#let alone relocating likely being a nightmare

[thetimelordbatgirl]

How it feels finding out your former college is among the schools found to have the bad concrete in their buildings:

[hugevanserrass]

reasons to hate cassian

Cassian saw that Azriel was romantically interested in Mor, felt jealous over it, and agreed to have sex with her knowing it would hurt Azriel.

The first time he meets Nesta, he immediately passes judgement on her for letting Feyre hunt as a child, despite the fact that she was a child herself.

Tells her he doesn't understand why her sisters love her

Bonds with feyre over their shared experiences living in poverty but treats nesta like she's a stuck up rich girl, despite her living in the same mf hovel as feyre (why does he do this ??)

He gropes her in her own home despite her not wanting him to touch her.

He sees her on the verge of tears due to anger and despair when the human queens won't send aid to the humans in Prythian, and then a scene later says "She barely seems to care about anyone other than Elain."

Will not take no for an answer when Nesta tells him to leave her alone.

When they are both clearly feeling something for each other, he still rips his hand out of Nesta's when Mor walks in. Wtf was this about anyways?

He buys Mor lingerie despite knowing Nesta is his mate. This is just weird in general. Also calls Mor his sister, despite having slept with her in the past.

Judges Nesta for not getting over her trauma in a way that is both quick and convenient to him and the inner circle.

Admits to ignoring her claim that she is enjoying the music while he drags her, against her will, out of a "seedy" tavern.

Supports Feyre and Rhys in their decision to forcibly remove Nesta from her home and relocate her to the House of Wind, on threat of deportation.

Drags her to Windhaven to "train" even when she makes it clear she has no intention of training. As a result, she is forced to sit on a rock in freezing cold temperatures.

When Mor basically tells Nesta she is just like her evil father and the rest of the Court of Nightmares because she is mean to Cassian, Cassian does not defend Nesta nor call Mor out on it.

He brings up Nesta's dead father at breakfast because she won't eat her oatmeal.

He tells her everyone hates her.

He watches her fall down a very steep flight of stairs, and then laughs at her. She was bruised and had a black eye from this fall. Cassian thinks this is funny.

Whines constantly about being a bastard nobody despite Nesta only using "bastard" as a direct insult to him one time, and in that same convo he called her a haughty witch.

He is rude to Lucien for no reason. (unforgivable)

Despite knowing Nesta is vulnerable, he fucks her at the first opportunity, even though he knows she uses sex as a coping mechanism.

Snarls and bitches at Nesta when she talks about Rhysand in a tone he doesn't like, even after telling her he can match whatever she throws at him. (He can't)

Sides with Rhysand over her constantly, even when he is in the wrong.

Every time they do engage in some sexual act, he immediately bolts, leaving her alone and confused. Refuses to communicate his feelings, acts like an asshole.

Keeps secrets from her, and agrees to participate in a vote on whether or not she deservers to know about the swords she created, which directly pertains to her powers. He whines a little, but ultimately does what he is told.

When she voices her fear that she is not good enough for him and will never deserve him, he does not correct her.

When he learns of Nesta’s love for dance and how her mother twisted it into a tool to find her a prince, Cassian turns himself into the victim. (this takes skill tbh)

He interrupts the only true canon Neris moment to shove in and dance with Nesta. Will not forgive him for this. Get off the dance floor.

When they finally admit their feelings on solstice and have a passionate and meaningful night together, he STILL leaves immediately the next morning to go hang with his homies and doesn't see her for a week. She is left alone AGAIN. (Begging him to stop doing this.)

When Nesta has finally had enough of being judged by the inner circle, she decides to tell Feyre the truth about her pregnancy. Cassian is furious with Nesta, takes no responsibility for lying to Feyre, and does not react in the slightest when Rhysand threatens to KILL Nesta. (His mate)

When Feyre tells him that she is angry with all of them and not Nesta, he does not tell Nesta, even though it would be comforting to her while she is at her absolute lowest.

When Feyre tells him Rhys is secretly happy Nesta is going to hate every second of the hike, he has a nice little laugh with Feyre at Nesta's expense.

He makes her endure a back-breaking death march in which she is forced to carry an extremely heavy backpack as punishment.

He sees that Nesta doesn't care if she dies, and does nothing to get her away from the steep cliffs. He snaps at her the entire time, even while she is clearly spiraling and about to have a mental breakdown.

She collapses at the end of each day and all he says is "at least remove the pack so I can cook myself dinner." She has not spoken in days.

He works her to the point of passing out. She literally faints, face first, onto the hard ground and he yells at her for not drinking water instead of trying to determine if she's alright.

When she finally breaks down and cries and tells him how much she hates herself, he tells her how much he loves Rhysand as an attempt to relate to her suffering. (fuck you dude seriously)

He does not correct her when she says she is unworthy of love.

He says "there is nothing broken to fix" despite forcing her to obey him and change her coping mechanisms and behave in the way he approves.

When she tells him the word mate doesn’t mean anything to her because she’s human at heart he dismisses her instantly and says "that's bullshit." No attempt to understand her feelings whatsoever as he tries to force her to admit they are mates before she is ready.

Tells her he didn't ask to be "shackled" to her after she says she didn’t get to choose to be fae, and it was forced on her. (it was)

When she calls in the bargain he immediately thinks of a way to get around it. He does not respect the boundaries she sets for herself. He thinks something like "Easy enough command to work around. I'll tell her to word her bargains more cleverly." She says she wants a week alone and the very next day he shows up to Windhaven in order to force her to speak to him.

When he learns she has been taken into the blood rite, after a lot of sulking and one feeble attempt to disobey Rhys, he thinks something like "even if I could rescue her I wouldn't, I wouldn't take away her opportunity to save herself." Meanwhile Nesta is hoping that he will be coming to rescue her.

When Nesta finally saves him, and tells him she loves him, he does not say it back. HE NEVER SAYS I LOVE YOU.

He calls Eris a coward immediately after learning he was tortured by his father, and likely has been his whole life. In the same thought, he acknowledges that Eris was willing to be tortured to protect their alliance and STILL calls him a coward.

When Rhysand is yelling at Nesta AGAIN for helping Bryce save the entire world, Cassian does not stick up for her. AGAIN! (I stg you bitch)

Amren says to Nesta, in front of Cassian, "Pray to the mother that your sister changes Rhysand's mind tonight" ABOUT WHAT? IS HE GONNA KILL HER? And Cassian does...nothing.

"Nesta's mate shifted an inch closer to her, his eyes darting between the two of them, torn. Like he didn't know who to side with in the brewing fight." I hate him so much for this !!!!

Nesta tells Ember that Cassian is "the most furious with me of anyone" WHY? Nesta even voices that she doesn't think they'll kill her. This implies Rhys has yet again threatened her life because he disagrees with her choices, and guess what: CASSIAN DOES NOTHING.

[heyidkyay]

And I'm petrified of being alone, now | The Aftermath

House or Home?

It’s been about a year or so and they're finally looking at moving in together, properly this time, but Mouse is stubborn and Matty’s… Matty. 

“I hate it.”

Matty all but deflated at the three words, eyes sweeping over to where the estate agent was still stood in the kitchen doorway to the pretty four bedroom house they’d found in South Hampstead. 

In her defence, she still had that godawful smile plastered across her face, as though the entire statement bothered her none, but her eyes told a different story. They were screaming.

Matty couldn’t blame her, not when this was the eighth house Mouse had turned down this week alone. And it was only fucking Tuesday.

“Squeaks, babe.” Matty quietly attempted, mouth opening once more in an effort to get the woman to see sense. The house had everything they were looking for, it was more than perfect and how could it not be with an actual garden that Teddy could run rampant in and a sodding wine cellar to boot. 

But she cut him off, spinning around on her heel to shake her head at the agent in a silent apology. “Sorry. It’s just not gonna work.” It was all that was said before she took off, leaving Matty standing there awkwardly with the estate agent, hands tucked in his back pockets like a kid meeting their mum’s new boyfriend for the first time.

The woman, lovely girl named Mila, slumped slightly but kept up the act, pretending like all was fine and dandy, probably more than used to dealing with shit like this. 

“Sorry love, it’s just a big decision. You know?” Matty tried to soothe, lips pulling into a thin smile made mostly of regret. And it was exactly that– a big decision. 

It had been just over a year since that whole fallout had happened with the media and the sudden silence between them. And shit had cropped up every now and again after it; his management team had been a fucking nightmare to coerce and convincing themselves that this thing that they had was worth trying for had been daunting. But they’d put it all behind them in the end, they’d moved on.

And now here they were, buying a house. A home. Because Teds was getting bigger and bigger by the day, enough so that he now had a proper big boy bed and could ride a bike that took up a chunk of his bedroom. But also because Matty suddenly had a shit ton of crap to relocate since he’d moved out of and sold his London gaff, having slowly slunk his way into the flat he’d come to think of as home. 

All in all, Mouse’s was simply running out of room to hold them all.

Mila waved his apology off though with a single hand gesture, tucking the ipad she constantly held under her right arm. “It’s fine, I get it. Every client’s different.” She told him easily enough, but her smile was still so weary when she looked back at him, “I’ll get to looking for a couple more properties for you.”

Matty nodded, but let his eyes flit back over to the antique cabinets he could so easily picture Teds hiding in whilst they played a round of hide-and-seek, as well as the large kitchen island that they could all use for big get-togethers or family dinners. He gave a halfhearted sigh before allowing himself to take a small step back and follow Mila when she started to turn. “‘Spose this happens all the time then?” He asked her, hoping to fill the quiet walk from the kitchen to the front door.

There was a small pause, and then, “Sure.”

Wincing at that, Matty was more than a little thankful to be walking a step behind the woman, especially when they stepped out the front door onto a porch that screamed American Dream and spotted Mouse propped up against the Jeep’s passenger door. 

He tried to give Mila another polite smile when she told him that this had been the last viewing she would have for them for a little while and that she’d soon be in touch. Matty just shook her hand, thanking her again for her time, before they parted ways and he was walking back on over to the car.

He slid into his seat, hearing Squeaks follow, and didn’t say a word as he backed out of the paved driveway, admiring the stonework that lined the verdant grass and the fenced gate as they drove out of it. With one final glance at the house in the rearview mirror, he reached out to switch the radio on, the AC quickly following.

It was just as he made a left turn at the end of the quaint street that Matty heard a small intake of breath, he waited for the eventual…

“It just didn’t feel right.”

Even with the slight frustration he felt, Matty licked at his lower lip and looked right to hide the slight smile he wore. He hummed softly over the low buzz of the speakers, “You’ve said that about the last sixteen, baby.”

Mouse let go of a harsh breath and Matty felt his grin grow. “Well, then I guess the last sixteen didn’t feel right!” She retorted and threw her hands up in exasperation before crossing them over her chest, fingers moving to toy with the elbow of her sleeve. “I’ll know it when I see it, okay?”

Matty flicked an amused brow in the direction of the passenger seat and received a scornful glare for it in return, so he merely resorted to surrendering, glancing back out at the empty road ahead. “Okay.”

They stayed in a quiet little bubble the whole drive back to the flat. Matty’s mind stuck on the house they’d just viewed, on the long winding staircase, the extra bedrooms it offered, that waterfall shower. By his standards, it would’ve been perfect. It should have been.

It took a little wrangling but he did eventually manage to find a space to park on the overflowing sidestreet that their flat resided on when they finally got home, but it was at that point that Squeak’s phone rang. She moved on autopilot after answering it, unbuckling her seatbelt swiftly whilst Matty turned the car off and locked up.

She had a slight crease between her brow as they made their way up the few short steps which led to the front door and tugged a hand through her hair just as he worked the key into the worn gold lock. 

“Yeah, I can do that. Ah, just–” Matty listened to her pause in the entryway and glanced back, waiting by the radiator for her to shoot a quick glance his way so that he could ask a silent question with just a single look. She mouthed Teddy’s name before she was speaking into the phone again, only proving to puzzle Matty further. “Alright, can you hang on just a sec? Alright, thanks.”

Matty watched closely as she pressed the phone to her chest to muffle any sound the speaker might pick up and chewed on her lower lip. “What’s happened?”

Mouse raked her hand through her hair again and blew out a breath, “Teds has hit his head at school, they say he’s fine but the bumps come up quick. Need him to be picked up.”

It was immediate the way Matty’s pulse quickened at the implication of Teddy having been hurt and so he was pretty hasty as he moved to grab the keys he’d just set down on the hallway’s side, already gravitating towards the door before Mouse could even utter another word. “I can be there in ten minutes, just let them know it’ll be me coming, yeah?”

