#so it’s particularly special because I didn’t cry while making him

[aluciahaz]

Uhhhh could you possibly write an Alastor x Male! Reader? I uh got options because I didn't know if it was okay or not

Fluff- it could be like a date night yknow, Alastor and the reader are dancing together? (The others surprised about it but yknow, go Al?)

Smut- sub Alastor IF YOU WANT! It could have something to do with his ears being sensitive or they could be doing something while doing the radio show OR BOTH-

Whatever you are comfortable with doing idm idm. I just wanted to give ideas yknow

all of these are such good ideas!!! i went with the ears one but i might snatch some of these for latter pieces ❤️ tysm for requesting!

little bambi

—alastor x m!reader ( but it’s not that specific other than the use of the word cock like once sorry 😭)

—includes : sensitive ears, crying,

alastor was never one to like being touched.

of course, he enjoyed invading other people’s personal space, parading his presence of control and eerieness to people in his life, but he hated it when others did the same.

it showed that he wasn’t the one in power. that people were so unafraid of him that they’d just lay a hand on him without a second thought. that privilege was only reserved for special people.

so, of course, it took ages for you to be able to touch him in any sort of way.

and is the reason why, just now, after years into your relationship, you discover an incredibly interesting thing about alastor.

“ngh…mm,” his eyes shut in bliss without realizing, sighing in peace as your fingers scratch the back of his ears, running beneath the tufts of hair at where they started.

the static in the bedroom significantly got louder.

the two of you sit in nearly perfect silence, if not for the crescendo of humming electricity reverberating.

“…can i keep going?” you ask, noticing his stiff disposition and frozen smile. he didn’t like being caught off guard. hated it, in fact.

but you were special.

“yes… you may,” alastor hesitantly says, as though still testing the waters on whether he liked it or not. his ears worked on their own, unfortunately being one of the things he couldn’t manipulate all the time.

they showed his true emotions, just like how his eyes were a window into his dead heart. when you saw them pin back to his head, twitching in anticipation, you don’t wait to comply to his unconscious needs, petting the top of his head slowly.

his static almost sounds like a purr, and he tilts his head forward, now embracing this moment. you chuckle before gently tugging his ears back to make him look at you, only to get a very different reaction from what you expected.

“AH—!” a guttural moan ran away from his once-closed-mouth smile, his mouth agape for a brief second before digging his teeth into his bottom lip, trying to silence his unbecoming noises.

however, even with his attempts to seem less affected by your touch, it didn’t take any time at all to have him beneath you, as he was quite responsive to you with your hands on his ears. alastor just couldn’t get enough. how was he supposed to resist such an incredible feeling?

usually, he was a bit more chatty, biting at you with sharp words and sarcasm. but now, all he could do was squirm and lay his head down, trying to hide his noises behind the back of his hand. which, of course, you pull away, shaking your head in disapproval. “your voice is your pride and joy, is it not? why hide it?”

his ears go flush back onto his head as listens to you, setting his arms aside as you run your fingers down the base of his ears, and soon, time passes with haste.

it seems like it’s only been seconds when alastor lets out a weak wail from the feeling of being slowly filled with your cock, yet by looking at the analog clock on the wall, you can tell it’s almost been 30 minutes. at this point, you’d expect a snide comment from your talkative lover, yet all he could do was cry out in pleasure, his claws ripping the bed below him.

“f-faster, come on—ah!” he gasps as a particularly sharp thrust catches him off guard, cutting his demands short as he tumbles into a rush of moans as you comply with his request.

you could practically hear the moment he lets his dignity shut off, the static suddenly disappearing with no warning as you pet his ears once more, feeling them twitch underneath your fingers.

his mind seemed to be spinning, looping like a channel on repeat. you could tell by how his eyes seemed to fall into this blissful rapture, glazed over and unfocused. by how his words seemed to jumble together like a poorly written script, his usually composed voice sounding more like an amateur on air.

“you’re so beautiful,” you murmur, lifting one of your hands off his ear to brush the mess of hair out of his face, meeting his lovely crimson eyes which seemed to shine like diamonds underneath the dim lamplight.

they only seem to glisten more as you say so, a small whimper slipping off his tongue before he shuts them, a tear rolling down his rosy cheek as he cries out for you without words, but you understand his unbridled desire, picking up your pace to be gifted a loud sob of satisfaction in return.

“i—think, think i’m close,” he breathes out harshly in contrast to his usually smooth voice, his whole body trembling underneath yours. “keep—keep doing th—ah! ffu—,” he’s demanding, yet so sweet. you can’t help but listen.

and with a somewhat distorted moan, he’s sent over the edge as you dig your fingers roughly into the bottom of his ears, making him shudder and tense up with a broken cry.

you look down at the beautiful mess below you, proud of your work. the tears that had dried on his face shined like polish, and the static that usually crackled in the air was gone. it was just the two of you, and as you go and kiss him, he finds that your lips make him feel a bit more sane, grounding him in the moment.

one he’ll never forget.

tags: @xx-all-purpose-nerd-xx @mvskedxrtist @drlucichen @luciferspetduck

[boynextdoorcoverpoison]

myung jaehyun is absolutely, hands down, the best leader for boynextdoor.

I always stand by the leader of groups being the best leaders for their groups, but it’s definitely a role that they have to grow into and improve constantly on. just like any other position in the group. just like any other thing you do.

that said, until the fanmeeting, I didn’t quite have the words to truly express why I feel so strongly about jaehyun’s role as the boynextdoor leader—especially as I think to a lot of non-onedoor, it can seem a bit confusing or not apparent at first. which mostly comes from jaehyun sitting outside the norm for a leader (particularly in hybe bgs) at least in personality.

jaehyun is loud. that’s like… something well known about him. he’s talkative and playful and despite being shy, he’s definitely the kind of person to enter the room knowing no one and leave with at least 5 new friends. his approach to people is one that feels very open and bright.

for this reason, I do think many people might not first associate him with the leader role. with most groups, the most energetic member is probably not the first considered as “oh yeah that’s the leader”. jaehyun is all the playful and energy-filled that usually comes with the member who the leader needs to keep an eye on the most and eventually has a bunch of youtube compilation videos.

that said, these qualities are exactly why I think he makes such a great leader for boynextdoor. as mentioned in the fanmeeting day 2 ending ments, the members of bonedo are the type of people to put up a straight face and keep their struggles to themselves. as woonhak and they have expressed, an example being woonhak putting on a smile and performing, despite dealing with grief. they’re very much the people to not make their problems someone else’s and to maintain a collected image in front of others.

while I also think jaehyun does this, as most people who are leaders may tend to for the sake of their groups, he’s also very very very unapologetically himself. he feels so much. his tendency to cry being a prime example of that, though not the only. the point is that jaehyun is expressive and open and in this, jaehyun contrasts with his members.

as woonhak has stated before, jaehyun has expressed that it’s okay for him to cry, to need to take a break, to sit this one out. jaehyun in general approaches his members with a lot of care. but overall, the stand out is that I believe jaehyun navigates along the lines of… feelings are meant to be felt. he has no qualms with any emotion being felt the way it occurs to us. yes there are ways to handle them, but ultimately, the feeling—whatever it may be—is there to be felt and expressed.

this is also seen in how he interacts with his members. in his very tactile approach to express the love and care he has for the rest of bonedo. the pride he feels for them. whatever words I’m not able to formulate to describe the whole yeppi exchange between him and sungho in the 3rd comeback show special.

it’s also in his loudness and energy. it’s all about expression. he’s so much, but it only feels that way, in my opinion, because he’s overwhelmingly unafraid and unapologetic of being himself, in a way that the industry might otherwise discourage. he’s not against expressing how he feels and while it likely won’t be the most apparent until later in their careers, I do think he’s the type to speak his mind.

all that said, the point is that these qualities do exist in contrast to his members and thus… encourage them to do the same. maybe not to be speeding around all over the place, but rather to allow themselves the space and time to feel as they do. that they don’t have to keep it all inside to avoid making it other peoples problems. they’re a team, if nothing else. and it’s in jaehyun being so so so much himself, being exactly the person he is, not something specially crafted to fit a particular image, he encourages the other members to be the same.

jaehyun helps to curate a safe space within their group by exhibiting that there’s nothing wrong with being the person they are. to feel whatever they feel. to express when things are going good or bad or somewhere in between. to approach things as they come and take them in stride, even if it’s without prior planning. that if a leader is meant to push a group forward and help them grow, then jaehyun steps up to the plate in that art cannot be made without emotion and so to become better artists, to continue being artists, it’s so important to find the safe spaces of being able to express and feel everything as they should be felt.

this is why I think jaehyun has some of the strongest lyricism currently in the group. it’s why I think he was a powerful force coming into KOZ and bonedo, and sort of the missing piece. he feels so much and he allows himself to feel all of it. in turn, as the leader, it’s something he encourages in the members. it’s leading by example. jaehyun builds a safe space for them to express, by being open himself.

but beyond that, jaehyun being unapologetically himself becomes an unstoppable sort of barrier between the group and outside the group. while not as apparent now, I do think it’ll grow into him being a strong adovcate for each of the members and the group as a whole. the group matters to him. his members matter to him. jaehyun’s never going to act as if they don’t, so long as they do. as such, he’ll put them first. he’ll encourage them and their best interest. he provides space and works to create and maintain that space for them to express themselves and be themselves. it’s what makes jaehyun the best leader for bonedo now, and it’s what will allow him to continue to do so.

[thisismeracing]

I'll always take care of you | MS47

― Pairing: Mick Schumacher x reader (she/her) ― Word count: 1.2k ― Warnings: mentions of food and sickness; overall fluff.  ― Summary: The flu caught you out of the blue, and completely unprepared, good thing you have your boyfriend around to take care of you. ― A/n: This piece was based on this request. This is a special piece for my mick schumacher sick girlies (gn) club (as many of us were sick this week). I hope you guys enjoy it! Let me know your thoughts by reblogging and/or leaving me an ask (anons are on) *mwah* 🤍

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Mondays are usually good days for you.

Though the week starts on Sundays, for you, they truthfully get going on Mondays. Mondays are when classes and work are back in full swing and when you make a list of everything you need to do for the week. When you are energized to clean your room, and when Mick comes home from races.

This Monday, though, you wake up with a cough, a runny nose, and your head pounding. It’s terrible. It doesn’t take you long to realize that it’s the flu and it’s not going away in time for you to get to work and classes, so you text your supervisor and send an e-mail to your professor, leaving your cell phone back on the nightstand and trying to sleep it off at least a little bit.

It gets worse after five minutes. Your whole body is aching and you wanna cry from stress because why couldn’t it happen any other day? Why today? You shrug the covers off, get Angie some food, get your water bottle, and some painkillers, and go back to bed. This time, the wiggly dog lies on your feet, as if she sensed something was wrong.

That was the first signal for Mick. Every Monday when he comes back from wherever he was in the world, Angie is at the door eager to greet him, but this time the apartment holds a weird silence, and there’s no signal of his dog. You also hadn’t answered his messages earlier this morning, something you would always do because, by the time he got home, you were up and running with your things.

He takes off his shoes, leaves his luggage by the entrance, and makes the short trek to your shared bedroom, a million thoughts going through his head. All of them dissipating when he opens the door and sees your sleeping form along with Angie lying on the bed. His shoulders drop in relief, only to go up again when your body moves on the bed, a nasty cough scratching your throat and making you whimper in pain.

Mick is by your side in a heartbeat.

Angie watched everything attentively as if knowing that he would talk to her soon, that right now her mom needed dad more.

You sit up reaching for the water, and finally notice Mick by your side.

“Babe,” you start but the coughing fits interrupt.

The blonde by your side passes your water bottle while rubbing your back, a worried look on his graceful features, “Why didn’t you tell me you were sick, Schatzi?”

And though there’s no judgment on his tone, you feel like crying, particularly because you’re sick, but also because you feel emotional. Of course, you know that Mick would always take care of you, but going through it was a completely different story, “It started earlier this morning,” you explain, taking a sip of your water again.

“Did you call your boss and your professor? Want me to do it?”

You nodded, then shook your head, “I already did, thanks though.”

“Have you eaten?”

And this time your eyes go to the ground. You know he’s about to huff a worried reply, but you’re too tired to try and explain, so you just lie back and watch as Mick kisses your forehead and starts changing his clothes, putting on his grey sweatpants and white shirt while telling you that you’re burning and he’s going to call the drugstore down the block to drop off some meds.

You hum in agreement. He pets Angie, leaving a kiss on her waiting head, but when he leaves she doesn’t follow, staying planted on the bed with you.

“Angie, sweet angel, you can go with Dad, I know you missed him,” you talk as if she would understand. Angie wiggles her tail, gets up from the bottom of the bed, and lies with her head on your belly.

You smile, caressing her fur, and it's not long before you’re falling asleep again.

You wake up minutes later, with Mick telling you to open your mouth while he’s scooping some kind of medicine in a spoon. You protest but drink it anyway, making faces at how sour it tastes.

“How are you feeling?” he asks.

“Terrible, I can’t breathe through my nose, and I’m cold, but I’m also burning.”

His fingers brush on your cheek, “Yeah, you have a fever, but I just gave you something to get the fever down. I’ll keep putting cold compresses on your forehead, but you can keep napping, okay?”

His soft tone makes your lips turn into a pout, some tears gathering in the corner of your eyes, “Baby, you’re gonna get sick too, no. I can take care of mys–”

Mick shakes his head, “I’m your boyfriend, I’m taking care of you. And besides, I’m an athlete, I won’t get sick that easily.”

Mick could very well be stubborn when he wanted to, and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes, sighing, “At least put on a mask.”

“Can I get a kiss first?”

You turn your head to him so fast you almost get whiplash, your brows are furrowed and your lips parted, “Are you out of your mind, Schumacher?”

He gifts you with a belly laugh, throwing his head back and showing you the milky skin of his neck. You so wanted to kiss it. And his pink plush lips too. But you couldn’t, and you told him this much.

“Yeah, I was messing with you, princess.”

You huff.

“Now, get comfortable, I’m gonna grab my mask. Your soup is almost ready,” he says, standing up from his sitting position on the bed.

“I’m not hungry,” you whine, lying down and bringing Angie close to you, snuggling on her soft fur.

“You gotta eat to get better soon, Schatzi.”

You mumble something not even you can understand, and Mick chuckles, walking back to the bed and sitting beside you. He brushes your cheek and holds your jaw, holding your eyes to his. You’re sick, you’re tired, and you have a headache pounding on your head nonstop, and a nasty running nose, but those blue orbs staring at you sure made your body tremble, all warm and fuzzy. His head dips and he takes the covers from your legs, just enough so his lips can find your naked thighs. He kisses there, and then your belly, and the inside of your wrist. There’s nothing sexual about it, he’s just kissing what he knows you would classify as a safe spot, far from your coughs, and snout.

Mick misses you though you are in front of each other right now.

And you miss him just as much.

“We went a week away, you really wanna make it more than it needs to be?”

You open your mouth, but then just drop your demeanor, shaking your head.

“Good, because I miss snuggling with you and kissing you, and we won’t be able to do it while you’re sick, right?” You nod. “I wouldn’t mind getting sick for you though.”

“Nope,” you pop the p. “Not happening. You’re sleeping in the guest bedroom until I get better.”

“Then you’re eating and taking all the meds I bring,” there’s a determination in his tone, and you can’t help but nod. “We have a deal?”

You nod reluctantly and shake hands with him. There’s a winning smile on his face, “good, I’m bringing the compresses and the soup.” 

― ⋆🪩 VOICEMAIL: Hi, besties! I hope you guys like this piece! Rooting for our mick schumacher sick girlies (gn) club to let all of its members go back to being exclusively from the mick scumacher simp club hihi A huge shout out to my coffee anon for proofreading this piece and suggesting the title (ily, C)!🤍

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[galaxycunt]

I Cant Keep Crying pt 1

Hello it’s me again. Angst/ smut/ etc etc under the cut

Part 2

You wish you could say you knew how you got here. You shared the same dream with every other pirate in the world. Your wide eyed idealism soon turned cynical, yet you remained on the sea. Your captain wasn’t the most fearsome, sticking to the East Blue was easy pickings. It worked for you, Buggy wasn’t the meanest boss you encountered. You knew how to stay on his good side, which helped.

After a particularly fun night, both of you good and drunk, he ended up between your legs. You decided you wanted to keep him there, as long as he’d let you. The way he looked at you made you think you had the final say in it no matter what.

He wasn’t ugly, but he also wasn’t the only pirate you let into your bed. You and him had a silent understanding, the sea was lonely. He was your captain, and you weren’t going to ask for special treatment. Whatever happened inside his cabin, stayed there.

“Fuck, I’m so close.”

You liked the way he looked under you, the feel of his cock inside you. Buggy massaged your nipples, biting your flesh everywhere. His hands found their way to your ass, forcing your hips to grind against him faster.

