#modern day trio

[melishade]

Number 38?

This ask game

Peaceful Timeline, 2000 years later

Optimus was quietly browsing through the computers on the ship to try and hack into the satellites on this world, but he wasn't an expert on technology. And neither was Megatron. But this was something that needed to be done. Decepticons were still active over 2,000 years after the war ended, and they had gone after humans. No doubt to get to him. That had to be the only reason. But was the Decepticon working for someone else? If so, who was he working for. This situation had lead to...another problem.

Optimus' audio receptors picked up on some chatter and glanced behind him to see the humans he had saved poorly hiding and whispering to one another on how to approach him. Humans. It's...it's been so long since he's been in the presence of a human for an extended period of time. Not like when he protected Ironspark's descendants. Those moments were brief. Instant. But to have humans in their home...it was surreal.

Megatron wanted nothing to do with them. He didn't want to get attached to the humans again. He knew why: it hurt Megatron too much. He practically spat in Optimus' face, telling him to 'take care of those new pets yourself'. Optimus knows that Megatron had a right to be angry. They had a rule: do not let the humans get involved in their lives. It happened. He didn't mean to. He just didn't want to see them get hurt. But now...did he put them in more danger? He just wanted-!

Optimus heard something clang in the hallway and could no longer ignore the humans. He minimized his work on the screens and walked over to where the humans were. He peered his head and looked down at the trio to see them panicking over knocking over a piece of metal. They must have thought it was something important.

"Is everyone alright?" Optimus asked them, causing them to look up at him with worry.

"W-we didn't mean to touch it!" the blonde boy, Armin, raised his hands in surrender, "Honest!"

"Thankfully what you hit was not important," Optimus informed, "But if you are going to be here for your protection, you must be careful with what you touch. You are more than welcome to ask me for information, but if you have nothing to do, then I suggest you work on your studies and extra curriculars. You are high schoolers and no doubt have to worry yourself with college."

"Well!" the brunette, Eren, spoke, "It's a little hard to do that when this is the coolest thing that has happened in our lives!"

"I understand, but I do need to focus," Optimus informed them, "I am uncertain of the location of the assailant who came after you, and I would prefer to locate them as soon as possible."

The woman, Mikasa, gasped. "Maybe we can look on the conspiracy website!"

"Yeah!" Armin agreed with excitement, "Someone must've taken a picture of it and thought it was like Optimus!"

"Conspiracy website?" Optimus questioned, regaining the attention of the trio.

"Y-yeah," Mikasa answered, "You're on the conspiracy website. So is Megatron."

Optimus showed visible astonishment at the proclamation. "Is that how you knew to search for me?"

"Yeah, you and Megatron have a reputation for being one of the oldest mysteries of our planet!" Armin exclaimed.

"Honestly, I thought it was all bullshit until I saw you," Eren confessed.

Optimus looked to be deep in thought.

"What's wrong?" Eren asked.

"Nothing, I just...did not expect our presence here on this world to have that much of an impact," Optimus explained, "I suppose I cannot erase the evidence."

"NO!" Armin screamed.

"DON'T DO THAT!" Mikasa hollered.

"Alright, I will not!" Optimus had to cover his audio receptors in response. He had forgotten how loud humans can be. But...he was curious as to what the humans thought. "Could you...show me this information you have acquired?"

The shock that morphed into unhinged gleam on both Armin and Mikasa made him feel uneasy.

"You shouldn't have done that," Eren proclaimed.

===

Megatron arrived later that night after scouring for energon and visiting Firelight's resting place. He honestly was just angry at Optimus and just didn't want to be around him. Now those fragile, puny humans were in their home! They only had one job! One responsibility! Keep tabs on Ironspark's descendants before sending Optimus back to Cybertron! Why did Optimus have such an attachment to these frail creatures?! It frustrated him! Why would Optimus be willing to risk going through that same emotional turmoil again?! It was just going to destroy him!

Megatron stopped himself before stepping inside the ship. Their home. He just didn't want Optimus to get hurt. Why would Optimus be willing to risk that pain again? Megatron growled in frustration as he stepped inside. He needed energon. Those pesky humans were no doubt gone. Megatron passed Optimus' work station, but paused in his step when he noticed something...odd. He could've sworn he saw a photo of Optimus on the screen. Megatron backpedaled to find Optimus staring at the screen containing both his and Optimus' alt modes. The Prime then selected a video, and was about to play it, but stopped when he noticed Megatron out of the corner of his optic.

"Welcome home," Optimus greeted.

"Optimus, what are you doing?" Megatron demanded as he stepped into the room, "I thought you were looking for the Decepticon that attacked you."

"I was," Optimus explained as he pressed play on the video, "But the humans have alerted us to the impact we might have had on this world."

Before Megatron could question him further, the video played, and he saw the logo of a show called 'Buzzfeed Unsolved'.

"This week on Buzzfeed Unsolved, we discuss what might be the oldest legend in the world."

"I still think some of the photos are photoshopped,"

"It was talked about for years!"

"Ryan, it doesn't even have a cool name! This is one of the better theories we're going to talk about and all they can come up with is the 'Futuristic Car' or the 'Ghost Car'?!"

"Oh my god, Shane,"

"Just call it an alien! It's an alien! That makes more sense!"

Megatron was confused at the sight of the two men laughing at each other before turning to Optimus with a questioning look.

"I believe we might be famous on this world," Optimus explained, "Do you wish to watch?"

"Watch what mere humans have to possibly speculate about our existence?" Megatron cocked at eyebrow, "...I'll get energon for the both of us. I'm curious."

(They proceed to make comments about the theories and Megatron laughs at being called a supernatural spirit. Anyway, 17 might take a while. I have something planned for that, and I've been asked 41, but the rest are free game. And be sure to vote in the pilot poll.)

[buff-muffin]

Just had the mental image of modern AU Romance Dawn trio where Nami was the only one who had a bike and so they would constantly use her to get around town. Luffy either sat on the handle bars or more funnily, the basket and Zoro sat on the back but Nami got sick of peddling them around so she switched with Zoro. Problem was, Zoro had no idea where they were going all of the time. So instead of sitting back to back she had to turn around and give directions. And if Zoro didn’t listen, she would reach forward and YANK the handle to where they needed to turn. Luffy has fallen off multiple times through this and laughs every single time finding it hilarious.

[yenich]

the boy's got real trust issues 'cause of these too

i mean who wouldn't...

was there actuslly smth on his back? did twins put smth?? who knows!!!

