#not to mention how often we talked about wishing we could grow a beard

[paradoxesofgalaxies]

It's funny to look back at all the "jokes" we used to make about feeling like a gay man in a woman's body.

Like, aww honey, you'll get there one day

[onemoregayapollokid]

Threads of Time

Fandom:

Charaachter: Will Treaty, Halt, Alyss(mentioned)

Triggers: death? It's not a explicit death by any means

Description: Death keeps running into Will. Finally, at the end of Will's life, they sit down for a conversation.

A/N: This has been sitting half finished in my drafts for MONTHS and inspiration finally hit me tonight. Let me know your thoughts, I guess? Or don't- I'm not your parent.

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Death knew the man before him well. He had seen him many times over many years, always passing by him while accompanying another person to their afterlife. Death watched silent and unseen as the elderly ranger reached down and patted the black and white dog that lay beside him. Death had watched this man grow up, a unique and uncommon occurrence for the one normally working with the dead. The man sat back against the seat, sighing contently. He glanced up at Death, and for a moment, Death thought he could see him. But that was impossible. No one could see him unless they were dead, and the man was very much alive.  

“Hello, old friend” The man greeted, a soft smile on his face. Death shook his head. Of course this man could see him. He ghosted closer, surveying the old ranger. Grey hair and beard, though Death knew they used to be brown. His brown eyes still held a spark of humour, as if he knew a joke no one else did. His face was weathered from a lifetime of being outside, with wrinkles that spoke of years of laughter. 

“Hello, Will” Death replied, returning the man’s smile.   

“Sit with me?” Will offered, gesturing to the chair beside him. Death quirked an eyebrow but sat down, nonetheless.  

“I’ve been waiting for you.” Will offered, gaze centered on the trees just beyond the porch. Death nodded. Most rangers, if they weren't lost in battle, spent long years waiting for Him.  Most of them weren’t as aware of Him as Will was though. Will continued, never looking away from the trees.  

“I was always aware of you. Even as a child. Then as an adult, I saw you often, on battlefields and missons. I always knew you’d come for me one day. To be honest, I thought it would be a lot earlier. After all, I was 15 the first time I met you.”  

“No Will.” Death’s voice was gentle. “You were much younger than 15.” At this, Will finally looked at Death, looking at him without flinching, a look of confusion on his face.  

“You were just an infant, when I took your mother. You were there and I knew there was something special about you. You looked at me and you saw me. Will, very few people in my millennia of work have seen me.  I’m glad the other man was there, otherwise I would have taken you too. It wasn’t your time but I’d rather you have the mercy of a swift end, than slowly starve to death.”  

“Halt. “Will said softly, a ghost of a smile on his face. “That was Halt. He was my mentor, and the closest thing to a father I had in this life”  

“ Halt was one of the ones I hated to take.  He had more time than he should have, but I just couldn’t bear to rip him from this world. I gave him more stolen moments than I should have and it still didn’t feel like enough time. I hated to take him from you, to take another father from you. “ 

“His death rocked me to my core.” Will admitted. “ I had known him since I was 15, and even all those years weren’t enough. We talked often, in his last days, of our first days. He finally told me how scared he was when I faced that boar. “Will’s voice softened.  “That boar. I still wish I had been braver when I faced the boar. “Death shook his head.  

“ Will, you were a child. A child who faced terrible things and kept your humanity about you. That is worth more to anyone who matters than how brave you were. And you had plenty of bravery- I don’t know anyone else who could have handled the things you did without losing your spark. “  

“I did lose it.” Will murmured, eyes returning to the forest. “When Alyss died... I lost everything. “There was no bitterness in his voice, just acceptance and pain. “When she died, I wanted to join her. I wanted to go into the forest, and let the moss reclaim my body, and let the trees take my breath. “Will took a ragged breath, eyes misty as he thought of the time at once eons ago and also yesterday. 

“I know Will.” Death’s voice was low, his pale face somber.” I don’t write your story- I just come when your time is up. But Fate played a cruel trick on you and for that, I am sorry. I wish I could have given you more time together. Just as I wish I could have given Horace and Cassandra more time together. “  

“Horace and Cassandra.” Will whispered with a pained smile. “At least they went together. “Death nodded.  

“It was the final kindness I could give them. “He explained.  

“Cassandra kept me alive in Skandia.” Will offered.” Skandia.” He chuckled lowly. “I saw you everywhere in Skandia.” Death nodded, thinking of the thousands of souls he had helped cross in Skandia.  

“The Skandian slaveyards under Ragnar kept me very busy indeed. So many souls in need of assistance, so much pain that I often had to choose to cut their time short, just to save them suffering. And you, Will. You were there, slipping closer and closer towards me every day. I longed to take you away from that and was also desperate to keep your soul connected to your body. You were a conundrum, always intertwined with the soul I was there for.  I was glad when I saw you leaving Skandia.” Will agreed silently.  

“I didn’t think I was going to leave Skandia alive” Will admitted. “I knew Halt would come for me, I never doubted that, but I thought I’d be dead by the time he found us.“ Death shook his head, surveying the man in front of him.  

“ Halt would have died before leaving you there.” Was all Death could say. Will nodded, knowing that Death spoke the truth.  

Silence reined over the cabin, broken only by a songbird. Will’s eyes took in his cabin, the place that had been home for him for most of his life. The woods he had spent so many hours in, training first with Halt and then with Horace. The small lean that had held so many horses, each sharing the same name. The path leading to the Village, worn from years of use. The cabin itself that held the echoes of laughter. Will sighed as he stood up. He glanced back at Death, still seated on the chair.  

“What comes next?” Will asked softly. Death smiled.  

“Well now, that depends on what you believe. I am just the messenger, where you end up depends on you. “Will was silent for a moment more before he said “ I believe I’ll end up wherever Halt is” Death smiled. He stood up and slowly made his way down the stpes of the cabin. He turned to look back at Will, who was gazing at the cabin again.  

“Do you need more time?” Death asked softly, understanding. Will glanced at him before moving to stand beside him.  

“No. I’ve had plenty of time. I’m ready to go. Ready to see Halt and Alyss. Just saying goodbye.” Death nodded leading the way to where he had come out, a small tree with twisted branches forming a doorway between this world and wherever Will Treaty was headed. Will stopped directly in front of the tree, glancing back at Death on last time.  

“Thank you, old friend” Was all he said. Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the doorway and vanished from sight.  

“ Goodbye, Will Treaty. May your rest be long and your journey peaceful” Death whispered, closing the doorway with nothing more than a thought. He turned his back on the little cabin nestled in the woods, and like he had so many times before moved on to the next transfer, but his thoughts remained steadfastly  on the man who he had spent so much time with over the course of his life.  

Will blinked as the light that had blinded him faded. Halt’s cabin was jsut as he had left it, smoke curling from the chimney, the smell of coffee in the air. A figure lifted his head as Will approached.  

“Hello Will. Halt said with a smile

[babbushka]

I am SO sorry if requests are closed, I wasn’t sure! I just wanted to request hearing about the first time Mob Boss Kylo held hands with his honey. I’m so soft for him!

1.5k cw: Jewish!reader, kylo & reader as teenagers (childhood best friends to eventual lovers when they grow up but just friends as of right now lol) fluff, mild angst (the mortifying ordeal of being a teenager and going through puberty)

His palms are sweating, because of course they are. It’s your bat mitzvah, and he wants nothing more than to ask you to dance, but dammit, you’re too pretty and it’s making him sweat and why the fuck would you want to dance with a guy with sweaty hands? So he stalks around the outskirts of the ballroom, watching and lurking like a creep as your school friends take turns twirling you around, your laugh bursting out of your mouth, your braces glinting in the sunlight from the way that you’re grinning so wide.

Good, he thinks, Kylo wants you to be happy. He’s gone through a great deal of bullshit to make sure that you’re happy but…but dammit he wishes he were the one making you smile that like. Catching Uncle Luke’s eye for a moment, Kylo ducks his head and blushes, because Uncle Luke raises a brow and nods his head in your direction, and shit there go his palms again.

Why was this so mortifying? He’s your bodyguard, he’s spent more time with you than anyone. You were the closest thing to a best friend to him, if he allowed himself to think about it like that. So why was he shaking in his fucking dress shoes, rubbing his hands against his nice pressed trousers? He’s ready to bolt, ready to call the whole damn thing off – when he feels a hand on his arm.

“Everything okay?” You ask him, startling him so much that he nearly bumps over an entire display of pretty champagne glasses. The tips of his ears that poke out from under his yarmulke go bright red as he rights himself, but your eyes are only sparkling with laughter. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

“Yes – I mean no – I mean.” He stumbles, not yet used to his long limbs, his growth spurt finally hit and hitting hard. Kylo clears his throat and speaks in his newly deepened voice, “Everything’s okay.”

You don’t buy it for one second, he can tell. You’re a walking talking lie detector, have been ever since your family started asking you to sit in on meetings a few years ago. Unlike the unlucky schmucks that you interrogate though, you don’t have an interest in pressing the issue with Kylo.

“Do you like my dress?” You ask instead, giving a showy spin, the tulle skirt flowing and making you look like the princess everyone in the tri-state area knew you were. There was even a tiara poised on your head, and Kylo can only think of how correct that image is, thinks how you should be wearing one every day. You spin again and smile, “I know you were there when we picked it out but, does it still look okay?”

“You look…” He tries not to be weird, tries not to be gross, he’s a couple years older than you, you’re like a sister to him – no wait, that wasn’t right, he can’t stand his fucking sister. He doesn’t know what you are. But he doesn’t want to weird you out so he winces as he lamely replies, “Great.”

“Thanks.” You laugh at his awkward compliment, and dammit the tips of his ears are burning. He wishes he could grow his hair out one day to hide them, especially when you go serious all of a sudden and demand to know, “Why are you avoiding me?”

“I’m not.” Kylo lies, and you raise a brow, your arms crossing over your chest, catching him in it. He tries to cover, “I’m just, uh, keeping a lookout. You know. For danger.”

Kylo winces again, because the idea that you could possibly be in danger tonight is absolutely comical. The entire underground crime world has shown up for your bat mitzvah, some coming from Jersey, others from Philly, and some even all the way from Chicago. There were more guards and guys with guns in the ballroom than there were at the Pentagon tonight, and you both know it.

“Are you having fun?” Kylo asks, scratching the back of his neck, wishing he had some soda or something to drink. His own bar mitzvah wasn’t even this stressful for fuck’s sake.

“Not really.” You shrug one shoulder, and all of Kylo’s attention panics, zeroing in.

“What? Why not?” He stands up straighter, squares his shoulder, wondering what could be the problem, kicking himself for being so caught up in his complicated feelings to not notice that something had gone wrong.

“My favorite boy hasn’t asked me to dance all night. No matter how hard I keep hoping that he will.”

“Who? I swear to god I’ll find him (Y/N) – ” Kylo’s vision goes red, and he bares his crooked teeth just a little, hands balling into fists as his short fuse flares, but you’re laughing.

And then, miraculously, somehow, your hand is in his.

His anger melts away instantly, replaced by something he can’t name. He doesn’t know what this feeling is, but it’s terrifying, it’s sickening. Is he going to throw up? He can’t tell – why is his heart beating so fast?

“Kylo you’re such an idiot.” You throw a smile over your shoulder at him, leading him by the hand to the dance floor, where a soft and sweet slow song has begun to play.

He can’t get over it, the feeling of your hand in his. You didn’t even cringe when it almost slips out of your grip from how clammy it’s become, and Kylo thinks maybe there was danger, and he was killed in the crossfire, because with all the lights so bright and the air cloudy with cigarette smoke, he’s pretty sure this must be Heaven.

But it’s very real, because you’re looking at him expectantly, and he realizes he has to move his feet. Dancing. Shit. He didn’t…if he’s honest with himself he didn’t think he’d get this far. He didn’t really realize that he doesn’t know how to dance, and now everyone is watching – he can see Uncle Luke grinning behind his big grey beard off to the side – and he has to move his feet. Sensing his distress, you lead the dance, and that should be humiliating, but you haven’t pulled your hand away from his yet, and he’s still so floored that he’s even here to care.

“I’m your favorite?” He asks, trying to process that monumental statement.

“Duh.” You roll your eyes fondly at him, and Kylo has to clench his jaw tight or else he’ll say something stupid, something that’ll ruin everything.

When he calms down enough, and more people join the dance floor, Kylo’s buried dancing lessons come back to the forefront of his brain, and he takes the lead once again. With a pleased sigh, you tuck yourself close to him, resting your head on his chest. He’s too tall now for you to lean it against his shoulder, but that’s okay, you’re happy just the same.

“Thank you for being here with me.” You whisper to him, gently enough so that only Kylo can hear, “I know…I know Snoke is keeping you busy.”

“Hey,” Kylo frowns at the bitterness in your voice when you mention is name, and unthinkingly, Kylo pinches your chin between your fingers and tips your face up. Your gaze has clouded with something dark at the thought of his boss, and Kylo can’t have that, so he assures you, “You’re my number one priority. Always. Snoke couldn’t keep me busy enough to miss something like this.”

You’re not so sure you’re satisfied with that answer, he can tell in the way your eyes swim, but eventually you sigh, tucking yourself back underneath his chin, asking, “When do you go away again?”

“Not for two more weeks.” Kylo hopes that’ll be enough time for you to not feel sad. It’s your birthday, he doesn’t want you to feel sad, it goes against everything he works for.

“Do you think we could go up to the Catskills?” You whisper, like it’s a secret, like you don’t go up to the Catskills for a couple weeks every so often.

“Whatever you want.” Kylo nods, and you’re appeased then, and he takes advantage of that by spinning you and dipping you, reveling in the way you clutch to him with a laugh as your stomach swoops from being nearly upside down.

And then, it strikes him that one day, maybe, maybe if he’s lucky, one day when you’re older, maybe you’ll be in love, and maybe you’ll marry him, and maybe he’ll get to dance with you like this, have your hand in his like this. That’s lightyears away, he knows, anything could happen between now and then, he knows.

But it’s enough to have this moment, however brief it may be, with his best friend, and for the first time all evening, he’s not petrified. Not when you’re smiling at him, your favorite boy.

---------------------------

Taggin some Kylo lovin' friends! No pressure to read, I know that this isn't everyone's jam! @mochabucky @sacklerscumrag @artsymaddie @bitchydecisions @direnightshade @reyloaddict55 @thembohux @kylorenswhxre @sunflowersinthesnow @babayagakeanu @safarigirlsp @steeevienicks @materialisthicc @lovinghufflepuffgirl @hswritingrecs @han68000 @rosi3ba3z @chapterhappygirl @schopenhauerdeathsquad @loverofallthings @groovetoob @bxnnywriting @glassbxttless @angel-bxby3 @smallgirlbigpersonality @lovelyyy-luna @2000andwhat @raddo1975 @cornmousequeen @metsienmenninkainen @caillea @painttheskylineforme @holding-on-to-starwars @kylo-ren-is-alive @caitlin-was-here @icarusinthesea

[multimetaverse]

HSMTMTS 2x08 Review

Most Likely To was the best ep of S2 so far and ended one ship while launching another. Let’s dig in!

Gaston was super fun, a very nice showcase for both Larry and Matt. This is the kind of energy that early S2 was lacking. Also feels like the first ep where East High might actually have a shot at beating North High. Covid restrictions played a role but we really needed to see more rehearsal scenes and scenes of the wildcats just being theatre kids. This also may be one of the last times we see EJ perform as a student in the musical so I’m glad we got this.  

EJ has been criminally underused for most of S2, he’s marketed as part of the big 4 along with Nini, Ricky, and Gina and Matt Cornett’s name is listed 3rd in the credits but in the early eps of S2 you’d think he was guest star. Lately he’s started to become more important and tonight was an excellent showcase of why he’s such an interesting character. I’m not gonna check but this feels like it’s the most EJ screen time in a single ep that we’ve gotten all season long. 

Of course, the main reason for EJ’s increased screen time is because of Portwell. I’ve been neutral on them but tonight they really won me over’ their scenes were so sweet that they warmed even my cold black heart. Matt and Sofia are good friends irl and that shines through in their easy rapport and great chemistry. Gina snorting at EJ’s joke was cute and I loved the shot of Gina accidentally walking into the shot for EJ’s confessional. As an aside, they’ve been doing some fun stuff with the confessionals lately which helps add a bit of the metaness that helped make S1 so great.

The real big Portwell scene tonight was EJ and Gina talking on the couch at Ashlyn’s. Lot’s to love there. Gina’s speech to EJ about what she sees when she thinks of him was sweet and her saying that EJ tried to do the right thing and often failed but kept trying echoes what she said of herself during her confession to Ricky. Also when EJ asked Gina if she understood the feeling of having her life mapped out she replied, ‘’not really’’ which is almost certainly the inspiration for Gina asking a question to EJ and him responding ‘’not really’’ in their pre S2 face time call on the hsmtmts instagram. 

EJ is still wracked with guilt for the guy he used to be but Gina reminds him that he’s grown and is a good guy which leads to her slip up about her seeing him that way vs the rest of the gang hinting that she’s beginning to catch feelings for EJ. Which leads to EJ complimenting her and them having a moment that could well have led to a kiss if Ashlyn hadn’t come home. And they cap it off with Gina falling asleep and EJ covering her with his Duke sweater. 

It’s been nice not seeing Gina upset over Ricky these past two eps and it’s a damning indictment of the poor writing and pacing of S2 that her story in the first 6 eps can be summed up as Gina being upset over something Ricky said or did. Not only has Portwell allowed EJ to rise in prominence but also it’s allowed Gina to escape the rut her character was stuck in pining for Ricky. 

I hope after S2 is over that we get an interview where Tim explains how the Portwell plot came to be. The S1 finale set up some possible interest between them as did the pre S2 face time call but nothing came of it during the first 4 eps, they stood next to each other a lot but barely interacted otherwise. Notably in 2x01, which Tim himself wrote, EJ tries to grow a beard and tells Ashlyn that he says her as so young which is extremely jarring now that we know that EJ is crushing on Gina who is Ashlyn’s age. 

Was Tim not set on doing Portwell until he realized he needed to give Gina something else to do other than hopelessly pine for Ricky? Narratively, it made sense after Rini got together in S1 to put the other two Big 4 characters together in S2 but did Tim not want it to seem so obvious to the audience so he deliberately kept Portwell apart until 2x05 where EJ’s feelings make for a nice plot twist? Was he just reluctant to plug EJ back into the love square due to how much more complicated it would make things but later felt he had no other options? Or was it just plain old bad pacing and writing?

Of course, I wish that there wasn’t such a large age gap between Sofia and Matt but there are no Gina ships that avoid that problem, there’s also an age gap between Sofia and Joshua, just as there was between Olivia and Joshua and Matt in S1. Depending on when they film S3 there’s a good chance that most of it will be finished before Sofia even turns 18 which is deeply unfortunate. There’s a broader issue of teen girls being cast in mostly age appropriate roles while their male love interests are older adults and in particular it often affects female characters of colour. Netflix has a really bad track record with those kind of age gaps but Disney has problems too as we’ve seen on HSMTMTS and on GMW where by the end of S3 they had 18 year old Peyton Meyer as the boyfriend of 14 year old Rowan Blanchard’s character (not to mention canon Joshaya which didn’t have such a bad age gap between the actors but was problematic regarding the ages of the characters themselves).

A knock I’ve seen on Portwell is that EJ is just gonna leave for university next year but that was never gonna happen, Matt’s under the same 4 season contract as all the other mains and he’ll be sticking around in some capacity much like Sharpay ended up doing in the movies. It is true that EJ will probably have to move on at the end of S4 while Gina still has her senior year left but that will also happen with her and Ricky since he’ll be graduating at the end of S4. It was a big mistake to make EJ a senior but it also may end up being a big mistake to make Gina a sophomore. It would have been too messy to retcon EJ to be a junior but Tim probably should have taken the chance to retcon Gina into being a junior in S2.

That Rini breakup was so sad (missed opportunity for gotta go my own way). They managed to get in a Troyella reference with the treehouse. This was inevitable they just have not been communicating well though now that we know that Ricky thought Nini left YAC for him some of his desperation to spend as much time together as possible makes more sense. I think Rini is endgame if the series has 4 seasons but it wouldn't shock me if we never seem them dating again and they only get back together in the series finale. It also wouldn’t surprise me if Nini never dates anyone else for the remainder of the series or at least not seriously. 

We’re not even halfway through the series so it’s way too early to permanently slam the door on Rini though this time apart will probably help Joshua and Olivia move on from their own bitter break up before it bleeds too much into their performances. I do wonder if Tim really has a clue what he's gonna do with them for the remaining 24-28 eps of the series, assuming S3 and S4 have 10-12 eps each. 

Roman Banks killed If I Can’t Love Her and the montage of all the couples or ex couples was great.

It was nice to finally meets some parents other than the Bowen’s and Salazar-Roberts’. Kourtney’s mom was played by Dara’s actual mother and their dynamic was great as expected. It seems from their conversation that Kourtney's father is dead which I don’t believe has been mentioned before. Cash Caswell.... well it gets what the character is about across. He really looks and sounds like a rich Utah republican, I bet he knows Mitt Romney personally. I liked EJ going to tell his father that he’s not going to Duke and recognizing that he wants to build his own life on his own merits. 

We saw a bit of that S1 Miss Jenn energy tonight which was fun though I didn't like how curt she was with Seb nor did I like how rude Carlos was to Seb although we know that blows up in 2x10. 

Jazzara rising! I really liked how Jazzara and Portwell are sort of mirroring each other and since Mazzara knows about EJ’s feelings for Gina it wouldn’t shock me if helping EJ out is part of him showing a softer side in 2x12.

Of course Ashlyn is VP of the Nostradamus society. It's clear her family has some kooky new age beliefs (her parents are probably members of some naturopathic medicine group on Facebook that doubles as a gateway into Qanon)

It was nice to see Big Red being such a good friend to Ricky and the return of Ricky’s infamous pillow hugs. Lmao at Ashlyn just chilling while Big Red is comforting Ricky

Also Miss Jenn saying sexy and Big Red referring to pillow talk, the writers are adding a bit of spice when cooking up these scripts.

Looking Ahead: 

Looks like Gina may be wearing EJ's duke sweater next ep according to some posts I saw. Jack presumably is there to somehow help Gina decide what she wants with Ricky and EJ though him having wanderlust might also feed into Gina’s thoughts on settling down in SLC or moving with her mom around the country.

Let's see what mom of the year, Lynne Bowen, has up her sleeves. Ricky’s bedroom at her place in Chicago looks much nicer than the apartment Mike Bowen has so perhaps she makes a lot more money than he does. 

Not looking forward to the Zoom portions of the ep but I guess it was inevitable. 

There’s only two paths for Gina’s story to go in the remainder of this season; either she decides to move on from Ricky and give EJ a chance or she decides that Ricky is worth trying again and squelches her budding feelings for EJ. The former looks much more likely after tonight’s ep but either way it needs to be handled with care. Inevitably Gina and Ricky need to talk about what happened between them but if Tim really wants Ricky to continue being a viable love interest or even a good friend to Gina then he needs to really have Ricky apologize and show a thoughtful, kinder side of him that’s largely been missing this season. 

What I think Tim is doing is setting up Portwell getting together in 2x12 but Ricky pining over Gina until Portwell break up late S3 and Rina get together in the S3 finale before they break up later in S4 and Ricky gets back with Nini near the end of the series. If I had Tim’s ear I would tell him that he should pick which ship he wants to do, Rina or Portwell, but don’t do both. He wants canon Rina? Great then end Portwell before it starts and have Rina happen in S3 and introduce other obstacles to them getting together rather than having to damage EJ’s character and make him lose another girl he likes to Ricky. He wants canon Portwell? Great then have Gina and Ricky’s conversation be closure for the both of them and have Gina and EJ get together and break them up without Ricky being a cause of it or waiting in the wings to get with Gina soon afterwards. Doing both will be a disaster and I truly hope that Tim Federle carefully thinks over his mistakes in S2 and really plans out the remaining 2 seasons of the series while there’s still time to prevent things from going really off the rails like GMW and AM did thanks to the bad decisions of Michael Jacobs and Terri Minsky. 

Until next week wildcats. 

[thebibliosphere]

My Heart’s In The Highlands by Amy Hoff (Book Review)

Hey fam, we ready to talk about a Scottish lesbian time traveling romance? 

Also, just an upfront disclaimer on this one: I received an ARC (advance review copy) copy of this book from the Publisher and am writing this review voluntarily.

A Quick Summary:

My Heart’s in the Highlands by Amy Hoff is a sapphic time travel romance set in Scotland, starting in the late 1880s.  Lady Jane Crichton is a learned woman of science (based on the historic ‘Edinburgh Seven’), who has spent her lifetime railing against the restraints of Scottish Victorian life and the expectations placed upon her. Fortunately for Jane, she finds herself in a marriage of convenience (he’s gay and needed a beard to protect his political career, and she needed the financial freedom and support of a wealthy patron. They’re buds about it.) and with the help of her husband, Jane is able to fund her own research and builds a functioning time machine. 

Unfortunately for Jane her time machine malfunctions during one of its voyages, and she finds herself thrown back in time, crash landing into the 13th century. And also into Ainslie nic Dòmhnaill, who is next in line to inherit the great Clan Donald. Which is one hell of a way to find out your a lesbian, but also 10/10 would willingly fall back in time and into the arms of a buff Scottish warrior woman. But Jane also holds a secret. She knows what will become of these lands, and to the people that live on them, and she must choose between her fairy tale romance, or the harsh reality of history that lies ahead. Can her and  Ainslie’s love survive? Or will they be torn apart by time? 

Review:

Okay, so for some perspective going into this review, I am a Scottish editor, and I have worked extensively in the realms of Scottish Historical Romance. Most of you have probably heard of the term ‘Britpacker,’ so if it helps, think of me as a ‘Scots Sifter’—I catch chunks of inaccuracy and gently nudge the phonetic (mis)spellings toward the realms of the accurate. And as a Scottish person who reads romance for both fun and work, it’s a breath of fresh air to read someone who knows what they are doing in this regard. The historical details many readers crave are there in spades, lovingly rendered through beautiful and flowing prose. The (accurate!!!) use of Scots and Gaelic are also masterfully included in the dialect without feeling contrived, and overall enriches the narrative. Hoff is someone who loves Scottish culture and knows it well, and it shows.

(A note for history foodie buffs: I caught one slip-up in the form of potatoes being mentioned in the 13th century when they didn’t arrive in Scotland until 1739. I am, however, willing to concede that perhaps our heroine Lady Jane is perhaps not the first time traveler to have crash-landed into the Highlands. The others were merely better supplied. EDIT: I’ve been informed this error will be corrected in the next print.) As a heroine, Lady Jane is charmingly out of time and place even before she sets foot in her time machine. A woman in her later thirties (a novelty I’ll never tire of in Romance), she holds many convictions and beliefs, both about history and herself. All of which are proven wrong the moment she is flung back in time and meets the charming (and I cannot stress this enough) incredibly buff warrior woman, Ainslie nic Dòmhnaill. Setting aside my more analytical interests in this text, allow me to just say, I would die for Ainslie; something which I feel secure in saying would not happen, as Ainslie would murder anyone that tried. (And I would hold her golden torque and flower all starry-eyed while she did it.) However, there were one or two things that jumped out at me, both as a reader and an editor. While some scenes are concisely eloquent, there are a areas where pacing (and grammar) fall down, and the book feels like it could use with tightening up with another pass at editing. There was very little build up to the romance itself, which is fine, the instant true love trope is a well-loved trope for a reason. But it felt out of character for Jane, who presents initially as either on the demi or ace spectrum, but then falls immediately, if not in love, then certainly in lust with Ainslie. If this was intentional, I cannot say, but her sudden switch in dynamic is jarring and could have used a little gentler development.

Once the romance begins, it is sweet and enjoyable for the most part, but also again not without issue. There’s a distinct lack of verbal consent which modern readers might find discomfiting, especially in the LGBTQ+ spheres which paved the way for better consent and relationship dynamics in modern romance, and if I were asked to tag this book, I’d likely opt to tag it as “dubious consent” just to cover any potential triggers for people who would be unsettled by that sort of thing. (“Tell me no” being met with silence is not the same as consent. It might have worked 20 years ago in publishing, but it wouldn’t/shouldn’t fly now.) I like the characters dearly. Ainslie is smitten with Jane the moment she sets eyes on her, even if Jane is initially very awkward and prickly. Jane is also taken with her glorious redheaded warrior, and frankly, who could blame her? The book also has several of my favorite romantic tropes in it, including the all-time favorite “There’s Only One Bed”, though I wish more had been made of them. The sex scenes are hot and also sweetly endearing at times, though again I would like to see more explicit consent. Overall, it’s not a bad debut novel into the forays of Romance for a first-time Romance author. It’s enjoyable, but I am left with nagging the feeling that it could have been so much more. To my mind, where this book truly excels is Hoff’s love affair with history and Scotland itself. Their narrative shines in moments of reflection, and the subtle and nuanced injections of historical detail, which in my experience, are rarely done so well in this genre. But this is however a Romance novel, and the time-traveling scientist lesbian and her buff redhead warrior girlfriend felt second fiddle to the history at times, which was disappointing because how often do you get to say those words together? Not enough, in my opinion. Overall, I’d rate this as 3.5 out of 5, though it would have been a solid four were it not for the issues surrounding pacing and consent. If Hoff chose to continue the series, however, I’d absolutely be down for more of it. I want to see the characters grow and thrive. I just think a little more experience with the genre (and better editing) is needed first. My Heart’s In the Highlands is available now on Kindle, Paperback, and most other online retail stores. You can also buy directly from the Publisher.

[onechicagorpf]

Not A Stranger - Part 3

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader (Chicago Med intern)

Waking up in bed next to a random naked guy after a drunken night out usually sucks, but eh, whatever. you’ll never see him again, right? Well except this time, random naked guy turns out to be your ED attending’s little brother, so maybe you’re a little bit screwed…

Read Part 1 here Read Part 2 here Read Part 4 here

Warnings: SMUT. A little bit of R-rated smut! Swearing, the usual cuss words. Some angst/PTSD, although it’s not overtly discussed. Dubious medical content (discussion of amputation & blood), some of which has been shamelessly lifted from a season 3 episode of Code Black!

A/N: So there’s definitely going to be a Part 4, lol! I’ll try and have it out by this time next week. Send me asks/messages/leave a note if you liked this and want to see more - it really makes me feel so much less insecure about my writing ahaha! Also do send me short prompts or requests that I can fill as blurbs (i.e. nothing that’s going to be a several chapter story - I will request those later on!) - preferably for Jay but I can do Will as well! Female!Halstead sibling is also okay :) Anyway enough talking, enjoy!

PS: I make mention of bearded Jay in this chapter; this gif is totally the version of him I had in my head for this chapter!

"Walter Holden. 16 years old, victim of an auto accident, came in with a dislocated right leg."

There's droplets of rain on the other side of the windows. It blurs the view - all of a sudden, the buildings you can usually see from the 13th floor of the hospital are just fuzzy, beige blocks.

"Preliminary exam showed no other major trauma, and his vital signs were strong. His leg just had to be reset."

A shudder goes down your spine - was the hospital's conference room always this cold? Well, you don't know - you've never been in here before.

"Dr Halstead advised 10 mil of morphine, but the patient refused pain medication, and the leg was reset. It was at this point that Dr Halstead handed the patient off to Dr Y/L/N, requesting her to evaluate his leg for blood flow."

There's been a strange tapping noise for the last 5 minutes, but only now do you realise it's your fingers against the oval, wooden table.

"Dr Y/L/N? Dr Y/L/N!" You snap out of your reverie and look up. Dr Lanik's glaring at you. You apologise. He takes his seat, next to Mrs Goodwin and Will, both of whom send you a soft smile that doesn't quite reach their eyes. They're trying to be reassuring, but it doesn't matter - you're ready to drown yourself.

Clearing your throat, you speak. "I was instructed to evaluate his right leg for blood flow. I did so by checking his pulses, uh, dorsalis pedis and posterior tibialis." You pause, as some of the other occupants in the conference room - all members of the board or lawyers, all wearing pristine suits and a cold, calculating expression - turned to look at each other.

You clear your throat again. "It was a uh, a textbook exam."

"I'm sorry, in which textbook does it say to check for an arterial injury by just palpating a pulse?" Dr Lanik cuts in sharp.  Will closes his eyes, as you struggle to breath normally.

"90% of all patients - "

"I can't hear you, Dr Y/L/N." Dr Lanik's voice booms across the room, and Will's had it.

"This is ridiculous, there's no need to be intimidating her like this - she's a first year resident and - "

"And she was satisfied with a pulse check to evaluate blood flow? Do I need to remind everyone here that the acceptable course of action in this scenario is to order a doppler or an ABI? That boy's leg was sitting for ages without proper blood flow, and eventually the best we could do for him was amputate it."

Will shakes his head vehemently. "Pathology's looked over the leg - they determined that the severity of the accident combined with the amount of time it took CFD to extricate Holden from the car meant that his leg wasn't viable before he even stepped into the ED." Will turns to you, his eyes piercing as he spoke directly to you.

"There was nothing you could've done that would've changed the outcome. Nothing."

You take a deep breath. You don't nod.

"Alright, we've heard everything we need to hear." The head of the legal department says, after a few moments of discussion with the board members. "Given the findings from Pathology, we will not be terminating Dr Y/L/N's employment here at Chicago Med. However, we recommend that her OR privileges be revoked, and that she is attached to an attending for a duration of 2 months, by which point hopefully she will learn that not every case is a textbook case." She stares directly at you. "Dismissed." Chairs scrape against the floor as everyone makes their leave.

Will places his hand on your shoulder, and you realise you haven't moved even after everyone's left.

His voice is soft. "We all make mistakes. And - "

"I could've been the reason he lost his leg. If he'd come in with ample time to save the leg, and I just - and I just didn't realise it, I could've been the reason a kid had to lose a leg." There's tears in your eyes as you turn to look at Will, who just sighs.

"Yeah. But that's not what happened."

"I got lucky." You shrug, tears freely streaming down your face now. "I just got lucky."

Will doesn't say anything. He just hugs you.

***

It's not the kind of thing you just get over, you realise, because it's been 5 days since it happened but you can't get it out of your head. You've been barely getting any sleep; often you jerk awake in the middle of the night or the early hours of the morning, after which it's next to impossible to fall asleep again. It's also affecting your work more than just making you tired - you keep second-guessing your medical judgements, deferring to Will or Natalie or Ethan for anything and everything. None of them bite at you for it, because they know what's going on and they know what you're going through, but some part of you wishes they would. Wishes that they'd just grab you by the shoulders and shake you, and say "Be a damn doctor."

