#she didn’t quite sound like Blanche… you know?

[eeblouissant]

I’ve started writing chapter three of my fic ‘The Primrose Path’ this morning, & im curious —

This time around, vs other things I’ve written in the past, I’ve decided not to pronounce Blanches accent when I write dialogue for her. (Maybe I’m lazy, maybe I don’t like the way it sounds in my head ((I don’t like the way it sounds in my head, personal opinion)) who knows) but it got me thinking: how do you all feel reading characters with accents in fics? Not just Blanche but in general.

I had originally picked up the habit from seeing other fic writers pronouncing her accent, but it never quite sounded right in my head when I’d go to edit & publish my own stuff. Anyway, lmk because I’m curious!

[quillthrillswriting]

sooo.... anyone else ever wondered how different ATLA would have been if aang had been frozen at age 16 instead of age 12?

yeah... me too 😌 my multichap kataang fanfic "the teenager in the iceberg" follows the events of the show, but with only aang aged up, while everyone else remains their canon age.

to put it clearly, katara falls first, and aang falls harder 🤭 (and they both get a lil jealous hehe)

enjoy the excerpts from chapter 6!!! (the jet episode!!)

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

“We’ve got a big plan to score big against the Fire Nation.” Jet kept his face straight ahead, his hooks swinging, and Katara could see the bit of wheat he still held between his teeth over his shoulder. 

“Sounds…big.” Aang said the words somewhat sarcastically, earning a choked giggle from Katara, but Jet didn’t quite seem to catch the nuance of it all.

“Oh, it will be.” He hacked aside a final overhanging branch. “Here we are.”

“...A bunch of holes in the ground?” Aang shifted his weight and raised an eyebrow, only to immediately drop to a defensive position when Katara swatted him, hard, on the arm and gave him a glare. He raised his hands in a “don’t shoot” position, and schooled his features into neutrality by the time Jet turned around. 

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

Aang paused his movements at this, letting the water he was bending drop to his feet, coursing through cracks in the rock floor beneath them. “Katara. You can’t genuinely believe that. Sokka is an idiot, but he’s not dumb.”

Katara raised an eyebrow. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“That Sokka can be goofy, sure, but I trust him and his perception, 100%. He doesn’t miss things. If anything, he sees and notices things most people don’t. If he doesn’t trust Jet….” Aang sighed, resuming his bending forms. “I just feel like you’re getting too close to him. Jet, I mean.”

“And what would the problem be with that?” Katara could hear her voice rising, her temper flaring.

“He’s a bad guy, Katara.”

“You don’t know that!”

“He hurt you!” Katara shut her mouth at the raw emotion in Aang’s voice. He was breathing heavily now, his fists clenching as wind whipped around them. He bit his lip, took in some deep breaths. “He hurt you,” he repeated, this time more gently. “I didn’t protect you quickly enough.”

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

Tonight was different. She still couldn’t sleep, that much was the same, but as she rose to drill her forms by the river, she felt a hand clamp around her forearm. She almost screamed, but when she whirled around to face her would-be attacker, she exhaled in a whoosh, relieved that it was only Aang.

“My bad,” he whispered, cringing at his choice to grab her arm without warning. “Didn’t mean to scare you.” 

Katara dropped back down onto her sleeping bag, neatly crossing her legs. Aang did his best to ignore that she was only in her wrappings now, that the moonlight was sparkling on her bare skin, like a spirit in a painting of old. “I was just…wanting some air.”

“C’mon, Katara, don’t even try. You’re an awful liar.” He flashed a grin, and in the dark, the starlight set his teeth aglow. “I know you’ve been bending at night.”

Katara blanched at this. “How?”

“Light sleeper?” Aang shrugged. “Plus, you’re not great at sneaking out, either. You’ve stepped on me pretty much every time you’ve gotten up to practise.”

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

“I, um…” Aang trailed off, and even in the dark, she could tell he was trying to hide a blush, could tell he was embarrassed. “I got you something.” He quickly backtracked, his voice somewhat frantic. “If you want. You might not. Want it, that is. And you don’t have to, and I’m not sure if it’ll even-”

“Aang.” Katara caught his hands in hers, looking into his eyes earnestly. “What is it?”

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

♥ the rest of the (ongoing) fic can be found here!! ->

happy reading! <3

[thatsmzbitchtoyou]

Breaking the Class Ceiling Chapter 4

This is set in early 1900s U.S.A., during the Edwardian era with some style changes into the upcoming Art Nouveau period. I've changed history a bit for this. Pretending that America didn't have a full Civil War and trying to create a more optimistic outcome for the purposes of the story. I've also tried to research what the rules for society/socializing were back then, and tweaked some of them.

Warnings for upcoming chapters: minor character death, some sexual harassment/assault (but nothing too graphic or traumatic), smut

Previous chapter Next chapter

*smut (ish) in this chapter

Rumor had quickly spread of what happened at the party, and out of embarrassment and public ridicule Rumlowe and Pierce quickly left to go out west to “find new opportunities.”  

Everyone’s attention was now fixed on the World Fair.  It started in April and was ending in December in St. Louis.  You were planning a trip and had invited multiple people in your social circle, including Steve and Bucky.

“You must come, my darling,” you cooed at him as you flitted around your drawing room, making plans and riddling off a list of things to pack to the maid who was furiously writing.

“You know I can’t afford a trip to St. Louis, my love,” Bucky sighed quietly.

“You won’t be paying for it, dearest, I will,” you announced with no room for argument.

“I can’t miss work,” he said.  “Mr. Fury has many contracts he needs me to take care of in these next few months.  The holidays are coming up, too.  I can’t take so much time off before then.”

“Oh pish posh,” you waved him off.  “You can quit your job.  I’ll pay you to be my personal escort,” you quickly twirled in front of him, “in more ways than one,” you winked at him.

Bucky laughed as the maid in the corner blanched at your innuendo.  “You’d pay me to be your date?” he asked incredulously.  “No, Y/N, besides I like my job, I need to earn my own way.”

“Ugh,” you groaned, plopping down on your knees in front of him where he sat.  He gulped.  “You are refusing my gifts again?  My darling, I told you to learn to accept my gifts.  I have plenty.  And if you must earn it,” you shuffled closer to him, setting your chin on his knee, looking up at him innocently, “then why not earn it by being the best beau to me while on vacation?”  

Bucky gulped again, watching you carefully as you sat looking up at him.  As much as he enjoyed these (mostly) private moments, they were a tease, causing a kind of itch in his lower abdomen that he more than once had to relieve when he arrived home after spending time at your house.  As if sensing his hesitation, you glanced at the maid.  “Bessy, could you give us a moment’s privacy please?”

Bessy sniffed indignantly as she booked it out of the room, closing the door behind her.  When the coast was clear you lifted your head and then placed your hands on his knees, sliding them up his thighs slowly as you gave him a doe-eyed stare.  His breath stopped as he watched you, his own hands had a death grip on the arms of the chair he sat on.  Your hands slid close to his core, which was pulsing.  He tried to shift away so you wouldn’t see but it didn’t deter you.  You scratched your fingernails down his legs as you slid your hands back down.  

“Will you come with me to St. Louis?” you asked in a voice that was feigning innocence.

Bucky’s hips stuttered as your hands started to slide up again, this time your right hand rubbing his inner thigh right next to his throbbing cock.

“Y/N, you…mmmh,” he moaned lightly, sounding strangled as he tried to stop himself.  “We can’t, it’s not…we’re not married,” he mumbled, losing coherence quickly.   

“Yet,” you corrected, your fingers sliding until they slightly stroked his cock through his pants.  He moaned again, his hand flying to your wrist to stop you.  “Will you come with me to St. Louis?” you asked again, this time standing, hiking up your dress and straddling his lap before he could stop you.  You ran your hands up his chest and wrapped your arms around his neck, dipping your head down to the crook of his neck and kissing it repeatedly.  Without much thought he brought his hands to your hips, keeping you over his cock as he cautiously rutted up into you.  Your kisses became more heated and you sucked on different spots, making Bucky’s eyes roll back in his head.  You made your way to his ear, your breath tickling his neck, then you nipped his earlobe, making him whimper lightly.  “I’m your job now, my darling,” you said in an authoritative and husky tone.  Bucky nodded.  “You’ll come with me to St. Louis,” you continued.  He nodded again, gritting his teeth as he rutted up harder into your clothed center.  “I will pay you for your troubles, since my company is apparently less important than writing contracts,” you tugged his shirt down and gave a broad lick from his collar bone to his ear, sucking on his earlobe.  He whimpered louder.

“No troubles, doll, my pretty doll, please,” he begged, his hands kneading your thighs now.  “I’ll do whatever you want, just please.”

“Please what, darling?” you teased, peppering soft kisses across his cheeks, his nose, his forehead, down his chin, and so close to his lips but without actually touching them.  

“Oh God, please, I need to, to…” he trembled beneath you as your hands stroked through his hair, scratching at the nape of his neck.

“Go ahead, darling,” you gave him permission, your lips hovering over his mouth.  You ground down on his lap a few times, which was enough for him to finally burst.  His hips shook as his head fell back, his eyes screwed shut and his mouth slack as he panted.  As he finished in his trousers he pulled you in close, setting his forehead against your forehead, noses nuzzling each other as he came down from his high.  “Very good, my love.  You’re so handsome like this,” she teased as she gave his nose a small peck.

“I love you, Y/N,” Bucky sighed, his embrace tightening around you.

You let out a sound of surprise, looking at him with wide eyes.  “I know we are not engaged, but none of what we’ve done in this courtship is traditional, so to hell with it.  I love you.  I think of you constantly.  I want nothing more than to spend every waking moment with you.”

“I feel the same, Buck,” you said, a wide smile on your face. 

“So if you want to employ me to do so, then I accept.  Though I’d happily do it for free,” he gave you a mischievous smile.  You snorted at him as you rolled your eyes.

“What’s your going rate, Barnes?” 

[di-daynamic]

@hinnymicrofic

September Prompts Day 21: Murderous

Harry was the Man Who Conquered. The Head Auror.

And he had never faced a situation quite so tense.

Ginny fixed him with a murderous gaze before slowly moving her eyes to her brother. “Which of you was it,” she said in a low, dangerous voice that typically preceded hexes, most likely the Bat-Bogey variety. “I want the truth. Now.”

Harry was used to making decisions on the fly, but this was ridiculous.

“Answer the question, boys,” Hermione said disapprovingly, perching on the couch, her book closed for once.

Harry made an executive decision.

“It was Ron,” he threw his best mate under the bus with no small amount of remorse.

“Harry!” Ron cried out in betrayal as both women honed in on him with murderous gazes and flared nostrils akin to bloodthirsty hellhounds (he ought to know; he had a case related to them not two months ago).

“Did you do it, Ron?” Ginny asked, now very calmly. Somehow, this was worse than the angry tone. Hermione was fingering her wand as she stood up, also very calmly.

Harry loved his girlfriend and best friend. He really, really did.

He was just also extremely scared of them, as any sane person would be.

“I cannot believe this,” Hermione intoned lowly. “From you of all people. I would’ve expected this kind of impulsivity and short-sightedness from Harry—”

“Hey,” Harry cut in broodingly, because doing suicidal reckless things was kind of in his nature, but shut up when Ginny raised an eyebrow.

“But not from you,” Hermione shook her head sadly, ignoring Harry completely, which he was grateful for, but also a little offended by. “How could you?”

“Hermione, c’mon, I didn’t mean to do it!” Ron cried out desperately, confirming his guilt and sealing his fate.

Then he proved just how little Harry’s friendship meant to him.

“Harry was the one who brought it up, anyway.”

“Ron,” Harry said hoarsely, disbelievingly, as the girls’ murderous looks were trained once again on him.

“You started it, mate,” Ron shook his head sadly too, proving he spent far too much time with Hermione.

“Harry,” Ginny said slowly. “Did you bring up the party to Mum?” Hermione stared at him incredulously.

Harry saw his life flash before his eyes.

He could lie to the press, the whole world, his coworkers, the Weasleys, even Ron and Hermione and Teddy, but he couldn’t lie to Ginny.

He took a deep breath. Steeled himself.

“Yes. I did.”

“How could you?” Ginny whispered. Harry could swear there were tears in her eyes, but Ginny Weasley never cried. “Do you realize what this means for us, Harry? What the next three months of our life are going to be like?”

“I know,” Harry nodded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

Hermione sighed. “Of course you didn’t,” she murmured.

Ron made an indignant noise. “Why is it when Harry’s to blame you two go all soft and when I am you look murderous?” He complained.

The girls threw scathing looks at him. “We haven’t forgotten that you’re the one who dealt the final blow, brother,” Ginny said threateningly.

Ron gulped and shut up, because he had a sense of self-preservation.

“I’m sorry,” Harry repeated, because despite how ridiculous it sounded, he could display some self-preservation too. Occasionally.

“I know you are,” Ginny said soothingly, murderous expression disappearing, as she hugged him and kissed his cheek. Hermione sighed and sheathed her wand.

“I hope you know we’re leaving all the work to you,” Hermione informed them.

Harry and Ron blanched, exchanging looks.

“We know nothing about party planning,” Ron said flatly.

“Well, you should’ve thought of that before promising Mum our help,” Ginny smiled, showing all her teeth. “Unless you’d like to also be the one to tell her we can’t.”

Harry would, quite frankly, rather face Voldemort again.

Ever since the extended Weasley family (which consisted of most of the Order and the DA along with the actual blood family) had started marrying and having children, getting together on days such as Christmas and birthdays had become nigh impossible.

Mr. Weasley had discovered the American holiday of Thanksgiving, and his wife had decided that was the one day every single person of their acquaintance would sequester themselves in the Burrow and celebrate.

It was the most exclusive event of the year, according to Witch Weekly, and Mrs. Weasley’s mania regarding it exceeded even her grief after the war and the craziness of her children’s weddings.

And Harry and Ron had just promised to help her plan and organize it, something the others took literal vacations to avoid (George and Angelina were currently in Botswana; Percy, Audrey and Oliver were pretending to be sick while definitely not being so; Bill, Fleur and Victoire had escaped to France; Neville was apparently swamped with work at the office while Harry knew he was tending to plants in his terrarium all day; Teddy had suddenly started throwing tantrums with destructive accidental magic again according to Andromeda; Kingsley was assigning himself paperwork, which was truly desperate).

“We’ll do the work,” Harry said defeatedly, Ron nodding morosely beside him.

Nothing for it, after all.

Ginny smiled and kissed him, which made his outlook a lot more positive.

She was worth the entire world.

Even spending his days buried in invitations, letters from various great-aunts and fifth and sixth cousins, gifts, catering orders and décor options.

[brightlybound]

Something After This

(Oof, ouch. I'm angsty as of late.)

for @hinnymicrofic prompt 10 for May: flower(s)

It’s the first Sunday in June, hot, overcast, miserable. Doesn’t help that her view is of the graveyard, of Fred’s headstone covered in multicolored flowers. Ginny thinks it’s rather obnoxious, kind of perfect, miserable.

She gazes up at Harry, standing in stoic silence beside her.

“Do you… do you think there’s Something?” she asks him, voice stilted and rough. “Something after this?”

A muscle jumps in his jaw, and he turns to her with this look in his eyes, one Ginny reads as uncertain, miserable.

Everything is fucking miserable.

“You know what?” says Ginny, staring back down at the stupid, miserable ground her brother is buried beneath. “Nevermind. Forget I said anything.”

Harry takes a shuddering breath, and–

“Ginny?” calls Mum from the churchyard gate. “Harry?”

Ginny pivots, ready to leave this miserable place behind as soon as possible, her head feeling a bit like it’s stuffed, her eyes beginning to sting, but Harry catches her by the elbow, holding her back. A part of her wants to pull away, but the fight has left her completely...

“We’ll meet you back at the Burrow if that’s alright,” he says, statement more than question, towards her family waiting for them on the main path to and from the village church.

Ginny keeps her focus on the ground, rich brown soil and manicured green grass all a blur.

“Not too long now,” Dad calls back, a hint of hesitancy in his voice.

Fleur’s reassuring voice chimes in, “Harry weel take care of her.”

Ginny waits until they’re out of earshot, then beats him to the punch, peering up at him as she wipes at her cheeks with the sleeves of her miserable black robes.

“You died, didn’t you?”

Harry blanches, glancing over her shoulder before meeting her gaze again, and the little sunlight they’re awarded with today glints off the rim of his glasses. “I might have a bit, yeah.”

She snorts, an ugly, wet sound, and she wonders how he’s put up with her, how he’s stuck by her side these past few weeks; she has been nothing but a wretched, miserable thing.

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you possibly apologizing for?” cries Ginny.

Harry’s mouth twists around the words. “Not quite sure. Everything?”

“You selfless, stupid, noble prat, for Merlin’s sake–”

He’s absolutely deranged, and apparently, so is she, because she grabs a fistful of his robes and yanks him to her, and it doesn’t matter that their second first kiss is in a miserable graveyard, witnessed by the dead, on bloody, sacred ground. Harry is in her lungs again, filling her up again, lips gentle and warm and very much alive. There is not a single ounce of misery in this. Insanity? Sure. But this is her Something, after the war.

Ginny’s going to seize it.

[pink-tk-a-latte]

Tickletober Day 21: Costume

[sfw tickle fic!! project sekai — lee!kanade, ler!ena]

prompt by @/august-anon

had to get out my cringe writing style for this one so sorry I love kanaena... background polyniigo. also she/they mizukiiii but niigo only uses she/her bc they don't know yet (lore)

The click-click of her mouse, the whirring of her monitor, the rhythm that she had looped over and over, all faded into the background as Kanade composed. Her mind had been vacuumed into a hyperspeed tunnel, only the simmering need to finish for the people counting on her and the latent triumph at seeing a project close to fruition traveling through her nerves.

A gentle opening and closing of her door followed by much rougher stomping went unheard by her. She was only broken from her trance when warm breath whispered over her ears had her shrieking out of her seat.

