#so yeah here's the companion piece to yesterday

[enchantedchocolatebars]

Witte Solstice - Chapter 31

Cover art by @leespinoodle.

Fic written by me (enchantedchocolatebars) and @leespinoodle.

Summary: It's winter in the Boiling Isles, and Caleb prepares to celebrate the solstice with his wife, his friends… and hopefully, with Beardo Philip! Philip swears he'll never partake in the satanic holidays of those demonic witches. But when Caleb invites him over for the solstice… maybe he'll find himself making an exception.

Ao3 version

(AAA, LAST CHAPTER!! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS STORY IS GOING TO BE OVER AFTER THIS!!! 😭 😭 😭 Thank you to everyone who took the time to read it, and a special thanks to @leespinoodle for being my companion throughout this writing journey! I highly recommend checking out their works since they're a really talented writer. This story, in particular, will always mean a lot to me since it's my first ever completed collaborative fic with a friend. I'll always go back and reread it whenever I can. But anyway, yeah! Hope everyone has a Happy New Year + a flourishing 2025! I'm defo going to be taking a small break after this (TIRED), but expect to see more fics, fic requests, headcanons, written works, etc. from me in the future. I'LL ALSO BE GETTING TO THE ASKS IN MY INBOX!)

Enjoy!

Soft golden light arose in the sky the next morning as Beardo Philip gently stirred in his sleep.

When he awoke, he let out a longish yawn, sitting up in bed to stretch his arms.

His blue eyes soon began to survey the spare room he was in, recalling a few of the events from yesterday.

Philip remembers having spoken to Caleb, as well as being led into this room after their talk.

Fables such as "The Ant and the Grasshopper" and "The Lion and the Mouse" were also fresh in his mind... for some odd reason.

Slipping out of the quilt that covered him, Philip headed to the door.

...

Caleb sat at the kitchen table, nursing a hot whiskey tonic. He looked up as Philip stepped out of the spare room. "Good morning," he said softly. "How are you feeling? I'd imagine you have quite the headache."

The second Caleb said that, Philip felt the pain in his head return.

"Ugh, don't remind me...," he calmly groaned, taking a seat at the table. "I'm fine, by the way. Slept fairly well. You?"

"I barely slept a wink," Caleb admitted. "The last of the guests left shortly after dawn, so I just laid down for a bit before getting up to make myself a tonic. Would you like one?"

Philip gave a slow, restful nod. "A tonic sounds fine. Is it feasible for you to make tea as well?" he requested.

"Of course." Caleb stood to set a kettle on the stove. "Anything to eat? We have bread and pottage from yesterday's supper."

"I'll have bread," Philip calmly spoke to Caleb as he tried piecing together the sober apology he was planning on making to the elder.

In his mind, it was long overdue.

Once the tea and tonic were done, Caleb brought them over to the table, along with a loaf of bread and a knife. "Here you are. Something on your mind?"

"Thank you." With breakfast now in his possession, Philip took hold of the wooden teacup, curling his fingers around the handle as he brought it to his lips, blowing the steam that arose from the liquid.

After a long sip, he released a breath.

The tea was black and plain, just how he liked it.

He set the cup down.

Philip was unprepared for Caleb's question.

It was evident to the elder that there was something on his mind.

"Hm?!" Philip went, quickly shifting his gaze to his teacup as he saw his reflection ripple through the liquid like little waves until it stilled.

He soon sighed, looking up at Caleb with regretful eyes.

"It's just..." Philip sighed once more. "I'm… I'm sorry, Caleb. For yesterday. I... very much regret not making a genuine arrival to your party. And..." Philip drew a long, deep breath and let it out.

"... I apologize for not visiting you often. I know that Yule is over, but I had a gift that I wanted to give you. I'm not sure if it'll mean much now."

"A gift? You didn't have to bring me a gift. You know that spending time together would have been enough of a gift for me," Caleb said, sitting back down.

Philip nodded. "I understand. However, I still wish to give you what I made. It's something I know you'll find fetching. View it as a humble apology gift from me to you. Would you mind opening your hands up?"

Caleb tilted his head questioningly but held out his hands.

Reaching a hand into his pocket, Philip pulled out his gift and placed it into Caleb's hands.

Caleb held a cute, delicately painted carving of a small yellow duckling with an orange bill and black eyes that had white pupils within his palms.

The bill was meticulously crafted to make the duck look cheerful.

As a small gag, the duck's lively aura is complimented by a single squeaky noise that acts as a quack.

Caleb gently cradled the wooden duckling in his hands, marveling at the craftsmanship. He smiled softly. "Thank you, Philip. It's lovely."

With closed eyes, Philip returned Caleb's expression as he felt the heavy burden of shame and regret that he once felt lifted from his back by his brother's smile. "You're quite welcome." He soon opened his eyes.

"Also, Caleb, if it's not too much trouble, could you let your cardinal know that I offer my deepest apologies to him? Admittingly, I wasn't the kindest to young Pancake the other day."

"That's not his... Alright, I'll let him know," Caleb said.

…

After breakfast had concluded, Beardo Philip was ready to return to his cave.

He smiled a small, somewhat gloomy smile.

"I... guess this is goodbye then...," Philip spoke as he sighed, his tone soft and tender as he turned to face Caleb while standing near the front door, now dressed in his blue coat.

The brunette did his best to avoid sounding too down about his departure.

Caleb reached out to pull Philip into a hug. "Remember, you're always welcome here. Don't be a stranger, now."

Philip's smile went soft as he hugged his brother back, happy to be in his caring and kind embrace. "I'll make sure to remember that, Caleb Clawthorne."

[agoodroughandtumble]

Like the Stars in the Sky - Roronoa Zoro x Reader Part 9

Pairing: Roronoa Zoro x Reader

Warning: 18+. Language, implied smut

Summary: A companion piece, and continuation of, A Man of Little Words

A/N: [Part 1]; [A Man of Little Words]

Zoro took the frown on your face as a sign that his attempt at light-heartedness hadn’t exactly gone to plan. But then, he supposed, you’d asked a stupid question anyway so it wasn’t entirely his fault. He groaned inwardly. This was ridiculous. He was a grown adult and yet here he was stumbling over his words as if the ability to speak was a foreign concept.

Fucking sake. Fucking...you. Everything had been fine. Everything had made sense until you had decided to make him fall in love with you.

He regarded your expression curiously, trying to work out what you were thinking yet failing miserably. But he did notice the way the moonlight illuminated your features. All that achieved was to make him want to kiss you again. His heart jumped at the thought, and he took a long, steadying breath. The longer the silence engulfed the two of you the more he was becoming convinced going after you had a been a terrible idea.

Fuck it. The silence had gone on for too long. “Are we…?” he stopped, not entirely sure where his sentence was going. Are we what? Fine? Obviously you weren’t. Obviously everything between the two of you was almost irreparably fucked.

You shuffled forward slightly, repeating his words expectantly.

Zoro cleared his throat and shook his head slightly – an attempt to shake off his feelings as well. Right. He was making a decision. “You should get some sleep.” He said bluntly before turning around and heading back towards the crow’s nest, clenching and unclenching his fists as he went and trying desperately to convince himself that this was the right thing to do.

*

TWO DAYS LATER

Yesterday the Sunny had docked at a new island, and thankfully the exploration had provided enough distraction that you had managed to almost completely avoid Zoro. The lack of proximity had provided some much needed clarity. Maybe, probably, your feelings were always going to be unrequited. That was just going to have to be good enough. You couldn’t make Zoro reciprocate, but you could protect your heart – as long as you managed to continue to ignore him.

“Berry for your thoughts?”

You smiled as Nami sat down on the sand beside you. After an afternoon of wandering the small coastal town you were now relaxing on the beach with a few bottles of beer. Several feet away you could hear Zoro and Sanji arguing as the cook prepared a barbecue – not that you were giving the swordsman any of your attention.

“I’m alright,” you replied and held up your beer bottle clink against hers, “Got a beer, got a view.”

“Yeah, okay.”

You frowned at her. “What?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe the fact that you and Zoro haven’t been within ten feet of each other for days.”

You cursed inwardly and took a swig of your beer. If anyone was going to notice your change in behaviour it would be Nami. “Maybe he’s just being unusually annoying.” You tried to sound nonchalant.

Nami’s raised eyebrow told you she clearly wasn’t convinced, and knowing her she wasn’t going to let this go easily. She was far too intuitive for your liking.

“It’s nothing,” you let out a sigh, “Literally nothing is going on with us.”

“Ah,” Nami nodded, “So that’s what’s wrong.”

Oh shit. “Wait, it’s not like that.” You could feel your cheeks flushing and ran a hand through your hair. You had definitely put your foot in it now.

“Hmm. That’s not what I heard.”

Your eyes widened. “What have you heard? What’s he said?”

Nami smirked, “So you do like him.”

“Oh fuck off.” You nudged her shoulder with your own and then let out a deep sigh. “Is it that obvious?”

The redhead hummed in thought. “To me, yes. Everyone else? I’d be surprised.” She smiled wickedly at you, “I’m sure Sanji will be heartbroken.

You rolled your eyes, a hint of a smirk gracing your lips. “I’m sure he’ll cope.”

An easy silence fell on the two of you, and you let your gaze briefly linger on Zoro – still arguing with Sanji. It was one of the few times the swordsman was remotely animated. You chewed your lips in thought. It had been torturous avoiding him so you were going to allow yourself a few moments of indulgence. Thankfully he seemed oblivious to your staring.

“You really like him, don’t you?”

Nami’s voice pulled you away from your thoughts and you began to fiddle awkwardly with your bottle. It had been hard enough admitting your feelings to yourself let alone anyone else. Nami knew – but there was a huge difference between her knowing and you telling. “Am I an idiot?”

“Not for having feelings, but yes, obviously if you’re trying to pretend you don’t.”

You groaned and turned your gaze back to the ocean in front of you. “So what am I supposed to do?”

Nami rolled her eyes, “You tell him.”

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 4/9/2023

the best photo i took this week

listening

i have not been keeping up with either the tuesdaypost spreadsheet or the tuesdaypost playlists so there's a strong possibility i have already talked about Joywave's It's A Trip! off the 2017 album Content. spotify

driving ten hours in one day is ideal for listening to albums and i listened to almost every joywave album on my way home from the eclipse. american indie rock band from rochester ny, i have loved them since early college. i think they were made in a lab to get to stuck in my head bc they tend toward lower register synthier tracks that deceptively amble cheerfully along and talk about dealing with fear. songs for a male protagonist to splash water on his face, look at himself in the mirror haunted by what he's seeing, linger in his children's bedroom doorways, and then drive off into the night for the finale.

i think i listened to this song for an hour on loop yesterday bc the chorus so perfectly got stuck in my brain

When you've gotten what you want (Maybe I should start over) There's nothing left to want (Up and at 'em again) You don't know what you want (Yeah, I'm thinking it over) Just tell me what to Want

they have spent a lot of time figuring out how to have longevity as a band: "The record kind of attempts to figure that out but it doesn’t end in a definitive place. For me personally, it’s just to create things that matter as long as I possibly can, and to make things that are going to outlive me that people can hang onto for at least five to six years after I’m dead." they are deeply cranky about virality/content churn, especially in this interview. i appreciate this in an artist.

could not tell you how i first found them. i think i would have to go back to the proto-tuesdayposts of 2018.

-

reading

when you're not sleeping well you can average a book a night!

Uprooted by Naomi Novik destroyed me. (image from here)

“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.”

my best friend real-life influenced me into reading this book and i have since managed to convince four other people to read this book bc i won't shut up about it. the descriptions of the physicality of magic and how different kinds of magic and different families of spells Feel was only part of the coolest magical system ive ever read about. this is not a dark romance but it is a little brutal in a brothers grimm/this is how battles shake out sometime kind of way. i think a companion piece of media written from the Dragon's point of view would nicely parallel that post going around about how Howl's Moving Castle the movie is from Howl's point of view and Howl's Moving Castle the book is from Sophie's point of view. i would die for Agnieszka.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (image from here)

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders… but her father isn’t a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has loaned out most of his wife’s dowry and left the family on the edge of poverty–until Miryem steps in. Hardening her heart against her fellow villagers’ pleas, she sets out to collect what is owed–and finds herself more than up to the task. When her grandfather loans her a pouch of silver pennies, she brings it back full of gold. But having the reputation of being able to change silver to gold can be more trouble than it’s worth–especially when her fate becomes tangled with the cold creatures that haunt the wood, and whose king has learned of her reputation and wants to exploit it for reasons Miryem cannot understand.

i don't know if i've ever read a book with seven points of view before? i think it was well handled, but it required significantly more brainpower than screaming through three of kingfisher's light fantasy/romances in two days and it threw me a little. saying this book is about debts cheapens it a little, i think. it is concerned with debts but also safety, and it is very much about cost in a very fairytale way and in the horrible everyday calculus of survival way.

