#otp: a wing and a prayer

[ariel-seagull-wings]

FICTIONAL CHARACTER ASK: MERCUTIO

Asked by @longagoitwastuesday​

@gravedangerahead​ @thealmightyemprex​ @themousefromfantasyland​ @the-blue-fairie​ @softlytowardthesun​ @princesssarisa​ @ardenrosegarden​ @giuliettaluce​ @silverfoxstole​

Favorite Thing About Them: He is a bohemian who enjoys dirty jokes, partying, dancing and singing, and has a great imagination for poetic, if also playfull, musings.

Least Favorite Thing About Them: He has very toxic conceptions about women and thinks that masculinity must be proven with violence, entering in a pointless duel with Tybalt and hipocritically blaming Romeo when he is killed, when in fact Romeo tried to stop the duel remembering that his kinsman, the Prince of Verona, had forbidden duels under penalty of death.

Three Things I Have In Common With Them:

* I ocasionally enjoy dirty jokes;

* My imagination runs wild;

* I like mascarades and costume parties;

Three Things I Don’t Have In Common With Them:

* I’m not related to nobility;

* I don’t enter in duels, i run away from the;

* I’m not an italian from Verona;

Favorite Line:

His Queen Mab speech at ACT I:

O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you. She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes In shape no bigger than an agate-stone On the fore-finger of an alderman, Drawn with a team of little atomies Athwart men's noses as they lie asleep; Her wagon-spokes made of long spinners’ legs, The cover of the wings of grasshoppers, The traces of the smallest spider's web, The collars of the moonshine's wat'ry beams, Her whip of cricket's bone; the lash of film; Her waggoner a small grey-coated gnat, Not half so big as a round little worm Pricked from the lazy finger of a maid: Her chariot is an empty hazelnut Made by the joiner squirrel or old grub, Time out o’ mind the fairies’ coachmakers. And in this state she gallops night by night Through lovers’ brains, and then they dream of love; O’er courtiers’ knees, that dream on court'sies straight, O’er lawyers’ fingers, who straight dream on fees, O’er ladies ‘ lips, who straight on kisses dream, Which oft the angry Mab with blisters plagues, Because their breaths with sweetmeats tainted are: Sometime she gallops o’er a courtier's nose, And then dreams he of smelling out a suit; And sometime comes she with a tithe-pig's tail Tickling a parson's nose as a’ lies asleep, Then dreams, he of another benefice: Sometime she driveth o’er a soldier's neck, And then dreams he of cutting foreign throats, Of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades, Of healths five-fathom deep; and then anon Drums in his ear, at which he starts and wakes, And being thus frighted swears a prayer or two And sleeps again. This is that very Mab That plaits the manes of horses in the night, And bakes the elflocks in foul sluttish hairs, Which once untangled, much misfortune bodes: This is the hag, when maids lie on their backs, That presses them and learns them first to bear, Making them women of good carriage This is she—

brOTP: Romeo Montague, Benvolio Montague, Juliet Capulet.

OTP: Benvolio Montague.

nOTP: Count Paris, Romeo Montague, Tybalt Capulet.

Random Headcanon: He is born ilegitimate, wich makes him mistakenly thing that, since he is not viable candidate to heir the title of Prince of Verona, the field between Montagues and Capulets will not affect him and he can do whatever he wants, wich his older relative, Escalus, tries constantly to warn him that is not truth, with no success.

Unpopular Opinion: He is not more inteligent than Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. He may be the most funny and cynical, but his actions are the most impulsive, starting the domino of deaths when he unnecessaraly enters the duel Tybalt.

Song I Associate With Them:

Cinzas, from Grupo Galpão’s production of the play

Favorite Picture of Them:

Brazilian actor Rodolfo Vaz, who is my favorite Mercutio

[gayazrael]

1. the one where you only see color once you meet your soulmate. (JeanLuke, because Jean-Paul's internal monologue was made for this AU)

AO3 mirror: the fire that breaks from thee (a billion times told lovelier)

Jean-Paul has never known color.

He doesn’t consider this any sort of deficiency, or that he might be somehow missing something. It’s impossible to miss what was never there, after all. The world is simply varying shades of grey, of black, of white. That is the simple reality of it. True, there were words he had no meaning for in books and in scriptures—blood has never been red, only a trickling black; the sky is only ever a faded grey; blades of grass are merely shards of the same. There is something else, then, but it is not something he can know.

Azrael is not meant to see such things, he thinks. It would be a distraction from his calling, from his purpose. So when he sees his reflection in a window, or a pool of water, he sees only a washed-out grey face, cold white eyes. When he looks up into the fractured gleam of a chapel’s mosaic windows, he can only see the light. It is how he is meant to be.

This doesn’t change after he is freed from the Order of Saint Dumas. Why would it? To assume it would is… senseless. Unreasonable. To hope for it is nothing short of foolish.

Not that he would—not that he did.

Anyway, he doesn’t mind. Gotham is, perhaps, more difficult to navigate than Gnosis or Santa Prisca when every street and every building looks identical in its austerity, but that is simply Jean-Paul’s burden to bear.

He doesn’t mind.

He hears, from listening in on conversations that aren’t quite hushed enough, that there are people who can see something other than a wash of black and grey. Two women sitting on a bench together, gazing wonderingly into each other’s eyes and marveling at all the color they can suddenly see within. A young man in a library, saying words like soulmate in dreamlike tones.

The knowledge twists inside him, but he will not allow himself to resent anyone blessed with the colors he will never know.

It doesn’t change.

It won’t change.

Until the day it does.

Azrael’s mask lifts from Jean-Paul’s face as he descends the stairs to the Cave. He shakes his hair out, pushing a gauntleted hand through it to untangle it. The air is cool on his face, growing cooler as he descends, and then abruptly warmer as he nears the Cave itself—and the heating systems Batman has set up to keep himself and his wards from freezing down here. He tucks his helmet in the crook of his arm as he passes the tyrannosaur, upon which Damian appears to have made himself quite comfortable. Down on the ground below him, there sleeps a truly enormous dog, head rested peacefully on its paws.

It’s strange to be invited down here, to the Bat family’s most closely-guarded sanctum. Looking around the Cave, no one seems to even be particularly bothered by his walking down here. Tim even gives a small wave before returning his attention to one of the main computer consoles, though the young woman sitting next to him is too engrossed in her work to do the same. Jason, situated with his boots propped up on the circular meeting table, seems more inclined to pay attention to a plate of tiny sandwiches he’s appropriated than to Jean-Paul.

Not that Jean-Paul minds overmuch. That no one is paying him much heed is, in the end, almost a sign of trust. After everything he did to these people—that, in and of itself, is a minor miracle.

A few… key members are nowhere to be found. Jean-Paul assumes he has simply arrived early, and tries his best not to fidget as he sits down. Silently, Jason extends a single sandwich. For lack of anything better to do, Jean-Paul reasons he may as well. (It tastes like nothing Jean-Paul has ever had, but that’s hardly surprising.)

Slowly, others trickle in. Jean-Paul knows a handful of names and faces, mostly because Harper likes to show off pictures during downtime at the clinic. Cassandra and Stephanie, who sit together some seats away from Jason and Jean-Paul. Kate, who had been there when Jean-Paul was invited here, and who he nearly doesn’t recognize without her cowl and wig. A young man, a bit taller and darker-skinned than Damian, who nods at Jean-Paul before pulling up a chair near Tim, Barbara, and the computer.

“No Grayson?” says Damian.

Kate looks up, her expression simultaneously exasperated and resigned. “This is Gotham business,” she says. “And please get down on the ground, Damian. I’m going to get a crick in my neck if you stay up there much longer.”

Damian makes a sound of vague disgust, but the thump of boots on stone follows shortly after. He perches himself on the seat on Jason’s other side, knees tucked under his chin.

Tim turns in his chair, an arm looped over the back. “Bruce should be—”

“Present,” intones a low, distorted voice. Jean-Paul looks over his shoulder towards the Cave’s entrance. Sure enough, Batman has… manifested at the bottom of the stairs, as if he were an apparition, the inky shadow of his cape pooling at his feet. “Just waiting on one more.”

Batman seats himself at Kate’s right side before peeling off his cowl. He regards Jean-Paul silently for a moment before inclining his head in greeting. “Duke, Tim, Barbara—come get a spot at the table. I want everyone involved in this as much as possible.”

Three more seats fill up. No one but Jason sits directly next to Jean-Paul.

“So, I don’t want to be rude or anything,” says Duke, pulling his jacket tighter around himself, “but who’re you?”

Jean-Paul opens his mouth to reply, but Bruce holds up a hand to silence him. “I’ll introduce our guest when everyone’s here,” Bruce says, not unkindly. “You won’t have to wait long, don’t worry.”

Jason yawns. “Uh-huh. Most of us have been here for ages already,” he says, pushing the now empty plate away from the edge of the table. He folds his hands behind his head, closes his eyes, and leans far back enough in his seat to be nearly lying down. “How many more centuries is it gonna be, Bruce?”

Bruce pushes a sigh through his nose. “Not long. He told me there was something he needed to finish up before he could come here.”

This time, Kate is the one to scoff, but she doesn’t offer any further illuminating commentary. Instead, she draws a phone out of her pocket and, judging by the fairly constant motion of her thumb, starts scrolling absently without really reading much.

Jean-Paul turns Azrael’s mask over in his lap, studying the angles of it, the black emptiness of its eye holes. It’s easier than looking too long in the faces of everyone else here. He knows, consciously, that it was only ever Tim, Jason, and Dick that he had committed outright violence against, but even that feels an act of violence against the family as a whole. He doesn’t know why they would allow him here after that.

He doesn’t look up again until he hears another unfamiliar voice from above.

“Hey, sorry to keep everybody waiting.” The voice is friendly, even behind whatever distortion is masking it. As much as he wants to, Jean-Paul doesn’t turn around to look. He’s here for the others to observe and make judgement upon him, not the other way around. “Did I miss anything fun?”

“Todd is falling asleep,” says Damian, kicking the back of Jason’s chair.

Jason just cracks an eye open to glare. “I wasn’t actually asleep, you little—”

“We were just waiting for you,” Kate says coolly. She puts her phone face-down on the table, nodding towards the empty seat next to Jean-Paul. “By all means.”

“Thanks,” the newcomer says with a snort.

Jean-Paul hears a series of faint clicks, and out of the corner of his eye, sees a pair of gauntleted hands gently place a helmet on the table. It looks metal, as dark as a starless night, and at the peak of the crown rest twin bat-like ears. The chair beside him scrapes against the floor, and as the newcomer sits down, he finally indulges his curiosity and glances over.

At first, he only registers the usual kinds of features he can make out: short-shaven hair, a wide grin, the shadow of stubble. And then—

Jean-Paul stares, transfixed, as black and grey give way to—to what he has no words for, has never needed words for until this very moment. To… to revelation, to warmth, to the dark-but-not-grey-or-black of smiling eyes, ringed by something lighter, a color—a color—like if one could see the gentle heat of the morning sun. To the deep, yet almost iridescent richness of his dark skin.

The newcomer’s smile slowly fades, his eyes beginning to widen. (His eyes are beautiful. Jean-Paul had never known anything could even be so beautiful. He thinks he understands, now, the human race’s need for poetry.)

Bruce’s voice breaks the silence. “Well, since we’re all here,” he says, “why don’t I introduce everyone.”

Jean-Paul pays him no heed, too mesmerized as the color spreads from the newcomer’s face to his armor (even in the black metal, there is color; even in the white light of the bat-sigil, there are other faint hues to behold), to everything around him. How could anyone bear to look at anyone or anything else?

“Everyone, this is Jean-Paul Valley, callsign Azrael. Jean-Paul, this—Jean-Paul?”

“Yes,” he says, distractedly.

“Is something wrong?” Bruce asks.

Jean-Paul finally tears his eyes away. Bruce barely looks much different, save for the blend of pale tones across his face, which Jean-Paul can actually make out now. “No,” he says. “Nothing.”

Why would there be? Nothing feels wrong at all. It’s as though by simply walking into this room, this man has slotted every missing piece of Jean-Paul’s spirit right into place, leaving a blanket of calm over him. For the first time in his life, Jean-Paul feels as though he belongs somewhere. This man, and his miraculous canvas of color, feels like—home.

Kate glances between Jean-Paul and the newcomer, something like understanding beginning to dawn on her face. “Jean-Paul, this is Luke Fox,” she says, sounding strangely tired. “Luke, meet Jean-Paul.”

Luke. Jean-Paul turns back again to see that smile slowly returning, the shadows of dimples forming under Luke’s stubble. Luke extends a hand. Jean-Paul stares dumbly, first at it, and then at his own (he’d gone so, so long without truly seeing the armor he wore, heavens) before he takes it. Luke’s grip is firm, but Jean-Paul is still too enraptured by the color of his eyes to think much on it.

And then Luke utters three words that make Jean-Paul’s chest tighten and fill with blinding light and heat all at once.

“You too, huh?”

[karahalloway]

(Less Than) Noble Intentions - Bonus Chapter: Extraction (Part 2)

Fandom: TRR

Pairing: Drake Walker x F!OC (Harper Gale)

Series Synopsis: The social season may be over, but Harper Gale’s problems are just beginning. With everyone at court a potential suspect, can she and Drake survive the engagement tour and get to the bottom of the plot against her and clear her name? An AU take of TRR2 featuring my OTP - Harper & Drake.

Masterlist: Extraction

Chapter Summary: Drake gets a lot more than he bargained for when he arrives in Montana

Word Count: 7,300 (Hey! Don’t look at me! It’ ain’t my fault people can’t shut up! 🙃)

Rating/Warnings: M (swearing, angst, cringe, too much unwanted PDA - basically, the Gales being the Gales 🤣)

Chapter theme song:

A/N1: Chronologically, this chapter takes place between Chapter 7 - Independence Day and Chapter 8 - Into The Lion’s Den and is written from Drake’s POV. Part I covered events in New York; this Part II covers Drake’s escapades in Bozeman, MT (subsequent part(s) will cover the plane journey down to Texas, and the arrival at the ranch, with maybe a tiny bit about Drake’s flight back to Cordonia).

A/N2: If anyone wants a reminder of what Harper’s family look like, click here.

Bonus Chapter - Extraction (Part 2)

"Good evening, Mr Walker," greets a suited valet as I step off the plane. "Pleasant flight?"

"As pleasant as it could've been, given the circumstances."

