#one of the eggs was a weird puzzle that i THOUGHT i needed the water monster's help for but i couldn't figure out how to get it to help me

[dravidious]

You're more amazing than drama

Booted up Cavern of Dreams for the first time in too long and immediately found and 100%'ed the 2nd world (Airborne Armada)

[klaprisun]

One Sunny Day

(Stardew Valley) (Haley x Female Farmer)

Chapter 9

For the rest of the afternoon, I went out fishing at the beach. I got used to being in the rain, so I decided to make some use out of the day and do something useful. Plus, I spent the rest of my cash on a hat from a mouse so I need to make more. I hear the fish bite well in Pelican Town, and a man named Willy will pay good money for what I catch. That or I could ship them out by putting them in the shipping box by my house.

By the time I had my fill of fishing, it was too late to bring them to Willy, so I decided to just bring the bucket home and ship them off.

I was feeling exhausted once again by the time I made it home. I really need to build my stamina on this farm if I get worn out by a little fishing. Or maybe I should bring a snack next time?

Later that night, while I tried to fall asleep, I couldn’t stop the overwhelming amount of thoughts going through my head.

Why did she kick me out all of a sudden? What did I do to upset her?

I couldn’t stop thinking about Haley. She has been a weird one since I moved here, but Elliot says she isn’t usually like this? 

With each toss and turn in the night, I just couldn’t fall asleep. As tired as I was, my body just wouldn’t let me pass out. I decide to get out of bed and rummage around in the snacks I bought from Pierre’s. I ended up putting the bags on the floor after all because I never did get anything to put them in.

I slump down to the floor and lean against the wall in sorrow while slowly chewing my bite of plain bread. 

I hadn’t even noticed, but I managed to finally get to sleep after finishing half a loaf of bread. I had startled myself with waking up on the floor against the wall because that’s not something I normally do.

Looking across the house and out the window, it is a beautiful sunny day. A perfect day to grab those overalls and water my crops. Tossing on some work clothes, I ran outside with the watering can, eager to get the day started.

The flag on my mailbox stands high and mighty this morning, signaling I have received more mail. Reaching in, I pull out the letter that was stuffed in it.

Tomorrow we’re holding the Egg Festival in town square.

You should arrive between 9am and 2pm if you’d like to attend. You wouldn’t want to miss the annual egg hunt!

-Mayor Lewis

“That will be interesting. Hopefully I don’t sleep in.” I fold the letter up and toss it in my pocket. I also notice there is an envelope of cash sitting in the mailbox as well. It was my payment for the bunch of fish I put in last night. “I’ll make sure to put that away later,” I made a mental note.

Now it’s time to water those crops. Already, I notice they are sprouting out of the soil. I must’ve done something right then if they’ve gotten this far.

5 cans of water later, the crops are all watered and refreshed. I had also tossed my overalls back in my house too before it decides to rain again. 

Fishing sounds like a great idea again to pass the time, so I walk my way back to the beach, but when I arrive, Haley is standing alone in the sand. She seems to be crying.

“Hey Haley. What’s wrong?” I inquire as I approach her.

“I lost my grandmother’s bracelet she gave me. I had it here with me on the beach, and now it’s gone,” She breaks out into sobs as she previously was before I showed up.

“I’m really sorry…” I try to console her.

She sighs, “Maybe it'll wash up on another shore. I can't bear to think of it at the bottom of the ocean."

Before she can say anything else, I take off strolling across the beach. Haley stares after me, remaining in place.

“Where are you going?” she questions. She is no longer crying, instead she has a puzzled look as she watches me.

I walk backwards to look at her, hands in my pockets, and give her a nonchalant shrug and smile. I am going to look for her bracelet.

I scan every inch of the sand as well as along the shoreline. I can’t manage to find it until I walk around the right side of Elliot’s beach cabin. Haley can’t see me from here, but I bend over and pick something up.

She is still watching me as I walk back to her across the beach, hands still placed in my pocket. She just frowns at me as I give her a smug smile. 

Taking my hand out of my pocket, I open my fingers and lay my hand open flat, revealing a golden bracelet with a blue gem.

Haley gasps at the sight of it and scoops it up immediately. Holding the bracelet tight in her hand, she jumps up and wraps her arms around my neck.

“Thank you so much. I won’t forget what you’ve done for me,” she mutters softly. The hug had me taken aback. It took me a moment to process, but when I finally understood what was happening, I wrapped my arms around her to return the hug.

“May I ask what you were doing over there?” I chuckle

“I saw a really nice shell. I had to go pick it up and look at it,” she replies sheepishly.

We continue hugging for a little bit longer, neither of us breaking apart. It leaves me extra confused when I think about our last interaction.

She finally pulls back from me when she realizes how long she spent hugging me. I look down at her to see if I can judge how she is feeling and she shyly tucks a piece of her beautiful, golden hair behind her ear. She isn’t making eye contact with me though, she is too busy looking at the ground.

“Anyways, I’ll see you at the Egg Festival tomorrow, right?” she asks.

“Of course you will. We always end up seeing each other, don’t we?” I remark sarcastically.

“You’re not as funny as you think you are. You do realize that?” she chirps back playfully.

“I like to think I’m pretty funny.”

“Is that why girls always fall in love with you?” 

“Pardon me?” I am visibly taken aback from her comment.

“I overheard you talking to Elliot the other day…sorry,” she smacks herself in the forehead as if the previous words just slipped out of her mouth by accident.

I try to ease her embarrassment by giving her a genuine response, “I mean… It probably is the reason a girl would like me, yeah. Among others I hope. I don’t want to be their personal comedian. I don’t have anyone to ask though so I guess I’ll never know.”

“No one to ask? You haven’t dated anyone before?”

“Nope. No one. Had a few one night stands though…” I trail off as I notice Haley’s face drop, “...umm… what’s that face for?”

She takes another step back from me and I see her eyes start watering. She quickly wipes them away hoping I didn’t notice and clears her throat. “What face? I didn’t make a face. You’re seeing things,” she is now acting as if she has been as cool as a cucumber this whole time.

I scratch my head awkwardly, unsure of what to say next. I finally landed on flipping the conversation back to her, “What about you? What’s your love life like? You and Alex seem pretty close.”

That was a big mistake. The tears start welling up along her waterline and they manage to escape this time. 

“It’s complicated.” is all she spits out.

“Trouble in paradise?” I respond empathetically. I try to place a hand on her shoulder and she pushes it away. 

“You could say that.”

Taking the hints, I decided to stop prying and changed the topic immediately, “We are supposed to have great weather tomorrow for the festival!”  I think those are the lamest words I have ever uttered in my life. 

Haley bursts out laughing like it’s the funniest thing she has ever heard. The tears of sadness turn to tears of laughter. Her laughter is so contagious, it gets me laughing with her.

“That was the lamest attempt at a conversation change I have ever seen,” she explodes with more laughter. I wasn’t the only one to think that I guess.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know what else to say!” I continue to laugh. 

Our laughter dies down, and she turns and starts to leave. Before she walks away though she calls back to me, “I will see you tomorrow in the nice weather at the Egg Festival.”

I stick my tongue out at her and she does it right back. Haley is a huge whirlwind of emotions.

[bluejay0715]

Unnecessary Delving Into Kraken and Mermaid Biology

So, when I watched Ruby Gillman for the first time, I didn't really notice anything weird.

But after a little bit of thinking, I fell down a rabbit hole of how the flying fuck does their anatomy work!???

So, the first thing that stood out to me is the fact that krakens and mermaids have gills (at least mermaids presumably have gills), but we also see them breath like they have lungs, both on land and underwater. So, my guess is that they have both gills and lungs, and that they're connected in some way. I'm guessing their gills are also directly connected to their mouths. I also think that instead of all the gills taking in oxygen, some of them are there to filter the water out. Since they still breath in through their mouth, the water probably gets expelled through the gills and the oxygen goes into their lungs. However, since they need to stay moist when on land, they must depend on their gills to breathe somewhat. I'm guessing the gills they use to breath basically function as their nose.

Another thing I noticed is that despite it being stated that krakens don't have bones, yet they have teeth? So, instead of just lacking bones completely, because it would be also physically impossible for them to walk upright due to gravity, I think they do have bones but they're incredibly flexible, like rubber.

Do krakens and mermaids lay eggs or give birth? This one was a bit baffling, but I have reached a conclusion. At first I thought that krakens might give birth, although looking back there was no evidence to support this, but there is evidence that they could lay eggs. First of all, octopi lay eggs, so that's a given. Another thing is that female krakens have flat chests and they show no signs of having any other organs that allow them to lactate, meaning they likely don't provide milk for their young. All animals that are birthed usually need milk, but not animals that hatch from eggs. Mermaids, however, are a bit more confusing since their top is human and their entire bottom half is, well, a fish. You'd think that they lay eggs, but it's also shown in the storyboards of the movie that Chelsea has a bit of cleavage. I think it's a case kinda like platypus, where they lay eggs but still provide milk for their young (obviously not thru their sweat tho💀). It'd also tie into the fact that mermaids are probably still considered mammals due to them being able to grow hair.

If yall find any more anatomical anomalies, be sure to let me know so I can try to figure it out. I love a good puzzle!

[adracat]

G-Witch Episode 13 - Second Cour Start

It's been awhile! I'm positively jittery to break down this episode. Let's start with that banger OP change shall we?

I love the imagery in this shot in particular. It's interesting that we see Suletta start in shadow, slowly moving to the light throughout. The symbolism is obviously framing Miorine as the light she seeks (edeleth flashbacks anyone?) Oh and the boys have a brief cameo. Yeesh Guel looks like a defeated wreck. 5lan has weird prominence so I wonder if he'll be something after all. Maybe a heel turn? Antagonist at least judging from the glimpse of Pharact. Shaddiq certainly will be.

Aerial Rebuild my beloved. I love her so much and she looks so stylish in action. But woof, I feel bad for Earth House. They're deeply affected by the terrorist attack, and cringe at the violence involved with duels. Great detail!

Meanwhile, Suletta's persistent cheeriness is a stark contrast. They're puzzled she can remain so blithe about it. Shame they don't know our poor little tomato head has been brainwashed by mother dearest. More on that later.

Miorine on the other hand is going through the wringer. We only see her briefly but it says so much about her mindset. She's dressed in a black business suit, as if already mourning her father and preparing to take his place at Benerit. It's not surprising she's neglecting herself while she watches her father, but you hate to see it.

Prospera: You did the right thing brutally liquidizing that guy, Suletta. Very smart. Another way? Don't be silly. Murder is always ethical.

Lol. Lmao. Ugly crying. You're going to need so much therapy.

I saw this in the promos but it's still crazy they just stroll into the episode like this. This episode humanizes them, which is nice. You glean nuggets of character from Sophie especially. She's an endearing terrorist if nothing else. The detail of naming her stuffed animals her family, the sister moniker for Suletta-- it paints a lonely portrait of a girl desperate for familial connection.

Norea is interesting too, stoic but blatantly disdainful of the luxuries Spacians take for granted. Clean air/water, plentiful vegetation, and even general happiness. All things Earthians lack.

And here comes the Benerit brigade to make their lives worse. I sense super fun times ahead ;-; I do wonder what the endgame for Dawn of Fold is though. They must know attacking Delling would result in violent retaliation. Hm, something to think about.

Good for Nika standing up for herself and Earth House! Sophie and Norea's simple school life might be over soon as it began. Rather audacious they thought murdering a girl on campus wouldn't be noticed lol. Suletta was so dashing protecting her friend 🥺 She may be highly impressionable but she's a good egg. Next episode, it'll be a duel for Nika's life! I can't wait~

And omg Miorine figured it out. This makes the quick fic I wrote canon compliant! Very pleased we solved that misunderstanding quickly.

This is worrisome though. What really is Quiet Zero and why is Delling convinced it'll bring peace? And what will come of Prospera using Mio to further it? Nothing good, I wager.

But enough of all that dire stuff. Let's discuss the phenomenal ED

The first thing that came to mind when seeing this is Utena. What we see here is Suletta and Aerial serving as the Duelist and Witch respectively. It's incredibly smart to have Aerial in the role of unwilling servant/collaborator both for Utena parallels but also for The Tempest. She can't break free from her servitude, trapped as Arial is as a servant of Prospero and Anthy to Akio. Utena/Suletta is the one who struggles against delusion and misguided beliefs. GOD IT'S SO GOOD Y'ALL

The ED is so romantic too, I'm going to faint. They way they look at each other, even Mio who visibly seems uncertain. And the way their joined hands tremble in the last shot? You can feel Suletta's desperation. That collection of Suletta's is so ominous and witchy too. Reminds me of PMMM. (Also confirms Eri clones in Aerial?? Maybe) This season is off to a rocking start <3

[barzzal]

between halls and thin walls → part two

summary: friends who fool around almost never work. almost.

↳ pairing: mathew barzal x you

↳ warnings: swearing, sex toys, masturbation, sexual/suggestive themes, and yenno, mathew :(

↳ genre: angst, smut, roommates au, best friend’s best friend, friends with benefits, 18+ minors dni*

↳ length: series; part one, part two (5.9k), part three, part four, part five, part six

↳ masterlist: the barn

↳ track: listened to a lot of beyoncé for this one !!

note: part two’s here!! and i know it’s late for an update but i just wanna thank everyone for commenting on the first part 🥺 really glad that you guys liked it. reading your tags are everything to me it means a lot! happy reading <3 (gif used: mine)

You come out of your bedroom dressed and ready for work. Your handbag was slung over the depth of your forearm as you headed for the kitchen and the other, scrolling past emails on your phone, admittedly bracing yourself for the mess you know will eventually greet you.

To your surprise, what you see instead were Mat Barzal’s guns rippling through the jet black sweater he had worn last night. A memory that sent your mind to less than eight hours ago, before eventually landing on what happened shortly when the two of you had woken up.

“Thank god you haven’t burnt the house down.” you kid, placing your handbag atop the island.

Mat spares you a quick glance, rolling his eyes whilst he lets you watch him whisk some eggs for breakfast.

“Like it?” he cocks, pertaining to how your eyes were pinned hard on his biceps that he was, for the most part, effortlessly sporting. It’s true, though. He didn’t need to flex because it was just there.

“Coffee or Juice?” he asks, as the kind friend and roommate that he is. 

Anthony, as surprising as it was, takes incredibly long showers. If people hadn’t known him well, they’d easily think he’s abusing himself there. But you’ve got to admit that not having him around felt nice for you didn’t have to feel so seen with Mathew.

‘Course, there’s nothing more, like a fix-in on the side, to your set up. You just appreciate the feeling of not having to lie to Beau about all the ugly concealed underneath all the innocent gazes you and Mathew exchange.

“Coffee.” you answer shortly, realizing that you forgot the material you need for today’s meeting.

“Where are you going?” Mat asks when he catches you receding out into the hallway. You didn’t bother looking back, “Forgot something!”

He gets back to whisking the eggs when a chime comes off his phone. He takes it from the counter, placed just before the plates he left to dry last night, absent-mindedly putting the bowl he was holding onto the island, toppling over the green juice he has prepared for himself. 

“Shit.” he curses as soon as he sees it for it was already spilling all over the place, making the mess you’ve been secretly anticipating the moment Mathew said he’d make breakfast.

Panicking at how you’d see he’s successfully screwed such a no-brainer task, Mat grabs the first thing he sees on the marbled surface and uses it to clean the mess he’d made.

“Huh.” he muses to himself, realizing that the silk fabric didn’t do much in helping him clean up. He tosses it over the sink carelessly and grabs a few napkin rolls from one of the cupboards. 

So much for making an effort to feed Anthony Beauvillier. 

“Now, that was fast.” you say with a smirk once you’ve entered the kitchen, startling Mathew as he continued cleaning up after his mess. 

“Ha-ha. Very funny.” he sarcastically laughs, discarding the paper towels onto the sink along with the used ones. 

Thankfully, your stuff was at the other side of the island so it was very much safe from all the chaos happening at the other end of the marbled surface. However, your laugh dies down the second you realize that your handkerchief was no longer where you’ve last put it.

“Hey,” you call on Mathew, “What’s up?”

“Have you seen my handkerchief? I know I left it somewhere.” you anxiously ask, eyeing every corner of the room hoping to see Nana’s handkerchief, the one she gave to you on your 18th birthday.

“What does it look like?” Mat asks, now holding a pan in his hand as he prepares breakfast.

You proceeded to describe your grandma’s handkerchief in the most specific and perhaps excruciating detail Mathew has ever heard someone talk about something as mind-numbing as a handkerchief.

Despite that, Mat lights up the moment it hits him, not realizing the bigger mess he’s about to walk into. He rejoices at how he knew exactly what you were looking for, “Oh! You mean this?” 

With clueless eyes, you watch Mat go over the sink after he wipes his hands dry, fishing out an all too familiar fabric from the sink. Once your eyes land onto the cream colored silk handkerchief, with details carefully sewn by hand, drenching in what seems to be Mat’s morning drink, your heart falls to the pit of your stomach. 

“What did you do??” The sudden rise in your voice startles an unsuspecting Mathew. You eagerly went over to his side and hastily snatched the smooth fabric off his hands, “It’s ruined!”

“What? I didn’t know it was yours!” Mat’s eyes are wild with confusion. Puzzled at how you were so fixated on the useless fabric. It didn’t help him anyway. There’s nothing much left to do but to throw it. It’s garbage. 

“You ruined it!” you lash out, letting Mat get eaten up by the sudden anger bubbling inside your guts but he was rather quick in defending himself, “I didn’t know it was yours since I grabbed the first thing I could find. Why are you getting upset over a shit-ass handkerchief?” 

Your mouth falls and you shake your head, finding his defensiveness quite appalling. “You’re an ass.”

“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was yours.” he explains, “Come on, it’s just a stupid handkerchief I’ll just buy you a new one.” he tries to laugh the tension off, sporting his signature grin.

Mat take shots of the stunned expression on your face, “Stupid?” you repeat what he said, your eyes already starting to sting with tears. Clearly, you were far too overwhelmed to even acknowledge Mathew’s half-assed apology.

“You’re a fucking asshole.” your words bite and that’s when things took a turn for the worse. 

“I said I was fucking sorry! What the hell do you want from me? Shit a fucking hanky?” he rans a hand through his hair, “Do you realize how childish you’re being right now?”

Outraged, and perhaps disappointed by how he was too high up his horse, your voice takes up a higher tone, entering what seems to be an early screaming match between you and Mathew.

“Could you just–” you breathe, “for one second– stop being so goddamn stupid and get over yourself!?” were words that welcomed Anthony the moment he stepped into the kitchen, towel wrapped around his waist, a grin on his face visible as he poured himself a glass of water, inviting himself in the screaming match you and Mathew have exclusively put forth for him.

“Stupid is not when you’ve already apologized a hundred times! Stupid is being such a crybaby and a bitch about it!” Mathew retorts, gaining his better end of the argument.

“What a beautiful morning, isn’t it?” Anthony chimes in, a hand resting on his chin, adoring his two best friends upon getting used to the best worst duo he’s ever known in his life. 

“Shut up, Beau.” you say, throwing him a glare.

“Well, beautiful is definitely not in Y/N’s dictionary.” Mathew chides with a smirk, enough to earn himself a scoff from you. 

“You know what? I don’t have the time for this bullshit.” you cuss, finally retreating, your already heavy heart taking a better hold on your thoughts, blocking your ability to even come up with a clever remark to come back at Mathew.

You throw the delicate, yet already ruined piece of fabric towards his way as hard as you could before marching out of the kitchen and head off for work.

“Fucking unbelievable.” Mathew curses under his breath once he catches the silk linen, shaking his head as he turns his attention back to the morning task at hand. 

You were fucking unbelievable.

Once the boys were left alone, Tito raises a brow, briefly looking back after your footsteps, “What happened here, anyway?” he asks, having realized what must’ve caused such a heated argument so early in the morning. 

“I used this handkerchief to wipe the whole thing off and she just went ape shit! I mean–” Anthony cuts Mathew the moment he recognizes the thin cloth he was holding.

