#the one with whiskey eyes

[bold-writing]

The One With Whiskey Eyes || 24 || Motherly or Lovingly, You're Mine

Words: 3000+

Warnings: None

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~24~

Iris hummed happily as she took a bite of the carefully prepared lasagna. Luke smiled from his place across the table, watching as she took her first bite before even starting on his. When he’d first pulled off the foil covered the dish, he hadn’t known what he was looking at—all he could see was red sauce. The word ‘meatloaf’ had been on the tip of his tongue before Iris peeked around his shoulder and chirped ‘oh! I haven’t had lasagna in forever!’, offering to help him set things while he put it in the oven.

Glad to have dodged the moment of embarrassment, he gladly handed the plates and utensils to Iris.

“So I’m assuming Patricia does most of the cooking?” She cut her section of lasagna carefully, trying to keep the layers from separating as she ate.

Luke hummed for a moment in consideration. “I wouldn’t say the most. A few of the others love to cook, like how Felicia is with her make-up and Barry is with his sketches. Don’t tell them, but I’d say-” he stopped just shy of speaking the name, knowing that he and Iris hadn’t met yet and didn’t know if he should say it.

The small woman seemed to understand the reason for his pause and smiled in assurance. “You can say names. I already know Jade and Hedwig, haven’t met them yet. They may be soulmates I’ve yet to meet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bring them up. Just gives me something to know about them in advance.” She took another bite as Luke sighed in relief.

“Heinrich,” he finished. “I’d say Heinrich cooks the best. Honestly, he should be the one on grocery detail; the guy uses most of the food anyway.”

Iris smiled as she listened to him, loving how he spoke of the other alters affectionately. Like family. “What’s your favourite dish?” she inquired. “I mean overall, not just cooked by Heinrich.” Saying the name made her tongue feel thick, as it did whenever she said the name of someone she was yet to meet. Originally, she wasn’t sure if she should speak with one of her soulmates about another, but so long as they didn’t mind bringing them up she would be happy to continue the conversation.

Luke sat back as he chewed, looking off to the side wall as he pondered. “That’s a hard one.”

She knew it, too. Whenever someone asked her what he favourite thing was—book, movie, pastime—she always had trouble answering. “How about….what dish are you craving lately?”

The look that came to his face was almost dreamy, and Iris knew he was playing it up for her. “Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo.” Iris made a soft sound of agreement, remembering the last time she had made some for herself when she’d had a day off and a fresh batch of groceries. “Yours?”

“Can’t say a favourite, but I’ve been craving a pulled-pork sandwich,” she admitted, getting a surprised look from Luke. Clearly that wasn’t what he had been expecting. The look made her giggle, covering the bite of food she had just eaten. Once she finished chewing, she elaborated, “I had one at the little deli restaurant some years back called Sweet Meats. They ended up moving to a new location, bit too far for a cab ride, so I haven’t had it in a while. But their sandwiches were to die for. It’s not often I get takeout, but they were definitely one I went for quite often.”

Luke stopped eating as she spoke, leaning his chin on his fist as he smiled at her. “We’ll have to make a day of it sometime. Go up for sandwiches, find something to do while we’re there. That way it’s not a waste of a ride just for something to eat.”

Flushing with happiness, Iris nodded in agreement and busied herself with another bite.

“Even if she doesn’t cook as often as I thought, Patricia makes excellent lasagna.”

Luke flashed another brilliant smile. “I’ll be sure to tell her!”

The small conversations continued as they finished off their plates, Iris immediately declining a second. She had eaten more in one sitting than she normally would in an entire day. The sleep lull had returned to her eyes, however, and Luke immediately refused her offer to wash their dishes in favour of soaking them in the waiting sink.

The original plan was for Iris to head home that night. However, as she grew sleepier with food in her belly the thought of her walking home made him feel sick with worry. It was such a short distance he knew she would refuse to take a taxi, so the compromise came to allow her the chance to sleep over again. Iris had become accustomed to the routine after the several nights she had stayed following the incident at the store.

