#so honestly we didn’t really see who she truly was until she had been here a few weeks

[lure-of-writing]

Left in regret

Authors note: Thank you all so much on the love for this story it truly means a lot to me that you all like it so much. I didn't plan for this to have a part two but I really hope you enjoy nonetheless!

Summary: After telling Azriel and the inner circle how you truly felt about Elain and about your feelings so Azriel the inner circles world comes to a very abrupt halt.

Word count: 2.5k, Part two to never been good enough

Part one Here: Never been good Enough

Part three: Why can't we?

To say that everyone was shocked by your outburst would be an understatement but in all honesty how could they blame you when everything that you said was correct. Looking back on all the time that has passed since the inner circle welcomed the new family members, they could see just how much you were being excluded and it broke their hearts that they were the reason that you were feeling this way but it was no one's fault to blame but their own. Azriel took it the hardest. He knew that he was spending a lot of time with Elain but she made him happy and even though he knew she had a mate he honestly couldn't find it within himself to care about that. If Elain didn’t want to be with her mate then who is he to stop her. 

For the first time in a long time Azriel felt happy and it was all thanks to the person you hated most. The guilt he felt was immense but how could he not pursue what made him happy? For all of his life he never thought that he would be good enough for a mate so he accepted that it would never be one of the things he has in life but a stable relationship with Elain could be one of the rare gifts the mother blesses him with. But to break your heart with such revelations broke his own and up until the point of you practically laying your heart out to bare he never knew about your feeling for him and he has never felt like he deserved the title of spy master less then he did in that moment because how could he have never noticed how you felt about him? 

Azriel hasn’t seen you since that fateful day on top of the house of wind a week ago no one has been able to reach you not even Rhysand and it was starting to concern him. You simply took off running towards the ledge of the house before throwing yourself off and winnowed away while falling through the air. A stunt has never scared Azriel more, that was until seven whole days have passed with no one being able to find you. Between the three brothers they searched high and low for you but came up empty handed every time. It was becoming very clear that you didn’t want to be found but Azriel needed you to come home, he needed to talk to you about everything. His mind hasn’t been able to quiet down since your confession “I have been in love with Azriel since the day I met him” your words plagued his mind at all hours of the day and he knew unless he was able to speak to you it would remain that way until it practically drove him insane for he knew he would spend however long until he was able to see you again replaying every interaction he's ever had with you from top to bottom wondering how he missed the signs. But he knew better than that, you were a trained spy, a very well one at that and if you didn’t want him to know what you were thinking then he simply wouldn't. 

More days have dragged on then Azriel was comfortable with you being gone, he wanted you home more than he wanted to be around Elain and that was saying a lot for him.  

Most of the inner circle was sitting around the table at the river house when Rhysand walked in looking less than pleased, it immediately caught his attention. That's when he noticed the piece of paper pinched between Rhys fingers “What is that?” His words were the first to break the uncomfortable silence that had been suffocating the group. “Y/n sent a letter.” this was not his brother speaking this was his high lord and something about that set Azriel on edge, whatever he was about to say next was going to break his soul he just knew it. “She addressed it to the inner circle and has asked that it only be read to the inner circle.” Rhysand shied away from Feyre's eyes but he knew that she understood because without any hesitation she stood up from her seat and urged her sisters to do the same but Elain refused. “I’m not leaving. I want to hear what she has to say.” something about hearing Elains demand to know what you said when she is the reason you left set Azriels blood on fire “Leave Elain or I will do it for you.”  

Nesta was quick to anger with that statement “Threaten my sister again and I will kill you.” she statement was nothing short of a promise but Feyre was quick to grab her sisters but not quick enough for Azriels sharp words to cut deep into the middle sister's heart “If you had never come here, I wouldn’t have lost my dearest friend because of you. Now I see that y/n was right, you are a wolf in a sheep's clothing and I was too blind to see it right before my very eyes. I want nothing to do with you Elain.”  Azriel knew his words cut deep but something inside him couldn’t find it in him to care. Everyone waited until the three sisters closed the door before doing anything else and they waited once more for the sounds of retreating footsteps before Rhysand cleared his throat and began reading your letter. 

“In all my years of having the honor of being a member of the inner circle this is not how I envisioned my end. I always thought if anything I would die on the battle field or on a mission and that would be where my story ended amongst the circle but for it to end like this is something I could've never imagined. Rhysand I am so happy that you finally found your mate and honestly Feyre couldn’t be more perfect for you, but I cannot say the same for her sisters. To be frank I could have done without them but no such choice is mine to make. There are a lot of things I want to say but I’m not sure if I will ever be able to say them so for now I will settle with this. First I want to thank you all for being the most loving group of people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Though you may have shown it in your own ways I will forever cherish the memories we made together and for that I am thankful. There is no easy way to put this but I see now that my time amongst the inner circle was limited and it is something I will always hold dear to my heart even with this painful ending. It never bothered me that I was becoming less needed within the group but to be forgotten about while dying in a battlefield changed something in me. For as long as I can remember if one of us was unaccounted for the others would stop at nothing to find whoever was lost but the same urgency was not placed upon me until Tamlin walked in with my dying body. Azriel I heard you ask how as a group you had forgotten about me and it broke me. It became glaringly obvious that I was no longer needed as a member of the inner circle but I didn’t want to believe it so I didn’t. But watching you fall in love with Elain was something I could not do when I knew that I had been in love with you since the moment I met you. I silently loved you from afar while hoping that one day you would realize I was here right in front of you willing to give you my love but all you could see was Elain from the moment you learned about her existence. I will never blame you for loving who you love but to say it doesn’t hurt would be a lie. This letter is getting to be just a giant jumble of my thoughts so let me end with a few things. In three days I will gather my belongings from the house of wind and move from the night court, please do not ask for any other information as I will not tell you any. Now it's time for me to say my goodbyes for I know I will not be able to do so in person. Amren, thank you for being a fountain of knowledge and someone I could go to, to sit in silence and not feel alone while doing so. Mor, your friendship is like no other that I’ve ever known and I cannot thank you enough for showing me such loyalty and encouragement. I'm sure that I will never find another friendship like yours. Cassian, your ability to be strong for not only your family but for yourself is something I hope to learn one day. I have definitely learned to be strong because of you. Please know you are worth so much more than all of the hateful words thrown at you. Rhysand to serve in not only your court but inner circle has been the honor of a lifetime. You have already proven yourself to be an amazing high lord and I have no doubt that you will continue to do so in the future. But most of all thank you for showing me that being myself is ok and allowing me to grow into the person I am. I could not have done it without you. Lastly, Azriel, thank you for showing me what true love is.”

The weight of your words lay heavy on each member's heart. Everything you had said had hit them differently. “She's leaving?” Amren was the first to speak after the never ending silence. While Amren may simply tolerate most people she had a place in her heart just for you. She saw parts of herself in you and wanted to help you in any way she could, albeit was a little unconventional so to hear that you were leaving broke her heart but deep down she understood why. She saw the moment you realized that Azriel was your mate while you watched as he shielded Elain from your wrath, saw the look of heartbreak flash and disappear within your eyes, saw the mourning that replaced it instead. She knew why you were leaving, you would never make him be with you just because of the bond so instead you would act like it never existed if it meant he would be happy without you. “Y/n can’t just leave, she's family.” Morrigan was the next to speak with tears pooling along her eyes “We are a family y/n must know how much we all love and care about her?”  but nobody said anything until Cassian spoke up “No y/n is right we acted as if we no longer needed her. Rhysand has Feyre, I have Nesta, Azriel with Elain, Mor you are closer friends with Feyre then y/n and Amren has varian so who does that leave y/n with?” Cassian's question hung in the air unanswered “Exactly. It leaves her alone with no one but herself.” as much as people thought cassian was a brute he was equally if not more observant, he could see that you had been unintentionally outed from the group and to deal with his part of your leaving he got up and left without another word to work out his emotions on the top of the house of wind with a brutal workout. Cassian left everyone else to deal with their emotions on their own. 

In the three days leading up to your arrival it seemed as if everything within the inner circle had changed. Azriel avoided Elain, Mor distanced herself from Feyre, Cassian barely trained with Nesta and Rhysand tried to send letter after letter to you asking to sit and speak with him. No response came. It was as if the world had stopped on a dime for the inner circle. The silence was deafening as they waited in the common area of the house of wind while waiting for your arrival. But the silence was even louder when you were set gently on the floor after being released from the arms of an unknown man with wings. No one made a move or even said anything; they simply stared at the stranger in front of them. In that frozen moment Azriel felt something he never thought he would get to experience: the mating bond snapping into place. He felt the string that connected him to you and he could hear nothing else but the sound of his heart beating loudly in his ears. He knew Rhysand said something to you but he couldn’t hear it, maybe he was in shock. Azriel watched you with extreme precision as you moved without saying anything to Rhysand to start down the hallway with the random man in tow. Azriel wanted to ask you who he was, why you thought you had to leave, where you going to go but he found himself unable to speak. It wasn’t until you reappeared in the common room that he was able to say anything. 

“We’re mates?” He hadn’t meant it as a question but it definitely came out as one. He watched as a sigh fell from your lips before you spoke “Yes” Azriel had never heard you sound so exhausted, so beatdown while this was supposed to be one of the most exciting times of your life. This is what people begged the mother for, what he had begged the mother for with no hope that he would ever get to experience it. “You’re not excited?” tired eyes bore into his “If the bond had not just snapped would you want me? If you never found out we were mates would you have picked me? Or Elain? I have never been a person of romantic interest to you before today so does a bond even matter?” Azriel knew you had made valid points but hearing you say all the times he hadn’t picked you broke his heart. “The Answer is no Azriel you wouldn’t have so please don’t start choosing me now. I don’t want a relationship out of force from the bond, I want you to choose me because I’m the person you want. So please do not start acting like you want me now when you didn’t want me four days ago.”  And with that he watched as you placed yourself in the arms of another man and took off towards the sea. Azriel watched as you left this place behind without another word, left without letting Azriel fight for your mating bond and he has never regretted getting involved with Elain more than he did in that moment. 

Taglist: @j-pendragonx , @piceous21 , @harrystylesfan2686 , @kemillyfreitas

[j2hoes]

Hopes And Fears Part Three. (Wally Clark x Reader)

Summary: Y/N’s death is traumatic. So traumatic in fact, she can’t even look at Wally without reliving what happened to her.

Word Count: 2.4k

Gif Not Mine. Requests Are Open!

Warnings: Mature Language

I’ve grown fond of the early mornings whilst stuck at Split River. The first glimpse of the sun shining over the gardens, a warm hue welcoming the day. With no students roaming the halls, all I hear is the quiet sounds of nature. On the odd occasion, I’m even able to spot a rabbit or deer, grazing gently on the acres of freshly trimmed fields surrounding the school buildings.

It’s become a habit of mine, each morning I find myself lounging besides the flowerbeds. Allowing myself to feel each blade of grass that delicately brushes my skin. For a while, I forget that I’m no longer alive. I can simply exist.

It’s not uncommon for Wally to join me. Sprawled on his back, gazing up at the clouds. Pointing out different shapes and imagining different backstories for all of the cloud animals he sees. Besides that, neither of us speak much. Only enjoying one another’s company as we relax in the morning light.

Spending this time has given me the opportunity to process everything. Wally helps me to work through my emotions and thoughts. Nothing ever being too much for him to listen to, though I’m still afraid to divulge everything. I’m sure he can sense that I’m holding back, yet he doesn’t pry. Content to just listen. In all honestly, I truly believe that these moments with Wally have helped me more so than Mr Martin’s support group has. Despite attending every session since my memorial, I consistently leave the group feeling unfulfilled. Unsatisfied. In fact, it doesn’t seem as though the teacher wants us to discuss the past, our lives and our deaths. Only wanting us to focus on the present, the state we are confined to. I find myself struggling with this a lot.

“What do you think you would be doing if you hadn’t died?”

Pushing myself up on my elbows, I look over to Wally, who is resting on his stomach, absentmindedly plucking grass from the ground.

“I was supposed to go to college, play football. Hopefully make it pro, that’s what the plan was anyway.” He tells me, full of confidence yet his tone of voice suggests that’s not the pathway he would’ve chosen for himself.

“What about like outside of a job though?” I pry, the boy has my curiosity heightened. “Like, surely you have other things that you wanted to do?”

His eyes focus in on the pieces of grass that he’s now twisting together in a makeshift sort of chain. Deep in thought, I can see the cogs working in his brain as he tries to think of an answer for me. I’m sure it’s not something he’s necessarily thought of before, following the path that his mom set out for him upon birth.

“You’re gonna laugh, but I always wanted to get married and have a family. I know that times have changed and you lot don’t really believe in marriage and stuff that much anymore but I’m a family guy. Always have been.” He admits, finally looking at me and I see the honesty written across his face. “It just sucks that I’ll never actually get to experience it.”

My heart aches for him. One fatal accident and his entire future was stripped away. Never getting to experience the things he always dreamed of. It breaks heart, knowing what he could have had.

“Wally, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s no big deal, really, I’ve spent the last few decades accepting my fate and it’s not so bad here.” He tells me, a sadness shining in the brown of his eyes, trying his best to cover it up with a soft smile. “What about you? Other than taking over the world with your best friend, what was the plan?”

Giggling slightly as he references Abby’s speech, I start to wonder what my life would’ve looked like. Truthfully, I have no idea. My life revolved around dancing and cheer, other than that I have no clue as to who I am. Up until my death, I didn’t believe I was worthy of love, the one chance I took was with Spencer and look how that turned out.

“I suppose I wanted to leave Split River, Abby wanted to go to New York so I figured I would study there.” I reply, knowing New York was never my dream. I just couldn’t bare to part with her once high school ended. “It would be quite nice to live on a farm. Out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by animals, I think that would’ve been my dream.”

“Now this makes sense.”

Crossing my legs underneath me to sit up properly, he’s unable to hide the bright smile on his face. Clearly finding some amusement in what I said.

“What makes sense?” I ask, to which he laughs quietly. Pulling a clump of grass out of the ground, I launch it in his direction. “Hey, you dickhead, I didn’t laugh at you, so you can’t laugh at me.”

“No, no. I’m not laughing at you.” Wally speaks through chuckles, rolling on to his back. “It just makes sense now why you like to sit out here.”

His arms are thrown across his face, shielding his eyes from the sun. I can’t help but stare as his muscles flex, admiring the sight in front of me. Following his body, I find myself biting the inside of my cheek as I notice his top has risen up his stomach ever so slightly. Highlighting the small trail of hair that dips below his shorts.

“Did you have a girlfriend?” I blurt out, before I even realise what I’m saying.

Slapping my hand across my mouth, embarrassment floods my body, eyes wide as Wally smiles. Eyebrows raised as he looks over to me. Sly smile making its way on to his face.

“No. No girlfriend. Why?”

“I was just wondering. I mean, star high school quarterback, you must have had girls queuing up for your attention.” I’m able to stop myself before I begin a long-winded rant. Helping to ease at least a tiny amount of my embarrassment.

Wally rolls his eyes at my comment. “Well in that case you must’ve had boys queuing up for your attention. What with being head cheerleader and all.”

“Ha ha. Okay, I know it was a stupid question.”

Fortunately for me, I’m saved from making a fool out of myself even more by the sounds of cars entering the parking lot. In unison, we both turn to face the sound. Observing the students that have started to filter into the building, chatting loudly amongst one another as they do so.

My vision locks in on Spencer and his gang of hooligans. They’re jumping all over one another without a care in the world as they make their way into the school. Trail of awestruck girls following behind in the hopes of garnering the smallest amount of attention from one of the jocks.

If only I was able to tell them what they’re really like. Perhaps they wouldn’t make the same mistake that I made. Perhaps I’d be able to save them from the same fate that I suffered.

“So I was thinking we could have a pool day. I think Charlie would be up for it, maybe not Rhonda, but it could be fun for us all just to chill out. You haven’t really spent much time with anyone else apart from in our sessions with Mr Martin.”

Wally’s words echo around my head though I’m not paying any attention. Despite, no longer being able to see the group that I was fixated on, I’m still closely watching the area that they had just previously been walking through.

