#ohhh maeve

[jsmainblog]

spencer reid as ur bf headcannons!! ✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

requests are always open <3

if these dont make sense im sorry bro TvT

warnings: none!

💗 - fluff

one thing about spencer is that he has never had a proper "normal circumstances relationship" like his past girlfriends where either short lived bc he met them whilst on a case or yk the maeve situation

bc of that i think hes kinda unsure and even more awkward in ur relationship at first

i defo headcannon spencer as on the autistic spectrum or having sensory issues!!!

so he's a little adverse to touch.

okay at first he was very adverse to touch

all u did at the start was hold hands and a little kiss here or there

which kinda freaked u out a little until he explained it and u were like "ohhh"

he warms up to u after a while :)

just sometimes he needs a little break

in my mind he's either very clingy or needs to have at least a 1m gap between u guys

as you probably know spencer has a coffee addiction bc of the late and disorganised hours he works

but i don't think he actually likes coffee he just dumps a bunch of sugar in there and hopes for the best

he strikes me as a hot chocolate kinda guy

but once u introduce him to the holy grail which is mochas he's obsessed and eternally grateful

spencer likes to write notes for u

he leaves them around ur apartment like in ur fridge or ur bedside table

they're usually very sweet messages on how he loves you so much or is wishing you a good day

his love languages are quality time and words of affirmation

he writes about u to his mom 😭

hes very sweet and very gentle and very loving towards you

he literally observes everything surrounding you so he always knows if somethings up

communication king!!!

loves holding hands and pinkies

loves cheek kisses

he doesn't really call u alot of petnames the occasional "angel" or "sweetheart" or "pretty" but he usually just calls you your nickname 80% of the time

coffee dates and bookstore dates!!!

he lets u wear his cardigans

he would pull a jess mariano and read a book u lend him or have recently read even if hes already read it

"you've read this before?" "about 40 times"

puts notes in the margins!!

they are usually very insightful notes but you stumble across the occasional sweet words or "i love yous"

[blindmagdalena]

Hi, Amy, how are you? What are the top 5 people in The Boys that you'd trust with your drink at a party?

hello you!! i'm good. hope you're well! and OHHH good question!!!

M.M., Starlight, Hughie, Kimiko, and... uh... Maeve, because i'm fairly sure the worst she'd do is drink it.

[pathologicalreid]

ohhh I wanna jump in on the little maeve ,discussion‘ and maybe spencers love interests in general:

honestly I don‘t dislike maeve, maybe it‘s because I‘m really gay and was like ,oh she has a nice voice, I totally get why spencer would be into her‘ so that blinded my judgement but yes she is a pretty one dimensional character.

even when the writers tried to give her more character, like not wanting help or hiding her fiancé, they didn’t write it well enough? she had much potential but was used to give spencer more trauma/develop spencers character more.

I loved seeing the scene between him and blake where he‘s worried that she might dislike him because he might be weird or whatever and basically the quote: ,it doesn‘t matter what she looks like - she’s already the most beautiful girl in the world to me‘ because it shows how sweet spencer is but again used to underline spencers character.

i don‘t hate her, i don’t like her, when she died I didn’t cry because she died, it was because of how spencer reacted.

(and don’t get me started on how the writers ruined spencers and jjs friendship-)

as you said he had more chemistry with one-episode characters! I’d like to add ethan (bisexual!spencer is canon to me idc he was originally written as bisexual and I‘ll never let that go)

i mean you literally show us with chemist!reader that spencer with someone somewhat similar to him can be written so so good!

anyways I‘ll stop yapping now!! 💐

my beautiful bouquet anon!!! (i've hidden my rambling under the cut but i do discuss the implied sexual assault from when spencer was in mexico)

i totally get what you're saying when you don't hate her but you also don't like her! there was potential with maeve for sure, but the writers dropped the ball.

i would argue that the maeve arc didn't really develop spencer's character as much as it probably should have. i could probably count on one hand the number of times she's brought up after "magnum opus". maybe i'm just insane but having my gf killed in front of me would probably have more influence on the rest of my life. so, when cat brings up maeve in season 12, there's a lacking impact because we absolutely haven't seen any indication that spencer still considered her the love of his life. (the impact in that scene for me is the sexual assault implications).

the "she's already the most beautiful girl in the world to me" line has had such an impact on the way i characterize spencer. he literally says the most wrought and profound things and it's in character!

i will always talk about how jj and reid's friendship was demolished by the writers i love opening discourse on 'truth or dare'

i don't usually include ethan in the one episode romances simply because they have a history!!! something homosexual happened there!!!! everyone else's story starts and ends in the same ep.

chemist!reader is everything that maeve could have been. thank you for bringing her into this conversation. put me in the writer's room!!! i can work something out!!!!

you're always welcome to yap!! in fact i adore it!!!

[aria-bun]

2024 Fic Review

I was tagged by @m34gs, you can view their post here.

Statistics

My Top 5 Fics by Hits:

Of Flowers and Cat-Tails - Catwin fic, Flower Shop/Tattoo Parlor AU It's Quicker and Easier to Eat Your Young - Sorvus fic, s7 prediction with Half-Elf!Soren, Co-written with @sorinethemastermind Oh Brother of Mine (It's been a long, long time) - SoC oneshot where Matthias meets Jordie in the afterlife Well, you don't know me (but I know you) - SoC oneshot where Kaz bakes for the crows The Swan Upon Leda - TDP Sorvus fic, arc 3 where Soren leaves and gets a daughter

My Most Bookmarked Fic:

Of Flowers at Cat-Tails - (see above)

How Many Words I Wrote in 2024:

89,624

QUESTION THINGS:

What was the most surprising thing about writing in 2024: Probably the amount of traction my Catwin fic got. It was the first fic I ever fully completed (not including oneshots), and I found out that my friend's mom read it before she even knew me. So, that was fun.

What was the most enjoyable thing to write: By far, my s7 prediction fic with @sorinethemastermind, it has been a blast, and we are far from done!

Which fic is the most underrated: Probably stop my pain (it's crashing down, the sound of thunder), the platonic catwin oneshot I wrote for whumptober. It was my first technically MCD, but he came back to life so I don't think it counted. But yeah, I think I did really good.

