#thread: ivy3

[skyguywrites]

thread tracker wheeee

❗️= close to wrapping up. ❓= can be wrapped up/archived if people need/wish. bold = ship thread. italics = important/defining plot.

ACTIVE.

dan owes ;

max/ivy2 - ivy tells max about her past. (20 jan // 2 notes.)

raff/harlow1 - first meeting. (20 jan // 7 notes.)

rafferty/maverick2 - nye/fireworks. (3 feb // 2 notes.)

ripley/amira1 - church meet. (3 feb // 1 note.)

marley/poppy1 - poppy's bi awakening. (6 feb // 0 notes.)

rae/flynn1 - reunion. (9 feb // 3 notes.)

wardo/flynn1 - reunion. (11 feb // 1 note.)

marley/harlow2 - homeless bucket. (12 march // 3 notes.)

henry/diego3 - diego finds out about stefan. (26 april // 7 notes.)

louis/wardo4 - bar date. (27 may // 2 notes.)

annie/eli2 - valentine's day mixup. (2 june // 2 notes.)

jen owes ;

jax/persephone2 - valentine's day date. (15 april // 3 notes.)

noah/poppy2 - poppy's closet. (28 april // 8 notes.)

killian/amira3 - valentine's day. (29 april // 6 notes.)

jax/matty1 - australia. (29 april // 5 notes.)

harlow/raff/mav1 - valentine's day. (15 may // 3 notes.)

jax/annie1 - miami. (15 may // 2 notes.)

chess/matty2 - post work drinks. (15 may // 4 notes.)

chess/ivy3 - experimenting. (15 may // 0 notes.)

jax/dante2 - monaco. (1 june // 0 notes.)

michaela owes ;

billy/simon2 - michigan. (1 june // 0 notes.)

louis/ivy3 - kittens and christopher street. (2 june // 13 notes.)

ARCHIVED.

dan/michaela.

amira/joey1. (7 notes.)

annie/eli1. (2 notes.)

billy/simon1. (10 notes.)

bradley/persephone1. (5 notes.)

diego/henry1. (14 notes.)

diego/henry2. (16 notes.)

elias/matty1. (2 notes.)

henry/ivy1. (7 notes.)

henry/poppy1. (14 notes.)

ivy/max1. (6 notes.)

ivy/raff1. (6 notes.)

ivy/wardo1. (8 notes.)

jess/marley1. (6 notes.)

mav/raff1. (4 notes.)

mav/wardo1. (3 notes.)

persephone/ripley1. (5 notes.)

poppy/wardo1. (4 notes.)

scotty/joey1. (2 notes.)

dan/jenny.

chess/henry1. (7 notes.)

chess/joey1. (9 notes.)

dante/jax1. (3 notes.)

harlow/marley1. (5 notes.)

louis/max1. (6 notes.)

louis/wardo1. (20 notes.)

louis/wardo2. (8 notes.)

louis/wardo3. (13 notes.)

jenny/michaela.

amira/killian1. (14 notes.)

amira/killian2. (7 notes.)

chess/diego1. (9 notes.)

chess/ivy1. (7 notes.)

chess/ivy2. (9 notes.)

chess/matty1. (6 notes.)

harlow/ivy1. (6 notes.)

harlow/maverick1. (6 notes.)

ivy/louis1. (10 notes.)

ivy/louis2. (13 notes.)

killian/matty1. (2 notes.)

noah/poppy1. (8 notes.)

persephone/jax1. (9 notes.)

[skyguywrites]

❗️= old or important threads/threads to prioritise. bold = ship thread. italics = important/defining plot.

dan owes.

❗️henry/diego3 - 27 june // 9 notes // opp: michaela

❗️eli/annie2 - 8 july // 4 notes // opp: michaela

wardo/flynn1 - 10 july // 3 notes // opp: michaela

marley/poppy1 - 29 july // 2 notes // opp: michaela

henry/diego4 - 6 aug // 2 notes // opp: michaela

ezra/kian1 - 8 aug // 4 notes // opp: michaela

teddy/amelia1 - 11 aug // 0 notes // opp: michaela

marley/jessie2 - 14 sept // 1 note // opp: michaela

teddy/olly1 - 23 sept // 0 notes // opp: michaela

keeley/théo1 - 24 sept // 3 notes // opp: michaela

teddy/colin1 - 24 sept // 3 notes // opp: michaela

simon/matthias1 - 24 sept // 1 note // opp: jenny

❗️marley/harlow2 - 29 sept // 5 notes // opp: jenny

dante/marcus1 - 30 sept // 2 notes // opp: michaela

❗️max/ivy2 - 7 sept // 6 notes // opp: michaela

jude/olly1 - 13 oct // 0 notes // opp: michaela

ripley/amelia1 - 5 nov // 2 notes // opp: michaela

rory/bonnie1 - 5 nov // 2 notes // opp: michaela

simon/billy2 - 10 nov // 3 notes // opp: michaela

ezra/kian2 (mini) - 14 nov // 3 notes // opp: michaela

ripley/amira1 - 15 nov // 5 notes // opp: michaela

jen owes.

❗️louis/wardo4 - 26 june // 3 notes // opp: danielle

charlie/persephone1 - 7 aug // 0 notes // opp: michaela

maggie/amelia1 - 13 aug // 4 notes // opp: michaela

ariadne/jasper1 - 13 aug // 4 notes // opp: michaela

jackson/dante2 - 12 sept // 3 notes // opp: danielle

ariadne/billy1 - 25 sept // 2 notes // opp: michaela

louis/wardo1 (mini) - 28 sept // 3 notes // opp: danielle

charlie/marcus1 - 29 sept // 2 notes // opp: michaela

charlie/elodie1 - 02 oct // 3 notes // opp: michaela

❗️matthias/colin1 - 7 oct // 4 notes // opp: michaela

noah/poppy3 - 13 oct // 0 notes // opp: michaela

❗️harlow/rafferty1 - 17 oct // 10 notes // opp: danielle

killian/amira4 - 08 nov // 4 notes // opp: michaela

chess/ivy3 - 10 nov // 4 notes // opp: michaela

noah/flynn1 - 11 nov // 3 notes // opp: michaela

matthias/colin3 - 14 nov // 6 notes // opp: michaela

michaela owes.

marcus/maggie1 - 24 sept // 2 notes // opp: jenny

théo/lando1 - 28 sept // 3 notes // opp: danielle

❗️flynn/rae1 - 29 sept // 6 notes // opp: danielle

micah/joey1 - 6 oct // 2 notes // opp: danielle

persephone/bradley2 - 16 oct // 2 notes // opp: danielle

❗️maverick/raff2 - 16 oct // 5 notes // opp: danielle

❗️maverick/harlow/raff1 - 17 oct // 5 notes // opp: jenny & danielle

théo/jax1 - 13 nov // 1 note // opp: jenny

[skyguywrites]

key:

❗️= old or important threads/threads to prioritise. bold = ship thread. italics = important/defining plot.

dan owes.

simon/billy2 - 6 june // 1 note // started 2 mths ago

dante/marcus1 - 16 june // 0 notes // started 2 mths ago

lando/théo1 - 26 june // 2 notes // started 2 mths ago

❗️henry/diego3 - 27 june // 9 notes // started 8 mths ago

❗️raff/mav/harlow1 - 30 june // 4 notes // started 7 mths ago

❗️max/ivy2 - 7 july // 4 notes // started 8 mths ago

❗️eli/annie2 - 8 july // 4 notes // started 7 mths ago

wardo/flynn1 - 10 july // 3 notes // started 7 mths ago

marley/poppy1 - 29 july // 2 notes // started 7 mths ago

henry/diego4 - 6 aug // 2 notes // started 2 mths ago

ezra/kian1 - 8 aug // 4 notes // started 2 mths ago

teddy/amelia1 - 11 aug // 0 notes // started 1 mth ago

joey/micah1 - 12 aug // 1 note // started 1 mth ago

ripley/amira1 - 13 aug // 3 notes // started 7 mths ago

bradley/sephy2 - 2 sept // 1 note // started 1 mth ago

❗️rae/flynn1 - 4 sept // 5 notes // 7 mths ago

marley/jessie2 - 14 sept // 1 note // 2 days ago

jen owes.