[rockturbot]

Nerevar doodle

[arthistoryanimalia]

#InternationalChameleonDay :

Hans Christian Scherfig (Danish, 1905-1979)

1. Kameleoner [Livet i skoven], 1964 Lithograph in colors, 59×42 cm

2. Two Chameleons, 1950 Tempera on masonite, 25 x 44 cm

3. Chameleons III, 1950 Tempera on masonite, 25×50 cm

[malkaleh]

ooooh so I would love to hear more about Helen Norwich, and about how the English Civil War might have gone in that 'verse!

Helen, I don’t know if I said but she’s Norwich’s niece. Which I want to be clear, he never did anything to her but OH BOY. She was also born not that long after Tom Cromwell escaped him (Helen was born in 1523) after he’d been expecting to be his older brothers heir for so long (his brother had been married twice before Helen’s mother with no children and they had Helen late in their marriage).

Helen is very quiet, very considered and sensible - but she is beautiful which Norwich, after his Annoyed At Her Existence was like ‘…oh yay BARGAINING CHIP’ - it meant he could hold her wardship and then find an appropriate husband for her that could best benefit him.

(Helen was preparing to make the best of this she could - at least Norwich didn’t actually give a fuck about the actual management of the Earldom and she’s fairly sure that any husband he would pick for her wouldn’t either and would be happy for her to stay in the country with their children while he was at court so…she’d have that at least, in between whatever cruelty)*

*I’m fairly sure Norwich wouldn’t suffer like extreme cruelty because Status Thing and Status Thing Only but also he would totally not care if Helen was miserable or not.

She gets the Earldom in her own right in the end and makes it a really lovely place again - I think Welles Hall is actually particularly famous for fine wool(s) but I’m still working that out.

The Civil War in OT3 verse is me going ‘what if I flip things and the Restorationists are pissed about the increasing democracy + their colonial attempts got slapped down HARD’ essentially.

Essentially there’s this but I’ll babble some more!

Baron Hugh Wake (Of Liddell) is based on a real historical family - the first Baron had a daughter married one of the sons of Edward I by his second wife. It is however by his son (in our history both of the first barons sons died but here his oldest lives) John that Baron Hugh is descended.

King Hugh/The Restorationist King essentially begins the rebellion, well I’ll go from my notes:

Started it after his father, son and some of his sons friends were going to be jailed for human rights abuses. Believed that England should be an Empire to be great, should expel all the Jewish people, should become a Christian nation and revert to the ‘natural order of nobility.  

(They attempted to start a colony in what we would call North America. (The Spanish had previously been kicked out of South America in a story that is not mine to tell but does happen). They failed Miserably)).

There are whisperings about the changes Thomas and Mihrimah make and things do happen but they really start in Turhan’s reign. And then it goes on and becomes louder. About how Not White, Not Christian the royal family has become. About how there are Jews and Muslims and…in England. About how there is no imperialism, no ‘glory of empire’ and how people are being penalised for trying to make one by like jail. 

So we get to Henry VIII’s great great (I think that’s enough greats!) grandson Arthur (Jahan) II (I call him Arthur II because of the Tudor Arthurian Fandom Thing). His first child is a daughter and he decrees that she’s going to be the heir regardless of any brothers born afterwards. The royal family takes the final steps to expand representative democracy. Also the eventual restoration king’s son, his sons friends and his father are jailed for a failed attempt to colonise North America. They rebel at all of the above (it is possible that I a biracial jewish etc woman am Having Some Feelings). Arthur is eventually beheaded, there’s a Restoration King for the same time Oliver Cromwell ruled and then..Arthur’s daughter Charlotte Askala is invited back. 

The Restorationist Reign included a lot of awful things happening - like I mentioned the reform schools here

But that was very much the idea - they also did that to the children of nobles etc who weren’t restorationists. It’s pretty heavy history and I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately (including Gregory Cromwell’s descendant(s) and how the chest with the Triads letters etc survived). The King Arthur Jahan was beheaded, his wife and daughter sent into exile. (I love them as well). Then Charlotte Askala (his daughter) is asked back because the whole thing falls apart after Hugh’s death (he’d styled himself essentially as protector of the realm for the quote ‘true king’

There’s a whole bunch of other things that will come up in the modern day with this universes version of the Abdication in the 1930s but I will stop now! (Also the other thing to know about Hugh is that he has two children he loves deeply - his son ended up in luxurious exile and never had children but his daughter had three daughters of her own but because Restorationists do not accept inheritance through the female line they are never going to be able to be held up as heirs which is a whole other Fuckery related to the abdication).

[addictofanimation]

A New Yaoqing Trio Supernatural AU...

I'm starting a new platonic Yaoqing Trio series where Jiaoqiu is a huli jing that Feixiao and Moze find and eventually befriend. Jiaoqiu, after seeing what this pair of aspiring supernatural hunters are up to and how they keep almost getting themselves killed, he eventually decided to stick around.

[haovcrse-a]

AWWW I FUCKINNG LOVE IT

DKJFH HEH im in my head, the thomahao arc plays out like a romeo juliette esc type of situation, where thoma befriends zhao but is like "my bf hates you :(" in his head so he's dancing around ayato and stuff when it comes to their hangouts. and then ayato is like "wait. shit i like two people?????!!!" after ayaka knocks some sense into him when it comes to his rivalry with zhao.

[detectiveaku]

schlatt as marla would just be. quackity being like "i think wilburs trying to cheat on you with me" and schlatt going "youre so fucking crazy get over here" *kissing meme image*

[doueverwonder]

Denmark: You know, Björn, the thing about me...

Denmark: My body is my rune stick and my tattoos are my saga.

Sweden: Yeah, its cool.

Denmark: It's like I've always said, show me a man with a tattoo, and i'll show you a man with an interesting story.

Sweden: Yeah but it seems like everyone has tattoos these days, so does that mean everyone has an interesting story?

Denmark: ....

[marybatson]

god i wanna stop thinkign abt the shzm movie franchise but until its gone compeltely from pop culture news im forced to see it so. i saw a review for the movie randomly that said that instead of it also contributing to hero movie fatigue critique alone it would also just be that its bland. and devoid of life or whatever and having seen like only movie 1 which was fine on its own i feel like the main problem here is the source content the movies are actually based on and hence just..devoid of life. because in all honesty johns did not give tht much of a shit to give billy + the other kids actual real goals trials or personal tribulations during n52. aside from the vaguest of ““found family”“ aspect of shazamily ..what else is there. its glaringly generic too because its found family in the most nuclear family way.. so the reason the movies just feel weirdly devoid of personality aside from one size fits all character tropes its like.... all because the movie sourced n52/rebirth continuity and that isnt even supposed to be a slight its literally just fact lol. 

