#so instead of sleeping on the fireplace bed like i did as a teen i might get to sleep in my first bedroom :((((

[hawkeyefrommash]

oh just realized i might get to sleep in my old bedroom at camp again :((((

[hugsandchaos]

He’s In The Walls!

Summary: Uhh, I did the writing version of doodling last night and forgot to post it. Once again, the ranch hand tries to trick Danny into getting some sleep. Key word: tries.

Word count: 1,235

Twilight peered into the room and internally let out a mixture of a sigh and a groan. Just like he saw earlier, Danny was still awake, sitting by the fireplace, still reviewing and studying the same textbook over and over. His red notebook was left open and folded in half next to the small, but rather thick book with blue and black colors wide open. Danny called it “Algebra Two”, which was something he was supposed to start learning in over two months from the day he ended up tagging along with them.

He was determined to use any free time he had while on this adventure to get a head start, though, because according to him, math wasn’t his strong suit and Algebra is apparently part of math. It made sense, but at the same time, it frustrated Twilight a bit that it was his first thing to do when he had free time.

Unless it was nighttime. He’d instead be found outside stargazing. Except tonight.

Tonight, Danny had been reading and doing practice problems since before the sunset, right after he finished helping around with chores and dinner. It was as if he didn’t notice day had already passed by. Twilight wouldn’t be too surprised. The young teen could get pretty deep in the zone if he was left to it for long enough.

Danny reached for the mug placed on the carpet next to him and lifted it up to take a sip of the contents, but then he paused and looked inside.”Huh, must’ve drank faster than I thought.” He muttered to himself. Twilight’s mood was lifted and a smile briefly appeared on his face when he heard that. Before he could try to put his plan into motion, however, Danny stood up. He yawned and turned to go into the kitchen. There was the sound of water and movement before he came back to sit down next to the books again.

He lifted both arms up and groaned a little before letting his arms fall back down. Danny just sat there for another few seconds, eyes staring at the fire in a tired daze, then looked back at the books. Twilight decided now was the time to make his move.

The ranch hand wordlessly entered the room and began walking towards Danny. Surprisingly, he went unnoticed until he came close enough to kneel down and put the blanket around Danny’s shoulder.”Twilight? I appreciate it, but I’m not cold—“ Danny stopped his response when he noticed that the ranch hand had actually wrapped it around his shoulders. Twilight lightly pushed him down and reached one arm down so he could get his legs, too.

“Hey, what are you going?!” Danny asked, a little irritated. He moved his legs around and tried to worm out the arms that were now pinned against his sides, but he was tired after everything that transpired over the last few days.

It affected all of the members, really. Twilight had just gotten up for some water, but when he saw Danny, he went and got a spare blanket. Now he was going to use it to wrap around him and finally ensure he’d get his sleep.

Danny wriggled around in protest, but his movements didn’t have even half as much strength as usual. When Twilight successfully managed to wrap his entire body in the blanket, Danny had finally stopped fighting, but the glare he shot Twilight’s way had a small fire that wasn’t extinguished yet. The ranch hand wrapped his left arm around Danny and picked him up. As he left the room and took a turn to the right, the kid’s irritation grew with his stuff now left behind.

“Are you going to explain?” Danny asked.

“Kid, you’re falling asleep at the books and it’s midnight. You’re going to bed.” Twilight said. He turned his body and maneuvered through the doorway meant for one person, not one person plus another wrapped in a blanket.” ‘N don’t bother tryin’ to get free anymore. I know that your strength’s spent, ‘n that tea you were given actually helps with sleep, not stayin’ awake.” He added.

The hallway itself was luckily wide enough for three people, so the ranch hand was able to carry Danny without worrying about hitting him against the wall. The long window following down half of it allowed faint moonlight from the unseen moon to paint the hallway in a very dim, calming white light. It was a little quiet for a few more seconds, and Twilight had allowed himself to hope that the cozy cargo he was carrying had fallen asleep already.

“Smart move, cowboy.” Danny said. He said it in that kind of note where it’s half spite, half genuine respect. Twilight breathed out a very brief laugh from his nose as he crossed the hall towards the door on the other side, which had an unclaimed bed inside.“You know what the only problem is?” Danny asked.

Feeling a little smug about how things turned out, Twilight couldn’t help but think that whatever he was about to say or do wouldn’t be an actual problem. Sure, the kid was stronger than he looked, but any sudden bursts of fighting energy had likely already been spent. Still, he wanted to know what he was going to say for the sole purpose of seeing him when it didn’t work.”What’s that?” Twilight asked confidently. While he was focused on opening the door, he failed to notice the white light coming from Danny.

“I’m already gone.”

As soon as he started speaking, Twilight noticed the lack of weight where Danny once was. He could no longer feel the young teenager against his body and the blanket that he’d previously used to secure him fell from his arm and onto the floor. The ranch hand looked down bewildered to see nothing but empty space where Danny was supposed to be. Twilight’s eyes widened in shock as he looked around almost frantically, genuinely concerned about how the kid had disappeared and where to.

As he glanced around, his enhanced hearing picked up on a small laugh coming from the right. When he turned, he couldn’t see Danny, but something told Twilight that some kind of presence he didn’t notice before had just left the narrow room through the wall right in front of him.“He’s in the walls...” He muttered. He then picked up the blanket again and held either side in both hands. He readied himself and relied on the very odd sensation his wolf senses picked up as he ran back down the hall. He already knew that the books were probably already gone.”He’s in the goddessdamn walls!” Twilight repeated, but kept his voice down to a whisper.

When Time looked out his window to see Twilight running across the field and out of view of the window, his first thought was that something was incredibly wrong and sat up. Then, just as quickly, he saw the ranch hand return carrying a sleeping Danny into the house. He smiled a little and laid back down to go back to sleep.

The next day, he’d confirm with Twilight that Danny stayed up late studying again, and Malon would hear them and swear to have a word with him.

“Hylia help him.” Twilight joked.

“Oh, pup, Hylia would only be able to stall her for a few minutes.” Time said

[vents-anon]

k here we go :3c

so to start things off, something like this has happened once before, when i was 13.

exactly. um. ten years ago.

wait what the fuck. that's one hell of a coincidence. i didn't even think about until now, what the fuck. what the fuck.

uh, ANYWAYS:

earlier in the evening, my twin sister went to the ER (she's fine) with my dad, since he's the only one who can (legally, teehee) drive. my mom and i were in the living room, watching tv and waiting for the occasional update, while my younger sister did the dishes. at about 11 o'clock pm (EST), my mom went to bed, and my younger sister finished doing the dishes. i stayed in the living room, watching movies on the hollywood suite. shortly after 12, my youngest sister showed up downstairs to make herself some tea, startle me with the occasional weird noise while she did so, and then fuck back off upstairs, leaving me alone to watch my movies in peace.

two hours pass in relative silence. i watch part of erik the viking, and then the entirety of badlands (1973). i receive some sporadic updates from my sister, and i write dumb fanfiction on my phone. i hear the occasional creak from upstairs or really loud cricket from outside, but apart from that, there's nothing.

at 3 am though, that changes.

i decide to watch the breakfast club, since i have it recorded and i've somehow never seen it in its entirety in my 23 years of existence.

so, i put that on, and settle in for some good old 80's teen dramadey. unsurprisingly, it's really good.

about halfway through the movie, i get up to go to the washroom. i also notice a housefly in the washroom with me and whack it with a tissue box, sending it to valhalla.

HOWEVER,

the exact SECOND i put the box back down on top of the toilet tank, i hear rustling or flapping or SOMETHING coming from somewhere in the general living room area.

i am immediately suspicious, since this isn't the first time something has tried to get into my house from one of the exhaust vents, and it probably won't be the last, so i walk back into my living room, listening carefully.

after a few minutes, i don't hear anything, so i shrug it off and resume watching the breakfast club.

and then i hear the noises again.

it was definitely flapping, and it was definitely coming from my fireplace.

the flapping would stop and start at random intervals for a few minutes at a time for a period of about ten minutes. at one point, i even swore i heard something trying to get into my house from the exhaust vent over my stove (also gas), and about 20 feet away from my fireplace.

eventually, the flapping stops, and i hear some chirping noises. "oh, shit," i think to myself. "i think a bird somehow got trapped in the fireplace vent. i'll have to get my dad to check it out after he comes home and we've all gotten some sleep."

then the flapping starts up again, and i think "aw, poor bird is probably stressed out. i hope it doesn't keep this up all night and die of exhaustion."

the flapping briefly stops again, and then i hear a strange combination of flapping and some kind of rustling, almost skittering sounds. like something is scratching tiny claws on metal or wood.

now here's another thing you should know: i live in a model home that was built in approximately 2008. i don't have a traditional wood fireplace with a chimney, nor do i have a gas fireplace installed on a back wall. i have a double-sided, glass windowed gas fireplace with a small exhaust vent somewhere on the roof, and four metal vents on either side of the fireplace to let air in and the heat out because whoever designed my house was feeling particularly bold that day.

thus meaning, there are very few things that can fit down the chimney to my house, santa claus included, so he uses the front door instead.

ergo, i was EXTREMELY unprepared for what happened next.

just as soon as that strange new noise started up, it stops—

—and a fucking BAT flies up from my floor.

(please keep in mind that the breakfast club is still playing on my tv at this time and almost all the lights in my living room are on because it's better for my eyes that way)

i immediately yelp "OH SHIT" and DUCK, sliding off of my sofa and onto my knees on the hardwood floor because that bat was flying directly towards my head, and i didn't want to be the second family member hospitalized within 24 hours, this time due to possible rabies exposure.

so i'm panicking, the bat's panicking, emilio estevez and ally sheedy are having a heart-to-heart in a high school library, and my dad and twin sister are, to my knowledge, still at the hospital, so i do the next most rational thing i can think of, and yell upstairs for my mom.

who is deathly afraid of bats.

obviously she doesn't reply.

but my younger sister does!

she comes downstairs and stands beside me in the living room entrance, gawking at the bat, who is now flying between the living room and the dining room, while i continue to panic about what to do or who to call.

and then we hear the garage door start opening.

OUR DAD (and sister possibly) WAS HOME.

the first thing i say to him as he walks through the door to our laundry room after a grueling four hour wait for answers at one of the three hospitals in our city is: "there's a bat in the house." because there is a bat in the house.

his immediate response, in an exhausted tone, is: "what do you mean there's a bat in the house?"

cue the bat flying past the living room entrance

"oh," my dad says.

so i run back into the living room, ducking down like i'm running towards a helicopter in a movie or something, pause the tv, grab my glass of water and for some reason the tv remote, and say "i hope you don't mind if i commandeer your office real quick, i'm just gonna see if animal control has a 24 hour hotline," while my dad and my younger sister avoid the bat.

(just my luck, there IS no animal control center for southwestern ontario! great! so we had to deal with this ourselves.)

then, my dad, in his infinite wisdom while lamenting our lack of butterfly nets, realized that we had a bunch of old towels in the laundry room that we could use.

the plan was originally to try and throw the towel on the bat and take it outside, but since it kept looping around the living room and dining room, where we have lots of breakable items, he came up with a better idea.

he would try and herd the bat out the back door with the towel while my younger sister and i blocked off any possible escape routes to the rest of the house with our large horrible human bodies.

the bat did not like this idea, i assume.

the first several attempts were totally unsuccessful in getting the bat anywhere NEAR the door, until my dad turned on the back porchlight and we turned off all the other lights, except for one so that we could see what the bat was doing. i was so desperate that i even tried whistling at the bat like it was a dog. (fun fact! bats are more closely related to dogs and cats than rodents!)

and then the bat flew out the door.

my younger sister and i cheered while my dad immediately rushed back inside the house, closed the screen door, locked it, closed the GLASS door, locked it, and then threw the towel at me to deal with because he needed to wash his hands and try to get some sleep.

so i did and then i went to go and sit down to finish my damn movie because my heart was straight up skipping beats at this point, it was almost 4 am, and i still didn't know if my twin sister was actually admitted into the hospital yet.

and then i couldn't find the damn tv remote.

(i eventually found it and finished watching the breakfast club right as my sister called my dad to come pick her up because the hospital decided that they didn't want to keep her this time and kicked her out. i went with him to go pick her up, and we saw a skunk and a coyote on the way there!)

BAT IN MY HOUSE

GLORIA HOLDEN GET OUTTA HERE YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO SHOW UP TIL AUGUST

[books-and-catears]

Hey! I love your writing and I was wondering if you could do the Brothers (+now datables if you can) reacting to a teen!MC that's like a sibling to them being bothered by someone over text? I'm 14 and recently there's been this guy that won't stop texting me, asking me to be his girlfriend and asking for...other things. Anyways, it's getting annoying and I tried blocking him but he made other accounts, so I just told my parents. It's alright if you don't do this, thanks anyways! Have a great day!

Oh my god. That boy needs to be reported ASAP. I'm glad you told your parents, little one. Hope they took action and you're safe. These sort of people are just ugh. Hope he isn't bothering you anymore?

And don't worry, the demo brothers would definitely protect you and take drastic measures against him.

The Demon brothers protecting Teen!MC

You were sitting in the living room with everybody else. Lucifer was near the fireplace doing some left over paperwork. Mammon and Asmo were arguing about who looked better in the magazine covers. Levi was enthusiastically telling Satan why light novels based on anime can also classify as literature. Beel was happily munching some new treats Luke had made while Belphie snoozed in his lap.

Diavolo and Simeon were listening to Solomon's adventures in the human world. Barbatos and Luke were talking about recipe.

You were smiling to yourself at the calm chaos around you as you surfed the internet when that brat messaged you again. "UGH LEAVE ME ALONE!" you groaned in annoyance as you deleted the messages and blocked the sender. The brothers all looked at you in suprise and worry.

"Is something the matter, MC?"

Sighing, you tell them your situation. And then chaos ensues.

Lucifer

The audacity of that ill-mannered little trout. He'll surely have to discipline him.

"Give me his number MC."

"Are you going to call and threaten him?"

"No I just need to track his location and pay him a visit. In my true form."

Legit pin drop silence from that end now. Like he never even existed.

Count on Lucifer to scare him off existence in general.

Mammon

Who dare keep annoying his human like that-

"Oi MC show me his face!"

"What are you planning?"

"I'm going to make sure he has nothing bad luck for the whole week."

From losing his wallet twice, dropping his phone on his face and then getting constantly attacked by crows at random points of the day, you were convinced he'd learnt his lesson.

Noone messes with you under Mammon's care anymore.

Leviathan

Noone treats his best friend like that without dire consequences.

"Give me his account names."

"Are you going to hack them?"

"Oh hacking is most harmless thing on my mind. What follows is going to be so much more fun. Just you wait MC."

Next thing you know, the annoying guy is a meme now. All the texts and everything were outed on his on account as he did them himself and was proud of it.

Levi's skills of internet audience management are no less than Asmo's.

Satan

Someone surely has the nerve to harass a human who's looked over by the Avatar of Wrath himself? This will be fun.

"How would you like me to torture him, MC?"

"Um..."

"Don't worry it will only be a nightmare. His worst one yet."

Oh Satan was very true to his word. He's now your guardian demon of sorts. Anyone who messes with you has deadly nightmares.

You got a hundred scared apology texts before his account vanished off the grid.

Asmodeus

Oh he's dealt with this so many times. Leave this to Asmo, honey.

"He's on social media right?"

"Yeah but what are you going to do?"

"Call him out of course. Nothing is more horrifying public shaming."

Your messages are flooded with comforting messages while that brat gets his accounts suspended for harassment.

Asmo is the master of social life, you're well protected from brats online.

Beelzebub

Isn't MC only 14? They are too young and they shouldn't be dealing with this.

"I'm going to eat him."

"Um, Beel-"

"Fine I'll just eat his phone then. And a bunch of other stuff."

This became a huge urban legend in the human world where if you harass a minor a deathly wild animal will come hunting for you.

Of course Beel doesn't know that, he's just happy you're safe.

Belphegor

Why can't humans just sleep instead of doing disgsuting stuff like this? See this is exactly he wanted to doom humanity. Well now atleast he can doom one problematic human.

"Beel let's go."

"You both are going together?"

"Two demons are better than one."

Yeah so the legend says the sleep paralysis demon doesn't just stand at the corner of your bed anymore.

Do tell him the next time another brat like this tries to annoy you. He'll happily take care of it.

Solomon

Ah these kind of humans ruin the reputation for the rest of us. So pathetic.

"I have a simple solution for this."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"No really all I'm going to do is curse his phone."

Yeah his cursed his phone alright. And every other phone he ever came to possess. Any text with bad intentions would turn into silly memes or unreadable typos.

Aw isn't Solomon a sweetheart?

Simeon and Luke

Sigh. See this is why y'all can't make it up to the Celestial realm.

"He needs a divine intervention."

"Like what?"

"You'll see."

He became one of those jokes on the internet where the people send wrong things to the wrong people. Whatever he was texting you went to his family group chat. All of it.

Simeon is pretty sneaky for someone who is bad with technology. Oh wait that was Luke. Still sneaky.

Diavolo and Barbatos

A problematic human, you say? Don't worry we're used to a lots of them.

"Ah just let us know who is he is we'll take care of him."

"You both have eerily big smiles on your faces."

"Nothing we are just going have a fun trip on Earth."

They drag him down to tell to personally apologize to you. In handcuffs, chains and everything. The demon way.

What else were you expecting from the crown Prince of Hell?

[julia-highstorms]

Grief (Eli x Kiera (F!MC))

Summary: One night, Eli and Kiera bond over their losses. Takes place in Chapter 5.

Author’s note: aaaand this is how I start writing Wake the Dead fanfics. Eli's route is filled with angst (not that the other LI's aren't, but welp, we know what happens in Chapter 12 ) and his smirk is so cute, I just couldn't not pick him as my LI. 

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Pixelberry Studios.

Rating: teen and older audiences (angst - trigger warning: death mention)

Pairing: Eli Sipes x Kiera Tomoe (F!MC) - if you would like to be tagged on Eli x MC fanfics, let me know!

Word count: +2K

Wake the Dead Masterlist

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Kiera jerked into wakefulness, her heart pounding inside her chest. She panted hard, her eyes struggling to identify the forms around her in the dark.

Not thinking twice, she just got up from her makeshift bed, groping around the walls to make sure that she wouldn't step on Shannon or Angel. The two girls were fast asleep.

She managed to step into the bathroom just across the hallway, not waking anyone up. The young woman splashed water to her face, cold sweat still on her skin. After a few minutes and deep breaths, her heartbeat finally slowed down.

Ever since Brynn's death, she hadn't been able to have a good night's sleep.

Kiera could still hear her sister's screams and the sound of gunshots from that fatidical night.

She missed Brynn. She missed Brynn so much.

Sometimes, the young woman wished that they had never left the Tower. If it meant that she could have her older sister back, then she would trade her freedom to be with Brynn again in a heartbeat. To have Jeb, Brynn, Nina and Cassidy, all of them back.

Some nights, the pain was too much, the grief overwhelming, and Kiera would find herself talking to Brynn, as if she was there to support and guide her, like she always did.

…Even though life outside the Tower hadn't been all bad.

She had met some interesting and good people. Shannon, Angel and… Eli.

Ever since Brynn's passing, he kind of took the role as their colony's leader. He definitely was the best prepared of them all, although he lacked charisma.

She got out of the bathroom. Since she was up, might as well do something useful. After their party a couple of nights before, the food was running low and they were in need to find more. Maybe she could study the area on a map to see where there might be supplies.

The young woman walked down the corridor and stepped down the stairs, only to find a faint light coming from the living room.

Speaking of the devil.

She found Eli by himself, standing in front of the fireplace with his arms crossed, watching the flames.

"Trouble sleeping?" - Kiera asked softly, careful to not startle him. She definitely didn't need an arrow aimed at her forehead.

He just looked over his shoulder, before setting his eyes back into the fireplace.

"Just keeping watch."

"Oh yeah, a drone might climb down the fireplace while the fire is put on." - she teased him jokingly.

Eli just ignored her.

"What about you?"

"Just a nightmare." - she shrugged, while she sat down on the couch, noticing that he was holding those papers she retrieved from his cabin in his hand.

Maybe they were awake for the same reason, after all.

"...Do you miss them?"

He glanced back at her, and she pointed to the papers. He nodded.

"There isn't a single day that I don't think of them."

Kiera wanted to ask him what happened. But she was fully aware that it would be too nosy on her part.

It was a miracle already that Eli had answered her question. He was always so secretive and reserved.

"Actually… the nightmare was more like a memory. From that night." - she started speaking instead, although Eli asked nothing. The words were just spilling out of her mouth. - "The night we met you and… Brynn…" - her voice died and she stared down to her hands on her lap, the tears welling up on her eyes.

Jeez, she wasn't going to start crying, right?

Eli turned around and extended a handkerchief to her. That kind gesture surprised Kiera, but she shook her head.

"Thanks." - she murmured, and he put the fabric back into his pocket.

He sat down beside her, a seat between them. They watched the flames in silence for a moment.

"Tell me… does the pain ever get weaker?"

"...No." - he answered.

She frowned.

"And how do you cope?"

"By having more things that keep you occupied. Like, killing drones and fighting for survival." - Eli said, his face as impassive and serious as ever.

Strangely, Kiera found fun in it - the way he said something so obvious in all seriousness - and she couldn't contain herself but chuckle at it.

He glanced back at her a second time that night and Kiera wondered if he was checking if she was alright or if she had gone mad.

"I'm sorry." - he simply said.

"For what?"

"For that night. For dragging you out when your sister…" - he didn't finish his phrase, unspoken words passing through them.

Kiera broke the silence.

"It wasn't your fault. We did what we had to do. Rule number three."

"I know. But it doesn't make the grief easier."

His brown eyes looked deeply into hers and Kiera felt her heart floating inside her chest.

Even though they had a rocky start, she couldn't deny how desperately attracted she was towards Eli. He was the first person that made her feel that way.

He was just a few years older - around Brynn's age - and everything in him made Kiera want him: his deep and calming voice, his toned figure and tanned skin full of scars due to all the fights he had to endure to survive, and arched dark eyebrows that framed his brown eyes… even that mohawk. Everything in Eli Sipes made her long for him.

Kiera's memory of the little waltz they shared a few nights ago was still very lively in her head. How he accepted to dance with her with almost no reluctance and how his firm but gentle hand felt against the small of her back and how warm his eyes looked while his warmth enveloped her as they twirled on the makeshift dance floor.

She still could see Troy's cheeky smile after she and Eli finished their dance, and when she headed to grab a drink.

------------------------------------

"Who knew that Mr. Grumpy over there knows how to waltz and to let loose. Well, almost. Or maybe he has a soft spot for you."

She smirked.

"Shut up, are you going to pass me that drink or not?"

Troy handed over the glass, chuckling softly. They sipped their beverages in silent companionship, each of them eyeing a certain someone. Eli was back to standing in guard at the corner of the room, resting his shoulder against the wooden column, watching whatever Angel and Shannon pointed at him on the TV. When Kiera glanced at Troy, she knew her best friend had his eyes fixed on a certain green haired girl. He and Angel got along right from the start.

She was positive that, if they were at the Tower, Troy Hassan would have already charmed her into his bunker.

"What's gotten into you? Starting to get cold feet?"

He chuckled.

"Nah, but you know, it's kinda hard flirting with someone when your best friend has decided to kill their zombie parents." - he joked. Kiera frowned.

"I couldn't take the risk."

"I know, and I think it was a good call."

"And, despite everything, Angel seems to be dealing okay with it." - they watched as she pulled the scientist to the dance floor, both of them spinning and laughing.

"Or maybe she's just good at hiding her grief like you."

But before Kiera could react, Troy walked over to Angel, who was just catching up her breath after dancing with Shannon, and offered to dance with her. The girl with green hair grinned widely.

"Kiera, you okay?" - Shannon asked on her way to grab something to eat in the kitchen.

"Yeah."

------------------------------------

Kiera blinked away from the memories of that night and looked over at Eli, whose piercing gaze was already studying her face. She felt her breath catching up on her throat, heat creeping up her neck to her cheeks, as Eli held her gaze firmly.

The flames' light reflected on his face, his eyes glimmering and his scars more evident.

"It's getting late. You should go rest." - his voice was deep and comforting.

"What about you? You have to sleep sometime as well, you know." - she murmured, feeling herself getting lost into his brown eyes.

Kiera had the impression that he glanced at her lips, but maybe it was just her imagination. Tiredness was getting over her after all.

"I will. Later." - his face was as unreadable as ever.

It was simply impossible to figure out what passed in Eli's mind.

Silence fell over then again. Kiera was fully aware before that they were the only ones awake, but only now she realized that they were alone.

