#the fic will get there in the end but after we have taken every detour I want to take first lmao

[siriuslyapuff]

Hi! Could you do a Caitlin Clark one where we surprise her at one of the Fever Games?

hi! yes ofc! sorry it’s taken me a while to post this! ive been swamped with essays for my summer classes :( i chose to do the fever game against dc where cait had one of her best games of the season! i figured it was fitting if y/n surprised her and she saw her during the first quarter and started dedicating the game to her and it helped her make her shots! i also decided to make y/n a singer who’s touring, which is why she can’t make all of cc’s games!

dc surprise c.clark x reader

caitlin clark x reader!

summary: you're on tour for festival season (its giving chappell roan) and you haven't been able to make it to one of caitlin's games for a while. you finally are able to make it to one and come to DC to surprise her!

!𝑨𝑩𝑩𝒀 𝑺𝑷𝑬𝑨𝑲𝑺¡

okay i love how this started but idk how i feel abt the ending bc i kind of rushed it but its okay

first cc fic hehehe

𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈: the use of y/n?

The last two months have been crazy for you. The festival season had begun, which meant you were on the road more often than not, touring all over the states, playing show after show with no breaks. It made it impossible to take any time off for yourself, making it incredibly hard to find the time to watch your girlfriend play her first few games as a pro. 

You’d caught a break for her very first game, spending the week before with her while she finished up training camp and supported her through the loss of her first game pre-season, and their loss against Connecticut. But you’d only made it to a few others, including the game in Las Vegas as you’d wanted to see her and Kate play. But festivals almost every other weekend, and the process of recording your new album made it hard. 

Caitlin understood she knew what she’d signed up for when she asked you to be her girlfriend two years ago. It didn’t make it easier, but she understood. You had a responsibility to your fans and to your label just as she had a responsibility for her team and the league. 

The two of you had been inseparable while still in school, you taking part-time classes while juggling your rising stardom, Cait constantly at games or practice, but you lived together, and that made it easier. Right now, Caitlin lived in Indiana, and you lived in hotel rooms, scarcely able to make it back to her apartment. 

Finally, there was a break in your schedule, coming only two days before you were set to perform at Gov Ball in New York. Caitlin would be in DC for a game, you’d decided to make the trip out there as it was only a few hours from the city and you could stay a few days there with her. You hadn’t told Cait your plan but you’d texted some of her teammates and Katie Lou pulled through, her family had spots courtside as her sister played for the Mystics and they had a seat for you and a few of your friends. All you had to do was let your management know about your little detour, but it wouldn’t be a huge deal because of the publicity you’d get at the game. 

The public knew you and Cait were friends, and some people suspected you were more, and you were very open with your sexuality. But, Caitlin was more reserved, she wanted to keep your relationship more private, to try and keep the vultures off your backs. You’d both seen what the media could do to relationships and valued the health of your relationship over the ability to flaunt each other in public. 

There were also of course the fans who shipped you with Kate. This had caused a bit of tension between you and Caitlin, especially after the Fever game in Vegas, where people pointed out it was one of the only games you’d attended. But Kate put the rumors to rest mentioning how she saw you as a younger sister on one of Jada’s lives. Which was a relief, and Cait was ready to risk it all just to prove to the internet that you were hers. 

Sometimes you wondered how the internet had yet to put all the pieces together, due to all of the songs you’d written about her. It baffled you how many people assumed they were about exes and not about the girl you were with. But Caitlin thought it was hilarious, especially when you dropped your album, and ‘So High School’ wasn’t immediately connected to her. 

Being at this upcoming game for Cait was important to you. The media was ripping her apart and it broke your heart that you were unable to be there and support her. Especially as you were at such a high in your career, she deserved all the love and support from you, the same support she’d given you when you were at your lowest point. 

So you booked a flight to Washington, DC with a promise to your management you wouldn’t blow out your vocal chords screaming at the game, and headed to the airport early the morning of the game. 

—

Everything worked out perfectly, and now you were on your way to DC for the game. Caitlin had texted you that morning letting you know she’d landed at Dulles and was heading over for practice. You’d responded, wishing her good luck tonight and that you’d be watching the game from your New York apartment couch. She of course thought you were flying to New York this morning, and was not suspicious at all that your phone was off for three hours. You just prayed no one had caught wind of you leaving Boston and was waiting at the airport when you landed. The last thing you needed was paparazzi pictures hitting the internet when you were trying to surprise your girlfriend. She had your hashtag notifications on for every website, and it was impossible to get away with any form of surprise because of the media attention you got. 

Thankfully when you touched down and made your way through the airport there were no reporters. You bumped into a couple of fans, taking pictures, but asking them to wait until the next day to post pictures of you in the airport. 

You took an Uber to your hotel, a hat pulled low over your eyes trying to avoid anyone recognizing you. There were a few hours left until the game and you were settling into your hotel as Cait’s name flashed on your phone, with a Facetime request. 

“Hey baby,” she said when you answered, her tired eyes meeting yours. 

“Hey, love.” You smiled, taking in her appearance, her ponytail a little ruffled, and her warm-up shirt soaked with sweat. “Did you just get done with practice?” 

She nods, wiping a hand across her face, “yeah, we’re about to head back to the hotels to get ready for the game before shoot-around.” She pauses, eyes wandering across your face through the screen. “What are you up to?”

“Writing.” You shrug coyly, smirking as her face lit up. 

“About me?” You couldn’t help but laugh at her expression. 

“No, I’m writing about some other six-foot brunette who plays basketball.” Caitlin pouts which makes your stomach clench. She looks so cute when she does that. “Don’t pout at me, baby.” 

She rolls her eyes, smiling again. “You’re watching the game tonight right?” 

You nod, shaking your head as she always double-checked. “Yup, I have my 22 jersey ready and a bottle of wine.” 

“Good,” she grins, “every shot is for you, baby.” 

—

The line to get into the stadium wrapped around the building, reminding you of the pictures you’d seen of Eras Tour queues. Sometimes you were immensely glad that you were able to cut the line. 

You’d texted Caitlin’s parents, meeting up with them so you all could head over to the game together. The three of you were able to cut in line, going through the family entrance, and mingling with people before finding your seats. 

Deciding to wear a hat to the game had become a good idea, shielding yourself from prying eyes and the eyes of your girlfriend, not wanting to distract her before the game. It always went better for her if she found you in the crowd naturally, almost as if your presence lit a fire in her. 

And lit a fire it did. Only two minutes into the game Cait spotted you. Her eyes zeroed in on your shoes first, waiting to check the ball right before you. They traveled upwards, meeting your own, a smirk across your lips. Her jaw dropped, and she quickly recovered as you winked cheekily at her. 

“What the fuck,” she mouthed at you. 

“Surprise,” You mouthed back, grinning. Her parents laughed, sitting beside you. 

It was as if a switch had flipped. She started shooting every three, making almost every single one of them. You were on your feet, cheering for her every time she made a bucket, just like you had in college. 

Caitlin was on fire, and everyone noticed, trying to figure out what had caused this winning streak. The camera panned along courtside as the half approached, the media team obviously noticing Cait’s eyes on your section every time she landed another shot. 

You, Brent, and Anne smiled and waved for the camera as it hovered in front of you. All three of you glanced up, seeing yourselves on the jumbotron, your name and “Caitlin Clark’s Parents” popping up under your faces. The camera stayed there for a while, the three of you trying to maintain smiles as if became slightly awkward, finally when they moved on your eyes found Cait’s and she rolled her own, exasperation showing through. 

Both of you knew this would come with tons of speculation, but you weren’t upset over it. As long as the two of you were happy, nothing would come between you, even the nosey media. 

—

As soon as the game was over you were ushered to the tunnel, following behind the players yelling in excitement over the win against DC. At an away game too. You smiled, watching Cait hug Katie Lou, and Erica. Her eyes began to travel around the room, looking for someone, looking for you. When your eyes connected, she ducked out from under her teammate's arms, sprinting towards you. 

You collided, her arms catching you at the top of your thighs as you jumped into the air. She spun you around, a wide smile across her lips. 

“I can’t believe you’re here!” The sound of her voice sent a wave of warmth throughout your body, having only heard it through the phone for the last month. 

“I couldn’t wait any longer,” you whispered into her neck as she set you down. ��I missed you so much, Caity.” 

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you, baby.” Caitlin pulls you even closer, as if trying to make sure you’re real, and actually in her arms. “Holy shit, I literally cannot believe I’m holding you right now.” 

“Believe it, baby, I’m here for another day.” 

Caitlin’s face lit up. “We have all night and all day together?” 

You nod, eyes wandering across her face, taking in her features, trying to ignore the pang in your heart at the bags under her eyes. “I cleared it with Christie. I’m traveling with you guys to Indiana tomorrow and flying out the morning after.” 

Caitlin lunged forward, connecting her lips to yours. You smiled against hers, hands finding their way to her hair. The whistles of her teammates in the background made the two of you pull apart, breathless. She pressed another kiss to your lips quickly before turning around to face her team and shooting them a look of irritation. 

“Let's get out of here,” she laces her fingers with yours, tugging you in the opposite direction of the locker room. 

“Wait but don’t you have to-” 

“Nope.” The two of you weave your way through the mass of people, heads down, quickly making your way toward the exit. “If Christie knows you’re here, she’ll be fine missing me for post-game.” 

“But the media?” She grins at you crookedly. 

“I’m not on the schedule for once.” Caitlin leans forward quickly, pressing her lips on your temple. “Now come on, we have a lot of time to make up for and only one night to do it.” 

[tomtenadia]

Detours to you - ch 9

Good evening... I am here with a little present for those few readers who follow this fic. As I mentioned, the fluff has for now reach it's temporary end and we are having a bit of angst... Sorry....

Sunday evening finally came and Rowan was getting nervous. He and Maya had the greatest of the weekends. On Sunday afternoon they had gone to the aquarium and Rowan quickly realised that such places were much more fun with kids. His daughter had a limitless well of energy. She had dragged him in every possible corner of the venue and then asked for a second tour of the sharkies and squishies, her own way of calling jellyfishes and sharks.

They were now back at home. Aelin had texted him that she was on her way to him and Rowan had given her specific instructions to reach him. The GPS struggled to recognise his address when he had people over he had to write down specific directions to reach him. In addition, the last part to his house was not fully covered in tarmac and was easily missed in heavy snow conditions. 

Aelin had already called him twice when she took the wrong turn down in the village. As on cue she called him again at the last point people struggled the most. She had taken the wrong turn and ended up on the path to his neighbour’s house.

“Ready to see mum again?”

Maya jumped in excitement and joined him on the door.

The headlights of her car finally appeared after the bend and he relaxed. He should have met her at her place. Aelin was not used to that road and to make it worse it was evening too.

“Whitethorn, I thought I was climbing on the Staghorns.”

“Mama!” Maya screamed and ran for her mother who hugged her fiercely “I missed you so much, baby.”

Rowan encouraged them inside and they greeted each other properly “Did you have a nice time with Rowan?”

“Yes, mum, he is the best.”

Aelin looked up at Rowan “Nice digs Whitethorn. This place is stunning.”

He smiled “I am proud of it too. It’s finally starting to feel like home.”

He did not mention that having Maya’s toys around was helping towards that too.

The two girls went to the sofa and Rowan let them catch up. Maya showed her mum all the hockey presents he had bought her and the TFD puck.

Aelin turned and looked at him with a strange expression and he nodded.

“Maya, could you stay here while I talk to Rowan for a moment?”

“Okay, I have a book to colour.”

Aelin indicated to the kitchen with her head and Rowan followed her inside.

He leaned against the counter, his arms at his chest “She survived the weekend. Did I pass the test?”

“She seemed to have fun.”

“Yes, we had a great time and she likes it.”

“It’s not enough, Rowan.”

The words hit him like a train wreck “What do you mean?”

“You just spent a weekend with her, that is not enough to prove that you can be her dad.”

Rowan felt rage rising fast but reigned it in. He could not scream, Maya was in the other room.

“You promised.” He hissed.

“I know, but it’s too early.”

A savage curse left his lips and he started pacing “I want to be her father.” His voice full of pain and  disappointment “Do you know what she asked me yesterday?”

Aelin shook her head.

“She asked me if I could be your boyfriend, like in the stories. She wants me to.”

“Rowan, she is five, everything is a fairytale for her.”

A loud groan escaped him “Our daughter is not stupid. That was a clear sign that she wants a father figure in her life.”

“I am scared.”

“Damn it Aelin, I am scared too. This is big but hell, I don’t think I ever wanted something this bad.”

“We need plans, and rules,” she added while leaning against the counter “This cannot be decided in one night, Rowan.”

He was silent and Aelin could see pain etched in his features. She hated what she was doing to him, but her priority was Maya “I am not risking Maya’s welfare only to satisfy your ego and get called dad.”

Rowan’s hands fisted at his side “Me selfish? You had her for five years and decided not to tell me.”

“I can’t believe we are having this fight again. I told you why.”

“You never gave me the chance. You just assumed just like you are doing now,” he almost roared in frustration “Aelin, please…” his voice full of agony “Let’s tell her.”

Aelin stiffened “No, Rowan. Not yet. I am her mother and it’s my call.”

Rowan left the room and stormed in the living room where Maya was playing on the carpet. He kneeled at her side and hugged her “It’s time to go home with your mum,” Maya threw her arms around his neck “I had an amazing weekend with you, little tornado.”

He heard her sniffle and he was positive his heart was breaking “You can come and visit again. Your room will always be here.”

“Okay.”

Rowan could not pull away from his daughter and fought hard the tears threatening to break. In a burst of courage he stood “Do you have all things ready? Elf?”

Maya nodded quietly and hugged the toy then hugged Rowan’s leg “Love you.”

He lifted her up and kissed her hard on her cheek “You are my favourite person too.”

Aelin grabbed the bags and then Maya’s hand.

“Text me when you are back safely, the road on the way down can be quite bad.”

Aelin nodded “Night, Rowan.”

He walked them outside and on the porch he watched Maya climb in the car then turning and waving at him. He remained outside until the lights disappeared.

Then he walked around the house collecting the toys scattered on the carpet. He grabbed the shark soft toy she had left behind and hugged it and finally let the tears flow.

*

On the way home Aelin called her mother and asked if she and Maya could visit.

“Fancy going to say hi to grandma and grandpa?”

“Okay.” Answered a very quiet Maya.

Her parents were waiting for them at the door when they arrived. Maya walked quietly to her grandparents and they knew right away that something was wrong “Hello Maya.”

“Hi nana.”

“She is tired, she had a fun weekend with Rowan.”

“Come in both of you, it’s cold outside.”

Evalin who had the radar for her daughter’s worries pulled Aelin in the kitchen “Maya, go and play with grampa.”

Rhoe took his granddaughter away and Evalin shoved Aelin inside “What happened?”

Aelin burst in tears and flung herself in her mother’s arms.

“Was the weekend with Rowan a disaster?”

“No,” she sobbed hard “It was perfect.”

“So why is Maya sad?”

“Because she had to leave him.”

Evalin pushed her daughter on the chair and sat on the one opposite from Aelin.

“And?”

“And we haven’t told her he is her dad and Rowan is now furious at me, but I am scared, mum.”

Evalin patted her daughter’s leg “Of what? Talk to me.”

“What if he leaves again? What if he finds another woman and Maya becomes just a passing thought? If he and I can’t make it work and we make things worse for Maya?” Her tears returned in full force “And all he wants is to tell her the truth to satisfy his ego.”

“I doubt it Aelin, that is not Rowan’s style.”

“He is just so pushy.”

Evalin hugged her daughter “I think he just had a taste at how it feels to be a father and wants to feel that for real and wants to be called dad.” She kissed her daughter’s head “You put his name on the birth certificate, you wanted him to be Maya’s dad.”

“Am I being unreasonable?”

“No, you are just protecting your daughter,” added Evalin quietly “But Maya is smart and will soon start asking question. Soon she will ask why she does not have a dad like the other kids.”

Aelin let out a ragged breath “I know, I have been preparing myself for that.”

“Aelin, you don’t have to do it alone,” she added “and you don’t have to lie. Be candid with your daughter she will appreciate it when she is older.”

“Rowan said that she asked him if he was my boyfriend.”

Evalin was pensive for a moment “which means she has picked up on something.” She added “You never let her stay with anyone apart from us, and all of a sudden Rowan can have her over for a whole weekend?”

“He has bought a car seat, decorated her room, bought her toys and books, childproofed the house.”

Evalin let out a small chuckle “he is whipped already.”

Aelin nodded.

“And the fact that Maya was sad to leave him means that she feels comfortable with him.”

All of a sudden the door of the kitchen burst open “Mama, nana! Grandpa and I are hungry.”

Evalin burst out laughing and went to grab her granddaughter “You little hurricane, what do you want for dinner?”

“Mac and cheese.”

Maya ran away again announcing to her grandfather that they were having Mac and cheese.

“She seems fine again.”

Aelin went to the living room and watched Maya chatting happily with her grampa. Maybe she was being too harsh on Rowan. She should talk to him and try to set out a plan to peacefully share custody of Maya and eventually tell her the truth.

*

The following morning Rowan was in a foul mood. He hadn’t slept at all during the night. He kept going to Maya’s bedroom and seeing it empty hurt too much. He had tried over and over to text Aelin but after a while he gave up. He had spent the night reading all the letters she wrote to him and looked at the pictures of his daughter growing up. His feelings were a mess. He was mad at Aelin for accusing him of being selfish, resented her for five years of silence and for all that he had missed. But, a treacherous part of his brain focused also on the family that they could have been, at the hole that Aelin had left in his life. He wanted Maya in his life, but deep down he wanted the whole package, his heart longed for Aelin, but was just too scared to listen to it.

A deep sigh.

Now he was at work and the cup of coffee on his desk was not enough to keep him awake.

He struggled to start a new report when a knock came to his door “Yes?” He added annoyed.

Lyria popped inside “Chief, another unannounced visitor, she is quite stubborn.”

“It’s fine.” He added quickly and Lyria disappeared.

He was getting ready to see Aelin but the woman who walked in his office was the older version of Aelin. Evalin waltzed in the room “Hi Rowan.”

He stood and shook her hand “Evalin, please sit.”

The woman took the seat and he knew she was getting ready for battle.

“Welcome back.”

Rowan signed “I am not sure I am that welcome.”

“That’s where you are wrong.” The woman added sternly “There is a little girl who is already in love with her dad. Last night Maya did not stop talking about the weekend she had with you.””

“But her mother does not want me to be a father.”

Evalin sat back on her chair “Aelin is scared and is being very protective.”

“Of me? Why would I ever hurt Maya?”

Evalin shook her head “Rowan, it’s not that she thinks you are going to physically hurt Maya,” she explained “You need to understand this is an adjustment for Aelin too. You two have separate lives and she is just afraid that if you find another woman, then Maya would become an afterthought or even worse that the other woman will try and become another mum.”

“I…” he sighed “I haven’t dated in ages,” he confessed “I had a few dates back in Wendlyn but they did not work out.”

“You are still love my daughter, aren’t you?”

He stood and paced, his hand raking through his long hair. He had thought about his feelings a lot recently, trying to make sense of a past life that was trying very hard to break free. Memories and old feelings begging to be let free. But there was a five years abysm between them and he had no idea how to close it. He wasn’t even sure if she wanted to.

“She is the love of my life, Evalin. I thought I had buried my feelings for her but now that I returned, they are slowly coming back,” he looked in the eyes of the woman so identical to Aelin’s “I don’t want another woman. I want a family with her and Maya, but I don’t think Aelin feels like that about me anymore.”

Evalin looked up at Rowan and saw pure anguish in his eyes. “I never liked that Aelin kept you in the dark. We had arguments about it. But my daughter is stubborn so her father and I had just to let her to make her choices.”

Rowan stood shocked at the admission “What do I do? How do I convince her? She accused me of wanting to tell Maya I am her dad just to satisfy my ego.”

Evalin noticed the frustration rising in Rowan “She told me and I don’t believe it.”

His pacing resumed “I do not want to go the legal way to have the right to see my daughter.”

“I know,” the woman admitted “But I think you and Aelin need to sort first all your unresolved problems and then concentrate on Maya only.”

Rowan nodded and Evalin continued “I am on Maya’s side on this. You two are adults and can resolve you businesses between the two of you, but with Maya’s welfare in mind. Her grandfather and I are very protective too of that little girl. Don’t forget that.”

Evalin stood.

“Thank you Evalin.”

“Go and get your family back, Rowan.”

He watched the woman leave his office and realised that it was nice to know he had another ally in this fight.

taglist

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[cookinguptales]

Hi i literally can't wait for your next works ya keeping me going fr. Hope you have the most bangingest of weeks ♡

This is so sweet, and it's very nice to hear because I actually just got my covid booster so I'm Suffering and this cheered me up. ;;

Though... well, I have to admit, the thing I'm writing rn will probably be a little less popular? Not because I think it'll be bad or anything, but it's something that I wanted to write to give myself a sense of closure, I guess...? And bring in a few things that I love on a personal level... But there are a lot of elements of it that are less popular in fandom, and that's okay! I just kind of feel honor-bound to keep people's hopes down where they should be. lmao

that said I'm also kind of batting at a sickfic and that'll make me and other readers happy, haha

[readyforthegarden]

Step into Christmas - S.F.K.

AN: I didn’t mean to make this as angsty as it did, but I promise there’s a happy sappy holiday ending!! I was going through it when I wrote this and Sam is my comfort gvf guy so... ya know.

Warnings: angst, mentions of loss of loved ones, and dealing with the emotions of the holidays

WC: 2991

Danny’s Holiday Fic // Josh’s Holiday Fic // Jake’s Holiday Fic

"Oh! Look at these little trees! They'd look so cute on your mantle!" you squealed, grabbing the small box set of three flocked and glittered mini pine trees from the shelf in front of you. You looked them over and turned to Sam, who was leaning against the handle bar of the shopping cart, looking less than enthused. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, babe," he assured with a sigh, flicking the shimmery tinsel in front of him with a bored expression on his face. "I'm ready to be home, all the different, bright colors are starting to hurt my eyes."

"Oh, yeah, we have been out for a while, huh?" you smiled at him tenderly, placing the trees in the cart and moving to stand next to him as he pushed the cart towards the checkouts. "Do you want to stop and get something to eat on the way home?"

"Sure." Sam shrugged noncommittally. You popped up onto your tiptoes, pressing a quick, chaste kiss to his cheek as you waited in line to checkout with all your new decorations. You spoke with the cashier as they rang up your items, gushing over the cute outdoor light ups you'd picked out. Once you had paid, Sam helped you load your car up with and he drove it back to his house, letting you be the passenger princess and play Christmas music on the radio.

You could feel the air shifting more and more, a feeling of anxiety bubbling up in you as Sam stayed quiet on the ride home. You chalked it up to the fact the two of you not having eaten much that day, but even after stopping for a quick bite at a vegetarian restaurant, the feeling persisted. You took a few silent, deep breaths, calming your own nerves. Sometimes Sam was just quiet, and you knew he loved you more than the breath in his lungs, as he would profess in your mirror as you brushed your teeth or did your hair nearly every morning.

"Okay, I'm going to start putting stuff up and away." you told him softly once things were brought inside. Sam nodded, giving you a soft smile.

"Do you want any help?" he offered. You could see in his eyes he was only offering to be nice. You shook your head, wrapping your arms around his waist and looking up at him.

“Go do your thing, I’m gonna make the North Pole look like the dollar store.” Sam pressed a kiss to your forehead with a slight roll of his eyes. He patted your bottom gently as you moved away to the living room, picking up a bag that had some new ornaments in it and skipping to the tree, cooing happily at Rosie as she followed you, tail wagging.

Sam tried to ignore the soft beat to your cheerful music downstairs, but he'd already had enough of the holiday. You had been so adamant since Thanksgiving about decorating, always detouring to the decorations aisles at the stores and showing him every glittery bauble. It was bad enough the holiday was so commercialized, but now it felt like it was being shoved down his throat before he was ready to admit the year was almost over. He sighed, closing the book he was trying to read and decided to go grab a snack, chalking his irritableness up to being hungry again.

As he made his way down the stairs, he became more irritated at the boxes that were strewn about, and as he ruminated over the mess you'd made in his home, he tripped over one of the small light up reindeer you had taken out, stepping on the prongs and inhaling sharply. His hand slammed against the wall with a thwacking noise as he reached out to balance himself, startling you and Rosie.

"Sam?" you came around the corner, eyes wide in fear at what you might find. "Are you okay?!" Sam sighed and nodded silently as he waited for the pain in his foot to subside.

"We're done decorating for christmas, okay? We're done." he shook his head now, sending you a look."

"Oh. Okay, I'm sorry, I was going to move those in a few minutes. I didn't think you'd come back downstairs so soon."

"It's whatever. Just clean this stupid stuff up. I didn't even want any of it." you felt a small pang in your chest.

"Oh, I thought you liked my decorating for Christmas. You were fine going to the stores to get it with me."

"I just don't understand why all of this stupid crap means so much to you! All we need is a tree, and some lights, not all of this shit!" Sam snapped and waved his arms around his living room exasperatedly. Your heart cracked, all of the work you'd put into the decorating felt wasted within an instant. Tears welled in your eyes and you tried to blink them away, as regret and shame crossed Sam's face as he realized how he snapped. You set down the small, plushie gnome you had been placing on the top of his piano to keep it out of Rosie's strong jaw, moving away from it and him and picking up your keys. "Baby, please, I'm sorry."

"I'm just gonna go home, okay? I think we need some space. I'll come get all of this crap out later." you moved around his arms as he tried to stop you from leaving. You got into your car and didn't bother adjusting the seat, stretching your legs slightly to reach the pedals and backing out of his driveway, and going to your own apartment.

You had already set up a little light up tree in your living room, leaving it on while you were gone and felt a little bit better once you saw it's glow in the winter mid-afternoon dusk.

You laid on your couch, fighting back the tears. All you wanted to do was have a perfect first Christmas with Sam, and now it felt like it was all ruined. You finally let all the feelings you'd been keeping at bay flood in, missing your family and wishing that they were still there with you. You turned your face into the couch pillow and let the tears flow.