A year ago, Squeaks would’ve reeled a bit at the entire situation, what with Matty taking charge on matters where her son was concerned and on her not being the one to drop everything just to go and pick him up, but now she barely batted an eye. Instead, Matty watched on as she nodded, face full of relief as she stepped forward to press a chaste kiss to his cheek before she was speaking into the phone again, demanding to know what had gone down.

Matty slipped back out the front door with a slight rattle, his typical gait quickening as he hurried on over to the car, jumping in and starting it up once more before he could even think to worry about finding a better parking space than this when they eventually got back. Mind focused solely on getting to Teddy.

In the time Matty had known the kid, Teddy had only gotten sick twice. The first time had been this little bug, it had given him a bad belly and a bit of a cough but hadn’t affected him all that much. Still, Matty had fretted all the same, nursed him back to health and had barely left his side, even if that had meant listening to the same episode of Blue’s Clues on repeat for three days straight. The second though, that had been a lot more frightening.

Winter had rolled its way back around as it tended to do and the usual flu had taken its hold. Matty himself had picked something up off of one of their roadies during the promotional tour they’d been doing for the latest album in Europe. The tour had only lasted a couple of weeks, but he’d still been jumping back and forth between this city and that just so that he could see Teds and Squeaks as often as possible. But that in itself had also meant that Teddy had ended up catching the same bout of flu, too.

Matty had been beside himself when he’d first heard, guilty for the fact that he’d had the precious little gremlin sniffling down the phone on their next call. But Mouse had just laughed and shook her head at him, promising that Teds would be as right as rain soon enough. But not even she could have prepared for the way the kid had taken a sharp turn overnight.

Jamie had shaken Matty awake at four am, not long after they’d managed to make it to Sheffield and hunker down for the night in some swanky hotel. He’d been bleary eyed and still recovering from the relentless cough that had been wreaking havoc on his lungs for the past week when he’d rolled over to find his manager's nervous face staring down at him. 

Teddy’s fever has spiked, he’d said.

It had been a freight train of emotions after that. Jamie had somehow managed to score him a flight down from Manchester to London in less than a half an hour. But by that point Matty had already been in the back of a cab, trembling hands texting with Adi whilst the woman had updated him on every single thing that had occurred back home. 

Seemed that Teddy’s temperature had risen so quickly, having jumped from a steady 38 to 42 in less than an hour, which had prompted the most agonising hospital trip of Matty’s entire life. And that was including each time he’d fucked up and been wheeled there himself. 

It had taken him just over two hours to get down to them, so by that point Teddy had only just been properly seen and Mouse was in silent hysterics. Adi had ordered Finn to come pick him up from the airport, but back then the two of them had still been in this awkward sort of stalemate and so neither had spoken a word apart from when the other man had finally attempted to calm Matty’s anxious tapping. 

“He’ll be okay.” It was all that he had said, but Matty had found himself nodding along in quiet agreement all the same whilst he’d rattled his phone against his knee, ready to jump out of the car at a second's notice.

Driving over to collect the kid from school now, Matty felt that same agitation. The need to just be there, to see for himself that Teddy was okay. It was all that he could do to not hightail it over and fuck every traffic law he could somewhat remember just to ebb the sinking feeling that had wormed its way into his gut.

He did eventually manage to get there, making it in just under ten minutes after he’d accidentally ran a red and parked in a teacher's bay outside. 

The receptionist startled a tad at his sudden appearance, eyes probably as big as saucers and darting about the room in hopes to find Teds stood waiting there for him. But the kid was nowhere to be seen, and so Matty crossed the room to speak to her.

“Hi, here to collect Teddy? You rang, said something about him hitting his head?”

Matty had dropped Teddy to and from school more times than he could count, but collecting him from the office? That was something he’d never done before. Never even thought about, actually. And so he was fucking unsure on what the fuck kind of etiquette these people were supposed to use here. Did she need his ID, his passport? A picture of him and Teddy ice skating?

“Oh! Okay then, I’ll just fetch him for you. If you could sign him out here for me?” She pointed towards a clipboard and pen sat just off to the side and then smiled one last time before she wandered away.

Matty blinked and watched her slip out a side door. Was that it?

All he had to do was just sign the kid out? 

Matty released a heavy breath and shook his head at the thought, figuring it best to just do as was expected and have a word about it with Squeaks later on, maybe it was just something he was missing.

As it happened, he’d just finished scrawling down the last of his name when the door inside the office squeaked open causing him to jolt the y in Healy as his head snapped up.

It was as though all the tension he’d ever felt seeped out of him in that very moment. Years of stress from fucking performing, of trying to get through his own stupid exams back at school, and maybe even the trouble of having dealt with his parents and their shitty divorce. All of it just vanished when he looked over to find Teddy already grinning at him with his little book bag slung over his shoulder and a Spidey plaster stuck to the side of his eyebrow.

“Matty!” Teddy all but squealed as the kid darted away from the receptionist to barrel headfirst into his legs. Matty felt his heart give out a little at the sight of the tyke, obviously not as traumatised as he’d been expecting him to be.

“Alright, monster?” He replied softly, bending down a tad to scoop Teddy up into his arms, eyes flickering over every inch of his face just to be certain he wasn't hiding any other injuries. “Heard you had a bit of a tumble.”

Teddy nodded, almost excitedly, and Matty fought not to shake his head, utterly bewildered by the fact that the kid wasn't more phased. He almost wanted to scream, in truth. This amount of worrying wasn’t typical, alright? And he was fucking getting up there in age! All the stupid shit he’d managed to achieve during his livelier years and the life choices he’d made added up in the end, didn’t they? So it was an honest to God miracle that he hadn’t suffered a sodding aneurysm on the way over here, or something of the sort. 

“Just a little fall apparently.” Matty heard someone say and he looked up only to be reminded of the fact that the receptionist was still standing there, watching. She gifted him a sweet smile, eyes caught on the way Teddy clung to his neck and the way he appeared to cling back. “There’s an accident report in his bag for you to look at, they go home with all the little ones. The nurse said it wasn’t anything too big and that he should be fine, but it’s best to keep an eye on these things so if anything out of the ordinary does happen it’s best to take him to the local A&E.”

Matty felt his mouth go dry at the very implication and so he wet his lower lip just before he exhaled a little shakily. “Right,” He swallowed thickly, hand smoothing over a riot of curls and pausing on the small bump he felt at the top of Teddy’s head. “And the plaster?”

The woman blinked and weirdly Matty felt a little caught out, as though he was suddenly this afternoon's entertainment. He wondered briefly if she knew just who he was. 

“That’ll have been jotted down on the report too, but from what I heard it was just a little cut above the brow.” The receptionist answered him, extending an arm out to pat Teddy’s back before she stepped away again, “You really were brave today, Teddy.”

The kid puffed up at that, smiling proudly, but his eyes remained glued on Matty and so he returned the bright grin, kissing the side of Teddy’s head before he hitched him up further on his hip. “No stitches then?”

“Tiniest of scratches.” The woman assured him around a wide smile as she shook her head and waved his worries off.

Matty dipped his head in a slight nod, looking down at Teddy once more. “Anything else I need to do then, or?” He asked, letting that or drag out as he inched closer towards the door he’d previously barreled through.

“You should be good to go.” She told him, eyes still lingering. “It was nice to meet you though!”

“Yeah,” Matty replied as he struggled with the door, “you too.”

By the time the pair of them made it back outside and into the car Teddy was keeping up a constant babble, explaining (but not actually) just how he’d fallen and hit his head. From what Matty could make out it was when he was running to escape the fishmen? And so he could only guess that him and his mates had been playing a weird round of a tag at breaktime and Teddy had taken a plunge into the wrong kind of waters. 

“You’re sure you’re okay though, mate?” Matty asked him once they were about a minute or two away from the flat and Teddy’s ramblings had died out a tad. He glanced in the rear mirror to find Teds picking at the plaster above his brow.

“Uhuh.” Was the answer he received in turn and it was enough to dislodge the last of that worry that had been eating away at his chest. 

Matty figured then was as good a time as any to try and talk with him a little. The whole drive back from viewing that house, before they’d gotten the scare from the school, he’d been thinking and thinking. Enough to have concocted the beginnings of a small plan. 

“Remember how we was talking about looking for a new house, Teds?”

Matty’s thumbs tapped at the top of the steering wheel as he waited for a reply, oddly grateful for the small queue of traffic that sat up ahead. It would give them a bit more time.

“Yeah, you said a garden!” Teddy answered him and Matty figured he seemed excited enough about it all when the toe of the kid’s school shoe kicked the back of his chair. “That could mean a dog, right? Taylor has a dog!”

Matty fought back a laugh, the lad’s only just performed a stunt that’s gone tits up and landed him with a wound to the head but he’s more worried over when or if they’ll be getting a dog. Though, to be fair to him, a dog did sound nice. He could picture one now, out there on that grassy patch of land behind that particular house rolling about with Teddy. 

“That’s cool, mate. But I was just wondering what you thought about it all. A new house could mean a bigger bedroom for you, you know? Could have a couple sleepovers maybe, with a few of your friends from school.”

Matty didn’t have to glance back to know that Teddy’s eyes had shot open wide, he heard it all in that delighted little gasp he made. He chuckled.

“And remember my old house? How we used to make pancakes in the kitchen whenever you and mum would stay over?” Matty reminded him, eyes flicking up into the mirror to watch Teds nod at him, “Reckon we could do that again in the new house ‘cause it’d be a lot bigger, means we could all fit in there. Could even do your homework whilst we cooked in the evenings. How’s that sound?”

“Don’t like homework though.”

Matty laughed as the traffic started to pick up again, he moved to shift into gear. “Me neither, little man. But you’re a whole lot smarter than me so I reckon if we roped mum into helping too it’d all be done a lot quicker. And we could do that in the new house, don’t you reckon?”

“Yeah, and then I could get my Spidey walls!” Teddy exclaimed, bouncing in his carseat now, enough so that Matty was honestly a little fretful that he’d fall out of the thing. 

“You remembered that one, hey?” 

“You promised, ‘member!” Teddy shot back at him just as Matty turned onto their street, shoulders slumping in relief when he found that there was a space free a little further down.

“Yeah, I do, mate. Swear I haven’t forgotten.” He reassured and smiled to himself as he parked up and continued to listen to the dreams Teddy had for his future bedroom. And fuck anyone who thought he wouldn’t make them happen.

The two of them walked down the street hand in hand once Matty had pulled the monster free from his homemade rocking chair– and made sure that the thing was as secure as it should be. Teddy was happy to talk away, squealing when he caught sight of next door’s tabby cat and then bouncing in Matty arms when he had just about managed to scoop the kid up before Teds had gone bounding into the road to follow the skittish thing. 

By the time they’d made it in through the front door, Matty was sure he couldn’t take much more after the emotional rollercoaster he’d been on most of the day. 

“Squeaks?” He called out whilst he coaxed Teddy into kicking off his shoes and jacket, only just managing to peel the bookbag off the kid when Mouse came into view.

“Mama! Look at my Spidey sticker!” Teds called out as he tumbled on over to the woman, pointing to his head. In truth, it was a mystery how he didn’t take another tumble then and there, what with the way he was skidding about all over the floors. 

Matty let go of a weighted sigh and took to shucking off his own shit, dropping his boots onto the shoe stand before he hung up his jacket beside Teddy’s. When he stood back on his feet Teds had already hurried off into the living room, happy to be home from school again it seemed and not caring about the grape sized lump protruding from the side of his head.

Mouse quirked a brow at him when he stepped nearer, hiding her amused smile at his wary appearance, but still willing to let him wrap his arms around her waist and his head fall against her neck. “Okay, lovely?” She murmured into his hair and Matty felt himself nod slightly.

“Shattered.”

“Life of having kids, babe.” Squeaks chuckled, running a hand through his curls before resting it on the nape of his neck, “Thank you for going to get him.”

Matty pulled away to frown down at her, brow pinched. “Don’t thank me, you muppet. It’s weird.”

She simply resorted to snorting at the reply he’d given and then smiled, “I just appreciate it, is all. That alright with you?”

Rolling his eyes, Matty pinched her side before he slipped away. “Nope. But you can make it up to me by making dinner?”

He received a halfhearted scowl at the attempt but her smile was warm and soft and everything he loved, so he didn’t worry too much as he went to join Teddy on the settee.

Apparently, he hadn’t really needed to ask about dinner because it seemed as though Mouse had already had the foresight to have gotten a start on it when he’d been gone. So after he’d made sure that Teds was sweet and honed into his show, he’d peeled himself off the comfy cushions and headed into the kitchen to help out. 

Cooking together was something Matty had always loved. In the early days, he’d just been content to sit there and watch her work. But now he enjoyed helping out, even if it meant being bossed about or bumping into one another in the too small space.

