#sometimes i just get excited about a fic and ramble on. oops. sorry not sorry.

[powerfultenderness]

ah! i adore this!

the world building is so much fun! i loooove faeries and fae magic! so i love that the princess is a skilled magic user and student! unable to hide her thirst for knowledge even in her disguise! the princess posing as a commoner was giving me a touch of princess jasmine vibes, but a little reversed when the princess slips up and says something könig associates with his squire that makes him pause. (and what an lol moment as she tries to cover it up, "it's a common saying!").

i also really like the friendships between the "squire" and König, the princess and König, and even the princess and kruger. i always love me some kruger, and him making crude, but funny, sexual jokes would definitely have me laughing. not in a cute 'tee hee' lady kind of way, more of the snorting scoff, but i have a feeling that's just the kind of response he's looking for! if only könig weren't around, he'd stand way more of a chance lol!

and könig similarly, though far less crudely, jokes with the princess in a way that shows just how familiar/close they are! "kindly piss off" and their whole flirty dance scene! ("lady killer -> i have killed no ladies!"🤣) So, i get the feeling that both men aren't so skittishly proper around her because she's not some dainty just come into her age 20 year old princess. it's implied that neither would be so familiar with her around her father or company, but they still treat her like a real person when they are alone with her! and as someone who is, ahem, let's say on the older side of this fandom, i am sooo happy to see a Reader character that's older, but also her age is not seen as anything of note (no one, not even herself, calling her a spinster or an old maid, or telling her she should be married with children already. in fact, it all seems very normal!)

"Preside over him as much as you can and you will be grateful and rewarded." never doubt the fae, and what a reward! 🤭 ahaha, but for real, the love confession was so cute! könig going to his squire, who he thinks hasn't even started dating lol, for advice! 😆

omg, könig's dirty talk getting sweet! "Can't believe you feel this fucking good. All our b-banter, our back and forth for this to turn into true love. I love you princess." he's such a simp, i love him! that + what he said at the dance, that he will not/has not attached his name to any other maiden! ah! könig completely and utterly in love is so good!

-oh! and könig only realizing that she kept some of her facial features through her glamour! i would like to imagine when she first came up with the disguise that people were a little confused why könig, the biggest and strongest knight in KorTac, allowed such a bookish boy to squire for him. and könig shrugging like, "there's just something about him that i like."

Another truly wonderful fic! ❤️

Rewarded

Fandom: Call of Duty/ Fantasy AU Pairing: Knight!König x Princess!Female reader Summary: You've been living a double life to get close to the kingdom's blood Knight. Length: Long Warnings: NSFW 18+ ONLY, L-bomb, friends to lovers, pining, magic, p in v, creampie, smut.

"Squire! Where the devils are you?"

You came running through the stables, your cloak, cardinal red flowed and swirled around your form. You nearly tripped over a bucket, dust and manure kicking up behind you. Maybe you would have reached your destination more swiftly had you not been carrying that book about.

"I say, squire!"

You stopped just short of your Knight, only bumping just slightly into his polished armor. You had done quite the job this morn! You could make out your own reflection in the metal breast plate or rather the reflection you had created.

"I am here sire. I made great haste through the halls but to no avail I am proven to be late once more." Your knight, the one you bet on every joust, a victor, a champion merely looked down at your presence. What König saw was a scrawny squire boy, moppy hair, holes along the thighs of your leggings, boots a size too big and shrouded by a far too portly cloak. The complete opposite of your true identify.

"You need to put that brain rot away, where it belongs. In the catacombs, in the libraries, down in the archives and not in the stables, boy!" König tsked you through his helmet, only enough room to see his gorgeous blue eyes sparkle behind them. One this occasion he had smeared some coal along his face, making the two orbs stand out like stars in the night sky.

You had often wondered what that would be like, oh how you enjoyed his company! To lay beneath the stars out in the mossy valley, just you and your knight, enjoying the silence. Counting stars, making out constellations. Sharing knowledge. Passing the time. He might even one day choose to hold your hand in the misty dark.

"But it not just some tome, sire! Theses are ancient texts, a forgotten language that I refuse to let drift along like wood in the river. Someone took the time to write all of this down, is it not in favor of knowledge to not let that die on deaf ears?"

"You think too much for such a squire. Come now, put that down and help me."

"But sire--"

"Oh no, boy! Not that 'knowledge before the blade' stuff again. Just do as you are told."

You did not wish to set the book down on some filthy hay, König's pride and joy of a black and grey speckled horse, Sapphire, had recently relieved herself on, you kicked over a half full buck and set it down.

"Aye 'ave you been in here long?" The captain, John Price announced with his booming voice into the stables. It never failed to make you jump, stepping on the armored foot of the Knight. He toked on a cigar from some other realm, it smelled sickly sweet it made your nose twitch.

"Yes sir, all evening, why?"

"The princess… she is feared missing. Again. The king of course has asked me to keep it quiet but I thought maybe she were out here with you." John gave you a sneering look as you kicked around some dirt.

"Nay. And why should the princess be out here with the likes of me, then?" König retorted.

He gave you a bump when he heard you curse in the presence of the captain.

You knew why he'd asked, König did as well. It is simply because--

"You two are well aquatinted. Everyone in the kingdom knows that! If she were not lusted after by suitors here or in the next realm, courted by Sebastian Kruger himself but you did not hear such from me, I would say she would on your arm, no?" Price chuckled out plumes of smoke.

"Hardly. We are merely friends. And no, I have not seen her grace."

"Very well. The scouts will be looking over the grounds, if you see her, let her know she is requested to the box."

While they chatted about the celebratory joust, being small and hidden, were able to slink away. An empty stable, no prying eyes, you revealed yourself in the corner. You whisked off the glamour magic that had made you König's squire boy. Rounding your bare shoulders, holes were daintily carved out in a wave like design that carried across your chest. Embroidery details of flowers and leaves sewn delicately through the sheer puffy sleeves.

With your head held high, you hurried out of said stable, outside of them truly, and feigned your innocence. You even hummed a little tune as you passed by, loud enough for if not one but both were to hear, to keep your secret hidden.

"Aye! My lady Y/N, where have you been?" Price barked and proceeded to bow as you made your way back to these men as if you were not just there moments ago.

"My dear captain, is it illegal for me to strut about my own kingdom? Since when?"

"That is not what I meant, I-I merely was concerned for your well being. Foreigners have been known to steal royalty at such large events. Held ransom or far worse, my dear."

"And you think the great König would have allowed that?" You scoffed, leaning an arm onto König's shoulder like a foothold. The gentle rattle of his armor was cool against your sheer sleeves. "I think not sir. I was just strolling about, enjoying the days warmth and as you can see, no harm fell on me."

"Very well," Price announced, hiding his cigar from your dress. "When you are finished here, Sebastian will be waiting for you in the box. Good luck König."

"Yes, König," you taunt, playfully of course. This double life thing was getting quite tiresome but this was the bed you made and you must lay in it. "Very good luck."

"Have you already placed your bets, my lady?" König asked, banter in his voice as well as he stroked Sapphire's tidy mane.

"First thing I did this morning!" actually the first thing you did this morning was use a bit of magic, not too much to be suspicious but enough to polish the armor the big man before donned. "You know I always bet on you."

"Ah! My biggest supporter, really."

"Ha! All of the kingdom adore you König, and you know it." You clasped your hands in front of you, testing him to see if he'd cave and look down at your cleavage. "Where is your squire? he has left his book."

"That old thing, I should just let Sapphire piss all over it. More harm than good that thing. He most likely tore out of here in a frenzy, terrified of Price."

"König! You take that back at once, if the boy has a hobby, let him have it. Lord know he needs something to deal with the likes of you all damn day!"

"I mean this in the nicest of ways dear princess, but kindly, piss off." You snorted when he tripped against the stool, bending over and righting it for him so he could properly mount Sapphire. This time you did in fact catch him peeking. Blue eyes on yours quickly thereafter.

"As you wish sir," you curtsied and just before you swayed away from the stables, you grabbed up the book. "For safe keeping of course."

"Of course, princess."

….

"Whose he up against again?" Sebastian asked next to you, over the roar of the crowd. His breath already reeking of wine.

"Keegan. USMC's finest knight. Did you not see the bulletin when you arrived two days prior?"

"Guess I was too concerned about getting between my princesses legs." You whacked him arm, your father was nearby and heaven forbid he find out you are sleeping with the potential enemy, or that you were no longer pure. Might send him into an early grave.

The truth was you hadn't slept with the man beside you, flirted with the idea, but then he would say something most fowl and you couldn't help but pray your father might put you out of your misery and have the man exiled from the kingdom.

"Watch your tongue, Sebastian. You do know I can order it cut from your face, correct?"

"Would you continue to use it?"

"You are a sick man, Kruger. Ugh."

Everyone was finally settling down for the joust, your countrymen across from you shouting jeers and the dislike for your Knight, vice versa. It was all fun and games until someone had a little too much, lost in their cups, sheets to the wind and made the wrong choice. They'd end up sleeping it off that next day in the stocks if not worse depending.

All that mattered was the book safely hidden under your seat and that König would turn to be the victor, to receive a kiss upon his helm.

Sapphire soon set the scene, prancing out on the left side of the course, shaking her mane, swishing her tail, stomping her hooves into the sand. König held up his arm, his decorated lance, to the cheering crowd. As he did his first lap around, he had Sapphire stop in front of your box and curtsey, König even tipped an imaginary hat to you.

Keegan did the same, one lap and a show of grace and gratitude.

"Who do you suppose--"

"König never fails me."

It was true. Almost as if by some divine luck did König always win once you began betting on the man. You'd watch from your fathers' box until you were old enough to get your own, years now, close in proximity of course, had to remind you not to shout too loudly, that it wasn't very ladylike. You spat at that remark. A lady can choose whatever she does. The tantrums you would throw about hearing conversations of betrothment, sent off or given to some ugly prince or old king. Blegh. The thought of being touched made your blood boil, it was bad enough Sebastian thought you might lay with.

Bundling or bare. Yuck.

One might think, by your words, that you had used your magic to keep the score, keep him on the winning list of things but this was all König. You were told he was special. The faeries told you so one evening in the veranda, making their little mushroom circle so they could live lavishly, dancing about like fire flies.

"You know of König? the blood Knight, yes?"

"Of course."

"He is very special, not only to you but to all the realm, all who look upon him. See that he is looked after. Cared for, loved and he shall return it ten fold!"

"I am not going to use a spell or curse him."

"No no, princess. Not like that. How would nurse a kitten back to health? with time and care, patience. Preside over him as much as you can and you will be grateful and rewarded."

Their high pitch whispers in your ear tingled the hairs on your arms and neck. The little fae never left your garden, had been there before you were even thought of all those years ago, let alone how would they know about König?

And he did not fail yet again this night. The clashing of lance to chest plate, the crowd, the roar and grunts of pounding steeds and hooves in sand. The excitement, the adrenaline of watching two brutes joust and beat each other back and forth for all its' worth. All the praise, to be champion. All the spoils to the victor. Keegan was a dear friend and ally, all was not lost after the battle. Armor a bit dented, but nothing too serious. No wooden pieces had been lodged anywhere tender.

König trotted Sapphire towards your box and you made your way down the little steps, leaning over the balcony and looked straight into his eyes. They were on fire. He radiated heat and exhaustion.

You put your hands on his pauldrons and leaned in close.

"You fought valiantly, you are rewarded kindly." You kissed both sides of his helmet, lingering a bit on the second one as you could smell his aroma, distinctly König with added sweat of course. Bergamot, red currants, burning wood, hay; divine. "My blood Knight."

Sapphire even allowed a little snout pat before trotting off.

….

"Should I be worrisome, child?" Your father asks of you, as you lay in bed lipping through the pages of the book. He does not care much for your reading habits, most unbecoming of a young lady even though you are closer an age to König than most of the gentry women you surround yourself with. They are of the season, supple and willing to marry old wealth, put up with splotched hands on smooth skin, made some slave woman of her own name in a locked away tower somewhere. You've heard the horrors, seen the terrors. It is not pretty.

"Of what now, father?" You ask without even looking up.

"Of your friendship with the blood Knight," your father paced the length of you room, settling himself out on to the balcony, hands drawn and clasped behind his back. With a sigh you will your legs to move, to bookmark the page and get up. "Are you two… meaning to be more than friends?"

"Father please. König and I are truthfully platonic," you pat his shoulder with a genuine smile, even though behind your eyes and heart you wished nothing more than to be his beloved. "He cares for winning jousts as much as I. A true KorTac champion, yes? A real Knight."

"I suppose your are quite right, I just… I get the feeling there is something there and I do not know if I wish it to be true, someone to look after you once I am gone, well taken care of, loved. I do know you spend some time with Sabastian, supervised of course, to each their own child, I just do not care for his arrogance and stature."

"His stature?"

"He boasts himself too much, puts on airs. Is most embarrassing I must say."

"Agreed! Truth is father, if I were to be presented to someone for marriage I would gladly take König's hand any day."

"As friends?"

"As friends."

….

That was a lie but you did not wish to rush your father off to an early grave, if he knew your true intentions with your Knight. You would spend hours, disguised as his squire boy, listening to him rant and retell you stories of his valor, fighting off ogres at the outer wall of your kingdom. How he'd gained the trust of the elves, the way they taught him a few choice words over roast fowl and freshly caught fish. How the fire breathers danced in the moonlight, when he saved the life of several children from a dragon. He had the scales of the fallen beast sewn into his chainmail for added protection.

Not only did you want to watch the stars with König, some nights you would cast out magical hearts along your ceiling as you wished he would make you see them. Oh to be underneath him, you thought with a sigh, to see his face for the first time, to touch him, to kiss him. Maybe a true loves kiss if the faeries were correct.

"Preside over him as much as you can and you will be grateful and rewarded."

The ballroom is filled with jovial voices, sober until the actual dance begins. Sheathed swords line the walls, of all sizes, your kingdoms banners flow and move against the high ceilings. Other knights stop by your throne and bow their heads before moving on to get a drink, or something to nibble on. Which is what you are doing, quietly of course, cant be seen as royalty with spinach in your teeth now can you?

"Your grace, will you be joining me along the dance floor this evening?" Kruger suddenly popped up, he always does that, he' so slinky. Quiet as the field mice you used to catch when you were small.

"Must I?"

"I would appreciate one dance before I go to the wall, pray tell who knows how long I shall be without your beauty this time."

Forever, you grumbled to yourself and covered your mouth with a fake smile. "One dance."

"One time is all I need, princess."

Gowns of gold and greens, blue patterns woven into the busts, everyone was buzzing about, König's repeat victory, who was going to be wed at the beginning of the season, bets on who would be in the stocks come next morning.

A round of applause erupted and you need not guess who its' praise was for. He towered over everyone here he might as well be an elf. He waved and bowed to everyone, Keegan following suit, getting his own set of admirers. Some flouncy women would be joining him this evening no doubt to soothe his loss.

"Do you think you could handle that much attention, my dear? All eyes would be on you as well if you were to wed the blood knight."

Your father said next to you, a goblet in hand as he watched you watch König do his tour about the ballroom.

"I don't mind. I am not jealous, father. He can do as he pleases, go where he is needed most, helpful as long as he comes home to me in one piece."

"Well… Kruger will be displeased to hear it."

"Pfft, I do not care what the likes of Sebastian Kruger have to say. He is most, annoying is to put it lightly."

"Agreed."

The music is as light as the conversations as you dance a round with Sebastian, he's easy to move with. You've danced with him before, when you caught his eye apparently. He'd been trying to get your attention, bringing you blood stained trinkets in exchange for your affections. You weren't buying it and when he wasn't looking you'd toss them into some bushes with a roll of your eyes.

He suggested another dance when the orchestra faded out into a newer song and thankfully you didn't have to turn him down as you two bumped into König.

"Afraid not friend, this one is for me."

Kruger slunk away, giving you a bow as it would be highly inappropriate to argue with the winner of the nights' champion. It didn't help how König had said for me. You would ride that high for weeks, surely.

"You did save a dance for me didn't you, princess?"

He'd cleaned up, lighter gear of course, different helmet too. He'd even scrubbed off the coal, though his eyes were still just as bright and clear. He bowed.

"Several in fact, my knight." You also bowed and got into position, holding onto his armored body, you began to move about the room. "Have you already danced with some fellow maidens? Am I slim pickings?"