"Well," says the guy, handing me a set of keys, "I hope that your onward journey goes smoothly, at least."

"I doubt it," I mutter, exchanging the keys for a hefty tip. "But thanks for the sentiment."

"You are most welcome, sir. Have a good evening." Turning on his heel, he jumps into the other car that’s waiting on the tarmac.

Pocketing the keys, I step up to the blacked-out Escalade and open the driver's side door. Settling myself in the seat, I quickly adjust everything and set my destination on the sat nav.

Ten-minute drive.

Pressing the pedal down, I navigate off the runway and onto a service road that loops around the back of the airport.

Getting here — despite the three hours I spent pacing at Teterboro while waiting for authorisation for the last-minute flight plan, not to mention the literal king's ransom I paid to charter a direct flight to Bozeman, and have a rental car meet me on the runway — had been relatively painless.

But now I have to somehow sneak Gale's family (plus luggage) out of their house and back to the airport without the paps realising that a personalised version of The Great Escape was taking place under their noses.

And that’s gonna be a logistical challenge.

Not just because I’m going to have to improvise on the fly — given that I've never been here before, and don’t know the lay of the land — but also because I’m going to have to coordinate half-a-dozen rambunctious civilians with zero tactical training or awareness.

Christ, what the hell was I thinking?

An exfil of this scale is normally a six-man job that requires days, if not weeks of prep.

I’m just one guy winging it on a hope and a prayer.

At least it’s coming up on 10pm Mountain now, so that means that I'll have the cover of darkness to work under. I don’t know if the neighbourhood has streetlights, but even if it doesn’t, the porch lights from the nearby houses are going to provide some illumination that I will need to work around.

I add that note to my already lengthy mental list of known unknowns.

And God only knows what crazy cocktail mix of unknown unknowns I'll also have to contend with...

Turning off the main bypass, I drive under the I-90 to merge onto the unlit two-lane that’ll take me to the small community on the outskirts of Bozeman that the Gales call home... and I feel my hands start to sweat as they grip the steering wheel.

There are a million and one things that can go wrong tonight.

We could get spotted. Someone could trip in the dark and get injured. We could get a puncture... or hit a deer (Montana’s know for its abundant wildlife, after all). We could run into a summer thunderstorm on the way south.

But despite the multitude of variables that I have to make provisions for, there is one thing that’s weighing on my mind more than anything else.

I’m meeting Harper's family for the first time.

Sure, I've seen them all on video about a month ago. So, it ain’t like we’re complete strangers to each other.

But this is different.

This’ll be an in-person face-to-face. A critical milestone in most relationships — sometimes even a make-or-break one.

Because this is when your girlfriend's parents decide whether or not your sorry ass is good enough for their daughter.

And even if that isn’t enough tacit pressure to deal with under normal circumstances, I’m in the doubly unenviable position of not only doing something like this for the very first time — given that I've never been in a relationship that had progressed to this stage before — but I’m also going to be flying solo.

Not that that’s my even biggest worry.

Yes, it would've been nice to have Harper with me when I met her folks properly for the first time. For convention's sake, if nothing else. But external events have conspired to rob us of that opportunity, and as much as that grates on me, I’m a big boy, and I can handle spending a few hours with her family by myself.

No. It’s the fact that here I am, about to turn up at the Gales' home in the middle of the night after a 4-hour flight, wearing rumpled, sweat-stained clothes, hair greasy and tangled from all the times I've raked my hand through it in frustration today, not to mention badly in need of a shower and shave, to bark orders like a drill sergeant at the people who could very well become my future in-laws.

Good first impression, that ain't...

I chew the inside of my cheek restlessly.

...especially when I have so much riding on this.

Being apart from Gale for this length of time has confronted me with the inescapable fact that I want — no, need — her more than the air I breathe.

And I have no clue how I'd managed to subsist before she blew into my life like a warm summer breeze, knocking down my walls, tearing up all my rules, and wreaking general havoc on my heart and mind.

Not that I care about any of that now... the things I thought were important enough to warrant pushing her away for. All I know is that I was a monumental idiot for even trying in the first place.

Her eyes saw through me, her smile lit me up, and her touch... Christ, just one touch from her was enough to make me want to shove her up against the wall and rip the clothes from her body.

In short, I've never felt like this with anyone before.

And a girl like her is only gonna come 'round once.

Hell, the fact that she showed up in my miserable life at all is nothing short of a goddamn miracle!

And given how close she is with her family, I know that if I want to spend the rest of my life with her, her parents and brothers will become a permanent fixture in my existence as well. So, I really want to start off on the right foot with them. Because I know that it’s going to be important for Harper that we get along...

...even if they’re the polar opposite of my family in every sense of the word, and Aunt Lee’s gonna get the shock of her life when we roll up at the ranch.

I shake my head wryly.

Christ... Married.

I honestly never thought I'd be making plans to get hitched. I hadn't even been looking for anything serious, let alone permanent. But after nearly losing her at the end of the social season, and then being forced to be apart for nearly a month, I’ve realised that life's too short to piss about, wasting time trying to deny how I feel and what I want.

And what I want is her. Full stop.

Not that I’m planning on rushing anything.

She has enough shit to deal with right now without me springing a surprise proposal onto her. So, I’m content to bide my time until the tour wraps up, her name is cleared, and her life returns to a semblance of normalcy.

And if that means waiting weeks, months, or even years for the stars to align, then that's what I’m going to do.

Because she’s worth the wait.

"The destination is on your right."

The nasally voice of the sat nav jars me from my thoughts.

Glancing in the indicated direction, I spot the Gales' craftsman-style house...

...and the veritable barricade of news vans camped in front of it.

"Sweet fuckin' Jesus..."

There’s no way in in hell that we’re gonna get past that without someone noticing.

"You have reached your destination."

Ignoring the navigation system, I roll slowly past the row of vehicles that lined both sides of the street, circling the block until I reach a spot on the parallel road directly behind the property.

Pulling up next to the curb, I turn the engine off and hop out.

The street is quiet and unlit. Several porch lights are on, and there's light peeking out from behind a few drawn blinds, but the spacing between the buildings is quite wide and unobstructed by gates.

So, generally positive...

Except for the fact that I’m still dressed in the clothes that I threw on this morning, and my white button-down glows like a fuckin' signal flare in the dark.

I briefly contemplate ditching it.

But considering that I left my suitcase back on the plane, not to mention how many pages I've torn out of the 'Meet the 'Rents' playbook already, the last thing I want to do was knock on the Gales' door looking like I’ve just fallen off the proverbial turnip truck.

I’m going to have to do this quick.

Taking a breath, I stride purposefully up the grass between the two houses that I parked in front of.

I really hope that no one’s logging my blatant trespassing through their window. But if they are, then I may as well make it seem like I’m supposed to be here, instead of making a big show of sneaking around like a literal thief in the night, as that would only increase my odds of getting reported to the cops.

Veering off to the right, I skirt the ranch-style fence that divides the backyards of the two properties until I arrive at the line that abutted the Gale's yard...

...and see that even though the fence is easy to hop, the rose bushes that have been planted along it on the other side aren’t.

"Fuck..."

I could retrace my steps, and find a way in via a different yard, but that risks me drawing even more attention to myself.

I’m going to have to commit. Hard.

After testing the fence rails to make sure that none of them have rotted through, I back up a few yards. Heaving a few deep breaths to pump myself up — and push down the voice in the back of my head telling me that this is a seriously bad idea — I break into a sprint.

I'm almost upon the fence when I use what momentum I've gained to leap upwards. My boot connects with the top rail, and pushing off of it, I sail into the air.

I feel my right foot drag over the top of the roses as I pass over the bushes, but luck is my side, and I don't get tangled in the thorns.

My foot hits the ground and I let my knees collapse as I throw myself forward to counteract the force of the impact. Rolling across the grass — which I realise mid-rotation is cold and wet from having recently been watered — I come to a stop on one knee, panting, with my shirt sticking to me...

...and the barrel of a Benelli M2 pointed between my eyes.

"Thought you were real smart, huh? Sneaking 'round the back..."

I raise my hands more out of instinct than anything else. "Sir, I'm—"

"Just here for a story?" The cold metal of the muzzle presses into my forehead. "So you and your sorry excuse of a paper can profit off of my daughter's misfortune? Well, you can take your story and—"

"I'm not a pap!"

A dry scoff reverberates through the darkness. "Sure, son. Keep on tellin' yourself that if it helps you sleep at night. But I sure as hell won't—"

"It's me!" I shout. "Drake Walker! Harper's—"

Rob's eyes widen in the gloom. "Jesus Christ...!"

The barrel swings away from my head and I let out an explosive breath that I hadn't realised I've been holding as I feel my blood flow restart.

I hadn't been expecting a red-carpet welcome, but sweet fuckin' Jesus!

But I guess I should've known better. The Gales were in high alert, and I hadn't exactly given them a heads-up about my arrival.

"The heck were you thinking, son?" Harper's dad demands, offering me a hand to help me up. "I could've—"

"What's going on, honey?" asks Leigh, appearing behind her husband with a flashlight. "Did you—?" Her eyes — and blindingly bright beam — land on me. "Oh! Drake!"

I lift a hand to block the light. "Evenin', Mrs—"

The wind is knocked from my lungs as Harper's mom launches herself at me like a homing missile, nearly sending me ass-first into the damp grass again.

"We're so sorry, sweetie! Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I grunt, trying to regain my balance with the additional 140-or-so pounds on me. "I'm—"

"What are you doing in the yard?" she deplores, squeezing the literal bejesus out of me.

"The front door was out, so I had to use the back," I gasp, trying to draw breath — and failing.

Fuck me! This woman could give professional judo wrestlers a run for their money...!

"Probably not the welcome you were expecting, huh?" she observes, squeezing even tighter, if such a thing is possible. "But with all the unexpected visitors out front, Rob said we needed to take precautions."

"Hey. No harm, no foul. And I—"

"You could've given us a heads-up, son," grumbles Rob.

"Sorry, sir," I wheeze. "But—"

Leigh pulls away from me suspiciously. "Why are you all wet? The sprinklers weren't going off by themselves again, were they?"

I draw a relieved breath, my ribs groaning as they settle back into their intended positions. "No, I—"

"Everything okay here?" queries Brody, making an appearance with a stainless steel Dan Wesson 1911.

I make a mental note never to try and sneak onto the Gales' property again. Especially in the dark.

Leigh turns to regard her eldest son with a wry look. "Apart from your trigger-happy father almost shooting the first boyfriend Harper's introduced to us since that what's-his-face football player that took her to prom, we're peachy!"

Rob shoulders the single-barrel grouchily. "I'm allowed to defend my home, Leigh... And had I known—"

"You mean Dean?"

Glancing behind Brody, I spot Tyler and Justin ambling up as well, Henry lever-action and AR-15 sporting rifle in hand, respectively.

My eyes widen.

Sweet Jesus! These people are packing enough heat to inaugurate their own private militia...

...which begs the question of why — if her family are such ardent supporters of the Second Amendment — had Harper said she'd never shot a gun before.

But that’s an investigation for another time...

"Was that his name?" muses Leigh. "I honestly can't remember... I didn't like him." She gives me a conspiratorial wink.

"You mean Mr Hot-Shot Halfback who got that free ride scholarship to the University of Denver?" offers Justin. "And wouldn't shut up about it?"

"Yeah. Him," affirms Tyler. "Heard he got into a bar fight and got kicked off the team."

"Wasn't he called Don?" asks Brody.

"No!" scoffs Justin dismissively. "It was Dave. Or... Dale. Possibly Drew. But not Dean. Dean was that guy she dated during the summer after her sophomore year. Who had that quad bike? Remember?"

"Oh, yeah!" exclaims Tyler. "He kept getting it stuck in the mud after all the thunderstorms we'd had that year."

"And Harp kept calling me up to pull it out for him..." mutters Brody begrudgingly.

I quirk a brow. Jocks and quad bikes, huh? And she had the sass to give me stick for taking her to the range...

"Alright, you three," chides Leigh. "Cut it out. I'm sure Drake's not interested in hearing about Harper's past love interests. Not to mention, we can't have him stood out here in the yard, waiting to catch a cold..."

"Honestly, I'm—"

But I'm not given a chance to get a word in edgeways because Leigh has already grabbed hold of my arm and is hauling me across the lawn.

"I'm so happy that we finally get to meet you, honey," she preens, leaning into me affectionately. "Harper's told us so much about you. Feels like you're practically part of the family already!"

I feel the heat rise up my neck at the sincereness of her remark. "Th-thank you, ma'am. It's great to—"

"Oh, sweetie!" she admonishes with a lighthearted smack on my arm as she pulls me up the deck steps. "There's no need for all that! I know you Southerners like to pride yourselves on your manners, but up here — and especially in this family — we're quite a bit more laid back. Just Leigh is fine."

"I'll keep that in mind," I concede, stepping into the kitchen.

It smells of garlic, onions, and beef, and I suddenly realise that I haven’t eaten since breakfast. But food’s gonna have to wait because—

"We need to get you out of that shirt, mister."

My eyes snap down onto Harper's mom, before dropping to my chest. "Err..."

"We can't have you running around in wet clothes after you came all this way to help us."

I feel my shoulders relax as my brain finally catches up with the context.

Christ, it's been a long day...

"I'll be fine. It's just a little da—"

But she's not listening. "Brody! Get Drake a shirt, while I dry his, will you? The two of you are about the same size."

"Mom..." groans Brody, pulling the back door closed. "This isn't the time to start doing laundry..."

"Popping one shirt into the dryer isn't doing laundry," she counters. "It'll take twenty minutes at most."

"Do as your mother says," announces Rob. "It's the least we can do for Drake after all the trouble he's gone to for us."

Brody meets his father's eye before nodding and heading towards the stairs.

"Thank you, ma— Leigh," I say sincerely. "You really didn't have to."

She waves her hand in front of her face dismissively. "Oh, it's no trouble. Now, hand me that wet shirt."

I stare at her outstretched hand. She isn’t seriously expecting me to strip in front of her... Is she?

"Shouldn't we wait until—?"

Before I know what's happening, Leigh's grabbed a hold of the front panels of my shirt and was making short work of the buttons. "There's no need to stand on ceremony, honey."

The heat explodes over my face. Am I seriously getting undressed by Harper's mom right now...? In front of the whole family?

I try to push Leigh's fingers away, but her hands are like gophers — small and impossibly fast. "You don't need t—"

"It won't take but a minute," she assures me.

