#my parents are convinced i won't make the flight

[jackredfieldwasmyjacob]

i have become acutely aware of the fact that in a bit over a month i will travel to italy to excavate for two weeks and so i've been looking flights and buses and everything and of course there's been complications, especially in the return flight. it seems i will have to stay a full day in bari and i will return home on the day of my sister's birthday. lol.

[readychilledwine]

helloooo! had a super random idea that I thought I’d throw your way but if you don’t want to write it, no worries! i know there’s not really dragons in acotar but what if one of the bat boys (whoever you want to write this for) encounters a group of dragons and find an illyrian with them who was raised by dragons. (The dragons think she’s one of them bc she has wings lol) a female who was abandoned by their parents because they wanted a son or something like that. (but now I’m thinking what if she was cassian’s long lost sister or something but in that case obviously she wouldn’t be paired with cassian lol) and she’s basically like half feral and whoever you pair her with is her mate and cannot convince her to go with them to velaris but they figure it out somehow 🥹 and when they finally do she’s just like baffled by simple things like dresses and kitchen utensils and how soft their beds are 😂 and now the night court has a small army of dragons because they listen to her 🤷🏽‍♀️ you can make her an OC if you want!

I can respond to this now that Bound by Fate Part 3 is up and has some traction 🤣 I was going to ask if you got into my Google drive somehow. Kaylee is going to have a similar journey to this only Kaylee's is going to be based on the concept that magic has a price, and the more magic she uses, the bigger the price, where as this journey will be about finding her humanity.

I'm pretty excited about this. Not gonna lie. 💜

Flight Patterns Part 1

Summary - After years of hushed whispers and leads, Azriel has finally found Cassian's lost sister, Aerilyn. What he found with her was unexpected, though.

Warnings - violence

A/n - Aerilyn is going to be fairly feral for these first few parts. Also, she speaks sindarian (like Lord of the Rings elves sindarian, so translations will be at the end of the chapters)

Part Two Part Three

Aerilyn stared at the male wrapped in shadows as if she'd never seen another illyrian before. As if she'd never seen another fae before, Azriel thought to himself.

She was beautiful, exactly as he had expected her to be, with her long dark hair cascading into waves behind her, her tanned unmarked skin, the bright burning hazel eyes. She was a softer, smaller, and delicate version of Cassian. 

Azriel approached her slowly, his hands raised in front of him. " I do not want to hurt you. I have been looking for you for a very, very long time." Over 319 years to be exact. With you right under our noses this whole time, he thought bitterly to himself. 

She had been left to die after her wings were taken. Thrown into the Illyrian woods beaten and bloodied before Cassian eventually burnt that Camp to the ground. She was three at the time. How she survived was a mystery, one Azriel knew they'd need to figure out.

She eyed him cautiously, her head tilted to the side before taking a step back and away from him. "I won't hurt you, Aerilyn." Her eyes narrowed, but then she suddenly relaxed. A small smile forming on her face as Azriel felt the ground shaking behind him. 

He felt the warm breath of whatever it was before the deep growl came. His eyes shut slowly at the scent of ember and rot that lingered in the air. He turned slowly, feeling shock set into his system as he sat face to face with a fire Drake. He felt the ground rumble again, then again, and once more. Rhys. I'm going to need help. Now. Drop whatever the fuck you're doing.

Cassian and Rhys appeared beside him instantly. A grumbled, "Cauldron fucking drown me," leaving the generals mouth as they all stood back to back. "Azriel, what the fuck?"

Azriel looked to where Aerilyn stood, her eyes locked on Cassian and her head tilted to the side. "She knows you, Cass. And they're protecting her."  He could tell his brother was avoiding looking at her. Avoiding the pain that'd come from how much she truly looked like their mother. 

Rhysand grabbed their hands. "You have 30 seconds, Cassian or I'm getting us the fuck out of here." 

Cassian glanced at his little sister, his heart tightening in his chest at how small she was. They held eye contact for a moment and he lowered his weapons and held his hands up to her. He took one step and an immediate growl and shift came from the winged beast closest to him. A deep warning not to approach her. "Would she have memories of anything specific? Something special between the two of you?" Rhys asked softly. "I can't get into her head. It's.. it's a mess, Cassian."

Cassian didn't notice the feather light touch in Rhysand's jaw, the way his eyes kept flickering to the female in concern. Azriel had, though. He noted the immediate change in Rhysand's body language. The calm and composed High Lord was struggling to maintain himself.

Azriel would have laughed if there wasn't a black scaled beast staring him down as if he was nothing more than a delicious snack.

Cassian spoke to her softly. "When you were little, you had a little stuffed bunny. His name was Sir Hop." A flicker of recognition went across her face. Cassian took a small step forward. The beast growled softer this time. "I still have him," the soft confession hung in the air. "Rhysand's mom enchanted it. She made sure he'd never stop smelling like you. You could not sleep without him or me. Mom said you just tossed and turned crying constantly if he went missing or I was gone. I always worried about if you were sleeping when our father ripped me from the house." Another tentative step, but no growl chilling the three of them to the core. 

She studied Cassian hard. Stepping close to him until they were but an arms length away. Her brain knew him. It screamed for her to remember him. She didn't understand all of his words, but she knew his voice. His scent. "Come with me," Cassian offered. "Come home with me." 

"Cassian, 5 seconds. If she does not take your hand in 5 seconds, we are done here." Rhys warned as one of the beasts, a lighter Grey monster that seemed to blend into its surroundings leaned closer to the High Lord and growled. 

For whatever reason, this beast wanted him dead. 

"Duar," a feminine voice that reminded Rhysand of finely aged wine, spoke softly. The beast coiled away from him with one last growl. She was so close to Cassian, breathing in the scent of a warm fire and winter winds. 

"You have a freckle on your ribs," Cassian whispered, his hand reaching out to touch right above her heart. "Right here." She allowed him to bring her into him. He held her close as her arms stayed at her side.

Rhys took the chance, his hands shooting for Cassian and Azriel and winnowing them back to the townhouse with heavy breaths. 

The hug was no longer gentle, not as her fight began. Aerilyn kicked, screamed, and fought as Cassian pulled her into the warded house. Madja was there and ready, knowing the girl would need medical attention and an evaluation. 

After watching her land a harsh closed fist onto Rhysand's cheek as he spoke to her, Madja immediately switched what she had planned, grabbing a needle filled with a sedative and shoving it into the illyrian female's arm.

"I'm sorry," Cassian cried as he lowered her to the floor. "I'm so fucking sorry. Shhhh it's okay. It's okay, you're safe." 

His sister fell asleep in his arms, wrapped tight against his body as he rocked her back and forth against his chest. 

Rhysand held his jaw, "She knows s few words and the alphabet. We will need to work on that to communicate with her," he ground out. "She can speak an ancient language I do not even know, but Amren might. Also, she's my fucking mate." 

Cassian watched in silence as Rhysand left the room, went upstairs, and slammed another door shut with a soft click to indicate he had locked it. 

Madja inclined her head to the bed they had ready for her, "Lay her down. I don't need her awake to know how healthy she is or what she needs."

Duar - "stop/hault"

[purplecoffee13]

The Fake Girlfriend - pt. 2*

Summary: “The official fake dating can commence, and so can the exploration of a whole bunch of new… feelings.”

Wc: 4.9k

Tropes: semi-enemies to lovers (she hates him)

Warnings: jealousy, possessiveness, smut (f!receiving), a sudden deep analysis of wuthering heights followed by smut

*2 weeks later*

I'm going to move to Italy, seriously.

Ever since Harry and I arrived at the airport I haven't been able to stop myself from gawking at everything I've seen. That includes Harry's relatives, proving that his entire family consists of solely good genes.

The flight was excruciatingly long and a bit uncomfortable. Harry taught me as much as he could about his family, and we both complained about the hernia we were getting from our bad seats. Nevertheless, we both attempted to sleep, and I accidentally dozed off while leaning on his shoulder.

One of Harry's cousins, Matthew, picked us up at the airport. He was particularly fascinated with my existence, almost as much as I was with his accent. I love English accents, I could listen to them for hours on end.

Matthew led us to our room in the Villa and gave Harry a pat on the back before leaving us alone to unpack and get ready to meet the family.

"He's nice." I note, throwing my backpack on the Queen sized bed we have in this room.

"He's a little shit." Harry chuckles, earning a furrowed brow from me. He waves it off, literally, and sits himself on the bed. "You'll see."

We stay fairly quiet for the rest of the time, unpacking our stuff and freshening up. Well, mainly me, because Harry doesn't have to do half the things I do to look good. It's so much easier being a man.

I shoo Harry out of our bedroom and put on a long, brown dress with a wide slit and some floral print on it. As soon as I've changed, I open the door to the bathroom so he knows it's okay for him to walk back in. When he does walk back in, we both catch each other off guard.

While he is analyzing the dress that is currently clinging to my body, I'm gawking at his shirtless chest. My cheeks start to heat up when I realize that I'm staring, but luckily Harry doesn't notice because he's too busy staring at me. Then, he clears his throat.

"Nice dress."

"Thank you." I throw him a small smile.

It doesn't take long for Harry to get dressed and soon enough we are walking from our room to the villa, where the welcome dinner will be held, or at least that's what it said on the card that Harry handed to me on the plane.

We sit down at our assigned seats at one of many round tables. I don't miss the name tags of Harry's parents, and I'm glad to find that Matthew will also be sitting at our table. It will make things a bit less nerve racking.

Harry places his hand on the small of my back as he guides me to his mother. He looks just like her, and by the warm smile on her face, I realize that it probably won't be as bad as I might think it would.

"Mum, this is Y/N. The girl I've told you about. She's my girlfriend." The words leave his mouth in a way that makes me think someone is holding a gun to his head, and I can tell that his mother thinks the same thing.

"I'm Sheila." She introduces herself, nonetheless. I can tell that she is skeptical of me, despite the warm smile on her face. I know it's a genuine one, but I know that she knows her son, and she'll see something is up if he doesn't get his act together.

"This is Tom." She turns to a tall man that I immediately recognize as Harry's father. He doesn't have a lot of facial features from his dad, except for the nose, that is exactly the same. But the way he carries himself, the way he extends his hand for me to shake, those are the aspects that make Harry identical to his father.

We chat with his parents for a little, telling our wonderfully fake story of how we met. Tom keeps nodding but doesn't seem fully convinced. Not because he doesn't believe it, but probably because of the girl he'd rather have his daughter be with; the reason I'm here in the first place. Sheila remains skeptical, but that is just because she can see right through Harry.

So when his parents leave to get some food from the buffet, I'm quick to swat his arm.

"Ow!" He hisses at me.

"You're a terrible actor, do you know that? Your mom is totally on to us!" I say in a soft tone, but it doesn't discredit my disapproval.

"I'm sorry okay! It's hard to lie to her." He responds, and the confession makes my heart melt a little.

I let him off with a roll of the eyes and we join the queue for the buffet. During dinner, Matthew promotes himself to main entertainer of our table by telling countless of stories about him and Harry and all of their antics from back in the days. Harry seems slightly embarrassed sometimes, but he finds it funny nonetheless.

In an attempt to make me and Harry seem like more of a real couple, I take it upon myself to touch him during dinner. Just casual touching. Some hand-holding—above the table so everyone can see of course—and the occasional leg rub. It's only halfway through dinner that Harry finally initiates some touches to, and I have to bite my inner lip at the way his hand feels wrapped around my thigh.

After dinner, a few tables are removed in order to create a dance floor. People are quick to get on it, but Harry refuses to come along with me. Matthew doesn't let the opportunity to bust a move pass, so I leave my purse with Harry and get on the dance floor with him.

We have a big laugh, Matthew and I. He spins me around an absurd amount of times, dramatically dances the tango with me while a pop song is playing, and throws out some moves that I haven't seen since I played Just Dance when I was eight years old.

After a while I decide to retire from the dance floor and get a drink. Matthew offers to accompany me, and for a second I contemplate whether I should say yes. Then I figure, he is a part of Harry's family and I need as many of them on my side for this whole act to be believable, plus I'll be able to get Harry a drink.

We walk over to the bar and order our drinks, Matthew is quick to spark up a conversation as we wait for our beverages.

"How long have you been together again?" He asks, looking over at me with a smirk.

"A month, officially." I reply, and he raised his brows in surprise.

"Only a month, huh?"

"Like I said, officially." I tilt my head, a mischievous smile on my face. He leans over in my direction, with eyes ready to play, and I immediately start to wonder if the head tilt was too flirty instead of funny and playful.

"And unofficially?"

"Almost three months." I divert my eyes back to the drinks that are put in front of me, and thank the bartender.

"Is it serious? Between you two?" He asks, and I don't like the glint of desperation in his voice. Is this what Harry meant, when he said 'you'll see'? Is this guy seriously trying to hit on his cousin's date?

"Well, I cancelled spring break plans with my family, so I sure hope it is." I flash him a smile before taking the drinks and walking back to Harry.

He's sitting alone, despite most every seat around him being taken. Not talking to anyone, not on his phone, just staring into the nothingness. When I approach, he's thrown out of his trance and his eyes follow me instead as I make my way to him and hand over his drink.

"Whiskey on the rocks." I tell him. He smiles at me, putting the glass on the table and grabbing my now free hand. His legs are spread, so he pulls me closer until I'm standing in between them. He looks up at me, and the sole color of his eyes makes my hands sweat profusely.

"Are you having fun?" He asks, his head tilting just like mine did a few seconds ago.

"I am," I say, looking around a bit. "But my legs are a bit tired... Is there a free chair behind you?"

I squint at something that looks like a chair, but I can't really make it out from this angle. When Harry doesn't respond, I look down at him, and find that he was already looking at me. He grabs my waist and pushes me in a bit. Confused, I let my body follow his silent demands, and watch him sit up straighter before pulling me onto his lap.

My back leans against the table, and my legs are thrown over his left one. I hold my drink in my right hand while my left is slung over his shoulder for 'support'. My cheeks flush at the realization that my ass is right on his groin, but I try to make it seem as if it doesn't affect me at all. He holds my waist with his right arm, tracing his fingers around in a way that makes my body shiver.

My eyes fly to my left thigh when he puts his other hand on it, and I try to steady my breathing as much as humanly possible while the tingling sensation between my legs becomes too adamant for me to ignore. The low chuckle that leaves Harry's mouth isn't missed by me, and it makes me even more nervous. He notices, and strikes up a conversation about the party, his family and Matthew.

"He asked me how long we've been official." I decide to tell him. Harry finds it amusing.

"Really?" He smiles. "The fucker."

"What?" I ask, not really understanding how that question adds up to him being a fucker.

"He wants you, been eye fucking you ever since he met you." He explains. "He has a thing for unavailable people, especially if they're unavailable because of me."

"So he just steals your girlfriends? Or at least, tries to?" I clarify, eyes wide, and Harry nods. "How have you not been in thousands of fights already?"

"Never really cared about it." He shrugs. "Most girls were just flings or one night stands, it wasn't anything serious, really."

"Wow." I laugh in disbelief, and it makes me wonder if maybe he is going to let Matthew hit on me. After all, we're faking this. It shouldn't be relief that I feel when Harry's grip on me tightens as soon as Matthew approaches us once again, but I do, I feel relieved. A little bit giddy too.

"Hey, wanna go for a round two?" Matthew asks me after greeting us both. I'm about to decline his offer, but I don't get a chance to speak.

"She's busy." Harry says in a tone that makes my head turn to him. His eyes don't look as friendly as they did before, and the warm smile on his face is looking a little bit more cynical. Matthew takes the hint and wanders off, a bit of disappointment on his face.

"Wow, you really nailed that 'jealous boyfriend' act." I tease him, my left hand instinctively trailing to the back of his head, where I start playing with his hair. He rolls his eyes, pulling me even more into him. I shift in his lap a bit, placing my drink on the table and grabbing his glass instead.

"Here." I hand it to him. "You haven't drank anything since dinner."

"Wow, you're really nailing that 'caring girlfriend' act." He reconstructs my words, and I roll my eyes accordingly. He drinks nonetheless, and I snatch the glass from him, take my cocktail back in my hand, and turn to him again. I frown when his nails dig into my skin.

"Don't move so much."

My cheeks instantly flush. Right...

I am usually way more confident when it comes to flirting. I know exactly what to say, when to say it and how to flutter with my eye lashes in those ways that make men want to drag you to their bedroom. I can flirt with everyone, I'm not easily impressed. Well, except with Malcolm of course, but that was just because I had a crush him. I act like an idiot around people I have a crush on. But I don't. I don't have a crush on Harry. I hated him until a few weeks ago– no. Until a few days ago. I started tolerating him on the plane. Yes, the plane. Oh god, the plane.

"I–" I start a sentence, looking him dead in the eye while realizing that I didn't have something to finish it with. His green eyes along with the feeling of whatever I shouldn't be feeling while sitting on his lap is making me dizzy. "I'm gonna go get a drink."