“K!” berated Ena, pout audible. “I’ve been calling you for ten minutes, and you didn’t even reply to me! Honestly, when you’re like this, you can be as bothersome as those two…”

Ena’s hands lifted to play with Kanade’s hair, running her fingers through it and mumbling about how long and pretty it was "even though you've never used a single product on it!" Her chin refrained from hooking onto Kanade’s shoulder and nestling into the temping warmth.

Kanade turned to meet her profile. Brown eyes that swirled like thick syrup, blazing with ardor, met her gaze for a moment. “I’m sorry, Enanan… I didn’t hear you.” Her worn and contrite voice had Ena softening instantly. She succumbed and nuzzled into Kanade’s neck with aggression.

“Ugh, it’s fine. I didn’t mean to say you were a bother, okay?” Her cheek squished against Kanade’s, and the softness seemed to calm her down. Kanade chuckled and reached up to cradle Ena’s face in her hand.

“Did you need something, dear?” Ena’s drooping eyes fired open at the question.

“Ah, right, I was getting to that! Mizuki wanted me to show you the costumes she made us for Halloween.” Ena departed for a moment, returning with a pair of dresses. One was pink and ruffly, bedecked with bows and flowers. The other appeared more gothic, with a large collar and lots of velvet. Ena twirled them in her hands. “What do you think? Mizuki wanted us to go as Kuromi and My Melody. Then I just happened to mention that Airi and I dressed as them before, and she got all whiny and upset and insisted on tailoring the costumes herself to ‘make it special.’” Ena rolled her eyes as she recounted their antics. “Such a child, seriously. But they’re cute, so I can’t be too mad.” A tiny blush puffed up her cheeks, and Kanade laughed.

“They look wonderful. Mizuki really is so talented.” Kanade swiveled in her chair to get a better view. “I hope she had fun.”

“I’ll say! She was pretty much bouncing up and down asking for my thoughts. It sounded like so much work, but as long as she enjoys it…” Ena shook her head. “A- Anyway, I’ll admit they look great! And it’s nice that they’re unique,” she babbled on as she set the dresses down. Kanade thought she sounded quite proud of Mizuki. But she didn’t dare say.

“That’s not all!” Ena whipped around, hiding something behind her back. “Listen, I know you and Mafuyu said you didn’t want to dress up for Halloween, but…”

A pit formed in Kanade’s stomach. Surely they didn’t make—

“…Mizuki took the time to make these costumes for you guys too! This is the Keroppi one for Mafuyu — I told Mizuki this green totally clashes with her eyes, but I’m sure Mafuyu will pull it off anyway. She looks good in anything. Ugh! — and this… is yours.”

Kanade blanched at the outfit Ena held up. It was clearly Cinnamoroll-inspired, with lace trimmings adorning the bodice and icing-like swirls on the hem of the frilly skirt. It really was fine work, but the problem was…

“Th- That’s way too cute for me.”

Heat pooled in Kanade’s cheeks, surely turning her face an embarrassing splotchy red. How could she wear something so adorable!?

Ena pouted again. “But you are cute, Kanade! We’ve never seen you dressed up but we know you’d look so good. And I swear, it’ll only be for one picture. Or two. You don’t have to come out with us or anything!” Suddenly Ena’s hands gripped her waist, and Kanade choked. “You never wear anything but this. You have so much potential!”

“EHe– Ehenahaha, wahait!” Kanade curled into a ball on her chair, Ena’s bruised fingers worming between her ribs. Her bony elbows made gentle and futile attempts to push Ena’s hands away.

Ena scoffed, but the sound lifted into a laugh at the end. “Now you’re laughing at me? Jeez, K.” Her cheek landed flush against the crown of Kanade’s head as she squeezed Kanade to her guts. Ena’s nails, painted herself, found the hem of her jacket and scribbled underneath.

Squeaking, Kanade shoved her flushed cheeks into her knees. The desk blocked her escape; she had nowhere to go but further into her chair. “EnaHA! NohOHO myhaha sihihiHIdes!”

“Well, your shirt doesn’t give you any protection. Maybe if you wore the dress…” Ena giggled at the huffs and hitches in Kanade’s breath and the bashful shake of her head. She’d made herself so small, just begging to be held and squished and gobbled up. Her cheeks were so full of life and glee, Ena just wanted to kiss them pink.

Kanade tired quickly. After Ena's scrawling over her underarms and Kanade's desperate wriggling, her stitches had turned to wheezes and her begging to whispers. Ena released her and captured her child-like smile with her lips, and Kanade dissolved into a giggly puddle again as Ena attacked her with kisses.

While a happy Kanade scrubbed lip gloss from her cheeks, Ena stood back as if admiring her work. “Sorry,” she apologized with a more relaxed kiss, “got too excited.”

“You’re fine, starlet.” Kanade pecked Ena’s forehead, cheeks still flaming.

Ena sighed. “Look, if you don’t want to wear it, I won’t make you. But we really do think you’re cute, whatever you wear.” That coy demeanor…

Kanade slumped forward and took her hands. “I think… I will wear it.” Eyes like sun-warmed earth lit up. “You and Mizuki put so much thought into it.”

“Really!?” Ena squeezed their hands, bouncing on her heels. Her face suddenly flushed, and she turned away with a glower. “I mean, Mizuki will be happy, I guess.”

Kanade chuckled. She wouldn’t want to spend Halloween with anyone else.

[maracujatangerine]

76. Musical Experimentation

CW: emeto, institutionalised slavery, dehumanisation, box boy universe, pet whump

The park was almost empty during the early morning hour. An older lady in an orange fleece walking her Yorkshire terrier down the wooded path along the stream. A young couple jogging together, the woman reaching up to adjust her chestnut pony tail. A bald man in his fifties bicycling slowly with his black labrador in tow. Apart from them, only Lydia and Coriander walked together across the wide expanse of grass.

“Here it is, Cory!” Lydia pointed to the simple wooden pavilion ahead, just an open deck with wooden supports for the roof in each corner. “This is what I wanted to show you. I found out that the council has refurbished some pianos and placed them around town for anyone to use.”

And indeed. In the middle of the pavilion was a fairly battered, but freshly repainted, piano.

The blonde pet looked quizzically at his owner.

“T-that sounds very nice, Miss Lydia” he said.

”I was thinking that perhaps you would like to try to play it?”

A worried wrinkle creased Coriander’s forehead.

“T-this pet i-is afraid that it cannot, Miss Lydia.” He said regretfully. “I-it doesn’t know how to play.”

“Remember how you didn’t know that you could swim, either?” Lydia smiled. “I just want you to give it a try. It is totally all right if you can’t play.” She held up a hand. “You have to take a seat on the bench. It is all right, it is just the two of us here.”

When Coriander hesitatingly sat down on the duet bench and placed his hands on the keys, she nodded approvingly. “That’s really good. You are doing well. There’s no stress, take as much time as you need.”

Lydia sat down in the grass next to the piano, closing her eyes and enjoying the warm morning sun on her face.

A bumblebee buzzed among some early daisies, a few seagulls called to one another overhead. The faint sounds of a few cars in the distance. Coriander hesitatingly pushed down a few of the keys, first discordantly, then in a cascade from the one side of the piano to the other.

It sounded just as haphazard and unskilled as Lydia thought that she herself would have sounded, if she would have tried to play. She had nearly made up her mind that her hunch was just a guess gone wrong, when something shifted.

The unmistakable first tones of Für Elise floated out over the park’s green lawn.

*

A few weeks later, they walked past a music store when Lydia stopped, hit by inspiration.

“Would you like to go inside, Cory?”

The young man blanched. Almost, but not quite, shaking his head.

“B-but we don’t need anything, Miss Lydia.”

“I know, but maybe you would like to look at some of the instruments? I mean, you weren’t as awesome with the piano in the park as with the tin whistle, but you could still play. Maybe, if you try some more instruments you could discover even more skills?”

The pet swallowed, hard.

“I-it is soon time for dinner, Miss. P-perhaps we s-should go straight home and cook some food?”

Lydia relented.

“Sure, Cory. Let’s go home.” She glanced thoughtfully at all the instruments in the window as they walked past.

Coriander stared down at the pavement almost all the way home.

*

Transcript of audio recording

Several rustling sounds and a thump, from placing the recorder on the table, then Lydia’s voice.

“Cory, today I would like you to look at some different pictures and tell me what you see on the picture. I also want to tell me if you feel anything in particular about the picture, would that be okay?”

“Y-yes, Miss Lydia” Cory’s voice, slightly nervous but obviously eager to please.

“Okay, what is this?”

“It is a tin whistle, Miss Lydia.” A smile in Coriander’s voice. “T-this pet enjoys playing the tin whistle.”

“That’s good.” A smile in Lydia’s voice, too. “So what is this?”

“A trumpet.”

A faint rustle of paper as Lydia changed cards.

“A set of drums.”

“A cello.” A faint, almost undetectable tremble in Coriander’s voice.

“What about this, then?”

“An oboe.”

“That’s really good, I didn’t even know what that was called.”

“An harpsichord.”

“A guitar.”

“Now this is a hard one.” Lydia laughed. “I had no idea what this was. Ready?”

“Yes, Miss Lydia.” Coriander huffed a small laugh. “T-this pet knows what it is, Miss Lydia. That is a theremin.” He sounded pleased with himself.

“You are really awesome at this.” Lydia said warmly. “Only a few cards left. What is this?”

A sharp intake of breath. The faintest moan. The vicious sound of someone vomiting, liquid splashing all over the floor.

After a few moments only dry heaving could be heard on the tape.

“T-this pet is so, so s-sorry, Miss Lydia.” Coriander’s voice faint and shivering. “I-it will clean this up at once.”

“No, Cory.” Lydia sounded shaken, too. “I am sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed you. Please forgive me.”

Sound of steps and movement, someone fumbling with the recorder and the recording turned off.

In the margin of the transcript, with blue ballpoint pen, Lydia had noted in her curved handwriting. “A violin.”

*

This post is a part of the 2023 BBU Community Days organised by @bbu-on-the-side The last part of this post - the transcript - is my entry for day 10: In-BBU-media.

*

Fun Facts:

There’s a really cool international street art initiative that is called Play me, I’m yours that aims to place pianos in public places that are free for anyone to use. The project started in Birmingham, UK by artist Luke Jerram, but can now be found all over the world. It is particularly brilliant since pianos are often given away for free since moving them is expensive and many people have a hard time finding space for them in their homes. More info can be found here and here.

*

Tag List Part 1: @cupcakes-and-pain @whump-em @whumpzone @wh-wh-whu @neuro-whump @carnagecardinal @cowboy-anon @whump-me-all-night-long @redwingedwhump @myst-in-the-mirror @haro-whumps @eatyourdamnpears @bloodsweatandpotato @pinkraindropsfell @whumptywhumpdump @theydy-cringeworthy @whump-in-progress @whumpsy-daisy @nicolepascaline @whumpcreations @briars7 @shiningstarofwinter @whumppsychology @alex-ember @miss-kitty-whumptastic @whumpy-writings @in-patient-princess @youtube-fandoms-bands @goblinchildindabog @mazeish @distinctlywhumpthing @inpainandsuffering @canniboylism @icannotweave @incoherent-introspection @kim-poce @broken-typewriter @the-monarch-whumperfly @whumpers-inc @grizzlie70 @lil-whumper @writingbackwards @sunflower1000 @wingedwhump @thecitythatdoesntsleep @thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight @onlybadendings @rabass @wolfeyedwitch @melancholy-in-the-morning

[buckysgrace]

Chapter Five

Previous Chapter

CW: Drug use

Kim felt so awkward sitting in the car as Billy drove off from Addi’s house. Her tongue licked over her teeth, trying to will herself to ask him anything.

She hated herself. She wanted to be closer to him yet far, far away at the same time. She glanced at the side of his face and looked away again.

He was truly unbothered as he drove and smoked. She listened to his music, trying to pretend that she was far away from here. She didn’t know why he had acted like they had to leave that instant. She had walked there without his help and didn’t understand why she would need to get back home with his help.

“Where did you get your swimming suit from?” He asked at last. She figured he had been working on asking her that, waiting until Addi was gone so he could question her. She shrugged feeling bashful.

“From the mall. It’s just a swimming suit.” She pleaded her case as he looked over at her, through his sunglasses. He laughed.

“You know my dad wouldn’t say that. He’d say a lot worse if he knew about it.” He told her what she already knew. She sighed.

“Well, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?” She smiled at him, but he just stared at her blankly.

“I’m getting tired of holding your secrets, you know.” He puffed his smoke out the window as the houses raced past them. She didn’t like to admit how much she enjoyed it when he went fast. Not quite at this moment, however, she was still feeling a bit ill from the three large brownies she had devoured.

“It’s not a secret. He just doesn’t need to know.” She defended herself. He was right though; she really didn’t trust him to be her secret keeper. She still wasn’t sure how much she could trust him, or if she could at all.

“Right and when he does eventually find out are you going to tell him you got it for the rich Harrington boy?” He mocked playfully and she felt herself growing irritated that he wouldn’t just drop the conversation. It was a bikini, loads of girls her age wore them.

“I didn’t wear it for Steve. I didn’t even know he was going to be there. God, you’re so annoying.” She huffed as she crossed her arms, not realizing what she had just admitted.

“Who?” She turned to face him again at the sudden question. She raised her eyebrows and waited for him to continue, “If you didn’t wear it for Steve then who did you wear it for?”

Shit, shit, shit, shit.

She blanched as she raked her mind for an excuse. She couldn't tell him that she had worn it for him, that she wanted to see just how crazy she drove him as well. She was too embarrassed to ever admit that.

“Who? Myself. I don’t need a guy to look at me like that.” She snapped back at him, hoping he would buy the answer. He turned to look at her for a moment and she glanced away to the road. She couldn’t let him know what she was thinking.

“Right. So, what are you going to ask this dude out or just keep staring at him like a creep?” She frowned.

“Like those moms that stare at you? Are you mad you have some competition?” She challenged, watching as he scrunched his nose while he smiled.

“Are you jealous or something? I don’t have any competition. I think you’re the only one that’s into Pretty Boy.” She knew he was wrong. She still heard the way girls talked about him. Not to mention she was pretty sure he had a girlfriend anyways.

Robin.

“Okay, yes, I bought some nice clothes at the beginning of the summer to impress him. Not that it matters because I didn’t wear it for him. He has a girlfriend anyways.” She added, clearly sounding defeated at the end of her sentence. Billy was silent for a moment before looking at her.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I’m just looking after you. In any case, he’s an idiot. You’re a lot better looking than any of the girls he’s ever been with.” Kim felt her face ignite as he complimented her. She convinced herself he was just being nice and wasn’t suggesting anything else.

Yet, Kim felt her heart pounding against her chest as she looked at him. He had clearly been watching her at the pool and they had stared each other down pretty hard if she admitted it. She took a breath of confidence.

“Did you think I looked pretty?” She crossed her right leg over her left one as she turned to face him, batting her eyelashes in his direction. She was just trying to annoy him the way he annoyed her, she promised herself.

His cigarette almost slipped from his lips as he looked at her, surprised by her sudden boldness, she was sure. He hastily threw it out the window, cleared his throat and put both hands on the wheel as he stared forward out the front window.

“Uh yeah, yeah you do.” He snagged his bottom lip between his teeth as he drove. She faltered for a moment as focused on how he said she does look pretty, not that she did. She watched as his hands tightened around the wheel, his fingers beginning to turn white as he gripped it so hard.

“I like feeling pretty," She leaned against the dashboard, testing her boundaries as her arms pressed against her chest and heightened her cleavage just a bit. His blue eyes slowly grazed over her body before turning back to the road. She watched as he shifted in his seat, trying to examine his body language the same way he seemed to know hers, “So can you please not tell Neil? So, I can continue to look pretty?” She pleaded softly. She figured she’d never wear the bikini again, but maybe she would.

“Yeah, yeah I guess.” He muttered, hitting on the gas a little harder. Kim lurched forward and adjusted in her seat to keep from flying against the dashboard. She shot him a glare as she sat back in her seat.

“What’s your issue with Steve anyways?” She watched him curiously. He turned to her; annoyance written across his face.

“He’s a dick.” Was all he said as he turned fast on the familiar street corner. A small squeal left her mouth as she pressed into the side of the door. Her heart hammered in her chest as he pulled onto the side of the street. 

He was out of the car quicker than she was able to unbuckle her seat belt. She reached for her pool bag, pulling it on her lap and making sure the best of her things was in order before she got out.

“You coming?” Her head snapped hard to the side when she watched him open the door for her. He’d never done that before.

She swung her long legs out and nodded at him. She rose from the seat, standing up straight and meeting his gaze. She moved out of the way as he closed the door, her back leaning back against the car door as he trapped her, standing inches away from there.

She felt her pulse begin to quicken, every breath she took pressed her chest up against his. He only stood a few inches taller than her but, in this position, it felt like he towered over her. She felt like she was a prey who had just been trapped by their predator, ready to be devoured.

“Hi.” She squeaked out watching the grin form on his lips. His fingertips traced along the side of her shorts as he watched her. She felt her breath hitch as she looked at him curiously, wondering what he was thinking. She couldn’t imagine what others would think if they saw the two of them standing this close together.

“Hi,” He grinned down at her, “You swear you didn’t wear that for Pretty Boy?” She wasn’t sure how to answer him, instead focusing on how his fingers felt like they were burning through her clothes and lighting her skin aflame. 

“No, I didn’t even know Steve was going to be there.” She didn’t understand why he kept asking her the same question or why he was standing so close to her with his hands on her hips. She was facing a moral dilemma as the line between them kept getting smaller and smaller.

Billy’s large hands began to rub circles through her shirt as a grin began to form against his lips. She looked away from his eyes, instead focusing on the necklace that dangled down his chest. Her heart was racing, she didn’t see Neil’s vehicle but that didn’t mean that he was gone. She didn’t know what either of them would do if someone saw them this close.

