak out to the kitchens but now with the threat of getting my hand scarred with the blood quill, it is a no go. No way am I risking that just for a period craving. I wouldn’t even wish the blood quill to a bully.’

‘yeah yeh….’ Fred mumbled, lost in his own thought.

Waving a hand in front of his face ‘Freddie are you even lis—’

Fred abruptly stood up. ‘I—I got to go y/n. I forgot something in the—’ Running out of the common room, the rest of his sentence cut off by the closing of the door.

~

An hour later, right before you were getting ready for bed. Your roommate had come in giggling, ‘Y/n! Good you’re still up. Fred is downstairs waiting for you by the way.’

Waiting for me? What could this boy be up to now??

But you nod anyway. ‘Thanks y/f/n. I’ll be right down.’ You put on your fluffy slippers and make your way down to the common room.

You first caught sight of Fred pacing, making your way closer to the communal study tables you then saw it. ‘WHAT THE-‘you exclaimed.

‘Surprise!’ Fred said with handing presenting the table full of desserts- Chocolate frogs, cauldron cakes, hot butterbeer and the showstopper plate of a hot chocolate lava cake topped with cold vanilla ice cream!  

‘As you can see, I have also added a couple more stuff, which I noticed Ginny and Mum eat during you know the time of the month, been told that those help ease the pain and cravings. And Ohh! I also have these…’ Fred handed you more stuff from the chair. ‘Heating pads and a couple of potions from Madam Pomfrey- though she was a bit annoyed and worried that I asked her for them so close to curfew…and’ His cheeks blushed. ‘after all that she calmed down cause she said that I was being the most caring boyfriend and knew that we would make a great couple…’ Fred chuckled nervously.  

Seeing that you haven’t said anything, yet he continued hoping to salvage anything after that boyfriend/girlfriend comment, ‘apparently quite a number of teachers are shipping us together, some even have bets!’ He tried to sound nonchalant but failed. ‘Can you believe?’

Alternating from him, the food on the table and the heating pad and potions in your hand. You brain is going a hundred miles an hour.

On one hand, this is just wow, never had you felt so taken cared of before- and securely this surpasses best friend territory, right? Fred had gone above and beyond. This was some boyfriend material stuff right here. But what if you’re just overthinking and reading too between the lines y/n? What if you just want to see what you want to see.  But your thoughts keep going back to the boyfriend quality worry, the going above and beyond.  And he did mention that relationship comment right? He didn’t seem to take offence at the idea….

On the other hand, your own worry had taken over. What he had done for you was so risky, he could have been caught. If he had he would have suffered and have scars on his hand, all because of you and you could live with that. How could he be so reckless? – Wait why are you even still saying this to yourself…

You broke off your internal monologue. ‘WHAT THE FUCK FRED?!??? YES FREDDIE THIS IS ALL SO SWEET AND I REALLY DO APPRECIATE IT BUT WHAT IF YOU HAD BEEN CAUGHT?? YOU WOULD HAVE SUFFERED AND BE PUNISHED BY THE BLOOD QUILL!! HOW COULD YOU BE SO RECKLESS?!?’ Your anger from worry had slowed now, you looked up to him with soft eyes. ‘You did this all for me. If something bad had happen to you, it would because of me, and I don’t think I could live with that Freddie.’

Fred had always been able to see through you, and to see you so anxious for his safety warms his heart. He tucks the hair that had fallen out during you rant. ‘But you see love, I wasn’t caught. Reckless- Yes. But caught? Nope. Maybe I should try that again….to test my skills.’ He teased.

You glared at him. ‘You. Will. Not. Or else, I swear to God I’ll punch you.’

‘You can’t even reach my shoulder.’ Fred resorted. ‘You know… you are so cute when you’re frustrated.’

‘Ughh!’ Rolling your eyes. ‘I don’t know if I wanna kill you or kiss you.’

‘Rather kiss me more, I hope.’ He smirked. Then got serious., he held your waist. ‘But I wanna do it properly and take you out on a date first.’

You brought your hands up to the nape of his neck and started to play with his hair. ‘Well then let’s us consider this as our first date!’

---

Taglist [All/General]: @gruffle1​

(omg I just noticed that tumblr tagged a different account 😳that have a similar username, just a letter off😳 this is why sometimes I don't trust tumblr's automatic tagging system! @blisfvll my bad😅)

[remys-lucky-franc]

Kissing Promts Request - Remy x MC (QOT)

#40 - A gentle kiss that quickly descends into passion, with little regard for what’s going on around them.

Written from MC POV

~1300 words

Again, it’s not totally nsfw, but these kissing prompts are lending themselves to somewhat racier writing than I usually post - so, that was your warning if that’s not your fic preference, folks 💕

[MORE] [[MORE]]

The Poppy’s latest heist has just finished: relieving an undeserving London-based oligarch of his extensive art collection. As Nikolai said when we toasted in celebration last night, ‘it’s been a somewhat protracted endeavour, but all really very satisfying and worthwhile’. It’s taken several months to complete and has been a particularly challenging and tiring escapade, so we’ve all decided that some downtime to rest and recharge before the next heist begins would do us some good.

Remy and I decided to head back to France as soon as we could, to the chocolate-box cottage we bought outside the city dubbed by Remy as ‘Château Chevalier’ - our little love nest: where we escape to when we want to spend some time alone - just us - secluded from the world in our perfect domestic bliss. It’s not as large or grand a space as the moniker suggests, but it fits us so wonderfully: a modern open plan kitchen and living area, a beautiful master bedroom and a smaller one where I can paint, a bathroom, and a small private garden lined by hedges that basks in sunshine most of the day. From the first time we set foot inside, I felt at home and could picture us happy here - croissants for breakfast on the terrace, relaxing on the sofa watching movies, tangled together as moonlight spills through the bedroom windows. Our home; our castle.

Remy’s cooking dinner for us, as has become our little routine in our château. He loves to cook and it’s a joy to watch him. Music plays in the background as I perch at the end of the small breakfast bar with an intoxicating glass of red wine that we only ever have here. We chatter and laugh about the heists gone by, his brother’s new romance, our friends and dozens of other topics as they flit through our minds. Remy glides effortlessly around the kitchen and makes even the most complex of tasks look like child’s play. I observe with admiring eyes: everything my husband does, he does it with flair - from the way he rapidly chops ingredients and tosses them into the pan, to how he decants wine directly from the bottle into our food with never a measurement taken. I offer to help and my assistance is swiftly declined,

“Everything is under control, ma cherie”, he assures me, shooting me that bright signature smile that makes my heart skip every time, “Sit. Relax. Enjoy the wine with your Remy.” Normally, I simply nod, sit back and enjoy the show, but tonight I choose to pout and fix my saddest brown eyes on him - the ones I know that he just can’t say ‘no’ to, “Please? Let me help you?”

Remy opens his mouth to object, but quickly closes it again before silently agreeing with a flourish of his hands. He would do anything to make me happy and I love him for that. I bounce down from the bar stool, wine glass still in hand, beaming at him, “Yey! What do you want me to do?” He passes me a knife and asks me to julienne some veg, so I wash my hands and get to work slicing as I sing along the music. Before too long I have a bundle of matchstick vegetables and can feel Remy’s eyes on me. One arm snakes around my waist, a whisk in the other hand. He appraises the quality and quantity of my veg - satisfied, he rewards me with a sweet kiss on my cheek, making me blush before returning to his saucepan.

My first task successfully completed, I lean back against the cabinets, sip my wine and watch as he tosses ingredients into one of the simmering pans on the stove, “What can I do next?”, I ask him. Remy gestures to the pantry and requests some flour for his roux so I place my glass down, steal a kiss and playfully squeeze his behind as I pass him. A sound of feigned offence follows me into the pantry and makes me giggle.

After a little searching I locate the packet of flour on the top shelf and as I stretch overhead to bring it down I realise the bag isn’t tightly closed. A little plume of white powder sprinkles to the floor and I dance to avoid it’s path: I do reasonably well as it only dusts my hands leaving my black clothing unharmed! Biting back a mischievous little chuckle as an idea pops into my head, I head back into the kitchen and hand Remy the flour packet, before booping his button nose with my other flour-covered hand. Taken by surprise, he splutters and tries to wipe it away before pulling me close to him. I try to wriggle out of his grasp, laughing but fearful of a flour-filled revenge - but he grips me firmly and his green eyes are glittering as his lips meet mine. A kiss, like so many of ours, that begins in a grin - joy-filled and gentle.

“I’m sorry-“ I mumble against his mouth, “I couldn’t resist...”

His hands settle on my sides, thumbs skimming over the waistline of my jeans grazing the bare skin of my hip bones. A series of soft kisses nuzzle my lips peppered with the words, “And I. Can’t. Resist you. Cherie.” I smirk, as I run my fingers through his hair, teasing him, “Hmmm. I am pretty irresistible.”

The lighthearted humour between us evaporates and everything slows down as Remy closes the little space remaining between us. My stomach stirs recognising the growing hunger in his eyes as they lock with mine. There’s a tinge of dark, rich Merlot on his warm breath as my lips yield and I melt into his touch. Within seconds our kiss has deepened, tongues tangle and my hands rake over the expanse of his toned back, shoulders and rear - my pulse racing. We gravitate clumsily back toward the cool granite top and I groan as I make contact; the hard lines of Remy’s body crush against mine while deft fingers burn beneath my shirt roaming over my curves. Remy hoists me up to sit on the counter effortlessly and instinctively my limbs wrap around him drawing him ever closer to me - every kiss more frenetic than the last, every subtle shift of his hips electrifying me. Just two thin layers of clothing between me and all that I ache for, with every touch stoking the flame between us and making my head spin.

As addled by lust as my brain is, I’m vaguely aware that the saucepans on the stove bubble away furiously now neglected - and that dinner is probably ruined. If Remy has noticed he is as far past caring as I am. Kisses sear across my collarbone as I feebly mouth, “Remy... The sauce is burning...”

His teeth drag slowly from the hollow of my throat to my ear and he rasps, “So am I, ma rêveuse,” he breaks away from me momentarily to turn off the stove, grinning wickedly, “and only one of us can be saved.” Helping me down from the countertop our lips collide once more and our passion overtakes; discarded clothing, declarations of love and scandalous intentions litter the path to our bedroom. As we sink into the soft mattress together a little voice far in the back of my head briefly considers that we can perhaps try to salvage our dinner later but I know from the look in my Remy’s eyes that very soon I’ll have forgotten my own name, never mind the ability to think about what state our meal is in. I laugh to myself as I decide ‘there’s always pizza’ - and that’s the last thought in my head before my brain short-circuits and I’m losing myself to something infinitely better and more satisfying.

[msmarvelouswinchester]

Hello Stranger

Summary - You were going through a rough patch in your life. As you were drinking away your problems, you met with a green eyed man who acts a little too nice towards you.

Pairing - Dean x Reader

Warning - Mentions of crappy life, swearing, drinking, angst, fluff-ish, plot twist.

Word Count - 2.1k

Square Filled - One Night Stand ( @spndeanbingo ) - it is just mentioned

A/N - This is written for @impala-1979’s Words for Love challenge. My word was Viraag in Hindi. Viraag - The emotional pain of being separated from a loved one.

The divider is by the amazingly talented @talesmaniac89

This is also my 5000th post on tumblr. Woah! Also I am back to my angsty self *evil laughs*

Rolling your eyes, you check your phone for the thousandth time that evening for any message.

“Bitch,” you grumbled, thinking about how your best friend had ditched you, again. You had waited for almost two hours for your friend to show up before you decided to leave the bar at first but then you decided to stick around for a couple of drinks.

Life has been kicking you in the ass lately. Maybe staying home and binging F.R.I.E.N.D.S for the hundredth time suddenly didn't seem like a bad idea considering the girl who you had thought to be your best friend had left you alone in a bar full of drunk and horny dudes.

Staring at the glass of whiskey in front of you, you sighed aloud grabbing the attention of the man on the stool beside you.

“What's a pretty girl like you doing here all by yourself?” You looked to your right towards the source of the sound and saw a man staring at you with a creepy little smile on his face. You shuddered at the thought of answering the man.

“Not in the mood. Back off,” you grumbled, downing the glass of whiskey in one go. The sleazy person got up from his seat and stalked his way towards you.