“Keep going, Buggy, fuck keep going.”

A groan caught in his throat as you came, flipping you over to find his own release. You were oversensitive, slapping the wall behind you. Buggy kissed your neck, spilling into you.

It was always quick and dirty, him pulling out slowly to grab his flask. You shared a drink while catching your breath, watching the rise and fall of his chest.

”My legs cant stop shaking,” you said with a laugh.

”Damn straight.”

He slapped your ass, making you laugh harder, “you’re funny.”

He turned you around to face him, planting a kiss on your lips. This was always your favorite part, especially if you got to stay the night. You traced patterns on his skin, him watching with a smile on his face.

“I found something from the last raid I think you might like.”

”Like what?”

He jerked his chin to a chest on his desk, “go look.”

You eyed him suspiciously, not really sure what to expect. You figured it’d be a gag gift, like the last one. It wasn’t your birthday yet, nor a holiday. He wasn’t one for gifting things anyway.

Inside was a necklace, a silver chain with a locket.

”Wow, thanks.”

He shrugged, “wasn’t worth too much. Thought it’d look great on you.”

”Well thanks, I love it,” you said, brushing off what he said.

“Put it on.”

The cool metal raised your skin, as well as the look he gave you from across the room. Slowly, you stalked over to him. Running a finger along his jaw, you kissed him again.

”Thanks, Captain.”

”If you really wanna thank me,” he motioned to his cock with a wink.

You honestly expected him to have a picture of it inside the damn locket. You decided to thank him anyway, not thinking too much into why the hell he gave you a gift in the first place. At least he apologized when cum got into your nostril. So gentlemanlike of him.

You cleaned each up other up with smiles before bed, Buggy always finding a way to keep touching you. You wanted to lie and say you were annoyed, or even apathetic about it. Your heart fluttered every time, relishing in this moment, because it was only you and him.

In the morning, Buggy always let you eat a meal with him. Ordering a crew mate to send breakfast in for the both of you. You were always shy, you didn’t need to know what they were saying about you to know they said anything about you.

Buggy fed you a biscuit, like you were lovers on a honeymoon. You could play pretend, you always did.

”There’s a nice place I heard about on this village, the booze is cheap as shit.”

”Hell yeah, I could use a night where my head is the only thing swaying around.”

He smiled, letting you linger as you readied for your daily tasks. You pretended to be busy as you watched him apply his makeup. You felt a little sad for him, like the clown persona wasn’t even a choice for him. Like it never was, but he wore it with pride. You admired him for that.

“Ready to face the day?”

Your name sounded so lovely on his lips.

”Of course, Buggy.”

He rewarded the crew with a night of partying, throwing berry around the crowded bar. The crew was only here a few days for a resupply, plenty of time to soak in the sights. You poured yourself a drink, trying to find him. You stood on your toes, searching for that bright orange hat amongst the crowd.

You finally spotted him, pushing your way to that hat like it was a beacon. You wanted to ask him why he gave you that locket you were still wearing, and what it meant to him.

”Heya Bug-“

You froze, witnessing his tongue being shoved down another person’s throat. One of the townies, of course they wouldn’t have a reason not to. Not like your crew mates, avoiding eye contact with you in embarrassment.

He noticed you staring, a smeared red smile on his face.

”What, what? Need more berry?” He turned to his newest hook up, “can’t say I’m not a generous captain, here you go baby, be merry!”

You crumpled the notes in your fist, rushing back towards the bar. Scanning the dark room, you couldn’t find a suitable replacement. One was found for you, a man with a nice smile whispering in your ear. You moved him to be within Buggy’s line of sight, kissing him sloppily.

You could scream, but instead pulling him out into the fresh air with force. You ran your arms over your clothes, looking for an ear. You couldn’t find one, tears on the verge of falling.

”Hey, did you see my captain looking at us when we left?”

The stranger shook his head, “I say you’re off the hook, babe.”

You nodded, deciding to take him then and there in that dark alleyway. You hoped Buggy would catch you, hoping for a reaction that could tell you what he didn’t want to say. Something besides what you didn’t want to hear.

After he got you off, you left him there to stumble on your separate ways. You only wanted to enter Buggy’s cabin, to throttle whoever he decided to bring home that night. It was beneath you, you been doing this long enough to know better.

Buggy ruined it, with that stupid locket. It wasn’t even just the locket, it was the special bottle he’ll save for you, the extra sweets on your birthday, the way he remembered whatever small detail you’d tell him.

He couldn’t belong to only you, he had a way to make anyone follow him to hell and back. He could treat people however he wanted, they wouldn’t leave him. He knew he had you hook, line, and sinker.

Instead of heading towards his bed, you entered the crew’s quarters. No one was there, you could scream and kick things around in private. It didn’t help anything, leaving you to nurse a sprained ankle and a hangover.

”Whoa there, what happened to you last night?” Buggy cornered you in the storage room, your hands sore from sharpening blades for hours.

”Had a little bit fun yourself, huh Captain?”

He laughed nervously, “what’s the point of plundering if you can’t enjoy the spoils?”

”Yeah, your little friend last night seemed pretty nice.”

He ignored the comment, “where’s that necklace, you lose it already?”

”I didn’t wanna wear it today,” you said flatly.

He only nodded, taking blades from the finished pile. Buggy half heartedly checked stock, glancing every so often if your direction until you left.

You figured you were hormonal, or maybe even just coming down with a cold. Something was to blame for you suddenly caring. You haven’t been on land in months, you forgot how things worked between you two. That had to be it.

”Captain wants to speak to you.”

You could handle whatever he wanted to throw at you.

He opened the door with a smile, pushing you inside. He handed you a pile of clothes, things to be mended.

”Is that all from you?”

”Ah, no. I remembered a long time ago, a certain member of my merry band of freaks liked playing the accordion. So…”

”Uh, wow. Thanks, Captain.”

”Figured all those shanties needed some accompaniment.”

You tilted your head, “why?”

He blushed, “do I need one?”

He was trying to buy you off. He looked at you like he was expecting something, his hands floated to your body, tugging at your clothes. Hands that touched someone else, but you couldn’t cry about that. You did it too.

”Seems like you have a reason in mind, Bug.”

He nodded, stripping you bare.

“I’m a big fan of every noise coming out of your mouth.”

You let him fuck you, you not being able to get that night out of your mind. His mouth is on your pussy, determined to make you his.

“Stop, stop.”

”What’s wrong?”

You shook your head, “I can’t fucking do this anymore.”

You expected him to beg, to plead for you to stay. A promise or two about changing, that it was only you.

Instead he yelled, “fine! See if I care! Fucking go!”

He threw your clothes at you, refusing to even look at you. When you were taking too long, he shoved you out the door, shirt still unbuttoned, leaving you exposed. Before closing it, he threw costumes and the accordion out into the hallway.

”This shit better be done by tonight or I’ll have your head on a platter.”

The accordion was in pieces, you attempted to pick it up before he screamed at you to go. Leaving Buggy and anyone around to stare at the broken mess on the floor.

You hid from the crew the rest of the day, tearfully mending each item. While everyone went out to party, you left the costumes by the door. He wasn’t there, expecting you to leave them somewhere while he went out himself. You knew he was going to bring someone else back to his bed.

As you set the costumes down, you noticed the accordion in the trash, you carefully held it in your hands. It should be an easy fix, at least until Buggy decides you didn’t deserve it back.

With a sigh, you worked on the instrument alone on the deck. Watching the life on shore from afar. The tears blurred your work, feeling stupid for leaving Buggy. Shit, you felt stupid for even thinking a captain like him would even care about an underling like you.

It was getting late, and you fixed the accordion the best you could. Testing it out with a soft song, you choked on a sob. Buggy walked across the deck, another lover around his arm. He glanced at you briefly, his expression hard to read in the dark.

[sibylsleaves]

from the love to the lightning

5k | rated T | read on ao3

But when Buck tried to ask him if everything was okay with him, Eddie just said, “Me? Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?"

And Buck really didn’t have an answer for that so he let it go.

Because Eddie doesn’t hide that stuff from him, anymore. Not since the day Buck broke down his bedroom door and found him sobbing in a heap on the floor.

So when Eddie says everything’s okay, Buck believes him.

or, after the lightning strike, Buck recovers. Eddie doesn’t.

Healing is slow. Buck knows this. He’s done this before. Last time, he was too eager, probably, to get back to work.

This time, he’s learned how to be patient.

The first week, his parents hover around the loft, offering to do anything and everything for him, even though Buck is definitely capable of microwaving his own soup and fetching his own pillows. But he can’t deny it’s nice to have their attention. Their care. Although he can’t help but be afraid that the minute they get on the plane back to Pennsylvania, it will evaporate again.

The rest of the 118 gets back to work, and Buck surprises himself by only feeling a little jealous that they get to be out there while he’s stuck on his (brand new) couch. After their parents depart, Maddie takes a few extra days off from dispatch to make sure Buck’s taken care of, although he suspects it’s more to keep him company than anything.

But actually, Buck’s days are far from lonely. Because most of them—the weekends and the afternoons, anyway—he spends with Chris. Sometimes Chris and Carla. Sometimes Chris and Eddie, when he’s not on shift. And sometimes just the two of them.

It’s strangely like the time they spent together after the tsunami. Chris is older now, of course, almost a full-blown teenager instead of a round-cheeked eight-year-old, but he’s just as attached to Buck now as he was then. Maybe even more so.

When Buck heard about the ICU caper that Chris, Eddie, and Carla managed to pull off during Buck’s time in coma dream purgatory, he almost started crying on the spot. When he asked Chris about it, Chris just said, “I had to talk to you.” Like that was that.

“I’m really glad you came to see me,” Buck told him. “Even if it was against the rules. I heard you, you know. Your voice, telling me I had to come back. I heard it.”

“I knew you would,” Chris said, and Eddie, who was standing by the kitchen door watching them, looked away.

It’s nice, that Chris wants him around so much. Buck really doesn’t have much else to occupy his time while he recuperates, and it’s pretty hard to feel sorry for yourself when you’re hanging out with the coolest kid in L.A. They even go to PT appointments together, because Buck got a referral for Chris’s clinic, since they specialize in neurologic physical therapy.

“Hey, hope you two are hungry!” Eddie greets as Buck and Chris tromp through the door after a particularly rough session. 

“Starving!” Chris exclaims.

Buck looks at the takeout boxes on the dining table. “Is that Tito’s? Did you get—”

“Chili con carne?” Eddie asks, reaching into one of the bags and pulling out a foil-wrapped burrito.

Buck loves him so much in this moment he wants to cry. Instead, he takes the proffered burrito, but he must be staring a little too much because Eddie drops his gaze and starts digging in another bag for chips.

“What’d you two get up to today?” Eddie asks as Buck and Chris both sit down. 

Christopher launches into a blow-by-blow of their day. Eddie laughs and smiles and makes jokes in all the right places, but Buck can’t shake the feeling that something is off. 

It’s a feeling he’s been having ever since he got out of the hospital.

(keep reading on ao3)

[thankshermin]

About Beast!Dazai and His Strategies Backfiring

It backfired so bad he ended up offing himself so I have to talk about it a little. I might be a little biased because I've been crying to Beast for like two years now and I can't be consoled.

Look... Beast!Dazai makes me want to cry hysterically, just like most things about Beast, but one thing especially strikes. 

Literally, NO ONE liked him and that was not what he wanted, at all he was not cool with this but there was nothing he could do about it.

He did every little shitty thing purely out of his selfish wishes– he wanted to be loved, particularly by Oda. So he thought he could do whatever he wanted because he knew he had/has people who cared/cares about him in the other universes. He was paying special attention to Oda because they couldn’t be both alive and well and friends in any other universe. He thought that the other bonds he had with other people would just happen someday and that it was a package deal. 

But he did NOT put any effort into that. Therefore, no one likes him. In fact, I'd say lots of characters dislike Beast!Dazai strongly. 

(and I can't even blame them because Dazai was an asshole for the whole light novel,,, if you want people to care about you YOU have to show them that, Dazai, I'm sorry no one taught you that you are so tragically unaware of everything it makes me sad) 

Still... he didn’t want it to turn that way. The thing I'd like to see more people mentioning is the fact that Beast!Dazai is a very emotionally driven character. He might be the Boss of the Mafia but that doesn't automatically mean he can't be highly emotional. He acted the way he did because he tried to pursue something he wanted, not because it was necessary for the Port Mafia. 

...Says the Boss himself.

While the mafia is obviously powerful as hell in Beast, it is still sad because... well, still no one likes the boss so what is even the point of being the leader. (I’m aware Mori is also not loved among most of the characters but it’s not his turn yet so just ignore him.) 

And I’m always telling people this but what makes me like (canon) Dazai’s character is the fact that he is constantly trying. He is not the best person out there but hey he is improving, okay? And that’s what matters to me. I love it when characters show development, whether it’s towards the good or bad side. 

What draws the line between Canon and Beast Dazai’s is that Canon!Dazai has people who care about his well-being (I'm not arguing about this with anybody but just in case if you want examples; Atsushi, Kunikida, the whole ADA actually, Chuuya, Ango, even Mori and i can still go on) and that he is learning from his mistake whileBeast!Dazai had never tried to change and just did whatever he wanted and now, surprise surprise, no one likes him. 

TL;DR: I feel so bad for Beast!Dazai I wish he didn’t constantly harm those around him and instead made some friends. His small conversation at the bar with Oda speaks volumes.

He was so happy that his eyes were glowing because he finally found someone he thought would be the #1 best friend in the world (yeah how did that feel when you got a gun pointed at you, Dazai? Turns out you don't automatically become friends with the person who has a valid reason to hate you.) 

Anyway thx for reading my rambling I have to go back to study biology for now.

[zephrunsimperium]

One of the most heartbreaking things to notice while watching GF is how aware Ford is of his hands. Holding his hands behind his back is the classic; subtle things that just speak to incredible insecurity.

Bill, trying to manipulate Ford: Your fingers are beautiful. They make you special!

Ford, about to pass out or cry at the meaningful comment: oh thanks :)

This man has shaped so much of his identity around having twelve fingers. He’s odd enough socially - too passionate, too smart - but the extra fingers are such a visible symbol of that. There’s a reason why he makes it his symbol on the journal.

But then…. When does “I’m different” become an excuse for pushing people away? Give it enough time and that mindset could lead you to do pretty awful things. Like…. Destroy your own dimension, for example. 👁️

My dear friend @ch4rl13-ch40s made a very poignant observation. To paraphrase, there comes a point where you can’t blame your behavior on trauma. At some point, you’re just making the choice to hurt people. I imagine Ford possesses the same painful and acute awareness of the fact that he was capable of pushing people away and hurting them as he does for his own deformity. Stan’s brand, everything that happened to Fidds; those things are difficult to blame on Bill.

Which is why it is particularly impactful to me that we see Ford so concerned about his family’s safety. Hiding the existence of the rift was stupid, yes, but he did it because he didn’t want people to get hurt. Suddenly Stan assigning Ford to the basement and away from the twins seems like it would be quite painful for Ford. Everyone around him ends up getting hurt and Stan is there just pointing it out.

There’s a reason he stayed alone in the woods for so long. Alone is where he belongs.

[missproducergirl]

Summer’s Covenant Date [CN Translation]

word count: 3,103

requested by: @sj224

notes: This translation was done with Google Translate. 9 time out of 10 it spews none sense so I had to take my best guess on a lot. Take everything with a grain of salt!! Special thanks to the best person in the world, @hopelesstotstan for proofreading!

[Part 1]

MC: Uh… So sleepy…

I opened my eyes with difficulty and used the person next to me to straighten up with one hand.

Even when I was on vacation with Victor, the long flight still made me unconsciously fall into a deep sleep.

Victor: Finally got enough sleep?

MC: Hehe, it’s so comfortable to sleep next to you… now what time is it?

I rubbed my eyes and looked at the laptop on Victor’s lap, wanting to glance at the time.

There seemed to be a file full of pictures and text on the screen. But before I could see it clearly, Victor closed the computer and reached out to open the window shutters.

Victor: See for yourself.

MC: What… Wow!

A bright golden streak of sunlight at the end of the cloud breaks into sight, and the quiet sunrise is extremely beautiful.

I woke up completely, picked up my phone to take pictures, and glanced at Victor.

MC: Speaking of which, why did you suddenly take me out on vacation?

MC: Could it be my reward for doing well recently?

Victor: Wasn’t someone talking about the end of summer?

Victor: Just this time, I’ll give you a chance to do it all over again.

I blinked and recalled the “encounter” when I said this sentence before—

While going out on location to film under the hot sun, three colleagues suffered from heatstroke one after another. Two colleagues fell ill at the same time, and a machine fell out of order.

Almost all of the late summer was devoted to work, and it was not until the breath of autumn turned the leaves gold that this busy time finally came to an end.

The leisurely activities and travel plans originally written in the summer plan were all wasted.

