#self indulgent fluff alert XD

[blackjackkent]

Fluffy fic alert. XD I have been looking repeatedly at the new Karlach kisses with Patch 6 and one of the things I love about it is that it's so... joyful? Happy? Karlach is a very sweet person in general but her and Hector's relationship has been so touched by all the terrible things happening to them, and the terrible fate hanging over her, and Hector's reserved emotions, that it's just so nice to think of them kind of being happy and laughing together a little bit too. <3

So here's some writing about them being kinda goofy and cute together for once. XD

Set around the border between Act 2 and Act 3, some camp night during the travel to the city.

-----

"Hey, you." Karlach drops to her knees behind Hector where he's sitting at the campfire, sliding her arms around his waist. Her lips press gently against the back of his neck, and she smiles against his skin as she feels him squirm with the unexpected contact. "Gotcha."

He laughs softly. "Ahh... you caught me," he says, mock-dramatically, letting himself flop back into her arms at once. His head rolls to the side, opening his neck for further kisses, and she obliges willingly, nuzzling into him, against his ear, under his jaw, just at the place where his neck meets his shoulder.

He lets his eyes drift closed, and his breath escapes him in a soft, eager sigh. Weeks it's been, now, since the first time they touched - since Dammon fixed her engine and made it possible at last - and yet every moment still feels like a gift. It still feels a little like he's dreaming. All his life of books and prayers never prepared him in the slightest for that fierce blaze of love that goes through him whenever she touches him, whenever he looks in her eyes.

"Now you've caught me," he mumbles playfully, "what'll you do with me?"

She laughs and rests her chin on his shoulder, nosing into his hair. "Hm... not sure. Hadn't thought that far ahead. You're quite a prime specimen after all. Savior of the shadow-cursed lands... defender of the grove... "

"I did have help on all that," he points out, opening one eye.

"Shhhh." She nips his earlobe gently. "I'm flattering you; don't change the subject."

"Oh." He grins, turning in her embrace, his expression deliberately contrite. "My apologies, then. Do carry on."

She plants a kiss firmly between his eyes. "Right. As I was saying-- prize specimen. Got to make sure you're properly looked after. Put somewhere safe where you won't get hurt."

"Mm. Somewhere like your tent?" he asks, his eyes glinting with amusement.

"Did have something like that in mind, maybe." She winks at him, and he feels a pleasant little shiver run all through his body.

He pushes himself up on his knees, cups one hand against her cheek and pulls her closer to him, pressing his lips to hers. The kiss is warm and slow and he draws it out, savoring her taste-- and then yelps softly as her fingers close in a soft squeeze on his rear. "Ack," he sputters against her mouth; it's not particularly dignified, the more so because he's laughing at the same time.

She snickers at the expression on his face. "Gotcha again."

"Mmph. You have me entirely at a disadvantage." His grin widens, and then he lurches his weight forward without warning, toppling her over onto her back with him on top of her. "But not for long."

"Oh, hells!" she says dramatically, looking up at him with laughter in her eyes. "The great Karlach Cliffgate, trapped at last."

He catches both of her hands in his, pulls first one and then the other to his lips. "An even greater prize than Hector Carlisle, I dare say."

"Mmmm... I'd call it even, personally." She pulls one hand free, reaches up and catches the collar of his shirt to pull him down towards her. Their lips meet again-- but only briefly; he turns his head almost at once to brush further kisses along her cheek, her forehead, the tip of her nose.

When he draws back, he finds that her smile has faded a little and she is looking up at him with a suddenly thoughtful expression. He tips his head questioningly. "All right?" he asks gently.

"Yeah, I just--" She laughs softly, wonderingly. "Was just thinking about how I used to be. Jump aboard anyone willing, y'know, like I told you. Wasn't much of... y'know. This. You ask me the last time someone kissed my nose, I don't think I could tell you."

He, of course, has had even less experience than she has, so he knows exactly what she means. "We've got a lot of catching up to do," he agrees.

She rolls sideways, pushing him underneath her, their lips a breath apart. He lifts his head to close the distance but she tips her head back in answer, holding them just on the edge of the kiss. Her gaze searches his, and she runs her fingers slowly along his jaw and cheek, then up through his hair.

"I love you," she whispers.

He smiles, but his breath catches a little with the stab of emotion through him that is almost painful in its intensity. "I love you too..." he answers. "More than words."

She grins, nuzzling her nose against his. "Really? No big words out of all your books that fit the moment?"

He makes a show of thinking for a moment, then shakes his head. "Not a one," he says earnestly. "You are indescribable."

She laughs and nips at his lower lip before capturing his mouth again in a kiss. "Very smooth, Soldier..."

-----

"Gods," Astarion mutters, rolling his eyes. He's sitting with his back against the stone mouth of the cave where they've made camp, an unwilling and rather sulky participant in the latest shift of guard duty. "It's like watching one of those dreadful romances at the Oasis. And not one of the subtle ones, either. I suppose they forgot anyone else was still awake."

"You are not required to watch them," Halsin rumbles dryly from where he sits in the grass outside. "In fact it's the opposite of what we'd like you to do. A fine joke it will be if an Absolutist spear lodges in your side because you were too fascinated by our friends' business."

"I'm not fascinated," Astarion says petulantly. "It's not my fault they're making such a show of it." A slight pause. "Though you must admit it's quite a change. Who would have thought we'd ever see Carlisle of all people grinning away like a besotted schoolboy?"

"The arrow of Hanali Celanil often strikes the targets that least expect it," Halsin answers placidly. "Do you begrudge it of him?"

"Hardly. I've far more important things to worry about." Astarion shrugs. "As do they, while we're on the subject."

"All the more reason that joy should be indulged where it can be found," Halsin says pointedly. "Let them be. We may leave the curse of the shadows behind but I suspect there is still no shortage or darkness ahead."

[b4mpyre-k1zz3s]

could i request some chris pontius or steveo x shy reader? where maybe it's her first day on set and she like works in makeup and he's just flirting w her making a blushing mess lol tysm

Cat and Mouse

Y/N gets her first real job and gets caught up in a romance she could have never imagined!