“So, who’d you wear it for? Don’t bullshit me, I know that’s not the type of clothing you wear.” He said simply, his eyes raking over her face. Kim felt flustered and knew it wasn’t from the hot summer sun beating down on the side of her face. The golden light hit Billy’s tan skin perfectly, showing off his freckles and tanned skin. He looked like one of the romantic heroes in the books that she would binge, and she hated to think of him in that way.

Kim looked at him, afraid of how she would answer him. She didn’t want to lie but there was no way she could tell him the truth. If she told him that she had worn that little bikini for him then he would know that he had some sort of hold on her. She could already imagine his disgusted expression and the way he would never let that die.

“I wanted to be noticed,” She spoke up after a moment, watching his soft eyes. She had never known someone to hold eye contact so intensely before, “Guys don’t notice me and I thought maybe this would help.” It wasn’t the exact truth, but it was as best as she could do. She couldn’t read the expression on his face as she leaned back against his car, ignoring how the blue paint was scalding from the sun.

“You’re going to give people the wrong idea,” He spoke after a moment, and she watched how his lips moved when he spoke. She had never noticed how annoyingly white and straight his teeth were, “Especially guys. They’ll just take advantage of you. They won’t even fuck you right, they’ll be too focused on their own pleasure. You deserve better than that.”

She thought she might have a heart attack with the way her heart was beating inside her chest. He was confusing her so badly that she didn’t know what to think. She couldn’t understand why he’d touch her like this and then slyly add comments that made her overthink the meaning.

Sure, she could brush it off as him being a protective older brother. They never had that relationship before. He had never cared about her existence other than to bicker about her needing to get her own license and to occasionally ask to copy off of her homework.

“What did you mean when you said if I needed help all I need to do is ask?” She asked so softly that she almost didn’t hear herself speak at all. A grin rose on his face as he began to pull away from her.

“I guess you’ll have to ask to find out,” By now he was standing a few feet away from her, yet she still remained squished against his car, “You’re watching Max and her friend tonight. I have a date.”

A date?

She felt her head spin around as she lurched off of his car and followed him up the steps into the house. She tried to keep up with his pace as she raced up the steps, ignoring how the cool, cold air from the AC felt nice against her sweaty skin.

“You have a date?” Her mouth felt like there was cotton in it as he turned to look at her, not looking the least bit upset. 

“Yeah, it’s Friday. I’m not going to sit around here all night and babysit.” He replied as he walked down the hall to his room. Kim stood in the same spot, fuming.

How was it even fair for him to have any right to tell her that no guy deserved her, when it was so easy for him to run off with whichever girl, he found interesting at the moment. She was sure, had she put in the effort at the pool, that she could’ve made some plans with Steve. Or even any other guy that was there at the pool.

She had options. There was someone out there that was interested in her.

“I’m not babysitting!” She yelled after Billy as he slammed his door shut. She didn’t even have to leave the pool with him, he made her. He dragged her all the way back to the house just so she could watch Max. She didn’t even know that Neil and her mom would be gone tonight, although she should’ve known better.

“It’s not babysitting,” Max spoke up from her room, peeking her head out. She looked very annoyed, “I have a friend over and we all know you have no plans anyways.” Max shrugged, looking too smug as she shut her door again. Kim groaned in frustration, stomping all the way to her room before launching herself on her bed. She pulled a pink pillow to her chest, resisting the urge to cry.

She blamed it on all the different emotions she’d been feeling and on the slight possibility that she may be starting her period soon. She didn’t want to admit that Billy had some kind of control over her. She wouldn’t sink that low.

She rolled over on her back, praying that this would be what she needed to tell her mind to fuck off and stop giving her such vivid and dirty images about him. She sighed, feeling an odd trembling sensation building in her stomach and spreading down her legs and arms. She brushed it off as anger.

She looked up when she saw her younger, fiery sister and her quiet friend standing in the doorway. She could remember when her mother told her she’d be having a baby sister and had felt so over the moon. She absolutely loved baby dolls at that age. She’d do their hair, dress them up, and have tea parties with them. And she was finally going to have her own little baby doll to play with.

Wrong.

From the moment Max was brought home she hated to be messed with. Kim was only three at the time, but learned fast that her and her sister were two completely different bodies. Max loved to skateboard, to play sports and get dirty. Kim preferred to spend her time in the library, reading and working on art projects.

Max’s friend, El, was more than enthusiastic to have her play with her hair and paint her nails. It wasn’t that Max didn’t enjoy it, but it was only when she wanted to do it. El always sat so still and patient while she let Kim figure out different ways to design her short hair.

“Yes?” She questioned watching as the two of them stared at her. She felt an odd sensation that she needed to giggle rising in her stomach, so she swallowed that down.

“Are you going to order us pizza?” Max asked as El nudged her. Kim raised her eyebrow and waited, “Could you pretty please order us pizza?” Max tried again, placing a wide smile across her lips.

“Since you asked so nicely,” Kim stood up, feeling wobbly on her feet as she walked towards them. She stopped to squeeze her sister's soft face, “Awe we’re gonna have a girl's night!” She exclaimed, all of her angry emotions from a few moments ago were gone. El giggled and moved out of her way, while Max groaned and rubbed her now red face.

Kim kept blinking as she walked towards the wall phone, feeling her eyes beginning to squint. She pulled off the piece of paper that her mother had left, the number to the pizza place printed clearly in her pretty handwriting.

She thought about how good a piece of greasy pizza would taste right now, the melty cheese and hot sauce dripping on her tongue. It took all of her willpower not to moan.

Kim got halfway through punching in the numbers, when she had to hang up and attempt it again. This time she only got three numbers in before she forgot which one, she was at. She kept squinting, her eyes burning as she stared at the numbers.

She attempted again, this time dropping the phone before she could finish putting in the first two numbers. She laughed, sliding down the wall as she thought about how klutzy she was.

Max peeked over the couch, looking at her with wide blue eyes. El had a sloppy grin on her face, holding her hand up so she could whisper something to Max. Kim couldn’t help the giggles that poured out of her, now. Everything was becoming too much for her.

“I can’t put in the number,” She waved the paper around her head, motioning to Max, “I don’t think I can stand up either.” She replied seriously before feeling the urge to laugh again.

She was beginning to wonder if those brownies weren’t just regular brownies.

“My sister would not-” She heard Max say as she turned from El and looked back at Kim. She took in Kim’s appearance before cursing. El looked just as amused as Kim felt and the both of them burst into a fit of giggles as they looked at each other.

Kim wasn’t sure what was so funny but laughing just felt like the right thing to do. For the first time in her life, she felt so relaxed and carefree. She began pressing her fingertips together, admiring the tingling feeling that was shooting through them.

“Uh,” Max stood up from the couch, staring down at her older sister looking very unsure of herself, “Stay right here.” She muttered before walking down the hall. El leaned over the couch, crossing her arms as she looked at the older girl.

“You wanna hear a joke?” She asked, looking mischievous. Kim nodded eagerly watching the younger girl think about her joke before speaking.

“What did Cinderella say when she got to the ball?” El asked, glancing around to make sure no one else was around. Kim felt her eyebrow furrow as she leaned forward on her palms and shook her head.

“She gagged.” It took a moment of realization before Kim was lying on the ground, clutching her stomach as she fought through her giggles. She couldn’t stop laughing against the cold floor, her insides aching as she laid her palms against her stomach to calm herself. She turned on her back, trying to relax as she opened her eyes to see Billy and Max peering down at her.

She snorted as another fit bubbled up, realizing they were wearing the same expression as they watched her. She could still hear El giggling, though it was fainter now as Billy had come into the room.

“Are you high?” He asked her very seriously. He looked different upside down, she realized. However, she could still tell by the way the front of his hair was messy that he had been in the process of curling it.

“Were you grooming yourself?” She sassed back, watching as irritation began to replace his concerned look. She could tell Max was trying not to laugh as she looked away from her sister.

“What the hell did you do?” He repeated again as he squatted down and tried to get her into a sitting position. She groaned, lightly pressing her hand against his chest and staying limp so she could keep resting on the floor.

“I’m comfortable here, thank you very much.” She responded as she rested her back against the floor, liking how cold it felt against her skin.

“It’s probably dirty down there.” Max spoke up. Kim glanced over at El before laughing again, thinking about how funny her joke had been. Billy gripped both of her shoulders, heaving her up hard so she was sitting up in front of him. A gasp left her mouth and she grinned, reached out to pat his hardened jaw before she could stop herself.

“My hero, thank you for saving me from the dirty floor.” She added playfully, not even caring what anyone thought. She could tell he was exasperated as he gripped onto her shoulders to keep her from lying back down. Max crouched down next to him, looking at her concerned.

Kim thought about how the two were so similar yet hated each other so much.

“What did you take?” Billy asked again, looking less friendly this time. Kim tried to force her eyes wider apart to look at him, but found they were too far squinted to do it. She shrugged, nonchalant.

“Come on, we won't tell mom or dad.” Max pleaded, still looking concerned. Kim felt her resolve breaking.

“A brownie.” She said simply, knowing this was all ridiculous. They were overreacting. She was fine. Max turned to look at her older brother.

“Why would a brownie make her do this?” She asked, not quite understanding. Kim thought she looked adorable being so confused. She really wanted to squeeze her cheeks again but resisted doing so.

“You brat. How much did you take?” Billy snapped, obviously knowing what she meant by a brownie. He ignored Max’s gaze and continued to stare at Kim. She felt the same way she did when she had been thinking about chowing down on a slice of pizza. A moan was bubbling in her stomach and electricity pulsed through her body as the way he called her a brat bounced around in her head.

“Jonathan gets brownies sometimes; they have weed in them.” El whispered the last part to Max, and Max turned to her sister horrified. She was sure Max didn’t think she’d ever do something like that.

She counted on her fingers for a moment.

“Just three brownies, okay? They were just brownies. I didn’t taste any weed in them, at all.” Her words were becoming more sluggish and felt odd coming off of her tongue. It was like it was taking more effort for her to speak.

Billy’s blue eyes widened as he stared at her, at a loss for words as he took in the girl in front of her. Kim wiggled her eyebrows.

“Can we get pizza or what?” She asked looking at the three people who kept staring at her, “I could really eat some right now.” She added, watching as Billy examined her.

“Go sit on the couch, I’ll order it before I leave. I’m serious, I have better things to do than sit here watching the three of you all night.” He huffed out, letting her go and standing up. Kim looked at Max, watching as the younger girl was now sporting an amused expression.

“Yeah, yeah.” Kim responded but continued to sit on the floor, feeling like she didn’t have the ability to walk to the couch. She watched as Max headed back to El and began deciding which movie they were going to watch.

Kim stretched her legs out, her hands in her lap as she watched Billy order the food. She stared up the side of his body, taking in how muscular he really was. For the first time she didn’t feel bad about her thoughts towards him, instead, she felt like welcoming them.

He shot her a look as he hung up the phone, his foot pushing the side of her calf gently. She watched as her foot rolled to the side before sitting up again. She grinned up at him.

“I thought I told you to go to the couch?” He asked irritably. She stretched her arms out in the air, holding them over her head.

“My legs won’t work.” She said simply, grinning like a fool as he realized what he wanted to do. She figured it wouldn’t work and she would just end up crawling her way across the floor until she reached the seats. She watched him pinch the bridge of his nose and sigh very loudly.

She was starting to put her arms down when he crouched down near her again, an arm holding onto her back and under her thighs. She squealed, pleased as she carried her towards the couch. 

She laid against his chest, taking in his warmth as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She was careful to make sure she didn’t pull on his hair as she did so.

“You look nice.” She muttered, still smiling. He really did too. His jeans fit him nice and his shirt, like always, had one too many buttons undone.

“Shut up.” He grumbled back before stopping at the couch, waiting a moment for the two younger girls to scoot out of the way before plopping her down. A loud shriek left Kim’s mouth as she laughed in delight, enjoying the drop down a bit too much.

Billy just huffed before he stomped out of the room. Kim listened to his door slam shut and gave the two girls a playful look.

“Did I say something wrong?” El giggled, resting her arms against Kim’s legs as she stretched out on the couch. Even Max was grinning now.

“Why would you take that many? You know if mom and dad were home, you’d be in so much trouble.” Kim knew Max was right, but she just waved the young girl off, too high to care about what could have happened. She rested back against the arm of the chair, thinking about how good a slice of pizza would taste right now. She wondered when it would get here.

Kim listened as the two began discussing different subjects, boys, music, comics, and more boys. She cracked a grin a few times, never interrupting, just glad that her sister had found a place here.

“Did you find a movie yet?” Billy walked out of his room briskly. Kim tried to follow his footsteps to the front door with her eyes, but found the movement was too much. She listened as he opened the door.

That awoke her. She felt herself sitting up, breathing in the steamy smell of greasy pizza as he carried the two boxes to the living room. Throwing a stack of napkins and paper plates down.

“You got soda, didn’t you?” Max asked and Kim hoped the question was yes. She would do anything to taste and feel the sweet carbonation traveling down her body. Billy sighed before grabbing it off the counter. 

Kim didn’t wait for anyone else before she made her plate. She held up the slice, looking in awe at how the cheese was perfectly browned and the crust was golden. She lifted it up to her tongue, moaning as she bit into it and let the garlicky sauce lick at her taste buds.

She opened her eyes to see Billy staring at her, his jaw slack as he held a slice of pizza between the box and his plate. She chewed thoroughly, raising her eyebrow.

“I thought you had a date, and you were absolutely not canceling it?” She mocked as she finished her slice, she was sure this was the best meal she had ever had. El and Max grinned next to her, a small whisper of not having to hear happy screams was heard.

Billy stood up straight as he stared her down, then looked at the other two.

“Not like any of you left me a choice. I’m not leaving Hopper’s daughter alone with someone who's high off her ass. I’m not going down for that.” He defended. He walked towards Kim and began to sit down next to her. She scooted over closer to El, trying not to get squashed by him in the process. She could hear Max protest as she moved.

No one really stayed in the living room, at least not when Neil was around. Apparently, they needed a bigger couch for when he was gone. 

“Sure.” She drew the syllables as she looked at him, “You just know you didn’t want to miss out on this awesome night.” She concluded as she began her second slice of pizza and reached for the soda.

Max gripped the 2 liter in her hand tightly, “How about I pour it for you?” Kim nodded happily, watching as her sister worked. She passed the drink to her, which Kim accepted with glee.

“Did you decide on a movie then?” Billy asked dryly, his elbow hitting Kim’s ribs as he adjusted in his seat. She jolted as he hit right where she was ticklish. She shot him a glare, pinned between him and El. 

El shifted as Max scooted down to grab the remote, pressing play, “Nightmare on Elm Street is up first.” Kim groaned as she heard the title, knowing how much Max loved scary movies. She was completely opposite, hating the way the nightmares attacked her later.

“It’s so scary.” She whined as she swallowed the rest of her complaint down with soda. Yeah, yeah that was good, she decided. Max and El gave her an incredulous look.

“It’s not that scary.” Max spoke up and shook her red hair. Kim knew she wouldn’t win as she turned to look at Billy, their shoulders pressed together. He shifted again, his shoulder toppling over hers as his hand lingered dangerously close to her thigh. She stared, imagining how it would look as he squeezed her thigh.

“Don’t look at me. She’s right.” Billy shrugged as he continued eating. Kim sighed playfully, accepting the fact that she would have nightmares tonight. She tucked into the couch, hiding behind his shoulder.

“Fine, but you guys better not complain when I crawl into bed with you tonight.” She muttered, licking the grease off the side of her thumb. She turned her eyes to see Billy watching her, an unreadable expression on his face, “Who were you supposed to see tonight?” She asked, trying to be coy. He raised his eyebrow as he watched her.

“Does it matter? The date isn’t happening.” She wanted to say that it served him right for making her leave the pool early but resisted the urge to do so. She knew it would do nothing but irritate him more. There was something nice about him joining them to watch a movie.

She quieted down when it finally started, not wanting to annoy the two girls as it played. Max gave them all a temporary relief when she stood up to turn the light off. Paranoia crawled up Kim as she kept glancing over her arm to look behind her every time the scary music started to play.

“You’ve got to stop,” Max whined when she turned to face her again, “You’re gonna freak us out.” She huffed, moving to the floor and pulling El down with her.

“I told you it’s scary!” Kim defended herself, no longer finding everything hilarious. She kept jumping, moving closer to Billy as every little thing frightened her. She began to scoot away, freeing up some space between them when she fell for another jump scare. She was practically in his lap as she held onto his waist, a shrill shriek threatening to spill out.

She listened to him chuckle, feeling his chest move as he did so. She spared a glance at him as she curled against his side, thankful for his arm that moved around her. She felt a lot safer here, under his protective arm.

“You really are a scaredy cat, Mayfield.” She cursed him as she laid there, pulling a blanket over her legs so no demons would grab ahold of her feet.

Or Max. Max tended to do that a lot. She shivered as she thought about how Max went through a phase of hiding in dark spots in her room with a white sheet over her head.

She clutched him closer as another scary part appeared, curling her legs up to her chest. She tried to focus on the movie, instead of the way his fingers were tracing designs onto her back. She wondered how he was warm all the time, when she always felt so cold. 

She had never sat in such a position with him before and wondered if it was just him being nice, actually concerned that she would do something dumb, or if there was another reason he was holding onto her. Her eyes were beginning to close as she drifted off, Billy being the only thing to cross her thoughts.

///////

She didn’t know how late it was, but felt her comforter being placed over her as she could see the darkness engulfing her room. She fluttered her eyes, still dazed and sleepy as she adjusted her head on her pillow.

She turned to her back, noticing him pulling away like he was going to leave. She reached out, taking his hand softly. It was so dark she couldn’t see his face or expression, but she knew it was Billy. Her voice faltered as she thought about asking him to turn on her night light, images from the movie flickering in her mind.

“Stay,” She spoke softly, sleep threatening to take over as she kept blinking her eyes to stay focused on him, “Please.” She spoke even more gently, for even in the dark she could sense his hesitation. 