One day when I came home disheartened, I saw Victor packing a suitcase that I hadn’t packed for a while and suddenly felt wronged.

I couldn’t help shouting “I don’t like summer anymore”, and just stood there crying…

Now thinking of Victor’s surprised gaze at that time, I scratched my cheek in embarrassment.

MC: All those angry words… how do you remember…

Victor: After all, some people kept whining until winter, and it’s hard not to remember.

Victor: What’s more, with such a clear and feasible demand, there is no reason not to make it come true.

As if sensing my embarrassment, Victor raised his hand and rubbed my hair. I couldn’t help raising my smiling face, pretending to hold his hand solemnly.

MC: CEO Victor!

MC: Don’t worry, I will try my best to cover all the unhappiness from before!

[Part 2]

Sunglasses, skirts, fresh fragrance—

I took one last look in the mirror and patted my cheek with satisfaction.

Enjoying summer, of course, starts with dressing up beautifully. It would be even better if you can also fascinate the calm Mr. Li!

I adjusted my expression, opened the door of my room, and prepared to make my debut.

MC: Victor, I—

Victor: Ready?

The voice that sounded at the same time made me stunned for a moment, and before I had the time to feel sorry for my failed appearance, my attention was attracted by the person next to the sofa.

Victor seemed to have been waiting for a while, the computer at hand was still on, and he closed the screen when he saw me come out.

He rarely wore a fancy resort-style shirt, perhaps because he was used to his usual minimalist style. The colorful patterns looked particularly bright on him.

Although it has been a long time, I still recognized at a glance that it was the shirt I bought him.

I still remember his slightly helpless expression when he first received it, but I didn’t expect that I would really see the day he puts it on!

I hopped to his side, pulled his arm, and looked at him left and right.

MC: This shirt suits you very well!

Victor: I can’t think of another person with this peculiar taste.

MC: Isn’t that because there are people who can pull off these kinds of “outlandish clothes”~

MC: I haven’t seen you wearing it, I thought you didn’t like it.

Victor: I just didn’t find a chance to wear it.

I met his calm gaze and couldn’t help raising my eyebrows at him.

MC: I understand! What Mr. Li means is that we should go to the beach a few more times in the future!

MC: You can rest assured that I am here to ensure that your floral shirts can maximize their value.

Victor: Idiot. Is that the point?

Victor: Let’s have enough sun this time before talking about the future, so as not to leave any regrets.

MC: Mr. Li is right. It shouldn’t be too late, let’s go out now!

I took his arm and was about to go out, but Victor hesitated for a moment, turned around, and took a big backpack.

I watched him put the computer in, and then he took the items from my hand.

Victor: Put your things in here first. Some people will definitely lose them after running around.

MC: Some people don’t forget to complain about others even if they are kind enough to help…

I muttered while helping him organize his backpack, and took a second look at the computer that was inseparable from him.

MC: Victor, do you still have unfinished work?

Victor: Still a little bit. It will be taken care of soon.

It has been a long time since we got off the plane. Judging from his usual efficiency, this must be a lot of work.

Could it be that he decided to accompany me on vacation temporarily before work can be scheduled?

A trace of guilt rose from the bottom of my heart. I hugged him lightly and glanced at the clock beside me.

MC: Don’t worry. Work is important.

MC: It’s still early. How about I go around by myself first, and you can finish your work at ease and then meet up? How does that sound?

Victor hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Victor: Okay. Don’t go too far, and keep in touch.

MC: No problem!

[Part 3]

I thought Victor would stay in the room to deal with work, but I didn’t expect him to come to the beach with me.

I was collecting shells by the sea, and he continued to work in a hammock not far from the shore.

[Flashback]

MC: Are you going to work here?

Victor: What is the problem?

MC: It doesn’t suit your style to work in such a noisy place.

MC: Could it be…

I paused on purpose, leaned closer to him, and blinked.

MC: Am I so good-looking today that someone can’t take their eyes off me?

Faced with my teasing, Victor just smiled lightly without averting his gaze.

Victor: I’m just afraid that some dummy will get lost and I will have to find someone else.

[Flashback ends]

Recalling the conversation just now, I puffed up my mouth somewhat unconvinced.

There is just a coastline here, where can I get lost?

I turned my head, and I could see the slightly fancy shirt under the tree from a distance.

The person leaning on the hammock didn’t seem to notice me, so I took the opportunity to make a face, only to meet Victor’s gaze in the next second.

MC: !

Victor: ?

Even from a distance, being stared at by him like this made me a little guilty, and I hurriedly gestured to him and mouthed a sentence.

MC: “Concentrate!”

I don’t know if he understood it, but I saw him faintly smile and then turned his eyes back to the computer.

I breathed a sigh of relief and was about to continue my walk when suddenly a group of boys who looked like middle school students ran past me.

They wore uniform jerseys with the words “Youth Training” printed on the back. The leading boy proficiently took the soccer ball under his feet and called out to his friends behind him.

Boy: Come on! There’s no one here!

They ran towards a nearby net, appearing to be playing beach soccer.

Seeing that this place is going to become more lively, working in this environment will be difficult for even Victor, right?

MC: I’ll ask him if he wants to change places.

I put away the shells I picked up along the way, and quietly approached Victor, bypassing the children playing soccer.

However, when I saw the familiar figure clearly, I soon realized that my worry was unnecessary.

Victor was half leaning in the hammock, wearing earphones, as if he was talking to someone.

Not knowing if he encountered a difficult problem, he scratched his hair unconsciously, revealing a trace of entanglement in his serious expression.

Victor: Is there anything else I need to do that day?

Victor: …Okay, let’s adjust it like this.

A low voice faintly floated into my ears. The sea breeze was blowing gently, and the sun fell on him through the shade of the trees, but it didn’t disturb him at all.

Although it was inappropriate, my eyes were still firmly attracted by the person in front of me.

His fluffy hair brushed against his fingers, and the light shirt hugged his waist tightly with the sea breeze.

I unconsciously slowed down, wanting to peek a little longer.

I’ve seen him at work a lot, but it doesn’t seem to be common to see him on vacation.

With the noise around, he leaned on a soft and comfortable hammock, and still stared at the computer so intently…

I couldn’t help but speculate about what kind of work and what kind of clients would be able to disturb Mr. Li who was on vacation.

??: Hey—watch out!

Before I could think about it, there was a call from behind, and I suddenly felt something lightly hit my ankle.

I looked down and there was a soccer ball at my feet. I looked over to the school boys and they were waving at me to kick the ball back.

MC: It’s a little far away…

I was a little embarrassed looking at the shoes on my feet. I subconsciously looked at Victor, and my brain suddenly had an idea.

I don’t know if he still plays soccer now. If the ball is passed to him, how will he react?

I cleared my throat, trying to get his attention.

MC: Victor!

Seeing him looking up, I lightly kicked the ball to him and pointed to the children not far away.

MC: They accidentally kicked the ball away, can you help pass it back?

Victor: I can.

Victor didn’t seem to notice my thoughts. He put down the computer and turned over, naturally aiming in the direction of the goal.

Then he took a step back, raised his leg, and kicked hard—

The ball drew a perfect arc in the air and flew towards the goal.

Seeing this, the boys started running. One of them ran to the goal, jumped high, and kicked the ball. It went straight into the goal!

Boy: Nice shot!

MC: Wow! Goal!!

The schoolboys cheered and hugged each other, and I also cheered and rushed toward Victor.

Victor: Be careful!

MC: That’s amazing! As expected of Older Brother Vic who kicked down my sandcastle!

Victor: …Are you praising someone?

MC: Hey, have you been playing soccer since then? Why haven’t I seen it?

Victor: I don’t…

MC: Oops I should have filmed it! Can you kick it again later?

Victor: …

I wanted to say something more, but Victor swept me off my feet and put me in the hammock.

Victor: Why are you so excited?

MC: I didn’t expect to see you play soccer. I feel very pleasantly surprised.

Victor: Even if it is a surprise, it is too easy for you to be satisfied.

MC: Because it’s all about you. Wearing the clothes I chose and doing things I’ve never seen before is a surprise to me.

MC: How about it? Isn’t this very touching?

I cupped Victor’s cheek and pinched it, but he didn’t hide, just left a chuckle in my palm.

Victor: Is there anything more I can want?

MC: Hmm… not for now.

Victor: Okay, then I will answer you one by one.

Victor: I started playing less soccer after breaking your sandcastle, less after working.

Victor: So that kick just now was pure luck, there is no second time.

MC: But…

Before I could finish speaking, Victor leaned over and turned off the computer. He then flipped through the shells in my hands with his fingers.

Victor: Our reservation for the water sports that you wanted to play is soon. Let’s go there together.

MC: Are you done with your work?

Victor: Yes, it’s taken care of.

Victor: Let’s go. Show me what treasures you picked up along the way.

[Part 4]

The short vacation passed quickly, and it was already our last night in a blink of an eye.

After dinner, Victor and I walked along the beach. Today’s weather is exceptionally nice, the night sky is clear, and the broken stars reflect in the sparkling sea.

A perfect vacation in every sense, even the ending. Looking at the scenery in front of me, I couldn’t help but sigh.

Victor: What’s wrong?

MC: I was thinking, this summer is really coming to an end, and there is no chance for me to regret it.

Victor: It seems that it is nosy to make up for your regrets.

MC: Not at all!

MC: It’s rare that Mr. Li is so proactive in cooperating with my sense of ritual, but I’m not moved yet.

I shook his arm fawningly. Victor chuckled lightly and held my hand.

Victor: Tell me, what kind of ceremony did you originally envision?

MC: Actually, it is almost the same as now. Enjoying the warm sunshine and cold drinks, and stepping into the water with your favorite people.

MC: After a leisurely day, it would be even better if you can watch the fireworks at the beach.

Victor: Fireworks?

Victor showed a thoughtful expression, and I waved my hands hastily.

MC: I just said it casually, just to make a deep impression.

Victor: However, it is indeed a good arrangement.

The person next to me seemed to smile a little, and I was about to ask more when I caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar scene out of the corner of my eye.

It was an area enclosed by a small fence and the small gate was ajar, which looked a bit strange on the flat beach.

MC: What is this? I haven’t seen it before while walking around.

Victor: Go and have a look.

I followed Victor and approached. I looked at Victor from outside the fence, but I stretched out my hand and pushed the door open.

There is nothing special in the enclosed area, except for a few rows of black shadows with small red lights on the ground.

MC: This is…

I felt that these black shadows look familiar, but the sky is too dark, and I can’t see clearly.

Just as I was about to get closer to confirm, the “black shadow” suddenly took off.

A slight hum lingered in my ears, and I instantly recognized it as a drone.

MC: Why are there drones here?

I looked around subconsciously but saw no one nearby. I vaguely had some guesses in my heart. I turned my head and glanced at Victor.

MC: Could it be…

Victor: Look up first.

He didn’t return my gaze, just squeezed my hand. I tried my best to suppress my curiosity and looked up at the sky with him.

The drones slowly arranged a pattern in the air, and I took a closer look. It was a small Shiba Inu.

MC: Hahaha, this looks like the doll I gave you.

Victor: Not too stupid.

MC: The next pattern… is pudding!

MC: Wait, aren’t these patterns all my favorite things?

Victor: You can guess.

MC: Then I guess the next one is Mr. Li’s red wine!

I opened my eyes expectantly and looked at the sky, only to be greeted by a camel.

Victor: Unfortunately, alcohol was not approved.

MC: Watching the drone show without getting drunk…

I muttered softly, subconsciously wrapping my arms around Victor.

The patterns in the sky are all related to me without exception. Kittens, bowknot hairpins, lipstick…

The memories of spending the summer together are brought back again and again, and those bright days spread a happy background in my memory, making the corners of my mouth uncontrollably curl up.

Looking at those colorful patterns, I gently tickled his palm.

MC: When was this prepared? The pattern is quite cute, not like Mr. Li’s style.

Victor: If it is not cute enough, I am worried that dummies will not appreciate it, so I adjusted it many times.

MC: I won’t… huh?

I was about to refute when I realized something.

MC: You have been staring at the computer busy with work before, so you are not talking about this, are you?

Victor smiled and squeezed my hand.

Victor: Let’s watch it first.

After all the patterns were spelled out, the drone flickered like a star for a moment, then moved slowly again.

I carefully watched and read out word by word—

MC: [In English] “See you next year”...

MC: Is this a message from summer?

Victor: It can be understood in this way.

Victor: Unpleasant things will always pass, and the life you look forward to will come again.

Victor: So there is nothing to regret. Instead of struggling for so long, you should just tell me what you want.

MC: But even if I didn’t say anything, you have it all considered.

MC: There are even plenty of surprises!

I pointed to the sky and tugged on his shirt again.

MC: Maybe you have a better understanding of me than I do.

Victor: Fool. Willing to bid farewell to summer this time?

I nodded vigorously, then shook my head again.

MC: It is true that I can let it go willingly now, but I will still look forward to the next summer!

The hovering drones landed back on the ground and parked neatly beside us.

Victor looked down at me, his deep voice overwhelmed the waves and reached the bottom of my heart.

Victor: That’s good. After all next time when summer comes…

Victor: I don’t want to be the only one looking forward to it.

You can find the call that comes after the date here.

[shedoessoshedoes]

i'll sing her my songs, i'll stay through the night.

HAPPY NESSIAN WEEK!!!!!!!!!!! I didn't think I was going to have anything to post (and I haven't posted fic in like a year oops) but I hope you like this one for Song Association! Inspired by Taylor Swift's surprise songs and Peter Sun's song "First of July." Enjoy, and let me know what you think!!

@nessianweek

also, I have an ao3 now (YAY) sooo read on ao3

warnings: some language

word count: 1.3k

“Alright, alright,” Cassian chuckles as he works to calm the crowd down. It’s a packed house tonight, and they’ve been rowdy since the boys took the stage. “Welcome to our acoustic set!” The crowd goes wild at this: the Bat Boys have been adding in surprise songs to their set since they started performing, and it’s become a major draw for concerts. They rotate picking a song each show, and there are no rules on what that song has to be.

Azriel tends to pick slower, indie songs, and their fans adored his version of ‘Next to You’ by John Vincent III so much they ended up releasing it as a single. Rhys picks classic rock more often than not, and Cassian has the most variety: everything from ‘Let’s Talk About Sex,’ to Hozier’s ’NFWMB.’

They’ve played unreleased music, fan favorites that don’t fit into the typical set, covers of nearly everything, and, most memorably, have dedicated some of their favorite songs to their girls. Rhys’s picks are always overly sappy songs for Feyre: his performance of Frankie Valli’s ‘Can’t Take My Eyes off You’ was particularly iconic as he reenacted Heath Leger’s 10 Things I Hate About You dance. Azriel brought Elain out one night and perched her on a stool next to him while he covered Gregory Alan Isakov’s ‘Big Black Car’ for her. Cassian’s dedicated songs to Nesta, of course, but since they decided to keep their relationship private, he’s never acknowledged her officially before playing a song. Until tonight.

“So, y’all are especially lucky because it’s my turn to pick the surprise song for you tonight, and we have something extra special for you.” He sits down on the stool the stagehand brings out and slings an electric guitar over his shoulder as he sits. “I don’t know if any of you saw, but I actually got engaged last week.” They’d announced it with a picture of Nesta’s ring on his Instagram, the only caption a white heart. No tag. The public knew Cassian was seeing someone, but they didn’t know who she was. Didn’t know she was Feyre and Elain’s sister, and had no idea she was in the crowd tonight. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to play a song I wrote for her.” The crowd goes wild, and Cassian grins.

“It’s the first time we’re playing it, and she hasn’t even heard it yet,” he chuckles. “She doesn’t know I wrote it, either.” The crowd oooohs in response. “It’ll be out at midnight tonight, so you can listen to it again, if you’d like. It’s called ‘First of July,’ and I hope you like it. Nes, sweetheart, I hope you like it, too.”

He starts playing, simple chords on the guitar filling the venue.

I know that she loves me. I know that she loves the mountains more. Sun on her shoulders. First of July.

In the crowd near the stage, Nesta is standing, awestruck. She had no idea he was planning this. No idea he was even writing a song, much less one named for the day they met, and to spring it on her like this, well. She was probably going to cry. He did that to her. Made her express how she felt a little more honestly than she ever had. She stares up at him as he continues to sing, hand over her mouth.

You can’t tell her one thing to do She pushes your limits, she makes her own rules She’ll lift you up just to let you down, But she’s honest, she’s kind, she’s like no one around.

I’ll sing her my songs, I’ll stay through the night, With her in my arms, with her at my side So tell me what’s wrong, and I’ll make it right.

”Fuck,” she whispers, reaching blindly out for Elain or Gwyn’s hand. “I didn’t know he was doing this.”

Feyre laughs. “Rhys says he’s been planning it since you met.”

