#sorry for the mixup king | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sourcherryandsprinkles · 5 months ago

Note

Can you write modern Jace being a blind king? Those glasses looks THICK. Maybe reader come to his dorm and see him with his glasses?

Request: Roommates college au where there’s a mixup with the dorms and they end up in the same dorm. Imagine rooming with Jace? He’d be so cute and maybe a little nerdy idk. She moves out but they become friends…and then more than friends

The second request has been sitting in my ask for a long time (sorry). I watched Insidious: The Red Door the other day and it gave me inspiration for it (I had planned to add smut in this one but it didn't end up fitting and my laptop didn't save a few of the scenes I had written so I had to rewrite them...not as good or cute as the first time)

my taglists are here + you can send requests here at any time

—

When you arrived at your assigned dorm, there were already people there. One was a boy with curly hair, and the other a woman with white-blond hair. Their backs were all turned, so they didn’t see you come in with your suitcase.

‘’No, Mom, you don't have to do that. I can do it myself,’’ he said, trying to stop her from unpacking a box. ‘’Classes don’t start until Monday.’’

‘’But I want to help you settle in,’’ she insisted, taking a lamp out of the box and setting it on the nightstand. ‘’My first boy is leaving for college. This is difficult for me, Jace. Let me at least help you with your bed. No one makes a bed better than a mother.’’

Jace sighed in defeat and moved out of her way so she could make his bed. ‘’Okay. Thanks, Mom.’’

She grabbed sheets from another box and began making the bed. ‘’Where are your brothers and father? Taking the last boxes out of the car shouldn’t take so long. I hope they didn’t get lost on campus.’’

You watched them with jealousy, wishing your parents had dropped you off at college too. It was a rite of passage for freshman students. But you understood that your parents had jobs they could not take days off from.

You stood there for a moment before clearing your throat to announce your presence. ‘’This is room 309?’’

Jace’s mom looked up first, giving you a kind smile. ‘’Oh, hello there. Yes, this is 309. Are you looking for someone?’’

‘’No. Eh, this is my dorm,’’ you said with a frown, holding your paper in your hand. ‘’It says 309.’’

Jace turned around, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. ‘’That’s impossible, there must be a mistake. This is a boys hall, and boys and girls aren’t supposed to room together. It’s nothing against you, I personally don’t see a problem rooming with a girl. It’s just…not permitted.’’

‘’I know. But it says here that this is my dorm.’’

‘’Let me see that paper, sweetheart.’’ The blond woman looked at your paper, her eyes reading the information slowly. ‘’Oh, no. You’re right. There must be a mistake on the college’s part.’’

‘’You should go to the housing office,’’ Jace suggested with the same kind smile as his mother. ‘’They’ll switch you to another hall.’’

You nodded. ‘’I’m gonna go and see if they can solve this issue. Can I leave my suitcase here?’’

‘’Of course.’’

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°

The line outside the housing office was crazy due to the hoard of students coming back, so you didn't get back to your dorm until well later in the evening. There were no voices coming from inside your dorm, meaning Jace's family must have left.

You knocked before coming in, not wanting to walk in on something you should not be seeing. But Jace did not hear you, laying on his bed with a book and headphones on. You didn’t take him for a reader, nor a glasses wearer.

‘’What did they say at housing?’’ he asked, taking down his headphones and shutting his book.

You walked over to the empty bed and fell down on it, exhausted. ‘’They basically said sorry for the inconvenience and that I gotta sleep here tonight. But I’ll get a new room tomorrow, so it’s not a permanent thing.’’

Jace hummed. ‘’Do you need help settling for the night?’’

You shook your head, standing. ‘’No. I’m just gonna get my pillow and blanket, and change into pajamas. There’s no point unpacking when I move again tomorrow.’’

Your suitcase was heavy, so you lowered it on the floor and grabbed your pillow and blanket, then rummaged through your suitcase for your pajamas. As you held up your shorts and a tee shirt, you remembered that this was a boys' hall, meaning the bathrooms would be full of boys.

Jace seemed to read your mind. ‘’Eh, I can turn around so you can change,’’ he offered. ‘’I promise I’m not gonna look. I can even take off my glasses if you want, I’m blind as a mile without them.’’

You chuckled at his offer. What a gentleman, you noted. Making sure you feel comfortable during this inconvenience. ‘’That's okay. Just turning around is fine."

He nodded and turned his back to you, facing the wall. ‘’You’re in art school?’’ he asked, making conversation as you changed so it would be less awkward. ‘’I've seen your sketchbook and art supplies beside your suitcase. Not that I snooped through your things. I promise I didn’t.’’

‘’Yeah,’’ you replied, pulling your shirt over your head and unclasping your bra. It felt daunting to be topless in the same room as an almost-stranger, but you tried to not think too much about it. ‘’And you’re in...?'

''Political science,’’ he finished. ‘’My grandfather went to this university, so I’m following his footsteps. I’m also taking a side class in History for personal pleasure.’’

Political science was not what you expected him to say, but it made sense. With his glasses, he had the politician look — minus the sweats and tee shirt.

What kind of weirdo takes a history class for fun?

‘’I know what you’re thinking — history is boring. But I love learning about the past civilisations and how ancient monuments were built, it’s so fascinating. Like the Moai Statues, the Giza pyramids or the Colosseum of Rome.’’

‘’Have you ever visited one of them?’’ You slipped into your pajamas, and threw your dirty clothes on top of your suitcase.

His lips curled into an excited grin. ‘’I have! Last year, my family and I went to Italy and my dad took me and my brother Luke to see the Colosseum. It was magnificent. I took pictures. Do you want to see?’’

‘’Sure.’’

You sat back on your bed and Jace turned back around, reaching to grab his ipad to show you the pictures he took. His passion for history could be heard as he talked about the Colosseum, telling you facts you had never heard of. Eventually, the pictures came to an end, and Jace accidentally swiped too far, showing you a picture of his brothers and him making faces in Italy.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°

You didn’t think so many people would be up early on a Saturday. The queue at the campus café was insane. All for a coffee and a bagel.

As you walked across the quad, trying to get to the bookstore to get everything you needed for Monday, flyers were being shoved into your face, advertising for clubs, frat parties and sorority houses who were scouting for new members. You were not interested in any, but they were not taking no for answer.

A neon party? What year were they stuck into?

You threw all the invitations in the trash.

On your way back from the bookstore, you received an email from the housing office with your new dorm information. You could move in immediately, but needed to stop by for your new key.

So that's what you did.

You couldn’t wait to get to your new dorm and finally shower.

‘’You’re already going?’’ Jace asked, coming in with a paper bag containing lunch from the café you went to this morning.

You nodded, finishing zipping up your suitcase. ‘’I’m not going too far, though. I’m just a floor up, right above you, so if you jerk off or have a girl over, remember that I can hear all.’’

Jace’s cheeks turned a shade of pink, getting flustered.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°

Although you had moved out, you found yourself standing outside your old dorm a few days later.

‘’Howdy roomie,’’ you said when Jace opened. ‘’Let’s go out, I’m hungry.’’

Before he could say anything, you stepped in as if it was still your dorm and sat on the empty bed that used to be yours. They must not have found him a new roommate. On the desk, you noticed Jace’s laptop was opened along with his textbook.

The brunet frowned, clearly confused by your presence. ‘’Eh, what are you doing here?’’

‘’Taking my roommate out for pizza?’’ you replied. You had not eaten since that granola bar at lunch and your stomach was screaming.

‘’We’re not roommates anymore.’’

You rolled your eyes. It was a minor detail. ‘’I know, but you’re the person I’ve spent the most time with since getting here and I don’t feel like going out to eat alone. Please, Jace,’’ you said, pouting to put all chances on your side.

He was taken back. This wasn’t a common occurrence for him. A girl knocking on his door and asking him out — platonically or not.

His frown disappeared, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. ‘’Fine,’’ he sighed. ‘’I’ll put on my shoes.’’

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°

Getting pizza after class on Wednesday became a weekly rendez-vous. You sat at the same table, ordered the same toppings — pepperoni with extra cheese and red bell peppers —, and talked about anything but school. You made it an official rule on your fourth date when Jace spent the whole time biting his fingers and worrying about a paper that was due at the end of the week.

Pizza dates were your special time to unwind and stop thinking of schoolwork.

As you both settled into your usual spot, hair slightly damp from the drizzle outside. Early autumn rain was the worst. The weather was too warm to carry around a jacket, but when you didn’t have one, rain would randomly start pouring.

You took a second slice of pizza and glanced at Jace. ‘’I’m gonna need your help for a project for my art class.’’

His eyes widened slightly, and he quickly swallowed his bite of pizza. ‘’Nope!’’

You frowned at his immediate refusal. ‘’You don’t want to help me?’’

‘’No! That’s not that,’’ he assured. ‘’Didn’t we make a rule that we would not be speaking of school while eating pizza? You’re breaking your own rule,’’ he pointed out.

You sighed dramatically, leaning back in the booth. ‘’I know… But Mrs. Rosenberg told us this afternoon that we needed a model for our proportion piece and I didn’t want to forget about it. All you have to do is sit and look pretty while I draw you.’’

Jace raised an eyebrow. ‘’Oh, so you think I’m pretty?’’ he teased, stuffing a huge bite of pizza in his mouth before you could swat his arm.

You rolled your eyes and took a bite of your own slice. ‘’So, will you be my model?’’

He thought about it, a slight pout on his lips. ‘’What’s in it for me?’’

‘’Extra time with your favorite roommate?’’

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°

‘’Is this okay? I have a red polo somewhere. Maybe it would look better?’’ Jace asked as you laid out your art material on the second, unused, desk.

You shook your head, and started propping up your small easel. ‘’You’re perfect like this.’’

He nodded slowly, his cheeks flushing a bit as he settled into position by the desk lamp you had priorly angled. The silence between you was comfortable as you began tracing Jace's features on your canvas, and you took a moment to really look at him — his curly hair, the faint freckles across his aquiline nose, the highlight of his pouty lips, and the way his fingers fidgeted with the hem of his tee shirt.

He was nervous. You immediately picked on it when you came in with your canvas and art supplies. His demeanor was different than usual.

‘’Can you move your head slightly to the left?’’

Jace complied, the dull yellow light of the lamp hitting exactly where you wanted it. Now, you could see all the angles and edges of his face.

‘’Yes! That’s perfect!’’

You continued tracing the contrasts and outlines of your model's face, eyebrows knitted together in concentration. Jace found it cute, but he kept it to himself.

The afternoon passed. You painted and mixed colors on your palette, lost in your creative bubble while Jace was trying his best to keep his posture...which was starting to ache. Sitting completely straight for hours was more difficult than he thought.

As you were working on his complexion, you stole glances at your ex-roommate, trying to get every detail on your canvas, and noticed him shifting slightly, uncomfortable.

‘’You know,’’ you began, breaking the silence. ‘’You don’t have to stay completely still like a statue. Feel free to move a little or adjust. I'll tell you if it doesn't work for me.’’

Jace gave a small laugh, the sound light and nervous. ‘’I’m not really used to this… Playing the model.’’

‘’I think you're doing good. Just...a bit stiff.’’

You continued painting him until the sun began to set, then called for a much deserved snack break. Jace pulled out a pack of Oreos from the snack box in his closet and your eyes turned into hearts. They were your favorite.

‘’You really know the way to a girl’s heart,’’ you said as you took a third cookie from the pack.

Jace smiled at you, pleased to see you enjoying them. He took a fifth one and chewed slowly as crumbs fell on his shirt. Oreos were messy. ‘’My mom sent them to me in a care package last week. I need my sugar to stay focused when I stay up late doing schoolwork.’’

Your heart melted at the sweet attention from Jace’s mother.

‘’How is the painting going?’’

‘’It’s coming together nicely. But it won’t be finished tonight. Painting takes a while. Especially portraits,’’ you replied. ‘’I need to get every little detail right. From that one curl that’s almost poking you in the eye to the dust of freckles on your nose.’’

The brunet’s cheeks flushed a bit at your words. He was not sure what to do with the feeling bubbling up in his stomach. Was this a compliment? Gods, he sucked with girls.

You stayed in Jace’s dorm until one of you began yawning and it was time to call it a night. He helped you put your painting supplies away and even offered to clean your brushes in the boys’ bathrooms. This guy was a true sweetheart.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°

The following afternoon, you approached Jace's dorm, your painting supplies tucked under your arm. A lot of students used their Sunday to do their laundry, so you hoped he was there. You should have texted him before coming.

You were about to knock, fist raised, when you paused at the door, hearing the faint sound of a facetime conversation coming from inside.

‘’She’s not my girlfriend. Shut up, Luke,’’ Jace's voice came through, tinged with frustration.

You could imagine his cheeks heating up.

‘’You go on dates all the time…and you said she was cute, and talented, and funny,'' Luke's voice, younger and teasing, said, recalling everything.

You should feel ashamed for eavesdropping on a conversation about you, but you couldn’t help but smile to yourself, butterflies filling your stomach. Jace had talked to his brother about you? If Luke assumed you were his girlfriend, he must have talked about you more than once.

‘’We’re just friends. I don’t have time for a girlfriend anyway. I have a lot of schoolwork,’’ Jace interrupted, his tone firm but slightly defensive.

‘’Nerd,’’ Luke snickered.

You didn’t meet him on moving day, but you assumed he was the kind of brother who loved to tease his siblings. From what Jace had told you, he was quite the little troublemaker.

A few doors down, a guy walked out of his dorm with a bag of dirty clothes and sweatpants low on his hips, and stared you down as you stood in the corridor. He was walking your way, so you took this as your cue to knock on Jace’s door. The sound echoed throughout the quiet corridor, louder than you intended.

‘’Ohh is that your girlfriend?’’

‘’No, it's...pizza delivery. Tell Mom I’ll call her tonight,’’ he added in a softer tone.

You heard movement inside and soon Jace opened the door, greeting you with his usual bright smile. He had glasses and gray sweats on, meaning he had likely not left his dorm at all today.

‘’Hey, you’re here! I was starting to think you made other plans…’’ Jace said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

‘’Never,’’ you replied, walking past him and setting your things down like yesterday. ‘’Besides, I need to bring in my final piece Wednesday morning and I still have a lot left to paint. It would have been a poor choice to not come.’’

Behind you, Jace nodded. ‘’Eh, should I change into the shirt I had yesterday? Because I slept in and didn’t do laundry.’’

You shook your head. ‘’The color of your shirt does not matter. I’m still painting your pretty face.’’

Jace smiled and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly; it was a nervous habit he had, you had discovered. ‘’I’ll go sit at my spot, then.’’

‘’Have you taken a peak while I was not there?’’ you asked as you placed the canvas and easel in front of your chair.

You glanced over at him, half-expecting a guilty grin, but he shook his head, his dark curls bouncing slightly. ‘’No. I want to be surprised.’’

You finished setting your stuff up quietly.

The sky was gray today, clouds hanging heavy as if threatening rain, so you were thankful for the artificial light you chose to use yesterday. Natural light is great, but frustrating as it changes with time and weather.

When you began mixing colors and painting, you felt Jace’s shy gaze on you. His eyes would dart away when you almost caught him, pretending to be interested in something else, only to glance back at you a moment later. It was a silent game, one that made you smile every time you almost caught him.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°

About an hour into your painting, rain started to fall heavily and the sky began to shake with thunder. It echoed loudly around the room, causing the lights to flash.

You were used to rain and thunderstorms, so you didn't think this one was strong enough to cause a power outage, but after an especially loud crack of thunder, the whole dorm went dark.

‘’I guess that’s our cue to stop for today,’’ you said with a small laugh, barely able to see your canvas in front of you. You sighed, slightly frustrated by the interruption, and put your brush down on the easel.

Jace moved to his window, seeing the pouring rain and an impressive lightning flashing in the distance. ''Looks like it's not going to let up anytime soon.'' He glanced at your face, but was blinded by the brightness of your phone’s light.

You quickly apologized, laughing. ‘’I didn't mean to do that,’’ you promised.

He glared at you and went back to his bed, rubbing his eyes. ‘’It’s worse with my glasses. I can’t see.’’

You laughed harder, directing the light to the ceiling so no one would be blinded by it. ‘’Do you think the university has a generator?’’

‘’For the academic buildings, not the residences. It would take a massive one to provide power to the whole campus,’’ Jace explained, finally starting to get his vision back. ‘’We’re stuck in the dark until it gets back.’’

You sighed and abandoned your side to move and sit on Jace’s bed. You could have gone back to your dorm, but you would be sitting alone in the dark. He turned his head to look at you, noticing you sitting on the edge of his bed, and moved back to make more room for you. You smiled, a silent ‘thank you’.