I try to wiggle out of my seat — which is his lap, oh my god — but Harry seems to find this whole situation very amusing, because for some reason he tightens his grip around me — pushing me more into his hard-on —then nods at the full glass in my hand.

"I think you're good, love." He gives me a half-smirk like I've only seen those guys in the romance movies do and I don't like how it makes my heart pound. What the fuck is happening to me right now?

I look at him, trying to come up with some kind of response that doesn't end up with me sounding like an absolute moron, and then I get lost in his eyes. The loud music fades, and the only thing I can seem to focus on are his eyes and his left hand that grazes further up the slit of my dress. It's only inches, and he trails painfully slow, but he keeps going because he waits for my reaction and it's positive. He can tell by the look in my eyes, and by the way my grip on his hair is a bit too tight.

The tips of his fingers are dangerously close to my panties, and all of a sudden, the music becomes louder again and I feel like I'm waking up from a sinful dream. I swing my legs off of his and get up, my drink almost spilling because of the sudden action. I quickly place it on the table.

"Pee." I say, partly to myself and partly to Harry. "I'm going to... pee."

Harry looks a bit surprised, but more in a way that makes him laugh. I don't miss how his head shakes a bit before giving me a permissive hum. I begin to walk away when I realize a crucial detail is missing, and so I saunter back over to Harry.

"Do you know where the bathrooms are?"

"No." He smirks.

"Oh. okay. Uhm..." I look around aimlessly, hoping to spot some kind of sign. But then, Harry gets up, and stands in front of me. He towers over me easily, it's intimidating and hot. Two things I need him not to be if I want to survive this wedding.

"D'you want to go back to the room?" He asks, voice gone a bit softer. I nod before I even realize that I am doing it, and Harry places a kiss on my temple. Grabbing my hand, he leads us towards the exit, waving goodbye to his parents before we make our way back over to our bedroom.

The cobblestones define the pace of our footsteps, making a whole lot of noise to confirm us where we are. Not that I'd need those stones to find him—he's still holding my hand. I shrug it off, it's dark and he probably doesn't want me to fall face first into these little rocks.

Once we've arrived at our room, Harry walks into the place like it's his apartment, and he goes to occupy the bathroom almost immediately. I grab my white, floral pyjama set that I actually never wear because I like to wear an oversized t-shirt to bed and nothing more. But, I packed my suitcase with the knowledge that I was going to have to lay next to a man the whole week, so I only brought the cute stuff.

When Harry leaves the bathroom, some steam leaves along with him, and I quickly look away at the revelation that he is shirtless, again. I don't miss the amused sniff, but I ignore it nonetheless. I skip into the bathroom, lock it and take a very anticipated shower. A part of me hopes that the water would also wash this weird vibe off. Like if I got out and walked back into that bedroom, my hands wouldn't start to sweat at the sight of him on the bed.

Unfortunately, I am wrong. Because when I do leave the bathroom, not only do my hands start to sweat, but my heart also begins to pound. Fuck.

I'd actively been ignoring this ever since the party. This stupid feeling, thinking it was just me being touch deprived. But I'm not so sure now. Maybe I do have a crush on Harry. However, I can't afford to think about that too much now, so I shake it off and walk over to my side of the bed.

I throw a decorative pillow on the ground and climb into the bed, trying to act as if I don't notice Harry staring at me. He's on his phone, doing God knows what. I grab my book from the bed side table.

"Wuthering Heights, huh?" He smirks, and I can sense the pretentiousness from miles away. I look at him, then roll my eyes with a smile.

"Shut up, it's my favorite story."

"Why? Heathcliff is awful." He frowns, and his tone is a bit mocking. Not to me, just to the story. But it's my favorite story, so I take the offense.

"I just like the fact that it acknowledges that love can make you both whole and destroy you. That loving isn't always really the ending, or the solution. It can be a fleeting middle, break you in a thousand pieces and then leave it for you to pick up the pieces yourself."

"That's a bit pessimistic, innit?" He chuckles. I shrug.

"I think it's realistic to recognize that spite, anger, sadness, and revenge are almost always born out of love, or a lack of it. I think it's optimistic, actually."

He smiles. "Yeah?"

"Mhm." I hum. "Think it creates a space for empathy, does it not?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Harry frowns, as if I've just opened a new door for him. I smile at his face, full of contemplation over what I just said and I know that I'm inevitably screwed.

He should've bashed the freaking book so I could have a reason to hate him.

I decide that I won't be able to concentrate on anything anyway now that I have admitted these weird feelings to myself—and the subject of those feelings is laying next to me—so I shut the book and put it back on my nightstand. 

"Not reading after all?"

"Nope." I chime, my tone sounding way too forced. "Changed my mind. 'M gonna sleep."

I turn off the light on my bedside table and turn around to Harry who is still laying with his phone in his hands. It freaks me out that he is looking at me, it makes me so nervous, but I try my best to be cool.

"Good night." I sigh as my head hits the pillow. I finally look up at Harry—bad move—and my heart melts a bit at his sweet smile.

"Good night."

I am laying with my face towards Harry, mainly because I laid down like that and now I'm too scared to shift too much and look weird, but I feel Harry's burning gaze on me and frankly, it's making me feel incredibly tense. My heart is beating way quicker than it should and I have to consciously steady my breathing in order to provide my lungs with some oxygen.

"Harry." I finally say after three more minutes of tense silence, eyes still closed. He hums softly. "I can feel you looking at me."

I open my eyes, because suddenly I'm very afraid that I'm wrong and look like a complete fool, but he is indeed still staring. He doesn't look like a dear in headlights, he's just smiling. There is a sense of comfort in him that I envy, especially because I feel like I could explode right now.

"Yeah, well, you're nice to look at." He answers, making my cheeks flush with embarrassment. I quickly dart my eyes to his body so I won't have to meet his confrontational gaze — bad idea, bad idea! — and quickly find that staring at his body isn't going to help my case any more.

"Am I making you nervous?" He asks softly, in a way that you could almost describe as sweet. But it isn't, because I know he's reveling in this.

Out of instinct, I look up at him, wide eyed at the fact that he read my mind and my body so well. But I cannot afford this—whatever it is that is hanging in the air right now—so I shake my head.

"Nope, just frustrated." I sigh, which is more a way to get my breathing back to normal. I pull myself up and turn around, my back now towards him, and hope to have closed the conversation for tonight. There is some shuffling from the other side and for a moment I think I did it, I think I won, but then I feel a hand sneak around my bare waist and my mind turns into jelly.

I suck in a sharp breath at the touch of his cold hand and the heat of his mouth on my ear, and swallow a whine at the way it's making my head spin.

"Do you need me to help you relax?" He whispers, and I suck in a deep breath.

"I– I need to sleep." I attempt to reason — mainly with myself — and Harry just chuckles.

"I can think of a way to tire you out." He insinuates smugly and I clench my jaw at his stupid charisma and how well it's working on me.

"Harry, I can't..." I begin the sentence, even though I have no logical argument to say no right now. I want him, really bad but a part of me is forbidding it for reasons unknown, which makes me want it even more. You know what they say about forbidden fruit...

"What? Would you rather be with my cousin? Have him get you off, hmm?" He asks a bit condescendingly, which makes me think the jealous act maybe wasn't such an act after all. His thumb is now circling over my hips and it's making me dizzy, which is exactly what he's trying to do to me.

"No–"

"No?" He plays dumb. His hand lowers to my pyjama shorts and starts playing with it's elastic band. My stomach is on fire and my pussy is aching, it's getting too much for me to brush off. I can't not get off, it's going to kill me. I need life support.

"No!" I whine. He chuckles, kisses my ear lobe.

"That's right... you came to me when he started hitting on you. Such a good, sweet, loyal girl. Sitting on my lap so nicely. Making me so fucking hard..." He taunts, and I start squirming under his touch.

"Harry..." I cry out, because frankly, I can't take another second of this torture. I'm about to implode if he doesn't touch me where I need it between now and twenty seconds.

"What is it sugar?" I can quite literally hear his grin and I groan at the irritating pet name. I grab his arm and try to get out from under his touch, but his grip only tightens on me and he pulls me back into him, cock pressed against my ass. He hums disapprovingly.

"No, feel what you did to me." He leans over to look at me and when our eyes catch, I think my heart malfunctions. "'S not very nice, now is it?"

I shake my head, biting my lip nervously. His eyes dart from mine to my mouth as he breaths out a 'fuck', and he wipes some hair out of my face with his free hand.

He pulls his body away from mine and for a moment I feel like I could cry, but he distracts me by laying me on my back and throwing the sheets off our bodies. He then quickly slips his hand in my pants, grazing his fingers over my underwear.

I look at him, desperately waiting for his next move while he studies my body with a light frown. My eyes go to his sweatpants, and see the straining bulge that hides in it. I go to touch him, offer him some release too but he swats my hand away. The stern look on his face gives me shivers.

"I didn't say you could touch me, now did I?" He states, rubbing his middle finger over my clit, and I curse my underwear for being the only thing that stands in the way of his real touch. Nevertheless, I moan, because he could literally blow on my underwear and I would come right then and there.

"'M sorry." I say softly, shifting when Harry starts to pull down my shorts and underwear. He inspects me, or at least that's what it looks like, and a grin grows on his face.

"I think you'll make it up to me just fine." He beams and starts to circle my clit, causing my hips to shoot up in surprise. He chuckles softly.

"Does that feel good, baby?" He asks and I nod immediately. My eyes begin to feel heavy and I don't know for how much longer I will be able to keep going.

"Harry, slow down or I'm gonna..." I can't get the sentence out because he only starts rubbing faster, and my eyes shut permanently.

"Yeah? You gonna come for me already?" Harry taunts, and I bite my lip to steady the volume of the moans that are leaving my mouth.

"Ah! Oh my– Harry!" I try to sound angry but it's really just me moaning his name very aggressively and the realization that it's his fingers on my clit right now is what sends me over the edge. The explosion feels overdue, and it washes away all the unnecessary tension I'd been feeling since I started fake dating Harry. And now I realized; it was probably sexual frustration.

I close my eyes, trying to control my breathing as well as I possibly can. My legs are shaking and I can feel Harry hovering over me. His body heat warms my cheeks as he hangs over me, leaning on the bed with one arm, holding my face with the other.

"Open your eyes baby." He says softly, and it makes my heart flutter. I am in deep, deep trouble. I do as he says, my eyes meeting his, and the smile on his face makes me feel like I'll melt through the bed.

"You okay?" He asks, stroking my cheek. I nod, head still woozy but not wanting us to stop any time soon.

"I'm okay." I give him verbal confirmation, knowing it's what he needs from me. He kisses my temple, whispers 'good girl' in my ear and moves away from my face.

As soon as I have my breathing a bit under control, my hands reach for his sweatpants, but he Harry grabs my wrists and pushes me away. I frown, and I have to admit that my ego is a bit hurt. I feel like he can see it in my face, because he is quick to explain.

“Believe me I would love to, but another night, okay? Tonight was just for you.”

I can quite literally feel my entire body melt at his words, and it doesn’t help when he gets off the bed and helps me up so I can go to the bathroom.

After I’m done and enter the room again, he is sat up straight at the edge of the bed, and looks at me expectantly. I shoot him an awkward smile and get back into bed. He does the same and we lay silently in the dark for a while.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to…?” I can’t help but ask, feeling like I should return the favor, and still insecure about the fact that he doesn’t want me to.

“Patience, sugar.” He says lowly, and my heart thuds at the kiss I feel being planted on my forehead. The amount of calm I feel is unmatched, and it makes me very sleepy.

“Whatever you say, hot stuff…”

Part 3

[yandere-paramour]

So I just got a hilarious idea of Atalanta. So you know how I’m movies especially rom coms there can be that moment where the leading lady find the guy in a “comprising” position with another woman. Say like they fell and one of them is on top of the other. How would Atalanta react if reader walked in and like her secretary was on top of her or vise versa?

I just think it would be hilarious to see this woman absolutely panic trying to explain what happened. Especially if reader was just nonchalant about it.

(Oh my gosh this is such a good ask, this is so funny)

Okay, so the closest person to Atalanta who could be considered a friend is her secretary, Noelle. Like in terms of people she's close to, it goes parents, Noelle, college acquaintances. Noelle and her actually do talk about things and Noelle has signed a serious NDA and receives a very hefty salary. Like Noelle makes 6 figures for dealing with Atalanta's bullshit constantly. Atalanta could call her at 2 in the morning asking for a flight to Croatia with box tickets to the opera and Noelle will call back an hour later saying that her flight leaves in two hours and there will be a continental breakfast waiting for her on the plane.

The way I see it, there are two ways where this could go assuming Noelle tripped and accidently fell on Atalanta: Darling walks in and flips tf out, or Darling walks in and is completely cool.

If Darling came in and absolutely lost it, Atalanta would probably throw Noelle off her (And to be honest Noelle would throw herself off), and immediately go to explaining to Darling. Atalanta would beg for Darling to listen, and probably spend the next month being extra loving and sweet to try and make it up to you. She isn't cruel; in her own strange way, she really does care for Noelle and she won't fire her for tripping. Darling is going to have to get used to it, but Atalanta will do anything she can to try and smooth the tension.

If Darling came in and was super nonchalant about it, Atalanta would be happy. She'd take you out for lunch happily and you'd have a completely normal day together. But then later tonight, she would start nitpicking everything. Why didn't you react? Are you mad at her? Do you just... not care? She will go over every interaction that day trying to convince herself that you're not mad at her. By the time you wake up, she will have worked herself into a panic and she looks like this: 😱🥺😖😫🫠🤯. She will spend the entire month doing sweet and romantic things for you like buying you presents, taking you out for fun things, and spending endless nights devoted to your relaxation and pleasure. And the entire time, she will send you longing, pitiful looks that when you ask her what's wrong, she's just like 😔 Nothing, Beloved, Don't worry yourself. She's such a girlfailure that she keeps this up for a month before she finally gets it through her head that you're not mad at her and you don't even know what she's talking about.

Also, during this time, Noelle is so annoyed because she knows her boss is an incredibly successful loser, but she accidentally caused this despair by tripping over her feet, so she feels responsible for fixing this. She spends every single day trying to convince Atalanta that you're not mad and you probably don't care because it's an accident but Atalanta refuses to listen to reason because she's stupid. So now Noelle has to track down expensive gifts and theatre tickets and set up romantic scenes fully knowing that there's no reason to do this. So she tries to ask you to tell Atalanta your feelings, but every time you try to talk to Atalanta, she thinks you're just being brave and pushing down your feelings to not upset her, and now she feels worse and tries to romance you harder.

Noelle is so fucking tired of you two, but that paycheck makes her feel better. Somewhat.

[malicious-fisheeves]

Oathbreaker dragon biology finished!! Redo of a previous piece, now in water color and featuring some commentary from a demon hunter.

Some more info under the cut

The adult is an example - dragons are pretty diverse in terms of shape. Some are much bulkier, with shorter necks or fins along their backs, different wing shapes, etc but this is the general body plan - a crown, a mantle, lizard like limb posture, fish-like fins, and lots of big scales.

Dragons are a combination of flesh/magic that somewhat defies the normal rules of oathbreaker's world (eg demons are Magic Magic, even if they have bodies that might bleed or appear to, at death they'll typically decay unnaturally if at all - many just basically poof into dust). This is typically what denotes a creature as being related to dragons, but no other dragon-like demon is sentient.

Dragons use magic to fly and breathe fire, but require some adaptations to do both. A 'crown' is a large very hard structure that protects the dragons head and will grow continuously throughout a dragon's life, whereas their horns will not regrow if broken. The lack of lips as well as protective iron coating on their teeth prevents them from burning their mouths. Their wings channel magic to convince the world to allow the roughly orca-to-small-whale sized fortress to fly. Their flight would be slow but due to their size each wing beat propels it forward greatly, just don't expect them to be making any sharp turns.

As magical creatures in general, (cant see it in the picture but i used my shiny paint for this)they are extremely resistant to any forms of magical attack except for lightning.

Dragons use their tail spines in combat with one another, attempting to lance each other's weak points (typically around joints, eg under forelegs, pelvis attachment where the skin isn't as protected) but given dragons can speak it doesnt always come to deadly combat (as adults - adults will kill juveniles if they can to eliminate competition, but the dead venom juveniles possess is a deterrent) however the venom is very low potency - more or less like a bee sting, its just as long as a person is tall. Juvenile venom in particular the subject of lots of intrigue as use as a 'super duper fuck you' poison in various cultures, but given the danger of acquiring it, is rare.

the 'W' shaped pupil gives them good good distance vision and image contrast, however dragons other senses aren't very good (hearing, scent) in adulthood due to the 'burning your face off' thang. Their hearing isn't bad perse just very unexceptional, whereas dragons cannot taste for shit. The reflective third eyelid can give their eyes a very eerie glow amidst dark smoke-filled nights.

dragons are hermaphroditic and have ritualized combat to determine who lays the eggs. The loser will remain close-ish by during the laying and incubating process, mostly to drive off other dragons who might try to steal the lair, but usually dips after a while given it can attract too much attention. The winner (and now egg layer) may or may not spend lots of time digging out a cave with fake tunnels or enlisting other demons as protection - it varies by individual. Both parents can typically recognize their children but once into adulthood dragons typically won't tolerate their offspring hanging around

Dragons do spend a lot of time sleeping throughout their entire life. Due to their magical nature dragons don't need to eat as much as a similarly sized metabolically extravagant animal, but it still pays to rest a lot.

dragons are assholes

[aceofshitposts]

Well I've been tagged in a couple different wip games but honestly have just had nothing to show for them lmao but uh I've had this rattling around in my head for a while so I hope this makes up for it a bit lmao

-

Tim hikes his backpack up higher on his shoulders, weaving through the throngs of people in the airport. He got a few odd looks from the security people but even with hands clumsy with youth he was able to forge a convincing enough letter from his parents about him travelling to meet them.

