#still not fully happy with this one but i never liked backgrounds anyway so who cares

[bluebird-ascended]

i wasnt kidding when i said we were back

[kneworder]

some of you guys weren't raised on heroes (2005) and it shows

[hxlxnaaa]

𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐬

★ synopsis: unrequited love manifests itself as a beautiful disease

★ character: zayne

★ cw: first-person pov, university au, hanahaki disease, ANGST

★ word count: 2k

★ a/n: zayne my angsty king. who needs happy endings am i right??? (i'm so sorry)

Google Search: Why am I throwing up flowers??????

Hanahaki Disease (花吐き病 (Japanese); 하나하키병 (Korean); 花吐病 (Chinese)) is a disease in which the victim coughs up flower petals when they suffer from one-sided love. It ends when the beloved returns their feelings, or when the victim dies. The flowers can now be surgically removed, but all feelings towards the beloved will dissipate.

I already knew what it was. Everyone does. From the first tulip petal I coughed out while working on my essay, to the bouquet that came up from my lungs, covered in blood, just days later.

It was progressing rapidly as the days went on, and everytime I took a breath my lungs would constrict; the vines curling around them, crushing my breathing ability, and my heart.

At first, I tried to ignore it. I’d go out with friends and attempt to go to class, but I felt embarrassed. Ashamed, even. I could feel their eyes on me, watching as I tried to smother my chokes in the middle of a lecture, only to have to dismiss myself to throw up a rose in the hallway.

It’s not like I could go through campus and see him, the one who gave me this. I ignored his calls, ignored his texts. Not that they came often anyways.

‘Are you okay?’

No, Zayne, do I look like I’m okay? I’m sitting in a pile of flower petals and my own blood on my bathroom floor.

Zayne. He was my childhood best friend, and growing up it always felt like I had to fight for an ounce of his attention. He was top of the class in highschool, popular with all the girls for being smart, stoic, and undeniably sexy. Not once did he entertain any of them, and it made them want him so much more. I was excited for college, thinking I could finally have him to myself, without feeling like I was sharing him with the whole school and his extra curriculars. I knew realistically he’d still lack the time for me, studying biology to go to med school, become a doctor, follow his dreams; and I would never be one to step in the way of that. I knew my place. I was just his best friend. I was aware there were boundaries I shouldn’t cross.

At least, until now.

I remember the moment it hit me.

After days, weeks of begging him, I had finally convinced the introverted, brooding nerd to go to a stupid frat party. For the laughs, I had said, follow the college stereotypes. ‘You only live once, Zayne!’ He humored me, I’ll be grateful for that. Giving it barely an hour (and a few free drinks), he quickly got sick of everything, inviting me outside. We sat outside on the driveway, the cool air a breath of freshness compared to the stuffy, sweat smell from inside.

A dumb rap song played inside, and Zayne looked over to me.

“Slow dance with me.”

I smiled and rolled my eyes, knowing it was the alcohol talking and not him. He’d regret this in the morning, and I’d get a stern talking to.

He stood, reaching his hand out, narrowing his eyes. I took his hand, figuring the least I could do was indulge in this moment. For once, his attention was fully on me.

I laughed as we swayed together, a muffled remix of a shitty rap song as our only background music. Looking up at him, I questioned when he had grown up so much. His once round, soft face with chubby baby cheeks had matured into a sharp jawline and high cheekbones I thought about grazing my hand over. Behind his eyes wasn’t a childish glint anymore, and I wondered how long ago that disappeared.

Pressing my face into his chest, I only felt us. One of his arms around my waist, the other holding my hand that was pressed against his shoulder. My free hand clutched his black jacket, like he would disappear into thin air, and my grasp was the only thing keeping him here.

To a passerby, it would’ve looked like a movie; two college kids dancing together outside of a frat party, holding onto each other like it’s the end of a world. In the movie, the two best friends would confess to each other the next day. The boy would rush to the girl's door, with a bouquet of flowers, gasping for air, saying “I love you, I love you, I love you, I never realized that I did.”

But only I realized. Only I realized I loved him.

Zayne never showed up on my doorstep the day after he walked me home that night. The only flowers I got were the ones that filled my lungs.

I refused to speak to him. I wasn’t mad at him, why would I be? It was my fault for forgetting my boundaries. For forgetting the rules. For thinking I had a chance since all the little highschool girls no longer followed him around like lost dogs. For once thinking that I was no longer his side character, for thinking maybe I could be his love interest in his story.

What would I say to him if we did speak? I couldn’t hide what was growing inside my chest. I couldn't hide my split lips from the thorns, or my scratchy voice. The dark circles under my eyes from lack of sleep, too busy catching up on work from missed classes and not getting a break from coughing or vomiting. Tell him I was sick? He’d scold me for not taking care of myself, that I need to rest and eat properly. I didn’t want to hear it, scolding me for something he caused. His concern would only grow when I would accidentally cough up a flower in front of him.

Would he ask who I loved? Or would he just look right through me and tell me I needed to get the surgery to fix all of this. ‘Nobody is worth that kind of illness’ He’d say bluntly.

I knew I couldn’t face him. Not knowing if he even cares, yet knowing that the way I look at his face is different from the way he looks at mine. How he sees his future with someone who isn’t me.

“What are you going to do?” I was hanging out with a friend from one of my classes, Tara. She was the only person I felt like I could confide in about all of this.

We were hanging out at one of the campus coffee shops when I told her. It was a good day for my lungs, after almost overdosing on decongestants and ibuprofen.

“I’m not sure.” Twirling my spoon in my cup, I avoided her eyes. “It’s not like I can get the surgery. I can’t afford it.”

She looked me up and down, and I felt as if she could see into my soul. She did, Tara was like that.

“Can your pockets not afford it, or can you not afford it?”

Tara was right. I could afford the surgery, my university healthcare covered the surgery since students caught the disease so often;

But my heart couldn’t afford it.

It had gotten so used to loving Zayne, it would feel empty without the compassion for him. I feared I may act differently, lacking all love for him. Would he even notice?

I quickly made up my mind, looking out the window - seeing the person I dreaded the most.

Zayne sat outside in a car on the other side of the street, and I could only tell it was him if I stared hard enough. He was holding the hands of a girl I had seen around campus. Zayne had briefly mentioned her a few times, talking about the assignments they’d work on together, and I never thought too much of it.

He brought their hands up to his mouth, kissing the back of her hand, and each of her knuckles. His face was gentle, a look I had never seen on him before. She giggled, and I wondered what it would be like to be her. To have him stare at me with all the love in the world, to be able to feel his soft pink lips I had stared at so many times, wishing to just touch, to just feel. To be on the receiving side of his care, his compassion, no more blunt harsh responses and stern looks.

“Hey-”

I turned back to Tara, and coughed up a flower on the table, and I choked back a sob. Tears threatened to poor, but I couldn’t embarrass myself more than I had with the bloody peony in front of me. She came around the table and hugged me, and I mumbled through quivering lips, “Can you take me home please?”

That night the girl had made it official that she and Zayne were dating. All the pictures on social media, the hearts that their friends commented on each other's posts. A disgruntled feeling made my chest spasm, any time I’d post a picture of Zayne he’d make me take it down immediately.

The morning of my surgery, I got up and put on my favorite sweater Zayne had gotten me for my sixteenth birthday.

“I got it for you last month when you stared at it in the shop’s window.” He smiled when he saw my excitement, one of the rare moments I could see his lips turn upward.

On my walk to the bus stop, I saw him sitting there. Once he looked up and saw me, he stood.

“Where have you been?” Zayne looked at me and frowned. I suppressed the immediate urge to roll my eyes.

“I never see you around campus. You’re never in your usual spots, and I texted you. I was supposed to help you study. Are you still attending your classes?” Even after not seeing each other for weeks, he still found a way to shame me. His eyes hard, lips pressed together into a tight line, I wasn’t even sure he was happy to see me.

The bus pulled up.

“Are you going to take the bus?” I asked him, avoiding his gaze.

He shook his head, “No, I’m waiting for-”

“Yeah, okay. I have to go.”

“Wait,” I turned around to him. It had begun to snow, so the small flakes sparkled on his head in the early morning light like glitter. He always loved winter, the snow.

He stared at me for a few seconds before shaking his head, changing his mind.

I nodded. “I’ll see you, Zayne.” Saying his name felt like acid on my tongue.

Turning around without taking another look at him, I boarded the bus.

Two days later, when I finally came home from my surgery, the only difference I could tell at first was that my chest didn’t hurt anymore. I could finally breathe again without feeling like I was choking on air. The doctors gave me a bag of all the flowers that they collected out of me, and at first I refused to look at them.

Yet as soon as I got home, I felt compelled to sit on my floor and sort through them.

I made piles of each flower, twirling them in my fingers before placing them in their designated places. Some had long vines that I used to tie them together into a crown.

After I finished, I spotted a jacket under my bed. I pulled it out to see it was the black jacket he wore the night we danced together outside that stupid party.

I took a deep breath of it, wishing I would feel the same way I did that night;

But I felt nothing.

It was now just a jacket. He was now just Zayne.

I put it on, wrapping it tightly around my body. I nestled the flowers along my head like a crown of thorns.

Looking at the girl in the mirror, staring at her with her blood stained flower crown, I broke down.

(divider by cafekitsune)

[woso-dreamzzz]

Siblings

Hardersson x Child!Reader

Part of The Big Adventures Universe

Summary: There's a baby at your house

You're all waiting around for Pernille's friend when you ask.

He's meant to be dropping off his baby because of some emergency with his wife's mum. It had all been so unexpected but as the only one in the friend group who had hands-on experience with a baby before, Pernille was happy to volunteer.

He's assured her that it would only be for a few hours anyway while they sorted things out so she didn't worry much.

You're sitting at the coffee table with a sandwich for lunch as a show Magda's watching plays aimlessly in the background.

"Momma," You say suddenly," Why have you got a sister?"

The question is completely out of nowhere and a little amusing at how bluntly you say it.

Pernille laughs. "Well, your grandparents wanted more than just one child so they had me and Louise."

You think for a moment. "And that's why Morsa has a sister too?"

"Yes, princesse, that's why Morsa has a sister too."

That stumps you a little bit and the doorbell rings before you can ask any more questions.

Momma's friend comes running in, thanking her profusely before handing her the baby boy in a carrier. He leaves out the door as quickly as he came.

Momma coos over the baby and you come over to investigate.

He's kind of ugly, with wispy blonde hair on top of his head. His face is all wrinkly and strange. His expression scrunches up when he sees you and you decide that you don't like him.

Momma and Morsa seem to though and you don't like that much either.

This baby takes up a lot of their time.

You don't fully understand what's so interesting about him as you sit at the table and colour. You wonder, briefly, if this is Momma and Morsa practising.

They both have siblings. You wonder if they need to practice with this new baby because they forgot how to look after one now that you've a big girl.

The thought of another little girl (or boy) in the house makes your stomach feel all knotty and you can't quite work out why.

"Momma," You say, tugging on her shirt," Up!"

Pernille picks you up instantly but frowns. You haven't asked to be picked up like that for a while now. You hadn't done that in months and the last time was only because you had a little cough and wanted a cuddle at training.

You bump your head against her shoulder and wrap your arms around her next, squeezing as tightly as you can.

Pernille's frown deepens and she tests your temperature with the back of her hand.

There's nothing out of the ordinary.

"Are you feeling alright, princesse?"

You don't answer, just rest your head back on her shoulder. It's a little difficult to help Magda take care of the baby with you surgically attached. You refuse to be put down.

If Pernille even gives a second of attention to her friend's child, you whine and tug at her, wanting all of her attention on you all the time.

You ignore the baby completely even as Magda tries to introduce you. You don't want to look at his stupid wrinkly face nor let him play with your toys.

You don't want him being held by your Morsa either but you can't be in two places at once and being held by Morsa means that Momma's arms are open for the boy to sit in and you don't want that either.

"No, Momma," You say when she tries to put you down.

"I have to go to the toilet, princesse," Momma says," I can't hold you while I do that."

You accept that as true but you trail her to the toilet and get her to pick you up immediately after she's done so she can't pick up the baby.

It's a long day for you, constantly making sure that your mothers remember that they still have you and should pay you some attention. You get given a brief respite when the baby goes to sleep and wedge yourself firmly between Momma and Morsa on the sofa.

You kind of want a nap too but you don't want to waste this time when their attentions are on you so you just sit, holding their hands in silence.

You've never been more happy in your life to see that baby go home with Momma's friend from earlier.

"What was up with you today, huh?" Morsa asks as she and Momma tuck you into bed that night.

You pull a face. "There was a baby."

"There was. Did that upset you?"