Dr Charles met with you for lunch earlier today, and you lamented your troubles. The kind and thoughtful psychiatrist patiently listened, before giving you some wisdom you needed to hear. Amongst which was "find a distraction".

"You mean focus on something else?" You asked, chasing a watermelon cube at the bottom of your fruit cup.

"Yeah, but it's a little bit of a dangerous tactic. See, you don't want to distract yourself from dealing with the pain and the guilt you feel, because emotions don't tend to go away when you suppress them like that. But if you're having trouble processing it, it can be helpful to take your mind off of it for a while, wait til some time has passed and it's not so...intense. And maybe then it'll be easier to tackle and get over, y'know?" Dr Charles advised and you nodded, taking it in.

You think about what exactly you could do to distract yourself as you finish your shift and make your way towards your car in the parking lot.

Maybe I should take up painting?

The thought of yourself - little miss notoriously bad at anything artsy - trying to paint has you chuckling softly. You're about to give up on this whole distract yourself thing when, as if on cue, your phone buzzes with a text message. You get into your car, turn on the heating, and pull out your phone.

J.H. 11:32PM

So...guess who's back :)

You can't help the smile on your face. Jay's been undercover for the past week - it actually got started the next morning after the night you went over for "hockey". He'd gotten a text early in the morning asking him to come in, and so the two of you had actually barely spoken since...the festivities of that night.

You 11:33PM

Congrats, detective :)

J.H. 11:33PM

Wanna come over and help me celebrate?

Huh. Well maybe Dr Charles wasn't off-target with the whole "distract yourself" thing - although you're positive having meaningless sex is probably not one of the healthy methods of distraction that he was envisioning.

But quickly, you realise it doesn't matter - ever since what happened, you haven't been sleeping well at night. It's been close to 6 days and you're wrecked, so maybe some good, tires-you-out-completely sex is exactly what you need?

You 11:34PM

Be there in 15

 J.H. 11:34PM

Can't wait :)

 Your lips curve into a smile as you pull out of the parking lot and down into the main road.

***

"I've been waiting to do this...for so long..." Jay murmurs in your ear before pressing kisses down the side of your neck, his hands roaming all over your body. You tilt your head to the side, exposing the expanse of your neck to him.

“It’s only been…a couple ‘a days…” You reply softly, and you feel Jay’s huffs of soft laughter into your neck. You turn to look at him, pulling away. “What?”

There’s a teasing smile on his face. “Most women take it as a compliment if a guy says he hasn’t stopped thinking about her.”

You shake you head, putting on a teasing look, “Uh-uh, that’s not what you said, you said you’ve been wanting to do this – ”

“It was implied – ”

“It wasn’t implied and even if it was – ”

“It was implied and even if it wasn’t, that’s still a compliment.” Jay says pointedly, a huge grin on his face. You narrow your eyes at him, trying to hide the growing smile on your face. He chuckles, seeing right through you.

You smack his arm. “You keep laughing at me in bed and I’m gonna get mad.” This gets Jay full-on laughing, and your jaw drops in pretend-outrage. “You fucking – ”

“No, no, no c’mere – ” Jay pacifies you, leaning over you, arms on either side of you as he starts to kiss your face, your jaw, the corner of your mouth. But there’s still the slightest smile pulling up the corners of his lips, and when he presses them to your lips, you can’t help but laugh into the kiss. Jay reaches up and holds your face, the kiss becoming soft, loving, drawn-out, and some feeling deep in your core tells you you’re just…somewhere else right now. You don’t know how to describe it, other than that everything in this moment feels perfect, feels right.

A shiver goes down your spine, and maybe it’s because Jay’s shifted, and is now sucking a spot on the base of your neck, hard and strong and deep, and his hands are skimming downwards, unbuttoning your soft cotton top before unzipping your jeans. And maybe it’s because you don’t know what the fuck you are doing here, with him, with all of this. You think about how wrong this is, how bad this is, how his brother’s your boss and this was just supposed to be one drunken hookup and then it became two (except you weren’t even drunk that time) and now it’s about to become three –

“Y/N?” Jay calls softly, and you look at him – his hands resting gently over the hem of your panties, his face hovering over the space between your legs, and the look of…almost reverence in his shining green eyes.

You stop thinking.

Your hands reach downward, sliding your panties off and Jay eagerly helps, getting them off completely. Just like last time, Jay draws out the foreplay – kissing, licking, and nipping at the skin of your inner thighs, making the heat in your core build. Running your fingers through his dark hair, you yank it a little to get him to get going, and he pinches your hip – a quick slap of the wrist. Laughing, you repeat the action, pulling on his hair, and he groans.

“You’re real impatient, you know?”

“Jayyyyyyyy,” You whine, pouting down at him. He’s got this look of a predator – a confident, cocky smile on his face. Jay dips his head down, his mouth making contact with your cunt.

“There we go,” You murmur, gasping as you feel his hot breath on your most sensitive regions. Jay’s hands grip tight into your supple skin, holding your thighs open for him as his tongue circles your opening. Your back arcs as you moan, the sensation of his tongue on you setting off what feels like fireworks in your head. Jay’s mouth presses into you, hard and deep, his tongue licking and lapping at your now sopping wet cunt.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck – ” You whisper, eyelids fluttering shut as Jay softly flicks his tongue over your clit. He repeats the motion, going up and down, teasing your clit and your hip jerks upwards sharply in response. Settling your ass back down against his soft sheets, you catch your breath and mutter a soft apology – “Shit, sorry,” – and Jay taps your thigh, a silent “don’t worry about it”, as he’s nosed his way back between your legs immediately.

Jay laps at your folds and you try to keep your head about you, try to not lose your mind, but it just feels so good. He sucks your clit into his mouth gently and your eyes roll into the back of your head. “Oh my god, ohhh my god – fuck!” You whimper, as he keeps sucking your clit, pausing to flick his tongue over it. Your fingers clutch the sheets around you hard enough to rip holes in them. The loud moans out of your mouth are bordering on screams. The feeling in your core, the heat, starts rising like a wave reaching a shore –

“I’m gonna – I’m gonna – I’m gonna – ah, ah, ahhhh – fuck! Fuck, fuck – Jay! Jay!” You scream, your vision whiting out completely as you arch off the bed, riding out the waves of pleasure wrecking your body. You hands fly downwards to grab Jay’s head as you jerk away from his still-working mouth, your oversensitive clit causing tears to pool in your eyes. Pulling him up, you whisper his name over and over again, like he’s the only gospel you know. Jay shifts up, laying down next to you and pulling you close, your bodies fitting into each other like a perfect pair of puzzle pieces. You look at him through your teary eyes and all you see are his green irises staring right back at you with a measure of something dark and lustful in them. You hold his face in your hands, running a thumb over the rough stubble of his cheeks, his jaw, where a soft beard has started to grow. His lips are glossy and wet, from you, and you see now there’s a soft pink line going across his nose that you trace with your hands, frowning.

“I’m okay,” Jay says in a soothing voice.

“What happened?” You ask, concerned, the frown between your eyebrows deepening as you look up at him.

A soft smile. “Kinda got into a fight. Guy tried to punch me, I dodged it, but his fingernail scratched me. It’s fine.” Jay replies quickly, and his face is so close to yours that you’re breathing the same air. You don’t say anything, but you must still be frowning because Jay speaks again. “It’s literally just a scratch.” You hum softly in response, running your hands down his front, unbuttoning his shirt, scanning the expanse of his chest and abdomen with your fingertips and your eyes.

Jay lifts your chin and you turn back to him. “What?”

“Are you checking me for other injuries?” He asks, chuckling. You look back down, pausing for a moment. “Maybe…it’s not like you’d tell me if you got hurt, right?” Jay just laughs, and there’s your answer. You ignore the burgeoning feelings in your heart of some kind of dejection.

Your fingers run over a sliver of raised skin, on his lower right flank. It’s a thin, pale pink scar that runs about 3 inches. You work in an ED – you know exactly what this is.

“You were stabbed?” You ask, stunned. “When?”

Jay sighs, grabbing your fingers in his hand and holding them closed. “Army stuff. Not a big deal.” He pushes your fingers away to your own body, and then reaches for the blanket and pulls it up over the two of you, like as if the conversation’s over.

“You don’t want to talk about the Army,” you point out, as Jay lays on his back, some distance between the two of you. He sighs again, looking upwards at the ceiling. “Is that a question or a statement?”

You know you shouldn’t push, but you do anyway.

“You should talk to someone about it  – ”

“I talk to people about it. I have.” Jay’s voice is tight. He’s still not looking at you.

“You can talk to me about it...” You say, and you’re terrified. Because what you’re really asking is “Do you think I’m close enough, do you care about me enough to let me in?”.

Jay turns to you, a soft smile on his face. “It’s fine. I’ve got other people for that.”

Hiding the immense desolation that’s weighing like an anchor on your chest from showing, you just send a shallow smile his way. 

He’s got other people for that. He’s got other people for sharing his feelings, his pain, his suffering, his life. He doesn’t want you for that, I mean, why would he share all of that with you? You’re just a warm body – some random girl he’s having sex with. Nothing more.

You pull the blankets tighter around you, turning away from Jay. Trying your best to quell the wave of sadness flooding what feels like every single part of you, you drift asleep. 

***

“Dr Y/N?”

You turn, and there’s Walter Holden on a bed in the ED.

“Walter?” You walk to his side, stunned. He’s crying – tears spilling out of his soft baby blue eyes, his youthful face scrunched up in pain and anguish.

“Why did you do this to me? Why?!” He yells, his voice cracking. You shake your head. “Walter, Walter I’m so sorry – I didn’t know, I didn’t know, I didn’t mean to – ” You choke on your words, and as you look down the bed you realise that Walter’s amputated leg is bleeding at the stump.

“Oh god, oh my god – ” You get up, shocked as the blood starts gushing. Walter screams.

“Help me! Dr Y/N – help me! Help me!”

You hear your heart hammering in your ears, your head is spinning, you stand up and you feel faint.

Will rushes into the room. He starts holding as much gauze as he can to Walter’s leg. Nurses and doctors flood the room, and they begin moving Walter out. You’re standing, back pressed to the treatment room wall, aghast. 

Will turns to you, his face red with rage. “What are you even doing?! Fucking hell, Y/N – you can’t do anything right?!”

There’s a painful lump in your throat, and you can’t breathe. Something grabs your hand and you snap your head. It’s Walter, and as they wheel his bed out, he looks at you with so much fury and torment in his eyes.

“YOU DON’T DESERVE TO BE A DOCTOR!”

“No, no, no, I’m so sorry Walter, I’m so sorry – I’m so sorry – this can’t be happening, no, no no no – ” Tears stream down your face and you start shaking. Your knees buckle, and you fall to the ground, sobs wracking your body. Somewhere in the distance, you hear your name being called, but you can’t answer, you can’t do this anymore, you can’t – you just can’t…

“Y/N! Y/N!”

You jolt, your eyes flying open. Jay’s over you, his eyebrows drawn together, his eyes wide, concerned, his hands holding your shoulders where you realise he’s been shaking you – shaking you because – because –

Fuck.

It was a fucking nightmare. Again.

You let out a cry of pain, bringing your hands up to cover your face. “Breathe, just breathe.” Jay says softly, rubbing your arms up and down.

After about a minute, when you don’t feel so shaken anymore, you wipe your eyes and slowly sit up. Jay shifts with you, sitting right next to you. You can’t look him in the eyes.

“I’m – I’m sorry I woke you,” you whisper to your palms, resting atop your folded legs.

“Don’t – don’t worry about that. Y/N, what happened? It sounded pretty bad…” Jay says and you shake your head.

“I’m fine, it’s fine – ” Your hands run through your hair roughly. You need to go. You need to go – you need to leave – you can’t be here –you can’t be here with him –

“Hey. Hey,” Jay repeats, when you don’t answer. He reaches across and his warm hard gently grabs your face, trying to get you to look at him but you just push his hand away. You get up, grabbing your underwear and jeans from the ground and start getting dressed.

“Y/N!” Jay gets off the bed, and comes to you. You sidestep him, or at least you try to, but he’s much taller than you and his shoulders are broad; he stands in your way and grabs your arms softly.

“Y/N, look at me – ”

“Why?” 

You give him what he wants. You look up at him, you stare him directly in his eyes, shaking in anger and fear and what feels like the weight of the world on your shoulders. 

“Hmm? Why? This isn’t – you don’t care – what does it matter –” You yell at him, your mind frazzled as you fall apart in his arms.

The frown on Jay’s face gets deeper, and he shakes his head, leaning close. “Hey, talk to me. C’mon, you can talk to me – ”

“Why the fuck would I talk to you? You’re just some guy I’m sleeping with!” You spit harshly, shaking his hands off and stepping back. Jay’s mouth falls open, and his shoulders sag. His face contorts into something awful - dismay, defeat, hurt.

For a moment, you want to run back into his arms – apologise, say you didn’t mean it, say you’re just scared – but you don’t. You move around him, grabbing your shirt. You put it on and make your way out of his bedroom, and out of his apartment.

You don’t know why you said what you did. Actually, scratch that, you know exactly why you said that. In fact, you know exactly why you’re what you’re doing.

Every relationship you’ve ever had up to this point’s fucked you over. Every single one. You’ve been cheated on, you’ve been lied to, you’ve been told you were just some piece of ass, not an actual girlfriend. And now?

Now you’re scared shitless of what this thing between the two of you is. You’re scared shitless that you’re making a mistake by screwing around with your boss’s brother and you’re –

Well.

You’re scared shitless you’re falling for him.

So, you do what you do best. Dump out of this, push the self-destruct button. Get him to push you away so you don’t have to go through the pain of falling for the guy you can’t have. The one that you know’s going to screw you over, because he’s going to realise he only really sees you as a hookup – that he doesn’t love you.

You try to hold back the tears, because you’re driving home and the last thing you need right now is a car accident. There’s a buzzing sound from your phone and you perk up. As much as you want to tell yourself to not get your hopes high, you can’t help yourself, and you speed down the road to the red light so you can push the brakes and wait. Your fingers wrap around your phone and you immediately check the screen. 

The smile on your face falls – it’s just a stupid notification from Instagram. You toss your phone back onto the passenger seat, hard enough that it bounces off and hits the ground. Tears once again threaten to fill your eyes, and there’s a painful lump in your throat. You swipe at your cheeks, where a single tear has made its escape, and turn to look at the screen next to your steering wheel – it shows the time as 3:45AM. Leaning back against your car seat, a deep sigh exits your lungs.

You realise there’s no way you’re going to sleep again today, what with the whole Jay thing on top of the Walter Holden nightmare that’s been haunting you for the last 6 days now.

The lights turn green.

Swearing under your breath, you throw your car into a U-turn and drive to Med instead.

[imagineaworlds]

I Love You (Part Forty-Seven) -- Aaron Hotchner

Written By: @desperately-bisexual

Request: None.

Warnings: Cursing. Mentions of PTSD, Dom/sub relationship, death, etc-- everything Criminal Minds.. I think that’s it???

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Greenaway!Reader

Word Count: 12575

Timeline: Season 7 Episode 01. Three months after part forty-six.

For the past three months, the team had worked dozens of different cases across the country, but none of them mattered except for the one that Morgan, Garcia, and I had been working on privately. Since I came back to work and was deemed the temporary unit chief, I decided to reopen the Ian Doyle case. At first, it was just me. When I wasn’t at work, I was at home, hiding in the upstairs office, working on trying to piece all of the evidence together to figure out where the hell Doyle could have possibly gone. But then it was just too hard to keep doing it on my own, and all of my resources were wasted. There was only one person who had access to more information than I did. Garcia. So, I asked if she would be willing to help me, but it was impossible for her to keep a secret, so we invited Morgan to help us. From there, we managed to find Declan, but we didn’t tell anyone about it outside of our small group of three.

Finding Declan was an interesting process. I had hit a wall with it, hence why I acquired Garcia’s help, but she managed to find him almost immediately after she told Derek what was going on and he helped profile Emily in order to profile Declan. He figured that she had been the one to move him considering how she died protecting his identity and location. Before joining the team, apparently she lived in Reston, Virginia, something I didn’t know about her, but he managed to know. From there, we decided that it was probably to be close to Declan. So, we started narrowing it down. We knew that she liked cul-de-sacs, so as Garcia was going through the school system to find kids that looked like Declan, she compared if their guardian looked like Louise, his nanny, and if they lived in a cul-de-sac. Then, bam. We found them.

Morgan had been the one to offer up the idea of looking for Declan before Ian because if we found Declan, then so would his father eventually, which made our job easier. After that, it was just a waiting game. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much we could do beyond searching all of the footage to see if Ian ever showed up, which he never did. When Morgan and I were away on cases, Penelope kept an eye on him; and when we were in town but not working on anything, Morgan was driving baby Emily out there and taking her on walks around Declan’s neighborhood to scout the place. I think it was also just an excuse for him to have Emily more.

On our way to work one morning, Morgan and I stopped to get sandwiches for lunch, as well as some donuts from Leonard’s for the office since we were feeling generous, I suppose. At work, we split off so that he could sit in the bullpen while I dragged my feet up to my office. I didn’t understand how Hotch did it. Being away from the team all day, every day was so… isolating and exhausting. There was no joking with Morgan, teasing Reid, or… well, when Emily was around, there was no more chatting with her and gossiping about Hotch. I missed the way she used to slide in veiled threats into the conversation about how she would hurt him if he ever hurt me. So, then again, maybe it was a good thing that I wasn’t down in the bullpen anymore. Sitting at my old desk would have just given me a reason to sit there and stare at her desk all day, reflecting on what it was like to have her around, wishing that I could bring her back.

By lunch time, Morgan rescued our sandwiches from the fridge and brought them up to my office. He closed the door behind him and sat down across from me. I caught my sandwich as he threw it at me, then tossed him a water bottle from Hotch’s secret stash in his bookshelf behind the desk. I hadn’t really changed anything. For the most part, the office was still exactly how he left it. From the artwork to the family photos, to the stacks of case files that he practically left for me on his desk to work through, to his computer wallpaper of us, it was all still Hotch. The only difference was that I was finding all of his secrets now, like the water bottles, and totally taking advantage of them.

Morgan kicked his feet up on the desk, something Hotch would’ve never let him do in a thousand years, and dug into his lunch. I picked at mine for a moment while thinking. I was doing too much of that nowadays. Without my “other half” (or some cliché shit like that) around, I didn’t really know who to talk to 24/7 about what I was thinking and feeling. Sure, I could’ve talked to Morgan, but it was different. When I talked to Morgan, it was like we were brainstorming for a solution; but with Hotch, it was just like he was there to listen, and I could go on and on for hours, and he would hear me out, and he would only offer up a solution if he felt it were necessary. Sometimes I just liked ranting my thoughts to him. I liked watching how he would slowly get lost in the details of my face as I would be talking, and how he it looked like he was falling in love with me over and over again with every minute that passed. Skype and calling on the phone every day didn’t do that look justice anymore.

“Oh, my god—Oh, my god—Oh, my god!” Garcia came running into the office with a laptop balancing on one of her arms. Morgan and I turned to face her. “It’s him! It’s him!” She quickly set her laptop down on my desk and pressed play on a video. Morgan and I both leaned forward in our seats to watch the security footage from Declan’s house. “It’s Doyle—” She paused and pointed to a driver in a car passing by. It was kind of hard to see, but when she zoomed the image in and enhanced it, it was undeniably Ian Doyle.

“When was this?” I asked, jumping into action by standing from my seat and started collecting everything we had on this case thus far.

“Two hours ago.”

“He could have Declan by now. Fuck.” I looked at the two of them to say, “Okay, I think it’s time. I’m going to call Hotch to let him know, meanwhile, I need you guys to get the team together and start explaining everything. I want Reid and Rossi to go retrieve Declan and Louise after they’re briefed.” I grabbed my phone from my desk. “Go.” Just as they were leaving, I dialed Hotch’s satellite phone out in the Middle East.

Hotch and I had still been calling each other every day and Skyping as often as we could. The longer he was there, however, the busier he and I got with our two different jobs, which made it increasingly complicated to keep up with each other. But we made the effort. We knew that if at least one day passed where we wouldn’t talk, one day would inevitably turn into two, then three, and so on. I didn’t want to stop talking to him. As boring as the conversations could get at times, at least I got to see him. He was growing out a beard that I happened to love, but Jack hated. He claimed that it made his dad look old. When we could talk in private a little bit later, I told Hotch that I thought it was hot, and that I couldn’t wait to pull at it while he towered over me. He disliked when I teased him like that, though.

When I called, he picked up almost immediately.

“You’re calling awfully early,” Hotch said over the phone, “are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Do you have a minute?”

“For you? I have all the time in the world.”

I blushed to myself and looked down to watch the toes of my shoe dig into the ground over and over again. “There’s something you need to know, baby, and you have to promise to not get mad.” He didn’t say anything. “Morgan, Garcia, and I have been looking for Doyle while you’ve been gone.” Still, nothing. “We found Declan.”

“What?!”

“Hotch—”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this, Y/N? Do you know how stupid that was? Your whole career could—”

“I don’t care about that, Hotch. I really don’t. I knew that finding Declan was the best way of finding Ian, so I asked Garcia to help; and you know her, she couldn’t keep it to herself, so she told Morgan, and he insisted that he help us. He’s basically the one who found Declan. Without the two of them, I wouldn’t have any leads.”

Hotch sighed quietly. “Is Declan safe?”

“Yes.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Morgan’s still surveilling him—But, Hotch, listen, we were right. By watching Declan all this time, we got eyes on Ian.”

He hesitated for a moment. “You’re sure?” He sounded more scared than angry now. I hummed a “yes” in response. “Baby, listen to me right now.”

I bit my lip. “I’m listening, Sir.”

He chuckled slightly. “If you get eyes on Doyle, you need to take the shot. Got it? Don’t let him get away again.” He sounded out of breath now like he was running around. “I’m coming back to help.”

I felt my heart skip a beat and the air leave my lungs with one shocked gasp. He was coming back. After three months, I was finally going to get to hold him in my arms again, and I was going to get to kiss his lips again. Holy shit. He was coming home. My husband was coming back to me. I almost wanted to dance and cheer, scream from the top of my lungs how happy I was and that I couldn’t wait to see him; but I had to show a modicum of respect still, so I buried that feeling until I would get to see him again.

“You can do that?” I questioned cautiously. As happy as I was, could he really just abandon his post to come back like that? It sounded almost too good to be true.

“I put in the request to transfer back to Quantico about two weeks ago.” And he didn’t tell me? “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to get your hopes up on anything; but they don’t need me here anymore, so it’s not a big deal if they find a replacement.” I hopped slightly with joy and giggled. Hotch chuckled at me. “I can’t wait to see you, baby.”

Even considering the circumstances, I couldn’t wait to see him either. “Call me when you’re landing.”

“I will. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

----

By the time Garcia followed traffic camera footage across the state just to see where Doyle was hiding out, we had a SWAT team with snipers on call, and the team was ready to head out there. Just as I had ordered, Rossi and Reid headed to get Declan, but the drive was pretty far, so I didn’t expect to hear from them for a while, especially while we were in the early stages of staking out Doyle’s place. Morgan, JJ, and I were trapped in a van across the street from his apartment while SWAT was just down the road, and they had two snipers up on separate roofs. All of it was my call, though. The second we had reasonable cause to believe that it was actually Ian Doyle up there, I would be the one to dictate if the snipers or Morgan would be taking the shot, like Hotch said.

“That’s all Hotch said? ‘Take the shot’?” JJ questioned warily. I nodded and shrugged. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure. Why?”

She shook her head. “Nothing…”

I eyed her suspiciously for a moment, taking into account how her gaze wasn’t resting on one thing, but instead a thousand different things, like she was too anxious to focus. It was odd, but I shrugged it off with the excuse that finding Doyle was a big deal. Since he killed Prentiss, we had all been itching to find him and avenge her. Out of everyone, I knew that JJ would want to know that Doyle was dead because of us. She wanted that justice. I couldn’t exactly tell why, but she had always been like that, especially since getting promoted to being a profiler.

And then my phone started ringing with a call from Spencer who had just arrived at Declan’s house. I figured it was just an update. I mean, him and Rossi were there to simply pick up Declan and Louise, that was it. But then something worrying happened when I picked up the call: Reid sounded concerned.

“Reid?”

“Declan’s missing,” he answered quickly.

“What?”

“We just searched the house, and he’s gone, so we called the school to see if he even made it home, and they told us that his mom picked him up early.”

“Louise?” I speculated.

“I doubt it.” He sounded annoyed now. “She’s dead.”

“Fuck,” I cursed under my breath, then looked up at Morgan and JJ to tell them what was going on. They also cursed, and he hit the side of the car. “Okay. Reid, you and Rossi should meet us here in case we end up seeing—” The sound of a police car’s siren flew past our van, catching our attention. It was just a squad car. No, no, no, no. Fuck. That was going to scare Doyle off. Fuck.

“He’s inside!” Morgan exclaimed. We all turned to face the window to see the drape in Doyle’s apartment window shaking like it had just been disturbed. “I saw him!” Morgan was already fiddling with the door handle and pushing his way out of the car.

“Shit…” This wasn’t at all how I imagined this going down. We were supposed to just monitor the situation, get legitimate confirmation that Doyle was in there, not just Morgan claiming he saw him— But what choice did we have now? “Go, go, go,” I made the call, following Morgan out of the van and hanging up the call with Reid.

JJ, Morgan, and I raced inside first, the SWAT van pulling up behind us and the team moving in, too. When we reached the apartment number, JJ and I stood our ground in the hallway with our weapons raised, and I gave Morgan the signal to kick the door down, which he did without hesitating, and then he dashed inside. The three of us took turned towards different sides of the apartment in order to clear it. Morgan went straight into the living room/bedroom, JJ went into the bathroom on the left, and I stepped into the tiny kitchen on the right. He wasn’t there. Neither was Declan. Reid said that they couldn’t find Declan, so I only assumed that Doyle got to him first. Fuck! How the fuck did he—

“I’ve got something!” Morgan called out. I hurried into the living room/bedroom to see him peeking up at the ceiling inside of the closet. I cocked a brow and carefully approached. “He’s climbing to the roof.” There was a hole in the ceiling for some kind of secret tunnel that led upwards.

“Follow him,” I ordered. “I’ll take the steps. JJ, watch the door downstairs to make sure he doesn’t get out, and coordinate with SWAT to make sure that the block is locked down just in case. Get a crime scene team here to see if Declan was ever here.”

Morgan holstered his weapon then quickly pulled himself up into the tunnel to follow Doyle, meanwhile I hurried out into the hallway to start sprinting up the rest of the stairs, and JJ ran down them. How the fuck did this happen? How did we lose Declan like this, and how was Doyle actually planning on getting out of this?

And then I burst out onto the roof to see Morgan chasing after Doyle who was running for the fire escape on the side of the building. Morgan aimed his weapon, but didn’t shoot. Instead, he tried commanding Doyle to stop. Like that would help.

“I’ve got the shot,” one of the snipers said over the comms.

“Don’t shoot!” I exclaimed. “Don’t!” I knew what Hotch said about taking the shot if given the chance, but things were different now that we couldn’t find Declan in the apartment. Our only way of getting him back now was by keeping his father alive. Asshole. “Hold your fire!” When nothing came, Morgan tackled Doyle and spun him onto his stomach so that he could be handcuffed. “You got it?” I asked him. He nodded while slapping the cuffs on Doyle. ���I’ll have JJ take him back to the office while we start going through everything downstairs.”

Morgan groaned as he yanked Doyle up onto his feet. “You’re not gonna let me take a crack at him?”

“Not yet.”

Doyle chuckled. I squinted at him while searching his eyes for a reason that he could have possibly found this funny. He noticed my curiosity. “Lauren was right about you.”

Morgan tugged on Doyle’s restraints to make them hurt. “Shut up.”

Doyle kept laughing as Morgan pushed him towards the stairwell so that JJ could take him to the office like I had ordered. My only question, however, was, what the hell did he mean by that? Lauren was right about me? Right about what? The question lingered in my head as I sighed and moved to walk downstairs, too.

Afterwards, hours passed while we were combing through Doyle’s apartment, trying to find clues about where he must have taken Declan, as well as compiling evidence connecting him to Valhalla and Prentiss’s death. For someone in hiding, there was a lot he had with him. Usually, people in his situation would stay minimalist and wouldn’t have all of their condemning evidence in one spot, but Doyle was so cocky that he wouldn’t get caught that he didn’t bother to keep any of his current business elsewhere. There were so many guns in that one apartment that we could have started another small army. I couldn’t understand how on Earth someone would need all of that. Then again, Doyle already had a small army, and the reason they needed to smuggle all of those weapons out of the state was so that he could maintain power in Europe while he was underground. Well, looked like all of that was worthless now.

I sighed as I stepped outside of that tiny, dirty, smelly, cramped apartment for the first time in over ten hours. It really took that long. Doyle had been sitting at the office the entire time, brewing in his own thoughts, which was our strategy to break him. If he was left in darkness and silence long enough, he would open up. Hopefully. At least, Morgan and I would give it a shot when we would head back to the office. For now, we were down tearing the entire apartment to shreds. The bastard even had papers hiding behind the wallpaper.

When my phone started buzzing in my pocket, I sighed again and dug it out. “Hotchner,” I answered.

“Mmm… I could get used to that,” Hotch’s voice echoed over the phone, making me melt.

I perked up within an instant while looking down at my watch, spotting the time and how long it had been since he last called me, and how he promised he would call when he was close to landing in Virginia. Finally, I thought. “How close are you?”

“Ten, fifteen minutes.”

It was almost morning already. He was probably going to be landing just as the sun would start to peek over the tall buildings of Quantico. “I’m coming to pick you up.”

“Y/N, you should stay—”

“Nope,” I interrupted adamantly.

Hotch chuckled. “You’re really going to be a brat about this right now?”

“Mhm. You can scold me for it when you see me.”

“God, I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Hey, sunshine,” Morgan said, sneaking up behind me, “you ready to go?”

“I’ll see you in a few minutes, baby,” I told Hotch. Before he could say anything in return, though, I hung up on him. I hid my grin as I buried my phone in my back pocket, then turned to face Morgan. “Can you handle the interrogation for a bit while I head to the airport?”

“He’s back already?”

“Yeah.”

Morgan nodded. “Go get him.” We smiled at each other. “No detours, though, sunshine. There and back.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I responded half-heartedly while already walking away from him. “Just remember, when this is over with, you and Clooney are going home!”

----

To say I was nervous would have been a drastic understatement. I had gone four months without seeing him. Four months without his touch, his kiss, his hold, his love. A lot could change in four months. People could grow apart in four months. I was absolutely terrified that even though we called each other every day, we might not have been the same Hotchners who said goodbye to each other at the airport a few months ago. I knew that I still loved him endlessly— maybe even more now that I had been starved of him for so long. But I didn’t know what happened to him out there. I didn’t know what new experiences he had that could have possibly changed him. For all I knew, he could walk off that plane in a few minutes and walk right past me without a care. I just prayed that he was still Aaron. That the man I fell in love with would walk off that plane and know exactly how to hold me again. It was like I could already feel his touch, even though the plane’s engines hadn’t died out yet. He was so far, but he was so damn close. This was the closest we had been in four fucking months, and I was just so ready to see him already.

The plane came to a slow and steady stop on the runway. With every second that passed, I felt a growing need to throw up everywhere. He was probably sitting in there, watching me through the window, grinning ear to ear because I looked so nervous and sick. He could likely see me, yet I couldn’t see anything but the sun in my eyes. He was always an asshole, but he even had to beat me to the first look. Asshole x2.

The door of the jet popped open, and it started slowly falling down towards the concrete, the stairs on the inside making a slow appearance. I thought about what was going to happen. How was I going to react? How was he going to react? Was it better to stay where I was or was it better to meet him at the bottom of the steps? I felt like even if I wanted to move towards the plane, I wouldn’t have been able to. I was frozen in place as my mind raced with questions and endless possibilities. But there was one thing that was consistent: I was going to hold my husband in my arms, and I was going to tell him that I loved him over and over again until I passed out.

The second I saw a foot step out of the jet, I started sprinting as fast as I could without stopping to think. The rest of him emerged, and Hotch looked around for me. After spotting me from the top of the stairs, Hotch jumped down the steps, dropped his bag on the runway, and started running towards me, too. He held his arms out, an invitation for me to jump and hold him tight, so that was exactly what I did. Our bodies clashed, but he still managed to catch me, even though the force sent him stumbling back a few unwanted steps. My arms flew around his shoulders, my legs wrapped around his hips, my face buried in the crook of his neck. It didn’t matter that he smelled like sweat, sand, and cheap deodorant, because he was finally home with me and that was all that mattered. Hell, I even enjoyed the smell since it just meant that I had him in my arms again.

I squeezed him tight with my arms and legs after he nuzzled his face— beard, sunglasses, and all— into the crook of my neck. The aching in my chest, my broken heart that had been falling apart during every second that he was away from me, slowly started to mend with every breath we took together. I couldn’t tell if I wanted to cry, scream, cheer, laugh, or all of the above. Every single emotion imaginable was flooding my body and the only way I could cope with it was by nearly squeezing the life out of him while repeating: “I love you, I love you, I love you” over and over in his ear. I never wanted to stop saying it. I prayed that he would never let me go again and that we could say those three words until there was no more breath in our lungs.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” we kept whispering like we were records stuck on repeat. Fuck, I missed the way he said it to me. I missed the way he said my name and the way he called me “baby”. Nothing felt more right than how he spoke to me and how he kissed my neck in between words.

When his beard started tickling my neck, I finally paused to let out a giggle. I leaned back, his arms still around my torso to hold me for support, and I got a good look at him for the first time in months. There was no screen between us, no shitty computer cameras, no god awful Skype buffer, no speakers that cut out every other word. He looked so different than how I remembered him. His face was slimmed behind the scratchy beard he had grown, and his eyes were more sunken with exhaustion— if that were even possible. Aaron Hotchner always had dark circles under his eyes, that was no secret. Between work, the kids, and wrangling me, Hotch never had time to sleep; but Pakistan kicked his ass, and I could see it in every little detail about him.

He watched me with the brightest smile I had ever seen on his face as I brought my left hand up to his face and scratched my nails gently down his beard. “This is even hotter in person,” I smirked.

“It has to go the second I get an electric shaver,” he laughed.

My smirk fell and I pouted, “Are you sure?” He nodded. “But I have literally never wanted to fuck you harder in my entire life.”

He paused and gulped. “Okay, so maybe it can stay for a few days.”

I perked up again at my little victory and scratched it again. “Please don’t ever leave me again. Please.”

“I’d rather die than go away again.”

“Don’t be hyperbolic, Agent Hotchner.” I hit his shoulder playfully. He grinned before tightening his arms around me again to make me lean in for a kiss. I grabbed his face, the hairs on his cheeks tickling my palms as I did so, and I moaned into his mouth. “I love you so much.”