It's before disaster, everything is a little relaxed and therefore it's simple, really, to get through with minimal fuss.

Tim isn't entirely sure how he ended up here, in a body too young and too healthy but he's never been one to waste an opportunity. He's perhaps lucky this was one of the weeks between boarding schools, where his mom pulled him out due to her beverage dissatisfaction with various school curriculums. It meant they were out of the country but he was still in Gotham and not being watched over by any teachers.

Gate 57B. This is where he should be. Tim scans the people sitting in the uncomfortable plastic airport chairs, all waiting to board. It's not a particularly busy flight so it's easy to spot.

Off white hoodie and baggy jeans, clothes designed specifically to not draw attention and disguise body shape. Black hair falling over turquoise eyes that are focused on the rough looking paperback in his lap. There's a duffle bag sitting against his beat up sneakers that Tim just knows the contents of without even trying.

"Jason?" Tim asks coming to stand in front of the other teenager with both hands gripping his backpack straps. He's aiming for curious. Disarming. He can't be too formal or Jason will really know something's wrong and not the way Tim wants.

Jason raises his head lazily. Like a bored teenager being called to answer a question by a teacher. But Tim can see the immediate suspicion, the slight tensing of Jason's jaw and the way his eyes scan Tim to identify threats.

Tim isn't a threat. Not yet, anyway. Not like this. He can sneak around undetected, can forge papers and send anonymous emails to Batman while hiding amongst a throng of other school kids. His mind remembers, knows all the how's, of course, but his body lacks the muscle memory to truly execute anything beyond simple defense moves.

Frustrating, honestly, but probably to his advantage right now. He still has his mind and that's the most important part.

"Do I know you, kid?" Jason asks.

"No" --not yet-- "but I need your help."

Jason raises a single eyebrow and Tim makes a bit of a show of inhaling deeply, gathering courage and whispers, "I need Robin's help."

Jason's eyes widen, all pretenses of calm evaporating with a single startled inhale.

It's a little bit of a gamble, Tim knows. But it's a calculated gamble. Telling Jason the truth was out immediately, as was telling Bruce. Waltzing up to Jason to tell him if he boards that plane he was going to die would probably only embolden him further. Telling Bruce would send him into protective parent overdrive. He was trying, Tim knows, to give Jason some space and independence.

Pleading for Jason's help, for Robin's help, it was at least going to get Jason interested. Tim being a kid was also in his favour. Even as the Red Hood, Jason always had a soft spot for kids in need. And with Jason knowing what he currently knows about his mother, that she was an emergency doctor in the Middle East, he would probably rationalize that his mom won't be upset if he shows up a little later than expected.

"Now boarding Flight AA6237, please form a line with your passport and boarding ticket ready."

That's Jason's flight. If Jason gets on that plane Tim still has backup plans but it would be so much easier if Jason just came with him.

Jason stands suddenly, hefting his duffle bag onto his shoulder with one hand and grabbing Tim's sleeve with the other.

"Alright kid, bathroom's this way," he says with maybe a little more volume than strictly necessary.

Tim beams, genuine and wide. Jason was at least going to hear him out. Jason Todd wasn't going to die, not today and not tomorrow or the next day.

This was only the first item on Tim's list but, it was a start.

And if for a moment, only a second really, Tim forgets about a terrible future, about the pain of a blade against his throat or a batarang in his chest or bruises and missing spleens and deaths and revivals, and simply relishes in the thought that Robin was now urgently leading him somewhere more private to probably interrogate him--

Well. That's just the adrenaline.

It doesn't mean anything.

[tenebraevesper]

Sonic Cyber Revolution, Entry 58: The Rush Adventure

''Life starts with a sunny day, let's feel our ocean breath! We are cruisin' open seas, can't wait for a new venture!''

– A New Venture by Sonic Rush Adventure

xXxXxXx

Lucas had to admit that he was glad that the familiar prickling of anxiety had gradually disappeared and was replaced with complete confidence whenever he had to fulfill his duty as the Leader of Team Neos, especially when he had some exciting news for his friends. Speaking of which, said team was gathered at the Taylor Workshop, which has pretty much become the main gathering spot for them, eagerly awaiting the news.

''I got a message from Sana last night, and she and Blaze have invited us to visit them at the Surya Empire,'' he told everyone. The reaction was, as expected, filled with excitement and chatter about seeing their old friends. Despite living in a completely different country, Team Neos, mainly Lucas and Minami, decided to take charge of keeping in contact with Sana and Blaze, telling them about their adventures in Neos City and even giving them a detailed description of how to utilize Chaos Surge when Sana expressed the desire to learn how to use it.

''I can't wait to see Blaze and Sana again,'' Silver said, with Amy, who was sitting next to him, nodding in agreement. ''It feels like it has been so long since we met them.''

''I know that you're all excited to see them, but there is something we need to discuss first,'' Lucas said, drawing everyone's attention. ''How are we going to make the trip from Neos City, Starpoint Area, to Karuna, Surya Empire, considering how that country is located overseas?'' There was a moment of silence, with everyone staring at him, causing Lucas to continue, ''Before anyone says the obvious, I have checked the prices for flight tickets, which aren't the cheapest for a bunch of teenagers, as well as how long it would take us to get there, which would be around 11 hours. Sana and Blaze will be accomodating us once we get there, so we don't have to worry about where we'll stay. Still, this would be a trip we'd need to prepare for properly, not just leave whenever we want.''

''About the flight, maybe I could arrange something so we wouldn't have to worry about the cost of the trip,'' Lily said, with everyone giving her a curious look. ''My parents have access to a private plane which they use for business trips, since Rising Quest has branches in multiple countries and my parents aren't fans of commerical flights. I could ask them whether it would be fine to use it for our trip.''

''Okay, but what if they refuse? From what I'm understanding, the plane is supposed to be used for business purposes only,'' Makoto pointed out.

''True, but I have a way of convincing them to borrow it for this trip,'' Lily replied, a sly smirk forming on her lips.

''If that's so, then we still have to agree on a date. We're still several weeks away from summer holidays, but I don't think school shouldn't be much of an obstacle given our system. I had also called my parents about this, and they were fine with letting me go on this trip, so long as I'm with Sonic,'' Lucas explained, with the azure hedgehog giving him a cheeky grin.

''Dude, saying that they were 'fine with the trip' is an understatement. They were actually really excited to hear that you want to visit another country,'' Sonic pointed out. ''Besides, I think it would be best if we leave as soon as possible.''

''I think it won't be hard to get our parents' consent for this trip,'' Minami said, with the rest of the team agreeing with her. Considering the circumstances and the fact that the one who invited them for the visit was the imperial princess, it would be rude to decline the invitation.

''There is one more thing to consider, though,'' Shadow suddenly said, drawing everyone's attention. ''Have you forgotten that we would be leaving Neos City at the mercy of the Doctor?''

This caused everyone to suddenly fall silent, as they realized they sort of forgot about Dr. Eggman and the fact that he could easily attack the city in their absence. However, Sonic waved it off.

''Knowing Eggman, I don't think he'd be interested in launching an attack on the city if I'm not here. After all, that wouldn't be how the game works, and Eggman is dedicated to form,'' Sonic pointed out, confidently, with Shadow giving him a doubtful look.

''I wouldn't be as confident as you are,'' Shadow told him, arms folded across his chest.

''Oh, com'n, Shads, have a little faith.'' Sonic attempted to persuade the dark hedgehog, not at all intimidated by his steely gaze. ''Point is, this is all a game to him, and if I'm not around to provide a challenge, he won't be interested in attacking the city.''

''While that is true, I really hope that this won't be him deciding to just take over Neos City while we're away,'' Tails said, giving Sonic a look of concern.

''We could ask Rouge and Omega to keep an eye out for him. After all, Omega had been itching to annihilate Dr. Eggman,'' Touka suggested.

''I suppose we could do that,'' Shadow muttered, glancing at Sonic, who just gave him an assuring smile. He then sighed, but nodded in agreement.

''Okay, then we should go and prepare. Lily and Knuckles, you give me a call if you manage to secure the transport,'' Lucas said, with Lily and Knuckles nodding in acknowledgement.

xXx

''You want to go where?!''

''You want do do what?!''

Lily's parents were completely baffled when they heard their daughter's demand. Ever since she had brought Knuckles back home to act as her Guardian, her parents were making compromise after compromise in regards to where she was allowed to go. Only recently, they had found out what she was really up and were immediately intimidated into complying with her demands after she punched a hole through the wall of the mansion. Realizing that there was really nothing they could do to keep their daughter confined at home, they finally relented and let her do whatever she wanted as long as she was safe. They had figured that this would keep her calm and at peace, only to get hit by a sudden demand that left them stunned.

''As I had told you, me and my friends want to go to the Surya Empire and I wondered if it would be fine to take the plane you use for the business,'' Lily repeated her request.

''No, absolutely not! How can you even think of travelling into another country?'' Lily's father. Knuckles gave Lily a curious look, wondering if he should intervene, but Lily's expression told him that she had everything under control.

''Didn't you use it for vacation several months ago?'' Lily asked in a deadpan tone, leaving her parents a little flustered, only to immediately follow up with, ''But, I guess that's okay. I will have to tell the imperial princess that I'd have to reject her invitation.''

''W-Wait a moment!'' Lily's mother interrupted her. ''Did you just say the imperial princess?''

''Yeah, we were invited by the Imperial Princess of the Surya Empire, Sana Jai, personally,'' Lily clarified, a smirk forming on her lips when she saw her parents' shocked expressions. ''We actually met her a while ago when she was visiting Neos City.''

''Well, if it's the imperial princess, it would be plain rude to refuse an invitation,'' Lily's mother suddenly spoke up. Knuckles rose an eyebrow at her sudden change in attitude.

''I agree. It would be a bad idea to just reject the offer,'' Lily's father added. ''I hope you and your friends know how to behave before the princess.''

''Of course we do,'' Lily replied.

''Well, I guess that's settled. You are free to go, and please, make sure you put in a good word for our company. We could branch out into the Surya Empire,'' Lily's mother said, giving Lily a forced smile.

''Thanks. I'll go prepare for the flight,'' Lily told the two, turning on her heel and walking away alongside Knuckles, grinning smugly. ''I told you I could convince them.''

''Let me guess, they only agreed because you were invited by Sana and they want to take advantage of that,'' Knuckles said.

''You're absolutely correct,'' Lily replied. ''My parents had been telling me about the importance of connections, so I'm simply doing what they had told me.''

''They certainly taught you well,'' Knuckles commented, a grinning at her.

xXx

Lucas sighed, busy reading a book and trying to relax. Team Neos was on a plane well on their way towards the Surya Empire, and while they had managed to get everything in order, he still had that nagging feeling that something bad might happen. However, it was also possible that he was just a little nervous because he and his friends were literally travelling into a different country for the first time in their lives.

He looked up, noting how the rest of the team were either excited or just trying to keep themselves entertained during the flight. Warren and Makoto were playing a video game on the portable console Warren brought along; Touka, Lily, Minami, Amy and Silver were excitedly talking about seeing Sana and Blaze again, with Touka mostly listening to their conversation while looking out of the window, watching the landscape below; Knuckles and Tails were having a heated game of UNO; and Shadow was reading a book while trying to ignore Sonic who was pacing around the aisle the moment they were told that they could unbuckle. Despite the fact that Sonic had assured him that he was fine being on an 11-hour flight, it was obvious that the hedgehog would've preferred to run across the ocean rather than sit still for so long. He did join Tails and Knuckles for a few rounds of UNO, but then left after Knuckles won one too many of those rounds and started teasing Sonic about his loss, with the hedgehog becoming restless once again.

''Hmmm…''

Shadow's ears twitched as he heard Sonic humming, his rival having plopped himself down in the seat right next to him and tilting his head in such way that he could also read the book Shadow was reading. Shadow decided to ignore this and flipped the page, only to hear a disappointed sigh coming from his side, figuring that Sonic probably didn't read the page to the end. It didn't really make sense to Shadow that Sonic would just start reading the book while he was 1/3rd into it, but he decided to continue as if nothing happened. Another swift flip of the page, and he caught Sonic pouting, but not saying anything. Realizing that he wasn't getting his moment of peace, Shadow placed the book on the armrest between the two seats. Sonic gave Shadow a happy look, smiling at him.

''You know, if you really wanted to read the book, you could've just asked me,'' Shadow told Sonic in a deadpan tone, holding the right side of the book.

''I didn't want to bother you, Shads. I had figured I could read it in a stealthy way,'' Sonic replied, holding the left side of the book.

''Stealth isn't your forte, Sonic,'' Shadow told him in a matter-of-fact tone, with Sonic giving him a sheepish look.

''Heh…'' He then turned to the book, reading the page. Shadow decided to no longer pursue the issue, focusing on the novel he had been reading. It was only a minute or so later that Shadow then felt Sonic leaning against his shoulder, making himself quite comfortable in his seat and still sporting that goofy smile on his expression. Shadow couldn't help but smile a little, realizing that Sonic had finally calmed down.

Lucas also smiled when he saw this, turning back to his own book, but he kept thinking back to his conversation with Sana and Blaze, having called them to confirm that they would be coming. Sana had told him that she and Blaze were investigating another pirate raid and asked him whether Team Neos would join the two during their investigation, something Lucas agreed to, as he doubted any of his teammates would just ignore any opportunity for an adventure. Since they would be arriving in Karuna at evening, they would be leaving to investigate the pirate raid the next day, mainly because Blaze didn't want to waste more time as she feared that the pirates would be moving onto another target.

Lucas snorted in amusement. I guess our next adventure is basically going to be Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure. I wonder where that will go.

xXx

Fortunately, their flight to Karuna went without any issues and once they arrived at the airport, Sonic immediately wanted to leave for a run, only to get stopped when two cars that Sana and Blaze had sent drove up to them, with the drivers telling them that they would be driven to the Sun Palace, much to Sonic's dismay. He did relent after he was reminded that he doesn't know the way to the Sun Palace and sat together with Lucas, Tails, Makoto and Silver in one car, while Lily, Knuckles, Minami, Amy, Touka and Shadow sat in the other car. The drive itself was filled with people trying to get a good view of Karuna, as it turned out that they wouldn't be driving through the city due to the Sun Palace being built on a hill next to the ocean rather than being within the city. Once they had arrived, they were greeted by Sana and Blaze right at the gate.

''Hey, Sana, Blaze! It's nice too see you again!'' Lucas greeted the two, followed by the rest of the group.

''It's nice to see you all as well,'' Sana said, her and Blaze exchanging their greetings with the group, then motioning to them to follow the two inside the palace. ''I hope you aren't too tired from the flight. You can also leave your luggage in the lobby, I'll ask someone to bring it to your rooms.''

''We're fine, thanks,'' Minami said, no one in the group noticing Sonic's annoyed look as he itched to just leave and go for a run.

''You had told us that you've been having trouble with pirate raids. How bad is it?'' Silver asked.

''The situation is manageable, but we've gotten reports of robotic pirates raiding ships. Sana and I had realized that we might ask you for aid, since you would be very experienced in destroying robots,'' Blaze answered, with the group chuckling. Blaze gave the group a serious look. ''I mean it. These pirates have managed to destroy several of our patrol ships, so they shouldn't be underestimated.''

''However, I think we can talk about that later on. I'm sure that you're all hungry,'' Sana interrupted. ''My parents have actually requested to have dinner with you, because they were curious about your adventures.''

''You have told your parents about our adventures?'' Lily asked.

''Well, I kinda had to when I told them I'd be inviting you over, as well as me learning how to use Chaos Surge,'' Sana replied. ''Fortunately, they are more interested in hearing in detail how you have defeated Chaos rather than getting upset about it. They actually got the impression of you having a similar status to Blaze, being the protectors of Neos City.''

''Well, they wouldn't be wrong about that, but different than Blaze, we don't exactly have the approval of the government,'' Amy said.

''We decided to not bring up that particular issue,'' Blaze said. ''I'm glad that ARMS isn't giving you any trouble anymore.''

''You're not the only one who is relieved about that,'' Touka said. On their way to the dining room, they came across two people who were waiting for them, the group immediately realizing that they were the Emperor and the Empress, Sana's parents. Lucas was the first to bow his head in respect.