Steve-O X Fem!Reader

(Fluff)

2.8k Words

Warnings: Suggestive content, slowburn, flirting, teasing, crude language, drinking, accidental injuries, praise, stalkerish behavior from Y/N if you squint

An: Thank you so much for the request!! Finals hav been kicking my ass lately but I somehow managed to crank this one out XD There’s something about the dynamic of this fic that just enchanted me and I would be more than happy to write this kind of fic for some of the other guys! I’d especially love to see what would play out with Johnny, but maybe that’s a little self indulgent X) Anyways, as always, my requests are open and I’m still accepting fic requests for my 100 follower special, so keep sending them in!! I have a few good ones of my own coming down the pipeline so keep your eye out! ;)

It was your first day on set, so it was understandable that you were nervous as you walked into the trailer on the Paramount lot, your makeup kit in tow. All you were told when you first got the job was where you would report to and that you would be working on a movie set- that’s it. Kinda sketchy but hey, maybe it’s a privacy thing. It was just you in the makeup trailer as you collected yourself, taking a deep breath as you flipped the bright white vanity lights on and started to set up your gear on the counter.

You were so immersed with arranging brushes and products that you didn’t even hear the trailer door open as your client walked in, only being alerted to his presence as you felt the foldy director’s chair he was sitting in shift a little as he took a seat. Holy shit. Speechless, you blinked a few times, trying to register who you were looking at- not that you didn’t know him, it’s just this was too good to not be some dream. “Are- are you Steve- O?” He chuckled, flashing you that boyish smile as he sat back in his chair, “In the flesh, baby.”

It was about then when you realized that maybe you were leaning a little too close to him- your boobs were practically squished against the back of his head. He didn’t seem to be that bothered by it, not looking upset in the slightest as you stepped away, blushing. It would be impossible to deny that you’d had a crush on Steve ever since you saw him on TV, back when he was swallowing goldfish for a living, and this first impression wasn't helping the feelings that stirred inside of you.

Trying to distract yourself, you grabbed a shade of concealer that looked like it matched his skin tone to cover up the blotchy mauve shiner that covered nearly a quarter of his face- a product of a movie star lifestyle you could only dream of. “Hey, don’t worry about it.” Steve gestured to the glaring mark with a finger, his voice low, “Kinda wanna keep it there. Looks pretty rad, y’know?” You nodded, the only response your body could give, your eyes wide. He seemed so cool, so calm in comparison to his usual obnoxious stunt dude behavior.

And so you continued with what you were being paid to do, trying your damnedest to stay professional. This was hard, especially when you needed to lean in towards him, maybe four inches away from Steve’s face, tilting his chin up with your left hand to get the angle you needed to look at something or other. Of course, he wasn’t making it easy for you with how he kept catching your gaze the whole time with those sweet eyes of his. Part of you was a little pissed off- what gives him the right to do this? To make you all flustered with nothing but a look- but another part of you was maybe a little too excited at all of this.

A few minutes in the same room as him and you were already wrapped around his finger. Hell, you weren't in the slightest turned off when you caught him stealing glances down your shirt when he thought you weren’t paying attention. Weirdly, you found that kind of endearing, maybe even attractive. Those five minutes in the makeup trailer felt like an eternity and you breathed a sigh of relief as you stood up after you finished your job. Turning around, you went to zip up your case when you heard something behind you, “Hey, what’s your name, makeup lady?” Your heart jumped a little when he spoke up, his raspy voice barely above a whisper. You whipped around, nearly nose to nose with Steve as you avoided looking at him as much as you could, concealing your pink face, “My name’s Y/N.”

You couldn’t see it, but there was a little glint in Steve’s eye when he realized just how much he was affecting you. “Well,” His voice took on a slightly different tone, “I guess I’ll be seeing you around, Y/N.” And just like that, he was gone out the trailer door that he didn’t bother to close on his way out.

And you wished it ended there- that you could just be left alone with your silly schoolgirl crush on the cool movie star, but of course it didn’t. It couldn’t. Of all places, it happened in the white food tent around lunch time. You were going down the line of fold up tables, picking through what the catering services had brought in those silver aluminum pans- chicken, some vedgie thing, and some crinkle fries- when you heard someone call to you from a ways back, “Hey, makeup lady!” Assuming it was some production supervisor (they never seemed to respect you), you rolled your eyes, not even looking back as you replied, “I have a name, you know.”

“Oh yeah! Shit, what was it…Y/N!” Your heart sank when you realized who it was as they slipped in next to you in line. Steve seemed totally unphased, still as friendly as he was before but with a suggestive tone in his voice that made you shiver, “So, how’s your first day goin’? Everyone nice?” He didn’t take anything from the trays as he moved along, seemingly only there to talk to you, “If not, I’ll totally kick their ass.” You hoped Steve didn’t notice how much your hands were shaking as you nodded and smiled, hiding the warmth on your cheeks as you speed walked away with half a plate of food.

He wore that smug ass look on his face with pride as he sat down at the table with the guys like he just won the Super Bowl. Understandably, they were a little confused at his bravado. Johnny wasn't impressed, “What the hell was that?” Steve just grinned as he took a sip of his beer, shooting a glance over to where you were sitting with your back turned to not look conspicuous, “That chick’s in love with me. Watch.” Steve turned his head back and just as he did, you whipped around almost on command to try and catch a glimpse of him with that needy look in your eyes like a lost puppy. Unbelievable. Of course, all the guys besides Steve immediately turned towards you and made eye contact. Faced with this, you were a deer in the headlights, and quickly returned to your food.

Bam chuckled, a sly grin spreading across his lips, “Dude, if she’s got the hots for you that bad, you gotta get that ass!” He spoke as if he was some experienced playboy, but he had no clue. It’s not just about sex- there was a lot more to whatever it was that was going on between Steve and the makeup girl. When broken down, the two of you really wanted the exact same thing, the only difference was that she was too shy to admit it and he wasn’t. It evolved into a hunt- a cat and mouse game. This was more than getting ass. “Whatever, Bam.” Steve rolled his eyes. Ryan leaned to one side to get a better look at you, “Oh yeah- you gotta tap that.” Johnny cracked up at his bluntness and Pontius simply shoveled a bite of food into his mouth, flipping Steve a thumbs up.

You knew it was in violation of your contract but something you weren't proud of inside you compelled you to do it. On the lazy afternoons you weren't doing makeup but you were still on the clock, you found yourself snooping around the set in hope of getting a glimpse of Steve. It wasn't a tall order to blend in with the nameless PAs and set people, so you mostly went unnoticed, ducking behind corners and slipping into empty dressing rooms. Every time you saw Steve chatting with the guys with a beer in hand, or in the middle of a stunt if you were lucky, you had to hold yourself back from giggling like a teenage girl. However, it wasn't always that easy to get your fix.