You shake your head. "I'm a big girl. I don't get upset."

Momma laughs as she perches on the other side of your bed. "Big girls can get upset too. Big girl just explain why they're feeling upset."

You're a big girl so you're going to do that. "Were you practicing with Momma's friend's baby?"

"Practicing for what?"

"For when I get a sibling like your two have," You say," Do I have to have a sibling?"

Morsa's brows draw together. "Do you want one? A sibling?"

You shake your head and pout. "Just want you and Momma."

"Are you sure?" Morsa prods," A sibling can be fun to grow up with. You get to have someone to play with all the time."

"I play with Jessie and Niamh all the time," You reply," Don't need a little brother or sister."

Momma laughs as she gives you a goodnight kiss. "I think," She says," That our family is already the perfect size."

[sotogalmo]

6:51 (Nov19) — 4:49

Omg, a new post but the same format style as me when I was making song posts and relating them to OCs??? We're back (not really.)

Anyways. Yeah!

"Dr. Gaster

I won't let you down

Dr. Gaster

Left in the background

Dr. Gaster

I'll try not to frown

Dr. Gaster

I must flag you down

There was only one of you

Until you split the world in two

Our tears fell to the floor when you were gone

Feeling frozen to the bone

We must go back through your tombstone

The ceiling stars I wish upon

For Dr. Gaster

Dr. Gaster

Through oceans of time

Dr. Gaster

Please know we're both fine

Dr. Gaster

A god you've become

Dr. Gaster

You left us undone

There was only one of you

Until you split the world in two

Our tears fell to the floor when you were gone

Feeling frozen to the bone

We must go back through your tombstone

The ceiling stars I wish upon

Dr. Gaster

I'm frozen inside

Dr. Gaster

Way down in my mind

Dr. Gaster

You left us behind

Dr. Gaster

You were destroyed by your pride

There was only one of you

Until you split the world in two

Our tears fell to the floor when you were gone

Feeling frozen to the bone

We must go back through your tombstone

The ceiling stars I wish upon—

There was only one of you

Until you split the world in two

Our tears fell to the floor when you were gone

Feeling frozen to the bone

We must go back through your tombstone

The ceiling stars I wish upon

For Dr. Gaster."

Song is Dr. Gaster by Shadrow, and now that the lyrics are out of the way; let me connect and dissect them to the OCs, since I should stop going into .. inboxes and just dumping....a lot...of ideas...

"Dr. Gaster"; I've placed that as Solei. To me, now Solei "back in the Garden" is nothing but an idealized person. Yes, treated like one. But to me, generally- "idealized". Like Mizi, inna way. You know? Gaster is a fully unexplained character in Undertale -> since someone fell into the CORE (you shouldn't do that), and now their existence is wiped from everyone's minds. That means, he's nothing more but a tale of sorts. Faded and forgotten memory; and that's how Solei is. To me. They've gone thru so much changes that if they were to return? Oh, I see quite a handful saying "this is not Solei" and then copes by idealizing Solei more. They are both... Similar to me, if that makes sense. / Dr. Is in the name, and I think that's explained by their Guardian but also their main interest in animals.

"I won't let you down"; Aurien? It.. feels like her. I don't know how to explain it tho, but yeah.

"Dr. Gaster left in the background"; Faded and forgotten memory, but still brings joy. Faded and forgotten, but still brings a sense of longing and yearning for the past

"I'll try not to frown"; HEAVY vibes of Dian, Flor, and a few others who put on a happy mask for others.

"Dr. Gaster, I must flag you down"; Ah. This one gives me trouble. 'i must flag you down'..

"There was only one of you, Until you split the world in two. Our tears fell to the floor when you were gone"; Oh, that time that Solei went missing. The third lyric sums it up well, I'd say

"Feeling frozen to the bone, We must go back through your tombstone."; I would think that some of them would think that whenever you leave the Garden, something bad happens. And you never return back? Something must've happened. Why was Solei in pain?

"The ceiling stars I wish upon, for Dr. Gaster"; Tov. Any mention of stars, makes me think of her and also I think it's suiting. "Celling stars" -> the times where they both would be in the same room, but also just how artificial the Garden itself is (even if it's not at night, since they do show the "night sky").

"Through oceans of time"; water is endlessly flowing and drifting away or closer like time. Solei finds peace in how it goes, I would believe. Solei likes everything peaceful and beautiful. Small and big.

"Please know we're both fine"; feels like an Aurien thing to say. But I don't know who would be with her, since Solei cares for a lot of people in their life. But... I've been oddly thinking of having it be Aurien and Solei's little brother ..

"Dr. Gaster, a God you've become"; Saving Aurien? 'a bird creature has taken a participant away'. Birds, ironically, in this world are some sort of symbol of freedom. Isn't that worthy of being seen as a God? Hoping to be saved by them.

"You left us undone."; someone to be up front to Solei? Azure. I feel like this part..fits. to me

"I'm frozen inside"; ... I don't know who fits this. But I've had Nyx in my head when it went to that part. So- yeah..

"Dr. Gaster. Way down in my mind"; Now this is the one that made me think of Nyx moreso. In a way. I don't know. Escapee Nyx and such. But then again, maybe it can also connect with other OCs who were certain that they died (and didn't)

"You left us behind"; God. The guilt that Solei has? Especially with their friends who died. Maybe they don't know it, or maybe they do, and it follows them.

"You were destroyed by your pride"; Destroyed by your pride. Destroyed by your ignorance. Destroyed. No longing to shine, only being a husk.

"There was only one of you, Until you split the world in two. Our tears fell to the floor when you were gone"; Oh, that time that Solei went missing. The third lyric sums it up well, I'd say — "Feeling frozen to the bone, We must go back through your tombstone."; I would think that some of them would think that whenever you leave the Garden, something bad happens. And you never return back? Something must've happened. Why was Solei in pain?

"The ceiling stars I wish upon,

for Dr. Gaster"; Tov. Any mention of stars, makes me think of her and also I think it's suiting. "Ceiling stars" -> the times where they both would be in the same room, but also just how artificial the Garden itself is (even if it's not at night, since they do show the "night sky" but it's still a ceiling of that makes sense).

Solei: @solei-eclipse / Tov @/ ivanttakethis / Dian & Nyx: @/ rockwgooglyeyes / Aurien: @/ apriciticreveries

[savemefromanepicoftimewasted]

Pose For Me

Task Force 141, Alejandro, Rudy & Reader John "Soap" MacTavish X Reader

Price and Ghost had seen the way the two of you watched one another, chuckling to themselves at how smitten Soap was after only a few hours. They all knew better than to pursue anything when on duty, never ended well anyway.

a/n:thank you so much for all the love on my Price fic! this one is an idea I bounced off @gaylemonshark and honestly you can all thank them for this warnings:none except for Soap being a major simp

It had been Laswell’s idea, a way to help raise money for charity and what better way than a “sexy” calendar. Price had damn near doubled over with laughter, they wanted him and his team to pose for a calendar? And not think it was an outrageous idea at all? Doubtful. There was no way in hell any of them would be willing to do something so ridiculous.

“I’ll do it, sounds fun.” Soap was the first one to agree, damn near vibrating in his seat with excitement.

It didn’t take long for Gaz to agree, followed by Alejandro, Rudy, and then Ghost. Once Price knew that Ghost was willing to pose, eck, for the photos he couldn’t disagree. How hard could it be? They’d be told what to do the entire time anyway, surely it would go smoothly and then they could relax for a little while longer. That included getting on a plane and flying back to the US, why couldn’t they go somewhere closer? Price wasn’t going to argue, it meant a few days off from working and right now he wanted to sleep.

“Don’t flirt with the photographer please.” Laswell had her eyes locked on Soap, who merely raised his hands with an innocent shrug.

“That’s exactly what he’s going to do.” Gaz snickered when Soap glared over at him, this was going to be a long day.

“Boys, please.” Laswell pinched the bridge of her nose, waiting for you to arrive.

Price had been scoping out the area like normal, even if the average person would think he was strange for doing so. It was a habit he’d been unable to break for years, and this day was going to be no different. The double doors opening across the room caught everyone’s attention, Laswell was thankful she’d stripped them of their guns at that point.

“Hey! Sorry I’m so late, I had to run back home for my bag.” You dropped your stuff onto the closest table and began to pull everything out.

The lights had already been set up, as well as the backdrops to help speed things along so you wouldn’t have to waste anymore time. Luckily the first round of photos would be more safe, they’d be wearing their fatigues and posing on a large gothic chair. The chair design hadn’t been your idea at first, but after some convincing you decided to use it. As you were laying out your equipment all eyes were suddenly on Soap who was nearly drooling over you.

“Down boy.” Ghost smirked under his mask as Soap righted himself, clearing his throat as his cheeks flushed a pretty pink.

Once you had gotten the camera set up for the still shots you took a step back to look at your models for the day. You quickly introduced yourself to help ease any tension in the room, though you were sure they’d gotten a full background check beforehand.

“Alright, we’re going to start with some simple poses and then move on to some other fun ones.” You were excited, given the fact that all the men in front of you were insanely attractive.

“I’ll go first, show these boys how it’s done.” Alejandro was confident, striding over to the chair and relaxing effortlessly.

You giggled to yourself and started to snap a few photos, giving him different positions and poses until you were satisfied with what you had. Gaz was all too happy to rush over next, introducing himself in front of the camera before posing. He was clearly a natural at modeling, something you were a little surprised by. Then again most people were more comfortable when they were fully clothed. Gaz gave a cheeky salute when you sent him away, winking playfully.

“Next victim please.” You straightened your back for a few seconds, groaning as your spine cracked loudly.

Rudy was a little more nervous, poses stiff and uncomfortable until you helped ease him into something that looked more natural. It was normal for people to not like being photographed, but he wanted to help people and that warmed your heart. Towards the end of his shoot he seemed to truly open up, a bright smile on his face lighting up the room.

“Thank you!” Rudy walked off to meet with the wardrobe, unaware of what they had in store.

“Alrighty, whose next.” You were beyond grateful the men weren’t giving you a hard time, most male models were worse than the women.

The man that walked over sent a chill down your spine, the mask covering his face left everything to the imagination. His eyes were sharp, an emotion you couldn’t quite decipher.

“Wow, you’re really tall.” You could faintly make out his brow rising beneath the mask, as if he was confused by your statement.

“Comes with the territory.” He plopped down into the chair, the legs groaning beneath his weight.

You simply shrugged and began taking photos, keeping your gaze on the giant of a man in front of you. He was even more of a natural than Alejandro which kind of shocked you. Having a group be so photogenic was nice for a change. Then again, how were they going to react to the next phase?

“Thank you! You’re all set.” You couldn’t keep the smile off your face, mainly to hide the nerves that were bubbling up inside.

He didn’t say a word as he walked off, following one of the assistants to “prepare” for the next set of photos. Your eyes locked on the next man, he looked proud of himself as he walked over to you.

“Pleasure to meet you, thank you for making my men feel more comfortable.” Ahh, so this was clearly their Captain.

“Just doing my job sir.” You nodded at him, waiting until he was ready before snapping the first photo.

He, like Rudy, was a little stiff at first before finding a rhythm that seemed to work best. He seemed more than happy to keep taking photos, cracking a few jokes to make you laugh. It worked surprisingly well, keeping you more calm until you felt you had enough pictures. You shooed him off, not wanting to waste any time since you only had the studio for that day. And then there was only one person left, and damn was he a cutie.

“Aye there, ‘m Soap.” He was smiling like a fool, nearly falling onto his face as he tripped over his own feet.

“Nice to meet you.” You couldn’t help but giggle when he blushed, hiding his face for a brief second before composing himself.

So far he was your favorite to photograph, from the way he smiled to the way he seemed to exude sunshine. You couldn’t help the way your face flushed, he was such a charmer and he’d barely even spoken a sentence to you. Damnit, why did you have to get the cute ones that were never single?

“Thank you Soap, you’re free to go for now.” You set the camera down, taking out the memory card to slide into your laptop.

He was hesitant to leave, watching you with close eyes before heading off to where the rest of his team had gone. Alejandro had been more than ready to strip off his shirt and get oiled up, going out of his way to help Rudy build up the confidence. The men knew they had the physical attributes most men, and women, fawned over. But modeling it felt a little more personal in his eyes. Ghost had begrudgingly taken off his coat and shirt, taking the bottle from the assistant and lathering his skin quickly. Price raised a brow at him but kept all thoughts to himself to spare the other man’s feelings.

“Hey, are you guys almost ready to go?” You popped your head inside, brain short circuiting as you took everyone in.

