#so i'm mostly proud that i even completed them in the first place

[kohakurin8]

Canada Day

An Aziracrow fanfic

It was July, and a rather warm one at that. Warm, but not too hot; just enough to be pleasant.

At least, that was the weather in Canada.

“I still don't quite get why you wanted to visit Canada, angel,”

Crowley inquired with his hands in his pockets. They were standing on the sidewalk, watching a festive but quaint parade march its way down the street.

At least, that's what Aziraphale was watching happily. Crowley, however, was thankful that his dark glasses hid the little glances he kept stealing.

“Well, what's not to get, dear boy?”

Aziraphale responded, smiling at the floats of cheerful folks followed by a spirited marching band.

“It's fun! Look at all the culture we get to enjoy!— You know, I heard that there's no real standard celebration in Canada for their independence day. Isn't that charming? Why, it's a whole country of people just…happy to celebrate and be themselves, even just for a single day.”

“Well, when you put it like that …”

Crowley made a sort of mocking expression, caught somewhere between wanting to look cool and indifferent but also being completely moved by his angel's words. After all, it was hard to remain unswayed when Aziraphale spoke like that.

His smile was like the gentle sunshine of a spring day.

“Alright, guess we might as well enjoy this Canada Day business. Where to next, angel?”

Aziraphale turned away from the parade to think for a moment, scanning the different stands which had taken over the sidewalks and street a bit farther down.

“Hm, let's see… Do you think they have anywhere that sells books?”

“Mmm, dunno,”

Crowley replied, looking around for himself.

“Looks like it's mostly carnival games, kiddy rides, ‘n confections.”

“Confections, you say?”

The demon immediately knew he'd said the wrong thing when Aziraphale turned to look at him with excitement and eyes as bright as stars.

Crowley's biggest weakness.

~~

Before long, the two had acquired a handful of Canadian sweets to keep them company as they perused the various attractions.

“Oh, these are simply wonderful!”

Aziraphale exclaimed as he bit into a small butter tart. He had an order of about five of the sugary treats in a small bag, with a moderately sized Nanaimo Bar at the bottom saved for later.

“But terribly sweet. So, so sweet.”

“Well, s’long as you like it, angel,”

Crowley replied, taking a lick of his strawberry cheesecake lolly. He never entirely understood how Aziraphale could love nearly every food he came into contact with, but it still always made the demon happy to watch. After all, it was thanks to Crowley that Aziraphale came to love food in the first place, and that was something he was always quite proud of.

“So what do you want to do from here? Anything catch your fancy?”

“Hm? Mm…”

Aziraphale was admittedly half distracted by the sticky-sweet treat, attempting to draw his attention back to the various attractions.

“Oh! Crowley, dear, are you any good at ring toss?”

“Hm, I reckon pretty decent at it,”

That was a lie.

“Want me to win ya something, angel~?”

Crowley smirked, which made Aziraphale start to stumble over his words. That wily serpent…whenever he acted so cool and confident like that, it made the angel feel things he couldn't even attempt to describe.

“Oh! Uhm.. Well, ah… I, I don't suppose you have to. If you… don't want…”

The stammering only made Crowley more confident. He was already sashaying to the ring toss stand with that ridiculously smug smirk, causing Aziraphale to hurriedly trot after him.

However, the game they were met with was … much more challenging than originally planned.

“This isn't bloody ring toss!”

Crowley griped, holding up a plastic “ring” that was actually shaped like a maple leaf.

“You can't just put a hole in anything and call it a ring!”

“My dear boy, calm down!”

Aziraphale attempted to calm Crowley. Though, as he knew that wouldn't go anywhere, he instead turned to the young woman attending the attraction.

“I'm terribly sorry, miss.”

“Oh, don't worry! It's fine, rea—”

“Don't apologize for a shitty game, angel!”

Crowley interjected, even more furious as his twelfth toss had kissed the rim of the pole and skipped away. Under any other circumstances, the demon couldn't have cared less about playing the game, let alone how good he was at it or how much miracled money he wasted on it.

But this was different.

This was for his angel.

And he'd be blessed if he didn't win that silly life-sized plush rabbit for Aziraphale to pull out of a silly magician’s hat, just for Crowley to see the silly smile on his silly angelic face.

Seeing as Crowley was clearly losing his mind over this, Aziraphale couldn't bear it any longer. He sighed, watching his demon begin to smoke (quite literally!) and performed a sly miracle of his own.

Suddenly, all of Crowley’s shots were perfect. Even the ones that seemed impossible.

“Congratulations, sir! Guess the 20th time's the charm, ey?”

The attendant giggled as she presented Crowley with a white rabbit plush, bearing a red maple leaf on each side.

“Yeah, yeah. Come off it. Thanks,”

Crowley took his prize, hiding his giddy bashfulness under layers of swank and swaying hips as he left the attraction. Aziraphale followed him, incapable of keeping his own smug grin to himself.

“See? If you just keep trying—”

“Here, angel,”

The demon interrupted Aziraphale, nonchalantly handing him the rabbit.

“You can...use it for your magic act or something. ‘s real soft.”

Aziraphale looked at Crowley with surprise as he took the plush, as if his heart was touched in the softest way imaginable. Crowley could never tell if the angel was genuinely that dense or if it was all an act, but it still never ceased to give him flutters in his stomach.

“Oh, Crowley… You were doing all that for me? Is that why you were getting so ruffled?”

“Don't think too hard about it, angel. Let's just move on.”

~~

The pair eventually came upon another carnival game during their walk, which made Aziraphale stop and stare for a moment. After walking past him a few paces, Crowley spun around and matched back to his angel's side.

“I say…. What exactly is this game? Whack-a-Beaver?”

“Mm? Looks like…humans are bludgeoning fake beavers… Seems fun enough.”

“Fun? What ever do you think is fun about hurting animals??”

“Ahh, c'mon, angel. They're not real! If you can't understand what's fun about it, then why don't you,” he made a flouncy sort of movement with his hands. “Ehhhhhh, you know. Try it out for yourself.”

“What? Try it out?”

Aziraphale made an expression that was somewhere between indignation, anxiety, and consideration.

“Ohhh, I don't know…”

“C'mon, Aziraphale! It's your turn to play a carny game!”

Unfortunately, Crowley was already shoving him to the stand.

Before he knew it, the angel was standing before a medium box with six holes where squishy, mechanical beavers would pop out and taunt him.

“So, if I'm not mistaken… Whenever a beaver pops out of one of the holes, I'm to give it a whack with this…comical mallet?”

Aziraphale honestly wasn't sure whether to be delighted or disturbed by this game.

“You got it!”

The gentleman manning the game smiled brightly, turning the machine on.

“It's as simple as that. Get ready, here they come!”

Crowley stood to the side and smirked as Aziraphale nearly panicked before the game even started. However, despite the incredibly campy Pop-Goes-The-Weasle tune playing from the game, the angel was able to compose himself. He was even able to whack a couple beavers!

Until it got faster.

“Uh… C-Crowley…? Crowley dear Lord, they're so fast!”

As Aziraphale struggled with his poor celestial brain being in panic-lock, Crowley couldn't help but chuckle.

“Maybe you should channel some of that pent up frustration with Heaven and whatnot? Hitting things is a great way to release anger.”

“Pent up frustration? I don't have any pent up frustration, I—”

Still attempting to whack all the beavers, and failing miserably at it, the angel’s protests were cut short.

“What about when the Gavotte went out of style?”

“Oh, that's just humans. I can't possibly be angry about that—”

“What about when Jack died in Titanic?”

“Well, that's really more sad than mad—”

“How about when Beelzebub tried to melt me in a bath of bloody Holy Water?!”

PING!!

There it was, the chord which struck Aziraphale’s sore spot. As soon as Crowley mentioned that awful day, he was able to hit the much faster beavers in the head. Suddenly, the concept made sense.

“Oh… Oh! I think I've got it now!”

The particularly unhinged look on Aziraphale's face was beyond unnerving for the nice man running the game, but even more attractive to the proud demon watching him.

He was starting to have a rather fun day.

~~

By the time night had descended upon the Canada Day festival, Crowley was lying on his back upon a picnic blanket, admiring the stars above. It was such a clear and beautiful night, but all Crowley could think about was the lovely day he'd had with his angel.

His angel, who was currently reading a book beside him as they waited for the festival’s fireworks show.

“Hey… Aziraphale?”

“Hm? Yes, dear?”

Aziraphale responded without looking up from his novel, instead carefully turning a page before taking a bit of the poutine between them.

“I uh…. I wanted to say, thanks for convincing me to come here. It's been fun.”

“Well, I'm glad you think so! I knew it would be fun. But, you realize it isn't over yet, right? I've heard their little fireworks show is simply magnificent.”

“Yeah, yeah. I'll see for myself in a bit. Couldn't possibly compete with the birth of a nebula.”

Fwoom… POP!

It was already starting! A burst of bright green consumed the sky, catching everyone's attention. Crowley sat up and Aziraphale set aside his book as the rest of the crowd uttered scattered “Oo”s and “Ahh”s. Another burst of color shot into the sky, this time bright orange. More followed, each firework vibrant and beautiful. Some of them erupted into various shapes, while others crackled across the sky.

Crowley was absolutely captivated by the fire in the sky, and when Aziraphale noticed this, he couldn't help but take a moment to admire it. It reminded him of when they'd first met, while Crowley was creating the stars. A lot of things had changed since then, but Crowley…Crowley was still always Crowley.

Aziraphale always loved that about him.

He loved that while everyone else was fooled by those dark glasses, he could still always tell exactly what Crowley was thinking behind them.

He knew what lies behind those glasses.

“Wh— Hey, angel?!”

Crowley was taken aback as Aziraphale suddenly lifted the glasses from his face.

“Dear, you deserve to watch the show with your eyes. Unperturbed.”

Aziraphale’s smile was so bright… Brighter than the fireworks. Brighter than all the stars in the sky.

“Beautiful…”

“S…sorry…?”

Shit. He said that out loud.

So soft and low yet so impactful.

Did Aziraphale's heart stop?

It felt like his heart stopped.

Ironically, it felt like Crowley's had too.

“Crowley… I'm going to kiss you…”

“Wait, what—?”

It was like magic.

So perfect… So magical… The way Aziraphale caressed Crowley's chin and tilted it up so their lips could meet. The way the fireworks seemed to burst in time with their heartbeats.

It left Crowley overflowing with passion. With love. Emotions which overflowed into their warm embrace, ignorant of the world which surrounded them.

It was perfect.

[xskyll]

I've been feeling burnt out lately, regarding drawing, so I decided to tackle some creative tasks in different mediums. My first time ever making a wreath and my first time decorating with royal icing!

[hello-kuni]

𝚸𝐋𝚬𝚨𝐒𝐔𝐑𝚬 𝐑𝚬𝚨𝐃𝚰𝚴𝐆

ft. alhaitham, diluc, thoma, kazuha

syn: they take an interest in the book you've been reading recently

cw: suggestive, mentions of erotic novels, gn!reader

a/n: i'm iffy on diluc's, but v proud of alhaitham's

❁ alhaitham

in all the time you'd been together, he'd never seen you so engrossed in a book before. he'd seen you read many times, but not with such an intense look in your eyes, like you were devouring whatever lay within those pages. it piqued his curiosity, to say the least.

the most interesting part of it all was the fact you never left it unattended. almost as if you didn't want him to look at it. he'd tried to peek over shoulder at point only for you to shift your position on the couch so he couldn't see the pages. that annoyed him. but made him all the more determined to find out what the books was.

his moment finally arose when he noticed the book laying peacefully on your nightstand. he'd come home ready for a nap but that initially plan was forgotten the moment he laid eyes on that little tome. he carried it to the living room and made himself comfortable as he opened to the first page, pleasantly surprised by the contents within.

hours later you found him lounging on the couch, nose tucked into a book. it was far from an unusual sight. until you took a second glance at the book in his hands. it dawned on you then that you had forgotten to tuck it into the drawer of your nightstand before you fell asleep last night, and in your rush to leave on time that morning it remained in plain sight. heat rose to your cheeks as you took him in. he was completely unfazed as he turned the page.

"alhaitham," you said, voice weak. he didn't acknowledge your presence. "what are you reading?"

"it's your book, you should know. don't bother asking a question you know the answer to, it's a waste of breath." his eyes trailed the words printed on the paper as he spoke, still not looking at you.

you tried to take the book from his hands but he moved it out of your reach with one hand and caught your wrist with the other. "haitham, please," you whined, tugging weakly against his grip. he let you go without a fight. "put the book down."

"why? i'm almost finished with it."

with a pathetic groan, you threw yourself on the couch next to him, waiting in agony until he finally snapped the book shut with one hand. you peeked at him from the corner of your eye, but his expression gave nothing away.

"you have an interesting taste in literature," he said, finally, "but i can't fault you, it's well written and the plot is captivating."

"that's all?" you asked, expecting more from him. mostly something chastising.

he held the book out to you. "don't suggest recreating the kitchen scene. there were too many utensils involved."

❁ diluc

he found the sight of you curled up on the couch with a book rather endearing. you always looked so happy in those moments. and you'd always tell him about them over dinner or on walks around vineyard. he absolutely adored these moments. so much so that he wanted to be able to have an in depth conversation about one these books you loved so much. he figured the one you had just finished, one he'd often seen you with, and still had yet to tell him anything about would be a good place to start. a nice little surprise. since there must be something about it if you’re keeping it to yourself.

what he hadn't expected was to be met with a very detailed sex scene halfway through. it had started off so innocent and sweet, exactly the way he'd expect a romance to go. and then all of a sudden the scene took quite a turn. yet he couldn't pull his eyes away from the pages. he kept wondering why you would read something like this.

maybe he wasn't satisfying you well enough? and you needed this to make up for his shortcomings. his thoughts kept spiraling as he turned page after page. he'd read his share of romances--even ones similar to this--but discovering this in your possession, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd disappointed you. which may be wrong, but he couldn't stave off the thoughts.

this could end up being his worst decision, but he felt he had no other choice if he wished to quell his worries. the first chance he got, he sat opposite you at the dining room table and slid the book across the table and asked, "am i not performing well enough for you?"

you were at a complete loss for words, staring in disbelief at the book in front of you. "what?"

"in the bedroom. am i not satisfying you enough? it's the only reason i can think of that you'd read this book so many times. and so often."

despite your best efforts, you couldn't help the giggle that escaped you. you folded your hands over his, squeezing tightly as you composed yourself. "i assure you it is just the romance that i'm reading it for. and even if i did use it for my personal reasons, it'd be you i'm thinking about, diluc. honestly, how could i ever imagine myself with another man when i have you."

he mulled over your words for a moment. "do you have more books like this?"

there was silence for a long moment. then you said, "so many."

"is this one your favorite?" because whether it be or not, he still wanted to talk to you about what you enjoyed, even if it almost gave him whiplash the first time. he was prepared now. after quite possibly making a fool of himself. nor could he deny that, feelings of insecurity aside, he rather enjoyed the book.

❁ thoma

he'd never seen you with the book before. but he found it on a table in your shared home, your favorite bookmark tucked within the pages. it was partially hidden under some decorative books, which he found strange. curiosity got the better of him and he opened to the marked page.

you hadn't left off on a noteworthy scene, so he flipped back and skimmed the text. his brows rose at what he read, a sly grin curving his lips. this little discovery was by far the highlight of his week. he made himself comfortable on the couch and read through a few chapters, making mental notes of his favorite scenes for later.

the cover and first chapter were entirely misleading, having one believe it was just an innocent romance. by the end of the second chapter the two lead characters were already falling into bed together. the main plot was obviously overshadowed by the many sex scenes. if it wasn't for the detailed yet flowy writing style, he would have put it down immediately. honestly, he could see why you were enjoying it. and why you might want to keep it hidden from him.

as if to further his enjoyment, you walked through the front door, a bag of groceries slung over one shoulder. he drew your attention to him as he spoke from his place on the couch.