This routine went on without any hiccups for about a week before a problem was presented. Filming was outside for a stunt involving the Three 6 Mafia, but the dense summer heat was pushed completely out of your mind as you peeked out from behind a white trailer. There, in front of all the cameras, was Dave, Bam, and Steve, filming some bit where Dave eats horse shit. All vomiting aside, the only thing you could see was how cute Steve looked in the little farmer’s outfit that the costume department whipped up. Sweat glistened on his skin under the midday sun as he took off his straw hat, using it to fan himself. It’s rare for a guy to be able to pull off the overalls no shirt look, but he certainly could. Damn.

But just as you were thinking about how you wouldnt mind shucking his corn, you accidentally made eye contact with Bam. Oh shit. There wasn't a way in hell that he didn’t see you. You hadn’t even noticed that you were steadily creeping out from your hiding place until you were far from the safety of the trailer wall, so, acting on prey animal instincts, you ducked behind the nearest object.

“Hmm?” It was only then that you noticed what you ducked behind was a man- Ryan, to be specific. God, if this could get any worse. Drink in hand, he just raised an eyebrow, looking down at the strange scene- you, crouching behind his foldy chair, “Makeup lady?” Oh, you were screwed. You could feel your fingers go numb as you panicked, your fight or flight instincts kicking in as you skirted away, your heart beating out of your chest. Ryan shrugged, taking a sip of his beer.

It was embarrassing how flustered you got around Steve but you just couldn’t help it. You had a lot of time to mull over it before you came into work the next day and it was apparent; something had to happen or else you were sure you would spontaneously combust. The tension was killing you, but there was no way he’d pay you any mind. Immagine a celebrity like him dating- hell, going on a date- with some makeup artist he met on set. Be reasonable, you thought, cleaning off your brushes idly.

Steve strutted into the makeup trailer, cool as ever, “Hey! How’s my favorite girl doin’?” Your knees felt a little weak under you at his words, holding yourself up with one hand on the back of the chair as he sat down. His favorite. No, no, he didn’t mean it like that. No way he would. “I’m, uh- I’m good, yeah.” You hardly noticed the smirk on his lips as you hurried to distract yourself, busying your hands with your brushes to still their nervous shaking. This was not what you needed this early in the morning.

Suddenly, time froze as you heard the hard thwack of your elbow against the side of Steve’s face. Your jaw fell and you stumbled over your words, hurriedly apologizing at your absentmindedness, “O-oh my god! I am so sorry- I can’t believe-“ He was still a little stunned, the mark on his face reddening, when you realized that you had instinctively reached out, gently touching the soreness on his perfect cheekbone out of concern without realizing what you were doing. It was like lightning shot through your fingertips, traveling up your arm, and your face said it all. Steve just smiled that cute, boyish smile, making eye contact for just a second longer than a person normally would, “Hey, it’s cool. I don’t mind.” You felt the tips of your ears get hot as he winked at you, “But hell, you of all people know how’t touch it up.”

Taking a deep breath, you pushed down all your nerves as you cleared your throat and tried to sound confident as you grabbed something to cover up your blunder, “I really liked your performance yesterday.” It was a vain attempt at small talk, sure, but it was something. He looked up at you, “Oh, did you?” There was a funny tone in Steve’s voice- sweet and kinda teasing- that gave you butterflies in your stomach and made you wonder if you were really as sneaky as you thought you were being, “What part did’y like? The puking or me shovin’ stuff in my ass?”

God, how he laughed when Steve saw how embarrassed you got. Stuttering a bit, you tried to come up with an explanation, but he just waved you off, “Ah, I’m just fuckin’ with ya. But I mean, if you wanna watch sometime,” The euphemism wasn't lost on you and he could practically see the thoughts running through your head as he continued, “I could bring you to check out the set sometime.” All you could do was nod. Oh, he knew. And the worst part was he didn’t care.

Steve chuckled as you practically led him around the set. It was like you knew the place because, well, you did, but he pretended not to know about your little stalker activities. While you were busy, Jeff came up and tapped him on the shoulder, “Hey, dude. Rick needs you- something about that rake jump stunt.” And when you looked back from ogling some camera equipment, Steve was gone.

But from across the set, you met eyes with Chris who smiled at you with that dopey grin you’d seen so many times on tv. One week in and you were still getting starstruck. He walked over to you, striking up a conversation, “Hey, Y/N! You know what I heard?” Chris leaned in towards you like he was gonna tell you a secret, shooting a nod towards Steve as he was walking away, “I heard he’s awesome in bed. I mean, that’s what I’ve heard from the ladies.” You could tell that Chris saw this as a perfectly normal conversation topic, but you still got a little flustered, “O-oh, he is?” Chris nodded.

Sitting on camping chairs under one of those fold out tents you see at barbecues, Johnny and Bam watched from afar, cracking open cans of Miller High Life. Bam turned his head to one side like a dog, peering around Chris’ shoulder, “Looks like Pontius is tryin’t steal Steve’s girl.” Johnny chuckled, bringing his can to his lips, “Once he gets his claws in her there’s no way he’ll get her back. We oughta’ go interviene.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a blur of two men who you recognized as Johnny and Bam. Chris waved, “Oh, hey guys! We were just talking about how great Steve is in bed!” He gave Bam a nod, “Isn’t that right?” His eyes went wide for a second before he caught on, “Oh, yeah! He’s, uh- he’s great.” Johnny quirked an eyebrow from behind his sunglasses, “Have you slept with him, Bam?” It was like a Three Stooges bit as Bam rushed to cover his ass, putting his hands up, “No- no! I mean, I heard that he was good.”

“I mean, I’d get it from Chris, but I never expect that from you.” Ignoring Johnny’s teasing, he reached out a hand to you at the perfect time to formally introduce himself, “Hey, I’m Bam. I really like girls.” Eyes wide at all the action that was suddenly happening around you, you just nodded. You couldn’t decide if this was him hitting on you or not when you felt a protective hand on your shoulder as someone spoke from behind you, “Okay, guys. Get lost.” Jumping a little, you turned around and might as well have leapt ten feet off the ground. It was Steve. All the guys joked and dispersed as he spun you around, turning you to face him and that smile that always got to you, “They didn’t say anything bad about me, did they?” You fiddled with one of your nails, looking anywhere but his face as you joked back to try and ease the tension, “Oh, on the contrary!”