Swordheart, Paladin's Hope, and Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher. god these go down So smooth. kingfisher has a niche and i respect that. i am reading the Saint of Steel tetralogy out of order bc even four library systems can only do so much, and i don't think you particularly need to read them in order.

i'm a bit cranky that the terfs took feminist fantasy from me, bc when the protagonist got her period in Paladin's Strength a little alarm bell went off in my head and i had to put it down and google some stuff (the answer is no btw). there is a way to write female-focused lightly historical fantasy without being terfy and kingfisher does it, but it's so rare that i was genuinely expecting some sort of. weird agenda to be at play.

these were all fun, fast reads and i don't have much else to say about them! not that they are better or worse than novik's books but they will not live in my head quite as long. there are fewer tantalizing hints about systems of magic that make me want to graph things out u kno

-

watching

kanopy has Animation April as their focus this month which is how i saw The King and the Mockingbird (1980, dir. Paul Grimault) which is a longer piece adapted from something he'd been working on since the 40s.

This animated fantasy tale follows the romance between a lovely shepherdess and a handsome chimney sweep. The land's imperious king falls for the beautiful woman and tries to thwart her relationship, but a kind mockingbird assists the lovers in evading the ruler. At the king's command, the chimney sweep and his bird friend are imprisoned, and they must escape in order to rescue the young man's true love.

GOD the animation in this. there are so many references to early animation and silent film. there are so so so many gadgets and methods of conveyance in an absolutely architecturally dizzying castle. there is a ROYAL MECH that plays its own theme music. the backgrounds have a very Chuck Jones quality in that they are exactly as detailed as they need to be for the gag to work. the castle is lush and beautiful but not dizzyingly, overwhelmingly lush. there is a clear vision to every shot and a clear path your eye is meant to travel, which i appreciate very much. i think a lot of technically impressive animation (i am specifically thinking of the Nimh movies) muddies itself by trying to jam too much on the screen. just a fucking delight of a film. a delicious confection

-

playing

nothing specific to say about genshin this week ur welcome

-

making

painted a frame (it was a dead basic michaels frame i got at a yard sale and it was giving little boy's room) and framed a thing. this is a poster that came as a freebie with a 1997 album, and i actually bought this CD case without the CD inside bc i was so delighted with the poster. scuff sanded the frame with 120 grit, i went with a matte black acrylic bc i felt that disguised how the poster did not quite fit the frame a little better? and also bc it was what i had in the house.

i did not bother with a mat, i just used the lining paper with the stock photo and painted the back of that. do not do this with particularly valuable or beloved pieces. i do not think this is necessarily acid free and there is some danger that the paint may transfer to the back of the poster over time.

[isatswap]

(super in stars and time spoilers)

Redemption

TTOS version of the final King fight from ISAT

<BATTLE START!>

<the sound of being unfrozen>

(AH)

(you're not slowed down anymore)

(you can move again)

(the lady and)

(everyone?)

Isabeau: Okay! I woke Loop up!!!

Mirabelle: Awesome! Nice job, Isabeau!

Odile: Loop, are you okay?!

Bonnie: Eyes on the enemy, Dile! Loop should be alright now!

Isabeau: You don't need to fight anymore, Loop! We are here!!!

Loop: (what) "how are you here?"

(they came)

(for you?)

Mirabelle: Uh, we walked, silly.

Odile: ...We had a talk after.... yesterday. And then you went missing! So we decided to go find you.

Bonnie: We couldn't find you anywhere! No one in Dormont saw you leave either! So-- a strange person helped us!!! And--

Isabeau: Argh, it doesn't crabbing matter anymore! Isabeau: I'm still so mad at you, Loop!!! Isabeau: I still can't believe you said all those terrible things to us yesterday!!! And that you went to battle the Scary Lady all on your own!! Isabeau: But we will talk about it later!! isabeau: Right now I want to channel this anger into smashing her into pieces for freezing our crabbing country in time!!

Odile: Yeah, what Isabeau said. Get ready to get your crabbing butt kicked, Lady!

Bonnie: We will explain later, Loop. Right now you need to rest, while we defeat her!

(rest)

(don't say that word)

Scary Lady: ...... Scary Lady: Hahahahah..... so you had companions after all, Bright One.... Scary Lady: How lucky. Scary Lady: Quite a shame they couldn't be here to help you earlier. Scary Lady: I was right. You are but a fool for facing me by yourself.

(it was)

(you're a bad friend)

Mirabelle: Gal, shut up. Mirabelle: They might have made a mistake, but they are not foolish.

Bonnie: And they must be quite brave to venture here all by themselves to face you, you know.

(it's not bravery)

(you left them all behind)

(and bonnie said they all should leave you as well)

(but.... if they are here.... then....)

Bonnie: Hah. Bonnie: Even if Loop was foolish, the only thing we can do is follow and help them to the very end, because they are fighting you.

Odile: I will fight! Loop, I can finally protect you myself! Odile: And shut the CRAB up, Lady!! No one can insult Loop but me!

Scary Lady: Ha.....

(euphrasie looks at you)

(you are too scared to look away)

(no no no not again please)

Scary Lady: .......

(she starts..... crying?)

Scary Lady: No, no, no, why! Scary Lady: I can't do it again! Scary Lady: I can't inflict this much pain on someone from my own country! Scary Lady: Hahaha....but you can't spare me either.... Scary Lady: ......Isabeau....the Blessed One....

Isabeau: ....? W-what?

Scary Lady: You can't defeat me like this. Scary Lady: The Universe abides my will. Scary Lady: Your companion could wound me, but only because their Craft also draws from It.

Isabeau: .... Isabeau: So what?! Do you just expect us to give u--

Scary Lady: But.... Scary Lady: I can help you.

Isabeau: ?!? What--

Scary Lady: Isabeau. Heed my words. Scary Lady: You are strong. Scary Lady: You can reflect this attack.

Isabeau: ....

Scary Lady: If you believe in it enough, it will happen. Scary Lady: Please, trust me this once.

Isabeau: I-I don't--

Scary Lady: You can do it.

Isabeau: B-but--

Scary Lady: No 'but's. You can do it.

Isabeau: A-alright, I can do it!

Mirabelle: ...No idea what is going on right now, but I believe in you, Isa! You can do it!

Bonnie: Yeah!!! You can do it!!!

Odile: Haha, what they said.

(...)

(you don't have the energy to speak)

Scary Lady: Are you ready, Isabeau?

Isabeau: I am!!!

Scary Lady: ARE YOU?!?

Isabeau: YES!!!

<Scary Lady strikes the special attack pose>

Scary Lady: Then you can do it!!! Scary Lady: I BELIEVE IN YOU!!!

(euphrasie)

Mirabelle: Wuh-oh!!!

Bonnie: Isabeau, be careful!!!

(strikes)

<Isabeau strikes the special attack pose>

Isabeau: I don't care if you were trying to trick me or not, but--! Isabeau: WE WILL DEFEAT YOU!!! Isabeau: For the sake of this House, of Vaugarde, of my HOME!!! Isabeau: Change will begin again, free from your curse!! Isabeau: We will live again!! Isabeau: AND I TRULY BELIEVE IN IT!!!

Isabeau: TAKE THIS!!!

Scary Lady: Ah--!!

(a sound like a sword getting deflected)

(like hitting a metal ball with a bat)

(like breaking a mirror)

Scary Lady: Yes.....yes! Scary Lady: My attack.... got deflected....back....to me! Scary Lady: .......... Scary Lady: This attack.... is plenty powerful indeed.... Scary Lady: We will not see eachother again for a long time. Scary Lady: But the Curse will be gone without my support. Scary Lady: And..... I hope.... Scary Lady: You can... le ar n... to for g ive me......

Isabeau: ....

Mirabelle: ....

Bonnie: ....

Odile: ....

Isabeau: Did we..... Do it?

Mirabelle: Yes!! We did it!!

Bonnie: We did it!!!

Mirabelle: Crab yea!!!!

Odile: Haha, crab yeah indeed.

Mirabelle: BUT YOU.

(ah)

Isabeau: How could you say all these horrible things to us, Loop!!!

Odile: Wasn't cool. Not at all.

Mirabelle: Yeah, you were really a crab earlier.

Bonnie: But why did you go off on your own??? Bonnie: Going through the whole House alone... Bonnie: I hate to admit it, but.... she was right, that WAS foolish.

(but)

(they didn't)

(want you here)

(so you had to--)

Mirabelle: And why were you acting so weird? Mirabelle: It's not like you at all to be mean like this...

Odile: You didn't mean it, right?!?

(odile pauses, realising she is shouting)

Odile: ...Were you mad about something? Or something happened before you talked to us? Or you wouldn't-- Wouldn't do and say all that, right?

Isabeau: R-right, Loop?

Bonnie: Yeah, but what was it then, Loop?

Mirabelle: .... Mirabelle: Um... Loopie, hey, are you with us?

Odile: Are you listening, Loop???

Bonnie: Loop? Hey? Anyone there?

(you can't stand up)

(your legs)

Mirabelle: Loopie!!

Bonnie: Loop, are you alright??

Odile: Are you sick?

Isabeau: Let me help you up... huh?

(touch. cold)

Isabeau: Wow, I can feel heat even through your gloves! What's wrong?

Bonnie: ...They are burning up. Why?....

Odile: So I was right, they are sick!

Mirabelle: Loopie went up the whole House all on their own, right? Makes sense they would get a little woozy....

Isabeau: Yeah, we had a lot of trouble, even with Siffrin's help... Can't imagine how it would be if one of us did it alone.

(siffrin?)

( siffrin,)

Bonnie: Ah, right, that weirdo. I feel like you know them, somehow.

Odile: We met them earlier! Odile: We were looking for you so we could talk to you, but you were nowhere to be seen, and no one else in Dormon knew where you went either. Odile: So we went to the Favor Tree, and Mira asked it to help us find you, and then this little person descended from the crown??? Odile: We have never met them before, so it was really weird.

Bonnie: They helped us find you is what matters. I don't think we would make it to you if not for their help.

Mirabelle: They made us do a weird symbol so we could hear them while going up the House...

Odile: I've never heard of that technique before, it was really interesting!

Isabeau: But we started hearing them less and less as we went up... Can't hear them at all actually, now.

(siffrin)

(helped,)

Bonnie: But for you to go through the whole House alone, with no help or food or anything.... Bonnie: We barely saw any Sadnesses, but it was still hard, even for the four of us.

Isabeau: A-and the House was really weird too!

Odile: It was... odd. Your copies appearing and disappearing, rooms repeating and leading to strange places.....

Bonnie: It felt super off. Not very usual for a building. Bonnie: Even considering the Curse and the Scary Lady taking over.

Mirabelle: Felt like the world was ending, you know?

Isabeau: Haha, Mira.... Isabeau: Don't say that, please.

(it wasn't)

(just you?)

(what,)

Mirabelle: The House felt almost unsettling... It's better now, I guess, but then, why....

Bonnie: It doesn't matter, I think. Bonnie: The Head Housemaiden should be up ahead, yes? Maybe he can help Loop out with their... ailment....

Isabeau: Y-yes! We should get Loop to him! He probably knows what to do!

Mirabelle: And maybe he can explain what is happening around us, too. I know he has some extraordinary knowledge sometimes...

Isabeau: I'll go ahead and let him know!!!

Mirabelle: Let's go, Loopie...

<checking euphrasie>

(euphrasie)

Odile: Smaller....

Mirabelle: Smaller....

Bonnie: Sure is!

Odile: She got smaller... Why.

Mirabelle: Well, I think, since she was so powerful, she was filled with Craft, which allowed her to get bigger. Mirabelle: But now that she is.... out of commission... she doesn't control her Craft anymore, so she went back to her usual size.

Odile: Heh, like a balloon?

Bonnie: Like a balloon!

(hahaha)

(ow)

(ow, laughing, hurts,)

Mirabelle, Odile, Bonnie: ...

(...)

(you get a bit closer)

(she is breathing)

(good)

...

[tacoma-narrows]

'Cuz This Is My United States of Whatever!