[wumiings]

demon trio this, demon trio that. what about lit trio?? the most beautiful woman you have ever seen hangs out with the world’s skrunkliest drowned rat of a man and the modern day’s answer to a victorian novel character wasting away from tuberculosis. the former two are writers of very explicit works, which the latter complains about constantly despite voluntarily editing all their works and being good at it.

[vividxpages]

𐙚𓏲⋆ ִֶָ ๋𓂃 ⋆ᡣ𐭩"guilty as sin?" ᡣ𐭩⋆๋𓂃ִֶָ ๋⋆𓏲𐙚

pairing: Jacaerys Velaryon x fem!Reader

words: 5800

summary: You always thought Jace could not be in love with you, his best friend’s little sister, but a dramatic incident during one of Cregan’s house parties reveals the truth.

warnings: modern au, pining, not so unrequited love, reader is Cregan’s little sister and a huge bookworm, Jace is Cregan’s best friend, fluff and falling in love, angst (mentions of childhood trauma/almost drowning), hurt/comfort, first kiss

a/n:  i fought for my life uploading this via my phone, all the formatting from google docs went wooosh haha. Just a little something and different from what I wrote for Jace so far <3 The pool scene is inspired by the Maxton Hall series - if you watched it, you’ll know why ;) 

-⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ ☁️📖🤍୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

Your brother Cregan had met a new friend, during one of his vacations with his boys. Someone had asked the curly haired boy if he wanted to join and just like that, Jacaerys had become Cregan’s friend.

It was easy like that, sometimes.

But when your brother brought Jace over for the first time and you were reading in the living room, deeply lost in your book and not prepared for visitors, things quickly got much more complicated.

He was cute and completely unaware of it as you shook hands and he gave you an adorable smile that made you weak in the knees. 

In the beginning, you thought he was like a ghost in your home, only appearing from time to time and briefly, but always leaving goosebumps on your skin when he shyly waved at you. Just his sight alone was enough to make you want to bury your face in your book. You wanted to become his friend, too. Until you wanted to be more than that.

And over the months, their duo became a trio as you joined them more and more often, curled up on your brother’s bed as he and Jace played a video game or going out with them for food or random drives.

You laughed together - it was so so easy to laugh with Jace - and you got to know him better when he told you about his big family and how nice it was to retreat into your quieter family’s house sometimes.

You caught yourself watching him more and more when no one was looking, daydreaming about what it’d be like to be close to him, to kiss his pouty lips and be his girlfriend…

But you were a trio now and you two were only connected by your older brother in the end.

But god, how inevitably you had fallen for Jacaerys, how impossible it was to forget about these desires.

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃🥛 ࣪ ִֶָ.

It didn't take long until Jacaerys followed you into your dreams. 

When you were sleeping, especially after you had read a couple pages of your favorite romance novels, he came to you, surrounded by smoke and fog. And for only a short lived dream, you could see each other together, doing things you wouldn't dare to think about during the day.

It was maddening and perfect and everything you wanted, but when you woke up, you were alone still.

You stared at the ceiling of your room, sighing deeply. Tucking your favorite stuffed animal, a small wolf with spotted fur, back under your blanket, you slid out of bed, in need of a distraction from fantasizing about kissing your brother's best friend.

You tiptoed down the staircase, silently slipping into the kitchen and feeling around the wall for the lightswitch. 

"Don't get scared, I'm here." A soft voice came from the darkness and as you switched the light on, you spotted Jacaerys sitting at the kitchen table. 

His hair looked disheveled from sleeping and he wore a long shirt and boxers, sheepishly looking at you with his phone in his hands.

Your hand itched to tuck a loose curl behind his ear for him.

“What are you doing awake?” You whispered, shuffling closer and rubbing your eyes with a yawn.

“I could ask you the same thing.” He smiled warmly at you, shrugging.

“I live here and I wanted a midnight snack.” You gave back. You rarely were alone with Jace lately, he and Cregan seemed to have reached a new stage in their friendship where it wouldn’t have surprised you if your older brother took his favorite Velaryon to the bathroom with him. “Is Cregan snoring?”

Jace chuckled quietly. “No. I just wanted to check my phone in case my cousin Rhaena texted me. My brothers are on a little trip with her and I want to make sure they’re okay and not homesick. They seem fine though, she sent me a picture of them eating ice cream earlier.”

Your chest ached funnily at the way he talked so lovingly about his family. But you knew Cregan’s habit as the oldest son all too well, needing to make sure you were okay all the time and you didn’t miss the way Jace smiled sadly at the picture on his phone after showing it to you.

“I bet they have the most amazing time and can’t wait to tell you all about it once they’re back.” You assured him and before you would have thought twice about it, you reached out and squeezed his shoulder. Your touch lingered, just a little moment too long and your eyes met. 

Your breath hitched at his dark eyes on yours, shimmering in the soft kitchen light. You were both barefoot, in your sleeping clothes and your hair was open and uncombed and your heart was way too open for this time of the night.

You heard him exhale softly as you drew your hand back, feeling as if you had burned yourself. But why did you want to throw yourself wholly into his flames then?

“Would you like a chocolate milk?” You offered, the moment between you vanished. “It always helps me get back to sleep again.”

Jace furrowed his brows. “Cregan’s crazy for them too. He told me earlier you’re out of any chocolate milk.”

You grinned knowingly, walking past him and illuminating yourself in the cold light of the open fridge. “Yeah, that’s because he doesn’t suspect me hiding them behind the healthy stuff he avoids.”

Brushing past your yogurts and meal preps for your summer job, you produced two small milk cartons, shaking them victoriously. 

Jace grinned at you and it only made you a little bit weak in the knees. "You're brilliant."

"I'm trying to survive with my vacuum cleaner of a hungry brother." You joked and handed him a carton, the two of you content as you began to sip on the sweet chocolate milk.

Under the soft light of the kitchen lamp, Jace and you forgot about time as you shared whispered stories with each other, your drinks soon becoming empty and replaced by new ones.

His gentle and unhurried words were good at calming down your entire body and soon, you felt your eyes drooping.

"I think we should both go back to bed now." Jace whispered. "I told Cregan we'll go play some basketball tomorrow morning and I want to beat him."

You laughed at the thought of your giant of a brother going up against Jacaerys. "Well, good luck to you."

With a tiny yawn, you stood up and smiled at him once again. "Thank you for the conversation, Jace. Sleep well."