''Greetings, your Majesty,'' he said, with the rest following suit with the formal greeting.

''We're glad to finally meet Sana's friends. I hope you had a safe trip,'' Anisa Jai, Sana's mother said.

''Don't worry about formalities. Clearly, you're treating Sana and Blaze as your equals,'' Rahul Jai, Sana's father added.

''Uh, okay,'' Lucas replied, feeling a sense of relief.

''This is just to avoid any awkwardness,'' Blaze whispered to the rest of the group as they walked into the dining room. ''There were some changes after Sana and I had returned from our trip in Neos City.''

The group got seated, with the imperial family being obviously at the head of the table, still feeling a little awkward, but the atmosphere soon relaxed as they had started dinner and conversations had started.

''I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Sana and Blaze had managed to find a whole group of friends after such a short time spent in Neos City,'' Anisa said, addressing the group. ''You're calling yourselves Team Neos, right?''

''Yeah, we are,'' Lucas answered.

''I assume you're the leader or…'' Anisa trailed off, quickly adding, ''I have noticed that you're the one speaking for the whole group.''

''He is, and you can bet that he's a great leader,'' Sonic, who was sitting next to Lucas, suddenly said. Lucas was slightly flustered by the high praise, but simply smiled in response.

''Well, a group that protects Neos City has to have a great leader. Perhaps you could tell us more about your adventures,'' Rahul said. ''Sana and Blaze had told us about an attack from a water monster that left Neos City flooded.''

''That's Chaos,'' Lily suddenly said. ''Honestly, it's a bit of a long story.''

As Lily launched into describing the battle, she was joined by Knuckles, Minami and Amy, while Anisa continued to question Lucas, Warren and Tails about their family and school life.

''That is an interesting system,'' Anisa said as Warren finished describing the school system in Starpoint Area. ''We don't use AR Fields like this here. But, that's to be expected, as Starpoint Area is the center of AR technology.''

Meanwhile, Sana and Blaze were discussing their plans for tomorrow with Makoto, Silver, Touka, Shadow and Sonic. Blaze sat upright in her chair. ''We would have to get up early to meet up with Marine at the private dock. It is about 15 minutes away by foot though, but fortunately, all of the preparations were done.''

''You had told us that you wanted to leave earlier, but decided to wait for us to arrive,'' Silver said. Blaze nodded.

''As for the trip itself, we might end up being out there for a couple of days,'' Blaze continued. ''Despite the sightings, it won't be easy to track down the pirate ships.''

''Do you have anything in mind in regards to where exactly we'll be going?'' Makoto asked. Sana tapped on her AR Visor and after looking through the holographic screen, she switched it to a map and placed it on the free space on the table for everyone to see.

''The sightings were here, here and here,'' she pointed at several parts on the map, leaving red dots on the blue screen surrounded by green shapes representing the islands. She then encircled the area with a red line. ''Basically, this is a hotspot for pirates due to many trade ships passing through, delivering food, water and other necessities to the various islands. Our plan is to act as a bait to lure them out into a direct confrontation. Blaze and I had already tried this before, but during our last trip, our ship got damaged during the battle.''

''This time you'll have a lot more firepower, though,'' Sonic said, fist-pumping. Sana nodded.

''I really hope none of you will get seasick,'' she said. Suddenly, the table went silent, with everyone on Team Neos giving Sonic a pointed look, while Sana and Blaze remained surprised by the reaction.

''Why are you all looking at me? I don't get seasick,'' Sonic said, feeling rather confused.

''Perhaps, but you don't exactly have the best relationship with areas of water that are deeper than your ankles,'' Shadow pointed out. Sonic just waved him off casually.

''Nah, I'll be fine. We'll be on the ship, won't we? There's nothing I have to fear,'' Sonic replied in a confident tone.

''I guess we'll see,'' Lucas said, joining in on the conversation while slightly amused, with Sonic pouting in response.

''In any case, that is the plan for tomorrow,'' Sana concluded, clasping her hands together. ''We might be able to catch them this time. If we do, we would remove one of the greatest threats we currently have.''

''That is really nice dear, but could you please not turn the dining room into a war room?'' Anisa suddenly said, startling her daughter.

''Ah, I'm sorry… I just thought that it would be easier to explain everything now while we're all here,'' Sana explained, a sheepish smile forming on her lips.

''I suppose we could go into the specifics once we're on the ship,'' Blaze said, glancing at Sana. Anisa exhaled sharply, turning to the rest of the group.

''This is how Sana had been behaving since her arrival. She became way more interested in participating in the defense of our empire,'' Anisa explained.

''Well, I am Blaze's partner and the imperial princess. So, it is my duty to defend my homeland,'' Sana said in a determined tone. Blaze glanced at the rest of Team Neos, her expression indicating that this was what she was talking about earlier. Clearly, Sana became quite inspired by her little adventure.

The conversation then continued until Anisa and Rahul decided to retire for the evening, with Sana and Blaze offering to show Team Neos their rooms. Lucas, Sonic, Warren, Tails, Makoto and Silver were sharing one room, while Lily, Knuckles, Minami, Amy, Touka and Shadow shared the other room. After making sure everyone knew their way around and agreeing when they'll be up, the two then left as they still had some last-minute work to do. As for Team Neos, they finally felt the jet lag and general tiredness from their journey catching up to them, immediately agreeing to go to bed, especially since they were supposed to get up early.

Well, everyone except one.

''Sonic, where are you going?'' Tails asked, looking at the hedgehog who was doing some stretches.

''I've been waiting the whole day to go for a run, so I'll do a couple of laps on the palace grounds,'' Sonic explained.

''I don't think it would be a smart idea, especially since we're getting up early,'' Silver pointed out.

''Don't worry, I'll be back in a blink. You can go to sleep,'' Sonic replied.

''Okay, but don't get lost,'' Lucas said, with Sonic just giving him a confident look and leaving for the entrance.

However, on his way there, Sonic ran past a lit room, with the door being slightly ajar. Curious, he glanced inside, only to find Blaze in what appeared to be an office room, reading some papers.

''Hey, Blaze, why are you still up?'' Sonic said, walking inside.

''I could ask you the same question,'' Blaze replied, pointing at the papers. ''I've been reading the reports that arrived today.''

''I thought you'd be fast asleep by now. It's getting late,'' Sonic replied, with Blaze sighing.

''You're sounding like Sana,'' she muttered. ''She was insisting that she would help me out, but when I told her to go to sleep, she told me that I should also go to sleep. Fortunately, I'm almost done with my work.''

''Honestly, I don't envy you nor Sana. You're not only protecting a whole empire, but also have to deal with the paperwork, which sounds really boring,'' Sonic said, tilting his head as he looked at the reports. Blaze smiled tiredly.

''This is all part of my duty. Someone who isn't used to this would obviously find it boring.'' Blaze then got up, gathering the papers. ''Although, I agree that the bureaucratic work is more exhausting than hunting down pirates. Not to mention, this is only a small cog in the wheel in regards to how the empire works. Sana's parents are the ones taking care of the matters inside and outside the empire.''

''I'm glad that I'm not an emperor, or even king. I think I'd go crazy at the mere mention of dealing with political stuff,'' Sonic said, with Blaze placing her hand over her mouth and snorting in amusement.

''I suppose it is for the better,'' Blaze said, tilting her head. ''What about you? Why are you still awake?''

''I actually wanted to go for a run, simply to stretch my legs and get some fresh air,'' Sonic replied, glancing out of the open window. ''Speaking of being right on cue…''

Blaze followed his gaze, taking note of a dark figure standing in the courtyard right below the window. Despite the darkness, her eyes were sharp enough to recognize Shadow standing there and clearly waiting for Sonic. She was surprised when Sonic suddenly leaned over the windowsill, a sense of fear gripping her.

''H-Hey, what are you doing? You'll fall off,'' she said, trembling as she tried to ignore the fact that the office was quite high up and she wasn't exactly comfortable with that fact. However, Sonic ignored her.

''Don't worry, there is a ledge I can walk on,'' Sonic said, leaping over and standing on the ledge while holding onto the windowsill. ''See ya tomorrow, Blaze!''

Blaze felt her heart beating fast as she watched Sonic leaping from the ledge onto another, skillfully navigating his path downwards and meeting up with Shadow. The two then sped off into the darkness, with Blaze stepping away from the window and quickly closing it, trying to calm down her beating heart.

Despite being the Blazing Guardian, able to wield and control fire easily and terrorizing any pirate she came across – she still couldn't get over the fact that she had acrophobia, or an intense fear of heights. Even just watching Sonic leap down from this height made her feel terrified, nervous and uncomfortable. Forcing her jelly-like legs to move, she noted to herself that she probably needed some sleep.

I wonder what Shadow was doing outside, though, she thought, only to come to the obvious conclusion. I suppose when Sonic mentioned that he would go for a run, he actually meant a race. That makes sense for him.

xXx

It was about 06:30AM in the following morning when everyone had gathered for breakfast, some still half asleep. Sana laughed, while Blaze tried to hold back her laugh, when Lily mentioned how Minami and Touka were quite hard to wake up, as both were the type of person who liked to sleep in. Shadow decided to turn this into a lesson for Amy of how to wake them up by ripping the blanket away from Touka, causing her to wake up with a start and fall on the floor. Amy decided to do the same with Minami, who luckily caught herself before she could fall off.

''Ugh, I feel like I'm gonna have a bruise from this that will last for days,'' Touka grumbled at breakfast, gaining some looks of sympathy.

''It's your own damn fault for going back to sleep after I woke you up,'' Shadow replied in an irked tone, sipping his coffee.

''You'll get a chance to take a nap while we're on the ship,'' Sana joined in a teasing tone. ''It will take us a while to get to our location.''

''No, thanks. I'm fully awake now,'' Touka replied half-heartedly.

After breakfast, they made their way to the dock, where they had already found people and ARNavs working on the ships that were there. Sana and Blaze led them to a particular one, which Team Neos, or at least Lucas, Warren, Lily, Minami and Makoto in particular, recognized.

''Woah, isn't that the Ocean Tornado?'' Minami turned to Sana and Blaze, who felt quite proud when they saw their friends in awe.

''Yeah! Honestly, it's kind of a-''

''Ahoy, everyone!''

Before Sana could explain anything, they were met by an Irregular ARNav running up towards them and waving at them. The ARNav in question was an anthropomorphic raccoon with orange fur, a white muzzle, a small black nose, and sky blue eyes with one long eyelash on each one. She had brown triangular ears with cream canals on top of her head, brown rings around her rounded tail, and brown and cream-stripe markings around her eyes. On her head, she had two upturned pigtails with brown tips that were held together by yellow scrunchies. For attire, she wore a lime green tube top with a white trim, black capri leggings, tan gloves, white socks, and lime green and orange shoes with gray soles.

''I guess you're the crew Blaze and Sana were talking about. I'm Marine the Raccoon, and I'm the captain of this ship,'' Marine greeted them all. ''I hope you're all excited for the adventure of your lifetime, because there is no one who knows these waters better than myself!''

''I suppose we can talk more when we're on the ship,'' Blaze said. ''Are we ready to set sail?''

''We're all ready! I hope that we'll find those scallywags who dared to damage my ship,'' Marine said, an irked look appearing on her expression. ''Even if they damage got repaired, I still want them to pay for what they have done. I almost had them last time, but unfortunately, we couldn't follow them.'' Marine then beckoned everyone to follow her. ''Com'n everyone! We have some pirates to hunt down!''

After everyone got on the ship, starting their adventure on the high seas.

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[scrollonso]

i have come to the realization that waiting room by pheobe bridgers is the most first kiss strollonso song ever.

let me explain.

If you were a teacher, I would fail your class. Take it over and over 'til you noticed me

I feel like the hint at a teacher-student thing shouldn't be taken as a taboo in this context because (not only is the age gap smaller but) lance truly does what he does for the attention and praise he gets from nando in return, he continues to fail because every time he does he is noticed by the "teacher"

If you were a waiting room, I would never see a doctor. I would sit there with my first-aid kit and bleed

This mainly makes me think of lance crying in nandos arms after he dnf, holding on tight to him as he "bled" but not necessarily "seeing a doctor" (talking about it) because the best thing for him was the "waiting room" (fernando)

I wanna be the power ballad that lifts you up and holds you down

He wants to be fernandos everything, his motivation, his friend, his lover, his supporter, HIS SUN.

I wanna be the broken love song that feeds your misery

He wants to be something fernando continues to come back to no matter what, like a broken love song fernando adores and even though it can hurt he cant stay away because it is his favourite

And I can wish all that I want, but it won't bring us together

As of right now in the au lance isnt even aware of his own feelings let alone the fact fernando feels the same, no matter how much he tries that longing and craving he has for more doesnt disappear because he isnt aware just how much more he needs

Plus, I know whatever happens to me, I know it's for the better

As lance continues in his rookie season he becomes used to losing, used to retiring early, used to fucking up, while fernando continues to win, but he cant bring himself to care when he goes and sees fernando on the podium

And when broken bodies are washed ashore who am I to ask for more, more, more?

When both of them have been hurt, been through things, struggled, had their own negative thoughts about the feelings they'll soon come to terms with, who is lance to beg fernando to be more than just friends and coworkers?

But you're breathing in my open mouth, you're the gun in my lips that will blow my brains out

Fernando literally takes lances first kiss. He's the first pair of lips lance has ever had on his own, the first person to hold him this way, touch him, love him, soothe him, praise him, his first everything, if this doesnt work out its going to kill him.

I wanna make you drive all night just because I said, "Maybe you should come over"

In the au lance lives in geneva switzerland like in real life and fernando was visiting mark in queanbeyan australia WHICH IS A 36 HOUR FLIGHT AWAY THAT LANCE TOOK WITH NO HESITATION JUST TO SEE FERNANDO A WEEK EARLIER THAN HE WAS SUPPOSED TO.

Wanna make you fall in love as hard as my poor parents' teenage daughter

He knows fernando is older and has most likely loved someone before but he cant help but want nando to love him as hard and passionately as he loves fernando (HIS POOR PARENTS' TEENAGE SON.)

She'll be the best you ever had if you let her

This could truly go both ways, with fernando being more expierenced and willing to do anything for lance with no hesitation and lance not knowing exactly how to love but willing to do anything to show fernando just how much he truly loves him.

I know it's for the better. Know it's for the better

With lances internalized homophobia in the au he believes that convincing himself he truly just looks up to fernando is for the better because admitting he's in love with another driver would be insane

[darkbluekies]

Hedwig asks #1

Next one Concept: I've put multiple asks into one post to avoid too much loose posts on my account! This way, you have more to read too<3

Warnings: a little suggestive, yandere, manipulation, blackmail

How would Hedwig react if s/o left on vacation without telling her?

...what has she done to you? Hedwig will 100% freak out. She'll be so anxious and scared that she faints and won't be able to go to school. She stays shaking under her sheets with tears running down her cheeks. She'll call you hundreds of times and leave a dozens of messages where she BEGS you to answer. She's nothing without you, so why can't you just answer?! When she gets to know what you've done and why you have left her alone, she'll be so mad at you that you regret everything. She'll book her own flight and go to you because you can not escape her. Wherever you go, she goes.

How would Hedwig deal with an escape artist s/o who doesn't leave, lets say her s/o rejects her she kidnaps them and ties them up only for her to turn around and their sitting down like it's a regular Monday morning and is just like "It's pretty nice here I think I'm gonna stay😀"

"W-What did you say?" she stutters.

She can't believe how you got out of the ropes so quickly or why you aren't screaming. She'll be white as a ghost trying to understand that you're staying voluntarily. Suddenly, she'll feel ashamed of kidnapping you.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I-I thought that ... you know ... that you didn't want to be with me. You rejected me ... remember? But I'm not mad! Not anymore! Not when you accepted to stay. I will make up for the bruises you got. I apologize for that. Should I get the first aid kit?"

would like to see a scenario where readers parents are protective and wary of rich people bc they think rich people look down on people and hedwig tries to get them to like her

You try to convince your parents that Hedwig is different, but they're not buying it. 'Every rich person is the same, only caring about themselves', they say.

Hedwig has invited them over for dinner to show how well mannered and down to earth she is. Or that's at least what she hopes she is. You're trying to calm her down, but winning your parents over means everything to her. She wants to be the perfect daughter in law.

When they come over, Hedwig is on her best behavior. You think she's acting silly, being too friendly, too well behaved. It's unnatural. Your parents are reserved and quiet. You can see their eyes light up slightly when Hedwig tells them that the chef has prepared their favorite meal. She adds on that you've helped her make this special.

During the dinner, Hedwig asks your parents questions and tries to hold back her usual talk about things she does. She doesn't want to seem unrelatable. She engages in conversations, just like she does when talking to you, and gives appropriate comments. It almost feels rehearsed.

Hedwig even gives them a gift. Nothing flashy, nothing expensive. Just a box of chocolate as a 'thanks for coming'. She gives you a hopeful look. Maybe your parents will start to change their attitudes about her.