“Fuck off,” you growled, as he placed his hand on the small of your back.

“Back off! That's my wife you're talking to,” A deep voice growled from behind the man, taking you by surprise, “Hey honey. Sorry to keep you waiting, I had to work an extra shift.”

You looked up and a freckle faced, flannel clad man staring at you with his beautiful forest green eyes. Your heart started to beat loudly as the man put a hand around your shoulder.

“Whatever dude,” the drunk grumbled and went off in another direction, probably in search of another person who can keep his bed warm for one night.

“What a creep,” you mumbled, the ominous feeling finally leaving you, “thanks for coming to my rescue.”

“No problem,” he said, removing his hands from your shoulder and taking a seat on the stool beside you, “So can I buy you a drink?” The green eyed man smiled.

“I just told that man to fuck off, what makes you think I will let you touch me?” You said, your eyes narrowing at him, “I am not your wife.”

“I don't do relationships and who said anything about touching? You look like-”

“Shit?” You joked.

“I wasn't gonna say that,” he smirked, “maybe tired was the word.”

“Gee thanks. Life's been tough, boss is an asshat, people who I thought to be my friends turned out to be nothing but snakes,” you said, signalling for a refill, “now, look at me rambling about my fucked up life to a stranger.”

“You need someone to talk to and I'm a good listener,” the man had a soft look on his face, “Name's Dean.”

“Y/N,” you smiled.

“See I am not a stranger anymore,” he chuckled.

“What am I? Four? You say your name and you're suddenly not a stranger, huh? Stranger danger, I hope you know that,” he played along.

“You're something else, you know that?” Dean smirked.

“I know. Heard that a lot. So different that no one sticks around,” you said.

“Then they don't know the real you.”

“Why are you wasting your time?” Dean tilted his head at you, confusion evident on his face, “I already told you I'm not in the mood. I just wanna get drunk tonight.”

“You seriously think that I am acting friendly just because I wanna get in your pants?” You kept quiet sending him a clear message that it was exactly what you were thinking. “You need a friend tonight and not a one night stand.”

“Why?”

“Why? I just told you the reason.”

“Dean, there are other girls in this bar who have been ogling you the whole night and giving me the side eye. Why are you wasting your night with me?” You asked.

“Because I know how it feels to hit rock bottom in your life when all you need is someone to talk to,” Dean said. You nodded slowly at the man’s words.

“What about you Dean? How's life goin’ on for you?” You asked.

“Full of crap.” He gave a dry chuckle.

You took a glass of drink and raised it, Dean mimicking your actions. “Cheers to crappy life.”

“Cheers.”

“Sometimes I think what if my life was a little different. More adventurous, more exciting,” you wondered.

“Trust me, sweetheart, this life is what you want,” Dean said, taking a sip of his drink.

You didn't realise how much time you had spent talking to the green-eyed man in front of him. You were slowly succumbing to the charm of the man and there was this nagging voice in your head telling you to get away from him as fast as possible but in your heart, you couldn't believe that Dean would have a single bad bone in his body.

“Tell me about yourself.” You asked, hoping you could find out more about him and stop being paranoid.

“My life's pretty sucky like yours, no offence,” he chuckled.

“None taken.” You giggled.

“There are days where I just wanna give up, like today but then I meet this beautiful girl who effectively makes my day better,” Dean said with a cheeky grin on his face.

“And who might be this beautiful girl?”

“She is sitting right in front of me,” he smirked, making your heart flutter in your chest. Maybe Dean was genuinely a good man.

“I am happy I could make your day better because all I did was ramble about my stupid life,” you smiled.

“You have no idea how lucky I am to see you tonight. Did I help you?”

“You did. Thank you for tonight, Dean.” You said, leaning into kissing him on the cheek.

“You thinkin’ of going back home now?” He asked politely.

“I am, considering my friend will never show up and I don't want to waste anymore of your time. You want to….come with me?” You hesitated, a little unsure about taking him to your home but you were quite surprised when he shook his head.

“I already told you that I don't wanna get into your pants. Just holding up my end of the promise,” he smiled, signalling the bartender to let him know you would be leaving, “You sure you're okay to go home alone?”

“I'll call a cab,” you said.

“I can drop you off, I have my Baby parked outside,” he said, waving his hand towards the exit.

“Baby?” You cocked your head.

“My 67 Chevy Impala, she is my Baby,” Dean beamed, puffing his chest out.

“You have a nice taste in cars, Dean,” you smiled, “but you do know this kind of feels like the start of every roadside horror movie?”

“So I got an upgrade from the creep to a psycho killer machine?” He asked, a cocky grin plastered on his face, making you shrug.

“Just sayin’. Who knows maybe you're David freaking Yaegar,” you teased.

“Why don't you get in my car and find out? Maybe it's my time to slice and dice,” Dean grinned, your eyes widening at the reference.

“You have good taste in movies too,” you said, “but let me tell you if you kill me, I will come back to haunt your ass, Mister.”

“I will gladly have a cute ghost like you haunt me my entire life,” Dean chuckled, and guided you towards the exit.

“Damn, she is one sexy car,” you let out a low whistle and saw Dean smirking at you.

“Time to slice and dice. Get inside the car now,” he chuckled.

After an hour, with proper directions, the black Chevy had come to a halt in front of your house. Dean had previously told you that he was in the town for a couple more days at the “Red Motel” with his brother.

“You sure you don't wanna-”

“Nah. I'm a man of my words, Y/N,” he flashed you a smile.

“Okay. Thank you for tonight,” you said, “You're a good man, Dean. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, handsome.”

Dean squeezed his eyes shut, a lump forming in his throat as he heard you call him handsome.

“Don't be a stranger if we cross paths again,” You gave him a quick hug before climbing out of the car.

He gave you a small wave as he revved up the engine. You looked as he turned his car and drove out of your place. You smiled as your mind replayed the moments from the evening. You went inside your house, closing the door behind your back.

“What?” Dean grumbled as he saw his brother staring at him, the moment he entered the motel room.

“Where the hell were you? I called you so many times,” Sam frowned at his brother who stumbled into the motel room.

“At the bar.”

“Why are you doing this?” Sam asked, “This is the third time in two weeks that you drove to this town.”

“Forgot the huge vampire nest we hunted?” He said, opening the cap of the beer bottle.

“Was it just about the case? I don't think my memory is failing me but doesn't Y/N live in this same town?” Sam raised his voice, “Did you or did you not go to the bar hoping you would meet her?”

Dean kept quiet.

“You can't do this to yourself Dean. It was your idea - you pushed her away!” It took Dean by surprise as he heard his brother yell at him. It was rare that Sam got this mad, “now you can't just waltz back into her life!”

“Sammy-”

“Don't ‘Sammy’ me, Dean. You-you did this to her, to us. Instead of dealing with the situation, you ran away from it!” Sam shoved his brother.

“I know! I know because I was the one who told Cas to erase her memories - give her a new life! I know it, Sammy. I know it better than anyone because I was the one who almost got her killed!” The green eyed hunter's voice broke at the end.

“You could have talked to her. She would have done anything to help you. It wasn't you.It was the mark.,” Sam said.

“It was still me,” he whispered, “she was the only one who could have talked me out of it but I didn't want that. This life - it's not for her, man. She deserves to have someone who is not ninety percent crap-”

“No. You don't get to say that. She was family. You shouldn't have made that decision for her,” the younger Winchester scoffed, “She would have stayed unlike you running from the problem because she loved you.”

Dean swallowed, “I loved her too. I still do but at least now she is safe….alive. She now has to deal with stupid bosses and asshole friends instead worrying about monsters, thinking about everyday to be your last.”

“Then let her go, man. Y/N’s not yours anymore. Y/N’s not your wife anymore,” Sam said, patting his brother's shoulder, “She was like a sister to me. I miss her. Everyday. I know you do too. But you gotta let her go.” Sam walked out of the room, tears pricking at his eyes.

Nursing the bottle in his hand, Dean stared at the bland wall in front of him. Closing his eyes shut, he remembered the intoxicating smell of yours entrapping him when you had hugged him, the way you were continuously playing with a loose strand of hair while talking to him. Looking down at his right arm, his left hand reached into his jeans pockets.

“I still love you, sweetheart,” he mumbled.

Twirling the wedding band between his fingers, he scoffed, “Till death do us part.”

Feedback is appreciated!

[anika-ann]

Of Jewels and Gems (B.B)

Type: One-shot, Reader-insert               Word count: 1740

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

Summary:  Medieval AU with thief!Bucky and princess!reader.

Based on a prompt: ‘I snuck in the castle to steal the royal crown but I’m stealing you instead au’.

Warnings: briefest violence, mention of anxiety if you squint

A/N: Prompt is a courtesy of  @caplanbuckybarnes​ ‘s challenge! Thank you for gathering so many wonderful ideas! Also, I did not follow  the prompt entirely, but I’m sorta hoping that it’s okay 😇

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

Your heels were clapping softly as you wished to blend with the shadows of the castle’s corridors, sweetly lit by many torches, casting a lovely game of shadows on the walls and warming the otherwise cold space. Most importantly though, the space the lit up was empty – and you allowed yourself to inhale and exhale in relief, tension leaving your shoulders at last.

Your sky-blue dress, threaded by silvery white as if to compliment the feast, the celebration of winter solstice, brushed the hard-stony floor with every step, a rustle tender like a breath, remaining elegant even as the door to the royal ballroom closed after you.

You had sought a moment of refuge from the attentive if not downright prying gazes, which never seem to leave your person as if expecting to find a flaw – a living proof of the princess not belonging on the throne, on her rightful place to take in only a few years’ time.

Not one guard dared to follow you; whether the expression on your face was to blame or your status of Crown Princess, you couldn’t find yourself to care, simply grateful to Gods for such blessing. Endlessly grateful for a brief moments of serenity and solitude with nothing but a literal whisper of ‘Thank Gods’ on your lips.

Should you take Gods’ name in vain, Queen’s voice echoed in your mind, they will punish you for your insolence.

And as mother had told you on numerous occasions, they truly did, the punishment appearing in front of your eyes as if from thin air.

With a muffled thud of expensive boots, a dark, strong male figure, clothed in an attire barely suitable for such memorable day, emerged from the shadows four feet from you, almost as if falling from the ceiling.

“Halt!” a strict voice ordered to the stranger instantly, the sound fazing you only for a fleeting moment as realization dawned to you; it was your own voice that had found its way out and echoed in the otherwise abandoned walls. “Show yourself!”

The man indeed halted in his steps, clearly taken aback by your presence, and slowly turned around to face you; only then you took notice of his hands cladded in black gloves, clutching a sack no bigger than his head.

Much to your surprise, a grin swiftly replaced the grimace twisting his unfamiliar face and his bright eyes seemed to light up while his gaze rudely roamed your figure, finally landing on your frowny expression.

“Ah, the princess herself! What an honour!” a deep timber of a voice called out.

Then the stranger attempted and failed to curtsy, giving you an impression of a man mocking you.

A righteous offence taken warmed up your head in an instant; yet, you had been taught to be nothing short of polite, ever, and so you approached the man with kindness and caution as if to battle his rudeness.

“What are you seeking in these corridors, my lord? You should not-“

“My lord!” he echoed, a blend of more mockery and awe colouring his voice in deep marron, his next slurred words giving away his origin – one that could have not be noble, ringing all alarm bells in your mind. ”Whadda polite thin’ ya’re.”

“Excuse me? And who do you believe to be to address me in such manner?!” you snapped back, forgoing all the manners you had been taught and reaching to your bodice for a hidden slot instinctively. “What is it you hide in your sack?”

His eyebrow rose in bewilderment, his smile widening visibly under his thick dark beard – however, you did not miss how his eyes flickered to your side, where your hand had sneaked to take a hold of your dagger.

One single step in your direction, a minute shift in his posture, and your weapon was drawn, blade in the height of his eyes; his pupils enclosed in blue-grey irises swiftly refocused on the sharp object, his hands slowly lowering the sack. Under your attentive gaze, he went to unwrap it.

“Do you not come closer or I shall call the guards!” you warned him, your voice rising in volume to emphasize your point, to show him that your actions and threats were as far from a jest as he could imagine.

“Just showin’ ya’ the sack, Princess, no need to get jumpy,“ the stranger grumbled, eyes never leaving yours as he revealed his secret.