"i knew yae publishing was going to venture into new genres, but this wasn't what i expected. nor did i think you'd be into this sort of story. it is interesting, though, in it's own way. these positions are what's most intriguing. should we try them sometime?"

the bag on your shoulder dropped to the floor, a few vegetables rolling out and away. you marched over to him with a blush burning your face.

"give it back," you said, reaching for the book. he held it held it away with one hand and held you back with the other, laughing as you pouted.

eyes shining, he said, "not so fast. answer me this: who do you think is better in bed, me or him?" he waved the book for emphasis.

you huffed. "he wouldn't be so cruel."

"a few scenes say otherwise."

❁ kazuha

anytime the crux fleet docked, you made it your mission to stock up with a stack of new books. reading was one of the few ways to not lose your mind at sea. it was peaceful, but there was such a thing as too much peace, even with a crew as rowdy as the one on the ship.

kazuha rarely touched your haphazard stacks, but while you were out of the room, he found himself picking up the nearest one. there were little scraps of paper marking pages throughout the book, but didn't let his curiosity allow him to spoil anything. he opened it to the first page and began reading. he was only a quarter of the way through when the first explicit scene came up. it just so happened to be one of the marked scenes.

it wasn't what he'd normally expect of a scene like this. there was care put into its writing. a sensuality that drew him further in. it ignited feelings of familiar moments. it captured perfectly, in his opinion, what that moment felt like. or what it should feel like. what he knew it to be.

as he read on, he made note of certain parts that he wanted to try out later. nothing too crazy or experimental, but things he thought you might like. he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of some of these things before.

the door to the cramped room opened and he gave a little "hello".

"of all the ones to read, you chose that one?" you said by way of greeting. he closed the book over finger to mark his place, though he was close to the end, and looked your way.

"something led me to this one. and for good reason. i can see why you would enjoy this."

"is that so?" you asked, raising a brow. you made your way to sit beside him on the small bed. it was truly a feat to both fit on it sometimes, but for the most part it was cozy.

"mhm. do you read this when i'm not around? i only ask because of the many bookmarks."

"does it bother you that i do?" there wasn't a hint of guilt or shame in your response. you had needs, and there were time he wasn't around to help.

he didn't hesitate, "no. as long as you're enjoying yourself, i see no problem at all. however, it has given me some ideas."

[alottiegoingon]

golden rule

lucy maclean x gn!reader

summary: you become lucy's only friend in wasteland.

warnings: weapon usage/mentions, brief blood mention, wasteland and life outside the vault, lucy is naive and oblivious at first and a hot mess later, mostly just fluff, golden retriever lucy & black cat reader type of shit, kinda enemies/strangers to secret in lover with each other, reader is hot i wanna date them but also a loser if you see through them, no nsfw, not proofread

"just give it a thought, alright? we could help each other."

"why would i want you for a company? no offense, princess, but i don't associate with vault dwellers." you take a look at her from head to toes, studying the details in her jumper. despite how cool her pistol looked attached to her belt like that, the yellow and blue choice was kind of goofy, you thought.

you can see the excitement in her eyes disappearing as she hears you and you almost felt sorry for her. almost. "okay, ouch." she tilts her head, crossing her arms. in a second, her dramatic act gave place to a smug smile. "oh, i know! what if i help you to find the head?"

even your own bitterness left your soul as you hear her. you pause for a moment, searching for any sign of unseriousness in her face. maybe it was just a bad joke? but then, she keeps staring at you with those huge eyes and a not so subtle smile, proud of what she had said.

"i'm sorry, a head? you mean someone's head?" you frown. "i don't know what you vault people think of us but i'm not a monster." you weren't really offended, but seeing the panic in her face was actually princeless.

"what? no, no! i was just- everyone wants that head and i thought you-" she starts to ramble, not wanting to offend you. her beam went away as fast as it reached her face. you almost felt bad for her twice in a row now.

you couldn't hold yourself back anymore and allowed a smirk to creep onto your lips. she immediately stopped talking and, even though she exhaled relief, you knew that deep down she wanted to kill you but was too kind for that.

"oh. you were messing with me. funny." she gives you a forced dry laugh. it was actually annoying how she tried to be so nice all the time.

as a response, you give her a nonchalant wry smile. "anyway. i'm not looking for a dog right now, so..." you sigh, reaching for the heavy backpack on the floor and sliding it onto your shoulders. "but good luck with the head or whatever it means." you wink at the stranger and turn around to leave.

"wait! please." she grabs your wrist before you could take the first step and in response, you turn around again impatiently, glancing down at her tight grip on your skin. it takes her a while to realize that she's still holding you but as soon as she does, she immediately looks at your wrist as well and let go of it. "sorry." she whispers.

you were ready to interrupt her but, curiously, you felt bad when seeing how insanely desperate she was. it wouldn't hurt to just hear what the had to say, right?

"i've been having a rough week, okay? everyone i've met tried to kill me, except for you. a weird..." she pauses, thinking "robot, or whatever, tried to harvest my organs out and i had to cut someone's head off. and i may not be the strongest or the most experienced person but i can learn!" she was truly putting on her best show while you stood in front of her completely unbothered. at least, you liked to think that you were a complete fearless and tough person. "just... please?"

against all odds, you didn't deny it immediately. and, if you didn't deny it immediately, you knew what it meant. fuck, when did you become such a softie? it could be, of course, the way her hair looked pretty even in a messy ponytail or how the cut on her lip made her look so incredibly ho-

"okay, fine. whatever." that idiot creepy huge smile of hers spread on her face again before you could even finish. "listen up, i'm not done." you roll your eyes. "we'll do things my way, get it? you speak when i speak, you shoot when i shoot, you walk when i walk." you take steps closer to her while you talk. firm, hoarse and assertive tone. you stop when you feel the tip of her nose almost touching yours, keeping the steady the eye contact intact. you were so busy initimidating her that you don't even notice when she hold her breath.

"you are my shadow." you reach up for her face, cupping her chin with your thumb and index finger, forcing her to look back at you. "you don't exist unless i tell you to. do you understand me?" you stated with a piercing gaze.

you thought it was impossible for her eyes to get any bigger but when you step out of your scary platform, you notice her terrified expression. "okey dokey..." she nods frantically.

you gotta admit it. she didn't seem as goofy as before while paying attention to you so devotedly like that. even when still wearing that ridiculous jumper.

eventually, you realize that your eyes were betraying you by staring at her for a little too long. you clean your throat, trying to cover that up. "good. let's go now. we can't stay here forever." you step back and start to walk away, not even waiting for her to join you.

you hear her hasty footsteps getting closer as she tries to catch up to you until she finally shares your pace. "i'm lucy, by the way. lucy maclean." she held her head high, corners of her mouth going up again. god, she smiled a lot.

"good for you. i'm still gonna call you princess, though."

"not to brag, cause that would be impolite of me, but i found a really cool place when i was looking for a river this morning." lucy's smiling from ear to ear and excitedly rocking from side to side is the first thing you see when you open your eyes after a tough night of sleep.

a week had passed since you met lucy. no matter how tough you considered yourself to be, lucy was persistent, charming, sweet and funny enough to make her way to your heart and you knew that you were doomed. deep down, you were suspicious that she knew that as well.

"why are you always so happy?" you groan, rubbing your eyes. unlike lucy, you were not a morning person. or a night person. or any time of the day person.

"good morning to you too, sunshine!"

you are forced to get up, not being actually opposed to it, and take a short sip from your last water bottle. maybe taking a look at lucy's oh so great place would be useful.

"okay then. let's do it, princess." you use your hands to brush the remains of sand and dust out of your pants but lucy's cute giggle prevents you from heading out of the shelter you had found.

lucy approaches you with her usual polite and sweet grin and you unconsciously flinch as she stops just a few inches from you and touch you. predictable, she was gentle while brushing the top of your hair with her fingers, fixing the bundle of messy strands that merged together while you were sleeping and added a funny volume to your head. you follow every move of her with darting eyes and an uncontrollable urge to admire her green eyes focused on your hair and reddish parted lips.

"there you go. pretty as always." lucy coos and before withdrawing herself, her fingers slid down by a few inches and casually tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. for the first time in ages, you froze.

thankfully, lucy didn't seem to notice how affected you were by her innocent act. "thanks." you whispered in a ridiculously soft grin and followed her out of the shelter.

"why do you have a gun if you don't like using it? that's stupid." you tease lucy while you two walked side by side, following the train track to the place she had mentioned.

"i do use it. just when i have no other option. you know, because of the golden rule." she shrugs, proudly, proceeding to explain it to you.

you really tried to not care or call it dumb, but instead, you snorted in amusement. "you are way too naive, you know that?"

a dilapidated house.

lucy's incredible and cool place was nothing but a whole junk. everything was falling apart and, judging by how empty it was, many others were there before you.

"it looked cool from the outside..." she explains herself while scratching the back of her neck.

you were strong. firm. scary and ruthless even. you would shove a knife on anybody's throat if they wasted your time like that, especially after a terrible night of sleep. but, again, it wasn't anybody. it was her.

so, funny or not, you laughed.

"god, you are such a terrible explorer." you take a quick peek at her with the corner of your eyes, wearing an idiotic and foolish smirk on your lips.

"i am not!" her jaw drops and her voice sounds whinier as she defends herself but giggle along with you, not feeling scared to be vulnerable and fully stare at you.

you didn't have to answer to that. all you did was look back and forth at her and the house, proving your point.

"okay, you got me there." she looks down, dramatically pouting and pretending to feel so insulted. "but at least i made you smile. looks good on you." lucy's lips twitch in a shy grin.

"maybe i should smile more, then. if you like it." you boldly murmur, surprised at yourself for saying that. you could swear that lucy's face got almost entirely red but you didn't have enough time to appreciate it or figure if it was real.

"look at those cute lovebirds. love has returned to wasteland, gentlemen." a tall, sturdy middle-aged man mocks you to two other creepy looking guys. one was even missing an eye. in two seconds, you were able to count how many weapons they had and your first thought was the possibility of lucy getting hurt.

you quickly stood in front of her, shielding her from any kind of possible danger.

everthing happened too fast after that. all you remember is denying their offer to take your backpacks with the remains of food and water you had and all of your weapons.

everything went black for a second as your body hit the ground. you slowly manage to get on your knees and look around but lucy isn't there and you are trapped. you feel a sharp pain as you breathe in and a drop of blood hits your pants. you shudder at the moment you cautiously feel your cheek, warm to the touch and stinging like you were poked by a thousand needles. your fingertips carefully drop to your mouth and you hiss as you touch the wide cut on your swollen lower lip.

you notice the crisp click of the gun's trigger being released and you look up, expecting to see the weapon pointed at your head. instead, you see the men with their hands above their heads.

"get away from them!" lucy's voice fills your ears and you turn your head back to find her with a huge weapon in hands pointed at the strangers. she takes a quick glance at you and you see the anger inside her overflow as she notices your wounds.

"i'm gonna count to three and i want your ugly, filthy and miserable roaches out of my face or... or i'll shoot!" judging by her tone, you can easily notice how nervous she is even though she's trying her best to actually stand up for you.

and the thought of being protected by someone made your heart flutter. you weren't bothered by the aching pain in your lip when you found yourself proudly smiling at her.

the big guy seemed to notice the tension in her voice and took a step closer to you. you could only imagine how badly he had regretted that as soon as a loud bang echoed through the entire house and his foot was hanging by a thread, quite too literally.

"oh, golly..." lucy mutters with widen eyes. you follow her shock with a gasp that was completely muffled by the loud and agonized screech.

"don't make me repeat myself! all of you out, now!" she yells, threatening them by aiming the gun at them once more. "if that's okay with you, please." the scary expression in her face swiftly changed to a well-mannered and soft grin.

the injured men is rushedly dragged out by the other two, not looking back and you can not believe that someone as adorable looking as lucy was the one to broke her dear rule and hurt people.

"thank you! t-take care." she waves at them innocently, still with the gun in hands before running to you.

[fishsticksloser]

I have another idea for requesttttt >:D

Okay, so the request is for rottmnt boys (obv) with S/O that loves beach (swimming is the ehh part) mostly just spending hours looking for seashells, sea glass, stones, etc. SO, whenever S/O gives the boys gifts even small once, they always find one or few seashells with the present like a small charms >^<

Thanks ahead🫧

-Ed

Collecting Shells

RotTMNT x gn!reader

Warnings: fluff

A/N: thank you @mapleleavesart for your help with this! I've been struggling a lot and I'm so happy to have your support.

Donnie

He's always making you gadgets and stuff

You didn’t really need them

Only half of them didn’t blow up

Donnie had to figure out a better way to make you happy with his gifts

Since he thought you didn’t like them cause you weren’t using them much (he feels guilty when they blow up)

So he starts watching you carefully

What made you smile the most, what got you excited

When y’all went to the pier and you immediately started picking at the sand

And handing him glass and rocks that were similar in color to his skin/eyes/etc

He realized that you loved collecting this kinda stuff

About a week later he makes you a little music box

Which is pretty nice all on its own

You thought it was just a plain jewelry box at first

He urges you to open it, there’s shells and seaglass inside

Along with an oyster necklace

And your favorite song playing inside

Donnie is very proud of this one and is eager for your inevitable praise

He'll occasionally make you more jewelry and such out of the sea glass, especially the ones you said reminded you of him

Leo

My guy goes above and beyond with this one honestly

You like to collect sea shells, sea glass, cool rocks, etc?

He is going with you to collect stuff

He’ll go out on his own on nights you two can’t talk and go to the beach and looks for stuff you like

This boy is so desperate for attention and approval

He’ll give you a handful of stuff the next time you see each other

His tail wags when he sees you get excited about it

Every time he thinks of you he’ll portal another one (shell, sea glass, etc) from his secret stash

He starts leaving some in odd, innocuous places

You find them for months to come

In your kitchen, your bathroom, on countertops or desks right where you can see them

Others are hidden in drawers or cabinets

You found one in a pot as you were making dinner once

But once he portaled it on your desk while you were working

You smile when you realize that he’s thinking of you as often or more often as you think about him

Mikey

Mikey also loves cool rocks

He stacks them

You’ve made a few towers with him once

He’ll hand you any pretty rock that reminds him of you

One beach trip he ran up to you and said “look! It matches your eyes”

He put it in your hand, smiled, and dashed off again

He decided to paint you the beach But it didn’t look complete

He went to the beach and took some sand and a few shells and pieces of sea glass

He laid out glue on the canvas

Sprinkled the sand over the beach part of the painting

And placed the shells and sea glass purposefully

It gave the piece some nice texture and some visual interest

Then he gifted it to you and insisted you hung it up in your room

So that, even when you were home, you have a part of the beach watching over you

He was so happy to show it to you, and to have his artwork hanging in your room

Raph

Raph knitted you a sweater

Put it in a bag with your favorite colored tissue paper

When you opened it and saw the sweater you thought that was it, because he had been promising to knit you something for ages

However, upon his urging you looked at the bottom of the bag

There was a small wooden box

Like the ones at craft stores that were meant to be painte

You open it

There’s a small collection of sea glass and rocks that you'd given him

You love it regardless

Raph grins and hugs you, picking you up as you both laugh

[kawaiiflowerharmony]

Ahhh...my soft Jikook heart

Ok, this post is going to contain Jikook speak so if you don't agree? Move on and don't come at me. I say what's in my heart and won't apologise for it.

I have been a fan of BTS and no other KPOP group since 2018. I didn't even know they existed before then. (Weird, right?) Once I fell down the rabbit hole I made it my mission to watch all their RUN BTS episodes and got into In the Soop. During my binge watching I noted dynamics between the members, fell in love with the way Joon sometimes watched the other members like a proud dad, Jin became unhinged, Yoongi showed his love for them in his own gruff manner, Hobi faced his fears and overcame them (mostly), Jimin hugged everyone into a soft love puddle, Tae stole a piece of my heart with his straight-faced candor and humour, and Jungkook - well, JK and his speech in pout mingled with a stutter just did me in. Each of these men holds a piece of my heart and I happily give it to them.

