#this was supposed to be fluffier (and shorter) but oh well

[emerald-cloud23]

Morri & Euphie ponies side by side + minor design changes (+ overall design differences) listed below

Morro only got his scars & I actually included the piercings on the same layer as my outlines, that's why they're not silver.. Accident on my part. Other than that he's the same. His mane is supposed to look like part of it (the one with the gradient) is flowing in the wind, incase that's unclear. (Also, I drew him after Euphie & had to use a different brush because I just couldn't get his anatomy to work with the thicker one.. sad inconsistency but necessary.)

Euphrasia got minor updates- mainly the removal of the short yellow line at the inner corner of the eyes, a blue gradient on her ears, yellow inner ears & a gradient of blue to purple on her chest that would transition back into her pale coat & the one hoof/leg design on her full ref. I also settled for the pink hair color because it looks more like a fluffy sunset cloud & gave it a light gradient at the bottom to make it look like the sun lighting up a cloud from below.

Generally, their designs are very different & that was the original idea I had when I first designed Euphie. The obvious differences between these masters of wind are that Morro is male, Euphie is female, he's evil (originally), she's good, he's dead, she's alive.. Yeah. Their designs are supposed to show more than that. I imagine she's shorter than average and chubby (at the least! I like the thought of her being somewhere more on the above average weight scale more than her being average or underweight) while he's tall and skinny & struggles with gaining weight (like I did because of my thyroid when I was younger! I don't hc him as starving himself.) and his fur is short while hers is longer and fluffier (fluffy chest & fluffy feathers on og reference). His design looks complicated because of the tentacle-like swirls while Euphie has barely any markings on her coat. Oh, did I already mention they're both pegasi? Well, now I did. Also, Morri has fangs but I sucked at drawing them so they're not here. Ah, and their eyebrows are also a nice little difference with his being thin and long and hers short and round (and having 2 colors while his only have 1). I thinks that's all I have to say about them

[five-rivers]

New pollfic chapter! Continued from here.

.

Danny was pretty sure he’d fallen asleep on a table, so what was the soft thing under him…?

He peeled his eyes open to see a tasseled decorative pillow tucked under his cheek.  And… also a lot of hair…  Fur…?  He blinked, still sleepy and not entirely awake, and sat up.  

Not only had his head been given a pillow, he saw, but his wings had been nicely propped up.  It was very thoughtful of them.  But that didn’t explain the length of his hair.  Or fur.  Or whatever it was on his head and skin currently.  He hadn’t had a lot of time to examine it, but it didn’t feel like hair anymore.  There were layers to it.  

On closer, slightly more awake, examination, it wasn’t just the fluff on his head that was longer.  He was fluffier everywhere.  His fur was longer, and so were his feathers.  By inches in some places. Long enough that the ghosts had braided it in places.  Not only that, but the amount of his skin covered by fur had increased.  Before, it hadn’t passed his knees and elbows, but it did now.  It was much shorter than the rest of his fur, tapering off to a suede-like finish well above his wrists and ankles, and didn’t touch his inner arms or the backs of his legs.  It had spread further down his chest, tapering to his navel and spreading and thickening again at his groin, and up his neck, spilling onto the edges of his face.  

When he’d thought about growing a beard or chest hair, he hadn’t meant this.  He touched the fur growing near his ears.  It didn’t feel at all like a beard.  It was soft and feathery, like down.  

Speaking of his ears.  He traced up to feel them up to their tips.  They were properly fluffy now.

Was this… some kind of delayed transformation effect?  Or did this body just grow hair really fast?

On the plus side, it was all neatly and nicely brushed, not a feather out of place.  As he’d expected, it felt much better, compared to the disarray from before.

On the more confusing side, his fur length wasn’t the only strange thing.  Wherever his skin was bare of fur, it was covered in tiny, black, calligraphic symbols.  He sighed.  This must be another part of ‘grooming’ for this ghost, but he wished he knew what it all meant…

“Are you ready to write your name in the great book, now?”

Danny squeaked, the sound echoing throughout the large room.  Somehow, he hadn’t noticed the ghost there.  Maybe they’d been invisible?

He nodded and floated up off the table.  He… hadn’t really had the time to process how small he currently was, either.  And he was small.  Toddler-sized.  

The ghost seemed to be having similar thoughts, as they brushed Danny��s hair back from his face.  “The great book is just here,” they said, gesturing at the largest of the books chained to the table.  

Danny knelt on the table again, then opened the book.  He flipped through until he reached the last page with anything written on it.  Helpfully, the ghost handed him a feather quill, already inked.  Briefly, Danny wondered if it was one of their feathers.  It was sort of the right color and degree of fluffiness.  

“I just have to write my name, right?” he asked, trying to keep his voice quiet to match the quiet murmur of the surroundings.  

“Yes,” said the ghost, “it’s entirely straightforward.”

Danny bobbed his head, then put pen to paper.  He signed his name the way he always did, with a few decorative curlicues.  This was supposed to be important, right?  So he could be a little fancy to make things nice. 

Sparkles glittered at his wrist, like dust caught in a sunbeam.  The sparkles gathered closer, and flared into something cold and heavy on his wrist.  

“Um,” said Danny, looking at the bracelet.  The bracelet that had an odd, protruding flange on the outside edge of his wrist.  “What.”

“Oh, wonderful,” said the ghost, who sounded genuinely pleased.  He clapped his hands together, soundlessly.  “The library must think you are very valuable indeed.”

“What do you…”  He trailed off as more sparkles formed near the flange.  They turned into a solitary chain link.  “Is this a manacle?”

“The most valuable books in the library are chained to the shelves and tables,” said the ghost happily, waving his hand to indicate the books chained to the round table.  “So it is with all the most valuable parts of the collection.”

“I’m not a book,” said Danny.  “I’m not part of the collection.”

“Of course you are.  We all are,” said the ghost.

“What happened to bringing me back upstairs?”

“We will still do that.  The library will put you back where you belong.  Your guide has just finished preparing.”  

Apparently hearing this exchange, a ghost who had his mane braided away from his face floated down to the floor, smiling and waving in greeting.  When he reached out towards him, Danny shied away.  Another chain link coalesced from light.  

Could he trust that? Could he trust that they would bring him back up after this?  He obviously should have trusted them on this.  

The two links of chain tugged slightly towards an empty loop on the table, and Danny grabbed them in his opposite fist.  No.  He couldn’t trust them.  But how long could the chain get before it found a random spot to fix him to?  And would he be able to phase out of something that had a clear intention of preventing removal, even in human form?

He didn’t know. 

[doctorbeth]

Finch the Grinch: Intermission at the Fashion Show

So usually, it takes me a while to get posts up... mostly because I'm so busy working on patients, that taking time to write up their stories gets delayed. But today I got an email about a patient who went home on Tuesday, and I just couldn't wait to share it with you. This falls into the "What's making me happy" category, and I hope it helps all of you start off your weekends with a bit of happiness, or enjoy a bit of happiness and a smile whenever you get around to reading (and watching) it. Maybe it will even help your hearts grow a few sizes more. :-)

So... Finch is a Grinch, and his people like to make videos about him and his friends in Stuffed Animal City. As I said, he went home this week and his people just posted this video of his unfortunate wounding and his recovery. As I said, it made me smile and I hope it makes you all smile too!

And, if you'd like to see more details about his time in the hospital, read on. :-)

This was one of the diagnosis photos his family sent after the wounding. You can see his neck and hand injuries, his balding around his neck and head tuft from age, and his missing pupils (which weren't really discussed in the video):

And here he is in the primary hospital in Stuffed Animal City, before he got transferred:

Finch arrived safely at the hospital, and the first step was stabilization of his neck wound. Once stabilized, I set about searching for a good fur. That area was supposed to be fluffier than the rest... which is probably why it had worn before the attack as well, because fluffier long fur is rarely as tight or dense as shorter fur. I actually found two really good matches pretty quickly, and when they got to the hospital, they were nearly identical, so we were all set for fur transplants. For his hands, I stitched up smaller wounds, and then I had a really good skin match. It's slightly darker (as new scars sometimes are) but will fade to blend over time (just like human scars). The most complicated part of his surgery was actually his pupils. We went through a few iterations. First round pupils (and a stabilized neck):

But it turned out they were supposed to be u shaped, so here are the first u shaped ones (along with his neck fur transplant).

They needed to get a bit thinner, and the third time was the charm. Here he is, all better and ready to fly home:

And as you know if you watched the video, he made it home safe and sound and is quite happy with his spiffy (and healthy) look.

Oh, and in case you're curious, part of why our hospital felt comfortable to Finch was because we had our own Dr. Lorax who took time off from his planet care to oversee Finch's case.

[twoidiotwriters1]

Copycat: Cryptomnesia —(Marvel Fem!Oc)

A/N: this one has plot but if you wanna skip it you can I’ll give you a brief summary of whatever happens in the next chapter -Danny

Words: 2,661

Warnings: SMUT, bit of choking, bit of edging, biting and hair pulling?? it’s not hardcore but it is explicit so read at your own risk

Phase Five Masterlist

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

Listen to: ‘Reckless Lover’ -by Handsome Ghost

iv: A Distraction

Cat decided to enter Matthew's apartment through the front door instead of using her superpowers. It felt good after a week of being a genderswapping, multitasking secret agent.

She dropped her bag on the hall and didn't announce herself, believing Matt was at work, but then she saw movement out of the corner of her eye and stared at the figure, unable to say a word.

"I'm not late this time," he smiled.

"You're early."

"I had a hunch," he leaned on the counter. "And Harley called me saying you were back."

"Harley has your number? How did that happen?" Cat frowned.

"He was looking for you one day, so I gave him my number in case of emergencies."

So that's how he'd known Cat didn't spend all her time with Matthew. Harley was a sneaky guy, Tony would be proud.

"You made all this in just an hour?" She pointed at the food on the table.

He laughed. "No, I stopped by your favorite restaurant and got you dinner."

"Did I forget something?" Cat tried to remember if that day was anything special.

Matt took off his glasses and approached her. "I just wanted to do something nice."

"Oh. Wow. Thank you." The young woman tried to add a bit more to her. "I'm not shocked in an excessive manner like— you've done this before—"

"It's been a while," he agreed without having to hear it. "I figured you'd want to rest after being away for so long."

"I like it," she said, cupping his cheek. "This is so sweet..."

He shook his head a little. "Don't mention it."

"I'll take a shower first if that's okay with you?"

"I'll put the food in the oven."

"I'll be right back."

"I'll be right here," Matt replied, looking pleased with himself.

"I cut my hair thinking it would dry faster..." Cat placed the towel on the back of a chair and ruffled her curls. "That was a mistake."

Matthew lifted his face, a smile adorning his expression. "I thought you'd cut it because it kept getting in the way?"

"Curls get fluffier the shorter you cut them, I didn't know that. I used to keep it at waist-length so my hair was only kinda wavy, when I was in space I cut it all because it wouldn't dry, so I didn't know my hair could be like this. It's just— it's a mess."

Matt sat at the table and pulled back the chair next to him. "I'm sure it looks fine."

"I look great. It's hot. It's my whole personality," she responded. "It's a nuisance."

He grinned. "How come?"

She dragged her chair closer to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Can we pretend we're a couple of New Yorkers that complain about work every night, and on their date night they do anything but?"

He took a swig of his beer. "Got any ideas?"

"Happy's moving out," she shifted on her seat, sitting straight. "I'll visit his place next week."

"I suppose I'm not invited?" He teased.

"You can come but you won't be the guest start," she retorted playfully.

"This is weird. Usually, parents love me."

"You've had lots of experience meeting the parents?"

The man chuckled. "Foggy's parents."

She laughed. "Well, if it's any consolation, it's not that he thinks you're bad... Happy believes you're taking his place."

"I don't wanna be your father," Matthew snorted. "That'd be wildly inappropriate considering the things we've done."

"I told him I can't promise I'll visit him often, but I was clear when I said you had nothing to do with it."

"Hopefully that'll stop him from calling me 'Mike' every time we run into each other."

Cat smirked. "That's kind of funny, though."

"Did you see Felix?"

"I wasn't there enough time for him to notice... I'm so curious to know what is it about me that makes cats follow me. I was at a gas station the other day..."

Cat and Matthew talked for what felt like hours, but it was two at most, just enough for them to finish eating, wash their dishes, and put the leftovers in the fridge. Matthew went to change his clothes and Cat sat on a living room chair. The lights were off, as usual, and the billboard illuminated the area just enough to be comfortable.

"How was L.A?" Matt asked from the bedroom.

"You want the truth or a pretty lie?"

"Which one are you willing to give me?"

"It was so much fun!" She replied, thinking of the musty men. "I think I saw Tom Cruise buying Starbucks one time."

"Anyone caught your eye?"

"There was this beautiful redhead— she liked to jog every morning. One night she stopped in the middle of the street. She was driving a Camaro—"

"Ooh, a Camaro..." Matt said teasingly.

"She stops and tells me 'I know you have a man in New York but you should leave the country with me.'"

"That was quite an offer," he walked in wearing a pair of sweatpants and a white shirt. "What did you tell her?"

"That I needed my passport and sunglasses, I had to come back to get them."

"The sunglasses I gave you?"

"The very same."

"You're going to dump me and take the gift I gave to you when we got together?"

"I'm a sentimental woman, that is my only flaw."

Matthew yanked her up in a swift movement, he sat down and then sat her on his lap. Cat erupted into laughter, she liked how it dissolved some of the weight on her shoulders, and the colors in the room seemed brighter too.

"I should enjoy all of you while you're still here," he joked.

"Well, we have until tomorrow, she's picking me up in her private jet."

He raised a brow. "I guess she's won."

"You're not gonna fight for me?" Cat placed a hand on her chest. "Offer me all you've got?"

"I have less than you do," he laughed.

"Excuse me, Mr. Silk sheets? I beg to differ."

"If you want them, they're yours."

"How about your coffee machine?"

"I don't drink coffee, five times a day at most. I don't need it."

Cat wanted to ask something but in her mind, it sounded cheesy and intense, and she didn't want to sound like that. "You know what, hot-shot," she said at last. "I'll settle for a kiss."

Matthew obliged without saying anything. Cat tried to wrap her arms around his neck but he move her until her back was pressed against his chest.

"Is this your way of telling me to get off of you?" She asked, confused as to why he'd moved her.

"This is my way of getting you off."

Cat giggled as she would usually do whenever Matthew said something mildly dirty. Her voice, however, went quiet when she felt his hand slipping under her blouse.

"You're wearing the right size," he pointed out. "What happened to my shirts?"

"If I keep wearing them over and over they won't last."

"I like this one..." Matt hummed. "But I like what's underneath more," he massaged one of her breasts. Cat sighed, tilting her head to kiss him, but Matthew moved away. "Stay still. I wanna take my time with you tonight."

"Because I'm leaving you tomorrow?" She smirked.

The man kissed her temple and spoke against her ear. "I think I can convince you to stay..."

Both hands were on her chest now, Cat's breathing was deep and steady, and she was between falling asleep and asking him to tear off her clothes. When Matthew heard her heart slowing down, he started to leave feather-like kisses on her neck and shoulder, when he got to the soft patch of skin at the curve he bit down lightly.

"Matt..." she moved on his lap hoping to get a reaction, but the man kept going, no harsh breaths, no gulping, or erratic movements were made behind her. Cat held onto the armrests.

"I know you're eager, but you're not wet enough," Matthew mumbled.

"How do you know?"

One of his hands moved but only so he could take off her blouse. Once that was out of the way Matthew's hand wrapped around her throat. "I want to feel you pulsing against me..."

She wasn't easy to break, but after so many nights of push-and-pull and playful fighting trying to dominate each other, Matt discovered that the fastest way to get a hold of her was to make her sleepy.

He didn't do it often, but tonight all he longed for was to hear her little noises. She'd been in a strange mood for quite a while and wanted to fuck her out of it. "Keep your hands still," he instructed. "Don't rush me."

Cat's fingers dug into the armrests and she growled. She hated not being able to touch him. Matt tightened his grip around her throat, feeling her pulse racing against his digits. The hand that was still on her chest moved down, he caressed the skin of her belly, then continued further, moving toward her thigh. He inched closer and closer to her center, his thumb slipped under the hem of her shorts and froze in place.

"You're not wearing underwear."

"I was going to end the night naked anyway."

Matthew moved his hand away. "You were taking me for granted? That's not right."

"I don't see any other solution than to fuck the brat out of me."

He chuckled. "Nice try, but I think I'll stick to my method."

"Which is?"

"Tease you to the point of tears."

Cat's laughter sounded disdainful, but she choked thanks to Matthew's hand. "I'm afraid you're aiming too high."

"Fine," his voice dropped an octave. "If you wanna be naked, I'll get you naked."

Cat lifted her butt when he took off her shorts, leaving her bare on top of him. He still had his white t-shirt and sweatpants, though.

"What about you?"

"I'm okay, thank you," Matthew dismissed her. "Spread your legs."

"But I want to feel you," she complained.

"No."

"I'm cold..."

Her puppy eyes didn't work on Matthew for obvious reasons, but she could still do wonders with her voice. It twisted the man's heart and wrapped it around her pinky, with an annoyed sigh he took his shirt off.

"I know what you're doing..."

"If you know then why do you comply?" She responded, no longer using her little voice.

He parted her legs and snuck one hand between them. At first, he just cupped her center, Cat pushed against his palm to get a bit of friction and Matthew let her, he didn't move a muscle.

"Someone's desperate," he taunted. "Get off like this, then."

"What? No!" She huffed. "You do it."

"You're sounding like a kid."

"So what?" Cat replied, the blood racing up, now she was trying all to make him snap. "You gonna spank me, daddy?"

Matthew's hand moved from her throat and yanked her head back, she felt the tug pulling a few muscles on her neck. "What did you say?" She closed her mouth firmly. "Atta girl."

He slipped two fingers inside her, curling them in a way that made her hips jolt. Matthew's hand abandoned her curls to push her down, then he wrapped his arm around her to keep her in place.

"You'll feel better after this," he kissed her cheek. She gripped the chair harshly, moving her hips back and forth. "Exactly what you needed, right?" Matt said lowly against her ear. "Answer me. You couldn't shut up five minutes ago, what happened?"

"More."

"More what?"

Her hand slipped down and pushed his fingers deeper. "Please..."

Matthew decided to ignore the disobeyed order and added a third finger, kissing the curve of her neck. "Like this?"

Her head fell on his shoulder. "Oh, God, feels so good..."

"Not good enough to cry..." he hummed.

She whined, knowing where this was going. "No..."

"I have a confession to make," he stopped fingering her and snuck his hand between their bodies, pushing his sweatpants down. "I'm also not wearing underwear."

"Slut," Cat blurted out.

Matthew lined up with her entrance. "You wanna be careful with that mouth..."

"Make me," she pushed her body down.

Her boyfriend pulled her back up with both hands.

"Say please."

"Please."

"Say it like you mean it."

"Matthew..." she whined.

"You used to beg me to take you," he continued. "I remember you saying you'd let me have my way with you... was that a lie?"

"What do you think?" She snapped.

"I think that you keep trying to boss me around even though you're not in charge."

She moved her butt, his tip brushing against her. "Fine! Fine... please, Matthew."

"Turn around."

Cat did as told and lowered her body tentatively, when Matthew didn't stop her she kept going. Once inside, he grabbed her hips.

"Good girl," he sighed. "Now beg me to fuck you."

She glared at him. "Are you kidding—"

Matt pushed deeper, then he stopped as abruptly as he'd started.

"Shit!" Cat gasped. "Alright! Please, Matthew!"

"Please what?"

"Please, fuck me."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I'm a little confused," he frowned, sliding out of her almost completely. "Are you talking to me? Who are you talking to?"

Cat tried to keep him in, but she wasn't succeeding. "Please, please, I want it..."

"Now I don't know what you're asking for," he taunted, a shit-eating grin on his face.

Cat was done being annoying. "Matthew, please, please just fuck me!"

He grabbed the base of her throat gently. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" Matthew moved at an even pace, whispering words of encouragement with each thrust. "Such a good girl..."

"Faster, please..."

He kept a tight grip on her. "Come closer..." she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his neck, Matthew moaned. "You're so warm..."

Her clit rubbed against him, making her whine. "I can't fucking stand you..." she growled against his skin.

"You love me," Matthew replied without thinking.

She pushed herself away from his chest and looked at him, the scars spread across his chest, the way his eyes were clouded with lust. Cat blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I might."

He pulled her back and kissed her deeply. Cat started to move again, he was drowning her moans, and she could feel the vibration of his own against her lips. She dug her nails into his shoulders to let him know what was about to happen. That, and the way her noises were getting louder, were enough indication.