Two weeks later and Spencer and his friends still evade justice. Police presence at the school has increased drastically with crime scene investigators cornering off the old toilet block. Maybe I’m impatient, but it feels like they’re getting away with it. Receiving no consequences for their heinous actions.

“Y/N, are you listening?”

Wally’s words finally drag me out of my thoughts and I meet his eyes. “Yeah, pool day, sounds good.”

“And we’re inviting Charlie and Rhonda.” He states, eyebrows raised as he knows I wasn’t truly paying attention to a word he said.

“Oh, no. They’re nice but can we just do it alone? I’m not sure I feel up to doing a whole group thing.”

Wally nods, though his eyes narrow. Sensing there’s something off with me. He’s good at noticing whenever my demeanour changes, or whenever something is bothering me. It’s part of his nature.

“Yeah of course. We should probably head to group first though.” The athlete pushes himself off the floor as he speaks, waiting for me to stand as well which I reluctantly do, not before releasing an annoyed groan. “You know, one of these days, you might actually enjoy the sessions.”

Rolling my eyes, I follow Wally towards the gym. He holds the doors open for me as we enter the building, his small act of chivalry makes me giddy. I make no effort to show this however, politely thanking the boy as I walk through.

“Ah here they are! Took you two long enough.” Charlie jokes as we enter the gym, taking our seats. I sit between Dawn and Rhonda with Wally seating himself between Charlie and Mr Martin.

“No guesses what they’ve been up to.” Rhonda comments, lollipop hanging out the side of her mouth as she does so.

“Thank you Rhonda.” Mr Martin chimes in, stopping the conversation from escalating any further. “So today, I figured we would get to know our newest member. Y/N you’ve been here for a couple of weeks now and we still don’t know too much about you.”

“I’m sure Wally could tell us all about her.” Rhonda remarks under her breath. So quiet, I almost don’t catch it.

“I’m sorry, is there something you want to say?” I snap, my tone harsh and confronting.

She laughs in response, the annoyance on my face evident as I glare at her. Her snarky and sarcastic nature hasn’t proven to be a problem for me, though I think that may be about to change.

“Y/N, tell us about your death. We’re all dying to know what happened. No pun intended.” The teacher interjects, attempting to diffuse the tense situation yet I still feel on edge.

“No thank you.”

“Oh come on Y/N, none of us are going to judge you. You know that.” Charlie tells me, offering me a reassuring smile.

“No, she’d rather just listen to all our trauma. Isn’t that right cherry pop?”

Rhonda’s words strike a chord within me. I’ll admit, the other ghosts have been very open about their deaths with me. All discussing in detail what happened to them to result in this fate. Sure, I haven’t divulged into the details of my death as of yet, but it’s for good reason. Not only am I still trying to process it myself but I don’t want them to look at me any differently nor do I want them to take pity on me when they learn the details.

“Do you have a problem with me or something Rhonda?” I ask, swinging around in my chair so that I can face her directly.

Upon doing so, I take note of how Charlie and Wally are quick to sit up straight. Feeling the anger radiating off me and awaiting any possible confrontation that may be about to occur.

“As a matter of fact, I do.” The girl retorts, crossing her arms over her chest before she continues speaking. “You waltz in here and make no effort with any of us besides Wally. Who, let’s not forget, you made to feel like a piece of shit on your first day after that unreasonable outburst. You listen to all of us recounting our deaths, the most traumatic things that could’ve happened to us and still none of us know what happened to you. It hardly seems fair.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry Rhonda. I’m sorry that i’m still processing what happened to me. I’m sorry that I’m not ready to discuss it with a group of strangers. I am so sorry that I’m not getting over everything as quick as you would like me to.”

My voice is raised as I speak, hurt that she would even think that my choice not to share what happened is a personal attack on the group. No matter how hurt I’m feeling, the anger completely outweighs it. Angry that she can’t see that I’m still struggling and angry that my murderers are still attending this school. Instead of being locked behind bars for the rest of their life, like they deserve to be. Nobody can understand what I am going through and that makes me so astonishingly angry.

“Boo hoo. You’re still processing, we’re all still processing. Not to mention the fact that we’ve barely seen Wally these past couple of weeks because he’s been trailing around after you, trying to make you feel less threatened by him. He’s even taken off that stupid football shirt that he loved so much! I hate to break it to you, but he was here first.” She argues, tears well in my eyes as she mentions Wally. I lock eyes with him and see his downcast expression. Was she right? Was he only spending this time with me to make me feel better and less scared? “You should do everybody a favour and fuck off back to the old toilet block where you came from.”

“Rhonda!” Charlie exclaims, clearly shocked by her words.

“Is that how you really feel Wally?” I ask hesitantly, the dejection evident in my voice.

He opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out. Nodding slightly, I understand completely. Pushing myself out of the chair, nobody speaks as I make my exit from the room.

“Lovely chat.” Rhonda shouts, one last attempt to get a reaction from me. Even as I shove open the doors with an obnoxious slam, I don’t look back.

The entirety of my body feels heavy as I drag myself down the hallways. Nobody comes after me, not even Wally. I feel truly alone, hurt and confused. Death was supposed to be peaceful and yet here I am. Suffering more than I ever did when alive.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

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[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Must you, Japan? has become Thank You, Japan

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

BL OLYMPICS! Week 3

This is my last week of passing out metals in various sporting events, as part of the weekly updates.

Aug 2024 Week 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

Century of Love (Weds Gaga) eps 9-10fin - There were a lot more unnecessary dramatic speeches than there was practical medical aid being administered. Very extra, boys. I wonder how long it took them to get that "birds meet hug" shot? Meanwhile, great grandpa‘s attitude that he knows best in every way is thoroughly annoying, and yet absolutely appropriate to his age. My great gramps (RIP), had he had the body of a 20-year-old, would behave in exactly the same self-righteous know-it-all way. The doctor is great. I would like him to get his own romance please? What happens when you are the villain in someone else's reincarnation story? There's a whole fanfic there. And yes I cried. I am a sap for this kinda thing.

Final thoughts:

This is a great little show about a young man who fell in love with a pretty girl 100 years ago, and when she died in his arms, he was cursed to live until he could meet her reborn self. Only this time around, she’s reborn into the body of a man. I love it when Thailand gets all up in its own historical business and reincarnation and shizz. I like this pair (it’s not DaouOffroad’s fault I didn’t enjoy most of their first series.) Daou’s wushu is pretty snazzy and we got a fun meet cute. (Erm... Remeet cute? Meet cute 2.0?) Plus this is a very PRETTY show. Despite some ham handed comedy moments, this ultimately has more in common with something like I Feel You Linger in the Air meets First Love Again, then (as one might expect) Until We Meet Again or The Director Who Buys Me Dinner. The leads turned in great performances, although Daou outclassed everybody else on that screen. It’s a good story and a great BL. I’m not sure this is going in my rewatch rotation, but I can’t find any major faults with it beyond a certain level of camp that is sadly endemic to lackorns. Also I’m going to give it credit as the kind of BL that one could safely recommend to lovers of melodrama and historical romance, without having to qualify it as “good for a BL.” It was, to put it succinctly, simply a VERY ENJOYABLE show. 

Under those auspices I really can’t give it anything less than a 9/10. 

Bronze in Fencing

My Love Mix-Up Th (Fri YT) ep 10 of 12 - It’s cute. They were cute. I enjoyed it a lot. I talk quite a bit about why they're using nai as a you pronoun here:

This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans (Fri iQIYI) ep 6 of 8 - Honestly the side couple is truly stellar in this show. I wasn’t sure about them at first but now I absolutely love them. Not sure how they are going to resolve such intense dislike (from JJ) by the end of the series. But I’m interested to see them try.

Meanwhile, there isn’t anything else airing right now that makes me laugh as much as the behind-the-scenes from this show. Highly recommended.

Monster Next Door (Thai Thurs Gaga ) eps 1-2 of 12 - Oh it is so much fun. I’m particularly delighted that our musician is a drummer and I don’t have to listen to him sing... I hope. I’ve been waiting for Big to lead a BL forever. I’m disposed to enjoy this. We can all be confident in one thing, the kisses are going to be great. I like the side couple too, very indulgent daddy. While I am disturbed by the tortoise in the tiny tank, I love the extrovert friendship group. They remind me of my own college crew. It is a cute premise, but I will need them to actually be together in the same room, looking longingly at each other a smooching within the next couple of episodes.

YouTube served me both episodes 1 & 2, and I don’t think it was meant to. So this may be next week's review as well.

The Trainee (Sun YouTube) ep 6 of 12 - I wasn’t wild about this ep or where this show is going. But I enjoyed the language play. 

Gold in Linguistic Gymnastics

(my new favorite sport)

Sunset X Vibes (Sat iQIYI) ep 9 of 12 - Wow. Sam admitted it just out loud like that! Right after a betrayal? Balls on that boy. Worked on Yo tho. Too well, actually. I wish Yo had made him suffer and dragged him over the coals for a while. But I guess Yo really really likes him back. Meanwhile, the GL side plot also moved quite rapidly. A lot happened in this episode.

I Saw You in My Dream (Weds Gaga) ep 4 of 12 - Them ALL jumping into the water was totally ridiculous. It’s still a little slow, because it is a pulp, but I’m rather enjoying it.

Knock Knock Boys (Thurs Gaga) ep 12fin - Almond and Latte were cute. The breakfast with the four of them was funny. I did laugh a lot. Almond getting "first time" advice from his two resident gay dads (or at least trying to) was super sweet. Also I got a lot of smiley kisses. Nice final ep.

Ultimately how do I feel about this show?

A story about 4 boys of differing personalities who end up living together and pair up, falling in love. Slow moving and waffling, with some artificially generated family drama makes this a classic Thai pulp except that in general it's a smiley kiss of a show. It had plenty of good qualities like great communication and sexual rep (including toys, first time, safe sex, and sexual identities). The heat levels were on point and well executed, and the performances were good. It’s just that the script and the directing were lackluster, rendering it ultimately forgettable. Still, fine on a rainy afternoon with some camomile tea or whatever. 7/10 

Love Sea (Sun iQIYI) ep 9 of 10 - I’m getting some sort of PTSD from this show, It is making me feel like I’m the problem. Trash watch

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Cosmetic Playlover (Japan Tues Gaga) eps 1-2 of 8 - Anyone surprised by this jump in the standings? Yeah, probubly not. Anygay... this show is GREAT. Warped af but great. Lemme try to explain.

I actually said out loud during ep 1, "Well this is boundary pushing." By which I mean mine and everybody elses. But it’s Japan, *checks watch* it’s about time they turned out something edging into unpalatable and kinky. And because it’s Japan, I’m more forgiving than I would be were this show nested in the clumsy hands of say... Thailand. So actually this being me, and me being of questionable taste, I’m enjoying this show a lot.

You want me to list the ways? Sure.

Younger seme with grabby hands.

The younger one identified the elder gay as his personal property and it’s now: single motivation, on target, against all odds.

Uke cares about his work and not much else.

Seme cares about the uke and not much else.

Uke is gonna make this boy WORK for it.

That one particularly Japanese style of obsession that I actually adore.

Passes the sniff test!

I’m being reminded of that KBL Love Mate. Which I believe I enjoyed but no one else did. For exactly this set of tropes. Only Japan is better suited to handle them. For me this is a case of:

Must you,Japan? = Oh yes? Well, thank you very much, Japan.  

I Hear the Sunspot AKA Hidamari ga Kikoeru (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 8 of 10 - enter the evil girl character. Yawn.

Takara's Treasure AKA Takara No Vidro (Japan Mon Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - It is what it is. 

It's airing but...

Battle of the Writers (Sun YT) ep 2 of 12 - I did not catch ep 2 before they took it down from USA YT. I don’t know why it’s down. Either they got a deal for distribution off YouTube or there’s some sort of scandal. Frankly, I wasn't particularly impressed with ep 1 so I’m not rabid to find wherever it’s gone or why. Still, perhaps someone will let us know the sitch in a comment? It's a me problem. I'm figuring it out.

Sugar Dog Life (Japan Sun ????) 10 eps - OMG a uni student who looks too young and a... COP. GAH. The subversion and kink of it all. Why can't I find it? Do I have to go grey?

4 Minutes (Thai Netflix/Grey) - A rich boy at uni suddenly gains the supernatural power to see four minutes into the future. I have a source, but I've decided to hold off and binge if it ends okay, since it's only 8 eps. I depend upon y'all to tell me if it's safe.

Meet You at the Blossom (China) - it's your funeral (or, more likely, one of the main characters'). You can argue but... statistics. You know my feelings on this matter. MY BLOG, remember?

In case you missed it

The Time of Fever AKA Unintentional Love Story 2 (Korea movie) trailer IS COMING IN SEPTEMBER!!!! (Yeah this is gonna sit here until then)

Next Week Looks Like This:

Ooo, nice spread.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

Still Coming This Month!

8/12 First Note Of Love (Taiwan Mon Gaga) 12 eps - About a singer with stage fright and his timid fan stars Charles (H4 the puppy one) and Michael Chang (the youngster in My Tooth Your Love), plus side couple featuring a Thai actor Jame (Koh in Gen Y) and Liu Min Ting (of Guardian fame). What a damn tean. I can't wait. With thier powers combined!

8/13 Addicted Heroin (Thai Tues YT) 10 eps - supposedly Jinlo with air this on their YT channel. Stars August (Love Sick) so I'm excited despite Jinlo's poor reputation. From the trailer it looks like it's following the original pretty closely... just Thai style. GIMMEEEEE!!!!

8/16 The Last Time (Thai Fri YT) ? eps - Convoluted story of loss and possible reincarnation or something.

8/22 The On1y One (Taiwan Thurs Gaga) 12 eps - announced in 2023 this one has a high school set stepbrothers trope and is reputed to be high heat. From Taiwan! It's made for me. Based on a novel Mou Mou from the Your Name Engraved Herein folks, so it could go dark. Still, I'm very excited.

8/22 The Paradise of Thorns (Thai movie) theater release - Jeff Satur is back but this does not look like a BL (the gay lover's death is the inciting event). More in Goodbye Mother vein. Looks dark and dramatic. He opposite and extremely well known actor Toey Pongsakorn who has never done gay before.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Linguistic flirting trope! One of my all time favorites. FANTASTIC. (I did keep hearing Gun yelling Papiiiiiii! in my head tho.)

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

Sigh, Tumblr in its infinite wisdom doesn't like too many tags.

[modelbus]

Please please please do a part 2 for Cut Chaos…maybe where she sees the others out and about and it’s a awkward until they get around to why she wasn’t subtly push out? I honestly don’t know, I just want to see where it goes…

I got so many asks for a part 2, you are the chosen one I shall write it to. Hopefully this lives up to the first one!

Read part 1! And Part 3?

Pairing(s): cc!Ranboo, cc!Tubbo, cc!Wilbur and cc!Tommy x Fem!Reader (Platonic)

Cut Chaos Part 2

Somehow, going to the store had become your nemesis. Wallowing in self-pity felt like a much better way to spend your time, but even you could acknowledge that you needed to buy things eventually.

The reason why you tried to minimize going was simple: you didn’t want to see them.

What would happen? Part of you wasn’t sure if you could face the rejection in real life. The blow had been softened—although barely—by the digital world. If you tried hard enough, you could pretend that your phone broke and that’s why they never contact you.

Tommy’s birthday came and went, and you sent a gift through the mail. Too afraid of the boy to even have the decency to leave it on his doorstep, while too caught up in what you’ve lost to not give something.

You signed the card with love and your name, leaving the comma out. You didn’t regret it until it was too late, until the card had been sealed.

If you saw him at the store, would he acknowledge that? Or would it just be another thing on a list that he ignored about you?

If you were the count the number of times you’ve thought about them, perhaps you’d be counting forever. The store, the first time, nearly made you cry.

It’s a strange feeling, having then not having. Being in the sun, only to have clouds suddenly yanked over it as a downpour begins. The m&m yogurt reminded you of them, the twin snake gummy worms. Even the teal of a sign had made you stop in your tracks.

You were pathetic, honestly. But you were mourning something you weren’t even sure that you ever had.

