#it's fine he was older and obsessed with horses

[ataurusinabookshop]

Arrow/ Bluebeard: We should get married Izolda: We've known each other 30 seconds Arrow/ Bluebeard: And I think I've shown incredible restraint waiting this long

[theminecraftbee]

> check social links

(Which Social Link should I check on...?)

0 FOOL School Rescue Committee Should this really be an official school club? The group of Persona-users that I'm in now, whether I like it or not. At least I'm helping people by doing all this weird magic nonsense...

I MAGICIAN Scar A fellow Persona-user a year below me, although my senior in fighting Shadows. He's dragged me into his scam crystal-selling operation, which is actually weirdly fun.

II PRIESTESS Beef Pretty large and muscular for a priestess, but sure, I'll bite. A volunteer EMT who is trying to decide whether to follow his family's wishes for university.

III EMPRESS Gem A fellow Persona-user in my year. She wants me to help her study for entrance exams, apparently. Not sure why she's asking me, I missed an entire semester? But it's good enough study for me as well.

IV EMPEROR Impulse A fellow Persona-user in my year. He has a single-minded devotion to overworking himself, despite the fact he seems to be trying to prove it's fine for some reason.

V HIEROPHANT Xisuma An older man who hangs out in the local tea shop. Keeps trying to parent me for some reason, although it seems like his relationship with his actual family's a bit less good, so maybe that's why.

VI LOVERS Etho My lab partner. The whole school's obsessed with him for some reason. My only solace is that he seems to be just as disconcerted by that fact as I am.

VII CHARIOT Skizzleman A fellow Persona-user in my year, and my first friend in this town. I'm helping him find a part-time job. He's sort of ridiculously cheerful, but I know he understands me better than most people.

VIII JUSTICE Grian A fellow Persona-user a year below me, although my senior in fighting Shadows. Keeps dragging me into his pranks, although for such a gregarious guy, he's weirdly isolated.

IX HERMIT Joe Hills One of my teachers, and the head of the School Rescue Committee. He's, frankly, the most bizarre guy I know, and I don't know what to make of any of the "wisdom" he tries to impart on us.

X FORTUNE Tango Apparently, he's a bit of a prodigy in the robotics club, but he first came to me to confess he's considering quitting. I have no idea why this is my problem, but Impulse frowned at me about it, so here I am.

XI STRENGTH False A local martial artist who's been decorated with a number of titles. I just wanted her to teach me how to fight better, but apparently, she's starting to doubt her own fighting ability as well.

XII HANGED MAN Jimmy Igor's assistant in the Velvet Room. He's a bit of an idiot, but he's also my idiot. Mostly wants to request I escort him to places in the human world, although he wants specific fusions sometimes too.

XIII DEATH Cleo A "florist" in town who can source us weapons and fence goods from Altered Space. I'm pretty sure she's actually Yakuza, or at least criminal. She and Joe know each other, although strangely, she doesn't seem to remember from where.

XIV TEMPERANCE Iskall and Stress Two priests at the local shrine. I work for them occasionally to help them with odd jobs around town. They share some common past they don't like to talk about.

XV DEVIL Ren The student council president. He's bizarrely mad with power on a good day, which is weird, because he's also bizarrely kickable on a good day. Keeps on trying to rope me into the Student Council.

XVI TOWER Doc An inventor trying to invent a safe new clean energy source. According to rumors, his last try exploded, killing his lab partner, which constantly makes me question why I'm here.

XVII STAR Zedaph Proprietor of the famous local "Mystery Stir Fry Extravaganza". Frankly, his creations terrify me more than Doc's do. I have no idea why this is Impulse's favorite restaurant.

XVIII MOON Mumbo A fellow Persona-user in the year below me. Apparently, he still gets bullied a lot, but he has a scheme to, and I quote, 'learn to be something scary, like a horse.' Good luck with that, mate.

XIX SUN Pearl An artist that I've always admired. Recently, she was in a terrible car accident, and her hands now constantly shake because of it. I still think she can draw organic shapes better than me, though.

XX JUDGEMENT Soul Reappearance Committee Judgement. Hah. I guess you'd call this Judgement Day, sure.

XXI THE WORLD ... It's me.

[sirianasims]

Chapter 44.2

Summer is coming to an end, and the warm glow of the early evening bathes everything in gold, casting long shadows and making everything seem almost dreamlike. The sturdy planks of the bridge creak slightly as we cross, the sound blending with the gentle thuds of hooves against wood and the faint rush of the river below. In the distance, the constant song of the waterfalls form a faint, rumbling backdrop.

The sound of Serafina’s hooves changes as we leave the bridge and turn onto the cobbled stone road that leads to the estate. On evenings like this, I love Tartosa so much it makes my heart ache, and I wonder why I ever leave. The air smells sweeter here than anywhere else, a hint of saltwater mingling with the ever-present lavender and the more subtle, grassy notes of the earth itself.

I slow Serafina down as we reach the large mosaic that marks the crossroads. The colour has faded slightly with time, but the motif is as clear as ever, two intertwined wedding bands surrounded by the waves of the Tartosan sea. My great-grandparents commissioned it for an anniversary years before I was even born, a tribute to their love story carved into the very ground.

Serafina tosses her head impatiently, the reins tugging on my hands and pulling me out of my reverie. I feel her muscles tense up under the saddle, and she paws at the ground with her foreleg, restless.

“Sorry, girl,” I murmur. “We’ll go back to your baby now.”

I dismount as soon as we reach the paddock, stroke her neck and thank her for the ride. The light sheen of sweat on her coat is warm against my palm, but her focus is not on me anymore. Her tail swishes in agitation as a delicate, high-pitched nicker can be heard from the stables and I quickly open the gate and lead her through.

My uncle Gio waits for us in the doorway, brushing bits of hay off his gloves. Behind him, Serafina’s foal whinnies excitedly at the sight of its mother.

“There you are. How did it go?” He takes the reins from my outstretched hand and lets the impatient mare into her stall.

“She did great, she’s definitely getting her strength back. I let her gallop along the coast for a bit, you should have seen her. She was practically flying.”

“That’s my girl,” Gio mumbles softly, almost to himself. “Thanks for taking her out, she needed the exercise. As much as Sofia tries, she can’t ride all of them every day and school starts back up soon. How long are you staying this time?”

“I haven’t decided yet. Another week, maybe more. I need a break from everything, some time to figure out what to do next.”

“And a week or two is enough for that?”

“It’s a start. I’ll be fine, you know me, Gio.”

“Exactly, I know you. Well, tell your aunt I’ll be in soon, I’m almost done here.”

“You don’t want any help?”

He laughs, waving me off.

“You were always more useful in the kitchen, my boy.”

As soon as I open the heavy front doors of the main house, I’m met with the sound of laughter. Aunt Teresa is wiping tears of mirth from her eyes as they both turn to me.

“Hi mum, Teresa. What’s so funny?”

My mother lights up at the sight of me, and I hurry over to give her a hug before she can attempt to stand.

“Paolo, did you happen to see Giovanni out there? Is he coming in too?”

“Soon, zia, he’s just making sure the vineyard doesn’t run out of fertiliser.”

My mother laughs, giving my arm a feeble squeeze with her left hand. “I don’t think that’ll happen any time soon.”

“Well, we better not take any chances, mum. The entire Romeo fortune could be at stake, and I’m currently unemployed.”

Teresa shakes her head, smiling, then calls towards the stairs. “Sofia? Come down, please.”

Seconds later, my youngest cousin skips down the stairs.

Her older sisters, Laura and Anna, both moved out years ago, but Sofia was a late surprise addition, still just a baby when I first moved to Del Sol Valley. To Gio’s endless joy, Sofia is just as obsessed with the horses as he is.

“Sofia, you can do your piano lesson while I make dinner. Is that alright with you, Rose?”

My mother nods and carefully gets up and walks to her usual chair by the piano. Her steps are agonisingly slow but dignified, and I resist the urge to help her, instead distracting myself by picking a few white horse hairs off my shirt.

Teresa disappears into the kitchen, and I opt for simply taking the shirt off before following her.

A copper pot simmers on low heat on the old stove. Teresa’s kitchen was always my favourite room in this house, filled with delicious smells and tastes. Ever since I could walk, I kept ending up in the kitchens, both here and at the vineyard, and my grandmother and aunts never hesitated to put me to work.

There are herbs everywhere, clay pots of fresh basil and oregano. Recently picked thyme and sage, still with their purple flowers, hangs from the ceiling and fills the air with their fragrance.

Teresa points to a bunch of ripe tomatoes by the sink, drying next to the carrots and zucchini she picked earlier.

“You can start by slicing the tomatoes.”

I wash my hands and begin cutting. There’s a small bowl of large, juicy grapes from the vineyard on the table, and I pop one into my mouth. The taste brings back memories of long summers helping out with the harvest, of sun and dirt and the first time I was allowed to taste the family wine.

“How are things over in Del Sol? Your mother says you’re no longer doing voices?”

“Yeah, the show I was working on has ended. But one of my friends is trying to set me up with her agent. For movie roles, I mean.”

“You’re going back to movies? That sounds wonderful! You were so happy back when you did that.”

I know for a fact that Teresa hasn’t watched a single second of Llama Man’s adventures, animated or otherwise, but she was always supportive.

“Yeah, I’m still considering it, but…”

A wildly off-key chord sounds from the living room, followed by laughter as my mother explains something and Sofia starts over.

I glance at the crutches leaning against the wall and lower my voice slightly, although my mother is unlikely to hear me over Sofia murdering a Tartosan folk song.

“How is she doing? When I’m not here, I mean?”

“You always worry too much, tesoro. Your mother is fine.”

“I know, I just… I haven’t been home much lately.”

“You’ve been busy. It’s understandable, you have your own life over there.”

“But now that… There’s nothing that really keeps me over there right now. And both her leg and her hand seems worse lately. I was wondering if I should take a longer break, stay home with her for a while…”

Teresa sighs.

“Paolo, listen to me. It is not your job to replace your father. Your mother is happy. She has family, she has friends, she has so much joy in her life. You need to try and find some joy in your life too.”

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[bingbongsupremacy]

Maybe Someday

Pairing: Joel Miller x older!Reader

Warnings: Idk anything about horses or how to prep them for rides.

Summary: You've been hardcore crushing on your neighbor Joel Miller since the day he, Tess and Ellie arrived in Jackson. Rumor has it he's in a relationship with Tess. Maybe someday he'll finally return your feelings.

*Not Proof Read* TLOU Masterlist

I did my best not to mention anything very descriptive in this. Nothing about looks, gender, race, etc. If I messed up on anything please let me know. Thank you!

*****

" Stop day dreaming about Joel and get back to work, will ya? I'm trying to be out of here before I turn 90. " Maria's tone is laced with amusement.

I snap my eyes away from the man across the street. A warm rush crawls up my cheeks and I quickly turn my attention to the horse in front of me. " I'm not staring at anyone. " I argue, making sure Maria's horse's stirrups are secured properly.

" Sure, Y/N. " Maria chuckles slightly before getting up on the horse.

A small gruff laughter snaps my attention right back to Joel. He pats Ellie on the head before hopping onto his horse. Our eyes don't meet as he walks past the stall, his attention fully on the kid walking besides him.

" You know, there someone new in town I think you'd get along with. " Maria hums. " He's one of the new ones we brought in last week. "

I shake my head. " I'm good Maria. "

" What? Why? " Maria asks while we walk out of the stalls.

My nose scrunches at the thought of the last blind date Maria set me up on . The man was anything but a charmer, insisting on asking uncomfortable questions the moment we met up at the bar. Todd still winks at me whenever we happen to run into each other. " You don't have the best record for blind dates. "

" That's not true. " Maria shakes her head. " Sure, a few of them were misses, sure. But what about Jimmy? He was definitely a looker. "

I roll my eyes. " Maria! "

" What? I'm married, not dead. " She chuckles. The early morning sun sends a small glow over Jackson, making the normally bustling town seem slightly abandoned. Most people aren't out of their homes yet.

" He's only about 10 years younger than me. He was attractive though, I'll give you that. " Maria's obsession with setting me up on blind dates is at times, irritating. I understand she wants me to feel the same happiness she feels with Tommy, I'd just rather find it on my time. Besides, it wouldn't be fair to date someone while my mind's stuck on Joel.

I shouldn't be this flustered at the thought of our past conversations. They've always been polite and...normal. No romance in sight. Nothing worthy of replaying in my head over and over.

Somehow my heart doesn't seem to understand. When I look at Joel I feel like a teenager with a strong crush on a kid in their class. It's...ridiculous. I'm not a teenager and I haven't been for years.

So why doesn't this stupid crush understand?

" Just give it a shot, will you? One last time. If this one ends badly, I'll let go of all this forever. "

Maria and I arrive at the gate where Joel, Tommy and one of the newer residents are waiting.

" Fine. One shot. " I sigh.

A grin breaks out on Maria's face. " I'll let him know. "

I really don't understand why I agreed. Every blind date I've ever gone on has ended up in either heartbreak or disappointment. I guess part of me hopes she's finally setting me up with the one man I really want her to.

He has a girlfriend.

Maybe. They haven't fully come out as a couple. The lingering touches are hard to ignore though.

It's never going to happen. I need to drop it.

" Safe trip guys. " I smile at the patrol groups around the gate.

I watch as the group disappears outside of the gates. With a sigh, I turn around and head back to the stables.

Maybe this date turn out okay.

+++++

I was wrong.

I'm going to kill Maria.

It's been half an hour and I'm already thinking of ways to lose this guy.