Can you do Hedwig and her s/o who doesn’t know what to do with their life? Like any career doesn’t really interest them

You sigh, rolling over on your stomach to let the sun grace your back.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Hedwig asks from the towel beside you.

"Nothing, I've just had time to think now that we're free from school and ... I realized that I don't know anything. I don't know what I want to be, i don't know myself and I don't know how the world works. I don't think school prepared me for anything."

Hedwig sighs and sits up to look at you. Her white bikini glows against her sunkissed skin. Hedwig thought that you and her could spend the first week of summer break at her house by the pool.

"You don't have to stress", she says. "It's not like you will become homeless. You have all the time in the world to figure out what you'd like to do ... but you could just be a stay at home partner. I wouldn't mind. I can always pay for the both of us. You could dive deeper into your hobbies instead of working!"

Hedwig won't admit out loud that she'd rather have you be a stay at home partner than go out into the big, scary world every day to work a heartless job. She doesn't want to share you with the world.

"Do you know what you want to be?" you ask her.

"I don't have to be something", Hedwig smiles back. "I have enough money to last a lifetime. But ... you're right. It's boring being able to do everything you want anytime you want it. Getting a job would make me a bit more occupied. Model, maybe?"

"You seem to have an idea at least."

"Darling ... you don't have to stress it. I have a wonderful future planned for us. We're going to go on a lot of vacations and just enjoy life. Doesn't that sound nice? Don't stress about it. Just stay with me and you won't have to worry."

Hedwig trying to explain to reader why they would make an amazing couple and family

If the laws of physics doesn't bend to her will, she'll force them to bend :)

If I may what is Hedwig's finger size??? Asking for research purposes obviously ☺️ (HEDWIG PLEASE MARRY ME IM SO GAY FOR YOUUUWUVVVWWBINFRRFCE💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💖💖💖)

Hm yeah, research purposes oBVIOUSLY. hedwig will marry you in a heartbeat.

How would Hedwig react to a teasing reader marking her neck. And then when things start to get even more passionate, they just completely stop and walk away like nothing happened

Her entire body will go weak with your touch. She'll start to use grabby hands to get you closer and whine. She's pudding in your hands. You pull her closer, making sure to put pressure points where you know she likes them only to let her go and walk away. She blinks in confusion.

"Y-Y/N, no, don't leave! You can't leave me like this! Y/N, come back! Please!"

Hey ! I love your fic about hedwig and the f-boy, and after reading it I wondered what would happen if he actually leaves her because she broke his trust ??Ps: your blog is so pretty &lt;3

[thank you so much!!]

oneshot this is based off of

She won't let him. Hedwig's a fantastic manipulator, but if he can see through that ... she'll take drastic measures and keep him with her. She'll blackmail, kidnap and convince him.

"I'm sorry for everything, Y/N. You know I love you. A lot. That's why I'm doing this. You have to understand that what I'm doing is the right thing. Now, please open your mouth so I can feed you."

How do you think hedwig would react if her darling wasn't into women

Hedwig would be so sad. In her perfect world, you love her and she loves you, but if you're not into women, she'll try to act platonic with you. if she can't have you romantically, she'll at least have you as her friend. She can't imagine a life without you in it and will do her best to be the person you want her to be.

GOSHHH, I LOVE HEDWIG SO MUCH..I just wanna spend a day just purely spoiling her with attention. You write so well!! It made me developed a hunger for this type of writing. 😖

Oh my god thank you so much! i'm so glad you like both Hedwig and the writing <333

[queen-scribbles]

"Aren't I lucky?"

17. Parents (post-WotR; Trinne/Lann)

Trinne often heard people bemoan their childhood home looking smaller when they returned to visit. Something about growing up and nostalgia coloring their memories. She had the opposite.

"Huh, it got bigger." She cocked her head, studying the façade of the Amell family estate.

"Bigger?" Lann echoed. Something flickered in his eyes that made her wonder if he was a flight risk. It had been enough talking him into this, she shouldn't have said anything.

"Yeah." Trinne leaned against his side as she pointed toward a section of the architecture. "There's a whole addition on the east wing- oh!" she gasped, grinning. "I wonder if that mean Sarro moved in... My initial bardic instructor," she explained when she caught his lost look. "She an' my folks really hit it off, and she doesn't have any family, so they told her she was welcome here if she ever needed to settle down."

"So they built her an addition?" Lann ran a look over the sprawling mansion. "Makes sense; they seem real short on space."

"Hey, I'm one of five, remember?" she laughed. "Mostly girls. It was smart to give us lots of space."

"Uh-huh." He still looked uncertain beyond the expected level of nerves. "How'd I let you talk me into this?" he muttered, running a hand down his face and swiping at the front of his loose shirt.

"I believe it involved a little of me playing dirty," Trinne said with a coy wink, before sobering and turning to take both his hands in hers. "But also the fact I've met your mother. Seeing as my parents live in Nerosyan, too, it seemed only fair you get to meet them while we're here."

"Yeah, but you'd already met my mom," Lann pointed out. "so visiting her was just... catching up and telling her I somehow convinced the most beautiful and amazing woman in Golarion to marry me. This is..." he darted a glance at the front gate, "you introducing your folks to your husband, the local cave monster."

His scaled hand twitched in her grasp, but she held firm as she countered, "Who happens to be the handsomest man on or beneath Golarion, aren't I lucky?"

"There's that bias of yours again. I think you got knocked in the head by demons one time too many, Commander," he joked, shuffling his feet.

"Oh, undoubtedly. Doesn't make me wrong. Look, Lann..." Trinne let go with one hand to instead cradle his jaw and make him look at her. "I can't promise how they'll initially react, true, or that you'll fit in here, and if you really don't wanna do this, we don't have to. But I promise, darling, they will love you when they know you."

"Promise, huh?" Lann sighed and bit his lip. "How're you so sure?"

"You make me happy," she said simply, pushing up on her toes to steal a quick kiss. "Plus you have a wonderful sense of humor, you're a deadeye shot with a bow--which is really hot--you're good with kids, you've saved my life so many times I've lost count, soon-to-be leader of your people" --her hand slid down to his chest, where the scar of Savamelekh's sting lingered-- "but above all, you make me happy. That's always been what they want most for us; to find what makes us happy and do it." She grinned. "In my case it's a who, not a what."

He chuckled, some of the nerves fading. "I appreciate the out, Trinne, but I want to do this." His fingers carded through her hair and tipped her chin up to steal another kiss as he teased, "They can't be worse than demons."

She laughed. "The only danger you're in from my parents is overfeeding and being forced to sit and listen to baby stories about me."

"Baby stories, huh?" Lann grinned. He turned his hand in hers to interlace their fingers. "Considering what you've gotten out of my mom, maybe this won't be so bad..."

Trinne lightly slapped his chest and rolled her eyes. "And maybe I'm going to regret it. Come on, before I change my mind."

She tugged him into motion, heading across the street to the now-open gates and the family who waited within.

[sparxaf]

Okay had to make a list and do this proper. Please provide a snippet of It Could Have Been Me. The people need to know!

And I want whatever you’ll give me about:

- Suresh something something

- Couples therapy

- Arjun After Hours

Maybe I missed it but was the Bobby Marisol fic left off this list 👀

Okay 🤣 This is gonna be forever long. You know I can't summarize!

If It Could Have Been Me: Noah's wanted her for far too long and he finally has her. For now.

Her walls clenched around him as he let himself succumb to the magic and madness of her sweet body. Poetry and music and lines from old books flooded his head, but they didn’t make any sense. They were a sensual muddle of noise and words. A rolling, tumbling jumble of feelings that weren’t namable. Weren’t even knowable. And without the ability to name them, he became feral. Savage. Utterly unable to find the civilised man that needed those artful things to make sense of the world. There was no more sense. There was only her. Fucking her.  Loving her. 

Suresh Something Something: MC, a very popular islander, was shockingly dumped by public vote. In a Love Island first, the fans were so upset by the abusive way she'd been treated on the show, they banded together and voted her off out of concern for her emotional health. At the 6 month reunion, she thanks fans for caring so much and announces that on her flight home from the dumping, she met another Love Island alum and they've been dating ever since. It's either Lucas or Arjun. They bring him out and he's head over heels for MC and proposes on air. Suresh has a complete melt down about it and posts up on the guy who isn't the least bit intimidated. Arlo, humiliated by Suresh's behavior, punches him in the face. Did I brainstorm all of that JUST to have him get punched by a semi-pro boxer? Yes. Yes I did.

Couple's Therapy: MC is in the waiting room for her first couples therapy appointment, but her fiancé hasn't shown up. Seb's girlfriend also hasn't shown up. To their confusion, they end up getting called together for their visit because Seb and her boyfriend have nearly identical names. They're both too mortified to tell the therapist and just play along, like they're an actual couple. They end up going to many therapy appointments together as if they were a real couple, and they learn how to communicate and end up falling in love.

Arjun After Hours: Arjun goes into CA with an agenda. Pick the easiest to convince girl, get into the villa, get famous, and prove his family wrong about what a loser he is. But meeting Olivia, brilliant and unbearably loyal, throws a wrench in everything. He falls hard and tries to hint at the truth he's not allowed to tell. Her relationship is a joke. Her partner has been using her since day dot and her so called bestie has been sabotaging her. Despite falling just as hard for him, she won't believe it and chooses loyalty. Heartbroken, Arjun returns to his life of dog grooming and disappointed parents. So imagine his surprise when he gets a knock on the door...

Oh, and no, the Bobby/Marisol story wasn't missing. It was in the section of active WIPS I believe. The sex scenes are too good (and horrifying) to leave unfinished 🤣

God, I forgot how fun these story ideas were. Thank you for the ask, my friend! And thank you to anyone who managed to read all of that 😘

[anthropwashere]

I've gotten two letters from my mom since my aunt died last month and they've both been just. So, so aggressively manipulative. Y'all can skip this post. I'm not looking for sympathy likes/replies. I just need a good rant and sometimes it does pay to yell into the Tumblr void.

Still—still!—she insists I have never told her why I refuse to speak to her anymore. She has the receipts on this, going all the way back over a decade ago to my early 20s when I conceded to communicate to her solely through e-mails. That avenue of communication ended with me blocking her pretty much everywhere online after she called me a sociopathic bitch on a public platform family, friends, and coworkers followed me on. Very cool of her, very mature.

(If memory serves she was arrested shortly thereafter. Pity it wasn't for something more serious than, jeez, I can't be assed to remember. Something to do with her driver's license? I know she asked me for a couple grand about it and cussed me out when I told her my baby Airman ass literally did not have the money even if I were inclined to help her.)

Every single letter she sends me includes a brief tangent about how she's been watching YouTube videos about estranged families (both sides! she always includes the both sides!). She always says she wants to understand but she can't because I've never told her why I refuse to talk to her anymore.

How many phonecalls, how many HOURS, have I wasted crying in rage and despair as I try to tell her all the ways she hurt me, physically and emotionally and mentally, before I realized she'd never accept it? That she would always, always try to gaslight me like this? That she'd give me that guileless, wide-eyed and furrowed brow anxious stare and that high, plaintive goddamn voice. That she'd convince me time and time and time and time again that maybe, maybe I'm overreacting?

This most recent letter was a real treat. She went out of her way to say she wasn't trying to guilt trip me, really, but she's JUST lost both her sisters AND her parents in the last year and she's terrified she might die soon next so WHY won't her ONLY DAUGHTER just TALK to her? 😭

So, firstly. I can only speak for myself and my interpretations of what my extended family will feel, but I'm pretty goddamn sure we're all gonna CHEER when she finally fucking kicks the bucket. Ain't nobody gonna miss her when she croaks. Even if her sisters outlived her that'd be the same. My only complaint when she does die is that I'm gonna insist on paying for all of the funerary expenses because she's already leeched too goddamn much from the rest of the family. No way is anyone gonna pay for her bullshit one last time, even if that means paying folks back with interest after I fly back to California. And you can be sure I'm gonna go out of my way to take the cheapest route possible at every opportunity out of spite. This woman doesn't deserve better than the bare minimum. That's all she's ever given everyone else after all.

Secondly, I will concede the fact that yes, she's lost both her sisters in the last year, not even a full year apart from each other. And that sucks! It's extremely fucking sad! My aunts raised me as much as she did, and they both sure as hell paid for more of my childhood needs than she ever did. I was able to afford to go to my younger aunt's funeral last year, but even with the surprise disability backpay I got this year I've been dealing with a lot of owning-a-100+-year-old house expenses (such as replacing the entire goddamn original roof) this year, so I genuinely couldn't make the trip for my older aunt's funeral. Two family members offered to pay for my flight and I just couldn't accept that kindness because I grew up watching my mom take and take and take and take from the family.

THIRDLY HOWEVER.

Her mom, my maternal grandma, died TWENTY YEARS AGO. Her dad, my maternal grandpa, died THIRTY YEARS AGO. And she hated her parents! She fucking loathed them! I spent more of my childhood being her psychologist instead of her goddamn child; ALL I HEARD ABOUT was how much she hated and resented her parents. This is THE first time I've heard her trot them out since I lived with her back in the 00s, and it might damn well be the first halfway-positive mention of them since long before that? This is so transparent an act I can't help but be insulted that she'd think I'd take the bait? Using the LITERAL DEATHS of others to try to goad me into talking to her?

Like. Jesus. Last year at my younger aunt's funeral just about every single member of the California-centric family pulled me aside to ask if my mom was being too much. My aunt's CHILDREN, damn near non-functional with grief, asked if I needed help handling my mom. And there were a couple occasions where I damn near admitted yeah! She's being too much! She won't stop fucking touching me! She won't stop making her sister's death about herself! And here she is, a year later, doing the same goddamn thing again with her other sister's death!

She's a manipulative, gaslighting abuser who refuses to grow up and accept responsibility and/or repercussions for her actions despite being in her late-60s. She gleefully twists the knife into whoever she can get her hands on and acts SO distraught and SO betrayed when people find fault with her actions and behavior. I don't know a single person who knows her to like her anymore once she's shown her true colors, and somehow she's still convinced she isn't the problem.

What a waste. What a fucking waste.

[fanaticsnail]

Travel is all fun and games until you step off of that 14 hour flight for a layover and realize you've got 3 more hours after it. Makes me wanna cry 🥲.

Anyways, on to the ocs. Writing the Zoro Fic (still don't have a name for it) I've found it a bit difficult to come up with OCs who can create interesting dynamics with Kuina and Karasu. With Kuina providing such a nice parallel to a younger Zoro, it's been hard not to just copy-paste the original crew lol. I have a few basic frameworks for characters, though. As always, no names:

Little Miss Chronically Unemployed. Not exactly a bounty hunter, more of a contract job kinda gal. Well, she would be if she could get a job, that is. Kuina is the first person in a long time to throw her a proverbial bone, and now she follows her around like a lost pup. Tsukino Usagi if she was a sad drunk.

Prince of....wherever the hell. Karasu, why do you, as a man, have an arch nemesis? What are you arching, your back? Seems being a swordsman is a one-stop-shop for being a bi disaster. Prince of some island and, for lack of better word, the group's sugar daddy. He's a stupid dumb dumb, I wanna put him in a jar and shake it.

The Struggler ™️. Obligatory devil fruit user, and despite being the youngest, they are adult supervision to these idiots. I'm thinking levitation, simply for the mental image of the rest of the group arguing with eachoter, only to suddenly be flung in opposite directions. Some assembly required on this one.

Thats what I have for this fic so far, however the more I get into this fic, the more I realize I don't know. The biggest example being: I am an only child, however with the amount of cousins and clse family friends I have, I've basically experienced every spot in the eldest-middle-youngest hierarchy. I've got an idea of what to do and ehat not to do when it comes to writing Kuina and Karasu but there's a small part of me that feels like I'm going to slip up and do smth stupid. Some Kuina & Karasu interactions, for your perusal:

Karasu has eldest child syndrome. Kuina has eldest daughter syndrome. That means even if their parents were present for their whole lives, they very much raised eachother. Very close bond because of this, but would rather die than acknowledge it.

As kids, Kuina once got dangerously sick. Karasu got so worried that he threw up and their parents were stuck caring for both of them.

Karasu once convinced Kuina her onigiri was poisoned so that he could have it instead. This backfired when Kuina freaked out and threw it away for "safety ". (This is inspired by smth I did. I have no regrets 👹)

Slow-motion punches. No words, just going up to eachother and pretend punching them into the face. You can't refuse a slow-mo punch, it's illegal. You just gotta take it.

UGHHHHH, I could go on and on, but for your sake I won't. OK, byeeee.

-♡♡ lots of love

Oh my gosh, HOW MANY LAYOVERS AND FOR HOW LONG??? Here I am whining about the fact that I've got a 2.25 hour flight coming up to see my baby sister, and you're doing a full 17 with stops. Dayum!!

