#probably gonna pizzazz the back pockets too...

[prunpplee]

Groovy jeans update! I got a wee ill so I've had a lot of time to dedicate to them

and Buttercup because yes

[baeklination]

Room 4

Date: 210621

Warnings: SMUT🔞, masturbation, mouth-fucking, standard fucking, voyeurism(-ish?)

Pairing: Baekhyun x F. Reader

WC: 1, 9k

Masterlist

¤¤

You whistle in jest when he comes out into the kitchen.

"I thought you were going to a fundraiser, not a hedonistic sex fest…"

Baekhyun's clothes are perfectly fine to wear where he's going, but he always makes things extra fine; his thin v-neck, nonchalantly tucked into the front his black leather trousers; a simple black blazer for a bit of class - and two silver necklaces for a little pizzazz. He's had a thing for the darker tones since he dyed his hair gray.

"If you don't hurry up I might bolt the door shut so you can't get out."

"As if you're not dying to have a night off", he smiles into the mirror, meeting your reflection while tidying his hair.

"I was..."

You can tell when he gets a feeling, just like now. He looks you straight in the eye - albeit via mirroring - with the tiniest narrowing of his eyes.

"Sleep in four tonight."

You lean back, happy.

"Phone..?"

"Off."

"Do you know what time you'll be home?"

"No. Late", he says, going to wiggle his feet into his shoes. "But don't stay up too long."

"I won't. Maybe I'll read Lee's dissertation on why dadaism really is the true impressionism…", you snort.

"Ooh, I know how you've been waiting to get your hands on that riveting read..!", Baekhyun jokes and gives you a kiss goodbye. "See you lat- tomorrow. Eight?"

"That's so long", you frown. “But okay.”

His delicate fingers push gently on the nape of your neck when he kisses you again.

"So touch yourself", he moans into your mouth before pulling away and leaving.

Having to wait until tomorrow to see Baekhyun isn't much fun, but knowing it's number four - actually - knowing that makes it worse, makes your underwear soaked as you keep replaying what you did last time:

“Where will you be?”

“I know you’ll keep looking over if I tell you”, he says. “You don’t know I’m there, remember?”

You skip clothes altogether save for a white satin robe; there isn’t much point in getting all done up when it’s coming off so quickly. And besides, Baek will no doubt assume you’ll be wearing something, panties at least, so he’ll choke when he finds out you aren’t.

You’re a bit jittery - pleasing yourself when you know he’s watching makes you a bit embarrassed, but it’s also what arouses you. Thinking about his cock getting so hard he has to release it and pump with a steady hand, careful not to come, as he looks on makes you slick and you can feel it as you walk around. You take a calming breath and open the door.

Luckily, you turned the light on beforehand, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to see a thing. And trying to look to see where Baekhyun might be hiding would be impossible - it’s near pitch black in your garden. You give the daybed a shove so it stands by the wall and prop some pillows up before you lean back, play-acting as if you’re just having a quiet night in. You don’t have to look to know how swollen your clit is, how the thick strings cover it and everything else. It may have been Baekhyun’s request - but it’s your pleasure. Putting on a show for him, you pretend to be a little coy. Pretend you’re embarrassed at being so aroused you HAVE to touch yourself. The truth is closer to you by now having to pace yourself, closer to your core pulsating - almost hurting - ‘cus you want it so bad.

You undo the knot on the robe and let the thin fabric fall from your shoulders to expose your breast. Your nipples are hard pebbles in your fingers, sending jolts down in between your legs as you stroke and pinch them. For him you wet your fingers, pushing them in and out of your mouth a few times before circling your nipple again. You can’t wait any longer. You spread your legs and caress your thigh downwards with one hand, the other still stroking your breast, and pull at your folds for Baekhyun to see the state you're in. Lightly you run a finger over your ass. You’re wet all the way down. Reaching under one of the pillows your hand finds the treasure you’ve put there previously; smooth, metallic silver - a perfect fit in your hand. Without any playing around you put it to your entrance and watch as the top slides in. Your hips lift instinctively as you drop your head back and let the dildo fill you completely. There is no resistance at all, you can easily hold it with just two fingers. Almost completely lost in the moment your first thought is that you’ve turned the vibration on, but see the lit screen on your phone when you look down. A text from Baekhyun: “Call me, don’t say anything. Put me on speaker.”

He picks up, saying nothing, so you put the phone by your legs and continue. You put a little extra volume in your moan to make sure he hears it; Baekhyun gets excruciatingly turned on by everything that has to do with you masturbating. Knowing he’s out there listening to the wet sound of your pussy, agonizing over whether to control himself or to just let himself go and orgasm makes the dildo a rather futile replacement. But a replacement nonetheless, so you turn the vibration on - jolting with a moan - and push it up to touch your sweet spot over and over, your chest rising higher, hand squeezing your breast harder. You put it on max and thrust as quickly as you can. The muscles in your ass tighten until you’re pushed over the edge, shaking, muscles going on and off without control as your orgasm pierces through you, stopping your breath in your throat.

You ride it out, even more fluids running out and look at your phone: Baekhyun’s ended the call. And no wonder - you can already hear him tearing through the house. He opens the door, his torso already naked and shakes his head with a smile as he walks up and pulls the rest off; his cock barely sways, that’s how stiff he is.

“How was it?”

Baekhyun rolls his eyes in appreciation and forces his cock down for you to take it in your mouth. Holding your head in his hands, he fucks you. Not violently, as if trying to get a gag reflex, but unhurried, because what he wants today is to be in your mouth, not have you choke and stop.

“Oh, baby…”, he moans, stroking your hair. “Oh, baby, you looked so pretty.”

His length fills you comfortably, lets you appreciate the veins and smoothness, the hardness contrasted by the bounce of the head, pre-cum brushed out on your tongue.

“I know you just- mmh...I know you just fucked yourself, but I’m gonna be a bit rough...”

You meet his eyes to tell him it’s okay. It’s more than okay - who wouldn’t want a man who loses his shit over you?

“Just bend over here.”

The daybed is lower than your kneeling position, so you get a natural arch in your back with your ass high up. Baekhyun groans with pleasure when he gets down behind you, eyeing the bottom of your swollen clit and drenched holes.

“Fuck, you’re so pretty…”, he says, and fills you up with his cock.

Different from before, where he wanted to be wrapped up in every bit of sensation, this time he pounds, pulls - practically claws at - you. It takes a lot to brace yourself, even with him holding you, but you don't mind - on the contrary - because you know what's going on in his mind when he's like this: "...as if I just have to come in you. I need my cum to be in you."

"Ah, shit… Aish…"

He pulls you back, arm around your neck, pulling on your waist to meet his shattering thrusts as he finally gets to orgasm.

●

You're already wide awake and waiting when the clock strikes eight. The day is like the room: gray and beautiful. One of those days you'd drive down to the Farmer's Market and pick up homemade foods like bread and marmalade to cosy down with back home, safely sheltered from the rain undoubtedly on it's way.

You get a jolt when your phone buzzes. It's a snippet from Baekhyun, four seconds of him stroking and slowly pumping himself, hard as a rock. That's all it takes - would take if you weren't already ready. You make a painting of yourself, laying on your side, letting the blanket drape off your legs, just about showing a bit of cheek.

When the door opens you keep looking out the window. A gust of cool air hits your back when Baekhyun lifts the blanket and presses himself up against you.

“Good morning”, he whispers with a voice still husky from sleep, pressing his groin against your ass.

“Morning, B.”

“I’m throbbing”, he groans, dragging his teeth on your neck. “I want you so bad…”

You press yourself closer to him, press his ass closer.

“Why didn’t you come in last night?”

“I did.” His breathing is so heavy behind your ear it’s only a matter of time before it gets damp with condensation. “The window. Look at it.”

It stirs deep in your core. Right in front of you there’s a translucent white stain, having dried in the midst of running down the window. So he was here last night. Probably pretending he wasn’t going to do anything, that he just couldn’t help himself when he saw you; he had to inch down those leather trousers and stroke himself. You could just imagine him leaning against the window while you were asleep...

"What got you so hot and bothered, Baekhyun?"

"I was thinking about how you couldn't keep your hands off this tight little pussy last time you were here…"

"If you'd come home earlier last night…", you say, opening your leg over his, feeling the cool air hit your juices.

Baekhyun runs his hand down your thigh.

"What did you do?", he asks in a deeper voice and slaps your pussy.

You yelp from the exhilarating pain.

“Always so dirty when you think no one’s looking...”

He nearly swallows you with his sloppy open-mouthed kisses before he moves on top of you, putting one leg over his shoulder, letting the other one rest between his legs. Holding on to your thigh, the angle allows his pelvis to push his cock deep inside, the head continuously landing in that pocket of pleasure: light as air, yet full at the same time.

“Don’t stop…”, you whisper faintly, stroking your breasts as you feel his thick length fill your inside over and over. “Fuck… Don’t stop, I’m gonna come...”

Baekhyun moans, picking up his speed, driving himself in hard and towards his own edge, but you get there first; the muscles in your lower body lock, spasming, to the beat of your chopped up whines. Baekhyun, being right after you, pulls you up to a half-straddle; leaning backwards on your arms you pray your shaky legs won’t give out from his pounding. Luckily, he trembles.

“Mm, baby...fuck”, he moans, keeping control of his tempo until he pulls you down on top of him, pressing tightly.