An open invitation from Felicia gave her a place to sleep, her meagre toiletries still in the bathroom for her use. Barry had an early start the next day for work, and Iris had a later shift that would have her closing the store the next day. It was already nearing midnight by the time Luke walked Iris to Felicia’s room, now wearing a set of her own pajamas that had been left behind.

Iris approached him first, wrapping him in a tight hug as she leaned her cheek in against his pectoral. “Thank you, Luke. It was a wonderful date.”

“We’ll have to do it again soon,” he responded, the smile he wore apparent in his voice.

Returning her tight embrace, cheek resting on the crown of her head, Luke didn’t want to let her go. He wanted to be selfish and keep her with him for as long as he could. But they both had work and he would get an earful from Barry if he did not get to sleep at a decent time. His next exhale came out like a sigh, Iris letting out an answering one before she started to draw back from him.

“I’ll message you tomorrow, okay?”

“Mhm,” she hummed with a smile, before she gently cradled his jaw in her small hands, lifting onto her tiptoes and pressing the ghost of a kiss against his cheek. Her lips lingered, spreading their warmth, and drew back too soon for Luke’s liking.

Her cheeks were flushed a warm pink as she retracted her hands. “Sleep well.”

Catching her chin between his fingers before she could flee, Luke returned her kiss with one of his own, high on her cheekbone and closer to the sensitive skin at her ear. “You too, Sweet.” He swore he could feel the heat from her blush warming her skin, making him grin with the knowledge that he had been the one to put it there.

She slipped into Felicia’s brightly coloured room, shyly casting him one more smile before the door was closed between them.

Neither were able to keep the smile off of their lips as they tucked themselves in for the night, wishing it had not had to end.

Iris had been so tired from the day, she did not dream or wake again until a weight suddenly landed on her legs, one of which had been curled up on top of the blankets to expose her sock-covered foot to the air. Jerking in surprise at the sudden contact, she tried to sit up, but a weight caught around her waist and pinned her in place. An instant of panic seized her heart before she looked down at the familiar shaved head of her soulmates’ body, but which soulmate was perched atop her was an answer she did not have.

Her erratic heartbeat steadily calmed as she leaned to prop herself up on her elbows.

She had only opened her mouth to speak, still unsure what words would come out, before her soulmate rolled abruptly, looking down at her feet. Rendered silent from the sudden and erratic movements, she watched as he moved until his feet were next to hers, revealing they were wearing nearly identical blue socks, hers of a slightly fuzzier quality.

“Look, look! We have matching socks!”

The familiar, and often confusing, words brought a smile to her face as she looked from her small feet to his larger ones. The lisp in his words hinted that she might be speaking with the one named Hedwig, but she didn’t want to make any assumptions and instead wiggled her foot to tap her toes against his.

“Look at that, we’re soulmates and we match,” she responded sweetly, sleep thickening her voice just slightly.

The smile he turned on her was one of pure childish happiness. It warmed her heart to see and, even as tired as she was, she could not help but to return it. Similar to how he must have arrived in the room, he pounced again; bouncing up beside her, Iris threw her hand out to stop herself from tipping off the bed. The antics of her newest soulmate set her off in a fit of giggles. Once she was sure she was not going to overbalance off of the bed, she rolled to face him. He was wearing a tracksuit—black with white and blue accents—and his blue socks.

“I’m Hedwig.” Inches separated them, the light from the hall allowing her the chance to see his face in the otherwise dark room. He looked at her so excitedly, like she had hung the moon. It made her feel so special just from that look alone.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Hedwig. I’m Iris.”

He made a soft scoffing sound, more of a laugh really, and ducked his head briefly before he looked to her eyes again. “I know that, silly!”

Patiently, Iris smiled back. “I’m sure you do,” she assured. “It’s just polite when someone introduces themselves to return the favor.”

Hedwig made an ‘oh’ face as he nodded along. “I also have red socks,” he blurted out suddenly. Iris blinked before she nodded.

“I don’t think I have any red pairs. I’ll have to buy some.”