It was just when they brushed against one another again, as she bent down to open the oven door that he only just narrowly missed toppling over the side of, that Matty could no longer hold his tongue on the subject.

“This place feels like it’s getting smaller and smaller by the day.” 

His words were merely met by a low hum whilst Squeaks continued to check on the food. Matty spared another halfhearted glance around the cramped kitchen, at the small wooden table and the tiny fridge tucked up under the counter. Then at the washing machine that was on its last legs and the pile of pots and pans they had no space for. 

“That house we saw was massive, kitchen was sort of like one of those you’d find in a catalogue, don’t you think?” He pressed a little further, tongue toying with the back of his front teeth as he struggled not to peer back over at her to witness her reaction. “Wouldn’t be bumping into one another all the time if we chose something like that.” He chuckled, but the sound of it was quickly cut short by the slam of the oven door.

“What, so you don’t like bumping into me anymore?” Mouse asked and Matty shifted to find her standing there by the hob, tea towel fisted in the hand she held at her hip. “‘Cause I do. I like coming home to you, to us spending time with each other, even if it’s in silence. I enjoy brushing past you in the kitchen and in the hallway, and even in the bathroom when you claim you have to brush your teeth the very second I do!”

Matty blinked.

“I love this flat, Matty. I love the fact that the rent’s cheap! That we’re chummy with the landlord and the neighbours aren’t half bad. That I can count on them to watch Teddy if something ever did happen!” Mouse exclaimed, staring back at him with those big eyes of hers, chest almost heaving.

“Teddy’s first steps were taken here!” She continued on, as though it had just slowly been building up inside her and had suddenly found its chance to blow. She paused, only to point up at the ceiling to where a splodgy patch of something hung above them, “See that stain? That’s from when Teds had his first bowl of bolognese. And that chip in the tile right there? That’s from when you dropped that planter you got me after you’d come home from tour!” 

Matty stared down at the chip now, noting that it wasn’t the only imperfection in the mosaic of tiles, but one that he could remember making as clear as day.

His silence must have lingered on too long though because Mouse then took his wrist and led him out of the kitchen, she stopped short to point at the plethora of guitars that crowded a corner of the living room. “And how about that mark on the wall? The one made when Ross and George came over for Halloween and all those guitars went toppling over as they chased after Teds.”

Teddy was watching them now, eyes having wandered away from the tele set and over to where Squeaks gripped his hand a little tighter to tug him along behind her and into the hallway. 

She paused by the door to Teddy’s room and Matty already knew what was coming.

“You told me you loved me here.” She murmured, stealing the breath right out of his lungs, before she then turned to spare a glance at the front door. “And we can’t forget that door.”

Matty breathed out a faint chuckle, his startled gaze moving to find hers in the dimly lit hall, only her eyes were glassy and darting back and forth between his own, almost pleadingly. 

“I know it’s too small. And I know we can’t stay here forever. But it’s home. It’s a place made up of all my best memories, Matty.”

He couldn’t think of anything to say to that. Because suddenly he realised that this was why she had claimed that she had hated every house that they had gone to look at. Why she had been so adamant on getting it right, on finding the right one. Why she had made up excuse after excuse to get out of viewings, to turn each one of them down.

Matty reached over to cradle her face before he pulled her in close, hands falling to hold her. He smiled softly when he caught a flash of movement just out of the corner of his eye. It was barely a gesture, let alone a nod of his head, but Teddy knew what it meant all the same and bolted over from where he’d been standing in the doorway of the living room to join them.

Matty understood then. That the flat was a part of them. But moving didn’t have to mean giving all their memories up. It could simply mean creating new ones, better ones. He only hoped that he could somehow convince Mouse of that. Because he knew that she wanted this too, deep down, she wanted a place that could be all of theirs, that they could mould and shift and shape into their own. But she was just so afraid to let go of the past, to take that next step, to leave the memories they’d made here together behind.

But he would show her it would all be fine. Somehow.

So with that thought, Matty went and did the one thing he knew would have to work.

A week passed after that emotional afternoon and things mostly settled. Matty hadn’t brought up another thing about house hunting or viewing talks with Mila, and so he could only guess that Mouse had been somewhat lulled into the sense of thinking that that had been the end of it all.

But then they were on their way back from Hann and Carly’s the next Wednesday, they’d had lunch and talked music, and Squeaks had been none the wiser when Matty had taken the Jeep down a wrong turn.

It was only when they’d pulled onto the street and the gravel beneath the tyres had levelled and softened out that Mouse had perked up a little in her seat. Her brow was pinched when she finally turned to face him, eyes darting around, “Think you missed an exit back there.”

Matty didn’t give her reply as he scanned the street for that familiar number, the weight of an unknown pair of keys sitting heavily in his right trouser pocket.

“Matty, do you even know where we are?” Mouse wondered again before she started messing about with the navigation system on the console. But Matty didn’t pay it much mind, continued to roll the car further and further down the street until they reached that fenced gate he’d exited through the last time they were here. “Matty?”

He came to a slow halt and switched the engine off, shooting her a sly smirk before he slipped out the side door.

“Matty!” Mouse called after him in a hiss, but Matty was already jogging up the few short steps to that painted white porch, a tiny set of keys already warming his palm. “Matty, what the fuck are you doing? You wanna get done for breaking and entering?”

Matty snorted softly to himself whilst he slotted the key into the lock and silently thanked the lovely Mila, reminding himself to get the girl a proper thank you gift if this all worked out the way he was hoping.

Squeaks called out to him one more time as he stepped over the threshold, a smile dawning on his face as he paused to wait for her to join him.

“Matty–” She was a tad bit out of breath but mostly exasperated by the time her fingers caught on the hem of his sleeve, but then she jolted beside him not a second later. He waited, peered over at her to watch her take in the familiar surroundings and smiled when the skin between her brows ultimately furrowed. “Why are we here, Matty? Isn’t this the last house we saw?”

Grinning, Matty linked his fingers through hers and gently lured her nearer. “Doesn’t hurt to take a second look around, does it?”

Mouse must have been more than a little perplexed by the whole ordeal because she didn’t fight him on the matter when he started to move them further inside— and in truth, he was really fucking thankful for that fact because he figured getting her inside would be the hardest task. And yet here they were.

The hallway back at the flat was about the same size as a twin bed and morphed into a narrow corridor which led onto the two bedrooms and the singular bathroom it had to offer. Here though, the entryway was wide and spacious. The current owners had a bench lined up on one wall where a pair of tall windows perched either side of the front door and the wooden floorboards that ran throughout the whole house homed a large vintage rug, which sat beneath a table in the centre of the room and held a rather bright bouquet.

Matty’s eyes stilled on the wide set of stairs though sat just behind the many flowerheads. “Couldn’t you picture Teds running about in here? Like, him storming in after school with all his mates behind him.” He wondered aloud, smiling as he took another step further inside. “And those stairs, I could see us taking Christmas photos there– like mum used to force me into doing back when I was a kid.”

He hadn't actually expected a reply and so he had to dampen his grin when she chuckled sweetly in return, “What, the three of us all decked out in matching jumpers?”

“Or pjs.” Matty countered before he led her a little further away, pointing out the large fireplace which they could use in the colder months and the downstairs loo that he could see becoming a lifesaver as Teddy grew older. “And look at this dining room, baby! We could have all the guys over at once in here, Adi and your mum too! Sunday roasts round ours, hey? Especially once the rest of the boys have littluns of their own.” 

She didn’t say much to that but her eyes were scanning, surveying even, and so Matty took that as a win and together they moved further forward into the famous kitchen. The very room she had claimed she hated the entire house in.

They paused by the entrance and Matty let himself lean against the door’s wooden beam, Squeak’s hand still holding his. Those antique cabinets looked the same as they had done a week prior, but the wash of colour seemed to illuminate under the setting sun that peered in through the old french doors.

“Could move about in here so freely.” Matty heard himself tease, voice soft though in hopes to not to break up the gentle moment. “Picture it. Making you pancakes on Mother’s day and helping Teds with his school work on the countertop there whilst we cook.”

Matty was surprised when Mouse was the one to shuffle on over towards the kitchen’s island, eyes mapping the vibrant fruit bowl and the cast-iron sink. 

He watched on as her gaze was drawn towards the back doors, to where another patio stretched far out on the other side. Slowly, he guided her closer to them, letting her get a feel for it all before he took the handle and opened them up, letting the light spring breeze flutter through. 

“Can you see it? A couple kids filling up the garden. Us standing here, or looking out that window there, to see Teddy laugh and smile while he darts about back and forth with a football or a kite.” Matty chuckled, already picturing it coming to life before his eyes, replacing the firepit in the back with a tyre swing and adding in a grill for him to man come summertime. “Could even get him a dog.”

Mouse shook her head even as they shared a smile.

“I know what you’re doing.”

Matty dragged his tongue across his teeth in hopes that it would dim the strength of his already too big grin. “And what’s that?”

“This, I get it.” Mouse replied, then she shrugged a single shoulder, “But it doesn’t change anything. The flats perfect for now, maybe soon we can look again and I might change my mind.” 

“You’re right stubborn you know that?” Matty acknowledged, because he’d hoped that by doing this, just them wandering through the empty property, that she might have been able to see what he saw. But still, he smiled down at her.

She widened her eyes mockingly in retort to that statement, forever used to hearing it. “Thought you’d’ve figured it out by now, rockstar.”

Matty simply hummed, feeling the slight breeze settle around them, rattling the metal wind chime which hung from one of the outside beams. He casted his sights out across the long patch of grass laid out before them and took a deep breath, mouth twitching ever so slightly. 

“You know, someday we’ll have to start making new memories.” He mentioned, tucking a hand into his jacket pocket.

“I know.”

It was hard not to fall apart then, especially when her eyes trailed over to meet his nervous smile. She tilted her head at him, confused. And Matty figured he just had to get it over with before his legs soon gave out. 

“So why not some place like this?” He wondered, fingers tightening around the hand he still held in his as he rocked back and settled down on one knee.

She didn’t dare move. Staring down at him and the pretty red box he now held, so still Matty wasn’t even sure that she was breathing. 

“Are you serious?”

A chuckle escaped him at the ask and it was surprising because it sounded so genuine, even with the way his hand currently shook. “I reckon we could make a couple nice memories in a place like this. So, you just gonna let me kneel here or will you marry me?”

Mouse tried to keep the smile from off her face, eyes sparkling as she stared back at him, but in the end the battle was lost and Matty ended up mimicking the strength of it.

“Is that a yes then?”

She laughed, bright and loud, then tugged him up to wrap her arms around him. When she finally pulled away her eyes were wet but he didn’t think he’d ever witnessed her happier.

“Of course it is, you idiot.” She sniffed, capturing his jaw between her palms, and she stared at him so earnestly that it made Matty feel so utterly seen. “But it really does need a new lick of paint.”

Squeaks must’ve seen the evident confusion that crossed his face right then because she chuckled and gestured her head over towards the back door. “The house. If we’re planning on living here then I want it to feel like ours.”

At the realisation Matty laughed in disbelief and dipped down to rest his forehead against her own.

“I think I can manage that.”

“You better.” She quipped, pulling him in for a slow kiss before she was giggling to herself. Her eyes were bright and alive even as she narrowed them menacingly at him and prodded at his chest with a finger, “But don’t pull anything like this ever again, you hear?”

“What, propose?” 

She rolled her eyes at the question but that smile of hers was relentless.

“Yeah alright, I hear you.”

[loneduet]

Secrets - Part 1

Summary: You love Sokka and it scares you. You don't know what he'll do if he finds out. (Your a firebender)

A/N - ngl I wrote this for myself because of my recurring obsession with this lovable boy.

warnings: kissing, kinda short sorry

Hope you enjoy!

__________________

It all started when I met aang.

I ran way from my home not too long before i met them. Growing up in the fire nation was rough, especially being the emperors daughter. After zuko left to search for the airebender, i soon followed suit and left my status behind. All I ever was to my father was a dissapointment and I couldn't deal with Azula alone.

I was left with few options of where to go. I ended up living undercover in ba sing se where I soon met three kids my age. They were strangers at first, but now I don't know how I lived life without them. They have become my friends. My family.

While I know they are the exact people my brother is hunting down, I couldn't help but join them on their journey. I don't know what I'll do if I have to face my brother, but I know that I will never betray them.

Each of them showed me a kindness I have never known or deserved. Katara immediately accepted me, she loved having another girl be on the conquest and she insisted on braiding my hair everyday. Aang was kind and understanding. Deep down I know that he is aware of the secrets I keep, but he respects my boundaries and he shows me the fun to be had of everyday things. And than theres sokka. He is a completely different story.