But the chemistry between JK and Jimin both on stage and away made me sit up and take notice. There was just something...something different about the way they interacted that had my radar pinging. I had purposely stayed away from all Youtube videos about ships because I know how damaging those can be. And then I suddenly had another mission. I compared the interactions between Jimin and all the members and that of JK and the other members. And still, when these two were together (which was ALL the time) it still hit different. So, there I went and visited all the Jikook pages I could find on Youtube. And my heart became putty, all soft and squishy when I saw moments on stage and off stage that I didn't pick up previously. I lived for the moments when they got lost in each other and forgot the world existed. Not to mention the couple behaviours! It gave me hope that I will one day have just this kind of connection with my soulmate one day. The kind where a gaze makes me aware that my loved one needs my touch, where his touch makes me calm down. I sense great passion between them, also kinkiness. I sense the need to be close together as often as possible - it almost feels like it becomes uncomfortable when they don't connect in some way, whether physical or otherwise. Those clips of JK calming down when JM sat down next to him or touched him in some way made so much sense. There is a fire there that has not dimmed at all over the years. It's beautiful.

Then I got to thinking of all the times when JK has a connection to JM in his music videos during this solo of his. Whether its something he wears or something he does that bears eerie similarity to JM in his own, it rocks! Even the photo shoots, looking at the similarities just makes me giggle and kick my feet excitedly. And in his latest music video Standing next to you? I don't think I'm the only one that felt it was personal for him, although he said that he did not write lyrics for this album. THAT song, felt personal. Like he was saying everything to JM. Especially the first verse. I squealed the first time I heard it!

Anyway, just had to put my heart's thoughts down, going back to my happy place where JK is back hugging JM and JM clings like a limpet to JK. I wish I could adequately describe how much joy I feel in my heart and how much softness, when I see these two beautiful souls.

I know they have travelled many lifetimes to keep finding each other because they are two halves of one soul and complete each other.

Sun and Moon, Black and White, Yin and Yang.

[bitchin-beskar]

Training

Rating: Explicit Pairing: College!Athlete!Roommate!Paz Vizsla x Fem!Reader (Bunny) Warnings: Cockwarming!!! That's it that's the fic! ... jk theres a little more to it. Paz has a huge dick we all know it, and boy does he know how to use it. mentioned oral (f) receiving, mentioned fingering, overstim, big dick, dirty talk, mentions of continued overstim, dick so good u wanna cry, free use arrangement. AGAIN. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT FREE USE OR ANY OF THE OTHER THINGS ARE, YOU ARE TOO DAMN YOUNG. DO NOT READ. DO NOT INTERACT. GO AWAY. Literally Dead Dove: Do Not Eat. Exactly what it says on the package. Word Count: 2.1k A/N: Here is another oneshot in the CAR!Paz au! This came about due to an ask sent in by @catsnkooks during this fun lil sleepover weekend! Feel free to send things to my inbox this weekend (or really any time!) This was intended to be a drabble and ended up being just over 2k, so uh, yeah. It's fine. I'm fine. I just wanna thank @catsnkooks, @tailorvizsla, @firstofficerwiggles, @mysticalgalaxysalad, and all the anons who have been encouraging the thirst for this wonderful au! Also thanks to @maybege whom without I likely wouldn't have even created this au, and I'm also gonna tag @ronnieiswriting, bc they sent me a lovely little dm about this au and I finished this tonight instead of waiting as a lil treat for them! Please lemme know what you think, I appreciate all the love y'all have given this au so far!!

Gods, he was gonna split you in half.

You stood completely naked, on shaky legs, in front of Paz where he was sitting on the couch, his chest bare and his sweatpants tugged down just enough for his cock to spring free, resting against the taut skin of his stomach, flushed and weeping. He looked far too composed for a man who’d just spent the better part of an hour fucking you on his fingers and his tongue to prepare you for what he wanted you to do.

It was fucking infuriating.

It was also hot as hell.

His lips curled into a cocky smirk, as if he could read your mind. You were very pointedly trying to keep your eyes trained on his face, which was made all the more difficult when he wrapped his hand around his cock, slowly stroking himself. You couldn’t help yourself as your gaze flickered down to where his hand was wrapped around himself. Even with his own hand, he still looked disproportionately large, and not for the first time, you wondered how exactly your poor pussy was going to survive this... exercise.

“What’s wrong, bunny?” Even his voice was cocky, and even though Paz was your best friend, you felt a very strong urge to strangle him. Still, there was that little voice in the back of your head that was salivaiting at the mere thought of getting him inside you.

You were unreasonably proud at how steady you managed to keep your voice, given what your body had been subjected to and the looks he was leveling you with. “You’re not gonna fit, Paz.”

He didn’t answer right away, instead holding the hand not wrapped around his cock out to you, a silent request. You didn’t hesitate to step forwards and place your own hand in his, letting him tug you forward until you were standing inbetween his legs. Even like this, with him seated and you standing, you were looking him in the eyes. Paz was just that big.

“Don’t worry about that, bunny,” Paz said as he used his grip on your hand to encourage you to turn around, his hand moving to grasp your hip as he pulled you closer to him. You let him guide you, fingers clenching and unclenching in anticipation. He paused for a brief moment to swipe his fingers through your folds, an approving hum leaving him when he deemed you were still wet enough, before returning those fingers to his cock, slicking himself up with your release. Then, he was pulling you down, letting your weight rest mostly against his chest as he notched the head of his cock at your entrance. You sucked in a breath at the sudden pressure, but made an effort to relax.

He made a soft shushing noise, his hand helping to steady you as he began to lower you down, the pressure increasing slowly until the head of his cock was suddenly inside you. You gasped slightly at the intrusion, your thighs tensing at the unfamiliar sensation. You’d had sex before, certainly, but your ex was a much smaller man. Even your toys had never been quite this large.

“P-Paz?” You breathed, voice shaking.

He immediately paused, and you could feel as he kissed the back of your bare shoulder briefly. “Yeah, bunny?”

“W-What if… what if you… d-don’t… what if you don’t…” You trailed off, suddenly embarrased. You were likely far less experienced than his previous partners, and you wondered-not for the first time-how exactly this arrangement was going to affect your relationship with Paz.

But Paz seemed to know what you were trying to say. He tutted softly, brushing his lips against the length of your throat, his smile soft against your skin. “Don’t worry, bunny,” he murmured, starting to work you down again, his cock slowly sliding further and further into you as your mouth fell open at the stretch.

“I’ll make it fit.”

The cocksure tone of his voice made you clench, and he immediately shushed you again, placing both hands on your waist and sitting up from where he’d been lounged against the couch cushions. You made a concerted effort at relaxing again, and you slipped a little further down his length.

The sensation of being slowly stuffed full of Paz’s cock was something you honestly had never imagined you’d get to experience. It was currently defying all expectation, and you weren’t entirely sure you’d make it to being fully seated on his cock without passing out from the pleasure.

He eventually got you about halfway impaled on his cock when he seemed to hit a barrier, and you immediately winced at the uncomfortable feeling. Paz once again stopped immediately, his hands tightening slightly around your waist. You felt a keen sense of disappointment, and you suddenly felt the slight urge to cry. You’d known you weren’t going to be able to take all of him, and he was going to be so disappointed-

“I wanna try something,” he suddenly said, his tone not disappointed like you’d expected, but contemplative. “Trust me?”

You blinked, unsure as to where that was coming from, but nodded nonetheless. You probably should’ve been a bit more cautious with answering, because Paz suddenly slid his hands down from where they’d been resting on your waist to wrap his fingers around the backs of your thighs, and lifted.

A squeal of shock escaped your mouth and your hands flailed as you were suddenly supported only by his grip on your thighs and half of his cock in your cunt. He pulled your thighs apart, so your legs were no longer between his own, but dangling on the outsides of his own thighs. Pulling your legs apart like this surprisingly eased the pressure in your cunt, and he slowly began to lower you more, and your pussy greedily sucked him in.

He was completely supporting your weight with just his hands and forearms, and your brain could not comprehend the strength he must be using to hold you like this. But you couldn’t deny, it was far easier for you to take him in this position, and before you’d quite processed that, the backs of your thighs were resting on the tops of his, and his cock was completely buried in your pussy.

You sucked in a sharp breath, leaning back so your upper body was supported by his chest and you could rest your head against his shoulder. Paz stroked his hands up and down your thighs, humming appreciatively. Your own legs were trembling from the strain and effort it had taken for you to take him.

For a few moments, the two of you just sat there, adjusting to the sensations. You were honestly shocked that you’d managed to take all of him, and you felt a not insignificant amount of pride. Still, it was overwhelming to be that full, and you couldn’t help but brush your hand over your abdomen, feeling like he was in your stomach he was that deep inside you.

Paz chuckled, the vibrations jolting you slightly and shifting his cock slightly inside you, making you whimper quietly. One of his hands came up to cover yours, the size of his hand dwarfing your own.

“Can you feel me here, bunny?” At your nod, Paz pressed down slightly, and you gasped as the change in pressure made sparks of pleasure light up your nerves. “Yeah, you can. How does it feel?”

It took you a few tries to reply, your throat dry and your tongue heavy in your mouth. “I-I feel s-s-so full.” There was truly no other way to describe it, the sensation so unfamiliar but also one you were quickly coming to love.

“Hmm, I bet,” he responded, sounding far too smug and full of himself. He slowly spread his thighs, forcing your own legs further open.

With the way your legs were hooked over his thighs, and the way you were impaled on his cock, you had no choice but to let him move your body the way he wanted to. You felt your cheeks warm at how exposed you were like this, naked and spread open on his lap, even in the emptiness of your shared apartment. You tried to squirm a bit to get more comfortable, and he shifted underneath you, tilting his hips up further into yours somehow, but also easing some of the strain in your lower back as he did so.

The fullness inside of you had you clenching and unclenching, your muscles unused to this position and trying in vain to adjust. Paz didn’t seem to react, although he did wrap his arm more fully around your waist and brough his other hand up to stroke at where the two of you were joined together. Your eyes rolled back in your head as his fingers found your swollen clit, rubbing at it gently.

“P-P-Paz,” you stuttered, voice shaking violently. “P-Paz, s-so much, t-t-too m-mph!”

He’d jerked his hips slightly, just enough to barely count as pulling out before he settled back deep inside you, cutting your protests off with ease. He sped up his fingers, and you thought he might be enjoying the way you trembled uncontrollably on his lap.

“Jus’ need you to come one more time for me, bunny,” he slurred, voice low and thick in your ear. “It’ll help you take me a bit easier, don’t worry. Just gimme one more, okay? I promise it’ll help, it’ll feel so good bunny. You trust me, don’cha?”

You nodded shakily, turning your head to press your sweaty forehead against the side of Paz’s neck. “O-O-Okay, Paz.”

He pressed a kiss against the top of your head, and his fingers sped up again. You’d been on the edge since he began to fuck you onto his cock, and you honestly didn’t need much more stimulation before you were coming again with a low moan and weak twitches of your hips.

Paz hummed appreciatively, his fingers sliding through the mess you’d made between your legs and around his cock. You were tingling with overstimulation, feeling flushed and sweaty and you probably looked a mess, but it was only Paz here to judge you, and you got the feeling he didn’t mind, especially when he was directly responsible for your wrecked state.

“You did such a good job, bunny.” You preened at the words, feeling a sense of accomplishment. “Such a good girl for me, giving me another. You feel so good coming around me like that.” He paused, the silence heavy, and you abruptly felt very much like prey, like the nickname Paz had bestowed upon you implied. You didn’t have the time to contemplate it before he continued.

“I lied, bunny. I’m sorry, but you just felt so good.” His fingers trailed back up to your throbbing clit. “I wanna feel that again. Wanna feel your lil’ pussy trembling around my cock. I wanna feel you gush around me.”

You mouth fell open, and your hands tried to reach down to pull him away but he was quicker, the arm that had been around your waist coming up to grip your wrists in one huge hand, bringing them up so your restricted hands were pressed into your sternum. He tutted softly, spreading his legs just a little further and restricting your movement just that little bit more.

“We agreed on the rule, bunny. You let me do whatever I want, whenever I want. Isn’t that right?” He didn’t wait for an answer before continuing to whisper in your ear, tormenting you.

“And I wanna feel this pretty lil’ pussy absolutely strangle my cock again. I wanna feel you come and come and come until you can’t anymore. And then I wanna fill you up, wanna fill you up so full you’ll feel me dripping down your thighs for weeks. I wanna see you on campus and know you can still feel me in your fucking guts. I want you to sit with your friends and all you can think about is how I feel inside you right now. Any time a guy even fucking looks at you I want you to remember how this feels. I want you to remember how hard you came with my cock in your lil’ cunt.”

He stopped for a moment, breathing harshly in your ear as he quickly worked you towards another orgasm, and you almost couldn’t hear his next words over the uncontrollable whimpers and moans that escaped your throat as he abused your poor cunt.

“You’ll never be able to fuck anyone else and not think of me, bunny. I’m gonna fucking wreck you.”

[choicesficwriterscreations]

January Creator of the Month: Jerzwriter

Each month, CFWC highlights one of our talented fanfic writers or artists, and this month’s creator of the month is CFWC's own @jerzwriter.  The writer is selected at random. More info can be found on the navigation page.

Quick Links:

Tumblr Blog Complete Masterlist

How do you want to be known on Tumblr? 

Elsa

More below...

1- When did you start playing Choices? What was the first book you played? 

It was sometime in 2017, and the first book I ever played was The Royal Romance, Book 1.

2- When and why did you join Choices fandom?

I joined a couple Facebook groups in 2019. I just wanted to discuss stories with others who were interested, as no one in my real life reads Choices. I didn't even know I was entering a fandom. lol I started reading fanfic on Tumblr the following year, but I found Tumblr intimidating, so I was mostly a silent reader. I didn’t start writing and contributing until May 2021, mostly because Open Heart was ending and I was in denial. 🙂

3- How did you pick your blog name? 

It’s pretty boring, actually. I’m from NJ, and I write. I wanted it to be JerZwriter, so people would know it is Jer-ZEE-Writer, but that wasn’t doable, so it’s Jerzwriter, and most think it is Jerz-Writer. Oh, well!  

4- Pull up the first and last posts in your archive, and tell us about them!  

My first post was the first chapter of my Ethan x Casey x Tobias love triangle, Delaying the Inevitable (OH).  It was my very first fanfic and I really didn't think I'd write anything beyond that.  I was so green back then, not only to fanfic but to the fandom as well. I’m really glad that I was naive because I don’t think I would have had the courage to post it if I had, but I’m glad that I did. 

My last post was Falling for You, a little drabble I wrote for Tobias x Casey (OH), and it featured a commission by the talented artist @weetlebeetle. It was a light, fun piece that took place early in Tobias and Casey's relationship, and it shows Tobias at his absolute simpiest. Lol 

5- Do you write fanfiction, create fan art, or are you one of those really gifted people who do both? 

Oh, how I wish I could draw, but I can't.  So, I’m strictly a writer. I may try giving drawing a go again, but I don't expect much to come of it. lol

6- How long have you been creating for Choices and for any other fandoms?

Choices was the first fandom I ever wrote for, and I started in May of 2021.  So, just over two and a half years. I have written a little bit for some other fandoms since that time, but I primarily write for Choices.

7- What is your favorite Choices book, and what is your favorite Choices book to create for?

Tough question.  I write for Open Heart, Crimes of Passion, and Wake the Dead, and they are three of my favorite stories. I also loved Desire & Decorum, but I never wrote for it.  Though, I’m planning a re-read, and you never know. 🙂

8- Share your first Choices fanfic or fan art that you posted with us. Do you still like it, or would you change it if you were creating it today?