He lays his head against your forehead for a moment, before turning your face up to kiss you.

“Let’s stay in here today.”

[crispycrimebrulee]

Okay so I totally just stalked your blog and I loved the adult trio wedding thing, so can I have Kurapika and Leorio’s reaction to you walking down the aisle for the first time?

im very much in a wedding mood, im honestly starting to miss going to weddings, sigh

Leorio

Although Leorio isn’t bawling his eyes out, he’s very much glassy eyed

Glassy eyed and absolutely dumbstruck, because it’s hitting him all at once with you walking down the aisle and all his friends getting to witness this happening and mostly you looking absolutely stunning-

I mean sure, there was a practice walk down the aisle during wedding rehearsals, and he figured it would be easy, considering at the time you were in casual clothes but now? Dressed to the nines, the light hitting your perfectly and the music and youre just radiating such stunning energy, now he’s like WOW this is NOTHING like rehearsal!! 

Falling in love all over again~

Are his hands a little sweaty? Probably

The song he’d pick for you walking down the aisle (imo, at least) would be Beautiful by Bazzi, but just the instrumental version!

His vows do a lot of mentioning on keeping you happy and taken care of, and they’re a little long? He’s probably written them out a handful of times, trying to get the words right

I am very much in a wedding mood so how about….the whole wedding???

Somewhat a simple wedding, very much a classic/formal one with all its bells and whistles

Theres surprisingly not a lot of people there; your family, his med school friends and his non-med school friends, and a handful of other special guests

Also to note, his suit is fitted and black, and he’s got a flower from one of the wedding bouquets in his pocket as a little pizzazz

That First Dance is gonna be something

He had a little trouble grasping it during rehearsals, and it shows just a little bit

He likes having one hand on the small of your back while your head rests against his shoulder, and he picked a very soft piano song for it

Cutting the wedding cake ( a white and gold lemon cake with some flowers decorating the side ) is his confirmation of a (hopeful) forever with you. Sure, proposing and the wedding is confirmation enough, but getting to cutting this cake almost seals it for him

He keeps it class throughout the whole wedding, except for the after party, or at least the later part of the reception

He’s telling your family about all the wild stories from when he took the Hunters Exam, and making sure your family is well aware that he can keep you out of harms way

After the whole wedding, knowing you survived that epic day….he will call you nothing but “my wife/husband/spouse” for the next 2 weeks. Y/n? y/n? You mean “I have to run that by the wife”, “let me call my husband first”, “I’ll let my spouse know” 

Please refer to him as your husband, he’ll be grinning for the rest of the day

Kurapika

Kurapika took his contacts off for this, whats the use in hiding the emotion?

Not that...yknow, his inability to keep tears from trailing down his face is indication enough

Coupled with his eyes glowing red, being locked on you as you come closer, he has to keep himself from running up to you and carrying you bridal style for the rest of the way

As soon as you stand near him on the alter, his hands are on your face real gentle like, almost as if he’s making sure you’re real

Think about it!! After everything he’s been through in his life, plus you coming along and making the days a whole lot better, you never giving up on him day in and day out, plus you agreeing to marry him, the day finally being here, the natural sunlight and the flowers and everything else, he’s smitten and he’s thanking each and every one of his lucky stars that you picked him

His vows consist of mentioning how youre a blessing to him, and how nothing would stop him from protecting you, and always reminding you what you mean to him, and how he believes in A Forever if it means he gets to have a Forever with you :’)

This is an outdoor wedding, in the middle of a flower field in spring, when its not too hot and not too cold, perfect enough that an outdoor wedding can happen

Almost like a garden party theme mixed with traditional aspects (traditional ranging from your culture, his, and a classic wedding) and it all comes together quite nicely

A decent sized guests list; your family and his with ample space for seating and dancing

At this point in the event, your first dance happens when the sun is setting, giving you perfect golden-y mood lighting, with some impromptu folk music

He’s practiced well for this dance, and he leads it the whole way, occasionally placing little kisses on your forehead, as well as squeezing your hand while the two of you dance

The cake is both of your favorite colors, with one tier being your favorite cake type and the other tier being his, because he didnt want to try and split the decision of a cake

The wedding doesnt stay out too late, and the two of you are home before midnight

Cue him staring at his hand all day when you two wake up the next morning, his eyes moving from your wedding ring to his, still taking in the whole reality of this marriage thing

Referring to him as your husband takes some getting used to on his end, it’s always a little shock like “right...thats me” :’)

[iwantitiwriteit]

Slow Burn: Act I - Part 5 cont.

The Lip Sync Battle cont.

Pairing: Chris Evans x Famous!Reader

Summary: Growing tensions between you and Chris overflow in the most musical of battles.

Warnings: Profanity, drunken silliness

Notes: Oh my fucking gosh, I fucking finished it! This part was a BEAST to write! It’s hella long so it’ll be in two posts. Before you dive in, set the mood with the moodboard + music specially curated to go with this part! THIS IS A CONTINUATION Read the previous part here.

There stood Chris, muted mic in hand, pink feather boa around his neck, dramatically lip syncing his way through “Big Shot” by Billy Joel. He pranced around the stage, miming the lyrics with absolute conviction, engaging the gawking crowd. You couldn’t believe your eyes.

Scott grabbed your hand and pulled you down the stairs to get a closer look. A crowd had formed on the dance floor in front of the stage, so you and Scott observed from the bottom steps that were a good twenty feet from it. This is close enough.

Chris was really going for it. Gesticulating and strutting, but it’s clear he isn't fully comfortable with performance. Nevertheless, he was having fun. He may be annoying as hell, but he does know how to have a good time. Just as you were mentally giving him props, he locked eyes with you, and a small smirk appeared on his face. What’s he playing at here?

Chris pointed at you as he performed the last chorus:

You had to be a big shot, didn’t cha?

All your friends were so knocked out

You had to have the last word, last night

You’re so much fun to be around

Is he… calling me out me right now? It did add up. He said he thought you were arrogant and a diva, to your face no less. But now he was slander serenading you in a public forum. What the hell is my life right now?

When the song ended, the crowd applauded and Chris bowed, but before he could exit the stage, the host from earlier pulled him closer. You didn’t care to hear what he had to say and started back up to your party’s section. Before you could even make it half way up, you felt a harsh spotlight on your back, causing you to freeze in place.

“Where are you going, sweetheart?” You turn around at the sound of the host’s voice. “You’re not really gonna shy away from a lip sync battle challenge, are ya?” All you could do was awkwardly laugh, still frozen on the step.

“Yeah, not you, the diva with all your many Grammys,” Chris and this word. His smug expression makes your blood boil. Before you could even begin to think about why you let this man ruffle your feathers, you’re making your way to the stage. I gotta trick for your ass… The crowd cheers rowdily, eager for what’s next.

When you reach the stage, the host recognizes you, announcing it to the crowd which is just as excited about your presence. “Thank you for gracing us all! You are a true queen!” You get a little timid from all the praise; it never really becomes easy for you to accept. You offer a small smile and wave to the crowd. Chris senses your shyness, and he wonders if he made the right decision in calling you out. 

“But as much as we all love you out there, you have to earn the title of ‘Majesty’ in here. Do you accept this fine gentleman’s challenge?”

You turn to look at Chris. He’s trying his best to be expressionless, but there’s something there. Unfortunately for you, the ruckus and burning stares of the crowd make it impossible for you to focus and discern it. For the moment, you disregard trying to figure him out, grab his hand, pulling his mic to your mouth and say, “I accept.”

“Yass! We love to see it! What song should I tell the maestro to cue up?” You lean over and whisper your selection in the host’s ear. “Great choice!” The host disappears off stage to relay the message, and you turn to Chris to get his mic, which you assume will be muted once it’s time for you to perform.

You get your hand on the microphone, but Chris keeps his grip, causing you to look up at him. “Good luck,” he says with a smirk you’re starting to think is trademark.

“Luck is for chumps,” you rebut, snaking the boa from his neck and placing it on your own. It blends into your pink furry outwear, a sure clash, but you intend to use it as a prop. He huffs out a laugh as he walks backwards a few steps, then turns and leaves the stage to you.

The music starts; a bass strum and some percussion. You wind your hips to the rhythm. Making an imaginary gun with your fingers, you raise it to your lips and blow the “barrel”. You mouth the intro line:

Son of a gun

This earns you an “ow!” from somewhere in the crowd. You continue to sway your hips and move about the stage with utter femininity and a feline nature. A trance clearly comes over you: you are in performance mode. Chris can’t help but marvel at the sight of you so comfortable in commanding a crowd. He’s snapped out of his thoughts as your gaze finds his and you sing to him, the lyrics reminding him of where you two stand:

I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee

Clouds in my coffee, and

You're so vain

You probably think this song is about you

The mention of coffee from you still stings a little for Chris, but you seem to revel in it. ‘You’re So Vain’, huh? Clever choice. You continue to sashay across the stage, accenting the lyrics with your quirky dance moves, head whipping, and expert work of that pink, feather boa. You finish your performance with a slow curtsey to the crowd, but keep your eyes trained on Chris. Even in the dim lighting you can see his sly grin, and you reciprocate it.

“Whew! Did somebody turn up the thermostat cos it is HOT in hurr!” The host and crowd praise you for your performance a few moments longer. You humbly laugh, a little out of breath from all that dancing. “Where’s our other contender?” Chris strides to join you on stage. The way he’s looking at you makes you feel the heat the host was talking about in your cheeks. “What’d you think of your competition?”