“Woah, woah. Wait a minute, you used this?” he muses, stressing on the possibility of what might have been Mathew’s biggest mistake of the day, his eyes darting between him and the fabric.

With furrowed brows, admittedly weirded by how Anthony reacted almost the same way you did a while ago. “It’s just a handkerchief, man. I can go buy her a bunch if that’s what she wants.” he says defensively.

Anthony shakes his head wildly, his irises now dilated as he examined the stain already sitting on the material. “No no. Oh god no.” He says, snatching Mathew’s phone from the counter to google quick remedies that might remove the said stain from the already ruined cloth. 

“What do you mean no? You guys spend way too much time together, you’re beginning to be as weird as her.” He scoffs, sipping on a glass of water. 

“No, you dumbass. This was her grandma’s!” Anthony says, eyes fixated on the delicate handkerchief. Remembering how you’d told him how long it has been in your family that having Nana give it to you after all the years you’ve spent admiring it from afar meant so much to you than anything anyone could have possibly given you.

“So?” Mat casually replies, closing his arms to his chest before adding, “Is she dead or something? Didn’t you guys visit her for the Holidays?” 

“What?? Why would you even say that?– You’re such a jerk.” Tito shakes his head, appalled by how Mathew easily shrugged the matter off when he knew full well how sentimental he himself could be.

“Well, how am I supposed to know?? If that thing’s so important I wouldn’t leave it on top of some random shit lying around!” He counters, defending himself for reaching for the nearest cloth he could find when he did whatever he does best when he’s in the kitchen.

Tito clicks his tongue and looks at Mathew exasperatedly, “Tell me, where did you find this exactly?”, to which Mathew only answered with a quiet voice, “It may or may not have been placed on top of her purse…” he avoids Tito’s gaze, finally catching on how he was the one in the wrong. 

“See? Jerk. Now, go figure out how you’ll take the stain off.” Anthony demands, his voice embraced by a definitive tone. One that made Mathew know he wouldn’t be able to persuade him into letting this go. 

Tito takes one good look at Mat’s catastrophic attempt to feed the house, striding his way out of the kitchen, “And make sure you apologize!” he adds, footsteps receding into the hallway, leaving Mathew scratching the back of his head out of guilt and frustration.

You have spent the following days either avoiding Mathew or ignoring his existence completely. Anthony talked to you the night that incident happened and assured you that he would do his best to have it fixed. You didn’t want to bother him nor take time off his already busy schedule, but you were just so bummed to even say a word.

That night, you spent the entire evening in your room, facetiming your mother, saying how much you’re missing home. You can’t bring yourself to tell her about the handkerchief. For some people, and that people being Mathew, it might’ve been just some silly thing but Tito knew how much that small piece of cloth meant to you. 

Mathew, on the one hand, was for sure guilty to his bones. He didn’t see you that night nor the nights that followed. He didn’t think much of it but when he found himself searching for that same handkerchief in the hopes of replacing it only to find out that it was nowhere to be found in the market, was when he did realize that ruining the one thing that held you closer to home was the last push your non-existent relationship with him had to have for you to finally lose any ounce of amour nor civility you once had for him. 

Anthony wasn’t a stranger for said changes either. He began waking up to a still apartment enveloped by a wall you profusely built between you and Mathew. You even unknowingly shut Tito out in the process as well. It was like you were grieving. Like, it was a whole different kind of heartbreak he knew he can’t get you out of that easily. 

You tried making it up for your best friend of course. Knowing that you haven’t been yourself since that day. You thought about the possibility of having taken the whole thing too seriously that you might’ve overreacted a bit. Nonetheless, no matter how much you try to push it in the back of your head, Mathew’s mere presence began irking you in ways it never did back when you used to enjoy the bickering you exchange with him, especially in bed.

“Thanks for dinner, belle.” Anthony politely says, earning a smile from you so effortlessly upon hearing the pet name he uses for you. Something Mat only shrugged off, trying to piece out the same gratitude, “Thanks, y/n.” he genuinely adds. But as expected, he had nothing.

You pick up all the empty plates, including Mathew’s, who was sitting in front of you while Anthony sat at the end of the table. Tito hurriedly wipes his mouth with a napkin and takes the plate from you, “Let me help you with that.” he says with the same kind eyes that has never failed to win you over. 

“Yeah. Okay, sure.” you shortly answer, leading the way towards the kitchen, leaving one Mathew Barzal feeling small and alone at the dining table. 

𖥸

If there was one thing you’d gladly acknowledge after all the years of watching people kiss Mathew’s ass was that he was is really good. He’s fast and he can do unimaginable damage on the ice. There’s no denying that he deserves to be the face of the New York Islanders. But we know you don’t care about any of that. The only thing you care about was how unbelievably good he is at everything he does that not even you or your pink rubber toy could suffice. 

He was just that damn good. 

As your eyes shut whilst you mount your pleasures on your own, biting your lips to choke in your own moans, Mathew handling you was what circled your mind since you started defiling yourself in the bathroom. You let your arousal be washed away by the warm water trickling down your skin, envisioning Mat’s rough hands grazing your body, touching your core like his hands were meant to do nothing else but that. 

It was wrong and pathetic, but you couldn’t think about anything else. You and Mathew have been avoiding each other for days. The dynamic went so much worse than when you weren’t sleeping together and you know that Tito was bound to notice it soon. Thankfully, the boys were on another roadie for a week so you had quite some time to think things through about your current sitch with Mathew. You didn’t like any of it because it felt like you gave a fuck (which obviously, you didn’t). You just feel obligated to sort things out with the biggest ass that ever lived because you didn’t want to involve Tito into the mess you’ve wrongfully made yourself. 

You hop off the shower feeling unsatisfied. You haven’t gotten laid since the last time you were with Mat. Which is sad, not just for you but also for her. You’d think considering the boys aren’t around you’d bring someone home, maybe even one or two. But just thinking about going on bars alone so you could find a potential bone-mate is already far too tedious and you weren’t in the right state to do so. You had so much going on at work, anyway. And you can always use a wand to scratch an itch. Neither would satisfy you more than how someone-who-will-not-be-named could, but you might as well be pathetic without having to hook up with some random dude whose name you’ll eventually forget in the morning. 

You opted to wear an old pull-over you borrowed (took) from Tito years and years ago and partnered it with some leggings so you’d be comfortable enough for the rest of the night. You have nothing else to do and you are already fed up with your workload that watching a crappy movie off of Netflix doesn’t sound like a bad idea. 

With a giant bowl of popcorn and two bottles of beer in your hands, you march your way into the living room, ready to spend the night binge watching romantic comedies, crying and laughing in between. Or maybe just fall asleep on the couch while your comfort TV series is on. 

The boys won three games out of the four that they had during the trip and you only saw the ones they won so you were thankful that you didn’t have to sit at home alone watching their faces fall after that OT lost against the Flyers. Anthony phoned you that night and you can just feel the relief in his voice that you didn’t have the time to see it. They weren’t playing like they should. Thankfully, they were able to bounce back. 

Your eyes were beginning to grow tired halfway into the movie when you hear the front door open, followed by luggages dragged into the house tirelessly. 

“Y/N?” Anthony calls out.

You hit the movie on pause and hurriedly make your way towards the hallway. “You’re home already?”

They were already taking their coats off when you met them halfway, Tito was putting his away while Mat had just taken off his toque and was running his hands through his hair, unconsciously meeting your eyes upon hearing your voice. 

You quickly break it off when you give Tito a quick embrace and plant a small kiss on his cheeks, “I texted you.” he says, eyebrows quirked, surprised that you didn’t know. 

In an effort to avert any more of his questions you immediately point towards the movie you had on, “Haven’t checked my messages, sorry.” 

“So, you guys ate dinner?” you ask, passing Mat a quick look. One that came as a surprise because he wasn’t even hoping to hear a word from you given the way you two left things a little too on the edge, screwing with the whole thing even more. 

Mat avoids your irises and faintly nods. 

“Big win tonight huh? Told you, you can do it.” you say with a beaming smile, nudging Tito with your hips as you get back to watching your film. “You gotta do what you gotta do, babe.” he winks, lugging his stuff around towards his bedroom. 

“Barz, don’t stay up, Trotz needs us first thing in the morning.” he looks back, reminding Mat who was already standing in front of his door, “Yeah. Sure.” he replies shortly with a tired voice. 

You and Anthony bid your own goodnights whilst Mat mutters a quiet “Night.” when you nodded his way, clearly not enjoying any of the first awkward encounters he’s yet to have with you. Seven days is quite a reasonable time for your anger to dissipate, a short yet seemingly long period of time that’s just enough to kill off whatever guilt Mat had initially felt before you parted ways.

𖥸

“Alright, I’m off.” Tito casually declares, putting on his watch. “There’s food in the fridge, and tell Mat to go easy on my beers.” he gives you a knowing look as he bends down to give you a kiss on the cheek. 

Tito had been seeing some mystery girl for quite some time now. He hasn’t told you anything spicy in particular but by the looks of it, you could already tell that she has him towed. 

“Good luck, loverboy.” you say, swatting his hand away and pushing him out to the door. The two of you cringe at what you said, sharing one last laugh before you watch him disappear out into the hallway.

The apartment was cramped the whole day because Anthony and Mat had the day off. Tito had plans for the night, obviously. As per you, you had plans lounging in the living room, switching through channels in the hopes of stumbling on a show that isn’t half as bad than the rest. 

Thankfully, a Sandra Bullock film was on HBO.

The Proposal, to be exact.

You decide to dive in the film with a cold bottle of beer on your hand. There was no way you’d be washing down the effects of a naked Ryan Reynolds with a glass of water. You haven’t gone mad. 

The film was already at the part where Sandra was proposing to Ryan when you hear Mathew’s door open. You haven’t talked since the night they came back home other than the small nods you exchange upon passing by each other. All of which are mind-numbing and impossible to swallow. The awkwardness has not dissipated completely unlike what you presumed. You were just grateful Tito was always around that you didn’t need to be alone together. 

Alarmed by another impending awkward encounter, you clear your throat and turn up the volume a little to remain focused on the film, investing your sole attention to it even if you have seen the movie countless times. 

Mathew, in his sweats and a gray shirt on, carefully makes his way out the hallway and into the common area after snatching a glass of water from the kitchen. You see him move further into the room but you make sure that he knows you weren’t paying attention. You take that he must’ve been thirsty and needed a drink but you don’t see him move further in the corner of your eye like he was making his way back in his room. It almost seemed like he was actually waiting for you to look his way.

Hesitantly, you follow your gut feel and see him standing a few feet away from you. “Yes?” you ask when you catch him staring. 

Mat blinks a few times, “Hi.” he takes a deep breath, trying to shake off the awkwardness circling the two of you.

When the only thing he gets from you is a tight lipped smile, he shakes his head and proceeds to walk where you were seated. 

“Mind if I join you?” he asks, his voice deep and clear enough to send your mind elsewhere. 

Regardless, you contain yourself and return a polite smile, “No. Not at all.”

“So, what are we watching?” he sits once you gestured onto the other end of the couch. 

“The Proposal.” you answer before throwing a question yourself, “Aren’t you supposed to be resting now?” you shake your head, absentmindedly chuckling. Not intending to make him feel that you’ve forgotten about what he’d done weeks ago. 

“I couldn’t sleep.” he props his back and lets himself sink in the cloud couch, his legs spread wide eating up most of the space left for the two of you to share. “Oh. I only like him when he’s Deadpool” he points out, cringing at how you were watching another one of your romantic comedy films.

You roll your eyes, admiring how he’s trying to break the tension between the two of you despite his unsolicited sentiments, “I like it when we were on not-speaking terms.” 

Mat mocks you for a while but decides to watch the movie so you let him be and get back to the film, letting a giggle slip every now and then. Something you thought Mat wouldn’t notice.

Watching the remainder of the film went with ease. ‘Course, Mat would steal a few glances here and there (ones he thought had gone unnoticed), but overall the quietude between the two of you was bearable. Almost like it was just two buddies hanging out. 

Although, not long after, your eyes were torn away from the huge flat screen when Mat spoke, “By the way,” he looks at you and calls your attention. 

Puzzled, you watch him take something from his pocket, “Here.” 

Once you see what he has in his hands your heart froze. Mat carefully hands you the cloth with an apologetic smile; his eyes soft with a hint of hope as he watches your reaction. 

“What��� How?” you ask in bewilderment, failing to comprehend how he was able to fix the handkerchief. It looked the same as before. All of its details were in place, it was good as new. You were holding Nana’s handkerchief. 

Mathew didn’t bother to dance around and just offered you a quiet chuckle, evidently enjoying the wide smile painted on your lips. “Don’t worry about it. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry.” he apologizes, shielding you from all the strings he had to pull just to get that cloth fixed up.

You hold the smooth and delicate piece in your hands as you look at Mat, letting your feelings get a better hold of you, “Thank you.” you say, unknowingly reaching out, your arms wrapped around his neck as you give him a quick peck on the cheek. 

Mathew’s hand instinctively finds your back to support you, startling himself in the process. Nonetheless, the thought was easily shrugged off by how close your faces were, your smiles fading once you meet each other’s gaze. You feel the same rush you felt the night you and Mat got involved for the first time. Your hand was placed rather endearingly on his cheek, your faces, just like all the other times, unreasonably close to each other. Mat then clears his throat and only looks you in the eye. 

Afraid that the innocent hug would lead to something more, perhaps another mistake to be jotted down on the board, you breathe a laugh and break away, “Uh, thanks again. It really means a lot.” 

Mat must’ve sensed that you were being cautious so he puts his guards up and returns a chuckle, “So… we good?” he asks, reaching out a hand your way. 

Your fingers slide into his, gliding its way perfectly, your hands fitted well with his despite the obvious difference in proportion. His grip tightens in the most comfortable way possible. 

A smile breaks off his lips once he hears you answer, “We’re good.”

“I should probably get some sleep.” Mat tells you the moment you pull your hand away.

“Are you gonna be okay here?” he adds.

You looked at him, not wanting him to be obligated to keep you company, “Oh, yeah. I’m a big girl.” you say, making Mathew grin, shaking his head.

“Alright. I’ll be in my room if you need anything.”

Not picking up on whatever sloppy insinuation Mat has thrown out carelessly into thin air, he hears a simple “Mkay.” 

Thus far, letting him know that his subtle invitation was far from being RSVP’d.

𖥸

“You’ll be in your room?” Mat scoffs, staring at the ceiling while he lays on his bed, “The fuck was that, Mat?” he scolds himself for always coming up with the worst things to say. 

Mathew would be lying if he’d say he hasn’t thought about you (or doing you) for the past week of not being around home. But he definitely wouldn’t deny that the roadie kind of made things easier for him because then he didn’t have to stomach seeing you walk around the flat looking like the hot piece of ass that you were in his eyes. 

Mat knows he needs to pull his shit together. He wasn’t some 13 year-old boy raging with hormones. He needs to control himself around you and he could only do that once he learns how to push this whole thing between the two of you behind him. 

What happened with you and Mathew shouldn’t have happened at all. It was just a moment of weakness, and he hated that he’d let his dick (and apparently, him being one) ruin the relationship he once had with you. 

Before that night, seeing you do yoga and work out on the terrace was just seeing you drenched in sweat, and in your work out clothes looking icky and constipated. Something he’ll later on tease you about and he’ll end up catching the water bottle you throw in his face. But now, after all that fucking, seeing you sweaty and all worked out in the same yoga pants is just like walking into a porn commercial. Like the ones they show before the actual porn. In fact, he doesn’t even have to watch any of it. Tents and Boners were pretty much sponsored by you from then on. It’s sick, and he knows it. 

However, the tension he feels with you is palpable that he’s even certain that you feel it too. But how can he be wrong? He sees how your eyes blink a few times when he’s fresh out the shower, he sees you follow his trance when you thought he wasn’t paying attention, and you never fail to slide him shadowed hints with every touch you “accidentally” pass at him. The kind that’s short enough to remain innocent but not so much as to keep him at bay. Mat hated everything about it. He hated that he wanted you– and he hated that he thinks he might be right about you wanting him too.

All that self-loathing aside, did he regret it? 

That was one of the things he feels bad about. Because as much as he wants to lie and push it aside, he didn’t regret any of it. He didn’t like you that way and just thought about you sexually but he just wishes that you could push past this and just be friends. He was still sexually attracted to you, yes. But he knows he’d eventually get over it and be back on his game. That is if he can ever find someone who’d be as good as how you were the last three times you’ve let him be with you because it would really help him a lot if he could stop picturing your mouth getting stretched by his cock every time he hops into the shower.

Mat was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a knock on his door. The shy banging sound made his heart beat rapidly in an instant, knowing full well that the two of you were alone in the house and that Tito was, in no way, going to be home for another hour or two.

A faint knock follows the first one before he gets to the door. 

“Hi.” you greet him, a moment unfolding like it was déjà-vu.

“Hi.” 

“Did I wake you?” you sheepishly ask, your hands balled into fists before eventually settling down to hug your own build, unsure of where to put your hands exactly.

Mat quickly shakes his head, “No. I couldn’t sleep myself.”

You offer him a smile, acknowledging how he’s been nothing but good to you ever since they got home. Of course you wanted to get your hands on him being that you were completely dry and horny ever since you’ve ignored him completely, but you haven’t gone mad and you weren’t a complete neanderthal. You can keep your hands to yourself and act like a decent human being. 

“I’m sorry for making things weird between us.” you say, your eyes heavy with guilt. “But I’m only apologizing for being so unreasonable for the last couple of weeks.” you reiterated.

To which he only answers with, “You shouldn’t be. You have every right to be unreasonable– and I know that I’ve been a giant prick that day. It’s what I deserve.” he bites his lower lip, scratching his brow as he continues, “That’s why if there’s someone who owes someone an apology, it should be me. What I did was pretty crappy, so… I’m sorry.”

Like all the other times, Mathew towers over you wearing the same confidence he does when you’re around. Your bodies were reasonably apart from each other but close enough to mean something else if someone had walked by. Mathew was still in his room while you were out in the hallway, separated by the thin line made by the door frame. 

You feel Mat’s steady breathing and everything went still. He looks down at you, pretty eyes drowning yours. His messed up bed hair ridiculously makes up for how dressed down he was. No, actually, he looks fine even when he is. And all of that sight instantly makes your throat dry as you feel something curl in your belly, enough to make your hands sweaty as the thought of tasting his lips again cruised your mind entirely.

Mathew was no stranger to the said feeling either. He watched you punish him more at how plump and inviting your lips were. Or how your hand brushed on your clothes as you remain uncomposed under his gaze. 

Mat was becoming accustomed to how the two of you meet. Same time, same place, only this time, a different hallway. He steps further and crosses the line that divides the two of you, making you take a deep breath as his scent floors every nerve in your body. Waking what has been awake ever since that moment you shared back in the living room even more. 

“Yeah, okay.” you gather yourself, “I– I should probably head back.” 

Just by how his shoulders dropped, you knew you had said the wrong thing. And you hated that you did. Mat clears his voice and swallows, breaking off his gaze, “You probably should.” 

“Good night, Mat.” you smile, trying to regain yourself. 

“Good night.” he replies as he watches you turn your back before finally closing the door behind him. 

Frustrated for he was already starting to feel things more than just being “sorry”, Mat leans against the door and runs a hand through his hair. He takes a deep breath and tries to get you out of his head. 

He was about to walk away from the door and sleep off his frustration when he hears your faint footsteps on the other side of the door. He rests his head back on the wooden surface and sighs, “You’re still out there, aren’t you?”

There was a total silence for a moment, devoid of the knowledge of how you had your fist, ready to knock yet again, suspended in mid-air. 

Mathew hears you deny sheepishly, “No.” 

You hear him let out a small laugh, knowing that he was trying to contain himself. 

The door sprung open again, and for a second you thought how what you’re about to walk into will start another mess for you and Mathew. But how could you possibly think about it that way when you have nothing else but this man standing at the other end? 

A friend that took no seconds to waste as he finally lets his thirst and perhaps foolishness, get the better hold of him once he cages your heated face in his hands, crashing into your lips as fast as he’d taken you to his end of that thin gray line that has once irkingly parted him from you. A gray line you’re both willing to cross if that meant sharing another night in between halls and thin walls.