Which fic(s) had something "cut" or an idea that never happened: Ooh, in And with your mermaid hair and your teeth so sharp, Soren and Rayla weren't going to be friends originally; they just knew each other from being in close proximity. Rayla would've barely tolerated him, but my writing got a mind of its own and BOOM friendship.

Which fic(s) did you want to write but didn't get around to: Ohhh my Del Bar Soren AU. I got partway through chapter one. Also this au I had where Corvus was a sorcerer who lived in the woods, and Soren was a shapeshifter who could turn into a small dragon and ended up being his familiar. Corvus would've ended up taking Callum on as an apprentice, too. Really loved that idea.

Any WIPs that never got published: A few. I was rewriting an old WoF Human HS au titled Welcome to the Playground, but lost inspo so that didn't end up getting out. There was also This Is How Villians are Made, which was my Arcane Maddie backstory about her in Noxus because I find her super interesting. I'm usually pretty good at posting my WIPs, my issue is usually just finishing them lol.

Share a snipped from a WIP fic: I'll do you one better- ya'll can get a snippet from my original story Hollowed Pearls:

Salome glanced up from her book every few pages, towards the Libor harbor. Energy pulsed through her veins, but she wasn’t sure if that was the wind tugging at her, desperate to be manipulated, or because her sister was finally home again. Her eyes landed on The Sun Howler, her sister’s esteemed vessel, with its cream sails emblazoned with her emblem; a sun with a dagger stabbed through the center. The rest of the ship was a dark wood, worn from its time on the sea. She still remembered the first time Maeve set out overseas. She wasn’t captain then, instead just a sixteen year old with a wish and a plan. Salome was eleven then, and remembered running down the dock, her bare feet hitting heavy against the wood while trying to chase the ship, while Maeve was waving back at her. That was five years ago, and those five years seemed to have passed by in a blur. Maeve would come home between adventures every now and then, never saying any longer than a weekend, before letting the tide pull her back out and into a new adventure.

8. Which fic was the one you were most excited to write: I'll have to say, my Sorvus Coffee Shop AU But after sunlit days, one thing stays the same (rises the moon). I just love the cozy gays. 9. Fic hopes for the New Year: I'm really hoping to focus less on fics, actually, and more on my original story. But on the fic front, I do want to finish up my WIPs, tie up loose ends, yknow that jazz.

No Pressure Tags: @sorinethemastermind @randomfandom-3 @jelzorz @lilisouless @19burstraat

[thepenultimateword]

Sweet as Sugar, Sharp as Fangs Part 2

Thank you @creweemmaeec11 for helping come up with the title!

Part One

The ada who opened the door wore nothing but a barely knee-length bathrobe and a pink boa. Luckily, he had enough thick gray fur, meticulously brushed and fluffed, that Maeve didn't feel quite so much like she was staring at a bare chest. His ears were like a jackal's, very long and pointed, only varying in their curled tips, but that was where the canine features ended: flat face, coonish paws, and no tail that she could see. And she was staring. Stupid. She couldn't just stare people up and down like pieces of...

Her gaze froze halfway toward the ground.

Cradled in the plush crook of one arm, so bundled he camouflaged in the fur and fabric, was her baby.

"Dio!" the ada said brightly, eyes fixing on the Dionyus.

"Finch!" Maeve cried simultaneously.

The ada's attention shifted onto her, flashing a smile full of short sharp teeth. "Oh, are you mum?" He adjusted Finch's weight in both hands to hold him out to her.

Maeve made no hesitation to pull him into her own arms, giving him a quick once-over.

The ada leaned forward, the scent of cinnamon wafting off his robe.

"He had an itty bitty little raw spot on his nose," he said, pointing a clawed finger, "but I spread lemon balm on it and since then he's been sleeping like a dream. You're different than I was expecting. Dio did say human, but he described you smaller and more deadish, but looking at you right now, you're quite lively. I can see it in the eyes, baby's got your eyes, lucky eh? I read that eyes are a person's most important feature because they're so central. They often carry the weight of a first impression. Speaking of, maybe you'd like some lemon balm with you for your own raw spots? I have lots and lots so if you'd like a jar, feel free to take one."

"Flor," said Dionyus, promptly stopping the other ada from finding another topic. "This is Maeve. Maeve this is Flor."

"Yes! Do come in!"

"We just came to pick up--" Dionyus started, but Flor was already starting back into the sitting room.

"So what is a human doing all the way out here at the wall? Sorry, silly question, it's obvious why. What's baby's name?"

Maeve glanced at Dionyus, ignoring his shaking head as she stepped after him. "Finch."

"How adorable. It really suits. Tea? I just heated some water."

Maeve blinked. A week ago she was isolated and fleeing for her life, yesterday she was trying to live just long enough to deliver Finch to safety, and now, an ada in a bathrobe--the third ada she'd ever properly met--was offering her tea. It was such a strange turn of events she could barely get out more than, "Er...I..well...I suppose?"

"Excellent! Dio?"

"As long as it's not any of your homemade blends."

Maeve startled to find the dark ada over her shoulder. So he'd followed her after all.

Flor let out a gentle huff as he bent for the teapot. Turned out he did have a tail, bobbed and only just peeking from his robe. "You know, Saren likes my blends. He uses them to stay alert on tower duty. You'd get used to them if you drank them enough. But alright, I won't force you. What sounds better ginger lemongrass or hibiscus blossom? " His tail flicked as he talked, lifting the hem of his robe.

"Flor, shouldn't you put something on?"

"Hm?" Flor glanced back at Dionyus with oblivious gray eyes. "No, I'm fine."

"I didn't mean for you."

"Ohhh." Flor smirked. He grabbed both tea boxes, hooking a couple teacups on his fingertips along the way, and balanced everything stressfully, but surprisingly well to the sitting table, plopping to the couch with a pof! of overstuffed cushions. He looked at Maeve as if imparting a secret. A particularly silly one. "Dio is shy. He never undressed in front of anyone the entire time we were in academy. He always arrived extra early. If we had a surprise drill, he waited until the armory was empty no matter the punishment for lateness."

"I'm not shy." Dionyus's feathers raised a fraction poking out like quills. "I'm simply not shameless like you."