"Ha! I did not know you were suddenly a jester, my lady!" König chuckled behind his helmet, fingers intertwined with your own as he turned to spin you out only to bring you back in with your back to his chest. "Maybe you should start wearing one of those hats as well."

"Oh please, König. I know you are what the youths call a lady killer."

"I shall have you know, your grace, I have never killed a woman in my life!"

"Not seriously, you oaf."

He shook his head at you as you continued to dance, another song melted into the next and you thought he would bid you good night but instead insisted, begged for another dance. Who were you to object to his request? Plus he was warm and playful and you didn't have to pretend, using magic to be this close to him.

"You did not answer my query?" You pulled your body closer, leaning up against his armor, a blur of your reflection caught in the chest plate.

"Nein my lady, I do believe I only have enough energy to keep up with thee."

"You mean your name will not be attached to any maiden but myself?"

"That is correct. Should I use force and bring out my dagger, make it a point to the kingdom that I dare court the princess after a joust? Say the words and I shall." He joked and spun you, making you dip your head back.

"Oh König, you know I am a firm believer of knowledge before the blade."

He stilled for a moment, looking at you with earnest blue eyes. You were about to inquire what was suddenly the matter when it dawned on you what you had just exclaimed.

"I beg your pardon…. I did in fact not know that about you."

You flustered and shrugged as the other dancers proceeded to swell and dance around your still forms. "I uh, it is a common phrasing, is it not? One should be skilled in both, I am sure your squire would not mind giving you a tour in the archives. Should you pull out your blade you may as well bring out your quill as well." You tried to cover your tracks, it seemed to work as he was swaying a bit, getting into the groove of the dance once more.

"I suppose so. I have only heard my squire say such is all. And what shall I learn down there, hmm?"

"Perhaps the art of properly courting."

"Ouch! Oh how you wound me, a dagger to my side. That means I shall have to try harder to impress you then, princess. And I will."

….

You had been down in the libraries all evening, getting permission from König to do some light reading which of course meant you were pouring over that big book. The choice words, the incantations and spells were incredible. Written in a form you had you use your own magic to decipher, it took a few tries to figure out the meanings. Why were they written in the first place? If you know the casts, why keep them locked and in this two clasp book? If you are born of magic, like yourself, you would already have the knowledge, already gifted just needed to harness and control it.

You bit into your thumb while you deciphered the words in the air above you, kicked back, rocking dangerously on the back two legs of your chair.

Just then the doors burst open loudly, others studying shooshed the intruder and you could hear the clank of armored boots. Hurriedly you put the words back into the book just in case.

"Squire! There you are."

"Well yes sire, you told me I could study today."

"I think I have made a grave mistake."

"What have you done?" You asked and brought the chair back to its' original position.

He clanked and pulled out another chair, seating himself next to you, his helmet is in hands. "How old are you lad? Maybe fifteen?"

"I am all of sixteen, sire." Which is a complete farce as you are about double that, give or take a few months. "Why?"

"I figured. You have not yet begun courting young maidens. Do not follow my example as I made an absolute baffoon of myself last night at the ball. I did not mean to admit hidden feelings but I did so freely! How can I court her? What if she thinks I jest too much, I know how much she humors me with her wit but for the sake of my name and title, what shall I do?"

You looked confused. "Who did you make a mockery in front of? I did not see any such act. Was this behind closed doors?" Saliva had pooled in your mouth, had he admitted his admiration to some other beauty after your dances last night? Had you been actual slim pickings? Was he trying his best not to crush your feelings?

"You were there last night? Well my eyes were elsewhere I suppose. The princess, what must she think of me now? I dare not show my face to her. Well, you know what I mean, boy. I was in such a jovial mood I let my feelings out of their cage and for what? She is probably laughing about it with her friends. If word gets out--"

"What did you say to her, sire that would leave you in such a state?"

"I told her in not so many words that I plan on courting her! Impressing her! Showing off as if I have not been in love with her for years, how foolish of me, squire. What was I thinking? Jousting I can do with my eyes closed, protect the kingdom, no problem. Man the wall with the other Knights, tell me when and where. Battle, I have been to plenty and fought valiantly to see another day, clearly. But love, squire? I am but a pest." He clunked his helmet down on the long table.

You winced as you bit your tongue, watching your blood Knight pound his fist as if he were just a boy the age you were glamourized as. Not the recognized Knight all of Kortac and the surrounding realms and kingdoms knew of. He was in love with you? How dreadful it must've been to watch Kruger try to impress you, expressing himself with gestures.

"Sire, maybe this is not the best place to have this conversation," you shakily say, looking about the other knowledge seekers who were giving you two a dirty look. "Maybe your chambers?"

With a huff he lifted his heavy head and looked at you. "I suppose you are right, boy."

You felt incredibly small here, alone, with your Knight. His room was massive, tools of the trade, several sets of armor on display. Swords, some chipped from battle hung up above his bed in display, he did have a book or two set aside but their slipcovers looked a tad dusty. His bed was large and draped with several blankets, fluffed pillows too.

He sat at his desk, taking off his gloves and tapped where his mouth would be. "What should I do squire? What young man knowledge can you share with me if any?"

"I'm afraid I am not the right one to ask, um would you mind closing your eyes for a moment?" You held your hands behind your back, rocking on the balls of your feet.

"No funny business, or I'll take off your nose."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Just humor me a moment."

"Fine fine."

König sighed and shut his visor, you rubbed your hands together as you normal did to conjure up some magic. You took your time to reveal yourself, from the prickling, silly feeling at the crown of your skull to the ends of your feet, shimmering and fading away like balls of sand. Long gone was the boyish façade of leggings and a tattered cloak, replaced by your clean skin and dress.

"They don't have knowledge to share, but I do." Your voice came through and instantly König snapped his visor open and stood. "What are you doing here, my lady? Where is my squire? He was just here… are you in league with him?" König looked around his room, moving about, looking behind curtains, opening cupboards and closets, even the trunk at the end of his bed. Beneath it. Looking for a ghost with no name.

"I've been lying to you, König. It was the only way."

"The only way for what?" He said peeling back the curtains from his window again just to be certain.

Words bloomed and died on your tongue several times over before you finally came up with, "It was the only way I could get close to you unsupervised. No lady in waiting, no escort."

"What sort of trickery is this? Where is my squire, princess? He's here somewhere."

"I am your squire!"

"Prove yourself." He said and paused, waiting, standing still.

With a wave of your hand you transformed into his young apprentice, shock in his eyes. "See. I have been using glamour magic to conceal the truth, the faeries told me you are special and that I should look over you. I would be rewarded if I did and all that was was just an excuse to further our relationship."

"Why? Why go through the trouble?" He asked after being very visibly shocked that you were two in the same, one person, same thoughts, same actions. He came around the bed and looked down at you fumbling with your jewelry, twisting your rings, messing with your necklace. "I am just a Knight."

"Nein. You are not just some Knight König, you are my Knight and I am over the moon in love with you." You answered with a shrug when you changed back. "There was nothing to stop me."

"You love me?" König's voice wavered, on the very knifes edge of sounding accusatory. "Truly?"

"Incredibly so."

He inhaled deeply and walked past you, leaving you to look out one of his windows, you padded your way over to the high glass pane. KorTac was bustling, moving like ants in their hills and nests. Tears welled in your eyes when you did not hear him any further, left to sulk in your own dismay.

You had lied to him, pretended to be someone else entirely. Tempted to use magic, to quell your sorrow, maybe conjure up a storm so everyone know how pained you were in this moment. You may have lost him for good. You knew how filthy he thought liars were. Even if you did care for the Knight, your actions spoke volumes. Tomes the size of that book you so cleaved.

The door to his chamber creaked open, you couldn't hear his armor but instead came heavy footfalls followed by the locking of the door. "Do you mean it? The care you have for me? It is true?" His voice sounded different.

"Of course I mean it." You wiped at your eyes, tears had clumped your lashes together as you watch two little girls skip through the market below.

His footsteps pounded the floor, his hands rested on your shoulders and for the briefest of seconds, you caught his face in the glass of the window. You gasped.

"What are you doing?"

"If what you say is honest and true, turn around and face me."

You did, turning around you rocked on your feet seeing his bare face. The shape of his jaw, the curve of his lips and the bridge of his nose. All is revealed. He even smiled a little.

"You are handsome, no wonder you cover your face. Everyone would either wish to be you or to have sex with you!"

König snorted into a laugh. "Well thank you my lady, I have been called many things but handsome is not one of them." He smiled again, wider this time. "I can't believe I didn't realize it was you all this time, you kept your eyes and nose the same."

"I'm glad you didn't, I would be in quite some trouble."

"Certainly," König hummed and touched your face with the back of his hand, he'd never touched you like this before. He thumbs over your bottom lip and chin, tilting up your grinning face. "You are a very naughty girl. You have witnessed me shirtless on quite a few occasions over these last several months. Unchaperoned. How scandalous! And to think every time you went missing you were really with me."

"I was not complaining."

"Nein nein, my squire would do no such thing."

….

The first round of kisses were light and sweet, a hint of some sort of berry slipped into your mouth when he licked inside. His hands in your hair, cupping your face, holding your neck, ghosting over your collar as he wrapped you up in his arms.

It didn't feel strange or out of place when you pulled at the strings of your gown, letting it loosen around your shoulders before letting the garment pool around your feet. You stepped out of your flats, climbing on to his lap. The way his shift moved against your bare skin sent shivers up your back.

His large hands, used to battle and action, calloused and laced with past encounters felt warm against your back as he rocked you, laying back when you pushed at his chest.

"Are you in control, princess? Shall I give up all resolve?"

You only smirked and laid across him, brushing some stray strands of his hair behind his ear. "If you love me you will you let me."

"I would let you do unholy things to me." König admitted, tucking his hands behind his head as you moved down his form, lifting his shirt and mouthing over the skin you found in your wake. A large bruised on his ribs were nursed by your lips, kissing over the tapestry of scars that made him. He took it off soon after, helping you take off his trousers as well.

You stilled your hand above his groin, feeling the heat radiate off his conditioned body.

"Do I have your allowance?"

"You have every permission, princess."

You were overly full when you rose to fit him inside your cunt, already as mess of arousal. The noise he made when you sat, taking all of his length at your speed was incredible. You desperately needed to hear it, more of it. Apparently for König as well as he let out more sighs and moans of pleasure, grabbing your rocking hips and rolled you over with a hrmph.

He hissed through his teeth, "I can't take much more of that pace I'm afraid, my lady."

"Eager to fill me are you Knight?" You giggled, feeling him twitch inside you, he bent down and framed your head with his hands, pining your wrists to the bed.

"All night if you let me."

"Like you said," you leaned up and kisses him hard, flexing your hands. "I would let you do unholy acts to me."

That motivation is what got you pinned and fucked more than once that night. His thick cock slipping through your folds as if you were made for each other, he fit so snuggly. Your pussy trapped him, the praises he sang in your honor. How you sobbed his name when he thrusted into you, moving his hips as if he were riding Sapphire. The reverb of the meat of your ass when he finally rolled you over for a second round, bouncing and reveling in the way König's voice sounded almost watery against your ear.

I love you's in between sloppy kisses, the sharp pinch of teeth on flesh. You couldn't get enough. Yes your Knight was inside you, both of you moving as one, connected. Attached. The look in his eyes when he'd pull his cock out slowly only to push it back into your spongy, wet walls. You moved up the bed, the wood of the headboard bouncing gently with his thrusts.

"You are a naughty princess, haven't even properly courted you yet and here you are, balls fucking deep."

"Keep it up my love, you will cum for me once more."

"Can't believe you feel this fucking good. All our b-banter, our back and forth for this to turn into true love. I love you princess."

König held your throat while you rode him, moaning his name, scratching your nails down his arms. You leaned down, burrowing your face into this side of his sweaty neck, on instinct you licked some of it, delighted by König's groan and grab to your hip, you bit down, sucking on him.

You came again, holding on to him tight, the feeling of him bucking up into you, matching push and pull with a chase to climax together once more. You were already sticky, already filled up three times, as round after round had you two on the edge.

"One more princess, one more time for your Knight." König purred after digging his free hand into your hair, keeping you at his neck.

"I don't think I can! I am empty." You whined but kept fucking him.

"Nonsense princess, you are simply filled with me. Load after load you have taken. I am addicted to this pleasure you have wrought out of me."

It was then that you straightened up, leaning back enough to rub at your bundle of nerves, swollen still, dripping wet with hidden activities. König enjoyed the look of what you were doing to yourself, holding onto one of your breasts as you rubbed yourself faster, König could not take his eyes away.

"König please…. bitte I can't… I can't last… I'm--"

"I know it I know it, my love. I can feel you shaking, let it out for me bitte. Then we rest."

You felt it building up, your heart pounding in your chest, exhausted and incredibly satisfied. You could even hear how wet you were, how messy your pussy could sound. Messy with his cum and your arousal, thinking of yourself roaming your kingdom with his seed dripping down your unseen legs got you there. You toppled over, a fresh release of wetness and you were done for.

"One. Last. Time."

Slain by your own hand.

"Bless you princess, I knew you could do it." König groaned, finishing inside you for the fourth time, you were sure he was the empty one now. The morning light shone through his windows as you both laid there, holding hands and catching your breaths.

You laughed into his shoulder, sore but in the best and earned way possible. He kissed your forehead and tucked into your side. You were glad that you had listened to the fae, because you were clearly grateful and rewarded.

Tagging: @powerfultenderness @nepomami

[miniimight]

I need more dad Sukuna and mom reader fics / headcsnons, I love the way you wrote for them!!

hey anon thank you! i'm thinking about making this a series, if you guys have any ideas/requests/prompts lmk <3

PICKING UP BABY FROM SCHOOL oops, toddlers can't ride motorcyles! (dad!sukuna x mom!reader)

sukuna rolled up about twenty minutes before his daughter's school got out, deploying the kickstand of his pitch black motorcycle against the rainbow colored fencing. he pulled off his helmet, sighing deeply when he met fresh air again.

his phone buzzed against his thigh. he pulled it out of his tight cargo pocket, answering immediately when he saw your caller ID. "hey, doll."

"you got there okay?" you asked.

"mhm."

"and you're on the right side of the building? that's where her class comes out."

"mhm."

"great." you exhaled. "m'sorry i couldn't make it this time—"

"stop." he says gruffly, his phone between his shoulder and ear as he pulls off his gloves. "what are you sorry for, silly girl? you're sick and should rest."

he doesn't mind anything when it comes to his two girls, not the fifteen minute commute to her school or the half hour of waiting just to get a parking spot nice and close to the doors.

your laugh was warbled over the phone. "at least the car is air conditioned. it's been getting warmer lately."

"..." he looked down at his bike.

"ryo, baby?" you hummed.

"hm?"

"you did take the car, right?"

"..."

his silence was all you needed to hear. he tuned out your worried rambling about how the hell is your daughter going to get home on that thing in order to process. toddlers don't usually use motorcycles as a mode of transportation... and he should've thought of this before!

"it'd be fine if i had an extra seat." he mused, debating on how he could manage this situation without having to call you to get them.

"an extra seat?! not even an extra helmet?" you shrieked. "baby, i swear, if you're actually thinking about driving with my baby girl on that thing—"

"relax, doll," he grumbled, pushing down the traces of embarrassment burning at his ears. "the brat will be fine, s'just a couple blocks away. she can handle the wind."

"..."

the bell rang and the doors swung open, children pouring out of the hallway and buzzing around in search of their parents.

"she's out, we'll see you soon." he was about to hang up when he heard,

"i'm literally about to come get you, do NOT go anywhere."

he frowns, his eyes scouring the crowd of midgets for his kid. he didn't mean to make you so upset and worried. he just... overlooked important details sometimes. not his fault, he's trying his best :(

"y/n, you will sit your ass down in bed. when i come home, you better be laying down exactly how i left you." he warned. he heard your breath hitch. "you trust me, don't you, baby?"

"yes... unfortunately."

he nodded. "we'll be home soon."

"in one piece?"

he rolled his eyes, grumbling. "yes, woman."

"hm." you huffed and hung up.

he strolled into the compound. as soon as he saw those pretty eyes that creased happily when they landed on him, he smiled and crouched down.

she ran over to him, her backpack jostling behind her. she held up a painting she made. "daddy, look!"

"i see." he pulled her closer, holding the backpack off her back and letting her walk off it. he slung the bedazzled bratz backpack over his shoulder, lifting her up in his arms. "what is it?"

"for mama."

