#the ever so long wait for fitz

[fiendforbyler]

wait y’all i just realised something that is probably niche as fuck but anyway! if you know/have read the Keeper of the Lost Cities series in it’s entirety you will understand the relationship/love triangle between sophie, fitz and keefe. from the beginning fitz is set up at sophie’s love interest, even as young kids (i believe she is 12 in the first book? and he is maybe a year older? not 100% it’s been a while). she crushed on him for majority of the series and finally in book 7/8 they get together with a seemingly very romantic gesture from fitz, with many hints during the series that fitz liked her back. point is: we were all rooting for them. it is imprtant to note that it’s also always been hinted at but later in the series confirmed that keefe has major feelings for sophie as well. for me, this is representative of mike/el/will love triangle, with sophie being mike, keefe being will, and fitz being el. now, i don’t really like fitz but i LOVE el so yeah this isn’t a flawless comparison but ANYWAY back to my main point!! keefe (will) is so likeable with a tragic backstory, troubling plot line, has a lot of trauma AND a sorry crush on a girl (boy) who (supposedly) has eyes only for one person since the beginning- something that has been clearly set up and formed into a seemingly sweet relationship readers have been rooting for from the beginning. yeah this is sounding familiar? here’s the problem (or solution for sophkeefe/byler shippers like i): ITS NOT WHAT SOPHIE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. fitz pressures her into trying to find her bio parents so they could be matched, he is aggressive and possessive over her (not in a good way) and she breaks up with him. during this, i’m pretty sure she begins to crush on keefe as well- keefe in permanent denial she could ever like him back of course- and feels terribly guilty about it, because she still has feeling for fitz. (yeah i told you, not the perfect comparison but you understand what i’m getting at right?) while things with fitz get worse, sophie starts genuinely discovering how she really feels about keefe, with lines like “if she was really really honest- and really really brave- she had to admit that the idea of being with keefe sounded… kind of amazing. Yes, it was scary. and yes there were risks. but wouldn’t it be worth trying?” wouldn’t it be worth trying? ladies and gents, we just discovered mikes inner monologue!!! scary, risky, but worth it? its what will is to him! mike has always been “too insecure to let (him)self see what’s right in front of (him)” (a line taken from the book!!!!!!) will is in front of him. he is being so distracted by his internalised homophobia that he has NOOO idea what he is missing!! “‘SERIOUSLY, STOP!’ she told herself again…/ adding those kind of feelings to a friendship pretty much ruined everything. ( talking about fitz)”

and it’s all oh so familiar…

BUT WAIT! THERES MORE! finally, FINALLY, during our long awaited kiss scene, she says this:

“some tiny part of her head had always wondered if kissing keefe could really be as great as everyone claimed. but kissing keefe was so. much. better.”

yeah. and then blah blah they get interrupted by who? of yes of course fitzy the ex boyfriend is here. and he says what when he finds out? OH YEAH. “you kissed him? you didn’t even kiss me!”

THAT SOUNDS A LOT LIKE “you never say it/i say it” AND “i didn’t say it/you didn’t have to” or pretty much the same way mike acts around will vs el.

you know what else? mikes inability to say i love you to el (hasn’t kissed fitz) but so clearly communicate it to will (kissing keefe)

if you haven’t read all this (and i don’t blame you!!) just read this next paragraph!

but back to my main MAIN point. sophitz was the ship EVERYONE (except maybe a select few) wanted right up until they got together!! it was perfect on paper, cute, with history and seemingly ‘connected’ character (as per the plot), and as soon as they got together, everything fell apart, as well as sophie closing herself off and beginning to lose fitz even before the downfall of their relationship due to her suppressed feelings about keefe. (cough cough MIKE) they need to break up for her to realise keefe was the better match all along. keefe, who never thought he as a chance. keefe, who loved her from the start. KEEFE, WHO LET HIS BEST FRIEND HAVE HER IF IT MEANT HAPPINESS TO THEM.

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? please tell me i’m not crazy!! thank you for reading this it took me a long time to write but it also felt great to write this out even if no one reads this. hail to byler and a reminder we are one day closer to seeing them on screen. have a great day/night!

[alegendoftomorrow]

Letters to our Soldiers

Summary: Bradley finds himself making a Christmas wish on a letter from a stranger as he spends another Christmas alone ten thousand miles away from home.

Character: Bradley Bradshaw and F!reader (no use of Y/N)

Word Count: 1,208

Warnings: None

A/N: This is my third entry into @sailor-aviator winter challenger. My prompt was Merry Christmas, though I did also use this as a springboard for a possible series that I hope to start soon. Now, is this late... so very much so. Did life decide to send me into the new year with one finale kick…. Also yes. Is this also the first personal thing I’ve written for myself in a long time…also yes. But I had so much fun doing it and it feels good to get back to writing again. I hope you all have a phenomenal New Year and you find all the things you were looking for…. Enjoy some Christmas in February!

Bradley jumped off the ladder of his F-18 and shivered against the wind that blew across the deck. The sweat beading up along his brow and making his curls stick there was now making him feel even colder as he saluted the handful of privates who came to tighten his jet down to the deck and then lower it away so they could head back into port. Their practice drills finally done.

Rushing inside he tucked his helmet under his arm and headed right for the debriefing room. If he was lucky their CO would have nothing of note to say and send them all back to their bunks. Bradley wanted to change and get under his blankets. There was heat on the USS Dauntless but the steal walls and floors always seemed to hold onto the weather outside better then they did the temperature inside. Meaning right now it felt like walking through an ice box.

“Hey Bradshaw, you coming with us tonight or not?” That was Fitz’s voice echoing down the hall.

Bradley paused in the hall and pressed himself against the wall to let another officer pass by him as he waited for Fitz to catch up to him. “Na, I think I’m just going to stay in and try to catch up on some sleep.”

Fitz rolled his eyes and groaned as he walked in stride with Bradley to the briefing room. “Come on man it’s the first time we’ve seen land in weeks and you’re telling me you’d rather stay on this floating tin can then come and enjoy the night out with us?”

“That is exactly what I’m saying,” Bradley quipped back. “I intend to spend my leave sleeping and resting in my own bunk. Not eating bread and water in the brig.”

Fitz rolled his eyes and punched Bradley’s shoulder. Waving him off like he was a lost caused. “First of all, that happened one time and secondly you’re still boring.”

Bradley just shook his head and plopped down on one of the wooden seats. His excuse was the truth. Mostly. The other reason though was currently burning a hole in the pocket of his flight suit. A perfectly folded letter that still smelled faintly of warm vanilla. A letter from a stranger he’d never met. Natasha had signed him up for one of those letter writing programs for soldiers. He’d been annoyed at first, but now he looked forward to each and every one of them.

“We’ll be heading into port in a few hours and I expect all of you to act like the officers you are. Dismissed,” their CO finally called after the debrief had ended.

“Last chance Bradshaw,” Fitz said already halfway out of the door. “It’s Christmas Eve!”

“Leave the man alone Fitz. He’s got big and important plans for the night,” Omaha said with a laugh. Dragging Fitz out of the doorway as a chorus of other officers and enlisted men chattered loudly, interspersed with laughter and off key singing which Bradley just chuckled at.

After a quick shower he changed back into his dark t-shirt and pants laying back on his lower bunk and taking out the letter. The writing on the front was in pretty, dark cursive. Whoever this woman was she had the prettiest handwriting Bradley had ever seen. He pressed the letter to his nose and breathed in the warm scent of vanilla that still only faintly lingered there. It would be a hard day when the smell faded from this one too. Opening the letter, he tucked one of his hands back under his head and smiled softly.

Dear Soldier, 

            I don’t know what time zone you’re in, or even what country you’re stationed at, but where ever you are I hope you’re not spending Christmas Eve alone.

Bradley laughed. “Sorry to disappoint sweetheart,” he muttered. Though he did wonder if this technically counted as spending the day alone if he was reading her words…

             I for one will likely be spending it at the hospital. One of my co-workers, Mandy--she was the one involved in the blue cupcake fiasco a few months ago—anyways she has two adorable little boys and so I took her shifts so she could spend the holidays with them. I don’t mind though so don’t go feeling bad for me or anything. I like what I do and it’s nice to get to spend time with the patients over Christmas. Especially when some of them don’t have any family to come visit them. You should see the nurse’s station all decked out in different decorations for just about every different holiday celebrated among us.

Bradley’s smile grew wider as his heart swelled in his chest reading over the words. This woman was so kind and bright. He could so easily imagine her sitting at a nurse’s station and painstakingly writing to him everything that came to her mind as she looked over her floor. He imagined she had the most beautiful smile to match her pretty words. He found himself longing, as he often did, to ask her questions back. He wanted to know everything about her and he wanted to tell her everything about him. He wanted her to know that he reread the twelve other letters shed written him nearly every day. That he held them close to his chest when the nights got dark or the sea was rough. He wanted to tell her that he had them memorized. Every friend she mentioned and patient she cared for; he knew them all. He wanted to tell her that they had the same favorite color and favorite Girl Scout Cookie flavor. He wished her letters came with a return address.

            Alright well it’s getting late and I have to head out for another round but I want to make sure I get this in the mail to you so you get it in some kind of speedy order. I don’t really know how to say this without coming off like a stalker or some kind of wierdo, and I really hope you don’t thinks it’s weird but I included my address at the bottom of this page just in case you wanted to write back to me.

Bradley’s heart flpped and he sat up so quickly his head nearly hit the top bunk. Flicking his eyes to the bottom of the page he did indeed she her return address written there. His thumb brushed across her name and the letters and numbers beneath it.

I know the service is random and I’ve already written more letter than I was supposed to but, I don’t know, getting to write to you these past few months has felt nice. You really helped me, whoever you are out there, and I just want to keep writing to you if I can.

            I hope wherever you are you’re staying safe and that m letters have been a little piece of home you’ve been missing.

Merry Christmas Soldier.

“Merry Christmas sweetheart,” Bradley whispered. He looked down at the address one last time and then reached under his bunk into one of the drawers there. Pulling out a notebook and his pen he began his own letter.

[epic-kotlc-crossover]

Polyphemus

Hey guys! The first chapter of the Cyclops saga is here!!!

Tags: @myfairkatiecat @ham-cheese-toastie @bookwormgirl123 @thesfromhms @justalunaticfangirl (let us know if you want to be tagged in the future!)

After Athena faded away, Fitz’s vision sharpened back to reality. They were approaching an island, and even from this far away, the whole fleet could hear the Bla-ah-ah-ah! Blah-ah-ah-ah! of the sheep. There must be hundreds, just grazing peacefully, unaware of the men docking below them. 