It was the first chapter of Delaying the Inevitable. I was so green when I started that series that I’m sure there are things I would change, but I’m still very proud of it.  That series will always have a special place in my heart.  I’d like to revisit it one day to “clean it up”, it could use some condensing. But I would never change the storyline.

9- What is your favorite piece of fiction or art that you created? 

This is such an unfair question. lol The Delaying the Inevitable Series definitely comes to mind, but I’m also very proud of my Eli Sipes prequel stories, A Mother’s Journal, Coming Up Blank, and The End of the World. But Tobias and Casey are my favorite pairing, and I simply love the world I created for them. And while my headcanon for them is my favorite, I cannot pick just one fic for them, and I'm not going to! lol But, I've also written a bunch of AUs for them, and Friends* is one of my favorites.

10- Do you have a fic/art that you didn’t expect to be well received, but it was? What about one you expected to do well but found it could use a little more love?

Yes, to both! The fandom is much smaller today, but back when we were more active, I learned you couldn't predict how a fic would be received.  There are too many to name, but I will say whenever my smut does well (and quite a few of them have), I’m always astounded. lol 

11-  If you could write only angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why? 

This is such a difficult question because I believe the best stories incorporate a little of each, and, as a writer, exploring all three helps spur creativity. Also, my absolute favorite is angst with a happy ending, so there is definitely some fluff in there (and I'm never mad at a little smut being thrown in!) But if I were forced to choose, it would probably be angst.  I think that's where I am strongest, and I just love raw emotion. I think that’s where character development really occurs. I have not written as much angst recently, and I miss it.  Perhaps I need a change in 2024. 

12 - Do you ever recognize yourself in any of your MCs or in your writing?

There are definitely parts of me in my MCs and OCs, but I do my best to prevent them from becoming self-inserts.  I'm not as cool as any of them, that's for sure! lol That said, I do find inspiration for my fics in real life, so there is bound to be a little crossover. When using real-life inspiration, I try to change details so that the fiction is not a carbon copy of the real-life event. Normally, by the time I'm done, they're hardly recognizable.

13 - What element of writing/art do you struggle with most? Where do you feel you are strongest?

I struggle most with setting a scene. Dialogue is my strong suit, and that just flows for me. It flows so much that sometimes I forget to describe what's going on around the conversation. I think this is particularly easy to do in fanfiction because so much of the "world" has already been provided for us, so I recognize this more when I'm writing original works.

The other thing I struggle with? Brevity. I know I can go on, and on, and on. lol I've gotten much better at this, but there is still room for improvement.

14 - Do you have any neglected work you really want to finish?

(Elsa leaves the room, quietly crawls under her desk, and hides…) YES!!! Far, far too many, and no matter how much I share those posts that say, "You don't have to finish! If you're not feeling it, move on!" I don't believe it! lol I really want to make wrapping them up a priority in 2024.  But I also know writing - particularly good writing - cannot be forced.  So, it's a goal, but I'll only do it if I feel it’s right. 

15 - If someone you know in real life (who isn’t involved in fandoms) asked to see your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you show them first? 

It would depend on who asked.  I’m not ashamed of writing fanfic at all, but if I believed the person would be judgemental, I wouldn't be willing to share.  A few of my friends have read select pieces of my fanfic, and I’ve always received positive feedback from them. I wouldn’t be opposed to sharing more.  What I'd share would depend greatly on the person asking.

16 - Are there any writers (published authors and/or fanfic writers) who influenced your writing or art? Are there any artists that influence you?

There are many published writers that I admire, but I don’t think they've influenced my writing here. Within the fandom, there are many writers who have inspired me in different ways. There is no way I can ever name them all. But I'd like to give a shout-out to some.

@jamespotterthefirst and @bex-la-get were among the first writers I read when I joined Tumblr. I found their passion for both canon and the worlds they created inspiring, especially as Open Heart was nearing its end and all of us addicts needed our fill. Reading their works helped keep the story alive for me and so many others, and it inspired me to try my hand at it as well. To my shock, they were both so encouraging and supportive of me when I arrived, and I'm forever grateful. Back then, I thought they were rockstars - and they are! But now, they're also friends. I wasn't familiar with @alwaysmychoices from the start, but when I came across their work, I was just blown away.  Weekend with Dr. Ramsey will live rent-free in my head forever, and that headcanon about Charlie calling Ethan the night before she marries someone else. (I faint.) Ohhh, the delicious angst! The way she made me feel what Charlie felt was just mind-boggling, and it encouraged me to really dig into my character's emotions and bring them to life in a more meaningful way.

Early on, I read @utterlyinevitable, and the thing that impressed me the most was how Dom was willing to "write stories that “went "go there.”  They tackled issues that others wouldn't touch.  In their world, everything wasn’t perfect, including the characters themselves. I admired that vision and, frankly, bravery, and it definitely encouraged me to write what I wanted to and not what I felt was expected of me.

More recently, @mydemonsdrivealimo inspired me to explore parts of my MCs that I have not delved into in the past.  In particular, Casey's bisexuality. It can be challenging to represent a bisexual character when they are in a straight-presenting relationship, and you risk alienating readers no matter what you do (looking at all readers here.) So it becomes easier to be lazy and ignore it. But that's a disservice to the character as much as it's a disservice to people living similar situations in real life... like I have many times. Through MJ's writing and our conversations, they've helped me become more aware and do a better job in this regard, and I'm not even sure if they know this - it may totally be news to them lol - but I'm eternally grateful. Now, I feel my girl Casey is free, and OMG, how I love our characters playing together in HC now!

Then there are @lilyoffandoms and @storyofmychoices, who bring joy to all that they touch. Who knew when Lily created a little drabble putting our characters in a new world together, it would end up being one of the brightest fandom spots of 2023? Who knew that so much more would stem from that one work? Seriously, it's been one of the highlights of my fandom experience this year, and it's helped me to find inspiration at times when I felt like it was lost. Thank you both - I am so lucky to have you both here!

There are so many more I could mention, but I'd still forget people and feel horrible, so I want to take the chance to thank every writer in the fandom for sharing their gifts with us. Each of you is an inspiration in your own way; each of you can give someone an idea, and you have no idea where that spark will lead. So, never stop sharing!

17-  Which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series? 

Delaying the Inevitable, Friends*, All in the Past, and the WIP What’s Forever For. I also think some of my Ethan x Tobias works would have made for a good sitcom, and how I wish my Tobias x Casey friendship with Bryce x Jensen would be an epic sitcom. The world needs it! lol   (Jensen belongs to @mydemonsdrivealimo.)

19- Do you write original fiction or create non-fandom art? 

I do. Mostly shorter stories that will never see the light of day, but also some more substantive works... which will also never see the light of day! lol I wrote a novel-length political thriller some time ago. It would need a ton of work to bring it up to 2024, as the political landscape has changed so much. I also have two original WIPs I've been writing. One is an angsty story about a friendship that's loosely based on a childhood friend I lost to cancer a few years ago.  The other is a polyamorous romance about two best friends who fall for the same person. It's really a beautiful, emotional story. If I like the end result, maybe I'll let it see the light of day... maybe. lol

20-  What other hobbies do you have?

I enjoy theater, and I'm lucky enough to live in the best part of the world to partake in that.  I go to a lot of Broadway, Off-Broadway, and local theater productions. I also love going to concerts - they’re like group therapy! Trust me, I got more out of seeing Noah Kahan and Hozier in 2023 than I did from the entirety of sessions with my therapist - and I loved my therapist. lol

Prior to 2020, I did a fair amount of traveling, and I hope to start doing a little more this year.  But I have to admit, since the lockdown, I’ve become more of a homebody, and I like it, so we’ll see how that goes! 

I used to be very involved with activism and advocacy for women’s, lgbtq+, and mental health issues. I still am, but in a different capacity than I was in the past. These issues require people fighting for them, and doing so has always been a huge part of who I am, but it can be draining, and burnout is real. I really reached the end of my rope. So, nowadays, I work as a volunteer for a couple local organizations that really mean a lot to me. I'm not involved in grassroots efforts or taking trips to talk to legislators as often, but I'm helping people on a smaller scale, and that still goes a long, long way.

22: BONUS - tell us anything you’d like (if you want to).

As most of you know, I’m one of the mods here at CFWC, so it was a little weird when my the wheel landed on my name.  But, honestly, it’s happened before, and I've just spun again, even though I am eligible. But this time around, I decided to do it. This fandom really means a lot to me, and I wanted to share a little more about myself and my crazy pixelated people.

I'm truly grateful to everyone in the fandom who does their part to make this a place that many, like me, still see as a place they want to be. We're smaller, it's imperfect, it has plenty of problems, but I am choosing to focus on the good... because there is much more of that than there is bad. So, thank you to each of you... and I hope we all have a wonderful 2024! xo

PS... My header... I know Tobias wasn't technically an LI... which was truly criminal. So, that's what fandom is for, fixing what canon effed up. lol My favorite canon LI is Trystan Thorne (COP). I tried adding their picture to the header alongside Tobias, but it looked terrible, so here I am. :)

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I can't wait to highlight more of you in 2024! :)

[facioleeknow]

Frat boy 1 • Choi Seungcheol

He fell first and hard. She thinks he hates her but he's actually emotionally constipated.

wc: 718 genre: humor(?), frat boy au

tw: hermit reader, bisexual and shameless Vernon, intimidating Seungcheol, not proofread, frat boys seventeen, nudity

an: hey guys this is the prologue of the series, let me know if you like it and if I should continue it

The entrance of the frat house looked menacing. SVT, short for Sigma Vau Theta, was the biggest frat in your university, counting a whopping twelve members, including your best friend, and a new pledge. Despite being friends for years you had never entered the house but Vernon, your friend, explained to you in detail where his room was “in case you needed a place to crash”.

A big and dramatic sigh escaped your lips, you didn't like being in a room with a couple of men let alone in a house with thirteen, but you had to bite the bullet for the sake of your best friend. Technically Vernon hadn't exactly invited you but he had always said that his door was open at all hours for you and he had been complaining non stop that morning about how donuts were the perfect hangover cure. You obviously took pity on him, got out of your dorm room (if something as big as a broom closet could be called a room) and bought him donuts and coffee.

So now you were stepping into a house that not only was full of men but also smelled like it was full of men.

I hate my life so much, you thought as you scanned your surroundings. 

The hall was empty, in fact the whole house seemed eerily quiet but you knew that a night of heavy drinking was basically the equivalent of having a near death experience so you weren't surprised.

You found the stairs easily and walked up with fast and silent steps. Nobody passed by you and nobody stopped you from roaming around the house, they were probably all sleeping.

“End of the hall, on the right, his name is on the door,” you whispered to yourself.

The hall looked neverending and for a second you thought you teleported in the shining’s hotel, the creepy one with the red carpet. When the name “VERNON” on a plain white door came into your line of vision you sighed, grateful. Without a second thought (and without knocking), you opened the door. An horrendous sight welcomed, your best friend was almost getting it on with a guy and they were both butt naked. 

“Vernon what the fuck!” you yelled. The two quickly got off of each other and pulled the sheets up to cover the family jewels.

“Don't be so dramatic, you've seen me naked,” nonchalantly replied Vernon while collapsing back into his pillow.

“Yes and that was a mistake that I didn't want to repeat,” you quipped back at him.

“Hi, I'm Alex,” the guy next to Vernon introduced himself and extended his hand to you, which you eyed suspiciously. Better not to shake that, you never know what it had touched.

“Hi,” you smiled back at him, “I brought you donuts.” The sweet treats were gently placed on his desk even if you wanted to throw them at him for making you witness that scene.

“I knew we were friends for a reason,” Vernon happily got out of bed, still naked, and walked to the door next to you. 

Ew.

“Right, I'm going to go, I need to bleach my eyeballs,” you scoffed.

“Bye drama queen.”

Getting out of the house was different than getting in, mostly because now you didn't care if you made noise, you just wanted to go back to your room and be alone. At the end of the stare your mood was changing, you felt somewhat proud of yourself. You had completed your mission without any major incident (seeing Vernon's dick was considered a minor incident), or so you thought. Because at the end of the stairs right when you were about to zoom across the hall to get the hell out of there, a hand grabbed your arm. 

“What are you doing here?” A guy with dyed blonde hair and very muscular arms was looking into your eyes with an intimidating stare.

“I’m Vernon's friend,” you were able to mutter out.

“I didn't hear you knock.”

“I didn't.”

If looks could kill you would've died a gruesome death.

“You should knock when you enter other people's houses,” he warned you. He slowly loosened the grip on your forearm and then let go of your arm completely. Like he appeared he disappeared, quickly.

Damn you hated frats.

[circle-with-me]

Where Do We Go From Here?

Pairing: Joakim "Jolly" Karlsson x ofc (fem reader)

Content Warning: 18+ MINORS DNI, voyeurism, vaginal fingering, mentions of smut, if i missed anything let me know.

Taglist: @thesazzb, @tearfallpixie, @synthetic-wasp-570, @nerdraging4point0 (thanks to them for cheering me on and dealing with me being a complete psycho as I freaked out over posting this. You're the best)

Author's note: This is the first thing I've ever written, or at least written and shared with multiple people. I don't have a clue what I'm doing but I'm kind of proud of it, so I hope you all enjoy it :)

PART 2

You’ve known Jolly for years. You met him not long after he moved to the area, striking up a conversation in a bar one evening. After hitting it off he had invited you to come watch his band play the following weekend. At first, you thought it was an attempt to get you in bed but when he caught up with you after the show he seemed genuinely interested in your opinion. You couldn’t help but find it adorable how nervous he was waiting for your review of his band’s performance.

As you gave him your very serious but glowing seal of approval, you watched Jolly’s once nervous features transform into pure joy. His infectious smile soon caused you to smile back at him and Jolly picked you up in his arms hugging you tightly. He laughed at you as you squealed from the unexpected bear hug. You spent the rest of the night parked on a cliff eating fast food and talking about anything and everything. You only realize how long you’ve been talking when you see the sun come up.

And then suddenly, Jolly was in your life. He would come over after you got home from work, and you’d make dinner and watch movies. The two of you would spend most weekends together; drinking, going to shows, or being useless couch potatoes. You were friends; best friends, never crossing any lines. Cuddling on the couch was the most “touchy-feely” the two of you would get and even then, Jolly would keep his hand on your upper arm or your head softly playing with your hair. 

It got to the point where the two of you spent so much time together that you questioned whether your friendship was affecting his love life. You had seen him with girls in the past, but they had mostly been one-night stands or short flings. None of them had lasted longer than a couple of months. You tried to make yourself scarce when a new one came along. You figured they didn’t want their boyfriend’s girl best friend hanging around much. Jolly always made a point to hunt you down, though, asking you why you were disappearing on him. 

“I don’t know” you’d say, shrugging. “I’m just trying not to interfere with your love life.” Usually, he’d roll his eyes and tell you to stop being ridiculous, but this time was different. This time when you said it his gaze fell from yours to your lips and back. The action was so quick you could have blinked and missed it. He pulled you into a hug and placed a kiss on the top of your head. 

“Ah, Käraste.” He said quietly into your ear. “You are my love life.”

Then, one night, after a particularly difficult breakup and a little too much to drink he kissed you. Kissing Jolly wasn’t at all what you expected it to be. You didn’t expect it to happen whilst inebriated in a poorly lit alley. You also didn’t expect it to be as soft as it was. You assumed it would be somewhat rough like his calloused hands. Instead, it was gentle and way too quick for your liking. He pulled back and ran a hand through his hair. 

“I’m sorry.” He sighed, staring at the ground. “I shouldn’t have done that.” 