A gasp of pure surprise and horror left your lips, a momentary weakness swaying your strength and causing you to lower the blade only a fraction. Spots danced in your vision upon the revelation.

In an instant, faster than you could ever hope to comprehend, a slightly painful twist of your wrist had you drop your weapon, a rustle of fabric the only warning before your back gently hit the wall with a soft thud, pinned by his body, entirely immobilized.

Before you could attempt a scream, a calloused hand covered your mouth – a dirty, filthy hand, one which had touched the royal crown (!) without permission, without any right--- and as if such insolence wasn’t insulting enough, the man, momentarily touching you as well, clearly attempted to steal it.

Attempted to steal the crown jewels!

Oh Gods-

The clank of your dagger on the stony floor broke the vicious circle of your consternation; however, you couldn’t bear tearing your gaze away from the handsome face as you found it in such close quarters with yours, few inches only. Hard warm body had found its way to press against yours further, hard and yet almost soft, as if holding you down with care.

Perhaps you should have tried and alert the guards even incapacitated--- however, you couldn’t. Your shock at the impertinence of this man was long gone, its rightful place taken by awe at his startling beauty.

Your heart was attempting to beat its way out of your chest, for reasons you seemed to be unable to fully grasp; never you had thought fear was so near to excitement and fascination. You never hoped a man’s body touching yours could feel so wonderful.

“I don’t like bein’ rude, doll.”

Not even the contradiction of such sentence – calling you a doll, which for an explicable reason brought you pleasure, and the exclaim of his aversion to disrespect – could hope to snap you from your trance.

The huff of exasperation against his palm was more of an instinct, half-heartedly meant, as your eyes seemed to have a mind of their own, unable to escape the trap of his gaze.

“So I gotta introduce myself,” the stranger hummed, observing you with equal interest as if he saw you for the first time, as if all of your people didn’t know your face. “They call me Winter.”

Every muscle in your body tensed at the exclaim and yet, you turned nearly limp in his hold as you succumbed to the sudden faintness.

Winter.

You have heard of that name, clad in a fog of mystery. Winter, the fabled thief, given the name for he was always coming on days of celebrations of the winter solstice; and yet, while all kingdoms remained at highest alert for the fear that he would arrive at their doorstep, he always managed to slip through their fingers, almost as if being a master of mystical arts.

Some didn’t believe in his existence as such at all; however, the losses in royals’ and noble’s belongings were far too real for the man to be a mere legend.

In this moment, Winter – especially since standing right in front of your own eyes – appeared indeed startlingly real.

And as much as such realization was disconcerting, you felt yourself being thoroughly charmed and fascinated.  

Your mind could not but race to solve the mystery – how many gems he had stolen before they began to reflect in his face? Eyes like topazes, threaded with silver lining, precious ruby lips hidden in a rich dark beard covering a jaw worth of royalty. A golden crown would complete the picture and perhaps its glow already twinkled in the thief’s irises.

“I don’t wanna hurt ya’, pretty doll. So, don’t ya’ scream, yeah?” Winter whispered a secret, a plea, and you couldn’t but comply, even if you found yourself missing the warmth and weight of his palm. A smile graced his lips again, your heart replying with a flutter. “I’m gonna walk away and you’re not gonna say a thin’ ‘bout me, yeah?”  

The gems glimmering in his eyes shone brighter as they indulged in observing your face with something resembling attraction as you she battled with yourself, vainly attempting to overcome the spell he put on you, causing you to only nod – rather than acting upon a rational thought and calling for guards to capture the infamous thief.

The most skilled thief you had ever encountered; though you had not met many.

Rough fingers with the softest touch brushed your cheek and you wondered how only was it possible to steal someone’s breath, the air from their lungs; for this was what it felt like, a brief encounter of skin and skin, fleeting, yet eternal as your face appeared to absorb the heat of his touch.

A playful smile, a smirk blending into a tender grin, spread your assailant’s mouth.

“Next time… I’m stealin’ the real crown jewel, Your Highness,” a confident exclaim left his lips before they encountered yours in a hasty peck, pleasant warmth only lasting a moment, yet long enough to ignite fire in your bones. Your eyes nearly fluttered shut in an unexpected bliss.

He had the audacity to wink at you as he took his retreat, claiming both his price and your dagger for a good measure, still smiling, as if the weapon meant a memento to him.

He left you in your stupor, form unmoving besides the swift motions of your chest as you hoped to catch your breath, to calm your fluttering heart and tingling fingertips and most importantly, to regather your wits.

Winter had already taken his leave long ago when you, in your mind, proclaimed him the most skilful thief in seven kingdoms indeed – for he had stolen your breath… and perhaps captured your heart as well.

Of that you were certain when the next day, you could feel your face light up as a brand-new dagger was brought to you by your loyal handmaiden Wanda, along with a note written in charming cursive, without a name signed yet self-explanatory:

Till next time, Jewel mine.

And you felt as if the next-time couldn’t arrive soon enough, your body already aching for your missing heart.

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

Of Thieves and Queens of Hearts (sequel, ‘one-shot’)

B.B. masterlist (...yes, it’s that short)

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ •• 

Thank you for reading!   

And wow, look at that, I wrote something short again; I blame my poor attempts at writing Bucky 😄

[cakejots]

this is us trying, Chapter 2 - The Rendezvous

In this AU, they don’t know each other outside of the suit. And in this AU, Ladybug and Chat Noir love each other. But in this AU, Chat doesn’t want their identities revealed.

Written for @ladynoirjuly 2021

notes: this is a coherent story based on all the prompts; each chapter contains at least 3 prompts. this chapter has 4 prompts

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5 | Ch 6 | Ch 7 | Ch 8 | Ch 9 | Ch 10

Read on AO3

4. Patrol

“Our dates will be in broad daylight?”

“Yep,” Ladybug replied, popping the P. “Under the disguise of patrols.”

“So we are continuing ‘patrols’,” Chat indicated with air quotes. “I don’t think it’s very wise, my lady. Doesn’t it feel like we are hiding something from them?”

“So, you’re saying Parisians will be fine with us just going out and about on dates—”

“Yes.”

“—as long as we ‘update’ them about our relationship status.”

“Yes.”

“But we’re in the ‘dating phase’ and not ‘officially together’,” she indicated with air quotes too. “Also, you don’t want to date in the open, so there is no way we can ‘update’ and let them know we’re trying to be an official couple.” She sagged further down.

They were currently lounging on a random rooftop. Despite her best efforts at proposing counteroffers, she just fell short sometimes.

“I’m sorry.”

“Chaton, if you say sorry one more time, I’ll make sure I don’t turn up for our dates, then you’ll really be sorry.”

Chat widened his eyes in fear. No, anything but that, please! “No, no, please! I’m sor— I mean, please don’t.”

Ladybug sometimes also fell short at lifting the atmosphere around them.

“I’m just kidding, Minou.” She affirmed as she realised she might have taken it too far. “I plan on sticking with you for aeons.”

She slowly moved towards him and reached for his hands. “You know that, right?”

He pulled her into an embrace, her whole body lying on top of his. Ladybug rested her head on his shoulders and ran her hands through his hair, scratching behind his ears to reassure him.

“But,” she tried again. “Don’t you think Parisians will appreciate it even more if we appear as always? It’s like we aren’t forgetting about them, you know?”

Perhaps this wasn’t her brightest idea as of late, but she was still pretty insistent on it. She can’t help but feel that the pseudo reason would benefit them in the future.

“I guess,” he replied after a few beats.

“So can we?” Her body oozed excitement as she pulled back. “We’ll go on dates, but if anyone else asks, we’ll just tell them it’s a patrol!”

“As long as we take action when something happens.”

She became all giddy when Chat finally agreed.

“So, what do you have in mind for our ‘patrol’ today?”

Ladybug scanned their surroundings before her eyes landed on where she wanted to go. She grabbed his hand, pointed at the location and beamed at him. “Let's go to the fair over there!”

“Sure,” he smiled contently and agreed without even paying attention to where the fair was. “You’re so cute when you’re excited.”

“Am I now?” Smugness overtook her features.

He blushed, “You’re cute whenever, just especially so when you’re elated.”

“You know what’ll make me even more elated?” She leaned in.

“W-what?” Chat could feel the rhythms in his chest. She’s getting closer, so close that he could feel her warmth coming from her face. He swallowed, eyes flickering from her eyes to her lips, and then back again. Those eyes and lips were calling out to him, and he very much wanted to give in. If he could just move towards her a slight bit, her alluring pink lips would touch his.

Her face was millimetres from his, before she paused and booped his nose. “If you smiled more.”

He froze as she withdrew from him, took hold of his hand and pulled him up. “Come on! Let’s go before the cotton candy sells out!”

And she took off leaving Chat in a daze at her words. He shook out of his trance and followed her before he lost sight of where she went.

.

After they got their cotton candy, they stayed away from the centre of the fair, strolling at the borders.

“Do you know why I really wanted the cotton candy?”

“Because it’s a must-have when you visit a fair?”

“Well, you’re not wrong, but I get to do this too!” Ladybug tore a portion of her cotton candy and hovered it over Chat’s chin.

“Now you have a pink beard!” She giggled. “I’ve got to say, it does look good on you.”

“Oh? And why’s that?”

“It’s my favourite colour,” she reddened.

She felt his hands nearing her face and she looked down to see his blue cotton candy over her chin.

“What a coincidence, blue beard suits you too,” he smiled teasingly.

5. Milk

“Let’s sit here!”

They were at Jardin des Plantes and Ladybug had found a good spot that had adequate shade from the afternoon sun.

“You sure? There are plenty of flowers falling, won’t they get into our food?” Chat asked despite preparing to unroll the pink picnic mat.

“It’s fine! Besides, it’s romantic isn’t it?”

Chat chuckled and laid down the picnic mat on the grass before Ladybug put their picnic baskets on it.

As they sat down, Ladybug opened her basket and began taking out plates and wipes before taking out the sandwiches, cakes, and biscuits she had prepared earlier that day.

Chat was about to take out what he had brought when a cherry blossom flower landed on the back of his hand. Not the petals, but a full cherry blossom flower.

He seized it before it fell and placed it on Ladybug’s ear when she set down the containers before him.

She vaguely saw the light pink flower by the side of her eyes and narrowed her eyes at him. “Did you just pick this flower up from the ground and put it in my hair?”

Chat brought his hand to his chest in mock offence. “No, of course not! It landed on my hand.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“I want to see it happen again.”

“My lady, I'm literally bad luck! What just happened won’t happen again for another million years!”

“Well, then it’s really good luck for it to land on your hand, isn’t it?"

He puffed out his chest and nodded.

Ladybug then lifted her gaze to see if she could get any flowers. Chat took out his baton and aimed his camera towards her.

“Buguinette.”

By this time she already had a flower in her hands and she focused her attention on him.

*snap*

“Hey!”

“Come on my lady, you look beautiful!” He showed his screen to her.

“Well, I'm glad we’re on the same page then.” Her arms reached for him and snaked around his neck to bring him in closer. Then, she placed the flower in his hair.

“Let’s take a selfie,” she pushed his hand that was holding the baton up into the air and changed the camera setting.

*snap*

“Now we both look beautiful now, don't we?” She said cheekily as they viewed the image. They seemed inseparable, Ladybug had both her hands around Chat’s neck and Chat had his arm resting on her shoulder. Bright smiles on their faces, Ladybug was leaning her head on Chat’s, their flowers visible by the side of their faces. They both really love how the picture turned out.

“Remember to send it to me,” and they proceeded to take the rest of the items from their baskets.

When she heard the sound of glasses clinking, she thought Chat had brought wine, which was why she eyed him incredulously when she saw a carton of milk on the picnic mat.

“Are you serious? Who brings milk to picnics?”

“Why not? To each their own!” He defended.

She frowned. “Because!”

He grinned when she gave up. “My lady, did you know I tried to get drunk on milk once?”

“What?”

Chat snickered when he saw the corners of her mouth twitched.

“Well, I don’t mean literally. But it happened enough times for the bartender to pretend that I was there to get drunk like everyone else was, even though the only thing I’ve ever ordered was milk.” He winked.

“You must really love milk, huh?”

“Can’t fault me for that,” he smirked. “I am a cat after all.”

“I wasn’t, but,” she held out a packet of milk biscuits to him. “What were the chances of us bringing something milk-related?”