His eyes screwed shut as he slid his tongue into the kiss and claimed dominance. I missed that feeling so much. I missed how he tasted, how he smelled, how he felt, how he had to dominate me every second of every day. I missed getting lost in his eyes and staring at his lips all day until I could finally kiss them until our lips were chapped. If there weren’t a million and one things going on outside of that airport, I would have begged him to take me inside and fuck me in the bathroom. It should have been impossible to need him that much considering everything that was going on with Ian Doyle, yet there I was, only thinking about showing Aaron Hotchner how much I loved him.

Hotch pulled away from my lips, but he kept his nose pressed to mine. “Emily?”

“At home with Jessica.”

“Jack?”

“At school.”

“You?”

“The most relieved I have ever been in my life.” I leaned in and kissed him again. I thought to myself: “Please, never let this end. Let us stay trapped in each other’s arms forever. Never let us get tired of kissing each other, of holding each other, of saying ‘I love you’. Never let the desperation for passion die. Never let me miss him ever again. Keep him by my side until we die of old age. Please.”

And just like he could read my mind, Hotch loosened his hold on me ever so slightly, making me drop down to my feet, and he said, “We should get back to the office.”

I shook my head. “Just… One more minute… Please.”

“One more minute will turn into an hour at least, you know that.”

“Is that so bad?”

“No, it isn’t.” Hotch cupped my cheeks and kissed me as hard as he could. After a short minute of him kissing me like he had been starved of it for years, Hotch pushed me away. Our hands fell to our sides and I bit my lip while I tried to focus on not jumping on him again. “We have to go.”

I tried to catch my breath, my chest rising and falling at a dramatic pace. It took every ounce of strength and self-restraint I had stored away to not jump back on him and kiss him again. I felt like I was going to cry because he wasn’t in my arms again. I felt like screaming and kicking— throwing a tantrum like Jack would. I felt like at any moment, the two of us would break, and I would tackle him to the ground before showering him in kisses and pinning him down so that he couldn’t leave me again.

Hotch stumbled away from me to grab his go-bag from where he dropped it because he had the same look I had, and I knew that he was sharing the same thoughts. When he came back, he took my hand, and we walked towards the car. I started catching him up on everything we knew about the case thus far. Ian and Declan, all of Ian’s business papers that he had in his apartment. I realized then just how little we actually knew. Hopefully by the time we got back to the office, Morgan would have something out of Doyle that would help.

I drove the whole way to Quantico because he was too tired from the flight and the time zones. He had one of my hands trapped in his instead of on the steering wheel, and he kept kissing my knuckles again and again. He wasn’t listening to me. Not that I blamed him. If he wanted to just talk shop and I was sitting there, not distracted by driving, I would’ve been antsy to shower him in love, too. But Morgan said no detours. As much as it pained me, he was right that there really wasn’t any time to drive home, or even pull to the side of the road to fuck Hotch. I really, really wanted to, though; so, I figured the longer I distracted myself with work, the better off we would be. After this, though… Once this was all resolved… I wasn’t letting him go.

At the office, Hotch and I headed up to the sixth floor, somehow managing to go that entire time without touching each other. I wanted to kiss him again. I wanted to hold him again. While we were standing in the elevator, I stared at him and thought about pushing him against the wall, but it wasn’t worth it right now. I hated this inner battle I was having to fight between wanting him all to myself in that very moment and just focusing wholeheartedly on the case. The worst thought hit me suddenly… Maybe it would have been better if he didn’t come back so soon… I mean, he was just so distracting, I felt like I couldn’t celebrate this win as much as I should’ve been.

And then we stepped onto the floor.

“Hey.” Hotch grabbed my hand, tugging me back a few steps towards him. “You trust me, right?”

I furrowed my brows as I turned to face him. Of course I trusted him. Why wouldn’t I? He was my husband, and we made a promise to each other a long time ago to not keep any secrets from one another. I had no reason to doubt him. I wouldn’t have met him at the airport like that if I didn’t trust and love him wholeheartedly.

“You know that I do everything for a reason?”

What was he on about? Was there something I missed between meeting him at the airport and walking into the building with him? Why was he suddenly acting so weird?

I put my hands on his biceps. “Listen. I know that you told me you were in an all guys unit. If there’s something you want to say about it, I’m all ears. And I’m going to support you no matter what.” I bit back a smile.

Hotch cracked a smile. “No,” he shook his head, “that’s not what I mean.”

“Phew.” I rolled my eyes playfully. “I thought I was going to have to give you the birds and the bees talk, and how love is love—”

“Shut up.” He laughed before kissing me.

I pushed him back gently. “I’m just saying, if you’re going to cheat on me, it should at least be with a guy so that you get to experiment a bit.” I patted his chest.

He was still laughing quietly. “What am I going to do with you, Agent Hotchner?”

“I don’t know, Agent Hotchner,” I responded as I let him pull me back in for another kiss. “I’m sure you’ll think of something before we get home after this case, though.” I pecked his lips again, then escaped into the board room.

Everyone was standing behind the round table, huddled together as they discussed something about the case. It seemed as though Morgan had just finished his first attempt at getting information out of Doyle, to no avail. They were discussing how he was going to approach the second try, but no one’s ideas seemed to stick since Morgan had an excuse for why none of it would work. It was like we had hit a dead end, even though Doyle was the end, technically. He was the one who took Declan, and he was the one who took our sister from us. Prentiss was dead because of him, and we weren’t going to let him get away this time.

When Hotch walked into the room, everyone fell silent and turned to get a look at him. Hotch really didn’t seem to care about our no PDA at work rule now, because as everyone’s eyes lingered on him and his beard, Hotch came over to me, took my hand in his, and kissed my cheek. A lot changed for him in the Middle East, I guess. He missed me and he didn’t care what rules we had. He wanted to just have me around all the time, and I couldn’t blame him. But, technically, I was still the unit chief until Hotch could officially come back, and I couldn’t let us break the rules. Now I understood why Hotch was always so adamant about me behaving while at work. It was excruciatingly painful to not touch and kiss him just because I was the boss and had to set an example.

I moved away from Hotch, taking my seat at the round table. Everyone followed my lead warily, their eyes still trained on Hotch. Him and JJ didn’t sit, though. They were the only ones who stayed on their feet at the front of the room. Hotch had his arms crossed, a frown hiding under his facial hair, his eyes wandering around the room as he thought nervously about something. This had to do with him asking about my trust, but I didn’t understand how. Him worrying about something and not telling me almost immediately was only making me worry, too. He needed to spit it out fast or I would go insane.

“Everything alright, Hotch?” Morgan asked, also taking notice of Hotch’s clear unease.

Hotch didn’t nod or give any kind of reassurance that everything was alright. Instead, he shifted his weight on the balls of his feet— a silent tell that something was definitely wrong. He kept his head down now, only glancing up through his lashes occasionally to look at me. A thought struck me that maybe my joke wasn’t really a joke in the hallway. Four months was a long time to go without me, and it probably didn’t help that all he got was shitty phone sex. Maybe he really did change out there in the desert. Maybe he was showering me in love because he was going to drop a huge ass bomb that said: “I’m leaving you” or “I’m quitting the BAU and running away forever” or “I’m taking the kids and you’ll never see them again.” Every shit scenario possible was racing through my head. Like I said, if he wasn’t going to spit it out soon, I was going to start screaming for answers.

“Nine months ago,” Hotch began, “I made a decision that affected this team. As you all know, Prentiss lost a lot of blood after her fight with Doyle. We told you that she succumbed to her wounds…” He hesitated a beat. “That’s not really the case.”

Shock filled the room as it dawned on each of us what Hotch was really saying. I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions because I really, really didn’t want to get my hopes up… but it sounded like he was telling us that Prentiss was alive. That over the past seven months, we have been led to believe that she died in that hospital.

“The truth is, the doctors were able to stabilize her, and she was airlifted to Bethesda under a covert exfiltration.”

My shoulders fell. So, it was true. Emily Prentiss was alive. The woman we mourned the loss of for seven months was… still around all along? That was why Hotch asked if I trusted him. That was why he was being so handsy. He knew that I hated it when he kept things from me. He knew that I hated it when he would betray my trust like this. I yelled at him for weeks the last time he did it— which was our suspension over two years ago. He was asking about trust and touching me as often as he could because he didn’t know if this admission of the truth was going to break us apart. This wasn’t like him lying and going to ask for a transfer out of the BAU. This wasn’t like him lying to me about his health. This was Emily Prentiss. This was our sister we lost in the field. We buried her. Why did Hotch… What… I— My thoughts were too scrambled to form another cohesive thought other than: “How could he do this to us?”

“After she got better, she was reassigned to Paris, where she was given multiple fake identities so that she could be safe,” Hotch continued.

“She’s alive?” Spencer finally asked the clarifying question we were all dying to know the answer to.

Hotch nodded shortly, keeping his eyes lowered. He wasn’t even looking at me now because of the shame and guilt he likely felt.

“But we buried her,” Spencer croaked.

Hotch nodded again. “If anyone has any issues with the executive decision that I made, then they can take it up with me.”

“Issues?” Morgan asked angrily. “Issues, Hotch? Yeah, I’ve got a few issues, but why don’t you start with the fact that you let your own wife believe that Emily was dead and let them name your daughter after her because of it, hmm? Don’t you think that you owe Y/N an explanation?”

“Morgan,” I hissed quietly. It was neither the time nor the place to discuss my daughter. I had a few choice words for Hotch running through my head, but I fully intended on keeping them to myself until Hotch and I could speak privately.

“Emily’s alive, Y/N. How are you going to explain that to your daughter as she grows up?”

“Stop it,” I demanded more harshly.

There wasn’t anything Morgan could say to me that I didn’t already know. Hotch had betrayed everything we believed in and promised each other. He had told me countless times since meeting me that he would never lie to me, and every time he ended up breaking that promise, he would tell me that it wouldn’t happen again. But there we were. Another promise broken. Even worse, though, was the fact that he made a vow to me on our wedding day that he would always be honest with me. Always. And yet he kept this a secret from me. Did he not trust that I could have kept it a secret? Morgan was right, I was owed an explanation. Hotch kept this from me, his wife for nine months. What else was he hiding? How was I ever supposed to trust him again?

I stood from my seat and turned for the door. No one said anything as I took a step but came to a sudden halt when I discovered that my path was blocked by someone in my way. I felt like I was going to pass out. There was she was: Emily Prentiss… standing right in front of me. Back from the dead.

She let out a sigh of regret, but also relief, when our eyes met. She looked sorry about how all of this happened. And she should have been. Morgan sat on our couch for months, crying because he missed her so much. I named my daughter after her because I missed her so much and I wanted her memory to be remembered. What was it all for, though, now that was standing there? What was the point now? Morgan was right to be vocally angry because he knew that I couldn’t. But as mad as I was at Hotch, I felt an overwhelming need to hug her. I crashed into her. I didn’t hesitate. Nine months without her. Nine fucking months.

Emily caught me as I embraced her as tightly as I could. She rubbed small circles on my back as she held me close. “I am so sorry, Y/N.”

I sniffled into her shoulder while I hugged her tighter. She was there. Like, really there. I wasn’t dreaming or hoping anymore. It was her. Our family was back. And I was just so relieved. I couldn’t even be mad at her. But I could tell as I pulled away from Emily and turned to look at the room with her that Morgan was pissed beyond compare. Everyone was crying because they were so grateful for the fact that she was still alive. However, Morgan wasn’t. He was standing there, pouting with disbelief, his hands curled into shaky fists that were holding in all of his anger.

She carefully let go of me and approached Morgan. “Derek, you have to believe me when I tell you that not a day went by where I didn’t think about you guys and how sorry I am that things turned out this way. You didn’t deserve that.”

“I didn’t deserve to know that you were alive?” he questioned through gritted teeth.

“You didn’t deserve to hold a dying friend in your arms.” Prentiss extended her arms for another hug, a silent offer for him, which he took slowly, as if he were afraid that he would fall right through her like she was some kind of ghost. When they embraced, however, I saw Morgan’s anger wash away. Now, he was just broken. “I’m so sorry.” He squeezed her waist as tight as he could for as long as he could before she tapped out and parted from him. She turned to face me again. “I want to meet baby Emily, if you’ll let me, once this is all over.”

I nodded, still too hesitant to say anything.

She smiled. “Okay… For now, I just want to focus on finding Declan and bringing him home safe. What do you guys know so far?”

Reid immediately jumped to his feet like this was his moment to shine, and he started asking her questions about Declan, Ian, and Louise, but I couldn’t hear anything. Everything seemed so washed out and distant. The only thing that was clear to me was the shame on my husband’s face as I stood there, staring at him, silently letting him know just how badly he had fucked up this time around. He could hardly look me in the eyes.

“Can I see you in my office?” he asked.

Everyone watched us silently, wondering if I would correct him on the fact that it was my office now. Or maybe they were waiting with anticipation to see if I was going to blow him off considering I had been glaring at him the entire time since I found out that Prentiss was alive this whole time—and he knew! But that was exactly why I indulged him. I didn’t correct him, I didn’t argue with him, I didn’t embarrass him. I simply followed him to his office.

I sat in my chair at my desk, which all used to be his before he left. He sat down across from me in one of the seats I would sit in whenever I was called to meet with him in his office. He seemed so out of his element in that chair, and, honestly, I was glad. I wanted him to be uncomfortable. I wanted him to be physically and emotionally uneasy because that was how I felt every day while he was away, and that was how I felt since finding out that our daughter’s namesake was actually alive and well.

“Were you ever going to tell me?” I inquired, reclining back. He shook his head. “You were going to just let me think that she was dead in order to, what, make me feel better about naming our daughter after her? Why didn’t you try to stop me—”

“I did try. I asked you if there were really no other names you could think of, but you were so adamant about it and I couldn’t tell you the truth; so, I just had to let it happen.”

“Is that why you left?”

Hotch froze for a moment while searching my eyes, and before he even began nodding, I knew the answer. He sighed. “It was hard to keep lying to everyone, but it felt impossible to keep lying to you specifically, especially since you took Emily’s death so hard… So, I just… I ran.”

“So, you would have stayed if I knew the truth?”

“Yes.”

I scoffed and let out an exasperated chuckle.

“Baby, I am so sorry, you have to believe me. I wish things hadn’t happened the way they did.”

“Yeah, well, you had a choice in that, didn’t you?”

“Y/N, that’s not fair. I was just trying to protect her—"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, proceeded by Garcia cautiously stepping into the office. “Sorry, ma’am, but I found something.”

I nodded her over, holding my hand out for the file of information she put together. Hotch eyed me. Usually, it was him sitting in my current seat, ignoring me in his seat as he accepted another file from Garcia who had addressed him in the first place. Everything felt so backwards. But, then again, maybe that was what he deserved now that I knew that he had been lying to me this entire time.

“I was narrowing down a list of Doyle’s top ten enemies from what we know and what Morgan’s getting out of him. The only one who’s been in the states recently is Mr. Richard Gerace. He’s been here for the past two weeks with a work visa.”

“Is there any way to connect him to this?” I asked while flipping through the file.

“The guy who cut off the camera feed at Declan’s house had a scar on his neck...” She turned the next page for me and pointed to a mugshot of Gerace. He had the same exact scar on his neck, meaning it was definitely him who took Declan.

“Get me everything you can on him, please, Penelope,” I said while closing the file and setting it down on my desk. She hesitated. “What is it?”

“That’s everything I have.”

I sighed. “Can you call Prentiss in, please?”

“Sure…”

“Thank you.”

When she left, I sighed and looked at Hotch again. Neither of us said anything as we stared at each other uncomfortably, a barrier of trust broken between us now. I didn’t like it when he lied to me. Every time I told him not to lie to me, he promised he wouldn’t, and then he would, and I would be mad for a few days before forgiving him and moving on. How much longer was I supposed to put up with it? I couldn’t even count how many times he lied to me on my fingers anymore. Meanwhile, I could count the number of times I lied to him on one hand. At some point, enough was going to be enough, and if he wasn’t careful, it was going to be soon. As much as I loved him, I couldn’t keep living with the lies. What was more important to him? Me or protecting his secrets? If the answer wasn’t immediately me, then there was an entirely different conversation we needed to have at some point that included what our future was going to look like.

“We’re going to talk later,” I finally told him.

As we were coming back to the office together, Hotch stopped to ask if I trusted him, and at the time, of course I did… But now? I wasn’t so sure. Then again, I’d said that a dozen times before when he pulled this shit. The worst part was, that I knew that I was going to end up crawling back to him, and it was going to be an excuse for him to lie to me all over again.

Hotch nodded. “Yeah…”

There was another knock at the door, this time from Prentiss, who seemed too shy to invite herself in, even though I had requested her presence. I waved her in.

“Gerace,” I said, holding the file out for her. She slowly walked over and accepted it. “Garcia thinks that he’s the one who took Declan.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” she insisted before even looking at the file. I waited for her to explain why she thought that. “Gerace gave up on Doyle a long time ago, and he’s too much of a coward to pull something like this off. Not to mention how meticulous the abduction was. Gerace doesn’t have that level of patience and organization.”

I scoffed and wiped my palms over my face. “He was our only suspect and lead.”

“I mean…” She flipped through the file. “That’s definitely Gerace’s scar… So, I suppose he had something to do with it, but I wouldn’t say he’s solely responsible. If he’s working with a partner, he’s definitely the submissive.” She flipped another page. “Hold on—” I looked up at her. “Look at this.” She turned the file to show me one of the shots from the security footage of Gerace turning the cameras off. “Look in the background.” There was a woman standing there, watching Gerace while cocking a gun at her side. Prentiss’s jaw dropped as a realization dawned on her. “This might have something to do with Declan’s birth mother, considering the overkill towards Louise, who was Declan’s mother figure throughout his entire life.”

“Do you know who she is?”

She shook her head. “No. Doyle never told me.”

“Would you be willing to go in and get the information out of him now?”

She looked between me and Hotch, almost as if she were waiting for permission from him, but then she recalled that I was calling the shots right now until Hotch could be reinstated into the unit by Strauss and Cody. She finally gave in. “I don’t mind giving it a shot.”

Since Prentiss was still just a visitor, she couldn’t technically be allowed to wander the floor on her own. Even though she knew exactly where the interrogation room was and how to get there the fastest, I still had to usher her there. So, without saying anything to Hotch, I started walking out. Prentiss watched him silently for a moment before deciding to follow me.

“You know,” she said while catching up to me on the ramp outside of my office, “unit chief suits you.”

“It won’t last long. It’s just until Hotch can come back.”

We continued on towards the interrogation room in silence. When we stepped into the mirror room, I saw that Morgan and JJ were there, watching Doyle who was sitting on his own, staring at the wall while he silently thought and worried about his missing son. With others around to “officially” watch Prentiss, I took my leave almost immediately, heading back to my office so that I could sit down, catch my breath, and have a moment to think.

When I got there, Hotch was already gone. I glanced across the bullpen to see that he was in the boardroom with Rossi, Reid, and Garcia, all of them working on finding who Declan’s mother was in case that was the next fresh lead we would get from Doyle. They were fine on their own. For just a few minutes, I could disappear, and no one would notice. So, I closed the door, spun the dial of the blinds until they were shut tight, and I immediately broke down. I didn’t even make it to my chair or the couch. I just fell right then and there.

I started crying with my face hiding in my hands. Getting Hotch back should have been the best thing in the world, and yet it felt so shitty. I hated that he lied to me again. I hated that things went down like that. I hated that our daughter was mixed up in the drama of it all now just because of her name. I hated that I was mad at the love of my life after just getting him back, because instead of wanting to hold him close until our last breath, I wanted to kick his ankles until my anger was gone—If my anger would ever go away.

And then there was a knock at the door.

I tried catching my breath and calming down enough to wipe my tears away, but the door opened before I could collect myself entirely. I hid my face in the shadows. It didn’t matter who it was because I was just hoping that they would leave me alone now that they saw me collapsed on the floor and hiding my face while sniffling.

“Sunshine?”

I let out a choked sob when I realized that it was Morgan who had followed me from the mirror room to my office. “What?”

He knelt beside me and put a hand on my shoulder. “Come here…” He turned me slightly until I was facing him, and we immediately pulled each other in for a tight hug. I hid my face in his shirt, letting my tears soak the fabric without care. “It’s okay. I promise. Just breathe.” He rubbed circles on my back to help me calm down slowly.

I started to catch my breath by sucking in deep breaths and letting out short ones. “You shouldn’t have brought up Emily earlier,” I whispered.

He had been completely out of line when he brought up my daughter in the context of Prentiss still being alive. That was a conversation for me and my husband to have at a later time when we could talk privately. It didn’t give him permission to put our predicament on blast. I was sure that everyone had been thinking it, too. I mean, they were all probably wondering the same thing I was, which was what the hell were Hotch and I going to do now that Prentiss, our daughter’s namesake was back? But, honestly, it was none of their business. Yes, Morgan was her godfather, but he wasn’t her father, therefore, he had no say. He would be the first to know when a decision would be made, of course, but not before then.

I slid out of his arms and fell back against the wall carefully to just sit there and stare into the darkness. “It wasn’t fair,” I continued.

“I’m sorry, cupcake…” He slid down the wall to sit beside me, then took one of my cold hands in his. “My emotions have just been all over the place, and I snapped when I didn’t mean to. I know that’s not an excuse, but…” He sighed.

“I get it.” I rested my head on his shoulder. Of all people, I understood the most how Morgan felt.

“Did you talk to him?”

“Kind of…”

“Are you going to forgive him?”

“Unfortunately.”

Morgan swung his arm around me so that he could hug me close to his side. “Do you ever just miss the old days when things were so simple? Gideon and Elle were still on the team. Pretty boy was still dorky and quiet all the time. Hotch actually talked to us and trusted us.”

“You mean talked to you and trusted you.” I chuckled. “He didn’t talk to me when I first joined the team.”

“Yeah, because he had a schoolgirl crush on you. That doesn’t mean he didn’t trust you. But wasn’t it so much easier back then when you two weren’t together, and everything was just about putting the back guys away, and nothing was ever personal…” He sighed. “I think we just haven’t been the same ever since the Fisher King.”

He was right. That was the first case where we were all effected personally, and an Unsub got under our skin, and tore our family apart. I mean, I assumed that it was because of Randall Garner that my sister left the BAU. If we had never gotten mixed up in that case, maybe she and Gideon would still be around. But then again, if that were the case, then we wouldn’t’ve had Rossi or Emily on the team, and I was genuinely happy that I knew them and that they were apart of our family now. Rossi was Hotch’s best friend who liked to help me pick on him from time to time. Emily was one of my closest friends… At least before she left. I didn’t know where we stood now. That was what Morgan meant by things being easier back in the day, though, I supposed. Things weren’t so messy.

“I think you’re right,” I agreed quietly.

----

Not even an hour later, Prentiss had already convinced Doyle to tell us who the mother of his child was and how to find her. With Garcia’s help, we managed to track her down. Her name was Chloe Donaghy, and she was a notorious crime lord who ran a human trafficking and prostitution ring. She and Ian had met about eight years before Prentiss met him. When she found out that she was pregnant with Declan, she tried to kill herself to make sure that his son would never be born, but Doyle stopped her before she could even swallow a single pill, and from that point on during the pregnancy, she was his prisoner. He kept her locked away. She was chained to a bed in a locked room in his heavily guarded home for seven months straight. She was given a healthy diet for herself and the baby, and Doyle had a doctor go to check on her every other week or so to make sure that they were still okay. Once she had the baby, however, she left. She wanted nothing to do with Declan, and everyone knew it, so Doyle practically paid her to stay away and to never tell a soul about their son.

However, once she found out that Ian was a wanted man and was in hiding, she decided that she wanted a piece of him in the name of revenge. So, she got the same idea as us. Knowing that Ian would try to find Declan, she waited until someone found him first—which happened to be us—and once she knew where her son was, she jumped at the opportunity to take him when everyone was too distracted to notice. We managed to track her down to Baltimore. It looked like she and Gerace took Declan down there, and they were planning on selling him to another one of Doyle’s enemies, a man by the name of Lachlan. That wasn’t good. If Declan left U.S. soil, there was nothing we could do. It would be left up to the CIA or another agency similar to them, but they wouldn’t care. So, I made a call.

I decided that the best way to ensure that little boy would never die at the hands of a revenge driven monster like Lachlan was to have our team pursue this. I knew the risks involved with the choice. I knew that my career was on the line, and that I would inevitably be demoted as unit chief—if I were lucky. Worst case scenario, actually, was that I would be fired. But I didn’t care in the moment, because all I could think about was the fact that there was a little boy out there, wondering why his own mother was doing this, and why he was facing danger again. And then I thought about Jack. Declan was around Jack’s age. I couldn’t bear to think that it could have been Jack in Declan’s shoes, and that if that were the case, I would want someone to fight for him until he was safe at home.

So, I made the call to use Doyle as a pawn in our game. We loaded Doyle into an SUV with myself, Hotch, and Morgan, and we drove down to the airstrip where Garcia found out that Chloe and Lachlan were catching a flight at together. Emily was against the idea. She was concerned that Doyle was going to get away, or that Chloe was going to get Declan and Ian, and all of this was for nothing. I wasn’t going to let that happen. We were going to get Declan back, and we weren’t going to let Doyle get away. After everything that happened over the past few months, I was going to die before fucking this up.

“You wanna do it, or should I?” Hotch asked as we pulled up to the jet on the runway. I gestured that he could go for it, but I didn’t look at him or say anything in response. I still wasn’t ready to do that much. “Okay.” Morgan handed him the megaphone, and Hotch stepped out of the car to announce, “Lachlan McDermott and Cloe Donaghy, this is the FBI. We know that you have Declan Doyle. To ensure his safety, we would like to make a trade. Declan for Ian Doyle.”

That was our cue to show off Doyle to the world, so Morgan and I pulled him out of the car, making sure that our grip on him was strong enough that he couldn’t wiggle out. And then we heard a gunshot, and I saw a muzzle flash from within the jet. No. No, no, no. There was no way they just killed Declan. I refused to believe it, but just in case it was true, we kept Doyle close to the car so that we could stuff him back in and drive off if we had to.

Suddenly, the door of the jet started falling open, revealing the steps that Lachlan started storming down with Declan in front of him. I let out a quiet sigh of relief at the same time as Ian. It didn’t last long, however, since Lachlan immediately put a gun to Declan’s head.

“Bring him here!” Lachlan demanded, referencing Doyle.

Hotch looked over at me. “You’re still the unit chief. It’s your call.”

I sighed quietly while trying to quickly weigh the pros and cons. It certainly wasn’t ideal to put Doyle in Lachlan’s line of fire, but if it was the only way to get Declan…

“Now!” Lachlan yelled.

Within an instant, I was pushing forward, Morgan following lead by helping me move Doyle towards Lachlan. When we were close enough, we pushed him onto his knees and waited for something to happen. Lachlan smiled wickedly. He said something to Doyle, but I wasn’t listening while my attention was trained on Declan and trying to figure out how I was going to grab him on time while Morgan made sure he still had a grip on Doyle. I just had to trust the process, I supposed.

When I heard movement from the jet again, I looked up to see Chloe limping out, holding her stomach from the shot she took from Lachlan. They must have argued about taking our deal. Before I could tell her to stay back, though, I saw how she was raising her arm and aiming at me, Ian, and Morgan.

“Gun!” Morgan shouted, tackling me out of the way just as the sound of a gunshot rang through the air. I groaned as the wind was knocked out of me. Morgan rolled off me to check to see if I was okay. “Are you hit?” I shook my head. “Doyle—” He spun around on his knees to see Ian falling to the ground while holding his bleeding neck. “Shit.”

Another gunshot fired, this time from Chloe aiming directly at Lachlan, instantly killing him. In retaliation, Hotch, Reid, Prentiss, and JJ all shot down Chloe as fast as they could. Hotch ran over to me, putting his hands on my cheeks while scanning my body with my eyes to make sure that I was alright, the same way Morgan had. I inhaled sharply as I caught my breath. I got that Morgan was just trying to protect me, but did he have to go all high school footballer on me? Fucking hell. We were on concrete. The tackle was worse than getting shot, in my opinion.

“Next time, I make the call. And it won’t be this one,” Hotch whispered to me, brushing my hair out of my face.

“Ha. Ha,” I responded sarcastically. “Help me up.” We clasped our hands together, and he pulled me to my feet, letting me stumble into his chest somewhat before I caught my balance. “Thanks.” I patted his chest. “This is why you’re the unit chief.”

He kissed my forehead. “You thought you were doing the right thing, and that’s all we can ever do.”

I glanced over to Doyle who was reaching out for his son, knowing that it would be the last time. A part of me broke somewhat. As much as I despised Doyle, I had nothing against his son, and seeing a bond between a father and his son, even though they hardly knew each other at all, made me think about Hotch and Jack. It could have been Hotch instead of Haley who died in our house two years ago. We were beyond lucky that he was still with us. That I had a husband who loved me, that our daughter had a father who wanted nothing more than to raise her away from all of this chaos, that our son still had a father who would protect him no matter the cost. We were, by some definition, “lucky” that it wasn’t Hotch and Jack there instead of Ian and Declan.

----

By the time we cleaned up the mess at the airstrip, I had called Jessica and asked if she could bring Emily to the office to surprise Hotch, but also because Prentiss asked if she could meet her, and I felt like after the long day we had, we all deserved that. I mean, she was our little sunshine. If anyone could change the mood entirely, it was her.

So, when we all returned to Quantico, I told security to keep an out for Jessica and the baby—to which they all cheered about how excited they were to see her. The team went up to the boardroom to start tearing down all of the photos and evidence on the walls. Another chapter of our lives closed. Over months, we had been working on a case where we only had a fraction of the pieces. The only person who knew every part of it and could end this once and for all had left, but when she came back, it ended, and now we could just breathe again. We had our family back. That had to count for something.

When I saw Jessica arrive in the elevator, I met her there so that I could still surprise Hotch and Prentiss. “Thank you for bringing her,” I said while crouching down in front of the stroller to see my lil’ bug. She was half awake, but just lucid enough to play with my finger as I wiggled it in her face. “I owe you.”

“It’s no big deal, I swear. I was on my way to pick up Jack from a playdate, and this was on the way, anyhow.”

I glanced up at Jessica. “We can pick him up later. You don’t have to race around for us like this.”

Jessica smiled lightly. “What else am I going to do?”

I stopped to think about that for a moment, considering how we were her only family around now that Haley was gone, and Roy was… Well, Roy didn’t like having Jessica around because she was a very hands-on and task-oriented person when it came to family, and he didn’t like how overbearing and protective she was of him. So, we were the only ones that were around and in need of help. I just felt bad sometimes because it felt like she was our nanny or something. Then again, every time this conversation came up where I would tell her that all of this was unnecessary and that I felt bad, she would always argue that she loved doing it and that it was no big deal. If it really were a problem, she would have ditched us months ago.

“Okay,” I gave in. “We’ll see you at home, then.” I stood to hug her.

“See you at home.”

When we parted, she leaned over to say goodbye to baby Emily quickly, then waved to me as she walked towards the elevator. I waved back shortly before pushing the stroller up the ramp towards the boardroom. Inside, I could see and hear everyone chatting and catching up with one another. Rossi was hogging Aaron. He was so happy to have his buddy back after all this time, but he was still trying to convince him to shave the beard. Over my dead body. I loved that beard, and after everything that man put me through today, I was going to get the chance to scratch my fingers through it as he fucked me. Come hell or high water, I was going to make that happen.

I pushed the stroller into the room, and everyone fell silent. This was the first time Hotch had seen her in… months, and this was the first time Prentiss was going to meet her. Everyone wanted to be witness to it, and no one wanted to disrupt the moment. So, when I spun the stroller around, everyone held their breaths. I tried to ignore them as I pulled the top of stroller back to reveal Emily.

“May I hold her?” Prentiss asked, looking up at me with the brightest smile I had ever seen from her before. I nodded. Prentiss reached into the stroller, buried her hands under Emily, and lifted her up. “Hi, there, baby girl…” Prentiss cooed. Emily kicked and fussed in Prentiss’s arms.

As I watched Prentiss rock Emily side to side in her arms, I felt someone’s arms snake around my waist and pull me backwards into a hug. I smiled and rested my head on Hotch’s shoulder. His beard scratched my cheek slightly as he pressed a gentle kiss against it. I giggled and nuzzled into his touch as much as I could while thinking about how I missed this feeling so bad every single second he was away from me. All those rules we had for so long before he left didn't matter anymore. Not when he had been away and all we wanted was to hold each other and love each other.

“She has your eyes, Hotch,” Prentiss said while Emily giggled. “Yes, you do,” Prentiss teased with the same kind of baby-talk voice everyone used around kids. “You are just too darn cute.”

“I missed you so much,” he whispered in my ear before kissing me.

“I’m still mad at you, Aaron,” I whispered only for him to hear. He loosened his grip on me somewhat. “And I don’t know when I’ll stop being mad.” He hid his face in the crook of my neck to hide his disappointment from everyone else. “But I know that I love you, and that, with time, I’ll learn to forgive and forget about this. Until then, I just need you to bear with me while I navigate rebuilding what trust I had given you, and asking you to give me answers, or asking that you give me some space—whatever it is, I just need you to understand. Can you do that?”

He nodded against me.

“We’re going to be okay,” I sighed, almost like I was trying to convince myself, too. “We’re going to be okay…”

-----

criminal minds family: @peggy1999 @gorgeousdarkangel @alex--awesome--22 @oceaneblu @brithedemonspawn @absolutemarveltrash @bshelley322 @rousethemouse @sunshinepower17 @weexinling @pettttyyyc​ @Braty-angel

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RWBY Volume 7 Review

Two weeks out from Volume 8 and I finally cared enough to write this. Go team I guess. 

Part of it came down to my feelings on Volume 7. It’s a complicated season that’s made me realize a lot of my overall feelings on RWBY as a series, particularly a lot of the less flattering feelings. Volume 7 is just... frustrating in general, as for all the good that it does have, and it does have a lot of great elements to it, it’s let down by a frustrating script and writing choices that feel distinctly amateurish, especially as the series moves on and gets better and better looking each year. There’s elements and kernals here of great character writing, season-wide arcs that land in a really good way and get me emotionally invested in the characters. But on the other... Ren only has two hundred words the entire season and you can tell! 

Volume 7 is a season of dizzying highs, some of the best moments of the entire franchise... and some of the series lows. It’s a season where there’s no production reason for its shortcomings... it just comes down to an awkward script that focuses on the wrong elements far too often. Let’s talk about that. In a very long and drawn out manner.

Thanks to @jamesbranwen​, @h-e-m-o-goblin​ and @retro-riffraff​ for help with GIFs and consultation on this review.

1) The Good Stuff!