"How did it get wet anyway?" interjects Tyler, completely unfazed by the impromptu disrobing. "We haven't had rain for weeks."

"He came in through the backyard, didn't he?" says Justin. "Sprinklers must've been on."

"No, I turned them off," Rob tells him, in the process of putting the Benelli back into its case. "Just before Drake showed up."

"Then how—?"

Leigh tugs the bottom of the shirt out of my pants to get at the last few buttons.

I stare at the ceiling, biting my tongue.

Christ this is awkward!

"He jumped the back fence," states Rob matter-of-factly as he strides past, gun case in hand. "Had to break his landing."

"You jum—?" Tyler demands disbelievingly, whirling back to face me. "But those rose bushes are nearly six feet tall!"

"I gave myself a running start," I croak, trying to focus on the conversation that I’m the subject of, instead of on how close Leigh's hands are to my junk.

Sweet Jesus... Of all the things that I made plans for tonight, this sure as hell had not been on the list!

Tyler's eyeballing me incredulously. "What are you... Superman, or something?"

"No, just—"

Leigh uses my momentary distraction to try and pull the shirt off me.

I grab the front panels together instinctively. "I was gonna wait for the new shirt before—"

"Oh, honey!" she laughs. "I've raised three boys, so I've seen it all. A little skin isn't going to phase me."

"That's kind of you to say, but—"

"Give her the shirt, man!" prompts Justin. "Because she'll just take it off you anyway if you don't."

"Yeah, it's much easier if you give in and humour her," agrees Tyler. "Unless you're trying to hide something..."

"No, but I can just get changed when—"

"Nonsense!" Leigh chides, stepping behind me and grabbing my collar.

I try to keep a hold on the shirt, but the woman's faster'n greased lightning and the next thing I know, she's whipped the damn thing off me.

"Whoa..."

Glancing up, I see Justin and Tyler staring at me with mouths agape, like a pair of stupefied goats seeing Astro-Turf for the first time.

"There," Leigh declares proudly, tugging the sleeves off my wrists. "Much better to be out of these wet—" She trails off as her eyes land on my torso as well.

I pray for the ground to open up and swallow me.

How the hell did I end up standing shirtless in the middle of the Gale's kitchen?

Tyler's the first to recover his powers of speech. "Holy shit, dude! How much do you bench press?"

"At least 290lbs by the look of him," offers Justin before I can open my gob. "You auditioning for a 300 reboot we don't know about?"

"No, I just—"

"Try'na compensate for something...?" suggests Tyler with a shit-eating grin as he waggles his little finger meaningfully.

I groan inwardly. Can this night go any more sideways...? And where the fuck is Brody with that shirt!

"Should probably give Harp the heads-up," muses Justin, stroking his chin contemplatively. "Before she experiences major disappointment."

"What can Harper possibly be disappointed about?" breathes Leigh, eyes glued to my abs as she walks past towards the laundry area.

"The size of his— Ow!"

"Shut up, T," admonishes Brody, flinging me a plaid shirt.

I snatch it gratefully out of the air.

Tyler's rubbing the back of his head ruefully. "The hell was that for, man?"

"Dissing the guy to his face."

"Hey! I'm not wrong! It's statistically true that—"

"Guys with insecurities will call everyone else's assets into question?" I quip, pulling the shirt on.

There's a moment of stunned silence as the brothers stare at me.

Justin's the first to recover. "Hah!" he guffaws, slapping his younger sibling on the shoulder. "He called you out, T!"

Tyler reddens. "No! That's not what I—"

"Should've kept your big, fat mouth shut then, huh, baby bro?" grins Brody, giving me a covert thumbs-up from beneath his crossed arms.

"I'm twenty-fuckin'-five!"

"And yet you still act like a 12-year old," laughs Justin, pulling him in for a noogie.

"Fuck off, J!" shouts Tyler, giving his brother a shove. "You're just as— Ow! What th—!"

"Language..." admonishes Rob with a steely look as he strides back into the kitchen.

Tyler mutters something under his breath.

"What was that, T?"

"Nothing," he grumbles, shooting a death glare at Justin, who's fighting a grin, knowing he managed to get away Scot-free.

"Didn't think so," affirms Rob. Turning to me, he asks, "So, what's the plan now, son?"

"We should make a move before it gets any later," I advise. "This all of you?"

"Yup," affirms Justin. "Nana said she'll hold down the fort while we're gone. Plus, she doesn't like leaving her spider plants."

"Fair enough," I concede. "The rest of y'all packed and everything?"

There's nods all around.

"Great. Who's your favourite neighbour?"

Rob's brows furrow. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"We can't go out the front without getting spotted by the paps," I explain. "So we'll need to engineer an escape via one of the adjoining yards."

"Oh, that's easy," declares Leigh, reappearing from the laundry area. "We'll just use Nancy's yard. She won't mind."

"Yeah," mutters Brody. "But her yard's right next to ours. The news crews will still catch sight of us — especially when they hear six people dragging suitcases down the drive in the middle of the night. They're not dumb."

"Does she have a garage?" I ask. "I can back the car in and—"

"No can do," declares Justin. "It's filled to the brim with gardening crap—"

"Language!"

"Sorry, Dad!"

He ducks just in time to avoid Tyler's back-handed swipe at his head.

"Dammit...!" hisses Tyler under his breath.

"—and parts for that rusty, old bike that her husband never finished repairing before he died," finishes Justin without skipping a beat as he straightens back up.

Brody scowls at his brother. "That 'rusty, old bike' is a 1929 Brough Superior SS100 Alpine Grand Sport, you moron. And it's worth about ten of your ragtop Jeep's."

My brows shoot upwards. "You're joking..."

"Nope," affirms Brody sagely. "A restored model can go for close to half a mil."

"I know," I breathe. "There are less than a hundred of those bikes left. And each one is unique... and beautifully elegant."

Brody regards me contemplatively. "You into bikes, then?"

I nod. "Got an Indian Scout back home."

"Sweet! Which model?"

"Modified Bobber."

He's nodding enthusiastically. "What year?"

"It's a—"

"Can we park the bike drool-fest until after we get to Texas?" interrupts Tyler. "Otherwise we'll be stood here for hours..."

"Right. Yeah," nods Brody. Leaning towards me, he adds in a low voice, "To be resumed."

"You got it, buddy," I grin. Turning back to the topic at hand, I ask, "Right, so it seems like Nancy's yard isn't an option. Is there—"

"Actually, I think she said that her neighbours at the back were going away on some Caribbean cruise for a month," interrupts Leigh. "So, we can just hop over to Nancy's and then out the back into the other yard. Let me just call her and check."

"You realise that's trespassing, Mom..." Brody reminds her.

"Pfft," she counters, picking her phone up from the kitchen counter. "What they don't know won't hurt them."

Brody groans wearily. "That's not how it works... And anyway. It's the middle of the night. She won't be—"

"Oh, she'll still be up watching NCIS reruns on that old TV of hers," Leigh assures him, scanning unconcernedly through her contacts for the number she needed. "She's an all-out night owl."

"Here," I say, quickly pulling out and unlocking my phone. "Use this."

She regards me confusedly. "But Nancy's number is saved in here..."

"I know. But with the level of media attention you've been getting, we can't rule out the possibility that your phones have been illegally tapped. And if the paps are listening in, then any kind of escape plan will be screwed from the get-go."

Leigh looks at her eldest son questioningly.

Brody nods. "Drake's right. If you've got the technical know-how, it's stupidly easy to tap or track someone's phone."

"It's why I didn't call Brody back," I add as Leigh takes my phone and starts tapping Nancy's number in. "I know — from personal experience — that these people will go to any means to get a story. So, I didn't want to risk it. Even though I said I'd call once I had the details."

"No sweat, man," acknowledges Brody, clapping me on the shoulder. "We honestly didn't expect anyone — least of all you — to show up until tomorrow at the earliest anyway."

"Yeah, well, I was still on this side of the Pond, so I figured I'd make a detour on the way back to Europe."

"Okay, but how do you know that your phone's good?" asks Tyler.

"Because it has military-grade encryption software installed on it. And it gets regularly swept for bugs."

Justin looks impressed. "Any chance we can get our hands on that kind of tech?"

"Not without going back to Cordonia to fill out an insane amount of paperwork that requires four different sets of signatures," I reply dryly. "So you should switch your phones off and leave them here."

"Leave our phones!" cries Tyler. "But how are we supposed to—"

"I'll get y'all burner phones once we get to Texas."

"But—"

"You're very welcome to stay here under forced lockdown for the next however-many-weeks until the news crews get bored," cuts in Brody. "See how fast you go stir crazy."

Tyler drops his head dejectedly. "This sucks major balls..."

For once, Rob lets the cussing slide with a huff of understanding as he lays a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder. "No one said it was gonna be easy, T. This isn't a vacation."

"Trust me, I know," I say. "None of you should ever've had to deal with this kinda shit. But the aristos at court have a nasty habit of riding roughshod over anyone and everyone in order to gain even the tiniest bit kind of advantage for themselves. So, until we find the plotters and bring 'em to heel, this is the new forced reality."

"Just remember that it's nowhere near as bad as what Harp's got to deal with..." adds Brody.

"Yeah," agrees Justin. "At least the papers aren't spewing crap about us like they are about her... Some of the stuff they've come up with... Jesus Christ..."

"Best to just ignore it," I advise.

"Ignore it?" demands Tyler incredulously. "We're her family! Who's going to defend her from those trolls if not us?"

"I know you're just trying to look out for her," I say. "But engaging with all that BS is just gonna give the bastards further ammunition, and you sleepless nights. And you ain't gonna win an online shouting match. At least not until we've got the proof we need to set the story straight."

"And how long's that going to take?" asks Justin.

"Honestly?" I sigh. "No clue. But we're tackling it from every possible angle so we can, so hopefully sooner rather than later. For everyone's sake."

"Nancy said we can come on over," announces Leigh with a bright smile, stepping back into the impromptu semi-circle that we'd fallen into as we'd talked. "And she'll give us a ladder to get into the Millers' yard."

"Let's move out, then," I advise.

"...and hope nobody calls the cops on us," grumbles Brody.

"Lucky we have an in with the force, then, huh?" winks Justin, elbowing his older brother in the ribs.

"Just 'cause I'm a PI doesn't mean I won't get arrested for breaking the law," he counters dryly. "If anything, I need to be more careful."

"Oh, lighten up, Knight Rider," snorts Tyler, picking up two of the bags that were stacked by the stairs and heading towards the back door. "As long as you don't get your fat ass stuck on the fence, you'll be golden!"

"Says the person who got tangled up in that roll of barbed wire at the Harrolds' place!" laughs Justin, following suit.

"Because some idiot just left it in the middle of the field!" hits back Tyler. "Lucky the cows were on the other side of the pasture, or Old Man Harrold would've tanned your hide!"

"Those three will never grow up," grumbles Rob, as the three brothers exit the house, ribbing each other as they went.

"Nope," I agree. "But when things go south, they've got each other's back's... and Harper's. And that's what counts."

"Sounds like you speak from experience," he concedes, moving towards the remaining bags. "You got brothers as well, then?"

"Just a sister," I reply, following suit. "But Chris and I, we grew up together, so he's basically like a brother to me."

"This sister of yours, she is in Cordonia as well, or down in Texas?" he asks, hefting a back-pack onto his shoulder.

I heave a breath. "Neither. She upped sticks almost two years ago. Haven't heard from her since."

"Sorry to hear that, son..." he acknowledges, bending down again. "Hope she's doing okay."

I grab a heavy-looking, overstuffed suitcase before he can reach it. "Me too."

"Oh, don't trouble yourself with that," he admonishes. "Leigh's packed everything but the kitchen sink into that damn bag..."

"It's no trouble," I assure him, adjusting my hold on the handle. It’s heavy, but I can manage... just. "You're being forced to move out on short notice. It's gonna be hard to know what to take and what to leave. Especially since you don't how long you'll be gone for."

He gives me an appreciative nod as he grabs the last bag, before muttering, "I honestly never thought I'd live to see something like this... Life sure knows how to throw a nasty curveball when you least expect it..."

"True. But, we're batting back."

"All thanks to you, son," he says heartfeltly, leading the way out to the backyard again. "You went out of your way for us when you didn't have to, and we won't forget that."

"As I said, it's not a problem," I assure him. "Plus, both Harper and I'll feel better, knowing that y'all are somewhere safe until this blows over."

"How... How she holding up?" he asks, his voice wavering ever so slightly with worry as he glances over at me.

"Pretty good," I admit. "All things considered. She's tougher'n an old pair of boots."

He scoffs in agreement. "She gets that from her Nana. But, it's good to know she has someone like you in her corner. Especially as we can't be there for her..."

"Like I said, sir," I say. "I made a promise to look out for her. And I'm plannin' on keeping it, come hell or high-water. Because no one deserves to be taken advantage of like this. Especially her."

"Let's just hope you and that Chris catch the sons of bitches responsible..."

"We're not gonna rest 'til we do, sir," I declare determinedly. "Because they've got a lot to answer for."

Reaching the fence line, I can see that Harper's brothers have already made it into Nancy's yard. Tyler’s stood by the back door, talking to someone inside. Justin is stacking the first round of bags by the back fence, while Brody is waiting to help us with our load.

"Hand that over, Dad," he instructs, reaching back over the waist-high fence.

"I got it," he responds, lifting the backpack up with a low grunt.

"What you've got, is a date with the ER if you slip a disk again," replies Brody sardonically, grabbing the bottom. "Not to mention, Nancy's gonna bite your ear off if you end up putting a dent in her new fence. Even accidentally."

"Not if she wants me to help fix it for her!" comes the deadpan response.

Brody shakes his head wearily, and I can't help but grin at the easy interplay between father and son...

...even as I feel a pang of regret slice through my gut at the subtle reminder of how my own time with Dad had been cut brutally short.

"Drake?"

I snap my head up. "Yeah?"

"Wanna pass that deadweight over?" asks Brody, indicating the heavy bag at my feet.

"Oh. Sure."

Picking the suitcase up, I'm in the process of hefting it over the fence, when I feel the weight lighten.

"Don't need you putting your back out, either, son," winks Rob, as he grabs the other end.

"Thanks," I say gratefully, meeting his eye with a nod.

Despite the night's ups-and-downs, it seems like the first official meeting is going well. Somehow…

"Jesus Christ!" exclaims Brody. "The hell is in this thing?"

"Ask your mother," advises Rob dryly.