"Let go," he panted, "good kitty..."

Cat had to hide her face against his neck so the moans didn't wake the neighbors, though at this point it was very likely that the people living in the building were wide awake.

Matthew hadn't cum, so she dropped to her knees and grabbed him. "You don't have—"

"It's your turn to be quiet, Matty."

She licked from the base to the tip and then took him until she was gagging, she didn't stop until she felt him squirm under her. Matthew's hips jerked up, his grip tightened on her hair. "Fuck!"

Cat moved away and cleaned the edge of her mouth with her thumb, then she stood.

"You'll like this..." she grabbed his hand, brushing his finger against the corner of her eye. "You made me cry."

"Not what I had in mind, but that's all I'll ever get from you," he said with a breathless smile. "You're tough."

Cat walked toward the bedroom. "You can try again in a minute..." Matthew stayed in place, she looked back at him in confusion. "What?"

He tilted his face down. "Did you mean it?"

She stared at him harshly, deep down she couldn't blame him for not being sure. No one had made her feel that way before. It was easy to doubt her.

"Don't overthink it," she replied. "You know what you want, right?"

"I want you."

"That's good enough," Cat approached, tilting his face up with one hand. "Falling in love it's not such a big deal, okay? It doesn't have to be. Just means I enjoy the take-out dinners and amazing sex. It's easy."

She didn't know why she was so sure of this, in her mind, the statement felt like someone had said that to her years ago. Was love really so easy? How could she know if she'd never dated anybody?

The man held her hands, stroking the back of them with his thumbs. "It's a nice way to put it."

Cat felt weird. He'd let her get close, and now that she'd opened up a little, he seemed worried, though she didn't know if it was for himself or for her. The woman tried to ignore it, but the breaking point had arrived.

Next Chapter—>

Taglist.

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[youreacowgirllikeme]

Time Will Tell: Part Two

note: alright, here is part two of @peppermintschnappss request (if you haven’t yet, you can read part one HERE) this one’s a bit smuttier and fluffier, I hope you like it

words: 4.1 k

warnings: swearing, smut (fingering, unprotected sex)

enjoy :)

 

(New York City, six years later)

 “Alright, here we are, welcome to your new office, Ms. Y/L/N.”

 “Wow, its bigger than I imagined. Nice change from the cubicle back at my old firm.” You joked, looking around the room. It was modest, but it was your own, a fact that filled you with immense pride.

 “Well, you’re a senior associate now.” Your new boss replied, “Get used to it.”

 +++

After your boss had left, you used the short moment of quiet to set up some personal items on your desk before the real work started.

 There was one framed picture of you and your best friends, taken when you all graduated from Georgetown Law, arms around each other, smiling at the camera. The next one showed you and your parents, you had just passed the bar exam and your mum was looking like she had been crying just moments before the photo was taken. The last one was a collage the colleagues from your old law firm in DC had given to you as a good-bye-gift.

You had worked there for over two years and had loved it, but when you got the opportunity to work for one of the countries most renowned law firms, you had packed your bags and moved to New York City without a second thought.

The city was still a bit overwhelming, but this job was the career launch pad you had waited for, and you were excited to finally get started.

 There was a knock on the door of your office, pulling you out of your thoughts. A friendly looking young man appeared, quickly introducing himself as one of the firms’ paralegals.

 “We all gather for the morning meeting in the conference room in five minutes. The boss will introduce you and maybe already set you up with your first tasks.” he told you, “Just follow me, I’ll show you the way.”

The meeting room was already packed with people, and of course everyone was looking at you, the newcomer. You tried to appear confident, smiling at the new faces even though your heart was almost jumping out of your chest.

The boss introduced you to the other employees and started to go through the current cases. There was a lot of financial law, mergers and stuff, but the firm had a very broad operation field, and you hoped to be assigned to an environmental or human rights case sooner or later.

When the meeting was over, the boss asked you to stay behind.

 “You’re new here, Ms. Y/N, so I’m going to assign you a pro-bono case first. This is how we operate at our firm.”

You nodded in agreement, this was standard practice.

 “One of our other senior associates has already been assigned to this one, but its more work than we expected, so I figured he could use some help. That way you can familiarize yourself with how we work here, and your next case will be your own. Understood?”

 “Yes Sir.” You replied, trying not to be disappointed. You were eager to work with your own client, but getting some help from a colleague maybe wasn’t the worst idea. Also you could use a friend at this new place, and nothing was better for that than working on tough case together.

“So, who will I be working with?”

 Your boss looked around the people still filtering out of the conference room with a scowl on his face.

“Technically, he should be around here somewhere. I bet he’s late again, always the same shit. If he wasn’t so good at his job, I would have fired him ages ago.”

“Apologies, boss, I wish I could say that it won’t happen again.” A loud voice called out from behind you.

You felt like someone had slapped you in the face. You would recognize this arrogant tone everywhere.

 You whirled around and came face to face with Chris Cuomo.

 +++

“You?” The both of you said simultaneously, voices full of disbelief.

He looked different, the boyish features were gone, his jawline was sharper and his hair shorter. What was still there was his damn arrogant stance, the way he had strutted in here almost an hour to late and got away with a cocky reply told you everything you needed to know. This was still the same insolent guy who, for some reason, still got admired by everyone. How could fate screw you over like that?

“Oh, you already know each other, splendid.” Your boss exclaimed, “Christopher, Ms. Y/L/N is our newest senior associate. I assigned her to help you with your current case, show her how we work around here, would you?”

You had to give it to Chris, he didn’t even flinch. “Absolutely, Sir. Follow me.” He said, directed at you. He left so fast, you had to hurry to keep up with his big strides.

“Could you maybe wait a second.” You called after him, but he totally ignored you, walking towards a door at the end of the hallway.

 You followed him into what you supposed was his office. It was a bit larger than yours, with a view over the skyline instead of the alley behind the building.

Once you were inside the room, Chris slammed the door shut behind you.

 “What the hell are you doing here?” he hissed, looking incredibly annoyed now.

“What do you mean? I’m working here, Cuomo, I started today.”

 Chris ran his hand over his face and fell into the chair behind his desk.

 “Look, this won’t work. I’ve been on this case for weeks now, and I won’t let you interfere with it.”

 You stopped for a moment. Chris Cuomo, working on a pro bono case for weeks?

 “Why are you being so difficult about this? It’s a pro bono. Why don’t trust you with a real client anyway?” you asked, and were surprised how superficial and mean that sounded even to your own ears. How did he still bring out the worst side of you, even after you hadn’t seen him for years?

 “Not that it’s any of your concern, but they want to make me a junior partner soon. I’ve been here for four years, they hired me right out of law school. I’m one of the best attorneys employed here and I specifically asked for this case because I care about the people involved. So you can either help me and give those clients the attention and energy they deserve or I’ll have your ass out of here in less than a week.” he was almost yelling by now, fists clenched on his desk and you took a step back in face of his anger.

“Alright, I am sorry, no need to be so hostile.” You murmured. “Give me an overview and we can get started.”

 +++

The case was about two young men from Queens who were accused of robbing a drugstore. Chris insisted that they were victims of racial profiling and weren’t guilty of the charges, they had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 “They are telling the truth, I just know it.” Chris replied when you asked him how he could be so sure, and the tone of his voice made you refrain from questioning him any further.

He had given you a short, clipped outline of the case and now there were tons of files you had to read to get up to date.

 After about two hours of working next to each other in tense silence, you decided to extend an olive branch to Chris.

 “So, how have you been, Cuomo? Never heard from you again after Yale.”

 Chris looked up from the file he was reading, shooting you a wary glance across the table.

 “I went to Fordham, got my JD, passed the bar and started working here. I didn’t think you’d ever want to hear from me again. I’m not sure if you remember, but we didn’t exactly get along.” He replied, his voice was hard and his posture rigid, as if it made him extremely uncomfortable to even talk to you.

You sighted, debating what to say next.

“We didn’t, I hated you, in fact.”

Chris face gave the tiniest flinch and you mentally slapped yourself. Why had you just said that?

“Sorry, that was totally insensitive. I don’t hate you, not anymore. We were almost kids back then, and I was self-righteous so many times. I’m sorry for that, I just hope we can act like professionals now and try to get along, for the sake of the clients.”

 “I can manage that if you do.” Chris mumbled, and got back to reading the files, effectively ending the conversation.

 +++

 Working alongside Chris went better than expected, even if it often was hard work to engage him in conversation. You had always assumed that he was one of the most self-centered people ever, but he spent most of his time at the office, pouring all of his energy into a pro bono case, so maybe that wasn’t true after all.

A paralegal had revealed to you that the two men you were defending were from the neighborhood Chris was raised in and knowing that made you more sympathetic towards him.

 You had thought about him from time to time during the past years, but always pictured him as one of those attorneys without morals who would walk over dead bodies to win a case. But he wasn’t. He was relentless, yes, but for the right reasons, and you started to admire him for his dedication to the cause.

 +++

In the following weeks, the initial icy atmosphere between the two of you had thawed and Chris became more approachable.

He was still arrogant and insufferable, but had matured in a way that really surprised you. By now you were even having private conversations during your short lunch breaks, bantering back and forth, but in a friendly way.

Right now, he was ranting about the current season of the Mets. You had no clue about baseball, but the way his eyes lit up when he was explaining something he was passionate about was mesmerizing.

 “You look like a fish, Y/N, don’t pretend you know anything about baseball, I can see right through you.” Chris chuckled, yanking you out of your daydreams. You blushed a bit, he had caught you staring at him.

 “I was actually thinking about the case, Cuomo, we can’t all do sports talk the entire day.”

 “I see.” He winked at you, and you tried your best to ignore how handsome he was. “Back to work then, let’s get after it.”

 +++

 It was another late night at the office, you and Chris had been hunched over case files for hours after a whole day of running around and taking statements from various people associated with the case. You were incredibly tired, but the court date was approaching and there was still a lot of work to be done.

 Across from you, Chris yawned, stretching his arms over his head. He had discarded his suit jacket, and his white dress shirt was tight enough for you to ogle his muscled arms.

You had given up on trying not to stare some time ago, he was good looking, and there was no hurt in admiring what was right in front of you.

Lately though, you had started to develop some more confusing feelings about the man. But those were carefully bottled up and you intended to keep them that way.

“Do you want another coffee?” you asked, getting up from your chair.

“Please, I’m dying here. Bring me the biggest cup we have.”

You made your way back from the kitchen, balancing two steaming mugs of coffee in your hand. You stopped next to Chris chair and put down his coffee in front of him. Your arm softly brushed against his, and he turned his head to face you. Suddenly, your faces were only inches apart from each other, he was so close that you could feel his breath on your skin as he spoke.

 “You have a lash, right there. Stay still.” he reached out to pick the small hair up from right under your eye. The touch of his finger left a burning feeling on your skin.

 “Thank you.” You whispered, and for a moment, no one was speaking, you were just staring into each other’s eyes. You felt your face starting to tingle, but you couldn’t look away, not when Chris eyes were open and warm in a way you had never seen them before.

You noticed a small scar on his jaw, and you carefully reached out to trace it with a finger.

“Where is this from?”

 Chris tensed under your touch but didn’t move or slap your hand away.

“College, Senior year. I got into a nasty brawl with someone after that last party before graduation. I was wasted and angry, it was my fault, no biggie.” He murmured, and you quickly moved your hand away, worried that you were making him uncomfortable.

Your mind rushed back to that night, and the row you had with Chris. Even after all these years, the encounter was still very present and the thought that he had gotten into a fight because you had riled him up made you feel incredibly guilty.

 “I’m so sorry.” You replied in a stained voice. “Were you angry because of me?”

 Chris eyes hardened.

“That was years ago, Y/N, how about we let stuff from the past stay there.” he replied brusquely and got up from his chair. “I need to get some more files.”

 When he didn’t return after an hour, you just went home.

 +++

 After that night, things between you went back to being tense and awkward. You weren’t sure if he was mad at you and were too afraid to bring it up. You had actually enjoyed the tentative friendship that had formed between you and missed the easy banter during lunch breaks or brooding over case files in comfortable silence. Why was the man so fucking stubborn when you had been nothing but civil to him since your first day?

After a week of little to no conversation, you were close to freaking out. It was another late-night work session, and you were tired and fed up with the situation.

 “Alright, enough with that shit.” You snapped, slamming down the file you were working on onto the desk. Chris glanced up from his papers and shot you a dirty look.

 “What’s your problem, huh?” he snarled back.

 “You are my problem, Cuomo. I thought we were making progress and could at least be friendly with each other. But since last week, you’re totally shutting me out. You don’t talk to me, not even when its necessary for the case. I don’t know what I did to offend you, but you either tell me now or suck it up, because the silent treatment is bullshit.” you were getting louder with each sentence and had started pacing around the small office, the familiar flush creeping up your neck.

The sound of Chris’ laughing made you stop in your tracks.

 “Oh my God, you look just like during one of those discussions back in college.” He chuckled before he got serious again.

 “Look, I’m sorry. I was confronted with a lot of uncomfortable memories last week. Yes, back then I was angry because of the fight we had, and yes I got drunk and punched this guy because of it.” He paused for a moment, running his hand through his hair before speaking again. “He reported me to the police, you know. I had to do a whole summer of community service, and almost lost my Law School spot. I blamed you for a long time, even if it wasn’t your fault at all.”

You were shocked by that admission.

“Chris, I had no idea. I am so sorry, that was never my intention.”

He just stared back at you with an unreadable expression on his face.

“That right now was the first time you ever called me Chris.” He said, sounding oddly emotional. He got up from his chair and walked around the small table to where you stood.

 Your heart started racing in your chest like crazy as he approached you.

“You just…Jesus, Y/N, you just unsettle me, you did back at Yale, and you still do.”

“What are you even talking about?” you whispered, “You used to hate me.”

“You really have no idea, don’t you?” he replied. He was standing right in front of you now, and the only thing you could focus on was how big and strong his body looked, and how good his cologne smelled. Your brain couldn’t handle having him in such close proximity, and when his hand reached out to cup your jaw, you could barely suppress a gasp.

 “I never hated you.” He murmured, before pressing his lips to yours.

After a moment, your brain caught up with your body. You were just kissing Chris Cuomo, the plague of your college years, the most cocky, arrogant, intriguing person you had ever met, and it was fucking perfect.

 You melted against him, his body was solid and warm and you never wanted to stop kissing him. Your hands flew around his neck, pulling him down to deepen the kiss. He tangled his hand into your hair, tilting your head back, and when he softly bit your bottom lip, you groaned against his mouth and pressed your body even closer to his.

 With a deep breath, Chris broke the kiss and looked down at you, his pupils were blown and there was a slight blush on his cheeks.

“Do you know how often I wanted to shut you up like this?”

 “Took you long enough, Cuomo.” You chuckled, and kissed him again, it felt too good to just stop now. His huge hands were on your back now, wandering lower until they landed on your ass, squeezing the soft flesh. By now, you could barely think straight anymore.

You had fantasized about this moment before, but no fantasy could compare to the feeling of his hands all over your body, dipping under your shirt to slide over the soft, bare skin of your back.

 With your last shred of restraint, you broke the kiss again.

 “We can’t do this here, Chris.” You mumbled, suddenly feeling a bit shy.

 “There is no one else here, Y/N, its after midnight. We can do whatever the hell we want.” He replied, using the hand that was still on your back to pull you to his chest, there was a noticeable bulge pressing against you and your mind went blank again.

Your last resolve crumbled when Chris whispered a deep “I need to have you, now.” right against your ear. You succumbed to his touches as he picked you up and placed you on the edge of the desk, right on top of the important case files, but you didn’t give a damn.

 Everything you cared about right now was the feeling of Chris palms sliding up your bare legs, hitching up your skirt and softly skimming over your panty-covered core. You inhaled through clenched teeth as his hand found its way inside your underwear, you were already slick with need and grinded your pussy against his fingers.

 “You have no idea how often I thought about this.” Chris groaned. “Just you, squirming and wet under me. God, you are soaked.”

 “Stop talking and do something, Cuomo.” You whimpered, his light touches were nowhere near enough.

 “You asked for this, sweetheart.” Chris growled and plunged two of his thick fingers inside you without warning. The moan spilling out of you was so loud that he slapped his other palm over your mouth to muffle your needy sounds.

“Shh, we might be alone, but we don’t want to alarm the whole building.” He chuckled darkly as he started to move his hand, curling his digits inside you until you saw stars.

 You groaned his name against his palm as he started to circle your clit with his thumb, applying more and more pressure until you came against his hand with a strangled cry.

 Chris removed his hands and looked down at where you were lying on the desk, breathing heavily.

“Say it, Y/N. What do you want me to do?”

 You could see the way his erection was tenting the fabric of his suit trousers and unconsciously licked your lips.

“Get rid of those trousers and fuck me.” You whispered, your voice still a bit breathy from your climax moments ago.

 Without hesitation, Chris undid the buckle of his belt and pulled down his pants along with his underwear. When his cock spring free, you let out an audible gasp.

Chris snorted our a small, smug laugh, a flicker of his familiar arrogance showing. Usually, this would’ve annoyed you to no ends, but right now your only concern was getting him inside of you as fast as possible.

 When he finally stepped between your legs, his strong hands grabbed the hem of your panties and just tore the thin lace apart. He grabbed your thighs and spread them, leaving you exposed to his hungry gaze. The feeling of his cock teasing your entrance almost made you lose patience.

 “Stop the fucking teasing, Chris”

 Without a warning, he grabbed your hips and slammed into you with one harsh thrust. You had to cover your mouth with your own hand again to silence your cry, the feeling of his thick length was almost too much.

“Shit, Y/N.” he hissed as he bottomed out. “You’re so tight.”

You couldn’t do anything more than grab the edges of the desk as he started to fuck you with a relentless pace, the slap of his skin against yours sounding through the empty office.

 Your let your head roll to the side and closed your eyes, completely overwhelmed by the burning arousal spreading through your whole body.

 Suddenly, a hand grabbed your hair and yanked your head around so you were staring directly into Chris dark, burning eyes.

 “I want you to look at me while I fuck you.” He snarled. “Want you to see who makes you feel like this.”
His voice was slightly breathless, and there was a thin layer of sweat covering his forehead as he continued to slam into you, hitting a spot deep inside you and sending you closer to your climax with each hard stroke.

His words were like a drug and you couldn’t tear your eyes away from his face anymore. When he delivered his next sharp thrust, you could feel yourself tumbling over the edge, your orgasm washing over you and making you trash and squirm under Chris, your walls clenching around his cock.

His grasp on your hips tightened to an almost painful degree, pulling your pelvis flush against his as he spilled inside you with a growl.

As you laid on the desk, your brain was trying to come to terms with what just happened through the haze of your climax.

Chris carefully pulled out and readjusted his trousers before slumping back into an office chair.

 “Well, that was a surprise.” You said awkwardly, getting up and pulling down your shirt to restore some sense of dignity. In an attempt to ease some of the tension that had suddenly settled over the room, you added “Next time we should try it without all the clothes, and maybe on a bed instead of a desk filled with super important case files.”

Instead of making a dirty joke, Chris looked surprised.

“There is going to be a next time?” He asked, sounding almost hopeful.

 With a soft chuckle, you approached him and sat down onto his lap.

 “You can’t screw me like this and not expect me to come back for seconds.” You pressed a kiss to his lips. “If you’re up to it, I’d maybe even agree to a third, fourth and fifth time.”

 Chris puffed out his chest a little bit. “Sweetheart, I’m always up to it.”

 +++

 With a slam, the doors of the courtroom closed behind you. Chris turned around to face you, and the smile on his face was bright enough to light up the entire hallway.

 “We won, Y/N, we really did it.” he cheered, picking you up to spin you around. You just giggled, full of joy and relief that you were able to win this important case and keep your clients out of jail.

When Chris sat you down again, you reached up to put his face between your hands.“I am so incredibly proud of you.” You said, your voice heavy with emotion. “You were on fire in there.”

It was true, seeing Chris in court had been like a revelation to you. He had been relentless, tough and razor sharp in his defense, all while wielding his charm and charisma to win the jury over. Everything you had held against him for all those years, his audacity, his stubbornness, they had been invaluable strengths during the trial.

But when Chris leaned down to press a kiss to your mouth, all thoughts stopped. It still was so fresh and every touch of him brought you out of balance. The fact that he had just kissed you in public made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. You hadn’t made your relationship public yet, or even talked about if you were an item, but this made you hope.

Chris broke the kiss, still beaming at you.

“I could have never done this without your help. This is our success. And now we have to celebrate. Please, let me take you to dinner.” Chris said, wrapping his arms around your hips to pull you against him. By now, you couldn’t care less about all the people looking at you.