"Goodnight." Jace said softly and for a moment, you lingered in the doorway, imagining if you weren't leaving. Imagining the two of you, him with you in his lap, pulling you closer as you kissed.

But you could dream about these things.

With one last smile, you left him, although your heart ached to stay with him for just a little longer.

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🍋.

One afternoon, you were reading by the pool in the backyard. 

You had just come back after your shift at your holiday job, helping out in a little bookshop downtown, and were now ready to relax all day.

On a small table next to your sun lounger stood a carafe of freshly pressed lemonade and the bookish harvest of the day, ready to be devoured by you until the sun went down.

The garden gate by the house rattled and you looked up, your hands nearly forgetting to put a bookmark between the pages as you spotted Jace letting himself in. 

Your mouth went dry at his appearance, dark sunglasses holding back his curls, his white shirt a stark contrast against them. Illuminated by your kitchen lights or the sun itself, it didn't seem to matter for him. 

He was so pretty, it almost made you want to look away, but you couldn't. You never could. And wasn’t this the root of the problem?

You swallowed against the dryness in your throat. “Hey.”

“Hi.” He smiled sheepishly at you before he looked up to Cregan’s window. “Cregan is not home yet?”

You shook your head. “Nope. It’s just me right now. Should I tell him you stopped by?”

He scratched his neck, a little helpless. “Um…if it’s okay, I could stay and wait for him? I like spending time with you, too, if that’s alright.”

You wanted to bury your face in your hands and giggle like stupid. You didn’t. “Yes, of course, no worries. Would you like a lemonade?”

Jace gratefully took the glass from your hands, your knuckles brushing against one another. “Thanks. You can continue reading if you want, just act like I’m not here.”

You thought about the steamy chapter you had just begun reading and considered your options. If you read, it was like every character the narrator was in love with became Jace. In your head, you two had already kissed and made love a thousand times like this. If you continued reading those longing and hot scenes with Jace so close to you, you were afraid you’d actually implode.

You watched him closely as he sat down by the edge of the pool, abandoning his shoes so he could dangle his long legs into the water.

The words in front of you melted together on the page, making it impossible to continue reading when he was so close to you.

Shifting on your sunchair, you allowed yourself to simply look at Jace who tilted back his head, closing his eyes against the sun and appreciating the quietness of the backyard. You wanted to go to him and kiss him on the lips. You wanted to go inside and splash very cold water on your face to stop these thoughts from happening.

“You know, I never see you swimming in here.” Jacaerys looked at you curiously, eyes scrunched together a little from the sun and probably the fact he was not wearing his contacts. 

You shrugged, a little shy out of the sudden. “I used to, when I was younger. But…not anymore.”

“What happened?” Jace looked at you, curious yet a little worried.You tried to shrug it off, only to realize there was no shame in you when you talked to him. He waited for you, patiently so, but somehow you knew he would’ve let it go if you wanted it.

“We were on vacation once, Cregan, Sara and I, with our parents.” You told him and in your mind you could see the three of you playing together in the garden, your brother giving you a piggyback ride as Sara laughed in delight. “I wanted to go swimming in the morning, but no one was awake yet, so I snuck out. I just couldn’t wait to get into the pool. But I underestimated how deep it was and I couldn’t hold myself up well enough then…Cregan had woken up when he heard me leave and found me. I scared everyone, but I was okay, just coughed up some water and was shocked at my own boldness. Ever since, the pool and I are not really on good terms.”

Jacaerys looked at you, eyes filled with consternation and empathy. “I’m sorry you had an experience like this. That must’ve been very scary.”

You looked at him with surprise, but there were no jokes in him, only sympathy. “It was, but it’s okay. I was…six, I think, so it’s long behind me.”

“This whole pool is a waste if you can’t enjoy it.” Jace tried to lighten the mood and as always, his playful tone lured a smile out of you. A certain sparkle danced through his eyes and you knew whatever came next could not be taken seriously: “What would you like to have instead of it? A garden library maybe, for all your books? Maybe I can convince Cregan to cement the pool shut once your parents are gone next weekend.”

You laughed, a warm rush blossoming through you at the mention of your own little library. He knew how much you read and he had no clue you were seeing him in every love interest of your cheesy romance novels… “I bet my parents would love that and totally not…murder us once they’re back.”

As you laughed together, the small weight on your chest lifted itself and the memory from your story faded again, nothing but a distant thought of the past. 

Cregan came home a little later and as he and Jace left to go up into his room, the two of you smiled at each other one last time, as if you were sharing a secret no one knew but you now.

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🍿.

It was getting late, but Tuesday was movie night and neither of the three of you wanted to pull out of it first. 

Cregan, Jace and you had pushed the couch table to the side and splayed blankets and pillows all over the carpet earlier.

To our feet was the rest of your movie snacks, but only a half-full bowl of popcorn remained which you passed back and forth from time to time.

When Cregan had suddenly not grabbed the bowl from you anymore, you and Jace had shared a knowing look.

Your brother was snoring softly, his head tilted back and arms entwined in front of his broad chest. He was out cold, completely oblivious to the movie still running quietly on the TV screen.

But you and Jace were still awake.

And out of the sudden you realized that you had never sat so close to each other. Your shoulders were almost touching and somewhen, your legs had ended up underneath his blanket, your fuzzy socks brushing against his calf.

You willed your breathing to remain regular, seemingly impassive as you continued to watch the movie, but you simply could not concentrate, not when Jace’s presence so close to you clouded all your senses like this.

The atmosphere was thick with tension and you wondered if all of this was only happening in your mind. You took a deep breath and reached for the popcorn again.

Tiny lightning struck you as your fingers brushed against Jace’s, neither of you pulling back.

You took all your courage and looked up to him, his burning gaze already resting on you. You swallowed thickly, unable to look away and when you felt his thumb brushing over your knuckles, you were sure you were going mad.

It seemed like Jace couldn’t look away either and a full-body shudder went through him when your leg shifted against his.

“You can sleep.” Jace whispered into the darkness, gulping hard. “I’ll switch the TV off later. I…I’ll watch over you.”

I don’t want to sleep. I want you and I’m afraid of what happens to me if I can’t have you.

But you feared your own words and the impact that they might have, destroying everything Jace and you had become over the last couple of months.

What if dreams were safer than reality, where nothing could hurt or disappoint you?

Your head fell softly against Cregan’s shoulder, sweet oblivion already pulling you under at the outlook of his sweet promise to you. 

As you drifted asleep, you could’ve sworn there was a featherlight brush over your thigh, four little invisible letters forever imprinted into your soft skin

m…        

...i...           

 …n...                      