Flor laughed, but ultimately ignored the hint, measuring out the herbs into a strainer over the first cup.

Maeve watched his nimble movements with lip-parted awe. She'd never seen an ada so comfortable in his own skin. Magnum had always seemed half-ready to climb out of his.

And she was staring again.

She shook herself. "Um...he--" Maeve nodded in Dionyus's direction, unable to bring herself to say his name like someone familiar and not a stranger only a few sentences deep into acquaintanceship. "--said you know a lot about children. Do you have your own?"

"Aw, Dio!"

"I never said a lot. I said more."

"Coming from you, that's still a compliment." Then to Maeve. "Short answer, no. But I am a chirr."

"A...chir?"

"Yeah, it's the type of ada I am."

"There are types?"

"Of course," Dionyus said. "We may look jumbled to you, but it's not like we turn out by chance."

"And how am I supposed to know that?" Maeve snapped. "By absorbing knowledge through mere presence?"

Dionyus glared but Flor continued cheerily as if the exchange hadn't happened.

"Dio is a shadowghast; if I may be so bold, Finch looks wolfbane. There many many types of adas, and despite what Dio said, we can get rather jumbled if types intercross, but most tend to stick to their own. You see, we all do things a little differently, so it's ideal to find a partner who shares those practices."

"Humans do that too," Maeve said. She stroked her fingertip down Finch's snout--smiling at his tiny yawn--perfectly aware of how she had not. She'd probably gone as far from familiar as she could go. The village called her a witch. Others a demoness. Her family favored the side of "broken-minded."

"For instance," Flor launched, passing a finished, floral-scented cup toward Maeve. "For chirr's, babies are a boy thing. We raise the kids and the mums do that hunting thing. Better because they've got us surpassed in size and teeth. Anyway, I grew up with lots of siblings so I've got lots and lots of experience. No mate yet, fingers crossed, but if you wouldn't mind putting in a good word for me around town that I'm very baby prepared?"

"She's not staying."

Maeve and Flor turned toward Dionyus together.

"She's not?"

"I'm not?"

Dionyus's feathered were straight up now, tufted ears flared and flattened. His long tufted tail lashed the floor. "Of course not! This is the Wall, specifically designed to keep humans out. She's lucky I even brought her this far, imagine the chaos if the inner city found out."

Panic crawled up Maeves throat, but she swallowed it hard before it could turn audible. Instead it writhed like snakes in her stomach. She'd done everything, risked everything, to get here. The trip had only proven what she already knew, there was no place for ada on her side of the wall. Not as equals anyway. And she didn't know if she could do isolation again after Magnum... Looking over her shoulder all the time, spooking at every sound, raising Finch afraid and hidden.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" she said.

"Leave."

"She can't do that!" Flor said for her. "She has a baby!"

"Finch can easily be set up in a wolfbane family. They're all about taking in strays. He'll be healthy and happy and--"

"I'm not leaving him." Maeve growled it, eliciting a small, sleeping cry from Finch as she held him tighter. "I didn't intend to live this long, but if I've made it this far, I'm seeing it through. I'm not just abandoning my son to a bunch of random creat-- adas. I'm especially not entrusting him to big, black feather duster who only helps as far as it's comfortable."

Dionyus shot upright, sloshing tea over the rim of Maeve's teacup as he hit the table. "You and your mutant child are none of my business. I did a good deed bringing you here, a far better deed than almost anyone else here would have offered you. Now, an ugly, bald-faced human isn't going to go unnoticed for long, so you're going to make a decision: leave the child as you intended or go together."

"Neither. You're just going to have to live with seeing my ugly bald face around town. I'm staying, and you can't make me go."

Dionyus scoffed. "How quaint. You think I'm what's denying you access? I'm a soldier. This is a council-level inquiry, and you'll never reach the building let alone get an audience."

Maeve glanced at Flor for clarification. The ada's long ears had gone sideways and he scrunched a little in his seat.

"The council are judges," he said quietly. "The big law deciders of the wall. Anything big questions are brought to them. They're located in the seat. That's in the center of the beyond, in the inner cities. Humans...technically aren't allowed."

"And I'm not vouching for you," Dionyus said.

Maeve stood abruptly, glaring firmly into the dark ada's narrowed eyes. "Then I'll talk to the council myself."

Master Taglist:

@moss-tombstone @crazytwentythrees-deactivated @just-1-lonely-person @the-vagabond-nun @willow-trees-are-beautiful @cocoasprite @insanedreamer7905 @valiantlytransparentwhispers @whovian378 @watercolorfreckles @thebluepolarbear @yulanlavender @kitsunesakii i @deflated-bouncingball l @lem-hhn @office-plant-in-a-trenchcoat @ghostfacepepper @pigeonwhumps @demonictumble @inkbirdie @vuvulia a @bouncyartist @lunatic-moss-studio @breilobrealdi @freefallingup13 @i-am-a-story-goblin @ryunniez @rainy-knights-of-villany @distractedlydistracted @saspas-corner @echoednonny @perilous-dreamer @blood-enthusiast @randomfixation @alexkolax x @pksnowie @blessupblessup @wolfeyedwitch @thedeepvoidinmyheart @cornflower-cowboy @bestblob @a-chaotic-gremlin @espresso-depresso-system @prompt-fills-and-writing-spills @paleassprince @takingawildbreath @yindo @psychiclibrariesquotetoad @harpycartoons @pickleking8 @urmyhopeeee @goldenflame2516

Halfway through writing, I realized that this is literally Flor:

[borgialucrezia]

who are your all time top 5 favorite characters and shows?

ohhh this is the most difficult question for me because instead of answering all time favs i just dump by current fixations 😭 but i'll give it a shot, here goes (i promise this is legit but every character number has two characters tied);

1. lucrezia and juan borgia (the borgias)

2. sam and dean winchester (supernatural)

3. queen maeve and soldier boy (the boys)

4. sonny and michael corleone (the godfather)

5. emma of normady and earl godwin (valhalla)

now, top 5 shows:

1. the borgias (duhh)

2. cw's supernatural (kripke era)

3. cw's nikita

4. bbc's the virgin queen

5. prime amazon's the boys

[tothestarsinvelaris]

(please no spoilers if interacting w/ this post. i have somehow avoided all TOG spoilers and know nothing more than the lil blurb on the back of the book and what i have read so far. thx <3)

{just finished chapter 60 in Heir of Fire}

OHHH MMYYYYY GOOODDNNENSSSS!!!!!!!!!