So, the store. Your new foe, the newest nemesis in the battle of memories. Checkouts beeped in the rhythm of heartbeats you’re terrified of forgetting, shoppers talked in low tones you used to know.

Today, it was raining out. It had only just started when you got inside the store, thank God, but it meant your walk home would be a wet one. You didn't live too far though, so it wouldn't be that bad.

The door opens next to you, where you're looking at the strangely large selection of stuffed animals. One would go well with your setup, really.

You glance over your shoulder, a curtesy glance really, and do a doubly take at the four figures darkening the doorstep. Figuratively, although three are tall as fuck and cast shadows.

A black and white mask. Blue eyes. Fluffy brown hair. Fluffy brown hair times two.

Oh, shit.

You stare at Ranboo, Tommy, Wilbur, and Tubbo for one second, then two. Tubbo sweeps his gaze over the store, pausing when he lands on you.

“Oh.”

The first words they speak to you in ages, and it’s Tubbo saying “oh.” A truly inspiring start to a conversation.

“Hey. I didn’t know you guys came here.” You say around the dryness in your mouth. Swallowing, you try to force air into your lungs.

“We don’t.” Wilbur answers. “Not usually, we’re just—“

“Filming.” Tommy finishes, holding up his camera.

Right.

It’s one thing to see it online, but it’s a whole different level of pain to witness it in front of you. The split in the ground between you and them is almost visible. Almost.

“Oh.” And now you’re the one with the lame response. “Well. Enjoy that, I guess.”

“Wait.” Wilbur says, reaching out, because of course it’s Wilbur to do this to you. “How have you been? It’s- it’s been a while.”

And who, you want to ask, is at fault for that? Who would be taking the blame? Because by the way Ranboo couldn’t meet your eyes, you’re certain you all know.

”Do you want the honest answer, or the answer that’ll make it so you all can go to bed tonight peacefully?” You ask passively, because fuck.

They fucking left you. No, they did far worse than that. They ruined you.

You turn away, heading to the checkout. They follow you.

“What do you guys want? Ditching me once wasn’t enough? You need to put salt in the wound?”

“Hey, we didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or—“ Tommy begins, but you don’t let him finish.

“Well you did! You left me behind! How did you think I’d feel?”

“…nothing?” Tubbo suggests.

“What?”

“You were using us.” Wilbur crosses his arms, staring at you. Ranboo hovers awkwardly behind him.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Your eyebrows furrow, and then it hits you.

The rumors. They believed the fucking rumors. Out of everything that’s happened, this might be worse than them leaving in the first place. The very people you thought knew you best. Turns out that was a lie just like everything else when it came to them these past few months.

“I would never—“ Your gaze shifts to Ranboo, easily the most awkward looking person here. “Ranboo, you’ve been where I am. You know damn well what it’s like to be friends with people who have more fans than you, and you know the hate that comes with that. But you also know that you never once used the people around you, because they’re your fucking friends.” You pause. “Why wouldn’t you believe that of me? I thought you guys fucking knew me.”

“Hey!” Tommy exclaims. “We do know you! It’s just…” He glances at Wilbur for help with the statement.

“Just that sometimes you do what you think you need to protect yourself.” Wilbur finishes.

“You could’ve talked to me.” You say quietly, voice breaking. “It could’ve been fixed if any of you just talked to me.”

This was your catharsis. These thoughts have been swirling in your head for so long, too long. As you glance around at the four people you used to find comfort in, each in vary degrees of awkward-ashamed, your heart breaks.

You move to pay, but Wilbur beats you to it.

“I’m having fun with Genloss.” Ranboo announces suddenly and loudly.

Everyone’s heads snap to him, and he shifts slightly but doesn’t back down. He just nods, confirming what was just said.

“I’m filming a documentary.” Tubbo adds. “It’s long. But fun.”

Were they rubbing it in? Just how much they were fine without you? It didn’t seem like something they’d do. But then again, you couldn’t exactly claim to know them anymore.

“My live shows are fucking awesome. Weird as hell, but… awesome.” Tommy chimes in.

“What’ve you been up to? Other than playing packing games.” Wilbur grins, a joke. He watched when you played packing games?

“Nothing.” You admit. It feels like confessing that you’re hopeless without them.

“Are you guys going to move?” Someone asks from behind you.

You scramble to grab your bag, and the five of you exit the store before you can piss any other shoppers off.

“I think what we’re trying to say is we’re sorry.” Wilbur says once you’re all outside, huddled together under the small awning to avoid the rain.

“Yeah.” Tubbo nods emphatically.

“We just… didn’t know what to do when we heard the rumors. It’s not an excuse.”

“And it was really shitty of us.” Tommy adds.

“You guys knew me, you should’ve known I’d never use any of you.” Your words sound more like a beg than anything else. What are you begging for? Your friends back?

“Know.” Wilbur corrects. “We know you.”

You meet his eyes for a second before swallowing and looking away.

“Oh. Hey, don’t cry.” Ranboo rushes to say, patting your shoulder.

Christ. The action forces a laugh out of you, even as your eyes burn.

“Wilbur! You made her cry!” Tommy exclaims, turning to him.

“I didn’t mean to!”

“I know what will make her feel better.” He declares, before shoving Wilbur out into the rain.

“Tommy! That’s not how you deal with things!” Tubbo scolds.

“Your turn then!”

You laugh, even as Tommy turns to you with an evil grin. You manage to drag Ranboo out into the rain with you, immediately getting soaked to your very bones. It’s a warm rain though, a welcome rain.

For the first time in a long time, you’re genuinely having fun.

“Tommy!” Wilbur yells, reaching out for the blond boy.

“I’ve got the camera, Wil! Can’t get wet!”

Chaos squad. This was chaos, and this was the five of you. You were back home.

[sc0tters]

In The End | Mat Barzal

summary: ultimately in the end fate realised that you were simply better suited for the man in New York. At least this one had your heart.

request: yes/no

warnings: swearing, mentions of cheating.

word count: 1.59k

authors note: you guys probably haven’t been waiting for this one but the final part of this series is now here! Honestly it started off as a fun take on a request but I’m so glad that it bloomed into something more. We might not love Tito in this series, but he deserved the sorta ending he got.

part one | part two

What the fuck is going on y/n?

That was the last thing you had heard from Mat before he walked out of your apartment.

Two months had gone by and you had convinced yourself that this was for the best. Without Mat, it meant you had the time to truly focus on your relationship with Tito.

And that was going really well, Anthony and you spent three weeks in France where you found a ring in his suitcase.

Whilst no proposal came you were relieved to not have to turn him down. Time and time again you found your mind slipping back to Mat and you grew to hate yourself for it. How one night could make you so unhappy as you longed for the boy who wanted nothing to do with you.

But what you didn’t know was that Mat was longing for your message, your phone call, anything that showed him that you were done with Anthony. Yet as the posts came along highlighting the best moments from your trip he lost faith.

With weeks until the season was meant to start up again you thought that this was a battle that you were going to win “babe can you go get that?” Anthony called from the kitchen hearing his phone ring in the bedroom.

You thought nothing of it truly, so you stopped doing your makeup and went to his side of the bed to grab his phone “what the fuck?” You asked seeing Jenny🥰 appear as a FaceTime call.

Stupidly you answered with not a thought in your mind as you had more questions than answers “oh my god!” She shrieked seeing you appear on the screen instead of Anthony.

The girl was in nothing but some lingerie as she was forced to quickly find a robe to cover herself up. Anthony came back into your bedroom as you hadn’t responded to his messages of concern “baby?” His voice was nervous as he was met with the sight of your back.

You hadn’t realised that you were crying when you turned around to face him “h-how l-l-long?” You croaked out as you turned the phone around so that he could see what you had seeing.

His face dropped at the sight “I can explain-” Anthony reached out for you but you pulled away “answer my question?” The hockey player sighed as he watched her hang up the call.

If there was a moment that he knew that he was going to get caught then it would have been this one “we started in February.” Anthony confessed as he sat on the bed “and your ring?” Your lip quivered as his eyes widened.

Anthony let his head fall to his hands “for her.” In that very moment your sadness turned to anger “look I’m sorry-” the hockey player went to apologise but you cut him off “go find her.” You blurted out making his eyes go wide.

Your fingers ran through your hair “if you don’t love me anymore go be happy with her.” The logical part of your brain was only thinking about Mat.

The hockey player looked up at you “you’ve got someone too don’t you?” It was the fact that the spark that Anthony once lit in your eyes came up when you told him to go find her.

All you could do was nod as the boy got up to hug you “go get him.” Anthony smiled as you wrapped your arms around him giving him a squeeze “good luck.” Was the last thing you said to him before you left the apartment.

New York seemed to be on your side as the weather was warm but the cool breeze helped you as you ran through the city “pick up please!” You groaned as it went to voice note again.

Hey it’s Mat, I can’t come to the phone right now leave a message!

You grumbled something under your breath as you hung up feeling defeat slap you in the face as you sat on the sidewalk as your feet grew sore after you were met with nobody at Mat’s door.

It looked like you were an emotional girl who had just been dumped or something as your hands buried your face hiding it from the world.

You wanted to cry as cars whizzed past you “girl come with us!” Some random girls smiled at you as one of them held their hand out for you to grab.

They looked like they couldn’t have been any older than you so with their friendly faces you nodded getting up to face them “where are you going?” You asked wiping your eyes as you realised that your cheeks were wet “Still Partners over there!” The girl who helped you up explained as you could hear the sound of music coming from the bar.

So you followed them curious to know what caused the big crowd of people at the bar.

The soft sounds of a guitar played over the hum of the crowd “they’re really good.” You mumbled surprised when you were met with nods of agreement.

Your real shock of the night was when you finally got to see them, most of the members of the band were people you hadn’t met before. But of course there stood Mat, guitar in his hands and a look that was once nervous but then turned happy as he saw you.

Mat had this grin on his face as his eyes never left you “hi,” you mouthed sending him a salute as the boy responded with a nod trying to focus on what he was playing as your presence got rid of most of his nerves.

The hockey player practically jumped off the stage when their performance was done as he made a beeline for you as you stood by the bar “you did so good!” You smiled ordering him a beer to congratulate him.

Mat couldn’t believe that you were stood there in front of him “why are you here?” The Canadian wrapped his arms around your waist pulling you into a hug “I came looking for you.” Now that wasn’t exactly the reason why you were in the bar but as the girls you hung out with waved goodbye you couldn’t help but smile “f’me?” Mat repeated as though you spoke a foreign language.

You looked up at him as you nodded “Anthony and I broke up.” You awkwardly explained as your ego tried to hold onto the fact that he let a smirk form on his lips for a quick second before he let you two sit down.

In that very moment the boy let his hand run up your knee as he looked at you like you two were the only people in the packed out bar “how do you feel about it?” Mat didn’t know if you were there for some kind of comfort or instead for what he hoped you would eventually say, that you would be there for him.

Whilst a million answers seemed to come to your mind you couldn’t help but shrug “relieved, a little embarrassed even-” you raked your fingers through your hair as Mat cut you off shaking his head.

He wrapped his fingers around the freshly poured pint glass that they bartender had placed in front of him “did he do something stupid?” The Canadians question made you feel dumb “he fell in love with a girl in Vancouver.” Was all you needed to say for Mat to bring his hand to his mouth.

Although he was surprised, he couldn’t say that he was fully shocked. Anthony hadn’t mentioned you in their weekly calls since February “which is sort of comforting cause then I don’t feel bad admitting that I love you.” You were very much so the kind of girl who kept your cards close to your chest but in that very moment you wanted Mat to know exactly where your head was at.

Mat slowly nodded as he took in the information “I tried to tell myself that if I ignored you and just worked on Tito then I’d be able to ignore you.” The ramble that came from your lips seemed to be like a weight that was lifted off of your shoulders “but the truth is that I grew to resent myself for pushing you away.” At this point you hadn’t realised that tears were rolling down your cheeks for the second time tonight until Mat leaned over and brought his hand to your cheek.

His calloused finger wiped away from your cheek as Mat frowned “you never pushed me away.” He cooed slotting his legs between yours as he got himself as close as he could to you.

The Canadian tilted your head up as he was now stood “fucking love you baby.” Mat’s confession had a grin on your face that probably gave the Cheshire Cat a run for his money.

You made the next move as you pushed yourself up on the chair letting you peck his lips “hey I tell you I love you and that’s how you respond?” Mat playfully scoffed letting his hands land on either side of your stool locking you in.

A giggle left your lips as you leaned forward again this time meeting his request as your arms wrapped around his neck pulling him down with you. Your tongue ran over his lower lip as you seemed to be in control of it until Mat pulled away “that’s more like it my shining star.”

[apomaro-mellow]

King and Prince 14

Part 13

Steve’s schedule kept him busy, which he was certainly glad for. He didn’t have a lot of time to think about his father, or the kingdom that wouldn’t miss him. Any thoughts of his uselessness or his failure at being a proper prince were pushed out when Dustin asked him a random question, or Lucas needed his help, or he had to go up against Max’s wit.

About every other night, he was visited by his feathered friend. It didn’t come bearing food. And in fact, didn’t really come in. Steve would just catch it sometimes, peering at him from the window for a moment before flying off. Almost like it was checking in on him.

Steve made Lucas stop in his attack and nudged his foot with the tip of his staff, widening his stance. Steve was making Lucas try out different weapons and fighting styles to see what truly fit him.

“I know swords are really popular. But there’s more than one way to defend yourself.”

He’d been watching his movements closely and paying attention to how he reacted to things. Honestly, Lucas seemed more suited to something long range. Perhaps archery. Steve had yet to see a range but any castle would employ some sort of archer garrison. 

Steve saw black wings soar briefly overhead, but of course he didn’t connect it to the ones that flapped by his window most nights. Why would he?

He was given the task of reshelving books in the library. An easy task since the sections were labeled for organization. At the tail end of this task, he noticed Dustin and El pouring over a book, seeming deep in their studies. Interest piqued, he approached them.

“What are you two getting into?”, he asked.

“Animal husbandry”, El answered.

“Eddie said if we’re responsible, we can get a pet”, Dustin said. “So we’re trying to decide what sort of animal to get.”

Steve looked over their shoulders to see what kind of creatures they were looking at. He didn’t know whether to expect a demogorgon or a cat. Either one seemed likely with these people. He honestly wasn’t prepared for the picture of an octopus. Steve was no stranger to the ocean. His kingdom had a shore that he had been too often and he was a talented swimmer. This place was landlocked though. 

“Where are you going to find and octopus?”, Steve asked.

“The ocean”, Dustin said like Steve was a child.

“You think it’s going to be that easy to transport it?”

“It’s funny you think that’s the issue”, Robin said, appearing from one of the shelves. “How are they gonna keep it here?”

“It’d be fine in a bathtub”, Steve reasoned.

The look on Robin’s face could only be described as exasperation as she blew out a breath and shook her head. But Steve was used to it at this point. The kids saw him as just a new fixture to their home, had just about accepted him completely. It was everyone else that continued to treat him for what he was, a prince who had wanted this kingdom’s downfall until just recently.

But sometimes…

Sometimes there were moments where he felt something changing between himself and them. Robin didn’t always look like she was the one babysitting him anymore. It was still obviously a chore to her, but not as bad as it had been at the beginning. She was even beginning to tolerate him.

A week before the festival, the kids were given new clothes, both for the celebration and to look nice for the performance. Steve couldn’t help but be a tad jealous of the colors and patterns. His own meager wardrobe was an assortment of brown, gray, and white. But he kept his feelings off his face, choosing instead to encourage them to appreciate the new outfits.

“Why can’t we just wear what we normally do?”, Dustin asked.

“Because it’s a special occasion”, Steve rolled his eyes. “Do you know how many people would kill to have a royal seamstress make them a custom outfit?”

“I think I’d kill to not have to wear this”, Mike said, holding up something orange.

“Big talk from someone who squealed at a spider the other day”, Eddie said, entering the room. 

Steve noted that the king’s clothing was usually dark, typically blacks and deep reds. Even as others were moving to brighter, more colorful looks for spring. He didn’t know why he expected different. He didn’t like admitting it, but the king’s appearance was striking in its own way. He always cut an impressive figure, despite being about the same height as Steve. It was a combination of the way he carried himself, his silhouette, and having pointed canines didn’t hurt either.