"oh. all your crafts seem to be for mama. still nothing for me." he complained with a drawn out sigh.

she rolled her eyes, and he swore he was looking at you for a second.

"don't roll your eyes at me, brat." he scoffed. "who the hell even taught you that?" he muttered under his breath.

sukuna finally stopped in front of his bike. her eyes lit up as her legs started to kick in excitement. she's only ever seen daddy ride off on this thing, now she gets to ride with him?

he swung his leg over the bike, ignoring the mix of distasteful and flirtatious looks thrown at him. "okay, kid." he exhaled, shrugging off his jacket and holding it up to her. "gotta put this on."

she turned up her nose. "stinky."

his jaw dropped open. "i showered before i came to wait half an hour for you, chubby brat. the hell do you think you're talking to?"

she looked at him as if it were obvious.

"you'll put this on now. give me mama's painting, i'll put it in your bag." he said gruffly yet gently slid the painting into her backpack with the utmost care.

the jacket drowned her, the sleeves near triple the length of her arms. sukuna zipped her up and put the helmet on her head.

she started to whine. "stinky." she wailed.

"hush." he hissed, slapping some shades on and holding her towards her chest firmly. with her protected as best as he could with what he had, and with the jeweled backpack strapped to his back, he began to roll out into the road.

that drive home was the longest thirty minutes of his life. he had never drove so slow before.

you were waiting by the front door, running down to meet them as your husband pulled into the driveway.

"oh my god oh my god," you ripped your baby from his arms, tossing the helmet off her head. "are you okay, baby?" you smoothed away the sweaty hair from her face, your lips pursing when you hear her sniffles.

"my poor baby. daddy's never gonna pick you up again, don't you worry." you peppered her face with kisses.

sukuna caught the helmet before it crashed to the ground, walking behind you with his hands in his pockets. he kissed your temple as he leaned over your shoulder to peer down at his daughter. "daddy didn't do so bad."

you glare at him, cradling your daughter's head against your chest. you whirl away and storm into the house.

he sighed.

after many apologetic kisses and a good amount of groveling, you let him do pick-ups and drop-offs again. though you made sure to watch him get into the car before he drove off.

© miniimight ! thanks for reading <3

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Come Out and Play 1

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as non/dubcon, age gap, cheating, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: Your mom welcomes an old friend back into her life that brings chaos with him.

Characters: Thor, Loki

Note: Two silverfoxes for the price of one

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. Thanks to everyone who reads this one and thank you for all your energy.<3

Love you all like Thor loves thunder. Take care. 💖

Your mother’s singing along to her favourite Donna Summer classic as you come through the front door. She doesn’t hear you as you drop your bag and your boots at the door. You cluck and shake your head as you tiptoe down the hallway and peer into the kitchen. All this just because you’re staying the night? 

You tilt your head and squint at her diligent fingers. She roles the filo around the filling and places each little pocket on a pan. The warmth of the stove radiates through the space and beckons you in. After the frigid chill of your apartment, it’s a relief. 

You waft over to the counter with the smell of baking pastry and chopped peppers. You stand beside your mom quietly and smile at her work. Her arm collides with yours and she looks down at you. She squeals and tosses one of the uncooked hors d’oevres. It sticks to the wall before falling apart. 

“Oh, my!” She puts her hand to her chest and raises her voice, “Alexa, lower volume.” The music recedes and you back up with an apologetic bow. “Hon, I didn’t know you were here. Oh, I hate when you sneak up on me like that.” 

It’s not intentional, more a bad habit. You’re a bit too quiet for your own good sometimes. And hers.  

“Sorry,” you mutter and turn your attention back to the pan, “...lotta food...” 

“Yes, I—I'm so sorry, I didn’t mention. I forgot.” She rambles as she does. Where you’re quiet and reserved, she often talks in streams of nervousness. “When you called, I was so busy and I had so much going on in my head. Sometimes it feels like there’s a hamster in there running on its wheel.” She throws her hands up in emphasis, “anywho, I’m so sorry to hear about the building, did the landlord say when the heat will be fixed?” 

“...dunno,” you shrug and sway. “...the food?” 

“Oh, right, yes! I was saying, dear, I have an old friend coming over. He’s just moved to town and I was so excited to hear from him. We went to college together! I last saw him when I was probably your age. He’s so nice, you know? And we kinda found each other online when I was looking up fake flowers for the new door wreath. I was thinking pinecones would be seasonal but then it occured to me I could get some real ones from the part--” 

“Mom,” you rein her in with a dulcet drone. 

“Ah, my friend, I know! He’s so lovely. You’ll like him. I figure, we can have dinner and some drinks. You’re welcome to join.” 

You nod and peek over skeptically at the bottle of wine, “wouldn’t wanna invade. Should’ve said something.” 

“You know you’re always welcome here,” she reaches for you and you catch her wrists, keeping her sticky hand from touching your cheeks. “Oops!” She giggles and recoils. She turns and rinses her hands off. “Sorry, hon.” 

“I’ll stay out of the way,” you assure her. 

“Don’t be shy. Oh, and make sure you at least get some food.” She flutters around and dries off with a hand towel. “You’ll like him. Thor is super nice! He knew your dad too.” 

You nod and don’t comment on the last part. You never really knew your father yourself. He left when you were young. He didn’t go very far but you see your half-sibling in passing at the mall or even a few times at college. Thankfully, you’re all done with classes. 

“Alright,” you agree. “I’ll put my stuff away.” 

She hums and tells the smart speaker to turn it back up. You leave in the blare of disco music and grab your bag from the entryway. You wish you’d known she was having company. You would have just made do with some extra blankets. 

As if to blow away that thought, the wind whistles and shakes the windows. You go upstairs and put your knapsack on the wooden chair by the narrow desk against the wall. You stretch your arms and yawn as you pace around. Your stomach growls as the aromas in the kitchen follow you up. 

You go back down, hoping to assuage your appetite with some water, and as you get the bottom step, the doorbell chimes. You stop and wait, staring at the door. You mom sings along to Lipps, Inc and you sigh. 

You hop down and shuffle to the door. You pull it open, hiding behind it shyly. The man on the other side searches over your head before he thinks to look down. As you peek around wood, he smiles.

He’s tall. Very tall. And his shoulders are as wide as the large oak in the front yard. His hair shines beneath the light hung beside the door as his eyes sparkle. 

He holds a cone of flowers, the petals bristling in the fall wind, as shadow dims their colour.  

“Hm, I must have the wrong address,” he leans back on his heel and reads the numbers on the siding. “You wouldn’t happen to know where Selina lives?” 

“Here,” you squawk awkwardly. 

“Oh? You’ve shrunk... but you’ve aged well.” He tilts his head but his lips suggest he’s joking. 

“She’s in the kitchen. Wait.” 

You close the door in his face. It’s only as you go to get your mom, that you realise how rude you must have seemed. You didn’t invite him in or introduce yourself. Well, he isn’t here for you, is he? 

You go to the smart speaker and tap the button to pause the music, “he’s here.” 

“Oh!” She squeals and bounces, “already?” 

“Mmhmm,” you nod and back out of her way as she hurries to the door.  

She sweeps through and swings the door open. A gust of wind blows in and you peer around the door frame. The man’s deep voice booms out. 

“Selina! You look just as young as the day we met!” 

“Oh you!” She chirps. “You always were the worst liar.” 

“Mm, I am very honest, Seli,” he rumbles. “And who was that little mouse that was scurrying around? She fled so fast, I did not get a name.” 

“Oh, that’s my daughter,” she explains. “I told you about her. Her radiator broke so she’s here for the night. Always nice to have a full nest!” 

“Of course, of course,” he agrees. “Well, I wish I’d known. I’d have brought two bouquets.” 

“These are so lovely. When did you get so sweet, Thor?” 

“I’ve always been sweet, you were just too distracted to notice,” he retorts. 

She laughs and titters around, “I need a vase. Oh, these are beautiful! Ooh, and a much needed pop of colour. I do hate the winter and it’s coming so fast. Please, come in, come in! You must be freezing.” 

He chuckles, amused by her chatter, “you know I always liked the cold.” 

“Mm, you would. Well, not all of us can bear it. Honey! Oh, there you are,” she pokes her head out from the dining room. “Come, meet my friend.” 

You reluctantly come forward. You fold your hands together and drag your feet. You should’ve stayed upstairs. 

“This is Thor. We both took architecture together!” 

You nod and look at her wide-eyed. You can’t bring yourself to meet his gaze but you know he’s watching you. You rock and twine your fingers between each other. 

“She just finished her own degree. She took literature! Isn’t that so lovely?” 

“Literature? Ah, my brother was always a fan,” he muses. “I do like some good story telling but I could never pick up much on the symbolism.” 

You slant your lips, “oh, cool.” 

“Anyway, I have some wine, why don’t you have a glass while I finish dinner? Hon, you want some too?” She stops beside you with the cluster of flowers. You shake your head. 

You flit up around the staircase, crowded by Thor as he lurks there, and you quickly flee. You don’t look back as you turn down the hall and barrel into his room. You can’t make out your mother’s words as she speaks but his laughter thunders up after you. 

You hide in your room and harrumph. You don’t know why you’re like this. Even at work, you can’t help but try to blend into the wall. It’s not hard to do in the stock room. 

You take out your laptop and resign yourself to a night of Netflix. You’re a bit disappointed. You were hoping to spend some time with your mom but she deserves a life of your own. For all the years she spent making sure you got this far, she’s earned it. 

You turn the speakers up until they hurt your ears. You can still hear their voices below. The savoury scent of your mother’s cooking rise with their conversation. You didn’t realise how much you missed her dinners until now. Those frozen dinners and fast-food deliveries can’t compare with the real thing. 

You hunker down in bed and try not to think of your growling stomach. You’ll wait to reheat some once that guy leaves. You sink down further and further, basking in the warmth of blasting from the vents. You dread going back to your apartment, even after the heat is fixed. 

Your eyelids begin to itch but before you can drift off, there’s a knock on your door. You get up and open it for your mom. The plate in her hands has your mouth watering as you get another whiff of her handwork. 

“Here ya go, hon,” she holds it out. “I’m sorry it’s a full house.” 

“It’s okay. Didn’t have to.” 

“You need to eat,” she insists. You take the plate. “We’ll try to be quiet. You know he’s so loud. He always has been. He makes me seem tame, doesn’t he?” 

You smile at her yapping. She’s so vibrant and chatty. You never could be even when you try. You envy how bright she can be. You feel so dull next to her. Sometimes you feel like you’ve disappointed her. 

“Thanks," you murmur.

“No problem! Love you.” 

“Love you too.” 

You wait for her to go before you close the door. You might not have a dad but you’re lucky to have her. You put the plate on your desk and move your laptop. You eat as you watch the show that isn’t as good as the internet suggested. 

The food is delicious. The little stuffed pastries are a bit spicy and you regret not grabbing a glass of water earlier. You got so distracted by that man. You think of sneaking down but you can just drink from the bathroom sink when you finish. A little tap water won’t hurt. 

You clear your plate quicker than you mean to and go back to the bed. The moonlight wavers outside your window as the night ware on. You yawn and make yourself get up. You can’t leave your dirty plate in here. 

You don’t notice the quiet in the house until you open the door. You listen at the top of the stairs before you descend. Slowly and silently, you make your way to the bottom and curve around to the kitchen. You rinse your plate off and grab some water while you have the chance. 

Your pulse builds as the house remains still. Strange. How did you not realise earlier? Well, you had your laptop cranked up. You can hear it from down there. 

You head back upstairs, balancing the glass in the dark, and as you pass your mom’s door, it opens. You yipe as a large figure collides with you. It’s him. Thor. 

You spill the water down your front and whip around to face him. He steadies you with his hand on your shoulder, “so sorry, mouse. I didn’t mean to--” 

His flannel shirt is undone and the soft glow of a lamp limns him from behind. Oh no! You pull away from him and skirt down the hall. Embarrassment nips at your ears and cheeks. You knew you were intruding on your mom’s night. 

You try not to think of what you interrupted as you dip into the spare room and snap the door shut with a kick of your foot. You stay near the door, breathless, until you hear the bathroom door squeak on its hinges. You shake your head and growl. 

You hope you didn’t ruin it. As awkward as it is to think of your mom in a relationship, she’s been alone for so long and you know you’re part of the reason why. Next time, you won’t go running back to mommy. It’s best for both of you that you grow up. 

[diodellet]

*slides in*

How about 3, 16, 17 and 29 for the fic writer asks?

omg i didnt think id ramble this much (thank u for enabling me ner 🤧💕💕)

3. how you feel about your current WIP

tbh i'm not super confident about my writing any time i come out from from a long long hiatus of not posting anything. also like… i'm not super confident writing other charas aside from jamil since i don't really think ab them as much… (sorry leona-natics* whenever this drabble gets posted, but like fingers crossed the sitch will hopefully be exciting enough)

*i think it might have to do with the fact that i kinda hc leona on the grayspec++have more vv specific hc characterizations i like of him, but ig i do see his appeal (one of m'oomfs is a leona-natic and well ahu her propaganda might've been subconsciously assimilated)

but ahaha i tend to write things that i'm very personally interested in so i'll find a way to have fun with it, i'll be gucci i just get too into my head, it's a vicious cycle as a writer.

16. favorite place to write

uhhh im a very sedentary person, probably a result from the pandemic, and being a thorough homebody even after that

hmm i would say id like a nice ambient public place with coffeeeee my blood my life force Some amount of people engrossed in their own work, but like in the ph, esp in a place populated by a lot of uni students, cafes end up being hella cold (im skin and bones the cold is Evil)++noisy (which i don't see as a big bad thing esp since i like socializing with my friends...at the cost of putting off my own writing oops HAHAHA)

17. talk about your writing and editing process

oh boy. here we go. one thing to note throughout all this: my only consistent practice as a writer is inconsistency. (and ig, if i try hard enough, i can usually put out a passable 200-300 words in one sitting)

sometimes i can outline a fic and take forever chipping away at it

^^(case in point: that sebek x vampire!reader x silver fic... i joked abt waiting until book 7 would drop on EN but it has been Stuck. i wanna write bi-disaster sebek so bad though 🤧��)

other times my actual writing veers waaaaay into a diff plotpoint instead of what i have plotted out

^^(there're these 2 now-removed bullet points in wcidfy's outline for ch 3 that went: "do i have the balls to write a fever scene… gaguhan anhirap nito pag walang ob [tl: fuck this is hard (to write) without overblots]" and "i also keep thinking of a scene in the (scarabia) gardens…and lying about bees…weird")

and sometimes i can just shit out 1k-ish words unprompted.

^^though this last example leads to my most rough writing++editing ('ily but leave me tf alone' and 'no id rather pretend'), i only look over for immediate errors, but keep iffy-phrasings and repeated words, but sometimes i still miss incomplete sentences that i jus quickly fix after posting ahahaha.

in terms of my more "polished" writing, i edit as i write (<- i do Not recommend this style. it's very unsustainable if ur planning to do more conventional writing/publishing and it's very easy to get trapped in your writer's block)

and after finishing 80% of it, i try to get a second pair of eyes on it (thanks @jessamine-rose mwaps) because validation of works in progress feels good it also helps to have a trusted outside person look at the work with fresher eyes. also smtimes we get into bouncing ideas back nd forth that we spawn new brainrot lmao like this👇

i like to call my writing a "semi-polished first draft" partly out of self-defense and self-criticism. but really, i think i'd rather have "good enough" writing posted than "my best" because i could spend forever hoarding my wips. i think i'll always have regrets over not fleshing out certain beats/using certain phrasings and references, but i also enjoy looking back on my writing and seeing the incremental, microscopic progress. it makes the process more enjoyable than self-flagellating.

on a personal note, the writing workshop scene can be brutal. with some criticism being needlessly harsh, sure it produced some of my "best" writing but the process was Not Fun. while i get that being able to revise meaningfully is an important thing, i think the endgoal of feedback (from my short exp of betaing for friends) shud always be aimed towards uplifting the writer's aim to create/improving the writer's vision of what they wanna achieve, especially in a craft that is as solitary as writing. wait ill rb a post about making ur shitty pots, very in-line with making art in general

29. how easy is it for you to come up with titles?

very hard. i hate thinking of titles, thats why i yoink lines from songs (who cares if the vibe doesnt fit im adding layers of interpretation or sumn🥴🥴). ACTUALLY wcidfy had like 3 other possible names (it was either *rolls out list* hairtie, nonequivalent exchange, or ben franklin effect* wcidfy was the most bearable one.) *i tried to look up how to distill the psychological phenomenon of someone probably liking u more after u do a small favor for them into 2-3 words, but it had to be a WHITE MAN'S NAME 🤢🤢NAW!!!!

for few other examples:

'say what you mean' was initially titled 'oh how the tables turn'

'roommates? more like roomfoes' was first titled 'pet peeves'

'hypothermia' was first titled 'frigid' but then i thought of paradoxical undressing nd stuff and da pseudo-warmth

i've also moved a bunch of other plot beats from wcidfy's main document into a file called "part 45678 of wcidfy"

as u can see i prioritize making myself laugh wid my wip titles. i wanna put the illusion that my writing's not that serious. unless it is? idk i'm not sure how to describe my writing in terms of its vibes.