“Yes!” Then he made a face that Iris knew well; he was trying to repress a yawn.

“It’s awfully early to be awake.” Shifted slightly, Iris laid her head down on the pillow. “Aren’t you tired?” While stopping herself from falling off of the bed, she’d glanced at Felicia’s alarm clock and caught the time that glared 4:12 in bright red. It was too early, even for Barry to have to wake up for work.

Hedwig shook his head rapidly, making an ‘uh-uh’ sound.

She wasn’t sure how old Hedwig was, but she did know that telling a child to go to sleep was often the wrong choice and could be met with resistance. “I’m sleepy,” she said instead, hoping he would give in and go back to sleep as well if he knew she wanted to. “I’m not usually awake this early.”

Even in the minimal light provided, she could tell when he started to pout.

When she had originally caught the hints that one of her soulmates was going to be a child, she had been worried that there might be trouble distinguishing him or her from the adults that made up her other soulmates. However, the comfort came to her just as easily as it had when meeting Patricia and Felicia, embracing the knowledge that some of her soulmates were going to be women. Having so many soulmates, she was sure quite a few were going to be platonic but she honestly could not say whether all of the female ones would fall into that category of not.

Soulmates were not always romantic. They were meant for each other simply because that is what someone needed in their life. A mother or father figure, a child, or a dear friend. Soulmates were whatever someone needed to complete themselves.

Hedwig was still so new to her, and already she could feel the unmistakeable urge to hold him close and protect him from everything the world would use to hurt him. Being a child in a man’s body, she was sure there were times he and the others were ridiculed simply for not understanding.

That protective feeling must have been lacking with her mother and father.

“Would you like to stay here with me? A few more hours of sleep will be good for both of us.” His pout lifted, becoming a shy grin before he nodded his head. Opening her arms, Iris let him shuffle closer and come to rest with his head on her chest. He must have been able to hear her heartbeat with his ear resting over her breast. Wrapping him in her embrace—the broadness of his shoulders making her adjust her hold just slightly—she gently rubbed on hand up and down his back as the other came to cradle the back of his neck.

God, he was like a living furnace. The heat that bled from his body would easily keep her warm.

She could tell when Hedwig drifted to sleep, the soft snores were the dead giveaway, as he cuddled in closer and tucked his hands up near her stomach to keep them warm. She continued to lightly stroke her hand up and down his back, listening to his light snoring and taking in the warm breath that seeped through her clothes to her sternum. Gradually, she lessened her soft stroking until her hand was simply resting on his back

Knowing that Barry had to be awake for six-thirty, the sleep she fell into was a light one. Sometimes she dozed more deeply, but even the faintest shift from Hedwig would wake her again. Occasionally she would crane her head back to see the time, but the hours passed slow until the time Barry’s alarm would have sounded.

It was when she was in one of her dozing states that the body she held suddenly jerked, pulling away. It startled her back into consciousness as well, her eyes wide and her hands lifting to allow her soulmate the chance to move back.

Not Hedwig, then.

With a quick glance down at what they were wearing, her soulmate groaned suddenly and dropped back onto the bed with a hand clapped over their eyes. Iris remained lying in silence, trying to gauge if this was someone she had met before or if this was a new soulmate. “Hedwig,” he mumbled. “I’m so sorry, Iris.” Ah, someone she knew.

“Barry, it’s okay. I found him very endearing.” Propping herself up on an elbow, she offered a smile even as Barry groaned again. Reached out, she slipped her fingers under his palm and drew his hand back from his face. “What’s wrong?” This could not have been because he had snuck in while she was sleeping. He was a child and judging by the lisp he was still too young to think anything more of sleeping beside her than simply sleeping beside her.

There was a twisted feeling in her stomach that she came to realize was not hers. It made her realize just how strong the connect between her and her soulmates was becoming; this was the first time she had felt something from them.

Barry’s lips pursed, like he was fighting the urge to lash out for something. He refused to meet her eyes for a moment, but she waited patiently—still holding his hand in hers—and he finally shifted his focus to her. “He’s nine,” he started. However, as long as Iris waited, nothing else followed the abrupt declaration.