…e

And as he watched your breath evening out, Jacaerys sighed deeply, his head bumping against the cushions of the couch and trying to calm down his pounding heart.

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ📖.

The weekend came and Cregan and you watched your parents’ car leave the driveway, your arms slung around each other as you waved at them before they drove out of sight.

Your brother and you were standing together for a moment of silence until you said: “If tonight escalates in any way, I’m telling mom.”

“If you sneak downstairs and drink with the guys, I’m telling dad.”

You snorted, unimpressed. “Please, I’d rather lock myself in my room all weekend long if it means I can avoid your stupid house party.”

Later that day, when it had gotten dark outside and the lawn was plastered with abandoned bikes and a few cars parked nearby, you realized how painfully true you had spoken.

Cregan’s party had been going strong for a while now and you felt like a hermit, hiding upstairs in your room to avoid the chaos that was probably taking place downstairs.

You had curled up by the window with a book, but couldn’t find peace. 

Every minute, someone downstairs was calling for a toast or more shots which was celebrated by everyone. Music was blasting through the speakers and you groaned internally at the way the vibrations could be felt through your carpet.

Cregan could only pull this because the neighbors loved him for helping out here and there sometimes and because he always miraculously managed to clean up the house like nothing wild had ever occured here.

When you heard something shatter downstairs, you had enough.

You closed your book and got up. 

Sure, you had wanted to stay away from all the fuzz Cregan’s friends made, but this was still your house. You were allowed to move around whenever you wanted.

You muttered the words to yourself as you closed your door behind you, stomping down the staircase Cregan had declared taboo for everyone.

No one really took notice of their host’s little sister as you walked down the hallway, past many guests who were lingering by the walls and chatting with each other.

Making your way past the living room, you could see that the couch table had been pushed back for more space to dance, but the kitchen was relatively empty compared to the rest of the house.

There were multiple open pizza cartons on the counter and you grabbed yourself an extra cheesy slice as you looked around, amazed at how none of these people seemed to care who was walking around here. 

All except one.

“I thought you might’ve taken refuge tonight at Baela’s.” Jace said behind you and you turned around with a sigh, smiling at him in playful annoyance.

“I wish I could’ve, but she is not in town as you might know.” You told him, munching on your pizza. “She’s at some bonding activity dinner with her dad.”

Jace hummed knowingly. “I heard. So you had no choice but to suffer the consequences of Cregan’s actions?”

The two of you looked around and you winced when you heard some splashes coming from the backyard, accompanied by some carefree shrieks of delight. Jace bit his lip, a little guilty at your discomfort. 

“I’ll come around tomorrow and help him clean everything up.” He offered as a small comfort, his hand itching to rest on your shoulder like you had done to him. “There won’t be a dirty spot, I promise.”

“I know, Jace.” You sighed. “Thank you, truly. Where is my brother, by the way?”

Jace looked flustered to the ground, before smiling at you without teeth. “I think he went somewhere with a girl.”

“Of course he did.” Another loud crash went down outside and something in you snapped. “Okay, I’m going to go outside for a second, I don’t think some of these assholes realize we have neighbors, hold on-”

Jace looked over his shoulder, telling a group nearby to keep it down a little before he followed you.

For just a moment, you disappeared in the crowd and he had no idea which side you had gone for, trying to stand taller to spot you in the garden.

You quickly found the source to all the noisiness.

Three of Cregan’s guests, all boys you had never seen before in your life, were battling themselves for the biggest jump in the pool, splashing everywhere and soaking the pillows on the sun chairs with water.

“Hey.” You stared them down, blocking one of them from taking another leap in the pool. “Could you stop being an ass and jumping into the pool like a maniac? We have neighbors on each side of our backyard and it’s almost midnight, it’s so rude.”

The guy grinned down at you, looking over his shoulders to his smirking friends. “Did you hear that, guys? I think Cregan’s mom just came home, are you the fun police or what?”

You stared at him, irritated at such rude behavior. “I’m just telling you to calm down a little or I’ll kick you out, how’s that?” You might’ve been only Cregan’s little sister, but growing up with a fiercely protective brother like him, you had learned to stand your ground. And you were not scared of an idiot who looked like he had pissed his pants.

“Aww, I think you need a little fun, don’t you think?” He looked down on you, stepping closer until you felt the need to step back. “How about a little cool-off for you, huh?”

And with those words, he abruptly pushed you into the pool and everything went dark around you.

The people who had watched the heated exchange gasped and Jacaerys perked up as he heard nothing but quietness, quickly pushing his way through the crowd.

He came to a sudden stop at the edge of the pool, his eyes flickering back and forth between the guys standing by the edge and the water’s surface, its softening waves quietening down.

But underneath it, illuminated by the night lamps of the pool, he saw you and his eyes widened.

He did not think, did not even hesitate before he jumped into the water after you.

The surprising cold was like a shock to his system, his wet clothes dragging him down to where you floated, your eyes wide open but unseeing as you watched the bubbles around you.

Suddenly, you were six again and you couldn’t move.

You thought you were dying and no one would know, no one would know what you still had to say.

You wanted to kick and scream, to do something goddammit, but you were paralyzed by the sudden overwhelming scare.

Jace blinked and pushed himself forward, icy fear shooting through his veins when you gave no reaction that you had taken any notice of him. But the fear was quickly joined by the rage, anger over you, the most innocent being in this whole house, having been the one who took the most damage tonight...

Jace and you broke through the surface, the air rushing back into your lungs all at once and making you gasp painfully. Disoriented, you clung to Jace's shirt, looking around wildly as he pulled you close and soothed you.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm here, it's okay, love." He murmured near your ear and you felt your body slump, not able to hold yourself up yet.

You felt his hands on your waist and then, with one hand around your back and the other supporting the back of your knees, he walked towards the low end of the pool, carrying you out as if you weighed nothing.

You painfully became aware of how quiet it had gotten around you. Everyone in the garden was looking at you, shocked and a little ashamed that a foul joke like that had escalated into something so serious.

Something ugly and hot burned in your throat and you buried your face in Jace's wet neck, holding on to him for dear life and wishing everyone would just disappear.

A helpless whimper escaped you and Jace held you only tighter. "It's okay, I got you. I won't let anything happen to you, we're almost out."

Both of your clothes hung heavily down your bodies as he left the pool with you, throwing one last deathly glance at the guy who messed with you before he made his way towards the house, still mumbling little sweet nothings in your ear as you tried to regulate your breathing to no avail.

You shivered even as you entered the warm house and simply tried to focus yourself on Jace. He efficiently made his way through your home and before you knew it, he was walking up the taboo staircase, going straight to your room.