🎄🎄🎄

“Hey I need your help.” Sam sighed as soon as his older brother picked up the phone. Jake raised an eyebrow. “I fucked up with Y/N.” Jake sighed, running a hand over his face.

“What happened?” Sam explained all of the things that had happened the past few days, the decorating, the music, the movies and shows. Jake listened patiently, and when Sam was done, he took a deep breath. “Sam, you realize this is her first Christmas, he favorite holiday, without her family, right? Her parents are gone, she doesn’t have any siblings. She’s probably trying to fill a void and not make you worry at the same time.”

“Shit.” Sam swallowed, a pit in his stomach. “I didn’t even realize…I’m awful. I fucked up, big time.”

“Yeah, you really did.” Jake’s jaw was sent, disappointment in his brother evident. You’d been close to Jake, since you had trouble sleeping too, and had many late night heart to hearts with him over the past few years. So to say Sam hurting you upset him was an understatement. “You said she left, did she go to her apartment?”

“I think so.” Sam nodded. “She won’t answer my texts or calls.”

“Deservedly so.” Jake huffed. “I can try calling her.” Sam’s eyes were scanning the decorations around the living room, the lawn ones still in their boxes.

“No, go get her.” Sam said. “Bring her back home. I’m gonna make this up to her.”

“How?” Jake asked skeptically, seeing a slightly crazy look in his baby brothers eye.

“You remember Bronner’s, back home?”

“Yeah?”

“My house is gonna put it to shame.” Sam hung up, immediately dialing his best friend Danny, and texting his other brother Josh, explaining to them what happened and, after being scolded by both, got them to agree to his plan. Within an hour, Danny and Josh were at Sam’s, lugging boxes from their cars in.

Across the town, Jake was knocking on the door of your apartment. You dragged yourself from your position in the couch, peeking through the peephole and undoing the lock before opening the door slightly.

“Hey love.” Jake gave you a soft smile, and you swallowed down your sadness to give him one back.

“Hi Jake.” You opened the door more and gestured for him to come inside. He thanked you quietly and you shut the door behind him, smoothing your palms on your jeans. “Sam sent you?”

“Technically.” Jake admitted. “I would’ve come after he told me what happened anyway.” you bit the inside of your cheek, crossing your arms over your chest. “I’m not here for him, though. I want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’ll be fine.” you sniffled. Jake shook his head. “Really, it was just a little lovers spat.” Jake nodded, conceding.

“Well, I’m starving, and I’d love some company for dinner.” he smirked good-naturedly. “Wanna join me?” you thought it over, knowing if you didn’t go with your friend, he’d order in and stay with you anyway. “Come on, don’t make me eat soup alone at a diner.”

“Sure. Let me get my coat.”

🎄🎄🎄

“Hey! Watch out Rosie!” Danny gently tugged the dog out of the way of the light up inflatable snowman Josh was plugging in. “Go on, get back inside.”

“I think we need more green lights.” Sam called, standing towards the road and looking over his front yard.

“We cleaned out the store of all their lights, so I don’t know where you’re gonna get ‘em.” Josh called back. Sam frowned at his brother and sighed. “I think we’ve done everything.” Josh stepped next to Sam, glancing over the home. “If we do anything else you’re gonna blow a fuse.”

“A fuse is a small price to pay to make her happy.” Josh set his mouth in a straight line.

“You know this is just a bandaid, right?” Josh asked quietly. “You’re going to have to have a real talk about what’s going on.”

“I know.” Sam nodded. “But I need to make her know I do appreciate everything she’s done, and why she's done it.” Josh clapped Sam’s shoulder.

“Well, every twinkle light in the tri-county area should be a good start.”

“Jake’s on his way!” Danny announced, jogging over from where he had hung lights on one of the small oak trees in the yard. “He took her to dinner and said he’d help her grab some things from here, so they should be here soon.”

“Shit okay.” Sam began to scramble, checking lights and making sure everything looked good, and the inflatables were facing properly. He ran inside, ripping off the button down shirt he had sported all day and pulled on his white cable knit sweater, your favorite of his. You always snuggled and hugged him more when he wore it.

When Jake’s car pulled in the driveway, Sam practically leapt out the door, hearing Josh and Danny greet you and Jake.

“What happened here?” he heard you ask, a slight tone of awe in your voice as you took in the lights. You were stunned, looking up at everything that had happened since you left earlier in the afternoon.

“The Grinch’s heart grew three sizes today.” Josh smirked, nodding to the small walkway from the driveway to the front door. Your smile fell a bit, knowing Sam was waiting up there for you. “Go on, take in the splendor of your winter wonderland.”

You gave him a soft smile as he ushered you forward, and you took a few hesitant steps towards the pathway. You glanced back quickly, catching Jake’s eyes. He gave you a supportive nod, and you took a deep breath and moved forward again. Sam had completely covered his entire home and yard with lights, and you felt your eyes prickle with tears. You laughed at the Santa peeking out from an outhouse, and aww’d at the light up golden retriever wearing a Santa hat and holding a present by the bow in its mouth. The bushes were covered with multicolored net lighting and bright blue icicle lights dangled from the edge of the roof. You looked up, seeing Sam standing in front of the front door, wringing his hands anxiously. He gave you a beaming smile, albeit one tinged with guilt and a little shame. You made it all the way to the bottom step before you stopped, looking up at him with tears welling in your eyes.

“I’m sorry.” “I’m so sorry!” You both apologized at the same time. Sam’s brow furrowed as he stepped down to greet you.

“What are you sorry for?” Sam shook his head. “I was a complete and utter asshole, I didn’t even realize what this holiday meant to you, especially now.” you went to wipe a spilled tear away but Sam beat you to it.

“I should’ve just told you what I was feeling.” you admitted. “To be honest, I didn’t realize how over the top I was going until you pointed it out.”

“You’re not the only one who can go over the top.” Sam smirked, gesturing out to the yard.

“You did all of this for me?” you whispered, afraid your voice would crack if you spoke above that. Sam grinned.

“I had some helpers.” Sam nodded to the driveway, where three heads quickly ducked out of view behind the corner of the garage. “I did the inside myself though. It’s more cozy.”

“Sam, this is crazy and wonderful.” Sam reached out, cupping your face with one of his large hands and you leaned into it, his strong palm cradling your cheek delicately. “You didn’t have to do all of this. I just…after my mom passed, I kept thinking, this is it, this is the last Christmas I’ll have with my dad. And last years really was. I thought all the awfulizing and worrying and anxiety had prepared me to be without them. But it didn’t. And I just tried to do my best to not feel their absence, I guess. But instead it pushed you away.”

“You shouldn’t have to carry that alone, love.�� Sam’s plush lips fell to a slight frown. “And I’m sorry I’ve been shit at helping you carry it. But from here on out, I’m going to do my part completely. For as long as you’ll have me, I’ll carry whatever you need me to.” Tears were spilling down your cheeks, dripping onto your shirt and pooling into his palm as he held your face still, his free arm wrapping around your waist and holding you close. “If that means turning my house into a landing strip every Christmas, I’ll be up there hanging lights on the roof all day and night until they’re perfect for you.” you chuckled and shook your head.

“That’s a lot.” you smiled up at him with a sniffle. Sam smiled back. “We don’t have to do this every year…but I do want to keep the outhouse Santa.”

“It’s yours, baby.” Sam laughed. He was about to say something else, but was cut off by Danny’s disembodied voice.

“Look up!” it called from around the garage. You and Sam both looked up at the same time, seeing a ball of mistletoe hanging by a bright red satin ribbon above your heads.

“Now this is a Christmas tradition I like.” Sam smirked down at you endearingly. He adjusted his hand that was on your face, letting his fingers slide back into you hair a bit as you leaned your face up to his. He asked softly if he could kiss you, and you answered with a resounding yes. As soon as his soft lips touched your own, you felt your heart strum and a warm feeling spread through your body. The only word in your mind was “home”. After a few moments enjoying the mistletoe kiss, you parted, both of you smiling at each other sappily. “Let’s get you inside before we freeze into ice statues together.”

“Wait,” you paused. “I know we have some talking to do, but they worked so hard with you. We should invite them in for a hot cocoa and some cookies, don’t you think?” Sam gave you a soft smile and nod. You turned away, hopping down the stairs and jogging down the walkway. The three brothers that had been hiding behind the garage quickly made themselves look busy, like they weren’t watching you and Sam kiss and makeup. “Very inconspicuous. Incredibly nonchalant. Now get your asses in the house so we can make some cocoa.”

“Oh, we couldn’t impose.” Josh feigned politeness before booking it for the front door, shouting to Sam that he’d better have stocked up on oatmilk. Danny followed him and Jake gave your shoulder a squeeze as he passed you, a happy smile tugging at his lips.

“I’m rooting for you two.” he said quietly as you walked with him up the walkway. “But if you ever need help kicking his ass, I’ll be there.” you chuckled and patted him on the back.

“I’ll be taking you up on that one day, I know it.” You stopped next to Sam as he let Jake inside ahead of him, and nodded for you to go through. You stood under the mistletoe again and crooked your finger, beckoning him over with a sly smirk on your face. Sam grinned and in two large steps he was in front of you, arms wrapping around your torso and lips crashing onto yours.

“Merry Christmas, lovely.” Sam whispered against your lips. You smiled into his kisses, squeezing his body to yours.

“Merry Christmas, Sam.”

Taglist: @lunaindigoraven @lvnterninthenight @allieisacrybaby @xserenax-13 @sarakay-gvf @shutupdevvie @myownparadise96 @watchingovergvf @gretavanfleetposts @gardenofgreta @streamsofstardust @joshkiszkas @jakewhorecore / @tlexx @fictional-duchess @like-a-woman-in-a-dream @josiee-gvf @ascendingtostardust @joshkiszkatoothgap @andeejoness @gardensgatedaisy @kdarling1 @demonrat444 @teddiie @writingcold @livinginthevioletsounds

[master-sass-blast]

Not Normal.

Part One, Part Two, Part Three

Not gonna lie, this whole fic is me projecting just how bad I want a massage.

Summary: “I’m not having you break my back if yours is already busted.”

The corner of her mouth curls up in a smirk, but only for a moment. “I’m not some fragile, old lady. I know my limits.”

You lift your chin and stare her down. “I’m not consenting.”

Lin scowls and lets out an irritated huff. “Then what the hell are you doing here?”

It stings, just a bit, but you shrug it off and turn to leave. “I’ll let you rest.” You make it halfway to the door, then stop when an idea occurs to you. “Actually...”

Lin looks up when you walk back into the sitting room. “What, change your mind?”

You roll your eyes. “No --but there might be something else I can do for you.”

AKA you get Lin to agree to some self-care, for once in her life.

Pairing(s): Lin Beifong x Reader.

Rating: T on account of my love of swear words.

Word count: 4.5k.

There’s a certain element of “razzle dazzle” that comes with “seeing” --or, perhaps more accurately, being fucked by--Lin Beifong.

You know that the Beifongs are an old money family; hell, everyone in the world practically knows it. The flying boar crest pops up in nearly every major Earth Kingdom enterprise, from mining, to textiles, to political halls.

Lin, despite her staunch pragmatism, is no exception. Her apartment is in the nicest complex in the city --one of the nicest in the world, even--where rent goes for several tens of thousands of yuan a month. She drives the latest model Satomobile (and even with her personal acquaintanceship with Asami Sato, it’s no small financial investment). The fixtures in her apartment --what of them there are, given Lin’s leanings toward minimalism--are all high end, from her furniture, to her bed sheets, to the toiletries that neatly line the built-in shelf in her shower.

And, if she has an occasion to stay somewhere other than her apartment, her tastes don’t waver in the slightest.

According to Lin --who’d given you a short, gruff answer when you’d asked the first time about why she’d invited you to the Four Elements and not her apartment--it’s because of the Spirit Vine entanglement that’s taken over a good chunk of the city. Whenever she has to work in the outer reaches of Republic City, she stays in a hotel suite until everything’s resolved since the drive back to her apartment has practically tripled.

(Personally, you’re not complaining. It’s not every day you get to sweat up the sheets in a bed of a five star hotel room.)

You stride up the steps to the entrance of the hotel, a spring in your step. Your mind’s already awhirl with countless options for the evening; all of them end with your ability to walk being severely impaired.

(It’s the small things in life.)

The front desk staff already knows you (a credit to how often Lin wrecks your back). A crisply dressed concierge member hands you a heavy metal key when you detour to the desk, then gives you a polite “Have a pleasant stay” as you head over to the elevator banks.

It’s a long, tortuous two minutes to the penthouse.

The penthouse comes with its own butler --something you know rankles Lin, but it’s hotel policy. They greet you when you step off the elevator and usher you into the sitting room.

Lin’s there, stretched out on a velvet upholstered sofa with a pillow propped under her head. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and her mouth is set into a tight scowl.

You can already feel the bruises on your thighs; a shudder runs down your spine. “Rough day?”

Lin grunts, then tries to sit up --only to gasp in pain and stop halfway.

You frown, alarmed. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Lin spits through gritted teeth. She winces as she forces herself to finish sitting up and settles against the couch gingerly. “It’s just my hip.”

You cross your arms over your chest and arch one eyebrow at her. “Somehow, I doubt that.”

“I said I’m fine,” she snaps.

“I’m not having you break my back if yours is already busted.”

The corner of her mouth curls up in a smirk, but only for a moment. “I’m not some fragile, old lady. I know my limits.”

You lift your chin and stare her down. “I’m not consenting.”

Lin scowls and lets out an irritated huff. “Then what the hell are you doing here?”

It stings, just a bit, but you shrug it off and turn to leave. “I’ll let you rest.” You make it halfway to the door, then stop when an idea occurs to you. “Actually...”

Lin looks up when you walk back into the sitting room. “What, change your mind?”

You roll your eyes. “No --but there might be something else I can do for you.”

“Like what?”

“I do have a job aside from letting you fuck my brains out,” you quip, which gets a terse chuckle from the older woman. “I’m a healer. Massage therapy and chiropractic adjustment, with a specialty in dealing with injury and scar tissue rehabilitation.”

Lin stares blankly at you. “Oh.”

You do an internal victory dance; it’s not everyday you manage to surprise Lin Beifong. “I might be able to get you some pain relief.” You purse your lips when her expression sours and put your hands on her hips. “Pride isn’t worth pain, Lin.”

She opens her mouth to argue --then winces again and sighs. “Fine.”

You nod --after a moment to process your shock. “Okay. I’ll need to pick up a couple things from the office I work in.”

She waves one hand and tips her head back against the couch. “Fine.”

You stare at her for a beat, then turn on your heel and head to the door before she can change her mind.

***

It’s times like this that you’re grateful for the invention of the phone.

Thanks to the Spirit Vine blockages and rush hour traffic, it takes an hour to get to your office. You call Lin from there to let her know that’ll likely take you a while to get back --which she accepts with little more than a grunt--then pack up what you need.

Thank Spirits for the invention of the portable massage table, too.

By the time you get back to the Four Elements, the sun is setting (although, for late winter, that’s not surprising). Your foot taps against the floor of the elevator car as it whirs past the countless floors to the penthouse. As soon as the doors open, you exit --the butler lets you into the penthouse proper--and head straight for the sitting room.

Lin’s still there. She’s laying on the couch in the dark with one arm over her eyes.

“I need to turn the light on so I can set up.”

She grunts in response.

You turn on a table lamp, then start setting up your massage table. You keep glancing over at Lin, try to suss out what’s ailing her.

She’s tense --but, then, Lin’s almost always some sort of tense. Her jaw is clenched tight, and her hands are curled into fists. Her whole body looks keyed up, almost like relaxing hurts.

You realize she hasn’t taken her arm away from her eyes. “Light sensitive headache?”

Another grunt.

“Does talking hurt?” When she grunts again, you tut softly in sympathy. You secure the last leg of the massage table, then pick up your fur skein you use to hold water (it’s easier than toting around a bowl) and amble over to the couch. You crouch next to her, study her face and where she’s holding tension for a moment, then quietly ask, “Is it your scars?”

Lin tenses --likely on reflex, you’ve seen it in several trauma patients--but grits out, “Partially.”

“Alright.” You bend some water out of your skein. “I’m going to try to get you some relief so you can open your eyes and talk, okay?” When she nods, you continue. “I’ll need to work on your face, head, and neck. Is it alright if I touch you?”

Lin purses her lips, then takes her arm away from her eyes and nods.

You gently place your hands against her cheeks and use the water to feel along the tissue and muscle there. You can feel the scars --the angry, inflamed, knotted stripes of tissue that streak across her right cheek--and, sure enough, when you start massaging them gently, you can feel the pull of tension shooting into the surrounding muscles, up her forehead and scalp, and down into her neck.

“Yeah, that’s a gnarly one,” you murmur, mostly to yourself, as you try to find the root knot. You move one hand to Lin’s neck and start pressing your fingers against it. “Did you take a hit to the right side of your face recently?”

Lin’s lips curl into a tight smirk. “Got slugged in the face by a perp.”

“Ouch.” You suck a breath through your teeth. “Yeah, that would probably do it.”

“Should see the other guy.”

“Oh, I already knew they’re worse off.” You smile when she chuckles, then focus on feeling out the tension in her shoulders and neck. “Okay, I think I’ve got at least part of the root here. I’ll be able to get the rest of it once we get you over to the table.” You take a deep breath, then place your water-covered hands on her shoulders. “I’m gonna start down and work my way up so that the bigger muscles help the smaller ones release. You’re probably going to feel really warm from all the blood flow moving through the tissues again. If you need me to stop, tell me.”

Lin takes a deep breath to brace herself, then nods. “Just do what you need to do.”

You nod back --out of habit, her eyes are still closed--and start using the water to massage the muscles how you’ve been trained. You knead her shoulders with your waterbending, using the water in her muscle tissue to massage out the adhesions. “Come on,” you mutter as you work at a particularly stubborn knot. “I know you’re not happy; please let go for me…” You smile when you feel the muscle --finally--relax. “Thank you.”

From there, it’s like chasing after an unraveling rope. The release in the shoulder muscles triggers relaxation in Lin’s neck and face; all you have to do is follow along and catch any stragglers.

Lin lets out a gasp, then relaxes against the couch.

“That’s it,” you murmur with a smile as her body goes limp. You focus on the crown of her head, make sure the headache finishes dissipating properly, then bend the remaining water back into your jug once you’re done. “How’s that?”

Lin opens her eyes and blinks. “Feels like I got a full night’s sleep for once.” She pauses, then grimaces. “And like I’ve been out in the sun.”

You laugh quietly and nod. “That’s the blood saturating your muscles and soft tissue. It’ll settle in a bit --slowly!” you hiss, placing your hand against her back to help her sit up. “Don’t fucking undo all my hard work.”

“I’m so sorry,” Lin says, smirking. She lets you help her stand --though she glares at you a little for it--then winces as she straightens.

“Yeah, I figured there’d be more,” you mumble as you look her up and down. “Sit on the center of the table, arms down. Do you mind if I turn on another light so I can see better?”

“That’s fine.”

You turn on another lamp, then skirt around the table so you can better examine the set of Lin’s shoulders and her back. You press your fingers down the length of her spine, checking for resistance. “It’s your left hip that bothers you, right?”

“Yes.”

“That tracks with what I’m seeing,” you mutter as you check her ribs. “Can you turn your head to the left for me? And to the right?” You place your hands on her neck so you can feel the motion of the joints and muscles, then tap the left side of her neck. “You’ve got a lot of resistance here, likely caused by your body trying to correct your favoring your right side. I’m going to do some massage work first; the bones move easier if the muscles are already relaxed.” You step back and dig through the bag you’d brought with you. “Are you sensitive to scents?”

Lin grunts, displeased. “No fucking lavendar.”

You chuckle, then opt for the unscented massage oil, just to be safe. “Shirt and bra off, please, then lay flat on your stomach.”

Even though it’s nothing you haven’t seen before, the sight of Lin Beifong topless is always enough to leave you breathless. The musculature in her back, shoulders, chest, abdomen, arms, even her hands, to say nothing of her tits…

You force yourself to close your mouth before you start drooling.

Lin lies down on her stomach, lets you reposition her arms and adjust the angle of her neck…

You sigh when you realize her hands have curled into fists. “Lin.”

“What?”

“I need you to relax.”

“I am.”

You arch one eyebrow at the back of her head. “For a cop, you’re not a very good liar.”

“Not supposed to be. That’s the attorneys’ job.”

You snort, then shake your head with a sigh. “Lin. Please. It’ll be harder for me if you don’t relax.”

She sighs --and then slowly, reluctantly, she lets her body go limp against the massage table.

You murmur your thanks --and tuck away the interesting fact that she conceded to make things easier for you--then pour some massage oil onto your hand and rub it between your palms. Once your hands are warm, you place them on Lin’s upper back and start working.

There’s a lot to work on. Between Lin’s sheer muscle mass and the stress-slash-physical wear and tear of her job, there’s knots and adhesions all over her back.

Lin grunts when something near her left scapula goes crunch. “What was that?”

“Gristle,” you reply with a smile. When she scoffs, you laugh. “I’m serious. The muscles around the shoulder blades get used a lot. The knots that form give the muscle tissue about the same consistency as gristle.” You dig your thumb into another line of knotted muscle and press it through. “Crunch, crunch, crunch. Do you do any yoga or regular stretching?”

“I do some stretching as part of my workout routine.”

“Good, good. I’d recommend adding some upper body stretches to your regimen; it’d help with all the tension you carry up here.”

Lin snorts, low and soft. “Whatever you say, kid.”

***

It’s slow work. There’s a lot of trauma and scarring on and in Lin’s body --no surprise there, given her line of work.

You switch back to waterbending-based healing when you get to her left hip. You grimace when you feel how inflamed the joint is, then start working on calming the irritated and overworked tendons. “You need to take it easier on the job.”

“I need to do my job properly,” Lin fires back, sucking in a breath when you adjust her hip further.

You switch to pain relief techniques. “You won’t be doing your job at all if you destroy the joint.”

Lin grumbles under her breath, but doesn’t argue further.

Once you’re done with the massage work, you let her get dressed before having her lie down on her back. “Have you had a chiropractic adjustment before?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, good. I’m going to work on your back first.” You put a padded board underneath her back, then have her cross her arms over her chest --one atop the other, hands on her shoulders so her arms make a ‘V’ shape. “Alright, curl your chin up.” You put one arm around her, supporting her back, then help her up so you can put your fist between Lin’s back and the board. “Okay, deep breath in… and let it out.”

Lin grunts when you roll her down over your hand and something in her back pops. “Shit.”

You freeze. “Are you okay?”

“Fine. Keep going.”

You keep working up her back, then take the board out from under her back once you’re done. “How does that feel?”

Lin shifts experimentally. “Better.”

“Good, good.” You move to stand at the head of the massage table and start palpating her shoulders and neck. “Alright, let me take the weight of your head in my hands.” You gently turn her head to the left, feeling for any resistance. “Just let your body relax… okay…” You get her neck in position, feeling out where the tension rests. “Tilt your chin up for me, please.” You adjust your grip on her head. “Alright, deep breath in, then out…” You wait for her to exhale, then jerk her head to the left.

Lin groans when her neck cracks. “That felt good.”

“I bet.” You repeat the process for the right side, then have Lin roll on her sides so you can adjust her lower back. “Lay back down, I want to check your knees and ankles.”

Lin arches one eyebrow at you. “Is that… normal?”

“They can be safely adjusted, if that’s what you mean.” You flash her a teasing grin as you walk down the side of the massage table. “Besides, call it a hunch.”

“What ‘hunch?’”

By way of response, you start feeling around her knees and ankles. You nod, then laugh. “Yep. Definitely an earthbender.”

Lin smirks up at the ceiling. “Your first hint was?”

“You lot are rough on your ankles and knees. All that stomping around. I can tell just by how jammed up everything is in here.” You adjust her knees, then move to her ankles --and frown. “What the hell kind of shoes are you wearing, day to day?”

“My uniform boots.”

You squint at her from the base of the massage table. “The metal ones? With the retractable soles so you can use your seismic sense when needed?”

“...Yes.” Lin lifts her head, then chuckles when she sees the stink eye you’re giving her. “They’re practical.”

“They have no support for your joints,” you fire back. You smack her shin --albeit not harshly--when she lets out a huff of laughter, then set about adjusting her ankles. “Stubborn old fart.”

Lin snorts. “Pigheaded kid.”

You smile and shake your head.

***

By the time you finish, it’s nearly ten. The sky is dark, save for the few visible stars --thanks, light pollution--and the sounds of the city have wound down to a gentle roar.

Lin stands, stretches, then lets out a sigh of relief when there’s no pain or resistance. “Thanks.”

You wave your hand as you go about packing up your supplies. “No problem. I wasn’t about to let you suffer.”

Lin nods after a moment, then pads over to a nearby desk. “How much do you charge for your services?”

You gape. “I-- Lin, no--”

“I can always pick a number at random.”

Your mouth snaps shut. You sigh, but acquiesce (mostly because you’re certain she’ll pick an absurdly high amount just to get a rise out of you). You rattle off a price --an expensive price, maybe worth two or three day’s work in total--then accept the check Lin hands you moments later. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

You huff a little --it still feels weird, taking a friend-but-not-friend’s money--as you tuck the check in your bag --and then your stomach decides to imitate a dying whale.

“I’m guessing you didn’t have dinner,” Lin surmises.

You shrug. “Kind of hard to give a massage and eat at the same time.”

The corner of Lin’s mouth quirks up. She nods to a nearby phone. “Kang’s is still open, if you want to put in an order.”

“...Okay.”

This entire night is a break in your usual routine. Massage and chiropractic work aside, normally you’re either headed home or in the middle of being fucked into the nearest solid surface by now. There’s no casual hanging out --and, sure, Lin’s ordered take out for the two of you on occasion, when you were both hungry, but all this still feels… different.

(You’re not sure what’s scarier, the change or the fact that part of you likes it.)