“So?”

“So?” he repeated as his face coloured with surprise. “He’s nine! I share this body with a child.”

His discomfort became clear in an instant and Iris felt her heart clench for him. Was this something he’d been worrying about for long? Was it a concern shared by the other soulmates?

“Barry,” she started carefully, shifted closer and wrapping an arm around his torso so he had no chance to move away from her. “I have twenty-three soulmates. You all share one body. Some are women, some are men, and apparently there’s at least one nine-year-old mixed in. Having Hedwig as one of the others in this body doesn’t change my view of you any more than Felicia or Patricia. You’re all unique to me. I look at you and I don’t see Hedwig or anyone else. Just you.”

He still looked hesitant, but he at least turned his head to look at her.

Smiling with reassurance, she leaned forward to press a soft kiss to his paled lips. “Have you been worrying about this, all this time?”

Barry’s silence was her answer. Her response was to lean over him and kiss him again, lingering this time. He softened under her lips. One of his hands remained in hers, the other lifted to cradle the back of her head. This kiss was different than the one shared under the falling snow. It was not as tentative, like a careful first step into water to test the temperature. This was assurance, proof of feelings for someone that words lack the ability to convey.

His lips were softer than she had been expecting. Parting from him for a moment, she shifted to catch his bottom lip between hers and let the tip of her tongue tease the soft skin gently. The sharp intake of breath told her that her boldness paid off, followed by the increased pressure on the back of her head pulling her closer.

Only when air became necessary did she finally pull back; Barry’s grip loosened until she had no trouble putting the slight amount of distance between them.

“You’re all here with me, Barry. But I don’t look at you and see them as well. I promise. I don’t care what anyone else says, you’re each your own person.”

If she saw his eyes glisten with tears, she didn’t say a word. “Thank you, Iris. Fate couldn’t have given us a better soulmate.”

Her weight leaned onto him again, lips seeking his, when an alarm clock down the hall sounded and shattered the quiet between them. Iris jumped slightly at the sudden sound, then burst into soft laughter at the sour look that briefly coloured Barry’s face.

“Time for work, hun.” Sighing, his head dropped back down onto the pillow.

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[forged-in-kaoss]

[chiropteracupola]

finished watching niceys guys. can only assume that the feeling I'm experiencing is like unto that of having one's blood forcibly replaced with mike's hard lemonade. probably the watermelon one. jackson healy and holland march should have kissed on the mouth.

[shittalkingwiththesuriel]

I just know Azriel would love Maneskin

[bonefall]

Tbh the whole 'bloodclan bans families and hates Cat God' thing really reminds me of the anti communist bullshit I was fed in highschool history class.

Every day I count my lucky stars that I got educated in a well-funded school in a blue state. My teachers were shockingly good in hindsight, I didn't get half of the same propaganda some of my friends in other states got.

[jourke-rourke]

SyFy's Dark Matter (2015) // S03xE07 // "Wish I Could Believe You"

[velynn-art]

A certain someone (@ego-meliorem-esse cough cough) nudged me towards drawing the resident Lord Father in a corset... So here he is, in all his corsetted glory.

[hersurvival]

I didn't go out for my 21st birthday, not because my mother wasn't begging, but I've never been that person.

To sit at a bar and order a coctail? That's not the daughter my mother raised.

She started drinking when I was 8, mixing vodka with her pills after weight loss surgery, ruining family game nights.

By 10, my siblings and I knew based on the lines in her large tumblr how much ice, vodka, and cranberry juice to mix for her. I was the oldest.

When I was 11 I took a swig from the Smirnoff bottle before I walked to the bus and was initially disgusted how it tasted just like moldy bread. But huh, it made me feel lighter.

By 13, my (second) step-father would encourage my mother to crush as many cans as he could in a night, then expect me to get her to bed when he'd leave her sick in the bathroom.

And at 14 we became the "party house" the "clubhouse" for their gang of biker friends where I'd have to watch all their children, try not to yell at my mother because she lost her shirt and kissed someone else, shove smokers back into the garage when they wandered into the house.