(list of fic writer asks, ahaha bug me ab my wips)

[bonesandthebees]

SHAKES UR HAND PRISMO !!!

together we can convince the bee tumblr community to become as obsessed with it as us

ALSO DAMNNN DEDICATED /POS

on a side note-

hold up

on a side side note: i get so distracted in these asks bee omfg im so sorry, i feel like my high energy can get too much sometimes KFDSJKDF pls let me know if u need me to turn it down a notch, i just get excited whenever i talk about fics soo aksdfjkSKJDF

anyways on the original side note: talking about the bee tumblr community just made me think about it, it really does feel like a sort of family <3 i love seeing all the random updates from the different anons here and getting to connect to you and to each other, it feels much more wholesome and secure than places like twt LMFAOO but idk it's just nice <3

i had tumblr for awhile but i never used it until i started reading the asks here, and it took me awhile to join in bc i felt intimidated skfdkjsd which is ironic bc yknow i could always go anon? but idk it just felt like everyone had their groove going and i didn't want to intrude, but i joined and i never felt that way

anyways oops this got long (as it always does kjfsdkj), but i just wanted to say that i appreciate you bee <3 for letting us anons n non anons ramble in ur ask box and analyze ur fics and/or just straight up scream noncoherent things

this has been a bright spot in my life lately and it's really special to me <333 and ur genuinely like . one of the kindest authors i've met, but you also have such a good sense of your boundaries n stuff, i admire you really. ur super cool

and also to all the other sillies in bee's asks, i appreciate u guys too <3 ur all super cool people, and i love hearing what you have to say :)) it's genuinely really nice and comforting to be a part of this community <33

lol no you're fine icy!! while it can be a Lot it always makes me laugh whenever I post a chapter of something that has sandduo in it and my inbox just fills with you screaming. it makes me so happy to know how excited my fics make you and the others though so :D

the thing you said about the tumblr community we have here is so sweet though and it's more right than I think even I realized initially. it's really nice when I see regular askers/anons pop up in my inbox and get to catch up on tiny parts of your lives and then in turn you guys talk to each other—it's just so sweet y'know? the thing I really love about having such an active inbox especially with asks about my fics is that it's a lot easier for me to respond to tumblr asks than ao3 comments. I rarely reply to ao3 comments because it's really just overwhelming and then I'm like "well if I respond to one person I feel bad about not responding to everyone else" but sometimes I just don't know what to say or there's just too many comments y'know? I LOVE my ao3 comments they mean so much to me but it's really nice to have people come into my inbox here to tell me their thoughts on my chapters bc it gives me a chance to reply with my own thoughts in a way that feels a lot more like a discussion I guess

so yeah. thank you guys for coming into my inbox to give me your thoughts it seriously makes me so happy and is definitely part of the reason why I have so much motivation to post so much.

also I'm really glad you decided to start popping in here one day icy you're very fun to have around :)

one thing I've always been very aware of since getting 'big' in this fandom is how to maintain things like boundaries while still connecting with the community and my readers specifically. because I wanna talk to you guys and I love interacting with you and all that, but also sometimes people in fandom who get 'big' can be a bit strange to others or get way too involved with discourse and just stir the pot and to each their own do fandom how you want but I don't wanna do that y'know. I'm here to have a good time and I want this little community we've built to also just be a nice, welcoming place for everyone

thank you for this icy it really made me smile to read <3

[sillyunicorn]

I read the directions wrong and picked a specific one lol. So 49 FOR SURE (the phone call one) but also 14 & 32 as random ones 🥰🥰🥰

I didn't know how to end this one oops. Hope you like <3

Your prompts:

“How come I always end up calling you when I can’t fall asleep?”

“Okay, I guess this is a date, actually.”

“No, I can’t hang out, I’m on a date and you know that.”

The fic:

Moonlight Musings (T, 700 wds)

“How come I always end up calling you when I can’t fall asleep?”

Simon’s voice is scratchy on the other end of the line.

“Where are you, a cave? I can hardly hear you.”

I hear rustling and then suddenly his voice is much clearer. “I moved to the window. Better?”

“Much,” I say. I roll over in my bed, looking out my own window. The moon is bright tonight, and it shines off the wet pavement and the water dripping off the leaves from the storm that passed through earlier.

“What a shit day,” Simon says. I hum sympathetically, and he continues.

I let him ramble in my ear. I was almost asleep when he called, and my brain is still waking back up. His voice is somehow soothing, despite his frustration with his coworkers and the conference he has to work this weekend. I guess it helps that his ire is not directed at me.

He finally talks himself out, and takes a deep breath. “But yeah,” he says. “Shit day all around.”

“At least it’s over,” I murmur.

“Sorry,” he laughs. “You sound like you’re half asleep.”

“‘M’awake,” I say into my pillow.

“Should I let you go?”

“No, no,” I say. “I’m awake.” I roll over and prop myself up on an elbow. “You’re by the window?”

“Yeah,” he says. I throw my feet off the bed and pad over to the window seat, dragging my duvet with me. The clock on the bedside table reads 2:00.

“Can you see the moon?” I ask.

“Uh…. oh. Yeah, there it is. Shit, it’s bright tonight.”

I hum in agreement. “It rained here earlier,” I say. “Everything’s glistening.”

“It’s dry here,” he says. “Was probably a gorgeous day, ‘cept I was stuck inside for all of it.”

“Mm,” I mm.

“Sorry, sorry, I said I was going to quit bitching about it.” I hear him take a deep sigh. “How was your day?”

“It was fine,” I say, pulling my feet up under me and tucking the blanket around my knees. “Missed you.”

“Missed my whining?”

I laugh. “No. Just missed you.”

“I missed you too, babe.”

We sit in that for awhile, watching the same moon.

“If you could be anywhere else right now, where would you be?” Simon asks. His voice has that dreamy quality it only gets at hours like this.

“With you, obviously,” I say promptly.

“Right, right, but where?”

“Hmmm…. Paris. In a little cafe. With twinkle lights and tiramisu. And coffee. Really, really good coffee.”

“That sounds nice,” Simon says.

“What about you?”

“I really want to go to one of those trampoline places. You know, where the whole floor is covered in trampolines? And sometimes there’s a foam pit?”

I laugh. “I know the one. Pretty sure we took the twins there for their fifth birthday.”

“Yes!” he says. “That was so fun.”

“Ok, so, first the trampoline place, then Paris. I’ll book the tickets.”

“Okay,” he says seriously, his voice full of excitement. “I guess this is a date actually.”

I laugh again. Simon always makes me laugh.

“What are you going to say to all the little kids being trampled by a grown man in a glorified bouncy castle?”

“I’ll tell them, ‘No, I can’t hang out, I’m on a date and you know that.’”

“They’re not asking you to hang out, Simon, they’re probably looking for an apology.”

“Pshhh. Little kids always want to hang out with me. Remember at the birthday party? I made so many new friends.”

“Uh, yeah. Too bad they all came up to your knees.”

“Whatever. Point remains. Little kids love me.”

I can’t deny that. “Well,” I say. “It’s a date.”

“Mhmm.” His voice is getting sleepy. The moon has gone behind a cloud, and the room is all in shadow. I feel myself starting to drift off again.

“I miss you,” he mumbles.

“I miss you too, love.”

“I should probably try to sleep. I’ll see you Sunday, yeah?”

I hear more rustling from his end, so I pull my duvet around me and stumble back to bed.

“Sunday,” I confirm. “Call me tomorrow?”

“I will. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

[littlemindblabbles]

Birthday Boy

In honour of Jaemin day, please be prepared for some overwhelming amounts of cheesiness.

Pairing: Jaemin X Y/N

Summary: (Fluff) You just wanted to make Jaemin’s birthday memorable. 

“Uh, I don’t think I’m doing this right, why is my batter bubbling? Taeyong help!” You panic into your phone, which was propped up on the kitchen counter while you were frantically stirring a big mixing bowl. Taeyong, the person you were currently video calling, furrowed his brows.

“Bubbling, it shouldn’t be doing that. Did you fold in the batter like I told you to? You can’t just mix it normally.” 

“Oops, I thought folding was just another word for mix. Sigh, I guess this batch is a fail too. I’ll try again tomorrow, thankfully there’s still 2 days before his birthday. Thank you Taeyong, sorry to bother again.” Your boyfriend’s leader insisted once again that it was no trouble, before ending the call. 

This was the third batch you messed up, and your fridge was getting a bit full with your failed cake attempts. Baking a birthday cake shouldn’t be this hard, but since you hardly step foot into your kitchen, you seemed to fail at that even. Feeding you both was Jaemin’s job, and rightfully so, because his cooking was delicious. But he had been so busy recently with schedules, you figured it would be a nice surprise to finally be the one giving him food, especially on his birthday. 

Hence why you sigh for what felt like the millionth time today, and placed your baking fail into the oven, not wanting to waste even more ingredients. While they might not come out at the right consistency, at least they tasted fine and as far as you know, were perfectly edible. And you would know since cake was all you had been eating for the last 5 days. 

Not wanting to depress yourself further with the thought of cake, you quickly clean up and focus on the other aspects of your boyfriend’s birthday plans. Jaemin did have practice for the first half of the day, hence you planned to surprise him at the studio for lunch with the other members. Thankfully, you weren’t in charge of food, that was Taeyong’s job, but you were tasked with bringing over the birthday cake. Any meeting with all 23 members would undoubtedly get crazy, so you knew lunch would probably stretch till late afternoon. 

In the last 2 years that you had been dating Jaemin, he had been the best boyfriend ever. Treating you exactly like a princess, always putting you as his first priority even when he was busy being an idol. The both of you have kept your relationship private for the most part, but the fans were mostly okay with you, fortunately. Of course you both sometimes argued, but it never dragged on for more than a day because either one of you would force the other to sit down and talk it out. Jaemin made you the happiest person on earth every single day, and for one day, you wanted to make him feel that too. Not that you didn’t think he wasn’t happy in your relationship, but you always wanted to do more for him, given how much he spoils you. 

It has to go well, everything will be perfect for him.

-

Nothing is going well, everything is gonna be ruined.

You were running late, and the cake in your hands was at a very high risk of melting. While you mostly loved the busy nature of Seoul, at times like this you despised it. Despite planing ahead and leaving more than an hour early, you got stuck in traffic. Now you were supposed to reach 10 minutes ago, and Jeno had updated you about 5 minutes earlier that they were done with practice and were currently trying to distract Jaemin while waiting for you to reach. Not wanting to waste all the members time, you urged them to start eating first. 

“Hi hi, I’m here. I’m so sorry I’m late! Traffic was so horrible, I’m sorry!” You rambled as you burst into the room all the members were gathered in, 23 pairs of eyes paused from looking at the food and turned to look at you. You were only focused one pair of eyes though.

“Baby, what are you doing here, oh my gosh. None of them told me you were coming, I would have waited for you to eat! Come come, sit here next to me.”

“That was the point Jaem, I was supposed to surprise them with you. But I ended up being close to 30 minutes late, so I asked you all to eat first. I’m sorry.” Your boyfriend just shushed you apologies and grabbed the hand not holding cake, leading you to the space next to his seat. 

“Ooh, what’s this?” Your boyfriend gestured to the bag with the cake. Taking a deep breath, you lifted the cake out of the bag to Jaemin. 

“It’s your birthday cake, I tried to bake it myself. You don’t really have to eat it, it’s probably really horrible I’m sorry-”

Your words got cut off because he grabbed the cake from your hands, placed it on the table and before you could stop him, Jaemin placed a hige scoop into his mouth. Worried about his reaction, you glanced at him nervously as he ate it. 

“Is it..okay? Does it taste funny?” To your horror, Jaemin started tearing up. “Oh my goodness, you’re crying. Is it that bad? I’m sorry, spit it out okay, I’ll throw the rest away!” Panicking, you quickly covered the rest of the cake, preparing to find a bin to throw it in, before a hand reached out and stopped you. 

“This is the single best cake I’ve ever eaten in all my twenty-one years of living. I’m crying because I’m so touched you made it. Guys, you all have to try this it’s amazing.” Jaemin annouced before pushing the cake to the centre of the table for th rest of the members to try. He then turned to you and gave you a quick peck on the lips. 

“Jaem, you better appreciate the cake. I think Y/N has like a fridge full of cake at this point. She kept remaking it to make sure it was perfect for you. It’s really good though, I’m glad my video call baking sessions paid off.” Taeyong called out from the other side of the room, causing Jaemin to turn to you again with wide eyes. 

“You did all that for me? Thank you so much, I love you. This is the best birthday ever.” He engulfed you in a tight hug and when you pulled back, you laughed when you saw tears glistening in his eyes again. 

“I’m happy you liked it, that’s all that matters. Unfortunately this the only exciting part. Dinner is just a cheesy budget candle-light dinner at my place with your favourite take out food. I think I hit my quota for cooking for the year, it’s back to your job now.” You smiled, ruffling his hair and holding both his hands. 

Jaemin lifted his hands to squish both yor cheeks, before leaning to give you a longer kiss that had his members cheering in the back. Ignoring them, he gave you the sweetest smile.

“That sounds absolutely perfect. After all, celebrating anything is perfect as long as I’m celebrating it with you.” 

Note: I’m cringing myself @ the end Im sorry. Here’s my masterlist for more fics!

[isabellitah]

Hi! Could I request a fic of the reader (number eight/Eightie) focused on her relationship with Diego?? She is so cute and I bet she would be the only one to ever see his soft side

🤍 DIEGO x SIBLING

Title : personal psychopath

Pairing : none but this focuses on Diego’s relationship with Eightie

Warning : uhh anxiety attack and cuss words and this is long i got kinda carried away oop

Request : Hi! Could I request a fic of the reader (number eight/Eightie) focused on her relationship with Diego?? She is so cute and I bet she would be the only one to ever see his soft side

Note : Hiiii 🤍 this took a different turn from where I was going but- I hope it’s to your liking 🤍

you, Eightie, are known as the positive ray of sunshine in the Umbrella Academy

that is a fact known all across the world

some news outlets have even dubbed you the ‘Princess of the Umbrella Academy’ whenever you were mentioned

some considered you the ‘Sweetheart of Her Generation’

the bubbly ray of sunshine that giggled her way into everyone’s hearts

anyway-

you always greeted everyone with a smile and your giggles always uplifted the spirits of those who felt down

and according to Klaus, sometimes some of the meaner souls leave him alone when you’re around because your happiness is just so infectious that they’re entranced by it

so imagine how Diego- your protective older brother number two- felt when he saw you break down

For the first time in all your lives, Diego was frozen in shock and uncertainty around you. He didn’t think it was possible for someone so happy to actually feel fear. And to think- you bottled everything up just because you felt guilty anytime someone tried to help you. They should’ve- fuck they should’ve known!

It was late at night and you were both just relaxing in his room- something you both do whenever Diego can’t sleep. On his bed, with your back facing the wall, your head on his chest with an arm wrapped around him, both legs relaxed beside his and your other arm just comfortably between your bodies when you felt it.

A slight twitch on your hand.

You felt your face start to heat up.

Every single insecurity and fear you buried started resurfacing.

You knew what this meant.

You had to get to a secluded safe place - away from Diego - so you excused yourself to go the toilet, hopped over him and ran off- not even closing the door behind you. Diego shrugged it off thinking you just really needed to use the restroom.

Five minutes had passed and Diego felt himself start to worry. He didn’t hear anyone breaking into the house, nor did he hear you scream or anything but he had this gut feeling to check in on you. And so he did. Nearing the bathroom you usually used, he pressed his ear against the door and heard rapid, shallow breaths mixed with sniffled cries.

Diego twisted the door knob only to find it locked, “Eightie...?” Diego started panicking when your breaths became faster and kicked the door down. What he saw shocked him.