And even the sleepiness wasn't able to stop her thoughts from running. Her pulse sped up as she started wondering how Eli's lips tasted, if they would be warm against hers, his stubble rough against her skin. She longed to feel his touch, his big and calloused hands exploring the shifts and curves of her body, while her lips traced each one of his scars. Scars that she was sure were hidden beneath his clothes.

She suddenly averted her eyes, breaking their gaze.

"You know, I guess I never thanked you. For taking care of us." - she mumbled, staring down at her hands resting on her lap again. - "Brynn was the leader of our group, and now you have taken over this role. So, thank you."

"I guess this role suits you better."

She stared back at him in surprise.

"What? Me?"

"If you haven't noticed yet, I'm not much of a people's person." - he said calmly, the corner of his mouth turning upwards, that characteristic side smile showing up. - "Haven't you noticed how your decisions have been guiding the group? Angel wouldn't be here if you hadn't let her."

Oh my god, how could she have been so oblivious? Eli was right. She had been making decisions here and there. She was the one that agreed on Shannon inspecting that scout zombie. She was the one who decided to kill Angel's zombified parents.

"...Not that any of them were bad decisions. I think you've been doing the best you can under our limited conditions. And the group and I know this and we appreciate that." - he concluded, smiling a bit wider. - "So, I guess we owe you a 'thank you', Kiera."

Eli averted his eyes, breaking their gaze and, to her surprise, suddenly stood up and put out the fire.

"We should get some shut-eye. We'll be looking out for food later and we need to stay sharp at all costs." - he said as he turned around.

She nodded and they returned to their bedrooms. The staircase wasn't large enough to fit both of them, so Eli let her go first.

They climbed it together, and he let his eyes appreciate the curve of her exposed neck. Kiera was average height and had short black hair with bangs. She usually was seen wearing her armor, but now, just a thin t-shirt hugged her lean frame. He felt the urge to feel the smoothness of her skin underneath his fingertips, to see more of her, to feel her.

Truth be told, he wasn't feeling tired yet, but the young man knew that they should go to sleep, before any of them did something that they could regret later.

They stopped in the hallway, in front of the bedrooms.

"Well, this is me." - she smirked at him.

"Have a good night." - although it was dark, the light outside (they always left the outside lights on in case they were attacked) allowed her to see that his side smile showed slightly.

Kiera wondered to herself if Eli was aware of how damn sexy his smirk was. He probably wasn't.

"...and thanks for talking to me." - he concluded.

"Any time, Eli. You know I'm here."

Yes. And that was dangerous, he thought to himself.

Eli Sipes had to be more cautious. He knew he was letting his guard down near Kiera, and that put not only him, but her too, in danger. If he let her get any closer, he would be damned forever.

Because, if something happened to her…

Kiera watched as his expression darkened, and he turned around, leaving her alone in the hallway.

She sighed. Just because she thought he was softening to her. Although they did get a bit closer that night.

And then, she entered her bedroom.

------------------------------------

Tagging: @keviriass @smetje24689 @gipsydanger17

[everdreamart]

Read my Thoughts

The journey through Aeor only gets more confusing as eye powers are thrown into the mix.

OR

An accidental telepathy fic where Caleb shares a bit too much to a certain drow.

Relationship: Caleb Widowgast/Essek Thelyss (Shadowgast)

Rating: Teen and Up

~~~~~

Things in Aeor are strange. Magic Especially. A teleport can send you miles away from target, and a spell gone wrong can make you bald! However, Aeor's atrocities were put on the backburner when Jester's weasel turned out to be her 'god' and the red eyes adorning the Empire Kid's bodies started to show power.

Darkvision was one thing that was quite startling to Caleb. He hadn't really noticed it with the constant flow of light emitting from Caduceus' staff and his own globules. It wasn't until Beauregard said something that it really occurred to him. Even more surprising was the telepathy. The ability to transcend one's thoughts into the mind of another. A mental link for shared knowledge. All sorts of possibilities flowed into Caleb's mind. How useful this could be in their upcoming battles with Lucien.

"Woahhhh Caleb I can literally HEAR your thoughts! Slow down a bit!" Jester marveled.

"OH Oh Beau! Can you read my thoughts??" Yasha exclaimed.

"Hey let's give it a try-" Beau smirked.

"Ok who do I love? Oh wait thats dumb.." Yasha mumbled. The rest of them started to laugh a bit.

Caleb shifted his gaze over to Essek. The drow's soft features focused on the commotion going on around him. A confused expression painting his face - no doubt from the sudden talking weasel - in a show of momentary openness. Throughout their travels in Aeor, Essek had slowly let the shadowhand persona slip away. Caleb liked this version much better. The way emotion displayed itself on Essek's face was new and nervous, but the man was truly trying to change. That alone caused something to swell in Caleb's heart.

Immediately, Essek's head snapped up and looked over at Caleb in surprise. Caleb looked away as soon as he turned his head. Did Essek hear him? He needs to get a better hold of this power. Fast. Swallowing hard, Caleb simply nodded, before turning his gaze back to their laughing friends.

-----

After a day of hard trekked travel, the Mighty Nein stumbled into the tower for a night of much needed rest. It was then that Caleb's mind started to wander. What exactly is transmitted through this telepathy? Feelings? Words? Images? The beginning pricks of worry started to crawl into his throat. Would he have to wrestle every one of his thoughts down so the others wouldn't be plagued by his memories? He glanced at the glaring red eye adorning his palm. Thick red lines seared into his skin flawlessly. Watching. Staring. Certainly these powers come with a price. And Caleb didn't know what that price was.

There's nothing he can do right now. Stay on task, Widowgast. Maybe something from the papers he picked up earlier will have more information about their enemy. With an idea for distraction in place, Caleb floats up to the library to begin opening the amber. He settles on a couch opposite from a crackling fireplace as he does so, the comforting warmth washing away the stress of the day.

Piles of books and papers fill the floor in front of him. Excitement and curiosity begin to tug at his mind. Caleb reaches out and grabs one of the dusty old tombs, tracing the foreign writing in awe. So much knowledge, packed in the papers around him. So much information to be learned and so little time.

"It's quite incredible, is it not?" A soft voice comes from behind him as Essek glides over to Caleb, staring at the collection of books.

"Ja. After our business is concluded, I would love to study more of Aeor's history and research."

"Well, we have a few moments now, do we not?" Essek smiled softly as he looked at Caleb.

And just like that, they were off. Reading through ancient texts, occasionally bouncing theories back and forth. The constant whirring of intellect trying to process the thoughts of mages from far beyond their time. It was invigorating.

However, from time to time, Caleb found it hard to keep his focus. His eyes constantly wandering back to the drow sat beside him, nose buried in a book. His thin white brows creased into a focused expression, eyes full of wonder and curiously, devouring the age old texts. The way his mouth would curl into a subtle smile when he found a particularly interesting section of text. Or how he would nibble at his lower lip when frustrated about something. He wondered if those lips would feel as good as he imagined. How soft and delicate.. Oh how glad Caleb is to have moments like these, just him and Essek.

At some point while Caleb was lost in his thoughts, Essek looked up. Violet eyes meeting blue ones.

"I uh.." Essek clears his throat. " I found a section that you might find to be interesting." He smiles and looks away.

Oh.

How much did he hear? How many of those thoughts slipped through in his tired state? Apparently enough for the subtle hints of purple creeping on the edges of Essek's ears to catch Caleb's attention.

"I think it's time for me to head to bed. I require more sleep than you do, after all," Caleb said as he stood up. It was awkward, for a moment. The silence was heavy, and he didn't dare steal a look at the drow beside him.

-----

Having your thoughts known to others feels like quite a violation of privacy. Caleb thought as he laid in his bed. I need to get a hang of this.

It took a while for him to get even close to falling asleep, for his mind was racing with thoughts.

He was on the edge of consciousness when he heard a small knock on his door. Surely all the nein are well into their sleep right now, so that means that the only person this could be is… a lump formed in Caleb's throat as he opened the door. Essek stood in front of him, a foreign expression adorned on his face.

"I hope I wasn't disrupting your rest. I would like to talk… if you don't mind?" He spoke softly as Caleb gestured him into the room.

It caught Caleb's attention immediately that the man wasn't floating, but walking instead. They sat on the couch as he responded, "Ah, I was having some trouble sleeping. You weren't interrupting anything. What is it you would like to discuss friend?"

"I ah.." He fidgeted with his fingers. The drow wasn't wearing his usual mantle, but instead the more comfortable robes that were provided to him from the tower. Caleb let his eyes momentarily linger on the way the clothing frames Essek's small figure. The way the deep blues and purples frame his gorgeous dark skin. Caleb promptly tries very hard to stuff these thoughts down.

"I took notice of the recent… developments of the eyes on beauregard's and your bodies. It… concerns me. The acquisition of such powers surely means that something was taken in exchange, and I am unsure of what that was." Essek says with worry laced in his voice. His eyes rise to meet Caleb's.

"..ja. I too am a bit uneasy about the current situation. Though it just makes our goal that much more important, does it not?" He replied, flashing a faint reassuring smile.

"I guess it does." The other wizard's gaze falls to his lap.

'That's not really what you came here to talk about. Is it?' Slips from Caleb's mind before he can even think to stop it.

The drow visibly flinches in surprise, then sighs slightly. "There was something else on my mind, yes."

Caleb slowly, ever so slowly, reaches his hand over to touch Essek's. "I'm here if something is wrong."

He is very aware of what Essek was referring to. However, he doesn't know what is going through the other man's brain, as thin smooth fingers meet his calloused ones halfway. A slight smile plays at the corners of Essek's mouth, and Caleb once again feels his focus begin to slip. He focuses on the feeling of Essek's hand in his. Soft skin, clearly not used to the harsher weather of the frozen wasteland as of late, his fingers only rough in the areas where one would hold a quill.

Strands of silver-white hair hover on his forehead, slightly covering vibrant violet eyes. Oh it is a sight to behold. Dark skin growing impersivibly darker. How he works at his bottom lip nervously. Caleb finds himself fighting back the desperate want to feel this man against him. To hold him close and study his features on a much more intimate level. Essek's ear twitches.

"I ah… I thank you for your.. Compliments..?" He stutters out as his face flushes an even darker shade of purple.

Something inside of Caleb breaks, and he finds it becoming increasingly harder to hold back the growing need to bring the wizard close.

"I apologize for not being able to return such… appraisal," the drow mumbles out, looking anywhere but Caleb's eyes. His other hand raises up Caleb's arm, settling on the crook of his neck. "I hope I can live up to your expectations, Widowgast." He smiles nervously.

Caleb's mind goes blank. Soft lips brush his own and his restraint vanishes. They crash together in feverish movements, a warm pressure on his lips that grounds him in the moment. It's so much better than he could've ever imagined. The sensation of Essek's mouth on his is something he wants to savor forever. He wants to memorize every movement and feeling of the man pushing against him, as if this was a rare slip-up and it would never happen again. Maybe he was dreaming after all, but the feeling of Essek starting to nibble at his lower lip quickly reassures him that this is very much real.

Something sharp catches Caleb's lip, and he recoils a bit in surprise. Essek immediately pulls back, a flash of worry crossing his face.

"Fangs." Caleb mutters out, breathless. "I was not aware you had fangs."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" he gets cut off by Caleb leaning in once more, capturing his mouth hungerly. His fingers lace through Essek's hair as he pushes onto him, desperate to be closer. More. He wants more.

Apparently Essek heard him, as the drow parts his mouth, allowing him to deepen the kiss. Caleb runs his tongue over the sharpened points of Essek's fangs, feeling a shiver as he does so. They merge together, desperate to taste each other. To explore every inch. It's perfect. Absolutely perfect. He wants this moment to last forever.

They pull away after what feels like hours, but still isn't long enough. Essek's breath dances on Caleb's lips, mere inches away. Caleb smiles and presses another quick kiss to Essek's mouth.

"I think you far surpassed my expectations, Thelyss."

[littlemssam]

Random Small Mods 

Sometimes Mods are sooo small they don’t need their own Page. Plus i am lazy^^ 

Currently 60+ small Mods available

Cats & Dogs DLC

Warmly Greeting always available for Vets Greet your Patients warmly even if you are in a bad mood

Dogs longer Lay Down Command Want to go on a Adventure with your Dog and don’t want them to stray around hunting dangerous Squirrels? Command them to lie donw (they need to have learned the command of course) and they will lie down up to 300 min (default 5 min). Every Interaction with your Pet will Cancel the Command. Also it will fill up the Energy Motive.

Dogs change into Everyday Outfit after a Walk After getting unleashed Dogs will now change autonom into a Everyday Outfit.

Pets Longer Nap Pets now sleep longer when they are napping. Default time was 45-60min. New Time is 180-240min unless they get woken up by someone/something.

Buy Treats via PC Buy all Vet Treats via PC under the Order Pie Menu

Lay Down Success Chance (Command via Pet Beds) I added a higher Chance to successful command a Pet to lie down on the Pet Bed when Dogs have the Lie down Command Trait learnd and when Cats have the smart Trait. 

Call Over will wake up Pets If you call a Pet over via the whistle it will fully wake them up

Faster Pick Up Removes the “Speak to Pet” Animation before picking Pets up which makes it faster

Brindleton Bay No Stray Dogs & Cats (replaced with non Homeless Cats) Instead of Stray Dogs & Cats only Cats will walk around BB which have a Home

No Spoiling Dried Animal Food Dried Food for Dogs/Cats does not spoil anymore.

Seasons DLC

Flower Arrangments require all Ingredients All Ingredients are now needed with this Mod

Flower Arrangments slower decay Instead of 2 Days they will now take 7 Days before they wilt

Change into Everyday when inside Sims wearing “Cold” Clothes will change into Everyday Clothes when back inside. It affects Residential Lots as well as Community Lots but it only affects Community Lots that has the new Lot Trait “Change Into Everyday” added. 

Autolight Fireplace when it is cold/freezing outside Sims will now Autolight the Fireplace only when it is indeed cold/freezing outside instead in the middle of a Heatwave. This does not affect the Autolight Upgrade State of Fireplaces!

No Present opening Cooldown “Why do i have to wait three hours until i can open my next Present Mom?”

More Costume Options for Wear Costume Holiday Pirat, Pumpkin, Skeleton, Princess, Holiday Helper for Kids. Fairy, Witch for Teens

Auto Open Umbrella on Rainy Days Only  I was tired of seeing my Vampire (and others) open the Umbrella over and over again. So with this Sims will only auto open Umbrellas if it is raining

Teen Can Buy Lottery Ticket Enables the buy Ticket Interactions and “Love” this Tradition for Teens

No Kids Outdoor Objects in Rain or Heavy Snow When the Weather is bad and the Object (Monkey Bar, Jungle Gym, Swings, Dollhouse) is outside certain Interactions are disabled to prevent Kids to do them autonomously.

Protective Raincoats Sims wearing one of the Seasons Pack Raincoats will get a hidden Buff which protects them from the "Uncomfortably Wet" Buffs. Since the Raincoats keep them dry, they'll not use Umbrellas as well.

Get Together DLC

No Auto Club Gathering (Active Household) Usually when you are in a Club an travel to a Lot with one/two more Members of the same Club the autonomously starts a Gathering even if you don’t want that. This stops those auto Gatherings! It will not stop NPC Gatherings that are happening and you can still manually start a Gathering.

City Living DLC

Keyboard Piano sounds I did nozt like the Sound of the keyboard when using it so i changed it to the sounds when playing the Piano. The Autoplay is still the old Keyboard sound

“Spice Market” Chilli, Curry, Saffron & Wasabi buyable Chilli, Curry, Saffron & Wasabi buyable via Computer - Order

Better Quality Food MarketStalls Foods at Marketsstalls are now outstanding

Livestream For Everyone Videoconsole Unlocks Livestreaming via VideoConsole

Stream Let's Play For Everyone Unlocks Stream Let's Play via Computer & VideoGameConsole. Optional Addons: Donations, where i edited the random Donation Money Loot a bit Less Follower Gain, where i adjust EA’s ridiculously high Follower amount to the same amount you get for Livestreaming.

Get Famous DLC

New Hug Animation If Confident I like the Hug Animation of the Actor Career so i included the Animation into the “normal” Hug Interaction. If the Actor Sim is confident & not in 2nd & 3rd Trimester (as well as the Target) they can use the “Risky Hug” Interaction. Be aware only Teens up can use it & with the Animation comes a small social Interaction where Sims talk and you can clearly see/hear that it is “acting”. Cannot change that part.

Small Get Famous Reactions Overhaul Will add some edited loot reactions in here if they are too annoying. Added so far: - Reaction_Pristine_Sim (Disabled at all) - Broadcaster_Celebrity_Pose (Only Fans will be affected) - broadcaster_Celebrity_InciteCheers (Only Fans will be affected) - broadcaster_Celebrity_FamePerk_Rally_DrawCrowd (Only Fans will be affected) - broadcaster_Celebrity_Performance_DrawCrowd (Important Sims like DJ should not be affected anmore, plus only NPCs should be affected) - broadcaster_Celebrity_NearbySims (Sims will only react disgusted when a Paparazzi is nearby)

Better disable Celeb Walkstyle When you disable the Celeb Walkstyle on a Sim they will get a hidden Buff which prevents the Slow Mod Walkstyle until you enable it again Fixed with Patch  1.48.90

Chicken Mask For Background Actors Only The Chicken Mask will only get added to Background Actors and not the Main Actor in Super Hero Customes

Famous Sims Gain Followers Automatically Famous Sims will get Followers without the need to do something (because they are famous :P). They will get a Notification after spawning to let them know how many Followers they got. This has a hidden Cooldown of 24hrs.

Bouncer Only Homeless Sims Bouncer will only be Homeless NPCs. (I was tired of seeing my own Sims from my active Household being a Bouncer)

Fan Stans Only Homeless Sims Fan Stan Situations so those will only be homeless NPCs now.

No Celeb Outfit Copying This should prevent Sims to “copy” the Outfit of Celebs.

No Job Offer Calls & No Blind Date Calls Those Calls should not happen anymore

Improved VIP Rope Lot Owners are allowed to go though VIP Doors. A new Interaction on VIP Doors is available for Lot Owners to allow access to ther Sims

Island Living DLC

Toddler Play in Ocean with Seashell (instead of a Duck) Instead of the Duck Toddler will play with Seashells they find when playing in the Ocean

Island Living Lot Traits Unlocked Unlocks the Lot Traits “Oceanic Paradise” & “Clothing Optional”

Mermaids No Idles Removes the Coo/Hum Idles of Mermaids

Discover University DLC

Allow Stoves on University Housing Lots Enabled Stoves being buildable on University Housing Lots

RoboticsTable Faster Crafting For Higher Robotics Skill Level Sims with higher Robotics Skill level will craft faster (Amount +1 for each Skill level). I also lowered the Chance for the Electrocuted Buff from Value 1 to 0.25

Faster Run To University Class Sims are just too slow to go to Class and end up being too late often so with this Mod they get a hidden Buff which let’s them run a bit faster to Class. The Buff last 25 Minutes which should be long enough.

Buy more Upgrade Parts This adds two "Packages" to the Upgrade Parts Purchase Menu. One for Common Upgrade Parts for 450$ (10% Discount) which adds 50 Common Upgrade Parts into your Sims Inventory. And one for Robot Salvage Parts for 450$ (10% Discount) which adds 100 Robot Salvage Parts into your Sims Inventory.

Roommates no random Outfit Changing Roommates with the Big Closet Quirk should not change into random Everyday Outfits anymore

Only High Mischief Skill Sims Cheat At Final Exam When Sims take the Final Exam there is a random Loot where they cheat and either fail or succeed at cheating. Every Sim that is not at least lvl 4 in Mischief has a high Chance to fail and get caught. I changed the random loot a bit: Only Sims with at least level 6 in Mischief should cheat and only have a chance to fail when they have the Clumsy Trait.

Copy Graduation Photos and Diplomas” (Idea by Chocolate) Let’s you copy your Diplomas & Grad. Photos

Less play Ping Pong with  This should prevent Sims to play Ping Pong with Maids and other “important Job NPCs”. It also lowers the desire to play ping pong a bit.

Less kick Soccerball with This should prevent Sims to kick Soccerball with Maids and other “important Job NPCs”.  

Eco Lifestyle DLC

Nurture Gives More Health Lowered the time to nurture and increased the affect on Health.

Meat Wall for everyone Unlocks the convert to Meat Wall Interaction 

No Auto Dive For Meals In Dumpster When i used the Auto Fullfill Hunger they always want to jump into the dumpster. I needed to stop that.

Higher Skill Faster Candle Making The higher the Fabrication skill of a Sim the faster the Candle making will be: lvl 2 and lower = default speed, lvl 3-5 = 1,5x faster, lvl 6-8 = 2,25x faster and lvl 9 and higher = 4,5x faster. Sims who have the Fabrication skill lvl 5 and lower and the Handiness Skill lvl 6 and higher will also get the 1,5x faster bonus.

Better Power Water Production Changes the Power/ Water Production of Solar Panels, Windturbines and Water Collectors 10x higher.

Snowy Escape DLC

Healthy Food On Fridges Snowy Escape has a new fridge “Cook Healthy Meal” Interaction with new recipes which is only available for Sims with a “Health Food Nut” Trait. I added it so all Sims are able to cook it!

No Animations No Shoes Sign If was a bit annoyed that Sims would stop & have this weird Animation when changing into Slippers etc. with the No Shoes Indoors Sign. So i removed those Animations.

Cottage Living DLC

Better Animal Hygiene Cleaning Cows/Llamas is 4x faster and decay Rate of Hygiene is 4x slower than default (default is 6 hrs)

Better Animal Hunger The Decay Rate of Hunger is 4x slower than default (default is 6 hrs)

Better Animal Activity The Decay Rate of Activity (Attention) is 4x slower than default (default is 6 hrs)

Call Befriended Rabbit Out (via Rabbit Homes) Tweak Some Tweaks to make it easier to lure befriended Rabbits out of the Rabbit Home for example the required Relationship Value is lowered from 35 to 10.

Give Gifts More Produce Options To Rabbits Let's you gift more produce to Rabbits, like all Veggies, Fruits, Herbs. Removes the Cooldown which let's you gift produce only once which forces you to gift other "things" (does not remove the cooldown of gift giving once per day) Optional Addon: Hide All Others - I don't want to gift a Book etc. to Rabbits, so this Addon hides all options and only leaves the produce option.

Order More Groceries Added more Items to the List of Grocery Delivery & removed the quantity limit of items

Animal Tweaks When Sheds Are Hidden I like to minimize the Sheds (with help of T.O.O.L by Twisted Mexi) and hide them in Buckets to build my own Sheds. Unfortunaley this meant that Cows/Llamas would become invisible, when they are “inside” etc. So this Mods tweaks that a bit: Cows & Llama stay visible. Sims stay visible as well when cleaning/refilling inside Sheds, but since there is no “real” Animation they just go inside & out again. Woohoo is still invisible though.

Parenthood DLC

LunchSack into Fridge The LunchSack will now be put into the Fridge instead of being placed down at random places where it will never be found

Placemats only disappear after finished Eating (The Placemats itself don’t get deleted sometimes when Sims clean up (only the Plates get cleaned up) and you have to clean them up manually.)

Spa Day DLC

NPCs Auto Massage & Meditation (not needed if you have the More buyable Venues Mod it is already included there!!!) Spa Guest NPCs ask autonomously for a Massage at MassageTables & meditate autonomously via MeditationStool

Better Quality Drinks Spa Day Tray The Drinks of the Try are now outstanding

Backyard DLC

Better Quality Drinks Backyard Tray  The Drinks of the Try are now outstanding

Feathers around Bird Feeder When the Birds Feeder Animation is on there is a 5% Chance every 10 minutes that Feather Piles will appear around it.

Dine Out DLC

Restaurant Faster Cooking  There are three different Speed Options for Chefs at Restaurants. Quick has 1 cooking state. Normal has 3 and Careful has 5. I changed it to Quick 1, Normal 2 and Careful 3. I also changed some of the Cooking (Pan/Pot/CuttingBoard) Interactions to be faster. Added a Fix so Chefs won’t get stuck outside.

Restaurant Eating Tweaks When testing the "No Restaurant Bill when invited" Mod, i was too annoyed by my Sims not eating their Food. This Mod let's them eat first and then drink, so the food interaction will not get cancelled when the finish their drink. It also increases the Chances for the Food to be of better Quality.

Vampires DLC

Vampires No Cold Breath Disables the VFX of the Cold Breaths for Vampires

Strangerville DLC

Scanner Better Battery Scanner last 4x longer

Plane not fading Disables the big part of the plane to fade

Spar with Sim A new Interaction on TargetSims is available “Spar with..” when both Sims have at least lvl 3 in Fitness (Teen - Adult)

Realm of Magic DLC

Buybale Curse Cleansing Potion Adds a buyable Curse Cleansing Potion (250$) at the Potion Ingredients Vendor in Casters Ally. Because of an Animation Error i replaced the Animation which does not look 100% accurate (until EA fixes it)

Improved Practical Spells Can be found here --> Improved Practical Spells

Buy Spells and Potions Tomes via PC  Buy Tomes via PC

Werewolves DLC

Less Fury Gain A little Mod to make Werewolves a bit more bearable. I lowered the Fury Gain to 25%.

Feral Run Lowers Fury Fury gets lowered when Werewolves go for a Feral Run

Please Be A Bit Calmer Werewolves This has two Parts that can be used together or on their own each: 1) "Normal Animations" - Removes the Animation override for example the Eat Animation 2) "Lower Chance For Temperament Buffs" - the Chance to get one of those Angry Temperament Buffs is set to 5% each.

Fitness DLC

Do more while using Earbud Some Interactions where blocked when using Earbuds which are now working (for example Jogging)

Tiny Living DLC

Tiny Living Lot Traits enabled Enabled the hidden Lot Traits and adds their features as hidden Buffs instead of the original visible Tiny Home Buffs so you can use them on other Lots as well. Recommended Mod to use with this: Tiny Home Nerfs by Kuttoe which alters the bonuses for Tiny Home lots so that they are less ridiculously overpowered and more situational.

Knitting DLC

More Plopsy Objects  Added Plopsy Options to the following Objects (so far): At Woodworking Table crafted Instruments; At Robotics Workstation crafted Utili-Bots, Chatter Bots, RC Quadcopter.  Collectibles: Crystals, Metal, Fossils, Frogs, My Sims, Elements, Insects, Aliens, City Life Poster, City Life Snowglobes, Snowy Escape Gachapons, Artifacts.  XML Injector needed to work!

Sell More Knitting Objects Via Retail Adds the Option for Retail to Plant Decorations you can knit, so these are sellable as well in Retail Shops

Bust the Dust Kit

Less Idle Animation Disabled the routing idle Animations except when the place is Filthy

Reduced Dust Spawn Rate The Time until new Dust spawns got increased by 100%

Less Bunny Rewards Money Loot is now only between 1-3$ and the Chance to get some is lowered to 5%. Object Rewards are disabled completely. Optional Addon: “No Money at all” which disables Money as well

No Audio Sound & Dirty Floors I disabled the Dust Overlay on the whole Floor so now only Dust Piles & Bunnies will appear. The sounds when the Floor State changes is also disabled. Optional Addons: “No Bunnies”, “No DustPiles” disables Bunnies and/or DustPiles “Keep Audio”, “Keep Dirty Floors”  to enable Audio and Dirty Floors for those who want that

Vacuum Time and Autonomy Changes Reduced the Time for vacuuming by half and changes the Autonomy so Sims will only Vacuum when it is at least dirty. Optional Addon: “Not in Inventory” where Sims (non NPC on Home Lots) should not put Vacuum Cleaner inside their Inventory (There is a visual Animation Glitch i could not get rid off, where the cleaner is visable between put in inventory and add to world). Be aware a cleaner must be on a lot level or else Sims cannot vacuum.

Lower Fire Chance Lowers the Chance of Fires because of Dust to 11% and 3% (default 33% and 10%) Optional Addon: Addon for no Fire at all

Random

Round Dining Tables Slot Round Dining Tables (Laundry, Jungle Adv. DLCs) will now have a Food Slot in the middle of the Table:

Wake Up (Animation) Overhaul

Thanks to nabob052 (The Secret Agent Modder on Discord who kicked my Ass in the right Direction 😉 )  i finally found out how to change the Animations when Sims wake up. Now this is what i changed:

Sims with the following Moods will wake up more unmotivated – Sad, Happy, Bored, Embarrassed, Uncomfortable, Fine, Tense, Dazed

Sims with other Moods will wake up more motivated – Focused, Energized, Flirty, Inspired, Confident, Playful

Angry Sims will still wake up angry

This will also affect Children. The bugged always in Panic wakeup is overridden with the unmotivated wake up.

Auto Grab Drink when Eating Sims siting & eating at the Table and will autonomously grab a Drink when nearby.

No Shoes at Home When Sims are inside on a Residential Lot they will take of their Shoes (Unfortunaly also slippers). Be aware Foundations count as inside no matter if they are a Patio etc.

Auto Brush Teeth (after Puking) Sims will auto Brush their Teeth after they have puked. Sims will get a Buff with a autonomous Behaviour to Brush their Teeth. Only works if Autonomy is enabled. I added a Toggle Option to Sinks to disallow Brush Teeth. Optional Addons: After Eating too:  If you add the Eating Addon they will also Brush their Teeth after Eating. Disable Toggle Options:  which prevents the “Allow/Disallow Brush Teeth” Interactions to be added ingame Disabled Brush Teeth Sinks Will Allow Wash Dishes Only: Sims will only wash Dishes in Sinks where the Brush Teeth is disabled via my Interaction. If you allow Brush Teeth in Bathrooms but disallow in Kitchen they will only use the Kitchen Sink(s) to wash dishes then

No Auto Put away Toys & Pet Toys What the Mod Name says ;)

Release all Ghosts & Get Urn for Instead of releasing all Ghosts one by one via Urns/Gravestones in each Household you can use the new “ Release all Ghosts” Option on Urns/Gravestones. It will release all Ghosts without deleting them from the Family Tree. Ghosts that are in Households are not affected. “Get Urn for” will add a Urn inside your Sims Inventory which stores the Ghost Sim/Pet. This is helpful if a Sim dies off Lot which usually does not generate a Urn.

No Aging Trait I let unplayed Sims age up but there are some Sims i don’t want to age up at all. You can use MCC to flag Sims one by one but i wanted to be able to add/remove a No Aging Trait easier. So i added a Pie Menu to Computer/Tablets where the No Aging Trait can be added/removed to Sims (mind. Age Toddler)

Higher Distance for Sim Call Over Changed the Distance to be able to call a Sim over from 30 to 500. They are just way too far away sometimes^^

Photos storageable A Mod that makes Photos storageable in Storage Chests, Toy Boxes and Craft Sales Table Be aware if you use a Mod that makes some Inventories not shareable it will break your Photos if you put them into those. So only use “no Inventory sharing” OR “Photos storable” but not both.

Auto Put Painting in Inventory After finishing a Painting it will get transferred into the Sims Inventory

Auto Put Crafts in Inventory for the Kids Activity Table After finishing a Painting or Craftables it will get transferred into the Sims Inventory plus added new Buff

Guests Only Order Drink When Not Busy Sometimes too many Sims order at Bars/Expressobars so i tried to tone it down a bit. I also added more possible Drinks for NPCs to order (Bars)

“Poster Unlocked” Makes the Positivity Challenge Poster buyable

Toddler Don't go to Daycare Via Computer & Tablets you find new Options to add/remove a hidden Trait to Toddlers. Toddler with this Trait added will not go to Daycare. It will prevent them to go into the Rabbithole. Be aware the Daycare System is deeper coded so you will still get the Message to choose to hire a Nanny or send them to Daycare as well as all the Notification when they "leave" and "come back". Just click on Send to Daycare. Their Household Potrait will also be greyed out but you can still control them etc. I highly recommend to make sure someone is on the Lot to take care of them like a non Household Family Member or Babysitter. I will not be responsible if something happens if you let them be alone completely! (Does not work with Babies yet).

Grade/Highschool Change into Everyday Kids will change into Everyday Clothes when going to school.

Purchased Items delievered via Mail Ordering via Computer will now deliver the Items via Mail instead of the Actors Inventory. This counts for all Ordering Options except the Gifts (Seasons), Crystals & Earbuds. I also added missing Order Options for Pet Toys & Toys. Only install DLC specific Packages if you have those installed!  (Does NOT work for CC Items that have their own Object Tuning File!)

Auto Use Picnic Table when eating I love the Holiday Picnic Table but EA changed some Tags for those which prevents Sims to use them automatically when eating for example. Sims will just stand around them with the plates in hand and eat while standing. I readded the Dining Fun Tags so they will be used by Sims again to sit and eat there etc. This works for all Picnic Tables ingame.

Bad Environment Buff Tweak All my Sims were getting the Uncomfortable Buff so i tweaked it a bit. The Small Buff is changed from +1 Uncomfortable to Fine with a Duration of 30 Minutes instead of 120. The Middle Buff is changed from +2 Uncomfortable to +1 Uncomfortable with a Duration of 60 Minutes instead of 120. The High Buff is changed from +3 Uncomfortable to +2 Uncomfortable

Auto Check Toddler Tweaks  Changed the Cooldown from 5 minutes to 60. Sims will now check on Toddler regulary when Motives are low (Hunger, Hygiene, Energy), Diapers need to be changed or when the Cooldown is over (To play with them, talk, teach Flashcards etc.)

Livestream For Everyone Unlocks Livestreaming via Computer

Stereo Deco Slots Added Deco Slots to some Stereos so when you shrink them they fit on small Deco Slots. Stereos i edited: Tower of Power Floor Speakers (Base Game), Slick Beats by DJ Sudoku (Spa Day), HiFive High Fidelity Stereo and the Blast from the Glass Floor Speakers (City Living)

Prefer Leftover Sims don’t auto cook if food is in the fridge and instead prefer to eat the leftover. Keep in mind if you use my “No Auto Food Grab” Mod: That Mod will stop Sims from getting leftover autonomously when the “prevent buff” is active (The Autofill Button in the UI is autonomous behaviour as well). If that is the case you need to manually send them to get leftover.

Choose Leftover Instead of letting Sims randomly choose a Leftover (they love cakes & cupcakes...), a pop up menu will appear where you can choose the leftover your Sim should eat.

Claim All The Things Adds a Shift Click Claim Option to certain Objects which is helpful to remove/move Items dropped by NPCs. Option is added to Nesting Blocks, Toys, Food Single Serving, Food Multi Servings, Toddler Drinks, Tablets, Homework, Books.

Autonomy Tweaks Some small Tweaks to Autonomy: a) after telling my Sim to do an interaction they will wait 15 sim minutes until they do stuff autonomously when the interaction is finished. In default they will only wait 5 sim minutes. b) when sims are doing interactions they can choose from sub(inter)actions based on mixer groups (default,idles,targeted). For example a Werewolf does an interaction and while doing so, they do their werewolf idle. The base chances of those groups to choose from are default 20%, idle 60%, targeted 20%. I lowered the idle chance to 15%, and set the default higher. 

Improved Auto Object Choosing This Mods tries to improve how Sims choose Objects when they get an push by other interactions. So far added is the push to Wash Hands after flushing the Toilet or puking. It adds a max. 5 (Tiles) distance test to the wash hands interactions, so Sims should choose the sink which is in the same bathroom, instead of the one onthe other side of the lot.

Various

After School Activities Only Once Per Week Going to School is already hard enough, so i changed the Days of After School Activites to once per Week instead of 2-3 times per Week. Discover University: E-Sports = Thursday, SoccerTeam = Monday Get Famous: DramaClub = Wednesday HighSchool Years: CheerTeam = Tuesday, ChessTeam = Wednesday, ComputerTeam = Wednesday, FootballTeam = Tuesday Seasons: Scouting = Saturday

DOWNLOAD: 

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[theonlygamergost]

As long as I’m with you - Dream SMP

This fanfic came up in my head a while ago, finished it recently and I’m pretty happy with it, the inspiration is how much I love the Techno/ Tommy brothers/friends dynamic.

This fan fiction was corrected by the lovely @im-default