" I'd protect you. With me, you have nothing to worry about. " Ryan states confidently while taking a swig from his moonshine. " I've killed so many of those freaks, it's child's play now. "

This man has spent the last ten minutes raving about his excellent infected killing skills.

We're in a world surrounded with infected every day, what on earth makes him think I want to think about it more?

" Mhm. " I hum while taking a sip of my own drink.

I glance around the very busy bar. It's a Friday night after all, everyone and their mother is here. My eyes land on Joel's familiar form. He's seated a few feet away at the bar, his back completely to the table Ryan and I are at.

I was so preoccupied with drinking enough alcohol to help me tolerate the man across from me that I hadn't realized he'd sat down.

" I've had a really good time with you. " Ryan smiles widely.

Wish I could say the same. He spent the entire time talking. I could hardly get a word in. I've never seen a person with so much to say. Now that I think about it, I've never met someone with such a big ego either. You'd think this guy saved humanity or something.

Stop. Be polite.

I force a smile. " I completely agree. " I lie through clenched teeth. I'm counting down the minutes until it turns 10. I told Maria I'd stay an hour and I intend to follow through with that but man is this guy making it hard.

A short, gruff chuckle softly fills my ears. I glance over at Joel. He takes a swig of his drink, trying to hide the fact he was laughing.

He's listening.

" You know, when Maria said she was going to set me up with an older person, I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant at first. "

" Oh? " I raise an eyebrow at Ryan's remark. Where is he going with this?

Maria hadn't told me she was setting me up with another younger guy. She'd probably thought I would've immediately shot the idea down. She wasn't wrong.

Ryan nods. " Yeah, I've had my fair share of fucking old timers and I usually get stuck doing all the work but I have a feeling you're different. "

What the actual fuck.

I stare at the man across from me in shock. " Excuse me? " What the fuck am I supposed to say to that? Thank you?

" What I'm trying to say is, I think you're hot. We should go back to my place. Have a little fun, if you know what I mean. " Ryan smirks while making a gesture with his hand.

Well, that took a turn.

I shake my head, pushing myself away from the table. " I'm not interested. Thanks for the drink, but I should be going. " I grab my jacket and begin to pull it on.

So much for trying to make it to an hour. This guy is insane.

" Wait, you don't have to go. We could have fun. You look like the type to need a little more fun in your life. " Ryan stands up after me.

" Seriously, I'm ok. You have a good night. " I turn to leave.

Ryan quickly grabs my arm, trying to prevent me from leaving. " I literally gave you a fucking compliment a few minutes ago. You should be grateful I'm even willing to sleep with someone like you. I fucking lowered my standards for this. "

" Please let go of me. " I attempt to seem less shaken then I am.

Ryan doesn't listen. " You owe me. "

" Let go. " Joel's suddenly right next to Ryan. " Or I'll help you let go. "

Ryan glares at Joel. " What's your deal, man? This is a private conversation. Butt the fuck out. "

Joel ignores him, wrapping his hand over Ryan's. He yanks Ryan's arm off of me. " My 'deal' is you're a complete asshole who doesn't understand when someone is saying no. "

Ryan pulls his arm away from Joel, his face turning red from rage. " Fuck you, man. "

Joel's eyes darken. " Get the fuck out of this bar. If I see you around Y/N again you're a dead man. "

The threat sends a cold shiver down my spine. He's serious. There's no way he's not.

Ryan looks like he's about to say something else when Joel sends him a sharp look. Without another word, Ryan pushes past me, completely ignoring me in the process. "

The drama caused a few people to tune into the conversation.

Slightly embarrassed, I try to focus on Joel. " Thank you. " I mumble, rubbing my arm slightly. Even though his hand is gone, I can still feel how hard he was holding onto me.

This could've gone so badly tonight if Joel wasn't here. Thank god he was here.

" No need to thank me. That guy was a fucking asshole. Here, let me buy you a drink. I'm sure you're shaken up after that. " Joel gestures to the empty barstool near his abandoned seat.

I hesitate for a moment. Part of me wants to go back to the safety of my home. The other part is eager to have a chance to talk with Joel again. Deep down, I'm also slightly afraid Ryan might be waiting outside to get back at me.

" Sure. " I agree, taking a seat. The counter is sticky and cool under my arms.

Now that the drama is over, everyone's returned back to their previous conversations.

" Are you alright? " Joel asks.

I let out a sigh. " Just a little shaken up. And...confused. " let out a small uncomfortable laugh. " That was the most fucking confusing date of my life. I can't believe Maria tried to set me up with someone who talks like that. "

Joel grunts. " She's so invested in playing cupid that she's completely forgotten some people shouldn't be dating. "

" You've got that right. I'm pretty sure she's just setting me up with anyone who's available at this point. " I shake my head and gently swirl the alcohol the bartender handed to me. " I am never dating again. "

" That's a shame. " Joel takes a sip of his cup, his eyes trained in front of him. " I would've liked to take you out. "

What? My heart pounds.

My eyebrows furrow in confusion. " Aren't you dating Jess? "

Joel's eyes widen as he looks over at me. " Jess? "

I nod slowly. " Yeah, aren't you guys dating? "

Joel shakes his head. " No. We're...we're not dating. We used to for a brief while before we came to Jackson, but things didn't work out. She fell in love with another guy. "

Whoa. I really read that wrong.

" Oh, I'm sorry. I had no idea. "

Joel shakes his head. " It's all good. We weren't right for each other. " Joel is silent for a moment. " I'm sorry he treated you like that tonight. "

I shrug. " It's alright. It's what it is. "

" No, it's not. Nobody should be treated like that, especially you. " Joel turns so he's slightly facing me. " Look, I know you're not interested in dating again right now, but if you ever change your mind I'd love to take you out. Show you how a date should really go. "

Butterflies begin to flutter in my stomach. This is like a dream come true.

" I'd love that. " I reply with a grin. " I might have to take you up on that offer. I think I'm just not interested in blind dates anymore. "

A small smile breaks onto Joel's face, a rare sight. " Sounds like a plan then. How does tomorrow night sound? "

" Perfect. "

[duckietiewritestoo]

I’ll Be Waiting (Thomas Shelby x Time Traveler! Reader)

I HAVE NO FREAKING CLUE HOW TO WRITE FOR TOMMY. I'VE ONLY SEEN CLIPS ON YOUTUBE. I'VE YET TO WATCH PEAKY BLINDERS SO PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T HATE ME. ALSO, THIS IS MY FIRST EVER x READER FIC FOR A CILLIAN CHARACTER.

Warnings: I don't know how to write time travel fics so this is gonna be long. I also don't know how to write Tommy. So, enjoy.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

I had a strange memory from when I was nine years old where I made friends with some kids I never saw again. My parents decided that for winter break, we would visit England for a farmer’s market. I found it boring at such a young age that I ran off when my parents weren’t looking. I got lost in the crowd and when I made my way out, the layout of the town had changed and the market disappeared. I assumed I went down the wrong street. It was dirtier, polluted clouds of thin smoke escaping chimneys and falling down onto the street.  My memory was fuzzy but instead of cars, there were horse-drawn carriages. My nine-year-old self had roamed around the city. It was like I had been taken to the 1890s. I learned from my dad’s obsession with history. To add on, it smelled like it, that was for sure.

Then I got hungry. But with no money in hand, I sat on the sidewalk trying to fight the hunger off. I was only nine and the thought of stealing an apple from the nearest crate crossed my mind. I didn’t have to steal the apple though. Some little kid, around my age, or even older, appeared before me with an apple in hand. I was hesitant to take the apple, of course. I wasn’t dumb, I had common sense when I was a kid. Yet, I took it. I felt like I could trust the kid. The apple wasn’t poisoned. It managed my hunger. I thought the kid would leave afterwards since I had said my thanks. But he didn’t leave and stayed with me.

And what do you know? 

I ended up spending the whole day with the kid. I couldn’t remember their names, but there were two who stuck in my memory. The boy who gave me his apple and his older brother, who was called Arty or something. You couldn’t blame me for trying to remember, I was a young one and didn’t care. My adult memory was blurry.

My parents finally found me, worried sick and was kissy-wissy, trying to hug me. I was fine, completely untouched. Apparently, I had been missing for hours. I told my parents I was with my new friends, but when I turned around to point them out, they were missing. I never thought about it again and assumed it to be a memory.

The only thing that lingered with me was the bright blue eyes from the boy who gave me the apple.

Then I saw the eyes again. Only the next time it happened, I was fifteen years old. 

Once again, my parents thought it was fun to go back for the winter market. And it was boring for me. I was only a teenager. A teenager who was rebellious. And sick. I had a fever when we went, yet my parents dragged me out even though I was a little drowsy on medication to keep my fever down. I ended up running away again, this time to enter a  bar. I had heard Europe had different age restrictions. 

Somehow, I wound up finding myself back in the smelly part of town again. It was cold, as always, and the market disappeared. I couldn’t find my parents or the hotel. I was stuck roaming around wherever the heck I was. I couldn’t remember. I was too drugged up on name-brands medicine to even focus on my surroundings.

Then I found that kid again, only he was older, and he found me. Those eyes though remained the same and they pierced my soul.

Much wasn’t said. He was quiet, kind of gentle, and slightly intimidating. He was a  lot different than the small boy I met six years ago. He took me onto the street, far from the alley I was slumped in, and got me washed up in a horse drinking trough. He dunked me in it, trying to clear my head up, but it felt like he was trying to drown me. 

It didn’t work, of course. He didn’t drown me and I lived throughout the night. I got a taste of real whiskey he stole from a pub for me. It burned my throat, and my soberness. The rest of the memory was blurry, but I remembered a deep, soothing voice keeping me calm all night, and a strong arm wrapped around me. 

I spent the other day with him too, but only until the afternoon. By then, I had lost him and instead found my parents who claimed I was missing.

The old framed photos in the crate were dusty. My thumb prints were scattered all over the thin sheet of glass protecting these vintage photographs from the 1920s. The photo was monochrome, an image of a man with his arm around the waist of someone else. They looked kind of like me, only the image was blurred out, I couldn’t tell. The crates the photos came in were packed up in Birmingham in 1919 and were due to be delivered to me this very day. Whoever sent them knew who I was. They had my name, my age, and even my birthday down. Whoever it was, they knew me too well.

Another photo seemed to prove me crazy.

It was me, smiling and holding my hand out towards whoever was taking the photo. You could see the hand under the tarp that was sticking out. It was one of those classic photos, the vintage kind that included gunpowder. 

I was a little older, around 29 years of age. I felt old. I had moved to England since my childhood memories prompted me to do so. Seeing as these crates came from Birmingham, I decided to take a vacation.

The ride wasn’t too long and before I knew it, I was searching for where the crates had come from. I scoured every crook and nanny, every pub, every building and had no luck. No one had any history of the crates. Tired, I sat down in an alley that seemed so familiar to me, like I had been here. But it was a burning memory, something of a false dream from my childhood.

I closed my eyes for a second. It was just a quick close and open, a blink if you will.

I wasn’t where I used to be. Or when I used to be. The cars driving by were old models, the very first, the motor cars as they called it. My jaw dropped. People walked by in old fashion that was beyond my time. One man was even wearing a monocle. An officer was on a horse and his voice was loud as he yelled at some people. It was insane! It was like I was ripped out of my time like a page and taped somewhere else!

I screamed and scrambled out. Bystanders stared at me strangely. Their eyes wouldn’t move off of me. They knew I didn’t belong here and they kept staring. I wasn’t dressed like it was the 1920s. I stepped out onto the road in a panic. It was like a movie. Was I in a movie?

With my mind trying to solve the puzzle, I didn’t see that I stepped into the street out of panic. I didn’t see the car. It honked at me. I was taken out of my thoughts, but like a deer in the headlights, I couldn’t move, frozen with fear as that car approached me. Which was stupid of me, because just mere seconds ago, I was running around, but now that I saw the car, I was frozen! It was there that I realized, I left the oven on before I left. 

A strong grip grabbed my arm right before I was about to get hit and pulled me onto the sidewalk. I doubted I was going to get hit since the car was slowing down. The man in the car was yelling at me for acting so stupidly, but I was too entranced by familiar bright blue eyes. I nervously swallowed. I had only seen those beautiful eyes in my dreams, my memories that were just too foggy.

“Um, hi?” I replied. “D-do we know each other or something?” He sighed.

“We do.” My jaw felt like dropping. His voice made me tremble. Clearly, genetics did him good. The little kid I remembered from what was a fever dream to me, had grown up.

“Do you remember me?” I asked softly, tilting my head. Was it all real, those dreams? The man heavily sighed.

“I’ve been waiting,” he replied. “But if we’re gonna keep talking, (Name) and reminiscing, I’d rather do it somewhere else.” 

“Can you, uh, explain on the way what the heck is happening here!?” I exclaimed in a lowered voice. It was clear Bright Eyes wanted this to be under the covers. Something was scaring him. I needed answers and I wasn’t settling for a no. Without a word, he grabbed my hand and dragged me off, causing me to yelp lightly.

“You keep doing this, from nine to fifteen, to right now, no matter how old you are,” the man explained. “I can’t comprehend it, but you keep coming back, and it’s clear you don’t belong here. Who are you really?” I sighed.

“Apparently you know my name.”

“I know who you are, (Name). I wasn’t asking that.”

“Then I can’t answer.” Bright Eyes sighed. He continued to lead me through this  old fashioned town. It didn’t feel dreamlike and very real. It smelled very real, like horses and smoke. My heart raced, realizing this was all real. I looked over to the man holding my hand.