You quietly sniffled to yourself, letting him carry you a few more steps before he gently set you down on your bed. He looked around, one hand brushing back his wet hair, and found your fluffy bathrobe hanging by the door.

"Can I?" He asked lowly, his heart aching at your slumped form on the bed. This whole incident had deeply shaken you to the core. "You're going to be cold soon if you don't get out of your…wet clothes."

If the situation had been different, you'd match his fierce blush, but it was like every feeling of shame had vanished from your chest and only left you empty. You nodded silently, taking the bathrobe he handed you before he turned around and faced the door.

You quickly slipped out of your clothes and sighed when you were enveloped by the fluffy robe.

"You can look again…" You told him and he turned around with a shaky exhale.

Normally, his job here was done now. He could go, rejoin the party and find Cregan so he'd kick those guys out.

But Jace could not imagine a single place where he was needed more in this moment than right here, with you.

"Should I make you a tea?" He broke the silence, fidgeting with his hands. When one of his younger brothers was hurting, he'd always make it better with a hug, but you were different, you were so much more-

"Can you just hold me for a while?" You pulled the rope tighter around you, your wet hair still clinging to your neck and cheeks. "Please?"

Maybe the leap into the pool had made you silly. It was bold and daring and you had no right to ask him of this, but your heart had spoken deeply from its core and you found that you did not wish to take the words back.

Jace's gaze softened at your plea. "Of course." He mumbled softly and sat down beside you.

A heavy shudder ran through you as his arms pulled you against him and you gladly fell into his side; letting yourself be held like a small child, your hands clinging to the arm wrapped around you.

You couldn't help yourself when your bottom lip started to wobble again and neither of you had to say it, he knew why this had been so scary to you. You felt his chin rest on your hair and his strong arms around you and closed your eyes, allowing yourself to be comforted by him.

You had dreamed about being held by him, more than you could ever count, but not like this. It was a bittersweet feeling and when you snuggled yourself closer to him, in need for warmth and him, Jace took a deep breath.

"We should find you a towel." He murmured, his lips ghosting over your temple just like his hand had ghosted over your thigh…

You shivered, but not because you were cold anymore.

"I don't want you to get sick."

You nodded, sitting up with him and looking deep into his eyes. He didn't seem like he was able to get up just yet, the two of you lost in each other.

He had jumped into the cold water for you, not even hesitating a second. Your heart brimmed with love for him, nearly as bad as what it felt like to drown. And god, how you wanted to drown in him…

His dark eyes flickered down to your mouth and only now, you realized how close you still were sitting together, the slip of your bathrobe revealing half of your naked thigh to him.

"Jace…" You whispered and prayed all the prelude of wanting him and not being sure if you were allowed to have him was finally over now. "I-"

The door to your room opened and in came Cregan, panting as if he had run upstairs. 

"Shit, are you okay?" He rushed to you, kneeling in front of the bed and looking you over in concern. "I was told what happened, I'm so sorry I wasn't there."

"It's okay." You mumbled, not wanting to worry him further. You already had scared Cregan badly enough for one time in your lives. "Jace helped me."

If Cregan noticed that he and you were still linking pinkies, he did not say anything about it. "I threw these fuckers out right away. The party is over."

You blinked at him. "What? You were excited about it all week. You don't have to-"

"Almost everyone is gone already." Cregan tried to smile encouragingly at you, but you could still see the worry in his eyes. "How about you'll change into something dry and I make us a snack? Are you sure you’re okay?"

"I'll leave you two." Jace announced quietly and squeezed your hand once more. "I'll go downstairs and make sure everyone is gone."

For just a moment, you did not want to let go of his hand and your fingers brushed midair before he slipped out of your grasp.

As the door closed behind him and Cregan brought you a towel for your hair, you already missed him like a lost limb.

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🌸.

Of course, what had to happen, happened; a few days later, you found yourself sick.

Neither you nor Cregan had told your parents how the party had abruptly ended, a secret deal between the two of you so they wouldn't worry too much about you and they didn't have to punish Cregan for it.

So, your days at the end of summer were spent on the couch downstairs, curled up under a blanket and frequently attended by Cregan who brought you snacks and chocolate milk. It sucked and it was boring since you quickly ran out of books, but it was better than the horrible panic that went through you when you had been thrown into the pool.

On day three though, you had a visitor.

You blinked as steps approached your little sickbed, still a bit sleepy from your afternoon nap and the delicious noodle soup that had been made for you. But to your surprise, Cregan only stood at the staircase, smiling fondly at you before disappearing upstairs, making room for Jace who had waited behind him.

Your heart skipped a beat and a thousand thoughts rushed through your head. When had you showered the last time, did you comb your hair this morning, were you-

"Hey." Jace said softly. "I wanted to see if you were feeling better."

"A little." You smiled at him, sitting up and placing your wolf in your lap as he walked towards you. "You didn't have to come though, I don't want you to get sick."

He brushed your worries away and sat down on the carpet in front of your couch. "I brought you some tea. Raspberry was your favorite, right? And then, I thought you might want some new reading material."

You gasped as he conjured up a big bouquet of wildflowers from behind his back. At the first glance, it was only the most beautiful flower bouquet you had ever seen, but then you spotted a book in the middle of the blossoms.

And then another one.

And another one.

"Jace…" You whispered with wide eyes, shaking your head at him in disbelief. "You made me a flower bouquet with books?"

He bit his lip in flusteration, a pretty pink blush appearing on his cheeks. "Yeah...I went to the bookstore you work at and thought about what you might enjoy. I hope you like them, I kept the receipt just in case and-"

"Jace." You interrupted him and now it was your turn to blush as you pressed the bouquet to your chest, the new books in the middle of it already singing your name. "This is the loveliest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you, I love it so much. I bet the books you chose are wonderful."

In this moment, it didn't matter to you that you were sick and still a little nasal. The way he smiled up at you, like you were his entire world and his shoulders sagged with relief - your heart screamed at you to finally give in.

Give in to him.

The wrapping paper around your bouquet rustled against your chest as you bent forward and rested a careful hand on Jacaerys' cheek.

He looked up at you with wide puppy eyes, thunderstruck at the tender touch and then you really didn't know anymore who made the first move but it didn't matter, because then-

Your lips touched softly.

It barely was a real kiss, merely the brush of a butterflies' wing against you, but it was all you had longed for for so long.

Neither of you dared to breathe, the moment too soft and fragile to become anything deeper. But you felt him exhale shakingly, his thumb softly holding your chin to keep you close for just a moment longer. It was the softest first kiss you could’ve imagined for yourself.