You put in the order --fortunately, Lin’s ordered from Kang’s before, so you know what she likes--then put down the phone just as the clock strikes ten. “Oh! Murder Mystery Theater is on!”

Lin looks over at you. “What?”

“It’s a crime-drama radio show. They run a new show every week.” You gesture to the radio. “Do you mind?” You take Lin’s hand wave as the permission it is, and turn on the radio before tuning it to the right station.

The sound of slightly muffled string instruments floats out the speaker.

“This week! On Murder Mystery Theater…”

You make yourself comfortable in an armchair that matches the velvet upholstered sofa. The new shows air at nine, so this one’s a rerun, but you recognize it as one of your favorites --a dramatic game of cat and mouse between the intrepid detectives and a serial killer hiding in plain sight.

Five minutes in, and you realize that Lin’s listening along, even as she reads from a newspaper. You catch her looking over at the radio or staring off into space while she processes the story unfolding before her.

Eventually, she flips to the next page of the paper and says, “The doctor did it. He gets off on killing his patients.”

You raise your eyebrows as you look over at her. You already know she’s wrong --it’s the mortician’s assistant, who so happens to be the doctor’s son. A smile stretches across your lips as an idea forms in your brain. “Wanna bet?”

Lin looks up from the paper and smirks at you. “What’s your wager?”

You mull it over, then grin wickedly. “If you’re wrong, I get to use the cuffs on you at some point.”

Lin scoffs and sets the paper down on the coffee table in front of the sofa with a thwap. “And what could you possibly offer to make that a balanced wager?”

“If you’re right… I’ll behave for a night. Whatever you want, no complaining, no fighting.”

Lin’s eyes light up. She smirks, then extends a hand out to you.

You grin and shake her hand.

***

Dinner arrives halfway through the show. You and Lin eat in the sitting room, listening to the show while eating (spicy possum chicken with steamed vegetables and rice for her, braised hippo beef with spring rolls for you).

“--but Jang said she was with her husband at an evening show until eleven.”

“...Which means he can’t have been playing cards with his friends at ten.”

“Not unless he’s a Spirit. Come on, I’ll drive. Let’s go see if Lee remembers this ‘show’ he went to with the missus.”

“This isn’t half bad,” Lin comments around half a mouthful of possum chicken.

“I thought you liked Kang’s,” you fire back, even though you caught her meaning the first time.

She rolls her eyes, swallows, then continues. “I meant the show. Its description of police procedure is actually on point.”

“The creator shadowed police departments in the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation for over a year before writing the first episode,” you explain before biting into a spring roll. You chew, swallow, then add, “He used to work as a PR rep for law enforcement when they had to work difficult cases.”

Lin nods, impressed. “It’s definitely better than all the crime family and love triangle shit that gets put out there.”

“Well… that stuff happens, doesn’t it?”

“Not the way the media likes to write it.”

You concede with a shrug --then perk up when you realize the script is heading towards the twist reveal. You shove the rest of your spring roll into your mouth to keep from tipping off Lin to your “insider information.”

“Lee Jang is a servant to this city. He’s been my coworker for three years! I think I’d know if he was a psychopath murderer.”

Lin’s brows knit together. She sets down her container of chicken and glares at the radio. “The mortician’s assistant?”

You shrug and take another bite of your entree to keep from grinning like an idiot. “Eh, there’s still time for things to shake out different. Each show always has a twist.”

Except it doesn’t “shake out different.” The mortician’s assistant is arrested, there’s a few brief trial scenes, and then it ends with an allocution when it’s apparent that the case isn’t going in the defendant’s favor.

Lin tosses her chopsticks against the coffee table and slumps back against the couch with a disgusted scowl. “Fucking dammit.”

“I guess that makes me the winner.” You tidy up your take out trash, pretending to pay Lin no mind as she glares holes into the side of your skull.

There’s no hiding your smug sense of victory --especially from a seasoned detective such as Lin Beifong.

She narrows her eyes. “You knew how the story would end.”

You lift your gaze to meet hers and smile, smug and unrepentant. “New shows air at nine. Reruns air at ten.”

Lin rolls her eyes. “So you cheated.”

“The odds are always in the house’s favor.” Your smile slips when you take in her obvious discomfort and displeasure. “We don’t have to hold the deal if you’re that upset about it.”

Her gaze cuts over to you. She studies you for a minute, then relaxes minutely and shakes her head. “It’s fine. A deal’s a deal.”

You’d argue, but something in her eyes --a familiar glint you’re accustomed to seeing before starts undressing you, or spanking you, or bending you over the nearest flat surface--makes you stop. Your cunt throbs, and you push through it by crossing your legs. “Alright, then. I’ll let you know when I want to collect.”

Lin rolls her eyes --but she’s smiling, just a hint. “Brat.”

“Funny, I thought that was why you liked me.”

Lin merely rolls her eyes again (but you swear you see her smile get bigger, just a bit).

You stand, stretch, then turn off the radio when it switches to a commercial. You eye the clock, then groan when you realize it’s almost eleven. “Dammit. I didn’t realize it was so late.”

It’s too late for a cab --again--or the hotel’s car service. Lin could drive you, but it’d be forever to get to your apartment building from here (thank you Spirit Vines and bureaucracy for impeding the city infrastructure).

Lin glances at the clock, then stands and starts clearing her share of the take out trash. “Stay here. Use the second bedroom.”

You nod, grateful (it’s not the first time you’ve stayed over with her at the hotel, given that the Spirit Vine roadblocks aren’t exactly new). “Thanks.”

Lin nods--

And then the two of you just stare at each other.

(Because, while this isn’t the first time you spent the night in her hotel suite, normally she fucks you in your bed, then heads to her own bedroom once you’re sated and on the verge of passing out.

But, if it wasn’t clear, this isn’t exactly “normal procedure.”)

Lin moves first. She nods again --awkward and jerky--then carries her trash over the bin in the kitchen before striding off to the room she usually uses. “I’m going to bed. Good night.”

“Good night,” you reply, soft enough that you’re not sure she hears you. You blink when the door to her bedroom thumps shut, then sigh and force yourself to clean up and head for bed as well.

(Despite the luxurious mattress and bedding, sleep is a long time coming.)

[wrenhyperfixates]

Just Dance

Pairing: Loki x reader Summary: Loki joins you and Peter as you play some video games. Warnings: kind of just a short crack fic but also a lot of fluff A/N: If you somehow don’t know the song Rasputin, please go listen to it. Hope you enjoy :)

Permanent Tag List: @lucywrites02 @frostedgiant @lunarmoon8​ @twhiddlestonsstuff @lokistan @lowkeyorlokificrecs @gaitwae @whatafuckingdumbass @castiels-majestic-wings @kozkaboi @cozy-the-overlord @birdgirl90 @myraiswack @mythicalgarlicknot @what-a-flammable-heart @marvelouslovely​ @laurenandloki​

Disclaimer: Gif not mine

“Yes!” you cheered as you got in front of Peter at the last second, winning the cup in Mario Kart.

“Nooooo,” he lamented. “I was so close. Nice job though.”

“Thank you. It was a good game. You’ll win next time, Petey,” you said, ruffling his hair.

You began to set up for the next game, selecting your karts and bickering over which courses to do when Loki walked in. He looked between you two and the TV screen.

“Is everything alright, darling?” he asked, coming to sit next to you. “I heard shouting.”

“Better than alright, actually. I won,” you explained as he pulled you onto his lap, wrapping his arms around your waist and hugging you close.

“Well then, congratulations, my sweet. Might I ask what game you are playing.”

Excitedly, you and Peter explained the game. The conversation took a quick detour to be a debate about which courses and characters and karts were the best. You were pretty sure Loki was totally lost during that bit, but just nodded along as if he understood what you were talking about. Eventually, you agreed to disagree, and finished explaining the controls to the god.

“Most intriguing,” your boyfriend mused. “I do not suppose you would let me join you in playing?”

“Of course we would, Mr. Loki,” Peter grinned.

Honestly, you were a bit more hesitant to let him play. Of course you would love to spend some time playing video games with your boyfriend and best friend, but you knew how Loki could be with modern technology. Or, as he usually called it, “insolent machinery.” Not to mention how competitive he could get. Which would be totally fine, except that you’d be surprised if he didn’t lose. As long as he came in the top six, you were sure you’d be able to keep him happy.  

That was if you even actually got to playing. It took him nearly fifteen minutes to pick a character to play as. He kept asking about the backstory of each of the ones he thought looked interesting. Finally, he settled on King Boo. Mischievous and a king? It was like he was made with Loki in mind. After you and Peter also selected your favorite characters, you began to set the cc of the vs race. Unfortunately, Loki noticed you made it a lower difficulty for him and demanded you play on the hardest one there was.

“Are you sure, Mr. Loki?” Peter asked. “There’s no shame in lowering it since you’re a beginner.”

“I am quite certain, spiderling,” he reaffirmed. “Darling, make it as difficult as possible.”

“If you insist,” you sighed, knowing this wouldn’t end well.

Roughly twenty minutes later, you were proven right. Loki sputtered indignantly after he came in dead last in every race, ranking at the very bottom overall in twelfth place. He angrily tossed the remote down onto the couch beside him. You rubbed calming circles on the back of his hands as his arms came to encircle you again, still sitting on his lap. He rested his chin on your shoulder, utterly annoyed.

“That is ridiculous!” he finally exclaimed. “It required absolutely no real skill. It is a horrible measure of who is a winner and a loser, if you ask me.”

“Maybe we could play again on the easier setting a few times,” Peter suggested. “Then you could get the hang of it, and you’ll win for sure.”

“No thank you,” Loki answered, unwilling to risk losing again.

“How about a different game then?” you asked, hoping to pacify the adorably pouting god.

“I would not want to disrupt you anymore. It is fine. Besides, I am certain any other of these video games would also have no skill involved beyond pressing some buttons.”

He tried to get up, but you kept him where he was, getting an idea. You looked at Peter, who’d had the same thought as you. You both sprang up and began pushing furniture aside, creating a wide open space.

“What in the Nine are you doing?” Loki asked, bewildered.

“You want a game with your so-called real, physical skill? Well, get ready because we’re playing Just Dance,” you smiled at him, putting the controller back into his hand.

Uncertain about what exactly was happening, Loki stood in front of the screen with you and the teen superhero. As it loaded, you explained the logistics of the game; just follow the moves the avatar on the screen was doing. He eyed the two of you suspiciously, but went along with it. By the time you finished the first song, which you and Peter picked, knowing Loki would’ve taken forever to decide, the god had a wide smile on his face. He kept the two of you dancing for the next hour and a half until you were sweaty and out of breath.

“Ok, I think that’s enough of that for one day,” you panted, out of breath.

“Just one more,” he pleaded with puppy dog eyes. He was looking extra cute, you thought, with his hair pulled into a messy bun. “And then we can stop. But I am on a roll, I can feel it.”

You looked to Peter, who gave a small nod, agreeing to Loki’s request. Resting for a minute, you waited for the trickster god to pick the final song. After listening to the sample, he decided on Rasputin. You let out a tiny groan, knowing this one was a lot of leg work, but still took your position in front of the TV. In the end, you were happy Loki had picked the one he did. He just looked so happy. Not to mention you quite liked the view you got seeing him do the dance and having to wiggle his butt a little. You were sure your boyfriend would be quite embarrassed if he heard those thoughts, you thought with a laugh. Even though you and Peter were collapsing to the ground at the end of it, Loki was jumping up and down, happy that he had performed well enough to earn the megastar title.

“Congratulations, Loki,” you told him from the floor. “Good job.”

He sat on the ground next to you and, bending over, gave you a kiss on the lips. “Thank you, darling. And thank you, both of you, for including me in your games.

“No problem, Mr. Loki,” Peter said. “It was a lot of fun.”

“Indeed it was. Now, do you think I could try Mario Kart again? On a lower level this time, of course.”

Happy he wanted to give it another go, Peter went to change the game cartridge. Sitting up, you squeezed Loki’s hand, glad your boyfriend wasn’t being so stubborn anymore.

“I love you,” you said, kissing him.

“And I, you,” he replied against your lips as you parted ever so slightly.

As you met in another kiss, Loki realized something important; he didn’t care what he was playing, so long as he got to spend time with you.

[fruitcoops]

Could we please have a prequel to the praise kink fic? Because i really want to know why were Sirius and Remus not together and what did Remus send him. I really need context

I was hoping somebody would ask for this!! The aforementioned fic is here for any curious souls (18+ please) and SW credit goes to @lumosinlove!

TW for spicy texts (not exactly nudes), and smutty feelings with nothing explicit

The bus went over a bump and Sirius winced as his shins knocked against the back of the seat in front of him, connecting with the metal brace inside. “Fuck.”

“You sure you don’t want to switch?” James asked next to him. Sirius glanced down at the veritable wall of gear and empty snack bags between them, then back to James in disbelief. He shrugged, then set his headphones back over his ears. “Worth a shot.”

“Merde,” Sirius hissed as a pothole nearly took off his kneecap. He gritted his teeth and readjusted, drawing his legs closer to his chest. I want to be home, he thought, allowing himself an internal moment to whine.

He checked his phone—not even ten in the morning. It was a Saturday, so Remus would probably just be rolling out of bed, still sleepy and soft with his hair sticking up like a disgruntled cat’s. Sirius sighed heavily and stared out the window at the small town rolling past in the distance; there was little he wouldn’t give to be back with him instead of on the way to a full week of conferences.

“Why did we have to win the Cup?” he grumbled.

James lifted one side of his headphones. “What?”

“Nothing.”

It wasn’t like they had had much time to themselves before that, either—Sirius’ schedule was packed with interviews that felt more like interrogations, and Remus had been running the PT department mostly by himself while Moody took a well-deserved vacation. They were dead on their feet every night, worked to the bone with little energy left to do more than cuddle and fall asleep. Still, Sirius was grateful for every second of it.

He waited ten more minutes before giving in.

New Message To: Re

Bonjour mon loup <3

There was no immediate response, which made sense, though he was a little bit disappointed. Sirius closed his eyes and tried to make himself relax; it would be at least another six hours before they arrived at their destination, and the bad weather gathering overhead didn’t bode well for quick travel.

His phone buzzed gently and he scrambled to answer. Don’t be Reg, don’t be Reg, don’t be Reg—

New Message From: Re

Morning love!

Thanks for the bagels <3

“Fuck yes,” Sirius said under his breath. The bagels had been a last-minute decision as he crept through the house in the early hours of the morning after carefully detaching himself from Remus with a final half-asleep farewell kiss. There was no guarantee he would remember breakfast with everything going on, so Sirius figured it was a safe bet to toast them and leave them on the countertop before heading out.

Message To: Re

Pas de problem

Sleep well?

Message From: Re

Decent

Missed you :(

Sirius rested his temple against the cold window with a soft sound. He hated leaving at different times, but that was just how their life worked at the moment.

Message To: Re

Missed you too <3

Three small dots appeared for a long moment before vanishing without a trace just as his heart rate began picking up. Where’d you go? he almost wondered aloud. Something bumped his arm and James raised a quizzical brow. “Loops,” Sirius said by way of explanation.

“I figured. He okay?”

“I think so? He just…disappeared on me.” Sirius was well-aware of how plaintive he sounded—James’ teasing smile was completely unnecessary.

“Aw, Cap,” he laughed, reaching over to mess with his beanie until Sirius slapped his hand away. “It’s alright, buddy, it’s just a couple days.”

Sirius jammed his hat back on his head and flicked James on the unprotected bit of his ear, making him yelp. “Fuck off, I know you’ll be a mess as soon as Lily FaceTimes with my godson.”

“He has a name, you know.”

“Sorry. You’ll be a mess as soon as she FaceTimes with Pocket Pots, who happens to be my godson.”

James rolled his eyes. “I regret giving you that title.”

“Nah, you don’t.”

As if on cue, his phone lit up again; Sirius ignored James’ snickering as he quickly unlocked it.

New Message From: Re

When will you be at the hotel?

“That’s it?” he muttered.

Message To: Re

That was a lot of typing for one sentence

6-7 hrs, if the weather holds

Why?

Message From: Re

Sorry lmao Reg came in for a bit

Just curious :) Keep me updated?

Message To: Re

Will do <3

Tell Reg he needs to wash his sheets. It’s been over a month.

A small thumbs-up emoji was his only answer, and he tried not to be too bummed. Remus liked having things to do; sitting there and texting Sirius while he slowly got further and further away was probably not his preferred way to spend a morning. With a sigh that was likely a bit too dramatic for the situation he was in, Sirius faced the window once more and buckled in for a long ride.

He chatted off and on with the others when they stopped for lunch, but everyone was exhausted from the combination of a packed week and an early morning. Even Talker stayed fairly quiet, and James kept his headphones on for most of the trip.

Sirius finally succumbed to his tiredness and put some music on, then dozed for an hour or three while they traveled through yet another field. A few halfhearted calls of “cows” made their way around the bus, though nobody seemed particularly enthused about being packed in with double the gear due to a broken storage compartment. Donuts and gas station coffee could only do so much.

“Just crossed the state border,” Arthur called from the front of the bus as Sirius tried to ignore the cramping in his thighs. Three hours. Just three more.

His music was interrupted by a soft jingle alert and he pulled his phone out, hoping against hope that Regulus hadn’t caused a fire anywhere. It was unlikely given the…well, everything about him, but with Sirius’ luck it could happen.

New Message From: Re

How far?

Message To: Re

About 3 hrs. Ran into some detours

Good day?

Remus remained silent on the other end and Sirius frowned. That was rather rude, and highly unusual. Between the two of them, Remus was the one who kept conversations going past the initial question to be answered.

Message From: Re

Attachment: 1 Image

Love you! Call me when you get there : )

Sirius opened the attachment and almost threw his phone in utter shock. Skin. Bare skin everywhere, its smooth edges broken up only by tight black fabric that may as well have been painted onto the curve of Remus’ ass. “Oh my god,” he whimpered, voice barely audible even to his own ears. It had been taken in their bedroom mirror; Remus looked over his shoulder, and Sirius caught the corner of a devious smirk on his lips. “Oh, you fucker.”

Message From: Re

Thoughts? They’re cozy

Message To: Re

Did you miss the part where I said three (3) hours

Message From: Re

Nope

Second one is a guessing game and u get a prize if u get it right : )

The second photograph was more zoomed-in than the first and Sirius wracked his brain, running through his mental catalogue of Remus’ body to figure out the answer. It did absolutely nothing to calm the situation in his pants.

He had no idea what the promised prize was, but anticipation made his hands shake slightly as he carefully scanned the picture. The shadows caught it at an odd angle—it wasn’t the steady slopes of his face or neck, nor was it the strong curve of a shoulder. Not enough freckles, either, he thought.

A lightbulb lit in the back of his mind.

Message To: Re

Right hip

Another thought connected half a second later.

Holy fuck you took them off

Is that my prize?

Re?

Remus Lupin I swear to god

TEXT ME BACK

Message From: Re

Bingo!

Christ you’re impatient, I was gone for like 2 mins

He chanced a look toward Pots, whose head lolled to the side as he snored.

Message To: Re

Hey quick question why are you like this

It’s a good thing Pots is out cold bc this bus is too small to hide anything

Message From: Re

Haha sux to be you

Sirius’ cheeks heated with a whole cocktail of different emotions as he furiously typed a response.

Message To: Re

‘Sux to be you’???

Are you 13 yrs old????

Message From: Re

Do you want your prize or not u horndog

Message To: Re

YOU MADE ME THIS WAY

He took a deep breath through his nose and flexed his fingers.

Yes please

A simple smiley face—Sirius would never see those things the same—popped up, followed by an audio file. He triple-checked that his headphones were plugged in before tapping ‘play’ with an unsteady thumb.

His face went very, very hot before all the blood went straight to his groin and he closed his eyes, covering his mouth with his hand. Breathy sounds came through the heavy earphones, a little more crackly than they would be in-person; he heard Remus’ gasp catch in his throat and crossed his legs as best he could in the too-small seat, torn between thanking and cursing any higher power. He could practically see Remus’ face in his mind’s eye as the noises continued, intermixed with fragments of desperate words.

The file came to an end after what felt like the blink of an eye and a hundred years, and Sirius did not look away from the violently red seat cushion in front of him for a long moment as his brain came back online. He couldn’t remember the last time he was so turned on.

He took a few deep breaths, though it did nothing to erase the poorly-muffled whines that still rang between his ears like church bells. Sirius huffed and turned to grab his waterbottle out of his duffel, only to make direct eye contact with Finn across the aisle.

Sirius froze.

Finn grinned.

“Don’t you fucking dare,” he hissed, too low to wake James but just loud enough to carry over the four feet separating them. Finn’s smile widened. “Stop it. Stop it right now.”

“How’s Loops?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“That good, huh?”

“O’Hara, I swear to god—”

“Oh, is Cap spilling secrets?” Kasey asked, poking his head over the back of the seat.

Finn opened his mouth, but the force of Sirius’ glare must have been enough to at least intimidate him a little, because he shook his head. The smug Cheshire grin remained. “Nah, just having a chat about our plans when we get home.”

Kasey groaned. “You’re a lucky man, O’Hara. Both your people get to come with you. Nat sent me a promise, like, twenty minutes ago and I can’t stop thinking about it. I won’t be available tonight from six to eight if anyone was wondering.”

“Did she really?” Finn looked back to Sirius, who bit the inside of his cheek and tried to keep his cool. Two and a half hours, and then he would be safe. Just two and a half more hours.

[nimata-beroya]

Headcanons for a TBB fic I'll never write

(anyone who wants to take these ideas (or some of them) as an inspiration, be my guest. Just tag me when you're posting 😉)

Since the pilot, I've been wondering what would've happened if padawan Caleb had stayed with the Batch, and now that Hera also showed up, well...

Needless to say, in this au Crosshair's chip doesn't get activated only Wrecker's (just like in the show)

Also, the Havoc Marauder is MUCH bigger with 3-4 rooms (to be shared by 2-3 people each) and a 'fresher at least.

Hunter convinced Caleb to stay with them after order 66. Cross is not happy about it tho. Not a chip-induced complaint, just he doesn't do the children thing or he says he doesn't 😆

When they return to Kamino, it's decided that Caleb stays in the Marauder bc he's afraid of the regs and feels something bad is going to happen if he leaves the ship, that he must stay hidden.

Inside Kamino, it happens pretty much as in the first episode except that Crosshair is taken to medical against his will. Kaminoans wants to find out why the chip malfunctioned.

When the rest of the batch and Omega are escaping the brig, Caleb arrives and helps. They take a detour to pick up Crosshair (or he escapes on his own and meets halfway) before leaving Kamino. Or better yet, Caleb rescues Cross and they meet the batch halfway and escape together

Everything else happens more or less the same, except that Caleb (who changes his name to Kanan) is also there not just Omega. Caleb tries to be inconspicuous, not using the Force in public but shit happens and he slips a time or 2

Cross and Kanan end up sharing a room, and during bad nights Crosshair comforts the kid after a nightmare. He's not so good at it but he gets extra points for trying

For some reason, I'm fixated on Kanan taking Echo as father figure.

Essentially, Echo and Cross are to Kanan what Hunter and Wrecker are to Omega

Crosshair is distant with the kids, but deep down, he cares a lot. "Reluctantly", he teaches Omega to shoot with her bow and also helps Kanan training

Kanan and Omega have the best big brother/little sister relationship ever. He's super protective of her and she is in awe with his stories of war and what he knows about the force.

When the batch makes the guns deal with Gobi Glie, young Kanan gets smitten with sweet Hera.

Hera isn't too behind and feels butterflies in her stomach when she meets him

The batch gets the job to rescue Eleni and Cham Syndulla. During the mission, Hera joins Kanan and Omega and they get their share of battle and near-death experiences.

After that, Kanan and Hera keep in contact through the years. Omega and Hera become bffs. Hera visits often for sleepovers.

Kanan and Hera pin for each other for years

Eventually, Kanan joins Hera in the Ghost, and their story continues as we know it does

They take Garazeb, Sabine, and Ezra in, and every in Rebels happens (The batch joins them for missions sometimes, especially Omega) ... Everything happens except for Kanan dying and Ezra lost only the Force knows where.

They live happily ever after with grandpa Echo, uncles Wrecker, Hunter, Cross, and Tech, lil' sis Omega, the kids, and baby Jacen after defeating the Empire

THE END

[twdeadfanfic]

Vows Pt.5

Daryl Dixon x Reader

Series Summary:

The last battle with Negan doesn’t go as it should, with Negan coming on top, and so reader, Daryl’s girlfriend, offers herself as a wife to Negan if he doesn’t kill Daryl or anyone else. Negan accepts, he won’t kill anyone but will take reader as a wife, and he’ll take Daryl and some of the others to the Sanctuary as prisoners, promising not to hurt anyone if reader is one of his wives and the communities work for him.

This has both flashbacks to reader and Daryl’s story since meeting to now, and the present with reader living at the Sanctuary as a wife, trying to keep Daryl and their people safe, and she and the other wives dealing with Negan, plotting… (This is not a Negan x reader fic!)

90% of this chapter is the second part of the flashback from last chapter, when Daryl and reader met pre-show.

A couple more days passed, two, three, you weren’t sure, the days blurred a bit when you stayed inside that room doing the same every day. You were allowed to leave, if one of the guards went with you and you told Negan beforehand and why, but nobody usually bothered. There wasn’t much to do or to see at the  Sanctuary anyway, just sadness.

Frankie had left today, she was going to see her brother, she was allowed to go talk to him every other day, she kept Negan happy with her massages and with everything else. When she came back, she seemed mad, closing the door behind her with a loud bang, startling you all.

“Where’s that prick?!”

“She’s in the bedroom with Tanya…” Lila said and Frankie didn’t say anything, making her way to the door, seeming murderous angry, but Abby stepped in front of her, stopping her and grabbing her arms,

“What happened?”

“That prick has my brother working on the fence! I almost saw him getting bitten! I fuck that prick, my brother shouldn’t have to do shit like that!” Frankie yelled, fuming. “Get out of my way!”

Frankie tried to walk past Abby and to Negan’s bedroom, but Abby grabbed her arms again, dragging her back. “Whatever you want to do, don’t! You know what will happen! He’ll kill you, your brother, and everyone else of your family!”