Coming up with titles is just the worst. If this fic was me, I'd simply call it: "The World's Greatest," or "Whatever It Takes." Maybe even going with: "My Greatest Honor" considering the greatest honor for Zoro would be to pass his title onto his daughter.

Tropes are tropes for a reason, we love them. Having Roronoa Kuina as a reflection of both Zoro and Kuina (in his youth) would be an interesting way to have him see life come full circle.

Chronically Unemployed: the all rounder. Physically strong and burly, great sense of humor, could drink Zoro into a new liver -> reason why Kuina enjoys her so much? Reminds her of what her life would look like if she was less ambitious and more carefree. If we're going Japanese for names, Junko (ジュンコ) would be cute considering her obedience to Kuina. That name literally translates to "obedience" or "pure".

The Prince: Karasu's nemesis because he envies his parentage perhaps? Could go deeper: Zoro's wife and mother of Karasu and Kuina could be an heir to a title, and gave it up before her arranged marriage to the Prince's father. She chased love, and Zoro was who she wanted. The Prince sees Karasu as the embodiment of the childhood he could've had, and the Prince's mother could've been more hands off (as many are) than Zoro's wife. The issue? Karasu is in love with him, but has to keep up the farse that he isn't because he doesn't want the prince to stop talking to him -> even if that means insults. I would give him an incredibly pretentious name like "Ludwig" or "Leopold" and have his nickname / alias "Ludo" for safety for travel.

Devil-Fruit User: Leviathan is such a cool name, I love it! Anything to do with aqua mythos and I'm like a moth to a flame. "Levi" is also a very cute nickname, but considering the fact that I went with an "L" name for the one prior, I would love to steer your attention to other aquatic mythological creatures. Neothelids, for example, would be REALLY FUN to play with in the One Piece world, and "Neo" or "Theli" would be cute for the youngest member of the crew. A Neothelid is a creature that stems from mind-flayers, growing into a beast like a Kraken or Worm, that can: levitate, use telekinesis, breathe acid, and overtake creatures minds with a mental blast. Playing with those powers would be absolutely chaos, but I love it.

I am the oldest of four, my younger three siblings and I get along extremely well. We play D&D every Saturday night as a family, and I'd do anything for them. Wasn't always like that, but that comes with having siblings close in age. Sibling dynamics are a lot like watching older cats interact with younger kittens: swatting, showing who's boss, establishing the pecking order, and then realising "Oh shit, you're a lot taller than me now. What have I done," when they grow up.

Yes to the onigiri incident between them. Absolutely happened, it's canon to me. Poisoned food, food poisoning, absolutely.

OKAY SO NOW I HAVE A HOT TAKE FOR YOUR FIC.

Ship Roles:

Captain: Kuina (Little Sister)

First Mate: Karasu (Big Brother)

Navigator: Ludo (Prince)

Chef: Neo / Theli (DF user)

Shipwright: Junko (Chronically Unemployed)

Kuina is the captain because she is assembling the team. Captain whether she wants to or not. Karasu is the first mate because they are known for taking care of their Captain. He wants to keep her safe, like the doting big brother he is. That, and his mother would kill him if anything were to happen to her.

I'm sorry it took a while for me to get back to you about it! I have been thinking on this so hard and wanted to have the words happen in the right way. Love you, ♡♡ Anon. Enjoy your time away!!

[callsign-magnolia]

I Hope You Dance // Chapter 35

MATURE CONTENT (18+)

A/N: This is cross posted to my Wattpad, so if this seems familiar that is why!

TW: Mental abuse, emotional abuse, slight physical abuse, death and loss.

Description: When Caila meets Rooster, sparks fly. But, she's already married, to a man who she thought loved her, and won't let her go. Rooster will fight for her, he just has to convince Caila to fight for herself.

Word Count: 8.6k

Chapter 34 | Masterlist

“So? What’d he say?” Jake asked as soon as I stepped out of the admiral’s office, making me sigh. “Because of what I said, he has recommended me for a psych evaluation when we get home. If I’m deemed unfit, I get a medical discharge, if not I can continue service.” I said as I pushed past him. “And what about Buck?” I shrugged. “They are discussing dishonorable discharge. But I don’t know.” I said turning away again. “Magnolia. Stop.” He said as he grabbed my wrist, turning me to him. “Are you okay?” The words made me tear up. “I feel like I’m losing my mind, Jake!” I cried as he pulled me into him. “For a minute, I really thought he was Aaron and I just lost it.” I leaned back, looking up at him. “I had it in my mind to kill him, Jake.” I admitted. He just scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “He deserves it.” I shook my head. “To have his ass kicked, yes. But death, come on Jake. That’s extreme.” He just sighed, knowing I was right. “So, what now?” He asked. “We work and go home.” I said as I made my way back to my room.

~~~

I walked through the airport, bags in hand as Regina followed behind. “Okay, this is where I leave you.” She said, tears in her eyes. “Thanks for bringing me. The last time someone came to the airport with me was when I told Mags I loved her.” She laughed. “She told me how you almost missed your flight for that.” I nodded. “I would’ve happily missed it.” She nodded. “Okay, there are some snacks in your bag. I have all the dog’s things, and all the gifts for Caila and us. Which you didn’t have to get us anything.” I shook my head. “Well, I did and they’re non-refundable.” She just narrowed her eyes at me as David walked up. “Leave the man alone, Gina.” He said as he placed his hands on her shoulders, towering over her like a mountain. “Okay, you have an hour before your flight, so go, get through security and please, call me when you land.” I froze at her words. It was the first time I’ve heard those words from a parent figure. “Bradley? You okay?” I nodded, realizing it had been a minute since she said that. “Yeah. Just the first time I’ve heard that from someone other than Mags. Never really had anyone to drop me at the airport or docks before her.” Regina just smiled at me, pulling me into a hug. “Well, now you have us. So, I’ll tell you the same things I say to Caila. Be careful, don’t do unnecessary hero shit, and take care of yourself.” I nodded, grabbing my duffel.

“Bradley.” She said, catching my wrist as I turned around. “Come home to us, okay?” A few tears welled in my eyes at her words, realizing I had more than just Mags who cared about me. “I’ll try my best.” She nodded, kissing my cheek before David pulled me into a hug. “Make us proud?” I nodded, grabbing his outstretched hand and shaking it. “Of course.” With that I turned for security, getting in line. I shot Mags a text, telling her I was getting on a plane and that I loved her. Realizing this would be one of the last times I would have the freedom to text her whenever I wanted. I sighed, putting my phone back in my pocket and following the line through security. Once on the other side I grabbed my bag, looking up and was shocked to see Regina and David still there. They waved at me and I waved back before walking away, towards my gate.

~~~

It’s now the last two weeks of deployment. I haven’t been able to talk to Bradley at all since he left for his deployment, and it was nerve wracking. The only good thing right now is the fact that Buck is avoiding me like the plaque and the rest of the team is in agreement that if he doesn’t get discharged, they would request his removal from the team. It was nice to know they had my back, but I was ready to be back with the Dagger squad. They were basically family. But for now, I would sit on this ship, doing my day-to-day duties until we got home.

I made my way to the gym to meet Jake. Since I had been told to see a psychiatrist, I had been restricted in most of my duties, basically stuck doing paperwork most of the time. But I still met Jake at four-thirty every morning for a workout. “So, mama told me the other day that both of our families are going to be celebrating Christmas at my parent’s house.” I said as I pulled down on the bar, working my back. “Yeah, mom said they were spending the entire week of Christmas there.” I nodded. “I’m taking a flight out the day we get back. Phoenix is gonna pack me some clothes.” He furrowed his brows. “You’re gonna cut it that close?” I nodded. “I don’t want to be in that house just yet. Not without him.” He sighed and nodded. “But my parents have my dogs, jeep and airstream. So, if you want, you can road trip it back with me.” He laughed. “That actually sounds nice.” I nodded. “I want to celebrate New Years back in San Diego. Phoenix tells me Penny is doing a huge party at the hard deck and I want to go.” He nodded. “I invited Phoenix to spend Christmas with my family.” My eyes widened as I looked at him.

“And?” He shook his head. “She said she felt it was a little fast. She’s spending it with her parents and brother back in San Francisco.” I nodded. “Does that upset you?” He shook his head. “It did a little at first. But I realized we've only been dating for about two months and we’re keeping it quiet. So, I can’t be upset about it.” I nodded. “Have you considered meeting her family first? She knows you love your family, a lot. Plus, you have a big and rambunctious family. It may be overwhelming. So, I say meet hers first. It may encourage her that it’s not all that bad.” He nodded. “Would you have done it first if Rooster’s parents were still here?” I nodded. “Absolutely. Although, he involuntarily met my parents first and looked like he was going to shit himself when he realized my dad was commander of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command.” Hangman laughed. “I can’t say much, because I had the same reaction. Didn’t help I was in uniform.” I laughed, remember Jake’s face when he met my dad. “Yeah, but he likes you though.” He nodded and we went quiet.

“You’re really struggling knowing he won’t be there, aren’t you?” I nodded. “I am. I was looking forward to spending the holidays with him. I could stand to miss Thanksgiving. But Christmas too?” He sighed and nodded, letting go of his bar. “It sucks. I’m just glad I’ll get to see Nat when we get home.” I smirked. “Ooh, you call her Nat?” He nodded. “She still calls me bagman.” I laughed loudly at his words. “She’ll never stop, and you know it.” He nodded. “So, we’ll fly out to Georgia then drive back?” I nodded. “You up for it?” I asked. He turned to me, nodding. “Why not?” I smiled at him. “It’ll be nice to have someone to travel with. I’ve done it alone enough.” He nodded. “Does this mean I get control of the music?” I chuckled, pulling on the bar again for the last time. “As long as I don’t hear slow ride too many times.” I said before walking away. “It’s a good song!” He yelled out as he threw out his arms.

The rest of the ride home was mundane for me. Same thing every day, paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. But Hangman got the opportunity to run a few exercises with the team, minus Buck. He has been grounded until further notice. So, the relief I felt when we docked was immense. I was ready to get off this ship, to fly home to my parents. A small part of me wanted to go to the house, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Not without him. He was supposed to meet me on this very dock and yet, he shipped out from this port a little over two weeks ago. Soon, Hangman and I walked off searching the crowd for Phoenix. “JAKE!” We whipped around and his grin widened. Phoenix sprinted for him in jeans and a fitted blouse, but he still looked at her as if she was the most gorgeous woman in the world. This must be what people see when they look at Rooster and I. Everyone tells me he looks at me that way, but I return it.

“Oh, Magnolia.” Phoenix said as she came over, pulling me into a hug. “I got all the stuff you would need.” She said as she fished something out of her pocket. She handed me a key and I gasped when I saw it. It had a picture of me and Rooster on it, our noses brushing as we both grinned at each other. It was obviously taken at the Hard Deck, the planes hanging from the ceiling around us being a dead giveaway. “He had it made. He said he wanted it to be special wince it was your first place together.” A few tears welled in my eyes, the back of my hand gently wiping them away. Phoenix pulled me into another hug and a sob hit me. “I miss him, Phoenix.” I cried as she rubbed my back. “I know, but before you know it April will come, and he’ll be home.” I nodded, letting go and wiping my face clean. “You guys have five hours till your flight. Want to get some lunch at the Hard Deck, see everyone before you leave?” I looked to Hangman who nodded. “Alright, let’s go.” She took hangman’s hand, pulling him along to her car where we put our stuff in the trunk and got in. “When I get back, we are getting you a new car.” Jake said as he got in the passenger seat. She gave him a confused look, “We are not getting rid of my mustang.” She said, gently resting her hand on the dash. “Baby, this car is on it’s last leg.” “Sh! Don’t talk bad about her.” Phoenix snapped, making me laugh.

The rest of the ride was easy conversation, making me feel a little better. When we arrived at the Hard Deck, I smiled at the sight of Penny behind the bar. But I was startled by all the loud cheers, people coming up and greeting us. “Hey.” Bob said as he pulled me into a hug. “Good to see you in one piece.” I chuckled, squeezing back. “I’m just glad to be home.” He nodded. “You going back to Montana for Christmas?” I asked as we walked to the bar. “Yeah, spend as much time with my family as I can. Never know when we’ll get shipped out.” I nodded, accepting the vodka soda from Penny. “You’re right. I’m just ready to get home. There will be so much going on, I won’t have time to think about missing Rooster.” It was true, a house full means no time to be sad. We sat with the rest of the team, eating lunch and having a drink or two before I went into the bathroom and changed into some holy jeans, black heeled boots, a cream-colored sweater and a tan coat that I carried. “Why the heavy clothing?” jake asked as I walked back over. “It’ll be a whole twenty-nine degrees when we land in Georgia.” His eyes widened. “I know. It’s a record low. Winters in Georgia usually aren’t that cold in December. Those are January temps.”

Not long after that, we were leaving. Exchanging hugs, kisses and goodbyes before Phoenix drove us to the airport. We got out, grabbing our bags and walking in towards security. “So, we’ll see you when we get home?” Phoenix nodded as I hugged her. “I come back the day after Christmas.” I nodded. “We leave two days after.” She nodded. “I have to ask. Don’t let him do anything stupid, and don’t kill him.” I laughed. “He’s his mama’s problem when we get there. Then I guess I will let him live through our road trip.” She nodded. “Much appreciated.” I hugged her again and kissed her cheek. “I will give y’all a few minutes. I’m gonna go ahead and get in line for security.” They nodded and I got in line. It was slow moving, but it moved and finally I stepped through the scanner and grabbed my stuff. I walked over to the Starbucks grabbing Jake and myself a coffee while I waited on him. After a few minutes I saw him weaving through the crowd, the Longhorns hat being a dead giveaway. “Here.” I said, holding out the coffee. “Ooh, thank you.” He said with a smile. He was feeling pretty good after all the beers he had. “So, who’s picking us up at the airport?” I pulled out my phone, looking back through the text messages.

“Um, Laura.” He nodded. “I’ll be terrorized the entire way to the house.” I nodded as we made our way to our gate. “Are you excited to be going home?” I shrugged. “My parents moved last month. So, this isn’t even the house I grew up in. But none the less, I am excited. Apparently, this new house is huge.” He chuckled. “How big are we talking?” I smirked at him as we sat down at our gate. “Seven thousand square feet.” His eyes went wide as he leaned away slightly. “Holy shit.” I nodded. “It has six bedrooms and a four-bedroom lodge on the back of the property. We’ll be staying in the actual house. I think Kimberly and Amber are taking the lodge so the kids can have their own spaces.” He nodded. “Pays to be Regina Motley, doesn’t it?” I nodded. “Sure does.” I said as I sipped on my coffee. “So, you didn’t grow up in this huge house?” I shook my head. “The house I grew up in was in the suburbs. It was nice, four bedrooms, I had my own bathroom. We had a pool and a little yard, but it wasn’t anything extreme.” He nodded and went to open his mouth but was interrupted by our flight being called. We were in group A and so we got up, lining up to board. Once we took our seats, he turned to me. “I think this will be the best Christmas we’ve had in a long time.” I chuckled. “You think?” He nodded. “Oh yeah.”

The flight was long, and we had a short lay over in Colorado. But as much as I hated it, I had never been happier to be standing in the crowded Hartsfield-Jackson airport. I groaned as we pushed through the crowd, me keeping a tight hold on Jake’s sweatshirt as we walked. We managed to make it to get our bags as my phone buzzed. I pulled it out, looking at the text. “Laura says she’s parked outside at stall three.” He nodded, looking around. “It’s clear across the airport, Jake.” He groaned. “Couldn’t she pick us up closer?” I shook my head, hiking my floral duffel over my shoulder. “It’s nine o’clock at night. Stall three is the easiest exit.” He nodded, but still huffed as he hiked his own bag over his shoulder. We made our way through the airport, fighting the crowd. It was so bad to the point that Jake looped my arm through his because people kept knocking into me. After twenty minutes, we finally made it to stall three, where someone ran straight into me, knocking me on my ass and causing all the contents in my purse to spill. “Hey!” Jake snapped as I started gathering everything to put back in my purse. “Hey! I think you owe her an apology!” He said as he grabbed the man, yanking out his headphone. “Jake.” I hissed, stuffing my wallet back in my purse. “I didn’t see her man!” The guy responded, a little shocked. “You still did it, you still need to apologize!”

“I’m sorry!” I quickly stood, hiking my purse up on my shoulder again. “You’re forgiven. Lieutenant.” I called and he straightened slightly. “We should go.” He held the man’s gaze for a second before turning on his heel and grabbing my bag. “What the hell was that?” I asked as I chased him out the doors. “He knocked you over.” I nodded. “Yeah, I know. My ass is sore. I mean, why did you act that way?” I said as I grabbed the strap of my bag, stopping him. “He was an ass.” “He was too caught up in his phone to see me. You didn’t have to be so aggressive.” He sighed, looking for Laura’s car. “It’s just been an overwhelming day. We went home, saw Phoenix. I left her again. We sat on a crowded plane for hours only to get off in a crowded airport.” I gave him a sad smile, gently taking my bag from him. “Overwhelmed, huh?” He sighed and nodded. I looked over and saw Laura getting out of my mom’s escalade. “Comin’ or what?” She called and Jake laughed. “Oh, we’re coming.” He called, rushing over. I followed closely behind, ready to just get home. Jake set his bag in the trunk and hugged Laura tightly, [picking her up and making her laugh. Once he put her down, he took my bag, giving me the opportunity to hug her. “Oh god, we missed you.” She said and I giggled. “I missed y’all too!” I said before I let go. “Surely Bradley kept it interesting.” She nodded. “The kids adored him, he had fun on the duck hunt, he even joined us in the kitchen.”