Among them all, Steve felt like a piece of the background which was…new. And he was sure if he liked it. He supposed it was better than wearing a sign that said he was the son of the Harringtons. He already got glares from people in the castle as it was anytime he was alone. Steve wasn’t fearful for his life. He was pretty confident in his ability to defend himself in a fight. It was a question of what would happen to him once he did. Would the king be so welcoming if he snapped the neck of a guard trying to end him?

—----------------------

Robin and Eddie stood and listened as the kids played the song they’d been practicing in the music room. A lilting piece that heralded the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Robin’s expression was pleased at the progress they’d made in such a short time. It wasn’t perfect, but most of them hadn’t ever picked up an instrument seriously before. Eddie was clapping his hands so loud, it sounded like the pop of a firework with the acoustics of the room. Steve was leaning against the wall, prepared to help put things away once they were done.

“You guys were incredible!”, Eddie praised.

And hearing it from someone they admired so much had even the more prickly of them blushing bashfully. Steve still remembered Dustin grumbling for the first couple of practices and Mike complaining when he’d been moved from lute to flute. But Robin knew what she had been doing. Steve was impressed, truly. 

“That’s why we practice”, Robin smiled.

“And it’s still days before the show”, Eddie said. “For now though, I think you all deserve a reward. So let’s head on down to the kitchen for some tarts.”

The kids all rushed out at that, Robin and Eddie following behind to make sure they didn’t bulldoze anyone over on the way. Only Steve stayed behind, getting started on putting their instruments away. He paused when he passed the clavichord. An instrument no one had picked and wasn’t included in the current arrangement. Steve felt a wave of nostalgia for his own music teacher. She was always so patient and doled out praise whenever he did well.

He let his fingers brush against the keys. He looked to the door, closed, and it sounded like the group was no longer nearby. So Steve sat down and tried out a little melody. It felt like so long since he had played and he couldn’t even blame it on his imprisonment. His parents had never been impressed with music, even when his instructor told them how good he was. He would play from time to time, just never in front of anyone.

“You shouldn’t mess with Robin’s things.”

“Agh! Fuck!”, Steve jolted in the air when the king’s voice sounded from right next to him. “Must you move in shadows?”

Eddie smirked. “It is the best way to travel, but this time I just used the door. I didn’t know you played.” He put a hand against the frame, steading himself as he leaned over, hair falling over his shoulders. 

Steve looked away from him, not understanding why the gaze felt so intense. “I don’t…much.”

“What other hidden talents are you hiding?”

At that, Steve raised a brow, wondering what he was getting at. Did the king still think he was harboring something? Was he of the same mind as Nancy? Steve had nothing up his sleeve and nothing to hide, so he answered.

“I can also play the hurdy gurdy, but that’s not as popular as this.”

And then the king laughed.

At something Steve had said.

“Come on, I promised a sweet for all those who put in good work. That includes you, little prince.”

The king offered his hand to help Steve to his feet. Steve stared for a moment before taking it.

Part 15

Tag team

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[am-i-the-asshole-official]

I am I the asshole for telling someone what they were doing was "mean spirited and cruel"?

(submitted this a while back but was never posted - don't know if tumblr ate it or if it broke a rule, but i'm sorry if its the latter)

My complex has a facebook page where residents can post questions or concerns to other residents. One day a woman posted asking if we could move the food bowls where people feed the feral cat colony that lives near us because when she walks her dogs they always lunge at the cats; she had just had surgery and it hurt when they pulled on the leash. Someone responded saying they had moved the bowls down and that seemed like that.

Two days later she posted again saying that our "kind and caring neighbor" (her) had called someone to come pick up the cats. From another comment on the post it seemed like she had talked to someone IRL who was rude and basically told her "I've been feeding the cats for 10 years fuck off" and then called animal control immediately after that.

This felt really petty to me, and I posted saying that calling animal control on the cats was "mean spirited and cruel". I explained that almost all feral cats taken in are put down, and that she was making a decision about the community's cats without consulting the community. I added that I was sorry she had been hurting since her surgery, but that there were other steps she should have taken before this.

She responded that I needed to have more compassion for her as she herself was very compassionate and caring person. To which I responded that she should then extend that compassion to these cats that had never hurt anyone. (Seriously, they just chill around our complex and eat rats – they’ve never scratched or bit any person or animal)

She responded that they hurt her “fur babies” everyday because they make her dogs pull at their leashes and choke themselves. She then went on a rant about how she didn’t understand why people weren’t respecting her anger and that since she lived here she had a right to want the cats gone. She also mentioned that calling her “mean spirited and cruel” had racial connotations and that I wouldn’t call a white person that.

Important context, I am a white woman – up until this point I had not realized that she was a black woman as this argument was in a facebook group and the pictures were small. But it is very possible this is something I saw and internalized without consciously recognizing it.

I was really thrown by this, and just replied yes, I would and that I’m sorry it hurt to hear, but that is what her actions were. (Which, yeah, nobody ever not in the racist category uses the ‘I’d say that to anyone!’ excuse, but I truly didn’t know what to say). She continued to respond to my comment saying how I was a pitiful person if I’d really call anyone that, and that I hadn’t addressed any of her other points.

More people where commenting at the same time on this post, and while she responded to all of them my “mean spirited and cruel” comment apparently really got her because she kept bringing it up in arguments with other people. She really felt that people were being unjustifiably angry and mean to her for something she thought she had a right to do.

It also came out that she had apparently posted complaining about the cats the day before but it had gotten so out of hand the post was deleted before I could see it. She had also gotten into several arguments IRL with people feeding the cats. This explains why she felt so ganged up on I suppose – though none of this I knew before replying.

The next day she specifically made a new post calling out racists in our community and tagged me and few other people (even other POC) who had disagreed with her about the cats. I didn’t respond, but fairly quickly that and the post from before were deleted.

I’ve been really trying to think about if my internalized racism did unknowingly influence my actions, but I honestly keep coming back to the fact that I think I would have said the same to anyone who tried to get a cat colony killed because her dogs try to attack them.

Also for those curious – the cat colony is still here! It turns out removing a cat colony from their home is actually considered animal cruelty and is illegal in this state

What are these acronyms?

[presidenthades]

At long last: behind-the-scenes commentary for Lavender’s Blue Chapter 1.

Usual disclaimer that these thoughts aren’t necessarily canonical to the fic verse until/unless I write them into the actual story.

Lavender is a recursive fanfic for my own AU fanfic, so I truly, honestly didn’t think it would be as popular as it is. Two years ago, I would’ve said that an Aemond fic (like Compromise) would’ve been way more popular than any Aegon fic, but life is full of surprises. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Chapter titles are quotes from Westerosi wedding ceremonies performed under the Faith of the Seven (both book and show verse).

The fic was originally supposed to be a short threeshot. As you can see, it’s a full-ass story at 8 chapters and 80k words. 🤡 When I wrote the first chapter, I wasn’t planning on the moon tea scheme, Dorne arc, or prophecy-mad Vizzy T storyline. The fic was just supposed to be Jace and Aegon figuring out an arranged marriage when they don’t know each other. But then I started writing Chapter 2 and I decided I needed plot. 😂

We start the fic with Aegon in his pre-Jace state: a medieval frat bro who just wants to chug beer and sleep around. At first sight, he embodies the “useless heir who’ll probably run his inheritance into the ground” trope. But I try to make it evident fairly quickly that Aegon has a profound depth of emotions, and he shouldn’t be written off just yet.

Back when the fic was supposed to be a threeshot all in Aegon’s POV, Myranda had a different role. Aegon would be teased for falling in love with Jace, and he would try to prove them wrong by going back to Myranda at the brothel. But at the last minute he realizes he can’t go through with it, Myranda gets catty about Jace, he says something like “yeah you’re pretty but not as pretty as my wife,” and Myranda throws him out. The final draft turned out very different, but this alternate story would’ve been kinda funny.

When I imagine pregnant Rhaenyra and pregnant Alicent having a huge fight, I also imagine fetus!Jace and fetus!Aemond being very confused about all the clamor they can hear in the womb.

Aegon acts like he hates the idea of the betrothal, but he definitely keeps that portrait of Jace in his room and looks at it every so often. Now I’m thinking of another AU where Aegon goes to Driftmark to see if Jace is as pretty as everyone says, and maximum chaos ensues because he decides marriage isn’t so bad actually, so they should just marry ASAP.

The Velargirls get the title “princess” solely because Viserys is desperately trying to win back Rhaenyra’s favor. (It doesn’t work, of course.)

Alicent is projecting a lot onto Jace, which is one of the reasons she tries so hard to be nice to Jace. Young Alicent in S1 felt very isolated in her early days as queen, so now she frets that Jace will feel the same. This universe’s Alicent never had her green dress moment, and she doesn’t defy Viserys like she does in S1E6. Here, she tries to exert her influence over Aegon to ensure that at least one other girl (Jace) might be spared some kindness from her husband. This conversation, plus Aegon’s core memory of the aftermath of Alicent’s marital rape, have a big impact on the way he treats Jace.

Otto is keenly aware of the Velaryons’ many dragons, ships, and wealth. In this universe, he prioritizes making the Velaryons happy, because he really doesn’t want the dragons on Driftmark turning against the Crown.

If Jace weren’t betrothed to Aegon from the moment she was born, she would’ve been raised as the heir to Driftmark rather than as a future queen. She can’t be both because, like I mentioned in Compromise, Corlys wants the ruler of Driftmark to always make their seat a priority. Yet another interesting AU idea: Jace is raised as heir to Driftmark, but she can’t keep her status as heir if she marries Aegon. 🤔

In F&B, Viserys is the one who betroths Aegon and Helaena so they can’t marry other houses and gather support against Rhaenyra. Viserys almost does that in this AU before Otto talks him out of it.

Helaena’s quip about Aegon smiling is because she knows he’s about to smile so hard that his face hurts. ☀️

The Green kids get a more functional relationship with their mother in this universe. Alicent isn’t worried about securing Aegon as heir or protecting them from Rhaenyra/Daemon. As a result, she’s much more present in her kids’ lives.

Baela and Rhaena have been absorbed into the Velaryon clan because Daemon ditched them. 💀 He originally planned to take them back to Penrose (like he mentions in S1E7), but he saw how much they were thriving with their extended family. So he allowed the twins to stay on Driftmark—but he left because he didn’t see a place for himself in the Seven Kingdoms anymore. 😔

There is NO WAY Jace is making her debut at court in riding leathers, with messy hair and the stench of dragon. Just picture her and the other girls in the wheelhouse on the way to the Red Keep, frantically changing clothes and brushing hair and spraying perfume. 😂

Aegon: “everyone lies at court.” Aegon 5 seconds later: “nice to see you again, Rhaenyra!”

It would be fun to see 12yo Aemond’s adventure sneaking out of the castle, hitchhiking to Crackclaw Point, and claiming Vhagar. Damn, I need to stop giving myself ideas.

Aegon and Daemon have similar reactions to Joff’s name. Truly, they would get along so well in another life.

Aemond fell into horny at first sight. 😌 Also I love his and Aegon’s brotherly telepathy.

Jace isn’t a military person, but she knows how to go on a strategic offensive. Her goal is to make Aegon like her, so she starts off on the right foot by dressing in Sunfyre’s colors.

Aegon was told to stop doing frivolous things, like draw and play the lute, because those aren’t useful talents for a king. 😞

“I don’t believe you’ve met.” Viserys actually cannot remember if Aegon has met Jace. 💀

Jace is honestly happy to meet Aegon. Alicent made sure he cleaned up well, so he’s looking very dapper.

Jace did her homework for the tourney. She memorized sigils, names, and family trees so she could make a good first impression on all the lords and ladies. Aegon could never. (Good thing he’s marrying her.)

Because Jace has heard rumors about Aegon’s profligacy, she tries to prevent him from drinking too much and potentially causing a scene. The questions she distracts him with are carefully chosen to a) be questions he can answer intelligently and b) help her get to know her husband a bit. She can multitask! And in the end, Aegon is so intrigued by his wife-to-be that he loses interest in drinking. Wins all around.

Aegon notices that he can never catch Jace alone. We learn from her POV this is intentional because she’s worried he might try to seduce her before the wedding ceremony.

Aegon and Aemond have sexual experience, but not romantic experience, so women are a mystery to them. 🙃 Daeron, meanwhile, is like “why don’t you just treat girls like people, they’re not a different species.”

Velargirls are sneakily interrogating Helaena for info about the Targbros. Helaena knows it, and she lets them do it. Her brothers will thank her for it one day.

Otto’s daily cup of prune juice is one of my favorite running jokes in this series.

The bit about Aegon’s “accessories” lying around his bed is a reference to the infamous screenshot in S1E8 of Aegon’s medieval sex toy collection. 😳

The handkerchief that Aegon notices in Jace’s room is the handkerchief she gives him later. It’s also the same handkerchief he waves as a white flag to Laenor and Rhaenys in Chapter 6. Luce knitted the shawl for Jace, of course.

Septa Lucinda is another of my favorite running jokes. Modern!Jace definitely secretly reads smutty romance novels.

Rhaenyra’s diagrams about sex were also mentioned in The Golds. 🤭

Jace wakes up early enough before Aegon that she has time to primp and dress herself to her usual level of being presentable. But she already feels comfortable enough around Aegon to leave off some of her public-facing layers. She even switches to her usual robe, the kind she wears for lounging alone in her room, rather than the skimpy one that’s designed to make Aegon like her.

Viserys intentionally sent the messenger late enough that Aegon would be late to the meeting. 🙄 Luckily for Aegon, his wife is an expert at making people look presentable in very little time.

Even though Larys isn’t able to worm his way into Alicent’s confidence in this AU, he still offs his father and brother. Larys has ambition, and he has better odds of sneakily climbing up the ladder if he’s the lord of Harrenhal rather than a spare.

Aegon is very ADHD-coded in this verse. He also just isn’t meant for administrative work.

Toward the end of this chapter, Aegon has the realization that he’s been using sex as a band-aid. He wants to feel accepted and wanted for himself. As Helaena says later, he wants to be seen. And he already feels like Jace can give him that. Them giving each other permission to call each other by their first name is another milestone in both of them shedding their masks.

Jace’s job in this universe is being Aegon’s wife (at first), and she performs her job like her life depends on it (which it kinda does…?). She already figured out that Aegon gets hangry. Or maybe hupset would be more accurate.

All the urban planning and governance topics that Jace studies isn’t part of a typical lady’s education. But she grew up super close to Rhaenys, who was given an heir’s education. And Corlys and Laenor definitely indulge the Velargirls in their interests.

Aegon does indeed fulfill his promise to build a more beautiful and comfortable throne for Jace next to his. 🥰

See Chapter 2 commentary here.

[ozzgin]

Today, something wild and unexpected unfolded, and I can't help but share it! Growing up, I have been inundated with words that cut deep: "You look unpleasant to be around." "You seem super scary; if I didn’t know you from school, I would never approach you." “You have a lovely personality, but when you walk by, you look like you’re ready to attack—could you smile?” It’s as if the world has constantly painted me with the brush of an intimidating image, completely at odds with who I truly am.

I recognize that my appearance might give off a certain vibe, yet it baffles me! When I see someone who might seem unapproachable, I often think it’s simply a choice of aesthetic—like goths, rockers, or punks who wear their fierceness proudly. But me? I’m just a girl in the simplest of outfits: a plain T-shirt and jeans. I don't believe I have a frightening visage; in fact, I perceive my face as quite pleasant. Yet, I’ve been labeled with the dreaded "resting bitch face." This misunderstanding makes forging friendships a steep uphill battle.

So here I was, just trying to navigate the mundane task of grocery shopping, but fate had other plans. For nearly an hour, I felt the unsettling presence of some random guy following me, and it was so perplexing! I sensed that he was going to linger since, honestly, I take my sweet time shopping.

As time dragged on, a thought crossed my mind—maybe he just has a preference for big girls, considering their rarity in my small town. But every time I mustered the courage to approach him, he would abruptly retreat. Frustration bubbled inside me until I exploded, shouting at the top of my lungs, “Are you a chubby chaser, bitch boy?” My words echoed through the aisles, drawing the startled gazes of everyone at the checkouts.