A) Atlas is very pretty!

I cannot stress enough how on a set level, Volume 7 is leaps and bounds above the other seasons in sheer environmental detail and setting dressing. Mantle has a great atmosphere with its New York influences, the smog covered backgrounds and oppressive streets and alleys. Ironwood’s office which is deliberately designed to evoke astronomy themes to represent James’ love for the stars. The cold oppressive atmosphere of the Schnee Manor and how Jacques has begun warping it to glorify him with only lip service paid to Nicholas in public. Penguins! 

There’s a lot of great set design work that went into this season and the crew deserve props for it. Genuinely. 

B) Ironwood’s arc is the best character arc in the entire franchise

Yeah just wearing my heart on my sleeve there, I fucking love Ironwood and his character arc here in Volume 7 is the best written arc of the show. I simp for the tin man who just wants to do the right thing. This one season of content is better than a lot of the series-wide material being honest. I went back to James’s big volumes in the last month to rewatch the show and it’s interesting to see the early seeds in retrospect for where his arc goes. His need to protect everyone he can and the brutish measures he considers necessary for such an act, his conflicting loyalties towards Ozpin that manifest in both frustration at Oz’s seeming apathy to the growing conflict, but also desperate desire for validation from Ozpin that what’s he doing is the right call. After the Mistral seasons set up James as going off the deep end following Volume 3, having him open the season with an earnest smile, an immediate apology for the team’s arrest and trusting them with his plans for Amity and Salem is a jarring but pleasant surprise. He’s not been slacking off, he’s been trying to keep the world together in the way he thinks is best. He lets his guard down around the heroes and we see the good man underneath, which makes the moments where he raises his walls hurt all the more. While Em and Merc are still probably my favorite characters period, James is absolutely my favorite character in Volume 7 and Top 5 favorite characters series-wide. I’m very eager to see where he goes from here. He also rocks the beard and fixed his T-Rex arms so James came out of the washing machine that is Volume 7′s costume design. He truly is the Best Boi, and I cannot give Jason Rose enough credit for his performance this year. He hit every note of Ironwood’s character perfectly and I wish the fandom would give him more credit for giving James as much life as he does.

Oh, and as the obligatory comment on mlm rep that I am known for getting obsessively weird anon hate over: IronQrow hug nearly had me crying on a convention floor from how goddamn soft it was. Remember conventions? Ah good times.

This just... hits me... ya know? Seeing him lower his guard so much to come in for a hug just shows how isolated he’s let himself become to let himself have this moment of contact... Godamnit James. Also this is the second time after Martial Arcs that two guys hug and I really liked their ship for the following hiatus. 

C) Soft Qrow hours are nice

Qrow’s a good guy, he went through a lot of bad stuff in Volume 6 but now he’s on the other side and purged his voice of the demon within. I think Volume 7 was a very good year for Qrow overall. It was great to see him interacting with more characters his age and lowering his own guard. His moments of letting the facade drop around James and Clover especially are great expansion for his character. Jason Liebritch hit the ground running as Qrow and gave him a far more dynamic range than I think Vic could. While I wish Qrow going off alcohol had been given more of a focus as it’s kind of done off-handedly that he’s gone cold turkey and otherwise doesn’t get brought up barring his revulsion at the wine in the Schnee Manor, he overall had a great year. And trust me I’ll get to the fights later, I have a lot more I can say about the bird boi there. 

D) I liked the Ace Ops! 

I was ambivilent towards the Ace Ops on first watching. They’re kinda underdeveloped in the context of the season at large and most people immediately pegged them as a miniboss squad/fodder for Salem to kill. But in rewatch they do still get to shine, if not as brightly. They’re very enjoyable. Clover especially is just really fun in retrospect, I love cocky fighters in general, and he was infectiously enjoyable (I’ve already covered the FG stuff in the past, not doing it again). Marrow came a close second because... well it’s Marrow, he is The Best Boi. Harriet got points for being a punchgirl which is always cool, I liked how her Semblance was shown and being cocky while being able to back it up is always a win. Elm and Vine are tied for dead last, I like the body diversity Elm introduces with her muscles and Vine... existed... but overall I think with the time they had, they did get to establish themselves well. I wish I could say that about their relationship with Team RWBYORNJ but this is the Nice Section so we’ll leave it there for now.

This is one of the best shots of the entire season. I adore it. God I like the Teryx design.

E) God the villains rocked this year! 

I am a villain whore. I own that. I will embrace that monkier. But when they’re as cool as this, I feel validated in this Chilli’s tonight. Watts and Tyrian really make the season shine and don’t have a dud scene all season. They have great chemistry together, shining bright in even the weakest or most mediocre episodes. Watts went from “Oh yeah you exist” tier to “Oh yeah you rule” tier. His vendetta against Ironwood feels so real and pre-established, even though this season is the first time it’s ever come up. Watts just ozzes style in everything he does. The animators bring him to life and make every step, every flick of his twist and even just how he moves his eyes all bleed contempt. He’s such a rat and I love him! Chris Sabat finally gets to stretch his wings after a few years playing Watts as just Evil Scientist Guy, and he makes the most of it. 

And Tyrian remains an absolute treat. He didn’t get much in V6 but here he takes center stage with Watts and also gets so much impact because of it. All the little twitches, and tilting of his heads, and dramatic gestures, he’s still just so goddamn cool to watch and we even get a little backstory of him. I know he’s irredeemable. But I just want to watch Tyrian kill people and scream. Like hot damn his line “THE GRIMM SHOULD HAVE DESTROYED OUR ENEMIES, NOT MADE THEM FRIENDS!” is so fucking raw. He’s having fun destablizing a nation with his boyfriend! 

“You want more chaos than a Grimm invasion?” “If anyone on Remannt can do it, wouldn’t it be you?” There is no heterosexual explanation for how these two look at each other and yes this is me outing myself as a Nuts and Volts fan.

Watts and Tyrian really do become the absolute highlights of the season alongside James. They have a great dynamic and even during their more slower moments there’s so much care and thought put into their every mannerism. Animators, seriously, great job, I love what you did. And their fights... we’ll get there. But they’re so goddamn good. 

Look they even run the same! They’re soulmates! 

Honorary mention to Salem by the way. She’s only in two scenes but her presence is felt throughout Ironwood’s arc and his growing fear of her and she damn well delivers when she shows up. That shot of her arriving in person is a killer shot to end on as well.

Oh and I guess Cinder and Neo exist don’t they? Eh, we’ll come back to them. 

F) Oscar got a character arc!

Finally! He did it! He got an arc that began, continued and ended all onscreen! It only took four tries! 

But yeah Oscar had a really good set of scenes in Volume 7. I like him being the first to confront Ruby on the Ironwood lie, bringing up the hypocrisy after their condemning of Ozpin just last season. I like him having a more forward role (outside of not getting to be part of the celebration in episode 4 what the hell guys), and that he’s the big link between RWBY and Ironwood was a great call. Having Ozpin shelved for one more season so Oscar can take center-stage was an inspired choice. I love his dynamic with Ironwood, and how James closing himself off emotionally gets reflected in how he begins slipping in how he refers to Oscar, starting off as treating him and Oz as separate, ending with him gunning Oscar down as he doesn’t care anymore to differentiate the two.

My big issues with Oscar’s arc are that I’m first of all annoyed at the lack of followup on the Oscar stuff from V6, I’m still waiting for Qrow to apologize for punching Oscar guys! I also really wish Neo’s first attack wasn’t offscreen. CRWBY’s cliffhanger fetish meant I got to break out the Offscreen Pine jokes again. And of course, the Neo hallway punch was a bit bullshit.

G) (Most of) The fights are amazing

There’s no punchline. These fights are great, two of them are in my Top 10 Series Wide fights list and at least the duds aren’t Volume 5 bad.

If you’d told me before Volume 7 that Watts would get an extended firefight with James, I’d have felt that a bit cheap as Watts to me doesn’t feel like a fighter, more a planner who hides behind armies of mechanical soldiers. But damn if they didn’t sell me on Watts “You’ve yeed your last haw” Watts whipping out a Glock just to spite James. 

This is another one of my favorite shots in the entire series.

Ironwood vs Watts is potentially my favorite fight in the entire series, and if it’s not, it’s easy Top 3 alongside Yang vs Mercury and Pyrrha vs CRDL/Mercury. It makes great use of Amity in the abandoned gravity biome meant for SSSN vs JNPR, with Ironwood and Watts deftly moving around in a manner that very easily could have been difficult to track with the constantly shifting gravity, but the crew do their best to keep it coherent as to who’s where. The credits showed their dedication also stretched into visual continuity, as James and Arthur’s route throughout the Arena was carefully considered so they’d loop around organically. 

This is what I mean when I say the crew went above and beyond to keep things clean.

Ironwood vs Watts could have easily failed to impress, given its lack of choreography on the level the series usually does, but the team’s efforts went instead into showing a situation that lets Watts get a dragged out battle: James wins whenever he closes the distance here, so Arthur’s constantly on the run and being forced to tamper with the arena. Great camerawork, a GOD TIER song from Caleb Hyles that I’m still listening to today, and two characters with a fantastic history coming to blows makes for easily the best fight of the season and a series-wide highlight. Watching it develop from storyboards, to mocap, to animations and the full version is a delight to see. This is what CRWBY can do when everything comes togehter. The orchestra’s all tuned. It’s a goddamn symphony.

THIS is my favorite shot of the season.

Tyrian also gets to shine with his two battles this year. His alley fight with Qrow, Robyn and Clover is short but sweet, the corvid and the scorpion especially trading brutal blows in the cramped space. Qrow goes full Devil May Cry with his style-switching here, Harbinger being swapped between sword, tonfa and gun forms freely alongside Qrow applying The Power of Punching. His 1v1v1 with Clover and Qrow though is the true highlight of the season in terms of choreography. It’s lighting-fast, and has some impeccable shot work. Qrow gets to use his scythe with deliberate nods to the Red Trailer, Clover gets to shut up everyone who doubted his weapon, and Tyrian is just along for the ride and he makes the most of it. It’s frentic, it’s heart-pounding, it’s everything a fight should be. 

Honorary mentions as well go to Ace Ops vs the Geist, which is just really fun and has a great backing music choice, the opening battle with Sabre having Ruby’s obligatory ten seconds of fighting that come at the start of every new era of the series, and the Ace Ops vs RWBY fight which has some good choreo in places.

H) Winter and Penny have good chemistry

I don’t have a ton to add here, I just like their dynamic and how they advance each other’s arcs. It’s nice writing. I also like Winter apologizing to Penny when she’s angry at Jacques and takes it out on Penny by accident with the “You wouldn’t understand” line.

Penny as a Maiden is a nice idea, I think her new design is cute. Penny says trans rights.

Those are a lot of my favorite things about Volume 7. It’s a killer season when it’s firing on all cylinders but unfortunately... it often misfires in frustrating ways, many of which are unfortunately due to core emblematic problems with the series that won’t go away.

2) The Bad Stuff

A) The costumes

It’s been a over year. It’s low hanging fruit. I don’t care. Most of them are still not good and they’re ludicrously over-designed.

Blake’s in a fetish suit and I wonder how she even goes to the bathroom. Weiss just looks like an abino Sabre alt, Yang is what a Halloween costume site would describe as “Sexy UPS Driver,” (why does she have a thigh window) Ruby... looks fine, it’s one of her better costumes. Jaune’s hair is silly, Ren’s model has lost some muscle definition and he looks like an e-boy, Nora’s costume really doesn’t fit the Atlas visual design and looks like a rejected Kingdom Hearts costume. Cinder’s is too black and I actually can’t track her in darker scenes because of it (which is kinda bad during... a fight scene... where I need to know where she is...), Neo looks like a Ren Fair cosplayer doing a bit for her OnlyFans, Winter’s is anatomically weird with super skinny arms and legs, and Blake’s hair is a fucking hate crime. 

Qrow’s is one I liked at first but in retrospect it does feel like a downgrade. To quote @h-e-m-o-goblin​ from a Discord chat:

in a show like rwby, where color is such a vital defining aspect of every character, a cohesive colorscheme goes a long way. qrow's original outfit works great in this regard. neutral tones. greys, whites, and blacks, with red accents that pop against the otherwise sparse color. it's good! it's distinctive! it doesn't feel cluttered and it doesn't look like a clown vomited on him! the subdued colors really lend themselves to the grey, cynical energy qrow seems to carry with him. a literal lack of color in his life. the outfit itself feels like something he would wear; a combination of "clearly trying to look cool" and "a little disheveled and laid back." the design breathes, it isn't cluttered. let's contrast this with his vol 7 outfit. a lot of outfits in vol 7 suffer from this problem, but first and foremost it doesn't look like something he would wear. where his old outfit had a casual feel to it, his new look feels like someone dressed him up for a family christmas dinner. it's too... tidy. now of course you could argue this is him "cleaning up his life," but i dont feel like you have to sacrifice his own personal style in order to convey that. if that's really what they were going for, they easily could have just, oh i dont know, given him a cape that isn't tattered???

remember how i said qrow's original outfit really made his colors pop? how less is more when it comes to having a character with a specific color theme? vol 7 butchered that. we suddenly have articles of clothes that are tinted with greenish blue tones, browns, and with gold trim? on TOP of the old colors he already had in his design. it's muddy. it's ugly. the burgundy vest is fine, if they wanted to work more color into his outfit they should have done it that way throughout, shades of grey and different tones of RED. his COLOR. it just feels like they tacked so much on there without a second thought and i really think he deserves better. its just. such a mess.

The ones I did like were Watts’ new coat (I like the puffy hood), Penny’s is fine, the Ace Ops look great, Ironwood’s new outfit is stellar (those last six are great examples of how to do a lot with just primary colors of white and red), Neon’s Jolyne cosplay is cute and Flynt is slick. Otherwise, Volume 7 feels like it’s taken a lot of the wrong lessons from the costume design of the earlier seasons. Less is often more but now it feels like they have a pathological aversion to empty space on the costumes, leading them to feel like... costume vomit for lack of a better word. I didn’t love the Mistral outfits, but their modifications at least were carried by how many of them called back to the Fall of Beacon and emphasized the themes of loss in Volume 4. The new Atlas outfits... don’t have that shared theme. It feels like a hodgepodge of different design influences without trying to find a way to unify them. It’s like putting Baki the Grappler beside My Little Pony, they just fail to mesh.

Also for fuck’s sake already CRWBY just give the girls muscles already.

2) JNR suck and Ren’s arc is glorified character assassination

I don’t love JNR. They’re fine, but the show has arguably not needed them for a while and while I’ve liked them all at different points, it’s never been adoration outside of Ren in Volume 4. I was cool with the idea of them staying in Argus to help cover Mistral after its Huntsmen were wiped out, and Volume 7 has... made me wish they did that.

Jaune is just comic relief, and it kinda blows for later reasons but the big one is that he’s just not very funny. His big role in Volume 7 is basically to crosswalk some kids so we can have a joke scene during the Mantle Battle where Jaune uses his tactical genius to teach people to walk in single file. I feel like at this point Miles is just actively trying to kill Jaune’s fandom out of spite for how badly Jaundice was received. He’s never allowed to be cool or try and redeem himself. His hatedom aren’t going to stop hating Jaune because he gets more comedy guys. They’re going to stop when you write Jaune well. It’s a bummer he got some genuinely great upgrades for his sword and shield and never gets to use them outside of the opening. 

Nora exists. She got a surprising amount of focus this season in that she got focus of any kind. I liked her confronting Ironwood over his choking of Mantle because we know she was once the kind of person Ironwood would have been stifling. I like her being the one to realize the loophole in Jinn’s “You can’t” line. I don’t like much else about Nora this year, or at least the Nora the writing team are pushing. She’s not funny like Jaune but Nora just absorbs so much screentime in the first half with her constant shrieking. Sam Ireland has good range but making Nora into Discount Harley Quinn is pushing her out of it. She sounds shrill, making Nora sound like she has no heart outside of the election rally. A shrill voice is one thing. A shrill voice that never lands a single joke? Yeah that character is tainted by association. 

And Ren... oh God Ren what happened to you.

The Volume 7 commentary confirmed a suspicion of mine that Ren’s arc was heavily cut down from what was planned. Even watching V7 I could tell his arc was bare-bones at best, and it’s downright character assassination in places. Why is he suddenly so cold to Nora? Why is he now so obsessed with training? Why does he side with Ironwood for all of... one line which is this last between episodes 7 and 11. Ren only has two hundred words of dialoge in Volume 7 and they feel so weird in places. Ren goes from seemingly disliking Nora, to kissing her, to never referencing the kiss, to partaking in the Worst Scene Of The Season, all with no consistency. It’s not even threadbare. Ren’s arc just has no connecting tissue for so much of it! It’s insane how badly Ren was hurt by this, and I shudder to wonder how bad his Volume 8 arc will be because you know that was one of the first plotlines they cut down on when they inevitably overreached again. 

I don’t know how they made Renora kissing feel unearned? But by God they found a way with how much of a trainwreck Ren’s writing is in regards to tainting this. 

If Ironwood is an example of RWBY doing character writing well, Ren is the mirror image of how badly they can do. JNR really suffered from Volume 7 (also fun fact, Ren has about 200 words of dialogue? Ironwood has 4400). Maybe not to the level of irredeemable dislike? But very close to being on the same tier as Cinder of “Just go away already.”  I’m not looking forward to their content in Volume 8. 

3) RWBY themselves are poorly handled in Volume 7

It’s unfortunate that the actual title characters of the series are also some of this season’s weaker links. RWBY feel... superfluous to this season in a way they’ve never felt before. It’s baffling how much of the season doesn’t change if you just don’t include them, and apparently Volume 7′s first draft? Was even worse.

The commentary says that many of the RWBY moments were added later in production. Stuff like Ruby and Renora at the rally, Blake and Yang’s talk with Robyn and Ruby and Qrow’s chat were all either added in near the end of the writing or were “low priority” enough that they could have been cut which is... veyr alarming that’s stuff even the main protags have to worry about! 

Ruby feels half-baked. I was looking forward to her in V7 after how V6 gave her a more dynamic personality and the focus she got in Brunswick, and having Penny’s return had me interested in seeing Ruby grapple with her emotions about it. She watched Penny die, how would it influence her to see Penny back and OK? Good question, we never get to see it. Ruby’s just OK with Penny’s return, the one time they touch on it Penny immediately glosses over it. Ruby just goes back to her old happy go lucky persona where any and all negative emotions are immediately forced down instead of confronting them and growing from them. I’m getting a little tired of Ruby bottling her grief and being teased about finally getting her snapping like a Twix Bar. We finally got her crying and it lasted all of ten seconds. And it doesn’t help that Ruby’s still getting shafted for fights. Her scythe choreography has no excuse being as flacid as it is now after Qrow vs Clover showed they can do scythe fighting! Why is Ruby being upstaged by (let’s be real) a supporting character! Why is she being limited to ten seconds of good combat then nothing for the rest of the season outside of flimsily swinging it or shooting. It’s disappointing, especially after how good V6 Ruby was.

I swear, Gravity’s not just my favorite episode of the season just because Ruby finally cries in it.

Weiss was kinda just done dirty though. At least Ruby has a good outfit. Weiss confronting her father has been a long standing plot thread for the series, it’s been Weiss’s Big Thing since the White Trailer. And when Jacques finally appears, he’s very... bland. He’s just evil corporate dude who exists less as an obstacle for Weiss and more just a roadblock for the plot through the election. Weiss finally gets a chance to take her father down and work to redeem her family name... but instead of earning said victory and it being treated with the same gravitas and emotional weight as Blake defeating Adam... Weiss has her victory handed to her. And it’s played for comedy by her abusrdly attractive mother. 

Listen, I like I Willow Schnee. I think she’s a fascinating character and I like the idea of a person who is aware of the harm they’ve done by accident but is too broken to fix the issues she accidentally left. I love her calling Weiss out on her treatment of Whitley. But she is absolutely a Deus Ex Machina that exists to get Jacques out of the plot as fast as possible. You mean to tell me Hackerman Watts never once made sure Jacques had hidden cameras? Or that none of the staff found Willow’s cameras and reported them under the assumption they were White Fang spies? It’s so... convenient. It’s handing Weiss her victory on an unearned platter. Which sucks. I was really looking forward to Weiss beating Jacques. Instead she just gets given the plot device while JNR engage in the Worst Scene of The Season in that Whitley food stunt.

Me whenever I’m asked to rewatch Cordially Invited

Blake and Yang have much the same problems, in they never separate. I know they’re going to be together. I know CRWBY are making it canon (get it over with already). I still would like Yang and Blake to have individual character scenes. I’d like Blake and Marrow to talk about being a Faunus Huntsman in Atlas (another thing that got cut thanks to Robyn Hill). I want Yang and Ironwood to discuss their PTSD and have Yang thank Ironwood for his trust in her that he commissioned the arm despite Yang attacking Mercury. I want Blake to be well animated in fight scenes so she’s doing more than just jobbing so Yang looks better. I want Yang to stop hogging all the good Team RWBY choeography. I want them to interact with other characters and continue to grow instead of feeling like two halves of one character. And no, making a meta joke of how Blake and Yang don’t talk to other people doesn’t make it OK. It just means you’re self aware about your own faults. 

(Also give Yang better merch or quit the favoritism. If you’re gonna milk her, put effort into it beyond crapply overpriced flannel. RT’s merch store is actively making me hate Yang.)

Team RWBY’s biggest contribution to the season is the Ironwood Lie which is... a can of worms. They certainly had a point in withholding some of the bigger truths from James but I feel by Pomp and Cirumstance he’d proven himself truthwrothy enough to warrant being told the truth about Salem. But then when he’s finally told the truth, it’s offscreen’d and the consequence isn’t “Why didn’t you tell me earlier” but “Fucking Ozpin man.” Gravity has it bite them in the ass, but it’s more an accessory to Yang and Blake telling Robyn about the Amity tower. I wish more had been done with the team disagreeing on whether the lie was a good choice or not, maybe have Yang be hardline against it due to her own “No more lies and half truths” policy instead of... having Yang tell more lies and half truths (Commentary confirms she never told Ruby and Weiss about the Robyn stuff BTW). But that’s a wider problem where RWBY aren’t allowed to disagree beyond surface level “I don’t know if this is the right call” dialogue. There’s never a threat of one of them cracking and just spilling the beans to James, everyone just blindly trusts Ruby and Qrow tells the audience “No this is different from when Ozpin lied. Trust us.” 

This is the most RWBY get for content in the season finale: Ruby just nuking Cinder with no difficulty after having trouble with the eyes three episodes ago. Kinda lame tbh.

Team RWBY are just disappointing in Volume 7. They’re not given good animation, their story roles are largely insignificant, the impact of their roles on the story is threadbare and... well most of their costumes suck don’t @ me even CRWBY have admitted Blake and Weiss’s haircuts looked bad. It’s a whole barrage of a letdown for the main girls. And it’s really sad that the best scenes of the season... are usually the ones where RWBY are nowhere in sight.

Why the hell didn’t Yang get to keep the sunglasses come on guys. One job.

4) Robyn, the election plot, and the Happy Huntresses

Oh God, Robyn Hill is... not great. I could and likely will write a full meta on her character and how they bungled it but I’ll just be blunt here: I don’t like her design, the colors don’t mesh well, he head’s too small, Christina Vee is sleeping through the role and her weapon’s lame. Introducing her in a scene where she threatens to attack our heroes, and her agents are actively sneaking up on them to do it, is not a great first impression for a hometown hero. And that the commentary thinks she’s meant to be the hero in that scene is... staggering. 

RWBY’s greatest threat yet is a wine mom Karen and her Home Owners Association army. 

The election plot is less a misfire and more the engine just exploding. There’s so little good content between when it’s introduced and concluded, with it usually being individual scenes that are more good in spite of their connection to the plot (such as Tyrian’s massacre). It drags in pacing, going on for nearly half the season between episodes 5 and 10, and it purely exists as a roadblock to keep RWBY spinning their wheels while Watts and Tyrian keep going with the main plot. I don’t know why CRWBY went for this plot. They could have easily had something else fill the gap that also allowed for a lot of the character beats (such as Marrow and Blake’s talk and Ren’s entire arc) to shine, or at least condensed it to the important elements instead of letting it become bloated. It ends in such an unsatisfying way where Willow just shows up and goes “We have four episode left, here’s the plot device to beat Jacques, get back ot the main plot.” If they wanted to do the election plot, the best route would have been to give Volume 7 more episodes or stretch out its events to two seasons, but neither is realistically possible while RWBY lives off the teat of AT&T. 

Jacques and Robyn are just boring. Evil corporate man and a lame adaptation of Robyn Hood who only has fans because of thirst who also like downplaying Robyn making a racist remark at Marrow (to say nothing of that weird subsection of Robyn fans who make her a Fox Faunus who cut her tail off to join Atlas Academy which is... certainly a creative choice especially when Marrow and Neon are punching holes in that angsty BS backstory). They can’t carry this plot and the artifical attempts to make it seem more exciting with the two cliffhaners ending on Mantle under riot or Grimm attack are laughably cut short by the next episode in each case opening the morning after. On binge watch it becomes weirdly funny more than anything and that’s not a good reaction. The dual cliffhangers being cheaply resolved is a short but succint example of V7′s pacing issues, and they almost always loop around to the election plot being too bloated, slow and just boring.

Also the Happy Huntresses are just... lame. I like their Semblances but that’s it. Fiona’s OK because she gets some screentime but May’s just “the surly one” and Joanna doesn’t even get her Semblance or much dialogue (oh wow she really is just a female Sage Ayana isn’t she). Robyn should not have been leading the HH and running for Council. That’s really stupid. And kind of wrong. Having May or Fiona be running instead while Robyn leads the team in relief efforts would have been better and could have split the focus more effeciently instead of leaving May and especially Joanna feelng like roster padding. There’s also some delicious irony in the show trying to frame the HH as the resistance fighting for the people and representing individuality, only for them all to have the same boring outfit and weapons (I think even the exact same model just with different sizes) while the Ace Ops are meant to be the military drones who are “Just following orders,” only for them to be more racially diverse, more diverse body-type-wise, and have more unique weapons. It’s another one of those odd creative dissconnects between what the writers wanted and what the artists/animation teams chose to do. 

The election plot is overall toxin for Volume 7, and Robyn in my opinion, has one of the worst introductory scenes of any character in the franchise (and CRWBY have tacitly admitted that V7 had a character they were surprised at how controversial they were, which has to be Robyn). In a year where they were already juggling so much content and characters, adding in this bloated subplot was something I don’t think anyone wanted, especially now that we know we lost so much content on the sacrificial altar for this. It’s a black mark on the season and I don’t really care for the return of the Happy Huntresses or Robyn in Volume 8. None of them are interesting enough to care for outside of meta reasons like “cute.” 

Also fuck you Fiona, can’t believe you got a shirt before Ironwood. 

5) Cinder and Neo sure exist

To be fair, this is one of Cinder’s best years, easily her best since Volume 3 but that’s more because Cinder in the Mistral era was crap. (And if I wanna be cruel, because Cinder wasn’t in two thirds of the season)Her fans were finally vindicated after years of telling anyone who dunked on Cinder that “nooooo she has a super covert backstory that’s gonna be amazing when it’s revealed! You’ll see!” And well they finally got it. All of one line during a fight about how Cinder “refuses to starve.” 

It’s still something so I guess we have to take it. Seriously... how do we still not have Cinder’s backstory. 

There’s just not a ton to say about Cinder and Neo in V7 barring I that don’t think they needed to be here. They feel very superfluous and just here to have a big boss fight in Cinder’s case alongside continuing her streak of ending the odd numbered seasons fighting a female side character... which for me became an exercise in tyring to find during Cinder during the damn fight.

And this is why when most people saw Cinder’s V6 outfit they went “It’s gonna be hard to see her in darker environments,” then were vindicated when it became legit difficult to see Cinder in this scene. God if they at least just made the inside of the cape red it’d be easier.

Neo is Neo, which means she makes funny faces and mocks Cinder (I like that), but she doesn’t get a super good fight which uh... we’ll get to. I’m interested to see her finally exploding at Cinder and going for a backstab, but really Neo in V7 was kinda hit hard by the double whammy of the Oscar Hallway Punch and how humiliating ORNJ vs Neo was for ORNJ. Cinder’s definitely had far worse years and after how aimless she was in Mistral this feels like a sep in the right direction, but at this point CRWBY just need to shut up and tell us her deal. It’s been seven years guys. Come on. At least make her interesting if she’s gonna say around. They’ve had worse years, but unfortunately Cinder and Neo’s role in the finale leads into...

6) Some of the fights weren’t good

I wanna be clear, I like most of Volume 7′s fights. It’s just a bummer the worst ones are back and back and make up a chunk of the finale. ORNJ vs Neo is just crap. It’s the worst fight since the Battle of Haven. There’s nothing else I can say, it’s poorly animated, paced, choreographed and written. JNR especially are made to look like complete jokes after they spent all season training, to the point where it looks like V2 Yang could solo V7 JNR after this. Oscar I expect this from because he’s not allowed to have fun stuff onscreen after accidentally stealing the Haven budget for his fight with Hazel, but JNR were just done dirty. There were ways to make the fight work in a way where Neo still won but JNR looked good. They went for the worst possible outcome that just leaves Neo looking like she got fan-wanked and JNR looking like they’re just not allowed to be cool due to Miles’ spite at the Jaune-Self Insert stuff (and that’s not even getting into JNR being forced to run from lame rent a cops who can’t even handle a single Grimm). Cinder vs Winter and Penny isn’t much better, with her dark outfit making it very hard to track the fight because she blends into the background too well. It’s not a great showing for Winter or Penny given their earlier feats but, hey, some random female character had to fight Cinder in this odd numbered volume, carrying on Glynda, Pyrrha and Raven’s tradition. It’s at least better than ORNJ vs Neo, but that’s really not saying anything. At least Cinder’s VA work isn’t too bad this time but this fight commits the cardinal sin of a finale fight: It’s just not super interesting because we know Cinder can’t kill both Winter and Penny and she’s not becoming a Maiden, while Winter’s been too blatantly set up so it has to be Penny.

RWBY vs the Ace Ops also gets a dishonorable mention due to the choreography on display here... and the lack of it for Weiss, Blake and Ruby. Ruby never once swings Crescent Rose the entire fight and is just reduced to getting the tar kicked out of her by Harriet. Weiss barely gets to use her sword and largely just sticks to her summoning and glyphs which makes for a very visually uninteresting fighting style at the best of times. Blake just swings around and gets caught by the bad guys so Yang is motivated to fight stronger. She never dual wields (again) and her best moves are just setting up Yang to do all the hard work while Yang gets to personally KO two of the Ace Ops. There’s a lot that can be said about whether or nor RWBY earn the win, but while the animation team try to sell the Ace Ops landing heavy hits, having only Blake’s Aura even flicker really undercuts the idea from the commentary that this wasn’t meant to be a stomp for RWBY and they had to work together and be in synch to win.

Which is why Yang solos two of the Ace Ops whle Blake plays support, Weiss beats Marrow alone and then kill steals Harriet from Ruby, all while the song playing is an extended diss track from RWBY to the Ace Ops about how badass they are now, and the commentary itself says the Ace Ops are hard carried by Clover’s Semblance (because you gotta love basically saying four POC were only competent because a white guy led them, and then have them lose because said white guy wasn’t around to carry them!). Great job guys, you really sold it.

And talking of Clover, I feel it worth mentioning Qrow vs Clover vs Tyrian. It’s animation wise near perfect, but unfortunately I do feel it would be remiss to not mention that I feel the writing really has to bend over backwards to justify this fight. A lot of it is stuff I would say in that hypothetical Robyn essay, but I feel Robyn, Qrow and Clover all have to become massive idiots for this specific sequence of events to occur, and for Clover especially every retroactive attempt to explain why he prioritized Qrow over Tyrian just sounds more and more desperate. Between the references to MCU Captain America (a person whose entire arc is about learning when it’s OK to defy bad orders) or the attempt in the commentary to say “Oh Clover thought it would be easier to take out Tyrian alone instead of Qrow,” none of them land and just further drive home how much the plot had to stretch and reach to get that moment of Tyrian killing Clover. I like the fight. But I hate the road the show took to get there.

Some of the misc fights are also weak like ORNJ vs FNKI and elements of the Mantle Grimm battle, but those are the big offenders. Otherwise, again, the fights are largely good. 

7) The soundtrack wasn’t... great

I mean the vocal songs only, don’t crucify me. Trust Love is just lamer Let’s Just Live/Triumph, Celebrate and Let’s Get Real are so boring I thought they were the same song until the OST dropped, Brand New Day is boringly peppy and Jeff’s vocals are dreadful. I completely forgot Touch the Sky until I was checking the tracklist to make sure I didn’t forget any songs. War has good singers but tries to sell the RWBY-Ace Ops bond as way deeper than it was. The lack of a villain song did really sting though, those are always the highlights.

There are good songs. I really like Fear, I feel it encapsulates the themes of the volume well and serves as a good condemnation of Ironwod’s mentality. Until The End is finally the Ruby song I’ve waited for since Red Like Roses 2 and I enjoy that she got a melancholic song, and Hero is easily, hands down, best track of the record and probably best RWBY track, full stop. Caleb killed it, I loved the second verse, opening opera was strong, guitar riffs were a plenty. Stellar work all around for that one.

The OST has great work from Jeff and Alex as usual, but the Jeff and Casey songs are really starting to lose their appeal. Going for a peppy feel this year didn’t help cover the cracks that are beginning to show with RWBY’s vocal songs (especially Jeff’s vocal range), and while a few standouts remain such as Fear and Hero, they are the slim minority in an otherwise very boring vocal tracklist that barely scrapes above Volume 5 for weakest set yet.

8) It wasn’t as funny as it thought it was

Comedy is subjective but man a lot of these jokes didn’t land. RWBY really needs to realize that does work in traditional 2D does not translate into 3D and just comes off as making official reaction GIFs for your Twitter account. Making characters SUDDENY SCREAM LOUDLY is not good banter. Please stop making Nora into Harley Quinn. Marrow was probably the most consistently funny character but that was it. Also I dunno why CRWBY thought Forrest was funny or what the deal was with that FRWBY crap. 

“Honorary” mention to the JNR food scene in Cordially Invited which is genuinely one of the worst scenes in the entire show and I hope whoever animated it has their save files deleted for a game where they were about to beat the final boss. Nothing sums up JNR’s pointlessness in the series more perfectly than this.

C) Conclusion

See what I mean about Volume 7 being frustrating? 