Thankfully, it was only mid-November, so it was not that cold. But it will get cold eventually if the power goes out for too long…

After a few hours, the power was not back. And the room had gotten a little cold, so Jace offered you one of his hoodies. It was gray and felt like a blanket on you. And it smelled like him — woodsy and comforting.

Through this long darkness and silence, you found yourself thinking about the conversation you heard when you came to his dorm. You figured it was heavily influenced by the hoodie enveloping you.

‘’Jace?’’

He hummed, sitting in his corner against his pillows.

The words vomited out before you could stop them. ‘’Why did you tell your brother that you didn’t have time for a girlfriend when you spend all your free time with me?’’

The brunet was taken aback by your question. He looked like a kid caught with his hand in a cookie jar. ‘’W-what?’’ he stammered, his cheeks flaming. ‘’How do you know—’’

‘’I heard you on the phone earlier. I didn't mean to listen, I just…did.’’

Jace cleared his throat and spoke quietly, his voice strained and embarrassed. ‘’You weren’t supposed to hear that...’’ He looked away from you, avoiding your gaze. ''What else have you heard?''

A lump of guilt knotted inside your stomach for putting him on the spot like this. ''Not much. A guy walked out of his dorm and was staring me down, so I knocked on your door to get away,'' you explained in truth.

There was a moment of silence as Jace picked at his fingers. He was still embarrassed, but he needed to push it to the side and make something useful out of it. ‘’I told Luke I didn’t have time for a girlfriend because I don’t know how to have a girlfriend. I mean, I do know the principle. I just…don’t know how to talk to girls.’’

You smiled, finding his honesty adorable. ‘’You’re talking to me now,’’ you said with a hint of amusement hiding behind your words.

‘’And it’s exactly the problem. We’re just talking,’’ he muttered more to himself than to you.

‘’Would you like us to do more than talking?’’ you asked flirtatiously, extending an invisible hand for Jace to grasp.

Slowly, his gaze shifted back to you. ‘’It depends what you mean by more than talking…’’

There was another loud crack of thunder, echoing and shaking the walls. The loud noise made Jace jump slightly, nervous from the proximity between you. He tried to brush it off, but you grinned and inched closer to cup his face.

''Tell me if you want me to stop.''

His eyes found yours and he gripped the blanket, needing something to grab to take his nerves off. ''I don't want you to stop.''

You leaned closer, your hand still on his cheek, and pressed your lips onto his. The touch of your lips sent a jolt of electricity up Jace's spine. He gasped, having never felt so much from a simple kiss, and kissed you back without hesitation, his lips plush but chapped against yours.

More lightning pierced the horizon outside the window, but you were too lost in each other's lips to notice. Jace's hand that was not grabbing the blanket came to rest on your hip to pull you a little closer. He was gentle and inexperienced, you could feel it in the way he was touching you.

You pulled away to catch your breath, but a needy whine left his lips, grabbing your hip with more force and pulling you back in. He was not done kissing you.

When night came and the power finally returned, you didn’t go to your dorm. You borrowed one of Jace’s tee shirts and slid under the covers with him. You both had classes at 8am, so you simply laid together, Jace’s head on your chest while you gently rubbed his back and slowly fell asleep.

—

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loveinhawkins · 2 years ago

Text

i’ve recently become aware of this starcourt mall commercial & i’m dying at the thought of Eddie seeing it, bored out of his mind, until Steve appears on screen with that stupid sailor’s hat and the world’s most awkward, “Ahoy!”, and, oh, Eddie’s grin is evil.

“Why did you tape over Dallas?” Wayne asks that night.

“Wayne,” Eddie says solemnly, “I needed to record the best moment of my life.”

Of course, Steve finds the tape later, because the universe likes to laugh at Eddie, apparently.

Spring Break of ‘86 is a few weeks away—thanks to one distracted moment, Eddie unknowingly puts the wrong tape in the case before returning a rental to Family Video, then speeding off to band practice.

Steve doesn’t notice the mixup until a few hours later, when he routinely opens the VHS cases to check that the tapes have been rewound. When he sees the tape devoid of any movie sticker, he can’t resist watching it; his shift is dragging by.

He gets 20 minutes into Dallas before it cuts off, and the commercial plays.

His jaw drops, and he groans in embarrassment, but he’s laughing when he calls for Robin in the back room, and then they’re watching it together, cracking up. They both remember filming it, remember looking at each other and swearing to never speak of it again, but they’d never actually seen it, and well… it is pretty funny.

Steve gets an evil grin of his own when he sees that the rental account is in Eddie’s name.

When he calls, he gets Mr. Munson on the phone, and because Steve can also be a meddling little shit when the conditions are right, he makes up some story about the store having new forms, that he just needs Eddie to sign one quickly.

The next day, Eddie strolls in, and Steve looks him right in the eye.

“Ahoy, Munson,” he says, deadpan.

Eddie freezes in place. He briefly considers turning around and walking into traffic.

“Harrington,” he says stiffly.

“Hey, man,” Steve says, relentlessly chipper, “so we’re kinda down on one copy of—” He glances over to the computer. “—Life of Brian, and up one copy of, uh…” He lifts Eddie’s tape off the counter, smirks. “I guess, half of Dallas.”

Eddie stalks over. “It was… for school,” he blurts out unconvincingly. “Recording Hawkins history. Nothing personal, King Steve.”

Steve lets the venom in the nickname bounce off him. “Starcourt was pretty, uh, historic,” he says mildly, fighting another smirk.

“Whatever,” Eddie snaps, losing what little patience he has left—despite all of his performances to the contrary, the thought of people laughing at him still makes his skin crawl. “Let me get out of your massive hair, Harrington, and I’ll bring your fucking video back.”

Steve raises one hand, palm out. “Woah, chill,” he says, and as Eddie’s nostrils flare, he feels a little twinge of guilt; he didn’t actually mean for all of this to come across as mean-spirited or anything. “Sorry, man. I’m not trying to be a dick, I swear.”

Eddie rolls his eyes. “Could’ve fooled me.” But he looks a little calmer, raises an eyebrow. Well?

“Here,” Steve says, handing over the tape, and he doesn’t react when Eddie snatches it back. “Oh, and I extended the rental on your movie.” He shrugs. “Saves you a double trip, y’know?”

“Thanks,” Eddie says, after a pause.

“No biggie.” And when Eddie makes to leave, Steve calls, “Hey, Munson?”

Eddie turns at the door, no longer quite as cagey. “What?”

Steve shrugs again. “Thanks for the mixup, I guess?”

“You’re kidding,” Eddie says flatly.

“No, I mean it, dude. Like, once I got over the, well, embarrassment of, um, everything, it was actually kinda… nice to see it.” He nods to Robin in one of the aisles, guiding a customer over to a movie. “Me and Robin, we—it was nice to have something about Starcourt that we could laugh at.”

Eddie considers him. “Were you in the fire?”

Steve smiles, and if Eddie didn’t know any better, he’d say there’s more than straightforward sadness on his face. “Yeah, got caught up in it.”

Eddie slowly, thoughtfully, opens the door but doesn’t leave, leans against it. He looks Steve up and down. “Damn shame you don’t have a hat in your get-up here, Harrington.”

Steve mock scowls, ruffles his hair. “I’m not suffering through that again.”

Eddie finds himself smiling without meaning to. “You poor thing. I guess once is enough.”

And Steve rolls his eyes this time. “Yeah, yeah, once. You’ve goddamn immortalised it, Munson.”

Eddie snorts. “Oh, but I had to,” he says, tucking the tape under his arm, “for posterity. In a hundred years, there’ll be sonnets written about your sailor outfit, Steve Harrington.”

And, whoops, that wasn’t planned, Eddie thinks. Laying it on a bit thick there.

Steve laughs, but not at him; Eddie can tell now. “Go enjoy your Saturday, Munson.”

Eddie gives a lazy salute. “Ahoy.”

And as Eddie leaves, he spots a note on the counter, next to the usual Be kind, rewind reminders. It’s handwritten, with a cartoony winking face: And check what’s inside!

#this was meant to be a shitpost and become a fic woops #pre steddie #steddie fic #steddie ficlet #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #steve x eddie

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brf-rumortrackinganon · 4 months ago

Note

Good morning RTA, I understand that during this time, the institution make decisions about what they are going to do for this coming year…. I dont know if was about this time that they decided to give to archie and lilibeth the prince and princess title.(I'm not sure about the dates). So, my question about this last trip to Colombia is ¿H&M changed the the dates because something is going on and they are going to loose something during the month of October or November? my question goes because the VP announce Harry and Meghan where going to Colombia on November, not August. And I don't know if the change was because something else is happening, or a decision is going to take place during that time… The where so lucky to be in the Petronio Festival, I'm sure they didn't know about that festival in Cali (which is going to be perfect to use their PR as they please)

is a long ask, sorry for my english

So first (and most important), don’t ever apologize for your English! Your English is wonderful! Everyone who speaks/learns English as a second language speaks English wonderfully! It is most impressive that anyone has any grasp of English as a second language because of how f**ked up English spelling and grammar can be. I might offer corrections from time to time (like the whole Colombia/Columbia mixup) but that’s only because I want to do my little part to help anyone learn who wants to learn. You are doing great, anon.

I dont know if was about this time that they decided to give to archie and lilibeth the prince and princess title.(I'm not sure about the dates).

To put it simply, Archie and Lili have prince/princess titles by their birthright as grandchildren of a future monarch, but they didn’t get the titles or became eligible to use them until their grandfather actually became the reigning monarch. So Archie and Lili became prince and princess automatically on September 8, 2022 when Queen Elizabeth died and Charles became King. They just weren’t acknowledged by the BRF as Prince/Princess until March 2023, after Meghan told People Magazine that the kids had Royal titles.

(There’s a rumor that it took so long to confirm the kids had the titles because the Sussexes wanted the BF to announce it but they refused to so the Sussexes did it themselves in a story they gave to People Magazine about Lili finally being christened, which forced the BRF to acknowledge the titles.)

So, my question about this last trip to Colombia is ¿H&M changed the the dates because something is going on and they are going to loose something during the month of October or November? my question goes because the VP announce Harry and Meghan where going to Colombia on November, not August.

If you go back and look at the VP’s announcement, she doesn’t actually say that they will be visiting in November. What she actually says is that the Sussexes’ visit would be sometime before this conference being held. We assumed that meant they would travel in November, even though the Sussexes themselves said they would be traveling “later this summer,” which was understood to mean either August or September (summer in the northern hemisphere where they/most of their audience live).

Was that intentional? Did something change? I don’t really know.

But there is a new rumor that Meghan already has plans for something happening at the end of October and didn’t want to travel so closely in November to overshadow whatever this October thing is. Some of the gossip is saying that she might finally launch ARO then or she might have a magazine photoshoot to take Archie and Lili trick-or-treating, but there’s also gossip that she plans to be available to campaign in the presidential election as that is the last week/weekend before the election.

And I don't know if the change was because something else is happening, or a decision is going to take place during that time…

It’s just gossip for now, but there are several tarot readers and astrologists seeing a big decision involving an ending that takes place in October/November for the Sussexes, according to their charts and cards. Speculation (based on interpretation of their tarot cards) is divorce or the BRF taking titles or more excluded/exiled.

Again, it’s just gossip based on tarot and astrology, which is always subjective as everyone reads and interprets differently.

But the interesting thing about this is that since we know Diana was big into tarot readers and saw several/had her own. Because of that, and because we know the Sussexes likes to model themselves on Diana, it would not be unreasonable to think that they have their own tarot readers/astrologists to guide them and if they do have their own tarot readers or astrologists, it’s very possible they also see something happening to them in October/November and they rescheduled the Colombia visit for earlier to avoid whatever they think might be happening.

The where so lucky to be in the Petronio Festival, I'm sure they didn't know about that festival in Cali (which is going to be perfect to use their PR as they please)

I don’t think anyone in the US not of Colombia descent or from a Colombian community even knows what the Petronio Festival is. The only festivals that most Americans know (generally speaking) is Edinburgh Fringe, Glastonbury, Coachella, and Bonnaroo. Chronically online folks also probably know about the Fyre Festival. But Petronio? No idea and not anywhere close to our radar.

Which is unfortunate, because it sounds fantastic. Harry and Meghan could have done great work raising awareness of the festival and engaging more with participants but instead they just…randomly appeared with a children’s choir and Meghan wore a ball gown?

But yes, I agree with you on your last point - we’re going to see them promote the heck out of going to the festival and they may even try to leverage it for other travel. After all, they’re festival-going “royals” who love meeting and mixing with the local people, instead of the uppity hoity toity real royals who segregate themselves from the locals by chain-link fences.

#sussexes #colombia

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linksthoughtbrambles · 1 year ago

Text

The Seeds of Love, Well Worn

A gift for @newtsnaturethings for Midna's Merry Mixup! I'm sorry this is so late!!! I am officially saying Newt is also a coauthor of this fic because it is based on a very old, very silly conversation we had that was so much fun! This fic was also inspired by "The Calamity of Link's Cargo Shorts" by @zeldaseyebrows! It is excellent and should be read!! A big thank-you to @bellecream for beta-reading! This fic is also available to read here on ao3. Post-TotK Zelink, Canon-Compliant, Rated T, ~9,400 words

At first, Zelda thought nothing of it. After all, Link was entitled to some eccentricities. He couldn’t be the legendary hero if he were ordinary, could he?

Certainly, his renewed desire to play hide-and-seek with the koroks struck her as odd.

And yes, his sudden willingness to spend time away from her also seemed odd, especially as he’d clung to her so fervently since her fall from the sky—why insist on leaving her behind now?

Perhaps he wished to give her uninterrupted time to pursue her studies. She’d shooed him from her well and atrium often enough, though always with a smile. And yes, she’d been busy with concerns in all corners of Hyrule, leaving her less time to attend to her new garden, and she’d been frustrated with her efforts to populate the lovely pond Link had built into their plateau—had she been short with him? Had she seemed distant? Perhaps she’d hurt his feelings.

“I apologize sincerely, Link,” she blurted that night over dinner.

He blinked at her, all blue-eyed owl. “Huh?”

Apparently not.

His spectacular grin an hour later as he tossed her on their new bed confirmed it.

Definitely not.

Her concern grew as Link traveled further and further afield.

“Link- must you find them all?” she asked. “Surely that’s unnecessary.”

“I need more Korok seeds,” he said.

Her eyes flew wide. “S- eeds?”

“Yeah!”

“Ah. And… how many of these have you collected?”

Link shrugged and jammed his hand in his korok pouch. It emerged overflowing with tiny, golden nuggets. A few fell to the floor as the distinctive scent invaded Zelda’s nostrils.

“Link-“

He deposited them on the table-

“Link-”

-and reached back in, his fist again brimming with the deceptive little pellets. Zelda’s nose wrinkled as she waved her open palms in the direction of his belt.

“Link, this is our dining table!”

“So?”

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t you want to count them?”

“Well- not here.”

Link blinked at her. “Why not?”

She stared at her erstwhile knight, helpless to shut her jaw.

He didn’t know, did he?

She supposed it had never come up.

To be fair, they did look somewhat like seeds.

“How many fistfuls of these would you estimate you have in there?” she asked quietly.

“Oh, fistfuls? Maybe…” he scratched the back of his head with a squint toward the ceiling. “Maybe about twenty?”

Zelda blanched. “And… that’s not enough.”

He snorted. “Noooooo.”

His obsession struck her all the more strangely.

Link would stop at nothing. In short… he would create a mountain out of a molehill, right there on their dining room table, a tribute fit only for a king.

Or so Link seemed to believe.

She began to wonder if he was unwell.

The Rasitakiwak Shrine activated up the hill just before sunset. Link bounded into her garden at an unreasonable pace.

“Hahaaa!” he kissed her cheek with an intentionally long, wet smack and a shoulder-squeeze.

Zelda couldn’t help but giggle. “Link!” She then wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re home.”

“Me too,” he said. “I got sixteen today.”

Zelda’s smile became quizzical as she wondered if he’d washed his hands.

“I’ll be on Hebra peak all day!” Link announced with a sideways smile and two fists proud on his hips.

Zelda tried to appear as though she were not at all worried, and that she was, in fact, happy for him to be so excited about visiting an incredibly dangerous high-altitude frozen wasteland on a whim. “The peak, specifically?” she asked, voice bright, though the slight curl of her lip may have given her away.

“My korok sense is tingling,” he said.

Zelda’s cheek twitched. “I wasn’t aware you had one.”

Link pulled a leaf-shaped mask from his pouch and donned it with a ya-ha-ha. It explained nothing.

She clasped her hands before her with a deep breath. “Will you allow me to accompany you this time?”

