#otp: enjoy the silence

[valentinesparda]

sorry I was possessed after the rebirth trailer

[ s/i (on the left) uses they/them pronouns ]

[storiesofsvu]

Rita Calhoun 50 OTP Q's Pt 1

Rita Calhoun x fem!reader warnings: none really, some language, minor mentions of sass, mentions of Rita's work, smut barely even thought of. Thanks for the request! I'm gonna love doing these! Because they are super long, I will be splitting them into 2 parts though! :)

Who is the early bird/ Who is the night owl?

Rita is somehow both, but she is much more the morning person out of the two of you. She likes to be up early, especially on work days. She enjoys the silence, birds chirping as the city wakes up as her coffee starts to brew. She’ll take the time before you have to be up to review over any open cases she has, what her agenda is for the day and make sure she’s ready to go for any court appearances. You’re up a little later than she is, happily pressing a kiss to her cheek and heading into the kitchen to make breakfast for the both of you (cause lord knows she can’t do it without setting off the smoke alarm).

When it comes to evenings, she’s likely to catch up on a show or two, do some reading, maybe a light workout, shower and then bed. It’s when she gets wrapped up doing work stuff at home that she’s up way too late, you tiptoeing into her home office to pepper her face with kisses and drag her to bed.

2. Who is the big spoon/ Who is the little spoon? It switches off pretty regularly and can also depend on who gets into bed first. Rita likes curling herself around you, pressing kisses to the back of your neck but she also doers really like being the little spoon too, feeling loved and protected.

3. Who hogs the cover/ Who loves to cuddle?                 Rita hogs the covers FOR SURE. She runs cold, even in the hottest days of summer her feet and hands are FREEZING. Doesn’t matter if you’re sweltering, she still has to keep the duvet on the bed, you’ll just kick it around your feet and sleep without it. Because of this, she obviously loves cuddling, especially in the winter and despite you hating waking up to her freezing toes pressed against yours, you still love her.

4. Who wakes the other one up with kisses?                 A combo, but it’s usually Rita. She’s awake first, and will always leave a featherlight kiss on your head before she starts getting ready for the day. Before she’s about to leave for the day, she’ll always come back to the bedroom (unless you’ve asked her to let you sleep) and she’ll perch on the edge of the bed, smoothing back your hair as she gently wakes you up and kisses you tenderly.

5. Who usually has nightmares?                 You tend to get them more often, not necessarily nightmares, but weird dreams, ones that you roll over with a grumble when you wake up, trying to hold onto your sleep without falling right back into it. It usually doesn’t wake Rita, but she can sometimes feel you nuzzling deeper against her in her sleep. She will sometimes get bad nightmares when she’s in the middle of a really bad case. Somehow it’s not as bad anymore now that she’s on defence, but when she was still prosecution and had to heavily lean into the brutality of the case, embellishing it for the jury that she’d wake up in a sweat, unable to go back to sleep for an hour.

6. Who would have really deep emotional thoughts at the middle of the night/ Who would have them in the middle of the day?                 Rita gets them in the middle of the night, she regularly keeps a notepad/book on the nightstand for anything she suddenly remembers about work/a case and she frequently does have a separate notebook for little sentimental things, a reflection of her day with you, little moments that she simply loves. When she can’t sleep during the night she thinks about what she’s grateful for, what keeps the positivity going in her life especially in times of darkness. She can’t help the way her hand softly plays with your hair as she thinks about how much she loves sharing her life with you. She spends her days being this super bad ass, collected, well put together attorney, surrounded by her firm members, assistants and the like, she’s rarely alone. It’s once she’s home, alone in a chilly, empty apartment that she starts to feel the vulnerability, her sharp edges reduced as the emotions start to come out.

You get sappy during the day, its when your brain is on best. Whether you’re at work and get that special little I love you text from Rita, or you’re padding around the apartment by yourself and see the little post it notes, the hoodie you stole from her strewn over the back of the couch, her favourite book left open in an arm chair. It’s the little pieces of her that have weaseled their way into your life and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

7. Who sweats the small stuff?                 You. Rita doesn’t stress about things like that, she simply shrugs and says that you’ll find a way around it, she has faith in both of you/the situation to come out on top. And a lot of that is thanks to her line of work. She almost always has an excuse for why something could have been found in possession of her client and they’re always reasonable, that way of thinking just translates over to all aspects of her life.

8. Who sleeps in their underwear (or naked)/ Who sleeps in their pajamas?                 You’re normally in a pair of shorts or pj pants and a stolen worn tee from Rita’s college days. Rita however has the gorgeous, sometimes silky, satiny, lacy, super cute pyjama sets. Sleeping naked definitely occurs, but it’s normally after a night of sex, or when it’s not just hot over summer, but the humidity has made everything sticky, no matter high how the a/c is cranked (but don’t worry, Rita’s hands and feet are still freezing)

9. Who makes the coffee (or tea)?                 Rita is a coffee fiend. The machine brews automatically every single morning (that machine being a regular drip kind). But don’t fret, because she has every coffee machine variety available. She enjoys different kinds for different days/hours/whichever. And she almost always has it going so she can offer to anyone who shows up at her apartment or office. If she doesn’t, she’ll move to the kitchen to start a fresh batch without breaking conversation.

Tea is more a you thing, and it’s the “honey you should really stop the caffeine consumption this late” and offer her a mug of tea while she’s reading/trying to finish work before bed. At first Rita never understood tea, but she’s come to enjoy it on those chilly winter nights as you introduced her to a wide variety of more fun flavours.

10. Who likes sweet/ Who likes sour?                 Sour candies are your jam; you keep them readily stocked around the house and Rita can’t understand how you can stomach them so much. The only time she even thinks about raiding your stash is when her mind is racing so fast she’s starting to feel anxious and needs her body and brain to focus on something different so she’ll pop the most extreme sour one she can find into her mouth and try not to wince as everything focuses on that instead. She is a HUGE sweets lover though, baked goods are a weakness, but she only indulges on the weekends, and usually just with brunch. Her stash in the apartment is normally dark chocolate, sometimes with a hint of sea salt, mint or orange, a nice little treat you don’t need much of. Similarly, she *loves* Tru Fru and picks a bag up every time she’s in a store that sells them. You’ve reminded her that the cost of them is truly insane and said she should just make them herself. You were quickly reminded of why that was a terrible idea when you came home to find the kitchen smelling like burnt peanut butter and a dish towel ruined with streaks of chocolate.

11. Who likes horror movies/ Who likes romance movies?                 Rita’s a sucker for romance, she loves the classics, loves old movies, enjoys an actually funny rom-com, none of the stupid stuff. She doesn’t really like horror, anything too gory is definitely not up her alley, she can’t even handle the bloody scenes of medical shows. She’ll enjoy a good thriller or mystery though!

12. Who is smol/ Who is tol?                 It depends on the relationship, but she’s normally right in the middle at around 5’6’’ herself. Esp in wlw situation, there isn’t too much of a dramatic difference. She does get more tol points once she’s in heels. But when it comes to like, Calvak.. she v smol.

13. Who is considered the scaredy cat?                 Depends on the situation. While you’re the one more nervous about like, being outside after dark, or having to go through a sketchy area of town, more concerned about always locking doors and windows and the like. Rita lives in a high security building with a doorman and two fobs to just get to her floor, she doesn’t stress about that. Her job has her spending time with (alleged) criminals, sometimes one on one and that doesn’t worry her at all. She is pretty jumpy though, another reason she doesn’t like horror movies, absolutely hates jump scares. If you pop up out of nowhere and she didn’t see you coming, she’s definitely jumping and swearing at you, telling you not to do it again.

14. Who kills the spiders?                 You. Rita is the one to see a single ant in the apartment and want to call the exterminator. You have to remind her that the balcony door has been open all day and it’s the middle of summer, she should expect more bugs inside. You also take this time to remind her why it would be such a good investment to get a cat. (and yes, she absolutely makes you *kill* the bugs, there is no taking them back outside to be rehomed. She needs to know they’re dead)

15. Who is scared of the dark?                 Neither of you. Though there’s always a light on at home waiting for you to return, a soft light over the stove overnight so you can find your way through the darkness without having to turn on overhead lights and risk waking the other.

16. Who is scared of thunderstorms?                 You love the rain, adore curling up as close to the window as possible to watch the storms. Rita used to hate it, but figured out it mainly came from having to go out in it, get wet and risk ruining a very expensive pair of shoes. Now she’s fallen in love with it and made sure to repurpose one of the large windows in the living room into a bay window with an extended, padded ledge for the two of you to curl up on during storms and read.

17. Who works/ Who stays at home?                 If one of you is going to stay home, it’s you. Rita’s got the money to support another person and has no qualms doing so. She is however, very likely to get bored and needs to be stimulated, so she’s going to want to work until she doesn’t want to anymore. She enjoys it, and really loves the career she’s ended up in. She can work from home and if you’re a stay at home wife she likely will as much as she can.

18. Who is a cat person/ Who is a dog person?                 You’ve been begging for a dog for YEARS now and every single time Rita has a new reason as to why it’s a terrible idea. And no matter what counterargument you come up with, she will *always* win. It’s not something that truly bothers you though, as you know you’re both a little too busy for a dog. There’s a chance that the cat was a plea deal Rita came up with and there’s a chance that she already had one and that was another “we can’t have a dog” excuse. I 1000% see her with a black cat, something more chill it vibes by itself most of the time, but does love a good Sunday curl up on the couch. Rita absolutely has to have one of those self cleaning litterboxes or she has someone else in the building that she pays to do it cause you cannot tell me she would be okay with doing it herself lol.

19. Who loves to call the other one cute names?                 You. And you love to come up with the most ridiculous ones that make her laugh, or other times groan, saying just how terrible they are. She regularly sticks with darling, sweetheart, and occasionally honey.

20. Who is dominant/ Who is submissive?                 Rita is a dominant leaning switch. She’s flexible and regularly changes things up depending on her partner or the situation. While she likes to be in control and normally is, she’s got a high stress job where she always has to be the dominant one and really enjoys the times she gets to give that up in her personal life.

21. Who has an obsession (over anything)?                 I’m leaning you. But not sure what. Rita’s obsession is coffee and a particular brand of pen that she loves and will gut anyone who steals them from her. (Barba has three and he has the bruises to prove it.)

22. Who goes all out for Valentine’s Day?                 Rita. While she does think it’s a stupid holiday and you should show your love every day, she still loves to spoil. It’s likely something slightly cheesy and at your apartment. Roses, flower petals, a very pricey delivered dinner, chocolates, diamonds and a night spent together surrounded by candles.

23. Who asks who out on the first date?                 I think Rita is almost always the one who makes the first move. She’s confident, almost a little cocky when it comes to flirtation. She sees something she wants and she knows she wants it so she goes to get it. And she does get it like 99% of the time.

24. Who is the talker/ Who is the listener?                 A combination of both. Rita’s an incredible listener, she has to be for work. She can’t tune things out or zone out, she has to pay strict attention to every word, every mannerism, every linguist queue there could be from the moment she meets her client to the moment the verdict is read. She’s always going to let you get everything out until you’re sure you’re done and then check if you just wanted to vent/talk/get it off your chest or if you wanted advice. If you wanted her advice, then she’ll take her turn as the talker. Her major more talking days are the days that she just needs to hear things out loud for work, or get things off her chest, she rarely needs your actual advice, she just needs to yell about an incompetent attorney for a bit until she feels better. She was hesitant at first asking if you’d be okay listening to her opening or closing arguments, but she caught the way your eyes lit up and followed her as she paced through the kitchen, discovering how much you loved listening to her parade her way through the legal world. You made a joke that you loved her “big brain ted talks” and that joke stuck.

25. Who wears the other ones clothes?                 You’re not a huge fan of Rita’s designer stuff, and even her more casual stuff is almost a little too fancy for your liking. You have to dig through to the back of her closet to find the old sweats, tee’s, hoodies or the like that are from her college days, her debate team days or the like and you like wearing those. She on the other hand, ends up stealing half your wardrobe after realizing how comfortable something from a cheap store can be.