I claim you, Aelin. To whatever end. "Together, Fireheart," he said, pushing back a sleeve of her tunic. "We'll find a way together." He looked up from her exposed wrist. "A court that will change the world," he promised.

The way this man was released from his blood oath with Maeve and instantly and willingly ran to Aelin to kneel before her and practically beg to enter into a blood oath with her !!!! my fucking heart holy shit.

Like, he clearly trusts her so much. he knows that she just freed him, that she knows what being enslaved is like, that she has expressed how important freedom is to her, that she doesn't want to be that kind of queen. but he knows she wont abuse that power over him, that she would never hurt him the way Maeve did. ugh!! akskdhfkl!!

and then he tattoos her back... oh i love this so much. so intimate and so caring and gentle and special.

[hotchfiles]

ohhh how would you have done the Maeve arc?? or something similar ish

man i need a tagging system because i talked about this at length once and i cant find it

but anyways

i have gripes with maeve herself as a character but i wont delve into that right now

but for the arc: from all we know, maeve’s stalker never once shows PROOF of VIOLENCE to her, just stalky emails and calls and threats, so it makes absolutely no sense for a woman with a phd to be in a relationship with an agent from a elite fbi unit to go “uhhh nooo you can’t investigate it :/ i need to protect you :/“ protect him from what? from the stalker that never hurt you and never sent proof of hurting anyone else? be so for real right now

before we knew why she was so secretive, i always thought she had an abusive spouse, and i still think that would be better than a stalker. an abusive man with lots of power, possibly fbi higher up or a senator from the department of justice (?) that has access to fbi investigations. that would make the fact she wants reid to not help her believable

after the husband finds out about reid, he kidnaps her to keep her away from reid

he could shoot her in the end as an act of jealousy and then kill himself not to go to jail to match the actual arc ending

is not a new and super innovative plot by any means, but its one that makes sense

[thedemogorgon11]

I'm still bitter they teased us with Otis x Ruby last season. Ohhh, what couldve been 😭

(I originally liked Maeve x Otis, but by the time they got em together after 3 seasons, I was just bored)

[taahko]

every time hawkeye meets a new guy on mash maeve and i keep turning to each other and saying OHHH i get it. he fucked that guy. i get it

[plethomacademia]

Tell us about the ascended astarion kinkmeme fill Laura :)

Thanks for taking my bait. Warning for non-con elements in the set up but not the actual sample I am going to post. There's a kinkmeme about ascended Astarion forcing Tav/Dark Urge to be his first spawn. It got in my head because I see ascended Astarion as this deeply insecure being and reading the prompt I just nodded along. He would. He absolutely would and he would justify it to himself and it would be heart wrenching.

If you couple this with that Dark Kiss ritual that ascended Astarion apologists try to use as cover for him, it is somehow even worse. Ohhh, you're his consortttt. Yeah ok, this ritual takes THREE DAYS. Three times where he will make the choice to go through with this. So of course I am going to write every single time and I am going to roll around in this man slipping more and more towards being like Cazador.

Jump is for length, only thing under here is feelings about being dumped

Astarion had never planned to claim the Szarr estate. He had expected to travel the world with Maeve. They had talked about it often as they had approached the city, how they would free each other from their masters — his Cazador, hers Bhaal — and then how they would crawl the entire continent, savor all that there was to be savored in the world.

With the ritual complete, he would be able to see things in the sunlight, live without the gnawing hunger that he had lived with for hundreds of years. When he had come to her a few days after the ritual, he had been ready to declare himself to her, make their partnership final in a way only he could make it final.

And then she had said no. He had offered her eternity as a vampire, as his consort, as his love, and she had said no.

He can see in retrospect that he perhaps had not received the news well. It was a bit of a shock, after all her help to take Cazador’s place. She had held the image of the scars on his back while he had drawn them into the flesh of his old master, never faltering once even as Cazador had screamed. When their other companions had told him to stop, she had not blinked as he had consumed seven thousand souls. She had even kissed him afterward, put her hands on his bare blood-covered chest as he hummed with new power.

She had trusted him with so much, but when he had offered her this gift, she had not trusted him with it.

[dulcewrites]

ohhh Alayne being Viserra's daughter!? and Maeve becoming queen? YES, just to spit on those "good and peaceful" monarch's face!!!!

I haven’t decided just yet… but it is a very tempting story point! I’m hoping by the time I get to the second Alayne part I know for sure who her mother is. But yeah then essentially ruining the ‘good will’ Jaehaerys and Alysanne built up would be funny lmaoo

[brownhairedbookworm]

"Can it" "Ohhh, sassy! So rude, Mae~" Maeve just groaned

"You could have prevented this~"

[typinggently]

i’ve seen starqueen for Annie/Maeve before… i clicked into ur tag for them and saw u talking about names at some point <33 idk if its widely used but its cute

Ohhh thank you so much!!! That’s super cute! I’m definitely using that as well ♥️

I need to go back through my other tags and find my other posts for them, I think my A/M Tag only had like 2 posts atm 😶‍🌫️

[horseshoegirl]

So many people switched from disliking Maeve to hating Nat! Her big reveal is coming soon! We all need to check in with Jake and Maeve first, considering I left them falling off a cliff!

Bradley... ohhh Bradshaw... Somebody told me before I wrote this chapter that Carole would have never approved of Nat... she's right...

I NEED TO START A GRACE AND BOB FAN CLUB NOW 😂

Thanks for the binge-read this morning! <3 I hope it wasn't too tense all at once! 💛

Set Me Alight: Part 8 - Salt and The Sea

📜Everyone has been on a Bob kick lately (I think), so this is coming right when it should! Let's see how Grace and Bob feel about all this. Shall we? 👀

‼️ - +18, Minors DNI, Strong Language, Original Female Character (s), Bradley Bradshaw x Natasha Trace, Bob Floyd x Original Female Character (This is all in their perspective), Angst, mentions of bullying, hurt, overheard fights, preventing a panic attack, frustration, and Grace being sad and done with Bullshit. 