You were sitting on the floor cross-legged with your eyes hurriedly trying to wipe the tears from your face- to the point where it looked like it hurt from the amount of pressure you were using.

He was frozen- he didn’t know what to do next. He can’t leave you here to find someone to help- you looked like you needed someone now and yet at the same time you looked like you wanted to be left alone. But Diego didn’t. He didn’t leave you alone. He didn’t feel like it’d be right. You’re always there for him so it’s his turn to be here for you.

By the time he chose his course of action, both of your hands were now on your lap while your usually bright eyes were now dull and staring blankly at the tiled floors in front of you. Diego carefully sat down on the floor beside you so as to not shock you and hovered his hand over your shaking one.

Your hand twitched before you slowly turned it palm side up. Taking this as his cue, Diego intertwined your hands together and that seemed to help as your tears started to slow themselves down. But it wasn’t enough- your breathing still wasn’t stabilized.

“I- w-what can I d-do to he-help?” Diego’s words started stumbling out of his mouth and he hated how weak he sounded but, fuck, this was Eightie. He didn’t need to hide his insecurities from you. He felt your hand tighten around his slightly. Of course you were trying to comfort him when you were the one who needed it more. You knew his stutter only appeared whenever he felt overwhelmed with emotion. You took a sharp breath in and he immediately started listening in closely, “t-talk to m-me.” Diego hated how weak you sounded- how it sounded like you had to force those words from your mouth.

He took a deep breath in and started to talk with the first thing that popped into his head, “okay... Okay, right uhh there’s nothing- wow I can’t th- I’m not being help- wait! I got it! I uh- I got some new knives! Yeah, that’s exciting, right? I mean for me it is and you always mentioned that they interested you with how shiny they can be and- yeah- you like my knives- well actually you don’t like them because they can hurt people but- but you’re interested in them, right? And th-they are interesting. They’re different sizes and sometimes different colours...” while racking his brain on how to continue the one-sided conversation, he continuously said anything that appears in his thoughts first, “I uh- I got different sets in black, and they’re umm they’re different. And new. And uhh I don’t- uhh- I don’t think this is helping.” Diego genuinely looked confused and slightly frazzled as he tried to talk to you as requested. Unknowingly for him, during his speech, your breathing started stabilizing and you stopped crying and you smiled at his efforts. You knew your brother wasn’t a talker- he preferred showing his love through his actions, hence his protectiveness. And now his love for you shows in how he decided to stay by your side and try to comfort you even when he’s, quite obviously, out of his comfort zone.

To slightly ease his worries, you smiled up at him and softly thanked him. Having felt you move a bit, Diego stopped rambling and looked at you and his panicked features softened at the sight of your smile. But there was tinge of sadness in his eyes, and in yours - he noticed.

“You don’t need to be happy all the time, Eightie... you can be you here,” he placed an arm over your shoulder to hug you, “we accept you however you are... Like you always say, we’re your family and we love you, okay?”

You nodded tearily and returned his hug, “thank you...” you sniffled, burying your head in the crook of his neck.

“Any of us are here for you in case you ever need someone, okay? Just tell us and we’d drop whatever we’re doing.”

You frowned at what he said, “but I don’t want you guys to drop anything for me.”

Diego looked at the ajar door ahead of him while stroking your hair with the hand around your shoulder, “Family first, Eightie. You matter- you’re mental health matters more than my knives, okay? You’re that important.”

You wanted to smile at his knives comment but couldn’t bring yourself to so instead you just nodded.

“If you don’t mind me asking, Eightie... what happe-”

“Ooh what’s happening here?”

“Klaus... really?”

“Whaaaat? I saw light peeking from here so I decided, hey, if they wanted privacy, they would’ve shut the door. And then I recalled that this is technically Eightie’s bathroom! Why wo-”

“Klaus.”

“Sorry sorry- hey, are you crying?” When his sister turned to look at him, Klaus saw the tell tale signs of crying and immediately crouched in front of you and held out his arms for you.

Not wanting to let go of Diego, you stretched your free arm towards him as an invitation to join the hug and he took it- much to Diego’s utter disappointment. Nonetheless, he wrapped his free arm around Klaus who, after the hug, made himself comfortable between you two.

“So... what happened?”

“I uh- had a panic attack,”

“Again?”

“Again?!” Diego was shocked to say the least.

Klaus saw this along with the confusion on his face, looked at you for reassurance, and when you nodded, he looked back at Diego and told him, “I found her staring at nothing at the space in front of her in the living room one day. She was fidgeting with her hands- and she didn’t even notice a thing. She didn’t hear me even when I was basically screaming her name. We were the only ones home aside from mom and Pogo- but they were on the other side of the house. Anyway, she didn’t move an inch- she was lost in her thoughts ‘til I waved a hand in front of her. Big mistake- she jumped and looked at me scared before nearly choking on her own breath. I helped her regain her breath of course then we started talking and yeah.” It was odd seinf Klaus so sober and serious but wait... “Wait- just staring- no crying or hy-”

Klaus cut him off with an obviously over dramaticized groan, “anxiety comes in different forms for everyone, Diego.” for extra Klaus effect, he rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner accompanied by a dramatic sigh.

Smiling at your third older brother’s antics, you looked ahead of you and added, “Yeah... that and I can usually manage my attacks in public.”

You felt Klaus’ stare on you and knew what he was about to ask, “I thought I told you to come to me when the signs start showing up, Eithtie,”

“I thought you were asleep,”

Klaus sighed knowing that you had a point, “no matter. So long as you’re not alone- and that you know that. Right?”

You nodded, slowly feeling your eyes get heavy, “Yeah... Right...”

Klaus chuckled and nudged Diego who got out of his trance and stood up with Diego following suit. Diego picked you up bridal style and brought you to your room. After tucking you in, you mumbled a good night and an I love you for them both before drifting off to sleep.

Klaus smiled softly before kissing your forehead and mumbling a good night before stepping out of your room. Diego did the same and once outside, Klaus told him he can only ask one question and that’s it.

Thinking hard on it, Diego asked, “Why didn’t you tell me or the others- does Ben know? Does Fi-“

“Okay stop right there, Muchacho. That’s nearly three. I said one. And to answer your first question, it’s not my story to tell- and as far as i know, no, they don’t. Though I suspect that Five either knows or has his suspicions because of the random treats he leaves on her lap.”

With that said, Klaus turned on his heel and left to go sleep in his room, bidding Diego a good night.

After bidding Klaus a good night, Diego set off to go to his room. Once entering his room, he immediately laid down on his bed and started searching on his phone, He started researching anything and everyhing he can read that night about anxiety for hours on end in order to better understand what you’re going through better. Surprisingly, he found some similarities on regarding his stuttering. He wanted to know everything- to be prepared for it next time. He wanted to be able to help you in any way he can. Soon, he falls asleep without even knowing it.

When Diego next opens his eyes, it’s morning and the birds are chirping. And he can smell Five’s bitter beverage from all the way here.

Arriving at the kitchens, he notices your absence and comes to the conclusion that you’re still asleep. No one questions it as you do have your moments- but this time only he and Klaus, and maybe Five, know the real reason why.

Diego takes a deep breath and called for everyonek attention. The moment eveyone turned to look at him, he told them of what happened laat night, much to klaus’ dismay.

While everyone was processing the information, you bounded into the kitchens with your usual bright and happy smile. Hugging Klaus then Diego as a thank you for last night or earlier that morning- you felt your smile slipping from your face into a frown as you froze upon looking at everyone else’s facial expression. You just knew that they knew. And you also knoww how... Klaus would never... But maybe it was for the best that Diego told the others. You calmed yourself down by taking a deep breath in, pausing, then breathing out. You repeated this cycle about three times before relaxing completely.

Diego turned and swiftly but carefully pulled you onto his lap. You wrapped your arms around his neck and rested your head against his chest while he wrapped his arms your waist- occasionally rubbing your back comfortingly.

To ease the remaining tension, Klaus spoke, “so... he’s like Eightie’s own personal psychopath huh?”

It worked. Everyone’s head turned to face him so fast, he’s surprised y’all didn’t get whiplash.

“Klaus, what the fuck?”

“What? He swoops in and isn’t afraid to kill people but he’s all nice and soft to her- like those romantic, well not romantic in their case, psychopath book type of things the Handler sent Fivey over there. Speaking of- who knew the Handler had a crush on Fivey- eugh.”

“Shut up.” Five and Allison’s response clashed, “he saves people, Klaus.”

Turning to Five he smiled at him, “hey, I’m just saying,” then turning to face to Allison, “yeah but like- he kills them too. Not psyco shaming you or anything Diego. Don’t worry- we accept you into this family- psychopathic tendencies and all.”

“Tha-no Kla-“

Rolling his eyes, Diego chose to stay quiet in favor of hugging you closer to him then kissing the top of your head as you quietly smiled at Ben across the table as he made faces to cheer you up.

Five responded, “he’s high Allison- there’s no point. Just stop.”

“Thank you, Fivey.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“Thats no-thats not why he can-“

“Shoosh shoo-” Klaus was cut off by your adorable giggle.

You didn’t even notice that everyone was now smiling towards you; you were too focused on Ben who continued making funny faces at you. Diego kissed the top of your head which resulted in you smiling up at him with a gummy smile before leaning onto him and turning back to Ben who then told you to start eating your breakfast. You pouted and whined for a bit before complying and eating your pancakes with orange juice. Everyone continued with their breakfast with thoughts of how to help you cope with your anxiety- or on how to ease your fears. You were their little Eightie after all- they wanted you safe, yes- but most importantly, they wanted you to be happy. Truly happy.

[raccoonpoptart]

Hiya, can I ask for the shape-shifting mc thing? But mc's a bit insecure on their looks, so they shapeshift to look different and then one day decide to show themselves? Ty-💐

this is so beautiful i will collapse on the spot.....THANKYOU TY 💜🦇 shapeshifting is so cool i made one of my MCs a shapeshifter

also i did a little prologue thing and then had the main six react ✨ if you want me to do a fic with mc and one character let me know!

❀

shapeshifter mc

warnings: insecurities, slight angst (i’ve never written angst omg exciting)

gender neutral!

Y/N sighed softly as they looked into the mirror. Their reflection stared back, looking miserable and far away. This had unfortunately become a daily occurance that y/n wasn’t proud of, but couldn’t seem to pull themself out of it.

Pulling at their ears, a soft tear slid down their cheek and they scoffed. Too big. Pushing against their nose, they laughed. A hollow laugh that rang throughout the room as their brows furrowed. Was that too big, too?

Shaking their head, y/n took a deep breath and wiped their tears. “I think i’ve been staring too long.”

With that, they shifted their nose and ears to their preferred shape. Smiling softly, they changed their hair to the style and color they liked and waltzed out the door with a newfound confidence.

oops my hand slipped <3 okay!! no more angst, now we’ll move on to the babes!

Asra

he had only seen you in your natural state a few times surprisingly, but you changed something everyday...

at first he thought nothing of it, but it led him to wonder if you had always changed what he thought to be your natural appearance

one day he heard you crying in the bathroom but didn’t want to mention it, so instead he kept reminding you of how beautiful you are and gave you longer hugs

once you were more comfortable with him, you slowly stopped changing yourself and he was starstruck, he adored how you looked before but your natural look? oh geez he absolutely loved it

he would not stop complimenting you, even when you tried to deny it because he 1000% believes that you’re the most beautiful/handsome person ever

kisses the parts of you your insecure about and reminds you everyday that you’re perfect

noticed that in your old pictures you were normal and couldn’t help but feel bad he didn’t realize sooner

Nadia

once she was brushing your hair and complimented the color of it that day (“mc, purple is such a beautiful color on you!”) and didn’t notice you flinch

she walked into her bedroom one day and found you crying in the bathroom

immediately she scooped you up into her arms and held you close telling you “it’s okay” over and over and kissed your head

when you were finally able to look at her she gasped, but you could tell it was in a good way because she blushed and held your face

“darling, you’re so gorgeous! is this how you look naturally?” she couldn’t stop staring

you explained that you always change little things about yourself in hopes that no one would notice and she got a little sad but was understanding

she always remembered to compliment you everyday and was so proud when you finally start being yourself

Julian

let’s be real this man can probably smell insecurity from a mile away because he is the ceo (secretly)

he never said anything about it but by the way you always changed your eye color, hair color, etc. he had a feeling that there might be something up

it wasn’t until one day you looked at someone and he could just see how sad you got as you touched your nose softly

that’s when he finally mentioned it, but of course he’d be super gentle about it and wouldn’t push you

once you were alone you finally revealed yourself to him and he froze

him saying nothing and just staring obviously made you freak out, so you covered your face and went to change but he quickly stopped you

“MC, i’m sorry, i’m sorry.....you’re just so ethereal! so heavenly, i couldn’t believe it! you’re so lovely, darling~”

if you have a big nose he doesn’t ever let you feel bad about it because i mean...look at him he’s rocking his beautiful nose so why shouldn’t you

Muriel

(sorta off-topic but if you were able to change into a bear i think he’d die of love) anyway

he has a very comforting aura so i think he’d be the easiest to talk to about it

always notices whenever you change anything about your appearance and has probably only seen your natural form when you’re sleeping

out of respect he doesn’t ever say anything but sometimes comments on how cute you look when you sleep which causes you to blush, but you realize you can’t really control what you look like when you sleep (no matter how much you try)

once you’re more comfortable with him and you slowly stop changing how you look (other than your hair because it’s just fun), he makes sure to tell you you’re beautiful/handsome whenever he can

loves to hold you close and make you feel safe enough to be completely yourself

Portia

probably a little jealous you can change how you look but only because she’d love to have crazy colored hair for at least a day

if you can turn into animals she’d be so ecstatic! pepi would be so excited too :3

she eventually asks why you change how you look so much but doesn’t pry if you get uncomfortable

instead she just hugs you tight and reminds you that you will always be perfect in her eyes and nothing will ever change how much she loves you

once you reveal your natural self to her she goes wide-eyed and gasps

you only had a few seconds to brace yourself when she tackled you into a hug and kisses your face all over

“YOU’RE EVEN MORE STUNNING THAN BEFORE!! not that i didn’t like you before, you’re just so PERFECT!!”

makes it a daily ritual out of listing every single thing she loves about your physical appearance (and personality, and basically everything,,, she starts to ramble)

Lucio

probably wouldn’t notice if you change your appearance very quickly unless it was completely obvious

he always compliments you no matter what you look like that day but eventually starts to realize he can’t actually remember what your eyecolor is

which leads him to realize he doesn’t know your actual haircolor and then??? he panics because how is he supposed to get you jewelry that will be perfect for you if he doesn’t know????

once he finds you he asks you how you’re able to change your hair so much cause he assumed it was magic “but that would take a lot of energy, right? i swear i’ve been paying attention, mc....”

you explain your situation and he eventually understands but he then asks again what your real eyecolor and haircolor is

seeing his stress, you sigh and show him your natural self

cue the confusion.... and most likely him being either hurt or just whiny,, “mc, why do you change yourself so much? you’re so breath-taking...”

when you share your insecurities he can see how embarrassed you are and his suave facade is back in motion, so of course he starts showering you with TONS more compliments and gives you soooo many kisses

now he knows the perfect gifts to give you~

❀

i hope you enjoyed :)

i’ll most likely make another shapeshifter fic because i love this idea so much

[evalieena]

35 Questions for Fanfiction Writers

well since dearest @bachint​ asked, here goes nothing!

1. From one to five stars, how would you rate your writing? (No downplaying yourself!)

well if no downplaying’s allowed i guess i’d give it a 3/5? some mistakes since i’m not a native plus i”m still working on getting my english style better! i like what i come up with all the same, i’ve improved a lot these past two years, and my grammar isn’t that bad i guess?

2. Why do you write fanfiction?

to do what developers didn’t do in the first place to make good use of my imagination, to cope with the fact that some characters don’t exist and i will never follow another one of their adventures, to forget about a boring real life...

3. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

my writing doesn’t stand out lmaooo but i guess i’m always trying to focus on the character’s psychology, struggles and all that, so if someone likes my work, it’s ‘original’ bc it’s usually quite different from the usual stories where there are a lot of dialogues and interactions.

4. Are there any writers that inspire you?

i’ve been inspired a lot by @welcometogressenheller​ (i wish i could do as well as she does.....), @aceklaviergavin​ (kudos to you even if you never see that post and you probably don’t know who i am), and some others whose name i forgot (sorry!)