________________________

@hbkpop @mickey-gomez @red1culous @imlike-so-gaydude @altsvu @svulife-rl rl @svushots @wannabe-fic-reader @bumblebear30 @alexbllake @australiancarisi @cerberus-spectre @emskisworld @ex-uallyactive @dead-of-niight @multifandomlesbianic @dxtery @momlifebehard @poisonedcrowns @when-wolves-howl @godard-muse @itisdoctortoyousir @httpjupiterbby @somethingimaginative17 @alexxavicry @daddy-heather-dunbar @evilregal2002 @dextur @disneyfan624 @svushots @happenstnces @onmykneesformarvel @kmc1989 @irishavengersassemble @valentinesfrog @noahrex @wittygutsy @chimnlex @i-lovefandom @ralla-ralla @chestnutninny @gamma-rae-bursts

**reminder if you're not interacting you will be removed from the taglist as there are over 50 people who currently want to be involved in the Rita fun** (if you're bored of my writing or out of the SVU fandom currently and no longer want to be tagged, feel free to comment or send me a dm to do so!)

[fluxweeed]

Hii, I just discovered your fics and am reading my way through them. Love, love, love the ones I’ve read so far.😊 I was just wondering what your favourite Draco is you’ve written, and what your fave Draco is in fics written by others? ☺️

ACK thank you!! what a question!! i've considered this v carefully and it turns out i have………a lot of thoughts. i will keep them under a cut so nobody is accosted with a full 700 words of my Draco Opinions 😂 so my quick answer is:

my fave draco i've written: the taste of țuică my fave draco ever: rookie moves by peu_a_peu

draco is an interesting one for me bc i don't really LIKE him? but i have sooo many feelings about him. really not sure i could summon the same fervour for harry, for example, who is my number one boy forever and always.

(i saw a thing once that said a pairing becomes ur otp when u relate to one of the characters and want to fuck the other one, and 🙈 i mean, i think you're supposed to relate to the gryffindor, aren't you. whoops.)

OKAY SO HERE'S THE UNHINGED DRACO MALFOY ESSAY BY FLUX W. EED.

listen. i love and respect people who are Refined Draco enjoyers. connoisseurs of redemption arcs. appreciators of majestic malfoy bone structure and ethereal grey eyes and soft windswept hair. fans of dracos who insult harry (with hidden affection) and who are a bit snobbish (in a rich, sexy way) but ultimately have realised the error of their teenage years and have become a better person. perhaps this draco has built a potions business and helps the aurors. perhaps he IS an auror. either way, he has a biting sense of humour, maybe, but he's a good guy.

unfortunately, the draco of my heart is a horrid mean little rat man.

i've never actually managed to write him the way i love him. i tried to aim for immoral bastardy in what's mine is yours but i got so caught up in trying to nail the feelsforbreakfast-style humour in the narrative that i ended up focusing much more on that and much less on writing genuine bastardhood.

i've written him as reserved and clever (in the four doors – this draco was written entirely for @jovialobservationanchor, who had a weak spot for closed-off academics with soft centres) and as a traumatised self-loathing mess (in two to lie and to some extent for lack of wanting and say no to this) and hopelessly sexually/emotionally horny for one harry james potter (in, um, most things) but i've never managed to capture the genuine cruel streak and flawed personality that is sooo so important to me.

WHICH IS WHY i picked țuică!draco for my favourite of the ones i've written. he's still a bit too emotionally intelligent to be Just Right, imo, but i think he's maybe the closest? he's unrepentantly rude to people. he's not attractive. and he has a streak of self-destructive fucked-upedness that is some form of wartime guilt, but certainly not a pretty one.

HOWEVER. rookie moves?? NAILED it. i adooored how genuinely fuckin MEAN he is, even tho he's an auror. i love love LOVED that he's kind of bad at his job in a way that's in complete opposition to how drarry!draco is often written these days:

The look on Malfoy’s face was not only troubling, Harry realized, but familiar. At once activated and dead behind the eyes, like an invasive species in an ecosystem that could not check it. It was the look of the meanest fucking teenager Harry had ever known, giving in to his urge to bully.

-

What Malfoy wasn’t good with was people. Despite his repeated insistences that his upbringing had equipped him with impeccable manners and a facility with society intrigue, the truth was that he rubbed almost everyone the wrong way. He was, undeniably, annoying. Witnesses were put off by his snide, dismissive tone, and he didn’t know how to coax out information with curiosity, warmth, or strategic silence.

that's not to say unrepentant cunt draco is the only one for me!! i DO enjoy the classic redeemed drarry draco!! i love a quirky draco, à la wwpwcs or maya's drop dead gorgeous. gallaplacidia's draco is sooo painful for me to read (complimentary) that even though i adore her fics, i still haven't read them all bc i have to space them out, for my health. and i'm sure there are dozens more dracos that i'm forgetting how much i like – basically, as long as he isn't super suave, absolutely gorgeous and/or obviously tom felton, i'm on board.

[twisted-wonderland-shenanigans]

Hey so I just found your account and omg?? it's literally so amazing 😭✋

Anyways-I was just looking through a bunch of the twist monster au headcannons/stories, and I thought of a scenario that could be done!

Basically the cast reacting to gender neutral or female reader/yuu acting stuff out in their book they are reading like poses, dialogue, just genuine reactions to the text itself

ex. Throwing the book across the room and them being genuinely concerned that something happened bc reader is just staring off into space or cursing but what actually happened was either a character died/did something embarrassing/the mc and love interest finally kiss

Anyways that's all I had in mind hope you have a good day/night! <3

Omg thank you! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the content! QvQ

Ah, books. Such a wonderful creation humans made to fill us with raw, pure emotion or shattering our hearts and souls into a million tiny pieces—only for us to read it again and again! Don’t you just love those moments as a reader? UvU

Except for cliffhangers. Readers have a love/hate relationship with it, writers adore cliffhangers! ÒvÓ

So, what happens if we take a bookreader!Yuu (they/them) and throw them into Twisted Monsterland where even the history books read like a world guide/omnibus to a game or TV series? Oh, and I took a bit of inspiration from a Disney princess comic and a Bill Watterson “Calvin and Hobbes” comic for two of these scenarios. 😂

/-----------/

“Jeez, you sure you’ve got enough books, Yuu?”

“The librarian wouldn’t let me check out more than ten at a time,” Yuu replied, their backpack and arms filled with thick books. “Wish I could’ve gotten ten more at least, but this’ll do for now.”

“Are you sure you can even read all those before next semester?” Deuce asked in concern. “Those look pretty…dense.”

“Oh, I’ll be done in a week. Maybe a week and a half if we get a lot of homework.”

“Funya?! You gotta be kidding me!” Grim said. “Can humans read that fast?”

“Not everyone. Some people are slow readers, but that’s okay since they enjoy it at their own pace while I enjoy it at mine. Only problem for me is choosing which one of these I want to read first!”

/Later that night/

“Yuu? It’s time to eat!” Grim called out. Silence greeted him as he stared at Yuu, who was sitting on the couch with their face practically buried in a book. Frowning, the chimera padded over to the couch and repeated, “Yuu! I’m hungry!”

Still the human didn’t seem to respond, their shoulders hunching as they turned the page.

“Yuu? Yuu!” Huffing, Grim crossed his arms as he glared up at them. “You’ve been reading for the past three hours! How much longer are you gonna read that book?”

“What’s going on, pal?” one of the ghosts asked as the trio appeared.

Gesturing his paws at Yuu, he said, “They’ve been reading ever since we got back from the library today, and now they’re not reactin’ to me. It’s dinner time and they haven’t made any food yet!”

Before anyone could even think of what to say, a loud, shrill squeal filled the dorm.

“Eeeeeee!!!” Yuu squealed, a huge grin on their face as they flopped to the side and kicked their legs like a nervous rabbit while holding the book against their chest. “Omg it happened, it happened!!”

“Mrah!? What?! What happened?!” Grim yelled, wings flared out defensively while his fur bristled. “Why are you yelling!”

“My new OTP!! They finally kissed!!” Yuu said, their eyes wide as they rocked from side to side. “They kissed!! Yes!! Yesyesyesyesyessssss!!!”

“OTP? What’s an OTP??” one of the other ghosts asked.

“It’s what we like to call the ‘one true pairing’ in a story,” Yuu explained, a positively giddy expression on their face with eyes shining brighter than the stars as they struck a dramatic pose. “It’s two characters who vibe with each other on a level that you just can’t help but want them to be together—and the author brought these two together!! Yeeeeeeeee, I’m so happy!!”

“And loud,” Grim grumbled, paws clamped over his ears. “Why are you standing like that?”

“It’s how the main character professed their love for the other!”

“…are all humans as weird as you?”

“Trust me, there are people out there that are way crazier in their excitement than I am right now.”

“Really?!”

“Oh yeah. Don’t even get me started on the fanfics people write.”

“Fan…fics?”

“Oh, you sweet summer child…”

/Two days later/

“Heeeey, lil’ Shrimpy~!”

“Mm…”

“Eh…? Hey, Shrimp…why are you ignorin’ us? It’s not very nice.”

“Now, now, Floyd. One mustn’t interrupt a reader when they’re indulging in such a riveting story.”

“Shh,” Yuu muttered, their brow furrowed as they hunched closer to the book. “I’m at the best part!”

Floyd frowned as he laid his head on his arms, the basilisk slumping against the table. “Man, this is lame,” he said. “You promised to come play basketball with me today!”

“Once I finish this part, we can go do whatever you want, okay, Floyd?”

Jade hummed in amusement as he said, “A rather daring proposition you just offered, Yuu.”

“We have to do a buncha reading for class anyway,” Floyd said with a bored expression. “And Crabby and Mackerel said you finished two other books already, so what’s the point of thi-”

“AAAAIIIIIEEEEE!!?!?” Yuu shrieked, leaping out of their chair as Jade and Floyd recoiled in shock. Before the twins could react, Yuu had ducked back into their chair and pressed the book even closer to their face than before.

“…lemmie see that,” Floyd said, leaning over the table to grab it.

“No, no! It’s fine, go do something else!” Yuu said all too quickly, sinking even lower and turning away from Floyd’s reaching claws. “I think I heard Riddle in the hallway.”

“Lemmie see it!”

“No! You can’t read it!” Yuu cried out, bolting away from the table holding the book tight to their chest.

“Get back here, Shrimpy!”

“Noooo!!”

“Oh my,” Jade uttered, eyes wide for a moment before he chuckled. “Perhaps I should look into this book when they’ve finished it.”

/The next day/

“Oh no…oooh noooooo, I hate this so much!”

“Then why are you reading it?” Jamil asked, the naga curled around them. “If you don’t like it, just take it back to the library.”

“I can’t! It’s soooooo good!” Yuu said, practically throwing themselves backwards onto Jamil’s snake half with the book pressed against their face.

“Eh? But wait, you just said you hated it,” Kalim said in confusion.

“I hate it, but I love it so much,” Yuu told them with a whine, their head now touching the floor on the other side of Jamil’s snake body yet still draped over him like a cat. “This book will ruin your heart and shatter your soul into a million pieces!...you should read it too!”

“Given how dramatic you’re being, it might not be wise,” Jamil said with a sigh.

“Read it!”

“It’s okay, Yuu. We can read together! It’ll be more fun that way!”

“Kalim, no. You still need to study for the next potions exam.”

“Augh, I need someone to talk about this story with so we can lament in solidarity!”

“…have you been taking lessons from Rook lately?”

/Three days later/

“Um…is Yuu okay? They’re looking a little…tense.”

It had been several days since Yuu borrowed a stack of books, and already they had gone through nearly half of their hoard. Between classes and on breaks or after finishing tests, it wasn’t hard for students to notice the lone human with their nose between the pages of one book after the other. Even the researchers had taken note of Yuu’s behavior in between tests, making note of their expressions and how their body changes with each scene depicting their emotions. It was noteworthy how they reacted when a character in the story did something “cringeworthy and stupid” (as Yuu would explain when asked), it looked as though the human had swallowed a lemon.

At the moment they were sitting in Heartslabyul, yet another book in their arms as they sat on one side of the lounge. Cater had taken progression snapshots of Yuu’s body slowly curling into itself, eyes steadily growing wider and wider to the point it looked as though they’d bolt away in panic.