He glowed.

6. Clown

Notre Dame is good for many things.

It’s good for France’s economy. The historical sites all around Paris are what attracts tourists from all around the world. Although not the sole reason, Notre Dame certainly contributes to the number of tourists who visit Paris.

Climbing to the top of the towers of Notre Dame offers a magnificent view of Paris. It is taller than all other buildings within its vicinity and on a good and sunny day, the Eiffel Tower can be seen clearly. Truly a sight to behold for anyone who wants the full experience as a visitor of Paris.

One downside to that is that wait lines to get to the top of the towers can take 2 to 3 hours. But not for the superhero duo, who can avoid the waiting time just by climbing up the Cathedral with the superpowers they were gifted.

Which was why they were currently at the top of the North Tower.

Notre Dame was also a great place for makeup sessions. There was nothing to block the sun from shining down on them, which gave excellent lighting for Ladybug to do her magic on Chat’s face.

“I was not expecting this for a Saturday date,” he grinned at her as she applied moisturiser on his face.

“Well, I’ve got to steer away from the norm sometimes.”

Once she was done, Ladybug picked up her makeup pouch from her side. “Is there any makeup you want me to do? Winged eyes, Smoky eyes, Visual-kei?”

“Make me a clown,” he said without missing a beat.

“Sorry, what?”

“You heard what I said. Make me a clown.”

“Wait, you’re serious?” Disbelief painted her face. “But doesn’t that defeat the purpose of makeup?”

“Excuse you, I don't need makeup to beautify me further, I'm pretty handsome myself. Now, make me ugly.”

“But—”

“Oh you can’t do it, can you?” He quipped.

Fire lit in her eyes. “And what do you know about makeup?”

“Why my lady, I happen to be very good at makeup myself,” he smirked.

“Oh, so we’re turning this into a challenge now?”

“Only if you want it to be,” he replied with a teasing smile.

“Alright. It’ll be one. And since I've already started on your face, I’ll continue. I’ll do the clown makeup you so desire.” She emphasised it by shaking her pouch. “Then we’ll switch. But you can’t look at your own face until you’re done with mine.” She took out a mirror from her pouch. “And we’ll look at ourselves in the mirror at the same time, and whoever laughs will be the winner.”

“Aw man, I can't do the scary clown makeup from IT on your face,” he pouted.

“Course not.”

“Works fine for me.” And he proceeded to close his eyes.

Despite Ladybug’s display of confidence earlier, she's panicking right now. She didn’t know how to work on clown makeup, she doesn't even know what they look like just because she normally avoids them. Her only impression of them was that the faces were white. She's totally clueless as to how the eyes and mouth should appear to be. She really wanted to win, but with her current skill sets, probably not. She’d consider it a win if he so much as to release a small ‘pfft’ from his lips.

“I’m waiting, Buguinette.”

“Have you actually done this before?”

“Of course.” Dammit.

The only thing she could do now was to wing it, and she settled on applying white all over his face, before doing half of his face with her colours and the other half with his own.

She visibly cringed as she took a step back and saw her creation as a whole.

Chat grinned and walked up to her to push her down back to where he was sitting before.

And he began his magic, applying moisturiser before the white all over her face as well. But that’s where the similarities ended. He applied something on her lips first. Then, he drew something on both of her eyes before going to her mouth again. And he repeated this process at least three times before he finished.

Once he was done, Ladybug could hear her own heartbeat in her ears and she took out a mirror from her pouch. They sat side by side and Ladybug faced her mirror downwards.

“Three,” she started.

“Two,” he took over and grinned.

And together. “One!”

She flipped her mirror up and it didn’t even take a second before the both of them tumbled onto the floor, trying to save the mirror. Their laughter filled the air. It was so loud that tourists from the South Tower had to stop and search where the sound was coming from.

Chat was clutching his stomach, howling at the sheer ridiculousness of the makeup she had applied on his face. “Y-you don’t know h-how a c-cl-clown looks like!” And he bellowed further.

Ladybug was still trying to make sure the mirror didn’t fall from her grip, cackling at how she was so off the mark for the makeup she’s done on his face. “S-shut up!”

7. Height Difference

Checking out Marché Bastille was honestly not what they had planned for the day. It wasn’t even on their list of date ideas. But they couldn’t resist the amora that invaded their nostrils as they jumped across the market. They were greeted with vibrant colours and rows and rows of stores as they entered the market and decided to just roam around the market as their date for the day.

“Chaton, do you smell something?”

“Huh? I’m surrounded by the aroma of many things, which exactly are you talking about?”

“Aroma? Not odour?”

“Aroma.”

“Man it stinks so bad, do you really not smell it?”

“I really don’t.” He saw her face scrunched up. “That bad?”

She looked adorable though.

“Yes! Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you can’t smell it at all!” She grasped his hand. “Let’s go before I faint from this.”

Ladybug walked ahead and pulled him forward, but he stood rooted to the ground.

“Chaton?” She turned back.

Chat continued sniffing the air, and when he realised that she was watching him, he bent his knees and inhaled.

“Oh.”

He had caught a whiff of camembert.

Ladybug gawked at him as though he had offended generations of her family.

He gave her a teasing smile. “I smell it now, it’s camembert.”

She was still staring at him.

He moved towards her, arms circling her waist before jumping away from the open market to a rooftop nearby.

When they landed, she let go and stomped her feet. “Tell me you did not just do that!”

“I did,” he taunted.

“I can’t believe you!” She marched away from him.

He snorted.

“I get it. You're tall and I’m tiny.”

“Aw Buguinette, you’re a pretty tall lady yourself.”

“No, no I’m not. After you did that to emphasise our height difference, I don’t think I am!” She crossed her arms, puffed her cheeks, and looked away from him.

“I’m sorry my lady, I really couldn’t smell the odour you were complaining about.” He strolled towards her. “And admit it, you secretly like it too.”

“N-no, your long-ass limbs are always in the way.” She’s still not looking at him.

“Oh? In the way of what?” He brought his face to hers.

Ladybug bloomed a brilliant red. “I-In… in the way of…”

”Yes?” His eyes glinted.

“Ki— I mean, hugging!”

He caged her within his arms. “Is that an invitation for a kiss?” He smirked.

Her cheeks were burning. “N-no.”

“Okay,” he let her go.

“W-wait!” She grabbed his arms and wrapped them around her again.

“So you want a kiss?”

Her heartbeat raced upon hearing that. Ladybug didn’t trust her voice, so she simply nodded.

Chat leaned in, and Ladybug closed her eyes. A feathery light kiss brushed against her forehead before the warmth around her vanished. She opened her eyes and found that she was all alone on the rooftop.

[vampiringg]

I have fic, it's already one ao3 but here ya go anyways

The Ultimate Wingman

Summary: Nico goes to Kayla for help on asking out Will, forming two relationships - platonic or not - within the Apollo cabin

No warnings :D

I wrung my hands as I walked across Camp's grounds. This couldn't go too badly… right? The worst that could happen was that he'd say no - then he'd tell everyone I was gay and they'd all hate me and think I was weird and those that I could actually call friends would abandon me and -!

"Ugh!" I said aloud, kicking the dirt. The girl that I had been looking for, Kayla Knowles, spun around. Her short ginger and green hair whipped her face and the quiver on her back slid to the right.

"Oh, hey Nico," she greeted with a smile once she got over the shock.

"Uh, hi," I mumbled. 

"What is it? You seem… stressed," she commented.

"What? No, I'm not stressed," I lied. Her eyebrows creeped up.

"Oh really? I might not be any Will Solace but -" she stopped. I hoped desperately that the warmness of my cheeks wasn't showing. By the looks of it, however, I was more red than Rachel Dare's hair. She set her bow down and pulled off the quiver. Kayla seemed to be torn between smirking and being as kind as possible.

"I believe you wanted to talk to me?"

Oh, how easy it would be to say 'no' and walk away, my secrets still kept to my chest. But that would accomplish nothing. Besides, it wasn't as bad as telling Will. At least if I talked to Kayla it wasn't completely sure Will would ever find out what a loser I was.

"I - I… yes," I said, staring at the ground.

"Would you call it an… important matter?" She was definitely smirking; I could hear it in her voice. I glared at her red converse. I swear this girl lived in bright colours. "Ooh," She giggled before clearing her throat. "Sorry, I've been spending too much time around Lacy." I didn't know or care who Lacy was, though I assumed she was a daughter of Aphrodite, judging by the behaviour Kayla had leeched off her. I hoped I never had the misfortune to meet Lacy, as even this interaction with Kayla had just about killed me - or maybe it was just the circumstances.

"So," she said, jumping up to sit on the table she had just put her bow on. "What is it that you need me, of all people, for?"

"Well -"

"Sit down first," she interrupted, patting the table space next to her. She moved the bow as if it were made of glass and not a weapon made for killing. I hesitated before climbing up. (And, yes, I had to climb up. Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, was too short to get up on a table that even the smallest kid in the Apollo cabin could effortlessly jump onto.) Her bluebelle eyes held the smile that she was repressing. 

"Now we're all cozy -" I shuffled away from her. "Tell me whatcha problem is." I didn't answer straight away. In fact, I didn't answer at all. I just kinda stared over to Camp, occasionally stealing glances to cabin 7. Discreetly, of course, or Kayla might start taking after Lacy again.

Suddenly, she hit my arm. I looked at her, a mixture of surprised and offended.

"There was a mosquito," she shrugged with an innocent smile.

"I hate you," I muttered so quietly I thought she wouldn't hear. But damn these Apollo kids, with their hearing that was too good, even for a demigod.

"That's kind of you,"

"How did you even -?"

"Hear you? Please, dad's the god of music n' stuff, we can't be tone deaf - well, maybe Will is -" she definitely paused just to see my reaction this time. I was disappointed in my inability to control my own blushing. The smirk reappeared on her face. "And he's also the god of prophecy, so I'd like to say that I have a pretty good idea of what's going on around here." I sighed, staring up at the sky. It was fun to imagine Zeus burning up there but I couldn't sink into childhood daydreams right now.

"I know you know -"

"I know I know, too," she said. I glared at her before looking back up.

"So just say it,"

Her smile widened before it disappeared. Shaking her head, she said something completely unexpected,

"This isn't my place to speak. You need to tell me, if you want to,"

I paused, momentarily confused by this sudden change. She smiled a genuine smile, her freckled cheeks faintly pink.

"If it makes you feel any better, I've had a crush on Lou Ellen for, like, ever,"

"Really?" I asked before I could stop myself. She nodded, the amber to green colouring of her hair made it look like traffic lights, her face was also red, making it even more pronounced.

"Well… I guess…" I groaned. "We're going anonymous, here. I have a - I have a crush on one of your half-siblings, right? And I need your help." She grinned. 

"Well, good thing we're both amateurs -"

"How is that a good thing?"

"Shh, di Angelo," she placed a finger to my lips. "It's rude to interrupt a genius at work."

"You're not a genius and you've interrupted me, like, 4 -"

"3," she corrected, then paused, rolling her eyes at herself. "Now it's 4 times."

"Whatever! I just need to find out if Wi - someone in your cabin likes me back!"

"You could just… ask?" she offered.

"No!" I cried, aghast. She racked her brain for another option.

"What d'you like to do, then?" Kayla asked. I looked at her quizzically.

"Raise the dead,"

"Maybe something more… normal," she said. "No offence but an army of skeletons isn't the way to ask someone out."

"Uhh," 

"You literally never leave your cabin. What do you do in there all day? Stare at the wall?"

"Yeah, basically," I shrugged. She seemed taken aback.

"You have a sword, right? What if you challenge him to a sword fight? You know, then get talking after?"

"That could work… I guess…" I mumbled.

"Then it's settled," she said, grabbing my wrist and jumping off the table.

"What're you - no. No no no no no! You cannot -" my foot caught and I ended up with a face full of grass.

"Good thinking! Will - I mean, my siblings like healing! Did you sprain your ankle?"

"I think so," I replied, tenderly poking the injury. "But the last time I was in the infirmary-"

"Will got really pissed because you left before your three days were up? I know. So now you can make up for it!" she said, dragging me along behind her.

"William!" she screamed through the Apollo cabin door.

"What?" Will opened the door, glowing in the fading sunlight.