~~~~~~~~~~

Techno has never been good with human interactions, so when pushing Tommy’s buttons too far, he decides that seeing the boy like that was never gonna happen again under his supervision... but is he willing to broke the alliance with Dream to save Tommy?

~~~~~~~~~~~

Warning! Angst, past trauma, a bit of fluff 

Enjoy~

Waking up in the hole that was his room underneath Techno’s house was… Rough, it was always cold, and getting out of the blankets wasn’t the most pleasant experience, that's why Techno usually shouted from upstairs to wake up when the warmth of the fire had taken over the cold of the night.

But Techno was always wide awake when Tommy entered the comfortable home above his room, so, out of curiosity, he decided to fight the freezing cold of the morning and get out of bed earlier than usual, hoping to see what Techno was up to before he was awake.

Carefully climbing up, he peeked out the top of the stairs to see the candles and the fireplace were already lit, the dancing shadows on the walls upstairs made Tommy realize how cold it truly was, so after following the trail of warmth, he found no one home.

“B-big T?” he called out, finally getting to the top floor of the house, “Techno?” no one answered, the blonde boy looked around to find the man’s bed already done, like it was never slept in.

As he looked around, his eyes got distracted by the view outside the window: there was a blizzard raging on.

But if there was so much snow coming down, why wasn’t he here? Did Techno go out in the cold?

Getting closer to the glass, he couldn’t help but think about how pretty the snow was, everything was white… soft… cold and… a human?

A figure covered in blue was walking towards the house, the strong wind would reveal hints of red underneath the coat. Not to fret, it wasn’t blood, Techno never went outside without his red iconic cape, it was big, fluffy, and super warm, perfect for cold climates.

Tommy had the privilege of sleeping inside of it once and he had never slept better since.

Though, why was the man walking in a blizzard? And why was he so slow?

A surge of panic rose in the back of his mind when the figure started approaching the door, he wasn't supposed to be there- he was supposed to hide, he was supposed to-

“Good morning Theseus” the freezing air made the fire sway, serving as a dramatic entrance for the half-man half-pig. Closing the door with a bit of force, he snapped Tommy out of his trance: Wrong person, he wasn't supposed to hide from him, was he?

The smiling mask and the green hoodie of his warden still haunted his thoughts, as much as the big man he shared the house with ease the sensation of fear and depression he had felt, that creepy still smile was always watching from the corner of his vision. Yes, it was an illusion… and yet…

“I wasn't expecting you to be up so early “ Techno’s deep voice snapped him out again, bringing him back to the warmth of the fireplace, “Want to have breakfast since we’re both up? I don't mind eating earlier” taking off that huge and wet cape, he minded the blonde no attention, directly passing onto preparing a meal for two.

These moments of the two of them alone reminded him of how much Techno trusted him. When with others he was always on high alert with a sword at hand, ready to strike. But now? He had his back turned, focused on something else, his shoulders were also visibly more relaxed… He acted the same around Phil… And…

Wilbur…

“So are you gonna help me make breakfast? These eggs don't cook themselves y’know” Techno briefly looked over his shoulder to see the blondie froze in place, he wasn't good with people and emotions but it didn't take a degree to see that his thoughts weren't the most pleasant, the boy looked like he saw a ghost.

Tommy shook his thoughts away and started looking for the pan, grabbing milk, cookies, and some bread to toast.

The two had very different breakfast habits, Techno prepared toasts with eggs, no bacon tho, he wasn’t a cannibal, while Tommy ate anything sweet: cookies, cakes, anything goes.

One thing they both agreed on was milk, only because Techno couldn’t cultivate coffee beans himself due to the freezing temperatures.

“Thanks, big T” Techno nodded his head when handing Tommy his warm cup of milk, the sizzling of eggs getting cooked made the walls feel warm, comfortable even.

Taking a sip of the warm liquid, legs close to his chest and arms hugging them, he recalled how the day prior Techno had taught him to milk the cows he was breeding, with the number of inappropriate jokes he had made, Tommy was shocked Techno didn’t kick him out. People underestimated the man’s patience and kindness, of course it was for few to see the sight, and Tommy was grateful he was the lucky one in a million.

They ate in silence, Tommy didn’t go down a rant and talk for the whole breakfast, this time, the boy was happy with the silence, even if his mind was as loud as ever.

Techno took a bite and placed the plate aside, opening the front door to grab some firewood, explaining why he was walking so slow in the storm. Throwing it in the fireplace made sparkles and dust fly around for a few seconds, the man sat down and took another bite, “Why do you still trust Tubbo?” the out of nowhere question made him almost choke on his milk, “He has exiled you and clearly doesn’t care about your feelings nor well-being…” he munched on some more food, covering his mouth before speaking, “Why do you still want to see him?”  

The blonde boy stared at the dancing flames in the fireplace, why wouldn’t he trust Tubbo? “Tubbo is… e-everything I have left...” Techno looked over him confused, “After Dream got my discs, losing the election and Will lost his mind… he is all I have left” dipping for a bit too long a cookie in the warm milk, he slowly munched, thinking back at when he, Wilbur and Tubbo lived in those high black stone walls, before Eret and Fundy, before the war…

“Are you sure you’re not lying to yourself?” It was Tommy’s turn to be confused, “I’m just saying, Phil, Fundy, Quakity, Ranboo, Niki, they were all there for you too…” Techno counted the people on his fingers, making Tommy’s eyes widen a bit, “But they all did turn their back to you” he pointed out, making a tightness appear in the boy’s chest,  “… So are you sure you aren’t holding on to a lie? It doesn’t look like Tubbo cares that much about you-” “HE CARES ABOUT ME!!!” Techno raised a brow at the tone, “Are you sure he truly does?-” Tommy covered his ears, his body crumbling into a ball.

“SHUT UP DREAM YOU DON’T KNOW ME OR TUBBO!!!”

The room stood still, even the fire looked like it stopped moving, Techno shifted in his seat, eyes looking down in front of him. He didn’t mean to push that deep, he didn’t know this was a scar still open … but what preoccupied him the most was:

…

What in the hell did Dream do to this poor kid?

Even if Techno was silent, Tommy heard a million voices shouting nonsense right into his head. Squinting as hard as he could, he started feeling cold, the same humid cold he felt in his tent when he was alone waiting for him to get his items, his creepy smile… his harsh voice… his-

“Theseus...”

He snapped his head up at the man kneeling in front of him, Techno figured that by calling him Tommy it would have only made it worse, so using the nickname only he used seemed a better option…

And it was.

The shadows on the edge of his vision started to disappear, the braided pink hair and the preoccupied gaze made him realize, it was simply Techno… Wait- Techno? Didn’t he just say Drea-

Oh...

The tightness in his chest lightened meanwhile the knot in his throat thickened.

“I- I… I…” Techno’s reassuring smile beamed with light and kindness he had never seen before, “It’s alright Tommy, I’m here” he extended his hand toward the trembling teen, who instead of taking it, threw himself at him, hugging the man tightly.

“I’m sorry Techno!” Tommy buried his face into the soft fabric of Techno’s shirt, staining it with tears.

Techno wasn’t good at this comforting people thing, nor used to physical touch, hell it took his whole being to not jump at the hug. He was still kinda stiff, hesitant of what to do, but for Tommy, even if he was an annoying gremlin, Techno was willing to push all of this aside.

He hugged the blonde boy, caressing soothing circles on his back, “Shhh... It’s ok Tommy, I’m here” he looked up at the ceiling, thinking of how Dream had come searching for him...

~~~~~

“Do you know who killed Theseus, Techno?” he looked at the man, keeping a high guard, “I don’t remember the whole story… but he was killed by the king of the island he was taking refuge in after getting exiled”  Dream’s masks tilted to his crown, and then his red cape.

“Either way” he swung his axe on his shoulder, shrugging at the other man, “I’ll come to collect the favour soon, farewell”