#4.6k

Part 7 | Masterlist | Part 9

Present Day

Sixteen hours.

That's how long Bob's carefully guarded, carefully constructed walls took to crumble after all these years.

There was an inkling the night before as he settled into his tent, a feeling that knocked once or twice from the inside of his chest. It wasn't there when he woke up this morning or during the trek here to the falls.

But the second Grace raced up behind him, everyone watching Veronica climb out of the water, that feeling returned. It seemed no longer content to sit around and wait for Bob to figure out why it had. 

Grace grasped his hand, pulling herself to hide behind his body so she could stifle her giggles into the back of his shoulder. Bob couldn't help the few snorts that shook through his body either. However, he pitied Javy, watching as he tried to console his girlfriend, who was stomping her foot like a three-year-old child over the fact that her makeup had been ruined.

The both of them couldn't say it wasn't an unwelcome sight. They knew what you had done, catching you hooking something onto the loop of Veronica's jeans, knowing it was damn well meant for Jake. Though the pair knew better than to act on it, they imagined themselves holding up a fist to the air, like in the Breakfast Club, silently praising the act of Karma on your behalf.

Maybe even quietly counting tallies next to your name in Bob's traveller's journal.

You needed a win. A big win against one of those two. They weren't going to say shit about it. They only wished, deep down, they could have helped.

But when Bradley took you by the arm, leading you way, another knock, this time harder, thumped in his chest. Another followed it. And another, until that feeling morphed into what Bob could only describe as a white-hot pain, burning every nerve in the pit of his stomach.

Bob knew what was about to happen.

While there hadn't been much to discuss, Bradley had pulled all the guys together after you went to bed last night to discuss his proposal. Standing in that circle, Bob realized it had been more of a pep talk than anything else.

Everyone already had a predetermined role—some part to play in helping Nat get to the right spot. Bob and Grace merely had to act surprised, with the rest of the group save Jake, you, and Rueben, when they eventually emerged from the bush, a shiny new ring hopefully on her finger.

It was a horrible plan, he had thought then. He knew—more so than most—that involving Jake and you in such an event would only result in disaster. He even had said as much to Grace when he turned in for the night, climbing into their shared tent.

Grace merely highlighted Nat's inconsiderate behaviour regarding your feelings, turning her back to him as she settled into her sleeping bag. The action was so absolute, so final, they said nothing else about it the rest of the night.

But laying awake, staring at Grace's back, Bob couldn't help but think about it. Grace was right. With all the shit Jake and you threw at each other since the moment you two met, Nat would have to be completely stupid not to realize just how fucked up it was not to tell you Jake would be coming on this trip.

It wasn't the first time Grace brought it up, either. Bob knew how his girlfriend felt about Nat, you, the entire group, their inability to stand up for you, and their failure to separate themselves from Nat.

He'd be lying if he hadn't felt the same at one point or another.

But Bob knew why everyone didn't, why he didn't, and why, even to some extent, Jake didn't either, even if he was more verbal about it than anyone else.

From behind the scenes, everyone tried to protect you and themselves from a fallout with Natasha. Not the fallout itself but the aftermath. At that point, he had rolled on his back, trying to figure it all out from the safety and privacy of his tent.

But who was he kidding? There was nothing to figure out.

Nat's scandal was an anvil, and her history and behaviour were hanging over every person in the group by a single thread. Even in the years since it happened, since they had all left school and Grace and Cora joined the group, it still had everyone in a chokehold.

And you were oblivious to it all.

Bob wasn't sure when it happened, but it became an unspoken agreement to protect you from that truth. So they were burying it to keep the peace—at least, everyone but Bradley. Bob couldn't say what was happening inside his friend's head, nor would he ask him.

But nobody would go out of their way to upset the group's 'supposed' hierarchy—not when real friendships and relationships, whether made with Nat's influence or not, were at stake.

You had to deal with the brunt of it, and Bob would regret it every day for the rest of his life.

No kind words or assurances could help the cluster of nerves swimming in Bob's stomach when Grace hooked her arm through his. Leading him to a section of the pond free from tourists, she wanted to avoid the temper tantrum Javy and Rueben, to an extent, would have to deal with. Seeing fish in the water earlier and knowing Bob would get a kick out of trying to identify them, she welcomed the distraction.

But as the pair searched through their books to match the first fish they saw, the first shout vibrated through the air, and Bob felt like he was going to hurl.

There was no mistaking it for what it was. Nat was, for lack of a better word, shitting on you and Jake. It was loud. It was scary. And no matter where anyone went, it was impossible to block out the noise.

They stood there, staring down at the words and diagrams in their books, no longer interested in the fish, scared any movement or action would have them on a chopping block. Though her eyes blurred, Grace was sure there were no more fish to look at anyway, for they, too, would have felt the noise vibrate against the water and would have been scared away.

At least they felt like they were able to.

When it finally fell silent, Grace nervously reached for Bob's hand. She led them away from the water through a tiny gap in the bush, deep into the forest. She didn't dare stop, walking blindly for minutes until she saw a little nook encased by a massive tree.

Its branches hung low, as did those of the surrounding trees. Each covered the space in a vibrant green shade, offering a safe place from the events leading up to this moment. A giant, thick tree root rested above the ground, and Grace pulled Bob down as she sat upon it.

Neither one spoke, nervous to say anything. Birds, the wind and bugs filled this space instead. It could have been hours, though Grace started to play with Bob's fingers only minutes later. He let her slide her fingertips over his skin and grasp around each finger until she smoothly threaded each together. Over and over, she did this, never once altering her pattern or rhythm.

Grace was trying to ground herself. And for Bob, it made everything that much worse.

It had been sixteen hours to the dot since that first knock in his chest. And while Bob had admitted last night and perhaps now that the trip, the excuses, the group dynamic, Nat's behaviour—was hopelessly warped—the truth was he had known for days, months, maybe even years.

He'd simply shoved it all deep down under lock and key, partly for selfish reasons. Sixteen hours was merely all the time it took for that lock to break and for everything to come rushing back to the surface. Because while the person he loved was hurting on behalf of someone else, it was too silent in this forest, even at this distance. 