"I've got a visitor!" she giggled before practically throwing me inside. "Good chat, Neeks!" Kayla slammed the door, leaving us in the empty cabin.

"Uh, what was all that about?" he asked, still staring at the door as he held his hand out. I hesitated before pulling myself up.

"I sprained my ankle," I replied, my voice an octave higher than usual.

"Oh," Will said and pointed at a bed. I sat on the edge of it, my toes grazing the floor. He walked over, his blond hair bobbing with his bouncy step, which was accompanied with the clapping sound of flip flops. He finished a Red Bull, crushing the can and throwing it over his shoulder, where it flawlessly landed in the bin. How hot can you get? 

He gently pulled off my black sneakers - I hoped my feet didn't smell. He prodded around the ankle and I winced in pain.

"Yeah, sprained, all right," he said. It was too quiet, I could hear his breathing. He pulled out an ice pack and wrapped it around my foot. "So, er, you're free to go, I guess." I nodded and replaced my shoe. I limped to the door before turning around.

"I was wondering if you'd, uh, if you'd like to… meet me in the - what's it called?- in the, um, arena tomorrow?" I stuttered.

"Sure," Will grinned. He couldn't be blushing, it was probably just the light. "What time?"

"Um, you pick," I said, not wanting to feel like a control freak.

"Will 11 do?" he asked.

"Of course," I replied. Truth was, I didn't usually get up until then, so I'd have to remember to set an alarm. Or tell Kayla and she'd come bounding into my room and 3 am for 'preparations'.

"See you there," he said. I nodded and left.

***

"Did it work? It worked, right?" Kayla practically yelled, jumping out from behind a bush.

"Yeah! It actually worked!" I answered just as loudly, unable to contain my enthusiasm. She gasped.

"What time are you gonna have the sword fight?" 

I cursed in Greek.

"I forgot to mention the swords!"

"Never mind, you have a sprained ankle anyway," she said, then hopped up and down excitedly. "See? I'm the ultimate wingman! You're going on a date!"

"It's not a date!" I corrected her, though I secretly hoped it was.

"Whatever you say, Neeks," she shrugged. I was too happy to tell her not to call me that.

"But what should I wear?" I asked. 

"Hmm," she mused. "Not the same as today… I'll need to see your wardrobe." She marched off to cabin 13, me in tow.

"Do you own anything that's not black?" Kayla grumbled, throwing yet another skull t shirt onto the bed. "Anyone'd think you're going to a funeral every day of the year."

"Uh," I squinted at a shirt. "That one's… dark grey," She held it up and raised an eyebrow. "... very, very dark grey."

"It's black," she sighed. "Anyhow, it'll have to do. At least it doesn't have a skull on."

"Who knows, maybe Will likes skulls and skeletons?" I shrugged. Kayla snorted.

"Tbh, he could probably name every bone in your body,"

"What the Hades does tbh mean?" I questioned and she grinned.

"Sometimes I forget that you're from, like, ages ago. Times like now, though…"

"Just tell me what it means," I growled as a skeletal hand broke the black carpet. 

"Um, it means to be honest," she answered, her voice squeaky.

"Oh… thanks," the hand retreated back into the ground. "Sorry, I guess."

"Don't worry 'bout it," Kayla shrugged. "Just lemme watch the date first."

My face went red. I was so close to summoning another skeleton to drag her into the depths of the Underworld.

I lay in bed, too nervous to sleep. What if it didn't work out? What if he hated me? What if - oh, the horrors - he was straight? I mean, I had nothing against straights. Most of my friends were (supposedly) straight. Still, when you're tryna ask a guy out, him being straight is not ideal. At all. I rolled over and punched my pillow. I needed sleep. I already had eye bags, I didn't need yet another sleepless night to look even more trashy. I could hardly breathe on my stomach but it, at least, served as a distraction. I mused over shadow travelling across the room and back, just so I would pass out. It was unnecessary, though, as I did (eventually) get to sleep.

"Nico," I vaguely registered someone whispering in my ear. "Nico. Nico. Wake up," they inhaled. I just managed to brace myself, realising what they were going to do. "NICO!" Still, I stumbled out of bed and fell to the floor.

"What?" I hissed at Kayla. She grinned, having successfully screamed in my ear.

"Date,"

About a hundred thoughts passed through my mind at once. Through the jumble, I managed one question.

"What's the time?"

"8, which gives 3 hours to go over your strategy," she answered.

"Strategy? I don't need a strategy," I said.

"Yes, you do. Besides, I've been talking everything through with Lacy last night,"

"How did you even meet? She's, like, two years younger than you,"

"Maybe if you actually left your cabin -"

"Point taken,"

"Drink it," Kayla instructed, pushing a glass into my hand.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Poison," she said, rolling her eyes. "Water, dumbass. Now, drink." I downed it and wiped my mouth on my wrist. There were a few moments of silence before Kayla stood up, grabbing me by the wrist.

"C'mon, Ghostie, let's take you to the arena to find lover boy,"

"Wh - what? Aren't we early?"

"Will's always early, it'll be a surprise," she replied. I nodded and followed her out, trying to resist the urge to sprint, adopt a new identity and forget this whole not-date.

*** 

I never would have thought I'd end up standing behind a bush with Kayla Knowles whilst Will Solace waited for me, yet here I was.

"Don't mess up the eyeliner," she said. "Or Lacy will kill me." I tried to reply, but no sound came out. She smiled lopsidedly, like she understood anyway.

"You'll do great," she inhaled then patted my head. "Will totally loves you."

"I - I - he -" I stuttered. 

"Trust me," Kayla said, grasping my hand, her bitten nails lightly scratching me. She pulled me into a hug from there. I tensed momentarily before doing the same.

"Thanks," I said into her shoulder. "Maybe I could be the ultimate wingman for your date with Lou Ellen."

"Isn't she with Cecil, though?"

"Eh," I shrugged. "I can… arrange something." She pulled back, laughing.

"Will will be lucky to have you, di Angelo. Now, go get him!" She pushed me out from our hiding space.

Will spin around, a grin forming on his face. His camp tank top exposed his golden shoulders, which glowed in the sunlight. He obviously had had some assistance too, as he was wearing jeans and not beach shorts two sizes too big.

"You're early," he laughed; a short melodic note.

"Then what are you?" I retorted good-naturedly.

"Hmm, fair point. But do you like my shoes?" he pointed at his black crocs. "I thought you'd like the colour."

"Oh, yeah, get me some," I said sarcastically.

"Sure!" Will said, his white teeth shining.

"That was a joke, Solace! A joke! I do not want black crocs!"

"Suit yourself," he shrugged. "Now, do you wanna sit down somewhere?"

"Thought you'd never ask,"

[ti-bae-rius]

Malec couple’s yoga one shot

“I can’t believe you agreed to this.”

“What? Yoga is a really great training activity. It keeps your muscles strong and toned and is great for flexibility and stamina.”

“Flexibility and stamina? I do like the sound of that.”

“Magnus!”

The two of them walked along the streets of New York, both in workout gear – though that phrase meant two wildly different things for each. Alec’s runes were glamoured and he wore his training gear – sans the heavy leather fabric shadowhunters donned for battle – which mainly consisted of a pair of loose jogging pants and a t-shirt that (like all Alec’s t-shirts) had seen better days. Magnus, however, had taken this as an opportunity to acquire some truly magnificent new clothes. A tank top reading ‘I’m heavily meditated’ and a pair of tight-fitting joggers, cuffed at the ankle and tailored to hang just right, completed Magnus’s outfit. Alec had to smile. No one else, in the history of workouts, had tailored yoga pants. But then no one else was quite like Magnus.

“We don’t need mats or anything, do we?” Alec asked, as they passed under the archway into Central Park. “The information seemed really vague. Do you think it’ll run over – my mom can only handle Max and Rafe for so long.”

“All this worrying doesn’t seem very zen of you,” Magnus chastised, taking Alec’s hand and swinging it like they did when they were making Max and Rafe ‘fly’ as they walked along the paths. Alec always thought this was somewhat of a big ask from Max, who actually could fly without the aid of Alec’s arms that were usually already somewhat tired from demon-hunting all day. Nevertheless, their squeals of joy made it all worthwhile.

A small throng of people were gathered, couples stretching together and chatting, in Central Park’s Sheep Meadow. Though still busy, it was somewhat less crowded and tourist-populated than the majority of the Park. Alec squinted to look who was there as the two of them walked closer and leaned up to whisper to Magnus, “There’s more gays than I thought there’d be.”

“Oh please, couples yoga is for three sets of people: bohemian lesbians who have squeezed this in between sensual pottery and live drawing where they only draw Cate Blanchett, straights whose marriages are on the rocks and are in desperate need of closeness not derived from brushing past one another on the way to write something on their family planner by the fridge, or gay couples – that’s us – whose marriage is just where it’s supposed to be.”

“And who want a brief moment of respite from their children – one of whom transforms into a bat when annoyed and one who loves annoying his brother?”

“I don’t think that’s quite as universal as you might expect,” Magnus pointed out and Alec laughed.

Thankfully, no one else seemed to have yoga mats. Despite Magnus’s assertions, most of the couples here looked calm and happy to be there. Alec relaxed a little and when a man and woman came over to introduce themselves as the instructors, he leaned casually against Magnus’s side, content to let his husband do the talking. He glanced round, watching the sunlight filter through the leaves of a nearby tree, mottling the grass below it with little pools of soft illumination. This was pretty nice, he thought, a feeling of serenity washing over him. Maybe Magnus was right, maybe Alec did just need to loosen up and relax, try and enjoy these new experiences. Maybe they’d become that couple, the couple that did yoga in the park and had brunch with their kids where they didn’t even drink mimosas or bloody marys because they didn’t need the pick-me-up of socially acceptable mid-morning alcohol. He’d always thought Izzy would be that person.

“Right,” the female instructor said in a voice that commanded the group. Though she’d raised her voice to gather them, she still sounded soft-spoken. “Let’s all find a space and let that space be our own bubble. Today, you and your partner are one being, two halves of one yogi. Together, let your hearts find a space. Be led by your shared heartbeat.”

Magnus and Alec exchanged a look and Magnus raised an eyebrow. Perhaps this was a little…much. Alec gave Magnus a miniscule frown and mouthed “that’s not very zen”. Magnus rolled his eyes but put a hand out and rested it on Alec’s chest, then put the other hand to his own.

“Our collective heartbeat is telling me that we should get out of here,” he said, with the same whimsical timbre to his voice that the instructor had. “It also says that the guac in the refrigerator needs eating tonight.”

Alec gave an inelegant snort and the instructors looked over at them. They didn’t look annoyed – Alec wasn’t sure people who were that at peace could be annoyed – but Alec schooled his expression into neutrality.

“I think just here is fine for our bubble,” he said and Magnus nodded, eyes glittering with amusement.

“I see we have some new energies in our space today,” the male instructor said, his speech with the same gentle lilt as his wife’s. “We welcome you into our family.” Magnus tried very hard not to think of how much this sounded like late-stage Crimson Hand rhetoric. “For our new friends, let me introduce us. This is my wife, Kelly, and I’m Gareth. Family, let’s emit some extra good vibes today to make our new souls feel welcomed and cherished.”

Alec firmly kept his eyes on the instructors instead of giving Magnus the weighted look he wanted to. Okay, this seemed a little full-on, but they’d just got here. They couldn’t judge it yet.

“What we’re going to do is start with a really easy pose that will help to solidify your connection to your partner and maintain your unity throughout our time together today,” breathed Kelly. “Let’s start with a stacked child’s pose. One half of your team transition now from mountain pose down to child’s pose, copying Gareth.”

Alec and Magnus exchanged looks and Alec shrugged, watching Gareth fold himself down onto the floor, facedown, as if having an existential crisis. Alec copied, and immediately felt the grass tickle his nose. From somewhere above him, Kelly continued talking.

“Now for our other halves, gently climb on your partner’s back and settle into the same pose. This is a really easy starting position and will keep us grounded and unified ready for our next step.”

Alec was about to say something when he felt Magnus’s weight settle atop him, pushing him further into the tickly grass. He breathed around the extra weight on his spine and Magnus bent to whisper in Alec’s ear.

“Wanna admit I was right to say we should’ve left?”

“No, this is very soothing,” Alec mumbled, and coughed on the grass that got in his mouth.