There was a bit of a climb to reach the fields, but it was so, so worth it. Fitz transmitted orders to the small crew he had taken up with him, not wanting to disturb the tranquil silence. They obeyed, silently killing enough sheep to feed the crew for at least a month.

Keefe whispered, “I have to hand it to you and Dex. This is quite the treat.”

Fitz leaned closer, “I don’t trust this. Why would the lotus-eaters pass up on all of this food?”

Suddenly the ground started to shake beneath the sailors’ feet. Thump! Thump! Thump! 

Were those…footsteps? 

“Who are you?” An impossibly deep rumbling voice asked. Dread crept into Fitz’s mind, but he pushed it aside. He had to show this monster that he wasn’t afraid of it. 

Stay calm! Fitz transmitted his group. They nodded, hands ready to grab their weapons. 

“Hey there!” Fitz shouted. “We come in peace. We’re just travelers looking for food.” The monster wasn’t in sight yet, so Fitz really hoped it wasn’t getting mad.

“You killed my sheep.” It was a statement, not a question. “These were my favorite sheep. What gives you the right to deal me this pain?

“Don’t you know that the pain you cause others will be reflected upon yourself? Your life is in MY hands now.”

The monster slowly lumbered into sight. It was a Cyclops. But not just any Cyclops….

This was Polyphemus, the biggest of the beasts to walk the earth. His giant– singular– eye glared down at the mortals. Fitz could imagine the sound of his army being crunched in his massive jaw. His teeth were pointed to a sharp edge, and–was that dried blood? He hoped not. 

“When I’m through with you, you’ll regret ever setting foot on my island. You came to my home to steal, and now you’ll become my meal. A trade, you see? I’ll take from you like you took from me.”

“There’s been a misunderstanding! We never came here to steal! Now that we know these sheep were yours, perhaps you and I can make a deal? I’ll give you our finest treasure, as long as you let us leave here alive!” He called. Polyphemus loomed over him, considering.

“What is this treasure?” He boomed. 

“The world’s best-tasting wine!” Fitz answered. Keefe glanced over, confusion in his ice-blue gaze. 

Fitz took a moment to say, Trust me. I know what I’m doing, before turning back to the Cyclops. 

“Wine?” the beast said suspiciously.

Fitz pulled the bottle from his satchel, handing it to the monster. The bottle was barely as big as Polyphemus’s finger, but he still looked delighted.

“Have a drink!” Fitz said, “Take one sip and you’ll understand how lucky you are to have this. It’s wine so fresh, you’ll never want to eat human flesh again!”

Polyphemus downed the bottle in one sip, hurling the glass into the sea when he was finished. 

“Now we’ll be on our way with no blood spilled here today,” Fitz said. Keefe looked like he couldn’t believe that had actually worked, and Fitz had a similar feeling.

“Wait! Before you go I must ask you: What is your name?”

Fitz panicked. He couldn’t tell the beast the truth. So he raised his head and calmly said, “My name is Nobody.”

“Nobody,” Polyphemus repeated slowly. “I must pay you back for this gift.”

“I’m so glad we see eye to eye,” Fitz said with a smile. 

“Yes, you shall be the final man to DIE.”

“What?” Fitz asked, shock quieting his voice. A moment later, Polyphemus stepped closer to the crew. Fitz got a sinking feeling in his gut. Keefe glanced at his captain, clearly trying to ask “What are we going to do?” without words.

Fitz only had one answer. As loud as he could, he screamed, “WATCH OUT!”

[bookwyrminspiration]

Thoughts on Sophie’s love interests/their relation to her?

Okay I'm gonna try and cover a breadth, but let me know if I missed one! (this got long)

Sokeefe: Spoke about it more here, general idea is I think Keefe's become stagnant and is constantly inhibiting the plot/Sophie to an aggravating degree. He's unhealthily obsessed with her + praises her, yet is constantly meddling/steamrolling in a way I don't enjoy. I think he needs a life outside her and to actually experience consequences--Sophie should hate him for a while. As a treat. Sokeefe's execution was too quick for my tastes, but is still salvageable.

Sophitz: I'm biased; I love Fitz. He's shown remorse and growth, he spent his childhood looking for her while she spent hers wishing for someone like her. Sophie, without knowing or trying, completely annihilated all the pedestals Fitz stood on. Manifested younger, transmits farther, blocks better, etc. She's unwillingly everything he wanted to be. There's this tension, an undertone of subconscious jealousy to it all. Then the matchmaking makes it painfully clear what different worlds they come from, but it's gloriously frustrating because it didn't have to end like that, yet it was always going to, you know? They could've talked, they could've waited--but they were giddy and rushed in too soon (they never would've waited) and now they're further apart than ever. Really really hoping to see them re-find each other and establish something true and strong, non-romantically

Sodex: Sophie feels weird about it because they're technically cousins, so we're not starting strong (if Sophie didn't care, neither would I, but that's a separate thing). Furthermore, Dex fell hard for the first person in the world to not be a bigoted ass to him. Very low bar, very sweet and innocent, but entirely doomed to fail from day one. The crush was one-sided and built on nothing, the friendship forming later based on actual interactions and getting to know each other, which I think is a more compelling and sensible direction for the two of them. Dex is quick, stubborn, petty, and loyal. Big fan of what they've got now.

Sophiana: The pettiness of the first book, the push and shove. The nudge from Alden, the betrayal. Sophie consumed Biana's family's existence before she could walk, Biana always left out wanting until suddenly she was There. This thing she'd been excluded from made flesh to hate. A ratty, weird antithesis to Biana's princess reputation. The bridging of that gap and the sincerity they develop is beautiful. The ways Sophie opens Biana's eyes and Biana fights in turn to be there for her. Hoping we get more from them in-depth in the future

Solinh: Linh's resilient, caring, has spent a lifetime being an unwanted danger afraid of herself and hasn't had the time to find herself outside of survival. Sophie revolutionized Linh's world, enabled her to find the space she needed to grow and breathe easier. She's scary powerful, determined, and joyful--all of which Sophie would benefit from in turn. They could go on a journey of self-discovery and building confidence together, though right now their one-on-one scenes are a little lacking

Sopharella: Lot of layers to these two. One of her first friends, but despite that was one of the last Sophie actually got to know. Marella wanted to join and blamed Sophie for leaving her, decided it wasn't for her, then was dragged into it all anyway. They've never been super close, but are still tied together in ways they don't understand (Caprise's relationship to the Neverseen). Neither of them want to be in the situation they're in, and yet. They're in a sort of truce, but it doesn't seem either of them are doing anything to move beyond that

Hekster: Ah, rivals to lovers. Stina's unstable superiority, distancing herself from them in hopes no one remembers hey, weren't your parents...? The immaturity of "you laughed at me. you didn't even know me but you took his side" (paraphrased, Lodestar). The "We good, Foster?" Lot of hostility, but a lot of growth on Stina's part in this one (said because like 90% of Sophie's hostility is in reaction). Solid up until Stellarlune. However, I find the imbalance of that hostility to detract from the rivalry's appeal; if it was genuinely mutual instead of Stina being a bully and Sophie defending herself, I'd be more into it.

Sotam: Adore Tam. The defiance, the stubbornness, the way he'd rather fuck off and yet he's become part of this group almost against his will. The quiet burden he's given himself his whole life, the fear and responsibility. The way he'd choose Linh over the world. He's indebted to Sophie for saving Linh, for getting them out and getting her to an environment where she could connect and build her confidence. He's saved her in turn. They've got a sort of silently orbiting each other thing going on. I personally find their backgrounds (as Others), defiance, and humor to best serve a strong platonic bond.

Lopster: I don't even need to explain myself 100/10 no notes

[the-way-astray]

Keefe headcanons???

when keefe realized he could inflict, he had mixed feelings. on one hand, he always wanted to be able to. on the other, he can only really do it because his empathy's so strong and why is his empathy so strong? because of his mom's genetic manipulations. so like. he struggles with that

he takes longer than cassius to do his hair. look, i know canonically he makes fun of how long cassius takes to do his hair, but you know keefe takes longer then thirty-one minutes, let's be so for real here, anon. canon doesn't exist actually

anyway fitz taught him to do his hair, actually. they were experimenting and keefe liked that style so fitz taught him how to do it

speaking of fitz, they share a room in the elite levels. oh, but the elves don't really do sharing rooms because there's space enough for every- well, guess who doesn't care. that's right. me

keefe learned his . . . dubious use of empathy from his dad. when he was a kid, his dad would always read his emotions and then just casually tell his mom what he was feeling, so keefe learned to do the same thing and doesn't realize it's fucked up

fitz was the first one to call out that behavior but keefe still struggles with it

fitz keeps keefe in line. in my head

fitz is actually the one that won't let keefe touch his hair everyone has it flipped

this post is turning into a keefitz post lemme backtrack

keefe really likes the elvin equivalent of oranges/citrusy fruits and in unraveled if i don't see him intimidatingly eat a lemon like an apple i will simply perish

before the series started, he changed his hair and eye color all the time with elixirs from slurps and burps so he did know dex kinda even before sophie was in the picture

one time he dyed the tips of his hair black so he looked like a porcupine

he's one of those people that buries himself under the comforter even if it's like 150 degrees outside and inside (i think this is canon actually)

(spoilers for crooked kingdom whoopsie) you know that scene where they fall through the ceiling because they spilled really potent acid on the ground? keefe has definitely done that. that's why Nobody Goes To The Fifty-Sixth Floor Of Candleshade. there's just a gaping hole in the floor between the fifty-fifth and fifty-sixth floor

keefe decorated the rim of said hole with tiny chunks of lumenite he secretly shaved off his dad's statue and since his dad never goes to that floor he doesn't know about it

keefe performed the elvin equivalent of a satantic ritual with the hole (he was high on fathomlethes)

his favorite scent is sharpie. unfortunately he's never actually smelled it before. come on, shannon, give the people (me) what they want in unraveled

when he first heard about sophie (not from fitz) he thought she was a rumor

he's ridden verdi before once when grady made him do chores waiting for sophie to come home

he fell off. painfully

he has never baked ever not even once in his entire life. not ever. this is important to me

keefe and fitz are the epitome of the newest, hottest romance trope that's taken the book world by storm: baker x cannot bake for the life of them

keefe was the one that painted that vacker family portrait actually

della told fitz she wanted to commission a portrait of them to celebrate alden's recovery and fitz was like "i know just the guy"

fitz just didn't tell sophie that because he didn't want to ruin the mood during the flashback scene

remember when fitz said he went to the hekses place for a delivery once? actually alden took keefe too and keefe thought it was cool. yes i know canon says keefe wasn't there and thought it was gross but we ignore canon in this headcanon household

he tried to convince fitz to join his hair and eye color changing ways by changing his eye color to teal and hair color to brown but alas fitz refused to join him

oh shit i'm keefitz posting again

he only turned the lab table to silver because it was ugly he wouldn't have done it if it wasn't so crusty-looking why doesn't lady galvin appreciate his efforts no one understands him

he once showered in the elvin equivalent of orange juice

[doodle-do-wop]

Kotlc theory: spoilers for Stellarlune

I'm probably gonna slap this on discord cause I like rambling to my friends but it felt like a fun theory to drop here anyway

It's a very very VERY long plot point that I honestly kinda maybe somewhat thought about the first time it popped up but the missing star stone Gisela had commissioned into a hair thingy

Biana mentions her dad taking her to buy a comb once when she was young and that was that up until Stellarlune when the star stone is essential now for Elysian and Biana, brilliant girl that she is, has a theory about the stones and as per use, she's right. Whenever Biana has a theory there is like a 90% chance she's right or she was still right but just slightly missed the target. So it turns out Biana has had the star stone this whole damn time sitting in a box because little baby Biana didn't think it was pretty/it wasn't the one she wanted

But Cyrrah purposefully gave the star stone to Biana and yeah it could just be because no one would think twice about some little kid having what is essentially the government's biggest secret in a jewelry box for who knows how many years but could Biana have been essential to Elysian in some other way besides being the keeper of the place?