Insomnia stuck me hardest at 15. But the thing about a party house is we had a whole china hutch full of open bottles and a garage fridge of random beers with plenty more on their way next weekend.

By 16, I kept a metal water bottle under my bed topped off with various splashes of alcohol to grimace down before bed and I went to my first rural country-kid party. My mother would ask me to drink with her on the couch.

When I graduated after turning 17, my mother threw me a party. With their friends. At our party house.

No mimosas, jell-o shots, espresso martinis.

It wad a long folding table with red cups and dozens of bottles with fancy labels, jugs of Hawaiian punch, and 2 liter sodas.

The guy I babysat for after school "mixed" my drinks all night. Sprite, orange colored Hawaiian punch, vodka, and fireball.

Just a few years ago, my mom was mixing seltzer and orange liquer to wake up in the mornings and telling me she had quit drinking.

I managed to avoid going out for my 21st birthday because my mom isn't the type of person to go to the bar for a cocktail either.

@nosebleedclub June 9th - Espresso Martini

[caterpillarinacave]

my world has been flipped over

[juniperhillpatient]

at least I’ll always have dancing in my kitchen in sweatpants & a tank top while I do the dishes & cuddling with my cats & listening to bad music & watching silly tv shows & writing crappy toxic yuri & making folgers real coffee

[voxxisms]

@outofradios whispered a line !! question prompts ( accepting! ) “ what? no witty remark? nothing clever to say? ” {you made grabby hands at female al and now you've got her}

VOX WAS AWARE OF ALASTOR'S ABILITY TO CHANGE. he had heard of it, seen it from afar, for the most part, but it had been quite some time since he had. so to see her in front of his own eyes, well. don't mind him looking her over a little, a smile of appreciation on his expression.

❛ clever, maybe not. but you look great today, ally, dear. not that you don't usually look great, but. been awhile since i've seen you like this. ❜

he took her hand in his own, kissing the top of it. gentleman mode activated.

[bold-writing]

The One With Whiskey Eyes || 23 || Fly Away, Away on Coloured Wings

Words: 2700

Warnings: none

Previous || Next

~23~

Iris counted the cracks in the sidewalk absentmindedly. A tea warmed her hands and the sun chased away what would otherwise have been a chilly day. The wind swept through and reminded her occasionally that it was not as warm as the sun would like people to believe. She had remembered to pull a knitted hat over her head, keeping in the warmth and protecting her ears from the chilling breeze.

“Iris!”

The shout of her name drew her attention away from the sidewalk, turning to look toward the main gates to the Philadelphia Zoo. Luke was making his way toward her with a blinding smile on his face. He was dressed down compared to her, wearing his jacket from work that had a nametag clipped over the left side of his chest.

Smiling, Iris stood up from her seat and reached over to where she’d kept Luke’s preferred coffee in the cardboard tray. “Hey, Luke. Black, as you requested,” she started, holding out to tray. He reached forward to take both and stepped in closer until he was able to lean forward and ghost a kiss across her chilled cheek.

“Thanks, Sweetie. Hope you weren’t waiting for too long?”

Iris flushed at the caress of lips across her skin, the sensation steadily becoming familiar. “No worries, only a few minutes. It was nice to get some fresh air away from work. How was your day?” she inquired as she reached up to gently tug on the collar of his work coat. The coat itself had the name Kevin stitched into the fabric, but the alters also had an additional clip-on name tag whenever they were working and covered over Kevin’s name so as not to confuse anyone that tried to read it.

“Pretty quiet today,” he shrugged, turning to face the entrance he’d appeared from while holding his arm out to her. She smiled as she looped her arm through his snugly while taking a sip of her perfectly cooled down tea, saving her tongue from scalding. “Middle of the week is always a good catch-up time for us.”

“It’s usually the same at the store,” Iris responded casually as Luke tried to wave at the man operating the entrance gate, still holding his coffee cup and making it more of a ‘cheers!’ gesture. “Jess went home sick this morning so it was a bit short staffed, but it couldn’t have worked out better than on a quiet day.”