❗️harlow/rafferty1 - 25 june // 8 notes // 9 mths ago

harlow/marley1 - 26 june // 4 notes // 8 mths ago

❗️louis/wardo4 - 26 june // 3 notes // 5 mths ago

❗️louis/ivy3 - 26 june // 14 notes // 5 mths ago

louis/kian1 - 26 june // 2 notes // 3 mths ago

maggie/marcus1 - 23 july // 1 note // 2 mths ago

matthias/colin1 - 29 july // 4 notes // 2 mths ago

charlie/marcus1 - 6 aug // 0 notes // 1 mth ago

charlie/persephone1 - 7 aug // 0 notes // 1 mth ago

charlie/elodie1 - 8 aug // 1 note // 1 mth ago

matthias/simon1 - 11 aug // 0 notes /// 1 mth ago

noah/flynn1 - 12 aug // 1 note // 1 mth ago

maggie/amelia1 - 13 aug // 4 notes // 3 mths ago

ariadne/jasper1 - 13 aug // 4 notes // 1 mth ago

louis/scotty1 - 14 aug // 2 notes // 3 mths ago

matthias/colin1 (mini) - 31 aug // 2 notes // 1 week ago

killian/amira1 - 31 aug // 2 notes // 3 mths ago

jackson/annie1 - 4 sept // 4 notes // 5 mths ago

jackson/dante2 - 12 sept // 3 notes // 2 mths ago

michaela owes.

théo/keeley1 - 6 aug // 2 notes // 3 mths ago

billy/ariadne1 - 6 aug // 1 note // 1 mth ago

colin/teddy1 - 11 aug // 2 notes // 1 mth ago

❗️matty/chess2 - 12 aug // 7 notes // 5 mths ago

amelia/ripley1 - 5 sept // 1 note // 1 mth ago

bonnie/rory1 - 14 sept // 1 note // 1 day ago

ivy/chess3 - 14 sept // 3 notes // 4 mths ago

❗️mav/raff2 - 15 sept // 3 notes // 9 mths ago

[chessyhoward]

Ivy was a weirdly calming presence for Chess. She doubted that any rational person who came across Ivy on the streets of New York would say the same thing, watching her expertly use her elbows to sidestep tourists or down shot after shot in a bar Chess was much too scared to step foot in. On the outside, Ivy appeared to be chaos and charm intertwined, a regular storm in a tea cup. And yes, she was a lot like that on the inside too. But Chess had quickly learned that beneath the black leather and dark eye make-up, Ivy had a gooey marshamallow centre that it was easy to get right to the heart of. All Chess had had to do was be hopeless at photography and truthfully, bat her eyelashes a little, and Ivy had melted. They'd formed an odd little friendship ever since, akin to seeing a cat and dog walking down the street together, and Chess was merely delighted someone as cool as Ivy had chosen her to be her friend.

In short, it was one of the things that made Chess so attracted to her. Normally, the merest hint of attraction to another living, breathing human sent Chess into a flap, stumbling over her words and feeling her heart rate elevate. But a few no nonsense, straight-talking words from Ivy made Chess feel calm.

"I kind of run on nerves." she admitted, managing to muster up a small smile as Ivy's fingers toyed with a loose strand of hair. Her own hand still lay atop Ivy's denim-clad knee, uncertainty coursing through her body. It all seemed so different than the first time Ivy had kissed her. Looking back on that night, she didn't remember any of the hesitance or the awkward fumbling, just the way Ivy had put her hands and then her mouth on her, easy as breathing.

"Okay." she nodded, dropping her voice low to match Ivy's own. Ivy's words could hardly be constituted as dirty talk, heck, she didn't think at this stage Ivy was even sweet talking her, but the anticipation of what was to come, the firm, caring laying down of boundaries, made her stomach flip with excitement. She let out a careless laugh, insisting, "I don't think there's anything you could do to me that I wouldn't like."

A shiver went through her as Ivy's fingertips grazed the nape of her neck, her centre of gravity pulling her closer to the other woman. She leaned in, the hand previously precariously balanced on her leg moving to brace her hip, Chess' fingers tangling in the other woman's belt loops. A soft exhalation of breath escaped the woman as the pad of Ivy's thumb dragged across her bottom lip, Chess' eyes blown wide in curiosity. Very softly, she pursed her lips, bestowing the smallest kiss there.

"Likewise?" Chess said, voice an octave or two too high, clumsy as she spoke against the press of the other woman's thumb. "If there's anything you don't... like... I want this to be fun for you too."

Chess' eyes fluttered shut, so she was almost surprised when she felt Ivy's lips on hers. Chess was shocked at how commonplace it all felt, her fingers tugging a little harder at Ivy's belt loops as the woman treated her to a slow, soft kiss, lips parted ever so slightly. Chess' own lips were tacky with gloss and she hoped with a fierce jolt of worry that Ivy wouldn't mind, that it wouldn't be enough to make the other woman pull back. Not when Chess was just starting to get the hang of it.

Pulling back ever so slightly, Chess' eyes opened again, a warmth pooling in her stomach at the sight of Ivy, Chess' lipgloss smeared across her lips.

"That was okay." Chess reassured her, leaning in again to press a single, chaste kiss to her lips, in an attempt to take back some of her gloss. She giggled sweetly, her thumb coming up to brush the excess stickiness away.

"Can we do that again?"

Growing up, Ivy always had far too much to worry about to even consider being ashamed of her sexuality. She’d always counted herself lucky that she hadn’t had to endure a months or years long battle with her own anxieties as she tried to make sense of her attraction to other girls. In truth, she’d spent so long cringing away from the touch of men, too afraid to explore teenage crushes for fear of it turning into something more sinister, that she’d found comfort in the arms of other girls. 

So, while she couldn’t necessarily understand the internal war waging on in Chess’ mind right now, she could certainly empathise with the confusion she was probably experiencing right now. From what Ivy could work out, Chess hadn’t been with anybody – regardless of gender – since she’d gotten pregnant with Hazel. And if that wasn’t already criminal enough, it sounded like the only positive from that particular encounter had been the birth of the world’s most adorable kid. 

Ivy was pleased when Chess made the first move, however shy the other woman suddenly felt. A gentle touch to her knee wasn’t exactly enough to send Ivy wild with lust, but she understood the weight of such an action from someone like Chess. As gorgeous and downright seductive as her friend could be, it seemed she had no real awareness of her own allure, and displays of physical affection – past friendly, platonic hugs – didn't come so naturally to her.  