“D-did I time travel?”

“You did. And I don’t know how long you’re going to be here, so you’ll be staying under my protection until this sorts itself out.” I nodded, listening to his words, then I gasped.

“I’ll be what?!”

Two whole weeks. That’s how long I was stuck living with Thomas Shelby. I wasn’t stuck living in a shed while figuring out how I slipped through time and how Tommy was connected to me. I had my own room in his house. No one bothered me at all. The house felt empty even though his family was big and felt alone. I rarely saw him. It was different when we had dinner. It’d be just the two of us because he didn’t trust anyone else with me and he talked a lot, his eyes lighting up whenever he saw me. And when his icy gaze met my eyes, my heart would flutter. 

Then one night, I had to ask the question.

“So um, Tommy, why did you let me stay?” I asked, breaking the silence. Tommy stopped eating, but quickly picked it up again. He was sitting next to me, but typically he sat across, at the head of the table. Dinner was too quiet. Tommy came home without a word, ignoring me until dinner finally arrived, and even then we didn’t talk. Not until now.

“I let you stay because I felt the need to,” he muttered. His focus was on the soup his aunt cooked. She had asked what I liked and made it for dinner. Something was up. “You were lost, I knew you, and I lended a hand. If I didn’t know who you were, I would’ve left you in the streets.” I scoffed.

“I met you twice before,” I said. “Why take me in regardless? Judging by the way you are with other people, you don’t seem to like people, only your family and me.” 

His body language completely changed.

Thomas sat up, sighing. He put down his spoon. I saw his jaw tighten, like he was about to spill all the secrets of the universe, and he deeply inhaled, his chest expanding. I nervously swallowed. I should’ve kept my mouth shut.

“You came in,” he said, “a long time ago when we were young. I didn’t think much about it, (Name). I just thought you were a ghost. And it turns out you are with those sudden disappearances. You keep coming back. You haunt my mind.” My cheeks flustered.

“Even now?” I asked. Did he believe in fate? I wanted to ask about that.

“Even now.”

“Tommy?”

“Yes?” 

“Do you like-.”

“Yes, I do like you,” he replied. My heart skipped a beat. Was he messing with me? “I like you a lot. How long did it take you to come up with those words? I’m not one for feelings, but I know you and I have been having them. I’ve come to realize that I developed feelings for you.” My jaw dropped. He admitted it, and it was like he was reading my mind. He was sitting so close to me, I bet he could read my mind. 

“Do you feel the same?” he asked. His hand slowly moved, placing itself on mine. I didn’t flinch or push it off. “I didn’t read you wrong?” I sighed. I knew if I fell for Tommy, I wouldn’t have reason to return to my timeline, assuming that was possible. “Do you?”

“I do.” That was it, my confession. His eyes lit up. 

“Are you telling the truth? Are you being honest?” he asked, leaning in. The cigarette scent that followed Tommy filled my nostrils. I blushed.

“I am being honest,” I said. “Completely, Tommy.”  I put my hand on top of his, and we had a stacked hand sandwich going on. Of course, Tommy pulled back and held both my hands. For someone so cold, he was warm. My cheeks heat up to match the same temperature. 

Words weren’t said for what followed in the next moment. It just happened. I couldn’t stop it.

I leaned in and Tommy was leaning in, causing the obvious to happen. My lips softly touched his. I thought it’d be a small kiss, but it wasn’t. Tommy cupped both my cheeks, bringing me in closer. His lips were gentle, kissing me back with passion. I couldn’t control myself, practically melting at his touch and kissing Tommy back. There was a moment where time seemed to stop. It was just Tommy and I, kissing and holding each other.

Then he pulled back, his lips lingering towards mine. 

“Whatever happens, I’ll still love you,” he whispered, causing me to blush. I slowly nodded. “If you slip back, I’m gonna be here still, and I’ll be waiting for you to come back.” My heart fluttered. I could tell he was being genuine. So I kissed him, holding my lips against his before pulling back.

“I love you too,” I said, smiling. “I’m not going anywhere. I  don’t think time could keep us apart.”

[middleearthpixie]

Here I come bringing my obsession your Ask Box!

AUgust Mashup:

Eomer + Enemies to Lovers + “I didn’t know you cared.”

No pressure: Please and thank you! <3

Ahhhh... I know this took me FOREVER, but here you go (and you should know, this is my very first time ever writing Éomer, so I really hope I got him right!)

I hope you like it! 💜💜💜

Fair Enough

Trope: AUgust Mashup Enemies to Lovers

Quote: “I didn’t know you cared…”

Pairings: Éomer x fem!reader

Warnings: None. Just fluffy fluff

Rating: G

Word Count: 4.6k

***

“Isn’t there some way we could just—you know—knock him from his saddle?”

You bit back a smile at Cynewyn’s suggestion, although it did have merit, and tried instead to focus on the plate you were drying. “The trouble with that would be, we might spook his horse and if it was injured, we’d never forgive us, would we?”

“Well, no. I don’t suppose we would. But, the horse might be just fine. Only Éomer would get no less than he deserves.”

“True, but it’s a risk I’d rather not take. The last thing either us or papa needs is to to pay for replacing his horse.”

“It would be no less than he deserves as well, the snake. I’d like to throw a rock at him right now.”

“Makes two of us, but again—” 

“I know,” Cynewyn sighed, “it’s a risk you’d rather not take.”

“Exactly.” You smiled at your older sister. “We can only hope that one day, he gets his and that we are lucky enough to witness it.”

“Which is not going to happen.” Cynewyn went quiet as she dunked another plate into the washbasin. “Still, why would he do that to you, anyway? What was the point?”

You shrugged, taking the plate to wipe dry. “To make sport of me, I suppose. After all, isn’t it funny when a man pretends he’s interested in you and then when you show up at your agreed upon meeting place, he’s nowhere to be found? And isn’t it funny when he and his friends were just outside of the pub, giggling like children, is just so amusing?”

“Men? Bah! They are but boys. Big boys, but boys just the same.” She passed you another plate.

You said nothing, but dried the plate and then slid it onto its shelf in the cupboard, atop the small stack you’d already dried. In the time it took you to do that, Éomer had moved on down the road that ran before the kitchen windows of your family’s small stone cottage. You should have known he’d been sporting with you when he asked you to meet him at the coffeehouse the previous week. Until that morning, he didn't seem to know you were alive. It was only too bad you could not say the same, because not only did you most definitely know he was alive, you thought he was the most perfect man alive. That afternoon, however, he toppled from that pedestal and shattered at its base as far as you were concerned. 

Of course, that didn't mean his thoughtless actions didn't hurt. Because they did. They most definitely did. 

But, you’d not think about what happened any longer. He’d gotten a good laugh at your expense, but you would rise above it. You had no other choice, really. He was the king’s nephew and you were… well…

You were nobody, really. 

A depressing thought.

You finished drying the dishes and left your sister to whatever it was she was doing. You shared a room and night after night, you would stretch out on your bed and try to read whilst she went through her seemingly bottomless supply of fabric for whatever gown she was going to try to copy from whichever lady she saw in town. She was really quite gifted, so you didn’t mind when she asked you to be her model, as you had no dressmaker’s dummy. But tonight, she did not need your assistance and, claiming a headache, instead she chose to go to bed early. A good night’s sleep was always welcomed, but as you lay there in the dark, sleep mocked you instead. It had been happening more and more often now, as the world grew more unsettled and while you could usually find some way to drift off, tonight was not one of those nights. You were simply too restless and so you slipped from the small stone cottage to go for a walk. 

You tried not think about how disappointed you’d been when Éomer stood you up at the coffeehouse. Perhaps you should have expected it, but it hurt just the same. Of course, you weren’t the only one who imagined catching his eye. Half the women of marriageable age in Edoras dreamed of doing just that and no one could blame a one of you. Not only was he the king’s nephew, but he was so blasted handsome, with his long, wavy dark gold hair and direct hazel eyes. And whenever you saw him on horseback—you melted a little on the inside each time.

Of course, now he knew you fancied him and not only that, but he’d used it against you. Knocking him off his horse wasn't even close to being enough. Still, you couldn't dwell on it forever. In time, everyone who was in that coffeehouse would forget.

Everyone but you, anyway. 

“And that is the last we will think of it,” you muttered, trying instead to focus on something, anything, else as you strolled on. 

It was a peaceful night, hints of the coming autumn in the crisp edge of the breeze that stirred the leaves last night’s storm had pulled from the trees. The best thing about the stone cottage at the end of the road in Edoras? You were the farthest point from the king’s residence, which meant you would most likely not cross paths again with Éomer at this time of night. True, he’d been riding south, which meant that at some point he would pass by here again, but you’d have enough warning, as the road was wide and almost no trees lined it. Sneaking up on you would be almost impossible. 

Not that he would even try. He’d made himself perfectly clear where you were concerned. 

The night sky was clear, spangled with stars and moonlight bathed everything as far as you could see an etherial silver color. There had been rumblings to the east, and you’d heard talk amongst the menfolk about the possibility of war, and you also knew that orcs had been seen on the borders of Rohan. And that was why you did not leave your house without a blade of some sort. Although your father was not overjoyed at the thought, he allowed both you and Cynewyn to carry a small sword, which you were almost never without. You weren’t a master by any stretch of the imagination, but Papa had made certain you and your sister learned how to defend yourselves, should the need ever arise.

Your walks had become your way of remaining sane when it seemed there was so much uncertainty all around. The thought of war was so foreign to you, as your father insulated you and Cynewyn as best he could, and yet you knew it wasn’t far off. The king’s health was failing, and you’d heard rumors that he, Éomer, and the king’s advisor, Grima, had been butting heads of late. 

Perhaps that was why Éomer had gone thundering past the kitchen windows on his horse as he had. One too many cross words with his uncle, maybe? In some ways, you hoped so, for if Éomer was banished, life would become easier for you.

But at the same time, if you were completely honest with yourself, you knew if he left for good, you would miss him terribly. How difficult it was, caring so much for a man you also tried so hard to despise! If only you could forgive him.

If only.

You vowed once more to not think about it. 

Instead, you concentrated on the beauty of the night sky, of how those stars seemed so vast and endless, how the moon managed to bathe things silver although it gave off no light. You listened to the whisper of the wind through the scrub grass and bushes that dotted the landscape seemingly to the edge of Middle Earth. The wind whispered, crickets chirped, and in the distance, an owl hooted. A normal night.

Or so you thought.

You heard the noise before you saw the creature that made it and as those sounds reached your ears, the stench reached your nose. Your heart lurched, your stomach kinked, and a sour taste filled your mouth, brought on both by the stink and the coldest, iciest, most petrifying fear that ever permeated your being.

Papa always told you not to venture too far from the road. One never knew what lurked in the fields sweeping east and west, where twisted trees grew in clumps and provided cover for many things.

Such as the orc now standing over Éomer’s prone body.

You ducked, shifting toward the stand of pine trees twisted by the winds, which thankfully carried any sounds you might have made away from the orc and Éomer. Metal clanged Éomer blocked the orc’s downward swing with his blade. He held fast, his arms trembling from the effort and his heavy glove the only thing keeping the dual-sided blade from slicing into his hand.

The orc appeared to brace harder against his blade, determined to run Éomer through and you couldn't let that happen, no matter how angry or hurt you were because of him. So, you slid your blade free and crept about the pines as silently as you knew how. You’d learned from Papa, who would take you with him when he went hunting, and although you could never bring yourself to kill anything, you learned from him just the same. Besides, an orc wasn’t anywhere near as beautiful as a deer or fox. Quite the opposite, really. They were the ugliest, vilest, most disgusting creatures to walk the earth as far as you were concerned. 

Your soft-skinned boots made no sound as you approached and the orc never knew what hit him when you swung and cleaved his head clean from his shoulders. What was left of him collapsed like a sandbag atop Éomer, who swore softly as the creature’s thick, black blood splattered him. 

Nausea rose in your throat as it spattered you as well, and you tried to ignore it as you grabbed the still-warm shoulder and threw the corpse back. “Are you all right?”

“I’ve had better nights,” Éomer groaned, rolling over and onto his knees, his sword clattering softly in the dust. “What are you doing out here?”

“I was but going for a walk. What is that—” you gestured to the dead orc—“doing here? They do not usually venture so close to our borders.”

“They grow bolder and have been for some time now.” He rocked back on his knees and swept his silver and brass helmet from his head to let it clatter to the ground alongside his sword. “Are you all right?”

“Me? I am fine.” You resheathed your sword and carefully crouched alongside him. His dark blond hair was damp with sweat, pulled away from his face and held back with a small strip of worn leather. “And you?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“What happened?”

“It’s nothing.” He winced as he shifted onto his backside and gingerly prodded at his left thigh.

You looked down, your stomach clenching at the sight of the wound that must’ve bled terribly, for the entire front of his trouser leg was stained with a large wet patch. It looked as if the orc’s blade had sliced through the fabric. Without thinking, you brushed his hands aside to see for yourself and as soon as you had, you wished you hadn’t. 

The wound was ugly and raw, a long slice from just below his hip to his knee, and still bled freely. “We need to get you home.”

“You go on. I need to find my horse.”

“Your horse is not here,” you told him, scanning all around to make certain you weren’t lying. You were’t. There was no sign of a horse anywhere about. “Come, let’s get you up and I will help you.”

“Just leave me…”

“Oh, don’t be a fool!”

He jerked back. “I am serious. Leave me. The last I want is harm befalling you on my behalf. So please, just go. There will be more of them coming, looking for this one,” he nudged the corpse with one boot. “And I am not at all certain I’d be able to protect you.”