Steve smiled, leaning a little bit closer to you as the low tone of his voice slipped into nearly a whisper, “I’m gonna be honest with ya, Y/N. I really like ya.” The way that he could just go out there and say that with such confidence made you break a sweat, and you were practically glued to the ground you stood on as he nearly whispered into your ear, “Let’s get drinks sometime, yeah?” All you could do was nod in response.

[psychedelic-ink]

A/N: Hello all! This is the first of the “A gift for you” xmas event requested by @nakunakunomi aka Hazel! She requested herself with Shanks, hopefully you’ll enjoy this Hazel because this is the first time I’m writing for Shanks xD also wishing you an early merry Christmas! 

Genre: Fluff / Romance

Word Count: 1808k 

Prompt: Decorations

Hazel’s eyes widened, her insides felt all warm and tingly as she took in the sight that fell before her. A goofy smile spread across her lips, she was blinded by the colorful fairy lights that seemed to shine across the entire island. Millions of Christmas trees stood in the center of the island, she could see children with their parents decorating them with silver tinsel and colorful shiny bulbs. 

The snow crunched underneath her boots as she started to make her way down. The rest of the crew, much to her annoyance, had fallen asleep as soon as they docked. But curiosity brew inside of her and taking Shanks black long coat Hazel head off into the unknown. 

Now seeing the view, she was so glad that she did. 

When Hazel reached the center of this decorated island her senses were invaded with the smell of gingerbread cookies and the sound of festive music playing. Some part inside of her was telling her to be alert and that this could be a trap to lure poor sailors but then again...who could resist the smell of gingerbread cookies?

She walked towards the nearest food stand, giggles came from every direction, the environment was truly intoxicating. Hazel stood in front of one stand that seemed to be the main source of the delicious scent. Pulling out her pouch she glanced up at the seller who had a thick black mustache. 

“How much for a cookie?”

“Three beri!” the man exclaimed joyfully. 

“I’ll take one.” 

Hazel smiled as she pulled out three beri from her pouch, the man wrapped the gingerbread man’s bottom with a napkin, which made her giggle like a child, and gave it to her. She gasped noticing that it was way bigger than she anticipated. Hazel could easily share this with Shanks, she wouldn’t want to of course, but she could if he really begged her. 

The treat felt warm in her hand, she thanked the man and left. Taking a bite, Hazel walked towards the center of the city. She hummed happily as the soft cookie melted in her mouth, it made her feel happy and giddy. Continuing to munch on it she walked towards the trees, examining each one. 

They all looked beautiful and shiny, Hazel felt like she was in the middle of a forest. How did they even bring all of the trees here? she thought noticing that they were, indeed, real trees. Continuing her strolling, she noticed a small boy with a red sweater. He was holding a big sparkly silver orb, he reached out on his toes but then huffed with frustration. He looked around only to find Hazel shoving the last parts of the gingerbread man into her mouth. 

“Hey lady!” he shouted waving towards her. “Can you help me please?” 

“Um…sure?” Hazel replied as her eyes scanned the area in hopes of seeing this boy’s parents. 

She sighed and walked towards the boy. His eyes sparkling he extended the silver ornament towards Hazel after she took it the boy pointed up. 

“I want it to be on the top branch.” 

Hazel’s eyebrow twitched at that, she wasn’t the tallest of the bunch and she didn’t want to disappoint this sparkly eyed boy. The tree was probably about two meters tall, so maybe they could put it on the top branch if the boy stood on her shoulders? 

“Here take this back.” she pushed the ornament towards the boys chest and kneeled down. “Get on.” 

The boy tilted his head to the side. 

“Really?”

“Do it before I change my mind,” Hazel replied, grinning at the boy. “There’s no way I can reach there on my own.” 

The boy was quick to climb on top of Hazel’s shoulders, he gasped when she stood up but it was quickly followed by a gleeful giggle. Hazel had a smile of her own as she stepped closer to the tree, the boy reached out and placed his ornament. Hazel giggled when the boy extended his tiny arms into the air and shouted a yay. When she put him back to the ground he quickly thanked her and ran off to find his parents to show them. 

Hazel waved him off with a smile, when the boy vanished her gaze landed back onto the tree. Raising an eyebrow a mischievous smile spread across her lips, an idea was in her mind and it was going to be spectacular. 

Hazel sighed as she hoisted yet another bag filled with decorations up the ship. It’d been a chaotic week but in the and she knew it would be worth it. Pretty much the whole crew knew what she was up to and they were all happy to help, they also enjoyed watching Shanks whine like a child because he had no idea what was going on. The crew could be quite tortuous towards their captain. 

But today was the day. Hazel had successfully stolen three trees worth of decorations, cookies, hot chocolate and many many colorful fairy lights. She promised the crew to do their laundry for a week if they would stall Shanks until the sun went down. They were more than happy to help.  

With butterflies in her stomach she started to decorate the hall leading up to his cabin. A million scenarios flew through her head as she started putting up the lights. What would Shank’s reaction be? He was already suspicious of her, what if he didn’t like that she turned the ship into basically a mini version of the island?

Hazel let out a shaky breath and placed two reindeers in front of the door. She had named them Buggy one and Buggy two, the red nose the three of them had in common had everything to do with it. 

She opened the door leading to Shanks cabin and immediately rolled her eyes, ofcourse it was a mess, she didn’t expect anything less of him. Hazel quickly scooped up the mess and stuffed everything into a nearby closet. She hung the yellow fairy lights, placed the miniature christmas trees, lit the cinnamon and marshmallow scented candles. Lastly she brought the many fluffy blankets, soft pillows and placed them on the bed. 

Taking a step back Hazel gazed at the masterpiece she had bestowed upon this once upon a time messy bedroom. The fairy lights illuminated a soft light along with the scented candles, she had lit them before so the room would smell nice before Shank’s arrival. 

Hazel took in a deep breath of it, the smell made her hungry for gingerbread cookies. She was just about to self indulge herself and relax before the surprise but then her eye caught a glimpse of the window, the sun was almost completely gone, the sky now a mix between blue and purple. 

“Shit.” she whispered and ran to the kitchen. 

Quickly Hazel made the hot chocolates and dumped the cookies on to a big plate, there was no time to arrange them, placing all of them on a tray she speed walked back to to the room. Placing the tray, she held her breath as muffled talking reached her ears. 