“Took you long enough to properly ask me out.” you joked, “And of course, I’d love to.”

Immediately, Chris started rambling about how he knew the perfect restaurant that would blow your mind and how they were always booked out several weeks in advance, but he could get you a table anyway, and you just smiled to yourself.

He was still a cocky, smug idiot, but he was your idiot now.

[its-nuwanda-baby]

its a bit of a odd pair but maybe some neil x knox?? hcs if you do them or a confession fic 👉👈

confession one shot, coming right up!

A Punch in the Right Direction (Knox x Neil)

Warnings: underaged drinking, language, slight mentions of blood, slight mentions of homophobia (only in the beginning!)

I PROMISE YOU IT’S WAYYY FLUFFIER THAN IT SOUNDS LOLL

when neil befriends a girl at rehearsals, he has no idea that she will single-handedly deliver him his doom... in the form of one, stupidly wasted knox overstreet. chaos ensues. also Todd and Stick are boyfriends because I can, and because that funky lil man will have a place in everything I write (I am but a stick stan account). ENJOY!!! let me know what you think!

Neil Perry had always known he was gay. He knew right when he kissed Charlie in the first grade, on a dare from Pitts, that this was what a crush was supposed to feel like. He accepted early on in life that the world was not kind to people like him. He understood that words like “queer,” “fairy,” and “homo” were names for people like him, and that the sneers of disgust that accompanied them were just part of a package deal. He knew when he started school at Welton Academy that there was the inevitable danger of crushing on roommates and friends, and by his senior year at the all boys school, he was used to the routine of identifying and burying unwanted feelings until they were forgotten. So, when Knox Overstreet had leaned against his doorframe on the first day of school, smirking like an idiot, Neil had no problem identifying the beginnings of a crush bubbling in his chest. He had no problem, when Knox had reached out to shake the hand of Neil’s new (incredibly shy) roommate, pushing down the goofy smile that had threatened to spread on his face at how sweet Knox was being. Neil Perry had a crush on Knox Overstreet, and, given his previous experiences, it was about as scary as a kitten.

He had no problem hiding his disappointment when Knox announced he wouldn’t be at study group that night, even trying to pull him out of his obvious state of disappointment- “anything’s better than Hell-ton hash, Knox…” he had said, with just the perfect amount of nonchalance to make it convincing. Oh well, he thought, at least it would be easier to focus on the trig homework he needed to finish. 

And, when Knox returned, looking like his head was stuck in the atmosphere of Jupiter, Neil had so convincingly feigned his excitement when Knox had announced his infatuation with Chris- “are you crazy? What’s wrong with that?”- when the only thought going through his head had been you idiot, she has a boyfriend. What about me? I’m right here? 

Neil Perry was, for the most part, a good actor. He could play the part of the excited friend, the matchmaker, the hopeless romantic, and he could play them with ease. It was Todd’s fault, really, that everything had begun to unravel. That the feelings became too much to bury. In Neil’s experience, once it was out in the open, there’s no going back. If only Todd wasn’t so damn observant.

The conversation had gone somewhat normal, in the beginning:

“I dunno, Todd… I guess I just don’t understand it! I mean, she has a boyfriend already! If Knox really loves her so much, why isn’t he happy for her?”

“Neil, no offense, but don’t you have more important things to worry about than Knox’s love life?”

“Like?”

“Like, just about everything else? Why is it so important to you, anyways?”

That had shut Neil up. Maybe he wasn’t too good at hiding his feelings, after all. Then, the dreaded question reared its ugly head.

“Do you… like Knox?”

He had never been good at this part, the part where he had to lie about his feelings. Usually, nobody could even tell something was off, and he never even had to think about what to say if someone guessed. Todd was just… different, somehow. Neil knew he was also queer. He had seen Todd holding hands with another boy from their hall, nicknamed Stick. They were a nice couple, and Neil had to bite back his jealousy at seeing what he only wished he could have with Knox. 

“Neil? You know you can tell me, right?”

“You know the answer to that question already.”

Todd gave a small nod and moved to sit next to Neil, putting an arm around his shoulders.

“You know, I may be the newest addition to this friend group, but I don’t think Chris is the one Knox really wants.”

And before Neil could process the implications of the statement, Stick was at their door, and Todd was waving goodbye to Neil and leaning to kiss his boyfriend hello, and then they were gone.

But, if not Chris, then who? The question haunted his mind for days, and by the end of October, Neil Perry’s crush had grown into quite a bit more, which meant that burying his feelings was about to get a hell of a lot more complicated. Thanks to rehearsals and a new friend, maybe even impossible.

Neil enjoyed rehearsals. He loved watching his fellow actors lose themselves in the performance. He loved listening to the chatter of the tech crew as they discussed backdrops and lighting. He loved the smell of sawdust and paint that lingered in the air and on his clothes. The one thing he never really got the hang of was the talking. Despite being known as a social butterfly at Welton, the mixture of Henley Hall girls and public school kids was a whole new atmosphere for him, and if there’s one thing Neil Perry hated, it was change. So, when the girl who played Hermia walked up and introduced herself, he was so overjoyed at the prospect of a friend that he hadn’t stopped to ponder over the familiarity of her surname. 

“Hey, you look a little lost! I’m Ginny, Ginny Danbury. I play Hermia.”

He had looked up, unsure at first of whether he was the one being addressed. In discovering that he was, his face broke out into the trademark Neil Perry Smile, the one he reserved for his dad and Dr. Nolan. 

“Neil. Perry. I, uh, I play Puck.”

They had shaken hands, he in his crown of twigs, and she in her pink tulle dress, and a friendship was born. 

Two weeks before the performance, she mentioned her older brother. 

“So, I got home last night, and Chet- that’s my brother, by the way- Chet asked me if I had been hooking up with someone. Apparently, he thinks the only valid reason to be out late is if you’re getting laid…”

She had kept talking after that, but Neil had stopped listening. What had Knox said about that girl? Practically engaged… to Chet Danbury. When rehearsal was over that night, Ginny asked Neil a question.

“Would you mind giving me your phone number?”

—

The smell of cheap liquor greeted Knox before he had even opened the door. Charlie’s words rang in his head; you don’t really think she means you’re going with her? He was right, after all… this was Chris’s boyfriend’s house, and he was a guest. His guest. He was really starting to regret passing up a Poets meeting for this, when he could have been cozied up next to Neil in the cave. Neil… with his perfect brown eyes that should be considered national treasures, in Knox’s opinion, and a voice like velvet… Neil, the reason he had even begun pursuing Chris in the first place, as a way to distract him from the true object of his affections. Neil, whose absent-minded, yearning looks were surely reserved for everyone, not just him… keep it together, Knox, tonight is the night you forget about Neil Perry, once and for all.

“Carpe diem, Knoxious… carpe diem.”

He opened the door.

About an hour later, he was wasted. His earlier attempt to get a beer had been sabotaged by two football players who were a little too closely acquainted with the bottles of vodka and whiskey lined up on the counter. Before he knew what was happening, his beer had been replaced by a shot of liquor that smelled exactly like the stuff his sisters used to clean off their nail polish, and he had been affectionately dubbed “Mutt Sanders’ brother” by the shorter of the two jocks, despite his protests of never having met a Mutt Sanders. A few shots later and he was stumbling into the basement, nearly incoherent. What happened after that would surely remain burned into his memory forever, but the most that he could bring himself to tell anyone was that he had somehow ended up on the floor with a bloody nose and a splitting headache.

The full story is a bit more complicated. Knox, intoxicated and feeling brave, had begun his search for Chris in the kitchen, weaving around crowds of people he didn’t know. If he had been sober, he certainly would have been a little less obvious, but Knox Overstreet was a man on a mission, and although the alcohol helped him focus on the task at hand (find Chris, woo Chris, (maybe) hook up with Chris, fall in love with Chris, forget Neil Perry), it certainly didn’t aid him in his attempts at subtlety. By the time he managed to get to the basement, he forgot why he was there.

Neil, Knox, you’re here to find- no, you’re here to FORGET Neil. Find Chris, forget Neil. Find Chris, forget Neil. It was here that Knox began to feel the fourth shot in his legs, and he quickly moved to sit on the couch before they gave out. Cursing his low alcohol tolerance, he began to scope out the crowd in the basement for Chris, when he suddenly became aware of two things at once: the presence of an annoyingly loud couple mid-makeout on his right, and the sleeping presence of Chris Noel on his left. And Knox Overstreet, in a burst of alcohol-infused idiocy, began to stroke her hair, and suddenly it wasn’t Chris on the couch beside him, but Neil. Neil Perry, and he was smiling up at Knox, saying something that Knox couldn’t understand because all he could see was the shape of Neil’s lips, moving ever so slowly towards his, and in that moment, as their lips met, time seemed to slow down, and the voices and music were all combining into a kind of ambient soundtrack- that is, until the distorted voice of Kitchen Jock #1 made its way into Knox’s alcohol-muddled brain, pulling him back to earth in word form.

Chet… CHET, it’s Mutt Sanders’ brother! And he’s feelin’ up YOUR GIRL!

And he wasn’t kissing Neil, he was kissing Chris, and she wasn’t asleep, she was sitting up, asking him what he was doing, and, hell, what was he doing? As he opened his mouth to answer her, he picked up a bright red blur in his peripheral vision, moving towards him.

Next thing he knew, he was on the floor.

—

There was a knock on the door.

“Mr. Perry. You have a phone call.”

“Yessir, I’ll be right there, sir.”

Todd shot him a confused look from where he was sat on the floor with Stick. He and Neil had left the Poets meeting about ten minutes after Charlie showed up with girls and liquor, and Meeks and Pitts had soon followed. The latter two had denied their invites to a study group, which meant they were most definitely making out in their room, so Todd had asked Neil about inviting Stick to work on the Latin conjugation assignment together, to which Neil had happily agreed.

In all honesty, Neil was glad for the phone call. Todd and Stick were so cute together it was nearly maddening, especially when Neil could so easily imagine him and Knox together in the same ways. The gentle brush of their shoulders against one another as Todd checked Stick’s spelling, the way Stick watched Todd’s lips moved as he practiced his pronunciations… to anyone else, it would have been endearing, but to Neil it felt like a lifetime prison sentence. 

Dr. Hager handed him the telephone when he got to the end of the hall, and he nodded a “thank you” before watching the man disappear into his room.

“Hello, this is Neil Perry?”

“Neil, thank goodness you’re there!”

“Ginny?”

“Yes, oh, I’m so sorry to bother you on a Friday night, but there’s been a bit of an… incident…”

Shit. Knox had been at the Danburys’ house. Neil’s blood turned to ice.

“What sort of incident? Is everyone alright?”

“Well, sort of… do you happen to know Knox Overstreet?”

Boy, did he ever…

So that’s how Neil ended up at the Danburys’ house at 10 pm on a Friday night, picking up a bleeding (and incredibly drunk) Knox. Ginny hadn’t been able to tell him what happened, and nobody else got a good look, but the story was that, while an intoxicated Knox had been trying to dance with Chris, Chet noticed and punched him in the nose. Neil believed it. 

So there they were, sitting on the dock near the lake as Neil pressed snow to the bruise that was rapidly forming around Knox’s eye. 

Around 11, Neil deemed Knox sober enough to take back to the dorms without causing suspicion, and they crept up the stairs and down the hall to Neil’s and Todd’s dorm.

Neil softly pushed the door open with his foot to see Todd at his desk, surrounded by crumpled pieces of paper. Upon seeing Knox’s inebriated state and the exhausted look on Neil’s face, he immediately jumped to help Knox out of his coat and tie while Neil guided him to sit on one of the beds.

“Neil! Buddy! How’d you get here?”

Neil and Todd immediately shushed Knox, whose bruised face contorted into a frown.

“Sorryyyy” was the slurred response, given in a sort of whisper-yell smoothie.

“Knoxy, don’t talk. Your nose is still bleeding.” Neil’s voice was dripping in concern, which caused one of Todd’s eyebrows to perk up in his tell-tale “I told you so” smirk. Knox was preoccupied with trying to lick the blood from his nose “to clean it!”, and Neil was trying to get him to sit still. 

After about an hour, Todd had gone to room with Hopkins for the night, to his immense gratitude (drunk Knox was not a character Hopkins was particularly interested in dealing with, and neither Todd nor Neil blamed him one bit). Knox, who had sobered up enough to gain the ability to form coherent sentences (but not a filter) was delighted to fill Neil in on the happenings of the party, to which Neil couldn’t bring an objection from his lips. As annoying as he could be, Neil loved Knox’s ramblings, sober or otherwise.

“And then, I was sitting on the couch and the strangest thing happened! Chris was there, but it wasn’t really Chris! It was you, Neil, can you believe it? You were there!”

Neil hummed in mock surprise, grabbing the cup of water he had gotten from the bathroom and wetting another towel.

“No, Neil, you gotta remember, you kissed me! Well, you almost did…”

Neil froze, almost dropping the water.

“I.. did what?”

“You kissed me, silly! And I thought I was drunk…”

“Knox, I wasn’t at the party… I didn’t kiss you.”

The crushed look on Knox’s face at Neil’s words would have been adorable if it hadn’t been so sad…

“You… didn’t kiss me?” Neil shook his head slowly. “But then, who did I kiss?”

“Knox, Chris’s boyfriend punched your lights out. You were seeing things.”

“But Neil, you don’t get it. That was supposed to be our kiss!”

“Shh, Knox, stop moving so much. Your nose isn’t bleeding anymore, so let’s get you to bed. Can you stand up?”

Knox pouted, pouted, which almost caused Neil to drop dead on the spot, and stood up shakily before giggling and leaning into the wall.

“Nope!” He sang, popping the “p.”

Neil sighed. Knox was wearing jeans and a dress shirt, which meant he was going to be incredibly uncomfortable. Might as well do it now, then at least he won’t remember if anything embarrassing happens…

“Knox, you’re going to be uncomfortable sleeping in that.”

“So strip me, Perry, I’m not afraid,” he said with a drunken attempt at a wink that should not have made Neil’s heart flutter in the way that it did. He sighed and moved to unbutton Knox’s shirt, breathing another sigh of relief when he was met with the sight of a cotton t-shirt underneath. Crisis number one, averted.

“If I hold onto your shoulders, can you get your own pants off?”

“Yyyyyyeup!” It took Knox three tries to find the button on his jeans, but eventually, his clothes were folded neatly on Neil’s desk and Knox was sitting on the bed in just a t-shirt and boxers.

“You know, Neil, it’s your fault I went to that stupid party anyways.”

“Pardon?”

“Your fault, Neil. You and your stupid hair and your stupid face… you’re so stupid and fucking hot and it drives me so insane. It’s your fault I tried so hard to get Chris, and… and it’s your fault that my fucking nose is broken. There, I said it.”

There had only ever been a handful of times where Neil Perry was rendered fully speechless. Usually, it happened when his father said something particularly nasty, or when Todd occasionally worked up the courage to read his original poems at DPS meetings. But nothing could have prepared him for what Knox Overstreet said to him at 11:30pm on that fateful Friday night as he knelt on the floor between his legs.

“Wh-what?”

“You’re so stupid, Neil… I can’t do this anymore.”

And before he could say anything, Knox pulled him in by his tie and captured Neil’s parted lips with alcohol drowned ones of his own.

Neil pushed him away with no hesitation. “Knox, I-“

“Neil, come on… first Chris, now you too?”

“Knox…”

“No, Neil. You always talk, now I’m talking. I’m in love with you, and I thought maybe you might have been in love with me after tonight, but I was wrong and I’m starting to think that maybe going after Chris was a good thing, because she made me forget about you, even if it was just a little bit for a little bit of time. I’m…” Knox went silent as Neil kissed him again, softly.

“Knox, I like you. I like you a lot, actually, but you’re still really drunk and we should wait to talk about this, yeah?”

He stroked Knox’s hair softly, smiling when the other boy nodded and leaned into his touch.

“Okay. I’m gonna get ready for bed now, alright? I’m not leaving, I promise.”

Knox hummed affirmatively, getting under the covers of Neil’s bed.

“Smells like you… smells nice.” He buried his face in Neil’s pillow.

Neil smiled as he turned off the lights and got into Todd’s bed, listening to Knox’s quiet snores until he fell asleep.

—

“Fuck”

Knox opened his eyes, and immediately regretted it when the world exploded, sending shards of light and color into his aching brain. Groaning, he buried his face in his (no, not his,  his was softer?) pillow, wincing at the unexpected throb around his eye. He rolled over, facing the ceiling, moving an arm up to cover his eye when he heard the door open and relaxing immensely when he heard Todd’s voice.

“Morning, Knoxious. You okay?” Todd’s concern was evident, which made Knox feel a lot better. He loved that about Todd, he made up for what he lacked in confidence with an abundance of love and care for other people. Here he was now, handing Knox a bad of ice and a plate of pancakes from the diner he loved in town.

“Stick and I got breakfast this morning, thought you could use a hangover cure. Oh, which reminds me, I also brought you this,” he said, handing Knox a cup of water and a bottle of aspirin. He took everything with a smile, which widened when he saw Todd return it. Todd never smiled, and when he did, it was almost always genuine, and it made Knox feel warm inside to know that he had caused it.

“Where’s- ahem- where’s Neil?” Knox cleared the sleep from his throat and gulped down a couple pills before digging into the pancakes- blueberry. My favorite! Todd knows my favorite!

“Oh, uh, I actually don’t know,” Todd shrugged, furrowing his eyebrows, “He might be down by the dock? He goes there to study sometimes when he’s conflicted.”

Knox nodded, drinking the rest of the water and making quick work of the remaining pancakes.

“I’m gonna go find him. We gotta talk. If you see him, let him know I’m looking for him, alright?”

Knox got out of bed, only slowing for a moment when he realized he wasn’t wearing pants, before grabbing his jeans from their place on Neil’s chair and tugging them on before leaving the room.

Knox Overstreet had shitty hangovers. He had the headaches, the nausea, the fatigue, the dehydration, you name it… but he couldn’t seem to get wasted enough to ever forget anything. Usually, that was a good thing. As Knox marched towards the dock, he couldn’t decide whether he was glad to have the memories of the previous night, or if he wished that they would disappear forever.

His eyes are so fucking pretty. Fuck, how could I ever think I was in love with Chris when he was right here in front of me? 

“Knox? You okay?”

“Mmm. You’re pretty, that’s all.”

He had laughed, then. God, his laugh was like music. His laugh was music.

“You’re pretty too, Knoxy.”

Fuck. It was too much, he was right here, and he had just taken Knox’s shirt off, and he was sitting on the floor between his legs, and it was all too much. 

Carpe fucking Diem.

“You’re so stupid, Neil… I can’t do this anymore.”

Knox was grateful for Neil’s tie in that moment, because it was the one thing tethering him to the mortal world. Neil’s lips felt like home, and he knew it was more than just a drunken kiss. He was made to be kissing Neil, and he felt like he could do it forever.

And then it had ended.

“Knox, I-“

“Fuck.” He cursed at himself, the memory hurting his head worse than the alcohol or the bruise. 

“I like you a lot, actually…”

“You’re pretty drunk still”

“Wait to talk about this, yeah?”

“Knox! Down here!”

Speak of the fucking devil. Neil Perry, looking as beautiful as ever, was sitting on the dock, long legs sprawled out, reading glasses balanced on the tip of his nose. He looked delicious. Knox shoved back those thoughts before they made themselves known on his physical form and waved at Neil, walking towards him.

“Hey, Neil.”

“I’m glad you’re up! How are you? How’s your head?”

“‘M fine, Neil. Really. Thanks to you and Todd.”

As he sat down next to Neil, he couldn’t tell if the look the other boy gave him was a look of concern or of longing.

“The bruise actually looks a lot better. I’ll bet it’s gone completely by Monday.”

Knox tried to hide the way his breath hitched as Neil’s hand moved to cup his cheek, stroking the area around his eye so tenderly it should have been illegal.

“Neil…”

“I know. We need to talk about last night.”

“I shouldn’t have…”

“Actually, I’m… I’m glad you did. Considering you meant it, at least.”

Knox was speechless. He had planned a whole speech out on his way down, only to have all words robbed from him by the flecks of sunlit gold in Neil’s brown eyes. 

I love you

“I did. Mean it, that is… I definitely meant it.”

Jesus Christ, I love you, Neil Perry

“Then you won’t mind if… if I did it again?”

Knox met Neil’s eyes with his own. 

“Not in the slightest.”

Then, he did the same with his lips.

And I love you, Knox Overstreet.

[ejzah]

A/N: So, here’s part 17. This one is pretty Densi focused.