“They’re fine,” Grim told Trey as he munched on a snack. “They’ve been like this since they got all those books. That’s the pose they had last time when their Ohteevee smooched or somethin’.”

“Oh, you mean ‘OTP’, Grimmy,” Cater corrected with a smile. “That’s so cute! Our human has an OTP already~!”

“I’ve heard of hitting the books, but this is ridiculous,” Ace commented with a sigh. “They’ve been reading so long that I forgot what half their face looks li-”

“GRAAAAH!!!!”

SLAM! Fwump!!

“Gyah!?” the boys yelped, everyone staring at Yuu as they sat on the couch with a dark scowl.

“Yo, what the heck? Why’d you throw the book like that?” Ace asked, pointing at the large tome on the other side of the couch now.

“Um…Yuu?” Deuce began when they didn’t respond. “Are…you okay?”

“……I’m mad,” came the response, Yuu’s expression growing more annoyed as they stared off into space.

“About what?” Riddle asked in surprise.

Yuu’s gaze turned to the discarded book, their expression as though they had been betrayed by a trusted friend as they said, “Because my favorite character died, and I refuse to read how the book ends when there’s literally two freaking pages left! That’s not enough space to bring them back in a satisfying way!!”

“Y…you’ve gotta be kidding me,” Ace grumbled with a sigh. “That big of a reaction just because a fictional character was killed off?”

“You weren’t there to see the struggles they went through! I saw them change from an annoying bully into a fully developed and vulnerable character who wanted to take charge of their life—and the author killed them off!” Jumping to their feet, Yuu marched towards Ace and Deuce’s room where they’d left their stuff and said, “Where’s my notebook? I need to fix this!”

“What are you gonna do?” Grim called out.

“Write a fanfic, because my scrunkly deserves to be happy!”

“Huh? Scrunkly??”

/Final day/

“Oh, Great Seven…what happened in your book this time?” Vil asked with a sigh.

Yuu sniffled as they tried to dry their tears, though it was difficult as more continued to flow down their cheeks. “I…I just finished my last book,” they said, their voice cracking a little with emotion as Grim pat their arm reassuringly.

“All ten books in a week?” Vil said in surprise. “That’s…impressive. Even so, why are you so upset? Was the story that horrible?”

“No…it…it…it was too good!” Yuu cried out, clutching the book so tight that their knuckles turned white as the tears flowed freely now.

“Ah…such pure, raw human emotion,” Rook crooned. “To express it so freely without fear…beaute!”

“Was the book really that good?” Epel asked.

“Yes!” Yuu wailed. “Now that it’s over, I…I don’t know what to do with myself now…”

Peering at the title, Vil gave a thoughtful hum and said, “Oh, that story. I hear there is supposed to be a spin-off book series. The first one should have released just the other day.”

“Really?!”

“Mrrr…now you’ve done it,” Grim grumbled with a sigh. “Here we go again.”

[jerzwriter]

BOOPED!

Carolina's phone would not stop "bleeping"! But when a friend helps her get to the bottom of it, she and Trystan are in for some startling discoveries about each other.

Book Boop: Crimes of Passion (post Book 2) Pairing: Trystan Thorne x Carolina Rose (F!MC) Characters: Luke Watanabe Summary: See above Rating: Teen Words: 2.150 A/N: All right, so I may have been a total party-pooper with the "boops," but that got me thinking how my OTPs would have handled them... and that led me here! I hope you enjoy it! Participating in @choicesaprilchallenge24 - prompt - "You're not going to believe what I just found."

*Bleep*

*Bleep*

*Bleep*

The utter silence of the Ginovesi Detective Agency’s offices was rattled each time Carolina’s phone “bleeped.” Trystan eyed the phone warily, glancing between it and Carolina every time it went off. For a woman who demanded complete silence when they were focusing on a case, she was doing her best to ignore it, but Trystan knew it was only a matter of time...

“¡Ay, Dios mío!” she cried out... and there it was. “¿Qué carajo es esto?”

Taking the phone in hand, she frantically tapped away at it, but the bleeps kept pouring in, and with each new arrival, Trystan watched as his girlfriend became more unhinged. “¿Qué es esta mierda?”

That’s when Luke entered the mix. Slinking into the office with his hands nonchalantly stuffed in his pockets, he slouched into a chair with a half smile.  

“Oh no. I heard nothing but Spanish coming out of you from way down the hall. This can’t be good.”

“It’s not!” Carolina spat as Trystan debated whether her frustration was utterly adorable or good cause for him to evacuate the office as quickly as possible. “I can’t get this fucking thing to stop bleeping!”

There were many things Trystan could have said or done, but as was often the case for the former prince, he reclined in his chair and chose chaos.

“It seems one of her former suitors isn’t taking the hint and won’t let go easily,” he smirked. “While I may no longer be a monarch, I still have some pull. One phone call to Lydea, my love, and I will have that man relieved of his testicles. Give me a name and number,” he winked. “I assure you, the bleeps will stop within the hour.”

Carolina glared at him with anger in her eyes, but despite her desire to remain cross, his stupid grin managed to do her in.

“Bold of you to assume it’s a he, your highness,” she derided. “There is a far greater likelihood that it would be a she. So, someone will be deprived the pleasure of performing an orchiectomy today.”

“An orchiectomy...” Luke queried, pulling up Google on his phone, but Trystan pushed it aside.

“Spare yourself the pain, man. It’s the art of relieving someone of their balls.”

“Ouch!” Luke shuddered. “Of course, I can see how the inability to do that would cause some Drakovian guard to fall into a deep depression, but still... ouch."

Trystan turned back to Carolina with a shrug. “It’s OK, love. They can remove body parts from women as well.”

“That’s so good to know,” she laughed. “But I’m afraid this isn’t as salacious as a spurned lover trying to get me to bend to their will.”

“Then what is it?” Trystan asked. “Your phone’s been going off all day, and I’ve never heard that notification tone before.”

“It’s,” she began, stopping herself as four curious eyes stared at her, eager for a response. “It’s... nothing. I’ll just turn the sound off my phone.”

“GASP!” Luke mocked. “During work hours! When you could potentially miss... something?”

It would have ended there for Luke, but Trystan wasn't done. Realizing something was amiss, he closely watched his love, not about to let her off the hook.

“Why don’t you just turn notifications off? What’s so embarrassing? Is it... Facebook?” he chuckled.

Carolina was an animal entrapped in a corner, desperate for an escape, but when it became clear that none existed, she surrendered. Burying her face into her hands with a languid groan... she confessed.

“I freaking wish! It’s .... worse!”

“Worse than Facebook?” Luke said with feigned horror. “What is it? Your old OKCupid app?”

“No!” Carolina said, throwing a pencil his way.

“Your old FarmersOnly account!!!”

“What?” Trystan snickered.

“I didn’t have a FarmersOnly account! Well, I did... but it was just a joke to frighten Uncle Tommy! Besides, I deleted that long ago!”

Trystan turned to Luke in confusion. “What... what’s FarmersOnly?”

“That’s unimportant, “Carolina interrupted. “It’s... it’s my Tumblr. I haven’t used it for longer than I can remember; I didn't even know it was still on my phone. But I’ve gotten like seven hundred notifications today, and I have no idea why!”

“So,” Luke shrugged. “Turn the notifications off.”

“I can’t! I forgot my password... and before you say it, I don’t remember what e-mail I created the account with. So I can’t reset it.”

“So,” Luke shrugged again. “Just delete the app! Problem solved.”

“But the detective in me needs to figure this out," she sighed. "Who knows why this is happening? When I go home tonight, I’ll try to remember what e-mail accounts I had circa 2016. Maybe I can figure it out.”

“It was probably something like myglitteringlittlenyyankeepony@ yahoo.com or something like that,” Luke laughed.

“More like LinaJeterClubPengin@hotmail.com,” she tittered.

“Dear Lord,” Trystan groused. "Both sound dreadful, but can we circle back to something potentially even more embarrassing? You had a Tumblr account?”

“Oh, shut up!” Carolina defended. “It was 2016! All the cool kids had a Tumblr account!”

“I didn’t,” Luke announced.

“I said cool,” Carolina retorted. Still, Trystan was undeterred.

“What on earth did you use your Tumblr account for? Were you in a fandom?”

He had intended to let it go, but when Carolina’s cheeks turned brighter than any apple he ever witnessed in a Cordonian orchard, he knew the quest was just beginning. Raising a brow in wicked delight, he teased. “Yesssss....”

“I was into Divergent,” she said, raising her hands. “Big fan... The Hunger Games, too.”

“All right,” Trystan nodded with a smile. “I can see that....”

But now it was Luke’s turn to incite, “Really? Because I could have sworn you once told me you used to write fanfiction for Princess Di.....”

“Obviously, you’re mistaken!” Carolina shouted. “Katniss! Katniss x Peeta, my OTP! That’s why I was on Tumblr!”

“Wait,” Trystan interrupted. “Princess Di? Were you into Princess Diana?”

“No,” Carolina spat. “Luke is just losing his mind, that’s all!”

“Oh, come now, princess,” Luke chided. “Is this the foundation you want to build your relationship on? A throne of lies?”  

“No,” Trystan smiled gleefully. “Thrones of lies are bad. Very bad."

“I believe they are,” Luke chuckled. "I'm sorry, Carolina. It’s confession time.”

Trystan slunk over to Carolina’s side, playfully nudging her with his shoulder. “Time’s up, dear. Tell me the truth, or I’ll have to employ ancient Drakovian torture measures to get you to speak!"

“Yeah! And not the kinky ones you’re into!” Luke grinned.

“Fine,” Carolina exhaled with disgust, her voice barely a whisper. “I was very into... The Princess Diaries."

Trystan’s lips began to curl, the dimple in his cheek becoming more pronounced. “I’m sorry... what?”

“The Princess Diaries! OK!! I used to love The Princess Diaries!”

“In 2016!” Luke scoffed. “Weren’t those movies popular in like... 2004?”  

"So?! I was a little behind the times. I was a nerd... so sue me! My Tumblr was all about The Princess Diaries... are you satisfied now?” She asked, hiding her face in shame.

Trystan rubbed his chin in delight as he allowed Carolina to sweat it out, thinking of the best way to torture his prey.  

“The Princess Diaries! This all makes so much sense now!”

“What?” Luke wondered aloud. “That she always had a soft spot for monarchy scum?”

“Well, yes,” Trystan responded. “ But, seriously... how long did you have these fantasies about being a long-lost princess, my dear?”

“What! Never! I’m a Boricua from the Bronx! A freaking badass, bisexual Boricua from the Bronx! Being a princess was nothing I aspired to!”

“Yet you were writing Princess Diaries fanfic?” Trystan tsked. “Then... you relentlessly pursued me.”

Horrified, she slammed her hand on the desk. “I DID NOT!!! You know I didn’t!”

“I’m not sure what to believe anymore, Carolina. Right now, I’m feeling sort of cheap and used.”

Luke howled with laughter. “In fairness, there’s nothing cheap about you, Trystan. Used? Sure, I can see that. But cheap? No way.”

“Thank you, Luke,”  Trystan acknowledged.

“Don’t mention it.”

But Carolina wasn't smiling. “I never had some monarchy fetish! I just liked the stupid movie! It was escapism for me, OK? But you know damn well you being a royal was a detriment to me, not a bonus! I wasn’t all, ‘Oh, now I need to land this guy!’ you know that!”

“I can't be sure anymore. I think I have to have this investigated to make sure your intentions with me are pure!”

“You know that’s not a bad idea,” Luke nodded as he typed away on his laptop. “I do know of a good agency that could help you.”

“LUKE!” Carolina yelled, so flustered that she hadn’t noticed her phone stopped bleeping several minutes before.

“Relax... princess...” Luke teased. “I just hacked into your Tumblr. The bleeping should stop now.

“But... how?” She asked, immediately catching his sarcastic stare. “Yeah, don’t bother answering that.”

Trystan stood over her shoulder as she opened the app. “700 notifications? Seriously, why the hell did I get all these notifications today?”

“It looks like they were having some kind of a “boop” thing for April Fools? I guess it’s like the old Facebook poke? Everyone seems to be sending boops.”  