Frankie struggled again, but then the door opened and Negan walked inside, half-dressed, with Tanya following him, looking at all of you wide-eyed.

“What the hell’s going on?! What’s all that fucking noise and yelling?!” Negan asked, and then he noticed Frankie and Abby, who was still grabbing her arms.

You were afraid that Frankie was going to do something, but it seemed that Abby has gotten to her and she didn’t say anything. She broke free from Abby’s grasp and went to her room, ignoring Negan.

Negan frowned at Frankie’s closed door and then looked at Abby. “What was all this shit about?”

“She and I…we just had a disagreement, nothing to worry about.” Abby shrugged.

“A disagreement?” Negan rolled his eyes. “Women, can’t live together without can fighting over shit.” He chuckled. “What have I told you all about that? Not unless you’re naked in front of me and covered in oil.”

“I’ll remember it for the next time.” Abby winked at Negan and gave him one of those seductive smiles that you didn’t know how she could pull off like that.

“What were you fighting about anyway, girls,” Negan said while pouring himself a glass of whiskey and flopping down onto an armchair.

“This.” Abby waved at herself. “It’s one of the new dresses that you brought us from Alexandria. Frankie said that she wanted it but I think it looks way better on me…it’s not my fault that Frankie doesn’t have these boobs.” Abby shrugged and you almost clapped at the act.

“Abby, sweetheart, you look fucking delicious.” Negan looked her up and down, smirking. “But, fighting over a dress? You all have more than enough, can you all girls play nice and share?”

“Share?” Abby moved closer to Negan, and then she straddled his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and making Negan smile wider. “I’d say we share enough here…”

“Mmm…someone’s getting jealous?” Negan purred and Abby shrugged before kissing him, and you really did not want to watch them making out, but it was also kind of fascinating to see Abby like that, when she was all the time talking shit about Negan. You wondered once again how these women did it.

“I know I’m the best fuck in here anyway…admit it,” Abby murmured as he started to kiss Negan’s neck.

“Now, now, darling, that’s not a nice thing to say in front of all my other wives…” Negan said, placing her hands on Abby’s hips.

“Maybe I’ll show them, then…” Abby began to rock on Negan’s lap, grinding on him, and you finally looked away, wondering if they were just going to fuck there. That’d be a first, but it wouldn’t really surprise you.

“Sounds tempting but I don’t want more jealousy and catfights.” You heard Negan saying and you wondered if he really thought that any of you would care if he fucked someone else and spared you.

You heard Negan moving and Abby chuckling, and you looked at them. He had gotten up, lifting Abby with him, her long legs wrapped around his waist and his arms around his neck, and he walked to his bedroom.

“Well…” Tanya began once the door was closed and they were gone. “He can be a smart guy sometimes, but most times his cock takes the wheel…which is fortunate.” You had to snort and agree with that.

The door of Frankie’s room opened and she walked out and flopped onto one of the couches.

“You almost got yourself and everyone you love killed,” Noemi scolded her.

“I know,” Frankie muttered. “Won’t happen again.”

“Hey, Frankie,” Lila called for her. “You do have nice boobs too, so don’t let that get to you.”

Frankie snorted, throwing one of the couch’s pillows to Lila, who just caught it and placed it behind her head as he shifted to lie down on the couch, smiling.

*

Abby didn’t come back until dawn. You were sleeping with the door of your bedroom open and you woke up when she got into the main room. You got up and went to join her, finding her drinking from a wine bottle in one of the couches, and he offered it to you when you sat down next to her.

“You were in there for a long while today,” you said, taking a sip from the bottle before giving it back to her. Wine for breakfast. Why not.

“Yeah, he fell asleep, I spent him.” Abby snorted. “And he doesn’t want us leaving when he’s asleep, says we can’t walk away from him.” She rolled her eyes. You wouldn’t know, he always had someone else after he was done with you. “So I had to wait for him to wake up.”

You hummed. “Quick thinking, back there. It was a nice thing to do, to cover for Frankie.”

Abby shrugged. “Nothing that she wouldn’t have done for me.” You guessed so. You had found that these women were protective over each other, and you were starting to feel like that. “Besides…I get her. If Negan’d have pulled some of that shit on my sister, I go in there and smash this bottle on his head.” Abby lifted the bottle of wine. “You don’t have siblings, right?”

“No…Daryl had a brother, Merle…Daryl was very protective of him too, despite Merle being a major ass…”

Then…

It had taken Daryl and you two days to find his brother, while it should have been less than a day, but the road that you were following was clogged with cars and walkers, and you were forced to take detours and even get into the woods with the bike from time to time. You never went to the main roads, Daryl told you that those were full of traffic jams of people trying to get to the city and the camps, attracting walkers. Part of you thought that maybe it’d be better to go to one of those roads, find more people, get to a camp, but you weren’t about to go on your own, and Daryl was only focused on getting to his brother.

You weren’t unarmed anymore, Daryl had given you a big knife, and he had even shown you how to use it, not only so you wouldn’t end up just hurting yourself, but so you could kill any walker that stumbled to you too. He seemed fearless, often going to put down walkers instead of just ignoring them, seeming to really hate those monsters. You were still scared of them, and you had put down one with your knife, listening to Daryl’s instructions, but you weren’t very confident in your ability. You didn’t know how Daryl could be so good at it.

As you had noticed, Daryl was rough and harsh with words, not that he spoke much. His way of speaking to you and his tone annoyed you sometimes, but at the same time, you knew that not only had he given you a knife and trained you with it, he kept you safe in more ways. He watched your back, always had you under his sight, making sure that you weren’t near threats alone, even if he acted like he didn’t care, and hunted to feed you both. He was rude, sure he was, but he hadn’t tried anything inappropriate and he didn’t ask anything for his help. In a way, it felt good to know that you had watching your back someone who seemed to be good at surviving and who made sure that you survived too, no matter that he acted like he didn’t care or how harsh he could be.

On the second day, you arrived at the town nearest to the prison where his brother should have been taken. You had stopped before riding too close, on an elevation from which you could see the town, and even from afar you could see several groups of walkers roaming the streets.

“Shit…” Daryl muttered, getting off the bike and walking back and forth while he kelp looking at the town.

“There might be people hauled in any of the buildings,” you suggested, you didn’t want to give Daryl false hopes, but in just two days, you had seen how important his brother Merle was to him, and you didn’t like to see him discouraged like that. “But we can’t ride in.”

“I can,” Daryl said, getting into the bike again.

“Daryl, it is suicide.”

“Stay here if you wanna, I’m going.”

“Daryl.” You stopped in front of the bike, even if you weren’t totally sure that Daryl wouldn’t just run you over, and you grabbed the handlers, while Daryl glared at you. “You can’t ride in, every group of walkers will go to you, you can’t fight them all on your own, or with me. You know it.”

“Then what the fuck do you want me to do!”

“I don’t know…we’ll think something, we’ll come up with a plan,” you said, sounding unconvincing. You believed that Daryl’s brother was dead, like all your friends and family, but you didn’t know how to break it to him without making him freak out.

Merle wasn’t dead, though, and suddenly, he had come out of the woods near Daryl and you. Daryl’s head snapped towards the sound and you followed his gaze, finding Merle. If Daryl had seemed rough, that was nothing with how his brother looked. You were about to freak out, wondering if the stranger was dangerous, when Daryl spoke.

“Merle!” Daryl jumped off the bike, going to his brother.

“I was sure had heard my bike, I’d recognize that purring anywhere,” Merle said. “I told you not to touch it, lil’ bro.”

“Wasn’t done fixin’ mine…what…are you okay?” Daryl seemed almost as shocked as you at his brother appearing out of the blue.

“I’m fine, lil’ bro...you too, uh? I knew it. We Dixons are hard, even you.” Merle chuckled as he wrapped an arm around his brother, and then he looked at you. “Well, well…look at that…you got yourself a bitch, baby bro?”

“Excuse you?” You snapped.

“That’s, uh…that’s Y/N…” Daryl said, walking to you again. “Found her at the road, her town was full of those dead assholes, so I took her with me.”

“Keepin’ yourself entertained, I see…” Merle chuckled, looking you up and down with a smirk, and you didn’t like the way in which he was talking at you or what he was implying, but before you could snap, Daryl spoke again.

“What the hell happened to you, Merle?”

“The guards were taking me to prison when we run into a group of those things on the road. They went to inspect what was going on, weren’t that smart, one ended with her throat tore open, the other bitten,” Merle began to explain. “I managed to convince him to unshackle me, I thought that prick was goin’ to leave me there. We killed the ones on the road, but we saw another group comin’ from the town, they’re attracted to the sound,” Merle kept going, and by now you had figured that too.

“We got into the woods, found a warehouse near, seemed a good place to hide. The guard died that night and when I realized, he had turned into one of those things,” Merle said, and Daryl had already told you that he thought that if you were bitten, you turned into one of those. This seemed to confirm it. “So I put him down. That was…three days ago? Ain’t sure. I’m still at the warehouse, but I was about to leave today, go back home…but…” He took a look at the town. “Fuck me…there weren’t half as many the last time.”

“Our town is full of those too, we can’t go back there,” Daryl explained.

“Everything is full of them, they’re everywhere, more every day,” you said. “We should go to one of those military camps…they said that there was one near Atlanta, we can’t be far from it now.”

The Dixons looked at each other. “Come on, to the warehouse,” Merle said. “Safest place for now.”

You all spent almost a week at the warehouse, before a big group of walkers had arrived, threatening to trap you in there forever, and so you all had to rush out. The Dixons had put down a few walkers that had gotten too close, and you had managed to put down one even if you were scared, for which you were quite proud.

There had been a pickup near and Merle had driven the bike onto the open back of it, and then you both had rushed into the cabin, driving away, hitting secondary roads and even paths through the woods, where you camped for days.

All that meant, that you had to spend almost two weeks alone with the Dixons, before you’d end up finding the quarry camp…if it had been only Daryl, you guessed it wouldn’t have been that bad, even if he was brash, but Merle…Daryl seemed prince charming indeed in comparison to his brother.

Merle was loud, obnoxious, and just a major prick, who wanted to be in charge of everything and talked down to Daryl and bossed him around in a way that you were sure if it were another person, Daryl would chop off their head. But he just took it from his brother. Merle never shut up, only when he was asleep, always giving his opinion on everything, sputtering nonsense and bullshit adorned with sexism, racism, and everything else along those lines, besides crude and perverted comments towards you, only to dismiss it as being joking when you snapped, but you knew better.

Besides all that, you knew that he had a bag full of different kinds of drugs, and it wasn’t unsual to find him high. When you had told Daryl, he had gotten angry, telling you to “mind your fucking business.” He had been harsh with you before, but not the way he was now when it involved his brother.

Every time that Merle opened his mouth, you wanted to sew it closed or punch him, or both. But every time that you talked back or snapped, or you two argued, Daryl would take his brother’s side and snap at you too, and you were more than fed up with it.

You had thought that Daryl was rough and harsh, sure, but not that he was a major asshole…which now you weren’t sure about, and you hated how whenever Merle said something sexist, racist, or anything like that, Daryl didn’t say anything against it, and you had caught him a few times repeating his brother’s words, as if he thought like that too.

You were tired and done with that, and the fact that the Dixons were alive people, the only alive people around, it seemed, in a world that looked full of dead monsters, wasn’t feeling enough to stick around anymore. Besides, every time that Merle did an inappropriate joke, you felt more and more uncomfortable, and so, one day, after Merle said something so sexist that even Daryl had seemed uncomfortable, you decided that you’d leave and try your luck, follow the signals to Atlanta, see if you found a group of alive people out there.

You were camped at the woods, the Dixons had made a perimeter with cord, hanging stuff that’d make noise if walkers approached.  You had to admit that you had learned a good fair of survival tips in your days with the Dixons. Merle was asleep after having gotten high and Daryl was taking watch.

“I’m gonna pee,” you announced, walking away, only with your knife in your belt and nothing else. It was unwise, but you couldn’t be around Merle anymore.

You had stepped outside the wire carefully so as not to rattle it and make noise, but still, it seemed as if Daryl had suspected of what you were gonna do, and so he was behind you.

“Where’re you goin’?”

You let out a sigh, turning to look at him. “Look…I…thank you for everything, but I’m going to go on my own.”

“The fuck you sayin’,” Daryl scoffed, frowning at you.

“Daryl…have you seen the way Merle talks to me? I can’t stand it anymore.”

Daryl shrugged, his frown getting deeper. “That’s just how Merle is.”

“Yeah…” You snorted. “That’s why I’m leaving…I can’t stand his bullshit anymore and it’s looking like you agree with him, so…” You  just shrugged and turned around to keep walking

“You can’t leave, you’ll get eaten.” Daryl scoffed as if you were an idiot.

He rushed to you and grabbed your arm as if he were going to drag you back to the camp, so you younked your arm free, you were starting to get annoyed. Sure, Daryl had helped you, but since finding his brother, he’d been acting like he didn’t give a shit about what happened to you, and let his brother say all kind of mean things to you, you even though he agreed.

“Like you care anyway!” You snapped. “You too think all that sexist bullshit! And I’m not going to let you both talk to me like that.”

Daryl was annoyed too, glaring at you, and he scoffed. “Yeah…yeah, I don’t care, don’t give a shit!” He snapped. “Go get eaten if that’s what you wanna, crazy bitch!”

“Yeah, crazy bitch, I heard it before,” you muttered, walking away and towards what you hoped was Atlanta’s direction.

Soon, though, you had stumbled into walkers that seemed to come from the road near that part of the woods, where a car jam had turned into a monster's feast. You had put down a couple, surprising even yourself, but they were too many.

You wondered if you could outrun them, you thought so, but you were worried about just running to nowhere and getting lost. It wasn’t looking like you didn’t have much choice, but then, an arrow embedded itself into the head of one of the walkers. You looked back and Daryl, who said that he didn’t care and acted like so, had followed you and was there, recharging the crossbow and putting down another walker, while you went to do the same with another, and the last one fell to the ground with another arrow into its head.

“You were right, I’d get eaten,” you muttered bitterly as Daryl approached, looking at you as if expecting you to snap again.

“Yeah…it ain’t…ain’t safe to be alone…so…” He shrugged, looking down. “You have to come back.” You let out a sigh…yes, you knew you should, you ought to stick together with alive people in order to survive, you needed help and people watching your back, and yet… “Merle…the things he said about you…I, uh…I don’t think those…” Daryl muttered, and those weren’t the only things that the Dixon’s said that annoyed you, but still…it was something, and it was unexpected. “But…that’s how Merle is. But you can’t go on your own ‘cause you’ll be geek’s food.”

You looked around at the dead monsters on the ground…yeah, you knew that Daryl was right…not to mention that you had been eating of what he hunted, sleeping while he took watch knowing that no monster would sneak on you, you knew that being alone was unwise and dangerous…

“And you care?” You asked, still a bit annoyed and hurt.

Daryl shrugged, looking down and chewing at the skin of his thumbnail. “I guess,” he finally muttered and you let out a sigh.

“Okay, let’s go back.” You gave in and Daryl nodded, turning to walk back to the camp without saying anything else. “Daryl?” You called for him but he didn’t look at you. “I guess I care too about you not being geek’s food.” It was true, no matter how annoyed at him you could get, for some reason, you cared.”

Now…

“Yeah…yeah, Merle was a prick,” you repeated, and Abby seemed amused. “But he meant the world to Daryl.”

When Merle was left in Atlanta, Daryl had let you hug him, back when he didn’t let himself be comforted that much, and had even cried…and then, months later, when he had found his brother dead, it had destroyed him, it had broken his heart, and it had broken yours too, to see Daryl hurting like that, crying and crying while you held him through the night, trying to comfort him somehow, feeling like his pain was physically hurting you.

“Yeah…that’s how it goes with siblings.” Abby gave you a sad smile. “I’m gonna catch some sleep.”

“Okay…”

*

If you enjoyed this, comments and reblogs are always more than welcome, thanks.

Also, as always, excuse my English, it’s not my first language.

IF YOUR TAG IS IN BOLD IT’S BECAUSE I CAN’T MAKE IT WORK (AS YOU KNOW i’M MAKING A NEW TAGLIST)

New taglist for Daryl, if you want to be (un)tagged please let me know.

@jodiereedus22​ @coffeebooksandfandom​  @gruffle1​ @twdeadlysins​ @yenne-yen-illustrations​ @mychemicalimagines​   @haleypearce​    @superflannel​ @sourwolf-sterek32​ @angelontheinside​  @firehoopinmama​ @lonewolf471​   @hopplessdreamer​ @daryldixonandfrogs​  @fanfictionsilove​   @collecting-stories​ @princessxpunk​ @hells-mistress​ @justyouraveragefangirl1967​ @carnationworld​    @smiithys​ @polkadottedpillowcase​ @elisdays​ @mysterious-398​  @captainbuckyboobear​   @dazzledamazon​   @spidergirla5​ @lilythemadqueen​ @lightning-butterfly​ @purplebtsmagic​ @barra-cudaaa​   @courtnytrash04​ @amazingapricot​      @seizethesam​ @harpersmariano​  @eternalslingshot​  @fuseburner​ @phoenixblack89​  @boywivlove​  @amaroho​ @woundmetender​  @classyunknownlover​ @masterninjacow​ @tenderlyunlikelyexpert​ @shadowfoxey​ @kaitieskidmore1​ @lilac-day-dreaming​ @datidixon​ @sabrinabernal​  @nj01​ @rachelxwayne​  @elamy17​  @angelofthor @imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl​ @thanossexual​ @daryldixonstorm​​ @sttrawberries​ @huffledor-able541​ @lucillethings​ @browneyes528​ @soraitmnt​​  @thereshallbenoother​​ @chickenparmandstoicvulcans​​ @leej2468​​  @heartlessmarvello​​ @itsmeempar​​  @redneckstrash​​ @bxxbxy​​ @bitchynicole​​ @pulplorrd​​  @supernatural79impala​​  @the-artistic-animal-lover​​   @selfsun​​ @thiccblondeliv​​ @maggie-l-m​​ @baseballbitch116​​ @tranquiiit​​ @sweatywildpanda​​ @supernatural79impala​ @theteaset​​  @amaroho​​ @my-current-fandom-is​​ @sapphire1727​​ @sapphire-angel​​  @insidetoughcake @whitexwingedxdoves​​ @nickangel13​​ @oceans-daughter-3​​  

[tundrainafrica]

I've been following your blog for a while now and I love your writing and your meta! I was wondering, do you consider Levi and Hanji's relationship to be romantic in canon? Do you consider it canon that Levi had romantic feelings for Erwin?

Thank you for the ask anon, also, thank you for ruffling my feathers a bit too :D. I’m glad you like my writings and meta and I hope that my works continue to bring you joy. 

The types of questions you asked up there could only lead to the types of answers that can spark ship wars. I mean the dialogue in 136 and the change in kanji for chapter 132 hinting their own ships canon were enough to have Eruri and Levihan shippers bashing each other on twitter tbh. 

Personally, I see the romantic potential for both Levihan and Eruri in the show. That’s why I found myself reading a good number of Levihan and Eruri fics. (But lots more Levihan if it isn’t obvious from AO3 bookmarks and my tumblr title). I mean lots more romantic potential than let’s say.... ereri

Do you consider it canon that Levi had romantic feelings for Erwin? 

I’ll answer this one first. No. I don’t think Levi had romantic feelings for Erwin anywhere on the show. Was there potential for something to bloom? Possibly, that’s why I still read eruri fanfiction. I like exploring the possibility if Erwin wasn’t a little too obsessed with his dream, maybe their relationship could have turned out differently.

In canon, by the time they introduced Erwin, Erwin had already forsaken all romance and I think whatever feelings Erwin had towards romance rubbed off on Levi and their relationship ended up being more professional than anything. Due to Erwin’s one track mind and the position he had taken upon himself. any romantic possibilities between them in canon was just harder to make happen. 

Levi though still had strong feelings towards Erwin. It’s undeniable. Erwin had given Levi purpose to live and direction on where to go next, what to do next so that’s why regardless of whether canon had made it possible or not, this relationship is still very interesting to explore. 

Erwin was more professional and cold than Levi imo and honestly, despite the cold demeanor of his best friend Erwin, Levi was an incredible softie at heart and we’ve seen that side of him multiple times, when he gave Petra’s badge to that one soldier, when he stared at that one mother and child when they were on the wall ready to leave to retake Shiganshina.

We all know Levi begrudgingly wanted that soft side of him indulged and between Erwin and Hange the one more likely to indulge that softie side of Levi was Hange. 

Which brings me to the next question.

Do you consider Levi and Hanji's relationship to be romantic in canon? 

I wouldn’t be obsessively writing Levihan fics if I didn’t see it as romantic in canon. But at the same time, I don’t believe Hange and Levi have been in a relationship since Season 1. My headcanon here is Hange and Levi built that relationship over time and this relationship just rapidly progressed after season 3

It’s incredibly subtle which is one of the reasons people like to pretend it doesn’t exist. Probably because they’re trying to promote another ship or they don’t wanna see romance in AOT

But I don’t think a relationship developing subtly is at all a sign that it can be more platonic than anything else. 

In fact, most healthy relationships and most relationships from a bystanders point of view, develop subtly. Like we were the bystanders in many other developing relationships in real life, I think we, the audience of AOT, were also bystanders watching the subtle development of Hange and Levi’s relationship. 

Let’s think about how we’ve watched relationships develop in real life.  

If we’re not invested, they happen incredibly subtly. These people are just constantly together, then eventually we realize we can’t invite the other without the other, then we realize we can barely get them alone, then we realize the person changed and eventually they drop this bomb saying “by the way, I’m dating this person now.”

This pattern happens way too many damn times among my friends though and people I just randomly watch everyday that it just became so expected for it to develop into romance so eventually, when I’ve seen the formula play through, I tend to lean on the side of ‘yeah, they’re probably togteher or getting there.’

Yeah, I get it, there’s a danger in assuming that people are together. I’ve seen enough romantic relationships develop though to realize that leaning on the side of ‘romantic’ given specific signs is usually the correct assumption. In fact, I have earned a good amount of money irl winning bets with my friends that two people are actually together but are hiding a relationship (or possibly are in denial).

What are some of these signs? 

The way they treat this one person is so glaringly different from how they treat other people 

Through the years, I have lost a lot of my best friends to their boyfriends/girlfriends and as the youngest child, I have watched all seven of my siblings get into a relationship and believe me, a lot of them have a certain line they would draw on what they are willing to do for their close friend or sibling and what they are willing to do for a lover. 

I have seen people in love so willingly have their hand crushed while the person they love has their fingers set back. “Hold my hand as hard as you need to.” I’ve seen my friends take a detour 1 hour away from the destination just to pick up the person they love. And here’s the thing, they wouldn’t have done it for anyone else usually, they would have only done that thing for that one person. 

Yes, okay doormats exist. But even people with doormat syndrome, the threshold of what someone is willing to do for a close friend and for a person they love still differ regardless. In a life or death situation, I think both Levi and Hange would have fought to conserve lives but if we consider small things, like routines, groceries, small favors, I feel like Levi has an incredibly low threshold of what he’d be willing to do for a random person. But Levi still carried her groceries for her so he could meet her with Moblit in the smartpass. Levi still picked her up and waited for her in Season 2 when she was researching the rock. And for Hange, chapter 115 is all the hint you need. I honestly don’t know if Hange would have gone through those lengths for anyone else but selfishly abandoning commander duties for one guy? She practically said screw you to everyone else. 

The way they talk to each other is different.

This is something I notice in real life too. Most people won’t notice when they themselves do it but it’s incredibly obvious for listeners if the listeners look out for it. The tones of people’s voices change when they’re talking to someone they love. For a lot of people, sometimes their voices get a little high pitched. For others, sometimes their voices get a little softer. Just watch when you’re talking to a friend and suddenly their SO calls. (It might not apply to everyone but I find this incredibly common.) Not just tones, speech patterns change or tendencies too. In front of that one person, sometimes people are a little more selfish. Like maybe, they don’t usually say what they want to eat but when the one person asks, they would answer because suddenly they know what they want. 

With Hange and Levi we have the ‘let’s live together’ and the ‘dedicate your heart’ respectively. 

These are two expressions/phrases they would have not used with anyone else. There was probably more in canon, but these are just the most glaringly obvious ones with two pivotal scenes that blatantly show that Hange and Levi do have signs of the above.  

Hange and Levi who are generally very selfless all business people, are suddenly only selfish with the person they love. Hange with “let’s live together?” An injured Levi deciding to rest and sleep despite the fact that they were in a war because Hange was nearby to take care of him?

Those two were suddenly selfish when they were alone with one another?

They are constantly together.

Okay, irl, you can see this when you have all your friends ride in a car together and somehow, it’s always them taking those two seats next to each other. They leave the classroom together. They leave every single dam room together. And it could be subtle or not but they always wait for one another. Yet if one person is not there, they’re the type to just go ahead and leave without giving the room behind them a second look. When someone wants to buy something, the other always has an excuse to come. And oh my god, when you call your friend in the middle of the night to hang, that person is always in their dam house or in their dam room, no breaks. 

And Hange and Levi have their equivalent of this. 

Levi literally picked Hange from her lab in Season 2 while she was injured and he had no need to. 

I think I have made a post where Levi and Hange are shown constantly together but lemme make some points. Even early in canon, why were Hange and Levi introduced riding next to each other, they’re not even in the same squad. Why were they riding out the gate together? Shouldn’t Levi have been with his squad and shouldn’t Hange have been with her squad? 

Yeah sure, maybe they just decided to ride together. But why were they next to each other in the Ilse’s notebook too when they went out the gate? And even when they were going to take back Wall Maria, Levi and Hange were next to each other in the lift, they were back to back on Wall Maria. 

Like the only expedition where they weren’t riding together was when Levi had to protect Eren yo.