He sighed as he slid into bed next to her, making her bed shift completely as he got comfortable. In the back of her mind, she could feel laughter growing as she thought of Billy, all macho, covered in her green and pink flowery sheets.

Billy muttered something under his breath, but she was too far gone to listen to what he was saying. Her eyes closed as she moved closer to him, not close enough to touch, just seeking his warmth as she felt herself departing into a deep sleep.

Next Chapter

[evilhasnever]

Time for a wedding, set in the same reincarnation AU as this and this ficlet by me and this (by @lansplaining)! Btw, I have collected all previous parts in a series on Ao3 for ease of reading: Memory Lane (get it?)

A few people wanted to see what would happen if JGY recovered his memories, which means there is angst coming up... (this drabble turned into 3000 words, so Ao3 link if you prefer!)

For all that Lan Xichen knows his past life, he cannot tell the future. And the future seems dead set on tripping him up, as if holding a grudge in order to counterbalance whatever advantage his past memories may give him. 

That is to say, Meng Yao disappears the morning they are supposed to get married. 

It was not meant to be a big affair, but even a small modern ceremony ends up being a complex production when overzealous friends and overly-traditional relatives are involved. Lan Huan and Meng Yao had agreed to go to the venue separately, both to appease the loudest aunties and to build up some excitement for their own reunion as husbands. This means Lan Huan has slept at Wangji’s place for the past two days, leaving Meng Yao alone in the apartment they share, and has forced himself not to text him constantly over the past forty-eight hours.

At 10 in the morning on the day of the ceremony, Lan Huan is sweating in his tux on the way to the venue, driven by Wangji; he’s fruitlessly trying to meditate to keep calm, but he can’t quite stamp down his eagerness. For once his nerves are of the positive, tickling variety reserved for happy occasions - he doesn’t expect anything to go wrong today, considering A-Yao planned everything. 

He should have known better. 

When they are ten minutes away, Lan Huan’s cell phone rings, spooking both brothers out of their meditative silence. It’s Meng Shi, calling from the reception hall. It sounds like she has a hand on the receiver so as not to be overheard.

"A-Huan, A-Yao is not here."

Lan Xichen blanches. “He is what…?”

“He is not here. He is always here first, heavens knows he would be checking every single napkin even on his own wedding day, but today…”

“ I’m sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. Didn’t you go the venue together?”

“No, he called me a taxi. He said he had an errand to run, but that was two hours ago and he is not answering his phone. He always tells me where he is, A-Huan, and now…!”

“Perhaps he is just late,” Lan Xichen murmurs, his pulse already picking up speed because the very idea is absurd. “What kind of errand? The cake? A-Yao is always very particular about catering…”

“He didn’t say. A-Huan, did something happen?”

“Not that I know of, but I didn’t see him yesterday, we wanted to play up the anticipation a little…” Lan Huan admits. “Did you see him for dinner last night?” 

“Yes, I did… A-Yao said he wasn’t feeling well, but I thought it was just nerves,” Meng Shi carefully says, and Lan Huan can almost imagine her pursing her lips. “He said he ran out on his own stag party. I didn’t think much of it, A-Yao has never liked surprise parties.”

Lan Xichen’s brow furrows. “I’ll make some calls. Please wait there, and call me if he arrives.”

He tries A-Yao’s number, but it goes straight to voicemail. He leaves a quick message, just to be safe: “A-Yao, are you ok? I’m almost at the venue. Let me know if something happened, alright? I love you.”

Carefully ignoring Wangji’s glance in the rear view mirror, he shoots a text to Mingjue and another to Jin Zixuan, asking if A-Yao is coming with them by any chance. Huaisang calls him back from his brother’s phone immediately. “Xichen-ge, did you lose your fiance?”

“Miscommunication,” Lan Xichen replies tightly. “What happened at the stag party, Huaisang?” 

“Ayo, I don’t know anything! Xuanyu and I put him in the car and he freaked out as if we were some gangsters coming for his family. He was absolutely no fun the whole evening, after I prepared all the decorations and even the stripper–I mean, the entertainment!”

Lan Xichen pinches the bridge of his nose, feeling the grasping hands of a migraine growing in the back of his skull. “We will discuss this at a later time, Huaisang. Did A-Yao do or say anything strange at the party?”

“He hardly said anything at all, and then he just up and left when we tried to put a veil on him for the photos! Total spoilsport. Did he get cold feet?”

“He is late.”

Huaisang gasps in horror. 

“I just want to make sure he is safe. Do you know where he was yesterday afternoon, before you kidnapped him?”

“I resent that wording! Anyway, I think he went to pick up his wedding tux with Jin Zixuan. Trying to be a good brother wa—y too late if you ask me.”

“Alright, thanks. See you at the reception, Huaisang.”

“Is it… still on? Just wondering if I need to get dressed.”

“I’d appreciate yours and your brother’s presence either way,” Lan Xichen says, wryly. 

“'mkay, ge. Best of luck.”

When they reach the wedding venue, they are momentarily intercepted by Shufu - Lan Xichen smiles and dodges him, ear glued to his phone as Wangji shadows him to the waiting room and locks the door. 

When they are alone, Lan Huan turns to his brother. “Wangji. A-Yao should already be here, but I can’t track him down.”

Wangji’s gaze hardens imperceptibly, and Lan Xichen takes a deep breath and lifts his hands in a pacifying gesture. “I am worried about him. His mother doesn’t know where he is either.” 

“Why would he flee?” Wangji asks. 

“We should not jump to conclusions,” Lan Xichen cautions, “He… he should have no reason to do so.” 

“The reasons may be unrelated to the past,” Wangji offers, after a thoughtful moment. “Car accident, panic attack.” 

“Alright, let’s… one thing at a time,” Lan Huan chuckles nervously, trying to push down the bubble of fear growing in his stomach.

For the next few minutes, they both busy themselves calling local hospitals. Thankfully, nobody that looks like A-Yao has been taken to any of the city ERs this morning. Lan Xichen exhales, then dials A-Yao’s number again, letting it ring off the hook. 

When it goes to voicemail again, he decides to try his luck and call Jin Zixuan’s number, which he has only because he is very thorough and always prepared for emergencies - or so he thought, at any rate.

“Ah, Lan Xichen,” Zixuan answers on the third ring. “Are you calling to tell me not to come to the wedding? Because A-Li and I are almost there! I already left several apologies on A-Yao’s answering machine, but I don’t know how my brother’s mind works…”

“Why would you apologize?” Lan Xichen asks, suddenly alert. “Did something happen yesterday?”

“It was odd,” Zixuan grunts, and there are background baby noises for a short while - Lan Xichen holds his breath until Zixuan resumes speaking. “One moment he was all dimples, then when he tried on his wedding tux he stopped dead and looked like he’d short-circuited. Stuck like a mannequin. I’ve never seen him not frenetic, which is why I asked him if he perhaps didn’t like the suit? Told him if we paid extra we could get him another one in time for the wedding, though it would not be custom-made… he wasn’t listening at all, just doing this wide-eyed face in the mirror. I had told him that white was not his color, but the reaction seemed extreme!”

“Zixuan, I need to know exactly what he said. Word for word, if you could be so kind.”

Another long sigh, more baby noises. “Well. I forgive him, because god knows I was panicking the day before my wedding, but–he said I should be dead.”

Oh . 

“I have to go,” Lan Xichen whispers, and hangs up.

He turns swiftly to his brother. “Wangji. I need you to ask your boyfriend to track A-Yao’s phone, stat.”

Wangji’s eyebrows rise in unadulterated shock, but to his credit he doesn't deny that Wei Wuxian can absolutely do that.

“I… I don’t know where he would go,” Lan Huan admits. “Not in this life.” Where would he run? The uncertainty makes him feel unmoored, like he’s being pulled down by a turbulent sea and can’t keep himself afloat. “I think it’s a... memory emergency.”

“I will ask Wei Ying.”

It takes what feels like an eternity, though in truth Lan Xichen is aware that Wei Wuxian accomplishes the task in a criminally speedy manner, and without asking any questions. Not while he’s in earshot, anyway.

“I sent you the last known location,” Wei Wuxian shrugs at last, “but I dunno if he still has the phone on him or he dumped it.” 

“Thank you, Wei Wuxian. Wangji… can I take your car?”

“Mn.” For a moment, Lan Huan can see his brother wants to offer to go with him, so he shakes his head in silence. Wangji hands over the keys and squints at him. “Brother… remember the rule.”

“I know. The past is not the present. The present is not the future. I know, Wangji.” 

“Sooo… what do we do with the wedding?" Wei Wuxian interjects, apparently not grasping the gravity of the situation. "We have the venue booked until 2pm but I’m sure they have people lined up for later…”

“I’m sure you’ll think of some way to buy time,” Lan Xichen smiles tightly. “I’ll call you when I’m on my way back.”

“Did you hear that, Lan er-gege? We gotta think of a distraction~ you got any ideas?” 

Lan Xichen is out of the door and behind the wheel as fast as he can be. He keeps an eye on his phone, but the only updates he gets are from Meng Shi saying A-Yao isn’t there yet, and Shufu reminding him of the schedule and cancellation fees. 

He tracks down the coordinates to an off-season beach two hours south, a straight line from the city. There’s a parking lot nearby, but it’s empty - A-Yao doesn’t have a car. He pictures him telling an Uber driver to just drive until he tells him to stop, and his heart aches. Still, some irrational hope nestles inside him, whispering that perhaps A-Yao hasn’t thrown away his phone yet. That he may want to be found. 

Lan Xichen parks hurriedly across two spaces and hurries out to the sea, sinking in the sand with every step. He pauses to kick off his dress shoes, then resumes running down the seashore. With immense relief, he spots A-Yao, a tiny white-clad figure in the distance, a few hundred meters down the desolate stretch of sea. 

Is it embedded somewhere in A-Yao’s soul to run away to the sea, despite knowing that in this life he cannot swim?

“A-Yao!” he calls out, waving his arms clumsily. There is absolutely nobody else out in January, no umbrellas and no chairs, so A-Yao will certainly see him coming from afar - no point making his approach cautious. Lan Xichen had half expected A-Yao to turn tail and make him chase him, but miraculously he does not.

“A-Yao,” he gasps again when he catches up to him, tugging at his collar. “Are you alright, A-Yao?”

His A-Yao turns, dark-rimmed eyes and windswept hair, terse like a winter morning. He’s undone his bowtie and popped a few buttons at his collar, the tuxedo jacket thrown over his shoulder. 

“The last time I saw you, you would not call me that anymore,” Jin Guangyao says, his voice raspy from the wind. 

“You saw me yesterday morning, A-Yao,” Lan Huan soothes, stepping towards him with his hand outstretched. 

“Right.” A-Yao chuckles humorlessly, and draws a circle in the sand with a naked foot. The hem of his pants is caked in wet sand, but he does not seem to mind. “I meant… before.” 

He looks down, a strange smile on his face, then takes off his engagement ring and holds it out towards Lan Xichen, without looking up at him. “I should return this.”

Despite the fear gripping his heart, Lan Huan shakes his head firmly. “It’s yours. You don't have to keep it, but I don’t want it back.”

A-Yao’s hand lowers, a little hesitantly. Then his razorblade gaze snaps up and pierces Lan Xichen where he stands. “Er-ge. Can you tell me why every wedding of mine comes with a side of lies?” 

Lan Xichen stands to attention. “I never lied to you, A-Yao.”

“You never told me you remembered the past.” It is not a question, so Lan Xichen does not treat it as such.

“Would you have wanted to know?” he asks instead.

A-Yao doesn’t reply for a moment, gaze returning to the gray wintry sea. “What I don’t understand,” he says to the waves, “is why you sought me out, if you remembered.” 

“A-Yao... Even if we’d been complete strangers, I would still have fallen for you. But all the more because I remembered you, how could I not seek you out?” Lan Xichen frowns at his poor wording; he had prepared this speech a million times, but now it scatters like sand in the breeze. “My family has a rule against approaching people from the past, did you know? But A-Yao…  what do I have these memories for, if not to find you?”

A-Yao’s gaze drops to the sand at his feet, the cold waves lapping at his ankles. “Even after everything?”

Lan Xichen closes his eyes briefly. He’s had a lot of time to think about this. “I’m here, aren’t I?’

The reply seems to strike true. A-Yao looks taken aback, but Lan Xichen dares to hope it's a good kind of surprise. Like that time he surprised A-Yao at the airport with flowers, or the time he offered to teach him to play the qin. He hazards another step closer to him, a mere arm’s length from A-Yao. He aches to touch him, but he can’t. Not yet. 

“Mother’s treatment,” A-Yao says abruptly. “Tell me straight.”

“Yes,” Lan Xichen inclines his head. “You and I hadn’t met yet, so I asked a friend to make an anonymous donation in my place.” 

A-Yao purses his lips. “I suppose I must thank you.”

“I didn't do it to earn your thanks,” Lan Xichen sighs. “Knowing and not acting would have been unthinkable, that is all.”

“Still, thank you. My mother is… she is everything.” A-Yao looks younger, vulnerable for the space of a breath.

Lan Xichen smiles. “I care for her too. Your mother is wonderful.”

A-Yao almost smiles at that, but it fades before it can reach the top half of his face, his eyes narrowing again in scrutiny. 

“You introduced me to Qin Su at June’s charity luncheon. Did you invite her?” 

Lan Xichen swallows, painfully. “I did not invite her, but she was there.” He bites his lip. “I looked into it. You are… not related, in this life.” 

A-Yao makes a little ‘hah’ sound, as swift as paper ripping. “I’m happy for her. But why did you go out of your way to introduce her to me? You and I had just started dating.”

All Lan Huan can do is shrug, his shoulders stiff and frozen in the confines of his tuxedo. “Tempting fate, I suppose.” 

“Still unfailingly selfless,” A-Yao hums, and it is a little too dry to feel like praise.

They look at a pair of seagulls chasing each other among cacophonous screams. They sound particularly shrill, drawing playful circles in the air and around each other.

“It is selfishness,” Lan Xichen eventually admits. “I just wanted to make sure that… I just wanted to make sure.” 

A-Yao shakes his head with a small exhale, barely a chuckle. He drops his jacket on the sand and lifts both arms to cup Lan Xichen’s jaw, pulling him slightly closer. His fingers are frozen cold, his eyes dark and serious, with an intensity that halts Lan Xichen’s breath halfway up his throat. 

“Lan Xichen, Lan Xichen... in a world in which I can marry you, how could I ever not?” The words, carefully enunciated, hit Lan Xichen’s chilled face in small, warm puffs of breath. A-Yao is not smiling, and that, for some reason, puts Lan Huan’s heart at ease. It gives his words the resonance of unfailing truth, a timeless verdict.

“We still could,” he hopefully offers. “Well, if Wei Wuxian managed to stall enough.” 

A-Yao snorts softly, then shakes his head. “Not now. I think… I need to get away.”

He surely notices the sheer horror on Lan Xichen’s face, because his brows knit together in an apologetic squint. “Not forever, gege. Just for a little while, to get my head in order.”

Lan Xichen folds his arms behind his back, and leans into A-Yao’s hands cupping his jaw. “We still have the honeymoon to Japan booked for tomorrow…”

A-Yao chuckles, breathless and disbelieving. Then his dark, half-lidded eyes scan Lan Xichen’s face, considering. “...You’d come?”

“Unquestioningly,” Lan Xichen says. “Right now, if you wanted to.”

“With no luggage?”

“I don’t need anything.”

The answer seems to please A-Yao, because his smile turns a shade more secretive, lashes lowering on his cheeks.

Still, he hedges, thumb tracing Lan Xichen’s chin in direct contradiction with his words. “Er-ge… I can’t ask you to…” 

“You need not to ask,” Lan Xichen smiles, eager, desperate to give away his heart. “If we drive to the airport now, we can catch an earlier flight. I’ll call on the way there.”

“A honeymoon while we are still not married,” A-Yao smirks. “What would your shufu say?”

Lan Xichen grins at him with infinite tenderness. “We can marry anytime, but we can only elope once.”

A little skittish, A-Yao puts his hand in his nonetheless, tugging him along as they amble towards the parking lot. They shake the sand off their pants, exchanging half smiles at the state of their attire. They spend an awkward minute tracking down their discared shoes.

When they’re safely in the car, Lan Xichen offers his smartphone to him. “I’m all for eloping, but call your mother and Wangji to make sure they don’t worry, will you?” 

A-Yao brushes Lan Xichen’s knuckles delicately before taking his phone from him, and laughs. It’s small, but as wonderful as the first time.

[dumpsterfireofthedas]

Child Of The Dalish (In-game quest name)

Title: “Child Of The Dalish” (In-game quest title) Fandom: Dragon Age: Origins Pairing: Mostly Gen but a brief implication of Tamlen x Mahariel (Sabre) Summary: Jaydzia and her fellow Dalish hunter Tamlen are scouting in the Brecilian forest when they come upon three humans running from something. (In game Prologue) Author’s notes: This mostly the prologue from the game but with my own twist based off my Dalish warden and her thoughts and stuff to make it interesting. I completely understand however if this is simply not to your taste as it is a bit of a rehash. There will be plenty of “non” in game scenes as it were for this story anyway. No worries and for those who read, I hope its interesting and enjoyable!

Under the cut for length! (Crossposted to Ao3)

Jaydzia Mahariel of the Dalish Sabrae Clan sat perched high in a tree within the Brecilian Forest where clan dwelt this time of year. She was hunting and scouting with her clan-mate and best friend, Tamlen. There was plenty of game in the forests and their clad did have plenty of supplies to last them for a time but hunters and scouts needed to keep up their skills as their elders and their Keeper often said.

Aside from the usual sounds of the forests, birds, bees, deer and the like, it was also quiet and peaceful. Jaydzia allowed herself a few moments to simply close her eyes and enjoy the serenity of the forest. It grounded her, kept her mindful. Something that Keeper Marethari often said her father did.