You grabbed his chin gently to make him look at you, running your thumb lightly over his bottom lip. Jolly had one arm next to your head as he leaned against the wall behind you watching you intently. With your other hand, you grabbed him by the belt loop of his jeans and pulled him closer to you. He groaned as his hips slotted into yours and he pressed his hardening cock against your core. Your lips crashed together, and it wasn’t long before he had flipped you around against the wall and was fucking into you like it was his only purpose in life.

The rest of the night had been spent in bed with Jolly slowly taking you apart and putting you back together. Over and over again until you both fell asleep, sated and exhausted. 

After that, you were inseparable. More so than before. Things were perfect the first two years, but you never made it to the third. Something had changed, but you weren’t sure what it was. The spark wasn’t there anymore. You both found yourselves spending more and more time apart. He was spending more time working on music and you spent your days on your hobbies and work. Neither of you could pinpoint what caused you to drift apart but after a few months and a lot of fighting, there was no denying that things weren’t getting any better. 

So, you broke up. You were both devastated but couldn’t figure out a better way. Thinking back on it, you could have tried harder, and gone to couple’s therapy. Something other than just giving up, but the damage had been done. Living life completely without Jolly had proved impossible. He kept showing up with food or a terrible movie to watch. You couldn’t resist going to his shows. Old habits die hard. The romance was gone but you were best friends first. That was where you’d settle. Best friends and nothing else. You could still manage that, right?

At least that was what Jolly had planned.

Now, a year after the breakup, he’s sitting in your living room trying to keep his composure. You’ve been with this dipshit a couple of months and seeing you with him makes his skin crawl. He can’t even remember the guy's name. Kyle? Andy? Kody? Something stupid. He just knows that this gangly pathetic excuse of a man is making out with you on the couch less than two feet away from him and he’s ready to implode. 

This evening was supposed to be a group movie night with the guys from the band included but they all bailed for one reason or another. Deep down Jolly knew that the guys were trying to push their friends back together. They had seen how much the breakup had affected Jolly and hoped that by passing on the movie night it would give the two of you some time to reconnect.

Unfortunately, none of them, especially Jolly, knew that you would invite your shit-for-brains boyfriend. 

So now he’s stuck on this couch with the two of you. You’re leaning into Connor’s (Tyler’s?) chest, and he has his arm around you. One hand is resting on the arm of the couch and the other is rubbing the outside of your thigh. 

Jolly tries not to stare, but you’re wearing those fucking shorts. They’re pink satin pajama shorts with a slit at the side seam. He knows you’re not wearing underwear with them either because you never do. He’s fucked you in those shorts so many times he’s lost count, bending you over the nearest surface he could find. Sometimes he’d pull them down over your ass but most of the time he’d just push them to the side and pound into you until you had drenched both the satin material and his cock.

Fuck, he loved those shorts.

You were wearing them on purpose, Jolly figured. You were in a completely different outfit when he arrived at your place earlier in the evening: an oversized t-shirt and black leggings. Your idiot boyfriend showed up right after with pizza and beer and ruined Jolly’s hopes for a quiet evening alone with his best friend. You gave him an apologetic smile as Chris loudly made his way into the living room with dinner.

Chris. That was his fucking name. Still stupid. 

The three of you were eating quietly on the couch. Well, the two of you were. Chris was blabbering endlessly about his day at work. This was the fourth job he’d had since the two of you had started dating a little less than six months ago. He had left everyone because they “didn’t understand him”. Jolly knew that was code for “I fucked around and got fired.” He wondered what the hell was so appealing about this guy.

Chris continued along with his animated storytelling, his voice becoming even louder and more annoying every second. He started to wave his arms around, because how else do you get a point across? As he flailed his arms, he hit the beer bottle you’ve brought to your mouth, barely missing your lips and knocking it out of your hand. 

You stand up abruptly, gasping at the sudden sensation of cold beer in your lap. “Jesus Christ, Chris!” 

Chris just sat there, mouth agape, and laughing. “It’s not funny, you asshole.” Chris continued laughing as Jolly headed to the linen closet to get you a towel. 

“Thanks.” You mumbled quietly as you took the towel. Jolly nodded and sat down, glaring at Chris who was still quietly giggling. You cleaned the excess beer off your pants and the couch with the towel, annoyed at the fact you’ll have to deep clean your cushions later to avoid them reeking of cheap beer. 

“Babe I’m sorry, but that was funny.” Chris finally spoke. Jolly winced at his comment. Wrong thing to say. Both men watched as you slowly turned to meet Chris’ gaze. Jolly had been on the receiving end of that look on more than one occasion and was not envious of the man sitting beside him. 

You threw the now wet towel at Chris’ face. “You’re an idiot that needs to watch what the fuck he’s doing.” You hissed. Chris watched you wide-eyed as you stalked towards the stairs. “W-Where are you going?” He stammered. “I’m not going to sit all night in wet clothes reeking of beer, am I?” 

“Why bother changing? You could just strip here. I’m sure Jolly wouldn’t mind, would you?” He said, laughing and nudging Jolly with his elbow. Jolly started to say something but was interrupted by an object flying and hitting Chris directly on the side of his face. Chris yelped and held a hand to his face looking around wildly searching for the culprit. The object landed on the couch between the two men. Jolly erupted with laughter when he realized you had thrown your flip-flop from the top of the stairs and made perfect contact with your boyfriend's head. 

Suddenly, Jolly is brought back to the present by the sound of you giggling. He glances over to see the two of you had made up as you and Chris were making out. Your back is facing him, so you have no idea that he is currently watching the show. He stifled a groan. He liked it better when you were pissed and throwing things at him. Jolly dares to sneak another glance and watches Chris' hand not so subtly begin to slip into your shorts. He can hear you softly gasping and attempting to hide your moans in Chris’ neck, but he can hear them even over the movie that was playing. While I’m right next to you, are you fucking kidding me?

Jolly considers making a scene, bursting their little love bubble. He couldn’t decide who he was more pissed at, Chris or you. Then, as if he could hear Jolly’s thoughts, Chris made eye contact with him. Fuck. He didn’t realize he was watching again. He refuses to look away in some piss-poor attempt at establishing dominance. He’s the one fingering your girl right in front of you. Pretty sure he has the upper hand here. 

Chris smirks and Jolly breaks eye contact and watches as you begin to pant harder and whine. The noises go straight to his cock, and he has to avoid adjusting himself because he knows Chris is still watching. He can tell by the way you’re breathing that you’re about to cum and all he can do is sit there and watch. He could get up and leave but those pretty little noises you’re making are keeping him glued to his seat. Even if they’re not for him. Jolly watches as you roll your hips into Chris’ hand one last time and you’re seizing in his hands and bury yourself into his neck further to stifle a very loud moan unsuccessfully. 

Jolly mistakenly makes eye contact with Chris again, whose smirk is even bigger than before, and he winks. He could have strangled the motherfucker right there and not felt bad about it, but you love him. He quickly gets up off the couch and stalks to the kitchen because he’s pissed and the tightness in his joggers is getting to be too much. 

He stands in the kitchen trying to calm down. He should just leave. Just get in his car and leave. Later, he could tell you that he got a headache or something and that’s why he left. It had nothing at all to do with the fact that your boyfriend made you cum two feet away from him. No, she would know something was up. As upset as he was, Jolly didn’t want to embarrass her. He sighs and closes his eyes trying to think.

He hears footsteps coming into the kitchen and his eyes fly open thinking Chris was coming to brag in his face. Instead, you walk in, legs still a little wobbly from before. You lock eyes with him and instantly know something is up as his hazel eyes are now a dark brown. He stares intently at you, gripping the kitchen counter in front of him.

“Is everything okay?” you ask quietly, almost afraid of his response. His gaze flickers down your body and back up to your eyes as he licks his lips. You swallow harshly. Jolly hasn’t looked at you like that in over a year. You knew exactly what that look meant, and you couldn’t help but feel guilty at how much it affected you.

He pushes off the counter and in two quick strides has you by the throat and is licking into your mouth. He snakes his other arm around your waist and pulls you into him. You considered protesting but knew it would be a waste of time. Aside from his bruising grip, Jolly was always your weakness. You’d spent a year pretending you didn’t still care about him while also pretending your boyfriend had a chance at satisfying you the way Jolly did. If it was Jolly who had just taken care of you on the couch, you wouldn’t be walking at all. Jolly’s hand releases your throat and slides up into your hair. He pulls away, both of you panting. He stares at you for a moment and says “Tell me you love him. Tell me you love him, and I’ll stop.”

You blink for a moment, confused. Why would he say that now? Was he suddenly feeling guilty like you had been? You startled slightly as you heard your boyfriend laugh loudly at the movie in the living room. He wasn’t bothered by your absence. You continue to stare into Jolly’s eyes, still blown wide with lust but there was something else to them. They were almost pleading. You knew you didn’t love Chris. How could you? He was a placeholder, and you knew it. You couldn’t resist the beautiful Swedish man who had his grip on you, physically and emotionally. You feel his grip loosen slightly and watch his gaze drop. You realize in the time you’ve been considering his statement it appeared to him as if you were afraid to respond, which gave him his answer.

Quickly you grab his face with both of your hands and pull him close to you. Your noses bump and your lips are so close that they would touch with the slightest movement forward. “I don’t.” You breathe, “I don’t love him.” Jolly scans your face for any hint of insincerity. Seeing none his grip on your waist tightens and he sighs. “I can’t stand watching him touch you any longer. I can’t stand that he thinks you belong to him.” You tilt your head to the side slightly, pushing the hair out of his beautiful face and smile. “Then why don’t you show me who I belong to?”

[soleminisanction]

I don't know if you've touched on this but do you have any analysis that might explain why so many people think Cass is the "favorite" child? I've been seeing so many tweets and tiktoks about it (along with people pointedly snubbing Tim and saying he's the least favorite for whatever reason) and I'm not sure if it s joke because aside from the whole 'she's the only girl' explanation I don't think Bruce has ever expressed any sort of personal interest in Cass. He respects her fighting abilities and staunch no-killing morals but when she was mind-controlled by Deathstroke he turned on her pretty quick (so did Dick I think?). Not even considering the possibility that she was acting out of character and I'm pretty sure Tim was the only one defending her and pointing out that something was off. It was just interesting to me to see so many people thinking they were significantly closer than I believe is supported by canon and I was just wondering if I have missed something or just completely misread their relationship because Bruce does not seem all that close to Cass for her to even be considered in the running for "favorite child".

Twitter was the Bad Place long before Muskrat bought it and the only TikTok opinions I've ever heard that had any basis in canon reality came from PandaRedd, and I don't even know if he's still posting, I haven't heard from him in a while. So I have no idea what they're saying over there and quite frankly I don't want to think about it.

That said, the idea that Cass is Bruce's "favorite" is fairly common around fandom. For the most part I do think her being the only girl and fandom's knee-jerk tendency to make women perfect angels with no flaws whom everyone loves and adores out of a misplaced belief that doing so is the height of feminism plays a big part in that, buuuut I am also very much of the opinion that even the most out-there fandom misinterpretations almost certainly have their seeds somewhere in canon.

So I'd say -- mostly just based on gut instinct -- that some of it probably also stems from the connection mentioned in my last reblog. The fact that Bruce and Cass are so in-sync when it comes to The Mission and that said Mission is so fundamentally important to both of them, means it's not unreasonable to see how and why he'd favor her. I've heard Cass's Batgirl described as "the embodiment of everything good Batman was supposed to be," and you can see how people would extrapolate out from that to her being especially important to Bruce as a result.

All that on the table though, I don't think it's true. I don't actually think Bruce has a "favorite," I think he genuine does value all of his proteges for their unique strengths, worries over their unique struggles and is proud of the unique people they've become without feeling the need to rank them against each other.

But if he did have one? There's no contest in my mind -- it has to be Dick. They have the longest and most complex relationship. They're partners, brothers, mentor and student, father and son, master and disciple, sage and scholar -- they're soulmates, in the truest sense of the word. Nightwing is better than Batman, better than anything Bruce ever dreamed Batman could be, capable of doing more good for more people. Dick is his pride and joy, the best thing Bruce has ever done, the solid, tangible proof that, if nothing else, he could make the world better for one scared little boy who'd lost his parents.

Cass would definitely be up there in the rankings (probably jostling for position alongside Duke and Tim) but there's really no contest for first place.

[fangirlfrom-hell]

Swearing Jar || Upstead x daughter

Summary: Sophia is Hailey's and Jay's teenage daughter. She deffends Makayla from some bullys, now she has to pay the price.

*re-posting this because I'm stupid and accidentaly erased my other blog 🫠

This was the first fic I dared to post, I'm so glad I found it!

"Yeah, get out of here, you fucking asshole!"

Everyone at Molly's stood silent when they heard the screeming from outside the bar. The voice of the girl was unmistakable, everyone knew who she was. Hailey and Jay shared a concerned look.

"And don't you dare to even look at her again, you moron!"

It was defenitely Sophia. No doubt.

Hailey and Jay stood up in a hurry to go outside, followed by Adam and Kim, naturally Makayla was with her. From the other side of the bar, a concerned Severide also rushed to help.

"Or other wise you'll have to respond to me, you jerk! And I won't be any gentile!"

That last phrase made Hailey's and Jay's blood run cold. Everything happened so fast. Before they could reach the entrance door, it opened. Will Halstead was leading a furious Sophia and a crying Mckayla inside of the bar. Once the three of them were inside, and before the door closed, Lydia pocked her head out and yelled her last insult.

"Fucker!"

-"Sophia, please! That's enough!" Will took her from the shoulders and turned her inside of the bar.

Molly's was closed to the public that day, there was a party to celebrate Violet's and Gallo's engagement. So Sophia and Mckayla were able to be there along with their parents and friends. The place was full of firefighters, detectives and some doctors from The Med.

All of the guests were shocked looking at the girls, mostly looking at Sophia. They knew she was an impulsive girl, but their faces were showing confusion and concern.

Kim and Adam immediatly ran to hug their daughter. When Sophia raised her head she saw Hailey, Jay and Severaid in front of her, but also Platt, Hermann and Cruz had arrived to the scene. They were in a defensive position, ready to go out to defend the girls. Will raised his hands, saying that everything was ok.

Hailey walked to Sophia, Jay behind his wife. Both of them looking at their daughter straight to the eyes, asking for an explanation with a simple sight.

"-Mom, they were bullying her, ok? They were saying bad things to her and I wasn't going to let them! Not anymore!".

Jay was about to say something, when Kim interrupted without taking her eyes off Makayla.

"-Bullying? Who was bullying her?"

-"Some shitheads from school" -Sophia said right away.

-"Language!" Jay, Hailey and Will said unison, thought their first instinct was to laught.

Everyone at the bar was paying attention to the scene and they couldn't help to laugh a bit. Even Hank Voight smirked a little bit at the girl's reaction. That's when Sophia realized that this wasn't a private conversation.

"-Sorry", she muttered. "Look, I was trying to...protect her..."

-"At least she didn't hit anybody this time" -Mak said in a funny tone. She was feeling better now, surrounded by her loved ones.

-"Yes, because I happened to appear before she did something ~stupid". -Will completed Makayla's tought, which made her laugh.

-"That happened once and it was an accident. I thought we were over it?"

Jay rolled his eyes at her daughter's argument. "Ok. Let's leave this in here for now. We should go back to the party". -He said realizing the attention they were drawing.

-"Yeah, we should go back" Adam reafirmed, looking around.

Hailey hugged her daughter's shoulder and kissed her head, she couldn't deny she was proud of her daughter's grit.

Everyone went back to their seats. When Sophia passed by Severide, he strocked her head as a symbol of affection. He and Stella were very fond of her. Later that day, when Stella arrived from her shift, Kelly told her what happened with the girls and she bursted into laughs: "That girl has been a sassy pants since she was in diappers".

The party continued normally. Everybody seemed happy, having fun. Makayla was dancing and sharing laughts, as if nothing had happened before. Kim and Adam where isolated on a table having a serius conversation, those bully boys were not going to have it easy.