[lostinthewiind]

Do you think we could get a part 2 to that daichi fic you wrote earlier? I’d love to see how the team reacted 😅

Ummmmmm . . . YES! That fic was so fun to write, you can absolutely get a part 2. Coming right up!

Read part 1 here → Thick Thighs Save Lives

Read part 3 here →Thick Thighs Save Lives Part 3

Thick Thighs Save Lives Part 2

Rating: PG

Warnings: none - just fluff

��Ahem.”

Woken by the sudden clearing of someone’s throat, you inhaled deeply, the familiar scent of Daichi’s body wash and clothing detergent overwhelming your senses and bringing a slight smile to your face. As comforting as the scent had been to fall asleep to, it was even more comforting to wake up to.

Eyes still shut, you were so focused on how comfortable you were with Daichi’s thigh between your own and his warm body pressed against yours, that you had completely forgotten what had woken you in the first place. Snuggling further into him, you grabbed a fistful of the hem of his shirt and attempted to drift back to sleep for a little while. 

“AHEM!”

This time, whoever was clearing their throat made it clear that they were trying to wake you. That’s when it hit you—you and Daichi had fallen asleep tangled together among the entire volleyball team, and now, everyone was awake except for the two of you. 

You felt your heart start to pound harshly against your chest. You debated whether you should continue to pretend to be asleep or open your eyes and face the music, but before you had to make a decision one way or the other, the large figure wrapped around your own began to stir.

“What is wrong with you?” You heard Daichi ask, surprisingly unbothered by his teammates and the managers catching the two of you in this position. “It’s still early. Can’t you see she’s still sleeping? Why are you being so loud?”

There was a moment of silence before anyone answered. “S-sorry, Captain.” Tanaka’s voice finally responded. “We were just . . . why didn’t you tell us the two of you were together?”

“Yeah,” you heard Suga and Asahi agree. 

“Because we’re not,” Daichi told them, surely earning at least a couple of confused looks because he quickly followed it up with, “Let’s not discuss this now, okay? Why don’t you guys start making breakfast? You help yourselves to the food in my kitchen often enough to know where everything is.”

A few seconds later, you heard the sound of a series of shuffling feet heading out of the living room and into the kitchen, leaving just you and Daichi among the discarded pillows and blankets. You could hear muffled voices coming from the kitchen, no doubt discussing what they had just witnessed, but since you couldn’t make out what they were saying, you were able to calm down a little.

“Don’t worry about them,” Daichi whispered to you, knowing you were awake and that you had heard everything. “I should apologize. I meant to wake up before them and shift into a less awkward position.”

You smiled softly and shook your head, dismissing his concern. “Don't apologize. You were just being nice. I appreciate it.”

Slowly, and with what you thought you recognized as a small tinge of sadness in his eyes, Daichi pulled his thigh out from between yours and released you from the gentle embrace he had captured you in sometime during the night. “Get some more sleep,” he told you, quickly taking the pillow he had been using for his head and placing it between your legs where his own leg had been seconds before. “I’ll let you know when breakfast is ready.”

“Okay,” you exhaled softly, pulling the blanket over your shoulders fully and relaxing the best you could. When Daichi left to join the others in the kitchen, however, you found yourself wondering about what this meant for you and the sweet volleyball captain. Did he like you as more than just a friend or was he really just trying to be nice and help you out in a time of need?

You would be lying if you said that sleeping next to him hadn’t been the best sleep you had had in ages, but then again, that wasn’t exactly an incredible feat considering the stress of upcoming exams had been affecting your quality of sleep in the past few weeks.

Choosing to push this problem to the back of your mind and deal with it at a later time, you focused on clearing your mind and before you knew it, had taken full advantage of the rare opportunity to sleep in and drifted off again.

You weren’t sure how long you had continued to rest, but when you woke for a second time that morning, the faint smell of food was present in the home and there was a distant sound of running water and what sounded like pots clanging off of one another. 

Letting out a yawn and stretching out your limbs, you rose to your feet and made your way into the kitchen, surprised to see a single person standing by the sink instead of a whole volleyball team.

“Did everyone leave already?” you questioned.

Startled a little by your sudden presence, Daichi spun around from where he was doing the dishes. “You slept for another three hours,” he told you with a grin, “Plenty of time for me to feed everyone and send them on their way.”

“All the while dodging questions about us, I’m sure.” You climbed into one of the stools at the kitchen counter. “They are never going to leave us alone about that.”

“Probably not,” Daichi agreed with a chuckle as he grabbed a bowl of rice and eggs from the other side of the counter and slid it toward you. “I’m sure you’re hungry. I was going to wake you like I said I would, but I figured you could use the extra sleep—and I’m sure you’re happy to have avoided the third-degree from everyone. It might be a little cold by now though, so sorry about that.”

Taking the food gratefully, you smiled. “You keep apologizing for being considerate,” you commented. “Do you always do that or am I just special?”

“I-I don’t know how to answer that,” he replied truthfully. 

You nodded before changing the subject, not wanting him to feel pressured into answering something he might not be comfortable with. “Well, either way, I’m grateful for the extra hours. I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

“Because of your legs?”

You shrugged. “Sort of . . . upcoming exams has me pretty stressed, so that’s not helping, and then stress tends to make my legs ache even more. It’s weird . . . I wish I knew how to make it stop.”

Daichi nodded understandingly. “Well, you said a pillow usually helps.”

Shovelling some of the luke-warm food into your mouth, you chewed and swallowed before letting out a small scoff. “Well, apparently, an extra pillow isn’t always available,” you pointed out with an amused giggle. 

You waited for Daichi to say something in response, but when he didn’t and instead returned to doing the dishes, you focused on eating the food in front of yourself. The two of you existed in silence in the kitchen for five more minutes, just enough time for him to finish cleaning and you to finish eating.

After rinsing the last pan, Daichi reached for your empty bowl and washed it quickly before setting it aside. Then, with a heavy sigh and arms crossed against his chest, he turned to look at you. “Was it weird that I did that?”

You quirked an eyebrow at him. “Did what?”

“Put my . . . my thigh between your legs,” he clarified. “Was that weird?”

You thought for a moment, utterly unsure how to answer that. You didn’t think it was weird, personally, but you weren’t sure if that was the correct response or not. “Do you think it was weird?” you asked in return, more curious about how he felt about it.

“No . . . well, not at the time, no. But now I’m not so sure. The others made some good points during breakfast—maybe it isn’t okay to be so close if we aren’t, you know . . . together.”

“If that’s how you feel about it, it can just be a one-time thing,” you assured him, hoping he felt like his feelings on the matter were valid. “A friend helping out a friend—it doesn’t need to be anything more than that.”

“Yeah,” he agreed before his eyes grew wide and his eyebrows furrowed together. “Wait, did you want it to be more than a one-time thing?”

“What? I didn’t say that.”

“The way you worded that just now made it sound like it can be a one-time thing if I want it to be,” he said. “Do you want it to be a one-time thing?”

You let out a groan. “This is confusing.” You folded your arms across the countertop and rested your head on them. “I think you’re making a bigger deal out of this than it needs to be, which is odd because of how confidently you played it all off up until this point. If I’m being honest, I haven’t slept that well in a very long time and I found your presence very comforting. That’s where I stand on the issue. The ball is now in your court.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah?”

“I mean, I liked it too . . . not in a weird way or anything,” he sighed, physically flustered and slowly turning red. “I’m sorry, I’m complicating things with my words.”

You smirked at him. “Then don’t use your words.”

At first, Daichi seemed even more puzzled, but then a wave of realization washed over him and suddenly, the cool and confident captain from the night before had returned.

Walking around to the other side of the counter, he approached you slowly before placing his hands on either side of your face and pressing a soft, chaste kiss to your forehead. He then scooped you into his arms, earning a surprised shriek from you.

“What are you doing?” you questioned as he started carrying you out of the kitchen and down the hall. “What about your parents?”

“They’re away for the whole weekend,” was all he said before entering his room and placing you down on the bed. 

Initially, you were nervous about where this was heading, but as soon as you caught a glimpse of Daichi’s warm, brown eyes and watched as he flashed you a comforting smile, you remembered that he always had nothing but the best intentions. 

“I find your presence comforting too,” he explained as he crawled into the bed beside you. “Lie with me. Just . . . be with me.”

You couldn’t help but smile uncontrollably. “Okay,” you nodded and extended your arms out, making plenty of room for him between them. Just like the night before, he held you close and rested his chin on top of your head.

And just like the night before, he carefully slit his thigh between your legs. Then, he let out a sigh and you could feel his entire body relax.

“Daichi,” you chuckled lowly. “My legs don’t hurt right now.”

“I’m not doing this for you,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. He left it at that, and before long, his breathing slowed and fell into a calming rhythm. 

Despite the fact that you had just slept approximately 10 hours, you soon found your eyelids feeling heavy and the comfort of the bed and warmth of Daichi’s embrace lulling you back into a deep rest. 

“Daichi?” 

“Hmm?” he hummed.

“What does this mean?”

Instead of words, he first answered with his actions, just like you had told him to. Snaking one arm over your waist, he slipped a large hand under your shirt and place his palm flush against the middle of your back, fingers spread wide. He then used said hand to pull you even closer to his chest. 

You drew in a shaky breath, the feeling of his broad hand on your small back bringing you an unexplainable sense of safety and relaxation. 

“I don’t know,” he finally answered, “but we’ll figure it out later.”

[m-aster-of-spinjitzu]

my thoughts on possession* that literally no one asked for, xD:

*i mean ns5, not, like, owning property or smth😭 keep reading under the cut, rip your browser though-

- the ghost whip was apparently supposed to be remixed off the ghostbusters theme?? i haven't watched the latter, but idk man, that's pretty cool:D

the fact that the scriptwriters decided to make a teenage emo ghost with awesome hair and too much eyeliner more threatening than the literal embodiment of this show's version of Hell is,,, wild tbh 

the air has water (well, moisture) in it, and food has water in it... like wouldn't it be weird if ghosts could just accumulate enough water on their corporal forms from the air and food and stuff and then slowly dissolve, because of like, eating too much watermelon or something- 

@/wojira made an awesome post (i don't have the link:() about how they'd realized that water is fatal to ghosts probably because it's one of the most important things animals need to live, and that's just such a cool idea 

yang LAUGHED when the others found out cole was dead. he. freaking. laughed. i haven't watched day of the departed but that's,,, geez, that's pretty horrible- 

also!! y'all, back me up here: when you read a post that has the abbreviation 'dotd', i can't be the only one that mentally hears it as 'dotted'?? or am i just weird😭

possession is the only season from one to seven not to have a 'companion' song by the fold:( but day of the departed does have close the circle yk? 

anyways- i'd really like to know what exactly the fsm died from, and how he died? like he could literally create anything couldn't he just create an elixir or life or smthand also!!! i really really want to know whether he was dying from whatever it was and went 'oh shoot, gotta protect the realm crystal, lemme just create a tomb-maze-puzzle real quick!' or he created said tomb-maze-puzzle a while before his death and when he was dying he just went down to the cave and lay there...... 

also this is tragically hilarious, i wasn't sure if i should laugh or cry when i first read it, but- if you search 'morro' on google, the first thing to come up is something called morro..... bay.... 

bay, as in, huge thingamajig of water- i think i've got a new fav antagonist, y'all. the scriptwriters!! 

what happened to all of yang's students, like, before they got ghosted. i wonder what he did to do them for all those years, tbh. like was he actually a teacher, just a really strict one, or straight up horrible? (i know i know, dotted- i'll watch it at some point) 

morro also kinda sounds like "to-morro":(- okay, i'll stop now 

for a homeless orphan who then lived in a monastery with a really strict teacher, i would love to know how morro got access to bleach and hair dye,,,, like, did wu buy it for him or was it a side effect of his powers or,,, actually, now i wanna write this- 😭

who actually sends ppl to the cursed realm? like,,, it seemed to be the show's version of Hell (all the villains were sent there after they died, wu and garmadon sent the anacondrai generals there too), but who DECIDES who goes there, yk...??

the entire season can literally be summed up by this thing my friends and i use sometimes:(((: 😃🔫 

cloud kingdom is basically the show's version of 'what came first, the chicken or the egg' and i'm not sure if i should love that or want to scream every time im reminded of it, because, like, FREAKING GOSH DID THEY WRITE THEMSELVES INTO EXISTENCE OR WAS IT THE FSM OR WAS IT ANOTHER THING LIKE AHHHHHNNGGGG I NEED TO KNOW- 

mmmmmm mmmmm puffy potstickers 

also, how can ghosts gain weight, like, they're legit green misty foggy things-  def gonna reblog and add some more, this is fun, lol- also, thanks for reading if you read all this weird rambling, xD. if you have any similar thoughts or questions, feel free to put them in the chat or the tags!:D

[fayemarvels]

Changed my mind

Loki x fem!reader

Hey guys so, this is my first Loki fic I really hope you like it. I have a part two planned so if you would like to read it please, let me know.

Summary: Thor is sick and he asked Loki to get him some Midgardian food. He went down to New York, where he met a girl and she helped him to cook food for his brother. Maybe Midgard isn't so bad after all.

! please don't repost my work anywhere without my permission. Thank you.!

Warnings: none, bad writing

Word count: 1.9k

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

Loki has always hated Midgard and everything that comes with it. People, traditions, clothes, food, you name it. He always thought Midgardians were below him, less than him and he was sure nothing could change his mind. He never understood what Thor saw in them and their planet.

His brother was also the reason why Loki was here. You see, Thor had the worst type of Asgardian flu and he persuaded Loki to get him some Midgardian food. There was just one problem. Loki didn’t know any Midgardian food and he didn’t have any books about the planets’ food.

That was why he was in New York, to get a recipe book. He wandered around the New York streets and people were looking at him very weary. To be honest, he did understand why. He tried to take over their planet after all. After about 40 minutes of walking around, he finally found a bookstore tucked away in a quiet alleyway. Loki swung the door open and the bell above his head rang.

After a few moments of silence, he heard a soft

“Coming, wait a moment please.” from the back of the store. In a few seconds, a girl came from the back looking around the store for the new customer.

“Hello welcome!” she greeted cheerfully.

“How can I help you?” when she looked at Loki she froze, but then just shook her head. He looked around and informed her.

“I need a recipe book with some of the best Midgardian foods.” She nodded quietly and walked from behind the counter. The girl hurried to the shelves full of books and ran her finger across the spines. She stopped and took out a thick book with a picture of pancakes with chocolate and some fruit on the cover.

“This is what you are looking for.“ she informed him and handed him the book. He took it from her hands and flipped through a few pages. Loki silently informed.

”I will take it.” She smiled and walked toward the cash register. She rang him up and he paid for it. But couldn’t help herself.

“Excuse me but, can I ask you something?” she asked and he turned around with an annoyed look on his face.

“Why do you want to cook our food? Didn’t you hate our planet?” he rolled his eyes and decided to answer. He had all the time in the galaxy.

“My brother is sick and he asked me to get some Midgardian food that isn’t fast food.” He took a breath and decided to continue.

“I never ate Midgardian food so I needed some references. I will conjure them up with my magic.”

“I don’t think it will taste really good if you conjure it up with your magic.” She confessed and he looked very offended.

“It’s not that I don’t think you are incapable I just think it would be better if you cooked it with your hands.” He looked at her confused and shook his head.

“And why would I do that hmm? Tell me, little mortal.” She looked really nervous but managed to get out some words.

“I think it will make him feel better if it would be made with love.” He scoffed and looked at her.

“What love? There isn’t any.“ She shook her head.

”If there wasn’t any, you wouldn’t be here.” he looked to the side with a weird look on his face.

“If you want I can help you help to cook it.” She tried to sound confident but he could hear she was nervous.

"Why would you want to help me?” he asked and she replied.

“I don’t have anything to do and I really love cooking.” She smiled at him and he narrowed his eyes.

“Fine, you can help me.” He decided and she laughed.

“Ok, my shift ends in about 2 hours so you can come then. Pick some meals to cook in the meanwhile. Now go!”

“Wait! I don’t know what to call you.” He said and she replied quickly.

“It’s (Y/N). go before I change my mind about helping you.” He just shook his head and walked out of the store. ===== When (Y/N) turned off the lights in the shop, Loki was just coming into the ally way.

“So you ready to learn to cook?” she questioned and he nodded.

“Let’s get this done with so I can go back to Asgard and never come back here again.” She rolled her eyes and grabbed his wrist and started to pull him towards her home.

“So my apartment is extremely messy and I’m sorry for that.” She confessed and Loki only grumbled.

“You midgardians, so fucking messy.” She glared at him and slowed down a little bit. They walked in silence and (Y/N) decided to spark up a conversation.

“What did you pick?” he looked at her confused.

”To cook. You were supposed to pick some meals to cook.” He opened his mouth in realization and spoke up.

“Well, I picked something for beginners so we wouldn’t have to spend hours in the kitchen.” She nodded and he continued.

“Some vegetable soup and pancakes with whipped whip cream, chocolate, and fruit.”

“Ok, I have everything for these things so we successfully avoided going into the supermarket.” He looked at her puzzled and she just continued.

“The seniors in this area are crazy. If their life depended on it, they will fight with you until death just to get the things that are on sale.” He chuckled and she smiled in his direction. ‘He has a pretty smile’ she thought but then shook her head. When they came into her apartment she kicked her shoes off and tossed her keys into the bowl on the dresser in her hallway. She shrugged off her coat and walked into her kitchen.

“Nox baby? Where are you?” she shouted into her apartment and Loki looked at her weirdly. In about a minute he could hear a quiet sound of legs scratching on the wooden floor.

“Hope you like cats.” She turned around to look at Loki and he smiled awkwardly. When Nox came into the kitchen he rubbed against (Y/N)’s feet and she crouched down.

Before she could pet him he ran towards Loki to inspect the man he has never seen before. He sniffed at his legs a little before Loki crouched down and put his finger out for the cat to sniff. (Y/N) just watched the interaction in awe.

When Loki looked up he saw her looking at him and he quickly said. “He’s not that bad.” But (Y/N) knew he secretly already had a soft spot for him.

“Okay I’m going to change into more comfortable clothes and we can start.” She left the room and came back in a couple of minutes wearing a tank top and black sweatpants.

“You want some clothes as well? I have some from when my friend was sleeping over.” He nodded and she went to pick them up.

“They will probably be a bit small because he isn’t as giant as you are.” She explained and he took her from her hands and went to change into the bathroom. When he came out she was already taking out all the utensils they will need. He tossed his clothes onto the couch and walked over to her in the kitchen.

“You have something I can tie my hair with?” he asked and she gave him the hair tie from her wrist.

”I always keep one on my wrist at all times, in case anyone needs one.” She informed him and he smiled. He put his hair in a bun and waited for her instructions.

“First cut the vegetables in cubes and put them into the pot. We are doing the healthier version so we won’t use flour.” He tried to keep up but was already failing miserably. When he cut up the carrots and potatoes and stirred them in the pot for a while, they put the water into it, and let it cook.

“Ok, now take out a plastic bowl from that cabinet and I’ll take out our ingredients.” She pointed to the cabinet and Loki complied. He never would’ve thought he would be taking orders from a Midgardian. He came back with a bowl and they put some eggs, flour, milk, and sugar into it. She handed him the whisk and he looked at her confused.

“Stir it I will be right back.” She went into a cabinet to take out some sunflower oil and a pan and put it on the stove to heat it up.

“You want to flip them?” she asked and he shook his head yes.

“I will flip the first one because it’s always messed up, no matter what you do.” She informed him and he looked very interested in all of the new information about cooking. She showed him how to flip pancakes and when to flip them and she went to check up on the soup.

She was washing the dishes from the cooking and their dinner when she heard a quiet snore. She went to look into her living room and she saw Loki and Nox sleeping on the armchair. She took a blanket and covered both of them with it and went back into the kitchen.

When she was done cleaning up, she put the newly cooked food into some containers and went to sleep in her bed. Before she did that, she checked up on Loki one more time and turned on a light on the other side of her living room in case he woke up and didn’t know where he was.