To my astonishment, he bolted from the store like he’d seen a ghost. Maybe that moment encapsulates why my circle remains so small—why relationships seem just out of reach. I just wanted to share this wild experience from my day with you, Ozz!

Hah, I have a feeling we would’ve gotten along really well in real life!

In my second year of high school, I ended up sitting next to a transfer student out of sheer coincidence. She was a bigger girl, knew how to box, smoked like a chimney and had a terrible temper; most of my classmates were afraid to approach her. I was the shy, studious class president.

One day - she later told me the silence had become unbearably awkward - she asked me if I liked Naruto. That was it. From that moment we’ve been best friends. Went on multiple trips together, hung out every weekend, moved in together for the first year of college. We went our separate ways since, but every time we meet it’s like we just left off the day before.

I'm sure one day that special someone (whether romantic or platonic) will just show up out of nowhere, under the most ridiculous, coincidental circumstances. Think of yourself as a mysterious, difficult to unlock game character. Is it because you're unpleasant? Nah, it just means that only the special few can achieve that kind of prize. 😎

[its-freaking-jordan]

Hii can you make hantengu x reader?

For sure! I’ll do him and his clones!

Hantengu x Gn Demon reader

Out on your mission you came across another Demon, he seemed scared and rather weak in your eyes, until you underestimate him. You both grew fond of eachother, you also meet his clones?

A Biwa string played and you were now at in Infinity Castle. It’s been decades since you were last here. You looked up to see Nakime sitting down, you liked her very much and she grew fond of you too. “Hey! Nakime! Why did you summon me here?! Did Lord Muzan request me to be here?!” You shouted from where you were, hoping she would answer you back. She turned her head ever so slightly, towards you. “Muzan-sama has indeed requested for you to be here…. Therefore..” The Biwa was played again and now your kneeling in front of Muzan himself. He told you, that you would be accompanying another Demon for a mission, you had your own plans. You tried to protest but he already left.

You made your way to the Village Muzan told you to meet the Demon at. You were quite excited to see which Demon you would be accompanying. Once you arrived at the Villege, you did see a demon. He looked tiny to you, you made you way over there, and tapped the demon’s shoulder which caused him to shriek. You were taken aback, you truly did not intend on scaring him. “Um..Hi. I was order to accompany a demon on this mission..Are you perhaps the demon Lord Muzan was talking about?” His hands were trembling when you said Muzan name, he nodded without saying a word, which caused you to smile. You looked at his eyes and saw “Upper rank 4” in them. You were exited because you didn’t go on a mission with another Uppermoon before, besides Akaza.

Hantengu head was cut clean off by demon slayers, it honestly surprised you from how easily an Uppermoon was decapitated. Which caused you to have doubts about him, questioning his strength. “Hantengu are you really about to die on me? Especially by low ranking slayers?” You shouted. You heard him shrieking when slowly turned into a groan. You felt 2 unfamiliar presence behind you. You stopped whatever you was doing with the slayer’s broken arm to just look at the 2 people. One had a emerald like eyes and the other had Ruby like eyes. You were going to speak but green eyes beat you to it. “I should’ve guessed this would happen, no surprises eh? Say, why don’t we just go off and have fun, that doesn’t sound bad at all right Sekido?” He cackled to himself looking at the angry demon besides him. The anger expressed demon just rolled his eyes. “We still have a mission to do, if you probably forgotten Karaku.” Karaku groaned as a response, getting up properly to stretch out for a second.

Karaku caught a glimpse of you, causing his smirk to grow more. He pointed over at you which caused Sekido to look at you as well with a brow raised. Karaku was the first to approach you and examine your features. You just stared at Karaku, then spoke up. “What the hell happened to Hantengu? Who even are you two?” Before Karaku can even answer Sekido beat him to it, approaching you both. “Did you not get our names when me and him were just talking not to long ago?” He just stared at you with an annoyed expression on his face from your stupidity. “Don’t ignore my question!! What happened to Hantengu!!” He just stared at you while Karaku was laughing “You talk to much. Why are you even accompanying the four of us here.” He sighed, pinching his nose. Karaku was the one to explain what happened to you and his two brothers Aizetsu and Urogi. You had a dumbfounded look on your face. You looked around but it was only Sekido and Karaku there. Before you got the chance to speak the door opened with two other demons there. One with blue eyes and the other with yellow/golden eyes and..wings? “We killed the slayers..But no luck on what we came here to find. Aizetsu opening the door revealing himself along with Urogi.

The mission was done, not really a success on finding the flower Muzan wanted badly. You groaned now walking with the four brothers to wherever they was going to let you stay at until night fall come again. “I must say..You are a cute one if I do say so myself.” Urogi said to break the silence. Karaku nodded in agreement “See? I’m not the only one who thought that!” Aizetsu looked at them both from the corner of his eye, just side eyeing them. Sekido sucked his teeth and kept looking forward. You felt your cheeks getting red, from the random compliment from the two. While those two were blabbering in the back, you caught up to Aizetsu and Sekido.

“Soo..You four are quadruplets or something?” You realized that they all stopped walking and, Ugori and Karaku even stopped talking. You turned around to face them all, only to see Sekido Ugori and Aiztesu giving you the “what the fuck” look on their faces meanwhile Karaku looks surprised then burst out laughing. “What the fuck? Is it not obvious enough.” Sekido is just shaking his head. You gotten your answer, in a way you didn’t imagine. “Say.. Y/N what rank are you exactly?” Aizetsu opened the door to their hideout, his question did catch the attention of the other three, what rank are you? You’re stronger than a lower moon, yet you’re not an upper moon. That caused Sekido to be skeptical of you now, just what the hell are you then.

“Yeah..How come you’re not even apart of the twelve kizuki..But then again Daki and her brother are still here along with Gyokko. So you must be something special then hmm?~” Sekido rolled his eyes and slapped Karaku for no reason, he was just annoying him. They all sat down together by you. You felt a little uneasy from this all but chose to keep it to yourself. Ugori was interested in you so he decided to ask questions on how you became a demon and your Blood Demon Art, which you gladly answered with no problem. Aizetsu was listening in also, he grew fond of you in such a short notice which wasn’t like him. You told them how you attended the Uppermoon meetings and, how you first saw Hantengu. You didn’t want to approach him because he was scared of almost anything in your eyes, that was 150 years ago. You never noticed him that much before but now you do because of this mission.

You noticed Sekido was glaring at you, examining you from where he’s sitting at, it sent chills down you spine. You tried to brush it off but it was like lasers are burning you. He ends up interrupting your conversation, which caught you by surprise.

“Just what the hell does Hantengu see in you…”

I kinda ran out of ideas but I’ll for sure post a part two when I get the chance! Thank you for requesting this btw! <3

[lumosandnoxwriting]

flashback to my mistakes || George Weasley

Title: flashback to my mistakes Pairing: George x Reader Summary: George never planned on proposing marriage. Not after he broke the heart of the only woman he ever saw himself marrying. But when he’s up for Captain and the only thing standing in his way is a less than stellar reputation, he’s willing to do anything to overcome that. So when Fred suggests a fake dating scheme like all the romance books his girlfriend reads, George immediately agrees. What better way to show people he’s a serious role model than a lifelong commitment? Too bad the only woman he could even stomach pretending to be engaged to hates his guts. Or does she?

A/N:And here it is! The first part of my new hockey!george series! Hope you enjoy!

-

“Weasley,” Coach Morris greets as George steps into his office. George nods in response, settling into one of the chairs facing Coach’s desk when the other man motions for him to sit. “Thanks for coming to see me on such short notice.”

“Of course, Coach,” George responds, keeping it brief. He’s trying to exude a casual, confident aura to hide the fact that he’s freaking the fuck out on the inside. Getting called into the Coach's office during the season is one thing, but having him schedule a last minute meeting a week before pre-season is utterly terrifying. The fact that his Agent and a representative from Legal aren’t in attendance is the only thing keeping George from a full on panic attack. 

As long as his spot on the team is safe George doesn’t care what Coach might have to say.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I called you in today, and as much as I want to see you sweat a bit I’ll leave the torture for the ice,” Morris teases with a laugh. George doesn’t think he’s heard Coach laugh in the five years he’s been with the Rebels, so he manages to squeak out a chuckle. “As you know, Crawford retired at the end of the last season and the team is in need of a new captain.”

George clenches his fists, feeling like his stomach might fall out of his ass. As the center to Crawford’s right wing, George had been devastated when they lost in the second round of playoffs and Tyler announced his retirement in the locker room after. Losing a teammate is always hard, but Tyler had become like a big brother to George and he didn’t even think about the fact that he wasn’t just losing a good friend, but a captain as well. 

Until now. 

“I haven’t really thought about it,” George says honestly when Coach doesn’t continue. “I was more worried about who was going to replace Tyler on my line.”

Coach laughs again, shocking George just as much as the first time. “Well at any rate, the team is in need of a solid Captain. We lost a few other vets to trades and we’ve got a slew of rookies coming in who will need someone dependable to look up to as a role model. And to be honest with you George, your name has come up more than once.”

“Oh, wow,” George stutters out. “Just being considered for a position like that is an honor, Coach.”

George is not the most senior player on the team, so the fact that his name has been brought up in these discussions is truly a shock. He’s spent the last six years in the league working his ass off to try and make a name for himself playing the sport he loves. His rookie year he was placed on the third line, and every spare second of his time has been spent trying to improve in the hopes of moving up. 

It’s why he’s still around, even in the off season. Even when the team is on break George is training. Whether it’s in the weight room or on the ice, George is always working hard to stay fit and on top of his game. And clearly it’s paid off, since he was promoted to second line during his second season, and half way through his third Coach bumped him up to first. The feeling of being the first person on the ice is like nothing he’s ever felt, and George has worked his ass off to keep that privilege. 

And just the thought of having that capital C on his jersey as well has George feeling higher than any drug ever could.

“Final decisions haven’t been made yet, but I wanted to pull you in to let you know you were being considered because, well,” Coach pauses, and George thinks he might throw up. “Some of the administration thinks you’re still a little too fresh. You know I don’t like to listen to the shit some of those magazines publish, but not everyone who makes these decisions is the same way. And what you do or who you do off the ice is none of our business, but that doesn’t mean that the admin team likes hearing about the wild parties you go to and the girls you take home. Like I said they’re really looking for someone dependable and who can be a good role model to the younger guys on the team. We got so close to the Cup last year, and this year we’ve got the talent to get there, we just need the leadership to guide us.”

George nods in understanding. “Of course, Coach. I appreciate the heads up and the ability to show you and the rest of the admins that there’s no other man for the job but me. All that shit is in my past, I promise.”

“Good.” Coach starts to ruffle through the paperwork in front of him, and George takes that as a goodbye.

He shuffles out of the office and heads back down towards the parking lot, already trying to formulate a plan. 

Now that him being Captain is on the table, there’s no way he’s stopping until that capital C is his.

-

“So let me get this straight,” Fred starts, his familiar voice tinged with the tinny sound of a FaceTime call. “Coach said you’re on the short list for Captain, but some of the higher ups don’t think you’re a stable enough role model.”

George nods, taking a sip of his beer. “Precisely.”

“So now you’re trying to think up some kind of plan or scheme to convince everyone that your fuck boy days are in the past and you’re ready to be the team Daddy?”

“Yup, you got it.”

Even through the grainy call George can see the mischievous glint in his twin’s eyes. “Then you’ve come to the right place, little bro.”

George grins, but he knows it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. The only downside of his job and his dedication to it is that it keeps him from seeing his family regularly. When your job keeps you busy for eight months of the year and you spend the other four months training for that job there isn’t much time to fly across the country for a visit. His parents and siblings still live in the small town in Washington where they grew up, and not having them close by makes the big city feel even bigger. 

Under normal circumstances, Fred would be here on the couch with George. And they’d be sipping beers and scheming together. But a FaceTime call will have to suffice.

“So the partying has to stop, obviously,” Fred starts. “Or at least how publicly you do it. Same with the puck bunnies and trust me, I know, it wounds me to even say it. If I could get pussy that easily I would be fucking drowning in it, but if you want to project a new, focused and reliable persona you can’t be banging a new chick every night.”

“I came up with that on my own, genius,” George huffs. “But I don’t think that’s enough to really get through to everyone that I’m ready to be Captain.”

“And are you?” Fred asks. “Ready to be captain, that is.”

“Of course.” George is firm in his answer. “I know I can do it, and I’m just going along with some stupid scheme to show everyone else I can do it too.”

“Alright, bro, as long as you’re sure.” Fred pauses as they both think. An idea must hit him, because suddenly Fred’s eyes are lighting up. “Fake dating!”

George raises an eyebrow in question. “I’m sorry, what the hell did you just say?”

“Fake dating, it’s a book trope or whatever. Angelina is always talking my ear off about the newest book she’s reading, and it’s a pretty popular story line. You know, someone wants to make their ex jealous, or they need a fiance to get their inheritance. Bam, fake relationship.”

“Huh. That’s actually not the worst idea you’ve ever had,” George responds, his surprise evident in his tone. “A fake fiance would be the perfect cover. Shows my partying is behind me, and I’m ready to be serious and settle down. And then once I’m Captain and things have blown over, we’ll have an amicable break up and everything will be right with the world again.”

“And that little brother is how the master works,” Fred grins. “Now you just gotta find a girl. Maybe one of our past hookups.”

George frowns, shaking his head. “No, it’s gotta be someone I feel comfortable around and who I know won’t go blabbering to everyone about what’s happening. It has to be someone I might actually consider spending the rest of my life with. Some random puck bunny is not that.”

They both sit in silence, sipping on their beers as they try and figure out who that girl might be. And when they both suddenly make contact, there isn’t a doubt in anyone’s mind that they truly are identical twins. Because George can tell by the look on his brother’s face that they’ve both come to the same conclusion. 

“Y/N,” Fred is the only one brave enough to utter her name. 

And as much George wants to admit that his brother is wrong, deep down he knows that he’s right. Y/N is the only girl George has ever loved, and leaving her behind is the only regret he has in life. Fuck, even all these years later, just thinking about her makes his chest ache. Swearing off commitment and marriage isn’t something George ever even considered until he broke things off with Y/N. He only ever wanted those things with her, and just the thought of even pretending to feel those things for someone else makes him sick to his stomach.

“When’s the last time you talked to her?” Fred asks when George doesn’t say anything. 

“The day I left. I’ve tried to reach out a few times, but,” George shrugs, taking another long drag from his beer. “She never picked up or responded.”

“She still lives in town. If you just show up she’ll probably be so shocked she’ll have no option but to hear you out.”

George nods, reluctantly agreeing with his brother. “Looks like I’m coming home.”

-

“Everything looks the same,” George rumiates wistfully, his eyes roaming over the buildings they pass as Fred drives. 

He hasn’t been back home in nearly a decade, and yet his hometown looks as if it was frozen in time. The ice cream parlor on main street still has the same faded red and white awning, and George swears the chalkboard out front boasts the same specials it did when he used to take Y/N there after school. 

The memory of Y/N reminds him both of why it’s been so long since he came back, and why he finally did. Every inch of this town is covered in memories of Y/N, and every reminder of her cuts George down to the bone. Deep down he knows that letting go of her all those years ago was the best decision for both of them, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. 

“Well here we are,” Fred announces, pulling George out of his thoughts. But once he realizes where exactly they are his stomach drops. 

Parklane Community Center, is still plastered on the front of the familiar building and George thinks he may actually throw up. This is where he learned to skate, where he joined his first PeeWee league and where he led his high school team to the state championship four years in a row. 

This is also the place where he first met Y/N, when they were both six year olds teetering on brand new ice skates. They’d held onto each other, rather than the orange traffic cones all the kids had been given, and that was the start of a beautiful friendship. Y/N never did anything with those lessons like George did, but she was sitting in the stands cheering him on at every single game he played on that ice. 

When they were in middle school George took Y/N to the community center for open skating on their first ever date. They’d held hands as they glided across the ice and every time she so much as stumbled George was there to catch her. After they got done on the ice they drank hot chocolate at one of the tables, their free hands still intertwined. 