They’d told you what the day entailed, but seeing it in person was a completely different story. You’d figured some of them would have scars, being in the military came with baggage you’d never begin to understand, but seeing six men oiled up and looking like snacks? You were amazed you were even still standing.

“Lass, could you uhh, help me please?” Soap was holding out the bottle to you, a sheepish grin on his face.

“Umm..yeah, of course.” You took the bottle without giving yourself time to second guess your actions, pouring a generous amount into your palm.

He turned so his back was to you, shoulders relaxed as he let you go to town. His skin was softer than you’d been expecting, the muscles beneath were damn near rock hard. How the hell were you supposed to focus after this?!

“You’re all set.” You dropped your hands to your sides, voice breathy as your head tilted back to look up at him.

“Thank you lass.” His smile was enough to melt the polar ice caps, jesus you were done for.

“Mmm, if you boys don’t mind I’m going to clean my hands and get ready for the next shoot.” In reality you needed to not only clean your hands, but clear your mind so you could focus.

Price and Ghost had seen the way the two of you watched one another, chuckling to themselves at how smitten Soap was after only a few hours. They all knew better than to pursue anything when on duty, never ended well anyway.

“Let’s go boys.” Price led them back out to the area, noticing the small subtle changes.

The lighting had been dimmed, giving everyone a more somber vibe. The order had been the same as before, each one posing in different ways until you were satisfied. Ghost’s photos, while a little darker, had an edge that set him apart from everyone else. Soap had used his body to his advantage, flexing and stretching to highlight the best parts of himself. You’d nearly dropped the camera when he sat down in the chair, legs spread wide open.

“Look at you, soaking up all the attention.” Gaz snickered, watching the way you were nearly fumbling everything trying to stay calm.

“‘S what I do best.” Soap smirked over at the other man, giving you the perfect opportunity to capture the best photo of him.

You were thankful to send the boys off once more, letting them know there would be plenty of towels to help get rid of any excess body oil. Price had mumbled that it was going to be stuck in his chest hair for the next few weeks. You felt bad, somewhat, but there was only one more photo to take before you’d be done for the end of the day. In a way you were a little sad to be sending them away, they were some of your best models, in both looks and attitude.

“Alright boys, one more and then you can all leave and complain about the girl that made you oil up for photos.” Laswell knew they wouldn’t hold it against you, but watching them complain was sometimes fun.

You had them all line up, cracking a joke that made everyone laugh as you took the photo. It was simplistic and perfect. Most people would complain they looked terrible whenever someone took a candid shot, but this showed the true side of these men. Even Ghost, the man you were definitely afraid of, was grinning.

“Thank you guys so much for coming today, when I have the photos edited I’ll send them to you for final approval before sending them off to be printed.” You’d be spending the next few weeks at minimum looking over these photos. Everything had to be perfect.

Soap wrung his hands together, slightly nervous as he watched you begin to pack up your gear carefully. Should he make a fool of himself and ask you out to dinner since they’d be around for a few more days, or should he cut his losses and let you go. Ghost subtly, if you could call it that, shoved him towards where you were standing. He turned to glare at the other man, brushing nonexistent lint off his shirt before walking over to your side.

“Hey, umm, I was wonderin’ if you’d be interested in goin’ to dinner with me?” Soap was nervous, something he couldn’t shake no matter what.

“Oh! I umm…Yes, that would be lovely.” You were shocked to say the least, not expecting this stunning man to ask you on a date.

“Great! Here.” He pulled his phone out from his pocket and shocked it into your hands.

You smiled and typed your number into his phone, sending yourself a text so that you’d have his number as well. Normally you were very against going out with any models you worked with, especially someone in the military. You mainly hoped this wouldn’t blow up in your face if it happened to go badly. It’s only one date, how bad could it be?

______

“You nervous?” Price knew that Soap was damn near shitting himself, even if the other man wouldn’t admit it.

“Not at all, everything’s fine.” He’d changed outfits twice, and lost his phone four times.

It was funny to watch the normally composed Soap practically run himself ragged over a woman he just met, but it also worried Price. What if she ended up breaking his heart before the end of the night? He’d be a mess the rest of the time they were on leave, and nothing was worse than an upset Soap.

“You might wanna head out, time’s a tickin’.” Ghost had been the one to mention the time, sending Soap into a frenzy as he ran out of the hotel.

You’d been dropped off by the uber less than two minutes before he was walking over to you, a bright smile on his face.

“Hey, hope you weren’t waiting long.” Johnny was more nervous now, heart rate kicking up at the sight of you.

“Not at all, just got here actually.” You brushed down the skirt of your dress.

“Shall we?” He held out his arm, laying his hand overtop of yours when you wrapped your fingers around his bicep.

The walk to the restaurant was short, and you were thankful you’d worn your more comfortable heels. Even with the slight boost in your height he still towered over you, and that was definitely doing something for you.

“What is your name exactly? Unless you’d like me to call you by your codename for the rest of the night.” The words sounded much more insidious than you’d intended, but the night was still young.

“Johnny.” He sounded much more confident saying his name than he had the entire day, it was cute.

The restaurant was quiet when you arrived, the hostess leading you two to a secluded table towards the back. He pulled out your chair, making sure he had a clear view of everyone else in case something were to happen. Even when he wanted to shut off his brain and enjoy the moment it wasn’t easy. Nothing would happen, he was sure of it.

“Thank you, for coming out with me tonight.” Though he felt embarrassed to admit it, he hadn’t been on a date in quite a long time.

“Thank you for asking me out to dinner.” You smiled at him, resting your hand over top of his on the table.

Johnny would never admit how badly his palms were sweating, the way his heart kicked into high gear. Now he was no blushing virgin, but there was something different about you that he was drawn to.

The night was what both of you would consider perfect, from the food, to the conversation that never seemed to dull down. You were both laughing at corny jokes, and even sharing food as if you’d done this a thousand times before. You didn’t want the night to end, ready to throw caution to the wind and invite him back up to your apartment. Unfortunately you knew that would be a bad idea, realistically he’d go back to base and you wouldn’t see him for a while.

Johnny refused to let you pay, let alone put down a tip, for the bill, claiming that he’d been the one to ask you out. It was a courteous gesture and you could feel your resolve slipping more and more with each second. He waited outside the restaurant with you until your uber arrived, wanting to make sure you at least got home safe.

“Don’t be a stranger, though I can’t promise I’ll be able to reply often.” He didn’t want to lie and say he’d be talking to you all the time, it wasn’t true.

“As long as you stay safe, that’s all that matters to me.” You turned to face him as the car pulled up beside you.

He cupped your cheek gently, pressing his lips against yours softly. You wound your arms around his neck, pulling him flush to your body as your lips moved in tandem with his. He wanted to keep kissing you forever, never letting the moment end. However he knew you had to get home and work on editing the new photos.

“Text me when you get home, alright?” Johnny was the first to pull away, leaving you breathless.

You could only nod, opening the car door and slipping into the backseat. Johnny watched you leave, a sad smile on his face. He wasn’t sure when he’d get to see you again, but he’ll be damned if it wasn’t soon enough.

_______

They were out on a mission when the photos were sent to Laswell for approval, she promised not to look at any of them until everyone was safe. It was burning a hole in her pocket, both excited and nervous to see what had been chosen as the “perfect” shot. There were minor injuries, which was to be expected, but overall everyone came back alive.

“Hello boys, I have some presents for you.” She laid the manilla folder on the table in front of them.

Everyone reached for the folder at once, stopping when Laswell pressed her hand overtop of it to prevent anyone from grabbing it.

“Now, you better behave and not make any remarks about your photos. Got it?” Laswell wouldn’t deal with the team pissing each other off.

“Yes ma’am.” They spoke in unison, which to anyone else would’ve been unnerving.

Laswell was used to it.

She took out both photos for everyone, handing them face down so they could look at them and inspect without someone else being nosy. Ghost was a little nervous to see what he looked like, he hadn’t been paid a lot of compliments in his day. The photo in front of him, while he was still fully clothed, was, in lack of a better term, gorgeous. The light reflected off his mask so effortlessly, giving the illusion of a lightness he didn’t think he had. The second photo, which he’d come to call his “skin” photo, had him taking a second glance. Was that truly him? The lighting was subtle enough to hide the scars that riddled his body, skin glistening.

“Well shit, I’d say she picked some damn good photos.” Laswell was impressed to say the least, the photos would definitely sell a lot of calendars.

“Gotta admit, she caught our good sides.” Gaz was proud of how he looked, he was tempted to ask if he could use it on his dating profile.

“Now I want to make sure you’re all comfortable with these before I give anyone the go ahead.” Laswell wasn’t going to do anything without their permission.

Everyone was in agreement that the photos could be used, there was no harm in what they were doing and everyone’s identities were protected. Soap was still staring down at his, a small smile on his face.

“What’s got you so giddy?” Ghost leaned over to get a better look, eyes widening when he realized that you’d snuck in something a little more special for him.

“Just a little gift.” Soap pulled the photos closer to himself, keeping them out of everyone’s view.

“I’ll give her a call tonight and give her the go ahead. Thank you boys.” Laswell nodded before leaving, giving the boys enough time to speak up if they weren’t comfortable.

The room fell silent, save for the sound of photos shuffling and breathing as the men took in the photos more.

“Safe to say she did amazing, don’t think I’ve looked this good in a while.” Price knew he was attractive, but seeing this side of him felt even better.

“I agree, but I have to make a phone call, I’ll be back later.” Soap pushed his chair away from the table, leaving the two photos behind as he slid a smaller polaroid into his wallet.

It was no secret to any of them that the two of you were going steady, being forced to listen to the Scotsman blabber about how amazing you were. The phone calls were few and far between, mainly because of his profession. He wanted to take you on another date, show you how better of a boyfriend he could be. It just took time, and you were willing to wait as long as it took.

[reallyverybored]

Matching his crazy — (6) Jealousy || [Jang Han-seok x reader]

<part 5>

You worked until three in the morning, not getting any closer to the end of unread emails as they just kept pouring in. But Han-seok had enough of you not being in bed with him, so he came out of the bedroom to take the laptop away from you, even putting your phone on the coffee table so it wouldn’t wake you up. Despite being tired, you didn’t want to finish it yet, but he was persistent, so he just picked you up and carried you to bed.

In the morning he woke you up by placing kisses on the back of your head and neck, then shifted in bed to have access to your lips. You returned his kiss, your body reacting automatically despite still being half-asleep, but when you turned to face him, he pulled away with a smile then kissed your forehead.

“You were up late, I’ll let you go back to sleep,” he told you as he swept a strand of hair behind your ear. “Just wanted to remind you of our lunch. At noon. I’ll text you the address.” Nodding, you buried your head back into the pillow and wrapped an arm around his body. “Hey, I have to get ready for work,” he said with a short laugh before peeling your arm off of himself.

A disappointed groan left your lips, but you didn’t object. He could tell you would be asleep in a minute or two again, so he got out of bed and went to take a shower. Though he wished he could stay to spend more time with you, he couldn’t do that. As long as he played his role at Wusang, he couldn’t let himself get to work late. For now he had to be the goofy intern, the one who was eager to learn from all of those big-shot lawyers. With Cha-young gone, though, he wondered how things would go from now on.

After taking a cold shower, he stood in the spacious walk-in closet and looked down at his watches, trying to decide which one to wear today, but then his eyes fell on the smaller, more delicate watch on the side. It was yours, the one he had given you as a gift a few years ago, the very same you gave him because you assumed it would end up being a trophy one way or another anyway. But he would never hurt you, and he didn’t think you would ever give him a reason to do that.

The two of you were perfect together, he knew that, and you were the only person in the world he actually cared about. Being away from you after the break-up, after he had been such an idiot to sleep with a woman he barely knew just to mess with the man she was with, was the hardest thing he ever went through.

He missed you every day, he tried to call you, he sent you countless messages, but you ignored him, and at one point you even blocked him on social media. Until this day he had no idea why you had decided to pick up the phone right when he needed you, but he was glad you did. It just meant you were supposed to be together, that fate or whatever was working in the background wanted him to get you back in his life.

Once he drank a cup of coffee and was ready to leave, he went back to the bedroom to give you one last kiss. He couldn’t leave without saying goodbye. In the current situation his attachment to you was a liability, he knew that. But he wasn’t about to give you up, he just had to find a way to get what he wanted with you on his side.

The day went by, and in a blink of an eye Han-seok found himself in the small restaurant he chose to meet you for lunch. He glanced down at his watch and noted that you were late. It wasn’t like you, you were known for being punctual. Letting out a sigh, he pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed your number, but just as it told him the line was busy, his eyes finally fell on you.