“They’re both leaders of course they were together” Mind you, Levi’s position in the military is a special one. He’s the captain of a special operations squad and not at all a squad leader so he shouldn’t be riding next to Hange if it were by “leaders” and in the retake Wall Maria, if they were divided by “leaders” why didn’t Hange take the lift with the other squad leaders? Why wasn’t she back to back with the other squad leaders on top of Wall Maria? 

Why did she pick to hang out with Special Ops squad Captain Levi of all people, in every. Single. Damn. expedition. Scene. 

And don’t even get me started on post Season 3 man. They’ve been inseparable since Erwin died.  

They literally come in a set. 

And you kinda realized your friends are in love when you wanna invite one of them out and you realized you kinda have to invite their special little friend by default. 

And Hange and Levi are just like that too, 

Hange and Levi have always come in a set. In fan art, in those advertisements, Hange and Levi are always next to each other. In those fan audiobooks, smart passes, there are always Levihan crumbs. Attack on Titan Chuugakkou was literally a testament to the canonicity of Levihan since in that show, they didn’t even hide anything, Levi and Hange were always next to each other. (I think Hange actually ended up living with him towards the end?) Post Season 3, I don’t even think there were many seasons where Levi and Hange were apart and when they were apart it was more of for duty than anything else. 

Hange was always with him when she could, despite her duty as commander. Given their circumstances, they wouldn’t even be together a lot if they didn’t make the effort too. 

Especially towards the end, 126 - 132, the few times Hange did leave Levi behind were for commander duties but Hange never left Levi for the lulz. And also, in 132, Levi was magically able to walk when Hange finally left him behind, and Levi could barely walk in 132, yet he still pushed himself to stand up, walk toward her and attempt to stop her. 

In fact, Hange’s first scenes were next to Levi and Hange’s last scenes were also next to Levi “See you later Hange.”

And I think the huge efforts they put to being together despite their circumstances says a lot already. Hange and Levi’s treatment of each other and their being together constantly in general is a huge testament to the canonicity of their romance. 

Sure, there were no ‘I love yous’. But really, before our irl friends who were in love actually came out to us, maybe months or even years after we’ve watched them be joined at the hip, were there really ‘I love you’s  between them or did we all just place bets on it because they were just being too glaringly obvious about it in how they treated each other? 

[jaxsteamblog]

Day 19: Hurt/Comfort

I’m re-posting my 2019 fic “Making Space.” It’s post-canon and very heavy. There are mentions of past self-harm, a statement of suicide ideation, miscarriage, blood mention, various forms of depression, and implied child neglect. Thinking about this made me sad, writing it made me sad, do not let it make you sad unless you want it to. Click on the title to read on AO3 or continue under the cut. Be aware of trigger warnings! Includes Kat-ang and Ma-ko.

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“Tenzin is an Airbender, he needs to know these things.”

“You have never cared about that. You have never made others feel lesser like this!”

“They won’t get it.”

“If you leave. If you leave with just Tenzin, we won’t be here when you get back.”

Sokka and Suki arrived on the earliest airship as soon as they heard. Bumi and Kya, knowing something drastic had happened, couldn’t be separated, so Sokka took them both out to go penguin sledding. Suki stayed with Katara, moving around the hut in silence till Katara inevitably dissolved into tears.

“They’ll hate me.”

“It’s better this way. If they hate you, you’ll be around to love them.”

“I’ve lost my baby.”

“He’ll come back.”

They stayed for a whole season, ignoring all of Katara’s anxious questioning about what they had left behind. At night, since Katara couldn’t sleep, she could often hear her brother’s angry whispers as he summoned all the curses he knew from the ocean depths. His anger lasted longer than her tears, and Katara wrapped herself in her brother’s anger like a thick fur.

Bumi did well under his uncle’s attention, though his comments about his father made Katara wince in pain. Sokka deflected each question and comment easily, refocusing Bumi on some project.

The more Katara watched them, the more she realized she should have reached out to Sokka sooner. Standing between his aunt and uncle, Bumi beamed. These were two great heroes, and both were non-Benders. With the other South Pole children - more non-Benders than Waterbenders - Bumi only stood out by the paleness of his skin. But then, there was Suki: just as bundled up and red-cheeked.

Kya was quieter, often trailing behind the others. When Katara was close by, her daughter would come and sit with her. Their mirrored sadness wove them together, a common blanket that bound mothers and daughters everywhere.

“Daddy isn’t coming.” Kya said.

“It has always been his choice to make.” Katara replied and pulled her daughter to her side. None of this made sense; Aang had always stressed the importance of living in harmony, of being friends with all types of people. As they had grown, Aang had even recognized the patronizing way he would speak of the Air Nomads. When he reminisced, it was never to compare his people to others. He never again acted as if the Air Nomads had been some sort of paragon. Letting go of that pride had allowed him to open to the new occupants of the various Air Temples.

The Air Nomads were gone, but they would never be forgotten. Aang held a pained resignation in his chest and Katara would find him staring off in thought when they stopped at the Temples.

She thought that sadness would fade with time. Aang was more present and tempered, rejoicing in everyone’s growth. The sadness returned when Bumi died, and when other pieces of his past started to slip away. But every time, her husband would return and they would go on a trip where he would kiss her till she felt her body rise into the stars.

Katara never expected that sadness to be running like a river through him, slowly eroding away his insides.

When Bumi was born, Aang cried. At first, Katara thought it was from joy. But she heard him late at night, after she had gotten up to feed the baby and found Aang gone. He wept like an animal was trying to escape his chest and Katara was frightened.

She had shut the door, feeling her heart flutter behind her ribs.

When she got pregnant again, she knew she had a Bender. She was excited when she told Aang and he had seemed like his old self. He stole her breath with kisses and everything seemed lighter.

As the midwife handed Katara the swaddled Kya, Katara squeezed her eyes shut.

Three days after the birth, Katara had woken to the pain of milk in her breasts. Going for the baby and seeing Kya missing, Katara almost fainted from the shock. Rushing about the house, she finally heard the faint lines of a song.

Aang sat in a chair on the balcony, rocking back and forth while singing a song too soft for Katara to make out. Holding her breath, she just watched. Her husband’s face was tight but his eyes were sunken. With one thin finger, he was tracing the curve of Kya’s cheek and drawing small swirls. Then he bent down and kissed her forehead before standing up. Silent, Katara walked over and took her, moving back into the house to feed her. Kya, smelling milk, started to cry, but Katara paused to look back.

Aang was still standing, looking out into the midnight air.

Tenzin’s birth was salvation. Aang had been overjoyed and could barely contain his excitement. For weeks, Katara would snap at him when his mania would wake the other children.

She didn’t notice how Aang’s sole source of happiness became Tenzin. Katara was busy, tending to the older children and continuing the work she was already doing. Aang took over most of the infant care, save for when he needed to be fed. But as soon as Tenzin moved on to more solid food, Katara would often not see her youngest for hours.

Katara thought it would pass.

Then Aang would start leaving, taking Tenzin to important Air Nomad places. That Katara could excuse, though she didn’t see why they all couldn’t go. Bumi had started school and Kya could work on her waterbending at home.

When one trip extended unexpectedly, Katara panicked. As soon as Aang returned, her fear came out as anger and they argued. He had just taken a small detour, to show Tenzin a special place. Cliffs that sang in the evening breeze and glinted like fire crystals at sunrise.

Aang had taken her there and told her that he would love her forever as they laid in the thick grass, listening as the ground below serenaded them.

It was a place they could have gone with all the children.

Katara had left to pick up Bumi and shut the door.

All of those doors being closed had ended up shielding her from what had been happening. The sadness had erased everything she loved about Aang and it was too late for her to fix it. The empty space had been filled with air.

When Sokka and Suki finally did leave, Bumi and Kya cried every night for a week. They became belligerent, fighting with her over everything from their clothes to their food. Already stressed, Katara yelled back and they cried even louder.

At night, Katara’s own sadness continued to heave out of her, like a bilge pump on a sinking ship. She would fall asleep out of exhaustion and when she woke up, Bumi and Kya would be curled around her.

They had woven a wide blanket and it covered them all.

Towards the autumn equinox, as the sun was starting to stay lower on the horizon for longer, Katara received a letter. She felt the rush of hope and the familiar lightness, but it left her as she read it. Toph, with children of her own and a job that allowed for few breaks, had written to check in on her.

Much to Katara’s embarrassment, everyone now knew about what had happened. The chain of events that led to the discovery was both mortifying and oddly satisfying.

Having stayed close, Suki had told Toph about their trip to the South Pole. Immediately after being told, Toph had tracked Aang down and dressed him down, loudly, in public. The argument had been explosive and Toph warned him to not set foot in her city. And she would know if he did.

When Toph returned, Zuko was already in Republic City. He had only recently gotten divorced and was attempting to be more like his uncle to achieve some sort of inner peace. Unfortunately, he wasn’t prepared to deal with Toph’s fury.

Zuko tried his best to defuse the situation, but then Sokka came into Republic City. With his anger still not assuaged, he reported the effect Aang’s decision had on Bumi and Kya. They talked more about what should be done; there were legal penalties for abandoning one’s wife and children, but that would involve a traumatic session of Katara testifying. Divorce was also tenuous, as Katara would have to forfeit all of her children if she won her suit.

Then Aang came to Republic City.

It had been daring, of course, as he could have gone directly to Avatar Island. Instead, he came into Republic City and it only took moments before word reached Toph.

Now with Sokka at her side, she renewed her fight. Sokka stepped in, but only to explain how Aang’s leaving had hurt Bumi and Kya.

All of this was written more like a police report, but Katara could tell from where Toph had bashed down on certain keys of the typewriter that certain sentiments had come up during specific points.

Toward the end of the letter, all Toph reported was that Aang had made an offensive comment, Sokka had lunged, but Zuko got there first.

And the Fire Lord knocked the Avatar out cold.

During all of this, Tenzin had been in the care of an Air Acolyte. At this point, the Acolyte stepped in, getting Aang up and making sure they flew to Avatar Island as soon as possible. A day later, Appa flew away again to destinations unknown.

Toph promised to visit soon, but urged Katara to return to the United Republic. There were plenty of cities far enough away from Republic City, but she would be close enough for everyone to visit.

Katara folded the letter and hid it in a small cupboard where she kept her unguents and pill casings.

At the dawn of the first twilight day, the sign that winter was fast approaching, an airship arrived. Regular shipments came into the South Pole to replenish famine rations that they were supposed to have stopped using five years ago. But the reconstruction took longer than expected, and the signs were suggesting that this would be a harder winter.

Katara brought Bumi and Kya to the dock as a reward for having a not-so-terrible day. They went shrieking like wild animals with the other children as the hydraulic ramp slowly lowered with a leviathan groan.

The flash of red the airshipmen wore at first made Katara think of Republic City and she suddenly couldn't breathe. But as the ramp hit the ground and the people began to move, she saw the Fire Nation symbol and relaxed.

Then the guards came and Katara felt lightheaded as she was suddenly pushed back thirty years.

Zuko looked so different, it scared her. Her fingers froze with electrified terror and Katara felt like she was going to cry. As he started to look around, she prayed he wouldn’t see her, but as the thought became wisps in her mind, his eyes met hers.

Then Bumi went barreling up the ramp and directly into Zuko’s stomach.

Once again embarrassed, and still on the verge of tears, Katara rushed forward toward the crowd. Her voice was thin and reedy as she pleaded and pardoned her way past people. And then, she was in front of Zuko.

Bumi was thrown over his one shoulder like a laughing sack of potatoes. Izumi and Kya stood together behind him, whispering and admiring a bracelet Kya had made.

“You didn’t have to come.”

“I know.”

“We’re doing fine.”

“No you’re not.”

Katara’s breath came in a shudder and her chest felt hot. Zuko set Bumi down and handed him a crowbar, telling him that he hid a prize in one of the crates. Kya cupped her hand around Izumi’s ear and then both girls were suddenly giggling before darting away.

“I’m fine Zuko.”

“His sadness changed him and you didn’t get to say goodbye to the man you loved. You’re not fine.”

“And how do you think that could possibly be it?”

“Because I never got to say goodbye to the Mai I married.”

Before she started to cry, Zuko put his arm around her shoulders and turned her away from the gathered people. No one was paying attention to them, as they were either unloading or going through the supplies. Still, Zuko steered her away and back toward her house.

Taking no prompting, Zuko sat her down on the couch and brought over a blanket while she was weeping. Katara curled into it, laying down on the couch and sobbing while the core of her soul ached. When he returned, Katara felt his warm hand on her back, slowly rubbing the tight muscles that seized with every arrhythmic breath.

“This is all my fault.”

“Not all of it. And you can’t be blamed for not fixing something you didn’t know was broken.”

“Why did he do this?”

“Because a sadness that deep can erase the greatest of joys.”

He gave her tea and he told her about Mai. The promises he made and how now, finally, everything would be as they wanted it. She had enjoyed it at first, the power and privilege that came with being married to the Fire Lord.

Then they started to get pregnant.

She usually lost them in the first trimester. Nothing to show of a pregnancy except the amount of blood. One pregnancy had been promising, and the doctor had ordered strict bedrest. Sages, not the Fire Sages but a new group to rise from their ashes, had said that if the spark caught, the baby would be a strong Firebender.

They had lost him during the seventh month.

Something had broken in Mai then, and Zuko insisted they stop trying. Mai needed the rest and to recover, so they traveled to various healing springs. The doctors had told him in very strong words that he must not even so much as sleep in the same bed as her, so that her body could heal. He did. She pulled away from him, receding more into herself. Maids and other noble ladies assured him that this was normal, and Mai would be fine. So Zuko had left her alone.

He had left her all alone.

During a new moon, when it was the darkest Zuko had ever experienced, he had been woken up as someone entered his room.

Mai had come to him and draped over him like a sheet. Zuko could still remember how he had traced his hands over her body and felt her ribs. And the thick scars on her legs.

She said nothing and the only sound was of their breathing.

When it was done, Mai got up and walked out of the room.

When they returned to the palace, she moved out of their shared room. And nine months later, Izumi was born.

Mai took care of all the motherly duties, but quickly handed Izumi to whatever nurse happened to be nearby. As those duties lessened, Zuko tried to reach out to her. Every time, she turned him away.

When Izumi turned five and they found out for certain she wasn’t a Firebender, Mai threw a glass into the dining room wall.

“I failed. The thing nearly killed me and I failed.”

“You didn’t fail. Please, Mai, if I ever made you think that-”

“It’s not you Zuko, it’s them. It’s this place. It’s me.”

“Mai.”

“Zuko, if I stay here one more night, I will die.”

Zuko let her go.

The divorce had been hard. Mai looked dead as she signed the papers, forfeiting her parental rights to Izumi. As her father’s only heir, there couldn’t be a chance that Mai would take her. As per the usual agreement, Mai was not permitted to remarry for one full year and any pregnancy had to be reported immediately to the palace. Just in case the baby was Zuko’s.

There was no ironic laugh. Mai only scratched out the character of her name and looked at the magistrate.

“She wasn’t even the same woman at that point. I hadn’t even been seeing her.”

“Why couldn’t they just tell us?”

“That sadness was theirs. Either they thought we wouldn’t understand or they didn’t want to drown us.”

“I love him so much.”

“Aang’s gone. Mai’s gone. And it is a terrible thing.”

“What do I do with my own sadness now?”

“Let love in.”

Zuko said he was staying until the solstice, claiming that he had never had the opportunity to spend a good one with her. Having him around, Katara tried to work on letting love in. She saw how sometimes Zuko’s sadness would seep in and he would begin to pace. He moved till he found Izumi and then pestered her, throwing handfuls of snow over her and the others while they ran about shrieking. By the time he needed a break, he was smiling and his eyes were brighter.

Katara took a chance. When her sadness lapped up her spine, she sought out her children. She taught them how to scrape furs and when Bumi started to roll over them, instead of yelling at him, she wrapped him up in one. As he struggled and laughed, Katara and Kya continued to roll him, using their bending to ultimately send him bounding down a hill. They would roll after him and end up on their backs, laughing and crying at the same time as their breath became clouds in the air.

Love began to take up too much room and the sadness had no place to linger. Zuko warned her that it wouldn’t always feel like that, and it would be difficult to push back the sadness for good. While he was prone to melancholy, it was still taking him time to recover.

At the solstice festival, she understood what he meant. Zuko had gone to help light the fireworks and the children were gone somewhere doing spirits knew what. A woman came by with a tray of sweets and Katara took two small plates. As the woman left, Katara turned.

Aang wasn’t there to take the other one.

He had been absent all this time, but her muscle memory still expected him to be there. When she washed dishes, the first she usually held out, waiting for Aang to dry. When she tucked in the children, she had to stop herself from saying their father would be in shortly to say goodnight. When she thought about the meals, she first thought about what dish could be made with and without meat.

But now, during a happy festival, she grabbed a dessert for her husband who had left her. Who had been gone for longer than she cared to admit.

“Katara.”

“He’s not coming back.”

“No.”

“I thought he loved me.”

“Katara, he’s not the same inside. There was too much of the pain.”

“It hurts, so m-much.”

Zuko held her while the fireworks boomed overhead. She pressed her face into his chest and crawled as close to him as she could. He took in slow breaths and his body warmed. Zuko wrapped himself around her and she cried.

“You have to let the pain out.”

“How?”

Her breath was hot and wet, and it curled against her flushed face. Her nose was congested but her eyes dripped.

“I haven’t figured that part out yet.”

“Zuko.”

Katara turned her head and Zuko went stiff. His sleeve had been pulled up as he held her awkwardly. There was a mark like a thumbprint burned into his skin. The skin was cracked and dry, with the flesh beneath looking dead. It had been burned repeatedly.

Her sadness and pain left her in a rush. Katara felt weak and wrung out. She sagged in Zuko’s arms and he sighed.

“I have to keep going. Even when I don’t want to, I have to.”

“It can’t be like this forever.”

“But we have to survive the waiting.”

Katara decided that staying in the dark for weeks and weeks wouldn’t help anything. An army of people packed up her house and loaded it onto the airship. Bumi and Kya were excited about the trip, hoping out loud and without subtlety that they would be able to stay at the palace for just a little bit before heading on to the United Republic.

Iroh greeted them when they landed, hugging Katara with such genuine warmth that she suddenly felt like she was drowning. She had resolved to stop crying so much, knowing that it was causing some sort of imbalance in the waters of her soul. Zuko told her it was only her body pushing out some of the pain to let in a little more love. Katara had told him that Iroh had been corny, not sappy so he had missed a lesson somewhere.

Now being outnumbered by Benders, Bumi started to act out. Iroh took every boast and bluster seriously, giving Bumi the attention he needed. When his anxiety waned, Izumi reminded him that she was a non-Bender and was going to become the next Fire Lord. She asserted that just being a Bender didn’t make anyone amazing because just look at her grandfather and great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather, and then Iroh interrupted her to tell them that there were red bean buns in the kitchen.

Then Kya broke Katara’s heart as she took Iroh’s hand and asked if being a Waterbender was special enough. Iroh smiled at her and replied that he knew of one very special Waterbender who was also one of the women he most admired. Kya glanced back at Katara as she and Iroh went after the others, and Katara smiled.

That night, Katara made Zuko show her all of his scars. Working from his right arm, Katara glanced at his abdomen. Zuko put a hand over it.

“Not that one.”

“It’s just another scar you didn’t deserve.”

“It’s one I earned.”

“By throwing your life away.”

“To protect you.”

Katara found all the small burns and smoothed them away. The water around her hands stayed cool and glowed faintly, concentrating in spots as they found the damaged skin. The threadlike scars from very sharp blades were also erased.

“And here?”

“I earned that one too.”

“Don’t say that.”

“What else would you have me say of it?”

“You have earned kinder things.”

He sat up and pulled on his robe but left it open. Katara could hear the rush of blood and her limbs felt heavy. He faced her and took a loose strand of her hair. He watched his hand as she watched his face. Zuko tucked the strand behind her ear.

“I earned your friendship.”

“That hasn’t always been kind.”

Her fingers felt cold, or else it was that his skin was hot. Katara touched the place where Azula’s lightning had hit him and he smiled.

“I would take this type of kindness over your indifference any day.”

“I’m not indifferent.”

“I don’t mean to presume.”

“You have earned kinder things than my attention.”

Zuko’s hand returned to her face and he cupped her cheek. A small affection, but one so intimate that her body shuddered. This was not the touch of a brother or a comforting friend. It was a touch she had not known for a very long time.

“Then let me have your words, because you have my full attention.”

“Take them.”

And he kissed her.

As Zuko shifted to hold her, Katara cried out softly. There was nothing desperate or lustful, but her body still felt charged. Zuko only hugged her, kissing her gently, and cradling the back of her head with his fingers in her hair.

As Katara’s head started to spin, Zuko picked her up and moved her to his bed. He regarded her with a pained look.

“This isn’t how I want us to begin.”

“But I am ready for an ending.”

They spent the night together, and Katara got her first restful sleep in months.

It took two years.

Katara bought a house in Luodai, a promising city that wasn’t too far from Republic City. She met with Aang half a dozen times in various attempts to reconcile, or at least come to some sort of agreement.

Then came the proposal of a new law.

Katara had not been permitted to sit as the South Pole representative on the council as she was married to Aang, who also had a seat. Sokka had taken it instead, and had done a remarkably good job. It was because of how seriously he took his position that the proposal took as long as it did.

Called the Mothers’ Right Law, it outlined the new rules for any divorce occurring outside of any marriage where a legitimate heir was required to maintain the stability of a government. Women were now allowed to initiate a divorce on their own and did not have to forfeit their parental rights. Instead, custody must be shared between the parents in equal measure for all children. If the mother is unemployed or becomes unemployed before remarrying, the former husband must pay her an allowance.

Sokka presented it at a council meeting and as Aang rose from the table, Toph stepped forward. The other representatives all stared at the Avatar and ultimately the law was signed.

Aang signed it again, in another version, one month later.

For the spring and summer, Aang had all three children. Katara had them for the fall and winter.

And during the next winter solstice, Katara and Zuko decided they wanted a new beginning.

[tomtenadia]

Island Dreams - Chapter 26

Hello people! Chapter 26 is finally here.

So, Aelin and Rowan go on an adventure for a while because something happens (you will found out what in the first line)

Toward the middle, they have a Harry Potter chat. I am not a fan but i inserted the dialogue because of where they are. And guess where Rowan gets sorted? Also, sorry I was nasty to Gryffindors... the little I know about them it's enough for me not to like them. Once a Slytherin always a Slytherin.

All the locations I have mentioned and the restaurant actually exists. Please google them if you are curious :)

Aelin during one part of the trip sings a song (near Loch Lomond) The song she sings is Loch Lomond by Runrig. This is a very, very sad song but is also one of those that it's almost impossible not to sing along. At least the version by Runrig. You can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHu0h9XaNcg

As of this morning I officially wrote the last sentence in the fic. One chapter still has some parts that needs developing, plus my usual editing but i wrote the end this morning.

Anyway, for now I'll leave you with chapter 26.

Have fun :)

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It was the beginning of May and Aelin and Rowan were packing for a small adventure. Two months before they had received an invitation from Elide and Lorcan to attend their wedding in Glasgow. They had accepted and they were now getting ready for their little getaway. This was going to be their last chance to have a holiday before the arrival of the twins. Lysandra was going to look after Rowan’s shop. She and Aedion had arrived a bit earlier than scheduled as he had been asked to start working a bit earlier. Lysandra, on the other hand did not have as much luck on the work front. Her job had been put on hold for the foreseeable future so when she had overheard Rowan talking about hiring as assistant for the shop she had volunteered. She had admitted that she was not a book nerd like the two of them but she liked to read so she was happy to run the shop. He had given an intensive training and once he was happy he decided to leave her in charge while he was away with Aelin.

“I can’t find my hoodie.” Aelin grunted while she was finishing packing her case. Their house was now a sea of boxes. They were a few weeks away from moving to their new place. The works had taken longer than expected which in the end it turned out to be a blessing. Lys and Aedion were there and they had offered to help with the move. Aedion had joked that they were Aelin’s personal removal company. “Which one?” “Yours. The uni of Glasgow one. It’s big enough that I can fit my huge belly in it.” Rowan came back two minutes later with the hoodie in his hands “You can’t function without me.” She stuck her tongue out and donned the hoodie “It’s far too early in the morning.” “We need to leave in half an hour. Is your bag ready?” “Yes. It was ready last night but then I realised I forgot some bits.” And she placed her Scotland’s guide in her carry on backpack. “You don’t need that.” He said pointing at the book “I know Glasgow very well.” “It was mostly for the drive from Skye to Glasgow.” “I know that very well too. I have done it a million times.” He grabbed the book from her. “Fine.” And he put the book aside. Ten minutes later she announced to Rowan that she was ready to go and he sighed in relief. They had a ferry to catch and he was being his paranoid self. He grabbed her suitcase and his duffel bag and walked out to the car to load it. Once he was done he went back to the house. Aelin was already in the car and noticed him coming back with a bulky pillow that he bought her to help her for the long road trip and stay as comfortable as possible. She smiled and noticed his other hand holding a bag. A moment later she found out that bag contained snacks for their very long car ride. Since the accident with the Korean he had been even more careful with her food. “Are you ready?” He got in the car and made sure she was all set to go. Aelin smiled “Punch it.” They arrived in Tarbert with plenty of time for their ferry. Rowan had gone to buy the tickets and Aelin waited in the car all excited for this big adventure. She had driven a part of the road they were taking when she arrived a year before but she knew that with Rowan as a guide it would be much, much more different. She had a look at her phone and realised that a year ago exactly on that day she had arrived on Lewis and walked into his shop and changed their lives. She patted her belly “It’s a big day today for mum and dad.” “I am back.” Said Rowan while getting back in the car and placing a ticket on the dashboard of the car “They should start loading soon.” “Is this one of those where we can go on deck?” “Yes, we will be able to go on deck. It’s a gorgeous day. This is an amazing crossing.” Aelin took Rowan’s hand a placed it on her bump “Do you know which day is it today?” He stared at her “hmmm… I think it’s the day when my favourite menace walked into my shop looking for books and never left.” “Happy anniversary.” She whispered while leaning forward to kiss him. “Thank you for coming into my shop.”