“What is this?” he heard a surprised Shanks asking. “Benn did you do this?”

“I...I was with you all day?”

“I’m on to you…” 

Hazel’s stomach churned as she hurriedly sat on the bed, she crossed and uncrossed her legs not knowing how to sit. Finally she decided to cross them and listened to the steps that got closer and closer to Shank’s cabin. 

Even knowing that they were coming Hazel still flinched when the door burst open. Shanks, followed by Benn, both gazed at the decorated room with mouths agape. A smile spread across Hazel’s lips as Shanks eyes took in the sight with awe, finally after examining each decoration his dark eyes landed on her. 

Benn patted Shanks on the shoulder. 

“I’ll leave you two at it then.” and with that he left. 

Hazel could hear her heart beating in her ears, she swallowed as Shanks took a step inside and closed the door. His eyes got bigger with every new detail he noticed. Hazel’s palms started to sweat, she wished that he would just say something already. 

“Merry christmas!” Hazel said with both hands in the air, finally breaking the silence. 

“Christmas?” Shanks replied, snorting. “Since when do we celebrate that?” 

“I honestly just thought that the decorations looked cool.” her eyes shifted to the floor. “Do...do you like it?”

Shanks chuckled as he walked towards her, placing his hand gingerly on top of her head he caressed her red locks. Sitting down the bed dipped underneath his weight. 

“I love it.” he said and continued to play with her hair. “How did you manage to do so much and so little time?”

“With a concept that is unfamiliar to you.” 

“And what might that be?”

“Hardwork.” 

Shanks rolled his eyes but laughed with her. With her mission a success, Hazel wrapping her arms around his broad chest tackled him to the bed and buried her face into his neck. Shanks arm came around her waist as a reflex, he placed a kiss on top of her head as he continued to chuckle. 

“Hey,” he said softly against her soft hair. “I have a surprise for you too.” 

With that Hazel propped herself up on her elbow, with wide eyes she grinned at her. 

“Really?” she asked excitedly. 

“Yes really,” with one hand he dug into his jacket. He pulled out two hats. “Well not just you, I bought one for myself as well.” 

Hazel took the hat, it was like the ones she saw before. Red with a white bobble on top, the only difference being there was something written on it with green glitter. Hazel raised an eyebrow as she read it outloud. 

“Naughty?” she squinted her eyes and looked at Shanks. “What does yours say?”

Shanks smirked as he turned his hat, it read “nice”. 

“Really?” Hazel asked, amused. “I’m the naughty one in this relationship?” 

“Okay fine,” he sighed. “You give me the naughty hat.” 

With a toothy grin Hazel placed the hat on top of her head, happy that apparently both of them were thinking about each other. 

“I love it,” you whispered. “Thank you.”

“Of course love.” 

Shanks suddenly hoisted himself up with one arm, taking you by surprise he placed a soft kiss on your lips. Your shocked impression quickly melted into a smile as he parted away. 

“Come on,” you said gesturing towards the, probably now cold, hot chocolates. “Let’s drink before they get even colder.”

Shanks followed your gesture and his face lit up further when he saw the tray. Then his gaze landed back to her. 

“How did I end up being so lucky?”

“Honestly, I have no idea.”    

[yellowmagicalgirl]

Fic Writer Tag Game

I was tagged by @eurazba​, @im-the-king-of-the-ocean​, and @rockymountainvixen​

Fandoms: I’ve written and published for (on ao3 and ffn at least)  Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Tai Chi Chasers/태극천자문, Sailor Moon, Puella Magi Madoka Magica/魔法少女まどか★マギカ, iZombie, Harry Potter, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Tales of Arcadia, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, RWBY, Utena, Enola Holmes Mysteries, Pretty Cure, and TAZ: Graduation.

Where you post: FFN and AO3

Most popular multi-chapter fic: On FFN it’s either Supplanter (top review and fave count) or D'un Chat Noir à Un Autre (top view and alert count). On AO3 it’s either Birds, Bees, and Blood Magic (top subscription, hit, and bookmark count) which I wrote with @tunafishprincess​, Supplanter again (top kudos count), or Once and Maybe Future (top comment count). Overall, I’d say Supplanter is my most popular across all sites.

Favorite story you’ve written so far: Hmm, I’d have to say either Destiny's Pawn, Every Ghost in Me, Juliet Dies in This, or Cast Away Your True Love's Kiss. They were certainly rather self-indulgent (I mean, one of them was also written for a tumblr prompt but I’m glad I actually wrote my weird AU instead of something more generic) and therefore in many ways fun to write. In addition, these are also accomplishments for me, being my four longest fics on AO3. (If you go to FFN you’ll see that Once and Maybe Future and With the Distance Amplified are stated as longer than Cast Away Your True Love's Kiss, but those are multichaps with authors’ notes in each chapter and thus the word count is changed. Plus the 3rd chapter of With the Distance Amplified is an apology and an outline.)

Fic you were nervous to post: the last scattered petals was definitely one since I was writing a whumptober fic that was very clearly tagged for character death and body horror for the PreCure fandom (while also mentioning that the fic was mildly inspired by PMMM) and I’ve received (now deleted) flames for that fic. People, do we need to bring back writing “Don’t Like Don’t Read No Flames XD” in our summaries 🙄

Similarly, I posted (the garrote killing me is made of your) heartstrings, Miracles and Magic Do Exist!, Who Run the World?, and With the Distance Amplified with trepidation bc of antis who disliked the ships I was writing for. Thankfully, I never received any hate for the ships of any of those fics, though someone did get mad that I used a phase along the lines of “this takes place a couple months after the Galra Keith reveal” even though the fic was written prior to season 2 making Galra Keith canon. However, this trepidation was one of the many things that caused me to never finish writing With the Distance Amplified.

How you choose your titles: I have a tendency to look up the lyrics of songs I like (and think fit the fic) and pick from the lyrics.

Do you outline: Sort of. I will bold and bracket brief descriptions of things that are supposed to happen in oneshots. I also outline multichaps that aren’t just oneshot collections, but they can look very different from each other.

The outlines to Juliet Dies/Survives In This are very much bullet points with sub-bullets because they’re 5+1/5 things fics. Here’s the entire outline for Juliet Dies in This ; the Juliet Survives in This outline is more detailed but I’m not posting it bc not only is it very dark it also contains a plot twist I refuse to spoil.