5. What’s the fic you’re most proud of?

i didn’t write much but i guess that my latest fics are really nice (There’s No Light In You Anymore, and the whole Faith series on AO3). also my big project “Now That You’re Gone”, i’m glad i’ve been able to write that much for it and i intend on continuing as soon as i find the motivation!

6. What element of writing do you find comes easily?

pain, struggles and all that comes with it as long as it’s in the character’s mind, because beware here you step in a dark space

7. What element of writing do you struggle with most?

ordinary scenes of life? i always find my writing lacking as soon as i step out of my comfort zone, i’m all for rambling and never-ending pain

8. Which character(s) do you find easiest to write?

desmond/descole surely

9. Which character(s) do you find most difficult to write?

all the good guys (and dimitri allen because i’d love writing about him but i’m? just unable to?)

10. What’s your favorite genre to write for?

that may come as a surprise! angst!

11. Who or what do you find yourself writing about most?

a mix of question 8 and 10 and you’ve got your answer

12. Tell us about a WIP you’re excited about.

professor layton and the shattering secrets!!! i’m so happy of what this AU will look like when i’ll be done writing the following chapters, at first it probably looks annoying but heck i wanna promise anyone who’s reading it that the plot twists are gonna be worth it even though the overall background isn’t that original because i’ve mixed up different elements from other games (aaaand we’re back in our oh-so-amazing comfort zone that covers up a massive lack of imagination)

13. First fandom you ever wrote for?

ummm? the vampire diaries maybe? back when i was 10 or 11 lol

14. What’s your favorite fandom to write for?

hands up... pROFESsoR LayTON

15. What’s the weirdest fandom you’ve ever written for?

i didn’t write for many fandoms but back in my younger days i used to do self-insert fics with the vampire diaries cast and it was so odd and i wish i hadn’t just confessed that on my tumblr blog

16. Any guilty pleasure trope(s)?

nothing that comes to mind

17. A trope you’ll never, ever write for.

dunno either

18. Wildest fic you’ve ever written?

PL and the shattering secrets! huge canon divergence and one heck of an AU (also its original version is much worse, my mind was going crazy when i was 15)

19. Do you prefer canon-compliant, AUs, or something in-between?

i love reading AUs, writing some requires solid imagination which i have not, but honestly i don’t really mind

20. Gen fic or shippy stuff?

gen

21. Favorite pairing to write for? (platonic or romantic!)

desmond sycamore x his wife / randall ascot x hershel layton (be it romantic or platonic) / randall ascot x basically anyone from the MM i guess though i didn’t write anything about that yet (it’s about to change guys)

22. Do you listen to anything while you write?

yea i can’t write without listening to music - any playlist does the trick as long as i like what i’m listening to but usually i listen to sad soundtracks, or i’m inspired by some random lyrics

23. Do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas?

i’d go with challenges bc my horrible ass has very few ideas but i usually come up with independent ideas

24. One-shots or multi-chaptered works?

one shots!

25. Have you ever daydreamed about side adventures/spin-offs from your fic? Tell us about them!

i don’t remember ;_;

26. Is there anything you’ve wanted to write, but you’ve been too scared to try?

i’ve got one OS in mind with randall/layton but i don’t want to be the talk of the town because it’s probably going to be awful? also any other fic including the PL3 crew

27. What’s the nicest comment you’ve ever received?

@welcometogressenheller telling me she believed i was a native!!! i struggle so much trying to improve my writing style in english and i have a lot of insecurities so it was so heartwarming and incredible to read...

also basically any other comment where people tell me they like what i write. i love that writers feel the need to take some time reviewing my works bc i need constant validation

28. How well do you handle criticism when it comes to your writing?

well i’ve never really received ‘harsh’ criticism or anything, save for some very rare remarks on my grammar so i guess i don’t know? at first it’s always sad to see that what i’ve done isn’t perfect but i guess it’s impossible to be perfect so i’m really happy that people take some time to underline what looks wrong to them

29. Have you ever gone outside of your comfort zone for a fic? How did it turn out?

currently trying to with shattering secrets and it’s actually a great way to improve!

30. Tooth-rotting fluff or merciless angst?

MERCILESS ANGST

31. Do you have any OCs? Tell us about them!

i wish i could but it would perhaps be a huge spoiler so i don’t wanna say much about them...

i have 1) annabell sycamore, des’s wife, whose personality fits very much mine. she’s a playwright, spends lot of her time writing and acting in front of des AND WITH des. also she’s a very realistic person and some people usually tell her that she’s being too pessimistic 

2) aurelia from the shattering secrets and on her i really cannot say much... if anyone’s read this far it would be so nice if you could give SS a shot by the way!! 

32. Summarize a random fic of yours in 10 words or less.

desmond sometimes finds happiness but it’s always taken from him

(isn’t that a summary for everything i’ve ever written?)

33. Is there anything you wish your audience knew about your writing or writing process?

i don’t translate my works from my original language to english, i write straight in english. i spend a lot of time making sure i haven’t done any grammatical mistakes, checking the definition and the use of some words i’m not sure about, and sometimes it’s quite a pain and it can be also very discouraging bc i end up believing what i write comes from a random internet dictionary while deep down i know it’s not true but hey what can i say. huge insecurities laid bare here.

(if any reader of mine’s reading this, i apologize)

34. Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of.

(beware: spoilers for the whole prequel trilogy!!!)

“Hershel Layton was puzzled. A funny emotion to feel for someone who loved puzzles that much, but nothing could ever describe better the way he’d felt for hours now, hours that seemed like ages.So much did happen in the span of a few hours.

First he’d learned his parents could be targeted by Targent, then Aurora had made it clear that she didn’t want to live anymore, all so she could protect them. Then Desmond—no, Descole—had taken the key from her hands, and revealed himself as the dangerous scientist Layton knew him to be.

Then they’d fought. Despair was filling the air, though Hershel didn’t understand what Descole meant when he cried that the Azran legacy was all he had to live for.

And as if there hadn’t been enough betrayals as it was, Emmy was soon to follow. Luke had been abducted. He’d had no other choice than siding with Descole to prevent Bronev from unleashing doom on Earth. Misery didn’t seem to end.

Just when he’d thought he’d finally be able to change things, Descole had been ready to sacrifice himself to save Luke. And then…

Then everything just collapsed.

He held his agonizing brother in his arms; the one who’d wanted so hard to take him down only a few hours back was now confessing, fearing death was on the way.“

[...]

from ‘Six Times Hershel Layton Remembered, Plus The One Time He Didn’t’

35. Ramble about any fic-related thing you want!

oops i haven’t got anything more to say but thank you for reading? perhaps?

[i-do-be-writing-doe]

Ok... So... This fic here has a bit of a twist. U can have a friend join u in your experience lol. So ye, u need to replace F/n with ur friend's name and where yo u need to put their pronouns is in brackets. I know it'll be a bit hard to follow but still. And it won't be bad to give a quick summary :

You go to a friend's house and butt-dial Oikawa. Then pride ful Thooru comes into the picture after he hears what you said about him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

You are at your friend F/n’s house right now. You haven’t seen each other in a while and it is time you two catch up. (pronoun) is well aware that you have a boyfriend. Oikawa Tooru. The most popular guy in Aoba Johsai. F/n wants to know all the details and (pronoun) make(s) it clear right away. You go to F/n’s room and sit on (pronoun)’s bed:

- So, Y/n, spill the tea.

- OH God, F/n, did u too start using this?

- I did but that is not the point. Now tell me everything.

- OK, I guess. Well Tooru. He is really annoying sometimes you know. When he wants something, be it to go somewhere or for me to get him something he just whines like a baby. And don��t even get me started on the fangirls. Damn it, theese people are scary. It is too much form me. I tell you, we can’t have a proper date because of them. And Tooru decides it is good to take pictures with them. Why? We are on a date, the fangirls can see that. Very inappropriate. And don’t get me started on volleyball. It takes so much time out of his day it is radiculous. He can hurt himself. I know he is working so hard and I respect him the most. I couldn’t do that, you know. And despite of the things you hear, Tooru is an amazing person. He is caring, nice, funny, really really hardworking and honestly, the best boyfriend.

- Oh wow, Y/n, CEO of being sappy.

- Please, F/n, you aren’t better. You would say the same.

- You are not wrong here. As I can see, everything is going greater than great.

- It is, it is.

- OK, enough about your boyfriend because of I know you you are going to ramble on for hours.

- Days.

- OK then.

The nex day

You are going on a date with your boyfriend today. You are excited as usual so you waste no time getting ready.

You get a text from Oikawa, informing u that he is really close to your house. You are almost done so you don’t have to panic. The next thing you hear is the doorbell ringing. You go check and of course it is Tooru.

- Hey, Tooru!

- Hi, Y/n! You ready to go?

- Of course!

Now that you finally arrived at the coffee shop it is time for some (preferred drink), your favorite. Tooru wanted to pay and he did after some convincing. Next time you will win! You find a cozy table in a corner of the shop and place your food and drinks on there. It is time for food! Tooru cuts off your thoughts, starting up a conversation:

- So, have have you been?

- We literally saw each other earlier.

- Come onnn! I am trying to be funny here.

- Ohhh, well I think your funny bone is broken then.

- You didn’t think that yesterday-

- What?

- Oops. It slipped.

- Um? What do you mean?

- Ah... It’s the you-are-going-to-tell-me-everything face. I can’t escape that.

- Yes, you can’t. Now spill.

- Well, yesterday when you went to F/n’s house you called me. I was confused but picked up the call. Then I heard my name and you didn’t answer so I figured you dialed me on accident. I at first felt hurt but then I melted when you said that I’m “the best boyfriend”.

- Tooru! Please! – your cheeks are now red – don’t continue.

- Why not. I love hearing about it and remembering it. You don’t say stuff like that around me so I can’t help it.

- Wait, I don’t?

- No. Maybe a compliment or 2 but that is nothing.

- Damn, sorry. I will try to point out your inner prettiness, Dayou-sama

- And also, do fangirls bother you that much?

- Well yeah, everyone woud be annoyed.

- Why didn’t you say anything?

- I didn’t want to come off ads rude and also you are enjoying yourself.

- But still, you should tell me when something is bothering you.

- OK... I will. Now drink your coffee, it’s going to get cold.

[callioope]

Questions Meme!

Hello, yes, this HAS in fact been sitting in my drafts for ages and ages. Thank you to both @crazy-fruit and @ruby-red-inky-blue for tagging me and for waiting forever for me to answer (oops)! I’m sorry I took so long, but y’all ask really good questions and I had to think about some of them!

Question Set 1

1. How are you?

Oh, I’m doing alright! Thank you for asking. The earlier part of this year was rather rough, but therapy has been helping. I’ve been rather busy these past few weeks with traveling, and my schedule going forward is rather busy, too, so while I’m excited for those things, I’m also excited for the eventual moment I can just relax.

2. What would you say are your talents?

Writing. Making fancy color-coded spreadsheets. I’ve been told that my super power is getting random (annoying) songs stuck in other people’s heads. Does that count as a talent? 

3. If you had the chance to start your life again, would you take it?

NOPE. No thanks. I like where I am at right now, and I would not want to relive my awkward years. Er, at least, my more awkward, younger years. Cuz I’m totally still awkward. Just less awkward. I hope?

4. Which language would you like to speak instantly? 

HMM. ALL OF THEM. It’s really hard to choose! 

Language fascinates me, and in another life I feel like I would have devoted a lot more time to learning more of them. Unfortunately, I really hated German class in high school because of the teacher’s tendency to put people on the spot -- I think that is sort of inherent in a language class, but I get anxiety speaking in public. 

Anyways, I suppose I’ll answer Turkish to this question, since spouse and I keep saying we’re going to try to learn Turkish via Duolingo. For the record, my HS offered six languages, which was the most I’ve ever heard of an American school offering, and I was always quite happy with my choice of German. (The others were Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese, and Latin.) I do wish I had maintained my German better, and I that I had more time to learn Spanish. 

5. Where would you like to be right now?

Honestly? I’m pretty happy when I’m at home. But if I had to answer where “else” would I like to be right now, out of the whole world? Being back on safari in Botswana is a top contender, as are a variety of places in Turkey, and also Munich. 

6. What name would you give yourself?

I’ve always liked my actual name (Elizabeth). I know I go by Liz; one of my HS friends was quite stubborn and I’m a bit stuck with it now, but I don’t mind it. There are worse nicknames that come from Elizabeth. I used to go by Fiona online; I’ve always been fond of that one. 

7. What is something you’re currently learning?

OOF, what a good question. I sorta blanked on this at first, and my first thought was uhhhh learning how to cope with my OCD??? I’m doing exposure therapy right now, ish. Emphasis on the ish. Also mindfulness. Does that really even count? I started a beginner’s knitting project several months ago that I never finished, does that count? (I just need to seam it, that’s what I’m putting off. I have knit plenty of scarves; however, this is my first hat.) I’m sort of teaching myself ukulele although I haven’t really learned any new chords or songs in awhile. I would very much like to take more photography classes with a focus on wildlife photography. That involves buying a new camera and... signing up for classes. 

Question Set 2

1. What is a detail in a piece of art/a text that you like that you really admire?

This was very difficult, at first because it was like looking at a bin full of loose things and just seeing an assortment of color and being overwhelmed by it all, and then because once I did start digging around, I kept finding different ideas and it was too hard too choose.

Character-building: In the A Song of Ice and Fire series, when Arya starts working for the House of Black and White, Martin stops using the name “Arya” as she dons different identities. For example, he uses “Cat” for a bit, among other names. It shows she’s trying to be someone else, but the caveat is that there are still little mannerisms and such that show she hasn’t really left Arya behind (I think maybe she bites her lip or something? I don’t remember specific examples because it’s been over 5 years since I read these books, but I do remember really appreciating the general technique at the time). 

Music: In The Beatles’ “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” I love those repeated arpeggios, over and over, building, intensifying, as the white noise comes in and you can just feel the heaviness of desire, of want... (and then I love how it just breaks so suddenly! And I know it wouldn’t have been intended this way because that’s the end of side one, but since I listen to the whole album on spotify, then those bright chords of “Here Comes the Sun” come in and god Abbey Road is the best Beatles album)

Writing: the poetry of Florence + The Machine’s “All This and Heaven Too,” obviously, since literally the title of my blog comes from that. I’d quote that whole song honestly. There’s something that speaks to me about the incapability of language to fully encompass just... everything. I mean, love in specific here, but also just everything. Words are just these little boats we put meaning on and we hope they make it to the other side but everyone takes ‘em a little differently. 

Like, look at this: 

And the words are all escaping, and coming back all damaged And I would put them back in poetry if I only knew how 

And this: 

Words were never so useful So I was screaming out a language that I never knew existed before

Anyways, there’s also something just incredibly soothing about the music, too, and how she sings the song. There’s another line, from Sara Bareilles’ “Miss Simone” that goes “How does she know what a heart sounds like?” which pretty much sums up how I feel about “All This and Heaven Too” (and also many of Sara Bareilles’ song, especially that particular album, but I digress).

Anyways I did have some art examples, but I think I’ve rambled long enough.

2. Is there an idea that you really liked but had to discard because you couldn’t get it to work?

If I really like an idea, I don’t really “discard” it so much as put it on the shelf to attempt later. Out of recent fic ideas, I’ve really struggled with “How to Lose a Spy in 10 Days.” I first thought of this in late spring 2017, and for awhile I couldn’t stop thinking about it, but I was working on Whatever I Do at the time, and wanted to wait before starting another WIP. By the time I got to writing this, the inspiration well had sort of dried up. 

I really like the idea of a fun cat-and-mouse rom-com idea where Jyn and Cassian keep outsmarting each other, with a whole lot of competency kink, some “oh shit we actually work well together!” and maybe some battle couple. And I was really looking forward to both the moment when they both finally let their guards down around each other and the big confrontation when they actually find out each other’s identities. But it involved more mission writing than I was prepared for, and I really struggled with it. I think I need to start over but that involves a lot of working, so it’s unfortunately shelved for now, and I’m working on a “You’ve Got Mail” concept instead.

3. Is there something fandom-related you would like to be able to do (i.e. I’d like to be able to make gif sets but can’t)?