I've been watching bits and pieces of the Sifl and Olly Show again (this short lived show from the late 90s on MTV hosted by two sock puppets - yeah really, look it up it's rlly funny) and it has the song United States of Whatever by Liam Lynch (who also co-created the show and was the voice/puppeteer for Olly) which is this really funny minute and a half long punk song that I love the vibe of. You can listen to it here, or if you wanna see the clip of the show with the song, you can check that out here [warning for flashing lights and images in the background]

But anyways, I'm SUPER happy with this piece!! I made it as a sort of companion piece to my Hit In The USA post from yesterday, though tweaked a couple things about it that I like better here. Mainly, made it so none of the text was blocked, making it easier to read. I also LOVE how the pose came out!! I used a reference for it and it really came through! Oddly enough, I'm especially proud of the hands here lmao.

Oh and don't worry, Shep's not smashing his main guitar, maybe this is an old, broken one or something haha. It's more abt the vibe lol

[itmeblog]

THERE WAS LITERALLY NOTHING STOPPING ME FROM WRITING FAN FIC ABOUT MY OWN SHIT!!

FUCKING NOTHING!!!!

(Maybe because I created this world it's canon now? But that is 1001% not my concern nor my problem)

Nova was alive. The pulse that ripped between her temples and settled angrily behind her eyes informed her as much.

She groaned, reaching in vain for memories from the night before. There were flashes: a bar, a party, another bar, a man, possibly a third bar and then…nothing. The rest of the night was ash and dust. She reached out for the glass SAWA should have left on her night stand and knocked something over sending shards of pain dancing in the space between her eyes.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.” She ground her face into the pillow. It smelled of something sweet, herbs the people on this planet used to keep pests away.

“Fuck.”

Please be a hotel.

She couldn’t take another morning of awkwardly running into the members of a family of someone she could only vaguely remember.

Nova gathered what pieces of herself she could manage. Her mouth was dry, her head was attempting a revolt from her neck, and spending the morning retching in whatever passed for a toilet here seemed a half-decent idea. It only got worse as she sat up.

The room was sparse, just a bed really. Her clothes were strewn across the floor, mixed with an outfit Nova didn’t recognize, all sequins and scarves. A screen sat nestled into the far wall and flickered silently through a morning report, a perky looking reporter sang the GU’s praises in the subtitles that scrolled across the bottom.

A hotel room.

Thank God.

Nova’s attention landed wearily on the woman sleeping beside her. What had happened to the guy she’d been with? Had she ditched him? Wandered off and found better company? She tried to remember but all she could recall was him pinning her to a wall, the heat of his body pressed against hers and the fleeting thought, hazed by brandy and something bitter she’d been offered to smoke, that he wasn’t enough to silence the thoughts in her head.  

Maybe the woman had succeeded where he’d failed. Nova wasn’t sure. She couldn’t remember this woman at all.

That was supposed to worry her. Lulu would be concerned.

Nova shut the thought away with a viciousness that made her stomach pitch.

As it turned out, there was a proper restroom, though a prerequisite for puking was actually having eaten something in the first place, so it was really more about form than efficacy. Nova sent prayers to a porcelain alter, a thought that teased a near hysterical laugh from her throat.

God, she was tired.

She picked up her clothes, showered, and left her companion to sleep off whatever had happened the night before.

“Hey.” Nova leaned heavily against the front desk she only half-remembered approaching, rubbing her fingers against her temples as she reached for words.

“Yes?” The person behind the counter, some alien with six eyes that blinked asynchronously in a way that made the impossible task of focusing on where to look, harder still.

“I—, uh, shit, I don’t even know the fucking room.” She turned around like that might somehow make it clearer, but she distinctly remembered taking a lift. She was fucking this up. Breathe. New tactic. “I’m Nova. Did a Nova sign in a room yesterday?”

The receptionist typed something, every key stroke hit like an axe between Nova’s brows.

“Last name?” Thunder.

“Don’t have one,” except the art of opening her mouth properly had escaped her and everything had come out in a continuous nearly indecipherable donaveone. Which after receiving several blinks Nova repeated to marginal success.

“Mmm, there was a Nova NoStar.”

She cringed. “NoStar?”

The clerk nodded, well, sort of nodded. Bobbed. They had no neck or equivalent thereof.

“Goddammit,” her hands returned to her temples, her elbows to the counter, the effort of keeping herself upright just a bit too much when she had to deal with this shit. “Yeah, NoStar. I’d like to pay, yesterday and today.”

She’d have to burn this planet off the list. How fucking stupid did she have to be to give her real name? Sure, there were probably millions of Nova NoStars out there but Jeanne would find a way. Fuck.

Nova paid, the blaring of the screen as her transaction went through made her want to dash her head against the wall.

“Is there anything else you need?”

Nova blinked, waiting for the words to settle in her head and mean something. “Need? Oh, uh, yeah, fuck, is there someplace to get breakfast around here?” She glanced at the sun that filtered in through the small window by the receptionist’s desk. “Or lunch?”

The directions she’d received sent Nova to a small food stand that smelled of grease and the promise of revival. She couldn’t read the menu and simply pointed and was handed something that might have been bread and some sort of meat, along with a bottle of water. The man who ran the stand was some flavor of human, though Nova could hardly be bothered to parse his existence. Modified, maybe?

She tried not to look too hard at what he’d given her. It undulated a bit if she stared at it too long, like it wasn’t quite dead despite the steam wafting from it. The first bite reminded her that she hadn’t really eaten the day before and the thing was gone before she knew it. She licked the oil from her fingers and set on the water.

Thank god for small miracles. She felt halfway human.

The traffic of the world sang through the air above her, in large ships belching black into the skies and buffeted her from all sides in lower forms of travel, things with wheels and rails and low flying capabilities. Galactic Union banners waved high overhead. Somewhere a commercial played calling for people to sign up for positions at their embassies.

The Galactic Union: Be part of something bigger.

Nova didn’t recognize this part of the city. It was cramped and crowded, two things Nova actually liked while she was working, but now that she was simply eating and drinking her way through her savings, was simply another obstacle that teased the remainder of her headache from the corners of her mind.

That and with food and water sustaining her, what little of her mind that was able to rouse for non-essential activities busied itself chiding her for her stupidity or cycling through all the things she could have done to save Lulu.

If only she’d been faster.

If only she’d noticed sooner.

If only she wasn’t such a fucking idiot.

If only she hadn’t listened.

Nova, stay put. The words rang clear as a bell between her ears. And then she was there again, frozen. Watching.

Lulu smiled. The skin at the corner of her eyes crinkled in concern, for Nova or herself, Nova didn’t know.

Then Lulu was gone.

The air around Nova was too thin, her pulse was a thready hum. She walked faster as if that might somehow put some distance between herself and the memory. A horn blared and the world rocketed into focus as a vehicle stopped just short of ramming her full speed and settled instead for banging into her leg just enough that her palms slammed into the hood to keep her steady.

Nova stared, wide eyed at the driver, her breaths coming in pants.

Wasn’t this what she’d wanted?

Why hadn’t they been driving faster?

Why did they stop?

The curses that filtered in through her translator were colorful and fantastical. Her bottom lip quivered as tears pricked the back of her eyes.

Lulu wouldn’t want this for me.

Her hands flew away from the hood as if she’d been burned. “Sorry,” was all she offered as she hurried away, her leg protesting at her speed after enduring that abuse. The driver’s curses followed her until she turned a corner and pressed her back against the wall of some towering building. The stone dug into her back, rough and painful, and real.

Her hands shook with leftover adrenaline.

“Fuck.”

She was going to cry. She couldn’t keep doing this.

“Lulu wanted you to live, you fucking idiot,” she whispered. “How could you forget how to do the one goddamn thing she wanted you to do?”

[gamerwoo]

hansol: the lovers playlist

characters: hansol x female reader

genre/warnings: idol au, friends to maybe something more???, fluff, angst, cliffhanger

word count: 1,057

summary: past love burned out like a cigarette; i promise, darling, you won't regret the best years

a/n: things in bold italics are song lyrics

previous song | next song | back to playlist

Back in the car. Whenever you and Hansol drove together now, you always had the overwhelming feeling of ‘it’s good to be back in the car’. Mira was always a great car companion, but...you missed Hansol riding shotgun. You missed the good memories.

‘_____, don’t,’ you reminded yourself. ‘Don’t get too attached too quickly.’

Even after the karaoke incident, you woke up the next morning telling yourself you needed to be hesitant. You had to be careful.

‘You've got a million reasons to hesitate but darlin', the future's better than yesterday; I wasted so much time on people that reminded me of you; Gave you a million reasons to walk away.’

“I’ve missed your music taste,” Hansol admitted with a soft smile, leaning his head back while his feet rested back on your dashboard like they used to.

“What, you don’t have the same taste as Ivory?” you asked, just as playful banter.

But Hansol suddenly lifted his head, turning a bit more serious as he cleared his throat, “Well...we broke up.”

Despite you and Hansol being back to you and Hansol, you never once asked about his girlfriend, and he never brought her up. It seemed a little weird, but you figured maybe he was trying to be nice considering everything. 

Your eyes widened as you glanced at him, “Oh, fuck, dude, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to--”

“No, it’s okay,” he quickly assured you. “I mean, I was the one who ended things, so...yeah.”

You frowned slightly, looking at the road, “Are you...doing alright?”

He let out a sigh and shrugged, “I mean, we have to announce it, which I’m not excited about. Her company wants to hold off until after her promotions are done so she can focus, which I get, but it’s just like... I have to sit here and wait to be bombarded by the internet now.”

“And that’s not your idea of fun?” you snorted, hoping to lighten the mood.

Hansol let out a chuckle that made you feel lighter knowing you didn’t upset him, “Can’t say that’s how I like to spend my nights, no.”

‘But I'll build a house out of the mess and all the broken pieces; I'll make up for all of your tears.’

You turned up the volume just a little bit to make the atmosphere a little less awkward as you fell into a silence.

“Um...I guess, can I ask what happened?” you wondered slowly after a moment of hesitation.

Hansol shrugged as he looked over at you, “I had to be honest with her.”

“About what?”

“I...love someone else.”

‘I'll give you the best years; I'll give you the best years.’

Your eyes widened to the size of golf balls, “What? What happened?!”

He let out a chuckle, and that surprised you. You glanced to your right to see him giving you his lopsided smile, warm brown eyes looking at you so fondly, it gave you butterflies.

“Honestly...I loved someone way before I started dating her,” he admitted.

You kept looking between him and the road, wanting to keep eye contact with him but also not wanting to crash the car.

“Why’re you looking at me like I’m supposed to know something?” you asked him.

“Pull over,” he told you suddenly.

“What?”

“_____, just pull over.”

So you did. You put the car in park and turned to look at Hansol, confusion written all over your face. And despite Hansol’s racing heart, he looked calm as he smiled softly at you, unbuckling to turn in his seat to face you.

“_____...the truth is...it’s you,” he told you, not meeting your eyes until he said the last two words. “It’s always been you.”

‘Past love burned out like a cigarette; I promise, darling, you won't regret the best years.’

You wanted to scream and flap your arms in excitement like a crazy person, but you were also so incredibly confused. And all you could do while you internally fought over how to react, was stare at him with wide eyes and parted lips.

“W-what?” you finally got out in a whisper.

“I’ve loved you since... Since before Ivory,” he told you. “But I thought I didn’t stand a chance with you. I thought I had no shot so I shouldn’t waste my time. So...Ivory came along and...I went with it. I didn’t want to wait around for you when I was so convinced you would never love me back. But it all backfired, and by the time I knew how you felt, it was too late. But when you told me that, all the feelings I shoved down came back up, and I hadn’t stopped thinking about you since. I thought if I just kept ignoring it, my problems would be fixed, but that’s not how it works. So I broke up with Ivory and I just... I dunno, I had to at least tell you. Even if it doesn’t change anything, I needed you to know. I did love you, _____. I still do.”

You thought you were going to pass out. Or maybe vomit. Or cry.

“S-so...you and Ivory...”

“I thought I loved her, but it wasn’t love. I love you, _____.”

‘I'll give you the best years.’

‘No!’ you screamed inside your own head. ‘No, you can’t let him do this! Remember the last time!’

You shook your head quickly, “Hansol, I can’t do this again.”

“No, I know,” he said quickly. “I’m not expecting anything out of this. I just...had to get it off my chest. I had to tell you. I never meant to intentionally hurt you. Even if...I didn’t have feeling for you before, nothing I ever did was with the intention of fucking you over or anything. It was just...a really shitty situation, I guess."

You studied Hansol for a moment before looking down at your lap, and then out the windshield. You sighed, placing both hands on the wheel.

“I need to think.”

“I understand,” he nodded. “I’ll have someone come pick me up. Just...know I’m sorry. For everything. For hurting you, for confusing you -- for all of it.”

And then he left the car.