As Techno looked over the green figure walking away, something in the back of his mind started to sound an alarm, this wasn’t going to end well

~~~~~

Tommy’s sobs became quieter, the grip on his white shirt loosened, but the hug was far from over.

“As long as I’m here, Dream won’t hurt you…”

If the admin of the server ever came back to use the favour, it probably will be for Tommy, Techno’s guts were right most of the time, but oh boy did he wish they were wrong right now. He wasn’t sure he was willing to sacrifice the already delicate alliance with Dream for Tommy, he couldn’t decide what to give up, not now, not never.

“... I won’t let him…“

Techno wanted to promise him, but he prefered to stay silent instead of giving half-hope, instead of lying and backstabbing…

...Just like many did to him…

… Just like Tubbo did to Tommy...

[iclaimedtobethebetterbard]

one chance to change your fate - chapter 4

Fandom: Sanders Sides Characters: All the sides, character!Thomas, Nico Flores, Dragon Witch (villain) Rating: Teen & up (see Warnings) Relationships: Loceit, Dukexiety, Royality, background Karrot Kings Warnings: Language, some sexual humor/vaguely implied sexual content, a lot of self negativity from Roman Word count: 9278 Notes: a big BIG thank you to my awesome beta @yougoodfahm! 

Read on AO3!

My writing masterpost

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Chapter 4

Two days later, Logan was awoken by a soft yet insistent ringing in his ears—the alarm spell he’d set up to go off every morning, about half an hour before he and Janus needed to get up. He lifted his hand and snapped his fingers to turn the noise off. 

He turned his attention to Janus, who was still fast asleep, lying facing him on their side; their arms were loosely wrapped around his waist and their face was nuzzled against his bare chest, the warm down coverlet tucked snugly up around their neck. Some of their hair had worked its way free of the braid they wore it to sleep in and instead trailed in wisps along their cheek. Logan reached down and gently smoothed the loose hair back, gathering it together and tucking it behind Janus’s ear; their cheek was warm and soft, their face relaxed. 

Logan tipped his head to press a kiss to Janus’s forehead, gently nudging at their shoulder. “Good morning, dear,” he said softly. 

Janus made a sleepy noise of complaint, shifting closer to him. Not quite awake, but stirring. Logan smiled and shook them again. “Janus.” 

“Mmnh,” Janus grumbled, worming still closer. “G’way.” 

“It’s time to wake up, my love.” Logan kissed their forehead again. 

“Nooooo,” Janus whined, squeezing their eyes tighter shut. 

Logan rubbed his hand up and down their back. “It really is, my dear.” 

Janus wrinkled their nose, still not opening their eyes. “Sleep,” they mumbled. 

“Well, I need to get up, then,” Logan tried. 

As he’d expected, Janus’s eyes flew open and they tightened their grip around him. “No.”  

Logan chuckled. “Good morning.” 

“Mmh,” Janus mumbled, burying their face in his chest. 

Logan stroked their hair and waited patiently for a minute; when Janus showed no further signs of stirring, he let his hand come to a rest on the back of their head. “You never answered my question the other day,” he said. 

There was a pause. 

“What?” Janus tipped their head back to blink up at him in bleary confusion. 

Logan resumed stroking their hair. “Day before yesterday, at dinner. When Roman and Remus were asking about your terribly mysterious partner. I asked you what you thought my favorite thing about you is.” 

“Oh.” Janus blinked some more, seeming marginally more awake. “Obviously my ass.” 

Logan flicked their ear gently. “Dear.” 

“My mouth?” Janus tried with a smirk that was too sleepy to be as suggestive as they clearly intended it to be. 

“Janus. I’m serious.” 

Janus wrinkled their nose and closed their eyes again. “That’s no fun.” 

Logan waited, running his finger up and down along their cheek. 

“I dunno,” Janus mumbled. “Probably something sappy. You’re nice like that.” 

Logan smiled and cupped the side of their face in his hand. “You’re my favorite everything,” he murmured. “How clever you are. How beautiful. The way you notice every little detail. Your fierceness. Your humor. Your gorgeous scales. How stubborn you are. Your smile. Your—”

Janus rolled to lie on top of Logan and kissed him, deep and hard and still a little sleep-clumsy, warm lips sliding against his as they cradled the back of his head in their hand. Logan let his hands rest on their back, one on the small of it and one higher up tracing gentle patterns with his fingers, as he lazily reciprocated the kiss; it tasted of morning breath, but Janus was so soft and clingy and warm in the mornings that they never failed to melt him anyway. 

Janus pulled back, green eyes inches from Logan’s own brown ones. “You taste bad,” they told him with a petty little pout. 

“Somehow, between you stopping me from getting up to brush my teeth and you being the one who kissed me, I fail to see how that is even marginally my fault,” Logan responded, trying not to sound as amused as he felt. 

Janus pouted harder. Logan reached to catch one of their hands in his own, and, with a little awkward maneuvering of elbows, brought it to his lips to kiss. “If we get up, we can both brush our teeth,” he suggested. 

Janus laced their fingers through his. “It’s so cold, though,” they whined. 

“It is not that cold. Living quarters in the palace never drop below sixty-five degrees, and it’s nearly summer.” 

“Shut up with your facts. I’m cold,” Janus grumbled, pointedly grabbing the edge of the comforter and dragging it up to their chin once again. 

Logan conceded this point. Janus did run very cold, to the point where Logan wondered if it was another spillover effect of the curse, like their scales; they were only so warm like this in the early mornings, after a full night cuddled against him under the covers. At any other time, their fingers would be almost icy, and their lips would be cool when they pressed against his. 

“If you let me get up, I can restart the fire,” Logan offered. 

Janus grumbled some more, but rolled off of him, pulling the comforter with them and retreating into it until they were hardly visible beneath it. 

Logan sat up and tucked his feet into his slippers. He rose, bent back down to press a kiss to Janus’s forehead—earning a soft sigh of content—and crossed to the fireplace, still warm and full of banked embers. It was the work of only a few moments to add some fuel and use a simple spell to properly restart the fire. He pulled a pair of breeches and a pale green shirt out of his closet, then moved to the door of the washroom and traced the glyph on the door, activating the water-warming charm he’d set up on it when he’d first moved in. He brushed his teeth and splashed water—not yet more than lukewarm, but he didn’t mind that nearly as much as Janus would—on his face, then changed quickly into the clothes. Buttoning the collar of his shirt, Logan reemerged from the washroom into the bedroom. He picked up Janus’s fluffy yellow dressing gown off the chair they’d discarded it on last night, and returned to the bed. 

“We do need to get up,” he reminded Janus. “And it’s getting warm now.” He offered the dressing gown. 

Janus made a wordless noise of complaint, but sat up and let him wrap them in the garment, pouting up at him all the while. “I hate waking up so early.” 

“It’s nearly nine,” Logan commented with a raised eyebrow, going back to the fireplace to check that the spell had lasted long enough for the wood to properly catch, then to his closet for a waistcoat in the same shade of emerald green as his breeches. 

“Yes, and?” Janus stretched languidly, sliding their toes into their fur-lined slippers as they did so. “I see absolutely no reason to not lounge about in bed all day.” 

Logan gave them an unimpressed look, buttoning his waistcoat. “Darling, we start work in an hour.” 

Janus closed their eyes, pouted, and shook their head. “That’s so boring. There are so many more fun things we could be doing instead.” They held out their hands palms-up imperiously, waiting until Logan crossed the room and placed his hands in theirs. 

“I’ll make you tea if you get up,” he coaxed, as he did nearly every morning, smiling a little at the familiar routine. 

“Hmm, bribery.” Janus gazed up at him through their lashes, raising one of his hands to their lips. “You do know just the way to my heart.” 

Logan moved his hand to cup their cheek, and they leaned into the touch, tilting their head to the side; their braid slipped off their shoulder, exposing the side of their neck. 

He blinked. “Ah, Janus?” 

“Yes, my everything?” 

He moved his other hand to the side of their neck. “You might want to wear something over this.” He passed his thumb lightly over a hickey that was both darker and higher up on their neck than he’d thought it would be last night. 

Janus’s breath hitched at the touch and their eyelashes fluttered. “Ah,” they said with a composure that was nearly uncracked. “That’s probably a good idea, yes.” 

Logan held back a smirk and ran his thumb over the hickey again; Janus let out a half-stifled, breathy sigh, tipping their head back. “Logan.”  

“Yes, dear?” he inquired innocently. 

“That is unfairly hot and you know it.” 

“Oh, really?” He dropped his hands to his sides and took a half-step back. “So, tea?” 

Janus squawked in indignation at the loss of his touch. Logan gave them his blandest smile just to needle them further, offering his hand to help them to their feet. 

Janus sniffed haughtily, but accepted the hand and made their way over to an armchair by the fire to curl their knees up to their chest and pout some more over the general concept of being awake. 

Logan left the bedroom to the living area and put the kettle on, pulling out Janus’s favorite cups and the breakfast tea they both liked. The kettle hadn’t yet begun to whistle by the time Janus, their hair now loosened from its braid, shuffled out from the bedroom, came up behind him, and slid their arms around him, bending down and nestling their face in the crook of his neck. 

“Did you get lonesome?” he inquired, reaching up to pat their cheek once in acknowledgement as he continued measuring tea leaves. 

Janus nodded into his neck, not relinquishing him until the kettle demanded his attention; then they hopped up to sit on the counter and kicked their heels. 

“Do you want to get dressed before breakfast arrives?” Logan inquired as he poured the water into the two cups. Breakfast came from the kitchens, delivered fresh and warm at nine-thirty or thereabouts; it would arrive before long. 

Janus sighed, adjusting their dressing gown. “Probably.” 

Logan set the now-empty kettle down beside the teacups and offered Janus a hand to help them back down to the ground. 

“I brushed my teeth,” they announced, landing lightly on their feet and not releasing his hand. 

Logan laughed and drew them close. “Did you, now?” 

“Mmhm.” Janus grinned and leaned down to press their forehead against his, wrapping their arms around his neck. “You can check. If you want.” 

Logan threaded his fingers through their hair, leaning still closer and brushing their noses together. “But I trust your word, love,” he breathed, and Janus shivered in his arms, their eyes widening noticeably on the word trust . “Why would I need to—”

Janus seized his face in their hands and cut him off with an enthusiastic kiss, pressing close against him and all but drinking him in. Logan smiled against their lips and relaxed into the kiss; their mouth did indeed taste fresh, and their early-morning warmth hadn’t quite worn off yet. They sighed into his mouth and pulled away, a delightfully besotted look in their eyes. 

“I love you,” he told them, for good measure, and relished the pink that sprung to their cheeks. 

“You’re a sap,” Janus mumbled, looking away and putting their hand in his. 

“Indeed,” Logan agreed, following them as they tugged him back into the bedroom. As they rummaged around in their own closet, Logan located the rest of his own outfit—mint green coat, pale yellow cravat, plain white socks, and gleaming black shoes with just a bit of extra height built into the soles. He sat on the end of the bed to put on the socks and shoes, leaving the coat and cravat lying beside him. 

Janus emerged, wearing a yellow turtleneck that would safely hide the hickey on their neck from the princes; the shirt was paired with high-waisted black pants and black suspenders. They wordlessly crossed the room, sat on the bed beside him, picked up his cravat, and held it up. Logan turned up the collar of his shirt obligingly and bent his head. 

They wrapped the cravat around his neck and began tying it with gentle fingers. “I love you too,” they announced after a moment. “What’s the general plan for the day?” 

“Well, it’s going to—thank you, dear,” he broke off to say, as Janus tucked the end of the cravat into his waistcoat and turned his collar back down. He continued, “It’s going to be a rough day for Remus now that the deadline is past and things are really cemented into place. So I’ll be trying to keep the preparations out of his hair as much as I can.”

Janus nodded and kissed his cheek, helping him into the jacket. 

Logan hesitated, turning his phrasing over in his head before he went on. “We may want to try to encourage him and Roman to give each other some space.” Janus had given Logan to understand that Roman had promised to work things out with Patton and his fathers last night; with Roman thus exempt from the competition, Remus was bound to be jealous and upset—not without reason, either. 

Janus nodded. “That shouldn’t be too hard; I’m sure I can just send him out to the gardens and he’ll be gone all day.” They looked themself up and down in the mirror, eyeing their outfit critically, then went back to the closet and reemerged with a pair of black fingerless gloves made of shiny leather. “There,” they said, satisfied, just as there was a knock at the door in the next room. That would be breakfast. 

“Come in,” Logan called. 

As the kitchen staff laid out the breakfast on the table in the next room, Logan fixed his hair in the washroom; Janus, meanwhile, brushed their hair and drew it back in a loose ponytail, then hovered in the doorway of the washroom impatiently until Logan gave them a turn with the counterspace to pull out their makeup and draw on thin, sharp wings of black eyeliner. 

Logan headed out into the kitchen to sweeten the tea he’d brewed earlier; he was just in time to call a “thank you” after the people who’d brought up the breakfast as they were on their way out. He added sugar to Janus’s tea and honey to his, then brought the cups—just reaching the perfect temperature—to the table. He went back to rummage in the cupboard above the sink. 

“Need help?” Janus inquired over his shoulder. He hadn’t consciously heard them come in, but he didn’t startle. 

“I’ve got it, thank you—would you mind serving?” Logan nodded towards the table. 

“Of course.” Janus busied themself filling two plates as Logan pulled down the two jars stored on the top shelf: the hormone replacement potions he brewed in bulk every month. He measured out the potions carefully into two little cups with an easy precision born of some seven years’ practice. He’d become a wizard specifically to study gender-related magic; it was listed as his specialty on his certification degree, which he was rather proud of. He had been brewing his own hormone potion since he’d learned how, partly because it was just a little cheaper than buying prescription potions and partly as a point of pride. Once he’d gotten his official certification four years ago, he’d started making Janus’s potion for them, too. 

Theirs was very easy, based on a standard prescription formula; the finished potion was a shimmering pearly concoction containing a small dose of estrogen and a bit of jasmine flavoring to cover up the bitter flavor that potion bases tended to have. For his own potion, however, Logan had altered the prescribed formula just slightly—a fairly standard testosterone dosage in a potion flavored with loganberry extract that gave it a nice purple color. The flavor was pleasant, but, although he’d never admit it, he’d chosen it more for the name than the taste. (He had gotten into several arguments with Patton, when he visited Janus’s family with them on some of his days off, over whether it counted as a pun. Which, of course, was a ridiculous idea and not true in the slightest. Wordplay was quite different from puns, thank you very much.) He’d only implemented a few small tweaks to his original prescription, based on what Logan liked to call “research” and Janus liked to call “illegal magic experimentation done on your own body, what the actual hell, Logan, do you have no sense of self-preservation at all, you idiot?”  

This was, in Logan’s opinion, entirely unfair; he’d known exactly what the risks of the spells he’d done were, had been confident he could successfully navigate them, and, most importantly, he had been right. He hadn’t harmed himself, and he’d gotten what he insisted was a more accurate measurement of his own physiology and natural hormonal cycles. Based on that, he’d been able to customize the potion even better to his physical needs. The tweaks hadn’t been much, but in Logan’s opinion, they made all the difference. It was simply another advantage that home-brewed potions carried; you couldn’t get this kind of specificity in a drugstore-variety hormone potion. 

It hardly ought to count as illegal when he only ran the research spells on himself, anyway. He understood the ethical concerns of running those kinds of tests on someone else, of course, and would never do that, but he’d known what he was doing! Janus was simply being overprotective. Besides, between himself and Janus, he was the expert with an actual certification. The fact that he’d adamantly refused when Janus, annoyed, had challenged him to run the same tests on themself “to prove they’re so safe” meant nothing. It was simply an overabundance of caution. Nothing more. 

Now, finished with measuring out their potions’ daily doses, Logan sealed the jars and returned them to their shelf, then passed Janus their potion and took a seat at the table. Janus set a plate down in front of him; fruit, toast with his favorite jam, and scrambled eggs topped with salsa, all just how he liked them.

“Thank you, dear,” he said, accepting the fork they passed him. He tossed back his own potion, washed it down with a sip of his tea, and tucked in. He had a long day ahead of him; best to fuel up. 

  ***

  For one single moment when he woke up, Roman was content, staring up at his painted ceiling and snuggling under the covers. The delicate, brightly colored designs on the ceiling were abstract, the sort of art that made the eye jump to seek out patterns that didn’t exist: the perfect spark for creativity and imagination. He usually daydreamed in the mornings, slipping in and out of sleep, until Janus arrived to nag him to get up and start the day. And what better to daydream of than—

Patton. 

Roman was suddenly fully awake, and he couldn’t decide if he wanted more to throw up or to cry. 

The deadline had been yesterday. And Patton had said nothing. Because he didn’t know. Because Roman hadn’t told him, and had smiled and lied to Janus’s face yesterday when he promised he’d tell Patton how he felt and go to his fathers and get excused from the competition. 

And now Roman would have to marry a stranger from some far-off land. 

He suddenly understood exactly why Remus had been so antsy and distraught all month, so irritable and set off by the smallest thing. The competition had all seemed so surreal to Roman; it had been so easy to refocus instead on his near-daily meetings with Patton that he swore were getting more and more openly flirtatious by the hour, and to shove the competition to the back of his mind and believe it wouldn’t affect him. Patton’s face had pinched up with worry whenever it came up, anyway; Roman hardly wanted to upset him discussing it. 

Guilt rolled in his stomach. Patton was going to be crushed. Precious, sweet Patton, who deserved nothing but joy and light in his life—he was going to try and hide it for Roman’s sake, but Roman knew better, and—oh, Janus had been right all along. 

He had been so stupid.  

Roman rolled over, pulled the nearest pillow over his head, and let the tears flow. 

He wasn’t sure how long he cried, tiny little sniffles interspersed with choked sobs, curling tighter and tighter in on himself in a vain, desperate search for comfort, but eventually the tears dried up into a sort of numb horror, his mind circling around and around through worse and worse thoughts. 

Patton was going to cry. Patton was going to hate him. Patton was going to pretend it was okay, because Patton was sweet and kind and thoughtful and so, so good, but it wouldn’t be okay, not even a little bit, and they’d both know it. Patton was never going to talk to him again. Patton was never going to give him flowers again. Never going to laugh at Roman’s stories, never going to light up when he thought of the perfect pun, never going to stumble over his words in an eager, laughing babble as he told Roman about his day, never going to look at Roman like he could be happy forever. 

Roman was going to marry a stranger, and Patton was going to move on and never think about him again, and Roman wasn’t sure which of those things was worse. He could feel the tears and snot starting to dry on his face, but he didn’t care enough to do anything about it. 

There was a knock on the door. “Roman?” Janus called, voice light and far too chipper. They waited a beat, then came in when he didn’t respond. “Time to get up, lover boy,” they announced, dragging the wide drapes open and flooding the room with sunlight. “I was thinking we could—Roman?” 

Roman made a wordless noise of misery, burrowing a little deeper under his covers. 

“Roman?” Janus said again, a distinct note of concern working its way into their voice. They moved over to his bed and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright?” 

“No,” Roman mumbled. 

They sat on the bed beside him and lifted the pillow he’d hidden his head beneath. He flinched away from the too-bright morning light. “What happened?” They searched his face, their eyes wide and bewildered, pulling out a handkerchief and offering it as he sat up. 

Roman wiped his nose and looked away, gut twisting with the sudden realization that he really, really didn’t want to know what Janus’s reaction to finding out would be. 

“He—Patton didn’t say no, did he?” Janus said disbelievingly. “Roman?” They gripped his shoulder again, fingers clinging tight with worry. “He didn’t do that. He wouldn’t. Not to you. Would he?” They hesitated, mind clearly racing. “Did your fathers—?” they began. 

Roman shook his head. 

“What happened?” Janus pressed once more. 

Roman winced and curled in on himself. 

“Roman?” 

And there it was. A note of horror. The truth had occurred to them. 

Roman squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, knowing it wasn’t enough. 

Janus took him by both shoulders and turned him to face them. “Roman, what did you do?”  

Roman hung his head. His voice came out in a mumble that promptly cracked and fell to a whisper that shrank smaller and smaller as he went on. “I—I didn’t—Ididn’ttellhimaboutit.” 

Janus hesitated. “Say that again,” they said, rising anger warring with a pleading tone. Pleading with him to say anything else or tell them they’d misheard him. 

Roman bit his lip. “I—” A lump rose in his throat, and he stopped, twisting the handkerchief back and forth in his hands. 

“Roman,” Janus begged, their grip tightening on his shoulders once again, a vice-like pinch through Roman’s silk pajamas. 

Roman looked up at them. They were staring desperately at him. 

He hadn’t even thought about how this would hurt them, too. How could he have been so selfish?  

“I didn’t talk to him about it,” Roman forced through his suddenly wobbling lips. 

The stricken look on Janus’s face would have been enough to make Roman cry at the best of times, and now was certainly not the best of times. As their hands slipped off his shoulders to rest slack in their lap, Roman shrank back, hiding his face in his hands, tears overwhelming him once more. 

“I’m sorry, Janus,” he choked out. 

Janus got to their feet, not meeting his eyes. “Get dressed,” they said tonelessly. They turned and walked out. The door shut without so much as a slam, but Roman didn’t find that reassuring in the slightest. 

He could just hear Logan and Remus’s voices through the door, raised in concerned, questioning tones. Janus didn’t answer them, or if they did, not loud enough for Roman to make out their voice over his own sobs. 

He wanted nothing more than to pull the covers back over his head and cry the day away; but Janus had told him to get up. The least he could do was oblige them. 

Roman took several deep, gasping breaths and pulled himself together shakily, swallowing the tears back until he could wipe his face and blow his nose and force himself up out of bed and across the room to his closet. 

He dressed in the first clothes that came to hand, splashed cold water on his face, tried not to cry again at the sight of his tear-splotched face in the mirror as he brushed his teeth, failed, changed to a new shirt that didn’t have tears and toothpaste dribbled down the front, washed his face again, and after three tries managed to clip back his hair in a half-up style that was still too messy because normally Janus would do it for him. 

And then he sat on the bed, wringing the handkerchief Janus had given him back and forth in his hands, staring at the door. 

He ought to go out there and face the music, as it were. He knew that. 

But he’d just lost Patton. He didn’t want to lose Janus, too. And if he just stayed here, stayed in his room and pretended he wasn’t hiding from the consequences of his actions, then maybe this moment of time would freeze and he could just stay here forever and things wouldn’t get better but at least they wouldn’t get worse, either. 

Roman probably didn’t deserve for things not to get worse. 

He straightened his shoulders as much as he could, took a deep, shuddering breath, and walked to the door, holding the handkerchief tight. Maybe it was about to become a memento of the last time Janus was nice to him. He hoped they’d let him keep it. 

He took another moment with his hand on the doorknob to steady himself, taking one deep breath, then another, then a third. When he still didn’t feel any more steadied, he grimaced and pushed the door open before he could change his mind, emerging into the sitting room. 

Janus was pacing in circles around the room, long legs eating up the distance at a rapid pace, hands gesturing wildly as they muttered to themself, and all their hesitancy and horror from before was gone. Now they only looked furious. Remus was at the breakfast table, munching on a stack of pancakes, worried eyes tracking Janus. Logan was seated on the sofa, back ramrod-straight, shoulders taut, expression serious, not speaking a word. The whole room felt oddly still and silent, Janus’s angry movement the only energy in the space. 

Janus froze at the noise of the door opening for just a beat, then turned on their heel to glare at Roman, crossing their arms. 

He shrank back under their gaze, half of a mind to step back into his room, lock the door, and never come out. Logan was looking back and forth between Roman and Janus, his expression hard to read beyond definitely not good; Remus’s eyes were fixed on his twin. Roman spared him the briefest glance before meeting Janus’s eyes once again. At least Remus didn’t seem mad—although he certainly wasn’t anywhere near happy. 

“So,” Janus said coldly. “You decided to grace us with your presence. How kind.” 

Roman winced. “Janus—” He faltered, having no idea what on earth he could say. I’m sorry didn’t really cover it, but every other option was worse. 

The slight flare of Janus’s nostrils was enough to stop Roman in his tracks, anyway. “What?” they snapped. 

Roman looked at his feet. 

“No, really, what? I’m quite curious. What earthly thought process could possibly have gone through your head leading up to this? Do share your enlightened decision-making prowess with the rest of us,” Janus went on, stalking closer to Roman in a way that made him feel very much like he was about to be eaten alive. 

Roman wound the handkerchief around and around his fingers. “I—I don’t—I’m sorry.” 

“Clearly. But I’m afraid I kind of don’t care about that just now,” Janus informed him, grabbing his chin and making him face them. “Explain.” 

Roman’s tensed shoulders had climbed until they were practically around his ears. But he wouldn’t refuse Janus. Not after that moment of shocked hurt earlier. “I—I didn’t tell him,” he began. 

“Mmhm.” Janus’s tone was as chilly as snow down Roman’s back. They let go of his chin and crossed their arms again, staring him down. “You made that pretty clear.”

“No, I—I didn’t tell him anything.” Roman faltered at the way Janus’s lips tightened, but he forged onward. Too late to turn back now. “I didn’t—I didn’t even tell him about the—the deadline. That I could have gotten out at all.” 

“Oh my god.” Janus threw their hands in the air. “I didn’t think it could get worse.” 

“I thought it wouldn’t be fair to him!” Roman couldn’t help but defend, knowing he sounded hysterical and teary. “I didn’t want to pressure him, I was trying to be mindful of my power, I—”

“You make him the happiest I’ve ever seen him!” Janus snapped, shoving a finger in Roman’s face. “You make him happier than any actual boyfriend he’s ever had before! He’s made it pretty fucking clear he was interested in you for months now, so quit giving me your ‘I wasn’t sure’ bull.” Their voice rose as they went on until they were all but screaming in Roman’s face. “I thought you at least had the fucking sense to act in your own goddamn self-interest when it came down to the line! But evidently I overestimated your brainpower!”

“But I—”

“No. Shut up.” Janus’s hands were shaking, their voice gone low and furious. “Patton is one of the two most important people in my life, Roman. Did you stop to think for a fucking second about respecting Patton’s autonomy in the situation? Think about the way that deliberately withholding critically relevant information would impact his ability to make his own decisions?” 

Roman’s gut twisted. He had not thought of this angle. He looked at the floor again and didn’t speak. 