The abrupt sound of loud heavy footsteps crashing through brush and foliage however, jarred out of her moment. The clumsy loud crashing sounds sent birds and animals alike fleeing and scattering about the forest. Pale-green eyes opened and she quickly surveyed the forest from her perch. The trajectory of various fleeing birds and animals narrowed down the path. The loud heavy, even clumsy-sounding footsteps were quite obvious to find as they grew closer, soon, revealing three poorly dressed and harried humans.

Pursing lips, partly from the interruption, partly due to finding it was bumbling humans that were the cause, Jaydzia started to expertly descend the tall tree when she heard one of the humans speak.

“It’s a Dalish!” The exclamation wasn’t directed at her, there was no way any of the three bumbling fools would have seen her. Tamlen must have made himself known to the group. One of the shems demanded passage, despite the trembling fear in his voice.

“And you three are somewhere you shouldn’t be,” Tamlen voice, somewhat cocky and utterly unimpressed with the sight before him.

Jaydzia moved quietly through the foliage, she could see the three humans, Tamlen and his bow trained on them. She silently knocked an arrow to her own bow, giving a slightly heavier foot step with a twig crack as a sort of signal to Tamlen that was she was about to enter the clearing.

“You’ve got no right to stop us, Dalish!” Another of the shems called out.

“No? We’ll just see about that, won’t we?” Tamlen said, unperturbed. She stepped out of the foliage and joined him, bow and arrow joining his to be trained on the humans.

Pale-green eyes narrowed at the humans as Tamlen explained finding three bandits lurking in the bushes. They didn’t seem particularly dressed or armed for anything, let alone banditry. But she knew better, as did Tamlen. Their clan had been tricked before…But there was something about these shems that…struck her as particularly…dense for lack of a better word.

With two arrows trained on them, the trio of humans seemed to blanch, color draining from already pale faces.

“We aren’t bandits! I swear!,” The red-haired shem exclaimed, his voice a bit high-pitched. “Please, don’t hurt us!”

“You shemlen are pathetic,” Tamlen scoffed, contempt lacing his voice. “It’s a hard to believe you ever drove us from our homeland.”

“We-we’ve never done nothing to you, Dalish!” Stammered the dark-haired human. “We didn’t even know this forest was yours!”

“This forest isn’t ours, fool,” Tamlen said with annoyance. “You’ve stumbled to close to our camp. You shems are like vermin. We can’t trust you not to make mischief.”

After a tense moment, Tamlen spoke to her though he kept his sapphire-blue eyes and his bow trained on the three cowering humans before them. “What do you think, lethallin? What should we do with them?”

Jaydzia’s gaze studied each human in turn quickly. None of them alone posed any real threat to them or the clan. But if they went back to their town and gathered more…There was also something…odd about them, about their fear. While having arrows pointed at them would probably cause it especially as not one of them looked to have ever seen a small fight before let alone real combat, she was certain that it wasn’t the arrows that had them in visceral quivering fear. Something else had invoked such a reaction from these men, whatever may have sent them running blindly through a forest like this.

“Let’s find out why they’re here, what they were doing…” She suggested to Tamlen. She didn’t need to look at him to know Tamlen had rolled his eyes, she could hear it in his voice.

“Does it matter? Hunting or banditry, we’ll have to move camp if we let them live,” He stated flatly.

Annoyance flashed across her face, she grew weary of some of the views on humans that floated around the camp. She wasn’t necessarily fond of humans but she wasn’t particularly fond of people in general. She also didn’t hate them as some of her people did. The history between humans and elves left enough issues on both sides that it wasn’t a wonder why both sides harbored old hatreds.

“L-look,” said the trembling dark-haired human in the back of the trio. “We didn’t come here to be trouble…We-we just found a cave…”

“Y-yes! A Cave!” Said the second dark-haired man as if he’d not only forgot about this bit of information but also believed it would be their saving grace. “With ruins like I’ve never seen! We thought there might be…uh…” He fell silent, his face falling as he realized what he was about to say and the very elves standing before him. His dark eyes, darted away…

“Treasure,” Tamlen finished the shem’s sentence. “So you’re more akin to thieves than actual bandits.”

“If you were there,” Jaydzia interjected, sounding a bit doubtful. “Then you can prove it, right?”

The red-haired shem blinked then cautiously approached Tamlen, slowly producing something from his pockets.

“One wrong move…” Jaydzia warned.

The shem in question froze for a moment, hand outstretched towards Tamlen, eyes wide, “I…I have proof. Here…we found this just inside the entrance…”

Tamlen took the item as she kept her bow trained. The human stepped back hastily. She heard Tamlen gasp in disbelief and shock. “This stone has carvings…Is this…elvish? Written elivish?” he sounded disbelieving.

“We…uh…didn’t get very far in,” Said the shem in the back, not looking at anything but the ground at his feet. He was trembling the most, fear held him tight in its grasp even now.

“Why not?” Jaydzia asked, frowning.

It was the red-haired human that gave the answer, “There was a demon! It was huge!”

“With…with black eyes…like a void…”the shem in the back spoke quietly, almost a whisper.

“Thank the maker, we were able to out run it,” Chimed the third human, sounding honestly relieved.

Tamlen scoffed but kept his patience, “A demon? Where is this cave?”

There was something about the shem in the back of the trio. While she was disbelieving it had been a demon…or this cave truly existed, she could see that this man was not just scared but…haunted. He had seen something…something dark, something that would surely haunt him for the rest of his days.

“It’s…back that way,” The red-haired human said, pointing back behind him and his friends. “You really can’t miss it…C-can we go, please? We wont come back! I swear it!”

Tamlen sighed, clearly done with the three fools. “Well?” He asked her. “Do you trust them? Shall we let them go?”

Jaydzia eyed each of them then nodded, “They’re frightened enough. They won’t bother us.”

“Run along, shems,” Tamlen ordered, lowering his bow as the men started to make haste away from the elves. “And don’t come back until we Dalish have moved on.”

The three humans sputtered thanks profusely as they ran.

Jaydzia and Tamlen waited quietly until the humans were out of sight before sheathing their weapons entirely. He moved to stand before her, a slight smile on his face as well as curious and mischievous glint in his blue eyes.

“Well, shall we see if there’s any truth to their story? These carvings make me curious…” He asked, producing the item for her to inspect. Jaydzia trailed her fingers over the weathered but clear elvish-looking runes on the jagged piece of stone in Tamlen’s hand. There was something strange about them…Something almost ethereal and otherworldly…It gave her pause. There was a flash of shadowy images in her head as if some ancient memory was trying to desperately to come out of the shadows of long forgotten knowledge.

It left her…uneasy.

“I don’t know… I have a bad feeling about this so-called demon,” Jaydzia said quietly as she looked up at Tamlen.

He chuckled in amusement, “Skittish shems say it’s a demon and you believe them? They probably woke up a bear.”

Jaydzia frowned, “The shem who cowered in the back of that little group seemed as if he’d seen a real ghost. He was more than simply frightened.”

Tamlen laughed, “Come now, Jay. Did any of that lot look as if they had ever seen a real bear before in their lives?”

She pondered that for a moment and shrugged, “I suppose not. Humans are…odd.”

Tamlen pocketed the item and threw an arm around her shoulders and started to guide her in the direction of this supposed cave. “Let’s see if these ruins actually exist, then we can worry about what to do, sound good.”

Jaydzia wrapped an arm around his waist and chuckled, his easy charm clearing her head of her worries, “If you insist. If there is a bear thoug-“

“I’ll protect you,” he said fondly. “Don’t worry.”

[songstresstinyteacup]

An alternative to “Is the weight of it all finally too much?”

Okay, so this deals with implied suicide attempts, and panicky Sibella. Do with that as you will!

Of all the things Sibella had expected to see when she arrived at High Hurst castle that day, Monty pulling a soaking wet and half-frozen Phoebe D’ysquith Navarro from the river beyond the gardens wasn’t one of them.

Monty passed off Phoebe to Marietta and Gorby, stalking inside and forcing Sibella to whirl around to try and keep up with him as Miss Shingle and Gorby began escorting Phoebe back inside.

Sibella hadn’t even had the time to shed her coat and gloves.

“Monty! Monty, whatever’s happened?” Sibella inquired, heels slamming into the ground as she tried to keep pace with him.

Monty turned around, and Sibella saw so many emotions in his eyes.

Anger.

Grief.

Concern.

Fear.

“Phoebe tried to end her life today, Sibella.” Monty’s voice was hoarse and thick with tears, tears Sibella could see he was desperately trying to hold back.

Sibella’s heart plummeted through the floor.

“What?” Her words were breathless.

Phoebe.

Her Phoebe.

Phoebe had tried to die.

Monty threw his arms up, sleeves soaked clear up to his elbows, running damp fingers through snow-speckled hair, frustration in every movement.

Then Monty stepped aside and motioned Sibella into the library, and when she did as bid, he shut the door.

“Wh- I don’t- Oh Monty.” Sibella felt her own tears welling up.

Monty was silent, eerily silent, and then after such a long pause he spoke.

“I think Phoebe found out. I think she knows what I did to her brother.” Monty’s voice broke as he all but collapsed at his desk in the library.

Sibella’s heart sank even further.

Sibella had suspected for quite some time that Monty’s meteoric rise from displaced heir to Earl wasn’t simply a streak of good luck, and she had thought Phoebe had suspected too.

Maybe Phoebe had suspected, but perhaps Phoebe hadn’t believed as Sibella had, and when it came to Phoebe’s grief for her brother, Sibella knew it still ran strong.

Oftentimes Sibella would look over at Phoebe in the gardens and catch her staring teary-eyed at the bee colonies she’d had moved from Salisbury to the castle, staring at them as if enough willpower would make Henry appear.

If Phoebe had learned that Henry had been killed by Monty, had no way to deny it to her own brain, Sibella knew she’d be distraught, but never dreamed that Phoebe would attempt to harm herself.

Sibella was snapped from her spiraling thoughts by the sound of Monty crying, and she moved to wrap her arms around him, bending as far as her corset would allow to try and soothe him.

“She’ll be alright, Monty. I’ll make sure of it.” Sibella kissed the top of his head and then took off from the library to their wing.

It made the most sense for Phoebe to be placed in her boudoir, close to the bath to warm her after Monty had calmed down, if she weren’t already in the bath.

So when Sibella finally reached the boudoir door she didn’t bother knocking, simply pushed in the door and closed it behind her.

The room was warm, almost stifling under Sibella’s coat and gloves, and in a chair by the fire sat Phoebe.

She was wrapped in no less than three blankets, but she trembled like a leaf in a storm anyway, and Mary was there trying to hand her a cup of tea but Phoebe just stared ahead.

Mary seemed to jump when she noticed Sibella, placing the teacup back on the saucer and bobbing a curtsy.

“Miss Hallward! I do apologize!” Mary offered a skittish smile, but it didn’t meet her eyes.

Sibella offered a genuine smile back, a small, sad one.

“Leave us, Mary.” Sibella commanded, pulling off her first glove.

Mary blanched, and looked from Phoebe back to Sibella.

“I’m sorry, Miss, but I was instructed to stay with her ladyship no matter what.” She stammered and Sibella huffed.

“I shall stay with the countess. You may go.” The blonde tried once more, but Mary didn’t budge.

“Take Miss Hallward’s coat and gloves and go to lunch, Mary. I’m alright.” Phoebe’s voice was almost foreign, so resigned and far away, but Mary obeyed.

After the door had closed, Phoebe sighed so heavily her entire frame seemed to crumble, head dipping down.

“Phoebe. What on earth possessed you to try such a thing?” Sibella walked toward the fire and picked up the cup from its saucer and held it out to Phoebe.

The smaller woman didn’t take it, shivering so violently Sibella could hear her teeth chattering, so Sibella extended it again.

“I didn’t try anything. I was trying to tell Monty that.” Phoebe grit out between shivers.

“Was the weight of it all finally too heavy? Phoebe this isn’t like you!” Sibella hissed, tipping Phoebe’s chin upwards with one finger, eyes blazing with anger.

Phoebe shot up, almost knocking her head into Sibella’s as she tried to take a step and tripped over one of the many blankets Mary had wrapped her in.

Sibella caught her immediately, helping untangle the blanket from Phoebe’s feet and looking her over.

“I swear to you, Sibella, I would never do that! Especially not now!” Phoebe was adamant, glaring at Sibella even though she still trembled with cold.

Sibella blinked.

What did Phoebe mean by “not now”?

Phoebe caught her gaze.

“I was walking by the river because it’s Henry’s birthday today. Every year the only thing my brother wanted was a walk by a river with me. I tripped and fell in. Monty only saw my back.” Phoebe’s words were quick, and for a moment Sibella panicked.

Had these statements been planned?

Had Phoebe planned in case one of them caught her?

Sibella hardened her gaze, looking at Phoebe in the way she knew made Monty squirm and hoped it would do the same to Phoebe.

It didn’t.

“Have you forgotten I’m a D’ysquith, Sibella? I’ve had years of experience in posturing.” Phoebe’s voice was like steel, and Sibella noticed for the first time that she’d stopped trembling.

Sibella softened her eyes, looking at Phoebe.

Very well, she could use tears and terror in equal measure.

“Darling, I just-“, Sibella took a deliberately unsteady breath, “I can’t lose you.”

The blonde looked down, and when she looked at Phoebe again there was a light misting of tears in her eyes.

Phoebe seemed to wilt.

Good.

“It was an accident, Sibella. That’s all.” Phoebe’s voice was softer, but still firm.

Phoebe grabbed her blankets and moved to the bed, opening them up and motioning for Sibella to join her.

Sibella did, sniffling as she moved to further illustrate her distress, and when she was pressed into Phoebe’s side, freezing water soaking into her own dress, Phoebe closed the blanket around them and lay back, taking Sibella with her.

They said nothing, Phoebe looking at Sibella, and then Phoebe’s freezing hands were in Sibella’s, guiding, and Sibella all but froze in place when Phoebe pressed Sibella’s hand to her own abdomen.

“That was what I wanted to tell Henry. Now I’m telling you. I would never hurt myself, or my child.” Phoebe’s voice was husky and low, even as tears welled up in both of their eyes.

“Oh, darling.” Sibella crashed her lips into Phoebe’s, kissing her hard.

An heir.

“Does Monty know?” Sibella inquired breathlessly as they pulled apart.

Phoebe shook her head, swallowing hard.

“I tried to tell him after he pulled me out. I didn’t even know he’d followed me out there, but he’s too frightened and angry.”

Phoebe’s shivering began anew, and Sibella rose.

“What are you-“ Phoebe began as Sibella pulled her to her feet, keeping one hand firmly on Phoebe’s waist.

“Let me draw you a bath, I won’t have you catching your death, especially not now.” Sibella breathed, and Phoebe thought for a moment, then nodded.

Sibella led Phoebe into the bathing chamber and deposited her onto the chaise with such gentleness that Phoebe began to get misty-eyed again.

They would tell Monty later.

He had to understand.

[pickled-flowers]

Alright here’s some writing, although I’m not sure it’ll help understand 😅 anyways enjoy these more or less 3 000 words

And so it started in the Garden, with a sad little girl. Her name, if it matters, is Blanche.

The girl lived alone, in a house in the forest. There was no one around even if she walked for two days in any direction, only the girl and the house and the caring forest, ever so close and impenetrable. In the nicest, coziest way possible.

There was the house, and the garden, of course. It hugged the stone walls, encircled by carefully picked rocks, as if to say “You may not go further, this is my garden, my home. You are not welcome in”. Nothing grew there.

Not that the girl didn’t try; every day she begged and begged the earth to allow flowers to blossom and fruits to ripen on branches. Every day the earth turned and never listened.

And something quite rational happens in situations such as these. You get angry.

You don’t understand. It is not fair, it should not be this way. You did nothing wrong.

At all! And it’s ridiculous. Laughable, really. How come?

How come this little patch of dirt refused to grow even the most simple of grass? The most common of clovers, not even some useless weed. It remained barren and black, and each passing day made the little girl angrier. With ferocious conviction, she kept on digging holes in her garden, leaving seeds she’d found in the forest, watering them with rain water she collected, and yet. Despite the love and care, nothing grew. Except for her rage.

Blanche was tired. She was exhausted and alone. She’d been doing this forever. She was done.

The night was just like every other, dark and silent, draping over the house and the garden, keeping her sobs inside the stone circle. The forest had no idea.

Knee deep in the soil, she cried every tear she had. She cried because it was unjust. She cried because no one had ever held her hand, because she couldn’t even light a proper fire in the fireplace. She cried because she was angry and that was all she could feel.

And once her body was dry and shaking, she fell asleep there, in her empty garden, as if in a small grave, made just for her. There was only emptiness around, and the sky above.

When morning came, reassuringly on time, rising over the house and coloring the girl’s small world of gold and warmth, Blanche stirred in her hollow tomb.

She had felt the night escape from under her, and was awake. But opening her eyes at that moment would have been too much. It would mean one more day. One more day spent by herself, throwing everything she had into an impossible project, a project much too big for her child-sized hands. And so for one moment, she kept her eyes closed. Just one more moment where she didn’t have to face the infinite loneliness that held her. And if the small rustling sound that was all around could stop, she could maybe even go back to sleep, and escape some more.

Really, that sound… and were those songbirds?

The garden had never been less silent. She opened her eyes at once.

What was once empty and bare was now full to the brim with life; trees and bushes, green and blue and pink and bright orange, branches and tall leaves. Flowers everywhere she looked. Grass and moss on every patch of dirt, on every rock. Lichen covered everything else. There was no order to it, just fierce and wild beauty singing its own chorus. Butterflies and bees lazily curled around petals, ants established their camps under the willow. Worms digged their way around, ladybugs coloured their plants. Somewhere above Blanche’s head, a flock of birds discussed with enthusiasm.

The garden was blossoming as far as she could see, past the stone circle and into the forest, spilling outside its delimitation.