It was the lack of you and Jake tearing each other apart.

"I think something happened to Jake and Maeve," Bob said in a rough voice, finally finding the courage to speak.

Grace's hands froze, not moving an inch. She lifted her head, eyebrows knitting together. Bob didn't meet her gaze, too nervous to look away from their joined hands.

"It's too quiet," he offered softly. "Especially after that."

Grace also dropped her eyes to their hands, biting the inside of her cheek hard. "She'd be tearing into him right now. Forget Nat. Maeve would clear out the whole damn park with a single shout."

Bob nodded absentmindedly, turning his hand to mock Grace's earlier pattern, a silent gesture to let her know he had been paying attention.

"Or she'd be running off to apologize to Nat, and Jake would be seeking us out, tail between his legs."

"Nat should be the one apologizing to her."

Grace's statement was so blunt and sharp that Bob feathered his jaw. And something in that quick movement made a thread in Grace's gentle heart snap.

She tore her hand from Bob's grip and shuffled away from him further down the log. She swallowed hard, refusing to turn back and look at him as she fiddled with a ring on her finger. When Bob went to follow, naturally reaching for her like it was second nature, she shuffled again.

"No," she mumbled lowly, shying away from his touch. Bob frowned, sliding closer once again, softly calling her name. But Grace only pushed herself up from the log, her fists balled and clenched tight. "No!"

She stomped forward a few steps, not wanting to leave the found safety of their little nook. Threading her fingers through her hair, she paced back and forth, trying to count her breath.

"Grace..."

She spun wildly, her eyes narrowing, her lips pressing into a thin line, and her jaw clenching. "Don't 'Grace' me," she gritted out behind her teeth.

Bob dropped his forehead into the palm of his hand, his elbow digging hard into his knee. "Don't..."

"Don't what, exactly?" she seethed. "Don't talk about 'it'?

Bob dug his nails into the denim of his jeans - enough to feel a pinch through the fabric on his thigh.

The laugh Grace let out was bitter, morphing into a harsh shout. "Come on, Bob! Cora and I might have been the last ones to join whatever fucked up friend group this is, but Nat couldn't give two shits about Maeve! And it's this unspoken thing nobody talks about. Why?!"

"Grace..."

"Don't!" she snapped, stomping her foot, making clumps of dirt fly out in all directions. "I don't care about some fucked up unspoken agreement! I care about Maeve! Don't tell me you don't, Robert?!"

Bob finally lifted his head, though he focused on the way they came, not once meeting his girlfriend's angry stare.

"Bob, so help me... If you say no..."

"You know I do!" he rushed out, shaking his head.

"Then why don't you fucking say something?!" she cried out. "Why doesn't anyone say something?! She's suffering, and nobody does anything!"

She didn't even know she was crying hot, angry tears until she felt one fall off her cheek, a slight cool breeze marking a path on her skin.

"I wanted to. I wanted to, so badly, the first time I noticed it. And you told me not to."

Bob did, and he always wondered if Grace resented him for it.

She sighed, wiping the tears from her face. She paced back and forth a little bit, trying to calm herself down. Because Bob didn't deserve her anger, it was unfair of her to even yell at him in the first place.

Instead, she walked up to the tree, pressing her forehead into the bark, once again trying to count her inhales and exhales.

"When Bradley told me about Nat when he was going to school, I thought she was just a phase. Whenever he called to talk to Dad, I just sat back and wondered. I wondered how long it would take and what the reason behind the break between those two would be."

Grace lifted her head, fixing her eyes on a ladybug climbing the trunk. "You could imagine my surprise when he brought her home for spring break."

She placed her hand on the wood, twisting back to look at her boyfriend. "I never told you this, but I didn't like her the second I met her."

Bob lifted his head to meet her gaze. "Why..?"

"Because she thought I was a threat. That I harboured a crush on Bradley, and I would steal him from her," she shrugged.

Bob's eyes shot up his skull. "... I mean, you two grew up together... did you... ever?"

Grace audibly gagged, adding a few choking noises for a dramatic effect. "He's like my brother, Bob. What the hell?"

He held his hands up in surrender. "I had to ask."

Grace didn't address the remark when she continued, "She treated me horribly that entire week. She sweet-talked my dad and only was nice to me when he was around. Thank God he saw right through her. The second he left, he said that Carole, Bradley's mom, wouldn't have approved. I agreed."

With a narrowed forehead, Bob's mouth gaped open, bobbing like a fish. "Wait... then why did she..."

"Why did she suddenly start inviting me to stuff? It's cause I was dating you. I was no longer a threat. And she acted like she had never done what she did in the first place."

While Bob might have met Grace through work, he was surprised to learn she had grown up with Bradley. How she acted around Bradley, bore no resemblance to a long-lasting, familiar childhood friendship. However, the longer he thought about it, the more it made sense—her closed-off and quiet nature when she was around them.

That the first time they saw each other again, all Bradley could manage was a slight nod.

"Why didn't you tell me?" 

Grace only offered causally, "You'd be surprised at all the stuff that doesn't require your input. Sometimes you gotta leave people to do the lame shit they do and watch them fuck it up on their own." 

A ball formed in her throat. "But Maeve... when I met Maeve and saw what was happening, my heart broke. And she is the only exception to what I just said."

Bob knew what was coming next. Like a coward, he braced himself hard.

"You told me not to say anything when I first brought it up. But now? I can't keep doing it. Not after what she just did to them. Not after that."

"Grace... Don't..."

"Maeve is drowning, Bob! Drowning!" she shouted angrily, startling a nearby bird on a branch. "And I can't stand it any longer. We need to find her, grab her, and take her home. Take her away from all this. From Nat, from those two bitches... God, if they gaslight anything else, they could practically set the whole fucking forest on fire."

"You don't believe in swearing, Grace," he deadpanned.

"Maybe I do now!" she cried. "I feel guilty. Guilty Bob! Cause I bit my lip like a good girl when Nat just what? Uses her? Ignores her? Disregard her feelings? Like hell, why didn't she try harder to figure the fuck out why Jake and Meave are at each other's throats?! Or how those two bully the fuck out of her?"