“Did you ever realize that this isn’t just about you?” Janus went on. “Because it’s not just about you, Roman! Your actions have consequences! You can’t just decide to play the martyr because you feel like it, or you think it’s the righteous thing to do, or whatever the hell was going through your head. You can’t do that to Patton! It doesn’t make you the hero if Patton gets hurt! Do you understand that?” They looked down at the handkerchief he was still twisting in his hands and snatched it from him. “Do you understand how monumentally stupid you’ve been, Your Highness?”  

The tears that had been pooling in Roman’s eyes spilled over. “Yes,” he choked out. “I get it.” 

“Do you? Do you really?” Janus demanded, hands on their hips. 

“I know!” Roman sobbed. “I get it, Janus! It’s my fault and I was stupid and now you hate me and Patton will too and it’s my fault! I know! I know I just ruined my whole life and his too! You don’t need to explain to me why I’m stupid! Okay?” He gulped in air, the sensation in his lungs all wrong, just like everything else about this moment. “I know,” he repeated, voice cracking. 

Janus was silent for a moment, their expression hard. “I don’t hate you,” they said tersely. “I’m monumentally angry with you, but I don’t hate you. Clear?” 

Roman didn’t know how to formulate a response to that. “You d—don’t?” he hiccuped after a pause. 

Janus made a face, shoved the handkerchief back at him, and crossed their arms. “You’re my friend,” they said as he wiped his tears away again, though their tone didn’t soften from its stony prickle at all. “I’m not throwing that away overnight. You know, unlike how you decided to throw Pat—”  

Logan cleared his throat, and Janus cut themself off almost instantly, their eyes flying to him. 

“I get the feeling you might regret whatever you’re about to say,” Logan commented mildly. 

Janus blinked. “I—you’re right. Thank you.” They looked back to Roman. “I... apologize for that last bit. It was... uncalled for.” 

Roman wasn’t convinced that anything they could say to him, no matter how much it hurt, would be uncalled for just at this moment, but he was too choked up to form words. He waved his hand vaguely. 

Janus was silent for a moment. “I… listen.” The furious edge was gone from their voice, and their breathing had steadied, but Roman thought this new, deadly serious tone might be worse; it was so much more calculated and intentional than the angry shouting of a moment ago. “I care about you, Roman. But if you break my brother’s heart, I don’t know if I’ll be able to forgive that.” Janus turned away from him, arms wrapped tightly around themself, and Roman realized very suddenly that their shoulders were trembling.  

“Janus—” he began, reaching out instinctively but catching himself before he could lay his hand on their arm. 

Janus shook their head, still not looking at him. “I don’t want to hear it.” Their voice shook ever so slightly. 

Logan fidgeted in his seat, staring at Janus with a surprisingly distressed expression, his eyebrows knitted together, but he didn’t say anything. Remus was sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest, half-eaten pancakes forgotten in front of him. 

“What—” Roman began. He hesitated, not sure if it was the right thing to say, but he felt he had to say something. “What should I have done differently?” 

Janus spun back to face him again, face flushed and eyes filled with barely-held-back tears. “Anything!” they snapped, fury coloring their voice once again. “What is so hard to comprehend about that? Would even an ounce of communication with literally anyone in this situation have killed you?” 

Logan got to his feet. “Janus. Roman. I do not intend to invalidate either of your feelings in this moment, but I fail to see how this is at all healthy for either of you at this point.” He sighed. “Would it help to—” 

“Shut up,” Janus and Roman snapped in unison. 

Logan recoiled, looking shocked, for just a second; then his brows drew even closer together than they had already been, and his lips pressed together in a frown. He crossed his arms and lifted his chin just slightly, looking away from them. 

Janus hesitated, something like regret flashing across their face almost too quickly for Roman to read it. “I—Lo—”

“What’s going on?” Thomas’s voice said. 

Roman jumped, but he seemed to be the only one surprised by the new arrival. Looking over, he saw both his parents by the door, taking in the scene. 

“Your son is an idiot, that’s all,” Janus responded to Thomas in a cold tone, fists clenching at their sides. 

“Janus, you are speaking to the kings!” Logan interrupted frantically, his former anger melting away into alarm. 

“I’m well aware,” Janus snapped. “If they wanted me speaking my mind to always be a nice thing, they should have thought of that before they raised their child to be so self-centered and hell-bent on self-sacrifice!”

Nico leaned over and whispered in Thomas’s ear; he received a nod and stepped out of the room. Thomas, meanwhile, clasped his hands in front of himself, raised his eyebrows, and gave Janus and Roman his full attention.  

Janus hadn’t stopped ranting. “He can’t get it through his thick skull that being happy is good or that his actions have consequences and that he’s not the only one affected by them! And I don’t know how the hell I’m supposed to fix it this time!” 

“You don’t have to—” Roman began.

Janus glared at him. “Yes, I fucking do! And not even just for you! For Patton! Do I have any idea how to fix it? No! I was totally unprepared for this eventuality! I thought you had this handled! I didn’t think you’d make it worse, you nitwit!”  

Roman winced and fell silent once more. 

“Sorry,” Thomas said, “who’s… Patton?” 

Janus froze and pinned Roman with an icy look. “They don’t know about him?”  

Roman looked away. 

“What the hell, Roman?” Janus demanded. 

“I was shy about him!” Roman defended. “I was going to tell them eventually!” 

“Is he some kind of game to you? Some sort of toy to string along for fun? Not even important enough to tell your own parents he exists?” With each accusatory question, Janus took another step towards him, backing him towards the wall. 

“No!” Roman shook his head frantically. “No no no no no—I just—I mean, have you told your dads about your boyfriend? It’s embarrassing!” 

Janus flung their hands up in a bewildered, aggravated motion. “Yes, I have! Obviously! Ages ago! We’ve been together for years, I bring him home all the time!”

Roman blinked. “Wh— years?”  

“Yes, I—” Janus inhaled. “You know what, he is none of your business! We are talking about you and Patton right now, and every time I think I have a handle on how badly you’ve messed this up, it gets worse.”  

“Alright,” Thomas interrupted. “I still don’t understand what’s happening, but let’s all take a deep breath and sit down and sort out whatever’s upset you all so. Come on. Everybody find a chair. Let’s go.” 

Janus, who was trembling again with what looked like barely-held-back angry tears, took the armchair nearest Logan, and Thomas took one across from them. Roman made his way to the sofa; Remus hopped up from the table and plastered himself to Roman’s side, protectively wrapping his arms around him. 

Roman tensed for a moment; he wanted a hug, very badly, but part of his brain insisted he ought not accept comfort when he’d upset Janus so much. That part, however, was quickly overpowered by the fact that Remus was as clingy as an octopus, and Roman was clearly getting the hug whether he wanted it or not. Roman relaxed, which wound up prompting a fresh burst of tears now that he wasn’t focused on trying to hold them back. 

Remus only held Roman tighter, to the point where it was nearly uncomfortable, resting his chin on top of Roman’s head; he didn’t even make a teasing comment about “waterworks.” 

As Roman got his tears under control once again, he realized that Remus hadn’t said anything for the entire morning so far. Quiet Remus was practically unheard of, and never a good sign. Roman frowned. 

“Are you okay?” he whispered. 

“Look who’s talking.” Remus thumbed at Roman’s cheek, still wet with tears—not quite wiping them away, but still a comforting gesture. “I dunno. I’ll—” He hesitated. “I’ll tell you later.” He let go of Roman, but left his hand on Roman’s shoulder, a grounding weight only a little bit sticky with the syrup he’d poured on his pancakes. 

Roman nodded and looked back up; Thomas was watching the twins closely, concern plain to read on his face. Logan was drawing back, as if he’d just been leaning forward a second ago. Janus was leaning forward, with their elbows on their knees; they were raising their hand to their face to brush away the tears that had spilled down their own cheeks. If Roman hadn’t known better, he’d almost have thought the two could have been holding hands a second ago. 

As Nico came back in—Roman couldn’t be sure what he’d been doing, but he suspected it had been some sort of arrangement to clear the family’s schedules for the next hour or two—Thomas beckoned him over to sit in the chair beside him. The two clasped hands, and Thomas leaned over and murmured something Roman couldn’t make out in Nico’s ear. Nico nodded. 

“Okay.” Thomas turned back to the rest of the group and took a deep breath. “What’s going on?” 

Janus, Remus, and Roman all began talking at once. 

“I didn’t mean to—”

“—thinks it’s funny to go around playing with—”

“—both need to fucking cool their tits—”

“—I was only trying to help—”

“—can’t believe he would be so—”

“—they keep yelling and yelling and it’s not even funny—”  

“—and I’m so so sorry—”

“Whoa!” interrupted Thomas. “Okay. Everyone take a breath.” He turned to Nico. “Alright. How do we want to do this?” 

“Hm.” Nico considered this for a moment. “Logan?”

“Your Majesty?” Logan inclined his head. 

“Could I get your perspective to accompany all this?” 

Remus let out a small snicker, which he quickly stifled. 

“Roman, Janus, we’re going to hear each of you out,” Nico clarified. “I just want a quick rundown of what’s happening first, and it seems like you’re both feeling... a little distressed for that right now.” 

Janus gave a small, terse nod, not meeting anyone’s eyes. 

Logan took a deep breath, clearly weighing his choice of words. “Well. I am not directly privy to all the details, of course, and that should be kept in mind. But my understanding is, roughly, as follows. Roman has—actually, hold on. Roman, may I speak freely on this matter?” 

Roman blinked. “I—yeah.” There was no point now in trying to wait until introducing Patton to his fathers could be a joyful, celebratory moment. 

Logan nodded once. “Thank you.” He turned back to the kings. “To my understanding, Roman has been, to some extent, romancing Janus’s brother Patton, who works in the palace gardens, for some five months now.” 

“But—” Roman began. Logan was oversimplifying!  

“Roman,” Nico said gently, holding up a hand, still looking at Logan. “Wait your turn, son.”  

Roman bit his lip and fell silent. 

Logan nodded and continued. “Each of them has demonstrated extreme reluctance to openly discuss their feelings with one another for reasons unknown to me, to the point where… well. Where yesterday came and went without either of them doing anything to cement their relationship and remove Roman from the competition. Janus seems quite upset by this, I believe mostly out of concern for Patton’s feelings—” 

“He can’t just—” Janus burst out. 

Nico opened his mouth, but Logan beat him to it. “Janus,” Logan said gently, much more gently than Roman usually heard him speak to them. “I am in no way attempting to belittle you, or your brother, or your relationship to him, or the consequences Roman’s actions will bring, or the way you or Patton feel about this. I merely intend to give the kings a brief rundown of the concrete events that have taken place so they are better equipped to understand. Alright?” 

Janus held Logan’s gaze, something hard in their expression trembling and melting away, leaving them with a startlingly vulnerable look in their eyes. “Alright,” they whispered, closing their eyes. 

Logan nodded and turned back to the kings. “Janus had been under the impression that Roman and Patton intended to make their relationship official yesterday, but that did not actually occur, I believe partly because Patton was unaware that leaving the competition was an option for Roman at all. This morning, after we learned what took place, we sent for Your Majesties. While we waited, Roman and Janus proceeded to participate in a screaming match, mostly in the form of Janus lashing out and berating Roman about his treatment of their brother, and Roman accepting it unquestioningly in what seemed to me to be a concerning form of emotional self-flagellation. This lasted until Your Majesties arrived.” He paused, clasping his hands, then nodded to himself. “I believe that is all.” 

“Wait, what?” Janus said, blinking. They stared at Roman. “You were what?”

Roman squirmed uncomfortably under the sudden attention. “You were right,” he mumbled. “I messed up. It made sense to let you say whatever.” 

“What—like, using me as a way to punish yourself?” Janus, for some reason, seemed distressed by this, their voice pitching high. 

Roman just shrugged. 

“Roman!” Janus snapped. 

Roman fidgeted with the handkerchief, not meeting their eyes. “What?” 

They spluttered for a moment. “You can’t do that!” 

He frowned. “Why not?” 

“I— what do you mean, why not? It’s shitty, that’s why not!” 

“But—” Roman began.

“Okay,” Thomas interrupted again. “Break time. Janus is right, that’s not healthy, Roman, but we can discuss that in detail a little later.” He looked at his husband. “I think we can spare a few hours, don’t you? This does seem like a family emergency.” 

Nico nodded. “I was thinking the very same myself. You and I are already free until at least noon, and I think we can potentially extend that by another hour or two if we need.” 

“Alright.” Thomas looked back to the younger four, his eyes settling on Janus. “Janus, it seems pretty clear that the hurts between you and Roman went both ways. I want to make sure we allow you to process however works best for you. Would you like to stick around while we all work through what just happened, or would you like to take the day off and deal with your emotions yourself for today?” 

“Can Patton have the day off too?” Janus asked immediately. 

“You said he works in the gardens? Of course he can,” Nico agreed. “I’m sure we have plenty of gardeners, that should be fine.” 

Janus didn’t hesitate. “I want to go home, then.” 

Nico nodded. “Go ahead. We can discuss what happened between you and Roman privately with you tomorrow and help you work out a solution, alright?” 

Janus was on their feet and moving before Nico even finished speaking. “Yes, fine, absolutely,” they tossed over their shoulder, heading for the door.  

“Janus,” Thomas called. “Make sure you’re taking the time to care for yourself, too.” 

“Mmhm, of course.” Janus didn’t sound particularly sincere. 

“Janus?” Roman worked up the courage to say. 

Janus froze in their tracks, not turning. “What?”   Their voice was much chillier than it had been speaking to his fathers.

“Can—can you tell him I’m really sorry?” Roman’s voice dwindled smaller. 

Janus sighed. Their shoulders slumped slightly. “...Maybe.” They walked out the door and shut it behind them. 

Logan stared after Janus, then glanced at Remus, then Roman, clearly struggling with something; he looked beseechingly at the kings. 

Nico smiled slightly. “Why don’t you take the day off, as well, Logan?” 

“Thank you, sire.” Logan practically bolted from the room. “Janus!��  

There was silence for a few seconds after Logan’s departure; Thomas and Nico seemed to be having a conversation with only their eyes. 

“Alright,” Thomas said, offering Nico his hand as both men moved to the couch by their sons, “let’s talk about it.” 

  ***

  Janus was halfway back to their and Logan’s rooms by the time Logan caught up with them. He wordlessly offered them his hand, and they clung to him as they walked the rest of the way back to the suite. 

The moment the door was closed behind them, Janus crumpled to their knees, too worked up to even properly cry; Logan sank down beside them and drew them close. 

They hid their face in his shoulder, clinging to him with all their strength. “I thought it was going to be fine!” they burst out after a minute. 

“I know.” Logan’s arms were firm around them. “I know, dear.” 

“Patton doesn’t even know,” they went on. “How am I supposed to break it to him?” 

“I would suggest that his favorite tea be involved,” Logan responded reasonably, “but I also get the feeling you meant that rhetorically.” 

Janus chuckled in spite of themself, taking a deep breath. They looked up, making sure they had Logan’s attention. “I’m sorry I told you to shut up earlier,” they said. “I know you hate that. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it.” 

Logan hesitated. “Emotions were running high. I certainly understand doing something in the moment that I wouldn’t choose in a more rational mindset.” He glanced away. “I… I admit that it did… sting. But I know you didn’t intend it maliciously.” He looked back, meeting their eyes once again. “I forgive you, dearest.” 

“I love you,” Janus told him, only stumbling a little over the words. At a better time, the look of startlement on Logan’s face at them saying it first would be absolutely delectable; they stored that information away to process at a later date. 

“I love you too,” he responded, cupping their cheek in his hand. “What do you need before you go to pick up Patton?” 

“My wallet,” Janus said. 

Logan’s brow furrowed. “Don’t you have that on you?” 

“No, I left it in the dresser, I wanted to wear tight pants and putting things in my pockets ruins the look.” 

“Wh—Janus, we’re supposed to carry our IDs on ourselves at all times when we’re on duty!” 

“Nobody ever asks for my ID.” Janus waved at their scales. “They just recognize me and understand that I have a higher level of clearance than they could ever dream of.” 

“Dearest, that’s illegal, you can’t just—”

“Are you saying you don’t appreciate the way I look in these?” Janus challenged, smirking. Flirting and teasing, after all, was so much easier than confronting the emotions the last hour had stirred up. 

Logan paused, clearly torn. “I… did not say that. At all. And that’s actually irrelevant to my point.” 

Janus pursed their lips. “Darling, I need you to understand what’s more important: a silly little law that nobody cares about anyway, or me looking hot?” 

“I—what? Clearly the law that is designed to protect our safety and that of the royal family, Janus!” Logan made a bewildered gesture. 

“Interesting.” Janus raised a sly eyebrow. “So there are other laws you’d be willing to rank below my appearance in terms of importance?” 

“Dear,” Logan said helplessly. 

Janus relented. “I’m teasing. Don’t worry.” 

Logan nodded. “Alright. You need your wallet. Anything else? Keys? Hat? Cardigan?” 

“All of those, yes. And that should be everything.” Janus leaned their head on Logan’s shoulder, reluctant to leave his arms. 

He cradled them close. “Remember how a few days ago you told me I didn’t need to work so hard?” he asked. 

Janus raised an eyebrow. “Yes, and I remember exactly what you answered, too, so if you’re about to turn that on me, I want you to know that you’re being very hypocritical. Also that I’ll be incredibly insulted that you would ever imply I would work, let alone hard or on purpose.”  

Logan blinked several times. “You—we literally have a live-in job, what are you talking about?”

“Irrelevant.” Janus waved their hand. “Continue.” 

Logan was still hung up on his confusion. “You voluntarily spend a decent amount of your free time behind the counter in your fathers’ bakery! What do you mean, you don’t work?” 

“No, I—oh, nevermind. It’s about maintaining my reputation as a terribly high-maintenance spoiled little piece of eye candy, love, not about what I actually do. What did you want to say?” 

“I— what?” Logan said helplessly. “Who thinks that of you?” 

Janus sighed, trying not to laugh. “Nobody. I just like it as an idea. You were saying something about me working too hard, probably?” 

“Oh.” Logan nodded, clearly refocusing. “Yes, exactly. It isn’t your job to tend to every emotional need of the people you love, you know.” 

“Hmm, I don’t like the sound of that.” Janus wrinkled their nose. “What if instead I pour all my energy into manipulating every situation to protect them from even the slightest harm, and then have a total breakdown when something I can’t control happens?” They spoke lightheartedly, jokingly, sounding a little sarcastic, knowing that Logan would parse the barely-hidden vulnerability out of the sentence anyway. 

Logan put his hand on their arm, looking them in the eyes. “Roman and Patton are both adults. They can handle themselves. Even through rough patches. It’s not your responsibility to protect them from everything.” 

Janus whined a little, leaned forward, and pressed their face into Logan’s neck for comfort, breathing in the scent of him and feeling his warm skin against their cheek. “But I want to.” 

He stroked their hair. “I know. And, as you yourself just said, if you pour all of your energy into doing so to such a great extent, you then break down when you run into the inevitable failure.” 

Janus pouted. “Hey, you can’t use my own words against me, that’s illegal.” 

“Like not bringing your ID to work is illegal?” Logan said, and Janus didn’t need to see his face to know the way he was raising his eyebrow. 

“You’re terrible,” Janus told him, trying not to smile. 

“I love you, too,” Logan responded, shifting and offering them his hand as he got to his feet. “If you want to catch the next trolley into town, you’ll need to get going to pick up Patton soon.” 

Janus nodded and leaned in to press their cheek against his in something that wasn’t quite a kiss but carried the same energy. “You don’t mind staying behind?” they inquired. 

Logan hummed thoughtfully. “Well. I am loath to leave you in such a state of distress, so in that sense, yes, I mind very much. But this seems like an incredibly personal family matter, and I doubt I am close enough to Patton for my presence not to feel like an intrusion to him.” 

Janus wrinkled their nose, but didn’t say anything. Logan was probably correct, even if Patton would never say so aloud. 

“I will be fine,” Logan assured them. “I’ve been meaning to brew some more sleeping draughts for the palace stock, anyway, you know how long they have to sit before they’re fit for use.” He squeezed their hand and nudged them towards the bedroom. “Go on, dear. Gather your things.” 

Janus located their wallet and keys; then a black sunhat with a broad, round brim, because they burned easily; then a long, drapey black cardigan, because they always got cold on the trolley with its open windows. 

“I’ll see you later,” Logan told them by the door, holding both their hands in his own. “Good luck. I love you. Remember that it’s not your responsibility to fix everything.” 

Janus leaned down to kiss him goodbye. “I love you too,” they whispered. In a more normal voice, they added, “I’ll try and be back tonight.” 

Logan nodded, and they left him in the doorway, looking after them as they started towards the garden in search of Patton. 

It might not be Janus’s responsibility to fix everything, but that didn’t mean they weren’t going to try, anyway. All they had to do was figure out how.

taglist:

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[writingformymentalhealth]

Chapter 7

Josephine Fawley or as her brother liked to call her the tomboy Princess had a striking romance with Hogwarts very own Pureblood rebel Sirius Black.

Sadly her parents deemed his Brother the so called Slytherin Prince as a better fit and arranged a marriage with the younger Black.

Tw: Arranged marriage, possible smut, swear words, lots of fluff, angst,

Part 1

Part 8

Masterlist

Wattpad

The next morning, Joey woke up to an empty bed. Everything was folded neatly, and it looked like the bed had been untouched for the night and even though she felt hostile towards the Slytherin, she would have preferred to wake up next to a familiar face instead of a cold and empty room.

Sighing, she put on a dress, guessing that Orion and Walburga probably weren’t the breakfast in Pyjama kind of people.

In the dining room she only found Regulus eating his breakfast while reading the newspaper thoroughly.

She cleared her throat. “Morning.”

“Good Morning, Kreacher will bring you breakfast in a minute.”

She nodded, sitting down next to him, nervously playing with her hair till the house-elf brought her breakfast.

“My Parents aren’t going to be home till the evening and I have no idea where Sirius went.” Regulus informed her, not looking up from his newspaper.

She let her mind wander to Sirius; he was drunk yesterday and although she wished it was different; she doubted that Sirius Black would want to be the dirty little secret of somebody - yet alone herself. She looked at her fiancée who didn’t even spare her a look and had to blink back tears - she was in for a lonely summer and probably an even lonelier life.

She shuddered thinking about her married life with Regulus, her only source of affection being cold gazes and snippy comments.

After both teens finished their breakfast, Regulus got up, making his way to the door.

“Can we explore the house today?” The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them.

“I live here there is nothing to explore.”

“I don’t live here.” She said, fully aware of how pleading her voice sounded.

“There is nothing interesting here, besides maybe Sirius room - if you are into half naked woman on motorcycles, but I guess you already explored that thoroughly.”

“Reggie-” the nickname slipped from her lips so easily that it surprised even herself. She expected Regulus to be angry, but he just nodded curtly.

“Alright I’ll give you a tour.”

He walked her through the hallways showing her some of the guest rooms that all had a similar eerie decor that made Joey’s hair stand up.

“Told you.” He muttered after guest room number three, but Joey was adamant about seeing every room in the enormous mansion.

The last door of the hallway looked different, less dusty, and Regulus hesitated before opening it.

The room was beautiful. Huge bookshelves decorated the walls, a comfortable-looking sofa next to a fireplace, and a huge piano in the middle of the room.

“I like this room,” Regulus informed her, his eyes slipping over the furniture as if he wanted to make sure that nothing was missing

“It’s beautiful.” she walked to the piano, gently caressing the expensive wood. “Can you play?”

“A little.”

“Play for me.”

“Is this an order?” Regulus asked and Joey felt her body tense up, although the boy didn’t seem angry, just curious.

“Just hoping you will consider my request.”

He made a smacking sound with his mouth before his long, slender fingers found their way to the piano keys. He started playing a melody that Joey didn’t know, but she liked it, and most importantly she liked how regulus looked when playing the piano. So peaceful, so emotional, so young, so very human. Joey found herself fascinated by the boy she saw, and she clapped excitedly after he finished his play and for a short second she thought she almost saw him smile a little.

But his face soon became cold again as he informed her he had some work for his parents to do and she was welcome to look around on her own.

Shocked by his sudden change in demeanor, Joey just nodded, making her way back to Regulus room, plopping herself on the bed trying to read a book.

The next few days went by in a blur, the Black parents being occupied by something they called ‘important business’, Regulus practically ignoring her and Sirius still not coming back.

It was Monday evening during dinner that Sirius decided to rejoin the Black household.

“Late as always,” Walburga sneered as the boy sat down opposite of Joey.

Sirius stayed silent, shoving food inside his mouth while Walburga went on about what a disappointment Sirius was. Joey opened her mouth to say something, but Regulus shook his head, giving her a warning glare.

“And now to you,” Walburga said, looking at Joey and regulus, “you seem so distant with each other, why don’t you hold hands or something?”

Orion snorted dismissively. “They sleep in the same room I’m sure they are far past hand holding.”Joey felt her cheeks heat up as the two adults talked about her sex life so nonchalantly and her eyes automatically looked to Sirius, her subconscious still holding on to all the years that he has been her comfort but Sirius eyes were filled with something that could only be described as pure rage as he glared at his brother who didn’t even flinch under the older Black boy’s gaze instead he swiftly slipped his hand into her’s.

Sirius looked ready to burst and Joey felt comfort in Regulus casually holding her hand as Sirius stood up abruptly, walking up the wooden stairs in his room.

Joey’s heart sank. She hated it when Sirius got angry, especially when it was because of her, but there was nothing she could do for this situation - at least till the adults were asleep.

-

It was past midnight as Joey slipped into Sirius’ room, half expecting him to be fast asleep but instead finding his head in his hands sitting on the floor next to a fist shaped hole in the wall.

“Sirius.”

She didn’t get an answer she slowly made her way towards him as if he was a wild animal. Joey lowered herself next to the trembling boy’s body, reaching out a hand to comfort him but stopping a few inches before his skin.

Was it okay for him if she comforted him? After all, he wasn’t hers anymore.

Did he even want to see her?

Was he sad or mad?

“I’m sorry,” she stated, not sure for what exactly she was apologizing for.

The drunk make-out session? The break up? The hand holding?

“It’s just so unfair.” he breathed. “You’re the girl who called me an asshole the first time we spoke. The girl who tried to pay for our sweets even after she learned I am a Black and have more than enough money. You’re the girl who risked falling out of the window to feed the orphaned birds, who makes my breath hitch whether you’re wearing a tight dress or oversized sweatpants. You’re- “ he paused, his grey eyes locking with her green ones “You are my girl.”

She swallowed thickly. “I’m sorry. For what it’s worth heart still belongs to you.”

“But everything else belongs to my brother, doesn’t it?” Joey shuffled away at the sudden harshness of his voice.

“He didn’t touch me, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Some emotion swirled in his grey eyes, making her bite her lip.

“Do you love him?”

“No. You’re the only one for me, you’ll always be.”

Tears started pooling in her eyes as she faced the bitter truth her words held.

“You feel nothing for him?” Sirius clarified, shifting closer to her.

“Nothing, he is just the guy I am forced to marry.”