“You mean you aren’t certain you’d want to.”

He just stared up at you. “I didn't say that, nor would I.”

“You might as well. Aren’t I only a laugh to you anyway? Ever the fool for you and your friends to chuckle over.”

At least he didn't try to deny his actions or motivations as he said, “Oh… the coffeehouse.”

“Yes,” you nodded, “the coffeehouse. So, you’ll forgive me if I don't believe you would lift a finger to keep an orc away from me. Of course, you would do well to remember that it was I who saved you from an orc regardless. Still, if you wish to be left alone, far be it from me to insist on staying.”

You moved to stand, only to have him catch you by the wrist. “No, please,” he said softly, looking up once more, “don’t go. I—I owe you an apology for that.”

“To save your sorry skin, no doubt.”

To your surprise, he chuckled. “I deserve that.”

“Oh, that’s mighty big of you to admit,” you said dryly. “How very big indeed.”

“Very well, you’re right, you know. About all of it. And I mean that in the most sincere manner possible. Honest.”

That took a bit of wind from your sails and you sighed. “Perhaps we might fight about it later?”

He bobbed his head. “I wholeheartedly agree with that notion. Much, much later. In fact, we should never speak of it again.”

“Once you apologize, you mean.”

“I just did apologize.”

“No,” you shook your head, “you said you owed me one, which you do of course. But admitting it is not an actual apology.”

To your surprise, he burst out laughing. It was cut short by a sharp inhale of pain, but his smile only wavered as he snorted, “You’re joking, right?”

“You mean to tell me you honestly considered that an apology? Those sorry words? Truly?”

“Well…” he nodded. “Yes."

“Fine.” You stood up and brushed dirt and crushed pine needles from your backside. “I’ll bid you good eve then. You should hope you’re mobile once more before they come looking for their friend.”

You had every intention of marching off, of just leaving him there to rot, not caring if any more orcs happened upon him. It would serve him right. Apology. Bah! He could go pound sand, as Papa would say.

However, you only got maybe ten feet away when your conscience got the better of you and you came back to find he hadn’t moved an inch. 

“Come,” you growled, crouching beside him once more to take hold of his left wrist. “Let’s get you back.”

“I didn't know you cared,” he said even as he allowed you to help him up.

“I don’t. I should let you rot.”

“So, why aren’t you?”

“I don’t know. I’m a soft-hearted fool, I suppose.” You gave a not so gentle tug. “We should go. His pack is bound to notice he’s not returned and I do not want to have to explain to your uncle how I let you get butchered by orcs.”

“I’ll be forever grateful,” he replied drolly.

“Do you wish my help or not?”

He draped an arm about your shoulder. “Yes, of course I do. And I appreciate it as well.” He winced. “How far are we from Edoras’ border?”

“It’s better if you don’t know.”

“That far, eh?”

He leaned heavily on your shoulder, and you tried to ignore the stinging along your neck, the dull ache that spread down into your shoulder from bearing the brunt of his weight, as he was considerably taller and heavier than you were. “I’m afraid so, yes.”

“Wonderful.”

For reasons you couldn't begin to explain, the drollness in his deep voice made you laugh. “Yes, I couldn’t agree more.”

You managed to get him back to the road, him leaning hard against you with each step he took on his wounded leg. And with each step, his gait slowed. “Take care,” he said when you stumbled. “It would do us both no good if we fell.”

“I beg your… pardon,” you gritted, hefting him higher on your shoulder once more, “but… you are… not light, you know.”

“I know and I appreciate your help here as well.” He went silent for a long moment, then, drew in a deep breath and added, “And I’m sorry. For what I did at the coffeehouse.”

“All you had to do was come in and tell me you’d changed your mind, you know.” you told him, staring straight ahead, waiting for Edoras’ reassuring lights to come into view. At least then, you knew you’d be close to home and close to safety. 

“The thing of it is, I didn’t change my mind.” The regret in his voice surprised you and you stopped without warning, catching him as he stumbled, then scolded, “Take care, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“I’m sorry, but what? What do you mean, you didn't change your mind? Of course you did. I was there, remember? I was there and you were not.”

“No, I know that, but,” he pulled free, easing his arm from about her shoulders before shifting to settle on a rock, “I need to sit a moment.”

You didn't fight him, happy to be free of his weight, even if only for a few minutes. You rubbed the side of your neck. “Only a few minutes, though. We don’t know how much time we have left.”

“I know.” He looked up at you. “I didn’t change my mind, you know.”

“So you’ve said. What you haven’t said, was why you just left me sitting there like a fool.” Finally, you were able to get that weight off your chest, your eyes stinging the way they had in the coffeehouse, when you realized he was not coming through the door. “Why did you do that to me?”

“I was coming in,” he said slowly, looking up to meet your gaze, “and when I saw you… I got nervous and I know that sounds idiotic, but it’s the truth. It was a stupid, fool thing to do to you and I am ever so sorry I hurt you. If I could but do it over, I would walk through that door and we would not be having this conversation. And for that, I am also sorry.”

You had waited so long for him to assume responsibility for how he’d hurt you. And now that he had, you were at a loss for words. How did you respond to that? What did you say?

“Am I supposed to believe you had an attack of nerves? You, of all people?”

“Is that so hard to believe? I’m only human as human as any other man, you know. And that means that yes, sometimes, I have an attack of nerves. I’m not made of stone, I’ll have you know and you—”

You waited a moment for him to finish, your heart beating erratically now as those words were the last ones she ever thought she’d hear from him. But, when he remained silent, just staring at the ground, you leaned in. “I what?”

He looked up then, his eyes soft, and murmured, “You stole the breath from my lungs.”

You could only stare. Were you but dreaming or perhaps he’d suffered a head injury before you reached him? One of those had to be the truth because there was no other rational explanation for his words, no matter how they set butterflies free in your belly to batter your insides with their wildly-beating wings. 

“Éomer, I—I don’t know what to say,” you finally managed. 

“No, I’m sure you don’t,” he replied softly. “And I cannot fault you. But, if you could find it in your heart to forgive me, I would like another chance. A chance to right things between us.”

“Things between us? Is there a thing between us, never mind more than one?”

To your surprise, a sheepish smile lifted his lips. “I should like there to be.” 

“I don’t even like you, you know.”

His grin widened. “Somehow, I don’t believe that. After all, you came back, didn’t you?”

“Don’t let it go to your head. I could still leave you out here.”

“You could.” He nodded, then shook his head. “But you won’t.”

You stared at him for a long moment, then let out a heavy sigh of resignation. “No. I don't suppose I will.”

His eyes sparkled with mischief. “I knew it.”

You offered up a smile of your own and then, with all the force you could generate, you punched him square in the shoulder. 

He yelped as the blow sent him rocking backwards. “What was that for?”

“Because you, Éomer, are an ass and I should leave you here to suffer whatever fate you deserve.”

“You should, but I wish you wouldn’t.” He reached for your hand, caught it, and linked his fingers with yours. “I am truly sorry, though. You have to believe me.”

“Why should I believe you now?”

Éomer winced as he carefully stood. “Because I would like the chance to right my wrong where you are concerned.”

You looked up at him. “And how do you think you can do such a thing? I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.” 

“I’m fairly certain I do.”

He smiled then and bent and before you could say anything, his lips met yours. Despite his wounded leg, he caught your face between his hands, not so much as wavering as his lips moved teasingly and gentle against yours, as his tongue eased between your lips to caress yours, and you shivered at the silken caress. His lips were soft and warm and those butterflies fluttered harder now, with more fury as he kissed you slow and deep and made your head spin as it had never spun before. 

Éomer was slightly breathless when he drew back. “So, will you allow me another chance? A chance to right what I’ve done wrong?”

“By all rights, I should say no.”

“But you won’t.” His hazel eyes sparkled with mischief.

“No,” you shook your head slowly, “I won’t.”

In the distance, came the snarl of wargs and that was enough to spur Éomer to drape his arm about your neck once more and say, “We should go.”

“A wise idea, to be sure.”

You made it back to Edoras without incident and you wasted no time in rousing the healer  from her bed, just as she wasted no time in shooing you from the infirmary. Someone must have alerted Éowyn as well, for she came hurrying down the corridor, her hair bound up away from her face and still in her nightdress.

“What happened?”

“He was set upon by orcs just beyond the border.”

“But what were you doing out there?”

You managed a smile. “I was but going for a walk. I was having trouble sleeping, and sometimes that helps.”

“You need be careful,” she warned. “What if you’d been alone?”

“We won’t think about that.”

The healer came out. “My lady,” she said with a tired smile. “His lordship is resting now and he’d like to see you.” 

Éowyn stepped forward, only to have the healer shake her head. “No, my lady, I’m sorry. He meant you,” she said, looking at you.

You swallowed hard. “M-me?”

The healer nodded now. “He was very clear.”

“I’ll just see what he might want,” you said, feeling no little guilt at Éowyn’s almost hurt expression. “And when he hears you’ve come down to see him, I’m sure he will ask you be brought in.”

Éowyn said nothing, but bobbed her head and you followed the healer into the small, quiet, semi-dark room. 

Éomer was abed, the linens stark even against his pale hair, and your heart skipped a beat at the sight of him, as you’d never seen him so informally dressed, his loose tunic left unlaced to offer up an enticing patch of what you were certain was a finely-muscled chest. The image that came to your mind brought those butterflies to life once more deep within your belly. 

His eyes were closed, his enviably thick lashes dark crescents against his pale cheeks, but as you drew near, they opened and a tired smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “I thought perhaps I’d dreamed everything that happened this night,” he said softly, “but the pain is far too real.”

“I assume your healer stitched the wound. It looked fairly ugly.”

He nodded. “She did. I can resume duties in a week, according to her.” He gestured for you to come closer and when you did, he added in a whisper, “and we won’t tell her when I’m gone come morning, will we?”

“You should take her advice.”

“I cannot. Not right now.”

“Éomer, you will be useless with only a few hours’ rest and one leg. You need allow yourself time to heal.”

“Are you taking her side?”

“In this?” You nodded. “Absolutely.”

“But… you’re supposed to take my side.” 

“I would be, if you weren’t talking such foolishness.”

“Ouch. You wound me.” As he spoke, he reached out and caught your hand, and your mouth went dry as he gave a gentle tug. “Come and lay with me.”

“I couldn’t.”

“You could.”

“Éomer.”

“What?”

“I don't even like you.”

His eyes glinted with a hint of mischief. “We both know that isn’t true, don’t we?”

“Oh, it’s true.”

“Liar.” He tugged again. “Are you truly going to make a wounded man beg?”

“Éomer.”

“What?” He brought your hand to his lips, to your surprise, brushed its back with a kiss and murmured, “Please?”

You stared down at him for a long moment. “You are supposed to be injured.”

“I am injured. Nearly twenty stitches are holding that wound closed. But somehow, I don't think I’ll mind being trapped in this bed, if I have someone to share it with.”

Your heart fluttered. “Éomer. You are in an infirmary.”

“I know, but I’m in my own room, as you see.” He smiled. “No one will bother us and I promise to keep my hands to myself.”

With that, his smile grew mischievous. “Unless, of course, you’d rather I didn’t. And then, the next time I see you in the great hall or the yard, I’ll just look across at you and smile and only you will know why.”

You sighed softly and then, after a quick look about, gingerly stretched out alongside him, your heart beating faster as he drew his arm about your shoulders to tug you closer. You peered up at him. “And why will I be smiling?”

His eyes glinted with that same hint of mischief that let loose even more butterflies in your belly. “You’ll see.”

With that, he caught you beneath the chin with one bent finger, lifting your face ever so slightly and as his lips captured yours, you smiled. “You aren’t going anywhere come morning, you know.”

He broke the teasing kiss to gaze down at you. “Is that so?”

“It is,” you nodded, “because you have some very real making up to me to do. And I’m fairly certain it will take longer than a few hours."

“Making up to you, you say?” One dark brow arched and his smile grew wicked with promise. “I think that’s fair enough.”

***

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[realrichinmyhead]

﹡ ' 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 ' 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟐.

( ૮₍´˶• . •🎀₎ა ) : ────────── dialogues taken from the extra songs in maisie peter's album , ‘ the good witch ( deluxe ) ’ . dialogues range from happy , sad , angry and more . edit and change as you deem necessary . please like and / or reblog if using and consider following !