"Ask me what?" inquires Leigh, appearing with a plastic bag in her hand, and a purse slung over her shoulder.

"What you packed in that damned suitcase that makes it weigh more than a prize heifer," replies Rob.

"Just clothes. And shoes. And some books. And sunscreen. And bug repellent. And the photo albums."

Brody's eyes widen. "What? All of them?"

"No, silly!" laughs Leigh. "Just the ones that have pictures of Harper."

"That's still half-a-dozen albums!" cries Brody.

"Look, Leigh," sighs Rob. "I know you miss her, but—"

"Pfft!" scoffs Leigh. "It's got nothing to do with that! It's so I can show the pictures to Drake's mom and auntie. As a way to introduce Harper to them, since she's not with us to meet his family for the first time."

"I'm sure Drake's already told them all about her..."

"But they haven't met her yet..." she counters. Glancing questioningly at me, she adds, "Have they?"

"No," I confirm, handing another bag over to Brody. "We haven't had a—"

"Exactly!" she declares. "So, it's my job, as her mother, to represent her! And the best way to do that, is with pictures!"

"Couldn't you just have picked out a few random photos?" deplores Brody. "Or better yet, just show them what you've got on your camera roll? They don't need a whole presentation with multiple exhibits."

I step in to back Brody up. Despite her mom's enthusiasm, I doubt Harper would be happy knowing that her gap-toothed kiddie pictures are going to be paraded around without her knowledge or consent. "That's very thoughtful of you, Leigh. But—"

"Oh, don't worry, dear! I'll let you have first peek." She beams up at me excitedly. "I know you're interested in finding out what Harper got up to in her former years as well! Especially since you haven't known each other for that long..."

I scoff abashedly, picking up the last bag. "That's really not—"

"...and I'm sure your mom has some adorable pictures of you stashed away somewhere too..."

I nearly drop the suitcase on my foot. "Wait. Wha—?"

"You lot comin'?" calls Tyler, striding past with a ladder under his arm. "Or you are you waiting for an invitation?"

"I already gave 'em an invitation," declares the squat, elderly woman following along behind him. She’s sporting a long, silver braid of hair down the back of her Native American-inspired poncho, and has a large, box-shaped thing in her hands. "Or did you misplace it already?"

"It was a verbal—" starts Brody.

"Of course not!" interjects Leigh, climbing over the fence to wrap her neighbour in one of those bone-crushing hugs of hers. "We treasure everything you give us, Nancy!"

"Except the unbearably itchy hats and scarves she insists on knitting for us each Christmas," grumbles Rob under his breath as he too clambers over the rails. "Those go straight to Goodwill."

Suppressing a snort, I hop into the yard as well.

Nancy sounded like a typical old lady, living out her grandmotherly persuasions vicariously through her acquaintances.

Nancy's eyes land on me. "Have you made another addition to your brood recently?"

"Sort of," Leigh admits with a smile, beckoning me over. "Nancy, this is Harper's boyfriend, Drake."

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am," I greet, stepping up to extend a hand.

Nancy gives me a critical once-over without taking me up on the offer of the handshake. "Boyfriend, eh...?"

I pull my outstretched arm back with a raised brow, trying to figure out what the issue is. "If you want to put a label on it..."

She narrows her eyes at me. "And how long has this been going on for?"

I open my mouth, only to promptly shut it, suddenly realising that that's a surprisingly hard question to give a straight answer to.

Do I count from the morning I showed up at her hotel room in Paris to stake my claim on her? Or the night before, when I realised that I was in love with her? Or should I go back to when we stuck our tongues down each other's throats at the beach party, even though she was still officially a suitor? Or even further back still to Lythikos, when I invited her to come off-piste with me, for what could technically be termed as our first date?

I decide to hedge my bets.

"’Bout a month or so...?"

That answer’s vague enough to cover all the bases, while being specific enough to (a) make it sound like I’ve actually keeping track, and (b) put off any incursive follow-up questions.

"A month, huh?"

"Give or take," I affirm, focusing on keeping cool as Nancy continues to scan me like a Terminator.

Her face suddenly cracks into a grin. "You're doing better than that last guy, then! He only lasted... What? Two weeks?"

"If that," agrees Leigh with a heavy sigh. "She didn't even introduce us..."

"But you're here meeting the family!" Nancy continues, punching me enthusiastically in the arm. "In person!"

I jerk at the unexpected — and surprisingly forceful — impact.

PDA should really come with a health warning 'round here...

"You've made it further than most," she confides with a wink. "She must really like you."

"Yes, we're all rooting for Drake," confirms Leigh, leaning into me with a cat-that-got-the-cream grin.

I feel the heat rise up my face again. "That's kind of you to say..."

"So polite," smirks Leigh, patting my cheek.

"And thin around the jowls," observers Nancy ornerily. "Do they not feed you at home?"

"I—"

"Best take this, then," she declares.

She thrusts the cooler into my sternum, knocking the breath out of me.

"It was meant to be for those Gale boys to tide them over 'til you got down to Texas. They're always hungry," she explains. "But by the look of you, you need it more than them."

I quickly wrap my arms around the box so it doesn't fall to the ground as she lets go. "Thank you, ma'am. But there's gonna be food on—"

"On the way?" She snorts derisively. "Gas station grub is expensive and gives you heartburn."

"Actually we're—"

"And you've got a long trek, so you'll be needing the fuel," she continues. "So, I packed you Swiss and baloney sandwiches and my secret recipe chocolate and peanut butter cookies to keep you going."

"Ooh! The boys will be happy with those!" enthuses Leigh.

"Thank you," I acknowledge. "That's really—"

"Mom!" hollers Tyler from the top of the ladder. "Quit shooting the breeze and— Ow!"

"And you quit trying to wake the whole neighbourhood!" hisses Brody.

Leigh turns back to Nancy apologetically. "Sorry. Being summoned..."

"Go. Go," she urges, making shooing motions with her hands. "I'll make sure no one follows you."

"How?" I ask, very much doubting — despite her mean right hook — that Nancy could tackle a pap to the ground if one decided to pursue us.

She fixes me with a level look. "I'll introduce them to the business end of my hose pipe."

A snort of amusement jumps out of me. "Fair enough."

"You kids take care," she says by way of good-bye, slapping me roundly on the back. "And keep me posted."

"You know we will!" Leigh assures her, giving her another quick hug and a kiss in the cheek. "See you soon, Nancy!"

“Pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” I add with a nod.

“You too, Drake,” responds Nancy with a wink. “I’m rooting for you too.”

Turning away, Leigh and I troop across the lawn to the back fence where the ladder had been left waiting for us.

"After you, Leigh," I urge.

"You are such a gentleman," she preens, stepping up to the ladder and making short work of scaling it.

"Swing your legs over and jump down," prompts Brody from the other side. "I'll catch you."

"I can manage," she responds unconcernedly. "I used to climb human pyramids taller than this."

"That was over thirty years ago..."

She hops nimbly down. "Still got the reflexes, though!"

I climb up and over as well, landing with a low thud in the Miller's barked flowerbed. Straightening up, I see that the bags have also already made it.

The Gales look at me expectantly.

"Right," I say, grabbing a suitcase at random. "Next stop, Bozeman Yellowstone International."

Drake’s escapdes continue in Extraction - Part 3 (Coming Soon!)

Some notes for your FYI:

Flight to Montana — if you've read Sleepless in New York, you will be familiar with Teterboro airport — a smaller airport located in New Jersey that is used as a hub for private and charter flights in and out of New York. The timings I state above (re wait time for flight authorisation and flight time from New York to Bozeman) are accurate — unlike in the movies, you can't just hop on a private jet whenever you feel like it and go. That said, the speed with which Drake is able to charter a flight on short notice may be a bit unrealistic — normally you need to book in advance to ensure that the charter company does have planes/crew available, but for the purposes of the story, I assumed that (i) the Palace would have some kind of VIP charter account set up with a company already (which Drake was able to take advantage of), and (ii) on the day in question, they did have availability. And while I don't specifically mention how much Drake paid for the flight (which varies depending on which charter company he went with, the size of plane, distance travelled, etc.) a ballpark starting figure would be approx. $25,000 just for the Teterboro-Bozeman leg (and, no, I didn't accidentally add too many zeros because regardless of the number of passengers, you need to basically book out the whole plane) whereas the entire trip (Teterboro-Bozeman-Dallas) would be anywhere between $67,000-$100,000. In relation to the rental car, I don't know if Bozeman (which is a relatively small airport and which receives both commercial and charter/private flights) would allow a car to drive onto the runway (though I know that some private airports do allow this), but for the purposes of the plot and pacing, I decided that they do 🙃

Guns — Huge shout-out to hubby for serving as my impromptu gun expert, and giving me suggestions on what type of gun each person in the chapter should carry! I know zilch about guns, but I have learnt the following as a result of writing this chapter: (i) being quite rural and agrarian, most people in Montana would be packin’ (hunting is also a popular pass-time in this state); (ii) Montana is a state that subscribes to the Castle Doctrine (also known as the stand-your-ground law), that allows people to use reasonable force (including deadly force) to protect themselves against an intruder in their home. This is what Rob refers to when he says that he has the ‘right’ to defend his home; and (iii) the guns that have been chosen are some of the best / most popular sidearms for the purposes that each character would use them for. Rob’s Benelli is a solid and versatile shotgun that can be used for the purposes of home defence, hunting and skeet shooting. Brody (being a PI) would have a handgun, so we went with the Dan Wesson. Justin and Tyler have hunting/sporting rifles. This note is by no way an advocation of gun ownership; I’m just providing some background as to why guns are included in this scene, and why each character has the ones that they do.

Picture credits available here.

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Character ask: Lorikeet from an "Eternal Crown" (my OC)

Not tagged by anyone, but a follow-up to my answers about Papageno, since An Eternal Crown is my gender-flipped Magic Flute retelling and Lorikeet is Papageno's counterpart.

Favorite thing about them: I like her for most of the same reasons I like Papageno. She's funny, she's warm, she's kindhearted, she's relatable, and the fact that she gets a happy ending despite failing the priestess's trials shows that you don't need to be perfect to deserve the things you want in life.

Least favorite thing about them: If I ever publish this book, I'm afraid that some critics will call her a bad role model and anti-feminist. Of course she's not supposed to be a role model, any more than Papageno is, but just because she's a girl in a YA fantasy, I'm concerned that she might be held to a different standard than Papageno and judged negatively. I hope not, though.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I enjoy good food and physical comforts.

*I'm too easily scared.

*I all too often do what I want to do even when I shouldn't.

Three things I don't have in common with them:

*I have no experience catching birds.

*I have no desire to get married.

*I'm not very skilled at climbing trees.

Favorite line:

Her melodramatic speech as she resolves to drown herself (yes, my retelling still includes the played-for-laughs suicide attempt; I hope it's not too politically incorrect), which parodies Gertrude's speech about Ophelia's drowning in Hamlet and other such romanticized literary portraits of death:

“Little pond, you’re the answer to my prayer! I’ll float down into your depths like a mermaid. Your weeds will twine in my hair…. your lilies will be my funeral flowers… your little frogs will be the nightingales that sing over my grave… and your cool water will soothe my burning heart…. by drowning me.”

brOTP: Zeran (male Pamina) and Sarisa (female Tamino).

OTP: Robin (male Papagena).

nOTP: King Vorteyo (male Queen of the Night) or his warriors.

Random Headcanon: She's the illegitimate daughter of King Vorteyo and one of his many mortal paramours. Her mother died giving birth to her, and she has no idea who her father was, let alone that she's actually half-goddess, or that her good friend Zeran is really her half-brother. Her divine blood won't extend her lifespan, but it does make her more durable and able to survive danger – if only she knew about it, she'd be less of a scaredy-cat. (I've seen this theory proposed about Papageno too, that he's really the Queen of the Night's illegitimate son, but while I don't buy it as much for him, I can accept it for Lorikeet.)

Unpopular Opinion: I don't think there are any popular opinions about her yet. Only I and a few close friends and family members have read the book so far.

Song I associate with them: Papageno's arias from The Magic Flute. Just imagine them sung by a soprano.

Favorite picture of them: None exist yet outside of my mind. If anyone wants to draw her, though, she looks like Papagena, except a bit less conventionally pretty.

@ariel-seagull-wings, @madmozarteanfelinefantasy, @cjbolan, @vogelfanger1984

[stuckybingo]

Stucky Bingo Round-Up #3 (September 20th - 25th)

Don't forget to fill out the submission form to be a part of the round-ups and to get your bingo badges!