“Nope!”

She sighed. “Why ever not?”

“You have things to do! I know you want to-“ he began to count on his fingers- “jam a Zonai charge in that guardian-claw-contraption with Robbie, zip to Lookout Landing and see if Purah’s gotten any Zonai abilities working with the purah pads, weed and water your garden, do your measuring and extracting stuff there, see if any of those frogs you caught are still anywhere near our pond, go to Hateno and check how our critters are doing there, check in with Symin about the school… I mean- you have a lot going on.”

Zelda shook her head. “You’re not wrong, Link, but perhaps you might stay with me today? Can the koroks wait until tomorrow?”

He hesitated. He removed the mask to scratch his nose. “Well- I mean, will they still be there? Yeah! They’re shockingly dedicated to their game, which… is weird considering Hestu stopped playing with them seven years ago.” Link squinted, his eyes defocusing a bit. Zelda kept her laugh silent—a mere flurry of quivers of her diaphragm.

“Huh,” Link finally said, shaking his head, his eyes forcibly wide. “That is really weird, isn’t it? But… I kind of have to hurry. Even if the koroks are… insane. Or messing with me.”

That struck Zelda as disturbingly likely.

Link nodded, apparently resolute despite his targets’ nebulous motivations. “I should go today.”

She couldn’t help her falling face.

“Aw,” he said. He stuffed the mask back in his pouch, took her in his arms, and curled himself around her, pressing a kiss to her hair. “You miss me?”

“Yes,” she said, a little sheepish.

He held her tighter.

Then he bear-hugged her.

“Heh- Link!” she smiled, pushing at him playfully.

“It’ll be worth it,” he said. “Really. Please trust me? I promise there’s a good reason.”

“Can you tell me?” she asked.

He loosened his hold and kissed her forehead with the softness of a cloud. “If I could, I would.”

She studied his eyes a long moment.

He certainly appeared to be his usual self. His eyes sparkled with mischief, with his ever-present love for her, and with that shadow she’d seen in him ever since she’d fallen into the depths, whisked into another time.

The shadow- it worried her, kept her worrying beyond what would otherwise be reasonable. He’d never been the same.

She could even feel it in the cadence of his breath—shortened without apparent cause, always a twinge on the end of each, a restlessness in his fingers as he held her. They just kept moving, even when his hands were still.

Why this would drive him to scour the countryside for korok droppings, she didn’t know.

She ought to enlighten him about that at some point.

It ended on an unremarkable day in late spring, as suddenly as it began.

Zelda had no explanation.

Link said nothing of it.

His korok-seed fever simply ceased.

She wondered if someone else had revealed their nature to him.

He spent two entire days never leaving her side. The most accurate word she could think of to describe his mood was ‘barnacle.’

Zelda-barnacle. Yes, that was it, she thought as she clipped a sample off one of her more mature sundelions, his chin on her shoulder, his nose in her hair, his eyes on her work, and both his arms wrapped securely about her middle. Even his legs were flush to hers a good measure of the way down.

That night, the sound of the shrine’s transport platform reached her in her sleep. She opened her eyes to find Link gone, his place in bed beside her cold. She heard him enter the house soon afterward.

He returned to bed and wrapped his arms around her as though he’d never gone.

“Where were you?” she asked quietly.

He kissed the crown of her head. “Kakariko.”

“Why?”

He chuckled. “Can’t tell you.”

He made several more clandestine journeys, each time unsuccessful in the sense Zelda knew he’d gone. He always returned to bed, and she always asked where he’d been.

“Kakariko.”

“Hateno.”

“The korok forest.”

That one made her sit up. “Oh?!”

He laughed.

She squinted down at him, his bare stomach shaking with mirth.

She squinted hard. “So many koroks…” she said.

“Hm. True,” he answered, mock-seriously.

“…Are you collecting seeds again?”

“Nah.”

She eyed him suspiciously.

Then she tackled his abdomen, tickling hard with all ten fingers.

It hadn’t been wise, truly. He overpowered and tickled her easily, his utter lack of mercy keeping her breathless for the following five minutes.

She learned nothing more from him that night—and he made no more secret journeys after that, as far as she could tell.

The summer solstice arrived.

Zelda opened her eyes to the sight of Link’s lovestruck gaze, the dimple deep in his left cheek. He pushed her hair behind her ear. “Happy Birthday,” he said softly.

His first gift to her arrived immediately, with no need even to leave their bed.

The second waited, a centerpiece on the dining table: a large box tied with a wide, royal blue bow, every bit as obvious as Link’s excitement for her to open it. He’d adopted barnacle-stance once again, using his legs to walk hers toward the table.

She laughed, shifting off-balance as the odd gait forcibly waddled her. He stopped them directly in front of the box, though he didn’t let go.

“I take it you’d like me to open this before breakfast.”

“Yes please,” he said, his laugh higher than normal, burying his eyes in the nape of her neck. “I’ve been keeping it secret soooooooo long.”

She chuckled, her arms and hands covering his, warm, around her waist. “My poor knight,” she said, a habit from days long gone.

He hummed a breath into her, nuzzling her nape and ending with as much of his face as he could tuck into her hair as possible.

She patted his arms and tilted forward. He slid his hands to her waist and leaned around her, watching.

The ribbon fell open easily. She lifted the top off the box and folded back the protective paper to see- “Pants?”

“Take them out!” Link urged.

She lifted them by the waistband. Her head cocked in confusion as they unfolded.

“Shorts!” she said, amazed at the array of large pockets all over them. They were otherwise simple, black, as though to replace her riding pants. Their shorter length would be welcome in summer, and she absolutely could do with pockets. The pouch at her hip wasn’t enough, though Link, of course, would allow her to put anything she wished in his.

“Look inside,” Link whispered, bouncing a little on his toes.

Zelda gave him an amused look. She then held the waistband open and peered downward. As predicted, she saw black fabric. She also saw her own feet on the floor through the leg holes.

“No, no no no no,” Link said. “Look in the pockets.”

“Ah,” she said. Thinking he’d secreted something within one for her, she slipped one strap from its loop, lifted the flap, and rummaged inside.

“Goodness,” she said. “This pocket is quite deep.”

Link produced a snigger.

She eyed him suspiciously once more as she slid her arm further and further into the pocket… still contacting nothing. She withdrew, confused.

“I-“ she lifted the garment above her head. Then she examined the pocket’s outer seam. She pressed her hands on either side of it. It appeared to be utterly ordinary – larger than her hand, certainly, but…

She shook her head and inserted her hand once more. She watched, fascinated, as more and more of her arm disappeared into it, until the pocket’s edge reached her shoulder. She wrapped her other arm around it to feel where her arm had gone inside the cloth.

The answer, it turned out, was nowhere. The fabric pressed flat to her torso.

She gasped, a slow smile spreading across her face as she turned to see one of the biggest grins Link had ever given her.

“It’s like your pouch!” she cried.

“YA HA HA!” Link yelled as she tackled him. “Oof-“

“Oh my goodness- oh- Link- Link think of what I could do with this!”

“I did,” he chuckled.

“Are all the pockets this way?”

He nodded; then he looked up and to the left for a moment, a half-squint on. “Well- yeah they’re all enchanted, but it’s not quiiiite the same.”

“Oh?”

“I had- requests for these pockets. Special ones.”

“Such as?”

“Well…” He opened a larger pocket lower down. “Check this out!”

She did.

And she gasped.

She was peering into a space, perhaps the size of the main room of their new house, with a lush, grassy floor, a medium-sized dogwood tree, and a pond.

With lily pads.

She stared.

She stared more.

She goggled at Link, dully noting his arms supporting her, his eyes positively twinkling.

“is this…. for… frogs?” she asked, her tongue extremely dry.

“Well,” he said waggling his head. “It doesn’t have to be. But I thought-“

She kissed him.

Link examined his work as a myriad of frogs hopped, croaked, and plain-old-chilled out around him, quite proud of himself. The ruby rod was definitely staying put—and unlike one of the old flame blades (damn, he missed those), it wasn’t going to cook every frog that touched it. “I think I got it!” he yelled.

The sound of cloth-on-cloth preceded Zelda’s face appearing in what seemed to be a slit on a dark wall about even with Link’s head.

“Oh!” Zelda said. “You’ve embedded it!”

“I figured it’d work best if it was actually in the water,” he said, trying but failing to see any steam visibly rising from the little pond’s surface.

“Indeed!”

Link wondered if there’d be clouds—like rain—or if droplets would just condense on that nebulous, sky-blue ceiling above. Verrrrrry slowly.

“I’m still concerned about the lack of sunlight,” Zelda said.

Link smiled, pulling his eyes from the unsky to make his way toward her. He stuck his face right up to the opening. “It’s magic, Zelda. Don’t worry too much. It was like this in the sword-trials.”

“It’s unclear whether those were physically real, Link.”

“True, but there were loads of plants inside the Zonai shrines.”

“Hmm. There still are,” she said. “I suppose that suggests whatever the light source is, it’s sufficient for them.”

“Yup. So don’t worry.” He pointed up. “I bet it’s sky blue up there for a reason.”

She huffed a laugh. “I suppose I agree with you, for my instinct is not to take that bet.”

Link raised his chin, proud of himself for the third time that day. “Nice! So… is it testing time?”

“If you’re ready, Link, then certainly. I shall be gentle, but I suspect the fact the pond has remained intact means this will be entirely uneventful.”

The sound of shuffling cloth accompanied the strange sight of her hands, the wall, a painting, and then the ceiling moving beyond the opening followed by a wild motion of the wood, glimpses of Zelda’s armpit, her hair, her nose, and a single green eye as she pulled the garment on. He heard her fasten it.

“Link?” she called.

“Nothing happened down here!”

“Excellent.” She peered down at him. “Link? You are officially in my pocket.”

He snorted. “I’m in your pants.”

“As is typical for you,” she said with a mischievous glint.

Being in Zelda’s pants (literally) turned out to be less interesting than Link thought it would.

She’d warped to Hateno rather than hike or paraglide down to Tarrey Town.

“What if the shorts fall off?”

“Do your pants usually fall off when you paraglide?”

“Of course not, but if they do, you are in them, and you shall hit the water, and if it comes pouring in, what will happen to you?”

Link shrugged. “I’ll swim out.”

“Perhaps, but what if the entry fails to expand?”

“Why would it?!”

“No- we must be scientific about this. Nothing risky is to be done without proof of concept.” Her spine straightened suddenly as though shocked. “Goodness. What if I fall? Same potential result—possibly worse, for we do not know how taking on water affects the weight of the pants-“

Link started laughing. “Zelda, they have a tree and a pond and- DIRT and things. They don’t weigh anything.”

“Yet what if they do, Link?! Perhaps a fraction of their weight is transferred. We don’t know. We cannot test it without removing the material, and frankly I have no wish to ruin that lovely environment in order to haul a tree out. No, the only way would be to add material and weigh the shorts afterward.”

“Ze-“

“Of course, I would do that with the similar pocket on the left rather than disturb the pond...”

He’d been about to suggest he just… paraglide down with her and hop in the pocket in town. They could be discrete about it—ask to use the bathroom at the Hudson Construction office or something—but he liked to hear Zelda talk, and she’d clearly started one of her long thinking-out-loud rolls. So, he’d listened while making mental note of the locations of niiiice, big, heavy boulders he could shove in the bottom left pocket.

And now, here he was, chilling with the frogs, listening to Zelda’s footsteps and chatter with the townsfolk, making yet more mental notes of any jostling (which was… really easy since there’d been none so far), and trying to think of how else he could kick the frog habitat up a level. Luckily, he could hear Zelda even with the flap closed, so he had some entertainment other than the sticky frog that had decided his back was comfortable.

His head shot up.

Neither of them had thought to test whether he could leave with the flap shut. That, to him, seemed a much bigger deal than anything else. What if she was hurt and he couldn’t get out to help her? What if something attacked her? Zelda could defend herself, sure, but he couldn’t be stuck in here, helpless, if someone or something meant her harm. Bokoblins. Moblins! One of the remaining gleeoks he hadn’t yet purged from the depths. He can’t possibly have found them all, and those things could fly like anything, come out of nowhere. He’d never seen one leave a chasm but there was absolutely no reason he could see why it couldn’t, and chasms—dear Hylia, they probably hadn’t found them all and what if she was walking somewhere and she didn’t see it and she slipped and she was falling and falling and falling and he couldn’t catch her again-

“Link?” Zelda called.

Link’s pulse rushed fully tactile in the left side of his neck, audible especially in that ear. Sweat had begun to seep into his clothing.

“Yeah!” he yelled.

“Any motion?”

He laughed a little, rubbing the back of his neck. He’d stopped paying attention—but he hadn’t noticed anything. “I don’t think so!”

He could practically hear her mind whir on that one.

“Alright!” she said.

He shook his head and rolled his eyes at himself. He’d done it again. He really, really, really needed to stop doing that. Hadn’t that been part of the point of this gift to her? Yeah, she loved the pockets, but also he’d had to get used to letting her be alone. He must’ve been driving her crazy. He’d barely been able to let her garden for five minutes without checking on her.

Better that she missed him than got unbearably sick of him hovering around her all the time. It’d happened before, all those… very many long years ago. It could happen again.

He scrubbed his face.

He had to think about something else.

He eyed a particularly quick hot-footed frog.

His nose wrinkled. He wished he didn’t know what its secretions tasted like. He wouldn’t enjoy being stuck in here with nothing but those things to eat. He didn’t expect sticky frogs to be any better, or ordinary tree frogs for that matter.

Not that he planned on eating them. But if it was him or the frogs-

The frog on his back made a soft ‘ribbit.’

Link craned his neck. He could see the moist, blue tippy tip of his stowaway’s nose.

…Eh. Okay, the frog was cute. He could eat other things first.

Grass! There was grass. And flowers.

Could you eat dogwood trees?

He’d have to dig himself a latrine.

…

It would be really gross.

Not as bad as Zelda being hurt. By a lot.

But still… disgusting.

And she’d never let that happen to him unless she was hurt, so it was a moot point.

… Or unless the shorts fell in the lake.

He smacked his forehead. He should know by now that Zelda was always right. Because if lake water started pouring in here and he couldn’t get out because the flap was closed?

He was effed with a capital f.

Much better that he was in here than her. He wouldn’t make it five minutes if their roles were reversed. He’d be hauling her out of here forcibly. Once they knew how it worked, sure.

Hestu hadn’t seemed to know much about it, either. Magic, inventory-expanding dances? He had those in the bag. The mechanics of the bag? Nope.

“No, thank you, Manny.”

Link’s eyes shot to the closed flap.

“It’s a spectacular collection of crickets, to be sure.”

“Turns out Lasli didn’t want them, either.”

Link groaned.

“Eh he. Yes, I heard you telling Link last time.”

He was still on this?

“She didn’t like the frogs, either. But you do, right, Princess?”

Link would not tell Manny Lasli loved fireflies. Because she actually did, and he wouldn’t inflict Manny on anyone for real.

“I know you like them.”

…Link didn’t appreciate that tone in Manny’s voice. Not that he knew what it was, exactly.

He just didn’t like it.

He didn’t like Zelda’s silence either.

He stood and padded barefoot over the grass to try and peek out the flap.

“W- eh- ll. I- suppose I- do like frogs-“

“I have a hundred for you, Princess. Do you want them?”

Link really didn’t like that tone of voice.

“U- ahem. Do you mean the frogs?”

NOT ONE BIT.

Link shoved at the flap, too high-alert to be happy it didn’t resist him. He grabbed the edge with both hands and stuck his head out.

He found himself looking at Zelda’s midriff.

“AaaaaAAAAAAHHHH!” Manny screamed, and he wasn’t the only one.

Several things happened in quick succession.

People and cuccos scattered (Link could hear them), something hit the ground hard and rattled, and several doors slammed open against their stops.

“ARE THOSE DAMN SKELETONS BACK?!”

“It’s daytime, dad!”

“Heavens, Princess, what are you wearing?!”

“MY LAUNDRY!”

“Princess!!! There’s an animal in your pocket!!”

Zelda’s arms shot out above Link’s head. “Oh! No, it’s—" a number of crickets landed on her midsection. “Oh, my,” she said, hers the calmest voice in earshot as Link tried to figure out how to turn his head the right way.

“MANNY WHAT THE HELL, MAN?!”

“BLEHHHHGHGHGHHHH BUGS!” (A door slammed shut).

Someone was shrieking high on the letter ‘E’ as Link, with a great deal of confusion, managed to twist around and see the street.

It didn’t help.