It’s weird that I overal think of Volume 7 as a mid-tier volume. There’s so much here I genuinely adore, with some of the best stuff to do with the show coming out of this season (barring lame, overpriced merch that feels like clothing gacha), but simultaneously the whole thing is let down by outside circumstances that unfortunately are ones the show can’t ever really recover from. Put bluntly, Volume 7 is the most technically proficient season of the show with the best lighting, backdrops, (some of the) character models, etc. CRWBY definitely didn’t slack off this year, but the problem isn't with them. It’s with the writing. A wider reaching problem is just that Miles and Kerry can’t really improve to the level that the series now requires. Eddy and Kiersei’s first season could have gone far worse, but it definitely was notable whenever they took over. Volume 7’s core problems are fourfold: The comedy is terrible and none of the jokes really land, the season focuses on the wrong plots and gives them too much effort, too many episodes are spent building up to new plots only for them to be weakly resolved (especially the Mantle Riot/Grimm attacks that are shoved off-screen), and the character bloat strikes hard here and leaves a lot of the cast feeling like dead weight. CRWBY don’t need more writers. They need more editors willing to tell the team what has to go instead of them hemming and hawing themselves on if they if they can include a plotline. The election never should have gotten past its first draft, there was too much already in this season before adding that.

When this is an unironic shot in your series... you’ve got character bloat issues.

At this point, I think JNR need to go. The show had no idea what to do with them throughout the season, leading to Jaune just being comic relief while Ren and Nora became characters I actively dislike. Renora was the easiest ship in the show to land, and they still managed to blow the engines and ram at least three icebergs just to prove that RWBY can’t romance to save its life. Team RWBY themselves are little better, with Ruby’s feelings about Penny’s return being shelved, Weiss’s victory against Jacques feeling un-earned and undercut by comedy, while Yang and Blake are benched for the volume and become a singular entity with how tied at the hip they are. Maria basically yeeted herself out of the show and I didn’t notice, Pietro is just a death flag, and while the Ace Ops had a good intro, it was undercooked by how they had to play the villain role to give RWBY something to do in the final hours. Cinder and Neo didn’t need to be here. Robyn had one of the worst introductions for a character I’ve ever seen, I never enjoyed her moments and it genuinely feels like she only has a fandom because RWBY’s community are in fact that desperate. 

On the brighter side, Ironwood’s arc is fucking perfect and Jason Rose deserves all the love. Great fight, great song, great design, love the beard, it was a perfect downfall for Volume 7’s true protagonist. Qrow had a fun volume and I loved his dynamic with Clover (I don’t see the ship stuff but that’s more because I’m an IronQrow main so my blinders were on). Clover was also way cooler than I remembered. His fights stood out but the guy’s just really cool at the end of the day, with Chris doing great work as a VA. Oscar even managed to do stuff this year which was a shock and a half, but a welcome shock and a half. I didn’t mention it, but the Ozpin fear monologue is one of my favorite scenes in the entire show and it and the Ironwood/Oscar confrontation in the vault save the finale. And of course, Watts and Tyrian were the MVPs. I don’t have a bad word about either of them, they fucking nailed their roles and I can’t wait to see them again. 

And that’s kind of what I mean when I say Volume 7 flummoxes me. It’s frustrating at times with how it handles seemingly easy tasks and drops the ball. Renora went from “everyone liked that” to wondering how badly Ren’s stuff got butchered for him to be the way he is. RWBY themselves could be almost entirely cut and so little would change, and the fact that the finale basically hinges its entire emotional stakes on Winter, Penny and Oscar is a staggering call. And it really feels like the season was compressed beyond necessity because they decided going in that Volume 7 had to end on Salem’s arrival. There’s two volumes worth of material here, and maybe it would have been best to have broken up these events. Volume 7 does too much in too little time, and RWBY especially suffered from it. But when it works… it’s good. Never close to the highs of Volumes 6 or 3, but there’s genuinely good material here. The fights are mostly getting better with far less missteps than previously, the acting (mostly) continues to improve and it’s obvious that RWBY is a very good looking show at this point. Ironwood’s arc is franchise-wide highs, I loved Clover, and Marrow remains the best boi. But it’s frustrating that despite all the tech advances Volume 7 has made, it still makes such threadbare, rookie writing mistakes in cast management, comedy and character arcs. I’m glad Miles and Kerry finally realized that they needed more writers, but it won’t mean anything if the show just continues to circle the drain on the core mistakes it’s been making since 2013. Volume 7 has good in it. But I can see where it could have been great.

Thanks for reading, stan IronQrow and please get Whitley a therapist.

And for the love of God already make an Ironwood vs Watts shirt! 

[adowbaldwin]

Overworked and not even paid

@sazmags requested after i forcefully mentioned i wanted someone to request Gallowglass. “21st Century Gallowglass run ragged by Baldwin”

FYI - ABIT OF SMUT AND IT COVERS A TOPIC THAT MIGHT BE ABIT SENSITIVE TO SOME PEOPLE, SO APOLOGIES IF YOU’RE OFFENDED BUT READ AT YOUR OWN RISK okay thanks

“Gall, oh god” she whimpered as he rolled his hips into her “Don’t fucking stop” her head tipped back, burying her face into his forearm that was caging her frame

His hips beat into hers making delightful friction, he was so close and she was even closer. He grunted “Mm come on sweetheart let it go” it may have seemed cute that he called her sweetheart, but in all honesty it was just because he couldn’t remember her name. He had learnt, calling women by a pet name was far better then getting their actual names wrong; they can be so touchy sometimes.

“FUCK” He bellowed, emitting an animalistic growl followed by various other profanities in different languages

The woman thought this outburst had been a result of their current friction “I know” she whined as she felt her end nearing

Suddenly, he pulled free of her bounding out of the bed scrambling for his clothes, mumbling absentmindedly to himself “Sorry sweetheart, you best get dressed and quickly” he started throwing various pieces of clothing at her as he scrambled to put on his own

Sometimes he wished he could murder his Uncle, especially in this moment. He had heard the footsteps of oxfords smashing against the stone flooring before he’d scented the woodfires and abruptly stopped fucking the delightful woman before he walked in on the situation.

He had managed to tuck himself in half looking presentable when the bedroom door flung open to a angry looking, copper haired demon “Uncle” he beamed sarcastically “how good of you to join us”

The woman almost fainted from embarrassment of being caught half naked by a stranger, and gladly left fully clothed five minutes after the interruption. She’d happily finish herself off at home to save face.

“I sent you to Ireland to keep close watch, not wet your wick with THE FUCKING HELP” Baldwin screeched, fuming that his nephew had been so blaze about his orders

“Oh come on now, there’s got to be some perks to the job” he hadn’t quiet grasped the complicated situation arising between Ireland and England, and Baldwin often wished he could clone himself so there would be other dependable people in the family

He stepped closer to Gallowglass, matching him in height and brawn “if I send you somewhere for work, you work” he growled “if I wanted you to catch an STI I’d of sent you to Ibiza”

He held his hands up in mocking surrender “Alright calm down, what’s the big deal anyway? Who cares if Ireland want reunification and to leave Britain, doesn’t every country they’ve raped an pillaged?” the Scott could sympathise with the growing cause, having fought in almost every battle of Scottish independence

“I couldn’t care less if Ireland decides it wants to become a state of America, what I won’t see is petrol bombs and innocent lives being taken” he stepped as close as he could, distinguishing any power Gallowglass may have held “now do your job, or ill have your head” he turned on his heels and made a point of slamming the door on his way out

What a delight he was.

 Gallowglass ran his hands through his wiry beard as he honestly wished he’d killed his uncle that day. why on Earth he had sent him on this job and not Matthew was perplexing. The 1980’s should have been a good time, women in leather trousers and the rising ‘House’ scene meant Gallowglass got to prowl the nightclubs and always had a warm blood in his bed at the end of the night.

The Hacienda club had some particularly wonderful woman with questionable morals. He liked that.

Instead, he had spent a majority of it infiltrating the ‘IRA’, preventing what attacks he could, delivering messages to headquarters via Scotland and keeping tabs on every influential figure in the ‘organisation’. He felt pushed and pulled in all directions, and on more the one occasion thought he had been rumbled.

He shook what little hair he had now as he pulled it free from his helmet, ruffling his hands through the messy locks. He had been wired up for the last meeting in Belfast, and now had to relay what he had uncovered to a woman called Sandra (whose name definitely wasn’t Sandra).

Sometimes, between all the spying, preventative measures and travelling he’s often forget what he was supposed to relay. Was he meeting with another Doherty? Was she an agent from MI5? Is she the Queen of Sheba? Lord only knows at this point. He’d been following the footsteps of multiple families since 1975 and now couldn’t decipher anything anymore.

He took his seat opposite the woman, nodding politely at the waitress whom had brought him over coffee with a small (large) dash of whisky in it. He handed her over the transcripts bunched up between ‘The Sun’ and they began to talk lowly as if he wasn’t handing over important information.

“So, Scotland lost against Ireland yesterday” She smiled meekly in his direction

“Aye they did, Rugby fan are you lassie?” he sipped the murky brown substance steaming in the cup, and if it weren’t for the extensive whisky he’d of chucked it out the window

“Aren’t we all?” she sighed, digging around in her purse. Moments later she had pulled out two cigarettes, pointing one in his direction “Smoke?”

He nodded, taking the Camel Blue from her “Need a light?” he pulled his free from his leather jacket pocket, sparking hers first then his own.

That sat puffing away, breaking into small talk every now and then as to not look too inconspicuous. After all, he had just delivered Her Majesties government the last plotting details of the ‘M60 gang’ that should hopefully see the end of the Doherty’s.

 He had found through the extensive chain of communications he had set up his information had given the SAS a full picture of the movements of the M60 gang, leading to a successful trial. He was positively spent, no energy left to work and for the love of God wished his Uncle wouldn’t send him anywhere else.

He had a meeting with the devil himself that afternoon, and knowing he only had a few hours before his next orders would arrive all he wanted to do was rest.

He lazily threw his jacket on his sofa and sunk down into the leather. His eyes closed for a moment, and he delighted in the perfect piece he had finally found.

Faint noises of cars speeding by outside had sent him into a daze, and if it weren’t for his keen senses he wouldn’t of heard the front door opening

Peculiar he thought, Baldwin wasn’t due home for another few hours “Uncle, is that you?” he couldn’t smell his familiar scent, instead what had wafted through was the strong odour of tobacco and rolling paper.

He peered up from his comfortable position, shocked to have met the eyes of ‘Sandra’. He thought, possibly she had been a double agent like he had, and was here to kill him “If you’re here to kill me lassie, you are in for a big shock” his hand involuntarily gripped the small knife he kept at all times, though she was human and he wouldn’t need of such weapons to dispose of her

She smiled darkly “I’m not here to kill you, Eric” she licked her lips wantonly “I was just curious about the most illusive of the De Clermont bunch” she had begun to remove her jacket, each pop of the button perpetuating her words

“Oh no, my Uncles gonna go spare. He’ll be here soon” truthfully, he was far too tired for a fight with his Uncle, despite how tempting she was having ten bells knocked out of him wasn’t worth it.

She smirked, dropping to her knees running her hands up his thighs “Oh, you needn’t worry” she chuckled “He sent me on behalf of Her Majesty’s Service to thankyou for your aid” She winked knowingly as her hands sought to free him from his jeans. She wasn’t particularly a fan of the double denim he was sporting, but was never the less intrigued by the biker.

He looked down at her, and she peeped up with the most innocent doe-eyed expression, and it was the most beautiful sight he’d seen in a while.  

Thank God for Uncle Baldwin he thought as her tongue swirled his tip. What a legend.

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

A Proposal [Heart of Steel]

Heart of Steel - One Shot

Do not read before you finish the series.

The sound of birds was the thing that finally awoke the Queen. Not the abnormally blazing man that had his arms wrapped around her and pulled to his chest. It was so ridiculous sleeping next to such a man, that Y/N had to tell the servants to stop lighting a fire in their bedchambers unless it was freezing outside.

Y/N sighed and managed to turn around in her husband’s arms, so she was facing him.

Steve was still fast asleep, despite Y/N’s movements.

Y/N looked at her husband. His hair was starting to look rumpled. His beard was growing just a tad too long. She cupped his cheek softly. Perhaps he would let her trim both today. Especially before their guests arrived.

She leaned forward and kissed him.

Steve pulled her closer to his chest and kissed her forehead.

When he had awoken, she did not know.

“Time to get up,” she said through a smile.

“Not yet. I am King, the rest of the world may wait.” He sighed, “And right now I wish to be left alone with my wife.” Then he bit her shoulder playfully.

Y/N yelped, more from surprise than anything, and tried to shove him away from her.

Steve wasn’t allowing that.

Then there was giggling and shouting heading toward their door.

“It appears a certain Prince and Princess do not care for the King’s desires…” Y/N giggled into her husband’s chest.

Next thing they knew, two children were jumping onto their bed.

A panicked Wanda was standing at the door, breathing heavily. “Your Majestys,” she bowed. “I apologize. I tried to stop them–”

“Tis fine, Wanda,” Steve assured her.

“Father, the Agardians will be here soon. You promised we would practice on the training grounds before they arrived.” Joseph said while his mother had his gangly 8-year-old body in her arms.

Meanwhile, Isabella was playing with her father’s beard.

“I did promise that,” Steve admitted.

“Well, your father must have his hair cut and his beard trimmed before I allow him to do anything else,” Y/N warned. “He looks less like a King and more like a beggar.”

Steve played up a fearful face and looked to his son for saving. “We must not defy your mother or there will be hell to pay, Joseph.”

Y/N smirked. “I will ask Wanda to cut your father’s hair. Meanwhile, you and I will train. How about that, my prince?”

Joseph beamed, knowing that he wasn’t going to get the short end of the stick. He quickly jumped off the bed.

“Better deal for me anyway,” Joseph muttered to himself with a smile.

“I heard that!” Steve bellowed as he watched his son run out of their bedroom.

Y/N got out of bed with a laugh and started searching for her training gear.

Steve looked down at his daughter, who now laid atop his chest and still played with his beard. “And what of you, Isabella? Will you abandon your father?”

Her eyes were wide when she looked up at her father. “Will it hurt?” She whispered.

His brow furrowed. “Will what hurt?”

“When they cut it?” Her eyes looked back and forth between his hair and beard.

“No, my princess, tis nothing,” he tried to assure her.

“I will stay and keep you safe,” Isabella declared quietly.

Steve and Y/N shared a look. “I shall see you before the Asgardians arrive,” Y/N told her husband before leaning down and kissing him. Then she kissed the top of her daughter’s head.

“Bye, mama.”

——————————————

“There will always be another war to come,” Thor warned lowly.

The feast was large and loud. Asgardians were not known for their quietness. The fifty or so guests from the neighboring kingdom sounded three times larger than they were.

But the King and Queen preferred rambunctiousness over tense and polite silence.

Y/N frowned. “Not if Midgard can prevent it.”

“Your kingdom will run away from a fight, Your Majesty?” His eyes flickered to Steve, waiting for the King of Midgard to silence his wife like so many other men would.

But Steve looked rather relaxed.

“I do not wish to sentence the deaths of Midgard’s fathers, sons, brothers, and husbands,” Y/N retorted.

“Aye. Although from what I hear of your kingdom’s changes, that would include mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives, as well.”

“I wish to give the women of Midgard the opportunity to fight for their kingdom – the same opportunity that men are given. We are not forcing violence on any girl or woman. It is their choice and their choice alone.”

Steve was watching Thor carefully, daring him with his eyes to challenge his wife. 

Training girls and women in Midgard to fight was an initiation from the Queen herself. Steve merely supported her.

If Thor intended to insult the Queen in front of him, he would have hell to pay.

Thor stared at the King and Queen for a moment, soaking in the tension.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, he let out the jolliest of laughs.

“I am only jesting with you, Your Majesty. Did you not know of the Asgardian women who have been fighting in our kingdom’s army for decades?”

Y/N seemed taken aback. “I…” But she shut her mouth quickly, not wanting to offend Thor any more than she might have already.

Steve laughed as well. He knew Thor for quite some time. He considered the fellow king a friend and an ally.

“Thor, my Queen is used to men of ignorance, men who do not know the strength of women. Careful how you tease her, she is not one you wish to cross.”

Steve met Y/N’s gaze and gave her a small smile before giving a slow kiss to her cheek. It was his way of telling her everything was alright. 

It was not a public display of affection Steve would do if they were sharing a meal with someone who was not as close to them as Thor.

“I did not mean to offend, Your Majesty. I just enjoy watching you unleash that sharp tongue of yours,” Thor smiled.

Y/N gave him a shy smile. “If you needed another reason for avoiding war – one which does not include empathy – then let it be the price, for you and I know that wars are not cheap.”

“Aye, you are right once again. And our people suffer for it more than anyone.”

“Mama! Papa!” Suddenly the door to the private dining room had been shoved open by little Isabella, no older than four. She rushed in, clearly having escaped her governess.

Many eyes turned to the little princess as she rushed to her father, climbing into his lap. Others didn’t even notice. 

“Your Little Highness, you are meant to be in bed…” Steve warned as he helped her up. But his voice was not at all stern, instead it was filled with love.

But Isabella ignored him, burrowing her little body into his chest, making it clear that her only intention was to cuddle with her father.

Y/N reached over and brushed Isabella’s hair away from her face.

“You never read to me,” Isabella whispered to her father.

“I am sorry, my Isabella. But we have guests,” Steve muttered in her ear and gestured to Thor, who sat on the other side of the table.

Thor was amused by the little princess, already seeing Y/N in her.

But Isabella seems scared of the giant king who sat before her. She shyly hid her face in her father’s chest, knowing he would protect her.

It caused the rest of the table to chuckle at the child’s shyness.

“I wish to stay with you,” the princess told her father so only he could hear.

The King just nodded and nestled her closer to his chest, keeping one arm around her while the other could still freely eat and drink wine.

The great General King did not look so threatening when such a small, adorable child had fallen asleep in his lap.

Steve did not fear that his softness would make others perceive him as weak. He had proven is strength and tenacity in war and battle long before he married and had children.

He had made the mistake of believing he needed to be tough, stern, and cold with Joseph. A mistake Y/N quickly warned him not to continue. Steve did not repeat his foolishness with Isabella. And he realized he must show his son the same softness.

“You should be the first man that Isabella recognizes kindness from. If she does not see it from you, she will not know how to demand it in a husband and lover,” Y/N had told her husband. “And for Joseph, you should teach him that kindness is not weakness.”

Steve knew his wife had a point. A point he would never have come to on his own.

Now Isabella was fast asleep against her father. Not even the noises of a small feast could stir her.

Thor’s eyes were watching the sleeping princess.

Y/N had caught how the King of Asgard would look at her every so often.

“My son, Magni, is only a few years older than Princess Isabella,” Thor stated as he watched the little princess sleep. “Why do we not finally join our kingdoms through marriage and through blood?”

Steve knew not to look at Y/N, that her face was as composed as ever. But he saw her shoulders tense from the corner of his eye. Even his fist tightened at what he knew Thor was getting at.

“How does Prince Magni fair? Is he well?” Steve asked casually.

“Aye. He will be strong. And wise, like his mother.” Thor smirked then. “I see you avoid my question.”

“You wish to join our kingdoms through marriage and blood,” Y/N repeated before Steve could.

Thor could tell that the subject was making the Queen uncomfortable, despite her ability to hide her true emotions.

“It is merely the beginning of an idea, Your Majesty. It is not why I have come to Midgard. We can discuss it further another time,” Thor seemed to only be talking to Y/N.

He leaned forward then and made sure his eyes were filled with nothing but sincerity and understanding. “Women are respected, treated as equals. She would be loved by our people. It would be lucky to have her as its next Queen. Your daughter would be safe in Asgard. I give you my word Queen Y/N of Midgard.”

Y/N smirked then, and even let a light laugh. “Dear Thor, one should not make diplomatic decisions with all the wine and mead we have consumed.”

Thor let out a bellowing laugh and slammed his glass down, requesting even more wine.

The night went on with no other mention of a royal marriage.

When the night became rowdier with drunkards and dancing, Steve handed his sleeping daughter to the governess to put properly in her bed.

Once Steve’s hands were finally free, he grabbed his wife from behind, dragging her from whatever conversation she was having and spinning her around to the music.

It wasn’t entirely proper. But this was his Kingdom. 

And he’d had too much to drink, so he’d do what he pleased.

Y/N laughed at the childish gesture.

“Behave, Your Majesty,” she warned.

Steve pulled her body close to his and pressed his forehead to hers. “I only wish to dance with my wife.”

So they danced. Steve barely let her take half a step away from him the rest of the night. No one else would dance with his Queen. But it didn’t matter, for she didn’t want to dance with anyone else anyway.

It was almost morning by the time they finally left the royal hall. The King and Queen parted from their guests, everyone left for either their guest rooms or their own homes.

The royal couple had slowly sobered up. 

Y/N had been so sweaty from all the dancing and drinking that she requested a bath before she got anywhere near her heavenly bed.

Throughout the night, Steve had noticed his wife’s forced smiles and that distant look in her eyes she’d have when she didn’t think anyone was watching.

Steve slowly made his way to the bathroom.

Steam arouse from the water as Y/N leaned back with her eyes closed.

There was no shyness between them any longer.

Her nudity was something familiar to him now. He still worshipped it, desired it, yearned for it. 

However, his gaze lingered and beheld it still. He noticed how her body grew strong and toned from her training and fighting, a rarity for the women of their time. It only made her even more beautiful to him. 

Steve kneeled and sat on the ground, leaning on the edge of her tub.

“Y/N,” he whispered as he reached out and stroked her cheek.

She sighed, but did not open her eyes.

“Will you not tell me what has made you upset?”

She slowly opened her eyes, but stared up at the ceiling. “What has made you believe I am upset?”

“Surely you do not truly believe I am that daft,” Steve tried to tease.

Y/N smiled and finally turned to look at her husband.

Steve’s face then went serious. “It was the talk of union, was it not? Of Isabella and Magni?”

Y/N looked away. “She is barely even a child.” She shook her head. “How can I sit and speak of her marriage when she has barely lived any life at all?”

“You and I both know the King of Asgard is enthusiastic. He speaks his mind openly without considering the consequences. It was not a threat. We have not insulted him.”

“But then I wondered…perhaps it is for the best,” Y/N quickly added.

Steve showed his surprise, there was no need to keep composure when the two of them talk in private.

“Perhaps if I had known my whole life who I was promised to…” She didn’t finish the thought.

Both of them knew what direction it would take them.

Maybe things would’ve been different. Maybe they would’ve been exactly the same.

“Childhood to friendship to marriage,” Steve mumbled.

Then he watched his wife. Her mind racing faster and further than he would ever be able to track. 

His sharp and formidable Queen.

“She is not leaving us anytime soon, Y/N.”

“It will be sooner than you realize,” she countered.

“Tonight we will dwell on it no longer,” Steve advocated.

Then he started taking off his own clothes.

Y/N looked at him with amusement. “And what do you think you are doing?”

“Getting in the bath with my wife,” he told her with a smug look.

“You are not!” She quickly sat up straighter. “The bath will overflow!”

“As if I care,” Steve growled before lowering himself in.

The Queen shrieked as the water did exactly as she had warned.  

Y/N pretended to act annoyed. But she was giggling seconds later as Steve pulled her onto his lap. She was forced to straddle him, even though the bathtub was plenty big enough for the both of them.

Steve gripped her hips tightly.

Y/N lowered her head.

Her lips crashed onto his, moving in the exact way that she knew excited him.

She pulled back ever so slightly. “Perhaps we should just have another, hide them from the rest of the world so can keep them forever.”

Steve chuckled and kissed her again.

But Y/N could tell he thought she was teasing him.

She pulled back and looked into his eyes. “I mean it, Steve.”

Steve quickly pulled away from her. “Absolutely not.” It was his Kingly voice, one he almost never used on Y/N. 

The King of Midgard would give his Queen anything. Anything, except this. 

Though Joseph’s birth held almost no complications, Isabella’s was the opposite. Isabella did not sit normally inside her mother. Steve did not like to reflect on the details, but he almost lost both his daughter and his wife that night. It still brings him nightmares every so often. 

“You will not give me this?” Y/N challenged as she moved to the opposite side of the tub and crossed her arms.

In this particular moment, Steve hated that he always got so wound up by her defiance and persistence.

He glared at her. “I will make love to you, Y/N...But please do not ask that of me. I would have a hundred children with you if I knew your life would not be at risk. But after what happened with Isabella… I cannot bear it again. I will not even consider it.”

His blue eyes sunk with a sadness and fear.

Y/N couldn’t stay upset with him when he just spoke so truly of what his heart and mind felt on the matter.

She slowly made her way back to him.

Y/N kissed from his chest, to his shoulder, then up his neck.

“No more children,” she agreed in a breathy whisper.

-----------------------------

Please, please, please let me know what you think. I’ll keep writing these as long as people appear to be reading and enjoying them. 

Heart of Steel - Masterlist

[bouquetwrites]

POV: it’s totally still July shhhhh (🔞🔞🔞)

Alfonse plans something special for Kiran’s birthday. He enlists the help of Claude, whose own birthday isn’t too far behind.

HEADS UP (seven up): 

1. There’s very nsfvv content under the cut. Please only read this if you’re 18 or older.

2. CW for a tiny bit of alcohol consumption. Not enough for anybody to get drunk but still putting that out there just to be safe

No matter how much time had passed; no matter what was happening in the days leading up to it, Kiran was always excited when her birthday was approaching. She saw it as a perfect excuse to spoil herself at any turn, which she often felt she needed once the day arrived. When she and Alfonse began their courtship, he made sure to go above and beyond for her in order to make her special day even more wonderful. Such efforts never went unnoticed to her, and she loved him even more than she thought herself capable for it.

Unfortunately, it seemed she would have to wait until the evening to spend time with him this year. She was woken up in the morning by Sharena bringing her breakfast in bed, which included a note from the prince. He wished her a happy birthday, informing her that he made the mouthwatering stack of chocolate chip pancakes and included the bowl of strawberries for her, as he knew it was her favorite breakfast. He also wrote that he had multiple meetings throughout the day, so he wasn’t able to see her until the last one was over. The note, however, ended with a promise to more than make it up to her when he was done with them, and a cheesy yet endearing reminder of his love for her.

The breakfast was delicious, as was to be expected when Alfonse was on kitchen duty. The rest of Kiran’s morning was spent with Sharena, which consisted of them visiting the accessory shop in the Aether Resort and treating themselves to the ones they had their eyes on for quite a while now. In the afternoon, she met up with Tana and Lene, joining them in getting their nails done; something she was ever so grateful for still being a possibility in this world. She opted for a vibrant purple, similar to the ends of her hair, which she found to be quite beautiful.

The first part of her evening was spent having drinks with Claude on the beach. It just so happened that his birthday and hers were close together, so they opted to celebrate both at the same time. As the sun set, the hot summer air had faded into a pleasant, warm breeze, making the experience more enjoyable for the both of them. She certainly believed Claude deserved to enjoy himself, as he came from a Fodlan torn apart by war; approximately five years after his time at Garreg Mach. While he definitely matured in those five years, it was nice to see they hadn’t completely broken his spirit.

“Is there a drinking age in Fodlan?” She asked him.

“When you’re old enough to marry, that’s when you’re old enough to drink.” He responded. “Of course, that varies depending on where in Fodlan you are. I had a classmate from Faerghus that would have been engaged during her time at the academy, had it not been for her betrothed dying.”

Well, that took a slightly dark turn rather quickly.

“...she was kind of terrible. If you ever summon her, promise you’ll keep her as far from me as you can.” He went on.

“I can’t make any guarantees there, but I’ll try my best.” Kiran spoke, unable to fight back her laughter at his request. “After all, you are one of my favorites.”

Claude was never one for blushing, but he did so at her declaration, as well as her laying her hand on his shoulder and sliding a bit closer to him. The two certainly became well acquainted during his time in Askr, and in that time he was slowly growing more and more attracted to her. She found him to be quite enticing as well, and while she and Alfonse had discussed the possibility of bringing a third person into their courtship, she wanted to make sure he would be okay with that person being Claude.

“I am, huh?” He playfully questioned. “You know, if you have favorites, you’re not supposed to say it. Makes the others feel bad.”

“Yeah, yeah, like some of them can’t tell without me saying it.” She replied with a smirk. “You should hear the way Serra talks about me when she doesn’t realize I can hear her.”

The two continued to laugh and chat idly as they watched the calm waves of the ocean and sipped on their tropical beverages. They exchanged stories of how they would celebrate their birthdays before their time in Askr, and both had vastly different experiences to speak of, but wonderful ones nevertheless. As the sky grew darker, they opted to return to the castle, where they were surprised with an enormous cake that rivaled the one served at Sigurd and Deirdre’s vow renewal. Kiran wondered if such a large cake was necessary for a simple birthday, even if it was for two people. Once she got to have a bite of it, however, her questioning was pushed to the side, as it was undoubtedly delicious.

As the summoner took in the celebratory surroundings while also enjoying a second piece of her and Claude’s cake, she was surprised to feel a pair of arms around her waist, holding her close as she felt someone’s chest against her back. She promptly turned around to find her prince standing behind her, his warm smile making her heart flutter.

“Babe!” She cheered, putting her fork down on her plate as she pulled him in for a kiss.

“Happy birthday, my sweetheart.” Alfonse gushed. “Gods, it feels wonderful to finally be out of that council room and here with you.”

“It feels wonderful to have you here.” Kiran replied. “Oh! You have to try this cake, it is absolutely to die for.”

She picked her fork back up, sticking it in a small bit of her piece and holding it up to him. Upon taking the bite offered to him, his eyes lit up. He took the fork from her in order to have more of it, prompting her to roll her eyes as she unsuccessfully attempted to fight back an amused smile.

“Prince Alfonse!” Claude called out, approaching the couple and draping an arm over the prince’s shoulders. “Glad you could make it. I was starting to worry about you.”

“Happy early birthday, Duke Riegan.” Alfonse chuckled, patting him on his back. “I trust that you are well?”

“Better now that you’re here.” The dark haired man replied, winking.

“Flirting with my boyfriend while I’m standing right here, I see.” Kiran joked.

“Now, now, summoner, no need for jealousy. There’s plenty of me to go around.” Claude told her.

Alfonse and Kiran eventually snuck off after enjoying more of the festivities, seeking some time alone with one another. What the summoner didn’t know was there was a surprise waiting for her in her room. Alfonse shielded her eyes as she turned her doorknob, and when he pulled his hands away, she was beyond awestruck. The room was decorated with many candles, which made it light up in the most beautiful way. There were also rose petals on the floor, which were arranged alongside some of the candles into a path that led to her bed, which was decorated with them as well. Her jaw dropped upon the sight, and she turned to find her prince with a warm and knowing expression.

“My last meeting ended earlier than I told you it would.” He confessed, sliding his hands onto her hips and pulling her close. “I spent that extra time putting this together. If we were to be intimate tonight, I wanted it to be more special and romantic for you, because you only deserve the best.”

“Well, you definitely nailed that part.” She whispered, rubbing his chest with her hands and winking at him. “All that’s left is for you to nail me.”

“Ah, not yet, love.” He laughed. “There’s… something missing at the moment.”

It was then that the pair heard a knock on the door, prompting them to turn to look at it.

“Is that my queue? I’m lonely out here.” They heard a voice from the other side, which… sounded like Claude?

“Yes, you may enter, Duke Riegan.”

Upon hearing Alfonse’s confirmation that it was in fact Claude standing outside, and watching him enter the room, Kiran almost froze in place. Sure, she and Alfonse had talked about it before, but they had yet to mention specific people that they had in kind when it came to it. Did either of them know something that she didn’t?

“Told you there was plenty of me to go around.” Claude spoke as he winked at the couple, pulling off his gloves and setting them on the table. “And please, Alfonse, you don’t have to be so formal when it’s just us.”

The summoner’s hand shot up to her mouth, trying to suppress her giggles as she buried herself in Alfonse’s embrace. The two men were absolutely successful in their attempt to surprise her, and them being able to pull this off so easily made her want them even more. Heat rose to her cheeks when Claude took her hand in his, removing it from her face and pressing his lips against it. She picked her head up, looking up at Alfonse as he gently yet passionately kissed her.

“Do you like your present so far?” The prince inquired when he pulled away.

“Well, I haven’t had much of a chance to unwrap it yet.” She teased, glancing back and forth between the two men. “But so far it definitely has my interest.”

With that, she captured her boyfriend’s lips once more, hastily grabbing him by his hips and jerking him closer to her. The prince’s eyes widened in surprise but he welcomed her bold advances, swiftly closing his eyes and deepening the kiss. Claude slid a hand around her waist and went to kiss her neck, his warm breath and ticklish beard on her exposed skin sending shivers through her veins and enveloping her body with an overwhelming heat at the same time.

Alfonse continued to caress his girlfriend’s mouth with his own, slipping his tongue in when she let out a needy gasp. An eager hand of his slowly trailed down her alluring curves, stopping at her leg and lifting it to wrap around his waist. She let out a muffled noise of pleasure as his clothed bulge pressed against her hot core, internally cursing the barrier between them as she leaned against the equally aroused man behind her to steady herself. A low groan escaped Claude’s mouth when he felt her hand cup and rub at his own erection, which now strained against his pants.

The trio’s immense desire for each other steadily increased as Alfonse broke the kiss but continued to grind his hips against Kiran’s. His heart swelled at the sight of her eyes tightly shut and mouth wide open, only producing sounds that made it clear that she was very much enjoying herself. The man with piercing green eyes behind her lifted his head from the crook of her neck, bringing a hand up to cradle her face and turn it towards him. Her body tensed and cheeks turned hot at his charmingly sensuous gaze, the smirk his mouth formed into making him even harder to resist.

“Mind if I kiss your girlfriend for a bit, Alfonse?” He spoke with a flirtatious tone.

“That would be for her to decide.” The blue haired man told him.

The summoner arched an eyebrow at this proposition, tapping her chin and humming playfully as she glanced back and forth at the two men between her. Of course she wanted to kiss the leader of the Alliance; she’d be shocked to meet someone that didn’t want to. However, she was feeling rather bold, and decided to wait a few seconds before giving her answer.

“Permission granted, on one condition.” She responded, pointing a finger at the prince. “Start taking your clothes off.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Alfonse laughed, stepping back and fumbling with the top button of his shirt.

The other man wasted no time, pulling the summoner closer to him and capturing her lips with his. He stroked her cheek with his thumb, gently nibbling at her bottom lip so as not to hurt her. He and Alfonse were around the same height, so she still had to stand on her toes in order for them to be face to face. To make this easier for herself, she laid her hands on both of his shoulders, allowing herself to deepen their lip lock. She was surprised to find that he seemed to truly know what he was doing while kissing her; but she definitely wasn’t complaining.

“Feels like you have a lot of experience in this area.” She panted as she briefly pulled away from him.

“That’s because I do. I have some in the other parts of this as well.” He replied, winking at her. “A lot can happen in five years, Kiran.”