***

The Agent and the Lawyer, Part 17

“Deeks, there is nothing in the law that states we have to allow a detainee a phone call,” Sam told Deeks, his arms crossed as they sat across from each other.

What had started out as a simple discussion about twenty minutes before, had evolved into a tense disagreement. He’d thought Sam was finally beginning to respect his opinion at least a little bit, but the last case had proven him wrong.

Sam and Callen had arrested a man, David Williams, after Eric and Nell found evidence linking hm with a domestic terrorism plot. Deeks was mildly horrified when they brought him into the boat shed, bleeding from a gunshot wound to the upper arm.

Although Williams eventually confessed to the location of the terrorist ring, it still didn’t sit well with Deeks.

“I realize that, Sam, but it’s the principle. You denied him a call, you didn’t get him medical help, and threatened to stick him in a jail cell with a convicted killer,” Deeks countered. “I’m supposed to be a legal liaison. What the hell am I doing here if I just stand by and say nothing?”

“Deeks, you’re new here. Sometimes you have to slant the law a little bit to get the right results. Williams wasn’t in danger of bleeding out and I was never going to act on my threats. He just needed to believe I would.”

Deeks pressed his lips together, beyond frustrated. He’d held back for the past several weeks as he watched and learned how the team operated. Technically, a lot of what they did skirted the law. It wasn’t exactly illegal, but it certainly wasn’t best practice and in the right situation a lawyer could make a case against them in his opinion.

“What if he presses charges?” Deeks asked.

“I think he has more serious things to worry about,” Callen pointed out lightly. “Like denying that he was part of a group that planned to blow up a shopping mall.”

Sam stood and patted him on the shoulder, effectively ending the conversation. He probably didn’t mean to be condescending, but it made Deeks feel like a little kid.

“Deeks, once you’re here for a while, you’ll realize that many times the end result justify the means,” he explained. Deeks glanced over at Kensi, but she remained silent.

After they left the room, Kensi sat down next to him, nudging him with her shoulder.

“You going to be ok?” she asked quietly. He sighed and rubbed at his hair, trying to find a way to explain the mounting frustration he felt.

“Sometimes it just feels like I’ve replaced one failed system for another,” he said.

“Don’t let Sam hear you say that,” she joked. When he didn’t laugh, she gently rubbed his back. “Is there anything I can do, babe?” That did make him smile a little.

“I don’t think so. I guess I just have to figure out what my purpose in being here is. And what maniacal plans Hetty has for me.”

“Mm, I don’t think Hetty has anything too evil planned for you. She likes you, you know.”

“Even when she calls me cheeky?”

“Especially then,” Kensi said emphatically. “I think you have her completely charmed.” Her hand drifted a little lower on his back, effectively pushing his concerns to the back of his mind.

“And do I have anyone else charmed?” he teased. Kensi blushed and glanced away.

“You’re getting there.”

“You realize you called me, ‘babe’ a minute ago, right?”

“No, I didn’t,” she said, making the weird cackling sound that he’d come to associate with embarrassment.

“Yes, you did. Admit it, you have a pet name for me.”

“You are utterly ridiculous.”

“And you love it.”

“We have work to do,” she countered, grabbing a random stack of files which they’d completed the day before. He grabbed them, setting to the side, and linked their fingers. She glanced around to see if anyone was watching, it didn’t protest or pull away.

“Say it. Say you love it,” he persisted. She was adorable when she got flustered.

“Oh my god, you are so annoying.”

“That’s still not a no.”

“You know, I was going to invite you over for dinner tonight, but I’ve changed my mind,” she said, retrieving her hand and crossing her arms.

“Wait, you were going to let me into casa de Kensi?” he asked. “I’ve been dying to know if you’re as messy there as you are here and at my place.”

“First of all, I don’t even know what that accent was supposed to be. Secondly, you’re already on thin ice, if you’re not careful you might lose more privileges,” she warned.

Turning on his best pleading expression, which he found worked remarkably well on his tough as nails girlfriend, he looked directly into her eyes.

“Please reconsider. I promise to be on my best behavior. I won’t even mention any dirty dishes or unfolded piles of clothes I happen to see.”

Kensi pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes. He saw her start to waver and leaned a little closer, staring more intensely into her eyes. After a minute she sighed.

“Fine.” She held up a finger. “But since you find my lifestyle so amusing, you can wash all my laundry and dishes. And you can’t have your cleaning lady do it for you.”

“Sure,” he said without hesitation.

“For a month,” she added.

“Doable. You know, cleaning isn’t nearly as bad as you think it is.” Evading her elbow, he added, “Are there any other, ahem, tasks you want me to take care of? Maybe I can bake you some muffins?” He lowered his voice suggestively.

He smirked up at her as she looked him up and down, apparently considering his offer. After a minute she leaned closer, her expression playful. God, he loved it when she dropped the tough Special Agent persona.

“I would say yes, but I don’t think your ready to handle my muffins,” she answered, looking ridiculously pleased with herself. “Or my biscuits.”

“I would say ‘touche’, but aren’t biscuits and muffins basically the same thing?” he said, raising a finger. “And just so you know, I can totally handle any and all of your baked goods.”

“You just don’t want to admit that I outwitted you, Mr. Word Smith.”

“Let’s just call it a temporary impasse.”

“I call it you doing all my housework while watch you do it and eat takeout,” she countered.

“Or I could eat y-“

“Ahem!” They both turned, having forgotten that anyone could walk in on their private conversation, and found Nell standing in the doorway with raised eyebrows. She pressed her lips together, looking caught between amusement and vague horror.

Deeks chuckled, ruffling the back of his hair while Kensi quickly pushed away from him.

“Um, how long have you been standing there?” he asked awkwardly.

“Pretty long,” she answered.

“Nell, it’s not what it sounded like,” Kensi rushed to explain. “We were just-“

“Yes, I heard.”

“Deeks was joking. You know how he is. We were actually talking about grabbing dinner after work. You know, like completely platonic coworkers do.” God, she was making it so much worse. Trying not laugh, Deeks added,

“You should come with. I know some great restaurants.” Nell nodded, not looking like she believed them at all.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Did you have something for us, Nell?” Kensi asked in a higher voice than normal.

“Yes, I do. Hetty wants everyone up in Ops. Eric already called Sam and Callen,” she said. Deeks shot Kensi an apologetic look as they followed after Nell.

“So, uh, do you have any nicknames, Nell,” he asked, to fill the awkward silence.

“Not really.”

“Well, we should give you one. And possibly a bell.”

“I don’t know...”

“How about Nellvarine?” he suggested.

“Um, I kind of just like Nell,” she said.

“Don’t worry, we’ll think of something.”

“Before you ask,” Kensi added as the reached Ops and the doors slid open. “Yes, he’s like this all the time.” Before she walked in, Kensi spun to face him and hissed, “You are so dead.”

***

A/N: It’s a bit of shorter and fluffier chapter this week.

[kingjinxii]

What are your opinions of the sprite redesigns for p5r?

Ohoho~ (rubs my grubby little hands together)

I was actually going to make a post about this but I was being lazy.

Here’s the original post with the sprite comparisons and here’s what I think.

Mona: More fluffy and less round overall. His ears are less expressive and also bigger. His fur is given more detail and texture, his bandanna is given less.

Prefer: Royal. I never really liked Mona’s design in the first place, but Royal makes him look more cutesy and vibrant, like a mascot should be, than Vanilla.

Ryuji: The angle of his pose and head changed. His cheeks are slightly more rounded and his eyes are slightly bigger in proportion to his face. His hair is less detailed which makes it look fluffier over spikier. His body looks skinnier and less muscular than Vanilla.

Prefer: Royal. Making characters look younger seems to be the theme of Royal’s new portraits. While Royal Ryuji’s sprites don’t have any glaring design changes, he does look more baby-faced than his Vanilla counterpart, which I think works in his favor. Putting them side-by-side, it’s like comparing a 19 year old (Vanilla) to a 16-year-old (Royal). They’re both serviceable, I just prefer Royal’s slightly more.

Ann: Ann’s hair has been entirely redrawn with shorter, smoother pigtails, and less detailed hair. Her eyes are brighter, wider, and more detailed. Her nose has been changed to be more downturned than Vanilla’s upturned nose. Her lips are slimmer, and her body and shoulders have been raised, making her look skinnier.

Prefer: Vanilla’s face, Royal’s hair, Vanilla overall. Oh Ann, they changed you so much. Again, she looks a bit younger in Royal than in Vanilla. I never looked how they drew Ann’s pigtails in vanilla because they looked too airy and poofy and not as solid as they did in her model, but Royal’s fits it better. I like what they did with her eyes, but I despise her new nose. It’s too long and flat compared to Vanilla. That’s really what breaks it for me.

Yusuke: Yusuke’s face shaped has been altered, with a more defined jawline, cheeks, and chin. His nose has been given more definition, and his eyes are bigger and more well defined, with prominent “Twiggy” lashes. His hair is slightly poofier, and he looks skinner under his shirt.

Prefer: Vanilla. Royal Yusuke looks so mean! He looks really bitchy and snobby and that’s not the Yusuke I know. His new sprite is just so harsh and Vanilla’s is much softer.

Makoto: Makoto’s eyes have been completely redrawn from her Vanilla, up-pointing tsurime eyes, to new, softer, down-pointing tareme eyes. Her hair is is given more volume and clear definition, and her nose is slightly more defined at the bottom, while it’s less defined on the top. Her jacket is given more volume and her shoulders are slightly raised. Her face is also rounder than in Vanilla.

Prefer: Vanilla. Makoto’s supposed to be a very intimidating character, and her new sprite design does not look intimidating at all. I think redrawing her eyes to be softer with a horrible decision, especially since Soejima stated in the artbook that he paid such close attention to them to make her look intimidating and angry. She doesn’t look like Makoto anymore.

Futaba: Futaba’s headphones have been completely redrawn. Her left lens has been made smaller, and more in proportion to his right lens. Her nose is slightly upturned. Her hair is slightly flatter, but the colors are more vibrant, and the strands by her face as fuller. Her shoulders have been brought in more and her body is given more definition that makes her look smaller and skinnier than before.

Prefer: Royal. The small changes really add up and help her overall. I didn’t even realize how off her glasses were until i saw the changed sprite. My theory about the headphones is that they just simply upgraded the model, considering they’re based on real headphones.

Haru: Haru’s hair has been slightly redrawn to be rounder and fluffier, and she has a slight widow’s peak now, which helps make her forehead seem smaller. Her nose has slightly less definition.

Prefer: Royal. Haru’s sprite is the reason I started this comparison, because I was so happy with how they changed her hair in Royal. Her Vanilla sprite always looked off for some reason to me, and I think is was because her hair shape was so triangular. It’s rounder now, which helps with shortening her forehead. She looks really cute!

Goro: Goro’s right eye has been moved up slightly and his hair is given more detail. His eyes are more defined, with prominent lashes. His shirt has been redrawn to look bigger, and his shoulders are wider than before.

Prefer: Vanilla. Royal’s honestly didn’t change much, so I don’t have a lot to say, but I just slightly prefer Vanilla Goro’s smaller shoulders and softer hair. I think they didn’t change much because Goro got brand new Sprites for the third semester, and they wanted to focus on those, rather than his old ones.

Overall, there’s less shading and more streamlining of details, which really emphasizes the “comic book” aesthetic they’re going for. I think there’s a lot of good design decisions (Ann and Haru’s hair, Futaba’s new Sprite) and a lot of bad ones (Makoto’s eyes, Yusuke’s…everything.) I’m pretty split to be honest, but some of them are growing on me. It’s not a total dealbreaker and maybe I’ll get used to the new designs, but overall, I may just ever so slightly prefer Vanilla.

[bloom-agreste-cheng]

Enchantix

Ok so they finally released the new Enchantix. And I have mixed feelings. I do understand that this is a kid’s show and it is not aimed at me, an OG fan now who’s nearly graduating university. So please don’t yell at me. However I can’t help analyzing the two versions of the transformation side by side. I will say what I don’t like about the new version and say what I do like about it. But overall, I will accept the change Winx Club is going through. Overall, I don’t mind the new Enchantix it’s just that the look got a lot more pink and censored. Makes me wish that manip of the new Enchantix, months before it was released, was legit.     

BLOOM

OK…Bloom. Her Enchantix was the one I was most excited about because she did not have any planet to save in season 3. So I was quite excited when she finally earned it. And I was a bit shocked to see the changes she now went through.The more I stare at her, the more differences I see. I think the thing that bothers me most is the pink in her new Enchantix. As well as the new flowers and severe lack of green I her outfit. Even her blue has become a bit boring to look at. In the original her blues changed from ruffle to ruffle. Like it went from blueish, green, cyan color to a lighter blue as the ruffles went down. Now the first ruffle is pink. As for her wings, they look less like butterfly wings and are more rounded. What I do like about her new look is are the added layers to the ruffles. The last two ruffles of her new Enchantix look less revealing which makes me quite happy, I always got worried we’d endup seeing her fanny because of that short skirt. Now it’s longer and fluffier. I am also quite happy that they kept her hairstyle the same and it also looks a bit longer than it was originally. The blue is also the original light cyan blue that Bloom originally had in the first years. It’s been so many transformations since her original light cyan blue. Honestly, it’s the pink that upsets me the most about this new form, and the cyan blue looking just blue instead of green-ish blue. But other than that, she looks virtually the same as before. Oh yeah and the flowers that are added, I didn’t like that very much.

Tecna

I am not very sure how I feel about her new look. The entire point of her Enchantix was to show her change from an emotionally repressed girl to a powerful woman comfortable with her feelings, vulnerable and open to them. I think what upsets me the most about her new look is that her outfit is very censored. The outfit looks like a fucking swimming suit and less like a dress. It’s the green leafy stuff on the shorts, they used to be longer and made the whole ensemble look like a dress. Her purple gloves don’t upset me as much but I did wish they stayed electric blue. And most importantly, her hair. I always knew they were going to cut it shorter than it was, they always did that for Tecna; keep her hair short. And I was right, her hair know looks a bit like a pixie cut. Only a smidge longer, like you can see that liitle tail of hair at the back of her hair. Her hair used to be longer. Like in the original design, it use to be waist long. And over time, it gets shorter and shorter, and I am upset. But it’s OK. I am not the one designing her. But there I things I LOVE about the new look. Look closely at her choker and you’ll notice the original vial is gone, and it its stead, red tear drop gems. I thought that was an interesting new addition to her Enchantix. I think it’s bloody brilliant and inspiring. And have you seen her WINGS? They’re so much more beautiful and colorful than they ever were. I think that is my favorite part of her look. Personally, despite her hair which had always been my favorite part of her Enchantix, I ironically think her look is my second favorite and I don’t always pick Tecna. Also is it just me or do her new wings look bigger than before.

Flora

Flora’s look has got to me my least favourite because hers has changed the most between all six. In the original, I thought she looked like a powerful nature goddess-nymph with the big butterfly wings, her elongated hair and the new colors added to her outfit. With the new Enchantix, she’s kind of like Bloom except she’s pinker than blue. All the green in her look was taken away which upsets me. She even has ruffles in her skirt and I hate it. She looks like a Barbie fairy of or something. I almost did not notice the yellow in her wings. I will say though that her wings, although smaller, have retained the exact same shape as before. I also like how the top part, although different in colors now, still looks the same. But overall with her, I am quite unhappy with her look.

Musa

Ok Seriously, Musa’s look is by far my number one favorite. Her Enchantix doesn’t just look the original, it’s an improvement. I seriously love it. But first I want to switch it up ere and start with I don’t like. The yellow ribbons that used to be on her chest are gone. I am upset about that. They were fun to stare at; they used to wave around majestically in the wind and they took that away. Her gloves, I can’t exactly say what color they used to be because I am not sure, but they are definitely different. They look like a salmon color now and I don’t like it. And her tiara, was it always completely golden or..? I am not too sure about the tiara and it’s bugging me. I don’t understand why. And finally, it’s censored; her stomach is censored and that pisses me off. But that’s the same with everyone. Ok, now for the good part, there’s so much I love about her look. Obviously there’s her hair, it looks exactly the same, maybe a bit fluffier. Hey, they even let her keep the highlights. The strap from her original dress changed spot and it is now crossing her chest; I’m loving it, it looks fantastic. And ooh, the red strap connecting the top of her dress and skirt is just like Layla’s Winx. Her look keeps getting better and better. Suddenly I don’t mind that they censored her stomach. And finally, the poufy skirt. When Musa first got her Enchantix, I was a bit horrified and honestly wanted to laugh at the poufy skirt. I always thought it was a medieval minstrel’s poufy short and I just couldn’t take her seriously despite her status. Now her wings. I will admit, I never understood why they made her wings yellow in the first place. Her new wings with the red shape and the yellow, blue and pink interior looks SO much better. Overall, I love her new Enchantix.

Stella

Overall, I think I am ok with it. Stella’s Enchantix was originally quite the hype back then. Like she’s the first Enchantix fairy you saw in the theme song and it looked amazing and exciting. So now that it’s been redesigned, I kind of stopped caring about her. Because seriously, it does not look better than the original. The original was better. It was sexier. If you look around there was a fan art of Enchantix in the new style featuring the original Enchantix outfit. That looked better than the new style. Nothing really jumps out for her new outfit. Actually… Her new outfit looks like a short Mexican party dress. It’s the skirt. The new skirt changed the whole look. I gotta be honest, I love the added petals in her skirt. I was always worried about how skimpy the original skirt was. Now it has layers. It still has the original color and it has layers like Bloom’s dress. In all seriousness though, Stella’s look is the least changed. Except for the big pink star in her chest in the new form.  If that’s supposed to be the replacement for her fairy dust vial, it’s not a success. The separated straps from her original dress was better than the converging ones from the new one IMO. I also don’t particularly like how her stomach is covered and the blue, intertwining ribbons have changed into just one ribbon. Also am I looking at her wrong or are her wings smaller? I said I was going to mention something good right? I love her wings, they look almost unchanged, although they look rounder. That’s gotta be my favorite part of her new look If I spent more time analyzing the looks, I’d be here forever.

Layla/Aisha

Sigh……Part of me is a little mad about her look. It’s because it confuses me so much. I do not know what to think of it… I’ve made up my mind. I definitely don’t like it. It’s fairly different from the original, in colors and in design and it’s seriously pissing me off. Her outfit and her wings keep changing. Actually it’s mostly the outfit. When she first earns Enchantix, it’s blue, green, yellow and pink. Dominantly blue. Then after Bloom earns her Enchantix, it switches to dominantly green, with pink and yellow. Now it’s dominantly pink with some green and small specks of purple. Seriously, they made her girlier than she originally was. She’s not the strong, sporty, rebel fairy princess I used to know and love. I think that’s what makes me so mad about her new look. When I see ENchantix, all I see are powerful, savior fairies. It started with Layla. She and Stella are the ones who began that trend and to see her lose the original meaning of Enchantix and looking like a little girl pisses me off. So overall, I don’t like her new look. Too much pink, too girly, and too childish. And I do not like it.

So in retrospect, I will have to admit, I do not like it at all. Ok not too much. I still like it a little bit. But not too much. I’m a sentimental so I’m always going to prefer the original. For all six of them.

[rannadylin]

Character Interview: Idalia

Tagged by @haledamage​ - thank you, these are fun!

I’m tagging (and I know some of you’ve been tagged elsewhere too but if you want to do it for more than one character, I would love to give you an excuse to! ;-D and feel free to tag me back if you want, I have an abundance of OCs) @ariela-of-aedyr​ @queen-scribbles​ @aban-ataashi​ @serenbach86​ @lunarowena​ @sayonaramidnight​ @risualto​ @fangmich​ and tagging @haledamage​ back too for another character!

Today’s interview is with my shy little Dal of @grumpy-jedi​‘s god squad rpg campaign! Bonus: her most recent picrew image, but you gotta imagine the ears longer and fluffier, alas for the lack of orlan-friendly dollmaker options ;-D (Still this one’s an excellent Dal expression, really)

name ➔ Idalia. Most people call me Dal though. Or sometimes Lia, or Ida, or…well, it’s fine either way. (It’s a big name for someone as small as me, anyway.)

are you single ➔ Oh…yes, I am.

are you happy ➔ I’m…content, usually. Though recent events have been very trying.

are you angry ➔ No. Just…sometimes sad and disappointed.

are your parents still married ➔  They are now! They couldn’t before I was born, but they are now.