Had Alvar ever been ordered to snoop through his family's jewelry because Gisela heard they bought something from Cyrrah but everyone just shrugged her off because she's crazy and paranoid and none of Della's jewelry was special but womp womp Gisela uses her brain for something other than kicking kids and she right

I know Biana is Shannon's favorite plot device for moving things along and Dex is her favorite when she remembers he exists and needs to set a kid on fire (I really hope Dex doesn't die in the final battle because if anyone is going down to an exploding glittery rock it would be Dex but knowing him and fire Dex might survive this) but I genuinely think Biana might still have a foot in the door with this whole Elysian thing

And yeah, big shocker I'm talking about Stina again, but where the fuck did this kid get a book on BATTLE STRATEGY??? How did this 'cowardly' character who has only been in ONE FIGHT THAT WASNT EVEN GIVEN TO US IT WAS JUST SPARK NOTES NEVER TO BE TOUCHED UPON AGAIN( Shannon when I catch you Shannon) HOW DID SHE OF ALL THE CHARACTERS WHO HAVE NEARLY LOST THEIR LIVES USE THAT THING INSIDE HER SKULL CALLED A BRAIN AFTER ONE BATTLE AND THINK "hey i should learn battle strategy" WHEN NO ONE ELSE DID

Shannon hates me, it's true, she stuck a sticky note to my door that says 'I hate you Doodle-xoxo go piss girl (Shannon)' and I saw her in a Mazda waiting for me to read the note and then dramatically burn tires as she drove off, so I know this blonde woman will do SOMETHING that will make me wanna throw book 10 into the ocean. It will probably be the page count of the book for the number of 'last time on Shameless' filler paragraphs. But she'll do SOMETHING to piss me and only me straight off and it's gonna have something to do with Stina I feel it in me bones.

Cause where did she get a battle strategy book????? Who did Stina go up to and say 'hey does my library card work for goblin writings on battle strategy?'. Elves don't have those types on books they're allegedly peaceful but I mean if they made themselves forget about Nightfall and Elysian the elves might have a super secret dark history of battle strategy.

Biana, Fitz, Tam, Linh, Wylie, Stina, Dex, (I don't even remember if Keefe was there I just recall the Horse Girls and Sophie punching stained glass while Marella shows her support for the LGBT) and the rest of the adults who have so far been nerfed beyond nerffing

Unless Shannon decides she needs a book 11 book 10 is about to be the longest book I've ever had the misfortune of laying my eyes on or worse, broken into two book parts

Shannon can't drop cookie crumbs no more she can only drop the full fucking box of cookies so that battle strategy better come in clutch like the deus ex machina I know it's going to be but I also think it's hilarious that Sophie and the gang leave Stina to her own devices for maybe less than 24 hours and Stina managed to set up a full armada in that time.

Shannon had Stina do far too many things in Stellarlune that are never touched upon/mentioned after they're said and once again, she can't drop crumbs she can only drop the whole cookie. Stina in Stellarlune volunteered to 1) talk to a psychopath 2) search through Kenric's library for a crystal that still wasn't found and 3) read battle strategy while calling herself their strongest asset

Stina has to have something up her sleeves and it better be something big or I'm fighting Shannon in the park lot again. Stina could have gotten the book on battle strategy from Kenric's library tbh and asked to check it out or she was only allowed to read it in Kenric's library. Who knows. I think it's hilarious that Oralie might've had to report back to the council that Stina Heks is reading battle strategy books. Lord only knows how Timkin handled telling the Collective his daughter is reading those books.

Can't believe Stina might be a deus ex machina in book 10, I will go crazy if book 10 is too long and has to be broken up into two parts. I still feel like Biana plays a bigger part because she always does. And this has gone from theory to nonsensical rambling but that's just how this blog rolls

[jadarnr]

Hello everyone!

Back here after 4 long years… Breaking the ice with my fave #OTP game…

List 10 OTPs without reading the questions:

1. Crowley/Aziraphale (Good Omens)

2. Belle/Rumple (Once upon a time)

3. Christina/Owen (Gray’s Anatomy)

4. Olivia/Fitz (Scandal)

5. Violet/Dietfried (Violet Evergarden)

6. Daria/Trent (Daria)

7. Liza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang (Fullmetal Alchemist)

8. Gintoki/Tsukyo (Gintama)

9. Elijah/Hayley (The Originals)

10. Esther/Abel (Trinity Blood)

Now answer:

1. Remember the episode when you started shippin' couple number 6?

“Road Warriors”. Trent looked EXACTLY like my first high school crush 😛

2. Have you ever read a fanfiction about the #2?

Just ONE? C’mon are you kidding me??? Who do you think you are talking to?

3. Has a photo of 4 ever been on your screensaver/profile photo/Tumblr?

Mmmh no, not this one

4. If number 7 suddenly split today, what would be your reaction?

Well… they official never got together so… That would be good news because at least I would know that they were together at least for a while 🥲

5. Why number 1 is so important?

Firstly because it unleashed my unconditional love for David Tennant 😍 And secondly... well I report what I once read on somewhere (maybe here):

Aziraphale and Crowley somehow check all the boxes for me in terms of a perfect ship.

Forbidden Romance? You’ve got it. Friends to Lovers? Yep. Pining? Check. Mutual Pining? Double check. Idiots in love? I have not seen two dumbasses more in love. Slowburn? 6000 years. Historical Romance? Yes is an understatement. One thinks they aren’t good enough for the other, while the other is head over heels for them? Absolutely. Miscommunications leading to angst? You could’t find two individuals who are worse at communicating. Bicker like an old married couple? “Oh lord, please heal this bike”. Pet names? angel. Are very soft but also bastards? Yep.

6. Is pair number 9 funny or serious?

Serious… too much sometimes. Elijah, you needed to loosen up a bit 🙄

7. Of all the couples which one has more chemistry?

Mmmh… hard question. I’d say 1,4,9

8. Of all the couples which one has the strongest bond?

9 no doubt about that 😭

9. How many times have you read/seen things about the couple number 10?

Unfortunately there is very little material around.. 😭2-3 noteworthy fanfictions, a few dozen drawings. (Esther/Abel shippers, wherever you are, step up!)

10. Which of the ships lasted the longest?

Number 9 and 2. And number 1 of course. No one can convince me otherwise ����

11. How many times, if any, has number 6 broke?

None! Because they were never together 😩

12. If the world were suddenly in a zombie apocalypse, which would survive between 2 and 8?

Number 8 no doubt!!!

13. Has 7 ever had to hide their relationship?

IF they were together, I would say yes. But wait! Maybe they were together and hid it too well!!! 😝

14. Is 4 still together?

It is not clear to us or to them

15. Is 10 canon?

Definitely NO

16. If all ships participated in a Hunger Game in pairs, who would win?

It would be a very tough competition between all of them.

Now I DEMAND a fanfiction about it. That would be awsome

17. Have they ever tried to sabotage couple number 5?

No need: they sabotage themselves 🙄

18. Which ship would you defend to the death and even afterwards?

Number 1

19. Did you spend hours a day going on tumblr or Ao3 for number 3?

No, never did for 3. In the end, it was the one they gave the end that made the most sense. Let them rest in peace like that.

20. If an evil witch told you to split one of the ten, who would you choose?

Then again considering the fact that they would have to be together to do that and practically none of the 10 are... I'd say I'd sacrifice four.

YOUR TURN!!!

[alj4890]

Can't Take My Eyes Off of You

(Maxwell Beaumont x Olivia Nevrakis) In a Choices The Royal Romance Crackship Series

Song Inspiration Is It Love by Fitz and the Tantrums

A/N Picking up directly from the end of the previous chapter.

Masterlist

Chapter 6

If there was one thing Maxwell learned from his many dreams, it was that one never wastes time.

Once the words, kiss me, registered, he surged forward and did as she requested. He grasped her hips, pulling her as close to his body as he could. He never knew when Bertrand or his alarm or some other random noise would yank him from these perfect moments spent in a dream world. He only knew he needed to horde every single second with the woman who ruled his mind.

And then...

He realized he wasn't dreaming after all.

Breaking away took every single bit of willpower that he lacked when it came to Olivia.

"What?" She asked when he merely stared at her.

"I-" he swallowed, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that she was really in his bed and was wanting him to kiss her. "You..."

He'd never questioned things before in his life, so why start now?

"Max-" Olivia sank against him when he captured her lips in another long deep kiss.

Her own mind seized with victory. The feel of his arms around her already sent delicious desire pulsating throughout her body. His lips, how had they gained such power to make her almost senseless? Why did they feel like they were made specifically for her?

A few stray thoughts that her experiment was going better than planned drifted through her mind. She had been certain that Maxwell would have questioned her to the point of her walking away in frustration. She'd been prepared to shut him up before he could draw her into a needless discussion. Kissing seemed the best way to curb his talkative self and she decided early on that showing him a little skin would be another effective method if the kiss didn't work.

She knew she'd shocked him by being in his room and even took a bit of evil glee in it. His reaction to thinking it was all a dream was actually, as much as it galled her, quite endearing.

Plus, it didn't hurt that he immediately did exactly as she said. It was a sign that a future together could be possible, especially if he never questioned her on it.

But...

Why wasn't he questioning her? Was he not the least bit curious over her decision to not only spend the majority of the evening waiting for him in his room nor the fact that she insisted he kiss her? Did he take it for granted that someone like her would want someone like him?