❛ but i'll believe in you, still your number one fan. ❜

❛ so i've been tryin' peace and love and telling the truth. ❜

❛ good luck, god speed. ❜

❛ you have a phone, you should've called. ❜

❛ you knew i was scared when you were driving too fast. ❜

❛ i gave you the answer, it was in all the songs. did you even listen to the playlist? ❜

❛ my thing is i'm still obsessed with the idea of this one thing—with all the ways that's it wasn't but it might've been. ❜

❛ but by new years' i'll be a very different person. ❜

❛ but i'll always see great heights in you. ❜

❛ you misunderstood a lot of things. but, yeah, i guess me too. ❜

❛ i'm older now but i still don't really know things. ❜

❛ you should've put me above those people you didn't even know. ❜

❛ my ex was a bitter man, middle child. ❜

❛ i thought that we were forever and ever, i guess i was wrong. ❜

❛ can you just please listen? ❜

❛ time to grow up, you were the one and now you're not. ❜

❛ man, you know, yoko never broke up that band. ❜

❛ i wrote you all these fucking songs, and you broke up with me. ❜

❛ last year, i had to focus on survival. ❜

❛ you'll be lonely in your fifties. ❜

❛ i gave you the option and you chose wrong. ❜

❛ after the crowd's gone, i'll be the last one. ❜

❛ thought you knew how i felt, now i doubt it. ❜

❛ and say you're pretty sure that blonde wants you so bad. ❜

❛ i guess i'm disappointed that you didn't "merry christmas" your way back into my life. ❜

❛ you said fine, when you should've said, "or we could try?" ❜

❛ who took all of my trust then abused it? ❜

❛ cute, your car is sports, like, is that fast? ❜

❛ but i got drunk, told everyone that i broke up with you. ❜

❛ took a big leap, now you're bleedin' with a broke nose and a dumb smile. ❜

❛ you were an asshole, face it. ❜

❛ it's just the way you're talking, it's just your head. ❜

❛ should've been honest, should've told the truth. ❜

❛ i think you want to start a war, i've got bigger battles. ❜

❛ i'm joan of arc and you're just a guy on a horse. ❜

❛ i see it like i always knew it. ❜

❛ so you've really only got like a five day gap before i definitely can't tolerate your bullshit anymore. ❜

❛ i meant don't go, it came out as goodbye. ❜

❛ did someone drop you as a kid or is that coke? ❜

❛ i have two friends, i listen to them like the bible. ❜

❛ sometimes you can't be the hero and tell the truth. ❜

❛ time will heal, but i'll always be a little bit broke. ❜

❛ no getting attached to men you can't have. ❜

❛ i hear you talking over me, like, is that smart? ❜

❛ you weren't love but i think i confused it. ❜

❛ it's a shame i told my journal and my mirror, but i never told you. ❜

❛ and you misunderstood me leaving as something i wanted. i didn't want it at all. ❜

❛ hey baby, he's just something you'd regret. he's not a savior or the best you'll ever get. ❜

[kingcunny]

(reply via @neurodivergentguy )

the ageism/ beauty obsession* is what it *probably is*, but that deeply depresses me so im gonna let the delusions speak and explore other ideas.

also just… pointing out. matthew needham is only 11 years younger than paddy… they were born in different generations but 10 years is not a generation gap? that doesnt seem like enough of an age gap for ageism to apply to one but not the other but… well what do i know. (and pleace and love, i think hes cute, but matthews far from the most handsome man in hotd) also. exception that prooves the rule? rhys ifans is 6 years Older than paddy (and ottos the one who set alicent up to be brutalized by every man around her until she dies, it were going by hotd canon!) and sure, otto Might be the second most hated in the fandom, but not anywhere Near how vis is. but rhys is also incredibly handsome. so that Obviously gives the character he plays a free pass to do whatever.

* (is there a word for that? (other than. eugenics lol. cause like thats the idea Behind it but not quite to the extreme that im talking about? i mean more peoples attraction towards ‘beauty’ vs a repulsion towards ‘ugliness’) cause i need one for how often i talk about it)

if it was just about actions then theyve both done terrible things. and theyve both hurt everyones favorite beautiful doe eyed pretty brown eyed beauty beautiful pretty girl. but larys doesnt get near the amount of vitriol for it. people analyze what larys did. people ship Them. (same thing more or less applies to what i said above about otto)

and if youll allow me to straddle my armchair for a moment, then theres my thought that viserys is the bad dad we get the most time with. and NOBODY has a good relationship with their father. most people cant do anything about that, so instead they seek catharsis through fiction. smacking the representation of your father cause you cant smack your real father. see also- succession fandoms treatment of logan roy

while i do think its ultimately just about playing favorites, ageism, beauty obsession**, i think theres also an element of ableism. and hear me out, cause i know ur thinking ‘arent they both disabled?’

larys disability is very visible and apparent, the limitations of that disability as well. his leg is twisted, he wears that metal boot over his foot, he walks with a cane, he has a limp. he cant run, cant fight, cant hunt, i can tell you from personal experience stairs are a struggle. he can probably ride a horse but its sure not comfortable. its more understandable. more or less, what you see is what it is. and, importantly, its not… unpleasant** to look at. his face is fine. the rest of his body is fine. just his leg.

viserys disability spawns from an illness. and even though hotd changed viserys illness to be more visual, the nature of illness is you cant see the cause, only the effects. and most of those effects are only things the person experiencing the illness can feel.

i had a conversation with my mom about this awhile ago after she pulled a tendon? in her leg and was in near constant pain while it healed, couple weeks. she told me she had no idea how i handled this, day in/day out, week after week, for Years. she was miserable and at the end of her rope after just a week of it. my moms a runner and runs something like 50 miles a week, obviously she couldnt do this while it healed and was very depressed about it. i could only kinda laugh. i couldnt tell her how i handle it, cause i cant. i just told her i think if you dont have chronic pain or a chronic illness, you just straight up do not and Will not understand what its like. she just had a little taste of it.

i think that also might be why theres not as much (good) discussion around viserys disability. because people just, do not understand it. dont understand what its doing to him.

they dont get how chronic illness eats away at you (in vis case, literally!) taking piece by piece until theyres nothing left. until youre just a shell of the person you used to be. they dont feel how chronic pain grinds away at you until youre nothing but a raw exposed bundle of nerves. because those arent things you can see. only feel. experience first hand.

the show tries to make up for this lack by making viserys illness have a very striking visable aspect to it. to show the progression of his illness and the effect its having on him. but illness is gross**. its not pretty. its not pleasant to look at, to *think* about. it ravages his face, his body, his teeth rot and his hair falls put. his arm has to be amputated, his eye is removed, half his face rots away. peoples stomachs turn to look at it and their animal instincts that this is Bad kick in.

if im being kind, most people dont want to talk about things that are unpleasant. that make them sick, that upset and scare them.

if im not being kind, the eugenics minded decide that this means *viserys* is bad. that this is a punishment for or straight up a moral failing of his. outer beauty reflects inner beauty so ugly=evil pretty=good. and all that bullshit. if youre coming at it from this pov you CANT think deeper about viserys disability/illness/character beyond it being a punishment or joke, because then you must confront your belief that illness is a punishment reserved for the Bad. and that is a thought that is just incompatible with life

[animeyanderelover]

Tags: @flaming-vulpix

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, possessive behavior, obsession, delusion, clinginess, abduction, death

The Little Merman Pt.3

Part 2

"Ikuya, just hold still! The doctor won't hurt you!"

You had to press him down by the shoulders, the scene reminiscent of a time where your family used to have one dog which had hated it to be touched when she had somehow hurt herself. Ikuya let out whimpers as he squirmed around in your hold, recoiling whenever the doctor touched him. His amber-colored eyes were looking at you pleadingly as his voice was still too raw and hoarse to use since whatever flu had abruptly hit him nearly two weeks ago. His skin was still burning with his fever and his movements were sluggish as his body was heavy and exhausted.

“Hmm, has his condition become worse or slightly better since my last visit?”

“Slightly better, doctor. But he’s still very weak.”

“The medicine I’ve prescribed?”

“I’ve been giving him the medicine everyday. It at least helped him to sleep better.”

You glanced worriedly at the doctor. You were concerned for Ikuya’s help since he had been in this weak condition for over one week already. You didn’t want to tell him this but in your eyes he just was very delicate so you feared that the sickness would be too much of a toll for him. After all, he had told you that he had lived sheltered on an island for years with his family. He probably wasn’t used to a lifestyle like yours.

“Is… Is he going to be fine, doctor?”

The older man gave you a short laugh when noticing your worried expression.

“Now, now, (y/n). No need to give me such a dejected look. His condition might be weak but it’s nowhere near life-threatening. I’d say if you take care of him like you’ve done until now, he’ll be fine in a week or two. Just continue to give him the medicine.”

You nodded, feeling a weight drop from your heart as you chose to believe the doctor. You’d grown attached to Ikuya in the four months he’d been with you so you wanted him to get fit again.

“Thanks for dropping by again. I can’t thank you enough.”

The doctor waved his hands dismissively.

“No need to thank me. You know that I’ll gladly drop by. Your parents were good friends of mine…”

His eyes shortly darkened as they filled with sadness and weakness and for a moment he looked like he had aged significantly before he resumed his mild grin.

“If anything should happen, just inform me.”

You escorted him out of the house and stood in the doorframe as you waved him goodbye, watching how he disappeared in the woods to walk back to the small town. You hadn’t shown it earlier but now your eyes showed pity as you watched his back in the distance. You’d known him since your earliest childhood days and knew how much he had lost in his life. His wife had died in an accident as her horse had thrown her off and she had smashed her head against a rock, his parents and siblings had passed away years ago, his best friends and also your parents had drowned away and then his only child had been gone missing mysteriously years ago although rumors had it that they’d been kidnapped by the man that had randomly appeared years ago. Your memories were hazy as you had been very small during that time but the one thing you still remembered about that scary man were his cold and unsettling purple eyes that had gazed cruelly at everyone he had laid eyes upon. Gossip in the town by people who had clearer memories of that time than you had told that the only one who had been granted his warm gaze had been the child of the doctor. The doctor truly had lost so much and yet continued to move on. His strength was inspiring.

~

“I know it tasted awful but it’ll help you, I promise.”

You said as you tried to reason with Ikuya to take the medicine that he hadn’t liked from day one. You understood him of course, it smelled bitter and was viscous from it’s texture, not even to mention that the brown-green color of it made it look everything but appetizing. But as your parents had always told you: “It doesn’t have to taste good, it’s just supposed to help you recover.”

He made a grimace as you nearly shoved the spoon in his mouth and the bitter texture spread on his palette, for a short moment you feared that he’d gag but Ikuya managed to force it down his body with an audible gulp.

“There we go. Now you should try to sleep a bit more. You need all the rest that you can get to get better.”

You told him as you pulled the blanket up his body and helped him to lay back down in the bed. You took the warm rag from his forehead, wrung it out before dipping it in cool water to place it onto his warm forehead again.

“So, if you need help with anything, just make yourself noticeable somehow so that I can assist you in whatever way I can.”

You reminded him before standing up from the bed, ready to head to your own room and rest for the night. Just as you were about to leave though, you were stopped by his soft hands weakly grasping your wrist. You turned to him with a slightly surprised look as you wondered what he could want from you.

“S-stay a bit longer with me.” He croaked out with his hoarse voice as good as he could, his eyes staring at you with a frightened gaze. You’d sort of known that he had separation anxiety but it had gotten worse since he had fallen ill. You bit your lip as you saw his gaze that made your heart always waver with guilt. He looked too innocent, too weak, too fragile in such moments as if he would fall apart if you wouldn’t be there for him. You gave in with a sigh and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Only until you’ve fallen asleep.”

You couldn’t even have imagined how happy those words made Ikuya. He had been miserable ever since the mysterious sickness had gotten him and had practically immobilized him. He assumed that it must have been a curse of the sea wizard due to breaking his promise, one that took time to heal. Time that he needed to make you love him.

Instead he could barely go to the bathroom alone as you had to help him with everything. He hated it as much as he loved it at the same time. He’d never been this helpless before in his life and it was humiliating but at the same time he couldn’t help but bask in all of the attention and care you gave him. A part of him couldn’t help but believe that this meant that you loved him too, even if you hadn’t spoken those words yet.

He sluggishly crawled closer to where you were sitting before slowly wrapping his arms around your hips, his head moving up to lay in your lap. You weren’t prepared for this so you flinched surprised upon witnessing his move. Initially you were fully prepared to berate him for this, teach him some boundaries but words failed you when you glanced down at Ikuya. He had closed his eyes, breathing softly with his cheek smushed against your thigh. He looked peaceful and calm for the first time since he’d fallen ill as you knew best how much this sudden disease had worn him down. So you bit your tongue, out of pity, and allowed him to lay in your lap, dozing away to a happy dream in which both of you were lovers and he showed you his own home.

~

It took him weeks until the worst passed by. He still wasn't completely healed but at least now he could walk without your support, even if he was still feeling wobbly on both of his legs. Throughout the entire time where he had been seriously ill though, you never left him once. You catered to his needs as much as you could, took excellent care of him and stayed with him when he got anxious. Multiple times he'd woken up to you sitting on a chair next to his bed, your head tilted over the back of the chair in a position that would surely give you a stiff neck yet you never complained. Because it all was for him. You cared for him! You loved him! It must have been love that made you sacrifice all your time and comfort in favor of nursing him back to health!

~

"You're looking really better now. The medicine of the doctor is really working now." You beamed happily as you shoved a spoon full of vegetable stew in your mouth, munching on it. Ikuya gave you a flustered grin, happy to finally feel better as well as seeing you in such a happy mood to see him well. You were happy because he was finally feeling better... The thought of it made him blush a bit and he shyly averted his eyes to his soup plate. He lifted his own spoon, carefully blew at the steaming food before eating his own share. "It's also because I had you to look after me..." He finally decided to speak up bashfully, although his voice was still very quiet.

"Don't mention it. I'd hate to see someone precious to me suffering. Also, I have lots of experience with taking care of sick people. I had three younger siblings after all."

His heart soared in Ikuya's chest when you mentioned that he was someone precious to you. A giddy feeling took over him, one that almost made him want to skip happily across the room as he helped you cleaning up the table, trying his best to stay stable on his slightly shaky knees. They had felt weird since a few days but you had told him that it probably was the aftereffects of his passing illness. It made sense in his head.

"I'm heading down into the village. I promised to help the fisher there to help them navigate since the weather is a bit rough today. We'll share the money the catch will bring us. You're fine with being alone for a while, right?"