Ivy wanted her to feel comfortable and supported in those careful touches, so she carefully laid her own hand over the other woman’s, returning her squeeze with one of her own. 

“It’s okay to be nervous, seriously. You don’t have to be, but I know you can’t just turn that shit off,” Ivy smiled with a shrug. 

She thought back, in spite herself, to that afternoon on the ice with Max, her own body racked with sobs as she’d finally given in and opened herself up to the man. Ivy had spent years building up walls under the foolish guise that her armour could be mistaken for strength. And though she’d known with complete certainty that she could trust Max, it hadn’t made it any easier to let her guard down and tell him the truth. Her situation was in no way the same as Chessy’s - the two of them worlds apart, their upbringings and their struggles unique and personal to themselves – but she understood all too well how your own emotions could betray you. 

“It’s not silly, Chess. It’s cool, seriously,” Ivy insisted, drawing her hand back and instead lifting it, her fingers tenderly pushing a loose strand of hair past her friend’s ear. 

Holding her gaze, Ivy thought back to New Year’s Eve, the way the two of them had been pressed together, Chessy’s tongue chasing Ivy’s own. She’d been nervous then, too, but Ivy had taken the lead. Admittedly, in part, her own intentions hadn’t been so pure – she’d been angry with herself, confused about Max, and pounding back shots like it was her last night on Earth – but she’d been attracted to the other girl from the day they met. It had occurred to her, on occasion, that there might be some mutual attraction there – if the other woman’s lingering gaze had been anything to go by – but she’d never wanted to push, hadn’t wanted to force her out of her comfort zone and trick her into doing anything that might make her feel unsafe when she wasn’t quite ready.  

New Year’s Eve, however, was the perfect occasion for such a moment. Friends and strangers coming together to steal kisses, a few minutes of passion that sometimes lead to more, but more often than not was forgotten by morning. Kissing Chess might have been a slightly selfish act on Ivy’s part, but it had also been an attempt to see if she could coax something out of the other woman; Draw her into the comfort of her touch and allow the pretty brunette the chance to discover a new, exciting part of herself that she’d been yet to uncover. 

“We can take it slow, okay? It’s just you and me, alright? We’ll talk, we’ll communicate... Tell me what you like, what you don’t like... When to stop.”  

Ivy’s voice was low as she spoke, her hand carefully slipping to the nape of the other girl’s neck, fingers tickling the skin there, grazing the baby hairs that had spilled free from the braid that trailed down Chess’ back. She kept her touch light as it traced her friend's skin, teasing her jawline as she cupped her face now, a featherlight touch as the pad of her thumb brushed along Chess’ lower lip. Ivy applied a light pressure to the other girl’s mouth, exposing her teeth slightly as she felt her thumb grow wet beneath her touch. 

“I’m gonna kiss you next, baby. And I want you to tell me if that’s not okay,” Ivy whispered, her movements slow as she moved forward to close the gap. 

[skyguywrites]

thread tracker wheeee

❗️= close to wrapping up. ❓= can be wrapped up/archived if people need/wish. bold = ship thread. italics = important/defining plot.

ACTIVE.

dan owes ;

eli/annie1 - nye/annie gets stood up. (19 jan // 2 notes)

max/ivy2 - ivy tells max about her past. (20 jan // 2 notes.)

raff/harlow1 - first meeting. (20 jan // 7 notes.)

rafferty/maverick2 - nye/fireworks. (3 feb // 2 notes.)

ripley/amira1 - church meet. (3 feb // 1 note.)

marley/poppy1 - poppy's bi awakening. (6 feb // 0 notes.)

joey/scotty1 - scotty opens up about ex. (6 feb // 2 notes.) ❓

rae/flynn1 - reunion. (9 feb // 3 notes.)

dante/jax1 - gym session. (9 feb // 3 notes.)

wardo/flynn1 - reunion. (11 feb // 1 note.)

eli/annie2 - valentine's date mixup. (11 feb // 0 notes.)

ripley/persephone1 - reunion. (13 feb // 5 notes.) ❓

marley/jess1 - drunk jared. (6 march // 6 notes.) ❓

marley/harlow2 - homeless bucket. (12 march // 3 notes.)

henry/diego3 - diego finds out about stefan. (26 april // 7 notes.)

jen owes ;

jax/persephone2 - valentine's day date. (15 april // 3 notes.)

louis/ivy3 - kittens and christopher street. (27 april // 12 notes.)

noah/poppy2 - poppy's closet. (28 april // 8 notes.)

harlow/maverick1 - meetcute. (28 april // 6 notes.) ❓

killian/amira3 - valentine's day. (29 april // 6 notes.)

louis/wardo4 - 'platonic' bar date. (29 april // 1 note.)

jax/matty1 - australia. (29 april // 5 notes.)

harlow/raff/mav1 - valentine's day. (15 may // 3 notes.)

jax/annie1 - miami. (15 may // 2 notes.)

chess/matty2 - post work drinks. (15 may // 4 notes.)

chess/ivy3 - experimenting. (15 may // 0 notes.)

michaela owes ;

n/a.

ARCHIVED.

dan/michaela.

amira/joey1. (7 notes.)

billy/simon1. (10 notes.)

bradley/persephone1. (5 notes.)

diego/henry1. (14 notes.)

diego/henry2. (16 notes.)

elias/matty1. (2 notes.)

henry/ivy1. (7 notes.)

henry/poppy1. (14 notes.)

ivy/max1. (6 notes.)

ivy/raff1. (6 notes.)

ivy/wardo1. (8 notes.)

mav/raff1. (4 notes.)

mav/wardo1. (3 notes.)

poppy/wardo1. (4 notes.)

dan/jenny.

chess/henry1. (7 notes.)

chess/joey1. (9 notes.)

harlow/marley1. (5 notes.)

louis/max1. (6 notes.)

louis/wardo1. (20 notes.)

louis/wardo2. (8 notes.)

louis/wardo3. (13 notes.)

jenny/michaela.

amira/killian1. (14 notes.)

amira/killian2. (7 notes.)

chess/diego1. (9 notes.)

chess/ivy1. (7 notes.)

chess/ivy2. (9 notes.)

chess/matty1. (6 notes.)

harlow/ivy1. (6 notes.)

ivy/louis1. (10 notes.)

ivy/louis2. (13 notes.)

killian/matty1. (2 notes.)

noah/poppy1. (8 notes.)

persephone/jax1. (9 notes.)

[skyguywrites]

thread tracker.

❗️= close to wrapping up. ❓= can be wrapped up/archived if people need/wish. bold = ship thread. italics = important/defining plot.