When I met him my whole world was changed. At first he was wary of me and my additional presence to the group, but we soon started to get along. Really get along. He was protective and caring. At first glance, i immediantly respected the way that he treated his sister. While they fought like all siblings do, it's obvious that they truly love each other and I know that sokka will take care of her until the end.

I can see that all sokka wants to accomplish is to be a good leader and brother. He doesn't have bending abilities and he has admitted to me that this is one of his greatest insecurities, but it is far from a flaw. He hides a lot of his fear through his stupid jokes and ridiculous attitude, but I have learned to see through his disguise.

I have fallen so incredibly fast for this water tribe boy and he is completely unaware. Knowing his story, I can't let him find out about my past. He will never love me especially if he knows that im fire nation scum.

__________________

"Y/N, do you want to share with me?"

I looked over to see Sokka and his adorable puppy dog eyes looking at me.

"Of course." I giggle, helping him set up the tent.

Due to our constant travels and relocations, we had very few supplies which resulted in only three tents between the four of us. I wasn't complaining though.

"Goodnight Y/N." Aang said, giving me a friendly kiss on the cheek before heading to his tent.

"Yeah, goodnight!" Katara said with a wink. To her, it was obvious that I liked her older brother. She immediantly approved when she found out about it. If only she knew who I was.

I climbed into our shared tent and zipped it up behind me. Sokka was already laying down opening up the covers for me.

It was a normal thing for sokka and I to fall asleep in each other's embrace. Ever since we accidently fell asleep during one of aangs stories we have been inseparable. Sokka claims that he sleeps better because of how warm I naturally am and frankly he helps me keep the nightmares of my dad at bay.

From an outside perspective, our relationship is definitely weird. It's not normal for 'just friends' to cuddle up to each other every night. Deep down though, we both knew that their are feelings, but neither of us wanted to ruin what we have. What we could have.

I slipped under the covers next to him, his water nation blankets being especially fluffy and comfortable. Naturally his arms wrapped around my smaller frame and I tucked my head against his chest. His slow heart beat helped lull me to sleep.

"Y/N?" Sokka asked right before I dozed off.

"Yea?" I softly replied.

He than looks me straight in the eye. "I'm really glad I met you."

The statement takes me aback and I look maintain his eye contact, sitting up.

"Can I kiss you?" I whisper, not being able to help myself any longer.

He doesn't reply but leans forward and captures my lips with his. His body radiates warmth as he scoops me into his lap. I slide my hands into his soft hair that is let out of his usual ponytail. He grunts softly and let's go of my lips and puts his forehead against mine.

"Y/N, I think I love you."

Before he could return to kissing me my entire body freezes. He notices when I tense and looks at me questionably.

"I cant." I reply, leaving the tent in haste. The boy of my dreams watches my figure go, wondering what he did wrong. I cant do this to him. It has to stop.

[thatoneneuvichiliauthor]

Hurt/Comfort Jayvik Drabble

(can also be read on Ao3)

Spoilers for Season 2 Act 3

His stay in the derelict Piltover has left its mark on Jayce. Both his mind and body have suffered from it, although some injuries are less evident than others. To Viktor, the damage inflicted on his soul is the one that stands out the most. They might be watered down, but the Zaunite has retained some of his peculiar abilities, even now that the Hexcore has been destroyed. They make him more attuned to Jayce’s feelings, especially violent, undesired ones.

This unique connection alerts him when his partner is having a bad nightmare long before he even starts stirring in his sleep. It lets him know when a particular sound or smell brings Jayce back to that horrible cave, to the soul-wrenching dread of being trapped and hurt and alone.

Viktor senses it all: When guilt and self-hatred start weighing on Jayce’s chest, when his mind spirals with what-ifs, when suicidal thoughts attempt to resurface from the pit they’ve been rightfully thrown into. And those crucial insights help him be there for Jayce, just like Jayce is always there for him.

Still, only he can detect wounds of the mind with such keen acuity. To regular people, it is the leg brace that stands out. Viktor can tell. He has been on the receiving end of enough rude or pitying comments and stares to recognize when Jayce is subjected to the same treatment. It never fails to make his blood boil, and he has no qualms about unleashing all of his snark and spite on such inconsiderate individuals to shield his partner from their nosy remarks and questions.

Jayce’s shattered legbone is only the tip of the iceberg, though. So many other things have changed about him; his hair, his beard, the creases on his skin, his eyes, which do not shine as bright as they once did…

Linked together, all these little details weave a tale of what happened to Jayce. They speak of his resilience and strength of character, of how hard he fought to survive.

However, yet another thread is missing from this complex canvas. One only Viktor is privy to.

The red, ugly slash that divides Jayce’s back in two.

This one, he received during the Memorial Ceremony. Before he touched the Arcane. So, associating the injury with his hellish experience might appear farfetched.

Except the wound was still fresh, when Jayce fell into the pit. As for the bandage that covered it, his partner found himself with no choice but to relocate it to his broken leg instead. Leaving the chainsaw-inflicted gash on his back raw, exposed.

And, given the disastrous conditions his partner lived in for months, it healed badly.

Really badly.

Due to the infection and Hexcore corruption Jayce had to battle off, the scar spreads much farther than it should have. Viktor has made rubbing repairing ointments onto it at night a habit. It helps soothe Jayce’s pain, although it will take months, if not years, for it to disappear completely, if it ever does.

In the meantime, Jayce winces when he puts on his clothes, and sleeps either on his stomach or side, but never on his back. Most nights, he sleeps with his head resting on Viktor’s stomach, because for as much he’d love to be the little spoon, to be held in a warm embrace, his suffering body won’t let him. And when they hug, Viktor doesn’t dare wrap his arms too tight around Jayce, for fear he might hurt him.

Not that it stops Viktor from offering him plenty of love and comfort. To make up for all the embraces they cannot share, he peppers kisses across Jayce’s cheeks, whispers the sweetest words in his ear, holds hands with him as they fall asleep… The list goes on and on. Whatever affectionate gesture Jayce might long for, Jayce gets. Simple as that.

Until the pain in Jayce’s back fades. Until he can be held tight again. Until Viktor can be the one resting on his chest instead.

Until wounds of the mind and body alike heal, or at very least, turn less severe.

It's a slow process, but they will get there.

Together.

[mychlapci]

Mermay! Some fish change colors during mating season, like their underbellies will turn lighter colors to show their in season - and I love this idea for merformers

Mer drift at the aquarium who’s colors start changing. He’s rubbing up against the seaweed and rocks and fixtures in his tank - and the staff take note of his behavior but don’t do much about it. Until he rubs up against the glass of the tank and practically flashes the patrons.

The staff decide to put him in a tank with ratchet, one of their older mers whom they assume is docile and gentle enough to keep Drift happy without hurting him with aggressive courting tactics.

Unfortunately, being around Drift has completely revived Ratchet into a spirited mer like he used to be, and now they can’t get Drift out of the tank without Ratchet nearly biting off fingers.

Doop

yesss that’s adorable, i like the thought of mers’ bellies turning a bright colour during their mating season.... the brightness and glow attracts and alerts other mers, but. Only if there are other mers, and Drift is notably alone in his tank for now. It’s not a problem, until he really starts to look like he’s suffering. He keeps trying to rub his slit against any surface he comes across, twisting and squirming as the heat drives him crazy with no available outlet.... I like to think that a mer’s slit is too far down their tail for them to reach it comfortably, so self-pleasuring is out, and it probably wouldn’t have been enough anyways.

so, Drift is carefully relocated to Ratchet’s tank. They have no reason to assume that Ratchet would hurt Drift, or that he would spark him. He’s calm enough that they just assume he’ll help Drift out a little, but they won’t have to deal with the adminstrative nightmare of unauthorized breeding...

Not a day after Drift was added to his tank, Ratchet’s colours start to change, and his under belly gains a nice, glowing orange to it. They’ve never had him go into heat in the years he’s been kept at the facility. They assumed he was too old and domesticated, but lo and behold, he’s pounding Drift against the bottom of the tank like his single purpose in life is to drive his spike into anything that’s moving. Drift is not injured nor struggling but Ratchet is still being very rough with him, the staff are worried.

But it’s just too late. Ratchet has a cute, sparked mate in his tank and he won’t let anyone take him away.

[daevastanner]

Halfbreeds

My contribution for Gwynriel weeks2024 is this Gwynsand/dark!Gwyn fanfic. Please enjoy this extra moody first chapter now available on Ao3. Chapter 2 to come tomorrow!

r h y s a n d

Rhysand waited patiently in his office in the House of Wind for the next witness to arrive.

He’d been hearing testimonies from the priestesses of Sangravah all day. 

Well, a few of them. Only the ones who had volunteered to relive the nightmares that had transpired, all in exchange for the chance they may get a morsel of justice.

The heavy oak door opened, and Clotho came striding into the warmly lit office, another unfamiliar acolyte behind her. With a gnarled hand, she gestured to the high-backed sitting chair in front of Rhysand’s mahogany desk. 

The acolyte gave Clotho a hollow smile, nodding in confirmation that she could leave her alone with the High Lord.

With a bow of her head, Clotho retreated, the door clicking shut behind her.

Rhys took a moment to perceive the female before him. She had pin straight coppery hair, tucked behind her pointed ears. Her face was smattered with caramel colored freckles that contrasted starkly against her sallow complexion. 

No doubt Sangravah had taken its toll on her. 

She gave Rhys that same empty smile she’d given Clotho. The expression did not meet her large, teal eyes, the skin beneath them bearing bruise-like smudges. He recognized the expression. He’d worn it plenty of times after he’d returned from Under the Mountain. It was the smile he donned when he could feel the phantom scratch of Amarantha’s nails, the echo of her gluttonous moans. 

Rhys returned the priestess’s polite smile, shoving his ghosts to the back of his mind. He leaned his elbows on his desk, trying to appear at ease. “Let’s get introductions out of the way. My name is Rhysand, I am High Lord of the Night Court.”

“Acolyte Gwyneth Berdara, formerly of the Temple of Sangravah,” she replied primly although her voice was slightly hoarse. 

Rhys arched a brow attempting to keep things conversational. “Gwyneth Berdara? You’re one of the priestesses who have accepted postage at The House of Wind.”

He’d given all the acolytes from Sangravah two options upon their relocating. A post: serving in the House of Wind with a private room in the library dormitories, including access to regular counseling sessions; or passage: an escort to their family or friends after assessment by healers.

The choice was theirs.

Most of this particular lot accepted passage, with only ten requesting a post.

One of those ten, being Gwyneth Berdara.

“I look forward to beginning my service,” Gwyneth said with a slight bow of her head. There was a faint glimmer in her eyes, one that hadn’t been there before. “If there has been one bit of hope in the past week, it’s that I may do some good in the High Lord’s name.”

The way she spoke wasn’t as though she wished to appease him, but not insincere. It was almost admiring, yet bashful. Like speaking to your greatest hero, or happening upon your most respected artist. He would gladly receive her praise if it alleviated the weight of the ghosts bearing down on her. 

As though sensing his assessment, Gwyn’s cheeks pinkened. “I’m just very familiar with your policies in Velaris and the work you’ve done for the females of Illyria. Not to mention the orphans of the Capital cities.” 

Rhys smiled, heat blooming in his own cheeks at the enthusiasm in her reply. “I wasn’t aware anyone was monitoring my policies.”

“I have been,” Gwyn said. A beat passed, then, “I specialized in the care of the orphans at Sangravah. And my twin and I are— were nymphs.”

He heard the unspoken words in the latter-half of the sentence. 

‘I’m a halfbreed too.’

He shrugged his shoulders. “Genetic status is irrelevant in the Velaris—“

“Thanks to you,” Gwyneth finished, then ducked her head, seemingly embarrassed. “My lord.”

Right, well, perhaps she’d be comfortable enough to discuss her thoughts on his policies with him in a few years. Once she’d acclimated. If she had positive opinions, she’d certainly have negative ones, and it had been a long time since someone who didn’t know Rhys intimately had critiqued him.

“Well, I appreciate you volunteering for both the library and this interview, Priestess,” Rhysand said. “May I explain how you will be giving your testimony?”

Gwyneth bobbed her head, that broken smile resurfacing on her lips.

Rhysand explained how he intended to utilize his daemati magic to view the events of her memories from the attack on Sangravah. He’d then use the information he found to look for any familiar faces or weak points in their enemy’s defenses.

“If the use of my gift gives you pause, I’ll happily take a verbal account,” Rhys finished.

Gwyneth’s mouth was pressed in a flat line, all color drained from her face. “Which is more helpful?”