“Shit, Feyre, don’t tell me that. I’m already a mess.” Gwyn wraps Nesta up into a hug. Emerie gives the group of them a knowing look from where she plays with the boys on stage. Cassian is looking determinedly down at his guitar, and Nesta knows he’s nervous about what she thinks of this.

I know that she’s happy. I know ‘cause she’s humming while she eats At the counter Twelve o’clock noon

I know that she’s happy. I know ‘cause she’s reading me her stories. That she writes They’re not the ones she hides.

Nesta laughs wetly as Cass launches back into the refrain. It really was about her. About her schedule when she was on a deadline, and the songs she would hum when they wiggled their way into her brain and she couldn’t get them out. About the stories she read to him, and the scenes she hid because they may have been inspired by certain activities and she didn’t want Cassian getting too much of an ego, even if he was sure to read them once the books came out.

I’ll sing her my songs, I’ll stay through the night, Dear honeybear, love bug, sweetheart of mine.

She starts crying, then, because he hasn’t called her any of those names since they first started dating and determined ‘sweetheart’ was the only pet name she could stand. He really had been thinking about this for the whole time, then.

I know that I love her. I know ‘cause there’s nothing else I want.

Cassian finishes the song to raucous applause, and Nesta’s already sure it’s going to top the charts by the end of the week. He starts to get up and adjust for the next song, but she needs him to know she loved his gesture. That she was okay with it. “Cassian!” she shouts.

His head whips up, attuned to her at all times, even in a space as loud and chaotic as this one. When he sees her smiling despite the tears running down her face, his expression softens into a smile she knows is just for her. She waves him over, and he turns to gesture at a security guard. He looks back at her his face clearly asking if she’s doing what he thinks she is. She nods, and then follows a security guard up to the stage.

Cassian meets her at the top of the stairs. “You sure, sweetheart?” Nesta nods. He laughs, once, a joyous, hopeful sound, and kisses her. The crowd goes wild, and he’s sure the his brothers and the rest of his band are cheering too, but all he can see is Nesta. He pulls away from her to bury his head into the crook of her shoulder, and presses a kiss to her neck. “Love you, love you, love you.” He mumbles, and Nesta pushes him up and away so she can look at him.

“I love you too, you idiot. Go finish your show.” He laughs and pecks her nose.

“Nesta Archeron, everyone!” he shouts into the microphone, holding her left hand up so the camera can zoom in on her ring. “Also known as the love of my life.”

Nesta laughs, and he kisses her one more time. “See you after?” he asks.

“You always do. Break a leg. Don’t bring anyone else up here.”

“Never. It’s just you, Nes.”

“I love you, too, Cassian.”

He goes back to his set and Nesta watches the rest of the concert from off-stage. They finish and bow, and Nesta already knows there won’t be another show like this any time soon. She takes a picture of Cassian running back to her as he comes off stage, takes a deep breath, and posts it on Instagram. The caption reads: ‘@batcassian i guess the secret’s out. i love you.’

Cassian changes his Instagram handle to @cassianarcheron the next day.

[mikasa-imadebiscults]

hello Mika I hope you’re doing well and I’m back for another request. Can I request a fluffy with a pinch of brief smut one-shot of Eren x Fem!Reader where Y/N is watching the moon and stars out in the window in her beautiful white nightgown and saw a shooting star and made a wish that she stays with Eren for the rest of her life. As Y/N continue to watch the beautiful night sky, she was suddenly surprised by Erens presence when he wrapped his arms around her and felt his warmth coming from his naked body before turning around and giving him a kiss on the lips and knocking him down on the bed kissing his whole entire body including his length until Eren finally gets her to stop before getting up in a seated position and embrace her. Finally as Eren get Y/N settled in a sitting position in bed, he confesses his love towards her and wants to spend his eternity with her before taking out a box which contains a ring and propose to her causing Y/N to cry because her wish came true and embraces him to the point his body fell onto the pillows and comfort his beloved in his arms while she sob in happiness in his bare chest until they both fell asleep underneath the moonlight? Thank you! - 🧁

(Hello 🧁 Anon, I hope you enjoy this and have a wonderful day!!)

‘Till Death do Us Part

Eren Yeager x FEM! Reader

(Warning: Nothing just fluff)

Tonight was a restless night, like one of those nights where you just can’t manage to go to sleep. You decided to get up from your shared bed and look at the stars. Opening up the curtains, the night sky shined on you. You wanted Eren to be right here with you now but you didn’t want to wake him up.

As you were looking at the bright stars, you suddenly saw this particularly special star appear, it moved fast and that made you realize that it was a shooting star. You wished that Eren will stay with you for the rest of your life, smiling as you made that wish hoping that it will come true.

You continued to watch the star-filled sky until you felt warm familiar arms around your waist. You turn around to see your lover naked, which wasn’t a surprise since he went to sleep naked that night.

“Why are you up at this time?” Eren asked, kissing your forehead.

“Oh that- I just couldn’t sleep tonight.” You said, smiling as you got an idea. You grabbed his face and brought it closer to your own, giving him a rough kiss on the lips. Eren was surprised by the sudden action but he went along with it.

You brought your hands slowly down to his hips and pushed him all the way to the bed, making him lay down as you climb on top of him. You begin to kiss his jawline then moving down to his neck, chest, stomach, and then to his most sensitive part. As you kissed it gently, a blush began to form on his cheeks.

Eren clears his throat before sitting up, lifting your face to his so that he can give you a quick kiss. He lifts you up and sits you down on the bed next to him. Getting up and standing in front of you he takes both of your hands into his, looking at you in the eyes.

“Y/N, y’know I love you right? Well you don’t need to answer that because I already know that answer.” He smiles at his own words before continuing, “Ever since I first laid eyes on you I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you and ever since I’ve started dating you the feeling became stronger.”

Kneeling down, he gets a small box from underneath the bed, “Y/N L/N, will you marry me?” Opening the small black box as he said that, revealing a shiny ring inside.

Tears quickly formed in your eyes and rolled down your cheeks, your wish came true, it was almost unreal. “Y-yes, of course.” You sob out and held your hand out as Eren put the ring on your finger.

He gets up and sits next to you, pulling you to straddle his lap, embracing you as you cried tears of happiness. He rest his head on top of yours, feeling his eyes become a bit heavy due to tiredness. He lays down, bringing you with him, still in his warm embrace. You both eventually fall asleep, happy and content knowing that you two reached the next level of your relationship and that you’ll spend the rest of yours lives together forever.

Masterlist

[meili-sheep]

So this is from our good friend 🐱 anon! And while this isn't like specifically harem, I'll probably cover the Harem and extras. And we'll start with Nation so

Mondstadt!

So Albedo. Would instantly start asking diluc questions and start performing tests. For Hexenzirkel Mom Diluc, Albedo probably tries to see if there is something from Diluc's mother at play. Probably test Klee's strength as well, just to be safe. He probably starts looking for a connection between pyro energy and physical prowess as well. So he would have a rather mundane reaction and just go into him being well Albedo.

Now for Eula. She's probably heard about former Captain crazy strength but most likely dismissed it, thinking it was just an exaggeration. Then he flips a fucking Ruin Grader. She probably has just a moment. I mean, I can't blame her, though. I'd need one too. Specially because right after, he'd go into sweetheart mode and start asking if she's ok. And generally acting very sweet and kind despite the fact HE JUST FLIPPED A FUCKING RUIN GRADER. Of course, after such an embarrassment like this, she will need a little revenge and make sure Diluc knows who's top dog.

Now main ships outta the way, let's talk about Venti. Because you can't tell me that either Ragnvindr or the Red-Haired warrior could do the same thing. And it's something Venti rather casually forgot. In general, he forgets that Diluc is his equivalent to Zhongli's General Alatus, like if Xiao was more chaotic and had an issue with authority. And Flipping a Ruin Grader would be a very good reminder for Venti.

Moving on, I also want to briefly mention Rosaria and Kaeya. Mostly because Rosaria knows Diluc has a lot of surprises, but she was not expecting that. And Kaeya. He's been dealing with this bull since they were kids, so just them at the bar, and Rosaria is just still stunned.

"He flipped. A whole. Ruin Grader..."

"Really? Glad he's still in condition then."

"Huh? What do you."

"I once saw him hug a boar when we were kids... He hugged it so hard he broke the poor thing's ribs. And would not stop crying about it."

Liyue

Starting with Zhongli. He'd probably have the most normal reaction out of everyone, and that's probably because. Zhongli sees himself as a normal human, or he wants to. So weird like that he is very used to playing it off as normal human things. He really does applaud Diluc's form, though. Probably makes some suggestions.

Now to Xiao. This would really be a heartthrob moment for Xiao, tbh. And he's gonna deny it like his life depends on it. Like NO It definitely wasn't hot that his human boyfriend flipped a whole ruin grader over his shoulder! Definitely not! And he still probably frets over Diluc after words and makes sure he didn't get injured.

So Yelan is getting put here because I see her and Ningguang and friends of Diluc. I particularly see them as members of the underground network. And Diluc doesn't report to either. He respects them a lot. They both would be incredibly impressed, but here is the thing with these two. They see Diluc as their "cute" junior. So despite having taken down a Ruin grader with his bare hands, he now gets cooed at by these two women telling him how proud they are. It's embarrassing but he can't do anything but take it.

Now on to the others. And here is my favorite underrated dynamic, Diluc and Yanfei. She is his lawyer, and no one can tell me otherwise. They are both the more serious of the Pyros and the only ones who can control the chaos. But ummm. Yanfei forgets Diluc is also chaotic. And after seeing him flip a Ruin Grader, She probably starts working on a damage claim argument centering around Diluc being unable to control his ridiculous strength. She did end up using it. and it did keep Diluc out of jail.

Inazuma

Thoma, much like Kaeya, grew up with Diluc's bull. So he isn't really surprised when he sees Diluc flips a ruin grader but probably offers him a snack or something afterward, making sure he's ok and didn't strain himself or anything.

Now I'm putting Ayato and Ayaka together. Because, well, I imagine that Ayaka is constantly dealing with a love-struck brother. And this would be another case. And this would be a case where Ayato would start in on how of course, Diluc is the strongest because Ayato only like the best of the best and has the most incredible tastes, and Diluc is simply the greatest. And Ayaka is in shock that a human can even do that, and everything her brother is saying is just going in one here and out the other. As she just sits there stunned and makes a mental note to make sure no one upsets Master Diluc.

So Itto is a hype man. And this would send him into overdrive. While his whole gang is just stunned, they just have to go along with what Itto it telling them because, well. That guy just took down a ruin grader barehanded. Like yeah, Itto can do that. But he's an oni... but Diluc... Diluc's just supposed to be a regular guy.

But after the shock wears off. They totally join Itto in the hype team and praise Diluc to the sun and back. He is very embarrassed about it all and well.

Sumeru

Al Haitham. You can't tell me it doesn't work out like he does it mostly to stay healthy. But he's probably stronger than people give him credit for. But seeing Diluc do that...

That's a whole different level. He probably pulls a little bit of an Albedo and goes into investigative mode. But, um, a little more creepy and just watches Diluc in his daily routine. Probably ends up coming to the conclusion that Diluc... mostly likely has some supernatural ancestry that he's managed to inherit and levels it there.

Kaveh. He'd nearly have a heart attack. Like he would deal with it in phases.

Stunned silence.

horny

realization of horny

a bit of shame about the horny a bit of embarrassment about the horny

acceptance of the horny

simp

So as the newest Bully Memeber, I gotta put Tighnari here. And let me say he would go mildly Albedo but then start probably going feeding Diluc weird plants and testing them with Diluc's strength. And they would become a chaotic NIGHTMARE.

Now Dehya is another Big Sis I give to Diluc. And I can not tell you how proud she would be. I mean, she would instantly suplex him to assert dominance, but that's ok She's still proud.

[yharnamcrow]

Musharna Malice! A nightmare meant for another… or perhaps not a nightmare so much as the jagged fragments of a memory.

You’ve always wanted to visit the ocean. You were born and raised rather far inland, far enough inland that you spent most of your winters perpetually halfway frozen, and while you haven’t returned to your childhood home in a very long time—you can’t ever anymore, though you prefer not to think about that—the city of Yharnam isn’t exactly coastal either.

But Yharnam is home, in all its bloody glory, and you simply don’t have the time to travel beyond it often. Nights of the Hunt are long, and hard, and when those don’t occur there is always more work with Byrgenwerth in the catacombs.

You’ve always wanted to visit the ocean. So, when you heard about a special opportunity—a research expedition to a fishing hamlet—you’d signed on almost without hesitation. Almost, because Byrgenwerth is still Byrgenwerth and the fact that they were hiring as many blades as will sign in for a simple expedition didn’t bode well for the hostilities they anticipated finding there… but they were paying well, and you really do need the money.

So here you are. The scent of salt on the breeze is strong. There’s something else there, too, something you can’t quite put a finger on. Something unsettling.

You bury your unease and press on after your mentor, for his scythe is easy to pick out in a crowd of scholars and you’d generally trust him with your life. Though it’s interesting, thinking about it, that he signed on for this expedition. He certainly doesn’t need the money. 

Maybe they wanted him specifically?

You could ask. Maybe you will once your work here is done. There are too many strangers here, too many people who would hear an outsider’s accent and actively hinder you doing your job.

Sometimes, you hate Yharnam a little. But it is home.

And, honestly—as far as Yharnamite hospitality goes, you almost miss it compared to how this hamlet treats outsiders. They regard the entire party from Byrgenwerth with unconcealed suspicion, but if they bear weapons they are far more concealed.

You keep a hand on your own. A warning, nothing more and nothing less. The hamlet is strange, certainly, but its people are a far cry from the mindless foes you have faced down in the catacombs or the rabid beasts that result from the plague.

Not for the first time, not for the last, you wonder why Byrgenwerth wanted you. Why they wanted any Hunter. What are they expecting to find here?

The answer, as it turns out, is… not at all what you were expecting. There is a great something washed upon the shore from the water, half of it still drifting in the tide in a vague facsimile of life. Laying eyes upon it alone causes your head to ache—

No. Not it. 

Her.

Your newfound insight makes you all but certain that this is what Byrgenwerth is here for. And that her name—whatever she is, or was—is Kos.

One of the scholars starts forward. You are intimately aware of the villagers watching, of the murmured discontent. You risk a glance at your mentor. He hasn’t taken his eyes off the—off Kos. Or whatever may be left of her.

The scholar—you never caught his name, but he seems to be the leader of this group—looks back at you and Gehrman, sizing the both of you up. His gaze lands solidly on you. He motions you over, towards what you are growing increasingly certain is a body of… something.

You suppress a shiver, and move to join him.

“That sword of yours looks sharp enough,” he says, his voice high and nasally, and you’re disappointed but not surprised that he doesn’t know what a twinblade is. “You’ll do to make the incision.”

You are starting to think that you didn’t hear him correctly. The confusion must show in your eyes, because he suddenly looks much less forgiving.

“The incision,” he presses, speaking slowly as if addressing a child or someone particularly dumb. “A cut?”

You do not appreciate him insulting your intelligence.

“I am quite aware of what the word means,” you say in a low voice. “You could stand to be more precise in what it is you wish for me to do.”

He looks like you’ve hit him in the face. He must have recognized your accent. 

…You honestly wish you had hit him in the face. Unfortunately, you likely wouldn’t get paid then, and you really do need the money, so putting up with pretentious fools like him it is.

“A single lateral cut should do,” he says, after a long moment, and points. “Start there. Don’t go too deep, we need what is inside intact.”

You somehow doubt that he would be willing to tell you what is inside. You suppose you’ll see for yourself soon enough, though you really did not sign up to assist in dissection of… ocean creatures?

It doesn’t matter. You can certainly make the requested incision. You could likely do so in your sleep.

Your blade meets flesh. Rends it.

The screaming begins. It isn’t coming from your group. You wouldn’t be certain that you weren’t imagining it, except that scholar’s white-knuckled grip is on your arm—you hate him immensely—and he’s hissing, “Keep going!”

So you do. The flesh parts easily, too easily, beneath your blade. The scholar frees your arm, surges forward to peer at what has been revealed beneath it—

—and his body jerks back from the javelin that has erupted through his upper body. You gasp, looking up.

The hamlet’s inhabitants, arrayed about the cliffs above you, are the ones who were screaming. But they’ve stopped now. They all hold spears, save one, a man positioned at precisely the angle to be the one responsible for the scholar now choking on his own blood.

Your pistol is in your off hand immediately. You shoot without thinking.

A body falls from the cliffs. Everyone watches it fall, until it hits the beach below.

And then—

Then, it is chaos, for the entirety of the fishing hamlet is upon you. You draw your blade, splitting it into two, because you truly have no choice now. You must fight, or you will die. The foolish scholars under your protection will die.

You fight. 

Blood soon covers the strange viscera upon your blades already, so much of it that you have little hope of ever truly washing it away.