She woke up to the sound of quiet cursing. She rushed out of her bedroom to see Loki standing in the middle of the kitchen looking through cabinets.

“Good morning, what are you looking for?” she asked and he turned around looking alarmed.

“I was looking for some tea bags.” He informed her and she just shook her head and walked towards a shelf that contained her collection of tea.

”Here what kind do you want. I have fruit tea, green tea. Maybe black tea?” they both decided on black tea and went to sit in the living room.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” he asked and she just shrugged.

“My cat was sleeping on you. Didn’t want him to wake up.” She said casually and he looked at the cat, who was fast asleep on the window.

“I… I wanted to thank you.” He started nervously.

“You helped me so much and it was really nice of you.” She looked to the ground and replied.

“It was no big deal. Honestly.” Loki stood up, looked around, and (Y/N) could read from his expression it was time for him to go.

“I’m going to heat up the food and prepare it so you can go.” He nodded and they both walked into the kitchen. =====

When she prepared everything she put the boxes on top of each other and waited for him to come out of the bathroom. He came out, handed her the borrowed clothes, and looked at her.

“Thank you again. For your help.” She waved her hand.

“It was no big deal, really.”

“You know, maybe your planet isn’t so bad after all.” He confessed and she put a hand on his shoulder.

“If you want to come and visit earth you can always come here and sleep over.” He smiled and nodded. He walked out of her apartment onto the street, looked into her window, waved at her, and just like that, he was gone.

He always thought that nothing could change his mind about Midgard but, maybe he found a reason he will learn to like the planet.

She changed his mind.

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

so, thanks for reading my work, hope you enjoyed reading it. if you think I could improve something about my work, please share it with me. Also if you think I can make my writing more inclusive, please share that with me as well.

-Faye xxx

[official-weasley]

A Bundle Of Joy - (The Irreplaceable Charlie Weasley AU)

Warnings: talking about and giving birth

Word count: 4,275

Characters: Charlie Weasley and my OC Nova from TICW which you can find here

Nova

“Love, help me, how is this supposed to be looked at?” Charlie was sitting next to me on the sofa in my family home, reading a book about giving birth, having it turned upside down with his head tilted to the side.

“What are you looking at?” I giggled, finding the whole thing amusing.

We have been staying with my mum for the past week. I am one day before my due date and Charlie wanted us to be closer to the hospital so that we can be ready when the baby arrives. I was watching a cartoon on the telly while Charlie was educating himself – thinking he needs to know every term involving childbirth so that he will know what is going on once we are in the delivery room.

I, however, didn't want to pick a book up for the first time in my life. I was nervous as it is and at this point, I have read everything two, some books even three times, and reading about how my lady parts are going to stretch to help me push the baby out made me nauseous. Since my mum bought herself a telly, I decided to turn full-on Muggle and distract myself with a cat chasing after a mouse, occasionally answering Charlie's questions.

“It's the birthing canal and this is the right way to look at it.” I took the book from him and turned it around.

“Huh.” Charlie stared at it, half in confusion half in admiration, his head still a bit tilted to the side.

“Yes?”

“Your body is fascinating, love.” He blinked at the picture one more time before turning the page when I gasped.

“What, what is it?” Charlie was so startled by my action that he threw the book to the floor.

“I thought he was going to catch him this time!” I pointed at the television screen.

“What?” Charlie asked, a puzzled expression on his face.

“Jerry was almost caught by Tom.”

“Oh,” Charlie let out a sigh of relief, “I thought something was happening with the baby.”

Ever since we came to my mum's, Charlie has been even more on edge than I was. He was so excited that the time to meet our first child has finally arrived that he had a hard time containing it. Every time I sighed or gasped or just took a deep breath, he was up and alert, ready to take me to the hospital, thinking it was time.

“For the 100th time, Char, I would tell you if it had to do with the baby, as I do every time I have to pee or when they kick.” I smiled gently at him.

“Want anything for dinner?” My mum came to the living room and leaned on the doorway.

“Yes, please!” Charlie's eyes sparkled.

He has always been a nervous eater and he has been eating more than usual for the past 2 weeks, trying to calm down his nerves.

“We can either make some eggs, pancakes or we can order pizza?” Mum suggested.

“I'll make the pancakes!” Charlie got up at once, motioning to my mum to sit next to me after kissing me on the lips and exiting the room.

“It's cute how excited he is.” My mum giggled as she sat down.

“Yeah, he's excited for both of us, because I am too tired at this point to share his enthusiasm.” I smiled.

“You can't wait for this to be over, huh?” Mum put her arm around my shoulders and pulled me toward herself.

“It's a bit nerve-wracking thinking it can happen at any moment.” I sighed.

It was good talking about this to someone else than Charlie because he was on edge as it is and I didn't want to overwhelm him some more by expressing my concerns.

“It will all be over soon.” Mum started stroking my hair, planting a little kiss on the top of my head.

“I wanted to ask you if it would be okay if we stay here for another week or so once the baby arrives?”

“Of course,” Mum said nonchalantly.

“They are still making some finishing touches on the house and I don't want the baby around so much noise.”

Even though we bought our dream home almost 4 months ago, it took some time to get all the papers and even though we deemed it perfect there were a few things we wanted to change. By the time we found the right workers and Charlie being busy with his job we finally started to get everything in order.

“So, do you have any names ready?” Mum asked, excitement in her voice.

“We do.” I nodded. “But we want to keep it a surprise. I hope that's okay.”

“Of course. Did you pick the names?” My mum lifted an eyebrow at me.

“What do you think?” I giggled.

“Yeah, I thought it was Charlie.” She laughed.

She knew me too well. Even though I always knew I would like to have a family one day, I never gave much thought to the baby names so when Charlie and I finally talked about it and he told me how he would name our children I fell in love with those names.

“You'll be great parents,” mum said gently, pushing me a bit more onto her body.

“Thank you, mum.” I couldn't hide the grin that spread all over my face. “I can't wait. I feel so ready to be a mum.”

“I know you do and you'll be better than I ever was.”

“You are an amazing mum, what are you talking about?” I furrowed my brows.

“Well, I could be home more often.” She suggested.

“Perhaps,” I rubbed my chin, “but then I would probably turn out more spoiled.” We both laughed.

“Pancake time!” We both turned our heads toward Charlie's voice.

Mum helped me get up and we made our way to the kitchen. I couldn't wait to eat some Charlie-made pancakes. He always makes them extra fluffy and he makes the best ones.

Charlie

I turned around, my hand searching for Nova so I could spoon her when I felt something wet on our bed. My eyes opened at once, seeing her fast asleep on her back, gently snoring. She was adorable and I giggled at the sounds she was making. She was always a person to sleep on her belly and now that she couldn't and sleeping on the side felt weird to her, she occasionally snored.

I shook my head, remembering that our bed was wet. Nova had to pee a lot during pregnancy. The farther along she got, the more time she spent in the bathroom. Sometimes she would pretend that she was mad at the baby for pressing on her bladder so much and her talking to her belly made me fall more in love with her each time.

I didn't want to wake her – her being as nervous as she is as it's her due date today, finding her sound asleep was a blessing. I wanted her to be as rested as she could be for the delivery but I couldn't let her sleep on a wet bed.

“Love, wake up.” I put my hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently while whispering in her ear.

“Huh?” She mumbled without opening her eyes.

“Love, you...I think you peed yourself and I don't want you to sleep on it.”

I didn't know how to tell her. There was nothing to be embarrassed about.

“What?!” She bolted upright, now completely awake.

“The bed, it's wet.” I scratched the back of my head, trying not to make a big deal out of it.

Nova's eyes went from mine to our sheets and back to me.

“I didn't pee myself.” She said, her voice rusty.

“Well, I didn't either but our sheets are wet.” I bit my lip.

“Charlie...” She whispered my name, her eyes widening as if she has just remembered something. “I don't think this is pee.”

“What?” I turned on the light on my side of the bed to see the sheets better.

I looked at Nova, looking panicked, her hand on her underwear.

“Charlie, I think my water broke.” She breathed.

“What!” I jumped out of the bed at once. “Are you sure?” I swallowed my nerves.

Nova just nodded, pressing her legs together.

“Okay, okay. Let me help you get up and get dressed and then we'll wake up your mum.” I hurried to her side of the bed and offered her my hand.

“No, I'll get dressed on my own. Please, go wake up my mum now.” Nova said with a shaky voice, trying to desperately hide that she was beyond nervous.

I rushed out of our bedroom across the hall and gently knocked on Olivia's door. I heard her say to come in so I opened the door.

“Olivia, Nova thinks her water just broke!” I said with the highest-pitched voice I have ever heard come out of my mouth.

“Oh, my!” Olivia got up at once, starting toward her wardrobe. “I'll be right down. Go help Nova.”

I hurried back to the room we were sleeping in to see how Nova was progressing.

“How are you doing, love? How are you feeling?” I caught her pulling a jumper over her head and I helped her pull it all the way down.

“My back hurts a bit and I feel extremely uncomfortable.” She bit the inner side of her cheek, looking at me with those beautiful blue eyes of hers.

“Okay. I woke up your mum. Let me help you downstairs.” I grabbed her hand and led her out of the bedroom.

“Olivia, could you take the bag we prepared?” I said while opening the front door.

“Already have it.” She hurried after us, her car keys in her other hand.

The second Nova asked her mum if we could stay here during her last days of pregnancy, Olivia requested a car from the Ministry. Because she was one of their top Aurors, she got it at once and was ready to drive us to the hospital when the time would come because we all knew that Nova was forbidden to apparate in her last trimester.

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” Olivia looked at us in the rear mirror of the car.

“I...I think I'm okay.” Nova took a deep breath, trying to smile.

“Just breathe as we practiced, we're almost there.”

I was so glad that Nova's mum was with us. Her calmness made me less nervous as I knew I would panic way more if we were alone.

“Okay, Charlie, help her to the hospital, I will just park the car and I'll be right with you.” The second the car stopped, I opened the door and got outside, offering Nova my hand to help her get out of the car. “You're doing great, sweetheart!” I heard Olivia shout before I closed the door and helped Nova walk to the hospital.

Since it was in the middle of the night, there weren't many people around and it was easy to find a nurse.

“How can I help you?” The woman at the window asked. “My wife's water broke,” I spoke for Nova, who looked paler than usual and as if she forgot how to speak.

“When's her due date?” The nurse said with a gentle voice.

“Today.”

“When exactly did her water break?” She posed another question.

“I don't know. We woke up due to the sheets being wet.” I shrugged my shoulders, disappointed in myself that I couldn't give her a proper answer.

“Alright, Mrs.?”

“Weasley.” Nova half-whispered.

“Alright, Mrs. Weasley. Let us take you to the doctor to see how far along are you.” She smiled gently at Nova and then at me, while another nurse joined us, bringing Nova a wheelchair so that she doesn't have to walk.

The doctor was already waiting for us once we entered the room. The nurse and I helped Nova get up and walk to the bed the doctor motioned to.

“Okay, Mrs. Weasley. Do we have any trouble breathing?” The doctor asked with a gentle voice while putting on her gloves.

“Just some back pain.” Nova sat down on the bed, allowing the nurse to take off her pants.

“Please lay down and spread your legs.”

Nova did as she was told, searching for my hand. I rushed to her side and kneeled next to the bed to grab her hand.

“I'm here, love. You're doing great.” I whispered in her ear.

“Today's your due date?” The doctor asked.

“Yes, 2nd February,” I answered as Nova's breaths started to get deeper.

“Well, your baby sure is eager to meet you, because you are already 6 centimeters dilated.” The doctor grinned.

“Miss Moore, start preparing the delivery room, I think this is going to go nice and smoothly.” The doctor said to the nurse and she hurried out of the room.

“How are the contractions coming along?” The doctor turned back to Nova.

“I don't know. I don't feel anything, really.” Nova said after a second of giving her body her full attention.

“No pressure on your pelvis or back pain?” The doctor asked.

“I feel the pressure and the back pain comes and goes but it's not that bad.”

“Okay, is the back pain present now?”

“No.” Nova shook her head.

“Okay, now listen closely. When you will feel the muscles of your uterus tighten, please tell me. Those are contractions.” The doctor explained.

“I felt that before but it was so mild. I thought it hurt more.” Nova said incredulously.

“The pain will intensify when you get dilated more but it also depends how high your pain threshold is.”

We all turned around when we heard a knock on the door. It opened and Olivia poked her head inside.

“Can I join you?” She said in a whisper.

“And who might you be?” The doctor stood up, ready to tell her to go away. “It's alright, she's my mother,” Nova said before her face screwed up from the pain.

“Okay, now it hurt more!” She said through her teeth when the pain allowed her to speak, squeezing my hand.

“Mrs...”

“Blackwood.”

“Mrs. Blackwood, you can be with them until we take her to the delivery room. There we have a policy of only the father being present at birth.” The doctor said to Olivia.

“No problem.” She nodded and rushed to the other side of the bed to hold Nova's hand.

“Mrs. Weasley, please tell me when the next contraction kicks in so we can time them.” The doctor pressed a button on her watch and gestured for Nova to spread her legs again.

“Two more centimeters.” The doctor smiled at Nova. “Are you ready?”

“No.” Nova shook her head before clutching my hand so hard that I thought she is going to break all the bones in it.

“You just breathe. Deep and slow breaths now. I will go get the nurse so we can take you to the delivery room.” She stood up and rushed outside.

“You're doing great, sweetheart. It's definitely going smoother than when I was pregnant with you.” Olivia giggled. “My water broke at home and your dad and I hurried to the hospital but then you decided to take your precious time and it came to a point when they almost sent us home because I was dilating so slowly.”

“I don't know...if it's good or bad...that it's happening...so fast.” Nova said between her breaths.

“Every birth is different, sweetheart. Everything will be okay and you are doing just fine.” Olivia tried calming Nova down.

Just as the next contraction hit, the doctor came back with a nurse who had a wheelchair ready for Nova to sit in. I helped her get up when the pain passed, trying to hide how my hands were shaking, as I was getting more nervous by the minute.

“Char.” Nova breathed.

“Yes, love?” I leaned closer to her, to hear what she has to say.

“Now would be a good time...for one of your...stories.” She tried sitting as upright as possible, trying to appear strong even though I knew she was in a lot of pain.

“Okay, okay.” I scratched the top of my head, trying to think of anything to keep her mind off labor.

“Uhm.” My nerves were getting the best of me and made my mind completely blank. “Oh! Do you remember our detention in the Forest with Hagrid?”

Nova just hummed to let me know she was listening.

I was halfway through my story when we entered the delivery room and the second they placed Nova on the bed she squeezed my hand so tight that I forgot what I was even talking about.

—

“Alright, Nova, it's time for you to start pushing.” The doctor said to Nova as everything was ready.

There were 3 nurses and a doctor with us in the delivery room, while Olivia had to stay outside as the doctor ordered her before.

Nova locked eyes with me, nervously biting her lip and I gave her a reassuring smile along with my nod. I know she was nervous and she was scared as this was an entirely new experience for her, but I was proud of her for how great she was doing so far – coping with the pain and listening to our doctor – and I knew she would do a brilliant job.

“You got this, love. I believe in you and you are ready.” I whispered to her and I got a small nod in return before she turned to face the doctor.

“Take deep breaths and only push when I tell you to and stop when I tell you to and we are going to do just fine.” The doctor put on her mask and leaned closer to Nova's legs.

Nova's body started spasming due to another contraction and the doctor told her to start pushing.

This was it! It was happening. It just dawned on me that we are going to become parents today. I didn't have the time to be nervous when I felt pain in my left hand, Nova gripping it ever so strong, and her screaming while trying to push the baby out filled my ears.

I felt so helpless just standing there while she did all the work. I know it meant the world to her that I was by her side and that she could squeeze my hand but I also know that the pain in my hand was nothing compared to what she was going through.

I stopped counting how many times the doctor told Nova to push. I was focused on her breathing as the nurse dictated it, trying to breathe with her in the hope it will help her in some way.

“Charlie, it hurts.” I could barely hear her say between her teeth as the doctor motioned for her to start pushing again.

“You're doing great, we're almost there. Just squeeze my hand as much as you can and just breathe.” I placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

I could see that her body was weakening, slowly losing strength the adrenaline of the whole situation gave her.

“Just a little longer, love. Just imagine holding our baby.”

“Okay, the head is out. Nova, I will need you to give it your all now. The worst is behind you.” The doctor encouraged her.

Nova pushed again, letting out a scream that made me want to do the same. The events after that unfolded so fast that I hardly remember what happened.

The nurses rushed to the doctor when I heard a cry, as the doctor seemed to be holding something between Nova's legs. One of the nurses motioned for me to get closer and I used my right hand to get my left one out of Nova's grip.

I couldn't believe my eyes, it was...it was our baby! I thanked Merlin that I looked through all the pictures in those books Nova had because otherwise I would be startled by the sight of the whole situation.

“Would you like to cut the umbilical cord, Mr. Weasley?” One of the nurses handed me a pair of scissors and pointed to the spot where I should make a cut.

I was so busy staring at our child, their beautiful cry – gasping for air – filling my ears.

“Mr. Weasley.” The nurse repeated my name, gently.

“Right!”

I carefully approached the cord with the scissors and cut through it.

“It's a girl.” The doctor said, looking first at Nova and then at me, while the nurses took the baby away to clean it. “You did a fantastic job, Mrs. Weasley. You should be proud, Mr. Weasley.”

“Oh, I am,” I said, my voice shaking, moving closer to my wife, who had her eyes closed, relieved that it was over.

“Did you hear that, love? We have a girl!” I wrapped my arms around her and the second those words came out of my mouth, the tears I tried so desperately to hold in, ran down my cheeks.

“We have a girl,” Nova repeated, her voice rasp and tired.

“You did so great. I am so proud of you, Nova.” I kissed her gently on the mouth.

“A very healthy baby girl.” The nurse brought our daughter to us. “Would you like to hold her, Mr. Weasley?”

“Ye...Yes, please.” I said with a shaky voice, turning to the nurse.

“Be careful with the head. There you go.”

The second she placed her in my hands, a new set of tears ran down my cheeks. She was beyond beautiful.

“She is so tiny!” I exclaimed, sitting down next to Nova so she could look at her.

She had more hair on her head than I expected and there was no question if she was mine, because her hair was fiery red. Her eyes looked dark blue when she opened them for a split second, but I know that that can still change and it didn't matter. She was just born yet she was the most beautiful girl in the world.

“Hi, sweetheart.” Nova smiled at her and gently brushed her finger over her tiny hand.

“There's no rush, but we ask every time. Do you have the name yet?” One of the nurses came closer to us again.

“Char,” Nova called my name gently as I placed our daughter in her hands, her cheeks soaked with tears.

“Hmm?” I couldn't muster more than a hum, too busy staring at the breathtaking view in front of me.

Nova was smiling at the baby, wiping her cheek before waving her hand at our daughter.

“Hi, you beautiful girl.” She whispered to her and brought her closer to her head to place a gentle kiss on the top of her nose.

“The name.” Nova's eyes locked with mine, the smile never leaving her face.

“What?” I breathed, not sure what she was saying.

“The nurse asked for a name.” She giggled, looking back down to our baby girl who had her hand wrapped around Nova's index finger.

I blinked at her a few times.

“We...we didn't discuss it.” I stuttered.

“Charlie, you told me when we first talked about family what you want to name our firstborn if it's a girl.” Nova gestured for me to get closer so she could kiss me.

“I...you really want to name her that? You can pick another name.” I said gently.

“No. I love that name and I remember how proud you were when you told it to me. And I think,” her eyes switching from me back to our girl, “that it's perfect for her.”

“Aoede,” I said, turning to the nurse.

“Aww, that is a beautiful name.” The nurse smiled at me. “Any middle names?”

“Io,” Nova said, not looking away from our bundle of joy.

“Can my mother come in now?” Nova asked after us staring at Aoede for solid 10 minutes.

I looked at the nurse who nodded and I hurried to the door to find Olivia.

“Charlie, is everything okay? How is she coming along?” Olivia was pacing up and down in front of the delivery room, biting her lower lip.