Oh, yes, absolutely! Really anything that’s not writing related, lol. Gif sets, art, etc. But most of all, I have a music video idea for the song “So Close” from Enchanted--like I have a whole story board plotted out in a google doc. But I don’t have any video editing software, don’t even know how you get the scenes for a music video, etc. I have made videos before, but not since high school, and I don’t even have the cheap, basic video editing program I used back then. Sometimes I think I should just attempt make a gif set instead, but there are so many lyrics! and scenes that go with the lyrics! that I don’t know how to consolidate it into that format anyways. 

4. What is a skill you’ve acquired through fandom work?

Hmm, this was tough. I’m going to say HTML. I’m not up-to-date on webdesign at all, but back in my early fandom days, I ran a few fansites. I still sometimes use HTML while leaving comments or to edit posts on dreamwidth or w/e. It’s super basic, but it has helped me at work at a variety of jobs. I take it for granted that people my age should know basic HTML, but a lot of them don’t, and then a lot of people I work with now are older and definitely not tech savvy. 

5. Do you think anyone can learn to create great art, or does it take talent?

Well, I’m going to cheat a little. I do think think that anyone can learn to create great art, but I also think that everyone has a talent at something, and part of learning to create great art is recognizing your skill sets and honing those. If that makes sense? I’ve sort of seen both sides to this. I’ve seen naturally talented people create great things, but I also think that they’re probably cheating themselves if they’re not learning and honing their craft and trying to get better. But I’ve also seen people who started out making things that maybe you wouldn’t call great, but they worked hard over and over again, and looking at their work now, you’d say they were talented without ever knowing the difference. Great art = talent + learning + passion. Did that even answer the question? ...moving on

6. Do you prefer AUs or in-universe? Why?

I prefer to write in-universe, for sure. I find modern AUs more challenging, mostly because--and I feel kinda bad saying this--it’s very difficult for me to tap into Jyn and Cassian’s characters without some kind of tragic background. Their experiences and how they coped with them shape their personalities, and it’s really hard to separate them from those. My WWII was easier because, hey, it’s war, not so different from in-verse. But I initially tried to write Learning Curve in a modern AU and I was just totally bored. Putting it in universe made it more interesting to me, especially having to finagle a happier plot inverse. IDK, it might even be that I generally struggle to make up any conflict in modern AUs that feels interesting.

THAT SAID, lol, I definitely read either. So it’s probably strange for me to be hung up on it because I’ve read nice fluffy modern AUs and found them perfectly engaging.

Tagging: @theputterer, @magalis, @allatariel, @mythologicalmango, @threadsketchier  MY USUAL DISCLAIMER APPLIES: no pressure if you just don’t wanna, AND if anyone sees this and was like “aw hey i wish she’d tagged ME” well guess what, I wish I did too! so go ahead and do it and let me know and then i’ll know to tag you next time, too :-) 

Questions:

When you suffer a setback or a series of setbacks when creating (writing, drawing, knitting, any kind of crafty project thing you work on... even work), what are some strategies you use to cope with that stress and move forward?

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to create/make and what did you learn from it?

What part of a bicycle would you be?

What’s a helpful writing (art/crafting/work) technique you’ve learned?

What’s a piece of art that made you see things differently?

You’re a new addition to the crayon box. What color would you be and why?

What was the last board game you played and what did you like or not like about it?

*sorry these came out rather writer heavy!

[dragon-temeraire]

could you maybe write something with deaf Derek? like maybe he is used to people trying to communicate by writing on paper or texting but then Stiles comes along and learns sign language so he can ask Derek out!!!!! and like he learns enough to converse and Derek is just !!!!!!!! I just need pining Stiles and soft Derek

Thank you for the prompt, I hope you like this little fic! (On AO3)

Stiles takes a deep breath. He’s been working on this for weeks, he’s got this.

He walks up to Derek’s table and stands in front of him,hoping to catch his attention. Derek’s already done eating, and has juststarted looking through his class notes, so Stiles doesn’t feel too bad aboutdisturbing him.

When Derek glances up, Stiles points to the chair acrossfrom him questioningly. Derek gives him a little smile, nodding.

He takes the seat, then signs Hi, I’m Stiles, making sure to mouth the letters as he spells outhis name.

Derek says Stiles?back, not in a judgmental way, but more in a ‘did I get it right?’ way.

Stiles nods eagerly, and Derek’s smile gets bigger.

You’re in my historyclass, right? Derek says, his eyebrows practically asking the question forhim.

Derek sits at the very front of the class, while Stiles sitstoward the back, so he hadn’t thought Derek had noticed him at all. Nor did herealize how expressive Derek’s face can be.

When he’d pulled aside a couple of Derek’s friends, Ericaand Boyd, and asked them if they’d teach him a few signs, they’d beensuspicious. Derek gets highly detailed notes from their professor after everylecture, and people were always trying to by friendly with him in hopes of gettinga copy.

But Stiles had made his intentions very clear—he just wantedto be able to talk to Derek. And, admittedly, to be able to ask him out. Butthe communication was the most important part.

Yeah, same class,Stiles says. I’ve been enjoying it so far.

Me too, Dereksays, and looks so pleased to be having this conversation with him, Stilescan’t help feeling a thrill of happiness. Haveyou known ASL all along?

Stiles shakes his head. No,I just started. And that’s probably obvious, because he’s already out ofthings to say.

Derek blinks in surprise, then signs something that Stilesdoesn’t understand. Catching his confused look, Derek carefully says You’re doing really well, Stiles. We shouldtalk again sometime.

 *

 They have to pick partners for a history essay, and Stilesis a little surprised when Derek promptly turns around and signs, You want to?

There was probably a lot more to that sentence, but that’sall that Stiles managed to catch. He understands what Derek’s asking, though,so he nods and gives Derek a thumbs up. Derek laughs, shaking his head, butStiles can’t say he minds.

He’s waiting for Stiles after class, and begins to sign tohim so rapidly that Stiles’ brain can’t figure out anything. Sure, he’s been meeting up with Erica and Boyd to learnmore, but he hasn’t made that muchprogress.

Derek seems to realize that Stiles is lost, and he slowsdown, his expression radiating ‘oops, sorry.’

It’s okay, Stilessays, because he appreciates Derek’s enthusiasm.

I’m just excited aboutour topic, Derek says, and Stiles tries to keep his smile in check. Hedoesn’t want Derek to think he’s making fun of him. Do you want to go to the library with me?

Stiles agrees. He doesn’t have another class today, and theymight as well get a jump start on this project. He follows Derek across campus,keeping close because the quad is crowded. His stomach swoops a little whentheir hands brush, and he rolls his eyes at himself. It doesn’t mean anything.  

Derek takes him around the library, showing Stiles thesection of historical references, then leads him to his favorite study nook.It’s luckily unoccupied, so they claim it with their bags and go grab books.

Here, in the quiet of the library, Derek’s silence doesn’tseem out of place, and Stiles grins when he realizes they can talk withoutdisturbing anyone else. They work for a while, discussing their plan for theessay and taking down notes. They have a good framework laid out by the timeDerek glances at his watch, frowning.

He scribbles something on a piece of paper and hands it toStiles. It’s an email address, with Derek’s full name written neatly above it.

We can talk that wayuntil we meet up again, he says, and Stiles nods agreeably, writing out hisown email for Derek.

He’s never been this excited to work on a history paper.

 *

 After three days of emailing back and forth, Stiles knowshe’s doomed. Derek is clever and funny, and so wonderfully passionate abouthistory, that Stiles’ little crush is spiraling out of control.

And he reallywants to figure out how to be witty in sign language, so he can make Dereklaugh all the time.

He’s been getting better at ASL—both through his continuedlessons with Boyd and Erica, and having conversations with Derek himself. It’sa gradual improvement, but it’s there, and Stiles really pleased by that.

He’s practiced how to ask Derek out numerous times, watchinghis reflection in the mirror to make sure he’s getting it right. But he figuresit’s best to wait until they’re done with the history project. Because if Derekturned him down, it would be super awkward to try and finish their essaytogether.

So Stiles contents himself with reading over their latestdraft, and doing his best to at least be witty via email.

 *

 They meet up again the day before it’s due, because Derekwants to go through it and make sure they’ve covered all the relevant pointsadequately. It’s even harder to be subtle about his pining when he’s aroundDerek now, when he knows what his sense of humor is like, when he knows whatDerek cares about, and is passionate about.

Some of our emailswere getting pretty off-topic, Derek says, and Stiles winces, because it’strue.

They’d been talking about their experiences in high school,their favorite bands, and little stories about things they’d seen in college,with only occasional post scripts actually related to the essay. Stiles hadbeen enjoying it a lot, and had only encouraged it.

My bad, he says.

Derek smiles. I didn’tmind, he says. We just need to getthis finished before we get back to your issues with team sports.

Stiles snorts out a laugh, and pulls out his own copy of theessay, eager to finalize it.

 *

 He and Derek keep talking via email after they turn in theirpaper, because they only see each other on campus a couple of times a week,when their class schedules overlap. And Stiles knows he absolutely cannot ask Derek out by email, so hespends a lot of time thinking (and overthinking) how to do it in person.

In the end he decides not to make a spectacle of himself,and just asks Derek to meet him at one of the picnic tables behind the library.

By the time Stiles arrives, Derek is there already there,reading a book as he idly scratches at his stubble. It’s a little mesmerizing.

Stiles sits down in across from him, back straight and bodytense, and says I want to ask yousomething. He’s not sure he got the signs quite right, thanks to hisnerves, but he’s pretty sure Derek understands anyway.

He nods encouragingly, eyebrows raised.

Stiles’ rambling doesn’t work so well in sign language, sohe takes a deep breath, trying to ground himself before saying, Would you go on a date with me?

Derek blushes then, and his face is soft and open when hesays, Why did you learn ASL?

Stiles licks his lips nervously. He’s not sure why Derek isasking, but he answers as honestly as possible. I wanted to be able to ask you out properly.

You learned far morethan you needed just to ask me out, Derek says, smiling a little.

Well, yes, Stilessays with a shrug. I wanted to be able totalk to you. Get to know you.

Derek grins, still blushing. And that’s why I’m saying yes, he says, and Stiles feels hisstomach swoop pleasantly.

He beams at Derek, and decides he needs to buy Erica and Boyda gift basket.

(Right after he takes Derek on a date, of course.)

[theanxiouscupcake]

do you sometimes ever wonder when you read fics what certain events would look like from another person's point of view (like a date from both people's perspective) that would be so FUN

( i screm i got a nice anon! whoever you are, i already like you!!)

*scroll to the bottom, below the line, if you want a brief answer to question instead of some rambling*

and OH MY GOD, ALL THE TIME.

like, sometimes it claws at my brain but as a writer, i do sometimes use this knowledge to my advantage - people wanting to know what the other person is thinking. that curiosity is actually quite useful and has a lot of potential and i love playing on that!! makes for a great “reveal”.

*but* it can be equally interesting and FUN as you said, to know both sides of the story like, imagine your otp on a date, one is mentally a nervous wreck and the other is very observant of it and finds it so endearing that he’s/she’s already starting to fall for the other person.

OR

both thinking the exact same thing (and only the readers know it) but SAY the opposite because they think the other person wouldn’t think the same thing, thus leading then to believe they’re not right for each other, you know what i mean? it’d drive me up the wall, in a *good way*.

i love fics and even novels that alternate perspectives. it creates a certain depth for the characters and is a good way to make sure the characters don’t fall flat.

one of my upcoming nickXjess fics - crimelord vs fbi agent - has that!! alternating chapters and perspectives very distinctly. (usually i just do it as per convenience in my fics lol without a clear demarcation). oh well, dunno if i’ll get to it ever, but if i ever do, i’ll definitely have different pov.

oops wow i’m sorry i talk a lot and get super excited about anons (good ones) that ask subjective questions *especially* about fics.

TL;DR: yes i think about it all the time and switching perspectives has enormous potential in character establishment!!! most definitely fun for the readers :)

[spoksonat]

Jupiter (Michael Mell x Reader)

Prompt: From this list:

 “You’re perfect.”

 “I’ve loved you since the moment I first saw you.”

Summary: All you wanted to do was see your favorite planet with your best friend, Michael. But of course, feelings get in the way of you and the telescope.

Pairing: Michael Mell x Reader (Gender inclusive!)

Warnings: FLUFFY AS FUCK, Cursing, Underage drinking (Barely).

A/N: This wasn’t even requested but oops I love Michael. Also, this is my first Be more chill fic so if this is ooc I’m sorry! As always, English isn’t my first language so again, sorry if I made any mistakes. Feedback is appreciated! Requests are open for any character, with any of the prompts on the list or even if you just have a specific idea. I also make headcanons!

“Come on, Mell! It’s time.” You said, almost dragging Michael to the backyard of his house while looking up at the sky.

“There isn’t even a time, we could do this hours from now and everything would be the same.” He responded, smiling at your overexcitement.

“Yeah, but my curfew is in two hours so, gotta make this quick!”

“I can’t believe you’re this excited for freaking Jupiter, Jesus Christ (Y/N).”

“Hey, I’ve been planning this for months! I finally convinced my cousin to let me borrow his bigass telescope and it’s not like you can see Jupiter at any time of the year.”

The two of you sat down on the grass, close to the big telescope that was already set to shoot at the dark night sky.

Michael couldn’t stop smiling, you were so excited just to see a planet from his backyard, eating shitty guacamole he had prepared and drinking cheap booze his father had long forgotten about in the back of the fridge.

“And Jupiter’s moons! Oh, they’re just so amazing- Michael? Are you even listening to me?”

“Sorry, I got distracted.”

You chuckled, trying to position the telescope on the correct coordinates you had found online.

“Sometimes I forget how passionate you are about astronomy.”

“It’s my favorite planet you know, I just… wanted to see it with you.”

His heart melted, you were just so goddamn unique and beautiful and all he wanted to do since the first time he saw you at school three years ago was to just… hold you and make you feel loved. You needed it, he knew, after long nights of staying late while texting with you, making sure you where alright, making sure you weren’t feeling sad. But he didn´t know where to start, he couldn’t even tell you how special you were to him.

“I think it’s done.” You announced, sitting back on the ground and looking at him excitedly.

He smiled.

“I think it would only be fair you saw it first, Miss. NASA.”

He observed how you drank from your red solo cup and went up to the telescope, positioning your eye in the correct angle.

He knew you had succeeded when your smile grew so much that your dimples were showing.

“Wow.” You breathed. “It’s been years since I last saw it.”

“How is it?” He asked a few second later, admiring your calmness and happiness over something so unusual.

“Beautiful.” He got closer. “Absolutely beautiful. Do you want to see?”

You sat back again and faced him, he didn’t even spare a glance at the telescope.

“Yeah, absolutely beautiful.”

He was so tired of hiding how he felt, there was times it was almost unbearable to see you talking about how no one liked you or how unattractive you felt and say nothing. He couldn’t keep hiding it anymore.

Before you could say anything, he was kissing you, lightly and sweetly and like you had all the time in the world. Just you and him and the rest of the sky.

It was absolute bliss, he had wanted to do this for such a long time, damn it, he had bugged Jeremy about it for the past couple of years, and it was even better than he could’ve expected. You were so soft and warm even in the cold air of the night. He felt ridiculous thinking about how crazy in love he was.

He was the first to break the kiss, after realizing he hadn’t even asked you if he could do such thing.

“Oh god, (Y/N). I’m sorry I just- I’ve loved you since the moment I first saw you. And I know I must sound insane but you are so good to me, fuck you’re the best. And I know I’m just… a loser, but- “

Your hand went up to his cheek and he stopped rambling immediately.

“Michael, you do realize I’m the dork who has been planning to see a planet for the past month, right?” You laughed, playing with the soft material of his red hoodie. “And you didn’t even question it, you just- went along with it completely because that’s the type of person you are.” You shook you head. “You’re perfect.”

And this time you kissed him, feeling your heart speed up when you heard the little surprised yelp he made at the touch.

Michael liked you.

Your best friend, the guy you had spent so many afternoons playing videogames with, the one who had helped you with all your math projects and the one who always reminded you of how important you were.

And you liked him too.

You broke apart, breathless and warm and red at the cheeks.

You both laughed quietly still in each other’s arms.

“I can’t believe we just kissed because of a fucking planet.”

“Hey, it’s my favorite planet.”

Two weeks later there was a new patch on his left arm, a round colorful patch with the design of your favorite planet, big and recently sewed there. He wore it proudly.