Manny was trying to scoop crickets out of the air and fling them back in the wood-and-mesh cage he’d kept them in, its latch flopping around. The appearance of Link’s eyeballs knocked him back onto his hindquarters with a strange cry, almost as hard as if Link had punched him physically. The cage landed lopsided—which was probably what happened a few seconds ago, too—and crickets streamed outward.

Ivee seemed every bit as terrified of Link’s disembodied head as she’d been of the potential pocket-critter and then some. One of her knees rose and crossed her body as she squealed, dropping her broom.

Her father managed to make a wide-eyed scowl at Link. “What in Hylia’s green hills?! Link?!”

Manny panted, gulped, and leaned forward. “L- Link, man. It is you.” He then looked from Link to the pocket below him, and up to Zelda’s face, an idea clearly forming.

“You-“ Link said, waggling a finger at him- “and me- we’re having a talk. Soon. Got it?”

For some reason Manny grinned wide. “Got it,” he said with a wink.

Link was confused, but he’d take it for now. “Good!” He twisted up to see Zelda. “Hi,” he said. A cricket landed on his forehead.

Zelda shook with laughter. “Hello, Link. Any jostling?”

“Not a thing!”

“Excellent. Well. Shall we continue?” she asked, shooing his cricket away.

“Depends,” Link said. “Do you actually want those frogs?”

Zelda shook her head. “It is far too many frogs. Manny?”

“Y- yes, Princess?”

“You ought to return those hot-footed frogs to the wild where you found them, though keeping a few would be alright. I have enough in here already.”

“E-enough?” Manny stuttered as Link leaned out to see just how many frogs there were and where the heck he was keeping them.

The sticky frog on Link’s back made its bid for freedom.

It launched through the air with a loud croak and landed on Ivee’s hip.

She shrieked, flapping her shirt wildly in attempt to fling it off. Link moved reflexively to yank himself out and recover the frog. Instead, Zelda toppled as Link simply appeared, connected to her leg. They landed in a heap, Zelda on top, with her face in Link’s hair and Link’s legs still dangling in the other-dimensional space.

“I got heavy again, didn’t I?” Link said to the dirt.

Zelda nodded in his hair.

“I’ll get you a new frog,” Link offered.

“No need,” she said, having turned her head to rest it on Link, watching Ivee quiver in fear as the blue terror slowly scaled her torso. “It’s not going anywhere.”

Link rotated his face to look Manny in the eye. “Seriously. You’re still trying this? What do you do, wait by the village entrance and offer critters to everyone who passes you?”

Manny leaned forward conspiratorially. “Only the hot babes,” he whispered.

Link groaned and put his face back into the dirt.

It was better.

“Here you are, Link,” Zelda said, passing him yet another apple.

Not that he wouldn’t take it, but wow, she wanted him to eat today, didn’t she?

“Thanks, Zel!” He grabbed it and made extremely short work of it. He tried to shove the core in his own pouch again, wrinkling his nose when it just hit bottom and got his hand sticky. “Aw. I keep forgetting.”

Her hand reappeared in the opening as she chuckled. “It must feel strange to suddenly have an ordinary pouch.”

“You bet. Don’t know how I managed before.”

“Well, fret not. You shall have access to your many thousands of odds and ends once you emerge.”

Good thing, too. He’d’ve had some kind of breakdown if bringing his pouch inside THIS pouch had broken his pouch forever.

He had over a dozen omelets in there, to say nothing of a now exceedingly rare undecayed eightfold blade.

It struck him real suddenly why she was feeding him so much. He couldn’t just reach in and pull out a snack like he usually could.

He found himself very warm and fuzzy. He turned his eyes on Zelda, still peering curiously at him. “Thanks, Zelda. You’re… really thoughtful. You know that?”

She blinked at him slowly. “You’re… welcome, Link.”

Link now understood his disembodied appearance in Zelda’s pocket was both an asset and a curse.

Sticking his head out among adults, unexpected? Chaos.

Sticking his head out in the Hateno schoolyard? Also chaos. But the screams were fun-kid-play screams, not screams of abject, world-view-upending terror.

The schoolbell rang.

“Awwww,” Azu said. “We just got started!”

They had, in fact, just started chucking insects, sticks, and chunks of bark into the pocket and watching, fascinated, as they fell sideways upon entering the magical space.

Zelda gave an indulgent chuckle. “I’m sure the frogs will be appreciative of your efforts, and It’s not as though we won’t be back. Go to class!”

The children grumbled a little as they traipsed inside. So did Link’s stomach.

“You know, they fed the frogs, but did I get anything? Nope.”

“Hmm. I imagine that’s because they’d eaten their lunches already.”

“Aww. I wouldn’t take the kids’ lunch.”

Zelda hummed a laugh, her forehead wrinkling slightly. “Are you hungry already?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Truly? It’s not as though we didn’t have our own lunch… and quite a few snacks for you.”

Link shrugged. “Hungry anyway.” She was still… looking at him, but not in the ‘oh look it’s Link, he’s so attractive and I’d like to be back at home in bed right now’ way or the ‘look at Link, he’s so silly, he makes me laugh, he might do something else funny if I keep watching’ way.

He could usually de-code if he studied her hard enough—but right now he had to look partway up her nostrils to do it. “You… have your thoughtful-face on,” he said.

“I’m always thinking,” she said with a smile.

A suspicious smile. “Yeaaaaaah, but sometimes you’re thinking harder.”

She cocked her head, still watching him.

He cocked his, too, with half a grimace on.

Maybe it was the ‘he might do something funny’ face.

It couldn’t hurt to try.

Link spun around, spotting a stick Karin had tossed inside. He snatched it up, looked Zelda right in the eye, and took a nice, hearty chomp.

Her head reared.

“Mmm,” Link said. “Sassafras!”

It tasted like skunky-root-beer-meets-a-whole-box-worth-of-matchheads, but the look on Zelda’s face was worth it.

She only laughed a little, though.

He’d have to up his game.

Either that, or he’d just have to be attractive later.

He chuckled to himself. Why not both?

In the meantime, he had a bunch of items to arrange. Now that Zelda had this pocket, and now that it had frogs in it, and the kids had not only seen it but put stuff in it, they were absolutely going to want to visit the frogs and see all their stuff in use in the frog habitat.

Link sighed, looking at the feeble collection of dead tree matter near the opening.

As if on cue, Zelda reached in, a long, curled section of papery bark in her hand. “Would… you like this, Link?”

“Sure—thanks!” he said. He grabbed it and snatched up the rest, intent on turning the kids’ offerings into a tiny frog village in the corner.

“Link,” Zelda said, her voice carefully nonchalant. “Here’s some oak wood.”

Link arrived at the flap and took it from her. “Oh great, yeah, thanks!” He gave her a huge, excited grin and an eyebrow flash. Then he raised it to his wide-open mouth and stuck it right in.

Zelda swallowed, wide-eyed.

He disappeared to the left again with some small shuffling sounds.

She then heard a crack, and a happy sound from Link.

Zelda began to think frantically.

“H- here you are, Link,” Zelda said.

Link turned from his task to see her hand dangling a scrap of leather into the opening.

He bounded over to her, reaching for the offering. Zelda seemed a bit less happy than he’d have liked, her lips pressed together and held there by her teeth. He looked her over. Then he looked the leather over. Not terrible leather. Not great. Nothing special. Big enough to be a blanket for a frog. He snorted.

He’d stuck a few different kinds of wood in his mouth since the stick made her laugh at least a little, but when she got serious he did, too, going about his construction efforts. A bunch more bark, several sticks, chunks of wood, and a sheet of slate later, here she was handing him leather.

What was he supposed to do with it?

She was watching him so closely!

…Maybe she got serious because he got boring? His mouth pulled in deep on the left. He studied Zelda’s downturned face. Maybe he hadn’t gone big enough. “Look. Do you want to see me eat this? Because I can totally eat the whole thing.” He could, too. He’d eaten way worse.

Her eyes flicked elsewhere, then back to him with a little shimmy of her head.

It was cute.

He smiled.

“No, Link,” she said.

He blew a puff of air out. He’d hoped so. “Just checking.”

She looked so expectant.

What was he missing?

“…Thanks, Zel! Be back in a minute.” He jogged past the tree and out of Zelda’s direct line of vision.

What to do with the leather? Zelda didn’t just do things for no reason. Maybe he should just ask her. But she wasn’t saying anything, so she must think he already knew, so it must be something for the habitat and he must be being dense, and-

Oh.

OH.

He was… really thick sometimes. He smiled to himself.

Of course. He’d even thought it was about big enough to cover a whole frog! It could be a little frog blanket. Or a mat. Or frog armor for a teeny tiny little frog army.

Link’s entire form lit up.

No, no. Zelda was studying the frogs, not playing with them. The kids would play with them.

…It would be so cute.

He sighed. He would resist. Little mats? For the cute little frog houses he’d already made with the sticks and stuff? Sure. He could make frog-tents, too. It was always light in the habitat. They probably needed someplace dark they could go hide in sometimes. Yes!

Link got to work, realizing pretty quickly he didn’t have all the tools he needed. He wandered back to the flap.

“Hey, Zelda?”

“Yes, Link!”

“I need some thread and some long, thin lengths of leather. And more rectangles of leather. Maybe…” he thought for a moment. “Thirty-six pieces.”

She stared at him. “Thirty-six?”

“Yep. Just to be safe.”

I am extremely concerned that Hylian mental status is negatively affected by enclosure within my cargo shorts’ lower-right pocket, Zelda wrote in her research journal.

As Link expressed his hunger despite his frankly gargantuan intake of food, I recalled that items retrieved from Link’s pouch emerge exactly as they went in. Food does not spoil. Vegetation does not wither. Animals do not perish. And indeed, nothing has occurred to harm the frogs we’ve placed in the habitat for study. Yet one would think if time stood still, they would not hop (etc.). Clearly, whatever magic occurs is complex.

I would be merely curious rather than concerned had Link not proceeded to eat sassafras wood (notably unhealthy). Indeed, for each piece of wood I passed to him after that, he thanked me profusely. He then appeared to develop an insatiable craving for soft leather! Is he unable to appease his hunger if he enters in a hungry state? And was Link willing to eat these items because he was truly that hungry, or has the space had an effect on his thinking?

I oughtn’t allow him to go back in. It took a good deal of convincing to get him to come out. He insisted he ‘wasn’t finished.’ I had to lower a rope in and ask him to climb it to test the effect of our gravity vs. that of the gravity within the pocket as he climbed. I was quite relieved when he agreed.

“Morning, Zel!” Link chimed from the kitchen—Zelda had made her way partially down the steps to the alluring aroma of honeyed flapjacks.

“Good morning, Link,” she said, her smile a little more tired than it should have been considering her large amount of sleep. She breathed deep. “That smells delic…ious.”

Zelda stared at the low table along the far wall. “Link?”

“Yep?”

“What are those?”

Link followed her gaze. “Oh! Yeah, the leather was a really good idea. I’ll bring those ones in with me today.”

She blinked, shaking her head. “You… what?”

“Into the pocket today,” Link said, flipping one of the pancakes. A few dark spots revealed wildberries embedded in it. “I’ll bring them in with me.”

“Link- I… was thinking perhaps you shouldn’t go in there today.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Well, for one thing we’ve other concerns. We are overdue for our visit to Rito Village. I know Tulin has been anxious to discuss his Zonai stone, and we shouldn’t put that off for any of our modern-day sages. There ought to be- some manner of succession, or-“

“Zel,” Link said, a quizzical look on his face as he slid the honey and blackberry flatcake onto a plate. “This… is nothing new, and none of them are…” he shrugged, waving his pan and his spatula- “old, or… sick, or anything. It can totally wait.”

“It’s not as though the pockets can’t wait.”

“Zel, you literally just started testing them out yesterday.” He squinted at her. “You were worried about just keeping frogs in there without understanding how the fake environment would affect them. Right?” He waited.

“Well… yes.”

“And they just plain old don’t like our little L-shaped pond thing. Right?”

“…They do not seem to particularly enjoy it, no.”

“Because they leave.”

“Yes.”

“So you can’t just take the little guys out and put them in our pond.”

“Not if I expect to see them again.”

“And you like frogs.”

“They are fascinating,” she said. “Not that other creatures aren’t – they certainly are – but, at least in our time, their effects on speed, strength, and stamina were poorly understood, though of course we can make some elixirs from them, and now with these sticky frogs having sprung from the caverns opened in the upheaval, there is so much more to learn. It’s not even just the frogs, it’s-“

She stopped at the huge, dimpled smile on his face.

“What is it?”

“You,” he said. He replaced the pan on the wood stove and dolloped some batter in it—then he circled the table and wrapped her up in his arms. “I love how curious you are,” he said.

“Even after all that time,” he said, far more quietly.

She’d snuggled into him, but his tone had her pulling back, examining his face; his smile had vanished. She traced his lips with an unthinking fingertip. “Link…”

He tried and failed to smile under her touch.

She stroked the subtle hollow of his cheek. It disturbed her a little that he even had a hollow of his cheek, with all the food he took in. He never used to. He’d had rounded cheeks, always.

“Sorry,” he said. “It hits me sometimes… how long you waited. For me. Because I-“ he swallowed. “Because I missed.”

She shook her head and crushed him to her, pressed his face to her shoulder. “No, Link. No. Truly. It wasn’t like that. It was as though…. a long dream.”

He nodded against her. She’d told him before—many times—yet it continued to haunt him, evidenced by moments like this. Sometimes she thought he didn’t believe her.

Sometimes she suspected hethought about it far more than he let on—wondered if the occasions on which he acted strangely were fueled, somehow, by that fall of hers into blackness and its consequences.

Not for Hyrule. He’d saved that.

But she’d spent eons and eons so very far not only from him, but from her own consciousness—and self-recrimination kept surfacing within him for it.

Zelda thought of his months-long korok obsession. Of his need to have hundreds upon hundreds of ‘seeds,’ and that need utterly overriding his usual (over)protectiveness of her, even to the point of him going when she specifically requested he stay.

There had been no pocket to affect his thinking, then. Perhaps an oddity of the flow of time had nothing to do with his behavior.

She worried at her lip and thought of the scraps of leather lined up on the table partway behind her. “…Link?” she asked.

“Yeah, Zel?”

His voice sounded thick.

She stroked his hair and took a deep breath. “What is the leather for?”

His eyelashes fluttered against her skin. He lifted his head to look at her. “Frog tents.”

“…Frog tents?”

“And mats and blankets, and I was thinking of making cute little sets of leather frog armor, but I figured that was just me being a little bored and not actually something that would spruce up the habitat, though the kids would sure enjoy it. Maybe we should get them to make some.”

Zelda breathed a sigh of relief. “You-“ she shut her mouth. Should she say something?

“Zelda?”

She smiled, her thoughts turning. “Link- you… you worried me yesterday. Considerably.”

He looked nonplussed. “I did? How?”

She gave him a look, then patted his shoulders—he released her. She walked over to her hung shorts. She reached into one of the storage pockets and removed a birch branch.

She returned to Link and held it out to him expectantly.

He just stared at her. He flicked his eyes to the branch once. Then he stared some more. “Uh.”

“What… would you do with this if I gave it to you?” she asked.

Link scratched the back of his head. “I mean… usually I’d whack a bokoblin with it- ONLY if it was red, mind you. But now with the pond, I could give it to the frogs like all the other stuff.”

She blinked at him. “You could… what?”

“Yeah, I can arrange it around the pond- well… it’s really in the corner, I didn’t want to put it right next to the water. It looks pretty neat already but it’s not even close to finished yet. It’ll be like a little frog village. Little log seats and tents, and an itty bitty frog campfire for them to sit at, and little mats for them to sleep on, and…” he trailed off at the look on her face. “What?”

“You haven’t been eating these?”

He stared at her.

Then he burst out laughing. “What?!”

She spread her arms wide. “You have been- taking bites of wood, and bark, and even rocks—though granted this is not the first time I’ve seen you eat rock-“

“Salt’s a rock.”

“That is beside the point, Link, the darling, obtuse love of my life.” She gripped his shirt with two fists and put some of her weight on them. It made him lean over with a bit of a droll smile on his face. “You were displaying- extraordinarily odd behavior once more. Please, please, explain your actions if not to sate your seemingly inexhaustible hunger while inside the pocket?”

“You thought I was eating wood because I was too hungry?”

“Of course!”

He huffed a laugh. “Why wouldn’t I just ask you for actual food?”

“I wondered the same thing!”

“You could’ve asked me why.”

She blinked, drawn up short.

His thumbs drew gentle shapes on her biceps. His eyes wandered all over her features. One eyelid twitched just slightly more shut. “Why didn’t you ask?” His voice had softened so much.

Her mouth opened and shut, her fingertips on his face again. She made a study of his features with them, moving from place to place.