And then Sirius’ lips crashed against hers, holding her body close as if he was scared she might disappear. She buried her head in his neck, pressing kisses there too, inhaling his familiar scent of expensive cologne and smoke.

-

“It’s only for our parents? You don’t like being close to him?” Sirius asked for the hundredth time, searching her eyes for any sign of a lie.

“Yes Sirius. You are the only one I want to be close to.” He nodded, letting his head fall back down on her chest. “I still need to sleep in his room though.” She said, playing with Sirius’ soft locks.

He gripped the sheet tightly, trying to control the boiling anger that came with the image of his girl sleeping next to his baby brother. “I Hate him”

“He did nothing wrong, Siri.”

He gave her a dirty look. “He touched you.”

“For your parents. Now c’mon let me leave before we both fall asleep.”

Sirius grumbled as he pushed his body off of her so she could get up.

“Wait,” he said as she went to the door. She turned around, seeing a grinning Sirius handing her one of his shirts. “wear this.”

“Sirius-“

“It’s one of the shirts my mother purchased, she could never make out which shirt belonged to Regulus and which one was mine.” He grinned mischievously, “but Regulus can.

She rolled her eyes although taking the shirt out of his hand. “You’re such a child, Black.”

With one swift motion, she pulled her shirt over her head, practically feeling Sirius’ dark eyes boring into her body before she pulled over his oversized shirt.

Sirius smirked darkly, “Perfect.”

She rolled her eyes again before sneaking out of the door into Regulus room, only stopping in her treks as she found Regulus wide awake writing something on his desk instead of finding him fast asleep as she expected.

“I thought you were asleep.” She stammered awkwardly as his gaze met hers.

“I don’t usually sleep early.”

“But you are always awake before me?”

“I don’t sleep much.”

“We always went to bed together,” she exclaimed, puzzled by the boy’s behavior.

“Figured I’d be less awkward like that.”

Joey blinked slowly. Her brain couldn’t fathom Regulus black sitting somewhere thinking how he could make things less awkward for the girl he was forced to marry.

“That’s” she paused, clearing her throat, “very kind of you.”

He didn’t answer, turning around and packing away his things. And Joey had the feeling that she was supposed to say something, but she didn’t know what.

“I suppose you made up.” He said turning around gesturing to her shirt, “assuming that’s his shirt.”

“Uh yeah.” He nodded, pulling his shirt over his head before slipping under the covers. “So you always go to sleep when I go to sleep?” She asked awkwardly.

“No. I am going to bed, sometimes I fall asleep eventually sometimes I wait till you sleep to get up and read something downstairs.” He said, turning to the side, clearly signaling that the conversation is over.

Even though Joey thought she would have a good night’s sleep, being in the clear with Sirius and all, she couldn’t help but toss and turn in bed, Regulus confession stirring up a weird feeling in her stomach. Only an arm's length away from her Regulus too couldn’t sleep. Seeing Joey in his brother’s shirt, her legs covered in dark hickeys for some reason rubbed him the wrong way.

-

Next part

Hope you liked it :)

What do you think about reg and Joey ?

[spaceskam]

Follow up to this ❤️ special thanks to ul1tsa on ao3 for idea!

ao3

Warnings: talk Jesse and his bullshit & bombs

Michael waited a few weeks before he got drunk and lost that thing in his brain that kept him from doing dumb shit.

He went to the cabin and unlocked the door with his key. He didn't usually use keys, he had one in his brain, but there was something about having a key to Alex's place that felt special. Besides, he needed to make sure that's actually what it was. He pushed the door open and tried the light switches. The bulb on the porch was out. He'd need to get a new one.

He slowly navigated around the space, making a list of tiny things that were bothersome. He didn't even know if he was welcome here... But why else would Alex give him a key?

It was a two bedroom and had a bathroom that connected the two rooms. The kitchen was small and it didn't have a washing machine or dryer. The living room was old. None of it looked like Alex. What exactly would Alex's space even look like? He'd figure it out.

He went back outside to the wrap around porch, walking around it slowly and holding onto the rail. There were a few old boards that could stand being replaced. There was a window unit in each bedroom. He didn't figure it'd be too hard to change that for a central air system.

Michael went back inside and towards the kitchen. The refrigerator was unplugged, so he moved it to plug it back in. The cabinets were empty aside from some old canned beans and a single pan. He went back to the living room.

The couch was even more uncomfortable than he remembered, hard and a little dusty. He sat down anyway and rubbed his hand over it. When he laid down and breathed in, it didn't smell like Alex. It was unfair. Cruel, even.

He laid there anyway, lulling himself to sleep with the memory of Alex's skin.

-

It became a thing.

When his mind got chaotic and he needed something to do with his hands, he'd go to the cabin. He replaced boards, cleaned, hooked up a washing machine and dryer. After a couple months, he bought a comfier couch from an old lady who was selling it. He took down the hunting memoribillia and tried to find things that Alex might like. A couple trinkets bought during a trip to the nearby reservation, a painting bought from an artist who showed her work at the renaissance festival, and a hand-woven blanket from an older lady who traveled all the way from the Navajo Nation to sell the two she made a month at the market–and then vowed that he would never pay that much money for anything ever again.

He started spending more time there than he spent at his airstream and, after passing out on the couch after spending his entire day off trying to set up a central air system, he decided it might be worth buying food. So he did. He bought a few things, added three extra locks to the front and back doors, and brought his thrifted silverware and dishes from the airstream to set up a place for himself there.

It was slowly coming together. It felt like a home. He bought a broom.

He didn't tell Isobel or Max about any of this, they didn't need to know about Alex. Instead, Michael kept it to himself and spun lies about where he was whenever they asked questions. Usually they didn't. He was Michael, after all, it wasn't that odd for him to drop off the map.

He eventually started fixing up the bedrooms which were a little harder. It looked too much like a middle aged man stayed there and that was absolutely not the look he was going for. He got new bedspreads and sheets from a discount store and matching bedside tables from the dump that only needed some sanding and some finish to make nice. A new showerhead made out of things he found around the junkyard fit nice too. He played with the water heater until it stopped needing to be manually reset every 60 gallons, sanded and put finish on the dresser, built a new bed frame and headboard out of scrap wood, and fixed the janky doorknob of the closet. It looked livable now.

Alex's birthday came around and he didn't have a number to reach him, so Michael did something a little stupid and a little sentimental and found himself at a thrift store. He bought a set of two identical rocking chairs for the back porch. He almost threw them out three times, but he decided on leaving them there and just ignoring them until he stopped feeling like they were too much.

There was something about the cabin as it came together that both felt like home and like it was far  too sacred to make a mess of. He kept it cleaner than he'd ever kept a place before. The dishes were always done, his dirty clothes always ended up in the laundry basket, never let himself get drunk enough that he'd be compelled to make a mess, and he swept and mopped every Sunday. His shampoo and body wash didn't leave rings in the bathtub.

It was nice.

-

It was about a year into renovating and six months into practically moving in when he found a broken telecision in the junkyard that someone had dropped.off. Curiosity got the best of him and he found himself trying to make it work in his free time. There was a strange sense of pride when he plugged it in and it turned on, the picture only slightly tinted blue and the sound as perfect as the speakers would allow. He wrapped it up in a couple blankets and loaded it into his truck, stopping by a thrift store on the way to the cabin to buy a few interesting DVDs for 50¢ a piece. He couldn't remember the last time he actively sat down to watch a movie for fun.

It took about thirty minutes to mount it above the fireplace, but eventually it was up and he found himself smiling as he put in a shitty mid-2000s straight-to-DVD teen movie. It played easily and he smiled wider. If there was one thing fixing up the cabin did, it was make him smile. It felt good to fix things up.

Michael grabbed a beer that was beside the leftovers in the fridge and settled on the couch, kicking his shoes off and pulling a blanket onto his lap. His phone was on the coffee table and charging with an alarm queued up to wake him up for work in the morning .It was the most normal he'd ever felt and he never wanted to give it back.

And it seemed like he wouldn't have to until the door creaked open.

Michael shot to his feet, standing like he was caught red handed as Alex stepped inside. He was still in uniform, a duffle bag hanging off his shoulder. His eyes were wide with wonder, though, as he looked around at all the shit Michael had done. It was the first time he regretted it.

"I'm sorry," Michael blurred out, catching Alex's attention, "I should've asked. I shouldn't have changed shit and I shouldn't have stayed here, I'm sorry, I'll go."

"Guerin, relax," Alex said, smiling in a pure way that Michael hadn't seen since they were seventeen, "I knew you were staying here."

"You did?" Michael asked skeptically.

"Yeah," he said, carefully putting down the duffle bag and closing the door, "Electric bill?"

Michael's eyes widened. "Oh, fuck, I forgot about that, I'm so sorry."

"Guerin," Alex laughed, "Stop. I'm happy you're staying here. I don't mind, really."

Michael swallowed and tried to believe him when he said he was happy. Because Michael was happy. Happy to be here, happy to see Alex, happy to see where tonight led. He tapped his hands against his thighs as Alex took another look around.

"I didn't expect all this, though," Alex breathed.

"It's, uh, not all of it. I can show you around?" Michael offered awkward. Alex smiled wider and nodded.

So Michael gave him a tour of his own house. He showed him the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom, and how the locks on the doors worked. Alex put the duffle bag in the closet and gently touched Michael's shirt that was hanging in there like he didn't believe it was actually there. Michael stood with his hands clasped behind his back and rocked up on his toes as Alex felt over the headboard he made and the blanket on the bed. He shook his head, looking over at Michael.

"I can't... I can't believe you did all of this," Alex said, looking at him. He wasn't smiling anymore. Instead, he looked like he was about to cry.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to–"

"Michael," he cut him, laughing softly as he came closer. He touched his arm, his hand sliding up as he moved in closer and draped his arms around Michael's neck. Michael rested his hands on his hips. "I love it so much. But it's so much. How much did you spend? Let me pay you back."

"No, don't. Most of it's stuff I fixed from broken stuff or I got for super cheap, I barely spent $300 over the last year," he said. He purposefully left out what he spent on the more decorative things, those could simply be gifts from all the birthdays he missed.

"Still," Alex said, swallowing hard as he reached out and touched Michael's cheek. Michael leaned into it. He hadn't realized how successful he'd been at distracting himself from missing Alex until then. "This is all so nice. I-I don't even know what to say. I didn't expect this at all."

"I mean... I just didn't like that it looked like an angry old man lived here, I get enough of that with Sanders," Michael said. He was struggling to see what about the dumb little things made Alex emotional. In fact, they were selfish. He wanted to pretend Alex wasn't a million miles away. That was as selfish as it got. But Alex laughed and kissed him and Michael stopped feeling guilty.

"Thank you," Alex gushed against his lips, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Everything about this was completely contrary to Alex's last visit home. It wasn't confusing or blurry and he felt safe. He felt loved. He clung to Alex and kissed him hard, trying to quench the desperate, overwhelming feeling in his stomach.

"I gotta take a shower, I'm gross from that fucking plane and I need to be clean for the things I  wanna do to you," Alex breathed, pulling away just a little. Michael nodded, going in for another kiss anyway. Alex giggled and leaned back. "It'll be quick, I promise."

"I worked all day, I need one too, so let me join?" Michael asked. Pleaded, really. He didn't want to let go.

"Good idea," Alex said, "Do you have a security system set up?"

"It's next on my list," Michael said honestly. Alex grinned, cupping his cheek in his hand and slowly starting to pull him to the bathroom.

"Good boy."

-

"Can I tell you something?"

"Anything and you know it."

Alex huffed a laugh and rolled his eyes, staring up at the ceiling. Michael loved seeing him like that. His hair was slightly past regulation, laying on his forehead and smashed against the pillow. After a long shower and stumbling into bed, they'd finally wore themselves out. Now they were in bed in Alex's house.

Their house.

Alex shifted to face him, face a little too serious consider the circumstances. Michael slowly faded to seriousness to fit it. Alex reached out, fingers grazing Michael's cheek and down his neck, over his shoulder, down to his torn up hand. Michael very quickly got serious and watched him pull his hand up to his lips.

"It's embarassing," Alex said.

"Since when have I been known to judge you?" Michael asked, stretching his leg out to wedge between Alex's. Alex parted his knees just enough to lock their legs together.

"I just... I've been thinking about my dad," Alex whispered.

"Uh oh," Michael said, trying to lighten the mood. Alex rolled his eyes.

"I've been trying to work through all my issues, I guess, since I realized you were staying here. I want this to work, you know?" Alex said and Michael was all ears, "And I think I didn't realize he was a bad guy until I saw him do this."

"What do you mean?" Michael said before he could process if that was a smart thing to ask.

"Like, I spent so many years thinking that my mom was the bad one because she left and at least my dad was there. It didn't matter if he beat me as long as he was there," Alex explained. Michael didn't really understand, but, with all the things they felt that overlapped, it was fine if he didn't understand that one thing. "And I... Even when I rebelled, I just wanted his approval. Part of me still does. I think I always will. Which is stupid because all the attention he gives me is solely on his terms, especially when it's positive."

"He's not worth it."

"I know," Alex said, smiling slightly before he kissed his hand again, "Logically, I know. But illogically... I'm still trying to remind myself he's a bad guy. It just took me so long to see it."

Michael didn't say anything, simply nodded and let Alex touch him as he needed to keep himself calm. Whatever kept him in bed, kept him in their space. He didn't know how long Alex was going to be home and he was too scared to ask, so he didn't.

"But, I'm trying," Alex sighed, looking at him in the eyes. He was so intense with every look and sometimes Michael felt compelled to look away, but not in moments like this. Never in moments like this. "I don't want to mess this up by trying to please him."

"I don't wanna fuck up either."

"I think we're on a good track, though," Alex smiled, tightening his legs and tugging Michael impossibly close. Just where he wanted to be. "Off topic, but I'm hungry."

Michael laughed softly and was incredibly thankful for a subject change. "I have leftover pasta in the fridge if you want that."

Alex smiled ridiculously wide for something as meaningless as day old pasta.

"Leftovers," Alex repeated in a whimsical tone, "You're gonna make a good little househusband."

"Shut the fuck up," Michael laughed, shoving his shoulder. Alex laughed right back and moved to get up. Michael followed suit without question. There was no way he was leaving his side.

"Let's eat."

-

Michael woke up to his alarm and an empty bed.

Panic struck him and he thought about calling out for Alex, but his voice wouldn't work as if subconsciously knowing the answer. Terrified, even. He slowly pushed himself out of bed, pulling on a pair of jeans. Dread continued to pool in him as he tiptoed out of the room and into the empty living room. But it smelled like coffee which was definitely a good sign.

It took him only a few seconds to see that Alex was out on the back porch in one of the rocking chairs. His heart seemed to skip a beat or two or four. The sun hit his shirtless body perfectly and he seemed to fucking glow. Michael had to take a few deep breaths before he stepped outside.

""Morning," Alex hummed, looking over at him. His hair was still a mess, but he looked better rested than Michael had seen him in a long time.

"I thought you left," he said stupidly. Alex shook his head.

"I can't really sleep in anymore and I didn't wanna wake you up. Sorry if I scared you."

"It's okay," he said. And it really, really was. This was the perfect sight to see in the morning and it made him angry at Sanders for employing him. "I, uh, I have to go to work. I can call in, though."

"Don't," Alex said with a warm smile, "I'll be here when you get home."

Michael felt his whole body heat up at that. Home. Alex would be here. He wasn't sure he would actually believe it until he saw it.

"Yeah, uh," Michael said, clearing his throat, "How-how, like, how long are you..."

"Michael," Alex said, standing up and walking closer. Michael was going to melt if he kept saying his name. Alex kept his mug firmly in one hand and touched his cheek with the other. "I'm home for a month."

"A month," Michael breathed. Alex smiled and nodded, leaning forward to kiss him. It sounded like a short period of time, but it would be longest consecutive time they'd ever spent together. Ever. It sounded fake.

"So, go to work. I'm not going anywhere," he promised. It was hard to listen, but he did.

And you know what? Alex was home when he got there that afternoon.

-

"Where the fuxk are you living?"

"Airstream."

Michael spoke casually as Isobel stood by his feet as he worked on the car. He knew it was wrong to lie to her about something like this, but, fuck, he was barely sure this was real himself. He'd woken up to Alex for three whole weeks and he only had one left. He wasn't wasting that time and he wasn't bursting his domestic bubble.

"Stop lying to me! You haven't lived at the airstream for months now," Isobel argued, "You're never here at night and if I call you, it takes you for fucking ever to get to my house. Where are you staying?"

He sighed, trying to ignore her more and more. It didn't work very well as she stood her ground and basically decided she would follow him when he left work if he didn't tell her.

"It's a cabin outside of town, okay?" he caved, deciding on a half-truth. He didn't need to say it was Alex's.

"A cabin?" Isobel asked skeptically, "And you just haven't told me or shown me? What if something happens? I need to know where to find you, Michael."

"Fine, fine, okay?" he sighed, "Just, give me a week. It's a fucking wreck."

"You promise?" she asked. He nodded. "Good."

If he couldn't keep his home a secret, he could at least keep Alex to himself for a little while. He could deal with that later. In a week, his house would be empty. In a week, his bed would be empty.

He could deal with her then.

-

The bed was a lot of colder than he remembered.

-

January 30th, 2017 at 21:45.

Or, at least that's when Michael found out. The actual event happened on the 26th, a bombing injuring 30 Airmen and killing 3. There wasn't an article about it and he didn't receive a call. Instead, when he was stalking one of the mothers of a guy in Alex's group, he saw she posted about the bombing and saying her son was one of the lucky ones and thanking God. Michael nearly had a breakdown.

He spent the next hour calling Alex and when that didn't work, he started calling down a list of military hospitals. He found him eventually at Landstuhl and had to lie about being his brother to get him on the phone along with a warning about him being drugged up. But at least he was alive.

"Alex?" Michael whispered. Once again, he found him scared that Alex wouldn't answer. But he's spent an hour panicking and he wasn't about to just not talk.

"Huh?" Alex said, voice hoarse. Michael closed his eyes, bowing his head. It was small, but it was something.

"Hey," Michael croaked, doing his best not to cry. He wanted to go see him. He couldn't. It didn't work that way. As nice as it was when they pretended they didn't have a care in they world, they did have a care. His name was Jesse Manes. Not to mention the giant alien hole he hadn't even told Alex about... "You scared me."

"Sorry," Alex said. Michael breathed in deep.

"No, it's okay. How are you feeling?"

"Tired," he whined, "I wanna see you "

Michael looked up, blinking away tears as quick as he could. It was difficult, but he managed it. He could cry later.

"I know, I wanna see you too. Maybe you can come home soon and I can," Michael suggested. Alex hummed a noncommittal tune. "So, uh, what all happened? Did you get, um, get burned or something?"

"A little," Alex said. Michael swallowed harshly. "Hey, you know what they did? They took my leg."

Michael's breath caught in his throat.

"What?"

"My leg," Alex repeated, that sort of dazed tone in his voice, "Couldn't save it, had to go."

Michael didn't know what to say. He didn't know how he was supposed to react to this. There wasn't a handbook. Instead of letting himself react like he was the one who lost something, he fed off of Alex's tone.

"How do you feel about that?" Michael asked. Alex hummed.

"My foot itched all day and there was nothing to scratch."

Michael huffed a laugh, rubbing the hell of his hand beneath his eyes to try to get rid of the tears.

"Well, if that's the worst of it, sounds like you're doing good."

"They gave me so many drugs," Alex told him, yawning halfway through. Michael smiled and nodded even though he couldn't see him. "I'm tired."

"Do you want me to let you go to sleep?" Michael asked. Alex didn't answer and that felt like an answer enough. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Mhm."

"I love you so much," Michael said. He didn't think about it, he just said it. It needed to be said.

"Mhm."

Michael huffed another laugh again, "Goodnight, Alex."

He ended the call and looked around the house that he'd spent over a year of his life renovating. He tried to picture Alex in it again, a version of Alex who might need accessibilities he didn't think of when he did things the first time around.

And now he had new projects.

-

Turns out it was pretty easy to widen doorways.

It took Michael about two days to widen one Interior door, ripping off the door frame and sawing through the wall itself. He widened them all from 30" to 38" in width and felt thankful that the exterior doors were all double doors. He didn't even know if Alex would be using a wheelchair, but it felt like a safe option regardless.

He ripped out the tub from the bathroom, replacing it with one with a little more traction on the bottom. He installed bars all around the bathroom and a wooden seat that was attached to the wall so it could fold up or down when he needed it. 

Again, he found himself taking a lap around the porch to check for any loose boards or nails. He fixed any that even might've been questionable. It gave him the idea to add ramps beside the steps to the porch. He built them and jumped on them as hard as he could go make sure they didn't break.

It helped when he got angry–ngry at something, angry at nothing, angry at everything–to put things back together again. It made him feel useful even when phone calls consisted of Alex being short with him and hanging up. He was focusing on PT and learning how to use a prosthetic and Michael knew it was frustrating. He could hear it in his voice even when he refused to talk about it. He always refused to talk about it. Some days he refused to talk at all.

He refused to let it out distance between them.

On extra bad days, Michael would drink and Google random accessibility ideas. He knew Alex. As sweet as he thought his renovating for him was, he knew Alex would be too stubborn to ask him for help on anything. He wanted to make it so he didn't have to as much as possible. Open spaces, all but gluing the rug down, a bench at the foot of the bed, a chair in the bathroom, a stool with wheels in the kitchen, sanding down the sharp edges of the kitchen table, dumb shit that might help maybe once.

He was trying because Alex was trying. They still wanted to make this work.

And they were going to no matter what.

[longing-and-heartache-and-lust]

Prompt: Rainy Day  Title (optional): Relationships (romantic/platonic/etc): Geralt/Jaskier Rating: Teen Audiences And Up Content Warnings: None Summary: It always rains in Velen. Especially after the war. But even those rains can sometimes bring comfort.

[In my mind these are game!Geralt and show!Jaskier but it's in no way connected to "you be my fire, I'll be your gasoline" Needless to say that you can imagine any version of the boys that you like, I just couldn't think of show!Geralt when it comes to this location]

@sugar-and-spice-witcher-bingo

Crossposted on ao3 here

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Velen is not a place that Geralt enjoys returning to.

Moreover, he usually tries to avoid it if he doesn't have a pre-settled contract somewhere in the area for it is simply not worth it looking for one otherwise. If he wanted to kill drowners and bandits free of anyone's coin, there were easier ways to do it.

But more than the scorched villages and the nercrophages feeding on what's left behind by the war, he hated the weather.

Every time he had to return to Velen, it felt like the wind and the constant rain were getting right into his bones, settling there and causing a feeling that he couldn't describe yet absolutely dreaded.

And then, when he started travelling together with Jaskier, it got even worse. If not even his armour could protect him from the cold, Geralt could barely imagine what it's like for the bard with his silks and velvets.

To Jaskier's credit, though, he never really complained.

Geralt could hear him curse under his breath when the mud would stain his expensive clothes, could hear him sniffle when the cold wind bit mercilessly at his face but no matter how hard it was, Jaskier never once actually said anything. Just kept following his witcher, holding onto the reins of his horse with freezing fingers.

He would, of course, give Geralt a piece of his mind regarding the weather once they settle in for the night but everything he said was true and never once did he accuse the witcher of choosing the contract over the comfort of the southern part of Temeria - or Redania, which is even better - where the rain stops for periods of time longer than a couple of hours.

He just moved as close as he could at night and helped the witcher with his hair if it got too tangled in the wind.

If Geralt had not given the bard his heart years ago, he would've done so now.

Over time, though, he'd learned to feel Jaskier's limits. And it's when the bard sniffles for the fourth time in a row, wiping at his face with the back of his hand and wincing at the cold that Geralt decides to cut their travel short for today.

"Come on," he urges softly, reaching his hand out to touch Jaskier's knee. "Let's find a place to stay."

***

By the time the reach the nearest inn, the rain gets worse.

In the heavy, thin air Geralt can feel a thunderstorm building and it's already when the first rumbles of it roll through the clouds that he pushes open the door of their room.

"I should get us a bath," Geralt suggests, placing his swords onto a small armchair in the far corner of the room and taking his cloak off. "Or do you want to go straight to bed?"

There are still a couple of hours before nightfall but he can see that Jaskier is tired - exhausted, even - and the bard just confirms it when he comes closer to hide his face in the witcher's chest, both arms coming up to wrap around his neck.

For a few long moments, they stay in comfortable silence, just breathing together.

"A bath," he finally murmurs, almost inaudible. "But only with you."

His clothes are soaking wet, not even the thick cloak protecting him from the rain, and when Geralt pulls back just enough to cup the sharp of his jaw, his skin is concerningly cold.

"Gods, Jask," he breathes, dipping his head to place the gentlest of kisses on his lips, pale from the cold. "We need to buy more suitable clothes."

Jaskier just nuzzles in closer to his chest again, his breathing slow and deep, and makes a sound that is neither affirmative nor negatory. It's warm in the room, the fire in the hearth casting shadows onto the walls, but Geralt can still feel the bard tremble.

"It's never good here, is it?" Jaskier says quietly. "After the war."

He's right, Geralt knows that. The second war with Nilfgaard turned Velen into nothing more but scorched ground, soaked in blood and tears. Laying between Vizima and Redania, it got torn into pieces.

"It's going to be alright," he promises instead, watching the trees bend in the wind outside. "The war is not going to last forever."

Jaskier doesn't answer this time, just nods, not letting Geralt go just yet. And even though Geralt would love to stay like this for longer, Jaskier is still trembling, and that has to be changed as soon as possible if they don't want him coming down with a cold.

"I'm going to go tell the innkeeper what we need," Geralt says softly, placing a kiss on Jaskier's temple and pulling back. "When I'm back, I want you to be out of these clothes and by the fire."

"There are easier ways to get me to undress than travel through Velen, you know," Jaskier teases but he's too tired for his words to have any bite. "But alright."