As the pair continued to intertwine one another, Alfonse found the sight to be surprisingly arousing. He was rather slow with the unbuttoning of his shirt because he couldn’t keep his eyes off of them. A relief he wasn’t expecting washed over him as he finished with that, shrugging the article of clothing off and letting it fall to the floor. He then stepped out of his boots, kicking them aside and hooking a thumb under the waistband of his pants. However, he didn’t slip out of them right away, trailing his other hand down to his painfully hard length straining against them.

He let out a quiet sigh of pleasure as he stroked himself over his clothes, ensuring he wouldn’t interrupt Kiran and Claude. The relief he felt was only brief, however, as soon they began to feel more restrictive than before. He pulled his hand from his aching bulge, pushing off his pants as well as his undergarments, sighing contently as he freed his swollen member from its restraint. Now entirely naked with nothing holding him back, he immediately wrapped a hand around his cock, already wet from pre-cum, and slowly began working his hand up and down his shaft.

“Hey, that’s my job.” He suddenly heard, looking up to find the summoner eyeing him, still in Claude’s arms with an amused smile on her face.

“Your job for tonight, my love…” He began to say as he approached the pair, sneaking his free hand onto her hip and pulling her towards him. “...is to relax and enjoy yourself while we take care of you. With that said, it’s a bit unfair that I’m now wearing nothing and you’re both still fully clothed.”

“So, what do you plan to do about that, my prince?” Kiran wondered aloud.

It was then that the two men guided her towards the rose petal decorated mattress, having her sit at the edge while Alfonse knelt in front of her and Claude sat down beside her. The sight of the Askran prince on his knees in front of her, hands resting on her thighs was one that Kiran was rather familiar with by now, but it was one that she continuously adored. He also loved watching her admire him, the image being something he could never get enough of. He leaned in toward her ankle, slowly peppering kisses up her leg as she softly giggled at how it felt. She turned to look at the Alliance leader next to her, watching as he unbuttoned his own shirt. The clothing already exposed part of his chest, which had always piqued the summoner’s curiosity, and she was drawn to him even more when it came off and was dropped at the foot of the bed.

The brunette woman lifted her hand to touch Claude’s chest. Not only did he have an impressive amount of muscle to him, but there was also some hair on his body that she felt emphasized his good looks. He gently grabbed on to her wrist, guiding her hand down towards his toned abdomen. He could tell how intrigued she was, which filled him with pride. Alfonse brought her attention back to him as he fiddled with the hem of her top, his fingers brushing against her skin as he lifted it up enough to expose her soft stomach and pressed his lips against it. She hummed at the feeling of his breath on her, stroking the back of his head with her thumb. He pushed the fabric slightly further up her body, prompting her to lift her arms as Claude grabbed onto it and pulled it off entirely, tossing it behind him.

A deep purple, lacy bra was revealed to be worn underneath, holding up her full, supple breasts and showing them off beautifully. The blue haired prince made quick work of her shorts, pulling them down her legs and admiring the pair of panties she wore to match her bra.

“Someone has certainly dressed for the occasion.” Claude whispered, tugging one of the straps down her shoulder and latching his lips onto the crook of her neck.

“I did it for Alfonse, but it’s nice that you’re here to see it too.” Kiran responded, a hint of seduction in her voice as she winked at him. She moved to press a soft kiss to his forehead, running a hand through his hair to encourage him as he subtly licked and bit at her skin.

Alfonse soon stood from the ground, leaning into the other side of her neck and began kissing her there as well. He slipped a hand in between her legs, taking in the sweet sound of her moans as his palm grazed over her hot entrance, smirking at the damp spot on her underwear. He continued to rub her there, listening to the desperate cries of pleasure falling from her lips and taking pride in the fact that he had a part in it.

“Claude, feel how wet she is.” He instructed the other man, moving his hand so it rested on her inner thigh.

“Don’t mind if I do, prince.” The Alliance leader replied, slowly trailing a hand down her body. She felt a jolt of arousal course through her as he slipped two fingers under the fabric and gently stroked her slick folds. “Ah, you are definitely soaked down here, Kiran. You might not even need foreplay.”

“Ohhhhh, but I want it…” The summoner quickly begged. “Please…?”

“You heard her, Claude. Now, who would we be to deny my amazing girlfriend of her desires on her birthday…?” Alfonse interjected.

“Hey, I never said she couldn’t have it.” The dark haired man laughed. “Of course you can have whatever you want from us tonight, summoner.”

He then pulled his fingers from her, a proud smirk on his face at the sight of them being covered with her juices. Bringing them close to his mouth, both she and Alfonse watched as he licked them clean. The look in his emerald green eyes captivated them both, and they knew that he could tell. Upon finishing cleaning off his digits, he slid his hand so it held Kiran’s, his chin resting on her shoulder as his breath tickled her ear.

“You taste amazing, by the way.” He whispered, making her quiver with anticipation.

The Askran on her other side snuck his hand so it rested on the back of her neck, pulling her closer to him and briefly kissing her once more. She held onto his wrist as their lips touched, smiling as he pulled away and kissed her cheek. Claude also peppered kisses along her shoulders and massaged her back, listening to her hum in satisfaction with the two men. His hands slid up to her bra clasp as he tantalizingly undid each hook, his palm rubbing into the skin exposed with it once he finished. Alfonse grabbed onto the straps and pulled the article of clothing off of her, dropping it to the floor and admiring the sight before him.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get over how beautiful you are.” He quietly gushed.

“You always say that when you see my boobs.” She teased, giggling in appreciation nevertheless.

“Well, you can’t really blame him.” Claude chimed in, holding one of her breasts in his hand. “Askr and the Order of Heroes have truly been blessed with how captivating you are.”

“Is that so?” Kiran wondered aloud, leaning against the man next to her while cupping the face of the one in front of her, pulling him closer to her. “In that case, show me how blessed you guys feel to be here with me.”

Oh, show her they would. The prince continued where he left off with kissing her, nipping at her jaw and working his way down her body. She moaned deeply when his hot tongue drew circles around one of her taut nipples, eventually closing his lips around the pink bud and sucking on it. His breath tickled her stomach as he resumed making his way down. He stopped at her violet undergarments, gazing up at her tenderly as he hooked his fingers under the fabric. She ran a hand through his soft, blue locks, returning his loving stare and lifting her hips to encourage him. That was all he needed to pull the clothing from her waist, sliding them down her soft legs and allowing her to kick them off when they reached her ankles.

“Claude said you tasted amazing.” He spoke, echoing the other man’s words from moments ago as he pushed her legs open, getting the perfect view of her glistening center. “I think I’d like to see for myself.”

“Shouldn’t you already know with how long we—“

Her comments were immediately cut off as she gasped from the wave of pleasure that coursed through her body. His hot tongue lapping over her sensitive core was already making her tremble from the ecstasy as she tugged at his strands. Her deep arousal was pushed even further by Claude squeezing and caressing her soft mounds, teasing one of her nipples with a pinch.

The summoner’s hand found its way onto the dark haired man’s thigh, and she quickly noticed that at some point, he had removed the rest of his clothing. He smiled deviously as he guided her hand over to his erect length.

“I think I deserve a little treat as well.” He murmured enticingly into her ear. “After all, it’ll be my birthday pretty soon.”

Kiran wasted no time, wrapping her fingers around the shaft and slowly sliding it up to his tip, gathering the precum that leaked from it and working her hand back down to the base of his thick cock. She found that it was a bit shorter than Alfonse’s, but also wider, and the heat on her cheeks intensified at the thought of how he would feel inside of her. She wondered if she would have an answer for that tonight, or if the men would be interested in doing something like this again another time and she would find out then. Her thoughts were soon cut off by an electrifying jolt coursing through her as Claude circled a thumb over her rosy peak, the motion making her shiver with delight.

She looked down at Alfonse as he continued to lick at her dripping entrance like it was the most divine thing he could have. His sapphire blue eyes gazed up at her, and seeing her disheveled hair and eyes glazed over from her arousal served as motivation for him. He worked his tongue over her folds quicker, even slipping the wet muscle in between them a few times and taking pride in the way her voice grew and her walls pulsed against him. He choked out a few moans of his own as he wrapped a hand around his swelling member and began to stroke himself again, the vibrations from his mouth driving Kiran mad with desire.

“K… keep that up and I’ll… soon…” She breathlessly stammered.

With that in mind, the prince saw no reason to slow down anytime soon. His mouth made its way up towards her now throbbing clit, teasing the nub by drawing circles over it with his tongue. She was certain her lip was going to bleed with how hard she was biting it as she buried her face in the crook of Claude’s neck. Her shivers were growing more uncontrollable, and an overwhelming tension began building in her veins. When she felt Alfonse sucking on her clit, she could no longer hold back as she cried out from the blissful electricity that erupted within her. She felt herself get lost in the pleasure as she pulled on his strands, shaking before him from her climax.

As Kiran began to come down from her high, she leaned against the Fodlanian man beside her in an attempt to steady herself. He let out a low chuckle at her disheveled state, lightly kissing her forehead and glancing back at Alfonse, who seemed to be proud of himself, and rightfully so.

“You know… it doesn’t have to end here if you don’t want it to.” Claude spoke, resting a hand on her thigh.

“Mmm… I’d love to keep going…” Kiran murmured in response. “But I’ll need a quick breather first, if that’s all right.”

“Of course, love.” Alfonse assured her, standing from his spot in front of her.

The summoner took this time to adjust herself and lie back on the plush mattress beneath her, sighing contently at its softness. She turned her head to look over at her boyfriend, who had made his way over to the table beside the door to pour her a glass of water. Truly, it seemed he had gone all out for this night and prepared for anything, and she both loved him even more for that and was amused by it. When he came back over and handed her the glass, that first sip quenched her in ways she didn’t even realize she needed. As she continued to enjoy the beverage, she glanced back and forth at the two men, confused as to why they were just sitting and watching her.

“You know you guys are allowed to do stuff with each other while you’re waiting on me, right?” She told them, laughing when they took their eyes off her and looked at each other.

“Y—yes, of course!” Alfonse stammered. “Is that, er… is that something you would want, Clau—“

He was quickly cut off by the green eyed man gently pushing him down onto the bed, giving him a quick wink as he climbed on top of him and pressed his lips against his jaw. Claude soon wrapped a hand around the prince’s hot, erect length, working it up and down and sending shivers through him as he teased a nipple with his other hand.

“I, ah… I guess that answers my question.” He chuckled.

“I know we planned this for Kiran, but I’ll admit, you’re not so bad yourself.” The Almyran replied flirtatiously, lifting his head up and gazing into the other man’s deep blue eyes.

The summoner watched the scene in front of her intently, both her cheeks and her core warming up at the pair’s sensual embrace. With how attracted she was to the both of them, she was certainly happy that they shared these feelings not just for her, but also for each other. Instead of trying to one up one another, they helped each other, and it was perfect for all of them. She carefully put her glass down on the floor, not wanting to take her eyes off of them.

Claude soon pulled the prince in for a slow and sultry kiss, stroking the tip of his length and drinking in the moan that Alfonse let out in response. The sound of her prince enjoying himself like this aroused Kiran deeply, and the evidence was beginning to pool in between her legs. She gently caressed her thigh as the sight continued to intrigue her. Both men seemed well aware of what they were doing to her, and as eager as they were to have her rejoin them, they were also enjoying each other’s company quite a bit. The pair came to a non vocal understanding that having her watch them a little longer would help her in being ready for them again. She certainly wasn’t in any hurry.

Eventually, Alfonse felt the dark haired man tighten the grip he had on his cock and jerk him quicker, his voice growing louder in ecstasy. Kiran’s now soaked core began to ache intensely when she heard how desperate he sounded, which made her desperate for some kind of stimulation as well. She hastily parted her legs and slid her hand up towards her hot opening, moaning as the tips of her fingers brushed against her wet folds and swollen nub. She lifted her hips in sync with her hand, small jolts of pleasure surging through her as she kept her eyes on the two men before her.

Soon enough, Claude stopped what he was doing.

“W—wait,” The summoner choked out. “Keep going.”

“And have you miss out? Not a chance.” He replied, winking at her as he shifted his body closer to hers. “Think you’re ready for something more than a pair of fingers?”

Her cheeks grew even hotter at those remarks. She knew precisely what he meant by that, and if she didn’t, the way he hovered over her, his firm length sitting comfortably in his hand, was obvious enough. She opened her legs more at his invitation, smirking up at him.

“Come over here and find out.” She answered, a hint of seduction in her voice.

She was promptly flipped onto her stomach by the Almyran man as she yelped in surprise. She lifted her hips up for him, using her knees to balance herself as she turned her head to look at him. The anticipation made her ache and crave him even more, and he could tell that she was growing restless waiting for him. His hands grabbed her hips to hold them in place, smirking in amusement at the sound she let out just from his tip brushing against her.

As he carefully slid into her, he bit his lip at how warm and tight she was around him. The way her walls twitched against him sent rapturous shivers through his veins, and her moans growing louder ensured that she was enjoying this as well. He did stretch her quite a bit, but with how wet she had already made herself, she wasn’t in any pain. Slowly, he began thrusting in and out of her, letting out small grunts with each movement. He loved how gorgeous she looked before him; how her long, dark locks cascaded over her shoulders; how her naked body still glistened from her first climax.

“Mm… you feel so good…” The summoner hummed.

“The feeling is mutual.” Claude responded, winking at her. “You’re nice to look at, too. Alfonse is truly a lucky man.”

“Speaking of…” She spoke, holding her hand out for the prince in front of her. “Come here, babe. I don’t want you to feel left out.”

Alfonse shifted his body so he was closer to the pair, lying beneath them and lifting a hand to rest on his girlfriend’s jaw as he caressed her cheek. She held onto his wrist to keep his hand in place as she moved to capture his mouth with hers, gently yet hungrily pulling him in. He never tired of her lips on his own, and she loved how tender he was when touching her. Claude had mentioned the prince being a lucky man, but in truth, Kiran considered herself the luckiest woman to have someone love her like this.

The summoner laid her free hand on his side, her thumb stroking his hip and further enticing him as he groaned from the aching in his cock intensifying. Kiran was quick to solve this issue, sliding her hand down as it curled around the shaft and began jerking him, relief washing over the prince at her motions. She briefly pulled her lips from his to study him. His hair was now a mess, and yet it was in a way that made him even more alluring. His skin was decorated with a pink tint as his body grew hotter from arousal. She could see his muscles contracting with each pump, and god did it make her wet.

“Mmm… you are so sexy…” she murmured to Alfonse. “You know that, right?”

“Aah… it’s… it’s still nice to hear you say it.” He breathlessly responded.

His hands wandered over her body without much thought, eventually settling on her soft breasts. He gave them a gentle squeeze, leaning in between them and pressing a kiss to one. A small gasp of pleasure slipped from her mouth as he ran his thumbs over her nipples, feeling them swell at his unrelenting touch. Claude’s thrusts had also picked up in speed, leaving the summoner a euphoric mess between the two men.

“Ha… I’m getting pretty… pretty close…” the dark haired man behind her confessed. Which is why she was baffled when he pulled out of her entirely, looking back at him with furrowed brows. “Switch with me, Alfonse. I want to try something.”

The prince soon stopped what he was doing, guiding Kiran to lie on her back as he held her legs in place. He waited to see what Claude had in mind before going any further, watching as he sat on her stomach, slowly lowering himself so he wouldn’t cause her any discomfort. As the Alliance leader’s thick erection rested on her chest, Kiran quickly realized what he had in mind as she looked up at him with a knowing smirk.

Pushing her ample breasts together, she watched as he began thrusting in between them. His hands clutched onto the bedpost in front of him as his emerald green eyes looked down at her, deep into her brown ones. With how he shivered and panted before her, she could tell he was steadily inching closer towards his peak. She could feel her own brewing as she gasped from Alfonse slipping his throbbing length inside her. He couldn’t see her face with Claude sitting in front of him, but he could tell from the desperate sounds she made that she loved what he was doing.

Come to think of it, the Almyran’s rugged back and shoulders were a rather intriguing sight to the prince. As he slowly moved in and out of Kiran, he found himself leaning into the crook of Claude’s neck, peppering small kisses along the area. Hearing him moan so hungrily served as all the motivation Alfonse needed as he continued, biting and tonguing at his shoulder.

“Aah… s.. so… close…” the couple heard the man in between them choke. “Think th… this might…”

Claude found himself unable to finish his sentence as he felt himself lose control over his body. Letting out a loud cry of pleasure, he gave one last thrust as his swollen member erupted in between Kiran’s soft mounds. His muscles burned with overwhelming ecstasy as he gripped the bedpost tighter and hot cum shot out and onto her chest. The summoner watched with both pride and amusement as he was left breathless before her.

“Doing okay there, buddy?” She asked.

“Never better.” He replied with a smile upon regaining his composure, moving off of her and lying down beside her, resting a hand on her arm and looking up at the blue haired prince before them. “Take it away, Alfonse.”

With that, Alfonse quickly leaned down, pressing his flushed body against the summoner’s. This newfound closeness between them allowed him to push himself deeper inside of her, his rigid cock brushing against all the right spots along her now throbbing core. Her voice grew more high pitched as more ecstasy washed over her, coming closer to swallowing her whole. An overwhelming sense of pride took over in the prince’s mind as he listened to the sweet sound of his girlfriend responding so positively to what she deserved. He took her hand in his own, their fingers lacing together as he pinned her arm over her head, gazing into her beautiful brown eyes as their foreheads pressed together.

“Gods above, I love you so much…” He panted.

“I love you too…” She responded with a warm smile. “...my prince.”

Those words would be the death of him. His firm member grew hotter as it began to fill with his cum, but he was determined to have her finish first. His hips snapped harder against hers, his free hand diving straight between their bodies until his thumb settled on her swollen clit. He stroked the nub with a fierceness unlike anything he felt in previous private moments he shared with her. However, she seemed to enjoy it, if how she clung to him as her nails dug into his back was anything to go by.

Kiran found herself quickly beginning to tremble beneath him, the intense fire coursing through her body was growing more hot, and she knew she was getting closer. She tried her best to match Alfonse’s pace, wrapping her legs around him and lifting her hips with each thrust, craving that sweet release. With one well timed thrust, her wishes were granted. A loud moan snuck past her lips as she shook, her body feeling as though it would burst from the pleasure that washed over her and consumed every part of her. She tightened her already firm grip on the prince, wanting to truly take in this euphoric feeling flowing through her.

Her overwhelming climax proved to be enough to send Alfonse over the edge as well. He choked out a cry of elation as he slid out of her, his muscles burning from the intensity of his orgasm and his firm length twitching as thick, hot ropes of white spilled out and onto Kiran’s stomach. He soon fell limp on top of her, his head resting on her shoulder and breath tickling her chest. He soon felt her soft lips kissing his forehead, smiling at how sweet and tender such a small action could be.

“Nice work, you two.” The couple heard Claude tell them, jumping at the sound of his voice beside them. “Aw, don’t tell me you forgot I was here!” He laughed.

“Psh, of course not.” Kiran replied. “Just didn’t realize you were watching.”

“Well, it’d be a little hard to prepare for next time if I wasn’t.” He winked at the two.

A promise of more to come in the future, huh? The thought was certainly nice, albeit surprising that he would bring it up. The summoner found herself wondering what it would be like; how the three of them could explore each other even further.

“That is, if you guys want there to be a next time.”

“I think something could be arranged when my birthday approaches.” Alfonse told him, moving off of the bed. “It is only a little over a month away. But we can discuss it when the day is closer. Would you mind helping me clean her off, Claude?”

The dark haired man nodded in response, standing up and following the Askran over to a basin filled with warm water. The two men soon returned, each with a washcloth in hand. Both gently slid the towels over Kiran’s body, wiping the areas where they came on her. She found it rather soothing as she felt herself sinking into the mattress with how relaxed she was. The two cleaned themselves off a bit as well, then rejoined her on the bed, resting on either side of her and holding her close.

“Happy birthday, my love.” Alfonse spoke first, following his words with a quick but sweet kiss.

“Happy birthday, summoner.” Claude repeated, pressing his smooth lips to her cheek.

“And a happy early birthday to you, Claude.” The prince turned his attention towards the other man, kissing one cheek while Kiran kissed the other.

“Happy almost birthday, Claude!” The brunette woman smiled. “And thank you both for your wonderful gift. Best birthday ever.” She declared.

A comfortable silence soon fell over the trio as they embraced each other, followed by a well deserved slumber for all of them. It was going to be difficult for any of them to get out of the bed once morning approached, but that made it all the more delightful and amazing.

[halothenthehorns]

TLTNL- SILVER AND OPALS

James took the book from Lily with a happy enough air. He was mostly hoping the first Quidditch game would come up soon, considering tryouts were already past and they needed to see the team in action of course.

Where was Dumbledore, and what was he doing?

"Thoughts I really don't think of too often, unlike Moony," Sirius rolled his eyes.

"You make me sound like a panting teenager," Remus grumbled. "Of course I wonder all the time where the leader of the Order is."

"Your ears really have been saved Harry," Sirius continued as if he hadn't spoken. "Used to come up at least once a meal what that man could be up to, and that's nothing compared to school."

"I take it back," James agreed. "We might not have ever noticed if he was missing from the staff table, but Remus would have flipped the castle inside out if he was missing for more than a day."

Remus' scowl increased upon both of his friends. Their jesting was in good nature, but it still rankled him they weren't wrong. It simply angered him more than anything how blind he'd been until days ago, how he'd refused to see any side of Dumbledore except his white beard until he had it shoved in his face he could be missing something.

His friends obviously knew that had been shaken. They just weren't sure what to make of that themselves. It should have been...a relief? That wasn't the right word either, because it was too sad how down he was now with no one to look up to in that same sense.

When James realized Moony wasn't going to react in any sense of the word he decided to keep going instead, deciding he'd been through more than enough today already, no need to push it.

Harry caught sight of the headmaster only twice over the next few weeks. He rarely appeared at meals anymore, and Harry was sure Hermione was right in thinking that he was leaving the school for days at a time. Had Dumbledore forgotten the lessons he was supposed to be giving Harry?

"I entirely doubt that," Lily sighed. "Though what else he is busy doing is beyond me."

Harry nodded his agreement, trying not to pretend he hadn't been panicking just slightly at the thought of being forgotten, left alone, again.

  Dumbledore had said that the lessons were leading to something to do with the prophecy; Harry had felt bolstered, comforted, and now he felt slightly abandoned.

He wanted to laugh at his own thoughts, but his teeth were still rather gritted. He didn't want to see the expressions on those around him, either pity, remorse, or anything else for something of his past that just could not be changed no matter how much he'd wish for it, so was more than relieved when James continued without too much of a hitch in his throat.

Halfway through October came their first trip of the term to Hogsmeade. Harry had wondered whether these trips would still be allowed, given the increasingly tight security measures around the school,

"Nah, never seen the school get that bad," Sirius rolled his eyes at the thought. "The teachers are well aware we'd burn the place to the ground ourselves if they didn't let the students get some air."

"And that was the normal students, considering this lot went about it without permission," Lily snorted.

but was pleased to know that they were going ahead; it was always good to get out of the castle grounds for a few hours.

Harry woke early on the morning of the trip, which was proving stormy, and whiled away the time until breakfast by reading his copy of Advanced Potion-Making. He did not usually lie in bed reading his textbooks; that sort of behavior, as Ron rightly said, was indecent in anybody except Hermione, who was simply weird that way.

Lily started snickering away again at once, and Harry looked at her in exasperation, still wanting to demand just what was so funny he was missing? It certainly wasn't the same reaction from the Marauders, who looked more dumbfounded than anything this was how Harry chose to spend his time. Even if he'd chosen to pursue homework they'd have thought nothing of it, but independent study!

"You lot can't even really mock him," Remus pleasantly interpreted the almost constipated look on James and Sirius, "because I caught you lot doing the same thing with Transfiguration books so often I honestly thought you had split personalities."

"Yes, well, we had a pretty damn good reason," James huffed.

"So does Harry, he's catching up on five years worth of Potions that useless teacher couldn't have taught him," Sirius insisted, deciding to defend this for now, though no one in here was accusing him of anything.

Lily started laughing harder than ever, and James quickly kept going then, to Harry's relief.

Harry felt, however, that the Half-Blood Princes copy of Advanced Potion-Making hardly qualified as a textbook. The more Harry pored over the book, the more he realized how much was in there, not only the handy hints and shortcuts on potions that was earning him such a glowing reputation with Slughorn, but also the imaginative little jinxes and hexes scribbled in the margins, which Harry was sure, judging by the crossings-out and revisions, that the Prince had invented himself.

Harry whistled in surprise. "Hard to imagine a student inventing spells."

"I wouldn't be that surprised, we tend to experiment quite a bit in our years, far more than when we age and do things out of habit," Remus shrugged.

Harry had already attempted a few of the Prince's self-invented spells. There had been a hex that caused toenails to grow alarmingly fast (he had tried this on Crabbe in the corridor, with very entertaining results); a jinx that glued the tongue to the roof of the mouth (which he had twice used, to general applause, on an unsuspecting Argus Filch); and, perhaps most useful of all, Muffliato, a spell that filled the ears of anyone nearby with an unidentifiable buzzing, so that lengthy conversations could be held in class with out being overheard.

The first two weren't of much consequence, they were used regularly in all their years at school amongst the students and it was more likely this Prince had simply copied a spell he intended to practice. That last one however did catch them off guard, they'd never heard of that exact spell.

"That's really interesting, sort of like honing an Imperturbable Charm, except instead of directly forcing anything not to be around you, you're merely distracting them instead," James eyes were alight at once with the possibility of this.

"Glory I want to meet whoever got a nail on that spell," Sirius agreed enthusiastically, causing James' face to settle back into drawn confusion for that and Lily to start snickering harder than ever.

The only person who did not find these charms amusing was Hermione,

"No surprise there," Remus rolled his eyes at this continuing to be mentioned.

who maintained a rigidly disapproving expression throughout and refused to talk at all if Harry had used the Muffliato spell on anyone in the vicinity.

Sitting up in bed, Harry turned the book sideways so as to examine more closely the scribbled instructions for a spell that seemed to have caused the Prince some trouble. There were many crossings-out and alterations, but finally, crammed into a corner of the page, the scribble:

Levicorpus (nvbl)

Harry watched wearily as those around him frowned at the mention of that spell, one they hadn't used in quite some time. Before he even had a chance to ask, James gave a blustering sigh but explained, "you already saw that one in action, courtesy of me."

Harry's eyes flipped wide in surprise as he demanded, "you invented that spell?"

James frowned in confusion at Harry's leap. "Nah, did a Transfiguration paper for a sixth year Slytherin, he taught me this in exchange." He waited and watched Harry flip through the spells he'd seen his father use, only one of which was silent in the one time he'd 'seen' his father perform magic.

"Oh," was all he could think to mutter before waving him on. He still felt like there was some connection he was missing in this, even if he had latched onto the right memory for once for an answer.

While the wind and sleet pounded relentlessly on the windows, and Neville snored loudly, Harry stared at the letters in brackets. Nvbl., that had to mean "nonverbal." Harry rather doubted he would be able to bring off this particular spell; he was still having difficulty with nonverbal spells, something Snape had been quick to comment on in every D.A.D.A. class. On the other hand, the Prince had proved a much more effective teacher than Snape so far.

Lily had to fight very, very hard this time not to fall off the furniture in a fit of laughter, she knew that would be just too much of a giveaway. Thankfully she'd been in such a spirited mood for so long now, the others were just ignoring her still near constant stream of snickering, even though their annoyance continued to grow just what she found so funny.

Pointing his wand at nothing in particular, he gave it an upward flick and said Levicorpus! inside his head.

Then there was a scream.

"Well, it seems to have worked," Sirius said pleasantly.

"Wonder which of his roommates he snagged," James chuckled, he'd accidentally caught a random third year on his first try and this was bound to be funnier because Harry would know the bloke.

"Hopefully not myself," was all Harry could think to mutter.

There was a flash of light and the room was full of voices: Everyone had woken up as Ron had let out a yell.

"I half expected it to be Neville, you already mentioned him snoring and he hasn't had a catastrophe happen to him in ages," James chuckled.

Harry sent Advanced Potion-Making flying in panic; Ron was dangling upside down in midair as though an invisible hook had hoisted him up by the ankle.

"Revenge for him punching you awake over the summer," Remus got a good laugh out of that. "It happened so long ago he wouldn't even realize you'd still planned retaliation."

"Moony's favorite," Sirius sighed.

Harry yelled an apology, as Dean and Seamus roared with laughter, and Neville picked himself up from the floor, having fallen out of bed.

"Ah, well, I was half right," James's laughter continued, the easy mood flowing through the room making him continuing just had everyone chuckling even harder than they really should have been.

He groped for the potion book and riffled through it in a panic, trying to find the right page; at last he located it and deciphered the cramped word underneath the spell: Praying that this was the counter-jinx, Harry thought Liberacorpus! with all his might. There was another flash of light, and Ron fell in a heap onto his mattress.

Harry repeated his apology, while Dean and Seamus continued to roar with laughter.

Ron requested tomorrow, Harry just use an alarm clock.

"Now where's the fun in that?" Sirius cackled.

By the time they had got dressed, padding themselves out with several of Mrs. Weasleys hand-knitted sweaters and carrying, cloaks, scarves, and gloves, Ron's shock had subsided and he had decided that Harry's new spell was highly amusing; so amusing, in fact, that he lost no time in regaling Hermione with the story as they sat down for breakfast.

"Why?" Remus demanded, looking genuinely dumbfounded at this display. "He must know by now anything regarding that book won't entertain her."

Harry just shrugged, he hadn't been planning on telling her.

Hermione had not cracked a smile during this anecdote, and now turned an expression of wintry disapproval upon Harry, demanding if this was yet another spell from that potion book of his.

Harry frowned at her, calling her out on always jumping to the worst conclusions.

"It's even worse when she's right," Sirius huffed.

He agreed it was though, and she lectured him on just attempting an unknown, handwritten spell to see what would happen!

"She's got half a point," Lily couldn't help but agree now that some of their laughter had subsided. "That really could have been dangerous, or you may not have even known the effect at all until it was too late to understand something was wrong, may not even have had a countercurse ready."

Harry couldn't help but shift in unease, not at all enjoying the foreboding feeling he believed her.

Harry asked what made it so bad handwritten?

Hermione snapped that meant it wasn't Ministry approved,

"Gah!" Sirius clutched his ears in pain.

"As if we didn't hear enough of that last year, Hermione's really working to get on every one of my nerves lately," James agreed tartly.

She also concluded this Prince must have been quite a dodgy one, to be inventing spells to dangle people around, who put energy into that?

"I don't even think the Prince made up half those spells," James rolled his eyes. "I'm starting to wonder if he just heard about them and was trying to figure out how to do them himself." At least four of them so far had been common knowledge during his time at school, it seemed ridiculous one person had made up all of those and they'd grown popular in that same time frame.

Ron offered his twin brothers, while Harry pointed out his dad. He quickly fibbed and told Lupin had mentioned this spell once, but this last part was not true; in fact, Harry had seen his father use the spell on Snape, but he had never told Ron and Hermione about that particular excursion into the Pensieve. Now, however, a wonderful possibility occurred to him. Could the Half-Blood Prince possibly be-?

James tried to laugh, but the sound didn't really make it to full crescendo. Harry very obviously realized the answer to that one here and now, but what he wouldn't give to gift his son with something like this. His cloak often times didn't feel like it was enough to remind his only child he'd even existed, but he tried as always to shake off those thoughts.

Lily really was getting a handle on herself and almost entirely smothered the funny little noise Harry had the wrong parents influence for this book.

Hermione kept going past his thoughts, pointing out they'd seen this spell in action before as well, by Death Eaters during the Quidditch World Cup.

"That must have been an entirely different spell," Remus disagreed, "or at least a modified version of it. Levicorpus very specifically hoists one up by their ankle. That other bit of magic was much more..." he trailed off, not at all liking the words his mind offered up to explain such evil magic.

Flexible seemed to light for what those Muggles had suffered.

Ron came to his aid, saying this was different, those people were abusing the spell. Harry and his dad were just having a laugh, then he told Hermione she just didn't like this Prince because he was better than Hermione at Potions.

Hermione insisted it had nothing to do with that, even as her cheeks went red.

"At once proving her wrong," Sirius needlessly pointed out with his own eye roll. Girl needed to get a handle on her expressions. He only wished Lily were so easy to read, he still kept eyeing her and hoping any moment she'd slip and tell them who this Prince was, but aside from laughing at their ignorance he wasn't getting anything.

She insisted it was all just irresponsible what they were doing with the unknown of that book. Then she persisted Ron stop calling him Prince, like it's a title, he obviously wasn't a good person!

Harry deflected if she was getting towards him being a Death Eater there's no way he'd be boasting as a half-blood.

Lily let out a blistering sigh the kids had just so easily transitioned into talking about what she'd refused to see for far too long about this Prince.

Even as he said it, Harry remembered that his father had been pure-blood, but he pushed the thought out of his mind; he would worry about that later.

Hermione stubbornly went on with her point, Death Eaters couldn't all be pure-blood, there just weren't that many of them. At least some had to be half-bloods, pretending to be pure. It was only Muggle-borns they outright hated, they'd be quite happy to let Harry and Ron join up.

"Oh but of course, lots of parties would be going on during that," Sirius wrinkled his nose in disgust even as he joked of this.

"Deathday parties," Remus agreed with the same expression.

In Ron's indignation, he sent a sausage flying to hit Ernie Macmillan.

James snorted at the random insertion, and all the sudden memories of doing that with much more purpose.

Pointing out his family was nothing but blood traitors, and that was worse than a Muggle-born as far as Death Eaters were concerned!

Harry agreed they'd just love to have him around, they'd all be best pals if they'd stop trying to kill him.

"You mean that's not how you make the best of friends?" Remus mockingly demanded.

This made Ron laugh; even Hermione gave a grudging smile, and a distraction arrived in the shape of Ginny.

"Ginny's been doing that a lot this year," Lily chuckled in surprise while Harry was quick to smile again for getting off this topic, it was starting to give him a headache lingering on this.

She gave him another scroll of parchment with Harry's name written upon it in familiar, thin, slanting writing from Dumbledore. He thanked her, and then asked if she'd be going with them to Hogsmeade?

Ginny said no, she was meeting up with Dean, but would probably see them there.

Filch was standing at the oak front doors as usual, checking off the names of people who had permission to go into Hogsmeade. The process took even longer than normal as Filch was triple-checking everybody with his Secrecy Sensor.

Ron demanded why they were checking to see if they were smuggling Dark stuff out? Surely this would only happen when they were trying to get back in with it.

His cheek earned him a few extra jabs with the Sensor, and he was still wincing as they stepped out into the wind and sleet.