“But why?” Carolina asked, dumbfounded. "Don't people have better things to do with their time?"

“Look,” Luke chirped. “I'm capable of doing a great many things, but making sense out of anything that happens on Tumblr.... that’s asking too much...even of me.”

“True,” Carolina mumbled. 

“He makes sense,” Trystan nodded in agreement. “Now, let’s read some of your old fanfic.”

“Oh, hell no!” Carolina insisted. “There’s no way!”

“Please?” Trystan begged, with puppy-dog eyes in full effect.

“All right, fine! But only on one condition!”

“Name it!”

“You show me your old Tumblr... and don’t lie and tell me you didn’t have one. We both know you did.”

“Sorry, my love,” Trystan shrugged. “But I didn’t.”

The couple turned to Luke when he sighed again. “Do you really want to start this relationship sitting on a throne of lies, Trystan? Or should I call you PlayfulPrince315.  Dude! Using your actual birthday? I know you were a tween then, but still, you should have known better!”  

“Playful... Prince?” Carolina beamed. “OK, Mr. Playful, what were you doing on Tumblr?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” he winked. “I was searching for beautiful want-to-be princesses from the Bronx.”  

“Nah,” Luke laughed. “Minecraft. He was into Minecraft.”

“Really?” Trystan asked, dragging a hand down his face.

“Hey, I outed Carolina, and she’s my best friend. You knew you weren’t safe.”

“Minecraft?” Carolina said with mock disgust. “Tell me it wasn’t Minecraft porn... please?”

“WHAT?" Trystan asked in shock. "Was that even a thing?”

“Sadly, it was,” Carolina laughed. “I’m sorry, but I need to know if you were into that. I don’t care how long ago it was; I am not marrying any man who once got off to Minecraft porn.”

A devilish grin slowly spread on Trystan’s face as he stepped confidently toward Carolina.

“Marry... you say?” His grin miraculously grew wider. “Have you been thinking about marrying me, Carolina?”

“I... uh, I...” she couldn't have been more grateful for Luke jumping out of his seat.

“Well, I think I’ll leave you two alone. You can handle this conversation without me.”

He headed toward the door, but not before handing Trystan a scrap of paper. “Here, this is your Tumblr password, Playful Prince. You two can figure out your weird pasts alone.”

“Oh, like you didn’t have weird things in your past!” Carolina yelled after him.

“At least they aren't archived for prosperity on Tumblr,” Luke grinned. “And I’m relieved to say it doesn’t look like Ruby has to deal with that, either. But I can’t wait to tell her about the two of yours.”

Luke whistled as he exited, turning one more time before shutting the door. “Oh, and Playful one? You got 200 fewer boops than Carolina... and you’re royalty, man? Embarrassing! Just... embarrassing! I don't think she should consider marrying you!"

Trystan turned to his blushing girlfriend. "So, back to that marrying thing.... how often does that cross your mind?"

"Uh, you know what," she said, reaching up for a soft but passionate kiss. "Why don't I tell you all about FarmersOnly instead."

"Uninterested," he beamed.

"All right," she said, pulling out her phone. "Then let's say I allow you to read 3,500 words of angst I wrote about Princess Mia and Prince Harry circa 2016?"

Trystan's eyes lit up. "Seriously?"

"Here," she said, handing him her phone. "Go through my whole masterlist. By the time you're done... you'll forget anything else."

Trystan slunk back into the chair, tossing his feet on the desk for comfort. "Don't count on it," he winked. "Don't count on that... at all."

@choicesficwriterscreations

Tagging others separately.

[ren-rambles-often]

I watched Code Geass but before I get to my short rant about the show and the ship you can pretty much guess this is about…. Let me just say….

This show peaked at the pseudo incest brocon subplot, I'm taking no arguments!

Fine, fine, that's definitely not entirely true but Rolo's death had me pausing the show and staring at the screen like for what reason?! Let the boy be hopelessly obsessed goddammit 😭😭😭

Now I've gotten that out of my system…

Guess who's the character I hate most?

shocker I know/sarc

I haven't hated one half of my otp ship in a piece of media this much since that one Episode Nagi panel of Reo's heart getting destroyed by Nagi's dumbass (Reo my love love I'd treat you so much better)

Suzaku's case is worse by several degrees because his idiocy and attitude only continued to stoke the flames of my annoyance for the whole two fucking seasons until like the three or two episodes at the end cause oh my fucking God I cried.

(That shit was a wild ride enough nothing is making me watch any spin offs or side stories I care that little)

From the first moment he entered that Lancelot suit and agreed to help the side that attempted to silence him by murder, I clocked his ass and marked him as the dumbest bitch to ever exist but we love a protective loyal dog Top don't we ladies?

"I want to change the system from the inside-" bitch shut up these are colonizers you ain't changing nothing 😭

Even after they they tried pining the murder on him to sentence him to death AGAIN!! BOY WENT BACK.

AND!

He refused Zero?!

HUH?!?

Now I'm not a particularly patriotic person (I hate my county so so much) but if we got neo colonized, No matter what merits I would never be friendly or cooperative with the other side.

Suzaku stopped his country fighting back (valid reason or not I don't remember, he killed his dad and that meant surrender ig) and proceeded to kiss up to brits, fall in love with one of them, and further hinder every attempt of his own people fighting back because 'Violence wrong' but it's okay when he does it because some made up ideal told him being subservient would make a change. And it did….just for him tho, all other 11s? no one cares.

And it didn't even matter because Lulu's methods were always the ones that brought things closer!

I know it's a kind of a commentary on something, I ain't stupid but I was still pissed.

Literally had me gritting my teeth almost every time he stepped on screen, especially when he went pseudo emo after becoming a knight of round or whatever.

Bottom line, he frustrated me as much as he did Lelouch but I still wanted to see them FUCK.

The last couple of episodes where genuinely the best things I've ever watched and a brilliant end to the series. I wouldn't say I grew to enjoy all the characters but God did the plot threads keep me going.

Trust I understood very little about the gate shit and the killing God aspect but when you're having a fun time everything just looks good.

To sum up SuzaLulu…

Giving me friends to enemies to lovers (correct me not I won't hear you) All mixed together with the palpable hatred and vitriol they held toward each other is just too much.

And Lelouch as a bottom is literally my type >.< psycho, pretty, and bad at sports (also having a natural inclination to dominate others)??? SIGN ME THE FUCK UP!!!

His dramatic ass had me gripped and his personality contrasted so beautifully with Suzaku's dumbass that while I did want to be sad about that redhead he might have liked dying….girl bye 👋 make way for the gay 🏳️‍🌈

(Srsly tho, I was sad for a sec, it was a very shocking scene to say the least but Rolo pulled such a Brocon move I was laughing for a solid minute.)

I very much didn't want to be like most other yaoi shippers that watched this shit when they were ten and went for the very obvious but still delicious low hanging fruit yaoi but I see enemies to lovers mixed with tragic yaoi and an undeniably fun story and brain stops functioning lmaooo. Turns out I'm very much like other fujins ;p

Closing thoughts: Umm…If you're going to defend Suzaku in the replies…go for it I'm down to listen but he'll forever be my bitch. I love Lelouch but Light is better, Orange x Lelouch is underratedand C.C. and Kallen should have gotten married.

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

Harrowhark Nonagesimus

for the sake of my sanity I’m not doing the favorite picture or associated song options for the character asks unless I happen to already have a particular thing in mind!

favorite thing about them: harrow was my immediate favorite on introduction! I loved what a massive bitch she was lmao. I love pettiness and competence. the way she’s genuinely pretty nasty and very pathetic and then completely fucks over gideon’s escape attempt?? it’s great

least favorite thing about them: I love harrow but she spent so much of HTN so utterly miserable that there wasn’t quite the GTN era charm to her? I wish she got to be a little bit worse to people, a little bit more conniving. the soup and the g1deon murder attempt definitely helped! I would have liked more of that

favorite line: “Oh, Griddle!” said Harrow pityingly, in the silence. “But I don’t even remember about you most of the time.”

the. foreshadowing lmfao.

brOTP: I love how in GTN palamedes immediately wants to be her friend and she’s just like 🔪🔪🔪

OTP: idk undecided! I like her with both gideon and ianthe. I’m frankly kind of a dios apate jr enjoyer

nOTP: I see people shipping her with john rather frequently and I do not personally enjoy it

random headcanon: on the ninth she def spent a nonzero amount of time outside the tomb thinking about what kind of life the body had lived. who she might have been. and how harrow herself might have met her

unpopular opinion: I don’t really participate in the fandom but I get the impression that she’s really softened in fanon.

[latibvles]

23. Write a ~300 scene between them with no dialogue, only body language.

For Brady and Willie if possible.

Hope you’re doing well! And I’ve been enjoying all your writing and characters!!

my anonymous pal, this is actually… extremely fitting for them. I hope you’re doing well too! ♡

—

If nothing else, John can pride himself on being fluent in Willie’s silence.

So he expects this, her frame occupying the door to his barracks, long after his crew have disposed of their kit bags in their racks and left. He expects the feeling of her, small but solid, pressing against the muscles of his back.

Her hands are bunching his uniform at the sides, grasping fabric tightly between fists that he knows now are calloused not just from handling controls, but from colored pencils tucked carefully into her footlocker. Her ear is pressed to that spot between his shoulder blades and if John can hear how hard his heart is pounding then surely she can hear it too.

He reaches for one of her hands, running his thumb over its roughness and torn skin, bringing it to his front and then to his lips to press a kiss there before resettling her arm around his hips, and sure enough the other arm comes to wrap around him.

The stale air of their forts cling to their skin, the routine questions of interrogation still echo in his mind, and John, too, is stiffer than plywood until Willie’s muscles seem to relax into the curves of his covered spine. That’s when he lets out an exhale that refused to leave the cavity of his ribs, takes his hat off to set it atop his cot haphazardly and go back to running his fingers along Willie’s knuckles.

His heart, loud as the road of an engine, hammers out the same three two-word sentences. You’re here. I’m here. We’re here.

She squeezes him once around the waist, and John, ever the linguist when it comes to his Wilhelmina, knows exactly what she means.

OTP ASKS.

[starrygetou]

clingy!stsg hcs

bc they make me so severely weak and mentally ill

wc: 590

contents: disgusting amounts of fluff, cockwarming (literally one bullet point), marking (hickies mentioned once)

clingy!suguru loves to carry satoru around their home. even when satoru insists he can walk even after narrowly missed stubbing his toe (he turned on his infinity w/o thinking). he loves to hold him on his hip like a toddler while he cooks them dinner, letting satoru clean the spoons and whatnot as they go.

clingy!satoru loves to wake suguru up with a million kisses all over his face and shoulders. even though suguru sometimes hates it bc satoru is naturally colder, so sometimes his cold hands holding his cheeks wakes him up instantaneously.

clingy!stsg loves gifting gag gifts. suguru isn’t sure how much “i love my boyfriend” merch he has in his closet..probably enough to make a full fit (satoru definitely got him slides w his face on them). they definitely have boxers with each others faces on them and satoru unironically wears his all the time and calls them his lucky boxers

clingy!stsg loves sending each other texts throughout their solo missions. the other always gets nervous when they take a little too long to reply (mainly sugu bc he knows satoru is always deals w curses quickly, so smth HAS to be up).

clingy!satoru definitely loves leaving cute v-mails for sugu. telling him how much he loves him and every detail he loves abt him.

clingy!stsg never get off the phone. they’ll facetime for hours after their away missions, usually falling asleep otp and waking up together.

clingy!satoru loves to sit on sugu’s cock while sugu works on reports. he always tries to get sugu to break but he’s very good abt finishing smth he started (unless they haven’t seen one another in a while).

clingy!stsg on the days they weren’t feeling talkative they just sat on the phone in silence, enjoying the others presence.

clingy!stsg made a mini “rule” where if they both went on away missions, they’d have to go on a date once they got back home. even if it was smth small like coffee the morning after or going out to dinner.

clingy!sugu loves to send sporadic dick pics to satoru. usually in some nice hotel satoru insisted on paying for. satoru always admired how good sugu looked after a shower and how good he was at taking mirror selfies (both in and out of clothes).

clingy!stsg after HI (everything’s okay au) they made sure to check on each other when they started getting sent on more solo missions. always texting status updates, which eventually turned into phone calls/facetimes that started out as a debrief and just turned into one of the calls where they talk about any and everything.

clingy!stsg loves to do everything together at school. they train their students together, make sure their class schedules are planned accordingly so that way they have a little time to themselves. they usually just walk the school grounds or satoru warps them back home for a quickie. the kids are so tired of them sometimes bc they’ll see them go off and do their own thing mid training session.

clingy!satoru loves to show the world his boyfriend. whether that being an arm wrapped around sugu’s bicep in public or leaving a hickey just above his uniform collar line.

clingy!satoru prides himself on being the “independent” one in the relationship, meanwhile when sugu decides to split the errands up when they’re out, suddenly satoru doesn’t know where anything is just so sugu can stay by his side.