He wasn't and Ikuya wanted to tell you so too. But guilt held him back as he knew that you had already neglected your own work enough for him. So he hid his hands behind his back as they had started trembling as the idea of you leaving him distressed him and gave you a weak smile. "I'll be fine, don't worry."

You didn't look fully convinced but decided to just have faith in him since you'd hate breaking your promise to the people down there. There was also this urgent matter to take care of...

"(y/n)?" Ikuya asked carefully when he noticed that you had spaced out, looking like you were deep in your thoughts. You snapped out of it when you heard his tender voice.

"Don't forget that the doctor will be coming later today to see how you're doing. I might not be back by that time so you'll have to open the door for him." You reminded him quickly before dressing up for the windy weather outside.

"See you later." You told Ikuya before closing the door.

"See you later." Ikuya muttered under his breath even though you couldn't have possibly heard him then as you were already out of the house. He stared at the door dreamily before walking up the stairs, the feeling of giddiness still etched into his chest. He had a good feeling about this. It would all work out. He was sure of it.

Just when he was about to step up the last few stairs, a sudden wave of pain suddenly hit him. It knocked the air out of his lungs as his legs gave in under him due to the painful cramps. All strength left his legs for a moment and it was only because he was thrashing around with his upper body and his arms that he managed to push himself forward and prevent falling down all the stairs. He let out deep and shaky breaths as he crawled up the last few stairs with only his arms, his weak legs sliding over the wooden ground. He turned on his back as soon as he laid safely on the floor, touching his legs confused and frightened. What was wrong right now? This couldn't be normal. He felt his legs trembling under his hands, spasm after spasm going through his muscles that had his face turn into a pained grimace. It took a while for the pain to slowly go away. He took in deep breaths the entire time yet still felt like he wasn't breathing in enough oxygen which slowly had him feel slightly dizzy.

Something was wrong. He could feel it in his stomach.

He slowly removed the baggy trousers that you had bought him to see what was wrong. His heart dropped when he saw teal-colored fish scales covering his pale skin. No, no, no, no. no...

He erratically rubbed the palms of his hands against them as if trying to wipe them away yet they stayed there, although they at least didn't seem to spread further up his legs. For now at least. Abruptly he became aware of the way his chest was heaving for more air as if not getting enough as the dizziness slowly got worse. He got up slowly, pushing himself up with his hands before slowly balancing himself out on his feet. He could see them slightly shaking now as it felt even more difficult now to stand. Despite that he quickly made his way towards his room where you still had a bowl of water just in case you had to use wet rags to cool him down. It felt like the water pulled him towards it as he collapsed next to it and instantly dunked his face into the object. He instantly took deep breaths as soon as his nose was in the liquid and a mixture of relief and dread washed over him when he realized that he could breathe under water.

He sat there a couple of minutes, taking in much needed air before pulling his face out of the bowl, his hair dripping with water and a heavy panic settling deep inside his chest. He was running out of time! He couldn't wait anymore! He-he had to kiss you now!

~

"Your fever has gone down significally and I must say, you look a lot more healthy now."

Ikuya did his best to nod and give the doctor a good smile as he silently prayed for the old man to leave. He had grown to like the old man but his urge to dunk his head under water again was growing stronger and stronger as the headache from the lack of proper air for him was slowly becoming unbearable.

"It's all thanks to you and (y/n). By the way, do-do you know when they'll come back?" Ikuya asked with a hint of urgency in his tone. He didn't have much time left. He could almost feel how the skin on his legs was slowly turning back into scales. He would most likely turn back before the next sunrise.

"I'm afraid that I don't really know. The weather has gotten a bit worse so it might be a bit difficult to sail across the ocean." The old man told him whilst looking out of the window. The blue sky had completely disappeared under the thick layer of grey and dark clouds that poured rain down onto the surface. The weather was scary, he hated storms a lot. They were loud and cold, the only good thing it had brought to him was you.

"May I ask why you want to know that?"

Ikuya hesitated a bit but then just decided that he didn't have to be very specific about it anyways. "There's something I have to tell them..." He admitted silently, his hands fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. He had locked his eyes onto the ground and didn't see the look of slow but sure realization that spread across the wrinkled face of the doctor, nor the sad glimmer that appeared in his eyes as he looked at Ikuya.

"I think (y/n) might be a bit late today because even if they're already back from fishing, they have something urgent to discuss with a few people."

Ikuya finally looked up, confused by the tone the old man used as he sounded sad and he felt even more confused when he saw how he was looking at him.

"W-what? Something urgent?"

"So (y/n) didn't tell you. They probably didn't want to bother you with anything whilst you're not fully recovered yet."

Hands suddenly grabbed the doctor's shoulders in a tight hold, although he could feel how they were trembling. Wide amber-colored eyes stared at him with confusion and growing fear. Ikuya could barely stand and partially had to use the doctor as a support yet he forced his legs to stand as a new wave of dread filled his veins. Why was the old man looking at him with such pitiful eyes? What was happening with you right now?!

"What do you mean? Please... please tell me." He spoke out in a quivering tone, big eyes looking pleadingly at the doctor. He seemed to contemplate for a while whether to tell Ikuya or not before letting out a sigh, a defeated one.

"(y/n) has been offered a few days ago an engagement with one of the fisher's children and will visit them today to discuss this topic." He said it as neutral as possible in hopes of sparing Ikuya a too big shock.

Nothing could have saved Ikuya from the shock, the confusion, the fear, the pain this news hit him with. It washed over him mercilessly and for a short moment he froze completely. Only seconds later though his body started shaking again as tears spilled down his face as the word kept repeating itself in his head.

Engagement. Engagement. Engagement. Engagement. Engagement. Engagement. Engagement. Engagement. But with someone else...

"I...b-but...why?" He couldn't think straight anymore, couldn't form any proper sentence and his voice nearly died down at the end as he let go. His chest started hurting with another pain that didn't come from breathing properly due to the lack of air. It felt like something was tearing him apart from inside his chest as more tears blurred his vision.

"I don't know if they will agree to the engagement or not. All will be decided today."

But-but you had him! Why would you think about getting engaged to someone else when you had him! You...you were supposed to love him... You loved him! Didn't you?

Ikuya let go of the doctor's shoulder as all strength left him and he fell back into the mattress of the bed, staring blankly into the room as more tears cascaded down his cheeks. Seconds ticked by in which the doctor thought about what he should do right now. Should he stay or leave?

"Leave."

His voice was quiet and shaky but there was an underlying bitterness to it that only someone with a broken heart could feel. Deciding to respect that his patient would need some time alone now to come to terms with the news, the old man slowly left the room. Ikuya only noted absentminded how he left, shut the door behind him and made his way back to the town in the rain and wind. Nothing of that mattered really to him in the moment. The only thing that mattered was you.

~

"Ikuya...? What are you doing outside in this rain?! Quick, go back inside or else you'll catch another cold!"

You had not expected to come home, drenched in water from the sea and the rain, only to find Ikuya standing outside. Wet strands of hair stuck to his face, hiding partially his eyes from your sight. He was drenched just like you were and you could clearly see how his whole body was shivering violently, you assumed because of the cold rain combined with the strong wind.

He didn't move, instead stood in his place, not even glancing at you. You furrowed your brows as you walked closer to him in large strides, concerned for him. What was wrong?

The moment he noticed how you walked closer to him, one hand carefully stretched out to touch him, he flinched away. His whole body jumped back and his head snapped up to look at you and the look in his eyes shot right through your heart. Confusion, fear but above all sorrow beyond words. His amber eyes looked at you as if you'd abused him. You froze in your tracks when he gave you that look and both of you just stood there. Then he abruptly turned around, his back facing you before he sprinted into the forest. You reminded in your frozen position for a few moments as the shock had almost paralyzed you before you finally snapped out of it and ran after him.

"Ikuya!! Ikuya!! Stop! What's wrong?!"

He didn't listen, he didn't stop, he didn't slow down. Ikuya just ran through the growing pain, the burning sensation of his two legs slowly melting back into one fish tail. His lungs hurt as he had never physically exercised like this in this human form and the fact that the air up here slowly didn't provide him with the oxygen that he needed only intensified everything. His head hurt, his chest hurt, he felt dizzy and nauseous and nearly tumbled down a couple of times. His legs lost more and more strength and he knew that he would transform back into a merman very soon.

"Ikuya!! Stop!! The cliff!!!" You yelled after him, your voice layered with fear. Fear for him. Yet now he knew better. You'd never seen him as anything close to a lover. Unlike him you'd never seen him as your light of your life, as your first and only love.

You were out of breath by the time you reached the cliff, your heart threatening to jump out of your throat when he stopped, the slippery ground almost causing him to fall down only for him to halt right on the edge of the cliff. You heard him, saw him visibly gulping for air as if he couldn't breathe properly. You walked slowly towards him, terrified that one wrong move from him could push him into falling into a nearly 30 metre abyss only to sink down and drown into the raging ocean.

"I-Ikuya...please move away from there. You might fall down." You spoke slowly yet despite your best attempt to make your voice sound steady, your tone was wavering. Amber eyes casted a short look down into the ocean before looking straight at you, pinning you onto the ground again as if his gaze had a weight to it that prevented you from moving.

Just now you noticed that his eyes were red and puffy. Had he been crying?

"Did you accept?"

Your mind and your feelings were all over the place, you couldn't think properly anymore.

"What? W-what are you... Ikuya, I-I..." You stumbled over your sentences, unable to form a single coherent one. You didn't understand what he meant but his next question crashed down onto your brain like a landslide, burying all of your thoughts under it.

"D-do you love me?"

All of a sudden you were silent, your mind was silent, no word left your mouth. You just stood there with wide eyes as you stared at him astonished as if not fully registering what he had just spoken.

Now it was Ikuya who slowly walked closer to you, to where you stood. Cold hands gingerly grasped your shoulders and you could feel now how much he was trembling. His eyes were filled to the brim with emotions and now you could clearly see the tears spilling out of his eyes. It nearly made you want to cry as well.

"Please..." He started speaking with a trembling voice, his pleads threatening to break your heart then and there.

"Please love me. Only me. No one else. B-because if you don't...I can never have you."

You could only stare at him as your mind slowly started to work again.

"Ikuya...d-do you know about the-"

You were cut off, caught-off-guard when soft and warm lips pressed against your own pair of lips. You stiffened in Ikuya's hold, eyes somehow opening even wider as he leaned into the kiss, inexperienced yet conveying all of his emotions perfectly.

It was a wonderful feeling for the first few seconds as his stomach and chest exploded with fuzzy and warm feelings. But cold emptiness filled him shortly after as he finally understood your own feelings through the kiss. You didn't love him...and you probably never would.

You were speechless when he pulled away, only able to stare at him as he stepped away from you as if you'd burnt him with your lips, a devastated look in his eyes.

"You don't love me..."

You couldn't even hear what he was whispering more to himself than to you over the howling wind, all you could focus on was how he was stepping dangerously close to the edge of the cliff again. He looked at his own trembling hands for a moment before he locked eyes with you for a last time. Icy fear rolled over you when you saw that look in his eyes. A sad and heart-broken smile was on his face as he let himself fall down and your hand only brushed through the air as you tried to catch him, stop him, hold him.

He heard you crying out his name in a horrified voice, watched your form getting smaller and smaller before he crashed through the surface of the cold water, his skin crawling the moment he was engulfed in it. It was as if being fully submerged in the ocean accelerated his transformation as his legs started shaking and trembling. He watched as the legs he had been walking around with for almost half a year melted together into his teal-colored tail and tore his trousers apart.

As soon as he had reverted back to his real form, he swam away as fast as he could with a bleeding heart that would probably never heal. It had all been for nothing. Six months had been for nothing except making him fall in love with you even more. It hurt, it hurt him so much... He wished he'd never have fallen in love in the first place.

[foralternateuniverses]

More countryside au

Here the last bunch

again, a kiss for @loopyarts ' brilliant mind (and his wonderfully cozy art, which you'll find down below).

When Ichiji was born along with his brothers, he seems fine and healthy, it wasn’t until he got older, around 3 years old, that he had a coughing fit and collapsed in the middle of the school playground and was rushed to the hospital where his father found that the golden child, his favourite son, had inherited his mother sickly and weaker health. Despite this Ichiji always works harder than most and he's very mature for his age despite not talking much, the reason he works so hard is due to wanting to prove he's not weak and can look after himself and not be pittyed.

Ichiji isn't necessarily a full blow shy kid, he's mostly a quiet bold introvert lad (Ichiji is only shy when it comes to romance and even then he does his damnest to hide that fact) despite being sickly, he doesn’t like to be treated like he’s made of glass, causing him to be rather moody and stand-offish towards anyone that does.

So even when he is told to stay in bed for the day, he sneaks out and goes exploring on his own for a good bit. To where he encounters the rowdy Ace in the fields brushing his mother’s horse and they become rivals, Ace challenges Ichiji to a race to see who the fastest.

Sometimes Ace wins and sometimes Ichiji does but they never seem to truly one up each other, however, since Ichiji didn’t tell Ace he was sickly that lead to the event of his having a coughing fit and fainting. Ace was a shaken by the whole event causing him to be more careful around Ichiji and making sure he’s okay. This upsets Ichiji greatly causing them to have a fight and not speak to each other for a good while. Ichiji feels awful but he's used to it, he always preferred to be alone anyway, despite saying that, he cried because he knew damn well it was all his fault.

Ace does or says something and still, Ichiji is the one who starts their "fights" at least half the times, especially with how he's being treated because of his illness, which he hides from Ace until well, the incident happens.