You saw something slide down in the leather seat out of the corner of your eye. You looked over and saw a black tape with a blue sticky note.

── « ⋅ʚ ♫ ɞ⋅ » ───

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[vividxpages]

Oh my god you’re mind….Like Jace is the type to love his girl in a sundress because she looks angelic and beautiful but also because he wants to take it off her like he loves to undress her like unwrapping a present

I originally wrote mirror smut with Jace but I worried it was too hardcore so I changed it to Cregan. My smut was they just took a shower and didn’t do anything besides kiss and cuddle and wash each other’s hair. His girl is wrapped in a short towel and brushing her hair in front of the mirror and Jace is soooo smitten like not just lust in his eyes but soooo much love legit heart eyes and she catches it in the mirror and is all flustered and he comes up behind her, wraps his arms around her middle and kisses her neck and it escalates until she has her leg propped up on the sink and his arms are engulfing hers, their hands curled together against the sink and they never break eye contact in the mirror.

My headcanon is that Jace only does it from behind if he can see your face like spooning and he buries his head in your neck and you stretch your head back to kiss him or in a mirror because he can’t truly enjoy it until you too see each other, like really see each other. He thinks doggy is too degrading and animalistic and not romantic enough. But I’m a softie.

But now we’re both writing Jace playing house so I don’t want to upset you or Nattie by publishing a similar fic

Plus, you wrote it better than I ever could like you are a poet

Eeeeeeee, he also loves watching her try all those dresses on at a local boutique. Like he's so smitten, smiling to himself as she parades around in different pieces for him. She asks for his opinion, but every dress ends up being his favorite. The boy is not a good critical shopping companion at all, but he's great at giving heartfelt compliments. ☀️

ONE LEG PROPPED UP ON THE SINK HELLOOO yes pls. Actually, yes. Yeah. I'll take seven of them, pls. Also his fingers ghosting along her leg, making it quiver mhm mhm.

*You* are a poet! I had a similar worry because of the mirror mention, but I feel like there are just some tropes that come up naturally :) I wrote most of "ocean-touched, sun-kissed" last week and when I saw Nattie talking about mirrors yesterday, I was like oh!

I guess we really all like mirrors here. 😊

[night-faye]

OHO YOUR'E ON THAT BANGER EPISODE. Apparently I really love the trope because how I got into this show was all my friends freaking out about how I wrote this episode for another fandom while having NEVER SEEN IT LOL. It was super funny, like frame by frame for details. (The start in ep 6 with the ink demon.) It’s 100% my jam as far as tropes go, I also give my OCs the Wukong treatment 😂 He’s so fun here I adore it, StarBurst Duo makes me so insane ESP IN S5 you WILL have a breakdown I freaking PROMISE YOU. It will be your Macky S3 Breakdown but for them. Anyways. Ooh, Wukong just HEARS MK and the way he crashes the party, he’s always going “kid!!” and rushing for him in this show. I love that the writers didn’t make him actually retire lol, he stuck around and it was a pleasant surprise and they even share the staff sometimes. Wukong still takes charge and haunts the narrative LOL. “Not really, but I like the energy.” Crying we NEED Wukong interacting with the gang more. Shout out to Mei’s “you're not looking very immortal yourself Mr. King.” I love her I love them we need more sob. And MY FAVORITE SCENE OF ALL. Bro is sweating a bit like Macky did when LBD showed up. “Enough! I’ve never let anyone dictate my destiny in the past and I’m not about to start now. None of us are! We can’t change who were yesterday or in a past life or a hundred lifetimes ago. We live with the choices we make, but what matters is the choice we make. Right. Now. Only we decide who we are and what we do with the power we have.” “Nice hero speech bud. But I know better. Deep in your heart, you don’t believe a word of that.” SO EVIL. Literally SO EVIL to make THIS GUY aka secretly depressed monkey give a motivational hero speech, bc you don't think there's anything wrong with that at first. That it's anything BUT Wukong to ~ not ~ be the happy guy. But then THIS happens pulling an unexpected thing every character analyst could ever want. He's struggling and trying and fighting the emotional turmoil within, barely holding on, and Inky calls him out with SUCH AUDACITY while wearing Wukong's clothes from the past AND TWIRLING THAT CIRCLET even the screen slows and pauses for emphasis. Suddenly, there's a dark cloud hanging over our idea of this monkey. Our naive illusions shatter as a deep profound thing beneath it all is revealed. This story will not go how we think. It's not all sunshine, there is something wrong. Yeah somebody did dictate your destiny with that circlet eh? And just those words ugh if you know JTTW you know how heavy his past actions are also killing Macky but wow he's fighting, he's trying so hard but NOBODY lets him live down the past. Always the same monster. *chefs kiss* gorgeous voice acting, the strained emotions are beautiful.

“I won’t let some curse bully me or my friends a second longer!” Sure bud, sure. I mean, I like how he glows here and the images of his old friends is DEVASTATING. It hurts to be the mentor character in any piece of media. But don't think we didn't notice the deflection there, the pause and tight grip on the staff as you turned around. You can't look us in the eye eh? the windows to the soul. It's also nice how he does the "special teamwork move" and calls everyone his friends :') shout out to Nezha and his "Wukong is not the loner he pretends to be." At long last, he's finally opening up to others rather than his smiley distance. They look so much like your old companions. Don’t you love how the tension builds up with Wukong’s confusion over Azure’s name and think innocently of it until he’s stepping forward to protect MK? Hehe.

>*shaking you*< I need to make it clear to you that while I love my macky's of the world so much. my second fave character dynamic is "Sunshine on the outside. deep withering depression on the inside"

I am getting the sense these monkeys (MK included) are going to fucking destroy me. help. (You won't and you shouldn't)

[mrsfrecklesmarauders]

19th century Wolfstar AU:

Just a little inspiration I had late at night when I couldn't sleep. I am not good at writing in classic literature vocabulary. English is not my first language. But I tried.

TW: Mentions if suicide attempts and Homophobia from that time.

***********

"Wanted a word, Mr. Black?"

Remus felt small in that parlor. He was ashamed of the sinful things he had done with the Duke's Heir in that very room. But there was something about Sirius Black that made him not behave like a gentleman. And Mr. Black for some celestial or rather infernal reason, had accepted Remus' closeness and Remus' touch. Even if Black was the most gorgeous creature alive, the lord of this family, a fine gentleman, and Remus was nothing but his brother's humble tutor. Not even graced with beauty.

He wasn't proud of what he had done. But he made himself enjoy it while it lasted. Even if he had to pay for his sins in hell, he could have his little piece of heaven right here on Earth.

Mr. Black was not facing him. Remus waited until he served himself a drink. He waited patiently until Sirius would show him his beautiful face again. And his body craved venerably and patiently for a single smile, for a single touch, for even a kiss. And Remus hated himself for that.

Sirius finally turned. He didn't give Remus a smile but rather an expression of sorrow. Remus noticed how his eyes searched for something on the floor and his gorgeous lips pressed in a fine line, so white cold and vulnerable.

"I wanted to thank you, Mr. Lupin" he said as he emptied his glass.

"Sir?"

Remus pressed him because it was absurdly painful to watch Sirius' sad expression.

Finally, Sirius' eyes met his when Remus' heart started reacting, reminding him he was still alive.

"You saved my life, Mr. Lupin. Nor less. As simple as that. You gave my life a reason"

That's how their story began. With Remus' nosesiness and hero complex.

'Why?' he had thought when he found Mr. Black about to jump off the bridge into the lake 'Why would the Duke's son, with so much richness and comforties, someone so beautiful, would try to take his life'?

Then Remus understood that Mr. Black's parents gave him lectures before words of kindness. Violence before affection. And indifference before love. Remus had learned Mr. Black had been expelled from school because of a shameful incident. None of The Blacks spoke about it. But Remus knew it involved a boy. Now Sirius was committing the same mistake. But with Remus.

Remus didn't respond to Mr. Black's words because they sounded like a beginning of something Remus had been trying to avoid. The obnoxious ending.

"I ought to marry a lady. Miss Emmeline Vance. I met her yesterday"

Remus knew this was supposed to end one day. That Mr. Black would rightfully find a women to betrothe. But still his heart ached, his body shivered. Still no words came out of his mouth.

"She is truly an angel, you see" Sirius continued with a laugh "A very fine lady. Easy to talk to, eloquent and funny. Very well educated... Beautiful as a summer breeze. The perfect companion for any man alive"

Sirius' eyes were searching for Remus' But those kept on the floor, afraid of moving or revealing how much these news were hurting Remus' soul.

"Miss Vance sounds lovely" he dared himself to speak.

"Yeah she is... The problem is that she is not you"

When Remus found Sirius' gaze he realized those gray eyes had glistened. And consequently, as a noble act, so did his.

Mr. Black came closer making Remus freeze in the spot. His body shivered in anticipation. As it always did. He would breathe the delicious smell of Sirius' body and then he would close his eyes. Sirius would make the first move, touching his features. Remus would feel his breath. A sign that would give Remus permission to come close and kiss him. Then everything would come naturally. The animalistic insitincs would guide him to make Sirius and him feel pleasure. Until Sirius sighed and even scream. Which would give Remus the most precious satisfaction.

But not this time. Remus spoke before anything happened.

"Marriage is a blessing, sir"

Sirius stopped on his tracks.

"I am pleased for you. Such lovely news"

Sirius looked at him like a difficult puzzle to solve.

"I am in agony" he breathed, playing with his gorgeous hair. "You see, Mr. Lupin. We have quite a problem. Her lips won't be yours. Her body won't be yours. She won't be you"

Sirius stopped taking a deep breath.

"Even the most gorgeous and perfect creature wouldn't be compared to you and what you make me feel. How should I get you out of my head, Mr. Lupin?"

Remus wondered the same thing. How to get this beautiful creature out of his head. Dusk, noon and dawn Remus thought about how graced this world was with the near presence of such fine soul. Sirius Black was not only pretty. But he was a reckon force. He was sunlight in this house of dispair. He was recklessness and thrill. An adventurous child lived within. Remus had the bless to get to know him more deeply. To learn many secrets and shy confessions. Now Remus wondered how he would escape. But he had to.

"This is wrong, Mr. Black. What we are doing..."

"You agreed to call me Sirius. That's my name after all"

Remus sighed "What we do is considered illegal, a real sin. We could be punished for it"

Sirius closed his eyes.

"Marrying this woman would be the right thing. It is what is 'natural'..."

"You are my daily light, Remus!"

Sirius had raised his voice, and for a second he sounded as impotent as his father. Remus was taken aback by the first name. Only used in those moments of solitude when they forgot who they were.

"I wake up everyday to a miserable life I don't want. They dragged me out of school. Kept me away from my friends. From James. Only to fulfill a life I don't truly want. I don't want to be like my father. I don't want to be as hollow and cruel as he is. My heart aches thinking about the life I was meant to live"

Sirius was crying now. How unwelcome were those tears and how much Remus wanted to clean them away.

"Sometimes, I don't even want to get out of bed. But then I remember I am going to see you. And my heart glows with joy"

Luckily the tears came with a beautiful smile. Remus' heart responded accurately.

"You have become my everything. My days, my nights, my entire being"

"What we ought to do, Sirius?" Remus asked, trying to swallow his surrow "There's no importance if I feel exactly the same about you. If I also can't get you out of my thoughts. If I've never felt this way about someone..."

Remus wiped the current tears from his face. Whatever happened, Remus needed to be strong. Stop this was the right thing to do. There was no place for their sinful love.

Even if Sirius' eyes were doing exactly what Remus' were avoiding to do.

"But you know deep in your soul this cannot continue" Remus continued "Not only because my surroundings are far less and humble than yours. But also because we are both men and..."

"What shall I do if no woman fill my heart the way you do?"

"The sin is addictive, I get it, Mr. Black" Remus answered "But not confuse it with any other powerful feeling. You would see nothing compares with the nurtured care of your wife..."

Sirius was shaking his head unwilling to hear any longer.

"Her love, her kisses, her touch..."

"I want you! I want you and only you" Sirius cried. He sounded like a child in search for something sweet late at night.

Remus felt his eyes fill up, like a clowd before a storm.

Sirius approached willing to erase all the space between them. He was a bright star. Beautiful from afar but surely dangerous up close. Remus was momentarily out of breath.

"I love you"

It was only a whisper but it had such power to wonder through Remus' mind like an echo. It made Remus' body shake. And his heart transform into a drum.

"Do you love me?"

His face was too close. The star so bright that Remus had to close his eyes and focus on his breathing. He had his own star a few centimeters away. But actually touching it would be dangerous.