Their first kiss happened here too, right before George tried out for the local travel team and he was practically vibrating with nerves. But as soon as Y/N’s lips touched his all those nerves melted away, and George became the youngest member of the team.

Every moment that lead to George playing in the NHL took place here at this rink, and Y/N was there for every single one of them. 

“Here? You’re sure?” George asks once he’s able to speak. 

Fred nods, giving his brother a sympathetic look. “Yeah, she teaches lessons on the weekend.”

Taking a deep inhale George closes his eyes, needing to take a second to center himself. Not only is he about to see the love of his life for the first time since he broke her heart, but he’s about to ask her for the biggest favor known to man. He can do this, he knows he can. He’s just not sure if he’s ready.

Once his eyes pop back open Fred claps him on the shoulder. “You got this, man.”

Giving his brother a nod in thanks, George braces himself, throwing the car door open and stepping out into the parking lot.  

Here goes nothing.

-

It takes George several minutes to actually make his way to the rink. 

Greg, the same janitor who was in charge of the facility when George was a boy, spotted him the second he came in the door, and pulled him over into a conversation. Which ended up being a good thing, because the morning lesson was just finishing up and while they were chatting a flood of parents with their kids came rushing out of the double doors that lead into the rink. So what started as an annoying inconvenience actually turned into a blessing in disguise, because George definitely did not want to see Y/N for the first time in front of her students and their parents.

With a promise to come back soon, George parts from Greg. He stands just outside the doors to the rink for a few seconds, just taking a few more deep breaths. He’s hit with a wave of nostalgia as he approaches the rink, and it almost brings him to his knees. 

There’s a long figure out on the ice, and George doesn’t need to look for long to know it’s Y/N. He’d recognize the outline of her body anywhere, and she’s just as beautiful as he remembers. She’s just gliding along the ice, not really doing anything fancy and George creeps closer to the boards. He’s drawn to Y/N, and he’s far too weak to resist the pull.

Suddenly Y/N turns on her skates, and George is face to face with the woman he loves. 

Y/N stops, a strangled gasp leaving her lips as she takes in the man standing less than ten feet away. Anyone else in her position would assume that it’s Fred just stopping by to be annoying. But Y/N spent years studying the slight differences between the twins, and there’s no doubt in her mind that George Weasley is standing there. At the rink. Looking right at her. 

Holy fucking shit. 

He looks older, more mature and even in the faint light she can see the slight crook in his nose after it got broken in a game last season. All the times she imagined this moment, never did Y/N actually think it would ever occur. She’s spent years wishing George would come home, but now that it’s here she’s not really sure how to feel. 

Especially considering the way things ended between them. It almost feels like some weird twist of fate, that George should show back up in her life here at the rink, considering it was this very spot where he left her all those years ago.

-

“There you are,” Y/N greets as she steps up to the boards, a wide smile on her face. She’d been trying to get in touch with George for the last few hours, and when he wasn’t at home she knew there was only one other place he’d be.

The rink.

When George just keeps skating Y/N yells out. “Hey! I’m talking to you, George!”

Ice sprays out as George comes to a sharp stop, giving up on whatever drill he’d been running. He doesn’t even bother to mutter an apology, but he does slowly make his way over to where Y/N is standing. 

“What’s up?”

She frowns at him. “What crawled up your ass and died?”

“Nothing, I’m just in the middle of something.”

“Oh, excuse me,” Y/N bites. She hates getting short with George, but it seems almost necessary lately with how moody he’s been. In all the years they’ve been together George has never been this distant, and it’s starting to worry her. After they managed to survive freshman year of college apart, Y/N figured the next three years would be a breeze. But now George is about to leave after Spring Break and she can’t help but feel like she’s about to lose him for good. 

Softening her tone, Y/N reaches out to grab George’s hand. “I can’t help you deal with whatever’s going on in that head of yours if you don’t talk to me about it, Georgie. You and I against the world, remember?”

“Do you remember that guy Jameson? The Agent who signed me at the end of the last season?” George asks instead of responding to Y/N’s concern. He’s been torturing himself for days on how to have this conversation with her, and even still he’s not ready. 

Though George isn’t sure he’d ever be ready to break up with the only woman he will ever love. 

“Yeah,” Y/N answers skeptically. 

“He called me, the other day. Said some teams have been interested. Chicago’s going to draft me next week.”

“George, that’s amazing!” Y/N cheers, jumping up and down in excitement. But when she goes to hug George and he steps away from her embrace, all that joy drains from her body. “George?”

“It’s still not a guarantee, they’re offering me a contract for after graduation,” George explains. “It’s provisional, if I let myself slip they can still withdraw, and then I’ll have to reenter the draft as a free agent after graduation.”

“Okay,” Y/N drawls, a sinking feeling in her stomach. She has a feeling that she knows where this is going, but part of her is still hanging on. 

“I need to focus on hockey, Y/N. This is my only opportunity to prove to myself and everyone else that I’m good enough. That I can compete on a professional level.” George exhales sharply. “I don’t have time for distractions.”

“Distractions?” Y/N squeaks out, her voice already thick with emotion. “That's all I am to you, George? After everything we’ve been through together? I’m just some stupid distraction.”

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” George apologizes, but he can’t even look her in the eyes. “But this means everything to me, you know that.”

“Of course I knew that,” Y/N says defeatedly, her voice breaking. “I just thought I meant more.”

George keeps his head down as Y/N leaves him behind, both of their broken hearts spread out on the floor.

-

“Hi,” George greets, breaking the silence. 

“Really?” Y/N asks, voice firm. “Eight years and all you can say is ‘hi’?”

Her tone stings, but George knows he deserves it. He spent so much time thinking about what it would be like to see her again that he didn’t even consider what he might say to her once he did. Just add it to the list of fuck ups he’s been accruing since he walked away from Y/N all those years ago. 

“I’ve never been good with words,” George explains with a shrug. “And unfortunately there isn’t a book out there called ‘what to say to your ex-girlfriend when you come to ask her for a favor eight years after you broke her heart.’”

That intrigues Y/N and she skates closer to George. “You finally came home after all these years to ask me a favor? What are you, dying?” When George doesn’t say anything Y/N feels her stomach sinking. “Holy fuck, George are you dying?”

George is ashamed at how good it feels to hear the genuine worry in her tone. Having her worry that he’s dying is the actual bare minimum, but he’ll take anything he can get. 

“No, nothing like that,” he assures with a grin. “Just hear me out, please?”

Despite the million reasons why even entertaining George is a bad idea, Y/N finds herself nodding in agreement. Because she’s felt a lot of things for George Weasley since he broke her heart, and unfortunately for her love seems to be the strongest. She never stopped loving him, and even after all the years she has a hard time denying him anything.

Once she’s off the ice George helps her put her skate guards on, a simple action that has her cheeks flushing and butterflies threatening to erupt from her tummy. Y/N also takes the hand that George offers, letting him lead her over to the bleachers. Once they sit Y/N keeps her distance, sitting far enough away that they aren’t touching but so she can still feel the heat radiating off of him. 

“There’s a strong possibility that I’ll be the next Captain of the Rebels,” George starts slowly, trying to find the right words. “Morrison, my Coach, said I have a lot of support. But some of the other higher ups don’t know if I’m the best role model for the team.”

“Okay,” Y/N says, her tone questioning. Clearly she’s not as devious as George and Fred, since she has no idea why George is telling her all of this.

“So I’ve been trying to clean up my image, you know? All the partying and stuff.” A knot has lodged itself in his throat, and George swallows thickly. “But I don’t know if that’s enough. Captain is a serious job, and I want everyone to know that I’m serious about it.”

“And that requires a favor from me, how?”

George sighs. “Well Fred and I were talking,” he stops, unable to keep from chuckling when Y/N mutters a quiet "this can’t be good.” “And he suggested this uh, fake dating scheme. He said Angelina reads a lot of rom coms that include it. Basically, Fred said that the best way for me to showcase that I’m a serious guy and a good role model is to uh, ask someone to be my fake fiance.”

Y/N is silent as she lets George’s words soak in, and once they do her jaw nearly drops. “Are you seriously sitting here right now asking for me to pretend to be your fiance? After everything we’ve been through?”

“There’s no other woman in the world I’d ever imagine wearing my ring, Y/N. When I think about marriage, even fake marriage, you’re the only woman that comes to mind.”

The honesty in George’s voice punches her in the gut. This is such a bad idea, and yet Y/N finds herself considering it. Because despite the pain and the years apart, sitting here with George still feels like home. All of her efforts to push him from her mind, to date other people and move on have always failed. Everything has always come back to George Weasley. 

Realistically she knows that this is just going to end in heartbreak again. As soon as George gets what he wants their little charade will be over, and she’ll go back to having a George shaped hole in her life and in her heart. But the smallest part of her, the part that has read those same rom coms and knows the fake dating always turns into real dating, holds out hope that this may be their second chance. 

Either this is the way she rids George from her system for good, or this is the way she keeps him in her life forever. 

And Y/N will never forgive herself if she doesn’t find out which it is. 

Taking a deep breath, Y/N gives George a curt nod. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

The smile that takes over George’s face takes her breath away. “Really? You will?”

“Yes, George. I will.”

Immediately George drops down to one knee and Y/N lets out a sharp gasp when he produces a small velvet jewelry box from his pocket. This is not how she ever imagined a proposal from George, but if this is all she’s ever going to get Y/N will take it. 

“In that case,” George starts, opening up the box to reveal a gorgeous, simple diamond ring on a white gold band. “Y/N, will you pretend to be my future wife?”

[lookingfts]

More of older Kate and younger Anthony. It's a tragedy we don't have more fics of that age gap. It's always older Anthony - which is great but I would like to see how it could work with older Kate. So many possibilities. I hope one day you wiil be brave enough to give that trope a try. Maybe you will inspire other writers to do so too.

Here's a little more!

--

“Hey, Kate.”

She really wished he wouldn’t use that fucking voice on her. The soft, rich one that made her knees go a little weak and blood rush to her face, as if he literally wasn’t just saying hello.

“Hi, Anthony,” she said evenly, taking a sip of her Moscato. “Good to see you.”

His warm eyes flicked over her body, subtly, but not fast enough for Kate not to notice. “You look beautiful tonight.”

Truthfully, she felt a bit awkward. She hadn’t worn this dress in at least eight years, on Tom’s arm at some work event. It was drapey silver fabric, with jeweled straps and a high slit in the back. Kate knew it still looked good, knew her figure hadn’t changed much in that time, but she felt a little like she had then. Like she was playacting to fit in among a bunch of people she had nothing in common with. “Thank you. You look nice as well.”

Nice was a hilarious understatement. He was wearing a white button-down, rolled up to his elbows, and navy trousers that made his arse look like a work of art. 

Well. He’d obviously worked hard for that arse; he did deserve to show it off, she supposed.

He smiled crookedly, resting his elbow against the table, and Kate took a breath. The last thing she needed was for Anthony Bridgerton to pay any actual attention to her. His glances from across the room were enough to fuck with her head. If he was going to linger around her and tell her how beautiful she looked, things were going to fall apart quickly.

“You didn’t look like you were having a great time,” Anthony said, some of the artificial charm leaking from his voice, replaced with genuine curiosity. “I thought you might like some company.”

Kate met his eyes. He was watching her intently, as if he had honestly been concerned about her, and-

Fuck, he was good. It was no wonder that women were burning their knickers for him left and right. He had multiple tricks up his sleeve - if they didn’t fall for the swagger, he swung to personal interest.

“I’m having a great time,” she said with a shrug. “Thank you, though.”

“Bullshit. You’ve been standing in this corner half the night.”

Kate’s jaw tightened. No way he had been watching her that closely. It was true, though - Violet had pleaded with her to come, but she had hostess duties and could hardly cling to Kate’s side all evening. “I think there are other people here who are actually seeking your attention.”

He frowned. “Who, the people from my father’s company? It may not surprise you to learn that they’re all dicks.”

That did not surprise her, but Kate scoffed anyway. “I was thinking more like your girlfriend over there.”

Anthony’s eyes shot to where she had gestured - the pretty young brunette who was wearing a skintight black leather dress and flashing a truly impressive fuck me gaze.

“Siena’s not my girlfriend,” he said, seeming annoyed at the insinuation. “She’s a friend of the family-.”

“But you’ve slept with her, right?” Kate interrupted. He looked a little taken aback, and even she couldn’t account for why she said it with such disdain. “I’m friends with your mum. Don’t bother trying to bullshit me.”

Eyes growing heated, Anthony took a step toward her, until they were eye to eye and all she could smell was his citrusy cologne and the bite of whiskey on his breath. “Why do you hate me?”

“I don’t hate you. I don’t even know you.”

“You know what my mum has told you about me. You’ve met me a few times now. Don’t bother trying to bullshit me, Kate. You’ve seen enough to decide not to give me a chance.”

Heat pricked at the back of her neck, something dangerous brewing in the static air between them. “Give you a chance to do what?”

“To get to know you,” Anthony murmured, his eyes dropping briefly to her lips before returning to her eyes. “To spend time with you.”

Kate couldn’t help it. She didn’t know what else to do but laugh, at the ridiculousness of the situation, at the unbearable tension that strung them together. “You’re twenty-five.”

“Does that matter?”

“Do you even know how old I am?”

“You’re thirty-seven,” he said easily, not sounding fazed in the slightest. “And you’re smart, and funny, and fucking gorgeous, and I…god, Kate. If you had any idea, the dreams I’ve had of you.”

A shiver worked up her spine at the way he was looking at her. The face of a man dying to act out his filthiest fantasies. And something in her ached to let him.

Kate swallowed. This had already gone too far. She should have cut it off the second he approached her. “You need to stop.”

“Because you want me to? Or because you have some arbitrary reason why you think we shouldn’t?” he challenged. Reaching out, Anthony slid his large hand over her forearm, goosebumps erupting over her skin. “Tell me you don’t feel anything. Tell me you don’t want a single thing from me, and I’ll walk away and never bother you again.”

It was so easy. To just push the words past her lips, I don’t want you. You’re not worth what I could lose. Give up on this foolish notion of us, before it bites us both in the arse. He needed to hear it, and Kate would only be giving him the out that he would seek himself, sooner or later.

Instead, she brushed his hand off her arm, shaking her head minutely. “Good night, Anthony.”

And as she slipped around him, Kate forced herself not to look back.

[family-tree-of-ships]

So, I’ve been thinking.

Buck has some seriously bad taste in girlfriends over the course of these glorious 6 seasons, before he decides to see if the other side can bring some light in. I mean, all of the women he has seriously dated had some strong likable qualities to them and they all wanted what’s best for Buck (I’m trying at my own share of optimism here). I think, from all of them, Abby was his most successful one (before it obviously crashed and burned and shattered his big wonderful heart). It had something none of the other ones had. Acceptance and honesty. Abby accepted his job, listened when Buck was caught up into his head about the stresses of the job. Buck accepted her problems with her mother and helped her through while she was alive and for a good time after she passed. Buck was honest with her, as she was with him. They had been through their fair share of trials and tribulations. Up until she left for Europe, I honestly liked them together.

Once they’re officially over, all the other relationships he has either miss one or the other.

Ali couldn’t get over the dangers Buck was open to while on the job.

Taylor fully accepted his job, even was honest and genuine with him at some point. Buck didn’t reciprocate either. He couldn’t get over her intense ambition for every new story she could use to her benefit (to which she obtained by breaching his trust, both when they first met and when they were well into their relationship). He wasn’t open with her, again, in many circumstances. Even cheated on her with Lucy, for whom he didn’t have any sort of feelings other than attraction. When you get drunk, the truth comes out. There’s no devil, just a complete lack of self-restraint. If Buck truly loved her, which we know he didn’t, since her answer to her confession was literally “Good.”, getting drunk should’ve confirmed his affections, not completely contradict them. Buck, seems like an affectionate and happy drunk, since that’s who he is. If he loved Taylor, we should’ve gotten a sequence in which he calls her and starts spitting dramatic declarations or even comes home to her because when you love someone, they’re your home. Your instinct is to go them, not kiss the next person you see. Then, he lies, once he gets to his apartment, after this ‘mistake’. And asks her to move in. Because he got nervous. He couldn’t be honest with her. When they found out, they brushed it off quickly, never to be mentioned again. As if they wore both scared. They break it off, eventually, after a story that should’ve remained private made the headlines. It was an important breach in trust, but it shouldn’t have been enough for Buck, considering how loyal he is (just look at how much he waited for Abby). But it didn’t need to be too much, since there wasn’t anything too significant or tethering between them to begin with.