ACTIVE.

dan owes ;

eli/annie1 - nye/annie gets stood up. (19 jan // 2 notes)

max/ivy2 - ivy tells max about her past. (20 jan // 2 notes.)

raff/harlow1 - first meeting. (20 jan // 7 notes.)

rafferty/maverick2 - nye/fireworks. (3 feb // 2 notes.)

ripley/amira1 - church meet. (3 feb // 1 note.)

marley/poppy1 - poppy's bi awakening. (6 feb // 0 notes.)

joey/scotty1 - scotty opens up about ex. (6 feb // 2 notes.) ❓

rae/flynn1 - reunion. (9 feb // 3 notes.)

dante/jax1 - gym session. (9 feb // 3 notes.)

wardo/flynn1 - reunion. (11 feb // 1 note.)

eli/annie2 - valentine's date mixup. (11 feb // 0 notes.)

ripley/persephone1 - reunion. (13 feb // 5 notes.) ❓

marley/jess1 - drunk jared. (6 march // 6 notes.) ❓

marley/harlow2 - homeless bucket. (12 march // 3 notes.)

louis/wardo4 - 'platonic' bar date. (25 april // 0 notes.)

henry/diego3 - diego finds out about stefan. (26 april // 7 notes.)

jen owes ;

jax/persephone2 - valentine's day date. (15 april // 3 notes.)

chess/matty2 - post work drinks. (27 april // 2 notes.)

louis/ivy3 - kittens and christopher street. (27 april // 12 notes.)

noah/poppy2 - poppy's closet. (28 april // 8 notes.)

harlow/maverick1 - meetcute. (28 april // 6 notes.) ❓

killian/amira3 - valentine's day. (29 april // 6 notes.)

jax/matty1 - australia. (29 april // 5 notes.)

michaela owes ;

annie/jax1 - miami. (29 april // 1 note.)

mav/harlow/raff1 - valentine's date. (29 april // 2 notes.)

ivy/chess3 starter.

ARCHIVED.

dan/michaela.

amira/joey1. (7 notes.)

billy/simon1. (10 notes.)

bradley/persephone1. (5 notes.)

diego/henry1. (14 notes.)

diego/henry2. (16 notes.)

elias/matty1. (2 notes.)

henry/ivy1. (7 notes.)

henry/poppy1. (14 notes.)

ivy/max1. (6 notes.)

ivy/raff1. (6 notes.)

ivy/wardo1. (8 notes.)

mav/raff1. (4 notes.)

mav/wardo1. (3 notes.)

poppy/wardo1. (4 notes.)

dan/jenny.

chess/henry1. (7 notes.)

chess/joey1. (9 notes.)

harlow/marley1. (5 notes.)

louis/max1. (6 notes.)

louis/wardo1. (20 notes.)

louis/wardo2. (8 notes.)

louis/wardo3. (13 notes.)

jenny/michaela.

amira/killian1. (14 notes.)

amira/killian2. (7 notes.)

chess/diego1. (9 notes.)

chess/ivy1. (7 notes.)

chess/ivy2. (9 notes.)

chess/matty1. (6 notes.)

harlow/ivy1. (6 notes.)

ivy/louis1. (10 notes.)

ivy/louis2. (13 notes.)

killian/matty1. (2 notes.)

noah/poppy1. (8 notes.)

persephone/jax1. (9 notes.)

[loudenver]

Louis sometimes wondered if maybe he'd maybe taken Ivy for granted in college sometimes. They'd been thrust together with neither really having a say in the matter, for a short moment in time he'd been nothing to her other than her best friend's boyfriend. It had taken a lot of Louis cleaning up his act and plenty of butted heads before he'd grown to see Ivy as a friend, and then a member of his fucked up little family. Slowly, they'd learned all the things they had in common. Ivy didn't like all the same books and music as him, but her sense of humour was wicked sharp and often filthy, and had always had Louis doubled over. He'd often caught her eye across the room when Wardo had done something so painfully, inexplicably Wardo, something so pretentious and ridiculous that only the two of them would realize just how funny it was. Still, all these years later, it still sometimes caught him off guard when he remembered just how similar he and Ivy were. For example, the woman had a scary affinity for saying exactly the thing Louis was thinking.

The two scrappy little underdogs currently taking up residence in Ivy and Louis' laps were a perfect representation of one of Louis' favorite character archetypes. The one who'd had to fight the hardest, the character nobody had quite believed in. Trust Ivy and Louis both to recognise that trait in the weakest of the litter, it was a trait they'd both long since recognised in themselves.

As though realising they were no longer holding Louis and Ivy's attention, a sea of kittens began to descend onto Ivy's lap, batting at her chestnut curls and kneading at her clothes. She gave in easily, with the air of someone who'd gotten used to becoming a human scratching post, and simply settled back against the carpet, her elbows keeping her propped upright.

"There's no way you're parting with all these guys." Louis called, a smile breaking across his own face as he listened to Ivy's giggles, mingling in the air with a cacophony of loud meows.

The sound of a loud crack splitting the air disrupted the particularly sweet image, Louis' head whipping around to attempt to determine the source of the noise. A dent appeared between his brows as he furrowed them, casting a worried glance Ivy's way.

"That was Wardo?" he asked, disbelief coating his tone, a thumb jammed in the direction of the noise. Pressing his hand to the ground, he moved to pull himself upright, before the most ridiculous sight in the world greeted him.

He recognised his own reader's copy of Christopher Street nestled between the teeth of Ivy's eldest cat. It bore the wear and tear of a well thumbed book, the edges curling where no doubt Ivy had fallen asleep reading. And now, there would be tooth marks to add to it. There was a story there, at least.

"Aw, come on." he huffed good naturedly, pulling himself into a standing position before tentatively approaching the cat. Wardo the cat gave him a defiant look as he peered up at him between mouthfuls of his debut novel. "That's not for you, kitty. Wrong Wardo."

With a quick scratch behind the cat's ears, he distracted him long enough to retrieve his book, mostly unscathed. He ran a palm over the minimalist cover, as though he could work out the marks and the curled cover with his hand alone. Louis had never really been precious about his books, anyway.

"Well, I'm glad the whole family is gettin' some enjoyment out of this thing." he laughed, fingers running the length of the cracked spine. The book was a veritable brick, so long it was hard to read without doing some serious damage to the spine. So much so that when you held it, it fell open to whatever page the reader had last been on, almost no need for a bookmark. Still, Ivy had tucked a ticket to a Ranger's game in place, so there was no doubt about where she'd left off reading.

Louis knew this book like the back of his hand. He'd poured over various rewrites, whole paragraphs had been shifted and changed under his hand, so he knew which bit of the narrative was unfolding beneath Ivy's bookmark. They had been the hardest chapters for him to write, it had taken... weeks, months, maybe? And insistent prodding from his editor to turn the pages in on time. They'd become a benchmark readers warned each other about online, bemoaning tears and a need to put the book down when those chapters were reached. He never wanted anyone to be uncomfortable reading, the subject matter was as vague as it could possibly be without having written it at all, but the chapters were both painful and necessary.

"You've, uh, read all this?" Louis asked, voice wavering.

Of course, one of the drawbacks of writing down your life story in a fictionalised format was that eventually people read it.

Ivy was an affectionate person, despite her glib nature and often icy exterior. Pet names dripped from her tongue regularly, she rewarded hugs aplenty, and she told her friends she loved them with as much frequency as she could. She wasn’t the best at committing romantically, but the love she had for her friends was all-encompassing and never faltered. With that in mind, it still came as a shock to her how open and easy Louis had become with her, never once shying away from a warm embrace or tucking her into his side. Though the two of them still bickered like petulant siblings, he’d embraced tenderness over the years and regularly made her blush with embarrassment, hiding away from his earnest nature and his endless displays of sentiment. 

“Aw, shut it,” she breathed, rolling her eyes for emphasis.  

She was grateful for those fleeting seconds where Lou’s head was tucked against her shoulder, reveling in the fact that he couldn’t see just how rosy her cheeks were, nor the smile she was fighting to obscure. 