Blanche’s mouth hung open, her eyes struggling to take it all in, hungrily going from one thing to the other. She didn’t dare blink, scared it would all disappear the moment she wasn’t looking. Not knowing if this all was simply a trick of the light was equally distressing. She blinked. Once, twice. She rubbed her eyes vigorously. It was all still there.

A burst of… of something erupted in her stomach and she cried out, scrambling on her feet. Even the dirt on her skin felt like brand new flesh.

This was all hers.

She turned around, taking it all in, letting the sun on her skin welcome her into this oh so bright new day. She laughed.

Someone laughed with her, echoed her voice.

Blanche spun on her heels faster than she thought possible. There stood another child, busy examining the nearest flower. This was the first time Blanche had seen anyone beside her own reflection in the water.

Without looking at Blanche, the child spoke.

“I’m hungry.” Faer voice had the same buzzing quality of a swarm of bumblebees.

“Me too!” Blanche stumbled on her words. She hadn’t had much practice with small talk. Or any kind of talk.

She smiled brightly. “Would you like to eat lunch with me? I have some bread inside, and we can eat some of these berries” she pointed at a bush where heavy red round fruits hung from its branches. “Stay here, I’ll be right back!”

Blanche rushed inside the house, leaving bits of grass and petals on the floor. She’d clean it up later. Across the sink, she could see the garden behind the window. It was all still there, tainting the light that shone inside of green and yellow.

It pooled on the countertops, dripped to the floor, settled blindly on a ceramic plate. Blanche smiled again. She put the round breads on the plate, pushing the door to the garden open with her free hand. The child was still there, sitting down now, looking expectantly at her.

This was the first ever shared meal either of them had ever experienced; to be fair to the other child, fae had just come to life. Everything was new and fascinating. The kid’s name was Fare. Blanche’s brand new sister.

Life for the two sisters was very sweet for a time, a whole summer worth, in fact.

It was all sunny mornings drinking tea amongst the flowers, games, lunches and naps, making notes of every flora they could find in a neat little red book.

Every evening Blanche cooked for the two of them as the sun settled on the house, setting the roof ablaze with its light, breaking through the leaves and pressing against the kitchen window, coming out the other side softer. It shone on Blanche’s skin, hitting the sharpness of her knife as she prepared the onions and tomato for the night’s stew. Fare would usually come to sit on the counter top across the sink, swinging faer legs in rhythm with the chopping. They’d talk about flowers and roaches. When their plates were long empty, and the night well settled on the forest, they went upstairs, where Blanche would always tuck Fare in before slipping under the same blanket, curling in the bed next to her sister, close enough to hear the sound of faer breathe. They were safe. They were happy. Blanche was no longer alone.

And then came the end of the summer.

A sigh, a pout. The whisper of an end that curled on the roof and seeped into the ground.

The string of stones so carefully chosen and placed were long forgotten now, overgrown garden jumping over the fence and running for the wood.

It started creeping into the everyday, leaving petals on plates, bouquet of plush green weed in Fare's hair, stone and dirt in the entryway, in the small space between the wood panels of the floor. Soon, the door was left open at all hours of the day, and the house smelled of flowers and sap. Garden and home were one.

And then one blue skyed morning, Blanche woke up alone in the small room she shared with Fare.

It seemed like the end of the world for a moment. It seemed like lungs being ripped down to her stomach, it seemed like glass shards and cold rage.

But by the window she could still see the garden, very much still standing, ever so growing. The peach tree reached past the roof now.

And yet, despite the familiar sight of the garden, Blanche felt uneasy. Fare couldn't be far, but what if fae was?

And that feeling she thought was behind her came to bury in her shoulder, wrapped around her throat.

No that wouldn't do. After so many nights and days of complete solitude, she wouldn't just let it disappear between the roots.

Blanche instinctively went to the drawer next to the sink, in the empty and sickenly silent kitchen. There, conveniently laid, a butcher knife. It might not have been there before that morning, but she gripped it hard enough to leave marks in the handles, so it would remember to stay.

Her body held immovable forces. She stepped in the garden.

The sky breached from the trees, struggling to let lights through, leaving spots of sun that were far too scarce. On her left, the pond was turned fully green, all of its surfaces covered by nenuphars and water lilies drifting endlessly, no ripples to be seen. Sharp grass rose from the black earth. Branches intertwined unnaturally, becoming one arm, one hand, beautiful and tragic but Blanche did not stop to wonder.

She did not care for the flowers she had never seen before. She did not collect their tears to prepare for breakfast, she did not pick up the fallen fruits.

Furor overcame her body, frustration pooling deep inside; this empire was growing too confident, overstepping its bounds. The garden had forgotten its place.

She slalomed between the tortured roots, innocent traps on her path. The smell of her sister was too faint to trace.

After an hour - or so she could only guess, the sun was hidden and she could not read the sky for the time of the day, she had looked everywhere within the stone circle. Fare was nowhere to be found.

Calmness washed over her as the solution cleared in her mind, as obvious as the soil beneath her. She bent down in one strict movement, her hand - the hand of a child still - scooped a small portion of earth. It was dark and rich, almost oily with life. She removed a centipede from her handful. She had no use for this life.

She walked back to the house, each step filled with anger and ill intent toward the ground. A single tear found its way in the dirt.

She placed the dirt in the harth, in the middle of the house. It had never been used before, its walls were spotless and dark. Blanche unceremoniously splattered the dirt and dust on the stone ground, her movements harsh and crude. She might as well have invented curse words right there and then.

The pile caught fire, igniting bright white light for a brief moment before dimming back to nothing, into a child.

He had a round face, and his hair was fully black, so abysmally dark they seemed to stain of coal the tip of his shoulders like, where it fell in curls. He looked up at Blanche, sparkles in his amber eyes, and smiled widely, with his three mouths, all teeth and glee. She offered her hand, bringing him up to his feet, and promptly embraced him. He was warm.

“Autumn” she exhaled, “Let’s go find Fare, ok?”

The little boy jumped into the garden like he’d bitten an apple, juice dripping from his mouth, laughter erupting from every pores. As soon as his foot had touched the grass, something changed in the air; a chill fell on the garden, a shiver passed through the branches and the leaves, whispering closely that time had changed, and Autumn had arrived.

A first leaf fell to the ground. Then another, then a pear, rotten, decomposed, already black and going back to the earth. As he advanced, trees turned orange and gold, some flowers closed and said goodbye, for now. Blanche followed closely, tension in her shoulders releasing with each dying plant.

The little boy skipped through the space, nature retreating as he did, curling on itself, burned by his touch, like a child going to sleep after a kiss on the cheek. And in the middle of the invisible fire, hidden in the carcass of a bush, Fare woke up; faer eyes opened, puffy and small in the chilly air of the morning. Something had changed.

A boy reached for faer hands, smiling and inviting.

“Brother” Fare exhaled simply, like a bee passing too close to your ear.

The garden stood tall still, full and bruised with life, but the stone circle was visible again, shining with a new motivation. Never again would the empire forget its borders.

New flowers had bloomed, replacing old ones; fruits didn’t stay ripe too long, and the family of three ate with appetite anything that wasn’t rotten. Blanche made jams and conserves, Fare and Autumn watched her with sticky faces and full cheeks. The fire roared in the harth like a satisfied old dog whose job was done.

Autumn was a joyful child; he liked to wake up early and bring his sister with him to play in the garden; he loved cooked apples, and his fingers left traces of coal everywhere he touched. Fare smiled whenever he was around. Blanche felt at peace.

Fall passed like an afternoon, warm, cozy and uncomplicated.

[thewolfisawake]

While she’d rather be in the balcony, distant and less jostled, Ceilidh reminded herself of her diligence as an observer to the spectacle of today. So she joined her father in the corner of the crowd, where everyone was visible to her. While it was expected that they’d observe the parties involved and their king, Ceilidh decided to keep up with demeanor of the gentry and some wanderers that seemed...unusual to the gatherings here.

To most there was an aura of excitement that bordered feverish. Rampant buzzing and clamoring to adjust their positioning. But for the scribe, it only made her a patch of tranquility amongst the impatient furor. No, tranquility wasn’t quite the word. Stillness might’ve been more correct for the lady. Like the eye of a storm or the waters untouched by gales.

“What do you think of His Majesty’s decision?” if not for being next to her, the words would be lost amongst crowd. Being the perfect draw of her gaze, Ceilidh turned away as she eyed her father. Continuing his tone, she replied, “It is in line with his decisions within the cycles he has been in power.”

“Ceilidh.”

She didn’t immediately answer as the doors to the throne room opened, the guest of the hour arrived. At least he was in good spirits. Her eyes followed his trail, the embers within simmering as she said, “I believe it is a decision he will live to regret if he is resolute in its direction today. What of it, father? Are you satisfied?”

“What satisfaction would one draw as the archivist for the first infraction within King Camhlaidh’s reign?” he questioned, “One must wonder if this is the first of many displays of power he will invoke and myself to record. Or rather, that task may well fall onto you. I pity such a thing though.”

Ceilidh raised a brow, “Why? I would be doing my duty.”

“You sound like His Majesty.”

The simple yet clear tone of King Camhlaidh hushed their conversation. Summoning her pad, she ensured the terms of punishment were transcribed. Partially because, as her father spoke, it was an important affair for a recorder. Partially to help seal any chance for reneging. Ceilidh finished penning and dismissed her utensils as the whip cut through the air. Rippling through its body came the crack. And in its wake was a mercurial gash. Shimmers soared before gracelessly splattering across the floor.

The sharp crack and frenzied buzzing allowed her cover to ask, “Why would you compare me to him?”

“Is the comparison not a compliment?”

“Dependent on the speaker. So, speaker, was this meant to be an insult?” This was the pain of dealing with her father. She could question all day and he would dance around his thoughts while probing for hers. Unfortunately, it wasn’t her strong suit. But she needed him to believe she was open--pliant--with his thoughts. Yet this was tiring.

“It is only an insult if you find fault with the other.”

“All beings have fault,” Ceilidh remarked, reclining against the wall. She ignored the ‘tsk’ directed at her lack of decorum. Instead, her father stepped forward, his features ahead of her, “Is that so? What by the land’s grace be the trouble with our exalted?”

Her eyes sauntered towards the throne where the subject in question resided. She focused on his demeanor to overlook the writhing at the center, “If I had to sum it to the simplest idea: he is an oblivious contradiction.”

The proponent for ties beyond the court itself yet refused to see their visitors as no more than outsiders. A man able to view all as adversaries except the one reflected back at him. A wanderer willfully anchoring himself to this place. An introvert doing the most extroverted of jobs. But above all of those, by ignorance or arrogance, does King Camhlaidh act as though he is not a fae.

Her gaze darkened, watching those minute but present tells, “But enough of that, dear father, lest you wish for us both to end up on the receiving end for such flagrant bad mouthing.”

She didn’t need to see his face to know he blanched.

[funnywiccanwritingcorner]

Le Joyau le plus precieux - Candyfloss

WARNINGS!!!

Contains NSFW scenes and LGBTQ+ couples. Don’t like, don’t read. All the characters are over 18 years old.

Chapter VII

The season was now turning to more erratic temperatures and shorter and shorter days. It rained at least once a day, in the afternoon, and the Seine had risen about ten centimetres. With his umbrella slung over his arm, Jesse was strolling around the city serenely. For four days in a row he had been busy with the show, and had not been able to see Billy after the morning after the opening night, keeping in touch with messages and phone calls. Finally the performance period had ended, and that morning going to the candy shop had been his first thought.

He opened the door, ringing the bell; Billy from behind the counter immediately ran up to him to hug him: -Jesse!- -Hello, Billy... But!?- -What?- The actor was horrified: on the younger man's right cheekbone stood out a purplish bruise, quite recent. -They beat you up?!?- -Oh, this! A madwoman attacked me; I'll explain while I wrap these.- He was preparing packages of mixed jellies on the counter, and as he filled the boxes and closed them he said: -You know these women who are overprotective of their children?- -Yes. - -That's it, I was selling candy in the park as usual, and just because I took the liberty of giving a licorice wheel to a kid, this lady started yelling at me. When I tried to reason with her, she punched me. There was a policeman standing nearby, who dragged all three of us into the police station, and luckily Joe was on duty and took care of it.- -Thankfully.- -This is the second time I've had unfounded accusations. I begin to suspect that I have a bad face that doesn't inspire confidence!- -Oh, no, I can assure you that your face has nothing to do with it. Some people are unfortunately paranoid.- -According to paranoia, Joe seems to have gotten over it; he's not mad at me anymore.- -That's a win.- -I think he realised that I'm not a "monster".- He closed the last packet: -Hey, I have something for you.- -For me?- Billy grabbed him by the scarf and pulled him to himself, forcing the actor to rest his hands on the counter to keep his balance, and popped a peck on his mouth and then smiled cheerfully: -A little bit of sugar to start the day!- Jesse smiled tenderly: -I will treasure it.- -I've missed you these four days... Ah, now that I think about it: how did it go at the theatre? I know you guys had a blast!- -Yes, it was--

A sound of breaking glass interrupted the speech. The boy jerked, blanching, and Jesse turned sharply: the shop window was shattered, with a large hole in the middle of a web of cracks; on the ground was a fist-sized rock. -Who dared??- The dark-haired man rushed out the door, but despite the sparse presence of passers-by he saw no one suspicious. -Damn it!!!- Billy came out in turn, shocked: -Look at this!!! It's a good thing I hadn't exposed anything yet, or the glass would have gone into my candy bowls!!!- -This act of vandalism cannot go unpunished, I'm calling Joe!-

-Are you sure you didn't touch that stone?- detective Dalton asked. -Absolutely; I watch crime stories from time to time, and I know there may be prints on it...- mumbled Billy, arms folded. One gloved officer located the stone, while another took photos and notes. -Do you want to make a complaint?- -Oh, indeed! That's at least three hundred euros of damage; I really can't afford it now!- -Well. We'll do our checks; you in the meantime... pick up the pieces. I'll call you when we have something.- -Certainly.- Jesse put his hands on the boy's shoulders in a gesture of comfort, then turned to Joe: -I heard about the aggression. Could it be the same... lunatic who hit him?- -I don't know. These nutters are a thorn in my side, especially during demonstrations, you know, traditional family and all that... but vandalising a shop is something new. I wouldn't exclude it, though.- -I'll go get a broom...- Billy sighed a bit dejectedly, heading into the backroom. -Hey, Jesse.- In a low voice, Dalton motioned the other to come closer: -You stay with the boy. He seems pretty down to me.- -Obviously. This shop is his whole life. To see it reduced like this is a very hard blow.- -Yeah. It's sad to think there are still people capable of that nowadays. We'll go, and see what comes out of it.- The actor nodded and watched the officers leave, then went in search of Billy, intent on rummaging in a closet cursing at an unobtainable box for collecting glass.

-Do you need help?- -I was sure it was here!- Jesse moved the door: -It's back here.- -Ah...- The blond grabbed the object and went straight to sweeping the shards off the floor and the display shelf. -Billy... If you want, I can pay for your new glass window.- -Huh?- -You said yourself that you can't afford such an expense right now. I can call a glazier and get an estimate.- -You don't have to.- -But I want to.- He approached him, being careful where he stepped: -You've worked so hard to get this business up. I'm sorry they did such a bad thing to you; no one can dare to make you sad!- He realised he had said the last part of the sentence with a little too much emphasis, and blushed, tightening his lips. Billy looked at him with wide, slightly glazed eyes. The dark-haired man strutted, trying to appear confident: -Please. I would like to help put your shop into shape.- -Uh... All right, daddy, whatever you say...- He handed him the broom: -You can start by helping me clean up this mess.-

The glazier would not arrive until the following day, so Billy closed everything and taped a note on the shutter, "Closed for renovation". Jesse thought it would be a good idea to take him for a ride in an attempt to distract him at least a little, so he asked the boy what he wanted to do. -Remember we were supposed to go to the cinema?- -Yes, but it's too early.- -Then tonight. Um...- He pondered for a minute before exclaiming: -Hey!- But immediately lost his enthusiasm: -Oh, no, wait...- -What is it?- -I was planning to go to my favourite arcade, but it's closed today. And apart from the cinema, I can't think of anywhere else to hang out.- -What about your place?- -In the middle of another mess?- -We can clean up your flat together, too, if you'd like.- -You enjoy tidying up!- -Why not? You have to admit that it needs it, but you work so hard that you don't have time for houseworks.- -To be honest, it's laziness that makes things pile up, but other than that... yes, I lack time too.- -So take advantage of my help today.- -Don't you have theatre rehearsals or something?- -No. I'm all yours!- These last words also came out awkwardly in Jesse's ear, but Billy merely smiled: -Then it's all right!-

The actor's mobile phone rang a couple of times. When he checked, he saw that it was a call from call from his theatrical agent, Karl. -Ah, I have to take this...- -Go ahead, I'll finish blocking everything in the meantime!- Jesse took a few steps away and accepted the call: -Hello?- -JJ, my beloved client, how are you? It's been a long time!- -Yes, it's been months now.- He swallowed the mispronunciation of his name with a slight sigh. -Ready to get back from your holiday? I have a couple of killer contracts just for you!- -Actually, I'm a little busy.- -Doing what? Independent theatre comedies? I read the reviews, and you got some nice results, don't get me wrong, but you need to get back to the big leagues, you know? Six months is a long time!- -I intend to come back, but at the right time.- -Ah, one more thing. Your brother was evasive on the subject, but I did some digging and found out that you're in a new relationship.- -Did you call Frank?- He automatically turned to Billy. -Yeah. Look, I don't know if you're going through an early midlife crisis or what, but you better nip this in the bud. Jesse's blood froze in his veins. -What?- -I'm telling you this as a responsible agent; it's about maintaining your image. Come on, he looks like a kid with that face! Do you want the public to think you're a pervert? Your fans adore you, in spite of your "ambiguity", but you'll lose them if the story starts circulating that you're sleeping with someone so young!- -Karl, he's 20 years old...- -He doesn't look it, from what I see.- Trying not to lose his cool, Jesse in a hiss asked again: -How do you know what he looks like?- -One of your colleagues posted some pictures of your "little party after the premiere" on Instagram, and I noticed him there, in the background. I put two and two together. Take it from me, ditch the brat and get back to the big theatre; I've got some stuff in my hand that will take you on a national tour this time!- -Karl?- -Tell me.- -You're fired.- He suddenly ended the call and rejoined Billy, who was checking the last lock: -What a face! Everything okay?- -Yes. It was a work call.- -Bad news?- -Just someone who can't mind their own business, and claims to dictate after months of silence.- -... Jesse, be honest. You seem very angry.- -My agent. He talks nonsense and pokes his nose into my personal life. But I made things very clear.- -Private life?- He held his breath. -Oh, no, did I do something to get you into trouble?- -No. I'll tell you all about it later.- He offered him his arm like a knight: -Shall we go?-