Olivia broke away from his mind numbing kiss to glare at him.

Maxwell began to silently curse himself.

How have I already screwed up a kiss?

The look on her face made him feel like he was thirteen years old again. That spin the bottle game had been his first chance to kiss Olivia and he'd ended up giving his first kiss to a disappointed Kiara. That particular event led him to avoid ever taking part in that party game again.

Bracing himself for a critique on his lip maneuvers, he asked what was wrong.

"Aren't you curious as to why I'm here?" She asked.

"Yeah." His eyes searched hers. "I am."

She sat up, still straddling his waist. "And?"

"You told me to kiss you." He shrugged. "I'm not going to waste time asking questions when I can kiss you instead."

Granted that was what Olivia wanted, yet she also knew they needed to discuss what all this meant before things got a little too carried away.

Maxwell stared up at her, waiting to see what she wanted of him.

"We need to talk about boundaries." She began.

"Boundaries?" He mumbled, utterly confused.

"Yes." She snapped. "We can't just jump on each other whenever we want."

His eyes widened over her use of the word, jump.

She huffed in irritation. "This must be planned out until we figure out what this is."

"Okay." He slowly nodded. "Do you know what this is?"

"Of course I do." She folded her arms. "It's a test."

"For what?" He prodded.

"For whether or not we can be together." Olivia huffed.

Honestly, could she be with someone so clueless?

Maxwell shot up so quickly, she had to grasp his shoulders to keep from slipping off his lap. His nose bumped into hers causing her to look directly into those incredible blue eyes of his.

"Together, together?" He asked. "Like what I've been wanting?"

She nodded. "Why else would I be here?"

"Hold up!" He gripped her waist. "You came here tonight, waited, to see if we can be a couple?"

"Yes." She hissed, eyes narrowing upon his. "I wouldn't wait on you for anything pointless."

It didn't matter that she looked like she could easily strangle him without feeling a shred of guilt. Maxwell was on cloud nine, scratch that, cloud nine million nine hundred ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine, in hearing her say the very words he'd longed for. He could hardly believe that his rotten luck in life had somehow allowed this miracle of all miracles to come into existence.

"Are you going to listen?" Olivia demanded when he did nothing but stare at her in awe.

"Yes!" He relaxed back against the headboard. "I'll do whatever you want."

That cooled her temper to hear his ready agreement.

"Now then," she cleared her throat, "until Liam officially picks Riley, we can't be seen openly together."

Maxwell nodded. "Okay."

"Once that's taken care of, we meet when and where I decide." She declared. "Got it?"

"Got it." His smile grew.

"Why are you smiling over that?" She snapped.

"Because I'm happy." He admitted. "We get to be together!"

"When I say so." She reminded him.

"Right." He couldn't stop smiling. "When you say so."

She eyed him.

"Can I still ask you out?" He asked. "It will still be up to you, but I would like the chance to let you know how much I want to be with you."

Having her ego stroked in such a manner brought a slight smile to Olivia's lips.

"You may." She deemed with a regal tilt of her head.

His dimples deepened with his smile.

"Anything else you want to ask?"

Maxwell shook his head.

"Really?" Olivia wondered how the most persistently curious person on Earth could be silent during something like this.

"I just want to be with you." Maxwell admitted. "I don't care how or in what way."

He reached up to cup her cheek. His thumb brushed against her porcelain skin while he marveled at being able to feel any part of her.

"I'll do whatever I have to, to be with you." He vowed.

"So you don't mind being told what to do?" She asked, still not quite trusting him.

"Nope." His grin caught her off guard. "I think it's kinda hot."

"Hot?!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah." His hand dropped from her cheek. "In most of my dreams you tell me what to do and it's a definite turn on."

Olivia blinked at him.

"You are so sexy telling me how you want it." He admitted with an unrepentant grin.

She didn't know how to respond to that.

If he found her bossing him around sexy, then a life together would make her the sexiest woman to ever exist.

Olivia cleared her throat. "Then, I think you should kiss me again."

She expected him to slam his mouth on hers in wild excitement. Her breath caught when he instead took his time.

His hooded blue eyes began to trace her features while his hands moved along her curves. With parted lips, he inched forward to press a lingering kiss to her neck.

The gentle brush of his lips against her skin sent goose bumps everywhere.

He dotted a few more kisses before sucking against her pulse point.

She didn't know which she liked more, that kiss or his hands touching her. She only knew she didn't want it to stop.

A moan she'd never made before in her life slipped out.

He jerked away from her.

"Did I hurt you?!" He cried out.

"Hurt me?" She repeated. "What are you talking about?'

"Your daggers?" He pointed towards her torso. "It hit me that I might be digging them into your skin."

Her eyes widened. "You know about my hidden daggers?"

"Well, yeah."

Still in shock that he knew something that she kept secret from even Liam, she gestured towards his desk.

"I removed them when I first came in."

Maxwell stilled. He looked over at his desk, all the way across his room.

"You left them over there?" He asked.

"Yes, what of it?" Olivia prodded.

He wondered if she knew what she'd done. Not only was she here, proving she felt something for him, but she also just revealed that she trusted him. Olivia leaving her daggers out of reach spoke volumes.

"Maxwell?" She moved back into his line of sight.

He wondered if he should tell her what she'd done. He thought it might embarrass her, which was not at all what he wanted to happen tonight. Deciding to keep that reveal to himself, he refocused on her.

She really is crazy about me.

In one swift move, he reversed their positions.

Olivia whimpered in shock to find herself under him. Normally, she would fight against having some man having the upper hand, even in bed, over her. She'd never liked being pinned down. She made certain to always be on top in both sparring and bedroom activities.

Something about having Maxwell in the dominant position made her heart race. The feel of his body pressing her into the mattress made her want more. She might even like him to hold her wrists above her head while he--

His lips captured hers in a ravenous kiss. Olivia slipped one hand behind his head while the other drifted down his back. The way his muscles tensed at her touch made her long to feel even more of him.

"Take your shirt off." She demanded.

He immediately whipped it over his head and tossed it across the room.

The smile upon her face caused his heart to slam into his chest.

Her greedy hands traced over his arms and pecs before dipping down to his abs.

"Is that a bruise?"

Maxwell stilled. In the dim lamplight, his tattoo he'd kept hidden for years was now on full display.

"It's not a bruise."

He knew his brother would kill him once he found out that a member of the Court had seen the, as Bertrand put it, the most shameful desecration one could do upon one's body.

"It's a tattoo!" Olivia exclaimed after closer inspection.

"Yep." Maxwell muttered, closing his eyes against the teasing that was about to ensue.

"It's for your mother, isn't it?" She asked softly.

His eyes popped open, searching hers for understanding.

"How'd you know?"

Olivia traced the baby hippo with her fingers. "I remember her nickname for you."

Maxwell stilled her fingers with his hand, pressing her palm flat against the tattoo.

She looked up and saw the vulnerable emotion flooding his features. She searched for something to say and came up empty. Not knowing why she felt the need to hurry and wipe such a mixture of sadness and worry from his face, she tugged him back down for a tender kiss.

It was the first time in her life she'd ever wanted to comfort someone.

Maxwell sank into her embrace.

She knows me, he thought. She knows me better than any woman, anyone, I've ever known.

Unable to put into words what her remembering that precious part of his past meant to him, he deepened the kiss.

Their movements became frantic once more as they fought to get the other out of the remainder of their clothes.

"Wait!" Olivia cried out when her top got stuck. "It has a zipper on the--"

The two froze when they heard her phone ring.

Olivia groaned while yanking her top back into place. Leaning over, she swiped it up to answer.

Maxwell tried to get his breathing under control. He could tell by the look on her face that he wasn't going to like what this call was about.

"Right." Olivia grumbled. "I'll be right down."

She huffed in frustration while pushing Maxwell off of her.

"What was that?" He asked.

"That," she got up to search for her shoes, "was my driver telling me it's time to leave for the airport."

"What?!" He cried out, flopping back against the pillows. "Why are you leaving so soon?"

"Because I have meetings and a dress fitting in the Capital." She told him while placing her daggers in their many holsters.

Olivia glared at him when he said he wished she didn't have to go. "You shouldn't have taken forever to come to your bedroom?!"

"I didn't know you were waiting on me!" He pointed out. "If I'd known you were, I'd have been here as soon as everyone sat down for dinner."

Her irritation dimmed some at that.

"Next time, go to your room." She told him.

"I'll never stay out late again." He vowed.

After she smoothed her skirt back into place, she hesitated at his door. She wanted him to kiss her goodbye but didn't want him to know she did. It seemed silly after what they'd done in his bed to want something sentimental like a farewell kiss.

"I suppose I'll see you in a couple of days." She muttered.

Maxwell sprang up off the bed and took her back into his arms. He pressed a tender kiss on her lips.

"Any chance we can find some time alone during the Coronation Ball?" He asked.

"Perhaps." She smiled at him. "It will have to be somewhere secret."

"How about the hedge maze?" Maxwell offered. "Nobody is going to take a chance on missing out on whoever Liam favors with dances and all before the big announcement."

Olivia considered that and knew it to be true. No one would dare venture away from the ballroom until they knew who would be the new queen.

"Hedge maze it is." She decided. "I'll let you know what time to meet me out there."

Reluctantly easing out of his arms, she quickly darted out of his room.

Closing the door behind her, Maxwell leaned his forehead against the wooden barrier.

"I can't wait for the ball." He said with a grin.

[emcon-imagines]

Living on the Bus as an Agent of SHIELD (based on my own experience traveling for work) (AGENTS OF SHIELD)”

requester: N/A // a/n: yes I was inspired by my current work travels and I LOVE to think about the reality of daily Bus life haha. Yes I would be open to doing a part 2?! also yes I'm back but not really? just writing whatever i feel like tbh

For the first few days, you’re weirdly formal about things. You don’t want to sit on the furniture or cook or anything because like… this Bus is NICE. you sit on the floor and eat off the coffee table

The team is gonna see you in your pajamas. You’re gonna see the team in their pajamas. It’s gonna happen. You all are living together and there’s no way around this.

For the first few days, you wake up early to get ready before even leaving your bunk so that no one sees you in any sort of unpresentable shape.

But finally you crack because everyone is staying up late and you want to change into cozy clothes so you change into your pajamas.

(It’s a pair of pink Snoopy pajamas)

You walk back out of your bunk praying no one will notice until someone (Coulson) says “aww I like y/n’s pajamas!”

At night, Coulson likes to watch movies on the  briefing room screen and Skye usually joins him. The others will stop in, but they are the constant.