Chris takes a moment before he answers, rubbing a hand over his beard while looking down at you. “I thought she was… aight,” he said with a shrug.

“‘Aight’? Just aight?” you feigned offense with hands on your hips, to which Chris just shrugs again. The crowd began to turn on him with some booing and he was quick to clarify.

“Hold on, hold on, lemme explain!” His Boston accent was thick as he began, and the host helped him out with quieting the riled up room. “It was a great song choice, I give you that. Didn’t think a youngin like you would know anything about Carly Simon,” You scoffed and rolled your eyes as he continued, “but I was expecting something with a little more pizzazz, more diva attitude, ya’know? That was just… cute.”

“Hm,” you contemplated your response, “so, what I’m hearing is... you think I’m cute?” You looked up at him with a mischievous grin, hoping to throw him off a little. It seemed to work as he started to nervously laugh and wag his finger at you. The audience laughed and whooped like a fifth grade class, all while Chris’ face turned red.

“I think you need a lesson in how to channel all that sass into your performance. Here, lemme show you how it’s done,” Chris motions for you to leave the stage, and you graciously take the hint and pass off the mic to him. He then leans over to whisper his next song choice to the host who hurries to get it played.

The aggressive pop production of Ashlee Simpson’s ‘Outta My Head’ begins and Chris begins to faux-belt out the tune, really channeling his inner pop star. Palms to his temples for emphasis, he slowly *and overdramatically* rotates his head to accentuate the lyrics before pointing to you as he sings:

You're in my head

Get outta my head!

A room full of people, but Chris is obviously doing his best to entertain you. You struggle to maintain any semblance of a bitch face, working hard to stifle your giggles and bashfulness throughout his goofy performance. Have I really been on his mind? Just before his performance ends, you whisper your final song selection to the host who nods in confirmation. 

Chris takes his last bow in front of the excitedly raging audience. “See! That’s how you do it!” Chris says, motioning up and down with his outstretched hands to the crowd, them to signal to them to continue their applause. “I hope you were taking notes,” he says offering his hand to help you back on to the stage.

“Yeah, I think I got it,” you say sarcastically, rolling your eyes to the audience’s amusement. “May I?” Chris hands you the microphone with a lingering touch.

A slow sultry start to the song brings the energy down for a few moments but once the chorus starts, the crowd is jumping and jamming along with you. You even have a few members from the crowd and half your party join you onstage. You’re having such a good time that you almost forget that you're in the midst of a competition. You turn to Chris and mime the final chorus just to him:

If we don't fuck this whole thing up

Guaranteed, I can blow your mind

Mwah!

With a wink, you blow a kiss at Chris that he catches and puts in his pocket. You throw your head back laughing, unable to keep up a diva act any longer. Chris is laughing too and you hold each other's gaze as the song comes to a close. 

The crowd that engulfed the stage as well as everyone in the venue roared an ovation. You were so into your good time and silent banter that you have no idea if your performance was worthy of this applause. The host beckons Chris onstage for the crowd to choose which between the two of you is the winner of this lip sync battle. Chris stands across from you, his left hand and your right hand in each of the host’s hands. You don’t hear the verdict; the whole of the crowd is a cacophony that fades to the background as you and Chris look at each other with idiotically inebriated smiles.

Shaking you on your shoulders, Scott shocks you out of your trance, “That’s my girl! Congrats!”

“Thanks!” you say and give him a hug. Remembering that he should be the center of attention, you re-announce it over the mic which is met with another round of rousing applause. ‘Birthday’ by Selena Gomez gets played and you're swept into the sea of bodies dancing on stage. 

You look around for Chris and you find him squeezing his way out of the madness that surrounded you. Your mood sours when he doesn’t stick around. You hoped tonight would give you some kind of resolution, and with the moments you just shared, you hoped a good one was at the of the tunnel. Where you stood with each other was still left open ended. Or not. Guess he got the show he wanted.

——————————————————————————

Waiting outside for your ride, a couple of fans asked for pictures, thanked you for your performance even though you didn’t even sing, but soon enough you were left alone in the soberingly chilly Boston air. A wind blows through and you hug your jack tight to you to cut it, but you still feel the freeze. 

“Here,” You hear a voice behind you say. You turn to see that it’s Chris approaching with his jacket in hand. “I wasn’t using it anyway.”

“Thanks,” you say as he fixes it over your shoulders on top of your jacket. He slowly draws his hands from you shoulders as he looks into your eyes. Catching his actions, he clears his throat and backs away from you a decent distance.

An inexplicable excitement floods you then washes away as you remember you haven’t officially reconciled. You try to seem uninterested when you say, “I thought you left.”

“No, just… needed to get some air. Gotta pretty packed up there on that stage. Congrats, by the way. A very deserved win.”

“Thank you. It’s not the kind of win I’ve been needing lately, but I’ll take it.” You let out the kind of laugh like when you laugh at a painful memory. Chris wonders what you mean by that, but doubts now is the time to ask. “I owe it to you.”

“How’s that?”

“You brought the diva out of me. Couldn’t have done it without you,” you say coldly, looking away from him at nothing in particular.

“I’m sorry,” Chris doesn’t hesitate to say; it’s like he’d been holding it in for a while. He steps towards you making the gap between you a little smaller, but still a few feet wide. “I’m sorry I was judgmental. All of what I said about you being arrogant and a diva isn’t true. I knew it when I was saying it. I was just pissed you wouldn’t give me a chance to explain myself for my first screw up,” he says with a humorless chuckle. “I came off as a jerk, and I swear that’s not who I am. Do you forgive me?” His eyes are wide and waiting, hands in his pockets, more so from nervousness than the cold.

This is what I wanted, right? An apology? You sigh deeply before you reply. “You’re forgiven. And I’m sorry too, for not being up front about what I thought. Kinda just left you wondering about where we stood, and that is childish. I, too, have misrepresented myself since we met.”

He smiles a heartwarming smile at, appreciating your profession. “If it counts for anything, I sent those texts before I’d even met you, and even then, I didn’t know you were who I was talking about.”

“So… you had no idea who I was when we met?”

He shakes his head, “Nope, didn’t put two and two together until you stormed off,” he shrugs

“Huh. Well, that’s humbling, for sure…” you trail off with a laugh. Damn, all this over a misunderstanding? “Are we cool now?”

“Yeah… we’re cool.” Chris is somewhat relieved you didn’t ask to be ‘friends’. “We should start on a clean slate.” Chris takes his hand out of his pocket and puts it out to you for you to shake. “Hi, I’m Chris.”

You look at his hand, then his face, then his hand, and his face again. Noticing your hesitation, he re-presents it and wiggles his brows. You playfully roll your eyes and shake his hand, slow and steady. You get a little lost in his ocean eyes as you introduce yourself, “Hi… I’m—“

“Hey, there you are!” You and Chris snatch your hands away as if you’d just been caught doing something horrible when Lisa approaches. “I’m glad I caught you before you left.” The two of you blush and babble like idiots, but Lisa can only notice it on Chris. “Honey, your face is red! You should put a jacket on if you’re cold!”

You giggle at Lisa’s mothering and can hear Chris muttering “oh my god, Ma” under his breath. You’re handing him back his jacket as Lisa says, “I didn’t give you the details for the museum on Monday.”

“Museum? I love museums!” Seeing a grown man get this excited about anything is charming and you can’t stop the giggle that escapes you. “Can I come, too? If that’s ok with you?” Chris turns to you, hands in front of himself cautiously as he asks for your blessing. You contemplate it. Yeah, we’re cool now, but I don’t know about hanging out with him again so soon. But there’s literally no way out of this. Chris has an expectant expression, and you give him a nod to let him know you’re fine with it. “Yesss!” he says as he sharply pulls his fist into his side like he excitedly won something.

Lisa laughs at her son's antics before giving you the necessary details for your excursion. She bids you goodnight and tells Chris she’ll meet him at his car.

Your phone buzzes in your bag, and you check to see that your sister texted to let you know she’s about 2 minutes away. “Ya know… I should get your number if we’re gonna be meeting up on Monday,” Chris tries to say nonchalantly, making you perk up your brows, but you don’t meet his eyes. 

“What for?”

“Just in case, uh, you get lost on the way there.” You look up at him fully now. “You never know. We may just need to communicate.” You could swear his eyes and smile are kind of flirty. Your stomach is doing flip flops, but you’re determined to ignore it. 

“Should that happen, I’ll just call your mom.”

“What if she doesn’t answer? Who ya gonna call? Don’t—“

“Ghostbusters!” Chris tries not to laugh, but your laughter coaxes it out of him. In the midst of your laughing fit, you see your sister's car pull up a few feet up the street so you turn to walk to it. “That’s me. I gotta go.”

“Wait! Your number?”

“No.”

“Really?” he calls out to you.

You reach the car and open the door. With one foot in, you look back and say, “Really. I’ll see you Monday,” with a wink and duck your head to get into the car. You’ve got the biggest grin on your face and notice in the side view that Chris has a matching one.

“So I take it you had a good time?” Lynn asks.

“Yeah.”

Lynn questioningly mouths your simple under her breath as she wonders why you won’t give her more. “I’m too tired to ask for further details, but tomorrow I’m expecting a full debrief, ok?”

“Yeah, ok. Cool.” With that, Lynn pulls off the curb, and you think to yourself, We’re cool.