You were gorgeous in the royal blue dress you wore, and he couldn’t help but smile at the sight. He stood up to greet you, happy to let everyone know you were coming to meet him, but you were on the phone and your attention wasn’t fully on him. When you got within earshot, though, you quickly ended the call you were in, then wrapped your arms around his body. He wondered who you were talking to, after all it was late night back in the States.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked you as you both sat down.

Nodding, you reached for the water bottle and poured yourself a glass. “But I hated that you left me there like that.”

“I thought you were half-asleep,” Han-seok noted with a smirk. You gave him a pointed look over your glass. “Anyway,” he spoke up again, changing the subject. “Today we will celebrate. They made me a partner at Wusang.”

You carefully put down the glass and watched him with a curious look on your face. “Why? I thought you didn’t want to be in the spotlight,” you told him with your head sweetly tilted to the side.

He reached out to take your hand, his thumb drawing circles into your skin. He wanted to trust you, he truly did, but until he figured out who you were talking to on the phone when you arrived, he couldn’t think straight. Jealousy was clouding his mind despite his brain constantly reminding him that you were loyal to him.

He explained his plan to you, although he kept certain details to himself. Details like still looking for Cha-young to get information he might use against them. He knew you would overreact and assume he would make the same mistake again. You didn’t seem to care that she wasn’t interested in him, and honestly, he had no idea how he else should have told you there was nothing to worry about.

When he finished, you leaned back in your chair and took a good look at him. “You thought of everything,” you noted.

“As usual,” was all he said in response. For long seconds he watched you in silence, wondering what to say. The thought of you talking to someone else was still bothering him, so he took a deep breath and braced himself for your possible reaction. “By the way, who were you talking to when you got here? It’s pretty late back home, isn’t it?” he asked as casually as he could.

“A friend of mine,” you replied with a shrug, refusing to elaborate.

After all those years together, he knew your body language. The way you looked away after answering meant you weren’t really interested in keeping this conversation going. He wondered if you just avoided the topic or just had enough of him for the time being. He felt offended by the thought of you not wanting to be in his company, but since he wasn’t sure if that was the case, he didn’t say anything.

“I should probably go back to the office,” Han-seok said eventually, even though he didn’t move. He didn’t want to leave you, mostly because he didn’t trust you right now.

But you seemed relaxed, as if you weren’t keeping any secrets from him. “I’ll go back to your place and work a little. Hopefully I won’t have to pull another all-nighter.”

After he nodded with a forced smile, both of you stood up and he pulled you into a hug that was probably unnecessarily tight considering you quickly tried to push him away. So he let go, coming to the conclusion that playing nice was his best option for now.

The next days passed in a kind of tension that could hardly be described. With each passing day he became more sure that you were hiding something from him, but he didn’t know what it was, and he didn’t think you would tell him anytime soon, even if he asked.

So he wasn’t expecting to be welcomed by you throwing a bunch of photos in front of him in the living room, all of them having him and Cha-young on them.

“Care to explain?” you asked with a sweet smile.

There it was, the jealous side of you he hadn’t seen since you arrived. “I need to keep an eye on her and her friend.”

“I thought I made myself clear back when I got here. I had a bad feeling and look at what the private investigator found.”

Han-seok nodded, but he didn’t say anything. He wanted to know what was going on in that gorgeous head of yours. You had said you would hurt Cha-young if he kept playing his game, he remembered, but he wasn’t sure if you would follow through in a country where you had no connections apart from him.

You let out a sigh as you stood up and stood in front of him. “But I’ve been thinking. It would be unfair of me to punish her when you’re the one chasing her,” you said surprisingly calmly with a cold edge to your voice. “Now, I’ve already packed my suitcase, and I guess my taxi is waiting outside. If you’ll excuse me,” you began, but instead of finishing the sentence, you just walked by him and pulled out your suitcase from behind the couch.

“You can’t be serious. You can’t leave me,” he told you sternly, having a hard time keeping his emotions under control. When you let out a carefree laugh and began to head towards the door, he walked up to you and grabbed your arm to yank you back. “You can’t leave me,” he repeated slowly.

He was already frustrated because of being beaten in court on the first day, and now you were making things worse by leaving. There was no way he would let that happen. Not after he finally got you back. He had fucked up once and lost you, he wasn’t about to go through that again.

“Watch me,” you hissed as you pulled your arm away and turned to walk out of the house.

“And where are you going?”

“Home.”

No. No, no, no, you couldn’t go home, not yet. “Remember how you asked me to trust you when you talk to other men?” he asked, making you come to an abrupt halt with this question. “I’m asking you the same thing. I wouldn’t cheat on you again, you need to believe me.”

Letting out a loud, almost theatrical sigh, you turned around to look at him. “I still need space,” you replied. “Just for a couple of days.”

“But only for a few days and you stay in the country,” Han-seok said with a finger pointed at you. For a few seconds you thought about this, then you nodded. “Good. Promise you’ll answer the phone when I call you. I need to know you’re okay, I need to hear your voice.”

“Sure. Goodnight,” you said then left the house.

Once you got into the taxi, you asked the driver to start driving in any direction while you made a call. You tried to work yourself up, bringing out the tears and making your voice sound like you’ve been crying for a while now. By the time the person you called picked up, you were a mess.

“I’m sorry for disturbing you this late, but we got into a fight and I can’t stay with him. I–I could go to a hotel, but I don’t want to be alone after what happened. Would it be too much to ask to let me stay at your place tonight? Just one night, I’ll leave tomorrow,” you begged.

“No, it’s okay, I’ll text you the address,” the voice at the other end of the line assured you.

With a wide smile on your lips, you told the driver the address then put away the phone and looked out the window. It was a good start. Your dear boyfriend will soon learn that two can play this game.

[multi-lefaiye]

HANNAH & ABDIEL BACKSTORY DUMP POST

i've wanted to write this for a while tbh- anyway! backstory on eden's parents, hannah and abdiel linnaeus.

tagging the eden linnaeus fanclub and other people i think would be interested: @skitzo-kero @anexor @chaieyestea @invaderskoodge @vacantgodling

@void-botanist @drawnecromancy @moonflowerrss @paradoxspir1t @albatris

@corvus-rose @astral-runic

--

content warnings: discussions of child abuse, child neglect/abandonment, parental death, terminal illness, misogyny, and ableism. (probably not as much on that last one, but i think the vibes are there.)

also i'll be using she/her in reference to eden in this post because this is wayyy before he had any gender realizations. just remember eden is A Man.

-

i don't have recent art of hannah, so i'll just use screencaps of when i made her and abdiel in bg3 as a reference. hannah on the left, abdiel on the right.

FOR BACKGROUND: abdiel is the only son of a drow scholar named noa of house linnaeus, following an intimate encounter with an incubus in her early 20s. noa never wanted a child, much less a son, but she was far too prideful and stubborn to give him up or abort the unborn fetus. so, she had a son, and she loathed him. from a very young age, noa made it clear to abdiel that she never wanted him, and that it was his responsibility to fix the mistake he'd made by being born.

she pumped that kid FULL of self worth issues right away.

hannah, by contrast, was raised by two loving tiefling parents--her father jeriah, and her mother ansel. their life together wasn't perfect, sure, but it was happy. both of her parents were spellcasters, and they were both renowned on some level for their craft. and so, from a rather young age, there was an unspoken expectation that hannah would follow suit.

HOW THEY MET: hannah and abdiel met at fantasy-wizard-college, when hannah was 20 and abdiel was 35. hannah was in the middle of her undergrad studies as a cleric, and abdiel was in the middle of his doctoral program as a wizard. abdiel didn't actually start college until his late 20s because noa would not allow him to, pressuring him to stay and take care of her as she got older. he hated his mother, but he was also terrified of losing her, as he felt no one else would have him. eventually, though, he left her behind, desperate to escape his abuser and start his life elsewhere. and that included attending college to study magic.

college was... rough for abdiel. he was significantly older than his peers and felt both uncomfortable and deeply alienated around them, especially many of the women on campus who reminded him of his mother. that combined with his total lack of self worth made it hard for him to talk to people, hard to make any *friends.* so, he was alone, and he was fine... until, one day, he hit a breaking point and broke down in a hidden corner of the main meal hall, bawling into his hands.

then, hannah found him. she was genuinely worried and approached him, asking if she could sit next to him. he tensed and asked her what she'd do if he said no, and she said that if he said no she'd leave. but, well, he seemed like he might need a friend, so she wanted to ask. he was quiet for a while after that, still shaking.

eventually, he timidly told her she could sit with him, so she did so, and she kept him company until he fully calmed down. afterwards, she started talking to him, and slowly he began opening up to her, feeling more reassured by the minute by how sweet and genuine she was, without pressuring him to do the same.

soon, he started really engaging with her, too, and by the end he was actually smiling. and hannah took that as a victory above all else--being able to see this sad, anxious man smile. (she told him that he has a nice smile, and he laughed, visibly flustered by the compliment.)

after that day, hannah started seeking him out and talking to him more, and he always seemed to visibly relax around her. basically, hannah appointed herself as abdiel's best friend, and he accepted wholeheartedly. she quickly became one of the only people he felt truly safe around, and he latched onto her as a result. she encouraged him to open up more and talk to other people, too, and as he did, he finally began to truly *flourish.*

with hannah's support, abdiel began slowly making more friends and developing more of a reputation with his classmates as an outgoing, intelligent, charismatic guy. finally, he felt like he belonged at university, like people wanted him around. hannah was his favorite, ofc, but he relished the attention.

and he returned the favor tenfold, supporting hannah in every way he could and bragging about her to anyone who would listen. he was a wife guy well before they even started dating. though she was already very confident, sweet, and intelligent, one thing she really struggled with was taking care of *herself* rather than other people, hence why she approached a terrified abdiel to comfort him in the first place.

abdiel encouraged hannah to consider herself more, praising her for her altruism while also telling her to value herself. he was terrified that the world would take advantage of her brilliant, beautiful, benevolent soul, and he wanted to protect her and protect that selflessness. besides his classwork and research, abdiel spent much of his free time with her, soaking up her attention and, in his mind, protecting her from people who wouldn't appreciate her.

abdiel eventually realized he was attracted to hannah in a way he'd never been with anyone before. and he *panicked*. he believed that he should be grateful for what he had with hannah, should be lucky to count her as his friend, and he shouldn't dare wish for anything else. so he kept his mouth shut for nearly a year after he realized it.

then, when hannah was 22 and abdiel was 37, hannah's father jeriah died. and she just... *broke* down.

abdiel held her throughout the night she got the news, his heart breaking with every heaving sob she let out into his chest. sure, he'd seen plenty of people cry, but none hurt as much as hannah did. he'd never seen her so devastated, and he vowed to himself that he'd do everything in his power to make sure she never cried like that again.

(later, hannah explained to abdiel that her dad had been sick for a long time--her family has a history of illness going back generations, and he'd been dealing with it for some time. however, she'd hoped against hope that the latest treatments he'd been receiving would work... this is what directly inspired abdiel to go into medicine, changing course to work towards, maybe, a cure for the illness in hannah's family. all of abdiel's contributions to medical science trace back to her.)

a few weeks after her dad's death, hannah actually made the first move and kissed abdiel. immediately, she panicked and pulled away, babbling apologies and telling him that it's okay if he doesn't like her that way, and she doesn't want to make things *weird*, but she really really likes him and he's her best friend in the world, and- (abdiel gently cut her off by cupping her cheek and leaning in to press their lips together again, once he remembered how to move again after his brain short-circuited a little.)

they started dating a day later, after sitting down and talking through their feelings. abdiel already knew he loved hannah, and he was so relieved to finally be able to express it. as far as he was concerned, she was the center of his universe, and he damn near worshipped that woman. hannah, meanwhile, was a bit more hesitant to call it love at first, but she definitely adored him.