It’s the worst movies, and the weirdest shit from whatever country’s Netflix the plane is in

Skye also has been personally trying to mess up Coulson’s algorithm so she watches tons of random things on his accounts

Usually the team is drunk during these movie marathons and exhausted after a day in the field

Most of the time, you don’t make it through the movie—you keep nodding off halfway though

Or you go to your bunk, and fall asleep to the sound of a couple teammates, usually Coulson and Skye, laughing their asses off at whatever movie they put on

The Bus is cleaned professionally once a week when you check in on a SHIELD base, but you still find yourself cleaning up all the time because you don’t want to be the “messy” roommate

Ward’s the one who scares you the most when it comes to cleaning because his bunk doesn’t even look LIVED in and he always seems to witness you dropping a napkin of crumbs on the floor, or trying to silently put a plate in the sink “to soak”

This might be a surprise, but there isn’t a chore schedule. Chores are done as needed, and usually quickly assigned. For example, if you trained with someone, the lower ranking people just kinda… automatically clean up and put the mats away and wipe things down after

The dishes pile up in the sink and after a day or so, someone just does them while they’re waiting for someone in the microwave. Usually Jemma or Ward.

You learn everyone’s shower habits really quickly.

Some people (Jemma) are morning shower people, others (Fitz, Skye) are night shower people, others (Ward, May) are post-training shower people, and Coulson just tends to shower before dinner, though he uses the bathroom attached to his office

Coordination is key because nothing is worse than when the bathroom is still wet from the previous person 😭😭😭

People calling dibs after a really long day/mission

Dinner is honestly usually takeout. You always talk about cooking and make plans to but never do. At some point in the evening, someone always announces they’re ordering and everyone else bandwagons on

Breakfast is the only meal that is sometimes cooked. Coulson makes a mean egg sandwich, but you gonna be up early for that.

The team often resupplies on base, but very often (at least a few times a week), someone makes a Cosco/Walmart/convenience store run.

So if you want snacks (or lunch stuff), you gotta tag along or ask REALLY nice

May somehow ALWAYS knocking on your bunk door 5 minutes before your alarm was gonna go off to “make sure you’re up”

Trying to put on your best “awake” voice because nothing prepares you for May knocking on your door asking if you’re awake. Ever.

Also, in that same vein, you’re going to try your best to be so closed off and professional and then one day, you’re going to break that illusion. For me, it was vomiting out the door of a car stuck in traffic 🤠

It’s weird how quickly the team picks up on your habits and idiosyncrasies. Like May getting your favorite chips from the store, or Fitz asking what you’re thinking about because you’re bouncing your leg again and you only do that when your thinking intently

The boredom is sometimes real, especially when you’re waiting on orders and just in standby for a day or so. You end up borrowing a lot of Ward’s books and they’re not the kind of thing you’d usually read, but hey, they fill the time

tag list: @ssswallow @sevpurisimp @the-kinnie-in-me @sweetjedi

[thatswhatsushesaid]

Like a liturgy, I repeated the question. “Whence comes the Fool and why?”

“Whence? Ah, whence?” He went nose to nose with Ratsy for a moment, formulating a reply to his own question. Then he met my eyes. “Go south, Fitz. To lands past the edges of every map that Verity has ever seen. And past the edges of the maps made in those countries as well. Go south, and then east across a sea you have no name for. Eventually, you would come to a long peninsula, and on its snaking tip you would find the village where a Fool was born. You might even find, still, a mother who recalled her wormy-white babe, and how she cradled me against her warm breast and sang.” He glanced up at my incredulous, enraptured face and gave a short laugh. “You cannot even picture it, can you? Let me make it harder for you. Her hair was long and dark and curling, and her eyes were green. Fancy that! Of such rich colors was this transparency made. And the fathers of the colorless child? Two cousins, for that was the custom of that land. One broad and swarthy and full of laughter, ruddy-lipped and brown-eyed, a farmer smelling of rich earth and open air. The other as narrow as the one was wide, and gold to his bronze, a poet and songster, blue-eyed. And, oh, how they loved me and rejoiced in me! All the three of them, and the village as well. I was so loved.” His voice grew soft, and for a moment he fell silent. I knew with great certainty that I was hearing what no other had ever heard from him. I remembered the time I had ventured into his room, and the exquisite little doll in its cradle that I had found there. Cherished as the Fool had once been cherished. I waited.

Robin Hobb's Royal Assassin

Chapter 15 - "Secrets"

[epic-kotlc-crossover]

Get In the Water

hehehehehehehe >:)

@ham-cheese-toastie @myfairkatiecat @bookwormgirl123 @myfairkatiecat @justalunaticfangirl

@thesfromhms

Fitz could see his home, so close. Only a few more hours. Marella. Sophie. His kingdom. The only thing missing would be... Keefe. But Fitz shoved that thought aside, rowing faster and faster. Nothing was going to stop him now.

The shoreline grew closer and closer, and he could see the outline of the palace. But then a strange sensation came over him. The sounds of the sea faded away, and the raft began moving backward.

What?

"No," he whispered. He strained against the tide, but all his strength couldn't stop his boat from reversing. Ithica was fading back into the horizon faster and faster and faster-- until everything stopped. His kingdom was just out of sight. Fitz had a sinking feeling in his gut. Slowly, he turned around, dreading what he would find. "NO!"

A figure stood on top of the water, long blue hair flowing around his face like water. He had seaweed in his blue beard and a shell-encrusted chiton. The figure had a long golden trident grasped in one hand.

“There you are. Coward.”

Fitz recognized the voice immediately. Poseidon had found him, though Fitz had never seen him in his human form.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for years. This is the perfect place to strike. With your home so close, and your wife just beyond these shores.”

No, no, no, Fitz thought, panicking. Poseidon would never let him go. 

“You see, I’ve got a reputation. I can’t let the world think I’m merciful. Now get in the water.”

The waves seemed to beckon Fitz closer. But he couldn’t step off of the raft. Not ever.

“Get in the water. Or I’ll make the tide so high that all of Ithica will drown.” 

“Wait,” Fitz pleaded. “Stop this. Please.”

“I’ll make tidal waves so tall that both your wife and your daughter will die.”

“No!”

“Get in the water! Do you think I’m lying? You have lived more than enough. If you don’t get in the water, I’ll take Marella and gouge her eyes out. Unless you choose to die.” Poseidon sounded so angry. Deadly. Fitz knew he wouldn’t hesitate to make good on his threats.

Would he die to save Sophie? Even after spending twenty years just trying to see her again? It was like when Zeus told him to choose. This time it was him… or his family and kingdom.

“Aren’t you tired? It’s been ten years. How long will this grudge last? We’re both grieving. Why not just leave this here and just go home?”

“I can’t.”

“Maybe you could learn to forgive?” Fitz tried. 

Poseidon considered that for a moment. Then he raised his trident and muttered, “No.”

The sea seemed to rise up around the god, encasing him in swirling water. The sky darkened, whirlpools forming everywhere Fitz looked. Poseidon grew taller and taller, and soon he was a hulking figure made of seawater. It looked like the ocean had grown a person fifty feet tall and given it a massive golden trident.

Giant waves crashed over Fitz's raft, soaking him instantly. Over the roar of the storm, he could hear the god yelling.

“Ruthlessness is… Mercy upon… Ourselves! DIE!”

With every word Fitz was dragged underwater a little more, until he felt the tip of the trident pushing him deeper and deeper, sinking lower and lower. Fitz's eyes stung and he couldn’t hold his breath for much longer. Soon the last bubble of air escaped his lungs and he slowly sank to the depths. 

You can relax, my friend. Dex? A ghostly form appeared by Fitz’s side, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the surface.

I can tell you’re getting nervous.

Look at all we’ve lost and all we’ve learned.

…Keefe? Ice-blue eyes and a lopsided grin came in to focus on Fitz’s other side. Keefe's trademark blond hair looked perfect, so different from when FItz had seen him last. The storm, the lightning... 

I’ll stay in your heart. That was Mom. Fitz held back a sob. 

Together the ghosts pushed him up, up, up out of the water. Before they vanished, they all promised one thing: Fitz, we’re waiting on you.

[crymeariveronceagain]

hey have you ever considered the vackers and envy

there's no way that the vacker kids aren't envious of each other. there's no way in hell.

Like, a household with such rigid requirements of what it means to be a "good" kid? With perfect kids and perfect parents, all vying for affection that's probably limited? Even the best parents can accidentally bestow improper affection on their kids, giving one too much and another too little. There's no way that Fitz and Biana don't stare at each other with longing and malice, glittering in the wings, wanting what the other has.

There's no way Biana doesn't see Fitz as this unattainable goal, this person who is her equal but whose place she can never reach, whose side she can never stand by, because he's Alden Vacker's perfect son. He's the golden boy. Their father will always love him far more than he will ever love her. The world will always love Fitz more. How can Biana ever be satisfied when all the world will ever see is Fitz, over and over again, when all her father will ever see is Fitz, when she's stuck in the shadows, waiting for the moment it actually matters and counts and means that her father's proud of her, too.

There's no way that Fitz doesn't see the way his mom's eyes light up when they look at Biana. There's no way he doesn't see the glitter in her gaze when she looks at the spinning image of her, that she only seems to have cobalt eyes for her daughter. The way Biana doesn't have to ask for gentle hands and soft kisses, for warm hugs and laughter. Fitz has to beg, day in and day out, for the affection his mother bestows on her daughter in a heartbeat, without asking, without needing him at all.

There's no way that Della doesn't see that and smile. Her life is pretty boring. What's she supposed to do with her days? Shop? endlessly? Forever? No. There's gotta be something more fun. There's gotta be some entertainment, some pleasure in life. The house is quiet, the curtains are always too heavy to make the sunshine bright. There are only so many things she can buy, so many dresses to try on, so many parties to throw, so many women to laugh with. At the end of the day, it can get awful boring for a woman with nothing else to do. She could read, but she's read so much. She could write, but she's nothing to say. She could sew, but every design has already been cast. Everything good has already been done. And life, now, for her, is entirely a bore.

Her husband's always had a vice-grip on the life of her son, and she doesn't much care either way. As long as the world is pleased, she's pleased with him.

But Biana? Biana was always her perfect little princess, always so willing to cover up her nasty marks and put on her pretty dresses. She glowed and sparkled under her mother's eye. And it's perfect, and boring. Like everything else in Della's life, like a paper doll for her to dress up and parade about, to bless others' eyes and turn into an eyesore for her own.

Then her eyes narrow, and a look of something deep and gut-wrenching glitters before Della, and the older woman is enthralled.

There's something sinister in her daughter's eyes that she's never seen before. There's something disgusting. Invidious. Looking to take and looking to rip, to claim something unrightfully hers but that she believed ought to rightly have been given. It's deep and it's hollow, echoing up through Biana's gaze like snakes slithering up from the inside of her, eating her eyes and hissing poison.