You leaned back, but only a little, and watched as Jace's eyes blissfully fluttered open, fixing your own wide ones dreamily.

"If I would've known books are the way to your heart, I would've brought you some so much earlier." He confessed breathlessly.

You shook your head, your lips still tingling from this first shy kiss. "You have been in my heart since I first met you."

Jacaerys wanted to melt from the victorious roar his heart let out, a dragon taking flight. "I've been in love with you, too. Ever since Cregan introduced us."

Your hands found their way to each other before you let out a sudden laugh.

"What is it?" He wanted to know.

"I just- I kissed you."

He grinned. "Yeah, you did." And he was in need of a repetition already.

"Jace, you're going to be sick like me." You pointed out guiltily, although it didn't seem too bad to have a companion in your little misery, especially if it was him.

"Oh." He did not look like he had a single care for the consequences of your actions. 

"Are you two done yet down there?!" Cregan called from upstairs and when your eyes met, you broke into laughter and your heart blossomed at Jace's happy giggle.

It knew now that he was yours.

And you were his, just as he had once written on your upper thigh…

𓆩♡𓆪

[arthistoryanimalia]

#WorldSparrowDay:

Joseph Stella (Italian-American, 1877-1946)

1. Dance of Spring (Song of the Birds), 1924, oil on canvas

2. Study for Song of Birds, c.1924, silverpoint & crayon

from the 2023 “Joseph Stella: Visionary Nature” exhibition at Brandywine Museum of Art

“Stella assembles a classical temple of flora and fauna - in his own words, culled ‘from the elysian lyricism of the Italian spring.’ Flowers rise from a pink lotus at the base of a central column, culminating in the curious combination of a lupine and a longhorn steer's head flower, a floral form that resembles a bull's skull. Below perch three sparrows, the national bird of Italy* and a favorite of Stella's. He may have worked out this group separately in a silverpoint composition (on view adjacently) featuring the birds set among the branches of a winterberry tree rather than within a floral temple.”

🆔 Italian sparrow (Passer italiae)

[brokenmenswhore]

Can you do a modern!jace x best friend!reader?? Like Jace likes reader but she’s in a relationship with a guy who cheats on her with multiple women and like one day when reader and jace are hanging out they saw readers bf on a date with another girl. Jace fights the bf and just basically angst and fluff maybe smut in the end if you like.

“i’m gonna kill him” aka my favorite thing for a hot guy to say ever. this is formatted as a drabble :)

obvious | jacaerys velaryon

pairing: modern!jacaerys velaryon x fem!reader

warnings: fighting? just a lil angst & fluff

────── ☾ ──────

“Does he have to come?” Jace asked you, swinging open the door to the backseat of your car and settling down in the center of the long seat.

“Can’t always be the passenger princess, Jace,” you laughed.

“That’s not why I asked,” he pouted in response.

“Then what’s the matter? I thought you guys got along?”

Jace sighed. “Forget it.”

“Jace, tell me,” you pressed.

He shrugged. “I just think you could do better.”

At that very moment, your boyfriend opened the passenger side door, shifting into the seat and leaning over to place a kiss on your lips.

“Hey, baby,” he said to you. He then turned toward the backseat. “What’s up, Jake?”

Jace rolled his eyes, his nostrils flaring in frustration as you giggled.

“Babe, it’s Jace, not Jake,” you told him.

���Fuck, sorry man,” your boyfriend apologized.

When Jace didn’t respond, your boyfriend turned back around and faced forward as you put the car in drive and pulled away from his house.

Jacaerys often acted like this around your boyfriend. You weren’t really sure why. When he was alone with you, Jace was bubbly, personable, kind, and made you laugh like no one else on earth. But in a trio, Jace shut down and huffed at any attempt to pull him into conversation, and it only got worse with time.

You and Jace had been best friends since you moved to town a few years ago. He immediately approached you when he first saw you, and the friendship blossomed into the most genuine relationship of your life.

But it wasn’t a romantic relationship.

Yes, Jace was handsome, and it was not like you’d say no if he asked, but he never asked. After a while, you accepted that you two were comfortable as friends, and your connection became so pure that it would seem stupid to do anything that may ruin it.

When you met your boyfriend, you were instantly attracted to one another, but your brain flashed a memory of Jace in your head. Just friends you thought.

Your boyfriend won you over quickly, romancing you in every way he possibly could. Jace wasn’t impressed, saying he was overdoing it and it seemed disingenuous.

You were with Jace the first time you suspected him of cheating. Jace was in your bedroom, making himself comfortable on top of the sheets as you emptied the days contents from your bag. You had seen your boyfriend earlier in the day, and he returned the mascara you told him you’d forgotten in his bathroom.

You pulled out the tube and inspected the labels. You were staring at the black cylinder for long enough that Jace noticed.

“You good?” he called out.

“This mascara isn’t my brand.”

“Ok?”

You sighed. “This brand tests on animals. I only use brands that don’t.”

Jace put an arm behind his head to use as a pillow. “So why are you carrying it around?”

“I left my mascara at his house and asked him to bring it today.”

“Dude, I’m so confused,” he said.

“This isn’t mine,” you said, holding it up for a moment.

Jace finally caught on. “Why would he have makeup at his house if it isn’t yours?”

“That’s what I’m saying, Jace.”

Even though Jace had done nothing but shit on your boyfriend since the day you met him, he didn’t want to see you hurt. “I’m sure it’s just a mistake, like it’s his sister’s or something. There’s always a perfectly reasonable explanation. Besides, he’d be an idiot to do that to you.”

The next time, Jace watched you get into a fight with your boyfriend after a girl approached him when the three of you were out. She claimed to have slept with him less than a week earlier and never got a call back from him.

He swore to you that he had never seen her before, and she must have mistaken him for someone else.

As much as you trusted your boyfriend, you were a girl’s girl, and she seemed so sincere. You knew he was a bit of a player before he met you, so it was natural that you had your doubts.

You confided in Jace through the phone later that night, as you oftentimes did.

“I’m just nervous that I’m the idiot. What if she was telling the truth?”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Y/N.” That was a lie. He knew exactly what he wanted to tell you. He wanted to tell you that yes, your boyfriend was a cheating scumbag, and you should dump him and date Jace instead. But he didn’t say another word.

“But if he is cheating on me, it’s my fault.”

“What does that mean?” Jace asked, confused.

You were beginning to tear up. You sniffled, “he’s destined to get it somewhere if he’s not getting it from me.”