“Aw, she alright?” Luke asked immediately, concern colouring his tone and drawing his brows down. he hadn’t even met her and he was already concerned for the young woman that worked with his soulmate—who clearly cared for the other woman.

Iris smiled at his worry and squeezed his arm comfortingly, and happily. “Just a start of the flu, I think. She tried to work but I think she was starting to turn green so I called her a cab, told her to take off tomorrow and let me know if she needs more time.”

Luke leaned down suddenly and pressed a soft kiss against her hair. “I’m glad you’ve got a friend there, Sweetie.”

Iris smiled against the warmth that took over her cheeks. She turned her face in to press her cheek against his shoulder, inhaling the delicate smell that clung to his jacket. It was an interesting mix of scents—some of which she recognized from her time with BT and Barry. Finally, she forced herself to turn away from his chest and looked at the many pathways that split away from the main area of the park, leading to the various enclosures.

“So, where would you recommend first?” she asked instead, looking up at him through her lashes as she smiled invitingly.

“Oh, the Tigers! No brainer!” he answered immediately, motioning to a path to her right.

Smiling at his enthusiasm, she allowed him to guide her along through the quiet Zoo. The combination of a weekday and a cooler day had most people staying away—occupied with work or preferring the warmth of the indoors. It gave them plenty of space and allowed them to linger in front of the enclosures as Luke told her stories from the past decade working at the Zoo. She listened avidly as she leaned against the railings, or into his side when the wind drew her to his warmth.

Some of the other people working at the Zoo paused in Iris’s peripheral when they spotted them. She wanted to look, wondering what could make them pause, but she forced herself to remain with her focus on her soulmate. She was sure that her soulmates’ situation made it impossible to date so it may make for a strange sight to see Luke—or any of the alters—with a woman pressed into their side tightly.

“I mean, I love animals—they’re beautiful, and Barry loves to sit and draw them when he can—but I’d never try and crawl in with them,” Luke was saying as they were sitting at the bench in front of the large Gorilla enclosure.

Iris’s eyes widened as she looked away from the enormous beasts to where he remained to her left, an arm draped over the back of the bench to encircle her shoulders. “Someone tried to what?” she demanded, shock colouring her tone as clearly as her expression conveyed.

“Oh, yea,” Luke answered, looking over with a matching look of disbelief. “We have to make regular rounds along the perimeter fence because kids come along and cut the locks, thinking they can sneak in sometime through the night. Nothing’s happened while I was here, but I’ve heard horror stories of kids sneaking in, thinking the animals were tame and getting badly hurt.”

The look of horror on his soulmate’s face had Luke paling, immediately tightening his arm around her shoulders so he could draw her in closer. “Not here, Iris. We’re really careful about preventing that.”

Nodding slowly, she tried to remove the mental image of some poor teenager getting mauled by a tiger because they thought the animals were somehow tamed. “That’s terrible,” she mumbled, looking back toward the Gorillas. They were huge, and easily capable of harming some unsuspecting kid that might wander into their domain.

“Sorry,” Luke winced. He hadn’t meant to say something so horrifying; it was just a constant concern for them at work and had slipped out. “Iris, I’m sorry.”

He slipped his hand under the hefty weight of her braid, his hands somehow still warm even against the windy chill, to wrap the comforting weight of his hand at the back of her neck. Iris didn’t acknowledge him right away, still looking over to the animals she had previous thought majestic. However, once the warmth registered and settled, she leaned back against the comforting weight as she heaved a long sigh. “It’s not you, Luke. Nothing you did.”

Turning into his hand, she smiled in reassurance while scooting herself closer to him on the bench.

Luke ducked his head bashfully. “Can you tell I’m not very good at this while dating thing?”