It's strangely interesting, and deeply intriguing. Della turns and sees... Fitz, with Alden's hand on his shoulder. Quiet pleasure fills her chest, as she sees that the object of her daughter's envy is simply her son. Close and familial quarters with the object of her malice? However will Biana manage? She starts to smile. An Othello all for herself, an Iago prepping her costume for the stage, all to unfold in horrible glory before her gaze. Della could not have imagined a better performance herself.

Fitz glances their way, and she sees a flicker, and for a moment, Della thinks she's seen that same snake-venom look in his eyes.

Something flutters in her stomach, like a startled realization of a plot twist.

Della leans over and kisses her daughter's cheek, gently, whispering loud enough that her son can hear, "Love you, dearest." Biana looks at her, and the envy softens into warmth, hellfire swarming into love.

But Della sees it on Fitz's face, the hellfire in Biana's venomous eyes in his eyes for a moment.

This is no Othello, she thinks, her heart beating faster, a strange sort of pleasure burning in her ears, this is a tragedy of envy, a story not of Cain and Abel, but of Cain and Cain, two bloody murderers, waiting for their chance to strike.

And, I, she thinks, I am the favor of heaven.

All she has to do is give her daughter love, and they'll squabble before her, a bright and glorious act of wrath, malice in front of her, detraction behind closed doors, whispering confrontation that can never be solved.

Nothing can stop envy, she thinks, smiling between her two vicious, violent, flawed, broken, horribly, horribly entertaining children. Nothing can halt it but love.

And what love will these two ever find, if I am the favor of heaven?

And from then on it's an odd spot of joy for her. A little something to come home to, at the end of the day. Alden never notices how Fitz tears Biana down. He's too obtuse for that. But Della sees.

Della never tells Alden that Biana broke the window and blamed Fitz. It doesn't matter, Fitz got punished for it all the same. But Della notices. She thinks about it, sometimes, when she's out with her friends, or out in the shops, and she thinks it's the most fun she's had in years. When people said having kids was a joy, she didn't think they meant like this. Their drama is her drama, and she would eat popcorn in their little theater.

[alaydabug2]

@sparklenarniawizard

Broken heart/Broken mind

Chapter eleven

(Human AU)

Sophie and Keefe met in the children's hospital when they were little. Because of how long they were confined to the four walls of the hospital, they became very close during their stay.

As the years pass, they wind up being in the same classroom together due to their physical conditions. This makes their bond deepen.

But are they able to handle when life gets tough, throwing problems and complications their way?

This originally had a song with it

So use your imagination or play ot on your own 😅

The song is "Stand By You"

(Don't play song until said for best effect.)

Grady dropped Sophie off at the roller rink. She said goodbye and hurried inside. Tam and Linh were already waiting inside. She ran over to them.

"Hey!" Linh said. She tried to meet her half way, but lost control of her skates. Tam rolled over to her and grabbed her shoulders to stop her from spinning out across the floor.

Sophie walked over to her instead. "Ready?"

"Yup!"

"Alright, lemme go get my some skates."

Sophie went to the desk and got the skates. She strapped them on. She made her way onto the hardwood and tested her balance. Once she was good, she rolled to Tam and Linh.

They waited near the entrance for a few minutes while they waited for the others. Keefe came through the door next, Dex right behind him. They got their skates and went onto the floor.

Finally, Biana arrived with her brother trailing behind her. She quickly got situated and ran to join her friends.

"What's he doing here," Tam pointed at Fitz.

"Babysitting," Biana said with an eye roll.

"Hey, I'm not happy about third wheeling you and your friends either," Fitz said as he pulled out his phone. "I tried to see if Alvar would do it, but he's going on a date tonight." He propped his feet up on the armrest of the bench.

"Never mind," Biana muttered. "Let's just skate already!"

Sophie and her friends rolled around the rink. They rotated playing tag, dancing to the music, and trying to knock each other of their feet.

When some slower dances started to come on, they took it as their cue to take a break and get some water as couples invaded the floor.

(Play song.)

After a few songs, Keefe squeezed her hand. He motioned to the rink as Stand By You turned on. She took his hand, and he led her to skate around the edge of the rink together.

They rolled around in silence for a moment until Keefe said, "I know your birthday isn't until next week, but I wanted to give you your present now while we're here."

Sophie's eyebrows raised. He... almost looked flustered. She couldn’t tell for sure because of the dark room, but she could almost see a pink tint to his cheeks. It made one spread across hers, too.

He held out a little box. She took it from him, and gasped when she opened it. Inside was a charm bracelet. It only contained one charm. A small black swan. Alongside it was a tiny drawing of a black swan. On the back, it read in his hand writing:

"I hope you have a very happy birthday, Sophie. I know you've always liked how graceful swans are and how elusive the black ones are, so I figured you'd like this bracelet I saw when I was out shopping with my mom. I hope you like it."

"Oh wow," she breathed. She looked into his eyes. "I love it!"

He almost seemed to slump with relief as a tentative smile etched his lips. He helped her put it on. She tackled him with a hug and nearly sent them tumbling down from the skates.

Keefe was able to steady them. He chuckled a little bit, but wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you," Sophie murmured. "I really appreciate it."

"Of course." He held her a little tighter.

It was pretty much the same as any other time he hugged her. But somehow... this felt different for some reason.

Was it the way his grip was ever so slightly tightened? The way he almost seemed to be swaying her to the music? How her face was buried in his shoulder?

Whatever it was, she had to double-check herself to make sure she wasn't having a seizure with the way her heart seemed to do that same weird flip. That was surely a new development. Although she wasn't sure what it was. With the way her head was pressed against Keefe, she could also hear his heart beating fast.

They rolled around the rink again for ten more minutes. Neither of them had pulled their hands away. They didn't break away until they made it back to their friends and went to sit back in their seats.

Dex had suggested food, so they all made their way to the concession counter. Sophie made her way over to the table and sat down. Keefe took a seat beside her. She smiled at him. His pupils dilated and he looked away.

After eating, they spent the rest of the night horsing around. The dance music came back on, and they chased each other around.

Sophie stayed outside the rink after nearly everyone else left. Keefe still wasn't picked up yet. Thankfully, Sophie and her parents knew the drill at that point.

They waited until headlights drove into the parking lot. Ro rolled down her window and told Keefe to get in the car.

Keefe told Sophie goodbye and climbed into the vehicle. She could see through the tinted windows as he collapsed into his seat and started ranting to his sister about something. Except it seemed to be a good rant. When he finished, he had a smile on his face, and Ro patted him on the back.

Sophie got into her own car and her parents drove them home.

[cyberphuck]

Assassin’s Apprentice Abridged: Part One

EDIT: Tumblr randomly swallowed like 500 words in the middle of this, so I've added that back in.

I am finally embarking on my long-threatened project to summarize all of the Farseer Trilogy for my friend Razz so they can understand my shitposts about it but don’t actually have to read it. I started with this post about the cast of characters in the first book.

This is being broken up into sections because the trilogy and AA in particular (as well as Royal Assassin... whew, that one’s gonna be hard) is so insanely long and complex.

And now, Ladies and Gentlequeers, AA Abridged: Part One.

We open on the narrator musing both about writing a history of the Six Duchies (but being unable to because every time he tries it turns into a salty rant about everything bad that's ever happened to him) and also about how very old and decrepit he is. He is hunched over his writing desk, his fingers gnarled and knuckly, literally crumbling away like a Thanos-snapped MCU character as he sorrowfully attempts to make some record of the long and storied life he's lived before he lapses into the sweet void of death.

Fitz is 35.

"I bet you're wondering how I got here," Fitz writes. "It all began when I was born. Neither of my parents bothered to show up."

Actually, the curtain opens on Fitz as a six year old, being hauled up to the front doors of a fort by a cranky older man. "Surely you must have memories of your childhood before six," someone in the audience asks, but Fitz replies "No, I definitely don't, I never did and I'm tired of you asking me that." It never really becomes super important what he was doing before he was six, unless you count the time where he was traveling from the King-In-Waiting's ballsack to the sweet hot vagina of Some Lady He Never Spoke To Again.

Fitz is scooped up and brought inside the fort, and presented to Prince Verity. You'd think Verity would be at least a little upset that his older brother has muddied the line of succession with his long-ago nut, but Verity acts as if Fitz's existence is the funniest thing he's ever seen. "Yep, looks just like him," Verity confirms, then instructs a soldier to bring Fitz to Burrich.

That's right, the cranky old man hammers on the front door, waits for someone to open it, says "this is Prince Chivalry's kid and I'm tired of dealing with him," and then walks off. Despite this, Fitz never develops any abandonment issues and only has healthy and honest relationships with people for the rest of his life.

"Those are all the memories I have of that fort," Fitz writes, "except for that one night that Prince Verity, Burrich, and Prince Regal stood and looked in on me in the stall and Regal complained that I was muddying the line of succession."

Burrich does not think this situation is as funny as Verity did.

But he's honest and loyal, so he sighs and says "C'mon, Lil Accident, I'll find a place for you to sleep." That place is in a horse stall with Vixen, the hound dog, and Nosy, her pup. Burrich looks down at all of them, mutters "Patience is gonna have a fucking aneurysm" and then walks off.

After a couple of weeks, Burrich puts Lil Accident on a horse behind him and they ride away from Moonseye and towards Buckkeep. During this time, offstage, Fitz's father Chivalry gets word of his appearance and does the only sensible and logical thing, which is to ollie out the window while flipping everyone off and yelling "GOOD LUCK FIGURING THIS ONE OUT, LOSERS!" He abdicates and retires to a farm with his weirdo wife, which pisses off basically everyone.

Burrich and Fitz arrive at Buckkeep, the capital of the Six Duchies, a tall castle on a hill overlooking the ocean. Burrich is the stablemaster, in charge of all the critters large and small at the keep. He'd also been Chivalry's right hand man until he'd jumped in front of a boar to keep it from killing the Prince and fucked up his leg. Burrich comes home to Buckkeep with a bad leg and a six year old bastard to find that his bestie has just fucking peaced out without saying anything to him. He's kind of having a bad day. He hands Fitz off to stableboy Cobb, who leads him and pup Nosy to the kitchens to get something to eat.

Cobb sits FItz-and-Nosy just outside the kitchens and goes inside for delicious pie. A burly man walks by Fitz, does a double-take, then points and yells, "Hey everyone! It's Chivalry's Bastard!"

Fitz shrinks down.

"I heard you don't even have a name!" Burly man hollers, then gets right up in Fitz's face. "Is that true, tiny and defenseless six year old boy that I'm accosting? You don't have a name?"