***

When Geralt comes back, he finds Jaskier exactly as he was hoping he would be - by the fireplace, in nothing but his smallclothes and with a blanket wrapped around him.

Here, in an attic room, the rain is a pleasant thrum against the roof and even though the wind knocks against the window, it's warm and safe inside. It's comfortable - a word barely used to describe the places they usually stay at.

"Why do you never stay in Oxenfurt when I have a contract in these areas?" Geralt asks, undoing the buckles of his armour. "Why do you always come with me even though you dread Velen?"

Jaskier turns to him, taking the witcher up and down slowly, a gentle smile playing on his lips when he meets Geralt's eyes.

"And have you travel through this morbid weather alone? I love you too much for that."

It's not the first time Jaskier tells him he loves him, it's nothing near that. They've been together for years now and Jaskier says it so often that Geralt would think he would've gotten used to it by now.

Except he hasn't.

Whenever he hears those words, his heart still skips a beat and then his entire chest fills up with warmth that flows through his veins all the way to his fingertips and knees, making them slightly weaker than they should be.

"What did I do to deserve you?" Geralt smiles, getting out of his armour with Jaskier's tentative eyes following his every movement.

"I am quite a catch, aren't I?" Jaskier winks, not bothering to look away even for a moment.

Once all the straps and buckles are dealt with, Jaskier lifts one corner of his blanket up, inviting the witcher to join him and even though Geralt wants to say that he's not warm enough, he knows that denying Jaskier anything is absolutely pointless, so he doesn't argue, just comes closer and gets down onto bear hide by the fireplace, pulling the bard closer to his chest and draping the blanket over both of them.

"We could stay for a day or two," he murmurs, placing a kiss on Jaskier's bare shoulder. "We've been on the Path long enough, you need proper rest."

Jaskier's hands are still freezing when he wraps them around Geralt's shoulders but the witcher barely notices it, preferring to concentrate on the bard's soft breath against the crook of his neck.

"A couple of days in bed sounds very nice," Jaskier murmurs, brushing his lips over Geralt's jaw and tucking a strand of his winter-white hair behind his ear only for it to hang loose again a moment later. "We haven't done that since Roggeveen."

The sound of rain had always put him to sleep, Geralt had noticed that years ago. And Jaskier reaffirms that once again when he noses at the witcher's neck, the same way he does every night when they settle in comfortably enough, his entire body leaning towards the witcher.

"A couple of days in bed," Geralt agrees, listening to the wind howling outside and pulling the bard in closer, keeping him safe in his arms. "Promise to keep you warm."

[runenc03]

Four

Writing date: around October 2020, I think? Not sure tbh, lol

Genre: fluff

Warnings: no warnings! :)

Word count: 3.1k 

---------------------------------------------------------------

The first time you saw him with a baby was in the hospital. You were four, nestled in your mum's lap beside your godmother's hospital bed. You watched with big eyes as your godmother gave her second - barely one day old - son to her firstborn, who took his little brother eagerly but gently, making sure to support the baby's head at all times just like his mum had told him to do. You smiled, he suddenly looked so big in comparison to the small baby in his arms.

"They grow up so fast"

That was your mum, complaining to your godmother - her best friend since kindergarten. Your smile morphed into a grin as she put one of her arms around you, rocking you from side to side, as if she was trying to shrink you to match the little baby in your best friend's arms. Needless to say, she failed miserably. You were a big girl after all.

"Tell me about it. They're already going to school! Not that it isn't nice to see them grow up, but, well, I missed having a baby in the house. As hard as it is, it makes me feel so empowered, taking care of such a small miracle..."

Your mum nodded, a nostalgic gleam in her eyes. You smiled too, knowing you'd been that baby for your mum, a long time ago of course. The baby in your best friend's arms started fussing, not quite crying but not as happy as possible either, and you recognised the fleeting panic in your best friend's eyes. It was the same look he'd had when the teacher asked him to show his teddy bear to everyone - you knew he was very protective of his stuffed friend and only wanted to share it with you. Your godmother quickly took the baby from her oldest son's arms, naturally taking him into her arms, and started breast feeding him. Your best friend moved as well, crawling through the hospital sheets to get closer to his little brother once again, placing a kiss on his forehead, as if to say sorry for whatever he'd done wrong.

As you watched the scene in front of you, you heard your mother's 'aww', but your smile faltered a bit. The kissing on the forehead was something exclusively for the two of you, or so you'd thought. Was he going to forget all about you now that he had his own personal playmate at home? Were you going to become just another girl in your class he was scared he'd get cooties from? He'd always assured you that the two of you were an exception to that, claiming it was because your mum was his godmother and vice versa, or something like that.

You decided you'd seen enough for now and wanted to take a nap. Turning your head to the side, you readjusted your head to lay on your mum's chest, closing your eyes and - after checking to make sure no one was paying attention to you - sucking on your thumb before slowly falling asleep.

You weren't sure how much time had passed since you fell asleep, but when you woke up, your godmother was asleep and your own mum was scrolling through her Facebook feed on her phone. You rubbed your eyes, trying to push away the last remnants of sleep in them, and focused on your best friend. He was still sitting cross-legged on the hospital bed, looking every bit as energetic as he did whenever the two of you ate a bit too much sugar. Again, his gaze was turned to the baby, a small smile playing around his lips. You decided with a frown that you still didn't want to talk to him, stubborn as always. You closed your eyes again, pretending to sleep.

"You know, buddy, mummy says you'll have to learn to walk first, but as soon as you can, I want to take you with us on our adventures. 'Us' is my best friend and I. She's sitting here as well, you see? Our mum is best friends with her mum, just like I'm best friends with her. She's my best friend though, so you can't be her best friend, I'm sorry, but you can play with us! She's the best in playing tag, oh and also in telling stories! You should ask her to tell you a story sometime. Mum also told me it'll take a while for you to be able to speak, but I can ask her for you if you want to..."

And as much as you tried to fake being asleep, your smile won.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The second time you saw him with a baby was on an indoor ice skating rink.

Okay true, he wasn't holding a baby, but you were both sixteen and he had grown so tall over the years that everyone looked like a baby in comparison to him. You were no exception to that by the way, but you'd never admit that in his presence. About a year ago, your town had decided they wanted to present themselves as a place where all children could grow up in peace while having fun, and so they came up with the idea to organise little holidays for kids. Your best friend had instantly loved the town upon learning that they still needed young adults to go with the kids as supervisors. He'd bugged you for weeks, claiming it would look just as good on your resume as any other thing you, as a responsible teen, had planned to do during the holidays, and so you found yourself living the first day of said holiday, on an ice rink, surrounded by exactly 19 kids, a dumb grin on your face because you were having way more fun than you originally anticipated.

You were shaken out of your stupor by a little girl tugging at your gloved hand to get your attention. She pointed towards the large clock hanging above the ice rink, and you were reminded of your promise to buy everyone a hot chocolate at 4 pm. Your best friend had shaken his head a little, trying to let you know that you were an idiot for giving kids hot chocolate in summer, but you'd just shrugged your shoulders, a provocative smile around your lips.

"Just because you had to vomit that one time we each drank an entire bottle when we were 8, doesn't mean it's a safety risk for every child."

You took the girl's hand with one of your own and whistled to let all the kids know you were taking a break from skating. The result was 18 kids bolting to the door of the cafe connected to the ice rink. 18 kids, your entire group except for one. You turned around after counting them, looking to see where your last kid had gone to. They were normally all very quick to gather around you upon hearing your whistle.

"Don't worry, we're coming!"

That was your best friend of course, yelling from the other side of the ice rink. You noticed suddenly that this was the first time you'd actually seen him interacting with one of the kids today. Before, you'd been so busy learning names by heart and organising everything that you hadn't paid attention to how good he actually was with them. You felt a weird move in your stomach, like a tingle quickly shooting through it, but you decided to ignore that.

The 19th kid out of your group - her name was Alicia - couldn't ice skate. Her posture was awkward, her legs wobbly, her face the same as yours that one time your best friend had convinced you to go on a rollercoaster with 4 consecutive loops. You honestly felt sorry for her, although you expected that the panicky look in her eyes would soon be gone because you thought your best friend would just pick Alicia up, she probably didn't weight more than the ice skates themselves.

You raised a brow when he crouched down to whisper something in her ear instead of carrying her to the other side of the rink. You watched intently, seeing a small smile slip onto Alicia's face, her hand grasping onto his as firmly as she could. And then, very tentatively, she let her right foot glide forward. Then her left, and the right one another time. Her smile broadened, before quickly slipping away because she started swaying on her feet again. Your best friend immediately reacted though, steadying her on her feet and saying something that sounded a lot like "don't give up!"

You suddenly knew what you had to do. You started yelling to Alicia, clapping in your hands, sending encouraging words her way, and soon all the other kids followed, cheering on their friend. The closer Alicia got to the group, the bigger both the sound echoing in the rink and the smile on her face.

Once Alicia reached the other kids, she got tackled into a group hug, and your heart warmed at the sight. This was only day one and they were already such a close-knit group.

A soft hand on your shoulder and a warm breath on your ear made you focus again.

"I believe someone deserves some hot chocolate."

You were about to rub in his face that your idea had been brilliant, but the words were stuck in your throat when you finally looked at him.

"You are brilliant."

His eyes twinkled, and you knew you wouldn't be able to stop the heat from residing in your cheeks for the rest of the day.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

The third time you saw him with a baby was in your neighbor's house. In this case, you had just turned 20 and the baby was more of a toddler, but you didn't want to ponder the details: it was cute.

You were actually supposed to be studying for your exams, but your best friend had asked you if he could come study with you, and foolishly you had agreed, convincing yourself you'd be able to motivate each other. What started as a study session transformed into a pillow fight, and, when your neighbour called you to ask if you could come over to look after her toddler, it ended up being a babysit date.

You looked at the clock above the fireplace, already getting a headache at the prospect of having to study all night in order to keep up with the schedule you had sworn to follow. If it had been up to you, you would've just been honest with your neighbour. She liked you a lot and wouldn't have minded if you'd just honestly told her that you were in the middle of your exams. Your best friend, however, had immediately agreed to babysit, telling your neighbour that the two of you would take good care of her baby. Truth be told, the woman's relief had been visible on her face, and it did make you feel good to take care of someone else.

"Hey buddy, it's getting late, and your mummy told us to get you in bed on time. What about this: we go get you ready for bed now and if you're quick enough, I'll read you a bedtime story. How does that sound?"

You watched your best friend almost being knocked down by the eager boy. As the toddler ran to the bathroom on his chubby legs, your best friend threw his head back in laughter, dimples in his cheeks. Your stomach did something strange, as it usually did nowadays whenever you were in his presence, but you ignored it. You had to focus on the little one now, you could dwell on your emotions later on.

Your best friend's strategy worked. Within a quarter of an hour, you'd managed to put on the little boy's pyjamas, brush his teeth, go to the toilet with him, and get him into his bed. You tucked him in, making sure all his stuffed animals were in the right place as you did so, and giving him a kiss on his forehead.

"Are you reading a story for me?"

You chuckled, and you heard a lower voice behind you match yours. He came up to you and your young neighbour then, a gigantic book in one of his hands. You swiftly noticed the veins on his under arm, and turned your head, forcing yourself not to get distracted. You weren't even together for God's sake, you should actually be able to keep yourself in check.

"Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away from here, there was a dinosaur called Inky. He was the most beautiful dinosaur you could ever imagine, with big, blue eyes, green skin and two gigantic wings. Inky ..."

Your eyes took in the scene in front of you, your small neighbour watching your best friend intently, eyes wide with wonder, sometimes giggling a bit when the story was particularly funny or when the narrator imitated Inky the dinosaur.

By the time Inky's adventure was over, the toddler had already fallen asleep, his breathing evening out, a content look on his face. Making as little sound as possible, you both tiptoed out of the door, keeping it ajar in case the little one wanted to come to you.

As you sat down on your neighbour's couch, your best friend wrapped an arm around you, and you leaned into him. You didn't say anything, it wasn't necessary. A new episode of peppa pig started on tv, and you stared up at him. His eyes stared back, full of unspoken promises.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The fourth time you saw your best friend with a baby was in your own house. Today was actually supposed to be all about your 25th birthday, but your party had ended up being about something entirely different, although you wouldn't have traded the day for something else even if you could have. You had started the day off together by preparing some snacks for your guests, but those preparations had quickly come to a halt as you'd gotten a call from the adoption agency, stating that some things had shifted rapidly, resulting in you being able to bring home your baby that exact day. If everything would go smoothly, the baby would be officially your child within a few weeks to months. As exciting as the day had been, it had also been tremendously exhausting, and so that's how you found yourself waking up from your slumber on the couch, your watch telling you it was only 9 pm. Embarrassingly early. When you let your eyes travel further than your own wrist, the first thing your vision fell on was the mass of congratulations cards scattered on the table. Oh, how people had probably stressed themselves out, trying to find a different kind of congratulations card last minute. You grinned, a warm feeling you could only identify as true happiness spreading in your chest.

A gurgling sound made you look to the left, your smile unfolding completely now. Sitting in the armchair was your best friend, holding a baby with dark, curly hair in his arms. The baby was staring at her dad with big eyes, as if trying to drink in as many details as possible, learning every crinkle and dimple by heart.

She was claiming him as her dad.

Your best friend didn't need to look away from his daughter to know you had woken up. He simply brought one hand to the baby's stomach, slightly tickling her there, and her small gurgling sounds intensified, her legs wiggling as if trying to get away, but not having enough strength yet.

"Look darling, mummy is awake. Now I need to share you again."

His face morphed into a fake pout, and the baby, your baby, stopped her gurgling, trying to figure out why her dad suddenly wasn't smiling anymore. Too late, your best friend realised his mistake, but his attempt to cheer her up again was to no avail, she started fussing, and even though you'd never done this and she had come way sooner than you had anticipated, you knew that that wasn't a good sign.

"Give me my daughter please, I missed her."

Your best friend handed her to you, and you gently bounced her in your arms, kissing her little forehead. Instead of going back to sit on the couch, you went to your dinner table, now morphed into a congratulations card holder. You sat down on one of the chairs, turning your daughter around so she had a good view of the table herself.

"You see that sweetie? All for you, all those people already love you! Isn't that nice?"

You traced her cheek with your finger, and she grabbed onto it with her fist. You observed how both of your skin colours contrasted. Though that was only a coincidence seeing as children of all skin colours got adopted, you loved it, loved the variety of it. While your skin might not match your daughter's in colour, it matched in beauty.

On the other side of the room, soft snores were coming from your best friend's lips. That's right. After all these years, he was still your best friend. Not just your best friend, but not more than your best friend either. To you, he had always been a special someone, you had always loved him, from the day he had been your friend in kindergarten to your partner and the father of your child now.

At the end of the day, those names were only labels, a way for society to put feelings into boxes. The thing is, feelings aren't made to be put into boxes. Love is love, and there are different kinds of love, yes, but one isn't necessarily less important than another. You loved that man just as much now as you had as a toddler, the feelings had just evolved, you had moved several boxes, and now fit into 'family'. Or maybe not entirely, your skin colours didn't all match, after all.

You grinned. Your daughter would grow up knowing the concept of love. Not in boxes, but in all its beautiful, overflowing, free glory.

[andromedarune]

[Vampire!Leon/Witch!Reader] “A Night of Tricks and Treats” (Halloween Fic~!)

A/N: HAHA, I did it! It’s later than I wanted to post this, but it’s here! So enjoy the story that y’all voted for: A Vampire!Leon AU, with cute/fun elements, and a black dahlia thrown into the mix (along with other creative liberties). Thanks to everyone who voted on that poll - this one’s for you!

Vampire!Leon x Witch!Reader - “A Night of Tricks and Treats”

Word Count: ~3k

Rating: Teen (mild blood, reference to death, adult language, spooky stuff)

The third set of feverish knocks on your front door pulled a frustrated groan from your lips. You were finally drifting off to sleep when some rando decided to assault your door at some ungodly time in the night (or morning, since you checked your phone to see that it was a quarter past three). Pouted lips set on your face, you groggily slip out of bed, hardly bothering to grab the cardigan that you kept slung over your desk chair. Another fit of knocks was just starting up when you threw open the door, ready to say a few choice words to your unfortunate visitor.

But unfortunately for you, this wasn’t just any visitor.

“Hey, you’re awake!” Leon gave a cheery smile, oblivious as ever.

Ah. Maybe you should have put on some better clothes. But you’re already this far in - you decide to just play along like nothing’s wrong. Knowing him, you’d at least have a couple of minutes before the awkward sets in.

“Uh, yeah… You do realize it’s three in the morning, right?”

Leon shrugged.

“I’m aware, but it’s so much easier getting here at night. You have no idea how annoying paparazzi can be…” You sink in your hip a bit, watching his eyes flit down past your head for the briefest of moments. He tries to meet your gaze again, but the awkward smile twitching with some odd emotion that settled onto his face cues you in that he most definitely noticed.

The weather’s been oddly warm despite it already being autumn, so you were still wearing your summer pajamas. Which, of course, were a simple set of purple Wooloo PJs. Short-shorts that were baggy and comfy, a tank top that was equally baggy and comfy. Nothing scandalous, but definitely more revealing than what you normally wear.

You can practically hear the dial-up sounds going on in Leon’s mind as he shifts his weight from one foot to the other, one hand tangling itself around a strand of that obnoxiously long purple hair, him just desperate to find something to distract himself with. It’s kind of fun to watch, actually.

“Did you need something?” you eventually sigh, crossing your arms over your chest as a hint of self-consciousness rumbles through your gut.

“A-ah, right!” he snaps out of it and lifts up his arm. Carefully pulling back the sleeve of his casual red hoodie, he reveals to you his forearm. A large, dark-colored burn covers most of the arm, even reaching down to his fingertips. You can’t help but wince, leaning forward for a closer look. “I, um, could use some of your help with this, if you don’t mind.”

“Again, really, Leon?” you can’t help but scold him a bit. He laughs, anyways. “This is the third time this month - one of these days there’s not gonna be much of you left to heal.”

He mutters a soft apology, but you’re still playing like you’re irritated with him and spin around into your living room. You don’t make it far before you realize that Leon’s still standing just before the threshold.

“Oh, right - you can come in.”

“Thanks,” Leon sighs in relief, still holding his arm with a smile.

Just like always, you guide him through your house, leading the significantly taller man down the halls towards a dark down just at the opposite end of your little cottage house. Expertly, you unlock the mystical mechanism that you yourself created (probably seven or eight years ago now? Man, how time flies) to reveal the ominous, shadowy basement. The two of you descend down the steps; you pass by a set of candles and light them with a snap of the fingers, a sight that surely puts stars in Leon’s eyes. He’s always been a sucker for parlor tricks like that.

Leon waddles over to the simple wooden chair you have waiting near the center of the room, taking a seat to watch as you tugged on your long black cloak (the one you made a habit to keep hanging down here for these very instances) and began pulling out various ingredients from one of the numerous cabinets that lined the upper walls of the room.

“Wish you’d just commit to being nocturnal, already,” you couldn’t help but sigh, checking the date you had written on the little jar of beeswax you were inspecting. “If you keep getting injured like this, your healing abilities might become permanently disabled.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m still champion,” he laughed, seeming more amused by your reaction than anything. “I can’t just step down for no reason.”

“Sure you can.” You climbed up onto a lower shelf to dig further into a cabinet. You left that jar of chamomile here somewhere. “Gym leaders do it all the time.”

“It’s different for champions. We’re the best of the best, the image of the ideal trainer for our region. Galar isn’t known for giving up, so that’s not an option I’m willing to consider.”

You almost settle for the bag of rosemary, only to quickly set it back in the cabinet. That would be bad, using rosemary on Leon. You were trying to heal him, here, not destroy the guy. You decide to check another cabinet.

“I know, I know, Mr. Unbeatable Champion. I’m just saying that it hasn’t even been a year since you’ve turned and now I’ve basically become your primary medical provider. And you don’t even pay me!”

“I pay you!” He whines a bit before pausing, no doubt trying to think of instances of proper “payment”. “I, um… Well, I’ll pay you back this time!”

You finally find the chamomile, and even stumble upon that jar of honey you were looking for earlier today (of course, they were both behind the several jars of cinnamon sticks). So you throw the man a perked eyebrow while walking over to your giant black cauldron, which rested within a rustic brick fireplace.

“Oh yeah? What have you, Good Sir Champion, have to offer to the likes of me?”

“Name your price and I’ll double it.”

You snicker, lighting the fire with a clap of the hands rather than snapping. You can barely catch Leon’s amazed smile from this far away. How is any of that exciting for someone like you, you can help but wonder. Champion, genuinely cool guy, recently-turned vampire… still gets amused at basic baby magic. Same ol’ Lee.

“Hm, that’s a bold offer, young man,” you muse, adding a dramatic raspiness that makes you sound like some aged witch from a shitty Blockbuster horror film. “A wise man would think twice before dealing with a witch~.”

“Please,” he snickered, “you still call me to catch baby Joltiks that wander into your house. Don’t even try.”

A playfully sour look from you spurs a booming fit of laughter from your old friend. You hide your smile by turning away, focusing more on getting some dandelions to add to the mix. A small bag of garlic slumps over in the cabinet, so of course you grab it and reveal it to the man. He instinctively leans back a bit, a nervous grin settling onto his face.

“Hey, maybe this’ll add some extra zing to your salve, huh?”

“Uh, n-no thanks…”

“That’s what I thought,” you cackle, tossing the garlic away. Thoroughly satisfied with what you have, you dump a shit-ton of beeswax into the cauldron, watching it slowly melt before adding in the other items. While all that boils away, you wander over to your other writing desk, skipping past your grimoire in favor of digging into a drawer. There, you retrieve a small glass vial and a bag of jumbo marshmallows; those in hand, you walk back over to where Leon resides.

“Time for the secret ingredient.”

“It’s not really a secret ingredient if I already know what it is,” he frowned.

“Shut up and open wide.”

He rolls his eyes a bit, but does as he’s told. If you didn’t already know the truth here, you might have not seen anything unhuman about his teeth. Overly white from years of meticulous care and likely bleaching or whitening strips (though the thought of Leon walking around at night with whitening strips on his teeth nearly made you choke on your spit), but otherwise normal-looking human teeth. However, you knew better, and peered a little closer to his canines. Sure enough, you could see it; a slight shimmer, something like seeing heat rising off the earth during the summer, wavy and hardly noticeable. You took a marshmallow in one hand, the vial in the other; expertly, you stabbed the treat into one fang and simultaneously propped up the vial against the other tooth. Leon flinched a bit (“It feels really weird,” he had told you one time, following the same procedure the night he needed a quick fix after accidentally grabbing one of his grandmother’s rosaries when cleaning up his mother’s house, “kinda like I’m spitting with my teeth. Yuck.”). In seconds, small spurts of a dark, sort-of maroon-colored liquid fills up most of the vial. You give it a few seconds more before pulling away, taking a moment to drain the liquid from the marshmallow before offering the remains to the champion. He childishly takes it with glee, stuffing it into his mouth with that stupid smile on his face (goddamn his smile was gorgeous, but it’s way easier to just say that it was stupid, instead).

With the last and most important ingredient, you return to your work, carefully pouring the vial’s sibylline contents into the concoction. You pick up the large wooden spoon that hangs over the fireplace and give a few generous stirs.

“Y’know,” you hear Leon’s footsteps creeping up behind you, keeping a slow, leisurely pace as he meanders around the room, “this really wasn’t the future I thought for us when we were kids.”

You exhale a chuckle from your nose. You almost say that you feel the same, but the fear of him inquiring further about what you did envision makes you choose a different set of words.

“Don’t even think about getting all Byronic on me,” you peered over your shoulder. He simply smiles at you - an even stupider smile - hands in his pockets as he slowly makes his way towards you. “I’m not going to listen to you moan and groan about your tragic fate for all eternity.”

He chuckles, something surprising soft instead of his regular bone-shattered laugh.

“Of course not. I’m just saying that I figured we’d be, y’know, doing other things.” You try not to think about what he could mean by that. “But I’m not really against this. I don’t think I would’ve found out about your little shop of horrors down here, otherwise.”

He’s got a good point there. Literally the only reason you admitted to your secret life as a decently skilled witch was the night he turned. You could still remember it all; he stumbled into your house, desperately holding his wound with that terrified look in his eye, as if he was looking at Death, itself. You’d never personally treated a victim of vampire’s night out (not a live one, anyway), but you did everything in your power to keep Leon alive. But you knew that it was nothing short of a miracle that he managed to wake up the next morning, having survived a night of literal death in slow-motion. Not so many victims were so fortunate to make it through the process, but like hell you were about to let your childhood friend die like that. So now he knew your secret, and you protected his. At least you didn’t have to worry about the two of you drifting apart any time soon, especially with him always forgetting basic vampyric flaws like sunlight all the time.