Part 6 coming soon!

[mommymooze]

During Timeskip Hugs from the Resident Hugmeister: Black Eagles Baby!

These are your friends, cohorts, partners in crime, besties, comrades in arms. It has been rough the last few months. With losing Byleth at the battle at Garreg Mach they seem to be lost, doubtful of their skills, angry or just plain sad.

You have your sad days, but they do not rule over you. You learn from mistakes, pick yourself up by the bootstraps and keep moving. How easy it would be to settle into the melancholy and sadness of it all. But that is not you. Polly Positive. Sally Smiley. Penelope Positivity. After the storm, the clouds part and the sunshine comes back, and that is you. If anyone can get these Cranky Crabbyfaces back to smiling again, it must be you.

After a nutritious breakfast of two eggs and bacon, placed specifically as a smiley face on your plate for encouragement, you head out on your mission.

Leaving the cool darkness of the palace corridor you spy Caspar heading to the training grounds. “Caspar!” you scream happily at the brawler who looks up from the pavement towards you. Throwing your arms high in the air, your hands waving like the branches of the trees in the delightful spring breeze, you continue to call his name and laugh as you run straight for him.

Caspar notices you are not slowing down. He bends his knees slightly and holds his hands out, still unsure as to what is happening.

You crash into him, throwing your arms around him and laughing all the while. The impact causes you both to spin around in a full circle.

“What the…OOoof!” Caspar gasps as he is crashed into. “Hey, if you’re going to attack me, let’s go into the training grounds!”

“Hug attacks can happen anywhere, you know that!” You smile seeing his eyes brighten a bit.

“If I’m gonna get attacked, a hug attack is the best kind.” Caspar smiles back at you.

“I wonder what would happen if I did that to Hubert?” You think out loud.

“He would let you get really close then warp away.” Caspar snickers

You laugh back, “Yeah, then I’d crash face first into a bush.”

Waving goodbye to Caspar, you head back inside through a different door. Turning down a hallway you arrive at the recluse of the group. Gently knocking at the door you wait for acknowledgement.

“Bernie’s not here.” Says a voice from inside the room.

“Aww. I have something I want to talk about with her and I have something to give her.” You speak softly so she has to come closer to the door to hear you.

“Um…you can just leave it at the door and a note.” The timid voice calls back.

“I can’t do that. What if someone takes it? It is best if I deliver it personally.”

“Well, if it is just you, I guess it is okay.” You hear the door unlock and a scrambling on the other side.

Waiting a few seconds, you slowly open the door, peeking your face in. “Hi.” You call as you meet her glance. Bernie is curled up on her bed in her blanket on the far side of the room.

You walk into the room and sit cross legged on the floor, hands on your knees. “So I’ve noticed you have the most beautiful handkerchiefs. Do you embroider them yourself?”

“They’re nothing special.” Bernie frowns.

You reach into your pocket, slowly pulling out your handkerchief. “This is nothing special. Very plain, no embellishment, no pizzazz. I have seen yours. They are beautiful and I really like them.

“Y-you do?” Bernie pulls out one of her creations. It has purple thread around the outside making a scalloped pattern, green vines weaving back and forth, with delicate purple hyacinths gathered in a yellow bow at each corner.

“Look at that! So much intricate artwork. I’ve seen your dresses, your socks, gloves. You put your special touch and love into everything. I have a request, I’d like to learn from you. Would you teach me to do some needlework?”

“Bernie doesn’t do anything special.” She looks down, hiding her face.

“Bernie does awesome, amazing, beautiful things. Definitely special.” You nod.

She plays with her fingers. “Do you really think so?”

“I really know so!” You happily reply.

“MMmmm. Okay. I will show you some embroidery techniques.” Bernie even gives a half smile.

“I think it’s time for part two of what I came here for. Can I give you a hug?” You smile.

“You don’t have to.” She looks a bit undecided.

You smile wider, “Would you like me to?”

Bernadetta thinks out loud. “Your hugs are nice.”

You slowly get up and sit on the bed next to her and hold your arms open. You slowly put your arms around her, sitting there cheek to cheek as you slowly rub up and down the center of her back. After a few minutes she gives a heavy relaxed sigh. You hug her for a few more minutes until she finally sits back.

“Thank you Bernie.” You say your goodbyes as you are ready for your next conquest.

Linhardt is next on your list. You head to the infirmary to find him writing some notes at a desk to the side of the room. He looks up just as you enter.

“Ah. I have been expecting you.” The tall healer stands, stretching his arms above his head.

You have a puzzled look on your face.

“Caspar told me you hugged him earlier. I believe I would be entitled to one as well.” He says, you’re not sure if that was a question or statement of fact. It is hart to tell with Linhardt.

“If it would please you and provide a bit of comfort, then yes, you are absolutely entitled.”

“Excellent. I have determined the absolute perfect position and posture for my hug.” Linhardt says, taking your hand. He walks you to the closest patient bed, telling you to sit down. He then proceeds to the opposite side of the bed, sits and turns to face you, requesting you face him. You then hug each other, your nose buried in his collar. His robes are so soft against your cheek. Slowly he leans back, pulling you down with him. You have fallen into the Lin nap trap while hugging him. It takes you several minutes moving slowly so you don’t wake him, yet getting him to disengage from continuing to hug you closer to him.

Shaking your head to wake yourself up, honestly Lin’s sleepiness is contagious, it is so hard to not take a nap, but you are a hugger on a mission! You head out to the gardens for fresh invigorating air. You spy two beautiful flowers amongst the roses, Petra and Dorothea.

“Are you two out here making the flowers jealous?” You laugh.

Petra greets you with a hug. The princess is such an amazing and strong woman you think as you happily sigh while wrapping your arms around her for a firm and warm hug.

Dorothea explains that it is simply too nice of a day to be cooped up inside. You certainly agree with her as you hug her warmly as well.

You wander the gardens for a few minutes until you reach the exterior of the palace’s atrium. Entering in the side door you spy Emperor Edelgard sitting at a table enjoying her afternoon tea.

“Beautiful afternoon, El. You should have your tea outside.” You encourage her.

She shakes her head with a soft smile. “No, if I go outside I will be too tempted to not come back in. Please, join me for tea.” She waves a hand at the empty seat next to her.

You approach, bow, then take a seat. She pours you some of her heavenly smelling Bergamot tea. The two of you sit and chat. Not about work or war, but about normal and mundane things. It gives you both a chance to pretend that things are normal, that for a few moments there is no war, no battle in a few days. It is a lovely break from reality. Finally, she stands, apologizing, however work waits for no one, not even the Emperor.

You stand as well, giving her a warm hug, thanking her for a few moments of respite.

The door to the Prime Minister’s office is almost always open. Ferdinand von Aegir would not want anyone to feel as if they could not approach him. You stand in the door way, watching him for a moment. His brow furrowed in concentration as he writes some important document that he intends to improve the world with.

You knock on his already open door to alert him to your presence.

“Come in, come in! Just let me finish this, take a seat!” He offers a hand to a chair across from his desk that is covered with papers in different stacks and arrangements. Finally, he replaces his quill in its holder and closes the top to his ink pot.

“Splendid to see you today. You are looking very well. To what do I owe this pleasure?” He smiles widely as he places a stray strand of hair behind his ear.

“Actually, I do require your assistance, as I have a task that cannot be completed all by myself.” You begin.

Ferdinand immediately stands and begins checking the stacks on his desk. “Anything you need, I’m certain we can provide. Troops, materials, horses…”

“Oh, no, you do not have to go to such trouble. This is a simple request.” You smile.

Ferdie looks a bit puzzled. It seems that everyone is asking for more soldiers or food or something to be distributed. “A simple request?” he repeats.

“Yes, if you would come to this side of the desk please.” You nod.

Confusion is written across his face as he carefully steps around the furniture, watching you stand as he comes closer.

Holding your arms open you grin. “Ferdie, I can’t hug you without you being here. C’mere!” you laugh as you throw your arms around his waist, burying your face in his chest as he hugs you back. You feel the vibrations of his chest as he heartily laughs.

“This is an amazing request! No requisition forms, or begging Hubert to reassign troops to a different area.” He grins, hugging you a bit closer.

“Thank you. Is there anything I can help you with? You haven’t been to dinner with all of us in quite some time.”

“I believe that is an excellent idea. I am at an acceptable place to pause, so let us enjoy everyone’s company over a fine dinner.” He smiles as he offers his arm to lead you to the dining hall.

Dinner is delightful, a few more smiles are at the table than there were yesterday. A certain dark mage is not present, again.

“El, is Hubert here today or out on business?” You ask.

She frowns as she thinks. “He is here, probably in some dark corner working himself to death instead of eating like he should.”

“I think I will look for him and try to get him to eat a bit.” You reply.

Edelgard smiles at that and nods in agreement. Excusing yourself from the table you begin the hunt. Finding a needle in a haystack is much easier than finding the Imperial Spy Master in the Imperial palace. You have been to every place you can imagine him to be, twice! During your fourteenth or was it sixteenth trip between his quarters and his office, you hear a noise making you suddenly spin around. He had been hiding from you, of course.w

“Hubert! Hold still this instant!” You furiously frown, stamp your foot, and ball your hands into fists as you order him to cease.

“Normally I’m the one with the unsettling glare.” He chuckles.