-Where do I put these shirts?- -Have you checked them yet?- -They are clean and folded.- -Then they go in the back of the wardrobe.- It hadn't taken long, considering the size of the flat, to tidy up and throw the rubbish, but the clean T-shirts were indistinguishable from those that were dirty or put on for just one day, so much so that they were in such a jumble. A good half hour went by just for the sorting. -Now will you tell me what happened with your agent?- asked Billy at one point, placing himself cross-legged on the bed still to be made up, looking at Jesse kneeling near the wardrobe. -Ex-agent. I fired him.- -Why?- -You see, I've known him for four years, but other than getting me good contracts he's never been very respectful towards me; he has only ever thought about profits and has repeatedly offended my sexual orientation calling it “ambiguous”.- -Yeah, I don't think that's a very nice term to use.- -It doesn't take a degree to realise that the correct term is bisexual.- -You're bi-what?!? I thought that apart from a couple of women, you only like boys!- The actor looked at him puzzled: -Who told you that?- -Uh... Luke. But only because I needed some advice from an adult.- -Ah. Anyway, Karl, my ex-agent, went too far trying to meddle in my life before, trying to control me. This time he was more insensitive, disrespectful and unpleasant than usual.- -And... did I have something to do with it?- There was no point in lying, so Jesse inhaled deeply through his nose and wiped that toad off: -He claimed that dating someone who looked like a minor would ruin my image. But I told him to go to hell.- -Your... image?- -If I were a film or television actor I might also worry, but I am a modest shadow of the theatre who, however well known, cannot cause much scandal or attract gossip.- -But...- -No "buts". That miserly heart wanted me to leave you to go on a national tour. Even if he'd offered me some prestigious assignment, I wouldn't have said yes.- -Seriously?- -Not even if the Queen of England herself had invited me to perform.-

Big tears began to run down the boy's cheeks, and he tried to wipe them away with the the back of his arm: -Here, see what you're making me do!? I'm whining like a baby! And my bruise hurts...- -Do you need a handkerchief?- The blond stretched out his arms i his direction: -I need a hug!!- He puffed out his cheeks into that funny hamster expression, which Jesse could not resist; he drew close to him and let himself squeeze. Billy's face pressed against his abdomen, and he began to gently caress his head. With his voice muffled by the fabric, the boy mumbled: -I found another thing I like about you.- -What?- Looking from down at him, his cheeks flushed, the blond replied: -You make me feel important.- -Huh?- -I always had the impression that nobody gave a damn about me, since my parents died. But to hear you talk... Well... I didn't think anyone would consider me the way you do.- Standing wide-eyed in astonishment for a moment, processing what the other had just told him, Jesse changed his expression into a sweet smile; he leaned down to the height of the other's face and continued: -Of course you're important to me, Billy.- -... It's nice to hear you say that...- Jesse took his hands in a gentle gesture, not responding but giving him a small kiss on the back of one of them, making Billy chuckle.

Again the ringtone of Jesse's mobile phone managed to interrupt them. The actor became suddenly serious and checked: on the screen was the name of his agent. -Karl.- -What more does he want?- -An avalanche of insults and epithets, evidently.- He did not accept the call and put aside the device on the bed: -Let Frank deal with that vile snake. We are busy here.- Karl, meanwhile, seeing himself thus rejected, called Frank himself, and without giving him even the time to answer, he said: -Your crazy brother fired me!- -What did you expect? I warned you not to try to-- -But after four years I expected a little consideration!- -Keep your voice down and listen to me: leave him alone.- -But...- -He is not like your other clients whom you can easily manipulate. I repeat: leave him alone, or I swear I'll come down to your office and shove every single pencil in your pencil box down your throat. Clear?- Frank's icy calm disconcerted Karl: -Yes, of course.- He threw down the phone call, and the other exhaled: -What a pain in the ass...-

-What do you mean, "we sold out of tickets"??- exclaimed Billy to the girl at the cinema counter. -That's right. The printer is broken, and today's tickets are already sold out. I'm sorry- she concluded. -That's not possible!- The blond man stamped his foot on the floor, really annoyed: -Why is it that every time we want to go to the cinema there's something going on?- -Adversity is to be considered coincidence until it happens too often.- Quietly, Jesse led him out: -We'll try again.- -What now?- -May I propose to buy an ice cream?- Immediately the other's face lit up: -Yes!- Heading down the street that bordered the cinema, Billy took the actor by the hand with a somewhat hesitant movement, turning red. Jesse noticed this, and intertwined his fingers with those of the other, continuing to observe his surroundings with a smirk. Pleased, the boy looked at him smiling: -Hey, what were you saying about coincidences?- -That if something happens all too often, it should not be considered a coincidence.- -As in, "the universe is trying to tell me something"?- -Let's say yes.- -So the universe is telling us not to go to the cinema... -Shall we try an ice rink?- -They won't open for another month.- -I know, but it's an idea.- Reaching a nearby ice-cream place, the dark-haired man bought a coffee cup, while Billy chose the most curious flavour in the assortment, pomegranate, served in a large cone. -It's like eating grenadine!- -What is it?- -You don't know? I marvel at you! It is a pomegranate syrup that is used to make cocktails and grenadines; I'm crazy about it!- To underline the statement, he jumped on the ice cream, then stopped: -Oh, sorry, would you like a taste?- -No, thank you. Wait, though.- With the paper towel he had procured, he wiped the corner of his mouth, and the boy laughed: -I won't run away this time, I swear!- Jesse chuckled as well. The girl at the counter sighed: -Oh, how cute you are! An adorable couple!- The actor turned red, and (more) so did the blond. -How many times have I told you not to comment on the customers!- yelled a man who looks like the master, but she was ready to reply: -It's not my fault I'm a romantic, Francis!- The two continued to argue even after Billy and Jesse had walked away, embarrassed.

Then the boy murmured: -Are we a couple?- -Hm?- -I mean... I thought to be a couple we had to swear eternal love or whatever. . But that girl said we're a couple.- -Of course we are.- -Huh?!?- The calm tone of that statement was what surprised the young man most. -Going out together and sharing personal and even... intimate moments is the basis of any relationship. Of course, romance should not be overlooked.- He breathed in, as if caught by a sudden inspiration, and began to declaim: -Do you love me? I know well that thou wilt say "yes", and I will accept thy word; but if thou swear'st, thou mayst perjure thyself: to lovers' perjury, Jupiter sayeth laugh. Romeo and Juliet, act two, scene two.- -Wow... It's been a while since you said a quote...- -Making promises of love is only part of being a couple. Shared experiences and mutual support, in my opinion, are a more substantial percentage of it.- -Like when you offered to help me with the shop?- -Yes.- With a happy expression, Billy took him by the arm, almost knocking over the bowl of ice cream, and exclaimed: -Aw, so sweet, daddy!- Blushing, Jesse said nothing, too busy keeping his balance after the sudden tug.

Billy invited the actor to stay the night. Jesse was pleased, but he noticed something strange in the other's expression, like a kind of nervousness, or as if he wanted to tell him something but couldn't find the way. While the boy was looking for something for him to put on, he began to undress with his back to him, and he heard him grumble: -I can't find the shirt I gave you last time.- -I put it in the laundry today.- -Ah, that's it.- He turned around the instant Jesse was taking off his jumper, and stood paralysed to looking at him for a moment before blushing violently and exclaiming: -Man!!!- -What?- -Warn me before you undress!- -Oh. Maybe I don't care anymore; I have played many roles at least shirtless, in front of everyone's eyes. I didn't want to embarass you.- -... is it possible to act nude in the theatre?- -Sometimes, if it's in the script.- -Wow. One always learns something.- He couldn't take his eyes off the other's body, who noticed and sneered: -What's the matter?- -No, it's just that...- Billy swallowed and began to nag at the hem of his shirt: -I need to ask you something. It's more of a request than anything else.- -Yes?- -It's not that... Would you teach me... How to do it?- -What?- -The... Touching, that is. Like that, like you did that night.-

Jesse was astonished.

-You see, it's just... I didn't do anything last time, clumsy as I am. And you seemed a bit... I don't know; what I'm trying to say is that I'd like to be able to participate a bit more!- He was so purple that the freckles seemed to disappear from his face. -Haven't you ever tried?- -Well, puberty comes for everyone, but no; let's just say that unlike others I didn't consider it a priority... -sturbing myself...- The last word had been muttered, but Jesse understood perfectly well. -But I don't want to learn for me!- the young man quickly recovered, -I mean, not just for me. I want learn to... how do you say... satisfy you too!- -Me?- Nodding vigorously, he clasped tightly the now utterly wrinkled shirt in his hands: -When you were talking about intimate and personal moments, wasn't that what you were referring to?- -Yes, but...- Jumping on the bed, Billy didn't let him continue: -So, if we're a couple, don't I have to figure out what to do with you and for you?- He got down on his knees on the mattress and leaned towards Jesse propping his hands on his legs: -Am I wrong, daddy?-

The thing that was getting Jesse's heart rate up most of all was the total absence of malice in all that talk. Shyness, sure, but not malice. He had the impression that the boy had just asked him to teach him how to drive, or anything other than what actually had been said by a Billy who was staring at him wide-eyed, expectantly. -All right. But we have to proceed step by step; will you listen to me?- With a big grin, the blond exulted: -All right, daddy!- -Well, I'd say... that we can start by getting under the covers. Never mind wearing pajamas, in this case, but keep your underwear on.- -Ok!- Sitting down on the other side of the bed, Billy began to undress in turn. Jesse's mobile phone rang for an incoming message, and when he checked it was from Frank. It said, "I grilled Karl. You can look for a new agent now. Say hi to Billy, I know you're with him." It followed the emoticon of a wink. The dark-haired man smiled: he knew he could count on his brother for certain annoyances.

-Hey, Jesse!- Billy called to him from under the covers: -Put out the big light please! I turned on the one on the bedside table. Uh, floor actually.- -You didn't have to hide like that!- joked the actor, who complied with the request and then joining him by sitting on the mattress, legs slightly up. -What are you doing?- -Come and sit on my lap, so we can start.- Swallowing nervously, the blond shyly complied: -Is that alright?- -Perfect.- He took his face in his hands: -The easy part starts now, with a kiss...- The low tone in which he uttered this sentence sent a warm thrill through Billy, who stood when Jesse kissed him, a tender contact that went on for a while until he felt the tip of the other's tongue brushing his lips to enter. Indulging him, the blond in turn took his companion's face in his hands and let the kiss deepen, although he was quite uncertain what to do. He then let his hands slide onto Jesse's shoulders, leaving them resting there. The other interrupted the kiss, slowly, to continue the conversation: -Do you remember the kisses I gave you on your neck?- -Yes...- -Try giving them to me.- He tilted his head slightly to the right: -It's not difficult. It's as if you kiss me normally, only in a different spot.- -I have to... How?- -As you wish. I'll tell you a secret: the left side of the body is more sensitive, because it's the side of the heart, so it has more nerve endings. Don't be afraid to make a mistake.-

Following the suggestion and trying to remember what Jesse had done, Billy began giving him shy kisses in the area between his neck and shoulder. He could taste the other's skin, which encouraged him to also use his tongue a little. Despite such uncertainty, he felt the dark-haired man trembling and ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it: -Nice, you're doing well...- This prompted the boy to dare, and he gave a little bite on his companion's shoulder. Unfortunately it took too much strength, and Jesse let out an "ouch" with a little jerk, which was enough to alarm the boy: -I'm sorry, I didn't do it on purpose!- -It's nothing.- He took his chin between his thumb and forefinger: -It means I'll have a mark from you for a while. I appreciate the enthusiasm.- That velvet voice sent poor Billy, that shivering and turning as red as a tomato did not reply. -Let's continue. Where did I kiss you after the neck?- -You went further down.- -Come on, then.- Inhaling to try to recover at least a little, the blond objected: -But... what if I bite you one more time?- -Relax, there's an alternative. He placed his hands on either side of his torso. With the fingertips of his thumbs he began to tease the other's nipples with circular movements, who let out a little cry. Trembling at that stimulation, Billy tried to repeat the manoeuvre on the actor, always with some uncertainty; when he became familiar with these gestures, however, he managed to extract a sigh from Jesse, who arched his back slightly: -That's it, don't hesitate...- They exchanged another kiss, much more passionate than before, they both continued to caress each other like that; Billy moved his own pelvis closer to Jesse's almost automatically, feeling an increasingly cumbersome obstacle. His hands slipped a little everywhere because of the damp skin where they rested.

Propping his knees up on the mattress, the blond lifted himself up a little to overpower the actor, causing him to look upwards without breaking the kiss. Jesse grabbed him by the hips to keep him as close as possible, while the boy began to run his hands over his head and to the sides of his face, increasingly sure of what he was doing, his hair sticking up on his neck. To himself the dark-haired man was quite happy with that initiative. Billy interrupted the kiss to catch some air, but he did not move farther away from the face of the other: -J-Jesse...- -Yes?- -I think... I think I'm ready to continue...- -Very well.- He made him sit back on his own legs, leaving them slightly open so that the other man's would be too: -Then, again... Do as I do.- He slipped a hand into his boxers, beginning to caress what he found underneath them slowly. Stifling an exclamation, Billy replicated the other's gesture more slowly, then grimaced: -It's strange... To the touch...- Feeling himself being touched like that, Jesse also sighed deeply: -I know... But don't think about it... You'll see that it will be better later...- He resumed his caresses, and after a few seconds the other one too, who was panting conspicuously, and mumbled: -But I don't want it in... my mouth...- Giggling softly, Jesse replied: -It's not necessary...Don't worry...-

They both quickly found the same rhythm. They resumed the kiss where they had left off, but the shortness of breath due to panting made it difficult for them to stay in contact for long. -Is it normal... for it to be so slippery?- asked Billy at one point. -Yes... It means you're doing well...- He accelerated, cowardly, tearing an excited cry from the young man, who nevertheless succeeded in doing the same with his own hand, and the actor let out a low-sounding moan. The latter then, licking his lips, increased the rhythm; so did the blond. In a rough voice, Jesse said one last time: -Together, now, if you can...- He moved his pelvis as much as possible to comply with his companion, who responded in the same way without further hesitation. -Jesse...!- The first to yield was Billy, followed after a second by the other in a climax almost in unison. Leaning his head on the black-haired man's shoulder, Billy recovered his breath, slipping his hand out of the other's boxers. He felt his fingers sticky and wet, and he had the same feeling in his own underwear. He was fine, not only because he did not feel faint, but because there, in the other man's arms, he felt a strange and new mixture of emotions, so much so that he exhaled without thinking: -I love you...- Those two words reached Jesse's ear as sweet as honey but as strong as a cannonball, and for a moment his still over-excited heart missed a beat.

Not receiving an answer, Billy pulled himself together: -Hey, are you there?- The actor was looking at him with his dark eyes wide open, in an expression between surprise and almost uncontrollable emotion. -... Jesse?- The latter clasped the blond man to himself and kissed him tenderly, and then whispered again with that low tone: -Ah, my dear Billy... This love is mutual, you can believe me...- -D-Do you??- -Yes. And woe to anyone who dares come between us. The danger is more in your eyes than in twenty of their swords: if you look on me gently, I shall be strong against their hatred.- Billy exclaimed: -Romeo and Juliet! Act two, scene two!- Jesse was taken aback. -I did my homeworks while you were gone, see?- the boy chuckled with a huge grin, snuggling into the arms of the other, who began to caress his head and cheeks until they fell asleep.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Joe Dalton returned home looking like he had spent a hard day. He was greeted by the smile of Luke, who emerged from the kitchen, in his dressing gown and holding a blue mug in one hand: -Hey.- -Hey. I thought you were already in bed.- -Not with the thought of a crazy woman wandering around Paris. Did you find her?- -Yes. The arrest wasn't so easy: she broke the nose of one of my officers before we managed to neutralise her. So, in addition to assault and vandalism, she will be charged with resisting arrest and assault on a public official. She is now in a cell, awaiting her lawyer.- -Big mistake on her part not to wear gloves when she threw that rock.- -Yeah, the forensics guys did a great job. I'll call Billy and Jesse in the morning to tell them the good news.- -In the meantime...- Luke set the cup down on the first shelf he could find and walked over to his companion, then took him from under his arms and lifted him up from the ground: -... Let me reward you for your hard work, my dear.- He gave him the sweetest kiss, which was immediately returned. Joe then chuckled: -You know, I'm not so tired after all...- -I knew you were going to say that!- He take him up in his arms and head for the bedroom, forgetting all about the still half-full mug of green tea.

[ameagrice]

Capsize

chapter eight

garden gnomes and nightmares | Percy Jackson x fem! Reader.

You’d hoped the good luck would carry on, and that you would escape once more into peace with no nicks or cuts, and full smiles.

You’d be in bed by nine o’clock, wrapped up as if in a cocoon, warm and safe and ready to fall asleep.

You really wished your imagination would go away.

You stated flatly at the building before you. The walls were dry and flaking, the plaster chipping off in large chunks, and strange pottery and statues decorated the perimeter.

“Real classy,” you murmured. You faced Percy and shrugged. “We’re definitely going to be kidnapped.” You turned away to face the crumbling monstrosity.