The two of them watched fondly as Sadie and Lee danced around one another carefully, their movements gentle as they played – nothing at all like the harsh, scrappy way their siblings fought. She shot Louis a sidelong glance at his question, a smirk pulling at the corners of her lips. She knew he’d attach himself to the pair of them – there hadn’t been a single doubt in her mind – and she delighted in the fact that she’d been right. While it was true that Ivy had also grown fond of the pair, she knew she couldn’t keep all of the kittens, and she wanted to ensure that Louis got the two that were dearest to him, as dorky as it sounded. 

“Maybe. Like, just a little, y’know?” she admitted, offering a gentle shrug of her shoulders. “You know I'm partial to an underdog, dude.” 

Tenderly, she traced her forefinger along Sadie’s tiny body, perched as she was on Louis’ knee. Her little ears pricked up, her head soon following, and before she knew it, her secret namesake was joining Lee as her clambered all over Ivy. As though sensing a disturbance in the force, the five remaining kittens all seemed to turn their attention on Ivy, untangling themselves from whatever scrap they’d gotten themselves into. Seemingly jealous of the attention Ivy was giving to Lee and Sadie, the rest of the kittens begun pawing at her from every angle, their weak mewls filling the air as an array of claws sunk into the fabric of her sweats, kittens of varying colours pulling themselves up onto her lap and swarming her, desperate for attention. 

A howl of laughter spilled from Ivy’s lips as she glanced at Louis, bemused by the sudden appearance of seven kittens now making themselves home on whatever inch of her body they could find. She slipped backwards, dropping onto her elbows as Sasquatch – notably the largest of the bunch – tried to crawl up her arm. Her eyes scanned the area around them for any sight of Wardo, who seemed to have disappeared in those fleeting moments, and she frowned. He’d probably grown bored and disappeared back to her bedroom. 

Just as that thought entered her mind, a loud bang filled the air, startling the kittens in her lap, all clinging ever tighter to her than before. She winced, recognising the tell-tale sounds of her bedside table crashing to the ground; Wardo was forever trying to take naps on the damn thing, never understanding that he was too big. 

“You mind, uh, checking on him?” Ivy asked, gesturing vaguely to her current predicament. 

Before Louis could move a muscle, though, she heard the soft pitter-patter of Wardo’s paws exiting her bedroom. Glancing over her shoulder, Ivy’s eyes widened at the sight of him, a hand coming up to clamp over her mouth, stifling a laugh that threatened to break through. There, in her living room, stood Wardo Jr, with a rather sizeable proof copy of Christopher Street trapped between his teeth. 

“Uh... Yeah, you might wanna go and retrieve that? I’m haven't finished reading it yet,” Ivy snorted. 

[loudenver]

The lightest tinge of pink coloured Louis' cheeks at Ivy's statement. He thought he'd spoken quietly enough for the comment to go undetected by his companion, but there was no way God was good enough to pass up a chance for Ivy Rogers to make fun of him. He simply pretended he hadn't heard her, suddenly extremely invested in the way Wardo's eyes squeezed shut when he scratched a particular spot behind his ear. If only his human counterpart were so easy to placate.

"Poor baby." he muttered under his breath, using the tone he reserved solely for cooing over Scotty's two very pampered dogs. Louis had always had a soft spot for cats, and seeing this little guy stand solidly on his own four paws after a tumultuous beginning made a lump form in his throat. There was no one better he could've ended up with than Ivy, who knew exactly what it was like to be tossed aside by the people who were meant to love you most. Glancing up, he met Ivy's eyes and gave her a knowing look.

"Reminds me of someone, alright." he drawled, leaving it at that.

Not wanting to be forgotten, however, the small kitten perched on his knee nuzzled at the fabric of his sweats, a reminder she was still here. Louis was certain if he were to pick her up she'd fit perfectly in the palm of his hand, even her meow was quieter, less boisterous than the other kittens.

"Not real at all." he said, voice low so as not to scare her off. Louis turned his head, one finger still gently rubbing between the kitten's ears, to look at the other kitten Ivy was drawing his attention to. Similarly small and skinny, Louis' heart cracked clean in two at the sight of him crawling to the top of the pyramid, so to say.

"Oh, you little guys are breakin' my goddam heart." he sighed.

Perhaps it was the writer in him, always drawn towards the underdog, but he couldn't help but be drawn towards the forgotten babies, as Ivy had called them. A survival story tugged at his heartstrings, or maybe Louis could understand - better than anyone - what it was like to be the smallest of your siblings, talked over, pushed around, and hurt. He chewed on his bottom lip as the kitten clambered up Ivy's leg in a desperate bid to be close to his sister, an affectionate butting of heads.

"Remind you of anyone?" Louis echoed Ivy's earlier words, dropping his head to her shoulder in a mimicry of an affectionate headbutt, a laugh dripping from his lips.

"I like these two." he whispered, watching as they batted each other's paws playfully, chasing another laugh from him. "They're your favorites, aren't they?"

“Oh my God, you’re so corny,” Ivy laughed, rolling her eyes. 

If their life were a piece of fiction, and the two of them were two girls chatting, there was no way in hell they’d have passed the damn Bechdel Test – which, admittedly, she had never heard of until Amelia had explained it to her – not with the way they talked about Wardo Martinelli, anyway. Naming her scrappy little moggie after her best friend had started out as a stupid joke, but with each passing year she was starting to see the resemblance between the two of them. Their immediate attachment to Louis Denver seemed to be one example in a very extensive list. 

“He was a stray, y’know? Like, all beaten up and barely alive when I found him,” Ivy told him, frowning at the memory. Seeing the tiny kitten like that had been awful but naming him after the strongest person she knew felt like an offering of power; Her Wardo had never backed down from a fight, and that was exactly the strength she'd hoped to bestow on her sweet baby kitten. “Remind you of anyone?” 

Setting aside the mugs she had on hand, Ivy turned her body in full to face Louis, feeling a smug sense of satisfaction as she watched him pull Sadie close, just as she’d suspected he would. She smiled fondly at the two of them, tipping her head to the side as she watched Sadie immediately curl up on his knee, content with her new home. Ivy’s gaze strayed then to Lee, who was still stuck at the bottom of the pile, pawing his way out, successfully making his way to the top, perched triumphantly atop Sixteen’s head. 

“Yeah, she kinda doesn’t seem real, right?” she nodded, wandering towards them, crouching down into a squatting position so as to join them on their level. With a gentle nod towards Lee, she laughed. “Those two? They’re kinda the forgotten babies, I guess. Helen stopped feeding them, kinda didn’t wanna raise ‘em at all, actually. The other kittens are mean as hell, and Wardo just sorta sits on them and hopes they go away, y’know?” 

It all sounded kind of ridiculous, talking about the power dynamics of her current litter of kittens, but it was the truth. They were the runt, and she couldn’t help but connect with them the most out of the bunch. She’d been there herself, so she figured it was natural to feel a little overprotective. 

As she spoke, Lee seemed to perk up at her words, his tiny head turning towards her. She grinned as he weaved around the other kittens, avoiding their desperate swipes at him, unbothered as they hissed in unison. He stopped short at her feet, nudging her toes with the top of his head, and Ivy caved almost immediately. Dropping a hand for him, she let him crawl into her palm, before dropping down onto the carpet next to Louis. Depositing Lee into her lap, she laughed as he crawled along her thigh and teetered on the edge of her knee, dipping his nose forward to gently butt heads with Sadie. 

“See? They always have each other’s back,” she smiled. 