"Tell me the truth. I only require what is the truth"

Remus was panting. Or else he would cry.

"Remus, please"

That pleading was the key to open Remus' heart.

"Of course I love you!"

It was one of the most certain truths in his life. Everyone was surprised that Remus John Lupin hadn't found a wife yet, perhaps a lover, or a related friend to accompany his lonely nights. But here was the answer. Remus was born to love Sirius Black. Even if it was wrong, or a sin, or the gate to hell itself. Remus couldn't stop. No matter what happened. Who he and Sirius would end up betrothing. They would always love each other.

Sirius was laughing. It sounded magestic in Remus' mind. Perhaps a chorus of a beautiful fallen angel. His perfection ended to live a life full of encarnated forbidden love. Away from everything pure and right.

"Then love me, you coward!" Sirius demanded with a potent voice "Love me and never stop"

Remus obeyed compelled by the strong power of this love. He sealed the pact with a passionate kiss that was responded eagerly by the angel between his arms.

"I love you, Sirius" Remus confessed between kisses of damnation "Of course I love you"

"My eternal love, my life, I am yours and only yours" Sirius answered with the same eager.

Both would fall to hell. Both would suffer the consequences. But together. They were glued like magnets. Their bodies fitted together like pieces of a beautiful sculpture. It was a precious love to fight for. Even if they had to go to the end of the world for it. Remus would accept anything. He was doomed. He was doomed for good.

[coopigeoncoo]

Shouto talks to cats with the most plain voice ever. No baby voice. Just his plain normal voice. Just...

"It not polite to sit on someone's clean counter."

"Dinner will be ready at 5. Please be patient."

"I'm going to need you to move. No, don't crawl onto my lap, I need to start the laundry."

"Most would consider an attempt at smothering someone to be an attempted murder. But you just think it's cute, don't you?"

Absolutely he does. And this, naturally, leads to comical misunderstandings.

Tw: None

Characters: Todoroki Shouto, the Todoroki women, and a fairly unrearkable cat.

Shouto agreed to cat sit for Uraraka while she was suddenly called away overseas- some sort of rescue effort going down in Paraguay that Shouto didn't ask much about.  It didn't really matter, after all.  When you're a Hero you go where they tell you; come when you're called.  

A lot like being a dog, really.

And after spending a few days with Princess Yuki, Uraraka's white and gray tabby, Shouto thinks he'd prefer to be a cat.  

Princess Yuki, so named for her aloof demeanor and dreary patterned coat ("It looks just like the snow we see here in the city, dontcha' think?  All streaked with gray and splotchy?" Ochako had explained once), had immediately made herself at home by scaling his kitchen cabinets; spending her days idly passing judgment on those who dared to pass through her line of sight.  

Never having been able to afford a cat growing up, Ochako spoiled her fuzzy little friend to pieces; dropping off an entire suitcase of toys alongside her very elaborate pet fountain and cooler full of fancy raw cat food.  It seemed like a lot of effort and money to spend on a creature that was more like a decoration than a companion, but Shouto's job wasn't to judge his friends' pets. 

But if it was his job then Bakugou's impossibly round Chinchilla, Chinkilla, would definitely reign supreme.

So it was under these circumstances that Shouto accepted a call from his sister one uneventful Thursday night; Princess Yuki perched on top of her usual cabinet as Shouto stood below, stirring a wok full of beef slices and broccoli.

"Shouto!," Fuyumi greeted cheerily.  "How are you doing today?"

"I'm fine," Shouto began, knowing his sister would press for more details of his day off.  "I went grocery shopping and found a coupon tucked onto a shelf for the brand of soy sauce I was buying.  So that was nice."

"Hero lives are so weird," Fuyumi mused, the gentle shuffling of papers in the background clung Shouto into the fact that she was likely still stuck at work grading papers. "Yesterday you saved an entire building of office workers and today you're excited about finding a coupon."

"Didn't you call me last week to brag about that huge discount you got on your new purse?"

"Yeah, and?"

"That just seems pretty similar to coupon excitement to me," Shouto mused, glaring up at Yuki who had begun to stretch her long body down the front of the cabinet, dangling precariously over the streaming wok.  He lifted the spatula he was stirring with out of the pan and pointed it at the feline in warning. "Don't even think about it."

"Don't think about what?" 

"Oh, sorry.  Not you.  I was talking to Yuki," Shouto explained, glaring at the tabby who was doing her best to look innocent by tilting her head to the side and twitching her ears.

"Yuki?  Have I met her before?" Fuyumi asked, doing a terrible job of disguising her interest.

"You haven't.  She's just staying with me for a couple of days," Shouto said as he deflected her swiping paw from bopping him in the head.  

"Oh!" Fuyumi gasped in delight. "Well, is she cute?"

Shouto looked up at the cat stretched up above him, her wide green eyes shining bright with madness as she gazed longingly at the sizzling beef.  

"Very," Shouto admitted with a reluctant sigh, giving his dinner a quick stir.

"So, how did you two meet?"

"She lives with Uraraka, so she's usually hanging around when I come to visit- stop messing with my hair, Princess!" Shouto hissed as he ducked his head to escape the reach of her attacking paws, using her first name in a bid to summon up some measure of authority. "I'm on the phone!"

"I'll let you go now, Shou," Fuyumi giggled.  "I can tell that you're pretty busy."

"Thanks," Shouto sighed, glaring at Yuki who had decided to jump down onto the top of his fridge to attain a better defensive position.  "Talk to you soon."

Fuyumi doesn't think she'd ever dialed her Mom's phone number so quickly before, including that time Natsuo had been thrown head first off of the trampoline into Rei's prize winning rose bushes.

"Pick up, pick up, pick up," Fuyumi chanted, the large stack of worksheets she was grading long forgotten in the face of a fresh piece of juicy family gossip.

"Hello, Todoroki residence.  Rei speaking."

"MOM!" Fuyumi gushed immediately.  "Shouto has a girl at his apartment!"

"Oh?  Is he having dinner with his sidekicks again?"

"No!  Her name is Yuki and she's Uraraka's roommate," Fuyumi squealed joyfully.  "And I think things are pretty serious between her and Shouto- she was playing with his hair and he called her Princess!"

"...I'm putting on my coat.  I'll meet you there in half an hour," Rei said hurriedly before the line cut off, leaving Fuyumi fumbling for her own coat as she dashed out of her classroom door.  

[alyosiuscreightonward]

Dear Diary.

Yesterday, 23rd of April, was hard for me for various reasons.

My foster son was born in 1986. 37 years old and apparently he’s homeless and living in Lost Wages. Here’s where I wonder if he’ll ever run into the Ex-Boyfriend, Mr Haole Luvah. 🤣

I’m pretty sure that my foster son is going to blame me for him being homeless and not having the money for the storage unit where he kept his mothers ashes.

I have mixed emotions about this. He was eight years old when I got a boyfriend and moved to FLA. If I didn’t move to FLA, I wouldn’t have had the chance to be the boyfriend. In the meantime, I’d hear things about him and I wanted to run to him and make it all better. This where I failed him. Those were the formative years and in retrospect, I know what he felt in some instances. Am I the Qween of Failed Relationships and I need to fix them?

Bitch please. We’ve all have failed ourselves and so has the other person failed us. Love is a two way street and it’s also a two way mirror. Nah. Don’t even. Your opinion or explanation about your situation is a moot point. Yeah, you’ve been denied.

I know I went overboard with sharing my feelings with him. I was never really told that I was loved by my parents. I was never really held close to their hearts and cuddled or coddled by them and I wanted to break that chain. I wanted him to know that his feelings are valid but I wasn’t there for him when he needed me. Though as a Tauren man, he like other Tauren men in my life, affection is on their terms and is rarely called upon, but when they want it, be very careful it just may disintegrate in the blink of an eye.

I think that he wanted it to be understood that he knew that I love him and that I was never ever allowed to be able to say those words. That is verboten. Nein bitte sprich nicht. I should’ve known that I was not allowed to let him know how I felt. Those who are Taurus ♉️ may say that they love you but they don’t want to hear from you because it will cause a problem.

The very last time I saw him was when he was in jail and behind several inches of bulletproof glass a few weeks before my mother passed. I told him that his mother and his aunt said that I had SA’ed him. I sat there on the phone while he looked down upon me as I was having the ugly cry. In between my gasps for air, I told him that I had been raped and I could never ever put those feelings on anyone ever. At 63, I’m still haunted by what happened to me and I cannot imagine how much pain it would cause the other person.

I’m sure he was horrified to hear that. I’m sure at that moment he wanted me to vanish from his life.

He too is like my professional photographer who lives in LA, just because I’m a Faggot Piece of Trash, I just want to have him perform fellatio and to have him ingest my zygotes and then I will give him my turgid body and I will then deposit my zygotes into his colon. This is so cheap like a cardboard cutout of a rainbow that Judy Garland once spoke of in a movie. No. Absolutely not. Absolutely not and most certainly the actual furthest thing from the truth. Not even Stephen King could write that shit.

As I write this, I quite clearly remember that my sister’s boyfriend proportioned me. Yeah he has a nice dick, but I turned him down. I just couldn’t.

I’m puzzled by CIS/Hetero men thinking that every single one of us Faggot Pieces of Trash just wants to suck their dicks just because. It is just as absurd as the first Lesbian you meet is going to show up the next morning with a U-Haul and demanding you get a companion animal and when you do they break up with you because they’re allergic to said animal.

What are you smoking or are you microdosing??? YIKES!!

Regardless of the circumstances, he will continue to be my foster son. I am well aware that I will never be of any consequence to him and he will continue to wish that I was never in his life.

The other item to talk about is that after five years, I left my job in the world of retail. It feels great. I’m going to miss seeing several people who are in my eyes, delicious.

I’m not sure if they’re ever going to get someone to do what I did but that’s neither here nor there.

I’m going to start a new job soon and I’m sure I’ll be better off. I’m just looking forward to buying a pair of Hoka Bondi’s and a pair of Hoka Trail Code’s. They’re pricey but worth it and I’ll wait.

Anyway, ciao for now.

[sityoursiredassdown]

Men Of: Throne of Glass

[queen--kenobi]

Candy Girl I

Story Summary: When you lose your job working for a Senator, it seems like all you can do is go back to your home planet. However, salvation comes in the form of a small program. All you have to do is entertain clones. Specifically, you have to entertain the Coruscant Guard.

18+ Series

Does occur in the same universe as You Make Me Feel (Home Again, Whole Again) and can be thought of as a companion piece. You don't have to have read YMMF(HA,WA) to understand this

Coruscant Guard x f!reader, various combinations throughout

Masterlist

Part II

Chapter Summary: A lost job leads to a new opportunity.

Warnings: Abuse of power (not directed at reader). Some angst, but it leads to something good. Nothing other than that

The sun hasn't even begun to peek over the horizon when you get to the Senate. Your bag is slung over your shoulder as you carry a caf carafe and a tray with four separate cafs. The tray is balanced on top of a container of donuts. The Coruscant Guard member stationed at the door perks up when he sees you.

"Thank the Maker." He breathes. "It's been a week."

“It’s good to see you too, Ghost.” You hold up the giant container of caf. “ I heard. It's why I brought this." You lift the carafe up some. Ghost comes over and carefully takes it from you. "Who's on shift change today?"

"Commander Thorn is switching out for Commander Thire." He opens the door for you and pads quietly beside you. "They told me they'd be in the mess waiting.”

You make small talk with Ghost as the two of you head that way. Yesterday you had gotten off, so he tells you what exactly you missed. Apparently yesterday had been quite the adventure if Ghost’s tales were anything to go by. He unlocks the door to the Coruscant Guard’s mess, after looking both ways to make sure no civilian saw you, and you step inside. Commanders Thire and Thorn are talking over at one of the tables. Thorn visibly perks up when he sees you. He nudges Thire with his elbow, and Thire looks at you.

“Here you go.” You hand each one of them their cafs. Ghost leaves your side to find the best place to put the carafe.

���My hero.” Thire sounds oddly sincere as he takes the caf from you. 

“I could kiss you.” You can’t see his face, but you can hear the grin in Thorn’s voice.

“Why haven’t you then?” You challenge, arching an eyebrow.

“He doesn’t want to ruin a beautiful friendship.” Thire’s dry comment makes you snort. 

“Where’s Fox? I got him something else too.”

“Right here.” The Marshall Commander’s voice sounds from behind you,nearly making you jump. You hand him his caf, and he accepts it with a small ‘thank you’.

“I also got you this.” You reach into your bag to produce a bag of beans. “It’s supposed to be some of the strongest caf around. Consider it a thank you for the other week.”