"Maeve wouldn't tell us about Jake when we asked."

"And you don't find it strange she wouldn't?" she challenged him. "Out of everyone in the group, she didn't tell a soul. Why? Why didn't she? Why wouldn't she?!"

Grace's heart was hurting, and she knew Bob truly knew why. He had been around them longer than she had, so there must have been a reason he told her not to. There had to be.

"At first, I thought it was something everyone accepted, you know? That everyone was trying to figure out what had happened between her and Jake. I thought tensions were high because of that.

She blew out a shaky breath, Bob not once interrupting her.

"Maybe it was a fucking game they were playing with each other until they finally worked up the courage to admit they like each other enough to get into each other's pants. Cause whatever the cause, Maeve wouldn't be so goddamn hurt if she didn't care!"

Bob closed his eyes, a huff of a laugh escaping his mouth. 

"But last to join the group, right? You have to be quiet. Read the room. Get a sense of how to act and what you can say. Cause learning to fit in with new people, you have to pick up these things. The best way to get along with everyone else. Like how Maeve runs the second Jake walks into the room? How she avoids conversations about him if she can help it?"

Grace blew a raspberry out of pure frustration. "Jake was never the real issue, though. Everyone just made it out to be. Everyone should have noticed how Maeve bit her tongue as Nat walked over her opinions. How Nat derails conversations, not just where Maeve is concerned, but practically with everyone to make it about her."

Grace laughed, shaking her head. "She got the brunt of all of it, and we just... watched."

Grace finally approached Bob, standing before him, though he didn't lift his head from where it hung low on his shoulders. Had he chosen to look up, he would have noticed how the sun finally peeked through the leaves, beams of light breaking the shade, leaving Grace in their spotlight. 

"I meant, she invites us all on this trip so we can watch her get proposed to? And she doesn't bother to tell her that Jake is coming along, too? I mean... how selfish can she get?!"

"Grace, this isn't going to solve..."

"WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?!" she yelled, throwing her hands at the sky. "That ship left the fucking dock ages ago."

Bob's eyes fixed on a leaf stuck under a fallen branch at her words. Grace knew from that reaction alone that she had resonated with something within his kind, caring soul.

"I just... can't... I can't anymore, Bob. If I'm the first to take the leap and break up this group, then good fucking riddance. It needs to be done so we all can get some peace."

She slid to her knees in the dirt in front of him, her hands resting firmly on the sides of his thighs.

"How many years have Nat and Maeve known each other, and not once did Nat realize how hard her supposed best friend had been falling? How could she not recognize that, Bob? And how could she continue to force Jake and Maeve together when Maeve just wanted to escape?"

She reached forward to cup his cheek, guiding his gaze to meet hers. While silent rage resonated within them, Bob knew it wasn't meant for him.

"Why did you tell me to be quiet that first time I brought this up? Why do you still tell me, too?"

Bob gulped, forcing his eyes away. Grace stroked her thumb under his eye, encouraging him on. "I don't know what happened, baby, but I don't think it will be all sunshine and rainbows when we return to the group. Not this time. Just tell me, please."

Bob blew out a shakey breath and shook his head. "Because I wanted you to stay."

"Stay?"

He had contemplated all the reasons, stacking them up brick by brick last night, refusing to acknowledge the leverage Natasha could have used against him. But Bob had damned himself with that one word.

Stay—He wanted Grace to stay. Because if he brought this up, if he told her, there was a chance she wouldn't—at least, there was a possibility.

He lifted his chin, staring into her eyes.

Nat's so-called leverage was kneeling in front of him, begging him to tell her the truth. Her eyes were desperate, so much so that Bob knew he was possibly damned if he did and undoubtedly damned if he did not. Grace had chosen her path, and he would steadfastly follow her wherever she decided to go. 

There was no ever questioning that.

Bob reached for her sides, pulling Grace close between his spread legs. She let him, hands landing softly on his biceps before they slid down to his forearms. Bob traded his grip on her jacket to hold her hands, only to trace the same pattern she had a few minutes before.

He braced himself and took several sharp breaths before asking, "Did anyone ever tell you about Natasha's so-called scandal? Back in school?"

Grace cocked an eyebrow. "Only what Maeve's told me. Bradley and I weren't on speaking terms, and he'd never tell Dad if she had one. Though, Maeve didn't even know the complete story."

She let Bob turn her hand over and trace the lines on the palm of her hand. "But she shut me down hard after that. Saying Nat worked to put it behind her and move on, so we all should, too."

Bob scoffed. "Always protecting her."

"Bob?"

Bob hesitated, his gaze flickering away from Grace's expectant eyes. He swallowed hard, the reluctance clear in his tight jaw. Then he closed his eyes, leaning over to whisper in her ear, his voice cautious but a whisper.

Grace's eyes widened, and a gasp slipped through her parted lips at his words. She could hardly breathe as he told her the story. And when he was finished, she tilted so far back on her heels in shock that she almost fell onto her butt.

"Bob! What the hell? After everything I just told you?!"

Bob still hadn't opened his eyes, his head hung low in shame.

"I would have never left you over that! Over complete and utter bullshit? Who do you think I'd believe more? Her or my boyfriend?"

"I didn't know. I didn't want to risk losing you."

"You listen here, Bob Floyd," Grace urged, grabbing his face with both hands and forcing him to look at her. "I'm in a relationship with you. I love you. I would have never believed her if she had done that to us."

He kissed the inside of Grace's wrist, a deep weight lifting off his chest.

"God, I want to throttle her."

"I think that's why everyone doesn't call her out. Cause they don't want it to happen to them. Or at least, deep down, I never did 'cause I didn't want Maeve or Bradley to be alone with..."

Grace nodded, letting Bob know he did not need to continue explaining.

"We should try to find her, Bob. Let her know we love her and that we'd follow her. I have no idea if anyone else would besides Mickey and Cora. Hell, I'd even offer to leave with her and get drunk on her Aunt's apple cider 'cause this whole damn trip was a bad idea."

Bob huffed a sad laugh. "It is apple picking season. I bet she'd love it if we went with her."

Grace snorted. "You just want free apples so I can make my apple crisp."