NINE FACTS

birth place ➔ Well, I’m still not exactly certain. Near enough to Gilded Vale; maybe I should ask my parents just where it was. I never thought I’d have the chance, and I didn’t think to ask details like that when they were telling me about how they came to leave me at the temple. There were fireflies there, that night I was born.

hair colour ➔ Strawberry blonde

eye colour ➔ Blue

birthday ➔ Oh! I should ask my parents this too! I never knew it for sure; Siofra celebrated it on the day I came to the temple, but I suppose my real birthday was not long before that.

mood ➔ Quiet

color scheme ➔ Sunrise colors – yellow, pale orange and pink. I like blue too, and sometimes a bit of green.

gender ➔ Female

summer or winter ➔ Winter

morning or afternoon ➔ Oh, I am definitely a morning person. I’m not sure if that is by my nature or from growing up in Eothas’ temple, but I think it unlikely to change now.

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

are you in love ➔ Me? Oh, no. I mean…well, perhaps someday, but no one I’ve met…

do you believe in love at first sight ➔ Well, it sounds lovely. I think it would take me longer than that, though.

who ended your last relationship ➔ No one can end what hasn’t begun!

have you ever broken someone’s heart ➔ I surely hope not!

are you afraid of commitments ➔ No, but I wouldn’t begin one without giving it plenty of thought, you know.

have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ Yes, I…well, I may not ever see her again. So now I’m glad I did.

have you ever had a secret admirer ➔ Me? Oh, I don’t think so!

have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ By pining, do you mean? Well…maybe once or twice, a little? I mean, I’m…not what most of the folk where I come from would be interested in.

SIX CHOICES

love or lust ➔ Love

lemonade or iced tea ➔ Tea, in any form

cats or dogs ➔ Cats. Dogs are very excitable, but cats make good quiet company.

a few best friends or many regular friends ➔ A few best friends.

wild night out or romantic night in ➔ A night in, whether or not it’s romantic.

day or night ➔ Day; rising early means I don’t care to stay up too late.

FIVE HAVE YOU EVERS

been caught sneaking out ➔ I’d rather stay in where it’s safe.

fallen down/up the stairs ➔ Oh yes, a time or two!

wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ In a sense…mostly I just want things back to normal, but I think normal is just shifting.

wanted to disappear ➔ Yes; I really don’t like being the center of attention.

been involved in a fight you thought you couldn’t win ➔ I haven’t really been in an actual fight myself – not yet, and that’s good because I probably couldn’t win one anyway – but this whole war that is brewing feels like an unwinnable fight no matter which side I look at it from.

FOUR PREFERENCES

smile or eyes ➔ Smile

shorter or taller ➔ Short as me!

intelligence or attraction ➔ Intelligence

hook-up or relationship ➔ Relationship

FAMILY

do you and your family get along ➔  Siofra and I get along very well. My new-found long-lost family…well, I’ve just met them, but I think we will. It’s a very difficult time to actually get to know them though.

would you say you have a “messed up life” ➔ No, not really. I was very content at the temple. Perhaps it seems messed up that I grew up away from my birth family, but I understand why they gave me up.

have you ever ran away from home ➔ It feels like I’m running away from there now, though I don’t want to – no matter what direction I go.

have you ever gotten kicked out ➔ No, that would be very sad!

FRIENDS

do you secretly hate one of your friends ➔ Of course not! Even if…some of us may be on opposite sides of a war now.

do you consider all of your friends good friends ➔ Some of them I’m closer to than others.

who is your best friend ➔ For most of my life it’s been Weynid – I keep her out of trouble, she gets me into it, but she makes me laugh and she doesn’t mind me being different as much as some do –  but she transferred to another temple, few years back, so we just keep in touch by letters now. And wartime is probably going to make that harder.

who knows everything about you ➔ Well, to an extent, Siofra, but she didn’t know anything about my birth parents, so now I’m not sure that counts. It seems Eothas probably knows everything about me, though.

[bunny-wk-fanfic]

Personal Indulgence 2

A little something that I’ve written a good while back and have been holding onto for whatever reason. I hope everyone enjoys this!

The 1920’s were, well, they were roaring. Only, Kagome never thought she would get to experience them first hand. Not that she had anything against experiencing new things, or new times, she would rather be able to do so while not on the run. She was still lost on how she got to be in the beginning of the 20th century, and with the Shikon was still in her possession after all, she was quick to learn that there were many that knew of its existence. A whole magical community of witches, wizards, and magical beings.

Sadly, there was at current a rise of a wizard that was set on world domination, somehow word of the Shikon got to him and so she was on the run. It was a lot harder to fight against evil using magic when most of the world stopped believing in it at large. Again, if she weren’t on the run, she would have enjoyed her travels. Across China and Hong Kong, India, Egypt, Turkey, across Europe, and now on a ship to America. Sadly, she didn’t stay anywhere long enough to enjoy the sights and cultures. The magical community had impressive means of travel to catch up with her.

“Kirara?” her steps were only slightly muffled against the thin carpet, arms wrapped tight around herself as her gaze flickered over every corner. “Kirara, this isn’t funny!” her hushed tones still rang loudly in her ears.

While it wouldn’t be that odd to see a cat on the ship, even in this age, one with two tails would be quick to gain attention. And there was the fact that she was still getting used to sensing witches and wizards. What with their damn ‘notice me not muggle’ spells and charms.

“Kira-!” she paused when she heard a faint mew from further up ahead. Holding still, even her breath, she waited until she heard it again before rushing towards where she thought the source could be. Another downfall about witches and wizards, the moment she sent out her abilities to sense and search, they became aware of her themselves. Not directly knowing who or what was going on, but they immediately went on edge. “Kirara!”

Turning a corner, she spotted the Nekomata sitting facing a corner while looking up at a fire extinguisher. “Kirara, you scared me running off like that.” her brows furrowed when Kirara gave her a quick glance only to return her gaze to the fire extinguisher with a softer mew. “Did you find something?”

Approaching the corner herself, Kagome began to examine the brass container, giving Kirara an absent scratch behind her ears. It took a few moments, but she quickly saw what had attracted Kirara’s attention. “Oh! Hello there.”

The little critter was a mix of twig and praying mantis, green in color with spindly limbs that ended in fine points. It made the lightest of noises as it peeked out from behind the extinguisher, tiny eyes turning between her and Kirara.

“You look lost, do you need some help?” she raised a hand, holding it within the critter’s reach. “Come on, I’m not going to hurt you. And neither is my friend here.” head tipping to the side, she watched as it chirped and chittered before slowly climbing into her hand.

It’s limbs, ones that could be called hands, wrapped around her thumb as it tipped it’s head up to look up at her. “Well then, let’s get you back where you belong, huh?” raising her hand up to her shoulder, she waited a few moments before she felt it tuck itself behind her ear under her hair. With her hands free, Kirara was able to jump up and rest securely in her hold. “Well, let’s see if we can get there first.”

With slow steps, Kagome began walking back down the hall. Every so often she would pause or stop when she heard a squeaky little chirp, a pat to her neck, or gentle tug to some hair. There were few other passengers awake at this time, but the ones that were, were drawn to Kirara more than herself. Thankfully, all she needed to do was twist her tails around each one another to make it look more look like a single fluffy tail.

That, and it wouldn’t look good to appear as if she were talking to herself. “Are we getting close?” no sooner had she asked the critter, did Kirara once again take off running. “Kirara-! Seriously… we’re supposed to be lying low.” with a sigh, she picked up her skirts and took off after her.

How she missed the sneakers of her past, sturdy shoes that were perfect for running in. And lighter, if not shorter, skirts. Kagome managed to keep her sights on the whipping tails of Kirara. Following her down the corridors, Kagome was hoping that her friend wasn’t discovered, nor that word about her got back to this supposed dark wizard.

Turning the last corner, her body tipped forward when she came to a sudden stop. Wide eyes blinked at spotting Kirara purring under the obvious affection being given to her by a strange man. Now normally, she wouldn’t care, what with how kind and patient Kirara was. But both of her tails were visible.

“...Kirara?” fingers tightening in the heavy material of her skirt, she froze when the man looked up and spotted her.

Pale eyes stared up at her as she stared back, taking in the whole appearance of this man. Blue coat, mustard vest, gray pants, brown shoes, bowtie… strawberry blond hair that curled over his brow. He appeared lanky, and would mostly like tower over her own height.

Turning her gaze back down to Kirara, she bit down on her lip unsure of what to do in this situation. He obviously wasn’t surprised with Kirara’s appearance, meaning he was most likely a wizard.

“Pickett!” the suddenness of the call from the man had Kagome looking back up to him, flinching when he was suddenly approaching her and obviously reaching out towards her while holding Kirara. “Oh, I’m sorry. You… you have my friend there.”

“...and you have mine.” her voice trembled a bit, emotions surging forth and making it hard for her to process the situation.

His gaze dropped from her shoulder to Kirara, said Nekomata purring softly as she stared up at Kagome.

“Again, I apologize. I’ve just never seen a Nekomata before. They’re very rare.” he gently offered her Kirara back.

Offering a small smile, Kagome returned the favor, using her hand as a sort of platform for the critter to climb up on. “I’ve never seen one of your friends before either. A curious little one that seemed very eager to return to you.” a quiet giggle escaped her at the apparent happy chirps it gave off as it returned to the man.

“He’s a Bowtruckle.” the man offered with a smile as said Bowtruckle was quick to scurry up his arm and slip into a breast pocket of his jacket. “Thank you for bringing him back.”

Smiling, Kagome hugged Kirara a little closer to her. “Happy too.”

Hearing voices from behind, Kagome quickly looked over her shoulder in worry, a hand petting down Kirara’s back. She wasn’t going to take anymore chances, as her markings did garner too much unwanted attention, she quickly muttered the activation for the illusion that Shippo had given her to hide Kirara’s demonic heritage while using just the smallest part of her power.

Newt’s eyes widened slightly at the markings disappeared as the woman continued to pet along the Nekomata’s back, small glittering sparks trailing behind until the markings were gone. With the creature twining it’s own tails to make it look more like a single, if not more fluffier, tail, it looked like a normal cat. Just in time too, as two crewmen turned the corner and onto the corridor they were currently standing in.

“Oh! Is everything alright?” the younger of the two looked between them as the two paused.

“Ah, yes. Trouble sleeping is all.” the young woman offered easily, a tired smile lightening her face slightly as she continued to pet a low purring Nekomata.

The two men nodded, the older looking down at the cat. “Best to keep pets in your compartment.”

Blue eyes looked down at what now appeared to be a dozing cat. “Ah. I didn’t know how long my stroll would be, and I didn’t want her causing a fuss at being alone and disturbing others.”

Dark eyes narrowed but the older man nodded. “Alright. Just don’t let it out of your sight. And use your carrier from now on.” he tipped his hat a bit, as did the younger man, before the two of them bid their farewells and continued on their way.

Newt watched the woman, noting how her ease seemed to disappear when she was left alone with him which he found utterly odd. Was she possibly afraid to be alone with him? For what reason? It wasn’t like he could report her for smuggling dangerous magical creatures when he was doing the same, more or less.

Her eyes darted at the far ends of the corridor, feet shuffling as she bit down on her lower lip. “Well, I hope you have a pleasant evening.” she gave a quick bow of her head and was preparing to turn and make her obvious way back to her cabin.

But Newt did something he was not known for when it came to others, he reached out to stop her. “Wait!”

The fear in her eyes when she turned back to him shocked him. Now, he may not be like his brother, but he recognized fear from those he saved after they’ve been hunted down. Letting go, he raised his hands and took a step back. “I’m sorry! I just, I would like to know more about your friend. If- if that’s alright with you?”

At this point, the Nekomata peeked a wide red eye and stared at him. There was a level of intelligence there that surprised even him. The second eye opened and both were pinned on him, and he knew that he was being tested, the exactness on the how was lost to him. After what felt like forever, a quiet mew sounded in the air that was followed by a low purring as the Nekomata moved to nuzzle and cuddle beneath the woman’s chin.

“Well, Kirara seems to like you. So I guess I can trust you, for now.” lips were pursed as her posture eased a little, but she was still on alert.

Offering a smile, Newt bobbed his head. She didn’t know how telling her words were, but he knew he would have to take it slow. “I’m glad. I’m Newt Scamander.”

Blue eyes blinking wide, which he just realized seemed oddly out of place with the rest of her Asian characteristics, twinkled slightly as her lips twitched. “Newt Scamander?”

“Yes?” he didn’t know what she found amusing, but could only assume that it had to do with the fact that she obviously came from the far East.

“It… it sounds… adorable. It suits you.” her cheeks took on a light rosy hue as she smiled more freely at him before she face him completely. “Kagome Higurashi.”

Testing her name, he smiled at her giggles when she corrected him, watching her head bob when he finally got it correct. “If would like, I have somewhere safe for your friend to be themselves.” he indicated the direction back to his own tiny cabin.

The slight narrowing of his eyes was expected, the time it took before she finally agreed as well. “Try anything funny…” the threat hung in the air would have been amusing coming from such a small woman, but the large red eyes that were also pinned on him let him know that he wouldn’t have to contend with just the tiny woman.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” at the honesty in his tone, she once again relaxed and fell in step next to him, eager to share his own friends with this young woman and to see how she would react to them all. Hopefully, he would gain a friend with the woman that was a fellow kindred spirit when it came to understanding magical creatures.

[paladin-lynx]

Human SQUIPtober 2019, Day 10: Leaves

Human SQUIPtober 2019 Day 10: Leaves

Ships Involved: RiverWay (Two River SQUIP [River] x Broadway SQUIP [Ly])

Setting: AU where River and Ly somehow both became human after being SQUIPs for their respective Jeremys, and they now live together. They don’t quite understand how they can both exist, but it isn’t worth questioning it.

Trigger/Content Warnings: None

Author’s Notes: (I was almost on time with this one!) I’m back! Here’s a fluffier piece for this pair. Enjoy!

“Come on, Riv, you’re so slow! And you wonder why I call you an old man!”

River rolled his eyes, stuffing his hands into his pockets despite the fact that just a few years ago, he would’ve chided Jeremy for doing the same thing. Ly had convinced him that they should take advantage of the weather and take a stroll through the park. It was the middle of autumn, right at that perfect midway point between hot and cold where you needed a jacket, but nothing overly bulky or uncomfortable. River was wearing a light coat and scarf – the latter was more for the look than the practicality, sue him – while Ly ran ahead of him in a sweatshirt and beanie.

River absolutely loathed how adorable he looked.

Sometimes he found it unbelievable that they were, in a way, the same person, just different versions. People often mocked the theory of multiple universes where an entity could be one thing in one universe and the complete opposite in another. To be honest, River himself, with his constant overthinking and overanalyzing, would probably still be one of those people if it hadn’t been for the sudden appearance of the embodiment of the 3.0 Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor Patch at his doorstep, claiming to have been in the head of a completely different Jeremy Heere in a completely different Middleborough High.

“You specifically said you wanted to take a stroll, love,” River called after his companion, still keeping his leisurely pace. It was, in fact, a nice day and he was going to take the time to appreciate the fall scenery. This was one of his favorite times of year. Part of him wondered if it was because he’d been activated during this season, so it was one of the first things he got to experience through Jeremy’s eyes. The world was a ridiculous place, but it did have its nice aspects.

Ly finally slowed down so that River could catch up, turning to him with that stupid cheeky grin of his. “I can’t help getting excited. There’s so much to see and do out here, Riv. Stop being so dull.”

River blinked. That was right. This was Ly’s first autumn as a human, so of course he was going to be bouncing all over the place, just like he did with everything else he was experiencing for the first time as a human. River was half-convinced that the first time Ly had hooked up with someone – because of course he had done that, with his ‘cool party boy’ attitude – he’d probably finished early solely from how overwhelming all of the sensations were. River almost wanted to know so he could mock him for it, but at the same time, no thank you.

Even with the epiphany about Ly’s behavior, River still huffed. “You won’t be able to appreciate it if you’re just running past all of it.”

Ly sighed, readjusting his beanie. “I suppose you’re right. I’ll take it easy a bit.”

River couldn’t help a little smile, continuing along the path they were walking. “Come on, then.”

Ly walked beside him and gazed all around them. There was indeed a lot to take in. The trees had lost a lot of their leaves but weren’t completely bare yet. Brown, orange, and golden debris blazed against the green grass, and there was a slight nip in the breeze that whisked past that had River shrinking down into his coat for a brief moment, nuzzling his nose into his scarf. But just as quickly, the late afternoon sun melted away the chill.

It wasn’t as if Ly had been the only one with this idea. They weren’t alone at the park. There were plenty of people out. Families exploring the trails, people walking their dogs or letting them run free and frolic about, couples huddling together under the trees, and a plethora of others. River was pretty sure he spotted a group of teenagers decked out in costumes and armor rushing past at one point, weaving through the trees as they chased each other. He would bet they were LARPers. Judging by their outfits, from the glimpses he’d caught, it was some sort of fantasy adventure, like in Dungeons & Dragons.

Michael had once tried to get Jeremy to join one of his online D&D campaigns. Jeremy had refused because it was bad enough interacting with people he did know; he would be a mess with people he didn’t know and in a game that most of them had probably been playing for years that he had no idea about. Plus, that game involved math, and Jeremy despised math in all forms.

River furrowed his eyebrows at the thought, hurriedly shaking it away. He was here now. Jeremy and Michael were off living their best lives. Maybe Jeremy had joined the game after all. He’d like it. Christine would, too, at least the role-playing aspect.

River was having a difficult time pulling himself out of his own head, as he often did, but as always he was snapped back to reality by Ly’s voice: “Oh! Hello!”

He blinked and saw Ly kneeling down as a pair of dogs, tongues lolling from their mouths, bounded over to him. One was larger with curly golden fur while the other, which struggled a bit to keep up, was shorter and tubbier with darker brown fur, although River spotted some lighter markings on its belly. River guessed that the bigger one was a golden retriever and poodle mix – a goldendoodle, if he remembered currently – based on the wavy fur and the body shape. The smaller one took him a moment longer, unsure at first if it was a Boston terrier or a French bulldog, although he realized after a moment that it was too wide to be a Boston terrier.

Ly laughed as the goldendoodle eagerly lapped at his face and the bulldog jumped up to try and do the same. River watched from a safe few feet away, letting Ly have his moment, although after a moment the bulldog seemed to give up and decided to pick a new target, waddling over to River’s feet and giving him what almost looked like an open-mouthed smile.

River couldn’t help it as he chuckled and crouched down, offering the bulldog a few pats on the head, watching as it tried to lick his wrist. “Hello there, friend,” he greeted softly.

“Oh my God, I am so sorry!” River looked up to see a young woman, no older than twenty-five, jogging over to them with a bewildered look on her face. “They don’t normally run off like that, I guess they just got a bit too excited…” She leaned down to clip a leash to the goldendoodle’s collar, but Ly waved her away, grinning widely.

“It’s alright. We’re always happy to make a few new friends.” He peeked over at River. “Right, River?”

River, not wanting to be improper in front of a stranger, sighed softly, ruffling the bulldog’s ears as he gave the woman a polite smile. “It’s no trouble. I’m glad they stopped to see us instead of just booking it away from you.”

The woman laughed softly, and despite Ly’s insistence, she did clip the leashes onto the two dogs’ collars, just in case. “I know they would never hurt anyone, but you never know who might get scared, or annoyed.”

“Can I ask what their names are?” Ly questioned. River would never cease to be amazed at how quickly Ly could go from being a complete child to civil and well-mannered.

The woman smiled, pointing to the goldendoodle. “She’s Spaghetti”—she then pointed to the bulldog—“and he’s Meatball.”

Ly turned to River again, stars shimmering in his eyes as he grinned like an idiot. River wanted to tease him, but he felt his own heart melt at the woman’s words. He smiled softly down at Meatball, petting him again. “What cute names.”

“Thank you. I hate to pull them away from you, but I really do have to go…”

Ly leaned over to plant a little kiss on the top of Spaghetti’s head before getting to his feet. “Thank you for your time.”

She smiled and gave a little tug on the leashes, and the dogs trotted back over to her. They seemed well-trained, River thought to himself. He wondered what had caused them to just run away like they had. Were River and Ly that interesting? Or perhaps the two dogs had that strange sixth sense animals seemed to have and knew that something was off about them?

“Thank you for keeping them entertained.” The woman gave another smile and waved as she turned to lead the dogs away. “Have a nice day!”

“You too!” River and Ly called at the same time, exchanging a glance. Ly smirked and the moment was over, and River – as usual – turned away with a roll of his eyes. Soon enough, they were continuing on.

“Maybe we should get a pet,” Ly hummed.

River gave him a pointed look. “It’s enough work just looking after you.”

Ly laughed. “Oh, so I’m your pet now, am I?”

River blinked a few times before his cheeks warmed and he hid behind his scarf, looking away. “Why must you bring everything back to sex like a miscreant?”