Sophia was seating between her parents at the same table as Will, Severaid and Stella. On the next table Voight, Platt and Mouch were part of the same conversation. Sophia told them how the boys were harrassing Makayla and how she felt the urge to defend her to make it stop. Hank suggested she had the gut to be a cop or maybe even a lawyer, Jay discarded both ideas. Trudy finished the conversation on the matter by saying "You've always been my favorite Halstead".

-"I'm a little bit hungry. Can I go get some pizza?"

-"Sure. Go get a slice and bring some more to me too. I can descount the favor from your new debt to the swearing jar" - Jay said teasing his daughter and then stood up to let her out. Sophia just rolled her eyes. He gave her a mocking smile.

Kim approached to the table in that exact moment, looking for Sophia.

-"Hey, Soph. I just wanted to thank you...I know this is not the first time that you stand for Mack like this, she has told us, so... just thank you. You've been a lot of help for her".

Sophia shrugged in shyness "She's my best friend", she stated reffering that the obvios thing to do was to stand for her friend, sister.

Hailey and Jay had their eyes on their daughter, they couldn't stop looking at her with a proud smile on their faces. The atmosphere was calm and full of love, when Will interrupted the feeling: "You still have to pay the swearing jar, you won't get rid of it".

Sophia abruptly pointed to Makayla and said as a joke: "You owe me like 10 dollars for this".

-"Are you kidding me?" -Jay stared- "You owe the jar like 50 dollars, kiddo".

-"Are you serius!?"

-"Yeah, I'm with your dad in this" -Hailey continued -"Those were really bad prohibited words, sweetie".

-"Yeah, and I only used them for a good reason".

-"Bad words are bad words, and you must follow the swearing jar law". Her father said raising an eyebrow and proceeded to drink from his beer.

Sophia crossed her arms and continued the funny argument "Really? How many criminals have you handcuff by talking to them politely?"

-"She's got a good point" -Trudy said.

-"I'm with her at this" -Voight followed.

They all laught at the silly debate. Those around who listened to the conversation shared some giggles, also because the family dynamic was adorable.

-"All right" -Hailey stood up- "If mom doesn't get the pizza, you two are going to starve, so excuse me".

Father and daughter sat down again, Jay hugging her by the shoulder "I love you, kiddo. I love you so much. You're still paying, though".

Sylvie approach to the table with a bright smile: "That won't be a problem. We all saw what you did, so Violet, Blake, Ritter and I collected some cash for you. Here you have".

-"Geez, thanks!"

-"Pay the jar, and don't you dare to curse ever again, or you'll leave us broke". -Violet yelled from her spot, next to Blake.

-"Straight to the jar" Severaid and Stella threatened.

Hailey came back to the table giving one slice of pizza to her daughter and another one for Jay: "This girl and her mouth...she's going to make us rich, I tell you".

[crazyunsexycool]

The love we gave away

Chapter 7

Pairing: Ransom Drysdale x Reader

word count: 4.0k

Word count: Some angst, talk about a surgery but nothing graphic, bit of a cliffhanger

A/N: So here we go with the next chapter. This is a bit of a filler/set up for what's to come. It's a bit dialogue heavy so I'm sorry if you don't like that! Next chapter is where were start really fixing things between reader and Ransom.

Series Masterlist

It was just after 1:00 pm when Bertie’s friends had finally shown up for their lunch date. The restaurant was busy as usual but their usual table was always available for them. From their vantage point they could see most of the dining room. It was perfect for Bertie’s friends who had a pension for gossip and this particular place was a hot spot for people that ran in their social circle. It was in the middle of their latest gossip fueled conversation that Ransom walked in. 

“So are you and Ransom officially over?” Lily asked Bertie as she watched him sit down. The question was innocent enough but Bertie knew where the conversation would go.

“Seems like it.” 

“Ransom single again? That’s dangerous. Do you think he’ll start making his usual rounds?” Gretchen, Bertie’s other so-called friend asks. 

“Why don’t you ask him yourself.” Lily motions over to where Ransom was sitting. “Only if it’s ok with Alberta, obviously.” 

Both women look at Bertie but she’s looking at Ransom. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion when a set of teenagers head toward Ransom’s table and hug him.

“What the hell?” 

“What?” Lily and Gretchen both turn around to see what Bertie was looking at. “Since when does he hang around kids?”

“Ew, he’s not a perv is he?” 

“No, he isn’t.” Bertie mumbles. 

Lily gives Gretchen a conniving glance. If there is anything that they liked more than money it was using Bertie. They did that with Bertie a lot. She was their main source of entertainment in their dull lives. So it took them no time at all to push Bertie into confronting Ransom about what happened at the wedding. 

**** 

“So, how’s school?” Ransom asked once Abigail and Theodore had settled down. 

“It’s fine.” 

“Just fine?” 

“Well,” Theo says before smiling. “I made the hockey team.” 

“That’s fantastic.” Ransom praises. “What about you princess?” 

“It’s alright. I’ve mostly dealt with assholes. Teddy is becoming the popular one.” 

“You’ll get there too princess.” 

“Ransom?” 

Ransom, Abby and Teddy turn to find Bertie standing beside the table. She looks at the twins first and then at Ransom. Behind her Lily and Gretchen had little matching smirks. The smile Ransom had completely disappears and a scowl takes its place.

“Bertie. Slut 1 and slut 2, what are you doing here?” 

Abigail tried to suppress her laugh while Teddy just stared in slight shock. Gretchen glared at Ransom while Lily mumbled an ‘asshole’ under her breath. Bertie however was looking between Ransom and the twins, she could immediately see the resemblance. 

“Who are they?” She asks. 

Ransom rolls his eyes as Teddy grabs his phone from his pocket. 

“It’s mom.” He whispers to Abby and he walks out to answer the phone. 

“Why don’t you go with him?” 

Abigail looks from the women to Ransom but before she could even get up Teddy was back. 

“Hey, mom needs us back at home.” He tells his sister. “It’s nothing serious but we have to go.” 

Abigail gave Ransom a sad look. They had been looking forward to seeing him and you since you’d gone to the wedding. Now the time had been cut short. 

“Don’t worry about it, kid. We can meet up again.” Ransom says softly, catching Bertie and her friends off guard. 

“You’re not going to introduce us, Ran?” Lily spoke up, hoping to get some information. 

“No.”

“Oh, come on Ransom. We’re friends aren’t we? Why are you being so secretive?”

“We’re none of your damn business.” Abigail snaps, her eyes holding so much annoyance Ransom couldn’t help but be proud. 

“Go, we’ll talk later.” 

Teddy takes Abby’s hand and leads her out of the restaurant. Ransom stares at Bertie before glaring at her friends until the two left. With a sigh Ransom stands, dropping some bills on the table for the drink he’d already had. 

“Ransom what is going on?” Bertie asks. 

“We should talk. I’m staying nearby, come on.”

“Who are those kids?” Bertie asks as soon as the door to Ransom’s suite is closed. She was just curious. Ransom was usually so guarded and closed off. The only emotion he showed was lust or annoyance so to see him smiling and relaxed had caught Bertie off guard.  

Ransom sighs as he makes himself and Bertie a drink. 

“I know I don’t deserve any favors from you but I need you to promise me that what I tell you stays in this room.” Ransom says. “Not for me but for them. I need to protect them.”

That confuses Bertie even more but she nods. Curiosity getting the best of her. 

“I need you to say it.” 

“I promise, anything you say stays a secret.” Bertie reassured him. 

“I’ll answer any question you have but to answer your first question, they’re my kids.” 

Bertie stares at Ransom in complete shock. Out of all the things she expected him to say, that wasn’t it. Before she can ask anything else Ransom speaks up with a lot more vulnerability that she thought he was capable of. 

“No one outside of my immediate family knows about this so I’m trusting that you really won’t say anything. I know I’ve been an ass and I deserve whatever you throw my way but please leave them out of it.” He says before taking a deep breath. “Their mother and I dated in high school. She showed me what it meant to love. Obviously having kids at 17 wasn’t part of the plan but it happened.” 

Bertie listens to everything Ransom has to say. From finding out he was going to be a dad to having to give the kids up and finally how the relationship ended. Of course Ransom never said your name in order to protect you. He then explained how the kids are back in his life and how he got back in touch with you. 

Bertie couldn’t help but shed a few tears as she listened to him speak. All of it explained his bitter view of the world. Add that to the strained relationship, if you can even call it that, he has with his family and she could better understand that the man in front of her was only trying to protect himself. 

“So that’s it, that’s everything. You’re the only person I’ve ever told any of this to.” 

Ransom breathed a sigh of relief. It was a weight lifted off his shoulders to be able to tell someone. He watched Bertie just sit there in a sort of stunned silence. He’d liked her enough. Bertie wasn’t like the rest of the women in their social circles and if he had to, he’d stay in a relationship with her. But once you were back in Ransom’s life he’d realize that he should want more. He didn’t want to settle and end up resenting Bertie for something that was not her fault. Bertie deserved better too. She was kind in a world of backstabbing, self centered, egotistical assholes. 

“You have kids.” It’s the first thing she says. “You have kids. I didn’t think you even liked children or would want any.” 

Ransom gives a slight shrug of his shoulder. 

“I don’t know that I do like children. The twins are 15. The last time I saw them was the day they were born. They were probably little shits in between.” 

Bertie’s eyebrows lifted in surprise at his words. 

“Who am I kidding? They were great when they were little too.” Ransom smiled proudly at the thought of his babies. 

It softened Bertie’s heart. She had been so angry with him when he first broke up with her. She was under the impression that although the relationship wasn’t perfect, they were heading in the right direction. That, maybe, with enough time Ransom could love her. That’s why she showed up at the wedding, to show him that she was serious about them. Never in her life did Bertie think that there was someone else in Ransom’s life.

“And their mother?” Bertie asked. “Are you and her back together or working it out?” 

“I don’t even know. I fucked that up.”

“What happened?” 

“I may have said some harsh things I definitely didn’t mean.” Ransom runs a hand over his face and sighs. “But I messed up even before the wedding. There was a lot left unsaid between us.” 

“The wedding? Was she there?” 

Ransom stares at Bertie for a moment before giving a slow nod. Her shoulders slump from their usual tense posture. 

“Then I showed up and ruined anything you’d done.” 

“This isn’t on you. It was my responsibility and I was an asshole.” 

“Still,” Bertie sighs. “I love a happy ending. Even if it isn’t meant for me.” 

“Bertie-“

She holds a hand up, stopping Ransom. “You don’t have to apologize. If anything I feel like I should. You had a chance to make things right and I ruined it for you. I hope you can figure it out.” Bertie stands up and runs her hands down her outfit to smooth it out. “I should go.” 

Ransom stood and followed her to the door. She turns and looks at him, cupping his face she places a kiss on his cheek. 

“I hope we can stay friends.” Bertie murmurs. 

“Of course. If you ever need me to tell someone off I’ll be more than happy too.” 

Bertie smiles sadly and steps away from Ransom. With one last look at him she walks away. It was done and Ransom couldn’t be more relieved. Now all he had to do was show you that he was serious about being with you. 

“I’m not liking those two fabrics together.” You shake your head at one of your assistants. With some sketches in hand you go back and forth between fabric swatches trying to find something you’d really like but you feel as if you’d hit a wall. It wasn’t good considering that fashion week would be around the corner and you were changing a few designs around. 

“Y/N,” Wanda places a hand between your shoulders to gently get your attention. “Annie is here and she says she really needs to talk to you.” 

You turn to Wanda and see the worried look on her face. Without missing a beat you drop everything and head to your office where Wanda had her waiting. 

“Annie? Is everything ok?”  

The older woman stood as soon as you opened the door to your office. She looked consumed with worry and you felt a pit in your stomach.

“Is it the kids? Are Abigail and Theodore ok?” 

“Yes they’re fine, they’re meeting up with Ransom for lunch. I just…” she looked a bit lost so you guided her to sit again and then grabbed a water bottle from the mini fridge you keep by your desk and handed it to her. “Thank you.” She says after taking a sip.

“Is everything ok?” 

“I didn’t want to bother you with anything but there’s an emergency back in Ohio.” She begins to explain. “I feel so awful asking anything of you.” 

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m here for whatever you need.” 

“My mother needs to have emergency surgery. My sister says things aren’t looking good so I need to be there. I don't know how long I’ll have to be out and I can’t pull the kids out of class. My job is going to let me work remotely for the next few days, maybe even weeks but Abby and Teddy…” 

Your heart beat wildly as you thought about what she might ask of you and you were ready to say yes. 

“They can’t stay alone for that long. Knowing them, they’d cause some type of chaos.” Annie took your hand in hers and looked at you straight in the eyes. “Would it be too much if I asked you to look after them?” 

You wanted to scream at the top of your lungs with excitement. Being able to spend more time with Abigail and Theodore had been on your mind lately but you didn’t know how to broach the subject about them spending the night at your place. Now there wouldn’t be any awkwardness, at least from your part, when it came to asking. 

“I would love to help in whatever way I can.” Annie immediately relaxed when she heard your answer. “Do they know? Would it be ok if they stay at my place with me? I can have someone go to your place and check in every few days if you’d like.” 

“That would be great. I haven’t told them anything yet though. I didn’t want to worry them until I knew what you would say. Now I just have to figure out travel arrangements. Hopefully I can get there by the time the surgery finishes. Thank you so much, Y/N. It’s been so hard without Daniel and I was so worried that moving here was the wrong thing to do but I’m glad I did.” Annie says with tears in her eyes. It was obvious she was overwhelmed so if there was anything you could do for the woman that had given your children a loving home you would do it.

“Well you aren’t alone here, you have me and I know if you needed him, Ransom would be happy to help you too. Now why don’t you let me make the travel arrangements for you. I’m sure I could get you back home by tonight and you go back and tell the twins. Then I’ll pick you and the kids up.” 

“That sounds great. Thank you so much Y/N, really. I don’t think I could ever repay you.” 

“You’re letting me be in Theodore and Abigail’s life, that’s more than enough payment.” You stand when Annie does and she brings you in for a hug. 

“Still, this means so much to me. I’ll get everything ready, including all of the kids’ important documents just in case. I don’t think I mentioned it but I added you as an emergency contact at the school so I’ll let them know you’ll be the one to reach if they need anything.” 

That piece of information caught you by surprise but it warmed your heart. Annie trusted you enough to watch over the kids and be an emergency contact for them. You smile and nod while following Annie out of your office. She pulls you in for a hug before leaving. Wanda was close by waiting to see what was going on. You asked her to have your private jet prepared and then you called your maid to get two of your guest rooms ready for Abigail and Theodore. Now all you had to do was wait for Annie to be ready. 

Annie had been dropped off at the airport by you. Her jaw dropped when she realized you’d arranged for your private jet to take her back home. At first she shook her head and said she couldn’t accept it but with help from Theodore and Abigail you managed to convince her to go. After that it was a trip straight to your penthouse. 

You were very anxious about Theodore and Abigail staying with you. It wasn’t bad but you weren’t sure how they would react to your home. Would they see that you were doing well for yourself and question why you didn’t keep them? 

It made no sense but at the same time you couldn’t help but wonder. They deserved the best out of life and at that time you had nothing. It didn’t mean you couldn’t give them everything now. 

Seeming to notice your anxiety Theodore grabs your hand. The gesture surprised you but when you look up at him he gives you a small shy smile. Your breath hitches, Theodore reminded you so much of Ransom it made your heart ache. If Ransom had grown up with loving parents you were sure he’d be more like Theodore.

The elevator doors open right into your foyer. Both kids had their jaws on the floor as they took in your apartment. It was warm and inviting and full of colors. The foyer leads down to the living room which has huge floor to ceiling windows giving them a spectacular view of the city on one side and huge colorful and beautiful paintings on the others.