With the tension from before gone and the weight of Bob's chest finally disappearing with his confession, he joked comedically, "Ssshh, don't jinx it."

Grace rolled her eyes, letting the moment pass before offering quietly, "Where do you think she is? Maeve?"

Bob regarded her for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "Considering the lack of voices, Maeve's probably tried to separate herself. Or she made a rash decision and decided to leave alone."

Grace gasped. "What about Jake?"

"Jake ... I bet 50 bucks Jake ran after her regardless."

Her face contorted into one of disgust. "What? Why? Can he not leave her alone for once in his life?"

Bob stood, wiping his hands on his jeans, before extending a hand to Grace. She took it without another word and allowed him to guide her up and off the tree. He revealed yet another truth as he helped her step over the massive root.

"Remember when I went with Bradley and Jake before Maeve hurt her wrist? Jake wanted to show us a fishing spot...?"

Grace winced. When Bob told her what happened, she instantly regretted not being out there with you. Hold up in her tent, she had been working on plans for a museum exhibit. Even if she had to do a little work, she could have at least done it in the company of a friend.

"I found out Bradley's been trying to coach Jake into mending things with Maeve. We might have been giving him some... advice."

Grace froze with her two feet atop the curved piece of wood.

"What!!?" she shrieked, making Bob wince. "Please tell me you weren't the one who encouraged him to keep up the prank thing. Bob, if you told him to scream 'there's a Bear..'."

"It wasn't me! Nor was it Bradley! We just told him to try to talk to her without anyone around. Cause things seem to go to shit when everyone else is there. He just needed to incite her to stay. Make her laugh. Talk to her like a human being!"

"Men," she scoffed, jumping down off the root. "Never go to a group of idiots to do a woman's job."

Bob froze, eyeing her carefully. "Are you calling me an idiot?"

Grace smiled, reaching up to stroke across his cheek. She kissed his lips with a quick peck and leaned back. "Hmm... my idiot, though."

She took several steps back towards the falls when she called out over her shoulder to a befuddled Bob. "You realize if we locked them in a room or trapped them in an elevator, with nobody else around, they'd probably figure it out?"

"How so?" he called back, finally following her.

"Jake obviously wants to fix it. Maeve runs. All you need to do is stop her from running. She'll give in if you provoke her enough, which Jake already does."

Bob paused, reflecting for a moment. "He doesn't think when it comes to her, does he?"

"Does she?"

When they emerged from the bush, Bob and Grace ran to the first person they saw, hoping at least someone saw either you or Jake. Nobody had. Not until a few minutes later did a couple mention seeing someone bearing your resemblance climbing the waterfall. They also mentioned seeing someone who looked like Nat go up, but she had already come back down.

Grace stared at them in horror. "I'll go get Mickey and Cora," she rushed out quickly, leaving Bob alone to start the trek up the rocky slope. As he did, a million thoughts crossed his mind.

Finding you and Jake tearing each other apart, hoping Mickey and Cora's skills weren't needed. Or the more stupidly optimistic thought - either of you was trying to find a few moments of peace.

As if.

Or perhaps it was none of those things. Maybe what awaited him above was something far worse than he could ever fathom.

But when he reached the top of the falls, neither you nor Jake were there, and Bob didn't spare the effort to take in the view. Instead, he searched the ground, kneeling when he spied several tracks in the mud.

Two sets, both inherently female, were marked along the river bank in the mud. Bob's eyes followed them until he saw a separate path of them walking back. Then he noticed another pair of tracks, the boot tread clearly belonging to a man. They followed one of the other tracks, veering quickly off into the bushes. They were noticeably disturbed, leaves and branches bent unnaturally, and the longer he followed the underbrush and mud, the more he understood what happened to the two of you.

Bob set off, knowing just exactly where he needed to go.

Can I just say I love Bob and Grace?

Tag List:

@desert-fern @startrekfangirl2233 @sarahsmi13s @kmc1989 @fanficfandomlove @hookslove1592 @dakotakazansky

@teacupsandtopgun @lynnevanss @dizzybee03 @keyrani

@shanimallina87 @wildxwidow @dempy @stargazer-88 @alldaysdreamer @the-dark-and-mystery @bookchik15

@atarmychick007 @trickphotography2 @tinytotontheoversizedpony @buckysteveloki-me @wretchedmo

@redbarn1995 @a-court-of-roscoe-and-baby @yuckosworld @wren5650 @mrsevans90 @bellaireland1981 @tgmreader

@halibshepherd @essie1876 @formulafun @memoriesat30 @vicsnook @memoriesat30 @eclecticfashionbookszipper @boisewaffles @eloquentdreamer @jessicab1991

And for those who've been following along:

@i-wanna-be-your-muse @djs8891 @gigisimsonmars @blue-aconite @wildlyfreemoon @eli2447 @rascallyrascalreads @djs8891

[tothestarsinvelaris]

(please no spoilers if interacting w/ this post. i have somehow avoided all TOG spoilers and know nothing more than the lil blurb on the back of the book and what i have read so far. thx <3)

{just finished chapter 14 in Kingdom of Ash}

some random thoughts so far

Gavriel having such dad behavior makes me so happy omfg. the way he takes care of Elide is adorable. We love daddy Gavriel.

Rowan is on a fucking rampage to get his girl back and I am all here for it. kill the gods to spend forever with your wife, prince, lets fucking go

I will never give up on Lorcan idc idc idc idc. I wish he could just explain it all to Elide and make it better :(

Aelin's chapters are honestly so fucking hard to read. the torture is gut wrenching. The way Fenrys has to sit there and watch, but gives those little blinks to Aelin to help her stay strong ugh. Maeve is the worst. to make Connall kill himself in front of Fenrys.... ohhh my heart... I just want to hug them both...

Aedion being so stubborn with Lysandra breaks my damn heart omfg boy put your pride aside and get your girl back omggggg!!

Dorian is so fucking sexy I cannot get over it wtf. The way that he and Manon are in a little dominance war, the way she loves it when he uses his king voice (girl same). how Dorian is so powerful with his magic, but he's surrounded by the most insanely badass war-trained women ever oooh man

I fear my heart will be ripped out and stomped on before this book is over...