“Also, why is this child’s pose? Have Gareth and Kelly ever seen a child? If Max and Rafe were laid on the floor on their faces like this, I’d call an exorcist.”

“Shhh, I’m getting in touch with my inner peace,” Alec mumbled, and spluttered again on the grass in his mouth. “And also with this dirt.”

After a few minutes of relative calm, Gareth’s voice rung out, soft but commanding.

“Let’s all return to mountain pose now, stretching our arms up over our heads to transition to extended mountain.”

When Alec straightened up again, he glanced around, just to make sure he wasn’t being pranked. But no, a dozen other couples were all doing the same as them, lightly holding their hands above their heads, arms outstretched toward the sunny sky of New York. He settled back into it a little and tried to relax, wondering if relaxing was meant to take this much effort.

“Now we’re going to move into couple’s tree pose,” Gareth instructed. “Stand beside your partner and raise the arm closest to them into the air, touching their palm with yours. You can interlock your fingers here for extra emotional support, if you so desire. With your outside leg, rest the flat of your foot against your upper thigh, and bring your outside hands together to press flat against one another in the space between you.”

“Are you interlocking our fingers for emotional support?” Magnus whispered and Alec huffed a laugh.

“I’m doing it for structural support. I’m on some uneven grass and I feel like I’m about to fall over.”

“Consul Lightwood?”

Alec spun so fast that Magnus stumbled sideways, righting himself just in time and shooting Alec a furious look. In fact, the whole group were staring at them, looking as displeased as a group of people who had dedicated themselves to inner peace could look. Which, to be fair, wasn’t that displeased.

“Is there something disrupting your practise today?” Kelly asked, and Alec gave a nervous laugh.

“Just give me one second,” he said, staring off into the treeline where the call had come from.

“The forces outside your bubble are of no consequence during your practise,” Gareth told him, but Alec was already starting to walk over to the trees. Magnus gave a shrug to the instructors and an apologetic glance to the others in the group.

“He’s got a bad knee,” Magnus explained lamely and set off after Alec, jogging to catch up with him as he spoke to two younger shadowhunters. They couldn’t have been more than sixteen and were gaping up at Alec – and now Magnus too – with wide eyes.

“So how about I report back that you guys have been doing some great work on patrol, and you don’t tell anyone about…that,” Alec bartered. The two shadowhunters nodded and hurried off, casting looks over their shoulders as they went, heads bent together as they whispered. Alec looked at Magnus and burst out laughing. “Okay, you were right. We should’ve left before it started.”

“You mean you don’t want to get in touch with our shared heartbeat and become one soul in two bodies?” Magnus asked in mock-offence.

Alec gave him a sly side-eye and took his hand. “I didn’t say that. I’m sure we can work something out. We still have the apartment to ourselves for an hour or two before we have to get the kids.”

“What happened to ‘my mom can’t cope with them for too long’?” Magnus challenged, a devilish glint in his eye.

“She’ll be fine,” Alec assured him.

 “Why are we going to yoga night school?” Magnus asked as they reached the building indicated on Alec’s phone.

“Because it’s the only class I could find in the area when we had someone to watch the kids,” Alec explained. “Don’t worry, I made Simon promise to make them dinner.”

“Well hopefully this one is less traumatic.”

Alec groaned. “Don’t remind me. At least in a building we don’t risk random shadowhunters walking past.”

“Unless they’re in the class too!” Magnus pointed out chirpily and Alec shot him a glare as they went inside.

Much like the last class, people were milling about in couples. Alec gave the crowded hallway a quick scan but couldn’t see anyone they knew – thankfully. Alec relaxed a little. There were about the same number of couples here too, around twelve, and Alec couldn’t tell who the instructors were. Mostly people were talking in soft voices, sipping bottles of water, and leaning affectionately into conversations with their partner. Magnus glanced around.

“What kind of yoga is this?”

“I don’t know, tandem or something,” Alec said. “It was the only one available, but it looks good. The website said something about building trust and closeness or whatever.”

“Clearly imperative for us,” Magnus said dryly. “What with us being so distant and untrusting and all.”

Alec rolled his eyes but smiled.

Before he could respond, a door opened at the end of the hall and a woman emerged in a pair of leggings and a sports bra. She smiled at them and beckoned them all in. As Magnus and Alec passed her in the door, she turned and beamed at them.

“You must be our new sign-ups. I hope you enjoy the class and feel more in touch with yourselves and your bodies when you leave.”

No cult-like mentions of joining a family, or bubbles, or shared heartbeats. Alec heaved a sigh of relief and gave a glance toward Magnus, who was looking around the room. Everyone did seem quite touchy-feely, Magnus thought, but brushed it off. What else should he have expected from couple’s yoga – particularly couple’s yoga with a majority hetero clientele? He and Alec took a seat at the back of the studio, removing their shoes like the others had done and putting them behind their mat, and chatted between themselves until the woman who’d greeted them stepped to the front of the room with her own partner, a tall and well-built surfer-dude type.

“So as most of you know, I’m Carly and this is Dale, and we’ll be your guides tonight. As always, please feel free to take breaks as you need them, communication with your partner is encouraged, and remember to open a conversation after tonight’s class about what you learned about each other and yourself. These classes can really prompt strong feelings, and those should be embraced and discussed in a non-judgemental and loving way.”

“How intense is this class meant to be?” Magnus whispered to Alec, who shrugged, looking a little nervous. Was this for expert yoga-people? Yogists? Yogurts? What kind of relaxation came with a warning?

“While Carly lights the candles and I bring the lights down and close the blinds, feel free to come to rest in any pose that feels comfortable for you. Perhaps that’s child’s pose, a seated position, or maybe even corpse pose,” Dale said, and began readying the room.

“I’m starting to think we might all end up in corpse pose by the end of the night,” Alec hissed quietly, glancing round. “This looks like how most demonic rituals begin.”

“Maybe this is all a trap and Elyaas is just trying to get us to let him see Max again,” Magnus suggested and Alec laughed, looking round at the other couples to see how they were sat. Many were laid side by side, like bodies in mortuary shelves, but a handful of them were laid on their sides, pressed close together as if they were cuddled in bed. Alec raised his eyebrow sceptically and settled for sitting with his legs crossed before him, his back against Magnus who was in the same position.

“I’m getting in first to say we should leave now,” Alec whispered, eyes closed. “Just so if this is as bad as last time, I’ll get to be right.”

Alec felt Magnus’s shoulders move against his as he chuckled, then start a little as Dale spoke again.

“Okay, excellent. Let’s all slowly move to sit opposite our partner, ready to start the session with some synchronized breathing. You can do this in whatever way works for you. You could put a hand on your partner’s chest to feel their inhales and exhales. You could close your eyes and focus on the sound of their breath or maintain eye contact and build a direct channel of communication. You could hold hands. Or you can just meditate, keeping your inhalations and exhalations as one with your partner.”

Alec shuffled round to face Magnus and immediately had to close his eyes. Something about staring into the face of your significant other in a quiet and meditative room made you immediately want to burst out into loud and obnoxious laughter. Instead, he let Magnus’s hand find his in the dark of their closed eyes and tried to match their breaths. Despite himself, Alec relaxed, his shoulders drooping, jaw unclenching. Being a shadowhunter wasn’t a relaxing job, and it was sometimes hard to find time to de-stress. Maybe he’d judged this whole thing too quickly, put off by the last time. Actually, this was pretty nice.

After a while, Carly’s voice came softly through the haze of meditation, instructing them to gently come back to the present. Alec blinked open his eyes and met Magnus’s soft gaze, smiling. Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all.

“Okay, now we’re going to move to our first real position, yab-yum,” Carly said. “You can stay crossed-legged for this, though one of you will have to move a little. One partner will stay seated and the other will climb into their lap, hooking their legs around the other’s back, coming to rest in a lotus position. Dale and I will be transitioning into yab-yum so you can observe us if you get lost.”

Magnus beckoned Alec forward and put his arms around Alec’s waist as the shadowhunter settled onto his husband’s lap, feeling a little uncomfortable doing so in a crowded room. He glanced around to confirm this was right and found everyone else doing the same.

“Relax, we’re married,” Magnus grinned and Alec nodded, laughing to himself. Magnus was right. This was totally innocent; he was just being coy.

“Gently, you can start to rock forwards and backwards,” Dale instructed, resting his hands on Carly’s hips. “Just a slight movement is fine to start. You can time this to your breathing. Breathe in, rock forward. Breathe out, rock back.”

Magnus raised an eyebrow but shrugged, following as instructed. Alec wrinkled his nose. Was it just him or did this feel weirdly…intense? Even personal?

“Are you starting to get seasick?” Magnus teased and Alec shook his head.

“I’m just really confused. What is this meant to do?”

“Help us breathe together I guess. Though, I don’t want to brag, but I’ve been breathing for centuries and I’m pretty excellent at it. I’m currently on my high score of most breaths breathed. I bet I’ve been breathing way longer than all these assholes.”

Alec laughed and tried to relax into the exercise, but he couldn’t help feeling strangely fidgety, like something wasn’t right.

“For a more connective experience,” Dale said. “You can add extra elements, especially if you’re the partner sat on the floor. Try rocking your lower back as well and raising your hips towards your partner’s.”

Alec and Magnus exchanged confused looks, and Alec felt his eyes widen when a few nearby couples began breathing more shallowly, less controlled. Magnus covered his mouth to stifle a laugh at Alec’s scandalised expression.

“Did you know—” Magnus began and Alec shook his head vehemently.

“Is this…” He dropped his voice and mouthed, “sex yoga?”

Magnus gave a loud snort of laughter and Alec shushed him, but the laugh was contagious and the sound came out disjointed and breathless. Instead, Alec put a finger to his lips, and looked up at the ceiling, trying not to meet Magnus’s eyes and start their laughs again. It was going well until Carly gave a breathy sigh and continued.

“This pose represents the mother and father in the act of sexual union, and really appeals to both genders’ need for interpenetration.”

“Well this isn’t going to help us at all then,” Magnus muttered, rolling his eyes.

Alec lost his composure completely and gave a cry of amusement that was smothered too late by Magnus’s hand. Both of them were laughing now, bent forward towards one another with tears in their eyes. Alec could feel the disapproving stares of the other people in the class and tried hard to compose himself, but it was no use. From somewhere above them, someone cleared their throat and the two of them looked up to see Carly stood there, with a face like thunder. And who could blame her, Alec thought. Two total newbies had signed up for her class, been totally blind-sided by what it actually was, and had some kind of hysteric moment in the middle of their session. Before she could say anything, Alec climbed to his feet and pulled Magnus up after him by the hands, still grinning uncontrollably.

“I, ah, don’t think this is our class,” Alec muttered apologetically.

“Yeah, I’m sure it said Bridge club was next door,” Magnus added and Alec had to press his lips together so he didn’t laugh in the poor woman’s face. Alec swept down, grabbed his shoes in one hand and Magnus’s in the other, shoved a pair at his husband, and stumbled gracelessly from the room, weaving between yab-yumming couples, and shutting the door quickly behind them.

As soon as they were out of the building, the two of them exploded into laughter, the sound ringing out on the quiet New York streets. It was already dark, though not even gone seven, and Alec sank down onto a bench to lace up his sneakers, still shaking with amusement. Magnus was bent double, wiping a tear from his eye.

“Tantric, you idiot,” Magnus wheezed. “Tantric yoga, not tandem.”

“I don’t know what that means!” Alec protested, gesturing to the building. “Who does sex yoga at seven on a Thursday evening? It’s a school day tomorrow!”

Magnus cackled and threw his head back, reminding Alec of their very first date, the two of them howling with joy at the awful subway rappers. It was the first time Alec had remembered really letting go, really surrendering to the idea of being happy. There, walking the streets with Magnus back to the apartment that wasn’t yet his home too, Alec hadn’t thought about what anyone else would think, or if someone he knew would see him. All he could think about was those terrible performers, and the way Magnus’s laugh sounded like someone opening the door to the rest of his life, and the whisper of evening air like a great spirit whispering at him that he could finally relax.

 Walking home, hand in hand, Magnus nudged a hip against Alec’s playfully.

“So, it’s super important to start a conversation after tonight’s class about what you learned about each other and yourself,” Magnus said, imitating Dale’s rolling Californian drawl.