I raised a brow as we got in the car, me taking the passenger seat as Jake spread out in the back. “He cooked? I know he liked joining me in the kitchen, but at your house?” She nodded. “Said it was something he did with his mom every year.” She said as she started the car, pulling away from the curb. Tears welled in my eyes. “He had fun?” She nodded. “If his smile was anything to go by.” I giggled, thinking about him joining my mom in the kitchen. “He really enjoyed himself, Caila. I promise. Then, we all said our goodbyes and your mom and dad took him to the airport.” I sighed, tears falling down my cheeks. “He should be here.” She nodded, grabbing my hand. “I know. But he’ll be back before you know it. Every time Jake comes home, it feels like he wasn’t gone long enough.” I looked back, Jake’s hat was pulled over his face, shielding himself from the bright Atlanta streetlights and flipping his middle finger up at her. We laughed as she merged onto the freeway, and I leaned my head back. “Get some rest. It’s about forty-five minutes.” I shook my head. “No, I’m not gonna sleep on you lor.” She chuckled. “Hey, I got a nap today. Jameson and I fell asleep in the bed, JJ between us. We all slept for two hours. It was absolutely magical.” I smiled at her, thinking back to when Rooster and I fell asleep, JJ between us. “Okay, but wake me up as soon as we get there?” She nodded and my head turned, watching the city go by before I dozed off.

“Caila.” I sat straight up as Laura whispered my name. “We’re here.” I blinked rapidly, letting my contacts adjust to the low light as we pulled up to a gate. Laura leaned out the window, punching in a code before the large black gates opened. “Much for the dramatics, mom?” I muttered and Laura giggled. “They were your dad’s idea.” I rolled my eyes, amusingly at her words. We rolled up the long driveway. It wasn’t near as long as Laura and Jameson’s but still far enough that you couldn’t see the house from the road. We rolled down the driveway, passing where the gravel breaks off to lead to the lodge. Finally, we stopped at the house rolling up outside the tall wooden home. Christmas lights shining brightly along the roof, and porch and windows. Add snow and it would look like a winter wonderland. We all got out, Jake and I a little groggy. Grabbed our bags as the wind almost blew us away, rushing for the front door. I swung the door open as we got on the porch, trying to get out of the bitter cold. “Jesus. I don’t ever recall it being that cold in Georgia.” I said as we all got inside.

“UNCLE JAKE!” Tiny voices yelled, and Levi and Owen rushed Jake, Isabella slowly following. He dropped to his knees, catching them all as they tackled him to the floor. I smiled at the sight. This is the Jake that the team doesn’t know yet, the one that is gentle and fun. It was hard to remember this side of him while we were on the mission. Tensions were high and he was being a royal ass, but seeing him with his nieces and nephews, it reminded me. Suddenly, I heard high pitched whines and cries, and claws clicking on the floor. “Hi, girls!” I called as Dahlia sprinted for me. Standing on her back legs and towering over me. She couldn’t hold in her excitement, doing a little dance on her back legs as I pet her. Sadie propped her little feet on me, and I managed to reach down and pet her too. As I was petting them, a little hand pulled on my coat. I looked down to see Anita, one hand gripping my coat, the other with her thumb in her mouth. I smiled at the blonde headed girl, shooing the dogs away and crouching down to her and holding out my hands. She quietly walked into my arms, leaning her head on my chest. “Hi, baby.” I said as I kissed her head. “I missed you.” I said and she nodded. “Miss you too.” I chuckled, running my hand through her curls. “JJ call you auntie Mags?” I nodded at her question as she pulled her thumb from her mouth, reaching up to play with the small necklace Rooster got me. “Can I call you that?” I smiled at her. “If you want to.” “Can we call you auntie Mags too?” The boys yelled, rushing me and I held out my arm. Holding them back so they didn’t run their sister over. “Yes, you may call me auntie Mags as well.” They cheered, tackling me. Anita stepped back, her smile growing wide as she rushed Jake. “Uncle Jakey!”

He picked her up, squeezing her little body into a hug. “There’s my girl!” He said as she buried her face in his shoulder. I swooped up the boys, tossing one each over my shoulder. “No!” They screamed as I stomped over to the couch, Michael and Matt separating. “Body slam!” I screamed, slamming them down onto the plush couch, their giggles echoing around us. “Again!” I held my hands up. “Let me say hi to everyone first. Then I will do one more before mom and dad load you up and take you to the lodge for bed. Deal?” They nodded, giving me high fives before I ruffled their hair. Quickly everyone stood, pulling me into a hug before Kimberly and Amber gripped my hands. “Okay, Bradley. Total stud.” I laughed as they giggled. “I know, right? I don’t know how I landed him.” Kimberly scoffed. “You’re a sexy navy pilot! How could you not land him?” I giggled at their words before I heard pots and pans clanking in the kitchen. “I’ll see you guys before you leave.” I said, turning for the kitchen. I walked in seeing mom, dad, and Jameson with JJ strapped to his chest. “Hi.” Everyone’s head turned to me before my mom squealed, rushing me. “Oh! You’re home!” She said, pulling my body into her for a bone crushing hug. “I’m home, mama.”

She pulled away, her hands resting on my cheeks. “I have missed your beautiful face. Oh! Still as beautiful as a magnolia in bloom!” She cried, kissing my forehead. “Alright, Gina. Don’t hog her.” My dad said as he came up. Mom stepped aside and daddy pulled me into a hug. “Hi, sweetie.” I hugged him back. I loved my dad, but I still found it hard to forgive him. “Hi, daddy.” As if sensing my unease, Jameson walked over, JJ out of the carrier and in his arms. “Hey, sis.” Jameson said as he hugged me gently. “Wanna hold him?” I smiled, nodding enthusiastically. He placed the still small babe in my arms, a few little cries escaped him, but he quickly calmed as I held him close, bouncing softly. I admired his soft features, my mind flashing to a different baby. Dark haired, blue eyed and tears welled in my own. I quickly wiped them away as I walked out into the quiet hallway, away from the noise. “You know, I was supposed to have a baby first. You would’ve had a little cousin to play with, not much older than you are now. But he’s not here… and that’s okay.” I choked out.

I held him for a few more minutes before Jake came over. “Can I hold him now?” He asked, rubbing his hands together. “Here.” I said, gently placing JJ in his arms. He stared at the baby before looking up at me. “You okay?” I nodded, watching the baby stretch in his arms. “I heard what you said, Caila.” I nodded, brushing my fingers through JJ’s hair. “I’m okay, jake. Really.” He nodded, turning and walking back into the living room. I turned back into the kitchen just as my mom came through the door. “Come on. I already put your bag in your room.” She said, motioning me to follow her. She took me upstairs, turning left down the long hallway and stopping at the door at the end of the hall. She opened the door and I was greeted by a large room, king size bed, two dog beds in the floor for Dahlia and Sadie and a fireplace. “This is your room. I’ll let you get dressed and you can come back downstairs.” I nodded as she shut the door. I quickly change into some pajamas, which are soft pants and one of Rooster’s shirts. I quickly walked back to the staircase, stopping on the catwalk to admire the tree. It was humongous, towering over everything and I knew good and well mama had professionals bring it in.

I went downstairs to see Kimberly wrangling her kids while Amber just stood there, smirking with a sleeping Isabella in her arms. “We don’t wanna go!” Levi cried and Owen nodded. “Boys.” I called and they turned to me. “Remember, it’s not too late for Santa to put you on the naughty list and give your gifts to other children.” They both went quiet, sucking in their lips. “Now, one more body slam and then you will quietly get in the car for your mom, and you will get in bed when you get to the lodge.” They cheered and I swooped them up one more time, body slamming them on the couch, and just like they promised, they went and got in the car. “You are a life saver!” Kimberly said before pulling me into a hug. “I try.” I said as I flipped my hair. Soon everyone left and it went quiet. Jake was on the couch still holding JJ, His parents next to him holding a quiet conversation with him. Jameson was on the couch, Laura’s head in his lap while my parents were sitting by each other.

I took the opportunity to look around at the Christmas decorations. They were everywhere, wreaths with homemade bows, garland lining the mantle above the fireplace and the banister on the staircase and the catwalk. It was a lot but tasteful, the homemade ornaments we did on tour with mom solidifying that for me. Of course, the nice ones were on the front and the homemade ones on the back and sides. “Caila? Sweetie?” I turned to my mom, her glasses on her nose as she smiled at me. “Wanna join us?” I bit my bottom lip, shaking my head. “I’m tired, so I think I’m just gonna go to bed.” She gave me a small smile, nodding. I said goodnight and called the dogs to follow me. We went into the room, and I lit the fireplace to warm the large space. Dahlia and Sadie laid in their beds by the fireplace as I pulled the armchair closer. “Time to work on the TBR pile, girls.” I said as I grabbed the book I asked Phoenix to pack. I slid my glasses on, cracking the book open. I read for two hours before I finally got sleepy, so I put the fire out, and crawled into bed. Dahlia got up, ambling over and crawling into the bed. Sadie whined as she put her feet up on the bed, so I picked her up and set her in the bed, letting her get settled behind me. Rooster’s scent wafted off his shirt and into my nostrils and with Dahlia’s back pressed against mine, I could almost convince myself that Rooster was there in my sleepy state.

The next few days were spent me wrapping the gits I had delivered to my parent’s house, and my mother dragging me all over creation with her. “Mom, I’m not up for dress shopping.” I whined as she straightened my hair. “You always love dress shopping.” I hummed, sitting back in the chair she dragged up to the bathroom. “I’m sorry if I’m not feeling super festive this year.” She shook her head, dragging the flat iron down my hair. “Don’t apologize, sweetie. I know you miss him. It’s always harder around the holidays without them.” I nodded, wiping the tears from my eyes. “Remember those Christmases when your father was gone?” I giggled, remembering how special mom tried to make those years. “Yeah.” She smiled t me through the mirror as she finished my hair. “You always prefer dress shopping with a little makeup.” I nodded. “I’m wearing my glasses though.” I retorted and she smiled. “Whatever you want.” She walked out, going downstairs as I got dressed. It was the day before Christmas Eve and it was even colder, the high only being eighteen today. So, I pulled on a black sweater dress, black knee-high boots with stockings underneath, and an olive coat. I grabbed a toboggan and some gloves before going downstairs. “I will never get used to seeing you in something other than your uniform.” Jake quipped as I passed him. “Why? Reminds you I’m a woman?” He laughed. “Something like that.” He said as we walked into the kitchen to meet my mom.

“Ready to go?” She nodded, handing me a tumbler full of coffee. “Ooh, thanks.” I cheered. “Okay, car is running and warm. Let’s go.” With those words, we walked out into the cold wind. I got into the passenger seat as Laura got in the back. “You mom and sisters not coming?” She shook her head. “They got to go shopping before they came.” I nodded. “So, what’s this big party about?” I rolled my eyes as mom laughed, pulling around to leave the driveway. “The Kleinman’s throw a big party every year. We’ve been going since we settled in the area.” She nodded. “You don’t seem to like it.” Laura said and I scoffed. “Mrs. Kleinman is the head of the Atlanta social scene. A grade A socialite. She only knows how to gossip and stir the pot.” Mom tsked, shaking her head. “She’s not that bad.” I looked at her like she was crazy. “You realize I will be a social pariah and the main subject of all gossip.” She sighed. “I am a divorcee who is now dating the man she cheated on her husband with. Not to mention they all think I threw him under the bus for murder.” It was true. The Atlanta social scene stood behind Aaron, believing him over me. “Don’t let them get to you.” She said as she patted my leg. “Yeah, because it’s just that easy.” I snapped. I felt a little bad, but sometimes my mom thinks it’s so easy to just not let things affect me.

We arrived at the store, and we all split up, wandering through the shop to find the dresses we wanted. Mom found a satin red, V-neck, A-line gown that looked gorgeous on her. She always could pull off red, it always made me pale. Laura found a gold dress; it almost matched her hair. It had a scoop neck and a flowy skirt, with pockets which she made sure we knew about. It took me awhile to find one. I kept drifting towards the emerald green ones, since Bradley loved the color on me, but then, a gorgeous navy one caught my attention. It was a velvet, off the shoulder, mermaid dress. “Would you like to try it on?” One of the associates asked. I looked to him, and back to the dress. “You know what? I would, please.” He smiled, grabbing the dress and hauling it to the dressing room. “Mama!” I called and she rushed over. “Find one?” She asked and I nodded. I went in, changing into the dress and having the associate help zip me up. Soon, I stepped out and my mother gasped. “Oh my god.” My eyebrows shot up at her words. “No-you look beautiful!” I stepped up on the pedestal, looking in the mirror as my mom pulled the skirt out so it flowed. “It’s perfect.” I said as I smiled at myself in the mirror.

It really was perfect. I felt prettier than I had in months. Being on a ship in tans or a flight suit will do that to you. I finished my hair and touched up my makeup before walking out of my bathroom and into the bedroom. I grabbed the gold heels my mom loaned me and put on the necklace Rooster got me. I moved the gold balls he got me to my second holes and chose to put some elegant gold dangles in the front. With that I grabbed the navy and gold clutch, making my way out the door. I went down the stairs where everyone was gathered. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.” My dad said as he helped me down the last few steps. “Thank you, daddy.” I muttered, looking around. “You don’t look happy.” I sighed, turning to him, my curls falling over my shoulder. “Do I have to go?” He chuckled. “No. But you have to tell your mother.” I sighed. I knew her answer already. ‘It’s Christmas eve! We should spend the day together.’ As if we haven’t all been glued together all day! As soon as I got up this morning, everyone gathered for breakfast and we spent the day baking cookies, prepping food, shoving last minute presents under the tree before we took off, riding around the property just having fun. “I know what they’ll say.” He nodded, kissing my head. “Yeah, but you’ve always been one to stir up trouble.” I raised a brow at him, and he winked at me. “I think Jake would be a great person to help you with that.”

I looked over at Jake who had Anita in his arms. She was hanging upside down, giggling hysterically. At my father’s words, I walked over to him. “Hey.” I said and he smiled at me. “You look nice.” He said and I chuckled. “You do too in your navy suit.” He groaned. “If I had known your dress would match my suit, I would’ve gotten a plaid one.” I laughed at his words, watching as he gently set Anita down before she took his hand. “Stick with me tonight?” I asked and he raised a brow. “Scared?” He said jokingly, but his grin dropped when he didn’t answer. “Can we stir up some trouble?” I chuckled, holding my fist out. “Hell yeah.” I said and he bumped my fist. “Hell yeah!” Anita echoed and my face paled as Kimberly’s head whipped around to us, eyes narrowed. I quickly crouched down to Anita, smiling at her. “Hey, Anita.” She turned to me; her smile wide since she learned a new word. “Let’s not use that word again. It’s a not so nice word.” She looked at me confused. “Then why do you say them?” I pursed my lips. “I really shouldn’t be. But that’s an adult word.” She still looked confused. “Then why do you say it?” She repeated her question before walking over to her mom. I stood, crossing my arms over my chest. “Did she just call me a kid?” Jake laughed, holding his stomach as he did. “She sure did.” I huffed. “Sassy britches.” At that my mom said it was time to go, so we all climbed into as few vehicles as possible. Jake and I were riding with my parents, Jameson, Laura and JJ. Jameson and Jake took the third row with JJ so Laura and I would have to deal with our dresses less.

Upon arrival Jake and Jameson rushed out of the car, crawling over us. “If you had just let me get out first, you wouldn’t have had to crawl.” I said as Jake helped me out. “Bradshaw would kill me if he knew I let you touch a door handle.” He said, making me giggle as I stepped out. The temps keep dropping even more and I pulled the shawl over my shoulders as the wind blew. “Let’s get inside.” I looped my arm through Jake’s, hauling him up the steps and into the large house. I handed my shawl off to the door man as Jake handed his coat over as well. With that I looked to him. “Ready to be associated with the biggest scandal in the Atlanta social scene?” I asked and he smirked. “I am more than ready.” With that we stepped out of the foyer and into the drawing room. “So why is this party so fancy?” He questioned. “The Kleinman’s are some of the richest people in the social scene. One of the oldest families as well. They were settled here in 1798 and are one of the founding families of Atlanta. To be in with them, is the equivalent of being in with royalty.” He scoffed as we walked across the room. “And your mother is in with them because?” I sighed. “My mom donates a lot to various charities. When I was younger Mrs. Kleinman made the offer to match end of year donations to any charity of my mom’s choosing, so long as she comes to her party.” He raised a brow in confusion. “People hear Regina Motley will be here and do everything they can for an invitation. Mom gets money for charity and Mrs. Kleinman rises in society.” He chuckled. “So, it’s a popularity contest?” I nodded, waving to a few familiar faces.