No one remains alive, save the Byrgenwerth group, by the time that the sun sets. The expedition leader’s second seems rather unconcerned about his superior’s murder, about the fact that the expedition’s ‘protection’ were tasked instead to slaughter an entire village. He seems even less concerned about the village. They’re less than human to him.

So, you realize, are you. But the past cannot be undone. The incision cannot be unmade. The dead cannot be unburied.

You catch a glimpse—only a glimpse—of the thing torn from Kos’s body. You couldn’t say what it looks like, because that glimpse alone is enough to make the dull pain in your head intensify to a crescendo the likes of which you have never felt before. You think it would hurt less if someone drove a stake through your skull.

But you know, now—you Know exactly what you have done. Exactly what you did it to.

That corpse should have been left well alone. It wasn’t. Now countless people—innocent and less so—lie dead because of you, and Byrgenwerth’s scholars are all too happy to dissect the ones you murdered for good measure. Almost like they’d planned on that all along. Almost like they’d intended to provoke them into attack, so that you—or someone else—would strike back.

When you leave the hamlet, blades still bloody despite your desperate, fervent attempts at cleaning them, you are not the same. You never will be the same again. Nor do you deserve to be.

(When you awaken in the real world, you can still faintly smell blood in the water. And for a moment—but only a moment—you can almost see fresh blood on your hands.)

Th at... oh goodness... my sweet friend, is that... is that why? I s that why you were gone?

[smolcinnamonchipmunk]

Clumsy Mouse

(Leona with rodent!Syn won, so here it is! Takes place the same week of Late Night Check In, so Leona is a bit salty about Syn’s disappearance AND finding out that Malleus and them hang out.

Also… yes, I may or may not have actually tripped like this before, but fuck off. I know I’m clumsy, lol. Also, yeah, Syn’s a gerbil but ‘Clumsy Gerbil’ doesn’t sound as good.)

Count: 6865

TW/CW: Soft, safe, nonsexual oral G/t vore and a bit of mouthplay

“Your tail’s twitching,” Ruggie said in mild amusement, glancing over said appendage as it flicked back and forth irritably.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Leona crossed his arms over his chest and looked as casual as can be, though the illusion was broken by an even stronger twitch of his tail that threatened to flick high enough to knock off anything too close to the edge of the table. His ear twitched at Ruggie’s signature snicker.

“Sure ya don’t,” the hyena raised his arms to lace his fingers behind his head, mischievously adding, “I heard Malleus has been less sulky than usual these last few days.”

“RUGGIE.” Leona practically snarled, making the shorter man yelp.

“Aw, what’s that,” Ruggie asked rhetorically, covering his nervousness at Leona’s snap. “I forgot to take your clothes to the cleaners? Lemme take care of that real quick.”

The hyena quickly left the room while Leona glared at his retreating form for a few seconds. Once Ruggie was out of the room, Leona scoffed and growled to himself.

“Tch. That fucking lizard…”

__________________

“This is DEFINITELY not the right color,” Syn sighed, putting their hands on their hips as they looked at the far too orange concoction they’d ended up with in the small personal cauldron Professor Crewel had let them borrow for this extra credit assignment.

It was supposed to be red.

Huffing, they pulled their phone out of their pocket before hesitating on who to contact for help. They were getting real tired of having to rely on everyone else for their fucking coursework.

The Octavinelle trio were the first to come to mind, particularly Jade and Azul, but they still hadn’t gathered the nerve to apologize to Azul for snapping at him last week and they didn’t doubt the two eels were more than willing to jump them the second the duo was around them alone.

Both of them had already walked up during lunch at some point and told them to ‘watch their back’ lest they find themself ‘punished for their little stunt’. Probably the only reason they hadn’t yet was because of their duties as Mostro Lounge.

Riddle was good, but he explained things in so much detail that their head would swim instead of just saying 'Put two sprigs of Witch Willow in, then the Newts Breath' and they wanted to actually be able to make it themself rather than him just take over and hand them a final product. They weren't close to Vil and he specialized in poisons, though they didn't doubt he could handle the weak transmutation potion that was just meant to turn lead into aluminum… they mostly just felt awkward talking to him.

Syn growled as they scrolled through their contacts, debating just accepting the fail to bump their score when they turned it in tomorrow.

Coming across Leona's name, they paused and quirked an eyebrow. He'd helped them and Epel before… though, that had been because Epel mentioned Rook. Still, he’d been acting a bit weird the last couple days, almost aggressively helpful.

He still insulted them, sneered at them and called them ‘herbivore’, yet somehow he’d been almost TOO eager to try and offer his assistance despite grumbling the whole time and saying they should ‘cry tears of joy for his kindness’. It was only a bit more annoying than usual and maybe they could take advantage of his current ‘compassion’ to help them figure out where they went wrong.

With the full knowledge that texting seldom ever drew the lion's attention, they steeled themself to call him. As long as it wasn’t on mute, he should, theoretically, answer… maybe.

Syn started to peel off their labcoat and gloves as they waited with their phone on speaker, deciding to take a break from the protective fabric until Leona potentially showed up. After a few rings, the man surprisingly picked up.

“What do ya want, herbivore,” Leona’s voice was thick and a bit huskier from sleep, having obviously been woken up.

Well, now they felt a bit bad about trying to get his help. And suddenly very nervous to continue lest they bring the wrath of a pissed off lion on themself.

“Ack, you know what? It’s fine,” they said, waving their hand dismissively despite him not being able to see them. “Not that important, so sorry for waking you. I’ll let you-.”

“You’ve already woken me with something to say, so spit it out,” he demanded, making them sigh.

“Crewel gave me the chance to bump my grade with an extra credit transmutation potion, but I keep fucking it up somehow, so I was gonna ask for some help with it,” Syn reluctantly replied, fiddling with one of the rubber gloves they placed on the nearest desk. “I can probably figure it out at some point though, so don’t worry about it.”

There was a growl from the other side of the phone and they fully expected to be bitched at for wasting his time. Instead, to their immense surprise, Leona grumbled, “I’ll be there in a bit. Dump what you have so we can start from scratch and I’ll tell you what you’re doing wrong.”

“Oh, uuuuh, thanks,” they blinked in surprise at his unnaturally amiable behavior, feeling hesitant and a bit suspicious about it.

“Don’t mention it. You owe me though,” they could practically feel the lions smugness from their phone, able to easily picture the smirk usually coupled with it.

“Of course,” they sighed, but it made more sense and was less disconcerting than the man somehow deciding to do something with no strings attached. Pinching the bridge of their nose, they added, “Fine, fine. As long as you can help me, whatever.”

“See you soon, herbivore,” Leona chuckled before the hang up tone sounded from their phone.

Syn huffed, glowering at the now black screen before placing the phone on the desk. As they grabbed the small cauldron by the cast iron handles, grunting a little at the weight, they supposed that it could be a lot worse. They could have Floyd wrapping himself around them to impede their movement or throwing random ingredients to cause something interesting (I.e. explosion) or Azul trying to swindle them for his assistance.

Leona would probably just eat them and pass out for a few hours, too lazy for much taunting and preferring to just get right to the point. Not ideal, but not the worst.

As they walked around a couple desks to the Magical Waste container where it would safely dissipate from a bunch of charms on it, they found themself tripping over nothing. The tip of their shoe just grazed the ground a bit too much as they lifted their leg and caused them to stumble.

“FUCK!”

They were able to keep themself from falling face first onto the personal cauldron and spilling it, jerking to the side to try and use the shelf beside them to remain upright. But, the force caused the shelf to shake, rattling ingredients against the glass doors for a moment before those same glass doors swung open. Several random ingredients fell on top of them and the cauldron, some loose and some in jars.

A particularly heavy jar struck them on top of their head and startled them with the sudden pain, causing them to bend forward in surprise and reach up to rub the spot… realizing halfway that they let go of one of the cauldron handles.

“Wait, fuck, nooo,” Syn practically wailed in tired exasperation as potion spilled and the cauldrons weight shifted enough for them to have to try and take a step to steady themself, sneaker slipping on the now wet floor. Letting out a startled scream as their foot slipped out from beneath them, they fell back against the ingredient shelf, potion and ingredients alike spilling onto them.

An explosion of multicolored smoke and magic sparkles burst in their vision, overwhelming their senses as they struggled to shake off the daze from their fall.

Head and back aching, they were at least relieved they were alive as they pushed themself to a sitting position, coughing harshly as they waved away tendrils of magic smoke from their face to see. And, coming across a somewhat familiar sight, they couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

“Okay, okay. I can handle being shrunk at this point,” Syn said, but looked at the mess surrounding them. Letting out a whine, they lamented, “Crewel’s going to kill me for this though… and right after he just told me earlier that he trusted me enough for a solo extra credit potion!”

They couldn’t help but bury their face in their hands for a second, not immune to craving approval. Approval of ‘not being a troublemaker like their Heartlabyul pups’ that was very much going to disappear when the Professor found out about this.

Sighing, they struggled to get to their feet on the potion-slicked floor, yelping when they saw something move in the corner of their vision. They quickly tried to catch a glimpse of it and felt something shift their hair, realizing that there was weight there that hadn’t been there before. Did their goggles not shrink right? They did notice that the plastic was no longer over their eyes.

Syn reached up, recoiling in surprise when they felt something large and round, eyes widening as they exclaimed, “What the-?!”

They forced themself to lift their hands to it again, heart sinking as whatever it was twitched and noticed that large, round ears adorned their head rather than their normal human ones. Which meant that the thing they saw swinging around was their tail, right?

“Oh, you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,”  they groaned as they reached back and grabbed a rather lengthy tail that was covered in tufted fur. They let go of the appendage that they could barely control, pressing a hand to their mouth as they struggled to contain their anger at the situation.

This was going to be a bit more difficult to resolve than just being shrunk.

“Oi, herbivore.”

Syn froze at Leona’s voice, something instinctive seizing their limbs. It was so strong and sudden that it had them questioning WHY considering they’d been in several situations like this. What was one more on top of it all?

But, as their heart raced and they felt their new ears twitch in the direction where the lion had spoken from, their eyes widened for a moment before closing them as realization set in. Not only did they give themself rodent ears and a lengthy rodent tail, it also seemed like their ‘prey’ instincts were magnified to an uncomfortable degree.

“Oh, come ON,” they murmured to themself, those same instincts making it difficult to say anything while around a ‘threat’. But Leona wasn’t a threat!... in the typical sense. It’s not like he meant them harm usually.

“Tch, typical Syn behavior,” Leona’s growl rumbled from the laboratory doorway, causing their ears to twitch again.

The sound of footsteps stepping into the room had them moving to the nearest desk leg before they could even realize what they were doing, blinking at suddenly finding themself hidden. Quickly frustrated at what felt like a lack of control, they silently cursed at themself while trying to rein in the startlingly strong instincts that just left every fiber of their being screaming to run and hide from the lion man.

If they wanted to get back to normal, or at least off the floor, they knew they’d have to both get his attention and his help.

“Hmmm,” a contemplative growl caught their attention, the footsteps pausing before getting closer to their desk. They stiffened in fear as the steps became louder, stopping right beside the desk where they were hiding beneath and right beside the mess of ingredients, potion, and discarded cauldron. He’d obviously caught a glimpse of the spill.

Syn felt like their heart was about to burst from their chest, deciding that maybe distancing themself from Leona would allow them the chance to shove their newfound instincts aside enough to get his attention and, hopefully, help.

Quickly and cautiously, they darted to the desk opposite the side where they barely caught a glimpse of Leona kneeling just as they moved. They heard him grumble something beneath his breath, probably something about the mess, but the blood was rushing too much in their ears as they moved to notice. They did notice the sound of shifting fabric as he stood back up and spoke a bit louder as he walked to the door, his boots and swaying tail visible through the legs of the desks.

“You still in here, herbivore?” he asked, the sound of the doors hinges creaking before it clicked shut. His boots turned as he faced the bulk of the room and added, “I didn’t catch a trail of your scent leaving the room, so either you’ve pulled off one hell of a disappearance trick this time, or you’re in here somewhere.”

Why the fuck was their heart picking up the pace?! It wasn’t like he sounded angry, just disgruntled like usual. Fucking, pull it together.

Syn took a deep inhale to try and calm their racing heart, trying to steel their courage past the near blinding fear that permeated their entire being, forcing themself to speak up before they could second guess themself.

“I had a bit of a potion mishap,” they called out, able to see the way his tail stilled for a second, able to picture his ears perking in their direction.

“Yeah, that was obvious. I hope you don’t expect me to just clean this up by myself,” Leona replied, starting to walk back towards where they were hidden, causing them to jolt and skitter back a couple steps as they struggled to maintain some level of composure.

“A-Ah, don’t get closer,” Syn yelped out, wincing at how desperate the exclamation came out. Seeing his boots pause, they quickly added, “I’m struggling a bit right now, and you’ll make it worse.”

“Tch,” he let out a scoff, starting to walk again despite their protest. “I can’t exactly help ya if I can’t see the damage.”

“There’s no damage,” they exclaimed, finding themself darting from the desk they were hidden under as his steps got closer. Under another desk before they could recognize that they’d started running, they panted from the brief sprint. They supposed the only good thing about this was their speed for the time being, but that wasn’t a big bonus when they were inches tall. “I, just… l-look, can you just make a growth potion or something, and I’ll clean everything up?”

Syn expected some kind of retort or snarky remark, maybe even an insult. But, instead, they were met with silence. A VERY unnerving amount of silence that lasted a few seconds and had them peering out to look in the direction where they’d last seen Leona’s boots and tail.

There was nothing there.

“Oooooh, fuuuuck. Where’d he go?” they mumbled to themself, looking around worriedly. They knew he was in the room still since they hadn’t heard the door open, but now they had no clue how they couldn’t notice a six foot tall man and the fact was incredibly worrying. Feeling like they were going to die from suspense after far too many seconds, they nervously called out, “Uh, L-Leona?...”

“There you are.”

Leona’s voice from behind them caused Syn to jolt and whirl around just in time to see a wall of black directly in front of them, yelping as they found themself pinned unceremoniously to the ground by one of his hands. Black leather slid across their body and they found themself picked up by their tail as the man straightened from kneeling beside the desk they were hiding under.

“Leona! Put me down!” Syn shouted, finding themself a bit dizzy from vertigo that was not helped by the fact that the only thing supporting them was a thin tail that was pinched between his two forefingers, arms and legs flailing for a second without their own support.

“Oh, this is priceless,” the lion laughed, making their ears wilt away from the sound. Sharp fangs glinted in the laboratory light and caused a shiver down their spine. “When you mentioned a transmutation potion, I wasn’t expecting this.”

“That’s because this wasn’t supposed to happen,” they snapped, balling up their fists angrily, able to feel the tip of their tail twitching. It was a very weird sensation that didn’t really help with anything. “It was supposed to turn lead into aluminum, not this! Also, how the hell could I not hear you approach?!”

“Well, my squeaking prefect,” Leona said in amusement, deciding to sit on one of the lab stools beside the desk, using his elbow to recline against the desktop. “I’m just better than you. Though, I’m very surprised you’re remotely okay if this was the result of your little mishap by the shelf.”

“I mean, same,” Syn sighed, glancing over in the direction of the spill with a small whine. “Crewel’s gonna kill me for wasting so many ingredients.”

Leona rolled his eyes, replying, “Don’t be so dramatic, herbivore. You’ll be fine. Besides, he’ll probably be impressed that you fucked up in such a way that you somehow produced a high quality animal transmutation potion and didn’t die. Despite all the trouble you get into, you’re one lucky son of a bitch.”

“Ugh, I don’t feel lucky,” they grumbled, rubbing their face with their hands a bit tiredly. Despite their still pounding heart, they were able to hold their panic at bay easier as seconds ticked on. “If you turn me back to normal, I can clean everything up and then we don’t have to worry about it, and-.”

“No can do, herbivore,” Leona practically purred as they jolted at his response.

“Wha- no can do?! What do you mean,” they asked, startled. Frowning in irritation, they added, “Look, if this is about me owing you, you can eat me afterwards.”

“Sounds like a waste of some growth potion,” the lion replied, smirking as their face flushed a bit in further anger. “But, no, that’s not all of it. I can’t exactly turn you normal because I don’t know the extent of your transmutation potion, so here’s how this is gonna go.

“I’m gonna clean up your mess, show you how to make your original transmutation potion, and then you’re spending the night with me as payment for making me go through all of this. In the morning, I’ll grow ya and we can take you to the infirmary to see about reversing your mouse-ness,” Leona used his other hand to gesture at all of them while they huffed.

“I mean, you don’t have to do anything but make me normal size, but I have a feeling there’s something else going on,” Syn sighed, ear twitching. Something crossed Leona’s expression for a moment, but it disappeared before they could gauge what it was.