[loudenver]

Louis stared in wonder at the scene surrounding him. What felt like a whole armada of adorable kittens were clambering over one another and clawing their way up Ivy's furniture, most of them peering up at him with curious, wide eyes. His heart could fuckin' melt. It took him right back to when Ulysses was a baby, how his little body would scretch over the keys of his laptop in the middle of the night as he fought to turn in a homework assignment before the deadline. More often than not, Louis would give up and simply pull the tiny bundle of fur into his lap, the then-kitten sinking into his embrace in a way he never seemed to do for other people. He wondered how many times over the past couple of years Ulysses had fallen asleep in Wardo's lap, if Ulysses had missed him at all, and tried hard to feel like he wasn't betraying him with a smaller, shinier model.

"What did I do now?" Louis began to grumble, thrown off by the casual 'asshole' that slipped from Ivy's lips, her fingers insistently tugging on the sleeve of Cassie's sweater. He was surprised to find Ivy's lithe body pressed up against his, her much smaller frame enveloping him in the biggest hug she could manage. His shoulders slump as he sank gratefully into her, his hands locking together at the small of her back. Her shampoo smelled sweet and her breath tickled the nape of his neck, and Louis felt utterly comforted as she held him tight. All too recently, thoughts of Wardo and their recent situation had left a tight feeling in his chest and a sinking in his stomach, but all of that seemed to go away as Ivy wrapped him up.

"Thanks, babe." he said, his smile bleeding into his words as her lips found his cheek. He lifted his hand to gently chuck her under the chin, impossibly fond of her, and let her turn her back on him to take stock of her army of kittens.

Louis immediately dropped to a sitting position in the middle of the room, Ivy's plush carpet the only thing underneath him as he turned this way and that, unsure where to look, so much was happening. The kittens mercilessly scrambled over one another, what seemed like the smallest of the litter fighting to be noticed. Louis' heart clenched at the sight of her, little legs working harder than ever to keep up. The full-grown cat, who Louis assumed to be Wardo, outpaced all the others as he immediately rushed to Louis' side, pushing aside his tiny daughter to do so.

"Not cool, Wardo." Louis playfully reprimanded the cat, the words sounding strange in his mouth even as he did so. With one hand, he gently began scratching behind the cat's ear, his head butting up against the inside of Louis' palm as he did so. He kept one eye on the little kitten, the one who'd swiped at his ankle, as she fought to keep upright in the throng of other kittens. Almost reflectively, Louis moved to pluck her from the bunch, setting her atop his knee to safety.

"Shut up," Louis blushed, his hand pressed into the cat's fur. Dropping his voice, he mused to himself, "He's handsome though, huh? Like your namesake. All fiesty and shit, too."

Chuckling to himself, Louis lifted his head to regard Ivy, stroking the smallest kitten with his index finger.

"This one's real tiny." he noted.

After the conversation they’d had, Ivy half expected Louis to look worse. Not that she thought he and Wardo weren’t strong enough to handle the mess they’d currently found themselves in, but Louis had just admitted to feeling kinda awful about the whole ordeal, so she hadn’t expected so much warmth and pure, unfiltered joy on his face from the moment she’d opened the door. 

Still, even after he gave Ivy a quick squeeze and turned his attention back to the kittens surrounding him, she couldn’t help but check in one last time. Carefully, she deposited Sadie back onto the ground, nudging the door shut as she did so, and tugged at the sleeve of Louis’ sweater. 

“Get back here, asshole,” she ordered, before tightening her grip on his wrist and pulling him in for a real hug. Wrapping an arm around his shoulders, Ivy let her head gently drop, burying her face against his neck as she held on tight. As much as she and Louis loved to roast one another, she kinda loved the idiot, and she honestly hated how cut up he and Wardo were still over what had gone down between the two of them. 

Ivy lingered for a moment, the room silent only for a few miniature mews, before finally retreating, returning the chaste kiss Louis had rewarded her with by pressing her own to his cheek. 

“Alright, enough emotions. It’s kitten time,” she announced, lips stretching wide into an excitable grin. 

Turning her back from Louis, Ivy surveyed her apartment, watching as each kitten stumbled around the space, fighting for the attention of the newly arrived stranger. She watched, amused, as sweet, tiny Lee climbed over Sasquatch, an almost David and Goliath-style battle, desperately fighting to reach Louis. Laughter spilled from her lips as Wardo himself strutted into the room, making an immediate beeline for Louis – evidently, he wasn’t just his counterpart’s favourite person in the room. Wardo batted Sadie away as she gave a weak swipe at Lou’s ankle, causing her to fall backwards in the process, the other kittens immediately scrambling over her, leaving her in the wind. 

“Hey, be nice! You little assholes,” Ivy frowned, watching as both Sadie and Lee fought to find their footing. 

Shaking her head, she glanced back up at Louis, who seemed at a loss for where to look first and what to do with his hands. 

“You see what I have to fuckin’ put up with, man?” she sighed. 

With a shrug, she started towards the kitchen, rolling her eyes as each and every one of her traitorous kittens ignored her very existence, all now with their sights set on Lou. She headed towards the fridge, tugging out the milk as she set to work on the hot chocolate she’d promised, before shooting a glance over her shoulder. 

“Looks like Wardo Jr is kinda obsessed with you,” she noted, smirking in their direction. “What’s that one T-Swizzle quote? I think I’ve seen this film before...” 

[chessyhoward]

Chess Howard's apartment was the tidiest it had ever been. Well, the tidiest it could be when she shared the small space with a six year old girl who had a penchant for leaving her stuff absolutely everywhere. She'd been the one to invite Ivy over, it was so rare that she ever got the place to herself, so she'd taken it upon herself to make sure it was presentable. She'd run the vaccum over her carpet once, twice, and a third time for good measure. Hopefully Chess wouldn't be so entirely undesirable and uninteresting for Ivy to be bored enough to inspect the dust collecting atop various surfaces, but alas.

Upon answering the door, Chess had smiled at Ivy in a way she hoped hadn't looked too pained, and proceeded to accidentally look down the front of her shirt. She'd blushed and immediately averted her eyes, hoping Ivy hadn't caught the slip up. Chess didn't think prior to the small revelation Ivy had bestowed on her that she spent a lot of time looking at other women's bodies, but since New Year's Eve, she found it impossible to not. Chess could no longer fight the blush that came to her cheeks when she walked in on the pretty models changing, or call looking at another woman's bum in a tight skirt passing admiration for the design. Had she always done this and been blindly unaware, or were things merely different after Ivy?

She wished she'd had the foresight to dress up a little. She'd consoled herself - rather mistakenly - with the fact that Ivy couldn't possibly be as hot as she remembered. Unfortunately, she was somehow hotter. But dressing down was still pretty dressed up when it came to Chess. She'd settled for a pair of cut-off denim shorts and an oversized jumper, her hair braided back off her face, her freckles peering out through her minimal make-up. She pushed a few loose strands off of her face as she bustled around the small apartment, kicking Hazel's toys to one side and straightening up the artfully fanned out stack of thick, glossy fashion magazines.

The brunette was now officially panicking. A low level jittery buzz seemed to emenate from her as she flitted around the small living area, avoiding looking at the other woman at all costs. She knew this was something she wanted, a small crush she'd been tentatively nursing since New Year's. But the thought of Ivy touching her again was enough to send her into a tizzy. What if, without the influence of alcohol, Chess was painfully awkward, moreso than usual?