Watching over you by DarthBloodOrange Square filled: G3 - Birthmarks Ao3 rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Sickfic, Pre-War, Mild Hurt/Comfort Summary: Bucky watches over a sick Steve. Format: Drabble (exactly 100 words)

Pretty Doll by DarthBloodOrange Square filled: Adopted square Sept - Crossdressing Ao3 rating: Mature Warnings: No archive warnings apply, Sexual Content, Swearing Major tags: Crossdressing, Bottom Steve Rogers, Top Bucky Barnes Summary: Steve dresses up for Bucky. Format: Drabble (exactly 100 words)

ART: Higher, Further, Faster, Bucky! by LiquidLightz Square filled: B1 - AU: Mythical Creatures Ao3 rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Winged Unicorn Bucky, Animal Transformation, Steve is Worthy Summary: Nomad Steve rides his beloved Bucky as they fly into battle... Format: Art

Subject Two-One-Four (Chapter 1) by buckybarnesdeservestobehappy Square filled: N1 - AU: Medical setting Ao3 rating: Explicit Warnings: Rape/non-con, Graphic depictions of violence, dub-con, torture, medical experimentation, emotional abuse, physical abuse, psychological abuse Major tags: Hydra Trash Party, pre-serum Steve, pre-war, prostate stimulation, bondage Summary: Weeks after his best friend and lover left for war, Steve Rogers finds what he thinks is the answer to his prayers. A flier promises a medical miracle that will allow him to follow Bucky to Europe and fight by his side. All Steve has to do is agree to a few medical experiments. He soon finds out that he’s made a terrible mistake because the experiments are conducted by the pro-Nazi organization Hydra that’s infiltrated American shores. Even worse, the head doctor seems to be far too concerned with the effect of prostate stimulation on the body, both before and after the injection of Super Soldier Serum. All Steve wants is to follow Bucky into battle, but now he’s strapped to a table with a vibrator pulsing inside him. He never should have agreed to any of this, but the blame falls completely on Hydra masterminds Zola, Zemo, and Schmidt. Format: Part of a multichapter fic

down beside your red firelight by gutsforgarters Square filled: G2 - America's ass Ao3 rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Smut, Established Relationship, Top Bucky Barnes/Bottom Steve Rogers, PWP Summary: Steve yelps. “Jesus! What the hell was that for?” “Just taking a bite outta some American pie, sweetheart."" Steve makes a huffy, irritated noise. Bucky smirks. ""Hey. Think I should sing the National Anthem while I’m down here?” “Don’t you dare.” Format: Medium oneshot (1000 - 5000 words)

Not a random gym by Otp-holic Square filled: I2 - Super-strength Ao3 rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: headcanon, manip, adjusting to the century Summary: What if Steve randomly choose the gym where he released super-strong frustration when he came back? Format: Headcanon + manip

City Boy by PottersPink Square filled: N3 - Free Square Ao3 rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply, throwing up, bugs, small spaces, Major tags: Canon-Divergence, Creepypasta, Rescue Mission, Open Ending Summary: Steve knows the feeling of being prey. Knows what it’s like to feel eyes on his back and know that if he turned around, he’d see boys bigger and stronger than him with gleams in their eyes and stones in their fists. Format: Long oneshot (over 5000 words)

Crawl From the Potomac by PottersPink Square filled: O3 - Mythical Creatures Ao3 rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Angel!Steve, Canon-Divergence, Project Insight Summary: The Winter Soldier crawls from the Potomac and into Steve's waiting arms. Format: Art

Creamy, Thick, and Frothy by call-me-kayyyyy Square filled: G3 - AU Coffee Shop Ao3 rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: preserum steve, shrinkyclinks, coffee shop au Summary: Bucky: What the fuck is a latte? Steve: It's creamy, but thick and frothy, just what every man needs on a Sunday morning. --- Or Bucky tried to figure out why coffee is so expensive now and Steve doesn't miss a chance to flirt with a hot customer! Format: Art

[faemytho]

if you're still taking asks for it, merahi azazel for the worldbuilding?

World-Building Wednesday Ask Meme

Merahi Azazel // @vampire-mythoverse​

B A S I C S

full name title: Merahi Azazel of Guide

gender: Agender (Male)

sexuality: Demirose, Gay

pronouns: Ai/Ain/Air/Airs/Ainself, (He/Him)

O T H E R S

family: None by blood, but the other Merahiae are family enough.

birthplace: Guide Wing, Angaea

job: Head of the Guide Wing of Angaea, oversees the prayers made by Terrans to the God of Creation, Makda the Divine Creator

phobias: Being vulnerable

guilty pleasures: His relationship with Prince Leviath of Envy

M O R A L S

morality alignment?: Lawful neutral

sins: lust / greed / gluttony / sloth / pride / envy / wrath

virtues: chastity / charity / diligence / humility / kindness / patience / justice

T H I S - O R - T H A T

introvert/extrovert: Azazel is introverted, prefers to spend time alone, but is willing to spend time with a select few people.

organized/disorganized: Very organized.

close minded/open-minded: Close minded, but willing to listen to new ideas.

calm/anxious: Calm.

disagreeable/agreeable: Depends. Typically agreeable.

cautious/reckless: Cautious.

patient/impatient: Patient.

outspoken/reserved: Reserved.

leader/follower: Leader, but willing to follow.

empathetic/unemphatic: Also depends. Typically unemphatic.

optimistic/pessimistic: Realistic.

traditional/modern: Traditional. Likes to adhere to what he already knows.

hard-working/lazy: Hard working.

R E L A T I O N S H I P S

otp: Merahi Azazel/Prince Leviath

ot3: Keruhi Anatiel/Merahi Azazel/Keruhi Tenori

brotp: Merahi Azazel & Merahi Brachael

hotp: Merahi Azazel/Prinxe Tadek

[hollyand-writes]

Spotlight Sunday!

I was tagged by @midnightprelude to list my faves from the Black Emporium Exchange 2020! Bear in mind that I haven’t got round to reading everything yet (especially the longer fics), so here’s some I’ve liked so far! ❤️ 

A wellspring of hope (Bethany/Sebastian, rated Teen, 10,491 words): 

The Bethany/Sebastian longfic I’ve always wanted to read for the ship. Excellent and accurate characterisation of both ex-Circle Bethany Hawke and Prince Sebastian Vael of Starkhaven as Sebastian invites Bethany to become an enchanter in his court post-Kirkwall. Sweet and romantic and full of feels; some angst with a happy ending. Cannot recommend this one enough. 

The Chemistry Between Us (Bethany/Isabela, rated Mature, 1,870 words): 

Another of my excellent gifts from this year! Warden Bethany Hawke needs to spend a night in Kirkwall, so she turns up at the Hanged Man for old times’ sake... and Isabela walks in, older yet still so familiar, and suddenly the night isn’t so lonely after all. Just so beautifully and poignantly written. 

Small, Controlled Fires (Varric/Bianca, rated Explicit, 2,010 words): 

Oh man, THIS was an absolute delight for a ship I love despite its enormous unpopularity, LOL! Featuring my OTP as a background mention, too! Set during DA2, Varric goes on a trip to an Orlesian Chateau with Marian Hawke and Merrill just to see Bianca Davri, his secret lover. Absolutely LOVED the fire imagery, and the cloak-and-dagger secrecy that reminds me why I love the forbidden love trope so much. LOVE the Varric voice too – very on-point! 

On a Wing and a Prayer (Bethany/Sebastian, rated Teen, 6,881 words): 

Absolutely fun (and funny!) caper featuring a post-DA:I Warden Bethany and Prince Sebastian as they meet at an auction to bid on an unhatched griffon egg in Val Royeaux. Turns out there is more at stake and they team up to hatch a dastardly plan that involves more than just bidding on an auction. Excellent graphics and gifs that really set off the fast-paced action and dialogue, and I’ve never seen something done like this in fic before. Give it a read! 

They were roommates (Carver/Merrill, rated Teen, 1,382 words): 

Modern AU meet-cute where Merrill lives with Marian Hawke, and Carver needs somewhere to live, so his sister lets him stay in her flat for a bit... although Hawke neglects to tell Merrill her brother is hot and neglects to tell Carver about her cute roommate. I do hope the author decides to continue this fic! 

Tread Lightly (Ashaad/Saemus Dumar, rated Explicit, 10,322 words): 

Absolutely GLORIOUS Ashaemad sex-pollen longfic that I feel truly honoured to have gifted to me! VERY explicit. Contains a sex-pollen trope, size kink (I mean, Ashaad is a Qunari, after all), multiple orgasms, and copious amounts of come. I actually laughed out loud in joy when I read the tags and the fic summary: “You know how everyone says to be careful of mushrooms you don't recognize? Yeah. There's reasons.” GLORIOUS. 

Lyrium and Salt (Fenris/Isabela, rated Explicit, 1,013 words): 

Contains some of the best damn Fenabela smut I have EVER read. LOVE their dialogue and the way they relate to each other – so in-character and I swear I could hear their voices as I read it – and just some of the hottest smut I have read all year. Absolutely wonderful. 

And now for some art recs from the exchange! 

A Successful Rescue (Anders/Karl Thekla, rated General, artwork): 

Absolutely stunning Karl/Anders artwork set in the Chantry, in a canon-divergent universe where Karl was rescued before being made Tranquil. I absolutely adored the soft lighting, and the candles, not to mention Anders and Karl themselves! 

From the chair to the fireplace (Krem/Maryden, rated General, artwork): 

Another gorgeous artwork for a gorgeous ship! Krem serenades Maryden on a lute by the fireplace. Muted colour palette. 

An Assassin, A Spy and a Silken Rope (Zevran/Iron Bull, rated Explicit, comic): 

A comic strip featuring Zevran Arainai and the Iron Bull, beautifully illustrated and explicit featuring Zevran tied up in shibari/Japanese Rope Bondage. Love how the comic was done in grey but the rope is bright red. Very effective. 

------

I tag the following people (no obligation!) to list theirs: @gremlinquisitor​, @barbex​, @cartadwarfwithaheartofgold​, @storybookhawke​, @criticallyours​, @andrew-blackthorn​, @uchidachi​ and anyone else who wants to do this! ❤️

[vrykoolart]

Saint Seiya Question Game

Tagged by: @siberianxbreaks​

-- Thank you for the tag, my friend! --

Remove my answers and put yours under the questions!

How did you find out about Saint Seiya?

My sister is actually a huge fan of Saint Seiya, so I found out about from her. We actually watched it when we were kids. I don’t have that vivid of a memory about it, but I do know the one I recall watching is the ADV dub. I remember how deep they made Hyoga’s voice and that’s it.

But my sister really loved it and I’d watch with her. One day, it kinda disappeared and because we live in the United States—y’all probably know what I mean— It was really hard to find it at all. So for years, my sister was trying to track it down and she dabbled into the other series related to it a little bit. It wasn’t until last year that we finally found it thanks to Netflix and we watched it all with our entire family. I saw the first season with the new dub and was immediately obsessed with it. I enjoyed every second of watching the whole thing. It kills me that we don’t have the Hades arc dubbed yet and I hope we get it soon.

I watched Lost Canvas, too, and loved it as well. Albafica made me love it and the El Cid’s episodes were really top notch for me. I love his voice. I love his character. I think he’s literally the coolest thing ever. I delved into the manga and I just love Lost Canvas. It has some weird stuff here and there, but I adore it. I hope one day we get a season three because it’s truly that good.

I just really love Saint Seiya & I’m so glad that it exists. Truly. I don’t remember having that much fun watching an anime since like watching Death Note, Soul Eater, Sgt. Frog, and like—Azumanga Daioh... all for different reasons, of course.

Who’s your favorite character and why?

When I started watching the show again, it was Shun. He’s so adorable and his heart is so big. I love how sweet and strong he is. I have a soft spot for Shun honestly. The more I watched it, I really started to just adore all the Bronze Saints, too.

But another character I really adore is Cancer Deathmask. He’s so charismatic and fun. I really adore the voice they gave him in the Netflix English dub, too. He killed it. I just absolutely am in love with him. Yes, he committed several crimes. Yes, he has killed numerous people. Yes, his temple looks like a Mortal Kombat stage... but it truly builds character. He’s my husband and I think we’re all allowed to make as choices ever now and then.

Who’s your absolute hate-character and why?

Tatsumi. I hate how he never faced the consequences for anything he did. He literally abused those children—Ikki, more-so, and he sent him to Death Queen to DIE. He’s never shown signs to change really. They just treat him like a crack/comedy character and it irks me because he deserved to get beat for what he did at least. Wish he would have literally got tortured or fired. Anything at all, but they just prepare like nothing happen and he continues being an ass-wipe.

I don’t care for Kido either because even if he took Saori and raised her, he never did much to stop the countless abuse the children went under and knowing sent the children away to die. No, even in the manga, I don’t see it as a noble sacrifice to literally sacrifice most of your children to fulfill a destiny. Even if they were just sent away, he literally could have prevented Tatsumi from abusing them and raised Saori better. No matter how you look at it, he’s a shit person, too. Yes, he helped them become saints but the way he did it will never feel right to me. He separated Seiya from his sister and told him he’d only see her again if he became a saint, knowing full well he couldn’t even guarantee that. That emotional manipulation is toxic and cruel to do to a child—an in the manga—your own son. Like ew,,,,, I don’t like the children aspect in the manga, but with that considered still, he’s still a horrible person and I wish Saori would stop hailing him as a good guy.

Shippings you like and why you ship them?

Shaina/Seiya — In my heart, they are the canonical pairing. They really do protect each other and care deeply for one another. Seiya reacts strongly every time she gets hurt and Shaina is always doing her best to protect/defend him. They’re both strong in their own right and they both have a deeper connection to each other. Even when Shaina tried to hide her feelings because she felt there is no way they could be together and tried to kill him, you could tell she really couldn’t do it because she really cared about him. He really cares about her, too, which makes them so perfect for each other. They are each other’s strength and they push each other to become better & stronger

Marin/Aiolia — They’re really cute when they interact with each other and I’m pretty sure they’re an actual canon pair. They really care and confine in one another. I just honestly adore seeing them interact. They never really got to tell each other how they feel, but I’m sure they both know. I wish she would have gotten some more time with him because it’s kinda sad that she’s all alone now. ;;

Freya/Hägan —Hägan clearly loved her, but due to the strictness of loyalty in their culture, he couldn’t bring himself to betray Hilda. It upsets me what happened to them because they deserved to be happy. Poor Freya & Hägan. A lovely couple but terribly tragic. Hägan clearly misunderstood Hyoga & Freya’s relationship and must have thought that Freya loved him even in reality the only person she really loved was him and that is what breaks my heart. I was on the Freya and Hyoga train until Hägan showed up. Now, I can’t bring myself to ship them without feeling bad.

Hilda/Siegfried — Siegfried did everything for her and, in the end, he died because he believed in Hilda’s true vision. He wanted to doing nothing more than protect her and he died to help do so. It’s beautiful yet so tragic.

Hyoga/Eri — They’re just extremely cute together. I really loved their interactions. They deserve happiness and the entire world.

Ikki/Esmeralda — If you ignore that weird ass Shun thing, they’re cute. That should have never been a thing. I ignore it to hell and back but I do think they’re adorable and I feel for Ikki.

Shun/June — She only shows up once like why??? But they’re so adorable together. I wish we could see them both more, but unfortunately, she disappeared into the ether. I do believe she is perfect for Shun, tho.

Me/Deathmask — OTP. He’s my husband.

Shippings you don’t like/hate and why you dislike them?

Adult/Minor pairings.

Incest pairings.

Saori/Seiya — I don’t feel like Seiya likes her that way. I think Saori may like him. She’s always shown some special interest in him, but I’m sure Seiya cares about her more so as a goddess and friend than a love interest. Every time I see this ship, Seiya is acting weirdly out of character which really throws me off from the whole ship. Saori has shown to sometimes literally prioritize Seiya over everyone else when dropping Saga’s dead ass body to cradle him... It just rubs me the wrong way??? Seiya cares about her but he doesn’t react nearly as strongly about her as he does with Shaina. I don’t mind it being one-sided. She’s a girl and is allowed to have feelings, but I don’t really see her with anyone. I think she’ll probably grow out of it, but who knows. This ship is just really not my cup of tea.

Your favorite scene.