[half-an-hour-hence]

Mega long list of OTP questions about Jamiemalcolm

1. Who is the most affectionate?

I think it would probably have to be Jamie, especially towards the beginning of their relationship. PDA is a no, so any display of affection is carried out in the privacy of one of their homes (or very occasionally in the office when no one is around). In particular, Jamie likes to bury his head in Malcolm’s neck when they’re sleeping (Malcolm won’t admit he likes it).

2. Big spoon/little spoon?

Usually the big spoon ends up being Jamie, mainly because Malcolm gets dragged into spooning anyway. Very occasionally it’s the other way around, but only when Jamie is too exhausted to complain.

3. Most common argument?

Outside of whinging about their respective problems with each other in a professional setting, it’s normally about their relationship. Malcolm has several truck loads worth of internalised homophobia, and I’m willing to bet that Jamie has a fair amount of religious trauma on top of his internalised homophobia. So it’s nigh on impossible for them to have a discussion about whatever it is that they are without the whole conversation exploding into an argument almost immediately.

4. Favourite non-sexual activity?

Just being in one another’s company. After all the arguments (with either each other or their colleagues) have died down and they need a minute’s silence so they don’t lose their voices, it’s nice for them to enjoy the fact that they actually have someone to go to when they’re stressed, someone who understands completely the amount of shit they’ve had to put up with and someone who (sort of) knows how to help deal with it. Specific examples include early mornings basking in the pre-dawn silence just holding one another, or working on paperwork in the evenings in Malcolm’s kitchen, sharing a bottle of wine and resisting the urge to rip their respective papers up.

5. Who is most likely to carry the other?

They would never, unless it was a life or death situation - but Jamie would carry Malcolm because he’s practically a string bean and weighs literally nothing. Jamie - on the other hand - is deceptively heavy, despite his lack of height. So Malcolm couldn’t carry him even if he wanted to.

6. What is their favourite feature of their partner’s?

Jamie - my pathetic little guy - would answer simply that he just really likes Malcolm’s face. Like pretty much all of his facial features drive him wild. His eyes and how they can shift, that ice cold stare seamlessly melting whenever they focus back on Jamie, and how it’s so subtle that only he notices. The shape of his nose - nobody will ever know how long he’s stared at the how the moonlight sneaking in through the cracks in the curtains highlight all the bumps and ridges that make it so unique. And his lips. Just thinking about how soft they are makes Jamie’s stomach flip. But if we ask Malcolm, he’d say his favourite thing about Jamie would have to be his intelligence, as well as his ability to manipulate and to scare the living shit out of people. He loves seeing him at work, using his intellect to sort out political problems, and then seeing him whenever they get the opportunity to dip their toes into the waters of domesticity, applying the same logic to everyday problems. (He also really likes his ass, but he’d rather die than admit that out loud. Jamie probably knows though.)

7. What’s the first thing that changes when they realise they have feelings for each other?

I - like a lot of people, I have discovered - think that they began their relationship as more of an ‘arrangement’ - ie, they sleep together one night and decide to keep sleeping together because they enjoy it so much, and then live in denial for some time by telling themselves that it’s just sex and they aren’t gay. Spoiler alert: they are. So when they realise that it’s not just sex but feelings as well, they do the classic thing: they distance themselves away from each other because they’re scared as fuck. I think they figure it out at the same time, so they both try and fool the other by saying they just need some time to themselves.

8. Nicknames? And if so, how did they originate?

Obviously Jamie calls Malcolm ‘Malc’. And any variation of an insult containing the word ‘cunt’ is thrown around when necessary. But I can’t see them using pet names or anything if I’m honest (unless Malcolm calling Jamie a gremlin counts).

9. Who worries the most?

Malcolm. He’s paranoid as fuck that someone will catch him and Jamie. They’ll be in bed or something and the floorboards will creak slightly outside the door, and Malcolm will sit bolt upright and say some ominous shit like ‘they’re in the house’, and Jamie will roll over half asleep to tell him to ‘stop fretting, you fucking maniac, it’s three in the morning. It’s probably just some demon coming to drag your miserable prune-like husk of a body down to hell. Now shut the fuck up before I shove a fucking lamp down your throat.’

10. Who remembers what the other one always orders at a restaurant?

Malcolm, because he has impeccable memory and Jamie can’t even remember what he had for breakfast in the morning.

11. Who tops?

Listen. It really depends. I personally think that it was Jamie for the longest time, because a) he got a kick out of reducing Malcom to jelly, and b) Malcolm asked for it, and Malcolm Tucker begging to be fucked was NOT something Jamie was going to pass up on. But after a while - and a lot of nagging from Malcolm - they switched, and THAT was arguably better (mostly due to the absolutely delicious sounds Jamie makes). So in conclusion, they switch.

12. Who initiates kisses?

Again, depends. If it’s purely romantic, then it’s usually Jamie. If it’s with sexual intent in mind, then it could be either.

13. Who reaches for the other’s hand first?

You know what? Honestly I think Malcolm. In regards to their relationship, I think hand holding would predominantly be a sign of reassurance, rather than being necessarily affectionate. For instance, during the trial, when Malcolm went back home and Jamie was waiting for him, they actually managed to have a conversation about it in the kitchen sitting around the table. Malcolm kind of subconsciously reached for Jamie’s hand for support then, because he really didn’t want to lose his job or go down.

14. Who kisses the hardest?

Sober? Jamie. After a few drinks? Malcolm. I’m right.

15. Who wakes up first?

Malcolm. In the early days of their relationship, he would wake up early to get out of the house before Jamie woke up because he was neck deep in denial and scared shitless. But now when he wakes up early he just goes downstairs to make coffee and read the paper until he hears Jamie’s fuck-off loud alarm to go off.

16. Who wants to stay in bed just a little longer?

It takes about half an hour for Jamie to wake up after his first alarm goes off. He can’t resist pressing the snooze button, especially in the winter when it’s fucking freezing and the bed’s so warm. Eventually Malcolm gets annoyed by the sound of the alarm so he rips the duvet off of Jamie and tells him to get up.

17. Who says I love you first?

Jamie. It’s not something that he hadn’t planned; he works in politics - half of his job is to know how to not let things slip out unexpectedly. He organises it so he says it on one of the rare occasions where he and Malcolm have the same day off, just in case those three words are enough to finish the old fucker off, and so that he would have the entire day to acclimatise to the fact that someone actually loves him. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Malcolm did look as though he was having a heart attack after it was said, and Jamie was correct in predicting that he needed the rest of the day to take it in. It wasn’t said back immediately - in fact it took Malcolm a few more months to reciprocate the sentiment - however the most important thing was that Jamie meant it.

18. Who leaves little notes in the other’s lunch? (Bonus: what does it usually say?)

I think they both do, which is why Malcolm and Jamie eat their lunches far away from everyone else’s prying eyes. The content of the notes depends on how their evening/morning went. Sometimes they contain the most outrageous combination of expletives ever read by another human being, but on rarer occasions they read something along the lines of, ‘hope your day isn’t too shitty - but if it is you can slag off the useless cunts when you get back’.

19. Who tells their family/friends about their relationship first?

They don’t. They both reckon it’s too dangerous to explicitly mention that they’re seeing each other, even to their own families. However, they have told their loved ones (Jamie’s whole extended family plus a few mates, and Malcolm’s sister, brother-in-law, their kids and his mother) that they are dating someone, just to put them all out of their misery. The only person who actually knows about their relationship is Sam, Malcolm’s PA.

20. What do their family/friends think of their relationship?

Everyone is happy that both Jamie and Malcolm are dating someone. They - as most people do - tend to ask rather intrusive questions, which both take great care to answer incredibly vaguely. Malcolm’s mother keeps asking him when he’ll get married, a question that he wilfully ignores. Sam tends to smile knowingly at them whenever they walk by together, which Jamie severely dislikes.

21. Who is most likely to start dancing with the other?

I really have no clue as to why, but I think Malcolm would secretly enjoy a bit of slow dancing. But he only allows himself to ask Jamie to dance when he’s had several drinks. These attempts are only successful if a) they are completely alone, and b) Jamie has had at least twice the amount of alcohol that Malcolm has. Therefore, it’s not exactly the best dancing in the world (Malcolm is able to keep his composure, but Jamie CANNOT stop tripping over his own feet) but they are able to have a laugh about how ridiculous it is.

22. Who cooks more/who is better at cooking?

Malcolm cooks whenever he has the opportunity to, however most of the time he’s too busy. It’s a skill he was taught by his mother, and when he was younger he would always find the time between study sessions to cook or bake with her. Now, though, he’s forced to order takeaway most days because otherwise he won’t have the time to deal with DOSAC’s latest cock-up. Jamie has never even attempted to cook anything in his life, and likely never will.

23. Who comes up with cheesy pick up lines?

Jamie, but he only uses them ironically and at times when Malcolm can’t possibly perceive it as unironic.

24. Who whispers inappropriate things in the other’s ear at inappropriate times?

Again, most likely to be Jamie. Inappropriate notes, one or two whispered prepositions during a gathering, that kind of thing. I mean, you all saw him in Rise Of The Nutters. Say what you like about that gesture in the meeting meaning to be directed towards Julius, but there was no rational explanation for that suggestive eyebrow waggle towards Malcolm other than homosexuality.

25. Who needs more assurance?

Professionally, neither need assurance about anything, and quite frankly would be offended if anyone offered any. However, in regards to their relationship, Malcolm definitely needs assurance that they’re not going to be caught and ridiculed by the press.

26. What would be their theme song?

Not so much of a theme song for their relationship, but a song I associate with both of them as individuals is Evil Eye by Franz Ferdinand. It just reminds me of the way they work, and implies their respective ruthlessness.

27. Who would sing their child back to sleep?

I’m sorry but I genuinely cannot fathom them having kids. But I think if they were babysitting or something Jamie would be forced to sing the kid to sleep. Malcolm would then subsequently take the piss out of him for the foreseeable future.

28. What do they do when they’re away from each other?

The only time they don’t see each other is when they’re visiting their families. Jamie tends to take one or two trips a year up to Scotland for a few days to Motherwell where most of his family lives. It usually involves quite a lot of outdoor activities, movie nights and screaming kids wherever he goes. Although it’s not exactly relaxing, he does enjoy spending time with his family. Malcolm sometimes goes to his sister’s house for dinner, where the same thing happens every time; he tries (and fails) to talk to his nephew (14) as he plays on his PlayStation, rants about the state of the government to his sister and her husband, and ends up taking about twenty of his niece’s (5) drawings home (he then picks the best ones and puts them on his fridge). Neither Jamie nor Malcolm has these family gatherings happen at around the same time, so they also spend the night alone in their respective homes until the other comes back.

29. One headcanon about this OTP that breaks your heart

I’m not sure why, but I’m convinced that at some point Malcolm has a stress induced heart attack after a particularly heated shouting match, and after he’s shut himself up in his office. Nobody hears him collapse, and it’s Sam who discovers him lying on the floor, dead. She phones an ambulance and they managed to get his heart beating again, but for the next few days it’s not entirely clear whether he would survive or not. While this is happening, Jamie’s going out of his fucking mind with fear, his temper worse than ever at work. He spends his evenings by Malcolm’s bedside, too worried to do anything except stare at his comatose body. Of course, Malcolm pulls through eventually, but GOD this makes me think about the opportunity for exploring explicit emotional turmoil for Jamie and learning about how much their relationship actually means to him.