Ace was a little shaken by the whole event causing him to be more careful around Ichiji and making sure he’s okay. This upset Ichiji greatly causing them to having a fight and not speak to each other for a good while. Ichiji feels awful but he was used to it, he always preferred to be alone anyway, despite saying that he cried because he knew damn well it was all his fault.

He almost cries when goes to talk to Ace about their fight, Ace is the first to apologise (he talked with Makino about this, and she helped him see what exactly might have caused it, and well, Ace is one year older so he has to be the mature one) but then Ichiji would tries to rebut him saying it’s his fault that the fight started in the first place and that he should be the one apologising for even happening. He starts to have a breakdown with angry tears and stomping his feet about while Ace tries to calm him down telling him to take deep breaths and count to ten as a way to help Ichiji relax a little bit. Also he’s worried that Ichiji might go into another coughing fit again if he doesn’t calm down.

After the incident, Ace started investigating a bit about the illness (he probably asks the doctors around and looks it up in books), to be better prepared and care for Ichiji as he should (as the older one, you know). He kept doing that after Ichiji left (because they made a promise as children to meet again as adults and Ace wanted to be completely prepared for that even trough there was the chance he might not see Ichiji again), not obsessively ofc, and good thing he did because Ichiji is back in his life and more obstinate than ever (he wants to do hard manual labor now apparently? No one wants to let him, which is probably why he wants to do that in the first place, Ace steps in to guide him and let him do the thing, together, Law is tired and concedes, Ace knows what he's doing and is keeping an eye on Ichiji, and Ichiji seems to listen to him so he won't be overworking himself to an early grave).

Ace is surprised by short skinny little Ichiji growing to be an absolute hotty and muscular man with dyed red hair and a tattoo. Not that he’s complaining through he he. >:3c

Ace is kind of: not even close to what I was expecting but I think I like this more Insert the meme of the dude cleaning his sweat

Ace knows Ichiji better than others and what he knows is that you can’t tell Ichiji what to do and that he is as stupid as a mule, if he says he's going to do something he will and that’s that. Yup, that his Ichiji, even though he matured quite a lot, he's still the same headstrong, adventurous, bold and hotheaded kid that he knew years ago and that would rather work himself to early grave than admit he needs help and be seen as fragile or weak.

Indeed Ace keeps an eye on his stubborn redhead and is happy that Ichiji trusts and listens to him, at first he gave him the same standoffish attitude that he did when they first met as kids. But that quickly melts away within hours and Ace helps, yet again, to make sure he doesn’t overwork himself.

When Ace finds Ichiji carrying heavy stuff around, now as adults, his first instinct when seeing the red and sweaty face is to step in and help, but he knows that Ichiji would react negatively to this, so he just approaches, as casual as ever, and asks "are you sure you should be doing that?"

Ichiji stops and turns to him, already frowning "what? You have something to say about it?"

Ace shrugs "Nah, don't want a repeat of that little argument, I don't know if I could handle you crying yourself till you black out because you weren't the first to apologise again"

Ichiji turns even redder "that wouldn't happen, that won't happen, first of, I wouldn't cry, secondly, I would beat you to apologising, and third, I will punch you"

Ace can't help but laugh.

On one evening, Ace thought it'd be fun to teach Ichiji how to ride a horse, it took a few months for Ichiji to get the hang of it but as soon he was confident enough Ace thought it'd be a nice idea to take the horses on a ride together. X3c boys be racing those horses in the field together laughing and in pure joy. Note, note Ace be reminiscing about how in this very field was when they meet as kids and they first race together. Also, Ace takes a hands on approach to teaching Ichiji everything, especially riding horses (poor Ichiji is going to explode from embarrassment).

Ichiji's brothers and older sister are very overprotective of him as a child, especially Niji (he is a mother hen to his core, that's why he's also Ace's biggest obstacle in dating Ichiji) who is glued to him and sometimes Sanji because he worries about Ichiji randomly fainting.

Niji is kinda traumatised due to being the first one to see Ichiji collapse on the background because they were playing together and Niji was freaking out because, at first, Ichiji wasn’t breathing and his temperature went up like crazy. Poor little Niji watched as Ichiji was carried away before he was escorted back to his other brothers who seem just as confused and worried.

Even through Niji is technically the younger brother to Ichiji, he sometimes plays big brother to him, especially when he's being a prideful stubborn ass. Niji also does this to the other brothers as well, especially Sanji who seems to be always criticised by their father for being weak and "why couldn’t he be more like Ichiji" who despite being sickly was strong.

Once Niji gets there Ace is gonna have a HARD time (thankfully Zosan were there before Niji and Zoro gets to tell him about the nightmare that is getting Niji's approval to date his siblings). When Niji gets there he's like a Victorian mama bear protecting her wide eyed innocent daughter from the bad boy playboy. But Ace has been and keeps taking care of Ichiji and Ichiji keeps listening to him, so he'll concede to him easier than he did Zoro. Though Ace does have a much easier time probably due to him already taking care of Ichiji and because Ichiji listens to him. Bust also, Niji knew him from his childhood, so he backs off way earlier then he did for Zoro with Sanji, because Zoro was complete stranger to him. Also he thinks Sanji has bad taste in men ha ha.

They all think Sanji has bad taste in men.

Sanji might later argue that Ichiji's taste isn't so far off of his own, but the others think that Ace is a better option than Zoro (even Zeff and Reiju).

Cue for moody eggplant planting mushrooms in his emo corner. (Sorry Sanji but Ace is definitely the better man ha ha. XD Ichiji scored big time that’s for sure. Poor Sanji getting bullied by all his siblings and his uncle for his choice in men.).

They all definitely had a phase XD ( at the first given opportunity, I mean, the moment Judge died Ichiji ran to dye his hair and get a tattoo). The minute that man died is when all his kids dyed their hair and his eldest got tattoos and they ended up having their emo/rebel teen phase as young adults.

At least Zeff let his newly adopted five eggplants have their moment to get it out of their system. The kids with Zeff: is this???? Parental love?????

They were, understandably, very unstable after the whole "being raised by Judge" deal, so there were a lot of fights and a lot of learning on both sides. Thankfully, Zeff is a good man and loves those kids to bits and in turn they adore him.

But back to the main boys.

When Ichiji first met Ace's mum, he was rather shy around her and was bit uncomfortable due to the fact that he didn’t know his own mother very well due her dying when he was about five years old.

Ace's mother would make cute little remarks about the two of them and how they reminded her of how she and Ace's dad used to be as youngsters. She even jokes about how compatible they were (almost as if they were made for each other) which they boys get all flustered and say "no we're not", we just best friends that all, she laughs and explains that she was only teasing them (she loves joking around about them ending up together when they grow up and being childhood sweethearts, she's an even bigger romantic than Sanji).

She also helped Ace and Ichiji make their friendship bracelets together and teach them how to do it right.

She died before Judge did, so the kids were unable to go to the funeral, it has been eating at Ichiji's heart since but he's not sure how to bring the topic with Ace now as adults, till her anniversary comes and Ace invites him and Ichiji gets to cry at her grave. Later, when they're together, they'll be back to visit her and they'll be like "you were right" as they're holding hands and leaving new flowers. Also.

Baby Ace pushing baby Ichiji on a swing on an a tree, one that the kids made together in the woods to play on. In the future Ichiji cheekily pushes Ace on the old swing for fun, who he has convinced to get on the old swing despite the other pointing out that it’s old and they're are full grown adults that might break it due to their weight. The swing definitely breaks and sends Ace to the floor, they're laughing their asses off.

+

Everyone cringes at Ace's attempts at flirting (the worst are pick-up lines) but they work (that gets even worse when they actually get together).

[fieldofdaisiies]

i am OBSESSED w ur hcs 😭😭 can i have one where the bat boys are like modern royalty?? Prince Rhys 😍 Prince Cassian 😍 Prince Azriel 😍 id be screaming at them to colonize me

ooooh that is so interesting, here we go❤️

okay, Rhys, Az and Cassian are biological brothers in this with Rhys being the oldest, Cassian the middle brother and Az the youngest

Rhys

Rhys is the one who will be the next king of the country

he already partakes in many royal and court business

he takes and took his education very serious, was always the most diligent and hardworking out of the three brothers

he values his reputation a lot and gets easily nervous when something not so rosy is written about him in one of the news papers

he worries a lot about what people say and think about him, he wants to be a good future king and he does not want his people to think bad about their future king

Rhys is also the one to host many charity events and also attend just as many, not only for his reputation but also because he knows about his influence and wants to help as much as he can

Cassian

Cassian as the second oldest knew from the beginning on that. he would not be the next king, but he would play a vital part for the armies of the country

they armies are subject to the king, but it is soon clear that they are actually under Cassian's control

he is the most skilled general

Cassian doesn't care too much about his reputation in the media

of course he does not want people to think bad of him but he does not have to be as flawless as Rhys, he thinks

he likes to party for example and he knows that there is one or the other drunk picture or video of him, but he doesn't care too much about that

he is Rhys' royal guard on many outings and takes this job very serious

and he obviously always attends the charity events with Rhys

he loves to help, knowing that he is just as influential as his older brother

Cassian works out a lot and I could totally see him in those Vogue videos where he is asked to show his pre and post workout routine as well as his workout routine

Azriel

as the youngest of the three brothers it was also soon clear that he was not going to be king either but that is very fine

Azriel would not have liked the fuss and the attention

he is more reserved and loves calm and peace

but he soon got interested into international business and the secret agency of the country

now he is mostly working behind the scenes, helping Rhys a lot with court business

but also joining him on outings, gathering information while pretending to just be an interested prince

he obviously also comes along to charity events

often helps Rhys host them, helping him plan those events, also going through lists of who they should invite, who they have to keep an eye on etc.

can you imagine family pictures of them? omg. those royal paintings with king and queen sitting, Rhys, Cassian and Azriel standing behind them

they have a very strong brotherly bond

Az and Cass grant Rhys the crown; they had talks about it, but both are very fine with Rhys being the next king

them talking about future wives, who could be. a good queen and if they really want a woman to have to fit into the royal standards, knowing what it meant and how much attention would be on this woman

also I could see them going to many events together

like horse races together, betting and actually not really being interested in the horse races but rather having fun drinking and snacking

[yanderes-galore]

Platonic Yandere! Primis! Tank Tempsey with Mentally Regressed! Darling? She often appears and sound like a child throughout their journey, but is actually a young woman over 18 and is in the place of Samantha Maxis instead. She's mentally regressed due to the corruption by getting in contact with Element 115 and gotten stuck in the Dark Aether realm in the Ultimis timeline, no thanks to Richtofan. She likes to play with them— and by play, I mean constantly sending them horse-sized Hellcats who she calls Whiskers.

Always angrily called the four men "Meanies" whenever they ruined the fun. Likes to try provoking them in her hallucination "child" form and gets away before they can even get to her. While not knowing Dempsey is frantically trying to urge Richtofan to fix her faster. To Dempsey, she's no more than a little girl who's been through a lot. (just wait until he realizes she's actually older than she appears and sounds) It'll take a lot of effort for that to happen due to her powerful dark aether abilities and mental instability. They'd probably have to somehow travel to the Dark Aether realm in order to get to her actual physical form to try and cure her.

Lol sorry I got too invested with this request. But I hope this sort of helps! :)

I... um... woah I didn't realize how long and complex this request was until I looked back at it again. I'm going to do what I can with this and just kind of tackle it in sections if that's fine? I got a bit overwhelmed and a bit confused. I need to rewatch the Zombie lore omfl, lol.

You have good ideas Anon I was just confused on where to start with this personally, sorry if I had trouble following-

Yandere! Platonic! Primis! Tank Dempsey with Mentally Regressed! Darling

Pairing: Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Female Darling, Mental regression presumably due to trauma/corruption, Obsession, Dempsey trying to be a dad, Slight manipulation, Implied murder, Overprotective behavior.

I can imagine your first meeting doesn't give the best impression.

Upon your first meeting Dempsey doesn't entirely like you the most.

The giant zombified cats and regular but fast zombies certainly don't help.

Although when Dempsey sees the hallucination of your child form he starts to wonder if you really are just a kid infected with Element 117.

You call them all "meanies" whenever they get past your waves of zombies but you most likely hate Richtofen the most.

All of which only makes Dempsey more distrusting of him.

Honestly Dempsey probably feels bad for you when he sees your child form and is probably always the first to follow.

This surprises the whole group as no one really thought Dempsey had a fatherly side in him, let alone to a strange child trying to kill them.

Dempsey really feels bad for you... a lost little girl stuck in an unfortunate situation.

He does wish you could stop with all the hellcats, however.

Dempsey would indeed bring you up to Richtofen for information and ask for him to try and fix you.

"Fix her? Dempsey do you know how much work that would-"

"She's a little girl trapped somewhere, Richtofen. Who cares... we need to learn more about this. Why does she hate you so much?"

"...."

Finding and rescuing you is a trivial task on its own.

Meanwhile whenever Dempsey sees you he tries to convince you he's just trying to help.

Due to your situation you could react in whatever way you feel makes sense.

The Dark Aether's power corrupts your thoughts so you most likely ignore him and go back to your games or listen briefly before running off.

For the entirety of the journey Dempsey believes you're just a little girl.

Until he meets you in person... where he finds your physical body.

Somehow and in someway Dempsey manages to get Richtofen to try and force your soul back into your body.

(This is different from Samantha's backstory but bear with me, this is where I take my own liberties with this-)

This doesn't entirely fix you as your soul is that of a child and not... a grown woman.