Here’s a snippet from the outline for my current longest fic, Destiny's Pawn. I made a copy of it for my own use and then wrote directly on the non-copy, deleting the bolded lines as I went. (The copy was made before Zoe’s name was known.) I used D and K at the beginning of the line to determine which POV was being used. I feel like this snippet also displays how much better I am at coming up with angst scenes than fluff scenes. I had concrete ideas for the angstier scenes, so I wrote a lot about them in the outline. Meanwhile, I was scrambling to figure out how to write cute romantic fluff scenes bc I had decided to leave that work for later in my outline.

Here is a snippet from a oneshot I’m writing, to show how I outline oneshots when I use Fighter’s Block for my writing

Here is a snippet from the outline for the Cagemates AU; I feel like this one is the most formal style of outline. Then again, it’s also gonna be rather long.

Complete: On AO3 86 bc I write a lot of oneshots. I am not going to go back and count all the complete works on FFN bc that’s a pain to sort.

In progress: Technically there’s a chapter of Once and Maybe Future that I’m working on and might just split into two chapters. Also, Juliet Survives in This, the oneshot I showed a snippet of, and a Secret Santa fic.

Coming soon/not yet started: The Cagemates AU is only an outline.

Do you accept prompts: If I reblog a meme asking for prompts then yes. Also, I guess I might take prompts if anyone were to ever actually send me asks but I can’t promise I will write them.

Upcoming story you are most excited to write: Uhhhh honestly I’m excited to write most of them.

I’m tagging @tunafishprincess​, @stellarcat52​, @phoenixyfriend​​, @nebulousneko​, @infographicphenomenon​, and any other writer friends who haven’t been tagged yet. Your participation is optional.

[arda-ancalima]

Fairy tale for Obi-Wan and Siri. Childhood for Tahl and Qui-Gon.

Thanks for the fic prompts!! These were fun to play with. :D

Well, as usual I worked on and let these sit for waaaaay too long and am now throwing the imperfect projects out to the world and running away, promising myself I’ll fix them if I want them on Ao3 later. The first one also got way too long and the second is self-indulgent fluff - I hope you enjoy! XD (and maybe one day I’ll even not be apologetic when I post content lol)

Fairy tale for Obi-Wan and Siri

“Somehow, whenever I’m ona mission with you, we always get separated from our masters,” Siri grumbled,glaring at Obi-Wan as if it was his fault they were stranded in this forest.Qui-Gon and Adi had been called back to the city, and left their Padawans tocontinue looking for their suspect in the outlying village and forest, but theyhad gotten lost.

“This is only the secondtime.” Obi-Wan held back a sigh and pulled his hood farther down against theincessant rain, for what good it did. The fabric, heavy from absorbing so muchwater, clung to his skin.

“Also, you’re an idiot.”

Obi-Wan felt his patienceslipping. “And how was I supposed to know that the native creatures atepebbles?”

“I thought you were thesenior Padawan.”

Obi-Wan was about to shootback a retort when his gaze caught the edge of a roof through the trees. “Isthat—”

“A house,” Siri said withobvious relief. She was also soaked and her hair hung limp in clumps around herface. Pushing it behind her ears, she hurried with Obi-Wan to the cottage andtook shelter under the eaves.

As they were catchingtheir breath and enjoying the respite from the rain, they felt a slight tremorin the Force. They were alert at once, and Obi-Wan kept his hand near hislightsaber.

Near them, the old-fashionedwooden door of the cottage opened and a human woman poked her head out. Herhair was jet black and her wrinkled face and hands indicated her age. She worea maroon dress and some goggles that were tinted and foggy. “Children! Come in,come in, get out of the rain!”

Obi-Wan and Siri exchangeda glance, but as the woman appeared harmless on the surface and they could usethe shelter, they followed her inside.

The woman directed them inthe kitchen and went toward another room. “Put your cloaks by the stove! I’llget you some blankets.”

Peeling off their hoods,Obi-Wan and Siri laid their garments by an old contraption they could only tellwas an oven because the woman had pointed to it and it had a large door.

Soon they were sittingaround a little table with the woman, wrapped in blankets with hot spicy tea.

“So, what brings youchildren all the way out here?” she said.

Obi-Wan noticed Siribristle at being called a child, so he jumped in. “We are Jedi, ma’am, looking forsomeone and got lost, and waiting for our masters to return with transport. I’mObi-Wan Kenobi, and this is Siri Tachi, miss…?”

“Call me Agatha, dear,”she said, her grin making Obi-Wan uneasy. “Jedi, you say? I’ve only heard ofJedi from the old tales. But you’re such wee ones.She squinted up and down at Obi-Wan through her foggy goggles as if sizing himup. He tried not to squirm. “Are you thin? Or properly plump? Give me your arm,my dear boy.”

Obi-Wan’s expressionturned horrified and he started to stretch out his arm, but Siri quickly kickedhim under the table and slipped him her lightsaber. Catching on, Obi-Wan pulledthe lightsaber back into his sleeve and guided the cloth-covered hilt to thewoman’s outstretched hand.

Agatha felt the slenderhandgrip of Siri’s lightsaber, much thinner than Obi-Wan’s own lightsaber, andtutted. “So thin. This will not do at all.”

Unable to withstand therevulsion that filled his stomach, Obi-Wan pulled the lightsaber back, willingthe woman not to react.

“So, Miss Agatha,” Siribroke in, her tone all business, but with uneasiness in her eyes. “Someone inthis sector used to be a nanny for the missing princess. Do you happen to knowwho?”

“Why of course, dear,”Agatha said. “It’s me.”

Obi-Wan and Siri bothstarted. “You?” Obi-Wan said.

“Am I not what you wereexpecting?”

“No, just, I didn’t thinkwe’d find you out here,” Obi-Wan stammered, not liking the stare she was stillgiving him. “We’ve been asked by the king to find an object once belonging tothe princess he thought you might have. A bracelet?”

They had been told it hadtracking information inside, and could help confirm or deny that the princesswas lost years ago while the king tried to determine his heir before sicknesstook him.

“Ah yes,” Agatha said, finallylooking away as she leaned back in her chair. “I do have it.”

“Can you lend it to us sowe can take it to the king?” Siri asked.

“Hm. Perhaps,” she said,disinterested. “It’s in a safe, if I could only remember the combination. Ithink I have it written down somewhere.”

“Will you please find itfor us?” Siri said, her smile clearly fake to anyone who could see properly.

Agatha considered. “I willdo my best, children. But there is so much to do around my home!”