“There’s nothing else going on,” he denied, voice betraying that there very much was something else going on. But, metaphorically poking Leona while they were normal-sized was already asking for trouble. Poking him at this size was probably akin to a deathwish, and they’d very much like to see the light of day at least a few more times.

“Riiight, sure.” they said slowly in disbelief. They blinked a bit as the grip on their tail shifted so their tail was pinched between his two forefingers and thumb, making their heart drop as they exclaimed, “A-Ah, what’re you doing?”

“I need my hands free to clean up, don’t I,” Leona asked, giving them a cheeky smirk as he lifted them a bit higher, leaning forward a bit to position them closer to his face. “Don’t worry, I won’t eat you. Yet.”

Syn found their heart skip a beat almost painfully as it began to hammer in their chest again, finding that they were struggling to hold their panic at bay again. They couldn’t help but flail uselessly as they exclaimed, “That’s not reassuring, you know! I’m out here with fucking rodent mentality!”

“So you’re a bit more mousey than usual-.”

“I AM NOT MOUSEY!”

“Whatever you say, herbivore,” the man chuckled, opening his jaws. Sharp fangs and teeth the size of their head split apart, allowing him to extend his tongue beneath them as he began to lower them closer. They could see a string of saliva just past his teeth, knowing full well that his throat was just out of sight behind the white bone.

“Leona, don’t you fucking dare!” Syn shouted, protest predictably falling on deaf ears as they were lowered further, their struggling only serving to make them sway by their tail.

Their ears twitched as they felt Leona’s warm breath wash over them, grimacing when they were lowered enough that their hands made contact with the somewhat rough surface of his tongue. It shifted beneath their weight and they yelped as they found themself promptly lowered the rest of the way, tongue quickly curling past their legs and drawing them entirely within his maw.

Well, most of them.

While saliva began to soak their clothes, hair, and now a bit of fur from their new ears, they felt their tail released. He made no effort to have it join the rest of them, tongue bucking beneath them to start savoring whatever flavor they had while the tail flicked about outside in irritation and fear.

“Fucking bastard,” Syn hissed to themself, unable to keep from squirming thanks to their rodent instincts. But, thankfully, the lion didn’t seem to mind it as he tasted them, presumably preoccupied with fixing their mess. They could barely gauge that he was moving past the tongue twisting around them or the chuffing that rumbled from the back of his throat, reverberating through their bones.

After what was probably at least a couple minutes of savoring them, leaving their limbs aching and them tired, they found themself pinned to the roof of his mouth and sucked on a bit as he swallowed the excess saliva.

They felt their tail become taut when his jaws opened once more, shivering as they were pulled back out by their tail. Blinking in the comparatively bright light after a few minutes stuck being tasted like some kind of living candy, they saw Leona licking his lips as he held them in front of him.

“Alright, herbivore,” he said, placing them on the desk where they’d left their labwear. He was donned in his own, small cauldron set up and the spill by the ingredient shelves was gone. Placing his hands on his hips, he asked, “You said that your potion was supposed to be transmutating lead into aluminum, right?”

“Yeah,” Syn shuddered, instinctively flicking their hands to try and rid themself of a bit more saliva as it cooled on their skin, leaving them a bit chilly. They ignored it and gestured to their labcoat, saying, “I have a notebook in here somewhere with the extra credit stuff Crewel told me about.”

Leona clicked his tongue a bit in mild annoyance and brushed their labcoat aside, pulling out a small, black notebook and starting to thumb through it.

“Should be the last page I wrote on,” Syn tried to offer helpfully, earning only a grunt of acknowledgement.

After a few seconds, it looked like he’d reached the right page, green eyes flicking over the page with a bored gaze before he quirked an eyebrow. Flipping the notebook around to show them their own scrawled handwriting, he pointed to their ingredients list with a rubber-gloved finger, telling them, “No wonder you were getting the wrong results. You completely mixed up the measurements of the Wormwood and the Knave Leaf.”

Leona turned the book back towards himself, continuing to look the rest of it over for several seconds before closing it shut with a snap. Placing it back on the desk, he turned away and walked over to the ingredients shelf, stating, “Everything else seemed fine.

“I’m not going to hold your hand through the potion-making process. You seem competent enough that you would have gotten it right if you didn’t get the measurements mixed up,” he continued, pulling down extras of ingredients that they didn’t have enough of after three failed attempts on their own. Walking back, he placed them beside the cauldron and started working, “So, I’m just gonna make it for you so that Crewel doesn’t get on your case as much tomorrow.”

“Oh… thanks?” Syn said hesitantly, giving him a suspicious look. “You’re being… surprisingly helpful.”

Their eyes widened and they couldn’t help the actual SQUEAK that they let out when the lion’s head whipped around to shoot them a glare so intense that they practically expected to burst into flames. They quickly tried to backtrack a bit, of course, adding, “A-Ah, c’mon. You can’t just do a bit of a one-eighty and NOT expect me to sense something is up. I won’t pry anymore, just caught off guard!”

Leona continued to glare at them for a second or two before deciding that they likely weren’t worth the energy to snap at over, going back to the potion with a huff and growled, “You’re lucky I’m in a good enough mood to not bite you over testing your boundaries again, herbivore.”

Syn almost asked if he was ever in a good mood, but held their tongue with the way he emphasized the little nickname he called them.

An almost awkward silence fell, watching him eventually scoop out a phial of the transmutation potion, a proper red hue compared to what they’d made earlier. And, as he placed it on the desk and prepared to clean everything up, they spoke up, “ … I do genuinely appreciate this, you know.”

With his back turned to them, they couldn’t gauge his full reaction. But, they knew he heard them with the way an ear swiveled in their direction and the way his tail paused for a moment. They’d almost think he was touched if he didn’t immediately scoff.

“Tch, don’t mention it. Besides, if my favorite snack gets in trouble, how else am I going to enjoy our special naps,” he looked back at them with a smug grin that showed off his pointed fangs, making them sigh as he cleared everything with ease. “That includes you running off without any warning to anyone.”

“Yeah, that tracks,” Syn huffed, crossing their arms over their chest. They watched their tail flick back and forth a bit in mild irritation.

“You should have known what you were getting into when you reached out to me for help,” Leona replied, suddenly back in his dorm uniform as he walked back to the desk they were sitting on top of.

They nodded a bit, saying, “You’re right, but you proceed to exceed my expectations every time. Besides, the amount of people I trust enough to ask for help that aren’t Ace or Deuce AND wouldn’t eat me as payment is small enough to count on my fingers. I should have asked Riddle or Vil or-...”

Syn’s head tilted slightly as they felt like a piece of some puzzle clicked into place, mentally facepalming as they stopped themself from saying the next name. Because while he was still Hornton to them, weirdly eccentric and stoic friend that stalked the grounds of campus at night, he was Malleus to Leona. Malleus Draconia, Spelldrive competitor and someone who Leona apparently hated with a passion.

And he’d taken them to the library earlier this week to help them with Fae history homework where they’d come across him with Leona after going to find the book required.

“Or, who, herbivore?” Emerald green eyes narrowed down at them, the beginning of a snarl on Leona’s face crinkling the side of his nose and corner of his mouth.

Syn had the distinct feeling that whatever they said next would determine their chances of surviving the night under the lions ‘care’.

“Jamil, of course,” they lied, even though the man had never actually crossed their mind just because of how busy he constantly was. They just hoped they were too small for Leona to properly hear their nervous heartbeat or that he would just mistake it for their current rodent propensity. “I heard he’s pretty proficient in a lot of subjects, but Kalim is usually keeping him busy.”

Leona’s eyes narrowed slightly as he let out a contemplative growl, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the desk and propped his chin in his hand. Completely ignoring their response like he hadn’t just given them a death glare, he asked, “Is it just your labwear and notebook you brought with you?”

“Uhhh,” caught off guard by the sudden change of topic, Syn got to their feet and began to walk along the edge of the desk to look beneath the sides, replying, “My backpack’s around here somewhere. We can chuck the stuff inside.”

“Your phone?”

“Already in my bag,” they said, eventually seeing the black fabric and pointing down to where it was hidden behind one of the desk legs, feeling their ears perk up at the sight. “There it is!”

Leona made a noise of acknowledgement and bent down to see where they pointed, picking up the bag that was only a bit bigger than his head and a lot smaller than a normal backpack. Frowning, he glanced at the bundle of labwear and rubber gloves on the desk, and asked, “All this is gonna fit in here?”

“Yeah! Here, place it on the desk,” Syn perked up, watching the man do so. They walked up to it a bit excitedly and explained, “It was expensive as hell, but check it out! Watch the little pin on the front.”

The lion raised an eyebrow but they watched his gaze fall on the currently colorless pin that shined iridescently in the lab light.

Clearing their throat, they spoke clearly, “Labwear.”

Almost immediately the pin began to shift through a multitude of colors on its faceted surface before settling on a white and black color scheme that was almost reminiscent of a chunk of marble. Before Leona could question the pin's color, Syn spoke up.

“Okay, now open it,” they said, almost bouncing on their feet. Leona shot them a look that suggested he didn’t understand their excitement, but they didn’t care, watching him unzip the top of the bag and look inside.

“It’s just another labcoat.”

“Well, duh, but check out the size,” Syn exclaimed, walking over and peering inside when he turned the opening to face them. “That labcoat should be bursting the bag at the seams! But, Vil said this is a Poppin’s brand bag, made specifically to hold more than meets the eye. And it’s voice activated for specific needs! I have pockets for all of you.”

“What?”

“Here, put my stuff in there and I’ll show you what I mean.”

Leona grumbled something about taking orders from them but still packed their stuff inside, albeit a bit more haphazardly than they’d like, feeling like their notebook was now a bit crinkled. It’d usually just go under their name anyways, but they’d fix it later.

Gesturing for him to rezip the bag, they sat down cross-legged and said, “Leona.”

The pin swirled its plethora of colors before settling on a marigold yellow. When he gave them a questioning look, they gave him an encouraging motion to open it, watching him expectantly.

They felt an almost odd feeling in their chest but ignored it, unable to keep themself from saying, “I got a bunch of snacks for everyone! Yours is a bunch of stuff like beef jerky, and meat sticks. There’s also this stuff called biltong that’s like beef jerky, but it’s more tender apparently.”

Leona’s expression, naturally sour sometimes, was almost unreadable as he reached in and grabbed a bag of aforementioned biltong out of the backpack. A coy smirk made its way onto his face as he commented, “I see you’re taking a leaf out of Ruggie’s book about sucking up to me to get what you want.”

“Wha-? No,” Syn found themself squawking a bit in indignation, placing a hand to their chest. “I literally said I have snacks for everyone!”

“I’m just messing with you, herbivore, no need to get your tail in a twist,” the lion chuckled, placing the bag back in the backpack. “I’ll definitely be trying some of those later. After all, I’m a large lion, and you’re just a little herbivore that wouldn’t provide much sustenance anyways.”

“I’m going to ignore that last comment for my sanity and take the rest as your version of a compliment,” they huffed, crossing their arms over their chest. But, despite their irritation, they couldn’t help but feel pleased with themself that they had picked things that he at least seemed interested in.

That pleased feeling gave way to alarm when they felt a rumble from their trachea that rattled all the way down to their chest.

Syn couldn’t help but jolt at the feeling, instinctively curling in on themself a bit and wrapping their arms around their torso as they let out a bit of a startled noise that had Leona giving them a funny look.

“The hell was that?” he asked, glancing them over.

“I-I don’t know,” they admitted, uncurling cautiously. “It was just… I don’t know, like some sort of vibration throughout my upper torso, it was really weird.”

His brow furrowed a bit in confusion before a look of recognition crossed his face, laughing for a second as he asked, “Are you talking about PURRING?”

“What? No! Rodents can’t purr,” Syn exclaimed, before second-guessing themself, giving him a startled look. “ …Can they?”

“Don’t know. Never had a rodent happy to be in my presence,” Leona said, reaching over and grabbing them off the desk’s surface carefully in his fingers, thankfully not dangling them by their tail this time. Straightening up, he lazily tossed their bag over his shoulder. “When you said you were going to take it as a compliment, I didn’t expect you to think so highly of me that it would cause you to PURR.”

“I swear, rodents don’t purr,” they protested, feeling their face heat up in embarrassment as they shifted in his hold. “I’ve never heard of rodents purring!”

“Then why is your face red, herbivore?”

“Because you’re embarrassing me, asshole,” Syn instinctively tried to hide their face behind their hands but they couldn’t hide their rapidly twitching tail. “I’m fucking flustered!”

He only proceeded to laugh at their misery while they struggled to calm themself enough to not have their face a mottled red, walking towards the lab door as he pocketed the transmutation potion he made for them. Lifting them up to his face, they could feel his breath as he said, “Alright, I’ll give you some protection potion when we get to Savanaclaw, but I’m not carrying you the whole way there.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” they replied with a groan, running their hands across their face as if it would just wipe away their embarrassment. “Just stick me in your mouth so I don’t have to hear you talk.”

“Gladly,” Leona chuffed a bit in amusement at their response, jaws opening in front of them.

Despite their rodent instincts flaring up a little at the sight, they couldn’t bring themself to struggle much as they were popped inside of his mouth, still trying to recover from being flustered and still tired from his tasting earlier. Unlike before, he made sure their tail was carefully tucked inside before his teeth clicked closed behind them.

Probably more because he didn’t want to deal with potential questions on why he had something sticking out of his mouth as he walked rather than any sort of benevolence on his part.

In the half hour or so it probably took him to reach the Hall of Mirrors - and, in turn, Savanaclaw - Leona tossed and turned them in his jaws, tongue easily maneuvering them around to try and get all of their flavor like a living hard candy. A living hard candy that was very much drenched and still stiffened everytime they found themself pressed against his teeth, whether it was intentional or not. Anytime they worried that they would become overwhelmed by pools of saliva, they found themself to his palette as he swallowed any excess.

They also didn’t appreciate the occasional points where he’d open his teeth slightly and give them a light nibble, yelping and cussing him out each time while kicking his tongue. Their only response was a chuckle that mixed in with his pleased chuffs that still rattled their bones.

Syn was pretty sure they heard at least a couple people’s voices outside past the sloshing noise of him tasting them, but if anyone was trying to get his attention they were apparently ignored very easily.

Eventually, they could sense the tasting begin to slow, allowing them a breather that allowed them to hear a familiar muffled voice. They couldn’t discern whatever it was Ruggie asked, but they yelped as they were pressed to the roof of the mouth again as Leona swallowed the saliva buildup before they were pulled out by their tail. Again.

“I was helping herbivore here with some kind of lab work extra credit,” Leona replied while Syn blinked spots from their eyes in time to see Ruggie’s startled expression.

“What kind of extra credit results in this,” the hyena asked, caught off guard at the sight of the prefect dangling in his housewarden’s hand.

“THIS was the result of a lab accident. I’m helping them fix it tomorrow.”

“Hey, Ruggie,” Syn greeted tiredly. As they took in their surroundings, it looked like Leona had walked straight to his room, their bag already tossed haphazardly on the floor.

“Man, you just keep finding yourself in these predicaments, huh,” Ruggie said, initial shock giving way to amusement as he raised his arms up and placed his hands behind his head. Laughing a bit, he added, “I don’t envy your luck! I guess I’ll leave you be for now, Leona, but don’t forget about the Housewarden meeting tomorrow.”

“I won’t. I’m not Draconia,” Leona growled, rolling his eyes.

The hyena left with one last snicker, leaving the two alone as the lion walked over to the desk beside his bed.

Leona placed Syn on a clean spot on the desks surface and began rummaging through the drawers while they still got used to being in the outside world for now. Savanaclaw was warmer than the lab usually, but that still didn’t stop a small shiver.

“You’re quieter than normal,” he commented, closing a drawer as he straightened with a protection potion in hand.

“Yeah, I kind of spent the last half hour feeling like I was going through a spin cycle,” they snapped in response, taking a handful of the stuff after he popped the phial open and offered it to them. “Thanks.”

Leona snorted in amusement, placing the phial back and plucking them back off the desk as they shuddered from the feeling of the protection potion running through them. Licking his lips, he said, “Well, luckily for you, I’m eager to get this over with and go to sleep.”

“Goodie.”

Syn’s sarcastic reply didn’t phase the lion as he opened his mouth and placed them in once more. He really wasn’t lying about getting it over with because they only found themself lapped at a couple times to slicken them before a powerful swallow pulled them down into his throat.

It was all a lot louder than usual, their ears trying to flatten against their head as his chuffing and heartbeat intensified, everything constricting further as they slipped past his collarbone.

There was a jolt around them that would have jostled them if it wasn’t for the confines of his esophagus, realizing he had flopped back on his bed when they slipped into his stomach and found that there was already a weight on one side of the stomach where his hand was resting. They shifted to get a bit more comfortable as he let out a content sigh, mumbling, “Night, herbivore.”