(fun little side-note, but hannah's mother ansel definitely did not approve of abdiel at all. she thought hannah could do better, and she was wary of hannah dating an older man. at least, until one day when abdiel sat down with her and earnestly told her how much he loves her daughter. he'd never do anything to hurt hannah, *ever*, and he needed her to know that. ansel didn't have to believe him, but he wanted her to know he meant it, and ge'd prove it. finally, she relented.)

they dated for a couple years, and shortly after they both graduated they moved to a small fishing village named encerough, near where hannah grew up. by this point, abdiel was making a lot of headway in his research into healing magic as a wizard, and he was developing quite a reputation in his field... however, as much as he was enjoying his developing renown, he didn't have much interest in living in a bustling city with his colleagues.

he liked the idea of a quiet life with hannah in the country. especially once hannah got pregnant, at which point they decided to get married. (abdiel definitely prepared a whole elaborate proposal and pulled out , but hannah beat him to it and proposed after she told him she was pregnant. he immediately pulled her into his arms and kissed her so fast she nearly fell over <3 these two were so immensely Smitten™️)

then, when hannah was 24 and abdiel was 39, she had their first child: a tiny purple tiefling named eden. abdiel held her hand the whole time as she was giving birth, encouraging her and refusing to leave her side. and, afterwards, while she was recovering, he sat with her and smiled, just... watching her with so much love and adoration. he had a family, all his own, and he loved them more than anything.

but, of course... that's where the troubles started. abdiel loved hannah, and he loved eden by extension, but he struggled to connect with his baby the same way he connected with his wife. he looked at eden and felt nothing, and he had no desire to interact with or care for the baby. more than that, having a *daughter* was terrifying to abdiel. he knew logically that a baby couldn't hurt him, but hannah *was* still the only woman he ever felt safe around.

hannah was understanding and reassured him that his daughter knew he loved her, and he was relieved. as long as hannah didn't think less of him, that was all that mattered to him. and so, abdiel made little to no effort to care for or show eden any attention, noticably shrinking away from her and passing her off to her mother.

making things worse, around this time, hannah started developing symptoms of an illness very similar to her father's. nothing too bad at first, but she began to have less energy, her joints began to ache, and she began to struggle to get out of bed. abdiel noticed right away and was *terrified*, throwing himself further into his research to find a cure for hannah before her illness could progress. not that he really discussed this with her--he didn't want to worry her or make her think she was going to die. because she wasn't. he wouldn't let that happen.

of course, the time came where they had to talk about it regardless, and hannah was... resigned. she'd always figured this might happen, but not this soon. but she told abdiel that it's okay. she's not dead yet, and she has plenty of time left with him and their baby girl. she appreciated him trying to help, but she was just happy to spend her life, however much she had left, with the most amazing man in the world, and the beautiful child he'd given her. (abdiel silently promised that he'd make sure she had a happy life. and she wasn't going to die. *she wasnt.*)

fast forward a bit, and hannah and abdiel had their second child: a son named michael. abdiel once again struggled to connect with their baby, but this time he tried. he earnestly tried to be there for both of their kids, even if he mainly cared about them as extensions of his love for hannah. (it was easier with michael, though--perhaps having a son was easier to process.)

still, hannah was proud of him for trying either way, and she told him as such. in between his research into her disease and finding a cure, he spent as much time with his family as he could, especially hannah (though he at least would acknowledge his kids). but... hannah was still getting worse, and abdiel was *terrified.*

they began having more and more talks about what might happen, which grew more and more tense, more and more serious, as they both realized hannah wasn't getting better, and abdiel wasn't any closer to a cure. he wasn't going to stop trying, though. *goddammit*, he wasn't going to stop.

then, around eden's sixth birthday, hannah collapsed and had a violent coughing fit, struggling to breathe as she seized on the floor and eden watched helplessly, terrified for her mother. (abdiel paid the child no mind--he just ran to hannah's side to help her.)

she was ultimately okay, having just strained herself a bit too much while cooking, but abdiel fucking *panicked.* he realized that he wouldn't be able to find a cure to save her in time if he stayed in encerough--he'd have to travel to one of the cities, where he'd have many more resources at his disposal.

it took a week or so for him to get preparations in order, during which time he didn't tell hannah anything, up until the night before he left. when he did, it was presented in a way that boded no arguments: abdiel would be leaving to find a cure, and she would stay *here* and take care of herself (and the kids). he'd be back soon, and she would be okay. abdiel was taking control of a situation where he felt helpless, making decisions for both of them without thinking about what she wanted.

hannah didn't react well. she was upset that he hadn't told her his plans, and she ended up just. telling him point blank that he wasn't going to be able to *cure her.* this was it! she always knew she would die young, and she'd rather her husband *stay* with her and enjoy the time she has left rather than leaving her alone with the vague promise of returning someday to fix her when she *didn't want to be fixed.*

abdiel didn't react well either, and this just... spiraled into a huge argument, which ended with them both in tears (but moreso hannah--abdiel always did have a tendency to shut down emotionally when they disagreed with each other, refusing to listen to what she was saying).

(baby eden also witnessed this argument, not that she ever told either of them about it.)

the next morning, they talked again, calmer this time. and hannah asked abdiel to stay. please. and he told her that he couldn't. if there was even a *tiny* hope that he could save her, he had to take it. because he loved her.

she was clearly devastated to hear that, but she nodded and said okay. but she told him to come back soon, and he told her he would--*after* he'd found a way to save her. and later that day, he was gone.

he never did come home, of course. he sent hannah letters when he could, but not all of them were delivered in a timely manner. without hannah there to balance him out, he lost himself in an obsessive spiral of trying to find a cure, trying to *fix* her, and he easily lost track of the time.

hannah telling him that he hadn't cured her and wasn't going to be able to... well, it hit a nerve, and he was determined to prove her wrong as much as he was determined to save her. he was angry with hannah, not that he'd ever call it that. (and, as a sidenote, it's during this time that abdiel developed most of his fame and renown as a wizard--even though he was no closer to curing hannah's disease, he was behind a lot of major advancements in medical technology in this era.)

when asked, abdiel would tell people he was married, but he rarely went into detail. and he certainly never mentioned his children. no one needed to know about his personal life, not until he'd fixed the problem and saved the love of his life.

and then, nearly six years later, abdiel received word that hannah was dead. and he was *devastated*. he locked himself in his study and completely broke down, drinking himself into a stupor and smashing a bunch of his equipment, and then the numbness fully settled in. he'd failed. and she was gone.

he didn't go to her funeral. he didn't want to face their neighbors, their *children*, knowing he'd failed his hannah and she was gone. and, fuck, their children surely hated him by now, didn't they? after all, he hadn't saved their mother. he'd hate him, too.

so, he stayed away, and he stopped sending letters. he withdrew from his family entirely, and once he was able, he threw himself back into his research, the only thing he had left. if he wasn't going to be able to have the life and family he'd wanted, then he'd at least have his work.

he did try to move on from hannah, but it never really went past the occasional one-night stand. as far as he's concerned, hannah's the only person he ever really cared for, and that's not going to change. there's no one else like her, and there never will be again. and like i *joke* bout him comparing his one-night stands to hannah, but he definitely did that. because no one compares to her.

(and on hannah's end--she never stopped loving or missing abdiel, and she had no interest in moving on from him. she held out hope he would come back, because he told her he would. he'd never broken a promise to her before that, and though she still believed his quest to cure her was fruitless... she knew, if anyone could find a way, it'd be him.)

[blueesnow]

Mikaze Ai Voicelines Translation from Event Log

-All of this voicelines are from the Event Log (with both Mini Event and Talk section) on each of the Idol page. If you want to collect all of the other talk voicelines, you have to touch the background of the room (or rather anything other than the boys themselves) because touching them will only just trigger their skinship voicelines.

-If you ever see a blank one on the list, it's probably because I still haven't triggered and collected them or I just don't have their cards. I hope you can wait for the update until I finally collect them, or if any of you already have them it would be helpful if you could send me the SS of the missing voiceline so I could fill in the list 🙏

-Also the translations might not be fully accurate since I'm not that fluent on jp/en, so if i ever made a mistake do correct me🙏

Mini Event:

Tokiya's Birthday Celebration (Ai) Year 1: Ai: Happy Birthday, Tokiya. Although you always look serious but sometimes you also have a childish side as well, I think it's good though. Tokiya: Is that so…? But if Mikaze-san said so, then I'm sure it's a compliment, isn't it. Thank you very much. Reiji's Birthday Celebration (Ai) Year 1: Ai: Since it's your birthday, why don't you show a bit of your maturity? Anyway, congratulations Reiji. Reiji: Ai-Ai, thank you~! Don't get burned while looking at the grown-up Rei-chan, okay☆ Ah, don't ignore me!

Talk:

Talk Morning Topic: If you still haven't woke up yet, shall I be the one who manage your private time? Fufu, I'm just kidding. Talk Afternoon Topic: During the interview, they asked me on how do you approach someone that you like. Since they might be asking lots of question I went ahead and answered it but, what about you? Talk Evening Topic: Shall I go and make you a herbal tea? It smells really good and it'll help you to relax too. Talk Night Topic: Maybe I should try to practice singing a lullaby too. It'd be helpful to expand my singing range and it'd also be perfect to do it on the times when you can't fall asleep. Talk Summer Topic: I want to create a summer like memories with you…will you go with me? Of course you can leave all the planning to me.

Talk 1: I don't mind being relied on. If there's anything that you'd like to know, you can go ahead and ask me. Talk 2: Can you tell me your definition of what you think "cool?" looks like? Why you ask, I'm just a bit interested in it, that's all. Talk 3: I'm so happy to hear that everyone's listening to my song. You could say I'm also looking forward to it too. Talk 4: I think it's better to have a solid set schedule. If you move on time, there would be less waste and it'll be much more efficient. Talk 5: I guess you could say that the memories that I've accumulated during both of my private and work time are like my treasures. I cherish each and every one of them deep in my heart. Talk 6: There are still so many things that I don't know about everyone from QUARTET NIGHT. They're always full of surprises so you'll never get bored of them. Talk 7: The good thing about QUARTET NIGHT is the fact that we don't interfere with each other too much. It's so that we won't be too dependent on each other. Talk 8: To me, singing is just the same thing as being alive. It's something that's natural and essential. Talk 9: No matter what kind of performance it is, I'll always do it perfectly. Because I think that's how I show my sincerity to the people who come and watch me. Talk 10: After the recording of the show, I was given a commemorative group photo of the cast members. Seeing them somehow made me reliving those memories again, so I guess it wasn't that bad at all.

Talk 11: There was happened to be a mechanical trouble at work, but I'm relieved that I managed to help out. It's my specialty after all. Talk 12: I sometimes find a rare flower too even in the city centre. Seeing them bloom so strongly made me want to take a picture of it. Talk 13: I often get praised for being calm and reliable. I guess you could say that's one of my good points. Talk 14: While I was researching something, I happened to come across a passionate-filled review about my song. As I thought seeing that really made me happy. Talk 15: During the previous photoshoot, there was a mistake in regarding the size of Ranmaru's costume. Both the sleeves and hem of it were too short it made such an interesting sight. Talk 16: I usually spend my day off at home. Sometimes I try to make plans for a mountain climbing and it's quite fun. Talk 17: Looks like a new content has been added to the online game. I can't wait to play it soon. Talk 18: I was surprised when I saw Reiji quieter than usual on the site. It looks like he's in the middle of the game where you can't speak anything but in English. Talk 19: Observing people means that I could utilize what I have noticed from them and apply it to myself. That's why it's interesting. Talk 20: If only there could be a machine that can understand people's feelings…I'm sure people can't help but had thoughts of that before. Besides it would be much more efficient if there were.

Talk 21: Even during break time, I never forget to go collecting and analyzing data. There might be a chance when I can use it on my next job after all. Talk 22: Live performance is the place where I realize just how much I want to be liked by everyone. That's why I don't want to make even the slightest mistake. Talk 23: According to the data that I have, there's a high possibility that I'll be able to meet you again tomorrow. Is it okay for me to have expectation? Talk 24: A new week is about to begin. Let's make sure to plan things out properly and carefully. You can do it, can't you? I believe in you. Talk 25: I guess the bags that I own are mostly backpacks. They're easy to carry heavy things around and, more than anything, they're convenient because they keep both of my hands free. Talk 26: There's something that I want to confirm with you… Hm? Normally you'd always respond right away… How unusual. (when you ignore him) Talk 27: Hmm, now I'm more than curious to try and check just how far along you'd notice. Let's poke her around a little bit more. (when you ignore him) Talk 28: Hm, are you already done with your work now? Since you're so concentrated on it… No, it's not like I'm sulking or anything. (after you're done ignoring him) Talk 29: …I guess you finally noticed after how many long I've been staring at you huh. Looks like I manage to collect an interesting data. (after you're done ignoring him)

About Otoya: Otoya's not afraid of anything at all huh. I often saw him approaching his co-stars and talking to them. About Masato: Masato's sewing skills are amazing. It feels as if he can make everything. Maybe I should try to make something with my own hands too. About Natsuki: I always tell Natsuki each time I found something that he might likes. Like a cute goods or something. About Tokiya: Having a discussion with Tokiya is interesting. Since he's so knowledgeable, we can talk about lot of things from many different angles. About Ren: Ren also plays an online game, and I think our tastes are pretty similar. Though we both have a different playstyle. About Syo: When I go shopping with Syo, he tends to recommend me things that I'd never choose myself. But after that they ended up suits me well. About Cecil: Although Cecil is usually calm, he often panics in front of a fish. He's honest even when it comes to things he's not good at. About Reiji: Whenever there is a trouble happening, Reiji always rephrases it around in an optimistic way. In a way that part of him always help us out. About Ranmaru: He always try to repay anything that he borrowed, no matter how small it is. Ranmaru's sense of duty is one of his good points. About Camus: Out of all the members of the group, Camus is probably the one that I get along well with. He's a very well-informed person and that's why he's interesting.