Link’s nostrils flared a second before she noticed the burning smell.

“Sh-!” he leapt almost comically over the table (comically except that he was Link, so the leap itself was graceful and perfectly executed to place him directly in front of the stove). “Ahhh, this happens so much…” He flipped the offending flapjack with a flick of his wrist. The underside was, indeed, rather burnt, but she knew he’d finish cooking it anyway.

He didn’t turn around.

His shoulder blades shifted as he jiggled the pan.

Zelda circled the table, arriving at his side, his nearer hand still on the pan’s handle. “Link?”

His face turned toward her, and while he showed no outward sign of tears, she knew that face on him. They weren’t far off.

She caressed his bicep, his hairline where his head and neck met. “What is it?”

He half-laughed, shutting his eyes and leaning into the hand at his neck, just for a moment. “You tell me. You… didn’t answer my question.”

Her cheek came to a slow rest at his shoulder, her eyes on his, at a loss to explain. She didn’t know where to start.

Her silence seemed to hurt him, almost bodily. He winced. He moved the pan onto a thick potholder. He pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes shut. He took a few deep breaths before returning his eyes to hers.

“Well, you wanted to know what I was doing, so… I was just trying to make you laugh. At first, I mean.” His smile was very, very weak. “The joke didn’t land, huh?”

Her eyes had widened a little. “I.. thought-“

“It’s okay,” he said. A small smirk touched his face. “I’m funnier when I’m not trying.”

A small laugh puffed out her nose.

“Oh ho! Yeah, see? I thought so.”

“I am sorry, Link. I thought it was hunger because you were simply insatiable all morning.”

He flashed his eyebrows twice.

She giggled. “That is not what I meant.”

He smiled anyway.

“You devoured breakfast, lunch, and every other piece of food I passed to you while you were in there!”

He shook a little in a laugh, though his face remained far less than jovial. “How is this unusual?”

“Do you realize how much food it was?”

“OH yeah.”

“And you were still hungry?”

“I’m always hungry. I can literally always eat.”

“You say that, but your stomach must be of limited size.”

Link shrugged.

“I’d begun to wonder if I the space you were in was affecting you.”

“Well, again… I don’t understand why you didn’t just ask me.”

The shadow she’d been seeing in him became all the more obvious.

“Link… you always say you’re alright.”

He shrugged. “I always am.”

“No, you are not,” she blurted, surprising even herself. “Link… I see it in you.” She pressed her hands to his face, cradling him. “You’ve not been- you’ve never been the same since I came back,” she said, almost whispering. “I see it there, in your eyes- and more than that. It’s a change in your entire body, your full self. Yet you always insist you’re alright. I do not ask because-“ she just realized it herself- “you would not tell me truthfully.”

She could see him floundering, but her mouth would not stop. “You have been acting strangely. For months, you were collecting korok- seeds- with such fervor, willing to leave me for long stretches of time, which had up to that point been quite unusual for you—and you refused to tell me what that was about, too. And then-“ she snapped her fingers- “nothing. No more.” She softened at the odd twitching which appeared in his left cheek—she’d no wish to come across as harsh—she simply could not contain it any longer. “Your night excursions worried me at first, too, and then especially when you mentioned the forest.”

“But,” he cut in, “you know what it was about now, right?”

“Yes, obviously now I know,” she said.

He shook his head, then cocked it strangely at her. More quizzical than she’d ever seen him be—there was another word for it. She couldn’t quite place it, perhaps because she’d never seen it on his face.

“So… why are you… still worried?” he asked.

She ducked, seeking his eyes from below. “How can you not know?”

He splayed his hands wide, face up, shaking his head. “I- don’t!”

“Link. You spent months feverishly collecting pellets of korok dung!”

He blinked. A lot.

Then he looked somewhere straight above Zelda’s head.

“Oh,” she sighed, her face in her hands. “I- I am sorry, Link, it was obvious you didn’t know, and that in and of itself wasn’t my concern. Why- why collect them in the first place? Even if they were seeds in the literal sense?”

Link groaned. Then he grabbed her biceps and rested his forehead on hers with a flabbergasted smile. “Wow. Wow. Okay, so, yeah, I didn’t know they were turds. Holy Hylia, I could kill Hestu.”

“Who is Hestu?”

Link shook his head. “Tell you later. No, you know what? I’ll introduce you later. We can shake the maraca tree together.”

Zelda opened her mouth, but Link shushed her with his fingerpad on her lips. “I get it. Why you thought I was nuts. Because that’s what this is about, right? You thought I was losing it, so you didn’t want to ask me, because of course if I was really insane I wouldn’t know anyway, so the answer doesn’t matter. Does that about sum it up?”

Her eyes welled with tears.

“Hey- hey- no, no no no, please. Don’t cry.” He kissed both her eyelids with a loving smile. “Yeah, I’d’ve thought you were losing it if you were collecting feces without it being some kind of study.”

She burst into a tearful giggle. “But not if it were a study.”

“No, pff! Of course not. You’ve studied nastier things. But that’s kind of my point. Like- I really thought I had given the game totally away when I told you I didn’t have enough seeds.”

“I… don’t understand.”

“Did I never tell you this?? Hestu- who you will meet- is the guy who does the magic to expand the pockets. And you have to pay him in korok seeds to do it.”

“What?!”

“Yeah!”

“No.”

“Yes!”

“That’s absurd!”

“He’s a trickster. Now I know!”

“What would he possibly want them for?”

“His maracas.”

“His what?!”

“His maracas! He sticks them inside and shakes them around and does this ridiculous dance and BOOM—expanded pockets! He can even make spaces within the spaces which is how I can keep all my swords separate, and my bows, and… and…”

He must have seen the look on her face.

“So…” she said, “if anyone is mad, it is this Hestu.”

Link snorted. “I sure hope so. Because if not, then it’s still me who’s lost his hold on reality.”

Zelda smiled at him. “I would love you anyway.”

He took his time folding her into his arms. “I know.”

“I… am still surprised you were willing to leave me for such long stretches of time. I was becoming lonely. At least, now, I know the entire ordeal was with the aim of creating a truly spectacular pair of shorts.”

He shook with silent laughter against her. “Yeah. Though… I was also trying to leave you alone.”

Her arms pressed him extra-tightly for a beat of her pulse. “Why?”

Two puffs of air exited him quick, fluttering the hair near her temple. “Because it’s been so hard to.”

The shadow in his eyes had risen to the surface, bared for her.

“It wasn’t your fault,” she said, soft, her lips near his, her eyes treating each of his to touch after touch of her sincerity.

Link cupped her face and kissed her, his lips a bare brush, a gift of pure emotion, nothing taken. “It was. Shhh- I know. I know what you’d say, but it was my fault. I dropped. And it wasn’t because I couldn’t stand. It was because-“ a disgusted laugh left him- “it hurt.”

“Link,” she said, aghast. “The gloom killed your arm while still upon your body! It took even your shoulder. You were in agony-“

“But I could have stayed standing.” The loathing in his unfocused stare found her shrinking, though she knew it directed toward himself. “It would’ve saved me about half a second. When you fell. And I’d have caught you. As it was, I felt the air from your fingers as I missed.”

She couldn’t stop shaking her head, touching his face, his hair. “Please. Please, my love, do not do this to yourself. Do you not see…?“ She straightened. “You do. You do see. For if you didn’t, you would never be willing to leave me alone for a single instant of the rest of my life, ever. Yet you already have. You’ve intentionally forced yourself to do so. And why?”

His eyes shut under her hands’ ministrations. “Because I don’t want to drive you nuts.”

She nodded, her forehead against his so he could feel it despite his shuttered eyelids. “Which means you recognize constant, incessant vigilance is unreasonable. And if it is unreasonable under normal circumstances, it is certainly unreasonable in the case of an agonizing injury—one single moment in relation to it, and that is all.” She kissed his cheek. “It is not. Your. Fault.”

A tear met the bow of her lip.

“Oh, Link,” she said, kissing it away.

“It feels like it is,” he said on nearly no air, his diaphragm having already crushed the rest from him.

She took him against her shoulder as he shook. Saltwater jumped in fits and starts between the peach fuzz at the nape of her neck. She stroked his hair. “I know,” she said. “I know it does. We will work on this together, Link. Alright? When you feel this way, please speak to me.”

He nodded against her, the movement slowed by a nuzzle.

“And also… I do not at all mind you being my barnacle.”

A laugh burst from his mouth, cooling the freshly laid tracks of moisture on her.

“Please,” she chuckled. “Do so as much as you wish. In fact, do so even more, for I enjoy the unique sensation of my strides riding entirely upon yours.”

“You got it,” he said, his hand running warm over her back, as though he were the one comforting her.

She returned the gesture.

When Link recovered enough for his stomach to rumble, she insisted he sit. She served him the one flapjack he’d successfully cooked. She made the rest, and she did quite a good job of it, too (though in fairness, Link had already prepared the batter—by far the trickier part of the task).

They ate on the same side of the table, always touching. While Link had been right—she did want to study the pond-pocket carefully, and sooner rather than later—the day's priorities had changed. She decided to forego her investigation in favor of bed, where Link enthusiastically joined her.

Late at night, Link burst to wakefulness, shooting upright with a cry.

“Whhhhfauuha?” Zelda said, bleary.

“They’re all in on it!” Link said in horror. “Every last one of them. Every single korok.” The look he turned on Zelda might’ve been lucid.

Or he might’ve been sitting up in his sleep.

She just laid the flat of her forearm on his chest and pushed him down, snuggling back up to sleep. He didn’t resist.

“Hi, Hestu,” Link said, his smile completely relaxed.

“Link! It’s good to see you. Did you bring any more seeds for me?”

Link’s smile widened. “Actually, today I brought the Princess to see you.”

“The PRINCESS?! Shakala!!!” Hestu waved his maracas in a ponderous mockery of semaphore.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Hestu,” Zelda said. “Now please, in no uncertain terms, explain precisely why you manipulated Link into delivering thousands upon thousands of korok droppings to you in exchange for your inventory expansion services.”

The maracas went utterly still.

Zelda’s smile remained pleasant.

“Mmmm?” rumbled the Deku Tree’s voice. “What has my grandson been doing?”

Hestu remained balanced on a single, awkward, stubby leg, maracas-out, his only movement a slight shivering of the leaves in his branches. Then something hit the ground with a deep thump.

“I- I’ll be right back!” Hestu said, his wood-moustache shivering as he scampered with all the grace of a land-manatee down the path toward Mido Swamp.

Link stepped forward, feet shoulder-width apart, eyes groundward. He nodded with a sniff.

“What is it?” Zelda asked.

Link tilted his head. “Well. You know that saying about shitting bricks?”

Zelda peered curiously past him. “Oh. My.”

“Yeah.”

“Well.” She clasped her hands. “Perhaps we should collect it.”

Link took an extremely long moment to turn and look at her.

The corner of her mouth twitched.

Link burst into relieved laughter.

“I couldn’t resist,” Zelda said.

#zelink #tears of the kingdom #totk #post-game #post-totk #legend of zelda #loz #fanfic #romantic comedy #humor #fluff #hurt/comfort #midna's merry mixup #established relationship #link's house above tarrey town #frogs #a little unhinged at ponts

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moodymelanist · 2 years ago

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there are two ways we can do this (i know which would be more fun)

Happy day 4 of @sjmromanceweek, everyone! Venturing a little outside my comfort zone with this one and I hope you enjoy<3

shoutout to @c-e-d-dreamer for the title and @creativepromptsforwriting for the prompt!

Summary: Eris and Azriel are traveling for work, but the hotel they’re staying in has a mixup with their rooms, and they’re forced to share a bed.

Read on AO3 here!

♡♡♡♡♡ Eris

“There’s no way that’s possible,” Eris said.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Azriel said at the same time.

Eris and Azriel worked for the same consulting firm — Night Industries — and had been forced to travel together for the project they’d been working on for half a year. It had been bad enough dealing with Azriel’s snark mostly through a computer screen, but dealing with the other man had been a true test of Eris’ patience. He was huge, he was even ruder in person, and who the fuck needed that many muscles in the first place?

Whatever. Eris had very much been looking forward to decompressing in their very much separate hotel rooms, but through some kind of mistake, it appeared the hotel had placed them in the same room.

“I’m very sorry, sirs,” the man working the front desk replied. His name tag read Kallon, and he did not sound very sorry. “There’s been a mix-up with the booking, and there’s nothing I can do.”

“I will give you a hundred dollars to make this go away,” Eris offered, ignoring the dirty look Azriel threw his way.

“I can’t accept that,” Kallon responded, bored. “But even if I could, there aren’t any other rooms available. There’s a convention going on—”

“Five hundred,” Eris interrupted, more than ready to be done with this conversation. He wasn’t above flaunting his wealth to get what he wanted, and what he really wanted was to be away from Azriel’s brooding presence.

Kallon’s hands continued moving across the keyboard as if he hadn’t said anything at all. “Like I was saying, you’ll be staying in room 902. Breakfast starts at 8, and you have full access to all our amenities. Here are your keys.”

“Thank you, Kallon,” Azriel told him. “Have a good night.”

“You too,” Kallon chirped back with a self-satisfied smirk.

Eris scowled at Azriel, but took the other hotel key anyway. If he couldn’t get a night’s peace, at least he could take a nice shower and relax in the hotel bed while pretending Azriel wasn’t there.

“You know, it costs nothing to be kind,” Azriel said once they were in the elevator. Eris saw the way Azriel was smirking and braced himself for the incoming dig. “But I’m glad you think I’m worth at least five hundred dollars.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Velasquez.” Eris leaned against the elevator walls and resolutely ignored the way Azriel filled out his dark blue suit. “The only reason I offered that much is because money isn’t a concern.”

Azriel snorted. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Vanserra.”

They didn’t speak again until they reached the hotel room, and Eris sped up so he could be the one to open the door. Azriel snorted from behind him, but Eris didn’t care what that smug bastard thought about his admittedly-petty antics. As long as Eris came out on top, anything Azriel had to say about it didn’t matter.

The room was gorgeous as usual, and Eris was pleased to see they’d been placed in one of the suites. The second he stepped into the bedroom, though, any goodwill he’d managed to build up in the last thirty seconds disappeared as he realized there was only one bed.

Granted, it was a king sized bed, but it was only one bed. For two grown men to share.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Eris exclaimed at the sight. He let go of his rolling suitcase and turned on his heel, fully intending on marching back down to the front desk to complain even though he knew it wouldn’t accomplish anything, but Azriel’s body stopped him from leaving the room. “Are you seeing this?”

“I see it,” Azriel replied coolly. He looked down the few inches that separated them and raised a dark eyebrow. “Are you really going to go complain about it?”

“Yes,” Eris hissed, ignoring the incredulous look on Azriel’s face. “This is absurd—”

“Yeah, but it’s damn near midnight,” Azriel cut him off without missing a beat. Eris scowled at the interruption but allowed him to keep talking anyway. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve been ready to get out of this suit for hours. We can get it fixed in the morning.”

“But—” Eris spluttered, still riled up.

“Eris,” Azriel said seriously. Azriel so rarely said Eris’ actual name that it made it more difficult than Eris cared to admit to stay focused. “Just take a shower and get in the fucking bed. We’re grown men. We can handle sharing for one night.”

“I’m going down to complain first thing tomorrow morning,” Eris grumbled. He turned and reached for his suitcase, bringing it over to the right side of the bed. “And I’m complaining to Rhysand about this.”

“Don’t tell me you’re that mad about having someone in your bed,” Azriel responded, his tone turning slightly mocking. “I know it’s rare for you, but surely it’s happened before.”

Eris contemplated throwing one of his very expensive shoes at Azriel’s head, but he didn’t think it was worth scuffing the leather. “Of course it’s happened before. Don’t be ridiculous.”

Granted, it had been a while since Eris had let someone warm his bed, but Azriel didn’t need to know that. He decided to retreat to the bathroom before Azriel could come up with another way to insult him, detaching his briefcase from his carry on and rolling the tiny suitcase into the bathroom with him rather than waste time digging through it for his toiletries.

Once he was safely behind a locked door, Eris took his time in the bathroom just to be a dick. The shower was huge and the hot water was endless, and by the time he finally emerged in a cloud of steam, a muscle in Azriel’s jaw was working overtime.

“Took you long enough,” Azriel muttered. He’d loosened his tie and taken off his jacket altogether, and Eris had to force himself to look away from the borderline obscene way he was leaning back in his chair. God, didn’t he realize how he looked, sitting there with his legs spread wide enough for someone to crawl in between them?

“It’s been a long day,” Eris said cheerfully, forcing himself to pay attention to the conversation instead of letting his mind wander further. “I earned it.”