He carefully takes the bag from you. For a second, you think he might reject your gift. You wish you could see his face. He takes a step towards you and then stops., as if he thought better of what he was about to do.

“Thank you.” He says after a moment. He turns to Thorn. “Whenever you do get around to kissing her, make sure it’s a good one.” 

Fox’s comment nearly makes you choke. You aren’t sure if it’s the dry delivery or how unexpected it was, but it catches you off guard. Thorn lets out a soft giggle while Thire does his best to pretend like he’s not laughing. Fox is gone before you can say anything in return. You round on the two Commanders. Thorn stands up.

“I’ll walk you to your desk.” He offers. “Thire can get the last caf to Hound.”

“But I-”

“He’s all the way in the kennel. You won’t get to him in time to be at your desk.” Thire slowly stands as well. He takes the cardboard tray from you. “Are the donuts for us? Or are you taking those to your coworkers?”

“Coworkers.” You swat his hand away from the container. “Go, you menace. I’ll bring some for you all when Stone gets back.”

“Yeah, go on.” Thorn teases Thire. Thire nudges Thorn none too gently on his way past as retribution. Ghost waves to you as you leave the mess, a cup of caf already in his hands. 

“Ghost told me you had quite the day yesterday.”

“Yeah. It wasn’t a good day.” Thorn sighs. It’s clear he doesn’t want to talk about it right now. “I heard you’ve got something exciting happening today.”

“Yeah, actually! Senator Dalle is supposed to tell us who officially gets the job for the rest of the year as opposed to it staying an internship.” You give Thorn a hopeful smile. “I think I have a good chance.”

Thorn stops.

Your heart sinks.

“Thorn. What is it?”

He looks around for a second before taking your hand and gently guiding you towards one of the alcoves.

“Look. You can’t hear this from me.” You nod. His tone indicates that he means this. He pauses. Both of his hands come to the bottom of his bucket, as if he could put his hands over his mouth. “I think Leena is going to get it.”

“How can you be sure?”

“She’s been leaving Senator Dalle’s office at really odd hours of the night. Thire told me. I didn’t believe him until I saw it. He’s been really chipper too.” Thorn pauses. You let the weight and implications of his words settle over you. It causes an unpleasant feeling in your throat. “I hope I’m wrong. I really do.”

You purse your lips. You have to look away for a moment. After a second, you tilt your head up and blink, willing the tears to not come. It’s speculation, yes, but something about his words makes you believe him. Before Thorn can say anything, you hold out a hand.

‘Give me a minute. I don’t want to ruin my eyeliner.”

“Really?” His tone makes you turn your head quickly to look at him.

“Hey!” You point at him. He raises both hands in mock surrender, although he doesn’t drop the caf. “I got made fun of the last time my eyeliner wasn’t perfect.” It wasn't exactly true, but it wasn’t a lie either. It had been more of a catty comment. You tried your best to not let it bother you, but it had gotten under your skin despite your best efforts.

Whether he knew it or not, Thorn’s comment made the need to cry dissipate some. It felt more like an urge now. You could ignore it until you had enough time to properly break down. Whenever that would be.

“Okay, I’m ready.” You tell him as you head back into the main hall. Thorn follows. You aren’t sure if he likes escorting you or feels like he has to because you bring him caf. You hope it’s the former. The idea that Thorn wants to spend extra time with you causes butterflies to form in your stomach. 

Unfortunately, Thorn was right.

You get that sinking feeling again when Senator Dalle calls you into his office. You try your best to ignore it. That just makes it worse, makes the knot grow bigger so it spans from the bottom of your ribs to the top of your throat. It doesn’t help that the Guard member posted by his door looks at you for a little longer than normal. Something about it tells you the look is pure pity.

“Sit.” Senator Dalle gestures towards the chair across the table from him. You take it. He sits down and then lets out a sigh. “You’re a good kid. You really are. I can see your work ethic, and I admire it. But I'm afraid I’m not going to be able to keep you on board.”

You zone out.

He explains how he really does want to keep you, but he only has the budget for one more person. That person is of course Leena. He tells you he knows that you’ve worked really hard, and he wants to see you succeed. He looks forward to following your career, and he really hopes you do stick with politics and don’t let this minor setback hurt you.

You don’t know what hurts more. The fact that he gave the position to the intern he’s sleeping with or the fact that, after months of working with him, he still doesn’t know you want to practice law. You have no interest in politics; this was just a good resume builder.

You lie through your teeth. You tell him you understand, you really do, and it was an honor to work for him. You probably tell more lies than the Chancellor during that meeting. No, you understood completely, of course you weren’t mad or upset. It almost feels like he called you in there to reassure him, to say he chose best. It makes your stomach hurt. You aren’t sure if you want to cry or throw up or both.

God. What are you going to tell your parents? How are you going to go back home? You have to go back home, you don’t have enough rent to stay here. You’ve been living month to month off the measly stipend you were getting. Were you even going to be able to make it to the end of the month? When did you have to clean out your desk? Twenty billion questions race through your mind. Each time the Senator speaks, it just raises even more.

Once the meeting is over, you manage to make it 30 minutes at your desk before you get up with the prepared excuse of having to go to the bathroom. You don’t know if anyone would believe you. You’re sure you have a wild look, eyes clearly brimming with tears.

You honestly don’t care.

You cry. You want to scream but don’t. Instead, you give yourself a couple minutes to cry and then wipe your face before heading back. You suspect everyone knows. Well, everyone except Leena and the Senator. Your friend Jetho, who works for another Senator, stops by with some flimsy excuse about needing you to help him with some form. It’s clear he’s checking on you. You try to act like you're fine.

When lunch rolls around, you decide you need to eat outside. Maybe that will clear your head, provide you with some sort of clarity or inspiration as to what to do next.

“Hey.” A familiar voice pulls you from your thoughts as you make your way down to one of the side doors. It’s Ghost. “It’s your lunch break, right?’

“Yeah.”

“Good. Thorn wants to talk to you.” Ghost sounds somewhat excited at the prospect. That makes you pause. Nevertheless, you follow him. Thorn has sequestered himself in his office. He and Ghost exchange a few words before Ghost leaves you with Thorn.

Thorn trains his visor on you. You feel like he was going to ask if you got it. The look on your face must have betrayed you.

“Osik.” He breathes. 

“Yeah.” You don’t know what the word means, but you feel it in your bones. You step towards him, feet feeling heavy all of a sudden. You take a seat. The two of you sit in silence for a moment.

“I...” Thorn begins. “Do you have to go back home?”

“Yeah. I don’t-” You cut yourself off, trying to choke down a sob. You can feel Thorn readying himself to comfort you. “I’m not going to be able to pay rent.”

Thorn curses again. You think. You’re not fluent in Mando’a, so you’re not entirely sure what he says. The tone tells you a lot, though. You make a noise of agreement.

“I might have something.” He begins. He delivers the words firmly, but you can still sense an underlying hesitation. “Don’t. Don’t judge me, okay?”

“If it means I can stay here, I’m not going to judge you.”

Thorn pulls a brochure out of his desk and slides it across the table. The colors are familiar, bright enough to stand out but not so bright that it seems like it’s talking down to whomever picks it up. You pick it up and then look at him. You look back at the brochure.

“Hear me out. I was thinking, and well. You’re one of the few people who treats us normal. We’re human to you. And I don’t want you to go, not yet. This would mean you could stay. If you wanted to.” He explains. “The arrangements don’t have to be sexual. Us just watching a holo or talking can count if you want them to. It’s up to you. And I know the guy who does the assignments. I can have it stay with us, you know? I mean just you and me, and maybe Thire or Hound if you needed more money. I’m no-”

“I’ll do it.” Your voice comes out firm and steady. You blink, surprised at yourself for answering so quickly. Thorn hesitates, as if he’s surprised you accepted so readily. It’s brief, a split second or less, but you know him well enough to see it. 

“I didn’t need an answer right away. You can think about it.”

“I know.” You lean back in the chair and consider your next words. “I trust you.” 

You swallow the sudden lump forming in your throat. Truth be told, you didn’t have a lot of people in Coruscant you trusted. Yes, you had friends and people you liked, but you didn’t have too many people you trusted. You blink. You’re not sure why that thought makes you want to cry. Today’s been a rollercoaster of a day, that must be the reason.

After a moment, Thorn gets up and pads over to the door. He locks it before coming back over to you. You watch, unsure of what he’s doing. His hands go to the bottom of his bucket, and your eyes widen when it hits you.

You’ve never seen him without his bucket. You’re pretty sure they’re not supposed to take it off in front of civilians.  

He undoes the locks deftly before placing it on his desk. He’s handsome, stunning even. He gives you an easy smile. Your heart flutters. 

“Is there something on my face?.” He teases. That’s enough to snap you back to reality a little bit. His voice is as warm as his smile. 

“Sorry.” You murmur sheepishly. You begin to come up with a hundred and one different excuses as to why you were staring, The corners of his eyes crinkle.

“If I’d know this was going to be your reaction, I would have taken the bucket off sooner.”

“You wouldn’t get any work done.” You counter without thinking about it. “You’d have almost all the staff hanging off of you at all times.”

“Flirt.” He accuses. The tone is more playful than anything else.

“No. I’m just telling the truth.” He makes a noise of disagreement. You hold your hands up. “Would I lie to you?”

“I don’t know. Would you?” He sits on the edge of his small desk.

“No. Because you’d be able to tell if I’m lying.” You take a moment to simply take him in. He makes a small noise of agreement. “Why’d you take your bucket off? I thought you weren’t supposed to.”

“I’m not.” His tongue darts out briefly as he pauses, clearly thinking over his next words. “You said you trusted me, so. I figured I could trust you.”

You stare at him. Your heart beat picks up. You realize after a moment that you’re smiling. You’re smiling and yet, you can feel tears well up at the corners of your eyes. They’re good tears. You think.

“Thorn...” Your voice cracks. His head whips around as if he’s afraid you’re going to start bawling. “That’s... Thank you.”

“You’re welcome?” He clearly doesn’t know how to process your reaction just yet. You clear your throat and pick up the colorful brochure again.

“So. What do I have to do for this?”

Thorn comes around to the other side of his desk and explains what he knows of it. It’s informative. You find it’s a little hard to pay attention, though. You can see Thorn’s facial expressions and get a better read on him, and you want to enjoy it. It feels like getting a glimpse of the real him. You want to savor every second of it. 

Eventually, Thorn sends you on your way. You go back to your desk feeling a little bit lighter. Yes, you’re still upset about losing your job, That feeling hasn’t gone away yet. You have something to look forward to, and that makes things a little more bearable. The new job will be different, and that has its own set of anxieties and worries. However, you at least know you have a job. You have some sort of security and protection. That helps ease the sting from earlier.

When you go home, you fill out the application. Thorn said he’d been sending word to his contact there that you’ll just be working with the Coruscant Guard. That helps as well. You’d probably be a lot more nervous if you were going in blind. You’re not. You know the Guard; you’d like to think you know them fairly well. It’s not going to be awkward. It’ll be like finally getting to spend time with people outside of work.

At least. That’s what you hope.

The next few days are a bit of a whirl. You’re still working under the Senator until the end of the month. That means your time there is spent trying your best to get all of your projects done. You don’t trust whomever gets these projects to not fuck it up. You manage to find the time to be officially interviewed. Your acceptance email comes not long after.

You’re getting ready to leave one night when your comm ‘ping’s. You take a look at it. It’s Fox. You frown. Why would he comm you? You vaguely wonder how he even got your comm number, but you know there’s plenty of ways he could have. You open it. He just asks you to come by his office as soon as you can.

Well.

That wasn’t ominous at all.

You finish packing your bag and then make your way towards the office number he provided. It takes you deep into the building. Several times you have to check and make sure you’re going the right way. It’s a maze in this part. Eventually, you find the right door. 

“It’s unlocked.” Fox calls after you knock. You peek your head in to see Fox pouring over datapads. His bucket is off, and he’s giving the datapad a murderous glare. He looks up. You see his shoulders drop some when he realizes it’s you. “Come on.”

Hesitantly, you step inside.

“You wanted to see me?” He gestures for you to take a seat. You do so. He sighs and runs his hands over his face. The bags around his eyes are deep and dark. They don’t take away from how handsome he is. You can see some grey at his temples. The poor man is clearly stressed out of his mind, which makes your heart hurt. He’s still handsome, but you can see the toll the job is taking on him.

“Nikali called.” He states simply.

It takes you a moment to remember that Nikali was the one who interviewed you. You nod.

“Yeah. I... I didn’t get the job with Senator Dalle.” You explain, your voice sounding meek even to yourself.