Rhys felt his stomach sink. What she had lived through had to be too traumatic to recount verbally, especially with so little time to process whatever had occurred.  

At least using his daemati magic, Rhysand would be sifting through her mind alone, with her no wiser as to the contents he was making note of.

“Strictly speaking, mental accounts are more reliable and while most invasive, require you to remember less details. Those who choose verbal typically take issue with the intimate nature of my gifts. It’s a matter of comfortability.”

Gwyneth Berdara nodded, chewing her lower lip, then finally said, “I’d rather you get as much detail as possible to apprehend the responsible parties. I trust you to use your abilities honorably.” 

Rhys dipped his head. “While your trust is not misplaced, Priestess, I appreciate it all the same. If you could just–”

“On one condition, please, my lord.”

His brows rose at the distressed creases lining her forehead, indicating it had taken great courage for her to speak up. He nodded for her to continue. 

“I would ask,” Gwyneth began, “that whatever you see does not alter the way you have regarded me since I entered this office. I’ve… I’ve had enough pity.” 

Rhys felt a frown tug at the corners of his lips. He knew all about pity. To his knowledge, many priestesses and children had seen immeasurable horrors during the attacks. Morrigan and Azriel had plenty of accounts they’d relayed with somber eyes while nursing their respective glasses of alcohol. 

“On my word as High Lord of the Night Court, you will have no pity from me, Gwyneth Berdara.”

On my word as someone who has had his fill of pity as well…

Gwyneth’s answering smile was feeble and forced, but true. “Then we may proceed. Tell me what is needed of me.” 

Rhys instructed the priestess to relax as best she could and close her eyes. She may feel a slight probing within her skull, and if at any point she did not wish to continue, she need only say so. Verbally or mentally, he would pick up on her request and withdraw immediately. 

She had no questions, only took a steeling breath and leaned back in her seat, folding her hands neatly in her lap. Her eyes slid shut, lips pressed in a tight line once more. “I’m ready,” she said softly. 

Rhysand concentrated on her, carefully setting aside his sympathies. Only when her shoulders relaxed did he close his own eyes, and dive in. 

Read the rest on Ao3

[edutainer2022]

It's a little two-part glimpse into Dad Jeff going away into the sky. And Scotty being not happy about it. Baby Virgil features briefly too. Jeff Tracy tells himself things that tide him over more difficult times (but are not necessarily true).

SEPARATION ANXIETY

It was unbearable. The little face of the boy in his arms was wrought with boundless grief. Bright blue eyes full of tears and fear.

"Daddy, no gooooo! No gooooo!"

Tiny hands were clutching the collar of his uniform. The boy's voice was choking on sobs and Jeff felt his heart being ripped out. He was due at the base for a pick up and relocation for training before the Moon mission. He was a breath away from calling in his resignation right then and there and never leaving his son ever again. He forced himself to exhale and hoisted the child higher, bringing their forheads together. That gave Jeff a chance to blink away tears of his own:

"It's okay, Scotty. It's okay. Daddy will be back soon. I have a very important job for you, Bluejay. Look after Mommy and Virgie, when I'm gone, okay? Can you do that for me?"

The child's sobs halted for a moment it took him to nod very earnestly. Jeff leaned in to kiss the boy's forehead and then kiss away the tears from the blotchy little face as best he could. He turned to his wife with an apologetic smile.

Lucy was hovering in the doorway all this time, ready to intervene. Dad's departure for the Moon was a matter of wide-eyed wonder and endless enthusiasm till it was actually time for Jeff to leave. Then it quickly dissolved into a Greek tragedy. Her own hands were full with the baby. Little Virgie didn't yet understand what was happening, but he developed an uncanny ability to pick up his brother's moods. So to echo Scotty's desperate pleas, the baby's tears were now inconsolable.

Scotty settled to hug Dad's neck, so Jeff beaconed his wife with Virgie to step into the embrace. She leaned her head on his shoulder as he reached to kiss the baby.

"Are you really gonna be okay?"

She smiled up at him. So beautiful.

"We'll miss you like crazy, Flyboy. But we'll be alright. We're in good hands."

She lifted a hand to rub soothing circles on Scotty's back. The baby calmed down too and looked ready for a nap. Jeff gave himself extra minutes to just hold them all together. He didn't know yet he was already holding three sons in that embrace. Baby Johnny was to arrive while he was still thousands of miles away on the Moon. But in that moment he needed to capture the perfect memory of balance and fulfillment that would tide him over a long night in space. They were going to be alright.

***

It was unthinkable. The whole situation was his worst nightmare come true. The hijacked Zero-X was obviously speeding up and overheating. He ran a quick math and the fallout would quite easily cause an extinction of life on the planet. Unacceptable - his sons lived on that planet. His mother and friends. What made matters worse was giving in to Scott's big blue pleading eyes to let him come with him in One and watch the T-drive launch. Little Allie definitely learned to step up his puppy eyes game from the best. So Jeff was now stuck with the impossible variables of his son in the blast zone and One's still untested autopilot.

"Scott, I need you to take over the controls for me!"

He was halfway out of the pilot seat, leaving One on hover. Bright blue eyes, flooded with horror, shot up at him from where Scott was adjusting the harness by the cargo doors (oh, goodness, the boy was actually prepping to board Zero-X himself!)

"Dad! You can't go down alone!"

There it was. Daddy, no gooo! Jeff had to brace himself to enter full Commander mode.

"I need you to follow Zero-X flight path, align in formation. Once I board the hull, you will bank and scout the possible fallout zone perimeter in a thousand miles radius. I need you to shoo, tow or scare away anything that will be flying or floating there, understood?"

Jeff was sorely tempted to set the milage at a farther distance (as far and as fast away as possible, just fly away, Bluejay!), but he couldn't risk Scott questioning his intent in the moment. Blue eyes were still flooded with disbelief, pleading and barely concealed tears.

"Dad, please! Let me come with you! You'll need help!"

Daddy, no goooo!

"That's an order, Thunderbird!"

When he'd come to in the Zero-X wreck, in the middle of the galactic nowhere, and for endless years to come, he'd try and soothe himself with the knowledge Scott obeyed the order and got safely away from the blast. From that point on Jeff would try to convince himself he was not worried. Scotty knew what his job was. He'd look after his brothers and Grandma. They would be alright.

[katiajewelbox]

“Recognize when things no longer serve a purpose and begin to harm you. You let it go not because of arrogance or pride but because it doesn't fit into your life anymore. So close the chapter, learn the lessons and shake off the dust. Don’t waste your life. Move on.” (Mufti Menk)

This post is a highly personal story and pretty atypical from what I share on social media, but I feel it is crucial to be open about what has recently happened in my life to satisfy people’s curiosity. A heartfelt thank you to the folks who have given me emotional support during this journey so far.

As some of you may know, I was in a long-term relationship that recently ended. The person I once loved found me at Imperial College several years ago. At first, it seemed like a perfect match. We had a beautiful friendship as well as many shared values and goals in life. Our bond seemed so strong that we made plans for our future life together. However, we ended up being long-distance during most of our relationship due to the pandemic and other complications. We diligently stayed in touch and kept each other company during this stressful time while staying hopeful about our future as a couple.

However, things drastically changed between us in the last year. When my Dad became sick and passed away, my partner completely let me down in terms of help and emotional support. That made me feel very alone in the relationship when I needed the strength of a loving partner. This year he did travel from his home country to the UK to spend time with me. We had a lovely time, but sadly it turned out our life goals had significantly diverged during the time apart.

His life now revolved around his career and building wealth. He made it clear that he expected me to leave the life I have built for myself in the UK to relocate to his home country and later to follow him around the world while he built his career. He also pressured me to take unreasonable personal and financial risks for the sake of “our” future, which made me feel unsafe with him. Over the last year, he became less open in our interactions and seemed to be hiding many important things in his personal and professional life from me. When I was struggling with depression last year, he was cold and sarcastic towards me. In addition, he become more critical and judgemental towards me, while showing hints of possible coercive controlling tendencies.

Over the course of our serious conversations about our future plans, I came to a heart-breaking realisation – I did not love or trust him anymore. I tried to be open minded and explore the possibilities of taking a leap of faith with him in our potential life together, but there were too many red flags to ignore. When I imagined my future with him I felt dread, and when I imagined my future without him I felt free and hopeful. After much reflection and soul-searching, I realised that we had to go our separate ways and I decisively ended the relationship. He was shocked and disappointed, but in time he may find someone who is a better fit with his socioeconomic background and culture. At least, he will find solace in his career, which is his real love in life.

I am sharing this story to encourage anyone who feels trapped in a situation by social expectations or fear to reclaim their freedom. Sometimes, what seemed perfect at an earlier stage of one’s life can turn out to be a nightmare as people and situations evolve. I feel much more optimistic about my future now that I am free to pursue my dreams and be true to myself.

Art Credit: AI generated composition based on the French Impressionist style by Katia Hougaard and DALL E.

[airborn-potato]

Golden Eye's

Chapter 1

Tik

Tok

Tik

The familiar monotonous pattern echoed through the almost empty room. The wall clock is attached to the wall in the neighboring room, much to Seven's displeasure. They knew exactly where it was; just above them, their enhanced hearing had allowed them to pinpoint that long ago. From within their dark iron cage, they could only lay and listen to the clock's constant rhythm. On one hand, they hated it; they hated how powerless it made them feel. Despite being so close, they had no way of removing the clock, let alone destroying it. But at the same time, it meant that they were still alive. Hearing each tik and tok meant they were alive and coherent enough to be annoyed. They were muzzled, their wings and tail bound by elastic ropes, but they were alive.

Seven squirmed within the small space of their cage. Attempting to readjust themselves and their long wings in a last-ditch attempt to get some rest. They knew what was coming, and they had until dawn to prepare themselves for it. The nurses would come, they wouldn't be able to struggle because of the bands, and they would take them to an examination room for a physical. A shudder ran down their deep brown feathers as memories of previous physicals surfaced for a moment. The doctors would measure them, prod them, push them to their absolute limit, and record how they break. The fear building up inside them had made sleeping longer than what felt like an hour impossible. But regardless, they tried to get as much rest as they could. They needed energy; if they didn't have energy, they would fail the needed criteria, and if they didn’t meet the criteria, then they would be recycled. With that lingering thought, they slipped into another restless sleep.

Footsteps awoke them rather than nightmares. Rapid, uneven, and accompanied by the wheels of a cart. The doctors were coming. Seven’s breathing began to quicken as they steeled themselves for the arduous day ahead. The door slammed open, and people flooded into the room, armed guards, nurses, and a hairy abomination. The almost eight foot creature, the Lupus, was on its hind legs and completely covered in caramel fur. The shade of brown would have been beautiful if not for the blood-stained clumps and small missing patches. It had a thick muzzle full of meat tearing canines, and its intelligent gray eyes held an unhinged animosity within them. This wasn’t the only one; Seven knew that there were dozens of these creatures within these walls to make up for the low number of human security personnel and lack of physical manpower overall. Seven also knew what they were capable of; they had seen these Lupi tear other creatures limb from limb without hesitation or mercy. Another shudder ran down their feathers as the Lupus lifted their cage to place on the dolly, the sharp claws peeking through the bars. Seven was adorned with claws slightly darker than her olive skin, but they were more akin to a kitten compared to the Lupus.

After rolling out of the hall and down several more, the scenery began to change. The original dark gray became an off-white as they got closer to the examination room. The blank walls become occasionally dotted with observation windows and clipboards waiting to be picked up by nurses and taken to their proper patient rooms. Seven was yanked out of their thoughts by the cart, jerking to a stop. A nurse walked past them and placed their badge on a small scanner. A small beep signaled granted permission, and the group walked into the small room. It was just the way they remembered it. An operating table in the center, monitors to the right, lots of instruments hanging on the ceiling and walls for easy access, and a black square on the ground. The Lupus lifted the cage and set it on the square. A nurse moved past him and flicked a switch near the monitors, activating the magnetic field that would keep the cage from moving until the doctors were ready to relocate it.

After being dropped on the cart, the lupus began to roll Seven out of their room and down the hallway. The hallway itself wasn’t very exciting, but at each door, Seven's attention was caught by the wayward sounds that made their way through the cracks. They knew that the doors led to rooms like theirs but bigger and with more kids in each one in comparison to her small enclosure. These rooms were for all the G.E.M.'s that were trapped in this facility. Seven had no idea what a G.E.M. was, but she knew that was the term used for them. Or at least the ones she knew, she wasn't allowed in the nursery, so she didn't know very many. They’ve been alone in their room for a while now. They were never allowed with children other than the other six they were born with, never given a reason beyond wanting to “preserve their nature”. Seven didn’t know what it meant, nor was it ever explained, so they spent their whole ten years of life with only the company of the doctors and the other six.