Obi-Wan did his best topull himself together. “Why don’t we do some work around the house while you findthe code?”

Agatha gave anotherunnerving grin. “Splendid!” She pushed herself up with apparent great effort.“Girl, the kitchen needs to be swept and the oven made hotter for cooking. Boy,I need some crates unstacked in the attic. Run along now!” She swept out,leaving the two Padawans alone.

“Okay, we’re switchingjobs, right?” Siri said. “You know me and kitchen work.”

“We don’t want to upsetAgatha,” Obi-Wan reminded her. “She may be our only way to complete thismission.”

“Fine! I’ll do this stupidsweeping and turning up the oven! What sort of native food could she need theoven hotter for,” Siri grumbled as she grabbed the broom leaning against thewall and haphazardly swept back and forth.

Keeping his comments tohimself, Obi-Wan found a narrow staircase leading to the attic. When he openedthe little door, he saw the stacked crates she mentioned. He stepped in and thedoor shut with a soft click. Obi-Wan told himself to not be paranoid, and setto work.

It didn’t take long at allto unstack the crates so they were all accessible, and when he finished,Obi-Wan tried the door. He had been right to worry, as it was indeed lockedfrom the other side.

He had his lightsaber withhim, but he didn’t want to destroy someone’s property just on a suspicion; itcould have been unintentional.

But the sense he got fromSiri below told him otherwise. Obi-Wan quieted his mind and used the Force toheighten his senses, focusing on the voices coming from downstairs.

First the frustrated voiceof Agatha: “I can’t cook if it’s not hot enough, just climb in and test it.”

Then the strangely demurevoice of Siri: “I don’t know how. Can you show me?”

“Idiot girl!” Agatha said,pretenses obviously gone. “I’ll show you how—”

And then sounds of a slam,electronic beeps, and running footsteps before the attic door swung open.

“She was trying to captureus, as you may have guessed,” Siri said, beckoning for Obi-Wan to come downstairs.He followed her back to the kitchen, where there were muffled screams comingfrom the oven.

“Siri…did you…was shetrying to eat us?”

“Did I what?” Siri asked,then scowled as understanding dawned. “No, of course not. It’s not actually anoven.” She pointed out an unfamiliar panel. “It’s a carbon freezing chamber.Our friend is a little higher-tech than we thought. Agatha is safe, and alsolocked up. Giving us time to search for the bracelet and find out what she wasup to.”

Before long, they hadfound not only the bracelet they had been asked to locate, but other items thatthey guessed may have belonged to the royal child. Their suspicions wereconfirmed when they found a logbook detailing attempts at carbon freezing,noting that humans must be of a certain weight or, like a child it had beenattempted on, they would not survive the process. Obi-Wan and Siri looked ateach other.

“Even if we didn’t havethe bracelet to prove it, we have enough evidence that the princess waskidnapped by her nanny,” Obi-Wan said.

“I hate to think what thiswoman might have done to her,” Siri said just before her comlink signaled.“Hello Master, we found the bracelet and the culprit. We’ll need the royalguard to come take custody of the prisoner.

“The prisoner?” Adi’s dry voice came over the comlink.

“We have this missionbasically wrapped up, Master,” Obi-Wan said.

Siri grinned at him.“Yeah, turned out we could handle this one ourselves.”

“Wouldn’t mind transportthough, if perhaps Master Qui-Gon has finally worked it out?” Obi-Wan added,feeling the horror start to drift away.

“I can hear you, Padawan,” Qui-Gon broke in. “We’ll contact the palace and come find you. Siri, keep your comlinkactivated so we can track it.”

Obi-Wan tried to catch Siri’seye as she put her comlink back on her belt. “Thank you. You did some quickthinking.”

He meant it and knew sheunderstood, even as she brushed it off. “Just glad this mission is going tohave another happy ending.”

Childhood for Tahl and Qui-Gon

“Are you going to ask fora transfer?”

Qui-Gon started. “A what?”

Tahl tossed her studymaterials on his sleep couch and plopped on the floor where they usually spreadout their books after class. She waited for him to sit too, which he didreluctantly.

“You might be able to foolMaster Yoda, and most other people, but I know you best,” Tahl said. “You’reafraid of Dooku, and don’t think you’ll be a good match.”

“That’s not true, I’m notafraid,” Qui-Gon protested, feeling warm with embarrassment. Of course hecouldn’t hide what he’d been thinking all day from his best friend. “MasterDooku is one of the greatest swordsmen in the Order, and it’s an honor to knowI will be his Padawan when I turn thirteen.”

“But you don’t thinkyou’ll be a good fit,” Tahl pressed, her voice becoming gentle.

Qui-Gon paused, thinking.“I don’t know him very well. We seem to think differently about things, andhe’s sort of aloof. But I have much to learn, don’t I? I’ll probably be abetter Jedi if I learn from someone unlike me.”

Tahl considered this.“That makes sense. But you’re too nice for him, and ever since he chose you,you’ve been even quieter than usual. And I don’t think you’ve gotten intotrouble once, which really worriesme.”

Shrugging, Qui-Gon laugheda little despite himself. “I just want to be a good Padawan, and a good JediKnight someday.

“I know. And you will be,”Tahl said with her radiant smile. “But think about it, okay? There’s no shamein admitting you wouldn’t be a good fit.”

Qui-Gon sighed. “I’llmeditate on it.”

“That’s the tone that says‘I’m going to continue being stubborn about this thing, I’m just trying to getTahl to shut up.’”

Leave it to her to cheerhim up even after a day of worry. She was right though—he wasn’t going toconsider asking for a different master.

“So how is your class projectgoing?” Qui-Gon asked.

Tahl made a face. “It’sthe worst and I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I’m sure Master Difusalwould help you if you asked.”

“I can figure it out on myown.”

“Now who’s beingstubborn,” Qui-Gon said quietly, and looked up at Tahl with a half-smile.

Tahl sighed dramatically.“I hate it when you use my words against me. But I hate asking for help evenmore.”

“That’s not a sign ofweakness either,” Qui-Gon insisted. “Let me help you at least.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“But aren’t friendssupposed to help each other?”

Tahl was silent, and for afew moments they just sat together on the floor by Qui-Gon’s sleep couch.

“I’ll think about it,” shesaid finally.

“And you’re not justsaying that?” Qui-Gon asked softly.