Natalia was fascinated by his death, which was an instant message that this wasn’t going to last in any way, shape or form. Buck is also dishonest with her, about Lucy and his history with her, again. We can understand this, it shines a bad light on him if he confesses he has cheated before, but didn’t he say she sees him? Shouldn’t that bring out at least some kind of easiness into ending up saying the truth? Apparently not.

We can see why the majority dislike Buck’s choices in the women he dates long-term. Ali and Natalia never get fleshed out. Abby and Taylor do and you, as a watcher, can even sympathize with them, but they both end up really hurting Buck. So, what can you do? Settle for what the show gives you? Fandoms don’t do that, especially when they aren’t satisfied.

Okay, so who reaches those two requirements and is constantly present in Buck’s life, who is properly fleshed out? You guessed it.

Drumrolls, please.

Eddie.

Do we even have to talk about acceptance? Come on.

Eddie has been here since season 2. Through a near death experience, then another one, then a lawsuit and then another one (there’s a lot, enough to fill a whole card-based game). Buck has also had to suffer through two of those near-death meetings with Death that Eddie has had. They’ve fully had each other’s backs within the first 48 hours of meeting one another. Honesty between them is natural and that is expressed in a lot of scenes. To list a few, we have Eddie having panic attacks when he thinks of committing to Ana. He goes and talks about it with Buck and Bobby and then breaks it off with her. Secondly, when Eddie finds about the fates of his army friends and destroys his bedroom through a fit of rage brought on by helplessness and fear. A very vulnerable state to be in (let’s be honest, how many damn people have seen Eddie cry his eyes out?). Buck goes in, listens to him, gives him advice and we later see them both patching up his wrecked bedroom walls. Thirdly, we have Buck going to his house to get some reprieve from the constant worry his friends have for him, knowing that he won’t be pushed here, but comfortably accompanied. He falls asleep immediately (let’s ignore couch theory before I go bonkers). That’s both of them expressing vulnerability and raw honesty. More than they’ve done with any lover, no matter how fleshed out.

There’s clearly an answer here. We’re going to wait until they find it.

[wizardofsleep]

Second listen through of the Vengeance saga and here are my thoughts

Pre thoughts (only livestream): kinda underwhelming tbh! I did like NSFLY more than i thought I would and Dangerous was amazing as expected but the other songs didn’t match up to my expectations. I get the whole anime angle for 600 strike but it feels… too much? I think the individual character decisions made sense but it didn’t feel cohesive to the entire narrative.

Thoughts after a relisten: definitely feel better about the whole album, I think giving it a fair chance without the expectations I had made me like it more. NSFLY has absolutely gorgeous vocals and music. I see people saying this song justifies calypso (and that’s not ok because her behaviour was still wrong) and I really disagree? It’s just showing her POV and I think it’s still possible to empathise with her while also very much seeing how the things she did were unacceptable regardless. It’s a really nice song and Wangui’s vocals are *chef’s kiss*

Dangerous is probably my favourite song on the saga. No notes I love Hermes I love the vibes I love the subtle emotion behind everything.

Charybdis grew on me immensely, I didn’t like it as much on the first listen but it’s really nice actually and the tone shift at the end is probably my favourite part.

Get in the Water! I will say this song probably disappointed me the most on the first listen because I had high expectations but honestly? It’s a bop. I think the first part of it until “ruthlessness is/mercy upon/ourselves” is fucking incredible. It’s exactly the perfect amount of tension and terror that I wanted. The part after that feels like it could be a different song?? Like it feels like the tension breaks. It’s not even bad, I just feel like that part would have been better at the start of 600 strike than where it was. I like how the open arms reprise was ‘you can relax my friend’ but tbh I don’t understand why we had an open arms/Eury/mom reprise when a Penelope/Telemachus reprise fits better thematically. It still sounds really good though.

600 strike: probably the only song in the entire musical that I dislike. I’m someone who tends to focus more on story/lyrics than music, and while the music and vocals were probably my favourite in this saga, the story just fell flat for me. I’m not gonna talk about how it’s not an accurate adaptation, because I don’t think that matters (not to go too deep into that but tbh i don’t think it needs to be an exact recreation of the odyssey, like I think it’s fine that we deviate and epic is its own thing like that’s not my gripe with it). I know the popular fandom consensus is that it’s badass and this may be an unpopular opinion but I don’t… really want… to hear someone get tortured? It feels gratuitous. I feel like if the intention was to make the audience uncomfortable they definitely succeeded. I think 600 strike is a tragedy- it really is no longer him, as Poseidon said- he’s truly a monster now. Look at what he’s had to become. He’s truly lost a part of himself to get home and I think that’s sad. Last line was a great mic drop though lol.

It’s hard for me to totally encapsulate my feelings. Endings are always difficult in a story and while it missed the mark for me I don’t think that makes it a bad album. If I’m being honest, the music and vocals were really nice- but considering that the lyrics and story are more important to me, I hope you can see why it doesn’t hit as hard for me.

I think the album will grow on me so I’m excited to listen to it.

[night-ngale]

I'm Here to stay.

Chapter two.

Later that night Marinette met up with Chat noir to explain the ...situation.

Marinette or well should I say Lady red soundlessly landed on Eiffel tower right behind Chat noir.

“Chat noir.”

Chat jumped a foot in air, startled and turned to face her with his baton outstretched in his hand.

“I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to you pulling a Batman and appearing out of nowhere.” Chat lowered his baton, his ears flat against his head, but perked up when she giggled.

They were both high enough on the tower that the people down in the streets couldn’t see or hear the heroes.

The air between them was tense and awkward with both of them staring at each other not knowing what to say.

Dame rouge broke the silence by asking “So, I’m guessing you want an explanation for earlier.”

Chat noir nodded “Who is he? How do you know him?”

Marinette hesitated for a second, contemplating just how much she should tell him before sighing and ripping off the proverbial band aid.

“...He’s family.”

Chat gaped, a million questions running through his head and on the tip of his tongue but he swallowed them down and listened patiently.

Figured he’d understand complicated family relationships better than most, given his father’s Hawkmoth, not that he knew that yet.

She turned away from him and faced the cityscape. And she had to agree there, Paris truly did earn the title of City of lights.

“It’s been a while since we last saw each other.” She laughed bitterly, thinking of all those days she spent grieving, not knowing if he was alive or not after news of the coup reached her “I honestly didn’t even know if he was still alive with all the rumours surrounding his ...situation.”

Chat looked pained with her confession, but he held his tongue.

He scooted closer to her almost touching her but still far away enough for her to feel comfortable.

It was quiet again. But she felt the urge to break the silence. And she might as well get it off her chest. It was high time she had this conversation with Chat. She’d been putting it off for too long already and today seemed as perfect as any other day to do this. After all what was one more emotional and slightly straining revelation?

“You probably know this is not the first time I’ve done this whole shtick.” Chat startled when she spoke, not expecting his usually private partner to talk unless necessary, much less about something this private.

He scratched the back of his neck, a nervous tick she observed him doing even behind the mask “Yeah I kinda figured that you weren’t new to the whole ‘fighting freaks’ thing after I saw you wipe the floor with bubbler.”

That got her to smile, even if it was just a small uptick. But Chat seemed to count it as a win.

She sat down on the edge of the tower and he sat right beside her without prompting.

It was silent again. Chat was waiting patiently for her to continue or just stay with her for comfort.

She swallowed heavily before speaking again.

“You know, there are usually only two types of people in our line of work.” Chat turned to look at her questingly at the abrupt change of topic but she resolutely avoided his eyes, staring down at the city below them “People who don masks everyday are usually either Heroes or villains. And until a few years back I was in the wrong side of that war. ” She might have heard Chat gasp, but she wasn’t really processing anything right now. “I only really donned the earrings to try and wipe out some of the red on my ledger.”

She clenched her eyes shut. Even after all these years it’s still hard to think about that time, to accept who she used to be. It’s gotten better after she met Sabine. Tikki and the other kwamis helped tremendously too, but it was still hard.

She felt strong arms wrap around her. It was an incredibly long and taxing day and it had been so long since she last felt this warm and safe that she just couldn’t hold it in any longer.

That night Chat noir saw his partner breakdown for the first time. He just held her as she cried and let loose all her emotions for the first time in a very long time. Even Hawkmoth didn’t risk interrupt them, not when Chat noir cataclysmed every akuma that even dared to come near them.

 

Bonus*

Chat looks at the time on his baton and winced. She had to agree, school tomorrow was going to be absolute hell.

He turns back to her and bows dramatically “Well M’lady, this cat has got to scat.” His jovial tone could not conceal his worry for her. No amount of acting and modelling classes were going to help him hide his emotions from her.

She waved off his anxiety.

He glanced back at her one last time, concern etched on his face, before he leapt off the tower with his baton in hand.

“Oh wait I forgot! You’re father is Hawkmoth!”

Chat noir’s grip slips and he falls off his baton.

Marinette curses as she unravels her yoyo to catch her frozen partner who was currently falling to his death.

“Damn it! I could’ve used more tact.”

Tikki can’t help but agree through their mental bond.

 *******

Hawkmoth and Mayura were defeated last week.

It hit Adrien hard, but he’s doing better now.

Honestly it was wonder he wasn’t akumatised. His emotions were all over the place.

Thank Kwami Hawkmoth was too busy panicking during the ambush to even think about sending out an akuma for Chat Noir.

But it probably wouldn’t have worked out too well for him either, considering all of Adrien’s emotions were targeted on him.

The fight was short. A quick in and out job with Gabriel venomed, Nathalie knocked out and the butterfly and peacock Miraculous safely tucked in her yoyo all in a matter of few minutes.

It was honestly a little disappointing. Hawkmoth spent so much time in his lair that his fighting skills were atrocious and Nathalie was little help in the battle, what with all her coughing.

They were neutralized so quickly, it was almost embarrassing.

Oh who was she kidding, it was totally embarrassing. For them.

Adrien had broken down when he saw his mother’s body hooked up to life support. She was still alive, if barely.

He broke down again when she told him that Emily Agreste could be saved.

He hugged her tightly, not letting her go even as their timers beeped down and she didn’t have the heart to push him off. So, that led to another awkward conversation where Adrien stared incredulously at his sweet and bubbly classmate who was supposedly an assassin and freaking Ladybug (Ugh she hated that name but the public were adamant to call her that.)

After a few more minutes of awkward staring(on her side) and incredulous(on Adrien’s) he finally nodded his head, apparently coming to a resolution.

“You know this actually explains a lot but also holy shit!”

The tension drained out of her frame and she started giggling, which soon turned into full blown laughter. Never change Chat.

But that was all in the past. Right now Marinette had more pressing issues than to think about some idiot who was in prison.

The media ban and the protective wards around Paris were lifted yesterday.

So now the entire world was in the know about the shitstorm that was Paris this past year. And that included the Justice League, who were all shamelessly persistent on meeting with her and could not take a hint despite the various times she had had to kick them all out of Paris.

She had finally agreed to meetup with them today (I mean there’s only so many times you can portal someone to the middle of the Pacific before giving up.)

But she was weary. Not only about the meeting but also about leaving Paris.

She had managed to dodge the League and their never-ending armies of assassins who were prowling the streets and even somehow in her school. (They were literally everywhere, like damn cockroaches. Everywhere you look you find them and no matter how many you squash, more come to replace them.)

She was leaving Chat alone with a few of the temporary heroes to hold down the fort while she was away.

She trusted them enough to leave Paris in their hands for a few hours, she really did! It was the League that she didn’t trust not to start shit while she was away.

So here she was, standing in front of her assembled heroes on some random Parisian rooftop giving them lecture after lecture on how to keep Paris intact for a few hours and to please call her if shit hit the fan and don’t try to tough it out yourself.

She transformed with Kaalki and turned back to wave one last time.

“Love you guys, be back by 7 and please please don’t let Paris burn down while I’m away.”

“Oh just go already.”

“We’ve got this.”

“Don’t worry so much, I mean what’s the worst that could happen?”

So with the questionable confidence given by her team, she opened a portal to the coordinates Wonder Woman had given her and stepped through hoping this wouldn’t come back to bite her in the butt.

She found herself in the Watchtower and honestly if it wasn’t for her assassin training she would have gaped like an idiot. But she’s not an idiot nor is an incompetent assassin, ex-assassin? So instead she walked up to the founding members of the Justice League looking the epitome of cool professionalism while she died on the inside. (Oh my god these assholes have a base in space!)

So this is what Damian meant when he said there was a surprise for her in the Watchtower. That cheeky little bastard.

Wonder Woman took the lead by kneeling down to one knee and bowing her head down deeply. “Chosen of creation, it is an honour to be in your presence sister.”

She bowed back in respect. “Princess Diana of Themyscira, it is an honour to meet you too.”

The rest of the Justice League did not seem to know what to make of this interaction.

Of the remaining of the trinity, Superman looked awkwardly between them, while Batman stared at her with an unnerving intensity that almost made her break out into a cold sweat. She was not going to get revealed now, and certainly not like this. Damian would never let her live it down.

Putting on her best poker face, she straightened up a cleared her throat, making almost everyone in the room jump. “Shall we start?”

Great. Now it was time to bullshit a room full of Heroes and detectives and make them think she was disclosing actually relevant and confidential information while in fact giving them nothing.

This was going to be fantastic.

 

*******

The meeting was going fine actually. So far they had discussed the charges against Gabriel and Nathalie, the impacts and repercussions of Hawkmoth’s reign and the effect on the citizens including the rehabilitation efforts taken. All common knowledge in Paris. Not that they seemed to know that.

She had artfully dodged every question asking about the Miraculous and where she and the other heroes had gotten theirs and how Hawkmoth had got his slimy hands on not one but two.

Everything was going better than expected, good even. All except for Batman. He did not stop staring at her through out the meeting and asked weird and completely unrelated questions. Even some of the other heroes had started giving him looks. She would have snapped at him much sooner if it wasn’t for Robin, who was seated right behind him making discreet cutting motions with his hand every time she turned to tear Batman a new one.

But honestly enough was enough. This was the twenty-fifth time (yes she counted) she could feel Batman’s unnerving and slightly creepy gaze zero in on her. And formalities be damned, father or not this overgrown furry was onto her and she was not letting it go. He was going down and 6 feet under. Damian would get over it.

She stopped mid sentence and turned to Batman with the sweetest and fakest smile she could muster. “Is there a problem monsieur Batman?”

Her voice was sweet as poison and her smile turned sharp. Batman narrowed his eyes, aware of the game she was playing and refusing to take part in it.

Well it seems he needed a bit more of a push.

“Do you have anything you want to say? I can feel you staring at me.”

Batman narrowed his eyes at her further till they were only white slits, but she just glared right back at him full force.

Meanwhile his brood all had varying responses.

Nightwing looked concerned. RedHood (ugh he has got to ditch that atrocious helmet.) seemed to enjoy the turn of events and looked invested in the drama. Red Robin, who looked forty with that hideous cowl took on discreet defensive stance and Robin looked two twitches away from face palming and sent her ‘what the hell are you doing?’ look.

Well what was she doing? She was getting herself a new punching bag. She needed someone to take out her frustrations on now that Hawkmoth and his minion were no longer viable options, so who better a target than the man who is supposedly your biological father and a right asshole towards your twin. That overgrown furry deserves everything he’s going to get.

And the only person who could maybe intervene and sell her out was not there. Lucky for her that BlackBat was in Shanghai along with Spoiler on a much needed vacation.

The rest of the Justice League looked between the two of them like they were at a tennis match with varying expressions of awe, fear and incredulity.

Marinette ignored all of them. Her glare was set solely on Batman.

A few minutes passed in a standstill and Batman grunted knowing it was his move. He tensed his muscles and visibly grit his teeth

“You’re an assassin.”