It’s hard to think of one, but the funniest scene is when they’re in Yomotsu Hirasaka. Deathmask is about to throw Shiryū into the pit, but then Shunrei’s prayers reach him and he gets so annoyed that he telepathically throws her off fucking a cliff. I don’t care. It’s comedy gold. I laughed so hard at that. Deathmask is truly a marvel.

Honorable mention: ❝ Maybe no else has a cloth made of ice that hasn't melted since before the time of... dinosaurs. Or... maybe no one else has powers like me, like the power over snow, ice, and even glaciers. In fact, you know what, Snake Eyes, maybe you should just think of me as your own personal Ice Age Dude! ❞

Your favorite Attack:

Hard question, so I’ll just name attacks I really like: Heaven Dancing Ring, Diamond Dust, Thunder Wave, Specter Punch, Phoenix Wing Ascent, Praesepe Hell Waves, Scarlet Needle Antares, Bloody Rose, Another Dimension, Wolf Cruelty Claw, Great Ardent Pressure, Greatest Caution, Dead End Symphony, and Imperial Phantasm Punch.

If you could decide for which god/goddess you fight, which one you prefer and why?

Athena. Despite liking Poseidon, Odin, Abel, & Poseidon, I like the army she commands the most.

If you could choose a Cloth. Which you would prefer?

Hard question again. I really like the Scorpio Cloth. The head piece is nice. I’m a sucker for the quack on the Cygnus Cloth and the Nemo on the Pisces Cloth, too. It’s honestly hard to choose one, specially if you count God Cloths, too. I did draw myself in the Ophiuchus cloth, so got the sake of this question, Ophiuchus Gold Cloth.

From which country you’re from?

America.

Your favorite season / sequel:

Sanctuary arc and the Asgard arc. Let’s get the money. Both do a fantastic job at world-building and I love them both equally. My favorite spin-off is The Lost Canvas.

[spotsupstuff]

Grimm for the asks mems please

Why I like them:

idk bout anybody else but i really like his voice. its rough and “scraggly” and that somehow makes him feel more cozy and caring. he feels like home full of care and pleasant warmth during winters day, someone who would offer distraction or a talk during hard times, maybe even advice. hes wise, but not boring through it. also coolio elegant man

Why I don’t:

nightmare king kicked my ass more times than his sister and then died by my blade when i least expected it fuck you. but otherwise? he seems... a bit too popular around the fandom which i get, yeah, hes a fuckboy character or smth, but everybody just keeps latching onto him n doing Stuff (twitter left me scarred) and that just kind of. exhausts my interest toward a character incredibly quickly so its harder for me to like him n work with him, ngl

Favorite episode (scene if movie):

when he just spreads his wings/cloak n grimmiechilde just nyooms into his chest... call that amore

Favorite season/movie:

my favorite season was the season of Sleep because he was not kicking my ass personally then even a bit

Favorite line:

“Our scarlet eyes will watch you keenly... friend.” what the fuck do you know that i dont 🔫👀

Favorite outfit:

homeboy be rockin just one suit of the Bats but he sure as fuck would rock the gentleman kind of suit

OTP:

eh, no one, but him n myla ship stuff that ive seen were incredibly cute n i can Def see chemistry happening between them really nicely. but tbh, hes just too much of a Dad for me to ship him with anybody seriously. oh yeah, grumm is cute too tho

Brotp:

serious answer - he and radi, in a way, brumm and him. funney answer - he and pk skdlksdgjslkgj

Head Canon:

theres three souls/beings inhabiting one single body at all times. nightmare king which is always present and uses it passively mostly just to gain worship and continous life. a current soul which controls the physical body and Everything else and a third soul that acts as a guardian angel (usually the one of the father). in tough times, when in need to help, grimmchild can call upon their father with a prayer and he will answer as best as he can. the grimmchild doesnt really know of his presence, its just a silly belief that works for some reason in the family line of grimms

Unpopular opinion:

hes not a slut, calm your thirst. he also utterly sucked at dancing for a Long while and made do with magic fire tricks before getting the dancey dancey shit on lock

A wish:

if hes wearing a mask, what does he hide? i want to see

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen:

i hope he doesnt show up in silksong tbh?? if it will be a sequel, that is. that would just. fuck up with like a lot of things. if silksong will turn out to be a prequel (somehow) n he shows up, i hope he wont die bc i dont really like the thought of hornet ending up with a grimmchild in that way

5 words to best describe them:

elegant, dad, safe, cozy, terrifying

My nickname for them:

dont really got one 😔 unless you count “dad” i guess

[gcwcns]

ROLEPLAY TAGS: HOZIER EDITION

below the cut you will find 100+ (i lost count) lyrics from hozier’s entire discography that could be used as rp (charrie, otp, etc.) tags. they are arranged by song. if you’re looking for a specific song press ctrl (command if on mac) and f to search it! 

take me to church 

if the heavens ever did speak she's the last true mouthpiece

i'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife

i’m a pagan of the good times my lover’s the sunlight

drain the whole sea get something shiny

there is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin

angel of small death & the codeine scene

shaking the wings of their terrible youths

with her sweetened breath and her tongue so mean

she's the angel of small death and the codeine scene 

it's bloody and raw, but i swear it is sweet

the sweet heat of her breath in my mouth I'm alive

jackie and wilson

so tired trying to see from behind the red in my eyes

no better version of me i could pretend to be tonight

she blows outta nowhere roman candle of the wild

every version of me dead and buried in the yard outside

cut clean from the dream at night let my mind reset

someone new 

electing strange perfections in any stranger i choose.

there's an art to life's distractions,

the dark caress of someone else i guess any thrill will do

my heart's already sinned.

i fall in love just a little bit every day with someone new

to be alone 

never feel too good in crowds

all i’ve ever done is hide 

i feel like a person for a moment of my life

to have someone kiss the skin that crawls from you

it's the god that heroin prays to

from eden 

something tragic about you something so magic about you

honey you're familiar like my mirror years ago

idealism sits in prison chivalry fell on its sword

innocence died screaming honey ask me i should know

i slithered here from eden just to sit outside your door

in a week 

i have never known peace like the damp grass that yields to me

our hunger's appeased our heart beats becoming slow

so long, we'd become the flowers

after the foxes have known our taste

they'd find us in a week when the buzzards get loud

sedated

just a little rush to feel dizzy to derail the mind of me

our veins are busy but my heart's in atrophy

you and I nursing on a poison that never stung

free and young and we can feel none of it

i'm somewhere outside my life babe

work song

there's nothing sweeter than my baby

she'd give me toothaches just from kissing me 

no grave can hold my body down i’ll crawl home to her 

in the low lamp light i was free 

heaven and hell were words to me 

like real people do 

why were you digging what did you bury 

i will not ask and neither should you

honey just put your sweet lips on my lips

we should just kiss like real people do 

i knew that look dear eyes always seeking

it will come back 

i know who i am when I'm alone

you should never know how easy you are to need 

don't let me in with with no intention to keep me

give me mercy no more

don't you hear me howling babe

foreigner’s god 

she moved with shameless wonder perfect creature rarely seen 

her eyes look sharp and steady into the empty parts of me 

always a well dressed fraud

screaming the name of a foreigner's god the purest expression of grief

i've no language left to say it every word i've got is foreign to me 

cherry wine

her eyes and words are so icy 

she burns like rum on a fire

the blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine

her fight and fury is fiery 

and it's worth it all it's divine

in the woods somewhere

i called your name til the fever broke

night so black that the darkness hums

i prayed my mind be good to me  

i spoke no word no sound he made

to save a life i didn't have

run

tare is this love keep it covered

her hungry eyes her ancient soul

a shame without a sin

with as many souls claimed as she

run til you feel your lungs bleeding

arsonist’s lullaby

i learned the voices died with me

all you have is your fire

don't you ever tame your demons but always keep em on a leash

i knew that something would always rule m

but my peace has always depended on all the ashes in my wake

my love will never die 

honey please try to love me

my love will never die

flowers grow where I'm laid to rest

pick a blossom and hold it hold it to your breast

my love bursting loud from inside

nina cried power 

it's not the waking, it's the rising

it's the heaven of a human spirit ringing

i could cry power

power has been cried by those stronger than me

rattle your chains if you love being free

nfwmb 

give your heart and soul to charity

the rest of you the best of you belongs to me

If I was born as a black thorn tree I'd wanna be felled by you 

fuel the pyre of your enemies

ain't it warming you the world goin up in flames

moment’s silence (common tongue) 

relax and catch the manic rhapsody

all of me is a prayer in perfect piety

when the meaning is gone there is clarity

since it all begun to it's reckoning

so summon on the pearl rosary

shrike

the words hung above but never would form

remember me love when i'm reborn 

as the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn 

all of my goodness is going with you now

grounded and giving and darkening scorn

almost (sweet music)

sweet music playin in the dark

be still my foolish heart don't ruin this on me

let's get lost and let the good times roll

a love supreme seems far removed

reporting russian lullabies

movement

i could never define all that you are to me

shake like the bough of a willow tree

honey you're atlas in his sleeping

in awe of something so flawed and free

when you move i move

no plan

the screaming heaving fuckery of the world

there's no kingdom to come

there will be darkness again

keep my body from the fire hire a gardener for my grave

when I'm lying under marble marvel at flowers you'll have made 

nobody 

i've been fed gold by sweet fools in abu dhabi

i'd be appalled if I saw you ever try to be a saint

if i had the choice between hearing either noise

i once warmed my hands over a burning Maserati

i’ve had no love like your love

to noise making (sing)

your head tilt back your funny mouth to the clouds

was it just the act of making noise that brought you joy

you don't have to sing it right but who could call you wrong

put your emptiness to melody your awful heart to song

who could ask you be unbroken or be brave again

as it was

i'd had life enough my heart is screaming of

whatever here that's left of me is yours

but your love was unmoved

just as it was before the otherness came

nights were as dark as my baby half as beautiful too

talk

i’d be the voice that urged orpheus when her body was found 

i'd be the choiceless hope in grief that drove him underground

imagine being loved by me

i'd be the last shred of truth in the lost myth of true love

that's found in the last witness before the wave hits

be

once atrocity is hoarse from voicing shame

with the same sweet shock of when Adam first came

be the hopeful feeling when eden was lost

when i have no kind words left love for you now

that will grow bold in a barren and desolate land

dinner & diatribes

hell is the talking type

i'd suffer hell if you'd tell me what you'd do to me tonight 

a pillar i am of pride

let there be hotel complaints and grievances raised

that's the kinda love i’ve been dreaming of

would that i 

love in withdrawal was the weeping of me

with the roar of the fire my heart rose to its feet

i fell in love with the fire long ago 

i was fixed on your hand of gold

and it’s not tonight where i’m set alight

sunlight 

betray the moon as acolyte on first and fierce affirming sight

a soul that's born in cold and rain

i would gladly be the Icarus to your certainty

strap the wing to me death trap clad happily

your love is sunlight

wasteland, baby!

all the fear and fire of the end of the world

like the bonfire that burns that all words in the fight fell to

be still my indelible friend you are unbreaking

and that day that we'll watch the death of the sun

the death of all things that are seen and unseen

better love

blind to the purpose of the brute divine

Staring in the blackness at some distant star

you whose heart would sing of anarchy

when our truth is burned from history

like fire weeping from a cedar tree know that my love would burn with me

[aerosmiley219]

Top 5 OTPs

I was tagged by the amazeballs @supernannygirl704things Thanks, doll!!

1. McHart (The Good Wife & Good Fight) - Always.  They’ve been through hell but they love each other and still act like teenagers when they’re together.  #McHart has my heart.

2. CJ & Danny (The West Wing)- Even though they kissed right away, it was a tortuously long burn before they could actually get together.  Just *so sweet*

3. Jack & Janet (Three’s Company, AU)- They were meant to be and I’m writing a fix it fic to give them a better ending.  They were friends and roommates and I adore them together.  Too bad it never became a reality.

4. Jerica (All My Children)- I adored them and I hate that we never got to see a happy ending for them (stupid cancellation).  He didn’t put up with her diva-ness while still making her feel like a princess.  I freaking adored them

5. Clarisse & Joe (The Princess Diaries 1&2)- *sigh*  The fact that she got her love so late in life just makes me melt.  They were wonderful together and I hope they’re together in the 3rd, if it ever gets made

I tag @crazymaryt @whendoiturnbackintoapumpkin @not-all-the-prayers @queer-is-the-universe @peace-love-colbert and anyone else who wants to do this <3

[gayazrael]

If that 3 sentence thing is still open, jeanluke and flower?

send a ship + a keyword and i’ll write a 3-sentence fic! 

Jean-Paul watches emotion flicker across Lucas’s face: first surprise, then confusion, amusement, and finally… affection. 

“Don’t really have to ask who left this here,” Lucas says, gesturing towards the makeshift vase on his desk, with its makeshift bouquet of wildflowers, before turning to steal a quick kiss— “But I do have to ask what brought this on.”

“You spend so much time building up here,” Jean-Paul says, fond, “I thought it might be nice to bring in a bit of life.”

[thetourguidebarbie]

I bought peach vodka and cranberry juice at the store today and will be doing drunk minis.

I will write for any ship i ship

Non-kc is fine—nay, ENCOURAGED

Let me stretch my writing wings

(But also i absolutely will still write kc if you want i love them theyre my otp of otps)

If you dont know if i ship it just put it in and if i don’t i’ll answer it and say I don’t (and if I do, I’ll answer with a mini!)

When i say mini i do mean mini

thats a warning to you and a prayer for me

I dont want anything to blow up 😭

You can also request follow ups to previous minis or my other drabbles, or outtakes from my long fics

I am feeling SFW vibes atm so those will get priority

Usual nope list applies

Ask here

[jujyfru1t]

hello my name is *yells about Furuba*

I dunno what I’m doing but I have Feelings so let me rant about them, by me.

Some of y'all may not know that Fruits Basket is my favorite series on the planet– well you do now. That comes with a caveat of favorite manga, not favorite anime (that honor goes to either Noragami or Chihayafuru, with Madoka Magica as an honorable mention). I do also love the anime dearly! But comparing them is like apples and oranges, horses of different colors, etc etc, not least because the anime was made before the manga was barely halfway through. futile hope springs eternal for a full remake. So most of my feels rant will be manga-centric although the general feels apply to the anime, and uh there may be spoilers idk it’s been out for a long time???