“Night, Leona,” Syn replied, barely getting the response out before the man started snoring around them. Which was also louder than normal. Sighing a bit at the knowledge that they weren’t going to get much sleep tonight, they grumbled, “Yeah, that seems about right.”

………………….

“What do you mean I’m stuck like this until next week?!” Syn exclaimed, appalled as they stared at Professor Crewel.

“I mean just that, my Ramshackle pup,” Crewel continued to call them a pup despite their rodent features. “Since it’s not an emergency, we can’t get a specialist Medical mage with a Transmutation license until the start of next week at the earliest.”

They tried to not let themself seem upset over this, but their newfound ears wilted at the information. At least they were normal sized.

[blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk]

Not sure if there's a limit on requests but I would love to see the circus troup and Ciel, Edward and Alois getting a hand made blanket from their s/o. Crochet or quilting as I do both. Getting to make and give gifts like that is one of my favorite things to do!

aaaaa there's no limit on how many you can send! but I did only do Alois, Ciel, and Edward for this one, because even a reaction style like I did, the limit is ten characters haha. pls feel free to send in the same thing for the circus babes when requests open again!

super side note I'm also a crocheter and I totally get it~ I've made a couple hats for my boss and I'm working on my first blanket! (I'm a lil slow but XD)

Oh, it’s — wait, it’s for him?? They’re not just showing off their work to him? Honestly, he would have been fine and just as impressed with his S/O letting him fawn over it for a bit. But… it’s his. They made it for him. There’s not one single, solitary moment in his life that he’s felt like someone cared about him, and suddenly… he’s feeling that in abundance. Nobody’s done anything like this for him before. (Name) loves him enough that they actually made something, by themself, by hand, specifically so they could give it to him. As soon as he processes all of that, he might actually cry. He can’t believe someone (and someone he deeply loves) poured so much time and effort into something for him. Of course, he’ll try feverishly to play it off or act like it really isn’t a big deal. However, his S/O is probably going to sleep in the same bed as him, right? So they’ll get to see firsthand how much he loves it; he uses that blanket every night, cuddling up with them, drowsily thanking them, and mumbling that loves them. Who knows? Maybe he’ll have to learn how to make something like this for them in thanks! Until he does, he’s content to just enjoy it and share it with them.

Well, that’s a nice gift… he was thinking about getting something like that for them. They could always share it. Somehow, he completely misses the fact that they didn’t buy it, they made it. He just expects presents which are bought, because that’s what people usually give him. As impersonal as some of those things are, the last time he got anything handmade was… a very long time ago. So long ago that he doesn’t even remember what it was. So when his S/O tells him that this blanket is something that they made for him, he’s stunned. It’s not something he expected. He just… doesn’t quite understand at first? Why would they go to all that trouble, when they could just go out and buy a blanket? It’s not really that he’s missing the point. It simply catches him off guard. Then he thinks more about it. The fact that they spent hours, days, weeks, maybe months making it… they spent time and work on something for him. To him, time is more precious than money; meaning a gift like this means more to him than he particularly wants to show. He’s actually careful not to use it so much that he wears it out. This blanket is only for special occasions, only used for cuddling with (Name), when he’s sick, or when he’s incredibly emotional. It… makes him feel better.

Goodness, how lovely. Did they really make this? It looks like they put a lot of work into it! Even if it’s not perfect, he doesn’t really care about that. It’s perfect to him, because it’s something his darling (Name) created. Much like Ciel (and you’d be pulling teeth to get him to admit any similarities), Edward isn’t necessarily accustomed to receiving handmade gifts like this. Most of the things his family or past partners have given him are store-bought, which of course isn’t bad, but… it’s sort of flattering, that his S/O wanted to put a lot of their time into making something for him. As far as he’s concerned, it’s the same as someone baking a cake for him — they did it to make him happy, because they thought he’d like it, and they spent a lot of time on it. He admires it for a good long while, perhaps even being a bit silly and briefly wrapping himself up in it. Then he smiles as he stores it away in the bedroom, ready to be used. While it’s not one that he uses every night, he wants to use it since they made it for him. Maybe every other night? It was made to be used, after all. And it’s very comfortable. Perhaps if he keeps it in good condition, it will last for a long, long time.

[littlewormgrant]

The Magicians: When the Fire Goes Out

I realized, I don't think I've ever shared this old fic on here. It's my most liked and bookmarked fic on AO3. Has a special place in my heart as one of my favorites to write. I have the biggest soft spot for the lil family vibes that it had going on. AND IT HAS A SONG. So yeah, enjoy! 🔥

Pairing: Quentin Coldwater x Eliot Waugh (MxM)

Summary: Eliot stopped and scooped up the little boy to rest him on his hip in one arm. He was starting to get just a little too big for being carried and Eliot knew there would come a day they wouldn’t be able to pick him up anymore. But that day wasn’t going to be it. Explores the themes of grief, family dynamics, and healthy established relationships. 3.9k words / Canon Compliant / Mosaic Timeline

Get out on your own Be somebody now This came up out of nowhere Guess I gotta go Let’s cut to the chase Stuck in this place for good When I’m with you in here It doesn’t seem so bad Bon Voyage - Arbi, Koethe

---

Eliot should have been relieved to get through another winter in Fillory, the cold was particularly unbearable within their shanty little cabin, but nothing about this coming summer felt right without Arielle.

The community came together, a little more than a dozen people cuddled on logs near the fire in her memory, garnishing the flickered flames with items that held a personal connection to her. She’d passed unexpectedly and they’d held a memorial for her in the village just a few days after burying her.

For Eliot, his personal item to burn came in the form of a long decorative sash. He’d spent too many years arguing with Arielle over differing styles and attempting to impose their tastes over one another. It was their longest conflict.

Arielle had won, obviously, but not entirely because she’d gotten one over him by dying. They’d always joked that would have been the case, and it left a bitter taste in his mouth to think about. He’d genuinely started to like her style.

He thought about Margo constantly and what she might have said or done differently. No one could have ever replaced his Bambi. He missed her more than he’d ever say. But at least Arielle was a good person to be around. He felt he’d become a better person because of her, or at least one not so heavily reliant on alcohol or drugs. She’d been the one to teach him to sew and had shown him how to dye fabrics in colors not even Earth could recreate.

As thanks, he’d make her things she’d have no choice but to wear. Boasting about his taste in fashion and how perfectly it could have worked if they hadn’t been living in the backwards lands of Fillory. The sash had been one of the first things he’d made that she’d actually kept using. She’d told him it was so ugly that it somehow made it cute. He feigned offence and it became one of their longest-running jokes.

Quentin tossed a peach into the fire, it was the only other item he had on him. The other was a small teddy that Arielle had made while pregnant with their first. A little brown Cozy Horse, much too small to be the real deal but it was from one of her favorite Fillorian tales. Too valuable to burn.

The sleeping boy curled up in Q’s lap held the teddy in a vice grip. He hadn’t let it out of his sight ever since she’d gone.

“Why hadn’t more of the world known about her?” Q’s voice was low, too tired to cry anymore, but the raw pain of it was there all the same. Eliot was beside him. He’d been staring off into the fire and watching the fruit simmer and burn.

“I don’t know. Maybe she didn’t want that? Her world was always you and Ted.”

“And you,” Q corrected.

“And me,” he agreed.

Eliot looked back to him and reached out to stroke through the snoozing boy's hair. It was soft and pale in the low light of the flickering flames, as blonde as Arielle's had been. He couldn’t see them now, but he already knew if Ted opened his eyes he’d see splashes of her colors mixed in with those familiar browns.

This was going to be a harder life for the boy without his mother there. Eliot wished he could carry all that pain for him. Leave the burdens of the world on his own shoulders. The boy was too young to fully understand, but he’d soon come to learn she wasn’t coming back. Quentin brought him out of his thoughts when the silence was broken again.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to do this without her El.”

“Take it one day at a time. Plus, you aren’t going to be doing this alone. Promise you’ll never be alone.”

Quentin leaned on him, Eliot pressed his cheek against the top of his head.

“I wish I could get used to people dying. I never did. I don’t think I want to.”

“Q, can I tell you a secret? For a while, all you’re going to do is float. You’re going to try and stay alive for something other than yourself. And those waves of grief and pain never stop coming, but somehow, you don’t really want them to. They’re a testament to all the love you’ve ever felt and can feel. This pain will pass and the edges of it won’t be as sharp each time it comes back.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“Well you know me, I’m always right.”

“Not always.”

“Mhm. Okay, not always. Just most of the time.”

Eliot reached out to pat the top of his thigh. They pulled back and shared a sad smile. The conversation between them was overseen by the crackle of the fire raising up when another item was added by someone else. The others returned to their logs. Voices talking amongst each other, low and soft.

Eventually, they all left too. Leaving the quiet grieving family alone with the dying fire. The night was beautifully tragic. Eliot knew he’d always remember this moment, though he wished he wouldn’t. It was one of the more painful highlights of his life.

---

“Ted.” The voice patient but repeating the same thing for the millionth time that day was beginning to wear. Eliot glanced up from his spot in one corner of the mosaic and watched the young boy standing out past the treeline.

His stubborn little body barely visible past the wards and through the bramble and foliage. Quentin hadn’t moved, but he was watching the boy like a hawk.

“Hey, that’s too far and you know that. Stay where we can see you. It’ll be dark soon.”

“No!” Silence, Quentin gave him a second to think about it. Eliot raised an eyebrow and looked to Q, they knew what was coming. Ted was starting up again. “No dada, no!”

The little boy didn’t dare move from the spot he’d been caught in. Glued in place by his father's words. His grip tightened around the long stick he’d been holding, just so he could wave it aggressively in Quentin’s direction. The other arm wrapped protectively around a tattered brown Cozy Horse, holding it close to his chest. He let out a frustrated growl in the process.

Ted had been testing boundaries all day. Getting him to help or play near the tiles for the evening after an eventful dinner was next to impossible. No doubt going to bed would be the same. On days like this he’d get the passing thought of using his magic on him. Arielle would never have approved.

Eliot had watched the buildup happen all day, as much as it killed him not to intervene, he quietly watched on again. It was always a balance between who dealt with what. When Ted was first born Eliot didn’t have the slightest clue of what to do, but all that seemed to come so naturally for Quentin.

“I’m not going to ask again. Move back in the warded area by yourself or I’ll come get you.”

“No! I hate you! No! I wanna go see mama!”

Quentin let out a sigh and moved to get up. In the same moment, Teddy beelined off through the trees at full speed. Eliot shook his head and got up, shaking the dirt and dust from his favorite pillow. Q had already set off with speed into the treeline after the now-screeching toddler.

He moved to another corner of the mosaic where the sunset was always particularly beautiful, through the treeline only the sound of one very unhappy child could be heard. Eliot dropped his pillow beside the pile of others and dropped back down to make himself look busy.

It didn’t take long before a panting Quentin made it out the treeline victorious with a squirming red-faced boy fighting his arms. “NOOO” a sob pitched out loudly from the boy's tiny fighting lungs.

The stick was long gone but the horse remained flung about in his flailing little arms. Ted had decided to wake up and choose violence for the day. Absolutely nothing could please him. He got a pass, he was still trying to understand what his emotions meant. Eliot had been learning a whole lot more about that himself.

He could see Quentin's face a mixture of patience, pain, and grief. His eyes said it all, trying his best to stay silent about his own inner turmoil, but he was suffering all the same. Eliot waved Quentin over as he got closer. “Here. Bring him to sit by me. Go get some water and take five. The lamps will need lighting up soon.”

Quentin didn’t argue, though it was clear he was contemplating it. He looked defeated. Handling his own grief along with Ted’s outbursts had been wearing on him. He carried Ted over to sit in the pile of pillows by Eliot then turned to walk off towards the cabin. He could hear Q blow out a stream of air as he turned to leave, a hand rising to stroke his hair back. Eliot wished he could do more. One thing at a time.

The second Ted was placed down he tried to squirm away and go again. Eliot was faster, he’d already anticipated this movement. Hands around his small waist, he wrestled the boy back into the pillows.

”No papa!” sobbed out from the little boy, fresh tears replacing the anger, finding the moment had hit its breaking point for him. He buried his face into the dirty stuffed horse.

“Oh, come on kiddo. That was never going to work. Running away was my signature move.” None of those words meant anything to Ted. Eliot didn’t let up on his grip, not yet. “Listen, sometimes it can be a very good thing to run away from something, but right now it’s not a good idea. Show me you can sit beside me and I will let you go.”

It didn’t take long of Eliot holding him before Ted gave up fighting and grew impatient. Eliot loosened his grip as soon as he could. He didn’t want to be in his son's space while Ted was upset. The little boy puffed out loudly, body coiling away from Eliot, arms wiping his face then folding wrap around his face and knees in an effort to not look up at him.

Eliot sat back, he tried to show he was completely calm and in control. He waited for Ted to have that moment to himself, eyes going to the sunset to saviour the last of the setting sunlight through the trees.

The dirty brown horse hadn’t been let go, still crushed into the boy's lap. Eliot made a mental note to inspect the seams. It’d need repairing soon and he was dreading the potential headache it’d bring. He never could do the work quite as beautifully as Arielle once had. Maybe Quentin would be up for using his abilities instead.

When Ted came down from his mountain and slowly twisted back to look up Eliot, red puffy eyes still wet. In response, he smiled back reassuringly and reached out to stroke the wet from the boy’s face. His little one was engaging again, this was a good thing.

“See? You’re okay. I know you’re really mad right now and I would be too.”

He waited for a response, when there was none, Eliot leaned in and continued.

“Do you remember what I do when I get so mad?”

Ted shook his head. It wasn’t a fair question, Eliot had never so much as raised his voice around Ted. He held up his hand and wiggled his fingers patiently, bringing the boys attention to that.

Eliot promised himself he’d never be like his own father and he’d to date he’d stayed true to his word. Ted glanced down to his own hands, opening his palms across the mangled horse in his lap.

“How about we blow them out together? Maybe if you helped me we can get them down faster we could go do something else after. You ready?”

Eliot breathed in, making an exaggerated show of it with air filling up his cheeks, then waited for Ted to copy. After each slow exhale he’d fold a finger down. Ted genuinely just wanted to blow out the candles as fast as he possibly could. He was starting to blow a second time by the time Eliot was done with one exhale. It didn’t matter, the fact he was doing it at all was a step in the right direction.

By the end of it the young boy was still red-faced, but not quite so ready to explode. Eliot’s chest felt lighter and he knew Ted probably felt the effect too. They weren’t out of the woods by any means, but this was a start. Eliot placed his hand back down as his last finger closed.

“Did you get that nice feeling in your chest too? Means it’s working. So, what do you think happened that made you have to come sit here with papa?”

“I don’t know.”

“That’s okay. I forget sometimes too. I think it was because you went outside the warded area which isn’t safe. What do you think?”

“... but I didn’t want to be safe. I wanted to go see mama.”

“I know you want to be with mama, I miss her too. But going out into the woods isn’t a good idea and won’t make you closer to her. You want to know what I think will help?

“What?”

“We can miss someone and have them close to our heart. I could tell you my favorite stories of mama, or hum that song she always liked to do. Or we can just walk around the safe area and hold hands without talking. I don’t want you to feel more sad. What do you think?”

Ted sat there quietly, reasoning the pros and cons as far as his small developing mind could take them. Eliot was always surprised by how mature he’d been. Raised around only adults might have had that effect, or maybe it was being raised in Fillory. He couldn’t know for sure, he’d never experienced the hardships of kids before and didn’t really have any baseline to go off.

These newer outbursts Ted was having were always so sudden and explosive. Eliot could only hope this would get easier with time, for the sanity of all of them.

“Just walk papa? I don’t want to be more sad.”

“Alright little man. Whatever makes you happy and safe.”

Eliot got up first, hand offered out for the smaller person to reach for it. He held Ted’s hand as they walked out to the parameter of the wards. Each time Ted pointed to parts of the ward he knew, Eliot tried his best to explain why they’d added that, in a way Ted would understand. He never did, but he liked the pretty lights of it and listening to Eliot talk.

After a while, lanterns around the mosaic were lit by Quentin and their home looked like the most inviting spot for miles. Thankfully the wards they’d put up together should keep the worst at bay. Coming from the original falling apart shack it once was, they’d spent enough magic making it a home.

Q had a silent conversation with Eliot from across the yard before coming over to join the pair, checking to see if he was allowed or if Eliot would just shoo him off again. Ted was doing better. The coast was clear. Q smiled warily as he joined them.

Ted automatically held up his only free hand with Cozy Horse and looked sad when he couldn’t hold both that and his father. When Q got close enough, he took the horse from the small boy, then bent down to tuck it into Ted’s shirt so its head would poke out against his small neck. He took the free hand and used his other to ruffle the boy's hair when he stroked it. Straightening back up they began walking again.