“It's over. You can come inside.” I sniffed and smiled at her.

Olivia gasped and hurried after me into the room.

“Olivia, meet your granddaughter, Aoede Io.” I nudged her to go closer to Nova because the second she laid her eyes on her daughter holding a baby she stopped walking and I was pretty sure she stopped breathing too.

“Oh, Charlie!” She exclaimed her hands over her mouth. “She is perfect.” She pulled me into a tight hug and I couldn't help but get overwhelmed again, releasing the tears.

“Nova, sweetheart, how are you feeling?” Olivia leaned closer to Nova when she offered her to hold the baby.

“A bit tired, but it was worth it.” Nova smiled weakly.

I knew that if she could she would fall asleep in five seconds – she looked so exhausted.

“She looks just like you when you were a baby,” Olivia whispered, her eyes locked on her granddaughter now. “Yes, you do. Yes, you do.”

I chuckled at the voices Olivia was making and sat down on Nova's bed to pull her into a tight embrace.

“You did it, mummy,” I whispered to her and felt her body vibrate in giggles.

“We did it, daddy.” She corrected me, bringing a new set of tears to my eyes.

[ahockeywrites]

One Chance is All Some Get - 3

Part Two // Part Four - Masterlist

Word count: 4.3k Warnings: pineapple on pizza slander, alcohol, allusions to sex, smut, swearing

A/N: I wrote all of this before I went on hiatus and have been struggling to add to it so I thought I would release what I had written as it’s own chapter and continue the rest of it in chapter four. I know I said it would only be three chapters but I want to release something between Tito and Sarah this month. Part four may be here before June? But I really don’t know. Please enjoy, much love, A x

Sarah never particularly liked Valentine’s day, especially when her best friend’s birthday fell in the same week. It made it almost impossible for her to find something for Rebecca that wasn’t covered in roses, hearts or weird ways to express your love for someone. But this Valentine’s was different, she had Anthony. He had planned for the two of them to go to a small Italian restaurant in Tribeca, suggested by Matt, and then to spend the night at his place. He’d gone to find flower petals and candles to place on and around his bed respectively, and he even moved the radio he got as a Christmas gift from Sarah to his room so he could connect his phone to it to play the curated playlist he had made for the night. But Anthony had kept all this from Sarah, simply telling her to dress as she would for a normal date, but to think more about Rebecca’s birthday party.

Rebecca poured out the Gray Goose that Mat had gifted her as a birthday present and picked up the bottle of Sprite that was to the left of her. Mat wrapped an arm around her and whispered in her ear asking if she’d make one for him. Rebecca couldn’t stop giggling as the alcohol was flowing through her veins but quickly made up a drink for Mat. She adjusted the volume of the music and checked that the correct playlist was on before some of their friends arrived.

As Sarah adjusted the puff sleeve of her polka dot bodysuit that was tucked into a pair of leather trousers, Anthony was sponging kisses at the junction between her neck and shoulder, distracting her as she tried to get ready for their evening of partying. She went to pull out a pair of black Chelsea boots from underneath her coat that was in the corner of the room, but when she tried to go and grab them, Anthony pulled her back into his grasp and he wrapped his arms around her waist. “You know,” he started, “we could just stay in tonight.” Anthony started kissing behind her ear and then down her neck, clearly he wanted the night to go a different way.

“Baby,” Sarah elongated the final syllable as she turned around in his grasp. Both of her arms wrapped around his neck and she lifted herself onto her toes to bring him into a kiss. Almost immediately, Anthony tried to deepen it but Sarah pulled away to which he replied with a groan. “We are not staying in, we are here to party with Rebecca and then come back and cuddle afterwards,” she explained. He tried to give her puppy dog eyes, but it was no use, she had been excited about the party for weeks and there was nothing that Anthony could do to stop that.

Sarah and Anthony joined hands and kissed once again before walking out of his room to hear the music blasting from the kitchen. Almost instantly, Mat thrust a drink into each of their hands and almost forced them to down the whole thing but Sarah pushed him out of the way to find Rebecca who was half sprawled out on the couch. Now, these two had been drunk around each other before and the friends who were coming tonight, but this time it wasn’t some student party in a frat house. It was a pre-drinks in the apartment belonging to two hockey players, followed by visiting a private room in one of the most expensive clubs in all of New York.

Around two hours and a lot more drinks later, Rebecca and Mat were dancing on top of the coffee table, with encouragement from some of their college friends as Anthony kept trying to sneak Sarah back into his room with no luck. Well, aside from when she went to go to the bathroom. As she left the bathroom, she noticed that he was sitting on his bed and she crawled up to be in his embrace and it quickly became a passionate make-out session. Anthony was about to reach under Sarah’s bodysuit when Rebecca barged in, insisting that they came and joined in with a game of beer pong. The pair on the bed sighed, but agreed and joined hands before returning to the rest of the party.

It seemed like the rest of the night went like a blur. Sarah remembered meeting some of Anthony’s teammates, but she would need reintroducing to the majority of them because she had consumed quite a bit of alcohol. But she was enjoying herself and Anthony made sure that he was there to bring her back to his flat. She fell asleep on him in the Uber back and he made sure that all of her makeup was off and she was sleeping soundly in his bed.

Sarah’s head pounded and she rubbed her temples slightly to try and reduce the pressure. She heard a groan come from next to her and she realised that she was in Anthony’s apartment, the day after Rebecca’s party. Rolling over, she picked up her phone and dropped a message to Rebecca, asking if she wanted to go and grab some brunch to which she received a quick reply agreeing and they agreed on a place and time and then she actually checked the time. 40 minutes to get ready and 20 to get to the place.

“Tito,” Sarah groaned as she pushed the comforter off her body. The cold air hit her bare legs and it didn’t encourage her to get out of the warm bed at all. Gently, she pushed Anthony to wake him and let him know that she was going out for food later. He groaned with discontent but nodded as Sarah made her way to the ensuite and turned the shower on so the water could warm up. The bathroom counter was scattered with a combination of both Sarah’s and Anthony’s products so it was easy to locate everything that she needed for the quick shower.

The warm water hit her back and Sarah was able to wash away some of the grim that she had collected from the club the night previous. She was so engrossed in the hot streams of water hitting her body, she didn’t notice Anthony slipping in behind her until he wrapped his arms around her waist. He hummed into her neck and started washing her hair for her. His nails scratched her scalp as he was washing her hair and she leant back into his embrace. With a moan of his name, Sarah turned to face her boyfriend. “Baby,” she groaned as he kept massaging her scalp. “I need to get ready.” Anthony hummed in response and washed out the shampoo from her hair and started putting conditioner into the ends of her hair, slowly massaging it in.

“Trust me,” Anthony said as he started washing down the side of Sarah’s body with a washcloth. “You won’t be late for brunch with Rebecca.” Sarah raised an eyebrow, she was confused. How did he know that?

“And you know that how?” She questioned him, wanting to know his reasoning.

“Because,” he pressed a kiss to her forehead, “she had a late night last night.” Sarah hummed as his hands went to massage her shoulder. “And Mat woke her up early for an early morning round.”

It took a few moments for the puzzle pieces to come together in Sarah’s head but when it all fits together, her eyes widened. “You’re joking?” she couldn’t believe that their respective friends had spent the night together.

“Well, unless Mat found a girl who was wearing the exact same shoes as Rebecca was last night,” Anthony started, “and if this girl had the same name as Rebecca because I heard that in moans this morning.” Sarah couldn’t help as her jaw dropped. “And, I saw them come in together when I went to grab some water for us before I went to sleep.”

“Maybe the four of us should go to brunch together then?” Sarah asked, genuinely interested in the budding romance between Mat and Rebecca. Anthony hummed once again in agreement and reached over her to grab the detachable shower head and rinsed the two of them off.

Before getting into the shower, Anthony had made a small pile of towels for them to use which were resting on the side of the sink. He jumped out of the shower first and wrapped himself in one and put the other around Sarah’s shoulders to make sure that her body heat didn’t dissipate too quickly. They walked back through to his bedroom and put on some comfy but cute clothes to wear for the potential brunch double date, both had chosen to wear sweatpants and a comfy jumper.

The New York sun rays came through the large windows of Anthony and Mat’s apartment, hitting the kitchen island and reflecting into Mat’s tired eyes as he started making up two coffees. Milk and two sugars for him, a little bit of almond creamer for Rebecca. He ran a hand over his face to try and wake himself up a bit more but it didn’t work. Even the giggles coming from Anthony’s room, which indicated that something not so innocent might be occurring, didn’t wake him up like they would previously. When the kettle clicked, he filled up the mugs and walked back to find Rebecca looking at him seductively. He couldn’t resist so he put the mugs down on his bedside table and crawled back into his bed.

Anthony pulled out some bacon and eggs from the fridge as Sarah got to work on cutting some fruit up to have alongside their breakfast. It was a domestic situation and one neither of them wanted to be pulled out of. They hadn’t said the words to each other yet, Sarah had never said it to someone outside of her immediate family and Anthony hadn’t said it to anyone where his feelings were as strong as his feelings for Sarah. But both of them knew, in their heads at least, that they were the one. He wrapped his arms around her as she continued chopping up some of the strawberries and placed them onto the sharing platter which also contained banana, grapes and blueberries. As he whispered sweet nothings into her ear, Rebecca entered the kitchen in one of Mat’s old shirts and the mug of coffee that he had made for her earlier.

Rebecca moved to sit at the island and accepted another coffee offered to her by Sarah, who brought the fruit platter along with her. They started talking about the night previous and Anthony just pretended that he couldn’t hear what they were saying so they could talk more freely. There was barely five minutes between Rebecca leaving Mat’s room and him walking into the kitchen as he could smell some bacon cooking. Mat’s neck was littered with small purple bruises and Rebecca let out a small giggle when she noticed what she had done but he just rolled his eyes at her.

“Becca and I were gonna go for brunch,” Sarah announced to the kitchen, “but seeing as we’re all here, might as well save some cash and eat here.”

Both Sarah and Mat tried to keep quiet about what happened but when Anthony told them how noisy they were being, they started explaining what happened before they made it home because Sarah covered her ears in a joking sense when they started to explain that. Anthony couldn’t help but laugh because he knew how innocent his girlfriend was and how she hated talking about anything remotely sexual.

The conversation swiftly changed to the two girls dancing on the table as soon as they arrived and both of them blushed heavily with embarrassment as the memories flooded back to them.

A shot of vodka was handed to each person who entered the private room that had been rented out and Rebecca pulled Sarah towards the open bar and ordered a tequila shot for the both of them to take. They took the shot and Sarah grabbed Anthony’s hand to bring him to the dance floor. It was less dancing, and more socially acceptable grinding on each other.

As he went to grab himself another glass of lemonade from the bar, Rebecca tugged on the sleeve of Sarah’s bodysuit and pointed towards the table. It took a moment for Sarah’s brain to understand what she wanted, but when she did she nodded and they made their way to stand on the table. The song changed to a slightly more upbeat one and the girls started dancing with each other on the table.

Anthony had no idea what was going on until Anders pointed out that his girlfriend was literally on top of the table, dancing with her best friend. He laughed to himself, this was the Sarah he loved seeing. The one who didn’t give a shit what other people thought of her. He walked over to stand next to the table, in case either of them fell off the table. Rather than fall off the table on to the ground, Sarah decided to fall straight into her boyfriend’s arms. “I fell for you baby,” she giggled into his neck. Rebecca continued to dance on the table as Mat joined her and some of the Islanders started filming him and they would break out the videos over the next few days when he was more sober.

Sarah groaned as her headache came back and she wandered into Anthony’s bathroom to find some more painkillers as she knew that she had to finish off an essay that was due on the 15th and she wanted to get it finished. She had morning classes but she had planned the afternoon to get ready for her date with Anthony so she didn’t really want to spend that time finishing up the essay when she could be relaxing. A quick text to both Anthony and Rebecca meant that an Uber was ordered and was going to arrive about 10 minutes later so she quickly gathered her stuff up, then laid down on the bed waiting for the Uber to arrive.

Anthony walked into his bedroom to see Sarah breathing deeply on the bed. Immediately, he laid down behind her on the bed and brought her into a hug. “You okay baby?” he asked, wanting to make sure that she was okay. She nodded meekly in response but he didn’t believe her. “You can talk to me, you know that,” he didn’t want to force her to talk when she wasn’t comfortable, but he knew that talking was always helpful.

“Gotta get this assignment done, then I’ll be okay,” Sarah replied. The essay she had to write was really getting to her and she just wanted it to be over and get it submitted so she could look forward to spending the evening with Anthony.

“I get that,” he responded as he started rubbing down her back to comfort her. “Just think about the fourteenth, and the place I’m gonna take you that I won’t tell you about.” Sarah smiled softly at that, and she relaxed into his arms, waiting for the Uber to arrive.

~~

Both Sarah and Rebecca pressed submit on their respective assignments at the same time as taking a vodka shot in celebration. The pair hi-fived as they ordered themselves a large amount of pizza to eat as they watched the Islanders home game against the Flyers. It was normal for them to relax in the evenings, but that evening it was slightly different as they were celebrating. Well, at least for a small amount of time. Food arrived much quicker than either of them were expecting and they started eating the pizza as Mat and Anthony started skating around the ice in warm-ups.

Sarah took a quick snap of the television and the food and sent it to Anthony, along with her usual good luck message. His usual response followed a slightly sweaty selfie which made Sarah slightly hot and bothered but she was able to suppress the feelings and then picked up another slice of pizza. Pepperoni, mushrooms, sweetcorn and onions were her toppings of choice and this always got her teased by Rebecca who ordered ham and pineapple. In Sarah’s books, that was a criminal offence. Pineapple on a pizza? Who did that? Aside from Rebecca, she didn’t know anyone else who actually enjoyed pineapple on a pizza. Even Mat, who had some questionable food tastes, didn't even enjoy pineapple on pizza.

A groan escaped Sarah’s lips as she finished off the final slice of her pizza. She was absolutely stuffed full of pizza and potato wedges, which were the perfect stomach lining for the small amount of alcohol that she had been consuming. The third period had just started and all Sarah was hoping for was a Beauvillier goal so she could celebrate with him tomorrow after they went out for dinner. She was in luck as Anthony, once again, scored the game-winning goal and celebrated into the camera, all of the fans at home seemed to think that he was dedicating the goal to them but Anthony knew that he was dedicating it to one person. And one person only. Sarah Milkins.

The annoying tones of the FaceTime sound ran through Sarah’s AirPods as she sat in bed, thinking about heading to sleep as her morning class started at 8 am and she knew that she couldn’t be awake for too much longer. A shirtless Anthony greeted her on the other side of the camera, still buzzing from the win. The couple chatted for a bit until Anthony noticed that Sarah was yawning and her replies became slower and she kept falling asleep for a few moments before jolting back awake.

“Ma chérie,” Anthony spoke softly, “I think it’s time for you to sleep. Your future self will thank you.” The response that came through the phone was a deep groan from Sarah, still half asleep. She nodded gently and said her goodbyes to her boyfriend but something slipped out that she didn’t intend to say. The three words she wanted to save for a special time.

“I love you,” Sarah whispered as she fell asleep. Anthony wasn’t able to reply as he wanted to, well, at least so that his girlfriend could hear. However, he still replied with the same three words in a hushed tone. Even though he said those words, he was still freaking out. How would he bring it up when they saw each other the next day? Would she remember what she said? He had to get up out of bed and have a shower so he could try and relax. It didn’t help much and his sleep that night was broken and restless. He woke up on Valentine’s day morning, not well rested for morning skate and Mat refused to even talk to him because of how grumpy he was without his morning coffee.

Sarah slept in slightly longer than she intended but made it to her early morning class. She didn’t even have time to think over what she said on the call. It wasn’t like she didn’t remember, she did, but between a shower, a super-strong coffee and a train that arrived two minutes late, she did not have enough time to think about anything other than the content of the class. When she got home, that was when it sunk in.

“Oh my god,” she gasped to herself, putting one of her palms over her mouth as she realised what she had said to him. She wished that she had more time to think over what she said but she knew that if she wanted to be ready for 5, which was the time that Anthony said he was going to swing by her apartment to pick her up. As Sarah rummaged through her wardrobe, a particular box was what she was looking for, her phone pinged informing her of a new text message. It was a message from Anthony, they hadn’t been talking too frequently throughout the day as they were both very busy.

Tito <3: 5 o’clock still good for you?xx

Sarah <3: yep! I’m back at the apartment now getting ready. can’t wait to see you later xx

Tito <3: can’t wait to see you either xx

The black box was something of an impulse purchase. Well, not the box, its contents. A set of black, lace lingerie that she was going to wear underneath the black dress she had chosen to wear for the evening. She laid out the lingerie and the dress on her bed and made her way to the bathroom to have a quick shower.

Quick really meant quick as Sarah was in and out of the hot stream of water in less than 10 minutes and she sat down in front of her vanity to touch up the makeup she had put on at the beginning of her day. She brushed her fingertips over the delicate lace as she reached over the back of her chair. It was beautiful and intricate and Sarah couldn’t wait any longer to put it on.

Soft fabric cups and a light underwire gently supported her breasts, pushing them up slightly, and the thin fabric that rested on her hips covered just enough to still be considered a pair of underwear. The dress, however, was the opposite, having full-length sleeves and finishing just below her knees. It made Sarah feel comfortable but also beautiful.

It took 10 short minutes for Sarah to quickly restyle her hair before a knock on the door made her break out of the world she had made for herself. The shoes she had decided to wear were resting against the side of her bed so she slipped her feet through the straps and did the small buckle up before walking out of her room to meet Anthony in the hallway. He was wearing a black pair of suit trousers along with a light purple shirt, the first few buttons undone exposing his toned chest. As Sarah started walking towards her boyfriend, he extended his arm to offer her his hand, which she accepted and he pulled her into a hug.

“You look beautiful,” he whispered into her freshly done hair and she had to thank the layer of foundation that she had put on earlier so that no one could see the blush forming on her cheeks. They swayed in each other’s embrace for a few moments before Anthony released Sarah so she could go and get her bag that was resting on her vanity. He tapped his foot a few times to distract himself from the tightening in his trousers but when Sarah exited her room, he led her to the front door, opening it for her and walked her to his car that he parked a few moments walk away.

The waiter poured each of them a glass of wine as they browsed the menu, chatting about what they had been doing recently. Sarah laughed slightly too loudly at some of the stories that Anthony was retelling, maybe some of those things that happened on the road should be kept on the road, and was thankful that they were sat in the corner of the busy restaurant. She was also thankful that Anthony had picked a relatively early reservation as it meant that fewer people would notice them as they went into and out of the restaurant.

Sarah had drunk more of the bottle of wine than Anthony as he was driving them back to his place, and she was quite giggly on the drive home but she quickly sobered up as she cuddled up to Anthony on the soft couch at his apartment. From somewhere, Anthony had pulled a bag of popcorn out for them to share as they lazily watched a film as the street lights started streaming into the living room.

Around halfway through the movie, Anthony slipped his hands down to rest on Sarah’s butt and she leaned in to kiss him. Quickly, the movie was forgotten and the kisses kept getting more heated. Her legs wrapped around his waist as Anthony stood up and walked the short distance to his room.

The kisses gained in intensity quickly and Sarah began to unbutton Anthony’s dress shirt. He groaned into her mouth as his hand slipped under the skirt of her dress, fingertips ghosting over the intricate lace. The dress shirt slipped over Anthony’s shoulders and Sarah’s nimble hands made quick work of his belt buckle, removing it from under the belt loops to pull down the suit trousers he was wearing.

Before Sarah could readjust her weight to her knees, Anthony spun her around to unzip her dress. As it fell to the floor, he bit his bottom lip to suppress a moan that would have been embarrassingly loud. The underwear she had paired with the bra barely covered anything and as Sarah turned around he was able to take in her beauty.

“Baby,” Anthony groaned as he pulled her into his chest, so her back was flush with his exposed torso. Sarah looked up into his blue eyes which were deep with lust.