Azriel’s expression suggested he exactly what he’d thought Eris earned, but he just rolled his eyes before disappearing into the bathroom. He took just as long as Eris had, if not longer, and Eris used the opportunity of the empty room to get himself situated. He hung up his clothes for tomorrow, organized his nightstand just the way he wanted it, and even went to fill up the ice bucket so his water would be cold.

When Azriel came out of the bathroom, Eris was doing his best to appear nonchalant while he relaxed against the headboard. He definitely didn’t notice the way Azriel’s thin undershirt clung to all that golden-brown skin, and he certainly didn’t take another look at the way the other man’s thighs flexed underneath his loose shorts.

“Let’s just go to bed,” Eris said shortly before Azriel could. Azriel thankfully just nodded, and after a few minutes of Azriel shifting around his side of the room, he motioned for Eris to turn off the lamp.

Eris shifted under the covers while Azriel did the same, the two of them laying in complete silence for a few minutes. Eris felt like his mind was traveling at a million miles per hour between all the things he had to get done tomorrow and the way he was sharing a bed with someone he honestly didn’t know very well outside of their limited, albeit snarky, interactions.

“Stop moving,” Azriel growled from his side of the bed.

Eris stopped his fidgeting, stunned into compliance for a few moments before he regained his composure. “Fuck you, I have a lot on my mind.”

“I’m trying to sleep,” Azriel snapped. “I don’t care what’s on your mind. Stop fucking moving around so much before I make you.”

“What are you going to do?” Eris snapped right back. Even though he could feel those hazel eyes on him, it was much easier to be bold with the lights off. “Cuddle me into submission?”

To Eris’ complete shock, that’s exactly what Azriel did. Eris cursed under his breath the entire time, but that didn’t stop those ridiculously muscled arms from reaching out and physically dragging him to the other side of the bed. Eris let out a completely undignified noise at being manhandled so easily, but Azriel either didn’t hear it or didn’t care.

“Was that so hard?” Azriel practically purred into Eris’ ear.

Eris could think of something that was going to be hard if Azriel kept this routine up, but he thankfully had the presence of mind not to embarrass himself further. “No.”

“That’s what I thought.” Azriel tightened his grip across Eris’ waist, his hips grinding into Eris’ ass as he tried to make himself more comfortable. At least, that was the only reasonable explanation for what Azriel was doing. “Stop thinking so loud.”

“I’m trying,” Eris ground out, “but it’s a little hard with your dick on my ass like that.”

Azriel just chuckled lowly, the sound doing way more for Eris than he cared to admit. “Sounds like you’d rather it be somewhere else.”

“I never said that—” Eris stammered out, his face burning. Azriel was ridiculous, that was absolutely not what Eris was intending, and he was just trying to rile Eris up as per usual. “What are you even—”

“You think I don’t notice the way you look at me?” Azriel interrupted Eris’ protests. “You can’t decide whether you want to hit me or fuck me. It’s adorable.”

“That’s idiotic,” Eris snapped, ignoring the low chuckle Azriel issued in response. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“I don’t?” Azriel asked. He sounded like he was enjoying this way too much. “Tell me to stop, then.”

Eris choked on his next breath as the hand Azriel had wrapped around his waist began a slow descent toward the waistband of Eris’ pajama pants. “Azriel.”

“Eris,” Azriel replied, teasing. His hand slowed as he played with the waistband of Eris’ pants, fingers dipping shallowly underneath. “If you don’t want this, tell me to stop.”

Eris did no such thing, and if anyone noticed Azriel walking funny the next morning, they were at least too polite to say anything about it.

#sjmromanceweek2023 #acotar #acosf #azris #eris vanserra #azriel shadowsinger #azriel #moodymelanistwrites #there was only one bed #modern au #⭐️

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ladysternchen · 1 year ago

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End of Year Fic Recs

Thanks @polutrope for tagging me 😁!

Recommend up to 5 series or multi-chapter fics from 2023 that everyone should read (multi-year WIPs count, if the last update was in 2023)

Recommend up to 5 single fics/one-shots (long or short) from 2023 that everyone should read.

Recommend up to 5 fics NOT from 2023 that everyone should read (oldies but goodies)

Recommend up to 5 of your own fics (completed or WIP) from 2023 that everyone should read. (oooohhhh damn. I'm gonna SO fail at this, because I actually read so little myself- I tend to re-read the same stories over and over and over again, but I'll see what I can do)

Multi-Chapter

'Tis the Season (To Be Tea-la-la-lally) by polutropos (Teen And Up, WIP, AU) I'm not one for modern AUs normally, not at all, and I honestly didn't want to read it at the start, but then I did (here on Tumblr) and got sucked in LOL. It's just great, and I love the Holiday Spirit! (I won't tag you here again, as you're tagged in the entire post anyway 😄 brilliant story)

Rising as if Weightless by StarSpray (Gen) The story of Elwing suddenly becoming the big sister/foster mom of her older brothers. This is so tender and beautiful and has so much character growth and so many bitter-sweet reunions, and above all so much depth.

A Pair of Stars by Magicfeather205 (Teen And Up) Pre-historic Elves, and the birth of future kings. That was honestly the most interesting story I read this year, with wonderful and very accurate world-building and a beautiful story (and thank you, author, I now can't get the 'Elwë and Olwë were indeed the first set of twin-boys in that family' out of my head where it fights a raging battle with my own headcanon) Also, I want this fic to be read by every single midwife (and, more importantly, other obstetrician). THAT is how you treat a birthing mom. That's how you handle unforeseen events. I loved this so so so much. It would have felt perfectly natural to have Trixie and Nurse Crane walk in there- sorry about that fandom-mixup)

As Flowers From the Sky by Beleriand Death Trip (E) Fingolfin/Elu Thingol... this is honestly a ship I would never ever have thought of myself, or seen a way in which this could work, but this story DOES work within canon, and beautifully so. It has it all, from very interesting world-building ideas to mild- (and VERY funny) horror-elements, and from foreshadowing and tensions to being wonderfully wholesome. You'll feel better after reading this, I promise!

The Unforsaken by @ceescedasticity (M, WIP) Last but definitely not least. I'll again link the first part of the series in the before-2023-part, and probably say more about it there. But yeah, absolutely a must-read! Go! Go, destroy the Orc-bank! (But don't blow yourselves up!)

One-Shots

Bloodied by ohboromir (Gen) Just a little First-Battle-story. I love to see Elu and Beleg and Mablung together so so so much (who would have thought, ey?).

Unstoppable Winds by LadyBrooke (Teen And Up) The destruction of Númenor as viewed by a few of their ancestors. I really loved this because I have never actually seen a story about the Fall of Númenor written from that POV and it did (or rather does) inspire me quite a lot in my own WIP. (I have to apologise here for not having more, I read so many great one-shots here on Tumblr that I just failed to save in some way. I may add to this list if I find the time to scroll through my timeline and see which of those I reblogged)

Before 2023

elves, once (M) by @ceescedasticity The part one of the series The Unforsaken belongs to as well. And for me the most recommendable story there is (though I would guess most who see this post will know the story already). The name says it all, really, as it is the story of all those canon-characters who ended up as Orcs. This is the sort of fic I really enjoy because it actually gives an answer to a question canon rises. The Orc-bank has since so much passed into my own headcanon that I sometimes forget that it is not actually canon (which leads to very awkward situations sometimes at our monthly discussing-Tolkien-gatherings, I tell you that)

across so wide a sea (Gen, WIP) by Adwen Unfinished, but one of the most hilarious stories I've ever read. I hope so much that author continues writing it one day, but even if they don't, it's a great laugh to read what is written, and ah, the possibilities!

The Carriage held but just Ourselves (Teen and Up) by StarSpray The story of how Melian and her descendants deal with death when they finally come to face it. I don't know when I last cried so much when reading a fic. It's not just that it's so so so sad (because yeah, go kill us all even in the one chapter that should be somewhat 'happy' 😭), but also incredibly beautiful and written perfectly in-character. It's looking into those women's minds. One of my bed-time-stories. (hmpf. All the others are multi-chapters form this year. ah well...)

My own

Yet Were Its Making Good, For This (not rated, but mature:ish; WIP) Ah, my problematic WIP. I wanted that story so so so so so badly written that I forced it, and it cost me MANY nerves. Mablung of Doriath/Elu Thingol. (How is it that nobody ever wrote that ship before?????????????) Works within canon if one squints one's eyes a bit. I'm currently working on the Epilogue ind Valinor, which might, MIGHT, for once give one of my stories a truly happy ending.

Into Oblivion (M) The smut-part of Yet Were Its Making Good, For This. Elwë/Mablung/Beleg. (Well, what do you all think they got up to during the journey?) Doesn't interfere with later canon.

Why, It Asks (Gen) It's a very short read, but one that is super dear to me for some reason. Elmo's thoughts as he stands by and watches his brother's grave being dug.

Moving On-series (Gen) Is this cheating, now? As it's really three one-shots? If it is, pick the last one to read. I'm just so fond of what my imagination spat out there world-building-wise LOL. It's the story of the time Elwë was missing to his and Melian's coronation, as mostly told from Elmo's POV.

Eyes In The Dark (Gen) I just had to put it here, as it's quite sweet to read, but given the hardly-mentioned-in-canon-characters it's hardly read by anyone. Give it a try, though. I bet you like it. Little Denethor is frightened by eyes in the dark, and runs for Lenwë for help. And Lenwë is being just about the best Dad ever.

And now we come to the bit I always dread. I suck at tagging people, because I always forget who enjoys such things and who doesn't, and because everyone's probably been already tagged. So let's do this differently, then- all writers who read this and want to share their recs, please do! (Cheating again, I know)

#2023 rec fics #ao3 #other people's great fics #my own as well #silmarillion fanfiction #um... they are almost all about doriath #I know

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hanro50 · 2 years ago

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Sebastiaan, the court wizard guy.

Incident report four: magical mixup.

K"Sebastiaan. I have an important job for you. So could you help me with a small issue"

The guards bring in a gold statue of the queen.

K"So I accidentally turned her into a gold statue and was wondering...."

S"I...can't fix this. You need an Alchemist to fix her. Not a wizard"

K"What is the difference. You both work in magic"

S"The alchemist has the tools to crack the encryption on the inscription while I can not. Sure, I can also transmute materials, but then I can at least know the inscription"

Later. Via a letter.

D"Dear Sebastiaan. Derrick here, the state alchemist, so do you by chance know what the decryption cipher is on the King's wife...."

Incident report five.

F"Welcome to flows dry cleaning how can I...ohh Sebastiaan"

S"Can I get my wizard robe dry cleaned."

F"Why does it look like you went running in the rain with it?"

S"Ohh funny stor...."

F"It smells like you ran a marathon...."

S"No...I just had to patch up a warding spell in someone's roof. Do you have any idea how hot it gets up there."

F"Ok, sorry for the teasing, you old cook. Why do you wear this thing anyway....it is like wearing a shower curtain"

S"That is actually my summer robe...."

F"....ohhh"

Incident report six:

S"Morning Karica. How can I help you today..."

K"How much?"

S"For?"

K"How much for one of those mirrors you old bastard"

S"70 coins"

K"Fine...."

#IT #fantasy #it #tech support #short story #experimental #fun #it guy #wizard #old timey aesthetic

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vampuppyy · 2 days ago

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cheren im sorry im taking forever w the guilty gear ask, ive been a bit busy and also thinking rlly hard on the mains of the girls (i have miyu, haruna, unichord and abyssmare left to decide) orz....

another reason im sending this ask is bc i wanna tell u that i main baiken, chipp and millia in strive. i know u like millia so im just here to say that strive milly is hella fun, she's sooo awseome and cool and swag! i cant play baiken bc she's dlc in strive and chipp..... chipp's there. (i die a lot w him--) there was this one time i was playing against my older sibling (they main nagoriyuki) and we did a double ko!!! it was so coollllll and i also did a cool mixup combo i made up on the spot that made me win against my older sibling and!! yeah. millia is really fun to play in strive.!!!!!

another other thing i wanna say is, did u know guilty gear is actually. like. my 3rd favorite fighting game series? and. ive rambled so much about it orz... it shows how much i love fighting games. lol. (the top 2 ones are under night in birth and king of fighters by the way--)

anyway. yeah. also my reply has 2000+ words. haha.... i just made this on a whim lol

HI HI HI CROW!!!! no worries about it, take your time weheheh <3 also i have been thinking more about it recently and i feel haruna would end up maining anji nods. down bad for someone + i feel shed enjoy the traditional japanese and dancing aesthetics he has going on nods. i think i mentioned my abyssmare takes on the post so yeah :3

also omg hell yeah.... millia and baiken <333 im so glad shes fun to play there weheheh. im still trying to get used to playing xrd since my puter cant run strive but its soo funsies... im horrible at fighting games still but im carrying myself through this <3 i should try playing millia on xrd sometime too.....

also ooo hell yeah!!! my dads more of a fighting game nerd than me but i am familiar with these weheheh ;3 always good to ahve things youre passionate about <333

#♡ › chii asks #crow

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blinder-secrets · 2 years ago

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hi, it's the anon from before!! firstly, i'm so sorry about the mixup of me calling you girl - i never meant any disrespect or hurt or anything, it's just a nickname i call my friends and those at work so it's mostly habit at this point. but again i am so so sorry about that 💞

season six was rough lol. it was just depressing plot line after depressing plot line. but, i felt like considering the subject matter and helen's death outside of the show, they did a good job tying in her character and how they ended the season. but the final episode felt like a season finale, not a series finale yk?? like i definitely feel like having a seventh season would've been the best way to go, but i digress, ik that isn't happening. so, all in all, season six was okay, but it wasn't a v satisfying ending to me, bc i just kept on thinking there was so much more story to tell and a lot of plot points didn't get fully explained.

as for faves, i loveeed polly, she was great. tommy too (most of the time), he was such a good charscter. but i didn't go into this expecting to love arthur so much, like??? he's just so sad and pathetic??? how am i not supposed to love him??? literally the whole series was me screaming inside my head for someone to give him a hug fr (and linda - ugh don't get me started on her). anyways, yeah, arthur ended up being my fave, so now i've been binging tumblr and searching for fics for him lol

anyways, so sorry for this long rant!! i just love talking about this show 💞💞💞

no dont worry! i just wanted to put it out there generally, i know you meant it nicely <33

and yes wow season 6 was bleak in parts, i literally felt sick with worry for some eps, and agree i think they handled helens death as well as they could have. and interestingggg, i really liked the final ep it felt very full circle to me when you think of it alongside the first ever ep. like we first see tommy on a black horse in the proper smoggy depths of industry, and then the last time we see him (ignoring the film) is on a white horse in the open country. felt very full circle and gorgeous to me, like we’d come to the end of his narrative and seen his elevation from who he was right after the war, to then

but saying that i do despise their decision to do a film instead of a s7 because 6 eps would give us so much more than a movie can lol

also yes love polly so much, and tommy problematic king AND arthur. youve got taste

i have a few arthur fics under my wing if you fancy them (lion tamer is my passion project that will be updated eventually) godspeed!!!

don’t apologise i love chatting peaky always

#arthur is such a piece of work i love getting my grabby hands into his pysche

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cove-simp · 3 years ago

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Sleepless in Sunset Bird

No spoilers, alternative confession point (but based on an option about mc being nervous about sharing a bed with Cove. The classic “hotel messes up so now the characters have to share one bed” trope :)

It shouldn’t be this big of a deal. It wouldn’t have been if you were just friends. Every time you had suggested sharing a bed with Cove in your younger years suddenly flitted by. How had you remained so casual about things back then?

Well, it’s probably because you weren’t in love with him back then.

A mixup when booking the hotel had led to you both ending up in a room with a single bed. And since it was tourist season, there really wasn’t anything you could do about it at that point. Cove had been extremely apologetic when he notified you, even offering to sleep on the teeny couch in the corner of the room, leaving you the king sized bed. You’d declined, figuring you could hack it for your three night stay.

“You ready?” Cove asked with a yawn, seemingly unaffected by the whole ordeal. For not the first time this trip, you had felt the tables had turned. Since when were you the one losing your cool in a mildly tepid situation?

Letting out a quick breath, you followed after him, entering from the side opposite of the bed. Once settled, he turned away from you after bidding you a “goodnight”, allowing you to do the same.

Your heart was beating so strong that it seemed to vibrate down to your bones. You hoped Cove couldn’t feel it. Is this how he had felt at the idea of sharing a bed with you when you both were younger?

The sudden rustling of sheets made you freeze.

Daring to peek over your shoulder, you saw that Cove had rolled over to face you, a hand slightly outstretched in your direction. Your heart skipped a beat at the cute way his cheek was squished into the pillow. Without even really realizing when you had shifted, you found yourself fully facing Cove, tempted to run a hand through his hair, or gently stroke his cheek.