Request are open!!! I also write for DEH and a lot of other fandoms :)

[cicinicole-14]

jvsvau 1

So... its currently 4am... and I'm just posting this now. to clarify, Gus is the youngest of 4 kids in the Sloan family (including Sofia) and Shelly is the 3rd out of 4 kids in the Hunt family. anyway, they have so many more things I could talk about because Gus and Shelly have a very complicated yet adorable relationship. and hats off to @only-freakin-sunflowers for letting me steal a good chunk of the original fic this story belonged to. this is technically the AU version of Shelly’s story, yet we created a whole life story behind it, oops? anyway, enough rambling... 

if you want to know more about Gus, Shelly, or their families, feel free to leave some requests! @only-freakin-sunflowers owns Shelly and the Hunt fam, and I own the Sloan fam. if you have any questions about them too, we will be happy to answer! onto the fic! 

also: these really don't have titles, sorry. and they’ll be numbered if I keep posting them but by no means are in chronological order... 

Everything was all lined up. It was going to be picture perfect.

On August 31st, when Shelly went into labour, Laurie and Roger Chapman were to meet her at the hospital, and once the baby was born, nurses would hand it over and it would be theirs. Forever. Shelly would never know it’s gender, or it’s name, or what it looked like or acted like or grew up to be. Her baby would be out there in the world, without her. That’s what she had chosen.

But her baby would be okay, he or she would have Laurie and Roger. Her baby would have an actual father in Roger. And Laurie would be a better mom than she ever could; she was a teacher, and a Christian, and she baked, and she liked to garden. On paper, she was your stereotypical, storybook mother…

“Augustus, you home?” Shelly calls into the apartment as she squats down and places the spare key back under the welcome mat outside and stands back up.

“Living room!” He responds, watching her appear from around the corner of the hallway.

Shelly walks over to the couch and plops down not-so-gracefully next to him as he’s typing away on his laptop. “Work?” She questions. He shakes his head.

“No, video game. I’m trying to finish up the one I was creating. I have a few more details to add into it but I can’t figure out what exactly I need to make it feel like it’s complete.” He muses and she shrugs her shoulders. “What were you doing today?” He asks, looking up at her.

“I’m bored!” She whined. “There’s nothing to do at home because both my parents are at work, Dee still kinda hates me and Evie’s back in school now.” She complains. “I was hoping you were home, and I seriously don’t know what I would’ve done if you weren’t home. Actually I probably would’ve went to your office to bug you, because I’m bored. Maternity leave is boring. This baby can just makes it’s way out any day now. That way I can get my body back and go back to work. I will be so much happier when that happens.” She rolls her eyes at the last sentence.

Gus laughs shaking his head. “Sometimes I don’t know why I’m friends with you.” He shakes his head. “You want something to drink?”

“Because you love me and yes, a beer please.”

“That’s not even funny, Michelle.” He says in a serious tone, turning and walking into the kitchen to pour hr a glass of ice water. He returned to the couch, handing her the glass and sitting back down next to her with his laptop on his lap.

“Thank you. Do you want to watch a movie?” She asked and he shrugs before picking up the remote.

“Sure, pick something, just–”

“I know, no scary movies and no movies where a dog dies.” She says taking the remote from him and flipping through the tv guide searching for a movie. “Oh, since I’m here we can finish catching up on Supergirl.”

---

“I still can’t believe Maggie just turned Alex down! That was so sad.” Shelly rants, watching her show. “I am so glad Alex finally told Kara she was gay,  though. Hopefully Maggie will come to her senses. Also, I still think Alex looks like your mom.” Shelly says, smiling at Gus.

“Not at all. If anything, Maggie looks like your mom.” Gus replies.

“No! For one, Maggie is Puerto Rican. My mom is not. Alex so looks like your mom. Now hurry and click play.” Shelly urges.

“I am… Shelly, did you spill your drink?” Gus questions, feeling the puddle of liquid seeping into his pants on the couch.

“No my water broke.” Shelly answered, shoveling popcorn into her mouth, too engrossed in the show. Her eyes widen and she looks at Gus. “OH MY GOD I’m going into labour! What do we do?!” She screams at him.

“How am I supposed to know? I’m the baby of the family. And please don’t yell.” He says softly.

“I’m sorry, I’m just freaking out. I didn’t really think these were real contractions because my mom said they start out slow and light, and they have been going on since last night. I didn’t think anything of it.” She rambled on.

Gus stands up, helping Shelly to her feet before grabbing the redhead’s purse for her along with his keys and leading her out the door to head to the hospital.

“Shit, I need to call Laurie and Roger." Shelly groaned.

---

Gus walks her into Grey Sloan, one arm holding her hand and the other arm wrapped around her waist. He spots the Chapmans and can see the mixed look of excitement and worry across both Laurie and Roger’s faces. He walks up to the nurses station in the maternity wing of the hospital and helps her nurse get her settled in the room. Stepping out when she goes to change into the hospital gown.

Looking in the mirror, standing sideways to fully assess her grown belly, Shelly couldn’t imagine not being a mother in a few months. She already felt like one, if she was being honest; and while on the surface it looked like a horrible idea… she couldn’t imagine not following this through, not being there for the rest of her baby’s life.

But Laurie and Roger were just out there in the waiting room waiting for her to hand over her child to them. She had to do this, right?

---

Gus had been sitting with her, keeping her company as her labour progressed and got more intense as the hours passed. Shelly reached over, squeezing his hand lightly, knowing it would get his attention. Gus looked up from his phone and smiled, knowing something was on her mind.

“What’s up?” He asks softly.

“What if I could do it?” Shelly asks. “I always thought i just couldn’t keep this baby and I need to give it up for adoption, but what if I could do it? The whole ‘raising a baby’ thing.” She thought aloud.

“If you really wanted this, I think you could make it work,” Gus admits gently. “You can do a lot more than you give yourself credit for, Shell. You’ve been in and out of rehab four times now? You’ve had the effort to step back up to the plate and keep batting every time; you’re not a quitter, and you’re not weak. But you know inside what you can and can’t handle. Raising a kid is not an easy thing to do. If you really want it though, then you could do it.” Gus tells her.

“It’s too late though, Gussy.” She says with tears in her eyes.

“Have you handed over your baby yet? Have you signed the final papers?” He asked, a bit harshly.

“No.”

“It’s not too late, Michelle.”

“It is, Augustus. Laurie and Roger are right outside in the waiting room, waiting for me to pop this baby out and hand it over to them. It’s too late.” Shelly argued back, the tears rolling down her cheeks.

“It’s not, Michelle, but I really don’t want to argue with you now. I’ll come back later.” He said standing up and leaving.

“Augustus, you’re seriously leaving right now?”

“I need to cool down, Shell. I need a minute. I’ll be back, I promise.” He stated, before walking out of her hospital room.

“Great! Now both of my best friends kinda hate me right now.” She stated, the tears falling harder down her face.

---

Amelia can see the pain across her daughter’s face. Not just physical pain, but the emotional pain of not having Dee or Gus in the room with her right now. Half listening to the obstetrician, Amelia picks up her daughter’s leg, as Shelly takes a deep breath, getting ready to push when the door swings open and crashes against the wall behind it.

“I’m here, I’m here I’m here I’m here,” Dee announces quickly, running into the delivery room. Shelly lets go of the breath she just inhaled and smiles, tears falling down her face again. “Gus called me, I’m sorry I’m late. He’s in the waiting room, by the way. He said he’ll see you after. He didn’t want to be in with all the loud noises.” Dee told her. Shelly just nods appreciatively.

Dee takes Amelia’s spot as Amelia leaves the room and Shelly looks up at the brunette with a smile. “Thank you for being here, still.” She whispers, inhaling a deep breath, getting ready to push again.

“You’re welcome.”

---

“You’re doing great, Shelly, just give me one more big push,” the obstetrician instructs. “One more big push” turned into six, but then, there was a cry, and when Shelly looked up, she saw Dee smiling. “Do you want to see the baby?” the OB asks.

Shelly shakes her head. She was wordless, with everything that had happened, and everything that was still happening, but she shakes her head. She can’t; if she gets to see the product of these long nine months, all the nights she’d spent awake thinking and questioning and crying… she would never want to let it go. And she had to let it go.

“Will you go let my mom know she’s a grandmother to a child she won’t ever know about and let the Chapmans know they have a kid now?” Shelly asks Dee. Dee nods. “And go see the baby, i know you want to. You can hold it, if they let you, and take Gus with you too, i need a minute to myself.” With that, Dee gives Shelly a smile and walks out of the hospital room, following the nurse pushing the tiny basinet.

---

Dee stayed in the nursery with the baby, Gus and the new parents oogling over the new baby until Shelly was moved from the delivery room to recovery. She comes back in awe, with a smile on her face, trying so hard not to show it. She doesn’t want Shelly to feel bad. “She’s beautiful,” Dee says simply. “She’s got red hair just like you…”

“It’s a she?” Shelly asks, a little bit of sadness mixed with shock in her voice. She hadn’t wanted to know she was abandoning a little girl in this world. Dee realizes her mistake instantly, her mouth slightly agape as she tries to figure out how to fix it. “Uhhh… no….”

“It’s a he, then?” Shelly asks again, this time more sadness in her voice. She hadn’t wanted to know she was abandoning a little boy in the world either.

“Uhhh….no….” Dee repeats again.

“It doesn’t have private parts and it’s an alien?” Shelly asks, this time she’s crying. Not about her genderless alien baby, not in particular, just about everything. Dee can’t help but laugh a little. “It’s not an alien Shelly, I’m sorry,” she comforts her. “It’s a girl. I didn’t mean to tell you.”

“It’s okay,” Shelly whimpers, wiping her eyes.  

“I’m so proud of you,” Dee says as she sits down on the edge of the bed and leans in for a hug. “I’m so, so proud of you.” She says again.

Shelly closes her eyes, trying to conceal the tears. “Dee, can I have another minute alone?” Dee stands up from the bed, nodding.

“No problem. I’m going to go find Gus for you, but I’ll give you some time first. Anything you need?” She asks before she leaves but Shelly just shakes her head.

---

The door to Shelly’s room opens up again, not even five minutes after Dee leaves and Shelly doesn’t even open her eyes. “Gus, Dee said she would give me a few minutes before she found you and sent you over.” Shelly breathes.

“I’m not Gus, but I can come back.” The social worker says. Shellys eyes open as she recognizes the voice.

“No, wait, I need to talk to you.” Shelly says, sure of her next statement.

---

There’s a knock at her door and Shelly looks up as he walks in. Gus raises his eyebrows as he sees the sight before him. There was Shelly, sitting upright in her hospital bed, her arm propped up on a pillow with a pink bundle cradled in her arms. “Gussy, I want you to meet Lyla.”

“Is that what Laurie and Roger are naming her?” Gus asks, walking over to the side of the bed.

Shelly looks back down at the baby, avoiding eye contact. She swallows and clears her throat before speaking up. “No. No that’s not what they’re naming her. They aren’t naming her because they aren’t her parents. I am. Because some stupid friend of mine told me it wasn’t too late to keep her, and now I have a daughter named Lyla, who has absolutely nothing, because I was planning on giving her up for adoption.”

Gus just stares between the baby and Shelly, a smile spread widely across his face. “Well, who would do that?” He asks innocently. She elbows him with her free arm, playfully.

“Can you go get my mom and Dee?” She asks.

“Can I hold her first?” Gus asks tentatively. Shelly gasps quietly, forgetting to offer that.

“Oh, yeah, sorry. I forgot to ask you if you wanted to hold her. Here,” She said, passing over the baby. “Just support her head like that.”

Gus stared down at the little baby, smiling. “Hi, Lyla. Welcome to the world.”

---

“Shelly, what’s wrong?” Amelia asks, bursting into the room. “Gus said you needed us to come immediately.”

“Shhh.” Shelly hushed her mother as the woman walked in, followed by Dee and Gus, both women staring with their mouths hanging wide open at the sight. “She just fell asleep.”

“How’d this happen?” Dee asked, taking one side of the hospital bed, while Amelia stood at the other side and Gus stood at the foot.

Shelly looked up at Dee. “After you left, the social worker came in and was going to ask me to sign and I told her I couldn’t. I made sure it wasn’t too late and I told the nurse I wanted to hold her. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t give her up.” Shelly said, looking back down at the baby. “Mom, Dee, I’d like you to meet Lyla.” Dee gasped.

“Lyla.”  Dee whispered, looking at Shelly.

“I hope you don’t mind.” Shelly said, wondering if Dee would hate that she named a child after her.

“Thank you. I love it. C-Can I hold her?” Dee held the baby, walking around the room, gently rocking the infant as Shelly looked up at her mom.

“I know I still live at home and I didn’t talk to you about this, but we have room. We can turn Charlie’s room into a nursery. Mom, I can’t give her up. I’ll make this work, I promise.”

Amelia just nods, with tears in her eyes. “I’m a grandma. Oh, your father is going to have a cow.”

---

“What if I break her? She’s too tiny, Gus, I can’t do this!” Shelly says frantically, laying the sleeping baby back onto the hospital bed.

“Will you bite my head off if I do it?” He asks and Shelly shakes her head, stepping back.  Gus steps closer, picking up the baby and laying her gently into the carseat and buckling it over her tiny frame. “There. Was that so hard? She didn’t even wake up.”

“Thank you. And thank you again for driving us home. Mom and dad both got called into emergency surgery and Thea couldn’t get off work.”

“You’re very welcome. Now into your seat.” He said pointing to the wheelchair. Shelly rolled her eyes and groaned in disgust.

“Why do I have to ride in this?” She whined.

“It’s protocol.”

“Both my parents and your parents work here and your parents own part of it, as well as my aunt and uncle, you’d think i could get away with not riding in a friggin’ wheelchair and embarrassing myself.” Shelly grumbled.

“Michelle, just humor me?”

“Fine, but only for you, Augustus.”

---

They made it back to the Hunt home, almost an hour later, because the whole way there, Shelly made Gus drive ten miles under the speed limit, but he did it to please her, anything to ease her mind of worry.

Gus smiled as he opened the back door to grab the carrier. “No heavy lifting.” He reminded her as she reached to grab Lyla’s carrier and Gus took it from her. She rolled her eyes but took his hand instead and walked into her house, leading Gus upstairs towards her room.

“Surprise.” Everyone whispered, lighting up Shelly’s face. Everyone was there. Her mom and dad, her sisters, Dee, even Jesse and Gus’s parents and siblings were there to welcome her home.

“We’re going to leave soon so you can adjust with the baby, we all just wanted to welcome you home.” Thea smiled, hugging her little sister. “Congrats, Shelly.”

Everyone filed out of Shelly’s room, giving her and the baby a minute to relax and for her to take Lyla out of the carseat since she woke up and began to fuss. She just finished feeding the baby when there wa a soft tap on the door and it opened.

“Everyone left, but we have one more surprise for you.” Owen told his daughter. Shelly carefully stood up and followed her mom, dad and Gus down the hall towards her brother’s room.  “Open it.”

She pushed open the door with one hand, amazed by the nursery. “Wow. How’d you do this so fast?” Shelly asked, walking in, admiring the crib and running her hand along the smooth wood. She peeked in the drawers, finding them filled with baby clothes and everything stocked full of baby items.

“You can thank this boy right here.” Amelia said, patting Gus’s back.

“You did this?” Shelly asked, still astonished. She watched as her parent backed out of the nursery slowly, shutting the door on their way out, giving them privacy.

“Michelle, you’re my best friend. You help me through all the rough times in my life, and were my friend when no one else was because of my condition. You’re always there for me when I needed you to be, I’m just returning the favor.”

“How’d you get all this though? You were with me in the hospital the whole time?” She questioned.

“I had it. I knew you wouldn’t be able to give her up. Michelle, you’re strong, but you aren’t strong enough to give your child away. You’re stronger for raising her. I knew you would.”

“You should’ve told me. Why didn’t you just tell me to keep her in the first place? This would’ve been a whole hell of a lot easier.”

“I couldn’t do that. This had to be your choice, your decision on your own terms. You had to decide to be strong enough to raise her. You can do this.”

“Thanks for believing in me, Augustus.”

“Always, Michelle.”

Shelly looked down at her daughter. “Welcome home, Lyla.”

But Laurie Chapman wasn’t her baby’s mother. She was.

this started from one of those sentence prompt things, this one was ‘OH mY GOD I'm going into labour what do we do?!’ and... well.... thus Lyla... aka kinda the beginning point of the AU part in this series verses Shelly’s original plan of letting the Chapmans raise Lyla. 

again, if you have any questions, let me know. any future pics posted in this verse will be tagged as below.