It was over an hour later when they docked in the tiny village of Uig on the Isle of Skye. And Aelin was in hyper mode already. When he told her they were going via Skye she had started reading all about it and it looked like the most magical place she had ever seen. They would stop in a few places along the road but they had planned to stop a bit more on their way back when they had more time. They got back on the road and not long after she noticed Rowan taking a very small road “Where are we going?” “There is a place I need to show you.” They arrived not long after and Aelin’s mouth fell open. The place in front of her seemed like it came out from a fairy tale book. And she could not stop staring at how green and lush it was. “Welcome to the Fairy glen.” Aelin’s head whipped to his side “You are kidding.” “No, that its name.” He got off the car and reached her side “We’ll go for a short walk. We’ll stop again in Portree and have proper lunch there, but I had to show you this place.” Slowly they walked to the small hills. Aelin spotted what looked like the remains of a castle and was annoyed that she could not climb there. Rowan held her from behind and turned her “Look over there.” And he pointed at the big hill in the distance and Aelin spotted a few waterfalls “This place is amazing.” “Why is it called Fairy glen?” “Skye has a connection with the Fairies thanks to the Fairy flag at Dunvegan castle, which will visit when we come back.” “Is Schatach’s castle far away? According to the legends she was a warrior on the Isle of Skye and there should be a place called Dun Scaith which allegedly was her home.” His arms tightened around her, he loved her interest in Celtic mythology “It’s in the south. I’ll take you there when we come back. I promise.” Then he grabbed his backpack and took a couple of sandwiches from it “Sit down and have a little snack” He helped her sit down in the grass and she took food and strawberry milkshake from him. Once their breakfast was over Rowan helped Aelin to stand and hand in hand they walked around the glen and Rowan had to restrain Aelin from climbing in places where she shouldn’t “Seriously?” And he folded his arms at his chest. “Fine, I am not climbing.” They explored a bit longer and then Rowan pressed to go back in the car and on the road. “I was planning on getting into Portree for lunch. Fancy doing a very touristy thing?” “If I can get a fridge magnet, yes.” Rowan roared with laughter. That had become their recurrent joke “I think so and you will be able to get more once we are in Portree.” “Good. Our new fridge will be fully covered.” “I have not agreed to that.” He complained, giving her a smile at the same time. “Where are you taking me?” “We can take a detour to Carbost and we can have a tour of Talisker distillery. All the tourists go to whisky distilleries when they come to Scotland.” “Yes. I know I will not be able to drink but I don’t care. I always wanted to do it. Yes, let’s be tourists.” “As you wish, Fireheart.” An hour later they had arrived at the distillery and Aelin jumped out of the car “This is so awesome and I can smell the whisky.” Rowan took her hand and they walked in. The next tour would be in half an hour so they explored the shop and Aelin bought her magnets and a bottle of whisky for Aedion, she knew he’d love it. She just had to find a nice present for Lysandra now as a thank you for covering the shop. “Let’s go and sit outside, it’s gorgeous.” The view in front of the distillery was breathtaking. The loch in front of them seemed infinite and it was framed mountains in the background. Aelin ate another sandwich while suntanning. She had shed her hoodie and was in a t-shirt, her bump pointed at the sun “The girls and I are suntanning.” Rowan sat on the bench beside her and kissed the bump “how are you three doing?” “They are quiet. They kicked a couple of times but now they are probably snoozing.” And caressed the belly. “If you get tired you let me know. I have enough breaks planned so you don’t spend too much time sitting in the car.” “We are doing fine. I promise.” She brushed his hair. After her night trip to the A&E he had been even more over protective and his fussing levels had sky rocketed. But he had been wonderful to her. He had gotten her all the food she was craving and cooked for her all the recipes she wished. He was with her at every single appointment and he had started reading a lot of books about pregnancy and parenting. She had realised a while ago that Rowan had been brooding. He had confessed to her that he had wanted a family for a very long time and she knew that Lyria was against it and Aelin had a feeling that it had been one of the things that destroyed him the most about the failed relationship. “Let’s put the bag in the car and go for our tour.” He offered his hand and she took it and followed him.

It was later when they came out of the distillery and Aelin was ecstatic. “I had no idea you guys had so many varieties of whisky and it was so fascinating.” He kissed her head “glad you loved it.” “One of the ladies in our group kept staring at you.” Rowan took her hand “Thank you for leaving her alive.” “She got some cold stares from me. Seriously woman, stop staring at another woman’s man.” “Let’s go, menace.” Aelin followed him back to the car and not long after they were on the road to Portree. Rowan had explained it was the main town and after a year on the islands she had an idea of what main town meant. Once in Portree, Rowan parked the car, Aelin grabbed her backpack and off they went. When in the main square, she noticed the tourist office and she dragged him inside explaining that that was the perfect place for another fridge magnet. Rowan sighed and followed her inside. He waited for her in a corner of the office and she came back later with a big bag. “That’s a bit of an oversized magnet.” He joked. “It’s Lys’ present. I got her a lovely bag made locally here on Skye. Lysandra loves bags and I know she will adore this one.” “It’s actually really nice.” He added, looking at the present she had bought. They dropped the bag in the car and Rowan had convinced her to put her stuff In his backpack so she didn’t have to carry anything. Once they were all sorted they walked to the marina and Aelin squealed when she saw the houses painted in pink and blue and green “That is so lovely.” For a while they followed the path along the marina until Rowan declared it was time to feed her and for her to sit down for a while. Aelin did not protest at the idea of food and followed him to his favourite seafood restaurant. The meal had been superb and Aelin leaned back on the chair with a satisfied smile on her face “I wonder if the desserts here are nice.” Rowan scoffed “How can you still have space?” “You should know that you have agreed to marry a bottomless pit.” Once lunch was over they were back in the car. Rowan had told her they were taking the ferry across to Mallaig instead of the bridge back to the mainland. They would do that on their way back. He had also explained that once across the water there were some amazing beaches they could stop to and have another break and Aelin was easy to convince. During the trip down to Armadale he had chatted away being her personal guide and she realised they might need a week just to explore Skye. She loved the islands but she realised there was so much on the mainland that a lifetime might not be enough “we should take breaks more often. There is so much to discover.” “We can definitely do that and it would be nice to travel with our two girls.” She put her hand on his knee and in that moment one of the girls or both kicked “They agree.” “Are they moving?” Aelin smiled as his hand moved to the bump. “Every singe time, it amazes me.” And she saw love in his eyes “It just the idea that there are two small human beings growing inside you. It’s just… incredible.” She took his hand and kissed it “just don’t be too in awe. You will be less impressed by the process when you will see how it happens, live.” “I will be in awe of you and what you will do.” She turned to him and blew him a kiss “You will be such a loving dad.” “I will do my best.”

They were just about to dock in Mallaig when Aelin’s phone went off and she noticed it was Lysandra. “Hi Lys, how are you doing?” “I am doing amazing and the shop is fine. I had a busy morning and I had no idea how fun it was to work in a bookstore. Tell Rowan the shop is fine and that I had good sales as well.” “He will be happy to hear that.” Aelin gave Rowan the thumbs up after she noticed the worry in his face when she said it was Lys on the phone. “How are you guys doing?” “We are about to dock on the mainland in Mallaig. The weather down here is amazing and we are having fun.” “Gotta go. Customers. Keep me posted.” Lysandra hung up and Aelin followed Rowan back to the car “Lys says the shop is fine and that she had a busy morning with good sales and that she is having a great time.” Rowan laughed “good. You can tell her that she can keep being my interim assistant until she gets a job at the hospital. It seems like she has a knack as well. She might want to keep busy and well, I need an assistant and we could not find anyone I liked so…” “You had very high standards.” “No. I just wanted someone who had a bit of interest and willingness to work.” “Time to drive, old man.” Joked Aelin when one of the car deck crew motioned them to move forward and disembark. They drove for a very short distance until Rowan pulled in, in a car park. Aelin was giddy, while they were driving past Morar bay, her face was attached to the window. There were sands everywhere, but Rowan kept driving. She was dying to get off the car. She new he was trying to get them as close as possible to their destination. Walking for long was getting very problematic for her so he was just being his thoughtful self. Once at the car park, she opened the door as soon as the car stopped and was out. “Come on, Buzzard. I need to go to the beach.” He grabbed the backpack and put a hat on her head “Now we can go.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the small path. Usually he was the guide, but when it came to beaches, she was the one leading the way. Rowan would joke saying that she would smell beaches like a bloodhound. Aelin stopped when the beach finally appeared in front of her. It was not Luskentyre but the water was still crystal blue and the sand white. “This is Camusdarach beach.” Aelin toed off her shoes and started walking to the water. Rowan picked up the shoes and followed her. By the time he got there, she was already in the water, waves gently brushing her ankles. “Come on, this is beautiful.” Rowan smiled and toed off his shoes as well, dropped his backpack on the sand and joined her in the water, right behind her with his arms folding on her bump. His smell of pine engulfed her and Aelin leaned against his chest “I am glad Elide and Lorcan are getting married and invited us, it gave us a lovely excuse for this amazing trip.” Hand in hand they walked the length of the beach and eventually Rowan dragged her back on the sand and they sat down enjoying the sun. Aelin started playing with the sand and began building a sand castle and Rowan joined her a bit later. “Aelin’s castle.” After her castle was finished, Rowan pulled her down on the sand and he rolled to the side, facing her “thank you for not giving up on me.” “You were a bit of a hopeless case,” she added, flicking his nose “but being cute saved you.” “Just cute?” He pouted. “Fine, as Lys would say, you are sex on two legs.” “Poor Aedion.” “Ach, she just looks. She loves him.” His hand caressed her face “You can look as well, but remember that I exist. I can be jealous too.” Aelin snuggled closer and five minutes later she was snoozing and Rowan let her. They had a very early start and he wanted her to relax as much as she could. He rolled back on his back but then sat up and kept playing with the sand castle she had built. When she woke up it was an hour later. “Hello, sleeping beauty.” “Did I just fell asleep on the sand?” He leaned forward to kiss her “that you did.” “And you let me?” “Yes.” Aelin fought to stand but failed miserably so Rowan helped her. “We can’t waste too much time dillydallying. We need to hit the road again.” She tried to bend over to grab her shoes but she had no such luck. Rowan stood and patted the sand away from her and squeezed her ass in the meantime. “Aye, aye captain.” He said picking up her shoes and patting the sand away from him as well. Ten minutes later they were back on the road and Aelin was happily sipping on her smoothie. “This road we are on is called the road to the isle because it’s the road that connects Fort William to Mallaig where you can get the ferry to the islands.” “Were you a Harry Potter fan?” He asked. “Not really. I have only seen the movies to keep company to Lysandra. Why?” “There is one place on our way that became quite famous in one of the movies.” “Oh, the viaduct?” She asked. Lysandra on the other hand, was obsessed with Harry Potter and they had watched the movies together. “Lys is a huge Harry Potter fan and since I haven’t read the books she convinced me to at least to watch the movie. She had told me the viaduct was in Scotland.” “We will pass Glenfinnan and if you want we can stop there.” “Yes, I need to take a picture for Lys.” They arrived at the site half an hour later and Rowan parked in a small car park and Aelin could see the viaduct in the distance. “There is a visitor centre and you can get your magnet there.” He joked and they started the walk to the viaduct and Aelin took a lot of photos and started sending them to Lys via WhatsApp. “Were you a Harry Potter fan?” She took his hand. Rowan shook his head “I read the books just to see what all the fuss was about but I never got into them. Not my kind of thing.” “You could be a Slytherin.” Added Aelin looking at him with a wicked smile. Rowan looked away for a moment “Lyria made me took a test. She was into the books. I was sorted in Slytherin.” Aelin lifted the hands they were holding to his mouth and kissed his “Let me guess, the bitch was a Gryffindor.” Rowan laughed “that she was.” “As if I needed another reason to hate her.” Rowan squeezed her hand “you don’t like them?” “I hate them. And I hate Potter. He is the most annoying, most useless and most boring character ever written.” She confessed “Lys made me take the test and I am a Slytherin too, Lys is a Ravenclaw and Aedion is alas, a Gryffindor.” “Poor Lys.” They finally arrived under the viaduct and Aelin took a picture of her holding the pylons of the viaduct. “This is quite impressive. Do train actually run on it?” Rowan nodded “The regular Scotrail trains from Glasgow to Mallaig come through here but from Fort William there is also the Jacobite steam train, which by the way was used in Harry Potter 2, and it’s a very fancy train that runs twice a day.” “That must be one heck of a gorgeous train ride.” “It is, I have done it a few times, the regular train, I mean. Probably one of the most stunning we have in Scotland.” He started walking back and took her hand again. “Lys is saying that she is so jealous right now and told me that I am lucky girls because my fiancé is not a Gryffindor.” “Come on Buzzard, I have a few tacky things to buy.” She pulled him toward the visitor centre. Slowly they got back to the car and Rowan drove the small distance back to the visitor centre. He parked there and Aelin went inside the shop and bought stuff for her and Lysandra and got back to him who was waiting for her outside. Together they walked to the monument standing in front of Loch Shiel and sat down at the table at the viewpoint “Remember the scene in the third Harry Potter movie when Harry flies on the big flying creature whose name I can’t remember?” Aelin nodded. “This is the loch in the scene.” He looked at her puzzled expression “I only know because I have a book in the shop about movie locations in Scotland and in the summer is quite popular with tourists and once I had a look through it out of curiosity.” “I need to read it next time I am in.” He sat down beside her and pulled her close “How are you feeling? Are you tired?” “Are you joking? This is amazing. I will sleep tonight. I have a feeling I will be out as soon as I hit the bed but for now I am fine. Really, Ro.” He grabbed his backpack and opened it “Are you hungry?” She nodded and Rowan offered her another sandwich and Aelin munched away while taking in the incredible view in front of her. “Did Elide tell you where they are getting married?” Aelin nodded “The cloisters at Glasgow University. I have no idea what it is, but I assume you know. But Elide told me that she loves that place so much and felt like it was a cool place where to get married. They don’t have a large numbers of people so we will fit.” Rowan had a large smile “It was and still is one of my favourite places around the University and once we are there you will know why. I will take you there tomorrow. Our accommodation is very close by to the university so got very lucky.” “She said that they are having the reception inside the centre hall at Kelvingrove art gallery.” Rowan laughed “they have amazing taste. That’s all I am saying right now.” “I googled some pictures and they are amazing sites.” Then she looked up to him “are you looking forward being back in Glasgow?” Rowan nodded “I love the islands but I have some great memories of the city.” Eventually Rowan stood “Let’s go. We still have a very long drive. I want to show you Glen Coe before we continue our drive south.” They got back in the car and on the road “sleep a bit, “said Rowan caressing her head “it will take us about an hour to reach Glen Coe.” Aelin blew him a kiss and did as was told and woke up only when Rowan nudged her awake. She opened her eyes and gasped at the beautiful view in front of her. “We are driving through Glen Coe.” “I am speechless.” “It’s quite incredible, I agree.” A few minutes later Rowan stopped the car and he got out and motioned for Aelin to follow him. They both sat on the hood of the car and he put an arm around her shoulder, “see this three ridges in front of us?” Aelin nodded. “They are called the three sisters of Glen Coe.” “That’s a cute name.” “Did they film anything in GlenCoe? It seems like such an mazing film locations,” she asked curious. “Tons of stuff, actually. Some more of the Harry Potter movies, some bits of Braveheart, one of the James Bond movies, Skyfall I think, and another one I remember is Monthy Python and the Holy Grail.” “I really need to read your book.” They sat in silence for a moment, then Rowan pushed her to go back into the car “Come on. We’ll have a last stop in Balloch and then from there we will do the last leg to Glasgow.” They got back in the car and Aelin was asleep again within minutes and he let her sleep. From time to time he brushed his hand on her bump but the twins seemed asleep as well. She woke up again much later “where are we?” She asked with a sleepy voice. “Near Tarbert, we are on Loch Lomond.” Aelin smiled “there is a song.” And she started fiddling with his mp3 player to find the song. A couple of minutes later she found it and pressed play and Rowan smiled fondly. He had created a monster in terms of music. Aelin started singing and he laughed. “You’ll take the high road, and I’ll take the low road and I’ll be in Scotland afore ye. Where me and my true love will never meet again on the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.” “You know this is a sad song, right?” “I know I read the meaning behind it but it’s so good. I love it so much.” Once in Balloch, Rowan took Aelin for a walk into Balloch castle country park but when he noticed her trailing behind slowly he called it a day and decided they were going back to the car and drive the last leg to Glasgow. She was getting tired and he felt as if he had pushed her enough although he was alway careful and walked always short distances. Aelin slept until Rowan woke her up announcing they were arrived at the hotel. “We are in Glasgow?” He kissed her “yes, we made it.” She gave him a big smile and slowly got out of the car, grabbed her backpack and followed him. Rowan unloaded the bags and they got inside the hotel and at the receptions. She let Rowan check them in. She was feeling tired and only wanted to take a shower and collapse in bed. Once in their bedroom Aelin sat on the bed and then lay down heavily under Rowan’s worried stare “are you sure you are okay?” “Yeah, a shower and a nap and I will be okay.” Rowan had a look in the bathroom “even better, you can take a relaxing bath and if you behave I might join you. I am pretty wiped as well.” At that statement Aelin stood and went to open the taps in the bathtub “no take backs.” Fifteen minutes later they were both in the tub, Rowan behind her and he was washing her hair and then her back “That’s not fair, I can only wash your legs.” Then she leaned back against him and he purred. “Will you manage to go out for dinner or shall we order in?” Aelin shook her head “I want to go out. Do we have to go very far?” “No, it’s a twenty minutes walk. Or we can walk five minutes and take the underground for one stop. There is a lovely area for food in Hillhead, the uni area. There is a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant that I adore and I haven’t been there in a lifetime. Or we can try something else. Whichever takes your fancy.” “Vietnamese sounds perfection. But can we do the half walk half underground option?” “I would drive but parking is a nightmare in that area.” She took his hands and placed them on her bump “half and half is perfect.” Rowan kissed her neck caressed her bump when he felt a kick. “I think we are getting close to the stage when they will be able to hear sounds. Their ears should be formed by now and they will hear muffled sounds from outside.” “I need to go back reading to them.” He asked tugging her even closer. “I’d love that. But only stories with badass females.” “Of course and I’ll make sure I will read them about their namesakes.” “Morrigan is going to hate us for her name as soon as she discovers where it comes from.” Rowan kissed her head “We can change it.” But Aelin shook her head in dissent “I adore it.” They cuddled in the bathtub a bit longer but when the water started to cool down Rowan ordered them to get out. Aelin, in her bathrobe collapsed in bed. It was still far too early to go out for dinner so they were going to chill out in bed. Rowan had driven all day and she was positive he was exhausted as well. He joined her in bed and snuggled against her “What are you doing?” Aelin took her phone “what’s the name of the restaurant?” “Hanoi bike shop.” “That’s a very random name.” Rowan chuckled “look at some photos and you will see why.” Aelin did that “oh wow. The place looks amazing. There are actually pieces of bikes hanging… and look at the lanterns.” “And their food is delicious.” “Let me see the menu.” She was too busy browsing her phone to notice that Rowan had fallen asleep in her arms. She set an alarm for half past six and cuddled against him and placed one of his hands on the bump, then kissed his head and slept a while as well.

She woke again five minutes before the alarm was meant to go off. Rowan was still fast asleep and she felt horrible at the idea of waking him up but her stomach was grumbling and she was getting hungry. She kissed him gently and brushed a hand through his hair and slowly he woke. “Hi you.” “Hey,” his voice still gruff “did I fall asleep?” “Like a baby” she kissed him “I didn’t want to wake you but I am starving.” Rowan laughed and rolled on his back. A second later he was off the bed and went to the suitcase to grab some clothes “Come on, let’s get you fed, then we can come back and relax.” Ten minutes later they were both ready and outside. Aelin had a look and in the distance she noticed a park. Rowan had told her they were near his uni. They walked for a bit along Sauchienall st. until in the distance she noticed some amazing buildings and pulled him to walk faster. Rowan stopped her and went back into guide mode. He went behind her and took her arm and pointed “that, is Glasgow university. And this amazing red building in front of us is Kelvingrove museum. Glasgow uni is the second oldest uni in Scotland dating to 1451 and the fourth oldest in the UK.” “I am jealous. I went to a modern uni. Yours looks amazing.” “We’ll have a proper look tomorrow, same for the museum.” They reached the underground and while they were waiting Rowan explained that it was a circular line and they only had the inner and outer circle. And that the only mistake you could make was to take the wrong one and having to go all the way around before reaching your destination. The whole concept puzzled her, behind used to the London tube and all. Once out of the subway the restaurant was at a minute walk and Aelin loved the place already. The restaurant was busy but they did manage to get a seat. Aelin would have killed if they told her that there was no space. She was now dead set on that restaurant and did not want to go somewhere else. She had already studied the menu in full. An hour later Aelin relaxed back satisfied. The meal had been wonderful and after her dessert she finally felt full “I think we can walk back to the hotel, I ate too much and I need to walk it off.” Rowan laughed “are you sure?” It took them forty minutes to walk back to the hotel. Aelin had decided to be brave and walk and she soon realised it had been a very bad idea. Rowan had tried to convince her to at least take the subway again but she had been stubborn. Rowan knew she was struggling but had given up when he suggested a taxi and he got a deadly glare from her. They were finally in front of the hotel and Rowan relaxed a bit. “Don’t.” She snapped. “What?” “You have a ‘I told you so face’ I know, I was stubborn and now I am paying for it. Now stop gloating.” He gave her his hand “Come on, Fireheart, I am curious to see which funny pj you have with you tonight.” Aelin took his hand and followed him to the lift. Once in the room, Aelin threw herself on the bed but Rowan grabbed her hands “get changed first.” Then he let her go and grabbed her suitcase and placed it on the bed “come on, jammies on and then bed.” “Can we cuddle? Perhaps with a back massage.” “That can be arranged, but I need you in your jammies to do that.” Aelin dragged herself up and grabbed her night clothes from her bag and got changed and Rowan did the same and both get ready for bed. Rowan was the first one under the blankets and once she joined him he pulled her to him, her belly facing him. His hands went to her back and started rubbing the sore spots. Aelin melted in his arms. “Thank you for today,” she mumbled against his chest, snuggling against him a bit more. She felt a kiss on her head and then laughed when he felt a kick “I think our girls had a great time as well.” “They did, but now they are exhausted like mum.” Rowan pulled her down to an horizontal position “Turn around,” he said to her when he noticed she was not on her left side. “But I want to face you.” “You know the left side is the recommended position. Turn around.” He helped her and once she was settled he climbed over and lay down in front of her “Sorted.” “You are such a mama hen.” She joked, running her hand through his hair. “Your hair getting longer.” “I was thinking about letting it grow. What do you think?” Aelin kissed him “very naughty thoughts right now.” Rowan laughed “I used to have them to my shoulder when I was t uni. Not practical for swimming but I loved it.” “I can braid it.” She smiled “Please let it grow back.” He leaned forward and gave her a kiss back “As you wish, my Queen.” Then he took her hand and placed it on his heart “Now sleep, please.” He told her gently, closing her eyes with her fingers. Then his arm reached out over her and pulled her as close as possible. “Goodnight,” he whispered to his favourite women.

Tag: @rowaelinismyotp

[astarryon]

1980s Horror Film

No Good Deed

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Warnings: typical criminal minds stuff

Chapter Summary: You’re beginning to think your unadulterated hatred for unknown phone calls is actually justified.

A/N: The first installment of my Halloween inspired mini series! This fic was dreamt up during a very long, very intoxicated conversation with @johnmulaneyslut​ and my mind hasn’t been able to focus on anything else since! I hope y’all enjoy, and if you want me to add you to this fic’s masterlist, shoot me an ask or a message!

Masterlist

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“There are horrors beyond life’s edge that we do not suspect, and once in a while man’s evil prying calls them just within our range.”

- H.P. Lovecraft

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The agents were starting to get on your nerves.

There really wasn’t any good reason for it. They were being perfectly kind — when they bothered to talk to you like you were actually in the room, that is, though with three other victims of the deceased variety and a serial killer actively gunning for you, you figure you shouldn’t take that too personally — and the one named Jennifer had asked more times in the last hour than anyone else in your life had in maybe, well, ever if there was anything she could get you. You declined each time, sometimes rudely, sometimes in defeat, but that never stopped her coming back to ask again. When this was all over — and you prayed that an end would come quickly, if only so you could go back to not being quite so on edge — you’d need to be sure to thank her for all her efforts to make you comfortable.

But that wouldn’t come until later, when you were safe, and each of the agents in the behavioral analysis unit of the FBI didn’t pause every six seconds to analyze you in some attempt to figure out the psyche of the serial killer gunning to cut you open. In some ways, you understood — you were, currently, the only direct key they had to understanding how the serial killer who was after you selected his victims, though it wasn’t like you could answer any of the questions they had about the matter. Just because you understood, though, didn’t make the wandering eyes any less irritating, and you were counting yourself lucky that they were all just about to head home for the night so you wouldn’t have to worry about snapping in the next few hours.

“Okay,” Jennifer began as she approached, yet another kind smile occupying her features. “I’m stepping out for the night. The rest of the team will be leaving shortly, but our colleague Agent Anderson won’t be far. If there’s anything he can do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

You try for a small smile of thanks, but it’s hard to say whether it reaches your eyes. Judging by the poorly concealed concern in Jennifer’s gaze, you don’t think it does. “Thanks, but I’m all set. I already got this cozy cot set up in your boss’ office. What more could a girl ask for?”

Jennifer frowns, something like guilt tightening her perfect features. “I know the situation isn’t ideal, but this is—“

“The safest place for me to be, especially since this psycho likes to strike at night,” you sigh, unable to help a dejected roll of your eyes. “I know. I’m grateful, truly, but this still isn’t exactly what I would call great.”

“We’re gonna catch him,” Jennifer assures you. She sounds so resolutely positive that you’re inclined to believe her, even though there’s the issue that they still can’t even tell you who he is. “Just… try and get some rest tonight, okay? You’re safe here. I’ll have whoever from the team leaves last come check on you one last time before they head out. Good night.”