She had suspected at her soulmates had as little amount of dating experience as her. It was heartbreaking to have it confirmed, though. Even those with soulmarks would date the odd person or two before the met their destined one—or multiple. “Luke.” Her stronger tone drew his focus, meeting her eyes with the beautiful blue against whiskey. “I’ve never dated. Not once.” Admitting it aloud pulled a burden from Iris’s chest that left her smiling at his shocked expression. “With how I grew up, I never wanted to open myself up to the chance that someone would hurt me. BT was the first person to ever take me out to dinner—on a date or otherwise.”

Luke’s lips parted to speak, but words seemed to escape him and he simply gapped at her for a silent moment.

“I’m just as clumsy at the whole dating thing,” she assured, angling herself on the bench to face him better while she placed a hand on his chest. “So, we’ll fumble along together. And if someone messes up, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

He continued to stare at her in shock for a moment more before his expression transformed with the blinding smile that he sent her way. It lifted the weight that had settled over her chest and Iris was powerless against smiling back.

“So, where would you recommend we go next?”

“Aviary?” he proposed, still smiling brilliantly.

Iris bounced where she sat, her smile growing from reassuring to pure happiness. “I love birds! Yes!”

Luke stood quickly and hauled her up to her feet, getting a chirp of a laugh from Iris before he was turning them in a new direction and walking her down another path that led toward some of the housing structures.

Majority of the birds were tropical, requiring a warmer climate. Iris was quite pleased by that since she was able to shuck off her coat and chase the chill from her bones. Luke stuck close by, but he let Iris flit from display to display, reading the plaques in front of each enclosure as she looked in at the brilliantly coloured birds. Iris smiled as she watched the birds fly around their habitats, darting in and out of the trees.

There was an option to go in and stand among the birds, but she opted not to—unable to shake the thought of the birds flying overhead and possibly messing her coat.

“Do you have a favourite?” Luke asked when he came to stand in front of the Rainbow Macaws, the large parrots currently preening as they pulled their feathers delicately through their beaks. She stared in awe at how gentle they were with such large, sharp beaks.

“Hm, I don’t think I have one. They’re all so beautiful. Such magnificent colours. Do you have a one?” She glanced at the tall man over her shoulder, seeing that his soft blue eyes were settled on her rather than the enclosures. The attention made her cheeks warm.

Smiling down at her, he gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her over to another exhibit. He’d noticed it when he’d been in a few days before to replace a rusting hinge on one of the employee access doors. The enclosure was a bit smaller, as were the birds inside, with bright balls of gold fluff flitting about inside.

Iris leant into Luke’s side as she looked down at the placard. Golden Palm Weaver was titled above a small summary of the birds. The picture showed a smaller bird with beautiful golden feathers and a crown of whiskey reddish gold encircling the face of the bird.

“The reddish hue around the face reminded me of your eyes,” he answered semi-sheepishly.

Iris blinked in surprise for a moment, looking at the picture of the bird then up at the little creatures inside the enclosure. She hadn’t noticed the similarity before. It brought the flush back to her cheeks as she fought against the bright smile that wanted to break across her features. “They’re beautiful,” she mumbled bashfully. His arm tightened around her shoulders, pulling her in closer to his side as he repressed the urge to chuckle at her timidity.

“So why do you like birds so much?”

Her head came to rest against his chest as she continued to watch the small birds in the enclosure, her expression soft.

“They can fly,” she answered. “Their wings and their feathers are so beautifully composed, it’s amazing to think that something like that happens naturally.” Her head bowed slightly in the next moment, obscuring his view of her face. “And their marks are beautiful. Everyone always talks about the brilliant or intricate colours and marks being so pretty and attractive.”

Luke’s heart broke a little.

Turning to press his lips to the top of her head, he inhaled the soft scent that wafted off of her hair. “I can’t teach you how to fly, but I can assure you that your marks are gorgeous; we all love them. Scars and all.”

They spent the next thirty minutes looking over each of the individual bird enclosures and the plaques situated in front of each. Luke never let her stray too far from his hold, keeping his arm around either her shoulders or her waist as she read the plaques to him or gushed about the beautiful colour of each of the birds.