30. One headcanon about this OTP that mends it

I don’t think they got married - I don’t even think that they got eloped (mostly due to not wanting the public/press to find out about their relationship). But what did happened was that Jamie brought them wedding rings as a joke and they just started wearing them, initially as a diversion tactic so that people would stop trying to make assumptions about their personal lives, but it eventually grew into a symbol of their love for each other. After a few drinks at home one weekend, Jamie suggested that they could do a fake ceremony - and so they did (all the while hideously drunk and unable to stop giggling as they tried to put the rings back on each other’s fingers). So they aren’t technically legally married, but they are to themselves and to everyone at work. They take the rings off when visiting family so they don’t get verbally harassed about not being invited to the wedding.

[valentinesparda]

all i ever wanted, all i ever needed, is here in my arms [ sunday (blue coded) uses they/them pronouns only ]

[sonics-atelier]

Just One Look

Summary : Based on this post by @rabbit-hearted-girl, Kaz Brekker braves the underworld to bring Inej back to life, but must resist looking at her to succeed. When his love compels him to turn, he nearly loses her forever, igniting his resolve to defy the gods and reclaim her.

a/n : Hello Soc fandom, its my first time writing for my otp so please let me know your thoughts! Hope you enjoy this 🫶

The air was thick with the stench of death, and the churning river Styx gurgled ominously as Kaz Brekker approached the gates of the underworld. He was battered, his clothes torn and bloodstained from the journey that had brought him here, but his dark eyes burned with a determination that nothing could extinguish. Inej was dead, taken from him in a cruel twist of fate during a perilous voyage, and Kaz would not rest until he had brought her back.

He stood before the massive iron gates, guarded by the monstrous Cerberus, the three-headed hound of Hades. Kaz’s gloved hands clenched into fists. Fear was a familiar companion, but it had no place here. Not now. He took a deep breath and stepped forward, his voice steady and commanding.

"Hades!" he called, his voice echoing through the cavernous entrance. "Lord of the Underworld, I seek an audience."

The gates creaked open with an eerie groan, and Kaz was led into the shadowy realm by a silent, hooded figure. The underworld was a place of perpetual twilight, its landscape a twisted mirror of the living world, filled with ghostly apparitions and sorrowful wails. Kaz’s heart pounded in his chest as he was brought before the throne of Hades and Persephone.

Hades, the stern and unyielding ruler of the dead, sat upon his throne, his dark eyes gleaming with an ancient wisdom. Beside him, Persephone, the radiant queen of the underworld, exuded an ethereal beauty that contrasted sharply with her grim surroundings. Kaz bowed low, his eyes never leaving theirs.

"Why do you trespass in my realm, mortal?" Hades' voice was a rumble of thunder, his gaze piercing, he and his brother had something in common after all.

Kaz straightened, his expression unyielding. "I have come to beg for the return of Inej Ghafa, taken from the world of the living before her time. I beseech you, great Hades, and you, fair Persephone, to grant her another chance at life."

Persephone’s eyes softened, but Hades remained impassive. "Many have pleaded for their loved ones, but few have succeeded. What makes you think you are different?"

Kaz reached into his coat and pulled out a small, tattered sack. "Because I am willing to do whatever it takes." He emptied the contents onto the ground—an assortment of small objects: coins, pieces of string, and a red ribbon. He began to perform, his hands moving with practiced precision as he executed a series of intricate magic tricks, each one more mesmerizing than the last.

He made coins disappear and reappear, tied and untied impossible knots, and finally, he took the red ribbon and began to weave a story, his voice low and captivating. "This ribbon," he said, "is the thread of fate that binds me to Inej. It is unbreakable, forged by the gods themselves. Our lives are intertwined, and without her, I am incomplete."

As he spoke, he manipulated the ribbon, making it dance and twist in the air, forming shapes and patterns that seemed almost magical. Persephone’s eyes glistened with tears, moved by the sincerity in Kaz’s voice and the beauty of his performance.

Hades frowned, his resolve wavering. "You speak of love, yet love is what brought you to this place of sorrow. What makes you think you can defy the fates?"

Kaz’s hands trembled slightly as he tied the final knot in the ribbon. "Because love is stronger than fate. It is the only force that can bridge the gap between life and death. Inej’s spirit calls to me, and I cannot live without her." It was the truth he had known all along but was a coward to not have uttered it sooner.

There was a moment of silence, the weight of Kaz’s words hanging in the air. Finally, Persephone turned to Hades, her voice gentle but firm. "Let him try, my love. Let him prove the strength of his bond."

Hades sighed, the shadows in his eyes deepening. "Very well. You may lead her from the underworld, but there is one condition. You must not look back at her until you have both crossed the threshold into the living world. If you do, she will be lost to you forever."

Kaz nodded, his heart pounding with a mixture of hope and fear. "I understand."

Hades waved his hand, and from the shadows, Inej emerged. She was as beautiful as Kaz remembered, her lithe form draped in a flowing gown that seemed to shimmer with an inner light. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her eyes, deep and soulful, met Kaz’s with a look of longing and love.

Kaz’s breath caught in his throat, but he turned and began to walk, knowing that Inej was following close behind. The journey through the underworld was treacherous, the path winding and filled with obstacles. Kaz’s mind raced with memories of Inej—the way she moved with the grace of a dancer, her sharp wit and quiet strength, the warmth of her touch. He longed to look back, to see her face, to assure himself that she was really there.

But he kept his eyes forward, the weight of Hades' condition pressing down on him. They were nearing the exit now, the faint light of the living world visible in the distance. Kaz’s heart pounded, each step bringing them closer to freedom.

Finally, they reached the threshold. The cool air of the living world beckoned, and Kaz’s resolve wavered. He could hear Inej’s footsteps behind him, light and sure, but the need to see her, to confirm that she was truly there, overwhelmed him. He turned, his eyes searching for her.

In that instant, he saw her—beautiful, radiant, her hair flowing in the wind. Her eyes met his, filled with love and relief. But before she could step into the living world, her form began to disintegrate, the light fading from her eyes.

Kaz’s scream tore through the air, a sound of pure anguish and despair. He reached out, but it was too late. Inej was gone, her spirit pulled back into the depths of the underworld. He fell to his knees, his heart breaking as he watched her disappear.

The world seemed to collapse around him, the weight of his failure crushing him. He had come so close, only to lose her again because of his own weakness. He screamed and screamed until his throat was raw, until the air in his lungs gave out and he felt like he was drowning once again and inej had been the tether keeping him afloat, the thought was too much for his heart to bear.

As the darkness threatened to consume him, he forced himself to stand. He wiped the tears from his eyes, his resolve hardening. He knew that she was lovely and brave and better than anything he deserved. That he was twisted, crooked, wrong, but not so broken that he couldn't pull himself together into some semblance of a man for her. That without meaning to, he'd begun to lean on her, to look for her, to need her near.

He had lost her once, but he would not lose her again. He would wage a war worthy of the gods, if that’s what it took. He would bring her back, no matter the cost.

For he was a man of many skills, and would use every one of them to get his girl back. If she would have him, he would never let her go again. And so, at long last, Kaz Brekker was gone, and Dirtyhands had come to see the rough work done.

- @sonics-atelier 2024 ( do not repost or reuse in any way, shape or form )

Dividers by @strangergraphics 🫶

[jerzwriter]

Predictable

In the just in the nick of time category! For week 4 of @lilyoffandoms Writer Appreciation Week, here is a little AU for my paired writer, @trappedinfanfiction, featuring her OTP Ethan x Celia and my OTP Tobias x Casey. I hope you enjoy it, Tif!

Book: Open Heart (Book 3 Timeline)

Pairings: Ethan Ramsey x Celia Moore Tobias Carrick x Casey MacTavish

Rating: Teen

Words: 2250

Summary: Celia and Casey have become good friends and believe a double date is in order! Unfortunately, their boyfriends are ex-best friends and rivals. Watch as the night unfold. Will it go better than expected, or be a disaster?

A/N: Participating in @choicesseptemberchallenge2023 Day 9 Date Night.

The condo was quiet. Entirely too quiet for them getting ready for a Saturday night out, but it wasn’t just any night, and Celia knew Ethan was miffed. Putting the final touches on her makeup, she bit her cheek to stop herself from laughing at his pouting. She knew he wasn’t happy, but the huffing and grumbling under his breath as he changed his tie for the fifth time was a bit... dramatic... to say the least.

Clearing her throat to get his attention, she was disappointed when the scowl remained on his face. Even the incredibly low-cut black silk dress she picked for the evening wasn’t cheering him up.

“Do you need some help picking out a tie? I can help.”

“I am capable of picking out a tie,” he stated flatly. “But... thank you.”

“You do seem to be struggling,” she teased as he collapsed into an easy chair with a sigh.

“Is it too late to say we have a fatal condition that will miraculously disappear in the next 24 hours.”

“Interesting...” Celia sang as she playfully sat on his lap. “Because it wasn’t all that long ago when I did have a mystery illness, and we weren’t sure I had another 24 hours left.  But, thanks to Tobias, I’m here... sitting on your lap... in this incredibly hot dress that you have not had the decency to acknowledge!”

His stony façade crumbled as his eyes traced her body, happily landing on her decolletage, just inches from the pleasant grin tugging at his lips.

“You make an excellent point,” he surrendered, his hands roaming over her curves. “But it was a team effort. We can hardly credit Tobias with saving you.”

“Oh? Would you like to redo the night and exclude him... just to see how things turn out?”

Ethan’s silence was all the answer she needed, and she rose to her feet with a triumphant grin.

“That’s all the more reason for us to stay in... I’m sure Tobias, of all people, would understand that I’d rather do... other things...”

“Nice try,” she laughed. “But we’re meeting Casey and Tobias at Menton in thirty minutes, like it or not.”

“Well, you know my answer to that.”

“Ethan. Casey is a good friend, and it’s ridiculous to think we can’t have dinner with our boyfriends, especially when they were once best friends themselves.”

“Were being the operative word.”

“Is asking you to be polite for one evening too much?”

“It’s not,” he sighed.  “You’re right.”

“I know I am,” she simpered. “You know when most people say ‘my better half,’ it’s just a term of endearment, but in our case, I very much am your better half. The sooner you accept that, the better.”

Ethan barked out a laugh. “Then we’re in luck. Because I’ve already accepted it.  Now let’s go, but we’re not staying a minute past 9:30... agreed?”

“Agreed. Just be a good boy, Ethan, and I’ll reward you later.”

“In that case, we don’t stay a minute past 9:00.”

In a townhome across town...

A manicured hand crept out from the billowy covers and blindly reached at the nightstand in search of her blaring phone. Casey’s attention was very much on other things, but they had ignored the first three alarms; they couldn’t do it again.

Undeterred, Tobias remained in place, placing a trail of hot kisses from her belly up toward her chin, stopping to linger on some of his favorite spotsalong the way.

“Tobias,” she giggled, attempting to wiggle out from under him. “Tobias! We have to go. Our reservation is in 30 minutes, and we’re still naked.”

With a heaving breath, he collapsed on her in defeat. “I happen to like us naked.  Can we please just cancel? I’m telling you, Ramsey won’t give a damn if we do.”

“Agreed,” she said, turning on the light. “In fact, you’d probably make his night. But I’d be disappointed, and so would Celia. So I ask you, do you want to disappoint two beautiful women but make Ethan’s dreams come true?”

He rolled over with a grumble. “When you put it that way...”

“Tobias, Celia is one of my best friends. It’s not like we’ll ask for it often, but once in a while, you and Ethan will need to put up with each other.”  

“Why?”

Casey flipped around, her coquettish gaze saying more than words could express.

“Because I’m asking you to.”

“Fine,” he smirked. “But outside of this apartment, no one is to know how goddamned whipped you have me. OK?”

“Yeah,” she cackled. “Too late for that, Carrick. Why don’t you go pick out what heels I’ll wear tonight?  This way, you have something nice to focus on during the meal?”