“Wow.” Abigail whispered as she walked past the couches and straight to the windows. “This is amazing.”

“It looks better from the terrace.” 

“Can I?” She motions towards the glass door that give way to the outdoor space. 

“Yeah, I’ll show you around, come on.” 

You lead the way and open the doors, letting them both go out first. Abigail and Theodore start talking over each other about the pool. They’re so excited as they roam around the terrace and it chokes you up a bit. You take a deep breath to calm yourself before ushering them back inside. Then you proceed to show them the kitchen, dining room, family room, your office, the small work room you have for yourself before taking them upstairs to where the bedrooms are. 

“I hope it’s ok. I know the rooms look plain compared to the rest of the place but I didn’t want to decorate them. I thought you could do that yourself.” You say as you show them where they’ll be staying.

The bedrooms are across the hall from each other and they each have a bathroom attached to them. The rooms themselves are huge and you made sure to have basic necessities in the bathroom as well as some other things they might like in their rooms. 

“Really?” Abigail asked excitedly.

“Of course.”

“Any way we want?” Theodore asked but there was a hint of mischief in his eyes. The same you saw in Ransom many times before. 

“Any way that’s appropriate.” You narrow your eyes in his direction and he grins. “I thought that we could maybe do it together.” 

“I’d love that.” 

“Me too.” Theodore agrees and your heart feels lighter. “Thanks for everything.” 

“You don’t have to thank me.” 

“We do,” Abigail nods before walking in front of you and giving you a hug. “You didn’t have to arrange a private jet for mom but you did it anyway. I know she thinks we don’t realize how hard it’s been for her not having dad around anymore.” Abigail pulls back. “But we do and you stepped up to help her. It means a lot to us.” 

You give her a smile as you try to blink back tears. 

“It really does. And I’m glad we get to spend some more time with you too.” Theodore adds and now you can only wipe away the tears that fell. 

“Ok well if your intention was to make me cry then you’ve done it.” 

Abigail giggles before hugging you again. You loved every single one. 

“How about you get settled and we can order dinner. Then we can watch a movie.” 

“Can we invite Ransom? We didn’t get to have lunch with him because we had to go home and pack.” Theodore looked at you with hopeful eyes and you knew you couldn’t say no. 

“I’ll yext him since he’ll need my address. I’m going to shower real quick and I’ll be down.” 

You walked down to your room and leaned against the closed door. With a groan you send Ransom a quick text letting him know that the kids wanted to see him and give him your address. His response was quick and you start to dread seeing him but the kids want to and you won’t deprive them of being with their father.  

You were standing in the foyer waiting for the elevator to finish ascending. The doorman had called you to let you know Ransom had arrived. The last time you’d seen him was a few days back when he made that promise to make things right again. You weren’t sure he’d be able to. 

The elevator dings and the doors slide open. You take a deep breath as Ransom steps out. He’s wearing a black leather jacket with a white t-shirt underneath and dark wash jeans. His hair wasn’t pushed back how he normally wore it instead it fell over his forehead just enough. You stared at him for a moment, Ransom looked good. 

“Hey Thimble.” Ransom said quietly. Too quietly for him anyways. “Where should I set this down?” 

You realized for the first time he wasn’t empty handed and You immediately moved to grab some bags from him. He followed quietly as you made your way to the spacious kitchen and set everything down. Ransom had his chest practically glued to your back as he settled the bags in his hands down. When you turned around he was holding up your favorite flowers. It was a small bouquet and it reminded you of the first time he ever got you flowers. 

“I hope they’re still your favorite.” He says softly. 

You looked up at him with a mixture of anger and nostalgia. It didn’t seem fair that he was using your shared past to get on your good side. The worst part was thinking that it might actually work in his favor. It didn’t mean you’d make it so easy for him if he truly wanted to fix things.

“They’re fine.” You say as you snatch them from his hand and he smirks. 

“Ransom.” 

“Hey princess.” Ransom turns around just in time to catch Abigail in his arms. He lifts her up and she giggles as he does a quick spin before setting her back down. “Hey, bubs.” 

Theodore is just behind Abigail and to your surprise he also leans in for a hug. Ransom then presents Abigail with flowers as well. 

“They’re beautiful, thank you.” She looks up at him lovingly. “It’s the first time I’ve ever gotten flowers.” 

Ransom’s chest puffed up and he couldn’t help the smile he had as he looked over at you. You gave him a small nod, to let him know he was doing something right before turning to find two vases. 

“What, I don’t get flowers?” Theodore joked but Ransom pulled out a box of chocolates. 

“Annie said you have a sweet tooth.” 

“Thanks.” Theodore looked down at the box of chocolates and smiled realizing they were his favorites. “I’m starving.” 

“Well good thing the food is here. Why don’t you grab the bags and I’ll bring in plates.” 

Abigail gives you her flowers and grabs the food along with her brother. Ransom walks around the island to stand by you. 

“Where is everything we need?” 

You point at the cabinets behind you and he quickly moves to get what’s needed and he heads towards the dining room. After taking a second to calm yourself you grab drinks and join Ransom and the kids. 

****

“One more time. I’ll catch it, I swear.” Theodore laughs before waiting for Ransom to throw a dumpling into his mouth. And he does catch it. 

The moment is fun and light between the four of you. At that moment you aren’t thinking about what happened in the wedding. You’re just enjoying being together. It’s a glimpse of what could have been. 

“So who’s Bertie?” Abigail asks after the joking was done. 

You immediately tensed and Ransom looked across the table at you but you wouldn’t meet his eye. He sighs and takes a sip of his drink. Theodore looks at him expectantly and Abigail is doing the same. 

“She’s my ex-girlfriend.” 

“Oh.” Abigail nods. “And slut one and slut two?” 

“I’m sorry?” You look from Abigail who was sitting across from you to Ransom and he grimaces. “You called women sluts? And in front of our daughter?” 

Hearing that pissed you off so much and your voice was much more harsh than you intended. 

“Is Bertie why you two are being weird around each other now?” Theodore interrupted. 

You and Ransom both turn to look at him and he just shrugs. 

“Seriously. Tension, meet knife.” Abigail adds. “What’s going on?” 

“Look, as I said Bertie is my ex. She showed up at the wedding unannounced, after we broke up. But I talked to her and she understands that it’s over.” 

“So what? Were you getting back together at the wedding?”

“I’d rather not have this conversation with everyone that’s present at the table.” You say. 

“Fine by us. We’ll go watch a movie and you figure this out.” Abigail grabs her plate and drink. Theodore follows his sister’s lead and they leave you alone with Ransom. 

Ransom can’t help but chuckle.

“Did you put them up to this?”

“Hell no.” He shakes his head. “But I’m more than happy to talk this out.” He leaned forward again, resting his forearms on the table. “Please.” 

Ransom wasn’t one to use his manners. You wanted to kick him out and keep your distance but there’s that part of you that wants to work out whatever this is. It’s the part of you that still loves him. The part that promised that you’d love him forever. It was winning the fight in your head. 

“Fine, talk.” 

Ch. 8

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[caulifleurr]

Left Behind for the Holidays Pt. 2

You're finally home again. While off-duty, you get to relax for a while. That might be difficult knowing you've towed the Lieutenant with you for the holidays.

Warning: Nsfw-ish at the end!

Masterlist here!

"Settle in, Lieutenant. I'll prepare the spare room for you." You say, turning the circuit breaker on then putting your bag down on the couch. You walk to the spare room, turning needed light switches on as you go. The space heaters hum into life, fighting off the chilly air. Your apartment is a two-bed one-bath unit, complete with a living space, small kitchen and dining area. Again, not fancy at all, just some fundamental pieces to furnish the place. It's simple, but cozy.

"Why's it... So clean?" Ghost asks, confused after running a finger on the nearest drawer and finding it mostly dustless.

"Oh, I get it cleaned every few months. Some dudes just come in and tidy the place up. I notified them that I'll be home today, so they cleaned up beforehand." You reply from the spare room.

"You don't get robbed?" He asks from the living room, his question a bit too real. Classic Ghost behavior, frank as always.

"I don't have much valuables, and besides, the cleaning company does their job well. They don't pry and they're run by a retired military man. That's exactly why they're perfect for the job of keeping the homes of soldiers in active duty spick and span." You reply, feeling proud of your foresight. You finish putting out a fresh blanket, two pillows, and a towel for the lieutenant, then stand in the doorway.

"Clever girl." He says lowly, when you reappear. The hairs on the back of your neck stand up and you clear your throat.

"All yours, Sir." You say, gesturing to the room. He walks to the spare room, stopping in front of you.

"Appreciate it, Sprout. By the way, we're off duty, Ghost is fine." He says with crinkled eyes, before walking in and closing the door behind him. You feel the blood rushing up to your face, and feel grateful that he's not there to see it.

"I'll go get some groceries. Key's on the counter if you wanna step out." You say to his closed door, and you hear footsteps getting closer. He opens the door slightly, and leans on it. He has shed his jacket but holding it, only having his thermal dark grey long-sleeved shirt underneath. It clings to his body, highlighting the muscles along his form.

"Don't want me to come with?" He asks, raising a brow.

"You're probably tired from driving, just relax and freshen up if you want." You reply, looking up at him, to avoid staring at his biceps.

"I'm a hardened soldier, Sprout. I can handle a five-hour drive and grocery shopping on the same day." Ghost chuckles as he puts his jacket back on, his tone playful.

"Alright, then. There's a store just two blocks from here. Maybe we could also get some food on the way back, because I'm not cooking tonight, I'm beat." You say, checking your pockets for your wallet. His eyes silently follow your hands, patting along your jeans, on your behind. You start for the door, but turn abruptly.

"Almost forgot." You say sheepishly, plugging the fridge on. You grab the door key on the counter on the way out, with the man you brought closely following. You lock the door after him and you both go out into the snowy evening.

"Hmm, what else." You think out loud, scanning the shelves in the store. Ghost stands nearby, silent like some bodyguard. You spot a box of pasta on the top shelf and reach out for it, only to be interrupted by him reaching it first and dropping it onto your basket. The action makes you feel his body heat, as he gets so close to you for a second. You just stare blankly at the pasta box in your basket, not wanting to betray anything with your face.

"Is that enough? Shouldn't it feed two?" He pipes up, and you realize he's right. You've only ever shopped for one, and your habits took over. He sees the realization hit your face, so he just chuckles and offers to get more of what's in your basket. He comes back with another basket of identical items and some of his own.

God, I'm so lucky, I get to be domestic with him for a bit.

Pretty soon after, you finish picking out the things you need. You offer some bills to the cashier, but he adds his own money to contribute. You whip your head up at him, ready to decline his generosity.

"No, no. I'm consuming this too, might as well chip in." He says with finality, before you can even open your mouth. He takes your extra bill from the cashier and hands it back to you. Your fingertips brush his for a millisecond, and you feel him tense up again like earlier. You blink, pretending you didn't notice.

You stop by at a small diner to get some food to go, just some hot sandwiches, as per his request. He's carrying paper bags full of groceries in both of his arms, while you hold on to a plastic bag with your dinner in it. Light snowfall dusts both of you, like powdered sugar on fresh beignets.

You both get back to the apartment complex, and you turn your key in your door after shaking off the snow that hadn't melted already on your clothes. Ghost walks in to place the groceries on the kitchen counter, and yawns. You take your scarf off and hang it behind your door.

"Go eat without me, I need a hot shower first." He says, taking his jacket off and going in the spare room to retrieve his toiletries and the towel you lent him. He walks off to the bathroom, and you hear water running.

Fuck, I can't believe he's showering in my bathroom.

You sit at the dining table, take a sandwich out of the bag, and munch on it. Thoughts race in your head, so it took you quite longer than expected in finishing your meal. You tidy up, stocking your fridge and cupboards with the groceries you got. The fresh produce you left on the sink to wash in the morning.

After a while, you hear the bathroom door click open and hear footsteps going into the spare room.

"Water pressure okay?" You ask, still busy at the sink. You hear a muffled "yeah" and you hum in reply. You finish up just as you hear his door click again, and you slowly move your eyes up to acknowledge him.

"Sandwich's on the table. I'm gonna go for a shower too-"

Your foot gets caught on a rut on the hardwood floor, stumbling a bit. You didn't fall face-flat though, as a strong hand clasps around your arm, steadying you.

"Easy." Ghost says, his voice soft. He lets go after you've regained your balance.

"Shit, I'm sorry."

"Don't mention it." He says, and you look up at him.

Holy shit.

His blonde hair is damp, he's wearing a white t-shirt and black sweatpants. You notice his sleeve tattoo, covering his entire left forearm. His hands are bare, the first time you've seen them, and his slender fingers look really elegant in the dim kitchen light. Of course, his black face mask is still there. You smell his shampoo, and you feel like you could get lost in the scent.

"What?" He asks, ripping you away from dreamland. You gulp and look away quickly, but your face has started to betray you.

"Like what you see, Sprout?" He adds, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Didn't mean to stare, Sir. I just... I've never seen you like this." You reply in a small voice.

"Again, we're off duty, Ghost is fine. Might as well relax a bit, as you've invited me to spend the holidays with you." He says, crossing his arms over his chest and putting his weight on one foot.

Your face feels hot and you back away slightly, embarrassed. Ghost chuckles, his brown eyes glinting. You clear your throat and stand straight. You mutter a "thanks" and shuffle off to get a towel and your toiletries for a shower. You quickly get your towel and the shower stuff from your bag, as he sits at the dining table, back facing you, eating his sandwich.

You get in the shower and sigh, a bit relieved. That relief quickly turns into the cold realization of being where Ghost has showered only a few minutes ago.

The glass enclosing the shower and tub is still fogged up from the steam. You look at the bottles on the caddy, still beading with water. You sigh and place your own toiletries right next to them, slinging the towel on the rack right after. You undress and carefully put your clothes in the laundry basket, thankful that it has a lid.

Everything still smells like his shampoo.

You sigh again, turning the shower on and letting the warm water hit your face.

Fuck, that feels good.

You open one eye, slowly forming a thought. Said thought catches you off-guard, and you feel blood rushing up to your face. Swallowing hard, you slowly reach down between your legs, only to find you're quite soaked, but not due to the shower. You're feeling aroused, being enveloped in Ghost's scent.

[leggerefiore]

Liar, Liar

cw: Mafia au, violence toward reader with a knife by an attacker, fluff, poly (ingo/reader, emmet/reader), minor injuries,

summary: You meet two identical men in your café, and they change your life. Whether it's for the better is up in the air.

words: 2922

----

There were obvious signs of something amiss in Nimbasa. It would be foolish to pretend everything was a happy, expensive area with only bright and kind people in the population.

Customers would gossip about whatever a certain group had taken to doing in the seedier areas. Well, they even took up some residence in the wealthier areas. Talks of thefts, deaths, and over all violence and intimidation. You pretended to be ignorant, focused more on washing your cups rather than looking over your shoulder for any unwelcome guests in your sleepy café tucked away in a transitory area of the city. Close enough to the subway station not to worry about getting off late, yet not possible to entirely avoid the supposed members of a crime syndicate in the area.

You treated them as you would any other customer, happy they did not enter your business coated in a layer of blood and reeking of smoke.

It had been raining the evening you made your first encounter was one of the two men that would come to consume your life.

Rain tapped against the glass of your shopfront, which looked out into the mostly deserted road. Street lights had yet to come on, but the lights of the store illuminated the area enough. Evening had taken hold, however, so soon the iridescent white lights from above would bright light to this coming darkness. Light piano music wafted from your small speaker, sound to break an uncomfortable silence. Your store was mostly empty at this hour, most customers already come and gone for the day.

Your back had been turned as you cleaned one of your cups, humming along lightly to the music. For a moment, you finally felt at ease. The day had not been particularly busy, but you were looking forward to your one-day off.

The bell on your door ringing had honestly caught you off-guard.