The three Marauders sighed heavily, more than making their point they'd laughingly demanded the same thing of Filch at one point or another, and received the same results.

The walk into Hogsmeade was not enjoyable. Harry wrapped his scarf over his lower face; the exposed part soon felt both raw and numb. The road to the village was full of students bent double against the bitter wind. More than once Harry wondered whether they might not have had a better time in the warm common room, and when they finally reached Hogsmeade and saw that Zonko's Joke Shop had been boarded up, Harry took it as confirmation that this trip was not destined to be fun.

"Fred and George already put them out of business?" James forcefully put a happy little spin back in his voice at the reminder of how murky business' were in this climate. He still hated all the reminders pouring back in now upon Harry's life.

Harry couldn't even begin to play along. Ginny had only caused a slight delay in an ever growing headache, which clearly hadn't been about the Prince, but his coming day, and this wasn't boding well.

Ron pointed, with a thickly gloved hand, toward Honeydukes, which was mercifully open, and Harry and Hermione staggered in his wake into the crowded shop.

They were immediately enveloped by warm, toffee-scented air.

Sirius inhaled deeply like he was trying to pull that scent to him right now, boy he missed his frequent trips to that shop.

Ron was just saying how they should stay in here all afternoon when Slughorn called out to them from behind. He had a box of crystallized pineapple in his arm, and was scolding Harry he'd missed three of his little suppers now.

"That toffee scent still worth it?" Remus muttered conspiratorially, as if Slughorn were here now and trying to wrangle the pair of his friends along once again.

"Nah, I'd have gone outside again already," Sirius agreed.

"Maybe come back with a few snowballs if he didn't take a hint," James agreed.

He insisted this wouldn't do, Miss Granger loved them!

Hermione helplessly said they certainly were-

"I can't decide if Hermione's lying to herself, or him," James snorted.

Harry defended he'd had Quidditch practice, when in fact he'd been scheduling these every time Slughorn had sent him a little, violet ribbon-adorned invitation. This strategy meant that Ron was not left out, and they usually had a laugh with Ginny, imagining Hermione shut up with McLaggen and Zabini.

All of the boys got a good laugh out of that, while Lily rolled her eyes. They really weren't that bad.

Slughorn said he expected them to certainly win their coming match then, with all this hard work.

"I already expected that," James smirked while Harry gave a nervous grin back. He really wanted this game to go without a hitch, it being his first one as captain.

He tried to offer Harry to come on Monday, he surely wouldn't be playing in this weather.

Harry said he had an appointment with Dumbledore, and Slughorn dramatically sighed he'd been foisted again. He threatened Harry couldn't avoid him forever.

"Try him," Sirius sniffed, they'd managed quite often in their years.

And with a regal wave, he waddled out of the shop, taking as little notice of Ron as though he had been a display of Cockroach Clusters.

"An insult on top of an insult," Remus groaned, as if Ron didn't have reason enough for his insecurity problems to be in his face.

Hermione added on even after Slughorn left that they really weren't that bad, they could be fun at times. Then she caught sight of Ron's face, and was suddenly very interested in the deluxe sugar quills.

"Subtle," Sirius drew the word out with a deadpan expression.

"I don't see why she doesn't just invite him along," Lily sighed. "Ask Slughorn if she can bring a friend, he'll say yes on principle, he can come along to one and see how they are. I'll doubt he'd want to go again after that," she finished with a grumpy look at the boys.

"After that first one she hadn't the chance," Harry reminded of his Quidditch practices.

"And I'd be even more cross with her, subjecting him to that!" James rolled his eyes good naturedly. They'd invited Remus and...well they'd invited their friends to one as well, and they'd taken to it as well as to be expected. Needless to say, there was a reason Slughorn only invited he and Sirius to the important parties instead of every one after that.

Glad that Hermione had changed the subject, Harry showed much more interest in the new extra-large sugar quills than he would normally have done, but Ron continued to look moody and merely shrugged when Hermione asked him where he wanted to go next.

No one wanted to linger in the shop after that, and instead bundled backup to head for The Three Broomsticks.

The bitter wind was like knives on their faces after the sugary warmth of Honeydukes. The street was not very busy; nobody was lingering to chat, just hurrying toward their destinations. The exceptions were two men a little ahead of them, standing just outside the Three Broomsticks. One was very tall and thin; squinting through his rain-washed glasses Harry recognized the barman who worked in the other Hogsmeade pub, the Hog's Head. As Harry, Ron, and Hermione drew closer, the barman drew his cloak more tightly around his neck and walked away, leaving the shorter man to fumble with something in his arms. They were barely feet from him when Harry realized who the man was, Mundungus.

"Oh joy," Sirius huffed. The last time this one had been significantly mentioned he'd dropped the ball and allowed a dementor to attack Harry. The end results weren't the point, this one wasn't a favorite of theirs no matter the good laugh he was worth from time to time.

The squat, bandy-legged man with long, straggly, ginger hair jumped and dropped an ancient suitcase, which burst open, releasing what looked like the entire contents of a junk shop window.

"Sounds about right," Remus snorted.

"Probably stole the lot," James agreed.

He greeted them with a most unconvincing stab at airiness.

"Wonder why he would be," Lily muttered. Harry really hadn't shown much inclination towards him for Mundungus to be anything other than passingly cordial.

He began scrabbling on the ground to retrieve the contents of his suitcase with every appearance of a man eager to be gone.

Harry politely asked if he was selling all this?

Mundungus snapped yes he was while snatching a silver goblet out of Ron's hands.

Ron had just begun to say how familiar that looked when Mundungus shouted ouch!

James startled hard in surprise, automatically trying to lean in closer to his kid in fear someone had attacked him. It was a natural reaction after all the threatening situations his kid had been in. Forcing himself not to imagine dementors swooping in once more upon his child, he kept going frantically because of that one simple word.

Harry had pinned Mundungus against the wall of the pub by the throat. Holding him fast with one hand, he pulled out his wand.

"Bloody hell, what did he have!" Lily yelped in concern, fighting with herself to jump in front of Harry and demand a reasonable explanation for this. His fierce expression wasn't giving much of an answer, clearly so outraged the words weren't coming to him, but she just knew it had to be a good one for him to be acting like this.

Harry pressed their noses together as he shouted that had been from Sirius' house! That had the Black family crest on it!

This was so far beyond the scope of the danger they'd been fearing, the burst of surprised laughter almost sounded like it had been punched out of Sirius. He still kept going though, his shoulders shaking with mirth even as his eyes landed shrewdly on his godson. "What a reaction."

Harry's anger didn't lessen at all for his godfathers careless way, keeping a focused anger on no one in here for the disrespect he saw in this act.

James cleared his throat uneasily before calling for his attention. "Really not seeing what you are here Harry. Sirius doesn't give a damn about that stuff, surely you know that."

"He nicked his stuff!" Harry spat, aghast now that no one seemed to be getting this. "It doesn't matter he wouldn't care, it was still his things!"

James still exchanged a puzzled look with Remus, who shrugged without answer. If he'd caught Mundungus doing that, he likely would have rolled his eyes and ignored the act, exactly for the reason Prongs had just said. They were things, they barely associated that house and anything inside it with their friend because Sirius himself put so much distance away from it.

Sirius decided it was best to just play this off for now though, it didn't really matter what his reaction would have been, but Harry's anger for it, and so he persisted, "well, the point here is Harry's finally giving Mundungus some revenge for bailing on him last summer, so whatever the reason, I say you keep going with it Prongs."

James shrugged and did just that, not doing a very good job of hiding his mystified expression.

Mundungus tried to protest, but Harry's hold only tightened as he demanded if he'd gone back that very night to strip the place?!

James winced hard at that line, swallowing convulsively and nearly choking on the spit. He had to remind himself it had already been months to Harry since this happened, where as he'd just heard the news days ago. He could hardly fathom speaking the words in a conversation yet, let alone Harry still casually dumping that pile of words no matter his temper.

Harry demanded Mundungus hand it all over, but with a crack, he disapparated.

Harry whirled on the spot, demanding to know where he'd gone.

"Not anywhere around there," Lily muttered. If there was one thing Mundungus was good at, it was weaseling himself out of those kinds of situations.

He kept shouting about that thieving-

Tonks appeared out of nowhere, her mousy hair now slick with sleet. She told him there was no point in his yelling.

Harry's anger only seemed to double as he howled, "am I really still being followed?!"

"Wouldn't surprise me," Remus frowned, a bit of reproach already boiling if Harry really took this out on Tonks, she didn't deserve it at all for doing her job. "What makes you think it went away?"

"Probably not though," Sirius quickly tried to defuse, more than happy to jump topics. "She said she was stationed in Hogsmeade, probably walking the area and the Hogshead is as good a place as any to do that, or maybe you just missed an Order meeting."

Harry just turned to grumbling and not acknowledging either of them, his hands still itching like he wished to pin someone where they stood.

When Harry groused what had happened, Tonks seemingly took no notice of the information but to say there still wasn't a point to yelling about it.

"Wouldn't surprise me if she knew," James gave an uneasy chuckle at the idea of her helping to pack it away instead of Sirius like they'd all laughed about at one point. Why did everything have to come back to haunt them with their jokes?

Then she told them to get out of the cold. She watched them go through the door of the Three Broomsticks. The moment he was inside, Harry burst out in further frustration about Sirius' stuff being nicked!

"So we gathered," Lily frowned in sympathy at him. She really was trying to understand why Harry was in such a temper about this, and she could sort of see it just being the principle of someone desecrating his godfathers house like that, but even then that wasn't a place Harry liked to think of Sirius in anymore than them. Sad maybe, depressed at the reminder of those things now in Mundungus' possession she'd understand, but where was this anger coming from? It was starting to wind her up as much as him for the simple fact she couldn't grasp what was bothering her child.

Hermione softly agreed, but also rebuked his shouting as people were staring. She told him to go sit down and she'd fetch drinks.

Harry was still fuming when Hermione returned to their table a few minutes later holding three bottles of butterbeer.

"I don't know why you wouldn't be, you're clearly not going to let this go," Sirius sighed, though he more than wanted to.

Harry demanded of no one couldn't the Order keep him in check? He shouldn't be able to steal whatever isn't nailed down!

"No," all four of them muttered. That really had been part of Mundungus' 'charm.' It wouldn't do to have a thief around who wasn't good at his job.

Hermione desperately shushed him now, looking around to make sure nobody was listening; there were a couple of warlocks sitting close by who were staring at Harry with great interest, and Zabini was lolling against a pillar not far away.

"Oh good, I needed someone to hex," James muttered for himself on that one, well aware Harry didn't partake in his personal feelings of venting, but he certainly was envisioning it right now.

She did agree she'd be annoyed to, someone stealing her stuff- Harry gagged on his butterbeer; he had momentarily forgotten that he owned number twelve, Grimmauld Place.

"All the more reason I would have laughed it all off, now it was doubly uncared for," Sirius sighed. "Least Mundungus would put it to a good cause, his own pockets."

Harry gave him a scandalized look and Sirius quickly raised his hands in surrender, deciding against pursuing the point.

He did agree it was no wonder Mundungus hadn't been happy to see him, that being his now. He still decided he was going to tell Dumbledore about this Monday.

"What exactly do you expect Dumbledore to do about it?" James asked curiously.

Harry just let his expression keep stewing without an answer, he didn't really have one.

Hermione seemed pleased he'd at least found a solution to get him to stop shouting, then demanded of Ron what he was doing. He'd been glancing around the room this whole time, but quickly muttered nothing when caught. Harry knew he was trying to catch the eye of the curvy and attractive bar-maid, Madam Rosmerta, for whom he had long nursed a soft spot.

"Most lads do," Sirius chuckled, "though I'd think he'd know better by now than to show as much in front of Hermione."

"Getting her back for ignoring him at breakfast that other day," James shrugged.

Hermione clearly didn't buy it, as she waspishly said 'nothing,' was probably in the back getting more drinks.

"Hermione's jealousy really is getting more obvious than ever," Remus chuckled, more than willing to play along and put that nasty business off their minds. "I'm wondering how long it'll take Harry to lock them in a classroom and force them to have it out."

"I was more waiting for them to get on with it, they'd never been subtle in the past about their rows," Harry rolled his eyes, but at least his words weren't as biting anymore, he was clearly calming down.

Ron ignored this jibe, sipping his drink in what he evidently considered to be a dignified silence. Harry was thinking about Sirius, and how he had hated those silver goblets anyway.

All four of them sighed as it registered Harry knew this anyways. It was maddening he wouldn't just spit it out and tell them what his real problem with this was, but he also had his teeth clenched again and wasn't looking at any of them. Weather he thought it was obvious enough or just didn't want to talk about it, no one was going to force it out of him when they'd rather it never be spoken of again.

Hermione drummed her fingers on the table, her eyes flickering between Ron and the bar. The moment Harry drained the last drops in his bottle she asked if they were ready to head back to the castle?

The other two nodded; it had not been a fun trip and the weather was getting worse the longer they stayed. Once again they drew their cloaks tightly around them, rearranged their scarves, pulled on their gloves, then followed Katie Bell and a friend out of the pub and back up the High Street.

Despite his hands still twitching in his lap and his face tightening more every second, they all thought he was still just on the topic of Sirius, it didn't occur to them a headache was forming again. That warning feeling deep in his gut was starting to bubble, this trip into Hogsmeade was destined to get worse.

Harry's thoughts strayed to Ginny as they trudged up the road to Hogwarts through the frozen slush.

"How random," Sirius chuckled forcefully, but was all for Harry's stray thoughts being shown rather than his lingering one.

They had not met up with her, undoubtedly, thought Harry, because she and Dean were cozily closeted in Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, that haunt of happy couples. Scowling, he bowed his head against the swirling sleet and trudged on.

"I can see how that would bother you," James was quick to jump in and agree with this, making Lily wonder if she wasn't the only one feeling wrong footed in not getting a handle on Harry's real problem. "If I had anything resembling a sister I'd feel the same."

Harry was so startled to hear that coming out of his mouth he entirely lost his contrite expression and turned to him in surprise. He'd never contradicted when anyone said this because before now he'd really felt no reason to. This time though, he wanted to protest in disgust it was nothing like that, Ginny was far more of a friend to him than anything resembling a sister. He held back though, because he wasn't sure that was the right comparison anymore either. It wasn't like his friendship with Hermione after all...so what was the word to use for it? He was chewing on this so hard he hardly noticed the tempo of his headache increasing as his dad continued.

It was a little while before Harry became aware that the voices of Katie Bell and her friend, which were being carried back to him on the wind, had become shriller and louder. Harry squinted at their indistinct figures. The two girls were having an argument about something Katie was holding in her hand with her friend Leanne.

"Urgh, avoid this Harry," Sirius swiftly inserted. "Teammate she is, but you don't want to get in between her tiff with her friend. She'd think you're a right pig of a captain."

A trickle of sweat started forming on the nap of Harry's neck despite the freezing temperatures he so vividly remembered. He could no longer focus on Ginny, Sirius, or much of anyone right now except the very real pain of his head screaming at him to pay attention around the splitting it was causing his vision.

They rounded a corner in the lane, sleet coming thick and fast, blurring Harry's glasses. Just as he raised a gloved hand to wipe them, Leanne made to grab hold of the package Katie was holding; Katie tugged it back and the package fell to the ground.

At once, Katie rose into the air, not as Ron had done, suspended comically by the ankle, but gracefully, her arms outstretched, as though she was about to fly.

James froze, the feeling erupting in the room all around them. As Harry had just said, this was not in any way funny, but with a glance at his friends he tried his hardest not to immediately assume a Death Eater was around. This didn't have to be the panic inducing fear for life he was already latching onto with far too much practice...

Yet there was something wrong, something eerie. . . . Her hair was whipped around her by the fierce wind, but her eyes were closed and her face was quite empty of expression. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Leanne had all halted in their tracks, watching.

Lily's lip was already trembling, her face as white as the sleet in her mind during this depiction, she was fighting back the urge to shriek as loud as that wind. Even without Harry's ghastly face a mask of horror promising this should not be interpreted any other way, she knew, they all did, something was terribly wrong.

Then, six feet above the ground, Katie let out a terrible scream.

James startled to his feet without remembering to do so, his body trying to put him into action even as no spell truly came to mind. There was no answer for this, his eyes only staying locked on the words for explanation, even while the back of his mind was already offering up the horror of this happening to the rest of the kids, his Harry next any second.

Her eyes flew open but whatever she could see, or whatever she was feeling, was clearly causing her terrible anguish. She screamed and screamed; Leanne started to scream too and seized Katie's ankles, trying to tug her back to the ground. Harry, Ron, and Hermione rushed forward to help, but even as they grabbed Katie's legs, she fell on top of them; Harry and Ron managed to catch her but she was writhing so much they could hardly hold her. Instead they lowered her to the ground where she thrashed and screamed, apparently unable to recognize any of them.

Harry looked around; the landscape seemed deserted.

He told them all to stay here while he ran for help.

"No! You don't separate from them!"

Harry hardly acknowledged this, couldn't even have said who'd scolded him, his mind purely absorbed on the one goal of finding help.

He began to sprint toward the school; he had never seen anyone behave as Katie had just behaved and could not think what had caused it; he hurtled around a bend in the lane and collided with what seemed to be an enormous bear on its hind legs.

Before the guttural noise could even form, a snarl of anger or fear for Harry next running into yet another problem, James was still going in the same breath, though he really hadn't breathed since Katie began her 'flight.'

Harry recognized Hagrid in relief and quickly explained someone had been cursed!

Hagrid was in a panic at once, asking about Ron and Hermione?

A spastic noise thumped somewhere in Sirius' throat, a good old laugh about who Hagrid worried about more with the order of those names, but it never even made a flicker in his mind, to focused on every word Prongs was saying.

Harry corrected the right girl before leading the way.

Together they ran back along the lane. It took them no time to find the little group of people around Katie, who was still writhing and screaming on the ground; Ron, Hermione, and Leanne were all trying to quiet her.

Hagrid shouted at them all to get back, and then without a word, bent down, scooped her into his arms, and ran off toward the castle with her. Within seconds, Katie's piercing screams had died away and the only sound was the roar of the wind.

Lily was still shivering nonstop, her teeth clicking together as if that cold was permeating the air in here as well. This was what brought James back to the room, and he crossed it quickly to settle beside her, with her son on her other side. She tried to protest, but he ignored her as he kept going still on the same breath, even if it was coming out more strained every second for not giving himself a chance to breathe in between this mayhem starting out of the blue.

Hermione hurried over to Katie's wailing friend and put an arm around her.

She asked if Leanne could tell them anything more that happened. All she could sob was it happened when that package tore. She pointed at the now sodden brown-paper package on the ground, which had split open to reveal a greenish glitter. Ron bent down, his hand outstretched,

Harry startled out of his seat as well, nearly sending Lily and Sirius to the floor in his wild grab to stop this. James hardly noticed, locked as he was to the words to ensure Harry's intent went through to the one who needed it.

but Harry seized his arm and pulled him back, telling him not to touch it.

The breath of release escaping them all finally forced air in again. They'd all wanted to shout that from the moment Leanne had said the words, afraid Harry's natural curiosity would send him off to do this, but it had been locked in place until he showed he'd be doing otherwise, the opposite in ensuring his friend wouldn't suffer the same fate.

"It's cursed," Remus said flatly, as his mind finally spun back into processing things again.

"And a powerful one at that," Sirius agreed as he rubbed ruefully at his jaw, that was the kind of thing he'd expect to find in his mothers jewelry box, not some poor kid at Hogwarts possessing.

"What the bloody hell was Katie doing with it?" Lily demanded, her voice not anywhere near normal volume no matter how hard she tried. 

"That is a very good question," James agreed, only managing the flat tone because he was still getting his breath back. He took one more cautious look at Harry, the idea of his son going through that nearly suffocating him all over again. It helped nothing Harry refused to take his seat, but began pacing the room, a deeply troubled look that he hoped had everything to do with his teammate being in these circumstances rather than remembering this happening to him next.

He crouched down. An ornate opal necklace was visible, poking out of the paper. He recognized it, that was on display in Borgin and Burkes when last he'd been, the case had said it was cursed.

Sirius snarled, fighting back the impulse to spit in disgust at how often that store kept being brought up recently. He made a mental note to burn it to the ground, and sadly that wasn't even in his top ten of things he had to do first.

Katie must have touched it. He looked up at Leanne, who had started to shake uncontrollably, and asked how they'd come across this?

Leanne explained that's why they'd been arguing. Katie had come back from the bathroom with it, and she'd been acting odd saying she had to get it to Hogwarts right now. She brokenly ended in further sobs Katie had probably been Imperius and Leanne hadn't even realized!

"There are more ways of bending people to your will then that curse, that one just tends to be the most powerful." Lily murmured to herself, the idea of it happening at all still causing her to want to scream any second. Why did this have to keep happening in Harry's life? She wished this was more boggling, but sadly in their time in school it wasn't unheard of for students to come across cursed objects, and cursing each other with powerful spells was a walking liability, and still her son kept managing to find the most oblique ways of emphasizing that in his life.

Hermione patted her shoulder gently.

Harry tried to find out more, if Katie had said who it was for, but Leanne said Katie wouldn't say. So she'd tried to take it away from her, and then- Leanne let out a wail of despair.

Harry hesitated for a moment, then pulled his scarf from around his face and, ignoring Ron's gasp, carefully covered the necklace in it and picked it up.

James shivered so hard the book nearly fell from his grasp. He understood why Harry was doing it of course, so no one else could unwittingly come across it, so someone like Dumbledore could investigate it. Reasoning obviously said Harry would be fine, so had Katie until it had been touched by skin and his son was clearly being careful of this. None of that fought off the compulsion to slap that away from his child this second, to be the one to do this instead.

He told his friends they'd have to take this to Madam Pomfrey.

As they followed Hermione and Leanne up the road, Harry was thinking furiously. They had just entered the grounds when he spoke, unable to keep his thoughts to himself any longer, he spoke aloud to Ron this must have been Malfoy's doing. This is what he'd bought that day in Borgin and Burkes.

"You're very likely not wrong," Lily passively agreed as she watched his hurried steps pick up in tempo, weather in agitation for being wrong or excitement of being right she really couldn't tell. "It does tie up rather well, but at the same time, it doesn't at all explain the conversation you heard between Borgin and Draco." The bit about being seen carrying it down the street sticking out most in her mind, this was easily something that could have been hidden away. Hermione herself had seen it moments later when she'd stepped in after Malfoy.

Harry just gave a jerky nod he'd heard her without adding anything, likely meaning he was still thinking hard about something else, or trying very hard not to think of something more likely.

Ron was hesitant of the idea, reminding this had happened in a girls bathroom, surely Malfoy wasn't in there.

"Like a bloke couldn't slip into the girls bathroom for a second," Sirius jeered, entirely sick of Harry's friends protesting something like this at every turn. "It's not as if it's got a ward on it to stop us!"

"An interesting query though, why the girls bathroom? If it was indeed Malfoy and not some isolated incident, why did it have to be a girl? Malfoy could have just as easily done this to any male coming along," Remus muttered, wondering if they were missing some significance in light of Harry's train of thought.

Before Harry could go any further, McGonagall came marching down the stairs to meet them. Harry quickly handed over the wrapped necklace. They were stopped by Filch at the door hurrying forward with his Secrecy Sensor,

"That's another thing," James said in clipped tones. "No matter the cursers intentions, there's no way that thing would have gotten in the school past Filch with Katie."

"Maybe she wasn't trying to get it back to the school, but headed to somewhere else in Hogsmeade with it." Remus offered.

"No, Leanne specifically said someone inside Hogwarts," Harry parotid, still pacing this way and that as his mind clamored to show him something he was forced to keep away, the movement wasn't helping at all.

"Someone inside Hogwarts who very likely wasn't actually inside the school at that time," Remus agreed. "Everyone in the castle was likely to be out that day," clearly thinking his theory still stood.

Harry didn't acknowledge him, afraid anything he said would only make his own mind worse.

McGonagall carefully passed the necklace off to him, telling him to take this to Snape.

They really were all in such a highly agitated state that hardly made a blip on their thoughts. If they'd thought about it at all, they would have said McGonagall herself, they just cared to much about Katie and whoever the target had been right now to think otherwise of who looked that thing over.

Harry and the others followed Professor McGonagall upstairs and into her office. The sleet-spattered windows were rattling in their frames, and the room was chilly despite the fire crackling in the grate. Professor McGonagall closed the door and swept around her desk to face Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the still sobbing Leanne.

The moment the door closed she demanded what happened.

Haltingly, and with many pauses while she attempted to control her crying, Leanne told Professor McGonagall how Katie had gone to the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks and returned holding the unmarked package, how Katie had seemed a little odd, and how they had argued about the advisability of agreeing to deliver unknown objects, the argument culminating in the tussle over the parcel, which tore open. At this point, Leanne was so overcome, there was no getting another word out of her.

McGonagall kindly asked her to go onto the Hospital Wing then, and she left.

Her expression returned sharp as she continued to the trio this all happened when Katie touched the necklace?

Harry described the rest in detail. Then he followed up if he could speak to Dumbledore.

She looked surprised, but responded he'd be gone until Monday. However, anything he had to tell the Headmaster could be said to her.

"I think you offended her," Sirius tried absently to put a smile in place, though nothing of this whole chapter had been funny at all.

For a split second, Harry hesitated. Professor McGonagall did not invite confidences; Dumbledore, though in many ways more intimidating, still seemed less likely to scorn a theory, however wild.

"I can see your point though," Lily said fairly, even if the same thing wouldn't have crossed her mind. No matter how open Dumbledore seemed to Harry, her son was still one of the few students in that school who would see him that way, everyone else had even less direct contact with him and would have gone to their head of house with this.

This was a life-and-death matter, though, and no moment to worry about being laughed at. So he blurted out his idea about Malfoy.

On one side of him, Ron rubbed his nose in apparent embarrassment; on the other, Hermione shuffled her feet as though quite keen to put a bit of distance between herself and Harry.

All three Marauders looked very snappy at that, with the firm belief they held that no matter their personal disagreements they wouldn't be showing that in front of anyone else. This was just insulting on Harry's friends part, far more than disagreeing with him in general when they wouldn't even play along with his idea.

McGonagall said that was a very serious accusation,

"He didn't accuse me?" Sirius went wide-eyed and innocent again.

Harry glanced up at him and gave an obligatory laugh, but only faked that this put him at ease as he sank down in the nearest seat, next to Remus. He was still rubbing hard at his temples, his eyes clenched shut and for all the world wishing he could sever his head to be rid of this constant pain.

Harry admitted he didn't have any proof, but also told her about what they'd heard over the summer.

Hermione cut in to remind Borgin had asked if he'd wanted to take a package with him, and Malfoy had said no.

Ron interjected he'd look like a prat carrying a necklace down the street.

"Both you boys really aren't keeping up very well with this," Lily shook her head at them.

"It had been months since that happened, not this morning," Harry mumbled in slight defense he hadn't recalled the exact words, even as much as he'd obsessed over them.

Hermione sharply reminded both of them it would have been wrapped up, that wasn't the problem. Obviously it had been something big and bulky Malfoy couldn't go around with.

McGonagall cut into their squabble, furious now at their accusation that held nothing. Hundreds of people could be in the same circumstance.

Ron muttered that's what he'd said.

"Congratulations Ron, now you're mimicking the book inside the book," Sirius pressed out an even more forced chuckle, growing heavily agitated this was getting harder every time.

In any case, Mr. Malfoy was not in Hogsmeade today.

"How would she know?" Lily muttered in confusion, that seemed more like something Snape would be aware of. The point didn't particularly matter she supposed, as she agreed with James' next words.

"Ra-drat," James sighed, there went his prime suspect.

"I wouldn't rule him out just yet though," Sirius still had a calculating look in place, still prepared to defend Harry's idea. "Crabbe or Goyle could have done this for him, if he is the one behind this." He really found it hard to believe Malfoy was very possibly up to something this year and then this happened without being connected.

Harry looked up sharply at him, but even this answer still felt a step off. Still, it did ease his pain somewhat, as always, to hear the conversation around him circulating, the true answer just beyond his reach but at least not festering as his dad continued.

Harry gaped at her, deflating, asking how she knew.

McGonagall explained he was doing a detention with her, as he'd failed to turn in two Transfiguration assignments.

"I didn't realize Malfoy's boasting earlier literally meant he wasn't going to be doing his work this year," Remus rolled his eyes at this inconsequential bit of information.

"Surprised he hasn't been paying someone to do it for him like all the other years," Sirius groused.

She dismissed them then, as she needed to go check on Katie.

They began climbing the stairs towards their dorm, and no matter how angry Harry was at the two for not backing him in front of McGonagall, he still joined in as they discussed who the necklace was supposed to go to.

Hermione said the most likely subjects were Dumbledore, Slughorn, or Harry.

Harry's eyes lit up briefly, he was so sure that was the right answer and the confidence nearly spurred him into words, but was cut off by Remus shaking his head while James had been listening the other two. "No, to all three. I'm still leaning towards it being a woman the intended target now. Why the girls bathroom, that part just makes no sense."

It had all happened so fast he'd lost his confidence with the exact same thought, back to muttering in squalor of the uselessness of his mind.

Harry disagreed with the last one at least, or Katie would have turned around right then to hand it to him.

"I might disagree," Lily hedged, twisting a strand of hair around her finger as she thought. "It really depends on the kind of magic placed upon her to force her doing this. If she'd been given the very explicit command to give this to you in your shared common room, she may not have even registered you behind her at all." Her focus came back though, and she shook her head sharply to dispel away that line of thinking. "Point is, though sound logic Hermione's using, we can't rule out anyone."

Harry could at least nod his agreement to that, though his eyes kept drifting out of focus like he'd struck gold and let it slip through his fingers all at once and for the life of him couldn't understand why.

He did wonder aloud why Malfoy had told her to take it into the castle at all.

Hermione stamped her foot in frustration Malfoy hadn't been in Hogsmeade today!

"Ooh, now we know we've got her in a temper," James huffed with a roll of his eyes, but did tell Harry, "you're being rather single minded with this though. You're causing just as much trouble not hearing others ideas and insisting on your own as they are ignoring yours."

"But you know I'm right!" Harry spluttered.

"Not really," he sighed. "I agree it's a very, very good chance, but it also never hurts to hear other ideas while you're at it. Could even somehow round back to helping your own on a completely different theory."

Harry crossed his arms and muttered defiantly, causing Remus to actually smirk in genuine amusement again. Harry sounded so like both James and Sirius with the grumbles he was using.

Harry moved past that, saying he must have an accomplice. Crabbe or Goyle, or any number of Death Eaters now he could call upon for help.

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks that plainly said, 'There's no point arguing with him.'

"That's as much as you can ask for at this point," Sirius sighed. "Letting you talk yourself out."

"Gee, thanks," Harry snipped.

The portrait swung open to admit them to the common room. It was quite full and smelled of damp clothing; many people seemed to have returned from Hogsmeade early because of the bad weather. There was no buzz of fear or speculation, however: Clearly, the news of Katie's fate had not yet spread.

"Give it a few hours," Lily sighed, knowing this wasn't the kind of thing to stay secret in the castle.

"At least until breakfast," James agreed.

Ron boosted a first year out of a seat next to the fireplace as he said

Remus snorted in surprise.

the whole thing wasn't done very slick at all. The curse didn't make it into the castle, and had a very low chance of doing so. Not very foolproof.

Hermione agreed with him, even as she toed him out of the chair and offered it back t the first year.

"I'll call that a small miracle she managed that," Sirius agreed, finally managing an easy laugh along with Remus for that random exchange.

It hadn't been very well thought out at all.

Harry agreed up to the point of saying since when was Malfoy a great thinker.

Neither Ron nor Hermione answered him.

"Glory, why is it always you," James groaned as he hastily snapped his chapter shut before anything else could happen.

Harry couldn't help but agree. His stance on Malfoy aside, why had it been him coming across this at all!

HPHPHPHP

Actually, despite the characters not, I do get Harry's little tizzy over Mundungus in this chapter. I'd have been just as outraged, as it's the principle of the matter Sirius was being stolen from. I hope I made it clear though that they just don't because they can't associate that stuff with Sirius, whereas that's really all Harry has learned to attach to his godfather, things. He barely has any memories with him. This is getting depressing, but I still hope you enjoyed on some level.

[imnotwolverine]

The marriage pact - Homeboy

Henry Cavill x OC Alice - multi-chapter

< Part 19 | Part 20 Homeboy | Part 21 >

Disclaimer: Bit of boyish teasing and making out in the kitchen

Author’s note: 🎶CAnnnnn you feeeel the love tonighttttt 🎶- I woke up with the most suitable song for this chapter in my head. Good morning everyone! 

Word count: 2.164

(Link to my Masterlist)

Dear readers,

In previous relationships big topics like; Will this last? Or; Do you want to settle down or just test the water? - were the kind of conversations I barely had until much later in the relationship. People these days have so many options when it comes to dating that speaking of things that even remotely feel like true commitment, are pushed away for at least the first few months. A simple brush over the topic of kids is fun. But what if that topic can’t wait? And if your date is okay with all that, what will people around you think?

Now, I praise myself the luckiest of Alice’s, because my chocolate cake is daddy material by every meaning of the word. And I mean..every meaning of the word - I know you’re reading this chocolate cake. And I’m glad I can confide in all things of the heart, even if was pretty scary to bring up such topics as mentioned earlier.

So, now here we are; now what? Just..go for it? Or..still go the traditional route? Being the odd ball for so long I don’t really feel like we should be bending too much to the expectations of the people around us, and yet I care about their opinions and fears all the same.

It is, dear readers, time for the talk.

Are you ready chocolate cake?

Ali

‘Don’t worry.’ Henry sniffled, feeling my hand near squishing his hand from the nerves that were working through my system. We were having dinner with both our parents. Not a completely weird thing really, especially since they were such very good neighbours, but the true reason for inviting them both for dinner at this cute seaside restaurant wasn’t just for neighbourly affairs. And I was one to totally overthink the whole situation and make myself crazy in the head for it.

Was it too soon? 

‘There they are.’ Henry smiled and got up from his chair, waving happily at his mom, whom was followed by Colin, her husband and both my parents. Such good neighbours they even travelled together. Swallowing back the rest of my nerves I also moved my chair back and got up, my hands quickly rubbing off my clammy palms on my dress.

‘Oh sweet babies! You look so good.’ Marianne beamed, instantly moving to rearrange Henry’s stubborn curl that always tended to flop back over his forehead. ‘Momm..’ He softly grumbled, making his father laugh heartily. ‘Mitchel was just talking about this new hair growing shampoo he got..so who knows..next up she’ll be doing it with him too hahahah.’ - ‘Oi Colin! No need to share ‘em secrets just yet. I thought it’d be a fancy little surprise for summer. Me..long flowing hair..a fantastic beard..’ My dad rubbed his hand expectantly over his balding head and we all laughed.