“Yeah,” his eyes lit up. “Can I pick out the undies, too?”

“Undies?” she winked.  “You were expecting me to wear undies?”

“Never mind,” he replied gleefully. “But stop talking like that, or we will be staying home!”

“Go get dressed, Dr. Carrick. I’ve given you your appetizer, and if you behave at dinner, I assure you desert will be spectacular.”

Tobias shook his head as he reached the bedroom door, turning back to Casey with a smile.  

“You know, sometimes I still can’t believe I’ve met you.”

“Yeah, yeah...” she teased. “You can thank your lucky stars when the sunsets. Now go get dressed!”

Forty Five minutes later...

Ethan was tapping his foot in annoyance as Celia perused the menu.  Tobias and Casey were already fifteen minutes late, and Ethan was inquiring how long they had to give them before they left when the guilty parties appeared.  Holding hands as they moved through the crowd, the smiles on their faces left little question about what Tobias was whispering in her ear. Ethan rolled his eyes just as Celia glanced in his direction.

“Ethan!” she scolded.  

“I don’t know what she sees in him.  Maybe we should introduce her to my friend Arutur. We’d be saving her a lifetime of grief.”

“Arthur?” Celia grimaced. “The guy in the opera box next to yours?”

“Yes.”

“The one who forages and organizes his cupboards for fun?”

“Yes. He’s a grown-up.”

“He’s a bore! And even if Casey wasn’t happy with Tobias, you need to stick with your day job because you do not have a future in matchmaking.”

Tobias stuck close to Casey as they neared the table.

“God, he looks as miserable as ever,” he groaned.

“Tobias, Ethan’s not that bad.”

“Yeah, he is. Look at him. I think his face would crack if he attempted a sincere smile.”

“Tobias, weren’t you besties at one point? How bad can he be?”

“That was a long time ago. He was a lot more fun back then.”

“Maybe he just needs you to help bring that fun side out again.”

“I’m sure that’s the last thing he wants.”

“I didn’t say want; I said need. Now, just be your jovial self.  And if dinner becomes difficult, just focus on dessert, OK?”

“I’ve been focusing on nothing but. Remember, we’re out of here by 9:00.”

After quick greetings, Ethan summonsed the waiter over to place their drink orders.

“How difficult was it to get him here,” Celia whispered to Casey.

“On a scale of 1-10.  I’d say a 9.  What about you?”

“At least a 15.  But, we’re here,” Celia smiled. 

Tobias and the women agreed on a bottle of wine to share, and then Ethan placed an order for Macallan 18, Sherry Cask.   

“Damn,” Tobias chuckled. “Still drinking that?

“Never stopped.”

“Wait, you drank that during med school?” Celia marveled. “That’s an awfully hefty price tag for a struggling med school student.”

“Some things are worth sacrificing for, dear.”

“So I’ve heard,” Celia winked. “Did you share that bill with him back then, Tobias?”

“Me? Oh, hell no! I drank nothing but cheap stuff back then.”

“Really?” Casey gasped. “But you had a champagne budget.”

“He didn’t want everyone to know that,” Ethan stepped in.

“Nope,” Tobias agreed.  “So I just took the risk of drinking nothing but Boone’s Berry Creek.”

“Did that protect your secret?” Celia asked.

“Unfortunately not.  The Carrick name was just too known at Hopkins, so... I gave up.”

“I’m sure your liver was thankful,” Casey smiled as a look of almost sympathy crossed Ethan’s face.

“Back then, we were both trying to pretend we were something we weren’t. We both had something to prove, even if they were different things.”

“Yeah, and we both failed miserably,” Tobias half smiled.  

“But at least you became friends,” Casey said.  “That’s something.”

“It was,” Ethan replied, taking a sip of his newly arrived drink. “Until we weren’t.”  

“It was a... complicated time,” Tobias offered, as an uncomfortable atmosphere settled on their table.

Celia and Casey kept chatting to keep the mood light, but even they began to wonder if 9:00 might be pushing it. Relief washed over them as the first course arrived, but Tobias’s eyes went wide.  

“Ethan, don’t look up, but is that Richard Barder?”

“Richard Barder?” Ethan blurted as his head circled the room.  “Where?”

“I said don’t look up!” Tobias admonished.

“Now, how the hell am I supposed to know if it’s him if I don’t look up!”

Suppressing smiles, Celia and Casey’s eyes met across the table.

“I think it’s him,” Ethan stated.

“Oh, that’s him,” Tobias agreed. “Goddamn, I haven’t seen him since his wedding.”

Ethan snorted in amusement.  “Which one?” he scoffed.

“The second, I believe. How many is he up to now?”  

“To the best of my knowledge, he’s on spouse number four.”  

“Jesus,” Tobias laughed. “I guess if, at first, you don’t succeed....”

“Amazing,” Celia declared. “Someone in your Hopkins class getting married? I thought that was forbidden?”

“Apparently, Richard is making up for all of those from their class who refuse,” Casey laughed.

“Trust me. You two wouldn’t want to marry either of us if we were Richard,” Tobias insisted.

“Well, it seems like four other people would disagree with that,” Celia teased.

“In fairness, three of those four probably no longer agree with that statement,” Casey surmised.

“There’s a lid for every pot out there,” Ethan shrugged. “But as bright as you two are, you’d never agree to marry the likes of Richard.”

“Aww, Ethan,” Casey grinned. “Are you saying I’m smart for picking Tobias?”

“I said no such thing!” He snapped. “I would deny it in a court of law.”

Celia rolled her eyes. “With three witnesses? Good luck with that!”

Tobias hadn’t been paying attention to the conversation at the table, instead focusing on Richard holding court at the bar.  “You know, enough avoiding him. Let’s go say hello.  Can’t hurt to get the scoop on what happened with marriage three and four.”

“I’m not interested in idle gossip.”

“You’re so full of shit,” Tobias shot back. “I’m going to go say hi, and when I come back, don’t you dare ask me what he said because I won’t tell you.”

Ethan sat perfectly still, but it was clear to see an internal battle waging inside.  As Tobias stood up, he couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Fine! I’ll go.”

“I knew you would,” Tobias smirked.

“Will you two be OK?” Ethan asked.

“Yes,” Celia mocked. “Somehow, we’ll manage to survive without the two of yo.  Go ahead and get your gossip, my dear.”

The two women sipped their wine as they watched the men walk to the bar, animatedly chatting as if they hadn’t spent the last decade avoiding each other.

“So,” Celia simpered.  “What time did Tobias tell you that you had to be out of here?”

“Nine.  And you?”

“Nine,” Celia laughed. “God, they are two sides of the same coin, aren’t they?”

“Twenty dollars says we’ll be heading home much later than nine.  In fact, we’ll probably be the ones begging to go.”

“Didn’t you hear Ethan?” Celia joked. “We’re smart. Why would I take that bet?”

“They’re too predictable,” Casey laughed.

“Yeah, but they’re cute.”

“Hey!” Casey said, playfully shoving her friend’s shoulder.  “Eyes off of my boyfriend.”

“Pfft!” Celia waved.  “Feel free to look at mine.  Just look, of course.”

Hours later...

Casey’s head was nuzzled on Tobias’s shoulder.  “Tobias,” she yawned. “I really think we should head home.”

“I agree,” Celia nodded. “It’s way past my bedtime.

“It’s not even midnight,” Ethan scowled.

“I know, but we have that... thing... to do in the morning.”

“In the morning?” Ethan questioned. 

“Ethan,” Casey rolled her eyes. “Morning is in like fifteen minutes.  She wants to do you in the morning.  Can’t you take the hint?”

“I’m sure you have things to do, too,” Celia winked.

“Yes,” Tobias grinned. “Me.  I’m things.  She has to do me.”

Ethan ran a hand down the front of hi face.  “You two are a match made in heaven.”

“I don’t know If heaven will take credit for this,” Celia laughed.

“I suppose we should get going,” Tobias agreed.

“Yes,” Ethan nodded.  “But we should do this again sometime soon.”

“You know, Casey & I have tickets for the Sox game next Tuesday.  Luxury box! You’re both welcome to join us.”

“Count us in!” Ethan insisted.

The two men gabbed non-stop as they waited for their taxis. 

“We knew this would happen,” Casey whispered.

“Sure did.  You know what this means, don’t you?”

“That eventually we’re going to be telling them we’d rather spend the night alone with them?”

“Absolutely,” Casey grinned.  “They’re just too predictable.”

~~

Thanks for reading!

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Other tags in reblog

[kylo-wrecked]

SHIPPING INFO:// Answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog

REPOST. DON'T REBLOG

*~Fair warning, unreliable munarrator~*

What’s your OTP for your Muse(s)?

I don’t have fandom OTPs (though I do have ships I favor over others). As such, I don’t have true rp OTPs. I understand this isn’t the norm… my condolences. 

To jump on the… no, PULL, the bandwagon, like a mule, I say… *chin-hands* I cherish all the ships you see here, from the familial to the romantic to the sadistic (currently active or not).  Since I enjoy a variety of dynamics, I feel very lucky to have the muns and friends who’ve taken the time to write with me, especially over this last year. 

What are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?

I like to feel things out through the writing and let the ships sail organically and perhaps also majestically along the Aegean... or straight into Charybdis; it depends. When the writing works, I find we’ll inevitably have conversations about where we want to set our sails. When in doubt or with a new mun, I try to follow your lead. Pre-establishing ships are something we have to discuss and plot. 

I don’t partake in pregnancy threads, nor do I read them. No exceptions.

How large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?

Mun can take or leave age gaps. The muse… In default aus, Modern!/Music!Ben’s around 30-34, and as (self conscious) public figures, I’m not sure either would date under 28. But Music!Ben is Music!Ben. Ex-Con!Ben is 34+ and, at any rate, would much rather any romantic interest be at least around his age. 

I move all over Dark!Ren’s timeline. Sometimes he’s he’s a 40-something-year-old cyborg who absorbed all his knights and roams wild space for fresh meat.  Sometimes, he’s a deranged 25-year-old still-kind-of-a-kid on a leash holding a bunch of other deranged kids on leashes. His primary interest is the Ren. You do the math. 

Are you selective when shipping?

Romance/sensual/sexual: Yes and no. No, because I like to ship. Yes, because consent, communication, compatibility, and chemistry are what make a ship fly. (Quadruplex, bitch!) We’re not getting to That Side of Neverland on nothing but pixie dust. 💅

Familial/platonic: Trick question, we still have to have the four Cs. 

As a side note on romantic ships, so long as we keep things PG-13/fade to black, we don’t have to talk all the time or often. We can sail side by side in silence while our muses figure things out.

How far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW?

‘S’all about the motion of the ocean, na mean? If it gets kinky and implicit, we can keep it on the blog. If it gets kinky and explicit, we whisk it off to Discord. This only happens if we have a bond. This has been a PSA… 

Who are other muses you ship your muse with?

My muse has as many connections as I can write/keep up with. They can be seen right here on kylo-wrecked.tumblr.com for free! Read more—no jk. 

There is invariable potential.

@etoilebleu, @itmeanspeace, @ifyoucatchacriminal, @lastxdragon, @silverjetsystm, @valkxrie, @brooklynislandgirl, @nightmarefuele , @mayxthexforce , @chromium-siren , @smokinmirrors are some muns I ship with romantically. Sometimes, the ships are in a questionable state. Sometimes, they're toxic. Sometimes the ships are made out of lies. Sometimes, they're not even ship-shaped; who knows? They all have flags, and the flags flap proudly.

Famships with @desireandduty and @shadowedlights (exploring with @mnolith / @destincd).

Muses my variants are still getting to know (because I am slow, etc.): @bewitchingbaker, @smolcuriouskitten, @corinnebaileyrp, @southern-belle-outcasts (Nilza), @protectmypeople (lol).

Come one, come all.

Does one have to ask to ship with you?

Gone corporate: let’s have a quick check-in to see whether we’re aligned.

How often do you like to ship?

Gone automation: I’m sorry, I didn’t get that. Please try again later. *dial tone*

Are you multiship?

Yes, and as many muns have said before me, I ship across verses. Picture it: me on a good day, potentially you, shipping across the universe… 

Are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?