“Night,” you tell her, and she smiles one last time at you before heading out the office door, once again leaving you to your lonesome.

You should try to get your mind off it, you know. Thinking of something else was imperative to getting to sleep for the night, and though that was the last thing on your mind right now, trying to wind down was certainly more productive thank sinking into your own body numbing panic. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done, and now that you were by yourself, you had all the time in the world to think.

Someone wanted you dead. Someone out there in the world, someone you’d had contact with in your daily life, someone wanted to kill you. You hadn’t managed to get much information out of anybody — There’s no point in working yourself up over it, Jennifer had told you. You’d wanted to scream at her, tell her she’d be of a different opinion if she was the one whose life was hanging in the balance, but you’d managed to hold yourself back. Though you had every excuse in the book to lose your cool, she didn’t deserve you your verbal abuse. Even in your state of frightened paranoia, you could recognize that none of this was her fault.

Why this was happening to you, you didn’t know. You wished you did. If whatever was making you a target for the rampaging serial killer was something changeable, you’d take care of it in a heartbeat. If it was the way you dressed, you’d fix it. If it was your willingness to be kind to strangers, you’d be meaner. Anything, anything to get you out of this terrifying mess. Anything that meant you got to go home and sleep in your own bed and not have to worry about whether someone was going to break in to your apartment and—

“Are you doing okay?”

The gentle voice startled you out of your reverie, though you couldn’t help flinching out of reflex at the sudden intrusion despite how quietly it had been spoken. Blinking yourself back into focus, your eyes shot over to the door, where you found the tall, lanky frame of one of the BAU agents taking up space in the doorway. The one with softer features than the rest, though you didn’t know whether that spoke more to his youth or his naivety. The one with a certain boyish quality about him that you couldn’t quite place, though he carried his head high and had a surprisingly confident set to his jaw, one that contrasted directly with the sheepish, almost bashful tone of voice he’d had when speaking to you. The one whose name you couldn’t quite recall, which was a testament to the ordeal you’d been through in the past few hours because you’d never be careless enough to forget the name of such a beautiful man on any regular day.

The itch of tears trailing down your skin brought you back to your senses, and as you reached up to swat them away, you realized there was no way he hadn’t seen them. “Just peachy,” you snarked, instantly feeling badly over the tone you’d taken. Whatever; there was nothing to be done for it now, and you could agonize over your rudeness when a pretty stranger wasn’t busy witnessing your terror. “Really just having the time of my life. Can’t you tell?”

And you swear if you concentrate, really concentrate, you can just make out the ghost of an amused smile curling the corners of his lip upward in response to your bitter attempt at sarcastic humor, but it quickly becomes overshadowed with concern at spying the tears still brimming in your eyes. “Sorry to interrupt it,” he murmurs, stepping out of the entrance and closing the door behind him, and something about his tone is so meaningful that you believe he’s genuine. He detours by the desk at the far side of the room to pick up the box of tissues sitting on its corner before making his way over to you and setting them on the filing cabinet just beside your cot. “I’m Dr. Spencer Reid. Agent Jareau asked if I would check in on you before I went home for the night.”

You blink, reaching for a tissue and wiping the rest of your tears away, thankful that this man is kind enough not to force you to talk about your emotional state. At his introduction, though, you pause, the familiarity of the name taunting at something in your mind. “You… you’re the one who called me. Before.”

Spencer nods leaning his weight against the filing cabinet he’d set the tissues on and absentmindedly tucking a particularly unruly strand of hair behind his ear. “That was me,” he confirms, leveling another kind smile your way. “I, um, I was actually the one to get you out of your house, too, but… I mean, you were pretty upset, so you might not remember much of that.”

The unfortunate truth, actually, was that you remembered Spencer collecting you from your home and escorting you into the protective arms of the FBI a little too well. More specifically, you remembered having nothing short of a mental breakdown on the phone at the news that a serial killer was targeting you, looking to murder you in some horrible, awfully gruesome manner, and all for some reason that Dr. Reid had declined to inform you of over the phone. He’d been kind enough to talk you through all your debilitating paranoias, kind enough to stay on the phone with you until he’d gotten to your home with his partner — Morgan, if you remembered correctly — and rushed in to make sure you were in one piece. Though he’d told you on the phone that they were just outside, though he’d warned you that they’d be coming in to collect you and take you into protective custody, you’d still lost your mind at the sight of a stranger in your home and immediately rushed him, kicking and screaming and begging for your life, your safety, your… well. Everything, really.

Luckily for Spencer, you were a horrible right hook and ended up doing more damage to yourself than to him, but unluckily for you, you’d been out of your mind in that moment, and had lost the impulse for self preservation. Spencer had calmed you down and restrained you long enough to stop your attempts at gouging his eyes out in self defense, but every last bit of composure you’d been clinging to instantly vanished, and you’d been left a bawling mess, falling apart in the loose, awkward embrace of his arms as you begged him not to let anything happen to you, as you desperately implored him to keep you safe.

More than a little embarrassing once you’d managed to calm down, to say the least.

“Right,” you muttered, dropping your eyes to the floor. It was nothing against Spencer, with his kind eyes and reassuring expression, but you were just about at your wit’s end, here, and you really didn’t have enough composure left in you to be the sweet, dainty girl you assumed he’d enjoy interacting with. “Well, all things considered, I’m just fine. So, if that’s all…”

Instead of taking the hint, instead of leaving you to your solitude and allowing you to wallow in your misery, Spencer simply readjusted his position against the filing cabinet and folded his hands together. “I’m… Look, I don’t mean to pry, but you’re crying, and I… kind of get the feeling that when you say you’re fine, you’re not really telling me the truth.”

“An astute observation, Dr. Reid,” you muttered, wringing your hands together. “Really, someone ought to give you a medal.”

“Well, if you wouldn’t mind passing that along to my boss,” Spencer chuckles, and the gentle joke is so at odds with the defensiveness that anyone else would have responded with that it practically jolts you into civility. By the time you realize this, he’s already shifted from the filing cabinet to sitting at the edge of your cot. Not quite close enough to invoke feelings of familiarity, but just enough to let you know that if you want to, you can confide in him. And, it’s silly, but you kind of think you want to. “So… you don’t have to tell me why you’re crying—“

“Oh, thank you for the permission.”

“— but if you want to,” Spencer presses on, “I’m here to listen. No offense, but I imagine pretending nothing’s bothering you gets to be exhausting after a little while.”

“You’d be the expert,” you sigh, crossing your arms over your chest, but you turn more fully to face where Spencer’s seated himself.

He was being kind to you — that alone was reason enough to grasp at some manners and stop being so defensive, but there was another, more personally beneficial one as well. Jennifer had been awfully tight lipped about the man pursuing you — who he was, what he did to his victims, why he was so interested in you. But… Spencer wasn’t Jennifer. Spencer also felt kind of bad for you. Taking all that into consideration, maybe he would be more willing to give you the answers you were looking for.

More willing, and more interested.

“You know, I do have a few questions” you begin, hugging your legs to your chest and tucking your chin against your knee. You wondered if you looked as small and pathetic as you felt. “I don’t… know that you’d be willing to answer any of them, though.”

Spencer arches a brow at you, and you subconsciously take note of the way that his eyes narrow the slightest bit, though it’s hard to tell whether that’s fascination or a sweeter kind of curiosity. “Well, I can’t try to answer them until you try asking them.”

Alright, well. Worth a shot at least.

“I was wondering...” You trail off and set your jaw, clearing your throat before trying again. “I want to know about the man who’s trying to kill me.”

—

[dimeadoesnt]

New fic is up!

I’ve been sitting on this one a while, but the first chapter is up here and on AO3!

Rating: teen and up

Warning: (semi)graphic depictions of violence

Word count: 4,418

Lone wolf

Summary: A brief hunting trip leads to more trouble than anyone could have anticipated after sniper is left with an unnatural bite, from an unnatural source.Not that anyone should be surprised, this is hardly the strangest thing to happen to happen to them

Ch. 1: predator and prey

Despite the growing warmth of spring, Romania’s winter clung stubbornly to all that would allow it. The winds still nipped at exposed skin, the ground was still firm throughout valleys and glades, and despite the burning of circuitry and searing bullet-holes, what was once the shells of robots turned icy in a matter of minutes. In all it had taken a little less than a day for four of Mann Co.‘s mercenaries to rid the world of them, if for no other reason than they stood in the way of gathering intelligence. It wasn’t as if they had a choice in the matter, programming was unquestioned, undoubted, and undisturbed in its complicity of ‘shoot what moves.’ Granted, that hardly seemed important when they all ended up as scrap metal anyways.

At least those were the thoughts silently floating around Snipers mind as he sat atop one of the larger bots they’d done in, pulling against his bowstring to test the weight it could pull after a few adjustments.

He’d made up his mind that a hunt wouldn’t be a half-bad idea. Evening was falling on their little group now waiting for confirmation on their return plan, but with the nearby forests shadows stretching on to cast shade along the hidden base, grabbing a few provisions seemed the right choice. A deer if he was lucky, or a few rabbits if they were not. Engineer would probably take what he was offered, scout ate almost anything put in front of him and spy... well spy could complain all he wanted, food was food and if he wanted something better he could find it himself.

The sharpshooter mulled over how much gear he would actually need, giving pause as he decided packing light would prove effective, the less he had weighing him down the better. He gave pause to his thoughts however, as his attention was pulled from them to the slight shift of weight behind him.

“What dyou want, mongrel?” He asked, going back to examining his gear by smoothing out the fletching between his fingers.

“How’d you know I was behind you?” Scout asked, rounding out from behind the automatons husk with an aggrieved glare. “I was quiet as hell, like a literal mouse couldn’t do any better.”

“Owls hear mice all the time, consider it a predator vs prey thing.”

“You callin me prey?”

“I’m callin you easy to catch. Now what dyou want? I’m about to head out.”

“Oh for real?” Scout asked, any hint of annoyance quickly melting away in favor of a thinly veiled excitement. “That’s actually what I was gonna ask about! So I know you go survivor mode sometimes, decide ya wanna rough it for a while somewhere not here- well not *here* exactly, but wherever we are, and head out to wherever you go when you do this. No clue where that is, considering we’re usually in the middle of nowhere, but I gotta assume you found someplace half decent. Anyways, not the point- what I’m gettin at is: you like to hunt, right?”

Sniper gave a quick nod, used to the younger man taking detours in his road of thought by now.

“Right! So you know all the ins and outs of it?” Another nod. “Awesome! So let’s say, hypothetically, that if someone asked, you would show them how to hunt.”

From the outside it seemed the suggestion hadn’t phased the huntsman, half his face obscured by shades and the wide-brimmed hat, though beneath the shade his eyes squinted as he stared scout down, brows furrowed and suspicious.

“You want me to show you?” He asked, voice flat despite the surprise; an opening scout readily pounced on.

“Well since you’re offering I don’t see why not! Thanks, pal, knew you were a good guy. I’ll grab my stuff and meet ya in like, two minutes.”

Before any protest could be uttered, scout was gone. Perhaps rabbit would be on the menu- and a very loud one at that if nothing else could be caught.

The hike hadn’t been much of a problem. The distance between their enemy’s ex-outpost and the wilderness was nigh nonexistent as it bordered the edge where trees staggered into the valley. Instead the problems began to occur the further into the tree line they trekked. Shadows grew darker, and distant sounds of wildlife echoed to sound both much closer and much further away at the same time, at least to an untrained ear.

There were plenty of issues in bringing someone inexperienced along for a hunt, however the one scout seemed to have the most trouble with was the very idea of being quiet- a fact that would surprise nobody if they were to hear it. The runner trampled twigs and underbrush like he was trying to make a path, and he swatted at limbs and moss as if to knock them down entirely. The worst though was the fact that he did not know how to stop talking. Even when trying to be quiet the young man opted for a stage whisper instead of silence, asking every now and then how deep they would go, what exactly they were looking for, how soon it would be before he could bag something and bring it back. Sniper indulged in a few of the questions, though the deeper in, the less he spoke at all.

Another minute or so and the pair had come to a halt, looking between a small parting of grass, and a thinning of trees. A self-assured grin made itself at home on the marksmans face as he held a hand up, moving scout to settle in behind a tree before grappling the limbs of its neighbor until he was hidden among the lower branches, whispering for scout to watch closely. Unfortunately, scout himself seemed to have different plans.

“Watch?” He hissed. “What dyou mean watch? I’m takin down what I see.”

“No, you’re not.” Sniper said flatly. “There’s more to it than just taking the shot, if you make a mistake it’ll end badly for everyone.” There was no room for argument there, despite how scout very much wanted to. While the Australian was normally a surprisingly patient man, he was just as much so a creature of routine and practice.

Within a few seconds they had fallen completely silent, save for the occasional shift, or scout plucking at grass, occasionally glancing back towards their target range with mounting boredom. Snipers slow shifting ceased after only a few moments, falling into a comfortable, practiced stillness while his eyes never once left the clearings edges.

Time passed immeasurably after that. The only frame of reference coming from the last rays of sun being replaced by the pale light of moonbeams breaking through the treetops. The air was still in only the way a forest without wind could be, and unsteadily silent, waiting for a disturbance to startle from its light sleep. Finely tuned instinct whispered to wait, to watch, and to forget hesitance the moment opportunity struck.

Eventually the instinct proved itself valuable when the sound of rustling leaves echoed across the glade. It was faint and careful, but the sound was distinctly the cautious pacing of a creature. within a minute the sloping curve of a deers head was peering in between the trees, apparently assessing the landscape before slowly stepping further into the pass.

Sniper readied his bow, thumbing over one of his arrows ends as he knocked it to his wire.

Slow breaths.

Focus.

Don’t blink.

He drew the bow taut, one eye slipping closed to center the arrows tip between the wide eyes of the timid creature. A deep breath and all breathing stopped, fingers slipping from the wire to let the arrow fly. and had he loosed it properly the shot would have hit perfectly, painlessly, and efficiently. Unfortunately, a sudden crash and shout startled the entire wood out of its tense sleep, as birds flew their nest and both predator and prey startled. sniper snapped the arrow into a tree, and the deer ran off full tilt the way it had come. The hunter turned to check on where scout had been sitting earlier only to find the spot was empty, and with that sudden realization, knew full well where the disturbance had come from.

He dropped from the trees limb onto the ground, trying to pick up on where the sound had come from, cursing scouts name to hell and back while also praying there were no bears nearby; and if there were that scout wasn’t foolhardy enough to try and disturb one. Another, closer, shout sounded off from his right, and while Sniper might have otherwise been livid at the absolute disregard shown for their entire outing, he was more focused on the look of absolute terror his teammate wore.

“We gotta go!” Scout snapped, stopping just long enough to tug and Snipers arm, which was just as soon yanked back.

“What happened?!” The larger man asked, grabbing scout by the shoulder to get some kind of answer before acting.

Scout gave a broad sweep toward the way he had come from. “It- I don’t know! I don’t know, there was this- it had to be some kinda messed up animal. All I know is that it was real big, real angry, and fast as all hell, so we gotta **GO** he urged once more, taking a step backwards towards the way they’d left the outpost.

“You want to drag whatever it is back with us?” The marksman scolded, moving to press his back against one of the massive trees. “If it can see us it’ll follow us. What we need is distance or a distraction otherwise it’s-“ his voice halted as a new ‘crash’ shook the ground; much heavier, and much closer than any had been before. Scout seemed to be all too aware of what it was, reaching over to yank the kukri from Snipers hip in an apparent knee-jerk reaction.

Both were well aware of what a calm before the storm felt like, and this was no different. Everything stood as still as an image. Nightbirds didn’t let out a note, deer and rabbits sat still wherever they were, and the two men in the forest barely breathed against the fragile air that surrounded them.

And it was all broken in a second.

Without warning, an animalistic yowl shook the very earth and a hulking mass launched itself from the shadows, its weight slamming into snipers side like a bullet train. All at once the air was knocked from his lungs as predator and prey slammed into the trees base. There was only a second to get any bearings, but that second slowed to eternity at the sight of the attacker. In the light of the moon both men got an unhindered look at the terrible creature.

Thick hair black as pitch stood on end, back hunched forward on legs too long for comfort. A large maw curled back into a sinister, sharp snarl, its long fangs shooting out to gnash at its target. Worst of all though we’re those eyes. Pupils pierced through a wide ring of brown like daggers, while the rest was filled with white. Stark, pallid, bone white- visible in all directions around the pale brown irises.

An unsettling discomfort pierced Snipers chest when he looked into those eyes, getting the distinct feeling that they knew exactly what they were looking at, and that the mind behind them was smarter than its exterior. It knew that it was stronger than them. It knew that it was fast enough to catch any movement. And it knew it wanted these sharp little things in its forest gone.

The second ended, and the beast launched itself forward again with a growl so deep it rumbled in the base of the hunters chest. Reflexively he lifted his hands, catching the creatures face in a shaky grip, matted fur held tight between his fingers as he tugged it away. Snapping teeth shot forward, yanking one of the hands free from their grip, and on instinct the arm was brought up in front of snipers neck. A second of numbness followed, though a deep spattering of blood began dripping from the creatures maw to feed the roots of the tree.

Animal attacks were rarely something to brush off, but this one in particular stung in the way electricity might. It burned, seared, and scorched as the teeth buried so deeply into the arm that no sound could escape his chest, only the feeling of his jaw clenching hard enough that his teeth creaked. A flash of fear shoved its way into snipers mind, shouting that they didn’t have a doctor on hand. They didn’t even know if the teleported between America and Europe were running yet. What he did know was how long it took for an untreated wound to get infected. He did know how long it took for someone to bleed out.

Then suddenly the pressure was gone. The beasts jaw snapped open to let out a shrill cry, jumping to the side with a staggering limp. Fur began to dampen at its hip, and if the kukri now shining a slick red in scouts hand was any indicator, the wolf had forgotten it was a fight of two against one. A professional never missed an opening, and a hunter never misused his weapons. Sniper reached over his shoulder to his quiver to pull one of the thin rods forward.

An animals shriek echoed through the woods as the arrow found itself firmly lodged between two of the monsters ribs. Perhaps he shouldn’t have felt quite so satisfied when the monster shuffled further away, snapping down towards the thorn in its side, but the feeling of vindication was enough to get him moving.

“I told you!” Scout called, his first few paces back to base being backwards, still holding the knife outward at the wolf as it twisted and snapped at the pains between its chest and pelvis. As it turned out, panic and survival instinct proved very useful in weaving between trees and thickets, neither sparing a second to look back until the abandoned base was in view, and only stopped once the heavy sound of the doors slamming shut and locking echoed through the room.

The base was cold by now, but safe, and as the pair stood backs flush against the wall, breath coming in heavy, short bursts, the rush of the chase slowly wore off. visions of sharp teeth faded in favor of the bleak grey walls that surrounded them, and the chill of wind was replaced by the still coldness of a room not built for humans.

Scout was the first to come out of it properly, much to Snipers own surprise. His breathing was still shaky, but slowed to something resembling normal as a minute or so passed. He dropped the knife with a loud clatter and gave himself a quick pat down, apparently making sure everything was still there, and while he was relieved to see he was unharmed beyond bruises and scrapes, a glance at his companion revealed that the same could not be said in his case.

“Oh Jesus.” Scout muttered. looking down himself sniper had to agree that it was a fair assessment. The bite was deep, clearly showing torn muscle while thick rivers of blood lazily rolled down his arm and dropped to the floor. Sniper had seen enough viscera and gore in his life to remain unphased at gruesome maulings, but this felt different from any kind of mammals bite he’d gotten before. As feeling came back it reminded him more like the pierce of a vipers fangs, setting his nerves on edge with a feeling of hot pins and needles crawling up his arm and across his chest; the huntsman’s brain became addled and muddy, though if he had the chance to think logically he should have been more concerned about nerve damage and blood loss than any invasive thought of snakes. Seeing as how he wasn’t thinking logically though, he could only slide down the wall, landing with a heavy ‘thump’ against the concrete floor. Distantly he was aware that something was being said, though it was so indistinct he paid it no mind. He was tired, that was what mattered.Breathing grew shallow and slow, and the last image before darkness were those dark, terrible eyes staring back at him.

The first thing he was aware of was a loud rumbling from below. Eyes still closed, the distinct hum of an engine, and what must have been the rolling of gravel. Everything felt heavy, and even the slightest movements made his body ache in protest, only made all the more uncomfortable by the now familiar shifts and bumps of what could only be a car in motion. Sniper let out a low groan and ran a hand over his face, thankful for once that he didn’t have sunglasses blocking anything.

Across from him there was a loud ‘thud’, accompanied by an enthusiastic ‘oh thank god.’ coming from an all too familiar voice. He tried to blink away the burn in his eyes and sit up, though only managed to get himself propped up on his elbows. In that time scout had gotten up from where he’d been sitting and opened the window between the front seat and the cargo area of their truck

“Yo, sleepin’ beauty’s finally up” he called, earning a glare tossed back from the mentioned sleeper. Regardless, the response he got was genuine, and the relief in Engineers voice settled a slight tension in the hunters chest.

“well if that ain’t a relief I don’t know what is.” The southerners warm voice echoed back. “Hows he doin? Any problems we oughta stop for?”

“Uh, lemme check.” Scout responded, turning to speak directly at the prone marksman. “Hey, snipes, how ya feelin?”

“Like I want to turn your head into a fine pink mist and pass out again”

“He’s fine!” Scout cheered, getting a quiet laugh back, along with the sound of spy beginning to chide their engineer for worrying over nothing. Leaving them to bicker, scout took a few steps back in towards the center of the shipment container. Getting a look around there was actually very little inside, the largest item, save for a few gun cases, being a couple of boxes filled with ammo and scrap metal tied down along the walls. By the notches carved into the top of one of the medium ones, that had been where scout was waiting; though now it seemed the runner had decided it was more appropriate to sit at the gunmans side, jaw in hands as he gave sniper another once-over. Pushing himself to sit up properly sniper grimaced, finding his right side falter when put under pressure.

“Yeah, might not wanna stress that too much.” Scout commented, seeing how his teammate cringed at the slight movement. “Hard hat patched ya up as best as he could, but the docs gonna go ballistic once he sees what’cha got there. we still got some’a those tablets for pain if you wanna drop the tough guy act too. Speakin of: what the hell dude?!” Scout scolded, throwing his hands up. “why didn’t you tell anyone you’ve got a fainting problem like that? Scared the hell outta everyone” he asked, a tight frown carved firmly into the usually coltish face.

“I don’t.” Sniper huffed, adjusting to lean back against the wall as a dull throb began to knock at his head. “it was blood loss, if anything. Wouldn’t doubt if shock, and a concussion compounded it, at least if this headache means anything.” Not to mention how tired he still felt. He’d experienced all three plenty of times before, both separately and in combination, but this time in particular left him feeling exhausted in nearly every aspect. Scout seemed to mull over the answer, and after reaching into his pocket to pull out a small bottle with medics handwriting scrawled across the label, tried for a weak, but wide smile.

“You can say ya got scared, it’s ok.” He teased, dropping a few pills into snipers hand before dropping the bottle onto the sleeping bag the other was resting on. To his own surprise, sniper found a slight laugh bubble up, foggy and indistinct, but still present.

“Last I checked we were both scared out of our minds.” He huffed, taking the medicine dry. “But thank you for reminding me of that, I’ve actually got something to ask”

Scout perked up, inching a bit closer in interest.

“Yeah? Alright uh- ok what’s up?”

His answer came in the form of a firm punch to the shoulder, and a heavy glare.

“What in gods name is the matter with you?!” He exclaimed, feeling better as scout recoiled, holding the now bruising shoulder.

“Freakin hell, man, what in the shit was that for?!”

“Why’d you run off?” Was the quick response he got. Scout had the decency to look ashamed for at least a second before vibrato kicked back in and he puffed his chest, glaring sharply back.

“Well it wasn’t like anything was gonna happen any time soon! I was gone for what? A few minutes?”

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

“... fine! Fine. I heard somethin movin around and followed it. I didn’t know it was... well, yknow. *that*”

Sniper put his head in his hand, rolling slow circles into his temple.

“So you just... followed it. Without telling me. Scout you could’ve gotten hurt so much worse than this” he gestured to the arm hanging prone to his side.

“I didn’t though, did I?” Scout asked, to which sniper leveled him with an incredibly unamused face. “Fine, fine, I get it, ‘going into the woods alone is a bad idea.’ But you do it all the time, what makes you think I can’t handle it?”

“Because of that *thing* we ran into out there. If you’d been alone how would it have ended?”

Scout leaned further forward, taking his headset off to fiddle with the microphone.

“What was that thing anyways?” He asked, clearly unhappy at the images flashing through his mind as he elected to stare down at his headgear rather than sniper. With the argument momentarily stopped, the Aussie humored the thought, only to find that there really was no answer.

“Dunno.” He finally said, pulling his knees up to cross his arms over. “Looked like a giant wolf but it- it didn’t act like one. Usually wolves’re fairly scared of humans, they’ll turn tail more often than not, so to give chase like that and then attack its... it weren’t natural.” He sighed, a new worry of rabies making itself at home in his already spinning mind.

“Y’ever had a job in Romania before?” Scout asked, the question so out of pocket it threw sniper out of the quickly sloping spiral he was headed down.

“What?” He asked,

“I’m just saying, maybe that’s just what wolves’re like in Romania! Like breeds ‘a dogs. A Dalmatian’s a dog as much as a dachshund is, but they look totally different. So maybe this is just what a Romanian wolf looks like: fucked up and angry.”

A beat passed as sniper took in the suggestion. Sure, a wolf from Russia would look different from one found in India, but this one felt off in a way he couldn’t quite explain. Still, scout seemed hopeful that that was the case, and it wasn’t as if people had documented every animal in the world, so he sighed and pulled a slight smile- for both their sakes.

“Different breed then... tell ya what: once we get back I’ll look into it. But if nothing matches what we saw im using you as bait to catch one.”