“I know. Thorn told me. I’m sorry about that.” He sighs. “Probably good you didn’t. The man abuses his power too readily.” You blink and look at him. Fox rarely comments on the senators. He’s clearly too lost in his own thoughts to notice your reaction. “Thorn didn’t pressure you into this, did he?”

“What? No!”

Fox nods. His chair creaks as he leans back. “I didn’t think he would. I just had to check.” He lets out another sigh. “It’s not a reflection of Thorn. It’s just.unexpected.”

“Unexpected?” You raise an eyebrow. “What? Do you think I’m above whoring myself out?”

It’s meant to be a joke. Fox’s gaze snaps to you, eyes blazing. You backpedal quickly. “I know I’m not! Thorn made it clear that everything was to be on my terms. I know that’s not what I’m doing in this case.”

Fox regards you for a moment. “Don’t make jokes like that. You’re doing us a favor.” Your lips twitch, both eyebrows going up. “You know how it is. You’ve seen it.”

You nod. Unfortunately, you’d seen some of your fellow interns treat the Guard terribly. You had no doubt in your mind senators were just as bad, if not worse. That’s the whole reason you had started bringing them caf. You had felt they needed something to look forward to or even a friendly face. They had been wary at first but eventually warmed up to you. Fox had been the last to do so. 

Oddly enough, you got the sense he was the most protective of you, which said a lot since all of them clearly did what they could to make sure nothing bad happened to you. Thorn’s heads up about not getting the job wasn’t an isolated incident; Thire had warned you plenty of times when a senator was looking for any intern or clone to take their rage out on. Hound made sure to walk you out if he was around when you had to stay late. Stone made sure to keep you updated on any of your projects when he could, especially if the blame for something going wrong would land on you. You never could pinpoint exactly how Fox made sure you were safe, but you knew he did.

“I wish there was something I could do.” You murmur. You know there’s not much you can do. At least, not at this point. In the future, you knew there would be plenty that you could do. You hadn’t told any of them, but your plans had shifted. Once you got firmly settled in the world of law, you planned on starting some sort of organization to help the clones. You didn’t have the means or the money right now, but once you did, you would do what you could and more.

“This is enough.” Fox’s words bring you out of your thoughts. You tilt your head slightly. “Something outside of this place will help.”

You understand what he means without him having to say it. You give him a small smile.

“I’m assuming everything went smoothly if you just wanted to check on me.” It feels best to change the subject. Fox nods.

“Just wanted to make sure.” He responds. His tone makes it clear that you’re dismissed.

You and Thorn schedule the first official date once all of your paperwork goes through. After some discussion, you settle on having him come over to your apartment to watch some holodramas. It’s not something that requires a lot of planning, and he can leave early if he has to. You hope he doesn’t have to. 

Thankfully, the two of you picked a day that you had off. You spend almost the entire day cleaning and trying to make sure that everything is presentable. It’s not a date. You have to keep reminding yourself of that. It’s not a date so it doesn’t matter too much if your room isn’t sparkling. You still want it to look good, though. You probably spend way more time than you should making sure it looks really good. You even dust your curtains and change out all of your bedding to be safe.

You’re going through the collection of holodramas you have when a knock on your door surprises you. Thank the Maker you’ve already taken a shower and gotten dressed. You rush to the door but pause before you open it. It’s not a date. You have to remind yourself of that.

You open the door with a smile.

“Hey.” Thorn greets. For a second, you think you can detect a hint of nervousness.

“Come on in.” You step aside to let Thorn in. He does so. The door shuts behind him. You gesture towards the table in the entryway. “You can put your bucket there if you want.”

His hands go to the bottom of it. The unlocking mechanism hisses when he opens it. He sets his bucket on the side table and takes a moment to look around your apartment.

“I like it.” He says after a moment. “It’s very you.”

“Thank you.” You can feel heat beginning to creep into your cheeks. “Come on back. I figure we can watch something in my room. That’ll be a bit more comfortable.”

The two of you settle into your room. He takes a moment to look at your bed.

“What’s wrong with it?” You suddenly feel self-conscious.

“Nothing!” He says. “I’m just thinking. Some senator left some old stuff, including an unopened pack of satin sheets. Would you want that?”

“I doubt it’ll fit.” You gesture towards your bed to indicate the size issue. He waves his hand.

“We can get you a new bed.” 

“How?” You put your hands on your hips. You want to bring up the fact they don’t get paid but decide better.

“We have ways.” His eyes sparkle with barely contained mischief.

After some discussion, you end up picking a fairly light-hearted comedy. Thorn is surprisingly snarky; he keeps a running commentary as the movie goes on. You can see him relax as the holo plays. His shoulders drop, his jaw unclenches. He slowly sags into the bedding. He even pulls you down so you’re curled up beside him, laughing at your indignant squeak.

“It’s not funny!”

“You’re right. It’s adorable.” He pulls you closer. You lightly slap his arm. Since he’d stripped the upper part of his kit, you know he felt it. He makes an exaggerated noise of pain. 

“Oh, hush.” He pouts at that, which makes you laugh.

“You’re cruel.” He accuses, even as he wraps an arm around you again to pull you even closer.

The two of you lay beside each other like that as the movie continues. It’s nice. You can feel the tension leaving his body, how his arms slowly go boneless and how he doesn’t feel as rigid. At some point, Thorn begins lazily tracing patterns on your upper arm. You snuggle closer to him in response. It’s close to the end of the holo when you finally speak.

Maybe it’s how close he is. Maybe it’s because you feel safe around him. Maybe it’s something else.

“Thorn.”

“Mmhhhmmm?”

Slowly, you sit up and roll over so you’re facing him. The lights from the holo illuminate his face perfectly.

“Can I kiss you?” You wait for an answer, your heart in your throat. Thorn lets out a low noise.

“I thought you’d never ask.” His tone is clearly meant to be teasing. You hear an undercurrent of something else, something a little wild and desperate. You shuffle some. Thorn puts his elbows under himself and uses them to push up towards you. You place your hand on his cheek. He seems to melt a little into your touch. You wait for his eyes to open again before you lean forward to kiss him. 

His lips are soft if slightly chapped. He makes a noise in the back of his throat before one of his hands comes to the nape of your neck. It’s a gentle kiss but still passionate. When you pull away, you can see Thorn’s eyes linger on your lips. His chest rises and falls. You brush a stray strand of hair away from his forehead.

You’re leaning down again before you even really realize what you’re doing. You kiss him again. This one is a little bit more insistent. Thorn swipes his tongue across your lower lip before lightly nipping the skin, and you part them for him. 

Fuck, he’s a good kisser. At some point both of his hands end up on your waist, and he uses his grip to pull you onto his lap. You laugh, bracing yourself by placing your hands on his chest. He grins.

“I’m gonna hurt you!”

“No you won’t. It’ll take a lot more to hurt me.” He looks up at you, a soft smile on his face. He moves one of his hands from your hip to your cheek, skating it along your sides as he goes upward. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do that.”

“Stop it.” You duck your head.

“I’m serious!” You turn to look at him again. He pushes himself up a little again. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while.” He runs the pad of his thumb along your jaw. “Can I do it again?”

“Yeah.” You breathe. He sits up more as you lean down. This kiss makes your toes curl in the best possible way. One of your hands leaves his chest so you can pull him closer. He groans when he realizes what you’re doing and does the same.

Slowly, the kiss becomes even more heated to the point where you subconsciously begin rocking your hips against his. One of Thorn’s hands runs down your back while the other rests at the hemline of your shirt. You pull away, wanting to ask him to remove the top part of his blacks when his comm beeps.

The two of you stay still for a second. It’s as if you think that maybe if you don’t move, the problem will go away. His comm beeps again after a couple moments. He sighs.

“I have to go deal with this.” He looks at you. You can see several emotions flitting across his face at once, “If it’s not too late when I’m done, can I come back?”

Your heart beat picks up slightly.

“Yeah. I’d like that.”

Tag list: @hansonveggieclub @rebelpitstop @phoenixhalliwell @thefact0rygirl @fivedicksinatrenchcoat @dummythiccommanders @lackofhonor @queen-simp​

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[pikapeppa]

DA Day prompt! Party banter between Dorian, Iron Bull, (or more, the more the merrier as far as I'm concerned) and Cole, where they try to help Cole with a 'became human yesterday' problem, like- showing interest in someone cute, what to do when you can't sleep, how to win/cheat at cards, or something like that? OR! Maybe a scene with Cassandra reading aloud to Cole? Pretty sure there's party banter about that XD Anyway, sorry if this is too many ideas, feel free to ignore. Best wishes to you!

OH NO this idea with Bull & Dorian helping Cole is too cute!! I decided to write this as a companion piece to my tiny Cole/Lavellan fic, Become Human.

Pika's Dragon Age Day Drabbles, prompt fill #2:

Iron Bull, Dorian, and KremmyKrem helping Cole with a very human problem. 🥰 ~2100 words.

*****************

It is a strange thing, being human.

Cole sits in the Herald’s Rest on a stool at the bar. He sits with a tankard of ale like the other people do, and he listens and watches like he did when his place was in the attic rather than here at the bar. He still hears everything as he did when he was a ghost, silent whispers and unspoken wishes rising and rushing from tense and troubled minds, but that’s not all he listens to.

He listens to what they say, as well. He hears the words that fall from their lips, hears the meanings that say out loud as well as the ones they mean to keep inside. As Cole listens and watches and reminds himself to drink his ale like the other humans are doing, he hopes that some of this listening and watching will teach him what to do.

The ebb and flow of thoughts and words eventually brings his attention to a pair of people in the corner. They’re talking together, heads close and smiling, their words light with humour and friendliness, but Cole can hear more than what they’re saying.

He hears the longing that lies unsaid. He hears the feeling between them, a river of requited love that hasn’t yet left their lips, and as he sits at the bar with his tankard in hand, listening and watching the pair of people in the corner, he waits and wonders if watching them will teach him what to do.

“Hello,” Krem says.

Cole blinks owlishly at him. “Hello,” he says vaguely. “I forgot that you can see me.”

“That’s right,” Krem says with a smile. “And so can everyone else.”

“Yes,” Cole says.

Krem smirks and rubs his chin. “Sorry, should’ve been more clear. I mean they can see you staring.”

“Oh,” Cole says. “Is that bad?”

Krem chuckles. “It’s not the best way to make people comfortable.” He pats Cole on the shoulder. “C’mon, I’ll have a drink with you. You can stare at me instead.”

Cole nods. As Krem sits beside him and orders a tankard of ale, Cole realizes that perhaps he can learn what he needs to know from Krem. Krem also has longing that lies unsaid, a river of yet-to-be-requited love that hasn’t left his lips, and maybe Krem can teach Cole what he needs to know.

“You like Maryden,” Cole says.

Krem splutters his ale, then lowers his tankard and glances around the tavern before giving Cole a lopsided smile. “That’s one way to start a conversation.”

“Was that the wrong thing to say?” Cole says. “I’m sorry.”

“Nah, it’s — it’s all right. The chief warned me that you tend to jump right on in.” Krem rubs a hand over his hair, then lowers his voice. “Yeah, I like Maryden. But she doesn’t, uh… I haven’t told her.”

Cole nods; he knows that Krem hasn’t told her, and he knows the reasons why. What Cole doesn't know is what Krem is going to do about it.

And this, ultimately, is what Cole is hoping to learn by listening and watching the people in the tavern: how do you tell a person that you like them?

How, Cole wonders, do you tell a person that they have your heart?

He blinks at Krem. “When you tell her that you like her, what will you say?”

Krem scratches the back of his neck. “What makes you think I’m going to tell her?”

This is confusing. “Why wouldn’t you tell her? It’s there every time you hear her sing: melodies in a voice that feels like your heart.”

“Sure, yeah, but… but that doesn’t mean I want her to know. Not yet, at least.”

Cole nods. “When you do want her to know, how will you tell her?”

Krem laughs — a laugh that sounds a little bit like fear. “Any particular reason you’re askin’ these questions?”

“I’m scaring you,” Cole says softly. “I’m sorry. Being real is sharper than being a shadow.”

“It’s — don’t apologize, you’re not — you don’t mean to.” Krem looks around, then relaxes. “Hey, Chief! Over here.”

A second later, the Iron Bull joins them at the bar. “Hey, look what we’ve got here. Krem de la crème and the kid.” He claps them both on the shoulders. “What are you guys talking about?”

Maybe Bull can teach Cole what he needs to know. “Bull, how did you tell Dorian that you like him?”

The Iron Bull laughs — a laugh that sounds like warm thunder rolling through the summer sky. “This is what you were talking about? Me and the Vint?”