Even though Jace was alone in his room, laying on his bed, he still sat up when he heard what you said. “What?”

You just continued to breathe heavily and sniffle on the other end of the phone.

“You- you haven’t had sex yet?” He couldn’t help but ask the question.

“Not with him.”

Jace ran his fingers through his hair. He was so relieved. He was so happy. He was now thinking about you and sex and his mind was racing.

“If anyone cheats on you because you aren’t ready to have sex yet, they’re a fucking idiot. Listen to me, Y/N, never let him pressure you. I swear to god I’ll kill him.”

Jace had never spoken to you like that, and it caught you somewhat off guard.

“I won’t. Thank you, Jace.”

There were more little red flags that popped up over the course of your relationship, and Jace would, like a good best friend does, sit there and listen to you work through each and every one of them. The more and more your boyfriend caused you to feel like this, the more Jace just wanted to scream at you to dump him already, but he held his tongue.

────── ☾ ──────

You and Jace spent the day together, enjoying the weather and connecting without any interruptions. You were walking down the street, discussing where you should go next when you spotted him across the busy road.

Your boyfriend, seated outside a restaurant, was across the table from another girl.

Jace followed your sight line and saw him too.

“I’m gonna kill him.”

You put a hand on his chest, “wait, Jace. Maybe it’s just a friend? I mean, you and I are hanging out.”

You swallowed your words immediately as you watched both of them lean across the table and kiss.

Jace took one look at your face and speed walked across the busy street, marched right up to your boyfriend, and punched him in the face.

He fell backwards in his chair, holding his nose as he moved to stand up.

“You got a fuckin problem?” your boyfriend yelled.

“Yeah, I do,” Jace said, lifting the empty water glass from the table, “you.” He hit the glass on top of your boyfriend’s head as hard as he possibly could, but the glass didn’t break. Instead, it just hit him.

Your boyfriend grabbed Jace’s wrist, forcing him to drop the glass as he punched Jace directly in the nose.

Jace dove into him, nearly pushing him into oncoming traffic as he tried to land even more punches.

The restaurant staff rushed outside to break up the fight. They held Jace’s arms back as your boyfriend looked around for the girl he was with, who was now gone. Instead, he saw you, and immediately turned around and left.

“Yeah, run, you fucking coward, you didn’t deserve her anyway,” Jace called out.

The restaurant staff dropped Jace’s arms when he calmed down. He wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve, cleaning off the blood.

You stepped in front of him, taking his face in your hands as you inspected his wounds. “You think you might have a broken nose?” you asked.

Jade scoffed. “He can’t hit that hard.”

You sighed. “Let’s just get to the car.”

You both walked in silence to the car. When you were seated inside, you turned to Jace. “Why, Jace? Why?”

Jace held a napkin he stole from the restaurant to his nose. “The fuck do you mean why?”

“Why would you do that?”

Jace looked around the car as if there was an audience who would agree with him that your question was crazy. “He cheated on you, Y/N, I think what I did was justified.”

“You didn’t have to fight.”

“Yes I did. I told you I was gonna kill him.”

You scoffed. “Jace, I fucking figured you were kidding! I didn’t want you to hit him!”

“But are you mad at me now that I did?”

You looked into his eyes for a moment as he dropped the napkin, and the blood flow stopped.

“No,” you admitted, “I just don’t get why. I know we’re friends, but that seems extreme.”

“You’re not just my friend.”

You shifted in your seat. “What?”

Jace’s muscles tensed when he realized what he said. “Nothing.”

“No, Jace, if you have something to say to me, now’s the time.”

Almost immediately, he replied, “it’s not obvious to you how in love with you I am?”

Your eyes immediately widened. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. He was fed up, tired of holding it in, ready to lay everything out on the table.

You blinked rapidly, trying to string together any array of words, but your mind was failing you. You didn’t realize how long you spent in your own head until Jace spoke again.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Y/N, please say something.”

You couldn’t stay silent forever, but you couldn’t think of something appropriate. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Look,” Jace sighed, embarrassed by his confession, “can we just, like, pretend I didn’t say that?”

You slowly nodded your head no. “I don’t wanna pretend like you didn’t say it.”

You sat in silence for a bit, letting his confession marinate in the air.

“You’re in love with me?” you finally spoke, breaking a bit of the tension, much to Jace’s relief.

“Only a little,” Jace joked, hoping to keep the mood light while simultaneously trying not to run away from his confession in hopes it would lead him straight to getting you.

“Only a little,” you repeated to yourself in a giggle, trying to process everything.

“I tried to make it go away, I swear, but every time I did, it only got worse.”

You rested your head on the back of the car seat. “How long have you, uhm, how long have you felt like this?”

Jace took a deep breath. “How long have we known each other?”

“Really? Wow.”

“What?”

“I just- why didn’t you tell me?” you asked.

“Didn’t know how,” he answered, “and I didn’t wanna fuck this up.” He moved his finger between the two of you in reference to your friendship and dynamic, and you understood what he meant.

“Yeah, I get it, I guess I could say the same.”

Jace’s gaze darted to you. “What?”

“I don’t really tell you how I feel about you for the same reasons.”

Jace’s heart pounded in his chest. “And how do you feel about me?” He desperately wanted to hear you say it.

“Same as you.”

“Uh uh,” he said, leaning on the center console, “you gotta say it.”

“Please don’t make me,” you blushed, nervous.

Jace grabbed your jaw in his hand and turned your head until you were looking directly at him. “I wanna hear you say it.”

You exhaled and tried to calm your heart rate. “What, it’s not obvious that I’m in love with you too?” you playfully mocked him, the teasing making your words easier to say.

Jace smiled at you. You’d seen him smile, you’d seen him laugh, you’d seen him happy, but you’d never seen him smile like this before.

He tucked a piece of hair behind your ear, his hand lingering around the side of your head.

“I took a punch for you, you know.”

You caught on instantly. “I guess I should think of some way to thank you.”

You leaned closer to Jace, and he instantly pulled your mouth to his, kissing you like he’d been dying to for much too long. Neither of you had the strength to pull away as you melted in to each other’s touch, fully making out in the front seat of your car.

There was only so far you could go with a console in the middle. You pulled away, and could tell you were both having the same thought.

“Back seat?”

“Back seat.”

[lei-llustrations]

Modern Day Trio

Part 2 Idk what the fuck jiang cheng is actually doing it looks like he daytrades and does crypto lmfao (jk he majors in econs)

WWX is some kind of sporty boy he probably runs very fast

Lan Wangji plays the violin or some shit

please lmk what everyone else in this universe is doing in the tags or comms haha