“What do they do anyway?” He asked and I nodded towards Mr. Kleinman who was talking with a few partners. “Take a guess.” He looked and laughed. “Ah. Politician.” I nodded as we stopped, surveying the room. “Ah, Caila! So good to see you home for the holidays, dear.” Mrs. Kleinman said as she rushed over. “Hello Mrs. Kleinman.” She pulled me into a hug, letting go quickly. “Patricia, dear. Please.” She waved me off. “And who is this dashing man?” Jake gave her a megawatt smile and I swear a blush crept up her neck. “A friend and fellow pilot. Jake Seresin. Laura’s younger brother as well.” She grinned, shaking Jake’s hand. “So nice to meet you, Jake.” He nodded. “The pleasure is mine.” She smiled at him before turning to me. “I want you to know, even though everyone else here thinks ill of you. I know you did what was right.” I took a deep breath, smiling at her. “Thank you, Mrs. Kleinman.” She smiled at me before walking away. “Prepare for backhanded comments about my divorce, all night.” He rubbed his hands together with a grin. “Bring it on.” With that we wandered around, me introducing him to people, women falling for his Texas charm.

“I’m gonna go grab a drink. Want another one?” I nodded, handing him the champagne glass. He left me standing by the glowing fireplace, the warmth flooding my skin and keeping the chill off. The Kleinman’s house was old, built in 1846, and never seemed to have an update on the insulation. The rest of the room was quite cold but standing by the fire reminded me of being wrapped in Bradley’s arms. He was always so warm, and I missed being with him. “Miss Motley.” The sneer sounded from behind me. My entire body froze at the voice, my heart pounded in my chest and my hands clenched the fabric of my dress. Please, no. Why is she here? “I’m shocked to find you showing your face here.” I whipped around, facing Martha. “I think I’m more inclined to show my face than you are. This is the first year I’ve seen you at this party.” She looked so smug. “Well, when your son makes national headlines because of his ex-wife, people tend to want to invite you these things.” I bit my lip to hold back my laugh. “So they want to be around you to get information on mine and your sons divorce. Tell me, when was the last time they spoke to you about anything other than the divorce, or the hearings, or the arguments, even the murder?” She narrowed her eyes at me and I grinned.

Suddenly Jake came back, handing me a glass of champagne with a smile. “Got the first glasses of the refills.” I nodded in thanks before turning back to Martha, seeing her husband Hank now standing at her side. “Caila.” He nodded to me and I gave him a tight lipped smile. Hank knew Aaron was in the wrong, he was just too scared of his wife to say anything against her opinion. “Already tired of the other one, I see.” She stated, sipping a glass of wine and raising her eyebrows at Jake. “Mm, not at all. Bradley is a thousand times more interesting than Aaron ever was.” She glared at me, her eyes raking over my body. “I don’t see what my boy ever saw in you. Especially before you lost all that weight.” She was trying so hard to get under my skin, and I wouldn’t let her. “I did lose the weight, only to do my dream job, and by doing that job I landed the man of my dreams.” Her anger flared, ever the hothead. “My son was too good for you.” She said as she leaned closer to me. “You’re son was a piece of shit who tried to kill me.” She narrowed her eyes before leaning back into her husband. “My son would never do that. That accident was your own fault. You deprived us of a grandchild!” I didn’t even think, I just tossed my champagne on her, drawing a loud gasp from her lips. Everyone stared as I took a step closer, Jake gripping my arm as my parents rushed over. “Never. Ever. Bring up my baby. Got it?” She stared at me in fear before nodding frantically.

With that I excused myself, ripping my arm away from Jake and pushing past my mom and Mrs. Kleinman and making my way out to the back balcony. I huffed as I flung the doors open, pacing along the balcony. It was a whopping ten degrees but I was fuming, leaving the cold to burn up against my skin. “You’ll get sick out here.” I turned to find Jameson, handing me his suit jacket. “Sorry. I was just so pissed.” I grumbled as I slipped on the jacket. “What’d she say?” He questioned. I leaned on the railing, taking a deep breath to keep the tears at bay. “She brought up the baby. She said I deprived them of a grandchild.” I said as a few tears slipped. He sighed pulling my head to his shoulder. “I’m sorry, sis. She never should’ve mentioned the baby.” He rubbed my back as I calmed myself, not wanting to ruin my makeup. “Do you want to go back in? You’re shakin’ like a leaf.” I nodded, allowing him to lead me back in.

I found out after that, Mr. and Mrs. Wilder were asked to leave, and aside from the whispers around us, it was a fairly uneventful evening after that. As we were leaving I stopped the Kleinman’s, halting them by their grand staircase. “I want to extend my most sincere apologies, Mr. and Mrs. Kleinman. That wasn’t-“ Mr. Kleinman stopped me, raising his hand. “What you did…” He paused, a stern look on his face, which made my heart race. “Was the best thing to happen at our annual Christmas Eve party in decades!” He yelled out. A hearty laugh echoing around us, making me choke out my own laugh. “Do not apologize, my dear.” He said as he took my hand, clasping it in both of his. “We never should’ve invited them anyway.” I smiled at him. “And next year, we expect to see this boyfriend of yours. We’ve only seen pictures, but he seems quite taken with you.” I smiled at Mrs. Kleinman’s words. “So long as neither of us are deployed next year, I will bring him.” She nodded and with that we left. It was after eleven at night, the kids were all asleep in the cars, snoring lightly as we took them home. Kimberly, Michael and Amber and Matt, went ahead and went to the lodge for the night, deciding to come down in the morning to open gifts.

As we walked inside, I made my way upstairs to my room to change. I slipped off the dress, trading it for a black shirt of Rooster’s and the Christmas pajama pants mom got me this year. They had little airstreams with Christmas trees and snowflakes on them. Suddenly there was a knock on my door, as I turned, it opened to reveal my mother. “We’re gonna watch Christmas with the Kranks. Wanna join?” I nodded, slipping on my glasses and going downstairs, the dogs hot on my heels. As I sat down, Laura handed me a mug of hot chocolate. That’s when I realized that everyone staying in the main house was here, except my dad. “Where’s daddy?” I asked as my mom sat next to me. “He went to bed early. He said he was exhausted.” I hummed into my mug. “Mm, the old scrooge.” Mom smacked my thigh at my words. We all sat there, enjoying the movie, until JJ woke up. Then I snatched him up, cuddling him as he slept in my arms on the couch. But soon, it was time to go to sleep. Santa would be dropping off presents and filling the vast amount if stocking hanging on the mantle above the fireplace. We all retreated to our rooms, the dogs laying in bed with me as the fire burned dimly and I scrolled through pictures of Rooster and I. Dahlia groaned from her spot behind me and I sighed as well. “I know. I miss him too.”

I’m not sure when I drifted off to sleep but I know I was suddenly awakened by my mother shaking me excitedly. I looked at the clock and saw it said four a.m. “Mom! I’ve been asleep for barely two hours!” Her smile was so wide, almost as if her cheeks would rip. “I know! But Santa came!” I furrowed my brows. “Mom, I am three months shy of thirty. I’m sorry if I never told you, but I know you and daddy were Santa.” She shoved my shoulder, standing straight. “Just come on! The kids are excited! You can come up here and sleep the day away until dinner if you want too afterwards.” That was odd for my mom, she usually liked me to be up all day on Christmas. Granted, as we got older we wouldn’t wake up to open gifts till ten, sometimes eleven in the morning. “Fine! Only if you’ll leave me alone after!” I huffed, tossing the covers off me and standing. I slipped on my house shoes and my glasses, following my mother downstairs. The dogs rushed in ahead of me and I rubbed my temples, finding the full living room quite loud for four a.m.

“Okay!” Mom yelled as she clapped her hands. “So, Caila gets to open the first gift!” I furrowed my brows, confused. “No, the kids are so excited. Let them go first.” All the kids cheered in agreement when my mom shook her head. “No. You open yours first.” I sighed but agreed, finding no reason good enough to argue. “Okay, which one should I open first?” I asked as I motioned to the overflowing mountain of presents. “Oh, your first present is out on the porch.” I was utterly confused, making a face at her that made her gleam with excitement. “The porch?” She nodded. “And you might want to let him in. My weather app says it’s about four degrees outside.” I stopped for a moment, staring at her. He? Did she say ‘He’? I turned on my heel, sprinting for the front door as tears gathered in my eyes. He’s here. He’s actually here. I thought as a sob escaped my throat. As fast as I could I threw the door open, ready to launch myself into his awaiting arms.

“Hey, Magnolia!” My face fell seeing it was only Maverick. “You don’t look so happy to see me.” I shook my head, pulling him into a hug. “No, sorry. It’s just-“ “I wasn’t who you were hoping to see out here.” I shook my head, a shiver rushing through me as the wind blew around us. “I was hoping for Rooster. You know, some big Christmas miracle.” I said as more tears welled up in my eyes. He nodded, looking up at the dark sky. “Have you looked under the tree?” I furrowed my brows in confusion. “What?” He just laughed. “Under, you know, under the tree.” I was still so confused. I would’ve seen my boyfriend sitting under the Christmas tree. “He’s not here, Mav.” He put a finger up. “He wasn’t here. Santa had to turn around and get him.” I furrowed my brows at him. Rooster was somewhere in the Indian ocean. Not in my house. Unless? I stared at Maverick until it clicked in my head. I turned around, sprinting back inside and down the hall, skidding to a stop in the living room entry way.

Taglist:

@mak-32 @dhwanishah09 @rosiahills22

[cha-melodius]

Hello (and guess what, I'm sending a 'normal' ask for once😉)

So, I love your TMFU AU's headcanons and I felt like sending you one for your consideration: Apollo 13 (the movie (hoping you've seen it otherwise this will a bit spoilery...)).

Illya, Napoleon and Gaby are the three astronauts meant to board the rocket and fly it to the moon (while Waverly is the Flight Director guiding the mission from earth.) They are a tightknit team who've come to trust each other with their life after hours and hours of training. Of course, Illya and Napoleon have fallen for each other along the way, and although they suspect their feelings may be returned, none of them has dared to make a move yet. Gaby is growing tired of seeing those two idiots dance around each other but, as the launching day approaches, she figures out she can wait a few more days before making them confront their feelings.

Only, days before the launch, Napoleon learns that he has been exposed to the measles, and since the NASA can't afford having an astronaut fall sick in space, he is replaced with his backup (I have no idea who that could be, but I like the idea of making a crossover with another spy movie franchise and bring in Colin Firth or something 😋). Illya and Gaby are not quite happy - not that the new guy is not competent, only he's not Napoleon -, but it's not like they can do anything about it anyway. Napoleon has thus to stay on earth and watch as a spectator as the rocket rises in the sky.

On the third day of the mission, an electrical short causes an explosion and the rocket starts loosing fuel. the NASA has no choice but to abort the moon landing, but that's not the worst part: with a damaged craft and little energy left, the astronauts might not make it back to earth either. Ground control gather the best experts to find solutions to (safely) bring the crew back home, and Napoleon (who did not get measles after all) is the most dedicated of them all. No one on earth knows the craft better than he does, and he'll be damned if he cannot find a way to work something out!!

I just think this AU offers so much possibilities (ok, so much angst 😅). Between the announcement that Napoleon has to step back (maybe Illya and/or Gaby say they won't go without him and Napoleon is the one to convince them to go anyway - then blames himself for it after the explosion?), the conversations between Ground Control and the crew (in my head, Waverly is the main interlocutor but Napoleon steps in to explain the required procedures/modifications...of course the communications are public and probably recorded, and though I can't see Napoleon make an outright confession, I can see him slip in allusions, choose his words to show how much he cares...), the deteriorating life conditions in the craft (the heat turned off, the carbon dioxide filters running out, the automatic navigation systems shutting down,...), the excruciatingly long seconds of radio silence... (and of course, as a bonus, the reunion!)

Just thought I'd dropped that here in case it may interest you (or you've got more ideas to add...) 😊

I have to admit I smiled at your warning that this might be spoilery, because somewhere in my parent's house there's a copy of the book Apollo 13 that I got signed by Jim Lovell on a class trip to the Huntington Space & Rocket Center shortly after the movie came out. So I am quite familiar with the story, as it turns out. 😅 (I loooooved that movie. It sparked a little space phase for me.)

Also oh my goodness, this is a wonderful setup for a super angsty story, lol. Especially with them not admitting their feelings before the launch! This is definitely torture Napoleon hours—not only does he not to get to go on the mission, he has to watch as two people he's super close to, one of whom is the love of his life, facing near certain death and not be able to do anything about it. I can imagine someone trying to keep him out, maybe Waverly as the mission director has an inkling of what they mean to him and so he worries about letting Napoleon be involved because he's so emotionally invested.

Then in the actual discussions, Napoleon would at first not be the one doing the talking, as you suggest, but I can see him taking over in a moment of emergency. He just jumps in, because this would be so much easier if he could just talk to them. And of course, the moment Illya hears his voice he's kind of stunned, there's silence on the line and people kind of freak out. I imagine Illya would be torn because of course Napoleon knows the ship better than almost anyone, but at the same time he knows he's staring down certain death and he doesn't want Napoleon to be there for it. Their communications (which were absolutely recorded and public) would become increasingly fraught, and I love the idea of them trying to say it without saying it, because this might be the last time they have to speak together.

So yeah, the A N G S T. Oof. But the reunion would be everything, I'm picturing them both just about running into each other's arms and kissing, not caring who is watching (it's the whole world, the whole world is watching lolol). Thanks for sending this in, it's a great AU idea!

[wordtowords]

Spirit in the Sky

penchant - n. - a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something (Google).

In the sixties, seventies, and early eighties, I used to have a penchant for traveling via commercial airlines, the key word here being "used." After flying to L.A. from New York, L.A. to Portland, L.A. to Boston via Philadelphia, L.A. to Vegas, and L.A. to Ft. Lauderdale via Houston in under four months, admitting to being "spent" would be an understatement. I am exhausted, not from adventuring forth, but from the means by which I adventured: the airlines themselves. Ugh.

To be fair, not all of the commercial airlines are half bad. It is also necessary to take into consideration that I fly "steerage," what the liners refer to as "basic economy," the lowest common denominator of options. To be entitled to the reduced fare of basic economy, you must take only one carry-on that has to be stowed under the seat in front of you and must agree to join the crammed occupants inhabiting stiff, straight-backed, third-class seats on the jet in the way, way back. As bad luck would have it, I usually find myself in row 30, right in front of an ever-flushing john, surrounded by screaming infants in considerable distress, much to the dismay of their parents, who are apathetic to the comfort of their fellow passengers. When I find myself in this unfavorable position, "You only get what you pay for" tends to reverberate through my head. Ugh.

But I digress. In case you don't already know, Delta is about the best corporation in the sky. Even if I do find myself where I don't want to be, sometimes I might have a row to myself in addition to complimentary beverages, a snack in a small package, and movies projected on the headrest of the seat in front of me. Although overworked, the flight attendants are generally industrious and agreeable. 

On the other hand, American and United can both be problematic. The former tends to emphasize the extremes of classism by dividing the cabin into thirds: first (upper class), business (middle class), and coach (lower class), making those relegated to steerage think they are mutually stuck in a third-class berth on Titanic. The last time I flew American, one of the flight attendants mysteriously disappeared, causing a delay of about an hour. The company's excuse? The euphemistic, "Oh, there was a scheduling conflict." Yet murmuring through the crowd was the probable rumor: "The flight attendant forgot something in the ladies' room and went back for it, never to be seen again." For whatever reason, the latter, United, usually experiences delays, especially from their hub of Newark. Ugh. 

By far the worst airline I've encountered is yup, you guessed it: Spirit. Like People Express before them, Spirit believes in customer service for a price. They nickel and dime you for everything. It is flying at the bare minimum, no frills whatsoever. Actually, I'm surprised the passengers don't have to sit on the meagerly carpeted floor. And if you are unfortunate enough to be stuck on the runway for over an hour in the middle of the night due to a corporate scheduling error regarding gate availability, the flight attendants (who do pretty much nothing because there is nothing for them to do) won't even offer the incensed passengers any free leftovers from the barely touched, pay-per-portion refreshment cart. No kidding. Yet they smile and laugh just to convince you they own what was formerly known as "the ole college spirit," living up to their employer's name: Spirit. Ugh. 

In summary, traveling economically via commercial airlines these days is not for the weak at heart. You have to be tough and tenacious. Take it from an experienced, yet frugal flyer who has gone up in biplanes, a stunt plane, and even a balloon. If you have the money, spend it flying first class on Delta. Although you will probably still have to wait in line somewhere in the airport, at least you'll be able to relax in comfort once you are on board. No "ugh's" in sight.