Tahl locked eyes with him,and he could see her sincerity and depth of her care for their friendshipbeneath all the bickering. “…Okay. I’ll think about it for real.”

Qui-Gon smiled.

“If only because I knowyou won’t stop pestering me,” Tahl added.

“…You do know me well.”

[septic-dr-schneep]

Will you be writing fluff for Jackaboy and Schneep any time soon?

Hahaha, this fluff I just wrote is so self-indulgent I may just explode XD It’s sorta kinda based on this, but also just how I imagine any sort of late night studying would go with these two! 

This isn’t exactly the best bedtime story I could tell. Come tothink of it, this isn’t even a story.

As he thumbed through thetextbook propped on his knee, Jackieboy offered a sideways glance to hiscompanion. Schneep blinked back with a weary smile, tilting his head andsquirming slightly closer so he could see what page they were on.

They were nowhere near done with this, Jackie noted, resisting the urge todespair. Henrik had been working incredibly hard lately; he had a series ofupcoming tests to renew his doctor’s license and he needed to brush up on someof the terminology. Jackie had promised to help him, so help him he would—evenif it meant numbing his own brain in the process.

Schneep must have caught sightof Jackie’s pursed lips or noticed the little sigh he suppressed because whenthe hero glanced back at him a second time, his smile had disappeared.

“Do you want me to read?” he questionedresignedly, holding out a hand for the book. “I know you don’t really want to—”

“No, no, no, I’m just finekeepin’ on,” Jackieboy cut him off, wrapping an arm around his shoulders andpulling him against his side so he could see the pictures as he continueddeterminedly, “This is an example of an electropherogram from a pGEM control.Note that the first—”

“Shhh,” Schneep hushed him witha light chuckle. “I’m right next to you; you will talk my ear off!”

“Well, maybe we’ll reach thepart that lets you know how you reattach it.” Grinning wryly as the doctorelbowed him, he cleared his throat and lowered his voice to the smooth, sweettones he often used with kids who were too shy to talk to him. He read thewords without hearing them, instead opting to imagine those kids’ adorablelittle faces staring up at him with awe and wonder. He had a feeling they wouldbe more entertained by his comics, though; this would put them to sleep.

“Notice that the two C’s at bp12-13 are not well separated. All of this is normal, but reinforces thesuggestion to place your primer at least 15-20 base pairs away from…your…”Jackie paused as a soft noise from Schneep distracted him, peeking curiously atthe doctor and then doing a double take when he saw that, somewhere during thereading, he had balled up and tucked his head against his knees. His glasseswere crooked, his hair mussed so it covered most of his face, but in the newsilence Jackie could hear his breaths—too slow and deep to be anything close toalert.

It seemed the kids weren’t theonly ones he could put to sleep with this, he mused in surprise, easing thebook shut. His satisfaction with his early escape from studying faltered slightly when he felt agentle shift of weight as the other relaxed closer to him. Keeping his own framestiff and unmoving, Jackie considered how vulnerable he was letting himselfbecome, unconsciously or otherwise. Warm fondness curled close in his chest atthe thought of his friend’s trust. He knew he would take care of him. He knew he was safe with him.

Well, he wasn’t about to try bringing him around; obviously he needed therest. He was in a constant state of sleep deprivation as it was and there wasno reason to keep reading; he wouldn’t be able to focus. He’d kill his back sleepinglike that, though. Setting the book aside, Jackie peered across the dim lab tothe cot awkwardly laid out in the corner, which didn’t look particularlyappealing. Henrik’s actual bedroom was on the other side of the building, but it wasn’t like he weighedmuch. Jackie had always been able to carry him without much effort.

“Okay, buddy.” He placed a handon his shoulder and an arm under his knees, gingerly unfolding him from his ballso he could heft him off the floor. “Up, up, and away.”

Henrik’s breathing faltered andhe twitched a little as soon as Jackie lifted him but he was already committedto the motion, so he fully straightened and tightened his hold on him, stayingstill. His heart sank a little when identical blue eyes blinked open and hisfriend lifted his head.

“What’re you…?” he mumbled,barely audible, staring at him in dazed confusion.

“Sorry,” Jackie offered in a whisper,trying not to let his voice reflect his disappointment. “Didn’t mean to wakeyou…Just go back to sleep and I’ll get you to bed.”

“But…I can walk…”

Jackieboy shook his head,readjusting his position so he was a little more secure against his chest. Evenas he slid an arm around the older Ego’s neck, Schneep halfheartedly kicked hisfeet in protest, losing one of his loafers along the way.

“I can walk, Jackie-e-e…”

“Not like this, you can’t.” Keepinghis voice quiet but firm, leaving no room for argument, Jackieboy nudged thelab door open with the toe of his boot, letting it slide closed behind them ashe took him into the hall. Henrik argued anyway, as best he could.

“Is just a lil’ walk…Nothingt’carry me for…Y’think I can’t make it from he-e-ere? Just g-give me coffee, Icould run the marathon…”

Thanks to his drowsiness, thedoctor’s accent was coming in far too strong for Jackie to understand much of whatfollowed. He suspected half of the sentences were in German anyway, but everyso often he could catch bits and pieces. “…lot’f running in my prof—profession…’speciallywith the mental ones…try to talk t’ them an’ they get out’f their straitjacketsan’ try to kill you…Then I’m left t’ clean up after them, the other doctorsblame it all on me…”

“Do they now?” Jackieacknowledged in a low voice, not bothering to hide the frown which surfaced atthat. As he’d suspected, Henrik didn’t notice it, tucking his face against thecurve of the hero’s shoulder and nodding minutely.

“Bennett’s the one who locksthem up. Is always his fault, everything,” he slurred. “He kept…He kept…H-He…”His voice finally drifted off and Jackie sighed in relief at the little purringsnores that followed—though he did file a note in the back of his mind to askabout the offending Dr. Bennett later on.

His pace quickened a little ashe moved into the bedroom; his eyes had adjusted to the dark so there wasn’tany need to turn the light on. Crouching, he slid the bedcovers aside as best he could while stillsupporting his charge. As soon as he lowered him down, Schneep twisted onto hisstomach and let his arm fall toward the floor, sighing faintly.

The warmth in his chest hadreturned, Jackie discovered as he carefully pried Henrik’s glasses off and setthem on the nightstand so they wouldn’t stay bent against the pillow. Runningan affectionate hand over his friend’s green fringe, he murmured, “Sleep well,”and then soundlessly made for the door.