The first volume came out in the US five days after my *deep breath* 15th birthday. I got it for the next year’s bday present from my big sis, aaaand that was when the gates of otaku/manga hell swallowed me up (I was somehow unaware that Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh were also Japanese pop culture, go figure.) I have no memory of how I found the anime– my anime-bittorrent-whateverthefuck knowledge was nonexistent but I don’t think it was airing live. I got the box set for some Christmas but that would’ve been after I was a massive fan so *shrug*

Anyway I watched the dub first and holy hell if I wasn’t planning to marry Yuki Sohma before then I definitely was after that, thanks Eric Vale. (I still have huge love for the dub cast fight me). Yun-chan was my first 2D crush and tbqh I’m still in love with him. Also I stg he’s the whole reason why pretty boys are a Big Thing of mine. And wait omg Shigure’s first appearance?! Like, that’s probably why dudes with glasses are also My Thing wow I just blew my own mind but moving on

Fun fact I couldn’t choose between Kyoru or Yukiru bc they were both cute (present me@young me: u will realize eventually grasshopper) but I was 100% cool with Kyoru happening because of course then I could be with Yuki. Cue me dabbling in a few paragraphs of self-insert fic.

uh lemme cut this it’s becoming a novel

Random things (this whole thing is random wtf):

I was blessed enough to get my hands on the entire Tokyopop run, plus the fanbooks!!! before they shut down. I’ve been warring with myself for ages over whether to start collecting the Yen Press specials but. my resolve is weakening. I also have all of Takaya-sensei’s other stuff yeet (Phantom Dreams, Those with Wings, Songs to Make You Smile) except for Twinkle Stars which I’m def gonna get and OBVIOUSLY THE INSTANT FURUBA ANOTHER COMES OUT IM GRAB meanwhile if I remember to check out the scans

been a while since I reread it(it’ll be my third one~) but off the top of my head some favorite arcs etc are: obviously the major one at the end of vol 6. The Red Cap. Hatori and Kana (RIP ME) The Summerhouse (Jason the bear jfc). Akito’s reveal. Kyoko and Katsuya’s entire thing obviously (EXTRA RIP ME I’m crying just thinking about it). “The plum on your back” scenes. Kyo and Kyoko. THAT FIRST NEW YEAR’S WHEN YUKI AND KYO RACE BACK TO THE MAIN HOUSE BECAUSEtheir girlfriend MY DAUGHTER IS SAD AND LONELY AND THEY MAKE WISHES ON THE ROOF heck me upppp– also literally all roof scenes (karate kid Tohrutm) BUT THAT ONE HHGBNCCSV!!! Also my fav episode along with the AU-ish final 2.

Furuba fandom is my biggest fleet of ships by far which is hilarious bc I have a lot of fandoms and a lot of ships and you can see them bc i’m a derp but since nobody looks at that and nobody will read this (?) I’ma talk about them here. I DO WANT I WANT YO

but seriously I support

literally all the canon ships except HanaxShishou, pardon me Takaya-sensei but why. Wtaf.

a metric fuckton of non-canon ships bc of COURSE I DO

my low-key ships include

MomijixKagura. pairing the spares if you will XD

KaguraxTohru

RinxTohru. yes I have bi Tohru headcanons mmkay

Future!Kisa/Tohru (blame this fic)

KyoxUo.

YukixHana. all symmetrical-like (but wow i forgot i highkey shipped it for a while until…)

GurexAaya. like, come on. Also poly Mabudachi Trio

MomijixTohru. they’re super hecking cute ok, edging into high-key

my high-key ships include

HanaxUo. ok this??? is a big OTP, and 99% why I’m hella salty over HanaxShishou (at least KurenoxUo had an actual subplot!!). They are Tohru’s adoptive moms and I will forever protec (and yet. HanaxTohru and girls OT3 are also Good Ships but tbh super low-key) also I MADE SOMEONE SHIP IT

YukixTohru. see the start of this post way up there somewhere

KyoxYuki. my first rivalshiptm

HaruxYuki. “He was my first love” one cannot simply– have a character say this and not expect fans to ship. Also bi Haru is canon. lotta bi folks up in here imo

KakeruxYuki. CUTE GODDAMN DORKS WOW

But my flagship, my OTP to end all OTPs and my polyship to end all polyships in any fandom is the SS Yukyoru. KyoxTohruxYuki.

I’ve had polyship predilections for 6-7 years now, though it’s more recent I’ve started polyshipping every love triangle i encounter bc I‘m so done with them… there wasn’t really any lightning-bolt moment when I realized I shipped them much more together rather than apart. but like, I ship all three permutations so at some point my brain went HERE’S AN IDEA which tbh is how a lot of my polyships happen, i mainly have OT3s (if I ship 2 outta 3 there’s a good chance ima poly it)

but anyway! there’s absolutely no way to convey how much I adore this ship and IT’S A HUGE EMPTY YACHT I NEED CREW MEMBERS PLZ

I am building it up one fic at a time and if you’ve made it this far and have any interest at all plz read my shit and general Furuba screaming is appreciated as well of course!!! (also look at the most beautiful piece of fanart ever)

More fic! have my mixed bag of bookmarks (Sure For The Axis is my absolute fav, 2nd is Little Prayer) u can also find my Yukyoru stuff on AO3 ehehe~ and oh look HanaxUo!

and holy whoa i’m done. TLDR FURUBA IS THE BEST MANGA EVER AND YUKYORU IS THE PUREST RARESHIP EVER

THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT

[princesssarisa]

Character ask: The Big Bad Wolf

 Tagged by @ariel-seagull-wings

Even though they’re technically different wolves, these answers apply to the wolves from Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs and the Grimms’ lesser-known The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids. They’re all the same archetype and more-or-less interchangeable.

Favorite thing about them: I have to respect his cunning and skill with disguises. In The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids he even goes so far as to eat chalk to change the sound of his voice and be able to better imitate the voice of the seven kids’ mother.

I also like the fact that he’s so open to different interpretations. Today I’ve been watching and listening to a wide array of different celebrities’ portrayals of him in different Red Riding Hood and Three Little Pigs adaptations (Jeff Goldblum, Malcolm McDowell, B.D. Wong, Sinbad, Meg Ryan, Holly Hunter), and they all give wildly different performances, yet they’re all excellent and clearly having a great time with the role.

Least favorite thing about them: The little issue of trying to eat people and other sentient animals. Of course it’s not entirely his fault, he’s just being a carnivore, but the fact that he can actually converse with a person or animal and still eat them remorselessly makes him a villain.

And of course there’s the anti-Semitic “Jewish peddler” disguise that Disney’s Big Bad Wolf dons in the original 1933 version of the Three Little Pigs Silly Symphony. Ugh.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I like good food.

*I enjoy acting and role-playing.

*I like forests.

Three things I don’t have in common with them:

*I’m human.

*I’m a bad liar.

*I would never swallow a creature whole – I’d rather savor the taste.

Favorite line:

The classics: “All the better to eat you with!” and “Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house in!”

From Jeff Goldblum’s gangster-like Wolf in the Faerie Tale Theatre version of The Three Little Pigs:

When he intimidates the junk salesmen who sold the pigs their building materials into telling him where the first pig lives: “Good. A coward. I like that in a man.”

When he goes after the third pig at the climax: “Open the door, ham-hock!” and “Start saying your prayers, oink-man!”

From Malcolm McDowell’s Cockney-accented Wolf in the Faerie Tale Theatre version of Little Red Riding Hood:

Just before he eats Granny, referring to an earlier scene where he tried to catch her in the woods but she fought him off: “I’ve got a bleedin’ lump on me head and two broken ribs, Grandma! Nobody does that to Wolfie and gets away with it!”

As he goes through her closet, looking for a disguise to trick Little Red: “Oh God, look at this! The woman hasn’t bought anything new in twenty years!”

From the Wolf voiced by B.D. Wong in the Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child retelling, Little Red Happy Coat:

His aside when Little Red tells him she’ll be eight next month: “You’ll be ate today!”

From the Rabbit Ears adaptation of Red Riding Hood, narrated by Meg Ryan, who gives the Wolf a suave French accent:

“Haven’t we met before? I think not. I surely would remember such a savory rosebud. One with such delicious taste in clothes.”

“Why settle for one course? Why not both? First a bit of dried granny, aged on the bone, and then this apple dumpling for dessert!”

From the Rabbit Ears version of The Three Little Pigs, narrated by Holly Hunter, who gives the wolf a sleazy Brooklyn accent:

“Yo! How ya doin’ today, little pig? I’m, uh... hankerin’ for a cup o’ coffee. Won’tcha lemme in?”

brOTP: None.

OTP: None.

nOTP: Any of the animals or people he tries to eat, but especially not Little Red Riding Hood and her Grandmother.

Random headcanon: The wolves from Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs and The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids are all brothers – litter mates. The amiable, cake-baking Alexander Wolf from the storybook The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, who never meant to blow down the pigs’ houses but had a cold and accidentally sneezed them down, might be their embarrassing fourth brother.

Although I could also buy @superkingofpriderock​‘s headcanon of the Red Riding Hood and Three Little Pigs wolves being a couple, maybe with the Seven Young Kids wolf as their son.

Unpopular opinion: I agree with @superkingofpriderock​​ that there’s no need to make him a werewolf in modern retellings. Ordinary wolves are dangerous enough.

Song I associate with them:

"Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” even though it’s sung about him, not by him.

“Hello, Little Girl” from Into the Woods.

Favorite pictures of them:

This illustration by Gustave Doré.

This illustration by Walter Crane.

This illustration by Leslie Brooke:

These illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman.

This illustration by Laszlo Kubinyi:

Jeff Goldblum in the Faerie Tale Theatre version of The Three Little Pigs:

Malcolm McDowell in the Faerie Tale Theatre version of Little Red Riding Hood:

Robert Westenberg (with Danielle Ferland) in Into the Woods:

Disney’s Big Bad Wolf:

[berensaats]

under the cut you will find 370+ otp tags. these were all taken from various song lyrics and quotes, except one or other i made up myself. they are unsorted, ranging from anything since skinny love to soulmates to friends with benefits to toxic relationships, exes, forbidden loves and so forth. tw: nsfw, mentions of battle and religious references. likes or reblogs are appreciated. hope you enjoy it!!

otp: you could be my cure 

otp: take away all my sin ; give me a sweet prayer on my lips

otp: i’ll make you feel like you’ve been blessed

otp: i found love where it wasn’t supposed to be

otp: i’ll use you as a warning sign that if you talk enough sense then you’ll lose your mind

otp: i’ll use you as a focal point so i don’t lose sigh of what i want

otp: i’ll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take

otp: i’ve moved further than i thought i could but i’ve missed you more than i thought i would

otp: fear is the heart of love

otp: i will follow you into the dark

otp: you’re a king and i’m a lionheart

otp: though far away we’re still the same

otp: as the world comes to an end i’ll be here to hold your hand

otp: i find shelter in your arms

otp: your eyes look like coming home

otp: the unrelenting constancy of love and hope

otp: these violent delights have violent ends

otp: a love like this won’t last forever

otp: maybe it was just as simple as a change in your heart

otp: he can cut through these strings and open my wings

otp: this slope is treacherous ; i like it

otp: put your lips close to mine as long as they don’t touch

otp: i’d be smart to walk away but you’re quicksand

otp: too good to be good for me

otp: i’m wasted on you

otp: i’d kill for her ; i’d die for her

otp: two crowns and a gold cup

otp: if your heart is a dog fight then i’m ready to go to war

otp: your legs are the north star

otp: if you’re lost in this darkness i’ll carry your throne

otp: they try to break inside the walls with these lies but i’m pulling up the draw bridge

otp: we rose this love from the dirt

otp: no grave can hold my body down ; i’ll crawl home to her

otp: she’d give me toothaches just from kissing me

otp: i swear i thought i dreamed her

otp: she never asked once about the wrong i did

otp: my baby would never fret none about what my hands and my body done

otp: if the lord don’t forgive me i’d still have my baby and my baby would have me

otp: what a splendid mess

otp: maybe i just wanna be yours

otp: secrets i have held in my heart are harder to hide than i thought

otp: we’re so late nights

otp: i always push my luck when i’m with you

otp: faded every night ; dancing all night long

otp: the nights were mainly made for saying things that you can't say tomorrow day

otp: do i wanna know if this feeling flows both ways?

otp: been wondering if your heart’s still open and if so i wanna know what time it shuts

otp: maybe i’m too busy being yours to fall for somebody new

otp: have you no idea that you're in deep?

otp: she’s a silver lining climbing on my desire

otp: all i wanna hear her say is ‘’are you mine?’’

otp: are you mine tomorrow or just mine tonight?

otp: is it desire or is it love that i’m feeling for you?

otp: i want you to want me again

otp: you make my heart shake bend and break

otp: never knew loving could hurt this good

otp: you’re driving me wild

otp: kiss me on the mouth and set me free

otp: i can be the subject of your dreams

otp: don’t you wanna se a man up close?

otp: i’m pulling on your heart to push my lucj

otp: i still hide you in my poetry

otp: if it’s a 7 hour flight or a 45 minute drive

otp: when you look at me like that my darling what did you expect?

otp: i’d probably still adore you with your hands around my neck

otp: once again you had to greet me with goodbye

otp: i was sleeping in the garden when i saw you first

otp: bones of my bones and flesh of my flesh

otp: like the dawn you broke the dark

otp: you were the brightest shade of sun when i saw you

otp: like the dawn you woke the world inside me

otp: you will surely be the death of me but how could i have known?

otp: i can feel your pulse in the pages

otp: i have written you down now you will live forever

otp: i can’t say the words so i wrote you into my verse

otp: i had fallen in love with you before i knew

otp: my doubts fade when i’m kissing you

otp: everything has changed

otp: there are no boundaries or barriers if two people are destined to be together

otp: it’s you that i’ve been waiting to find

otp: can you show me how we can escape?

otp: i’ll recover if you keep my alive

otp: you make it shine

otp: every part of me you change

otp: just hold me together ; tell me you’ll always want me to stay

otp: wanna be the one you steal ; wanna be the one you shield

otp: i wanna be the one that your love can heal

otp: they are the hunters we are the foxes

otp: love’s a fragile little flame ; it could burn out

otp: i know places we won’t be found

otp: just grab my hand and don’t ever drop it

otp: tell me when you’re gonna let me in

otp: why don’t we go somewhere only we know?