‘Sit down, sit down. Please.’ Henry smiled, gesturing at the chairs around the table and before long we were all seated and a first glass of wine was poured. Beneath the table I could feel Henry’s slightly nervously shifting leg against mine, our hands closely entangled. It was a relief to know he was just as nervous. It all seemed silly, but still. We loved our parents and it mattered what they thought and felt. 

From the look on my mom’s face I knew that she knew - not that it surprised me, she practically always seemed to eavesdrop. Then my dad, whom was still joking about with Colin. And Marianne, her eyes piercing into mine, lips casually sipping on her wine. She raised an eyebrow and I swallowed.

But, before I had even gathered the courage to speak up, Henry had already taken the lead, his warm voice breaking up the banter between our two dads. ‘Mom, dad, Mitchel, Elaine.’ He smiled. ‘Thank you so much for joining us.-‘ ‘Always son!’ Colin beamed, raising his glass. ‘Thanks dad haha. Uhm..’ He looked at me, his eyes lovingly searching mine. ‘We are both so very glad to have you as our parents..and see you get along so well. It makes it easier for us to..’

‘ARE YOU GETTING MARRIED?!’ My mom blurted out, already squeezing her hands in excitement before Henry could even finish his sentence. Okay, scratch my previous assumption: mom had no clue. Henry blinked at my mom, then burst out laughing. I felt my cheeks flush up bright red.

OH MOM..please..for the love of god. Be-HAVE.

I wish I could just melt into my seat, disappear from the others amused smiles. Especially Marianne’s, her charming blue eyes twinkling with mirth.

‘Hahah..well..Elaine, though I absolutely intend to..ask your daughter that some day..’ He widened his eyes. ‘..perhaps first things first.’ He looked back at me and sniffled as I gave my mom a most exasperated look. ‘We are actually planning on moving in together.’

‘Oh..’ My mom gulped, then chuckled, her hand quickly reaching for her glass of wine. ‘..and babies?’ She said softly, almost teasingly, before quickly taking a sip.

‘MOMMM.’ I gasped, making her chuckle like a giddy schoolgirl. ‘Oh please..’ She raised her wine glass for a toast. ‘..do not mind me. It’s the wine.’ She winked at Marianne who laughed in turn, both women clinking glasses together.

‘Incorrigible..’ Henry murmured, sniffling ever so slightly as we watched both our dads and moms having equal fun and loving banter.

After Marianne and my mom put down their glasses again, Marianne scraped her throat, her brow furrowed in thought. ‘I eh..actually heard the Jones’s are moving out.’ She said casually, looking at Colin who nodded due-fully at his wife. ‘Correct.’ He hummed. ‘It’s a nice house, too.’ She smiled at me and Henry.

The hint was clear; the Jones’s house was just another 200 meters further up the road from where both our parents lived. Henry smiled at me and I felt my heart do another swift and fluttery somersault. Would he like that? Living so close to..? I mean..it wasn’t like we couldn’t stand our parents. We loved them, truly. I could have probably easily found a new apartment by now - but I didn’t. He could have been in his Mews home - but he wasn’t.

‘We could take a look.’ I nodded slowly at Henry, to which his smile only grew. ‘Sounds like a plan.’

—

‘So..yea..we got the house!’ Henry smiled at Piers, the oldest of the Cavill sons munching away on some Christmas chocolates while nodding in shared enthusiasm. ‘Twats gwreaat.’ He mumbled with a full mouth, making Marianne swat his arm. The rest of the family looked up for a moment, some smiling, others mere raising an amused eyebrow.

No matter how old the boys would get, they would always remain boys in the eyes of their mother.  

I snickered and snuggled into Henry’s chest, watching the rest return to their conversation. Piers, Simon, their wives and kids had all joined for Christmas dinner, and though I had often heard Henry talk about such events, it was quite special to be a part of it for the first time. I had known these boys from when they could barely walk and talk, so it was all the more fun to see how, despite having grown up, they still had some quirks from their childhood selves.

Henry being overbearingly caring for everyone. Piers forgetting his manners whenever good food was around. Simon always having to go the bathroom when dinner was just about ready. Some things never change. And others? I looked at Henry, his eyes quickly peeking back at me. Some things do change.

We had survived our summer fling. For the first time ever.

‘So what’s next hmm?’ Simon intermingled into the conversation, him and his wife situated at the couch opposite of ours, the fireplace on our left, his right. ‘Well eh..’ Henry started, but was soon interrupted by Piers. ‘Come on then Henners! House, wife, kids, it’s no secret you want that, huh?’ He teased, poking his younger brother in his ribs. Henry flinched slightly, giving his mom a look that screamed; “Please mom, make them stop”.

But Marianne only sniffled, hiding behind her glass of red wine and watching her kids go about like the good old days. Yes, some things don’t change indeed.

Henry sighed and looked back at me again, the other two clinking their glasses as if celebrating victory - a moment in which they missed the silent glimmer of sadness that suddenly had taken a hold of Henry’s eyes. I felt my stomach flip, not in a good way, and sat up a little. Henry swallowed and quickly made a smile reappear on his lips when his two older brothers sank back down in their seats.

I quickly emptied my wine glass and scraped my throat. ‘I eh..am going to fetch us a new bottle of wine. Anyone anything else?’ I looked around but everyone seemed content enough as it is, even the kids not wishing for more hot coco like I half expected. Only Colin shot up; ‘Oh I can do it too dear, please!’ - ‘Oh no. Please Colin. I’m sure Henry can help me out, right?’ I looked over my shoulder at Henry and he got the hint, also sitting up a bit. ‘Yes, why of course. Ladies first.’ He gestured me to proceed into the hallway.

—

Moving into the kitchen, Kal hot on our heels (expecting food), Henry sighed, his arms circling around me even before we could make it to the cellar. Without words needed I curled into the warmth of his arms, feeling his head dip down to rest in the crook of neck. I was feeling all kinds of worried at that moment. Was something wrong? Did I miss some signs? Did I..-?

‘I already can’t stand the idea of having to miss you again.’ He whispered, hugging me even tighter into his chest.

And then I realised what this was about. After Christmas he had to fly out to shoot a new movie again. This time all the way over in Canada. And we still had to wait for the full green light on my hiatus as my employer was looking into a number of candidates, whom were right now writing a test assignment to see if this could work. In the worst case I would have to miss Henry for 3,5 months. About as long as we were together right now.

And that idea was terrifying.

Quietly I wrapped my arms tightly around his chest, willing him to feel that I wasn’t going anywhere. That we were doing this. Together.

‘I just feel so bad for being the cause of all ..this..’ He swallowed in the last of his words, sighing harshly. ‘Hen..baby. We can do this okay. See it as some kind of ultimate test for our relationship. If we can survive this, we can survive anything.’ I leaned back a little to look into his eyes. He nodded, moving his head to rest our foreheads together.

‘At least after this shoot my year will be less busy.’

‘Yea.’ I whispered. ‘Thanks for inviting me for Christmas by the way. I hope your brothers aren’t giving you their worst.’ I snickered quietly. Henry sniffled. ‘They’re my brothers. It’s their sole duty to give me their worst. And I love them all the same.’ We both chuckled. Even now I couldn’t quite imagine what it must have been like to grow up with four brothers. I had no brothers or sisters, so whenever I wanted to play as a kid I’d come over to the Cavill’s. A real manly household at that; burping contests, dirty laundry piling way up high, building tree huts with rusty nails.

And poor Marianne trying to keep all of us in check.

’You have lovely brothers - albeit a bit of a teasing bunch every now and then.’ I moved my head back a bit again. ‘Are you okay to go back in there or do you need another..?’

‘Just..’ He captured my lips for a brief, though passionate kiss. ‘..a little moment.’

I hummed in amusement, basking in the warmth of his embrace. ‘That hiatus better be approved …soon.’

‘Yea..It BETTER be.’ He smiled, diving in for a far less family-approved kiss.

‘IEEWWWLLL.’ One of Henry’s nephews had apparently come in to check on us and we both gave him a teasing look.

‘What? Can’t adults kiss?’ Henry chided, making the poor teen roll his eyes in utter disgust.

‘You guys are SOO gross.’ The boy shuddered, quickly moving past us to fetch the cookie jar. Also like the old days. Henry wrapped his arm around me to press one more kiss, albeit far more chaste this time, on my lips. ‘I love you.’ He whispered, just loud enough for the poor teen to shudder even louder.

‘GROSSSSSS.’ He said with utter disgust, quickly fleeing the kitchen before he’d have to see anymore of this sappy adult-stuff.

Henry and I both chuckled.

‘I love you too, silly.’ I winked, then felt Kal push his head in my hand, refusing to be left out after all this making out between his humans. ‘And you three!’  

--

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[konietzko-sylvoran]

You Reap what you Sow

Daily Writing Challenge Day 10 - Reap 9/29

“The Two of Wands indicates a period of personal growth.  It's a time to embark on new adventures, taking time to research carefully before you make decisions. Acting decisively gains you respect of others, and by committing all of your energy to new people, you build a path to success."  ~ Fortune Teller Caythaes - ToA 2020 Again the fortune teller’s words were brought to Koneitzko’s thoughts as he lay there in their pandaren bed at the nearby inn. While Talthorn slept against his chest he couldn’t rest, though this time it wasn’t from a troubled mind but from the fact that in all this happiness and joy there was still something missing. For whatever reason perhaps because he had no other sense of direction but the card reader’s words, he couldn’t let go of this reading in particular. That it was time to embark on new adventures. Time... to commit all his energy to new people and build a path to success. At first he had thought the card simply meant that it was time for personal growth in accepting that this mysterious extravagant magi could be something more to him. That instead of turning him away or assuming that he’d be just a flavor of the week he should commit time to get to know him and see if there was more he might offer. And he did. He still didn’t know how or why Talthorn respected him, trusted him even loved him as much as he did - but he also didn’t question it either. But maybe the card wasn’t just about Talthorn... perhaps, it went even deeper yet.  "Three of Wands. This follows the path of the previous card, indicating that careful planning will pay off. It cautions that rejecting good advice, or by making decisions in haste you will meet failure , however, success is possible. It will be up to you to visualize obstacles, and anticipate problems before they appear. Be precise when weighing the risks before making important decisions. I have faith in you, May the Eternal Sun guide you."  ~ Fortune Teller Caythaes - ToA 2020 As he reflected on his future card, this was the card that gave him pause. He knew how easily he could fail. He knew how much careful planning was -not- his way of life. He lived freely, day by day, night by night, carefree and acted on a whim. It was why he did so well in attracting different lovers because so many craved that ability to just let go and live free as he did and he always gave off that energy. But it also left him empty and lonely and that was not something he had expected to feel as he lay there with someone who made him feel so whole and at home. What good advice was he rejecting? Had he rejected anything as of late? Or was it more he was just being dismissive and not taking subtle ploys to get him to work with others seriously? Was Sharpen just being Sharpen, or was he truly offering Konietzko advice at mention of joining the Succulent Tarts. Was his desire to be in the night life again blinding him from Jiroki’s advice to join her mercenary group? Should he stray from the night life entirely considering how much he’d drowned himself in it before? Just how long would he resist the urge of the fix of drugs, alcohol and tantalizing offers to join others in more than just a dance? He certainly almost fumbled just by being asked his name when with the famed fire dancer. He wouldn’t do that to Talthorn without his thoughts or permission... or at least, he truly hoped he wouldn’t. Talthorn had never made any demands of him but he just couldn’t bring himself to do what he’d done in the past. If he gave in to that impulse or those desires to numb his senses would he stop himself if the right elf walked past him? He couldn’t afford to think such things but these were all risks he had to weigh before choosing to even consider this. As he felt Talthorn start to stir and wake, he knew the first if not the only person he should confide in to find his best advice. "With our lives bringing us to such wonderful places as of late, I think it would be an opportune time to inquire about your thoughts in really accepting one of these organizations we are becoming closer with? I know it was an interest of yours! But I don't know....everything." Talthorn smirks up from his place on Kon’s chest, ready to hear what his lover speak about wonderful possibilities with him. A genuine look of curiosity and somewhat shock overcame Kon’s face, followed by one of his endearing smiles. "This must be a small sample of what it feels like to be so in tune with your heart's other half that you both know what weighs heavy on their thoughts before they even bring it up." He said as his own way of admitting shock to being asked what he'd been thinking most of the time he slept. "I am greatly interested in those we've come to associate with as of late, I always have been if honest but I stepped away out of fear that it was only because of my former life." He admitted not wanting to sour the mood any but it was his truth and he trusted that Talthorn would never become upset with how often he spoke of his former marriage even if he truly hardly spoke much of it in detail at all. "I greatly  enjoy their shows, their energy and as you now have experienced yourself it is heartwarming how welcoming they are with their patrons and fans. I suppose, there is a part of me that has always been drawn to it. Though it wasn't till Sharpen mentioned it that I ever truly considered the fact that I... that -we- even perhaps may tantalize the idea of being more than just their audience." Talthorn mms in response about the heartwarming factors truly feeling that too! It was a lovely draw. He paused a moment when Konietzko said -we-, blinking a few times at him. The magi was so flattered with these thoughts the other spoke out loud. "Really! The both of us...? " his eyes shimmer and dart to a side in thought while his smile broadens. Why had he not thought so easily that he could join his partner in this? "Yes..." Kon said with a warm amusement in his eyes and tone as he caressed his face again. "-We- you and I, of course I would not wish to ask you to leave whatever other commitments you already have.” Talthorn looked back up with inquisitive eyes. He would address that in a minute. Questions slowly begin to surface. "I had wanted to ask about that, if you did want to join with them? What would you wish to do? To me there is no question that you could be stage worthy if you truly wanted to be any sort of entertainer." “If you so wished it, I do believe that -we- have much to offer. I learned a few things during my time with Sivandris. Not everything that came from those days was bad, and I know how much I enjoy dancing, singing even if so compelled." He admitted with some thought. "Though at times I wonder if simply being a greeter, an attractive lure to welcome patrons and entice them to divulge a little is perhaps more my forte. I admire a man who knows his worth, who knows how many heads he turns when he walks into a room and owns it. There was a time I used to radiate that energy though I was always pale in comparison to him." He said as he looked Talthorn in the eyes and caressed his cheek. "Just as I pale in the energy and charm that you yourself offer. I belong as a support role in all that I do and I am alright with that. But I would be willing to learn to become something more. With the Tarts, I feel they might accept us for how we draw others in. But with the Owls... well, perhaps it is more our mystery and the hidden potential I hope to one day bring forth. But it does not mean we can't start in the background and work our way up to the stage." Talthorn felt his heart skip at the mention of -them- being a part of something else together. A community of people, that he could really come to know that had similar looks of life. He looked ready to downright protest with the words of his beloved saying he didn't radiate! He bristles in would be words and wills himself to listen a bit more. "Well, I can accept that if we were to consider being a part of these places that put on such displays, that we might need to take a bit of time to learn what it is we might excel in." Talthorn caresses over the man's skin tenderly. "But you'll find out for yourself quickly if you were to be a greeter just how much you do shine my heart. I don't think you realize how many people are captivated by the essence you are." He gazed again with a smile before needing to shake off his enchanted stare. "And -we- would be very good at being welcoming to others, definitely." He looked confident with those words. "Be apart of the experience, just in a much different way." He then hmmed about this with some thought. "You really are such a natural with people. We both are, in our own ways. And I do enjoy the very idea of getting to help make our, and others life experiences that much better. Really live life! This would be a way to do so. Hm, do we have to choose between them?" There was a level of discomfort there. For Kon, there was a sense of ease that Talthorn not only agreed but that he thought so highly of their skills and what they had to offer. "This is one of many reasons I am growing to love you, I do hope you know that Talthorn." He said still caressing his bearded cheek. “ "Why don't we ask them if they'd accept us first, with the fact  that we wish to in the long run aspire to be performers for both. But in the start... we can only offer the skills we have now. Why you could be a photographer even if you so desired. What I'm saying is let us talk with them and see. But I do wish for your thoughts on the matter. So what say you then my extravagant Kal? Shall we embark on this journey together to see what we are to become? Owls, Tarts whatever.” "That is a brilliant idea! Let's speak to them! I can't -wait- to see what they think of us being apart of their organizations. They could very well feel like a second family. In a sense, they already do? The idea of them having common ideas and interests as we do, definitely puts them in a similar category. I can do a great deal of things, and I am sure they will be open to more positive involvements. I -want- to do and be more for this world! A way to find more life to live, and to share it with you." Talthorn spoke warmly, moving in to kiss his lips tenderly. Konietzko warmly smiled as he met his lips, happy to receive it and trusting that Talthorn was speaking in truth because till he caught him in a lie why wouldn't he? He simply chose to believe that Talthorn wouldn't. With Talthorn at his side, he could now take his time to research into this carefully before making decisions. He could commit all his energy to new people and plant the seeds to building something successful in his life. Something meaningful, something more. 

While he had always had a strong liking and fan base with the performers of the Howling Owl, their events and he certainly enjoyed them still after the festival this weekend, he was also developing a fondness for the Tarts as it was them who helped him find Talthorn. Besides... Sharpen did owe him a pony. The thought of that alone made him laugh as he sat there at the desk with four applications in hand. Two for the Howling Owl, and two for the Succulent Tarts. He looked across the table to Talthorn as they both had finished filling them out together and drew in a deep breath. “This is it...” He said softly with an odd sense of butterflies in his stomach. And as he delivered them to the mailbox and closed it he turned to look to Talthorn as he bit his bottom lip. “Now we sit... and wait... and in the meantime we decide what costumes we’re to wear to their hallow eve events!”

@daily-writing-challenge​ Some of this writing credit goes to @talthorn-sylvoran​ as part of this was my rp the night prior with him! Mentioned in the writing - @talthorn-sylvoran @sharpen-jadescythe @bread-elf @succulent-tart @howlingowl-wra @saeil-moonblade @mekandawn

[mytardisisparked]

When Sunrise Comes Early: Chapter 2

Obi-Wan didn’t really remember igniting his lightsaber and jumping into the fray, but he must have, otherwise he would not currently be Force-pinned against the wall by a Sith Lord.

The other Jedi were in similar positions around the room, save for Yaddle, who was still unconscious. When the Jedi had finally overwhelmed the Sith, he had thrown them all back, holding them with such a power that not even Yoda was able to work his way out of the Dark Lord’s grasp.

Obi-Wan gasped for air as the Sith squeezed their diaphragms harder, like an invisible snake constricting it’s prey. 

How on earth can someone be so powerful? Obi-Wan thought, even as his mind grew hazy.

The dark figure cackled. “Incredible. Who would have thought that crushing the Jedi Order would have been so literal?” 

Obi-Wan could hardly see now, what with all of the spots swimming around his vision. Somewhere, so distant, he thought he heard Mace say something, but it hardly mattered now. The Sith had been too powerful for them to defeat and Obi-Wan was just... so... tired...

Suddenly, a voice broke through, shocking Obi-Wan into full consciousness.

“Master?”

With some difficulty, Obi-Wan raised his head and looked toward the entrance of the council chambers where Anakin stood, utterly shocked, as he took in the scene.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan wheezed, “run!”

But Anakin didn’t listen, he rarely ever did. He swiveled his gaze to the dark figure at the center of the room, fury blazing in his eyes. “HEY!”

The dark hood rustled as the Sith turned to look at the young boy, snickering. The mouth that was just visible under the cloak opened to speak, but he never got a chance to talk; Obi-Wan watched in surprise as Anakin thrust his hands out in front of him, throwing the cloaked man to the ground.

In that split second of the Sith’s confusion, he relinquished his grip on the Jedi masters and they sprang into action, pinning him to the ground. Underneath the pressure of their hands and the Force, he snarled wildly.

Mace Wind squatted by the dark figure’s head and pulled the hood of his cloak back.

Obi-Wan wished he could have been surprised to see the face of former Chancellor Palpatine underneath, but, in truth, he had never trusted the man and, after his recent actions, it made sense. The only thing Obi-Wan could feel was a growing sense of horror at how close to his padawan the Sith Lord had come. The intent behind his actions was now terrifyingly clear - he planned to turn Anakin Skywalker to the dark side.

Obi-Wan walked over to his padawan and pulled him into a hug, carefully keeping himself between Palpatine and Anakin.

“Mr. Palpatine, didn’t we just drop you off at your apartment?” Mace said, looking over the face of the Sith without much expression. 

“Foolish child!” Palpatine directed his attention to Anakin, who was now peeking out from behind Obi-Wan’s back. “I could have saved her! I could have saved your mother!”

Obi-Wan felt Anakin’s grip tighten on his robes.

Mace gave Palpatine a disgusted look. “Lets get him into a prison cell with Force-binders and inform the Senate of what’s transpired here.”

Palpatine went utterly still and strangely quiet as the Jedi hauled him out of the council chambers. As they left the room, he looked over his shoulder at Anakin and Obi-Wan and gave a low laugh that set Obi-Wan’s hair on end.

“Foolish. Both of you.” His eyes met Obi-Wan’s. “I could save him, you know. I could bring him back.”

An image flashed through Obi-Wan’s mind, for just a moment, of a very tall man with kind eyes and a warm smile who was looking fondly upon a small boy at his side, ruffling his auburn hair.

The Jedi pulled Palpatine out of the doorway and the vision ended, leaving Obi-Wan feeling terribly cold.

Mace kneeled next to Yaddle. “She’s alive, but she will need a healer.” He spoke quietly into his comm link, calling one up.

Obi-Wan glanced down at Anakin, who was huddled by his side.

“Obi-Wan.” Mace drew his gaze away from the boy. “Why don’t you take a moment with your padawan and then come find me in the garden.” He glanced down at the boy, looking a bit concerned. “I think we have a few things to discuss.”

Obi-Wan nodded and placed a gentle hand on Anakin’s back. “Come along, lets get you to bed.”

Both of them were quiet on the walk back to Anakin’s room, but the emotions rolling off of Anakin in the Force told Obi-Wan enough. Fear, guilt, and just a tiny seed of anger - Anakin’s thoughts were of his mother.

Obi-Wan ushered the boy inside and directed him to sit on his meditation mat. The Jedi settled himself across from him, folding his legs neatly.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan spoke quietly, “thank you for helping tonight. You did well.”

Anakin’s eyes flashed up to his master’s, surprised. “You aren’t mad?”

“Why would I be mad? You saved my life.” Obi-Wan smiled.

“But I-” Anakin looked away. “I got angry. I’m still angry. He hurt Jedi and he had the nerve to bring up my mom-”

Obi-Wan stopped him with a gentle look. “It’s alright to get angry; what really matters is what you do with your anger. The moment has passed and Palpatine is in custody.” He rested a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You can let those feelings go now.”

Anakin closed his eyes and took a deep breath, slowly releasing it. He reopened them after a moment and looked at Obi-Wan. “I’m still kinda angry.”

Obi-Wan grinned. “I know. Let’s go get something from the kitchens and see if that helps.”

With a shining grin and a bit of a skip in his step, Anakin leapt up and darted out the door, Obi-Wan following closely behind with a laugh.

------------

Having gotten his padawan a snack and successfully convincing him to go to sleep, Obi-Wan trudged up the stairs toward the garden where Mace was already waiting.

“How is he?”

“He was upset, but we worked on letting emotions go a bit and I think he will be alright in the morning,” Obi-Wan sighed.

Mace nodded and began walking, motioning for Obi-Wan to follow.

“I’ve been thinking about Anakin’s mother lately.” The older Jedi looked contemplatively up at the night sky. “Does he still ask about her?”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “Sometimes, but not often. He mostly tells stories about things they used to do when he was younger.” He bit his lip. “I do believe he thinks of her more than he lets on, though. I can often sense her in his thoughts during meditation and when he dreams.”

They were quiet for a moment.

“Why do you ask?”

“I think it might be of some benefit to young Skywalker if we found a way to free his mother.”

The younger Jedi’s eyebrows shot up, but he said nothing, waiting for Mace to go on.

“You’ve mentioned on more than one occasion that he struggles with balancing his emotions. He harbors fear and anger deep inside. I believe that the knowledge that his mother is free would ease his mind a great deal and help open him up more to his training.” He folded his arms against the night’s chilly air. “There are a lot of logistical issues that we would need to work out, of course. Namely, how we would free her since the Republic, and therefore, the Jedi, cannot directly interfere. We would also need to figure out where she could live. I don’t think she should live too close by since that might distract Anakin and encourage too much attachment.” The corners of his mouth turned up slightly. “But these are all things we can work out as we go. What are your thoughts on the matter?”

Obi-Wan was stunned. Mace didn’t usually show this much individual care for any of the Jedi, let alone the young padawan he continued to remind everyone he didn’t trust. 

“I think this is an excellent idea.” Obi-Wan swallowed and smiled. “Anakin is a very caring person; knowing that his mother is free and cared for would, I believe, ease his sense of duty to her and allow him to focus more in his studies.”

“Excellent.” Mace smiled, the first true smile Obi-Wan had ever seen cross his face. “Lets keep this quiet for now, but we should start work right away. With the Senate focused on the case of Palpatine and his Sith affiliation, it will be easy to work on planning and executing a way to free Shmi Skywalker without interference.”

Obi-Wan’s face darkened for a moment. “What do you think will happen with Palpatine?”

Mace stopped walking and sat down on a bench along the path, suddenly looking ten years older. “I don’t quite know. The Senate will either vote to imprison or execute him. I’m not entirely certain how imprisonment will work; we don’t have the technology to hold a powerful Sith lord for an extended period of time.” He sighed. “That being said, I’m not fond of the idea of executing an unarmed man either, Sith or not. The public might feel the same way. Even if we tell them Palpatine is a Sith, they likely won’t understand the magnitude of that term; they have only ever seen him do good things for the Republic, save, of course, for his indiscretion with your padawan.”

“It is a predicament.” Obi-Wan settled on the bench next to him. They were quiet for a moment as Obi-Wan thought, an idea forming in his mind. “Master, do you remember the year-long mission I had with Master Jinn? The one where we were charged with protecting the Duchess of Mandalore?”

Mace raised an eyebrow. “Of course.” 

“Well, during that year, the Duchess would often share stories of when the Mandalorians fought the Jedi. She told me once that they used to have some sort of prison cell that rendered Jedi incapable of accessing the Force and utlizing it in any way.” Obi-Wan ran a hand over his beard. “Sa- the duchess mentioned that, when she regained her throne, she planned to destroy the devices, but it might be worth asking if there are any still in existence. Or, if they are gone, we might be able to find the schematics to build one to hold Palpatine.”

Mace was quiet - Obi-Wan could practically hear the wheels of his mind spinning. 

“That might be a possibility. I’d say its worth looking into. Are you still connected with the duchess?”

“I- ah, I haven’t spoken to her since that mission, but we were close for the duration of that year.” Obi-Wan thanked the moon for being waned enough to not reveal the flush of red he knew was creeping up his neck.

“Good. We will send you and your padawan to Mandalore to speak with Duchess Satine about the possibility of using one of Mandalore’s Force-suppressing prisons.” Mace stood. “We will need access to the device as soon as possible if we are to suggest it as a possibility to the Senate, so you will need to leave tomorrow morning.” He turned and gave Obi-Wan a softer look. “Once you return, we can continue to discuss the situation with Shmi Skywalker.”

He wished Obi-Wan a good night and left the young Jedi, stunned, on the garden bench.

Mandalore?

Obi-Wan ran a hand through his ginger locks. 

Satine.

He felt his heart start to pick up speed and tried to channel the calm energy of the Force to slow it back down. There was absolutely no need to panic. Sure, he hadn’t seen Satine since he was 19 and there had been some lingering resentment between them for a variety of reasons, but she would certainly be able to function like a professional adult, and so could he. 

And yet, as Obi-Wan looked up at the great expanse of stars and planets above the gardens, he had the nagging sense that he was already in over his head.

--------

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for the support you showed on Chapter 1 of When Sunrise Comes Early. Seriously, It means more than I can express. I apologize that it has taken some time for me to release the second chapter, but I was struggling to figure out exactly what I wanted to happen next (and also I had final exams so that was a fun interlude in my life yee yee). I have a solid plan now though, and I’m excited to share it with you guys!

BTW- I originally published the first chapter to say that Anakin was 16, but I made an edit and changed his age to 14 because it felt better. Just wanted to clear that up.

[athenaainehunter]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Caduceus Clay/Fjord Characters: Caduceus Clay, Fjord (Critical Role), Jester Lavorre Additional Tags: Minor Beauregard, 3+1 Things, POV Caduceus Clay, Asexual Caduceus Clay, Asexual Fjord (Critical Role), some Fjord/Jester and it's from a critical pov (mine), no ship bashing of course, they just don't end up together, Requited Unrequited Love Summary:

Caduceus has fallen for Fjord, but Fjord seems to have his eyes on Jester... also known as Cad thought he wasn't oblivious but he really is, at least when it comes to Fjord

(full thing under the cut)

1.

Cad had known what was happening was coming… or at least he expected that It might, he could see the way Fjord laughed when Jester was teasing him, they were preparing for bed, and Jester had said they could sleep next to each other, in a joking way and Fjord was blushing,

He felt a pain in his gut watching them, there was no way this was happening, he couldn’t like a man who liked a different girl, he isn’t blind or naive, he figured It was gonna go away, feelings like this always have, it was the cycle of life and death,

Fjord brushed a hair behind Jester's ear and they both flustered “annoying right?” Beau had apparently joined him, this was unlike him to not notice “yeah” he answered in his best monotone voice, don’t reveal anything not that he thinks Beau would care, but he just wanted this to blow over like the seasons change,

“I mean come on kiss already” Beau muttered, he didn’t respond, he didn’t need to, he had miss read what Beau was complaining about

2.

The seasons didn’t change, each time Fjord and him talked about Melora the feelings only fell deeper, they would talk about her warmth or Fjords dreams again, but he was losing track of the conversation, Fjord was talking about his worries about something or something, but he just looked so beautiful, his hair was properly growing grey, a light stubble on his face, his dorky smile Cad never wanted to see go away

“You know we could have Jester join us for this god convo, I know the Traveler isn’t really a god but it might make her so happy”

Oh right, Caduceus paused for a moments, lost in thought like he often was “yeah of course, that would probably make her happy, but we’ll get less time for the wildmother” a bitter excuse, that didn’t really matter,

“I’m sure if I have any wildmother specific stuff I can come to you privately” that sounded nice, as much as he didn’t want to be caught alone with them, he accepted there was nothing he could do about it, at least without being obvious

“Okay then we’ll invite her” he agreed,

3.

The first one or two meetings were okay, Jester and Fjord were both still mixed up in their feelings Cad could see the awkwardness in them, Fjord obviously knew about Jester’s feelings, but not sure of his own, Jester was obviously confused on both ends, she wasn’t deep in a crush but she still cared for him, and blushed sometimes, she didn’t know about Fjord’s feelings for she was oblivious

Sometimes Cad wished he was more oblivious, didn’t see into each others feelings so easily, it was a good skill when helping people mourn, we hadn’t had realised just how useful the skill was until too late, this was all so new to him, traveling and feelings in general, he had small crushes before, someone who took his eyes when he travelled into town, but it was nothing ever deep, he was half convinced romance wasn’t for him for the longest time, until he re-defined what romance was, he wanted his life to be with Fjord,

“What do you think, Cad?” Jester smiled “you’ve been so quiet” she laughed, he looked at her head turned, “about what?” he asked and Fjord chuckled quietly, “I want to invite Yasha, with her wings and stuff with lightning king guy I thought she should be invited to this god pow wow” Jester explained,

Cad looked at Fjord who seemed to have a certain answer he wanted from him, which we couldn’t tell what it was, weirdly he wasn’t able to read Fjord in this moments

“Yeah sure that sounds great idea” he smiled, Fjord looked down, he must have not wanted it, Cad felt a pit in his stomach

1.

Cad sat aimlessly drinking his tea, he tried to think of the day they had, but all he could think about was what Fjord was doing, watching him roll around in his sleeping bag, he must be restless, Cad didn’t feel like sleep either, but he didn’t even try, he was quite okay with his warm tea watching the party, watching Fjord

It was a half an hour before Fjord had given up, he sat up, looking around to see they were asleep, he gave Fjord a half-hearted wave, but Fjord seemed to light up, he paused for a moment before he stood up to join him, who prepared another cup of tea for him, with added honey and lemon, just how Fjord liked it,

Fjord sat down rubbing his eyes, he took a sip of the tea and looked at it funny, “you remembered?” he asked, and Cad just nodded looking down at his tea cup, of course he remembered,

“I’ve missed this” Fjord whispered “you and me”

“Want to commune with the wildmother?” he asked, Fjord smiled with a slight chuckle “not right now, we can do that tomorrow”

He took another sip of his tea, Fjord’s beard was getting long enough to actually call it a beard, “do you like it?” Fjord noticed his glance, rubbing the salt and pepper hair “yeah, it looks nice” he answered, “cool” he smiled into his tea

Fjord kept his smile, he seemed to be thinking something over, but neither of them said anything, they let the conversation wait for a moment

“Caduceus, were you ever romantically ‘involved’ with anyone?” okay then, Fjord was flustered slightly he never liked talking about this romance and sex stuff, must be that, but then why bring it up?

“no, I don’t relate to romance in ways, the sexual stuff” he paused but he didn’t look up, he wanted to escape into his own mind, he felt the slight heat on his face “never saw the point of it, outside of reproduction” Fjord caught himself in a coughing fit, wasn’t quite expecting the honest wording

Fjord caught his breath in a short moment “I always saw it as just a thing people did in relationships” Fjord explained, that Cad didn’t expect, “didn’t want to be in a broken relationship… or I didn’t want to be broken, I was already and orphan didn’t want to add to the list”

“You are not broken” Caduceus told him “for the way you love or being a orphan”

They didn’t talk for a moment again, Cad didn’t have anything else to add, and Fjord didn’t seem to want to continue, until Cad decided to take one for the team

“Why did you ask?” I need to know if- “I just thought… I really don’t know much about you, at least you’ve never mentioned anything of that sort, and we talk all the time so I thought… we might be pals and pals talk about stuff like that” he rambled, it was adorable, and pals what a weird way to put it

“That’s nice” he replied, Fjord took one last sip of his tea, staring at the empty cup, unmoving for a span of time

“Can’t sleep?” Cad asked leaning more in towards Fjord “no not really, had a few things on my mind” he answered

“Well we should probably sleep at some point, long day of adventuring ahead of us” he remarked, lifting up his also empty tea cup

“One more thing” Fjord said, now flustered more than ever, Cad tilted his head, last time he was like this was with Jester months ago… wait how long ago

Fjord took the silence and confusion to lean into a kiss, their lips met and Caduceus could do nothing but smile into it, he was so oblivious and it was so good.