At the sound of Ivy's voice, Chess lifted her head, her lips parted softly in surprise. Her fingers tightened around the stack of paper she was holding, a blush working its way into her cheeks as Ivy called her out. Depositing the papers atop Hazel's homework and various drawings made for Joey and Poppy and co, she let out a small sigh.

"You're right, I'm sorry." she mumbled, coming to a stop in front of her. Her fingers twisted together clumsily as she wondered what her next course of action should be, all too thankful when Ivy instructed her to sit down, and all too eager to listen.

Her bum met the soft sofa cushion next to Ivy immediately, drawing one leg up as she inclined her body towards the other woman. Chess' knee brushed Ivy's own but her eyes didn't quite meet her face, instead, she focused on picking at a fraying thread at the edge of her shorts.

"I am nervous." she shrugged, finally looking up at Ivy. Shuffling in slightly closer to Ivy, she laid a hand on her knee, giving it a soft squeeze. "But I haven't changed my mind."

Her shoulders raised in a little half-shrug, offering Ivy a wobbly smile.

"I just... feel silly."

Ivy wasn’t the most fashionable person around – most of the time, she found that looking hot in New York also meant having money – but she had long since perfected the perfect cat eye. Her hair spilled down around her shoulders in their natural waves, eyeliner sharp, and eyeshadow blended perfectly to match, she couldn’t help but think she looked pretty hot. Her top of choice for the day was low-cut – she was making a point to show off all her best assets – and she was wearing a pair of jeans that hugged her ass so perfectly, you’d need to be registered legally blind not to notice it. 

It wasn’t that Ivy thought that she needed to dress up to go and hang out with Chess – and even now, she was still keeping it fairly casual – but she knew the other girl was nervous to see her today. With Hazel at school and spending the afternoon with Joey and Micah, Chess had announced that her schedule was free all day today, leaving it open for Ivy to stop by if she wished. With Kian looking to pick up some extra shifts, and Max too busy with Louis to be hitting the ice with Ivy, it meant she had no work responsibilities to worry about, and all the time in the world for a pretty Australian. 

Being perceived as desperate or slutty wasn’t something Ivy tended to worry herself with anymore, truth be told. She liked sex and she didn’t think there was any shame in the fact, so long as it was healthy and consensual, and nobody was getting hurt. That said, her offer to Chess had come from a place of good intentions. While she’d never personally say no to sleeping with someone as hot as Chess, she wasn’t putting herself out there to scratch any particular itch, but moreso because she genuinely liked the other girl and appreciated her friendship. While Ivy had harbored her own suspicions about Chess’ sexuality before their kiss, it had grown increasingly more obvious after New Year’s Eve that the woman was struggling to wrap her head around what had happen. Knowing yourself and understanding what you wanted in life came a lot easier to some people, and it didn’t seem fair to laugh at Chess or make her feel small for feeling a little lost now that she was experiencing something a little different. 

It had been about 15 minutes since she’d arrived at the other girl’s apartment, with Chess welcoming her in with a warm, pretty smile and an awkward hug. Now, perched on the edge of her sofa, Ivy watched as she busied herself aimlessly with random chores that she had no doubt the single mother had just fabricated out of nowhere. Amused, she observed as Chess picked up a heap of paperwork that had been resting on the coffee table, straightened it out, and then simply moved it to the dining table instead. 

“Okay, alright, babe? Calm down,” Ivy called out to her, hoping to draw her back to the present. “I can practically hear your inner monologue right now.” 

She knew that Chess was panicking, but she hadn’t come here to freak the other girl out. It didn't matter to Ivy if the two of them spent the entire day fooling around and making each other come, or if they watched New Girl reruns while eating two-day old takeout. 

“You know, we can just hang out? Like, if you’re nervous, or if you’ve changed your mind,” Ivy told her, desperate to reassure the other girl. She gently patted the space next to her on the sofa, gesturing for Chess to join her. “Just come sit down, please?” 

[loudenver]

Louis had not listened to the new Taylor Swift album on purpose, despite it's aptly named title track. However, over the past few days, it seemed to have become the unofficial soundtrack of their small commune of writers, artists and athletes. Moving from room to room, The Tortured Poet's Department seemed to be filtering from the respective bedrooms of each of his roommates, different tracks all blurring into one another so Louis hadn't really learned any particular songs, just random lyrics. So he wasn't really sure who to blame as he stepped off the Subway, gently crooning, "This ain't the Chelsea Hotel, we're modern idiots." under his breath.

Louis' headphones circled his neck, the raw sounds of the city reaching his ears directly as he ambled towards the exit. Every city had it's own sounds, but there was something about the overly romanticised hustle and bustle of New York that made his heart swell. He was light on his feet, excited to reach Ivy's apartment and have his arms bundled with kittens. He'd been waiting, somewhat impatiently, for the day to come when the kittens would be old enough for Louis to press their furry little bodies to his cheek, and for the day he could, as promised, take them home. Needless to say, he was excited.

Pulling out his phone, he quickly fired off a text to Ivy to let her know he was a few minutes away. It was a good job it was only cat Wardo and not human Wardo who was present, as Louis was certain he looked a little worse for wear. He'd opted for sweatpants and one of the oversized sweater Cassie usually wore to the gym, a little too short in the body, figuring the cats would just sink their little claws into them regardless. He had until Cassie's afternoon workout for her to realize her sweater was gone.

Reaching Ivy's front door, he lazily rapped on the wood with his knuckles. Was he imagining it, or could he already hear the quiet mewings of the sweetest little kittens? Louis bounced on the balls of his feet in excitement as the door swung open, revealing Ivy with a tiny kitten nuzzled into her neck.

"Hi." Louis greeted, his voice dropping to a whisper as he regarded the kitten with awe in his voice. It seemed so fucking small, little ears and pink, wet nose. Louis' eyes moved to greet Ivy, eyes wide and excited. "Oh my God, you really fuckin' do."

Breezing into the room, Louis leaned in to give Ivy an awkward side-hug, his hand squeezing her shoulder as he pressed himself against her side, his lips subconciously finding her temple as he did so.

"They're so cute?" Louis breathed, already making a mental note to send so many pictures to the apartment group chat.

Ivy could think of worse ways to spend her afternoon than curled up on her bed with an army of kittens wrestling all around her. Admittedly, she almost had been trapped into spending the following afternoon in a much worse scenario; third wheeling an awkward Not Date with her best friend and his 10-year-long situationship. As it worked out, Max was a life saver in more ways than one, meaning she’d be dodging that bullet fairly smoothly. Still, she kinda wished she could just spend it in her apartment with the furballs. Maybe she’d have to see if she could convince Max to come back to her apartment – as friends, obviously – and meet the babies. 

While Ivy knew her own love life was in absolute shambles, and her commitment issues were proving to be her greatest downfall, she couldn’t quite wrap her head around whatever the hell it was Wardo and Louis were doing. Sure, they had a lot of history, and the last time hadn’t ended so great on either end, but ten years had passed. They were both new people, to an extent, and it was pretty clear to anybody who knew them that they were still in love. She didn’t understand why they couldn’t just talk, like actual grownups, and sort their shit out. But, for whatever idiotic reason, they couldn’t, so instead she had to sit by and watch her extremely intelligent best friend turn into a socially awkward nerd who couldn’t string a sentence together when faced with Louis, who was suddenly acting like a sixth grader kicking his feet, twirling his hair, and giggling at every other word that came out of Wardo’s mouth. Lowkey, it was kind of exhausting. 