“Everything comes from sex, dear River. In fact—”

“Do. Not. Finish that statement,” River practically growled.

Ly seemed to consider it for a moment before simply smiling and clasping his hands behind his back, walking ahead and humming under his breath. River sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose, before following.

They walked in rather comfortable silence for a little while. It seemed they were both finally taking the chance to actually take in the setting around them and just enjoy the splendor that the park had to offer. Maybe Spaghetti, Meatball, and that young woman’s friendly attitude had put them in a better temperament. Maybe they could actually have a peaceful rest of their day here.

“River, River, look!”

Or not.

River raised an eyebrow as Ly pointed to a bettered tended-to area of the park. The fallen leaves were in large, neat piles underneath their trees. “What?”

“What do you mean, what?” Ly huffed. “The leaves!”

“Yes, what about them?”

Ly groaned, rolling his eyes. River furrowed his eyebrows before he suddenly realized what Ly was planning. “Ly,” he warned.

Ly turned to him with a grin before sprinting away, toward the piles. River’s eyes widened as he chased after him. “Ly, someone probably spent all day raking th—!”

He winced, slowing to a stop as Ly dove straight into the pile, face-first. He was laughing as the leaves dipped under him, some flying up only to float back down on top of him. Of course, River had memories from Jeremy’s brain of the boy running around with Michael when they were littler – and maybe not so little, too – and jumping into the piles of freshly raked leaves, much to the chagrin of an exhausted Mr. Heere. Even so, even with the joy he knew the boys had felt from the silly antic, River sighed, grimacing slightly as he walked over closer to the pile. “Are you happy with yourself?”

“Very,” Ly sighed out, flipping to lay on his back in the leaf-pile, arms and legs splayed out as he closed his eyes. He looked about ready to go to sleep.

“Come on, Ly, do you have any idea what could be in those leaves? Dirt and bugs and debris and—”

River stopped when he saw Ly had opened an eye and was smirking at him. Once again, with how well they knew one another, River knew what he was planning. He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you goddamn dare.”

“Or what, Riv?” Ly purred, pushing himself up to sit.

River took a step back, but Ly was faster, grabbing onto River’s arms in a surprisingly strong grip and letting himself fall back into the pile. “Ly—!” River started, only to let out a horribly undignified shriek as he lost his balance and tumbled forward, falling into the leaves and also mostly on top of Ly.

With their combined weight, they only sank further into the pile and River found himself surrounded on all sides by leaves. It was warmer than he expected, and he could begin to understand how Ly had looked so comfortable before. However, he still pushed himself up so he was on his hands and knees over Ly instead of just collapsed on top of him. Ly had a grin on his face that could put the Cheshire cat to shame, and River once again found it hard to believe that this man had once formulated a half-decent plan to take over the human race. He scowled, praying that no one had seen – or heard – any of that. “Now are you happy with yourself?”

“Very,” Ly cackled out.

River sighed heavily, shaking his head, letting loose a few leaves that had gotten stuck there. “Unbelievable. Honestly, you’re supposed to be so much more advanced than me and yet here you are, acting like—”

Ly cut River off again, except this time, it was because he had leaned up to press his lips to River’s, kissing him gently. It did the trick and River shut up, eyes widening and cheeks flaming, and he couldn’t even move. He didn’t kiss back, but he didn’t pull away. He was just there, frozen like a machine that had short-circuited. Ly pulled away after only a few heartbeats, but it may as well have been hours in River’s mind. He simply stared, dumbfounded, at Ly under him, mouth slightly agape in shock.

Ly gave him a genuine smile, not one of his usual cocky smirks. “I just want you to have a bit of fun for once,” he murmured.

River blinked again, rather owlishly, before groaning and nuzzling into his scarf again as if to hide away. It seemed to have become more of a safety blanket than he’d intended. “I often question your idea of ‘fun,’” he muttered.

Ly chuckled, before abruptly falling quiet, eyes widening a bit. “Hold still,” he whispered, reaching up. River listened but his brow creased as Ly’s fingers brushed just slightly against his hair, and a moment later, Ly pulled his hand back. River’s breath caught as he saw the caterpillar, small and fuzzy, that was leisurely inching its way across Ly’s hand.

“How the hell did I not feel that there?” River breathed.

“Because my kiss was so great that you couldn’t focus on anything else?” Ly teased, chuckling.

River huffed. “Well, I was right about there being bugs.”

“Lighten up, River. We like making new friends, remember? Come on.”

Hesitantly, River moved to lay beside Ly in the pile, offering his hand when the caterpillar got to the edge of Ly’s. It didn’t even miss a beat as it crawled onto the new territory. River pulled his hand back to himself, smiling just a bit as he turned his hand this way and that, watching the caterpillar tirelessly climb about.

“Aw, he likes you,” Ly cooed, leaning his head against River’s shoulder.

River scoffed, but his eyes never left his new little companion. He was silent for a moment. “…Maybe I’ll reconsider about getting a pet.”

He tried to ignore the way his chest warmed as Ly laughed against him.

[ravenwrites-fanfiction]

Dean x Pregnant!Reader: Nesting, it ain’t easy.

Author: EdgarAllenPoes-Raven

Character: Dean

Word Count: 3972

Warnings: Smut, oral (reader receiving), pregnant reader, non-graphic birth, Alpha Dean, Omega Reader, Alpha, beta, omega dynamics, knotting

Brief Summary/Request Prompt/Original Imagine: You're pregnant with Dean Winchesters pup, of course it isn't going to be a walk in the park - nothing involving the Winchesters is. In between nesting and raging hormones, you can't help but feel a little sorry for your Alpha.

You were lied in bed after spending the fifth morning in a row throwing up; a whine left your throat when Dean’s fingers ran through your hair. ‘’I know sweetheart, I know. Are you sure you don’t want to go to the doctor?’’

‘’I’m sure, I just caught the stomach bug that was going around.’’

‘’I don’t want to leave you alone today.’’ His fingers brushing your cheek and you leaned into his touch, ‘’Don’t worry I’ll be fine.’’

Dean sighed, ‘’Just you being alone and sick doesn’t sit well with me.’’ You smiled, ‘’You’re going to be late for work Alpha. Don’t want to get into trouble, do you?’’

Growling playful Dean nuzzled your cheek, ‘’Are you getting cheeky with me Omega?’’

‘’Maybe, but I’m serious go to work I’ll be fine.’’

Dean knew he wasn’t going to win this one, ‘’Fine but if you start feeling worse, call me.’’ You nodded and he pressed kiss to your forehead. ‘’I’ll see you later.’’ When he left you buried yourself under the blankets, pulling Dean’s pillow closer so that you could inhale his scent, hoping that getting a few hours rest would help with the feeling of nausea. The next thing you know when you slowly start to wake up is the presents of Mary looking down on you with a gentle smile. ‘’Hey, Dean called and said you wasn’t feeling well and asked me to come check on you.’’

‘’Should have known he’d call you.’’ She laughed, ‘’He told me that you’d been feeling sick recently?’’

‘’Yeah, it’s been going on for now for five days.’’

‘’Can I ask when your last heat was?’’

You blushed slightly before grabbing your phone and pulling up the calendar, ‘’It was supposed to be due last week.’’ You started flicking back through the past months, ‘’Wait, I’m never late.’’

Mary didn’t seemed phase by your confusion she just pulled something out of her bag, ‘’I think you might find this useful?’’ She handed you the box, ‘’A pregnancy test?’’

‘’You should take it.’’

The box felt foreign in your hands you hadn’t spoken to Dean about children just yet; questioned just started to appear out of nowhere. Did he want kids? How would he react? What if he didn’t want kids, would he leave?

‘’If you knew anything about Dean you know he would be over the moon if you were pregnant.’’

‘’Okay, let’s do this.’’

The next five minutes were the longest of your life as you waited for the timer to go off. Even when the timer went off you didn’t pick up the stick instead you let Mary deliver the news but her face wasn’t giving anything away.

‘’Well.’’ She paused, ‘’It looks like I’m going to be a grandmother.’’ With those words she broke out into a huge smile, ‘’I’m pregnant?’’

‘’Yes.’’

You placed a hand on your flat abdomen the awe that you felt in that moment, that you were growing a small life inside of you and the love spread through your veins like a wildfire for the child that in the months to come will grow.

Mary wrapped her arms around you, ‘’Congratulations, now all that’s left to do is tell Dean.’’

Oh God, you had to tell Dean.

~*~ You came up with the perfect way to do it when Mary left you found an old gift box with some tissue paper inside, that was big enough to put the test inside. In a draw you found some ribbon to top everything off. All you had to do now was wait for Dean to get home, there was no harm in taking a nap for a few hours was there? Your awoken when you hear the door close; ‘’Hey sweetheart, how you feelin?’’

‘’Better, great even.’’

Dean smiles, ‘’Good.’’ His eyes catch the box that’s to your side, ‘’What’s that?’’

‘’Well it’s a gift for my wonderful caring mate.’’ You smiled and sat up as Dean sits down at the side of you. ‘’Oh, what brought this on?’’

‘’Nothing,’’ You pushed the box into his hands, ‘’Now open!’’

Nerves wreck through your body as Dean pulls off the ribbon and opens it; his brows furrow in confusion as he looks inside and pulls out the test. You can see the cogs in his mind turning before everything clicks into place.

‘’You’re pregnant?’’

‘’Surprise?’’

He is completely silence for a few moments before his face breaks out into a huge grin as he jumps off the couch and fist bumping the air. Dean is laughing gleefully as he looks at the test, ‘’I’m gonna be a dad.’’

‘’Yes, you are.’’

Dean pulls you off the couch and into his arms twirling you around; when he calms down he cups your face with his hands his eyes full of love and devotion. ‘’I love you so much,’’ His hands move down to splay over your stomach and you move yours to cover his, ‘’I love you too, Dean.’’

~*~ The news of your pregnancy spreads quickly in the gated community; even though werewolves and humans live comfortably side by side and have done for years. The gates make everyone feel more secure. The community is on the outskirts of town and behind is a vast landscape of woodland; making it the perfect place to settle down. Once Dean’s father John heard the news of your pregnancy he held a gathering for everyone to celebrate. You thought he was going a little overboard, but you are mated to the pack alpha’s oldest son. Being in your wolf form makes the pregnancy feel easier even if you are only two months along; in this form you don’t feel the nausea from pesky morning sickness. A few weeks ago, you found a perfect spot that called out to you, not to deep in the forest is a tree with the base hollowed out from the weather. The ground is soft and inside is comfortably warm.

It’s now becoming your soon to be nest and you made sure to scent mark every inch you could reach to keep others from invading.

‘’There you are.’’

Dean.

You uncurl from your spot and peak your head out, Dean takes this has an invitation to come closer but when you growl at him he stops. He holds his hands out and takes a step back, ‘’Sorry sweetheart, this is your spot.’’

Hearing Dean acknowledging that this spot is yours placates your territorial instincts and you finally pull yourself from your den. You trot over to Dean and brush yourself against his legs in return he bends down and strokes over your fur. ‘’Came to tell you that dinner is ready.’’

Your stomach rumbles and you let out a small whine which makes Dean chuckle, ‘’Come on then, let’s get you fed.’’

~*~ Were pregnancies are thankfully shorter than humans instead of nine months a were will only be pregnant for six months. Right now, your nesting instincts are going haywire the closer you’re due to give birth.

‘’The blanket isn’t soft enough, Dean.’’ You whine, ‘’I need something fluffier.’’

Dean is being an absolute sweetheart, he is patient with you and never gets annoyed even when you pile the shopping cart full of pillows and other fluffy objects. You’re not satisfied yet and won’t be until you have the right blanket.

You’re frustrated, tired and hungry.

‘’Hey, come here.’’

Dean tugs you towards him gently and you waste no time in burying your face into his neck to inhale his scent. It’s warm and comforting and you can feel yourself start to relax, ‘’We’ll find the right one, don’t worry.’’

‘’I didn’t think it was going to be this hard.’’

‘’You’re handling it well, my mom almost clawed dad’s face off during the nesting phase,’’ He chuckled, ‘’You’ll find it.’’

With Dean’s gentle encouragement you continue your quest to find the perfect blanket, you’re running your hand over different ones. Too rough, not thick enough, too small, feels prickly against your skin. You’re close to giving up until you brush your hand over one more.

Perfect.

It’s perfect in every way possible.

You pull it off the shelf and unravel it, bunching it up in your hands you bring it to your face. A feeling of contentment washes over you and you look over at Dean, 

‘’This one.’’

‘’See, I told you.’’ Dean reaches out with all the intent off placing the blanket in the cart and you growl at him. He damn near jumps out of his skin which causes an elderly woman at the end of the aisle to burst out laughing.

‘’Honey, I wouldn’t take that from her unless you want to scar that handsome face of yours.’’ She clucked, ‘’Just take the tag off it to pay, she doesn’t want any other scents on it.’’

You sheepishly hand Dean the tag embarrassed at your behaviour the woman shakes her head in amusement, ‘’You two are adorable, congratulations on your pregnancy and good luck.’’

By the time you get back to the car you’re completely wrapped in the blanket from almost head to toe. Now you just want to get home and sort everything, what’s going into the nursery and what you’ll be taking to your birthing den. The blanket was defiantly going into the den.

‘’Can you go faster?’’

‘’Going as fast as I can, sweetheart.’’

Mary had warned you about the nesting anxiety that would hit when it came close to birth and it was hitting you hard. Dean takes hold of your hand rubbing his thumb over your knuckles, your alphas touch helps ease your anxiety. When he finally pulls up in front of the house you share, you bolt and head straight for your den. The blanket makes the perfect addition, you open it using to cover the ground. In the next breath you’ve stripped out of your clothes and shifted, sniffing at the blanket you let of a huff before rolling your body against it, until nothing but your scent is left behind. Soon your den is filled with pillows and other items of the fluffy kind, you step back to admire your handy work it’s almost perfect. There is something missing and you can’t quite put your paw on it. With a whine of frustration, you trot back home.

Dean is busy folding laundry when it hits you, his scent.

He’s always smelt amazing to you; his scent has comforted you all through your pregnancy and it’s the missing piece that you need.

‘’Hey, you finished with your den?’’ The smile of Dean’s face morphs into one of shock when you tip the dirty laundry basket over and start rifling through it. Only stopping when you find Dean’s favourite plaid shirt, without looking back a Dean you dash out the door.

The addition of the shirt in the den instantly makes everything tranquil and balanced, his scent is subtle in the air.

It’s perfect.

~*~ Your restless, sleep dancing its way out of your clutches as you toss and turn. Dean however is passed out, snoring. You need him, and you need him now. It’s the first time since your pregnancy that you have craved him like this. With a whine your paw at him, slick already starting to pool between your legs. Dean wakes with a snort, instantly he knows what you want. He’s up in a flash, body caging yours.

‘’Does my sweet ‘mega need something?’’ Dean chuckles, his mouth hovering over yours. ‘’Please,’’ you gasped, a need like no other washing it’s way over you. It’s a different kind of need from when you’re in heat, you just need. You need Dean, your alpha, his scent; you want - no need - it to be ingrained into your skin. ‘’What you, Dean. Alpha please.’’

Dean growls, crushing his mouth against yours in a bruising kiss, fingers grabbing at your waist - fingers splaying over your swollen stomach. You mewled and couldn’t help but grind your hips against him, feeling the outline of his erection against his cotton sleep pants. When he pulls back, his eyes are filled with lust. He strips you slowly, kissing every part of you that he reveals, spending time on your breasts and stomach. He nuzzles gently over your belly a low growl leaving his throat which is answered with a kick from your pup. You can feel Dean smile.

‘’So beautiful,’’ He whispers, kissing above your navel, his fingers dip under the elastic of your sleep pants. Leaving you completely naked before him. He nudges your legs open wider, so he could lay between them. ‘’Smell so good.’’

Before you could even beg for him to touch you, your head falls back into the pillow as he pressed his mouth up again your pussy. Tongue flicking from top to bottom, then dragging it back slowly up to your clit, sucking the bud into his mouth. You let out a shriek which spurred him on to repeat the action, he takes his time teasing you - playing your body like a fiddle. Fingers gently pressed against your hole, and he sank two digits into you, and you grabbed the metal poles on your headboard, clinging on as he drove you towards your climax. Your almost there but it’s not quite enough.

‘’Please,’’ You whine and in reply Dean presses his fingers right up against that spot - you come with a strangled cry. He doesn’t stop keeping up his ministrations he laps up everything that you give. Your walls clutch at his fingers greedily, the sensations wracking your body. You came with a strangled cry, and Dean kept up his ministrations, lapping up everything you had to give. It felt like it would never stop - the way your walls were clutching at his fingers greedily seemed to go on forever, and your entire body jerked in reaction. He only stops when it gets too much for you.

“Was that what you wanted?” Dean asked, climbing up over you, gazing on your blissed-out expression with a soft grin. “Or do you want more?”

You swallowed, “More, please. Want your,” You groaned, when he pressed his cock against you, moving in a teasing motion. “Want your knot, Alpha.’’

Dean growls, kissing you again, you can taste yourself on his lips, he pushes his pants down only breaking the kiss to rip of his shirt. You wanted to explore his body, but you wanted nothing more than to have him inside of you. You reach for him with a needy groan, pulling him in for another kiss. His cock grazed against your thigh, he shifts allowing it to press against your folds. His cock is thick and long, and you need it now.

Luckily, Dean can read you like a book and finally he guides himself inside. Yours eyes are locked as he thrusts into you, inch by glorious inch. You gasp when you feel him hit your cervix, a deep rumble echoed in his chest. When he moves, everything shifts, and you feel like everything is on edge, your body vibrates. Dean was almost shaking from holding back as he focused on kissing your jaw and nibbling where your pulse throbbed under the delicate skin of your throat. You arched your back as much as you could and wrapped your legs around his waist, his thrusts became deeper and harder. Screams of pleasure replaced the whines. Dean was still adamant about teasing you, he would pick up pace slamming into you hard, then he would drag out slowly before repeating the move over and over, making you beg.

‘’Dean - Alpha!’’ You take a deep breath, ‘’Please, please, please.’’

‘’I got you sweetheart, I got you.’’ His fingers tangled in the bedsheet, ‘’Gonna fill you up.’’

The base of his cock begins to swell inside of you pressing with delicious pleasure against your g-spot and you found yourself unable to breath as your orgasm ripped through you, walls clamping down on his cock. He growled long and loud as his knot thickened, forcing his thrusts to become harder and shallow. Your nails drag down his back and with one final solid thrust, his knot slid into you, locking the two of you together.

You panted as you tried to catch your breath, the need you had is still throbbing in your veins. Your hands wrap around his neck, you bring him closer to you, kissing him and biting at his lips, before following down his chin, along his jaw. A possessiveness that you’ve never felt before claws its way to the surface and you can’t help yourself as your mouth closes over the spot on his neck and you bite down. Dean cries out, his cock twitching inside of you.

You lap at the wound making soft soothing sounds, Dean doesn’t seem to mind that you bit him as he nuzzles against you. You can feel your eyes growing heavy as you listen to Dean mutter sweet nothing and praises in your ear.

‘’Love you,’’ You murmur voice heavy with sleep before you finally drift off to sleep.

~*~ You’re a few days away from your due date and you’re in a constant state of discomfort; you’re more snappy than usual. Dean keeps a wide berth whenever the two of you share a room, he’s taken temporary residence in the guest room as you can no longer be around him. Mary explained that it was normal, she was the same way with John. The pup is restless always moving and kicking, all you want is a decent night’s rest. With a snarl you turn over, tucking a pillow under your belly to get more comfortable. You let out a frustrated whine when it doesn’t work.

You have an insistent urge to clean it’s got outrageous – to the point you bared your teeth at Dean this morning for leaving a cup on the side. He damn near shit himself and ran out of the house. Not only do you want to clean everything you can get your hands on, you also need to shift. You’ve held on from doing so, you know that it won’t be long before labour starts. Then suddenly a pain ripples through you and the feeling of warm water soils your pants, against your will your body shifts into wolf form. Your natural instincts kick in and you know what to do, you need to get to your den. You push all your emotions through the mating bond that you share with Dean.

Dean, Dean it’s time…

That’s all the time you have before your wolf takes over and you’re out the door.

Meanwhile, Dean is sat at his parent’s house licking his wounds from this morning. When he came skidding to a halt looking wide eyed, both of his parents took one look at him before bursting into laughter.

‘’What did you do?’’ John asks with a smirk, ‘’I left a cup on the side.’’

‘’I almost bit your father when he trailed mud on my floor, ‘’She cocks an eyebrow, ‘’and by the looks of it she already did.’’ Mary motions to the bite mark, a flush spread across his face and he pulls the collar of his jacket up.