Turning your head, you saw a pitiful looking man soaked head-to-toe. His white button-down almost translucent, leading to him pressing his heavy coat closer to himself to hide his visible skin. He took his hat off his head to completely reveal his silver strands underneath. They were dry, having avoided the onslaught of water. You immediately felt terrible for the guy. His face was frozen in a frown, and his eyes looked uncertain as he gazed around the room. Warm, yellow light gave the café a welcoming feeling as it bounced off the wood tones that decorated the room.

“… What would you like?” you asked him as you approached your counter, “With your condition, I'm willing to give you anything under ten for free.” His eyes went wide as his cheeks dusted with a light pink.

“I couldn't,” he mumbled himself as he looked over your menu, “A plain cup of your house-blend…” You tilted your head as he lightly placed the exact change for the drink on your counter. Something about him felt like a challenge. You shook your head and gave the cash back to him.

“That's barely a charge for me,” you argued lightly, “Just take it and unwind for a minute. Take a seat, I'll have to mop anyway.” For a moment, his eyes met yours. They were the same colour as his hair. You smiled at him sweetly, and he broke the contact and awkwardly hobbled over to a chair. A proud feeling bubbled up in your chest. Quickly, you poured him his order and brought it out to his table. Giving him another grin, you walked back to your sink to continue your dishes.

One glance was given to him, however, watching as a small smile spread across his lips. You felt victorious. Another 'customer' satisfied.

You had barely noticed when he left, focused entirely back on your dishes. The bell simply rang, and an empty cup sat on the table.

Alongside the money you had given back to him.

~

The second one of the two came not long after on a following evening.

You had taken to trying out a new dessert recipe when the bell rang. Turning your head, you spotted him. At first, you believed it was the same guy. You waved at him and rushed over to the counter, macarons still in hand. He had tilted his head at the item. Grinning at him, you spoke, “Hey! You came back!” His face twitched a bit at that, but you continued on. “I told you that you really didn't need to pay, but you still did! I won't let you trick me twice,” you proudly declared and pushed the plate to him, “Take these. No payment needed.”

He blinked a few times before bursting into a fit of laughter. It did not seem mean, nor was it teasing. “Ingo told me you might bring it up,” his voice was different in cadence to before, “I am Emmet, and you are thinking of my twin brother.” Your eyes went wide. Two? There were two of them? Looking him over more thoroughly, you could tell he had a different air to him. Something more playful and expressive.

“Well, that changes nothing,” you shook your head, “Take them still! My revenge will be through you.” He gave another giggle at your words, but took the plate. Looking them over, he hummed excitedly and popped one into his mouth. Pure joy bled on his face. You felt confident now that they should be added to your menu.

“These are verrrry yummy,” his voice was like a bird's coo, “Heehee, with the shade of yellow these are, you could put little eyes and legs on them and sell them as Joltiks.” Your eyes went wide. That was smart. Really smart. People liked cute and themed things.

“Good idea… Er, Emmet,” it felt odd to call a near stranger by their name, “Did you want to order a drink?”

His smile was bright as he immediately gave you one of the most complicated and sugary orders of your life. It did smell good, though.

~

After both of their visits, you felt as if your café had gained more traction. Depot agents popped in on their breaks, and many more varied people came in, too. You enjoyed the sudden boom in profits but wondered what had happened to bring so many people in. No influencer or celebrity had come as far, you knew. (Well, the model Elesa had visited, but that was only after the sudden boom of people.) It was exciting and thrilling.

The two odd silver-haired men had even become regulars, much to your delight. Often, you tended to get one in at a time, but when they came together, you enjoyed watching them bicker like most siblings do. Emmet obviously respected his older brother a lot but still could not resist teasing and mocking him lightly. Ingo tried to keep his brother's “bad” behaviour at a minimum and scolded him for random things. They mostly just chatted with you, though. Their love of trains and battling was obvious, which is why they explained that they became Subway Bosses (and the Depot agents finally made sense).

Separately, they seemed to find themselves on different topics. Ingo spoke about his interest in cooking and how he somehow found his paperwork more relaxing than other aspects of his job. Things like his urge to speak about how to nurture and raise pokemon and his obvious longing for something domestic warmed your heart. Emmet liked to speak about good battling strategies and how to breed people, on the opposite end of his brother. He also had a big sweet tooth and adored all your sweets you sold in the café. There was something fun about him that kept you interested in him.

You honestly had come to enjoy the lull of your life. Work was busy yet rewarding, and you had made some new friends with curious interests. Life felt oddly complete.

Your guard had dropped, and you had become careless.

Which is what led to you being held at knife-point in an alley way near your café. You felt hot, fat tears coating your face as your assailant talked on the phone with someone in hushed tones. There had already been a warning that if you screamed, you were dead. You felt terrified out of your mind. The urge to return to earlier when you were chatting with Emmet about his Joltiks enveloped your mind. The younger twin had given you had a warm hug before he left, much unlike how cold brick scratched at you.

The blade dug into you more, causing you to bite back a scream. The conversation on the phone was not going well, and it was apparent that your assailant was losing his temper. He hung up the phone and turned to you with a dark glare. A cry escaped your throat as he finally broke your skin and let your precious blood escape. Your eyes closed. All the rumours about criminals echoed in your head now. Oh, how you wished you had heeded them.

Before you had much of a grasp as to what happened, the attacker was flung from you by someone. They pinned him to the ground in a violent flurry, the knife having fallen from his grasp. You fell right on your ass as your knees gave out from stress. Heavy breaths panted in your chest as you watched the scene. You felt in denial about your saviour. An arm gently snaked under your arms and helped you up. You leaned against the warmth.

“I-Ingo,” you cried, recognising the man immediately. He turned you from the scene and pressed your face into his chest while shushing you. A loud scream pierced the air, and then silence followed. No more struggling and groans were heard. Footsteps echoed behind you.

“… It was the Hydreigon group,” Emmet's voice was quiet, “Brother, they aren't safe any more…” Your heart dropped at his words.

“Naturally… They are mad that we won't let them have this district still,” Ingo replied back and lifted your chin to gaze at him, “You are hurt…”

“Wh-what are you talking about?” you panicked, terrified of these two who you had come to see as friends, “Let me go!” Ingo released you as you wished, but you felt trapped by how he still blocked the entrance of the alley way. “Why?”

“… I really don't wish to tell you,” his voice cracked as his eyes returned much to the pitiful state you had first seen them as, “Please, just come with us. You're in danger now.” You felt heavy and fast breaths escape you. There was really no way to just leave like this. As terrified as you were, you still wanted to believe in them.

“F-fine,” you relented, “Just… Just no more of that.” Whatever happened behind you between Emmet and the attacker was not something you dared even a glance at. Ingo nodded and promised, but Emmet did not say a word.

~

Their apartment was on a more expensive side of Nimbasa, and certainly unlikely to be afforded by just their salaries as Subway Bosses. The guards that stood around the lobby and their floor made it obvious that something more was at play. You could no longer plead ignorance to whatever was going on around you. Luxuries decorated the inside, where more security lurked. You were sat down on the couch as Ingo reached into a nearby drawer to pull out a first-aid kit. Immediately, he took to tending to where the knife had cut into you.

His hands were gentle and trained, as if he has done this many times before. Emmet was nowhere in sight, having vanished off into one of the rooms and shutting the door behind him. After a covering was applied to your wound, you grabbed Ingo's wrist and looked into his eyes desperately.

“What are you both involved in?” you asked him, “Ingo, I have a right to know after what happened.” His eyes moved to gaze at the floor. A deep contemplation was obviously going on in his head as you refused to let him move an inch away from you. A sigh escaped him.

“… We're the heads of the Dragons Family,” he explained, not daring to look you in the eyes. Your breath felt stuck in your lungs. That simply seemed impossible. Loveable, innocent and kind Ingo and Sweet, playful Emmet were the heads of such a terrifying group. You could not believe it. He must be lying. “I didn't want to tell you,” he suddenly spoke again, coming to hold your hand, “I wanted to keep you out of it. Emmet insisted it would put you in danger to not tell you, but I loved pretending to just be Subway Boss Ingo with you… I loved just existing as a normal person…”

His eyes were red as tears escaped them. You felt many contrasting emotions. What he did was bad, yes, but you could almost understand it. You are in danger now. Sighing, you softly cupped Ingo's face and wiped the tears from his face with your thumbs. “… I loved it, too,” you admitted to him, “What now? Am I just going to be targetted by everyone who hates you now?” Ingo relaxed in your touch for a moment.

“… Yes, almost certainly,” the older twin gently broke from your hold to stand, “I promise you that we will do anything and everything to protect you.” It was much too late to not involve yourself, you knew. His words felt reassuring. You smiled at him.

“I figured you would,” you stood up, too, trying not to flinch at the pain it caused from your wound, “You're such a sweet man, Ingo.”

You lost yourself in the embrace that followed.

You loved more than just time spent with together, as did he.

~

And another, who reappeared much later into the night.

You had been essentially ordered to stay the night and left to your own devices after Ingo pointed you to the guest room. He understood you needed a moment alone after all the revelations that had come out. They had numerous things to entertain you, but you found yourself gazing through a scrapbook you had found on a shelf. It contained many pictures of the twins during their younger years, obviously much different than the scenario in which they lived now. Two adoring parents and a more quiet life somewhere out of the city.

You wished you could have met them before they ended up involved in whatever this was.

When Emmet had slinked out of the room he had locked himself into, he seemed stunned to see you still awake and on the couch. He approached you and took a seat near you.

“I'm sorry,” were the first words from his mouth, “I should have been honest with you. I haaaaate lying.” You sighed. Emmet managed to look like a kicked puppy with how he crumpled himself together. Words were not where his talents lied, too, you knew.

“I'm putting my trust in you two,” you told him, “… You can make it up to me by wearing your Thomas the Tank Engine costume at my café.” He gasped and turned to you like you had found his darkest secret. You gave a small laugh at his reaction, causing him to smile at you sweetly. Scooting over next to you, his arm wrapped around your shoulders and pulled you into an embrace.

“We will, darling,” his voice was the coo he tended to fall into, “Anyone who can make desserts as good as you do deserves protection!” You laughed once again and laid your head on his shoulder. His warmth sunk right into you, and your exhaustion finally hit you. Nuzzling deeper into his nape, you felt your consciousness fading.

You barely made out the last words he said.

“I love you.”

~

Your life had changed a lot since meeting the twins.

Your café had become a city hotspot, and you always had at least one customer inside. That one customer may be your personal guard assigned to you by your boyfriends, but he still counted. He even tried your disaster drink of olive oil coffee. Following events taught you not to mix two diuretics together.

You had also gathered two adoring lovers in the form of two criminal heads of a crime syndicate, but you tried to just think of them as they appeared to you. Two normal subway workers who liked battling. It was better to ignore the bloodstains in your laundry and the late night calls to work that left you in bed alone. They had always made sure you were happy and well-cared for, however. Still feeling terrible about having dragged you into their nightmare of a reality. You held on to the hope that someday you three would leave Nimbasa and end up somewhere quieter and less dangerous.

You did mind as much as you thought you would. Ingo and Emmet had absolutely no plans to involve you in their work. In fact, you would not even get answers if you asked. They were terrified of the thought of you being harmed once more because of them. It was oddly reassuring.

You hummed as you washed a cup. A light rain had started again.

Then, your bell rung out.

Turning your head, you beamed at the two familiar men who had entered.

It was closing time, it seemed.

[nyoomerr]

How do you always pop out banger fics? I feel like everyone and their mothers in the fandom adore your fics and not one of your stuff has ever been a flop! Seriously, what's your secret??

djkhfg but more seriously, there have definitely been fics i've posted that i personally wasn't happy with at the time i posted them, or that i was really proud of but have indeed "flopped" when i posted them**

**recognizing that all success is relative, and considering a "flop" to be a lack in response compared to my other svsss fics from a similar time period

overall though, i have indeed been extremely lucky with how kindly this fandom has treated me and how much support my work gets... but mostly i do think that really is just luck 😅

if you just meant for this to be a very sweet compliment about how you like my stuff a lot, thank you so much, and feel free to stop reading here!! if you were genuine in asking "seriously, what's your secret," though, i do have some tips for fic writing!

first thing is for me to say that it is 100% the most important for you to personally be the #1 fan of your own stuff.

it's super fun that so many people like my fics! but it's mostly fun because it feels like i'm holding up a rock and screaming and everyone screams along with me - it would be a lot less exciting if i was holding up a rock and watching in silent indifference as everyone screamed at it, lol. writing stuff just because it's interesting to you will also help you avoid writing + fandom burnout, and people who read it will always be able to tell when you love what you're writing about.

i also personally think it's really important to see the things you like to completion, which includes either posting it somewhere or saving it alongside your finished works, whatever you personally do to metaphorically put a finished piece "on the fridge."

it is a wildly common experience for creatives to begin disliking their own work partway through the creative process, or to dislike it after it's done. but if you're creating something because you're personally excited about some aspect of it, then you theoretically enjoyed something about that work at some point in time. and, with enough time and distance from it, you'll probably end up liking it again in the future!

if you've made sure to put that work "on the fridge" somewhere it's safe and marked as 'done' in your own mind, then you'll get the chance to create that time and distance. it's not sitting in some guilt-ridden folder of abandoned wips, or discarded because you were never able to write or edit it to your satisfaction - it's just 'done.' i can't count how many times i've come back to a piece i disliked at the time of finishing it and, months later, decided it was actually pretty good.

so - put your work on the fridge, even if you're not satisfied with it! and when your brain is able to let it go, reread it. find the parts that made you write it in the first place, the stuff that got you really excited, and let them excite you again, and inspire you to write even more!!

okok so that's a) write what you like and b) don't give up on your hard work. now i'll address the last bit that touches on fandom reception of your work... 💦💦

... i really do think it's mostly luck 😅

the very first fic i posted on this ao3 account is, without doubt, still my most popular one. i could talk about how i feel about that for a whole separate essay post lmao, but it is a good example of how fic "popularity" often works.

i was still on twitter at the time that i made it, which was where most of the mxtx fans were at. a promo post i made got retweeted by a handful of people with big followings, and that combined with the fact that there were way less binggeyuan fics at the time meant that it kinda hit it big. and since so many people sort by kudos or bookmarks, fics that are already popular just end up more popular...

i think a lot of popular fics are like this to some degree. they use the right tags and post at the right time to get seen by just the right audience, or there's a promo tweet/post somewhere that lands on just the right number of dashes, and their popularity snowballs. of course, these popular fics are also often absolutely fucking incredible and worthy of their popularity, but i've also read fics with very very little "popularity" that are just as good or better than some of the top kudosed or bookmarked fics in the tag.

the only thing i have ever (personally) noticed as something you can control that affects popularity is fic length - from what i've seen in both my fics and those others write, multichaptered fics that update semi regularly and stretch on for multiple months have a tendency to drum up more excitement the longer they go. people start to get more excited for each update + they talk about that on socmed, and that combined with consistently bumping the fic to the top of the tag when sorted by recently updated gives it more and more chances for it to hit that lucky combo of "seen by the right people."

so, that's all to say, actually my advice for this section is also "just write what you like," because you can't control whether or not the people who will also like it will see it when you post it, so make sure there's at least one reader enjoying the ride (you).

...and then of course for more generic "how do you write """well""" advice, just keep practicing, and take note of the things you like in other people's writing and how they accomplish it!

sorry if that was like. way more than what you were really expecting as an answer for this 🙈🙈 i really am truly very grateful for all the super kind feedback i get on my work, but i'm really out here just writing whatever i want in whatever ways i want and then throwing it up "on the fridge" before i can chicken out dkfjh

i hope you (or whoever else bothered to read this far) can also be really satisfied and excited about what you're making, and my fingers are crossed for your luck in the "everyone in the fandom likes this thing" lottery 🤞🤞