“Not exactly,” Krem hedges.

Cole answers. “I asked Krem how he will tell Maryden he likes her, but I think I scared him.”

Bull grins and elbows Krem. “And you tried to tell me you weren’t sweet on the bard.”

Krem makes a face. “C’mon, Chief, give me a break…”

“All right, all right, I’ll leave you alone for now,” Bull chuckles. “Hey, Dorian! Get over here.”

Dorian squeezes through the crowd to join them. “Yes?” he says peevishly. “Is there some reason you boorishly bellowed for my presence?”

Bull drapes an arm around Dorian’s waist. “Cole here wants to know how I told you that I like you.”

“And is there a reason you called me over here for this?” Dorian says archly.

“I want to hear your version of events, that’s why.”

Dorian sighs loudly and looks at Cole. “He directed some very inappropriate sexual innuendo at me while Varric and the Inquisitor were within earshot. The innuendo was so shockingly bad that I had a fit of temporary insanity, and I was somehow convinced — erroneously, I might add — that Bull is not, in fact, a complete and utter lummox.”

“Oh,” Cole says. “I… don’t understand.”

“Neither do I, truth be told,” Dorian says wryly. Then he elbows Bull in the ribs. “Will you stop laughing? Both of you look like you’re having fits of apoplexy.”

“Sorry, Dorian,” Krem wheezes. “It’s just — a fit of temporary insanity…” He guffaws and pounds the bar with his fist, and Cole watches in bemusement as Bull and Krem continue to roar with laughter.

Dorian sighs. “I apologize on their behalf, Cole. Did that answer your question?”

“I don’t think so,” Cole says uncertainly. He isn’t sure that anything Dorian just told him will be helpful. But maybe if Dorian answers the question about Bull, Cole might learn what he needs to know.

“How did you tell Bull that you like him?” he asks.

“Me?” Dorian says. “I — well, I didn’t tell him, exactly. I don’t think I did, at least.”

“You didn’t? Then how did he know? Did he see it with his missing eye?”

“My missing eye?” Bull asks.

“Yes. The eye you lost that isn’t really gone,” Cole explains. “It’s still there, seeing what’s hidden and hiding, seeking and storing away for later, but not spying anymore — not now that you’re your own.”

Bull raises his eyebrows. “Huh. That’s… nice to hear, actually.”

Cole nods. “How did you know that Dorian likes you?”

“Actually, Dorian’s right,” Bull says. “He didn’t need to tell me. I could tell from the way he looked at me.”

Dorian scoffs and looks away. “There’s no need to be quite so smug about it.”

“It’s not smug. It’s just the truth, big guy.”

This is very interesting to Cole. “So you can tell someone you like them by looking at them?”

Dorian makes a face. “Well, sort of. Not exactly, but sort of.”

Cole turns to Krem. “But you said looking at people makes them uncomfortable.”

“No, that’s staring,” Krem says. “Starin’ is uncomfortable. Lookin’ is all right.”

Cole nods. This is starting to make sense now. “So I should look at Lyanna, but not stare?”

“Ah-ha!” Dorian exclaims. “Now we’re getting down to it. You like our dear Inquisitor, do you?”

Bull clicks his tongue. “Don’t sound so surprised. I told you something was brewing between Cole and the boss.”

“Wait a second,” Krem interrupts. “Is that why you’ve been asking all of us how we’d tell someone we like them?”

“Yes,” Cole says. “I don’t know how to do it.”

Krem’s eyebrows come together. “But why didn’t you just say that’s what you wanted to know?”

“I did,” Cole says. “I asked how you would do it.”

Bull chuckles. “He’s got a point, Krem.”

Krem wilts in his seat. “Still, it could’ve been a little more clear…”

“I agree with Krem,” Dorian says. “Cole, you should have been more clear. I would have given you a proper answer instead of a handful of salt.”

Cole is very confused by this. “I don’t need any salt, thank you. I don’t have anything to eat.”

Bull snickers. “You’re only making it worse, kadan.”

Dorian clicks his tongue. “All right. Cole, here is what you should do: you should find out whether Lyanna likes you before you say anything.”

Bull snorts loudly. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Not at all. Why?”

“That’s the worst advice I’ve ever heard.”

“I don’t think it’s so bad,” Krem says. “It’ll be less risky that way, right?”

Bull tsks. “I had no idea you two were such cowards. Nothing risked, nothing gained, right?”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Dorian retorts. “You’ve no idea what it’s like to be humiliated. I know for a fact that rejection bounces off of you like — like, er…”

“Like rocks off of his ass,” Krem supplies.

“Yes, exactly. Wait, what?”

Bull lets out another rolling laugh. “Listen to the pair of you. You’ve gotta own up if you like someone, or you’ll explode like a gaatlok cask.”

“C’mon, Chief, what makes you such an expert on love? The qunari don’t even know what romantic love is.”

“I was Ben Hassrath, Krem. I know everything, including how to woo the ladies. And the men, clearly.”

“Vishante kaffas.”

“Now that’s kinky. Not in my usual wheelhouse, but I’m up for trying it.”

“Chief! My ears!”

“Bull, you are a nasty, depraved brute, and I can’t believe that I’m fond of you.”

“Look at you, big guy, putting your heart on your sleeve. I’m proud of you. See, Cole, that’s how it’s… wait a second. Where’s Cole?”

****************

Cole makes his way to the garden. There are still people here, still thoughts and words swirling around him in a constant ebb and flow, but it’s less confusing when Cole is outside. The thoughts rise into the air, worry and anger and sadness rising and drifting apart like smoke on the wind, and Cole feels his mind getting calmer as he walks into the garden.

He sees her, then, sitting on a stone bench by the apple trees. It’s her, Lyanna Lavellan: her hair golden like sunshine on hay, chestnut eyes warm like melted chocolate. It’s the Inquisitor, the woman he likes and hasn’t yet told, and…

And for all the time he spent in the tavern, all the watching and listening, he didn’t learn what he needs to know. He doesn’t know how to tell Lyanna that he likes her. He doesn’t know how to tell Lyanna that she has his heart.

She looks up at him, and she smiles: kindness curled across her lips like a rainbow after a storm. “Cole!” she says warmly. “Would you like to sit with me?”

He nods and takes a seat beside her on the bench. He doesn’t say anything, and neither does Lyanna, but it’s comfortable like this, comfortable in the quiet, and he hears the comfort and the contentment in her mind as they sit together side-by-side.

Then, in her soft and honeyed voice, she speaks. “Are you all right? You look a little overwhelmed.”

Cole looks at her: her delicately pointed chin, her vallaslin-encircled left eye, her warm and open smile. He looks at her and he likes her so very much, and he doesn’t know what to do.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I tried to learn, but I don’t know what to say.”

“That’s okay, Cole,” she assures him. “You don’t have to say anything.”

He nods and looks at the garden, and Lyanna looks at the garden too. They sit together side-by-side in silence, gazing at the garden as the other garden-goers’ thoughts and feelings and hopes drift and dissipate into the sweet summer air.

Then Lyanna rests her head on his shoulder.

A funny feeling blooms in his belly: a squiggle of sensation that’s not at all unpleasant. Cole sits side-by-side in the garden with Lyanna, and he’s happy.

He hasn’t yet told her that she likes him. He hasn’t yet told her that she holds his heart. But Lyanna has always seen him, even when he wasn’t yet ready to be seen, so maybe she already knows.

Maybe, Cole thinks, she might already know without him saying anything at all.

*****************

For more about Cole x Lyanna Lavellan, you can read Become Human on AO3! ~7300 words, NSFW. ���

[sunnydaisy1]

Supply cupboard

STILES STILINSKI X READER

A/N: did i watch 2 and a half seasons of teen wolf within 2 days. Yes, yes i did. Do i regret it? Absolutely not. Anyway yeah here’s this piece, the Stiles’ inspo is flowing and honestly how can it not, this man is gorgeous. Hope you enjoy! (also please if you have any thomas tmr or stiles fic recs send them my way i beg of you)

Stiles closed the door of his jeep shut, eyes meeting yours as you clambered out the passenger side."Okay here's the plan- we walk in, head to my dad's office, find the files, take photos and then get the hell outta there. I told him I was at Scott's studying and he said he was finishing with an arrest across town so we should be fine." He said and you nodded, grinning, "Simple and effective, just how I like it." Stiles winked and you both walked towards the station doors, eyes flickering around in nervousness. Stiles sauntered up to the reception, resting his forearms on the desk as he put on his charming smile. "Hiya, I left some homework in Dad's office yesterday can I just go in and grab it?" The women sitting there looked behind Stiles, raising her eyebrows at me before returning her steady gaze back on the freckled boy. I tried to give her my most innocent and angelic smile whilst Stiles replied. "Oh..uh y/n and I are studying together today." She narrowed her eyes at him, "Be quick Stiles." He grinned at her and slapped the desk, "Thanks!" before grabbing your hand and tugging you in the direction of the Sheriff's office. Stiles let go of your hand when you entered the room, instantly searching amongst the piles of paperwork on his Dad's desk for the correct files about the recent murders. You busied yourself with searching through the papers in the cabinet, heart pounding against your ribcage as you scanned each manila file. "Ah!" Stiles exclaimed and you walked over, watching as he pulled out his phone to take photos of the documents he uncovered. A loud pair of footsteps sounded down the hall, heading in your direction and you both looked up at each other simultaneously, eyes wide with fear. "Stiles quick put them back!" You whispered, helping him to shove the pages back into somewhat of a pile. "The supply cupboard come on y/n!" He whisper-yelled at you, pushing you towards the tiny cupboard in the small room joined to his father's office. Stiles tugged the cupboard door shut, peeking down at you in the darkened light. "Do you think he saw us?" He asked, soft breath fanning over your face as you faced him, chests pressing up against each other. "No but he'll hear us if you don't shut up." You stated, pressing forward into Stiles a bit more as a large metal basket dug into your back. At that moment, you watched through the grate at the top of the door as one of the officers placed some paperwork onto the Sheriff's desk. You both held your breaths, watching in anticipation as the officer glanced at his watch before walking back out again, letting you exhale in relief. "Stiles dude stop poking me." You whispered, nudging the flannel-clad boy in annoyance. Stiles furrowed his dark eyebrows, confusion clouding his face, "what? i'm not doing anything." Both your gazes dropped at the same time, before flicking back up to each other. Stiles shifted his feet in embrassment, his face visibly burning red even in the dark lighting of the cupboard. He scratched the back of his neck, trying to formulate some words in his brain, when you giggle, clasping a hand over your mouth to muffle the laughter. Stiles shoots you a look, "I can't help it y/n stop laughing!" You grin up at him, "Really Stiles, I'm flattered, honestly. But as much as your dick is enjoying this situation, I however am not. So let's get the hell out of here before..." At that second, the cupboard door was wrenched open, revealing a fuming Sheriff, hands on his hips. "Oh..hi Dad." Stiles says, giving the man a salute. "What the hell do you two think you are doing in here?" The older man asks, hard gaze flicking between his son and cringing companion. "Just getting some uh...paperclips." You state, reaching behind Stiles to grab a pot of metal paperclips by his shoulders. Stiles grins at his Dad, nodding, "for the uh english project we got set today." The pair of you walk out the cupboard, Stiles holding a pack of paper in front of his crotch, tapping his feet on the carpet acting totally inconspicuous. The Sheriff glances down at his son before his eyes flick to the ceiling, seemingly asking for help. "I don't even want to know." He states before turning his gaze on you. "Y/N, considering that I still somehow think you're the more normal one in whatever this is." He gestures roughly in your's and Stiles' area. "Could you please take my son home before I strangle the pair of you." You grin cheekily up at Noah, "Sure thing Sheriff." You walk back into his office, tugging Stiles who was stood close behind you, pack of paper still held in place. "Leave the paperclips on my desk y/n." Stiles' Dad announces, and you sheepishly place them on the wooden surface. "Stiles. That means the paper too." The freckled teen glances at you before clearing his throat and awkardly placing the paper next to the pot of clips, not turning around to meet his father's eyes. You place yourself in front of Stiles slightly, pushing him behind you as you both slowly head out the room. "Absolutely lovely to see you again Sheriff, great pleasure, really was." You ramble, before the pair of you speed walk back down the corridor and out the station, faces similarly wincing in embarassment. Once you are back in Stiles' jeep and he is pulling out the parking lot, you burst into laughter, reflecting back on the situation that just occured. "Hey, totally not funny y/n. I think I just mentally scarred my father for life." Stiles' says, his own lips twitching up into a smile despite his words.