‘’Oooo, kinky.’’

‘’Mom!’’

Mary laughs clearly getting enjoyment out of embarrassing her son, ‘’Nothing to be embarrassed about Dean.’’

‘’There is!’’ Dean shouts, ‘’I don’t want my parents to know about my sex life.’’

John snorts, ‘’With the amount of pregnancy scares you gave us as a teenager, I think we know enough.’’

‘’Hey, I always wore protection!’’ Dean speaks, clearly offended.

‘’So how is (First)?’’ Mary asks, and Dean is thankful for the change in conversation, ‘’She’s fine, just more uncomfortable and growly than normal.’’ His mom and dad share a look, ‘’Won’t be long now.’’

‘’What do you mean?’’

‘’The behaviour that she is showing is signs that she’ll be going into labour soon.’’ Mary speaks calmly trying not to spook her son, but it’s an attempt made in vein when all the colour drains from him face. Mary rubs her hand up and down his arm, ‘’Don’t worry sweetheart, her wolf will take over and she will know exactly what to do.’’

‘’Then what will I do?’’

John speaks up, ‘’Keep your distance, don’t go inside the birthing den until she lets you. I’m not gonna lie to you son, it’s gonna be hard to stay away but please stay away.’’

Dean swallows, ‘’So keep my distance, got it.’’

‘’You’ll do fine.’’

A wash of panic and pain washes over him, they aren’t his emotions they are yours and your wolf is whining at his. His inner wolf is trying to claw its way out of him, he is ready to rip the throat out of anyone that hurts you.

Dean, Dean it’s time…

‘’Shit, I need to go.’’

He wastes no time stripping off his clothes and shifting, he turns and runs of the door his parent’s shouts of ‘good luck’ ringing in his ears.

~*~ You’ve been pacing restlessly for what feels like a life time, circling around and around the tree. A very inquisitive squirrel suffered your wrath. The tree that you’ve grown to love over the past months is littered with deep claw marks. Pain rips through your abdomen and you yelp, it’s stronger than the last few contractions. A whine catches your attention, you turn, and your eyes met with the eyes you fell in love with; eyes you hoped your pup would have. Dean is keeping his distance, he sniffs the ground before looking back at you; ears tucked close to his head as he whines again.

He takes a step forward and you snarl; you can do this by yourself you don’t need his help. Dean settles down on the ground, he doesn’t more but he follows you with his eyes. He winces every time you let out a sound of pain. You’ve gone back to pacing again in circles. The sun has set, and you had retreated to the inside of your den, your breathing which was once calm is now erratic with heavy panting. Your lied on your side and finally after hours of painful labour, your pup enters the world. You take care the birth sack quickly and clean your pup as best as you can. It’s not long till your pup makes its first watery cries.

A boy.

You hear Dean let out a loud and long howl, announcing the birth of your son to the pack.

When Dean hears the first cries of his child he’s up on his paws and howling, it’s not long till he hears his pack respond with their own. He wants to rush over to you, but his mothers’ words are ringing in his ears, so he keeps his distance. He watches patiently until you give him a signal. Time seems to slow to a halt, but your head pops out from the den and that’s the signal that he has been waiting for. He slowly approaches and lavishes you with attention, his tongue slowly moves over your snout lovingly, before moving to the space between your eyes.

A little whimper catches his attention, and he lets out a whine – which he will later deny – when his eyes land on his son. God, he has a son. A small tawny haired son and he is beautiful. He looks you deeply in the eyes and you both can feel the pure unfiltered love through the bond. Dean moves and plasters himself against your back, you lie your head on his neck; exhaustion seeping deep into your bones. It’s not long that sleep pulls you under; the feeling of Deans heart beat against your back and the small little breaths of your pup breathed into the fur on your stomach.

[clownsgobeepbeep]

Hide and Seek

@grotesquegabby @post-itpenny

Something with the children having some fun, a break from all that angsty stuff happening ^^’

This was supposed to be so much shorter and fluffier, but...heh

“Run loose.”

Those were the two words spoken by a woman before a group of children made a run for it, two of these holding an infant each as one of the kids struggled more than the other. Behind them tagged along two axolotls, one with his tongue lolling out.

The children all scurried away from the picnic area they had dropped off their belongings and left the adults to do as they please. They ran back into the aquarium owned by the mother of one of the children, all of them smiling at the sight before them.

“You know what’s so cool about this? That it’s gonna look so much prettier when my mother redoes and reopens it next summer!”

“Awesome!”

“Where do we go to first?”

“Me and Jeff and Benny wanna go to the touch tank!” exclaimed one of the twins as she pointed to her brothers.

“We’re going wherever Ama decides to go.” Ula posited  before turning to her best friend, Ama giving a bit of a smile before she tapped her chin in thought.

“But isn’t it your birthday party Ula? So, you should decide?”

“It’s not a birthday party.” Ula claimed as she hugged her little brother closer to her, looking at Atlas as he was being nudged by Mana. “It’s just a family get together that happens to have a cake with the words ‘Happy Birthday’ and a few decorations. That’s all. Besides, my birthday was days ago.”

“How about we go see some jellies?” Ama suggested as she took hold of Tove who was comfortably nested on her head, Mana poncung near Ama to get a better look. “Or the octopi?”

Ula then felt as Davey started bouncing in her arms, Benjamin following his example as he was in Jeff’s arms.

“Tentacles it is!” Ula exclaimed, then running off with Davey before she was followed by everybody else. The group ran into an area that was empty just like the others, since Jelly decided to hold the get together on a closed day, and everybody’s eyes widened in amazement as they saw the sea creatures in their tanks.

Davey bounced again as he pointed to one of the tanks, everybody smiling as they saw an octopus inside. So naturally, they all dashed towards it as fast as their little feet could carry them before all faces were practically pressed against the glass of the tank.

“Your mom said they have names, right?” Atlas watched the octopus as it traveled through the large tank. “What’s this one’s name?”

“That’s Cerberus.” Ula replied as she now pointed at the spots on the octopus. “It’s a two spot octopus, but this one was surprisingly born with three!”

“Oh, I get the name now.” Atlas laughed to himself before the octopus stuck itself onto the glass, travelling all around until finding a small slot that it attempted to go in. “It’s trying to escape!”

“Oh don’t worry.” Ula shrugged. “My mother made sure to include slots so these guys don’t escape. Before she got here, the previous owners always lost some octopus! They’re super good at hiding.”

Still in Ula’s arms, Davey brought himself forwards and placed his hands on the tank’s glass, patting his hands a few times until it gave Ula an idea.

“Hey! How about we play a game?

“A game?” all the children turned to Ula who gave a nod.

“Yeah! Something like...hide and seek, but also a chase.” Ula smiled as her eyes went back to the octopus. “You guys have to find me!”

“But you’re right in front of us.” Bubbles commented in a bit of confusion.

“Obviously, but...I turn into a sea creature and swim through the tanks!” Ula announced as she turned to Atlas. “Winner gets the biggest slice of cake!”

At the sound of this, the twins perked up as Benjamin was far too focused looking around at the other tanks as best as possible, even trying to reach out to them but alas there was no result for he remained in Jeff’s arms.

“You know you’re the winner when you touch me in one of the touch tanks, but you won’t know which one or which animal I am.” Ula giggled to herself, then handing Davey over to a now surprised Atlas. “So everybody close your eyes and after counting to five, open them!”

“I’m so gonna win that cake.” Bubbles muttered out as she put her hands over her eyes, Benjamin watching before she closed his eyes and made sure to cover Jeff’s with his own hands. Everybody else placed their hands in front of their eyes as well, even Davey who was quite upset that he was in Atlas’ arms.

“One…

Two…

Three…

Four…”

“Five!” Ama shouted before uncovering and opening her eyes, seeing as Kala and Man were sniffing around as Ula had disappeared. “Where’d she go?”

“Maybe we should check the next room.” Atlas suggested, walking towards the next area as he attempted to ignore Davey’s grumpy look that scanned the area for his now missing sister.

“How are we supposed to know which creature is Ula?” Jeff asked before his sister shrugged, but he saw as Benjamin pointed to the side to where there was a large tank of fish that swam as kelp gently swayed in the water. “Is that Ula?”

Immediately, everybody turned to the tank where they saw the plethora of fish, but one seemed to mostly stand out due to its shining, golden color.

“The cake is mine!” Bubbles yelled out before she ran towards the tank, then stopping as she realized something. “Wait a minute! How am I supposed to touch the fish!?”

Right then, the golden fish swam up and away before flying out of the water. When in the air, it glowed brightly before landing on the ground as a teal penguin.

“Get her!”

The penguin then waddled away before throwing herself on her belly, sliding away before Mana made a run for it, barking rather excitedly for he could tell this was his little one and he of course had to join her game of fun.

The children watched as the penguin’s sliding came to a stop before it turned into an octopus that quickly crawled away and into a new room, one that everybody now stood in as they searched the area but found no octopus.

“Hey look, a touch tank!” Ama pointed out before she and the others approached it, looking inside. 

Right next to her and Tove was Mana who placed his paws on the edge, Kala looking through the lower glass as they both sniffed the tank. A moment later, Mana started to bark and wag his tail, everybody looking to where he was looking before Ama gave a soft gasp.

“A cuttlefish!” she grinned as she leaned closer towards the tank, being careful not to let Tove fall as it also peeked into the water in curiosity. “It has such pretty colors!”

“And it’s Ula!” Jeff giggled, everybody seeing as the cuttlefish now swimming away but having to swerve around the little arm that had reached inside the water.

“Be careful Davey!” Atlas told the baby he carried, Davey responding with another angry look as they watched the cuttlefish swim away before managing to jump out of the water again. It was now a golden otter that gave a squeak, especially as the chase began once again.

The otter scurried away until reaching a new tank, hopping inside before the kids now gathered around, seeing as the tank was filled with sea turtles.

“So, we’re either looking for a teal or golden sea turtle. Or one that is both colors.” Atlas mentioned as his eyes looked over the turtles, putting aside the little game for a moment as he admired the sea creatures.

“I don’t see any one that stands out.” Ama tapped her chin before everybody heard Mana bark again.

They saw the axolotl dash away behind them where they all turned, now spotting the otter again that they formerly believed may have still been inside the tank. The otter ran off into a new room, one that everybody noticed was somewhat darker than the rest with the exclusion of the tanks themselves which had their own lightning.

“Oh nooo…” Bubbles whispered as she took a step back.”I don’t l-like this room.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Atlas questioned, then seeing Benjamin point to a wall where a large sign was.

“Shark Reef.” Jeff read it, right before a squeal emitted from Davey who even dropped his pacifier.

Atlas tried to calm Davey down but all he could do was widen his eyes as the squirming baby vanished from his arms in his instant.

“Ula’s going to kill me!” he felt a sense of panic course through him, then turning his attention to one of the tanks where he heard splashing. In an instant, Atlas ran towards it and looked into the tank’s lower glass, taking hold of his hair as he saw just the little clown swimming inside as he was surrounded by sharks.

“Jelly’s going to kill me!” he then said, especially as a particular shark took notice of Davey and started swimming towards him. 

Davey on the other hand, he looked absolutely delighted, especially as one of the sharks approached him.

“Davey’s gonna die!” Jeff shrieked in horror, then giving an actual shriek when the shark opened its jaws. Everybody gasped as some shut their eyes, then hearing some splashing again.

They looked back at the tank as they heard a giggle, Davey’s hand patting what was the snout of the shark that held him in its mouth, though he looked to be completely fine.

The shark made a motion towards Atlas who carefully grabbed Davey back, and that’s when they noticed the dull teal color of the creature which then turned into a bright glow that eventually revealed Ula who held onto the tank’s edge as her she was all wet. Ula smiled before reaching out and petting her brother’s own wet locks which made him giggle and her speak.

“Looks like Davey’s the winner!~”

_____________

“Explain to me one more time, why you and Davey are all wet?” 

Ula sat in front of her mother as Davey sat in front of Ula, this being a small train as Ula and Davey were having their hair dried.

“We were playing a game, that’s all.” Ula shrugged. “And Davey kinda teleported into the shark tank because I mean, who wouldn’t?”

“Oh Ula.” Jelly gave a bit of a facepalm before grabbing a backpack she had brought along. “Thankfully I brought extra clothes for the both of you, but these were meant for after the beach.”

“I can stay like this.” Ula gave another shrug. “Besides, Davey deserves his big slice of cake already for being the winner.”

“You know Davey’s not getting a big slice.” Jelly then wiped Ula’s cheek which was still wet. “But you can get a big one and share with him, make sure he doesn’t make a mess though.”

“Okay!” Ula beamed, then seeing as Lennie approached her with a big slice of cake. “Thanks dad!”

“You’re welcome.” Lennie kissed Ula’s cheek which made her giggle, Lennie then walking away with Jelly to join the other adults who held their own conversations.

Just as Ula was about to dig her fork into her cake, she stopped at the sound of crying before she and Davey looked to the side where they saw a piece of cake on the ground. Their eyes then trailed up to see Bubbles who only held a fork and an empty plate with a bit of frosting.

“Oh darn.” Pepper muttered out as he looked at the sight. “Bubbles, how about I share some of my slice? Or how about you Jeff?”

“But! But-!”

“Here.”

The three then turned to the side where Ula stood, Bubbles sniffing as she now saw a large piece of cake in front of her whilst Davey was carried in Ula’s other arm.

“You can take my piece. I already ate some waffles and ice cream in the morning.” Ula shrugged, seeing as Bubbles hesitated for a moment before finally taking the plate.

“...t-thank you.” she whispered before eating a piece of the cake she had now been offered, walking away before sitting next to Belinda with a small smile.

Ula then turned around and was slightly startled at the sight that was Atlas, his hands behind him.

“Oh hi Atlas! Did you get your cake already?”

“Oh yeah, I already finished it.” Atlas then turned to where he saw Mana licking the remains off his plate, Kala watching in disappointment; even Tove watched Mana as it hid inside a discarded bag on the ground. “I just wanted to give you something.”

“Hm?”

“I know you said you didn’t really care about gifts, but I still brought this for you.” Atlas softly spoke before taking his arms from behind him to reveal a present. “Cousin Vespers helped me do the wrapping and the ribbon.”

“Oh! Thank you Atlas!” Ula smiled before bringing Atlas into a hug which was enough to make him blush, but the next thing was what made him practically malfunction.

He felt as Ula pecked his cheek with a kiss, his entire face burning up before he quickly handed her the gift as his face was now hidden behind his hands. At this, Ula tilted her head as she gave him a puzzled look.

“Did I do something wrong?”

[eleanor-writes-stuff]

call now for a free gift! [part ii/iii]

Six years after Rey’s first Christmas with Ben and his family, unexpected gifts abound at the annual Organa-Solo-Skywalker(-Kenobi?) Christmas celebration.

Featuring: Organa-Solo-Skywalker shenanigans, a ton of major surprises, and fluff. Again with the fluff. It’s always the damn fluff.

Here we go again! Buckle up, friends, because it’s about to get fluffier than ever before. Leia and Rey have their annual Christmas breakfast, and Rey and Ben receive an unexpected gift from the twins.

Part I Also available on AO3.

“Where are you going?” Ben mumbles as Rey gets out of bed, barely awake enough to look up at her as she cards a hand through his hair.

“Christmas breakfast with your mother,” she reminds him, leaning in for a quick kiss before she drags herself out of bed and over to her bag in search of a sweater. “Don’t worry, you can keep sleeping.” It’s a longstanding tradition between the two women at this point, to enjoy a quiet Christmas morning while everyone else sleeps in. Sometimes Rey wonders just how her teenaged self would have reacted to the news that she would one day share a Christmas tradition with the Leia Organa, and it never fails to put a smile on her face.

Ben turns on his side to track her movements, and his lips are pursed in a distinctly pout-like manner – not that he’ll ever admit to it. “It’s our first morning as an engaged couple, and you’re leaving me in bed to go have breakfast with my mother?”

“Maybe you should’ve timed your proposal better,” Rey teases, voice muffled as she pulls a sweater over her thin camisole. “Besides,” she sits next to Ben, gives him a placating smile as her hand curves around his cheek, “we had a rather eventful first night as an engaged couple. That should tide you over for now.”

And with one final kiss – shorter than Ben would like, judging by the way he tries to reach for her and whines when she steps away –, Rey disappears into the bathroom down the hall to freshen up before breakfast with her future mother-in-law.

She walks into the kitchen to find Leia already comfortably settled at the breakfast table as always, two mugs of Irish coffee keeping her company as she waits for Rey.

“Merry Christmas,” Rey says as she reaches for the coffee out of habit. At the last minute she abruptly changes course and picks up some toast instead, but she knows there’s no way Leia didn’t catch that.

The other woman’s eyes twinkle. “Merry Christmas indeed,” she murmurs over the lip of her mug, and Rey busies herself with spreading butter and jam over two slices of toast while she gathers up the nerve to ask Leia a question that’s been on her mind since yesterday.

“Leia?” she finally calls, setting down her toast.

“Hmm?”

Rey smiles at the knowing look Leia gives her. “What made you propose to Han?”

“Oh,” Leia blinks, the slightest bit taken aback. “Well, there’s the short version: I saw him building a crib and my hormones got the best of me. And then there’s the truth: up until that exact moment, I wasn’t sure about anything. I never told anyone but god, I was so scared. I’d known Han for three years by then, but we’d spent the entirety of that time being outlaws, being rebels, always doing reckless and exciting stuff. It’s easy to form a connection, when you’re living a life like that, but I always knew in the back of my mind that it was a whirlwind of a thing, that it might not work in a real world setting.” There’s no hiding the sadness in her eyes at the prospect, even all these years later.

“And then things finally calmed down, and before we could even really get to know each other, suddenly I was pregnant. Han stuck around, I always knew he would, but I had no way of knowing if this was something he wanted or if he was just doing the right thing. My noble scoundrel, I’d call him in my head sometimes,” Leia shakes her head with a fond smile. “I knew he’d stay, knew he’d try his best, but… to see him there in the garage, first thing in the morning, building a crib for this baby he couldn’t have seen coming, this baby that had ostensibly ruined his whole lone wolf bachelor life… I knew then that we’d be okay. I didn’t know how we were going to make things work, exactly, but I knew that he loved the baby already and that was enough for me.”

“That’s all you need, really,” Leia tells her, that knowing look back in her eyes. “Just love them, and you can figure it out from there.” And then, before Rey can even think to act dumb, she asks, “So, how far along?”

Rey sighs, gives in with a tiny smile. “Five weeks.”

Leia hums, a small little thing in the back of her throat indicating consideration. Rey takes a bite of her toast as she watches the other woman get up and retrieve a bottle of orange juice from the fridge.

“I’ll take this,” Leia says as she trades Rey’s untouched Irish coffee for the orange juice and an empty glass. “So, does Ben know yet? Don’t worry - he asked for the ring ages ago, so I know it’s not a shotgun wedding.”

“No,” Rey whispers as she fiddles with said ring, wonders how something can feel so foreign yet so right. She’ll get used to it, she supposes; has all the time in the world to do so. “I haven’t told him. I just don’t know if we’re ready for this,” she admits quietly, letting all of her fear and doubt seep into her voice. This is Leia, after all – if there’s anyone who can help Rey through this (aside from Ben, who isn’t exactly an option right now), it’s her. “I mean, we’ve talked about it, of course, but it’s always been one of those someday things, you know? And now he’s just finished his PhD, and we’re both starting new jobs soon, and there’s still the move–”

“Rey,” Leia reaches across the table to still her shaking hand. It works almost as well as when Ben does the same thing to calm her down and keep her from spiraling. “There’s only one thing you need to consider right now. Do you want this?”

“I…” She lets her free hand drift down to her stomach, thinks of how every single vision of hers for their future had immediately started to change the second she’d found out, an automatic and instant instinct to accommodate this tiny new life. It’s only been four days, but Rey can’t imagine going back to any of those plans from before. So she tells Leia, confident and scared at the same time, “Yes. I do.”

Leia gives her a brilliant smile, squeezes her hand in reassurance. “Then you’ll be just fine, as long as you and Ben are there for each other.”

A sense of calm settles over her. Leia always makes things so simple, strips all of her worries and insecurities away until the bare truth remains: as long as they have each other, she and Ben will be fine. She can already picture it: the two of them as a team, taking on unexpected pregnancy challenges and the uncharted territory that is parenthood. She’ll worry about not being a good mom since she didn’t have one, and he’ll actively fear repeating his parents’ mistakes, but together they’ll guide each other and figure it out and–

The sense of comfort and peace lasts for all of five seconds before Rey remembers– “Oh god, I still haven’t told him.”