More-or-less. I’m here for juicy writing of all types. 

What is your favorite ship in your current fandom?

I’m a near-fandomless sham. Something broke in me, idk. I can think of the most erotic scene I’ve seen in a movie in quite some time, but it’s controversial and doesn’t belong here teehee. 

Finally, how does one ship with you?

We write a little. We talk a little. The rest we’ll make up as we go along. I don’t love plotting myself into corners when the sea we write on is fluid. Feels weird, man. 

tagged by:  my @brooklynislandgirl

tagging: thief it and tag me

[bladesmercy]

001 for sfkr and clerith!

oomf u know me so well. thank you for letting me yap >:-)

001 | send me a ship and I will tell you:

sefikura 🐍♡☁️

when I started shipping it if I did:

there's actually a funny story to this one. > be me. > guilelessly playing kingdom hearts 2 in 2019. > "what the hell is these dudes' deal. i wonder if people ship them at all" > open ao3 thinking there might be a handful of fics > "oh there's a couple more than a few, huh" > life ruined.

my thoughts:

my favorite little guys in anything ever. they surgically removed my personality to make room for more sefikura. truly i have never loved a ship as much as this one. literal otp of all time.

What makes me happy about them:

everything? they're so funny and silly to me. extremely pathetic creatures. two absolute losers. i think of them and i always smile. i love the fact that each of them have independently made their personality revolve around each other at different points in time, it's so funny.

What makes me sad about them:

EVERYTHING. the fact they will never have a happy ending. the fact they will be enemies in every (canon) universe. the fact they are two extremely broken people who are uniquely equipped to understand each other and that won't be enough to save them.

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

tbh i'm so picky with what i like and don't like about how both these guys often end up characterized, but i also think all interpretations are valuable in their own way. i can't think of any huge annoyances, except that i have very Specific feelings/headcanons about sephiroth in crisis core era, and usually won't read things that veer too far away from that.

things I look for in fanfic:

i love any and all fics where the author makes it obvious that sephiroth is just. completely besotted. and i think cloud feeds off of that, even if he won't admit it. i'll read just about anything with these two, but i especially love stories where authors can articulate the crux of their dysfunction really well. yes, these two have have immense amounts of hate, and blood, and pain between them, but (especially on sephiroth's end) there is also an Intense desire for intimacy, of any kind. these two things juxtaposed well is just magical to me.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: 

no one. i say that as a joke but it's pretty much true. for cloud i do also ship him hardcore with aerith (somewhat against my own will XD), but outside of that i don't really multiship these two anymore. i used to be a Hardcore multishipper, and while i still appreciate things like some polyshipping (other cleriseph enjoyers where are you, i need food of that ot3 so bad), i honestly can't enjoy the thought of them being with anyone else. i miss being a multishipper, because these days pretty much every single other ship with them (outside of clerith) has become a notp for me. ;w;

My happily ever after for them:

in canon? haha. the closest i could see them in canon ffvii (and the closest i think part 3 of remake would get to giving them a 'happy' ending) is having a moment of resolution similar to what kuja and zidane get in ffix. i would be satisfied with that for canon. BUT if we're taking all the stops off, i want to see the dramatic epic pining slowburn post-AC where they eventually figure out how to lead semi-normal lives alongside each other. this is making me want to write that now....maybe that will be my next fic project.

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

there's an obvious answer here with consideration to builds and hair lengths, i think. i like to think cloud has accepted his fate to have this 7 foot tall piece of brick clinging to him like an octopus.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity:

this is another obvious one, and i'm tempted to say 'fighting', but i'm not sure that clears the bar of non-sexual for them. my second choice is that i think they would just genuinely enjoy being around each other in silence. they're both such introverts, and i like to think of them just recharging quietly with each other.

clerith ☁️♡🌎

when I started shipping it if I did:

let me preface this by saying that when remake came out in 2020, i had less than zero interest in vii's infamous love triangle. i wanted no piece of it in my heart or my home. then the game came out and cloud and aerith gripped me by the throat and violently dragged me into falling in love with them by being so damn charming and heartfelt and perfect for each other.

my thoughts:

i love these two so damn much. i really Really loved them in remake, and rebirth intensified this to a level i could Not have anticipated and is currently ruining my life. i love them. i love that they are soulmates, romantic, platonic, or something in-between. i love that their bond and chemistry is near-instantaneous, i love that cloud blooms into letting himself experience softness around her, i love that aerith finally has someone who cares about making her happy and standing by her so damn much.

What makes me happy about them:

so much. their love is so pure and tentative. their vibes to me run parallel to how i see and experience the early 20s as a queer person, essentially the second teenage-hood where you're still feeling yourself out as a person, and you have no idea what you're doing. you feel like you're missing out on a lot of the fundamental experiences that 'normal' people have already had, and i feel like both cloud and aerith mirror that emotion, thanks to the fucked up circumstances of both their lives. aerith is cloud's first real friend after nibelheim (and potentially ever, depending on how close you think he was with zack. to me, i hc cloud and zack were pretty friendly, but not especially close prior to the nibelheim incident.) and cloud is also one of aerith's first friends. they've both suffered such acute loneliness and isolation in their lives, and the fact they find healing for that in each other is so so special to me. the fact that aerith is the person most able to reach through to the person cloud Really is, even under everything he's got going on, makes me so deranged.

What makes me sad about them:

well. there is a very obvious answer. so there is definitely That. that's kind of a big deal.

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

honestly i feel like i don't have many specific fanfic annoyances in general, because if a fic annoys me i just stop reading it, and then my adhd makes me forget i read it to begin with.

things I look for in fanfic:

i really love everything with these two, i love all the cute fluff happy ever afters they don't get to have in canon, but i also love the angst and the drama and the trauma. usually i just gravitate towards any fics that i feel understands the characters well or has interesting ideas, the exact plot or type of scenario is less important to me.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: 

in my heart, cloud's endgame ship is always sephiroth. as for aerith, i'm also a Huge zerith shipper (yes i am in constant emotional pain, how did you know), but aeriseph also firmly has a place in my heart.

My happily ever after for them:

any. any of them. i want the most tooth-rotting fluffy ending for these two. (admittedly, their iconic tragedy is a part of why i love them so bad. without it, my emotional investment would be Nowhere near as high.) i've been reading a lot of wedding/alternate future fics with these two lately and they all make me ;w;

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

i genuinely think it goes both ways, but if i had to say i think cloud is doomed to be a little spoon in any lifetime.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity:

oooh tough one!! i think aerith would love teaching cloud to garden....though i'm not sure he would be any good at it. but i have faith in him to learn.

[charleslelurk]

Fic Writer Interview

Thanks @bumblewyn for tagging me!

How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 30, plus one I orphaned like... a decade ago lmao

What's your total AO3 word count?

529,143 words (that's for all the fandoms I have written for)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

F1:

Drunk Myself Down (my very first F1 fic wtf)

Erosion (duh)

White Knuckled

do the trick

it's kinda hot (okay Gax!)

Overall:

Feeling I'll Forget, I'm in Love Now (Marvel, Stucky)

Across the Sea (Marvel, Stucky x Stranger Things)

Operation Incarcerated (Marvel, Stucky)

Erosion (F1, Lestappen)

1080p (Marvel, Stucky)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to respond to most, and always respond to long ones because if the reader spent that much time letting me know what they liked about my fic or want to talk about it that much, the least I can do is respond! Plus, I of course like talking about my fics.

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

For F1, I wouldn't consider anything I've written to have an angsty ending. But one of my WIPs... boy oh boy is that going to be an angtsy ending.

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

For F1, probably In the Silences since Carlos and Lando in it figure out the problem, Lando realizes how out of sorts he was, and they work it out. It's very hopeful.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No, and I'd love for it to stay that way lmao

Do you write crossovers?

I have written a few before. The first one I ever wrote was a Marvel/Stranger Things crossover for the fandom Big Bang event. It struck me that both have MK Ultra themes and it just made sense to explore that. The second was my 1D/F1 fic where I put the 1D members into a slightly altered version of the current grid. Like I am not even kidding, there is a scene where Harry Styles and Max Verstappen show up to a party on Charles Leclerc's yacht and Louis Tomlinson is giggling with Charles and Harry loses his mind out of jealousy. Yeah. It slaps. Ironically, that was also for a fandom Big Bang event.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I wrote bad smut when I was much younger, then didn't write smut for years, then didn't write at all for years and now I'm writing... mostly smut. Oh how the turn tables.

I am really enjoying using smut to further character development/themes or to study characters like in The Winner Takes It All series. And I have just started to dip my toe into writing ABO, but I only really like ABO when it's non traditional and upending things so it's sort of experimental ABO if that makes sense.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, and I'd love for it to stay that way.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Feeling I'll Forget, I'm in Love Now was translated into two different languages which was so cool!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I haven't! I have written fiction with a writing partner before, one of my besties who was in the same creative writing program as me, but not fic.

What's your all-time favorite ship?

My true OTP will forever and always be Larry. If you know, you know. But for F1, it's either Lestappen or Carlando. Lestappen because the thematic stuff/narrative foils go so hard and Carlando because there's just so many feelings to play with and unpack there. I find them deeply inspiring to write (as I'm sure you can tell from my ao3)

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

Ugh I don't want to say one because it feels like cursing it when I really want to finish it. But maybe my Gamer AU? I still love the idea. The concept was inspired by the Gran Turismo movie. It is Lestappen where Charles is the WDC and Max comes into F1 through an EA driving team that is putting the world's best video game racers into real F1 cars. Chaos, tension, and enemies to lovers ensues.

What are your writing strengths?

I think I am good at developing a plot that exists outside of just feelings and smut. No offense to fics like that, but I don't enjoy reading fics that don't have a little bit of a real plot going on as well. Like with F1, I love a fic with racing sequences, or the plot of a season or their career behind all of the emotional beats. I think I am pretty good at doing this myself. Or if we use Erosion as an example, there are events happening across their lives in the fic that are interlaced in the non linear structure for maximum emotional impact.

I also like to think I am pretty good at dialogue. I think I used to suck at it so I made a genuine effort to pay more attention to people's speaking patterns and make it more realistic to how people speak and think I have honed this skill a lot more now.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Action starting to feel like a list. I often catch that I have actions that are basically just "they did this, then this. And then this." A major part of my editing is going back to sequences like this and making them much more rich and having a lot more variety in sentence structure and length.

Also overusing the same words. When I get something stuck in my vernacular, god is it hard to get it out.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

This is something I have only had come up in F1 fic since drivers are from all over the world. My first time dabbling in this was Erosion. I want to be realistic in that people speak different languages so sometimes they are speaking English and sometimes they aren't. I do just use Google Translate for this (except for slang or swears, then I find articles that explain how to use them and attempt to piece it together from there). But I know this probably looks rudimentary and horrible to people who do speak those languages. This is also why I tag "copious use of Google Translate" for my fics that do have drivers speaking other languages.

The only time I have translate within a work is when the characters are going from one language to another (Charlos, it's only Charlos) so it needed to be clear that they weren't just speaking one language to each other the whole time. But normally, it's not translated when they speak another language because either the character can understand it so it can be like "Arthur said to Charles, in French" or I put it in italics so you know it's another language being spoken.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

One Direction <3 and it was het fic on Wattpad in 2013. No one look at me.

Then obviously I also moved onto the gay 1D fanfic.

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

I am at least dabbling in all of the F1 ships I want to write, even though some of it is not posted fic. I'm sure though I will find another rare pair between drivers down the road that entices me (looking at the Williams lineup next year... I think it will tempt me)

What's your favorite fic you've written?

In F1, probably Erosion. I have never had that clear of an image for a fic before and maybe never will again. That fic possessed my very being. I came off of writing the 1D/F1 crossover and blazed straight into writing Erosion. I don't even think I took more than a few days off of writing before starting it.

Overall, it's probably that 1D/F1 crossover. I am going with all things I have written within the last 12 months, but that's because I think my writing is much better in my current era of fic writing then it was in the previous one (I took like... more or less five years off of writing fic because of adult life and depression and shit)

I am tagging anyone who wants to do this! Like seriously, pretend I tagged you when you post this and I'll gas you the fuck up.