“Wh- hey! it seemed to prefer you over me if you’re talking about a bite to eat! Thing probably thought you were a strip of beef jerky anyways.”

And despite the deep ache that had made its home in snipers bones, he let out a quick, easy laugh. For as much of a braggart the kid was, he at least knew how to cut tensions.

“Remind me why I tolerate you again?”

“Cause I got your hat and glasses back, dummy. Also I helped carry your gangly ass back here, so I think a ‘thank you’ is in order.” Scout answered, reaching somewhere behind him to produce the familiar old slouch hat and aviators, setting them beside his friend.

“I’ll thank ya when my arms not fulla holes anymore, hows that sound?” As if to punctuate he lifted his forearm, now seeing the patchwork of gauze wrapped together by what looked like grip tape. He was already dreading what medic would have to say about the macgyvered first aid, but at least the bleeding had stopped if the dried patch of red at the top was any indication.

The conversation continued on in much the same way for most of the ride, both sides deciding that if an argument was necessary then it could wait. At some point, sniper found himself lying back down, comfortably realizing the medicine had begun kicking in; silently appreciating how nice it was to be able to rest without sharp pains running from wrist to shoulder, and he assumed the dull ache that persisted through the rest of his body would dissipate in the next few minutes. It helped that he had something demanding attention to keep his mind off of it too.

By the time they had reached the base the sun was once again crawling beneath the horizon, and conversation had lulled into a comfortable silence with scout stifling the occasional yawn, and sniper adamantly trying to keep his eyes open. It didn’t last long however, seeing as he barely recalled the car stopping. After a groggy apology and assurance that really, he was feeling better, he gave a quick wave back before leaving for his own bed. He didn’t remember how he convinced Engie that they could wait to talk to medic until morning. Nor could he remember actually entering his van, or changing into a set of clothes that weren’t stained in blood and mud.

What he did remember, however, was how strange he thought it was that his the deep, dull ache in his bones had persisted despite the pain relief he’d taken.

[mittensmorgul]

Happy Resurrection Day

A short fic in celebration of Dean and Cas’s 12th anniversary!

Rated: T Words: 3652

Summary: The world didn't end, and Dean and Cas finally get to choose each other. It only took twelve years and a little road trip back to where it all started.

Read it here on AO3

One random morning in mid-September, a few months after the world was left in their hands once and for all, Dean woke up to the nagging feeling he was forgetting something. There wasn’t really much to forget anymore. There was no looming apocalypse, no new catastrophe on the horizon. The biggest dilemma he’d faced in the last few days was whether he had enough milk to make pancakes, or whether he’d have to run out to the store before breakfast.

Sure, he and Cas took the occasional salt and burn. Easy hunts they could usually dust in a day. Sam had taken an extended road trip to see the country and try to figure out what he wanted to do with himself now that he was truly free to explore what life after Chuck could look like, but Dean already knew. He’d known for a good long time that he loved his life, loved the bunker, and loved hunting. And for whatever reason, Cas had just decided to stay, no strings attached. Whether Dean was itching to get out on the road for a long weekend on the slimmest excuse of a hunt that just as often as not turned into a detour to some tourist trap or other, or whether Dean just wanted to sit at home bingeing an old tv series or having a movie marathon, Cas seemed equally content with the slate of activities Dean conjured up for them.

He hadn’t put it into so many words, and he definitely hadn’t said it to Cas, but Dean also loved that Cas had stayed with him.

So it was strange waking up with an unsettled swirling in the pit of his stomach. He held a hand up to his forehead, checked his eyes and throat in the mirror to make sure he wasn’t coming down with something. He didn’t want to get Cas sick, if he was. He’d already survived Cas’s first cold as a human, just barely. They went through so much soup in a week, Dean was starting to wonder if Cas was just milking it for the room service. He had to admit that Cas letting him walk him through the highlights of Dr. Sexy while he was curled up in a blanket nest by his side wasn’t the worst thing he’d had to endure. But for now, Dean wasn’t sick. He just had a restlessness in his bones and no idea how to cure it.

He pulled on his robe and ambled out to the kitchen. Coffee would help him figure out what was eating at him, surely. Only Cas had beat him to it, which was unusual enough to amp up that uneasy feeling. Dean usually beat Cas to the kitchen most mornings, so walking in to a full pot of coffee and no other sign of Cas had him wondering if something was wrong. He poured himself a cup and set off in search of Cas, and whatever he was up to so early in the morning.

He found Cas sitting at the table in the library scrolling around on the internet. Dean just stood in the doorway and watched him for a moment, studying his posture as if it might give him some clue what sort of mood Cas was in. Human or not, Cas still had the intense focus he’d always had as an angel, and aside from pausing to take a sip of his coffee or navigate to the next page, he barely moved from his position hunched over the keyboard. Rather than startle him, Dean waited until Cas put his mug down before clearing his throat to announce his presence.

“Mornin’ sunshine. You’re up early.”

“Hello, Dean,” Cas said, giving him a guilty glance before going back to his work. “Yes, I had been hoping to surprise you later, but I apparently didn’t wake up early enough for that. I hope you slept okay.”

Dean shrugged as he walked around the table and sat down across from Cas. He took a sip of his coffee before replying.

“Mostly. Woke up feeling restless, and I couldn’t figure out why.”

Cas nodded at him as if he understood exactly what Dean meant. “I did, as well. And then I checked the calendar. I assume you know what today is?”

Dean’s brow furrowed as he performed a few calculations. Days all sort of blended together after a while, but they’d made a trip up to Henderson for supplies on Wednesday, and that was only a couple days before.

“Friday?” Dean eventually replied, hoping he was right.

Cas laughed, but shook his head. “It is Friday, but it’s also September 18th.”

Dean blinked at him for a moment as he mentally rocketed back to a run down old gas station where the windows shattered the first time Cas had ever tried to introduce himself. He’d just clawed his way out of his own grave, and the local newspaper had helpfully supplied him the date, and the knowledge that he’d been in hell all of four months. No wonder he’d woken up feeling weird. He might’ve forgotten the date, but somewhere deep down, some part of him would always know it.

Dean came back to himself to find Cas waiting patiently for him, like he always did. He took another sip of his coffee and set the mug down, recalling what Cas had said before sending him off down disturbing memory lane. Better to focus on the present than linger in that particular bit of the past.

“So you were planning a surprise?”

Cas shrugged. “I thought maybe we should do something to celebrate. People celebrate these sorts of milestones, yes?”

Dean wobbled his head side to side and made a face. “Pretty sure Hallmark dosn’t make a card for this one.”

Cas frowned, reaching up to shut the laptop as if he’d made some terrible faux pas, but Dean quickly dropped his hand atop Cas’s to stop him.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate it anyway,” he said more quietly, smiling at Cas. “It was a pretty noteworthy occasion, you pulling me outta hell. What did you have in mind?”

Cas’s frown deepened. “That’s where I’ve been stuck all morning. It felt inappropriate to suggest going to visit your gravesite, and taking you out to dinner seems… trite, in light of the occasion.”

“You know me, Cas. I’m always up for food,” Dean replied, trying to lighten the mood. “Plus it wasn’t just about me being un-dead, you know. It’s the whole reason we met in the first place. And look how that turned out.”

Cas had finally begun to smile again, and turned his attention back to the computer. “We didn’t actually meet face to face until late the next night when you summoned me. There was a bit of a delay due to unforeseen circumstances.”

Dean thought about that for a minute, nodding as he remembered the events of his first few days back on earth. “Well, if you wanna do it right, we could always take a road trip back to that old barn, see if it’s still standing.”

“Have you been back there since then?” Cas asked, curious now.

Dean shook his head. “Driven by it a few times over the years, but never went back inside. The whole farm’s completely overgrown. I figured someone would’ve gotten freaked out by all the weird symbols and burned the place down by now. It was still standing as of a couple years ago.” That got Dean curious. “Have you been back?”

“It’s been a while,” Cas said quietly. “I used to fly there sometimes, when I still could. It was a quiet place to think.”

Dean nodded slowly. “Then that’s what we should do. We’re taking a road trip. I know at least three great diners between here and there I haven’t taken you to yet. We can make a whole weekend out of it.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Cas replied, finally shutting the computer.

“Good. Breakfast first, then we’ll head out. Have ourselves a little resurrection day road trip.”

Dean grabbed his mug and stood up. He’d need to get dressed and pack a bag. They could have a quick breakfast if they were gonna be stopping at Dana’s Diner for lunch. It was a bit of a detour, but the burgers were worth it. He flashed a grin at Cas.

“I’m gonna pack a bag and grab some cereal before we hit the road. Meet you in the kitchen in 20?”

Cas nodded and shut the laptop. As Dean made his way out to the hall, he heard Cas mutter quietly, “Happy Resurrection Day,” as if he was testing out the sentiment. He bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud.

The drive to Illinois took most of the day. It could’ve been a lot quicker, but in addition to Dana’s, they hit a steakhouse on the outskirts of Chicago for dinner before swinging back south toward their destination. Dean bypassed the Astoria Motel where a mirrored ceiling shattered by Cas’s angelic voice had once nearly killed him. He pointed it out as part of their trip down memory lane, but pulled up at a different motel clear across town with the excuse that it would be a shorter drive back to the barn in the morning. Their room was a lot less shabby, and a lot less pay-by-the-hour feeling than the Astoria, so Dean felt it was a win all around.

As they settled in for the night like they had every night they’d been on the road together, Dean let himself really feel the usual longing the three foot chasm between their beds brought out in him. Most nights he’d just roll over and pretend to fall asleep while mashing that feeling down as hard as he could. Tonight, though, he lay in bed staring across that gap, wishing he could make some excuse to crawl into the other bed. Of all nights, and in this particular place, he really just wanted someone to hug until dawn.

The specific someone being Cas.

In the dark, in the quiet listening to Cas’s breathing even out as he drifted off, for one moment Dean allowed himself to admit that he didn’t just love that Cas had stayed with him. He loved Cas. Full stop. Dean lay there until he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer, holding on to that feeling and knowing he’d have to crush it back down in the morning.

He dreamt of what could’ve happened in that barn, if he hadn’t stabbed Cas that first time they’d met. With twelve years of history between them now, and Dean’s quiet revelation that he was in love with Cas, his dream-self went through a series of alternate endings to that meeting ranging from love confessions to things that he would definitely not be enumerating to Cas over breakfast the next morning. It made for an excellent night’s slumber.

Morning came without the restlessness the previous day had. Dean opened his eyes to the dawn light seeping between the curtains to shine a golden spotlight on Cas’s face, which was smiling back at him.

“Hello, Dean. I take it you slept better last night?”

Dean yawned, but didn’t quite feel like getting up yet. He wanted to enjoy this surreal moment for just a bit longer. Instead he stretched out under the blankets and propped himself up on his pillow to get a better look at Cas.

“Yeah, you?”

Cas propped himself up on his elbow, no longer in the little beam of light, and blinked at him. “I’m reserving judgment until after we have coffee, but yes. It seems to have been satisfactory.” Cas frowned for a second, and Dean was about to ask what was wrong, when Cas asked, puzzled, “If yesterday was Resurrection Day, what does that make today?”

Dean must’ve still been a bit loopy from his late night thoughts, the restful sleep, and what he could recall of the dream he’d been having. He never would’ve blurted it out around a yawn otherwise, but that’s exactly what he did.

“It’s countdown to Cas day.”

He froze for a second after the words had escaped into the wild, and then slowly turned to take in the fond look on Cas’s face.

“I’m already here, Dean.”

“Yeah, well, you weren’t twelve years ago. I didn’t even know your name yet.”

“You do now,” Cas replied. “How should we celebrate it? Since I sincerely hope you weren’t dead set on a complete reenactment. I don’t have the power to rattle the roof or blow open the doors anymore.”

Dean grinned at that and sat up. “Yeah, I don’t really wanna shoot you, either.”

“I appreciate that,” Cas replied, sitting up on the edge of his own bed opposite Dean. He looked right into Dean’s eyes, as if attempting to convey some deeper meaning to his words, and spoke quietly. “I’m glad you finally believe in me.”

They sat there for a long moment before Dean finally nodded. “‘Course I believe in you, Cas.”

They took turns in the shower and packed up their bags. After a quick breakfast on the way to the farm, they drove down the overgrown dirt road that led to the barn. Dean had to leave the car a good way back down the road, and they hiked through the knee-high scrub to the broken old barn door. Dean picked up a shattered timber and tossed it out of the way as he pushed his way inside.

“Man, this place is a lot less intimidating looking in broad daylight,” he said, as the two of them stood in the doorway and took in the faded symbols Bobby had painted on every surface of the interior. Broken glass still littered the floor, now covered with a heavy layer of dust.

“It looks different now, somehow,” Cas added. “Smaller. Which is strange considering I was so much larger the first time I was here.”

Dean turned to him and smiled. “Yeah, but now you’re seeing it human. It’s gotta be weird.”

Cas shrugged, and walked around the perimeter of the barn, examining the sigils out of old habit. “This has always been a quiet place for me,” he said, touching a warding sigil with his fingertips before continuing on. “Nothing unholy could find me here. I could be alone with my thoughts.”

Dean noticed a few of the sigils Cas stopped by, and didn’t recognize them. A collection of carefully drawn wards drawn much smaller and in a different shade of paint that stood out from all the rest he’d watched Bobby create twelve years ago.

“Did you add those?” he asked.

Cas nodded. “Angel proofing. Or at least, concealing.”

Dean thought back to all the times Cas had been running or hiding from Heaven and the rest of the angels. When he’d been human and had nowhere to go, and instead of coming here he’d run in the opposite direction, because Dean had kicked him out. A bolt of guilt shot through him and nailed his feet to the floor. This was a place Dean hadn’t come back to because it reminded him that he’d been to Hell, reminded him that Heaven had wanted him for their own for reasons that frankly horrified him now. But for Cas, this was the place Dean had first met him, a place that for him would forever be about the moment he was truly introduced to humanity. It had been kind of a shit introduction, if Dean was honest with himself. But twelve years later, after all the shit had played itself out, Cas had finally made his own choice about his life, and he’d come back to where it all began.

“Happy resurrection day,” Dean said as he stared at Cas from across the room.

Cas turned to him, the look of surprise on his face quickly turning to a smile. “It is a bit like a resurrection, isn’t it? We’ve come all the way back around to where it started, and we’re free of it all now.”

Dean just nodded dumbly, letting the enormity of it sink in as Cas walked over to stand in front of him.

“I don’t have wings or the power of Heaven at my back, but I do recall something I said to you that night. Good things do happen, Dean. And they have.”

“And here we are again,” Dean said, clearing his throat. Both of their lives had changed that night, and they’d spent so much of their time fighting against everything in the universe since then. The one constant had always been each other, even when they’d totally fucked it all up and broken the natural order and sacrificed themselves to fix it all again, they’d done it to save each other. At the end of the road, and the beginning of their journey, Dean couldn’t keep his feelings bottled up any longer. “I love you, you know.”

Cas sucked in a shocked breath of air and blinked at him for a moment, before a grin broke across his face, lighting up the gloomy, dusty haze in the barn. “I love you too, Dean. I’m so glad I’m here with you.”

Dean shook his head, finally prying his feet free to shuffle closer to Cas. He reached out a hand to rest it on Cas’s shoulder, right at the base of his neck. “No, I mean, I love you. I think I always have, and I know I always will, but I only really just figured it out. I’m in love with you and you’ve put me back together in ways you can’t even imagine. You might’ve resurrected me and healed me more times than I can count, but you helped make me a whole person, Cas. And I love you.”

Dean felt the prickling of tears behind his eyes and struggled to hold them back. Like he always did, Cas stared into him, right through him, and lifted a hand to Dean’s cheek.

“I’d hoped it was obvious when I chose humanity, when I chose to stay with you, that I felt the same way for you, Dean. I didn’t have any idea how much knowing you would change me, how much you would teach me about humanity and what makes life worth living when I first walked through those doors. One thing I did know, though, was that I already loved you. I had no idea what that even meant yet, but I would learn.”

A slightly manic laugh escaped Dean’s lips at the euphoria of hearing Cas’s words, seeing the heartbreaking honesty in his face, and wondering how long it was polite to wait before kissing him. Cas gave him a relieved smile, as if he’d been holding it all in far too long, and Dean let out a sigh as he pulled Cas to him.

“Love at first stab, huh?” Dean asked, smiling right into Cas’s face.

“Don’t belittle it, Dean. I loved you even before then. The moment I laid a hand on you in Hell. Healing your soul and reuniting it with your body, resting you gently in your grave and waiting for you to emerge again.”

“You do know how fucked up that was, right? You couldn’t have just dug me out?”

Cas’s brow furrowed. “It was Heaven’s orders. I never thought to question them. But yes, it has bothered me many times over the years.”

“Yeah, well, it’s bothered me more than once that I tried to thank you for saving me from Hell by stabbing you in the heart.”

“It worked, though,” Cas replied, one eyebrow raised. “I’m still here with you.”

“Better than cupid’s arrow,” Dean muttered, and then grimaced at his own terrible reference. It amused Cas, though. “Okay, enough awful jokes. Are you gonna kiss me already?”

Cas made a considering face, as if he hadn’t already made up his mind. “Happy resurrection day to both of us, then. I suppose we know exactly how to celebrate it now.”

Dean took that as the invitation it was, and leaned in for a kiss. Their lips met tentatively at first, and then more confidently as they clung to one another in the gloom. The exploding lights were all internal this time, but no less spectacular. Dean shuffled his feet and heard the crunching of broken glass, and reluctantly pulled back from Cas.

“We should probably find someplace less dangerous if we’re gonna keep going…”

Cas nodded his regretful agreement. With one last look around the old barn, they pulled the doors shut.

“We can come back next year, if you want,” Dean said, taking Cas’s hand and leading him back to the car. “Make it an annual thing.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Cas replied. “The annual resurrection road trip.”

“Next year we bring a broom,” Dean added, leading Cas through the weeds. “Maybe a picnic.”

Cas laughed, letting his hand go when they reached the car.

“So what do you wanna do next?” Dean asked as he climbed back behind the wheel. “We still technically got the rest of the day to celebrate.”

“You mentioned several diners you wanted to introduce me to, and it’s nearly time for lunch,” Cas replied.

Dean thought over their options, then leaned across the front seat to plant a kiss on the corner of Cas’s mouth, just because he could. The look of surprised delight on Cas’s face was more than worth it. “How much of a detour are you up for?”

Cas gave him a look of mock pity. “Dean, I’ll go anywhere with you. No detour is too long if I have you to share the journey with.”

Dean gave him a proper kiss, with a promise of more for later. “Then let’s get this show on the road.”

[aethelflaedladyofmercia]

Coming Soon - Absence of Words

Great news! The new Sawdust of Words fic is finally ready! I’ll be posting it some time this week (likely Friday, but I might manage to swing it sooner if I have a day where I’m not too exhausted after work).

“Absence of Words” will pick up shortly after the ending of “Finding the Words” - with Aziraphale and Crowley having freshly established that yes, they love each other, that can definitely be a thing going forward.

However, Crowley’s difficulties communicating (as discussed in “Finding the Words” and demonstrated in “Three Little Words”) quickly land them in trouble, as the miscommunication rapidly goes from “kind of amusing” to “annnnngst.”

I mean, it’s me. Was it ever going to be not angst?

The full fic will be a little over 13k. Excerpt below (2 scenes, one of which I posted an early version of...dang...more than a year ago?!)! Feel free to leave a comment/ask/private message with your thoughts!

(Note: because some people prefer to know what kind of ending to prepare themselves for, I’ll give a brief description after the excerpt, as well as CWs for the fic as a whole).

--

They walked for more than half an hour, hands still twined together.

Aziraphale spoke the whole time, more animated with every step, and Crowley drank it all in. He paid no attention to where they were, how far they walked, how late it was getting. All that mattered was they were here, they were together, really together.

They’d done it. They’d done everything.

Stopped the Apocalypse.

Fooled their sides.

Won their freedom.

And then, in the garden…Crowley’s lips still tingled, recalling the brush of Aziraphale’s. He almost couldn’t believe it had happened, couldn’t believe he’d dared. His breath caught in his throat every time he remembered that he now lived in a world where he had kissed Aziraphale. A world where nothing would come between them ever again. Each time Aziraphale’s eyes drifted over to him, Crowley was certain he’d discorporate on the spot.

The angel waved his arms as he talked. He pulled Crowley’s hand along with each gesture – sudden jerks ahead of them, tugs across his chest, complicated circles as if trying to draw what he described. More than once he nearly pulled Crowley off balance; Aziraphale didn’t know his own strength.

It would have been easier to let go.

He probably should let go – his palm was warm where it had been pressed against Aziraphale’s for half an hour, his fingers stiff and itching, longing to move again. The chills running up his arm, almost more than he could bear, were the most exquisite torture he’d ever suffered. Every time their palms shifted, finding a new position against each other, it pierced him like an arrow, tore through his heart, leaving it fluttering and juddering and palpitating like nothing else ever had. Crowley really, really needed to let go.

“Are you all right, my dear?” Aziraphale asked, glancing over.

“M’fine.” He gently squeezed the soft fingers locked through his, starting another wave of bliss that threatened to overwhelm him even before Aziraphale graced him with that smile…

Yeah. He wasn’t letting go any time soon.

--

Crowley’s hand was in his.

Aziraphale could hardly believe it had happened, hardly believe he’d dared. This seemed, somehow, the most momentous thing to have happened all weekend, though an outside observer would probably disagree. Well. That observer didn’t understand.

They’d started walking, the impulsiveness had come over him again and he – Aziraphale – the angel who dithered over every choice, every action – the angel who likely hadn’t taken the initiative on anything within living memory – he’d run his hand down Crowley’s arm and…

Well. Here they were.

They hadn’t spoken about it. Hadn’t really acknowledged it. But neither had let go.

Once he had his bearings, it shouldn’t have taken long to get back to his shop. But Aziraphale put it off as long as he could. They paused in front of dozens of shop windows, remarking on the pastries or clothing or sports equipment on display, but in truth Aziraphale was just looking at his own reflection, a fussy old angel, anxious and overeager, standing beside an exquisite demon radiating suave confidence. Quite the mismatched pair and yet, that’s what they were: a pair.

Perhaps even a couple.

Oh, dear, that seemed far too bold.

Aziraphale stumbled over whatever nonsense he’d been saying, and quickly turned away from the window. He glanced up to see if Crowley had noticed his distress, and oh, through those black lenses he could just catch a glimpse of golden slit-pupil eyes watching him directly, not just a glance from the corner of an eye. He’d been nodding along to everything Aziraphale said, that smirk hovering on his lips, threatening to turn into an actual smile. Crowley squeezed his hand, gently, as if to make sure it was still there, and it sent Aziraphale’s heart racing again.

Finally, after forty-five minutes, they ran out of detours and excuses and reached the last intersection: Soho to the left, Mayfair to the right.

His footsteps slowed as they approached. Aziraphale didn’t want to let go, not yet, didn’t want to relinquish the warmth, the feeling of the uneven heartbeat against his palm, the tiny shiver he felt whenever Crowley’s thumb brushed the back of his hand.

They paused at the corner, Aziraphale looking left, Crowley glaring straight ahead.

“Well.” Aziraphale cleared his throat. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.” He glanced down at their hands. Oh, dear. He didn’t seem to know how to let go.

“Nh,” Crowley said.

“Come now, dear fellow, you know this is the quickest way home for both of us. Twenty minutes. Fifteen, if you drive like you always do.”

“Nnnnnnh,” Crowley elaborated.

Aziraphale ordered his fingers to let go. Traitorous things, they only held on tighter.

“I could walk you back to the shop,” Crowley pointed out. “Or we could pick up the Bentley together, then drive over. Quicker that way. We can grab whatever you need…”

“What part of it’s a surprise are you having trouble with?” He meant it to be teasing, but Crowley’s lips went tight anyway. Aziraphale put a bit of extra cheer into his voice. “Look, as I understand, it’s proper etiquette for the individual with the car to pick up the other, when two people are…” He trailed off, considering in fascination all the words he could use to complete that sentence. “And…it wouldn’t hurt to have a moment to, I don’t know…”

He honestly didn’t know.

But the longer he stood in Crowley’s gaze, the more certain he was that he needed to step away. A thousand emotions were bubbling up inside him, and he needed space to process them, privately, before they burst out in the most unseemly—

“Aziraphale.” Crowley turned, and his fingers hovered by the angel’s face, as if not sure where to touch. “Do you…want to be alone right now?”

“That’s not…” He swallowed, finding he couldn’t look away from Crowley’s mouth. His lips. Did he want to kiss them again? Or be kissed? Both were terrifying. Both were tempting.

Crowley took his other hand, leaning closer.

“Yes. I do.”

Crowley went very still.

He thought his heart might burst; Aziraphale couldn’t tell one beat from the next. His hands started to tremble, and he stepped back, wiping them anxiously on his waistcoat, tugging it straight. “Don’t be – this isn’t about – it’s nothing like that.” He straightened his tie. “I just – perhaps I could use a few minutes, yes, and there’s nothing – nothing of note about that, I’m sure you could too, but all in all this is the simplest solution, that’s – that’s all there is to it.”

It could be very hard to read Crowley’s expression, but just now his lips twisted, his jaw went tight, and Aziraphale felt his heart begin to ache. The demon circled him, fingers jammed in his pockets, and started towards Mayfair as fast as his long legs would carry him.

“Wait! Crowley, don’t—”

“Fifteen minutes, Angel. Be ready.”

He watched the dark figure until it disappeared around a corner. And only then did Aziraphale realize he’d let go of Crowley’s hand

----

NOTES AND SPOILERS

CWs: Mentions of past abuse (physical and emotional, very brief/implied); emotional manipulation/gaslighting (from the POV of Aziraphale, still believing what he’d been told); anxiety (low-level but constant, and building across the fic); miscommunication, accidentally hitting another’s triggers. Very brief G-rated discussion of attraction. Swearing.

Ending: This will have a happy ending. Not all communication issues will be resolved in this story, but groundwork will be laid. Future stories will deal with developing healthy communication/trauma coping strategies.