“I have been on a mission all day and you have been quite elusive. Now, hold still.” You march straight up to the Dark Mage, threading your arms between his and his torso, reaching into the center of his back and pulling him close to you. He tries to step back to assess what is going on, however you hold him closer with your cheek held firmly against the lower portion of his chest (he is really that tall, wow).

“You are hugging me.” Hubert states.

“Oooh, king of observation. Yeah, hugging you. Last one to mark on my list. Everyone had to have a hug today, you included. Since you evaded me for quite some time, you will be charged with enduring a longer and warmer hug than the others since apparently you need it more than them.”

“First you chastise me, then you punish me with additional hugging? For anyone else I would consider it unusual behavior, however you are rather clingy and unusual.“ Hubert says as he pulls his arms around to lightly return the hug.

You continue to hug him, rubbing your cheek into his chest and sigh happily.

“I have matters to attend to, are we finished?” Hubert asks.

“No.” You squeeze him tighter. “Promise me you will eat something before bed tonight. The Emperor supports this request.”

Hubert looks flustered, not sure what to do with this person latched onto his chest. He pats your head as he looks around, hoping nobody is coming down the hall. “

Finally you release him. Hubert is nearly to the end of the hall before you can yell, ”Thank you!” to him.

[brownstonearmy]

2020-09-25: Juiced! (Part 5)

August 7 (Friday midmorning)

After the events of the previous day, you'd think our lovely band of adventurers would catch a break. BUT YOU WOULD BE MISTAKEN! Messages, insights and calls to action proliferate throughout the party.

Lucky receives a letter from Miss Mavis asking for a favor:

"Lucky, can you and your friends help me find a crystalline energy amplifier? I need one for a restoration project. They're worth a hefty price, but I'll gladly reimburse if you find one."

Norm, meanwhile, has learned that Yance Elbereth is convalescing at SHART HQ. The time to strike against his assassination target is nigh!

Spleenifer has learned through meditation and spiritual attunement that the waterskin from the monk is a type of holy water and the decorative bowl is actually a bowl of Commanding Water Elementals. And on Spleenifer's first day of official work as Mayor Dunwall's assistant, she has been asked for her input how best to solicit donations to help the Mayor with reelection.

Q (going as Jay on this auspicious day) found a note under their door:

"From one bard to another, here's a piece of advice: never trust a Stout you can't drink. I have Stout problems of my own, if ever you want to meet for a pint at the usual bard hangouts. I'm easy to find, since the scales stand out. -Kadana Meristan"

Everyone splits up to start on their respective tasks, so let's follow one adventurer at a time and see where things lead!

Up first we have have Jay, and they strike out for the Juicy Lyre tavern to meet up with the mysterious author of the letter. Kadana, an attractive dragonborn, is nursing a pint while composing a song on the back of a playbill. After Jay takes a seat, she explains that Lawrence Stout was once her patron. But like Jay, she got into some hot water when things got a little too close between Kadana and Russell Stout. The younger Stout seems to have a habit of fraternizing with the arts (as the euphemism goes). But in Kadana's case, her arts funding got cut off as punishment.

Jay and Kadana muse for a bit on strategies to get back at Lawrence and/or Russell. The best way to strike back seems to be breaking up the Stout family businesses, but neither of them are quite sure how to go about doing that. Kadana excuses herself to attend to some other bardly matters, but it's clear that Kadana is playing this as a playful round of hard to get. Folks, we're seeing the beginnings of a beautiful friendship (and possible romance)!

But we must fade to black for now and pick up on Spleenifer's tale! She's back at the Mayoral Manor to discuss the upcoming election strategy. On the way over to the Mayor's place, she found a slightly-charred scrap of paper that probably fell out of someone's pocket during the events of last night. It reads: "You promised me I could use the ring to fix my problem. -Rooney"

Spleenifer stuffs the scrap in her pocket and focuses on the task at hand with the mayor. Since Zaribeth Quickfingers is mounting an unexpectedly strong campaign (though really, any campaign at all is probably unexpectedly strong against Dunwall), the incumbent mayor needs to take the special election preparations seriously. Spleenifer suggests mounting a spin campaign to solicit donations, but her methods are a bit... unorthodox:

"Make it say incontinent instead of incumbent!"

That'll surely take away from the discontent brewing about the mayor's presumed incompetence! What's a giant dung beetle to do? Approve the suggestion and blast it out across town, of course!

Now we switch POV to Lucky, who suggested at the start of the adventure that the party should investigate an unusual announcement in today's Brownstone Bugle where the Meyrick family was looking to hire someone to kidnap their daughter for ransom. But Lucky isn't abandoning Miss Mavis's task! In her words, she's gonna try to kill two stones with one bird.

Lucky is already familiar with crystalline energy amplifiers, and knows they can be found in certain naturally occurring crystal deposits. The catch is that only the biggest crystals (worth at least 1,000GP) can function as a proper amplifier, but she's got a lead on a potential source in a mine about 10 miles east of town. If Lucky can win the audition to kidnap the daughter, she could potentially stash her quarry in the mine while looking for crystals.

She knocks on the the door of the Meyrick estate, and the butler escorts her Mr. Meyrick's study. Mr. Meyrick is a skinny man with wild hair that is graying at the temples. If Gary Busey was a used car salesman and the characters knew what car salespeople were, that's what everyone would say the elder Meyrick looks like.

Mr. Meyrick asks Ms. Lucky Proudfoot what her plans for his daughter are, and she explains the plan. She also plans to scurry off to the mines in a mobile house on chicken legs for extra dramatic flair. The daughter can work in the mines hunting crystals while waiting for the ransom payment to arrive. Meyrick thinks this is an excellent plan and hires Lucky on the spot. He just needs some time to subdue his daughter before she'll be ready for the exchange. Come back later this evening, he says, and she'll be Lucky's problem for the next few hours.

Now's the perfect time to switch over to Norm, who's sneaking his way to where Yance is staying. The recently-concussed trader of illicit antiquities is laying on a cot staring at the ceiling. Norm applies some of the St. Ignatius's Re-Dead Juice to his dagger and moves in for the kill. But Yance rolls over just as Norm enters the room and makes eye contact.

All is not lost, though! Norm shifts into playing the part of an ally who is checking in on him after the concussion. "How many fingers am I holding up?" Norm asks. He goes through a series of simple tests and then "checks for bumps" on the back of Yance's head. That's when Norm makes a tiny nick at the base of Yance's hairline with his poison-coated dagger. Yance passes away seconds later, peacefully slumping back onto the cot.

Sounds of a loud scuffle erupt outside, and from Norm's vantage point, it appears to be a fight between five drunken sailors and a sober-seeming ship's officer. Despite being split up, the rest of the party is close enough to hear the sounds of the brawl and everyone converges on the scene.

Lucky triggers a wild surge and casts Suggestion on one of the sailors, telling him to "make love, not war." Every time she blinks, a duck appears nearby. The sailor under the influence of Lucky's Suggestion grabs a fellow sailor by the arms and pulls him over for a deep kiss. The sailor on the receiving end of the kiss is surprisingly receptive to the romantic gestures, and they stumble away from the fray to keep the passion burning.

Norm exits his building, dashing through alleyways so as to make it look as though he came from a completely different building. There's a drunken brawl and a separate manly make-out session and at least a dozen ducks by this point. What the heck is happening here?

Spleenifer, having been a sheltered woman of faith, has never seen men kiss before. She grabs a duck and announces to her newfound companion: "Let's watch together!" Regardless of the duck's opinion on the matter, it's along for the ride. The passionate pirates are flattered by Spleenifer's audience, but their ships don't really sail that way, if you catch their drift.

While all this chaos is unfolding, Lucky has a bit more fuel to add to the fire. She drops her suggestion and casts invisibility on two pirates and the officer. It's hard to fight when you can't see each other, right? Well, it does stop the fight for the most part, as the two invisible pirates stumble off to rob a bank with their newfound invisibility powers.

The remaining pirate is lifted up by an invisible force (spoiler: it's the captain) and slapped. Now the captain's visible again and orders him to return to the Rising Howl, their ship that is currently docked until the river rises high enough to let them sail. Spleenifer grabs another duck from the flock (now called Prongle), while still restraining the original duck (now named T'Pam) in her sturdy arms. She manages to coax them into pecking at each other like they're kissing.

Norm dashes over to where the sailors were fighting and is nearly overpowered by the stench of alcohol. He pulls out a match lights it to see just how much of a drunken cloud the sailors left behind. Lucky adds a little pizzazz to the situation with a little bit of flammable luck, and the cloud ignites in an impressive cloud of flame in the air that leads in the direction of the fleeing sailors. Jay leaps in front of the two kissing sailors to shield their love from the explosion.

Once things calm down (always only briefly in this town), the party swings by the general store for some pickaxes for their upcoming mining expedition. Not wanting T'Pam and Prongle to feel left out, Spleenifer fashions some miniature pickaxes out of twigs to give to the ducks. Lucky snags a caterpillar cocoon (foreshadowed magical purposes!) on the way to contact the lizardfolk to borrow their house.

At the Meyrick estate, Mr. Meyrick greets the party and directs them to a wagon containing a tied-up sleeping giantess (technically half-giantess, but still LORGE). Once their "hostage" is safely aboard the house, the party contemplates what to do.

"I've never done kidnapping before," asks Lucky "but is it reasonable to ask for her emancipation?" But that is soon answered once the giantess wakes up. Lucky is able to communicate with her, and learns that the giantess's name is Tina. She's well-spoken and her family loves her a lot. This whole kidnapping thing is a publicity stunt to get some sponsorship deals. The house gallops toward the mine, reaching the entrance after about 20 minutes.