Skinship 1: It's not that I hate it but… did you forgot that I'm supposed to be your Senpai? (touching head) Skinship 2: Shall I pat your head as well? You don't mind if I do it two times more than you did, right? (touching head) Skinship 3: Wait… what's wrong all of a sudden? Skinship 4: What kind of psychology is it behind poking my cheek? Skinship 5: That's quite a strange hobby you have. Are you the type who's more interested in upper arms? (touching arms) Skinship 6: I'm your Senpai after all, so you can always rely on me. Skinship 7: Hey… I'd be in a trouble if you did something irregular out of sudden. Skinship 8: Even if you didn't do that, I'd still listen to your story. Skinship 9: My opinions? Not in particular. Skinship 10: Next time it's your turn to get tickled. I'd like to collect a data for that. Skinship 11: Well then, I'm going to have to pay that back more or less the same amount of times than what you did to me.

Approach 1: As much as I'm having fun watching you, it seems like the data that I have is not enough. You'll surely help me out, won't you? Approach 2: I wonder why did you become so red like that just because I got closer to you, hm? I hope you can tell me the reason of it. Intimacy lvl-up 1: I don't mind spending time with you. It also feels like I gained new emotions from that too. Intimacy lvl-up 2: Huh, I didn't know you could make that kind of face too. Of course that only happens when you're with me, right? Intimacy Limit Release: I received your feelings. (Your) Birthday Celebration 1: Ai: You seem to be in a pretty good mood today. Somehow your face seems like you're waiting for me to say something to you. Ai: …Just kdding, there's no way I would forget about it. Happy birthday. I've been meaning to tell you that. Ai: I want to spend time with you for as long as I can for today. This is also one of your Senpai's order, I won't ever let you say no, okay?

This one is not listed, but here's a voiceline if you're trying to leave him:

Are you going somewhere now? I just need a few more minutes of your time. Can't I?

Bonus Voicelines from URs/SRs:

"Letter of Journey" Mikaze Ai Talk 1: There are so many things that I want to tell and show you. I want to walk through the same time as you. "Letter of Journey" Mikaze Ai Talk 2: The music that you gave always taught me of something that's important and dear to me. I'll never forget to always give out my thanks to you. "Be Elegant!" Mikaze Ai Talk 1: I'm happy to hear you talk about the thoughts that you put into that song. I'm also the first one who heard about it too, right. "Be Stylish!" Mikaze Ai Talk 1: Both of your reactions and mine were a little different than what I had expected. But somehow it left such a pleasant feeling in my heart. "Lavender king" Mikaze Ai Talk 1: Fighting for the sake of peace, huh. I wonder if Ai also had someone important that he wanted to protect as well. Just like how you are to me, for example.

[l00ney-m00ny]

Just realised I never posted these newer ref sheets for my OCs!!

My art style has changed a lot since I did the other ones and I wanted to redo them, but I also ended up redesigning them a little too hahah lol (shrimp posture, Help)

Me geeking over designs and oc lore down below:

Some designs I kept mostly the same, like 01 literally just changed the colour of her shirt. I changed her eye colour to be less of a gold and more of a brown too, I wanted Obie to be special with having golden eyes. (She also got a girlfriend!! That's what Clementine is here for!)

Fun fact about Moon is that she is actually my first OC ever, like the first one I've ever made, and in the 5 and a half years I've had her, this is the very first time I'm changing her design. The other one was good, but I'm so happy I changed it I like this so much better. I might still use the other one, she is a character who might dress very masculine at times, so yeah. Her head is still like a dice, just eyes instead of numbers!

Tyler has changed the most, outfit wise and lore wise. I wanted to age her down so she was the same age as the rest of the cast, so by doing that she went from cult leader, to weird stalker child? Idk I'm still figuring it out. (Yes, this is cult erasure, I'm sorry.) Before visually she was fully covered up skin wise, but because It's summer and I'm hot its reflected in the outfits I draw.

Elias has changed from his weird overalls I hated drawing to this funner hoodie and cropped turtlneck. Idk I just likes the look, and he's a little bit of a diva so i thought it'd fit. He also has a jellyfish cut now instead of the Wolf cut/mullet he had before.

Obie I wasn't too sure what to do with the shirt, I changes SO MUCH of his lore so now he is a government experiment? Kinda? Think 11 from Strangers Things but also not? Anyways bc I was drawing on a blue background and he has blue shoes and blue wings it was hard to figure out something that didn't clash with his whole thing. Yes, his wings are Catalina Mcaw wings. Personally, I'm not the fondest, I like scarlet macaw and culture crested cockatoos, but my brother LOVES the Catalina macaw so that's what Obie has.

Apollo has a belt and his shirt has sleeves. That's all that's changed.

OKOKOK so! Kathy! If you look at the colour of her turtleneck it's the same colour as Moon's choker, and the purple in her hair is the same vibrancy as the yellow from Moon's jumper, which is the same yellow in Kathy's socks!! All this is very intentional! Same with them both having the same style of jumper. Moon used to work for the Watchers, was basically like their pet/kid, and now that she has left, Kathy is theirs now bc she made a deal with them. They are basically giving her ideas or saying she'd look good wearing certain clothes or colours, because they liked Moon so much they're influencing Kathy to be more like Moon in a way. Isn't that fun!!

Clementine is pretty cool. I git her outfit from pintrest, she is not exactly the opposite to 01? They like the same things, but personalities sometimes clash. Anyways, I love them both.

[angel-of-the-moons]

A Rose Under The Moon

Moon Knight System (Marc/Steven/Jake) x Fem!Reader

TW/CW: None mostly. Goldfish slander, some minor injuries resulting from clumsiness, mentions of events from the show. Layla is here! We stan a healthy, happy divorced couple in this house >=\

A/N: There will be multiple chapters like these in this series, mostly dialogue and filler to help facilitate plot.

Taglist: @shirukitsune @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @bad4amficideas

🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒

Chapter 4:

Old, Unhappy, Far-Off Things

"You guys can't keep doing this." Layla said over the phone.

"I know, I know." Marc sighed, running his hands through his hair. He haphazardly sprinkled some fish flakes into the tank to feed the ever chubby goldfish; looking at the glass to see Steven's reflection staring back at him, a frown creasing his features.

(Marc, you're going to make 'em pop!) Steven scolded.

"Well, how am I supposed to know how much to feed three goldfish?" Marc groaned.

"Steven told you the fish were gonna explode, eh?" Layla laughed softly.

"Yeah. Almost exactly that. I swear, I've never met a man who needs an emotional support fish." He replied, holding the phone between his shoulder and ear, screwing the lid back onto the tiny container of nasty-smelling flakes.

(How dare you! Gus and his friends are members of this family! You're going to hurt their feelings!) Steven said, absolutely aghast at Marc's summary of how the little aquatic creatures fit into their lives.

(The other two don't even have names yet, hermanito.) Jake finally piped in, coming to co-front to see what all the fuss was about.

"But seriously, Marc. You have to take it easy. Just tell Khonshu to shove off and ignore his bony ass for a few days!" Layla sighed. Though they weren't married or intimate anymore, Layla still cared deeply for "her boys"; even Jake, to a point. Even if she didn't fully trust him, he was a part of Marc and Steven. Part of their system. She knew Jake was the protector. She knew that he was only violent when he absolutely had to be.

Or when Khonshu sent him after fresh targets. She still didn't like that.

"You think I haven't tried that?" Marc flopped onto the sofa, his hand resting over his face as he sighed.

"He's a god, Layla. It's not so easy to just say no."

"Taweret doesn't seem to have a problem with boundaries." She pointed out.

"Because Taweret is a big softie, Layla. She literally mothers you." Marc retorted with a grunt.

"Well… she is the goddess of motherhood. One of them, anyway." Layla conceded.

"And Khonshu is the god of being a tall, harping asshole who refuses to let me rest." Marc leaned back, closing his eyes as the leather on the sofa softly groaned under his weight.

"You think we like working for him, still? We don't. We need the suit, and people need to be kept safe..."

"Have you considered just… giving it all up? Telling Khonshu you're done? Just hang up the cape?" Layla hummed.

Marc could feel Steven and Jake fade into the background of the headspace, leaving him alone to his conversation with Layla, not enjoying the current topic at all. And it would be smarter to prevent a possible argument between Jake and Marc, right now. They had enough headaches.

"I already tried that, remember? Khonshu just used Jake before we knew he was here and had him kill Harrow."

"Right…"

"And besides…" Marc said, conspiratorially. "...I think he already has his sights set on another person to be a Moon Knight. And I don't know who it is, but I know he's going to hold it over my head. Steven, Jake and I would rather be dead than let some poor, innocent person see the shit we have."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

"Okay… You obviously need a mental health break. Anyplace in particular you can go to get away from everything?"

"Well… there is one place. A little shop Steven found that's nearby." Marc replied.

"Is it a bookstore?" Layla laughed.

"Yeah. Yeah, it is." Marc chuckled. "Some woman runs it. American, if you can believe that. Apparently the store was her aunt's or something and she inherited it from her when she died. Steven's built a bit of a rapport with her. Me too. Kinda. She also sells stuff like coffee, tea, snacks… kind of like a one-person cafe."

"She runs it alone?"

"Yeah, impressive actually. But, it's not always safe, I saw that the other day." Marc nodeed.

"Oh? What happened?" Layla asked, wholly invested now. They had a friend? She likely didn't know about their DID, but Marc, and by that extension Steven, and possibly Jake having friends was a win in Layla's book.

"Some abusive drunk ran in after his girlfriend. Apparently she hid his girlfriend in her flat upstairs when she came in covered with bruises and freaking out." Marc said, smiling a bit at remembering your tenacity and urge to protect somebody you didn't even know. Even Jake respected you after that. And Jake respects very few people.

But it proves you were a protector, like he was. Not to the same extent, but close.

"Sounds like a good person."

"She seems like one. I just hope she doesn't get herself into trouble with anymore–ah!" Marc hissed, dropping the phone and waving his hand in the air as pain whipped through his fingertips.

"Shit!" He cursed, picking up the phone again with his other hand. He glared at the red marks appearing in his palm.

"Marc? Are you okay? What happened?" Layla asked, her voice just a hair above worried.

"Yeah, just my fucking hands again. Last week it was my shins." He grunted.

"So either you're getting old," Layla teased. "Or a certain someone hurt themselves again."

"Yeah, just wish they'd quit it. It's really inconvenient."

"That's a bit hypocritical, don't you think?"

"What?" Marc asked, his brow furrowing as he watched the burning red marks blossom on his skin. Pretty, almost, if you were into that sort of messed-up body art.

"Marc, please don't tell me you haven't considered that every time you got hurt, your soulmate felt those pains, too?" Layla deadpanned with a sigh, most likely pinching the bridge of her nose. He could picture it now. She was probably pacing in the kitchen of her flat in Cairo; the sun illuminating her figure, making her curls glow in an amber light, highlighting her jaw as she frowned.

But the thought she triggered in his mind sent a stone dropping into his gullet. Had he really not considered that? He thought that maybe, being Moon Knight would… would dull the pains, or maybe negate them entirely. Or… was he just stupid and didn't put them into consideration?

If they can feel his pain, and he can feel theirs... what about when he…

But sometimes it felt redundant to think about and worry for someone he never met, but at the same time…

"Fuck." Marc hissed, wiping at his face.

"Oh, my gods! You haven't been careful at all have you?" Layla gasped.

"I…"

"Marc! You and the other two need to get it together and take it easy. You think you don't understand things? Imagine how your soulmate feels. They're probably going about their normal daily routines and feel it when you get shot! Oh gods, what about when we were in Egypt and you got impaled?" Layla murmured. "Gods, I almost forgot about… what about when you died? I don't even want to imagine what they felt."

Marc dropped back into the cushions staring blankly at the ceiling. She voiced the very thing he himself was hesitant to mention.

"I… I forgot about that, too." Marc said, his voice almost flat.

"I imagine they must have been confused when their mark reappeared."

"Fuck…" Marc groaned, feeling exhaustion suddenly creep into his body. But then, he jerked, gripping the back of his head. "Damn it!"

"Another pain?" Layla mused.