otp: i should just tell you to leave because i know exactly where it leads

otp: could end in burning flames or paradise

otp: when we go crashing down we come back every time

otp: kissing feels like healing

otp: like gods at the dawning of the world

otp: i would know him in death ; at the end of the world

otp: their hands meet and light spills in a flood

otp: he is half of my soul like the poets say

otp: there was never once weakness in wanting another

otp: reason was always conquered by love

otp: if one must be pitied for loving you ; i will love you as much as i must and as much as i can

otp: your closeness pains me

otp: i simply see more in us than we both are.

otp: even when you’re next to me it’s not the way i’m picturing

otp: you wanna be friends forever ; i can think of something better

otp: at least i got you in my head

otp: i wanna ruin our friendship ; we should be lovers instead

otp: i don’t wanna be your friend ; i wanna kiss your neck

otp: you found the real me

otp: there’s millions of reasons to love you

otp: we don’t even need a title

otp: you don’t got to be mine ; just be mine for the night

otp: we just try to keep those secrets in a lie

otp: your eyes will lead me straight back home

otp: my friends won’t love me like you

otp: friends should sleep in other beds

otp: friends shouldn’t kiss me like you do

otp: these hands had to let it go free and this love came back to me

otp: you are the best thing that’s ever been mine

otp: you gave me roses and i left them there to die

otp: you gave me all your love and all i gave you was goodbye

otp: if we loved again i swear i’d love you right

otp: no place like home ; no place like her

otp: give a little time to me or burn this out

otp: we'll play hide and seek to turn this around

otp: all I want is the taste that your lips allow

otp: give me love like never before

otp: wonder what for ; why we keep coming back for more

otp: is the only reason why you’re holding me tonight ‘cause we’re scared to be lonely?

otp: we’re just reckless kids trying to find an island in the flood

otp: you can have the best of me

otp: give me your heart ; i’ll show you that love is always there

otp: if forever's gonna last then we'd better find the same direction

otp: i want you for so long ; tell me if it is so wrong

otp: trying to make it so clear ; hoping that we fall in love

otp: don’t give up on me when i stumble along

otp: remember my love for you won’t fade

otp: all your lights are red but I'm green to go

otp: i want you ; i’ll colour me blue

otp: only seeing myself when i’m looking up at you

otp: i know you’re seeing black and white so i’ll paint you a clear-blue sky

otp: without you i am colour-blind

otp: ain't nothing better worth imagining

otp: look for my heart ; you stole it away

otp: i want you to burn my bridges down

otp: i miss someone who isn’t mine to miss

otp: i dream about someone who isn’t mine to dream about

otp: i love someone who isn’t mine to love

otp: bring me some hope by wandering into my mind

otp: when it feels like i’m lost at sea you’re the song i sing

otp: you’re the anchor that i tie to my brain

otp: for your eyes only i will show my heart

otp: in a sea of lovers without ship and lovers without sight ; you’re the only way out

otp: i am an island ; you are the ocean

otp: i cannot have you without drowning

otp: i’m part of your world but i cannot have you

otp: i am deserted and you are too deep

otp: i cannot love you without losing me

otp: i will be your sword and shield ; your camouflage and you will be mine

otp: meet me on the battlefield

otp: everything could stay the same or we could change it all

otp: i met you in the dark ; you lit me up

otp: you made me feel as though i was enough

otp: i knew i loved you then but you’d never know

otp: just say you won’t let go 

otp: i bet you love me more after that first fuck

otp: i bet i love you more than i can say to you

otp: you’re my favorite kind of night

otp: used to be that i felt so damn empty ; ever since i met you no vacancy

otp: to commit our hearts to each other no matter what

otp: they say love is drowning and hell ; i’d let you drown me

otp: i fell in love tonight ; i didn’t mean to fall in love tonight

otp: if only i could hold you ; you’d keep my head from going under

otp: if we’re not meant for each other then why did we fall in love?

otp: you wish i was yours and i hope that you’re mine

otp: i tasted the divine and she left my lips dripping with love

otp: wanna show you how it feels to rock with something thrill

otp: let me show you what it’s like to fuck with something right

otp: stop messing with those boys ; get you a lady

otp: even when the world is against us i’ll keep you warm

otp: wanna keep you warm like you know you want to be kept

otp: the ghosts that we knew will flicker from view

otp: you saw no fault ; no cracks in my heart and you knelt beside my hope torn apart

otp: give me hope in the darkness that I will see the light

otp: i will hold on as long as you like ; just promise me we’ll be alright

otp: we'll share my all and our children come and they will hear me roar

otp: my soul will find you each time

otp: when you walked into the room it’s like the sun came out

otp: fires like this can tear the world apart

otp: i’d rather take a hit and fall than never fuck it up with you at all

otp: sparks in the dark gonna tear through my heart and start a fire

otp: baby can we burn it slow?

otp: there is no love without burning

otp: i am in love with everything that is unreachable: the stars; the moon and you

otp: untouchable ; burning brighter than the sun and when you're close I feel like coming undone

otp: you can tell them you are mine ; i’m sick of games

otp: take these walls and rip them down

otp: i'm not bullet proof when it comes to you

otp: i lay down this armor for you

otp: i’ll be your escape ; i’ll be your safe place

otp: all I gave you is gone ; tumbled like it was stone

otp: thought we built a dynasty that heaven couldn't shake

otp: we deserve a soft epilogue my love

otp: what can you steal from a thief? his heart

otp: she was my salvation ; i was her destruction

otp: come morning light you and i'll be safe and sound

otp: i will be your lover ; fighter

otp: i wanna fight for love

otp: i'm aiming high not to lose you

otp: your heart is afraid to want more

otp: i can't help but love you even though i try not to

otp: can’t help but want oceans to part

otp: i’m overcome in this war of hearts

otp: love like a lover ; shine in the dark

otp: i don't deserve your love but you give it to me anyway

otp: when I'm falling apart your arms are always open wide

otp: give me a reason to keep trying ; give me more than i could dream

otp: we should just kiss like real people do

otp: what did you bury before those hands pulled me from the earth?

otp: i will not ask you where you came from ; i will not ask and neither should you

otp: in search of silver linings we discovered gold

otp: we'll defy the rules until we die

otp: let's be sinners to be saints

otp: the world may disapprove but my world is only you

otp: if we're sinners then it feels like heaven to me

otp: how can you expect me not to eat when the forbidden fruit tastes so sweet?

otp: our hearts are too ruthless to break

otp: love ; i see it running through you

otp: fill up my old heart with new light

otp: loving in the moment is something luminous

otp: iscariot you fool

otp: i should’ve worshipped her sooner

otp: if the heavens ever did speak she's the last true mouthpiece

otp: i'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife

otp: offer me that deathless death and good god ; let me give you my life

otp: there is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin

otp: we were a fire with no smoke

otp: rags to riches but i'm addicted to being broken

otp: take my breath away ; you know i'm bound to choke

otp: when I close my eyes i still see your ghost

otp: distance makes the heart grow founder said by someone stronger than me

otp: let me take your heart love you in the dark no one has to see

otp: who wouldn't want it when he looks like that?

otp: if i try my hardest would you look my way?

otp: the only time i’d ever call you mine

otp: love is worship for which the heart needs no permission

otp: learn me hard ; learn me right

otp: love was kind for a time ; now it just aches and makes me blind

otp: you forgave and i won’t forget

otp: love will not break your heart but dismiss your fears

otp: lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all

otp: lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall

otp: where you invest your love you invest your life

otp: you heard my voice ; i came out of the woods by choice

otp: i will call you by name ; i will share your road

otp: wherever there is you i will be there too

otp: no matter where i sleep you are haunting me

otp: now your mess is mine

otp: my atlantis we fall

otp: we built it up to pull it down

otp: we might just end up crashing but I'm ready if it happens with you

otp: you're the only thing I know and I don't wanna let this go

otp: close to you i feel i'm at home

otp: we were built to last

otp: we could burn and crash ; we could take a chance

otp: like it’s our last dance

otp: he will never be satisfied ; i will never be satisfied

otp: it’s the feeling of freedom ; of seeing the light

otp: that doesn’t mean i want him any less

otp: at least i keep his eyes in my life

otp: look into your eyes and the sky’s the limit

otp: if it takes fighting a war for us to meet it will have been worth it

otp: i don’t know how to say now to this

otp: hold my hand and now you're not alone

otp: you paralyze me and i don't know why

otp: lovers and enemies then we're back to friends

otp: like a shadow and a dancer

otp: the summer thrill is gone but we've never been so in love

otp: i can taste it my heart breaking

otp: if i die may it be of love and if i love may it be you

otp: my soul is enclosed inside your skin

otp: i lack the air you're not breathing next to me

otp: i will love you thief even if you keep my soul

otp: i will love you thief even if you invade my dreams

otp: i only find you in my dreams and since you aren’t here i will try to keep sleeping

otp: you have won each battle but you have not won the war

otp: i know you have been through some tough times but please don’t push me away

otp: i’d give whatever it takes to have you near

otp: sent a picture to my mother ; told her you are the woman i’ve always wanted

otp: if your body was a book i’d read a thousand chapters

otp: even if it takes my whole life i will wait for you

otp: i know there is still love in your eyes and your glance says you’ll return

otp: if you leave there is nothing left

otp: all the water in the sea could not put out all the love you’ve given me

otp: i’ll leave the door on the latch if you ever come back

otp: it will be just like you were never gone

otp: your streets ; they agonize me

otp: you sleep in my sleep ; you cry in my tears

otp: there is your whisper in my thoughts

otp: how's this relationship of your and mine ; it doesn't have a face and yet it's so deep

otp: unless we share someone's pain we don't get separated from our own

otp: what's the world to do with the love of these two

otp: if you shoot it's a fight and if you wink it's love

otp: veni vidi amavi

otp: this red love ; this remorse of love

otp: my name is love ; your name is love

otp: should i change my name or should i hide yours?

otp: touch me with your body ; color me in your color

otp: my jewel and money is just you

otp: there is joy of love in the night and in everything you say

otp: the only thing i have in the world is your heart

otp: the heart flies ; it has got wings and attached to you

otp: here it's love and there it's fight

otp: this bed of yours and mine is a battlefield

otp: if you press the trigger i'll play kisses

otp: i've become lovely having read your name

otp: just for you i have gone mad

otp: like an expensive liquor and i've drunk it all in one gulp

otp: the shadows of your memories don't go away

otp: how do i end this distance?

otp: it's only this disease called love that is grown up

otp: once I'm lost in your talks i'd never want to come back to consciousness

otp: i've learnt to smile from you

otp: even on trying to remove ; your color doesn’t get off me

otp: i want to love in you and get lost in you only

otp: i want to hide you in my heart and not open it after that

otp: the one i have worshipped ; i’ve come face to face with her today

otp: with just the gaze of your eyes my heart has mended

otp: the story is only a tragedy if the god loves you back

otp: i wanted to tell him that i loved him but i was afraid that he would hear me

otp: you are my reality ; my most precious treasure

otp: you are the crown lying on my head

otp: luckily they don’t see how weak i become when i’m with you

otp: over the glowing hill we conquer

otp: we return to each other in waves ; this is how water loves

otp: let him be soft and let him be mine

otp: love is the only thing that turns this cage into a palace

otp: no one is chasing you but me

otp: i rub your tensed wrist like a pliant mouth ; i wait for spread fingers and a vulnerable palm

otp: these unarmored parts which are mine alone

otp: what are you more afraid of? that he gave you his heart or that you would gladly give him yours in return?

otp: just your heart in exchange for mine

otp: i didn’t know that i was starving until i tasted you

otp: in your eyes i see my bloodline

otp: you’re the rising sun ; you’re the setting sun

otp: i was with you before we were even born

otp: i have looked at you in millions of ways and i have loved you in each

otp: i will always love you ; i will always find you

otp: you are my fate this once and always

otp: hell is loving you in my sleep and waking up alone

otp: they know you walk like you’re a god ; they can’t believe i made you weak

otp: if it should be that i am hated for the simple sin of loving you then let me be despised

otp: take the mask off when you speak to me

otp: with his educated eyes and his head between my thighs

otp: i wanna sleep next to you but that's all I wanna do right now

otp: i wanna get close to you cause your hands and lips still know their way around

otp: the less time that I spend with you the less you need to heal

otp: you think my bruised knees are sorta pretty and i think your tired eyes are kinda nice

otp: it is never too late to begin our love again

otp: i tried to love you less ; i couldn’t

otp: i can’t go on if it’s not you

otp: even though I try so hard i can’t forget these feelings

otp: and i’ve been cold since you left

otp: despite everything it’s still you

otp: he was her warmth ; she was his peace

otp: we don’t have a lot but we’ve got each other

otp: please don’t be in love with someone else ; please don’t have somebody waiting on you

otp: this is me praying that this was the very first page ; not where the storyline ends

otp: what a lovely way to burn

otp: if i told you about the darkness inside of me would you still look at me like i’m the sun

otp: i’d be your shadow ; i’d walk with you

otp: in your breaths and in mine there is the same air

otp: as long as we’re together doesn’t matter where we go home

otp: i just wanted you to fuck me but then i got greedy and i wanted you to love me

otp: trying to make it work but man these times are hard

otp: even after all these years we just now got the feeling that we're meeting for the first time

otp: these times are hard they're making us crazy don't give up on me

otp: tried to break love to a science in an act of pure defiance i broke her heart

otp: you can break everything down to chemicals but you can't explain a love like ours

otp: there's no starting over without finding closure

otp: from what i've seen and i've heard when it comes to you there are no words

otp: see you in my mind then i open my mouth and it's silence

otp: there are no words you can understand ; only lovers can

otp: can't take the ache from heartbreak

otp: there's no fair in farewell

otp: if i could turn back time then i would rewrite those lines

otp: if i had to break the bank ; spend every penny on your dreams

otp: love ; like art

otp: you healed these scars over time embraced my soul you loved my mind

otp: you saw me cry say i'm still the soldier in your eyes

otp: it may not seem like very much but i'm yours

otp: you've fallen in love in the worst way and if you don't go now then you'll stay

otp: if you're looking for heaven it sure as hell ain't me

otp: how can i move on when i'm still in love with you?

otp: when a heart breaks it don't break even

otp: what am i gonna do when the best part of me was always you?

otp: kiss me with adventure until i forget my name

otp: true love ; hard to hide

otp: she found the colours to paint him where the world had left him gray

otp: she is electricity running to my soul

otp: the way you kiss me will work each time

otp: then we grew a little and romanticized the time i saw flowers in your hair

otp: i know i haven’t lost even though it’s too late to recover the heart you stole from me