He settles beside you, offering a soft smile.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m really grateful to know someone like you. You’ve got better things to be doing, and yet you always make time to bring me back after I do something stupid again and again.”

You look into his eyes a moment too long before looking back into your task. The gooey mixture, now dyed a deep red, bubbled down below, seeming almost alive.

“You make it sound like I just started doing this. I’ve been patching you up since kindergarten.”

“Fair enough. But still… I’d be dead if it weren’t for you. So, thank you.”

He’s got that look in his eyes again, golden irises burning brighter than ever, and he’s far too close for you to be comfortable. So, logically, you look even deeper into your cauldron, grateful that the darkness of the room likely hides your ever-burning cheeks. Thankfully, the brew looks just about ready. You reach over and grab a small bowl from the table nearby, spooning some of the waxy goo into its hold.

From birth, it had been decided that you would carry on your mother’s family tradition of witchcraft. And you have - with much pride - and it’s become your greatest secret that would spell disaster should it be learned by the wrong people. You didn’t make many friends, but Leon’s dumb smile was so infectious that you were always drawn to him, even if he drove you bat-shit with his innocent antics. The two of you were close for so long, but after he became champion, things became a bit more strained. You figured that it wouldn’t be long before he forgot about you altogether - but then last year’s “incident” happened, and now a whole new understanding unknown to much of the world had formed between you both. You knew it was far too late to ever consider confessing any of your possible feelings for him (feelings of annoyance, you always told yourself - what an unfortunate lie that’s come to be), but now here you were, likely stuck as his clandestine nurse for the rest of your mortal life. And then what? You’d be reincarnated, would likely stumble upon memories of your past lives (such is the fate of those who take on the witch’s mantle), and see the man you once loved (or loathed, as you’d rather say) finding someone else to take care of him in your absence. For him, it’d hardly feel like a change. But for you, it’d truly be a fate beyond that of death or eternal damnation. You should be happy that he has a reason to stay with you for the rest of your life, but instead, all you can feel is a bitter aftertaste that you have no choice but to suffer through.

“I can’t say I believe in fate,” you shrug your shoulders, “but every now and then the stars align in such a way that has us thinking that God has a sense of humor.”

Leon chuckles again, but you don’t really know. He doesn’t really know what you’re referring to. Right?

You shuffle him back over to the chair, sitting him down and resting his arm across the armrest. As gentle as possible, you spread the salve across the burn area, letting it soak in a bit before applying a second coating that you massage into his skin. Leon watches with that dumb, stupid, bothersome smile of his; you make a point never to meet those eyes, not when you’re so close to him like this.

After a few minutes, you give an affirmative nod and pull back, inspecting the injury. Sure enough, it’s already starting to lighten up.

“Looks like we got power in the healing department,” you smirk. “You’re all ready to go, Good Sir Champion.”

“Not quite.” You must’ve made a weird face, because he’s quickly backtracking, rubbing the back of his neck with a laugh. “I mean, uh, I still have to pay you back double, right? You never said what kind of payment you want.”

You don’t like the way he phrased that. No, you hate the way he phrased that. It’s got your mind in all sorts of a jumble, now. So as quick as you can (before you accidentally say something stupid), you make up a response.

“Flowers.”

Okay that’s really fucking dumb.

Leon quirks his eyebrows at you, seeming amused once more.

“I, uh, I mean,” you stumble for words, hoping to dig yourself out of this hole you’ve thrown yourself into with one stupid word. “What I mean is… I’ve been looking for a specific set of flowers for this spell I’m working on, but they don’t really sell them in stores nearby. So, uh, yeah. Get me flowers.”

“Flowers? For a spell?”

“For a spell,” you affirm.

“Okay,” there’s a strange tone to his voice that you don’t really want to try and decipher, “I can do that. What, uh… what kind of flowers do you want - er, what kind do you need? For the spell?”

You run through a mental list of all the most non-romantic flowers you can think of. Unfortunately, you like flowers, so all of them kinda felt romantic. God fucking dammit.

“Uh… dahlia’s? Black dahlia’s - yeah, those’ll be good. For the spell.”

“Right, the spell,” he nods, glancing off to the side for a millisecond. “I think I can do that, yeah. For a second, I was kind of scared you were gonna make me get a bunch of super poisonous flowers. Not sure how I would explain that one to my bank.”

“Y-yeah, right.”

A brief (and awkward) silence settles over the two of you. Eventually, Leon moves to get up; you shuffle a few steps back to give him enough space to stretch.

“Well, thanks again for helping me - I feel a thousand times better. I swear, you’re a better doctor than, well, actual doctors.”

You smirk with a smidge of pride. “Magic is just a science that hasn’t been accepted yet. And it looks cooler, too.”

“Maybe you can teach me a few things, some time.”

You narrow your eyes at him, playfully glaring in such a way that has him laughing just at the sight of it.

“That’ll cost you more flowers, Lee - are you sure you’re ready for that?”

“I’ll buy you as many flowers as you want - any kind you want.”

You wait a minute for him to backtrack, or to say “For the spell” in a rushed manner like always. But that’s it, the end of the sentence. He just stands there, smiling in that stupid way evermore, eyes focused entirely on you.

It’s a look that you can hardly describe, the look in his eyes at that moment. It pulls something from your chest that you had spent years keeping locked up tight.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

You don’t know what scares you more - the fact that you said that, or the fact that he grins even brighter.

You’re the witch here, and yet he’s the one trapping you in this terrible enthrallmetn that has you seeing stars with just that stupid-dumb smile of his. It’s hard to blame it on his status or his altered state of humanity when this has always been the case. No, that’s just the kind of person Leon has always been and (hopefully) always will be. And you would likely be stuck with this (gorgeous) idiot for the rest of your mortal life.

It’s got your heart beating faster - you can’t tell if it’s from fear or from excitement. Maybe both. Most likely both.

[fortheloveoffanfic]

Protective Service

John Wick x Reader (A/n- Hopefully this chapter isn’t too confusing. Flashbacks in italics)

Masterlist   Chapter 1   Chapter 2   Chapter 3

Warnings- Mentions of murder/violence, angst

Chapter 4 Beautiful Nightmares

Drenched and breathless, Y/n awoke with a startle, her wide eyes confused by the darkness. It took a moment before she’d realized where she was; in her bedroom at her penthouse, safe and alone. Her chest was dominated by heavy, uneven breaths and the black silk of her simple, lace edged camisole clung to her skin uncomfortably. Even as Y/n tried to settle herself, inhaling deeply through her overly dry mouth, she couldn’t push the flashes from her very vivid dream away;

A couple, swaying in each other’s arms as pale yellow moonlight washes the dark wooden panels constituting the floor of the back porch as soft music wafts from a radio on an end table. The woman’s giggles are soft as her husband leads them in a  slow, casual waltz and not too far off, after she’s been told to not stray near the lake, a young girl no older than six, plays with a plastic fairy wand, entertaining herself. She loves fairies; she wishes they were real but her mother always reminds her that they are, and that she’d the most beautiful one of them all.

It was one of Y/n’s fondest memories of her parents, the last one that had really embedded itself in her memory before the bad. Their love was one that seemed to stand out above rest, though, Y/n supposed that at that age, she couldn’t have known much about romantic love anyways. She hadn’t learned much more about afterwards either, only that it was destructive. That in the end, all it could do was hurt you.

The fire below the rustic, cobblestone mantle laps viciously at the iron barrier separating it from the rest of the sitting room. Not too far off, near the designated holder, one of the pokers lay forgotten. He hasn’t really spoken to anyone in days, not even his seven year old daughter and his eyes have taken on this sort of vacancy that makes its almost frightening to look at him. She’s scared of him, and the only person that would know what to do is gone. Meredith is gone, for good. They took her. It’s been three days since they found her on his birthday, three days since he knew that everything had changed, even if he can’t quite explain it to their daughter. Three days since she’s been asking for her mommy and three days since she’d gone from adoring him to fearing the shell of what he used to be.

The dream, it had taken a nightmarish turn and at some point, Y/n wasn’t watching her parents dance in the backyard while she chased fire files, instead, she was standing in the doorway of the sitting room, watching her father stare that the fireplace, wondering how the bravest man she knew could seem so lost. She hadn’t understood then, and she wouldn’t, not until the funeral, where a large service had taken place at a mortuary and the police had showed up, poking and prodding until someone, Donavan’s father, who had a long standing connection with the commissioner’s office, had stepped in and scared them off. That was probably the day he’d really changed, her father. After that evening he’d gone from broken to cold and ruthless. No one stood in his way because they were simply afraid to, and without his wife as a buffer, things had changed in his organization quickly. Trust could no longer be borrowed, it was earned and traitors were appropriately dealt with. If he couldn’t bring back his wife, then he’d definitely vent his frustrations where he could.

After Meredith passed, Y/n had clung to her father, even if he’d never been the same. He’d cut out most of his affectionate traits and though they were close, most of his time was spent molding her into someone unshakeable. Someone who wouldn’t ever have to feel the way he did. It was working too, by her teens, Y/n had developed into a stolid adolescent, able to suppress whatever she was feeling so she could one day grow into the woman he’d be proud of. The woman he’d never meet.

Money, it makes everything easier. People like you better, you can shop wherever you want and know one bats a lash when you do something you shouldn’t have. Or maybe, just maybe, that last thing isn’t a consequence of money. Maybe it’s fear. It doesn’t matter though, she’s used to that too, the look of fear in people’s eyes when she walks into a room. Even her father’s muscle sometimes squirm around her, there’s no telling what she’ll do or say, she’s just so…...vulturine. Face of an angel with the prowl of a predator. But even predators have bad days, terrible days, the one that becomes their worst day. 

Hers came after one of the most mundane afternoons of her life; she’d gone to a little pastry shop in the city with the son of one of her father’s affiliates. He’s a nice boy, just a couple years her senior and while letting people in is hard, Jack understands the life. Y/n’s dad likes him too. Her dad. “Daddy?” She calls out, pushing one half of the front double door closed behind her as she steps inside, the heel of her booth thudding quietly on the hardwood. It’s eerily quiet in the manor and in the air hangs a metallic smell that she knows all too well. The combination of gunpowder and blood. Usually, it's the smell she associates with her father and the business he’s training her to take over, but that evening, there’s a distinct portentousness that mingles with it. It’s too quiet, too cold, as if someone forgot to turn up the heat to combat the temperate fall evenings. 

“Daddy?” she calls again, only to gasp upon entering his home office. The white rug dominating the room is saturated with warm red and some of it’s even seeped out to the hardwood, probably staining it and almost causing Y/n’s to slip as she hurriedly enters. “Daddy,” she emits a choked breath as she sinks to her knees, not caring if the blood soaks the blue denim of her jeans. Immediately, she pulls off her scarf, doing the only thing that seems logical in that moment, pressing it to the gaping gash on his neck, trying to quell the rapid, almost cinematic flow. That’s sort of how it feels too, like Y/n’s been plopped into a movie, because that can’t be real, her father can’t be dying in her arms. “Hold on, okay?” Her mind is going twenty miles a minute and while she knows that there are people that she can call for help, all she can think is that she needs to help him now. 

He tries to speak, though, he’s literally drowning in his own blood, and that’s the first time that Y/n realizes that his wounds are mortal. Not just the slashed throat, but also several stab wounds to the chest. The sounds are sickly and stomach turning, and the sight isn’t much different, but still, she persists, he won’t see her undone. Even if inside, Y/n feels like she’s being ripped apart; torn to shreds by winter breeze. The feeling makes something change inside her, and as she presses the rich cashmere to the split in her father’s neck, Y/n feels the surge of something inhumane shoot up inside. The last shred, the only person she can truly care for has been snatched away, and in that moment, she becomes what he’s wanted her to be for the past thirteen years, made in his image. Utterly ruthless, unashamedly vengeful and undeniably frightening. 

The dream, even after several minutes of sitting up in her California king, stuck with her, and if Y/n shut her eyes, she could still feel the warmth of blood on her hands and hear the sounds that her father made as he struggled to take his last breaths. It had been a while since she’d last had a dream like that, but Y/n would have preferred to attribute the runnings of her subconscious to the events of the past couple weeks; having to clean up the mess of a betrayal but more so her mother’s birthday. With a heavy, deflated sigh, she flopped back, moving messy hair away from her face and dragging her fingers along her scalp. 

The clock on her bedside read as twenty minutes to four and despite the hour, Y/n knew that committing to slumber soon wouldn’t have been possible, so instead, she slunk out of bed, not even bothering with her robe as she slipped her feet into a pair of comfortable, fluffy flip flops before heading towards the door.

It was a soft, hesitant knocking that roused John from his slumber. A heavy sleeper might not have heard it, but his ears were trained, never missing a thing, and he awoke almost immediately. Groggily, he took a moment to blink sleep out of his eyes as he weaned his hand out from under the pillow, where he usually kept a pistol. Registering the time as quarter to four in the morning, John also noted the near darkness of the large room, the only light besides that of the neon green numbers of the digital alarm clock being whatever filtered through the thin, grey curtains; some from apartments in the opposing building, a street lamp and the quarter moon. It was enough to wash the shiny marble floor with a white glow, though not nearly enough to disturb John's sleep.

Again, the knocking on his bedroom door called his attention, and with a soft sigh, John flipped the thick duvet off his legs, planting his feet on the floor and padding barefoot towards the door. "Y/n?" He knitted his brows upon the sight of her; dressed in the suggestive pajama set he'd glimpsed her in earlier, the same one that had brought with it all sorts of crude thoughts as he'd fallen to sleep. 

"Hey," she breathed meekly, tongue darting out to moisten her bare lips as Y/n tucked some hair behind her ears. She seemed so unlike her usual self, a little unsure, and much…...softer, almost harmless even. The pale white light coming from the opposing window illuminated her delicate features with a near bluish, ethereal glow. "I uh," she cleared her throat, standing a bit straighter, "Sorry for waking you."

That was odd, she never apologized. Shaking his head dismissively, John’s hand slid up the edge of the door as he slid against the frame, fleeting sleepiness disturbing his focus. Or maybe it was something else. “It’s okay,” something about the mood felt…...off. John couldn’t describe it really, like the air was swirling with something electric, making everything a little hazy, “What are doing here? It’s late.”

“I know,” Y/n didn’t seem to know what to do with her hands, and John couldn’t help but notice the absence of confidence in her disposition. It was so unlike her to be so unsure of herself and jittery. “It’s just,” she hesitated, mulling on her next words, “I can’t stop thinking about you John,” his name was a breath of her lips and when Y/n finally reached out, her palm hovering over the sleeve of his t-shirt before landing on his bicep. “I know its……..sudden, but it's true, and I can’t take the not knowing anymore. John-”

“Its okay,” he reassured softly, his eyes softening as he stepped forward, reaching out to place a hand on her hip, he raised the other to brush a couple strands away from her face, “I feel the same. There’s just something about you,” he searched her gaze, still cupping her face and his thumb ghosted the apple of Y/n’s cheek, “It just pulls me in. I’ve tried Y/n, but I can’t get you out of my head.”

“Good,” sliding her hand up his shoulder, she embraced the side of his neck with her warm touch, leaning into John as she stood on her toes, “Have you been dreaming about me John?” He could feel her breath fanning his lips and feel the warmth of her skin emanating from her top, “The way I dream about you?” Y/n pecked the corner of his lips, curling her arm around his neck.

“Yes,” he shuddered, feeling her lips travel along his jaw, his crotch twitching appreciatively at their proximity. His arms locked around Y/n’s frame, ensuing she was flush against him and his senses had never felt so awakened, making John acutely aware of how her full breasts were pressed to his chest, and how silken her skin felt when a couple of his fingers evaded the hem of her blouse, gracing the lower part of her spine. “I dream that I’m touching you, feeling you around me. I dream that…..”

“That what?” Y/n reached up to nibble on his earlobe, her free hand journeying between their bodies to grope him through the thick material of his sweats, “What else do you dream about John?”

“That you’re mine,” involuntarily, he bucked into her expert touch, his grip on her tightening possessively, “I want you to be mine,” he growled, a surge of jealousy pluming in his chest at the thought of Y/n being this way with Donavan. 

As one of John’s palms searched her warm skin, eventually reaching up to cradle Y/n’s upper back, she brought her lips over his once again, sharing their longing breaths, “Then make me yours,” Y/n tilted her head, leaning in and almost letting their lips brush, teasing him. “Do it John,” she prompted enticingly, “Make me yours.”

In an instant, he’d crashed his lips to Y/n’s feverishly, holding her in place and humming roughly into her mouth as his only response. Y/n stumbled forward when John stepped back into the room. The way she responded against him was unmatched and for just a second, every bit of guilt he’d harbored because of his growing feelings for her vanished, if only it could stay gone.

“John,” a familiar voice intruded, urgency growing as he ignored it, “John!”

It wasn’t Y/n, it couldn’t be her after all, and when John finally pulled away, he was greeted with the most gut wrenching sight; his Helen, standing in the doorway, hurt tugging at her features. She looked the way she did just before things got bad, before the long hospital stays and the machines. So impossibly beautiful, so incomparably pure and right then, so undeniably wounded. Her eyes, the ones he’d fallen for upon matching them for the very first time, welled up with tears, shining in the low light and her paled features were smeared with the twinge of betrayal. 

“How could you?” She sobbed, just as John untangled himself from Y/n, not noting the way her face changed, focused only one one thing; his wife.

How could he?

“Helen!” John brushed past Y/n, following Helen out into the hall, just as the hem of her white dress fled the corner. But he could hardly run fast enough and before John could reach for her arm, she was gone.

“Helen,” John shot up in his bed, breathing heavily as he lunged forward. Even with his eyes now open, adjusting themselves to being so suddenly opened, he swore he could still see Helen as if she were right there, at the foot of his bed, tears in her eyes as a result of his betrayal. It was exactly what he’d been afraid of; betraying her memory. John couldn’t do that to her, he’d fought for his life just so he could live to remember her, the love they had. The only love he ever had.

Scrubbing his hands over his face and then through his hair, before turning on the lamp at his bedside and pulling open the drawer of his nightstand. What he sought laid at the top, and without hesitation, John brought out a picture and a little card out, holding them each in one hand. Every time he looked at the photograph, the memory would come back like it was yesterday, that day at the beach, when in each other’s arms was the only place either of them wanted to be. They’d known she was sick then too, but times were simpler and treatment had been working well. They had time, time to build a home, plan a life, be in love. 

Before Helen, that day he’d laid eyes on her in that restaurant, John didn’t think his heart had ever beat that fast. For a long time, he lived, fought for his life in the military and then under the mob, but when he met her, John, for the very first time, felt truly alive. And when she died a year and a half prior, part of him did too. Even if the love he had for her would never waver.

A lone tear fell dripped onto the photo and John’s teeth tugged on his lower lip to suppress a sob as he opted to shift his burning gaze to the letter. One of the last things he had to remember her by. Daisy was long gone; stolen by a fool who’d cashed for an untimely death, but John had held on to that letter. The only reason he’d still had it was because he’d had left it in his car, which, thankfully had been in the shop when his house had been destroyed by another dead fool. That card had kept him sane in dark times and had given him a glimmer of hope in quieter moments. 

“....you still need something, someone, to love.”

“........and now that I have found my peace, find yours.”

Loving again didn’t even seem possible, and it didn’t seem right either. And even if the glimmer of affection he felt of Y/n should have given John hope for a better tomorrow, she was tainted, corrupted; there was no peace there. Not for him and certainly not for them together. 

Bringing the picture to his lips, John swallowed tightly as he kissed Helen’s image, desperately wishing that things could have been different. He’d have burned the world down if it would save her life. But it wouldn’t have, and it was taking time, but he was learning to accept that. Returning the keepsakes to their security, John pulled himself out of bed, trudging out towards the kitchen hoping to find some remedy for the dryness in his throat. 

As usual, his steps were silent and hardly noticeable and John was just about to turn off from the corridor and enter when something stopped him in his tracks. At first, he’d thought his ears were betraying him, that perhaps he was still caught in his all too vivid dream, until he poked his head out, confirming the more logical explanation. Much to his surprise, Y/n stood in the kitchen, a wine glass on the counter, near a bottle while she had her back pressed against the large integrated refrigerator, head bent and hands pressed to her face as she elicited muffled sobs. Her frame shook slightly and her breaths were audible and ragged.

The sight was more than peculiar, it was surprising and wildly unexpected, yet still, John yearned to go into the kitchen and encourage her towards his chest and hold her until she was okay. Even if he’d had caught her shedding a tear or two in her bedroom a couple mornings ago, he’d never taken Y/n for the type that cried her eyes out when no one was looking, though he supposed that everyone had their limits, things that broke them down and reduced them to a state where nothing else seemed possible. His was Helen, he wondered if Y/n’s was her mother. 

A loud, hitching breath left John dashing for cover, pressing his back to the wall, and peeking out once again soon after, just in time to see Y/n slide down the silver door onto the floor as untamed sobs grew louder. He ached, physically, to go over to her, but the idea weighed heavy on his mind and knowing Y/n, she probably wasn’t seeking comfort anyway, so instead, John gave her what he thought she’d appreciate more; the solitude that he usually craved when reduced to tears, toeing back down the hall, and hoping that by morning she’d be okay.

******

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[nuttygalaxysims]

The Goth Family Curse

The Goths have been my favorite family since Sims 1, back when it was just “The Sims” and I’d go grab an afterschool snack while it was reticulating splines. It’s no surprise that I spent a LOT of time with them in the Sims 2 era, including going down the rabbit hole of Bella mythology and doing unnatural things with SimPE to try to reunite the family. 

Finding the family all together again in Sims 4 warmed my cold little heart, and I got a LOT of enjoyment out of watching them interact as a happy family... for a little while.

Then it got weird... 

Bella & Mortimer were very excited to welcome twin daughters, Nada Goth and Visi Goth. As busy professionals and doting parents, they hired a nanny to keep the girls safe during the day. To be honest, she did a lot of overnights there too - money can’t buy happiness, but it CAN buy a night nanny, and sleeping through the night is practically the same thing!

I never saw exactly what happened, but somehow Mortimer, poor misguided Mortimer, wound up making a pass at the nanny. Bella overheard and was rather unimpressed, so the nanny was sent packing. Keeping up with all the kids plus their jobs was quite a strain for the Goth household; both parents often wound up utterly exhausted by the time they got home from work each day. 

Still, relationships were mending and I thought everything was going well. The kids were thriving (and toddlers can climb stairs now!?) They even put in a modest pool, at Bella’s request, so she could unwind by swimming laps without having to get a sitter.

Then one fateful evening, Mortimer returned from work very close to passing out from exhaustion. Between the monster under Alexander’s bed and two toddlers in a sleep regression, he’d been up most of the night. I’m a kind and merciful simmer, so I nudged him towards his bed as soon as he got home, before getting distracted by Alexander aging up to a teen, the toddlers getting into adorable trouble (did I mention they can climb stairs now?!), and all the other general evening chaos of homework, dinner time, and uninvited guests. Then I got THE POPUP.

Dear Old Morty had apparently decided that he knew better than me, and had chosen to unwind in the pool instead of going to bed as instructed. Did you know sims can pass out in the pool? Did you know that if sims pass out in the pool, they drown? I didn’t, but now I do. 😬😥 Level-headed Cassandra tried to plead for his life as everyone else panic-flailed, but she was ultimately unsuccessful. 

So much for the Goths being back together as a happy family...

I know I could have exited without saving to spare him, but I’ve always enjoyed rolling with the game’s surprises. Also, I TOLD him to go to bed. He’s a grown adult with four kids. Love you, Mort, but make better choices!

(Also, I still have no idea why Mortimer & the nanny started smooching - at this point, I was still playing a completely vanilla game with no mods, cc, or expansions, just the base game; he’d never rolled any sort of romantic whims for anyone besides Bella, and it wasn’t something I initiated! To me, these are the most interesting bits of the game: when these little pixel people who you theoretically control from creation to death still find a way to get up to mischief!)

I still have that saved game, minus Mort of course. Bella got over him fairly quickly and switched to a less dangerous career so she could be there for the kids. The girls are delightful, Cassandra is a surprisingly savvy business woman who spends her nights playing piano, and Alexander is a star student with a steady girlfriend. I’ll check back in with them at some point - Nada & Visi are REALLY cute, even if Nada’s preference for pastels stands out like a sore thumb in that house - but I started a new saved game here to install & test City Living.

***

Fast forward a month or two of playing the new game, and I noticed Cassandra waddling around the neighborhood visibly pregnant - SURPRISE! By this point I’d added Deaderpool’s MCCC so that the townies could find love and grow families and all that fun stuff, but I hadn’t quite gotten the hang of all the settings yet. It turns out Cassandra had a chance encounter with none other than James T. Kirk and was left with quite a surprising souvenir (but that’s another story...)

Anyway, I pop in to the as-yet-unplayed Goth family home to see what was going on, and the very first thing that happened was Mort’s bunny slippers catching on fire while he was standing a little too close to the fireplace. What did I say about making better choices, Mort?? Cassandra once again came to his rescue, extinguishing the flames relatively calmly while Bella got as far away as possible.

 A few days later, Cassandra, now a proud mom to a bouncing baby girl, caught on fire herself while making a grilled cheese sandwich. Bella reacted yet again by sprinting out of the house and abandoning everyone - way to keep it real, Bella! Everyone is alive for now, but I’m a little scared to see what happens next...