“Tito,” Sarah whispered. Was this the right time? Was Valentine's Day too cliche? “I love you, Anthony.” Her breathing quickened as she waited for a response from him, maybe it was too soon. Negative thoughts flooded her head as she waited.

Barely a second had passed before he spoke, “Sarah, I love you too.” They kissed for what seemed like hours, simply tasting each other, enjoying the embrace of the other. The sex they engaged in was soft, gentle, their orgasms built slowly and the grip that Sarah had on Anthony’s hand only tightened as she reached her high and as she tightened around him, his high was quick to follow. Anthony wrapped Sarah in his arms as the pair fell asleep, but not before they whispered the three words to each other once again.

[refinedbuffoonery]

No Big Deal

@macrileyedits your mind??? Brilliant. 

Prompt: Spontaneous goodbye kiss

*****

“Mac!” Riley hollered from the kitchen. “We’re out of butter!” 

“I just bought some!” He stuck his head out the bathroom door, brushing his teeth. 

“You bought it a week ago, and Bozer must’ve used it all making eggs benedict for dinner last night.” 

The mouthful of toothpaste made Mac’s answering groan sound like a bad imitation of a pissed off whale. “Do we really need it?” 

Riley rolled her eyes and filled a to-go mug with coffee. “Depends on whether you want your breakfast to taste good or not.” 

Keys jingled behind her. “Fine, I’ll go to the store.” 

Ignoring his mock annoyance, Riley busied herself rinsing some blueberries. The second she shut the water off, Mac reached around her to steal a handful. “Hey!” She whirled on him, and he quickly shoved the whole handful in his mouth at once. You look like a chipmunk, Riley thought. 

“Quality control,” he claimed. 

She fixed him with her best exasperated-mom glare. For two single friends who happened to live together, they acted an awful lot like a married couple. Riley suddenly had the urge to blush. 

“Do we need anything else?” he asked. “Syrup? Toothpaste? Tampons?” Riley raised an eyebrow. “I saw the empty box in the trash.” 

Could he be any more perfect? “Uh, actually, yes. Thanks.” She handed him the to-go mug and rose up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. 

Right before she made contact, his head turned slightly, and her lips landed on his. Fuck. Fuck Fuck. Riley jerked away, blushing furiously and staring at the floor. She didn’t know which was more embarrassing: that she accidentally kissed him on the mouth or that she fucking lingered for a split second. That cheek kiss was a stupid, stupid idea, she thought, swearing never to do something like that again. No more casual affection. Ever. She opened her mouth to apologize, but nothing came out. After a few tries, Riley managed a hurried “Sorry.” 

She still couldn’t look at Mac. Shit, she couldn’t even look at his feet without wanting to crawl in a hole and die. 

“Riles.” 

She didn’t look up. How could she after that? Oh god, she thought. What if he knows? Her breathing stopped altogether as panic coursed through her veins with each pound of her thundering heart. 

“Riley.” His voice was so soft and kind. Damn him. He lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. “You okay?” 

She made a decidedly unsexy choking noise. “Sorry,” she repeated. It was the only word she could form. 

“It’s no big deal, you know.”

Yeah, when you don’t have feelings. Oh god. Did she just say that aloud? 

He smiled softly. No, no she didn’t. Thank god. Riley almost envied him, standing there blissfully unaware and unburdened by unrequited feelings for his best friend. 

“You should get going,” she said. “That butter won’t buy itself.” That butter won’t buy itself? What the fuck? 

“Right.” Mac watched her with that stupid furrowed brow of his, clearly trying to solve the puzzle of her weird behavior. Riley knew it was only a matter of time before he finally connected all of the dots. She’d have to confess before then, before things got really weird. 

Slowly, Mac backed away and walked out the front door. 

Good one, Riley. Good one. 

[pizzaapplecheese]

Donald and Daisy’s relationship in tlottc

this is my opinions on what is going on and their relationship and there will defiantly be spoilers and maybe a bit of bias, anyways on to my review

we first see Daisy and Donald’s relationship in the first episode, we are introduced to Daisy when she called Donald on the phone, she says that she can't wait for their date and that she wants him to hurry because she was waiting for him in a place she felt unsafe in, Donald says he will, but then he got a phone call from his boss asking him why he was late, Donald was confused by that because he thought he has a day off on his birthday (which funny enough was Friday 13 XD) anyways his boss said if he doesn’t come as soon as possible he would have to fire Donald, Donald rushed into his job and was on his last costumer, a kid who refused to get his haircut which got Donald angry and he tried to cut the boy’s hair so hard that he accident shaved it and he got fired, just like his house since he forgot to remove the kettle on the stove, remember Daisy? Donald forgot to tell her that he suddenly busy that day so she thought he stood her up and dumped him, which is understandable.

the first episode was to show how bad Donald’s life is by showing a bunch of misunderstandings, bad-luck, and having zero proper communication, the first episode have him lose his job, girlfriend, and house all in one day which ironically was his birthday, even though her breaking up with Donald was justified we were presented with Donald having so many problems going around in the span of half a day that I felt a little bit annoyed with Daisy suddenly calling him and calling him selfish.

the next time we see daisy was in episode 5 (which I assume was at least a month and a half in their universe), she visits Donald in his new house when April, May, and June told her the Donald was doing better according to Daisy. Donald says that they should go eat in a restaurant so she can meet the “new Donald” Donald recommended the greasy pan, the rust skillet, and the burnt onion (which Panchito says he finds delicious) all of which she was disgusted in, until her nieces says that he was messing around an was actually going to take her to Shake Quackmore (which is a very rich restaurant) and her response was “oh that is so 2.0″ when Donald heard that she liked the idea he stopped panicking on how expensive that is and instead went along just to make her happy, on the date they talked about what Donald was doing after they left, Xandra says he was not allowed to tell her about the three caballeros or else she would be in danger, so he lies to her on what he was doing, she then talks about the reason she dumped Donald which was she said “one of the reasons we broke up is that i could never count on you, you are always leaving me stranded” anyways back with the others, they were in serious trouble with the lava queen thing and they needed Donald to help them so Xandra took Donald and pretty much yelled “DONALD, Panchito and Jose are in trouble” and donald being a good friend that he is tells her that he needs to go because his friends needed him which for some reason she was angry at, when Xandra and Donald left Xandra tells him to not worry and that she was sure that daisy would understand with Donald replying “you don’t know Daisy” after Donald helped his friends he ran back to the restaurant and asked Daisy to forgive him, but Daisy left. Her nieces gave Donald a letter Daisy wrote to him that says “Donald, you are just as angry, undependable, and selfish as you always were. Don’t ever call, email, text, write, video conference, speak time or smoke signal me ever again, however the service her was excellent, 4 stars”.

okay, so the first half was okay, like she was just visiting Donald and seeing how he was doing, which I think was okay. I find it a little strange she was disgusted by Donald’s choice of restaurants until her niece stepped in and recommended a very expensive restaurant but I brushed it off, after that when she talks about the reason she broke up with Donald, if you forgot then this is what she said “one of the reasons we broke up is that i could never count on you, you are always leaving me stranded” which although i know their relationship is based on misunderstandings and confusion i must say if anyone is making you feel like you cant count on them and is always leaving you stranded then leave them you dont need them, relationships are built on trust and if you can’t count on someone on anything then there is no reason to be in a relationship with them, anyways back on topic Donald left because his friends are in trouble which you would expect your partner to understand, but nope Daisy straight up wrote him a letter telling him that he is still angry (which not once have he was ever shown to be angry when she was around) undependable, and selfish which i find strange that he was considered selfish when she and Donald was told by Xandra straight to their faces that Panchto and Jose were in trouble, l am just confused by that, also the fact the Donald knew she was going to react like that kinda urks me if you know what i mean.

In the next episode Donald was upset that Daisy broke up with him again so he pretty much was bitter for the whole episode and easily snapped at his friends like when Panchito ask/sang if anyone got a book and braille Donald yelled “oh shut up” or when Panchito said that Donald was unemployed homeless and single before he met Xandra Donald shoved Panchito’s face on his food, it wasn’t even a light or joking way either, he just shoved his face on it.

honestly, as much as I love Donald he was pretty much an ass, I mean I understand he was upset because he broke up with his girlfriend again but he should seriously calm down.

in episode 7 we see Daisy again and this time she is introducing Donald to her new boyfriend Dapper Duck and when he asks what she was doing (didn’t she just said 2 episodes ago to not communicate with her ever again????) she said this to Donald “well, I was in the neighbourhood for the gala and I thought I should stop by and introduce you to my date new date dapper duck” “we meet after you abandon me at Shake Quackmore” Donald ran off after that because there was a bear he needed to catch for the plot, we see Daisy again when she talks to Dapper about how Donald was acting when she introduced him saying “he usually isn’t that weird” (cue Donald being weird XD).

I honestly see no point in Daisy visiting Donald show her ex her new boyfriend what-so-ever like you broke up with him and the creator made it clear as day that these 2 were not on speaking terms, I see no reason for her to act this way other than being an ass.

in episode 8 we got to see Donald’s magnificent portrait of dapper that I jus-

back on topic episode 9 Daisy calls Donald and tells him that this was his “last chance” and to “not stood me up”, Donald was so excited but there was another mission so the nieces made a plane in which they pretend to be Donald’s body while Donald uses the phone mirror which surprisingly works for some time even if the date felt awkward, but at least we got this funny scene where Jose thought Donald was talking to him when he told Daisy her outfit looks cute on her, back with Daisy who is slow dancing with ‘Donald’ but ultimately the mirror fell off and Daisy gets mad at Donald and says these “Donald Duck what is going on here?!” “what kind of sick joke is this, using my nieces for one of your weird schemes” and when Donald tried to explain she broke the mirror phone and says “Then explain this!” which leads into Donald's temper tantrums that get him Panchito and Jose disqualified.

there is nothing much to say other than the date was awkward and Daisy does not allow explanations (like teachers when you are late to class) and breaks property, like do you know how expensive that could have been?????

in episode 12 Xandra wants Donald to be on 100% focus so she took Donald and Daisy to seek therapy and couple counselling in the Himalayas called the Shang li la, these 2 gets pampered, although Donald was a bit aggressive and shove one of the employees because he they gave him water when he didn’t ask for it? anyways the Shang li la resorts pointed out Donald's anger issues and placed him n a room to face it and he gets beat up by an angry birds egg surprise version of himself that represents his anger issues and realizes all of his problems were caused by his anger, they leave the resort and when they fly out the bathtub that the pet bear was taking a shower from we get the most Hollywood drama-action movie scene ever.

I like how they take couple counselling but these twos relationship made me feel as if it wasn’t really the ‘fix’ they needed, but the whole “where are you going???” “to my destiny” scene made up for that for how over the top it was

we finally see her again in the last episode we see daisy helping the nieces with papers and made a joke about how much she is into puzzles and when Shellgoose loses his presidency they gave them a letter that says that Donald owns the institute, as they walk in the house Daisy and Donald have this conversation in which she says that they would need to work on Donald's wardrobe (and you could kinda see them arguing in the background)

there was nothing really important for me to point tbh

conclusion: I see their relationship as pretty annoying in all honesty, maybe if we saw more on Daisy’s side/point of view or have her not break up with Donald 3 times in 13 episodes then it might have fixed some things, their relationship in this show was a wasted opportunity and they could have done better things with it, I felt confused on why Donald was in love with her and why she keeps popping up for no reason like she doesn’t even check up on how her nieces were doing anytime in this show

Edit: I would like to hear other people's opinions

[krethes]

Chapter One of To Love a Girl:

“Remus, are you decent? I’m coming in!”

Remus jerked his head up from his pillow and groaned. ‘ Oww…’ He'd peeled his face from the pillowcase, which was never a good sign. He looked down. There was a line of blood there from a scabbing wound on his cheek. Hastily, he turned the pillow over and tucked it behind him, out of sight, out of mind.

Before he could do anything else, the lock turned on his front door and it swung open, squeaking at the very end like it always did. A humming Lily Potter stepped into the midday darkness of the flat and brought with her the smell of fish and chips (no malt, blessed girl) and a bag of lemons.

Seeing Remus on the sofa, she threw a brilliant smile his way as she kicked off her shoes to join the pile of much larger pairs at the door. She was dressed for the terrible heat in a short hunter green jumpsuit, the top two buttons undone. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail but despite all that, the fine hairs on her forehead and at the nape of her neck were dark with sweat and beads gathered at her temples. “Christ it’s hot out, isn’t it?” Remus felt a pang of guilt for living on the fourth floor.

Remus, wearing a pair of Sirius’s athletic shorts (that were far too short and far too baggy in the waist) and one of Sirius’s red-and-white striped tank tops, had to agree. He was always hot-natured, but this was ridiculous. They didn’t have central air in their tiny flat and cooling charms only went so far. His tank stuck to his chest and his curly hair hung limp around his face.

Had she been anyone else, excluding the Marauders of course, Remus would have been mortified about showing off so much of his skin, and he was displaying quite a lot. He put a significant effort into covering himself up in public, but Lily knew everything about that. Actually, she practically knew everything about him. It wasn’t as terrifying of a reality as Remus once thought it would be. He felt fortunate to have Lily in his life.

Lily sat next to him with kind delicacy, careful not to jostle him. “Poor little lamb,” she whispered, brushing back a damp curl from his brow. “James said you were in a right state when he came home this morning.” Remus felt her eyes wash over him, taking in the damage.

Sirius and Peter had been called away for a mission for the Order and so he'd only had James for companionship for his transformation. Prongs was all well and good and they had a fine and uneventful time, but the wolf missed its canine friend. Its displeasure was apparent in the open gash on his cheek and the sluggishly-bleeding claw marks across his chest covered in an ace bandage.

“I’ve had far worse, Lily, it’s alright,” he tried to assure her, leaning into her touch. Her hands were blissfully cool on his forehead. His wounds were almost healed anyway thanks to James’s basic healing spells and his own natural ability to heal quickly.

“Well the fact remains. Hungry?” She offered him a greasy packet of the fish and grinned when she heard his stomach growl. “Stupid question,” Lily laughed at herself.

Remus sat up gingerly and stretched his legs way out with a satisfied groan, joints popping loudly. He'd been curled up on the couch since moonset and had only budged when James threw clothes at him to "hide his shame when my wife comes by later". It felt good to move again even if his muscles were still sore from going from man to wolf to man again in a handful of hours.

“Have you grown again? Remus, I just saw you two weeks ago!” Lily asked, shocked, looking at the sheer amount of tan leg that revealed itself. Her hand rested on his bony shoulder and she frowned slightly, feeling only jutting bone beneath his skin. Remus watched her eyes slide across his thin chest and her other hand felt his spine, prominent.

She stood up suddenly and strode into the kitchenette with her bag of lemons. “That’s it, I’m making this lemonade now because you need calories. Have my fish, too. Does Sirius feed you? What’s in your refrigerator?”

Remus watched Hurricane Lily tear through his kitchen, touched by her tutting and scoffing when she saw four open bags of digestives in the cupboard but only three eggs, a mostly-empty carton of milk, and a six-pack of beer in the ice box. “This is it ? Remus!” she admonished. A piece of paper appeared in front of her, magical script jotting down items autonomously.

“Lily, you don’t--”

“Absolutely not, Remus Lupin. Sirius won’t be back for three days and this isn’t going to last you. You’re in no shape to go to the store, and if you try to stop me, well… there’s not much I can do about that but you won’t stop me.” Her green eyes flashed dangerously at him and he withdrew into the couch, subdued by the might of the 5’4” witch in his kitchen.

“Yes, ma'am,” Remus responded, resigned. He’d meant to do the shopping before the full moon, but the heat wave kept him tied to his flat. His body temperature was already naturally a few degrees higher than your average human’s and heat made him irritable. The few days before the full moon made him even more irritable. He would’ve had to wear long sleeves and long pants to hide his telling scars and it was all just too much. Things were so much harder when Sirius wasn’t around.

Satisfied, Lily tucked the list in her pocket and started chopping lemons. “I’m not trying to be a pest, Remus,” she apologized softly, barely audible over the sound of the knife on the cutting board. She was acting a little more mother-hen than Remus was used to, but Lily hadn’t been in this role very often. Most of their interactions were on a more level playing field, not her taking care of him.

“You aren’t a pest, Lily, don’t fret.” Remus stood with care and joined her in the kitchen, leaning his lanky frame on the counter across from Lily. This close, he really did tower over her, Lily’s red ponytail barely reaching the top of his sternum. He knew he’d grown by the way his jeans only reached the tops of his ankles, and by the way Sirius had to reach a little further to kiss him goodbye. He was tired of it, really, the growing pains blending into full moon pains. He was nineteen. It had to end sometime, right?

“Eat your fish,” Lily instructed, grabbing more lemons.

He saluted her playfully and retrieved the fish with a flick of his wand. He broke open one of the filets and took a grateful bite, moaning softly around the beer-battered goodness. Lily’s tinkling laughter made him smile, but he made quick work of the three pieces in his basket.

“I do eat, you know,” Remus murmured as he polished off the french fries with ease, licking his fingers shamelessly.

Lily’s frown seemed more to do with the effort of squeezing the lemons into the pitcher rather than discontent at his words. “I know, Remus, I know. I just wish we could put a little bulk on you. I’d worry less.” She paused in her squeezing to meet his eyes, hers a little over-bright.

Remus wiped his hands on the scant fabric of the shorts and put his hands on her shoulders to turn her. Lily put her last lemon down and looked up at him, surprised. He pulled her into a gentle hug, minding the tears in his chest, and held her close for several seconds. She was so good to him. She always smelled so nice, like… fresh tea and rosehips and… something else? Something… new…

He knew it was weird, but he turned his head to press his nose against her temple, inhaling again. Something was different. Lily laughed at him and pushed him away, glancing up with a questioning look. “Okay, Padfoot ,” she joked at the veritable snuffling, returning to her squeezing. Over her shoulder, she asked, “Where’s your sugar?”

Remus fetched it for her dutifully from the top cupboard (Sirius put it there for no other reason other than to see Remus reach for it every morning for his tea), puzzled by what he’d just smelled. It wasn’t bad or worrisome, it was just… different.

Lily poured in one cup of sugar, took a look at Remus’s hip bones jutting through the polyester shorts, and added a second cup for good measure. “You could come stay with us, you know,” she said while adding warm water from the tap. “Just until Sirius gets back… Must be awfully quiet here without his racket.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “It’s just three more days -- maybe less, and we’ll see you next week for your cookout! As much as I love the pair of you, Lily, I cannot be in the same house as newlyweds.” He gave her a knowing look and she pinked up prettily in embarrassment.

“Remus Lupin! If you weren’t so beat up I’d swat you!” she scolded, flicking her tea towel at him anyway, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Eat the other packet of fish. I had a big breakfast."

He complied and tucked into the other basket happily as Lily stirred the water into the pitcher vigorously. She poured two glasses over ice and handed him one, which he accepted with thanks. It was a little warm still, but the sugar felt wonderfully restorative, even if the citric acid did burn his snarled-raw throat on the way down.

The second serving of fish and chips lasted no longer than the first, and he tossed the newspaper into the trash bin and washed his hands in the sink. He splashed a little water on his face and smoothed back his curls from his forehead. When he straightened up, Lily was on the couch and had cleaned his stuffed-away pillow with a tap of her wand. She was too good to him.

But Lily didn't mention it, she was a good friend like that. When Remus sat beside her, she maneuvered so that his legs draped across her lap, his back against the arm of the sofa. It really wasn't big enough for two (unless they wanted to be intimately close), but despite that and the heat, Remus liked the closeness.

He'd spent the last eight years, or the most of them, in elbows-jabbing contact with three other boys. The past three years saw him connected at the hip to Sirius, and he'd grown accustomed to all that entailed. The constant contact at night (Sirius had to touch him in some way, usually a leg thrown over his thigh or his fingers curled around his bicep), the comfortable companionship of sharing a small space with someone you loved. It was nice. Four days (and three to go) had been difficult , and he was going a little stir crazy.

Lily snatched the television remote from a bin near the sofa and clicked on the TV with a happy noise. "James wants a telly soo badly! I just don't know how it would work in Godric's Hollow, you know? Nothing’s electric, but-- oh! The University Challenge! I haven't seen this since I was a kid!"