“I learned that I should read the description of things properly before I book them for $60 a person,” Alec said.

“$60?” Magnus demanded incredulously. “You paid $120 for us to sit in a dark room with a bunch of horny couples and sit on each other’s laps?”

Alec rested his head on Magnus’s shoulder and laughed into the fabric of his jacket. “I just wanted us to have a good night out away from the kids and spend some time together.”

“I like movies, you know? And dinner, and the theatre, and literally anything where a woman doesn’t say interpenetration to me in a room full of other people.”

“Come on,” Alec urged, grinning. “Let’s at least take something from it. What did you learn?”

“I learned…that you are very, very attractive when you laugh,” Magnus said, leaning down to kiss the top of Alec’s head, feeling his husband nestle further into his shoulder. “How about you?”

“I learned…” Alec laughed shyly and straightened up, squeezing Magnus’s hand. “I learned that sitting on someone’s lap while they laugh is a unique experience that is not entirely without it’s…appeal.”

Magnus glanced at him and quirked an eyebrow. “Oh really?”

Alec shrugged and Magnus spun Alec round by the hand.

“I’m sure that could be arranged,” Magnus said softly and watched devilishly as Alec went fantastically red. “Come on, let’s go. Luckily for you we have a ridiculous life so there’s plenty of things to laugh at to get you all hot and bothered.”

Alec swatted at him and shushed him, looking around the near-empty street.

“We can start with the fact that your husband still turns you into a fumbling mess.”

“You’ll always do that,” Alec reminded him, and shot Magnus a winning smile that sent Magnus into his own state of unravelling. “We could swing by Simon and Izzy’s and get the kids early.”

“Or…” Magnus said, with a familiar look in his eyes and Alec’s mouth quirked in a smile. “I don’t know why you look so smug; I was going to suggest we sat in silence and timed our breaths to each other,” Magnus said and ducked away, chuckling, as Alec went to grab for him.

When Alec inevitably caught him, he wrapped his arms around Magnus, pressing a kiss to his neck. “What is our life?” he sighed, and Magnus tilted his chin down so his lips met Alec’s.

“Perfect,” Magnus answered fondly. “That’s what.”

DISCLAIMER

This is a fun fic - don’t take it too seriously. No not all yoga is like this, not all tantric yoga is about sensuality or sexuality, but some of it is and that’s great too. Just...take it in the spirit it’s meant.

[hes-writer]

Exclusive Content

this is a master list of all one shots, blurbs, series parts, and unfinished content that i have posted on patreon (so far)! click the title to read the sneak peek (if i’ve posted one)

———

*+VALENTINE’S DAY

the one where harry has an eventful day

“Shit! Are you crazy?” Y/N gasped in surprise when the passengers seat was occupied, the door opening and slamming shut all while the car moved at a speed of 15 km/h —cursing her forgetfulness for not clicking the locks shut.

“Keep driving!” The passenger shouted, looking back through the windshield.

* ACHY BACK

the one where y/n’s back hurts and harry draws a bath

“Took too long,” Y/N mumbled as they met in the middle, knuckling tiredly at her eyes. A pout sat on her face as Harry stopped himself from ducking his head and catching her plush lips with his, craving the sweet taste of her and her strawberry lip balm. Her arms wrapped around his snatched waist, halting his breath at the tightness of her embrace and settling for a kiss on her forehead, the scent of her shampoo wafting in his nostrils, knowing that she had taken a shower hours prior. Her back had been aching since then, the pain barely bearable for her stature, causing a crease in between his brows.

+ A LETTER TO THE MAN I’VE LOVED

the one where harry receives a letter from y/n

Is it really worth it to look back in retrospect about ‘what had been’ when she can think about ‘what could have been’ if both of them realized their faults? Granted, he was more resilient in that sense than her, but he was no better at the time. She made mistakes and it had haunted her to this day, practically killing her with each moment she spent without him by her side.

+ UNWAVERING (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

the one where harry cheats (another version of ‘a cheat’)

"I-I'm in a bit of a rush, baby.” He took a step back, increasing the distance between them. "I have a meeting today. Lots of work to be done," Harry responded his tone suggesting that he didn’t want to talk anymore. Y/N nodded to please him.

"Right. Maybe we can go out tonight to grab some dinner," She suggested, a hopeful glint in her eyes and he almost felt guilty for putting her at the back burner of his mind.  

"I really have to go, baby," Peeking his head around her frame, he spotted the untouched toast and apple juice resting on where he should be. "I'm sorry."

+ ALL I ASK

the one where feelings aren’t mutual and hearts are broken

“I don’t want to be scared of what will happen tomorrow or if all we have is right now because we’ll have nothing left but I am,” A sob ripped through his throat, emotions were heightened tenfold because she was so close yet so far and they were still Harry and Y/N but at the same time they weren't. They’ve changed over the span of one night. “All we have is tonight,”

* LITTLE PRINCE

the one where harry and y/n are 7-year olds

Harry gasped in horror, crouching to his knees and getting his knee dirty beside the girl.

"Y/N? Y/N! Are you okay? I'm so so sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen. I swear I wasn't mad at you, I was just jok- Why are you smiling?" Harry yelped, panic evident in his shrill voice. His hands wandered towards her face, tilting it left to right, up and down, searching for any visible and invisible injuries besides the bump on her forehead.

RENEGADE

the one where y/n teaches harry the ‘renegade’ dance

“What are y’doing?” Harry asked, his eyes wide as his large palms ruffled the fluffy towel on his damp curls. The steam from the bathroom escaped to your bedroom where you were panting with effort, your chest heaving so hard that the peaks of your breasts rose with each breath. 

“Uh, what are you doing?” You retorted slowly, hiding your hands behind your back were your fingers gripped your phone. Your thumb dug hard on the volume bottom, frantically trying to decrease the music from the phone speaker. 

DROP THE TOWEL (m)

the one where harry does the ‘drop the towel’ challenge

“Hey, babe,” He greeted, walking closer to you in a towel that made him feel liberated. You hummed in a silent greeting, giving him a smile before doing a double-take at his appearance. He dropped the towel on the floor, his length hanging proudly between his legs. 

You gasped at the sight, the knife clanging on the marble counter, “Ooh, hi there,”

He smirked cockily, watching your eyes observe his body, tongue subconsciously peeking out between your lips until you snapped your head to the window, “Oh my god! There are people out there, Harry,” You wailed in alarm, bending over to hand him his towel.

DREAM WITH ME (exclusive content as of right now) - this fic will be posted on Tumblr when I return from my hiatus

the one where y/n has trouble falling asleep

Harry’s admiration gets interrupted when a sudden jolt took over Y/N’s body. He dropped his mouth open a little in shock, rubbing her back soothingly when she whimpered quietly, “Shh, it’s okay. You’re safe with me,” She must have had experienced one of those moments when she was falling until her vision drooped to a shaded black. 

DIGRESS (1) PROGRESS (2) REGRESS (3) 

the one where love fails

What happens when love fades away? How do you cope with the feelings disappearing slowly like a blot of dark blue paint diluting with every stroke of a ruffled paintbrush? Y/N wondered if there was a chance to fixing what has been lost--what has disappeared as the canvas soaked through in a permeated osmosis. Coating the brush of blue with white paint took several layers to completely cover the mistakes. There had to be an effort in wanting to make the faults and errors completely opaque from the eye; the bleary, watery irises soaked with tears, dampening her lashes in a thick haze as she cried.

ROUTINE (1) (the first part will be posted on Tumblr when I return from my hiatus. following parts will be patron-exclusive content)

the one where harry is a camboy

In a blink of an eye, Harry’s toned body was showcased on the screen, allowing him to view what his viewers had the pleasure of seeing. The ‘LIVE’ sign blinked repeatedly.

“Hello,” Harry drawled out purposefully using a deeper tone to set the mood. “How are you today?” His fingers stayed hung over the armchair, griping it slightly when comments started rolling in.

NOTES ON CAMP (1) (2) (3) (exclusive content as of right now) - this fic will be posted on Tumblr when I return from my hiatus

Y/N plastered a smile on her face as she shook Belle’s hand. “Sorry but I need to steal Harry away,” Belle tugged on his tattooed arm, fingers clasping around his wrists as he started walking along with her. “See you, Y/N!” Harry greeted, turning around with his arm draped over Belle’s shoulder.

“See you,” She whispered under her breath, looking at his retreating figure towards the cafeteria. Y/N couldn’t help the disappointment she felt, her shoulders slouching at the realization that it was too good to be true. Of course, he had a girlfriend.  A gentleman with chiselled features and a caring personality complimenting her? No way. Still, she wasn’t too sad about it. It wasn’t like they’ve known each other for long. Plus, they were co-workers! It would feel wrong to start a relationship anyway.

STRESSED OUT

the one where y/n is stressed and harry wants her to take a break

“What d’ya mean I don’t get it?” He closed the paperback, making sure to clip in his bookmark to save his spot.

A pregnant pause slithered the room. Her fingers typing against the keys of her laptop ceased as she shot him a glare, “You’re not studying, are you? All you do is write songs, fiddle with a few instruments and sing it in front of people who adore you,”

Harry physically pulled his chest back. He felt like he had been shot. He knew she didn’t mean it though, but it still hurt to hear, “O-oh. I didn't know y-you felt that way,”

She continued, “You don’t know what it’s like having to spend hours researching so you don’t get anything wrong. Sleepless nights to perfect one paragraph that my professor nitpicks to the bone,” Y/N penned a few words on her notebook, not noticing the pout plastered on Harry’s face.

DESSERT

the one where harry wants something else

She pulled away, shaking her head adamantly, “No way! I spent all day cooking and you’re not gonna skip it just to eat my pussy,”

He the corners of his eyes squinted in offence at her description, “Your pussy’s top tier, baby.” Harry ‘tsked’ his tongue, “If yeh didn’t know that already, then I’m doing a horrid job,”

PET NAME

the one bff!harry just wants y/n to call him by his pet name

“Am I, Harry? Seems like you’re putting me at the back burner nowadays,”

He was speechless; had he? Harry didn’t mean to make her feel this way but he wasn’t aware that he was actively blowing her off for Ruby. And why won’t she call him ‘honey’? That was his nickname, wasn’t it? H stood for Harry but it was also the pet name Y/N had given him.

His voice emulated a soft, syrupy tone that lingered in the air whenever he spoke. He was the colour honey itself--golden and yellow like the colour of the sun. Harry was bright in its sense of intelligence and the way he illuminated the whichever room he entered. His kindness catered to everyone’s needs and left pieces of his heart wherever he went.

Harry was honey.

ROOMMATES SERIES (3) (4) (5) (6)

the one where harry and y/n are roommates

updates every 2 weeks!

will not be posted on Tumblr until the series is finished

Y/N gasped at Harry’s proximity, lids snapping open with her hand reaching over to pat along until she found her phone which was blaring with an alarm that she had set. Harry gulped, eyes wide as his mind ran through what the hell just happened.

“What are you doing here? Get out!” She yelled, tugging the sheets higher on her body. 

“I-I was just waking you up so you can make us dinner,” Harry stuttered out, his excuse sounding lame but he patted himself on the shoulder for making it up on the spot. Well, that was his intention in the first place until he got distracted.

FRIENDS DON’T MINI-SERIES (1) (2) (3)

“Is this okay?” Her doe irises searched his. Harry raised his head lazily to make eye contact, nodding his head with a bit lip. Y/N clenched her inner thighs together at his already blissed-out state, his pupils slowly becoming larger with arousal. “Friends don’t touch each other this way,” She purposefully drew out her statement, giving Harry an out of the situation if he needed to.

“More than okay,”

FIC EXTRAS #1 - TEASE

the one before ‘under the table’

“Fuckin’ dirty,” He spat, the pads of his thumb tracing circles on her hipbones, not feeling a trace of clothing resting on her hips. “Wearin’ a short dress with no panties,”

Y/N hummed, arms slanting behind her to support her upper body so that she could spread her legs further, making room for Harry’s hand. “Didn’t feel like it,”

“Y’just waiting for me to find out, hmm? You knew I couldn’t resist myself when you look so goddamn pretty,”

UNFINISHED DRABBLE #1

the one with fratboy!harry

“Y’alright?” Harry’s husky breath barely made its way to her ears, only then did Y/N feel the hand palming her lower back, another one gripped around her shoulders. Her front flushed against his own, feeling his hard chest on her heaving ones. She peeked one eye open, looking around at her angled stance, then to Harry who wore a concerned look scanning her face. Y/N nodded in response, blinking rapidly, her nipples hardening at a sudden cold breeze beneath the thin fabric of her dress, surely poking him through his shirt. She blushed at the thought and his brief glance over her where they touched, his eyes dilating the tiniest amount.