Well that was unexpected. She thought he’d say something more along the lines of ‘Who are your parents?’ 'Are you adopted?’ or maybe even ‘You are my daughter.’ Not whatever this is.

She blinked once but showed no other outward expression of shock.

Unfortunately the same could not be said for the rest of the Justice League. The Bats all tensed and fell into defensive stances, all except for Robin who whipped his head around to stare at his father in visibly obvious panic and shock. Wonder Woman and Aquaman both stood up and protested loudly, though one was more vehement in their objection. The rest of the Heroes all broke into various states of chaos after the statement left Batman’s lips.

Marinette meanwhile just crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. The squeak of her chair was all everyone needed to quiet down and seat their asses back down.

“Ex-assassin and well, so are you and half your brood.”

Batman almost growled out loud and the table creaked from the white knuckle grip he had on it.

The Justice League was apparently made up of colour blind and shameless heroes because everyone looked between them like they were watching an interesting tennis match and not a standoff that could potentially cause bloodshed.

The Bats (Except for Batman, who she was in the middle of a standoff with) were all glancing nervously at Robin, probably expecting him to unsheathe his sword and jump over the table to attack her. But surprising everyone but her, he stayed put.

RedHood was the first to crack, clicking the safety off his gun and pointing it at her. Something she expected considering his temper and less than stellar history with the League.

This caused anther uproar with everyone standing and arguing.

She was the only one seated now, arms crossed and looking almost bored. A stark contrast to the coiled and tensed forms of literally everyone else in the room.

“Why are you here?”

She looked up from examining her nails, giving that Red bucket the most deadpan look she could muster. “You asked me to come here.”

After a few seconds of flustered silence and muffled laughter, RedHood had apparently scrounged up enough of his dignity to ask again “You working for the league?”

She straightened at this, all mirth fading away from her and her eyes sharpening. She uncrossed her arms and leaned forward and the Heroes all tensed in unison. She looked RedHood right in the eye.

“Now why would I go back to a place I fought tooth and nail to get out of?”

“...”

The air was almost electric with how charged it was.

 

 

Buzzz

 

           Buzzzz

 

                        Buzzzzz

 

 

RedHood startled at the sudden noise and shot at her.

She was unfazed just deflecting the bullet with her wrist cuffs. The same could not be said for the rest of the heroes as they all violently flinched.

 

 

Buzzz

 

       Buzzzz

 

                Buzzzzz

 

 

Her yoyo was ringing, she picked it up, checked the caller ID and promptly cursed the universe and everyone in it to the high heavens.

“Oh for fucks sake Chat I’ve been gone for an hour!”

“Heyyy M’lady.” There were sounds of fighting in background oh and someone was screaming too.

“So I know you told us to keep Paris in one piece while you were gone and Paris is still intact- Hey!” A katana missed taking off his head by an inch. “But ces assassins stupides popped out of nowhere and started attacking. But thankfully their blades didn’t pierce our suits not for their lack of trying.” he muttered the last part quietly but she still caught it and narrowed her eyes further. Then there was a banshee screech and Abeille wailed ‘My hair!’ and everyone within a 40 mile radius who weren’t completely tone deaf winced at the volume. “Anyway bug we’ve pushed the assassins off the roof, we’ve tied them up and we threw them in the bin.” He ducked as ninja star whizzed right past his head. “but they *whack* keep *whack* coming *whack* back *whack* Like maudits cafards!” A huge explosion ringed out and everyone was thrown off “Anyway we’ve totally got everything under control but- watch the tail! But um it would be great if you could come back. Like right now. And- Wait no no no no not again! ” Another explosion ringed out and the call cut.

Silence.

It was completely silent for the first time in forever in the Watchtower.

She snapped her yoyo shut with a resounding click that echoed around the room.

She took a deep breath and looked up to face the other heroes, giving them a smile so sweet and fake it put American candy to shame.

“Well as you can see, duty calls.”

The entire Justice League stared at her in incredulous disbelief. And there was something satisfactory in watching the world’s mightiest heroes gape at her in complete speechlessness.

She opened another portal, forever grateful for the ‘use your power more than once’ power up potion, and waved at the heroes cheekily “Au revoir!” before jumping into the portal and leaving a gaggle of sputtering heroes behind her.

 

*****

The Justice League was in utter chaos.

Utter and complete chaos.

Damian was almost surprised by the amount mayhem his sister caused, but trouble always did follow after her like a lost puppy.

And while what she did was stupid.

And moronic.

And would definitely come back to bite her later.

He was mostly proud of her.

It was no easy feat to throw off his father. And it had been a long time since he had seen the Justice League this off balance.

He quickly wiped the smirk off his face. It would not help anyone if he got caught now. Marinette was not ready to meet father and he honestly can’t blame her. She hated mother and was right to do so, mother is a quote ‘piece of work’ and undeserving of Ukthi. But Marinette had also vowed to hate whomever their father was because anyone who Talia al Ghul decided was worthy of her and the al Ghul name was probably also a right nasty piece.

She lost most of her hostility once she discovered that the ever elusive ‘father’ was the Batman, but she was still suspicious. And he cannot blame her. While the League of assassins was horrifying and gruesome to him and was no place for a child to be anywhere near there, but Marinette had it much much worse. While he was the heir to the demon’s head and treated like royalty, she was the competition, a spare, a disgrace and most of all she was a girl.

 

Crash

 

He flinched slightly at the abrupt reminder that he was currently stuck in middle of the what would appropriately be termed a shitstorm.

Wonder Woman was having what Grayson called ‘an existential crisis’ and found it acceptable to throw her chair across the room.

Todd was staring at his hands in horror and was also having an existential crisis for shooting at a child. Tch Marinette is not just a child and she is more than capable of dodging a mere bullet.

Superman was holding Wonder Woman down and rest of the League were divided into two groups loudly arguing whether not Ladybug was working for Ra’s al Ghul.

But so far the most concerning was father. He was quiet, alarmingly so. And he had not spoken a word to anyone since Ukthi had made her dramatic exit. He was brooding and that spelled trouble for everyone involved.

Finally father stood up and the chair screeched loudly, silencing the argument. The eyes of the entire Justice League were on him, but he payed them no mind “We’re leaving.” Grayson started to protest “NOW.” He stormed out of the room with the rest of the pretenders following behind him dejectedly and leaving behind a room of gaping faces.

Hmm. Maybe dramatic exits were an inherited trait. He’s going to have to look into that. Mother also had a flair for the dramatics and it would certainly do no good if he was the odd one out.

 

*******

Being dramatic was definitely hereditary and a necessary trait if you want to be an Al Ghul much less an Al Ghul Wayne. Because then why else would Marinette open a portal right above the random warehouse the assassins decided would be an acceptable place to start a war and drop down onto the battle field like an avenging angel from the sky and knock out a horde of assassins from the impact of her descent alone.

Obviously, it was for no other reason than to sate her inner drama queen and to smirk at the gaping faces of her team.

It was like something out of a movie. Every single person, heroes and villains alike stopped to stare at her with conflicting emotions on their faces. But alas this wasn’t a movie but real life so the moment was broken by Chat being thrown off the roof.

“CHAT!”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“I’M OK!”

The fight resumed as normal. But instead of being in a standstill, the Miraculous team now had the upper hand.

Now to get the League out of Paris once and for all, or at least keep them out for a month at most. They’d have to burn the Lazarus pit along with Ra’s al Ghul if they wanted to rid them of the world forever. And oh did they want to do that.

She started the incantation for the spell while kicking an assassin’s kneecaps out, before tripping another assassin into the one running towards her.

She took out a dagger from her pocket and started carving out symbols on the rooftop but stopped to stab the assassin that was stupid enough to attack her right in the gut before taking it out and throwing it at the one trying to sneak up her from behind.

She took out another dagger and continued carving and simultaneously kicking ass.

The spell was almost over. She just needed a few more things now.

“I NEED THE THUMB OF A MINION!”

A pause, before there was a screech and a bloodied thumb landed smack dab in the centre of her carvings. Then Ryuku landed right in front of her covered in blood that was hopefully (probably) not her own.

“Thanks Ryu!”

Ryuko curtly nodded at her and smirked, before calling on wind dragon and picking up half the assassins on roof and dropping them in the trash.

Now for the hardest ingredient to find. The blood of someone who has fallen from grace. As if hearing her thoughts, an assassin was thrown on the carving with a murderous Queen bee not far behind, screaming obscenities that should not be told anywhere near a child.

“tu es con! I will tear you limb by limb and slowly and painfully kill you for what you have done.” Her once beautiful golden locks were now something akin to a flaming dumpster fire with chunks of hair missing and a few strands literally on fire.

She gaped at Abeille for a good few seconds before an idea from hell popped into her head and she smirked evilly.

This was perfect. She wouldn’t find anyone else fallen farther from grace than this, well except Gabriel Agreste, but she’d have to go all the way to Penitentiaire Inrichting Vught to get his blood.

While Chloé was on her warpath, Marinette discreetly or not so discreetly grabbed the heiress's hand and cut her finger with her magical dagger deep enough for her blood drip onto the carvings. All the while the girl in question was still too lost in her rage to even notice.

As she said the last part of the incantation Magic crackled and the wind blew violently around her. And now for the last part, the blood of the spell caster. She took her magic dagger and cut a line straight along her palm and squeezed her fist, watching as blood dripped down her palm. When the first drop of her blood dripped onto the carvings the wind stooped the and the carvings lit up red before turning blue.

All the assassins froze, be it mid fight or mid getting their asses handed to them before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Shame it was right as Abeille was about to pounce on her prey.

While it was fortunate for everyone else that the assassins were sent back to where they came from, it was unfortunate for her cause now Abeille’s murderous gaze zeroed in on her for stopping her from exacting revenge.

Marinette raised her arms in surrender slowly backing away from the furious and slightly homicidal girl.

“Bee, Bee I can fix this.”

Chloé was not appeased nor did she stop her warpath.

Chat noir, her ever loyal partner sacrificed himself yet again for her by tackling Chloé before she could pounce and scratch her eyes out. Chat was now subjected to the blunt of Chloe’s rage and judging by the fear in his eyes, he knew that too.

Carapace reached out to help his best bud but Rena held him back muttering something about it being too late now.

And she was right. Chat gave himself up to the devil for her and she won’t let his sacrifice be in vain. She would fix this and save him.

She straightened, determination brimming in her stance. Her eyes glowed a brief red and she slammed her hand on the ground, discharging waves of magic that fixed all the damage caused by the battle including Abeille’s disastrous hair.

Satisfied with having saved Chat’s life and barred the League from even setting foot in Paris for the next month or so, she yawned.

“Everyone head back to base and someone debrief me. I’m long over due for my nap.”

No one even tried to argue with her, it was a miracle if she even slept at all and everyone wanted know what happened with the Justice League.

[theshotsheardacrossworlds]

Horace

Prompt fill for "a last minute emergency means they have to bring someone else with them on the date (e.g. child, little sibling, pet)" from here featuring Modern AU Beatrice and Zevlor...and Horace the corgi. SFW.

Special shoutout to @notyournhaama for continued support and choosing the prompt!

Beatrice: Hey Zev, turns out my roommate fucked off for the weekend and since my mum is away, I’ll need to bring Horace on our date. Is that okay? If not, that’s totally understandable and we can reschedule for another time.

Zevlor: No problem at all. See you tomorrow. <3

Beatrice: Thank you so much! See you then <3

***

“Ah, so that’s the famous Horace.” Zevlor teased as Beatrice and her corgi Horace approached him at the entrance to Bloomridge Park. This was their fifth date, for which he planned a romantic picnic in what he discovered to be her favorite park in Baldur’s Gate. My goodness, she looks stunning. What a pretty lavender sundress she’s wearing that shows off all her…assets. He glanced at the corgi and offered his hand for the dog to sniff. I see I meet with his approval. Good, good. I do so very much like your mistress, Horace.

Beatrice was beaming at the two. “Aw, you two are adorable! I’m sorry about—”

He met her gaze and smiled affectionately. She’s blushing! She’s truly the sweetest. “I told you---it’s not a problem, my dear. I even packed a treat or two for a certain good boy.”

Her brown eyes widened as she took the arm he offered her. “You didn’t have to! Now I feel bad. I can reimburse you, if you want.”

Like Hells you will, darling. “Bea, please. A few treats and a tennis ball didn’t put me out that much. My army pension and work at the bakery are more than enough, so please don’t worry.” She’s been open and honest with me about her anxiety…I do not wish to add to it.

“Okay, Zev.”

My gods, my heart is going to beat through my chest. The way she said my name. That sweet little smile. How…why…does she want me? Finding a bench under the shade of a large tree, he unpacked their picnic while she poured some water in a portable bowl for Horace. “Granted, I know little of how to train pet therapy dogs, but I’d say you’re doing famously with him, darling.”

Taking a bite of the salad he made, she smiled, her freckled cheeks flushing. “Oh thank you! Honestly, he makes it really easy. Horace has always been very chill, doesn’t go crazy barking at everything…anyways, I’m glad you like him. Or at least, tolerate him.” She took another bite and leaned back against the bench, chewing thoughtfully. “I couldn’t be with someone who didn’t like him.” Beatrice turned her head, her gaze meeting his.

Lathander’s light, is she—

Zevlor swallowed. “Am I that someone?” Please, let it be me.

“If you want to be.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, and he thought at first, he did not hear her correctly. Before he could respond, she continued and began to ramble adorably. “I know you’re older than me. You’re a tiefling. I’m a half-drow. You’re from Elturel. I’m from the Gate. But…” Her nose scrunched a little as she pouted even more adorably. Good gods, I’m not going to be able to say no to her, am I? “I like you, Zevlor. I’ve not had the best time dating,” Give me names, darling. “But with you? It’s been lovely so far, and I hope we…we…um…” She had neglected to notice Zevlor’s face inching closer to hers until their lips almost touched. “We could date? If that’s something you want? I—”

As his lips touched hers, he quite deftly removed the container of salad from her hands and placed it behind her. His hands then settled on her ample waist as he inched closer to her. “There’s nothing I want more, sweetheart.”

“Oh thank fuck for that, because I was so worried—”

He hummed softly as he kissed her again, and this time, he tugged on her lower lip ever so slightly. “You needn’t worry. Not anymore.”

Zevlor was not sure why those particular words resonated with his lady.

All he knew was that after he said that she blushed more, squealed, wrapping her long arms around his neck, and kissed him passionately, moaning into his mouth.

Which was interrupted by Beatrice yelping when Horace licked her leg.

Horace, I thought you were on my side here!

“You naughty boy!” She laughed and picked up the corgi who began to lick him as well as her. “Mummy getting too much attention from Zev? Well too bad, Horace, because he’s going to be spending a lot more time with us.”

Those words resonated with Zevlor for all too familiar reasons. Since their first date (though if I’m being honest with myself, from the moment I saw her walk into Bex’s with her friend), he imagined them spending time together. However, he surprised himself with how domestic most of his fantasies were---cuddling, planning dates together, stealing kisses, holding her hand. Those were the fantasies that made him feel happy. And then there are the less than wholesome fantasies that make me feel like an old lecher.

She rubbed Horace’s head before placing him back on the blanket at her and Zevlor’s feet. “Maybe spending more time together…today?” Beatrice grinned. “With Nadia gone, I have the entire loft to myself. I could give you the grand tour,” Gods, you have the sweetest laugh. “And maybe watch a movie? Sit out on the deck? Whatever you want, Zev.”

Where have you been all my life? All the hardship and heartbreak…the horrors of war…being forced to leave Elturel…starting over in Baldur’s Gate…it’s all led me to you. Reaching for his beer, he sipped as he leaned back and with his other arm, wrapped it around her. “That sounds lovely, darling.”

She grabbed the container of salad and continued to eat. “Don’t worry---I’ll make sure to lock my bedroom door, so we don’t have Horace barging—OH.” Hilariously, she froze, her brown eyes wide. “What I mean is…umm…”

Alright, Zevlor. Let’s see if you still have it.

“As wonderful as Horace is, dear, the only tongue I want near me in your bedroom is yours.” He quipped, sipping his beer and smirking upon seeing her face blush darker than he had ever seen it.

Still got it.