Once the nurses were sure that Seven was secured, they took the Lupus and left the room. Alone with only their thoughts as company, Seven allowed them to wonder. Seven knew what was coming. Seven knew that the physical would be grueling and arduous, and Seven knew there was nothing they could do to stop it. They focused on maintaining their composure and banishing bad thoughts to the darkest corners of their mind. The routine was familiar, making sure that the mind was just as strong as the body. If one was not balanced with the other, it could be detrimental to the results, and the results determined whether or not you love long enough to regret it.

Beep

Seven was forced out of their thoughts yet again by the card scanner. Turning their head towards the door and scooting as far back against their wings would allow and wait for the doctor to enter. But much to Seven's astonishment a doctor didn't enter instead, it was a Lupus. Though they noticed the black fur, what really caught their attention was the cage it was carrying. The Lupus dropped the cage next to theirs, evoking a pitched shriek from the thing inside and swiftly left the room. Seven was in disbelief; they'd never been so close to a creature that wasn't a Lupus. Crawling as close to the bars as possible, they peered into the other cage, and Seven was greeted with another miracle.

The creature was practically glowing in its cage. Fine cream hairs with a gold iridescence coated its chest, thighs, and upper arms. Its face was similar to a small muzzle, its hair the same cream color but somehow thicker, its feet were more akin to a falcons. It was like them, yet different. Instead of feathers on its back, its wings were membrane with the support of elongated fingers. Leaving a long clawed thumb as evidence of a hand. A long thin tail sat between the wings and wrapped around its waist. It had the appearance of a dinosaur, they didn't know what to say or do, and that's probably why they froze when the creature looked at them.

Unnaturally big almond shaped eyes were locked on Seven. A slightly faded Crimson boring deep into Seven. Seven was frozen but not scared. Intimidated, but not enough to trigger their prey instinct. Seven stared back at the creature, maintaining unwavering eye contact. They loosened their grip of the cage to seem less aggressive and sent it a wave. The wave seemed to startle it as it flinched at the sudden movement. It readjusted itself and responded with a clicking noise from its mouth and a jerky wave of its arm, reciprocating the gesture. Seven then whistled at it for fun, then much to their surprise, it whistled back.

Seven didn't know how to react; they didn't expect the creature to have the intelligence to mimic; they wanted to take it a step further so they took a breath and spoke,

"Hey."

Seven's voice was weak since it hadn't been used in a while, but the tilt of the creature's head told them that it had heard them. They wondered what their response would be, but didn't have much time to think about it as it moved closer to the bars. It offered its hand to Seven, displaying the scales that lined its wrist and fingers. Deciding to humor it, they gave the creature their hand. It faced their hand palm up and with its inch long claws it began to trace. What felt like lines soon became letters as the creature wrote a single word for Seven

::H e l o::

[majikstan]

Beginning of my 5th week of no work, feel like a washed out 3D Game developer.

Week 5, and still no resolve and n work, no new employer and feeling like a washed out hopeless game developer.

Its interesting too in reading up the latest Unity scandal for the last week, and glad I have moved from Unity over a year ago, although still have a version of the engine installed , just for Asset conversions mostly, never to produce or develop any demos from though, especially given what Unity have been doing the past 14 days. So many developers are now leaving that development engine, because of those proposed changes. Though they have claimed to have corrected this recently due to the bail out, but can you still trust them.

But that's beside the point, and comparing that UE5 really has the best visuals and better support.

But back on the subject, how am I really feeling? Is this really a question or a statement. Like I said I feel like one of those washed out people feeling lost. I wake up these days and don't feel I want to get up from bed, though to wake up back into this nightmare, sometimes I wish I could just escape it all, escape this nightmare and get away from all of this strain.

To be somewhere where I would not need to stress, not have to worry, To be appreciated, to be respected for being me, to be wanted, to feel more like I have more of a purpose, in this life, and not be constantly having my wrists and mind clamped down, away from freedom and have the free will of being creative. It just feels like more and more that ability to be creative, to be free, to think freely is being clamped down.

I know there is and realize that I still have also allot to do to update more of my online portfolios, but the energy and to push myself, I have not that energy and feel like my mind or this rotten cycle of depression is letting me down, I have less energy and less of a drive to much, I feel burned and finding no easy fast way to get my self back on track. I even as I write this, though I really should be in bed at this time, but I don't even want to sleep. I don't want to be alone, but to to go to bed to shut the computers off to close communications to the outside world and sleep in the dark bedroom at the back of my rented unit, with no one. This is the time I wish I had a Girlfriend with me or at least near by, but again no one here in Australia wants me, but those far way overseas.

Many thoughts have been going through my head lately in the last few weeks, thoughts on what future do I have or could I have given certain options. One being the potential move back to home down in Melbourne Victoria to stay with my sister for abit, as she said to start again. but I would feel like I failed on the last 23 years pf being up here. Another is the potential future relocation the big move to overseas, such as the Philippines, with many things that could be more ideal considering that the cost of many things, like a real owned house, could be more affordable, and possible. again another big chance. And I already know of women over there that if any of them could get to meet me, would inf act marry me to be there husband. And no one in Australia ever wants to know me other than family?

And my family don't even support that option, even though at one time until recent they were in agreement, but that now has changed, so I am now all alone again. And its all too quiet here, other than at the moment I have birds outside awake and its still dark, outside, I know dawn is soon though in about possibly 40 minutes away, so should be in bed. I just want to calm down!

And I need a job again and need a future, and need to believe in myself, more.

The one thing I don't need is this rotten depression, and the anxiety!

[raccoonrobyn-imagines]

The idea of nightmare speaking to them very gently with intent just struck me…

Set when soon after killer joined nightmare.

Spoken intent headcanon semi stolen/taken from @azzzhat since we’ve been talking about it from their AU!

EDIT: this got away from me and now it’s here… enjoy

———

Nightmare walked into his room and almost immediately noticed that he’d left his balcony doors open yet again… and that he’s been away from his room for long enough that there’s a nest on his desk. There’s a small pigeon on it, with a couple gentle peeps coming from under the pigeon.

He honestly didn’t think he’d been away from his room for both a pigeon to fly into his room, make a nest, and then lay eggs and have those eggs hatch, but he has been taking care of his new recruit killer for a couple months. He’d plucked Killer from his empty AU maybe a month ago, and since then Killer has been having a bit of separation anxiety if he can’t see Nightmare so they’ve both been sleeping on some couches or in Killers room. He supposes that being left alone in his world for a few months would have that effect…

But this bird seemed perfectly at ease in her nest. He’d hate to disturb her or her family by trying to move the nest when Nightmare had only come into the room to grab a couple things. He supposes that they can stay, but he’ll have to ask her to leave once her children are ready to leave the nest.

“Little one, I’d like to talk to you. Is that alright? I can stay here if you wish.” He says calmly in spoken intent. His voice comes out in a gentle rumble, like a waterfall with a gentle crunch of an apple being bitten into.

The bird let’s out a confirming chirp, happy to hear him out.

“This is actually my home, but you’re allowed to stay. I’d just ask that you leave once your children are ready to leave the nest. I can move the nest to a nearby tree if you’d like once you’re ready to leave.” He calmly asks, the intent oh so soothing to listen to.

The little mother chirps a confirmation to him. She’ll tell her mate that once their children are ready to leave, they’ll be relocated to the nearby forest with their host moving their nest for them. She thanks him in a gentle coo, the sound stinging his bones, but still nice to hear.

“Of course little one. How are your children? Do you need anything for them?” Nightmare asks, staying in his spot but still wanting to check on the little family. They’re in his home, so he feels the need to make sure they’ll be alright.

The mother coos that she does not need anything for them, but if he has any bird seed or fruit for her, she’d be most grateful.

Nightmare smiles and nods, letting out a quick “I will be right back.”

Nightmare goes to the kitchen and grabs an apple and some peas for the little family. While he’s there he can hear Killer walk up behind him and ask “whatcha doing boss?”

Nightmare smiles and looks over at him as he cuts the apple into small pieces and takes the peas out of the pod, cutting the pod into small pieces as well. “I left my balcony doors open in my room, and so couple pigeons built a nest in my room and had hatchlings. I’m giving the mother a small snack so that she can keep watch over her young, and possibly have a small snack for the father as well when he shows up.”

Killer tilts his head, slight confusion showing on his face before shrugging and helping his boss. He takes over cutting the apple into tiny pieces, somehow making sure that it won’t be mushy at all, while also getting it small enough for the mother to eat easily. Meanwhile Nightmare got a bowl of water for the mother to drink for.

Nightmare and Killer soon took the plate of peas, pea pods, apples and bowl of water up to Nightmares room.

The mother cooed in surprise at seeing Killer, but seeing that Nightmare had the food and Killer had a bowl of water, allowed them to come close to give her the food and water. She cooed in gratitude, and Killer accepted the thanks with a small smile. When she hopped up to get a bit to eat and drink, they both saw two babies in the nest, with the babies looking to only be a couple days old.

They both left the mother and babies soon after to go towards the living room.

“They looked happy boss. Do you tend to take in the helpless often?” Killer asked with a smirk.

Nightmare chuckles and shakes his head. “Only when they need help. Why should I force everyone to only feel negativity when I am happy with my sphere of influence and power levels?” He asks rhetorically.

Killer looked at his boss with admiration in his eyes. “Heh, guess you’re right boss.”

QUICK! How many pigeons in their room would it take them to realize someone was putting them there??

Killer: One is an accident, two or more is intentional Dust: Might not notice them immediately, but two or more might strike him as suspicious. He does tend to leave his window open Axe: Three or more. Also leaves his window open Cross: One. He never leaves his window open. Baggs: One. He's meticulous about his surroundings and an errant bird is not something that'd ever be in any space he occupies. Nightmare: two or more. He sometimes leaves the doors to his balcony open and wildlife has found its way inside on more than one occasion. Two could be accidental, since they mate for life and all, but three is intentional.

[ivesambrose]

𝕺𝖈𝖙𝖔𝖇𝖊𝖗 𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖎 𝕸𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖆𝖌𝖊𝖘 🎃

1. 2. 3.

You know what, let's not talk of September. Let's not mention it.

Keeping this short and sweet, giving y'all the predominant energy of the month and what you can look forward to or manifest ahead.

I intend you make the best of this month 🖤

To book a personal and in depth reading with me DM or email me at jovescorpioreadings@gmail.com with your name and query

Services offered

Fall Flavored Readings

Reviews

Thanks for the tip 🌹

Picture 1

Overall Energy : Gentleness towards yourself. Caring messages. Revisiting your innocence. Sweet texts. Dreams in the making. Emotions that lead to creative outlets. Recognising cycles or working with moon cycles. Movement after stagnation. Shift in energy. Unexpected luck.

Things to look forward to or manifest :

> Romance. Dating. Connections. Travelling. Someone falling for you and you giving yourself a chance to fall for them. This includes falling in love with yourself too, most significantly.

> finding work life balance. Taking time to relax. Your body and mind both need rest.

> Answers to one major question.

> Wisdom and guidance.

> acceptance.

> healing from a wound that had left you confused or given you nightmares.

> Staying focused on your path

You'll be repairing some serious wounds literal or symbolic. So likely a retreat is necessary. However in this process you'll learn to be more gentle towards yourself. You haven't been too kind towards you, there is always some judgement or harshness that you've been carrying either due to experiences or doubt. Be patient with yourself and stay open to new experiences.

Picture 2

Overall Energy : Mind over matter. Recognising the power of thoughts. Nurturing. Food and health. Spending time with animals. Dealing with influential people. Money. Business. Your calling. Announcement.

Things to look forward to or manifest :

> Youthfulness and playfulness.

> Center of attention.

> Elegance. Aesthetics. Stepping into luxury.

> Someone getting karma / justice served.

> Cleaning and decluttering.

> Determination and persistence. You're bound to win.

> Relocation or leaving a toxic environment.

You may feel like you're going at it alone but this time you won't feel as lonely. I see that you're done with a chapter and won't hesitate to leave it behind. Whatever your dream or goal is, know that you're on your way. Every step is a step closer. There will be calmness and rejuvenation soon.

Picture 3

(you may wanna look at pic 2 as well or you likely chose 2 groups)

Overall Energy : Fairness. Harmony. Speaking your truth. Having faith in the unseen. Being supported. Faith in intuition and imagination. Perception. Stillness. Observing as events play out perfectly. Affection. Influence. Communication.

Things to look forward to or manifest :

> Everything everywhere at once. Things might just come in all at once, whether you're prepared or not. (positive!)

> Wealth.

> A new house or apartment.

> bonding with family.

> Limelight.