Tina agrees to help the party mine for crystalline amplifiers and takes up a pickaxe along with the rest of the party. Lucky uses the cocoon to transform herself into an umber hulk with a sweet, sweet burrowing speed. But after some time has passed, a group of eight drunken brigands arrives at the mine's entrance to hide out.

Norm puts down his pickaxe and sneaks toward the boisterous brigands to assess the situation. One of the group has a rucksack full of books, while the rest carry sacks of more conventional treasure. As Norm listens in from the shadows, he learns that the treasure comes from their recent break-in of Salem's.

The sound of picks against stone catches the attention of the brigands, who drop their spoils and tread deeper into the tunnels. A massive chunk of crystal has just been unearthed, and it could function as a quality crystalline amplifier if it can be completely excavated. However, that's the time the drunkards show up. One of them makes obscene and probably physiologically incompatible advances at Tina and a fight soon breaks out.

Smites, spells, and sneak attacks smash into the metaphorically-smashed sailors. Lucky's burrowing triggers a small tunnel collapse, and her confusing gaze disorients even more of the sailors. Spleenifer smacks at the base of the crystal to uproot it before the tunnel collapses further, and soon the party emerges victorious.

Mr. Meyrick arrives to collect his daughter just as the last brigands flee into the night. He mentions that the sponsorship deal fell through, though he still brought the promised ransom. Maybe they'll be able to collaborate on another scheduled kidnapping in the future? Who knows!

The party searches through the stuff left behind by the brigands and finds wealth of many types. Material wealth in the form of gold and gems is most obvious here, but there is also informational wealth. Among the books that were stolen from Salem's is a copy of Zaribeth's accounting ledger. As in, the true version that depicts all the shady stuff going on with Zaribeth's businesses.

With that realization, the adventure concludes for the night and everyone advances to level 12. Stay tuned next time for more!

[ti-bae-rius]

Chance Encounters - Part 2/2

(Read part 1 here: https://ti-bae-rius.tumblr.com/post/185651968861/chance-encounters-part-12)

I’ve been held up from writing this for @daisyherxndale for AGES so I hope it isn’t a disappointment now it’s written! But yeah, bit of kitty, bit of Mina and Kit sibling stuff, and some ghost!livvy. Enjoy part 2 of this fic which was a little longer than expected!

Ty walked over to where Kit was pushing Mina on the swings and stood in front of her, putting his hands up for her to push her feet off. She laughed when they made contact, her little welly boots being pressed, pushing her back towards her big brother, giggling gleefully.

“How’s Church?” Ty asked finally and Kit sighed, grateful he didn’t have to be the one to break the silence. 

“Good. He’s a little gremlin, but you wouldn’t think it was the same cat around Jem. They’re like...obsessed with each other.”

“Kitty!” Mina added and Kit smiled fondly.

“Oh yeah, Mina’s charmed him too,” Kit explained. “Haven’t you? You’re friends with Church the kitty cat, aren’t you?”

“No! Kit and Ty! K-I-T-T-Y,” she said, spelling it out phonetically with little kid letters. “Kitty!”

“That’s called a portmanteau,” Ty told her, nonplussed. “The blending of two words. It’s French - and that word itself is a kind of portmanteau of the words ‘porter’ and ‘manteau’. Isn’t that neat?”

“Neat,” Mina laughed, repeating the Americanism back to him in amusement. 

Kit’s phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it from his jeans, glancing at the screen as he pushed Mina with one hand. Jem’s photo showed up and he slid his finger along the screen to take the call. It was always hit or miss whether or not Jem intended to call; he was not the most adept at technology. However, he also worried when Kit didn't answer, so Kit sat also worried when Kit didn’t answer, so Kit sat himself on a bench and put the phone to his ear.

“Hi, Jem. All okay?”

“Everything’s fine. I just wanted to check in. Tessa’s found a new antique bookshop.”

“We’ll never see her again,” Kit grinned. “A bachelor once more, Brother Back-in-the-game-ariah, am I right?”

“I don’t have words to describe how much those nicknames disturb me,” Jem returned, which made Kit laugh. “How’s Mina?”

Kit glanced up and looked around when he saw the swings were empty. He saw his sister at the top of the slide, beckoning Ty after her. He obeyed, taking the ladder three rungs at a time, so he was at the top in only a couple of steps. Mina slid down and ran off to the climbing frame, leaving Ty to follow her. Mina was pulling herself up on the lattice of rope to be at eye level with Ty. Ty tucked his knees up to swing across a set of monkey bars which made Mina clap her hands together, impressed, She reached her arms up and Ty lifted her onto one shoulder, carrying her as she swung herself between the monkey bars, weightless and safe in Ty’s strong grip. At the end, he set her down and bent to give her a high five. Kit’s heart twisted. 

“She’s good, keeping Ty busy,” Kit said, sounding faraway and distracted, even t his own ears. He was hardly listening anymore, otherwise occupied watching Ty and Mina. This was not the Ty he’d left behind in Los Angeles in 2012, the young man who played with his little sister now, his past and present crashing together. Where did that leave his future? Kit thought. This Ty was taller and willowy, careful and calm. He was different, yet entirely the boy Kit remembered.

“Hello?”

Kit almost dropped the phone when Jem’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Sorry, hey. I was just thinking.”

“It looks like Tessa is finally done. We’re going to head home and - oh by the Angel, Tessa! Darling, how many more books do you need?” The line disconnected and Kit smiled, sliding his phone back into his pocket. 

“Mina! Mummy and Daddy are on their way home. Let’s go and have some lunch,” Kit called and Mina grabbed Ty’s hand, pulling him along after her. Kit grinned at Ty’s awkward gait, having to bend to keep his hand in hers, looking startled. When they reached Kit, she stretched her free hand out to him, anchoring the two boys, one on each side of her.

“Swing!” Mina pleaded and Kit lifted her by the arm, Ty copying him, and the two swung her between them, making her squeal happily. This was what it would be like if we had a kid of our own, me and Ty. Kit startled at the thought. Where had that come from? He glanced across, wondering if Ty was thinking the same thing. His side-profile gave nothing away, but when he glanced across and met Kit’s eye, he blushed and ducked his head. 

“Where’s Livvy?” Kit asked when they’d got back.

“She’s hidden, but she’s here,” Ty said, taking a sip of the can Kit handed him. He winced. “What is this? It’s awful.”

“It’s Irn-Bru,” Kit laughed.

“It tastes like gasoline,” he coughed. 

“That’s petrol to you while you’re here,” Kit joked. “Here, give me that. You’ll like this one better.” He slid his own can across the kitchen counter and Ty drank from it, nodding.

“That’s way better. But yes, Livvy’s here. We just didn’t want Mina to be scared if she could see ghosts too, and I didn’t know how your parents would react.” He froze, glancing at Kit. “Sorry, I didn’t mean...I know your dad...”

“It’s okay. Tessa and Jem are like my parents.” Kit smiled. “But, um, I’d like to talk to Livvy, if that’s okay? Like...in private?”

“Oh, yeah. Of course. I’ll leave you to chat.” He glanced up. “Livvy, you can make yourself visible. It’s okay.”

Kit was, as always, somewhat taken aback by Livvy’s appearance. She looked so young, only fifteen. Kit hadn’t realised how much three years could change a person, but Livvy looked so much younger than him still. It was hard to see someone you cared about frozen in time, unable to grow and become older. It made him think of Tessa, who would stay young as the others aged around her. It wasn't eerie as much as it was sad. 

“Hey, Livs,” he smiled, as Ty closed the door behind him, going out into the garden where Tessa, Jem, and Mina were sat. Tessa was lounging on a picnic blanket, Jem’s arm around her, leaning back against his shoulder. They were watching Mina, who was looking at something on Ty’s sleeve, some creature or other, no doubt.

“Sorry again about your conservatory,” Livvy said, and Kit laughed. 

“You say that every time you see me,” Kit pointed out. “It’s fine. I told you, Magnus fixed it right up. It’s as good as new - probably better than new since Magnus probably added a little pizzazz to it.”

“That’s Mina, huh?” she asked, smiling wistfully. She was peeking around the alcove to look outside, careful not to make herself visible to the others. “She’s beautiful.”

Kit nodded. “I know. She’s amazing. She’s such a fast learner and so clever. I swear she’ll be reading War and Peace by the time she’s seven.” Livvy laughed, and it sounded unpractised. Kit supposed she didn’t have much cause for laughter nowadays. “How are you?”

“Dead, as per usual,” Livvy replied. “You?”

“Alive for now,” Kit told her. “Fingers crossed I stay that way. I-um...who’s Anush?” Kit blurted and Livvy covered her face with her hands, though her transparent form meant Kit could still see her despairing head shake.

“Just some guy from the Scholomance. Stop being all jealous.”

Kit scoffed, blushing. “I’m not. Shut up.”

“Um, says the person who asked me to manifest,” Livvy retorted. “But seriously? You asked me to show just to interrogate me about my twin’s potential relationships?”

“No!” Kit assured her quickly. “I wanted to talk to you. What are you guys gonna do when Ty graduates?”