Fitz yells "NOOOOOO" and, like a tiny, dirty Jedi master, force-shoves the man onto his ass. The crowd, assuming that the dude was just a coward who couldn't handle being yelled at by a toddler, has a laugh and carries on with their tasks. Fitz gets up and he and Nosy run away and spend all day hiding in a hole.

Burrich does eventually find him, and with a hearty "what the fuck you can't just burrow underneath the shed, get out of there," returns him to the stables, where his new home is Burrich's little bachelor pad above the stalls. In the days and weeks that follow, Fitz wakes up, eats breakfast, and immediately escapes the keep to go down to the town and run around with a bunch of street kids.

Fitz doesn't say much but he's game for anything and he has a dog, so he's accepted into the gang as "Newboy." He and his new friends generally just run around making trouble, stealing food, and bothering people. One of the notables in the bunch is Molly Nosebleed, called that because she always looks like someone just got done beating the shit out of her. Wholesome!

One sunny day, Fitz, Molly and Nosy are on the rocks near the beach looking for sheel to eat. I have no idea what sheel is and neither does Google. Then Molly's dad shows up to hit her with a stick to teach her a lesson about having a drunk, violent dad.

Alarmed, Fitz force-shoves Molly's dad into the sand. Molly immediately freaks out and struggles to get dad back on his feet to stagger back to their candle-making shop (or chandlery if you're feeling fancy). Fitz is confused at the intricacies of abusive relationships, but relieved that no one yet knows that he has force-shoving powers.

Aside from his brief encounter with childhood trauma, everything is going great for Fitz. Then one day, while he and his fellow urchins (and Nosy) are running from a dude whose sausages they just stole, Fitz runs right the fuck into Burrich.

"You get your butt right back up to the castle, young man," Burrich says, dragging Fitz along by his ear. "And if I EVER find out you've been down in town hanging out with someone again, I will personally have sex with them a bunch of times," he added foreshadowingly.

"I don't have to do what you say," Fitz barks.

"Bark," says Nosy.

Burrich's eyes narrow. "How many fingers am I holding up?" he asks.

"I don't really know numbers," says Fitz.

"Bark," says Nosy.

"Nosy says that's three," Fitz translates.

"Alrighty then, no more puppy for you, the puppy is going to live on a farm upstate," Burrich says. He drags the puppy outside.

Presumably something cool happens to it.

So now instead of slumming around Buckkeep Town, Fitz spends his days following Burrich around and being taught how to manage horses and dogs but not birds because birds apparently hate bastards. Fitz is careful not to let Burrich see him being friendly with any animals.

One day, Fitz is sitting underneath a table in the Great Hall, being friendly with a bunch of puppies. It's the morning after a party and there's plenty of leftover food to be had, and he's happily stuffing pies down his shirt and sharing pieces with the pups. Then he hears footsteps and who should show up but KING SHREWD!

Shrewd is technically Fitz's grandfather but has never really spoken to him. He's walking along with Prince Regal (*crowd boos*) and the king's new fool, a weirdo albino child who's just cartwheeling along behind them.

Fitz goes "hmm, time to bounce" and crawls out from under the table. Shrewd stops to look at him. "Ah, the Little Accident," he says. "If you leave weapons laying around, someone will eventually pick them up and stab you with them."

"What?" says Regal.

"What?" says Fitz.

"I am not going to leave you laying around for someone else to kill me with," Shrewd says. "Lil Accident, take this pin. I am going to to feed you, train you, house you and clothe you. If anyone's got shit to say about it, show them this pin. It means you belong to me."

"...Okay, sure," Fitz shrugs. He puts the pin into the collar of his shirt. Shrewd nods magnanimously and walks on. Regal flips him off. The Fool cartwheels out the door as they leave.

That night, Fitz goes home to Burrich's bachelor pad, but Burrich turns him right back around. "You done gone and did it now," he says. "King Shrewd noticed you and now you're gonna have to go live inside the castle like a fancy lad. Go on."

"But despite my fear and resentment of you, I see you as a protector and father figure," Fitz says.

"Oh little boy who blew up my life, I love and resent you too," Burrich assures him. "If you get lonely, you can come back down here and I'll murder another puppy for you."

Fitz trudges up to the castle. He has a room of his own. There's a fucking weird tapestry on the wall of the ancient King Wisdom consorting with... what is that thing? Slenderman? It's creepy.

Weeks go by. Fitz is kept busy with new lessons in reading and writing and 'rithmetic, as well as swordery. Once in a very long while, he makes the trip back down to the town to visit his buddies, but those trips become fewer and farther between.

It's the middle of the night.

Fitz wakes up to a draft and a light in his face. There's an old man at the foot of his bed, holding up a lantern. "Come with me," the old man says.

"Oh," Fitz yawns, getting out of bed. "It's the call to adventure."

The old man leads Fitz to a doorway in the wall that hadn't been there before. This is where the draft was coming from-- a steep staircase leading up between walls. Old man leads Fitz up a maze of passageways and then finally to a huge hidden room with all the amenities a crazy old wall-man could want, like a fireplace and comfy chairs and a big bed and a library and a science lab.

Also, the old looks like he took a hot frying pan to the face. Like he really looks like hell.

"Wrow," Fitz says.

"Wrow indeed, boy," the old man agrees. "My name is Chade. I bet I look familiar to you. Well it's because I'm King Shrewd's brother and I blah blah blah I have a weasel named Slink. Next you're going to ask what the fuck happened to my face. I can tell everything you're thinking, because I'm a master spy and assassin and-- now this part you should take to heart-- I am always right about everything. Never doubt me."

"Okay," Fitz says.

"Good. That out of the way, let's train you to kill people."

[incorrect-pipravi]

HIYA ITS ME AGAIN

CAN U DO SOME AMOBI FAMILY HCS OR RAVI HELPING PIP WITJ HER PTSD HCS (OR BOTH)? TYSM

SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT, BUT HERE IT IS THE FITZ-AMOBI FAMILY HCS POST:

When Pip is away at Cambridge and Josh misses her, he sleeps in her bed to feel close to her.

I feel like this is pretty much canon, but Pip is closer to Victor than to Leanne because he’s always understanding while Leanne is more strict. Of course, she loves both and they both love her and want the best for her, but she often doesn’t see eye to eye with her mother.

One of Pip’s biggest fears is Josh growing up and growing distant from her (not me projecting onto Pip).

When Pip comes home from Cambridge for the first time after AGAD, Leanne makes a feast of everything Pip loves, Victor and Pip do a movie marathon and she stays awake all night playing Mario Cart with Josh.

Pip finally feels at complete ease for the first time after DT, surrounded by her family and their warmth.

Pip is the type to complain about chores, and do them anyway.

”I’m just so tired, mom!” She whines as she is washing the dishes.

Victor’s happiest moments are the day he met Leanne and Pip, the day he married Leanne, the first time Pip called him “dad” and the moment he held baby Josh for the first time.

Leanne and Victor probably kept contact after she sold him the house and they started out as casual friends, but their relationship slowly developed until they started dating and a few months later he proposed to her.

Leanne realized that she was in love with him, when Pip was really sick and she called him panicking in the middle of night and he simply showed up to take Pip to the hospital and calm her down.

Josh is very proud of his sister. I bet he walks around the school bragging about her!

”She’s the smartest person ever!”

He considers her as his role model.

Pip never complains about Josh stealing her things after AGAD ever.

Josh is the biggest Ravi stan ever. He just loves spending time with him and so does Ravi. Pip even jokes that he comes over to spend time with Josh and not her!

The concept of a siblings rivalry between them to see who will spend more time with Ravi is so funny and cute to me!

Leanne and Victor go on dates regularly.

Victor is such a gift giver! He always buys Leanne the most beautiful and thoughtful gifts.

When Pip has nightmares, she sleeps with Josh and vice versa.

Whenever Pip feels down/depressed, Leanne takes her book shopping. Reading is a hobby they both share!

Victor and Josh LOVED teasing Pip before PipRavi were together because she’s so funny when she’s flustered.

“Your boyfriend is coming over?” Victor would say and Pip would blush and groan.

“He’s not my boyfriend!”

“I saw you holding hands!” Josh would accuse and she would get redder.

”Victor! Josh! Stop the teasing.” Leanne would scold them, only to join in. “I mean it’s enough that she’s embarrassingly in love. Cut her some slack!”

Hope you enjoyed these, bestie!

P.s: I haven’t forgotten Barney, but I just didn’t have anything in mind for him!

[mxnkeydo]

so scarlet (it was maroon) ✧ sokeefe

✧ ship: Sophie x Keefe

✧ what to expect: it all went down went a book went soaring across the classroom but sophie never expects it to end the way it does. acrylic smeared on cheeks, pigment-stained clothes, and a whole keefe sencen later, maybe she never despised him as much as she thought she did.

✧ genre: romance, fluff, humor, sarcasm - enemies to lovers trope, human au, and a love triangle to torment you guys 😈

✧ word count: 2.5K

✧ warnings: slight swearing

✧ link to masterlist

✧ taglist: @swans-chirping-in-the-distance @somerandomhuman080 @foxglove-and-foxfire-lover @carolineforbae @yourtwistedlies (lmk if you want to be added!)

✧ A/N: been a long time since i updated so its probably trashy but here you go!!

***

CHAPTER NINE

In the mornings, Foxfire academy was a hustle of frantic students getting ready for class, their bags like heavy boulders stuffed with binders and papers and whatnot. Amongst all the students, Sophie Foster paced in front of her locker, waiting for a certain someone to show up. And by “someone”, she meant Keefe Sencen.

Keefe was never late. Not once in the time that she knew him was he ever tardy to anything (except for when he ditched classes; then he was absent entirely). So when the bell rang and he still didn’t make an appearance, she sighed and dragged herself to her first class–math. Walking her to AP calculus was a routine–a tradition, even. Afterwards, Keefe would go the same way they came to his physics class in another hallway. Sophie used to insist he didn’t have to go through all that trouble, but now, his absence was jarring. It had her thoughts racing.

He didn’t make it to school late either, which only spiked her worry. Fitz tried to ease her anxiety, but something was wrong, she knew it. She could feel it. After lunch, she walked to art alone, settling in her seat with a frown. The desk next to her would usually be filled with Keefe’s slender figure and he’d be constantly pestering her with sarcastic remarks. Sometimes, she even wished he’d simply just go away. But now that he really was gone, Sophie wished he’d be back again.

Something was wrong, her gut was telling. Something was really wrong.

Art passed by in a blur, and when the final bell rang, Sophie absentmindedly rose from her chair and made her way towards the exit. She was one step away from leaving when–

“Miss Foster? A word.”