Damnit Cove James Holden! Why do you have to look so sweet and beautiful when you’re asleep!!

Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I said yes all those years ago… you mused.

“M-me too…”

“WHAT?!” You screeched, scooting so far to the edge of the bed that you risked falling off. You hadn’t thought you were tired to the point of practically confessing your adoration. The wind left your lungs as if you had just been sucker punched in the stomach, and there was nothing more that you wanted than to hide under the blankets, away from Cove’s pleading gaze.

“MC…” Cove started gently, slowly shifting so that he was sitting back on his heels while facing you. You were grateful the lights were still off. You didn’t think you could fully face him if they had been on.

“Mc…” Cove started again, this time you could hear the trademark shakiness of his voice that happened when he was all nerves. “Please don’t- if you say something like that I might misunderstand…”

For a while, neither of you said anything, just stared at each other in the dark. Surprisingly, it was Cove who spoke up once again.

“I.. I’m in love with you, MC. I have been for years…” A sniffle interrupted his confession towards the end, signaling that he was indeed crying. “You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Ever. So please, don’t…”

A choked sob cut abruptly at the end of that one, stopping Cove from being able to finish. Your heart panged at his response, and the need to comfort him had overridden your previous freeze response. You flung your arms around him, nearly knocking you both over the edge of the bed.

Cove gripped you back almost suffocatingly tight, freely sobbing into your shoulder. Your own eyes started to mist, and your throat became so tight that it hurt. This was all of the response you could offer for now.

As the heightened emotions began to die down, you slowly extracted from one another, now seated close enough for your legs to touch but your upper halves now separated.

“I’m sorry…” Cove whispered almost inaudibly.

“I’m scared, Cove” you blurted out abruptly, and much louder by comparison. “Of course I love you! I’ve loved you since our last summer together like this- hell, absolutely longer than that! I can’t handle the idea that we’ll start dating, something will go wrong and then we won’t be able to even stand each other. You are the most important person in my life, and I can't stand the thought that you might hate me and I-” Now it was your turn to have your rambles cut off by a sudden crying fit.

Of course you had wanted Cove, that was never in question. But growing up, the idea of having everything change at once had been too scary to think about back when you were 18.

Cove moved slowly, first wrapping one arm around your shoulder, then pressing you tightly against his chest. “I get it” he cooed gently to the top of your head, along with a little peck. He held you until you had stopped crying, just as you had held him earlier in the night.

***

The room was still dim when you woke up. You tried to sit up, failing when you realized a set of muscular arms were cradling you in place. You looked to your companion, who has surprisingly been able to fall asleep despite your half finished conversation. Perhaps like you, the high emotions had drained him.

With Cove asleep, and you painfully awake, this gave you an opportunity to ponder. Would taking that next step really be that scary? Right now, it was just you and Cove, curled up together in bed after basically having just confessed to one another. And yet, you felt strangely calm, like you usually did with Cove despite your feelings. Nothing about doing this stirred up any anxiety at all. It was just you and Cove.

Thankfully, it didn’t take too much longer before Cove woke himself. He greeted you with a small squeeze and a mumbled “good morning”, making no moves to extract himself from you.

“So… if you love me, and I love you… let’s be together?” Cove asked, giving you a pointed look. His grip had loosened at this point, allowing you the chance to get away if you wanted to.

“Okay” you replied with a small smile. Cove’s entire face lit up at your response, any remnants of sleepiness now far gone.

“Really?!” He exclaimed, tightening his hold on you once more, while you giggled and nodded in response. You could feel a few tears of joy fall from Cove onto you, making your own eyes begin to water. Nothing, not even your years-long anxiety about changing your relationship, could compare to the immense joy you both shared now, curled up in bed together.

Suddenly both of Cove’s hands were cupping your face reverently, silently asking for what you’re sure you both have been wanting for literal years. You nodded briefly, before meeting him halfway in a kiss that was sweeter than anything else you’ve ever tasted. It was brief, there was morning breath, but there was enough passion fueling it to remove any inch of doubt that the two of you would be anything but happy together from now on.

“So… when are we gonna tell everyone? You know they’re going to practically riot at the news”

You groaned softly at the prospect of all of their teasing. “Better sooner than later” you relented. You’d be seeing everyone today anyways, might as well make it count. And with Cove by your side, even your families’ teasing seemed doable.

With that, you both reluctantly got out of bed and began to get ready for the day. You couldn’t wait to see where this next step of life would take you both.

#our life beginnings & always #cove holden #our life #gb patch #gb patch games #cove holden imagine #cove holden headcanon #our life cove #our life: beginnings & always #our life cove holden #my writing

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prettytoxicrevolver · 4 years ago

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Hotel | Dream

Requested? Bruh of course not

Warnings? None?

Summary: You and your best friend Dream go on vacation together and end up admitting feelings

Word Count: 2,100

Last fic of me going off during April!! Hope y'all enjoy :)

“Charger?”

“Yup,” you say, tossing it into your purse.

“Your medicine? My medicine? Sunscreen? Money?” he lists off and you giggle as you nod.

“Yes we have everything,” you say giggling at your best friend.

You and Dream were headed to Hawaii for the first time together and you both were beyond excited. You had been planning this for months together, getting every tiny detail figured out. You had always wanted to travel together as best friends and when you both finally had enough money, you started to plan for Hawaii.

“Plane tickets?” you ask and Dream holds up the papers for you two.

You smile wide, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of your shared apartment. You head to the airport, talking excitedly about the trip and all of the things you were going to do when you get there.

“You know I’m gonna ask you to take a million pictures of me while we’re there right?” you ask as you sit down in your airplane seats.

“Can't wait for all the “who took the photo?!?” comments,” he jokes and you roll your eyes but smile nonetheless.

“Hey we can always take faceless photos of you on the beach,” you say and Dream shakes his head.

“No way.”

The plane ride is long, with ten hours of uncomfortable seats and gross airplane food but being with Dream makes the time fly and the company easy. You both start off with headphones in, trying to get some rest but soon enough you’re both restless.

Granted you weren’t doing well in the first place. Being near dream had your stomach in your shoes and your heart in your fingertips at all times. To be stuck on a plane for ten hours with him? You were surprised you hadn’t died from how fast your heart rate was going.

You were desperately trying to will yourself back to sleep, moving just barely to rest your head against the window. Just as you’re moving around, you feel a tap on your hand making you look over at Dream. You pull a headphone out and he gestures to the tiny tv screen in front of him.

“Wanna watch a movie?”

You nod and watch as Dream scrolls through the selection of movies, looking at you every once in a while when he stops on one he might want to watch. You end up on a random action movie, one you’ve probably watched with your dad on a Saturday morning, and Dream hands you the other headphone. Your hands brush as you take it from him, sending your heart through the roof of the plane at the contact.

As the movie drones on, you regain the tiredness you once pursued and let out a long yawn. Dream casts a glance at you, a soft smile placed on his lips as he watches your sleepy eyes blink slowly to stay awake.

“Come here,” he says quietly and you look up at him.

He lays his hand out flat on the armrest and you carefully slip your arm around his, before placing your hand in his. You lean over, placing your head on his shoulder and Dream reciprocates the action, resting his head on yours.

You swear you can feel your heartbeat pounding in your fingertips, worry flooding you that he’ll notice your nerves. However, when you risk a glance up at the blonde he’s half asleep, his eyes fluttered shut.

The rest of the plane ride feels quick, you and Dream both sleeping for the majority of it but by the time you land you’re happy to be able to get off the plane and stretch your legs. By the time you grab your things and are in the car on the way to the hotel, you swear you’re about to fall asleep again.

“Sleepyhead, we’re here,” Dream says, nudging you and you look up to see you’re rolling to a stop at the hotel.

You both get out of the car, grabbing your things, and heading inside. Because Hawaii was six hours behind Florida time, it was 10 am, when at home it would normally be 4 pm. You could feel the jet lag setting in, your body fighting against you as you and Dream checked into your hotel.

“And that’s the one king-sized bed for 4 nights?” the man at the service desk asks. The question wakes you up in seconds, your attention at the mixup.

“Wait it was supposed to be two queen-sized beds,” Dream corrects.

“I’m sorry sir, we only have this room,” the man says and Dream turns to look at you. You shrug your shoulders and Dream mimics the action.

“Okay.”

When you get to your room, sure enough, there’s only one bed in the center of the room, and you and Dream exchange glances at the sight of it. You try to brush off the awkwardness, making your way into the room before dropping your stuff and collapsing onto the comfortable mattress.

“Naptime,” you announce.

“No no no,” Dream says grabbing your hands and pulling you up until you’re sitting up straight.

“You have to beat the jet lag, it’s only 10 so let’s go get some breakfast, and then we can explore okay?”

You groan but let Dream pull you up anyway. You grab your purse, and the two of you head out for breakfast at the closest restaurant near you. As the two of you eat, you plan your first day here, deciding to explore the beaches, stores near you, and anything else that seems interesting.

You end up at an aquarium, one you had spotted on the way to the hotel, and head over. You had always loved aquariums since your dad had taken you to one close to your hometown growing up. You still fell in awe of them whenever you visited one.

“Come on!” you say grabbing Dream’s hand and dragging him behind you.

“Okay child,” he jokes and you roll your eyes.

You two make your way through the aquarium, unconsciously hand in hand with one another. You practically drag Dream along, placing your face up against the glass and point out fish and beautiful animals to the taller boy.

“See? It’s a clownfish,” you explain.

Dreams heart had been racing ever since you had entered the aquarium hand slipped into his without even thinking about it. He loved watching you walk through the attractions, eyes aglow with wonder and face lit up like a kid on Christmas. It made him fall for you more than he already had.

He leans forward moving your once connected hands so that he can slip an arm around your shoulder, his head falling next to yours until you’re practically cheek to cheek.

“It’s pretty,” he says and you forget to respond, the closeness of your best friend making you dizzy.

You settle for a nod, and the two of you start to move again, Dream’s arm staying around your shoulders and you slip one around his waist. You make your way around the rest of the place, your hearts unknowingly beating at the same fast rhythm but both of you find comfort in the nerves.

“Where to next?” you ask Dream when you finish the aquarium.

You two end up going for a drive, just wanting to explore the island for a bit before making your way back, occasionally stopping at a store or two to see what’s inside. You finally make it back to the hotel to change before heading out to a nice dinner together.

As you walk out of the bathroom, clad in a nice dress, wedges, and your purse thrown over your shoulder, this time you don’t miss the dumbstruck look Dream is giving you. However, you swear you mimic his expression, the blonde dressed in a white button-down, dress pants, and dress shoes.

“Holy shit,” you whisper.

“Fuck,” he breathes out.

Upon hearing each other’s voices, you snap out of your dazed states, offering a sheepish smile to Dream before walking out of the open door. Dream follows you out, the two of quiet as you head to the restaurant together.

“Do you mind if I?” you question pointing to the drinks another couple holds and Dream shakes his head.

“No, go for it. If anything happens you know I’ll take care of you,” he responds making your heart swell.

You knew Dream didn’t drink and you would never pressure him to. However, your nerves were getting the best of you and the drinks on the menu were tempting. You order one, taking a sip of the concoction of alcohol and letting it soothe some of the nerves you were facing.

As dinner progresses, you and Dream talk about the rest of vacation, what else you wanted to do before you left, what other restaurants you wanted to try, already where you were planning to take Instagram photos, etc. You couldn’t help feeling less and less nervous but you weren’t sure if it was the drinks or Dream’s easy presence in front of you.

You don’t realize how many you had ordered until you stand up, the room spinning around you. You reach out, Dream taking your hand with a concerned look on his face and when you gain your bearings you smile dorkily at the taller boy.

“Okay let’s get you back to the room,” he says and wraps an arm around your waist to steady you.

You make it back to the hotel room, your hands intertwined with Dream, your best friend not opposed to your love language increasing when you’re drunk. You make it up to the hotel room with little struggle and in your drunken state, you decide you want to dance.

“Dream,” you whine, and the blonde smiles at you.

“Yes, darling?”

“Come dance with me,” you say, holding your hands out to him.

Dream laughs but lets you take his hands in yours anyway. You slip your arms around his neck, and he wraps one arm around your waist before reaching for his phone. He messes with something on there for a minute before music floods the tiny room. He places his phone down on the TV stand before wrapping his other arm around your waist.

The two of you sway slowly around the room, you becoming increasingly more sober the more you think about Dream, his hands on you, the proximity of the two of you, the sweet gestures and words from the day, everything.

Dream wasn’t far behind you, absolutely mesmerized by the sight of you. Your lips curved into a small smile as you looked up at him. The way you were yourself around him with no apologies and how he wanted to hold you, love you, and protect you forever.

You both don’t realize how close you are and getting until you're centimeters away. The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Without a second thought in his head, Dream ducks down, pressing a kiss to your lips. The contact knocks you sober instantly, you pull Dream as close as possible and you can practically feel your best friend smile into the kiss.

When you pull apart, you’re both grinning like idiots at each other. The music still plays in the background as you get changed, dance a little more, and ultimately fall asleep together.

The rest of vacation flies by, beaches and shopping, restaurants, cute dates, everything made a thousand times better now that the two of you had admitted your feelings for one another. By the time you land back in Florida, you can’t tell if you’re happy to be home, sad to be away from vacation, or nervous about what was going to happen between you and Dream now.

As you get off the plane, Dream slips an arm around your shoulders and your thoughts of doubt only seem to increase for some reason.

“Hey,” you say gaining his attention. You stop in front of him, your hands twisting nervously in front of you as you try to ask your next question.

“Are we still,” you trail off gesturing between the two of you. “Now that we’re home.”

Dream doesn’t answer, simply wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you in. He dips down pressing a long kiss to your lips that has you falling for him all over again.

“Does that answer your question?” he asks pulling inches away.

You nod, smiling widely before leaning up to place your lips on Dream’s again in a kiss that makes your stomach do backflips.

#dream x y/n #dream x reader #dream fic #dream imagine #dream smp x y/n #dream smp x reader #dream smp fic #dream smp imagines #mcyt x y/n #mcyt x reader #mcyt fic #mcyt imagine #bravebesson

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kalashimi · 3 years ago

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My hot take on this aka my fixations over the span of years...just consider (discussion under)

(I'm just gonna say in advance that i don't know every single character here 100% but i know enough that I CONSIDER them to be here, just throwing this here, so if anyone reads this, doesn't get weird vibes oktysmbye)

I know It would be better to put a lot more characters in each section, the problem is that i don't know the ones that would fit the middle...i haven't found the perfect mix of all these 3 things but i can tell the ones in the other sections as best as possible:

Demon Clowns: Shaco (League of Legends) fits perfectly, though they're not totally like that but I dig it, There's also Gamzee (Homestuck) which can fit this role (Kurloz is more of a skeleton clown but it's his suit so doesn't matter that much), Jevil (Deltarune) is also very cool and chaotic, Fizzarolli (Helluva Boss) is also very fucking amazing, well he's more of an animatronic too but that's a different part, he's still considered demon clown so i'll let it slide, Death 13 (JJBA Stand) also goes there, even if they're not really "real" they're still a manifestation of someone's soul. But hey, what about Buggy or Ceasar Clown (One Piece), well they're more human than demons... and since majority here are either demons or clowns with more or less other traits, i don't think human clown-demons fit very well here...so i guess that's it?

Demon Skeletons: The Lich (Adventure Time) seems like the most obvious choice here, he's just iconic and so cool, I love him, Elias Ainsworth (Ancient Magus Bride) also is here, he does have demonic powers and is a very wholesome boy that needs love but also powerful when it comes to fight or flight situations, Nowhere King (Centaurworld) was there for a brief moment, but just gave me the chills when they showed up, seems like a powerful creature which is bounded by something i assume (not sure what, we will see in further seasons), The Beast (Over the Garden Wall) is surely there, since I've seen what they're made of, definitely a demon skeleton, in a way, of course his body is kind of...yeah, but i guess that's the only way to fit them there, very mysterious creature, too bad we won't probably get to see them more :(. Emperor Belos (The Owl House) actually haven't seen this show yet, so maybe i'll add a post-watch note to this, I KNOW FOR A FACT that people really like this one, but i can't say much since i still need to find time to watch this. This concludes that mixup. Skeleton Clowns: Tricky (Madness Combat) does fit here, but also i've known that he's a demon too...well depends, i've heard he has like 5 different forms, so i wasn't sure where to put this guy, skeleton demon it is then, Sans (Undertale) NOW HEAR ME OUT ON THIS, He's clown, but at the SOUL, he makes punny jokes, he laugh every step, he even teases his own brother, he's not that clowny, but his CHARACTERISTICS are like that (unlike Tricky who's been a fucking nuisance) so Sans is also an obvious choice here, Brook (One Piece), similar situation here, he cracks some jokes, he constantly wants to see women's underwear (idk why did they add this to his character, but whatever) and also he has a very epic Afro hair, he's a nice funny dude, but puts up a fight too when the time comes, also get emotional so yeah. This one is the shorest list of characters of all of this, since i don't know many cool skeleton clowns (let it be clown at heart ot just literally a skeleton clown) So i'm sorry to disappoint...better luck next time.