Leia pats her hand, gives Rey a gentle smile before she picks up her coffee. “You should probably do that.”

Christmas lunch is a quiet affair this year, just the five of them since all of the usual suspects are otherwise occupied.

“So,” Han says after a few minutes of comfortable silence, a novelty at this table, “what’s this new job about, kid?”

By the time Rey looks up, he’s already focused on his food, and so there’s no telling which of them the question had been addressed to. She and Ben share a look before he asks, “Which one?”

Han stares at them, a forkful of roast hovering just beyond his mouth. He looks almost confused for a moment, as if he himself hadn’t thought that through. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s blurted out the first thing to come to mind just because Leia gave him a gentle nudge to say something. “Both of them, I guess.”

“I’ve got a job teaching poli-sci and maybe another related class or two,” Ben shrugs between bites. “That’s about it, really. But Rey’s new job–”

“Hey,” Rey turns to him, “don’t downplay it. You’ve been offered tenure at the University of Theed pretty much right out of the gate, with only a few years of teaching experience in Coruscant. That’s amazing,” she tells the rest of the table.

“It is very impressive, Ben,” Luke chimes in supportively. “To be tenured in this day and age, especially with less than five years of experience – you’ve done well, Dr. Solo.”

“We’re very proud of you,” Leia tells her son, and to everyone’s surprise–

“Yeah, what she said, kid,” Han adds, with no trace of sarcasm and no sign of Leia having given him a slight kick under the table to say so.

He’s even smiling, and Rey’s heart warms to see Ben slowly smiling back at his father. “Thanks,” he tells the table, but looks directly at Han.

“Yeah, yeah,” his father says after a while, not quite able to hide his smile behind his usual gruff demeanor. “What about you, kid?” he asks Rey.

“It’s, um, it’s pretty exciting, actually,” Rey says hesitantly, weighs how much detail she can get into without boring everyone else. Luke, she knows, is always happy to talk shop – though a physicist by profession, he’s proven more than capable of keeping up with her aeronautical engineering tangents –, but she decides to just give everyone the highlights. “The government of Naboo and the University of Theed are setting up a new lab to look into more fuel-efficient crafts, and they somehow found out about me and decided to bring me in. It’s going to be a lot of actual engineering and research, which will be fun after two years of mostly technical trouble-shooting and paperwork.”

Luke looks just as proud of her as he was of Ben, and Leia and Han beam at her even if they don’t quite get the magnitude of what this offer means for her career. But Ben – “They didn’t just somehow find out about you,” he shakes his head at Rey with a patient smile, turns to his family with bright eyes. “Rey wrote this amazing thesis for her master’s about alternative fuel options she experimented with back in Jakku. It’s become sort of infamous in the right circles, and Theed has been keeping track of her ever since. She was one of the first people they contacted about the new lab, and they’re making her part of an elite team of eight engineers heading up the whole thing.”

She almost wants to contradict Ben and tell everyone it’s not as impressive as he makes it out to be, but then he turns to smile at her, all proud and supportive, and god, Rey loves this man. So she decides to just smile back at him and duck her head for a bit until her cheeks don’t feel that warm anymore.

“Sounds about right,” Han shrugs after a moment. “Always knew you two were pretty damn impressive.”

Luke seconds that, and Leia proposes a toast to the two of them and new beginnings. If Han or Luke notice that Rey doesn’t actually drink from her glass – the way she didn’t drink from any of her glasses at the party last night, simply handing them over to Ben whenever he needed a refill –, they’re tactful enough not to hint at anything that hasn’t been announced.

Rey eyes Ben as he sets down his half-empty glass and instantly gets roped into a conversation with Han about recent upgrades on the Falcon. After a while his hand reaches out for hers, but he doesn’t look her way, doesn’t catch her switching their glasses.

Still. Rey knows she can only keep this from him for so long.

After lunch she and Ben help Luke with the dishes while Han and Leia take a walk, and it takes them a little longer than usual to get everything washed and dried because they’re too caught up in reminiscing about life in Coruscant U.

“So when are you moving?” Luke asks almost reluctantly, having expressed for the tenth time how weird it’ll be not to run into either of them around campus anymore.

“End of January, most likely,” Ben says as he returns dried dishes to their rightful places. “They’re bringing me in after midterms as a mid-semester replacement, and Rey’s job doesn’t start till March. Figure that’ll give us enough time to get properly unpacked and moved in before work starts.”

Luke nods along to his nephew’s explanation. “Have you found a place yet?”

Rey sighs. “Not yet. Everything is either too far, too expensive, or too small. And we don’t want to sign a lease on a place we’re not happy with.”

“Housing in Theed is a fucking nightmare,” Ben grumbles to his uncle. “I know it’s been a while and it’s a major city, but I don’t remember it being anywhere near this awful back when we used to go there for the summer.”

“Well, things change,” Luke shrugs, and Rey thinks she catches the slightest hint of a grin before he turns back to the dishes with a forced and telling casualness. “But I wouldn’t be too worried if I were you two. I think Leia has an idea.”

Ben squints at his uncle’s back, and turns to Rey with a suspicious look. She simply nods in agreement and goes back to drying the dishes.

It isn’t until much later, towards the end of the night, that they find out just what Luke had been hinting at.

“So,” Leia announces once they’re all food-sleepy and eggnog-drowsy, “Luke and I have a surprise for you two.”

Luke’s entire face lights up as he claps his hands together gleefully. “Finally! I’ve been waiting all day for this.”

“Don’t ruin it,” his sister shoots him an admonishing look before she gets up and walks over to the Christmas tree in the corner, all twinkling lights and tasteful ornaments and not a single present under the tree, as per Organa-Skywalker-Solo tradition.

Rey and Ben watch Leia retrieve one single gift from the tree, nestled amongst its lower branches rather than placed under it. It’s a small box, all glossy red paper and classy silver ribbon, and upon spotting it last night Rey had mistaken it for a slightly-oversized ornament.

Now Leia holds the gift out to them, and Ben slowly reaches out to take it. “I thought this was a gift-free household,” he reminds his mother.

“Open it,” Leia simply tells him, returning to her seat between Han and Luke, both of whom appear to be leaning forward in anticipation.

Ben nudges her with his shoulder and holds the box out on one palm, and Rey carefully slips off the ribbon before she lifts the lid off the box and fishes out a set of keys.

It takes her a while to recognize them – Ben always uses his own set when they visit – but as soon as her eyes land upon the familiar address carved into the small wooden keychain, recognition dawns upon her. Ben too, if his tiny gasp is any indication.

“Mom, this is…”

Rey looks up at the twins. “You’re giving us…?”

Leia nods, a huge smile on her face. “Varykino, yes. I know it’s all the way out in Lake Country but honestly, given the traffic in Theed, this will make for a much more pleasant commute. The road from Lake Country into Theed leads right to the university, since it’s on the edge of the city anyway. And from there Rey should be able to easily take the train or a shuttle to work. So really, it’s not even that much of a drive.”

“You can either sit in Theed traffic for an hour,” Luke adds, looking horrified just by the idea of it, “or you can start your days with a scenic, traffic-free forty-minute drive.”

Rey and Ben turn to look at each other. It’s a wonderful idea, and they love Varykino, but…

“We can’t possibly accept this,” Rey tells the twins.

“It’s too much,” Ben agrees. “This is a whole house. This is your mother’s house. You can’t just–”

“Ben,” Leia interrupts him with a patient tone. “It was always going to be yours, anyway. And when you two got together, Luke and I agreed that it would be your wedding present. Now you’re engaged – so close enough, we figure – and you’re in need of a house in Naboo. So here you are.”

“Merry Christmas, happy wedding, and just don’t ever expect another gift from us for the rest of your lives,” Luke says with a grin.

They hesitate for a moment more, until Han decides to pipe up. “Just take it, kids. No one ever offered me a fancy house when I got engaged, but there’s no way I would’ve turned that down.”

So they accept the house, with a million thanks and tight hugs.

A little while later, as they’re all saying their good-nights and heading to bed, Leia suggests, “You two should take off for a while, spend the rest of your week in Varykino.”

“But we just got here–” Rey protests weakly.

Leia smirks at them. “Just go. I was young and newly engaged once too, you know. You need some privacy.”

From upstairs, Han calls down, “And we need some space from your celebrating!”

“Please,” Luke decides to chime in from the top of the stairs. “Please spare us from your celebrating.”

“Bunch of prudes,” Leia rolls her eyes at the men. “Just… stay for lunch, okay?” she tells Ben and Rey. “And after that you can go have a pre-honeymoon honeymoon or whatever it is you want to call it.”

Ben reaches out to pull his mom into a hug. “Thanks, Mom. For this, and the house, and just… everything.”

Leia leans into her son with a smile. “You’re welcome. Now, off to bed. You two have a long drive ahead of you tomorrow.”

They trade their good-nights, thank Leia one last time, and head upstairs. In bed, while Ben traces squiggly lines up and down her arm, he muses out loud, “We could have the wedding in Varykino.”

Rey, half-asleep already, lifts her head from its perch on Ben’s chest. “Hmm?”

“The wedding. Our wedding,” Ben smiles. “We could have it in Varykino, if you’d like. I know you don’t want anything big and flashy, but this should give us enough room to invite all of our closest friends and even house some of them overnight if we have to, and it’s got a great view, you love the lake–”

“Okay,” Rey yawns, presses a kiss to the hollow of his neck before she allows her eyes to close. “That sounds perfect. Let’s get married in Varykino.”

Distantly she hears Ben chuckle, feels his chest rise and fall as he stops caressing her arm and drops his hand to curl around her waist. “We’ll talk about it again when you’re not dozing off. Good night, sweetheart.”

“Good night, Ben,” she mumbles, and allows herself to drift off in his arms.

So the plan was to keep each chapter at about two-thousand words.

This is a little over three-thousand. Whoops, I did it again. There were bits and pieces in this chapter that I really debated taking out, but at the end of the day I want you guys to know what's going on with their lives, every tiny detail. Because that's the only satisfying goodbye I can give these two, I think - one where we know where they're headed and how their lives will play out. (And yes, this fic is really just one long goodbye to this 'verse. It's like a three-chapter epilogue, basically.)

Tune in tomorrow for the last chapter! Will Rey finally tell Ben her secret? Will they christen every surface of Varykino?? What if they - GASP - decide to elope right there and then??? (Spoiler alert: they don't.)

Anyway, see you then. As always, thanks for reading and feel free to like/reblog/comment/etc.!

[tyranttortoise]

two less lonely people (and it's gonna be fine)

heya! i know, i know- i sent you an ask, but omg i just couldn’t help myself and started writing like a maniac. i just really loved the concept of soulmates and the fact that it’s really angsty made my heart hurt like hell, so i thought i’d try to make a fluffier one.

i know this is really shitty but ya know

also !! i’m still really excited to see your take on the idea though, so please please please say your thoughts on the thing? thank you thank you thank you !!

this is partly inspired by “kita kita” which is a filipino movie which is so fucking good it had me shook

aNYWAYS HERE WE GO

WARNINGS: swearing, blind reader

—–

“This is not fair at all, skells.”

“oh come on, what’s the worst that can happen?”

“Statistically speaking, a lot of things.”

“oh ye of little faith; can’t you see you’re breaking my heart?”

You were this close to punching the living shit out of him. Granted, that would be a bit hard since you can’t see, but maybe you can rely on your hearing for that. You can still hear the rustling of his clothes, his light breathing, and the occasional sound of bone on bone, which sounded more like porcelain clinking together than actual bones, but you chalked it to the fact that he’s a magical skeleton, and not just a regular one.

He was waiting for your answer expectantly, and you refused to give him the satisfaction that your irritation would surely give. “I’m blind, numbskull. I can’t see shit.” You say anyways, because as annoying as he was, you were rather fond of him.

“speaking of which, you never told me why you’re blind. not that it matters, but you know you’re always welcome to tell me, ‘kay?” His voice is smooth and deep, so warm and comforting and familiar- no. You won’t think of him. Not now. You nod anyways. “I’ll tell you later, skells, now however, you’re going to tell me why we’re here at Grillby’s.”

He laughs, and the sound makes you smile and your soul hurt at the same time. He stops eventually and answers. “you said you’ve been here before right? i want to see what this timeline is like, and that includes the grillby’s of this timeline, yeah? who knows? what if i meet other me here as well? that’s gotta be something ya know.” He sounds excited, and your heart hurts, but it makes you smile even more. Perhaps, choosing to travel with the Doctor was the best decision you’ve ever made.

You were blind, hurting, heartbroken, and then you met him, offering the world and the stars and everything the universe had to offer. He even offered to help you get your eyesight back and you eagerly agreed, although it was taking some time since he was still making sure that it would be safe for you to use.

You’d met this Sans from another timeline, and he jumped at the chance of seeing the universe, and even other timelines, and you’d even been staying longer in his timeline rather than your own recently.

The Tale timeline, the Doctor said. Where everyone was nice and happy and you were sure your Sans would call it vanilla- crap, you really didn’t want to think about him. Ugh. Anyways, you were from what the Doctor called the Fell timeline, where everyone was an asshole.

“your hand, milady?” He asks, and you hold on to his, as he leads you into the bar.

You immediately figure out that it’s a relatively dead hour the moment you come in; there’s almost little to no noise, save for the clinking of glasses and hushed voices and the rustling of clothes. He leads you to the bar, and you just know that it’s Grillby because it’s warmer than it was before.

“(Y/N),” he greets. “It’s been a month since I last heard from you.” You can hear him setting down a glass and maybe cloth as he starts to give you his full attention. “However, your eyes…” He trails off. Grillby was always an observant monster, you think. He must have noticed your pupils didn’t react at all to his light, nor have they focused on anything since you came in. You laugh nervously. “About that…” You trail off. “Guess it’s time for me to spill the beans on that one, huh?”

Sans helps you into a seat, and you hear him take a seat beside you. You take a deep breath and start.

But where? Oh, you’ll just wing it then. “Um, my boyfriend for three years found his soulmate, and um, yeah. He cheated on me? Is it counted cheating still? Well anyways yeah, so I saw him with the girl and he didn’t even bother to apologize to me, and I walked out and passed out. Woke up blind, and there we go.” You finish, and you think that the crackling sounds from Grillby sound a bit angry, and you can feel Sans’s magic, which is usually warm and comforting, suddenly feel like static.

“w h o  d i d  t h a t ?” His voice was low and dangerous, completely different to how it usually sounded whenever he was with you.

“No, no!” You immediately say. “The whole blind thing, um, you can’t blame anyone else for that?” You say sheepishly, reaching out, and you felt his bony hands hold on to your outstretched one. “That’s um, a human thing apparently. Too much emotional stress? Yeah, that’s a thing.”

“(Y/N), you know that I consider you as a dear friend of mine, yes?” Grillby says suddenly. You nod. Where is he going with this? “I suppose you won’t mind if I dust him then?”

You choked, and you feel Sans’ grip on your hand tighten. “monster, then.” He says lowly. You shake your head. “No dusting will occur. No searching either.” You aim that last past at Sans. It would be very awkward if he found out it was him.

Suddenly there’s the sound of bells and laughter and the door creaked open. You’d turn around to look, but that would be pointless since you were, well, blind. But then you heard his voice, and you froze.

Shit.

This was the very reason you didn’t want to go here. Of all fucking times, he just had to go here now with her.

The footsteps stopped. “you know, this is like a set up for a joke,” the Sans beside you said. “a skeleton and a girl walk into a bar, and say, hey, that’s me from a different timeline!”

There was the distant sound of laughter, and the girl, what was her name again? You didn’t know, but she answered anyways. “That’s actually pretty good. I’m Sam,” she said, and you can just imagine her stretching her hand out so Sans could shake it. He probably just did, considering as you hear footsteps moving away from you. You hear a whoopie cushion then she laughs again. “whoopie cushion in the hand trick,” Sans joked. “always a classic.”

“alright, alright, enough.” You could hear the Sans from your timeline, the Sans you had loved, the Sans that had once been yours. Your soul feels like it’s shattering. You press your hand into your chest; you can’t breathe at all.

There’s a sharp intake of breath from the trio standing a few steps away from you, and suddenly, someone is by your side, hand on the small of your back, keeping you stable. The scent of ketchup is around you and you relax. This is Sans, kind Sans, brilliant Sans, not him.

“you okay, sweetheart?”

You nod, but your chest still hurts though, and now that you think about it, his voice sounds pained as well.

You blink, and there’s the glimmer of light before you. One more blink, and there’s more light. You recognize the color as Grillby’s flames, and your eyelids flutter, and your eyes register even more colors. It’s blurred, but the fact that you can see again makes you laugh. A few more blinks, and you can see the world clearly again, and you turn to your left, and see Sans, a worried look on his face, then the look shifted to confusion, then joy as it sunk in. “you can see?” He said, his smile becoming more genuine and wider, if possible.

You drink him in, adoring the blue in his hoodie, how he looks completely and utterly different from the Sans of your past. His smile is kind, and he’s a bit shorter than you are, and his eyelights are white. White, you thought giddily. They look like actual stars. You smiled, and for the first time in a very long time, hope fluttered in your soul. Maybe, just this once everything will be fine. His teeth aren’t sharp, and he doesn’t have a gold tooth either, you noted. Everything different about him makes you feel butterflies in your stomach. For once, something finally went right, and you felt the pain of your past fade away, and you smile.

You could feel your soul aching, and it’s now that you realize that his other hand is pressed to his chest. “Shit, Sans, are you okay?” You asked. He nodded, eyes still on you. He nods but it’s him, the Sans behind you, who answers.

“he’s resonating with ya.”

You turned around, and immediately wish you didn’t. You really didn’t want to see him, fuck. But, the fact that the Sans beside you is looking at you like you’re the only thing in the whole world that mattered soothed your soul, and for some reason, seeing the Sans of your past doesn’t hurt anymore.

“What do you mean?” You asked, fully turning around to face him. The girl beside him looked at you with wide eyes, recognition flashing in them. She opens her mouth to say something, but decides against it and looked at the ground instead.

Sans- oh fuck it, you’ll just call him Red- is looking at you with what might’ve been regret in his eyes. His posture is awkward, and one hand is in his pocket and another is holding the girl’s hand. You expected yourself to be hurt, to be mad, but nothing came. You just felt like you were looking at an old friend. “What do you mean, Sans?” You repeat slowly.

His eyelights slowly reach your eyes, and you lean towards Sans (damn this is confusing) and his eyes flicker towards your now intertwined hands. “yer soulmates. that’s why.” He said gruffly, looking away. “so that’s why i resonated with ya before. ignored it though.”

You looked at him suddenly, suddenly feeling really, really pissed off. “You what?” You said lowly, your voice taking a dangerous tone.

Red starts to sweat, and Sans held your hand tighter. But you don’t want this anymore. You don’t want to deal with this anymore. You want to go back to the TARDIS, maybe cuddle with Sans or something, you just had to get away. You didn’t want this complicated love story, you just wanted to go home.

And home was the Tale universe.

Paradoxes be damned; you wanted to kiss this timeline goodbye, to forget all the bullshit you had to go through. Fuck this, fuck him, and fuck everything else.

Like a telepathic angel, the TARDIS suddenly materialized a few steps to your right, and you start to walk towards it before Red called out. “wait! (Y/N), i’m sorry.”

You turned around, nearly bumped into your Sans, and looked at him. “You’re an asshole.” You said flatly. “And an idiot.” You added, then looked at Sam. “Take care of him, yeah?” You said, nodding towards her. She nods back, and you stepped inside the TARDIS before poking your head out once more, where Sans and the girl are still staring. “This is the last time you’ll see me. Goodbye, old, boring timeline where everyone’s an asshole! Hello, Tale timeline!” You announced, winking at them both, and at Grillby who was probably in shock.

You closed the door and leaned against it, locking eyes with Sans, who was still smiling at you. “So, soulmates huh?” You teased, and he started blushing. Oh, you could definitely live with this.  Definitely.

You pull him into a hug, and look at the Doctor who was standing near the console, winking at you both. You rolled your eyes at him, and smile. For some time, you felt like everything was going wrong, and now, everything seemed right. You wondered how the universe seemed to have aligned everything so that you could meet him.

But it doesn’t matter now, not when there were two less lonely people in world right now, and everything was going to be fine.

@ariaisprobablynotonfire submitted this, and I’m so sorry.  I know it’s been ages, and I haven’t posted it, but I honestly just now read it.  

And I loved it.  <3  It was a nice twist on the soulmate imagine, and Readz being blind was an interesting touch.  So was the Doctor Who reference; I almost didn’t catch that.  I kept thinking the Doctor was Gaster lol.

But thanks so much for sending it my way!  <3