The trio wandered aimlessly, attempting to talk about other things, anything to distract Ted, making him smile or laugh about something else. Showing him the world wasn’t always so damn tragic. Ted was pretty set in his thoughts, and it was hard to keep away from the harder-hitting questions. When no answer came from Quentin, Eliot stepped up and drew the boy's attention to him.

“What is dying?”

“Well, uh… Mama’s body stopped working when she got sick. She couldn’t eat, or play, or move her body anymore like we do.”

“But what if I get sick?”

“Everyone gets sick sometimes. I’m going to take care of you, and Dada will take care of you, and the doctors will take care of you too. You’ll be okay even if you get sick.”

“Does everyone die?”

“Eventually, yeah... everyone dies. But the bright side? Most people die when they are very, very old like Nana.”

Q tossed Eliot a look but Ted didn’t seem all that bothered. He was too caught up in his own head, just like someone else Eliot knew. His expression softened when Ted’s small voice spoke again.

“But not Mama. I miss her.”

“No, not Mama. I miss her too”

“Why is Dada’s face wet?”

“I think he’s just going to be doing that from now on, but that’s okay. Everyone needs to cry sometimes.”

“He’s crying? Why?”

“Dada’s crying because he’s very sad that Mama died. We all miss her very much. What do you think we could do when we see someone is sad?”

Ted offered no advice but immediately let go of Eliot and leaned in to try to hug Quentin. Eliot stopped and scooped up the little boy to rest him on his hip in one arm. He was starting to get just a little too big for being carried and Eliot knew there would come a day they wouldn’t be able to pick him up anymore. But that day wasn’t going to be it.

Getting closer to Quentin to side hug him. Q leaned his head in immediately to hide his face in the nook of Eliot’s neck and sniffled quietly. Ted leaned across Eliot to rest his head on his father. Q tried so hard to hide this side from Ted, Eliot wished he wouldn’t.

When Q pulled back and whispered his thanks, they began walking again. Eliot didn’t dare let him move back too far. Arm staying wrapped around his best friend, he pressed his cheek against his head and hummed that beautiful melody Arielle always used to do.

The small boy curled into the crook of Eliot’s neck where Q had been and hooked his little arms around his neck. It didn’t take long for the boy to doze off like that. They walked together in silence a little longer.

It was still too cold for him to sleep outside yet. Eliot knew they’d all be doing that once the temperatures were right for it. He eventually carried the sleeping boy back to the cabin. What looked tiny from the outside became a full spacious home on the inside thanks to years of refining their spellwork.

Tucking the small boy into his own bed, he carefully pulled Cozy Horse from the boy’s clothes and stashed it away into his back pocket. Once he was sure Ted wasn’t getting up again, he crept back out as quietly as he could to go find Quentin.

Quentin had been curled up on the bed-like bench outside. The campfire had been started back up and he seemed to be staring off into space. He hadn’t noticed Eliot approaching until he was moving past his line of vision. Q blinked back and looked up at him. Eliot took up space on the bed beside him, tugging at the blanket sprawled over the arm to cover their bodies against the cold. The nights weren’t warm enough yet, but it was still nice enough to be out there.

“He’s asleep.”

“Thanks. You were amazing today. I felt like a useless floundering fish.”

“C’mon now, give floundering fish some credit. They generally tend to mature into some of the most beautiful and powerful creatures. Plus, they taste delicious.” Eliot tried to tease, leaning in to nudge against his favorite person, wrapping him in for a much-needed cuddle under the blanket. “Some days are just going to be like that. You did exactly what you needed to get through it.”

“He’s asking to go be with her. That’s not normal. He’s just a kid.”

“Kid or not, he’s going to say and feel what he needs to say and feel. He lost someone important to him, just like you did.”

“I hate this. I don’t know the first thing about making any of it okay again.”

“Who says any of it needs to be okay? We just need to keep ourselves above water for a little while longer.”

“You seem to be handling all this way better than I ever could.”

“Just because I’m not hitting the booze anymore, or munching on all the psychedelic carrots I can get my hands on, doesn’t mean I’m handling it, Q. I’m a little numb to it all right now.”

“You’re better with Ted.”

“-And that’s because I’m a dispassionate cold-blooded lizard. Listen, him seeing you like this and showing him it’s okay to be upset is better than anything I can do. He has big feelings he doesn’t know how to deal with, much like someone else I know.”

“You’re far from being cold-blooded or dispassionate.”

“So we both agree I’m a lizard.”

He shifted his arm to retrieve the tattered and dirty Cozy Horse. Quentin sat up to watch and Eliot followed suit.

“I’d try sewing this but I’m lowkey terrified I’ll make it worse. Nobody wants an Ugly Horse.”

“Let me.”

He took it from him, hands gently inspecting the damaged toy. Cozy Horse came to life under Quentin’s touch, moving on its own accord as seams were repaired and holes patched themselves up. It was almost like it was brand new again, minus the lost stuffing and patches of fur. Eliot was enamoured by the sight. Watching something so broken be fixed back together like it was always the same could never get boring.

Eliot dipped in to kiss him softly against his lips the moment he knew Quentin could be distracted. Cozy Horse dropped down onto the blanket. Quentin hummed against the contact, hand reaching up to touch Eliot’s face. When they parted. Eliot nudged Q back down into the bed so that he could watch the stars above while Eliot kissed him in other places. He’d do anything to remind him he wasn’t alone. After their day, the contact was needed.

“See? You’re doing better than you know.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“I’m always right.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Just most of the time.”

“Eliot, shut up and kiss me again.”

---

I’m tired of this waiting And I am not alone Oh I’m burning up Saying what you will I’m not out of love I’m the captain of this sinking ship Please just get a grip I know it’s my fault But we’re not going down Bon Voyage - Arbi, Koethe

[heauxplesslydevoted]

New Year, Same Us

Ethan Ramsey x Naomi Valentine

Summary: A look at the Ramseys' NYE celebration

A/N: Me posting a fic for the first time in over a year. Who would've thought? Anyway, Happy New Year everyone!

~v~

Then:

Donahue’s is packed wall to wall, patrons inside the bar and spilling out into the beer garden as well. The crowd is lively, the energy in the establishment buzzing, everyone drunk and in a good mood.

With the entire gang working on New Years Eve–perks of being an intern, you get the shifts no one with seniority wants–coordinating a full scale outing for the night didn’t seem feasible, but a night getting drunk at their favorite bar that’s walking distance from their job and the train station? Perfect.

“Okay, Sienna, what is your New Year’s resolution?” Naomi asks, pushing a shot glass towards her friend.

“To not cry in an on-call room?” Jackie groans and throws a napkin at her. “What? I think it’s a good resolution.”

“That is depressing as fuck,” Jackie deadpans.

“Well what’s yours?” Sienna counters. She finally picks up the shot glass Naomi slid and her direction and downs it with shocking ease. “To scowl more often?”

“To get laid more,” Jackie replies with a smirk. “I’ve already re-downloaded Bumble and Tinder.”

Bryce laughs, loud and boisterous like everything else he does, and clinks his glass against Jackie’s. “I’ll drink to that.”

While the group of friends all discuss their different resolutions—work out more, stop eating so much fast food, attempt a vacation, among the few shouted out—Naomi’s eyes scan the bar. It’s packed and dimly lit, so she can’t see too much except the tops of people’s heads, covered in bright glittery hats. She’s about to give her attention back to her rowdy bunch of friends when she sees a tall imposing man in her peripheral vision. It’s Dr. Ramsey—Ethan—sitting at the bar, eyes glue to the television behind Reggie as CNN’s New Year’s Countdown special plays.

“Guys, I’ll be right back,” Naomi says, sliding out of seat.

“Hurry! The ball will drop soon.”

Naomi maneuvers through the throngs of people with very little finesse, getting jostled multiple times along the way. But she makes it to the bar, smiling at Reggie. The bartender gives her smile back and that simple act causes Ethan to turn around to see who’s captured his attention.

“Hi Dr. Ramsey.”

Forever observant, Ethan gives Naomi a once over from head to toe, his eyes not lingering for too long, but he manages to memorize everything about her. The ridiculously high and strappy heels she’s wearing, the way her pants cling to her like a second layer of skin, the way her glittery top catches every speck of light this bar has to offer, the slight flush of her cheeks, probably because she’s had a drink or two. It takes him less than four seconds to catalog all of it before he’s looking her in the eye.

“Rookie,” he greets coolly, nodding his head in her direction. Naomi rolls her eyes at the moniker.

“When are you going to stop calling me that?”

“It’s your intern year, Valentine. I’m simply stating a fact.”

“I didn’t expect to see you here for New Years Eve. You’d think Ethan Ramsey would have other plans in mind.”

“I’m not here celebrating New Years Eve,” Ethan argues. “I don’t particularly enjoy holidays that promote binge drinking and reckless behavior. It just means more work for us tomorrow, or we get paged in. I’m here because I live on the other side of town, and traffic is an absolute nightmare. I figured I might as well wait it out for the next few hours.”

“Drinking holidays are the most fun though!” Is what Naomi replies with. A snort passes through Ethan. That’s what she decided to fixate on, out of everything he said?

“Also, what did you envision me doing on a night like tonight?” Ethan asks, his curiosity slightly piqued.

Naomi makes a dramatic show of staring at him, tapping her chin for added effect. “I don’t know, doing something fancy and miles away from us plebeians.”

“That’s very rich coming from you of all people.”

“I’m saying it because I know the type. I can’t tell you how many New Year’s parties and fundraisers my parents went to in order to network, politic and posture.” Naomi laughs. “You, in a nice Tom Ford tux, rubbing elbows with all of New England’s finest.”

Ethan leans forward, slightly amused. “We’ve known each other for a few months now. I think you know I’m pretty anti-socializing, especially with stuffy rich people.”

“You are a stuffy rich person.”

“Touché.”

“You don’t have any friends you want to spend the night with? Maybe even a special someone?” Ethan raises an eyebrow at her, and Naomi feels her face heat up. “I am so sorry, that’s none of my business.”

“You’re right, but I’ll let it go.” Ethan lifts his tumbler to his mouth and takes a long sip. “No, I don’t. I’ve always been a lone wolf, never one for a lot of friends, and it was just me and my dad growing up. He worked long hours, so it wasn’t like he was eager to stay up until midnight, nor would I ever expect him to. And no, I am single, so there’s no one special.”

“Oh..” Naomi frowns. Her ridiculous, overly empathetic bleeding heart squeezes at the idea of Ethan being alone. “No one should have to ring in the New Year alone.”

“Rookie, I’m fine,” Ethan assures her. He’s the one with the sad backstory, but the sad look on Naomi’s face makes him uncomfortable. Someone like her should never look sad, especially for someone like him. His fingers itch, anxious to touch her, soothe her.

“You can come hang out with me and my friends,” Naomi offers, pointing to the booth her friends are occupying. “I can’t promise Landry and Sienna won’t be a little starstruck and awkward.”

“I’m good, but thank you.”

“Not that my words mean much, but this time next year, if you want it, I hope you aren’t alone. I hope you’re surrounded by genuine people who care for you.”

“Thank you.”

“Fifteen seconds until the New Year!” Reggie announces loudly, dimming the lights. “If you want to make it count, find that special someone to plant a kiss on!”

There’s a lot of shuffling and the volume on the television goes up so everyone can hear the countdown. Ethan turns his attention to the tv, watching as Anderson Cooper starts counting down.

“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one–”

In a flash, Ethan feels a pair of soft lips press against his cheek. Naomi’s jasmine perfume, the scent that constantly plagues him as he walks through the halls of Edenbrook, fills his nose. He feels like a teenager again, his pulse picking up.

As quickly as she kisses him, she’s pulling away. So quick, a part of him feels like he just imagined it. “Happy New Year, Dr. Ramsey!”

Ethan doesn’t even get the chance to respond before Naomi is gone, disappearing into the crowd of people and back at the table with her friends.

“Happy New Year, Rookie.”

~v~

Now:

“Daddy, wake up!”

A clammy little hand poking and prodding at his eyelid is more than enough to get Ethan’s attention.  His eyes open and he sees his daughter Danielle leaning over him.

“Daddy’s sleeping, mommy!”

From the other side of the living room, Ethan hears his wife tsk teasingly. “Daddy is an old man, baby girl. He needs his sleep.”

“Daddy’s not old!” Valentina argues. She shuffles over to Ethan and wraps a protective arm around him.

Ethan laughs at the 6 year old’s staunch defense of him, and kisses the top of her head as best as he can. Like her brother and sister, she’s wearing a headband that says “Happy New Year” in big gold letters. “Thank you, Teeny. I’m not old. And I wasn’t sleeping, I was resting my eyes.”

Now that Valentina is older and understands the concept of New Years Eve more clearly, the idea of getting to stay up until midnight and watching fireworks on tv was too enticing to pass up. Ethan and Naomi thought it would be something fun, allowing the child to create a core memory and feel more mature than her actual age. What they did not anticipate was the twins and their insistence on doing the same thing their older sister was doing. The two two-year olds are running on pure adrenaline, sugar, and the competitive desire to not be outdone.

“Surely the great and powerful Ethan Ramsey can come up with something a little bit more creative than that,” Naomi goads. She walks over to where Ethan and their children are currently sprawled out, cups of apple cider in her hands. After she distributes them to the children, she plops down onto the couch, scooping Danielle and Nicholas into her arms. “We think you were sleeping.”

“Trust me, I cannot fall asleep with three rambunctious rugrats in my ear.”

“Yeah yeah yeah, that’s what they all say.”

The banter is cut off by Danielle wiggling out of her mother’s arms and crawling to Ethan, ignoring his grunts of discomfort at having a toddler’s foot lodged into his side. “Yelly, I’m not your personal jungle gym. You have to be careful.”

She ignores him, leaning down and planting a kiss on his nose. “Mwah! New year!”

“You can’t butter me up with kisses, little lady.” She gives him another kiss, this time on his forehead and Ethan laughs. “Okay, you can butter me up just a little bit.”

“New Year!” Danielle repeats. “New Year!”

“Happy Happy!” Nicholas adds with a laugh.

“It’s Happy New Year,” Valentina clarifies. She sighs, the weight of being the big sister fully on her shoulders.

The kids delve into their own mini debate, on the correct pronunciation of the holiday, complete with Danielle climbing over Ethan again to get to her siblings. Once they’re all together on the floor, Naomi slots herself into Ethan’s side and he drapes an arm across her waist.

This is a far cry from the way the holiday used to be celebrated by him—if one could even call it that.

“Penny for your thoughts, Mister Ramsey?” Naomi asks, burying her face in the crook of Ethan’s neck.

“Just thinking. I used to end the year alone, working through the hall drop, going to bed before midnight, or having a drink in solitude. Now I have this. If you would’ve told me 10 years ago that I would be married to the bubbly intern, and we’d have 3 kids who are currently fighting over a noisemaker as we wait for midnight to strike, I would’ve had you placed on a hold.”

“Life comes at you fast, doesn’t it?”

“Too fast.”

“I remember my intern year, when I gave you a kiss on New Years, and I wished that you wouldn’t be alone at the same time next year.”

“And I wasn’t. I had you.” He feels Naomi smile at his words.

“I’m glad that worked out for me, because I had a ridiculous crush on you and would’ve never acted on it at that time.”

“I am entirely too grown to admit to having a crush, but I was so attracted to you then I couldn’t think straight.”

“You had a crush on me,” Naomi says in a singsong voice. “You had a–”

Valentina’s excited squeal cuts off the rest of Naomi’s sentence. “Mommy, daddy, look!”

Naomi and Ethan look at the television, and they see the countdown has now 30 seconds to go. They untangle themselves and sit up.

“Okay my little chickadees, we have to get ready. And when they get to 1, we have to shout out ‘Happy New Year,’”

The kids settle onto the couch with their parents, eyes never leaving the screen, as time ticks on.

“Five, four, three, two, one–”

“Happy New Year!”

“New Year!”

“Happy Year!”

Ethan can’t help the laugh that escapes him as Valentina groans at the way the twins mess up the saying. Of course his child would be so serious about such a matter. Of course.

Naomi grabs face, and presses her lips against his, the kiss fierce but unfortunately over all too soon for his liking. “Happy New Year, handsome.”

“Happy New Year, beautiful.”

“What do you say, next year we ask your dad to watch the kids?” Naomi suggests. “We can spend the evening alone at the condo in the city.”

It’s a very tempting offer, one that he’s sure he’s going to concede to. But then Nicholas launches himself into Ethan’s and Naomi’s arms at full speed and wraps them in a hug. “Happy Year!”

Ethan kisses the crown of his son’s head before turning to Naomi. “You know what? I’d rather just stay home. For as long as I’m able to, you 4 are who I want to ring in the year with.”

“Okay. One more suggestion though.”

“Shoot.”

“How about we put the kids to bed, go downstairs and open up a bottle of champagne, and have a private celebration of our own?”

A wide grin takes over Ethan’s face. “You’re full of great ideas, Missus Ramsey.”

~v~

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