> Cutting off.

> Better organisation & time management.

> New hobbies or learning new skill : Cooking, baking or stitching.

> overcoming addictions.

> feeling sensual or more in your power.

> the reward after you've stood firm and faced all your challenges.

> Travel or things taking off.

You're clearly invested solely in yourself because you're tired of watering everyone else's garden but yours. In the process of doing so you're breaking free of mental restraints that have kept you stuck in the mud. You believe the old you must die this fall for the new one to emerge, so be it.

[ally-holmes]

Regular Customer | Steve Harrington x Reader (ch.7)

Series Masterlist.

Chapter Six – Chapter Eight.

Pairings: Steve Harrington x fem!reader|plus-sized!reader|nerd!reader

Word count: 3297

Regular Customer | Chapter Seven.

The Hawkins High School basketball team had been banned from all school activities not just until the summer, but for the whole of next year. Unfortunately, even when Eddie was expelled, Principal Higgins closed the Hellfire Club forever. Eddie was avoided, as usual, and the gossipers were more interested in Jim Hopper being alive after eight months and Jason Carver being a mastermind than in Eddie; they just assumed he was a poor victim.

It was nice going back to routine, although it was also terrifying. Dustin, Mike, Lucas, Robin, and Max helped them resume their school life sharing space with anxiety, nightmares, hyper-vigilance… the whole PTSD package.

The last months of the school year were uncomfortable, but not bad. The Byers and Eleven moved into Hawkins again, with Hopper, who got his job as chief of police back. Y/N tutored Eddie on his worst subject so he could finally graduate. Max told them that she followed Y/N's advice of singing to herself when Vecna really got her, and it worked to the point she still had a functional arm and no other breaks on her body; she was in a wheelchair until her casted bones healed and Lucas was attentive enough to drive her everywhere. Nancy got accepted into her dream university and Robin started to hang out more with Vickie, from band. The Hellfire Club was relocated to Y/N's house, for Upside Down-aware people only; Eddie was their Dungeon Master and both Eleven and Max decided to play some campaigns with them. Steve went back to work at Family Video and Y/N was a regular customer once again.

Everything seemed calm.

On a hot summery Thursday afternoon, Y/N parked her car in front of Family Video.

"There she comes," Robin pointed out with a wink.

Instead of hiding behind the counter, Steve Harrington opened the door for his favorite regular customer. "Welcome to Family Video, what could we do for you today?"

"Ew, Steve, that's creepy," Y/N laughed, handing him the tape she wanted to return. "Did you finally talk to Keith about the fans?"

"We're so unlucky, Y/N. Save us," Robin complained.

"Go do something over there," Steve ordered his best friend with a pointed look.

Before Vecna, Steve had avoided Y/N and Robin had found any excuse to let them alone. After Vecna, Steve's best moment of the day was when Y/N visited the store, and Robin decided it was much fun to just remain there and watch. The girl flipped him the bird and disappeared. Y/N looked at Steve with lovingly fun eyes; he was blushing shyly while running a hand through his hair. The last time they talked about his love life was in March. It was last June now, and he hadn't dated anyone for that time.

"So, um… are you renting something for tonight?"

"Not really. My parents leave tomorrow morning on a business trip and they want to do some big family dinner tonight. I might be back tomorrow and rent something."

"Well, um… If you're free tomorrow we could, um…" He chuckled anxiously. "We could go to the theater. There's a new movie I think you might like."

She pressed her lips together to avoid a smile, "Sure. Who's coming?"

"Us. Just. Just us. If you want. I mean… as a date."

"I genuinely cannot believe you dated so much with this performance."

"It's different when I mean it, okay? What if you say no? What if it's too late? What if you don't like me anymore? I'm under too much pressure here, Y/N."

"Fine. Fine. I still think you could do it better."

"She's right, dingus!"

"Don't overhear, Buckley! Fine. Yeah. Y/N, I like you. A lot. I really do like you and I think we could spend more time together and date and see what happens. If you want. If you don't, it’s fine. Cool."

"Are you honest, Steve?"

"Never been more honest in my life. Swear to God and hope to die. What do you say?"

For the last few months, Steve and Y/N had spent more time together. He had cooked for her, as he promised, and they had spent more time with Robin and Eddie, too. The four of them enjoying their stupid life. Steve had panicked about Y/N leaving for college only to find out that no matter what university wanted her, she wasn't planning on leaving Indiana; she got into community college with Robin, that way they were both next to him and Eddie.

He wanted a better job. Eddie had gotten a good job as a mechanic and he still had his band, and Steve thought that was much more appealing than a video store. In the end, the long months in which they got to know each other better, helped Y/N's heart to completely threw itself into Steve's arms, and for Steve, he seemed to like her too. It seemed real, not some attraction based on shared trauma.

"Tomorrow then. What time?"

"I work until six. I could pick you up at–"

"Don't be ridiculous, Steve. Our houses are on the other side, it would be a waste of time to drive up and down. I'll wait for you there, you can drive me back home."

"Sounds good to me." He blushed.

"See you tomorrow, then."

"See you tomorrow."

"Good."

"Good."

"Good! Now get back to work."

"Robin!!"

*

She woke up too early that Friday. The anxiety was eating her alive. She had a date with Steve fucking Harrington! It was not a pity date; it was a true date. He hadn't dated anyone waiting for his mind to understand what his heart was pleading for, and he found his resolution. Her heart was beating faster in her chest. She was in such a good mood she was dancing and singing to her favorite songs while choosing what to wear for the evening. It was still too early, but there was nothing else she could do.

She was a nervous wreck for the day, that was her occupation. By the time she had to get ready, she was questioning her wardrobe choices for the twentieth time. She was a pants and Converse girl. Even in the summer, she felt more comfortable with shorts that weren't too short; it was all the thighs' fault. If their rubbing didn't bother her and didn't provoke rashes on the skin, she would love to wear fewer clothes in the hot weather. Eddie was kind enough to mention to her the observation he had made in the first weeks after Vecna, and that was the fact that Steve Harrington seemed charmed by her thighs. By her whole body, really. The moment he thought he was free of scrutiny, he ogled her from head to toe.

This was a date and she wanted to look pretty for her date, different than usual. Thanks to having dresses and skirts for special occasions, she had a variety to choose from. However, she was still undecided. The black one with polls? The white one without sleeves? How about the flowery one that had buttons?

Y/N finally opted for a sundress, white with a patron of tiny cherries, puffy short sleeves, and long to the knees. As for the shoes, let's be honest, she liked comfort better than fashion, and the red Converse Aunt Catherine sent her from New York fitted perfectly with the dress.

Two minutes outside her house and she was hating it. She couldn't go back and change, though.

She arrived at the theater fifteen minutes before the agreed time, and she was thankful for that because then she had time to calm down, and refresh herself for the walk. Her body was sticky with sweat and Hawkins' humid hot weather.

She waited.

Her skin dried and she felt fresher. It was time, but Steve wasn't there yet.

She waited.

The movie had started and she asked to use the phone. Nobody answered at the video store. Nobody answered at his place. What if something bad happened to him?

She waited anxiously.

The movie had finished and she was still waiting, alone. She felt her heart breaking. She didn't think that Steve had dumped her. At least not intentionally. She was terrified something bad had happened to him, and she didn't know what to do or where to go.

A guttural sound vibrated from the alley. Her skin broke into goosebumps. Opening her purse, she touched the knife she kept inside, ready to use it if needed. She followed the noise just to find a demogorgon pulling Max from the other side of the alley as Lucas screamed. Y/N ran towards them, knife in hand. The demogorgon disappeared into a small gate on the theater's back door that was getting smaller and smaller. She got it right in time to stop Lucas from diving in.

"Max!! Max!! It got her!! It got her!!"

"I'll go for her. Go find El. Go find everyone."

"No. No, I'll go with you."

"Then we're all dead. Lucas, go. Go!"

She went through the gate and it closed right behind her. Lucas' voice was muffled for a second before disappearing completely.

There she was, back again to the Upside Down. The demogorgon turned to her, leaving Max, wounded, on the floor. Y/N didn't hesitate in making the first move.

*

The end of his shift was near, and he'd been looking at the clock for the past hour. He was nervous. Steve couldn't remember the last time he was nervous about a date. When he dated Nancy he was confident because he was popular and he knew she liked him. Now he couldn't trust in social constructs established in high school, Y/N wasn't naïve, and most certainly wasn't blindly impressed by him. She might like him, love him even, but she was also weary of him due to the conversation she overheard before Vecna.

He had taken special care in choosing his clothes. He knew he was going to sweat like an animal at the store; therefore, he kept the date clothes in his car with the idea of changing just before going.

Steve was ready to go. He was ready to leave when the phone rang.

"Family Video, how can we help you?"

"Steve," Nancy sounded anguished.

"Hey, Nance, what happened?"

"It's Jonathan. I can't find him. I– Steve, I think I found a gate. Me and Jonathan were at his old house, in the woods, and– He's gone, Steve, I cannot find him."

"Okay, calm down. Are you sure it's a gate?"

"Yeah! Yes, I think so. It looks like the one I found when we were looking for Barb."

"I thought we'd ended those monsters by killing Vecna."

"I don't know. Steve, I don't know. I need help looking for him. Please, go to my house."

"I… Yeah. Fine. I have to make a call. You must call Hopper, right now."

Steve hung up before Nancy could answer and called Y/N's house without a response. The end of his shift must've given him time enough to change calmly of clothes and wait for Y/N at the theater at least thirty minutes before the agreed time; that's the only reason why he went straight to the Wheeler's house instead of waiting to meet with his date so he could take her with him. He still had time.

At the Wheelers' basement, Dustin was using his walkie to call Lucas with his classic "Code red. Do you copy? Code red."

"So, where's Hopper?"

"Steve!" Nancy threw herself into his arms. She was terrified and too tired to keep strong; she needed just a few seconds of weakness. "He said he was going to inspect the area. I couldn't find Jonathan. If something happens to him I– I don't–"

"Hey… Hey, we don't know that yet. Breath."

"Steve, he'd never been in the Upside Down. He–"

"If I survived I think my brother could too. He knows more stuff about the monsters that lived there than I did when I was there."

"Will's right. If Jonathan knows how to lure the demogorgon he must know how to avoid it."

"Where's Eleven?"

"She'd gone shopping with Joyce. We won't be able to reach her yet."

Steve glanced at his watch. He still had time. "I need to go somewhere. I'll–" Before he could finish, Nancy grabbed him by the arm.

"We need to go find Jonathan. I have my guns. I need backup."

"Nance… Hopper's on it. Come on!"

"But it's Jonathan!!"

"I don't think is safe to go anywhere until El gets here. We don't know what's happening. We knew the Upside Down monsters had a hive mind, we thought the Mind Flayer was controlling everything there and we didn't suspect someone was controlling the Mind Flayer. Vecna was the one who controlled everything and he's dead." Mike stated.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's true, but what if the life he created went rogue once he died instead of just dying." Dustin proposed. "I mean, we know how unreliable controlled life could be. He was super powerful, cool, he created life and controlled it but what if that life liked living too much?"

"I think Dustin's right. I still can feel it. It was weak before, but now–"

"Now, what Will? Now what!"

"I don't think they have hive minds anymore."

"Wow. Okay. That explains why they still exist and all, but why the fuck can they come and go now? Who opened a new gate? How?" Steve burst in. "I mean, they're not super powerful with mind shit, are they? They're just hunters, predators. How can they break the bridge every time they want to eat? It makes no sense."

"I hate to admit it, but Steve's right," Mike sighed. "We know that El opened the Mothergate, and we know that its range of powerful magnetism was big enough that it got Will's and Steve's houses in its radius. It didn't get as far as my house. And for Dart, as far as we know, the Mothergate was in its biggest state. After Vecna all the gates closed. At least, the ones at Hawkins did."

"The power," Nancy whispered. "Maybe it's the power. We know Vecna was the most powerful of all and only the combination of Eleven hurting his mind and us hurting his body took him out. If the monsters went rogue, then they might've followed the power residues to open small gates, and we know Vecna's power reached the whole town."

"It could be. In theory," Dustin noted.

"Then, in theory, there could be monsters everywhere in town," Mike pointed out, alarmed.

"We're fucked"

Steve took a look at his watch. Y/N was probably at the theater by now, waiting for him. He excused himself and went to use Wheeler's phone. He found the theater's phone number on the yellow pages but it took him three tries to get somebody to answer; he gave specific instructions to the guy and made him write what he had to say once he found her. He didn't like the idea, he still wanted to pick her up himself and make sure she was alright, but the kids and Nancy kept interrupting him, stopping him, talking to him. He felt imprisoned.