UNFINISHED DRABBLE #2

the one where harry’s a cheating asshole

Harry wormed his way through his delectable voice and his ever-present words that somehow scorched your shield to the ground. Again. He promised never to do it again and your love-sick heart trusted him. Again. 

But your trust wasn’t something that was particularly valuable to him. To Harry, it would always be there, lingering like the stars in the night sky; always present, always gleaming. Harry was very sorry for what he was doing to you. It was ironic, really; he hoped and prayed every day that you wouldn’t find out but his carelessness left everything out in the open.  

TEXT MESSAGES #1

the one where y/n has silly thoughts

TEXT MESSAGES #2

the one where harry and y/n share the same class 

[katefiction]

Hey everyone, when I finished writing Will and Kate nearly 7 years ago now, I felt like there really wasn't anything else I could say about them. And that's still true to an extent. A gave me the request/idea of writing something based on folklore/evermore and I love those albums as much as everyone else. They are incredibly inspiring and made me want to write. But I still didn't know how to make those into a William and Kate story. Until I realised that they didn't have to just be a William and Kate story. For that reason, I've written this without names. When writing it, I was thinking of them some of the time, and fictional characters some of the time. I wasn't going to tell you that because I didn't want people to not read it because of that. In the end I decided to be honest. You can use William and Kate as the characters, but equally you don't have to.

This story imagines what would happen if this couple had been apart for a few years and reunite for a weekend. It's based on 'tis the damn season. I really hope you enjoy and would love to know what you think.

Love, Maria x

Chapter 1 : You can call me babe for the weekend

In a small cottage covered in ivy, she stood in the kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil. Her hand twitched on the counter as she tried to resist the urge to look at her phone again.

Two days previously, she received a text that had made her heart lurch.

I’m in the area in a couple of days, can I come and see you?, it had said. Short and straight to the point. He hadn’t changed in that regard at least.

She had taken a few hours to reply. Of course she wanted to see him - partly out of sheer curiosity. But it had been three years since they’d last seen each other. And the decision to end things hadn’t been easy.

Eventually, after a few hours deliberation, she had replied with the address of the place that had become her sanctuary. And now she waited.

She poured the boiled water into a mug, added a tea bag and cupped her hands around it. She looked over to the old grandfather clock in the corner of the living room. In half an hour he would be here and she still hadn’t decided what to say to him. Or how to act. Instead of thinking about that, she had busied herself with cleaning the cottage top to bottom until there was not a speck of dirt left to wipe away.

She took her tea upstairs, each step creaking as she went. In her bedroom, she opened her wardrobe. Sitting down on the bed, she stared at the rows of clothes hanging up waiting to be chosen. None of them seemed to convey what she wanted to say.

I’m fine without you.

I still want you to find me pretty.

I don’t care what you think.

No piece of clothing could express that ridiculous combination of feelings. She got up and sighed, looking out of the window. It was 7.45pm now and already dark. The trees outside her cottage swung in the wind, the branches tapping against the window.

Going back to the wardrobe, she closed her eyes and ran her hand along the row of her clothes and pulled one out at random. It was a deep maroon knitted jumper dress.

‘That’ll do’ she said out loud.

Earlier in the day she had decided that she wouldn’t wear any make up. Why should she? But now, looking in the mirror, her face seemed tired and lifeless.

She grabbed some eyeliner out of the drawer and applied a wing onto her eyelids. A curl and a dab of vaseline on her eyelashes, and tint on cheeks and lips made her feel slightly more presentable.

She glanced over at the clock on her bedside table. 7.56pm. He wasn’t usually late. She took her mug downstairs and placed it in the sink, considering washing it to pass the time.

It was then she saw the headlights trail through the kitchen window. Taking a deep breath, she paced the kitchen listening to the sound of the engine switching off and the car door opening and closing. The crunch of his footsteps on the gravel path came closer until finally there was a soft tap at her front door.

*

He was the same as she’d always known him. Strong arms with the sleeves rolled up, piercing eyes that saw right through her.

‘Can I come in?’ he said. She suddenly realised that she hadn’t heard his voice in three years. She hadn't thought she’d missed it until right then.

‘Oh, yeah, come through’ she said, stepping aside.

He had to bend slightly to fit under the doorway. ‘Made for short people’, he said as he closed the door behind him.

‘It’s good to see you’ he said, those eyes surveying her.

‘You too’ she said. ‘Do you want a drink?’.

‘Sure’ he followed her to the kitchen, looking around at the tiny ground floor. A fire crackled under the living room mantlepiece, and cushions and throws were scattered around. ‘Lovely place, very you’.

She grabbed some white wine from the fridge without asking him what he wanted and poured out two glasses.

He took it gratefully and they sipped in an awkward silence. The grandfather clock ticked loudly and he walked over to look at it. Presumably just as something to do.

She followed him into the living room and sat down on the couch, her knees tucked under her. She moved a few cushions around to make space for him, placing one on her lap for comfort. He sat on the other side of it, sinking into it.

‘So why did you text me?’ she said, stroking the stem of her glass, faking nonchalance.

‘I told you, I was in the area’.

‘This isn’t really an area people come to visit’. She looked out of the living room window behind them. Although it was dark, he knew what she was referring to. She lived in a small village technically, but her cottage lay in a secluded area surrounded by woodland.

She had moved here three years ago as an escape and she loved it. It was just cut off enough to be peaceful, but not so far that she didn’t have people to turn to when she needed them.

‘Ok, the surrounding area’ he smiled. ‘The truth is I’ve been thinking about you recently’.

‘I’m sure you have much more interesting things to think about’ she said, looking into her glass to avoid eye contact.

‘Anyway...how have you been?’ he said, changing tack.

‘We don't have to do that’, it pained her to have small talk with him when they used to sit in such comfortable silence.

‘Do what?’ he looked genuinely confused and it occurred to her that maybe he couldn’t read her so easily any more.

‘The small talk thing, you can just tell me why you’re here’.

‘Ok’ he pulled in his lips like he always did when he was thinking about what to say, ‘well, the truth is I was coming to this side of the country for work and I wanted to see you’.

She smiled for the first time that night, ‘this side of the country?’

‘Yes, well I realise I might have come a bit out of my way’.

They paused and looked at each other. Their old dynamic started to shift back into place. The light teasing, the subtle looks.

‘Anyway’ he continued. ‘I guess I just wanted to see if you were ok. I never liked how things ended, you know that’.

Their break up was business-like. When she decided it was over, there were no more tears and arguments. Just a simple acceptance. She had packed her bags, wished him well out of courtesy and built a wall so high that not even he could break it. It had frustrated him to the point of madness. She refused to hug him goodbye. She didn’t even tell him she was moving away.

‘It’s what I needed to do’, she said, holding the cushion closer to her.

‘And now?’ he said, hope etched on his face.

‘Now...nothing. We’ve moved on. There’s no point in reliving it’

‘Have you...moved on with someone?’ he asked.

‘I didn’t mean it like that’ she got up and poured more wine into her glass even though it wasn’t empty.

‘Would you hate me if I said I was happy about that? I was dreading you telling me you had found someone’.

Her heart skipped, realising he was right behind her. She didn’t turn, not wanting his eyes on her.

‘I could never hate you’ she said quietly.

‘I’m not with anyone either, I broke up someone a few months ago, she was -’

‘If I wanted to know who you were hanging out with, I would’ve asked’, she said, breaking him off. When she was uncomfortable, she became curt. He knew that, and he would always challenge her on it by refusing to take offence.

She felt him come closer to her, ‘I’ve missed you’.

It was the words she’d dreaded. ‘Don’t say that’, she replied, tightening the cap on the wine bottle as hard as she could.

‘Why not, it’s the truth’, he placed his glass on the counter. Clearly he was done with the niceties.

‘If you’ve come here to try and mess with my head, don’t bother’, she moved past him and put the wine bottle back in the fridge.

‘Why on earth would I do that?’ he said, trying not to fall for her favoured method of pushing him away.

‘I don’t know, you said you’d broken up with someone, maybe you’re lonely’.

‘I told you, I miss you and wanted to see you. If I was lonely, I could go elsewhere’.

She couldn't help but laugh at his arrogance.

He ran his hand through his hair, ‘how has this turned into an argument?’.

‘We’re not having an argument’, she said plainly.

‘Yes we are, and stop pretending that you don’t care’.

So he could still see through her after all.

The wind was picking up now, battering the branches harder against the cottage. They both knew there was nothing more to say. That they’d just go around in circles if they continued to talk. And she wouldn’t give him an inch.

Instead, they did what they knew they would as soon as he sent that text. What she knew would happen as she applied the colour to her lips earlier.

He reached out and pulled her in by the waist and she clutched at the fabric of his shirt at his stomach. When their lips met, she felt it all over her body. The ache of the last three years passing between them.

*

They lay tangled together in bed staring at the ceiling.

‘Are you ok?’ he said.

‘Yeah’, she turned to look at him. ‘Are you?’

‘Very much so’ he laughed softly, ‘I’ve missed you’.

‘You’ve said that already’, she teased.

‘I thought you might believe it this time’, he placed his hand over hers on the bed covers.

‘This can’t be, you know, a thing again’ she said carefully.

‘I know’, he said. ‘Not much has changed in my life, I didn’t expect to come here and take you home’.

‘Do you ever wonder why we never could make it work?’ she asked him, letting him play with her fingers.

‘Yes...and no. I knew you didn’t want the life I had to offer but I couldn't let you go. If I had stopped it earlier on, it would’ve saved us a lot of hassle’, he looked at the ceiling again as he remembered the two years they had together.

They had been happy, when it was just them. But it would never be just them and they both knew it. He was relentless in finding new ways to keep her close until he couldn’t anymore. Time alone became harder to find and the longer they went on believing they could be a normal couple, the less realistic it became. Eventually, after two months apart, she put an end to it. And she ran as far as she could. She knew he would try to maintain contact so she cut herself off from everyone they knew and stopped taking his calls. It had worked, for three years at least.

‘Do you want me to go?’ he asked, knowing that she would ask him to at some point.

She turned and rested her head on his shoulder, ‘not if you don’t want to’.

‘You know I don’t want to’, he placed his arm above her head and ran his fingers through her hair.

‘Stay...for a day or so if you want to’ she kissed him on the shoulder.

‘I can stay for the weekend’ he said.

She closed her eyes, knowing this would only end in heartache. ‘Then I’ll be yours for the weekend’.

*

The weekend was spent basked in the kind of peace they’d never find in the city. They took long walks around the woods, hand in hand. She pointed out the plants and wildlife and he soaked up every word.

In the afternoon, they just drove around the winding lanes, the mud covering his tyres. Sometimes they would talk, but never about the past, reluctant to let it in. At other times they’d drive in silence, her hand on his knee. Soon enough they’d get back to the cottage, restraining themselves until they shut the cottage door.

Inevitably, they’d end up warm and content under the covers, watching the autumn leaves flutter past her bedroom window and sleeping for the rest of the day.

Afterwards, they’d cook together and drink wine on the rug in front of the fire, her legs laying on top of his, talking about everything and nothing.

But time couldn’t stop for them and as she sat in bed watching him button up his shirt, that ache filled her again. It was an ache he too had in him, put there by her.

‘Am I going to see you again?’ he asked as he tucked in his shirt.

She put on a smile even though she knew he would sense it was a fake one, ‘maybe one day...just promise me something?’

He looked at her wrapped in the covers wanting nothing more to climb back into that warm bed.

‘Don’t wait for me’ she continued.

He bowed his head, looking at the floor, clearing his throat, ‘then don’t ask me to stay’.

She nodded silently.

He knelt on the bed and kissed her on the forehead, taking in the smell of her one last time.

‘I’ll see you out’ she said, running her hand over his forearm.

‘No stay here. It’s better like this’. He got up and opened the bedroom door, taking one last glance at her.

Somehow he knew, whatever road he went down, it would always lead back to her.

The end.