“I wanna go back to L.A.,” Livvy admitted. “I don’t know if it’s the best idea though, or if Ty will even want to go back. He misses everyone but I think he quite likes the independence. I just worry that it’ll all go wrong. I’m okay when we go back for a few days or weeks, but staying there indefinitely feels like tempting fate. You know?”

Kit looked up at her. “Well I hope you come back and visit, wherever you go.”

“Ty wouldn’t stay away from you for long now he’s finally got you back,” she smiled. “He’d always come back and visit you, and we come as a package deal - even more than when I was live. Plus,” she added, nodding to the garden where Ty was sat with Mina, “I think he’s made a new friend.” Kit smiled and Livvy sighed sadly. “Go. They’ll be missing you. I’ll see you later, Kit.”

“Wait!” he called, and she paused, hovering. “Thank you. We’re still best friends, right? If you want to talk, get Ty to visit and we’ll talk.”

“Of course we’re still best friends. Besides, you don’t have much competition in that department,” she added. “I’ll see you soon.”

With that, she vanished, though Kit could almost pretend he could see her, floating behind Ty. Mina was looking up at him, awestruck. It took a moment for Kit to realise why; a squirrel was sat on his shoulder and he was feeding it nuts from the feeder in the apple tree. Kit didn’t need any reason to look at Ty with the wonder his little sister did. When he headed outside, sitting down in the grass and pulling Mina carefully into his lap, she turned to shush him, pressing her finger to his lips. 

“Sssh. Squiggle.”

Kit nodded solemnly, though he smiled as soon as she turned back around, wrapping his arms around her. He could still remember when she was newly born and he’d held her. Kit had never believed that babies smelt as good as everyone said, but Mina’s hair tickled his nose as he breathed and she smelt of vanilla and cotton and milky tea. He rested his chin on her head now and breathed in the memory of it watching Ty with a heart that was swelling so great he wondered when it would inevitably break. 

[nalufever]

Freedom/Chained

Naluweek 2018, July 24: freedom/chained (more implied than literal) ^^

Trip of a Lifetime: A story in 9 chapters ~ Natsu and Lucy take a day trip; it’s both planned and somehow spontaneous - much like love. You should always try to work at keeping love alive - and both Natsu and Lucy have taken that advice to heart!

Read previous chapters here: ch1   ch2   ch3   ch4   ch5    ch6   ch7

"Almost." Natsu tossed the empty - missing the garbage pail and bouncing onto the carpet. He sighed.

"Are my bad habits rubbing off on you?"

"Always." Moving the pillow to better support his back, Natsu sat up in bed.

Lucy copied, scootching close - holding Natsu's hand and squeezing. "It's what I do."

"I like the sound of that."

"Huh?" Lucy was amused. "You want more of my bad habits?"

"The other thing you said."

"It's what I do?"

"Don't worry about it, I'm a bit tired. A certain naughty person tuckered me out." Natsu grinned as Lucy playfully leaned into him. "Now, what do you want to do tomorrow?"

"We'll figure that out later." Lucy pointed to the bottle of wine. "We've more pressing concerns."

"I like the sound of that, too." Natsu grinned. "Which one of us is fetching the wine?"

"Rock, paper, scissors?"

><><><><

Natsu watched Lucy sleep; curled up on her side facing him, gently snoring, and her hair - tangled from another passionate love-making session. He rolled out of bed, needing to relieve the pressure on his bladder. Coming back from the bathroom, Natsu almost tripped on his discarded pants. He recalled exactly what he'd left in a pocket. Lucy was snoring a bit louder - this was the perfect time to look at it and steady his nerves. His special breakfast room service order was going to be spectacular.

><><><><><

Lucy rolled, and when she didn't feel Natsu or his body heat, she cracked an eye open. "Get back in bed, it's too early to be up."

"It's nine, and nine is exactly the time we should be awake." Natsu grinned. Lucy would notice the aroma of coffee soon. "Get up and join me."

"I was gonna make you the same offer." Lucy yawned and stretched, rubbing sleep grit from her eyes. She sniffed and made appreciative noises. "I don't remember putting out a request for room service last night."

"Then, aren't you lucky you've got me?" Natsu pointed to the empty chair. "Come on over, our food's getting cold."

Lucy sat down and took the hot cup of coffee that Natsu had poured. Holding it to her nose she breathed in and blew air over the steaming surface, wincing a little at the heat. "Thank you."

Humour in his voice, Natsu asked, "Are you talking to me or the coffee?"

"Yes," Lucy grinned. It was a rare opportunity when she could use one of Natsu's typical responses against him.

He waved his left hand at the tray, all the dishes still covered with silver domes. "I ordered us a feast." Gesturing with the pizzazz of a stage magician, Natsu removed the lids. "Pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, orange juice and jam."

"You're spoiling me too much. Taking the day off work, you took me to the theatre and shopping - and bought me books and a necklace. No more gifts today."

"You might want the next thing I have planned." Natsu picked up a glass in his left hand and poured Lucy some juice - handing it to her with a strange flourish.

"Well, I probably do, but I feel selfish when you keep doing nice things for me." Lucy shrugged, sipping and setting down her juice. "This is a very nice breakfast." She reached for a plate.

Natsu grabbed her hand in his left. "Lucy…"

"…" Lucy smiled in confusion.

Natsu pulled Lucy's hand so that it rested in his right - and he patted it with his left. "Lucy, you're the most special person in my life. I love you, and I love our life." A beam of sunlight angled into the room and hit the stone of the ring that Natsu was wearing on his pinkie. "Lucy, will you marry me?"

...last chapter July 26th...

[macbookpro-hard-drive]

10-16 with Jeremy?

heck yeah gonna throw this under a readmore tho

10. what their most treasured possession is

i wrote this lil fic like... on my old account where jeremy had a magic kit when he was a kid and tbh? i could see that being his most treasured possession! his dad bought it for him and he would put on lil magic shows for his parents and for michael. it just reminds him of happier and simpler times.

11. what sort of tv shows/movies they’d enjoy

jeremy 100% watched stuff like doctor who and star trek with michael and his parents. jerm’s mom was a fuckin huge trekkie and his dad loves star wars so i can imagine jeremy being big into both due to the family ties they have!

but in general, i see jeremy being huge into sci-fi shit, as well as like... some comedic stuff, like b99. he and christine 100% watch b99 together imo

he 100% has a secret love of cheesy romcoms that he shares w christine and rich. they have their own lil movie nights at christine’s house and its nice

12. what sort of video games they’d enjoy

all. 

but honestly, i could see jeremy being big into stuff like resident evil or any of the telltale games (especially tales from the borderlands, which... i have been playing recently lmao), or uhhh the fallout series maybe? 

other than that, the stereotypical pokemon-zelda-mario stuff. he 100% used to play sonic a lot as a kid but he doesn’t really play the newer stuff. owns a copy of sonic boom completely because michael bought it for him as a joke and they both laugh over how dumb it is. it’s good times.

13. what they carry in their bag/pockets

in his pockets:

his wallet

keys (just his house key, which has a fucking ton of keychains so he doesnt feel that bad abt not having a car) 

spare change, a couple receipts bc he forgets to throw them away

a packet of chewing gum thats starting to fall apart (just the box for it) (also: most often trident, either bubblegum flavor or pineapple twist)

and his cell phone

14. what they were like as a kid

jeremy wasn’t really an antisocial child imo. like, around adults? yeah, he’d clam up a little bit - not enough that he’d be completely silent, but he’d be a little bit more likely to stick to his parents if he was uncomfortable enough

i could also see jeremy being pretty well-behaved, mainly bc his parents were always really fuckin keen on him having manners. sure, he’d act out from time to time - but... primarily bc it’d give him some attention from his parents whenever he felt like they’d forgotten about him (which was rare, but he was a kid)

other than that, jeremy was a extremely active kid? always a little taller than most kids, always looking like the scrawny kid he is, but he fucking lived for recess when he was in elementary school. fuckin loved to play kickball. 

also: magician boy. loved the pizzazz of everything. 100% wanted a white rabbit for a couple years - never got one, since he was a kid and they didn’t trust him to take care of a rabbit yet, and eventually he settled for a plush white rabbit. 