The staff that passed them by would greet him with either a silent nod or a brief shout in greeting on their way passed. Iris always ducked her head down or turned away to pretend as though she was reading or marvelling at the birds. These were his coworkers, people who saw him day after day, and she wasn’t sure they even knew he had met his soulmate.

“They know about you,” he finally declared when he’d noticed her duck her head down the third time.

Whiskey eyes snapped up to him, coloured with her surprise.

“I mean, how can a guy not brag a bit when he finds his girl?” he admitted bashfully, then stuttered when he realized what he’d said. “Not that…not that you’re mine or anything but-”

Iris took pity on him and gently snagged the edge of his coat, tugging him down just enough to ghost a kiss against the corner of his jaw. “Only if you’re mine, too.”

His cheeks flushed against his will, but the smile that lit up his face made it easy to ignore the burning in his cheeks. “Every bit of me, Sweet.”

Again, Iris ducked her head down bashfully. However, Luke could still see the beautiful rose colour that had taken over her cheeks. At least they matched, blush for blush.

Continuing to tour throughout the rest of the Zoo, Iris’s hand stayed fitted snuggly inside Luke’s. He never relinquished it, even when he would move to point at something, he lifted their joined hands and only freed one finger with which to point. It made Iris’s pulse speed erratically, her happiness manifesting with the simple gesture.

Her fascination with the colouring of the birds continued on to the snake enclosure as well; although, she refused politely when the handler told them it was nearly feeding time. They were beautiful animals, but she was not sure she could stomach seeing a baby bunny—dead or not—being fed to the long, elegant creatures.

They finished their journey back at the front entrance where they had started, Iris smiling tiredly as she leaned heavily into his side. Starting the day with work and then following it up with several hours of walking throughout the Zoo had leeched away the last her strength. Luke had no complaints, however, and leaned down to press a kiss against the top of her head whenever the desire struck him. The city was dark around them when they stepped through the front gate—Luke sharing a short wave with the guard watching everyone come and go—and Iris made an adorable attempt at supressing a yawn.

“It got colder,” she mumbled into her coat collar, leaning into him more.

“Nice and warm downstairs,” he assured, leading her to the entrance she had used the past days when staying with her soulmates. The entrance she and Barry had shared their kiss in front of as the snow blanketed them. “Patricia cooked something for dinner, left me instructions to throw it in the oven but warned me about peeking under the lid.”

Iris laughed softly to herself, imagining Patricia’s neat, meticulous writing expressing her warning clearly. She had no problem picturing what the letter would look like. Her mark had appeared so many years ago; she has since traced her finger endlessly over the words on the back of her palm. Iris was sure she could identify all of her soulmates’ printing at a glance by this point—whether she knew the name to each mark or not.

“So you didn’t peek?” she teased, tipping her chin up so she could meet the softness of his gaze. He looked so happy, the streetlights catching his dimples in shadow as he smiled down at her.

“And call on Pat’s wrath?” he joked, recoiling slightly as though the very thought was frightening. “I’m not that curious.”

Iris laughed again, ducking her head to press her temple against Luke’s shoulder, welcoming his warmth and feeling his body shake with his own mirth.

Previous || Next

[hesitantalienpicturedisc]

miss missing you is possibly the most evil fall out boy song

[anachronistic-falsehood]

anyway. am i allowed to say that yes aimsey is a good role player and they make really cool stories and i’m very excited for her being in purgatory, but i’ve always been kinda meh on them ever since they threw a little shitfit over the existence of bisexual lesbians a few months ago?? like it was kinda hypocritical that he was pissed over bisexual women who may also identify as lesbians, which is an identity that breaks the typical definitions of both of those labels, while also being nonbinary and a lesbian, which is also an identity that breaks the typical definition of both of those labels. ik it was a while ago, they did apologize and explain their reasoning, but it’s just left a bad taste in my mouth ever since

[w1nch3strd]

VARIOUS STUDIES OF DEAN WINCHESTER. dbd edition.

mutuals may like and reblog.

[corpus-chorus]

Another commission from a little while back for an update to my old discord icon.

The artist is @/whiskeydream on discord/DA - check her out, she was fantastic to work with :]