As she scrolled aimlessly through her phone, Ivy found herself giggling as Wardo Jr nuzzled against her jaw, his hair tickling her nostrils, causing her to cringe away from her furry baby. Shooting him a playful glare – one much gentler and kinder than would have been bestowed upon Human Wardo, no doubt – she dropped her phone down onto her duvet and pushed herself up into a seating position. Just as she was about to scoop him up into her arms, however, she groaned. Just behind Wardo, the kittens were wreaking havoc, no doubt exactly what he was trying to draw her attention to. 

She wasn’t sure why he couldn’t look after his own damn kittens instead of lounging around like some deadbeat dad while Helen was out on the fire escape scoping out potential new Baby Daddies, but it seemed this was her lot in life. 

“Hey, scram!” Ivy called out, leaning across as she expertly scooped two tiny kittens into opposing hands.  

At 5 weeks now they were old enough for her to pick them up without any real concern, and still tiny enough that they fit perfectly into the palm of her hand. Setting them back down on opposite ends of the bed, she moved towards another kitten, who appeared to be scrapping with himself – or so she thought, anyway. 

“Oh my God, you rat bastard,” Ivy sighed, wincing as she watched one of the kittens try to wrap its tiny mouth around her book. Considering that she wasn’t much of a reader, she knew immediately which book it was, and given who she was expecting to call around soon, she didn’t think it would go over too well if she told Louis that one of his potential children had tried to sink their teeth into his first draft copy of Christopher Street. 

Snatching the book up and away from the feeble claws of the kitten, she tossed it onto her bedside table and shook her head fondly. Helen had given birth to a litter of 7 kittens, and each of them already had come with a whole lot of personality. With the exception of two – the last ones to arrive, the runts so to speak – they all had so much energy for creatures so small and, as much as she loved them, Ivy was looking forward to the day some of them could be taken off her hands. It was practically a full-time job looking out for them. It had been clear from day one that Helen had chosen her favourites, with the two smallest being overlooked, ignored and bullied by the other kittens – and Ivy practically fighting with their mom to ensure they got a healthy amount of nutrients and love. 

While she knew there was no point naming the kittens when they weren’t all going to be sticking around, she had nicknames in the back of her mind for most of them, just to help her tell them apart. The ginger cat chewing on Louis’ book was Shit For Brains, while the two that had been scrapping – both tortoise shells – were Cunty and Sixteen (the latter on account of the fact that he had a weird knack for unlocking her phone and sending keyboard smashes to Max in the middle of the night). The biggest one - practically identical to Wardo Jr in every way imaginable – was Sasquatch, and then there was Raff Jr who was the grumpiest of the litter. She wasn’t intentionally naming her cats after Raff and his wife, obviously, but he was short-hair brown kitten with a perpetual scowl on his face, so what else was she meant to name him? 

That then left the two smallest – the outcasts of the group. She didn’t wanna make assumptions, but Ivy was pretty sure that they would be Louis’ favorites, not least because they were her favorites. Small as they were, they were mighty, and they’d fought for five weeks to keep their place. Ivy was kind of obsessed. She’d never admit as much out loud, but she’d secretly named them Sadie and Lee. Those names meant absolutely nothing to anybody, so she figured there was no harm saying them out loud, but it felt like a dangerous game. Sadie Lee was the name on her birth certificate, the one given to her after her birth mom had abandoned her. She hadn’t kept it, nor had she told even Wardo that any name other than Ivy Rogers existed, but she’d never forgotten. 

A knock sounded at the door, and Ivy padded across her apartment, a trail of kittens now at her heels. Crouching down, she scooped Sadie up onto her shoulder, confident that she’d be able to settle there safely – small as she was – and pulled the front door open, revealing Louis Denver on the other side. 

“Dude,” she grinned, gesturing around her. “I have a fuckin’ army of kittens, man.” 

[skyguywrites]

thread tracker wheeee

❗️= close to wrapping up. ❓= can be wrapped up/archived if people need/wish. bold = ship thread. italics = important/defining plot.

ACTIVE.

dan owes ;

max/ivy2 - ivy tells max about her past. (20 jan // 2 notes.)

raff/harlow1 - first meeting. (20 jan // 7 notes.)

rafferty/maverick2 - nye/fireworks. (3 feb // 2 notes.)

ripley/amira1 - church meet. (3 feb // 1 note.)

marley/poppy1 - poppy's bi awakening. (6 feb // 0 notes.)

rae/flynn1 - reunion. (9 feb // 3 notes.)

wardo/flynn1 - reunion. (11 feb // 1 note.)

marley/harlow2 - homeless bucket. (12 march // 3 notes.)

henry/diego3 - diego finds out about stefan. (26 april // 7 notes.)

wardo/louis4 - bar date. (27 may // 2 notes.)

eli/annie2 - valentine's day mixup. (2 june // 2 notes.)

simon/billy2 - michigan. (6 june // 1 note.)

dante/jax2 - monaco. (6 june // 2 notes.)

jen owes ;

jax/persephone2 - valentine's day date. (15 april // 3 notes.)

noah/poppy2 - poppy's closet. (28 april // 8 notes.)

killian/amira3 - valentine's day. (29 april // 6 notes.)

jax/matty1 - australia. (29 april // 5 notes.)

harlow/raff/mav1 - valentine's day. (15 may // 3 notes.)

jax/annie1 - miami. (15 may // 2 notes.)

chess/matty2 - post work drinks. (15 may // 4 notes.)

chess/ivy3 - experimenting. (15 may // 0 notes.)

michaela owes ;

ivy/louis3 - kittens and christopher street. (2 june // 13 notes.)

kian/louis1 - at the bar. (6 june // 1 note.)

amelia/maggie1 starter.

billy/jax1 starter.

(any other starters?)

ARCHIVED.

dan/michaela.

amira/joey1. (7 notes.)

annie/eli1. (2 notes.)

billy/simon1. (10 notes.)

bradley/persephone1. (5 notes.)

diego/henry1. (14 notes.)

diego/henry2. (16 notes.)

elias/matty1. (2 notes.)

henry/ivy1. (7 notes.)

henry/poppy1. (14 notes.)

ivy/max1. (6 notes.)

ivy/raff1. (6 notes.)

ivy/wardo1. (8 notes.)

jess/marley1. (6 notes.)

mav/raff1. (4 notes.)

mav/wardo1. (3 notes.)

persephone/ripley1. (5 notes.)

poppy/wardo1. (4 notes.)

scotty/joey1. (2 notes.)

dan/jenny.

chess/henry1. (7 notes.)

chess/joey1. (9 notes.)

dante/jax1. (3 notes.)

harlow/marley1. (5 notes.)

louis/max1. (6 notes.)

louis/wardo1. (20 notes.)

louis/wardo2. (8 notes.)

louis/wardo3. (13 notes.)

jenny/michaela.

amira/killian1. (14 notes.)

amira/killian2. (7 notes.)

chess/diego1. (9 notes.)

chess/ivy1. (7 notes.)

chess/ivy2. (9 notes.)

chess/matty1. (6 notes.)

harlow/ivy1. (6 notes.)

harlow/maverick1. (6 notes.)

ivy/louis1. (10 notes.)

ivy/louis2. (13 notes.)

killian/matty1. (2 notes.)

noah/poppy1. (8 notes.)

persephone/jax1. (9 notes.)