She turned the volume up a little and watched in rapt attention as she drank her lemonade.

They spent the entire afternoon watching assorted Muggle programs on television and demolished the entire pitcher of lemonade. When the sun began to set, James appeared in his living room with his arms full of Chinese takeaway. "Hungry?" He asked, smiling from ear-to-ear.

His friends were too good to him, Remus mused again, diving into a white box of noodles. When James came close enough to hand him a beer from the fridge, Remus inhaled deeply, subtly. Hmm. He smelled fine. So it wasn't something new in their home that made Lily's smell change.

He chewed his lower lip thoughtfully, interrupted by the sudden arrival of Sirius Black in their living room, looking tired but whole. ‘Thank god.’

Sirius's lips were warm and his arms, like iron around his body as he held him a little too tight, banished all thoughts of Lily or James or anyone else in the world from his mind and he melted into the embrace.

James and Lily laughed and quietly excused themselves from the flat, leaving the two men intertwined.

"Hungry?" Sirius asked when they finally broke for air, seeing the stacks of half-empty cartons on their coffee table.

"Ravenous," Remus replied and savored the predatory way Sirius looked at him in his obviously-borrowed clothing. Sirius picked him up and carried him to their bedroom, the Chinese food forgotten.

[mimosaeyes]

“You could talk,” Jon says slowly. “Doesn’t matter what about, just as long as it’s distracting. That would... that would help, I think.”

Set during episode 39, when Martin and Jon are hiding from Jane Prentiss. 2.1k, pre-relationship.

For TMA hurt/comfort week organised by @themagnuswriters, prompt: “treating/distracting from injuries”

Content warnings: canon-typical worm imagery, blood, Martin’s Prentiss anxiety

Beta-ed by @emberidzae

Also available on AO3 here

Martin has triple-checked that the door is locked. He knows he has; he remembers jiggling the knob and scuffing his shoe on the seal over the crack at the bottom. Yet he keeps throwing nervous looks at the square of dirty glass through which he’d peered into the corridor. From where he’s sitting on the floor, knees hugged to his chest, he can’t tell where Jane Prentiss currently is, or what she’s doing. Not unless she were to press her wan face up against the window, the holes in her skin indistinguishable from her eye sockets, and raise one infested fist to knock.

He shudders and makes himself take a deep breath, subconsciously tightening his grip around the corkscrew. It’s still slick with Jon’s blood. His fingers slip a little, a sensation that makes his stomach turn. He takes another deep breath and glances to his right, where Jon is propped up against the wall with his injured leg stretched out in front of him. To Martin’s surprise, Jon’s attention is focused not on the door or his wound, but on him.

“What are you thinking about?” Jon asks — quietly, but the sound still startles Martin after a couple minutes of tense waiting. In the silence after Jon had paused the tape recorder, Martin has been left listening to his own, anxious thoughts. They’ve been running along the same well-worn tracks as during those thirteen days he spent trapped in his apartment: where is she, what do I do, is anyone coming, how long since I checked the door, where is she?

What do I do?

“I guess…” Martin hesitates, having a brief mental debate about how much is appropriate to say to your boss who’s just confided in you that he’s only dismissive because he’s afraid; helplessly so. “I felt safe, here. I didn’t think she could get in.” He pauses, glancing at the door. “Guess I was wrong.”

Jon surprises him for the umpteenth time today by saying, “I’m sorry.” He sounds genuinely sympathetic, and even leans forward as if to pat Martin’s arm, although he stops halfway, looking awkward. 

As he slumps back against the wall, he winces, hissing slightly.

Furrowing his brow, Martin scoots closer to him. “Does your leg hurt?” 

“I’m fine,” Jon says, literally lying through his teeth. A muscle in his jaw jumps as he clenches it. He sighs. “Nothing to be done anyway, while we’re stuck here.”

He’s right, to an extent; they don’t have any medical supplies or even water to wash out whatever secretions a worm might leave behind. Martin shudders at the thought while eyeing the small pool of blood that has trickled out of Jon’s wound. “We can at least put pressure on it,” he decides at last. 

After casting about the room for a moment and seeing only boxes and papers, he starts to remove his own jumper.

Jon blinks. “What are you doing?” 

“I don’t have any other cloth,” Martin explains, lowering his arms again.

“I’m hardly going to bleed out from this,” Jon scoffs, his voice returning to its usual prickly tones. “There’s no need to be so dramatic.”

A few weeks ago, Martin would have backed down at once, stung by Jon’s standoffishness and jumping straight to the conclusion that Jon wouldn’t trust him to perform even such basic first aid on him. In light of today’s revelations, though, he merely narrows his eyes. “You’re doing it again.”

“Doing what,” Jon says flatly, looking askance. Martin takes that as a good indication that he’s hit the nail on the head with his inference.

“Pretending you’re not scared, so you won’t have to deal with how crazy this whole situation is. Well, you’re not fooling me.”

He maintains a firm, steady tone but holds his breath once he’s done speaking, silently worrying he has crossed a line. Several beats pass before Jon mumbles something in response.

“What?”

“I said you can use my vest,” Jon repeats, over-enunciating. He sounds arch again, though rather more cowed than before. Deftly, he unbuttons his vest with one hand while waving the other vaguely in Martin’s direction. “That’s one of your favourite jumpers; don’t ruin it on my account.”

The motion of him shrugging out of the vest does something fascinating to his collarbones, the lines of which are visible through his white button-up. It takes Martin a moment to process Jon’s words and ask, “Wait, how do you know I like this jumper?”

“Well, you wear it on special occasions, like your birthday,” Jon says as Martin begins to fold the vest. “You didn’t make Tim any tea for two days after that time he spilled some pasta sauce on the sleeve. And before you lived here, you sometimes left a hoodie or cardigan at your desk overnight, but never this jumper…” He trails off. “I’ve said too much, haven’t I?”

“It’s alright,” Martin tells him, while a pleasant, dizzy feeling starts up in a corner of his mind. He had no idea Jon noticed anything about him at all, aside from his supposedly incompetent work. “We do investigate mysteries.”

Such as the mystery of why Martin is about to use a vest made of what feels like rather expensive fabric to staunch the bleeding, when his own, comfy but ratty jumper is on hand. He clears his throat, glancing at Jon’s leg. “May I?”

At Jon’s nod, he pushes his trousers up to mid-calf. Then he stops and just stares at the ragged wound for a moment. He’s never thought of himself as being particularly squeamish, but he gets a little lightheaded anyway at how far the worm had tunnelled before Sasha managed to extract it.

This is what he’d pictured in the initial days of waiting out Prentiss, when he was still weighing the possibility of making a break for it. The mental image had effectively deterred any attempts. Since he’s started living in the Archives, he’s also woken up several times gasping from nightmares about the parasites burrowing into his exposed flesh. He always gropes for his corkscrew and the fire extinguisher he keeps next to his cot, clutching them to him while staring blearily out into the darkness beyond the circle of light cast by the lamp he leaves on.

He shakes himself. There’s no point thinking about that now. His fears have come to pass after all, and Jon needs his help. Martin places the fabric over the injury and presses down. Immediately, Jon gives a quiet hiss.

“Too much?” Martin asks, easing up a little.

Jon’s already shaking his head. “No, it’s okay. Thank you.”

They both fall silent for a while. Martin’s thoughts inevitably wander back to whatever’s going on outside. Whether Tim and Sasha are alright, whether help is coming. Too soon, he lifts the vest to check on the bleeding. It has slowed a little, but there’s still a sluggish ooze from the wound. He resumes the pressure, then looks up to find Jon watching him again.

“Why are you being nice to me?” Jon asks.

“Um.” Martin shifts into a marginally more comfortable position while he tries to find a polite way of phrasing Because of basic human decency…? “Why wouldn’t I?”

He means it rhetorically, but Jon actually starts to answer. “Well, I haven’t exactly been lovely to you. Yet here you are, offering to sacrifice your favourite jumper and — and staying here with me, when you could run for it and escape a situation you’ve probably been dreading for the past couple of months.”

I wouldn’t just leave you, Martin thinks at once, with a resolve that surprises himself a little. The time he’s spent living in the Archives has been stressful, sure, but it’s also brought him closer to each of his co-workers. (Regularly dousing one another and the premises with fire extinguishers will do that.) He wouldn’t abandon any of them.

That seems too heavy to say to Jon, though. Especially since, if it needs saying, maybe that means Jon hasn’t felt the same sense of solidarity. So Martin deflects instead. “Should we be talking at all? It might give away where we are.”

“You checked the door. We’re fine.” Jon attempts a reassuring smile but breaks off and flinches, his leg twitching briefly under Martin’s hands.

“What’s wrong?”

Jon pulls a face. “There’s a weird… pulsating feeling. Like it’s still crawling about in there.”

A horrible thought occurs to Martin. “Sasha did get all of it, didn’t she?”

“I’m sure she did,” Jon says. “I’m just being paranoid. In any case, I... don’t exactly relish the prospect of digging around with the corkscrew some more.”

“Hmm.” Martin bites his lip. “Then I don’t really know what else I can do.”

His thoughts stray back to the door, to the taste of canned peaches, too sweet in the back of his throat. He hates all this waiting. He needs to be doing something.

Jon tilts his head at him as if puzzling something out. “You could talk,” he says slowly. “Doesn’t matter what about, just as long as it’s distracting. That would... that would help, I think.”

Martin perks up at this — though of course, his brain chooses this moment to forget just about everything he has ever heard of, read about, or thought. “Ah…” he flounders. “I, I watched a documentary last week. It was about sharks.”

Breath hitching slightly in pain, Jon settles himself against the wall. “Tell me about sharks,” he says, with a wry and strangely indulgent smile.

So Martin does. “Um. Okay. D-did you know,” he says, starting with his favourite fact, “sharks that lay eggs do it in leathery pouches called mermaid purses? I’m not making that up, they’re really called that...” Then he goes on to explain how scientists determine the age of a shark by counting the growth rings formed on its vertebra, much like the rings in the cross-sections of trees. (At this point, his spiel is interrupted as Jon mumbles, “That’s... dendrochronology, right?” Only he stumbles over the syllables, so Martin repeats the word correctly, and somehow it turns into a weird competition of who can say it five times fast. Martin wins, but all of his blood is where it should be, so he’s hardly gloating about the victory.) Finally, he moves on to trivia about specific species, like the epaulette shark, which can walk on land, or the bonnethead shark, which for some reason enjoys eating seagrass.

Martin saves the best for last. “But my favourite,” he says, fully chatty by now, “has got to be the cookie-cutter shark.”

“A great name,” Jon remarks. “Why do you like them?”

“Well, first of all, they’re tiny. They kind of look like large fishes, really. And they glow! They have the strongest known bioluminescence of any shark. They migrate every day — but not from place to place. Up and down, actually. They’re, uh.” At this point, probably extremely belatedly, Martin realises he has been going on about sharks for quite some time. His mother, for example, would have stopped him ages ago. “They’re pretty cool,” he finishes rather lamely.

Instead of berating him or yawning pointedly, Jon actually still looks interested. “You haven’t explained why they’re called cookie-cutter sharks,” he notes. There’s a gentle quality to his voice that Martin has never heard before. It makes him genuinely believe that Jon wants him to continue talking. After all, this is the man who rambled about emulsifiers during Martin’s birthday celebration, pausing only to tell him he was about to put his elbow (and thereby his jumper) in a bit of melted ice-cream on the table. It had been embarrassing for Martin, who may or may not have been fawning slightly and absently letting his vanilla-honeycomb dribble out of the cone — but perhaps Jon was actually trying to be considerate.

Still, Martin hesitates before diving into his explanation. “It’s a little gory,” he hedges.

“If we die today,” Jon deadpans, “for me, it’ll be out of curiosity.”

It takes Martin a moment to realise he’s joking. Then he laughs, startled and faintly delighted. “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he says. He pauses for dramatic effect. “Their signature feeding habit is to gouge round holes in their prey. Like… like a cookie cutter with dough.”

Jon groans, though not out of pain, and starts laughing. “Well, that’s certainly topical.”

“Not the best distraction, in retrospect,” Martin says apologetically.

“No, it’s alright. Touch of humour. I enjoyed it.”

More than enough time has passed by now, surely. Martin checks under the cloth again. “You’ve stopped bleeding,” he reports.

“That’s good,” Jon says softly. “Wouldn’t want the sharks to get me.”

It’s only then that Martin realises he’s entirely forgotten to fret about Jane Prentiss. For quite a while, too. Huh, he thinks, mentally replaying the way Jon had asked him for a distraction. That would help, I think.  

Help who?

[my TMA fic on AO3]

[my post-canon JonMartin + cat fluff AU]

[adaodinson]

Would she?

Here´s the second part of Would she? I´ve had some free time and got the inspiration to write it. And one thing, I mention a movie called “Wolfwalkers” during the story, I highly recommend it, it´s a beautiful and artistic but deep animated movie.

Again, I´ll leave the translations to the Spanish words and phrases at the end of each phrase.

Relationship: Marcus Moreno x Fem Mexican reader (it is in English and most of the dialogues are too, her being Mexican is more about the story)

Summary: You are having dinner with the Morenos for the first time and a feeling of both nervousness and excitement covers both yours and Marcus´ body.

Warnings: Age gap, reader is Mexican, some swearing.

Part 2

Part 3

You woke up at the feeling of a small certain creature jumping to your stomach and purring softly. You blinked many times trying to get used to the light of the day and spotted your cat Wolfie staring at you. You turned around to see the time and as you saw your clock, you basically jumped out of bed scaring the living crap out of your cat. You weren´t used to the way your furniture was arranged in your new apartment, so it took a few more seconds than usual for you to find the bathroom.

-Shit, shit, shit- you said acknowledging it was 2 in the afternoon and realizing you wouldn´t have time to do everything you had planned to do. You had bumped into Missy for the second time yesterday and she had quickly told you dinner would be at 7 the next day, since earlier she hadn´t told you at what time you would be expected.

You had offered to bring dessert and you had planned making your famous chocolate chip cookies (famous between your family and friends, obviously) but you were waking up insanely late and still had to go out and buy all the ingredients. You hurried to the store and the second you got back home you started with the dough. While the cookies were in the oven, you went to your room to decide what you would wear. It was a simple dinner, you had no reason to be this nervous but you were. You cursed at the feeling that strange man caused on you and wondered how you would be able to make it through the whole dinner without imploding in your seat in front of the nice girl and handsome guy.

A pair of jeans, black boots, a white blouse with long sleeves and no shoulders and your favorite leather jacket. Simple but perfect. You looked in the mirror with satisfaction. Sure you had some insecurities about your body and face, but you were working very hard on loving yourself as you were, and with all honesty, you liked how you looked on that outfit. You got the cookies out of the oven and took a shower. Once you finished, you put on a light makeup and got dressed. It was 6o´clock and you only had to put the cookies in a plate and wait till it was time to go.

Marcus had woken up pretty early, he was a nerve rack not only because he would get to talk to you that same day, but because he had to make dinner himself and had no idea how he would pull that off without setting his house on fire or ending up ordering food and plating it to make it seem he had made it.

He decided he would try to make something simple so that he could put more effort into it: a pasta and some salad. How hard could it be? He had been stuck in his mind for so long he didn´t realize it was almost 3 and he still had to buy what he needed, so he asked Missy if she was decent enough to go to the supermarket and got ready to go.

She joked around reminding him all the things he had done in the kitchen that deserved their own TV show for how unique and disastrous they were.

-That time when you broke the whole carton of eggs in the sink instead of the bowl, or when you were making pasta but forgot the water so it got caught on fire. Oh or when instead of vinegar for the dressing you used vanilla- She said not being able to hold back the tears from how hard she was laughing-

-Ha ha ha ha you´re very funny. But really, I need your help, I don´t want to mess this up- He said as he pushed the car through the fruit aisle.

-I will help you, remember I like her too, I don´t want her to have to move again because her crazy neighbor made some pasta sauce explode on her- They both laughed all the way back to the car after buying everything. Rushing back to the house they started preparing everything.

They took turns so that one could be cooking and the other getting changed and ready. Things looked pretty good, nothing smelled weird, the kitchen was still standing, no vanilla and vinegar had been mixed up. Everything seemed perfect, almost too good to be true.

It was time, finally. You hugged your cat and asked him to wish you luck. He just lovingly stared at you and you took that as a good thing.

You were carrying the cookie plate and your bag while you locked the door behind you. You looked at both sides of the street before crossing and in a matter of seconds you were in front of the Moreno´s house. You took a deep breath and knocked on the door before your fear could stop you.

A shorter head peeked through the door as the owner of it opened it. Missy received you with a bright smile.

-Hi! Welcome- she said as she moved from the door to let you in.

-Hi Missy, how are you?- you said as you walked inside. It was a beautiful house, not too big but with enough room for two to three people. It was simply decorated but with a clear style and it smelled amazing.

-I´m good, thanks. This is my dad- She said as she pointed at the tall man standing next to you that for some reason you hadn´t seen. You looked at him and you swear you had to swallow a freaking moan from how gorgeous he was.

-Hello, I´m Marcus- he said as he extended his hand for you to shake.

-Hi Marcus- you said and then told him your name as you reached out for his hand.

-Welcome to the neighborhood and to our house- he said with a small chuckle. God, he swore you were glowing. You seemed so perfect, with your bright eyes and precious smile. He though your name suited you perfectly and he just couldn’t take his eyes off of you.

-Thank you so much for everything, it has been pretty hard for me to settle with the small amount of time I´ve lived here, but it´s amazing to know already I have such nice neighbors- you had no idea where that came form but you thanked your brain for coming up with it and your mouth for being able to say it so well.

Both looked at you with the same smile shining in their lips. They were so alike in certain ways.

They showed you around the first floor and then guided you to the dining room where the food was resting ready to be eaten. It all looked amazing.

-This smells amazing- you said happily.

-I hope you like it- Marcus said with a hint of fear in his tone.

-Be glad if you do- Missy said with a smirk and Marcus hit her playfully in the shoulder.

The three of you sat down and Marcus served all of you a generous portion of red pasta and salad. You stared down at your plate and smiled for yourself. You all started talking about your day as you tried the salad. Missy shared some stories of how Marcus had failed in the kitchen before and you shared crazy stories about your family. Like that one time when you got stuck at a parking place because your uncle that happened to be about ten blocks away had kept the car keys and the place was about to close; or that time when your parents were still dating (you weren´t born) and your mom drove you dad´s car into a pool by accident. As you told that last story Marcus laughed so hard some of his drink came out from his nose just like Violet in the Incredibles 2. Missy and you laughed so hard your stomaches ached.

It was time to try the pasta. Carefully, you used your fork to grab some of it and put it in your mouth. You had expected it to be an only tomato pasta, apparently it had peppers too, but since you were Mexican you were used to spicy and you loved it. You thought for a second you hadn´t told Missy where you came from, so you guessed they liked spicy too.

-JESUS NOOOOO WHAAAT- you jumped so high you almost saw the lamp that hanged from the celling in front of you. You looked at Missy who stood up from her seat and basically ran screaming through the kitchen looking for water.

Marcus´ face was covered in red and he looked at you with a strange look.

-You want milk for spicy sweetie! I´m so so so sorry, how are you not dying?- he asked looking at you. Okay now you were quite confused.

-What?- you said.

-Well the pasta, I mixed up some of the tomatoes with peppers and it´s spicy as hell. I´m used to spicy because of my mom but Missy isn´t- he stared down at you with a disappointed look in his face, but also a puzzled one. Why didn´t you react like Missy? Why didn’t you spit out the disgusting thing he had made?

-Marcus- you said with a soft chuckle- I´m Mexican, I adore spicy food and I´m used to eating it too, I loved the flavor of your pasta, it´s amazing. I didn’t tell Missy where I come from, so I assumed you guys liked spicy too and that had been why you made it like this. I honestly love this pasta.

Marcus looked at you and he swore he would never let you go, even if it was just as a friend, he wanted you around.

Without thinking and letting his arms move on their own, Marcus reached out for you and trapped you in a hug. He was as shocked as you were, but even more when you locked your arms on his shoulders hugging him back.