So yeah, this was fun to make, I'm just left out with one thing...and that's THE MIDDLE PART - I have never ever saw anything/anyone that fits the middle one, not a single character was all of these and fit for me PERFECTLY, don't get me wrong, it probably exists, it's just that a) i've never seen it, b) probably wasn't very cool or c) it's so badly written that i despite it I KNOW some of these that i already written about probably fit all of these 3 things, but it's not perfectly fitting, they either have other traits (like fizz being animatronic or tricky having 500 other forms) or they don't really have much said about them, so it's lacking lore and characteristic that I would like, so that's not really my cup of tea in these cases.

thanks for coming to my ted talk about my fixations lmao awkward

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bigskydreaming · 3 years ago

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Doing some writing today off and on between errands and work, and jumping around various Kings of the Sky installments, specifically Dick, Jason and Cass stuff, so probably gonna post snippets from a bunch of them as I go.

(Kings of the Sky is an AU that goes canon divergent from the point of Jason calling Dick for advice for dealing with Bruce after the Garzonas case and where things end up going dramatically different from that point on. Including Jason not dying, being part of his own lineup of Titans between Dick and Tim’s, Dick being adopted not long after the Church of Blood incident, Cass being the third Wayne kid to be taken in and adopted and with Tim and Duke being next and then Damian coming along later once they find out about him. This is basically my ‘the family’s alright’ AU with largely ‘Good Dad Bruce’ except for Dick and then Jason yelling some sense into him about the other, respectively, in the first two installments, just FYI).

Anyway, this bit is from a story called “In Their Shadows Grow Trees Of Good and Evil,” set about a year after Cass has been adopted, when she and Jason are both sixteen and Dick’s twenty-one. Also just FYI, because canon has never been specific about what ways Cass is neurodivergent due to the comic-book style ‘rewiring’ of her brain so that she could learn to speak later in life, I tend to go with her being dyslexic and having aphasia. She sticks exclusively to sign language and being a silent presence in her costumed personas, so that there’s no chance of people connecting the dots between Black Bat and Cassandra Wayne, as she mostly speaks verbally in her civilian persona and doesn’t hide her aphasia. The reason there’s not likely to be any obvious signs of aphasia in the snippets of her I post is because I wait until I complete something to choose words at random to replace with aphasia-born mixups, so its more realistic and I’m not gearing her dialogue towards deliberately placed moments. Just in case you were wondering.

In Their Shadows Grow Trees of Good and Evil

“Hey Todd,” sneered an exquisitely obnoxious voice. “Why’s your sister so fucking weird?”

Jason sighed the sigh of a soul a mere century into its eternity of damnation as he rose from the lunch table he’d been studying at and crammed the rest of his books into his backpack. Then he pasted a cheerfully bland smile on his face and turned around, geared for academia warfare (teenage prep school edition).

“Hey Craig,” he said brightly. “Why’d you come out of the womb so ugly your parents had to tie a piece of steak around your neck just to get the family dog to go near you? Mysteries abound.”

The advancing junior slowed a step, momentarily rocked by his truly impressive return volley. The grimace Craig’s already gargoyle-esque features twisted into made his face even more unpleasant to look at than usual, which was quite the feat. Jason would have applauded if just looking at it hadn’t already turned him to stone.

But the bargain basement basilisk kept on towards him rather than turn tail and skulk off to pop his emotional blisters, so Jason sighed a sequel to his first one. Looked like it was one of those days where Craig felt up to powering through. Guess someone had eaten their self-esteem Wheaties that morning. Joy.

“You think you’re pretty hot shit, don’t you, Todd?”

Jason shrugged. “I mean, to be honest I kinda have a one track mind, so right now I’m mostly just thinking about punching you in your mistake.”

“My what?”

“Your face,” Jason elaborated with exaggerated patience.

“Huh?”

“Oh my god, I’m saying your face is a mistake. See, its not as fun when I have to stop and explain it to you. Ugh, you ruin everything.”

He neatly sidestepped the older boy as R2-Dumbass stayed frozen, smoke coming off of his internal CPU while trying to catch up. For a second Jason thought he was home free, but then he remembered the universe fucking hated him so haha, sucks to suck. Also, a small crowd had gathered to witness the verbal jousting match, and nothing invigorated an asshole like Craig more than an audience of like-minded peers. So there was that too.

“Whatever. Laugh it up all you want, you little shit,” the junior rallied. “But just remember, mocking your betters will never change the fact that you were born street trash and you’ll be street trash until the day you die.”

Honestly? Not his best effort. Jason almost felt bad using any of his good material. Seemed like overkill at this point. But he did have a strict Scorched Earth policy to maintain, so.....

“Yeah but my dad could buy out and ruin your dad so that means I still win, right?”

He smirked as the barb landed and Craig’s face set into a sunset vista of strangled purple and furious red. Bam. Direct hit.

“Listen, you - “

“Oh for fuck’s sake, it was rhetorical,” Jason interrupted. “I don’t actually care what you think even a little bit. Nobody does. You don’t matter. Please go be irrelevant elsewhere, you’re fucking dismissed, you loser.”

“Speak for yourself, charity case.” Oh goodie, Craig’s backup singers had finally arrived. Now if only he could remember to care enough to learn their names in the first place. Seriously, who told the extras they could have lines? “All the jokes in the world can’t change who and what you are.”

Jason shrugged and continued nonchalantly up the hill to where his sister was standing with arms crossed, staring down at something on the other side.

“True genius is never appreciated in its own time,” he tossed back over his shoulder. “I’m sure I’ll be immortalized in song eventually.”

The mob of morons deigned to let him go without further incident. Though he suspected that had less to do with his scathing wit and more to do with him being headed towards Cass. She was immaculately presented as always, wearing the Gotham Academy uniform like she was born to it despite hating its uncomfortable stiffness every bit as much as he did. But that was just Cass for you.

For all that she still struggled at times to engage verbally or speak up in social settings, her mastery of body language remained without peer. She could chameleon-camouflage her way into matching poise and posture with anyone - a skill that had allowed her to walk into school on her very first day with her head held high as though she owned everything in her sight. Exuding so much Queen Bee Intimidation Factor even the other hive queens were afraid to approach her themselves. Sending forth their drones to try and woo her into an alliance, only to see her remain oh-so-casually above it all, a slightly contemptuous smile adorning her lips.

Basically, she scared the shit out of their classmates without them having anywhere close to a true understanding of why, and Jason was outrageously jealous. Rude. Unfair. Why did his siblings always get all the cool toys when all he had was his rakish charm, scintillating intellect and debonair.....nah, who was he kidding. He was fucking awesome.

“Sup, sis,” he said, cresting the hill to stand beside Cass. “Just FYI, I just took a popularity bullet for you, which means you owe me your dessert tonight. Its a family rule that’s totally a real thing and definitely not something I just made up right now because Alf is making chocolate soufflé.”

She made no acknowledgment and remained stock still, a Colossus at Rhodes peering down into the shifting shadows of the parking lot below.

He peered down as well, though with absolutely no idea what they were looking at. Solidarity, yo.

“So are we staring fixedly at anything in particular, or should I just pick my own spot and commit?”

His humor was totally wasted on her as always. Instead of laughing and telling him what a lovable goof he was, she just inclined her head in the direction of a blonde girl where she was standing next to the driver’s side door of a Mercedes-Benz, dictating final commandments to her peons before departing. Well, probably. Jason was just guessing, based on his own body language reads, and like, general disdain for literally everyone at this school that wasn’t related to him.

He made a face. An extra special one reserved just for this classmate in particular. “Ugh, Madison Dunleavy? She’s the worst.”

Cass raised a cool eyebrow. “I thought Craig Hendricks was the worst.”

“He is. They’re both the worst. Its a hotly contested position here at Gotham Academy.”

She rolled her eyes and nodded back down at the Queen of Air and Darkness. “So. You know her?”

“Nope,” Jason said. “Come to think of it, I’ve actually never seen her in my life. No idea who that is. Can’t help you, sorry. Shall we go home?”

The Eyebrow of Inquisition speared him with clear intent. Who the fuck needed words when you could pack the Encyclopedia Britannica into a single facial expression?

Jason sighed gustily.

“I had a slight altercation with her freshman year that led to her declaring her undying enmity for me until the end of time. The word nemesis may or may not have been thrown around once or twice. I can’t recall.”

The Eyebrow of Inquisition lowered nary an inch. Ugh, she wanted more? Why did everyone in his family hate privacy, with the obvious exclusion of himself when snooping through Cass and Dick’s rooms for blackmail material, which was actually intel-gathering and thus another matter entirely.

“Okay so basically what happened was my first week here I overheard her talking shit about me and not even twenty minutes later she was pretending to kiss my ass in homeroom, like probably because of Bruce, y’know? So I just busted out laughing and told her to fuck off and die and she has inexplicably loathed me ever since.”

Avoiding further Eyebrow Inquisition-ing, he made a show of peering around aimlessly. When the silence extended and it was clear Cass was absolutely not going to break first, Jason waved a hand in dismissal and took to peering oh so casually at his fingernails. "I suppose I was less tactful back in those days.”

He chanced a look up, finally, and saw his sister’s eyebrow had somehow managed to mighty morphin power ranger its way into a configuration evoking both judgment and disbelief, with the latter perhaps aimed at the idea he was significantly differing in the tact department these days either.

“I don’t love the implications your face is making right now,” he told her.

She ignored him, because of course she did.

“Does she know Dick?” She asked instead. Jason shrugged.

“I mean, maybe? She’s probably seen him around at one of those stupid galas we have to go to, and actually I think maybe she has an older brother who was either in Dick’s grade or like, one above or below it? I don’t know.”

Now both eyebrows were doing the dance of disbelief. Okay, so maybe that was poor situational awareness on his part, since it wasn’t like Gotham Academy was a big school with a ton of other kids and also he’d only been in the same class as Madison for like over two whole years, but whatever. There were extingent circumstances.

“Look, she’s a total snob who’s always looked down on me and in return I willfully ignore both her existence and that of everyone and everything even tangentially related to her. Its called equality, Cass.”

She pursed her lips and went back to the peering, because of course in the mind of Cass it made total sense that the Grand Inquisition didn’t need to be followed up by any explanation on her part, what the hell. Like was he supposed to have inferred it?

“What’s this all about anyway?”

“I heard her talking about Dick earlier,” she said without peeling her eyes away from her personal recon mission. “I don’t know what she said though, I just heard her say Grayson, and then I was busy looking at what her body was saying. I know it was about Dick because she shut down when she saw me. And I didn’t like the way she....looked....before that happened. The way she was talking. It was.....”

Jason frowned but held back any follow-up questions while he waited - with total patience because he wasn’t an absolute cad, thank you very much - for his sister to find the word she was hunting for. It was a major source of frustration for her, that whatever neural map her brain followed put body language and spoken language in totally different regions of her brain, separated by a fairly great divide. Meaning she usually had to make a conscious choice to focus on body language or conventional languages - whether verbal or sign. But it tended to be one or the other; she’d yet to master taking in and comprehending both forms of ‘language’ at the same time. And none of them had quite figured out how to convince her that she wasn’t actually missing anything when she chose to focus on one specific form of communication - that she was still observing far more than most people ever would.

“Proprietary,” Cass settled on at last. She nodded her satisfaction with her choice of word, and Jason waited a whole two point five seconds before sticking his whole foot in his mouth.

“Proprietary?” He asked with a scrunched nose as he weighed that for possible context and implications. “You sure?”

She glared. He winced. It was a whole thing.

“Yeah, I know, sorry, sorry, I heard it the second it was out of my mouth. We don’t actually have to experiment with the legitimacy of if looks could kill.”

Cass rolled her eyes, but eh. That could’ve gone worse.

Jason swiftly redirected attention anyway. Discretion is the better part of valor, after all.

“So. The Queen of Air and Darkness was talking about our big bro, and her mood was.....proprietary, huh?” He recapped while digesting the info like a boss. “Well. Definitely not loving that, I gotta say. Hold please.”

Pulling out his phone and pulling up his most recent texts, he began typing furiously.

“What are you doing?” Cass asked.

“Texting Tom,” he replied, because duh. Hah, now it was his chance to have the answers that should be patently obvious and thus make with the ‘are you kidding me’ when she asked obvious questions she should know the answer to! How do you like them apples, sis?

“Why are you texting your boyfriend right now?”

Jason rolled his eyes, because fair is fair, but never ceased texting for a moment. Time was of the essence here, probably. Well, maybe. Okay probably not. But it’d still been like half an hour since he and Tom had last texted and that’s a very fucking long time in teenage years.

“To be our getaway driver tonight, obviously.”

She stared at him. He didn’t look up, but he could feel it anyway. He was very intuitive like that.

“What?”

Jason heaved another sigh, one keyed to tones of ‘oh my god, do I really have to spell this out,” exasperation. He was just racking up the bonus points here. It was really too bad this wasn’t an actual competition he could actually win and this was all just pettiness taking place wholly in his own head. Lame.

“Well, clearly we now have to go snoop in Madison’s house aka lair to see if its actually a house or a full on lair. Because she’s either a creeper or like, legit evil, and its important to know which one before we proceed, because obviously we can only bust her for being a weird creeper about our brother as Jason and Cass, whereas if she’s legit evil, that’s gotta go down as Robin and Black Bat. I’ll handle the snooping, you’ll take look-out, but we still need a wheelman and that’s why I’m texting Tom. This is all very mission-oriented, okay. I’m a professional.”

“Right,” she affirmed, while sounding anything but convinced. “Why don’t we just tell Bruce?”

Without looking up or breaking stride, he said: “I’m going to give you til I finish typing this sentence to figure out what was wrong with what you just said. Remember that we are talking about hypothetical danger to our brother, and also Bruce’s idea of a proportionate response to any of his children being in even hypothetical danger. And also our brother’s idea of a proportionate response to Bruce’s idea of a proportionate response. Look, you’re still new so I’m gonna need you to just trust me on this one. Its gonna be a no on telling Bruce without further intel.”

Cass said nothing in response to that, which meant that she was conceding the point and recognized the wisdom of his words. Or maybe that she was just gonna go ahead and do what she wanted anyway and just wasn’t bothering to fight about it, but it was probably that first thing.

“Well you better not just make out with your boyfriend all night,” is what she said at last, and that got his attention reeeeeal quick like.

“Umm. Wow. Okay. So, first off, you’re not the boss of me and who I make out with and when, so jot that down. And second, now I’m definitely going to make out with my boyfriend extra hard, with the exception of when we are actually on our recon mission because as previously established, I am a professional. And also, again, you’re not the boss of me.”

Jason ignored her Eye Roll With Extra Emphasis, and instead just held up his phone to Text With Extra Emphasis, as he read along with what he was typing.

“By the way babe, we have to make out extra hard tonight,” he said, tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth while he dragged out his dictation with the kind of focus that usually led to Bruce asking why he couldn’t apply as much intensity to training as he did to pettiness. “Cass has suddenly decided she can dictate terms to me and I need to shut that shit down ASAP, so thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter. Smoochies and other gay stuff to the best boyfriend ever.”

Jason frowned as a response pinged back seconds later.

TheCatsMeow: ....the things I put up with for the sake of your weird family dynamics.

TheOnlyRobinThatRocks: Yeah, yeah. You’re a saint among were-panthers. Must you mock? Why can’t you just tell me I’m pretty instead?

TheCatsMeow: Sorry. Let me try again. OMG you’re so pretty Jase how did I get so lucky xoxo.

TheOnlyRobinThatRocks: No. Its too late. It feels forced and unbelievable now. You’ve ruined it forever.

TheCatsMeow: Got it. From now on I will only tell you that you’re repulsive and hideous.

TheOnlyRobinThatRocks: I’m breaking up with you.

TheCatsMeow: But after I help you with your mission tonight.

TheOnlyRobinThatRocks: Obvsly. I’m a professional. Why do people keep forgetting this?

TheCatsMeow: And also the making out to spite your sister.

TheOnlyRobinThatRocks: Yeah we should do that first too. I mean we already penciled it in.

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