An hour went by without news from Y/N. Eleven and Joyce arrived at the Wheelers' house and Nancy explained what happened. With his new freedom, Steve got out of the house and right into his car.

"Steve! Where are you going!"

"I need to pick up Y/N. Call Eddie, Dustin, ask him if she's with him."

"Steve!" Nancy yelled as he drove away.

Eleven had confirmed their theory and Will's feeling; the demomonsters had gone rogue and had followed the remains of Vecna's power to hunt into their world. Steve had to find Y/N. He wouldn't be at ease until she was in sight. The idea of something bad happening to her… He knew her. He truly knew her now, and if there was any inch of danger, she would fucking jump into it to protect anyone. Robin wasn't like that, for example, she would grab the closest phone and call him or any of the others. Dustin would, too, unless someone he knew was in danger. Why didn't his car go faster? Fuck!

He stopped his car carelessly on Y/N's driveway. The house was silent, dark, and empty. What if she went to Eddie after the employee told her Steve wasn't going? Steve headed to the Munsons' new place so fast that his whole body was in tension; his hands grabbed the steering wheel as if his life depended on it, and he was stepping on the acceleration pedal with his whole will.

"Please. Please. Please."

Eddie and Wayne had received a good amount of money as compensation from the government, and they used it to move into a nice old house that was close to where Max used to live when Mrs. Mayfield was still with Mr. Hardgrove. In fact, their compensation helped them recuperate the house and Mrs. Mayfield was able to find just one job that fulfilled their economic needs. Max's medical bills were covered by the government. No questions asked.

Just as Steve was ready to make a turn and stop his car dangerously on Eddie's driveway, the metalhead's new car was getting out. They almost crashed. Both went out of their cars.

"It's Y/N with you?"

"No, dude. Dustin just called me and told me what happened. I'm going to look for her."

They both yelled. They still had one leg inside the car, their bodies resting on the open door. Both of them are ready to keep driving.

"She's not at home. I might have an idea where she's. Shit. You drive to Robin's, I'll call you there when I find her to go to the Wheelers."

"Okay! If Rob's not there I'll go to the Wheelers."

"Take care, man."

"You too, dude."

Steve did a very dangerous u-turn and drove like a fugitive heading to the theater. He should've gone there first. He should– Shit! Why did he expect that employee to do what he was told? His friends were making him trust strangers, and he shouldn't. He shouldn't believe people were warmhearted.

The boy was beating himself, nonstop, depreciating himself as his car came to a halt. Getting out of the car there was no sign of Y/N on the main street. That's when he heard it. "Y/N!!!" Lucas' voice screamed from the alley. Steve knew that alley well enough, he got beaten up by Jonathan Byers right there. Ironic.

Lucas Sinclair was shouting at a wall while hitting it with his bare hands. Steve ran towards him, stopping him.

"What the fuck happened, Sinclair?"

*

The room was quiet. Too quiet.

"Here we stand. Worlds apart. Hearts broken in two, two, two–" a well-known voice half-singing through the walkie Eleven held.

"How long are you going to keep singing?" Another voice complained.

"It worked for Will, it should work for us. Why, Max, do you only know Kate Bush songs? No Journey? They're good."

Steve let out a shaky breath of relief. At least they were fine. Nancy was still anxious, and he couldn't blame her; if he was feeling like this about a woman he had only known since March, she must've been going insane.

They were about to taste their second theory of the day when the Wheelers' basement door got opened. Hopper entered dragging a covered in Upside Down mucus Jonathan Byers.

A bubbling growl vibrated in the walkie.

Silence.

To be continued…

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[basilhusband]

hello i am now on chapter 6 so im gonna go through more of the impactful moments so far

after hope and vanille end up in the pulse vestige, vanille looks at the struggling hope and goes "it's too much isn't it? face it later." which i love

immediately after becoming a l'cie, hope starts to dehumanize himself no longer seeing a point in being alive with his new fate worse than death

snow being insistent their focus is to save cocoon because serah turned into crystal after telling the group to save cocoon. just very sweet to me

snow staying behind in lake bresha to attempt to dig serah out of the crystal to i guess like carry her with him?? what was his plan. he didnt have one, he got caught. i just love the lengths he's willing to go to for serah

even worse, the confrontation between snow and lightning before that where he acts like he's gonna save the entire world alone just for serah and lightning goes off on him for it even though she has the same goal

the sanctum LYING about the purge and keeping up the lie the entire time that nothing went wrong, no one was killed, and everyone was successfully relocated

sazh asking lightning if she's serious about going after eden and the sanctum, to which she says yes and he asks if snow is now her enemy and she replies by threatening the rest of the group that they also might be her enemies the next time they meet

hope chasing after her and asking if she's actually worried about them, her clearly being worried and just putting on a front, not answering him, and then telling him he needs to go back if he wants to be safe because being around her would be too dangerous (ow!)

hope staying with lightning, falling down exhausted because he cant keep up, lightning calling him a liability and telling him he's in her way, her eidolon coming forward as she's trying to push him away from her and leave him (ow!!!!), her eidolon ONLY attacking hope during the fight, and then after he asks if he's really just in her way and she won't respond, says "we'll toughen you up" and then apologizes vaguely "for earlier" (a little too close to home, that one hurt a lot)

they keep flashing back to day 11 the night serah and snow got engaged, hope and his mom made wishes together, dajh made a wish for sazh to be happy again (he lost his wife somehow and his son is sad seeing him sad), and lightning got offered a promotion in the guardian corps and it's all just very sad to see how ordinary these people's lives were pre-purge

sazh talking over and over again about how pulse l'cie are the enemies of cocoon, how they should all die, and vanille, clearly upset, staying silent before sazh takes back his words and starts to believe a little more in the humaity of a l'cie which overall feels like him being talked out of suicide (this theme will continue for chapters to come)

vanille and sazh stopping to sleep for the night and vanille drawing a line in the dirt telling him not to cross it, only to cross it to be closer to him because she's having a nightmare. i see you. and i get you.

the flashback to serah breaking up with snow like 2 days before they get engaged because she got turned into a pulse l'cie and snow telling her "being alone is alright I guess. at least it was until I met you. now I know there's something better: being with you. we've come too far to quit now." and then tells her he will complete her focus for her so that she won't turn into a monster

at the start of chapter 5, lightning starts to soften her gaze when she speaks to hope and offers him the knife serah got her for her birthday. she also spends the entire chapter encouraging him while they're walking around and hope starts to feel more confident again

lighting telling hope about snow and about team NORA, which stands for no responsibility or authority, and hope naming his revenge plan on snow operation nora, after his dead mother that snow technically let die (though even lightning finally snaps and tells hope the sanctum was the real killer, not snow)

vanille asking if sazh has a family and him telling her about dajh and the way he was turned into a sanctum l'cie and then during the flashback you can see vanille and fang by dajh's side trying to heal him after her gets turned into a l'cie but they run away before sazh gets there, so he doesn't know vanille is the reason his son is a l'cie

this sweet moment before vanille falls asleep again

i did end up restarting ffxii and just based on first impressions i do understand why i originally disliked snow as much as i did because you first meet him and he's disgustingly arrogant and cocky and constantly talks about how he's a hero and he's strong because of it but you do actually see a glimpse of his true self when hope's mother dies and you can tell he's so scared of losing loved ones or really anyone around him jesus christ

[the-masked-ram]

Taking His Beauty- Chapter Four

CW: Not SFW, Dark Content, Yandere, Fem Reader, Reader Death, Major Character Death, Non-Con elements, Dubious Consent, A/B/O Dynamics, Forced Mating Bond, Omegaverse, Piss Kink, Scent Kink, Biting, Possessive Behavior, Knotting, Breath Play, Abduction, Slow Burn, Violence, Mild Gore, AU ----     Chapter Four: Gen Pop

You hadn’t come to take of care him for weeks. Instead, a pair of male beta had taken your place. When Dabi asked about you, he received nothing more than the cold shoulder and a withering glare that made him bristle. He felt constantly on edge, the meds seemed to be working less and less as his irritation only increased. He missed your scent, and the need to knot you only grew strong, the need to mark you. He breathed, today would be another day without you. Another day of boredom and wasting away strapped to chair. Dabi felt like he was drowning, and there was something in the betas who had come to take care of him. A scent they gave off even if it was barely noticeable, they were scared. They knew he was growing restless. That the increase of drugs in his system was no longer working. That the memories and nightmares plaguing him were causing black outs and time loss. He had nights where didn’t seem to sleep and days where he couldn’t remember blocks of hours. He had moments where he seemed to be sucked into the past, fighting invisible enemies, things he could barely understand, let alone protect himself from. Today was no different, his body lurched against the restraints, even when no one was in the room he was frantic. The lasers trained on him, prepared to put him out of his misery. Yet he couldn’t control it, not when the panic and the anger was swirling through him so wildly. Then a surge of calming pheromones flooded through the room, the scent of ripe honeydew and apple blossoms taking over every sense he had. He froze, coming back to the present and greedily sucked in the smell. The familiar promise of his omega. His fluctuating pupils landed on you closing the door, “They hadn’t told me you’d been struggling so much. They let you get far worse than they should have.” You walked to him, and he felt like a feral animal. Both terrified of this power you had over him and desperate to sink his teeth into your shoulder and rut his knot into you over and over, finally claim you. “Tsk, what were they thinking, letting you get like this,” you murmured, brushing your hand along his cheek. It was that touch, that warmth, and grounding promise of affection that snapped him back to reality. He smirked his arrogance back, his aloof attitude in control. Dabi licked his teeth and said, “Where ya been, dollface? Missed ya. No one smells quite as good as you do.” Your scent gushed out again, a thicker smell mixing with it and you avoided his gaze. He knew that smell, and he drank it in with desperation. His cock filling out in his pants. “I was relocated to another side of the facility after the last incident,” you said, slipping a small package out of your coat. “They figured you would do better with a beta. Obviously, they were wrong. We also only have one other omega on staff, and their quirk wouldn’t exactly be useful against yours.” He smirked, “So yer comin’ back now?” “No, and yes. I am coming back to take care of you, but they have noticed that the medications aren’t working on you correctly. Yet you haven’t burnt down the place. You are being moved to the high security general population wing.” His blue eyes widened in surprise, “Ya sure that’s smart?” “Going to try and convince me not to give you an upgrade?” you grinned. “Doesn’t sound very ‘smart’ on your part, Dabi.” He barked out a laugh, “True, no reason to look a gift horse in the mouth suppose. Question. Ya said you were taking care of me? But I’m headin’ to the gen pop floor?” “Mmm, I’d work there to keep you… calm shall we say. My superiors have noticed you seem better around me. And I’m not exactly useless when it comes to controlling large crowds,” you hummed as you checked his numbers. Frowning you double checked the chart. Then the machines again. “How are you even functional with this much pumping into you?” you mumbled tapping on your tablet and then shaking your head. “They should have told me much sooner.” “Ya have far too soft a heart, doll,” he grinned. “Carin’ so much for a criminal.” “I just care in general, Dabi,” you responded, brushing off his fishing. The grin on his face dropped, a frown furrowing his brow instead. You finished writing down new numbers and he looked up when you scent suddenly became muted, he noticed you had pushed you coat to the side, and exposed you scent gland to press a patch onto it. He felt drool pooling in his mouth so fast he had to gulp it down. You shoulder was so enticing, the tiny shimmer of your gland that he managed to see before you covered it by the cellophane-look of the patch was better than any porn or naked body he had ever seen. That’s where he would bite you. That’s where he would claim you. He watched you nonchalantly slip your clothes back into place, like you hadn’t just exposed your naked mating gland to a horny inmate. To the man who would be claiming you as soon as possible. “So Dabi, let’s get you fed, and we can go over what happens in general population, hm? There’s different rules there of course, you will have more freedom,” you said as you sat in front of him with his meal. “More freedom always sounds like a good thing,” he said with raised brow. “But ya said you’ll be with me, right?” He tried to make it sound curious, not come off like some anxious alpha. Dabi knew he needed to be strong to garner your interest. At least that’s what his instincts told him, and lately that’s the only constant he had. “Mmm, I will to some extent. I won’t be there all day or night. I will be there during times of distress, you can ask for me at any time, and I will be there during rest periods and right before lights out to check on your mental state,” you said calmly, as if this was just a job to you. This was just a job to you, he reminded himself with an internal snarl. That’s why he had to convince you to make it more than that. He’d have ample opportunities now though, ample opportunities to make you his. He almost purred at the thought but quickly pulled himself back under control. Instead focusing on eating. On the way your subtle scent still teased his nose. You were his, and no one would be taking you away. He’d make sure of that.  ----- Find early access and a lot more at my Patreon