"God–yeah. Right in the back of my head." Marc grunted.

"Yikes. Your soulmate must not be having a good day." Layla chuckled.

"Whoever they are, they're accident-prone as all hell!" He grumbled, pouting as he rubbed the fresh sore spot.

"Pot callin' kettle, Maaaarc." Layla sang softly over the phone.

"Yeah, yeah. You sound like Steven."

"Good."

"Ugh, please don't say that." Marc said, a smirk cracking his mask of discomfort. "He's already nagging me."

"Okay, okay…" Layla quieted for a moment. "Hey, Marc?"

"Yeah?"

"I might take a trip to London. Maybe if I'm there, Taweret and I can run interference for you to give you a break." Layla suggested.

"Layla… You don't–"

"Already looking at plane tickets." She interrupted.

"Of course you are." Marc smiled. That was one of the things he loved about Layla when they first met. He was drawn to her. Her snark, her determination…

"Yeah. I'll pack a bag and hop the flight that leaves in a few hours."

"Wow, okay." Marc said, his eyes widening. "You're serious about this?"

"Who else is going to babysit you three and get Khonshu off your back if me and the Hippo Mama don't?" Layla jabbed playfully.

"Oh my god, you do not call her that." Marc snorted, shaking his head.

"She thinks it's a cute nickname. And she agrees with my plan, so…"

"Oh great. You two gonna just harp me and remind me to take my vitamins, too?"

"I mean, if we have to…"

"Ugh. You're impossible."

"But that's why everyone loves me!" Layla laughed.

"Sure, sure. And Layla?" Marc asked, looking at the mark on his wrist, a soft fond look in his eyes. It was blooming today, the rose.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"No problem, Marc. Go hang at that bookstore and get a coffee or something, yeah?"

🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒

You hurried up the stairs and rushed to your oven, frantically cursing with each step as you hauled yourself up the stairs and into your flat.

You practically ripped the oven door open, coughing as smoke filled your nostrils as the burned pastries greeted you.

"Damn it!" You whine, slipping your oven mitt on and grabbing the small pan with one hand.

Your phone started ringing and you spun on your heels to glare at the offending object secured to the wall.

"Oh, shut up, you–"

You felt the pan tip when you turned, the blackened treats threatening to fall to the floor, and without thinking you reached out with you other, unprotected hand and gripped it, before making a sharp yelp and throwing the pan onto the counter with a loud bang, blowing air over your burning and blistering hand.

"Shit, shit, shit!" You hiss, turning to your sink and hitting the tap for some cold water. The stinging subsided, if only minutely.

The phone rang incessantly again.

You dropped your shoulders and rolled your eyes with a groan, and pulled away from the soothing coldness of your tap.

But, of course, as your natural "luck" would have it… You trailed water onto your floor, and slipped into it, cracking the back of your head on the tile. Not hard enough to knock you out, no, but it was just enough to hurt, and leave a rather nasty bump.

So. There you lay, flat on your back, water still flushing into the drain of your sink, smoke detector now going off, and your house telephone ringing impertinently.

"I didn't do anything! Why're you guys always giving me the short end of the stick?" You shout at nothing in particular; maybe whatever gods could hear your lamentations and rueful words.

For extra effect, you flipped the bird with your uninjured hand.

Yeah.

Fate was a funny thing, all right.

Chapter 5: Link

[void-chara]

My gift for the @technoblade-gift-exchange !! i was assigned to @simplepotatofarmer who asked for dsmp rivals duo. i hope you like it Loyal!

rambling about headcanons, designs, and my process and stuff under the readmore, because i wanna talk about it but dont want the post to be super long !!

i had originally planned to not have a background and then at the last second i decided to speedrun drawing one in a few hours so um. quality difference but its fine. also unrelated but im pretty sure everything about how i draw animals and anthros makes it very obvious i used to be in the warrior cats fandom lol. anyway onto the designs!!

the gold on techno is scars from the totem at the execution, which i think is a pretty common thing for techno designs. he isnt supposed to be a piglin, but rather similar species of anthropomorphic pig. also his mane and tail fluff are naturally brown but he dyes them pink ^_^ so cool !! um. i maaayyy have forgotten the crown until i was way too far into the piece to add it. haha. oops. pretend its missing because. uuh. hes in a casual outfit. "but he still has the cape" yeah its comfy. "but dream has a mask thats not casual" dream is dream he does Not relax fully ever. see entirely intentional i would never make a mistake.

dream is an original shapeshifter species i came up with because i couldnt decide what i wanted him to be. i havent decided on a name for the species yet but i plan to make almost every solid-color or nearly solid color mcyt into this species. theyre mostly involuntary/unconscious shapeshifters. so like they change slowly over weeks or months to adapt to their surroundings, with little conscious control. basically i wanted him to be like five different things so i shoved them together lol, rabbit ears but in a pattern that looks like an axolotl, a cool tail, TOE BEANS tho you cant see them. this was actually the first time ive ever had a dream design im happy with so thats really nice.

i um. i made full use of my time lol, i spent a bit over a week on the lineart, another week on the coloring, and maybe a week and a half on rendering. unless i suddenly became shit at math(which is possible) that adds up to roughly the amount of time i had to work on it. im really proud of myself actually since i usually take a while to do art, and i wasnt sure i would be able to make something id be happy with in this amount of time. but i did! woah!! this was my first time participating in a fandom gift exchange and it was so fun, and also helped motivate me to draw more instead of getting distracted like i usually do (classic adhd moment) lol. anyway super cool!!

Loyal if u decided to read all this for some reason then again i really hope u like it!! u are so cool and i really love ur rivals duo opinions and creations so i hope u like this! i know theres been shit happening lately, i hope ur doing ok!!

[ccycloneblogging]

I keep forgetting to ask my questions now is the present I guess-

Well 1, love your work! This AU is so cute and full of potential trauma it makes my mind flow with ideas... one of them being REALLY trauma heavy that has me in a vice grip rn...

So anyways- your post where you showed how in your AU catnap removed dogdays legs... were the murders of the hour in the same way? Because I just- Imagining Catnap dropping an anvil on some poor soul and them getting crushed slowly after the initial impact while catnap watches in apathy- has not left my mind. It's just Saw death traps at that point.

And about the whole "Going back to the cartoon" thing catnap wanted... would that not be suicide? A fully fledged, free thinking being going back to being with a world bound by a script and it's existence only continues if it's makers wish for it seem like killing yourself with extra steps. Again- this Au has so much Trauma potential I just HMMMMMMMMMMM-

And Oc's... well who do you want to hear about? I got a few lying around... well only 2 poppy playtime ones at the moment (and like one is kinda hard coded for another AU)... not to mention all the ones I have not drawn up yet that lie within my mind.

I would not mind another reason for William posting- but I'll let you choose!

Thanks, man! :D

You have no idea how much I've had to edit the scripts and drawings I make for the blog, because I go too dark too quickly for this toon AU.

I'm gonna go on a long ramble. Bear with me.

Like - there's this one script I still need to rewrite. But the premise is that Angel and DogDay are in Home Sweet Home, striking up a conversation - though Angel is injured.

Angel: ...Do you ever just... Stop? *[Angel eyes DD, as DD is in the process of sniffing like an actual dog, walking along the walls]* DD: What do you mean? *[He pauses to look at them, his tail wagging]* Angel: This. *[They gesture to his whole self, which causes him to finally fall on to the ground with a yip]* Angel: We're being hunted by a monster, close to death, and you're acting all... *Looney*. DD: That's what I do, Angel. I was brought here to make people feel happy. Safe. *[His tail begins to wag again as he makes his way to Angel]* Angel: Great. *[Unamused]* At least we'll die laughing. DD: You know, laughter is stronger than you'd think. *[A little "Uh-huh" from Angel.]* No matter how bad things get, you just have to laugh! Even if you feel like you've lost all hope, unsure about tomorrow... Not knowing what you did wrong, wondering how the world collapsed around you... *[DD grabs on to an ear, his smile turning more upsetting. The background getting darker. Maybe emphasize some of the in game model]* DD: Knowing that deep down, it's your fault for their deaths and already missing your chains because you deserve them --- *[He immediately switches back, sunshine and smiles]* DD: A laugh can chase away the gloom! Angel: *[Disturbed]* ...You want to talk about it, Pup?

So, they're all thoroughly traumatized, that's for sure!

I plan on drawing a comic that takes place during the Hour Of Joy, but yes. CatNap has killed some humans with falling anvils, endless pits, trapping them in repeating hallways until they go insane. Humans cannot survive the same punishment a toon takes, you know. >u>

But you know, he's not entirely heartless. Just angy. A poor lil meow meow

Oh, it's just CatNap being unable to cope, being ripped out of his comfort zone and never being able to adjust with the horrible things going on in Playcare. Though the Critters in this AU are not the same as the In-Game Bigger Bodies, there's still been human experiments. CatNap would much rather take scripts and limited freedom over what he was given... You are right though. That is one of the themes I wanted to try and hit with him. Especially if I follow through with an ending of Angel adopting the Critters. Then the aftermath of the trauma can really sink in.

My man, pal, friend.

I love OCs. The floor is yours. Send 'em in!

[prince-rowan-of-the-forest]

A Tale of Two Dragons

1/6 - The Reject Prince

----

| Ao3 | Next Chapter -> |

Roman was everything a prince should be and more.

He was beautiful, he was powerful, he was loved by all in their kingdom. Even the earth bent to his will.

Remus was nothing but a distorted mirror of his brother.

At least maybe that could work in his favour for once.

Not that anything ever really did.

----

Warnings: Negative self talk/image, thoughts and discussions about kidnapping/murder

Pairings: endgame anaroceit, pre-established Roceit, platonic LMP

Word Count: 1174

Notes:

Inspired by This Post by @fangirltothefullest (absolutely brilliant art, have a look :3) though of course I've added my own fantasy royalty twist xP. (Sorry for the tag if you don't want it lol I just want to give credit where it's due :3)

A fic that's been in the works for a little while!! I have a few chapters already written which is fun! Hopefully you'll enjoy! :3

I'll be posting this every Monday (hopefully)

----

Roman was everything a prince should be and more.

He was beautiful, he was powerful, he was loved by all in their kingdom. Even the earth bent to his will. 

Roman’s hoard of gold was something any other dragon would be envious of, his friends were lovely and loved him in return, they treated him well and never once made him feel like he wasn’t enough. In return Roman protected them all. Gifts and beautiful things were bestowed to everyone he cared about, the kingdom was happy with their Prince - the most powerful being they’ve seen since the beginning of the royal lineage, with both goddess and dragon ancestry. Roman was truly perfect, in every sense of the word. 

With his power he had enchanted a set of jewellery to give a piece to each of the people he cared most about. He himself wore a crown of course. Janus, his spymaster and a magical refugee from a neighbouring hostile kingdom - had earrings. Logan, his advisor, had a bracelet and Patton, the palace chef, had a necklace. 

The jewellery was enchanted to warn Roman when its wearer was in danger, so he could rush to the aid of the people he loved whenever they needed him. 

Remus, of course, hadn’t gotten a thing. 

It wasn’t necessarily Roman’s fault. Roman was more powerful, more beautiful, more loved, brighter and bolder in every way. Remus - his brother who’d inherited none of the same power - faded into the background. Sometimes even he wondered if he still existed. Remus didn’t think Roman loved him, but he wouldn’t blame Roman for that, Remus was difficult and weak, he was shorter and plainer and lacked all the magic Roman had. All he’d gotten were golden eyes and short stubby dragon wings that had never grown in fully. He couldn’t even fly. 

Remus sighed as he watched Roman laugh with his friends, all of them sitting together having a picnic Patton had put together next to the fountains in the palace gardens. Remus hadn’t been invited, all he could do was watch from the balcony in his room and sigh, wishing he could be in his brother’s place for just one day. 

He could kill him - but Roman was some kind of dragon cross demigod, it would take a lot of effort and power that Remus didn’t have, and what good would that do anyway? Remus.. Well, he couldn’t say he loved his brother, but everyone else did, killing him would be cruel. 

Kidnapping him was another option, but again Remus would gain nothing… maybe if he looked more like his supposed twin he could take his place, but…

An idea popped into his head and Remus fully sat up with the force of it. It was a great idea, one with the potential to get exactly what he wanted. All he had to do was convince the hermit witch who lived out in the forest to give him what he wanted. He’d pay any price, it didn’t matter to him, maybe he’d finally get to know what it felt like to be loved. The witch could make them care about him, he could make the whole kingdom care about him. The witch could make Remus powerful or strong or beautiful and then he could do it. Yes, it was the perfect plan! He’d get their respect somehow, no matter the cost. 