Richtofen then leaves you with Dempsey as he is the one who "wanted to fix her so bad."

As a result Dempsey becomes your caretaker.

A parent if you will.

Dempsey doesn't mind the role, he also doesn't mind the age thing.

In Dempsey's eyes... you're still that little girl he's been following after all this time.

It may take time before you fully trust him but Dempsey is willing to wait.

While you try to get used to having a functioning body again, Dempsey tries to help.

Dempsey soon appears as a father to you.

He knows you aren't fully cured and you may be unable to be fully cured... yet that does not stop him from caring for you.

If the others in the group have issues with it he ignores them and tells you to do the same.

Although Nikolai and Takeo may also act like parents to you if you come to them, while Richtofen prefers to stay away.

You're an important part of the team to Dempsey and he's just happy he was able to help you in some way.

He isn't sure what made him want to be a parent to you so suddenly... but he isn't fighting it.

He just can't leave you alone, can he?

You've already been alone for so long...

So maybe you do need him?

Dempsey could be getting second hand corruption from you and your body when he has this obsessive need to be around you... yet as of now there's no way to fix it.

This could be a way to explain his yandere behavior, however.

It's hard for me to find a way to make this yandere for some reason but Dempsey would probably be an overprotective parent.

He'd start fights with Richtofen if he tried to suggest he leaves you.

"She'll hinder our mission, Dempsey. We need to get her somewhere safe."

"Hinder? She's my daughter, Richtofen... we aren't leaving her!"

"Daughter...? Dempsey, have you gone mad?"

"Hell no... she needs someone and that someone is me. Look at her... do you think she can take care of herself?"

Dempsey may be occupied with the mission half the time but he teaches you what you need to know.

He also tries to show you fatherly affection, like hugs even if you struggle to understand it.

Dempsey does not mind your childish view of things.

He really is a good guardian for you.

If you ever got hurt then Dempsey does what he can to fix it.

Be it killing someone or something... or just patching you up and telling you it's okay.

It's nearly impossible for the rest of the crew to pry you apart from each other.

Dempsey loves and cares for you... soon you do too.

You don't understand that Dempsey is suffocating.

You don't understand a lot of things due to being in the MPD for most of your time.

Despite that... you don't mind.

You love Dempsey as your father...

Dempsey loves you as his daughter...

Who cares if he never wants to leave you and turns violent over you... you need him and he knows it.

[folklauerate]

hiya big royals au fan over here and i'm wondering if you'd be so kind as to drop some fig and newton headcanons for us!

Omg I'm HONORED that you're a royals au fan, I'm TOUCHED that you've read my work 😫😫😫🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼*

Fig and Newton headcanons--I HAVE SO MANY, THANKS FOR ASKING!

They are literally best friends, like BEST FUCKING FRIENDS! Neither of Anthony and Kate's other dogs loves them as much as they love each other; Roger is too old and the cats just like to sleep with him, and Albert thinks he is a human and doesn't deign to interact with the corgis. As a result, Fig and Newton are happily allowed to be obsessed with each other

Newton knows that Kate is pregnant. Fig does not because he is not very smart! He figures it out when his mom has a very large belly and he and Newton can't both fit on her lap

Baby Edmund is obsessed with these two. Newton, who is two years older than Fig, and therefore An Adult TM, is very gentle and lets Edmund hold his tail and crawl. Fig needs to be reminded by Newton that he has to be gentle, but he likes to lick Edmund's hands and nap with him

Miles, who is a chaos baby the moment he comes out, gets along with Fig like a house on fire. I'm talking this puppy aids and abets this toddler into doing anything. They'll chase each other around the halls of Highgrove House or Clarence House, they go everywhere together, Miles will throw food off his highchair because Newton does funny little jumps and eats it, and they basically give Kate, Anthony, Mary, and their staff a headache

For their first Halloween, Kate dresses Fig and Newton up as Ewoks. She goes as General Leia, Anthony is Han Solo, and Baby Edmund (just barely a month old) is Yoda lol

Fig is allergic to poultry

Newton once ate hot gravel from when Kate and Anthony were getting the road up to Highgrove House redone. He was fine!

Newton also once tried to eat an entire chicken bone and Kate had to reach into his mouth and pull it out (as dog owners often do)

Occasionally, Albert will allow Fig to come cuddle with him. He has a soft spot for him, but don't tell anyone

Miles once almost crushed Fig by attempting to ride him like a horse (Fig had no idea he was going to d word, he was just vibing)

Fig and Newton are so popular with the British public that they get their own special Buckingham Palace mugs, plates, and other souvenirs

After Kate gets Fig, corgi sales skyrocket across the UK. People are obsessed with the Queen and her corgis (lol)

After Kate and Anthony get engaged, and take their official engagement portraits, Newton wanders into the room their in, and interrupts the session, demanding pets from them. The photographer takes candids, and those photos go viral; Kate and Anthony laughing and cooing over this ridiculous rotund corgi

Kate insists Newton be in some of their official wedding portraits--again, those photos go viral

Royals often get official paintings done of them. For his fifth birthday, Anthony commissions Ben to paint one of Fig and Newton

*on a very real note, I am touched, everyday, that Leaf betas this for me, and read over all my chapters and writing before I even asked her to beta and just had a panic spiral that my writing sucked and wanted her to look over things before I posted :,) I love you so very much, Miss Leaf! I am so grateful for you and so grateful that I can trust you with my rough drafts and messy concepts and wild ideas and that you take the time to listen to me! <3

[exclectical]

Thunderhorse

THEME: Rarepair Month 2023: Rain/(AND soundtrack, I guess, ehe) RARE-PAIRING: Caj and Centaur-Skwisgaar WARNINGS: None unless you don’t like the idea of people marrying and procreating with monster types (no adult content) NOTES: I’m NOT sorry

==================================

Skwisgaar Skwigelf, world’s fastest centaur, made his second circle around the entrance to the hospital. The OB wing’s pickup/dropoff area offered benches and complimentary wheelchairs to the people who had to, or preferred to wait outside, but alas; there was no place to park his horse-for-a-butt comfortably.

The next best option was to sit on his haunches under the awning, a few feet away from the entrance. He was used to it by then, but he was aware of the stares from people waiting with him as they eyed the shiny white coat of his backside, long blond mane (that is to say, his hair), and chiseled torso which was laid bare and shirtless for all to gawk at. The showman in him made his pectorals do a little dance for the crowd.

“Let me guess,” came the voice of his wife as she interrupted his flexing, “t’ey did not let you in because you are not wearing clothes, again.”

“I ams.” He proved it by pointing to his leather arm-bands. Then, his eyes got wider and he danced to to his feet (all four of them). “SOOooooo?”

She gave him a knowing smirk and rolled her eyes. “As usual, t’ey don’t know if I should be seeing a doctor or a vet, but yes. Six weeks pregnant.”

“Hah!” He whinnied, pumping a fist, “Knews it. We gets you de best hays to sleeps in, and de bests oats for eatings...”

“Skwisgaar, I remind you I am a person.” Caj said, clapping his horse-shoulder. “I would rather sleep in our bed and eat ‘uman food.”

“Oh. Ja, rights. Suppose dat am fine too!”

He lifted her up and placed her on his back, petting strands of auburn to the space behind her ears. She pulled herself closer, onto his withers and he turned as much of his human body around as he could so they might embrace. They shared a single, sweet kiss before he felt her slide back down his spine and into a comfortable riding position.

“Sos.” He said, turning his human-half around, “Sugarcubes and Candy-Corns goings to have a brudder or sister! Maybe we names dis one somethings not so formals, ja?”

“Perhaps.” She grabbed his human hips as he began to move, “But not’ing crazy. I’d never want our colts and fillies to be teased when t’ey get older.”

“Goods points.” He readied himself to trot home, and headed towards the exit to the road, “Hejs, at leasts they doesn’t needs to gets driver licenses when they turn sixteens!”

Then, a loud bang cut through the silence. A flash of lightning followed it a second later. In mere moments, a downpour had started, and the rain cascaded beyond the clinic’s awning in torrential fashion.

“Shit!” Caj snarled, “I knew we should’ve brought the SUV and the trailer.”

Skwisgaar sighed at the delay, but in the end, he was okay with waiting it out if it meant more quality time with the woman he horse-married. 

“Heh. Rains at dis times of the year!” He said. “How weirds is dat!”

THE END

================================== This story was continued from/based on @chordsykat art:

https://chordsykat.tumblr.com/post/682898398394892289/now-im-obsessed-with-caj-and-skwisgaar-au-where

Hehu! Surprise!

[iantimony]

exhausted tuesdaypost

short one this week! i'm at baby's first big academic conference and boy howdy i have no idea what the fuck i'm doing! technically posting this a little early by the time zone i'm in (pst) but in my normal time zone (est) it is already tuesday so fuck it amirite

listening: a little more partizan but not much (almost done with episode 19). VERY bold of me to think i could finish partizan before 2024, but also the first two weeks of december were a total wash for me because of conference prep. will very likely blaze through a ton of it when i get back to my apartment at the end of this week.

reading: read a little more of 'the house on vesper sands'. reread some tgcf chapters because they're familiar and soothing.

cait corrain goodreads controversy: the world of twitter/tiktok writers is such a foreign concept to me. the drama even more so. i was fascinated by this. reminds me of the livejournal drama of yore.

diagrammatic writing by johanna drucker: picked this up at a bookshop in san fran. might give it to my brother as a holiday gift? it's very cool and meta and caught my attention, as well as being bite-sized.

drinking, power wheelchairs and dui: got in a conversation with my roommate about how you can get a dui on a horse in arizona (which i think is a little strange because a horse, while under your control, generally wouldn't just go off a cliff or into traffic even if you try to guide it that way?? idk shit about horses though) which morphed into "wait. you can get a dui on a horse. and a bike. what about wheelchairs." i definitely agree with the "wheelchair and its driver together fall under the class of “pedestrian” when using sidewalks and crosswalks" because like. yeah. it's no more a vehicle than my legs are y'know? or something. there's definitely deeper disability theory here that i am ignorant to but i'm remembering stuff from the embodiment-themed art history class that i took my senior year and how technologies can serve as extensions as the self rather than separate entities.

playing: still pokego. yeehaw

watching: episode 6 of tgcf donghua! i'm a little confused about the release schedule but i am obsessed. they're in love your honor

misc: found out the nyt dialect quiz is behind a paywall now when i told my friend about it and she tried to take it >:( met a cool older gentleman on the cable car, he's a retired nat geo photographer originally from paris. just a really cool dude. wish i got his name so i could look up his work.

BONE TIRED at this conference despite it literally being day one. i am so exhausted. partly jetlag partly New Experience partly anticipation for poster session on wednesday partly meeting collaborators and wanting to make a good impression etc etc. i definitely need to plan in more breaks. last week was easily one of The worse weeks of my life so far, combo PMSing plus breakdown over realizing i had to completely re-run a simulation (or two etc) and redo all my plots for my poster. just agonizing cramming of so much stuff. completely draining, basically burned myself out before even leaving for the conference, but it's Fine i'll be Fine i just gotta get through my presentation on wednesday without completely losing the thread.

[darkchocolatedimples]

could you do fearless (Taylor’s version) for kotlc characters 🫣

I absolutely am loving these since Kotlc and Taylor swift are like my two obsessions lol

ofc!! i'm so glad ur enjoying they're so much fun to sort

fearless!!

fearless - biana

fifteen - sophie

she. is just. a girl.

love story - keefe

hands down his favorite taylor swift song. this is keefe's song.

hey stephen - dex

maybe it's him to sophie but it's actually ME to him.

white horse - dex

HE BETTER GET HIS SOMEONE SOMEDAY WHO ACTUALLY TREATS HIM WELL

you belong with me - keefe

every unspoken thought

breathe - fitz

remember he didn't just lose sophie as a future romantic partner, at least for a little bit, he's lost her as a friend 😔

tell me why - linh

here's to you (song parents) and your temper!!!

you're not sorry - tam

dear song parents once more!

that's the way i loved you - sophie

bc fitz is sensible and keefe is SCREAMING AND FIGHTING AND KISSING IN THE RAIN AND ITS TWO AM AND IM CURSING YOUR NAME SO IN LOVE THAT I ACTED INSANE AND THATS THE WAY I LOVED YOU

forever & always - fitz

the way i'm constantly mourning keefitz

the best day - biana

three older brothers and keefe.

change - dex

jump then fall - biana

ITS SO DEX AND BIANA I COULD SCREAM

untouchable - keefe

this one gets me good "but your untouchable burning brighter than the sun...come on come on, say that well be together, come on come on, little taste of heaven"

come in with the rain - sophie

very stellarlune

superstar - sophie

"im no one special im just another wide eyed girl whose despertely in love with you" NO. YOU ARE SOPHIE FOSTER AND HALF THE MEN IN THE STORY HAVE FALLEN AT YOUR FEET. OWN IT.

the other side of the door - fitz

cause im so mad, i might tell you that it's over, but if you look a little closer I SAID LEAVE BUT ALL I REALLY WANT IS YOU

today was a fairytale - sophie

but not the whole day! bc she doesn't ever get that.

you all over me - tam

"so i lied, and i cried, and i watched a part of myself die, cause no amount of freedom gets you clean" screw the song parents part 29939

mr. perfectly fine - keefe

it was supposed to be sophie...but cassius SUCKS

we were happy - linh

that's when - sophie

pov shannon decided to let sophitz be

don't you - dex

atp i want to start campaigning for a dex centric spin off or companion book

bye bye baby - tam