-¿Hablas en serio?- (Are you serious?) He asked softly wanting to know if what you were saying was true.

-Claro que hablo en serio- (Of course I´m serious) You answered quietly with a perfect Spanish pronunciation and a hint of laughter in your voice. You both stayed like that for what seemed forever until Missy came back and coughed softly.

-Are you done you fools? Or do you have another plan for almost killing me and then celebrating with a hug?- She asked with a serious look at first, but breaking into laughter at the middle of the sentence. The two of you split not daring to look at the other one because of the embarrassment.

-I´m gonna go get changed because I spilled half of the water I used before SOMEONE decided to tell me milk was better for spicy- she said as she walked upstairs.

You took another bite of your pasta and smiled at the memory it gave you about Mexico.

-So- you said swallowing what you were eating- Missy told me your job keeps you away from her a lot, what do you do?- you asked.

Marcus hadn’t thought about whether or not he would tell you about his job. He now knew you didn´t know anything about the Heroics because you weren´t from around, but he also knew you would eventually find out and, honestly, he preferred to be the one to answer all the questions you could have rather that you looking it up.

-I´m what we call a Heroic, I basically fight to defend people when needed- You did not see that one coming. Some people had mentioned the Heroics and you had seen things about them in the TV, but Marcus being one of them… it was AMAZING.

-WHAAAT YOU´RE A HEROIC?- that came out way louder than what you had planned. He smiled and nodded.

-So you´ve heard about us?-

-Well of course, but you´re one of them?!- that was too much for you, this man was perfect- So you have like a superpower or what?- You said expecting him to laugh and saying you were ridiculous.

-Yep, I can control metal, basically- he said amused at your reaction.

-WHAAAAT you mean like Magneto?!-

He laughed out loud at your comparison and with a gaze he invited you to lift your unused spoon for a demonstration. You did as he asked and with all the surprise of the world, you saw the utensil leave your hand and land on Marcus´.

-NOOOOOO THAT´S SO COOL- you said, and without thinking you stood from your seat, ran towards him and grabbed his hand to examine it. You both felt an electric current run through your fingers as you touched, but trying to ignore that, you carefully looked at each one of his fingers and traced them in a gentle way that made him melt.

He sat quietly and let you examine his hands. He was dying on the inside though. He was so amazed by your reaction and he even let himself run his eyes through you now that you were busy. He saw your hair falling at your side, it looked so soft he felt the need to touch it but held back. He ran his eyes through your back and landed his gaze on your ass for a few seconds but he scolded himself and looked away. He turned his gaze back at your head and to your face. You were looking at him as if he was the most amazing piece of art you had ever seen, and his heart sunk at the sight. He traced your nose and your rosy cheeks, then your lips and subconsciously he licked his.

Missy had been observing you two for about five minutes and was between amused and consumed by a tender feeling. You were going to have an amazing long-lasting friendship, or if life smiled at the three of you, a beautiful and romantic relationship that she had already decided she completely supported.

She decided it was time to interrupt though, she would offer you to watch a movie as you ate the cookies you had brought, and she did.

-Okay I´m sure there is a perfect explanation for why you guys are like that, but instead of giving me nervous unfinished sentences, let´s choose a movie to watch while we eat dessert- Marcus and you both stared into each other´s eyes for a few seconds with clear embarrassment and slowly walked away from each other. You were already missing the other´s touch.

You all finished eating dinner, and after washing the dishes you decided to watch a new movie that came out called “Wolfwalkers”.

-Oh my God, these are amazing- Marcus said with a pretty surprised look in his face as he tried one of your cookies.

-They really are, wow- Missy responded with the same surprise as her father.

-Thank you guys, I´m glad you liked them. I love making them so anytime you want some just call me-

-We don´t have your number- Missy said quickly before any of you changed the subject.

-Oh that´s right- you said as you took the piece of paper Missy was handing you and you wrote down your number. Missy gave a discreet wink to her father while you were focused on your task and he just smiled at his daughter.

The three of you sitting on the couch, eating cookies and crying over the beautiful movie after an afternoon of laughing and hugging. It was perfect. You were dying to know what your future with the Morenos would be like.

[itsallabigmess]

Crescente | Part Three

Slow burn Friends to Lovers AU Jinyoung is less of an ass in this one

PREVIOUS PART | NEXT PART

You stop halfway downstairs when the smell of fresh-made coffee hits your nostrils. You see a hotel employee coming from the pool area, carrying an empty large trail, make his way to the front door of the villa without noticing you standing there, on your pajamas, hair disheveled.

“Good. You are up,” Jinyoung appears in between the curtains that frame the window door, looking like he’s been up for a while and… is that a smile on his face? “I ordered breakfast,” he says, signaling with his head you should follow him before disappearing through the door again.

There is more food than you both need for breakfast, but your stomach growls happily to the sight of it. “Don’t we have to pay for breakfast if we ask it through room service?” you ask, examining the table, trying to decide what to devour first.

“Don’t worry about it,” he says simply, serving himself some coffee.

From the chair, you stare at Jinyoung for a long minute until he notices, and you have to direct your attention to the scrambled eggs. He seems to be in a better mood this morning but maybe it's too early to tell. Most likely is just another sign that he wants to stay inside the villa for the rest of the day, maybe the trip.

Having breakfast by the pool does have its perks. First, you don’t have to worry about being socially presentable. Opposite to Jinyoung, who you swear is wearing the same white shirt and green knee-long shorts combo he wore the day before, you can only imagine how messy you look. And you really don’t mind flicking some sleep sand from your eyes while chewing on bacon.

It’s also quieter. And even though it seems hotter than the day before, it��s nice to have breakfast outside, where you can smell the sea and hear the sound the tree brands make when the wind hits them.

“Did you bring sneakers?” Jinyoung asks suddenly.

You frown, puzzled. “Yes, why?” you answer, sipping on the juice to make the food go down faster.

“There’s this hiking tour that leads to a couple of waterfalls,” he explains. “I thought we could do that today if you don’t have anything else already planned.”

“I don’t,” you tap on your half-empty glass of juice, eyes narrowed. “We don’t need to, though. Do things together,” you blink at him, waiting to see his annoying perfect posture melt as he sighs in relief. But since he says nothing you continue, “You can stay here if -”

“I do want to,” he says matter-of-factly, one last long stare at you before reaching for his cup and taking in the rest of his coffee.

“Okay,” you blink once, twice, trying to read his expression.

“Okay,” Jinyoung repeats. And there it is again. The reluctant smile on the corner of his lips that you saw minutes earlier.

---

It doesn’t take long for you to understand the weird look the tour guide had given you once you step out the van: your sneakers are not appropriate for hiking, and you were about to have a really hard time doing so.

You focus on the bumpy ground below your feet, walking slowly and trying to avoid some rocks that look slippery. You still manage to stumble enough times to have Jinyoung’s hands holding you by the waist all the way to the first stop.

Or maybe he just wanted you to walk faster since everyone else seemed to pass by you two.

You only realize how sweaty you are and how much your feet hurt when you find yourself a rock to sit by the natural pool. Leaning forwards, you make a cup with both your hands and splash the cold water on your face, neck, and arms.

The guide tells the group has around 40 minutes to enjoy the place before starting the second part of the trail. So instead of just jumping in the water, you decide to take a moment to rest and enjoy the view.

Jinyoung does the same, sitting by your side, handing you the water bottle he took from inside your little bag. He’s still being quiet, but definitely less sulky, looking a bit satisfied as he leans forward to touch the water, wetting his face. Such an improvement from the day before.

He elbows your side when it’s time to go. You growl when you are standing on your feet again, feeling the blisters stinging on your heels. You feel Jinyoung’s grip on your middle when you start stumbling again. You wonder how he would react if you asked for a piggy ride, but brush the idea off.

You can contain a sigh of relief when you hear the sounds from the waterfall. Ignoring whatever new instructions the tour guide was passing to the group, you find another place to sit, lifting your feet from the ground and stretching your legs in the air.

“You look flushed,” Jinyoung states the obvious. This last hour was a great reminder of how out of form you are. Bringing one foot over your knee, you remove one of the sneakers slowly to see the damage.

It’s not as bad as you thought, even if there’s a thin line of blood on your ankle and a bump on the bottom of your feet. You ignore Jinyoung’s hiss to the sight of it and take off the other pair. It’s similarly bruised. You don’t care. There will have plenty of time to feel the pain and tiredness once you are back at the resort.

Your shirt and shorts are off in a second. You pack them inside your bag and try to hide it behind the rocks. You are sure the only people there is from the group you came with, all guests of the same resort, but somehow it still feels weird to just let your bag for anyone to see. Even if other people don’t seem to care about it.

There’s a sting on your heels as soon as you first step into the cold water. You give it a minute to get used to it, to how cold the water is. Looking up, you start to notice some guys getting ready to jump from a higher stone, the first one screaming before he disappeared inside the water, making little waves.

Step by step you enter the water, letting your body adjust to the coldness of the water. Taking some air, you dive in completely, surprise that even if the water isn’t as clear as the one you swam the day before, you could still see small fish on the bottom, unbothered by the people around.

You feel another person jumping into the water a bit too close to you. He smiles apologetically in your direction, the guy who disturbed your little moment of peace. You nod in recognition, feeling he is about to say something when you feel a pull from behind.

“Jinyoung, what…” your words get cut when Jinyoung pulls you even closer, placing both your arms around his neck. His hands slide to your waist, holding you against him. Your legs come up automatically, closing around his waist as if it was something you were used to doing.

It takes a moment for your mind to function. You’ve been friends for over a decade and you never been this close to Jinyoung. “What are you doing?” you ask under your breath.

“Just go with it,” he whispers, and you feel your body tense as he plants his lips on your shoulder, and then again on the curve on the neck. He is not kissing you. But the way he keeps his lips over your skin makes you strangely warm.

“As happy as I am to see that you decided to join me…” you place a hand on the back of his head, hoping he would understand it as a sign to look at you. “Can you please tell me what’s going on?”

“Did he say something to you?” Jinyoung leans back, but his stare is focused somewhere behind you.

“Who?”

“That frat-looking guy,” he growls in annoyance, and you turn around as much as you can – which is not much considering how Jinyoung is still holding you – but is just enough to see the guy who almost fell over you, starting to climb the rocks towards the jumping point with someone you assumed was his friend. “He was at the boat yesterday,” Jinyoung says, pulling your attention back to him. “He… Well, they were talking about you. About the women in general, but the tall one seemed highly interested in you.”

You shouldn’t just wander around. That’s what he said to you yesterday. You thought he was just being annoying but now you understand Jinyoung was just being protective. A trait of him you got to know well back in college but didn’t expect now that both of you were in your early 30’s.

“Oh, he’s kinda cute,” you pretend to look over your shoulder, your little smirk turning into a giggle when your friend raised a brow. “I’m kidding. He’s definitely not my type.”

“I don’t know, he does look a lot like your ex,” Jinyoung goads, lifting his chin. “He sounded just like him, too.”

“Shut up.”

“I’m sorry,” Jinyoung snickers, wrinkles forming around his eyes. You missed that kind of smile.  But it was not enough to distract you from how his hands were firmly holding your thighs, keeping you right there, against him. And how oddly comfortable it feels. “I’m also sorry for being weird lately.”

You focus on his eyes, face turning serious again. “That’s okay. I get it.”

“Stop doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Being nice.”

“Fine,” you say with a sigh. “I was really close to slapping you last night.” Jinyoung smiles again, satisfied. “But still, I get it.”

The way he looks at you makes you more relaxed. As if he just remembered that you were someone he could be comfortable with. That he doesn’t need to worry.

“Thank you, for not asking about it,” he says.

“It didn’t seem like you wanted to talk about it.”

“I didn’t before,” he agrees. Behind you, you hear someone screaming, and then the sound of someone hitting the water hard. Jinyoung moves his hands to your waist, gently detaching you from him. “Not here.”

There are some forsaken rocks at the edges of the waterfall. It is still close enough for you to feel the tiny drops falling over your skin. You twist your hair to get rid of the excess of water and wonder why the hell Jinyoung still has his shirt on.

“You will get a really funny sunburn,” you point out, twisting the sleeve over his shoulder, only to Jinyoung undo it.

He holds his forearms over bended knees, his gaze at the distance. “How much Jackson told you?”

“Only that you guys have just broken up.”

“No, it was not recent,” Jinyoung looks at you for a second, before staring down at his hands. “We haven’t been together since before thanksgiving.”

You are surprised. That last time you saw them was right after Christmas, in the last gathering of the year between your friends. You never knew Jinyoung to be the type that displays his physical affection towards… well, anyone. So, revisiting your memories, they seemed fine. Laughing and talking with everyone like they always did.

“It was mutual, the breakup,” he says. “Somewhere last year we just…we both fell out of love. But we were so used to being together, it took us some time to admit we no longer were a couple.”  

“That’s understandable. You’ve been together for a long time.”

“It wasn’t a bad break up or even a sad one. We are still friends,” he pauses, eyes meeting yours. “But it feels weird not having her around. Not doing things together. I guess that’s what messed me up.”

“I’m sorry,” you say, simply. He smiles, staring at the ground. You enjoy a minute of silence before you press your shoulder against his. “You could have called me, you know. To talk, hang out. Not be alone.”

“I was going to. And then you knocked at my door and asked me to come on this crazy trip with you.” You scoff and, surprisingly, is enough to make him laugh loudly. Jinyoung throws an arm around your shoulders, bringing you closer. “I’m glad you invited me. I really am.”

You stay there for a long minute, resting your head in his shoulder. You like that, the feeling you can be comfortable with each other again.

The tour guide lets you know you’ll be leaving for your next destination in about 15 minutes. You growl to the reminded that you have to get back on your shoes. “If we are going to do something like this again,” you say, lifting one foot in his direction, “I need to buy a decent pair of sneakers.”

Jinyoung makes a face to the bruises on your sole and you expect him to push your feet away. Instead, he lowers it to his lap. “We can do that after this tour is over.”

“Maybe I should buy a camera, too.” You sigh, appreciating the view around you. “Or at least a waterproof case for my phone. I can’t just visit places like this and not take photos to distract me once I’m back at work.”

On your side, Jinyoung swifts, opening the zipper on the side pocket of his shorts. Your mouth darts open when he places a GoPro on your hands.

“Tell me you didn’t have this yesterday.”

“Okay, I didn’t.”

“I’ve changed my mind. I still want to slap you.”

In a minute, you manage to capture a decent amount the photos, a panoramic video of the whole area, starting at the trees and ending when the waterfalls so gloriously. You turn to Jinyoung and snap a photo of him when he’s looking away. “Turn to me,” you say, brushing back the black locks that fall over his eyes before taking another picture of him, and then one of yourself. “Take one of us.”

You hand the small camera to Jinyoung, and he stretches his arm enough to capture both of you. “You know,” he says, swiping through the photos you took. “At this point, I imagined you would have figured how to take decent selfies.”

He turns the screen to you, a very out of angle picture of yourself displayed. “I’m an editor, not a photographer,” you defend yourself, taking the camera out of his hand and turning it off before handing it back to him. “Besides. I’m decent at taking photos, it’s just the selfie part that I can’t quite figure out.”

The rest of the group is already gathering to leave. Jinyoung helps you climb down the stones, but not before he takes a photo of you. He grins at the device, and when his eyes meet yours again, something gets agitated on your chest.

---

The next trail was mostly a straight line across the jungle to a small village and then going down some wooden steps until you reached the final stop.

Compared to the previous waterfalls, this is your favorite. You stand still, amazed by the water cascading down the wall of jagged rocks.  You don’t wait for Jinyoung and find yourself a place where you can sit somewhat comfortably and feel the water falling on your back.

The sun hits your front and you are taken over by the same feeling you had the day before; you are calm, happy, in a way you haven’t been in a long time.

Lazily, you watch as a mass of bodies shift up and down the center of the waterfall to get their perfect picture. It’s funny how, from a distance, they seem to be in a worry to leave the shallow pool at the end of the fall. Meanwhile, you wish you could lay down and let your body merge with that natural paradise.

The spell you are in is broken once Jinyoung approaches. He let his body get soaked before sitting by your side. “You okay?” he asks and seeing the little frown that forms on your face he adds. “You look a bit drowsy.”

You sigh, smiling weakly. “I’m just overly relaxed.”

That magical feeling disappears as soon as you arrive at the resort. After another hour of walking around the waterfall grounds, you and Jinyoung split from the group and arranged a cab ride towards downtown. You have local food for lunch and grab some other sweet snacks after finding a decent pair of running shoes and some bath products you can’t wait to use.

The sun was already halfway down when you finally entered the villa. It was a miracle that you were able to escalate the steps towards the bedroom. Tiredness hits you hard and you can’t do much beyond dropping to the floor, groaning.

“Wouldn’t be better to shower before laying down?” Jinyoung suggests, passing over you and lowering the bags he so kindly offered to carry.

You roll your head back, glimpsing at the bathroom door. How pathetic would it be if you just crawled all the way to the bathtub? “You can go first. I don’t think I will be able to get up for the next 5 minutes. Maybe 10.”

You are still on the floor when Jinyoung leaves the bathroom, minutes later. He stops by your side, crossing his arms over his chest and you ignore the judgmental look you are receiving. You pout and whine for him to help you get up, ready to blame him for how much your legs and feet hurt. But Jinyoung smells so well, looking all clean and fresh. It makes you aware of how raggedy you must look.

A thin fog fills the bathroom as you sink in the bathtub. You scrub your body with a soft loofah and make sure your hair is clean before leaning back and closing your eyes, letting the warm water make its work to relax your muscles.

The silence is broken by the sound of three knocks at the door. You let Jinyoung know that it’s not locked, and he opens it, just enough to be able to hear you clearly. “Are you open to the idea of having dinner here instead of going out?”

“Honestly? Room service sounds great.”

Food is already there when you leave the bathroom. As much as you were loath having to use the stairs once again, legs still feeling heavy, you can’t deny how enjoyable it is not having to deal with people and dine quietly by the pool. You still make a mental note, though, to not let this become a habit for the rest of the trip.

“Somehow I don’t think I can just fall asleep,” you say, getting on your side of the bed an hour later, stretching both your arms and legs.

“We can watch a movie,” Jinyoung suggests, pulling an iPad out of his messenger leather bag.

You raise a brow as he sits by your side. “I’m actually surprised you didn’t bring your laptop.”

“I thought about it, and then worried it somehow will be ruined by sand,” and before you can say anything, Jinyoung adds: “Believe me, sand always finds its way. This is more practical anyway,” he shakes the iPad to you before logging into the resort wi-fi.

“I just thought you might be working on a new book.”

“Not yet,” he says, scrolling through Netflix. “But when I’m not home I prefer to write on paper instead of typing. I always have a notebook with me.”

You lay down on your side lazily, hugging one pillow. “Oh, I remember,” you say, the memory of when Jinyoung used to be a very insecure writer coming back. Even if he was a year ahead of you in college, he always asked you to proofread his texts. That was how you found out which career to follow.

Jinyoung picks a movie, a comedy neither of you have seen before and lean the tablet against the headboard, pressing play. You share a few giggles and comments, but twenty minutes later, he notices you have started to doze off.

“Are you sleeping?” Jinyoung asks quietly.

“No,” you mumble, even though your eyes are closed. It takes a long second for you to open them, and it feels impossible to keep them that way.

“You are tired,” Jinyoung stops the movie, placing the iPad over the bedside table.

“No, I want to watch it,” you protest in vain. You both know you won’t last more than a couple of minutes before passing out completely.

“We can watch it tomorrow,” Jinyoung pulls the comforter over your body, and you hum in pleasure with the feeling of him raking his fingers through your hair gently.

“Are you being this nice to make up for being an ass yesterday?”

“Yes,” he says. “Is it working?”

“Will you stop being nice if I say yes?”

Jinyoung doesn’t answer, but you feel him move a bit closer, his hands going deeper on your nape.

You smile, yawning in the process. Jinyoung watches carefully as your expression softens and your lips part slowly. He makes sure you are completely gone before getting up and turning the lights out.