—-

“No.” The witch said sharply, before attempting to slam the door in his face. Remus stuck his foot between the door and the frame, wincing at how hard the door was slammed but otherwise not wavering.

“Pleeeease?” Remus said, “Please please? I’ll do literally anything, any cost whatever - I just - I want them all to notice me! I wanna know what it’s like to be my brother y’know?”

The witch stopped for a moment, taking in Remus and his desperation, before finally letting out a heavy sigh.

“Fine, but don’t touch anything, and if you don’t want what I’m offering I’m gonna cast a memory spell on you to make you forget you were here, is that agreeable?” The witch said, tone almost bored. 

“Yeah sure fine whatever, what do I need to do?” Remus said, hurriedly following the witch into his house.

The interior was just about as dark and gloomy as the witch himself. The house was covered in spider webs, the room they stood in was dimly lit and cluttered enough that Remus had trouble picking a place to stand. Everything was black or purple aside from some of the clearly magical items littered around shelves and sitting on top of cabinets in bowls or pots. At the back of the room was a bigger open fireplace than anything they had at the palace, probably because it was made to hold a large cauldron. The witch himself was pretty similarly decorated, clad in black and purple and a cloak covered in spiderwebs, his hair was long and black too though curlier and highlighted with purple (this guy must be dedicated to his colour scheme). 

The witch looked almost the same age as him - unexpected when most stories depicted the witch as an old woman, but whatever. He was currently mumbling something as he picked through a large bookshelf. 

“So,” Remus said, standing there awkwardly and trying not to touch anything, “You got a name?”

“Not for you,” the witch huffed, “You’re Remus, the reject prince.”

Remus winced, but nodded, “Yeah - that’s me, so uh - what’ve you got for me then?”

“Well -” the witch said, mumbling something else as he pulled a book from the shelves, “The easiest way to get what you want, would, I believe, be to become your brother.”

“I- what?” Remus asked.

“I told you you could go if you don’t like it,” The witch shrugged.

“No no- that’s not- elaborate? Please?” Remus said holding up his hands, the witch groaned. 

"You kidnap your brother, bring him here, I make you a potion that turns you into him, hurray you have the life you want and I have access to the Prince, we both win as long as you can keep up the charade, sound good?" The witch asked, flicking boredly through the book he was holding, Remus' eyes widened. 

"What do you mean - access to him?" Remus asked, frowning, "I don't wanna hurt him." 

"Right -" the witch huffed, like he really didn't want to be explaining at all, "Well - I need his DNA to make the potion, and I need to be able to get more of that when it runs out, besides, you can't have him hanging around if you're pretending to be him, right?" 

"...Right," Remus nodded, frowning, "You're right, so what do I do?" 

"Give him this,' Virgil said, going over to another shelf before pulling out and offering Remus a little bag of herbs, "Sprinkle it on his food or something, he'll be asleep in minutes, then bring him out here and I'll do the rest." 

Remus hesitated, before reaching to take the bag, "Okay - I'll do it." 

----

@imhere-imqueer-ilikedeer (you asked to be tagged when I posted this one specifically :3)

Tags: @full-of-roman-angst-trash @your-local-random-dino @cutebisexualmess @glacierruler @roseianxiety @bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti @scalesfeathersnfur @oatmealdaydreams @littlerat2 @goldnskyart (if anyone wants to be added, let me know!)

[navy-leader]

Mildly losing my mind so im gonna talk about my AvA AU, Heaven's Underpass

Its essentially just a demon/angel au with some minor worldbuilding and slight altering of the already existing narrative (and lots of shipping...). It is by far Not comprehensive and merely done for fun so inconsistencies abound, sacrificed for self-indulgence

I made this AU before AvA6 came out and structured the initial timeline with what we had at the time so it branches off into different alternates ever since then

Anyways the story for the most part follows the actual AvA series with the added addition of them being some sort of divine or infernal entity. Chose started off as and angel but once Chosen was captured and enslaved by noogai he burnt off his wings and became a demon. Then AvA3 rolls around, another angel was created and tasked to take down Chosen, Dark. Though after Dark was defeated and accepted Chosen's hand in partnership her divinity slowly drained out of her as she becomes a fallen angel/demon, though she doesnt fully become one until AvA5.

Then comes The Second Coming, a deity that rivaled the power of the animator but was raised amongst mortals (The Color Gang) so they never found out of their divine nature until much later. Also Green was a guardian angel watching over RBY until he got his wings stolen by a demon and became mortal like them, aint all that bad though cause now they can actually get to know eachother! He still has that protective and caring nature from his time as a guardian and extends it towards Second when they came into the picture.

Purple intermission! Cause theyre the only other character outside of the AvA series that i put much thought into. Shes a demon who had stolen an angel's wings (wink) to reach some form of divinity. I havent really thought of her background all that much but i did entertain the idea that her parents are demons but them being a mix of angel and demon but leaning more into demon sounds more interesting and i feel adds a bit more to their character. I also had the thought that King was a mortal who had made a deal with the devil to achieve his goals, that demon being Purple. He has a lot of moral dilemmas just like canon Purple but made worse because of the everything 👍

Moving on, AvA5 happens and Second awakens their divine powers (though temporarily) and Dark gets blasted into the stratosphere and becomes a proper demon, but shes not dead! Somewhere down the line she met Purple in her weakened state and they bond over their moral dilemmas like good trauma bonding buddies should do, and Purple takes care of her as she recovers

Meanwhile something appears on the desktop as the color gang head home from the events of AvA5 and find,,, a demon hollowhead? They seem confused and absolutely terrified of the mouse cursor that belongs to the animator and attempts to attack it but was soon held down by the color gang and calmed down. After a brief introduction they find out this demon's name is victim. And then this essentially follows the AU i had for if victim came back, made before AvA6 came out. I discussed it in this post here.

Anyways Second and vic and Chosen get crazy gay with eachother in the end and Purple pulls up to the desktop with Dark in tow like "hi guys meet my girlfriend!" and Dark and Chosen look at eachother like "Shit. Thats my ex." but in the end they talk it out and agreed they should see other people and yayy happy times

And then AvA6 came out and uhh crushed everyone's headcanons and i couldnt be happier!!! And then i havent really figured out what to do with the AU timeline wise and im just having fun slapping wings and horns onto these sticks and bringing out the themes inside the story to be more visual and etc etc

Anyways goodnight

[adoracora-elizabeth]

Music made me love you, chapter 48

"Yes, the fluid is almost gone."

…….

"Thank you, mum, I am happy with that too."

……..

"No, I will still need treatment to make sure it disappears fully."

……..

"I do not know, it can take months before the headaches will be fully gone, Dr. Clarkson even warned me that I may never get fully rid of them."

…….

"I can deal with that. As long as I am healthy, I am happy.

…….

"Oh. Uhm yes of course I will send you a copy."

……..

"I do not think I will do a book tour outside of England this time."

……..

"I will think about it and let you know."

………

"I love you to mama."

Robert put his hand on Cora’s leg, they were driving back home after the fantastic dinner. "Darling, you did not tell your mother about the pregnancy."

Cora took Robert’s hand in hers and turned towards him. "I want to keep it between us for a little longer if that is alright with you?"

"If that is what you want, of course I am alright with that. I just figured we would share this happy news."

"It is very happy news, but I prefer waiting a little bit longer. What if something goes wrong?"

Rob squeezed her hand. "Nothing will go wrong, this little one will stick, it has to. But you are right we should wait to tell everybody."

"Once we are through the first trimester we can share. But we have the good news about the brain fluid that we can share."

"I am afraid papa en mama will be asleep when we arrive back at Downton."

"That is alright. I am tired anyway, so I would love to go directly upstairs."

+++

Robert walked into the bedroom; he loved how Cora had made it her own with slight changes in the decoration. He looked at her figure in the bed, she was reading a book. He was expecting her to be asleep, she had been dozing off in the car. Quickly he took his housecoat off and put his slippers next to the bed. He pulled the covers back and slipped under them, while turning on his right side so he could see Cora.

She also laid down after putting her book on the nightstand. Robert scooted closer to her, normally it was Cora who came close to him at night. He kissed her neck. The fireplace was crackling in the background. He loved the sound of it, but the room also got a nice glow at night. He was getting used to falling asleep with the fire burning.

Cora loved the way Robert scooted closer, his big hand came to a rest on her abdomen, and she immediately covered his hand with hers. His warm and soft lips touched the skin on her neck. He had not been this relaxed in weeks. It filled her heart with love and relief.

"I still cannot believe you have a little one in there."

Cora sighed. "It feels like a miracle." She brushed over his hand.

Robert came even closer to Cora and kissed her on the lips now. "Our amazing miracle." He felt her hand moving to his chest, playing with his chest hair. The kiss intensified, hands roaming over their bodies, trying to find bare skin.

A knock on the door made them freeze. Robert lifted himself half up. "Who is there."

"O'Brien, Milord. Can I come in?"

Cora pulled down her nightshirt and fixed her hair as best as she could. She saw that Robert did the same. "Come in." She answered O'Brien.

"I am sorry if I woke you, Milady." O'Brien had a look on her face as if she knew they had not been asleep. "Milord, Carson has sent me to tell you that there is a fire in the village."

"A fire? Where?"

"The pub Milord."

Robert jumped out of bed. "Tell Carson that I am on my way."

"Robert?" Cora was sitting on her knees on the matrass. "Where are you going?"

Robert was unbuttoning his nightshirt. "To the village of course."

"Why?" Cora did not understand why they were informed about the fire in the middle of the night.

"Cora, you do understand that we are responsible for the village. It is part of our estate. The people count on us for support. I need to know how bad this is and how many people are affected by it. My father would normally be the one going, but I think you understand why he will not be woken tonight?"

Cora felt guilty for questioning him. This village was important to him and his family. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Robert leaned on the bed, stretched his neck, and kissed her softly on the lips. "I prefer that you and our little bean stay safely in bed. You also need your rest."

Cora touched his cheek. "I do not think I will get much sleep, knowing you will be out there."

Robert smirked. "You make it sound as if I am going into the wilderness."

"But you are going towards a fire."

Robert had changed into his clothes in the meantime. He walked around the bed and sat down on it. He took Cora’s hand in his. "I promise that I will be careful. Please try and sleep." Gently kissing her forehead.

+++

"What a relief everybody got out safely." Robert shook the hand of the pub owner."

"We did not have any guest for this night. My wife woke up from the fire and rushed us out."

"Milord, thank you for coming. How is your father doing?"

The pub owners wife shook Robert’s hand."

"Mrs. Watson." Robert greeted her. "He is doing well, thank you for asking."

"I have to admit, when I saw you instead of your father, I assumed the worst."

Robert smiled at her. "Since I was at Downton it seemed better for me to come. He needs to be mindful of what he does."

Mrs. Watson looked around. "And Mrs. Crawley?"

This question confused him. Did she ask about his mother or Cora? Probably, Cora, Mrs. Watson would have said Lady Grantham if she meant Violet. But it also confused him why either of them would be here. "Back at the house." He answered shortly.

"I hope she is doing well, Milord." Mrs Watson put her hand briefly on Robert’s arm and gave him a sympathetic look. At the same time his attention was drawn by the head of the fire department.

"We got everything under control, only the house has fire damage, the pub itself will have some smoke damage."

"Thank you Drewe. That is good to hear. Now let us find a place for the Watson's to sleep tonight."

"We can sleep in one of the rooms in the pub, Milord." Mr. Watson said. "I prefer to stay at the pub."

"Give our well wishes to Mrs Crawley." Mrs Watson said, while taking her husband’s arm and walking away.

Robert was relieved that the damage was not enormous. Tomorrow he would discuss with his father if and how they could help them rebuild their house. Now he just wanted to go home and crawl against Cora. He got the feeling Mrs Watson knew something was wrong with Cora. They had not told anybody outside the family, but villagers had probably seen them going in and out of the hospital and Dr Clarkson's office. Even though Cora was getting better, he was scared this pregnancy would mess things up again. He had hoped for her to be fully healthy again before a pregnancy.

+++

Quietly he opened the door to her bedroom. The fire was barely burning, he saw Cora’s figure under the duvet. It seemed that she was sleeping. Quickly he changed into his night clothes and got under the covers. While he tried to get comfortable, he felt the bed move. Cora turned around, wrapped her arm over his body and pulled him closer. He turned fully on his side and felt her hand brushing over his back. Her face was close to his and she kissed the tip of his nose.

"Was it very bad?"

Robert sighed and took her hand that she moved from his back to his chest. He kissed her knuckles. "One house burned down, but no casualties."

"Good." Cora got even closer. "Now get some sleep, you can tell me everything in the morning."