Sophie startled and made her way over to Ms. Clarette’s desk, shoving her hands in her hoodie pockets.

“Yes?”

“How are the sessions going?” She asked, resting her chin on his hands.

“Oh. Yeah, they’re–they’re going good. Great, actually.” For the first time, Ms. Clarette smiled genuinely. It turned her into a whole different person from the strict teacher she normally knew.

“Yes, I can see that. Your artwork has been getting better, Sophie. Are you and Mr. Sencen still at each other’s necks?”

Sophie raised her eyebrows, surprised at the question. “Um- no. We’re–we’re good now.” Ms. Clarette smiled as if she’d anticipated that answer.

“Good.” She looked down at the stack of papers on her desk with a red pencil in hand, ready for a long afternoon of grading. “I’m glad. You may leave, Miss Foster.”

Sophie released the breath she’d unknowingly held, sighing deeply as she made her way down the hall. Usually she’d stop for a chat with Linh, maybe admire another one of Dex’s contraptions, but she had no time for that now. She had somewhere to be. 

Exiting the school through the main doors, she turned right instead of the usual left to her house. It wasn’t a long walk to Keefe’s place, but every second she had to wait made her more restless. Another left and a right turn later, she arrived in front of his house. She looked at the dead plants in the front yard, the oval windows on the building, and then–

Sophie’s gaze wandered to the sky, and when she saw a black, hunched figure on the roof, she squinted, blocking out the sun’s glare with her hand. Sitting on the roof somberly was none other than Keefe himself. Sophie thought about calling out, but she’d only succeed in pushing herself farther away from him. Instead, she opened the front door of the house and carefully walked in. The main hall was dusty and lifeless. An antique vase on the kitchen counter held the remains of withered flowers and their rotten stems. Paintings hung on the walls, but they were veiled with white cloths so their contents weren’t visible to any passerby. It was eerily pristine. Ghostly, even. It was as if no one had lived here in a while.

Sophie walked past all of that and climbed the stairs, skipping two steps at a time. She burst into Keefe’s room at the end of the second floor hallway, and was immediately hit with his familiar scent, that same cologne he’d started wearing along with his natural smell of musty books. It was strange when Sophie really thought of it, but it was oddly comforting. His room was more of a mess than usual; scattered books, stray pen and brushes all over his unmade bed, clothes strewn over his cluttered dresser. Sophie could barely even make it to the other side of the room without stepping on anything. She  tiptoed around the bed to avoid kicking or destroying anything on the floor, but–

Spohie hissed quietly as her something sharp dug into her foot, something under the bed. She glanced down at the sharp, blue edge poking out from beneath the satin valance. Snooping was probably not the best idea, Sophie knew that, but her curiosity won her over and she gingerly pulled the object out from under the bed.

It was painting, Sophie soon realized as she marveled at it. A beautiful painting, maybe even more beautiful than the ones hanging in Keefe’s secret art room. But if it was one of his best pieces of art, why was it under the bed? Shouldn’t it be up on the wall somewhere? Sophie ran one hand across the painting, its texture bumpy against her palm. If he closed her eyes, she was sure she could imagine the scene in the painting – the white lilies at the bottom of the canvas, the faint caws of the birds overhead, the meadow of tall grass that would graze her bare legs as she walked. The clouds drifting in the sky, the pink and blue and purple trokes of the sunset. It would be a lazy day, where she would run through the expanse without a care in the world.

There was only one thing that rattled her mind.

Keefe had painted a girl standing in the grass. A girl with blonde tresses and a pink sweater and a white skirt, staring off at the horizon. And was she losing her mind, or was she wearing that same exact outfit when she and Keefe had their first tutoring session? 

She was probably insane. Hell, she was definitely insane.

But…she had quite the reason to believe that it was her. It was her, standing in the field, with a faint smile playing on her lips. In the painting, she was more beautiful than Sophie could ever wish to be.

The thought popped into her mind with no warning.

Do I really look like that to him?

It evaporated as soon as it appeared, but it had Sophie reeling. As much as she wanted to sit down and stare at it for forever, Sophie carefully stuffed it back under Keefe’s bed, her heart beating in her ears like a deafening drum.

The real question here was, how did Keefe get onto the roof? His bedroom had no openings other than the main door. No windows, no chimney–nothing. It was impossible, Sophie had concluded, when she realized there was more to his room than one could see.

She stepped over to the mahogany bookcase, shoving her side against it, praying it would budge. To her luck, it began to move with every push, slowly but surely revealing the same door Keefe had opened for her with a flourish when he first tutored her. She barged in like a woman on a mission, but then stumbled back as she coughed, dust rising all around her. It took a while to clear, and when she could finally see, Sophie studied the room keenly. Everything was just as she remembered; dark, homey, and incredibly messy. But the difference? There was a cold draft coming in through somewhere. Sophie perked up once she felt the wind dance across her skin, raising goosebumps on her arms. Surging forward, she threw open the curtains at the far side of the little room.

The round window was wide open, allowing Sophie to see the colors of the vibrant sunset. She peered down and immediately regretted it, groaning. Her fear of heights was most definitely not helping this situation.

But what if Keefe was in trouble? Based on Cassius’s disappearance and his son’s absence, Sophie could only guess what he was going through. Besides, she saw the way Keefe flinched when he flexed his shoulder a while ago. She could’ve asked, but she hadn’t wanted to pry into personal issues. But if they affected him like this—isolating himself, not responding to any of her concerned texts, maybe it was time she stepped in. 

With a shallow breath, she poked her head out of the window again, this time with caution. Maybe there was a ladder somewhere that she could climb. But as far as Sophie could see, there was no ladder. Only a large, black pole in arm’s length. 

It hit her like a lightning bolt. Of course Keefe had climbed up the pole to the roof, being the daredevil he was. And now she had to do the same.

Gulping, she sat down on the windowsill, trying her best not to look down. Once both hands were planted on the pole, she jumped and wrapped her legs around it, yelping. After letting herself get comfortable, she began to make her way up.

Idon’twannadiepleasedon’tletmedie, Sophie thought frantically, wondering if God could hear her from above. She hugged the pole for dear life as she climbed higher and higher from the ground. About halfway, she almost lost her step and let out a strangled cry as she tried to regain balance. The next half of the climb, she scurried up as fast as she could, deciding to get it all over with.

Finally, finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, she neared the edge of the roof. Eagerly, she reached out for it and pulled herself up, grunting.

Sophie clambered up onto the roof, careful not to make any noise. Keefe was on the other end of the roof, and if she didn’t startle him, maybe he’d open up.

It was bound to happen; she took only one step forward but the sole of her sneakers slipped against the shingles. Sophie shrieked, falling forward on her knees. She lay there, panting. Because if she’d fallen just a little more to the left, she would’ve plummeted to her death.

Keefe’s lean figure whipped around at the commotion. Damn it, Sophie, she berated herself, staring at his wild, bloodshot eyes.

“Sophie?” He breathed, a wrinkled appearing between his brows.

“Keefe.”

“Sophie…” Keefe’s voice broke halfway and he swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. He frantically wiped the tears from his face. “You’re–you’re not supposed to be here.”

“You’ve had quite the influence on me, then.”

Even in his miserable state, he broke into a soft smile. “Guilty.”

Sophie carefully walked to where he was and sat down beside him as he cleared his throat and fiddled with a lock of his hair. “You weren’t at school today,” she said. “You’re always at school. I was worried.”

“I’m in one piece,” he joked lamely. But seeing Sophie’s serious expression he sobered immediately. “No, seriously. I’m okay, just–” He sniffled dramatically. “Allergies.” He winced as the lie fell from his lips, knowing it was a shitty excuse.

“Spring started back in March, Keefe. It’s May now. Don’t you think I would’ve noticed your ‘allergies’ back then?”

No response.

Letting the silence settle around them, Sophie took Keefe’s hand with both of hers. “Talk to me, Keefe. Please?” She nudged his shoulder playfully. Consequently he groaned, clutching his arm. 

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry,” Sophie let out in one breath.

“It’s fine,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Wait… but I thought it was your left shoulder that hurt?”

At her comment, he turned and gave her a strange look. “What?”

“The last time I saw you. It was your left shoulder, and now it’s your right? What’s going on?”

“You noticed?”

“Of course I did.”

Keefe looked away and at the sun, which was sinking lower and lower every second. Streaks of orange and red were painted on the sky in rough strokes, as if an angry artist had been in a rush to complete his piece. Regardless, it was beautiful. The fading light shone on Keefe’s face, and Sophie’s heart skipped a beat as she studied it. She knew the thought was wrong as soon as it entered her head: sure, he looked like a wreck, but…he also looked good. Handsome, even. Tears glistened on his dark lashes. His lips were parted slightly. But those ice-blue eyes, normally full of life, were now dull. Empty. Vacant. 

“Just so you know, I’m here,” Sophie said gently. “You can talk to me, or not, but I am here.”

“I don’t deserve you,” Keefe breathed. “I don’t deserve any of this.”

“Shut up, you deserve the world.”

Silence again. His eyes widened and then welled up. 

“It’s just hard when you feel so fucking unwanted.”

“Not by me, you aren’t.”

She felt his touch burn through her clothes and into her skin where he’d let his arms rest on her waist, pulling her close. For a moment she held him close too, and he let himself sink into her warmth. And when the floodgates opened, there was no stopping it.

Sophie let this boy, this wonderful, sweet, broken boy, cry into her shoulder. Shh, she wanted to assure him. Everything will be okay. You’re okay. But now was not the time, and she didn’t—couldn’t—make any false promises, especially not to Keefe Sencen, a stranger who had quickly become one of her closest friends.

“I’m sorry,” he said at one point, his voice muffled.

“You don’t have to be,” Sophie had whispered back.

Now, the two of them sat on the roof together, Keefe’s eyes bloodshot, Sophie holding his hand like she’d never let go. Dusk turned to night, and neither of them moved. Vaguely, Sophie thought of how worried her parents—ahem, Grady—would be, but being there for Keefe was important. So she stayed.

Keefe snorted after a while and she shot him a look, wondering what was so funny about this. “Name a more iconic duo than my fear of abandonment and my instinct to self isolate. I’ll wait.” Sophie swatted him on the shoulder disapprovingly and he laughed slightly. “Humor’s my coping mechanism. I can’t help it.”

It went quiet for a minute while Sophie went deep into thought. Her hair fluttered in the chilly winds, and she shivered slightly before answering, “You and me.”

“What?”

“You asked to name a better duo. You and me.”

Keefe really looked at her. And then he shot her his million-dollar smile and— god, Sophie’s knees would have gone weak if she was standing up. He squeezed her hand.

“Yeah. We really are something, aren’t we?”