15. what their family is like (+ their relationships w their family)

jeremy’s family is... sorta boring, in his opinion - and thats going beyond his parents.

his relationship with his dad was really, really good before the divorce. he was always close to his parents growing up, and then when things started to get messy as his parents argued a bit over what they wanted - eventually that dying down to civil conversation of maybe they should actually get a divorce, but what about jeremy, but this is what’s best - he started to sorta withdraw back into himself. post-squipcident, he’s trying. he and his dad are sorta just... trying to bring their relationship back to what it was, or make it better.

his mom was a divorce attorney, like she is in the book. i can see jeremy being very much of a mama’s boy - and, honestly, if it weren’t for her plans (and if jeremy didn’t have a life in metuchen, like his friendship with michael and a lot of shit at middleborough), i think jeremy could have ended up living with her? i can see his mom moving to some big city tbh. their relationship is a little strained as well, but i can see jeremy finally responding to her texts/email/letters/whathaveyou with a phone call and asking if they could talk or something - post-squipcident, of course. she’s actually dating again and she’s been wanting jeremy to come visit her and meet her boyfriend. he wants to go, but... at the same time, he’s kinda worried about leaving his dad again.

his dad has a brother! he sorta helped jeremy and his dad when jeremys mom left. he lives in edison, nj. tbh he probably visits jeremy and his dad often, and he’s just a jolly dude. jeremy’s really fond of him - they’ve always gotten along. then again, his uncle is a big fucking robotics nerd and he keeps talking to jeremy about getting into that shit with michael, since his school does have a robotics club. jeremy’s actually considering it.

on his dad’s side, jeremy’s pretty close to his grandmother and was sorta close with his grandfather before he passed. he doesn’t get to see her as often as he’d like, since she doesn’t live in metuchen or anywhere close, but she makes some fucking killer pies and jeremy loves visiting her. she’s like... stereotypical sweet granny. 

on his mom’s side, her parents absolutely adore jeremy? it’s only really one-sided, since jeremy sorta doesn’t talk to them since the divorce - but they love to basically pester his dad (which results in them getting jeremy to talk to them) and find out everything jeremy’s been up to. 

his mother is probs the second oldest. i can see her having an older brother and a younger sister. i genuinely cant remember where book-jeremy got the beanie babies from to sell to get the squip, so uhhh i’ll probs update this later w more info haha once i find my copy of the pdf lmao

16. what their phone is like (case, apps, ect!)

jeremy spent fucking years with an iphone 5c (and im slightly projecting here, since i had a 5c until it stopped working :/) that had an black otterbox case. the screen is a little cracked, but nothing bad - phone still works great and the cracks arent too in the way.

as for apps, most of his apps are probably games that he found. just stuff to entertain him whenever he’s particularly bored. cookie run (which he fuckin tries to beat michael at but michael is Too Good and jeremy has the worst timing sometimes so he runs into shit all the time), he still has flappy bird on his phone and protects that app with his life. it shall never leave.

other than that, he probably has like... facebook and instagram, both of which he barely uses, and snapchat - mainly so he can bother michael with dumb snaps.

thank u anon ily im gonna go back to playing life is strange now

[spriggan-tiggy]

Question

((IRL is not letting me sit and draw for long periods of time so here’s a short story about some recent events, since you guys said you’d be cool with it :D Under the cut because hecka long, brownie points to you if you catch Adventure Time reference lol))

Brennan paced the halls of Vigil Keep, holding onto a small pouch. He'd put it in his pocket, take it out, fumble with it, put it back, take it back out again, make sure ring was still in it, put it back again. He kept going at it for a while, he didn't even realize he reached door to Neala's office. There were voices on the other side so he waited, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. A short while after two recruits, judging by the uniform came out. "Thank you, Warmaster." They thanked, leaving.

"No problem, it's what I am here for." Neala responded from the distance. Recruits closed the door and turned around to walk away but their smiles faded, when they saw Brennan. Brennan grinned at their sudden fear. Recruits didn't like him. He was Neala's unofficial aide, and even being member of a Vigil now, it changed no one's opinion of him. He was still a filthy mercenary lackey, and no one was sure why someone like Neala kept him around, but there must be something. He was very hard to tolerate. He'd spy on recruits, and make sure they don't act out or slack when Neala or anyone gives them assignments, but he was also a bit of a bully about it, which never went un-reprimanded, but it fell to deaf ears. Still, recruits and majority of Vigil staff disliked him, but he did his job, despite his personality. Recruits, both human, weakly smiled at him, and very awkwardly and stiffly tried to make their way past him.

"Hey!" He sharply exclaimed getting their attention. They froze in their tracks and very slowly turned their heads, "Boo." recruits squeaked, and ran off almost tripping on each other. Brennan couldn't help but cackle, "Still got it, works every time!"

"BRENNAN!" Neala exclaimed sharply from the other side of the door, which caused Brennan to flinch. Neala might have been a fair teacher, but when she was cross, her voice had this very commanding tone that made even Brennan fall in line, "Are you harassing the recruits again?!"

"A little?" He said meekly. There was silence, but he knew how Neala'd respond to that: with a heavy drawn out sigh.

"Come on in, I am almost done." She said calmer, and Brennan didn't want to test her, she sounded stressed. When he entered, he could see why. Stacks of paper work, probably taller than him. Neala was in her casual attire, ready to retire for the day, but she still looked very busy, leaning over the desk, filling out last minute paperwork, "This Balthazar nonsense got me buried in paper work! I thought being a Warmaster would involve a lot of reports but not to this extent. He was seen here, he was seen there, his fire hounds were seen in a circus by at least 5 drunk guys, " she dismissively waved towards smaller stack of papers, which caused Brennan to chuckle, "A lot of human recruits coming me for advice and I know nothing about their gods I am raised entirely different system of beliefs and I have no idea what to say..."

"Don't look at me babe, I am a filthy heathen." Brennan chuckled and raised his hands defensively.

"I know, honey just... a lot to do right now, and anytime I finish a stack more piles on top, Spirits grant me patience." she rubbed bridge of her nose, "OH right! Almorra wanted me to send you to Elona."

"Oh?"

"Legitimate source on whereabouts of Balthazar, handful of other orders are going as well. Need you to assess the situation and see how things are, your usual scouting for me." Neala shuffled some papers on her desk without lifting her eyes," Bruce and Ryan are going too, with their order, so you will at least have some familiar company."

"What about you?" Brennan asked, with a slight disappointment at the potential answer.

"Not yet." He expected that, but he felt even more sad now, " She needs me here to train any new and potential recruits that could be used in Elona, so they are not thrown at Balthazar untrained." She lifted her head, " You seem disappointed by that."

"Well, was kind of hoping you'd tag along, new lands an all." he squeezed out a smile.

"This is not a vacation, honey, but...I am not gonna lie I am a bit envious, some of the reports I've seen say it's beautiful. Promise to write extra detailed for me, yes?"

"Of course!" He winked at her, and sat down in front of her desk, "Do you have a lot left?"

"I mean, I have to go through this whole stack, "Neala gesticulated in the general direction to the left, to a very tall stack of papers, " But I want to finish these 3 reports before we head home, if it's alright." She sat down as well, scribbling away at the reports, without lifting her eyes. They sat in silence for a while. Normally, it'd bother Brennan, but around her, it felt comforting. Behind the door, he could hear distant chattering and clanking, of the busy Vigil, somewhere further down, recruits training. Neala's office was a bit small, but she managed to make it look cozy, even with all the paperwork blocking the majority of it. He looked over to Neala, who was buried in writing away. Faint smell of ink, sound of pen scratching the paper, occasional rustling of the paper, as she turned the page. He smiled, but didn't interrupt her, even though he wast tempted to gently fix her hair.

"I am almost done." She said as she set the paper she was working on aside, and took the last one from the small stack she was working on.

"Take your time, Corrigan's cooking tonight, I don't feel like rushing home." Brennan remarked.

"Heh, you know Bruce is actually a good cook." Neala chuckled, not lifting her eyes of the paper.

"I know, I just like to poke fun at him."

"And that he has an actual name."

"What, nonsense!" Brennan laughed and Neala did too, "Really bizzare to think about!" Something that started as a snide remark, just became a habit and neither of them could call each other by their first name, it felt weird. He put his hands in his pockets, and remembered what he wanted to do, after he felt a pouch. Sudden fear and nervousness overwhelmed him, but Neala didn't seem to notice. He stared at the pouch, rubbing it with his thumb, and mentaly encouraging himself. After what seemed like an hour, he finally turned to Neala, "Hey uh...I have something for you to look at." he gently tossed the pouch in front of her. Neala raised her eyes from paper, first at the pouch, then at Brennan.

"What is it?" She asked slowly.

"Take a look for yourself, and tell me what you think." Brennan smiled coily. Neala put her pen down and picked up the pouch. It was made of black velvet and wasn't bigger than her palm. She carefully opened it and let the contents drop into her other palm. It was a silver ring with a sapphire and slightly smaller ones on the other sides. Neala admired the ring, bu was rather puzzled about it. She looked at Brennan, and he just kept smilling.

"I...I am not sure what to think of it, it's a gorgeous ring though." She smilled, studying the ring that was still in her palm. Brennan took her other hand in his, hoping she wouldn't notice him shaking.

"Neala, will you do this marriage thing with me?" Neala looked at him puzzled, then looked back at the ring in her hand and gasped.

"Are you serious?!"

"I have never been more serious in my life. I love you, I have never felt like this for anyone in my life and...I might not be the greatest guy all around, but you bring out the best in me, and I'd love nothing more than to spend my life with you, if you'll have me." he gently squeezed her hand. It felt weird being this vulnerable and honest, but not with her. Not for a while now.

"Yes...Yes I will do the marriage thing with you!" Neala stuttered tears streaming down your face, "I love you too. You might be harsh and abrasive but underneath all that you are very sweet guy who'd go a mile for people he cares about and I am glad I am one of them. "She sniffled, "H-here, do it for me." she handed him the ring back, and Brennan put it on her hand, his own hands shaking, "Did I say yes? I am not sure but yes again!"

"Yes you did." He laughed. Neala got off her seat and run up to him, Brennan barely managing to get up himself before she wrapped herself around him and cried.

"I'm sorry I'm just happy!" She leaned back, wiping her eyes a bit, "I expected you to do it with more pizzazz, not that this wasn't nice of course! You just...seem to like all the extra."

"Heh, I thought about it, but in the end I figured...what matters is your answer and not how I ask, I think." He pressed her forehead against hers, and they stood in silence for a moment.

"Neala Flynn...It has a ring to it, I like it." Neala finally broke the silence, and laughed.

"Are you saying marrying me is worthy conquest in your book for a surname?" he smiled.

"Absolutely."