“And never seen again,” Percy added, helpfully.

You clicked your fingers lightly and pointed at him to your left, nodding as your eyes swept the building still. “He knows what I’m talking about.”

“I always know what you’re talking about, you’re not very complex.”

“Thought you said girls were hard to understand?”

“Well, you’re hardly—”

You whipped your eyes in his direction, firmly glaring. He was grinning, most likely knowing you’d react this way for definite. He loved to wind you up. “Finish that sentence.”

“Alright, Miss Bossy,” he opened his mouth.

When an annoying voice cut him off.

“Guys,” Annabeth quipped, looking from you to Percy and back again. Her braids were flipped over her shoulders, and her cap was back on her head. “We have more important things to worry about.”

“Like your eyebrows,” you muttered.

Percy made a choking sound. Annabeth simply did not look impressed.

“You’re only acting that way because Percy’s here,” she nodded to him. 

“Guys!” Percy’s tone was exasperated. But he flashed beetroot red. 

“Shut it, Prickly,” you looked away. 

Despite the general run-down appearance of the place, the bright, neon lights in oranges and pinks, and the smell of good food, gave you enough reason to just...walk right up to the door. There were two stone-coloured gnomes flanking either side of it. 

“Are we going in or what?” you said. “I’m starving.” 

“You’re always hungry,” you heard Percy mumble. 

You nodded and hummed. “And that would be correct, my good sir.”

Aunty Em’s Garden Gnome Emporium, it seemed, lived up to its name. The sign above the door told a tale you couldn’t quite understand yet, but the stone statues surrounding the place was enough of a hint. 

“This doesn’t feel right to me,” came Grover’s trembling voice. You sighed impatiently and dropped your weight from one leg to the other, turning around to face him. His brown eyes met yours, and you felt yourself falter. He truly did look nervous. But then again, when didn’t he?

You spun around, and he spoke again, lifting his voice. “Don’t knock!”

You raised your fist. 

“Are you crazy?! I said don’t knock!”

You knocked. “Listen, bro,” you sniped. “They got a snack bar in there. We need food. It looks warm. We’ll be fine.”

“Sure it looks a little sketchy, dude,” Percy reassured. “But even Annabeth’s agreed with me. What’s the harm in getting some food?”

“Because it smells of monsters!”

“You’ve got --”

The door swung open so suddenly that you stumbled a couple steps back. in front of you was a tall, Middle Eastern lady, wearing a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled. Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black gauze. Her coffee-coloured hands looked old, but well-manicured.

And her voice sounded distantly Middle Eastern too, when she said, “Children, is it not too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?”

““They’re...uh...” Annabeth tried. 

“We’re orphans!” Percy piped. 

“Orphans? But surely not, my darlings.”

"We got separated from our caravan," Percy continued. You blanched. Was this boy for real? "Our circus caravan. The ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost, but he may have forgotten, or maybe he meant a different gas station. Anyway, we're lost. Is that food I smell?"

"Oh, my dears," the woman said. "You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."

When she turned her back, and began to walk away, you turned swiftly around to Percy. Maybe you looked thunderous because he smiled too sweetly. “Circus?”

“You weren’t saying anything!”

“I’m not in charge here!”

“You’ve got us this far!”

The warehouse was filled with more statues—people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits, each with a different expression on their face. The food smelt even better inside, and it sent your head dreamy and light. “Guys,” you started. “This was a great idea.”

Over Grover’s nervous whimpers, you heard the sound of metal dropping. When you turned, waiting for the others to pass you, you watched as Aunty Em dropped something into her pocket. She smiled sweetly at you. But you noticed one other thing. 

The door was shut. 

Instantly, alarm bells were going off. Your stomach was getting tight with uneasiness. And, for some strange reason...

You wanted Travis. 

Because the ease you felt around that guy was unmatched. Percy was protecting and sure, but Travis was ease and sense. Right now, he might have known what to do. He would have shown you sense and responsibility. 

You’d led everyone in here. 

She met your gaze. “Run along, little demigod. Follow your friends.” 

It was like being in a haze. Blurry and too soft and warm. You turned around and followed after the others. 

But--

Little demigod?...

“Guys,” You said aloud. “Dudes. Pals...”

“Please,” said Aunty Em with a sleepy smile. “Take a seat.”

“Awesome,” Percy quipped, sliding straight into a chair with no hesitation. 

“Um...we don’t ahve any money, ma’am,” Grover said reluctantly. 

“No, no, children, no money. This is a special case, yes? My treat. For such nice orphans.”

Percy wrapped his hand around your elbow and pulled you down into the seat beside him. “Listen, dudes and dudette; I think we need to leave.” You hissed.

Percy looked you dead in the eyes. “It’s free food, though.”

“Yes,” you whispered harshly. “Free food that could have poison in it!”

“Like that would happen.”

“She knows we’re d--!”

A set of hands fell to your shoulders and made you yelp. “Let’s start with you, hm? What would you like to eat, dear?”

Practically shaking, you searched your brain for some type of food. “Uhhh, maybe nachos?”

“I’ll see what I can do. And what about you three?”

“A cheeseburger, ma’am! And a vanilla milkshake, please!”

“French fries!”

“Cloth?”

Soon enough, the food was cooked and served, and as much as you tried to resist, it really did look good. You found yourself reaching for  a double cheeseburger, mouth watering as the loaded cheese and salad atop of it. Maybe a bite or two wouldn’t hurt? Or three...or four...

You cursed yourself when you found yourself finishing the burger, and then some fries, then a milkshake, and after that, some onion rings, and then another burger. Percy stared at you as if you were from another world.

Through a mouth full of food, his eyes wide and pupils dilated, he said, “How do you not get full?”

“Like you said,” you snickered, going to take another bite of your burger. “I’m a bottomless pit.”

“What’s that hissing noise?”

You looked up to Grover on the other side of the table. He was nervously picking at the paper of the bowl the fries sat in. “What?”

“Hissing?” Aunty Em asked. “Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover.”

You’d almost forgotten she was there in the room. You put down your burger. 

"I take vitamins. For my ears." 

"That's admirable," she said. "But please, relax."

Aunty Em ate nothing. She hadn't taken off her headdress, even to cook.

“So, you sell gnomes,” said Percy.

"Oh, yes," Aunty Em said. "And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know."

"A lot of business on this road?"

"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built... most cars, they do not go this way now. I must cherish every customer I get."

You looked away. That statue to your right...

"Ah," Aunty Em said sadly. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face."

"You make these statues yourself?" Percy asked.

“Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company." The sadness in her voice sounded so deep and so real.

Annabeth had stopped eating. She sat forward and said, "Two sisters?"

"It's a terrible story," Aunty Em said. "Not one for children, really. You see, Annabeth, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a... a boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. My sisters stayed by me. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived, but at a price. Such a price."

Your bones felt as if they were filled with electricity. Everything in you felt buzzing and alive - ready to run. 

"Percy?" Annabeth was leaning over, shaking him to get his attention. "Maybe we should go. I mean, the ringmaster will be waiting." She sounded tense. Grover was eating the waxed paper off the tray now, but if Aunty Em found that strange, she didn't say anything.

"Such beautiful gray eyes," Aunty Em told Annabeth again. "My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen gray eyes like those."

She reached out as if to stroke Annabeth's cheek, but Annabeth stood up abruptly.

"We really should go."

Thank God. 

Your chair shrieked along the floor as you stood quickly. 

"Yes!" Grover swallowed his waxed paper and stood up. "The ringmaster is waiting! Right!"

"Please, dears," Aunty Em pleaded. "I so rarely get to be with children. Before you go, won't you at least sit for a pose?"

"A pose?" Annabeth asked warily.

"A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children."

Annabeth shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I don't think we can, ma'am. Come on, Percy -- "

"Sure we can,” Percy slurred. You whipped your head in his direction almost furiously. Could he not feel the air changing?

“Idiot boy!” You whispered. “Let’s go, yeah? I’m pretty tired anyway.”

“It’s just a photo, Annabeth,” He ignored. “What’s the harm?”

“Yes, Annabeth,” Aunty Em smiled. “What’s the harm?”

It didn’t matter how much you pulled on Percy’s sleeve, of whispered anxiously to your other companions that this wasn’t the right idea; you were dragged along with them to the front door, and out into the garden of statues. Goosebumps raised along your body. 

“Now, shall we say the girl first, here,” she grabbed you tightly by the shoulders and pushed you down onto the bench, by the wooden arm. “And the boy yes, you with the green eyes. And then the blonde girl, and you, the other boy, yes, perfect,”

Your eyes were darting around for something to use to protect yourselves with. Something to hit Aunty Em with. You found nothing of use in sight, 

Aunty Em stepped back, as if to admire the shot. "Now, the face is the most difficult. Can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?"

Grover glanced at the cement satyr next to him, and mumbled, "That sure does look like Uncle Ferdinand."

"Grover," Aunty Em chastised, "look this way, dear."

She still had no camera in her hands.

"Percy—" Annabeth said.

You must have  looked terrified. Aunty Em said, “A smile for me, dear, no need to look so upset,” 

“That’s just my face,” you muttered.

“"I will just be a moment," Aunty Em said. "You know, I can't see you very well in this cursed veil...."

"Percy, something's wrong," Annabeth insisted.

"Wrong?" Aunty Em said, reaching up to undo the wrap around her head. "Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?"

"That is Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover gasped.

"Look away from her!" Annabeth shouted. She whipped her Yankees cap onto her head and vanished. Her invisible hands pushed Grover and Percy to the ground. 

And left you sitting. 

“Don’t look at her!” Annabeth screamed. 

And your answer to this?

Was to run. 

You jumped bolt up and sprinted. Past statues of terrified-looking people and animals, past broken crockery scattered over the floor, even broken statues. 

“Whoever’s listening or watching,” you called, slightly out of breath, searching frantically for a place to hide, turning in circles occasionally. “Help us, please!”

You heard Annabeth’s distant yells. You couldn’t find an exist anywhere. There were no walls to climb up, no doors to leave. You’d run in the wrong direction. 

But.

Oh.

That.

You slowly grinned.

And snatched the near broken, now-concrete sword. It was heavy in your hands, but upon touching what was once metal, you found it remained sharp. The grip was a little off, broken from something. But it would do.

Your heart raced and spun in circles as you slowly approached where you had run from. Your friends needed you. You’d led them here. Now it was time to help.

Even if every inch of you felt wrong for what you were about to do.

Even if every inch of you felt wrong for what you were about to do.

You approached the scene with caution, bones alive. There, on the ground, eyes squeezed shut, lay Percy, and Annabeth calling to keep his eyes shut. It must have been for a reason. Hissing. Hissing?

Oh, jeez.

So you'd be swinging a sword blindly, then.

"Ah, the youngest one has arrived." Aunty Em pruned. "Kind of you to return for your friends. Such a shame it is a waste of your time."

You were terrified and determined. You would all get home.

There was something about approaching danger and death that settled in your body. You didn't want to let it take you.

"Such a shame your views are wrong," you spat. Forcing the words came naturally.

It felt quick. The lifting of the sword, heavy, and the swift swing as you watched Aunty Em's hands lift quickly.

No going back.

The sword hit something heavy. But it didn't stop there. It went straight through.

Bile rose.

And your eyes switched directions as the head of Medusa rolled to your feet.

Percy, staring at you.

Annabeth, pale.

Grover, jaw dropped.

You breathed the breath you didn't realise you'd held. "Well, that got her out of the way."

Annabeth reached for something on the ground. The black veil Aunty Em had been wearing. She approached the area looking at Percy. "Don't look at her yet," she instructed. "At least until I've covered her head."

You simply pursed your lips in disgust, staring at some statues.

As Annabeth stood, holding the now-wrapped thing, it dripped green juice. You gagged.

"Why hasn't it disintegrated?" Percy questioned.

"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war," she explained. "Same as your minotaur horn. But don't unwrap the head. It can still petrify you."

Grover groaned and caught your attention. A small smile came to your face. He was clambering down from a tall, grizzly bear statue. He had a big, bruised welt on his forehead and...there were...flying shoes? floating around his head.

The four of you found your feet and stumbled away back into the warehouse. Percy dragged out some old grocery bags from behind the counter and wrapped up the spoil before dropping it down onto the table, too close for comfort, sitting down again, exhausted, Your hands still shook.

"So," said Percy. "We have Athena to thank for that monster?"

You shrugged, unbothered. "The woman must have done something."

Annabeth flashed you both irritated looks.

"Your dad, Percy, actually. Don't you remember? Medusa was Poseidon's girlfriend. They decided to meet in my mother's temple. That's why Athena turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who had helped her get into the temple, they became the three gorgons. That's why Medusa wanted to slice me up, but she wanted to preserve you as a nice statue. She's still sweet on your dad. You probably reminded her of him."

"Ewww, monster crush."

Percy was not deterred by your comment. "Oh, so it's my fault that we ran into her?" He flashed you a look.

Your heart plummeted.

"It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?" Annabeth imitated.

"Forget it, you're impossible! And you --" he turned, and you felt your face flame. "What was with the whole leading us here?"

"HEY!" Grover interrupted, sending yourself and Percy to look at him, dumbfounded. "What are we going to do with the head?"

Percy's chair shrieked as he stood. "I'll be back."

"Percy," Annabeth called after him. "What are you--"

percy came back carrying a box, some money, a slip of paper, and a pencil. You didn't lean over to watch him write, feeling slightly hurt. Percy never once had a go at you for anything, certainly not to your face.

"They're not going to like that," Grover spoke. "They'll think you're impertinent."

You leaned over, desperate to be in on the plan, Forget your feelings.

The Gods Mount Olympus 600th Floor, Empire State Building New York, NY

With best wishes, PERCY JACKSON

You nodded. "They'll hate you."

Percy tipped a few golden coins into a pouch. When he pulled the drawstrings closed, there was a sound similar to that of a cash register. The package began to float, and suddenly disappeared with a popping sound.

"I am impertinent," Percy said.

You watched him look at Annabeth, and them stare at one another.

"Come on," she said, turning around. "We need a new plan."

--

Taglist: @bl6o6dy @embersparklz @lilyevanswhore @rottenstyx @hawkeye12 @rory-cakes @i-am-scared-and-useless-bisexual @marshmallow12435 @luckydragontriumph @lantsovheiress @distinguishedmakerpandapatrol

Enjoy!

[whereonceiwasfire]

Drabble requests? Nah, here are some prompts I came up with just now for ya that I think could be short.

Dash bullying a wheelchair bound Danny...

Tucker and Sam lying to Danny about being okay while he's on a family vacation...

Amity Park accepting blob ghosts as part of their city despite the Fentons erupting every time they see one...

The GIW being terrible ghost hunters because they get defeated by mud...

Ghosts attack during a test, and when Danny *doesn't* go running to stop them, Mr. Lancer sends Danny, "to the restroom..."

Danny finds out why his parents think Mr. Lancer is a ghost...

Danny loses too much ectoplasm and his transformation fails him during vivisection...

Vlad confesses his love to Maddie along with his ghost powers, and he outs Danny in an attempt to prove he'd be the better father figure...

So many good prompts, thanks for sending these in! I ended up going with "Danny finds out why his parents think Mr. Lancer is a ghost" because that one made me laugh.

Danny’s not particularly paying attention to the conversation around the kitchen table, just busies himself picking at his dinner—something that might potentially be meatloaf. He pushes a chunk of it around with his fork, spears it, holds it up before his eyes. Abandons the utensil and stuffs the raw baby carrots—lazily poured from the bag onto his plate—into his mouth instead.

It’s not until his mom chimes in with, “well, you know he’s a ghost, dear,” that he startles, glances up, immediately blanching.

“Who—who’s a ghost?” Danny asks. 

“Oh right, I had forgotten,” his dad says. 

Jazz just rolls her eyes and scribbles in the notebook she has open beside her. 

Danny clears his throat and tries again, a bit louder this time. “Who’s a ghost?”     

His mom turns her attention over to him, lifts a brow. Her voice is still saccharine sweet when she says, “Well, your teacher, Mr. Lancer, of course.” 

Danny looses a quiet breath, and gives a vague, relieved, “Oh yeah, right, sure.” Then, a beat, after he’s stuffed another carrot in his mouth, he blurts, “Wait, what?”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t know!” Maddie says, sounding affronted, like he just told her he never realized that the sky is blue before.

“I—why do you think he’s a ghost?” Danny ventures tentatively. 

“Don’t encourage them,” Jazz mumbles under her breath without looking up from her homework. 

But it’s too late for that. While Jack is checked out—shoveling potentially-meatloaf into his mouth without a care, that far-away look in his eyes—his mom is leaning forward on the  table, gaze alight.  

“Well, it’s quite obvious, sweetie,” Maddie says, twirling her fork through the air. She starts ticking the points off on the fingers of her other hand. “He’s always moaning and groaning.” 

“Okay, but that’s just because he’s in his forties. Fifties? Thirties. I don’t know. That’s ‘cause he’s old and sore all the time.”

His mom carries on like Danny hasn’t said anything, “he’s always quoting long dead scholars like they were friends of his.”      

“He’s an English teacher.” 

“And,” his mom says, like this one’s the kicker, “I’ve never seen him outside the school. I think that’s his haunt. I don't think he can leave.” 

“Mom, he works at the school,” then, under his breath, Danny adds, “And I don’t really think he has that much of a life.”

“Well,” his mom muses. “Maybe. But I still think he’s a ghost. We should bring the Fenton Ghost Peeler to the next parent-teacher interview, just in case.” 

Danny gives a sigh, planting his elbow on the table, and his chin in his palm. He continues to push his food around his plate. 

“Great,” he says flatly.  

It wouldn’t even be the weirdest thing they’ve done at parent-teacher interviews. He wonders what it would be like to have normal parents. 

“Oh!” Jack suddenly chimes in, loud enough that it startles everyone. “That reminds me! I think our mailman might be a ghost too!”  

Well. Guess he’ll never know...